Connect Savannah August 26, 2020

AUG 26-SEP 1, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

JACK SHERMAN:

A REMEMBRANCE Acclaimed session guitarist and former Red Hot Chili Peppers member passed away in Savannah last week

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

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COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.

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Livestreams:

PHOTO BY ANN SOSBE

Quarantine Concert w/ Waits & Co. Livestreamed from the historic Tybee Post Theatre.

Sat., Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org

Forsyth Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays facebook.com/forsythfarmersmarket Islands Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

Saturdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. , 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/islandsfarmersmarket/

Quarantine Concert w/ Waits & Co.

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Tybee Island Farmers Market Mondays, 4-7 p.m.

30 Meddin Dr. facebook.com/tybeeislandfarmersmarket

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m.

Site Reopenings:

Pin Point Heritage Museum Thu.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Davenport House Museum Daily tours begin 10 a.m., last tour 4 p.m. except Sundays when hours are 1-4 p.m.

American Prohibition Museum Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., last entry 4:15 p.m.

Georgia State Railroad Museum Wed.-Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Savannah History Museum Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Harper-Fowlkes House Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Guided tours will be offered every half hour, with the first tour starting at 10 am and the last tour starting at 3:30 pm.

Telfair Museums 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Mondays.

During initial reopening phase, they closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Admission to all sites $20 inclusive.

Old Fort Jackson Wed.-Sun 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mars Theatre Friday/Saturday night movies at 7 p.m.

Massie Heritage Center Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mercer-Williams House Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday

Events: Savannah Bananas vs. Macon College summer league ball in a historic ballpark.

Fri. Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com Savannah Bananas vs. Macon College summer league ball in a historic ballpark.

Sat.. Aug. 29, 6:30 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com

Live Concerts:

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Front Porch Improv: Zoomerang! Game Show Zoomerang is an online game show that you play from home. Contestants from the audience are chosen to join forces with a comedian to compete in a live, interactive, online game to win prizes.

Fri. Aug. 28 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchim-

Bluegrass by the Pint City Hotel performs at Service Brewing.

Fri., Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.

Front Porch Improv: Fun House Fun House is a never-seen-before improvised comedy show.

Sat. Aug. 29 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/

Nashville Nights with Austin Neal and Savannah Road at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Thurs., Aug. 27, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/

Friday Night Live with Mayor Van Johnson Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s “fireside chat” about the state of the city.

Fridays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/MayorJohnsonSAV/

Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Parties To receive the link to these streaming playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, at the link below. Each week, anyone who chooses to donate at least $5 via PayPal or Venmo receives a free high Andrew Gill and Friends at Coach’s quality digital download of a movie Corner from the archive, and is entered into a Live performance in a courtyard setdrawing to win a T-shirt. ting.

Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 p.m.

Sat., Aug. 29, 7 p.m. facebook.com/ facebook.com/coachscorner groups/2519522234807695/ Thomas Claxton and the Myth at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Fri. Aug. 28, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner

Seldom Sober Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk.

Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/

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NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE Proud Sponsor

Pandemic mismanagement on campus: Malicious, or just incompetent?

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Brittany Curry, Kristy Edenfield, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381

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BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

THERE’S NO shortage of breaking news in 2020. But the news uppermost on people’s minds right now has to do with the “reopening” of schools at all levels, from K-12 through the universities.

Our local public schools made the difficult but obvious decision to go to a virtual model. It was by no means a given that they’d arrive at this common-sense solution — however many hiccups have been experienced the first week of school — and they deserve kudos for it.

Read more about that in Kristy Edenfield’s story this issue.

At the university level, however, things are much less clear, and often much less common-sense.

And in some cases that seems almost by design.

For example, the University System of Georgia (USG) has no statewide system for tracking and reporting COVID-19 cases on its campuses.

Let me say that again: The University System of Georgia — whose job and role is to govern the state’s 26 public colleges and universities — has no system in place for tracking and reporting COVID-19 cases among students.

When asked, the USG says you have to talk to the individual universities.

And there is no statewide mandate governing reporting at individual universities.

The difference in COVID-19 protocol among Georgia colleges and universities is wildly divergent, laying bare both the inherent weaknesses in the system as well as localized weaknesses in management.

Georgia Tech, unsurprisingly, is leading the way in both protocol and transparency, providing about 1300 free COVID-19 tests to students every day. They post the total number of confirmed cases on their website on a daily basis.

Tech’s attention to detail probably isn’t only due to its status as the state’s premiere science and research institution.

Georgia Tech graduates are highly valuable to the nation’s manufacturing and research infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the global tech industry. It is in these very powerful entities’ mutual interests to ensure the safety of their future managers and employees.

At least one liberal arts school in the state, however, is taking COVID-19 seriously. While doing nowhere near the amount of testing as Tech, Georgia College & State University is at least providing daily campus infection updates.

Other universities clearly don’t share the same foresight for their graduates.

My alma mater, the University of Georgia, has a student body roughly fifty percent larger than Tech’s, but is doing only about 300 tests per day, with results reported on a weekly basis.

(UGA will, however, host about 23,000 people per home game this year at Sanford Stadium.)

The state’s largest university by enrollment, Georgia State in Atlanta, says it is currently testing only student athletes and symptomatic students, and not providing regular updates at all. That said, most learning at Georgia State is virtual this semester.

Closer to home, the situation is even more dispiriting.

Georgia Southern University, which has campuses in Savannah and Statesboro open for face-to-face classes, say it plans to introduce weekly case reports shortly, but hasn’t done so as of this writing. The total number of cases at this time remains unreported.

Savannah State University has no announced plan to report cases at all.

(Savannah College of Art and Design, of course, is a private university that isn’t governed by the University System of Georgia. They announced long ago that they’d be almost entirely online-only for this semester.)

All of this increased uncertainty is happening just as Georgia has been identified as the nation’s number-one infection hot spot, with a higher per capita infection rate than even Texas.

It is an absolute certainty that the spiraling infection rate on Georgia’s college campuses will act to maintain our dubious number-one national ranking.

The culprit for the most part doesn’t seem to be in-class learning per se, but in social activity off-campus.

Despite Georgia Tech’s safeguards, a cluster of infections at Greek housing is causing great concerns as I write this.

“We have isolated the residents of the houses with the most cases and tested almost all Greek house residents on Saturday using mobile surveillance testing units. Increased testing will continue

today and throughout the week at Greek housing and on-campus housing,” a Tech spokesperson says about the new clusters.

Over in Athens, frats and sororities at UGA are going full steam ahead with Rush Weeks almost as usual, with cursory nods to mask protocol.

Lawn parties at UGA frats have already been an ongoing issue since well before actual classes opened for face-to-face learning, going back to when spring classes were canceled.

Several leading health/public safety faculty members at UGA took the remarkable step of publishing an op-ed, under their own names, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“We are in grave danger that is made doubly acute because we are operating blindly,” they write.

“Rather than testing more than 6,000 students, faculty, and staff per day as is needed to manage a COVID outbreak, rather than provide testing data daily so we can actively surveille and anticipate the need to pivot, rather than operating our own contact tracing program to manage outbreaks, our leaders have adopted a regime of secrecy that serves to bury our collective heads in the sand,” the faculty members write.

“UGA disingenuously claims that it cannot release daily information on the number of tests conducted and number of positive test results because of legal constraints – despite the fact that Georgia Tech and four other sister universities in Georgia are doing so. UGA has asserted in private communication that daily data cannot be released because the faculty cannot be trusted to understand the data.

Those of us with decades of experience analyzing such data beg to differ.”

Tenured professors speaking out against administration isn’t a new thing, of course.

Neither is it new that college students tend to party irresponsibly.

That’s why we have administrators, and public officials: To make the wise, if difficult decisions.

In this case, they not only aren’t making wise decisions, they seem to be willfully deciding to put more young people in danger — whether to guarantee full tuition, or to guarantee that football season happens, or both.

In many other contexts, that would be considered criminal. But in Georgia, it’s just business as usual. CS

NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK

Finding the perfect City Manager – for Savannah Thoughts from a veteran of local city planning

BY KEVIN KLINKENBERG

Above: Active Transportation — Illustration of improved bike lanes on Habersham within the 2033 Plan. Bottom: Connections — Proposal in the 2033 Plan for a bike trail alongside the cross-town railroad tracks.

work with a diverse community, understanding the importance of a historic city, and a personality that is confident and thick-skinned.

Savannahians have opinions - many opinions - about just about everything, and are not the least bit shy about sharing those opinions. That’s a good thing! But there are those who aren’t prepared for the level of civic passion that exists.

I can tell y’all from much experience - it simply doesn’t exist that way everywhere.

A leader in Savannah needs to be willing to listen closely and hear a lot of different opinions, but also not to be dismayed or surprised by the level of open and critical civic conversation.

That conversation is going to inevitably include a lot of opinions he/she won’t want to hear, but that’s life. Savannah is not a monolithic place with one set of issues nor one group of people.

