Nashville Scene 3-26-20 by FW Publishing

City Limits: State lawmakers recess in ‘unprecedented’ rush amid COVID-19 pandemic

march 26–april 1, 2020 I volume 39 I number 8 I Nashvillescene.com I free

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Food & Drink: Local chefs’ tips for keeping yourself fed while in quarantine Page 20

A local crew of b-boys and b-girls has been showing off the new shapes of breaking By Hannah Herner

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Contents

marCh 26, 2020

Fashionably Late ........................................6

A Labor of Love ....................................... 23

City Limits

musiC

Nashville Fashion Week had to postpone its 10th-anniversary celebrations, but social distancing could breed new opportunities

Vanessa Carlton and writing partner Tristen dig into new emotional territory on Love Is an Art

By ABBy White

By Brittney McKennA

Headed Home ............................................9

A Different Light ...................................... 24

State lawmakers recess for at least two months in ‘unprecedented’ rush to leave town and comply with COVID-19 guidelines

Lilly Hiatt’s Walking Proof is perfect for the time we’re living in

By Stephen elliott

The Spin ................................................... 25

Pith in the Wind .........................................9 This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

Cover story

More Than Pop and Lock A local crew of b-boys and b-girls has been showing off the new shapes of breaking

By MAriSSA r. MoSS

The Scene’s live-review column checks out livestreams by Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift, Willie Nelson and more By p.J. Kinzer, lorie lieBig And Stephen trAgeSer

COVID Crisis Brings Broader Beer Delivery to Nashville

Indoor Cinema Club

By JASon ShAWhAn

25 People Released From Davidson County Jail in Anti-Outbreak Effort

fiLm

From horror to period pieces and more, here’s a slew of new films available on demand

Stream music documentaries, start keeping a journal, watch nightly Met Opera streams, listen to Epidemic, get artsy on social media, read Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing and more

Nashville Venues Closed in Response to COVID-19 Launch Crowdfunding Efforts

Local Sewists Make Masks for Health Care Workers Battling COVID-19

By hAnnAh herner

CritiCs’ piCks

this week on the web:

NEW YORK TIMES CrossWord

marketpLaCe

food and drink

Lockdown Chowdown Local chefs’ tips for keeping yourself fed while in quarantine By MArgAret littMAn

Books

In Her Wake Nashville author Ariel Lawhon’s latest is a masterful novel about an unsung World War II heroine By liz gArrigAn And chApter16.org

on the Cover:

Devin O. Fletcher Photo by Eric England

A TELEVISION AND POP-CULTURE COLUMN ABOUT WHAT TO WATCH, WHAT TO SKIP, AND WHAT’S WORTH THINKING MORE ABOUT.

NASHVILLESCENE.COM

nashvillescene.com | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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With the threat of coronavirus still upon us, the fears swirling around us cannot be erased. But we can dilute our fear with reminders that our hearts are in the right place, and we are working together as a community to take care of each other. Nashville is full of heartening stories, from the smallest act of sharing household goods to the larger ones of our mayor making tough decisions on our behalf, and to our schools and teachers rising to the occasion. It’s like nothing I’ve ever witnessed. The Tennessee General Assembly showed remarkable foresight and practicality when they largely put aside partisan disagreement in order to accelerate their session and pass a fiscal budget. The budget focuses on emergency care and basic fiscal needs, allowing our state government to operate in emergency situations such as this one. Their recent news conference proved yet again that Tennesseans will and have always come together in times of need to protect each other. In that conference, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton was the first I’ve heard to make the distinction that members of our elderly generation are the ones who served our country in World War II during our finest hour. “Our greatest generation has made sacrifices for us over the years, and in the days ahead, we as Tennesseans are going to have to sacrifice even more and make some very tough decisions,” he said. “Making those tough decisions will help protect us now in our communities, as well as protecting our greatest and most vulnerable generation.” Our local leaders are also making common-sense decisions to protect us at every turn. When measures to limit exposure while allowing our businesses free rein were insufficient to stem the tide of the virus, Mayor Cooper made the necessary decision to issue the “Safer at Home” directive. That choice couldn’t have been easy, knowing the worry and hardship it would create for local families and businesses. But the need outweighed the cost, and Cooper made a decision swiftly and with little wavering. We will be doubly grateful for his leadership when our elderly population stays as protected as possible, and when our economy rebounds as life returns to normal in the weeks and months to come. I have been impressed with our state and local leaders making the difficult policy decisions. But I have been most touched by the unflagging support that our teachers and school administration have had for their students. Dr. Adrienne Battle is the right choice to lead our schools, and our school board made a smart decision when they appointed her as our permanent director of schools. Her swift and practical actions to keep our children’s education as uninterrupted as possible after the tornado was impressive. But her leadership as our schools close due to this viral threat has been even more impressive. Under her direction,

MNPS has provided meals to thousands of children, many of whom are facing a complete lack of food. With cafeterias darkened, where were our most vulnerable children going to receive the critical food they rely on from public schools? Nothing has stopped Dr. Battle and our dedicated teachers and school support staff. They haven’t allowed necessary health requirements and other massive challenges to stop them from helping the children in their care. With the help of Second Harvest Food Bank and the PENCIL Foundation, our educators are providing as many meals as they can for students who come in person to specific locations throughout Nashville. There they see familiar faces and are provided two meals to take home — one for breakfast and one for lunch. After days of this effort, our schools aren’t stopping there. Starting this week, they are loading thousands of meals onto school buses and hand-delivering them to children waiting at their bus stops. Many young children are getting the food their families need during these scary weeks when employment, health and stability are all under threat. Just as important, these children will be getting a welcome and very needed bit of normalcy in these turbulent times. We’ve seen many examples of Tennesseans doing the right thing for each other in recent days, but the image of these young schoolchildren waiting for the bus, which is coming like the cavalry to bring food and a moment of reassurance, will stick with me for a long time. Seeing these efforts to protect the least of these — our youngest, our most vulnerable and our most fragile — should make us all proud. They are examples for us to follow. Our businesses and economy will recover. We will make sure of that. But seeing others’ efforts to care for those in need is inspiring. We should all think hard about what we can do to help these dedicated people who have stepped up to care for our most vulnerable.