But there are some other less obvious, but critical, elements to the City Manager job, too, that merit discussion. I’d refer to the broad principles of the 2033 Plan, since they directly translate to what a City Manager can be doing on a daily basis.

I find it’s important to ground some thoughts in the 2033 Plan since it included the voices of hundreds of citizens, countless hours of volunteer time and extensive professional advice from people that care deeply about the city. And that includes myself, though I no longer reside in my adopted hometown.

So here are a few key takeaways, from my perspective: 1. Make connections. By this I mean tangible, physical connections throughout the city as it changes and grows. Yes - I mean streets, sidewalks, bike paths, and transit lines! Those physical connections (which haven’t often happened well in recent decades), make the deeper, intangible human connections possible. Physical connections bind a city together better as one, instead of it being a loose-knit collection of disconnected communities, where people feel separated.

2. Value the unique DNA of Savannah. Savannah has physical assets (cared for by city government) that many other cities just don’t have, and for which people are envious. In this case, I’m referring to the exceptional amount of land set aside for green, public space. This green space that belongs to all, from our parks and squares down to our medians, is what makes life in the greater downtown area so livable

and so desirable. But it’s also precious, in need of great caretaking, and especially in need of expansion beyond what exists today. This was a major theme of the 2033 Plan, and I urge any future City Manager to look at our suggestions there for adding green space outside of the Landmark District.

3. Emphasize active transportation.

What the heck does that mean? It means building off Savannah’s strengths as a place where people can easily and enjoyably walk and ride a bicycle to many destinations.

Whether for pleasure or out of necessity, active transportation is critical now, and certainly for the future. Anyone notice this at all during 2020?? Follow the lead of Healthy Savannah to “make the healthy choice the easy choice” and find whatever resources are possible to implement Tide to Town (which, by the way, was birthed through the 2033 Plan process). Some choices here will be uncomfortable today, as it inevitably changes the prioritization

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

IT’S A tired cliche that the choice of a City Manager is a consequential choice.

In cities like Savannah, with its CouncilManager form of government, the City Manager is THE most important and powerful person in local government.

The City Manager, not the Council, not the Mayor, has the direct and daily ability to implement programs and policies.

It’s far different than say, Charleston, which has a Strong Mayor form of government. In that system, the Mayor has direct authority over department heads and thus implementation of policy.

Not so in Savannah, and frankly, the majority of American cities. The City Manager fulfills that role after being hired by the City Council.

In my tenure as Executive Director for the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority (SDRA), I worked with two City Managers: Stephanie Cutter and Rob Hernandez.

I’ve also worked directly with City Managers in numerous other cities around the country, whether as a consultant, an advocate, or an engaged resident.

Admittedly, my thoughts in regards to Savannah are colored by my experience with SDRA, and especially by our citizendriven plan for greater downtown, called Downtown Savannah 2033 (www.sdra. net).

You might love that plan, or hate that plan, and that’s fine - everyone has their perspective. But the time I spent on the Plan and over the years working closely with Savannah’s citizens and City Hall gave me an awful lot of insight into how the City works, and how it can work.

There’s a few obvious characteristics that are important to any City Manager in Savannah, which we might as well dispose of quickly. Those include the ability to

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The Missing Middle — An example of a traditional multi-unit building in the Landmark District.

of traffic speed over all else. And that leads to the next point...

4. Prioritize quality of life over commuting time. I know some will definitely disagree with this sentiment, especially those that wish to live far away from downtown and still enjoy all its benefits by being able to commute in or out quickly.

However, changing this mindset is fundamental to extending the excellent qualities of the Landmark District and building a more equitable city. A proactive City Manager can work to reduce the decades-long emphasis on Savannah’s streets as minispeedways for commuters. The emphasis must be on those living in neighborhoods, not those moving through them.

5. Legalize Savannah’s historic building types. Anyone who has ever tried to build a small building in the greater downtown area has been confronted by a series of regulations that make it difficult, to say the least, to essentially replicate what is already built.

NewZO makes some great strides, but its adoption doesn’t mean all necessary zoning reform is done. The key to long-term, durable affordability lies in the “missing middle” types of buildings (house-sized structures that might contain anywhere from two to twelve residences - https:// missingmiddlehousing.com/ ) that exist throughout the many historic neighborhoods surrounding the Landmark District.

“Legalizing” those, and making them easy

to build more of once again is an important step as the city continues to revitalize.

All of these are measurable objectives an engaged City Manager can accomplish, and do so with surprising speed if he/she has Council support.

Why so much emphasis on the physical development of the city? While a city government does do many things, there are always two areas that dominate budgets and agendas: public safety and development.

Development and property value is what provides the tax base to pay for public safety and all the other services we want our city government to perform. I don’t say that to say all development is good, and people should support anything that increases values.

Far to the contrary - some development can be bad and degrade the overall value of a city or neighborhood. Understanding this and the math of development was fundamental to the Savannah Urbanism Series (http://sdra.net/planning-initiatives/

the-savannah-urbanism-speakerseries/ ), and in the 2033 Plan we outlined

how a simple, “Savannah-based” approach to redevelopment still generates a windfall of revenue for all local governments.

But if planning and development aren’t done well, then a city will never have the money to invest in human resources and programs that we all desire.

Lastly, there’s two critical operational

mindsets that are helpful and were mentioned in the 2033 Plan: think for the longterm, but don’t be afraid to experiment and act quickly. Don’t succumb to paralysis by analysis.

Savannah has had SO many plans in the last two decades. 2033 was an attempt to coalesce many into one, for the greater downtown area. With even less resources likely in the next few years, it’s a great time to find simple, incremental steps that can be taken from the numerous plans and test them out.

Some will fail, maybe miserably. That’s ok. It’s a learning process.

City government must be allowed to make mistakes, too, as we all do in our own lives. But if mistakes can be made inexpensively and quickly, then it allows time to learn, recover, and test other ideas.

City Managers come and go, and their selection is crucially important for a wellfunctioning city government. But more important are the values and involvement of the citizens.

Regardless of what happens, I know Savannah will continue to be a great community, because there’s great passion in the people. With a focus on a handful of key items, and a focus on extending all that is excellent about the Landmark District to more neighborhoods, it can be even better, and better for far more people.

Take care Savannah, and best wishes. CS

NEWS & OPINION EDUCATION Joel and Olivia Fields participing in virtual learning.

Coastal themed home and gift shop Hand picked, one of a kind gifts!

Local public schools get good marks from parents for virtual learning decision, but many problems remain

BY KRISTY EDENFIELD BACK-to-school looked a lot different as Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools students started virtually last week.

Elanda Pipes and Joel Fields have three children at Gadsden Elementary, and one at Derenne Middle School.

“The teachers are doing the best that they can, they’re stretched thin,” says Pipes. “These teachers are amazing, the things that they have to put up with. You can’t go to the school anymore and say ‘not my kid’, because now you see for yourself what your child does in school.”

“As long as I’m sitting with my kids while they are doing their school work, they’re okay, it is a job. I have to stay on them everyday,” says Pipes. “It has to be done, parents have to stand in.”

Pipes agrees that SCCPSS made the correct decision to do virtual learning, “it’s not a good idea to put all of these kids back in school on top of each other, they absolutely did the right thing, now is not the right time to send students back into the classroom. I’m not going to throw my children in there, they are not going to be guinea pigs.”

Last spring, the family was issued one computer for their middle school daughter, and the other children had to share Elanda’s phone to do their work.

Pipes and Fields requested three more SCCPSS computers, but only received one for their 3rd grade daughter, leaving their other two children without the technology to log in and be counted in attendance.

According to the 38 page Parent Guidance Document, SCCPSS A School Reopening Guide to Virtual Learning, which can be found on the SCCPSS website, “Attendance will be defined by a student’s participation. Students will be considered in attendance when they are participating in active instruction and/or educational services. This will apply to inperson, virtual, remote, or hybrid models.

Examples include time spent working in the online platform, log-in activity, attendance during live instruction, submission of student assignments, and student/ teacher interactions.”

The guide lists examples of actively participating: login and work in class/courses every day; participate in online class every day; complete and submit assignments or tasks by due dates; participate in group activities; communicate with teacher or staff as needed (online, email, or phone);

check email daily and activities within the ITSL-LMS platform.

While the guide does address attendance tracking for students who do not have internet access through the submission of written work, Pipes and Fields were concerned that their children would fall behind if they could not participate in daily virtual learning with their teachers.

The couple had to purchase two additional computers, which they could ill afford since Pipes is not able to work due to needing to stay home to help teach her children with virtual school.

SCCPSS hopes to get 1:1 technology to every student who does not already have access, but there have been issues with sourcing 14,000 Chromebooks and 9,000 iPads as the demand has been high nationwide. Only part of the Chromebooks that were ordered arrived before school started, but the district hopes to have the remainder of the order sometime next month.