Bill Freeman Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and Home Page Media Group in Williamson County.

Editor-in-Chief D. Patrick Rodgers Senior Editor Dana Kopp Franklin Associate Editor Alejandro Ramirez Arts Editor Laura Hutson Hunter Culture Editor Erica Ciccarone Music and Listings Editor Stephen Trageser Contributing Editors Jack Silverman, Abby White Staff Writers Stephen Elliott, Nancy Floyd, Steven Hale, Kara Hartnett, J.R. Lind, William Williams Contributing Writers Sadaf Ahsan, Radley Balko, Ashley Brantley, Maria Browning, Steve Cavendish, Chris Chamberlain, Lance Conzett, Steve Erickson, Randy Fox, Adam Gold, Seth Graves, Kim Green, Steve Haruch, Geoffrey Himes, Edd Hurt, Jennifer Justus, Christine Kreyling, Katy Lindenmuth, Craig D. Lindsey, Brittney McKenna, Marissa R. Moss, Noel Murray, Joe Nolan, Chris Parton, Betsy Phillips, John Pitcher, Margaret Renkl, Megan Seling, Jason Shawhan, Michael Sicinski, Ashley Spurgeon, Amy Stumpfl, Kay West, Cy Winstanley, Ron Wynn, Charlie Zaillian Editorial Intern Bronte Lebo Art Director Elizabeth Jones Photographers Eric England, Daniel Meigs Graphic Designers Mary Louise Meadors, Tracey Starck Production Coordinator Christie Passarello Circulation Manager Casey Sanders Events and Marketing Director Olivia Moye Events Manager Ali Foley Publisher Mike Smith Advertising Director Daniel Williams Senior Account Executives Maggie Bond, Debbie Deboer, Sue Falls, Michael Jezewski, Carla Mathis, Heather Cantrell Mullins, Stevan Steinhart, Jennifer Trsinar, Keith Wright Account Executive William Shutes Sales Operations Manager Chelon Hill Hasty Account Managers Emma Benjamin, Gary Minnis Special Projects Coordinator Susan Torregrossa President Frank Daniels III Chief Financial Officer Todd Patton Creative Director Heather Pierce IT Director John Schaeffer For advertising info please contact: Daniel Williams at 615-744-3397 FW PUBLISHING LLC Owner Bill Freeman VOICE MEDIA GROUP National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.com

Copyright©2020, Nashville Scene. 210 12th Ave. S., Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37203. Phone: 615-244-7989. Classified: 816-218-6732. The Nashville Scene is published weekly by FW Publishing LLC. The publication is free, one per reader. Removal of more than one paper from any distribution point constitutes theft, and violators are subject to prosecution. Back issues are available at our office. Email: All email addresses consist of the employee’s first initial and last name (no space between) followed by @nashvillescene.com; to reach contributing writers, email editor@nashvillescene.com. Editorial Policy: The Nashville Scene covers news, art and entertainment. In our pages appear divergent views from across the community. Those views do not necessarily represent those of the publishers. Subscriptions: Subscriptions are available at $99 per year for 52 issues. Subscriptions will be posted every Thursday and delivered by third-class mail in usually five to seven days. Please note: Due to the nature of third-class mail and postal regulations, any issue(s) could be delayed by as much as two or three weeks. There will be no refunds issued. Please allow four to six weeks for processing new subscriptions and address changes. Send your check or Visa/MC/AmEx number with expiration date to the above address.

In memory of Jim Ridley, editor 2009-2016

NASHVILLE SCENE | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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MUSIC PERSEVERES

above: MARTY STUART PERFORMS AT THE FIRST OF THREE SHOWS AS ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE AT THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 photo by ed rode /getty images

nashvillescene.com | MARCH 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 1, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

city limits

Fashionably Late Nashville Fashion Week had to postpone its 10th-anniversary

celebrations, but social distancing could breed new opportunities

ashville Fashion Week was supposed to celebrate its 10th anniversary in the coming days, but on March 12, organizers announced the postponement of all NFW events and programming until early August. This includes shopping events at retail stores around the city, interactive workshops, panels and educational sessions, and runway shows at OZ Arts Nashville. Not that anyone in Nashville needs to be reminded, but the combination of an EF-3 tornado ripping through the city in the wee hours of March 3 and the rising threat of coronavirus has turned even the most extroverted social butterflies into socialdistancing hermit crabs. “After thousands of hours of planning from a dedicated volunteer team and generous support from sponsors and partners, this decision is heartbreaking,” NFW managing partner Marcia Masulla told the Scene via email on March 16. “However, it’s the responsible thing to do. We feel the tremendous weight of not being able to support our local fashion community as planned. Our focus and commitments need to be alongside our fellow Nashvillians experiencing devastation. We have already set Aug. 4-8, 2020, as the rescheduled dates and are working with sponsors and partners to make that happen.” The Scene talked with Masulla and her fellow managing partner Connie CathcartRichardson several days before they announced their decision to cancel the event. At the time, they reflected on 10 years of NFW and how the regional fashion community has matured during that time. Even after a decade, both women are accustomed to having to justify why the city should have a fashion week at all. “There’s still this misconception that Nashville Fashion Week is just for designers,” Masulla told the Scene. “There’s still this misconception that fashion week or fashion is just about beautiful people and fancy dresses, and that’s not what it’s about.” So if NFW isn’t just for designers or beautiful people who like fancy dresses, then who — or what — is it all about? “I would say it’s really about the evolution of building a fashion community and then turning that into an industry,” Masulla added. “Supporting the future of people in the industry [and] moving forward with the fund. It’s about the people.” The fund Masulla refers to is NFW’s Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, an endowment established in 2011. Managed by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, it was created to support and advance the careers of local fashion-industry professionals. One recipient is selected each year by a committee organized by the CFMT. “It’s about the people, that’s why we do this,” said Cathcart-Richardson. “It’s for everybody that’s involved, whether it’s the production person or the model, and giving

everybody a platform to show off what they do. ‘Nashville Show-Off Week’ is what it really is, on every level.” Masulla and Cathcart-Richardson fondly recalled the genesis of the idea, which started with a group of six individuals who launched the first NFW in 2011: Scott McClure, Mike Smith (who, full disclosure, is the Scene’s publisher), Cindy Wall and Robert Campbell. Over the years, the other four co-founders gradually left the organization, but Masulla and Cathcart-Richardson soldiered on, planning annual citywide fashion and retail events, an awards show, educational panels and runway shows featuring local and national designers. “We knew that there’s this creative community that can be an industry, so how do we drive attention to it outside of this misnomer that fashion is just for creatives, or that it’s frivolous?” Masulla explained. “We knew just from doing research [on] other regional fashion weeks and organizations that we wanted to lead with the fund because it was so much bigger than us. … Any funds that we raise through sponsorships or donors, it has to pay for production and the platform and for everything to do with Nashville Fashion Week, and then all of the proceeds that are left over from that go directly into the fund,” she added. “For fund recipients, there’s not a set amount that’s given every year — it’s based on their request,” Cathcart-Richardson said.

Photo: Eric England

By Abby White

Connie CathcartRichardson (left) and Marcia Masulla “It’s an experience. It’s not, ‘I need a sewing machine,’ but what experience can help you be better at what you do, and then bring that experience back home to help you grow.” This year’s Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient is Megan Prange, owner of Prange Apparel, a cut-and-sew manufacturing facility located in Donelson. Prange attended one of the early NFW runway shows, where she says she was enthralled by the promise that NFW held. She started attend-

ing every year while working with local designers on freelance pattern and sample work. Prange says she noticed designers struggling with scaling their businesses. Six years ago, she launched Prange Apparel to offer small-batch apparel manufacturing to help independent designers expand their businesses. Over the years, she’s worked with several designers who have shown at NFW, and her current client base includes designers from all over the country.

Megan Prange

Nashville Scene | march 26 – april 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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“Most designers start off by making everything themselves, and when the demand increases, we are there to help them keep up with it,” Prange tells the Scene via email. “It also allows them to focus on what they do best — designing and marketing — but also have small batches readily available for taking to markets and wholesaling to boutiques. We also offer pattern creation and pattern grading services for designers who drape and sew garments, but do not have the ability or time to make manufacturable patterns.” Prange plans to use the award funds to attend the Gerber Technology Ideation Software Conference, where she hopes to learn about expanding her company’s product development so she can improve turnaround time and work more efficiently with designers. “It has helped build an entire fashion community around the area, and now it’s not only about fashion, but it’s really about Nashville fashion,” Prange says of the connections she’s made at NFW. “Every year, I get to connect with new and upcoming designers through NFW, and it helps me find new ways that my business can work with and benefit the local fashion community.” NFW also encourages the community to support local retailers through Shop Nashville events held at stores around the city. There are also the Learning Labs — interactive educational sessions, instructional workshops and panel discussions. (These events, along with the runway shows, have been postponed until August.) The 2020 runway shows would have featured 21 designers, with 19 from Middle Tennessee. Eight of these 19 designers were first-time participants at NFW. Nashville designer Emily Phillips, whose namesake collection of women’s shirts and dresses are ethically and sustainably made in the USA, was among the group of eight. Phillips, who has a retail store in Germantown’s 100 Taylor building, has grown her three-year-old business by focusing on wholesale and creating national brand awareness. She was eager for the regional exposure her NFW runway show would have offered. “I was hoping to help increase local exposure and create new relationships within the design community here in Nashville,” Phillips says. “I was excited to get some press and marketing content. The NFW has created this amazing opportunity for designers to participate in a professional runway show without the exorbitant costs that are typically involved in something like New York Fashion Week. Of course, designers incur extra costs with runway shows, but I think that having runway experience and great marketing content will certainly outweigh the small extra costs of participating in NFW.” Phillips says she wishes NFW organizers would consider adding a market to future events, which would promote business between designers and fashion retail buyers. “One thing that’s missing from NFW that the city of Nashville would really benefit from — and be able to pull off — is a wholesale market for retailers, media and the press,” she says. “I think Nashville would love another opportunity to show off our incredible city. We’re setting trends and cre-