The Pipes-Fields children are on the free lunch program. Free and reduced lunches are available based on the student’s status from last year until September 30, but parents need to reapply; applications can be found on the SCCPSS website or they can CONTINUES ON P. 10

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contact their school for assistance.

A school bus will come around weekly, and the students can pick up their breakfast and lunch meals for the week at their regular stops.

Onetha Bonaparte, SCCPSS School Nutrition Director, says, “the biggest thing to note is that breakfast is free, but lunch is based on the student’s status, i.e free, reduced, or paid. We are still trying to work out the details of how to manage payment at the bus stops, and what the bus routes are going to look like. Menus will be posted on the website, but are subject to change based on availability of items. Meals will still follow the same nutritional standards as if they were face-to-face. All meals will be frozen with heating and storage instructions.”

Pipes concludes, “I hope that my kids will be okay. My biggest fear is that they’ll fall behind, I don’t want them to fall behind. The little ones can catch up, but I am most concerned about my 8th grader, she only has a few more years to catch up, I want her to get to walk across the graduation stage. I don’t know how they can pass/ fail if it doesn’t get better. Our kids are going to fall behind and you can’t blame the parents or the children.”

The first week was bumpy for the family, “everyday is something different, it is one

big mess. It is did the best that interesting, I’m she could, but going to put it you could hear that way. I have the background learned somenoises of other thing too.” houses because Pipes is some families hopeful, “this didn’t mute.” is going to be Watson is a better week, concerned we are going to that her son make it happen is missing out as a family.” on inclusion Elanda Pipes classes. “Liam is not alone in is a super social her fears and kid, even though hopes. we had a good Kim Watson Chris and Kim Watson with their son Liam. experience last has a 3rd grader year, he is not who has down syndrome. getting what he needs most, which is the “Kids with special needs require more interaction with other kids.” guidance, Liam’s teacher said that she In the spring, Kim says that her huswould put on a hazmat suit to get back in band, Chris, “was an amazing help,” but the classroom with the kids,” says Watson. since he is active duty military, he recently Watson also agrees that the district deployed with the 165th Georgia Air made the right call to start virtually this National Guard. year, “safety first, not just for the kids, but The first week of school did not go so also for the entire staff. It is not black and well for the Watson family. “It’s horrible. white, it is 1,000 shades of grey.”

No fault of his teacher. And we are only Watson says that in the spring, “it was three days in, but the system crashed and hectic, getting Liam motivated, I had to sit Liam won’t stay engaged. I lost it on Friday, with him, it was pure chaos. The teacher and Liam and I both were in tears. I fought

for the best program for him, sold a home and moved. And all I can think is he not only needs more, he deserves it. There has to be a better way.”

Jo-Anna Dunn also wishes there was a better way. She has a preschool inclusion child who is non-verbal and has autism.

Dunn watched all of the school board meetings this summer with bated breath. “There needs to be more options and accommodations for those who can’t follow plan A. My daughter can’t participate in virtual learning, there is no plan B or C for Mayson. I wish that the district would have had an option B and C.” “How are they going to provide her with an education if that is something she can’t participate in? She needs to socialize and have face-time.”

“I hope that the district will listen and take more parents’ concerns into account, we all need to work together to make this happen.”

Dunn also has a 2nd grade daughter at Pooler Elementary, and a toddler. “The worst part is trying to keep some sort of structure at home, I have other children at home.”

Dunn concludes, “I am very fortunate that I am a stay-at-home mom, there are many families that don’t have a parent at home, what happens to those kids?” CS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

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NEWS & OPINION MAGIC MAKERS

BY BRITTANY CURRY

Inkybrittany.com

THE first graphic I had published in Connect was just a few months back at the beginning of the Coronavirus. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled and the Mayor and city council met over a virtual

conference call to announce business closures and community protocols as we headed into shut down mode.

I hung paper and dedicated nearly all night to creating a graphic showing Savannhians adapting to the changes and our leaders facing the unknown, making some tough calls.

At the time the first graphic was created,

there were 287 confirmed cases of Covid Magic Makers in Savannah who continue in Georgia and 10 deaths. Today we are to guide our citizens, families, and stuapproaching a quarter of a million cases in dents through this unprecedented time. CS the state and lead the nation in Covid cases per capita.

Here is the “Covid-19: Savannah Adapts” graphic updated to reflect what’s going on in month number five, with nods to several

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Five months in: Savannah Adapts

11

NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER 234-2020.

Tips can also be submitted through a CrimeStoppers online tip portal at https:// www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=757.

2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday August 23

HOMICIDES

21

SPD seek suspect in Rolex theft

SPD arrests suspect in possession of drugs and guns

On Aug. 20, Savannah Police’s Special Investigations Section (SIS) arrested and seized drugs and guns from a suspect who used a firearm during a domestic violence incident in June.

Following the incident, the Family Violence Unit requested SIS’ assistance to apprehend Marcus Rashad Allen, 32, who was wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon, battery (DVA), and aggravated assault.

Officers began to gather intelligence on Allen, which allowed them to locate him on August 20 in the area of Rainbow Court.

When officers attempted to make contact with him, he fled on foot but was apprehended shortly after. While fleeing, officers witnessed Allen throw a handgun into a small body of water, which they recovered.

During the investigation, officers also seized a stolen rifle and a bag that contained drugs and drug-related objects.

Officers served Allen with his above

Drugs and guns from the Rainbow Court bust

warrants as well as charged him with trafficking ecstasy, possession of a controlled substance (meth), possession of a controlled substance (oxycodone), possession of marijuana offenses, possession of drugrelated objects, criminal trespass and multiple firearm violations.

TIU seeks individuals involved in Hit-and-Run

Savannah Police’s Traffic Investigations Unit is seeking the public’s assistance identifying individuals involved in an ongoing investigation.

Three individuals were in a vehicle that

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Our sincere thanks to the awesome advertisers who supported this week’s issue of Connect Savannah.

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These businesses and organizations are helping to support free, independent journalism and a locally-owned media company at a time when financial resources are critical for all.

Please show them your support.

fled from the scene of a crash on August 2.

During the investigation, detectives were able to obtain surveillance footage of the individuals. One individual is described as a black male in his 20s to 30s with a slim build. In the surveillance footage, he wore an Adidas hat, Adidas t-shirt, shorts, and Nike sandals.

Two of the individuals are described as black females in their 20s to 30s. In the surveillance footage, they both wore t-shirts and jeans.

Anyone with information on their identities is encouraged to contact detectives at 912-525-2789 or CrimeStoppers at (912)

3 Bros Events Antojo Latino Restaurant bar.food Barnes Restaurant Bonaventure Blues Carey Hilliard’s Restaurant Cash ‘n’ Carry Coach’s Corner

Savannah Police Southside Precinct detectives are seeking the public’s assistance identifying a man in a theft investigation.

At around 1:30 p.m. August 1, the unidentified man entered Nathan’s & Co. Jewelers on the 5500 block of Abercorn Street and asked to look at a gold Rolex watch. The male then took the watch and fled in a gray Toyota.

The suspect is described as a black male with a thin build. During the incident, he wore a black “Champion” ball cap, a dark blue shirt, blue jeans and a silver chain.

Anyone with information on his identity is encouraged to contact detectives at (912) 351-3503 or CrimeStoppers at (912) 234-2020.

Tips can also be submitted through a CrimeStoppers online tip portal at https:// www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=757.

ALL CASES FROM RECENT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENT REPORTS. GIVE ANONYMOUS CRIME TIPS TO CRIMESTOPPERS AT 912/234-2020 OR TEXT CRIMES (274637) USING KEYWORD CSTOP2020.

Georgia Public Broadcasting Georgia Southern University Kelly Tours Papa’s BBQ Sentient Bean Sorry Charlies

The Crab Shack

Telfair Museum

Crystal Beer Parlor

Tom Anderson Real Estate

Economy Feed & Seed

Top Deck Rooftop Bar & Grill

NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD Government restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 have had no effect on a growing trend on the island of Okinawa, Japan, called “rojo-ne” (literally, sleeping on the road), which local authorities blame on the island’s balmy weather and people’s habit of overindulging in “awamori,” a traditional rice-based liquor.

Okinawa police have fielded more than 2,700 reports of rojo-ne in just the first six months of 2020, The Guardian reported, putting the island on pace to match last year’s 7,000 reported incidents, which resulted in 16 accidents and three deaths.

Tadataka Miyazawa, the police chief, said he “didn’t even know the term ‘rojo-ne’ before coming to Okinawa.”

Putting on the Brakes

Organizers of Philadelphia’s 12th Annual Naked Bike Ride have canceled the event, scheduled for Aug. 29, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Associated Press reported. Ride organizer Maria Serrahima said she hopes people will be able to return next year and that riders are “taking advantage of the emptier streets and riding -- masks up.” The Philly Naked Bike Ride attracts thousands of riders and covers a 10-mile course taking in the city’s landmarks such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Awesome!