emily phillips ating style here.” Although Phillips is new to NFW, she was previously a member of the Nashville Fashion Alliance, a nonprofit trade association that dissolved in May 2019 due to loss of funding. Launched in 2014 by banking veteran Van Tucker, the NFA operated entirely separately from NFW, although there were certainly some common goals — and personnel — between the two organizations. The NFA focused on accelerating business and supply-chain development and building a supportive infrastructure for the region’s fashion industry. Robert Antoshak, managing director at Olah Inc., was chairman of the NFA at the time. He tells the Scene that he had hoped the NFW and NFA could merge and share resources. “I pushed that really hard,” Antoshak says. “It was a natural merger of the two, and it should’ve happened. For the life of me, I don’t know why it didn’t happen sooner. This market is too small to have two groups. It should’ve had a unified message with a fashion runway show as part of it.” Antoshak says runway shows can be a beneficial part of a designer’s marketing and business plan, especially since competition at a larger fashion week — like New York City — would be fierce. “I see it as a marketing mechanism,” he says. “It’s better to get small-market exposure with recognition and press coverage than virtually having no chance of doing that in New York.” While it may be difficult for a local designer to garner national attention, Nashville designer Amanda Valentine certainly has, although she notes that her path was unconventional. After competing on the hit

Photo: Daniel Meigs

city limits

amanda valentine TV show Project Runway in 2013, Valentine showed at New York Fashion Week twice and was voted back as a fan favorite to compete on another season of Project Runway, where she placed second. Valentine participated in the inaugural NFW in 2011, and 2020 would have been her sixth appearance showing her namesake womenswear brand at NFW. “It’s been extraordinary being able to show at the first Nashville Fashion Week and many over the years,” Valentine says. “I think it’s useful for businesses and consumers to see what’s available right in their own backyard. The variety of talent here is really awe-inspiring, and I really respect that Nashville Fashion Week has given us the platform to show that off.” Valentine’s long involvement as a designer with NFW and the Nashville fashion community in general has provided a unique vantage point on how this community — and NFW itself — has evolved over the past 10 years. “Obviously, the focus on Nashville in general has become a little broader and brighter — 10 years ago we were putting on punk rock fashion shows at Exit/In and Mercy Lounge, selling out but not making a dime,” Valentine says. “A lot of the same folks are still around, but most have moved on to more stable industries. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the force of influencers and social media on fashion, and I think that has really taken center stage.” Social media influencers now have nearly as much pull as conventional industry leaders. Every move on social media is an easily tracked metric, allowing designers to effectively reach consumers and track purchases. While no one is suggesting

that the entire commerce — or creative — side of the fashion industry should be run through Instagram, it does raise the question of how relevant runway shows are to the overall fashion business model in 2020. According to Masulla, producing one runway show for NFW costs “in the $20,000 range.” Fashion shows may be fun, but at such a steep cost, are they necessary, if NFW, as Masulla and Cathcart-Richardson claim, aims to build the local fashion community into an industry? “It’s not just the live fashion show and all the glitter — that’s important, I’m not saying don’t do it — but I’m saying, now’s the time to come up with an online solution,” Antoshak says. “I’ve found both Marcia and Connie to be very capable and smart, and my advice would be to take advantage of the opportunity that the [coronavirus] is providing all of us, which is to step back and reevaluate what we do.” As Antoshak notes, much remains unknown about coronavirus at this time, and there’s a possibility that events may need to be postponed past August. But, he points out, now is the perfect time for NFW to create an online solution. “I was surprised, for example, that they didn’t come up with a virtual runway show — show the designer’s latest product and film the entire runway show,” he says. “That would’ve been super cheap to put on and could have been available on social media. That would probably be the single most important thing they could do for Nashville, because that would go viral to the global business. Everybody is stuck behind closed doors right now, and that’s the only way to reach them.” Email editor@nashvillescene.com

Nashville Scene | march 26 – april 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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CITY LIMITS

HEADED HOME State lawmakers recess for at least two months in ‘unprecedented’ rush to leave town and comply with COVID-19 guidelines BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

THIS WEEK ON OUR NEWS AND POLITICS BLOG:

THE RAPID-FIRE SERIES OF FLOOR SESSIONS AND COMMITTEE HEARINGS WERE CONDUCTED IN AN UNUSUAL SILENCE, WITH LOBBYISTS, TOUR GROUPS AND OTHER VISITORS BARRED FROM THE BUILDINGS. frains from outright predicting calamity: On Friday he warned of “potentially incredibly difficult” economic times. Though leading lawmakers initially downplayed the need for significant action in the face of the disease’s spread — including in the busy halls of the Capitol and legislative offices — they quickly jumped into action last week, meeting with the governor to hash out a plan on Sunday. By Wednesday, the governor had submitted the amended budget that the House and Senate would pass late the next day, abbreviating a process that typically lasts far longer. House Speaker Cameron Sexton called it “an amazing thing for us to accomplish in five days.” The rapid-fire series of floor sessions and committee hearings were conducted in an unusual silence, with lobbyists, tour groups and other visitors barred from the buildings (though they were encouraged to tune in to livestreams of the proceedings from home). That decision worried some transparency advocates. House Majority Leader William Lamberth nevertheless urged the public to “trust us.” The Tennessee General Assembly is recessed until June 1, when Lamberth and others hope to return and take up some of the bills that were cast aside in the mad dash to temporary adjournment. Those bills include deeply partisan issues, like restricting abortions in the state, loosening gun laws and declaring the Bible the official state book among them. But at the end-of-session press conference, Lee and legislative leaders were not asked about guns or abortion. Instead, Lee took questions about the food supply chain (healthy, he said), whether churches should close (yes, the vocally Christian governor said) and whether he would comply if President Trump asked the state to stop reporting skyrocketing jobless numbers (depends, though he acknowledged the data can be useful). “We don’t know what lies ahead, but we do know that we have a responsibility to prepare for what lies ahead,” Lee said. EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Nashville (mostly) locked down fully this week, as Mayor John Cooper and public health director Dr. Michael Caldwell — an infectious disease expert — ordered a swath of business closures and cutbacks in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Following the shuttering of bars and restaurants, Metro required all nonessential businesses to close for 14 days starting March 23. Further, the city was put under a stay-at-home order for all but essential travel. Gov. Bill Lee continued his strategy of simply “encouraging” businesses to close and Tennesseans to stay at home, though he did mandate the closure of bars and the limiting of restaurants to takeaway and delivery service. … The state confirmed a 73-year-old Davidson County man as Tennessee’s first COVID-19 death. A second man who, according to his family, had been recently diagnosed with cancer, died Saturday. He was from “an adjacent county,” according to state health officials, though he died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. … Operating under an unprecedented level of alacrity, the General Assembly worked into the wee hours of Thursday to pass a budget — the legislature’s only constitutional mandate — and recessed until at least June 1. The stripped-down budget — pared back due to fears of drastically reduced revenue — removed a number of Lee’s previously announced programs, including a mental health trust fund and teacher pay raise. … Evangelical financial guru and radio host Dave Ramsey was not among those who closed their businesses due to the prevailing circumstances. After a staffer tested positive for COVID-19, Ramsey wrote a company-wide email March 15 that read in part, “We know big gatherings are discouraged, but we are not shutting the company down.” In that email, obtained by the Scene from multiple

sources, Ramsey acknowledged that the diagnosis “Sucks for [the employee].” … Sheriff Daron Hall, Public Defender Martesha Johnson and District Attorney General Glenn Funk worked through the weekend to secure the release of at least 80 inmates at the Metro jail who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Also, attorneys for death row inmate Oscar Smith asked for a delay in his scheduled execution, set for June 4. … Sen. Marsha Blackburn was one of just eight no votes in the Senate on an administration-backed coronavirus relief bill, a rare departure from her usual rubber-stamping of President Donald Trump. In the House, Tennessee Reps. Tim Burchett, Scott DesJarlais, Mark Green and John Rose also voted no. There were 40 votes against the bill in the House. … Meanwhile, with nothing but time, Pith wondered why Grover Cleveland gets to be the 22nd and 24th president. Harry Truman wondered too, apparently. Also check out the coverage on our food blog, Bites. As much of the restaurant industry has had to change its business model in just a couple of weeks due to COVID-19, we’re highlighting the Nashville businesses that are attempting to stay open via a takeout/delivery option. Each day we’ll give you a critic’s pick for a restaurant and a dish, as well as a running list of restaurants still open that you can support. Visit nashvillescene.com/food-drink. Over on our music blog, Nashville Cream, we have updates on how musicians are doing their best to adapt. Many have organized onetime livestream events or recurring streams from their homes or home studios. Some are accepting tips to help offset their own costs from lost work, and others are collecting funds for other causes. Visit nashvillecream.com.

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

ess than a year ago, state House and Senate leaders joined Gov. Bill Lee for the traditional post-adjournment press conference on an earlyMay Thursday night at the Capitol. In part, it was a celebration — of the governor’s legislative successes, including in his efforts to pursue private-school vouchers and a Medicaid block grant. But it was also political theater. Then-House Speaker Glen Casada fumed at questions about his decision to lock the chamber doors to keep a quorum and pass the remaining bills lingering on the last day of session. He suggested that NewsChannel5 reporter Phil Williams was “making up” a story that had run earlier that day — a story that included screenshots of racist text messages sent by Casada’s chief of staff, Cade Cothren. It was the opening salvo in the political battle that would lead to Casada’s resignation a few months later. On Friday morning, House and Senate leaders again joined Gov. Bill Lee for the traditional post-adjournment press conference, but this time they were in the midst of another kind of maelstrom. The state is “at war,” said Senate Speaker Randy McNally, echoing military language used by other government officials last week. The spread of COVID-19 — the illness caused by the novel coronavirus — brought the men together weeks earlier than anticipated, as the House and Senate rushed to pass a “preliminary” budget in order to leave Nashville and comply with public health guidelines about large gatherings, like those necessary for lawmaking. The new budget, which came together in just a few days, includes nearly a billion dollars in reductions to programs and projects included in Lee’s initial proposal, which he presented to the legislature earlier this year. The cuts included a reduction to a promised pay raise to teachers, and the elimination of a planned $250 million mental health trust fund and a $70 million literacy program. New to the altered budget were hundreds of millions of dollars in rainy-dayfund deposits and spending on coronavirus and tornado response. Lee also kept in the bare-bones budget funding for his voucher program, which Democrats sought unsuccessfully to remove by amendment. “I’m not happy with what’s going on in our state right now,” said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, drawing a sharp contrast from Republicans’ rosy outlook on the state’s finances as recently as a few weeks ago. State budget hands are predicting a “significant” economic impact as travel grinds to a halt and restaurants and other businesses close. While Finance Commissioner Stuart McWhorter confidently predicted a recession when presenting the amended budget to lawmakers, no one can say just how bad it might get. Lee has sought to remain outwardly optimistic in his daily public addresses, at least insofar as he re-

THE BARS OF LOWER BROAD, SHUTTERED IN THE WAKE OF MAYOR COOPER’S “SAFER AT HOME” ORDER ON SUNDAY

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nashvillescene.com | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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from left: Devin O. Fletcher, Anthony Allen, Ariel Carrillo

more than

POP AND LOCK 10

A local crew of b-boys and b-girls has been showing off the new shapes of breaking

Nashville Scene | march 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; april 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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By Hannah Herner | Photos by Eric England 3/23/20 2:36 PM

“Oh, like pop and lock?”