-- People living around Olten, Switzerland, got a surprise on Aug. 14 when it began snowing cocoa powder. Strong winds that morning distributed the cocoa dust from a malfunctioning ventilation system at the Lindt & Spruengli chocolate factory nearby, delivering enough to cover at least one car, the Associated Press reported. The company offered cleaning services, but no one took them up on the offer. The ventilation system has been repaired.

-- The last Blockbuster store, in Bend, Oregon, is offering Deschutes County residents three one-night sleepovers through Airbnb on Sept. 18, 19 and 20 for $4 -- about the cost of a video rental, Oddee reported. Lucky movie lovers will have a pull-out couch, bean bags and pillows, plus 2-liter bottles of Pepsi and snacks during a marathon of “new releases” from the ‘90s.

“Nothing can replace going to the store with loved ones to browse the shelves and find a movie that suits whatever mood you’re in,” said Sandi Harding, manager.

paper bag with five full cans of Hamm’s beer and an opened bag of Godzilla Heads gum. Library staff determined the hidden snacks dated back to the 1980s, CNN reported. Library director Erin Wells posited that “somebody had stashed it there and maybe thought they could get it later ... but there was no way to get it out.”

Fine Points of the Law

Utica (New York) City Court Judge Ralph Eannace was outraged, but did not set bail for defendant Anthony Walker on Aug. 13, which surprised even Walker, who had been arrested for the second time in two days for leading police on a high-speed chase. “Because, I guess, of the new bail reform law,” Walker said, Judge Eannace said he had no choice but to let Walker go. On Aug. 9, Walker had hit another car while driving a Maserati that had been reported stolen. “I plan to do the right thing this time, man. I’m tired of this,” he told WKTV, apologizing if anyone was hurt. Utica police noted that Walker made the same pledge after his first arrest.

“Yeah,” said Walker, “I did take them on a high-speed chase ... nobody’s perfect.”

Happy Ending

Residents of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have been cheered recently by the unexpected presence of a corn stalk growing up through a crack in the pavement at a busy intersection. Dubbed the 57th Street Corn, the stalk had its own Twitter account and was hailed as a symbol of resiliency and hope in hard times; Mayor Paul TenHaken called it “amaizing.” But on Aug. 19, the Argus Leader reported, neighbors found the plant had been ripped from the ground overnight, prompting sorrow on social media and a flower memorial. “I didn’t want to see her story end like that,” said resident Chad Theisen. Together with his children, Theisen rescued the corn stalk, renamed it Cornelia and is nursing it back to health in a 5-gallon bucket. He hopes to find a permanent home for Cornelia, now a local celebrity, with the city’s help.

Joyride

Sheriff’s deputies in La Push, Washington, said they received a report of a suspicious person trying to rent an airplane without a pilot’s license or insurance at the Jefferson County International Airport on Aug. 18. The man, later identified as Richard Jordal, 59, then tried his luck at Tailspin Tommy’s, another plane rental business at the airport, KIRO reported, and was again refused, but surveillance video showed Jordal returning later to steal the keys to a Cessna airplane, which he fueled up before taking off and flying erratically, according to authorities.

Business owner Nataliya Yeshyrina and her husband watched the plane on radar: “Altitude would change dramatically from 5,000 feet to 2,000. Up and down and then doing loops and doing twirls.”

Authorities said a possible plane crash was reported around 10:30 p.m., but no wreckage could be found in the heavily forested area that evening. A U.S. Navy helicopter crew returned the next morning and found the plane, with Jordal unconscious inside. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

-- The Associated Press reports that a company in Toyko called Kowagarasetai (which roughly translates to Scare Squad) has launched a drive-thru haunted house that allows patrons to socially distance from its “zombies” while getting a good fright. With customers safely sealed inside their cars, the zombies do their best to scare the occupants, draping themselves over the cars and smearing them with fake blood. “The distance (between customers and cast) has actually gotten shorter since there is only a window between them,” said Daichi Ono, a cast member. The zombies then helpfully clean the cars when the 13-minute show is over. CS

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

The Continuing Crisis

13

MUSIC IN MEMORIAM

Jack Sherman: A remembrance

Jack Sherman on stage with Toni and The Movers, circa 1980-1981. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SHERMAN FAMILY

Acclaimed session guitarist and RHCP member passed away in Savannah last week

BY JIM REED

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

I’LL never forget the first time I met Jack Sherman.

It was early 2005, and he had shown up at the Sentient Bean Coffeehouse to attend a public screening of Sam Peckinpah’s graphic 1971 thriller “Straw Dogs,” which I was presenting as part of my Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah’s weekly series of underappreciated cinema.

He was knowledgeable about obscure movies, and I could tell through his nervous and cautious demeanor that he was restless and desperately seeking a personal connection with someone who shared these interests.

Afterwards, I invited him to join me for a drink around the corner at the American Legion. For a couple hours, we stood close in animated conversation — the topics shifting rapidly at a frenetic pace.

It felt as though he believed this meeting might somehow be our last, and was scrambling to make sure no stone was left unturned.

All night long I’d felt an odd sense of déjà vu, as though we had not only met before, but had previously enjoyed some strong connection. When I asked what he did for a living, he said only that he was a musician, but did not play much anymore.

Once he offered his full name, I suddenly felt something akin to the tumblers of a massive combination lock to a bank vault sliding into place.

“Wait a minute,” I said. “Are you a guitarist?” He seemed taken aback and warily replied in the affirmative.

“You’re ‘the’ Jack Sherman?”

“Well,” he said with a suspicious look, “I mean, I don’t think you’d know any of my work.”

“You played the solos on ‘The Man with the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented NeoTraditionalist Guitar?’

(That was a relatively obscure 1989 solo LP by singer-songwriter Peter Case, perhaps best known as the frontman for California’s short-lived but immensely respected psychedelic-tinged power-pop group The Plimsouls.)

“Um, YEAH!” he replied, his eyes as big as saucers. “That WAS me.”

14 It turned out Jack, his wife Anne and

their two children had relocated to Savannah’s Southside about a year earlier from the Los Angeles area, after he’d become disillusioned with not only the harsh realities of the rock and soul music business (which he’d labored in full-time for decades), but with the particular treatment he himself had begun to receive from gatekeepers of that cliquish, cutthroat, backstabbing industry.

He and Anne had “thrown a dart in a map” and swapped coasts. But more than that, he’d essentially given up his life’s work and the dream he’d often previously accomplished: being a full-time, professional guitarist on stages and on records.

After an especially ugly and drawn-out legal battle over unpaid royalties (which he was clearly due for his work as the sole guitarist on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ debut LP and as a co-composer of several tracks on a couple of their later releases), Jack’s resolute insistence on being treated fairly from a financial standpoint by both that band and their label (after being treated quite unfairly from a personal one) left him in an unenviable position.

L.A.’s a big city, but it can feel an awful lot like a small, gossipy town when you’ve got the nerve to stand up for yourself and essentially demand redress from one of the biggest record labels —and one of the most popular acts— in the entire world.

And so, the Miami native who’d wisely made Southern California his base of operations for decades packed away his myriad, beautiful, rare and sometimes custom-made guitars and resolved himself to a quiet life of solitude, housework and haltingly exploring the cultural offerings of his new, slower-paced hometown: a location which —for someone of his caliber and pedigree— was about as far from being a hotbed of musical opportunities as one might imagine.

I think the fact that I found Jack’s time in the Chili Peppers perhaps the least interesting aspect of his impressive career and accomplishments endeared me to him, as that was all that roughly 90 percent of anyone under the age of 70 who met him wanted to know about.

I mean, he got it. And he appreciated it.

He understood that being a key member of that group at a formative time in their history was truly important to a lot of folks.

And, it was important to him, too. Just

perhaps not in the same way, or for the same reasons.

But to me, he was the guy who played on countless —and I mean countless— uncredited studio sessions, accompanying the likes of Solomon Burke, Barry Goldberg, Gary Mallaber, Moon Martin, Jim Keltner, Bruce Gary and all manner of R&B, funk and rock greats.

And he was the guy who made incredibly tasteful, credited (and in some cases featured) contributions to albums by respected singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Tonio K, Gerry Goffin and P-Funk’s George Clinton, among others.

He was the guy who Dylan’s manager asked in 1988 to serve as lead guitarist and bandleader for the small, tough, punkedged power-trio that was to be the first incarnation of Bob’s famed Neverending Tour Band, but who sadly lost that prize of a gig at the last minute after a chance encounter with SNL guitarist G.E. Smith at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies led to Dylan changing horses in midstream.

He was the guy who toured hard in the trenches with John Hiatt before that esteemed songwriter ascended into revered elder statesman status.

He was the guy with the impossibly high hairdo who can still be found on YouTube in blurry VHS videos holding his own on guitar alongside the great Charlie Sexton at MTV’s “1986 New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (which I recall watching live).

He was the guy who couldn’t read music in a conventional sense, but could leave even the most accomplished and classically-trained guitarists slack-jawed and beaming with admiration for his seemingly effortless technique and improvisational skill.