That’s what people usually ask when Quincy Ellison tells them he’s a b-boy. They picture a guy in a monochromatic tracksuit throwing down a piece of cardboard and spinning on his head. The sort of thing you’d see in a classic hip-hop music video. When Ellison first discovered breaking, that’s what he saw too. (Specifically, the music video for “It’s Like That” by Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins.) But he and his crewmates and students represent the different ages, backgrounds and movements that make breaking what it is today. “Breakdancing” is what the media called it when it caught on with 1980s pop culture, but there’s a lot more to it than that. This weekend was supposed to mark the 14th annual Bashville breaking battle, organized by Ellison and set to take place at local venue Rocketown. By his calculation, Bashville is now the biggest battle in the eastern half of the country. But crews and judges flying into town and packing out Rocketown? Not a good call amid the threat of COVID-19. Ellison & Co. made the call to cancel this year’s installment of Bashville, with the hopes of returning around the same time next year. Until recently, Wednesday nights at local dance studio Construct were practice nights for members of Nashville’s breaking crew Illville, along with anyone else who wanted to learn. Illville employs an “each one teach one” mentality, with more experienced members sharing bits of technique with newcomers. “Everyone is helping,” Ellison says. “We’re probably one of the friendliest places north and south of here. Because of the Southern hospitality. We just take everybody in. Whatever background, low level, high level, come on in and we get started.”

Breaking is generally made up of five elements. Top rock refers to any of the moves performed while standing upright — a round will always start this way. Get downs are combinations that bring the dancer to the floor, typically by kicking one leg out from under themselves. In a freeze, the dancer lands in a pose, often contorting their body to hold their legs up in a sort of bendy handstand. Footwork (also called down rock) is movement on the floor using both the hands and feet, wherein dancers often make like a human Skip-It. Power moves are more acrobatic elements like headspins or windmills, which are optional — they actually aren’t needed to be considered breaking. Though breaking dance battles were once associated with gang activity, Illville looks to shake that connotation. Veteran member Ariel Carrillo is a prime example. Last year, a video of him breaking in his Lebanon, Tenn., police uniform was picked up by some local news organizations. Carrillo discovered breaking at age 15 while he was working off some communityservice hours at Rocketown. He was outside looking at the graffiti when he began to feel the ground shake. It was music — specifically, Wu-Tang’s “Protect Ya Neck” — bumping from somewhere inside the building. He found Ellison and some other Illlville members practicing, and they took him in. It’s a family, he says.

Quincy Ellison

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Quincy Ellison and Martin Gratton (age 7)

“

with this new generation, we made sure that everybody can get a hold of this dance and be taught properly so they won’t be hurting themselves. —Quincy Ellison

Martin Gratton (Guerdie Jeannoel, left, and Miriam Kraatz look on)

Brittany Athanase

”

“We’re trying to change the culture of gangs,” says Carrillo. “In a gang you’re family members, but you do things you shouldn’t. But now, we call them crews.” At 28, Miriam Kraatz fulfilled a longtime desire to learn how to break, having been inspired by the street performers she saw in Berlin as a tween. Now 42, she’s a member of Illville and the owner of Construct. “I think a lot of people who haven’t paid any attention to it are not aware how much the dance has evolved, how complex it is, how many options there are for the movement,” says Kraatz, whose day job is data science. “Within breaking, there are different people with different styles, different specializations. There are things that if people saw, they wouldn’t think it’s breaking.” There’s incentive for b-boys and b-girls to hold onto their skills well into their 40s and 50s, even if they move into judging battles. If a competitor doesn’t like a choice, they can call the judge out. Ellison says it’s not unheard of for a judge to get out of their chair and battle the competitor. The call won’t be changed, but respect might be renewed. So it’s never too late to break — and Ellison’s day job proves it’s never too early, either. Teaching at five locations a week, he gives kids ages 4 to 13 the kind of instruction he never had. What took him years to learn through rewinding old VHS tapes — not to mention earning bruises and trips to the hospital through trial-and-error — he can teach these kids to safely execute in a matter of weeks. “We didn’t have any kind of outlet like that,” Ellison says. “We had to fend for ourselves. And with this new generation, we made sure that everybody can get a hold of this dance and be taught properly so they won’t be hurting themselves.”