That technique was far from effortless, though. Jack routinely spent several hours

each day practicing, or simply playing electric guitar in his home – trying out different combinations of guitars, amps, strings, effects pedals and batteries. (Yes, like the fabled fret-master Eric Johnson, Jack was one of those rare, absurdly observant guitarists who could occasionally tell which brand of battery was inside an effects pedal solely by the infinitesimal difference in tone it was creating.)

He would often call me up in the middle of the afternoon simply to gush about how he’d come up with a great new sound by combining a certain guitar with a certain cable into a certain amp and using a new combination of specific EQ settings.

So, without asking first to see if it was in any way convenient, he’d immediately put his phone down near the amp and just play guitar very loudly for several minutes, after which he’d ask me to describe to him in great detail what I thought about the tone. I know I was not the only person he reached out to in this way.

Of course, the fact that this entire exercise was essentially useless because the sound was being not only transmitted via cell tower but picked up and then heard through tiny telephone microphones and speakers made no difference to him.

He just wanted to share, and to know he’d been heard.

In the end, that’s what I’ll remember most about Jack: his desire to be heard — either through his knowledge, his opinions, his voice or his music.

And his emphatic desire not to be misunderstood, which he quite often was.

Jack had a difficult upbringing, and as is often the case, those trials and tribulations followed him all his life. This left him saddled with a combustible and at times chaotic personality that was equal parts hubris and insecurity, equal parts solemnity and bombast.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

He could be charming one moment and biting the next, sometimes in the course of a single, impossibly long run-on sentence.

This was confusing to most, bewildering to others and genuinely annoying or infuriating to some.

It also had the unfortunate side effect of often rendering him incapable of noticing (or at least admitting that he noticed) the same flaws in himself that he loudly railed against others around him for demonstrating.

As a result, many in this area who met Jack tuned him out or wrote him off, never having the patience required to get to know his good points as well as his bad.

Those of us who did could not be faulted for feeling a certain pride in that accomplishment, a certain kinship borne of struggle.

He went out of his way to create strict regimens, codes and schedules to give his life order and purpose. To some these may have seemed arbitrary, but to me they clearly seemed designed to keep him focused and thus distracted from the inner turmoil which plagued him.

And woe be unto anyone who even accidentally upset that apple cart!

Jack was keenly aware of the difficulties he faced in making (or keeping) friends, and we spoke of it often. In more relaxed and lucid moments, he would offhandedly admit that he assumed he was “probably on some sort of spectrum,” and that he realized he was a dramatic and demanding person who was fixated on the notion of life as an essentially transactional existence.

Meaning he believed that all of a person’s deeds for someone else –good, bad or otherwise– required something of similar value or import to be exchanged in return.

Dealing openly and honestly with the friction such issues created meant that ours was a tumultuous friendship marked by occasional dark times and rough patches. Yet we spent tons of meaningful time together and always circled back around to the deep connection we made on that very first night at the Legion.

I could clearly see that all of his psychological and emotional armor was built up to ward off any further pain in his life.

And, most importantly, the obsessive and monomaniacal behavior which could sometimes keep potential friends (and friendly acquaintances) at bay fed directly into his musical talents – especially his gift for jazz-like improvisation.

He detested rehearsing musical material, as he was most at peace and most clearly happy when creating music spontaneously, on the fly. I always felt it was in the fury of those brief moments that he was able to instantly and automatically ignore the various vexations which beset him, and to silence the constant buzz of criminations and recriminations in his head.

Just look at live video of Jack performing. He often pulls faces, giggles or laughs

outright, apropos of nothing other than a whimsical turn of melodic phrase or the sheer joy of playing music with others who could not only hang at or near his same level of proficiency, but spur him on to greater heights.

You can even see it in still photographs.

He’s in heaven.

Jack passed away unexpectedly the evening of August 18, at his home, of natural causes. His death creates a huge hole in the local music community, and that hole is made even larger by the fact that so many of this area’s musicians and music lovers are quite unaware of just how unique and priceless a talent he was.

His relative inability to carve out greater success and visibility in our scene over the past 16 years is partially due to his rigid viewpoints and frustrating focus on minutiae (which often got in the way of building the kind of camaraderie required to ingratiate oneself into an existing scene), but it’s also the result of many players and songwriters in this town who simply had no idea how to relate to such an “unmatchable genius” (in the words of legendary punk guitarist and songwriter Sonny Vincent) who’d been unceremoniously dropped into their midst.

If someone asked me to describe Jack Sherman in one sentence, I’d first ask if they were relatively familiar with

American TV show characters of the 1970s through the 2000s. If they were, I’d tell them he was a cross between Carl Kolchak, Adrian Monk and Les Nessman who could play guitar just as well as Carlos Santana, Mick Taylor, Steve Hunter or Bob Elsey.

The official public statement on his passing from the Red Hot Chili Peppers was unsurprisingly terse, and only feeds into the false narrative the group’s duplicitous frontmen, Flea and Anthony Kiedis, have pushed to their fans for decades: that Jack was nothing more than a combative and ephemeral sideman who did little to shape the group’s music or its career trajectory.

Which is balderdash. But, I suppose that’s the kind of revisionist history you get when two immature, long-term drug addicts wind up hiring a sober, macrobiotic health-food nut that’s laser-focused on playing perfectly, getting the job done every night and has no time for their junkie business.

However, I’ll always recall the time Jack’s name came up in conversation with the late great guitarist and singersongwriter Duane Jarvis (who’s played with John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Frank Black Francis, and others).

“Oh, I’ve heard of that guy,” Duane exclaimed. “AMAZING guitarist… and a real piece of work.”

When I mentioned to Jack that an acclaimed songwriter and fellow player had been complimentary towards his talents, he demanded to know what Duane had said.

“Tell me all of his exact words,” he insisted. When I reluctantly did, Jack was crushed. All he could focus on was the second half of the sentence.

But here’s the deal: we’re ALL “real pieces of work.” Some of us just do a better job than others at hiding that fact.

Around that same time I met legendary bassist and record producer Jeff Eyrich (who’s played with, or made albums for Tim Buckley, Bette Midler, Air Supply, Natalie Cole, John Cale, Rick Springfield, The Blasters and T-Bone Burnett, among others), who had used Jack on numerous recording sessions for a variety of both established and up-and-coming artists.

Jeff said with great sincerity, “Jack was always the absolute best electric guitar player in Los Angeles, and I wish he’d never left. I’d be hiring him constantly!”

Think about that for a minute.

That’s like calling someone the best pizza chef in New York City.

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IN MEMORIAM

15

MUSIC WRUU SPOTLIGHT For most of my life, my musical horizons seem to be ever-expanding just by virtue of how I live, work and spend my free time.

Between working at a record store, playing music recreationally and my involvement at WRUU, I’m constantly being introduced to things I’ve never heard before. Radio has always played a role in broadening those horizons and I think the human touch of radio - in a largely algorithmic age - adds something special to hearing new music.

It means a lot to me that WRUU gives me the opportunity and platform to share what I’ve heard and discovered. In recent years, I have tried to make a real effort in sanding the hard edges off of my musical opinions, and I try to keep an open mind whenever I hear something new. Hopefully, that makes me a better radio DJ and a halfway decent record-store-guy.

Ian McCarthy and friend.

PHOTO BY KYLIE FIELDS

Tell us about your experiences at SCAD radio. What are the similarities and differences between that and WRUU’s style of community radio?

WRUU Spotlight:

Ian McCarthy

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

‘The human touch of radio — in a largely algorithmic age — adds something special to hearing new music’

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

THIS WEEK, we continue our series on WRUU show hosts, with Ian McCarthy, host of “Ventriloquism for Dummies.”

For those who haven’t heard your work and show at WRUU, describe it and your goal with it each week.

After a few years now at WRUU, I’ve just started a new program called “Ventriloquism for Dummies,” which covers a wide and sometimes weird selection of music based on my broad taste. My previous show 16 “In The Pocket,” was more genre-focused,

covering Jazz, Funk, Soul, R&B, Hip-Hop and various other groove-driven tunes.

“Ventriloquism for Dummies” is much more free-form and can include everything - early experimental synthesis; forgotten and forlorn shoegaze; underrated and unapologetic new-wave; conscious and unconscious hip-hop; and everything inbetween.Along the way, if listeners learn anything of the fine art of ventriloquy, it will be purely coincidental.

Is there an appreciable difference between the music you work with at WRUU and the music you listen to in your spare time? Do you purposely see your WRUU work as a route to expanding your own musical horizons?

In hindsight, it feels like my time at SCAD Radio sent me down a new path that was wholly unintentional when I started college. My field of study was Film & Television but the bulk of my time in school was spent at the radio station doing everything from hosting shows and creating fun PSAs to helping coordinate record fairs to dressing as a polar bear. I made life-long friends while getting paid to do something I was already willing to do for free and accidentally learned some practical work-related skills in the process.