In our current state of social distancing, canceled events and shuttered public spaces in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, things are obviously different now for folks from all walks of life. But even before all of

Robert Mercado

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Ariel Carrillo

that began, outside of the Construct studio, places for Illville members to showcase their skills were scarce. Each month, there’s one party the crew loves to dance at — Funky Good Time at The 5 Spot. (Needless to say, the East Nashville venue and bar has temporarily closed amid the pandemic. Hopefully, Funky Good Time will return once The 5 Spot reopens.) “We have to move a table out of the way to break,” Ellison says with a laugh. “We literally move it ourselves.” Ten years ago, Kraatz remembers, Illville crew members would dance at clubs nearly every night of the week. “A part of the culture gets lost,” Kraatz says. “Someone playing music that is meant to be danced to and people are dancing to it — whether it be really elaborate, like breaking, or just a little more elaborate than a two-step. That culture is not faring so well right now.” Once COVID-19 clears up, Illville members will get back to practicing together, and bringing new dancers into the fold. It’s hard to say when a big audience will be able to gather, but the fellow crew members who circle up to watch each new move have been the most important audience all along. And in 2024, all that practice could take an Illville member — or even one of Ellison’s students — all the way to the Olympics, where breaking will be an event for the first time. There’s more to it than just “pop and lock.” Email editor@nashvillescene.com

Anthony Allen

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Critics’ Picks

[MORGAN FREEMAN VOICE]

Play Penguin Isle

skills

Between news alerts and panic on social media, your phone probably seems like an expensive rectangle of anxiety right now. But since you’re not ditching the hardware anytime soon, you might as well download something calming on your device. Penguin Isle is a relaxing, free-to-download phone game about chill-ass penguins hanging out on an island and doing penguin things, like planting flower gardens, feeding dolphins and flying hot air balloons. It’s one of many entries into the idle-game genre, which can best be described as games that play themselves. (One well-known game in this style is the cat-collecting challenge Neko Atsume, which was outrageously popular around 2015.) In this one, which is available for Android and Apple, you start an island for penguins. The penguins earn gold and hearts, which you can use to purchase and upgrade new additions to your island — like a hot spring or amusement park — and earn more income. There isn’t much strategy involved, and with calming music and charming visuals, it’s great for both quick breaks and long veg-outs. ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

out copies of essays you love and marking them up with different colored highlighters to better visualize the writer’s changing perspectives. It’s really down-to-earth, pragmatic stuff. Next on my list are classes with memoirist Mary Karr and journalist Susan Orlean, both legends. And there’s of course plenty of non-writerly stuff to sift through as well, from classes on interior design to personal productivity. It’s a great way to spend your free time, and the bonus is that the content was recorded before COVID-19 was in people’s vocabulary, so you can bask in Gay’s sweet pre-pandemic obliviousness. It’s a little like time travel, but with better cadence. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER MUSIC

GAMING

[’SUP, DOCS]

Stream Music Documentaries

What do you do when you have music on your mind, but it’s not time for one of the livestream concerts that musicians are hosting in lieu of shows? Dive into one of the many, many music documentaries

on streaming platforms. It’s a great time to catch up on well-known and well-loved docs you might have missed, like the series Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men (on Showtime and Hulu) and Hip-Hop Evolution (Netflix), or the documentary feature 20 Feet From Stardom (Netflix). But there’s plenty more to explore. Among Amazon Prime’s offerings: Gimme Danger, Jim Jarmusch’s look at protopunks The Stooges; A Poem Is a Naked Person, Les Blank’s film about rock piano legend Leon Russell; and Until the Light Takes Us, Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites’ deep dive into black metal. For local flavor, see YouTube for two docs on sonic adventurers Lambchop (short “How to Live a Normal Life” and feature-length Lambchop Is a Band) and Vimeo for the short “The Threk Michaels Story,” a brief conversation with the genial and fascinating singer and songsmith. Also look to YouTube for long-out-of-print television features like Spellbound, a chronicle of inventive New Zealand outfit Split Enz, and Born Fighters, in which British rockers Rockpile work on two fantastic albums released under the names of group members (Nick Lowe’s Labour of Lust and Dave Edmunds’ Repeat When Necessary). STEPHEN TRAGESER [IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM]

Start Keeping a Journal

These unprecedented times will one day be retold in the pages of history books, and many historians have taken to social media to encourage everyone to play their part in recording their version of what’s happening. Historian Shane Landrum (@cliotropic on Twitter) suggests: “Write about what you’re seeing in the news, how [your] friends are responding, what is closed in [your] neighborhood or city or state or country. Save it. … Personal stories don’t make it into the history books unless people are writing them down in the first place.” He adds: “Do it by hand, on paper. The handwriting will adjust your brain. It will take you offline and out of the swirl of news and

hopefully, for a moment, into a little bit of peace in the midst of crisis.” University of Virginia history professor Herbert “Tico” Braun also suggests keeping a record, in whatever medium you’re comfortable with. He told UVA Today that folks should keep a record through “a journal, a blog, an e-portfolio, a film, a series of artworks, a short story, poems, a series of haikus … each individual perspective is valuable, and adds to the whole.” MEGAN SELING

podcast

Roxane gay

E D I T I O N

[PODCAST PEOPLE]

Listen to Epidemic

It may seem counterintuitive to seek comfort in a podcast about pandemics while we’re being told to isolate ourselves — yet that’s exactly what I find with each episode of Epidemic. Hosted by Dr. Celine Grounder and Ronald Klain, the series calmly and rationally examines the issues around the coronavirus. Grounder is an infectious-disease specialist based in New York City, while Klain ran the White House team that responded to the Ebola virus in 2014. There’s very little shouting here. Instead, the two use their contacts to talk with medical experts about how we should be responding to the crisis on both an individual and systemic level. STEVE CAVENDISH opera

D I S T A N C I N G

writing

S O C I A L

As a response to Metro’s stay-athome order to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we’ve changed the focus of our Critics’ Picks section. Rather than pointing you in the direction of events happening this week in Nashville, here are some activities you can partake in while you’re at home practicing social distancing.