The general music format of SCAD Radio, in terms of what we played, is certainly different than the impressively diverse lineup that WRUU has gained in such a short amount of time. SCAD Radio was and still is strictly streaming, so when I was hosting a program and WRUU flipped the giant FM switch that put us on the real-deal airwaves, that felt huge.

You have a background in live theatre.

How does that inform your work or sensibilities in hosting a radio show?

I suppose on the surface my community theater experience made me comfortable with public speaking which certainly makes hosting a radio show a little easier.

More importantly though, I think the volunteer aspect of community theater exposed me to a scrapy group of diverse and passionate people who were happily putting their free time into something they loved. Community theater also has a funny way of keeping your ego in check, too.

Not that anyone is necessarily getting into community theater or community radio for the glitz and glamour, but when the show is live and only half a dozen people are in attendance you still have to give

the same performance you’d give a packed house.

Since working with Nancy Druid, have you worked with any other local musicians? If not, would you like to, or do you see most future projects as being solo in nature?

Even before getting to play with Nancy Druid, I had stumbled into playing with a handful of projects as an auxiliary player on guitar, drums, organ, theremin or whatever I could get my hands on. I’ve been lucky enough to continue to meet people that I click with and play well with, and I’ve been able to collaborate with a ton of people locally and remotely. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by kind, generous, creative people that let me join in on projects here and there. I’ve been told I have a “nasty need to create,” which sometimes just means I’m up late at night sitting on my bedroom floor like some sort of castiotone phantom, but no matter the circumstances, I love playing and creating.

I suppose I have enough scraps and ideas that I should probably put together something solo one of these days, but until then, I’m always thrilled to just bounce ideas off of friends and support their work.

Everyone will want to know what it’s like to work at Graveface. Is it as cool as everyone certainly thinks it is?

Hands down, working at Graveface has been unlike any other job I’ve ever had, and any job I could imagine having down the road. I’m maybe most recognized as one of the regular guys cleaning, pricing and selling records, but the job has encompassed so much more than most people realize.

One of my first tasks upon getting hired was to help edit and manage content for the first ever Graveface Magazine — something none of us had ever done before. Since then, I’ve done everything from live-mix concerts, field questions about serial killers, dress as an unsettling Teletubby, move arcade machines, live-score a silent film with The Marshmallow Ghosts and facilitate Record Store Day (Aug. 28, 2020).

I’ve always appreciated the energy that Ryan has brought to Savannah, keeping things interesting and intriguing, and I’m grateful that he’s found a way to earn our small crew a modest living while we do our own thing. CS WRUU Savannah Soundings radio focus is on celebrating Savannah’s creative depth and diversity, and providing programming to unserved or underserved community groups. WRUU is an all-volunteer station. Stream them at wruu. org or listen at 107.5 FM.

MUSIC GEAR GEEK Veteran sound engineer Michael Gaster.

anytime soon it was up to me to figure this thing out. I translated the hieroglyphics that were used to label the channels figuring out which mic he was on, how it was routed, brought down the (CD) playback, brought up the subgroup his mic was routed through, and there it was. I just “did sound.”

Within seconds the rest of the crew realized what just happened (their backs were to the audience as they were changing things over), each turned around (I swear it was in slow motion) from the stage looking back to FOH giving me a big thumbs up with a very approving nod! It was at that moment, possibly mixed with another moment that same day, that I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up!

Veteran sound engineer and sound designer talks major gear collection

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

WARNING: what you’re about to read is very geeky, and may not be especially pertinent to the average reader. That said, if you have any interest or fascination with instruments and music gear whatsoever, this is for you!

Gear Geek is our chance to shine a light on local musicians and talk about something musicians love perhaps more than anything: their gear. This week we’ve got veteran sound engineer and sound designer Michael Gaster.

Michael has been in the industry for decades, and in that time has become the leading provider of sound and lighting for shows across the Lowcountry and beyond.

He’s a brilliant engineer with a true passion for what he does; this is perhaps best evidenced by his recent Quarantine

Concerts series that has continually grown in popularity since the onset of the pandemic earlier this year.

Michael has the floor today for a unique and interesting installment of Gear Geek.

I’m curious about your history in the music industry. How did you get started?

I guess it “started” when my oldest sister Amy showed me “The Song Remains the Same” (I may have been 11) and I immediately became obsessed with the guitar and wanting to be involved with music.

However, it was when my other sister Carrie took me to see Aerosmith and spent most of the show looking at the production and the sound system that things started to shift. Still playing guitar, I found myself building and tinkering with speakers, figuring out ways to record and manipulate sound not quite realizing the path I was

headed down, but I wanted to know more about audio.

Now, where it started professionally was in Spring of 1991. I was 14, and my mother’s best friend’s husband who owned a sound company needed extra help for the St Patrick’s Day weekend with multiple stages downtown and on River St., I was asked if I was interested in joining the crew and even though I really knew nothing about any of it, I was in and did not leave once that weekend!

What sealed it for me was when I “saved the day” during a set change when (RIP) Dave “the rave” Sheppard grabbed a mic to talk to the massive audience at our main stage (located where the Bohemian hotel now sits) and there was nothing! My job during set changes was to sit at FOH and make sure everything was secure (from the partiers). Mind you, I have never been this close to a “real” mixing console before, but I knew if dude was going to be heard

Definitely didn’t come from having to move it and set it up!

I would say it has come in different waves for me, with each cycle bringing a newfound sense of excitement of what can be done with these awesome tools. The “love” isn’t just from getting new advancing technologies in my hands but from my own growth and learning what things do.

At first, it really was a matter of getting past the initial hurdle of simply wrapping my head around what exactly these different pieces of gear do and how to make them do what I wanted. Sure I’ve had my moments of ABC-123 gizmo talk, which I typically try to avoid, but I really was/am more focused on what the hell is happening with these pieces than memorizing the fun terms and model numbers.

For example it easily took me 6 years to really understand how to properly use a compressor and how the expanded parameters you see on some of them interact with the main function(s) that you can only adjust on the others (e.g Klark-Teknik DN500 vs dbx 160a) and *then* I was able to really appreciate the different makes and models that are out there and got into who made the gear that did what I was interested in having at my fingertips.

Of course a compressor being just one piece, learning about equalizers and how a six-band parametric is far more powerful than a 31band graphic for just about anything, and then on to why the SPX90 is/ was a garbage effects processor.

The most gear “love” came when the digital transition was making its way into the lower markets; I don’t believe I had been as excited over a piece of gear as I was over a configurable digital system processor; my first one being the Allen & Heath DR66. I’m pretty sure I was more excited over that than I was over my Soundcraft Series FIVE! I remember at the time (~’99)

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Do you remember where your love of gear came from? Any particular moment that stands out?

CONTINUES ON P. 18 17

GEAR GEEK

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

people laughing at me for having “a computer hooked up to the crossover- what do you need that for?” I was like, “Yeah! you know what? Stuff changes and all I have to do is ‘click click.’”

Then a few years later (2004) digital mixing consoles came more readily available and I jumped on this with my purchase of a Yamaha DM-2000 even as many around me were talking about how it was going to “crash” during a show, I was like “I don’t care, it has PEQ on the ins and outs, channel delay, variable High pass (most important), comps and gates on every channel, 8 stereo effects units, recallable routing, takes up 1/3 of the space & weight *and* sounds better!” I made the move and got rid of my analogue gear and never looked back.

Now, I can say what I love the most about gear is how small, light and powerful it all has become. Looking back (~20 years) to my first *high power* amplifier which was a Crest 10004, a 4U (7”) tall, 4 channel amplifier, that could output 5600watts and weighed 137lbs would now be eclipsed by a Lab Gruppen FP10000Q that outputs 10,000 watts of power is 2U (3.5”) tall, weighs 26 pounds and sounds better!

What was the first piece of equipment you owned?

I’m just going to go with my first real piece of audio gear which was a Phonic 1202 Mixer (actually a very nice piece at the time).

Not sure why I needed it when I was 15, but I saved up and bought it because I was going to do audio, damnit, even if that was the only piece I had. Later I bought some cheap carpeted 12” 2-way speakers, borrowed a Peavey mixer amp from a retired musician to power the speakers and set off to do sound for some garage bands when I wasn’t working for the sound company.

Later (~’95) I went on the road with a group (18 piece corporate show band) and knew they/we needed more outboard gear, so I traded that mixer for a crummy Alesis 3630 compressor and a 4 channel insert snake at one of our local music stores; needless to say the store got the better end of the deal there.

Is there a piece of gear you own that you’d consider particularly special?

Why? I really do love my Roland M5000 console.

It’s not the most popular desk, but you won’t find anyone knock it other than saying “well you don’t see it on riders.” I don’t do much rider work, so who cares?

It’s great on so many different levels.

SAT, AUG 29 7PM

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

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First, Roland makes quality (both Pro and MI) gear but secondly, it has such a neutral sound. It drives me crazy when manufacturers try to make their digital stuff “sound” analogue. A big reason (even pre digital) I started liking the Japanese products more than the British is it should be my choice if I want to add any “colour” to the sound! Third, it’s not a fixed format desk (e.g. 40ch, 8 aux, 8group, + Stereo); it has 128 audio paths (or “resources”) and you tell the console how you are using those paths, whether they are input channels, auxiliary sends, master busses, matrix busses, monitoring busses, whatever! If I want a 127input with 1 mono output mixer I can make that happen. Oh and my Neumann KH80 Monitors.

As a sound professional, what’s one gig over the years that stands out as a particularly special one?

“Special” comes in many forms, I suppose.

There was the one where I broke my face on a load in and had to be rushed to the ER and later instructing one of the crew on how to mix while I was lying on a hospital bed having just had my face stitched up; there was the one with The Wallflowers where their FOH guy asked me what I thought of the (his) kick drum sound (this is the most unheard of thing in audio especially at that level); but there was also the time I was working with the Philharmonic, I just (~48 hours prior) got my new console (the M5000), had no time on it at all, a hurricane was passing by, I didn’t even get a 2 minute sound check, had 72 channels coming from the stage most of which were open condenser mics on acoustic instruments (most prone to problems in a live sound environment). One colleague of mine told me I was out of my mind for taking that kind of a risk. I had a near flawless show!

Of course there are many others that would be “the one” for the varying “special” categories, we’ll keep those in the vault for now.

What is it about what you do that makes you keep doing it? I imagine it can be a demanding line of work, but also really rewarding.

It’s show business! Even the guy following the elephants with the circus wouldn’t give it up! In all seriousness though, as an audio engineer doing live event production I am able to push both the creative/intuitive/ random side of my brain as well as the analytical/planning/detail oriented side of my brain, wrap it up at the end of the day and do something completely different tomorrow. CS

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For more on Michael Gaster and his work, visit mg-associates.com and quarantineconcerts.org

MUSIC THE BAND PAGE

BY SEAN KELLY

DANIELLE HICKS & THE RESISTANCE @QUARANTINE CONCERTS

The great Danielle Hicks will be joined by her band The Resistance for an incredible Quarantine Concerts live stream. She appeared in a smaller configuration of the band early on in the history of these shows, and this time she’ll be in fuller sound! Hicks is an amazing songwriter and artist, and this is sure to be a memorable event.

FRI., SEP. 4, 8 P.M., QUARANTINECONCERTS.ORG

KENNY MUNSHAW @PLANT RIVERSIDE DISTRICT

WHALEBOAT, EMBER CITY @THE RAIL PUB

We needed to get this one promoted a bit earlier than usual, because it’s going to be a special show. The great Whaleboat comes together again at the Rail, joined by the wonderful Ember City. This is a great example of the excellent local rock we have in Savannah, so grab your mask and make your plans now.

THURS., SEP. 10, 7 P.M.

THOMAS CLAXTON AND THE MYTH @COACH’S CORNER

Thomas Claxton and the Myth are a high-octane rock band that resembles the greats of classic rock and beyond. They’ll be taking the Coach’s Corner stage for what’s sure to be a great, socially distant night. If you’re a fan of rock music in all its forms, and are ready for a high energy show, this is the one for you.

FRI., AUGUST 28, 7 P.M., $10

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

The great Kenny Munshaw plays Plant Riverside District’s main stage on August 29 as part of the newly-unveiled entertainment district’s major lineup of live music (all open air/outdoors). Munshaw has a resume like no other, and he’s been attached to Savannah for years thanks primarily to his studio endeavors. This is your chance to see an incredible musician in a buzzed-about new space.

SAT., AUGUST 29, 7 P.M.

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CULTURE BOOKS

Local author lands deal for captivating new book release Alledria Hurt talks about her new book Alice

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

LOCAL AUTHOR Alledria Hurt has been a writer for many years, and she’s been self publishing her work throughout her career—until now. She’s currently prepping the release of Alice, her newest novel that will be out on September 15th via Mocha Memoirs Press. It’s a compelling story that on the surface is a zombie novel, but underneath is a layered and nuanced story that feels completely unique.

It’s the latest in a lifetime of stories and writing for Hurt, who says she’s been writing as long as she’s “been able to form words.” As an author, her first short story was published in 2014. Since then, she’s released “at least” a book per year.

“I’ve now sold twice to small presses, actually,” she tells Connect of her latest release. “I’ve been writing for a long time, and I’ve been publishing for at least six years.”

In her earliest professional days, Hurt says she had a relatively easy time breaking stories and getting a flow for writing thanks to her background in the world of fan fiction.

“I come from the world of text-based role play and fan fiction, so what happened is that for many years early in my college career, I’d spend time doing text-based role play—which is basically like playing in someone else’s sandbox,” she says.

“It taught me a lot about story, collaborating, and about character arcs. But I finally got to a point where I realized I was spending a million words a year writing in someone else’s sandbox, when I could actually take it and do it on my own.”

Around 2005, she wrote her first book; a project that she doesn’t think will ever be released. She wrote it for National Novel Writing Month, which is a collaborative effort helmed by a nonprofit in California.

The goal, she says, was to write 50,000 words in thirty days. She did just that, and was off and running from there.

“I took a story that had been percolating in my brain for a while, and I just dumped it out on paper. I wanted to see if I could do it,” she says.

Her biggest lesson from that experience was that it was possible to take an idea from beginning to end.

20 “From there on, I knew it was possible.

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So I’ve been writing books ever since. My first novel came out around 2015 after about eight drafts. It taught me the value of perseverance,” Hurt says.

Alice, as Hurt explains, is a zombie novel but is ultimately about much more.

“It’s a zombie novel, but instead of it being about fighting zombies it’s kind of about finding family,” she says. “It’s almost a road trip book, but you find out later that the road trip leads you in a direction and then suddenly you’re given this different twist on what happens. You realize that the people you know aren’t who you think they are. You realize that the zombies aren’t the real problem.”

Hurt says she was inspired by The Walking Dead, specifically in regard to the ensemble cast. As you get further into the

book, you lose the initial impression that the titular character “has it all together.”

As a reader, she says, you start to question the narration and whether or not you’ve been told the complete truth throughout the story.

Hurt’s biggest piece of advice to authors and aspiring authors is to keep going and push past the self-resistance that creatives often feel when it comes to completing a project. “[The author] Steven Pressfield says that resistance is primarily inside of you, trying to keep you from doing your creative work,” she says. CS For more on Alledria Hurt and the upcoming release of Alice on September 15, visit alledriahurt.com

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CULTURE BOOKS

The Good Luck Stone tells a uniquely Savannah WWII story

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

BY MATT JONES © 2002, 2020 Matt Jones Answers on page 23

“FOR THE BIRDS” --MULTI-TASKING FOR THE “MODERN STONE AGE FAMILY.”

Author Heather Bell Adams dishes on her new book

BY SEAN KELLY

HEATHER BELL ADAMS is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but she’s got a particular love for Savannah that has made its way into her newly-released book, The Good Luck Stone.

“The book is about a Savannah society woman, Audrey, who’s 90 years old,” Bell tells Connect. “She’s kind of a well respected society figure. The story really kicks off when she disappears, suddenly, because a secret she’s kept since her time in the South Pacific in World War II has started to unravel.”

In the book, Audrey receives a letter from someone she knew during the war, which begins a journey that extends throughout the book. There’s a dual timeline in the book: present day Savannah and 1941/42 in the Philippines.

“The present day portions of the story are narrated by Audrey and Laurel, her caretaker. Laurel is brought in by Audrey’s family, who thinks she’s not able to take care of herself anymore. Audrey would disagree with that,” Adams says with a laugh.

The book doesn’t just use Savannah as a location, it makes several references to local streets, businesses, and more that will surely make residents feel even more connected to this unique story.

“In chapter one, she attends an exhibit at the Jepson Center,” she says. “I had fun with that kind of thing. [Locals] will see these little easter eggs.”

Adams has family in Savannah, and has visited numerous times—so much so that she felt compelled to use the city as a key

ACROSS

setting in the book.

“My family and I have vacationed in Savannah for over twenty years. I actually worked there one summer in law school, and we have an apartment on Perry Street,” she says.

“We have a lot of fondness for Savannah, and we’ve always loved walking around the historic district. I’ve always been fascinated by the beautiful homes, and always wondered who lives there and what their story is.”

The Good Luck Stone took nearly two years to get from idea to the final product, which she says took some edits from her publisher and a few drafts to complete. The biggest challenge in this story was to manage the dual timelines, which Adams says stays chronological in both time periods CONTINUES ON P. 22

1 Drains, as energy 5 R&B singer Cantrell 8 Cause counterpart 14 Jog like a horse 15 Presidential monogram during the 1960s 16 “Starlight Express” director Nunn 17 Gigantic bird with a stone passenger cabin 19 Item with an imagechiseling bird 20 Suffix for McCarthy 21 With a tilde, “year”; without, something nastier 22 Darkness and obscurity 23 Musical item using a pointy-beaked bird 28 Eye color location 29 Birds on a ranch Down Under 30 Word after tight or rear 33 “Ad ___ per aspera” (Kansas state motto) 35 PBS kids’ show that taught Ubby-Dubby 36 Fortune 500 member, most likely 37 Signaling item, when the bird’s tail is pulled 39 Motorist’s signal, when the bird is squeezed 42 Parisian street 43 Annoying “Sesame Street” muppet 45 “Biography” network 46 “Abso-friggin-lutely!”

47 Mother of all, in Greek mythology 48 Other, to Osvaldo

49 Garden tool, when the bird’s legs are squeezed 53 “The Heat ___” 55 Dig in 56 Pension plan alternative 57 Writing implement using a bird’s beak 59 Talking bird flying back and forth between stone boxes 61 Cover for a platter 62 “Little piggy,” really 63 “___ but known ...”

64 Tousles, like a puppy 65 AMA members 66 Corrida cheers

DOWN

1 It’s made to step on 2 Obey Viagra?

3 San Francisco and New Orleans, for two 4 Frequent NASCAR sponsor 5 Uses an iron, maybe 6 Quick stretch in the alphabet song 7 Article written by Voltaire?

8 List-ending abbr.

9 Web design option that’s obsolete 10 Thighbone 11 “The Greatest Story ___ Told” 12 Stopper for the bubbly 13 Singing syllable 18 Cowboy’s rope 24 Hockey great Bobby and family 25 Summer sign

26 Service station owned

by BP 27 Arizona City, today 30 Cost-friendly 31 Bookish type 32 Cooked to perfection 33 Off-kilter 34 Elisabeth of “Leaving Las Vegas” 35 Woody Allen “regular guy in famous situations” movie 38 Old paint additive 40 Ostrich or kiwi, e.g.

41 “First Do No ___” (Meryl Streep TV film) 44 Sallie ___ (student loan provider) 47 Site of a 1949 European “Convention” 48 Takes to the soapbox 49 Wishes 50 Carreras, Domingo, or Pavarotti 51 Etch away 52 Harold of “Ghostbusters” 53 “To Live and Die ___” 54 Twist, as statistics 57 AOL or MSN, e.g., once ...

58 ... and where to find them 59 “___ be my pleasure!”

60 Sorority letter

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

sean@connectsavannah.com

21

BOOKS but doesn’t remain particularly linear throughout.

“It’s not a strict alternating chapter schedule or anything. It’s more that as things come up for Audrey, she would be reminded of something in the past. Each storyline is chronological, but we might get a longer storyline at one point or another,”

she says, adding that an inspiration for her in terms of accomplishing the structure she wanted was Susan Meissner’s Secrets Of a Charmed Life.

Adams says that part of her inspiration for using both Savannah and the Philippines as settings in the book was the fact that so much of the literature that exists

around WWII is set in Europe, and there aren’t many books that explore other parts of the world during this period in time.

“They’re wonderful; I mean, there are so many good ones,” she says of some of the other WWII fiction books throughout modern history. “But I really wanted to set my story in the South Pacific. I think we’re

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Aries author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes, “Some stuff can be fixed, some stuff can’t be. Deciding which is which is part of maturing.” I offer this meditation as your assignment in the coming weeks, Aries. You are in a phase when you’ll be wise to make various corrections and adjustments. But you should keep in mind that you don’t have unlimited time and energy to do so. And that’s OK, because some glitches can’t be repaired and others aren’t fully worthy of your passionate intensity. You really should choose to focus on the few specific acts of mending and healing that will serve you best in the long run.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

“There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice,” wrote author F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is true even between the same two people in an intimate alliance with each other. The love that you and your spouse or friend or close relative or collaborator exchanged a month ago isn’t the same as it is now.

It *can’t* be identical, because then it wouldn’t be vibrant, robust love, which needs to ceaselessly transform in order to be vibrant and robust. This is always true, of course, but will be an especially potent meditation for you during the next four weeks.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

22

As a professional writer, novelist Thomas Wolfe trained himself to have keen perceptions that enabled him to penetrate below surface appearances. And yet he wrote, “I have to see a thing a thousand times before I see it once.” In other words, it was hard even for him, a highly trained observer, to get a deep and accurate read of what was going on. It required a long time and many attempts—and rarely occurred for him on the first look. Even if you’re not a writer, Gemini, I recommend his approach for you in the coming weeks. You will attune yourself to current cosmic rhythms—and thus be more likely to receive their full help and blessings—if you deepen and refine the way you use

your senses.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

It’s sometimes tempting for you to seek stability and safety by remaining just the way you are. When life pushes you to jump in and enjoy its wild ride, you may imagine it’s wise to refrain—to retreat to your sanctuary and cultivate the strength that comes from being staunch and steadfast and solid. Sometimes that approach does indeed work for you. I’m not implying it’s wrong or bad. But in the coming weeks, I think your strategy should be different. The advice I’ll offer you comes from Cancerian author and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

“To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work,” says author Sister Mary Lauretta. Have you been making progress in accomplishing that goal, Leo? According to my astrological analysis, fate has been offering and will continue to offer you the chance to either find work that you’ll love better than the work you’re doing, or else discover how to feel more love and excitement for your existing work. Why not intensify your efforts to cooperate with fate?

BY ROB BREZSNY

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

And that’s an important theme for you right now, since you’re entering a phase when your original ideas will be crucial to your growth. So listen up, Libra: If you want to stimulate your creatively to the max, adopt the fresh-eyed attitude of a rookie or a novice. Forget what you think you know about everything. Make yourself as innocently curious and eager as possible. Your imaginative insights and innovations will flow in abundance to the degree that you free yourself from the obligation to be serious and sober and professional. And keep in mind that Stevens said you need courage to act this way.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

“As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off,” writes author Michael Lewis. According to my analysis, the coming weeks will provide you with ample evidence that proves his hypothesis—on one condition, that is: You will have to cultivate and express a *thoughtful* kind of optimism.

Is that possible? Do you have the audacity to maintain intelligent buoyancy and discerning positivity, even in the face of those who might try to gaslight you into feeling stupid for being buoyant and positive? I think you do.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“Self-love is also remembering to let others love you. Come out of hiding.” Poet Irisa Yardenah wrote that advice, and now I’m passing it on to you, just in time for a phase when you will benefit from it most.

I mean, it’s always good counsel for you to Virgos to heed. But it will be especially crucial in the coming weeks, when you’ll have extra potential to bloom in response to love. And one of the best ways to ensure this extra potential is fulfilled is to make yourself thoroughly available to be appreciated, understood, and cared for.

Author Rebecca Solnit writes, “The things we want are transformative, and we don’t know or only think we know what is on the other side of that transformation.”

Her statement is especially apropos for you right now. The experiences you’re yearning for will indeed change you significantly if you get them—even though those changes will be different from what your conscious mind thinks they’ll be.

But don’t worry. Your higher self—the eternal part of you that knows just what you need—is fully aware of the beneficial transformations that will come your way when you get what you yearn for.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Libran poet Wallace Stevens wrote that if you want to be original, you must “have the courage to be an amateur.” I agree!

long overdue for that to be the next wave of World War II fiction.”

Heather Bell Adams’ The Good Luck Stone is available now. CS

At age 22, future pioneer of science Isaac Newton got his college degree just as the Great Plague peaked in 1665. As a safety

precaution, he proceeded to quarantine himself for many months. During that time of being sealed away, he made spectacular discoveries about optics, gravity, and calculus—in dramatic contrast to his years as a student, when his work had been relatively undistinguished. I’m not predicting that your experience of the 2020 pandemic will prove to be as fruitful as those of your fellow Capricorn, Isaac Newton. But of all the signs in the zodiac, I do think your output could be most Newton-like. And the coming weeks will be a good time for you to redouble your efforts to generate redemption amidst the chaos.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

The rapper named Viper has released over 1,000 albums. In 2014 alone, he created 347. His most popular work is *You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack*, which has received over three million views on Youtube. According to *The Chicago Reader*, one of Viper’s most appealing features is his “blatant disregard for grammar.” I should also mention that he regards himself as the second Christ, and uses the nickname “Black Jesus.” So what does any of this have to do with you? Well, I’m recommending that you be as prolific, in your own field, as he is in his. I’m also inviting you to experiment with having a fun-loving disregard for grammar and other non-critical rules. And I would love to see you temporarily adopt some of his over-the-top braggadocio.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

“If you don’t ask the right question, every answer seems wrong,” says singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. I suspect you may have experienced a version of that predicament in recent weeks, Pisces. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I expect you will finally formulate the right questions very soon. They will most likely be quite different from the wrong and irrelevant questions you’ve been posing.

In fact, the best way to find the revelatory questions will be to renounce and dismiss all the questions you have been asking up until now.

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