[MEET ME AT THE MET]

Watch Nightly Met Opera Streams

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of live performance. But as we navigate this era of unprecedented cancellations, closures and general uncertainty, a number of arts organizations are working to keep

nightly met opera stReam

[READING AND WRITING]

A couple months back, Roxane Gay tweeted about teaching an online essaywriting course, and within hours I’d set up an account on Skillshare and had started taking notes. After a free trial with the online learning community, users pay around $20 a month to take all the online courses they have the time and brain capacity for, which makes it more valuable now than ever. Gay’s class, called Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays With Impact, is stellar — she’s as no-nonsense as you’d expect, and has great tips like printing

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critics’ picks

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Watch tcM’S MankieWicz FaMily Weekend

In recent years, the Turner Classic Movie channel has turned to programming that skews to the conventional. Films like Casablanca and High Noon get plenty of play, but TCM continues to screen movies that illustrate the breadth of studio-era Hollywood. Beginning Friday night and continuing through Sunday, host Ben Mankiewicz will introduce a set of films written, directed or produced by his grandfather, Herman J. Mankiewicz, and his great-uncle, Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Already a noted writer in New York, Herman hit Hollywood in 1927. With his younger brother Joseph, Herman wrote 1932’s Million Dollar Legs, in which W.C. Fields shines as the leader of a fictional country

called Klopstokia. It’s an hour of improbable situations and Dada-esque dialogue. Meanwhile, make sure to catch Joseph’s intricate, flashback-heavy 1949 A Letter to Three Wives, which he co-wrote and directed. Herman scripted another little movie noted for its use of flashbacks and other advanced filmic techniques — 1941’s Citizen Kane. It remains the ultimate newspaper movie, and director and star Orson Welles’ examination of the role of the media rings true nearly 70 years later. March 27-29 on TCM EDD HURT TV

audiences engaged and entertained. For example, the Metropolitan Opera has begun streaming encore presentations from its award-winning Live in HD series, including beloved classics such as Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s La Bohème, Verdi’s La Traviata and more. The free service — dubbed Nightly Met Opera Streams — is currently available through the Met’s website, metopera.org. Fans can tune in at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, and performances are available for 20 hours once posted. While you’re at it, check out the Met’s popular podcast series Aria Code, which is hosted by Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens. AMY STUMPFL

[SEASON 420]

Watch HigH Maintenance

The High Maintenance web series first graced the internet in 2012, and aligned perfectly with recreational marijuana legalization in its early stages. It was refreshing to see a show (then a series of short films posted to Vimeo) ostensibly about weed — the people who smoke it, and their reasons why — that didn’t lean on dated stoner stereotypes. The brainchild of co-creators Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, High Maintenance has leveled up since its web-series days, now a fullfledged HBO series in its fourth season. The episodes are longer and the budget’s bigger, but the basic premise of the show has stayed the same: tightly written, deeply relatable short stories from all over Brooklyn’s 69.5 square miles (plus occasional forays into the other boroughs), with Sinclair’s bearded, bike-riding weed delivery man, known only as “The Guy,” as its anchor. But as the

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critics’ picks

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local

LIVE

MUSIC

review

Get Artsy on sociAl MediA

Social media rarely acts as a balm for trying times. It’s more of an irritant. But if you carefully curate your feeds, you might end up feeling happier and more purposeful. Artists and crafters are stepping up to show you how. Be like locals Rocky Horton and Mandy Rogers Horton, who started a recurring socialdistance dance party with their four cute kids on Instagram, and invited friends to join in with the hashtag #socialdistancedanceparty. Local performance artist Madeleine Hicks has been hosting free workshops on Zoom to teach puppet-making. Find her on Instagram at @madeleinemack. The Porch Writers’ Collective is posting a new writing prompt every day on Facebook and Instagram (@ porchtn), encouraging us to dream outside of our walls. I was recently invited to a Facebook group in which friends simply share what we’re cooking while we’re social distancing. The possibilities are endless, my friends, and what better way to participate than to offer your talents and passions up to the masses? Host a costume contest! Put your graphic design skills to use with a digital exquisite-corpse-style collaboration! Make an online gallery to show your artwork and promote that of your friends! And while we’re on the topic, it is my moral obligation to remind you that Chill With Bob Ross is streaming on Netflix, and were he still with us, he would encourage you to use whatever is at your disposal — condiments, makeup, bits of snack food — to paint sunsets, strong mountains and happy little trees. ERICA CICCARONE BOOKS

nash

[SOCIAL PRACTICE]

[YOU CAN DO IT]

reAd Jenny odell’s How to Do NotHiNg

Given the news cycle, it’s far too easy to spend too much time staring at your phone and refreshing your newsfeed for whatever fresh horrors await. Oakland, Calif.-based artist and critic Jenny Odell would suggest putting that phone down, and does so convincingly in her book How to Do Nothing. Less of a how-to guide and more of a critique of our current economy of attention, Odell’s book makes the case that reclaiming our attention is a radical act, one that can have meaningful social and political implications. If you don’t already own the book, consider purchasing it from bookshop.org, a new online platform that lets you purchase books from indie shops across the country. With so many shops temporarily closed, it’s critical to support

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ART

its anchor. But as the relative calm of the Obama years grows more distant in the rearview, the show’s overarching message has become one of compassion and how we’re in this together. Like a critically acclaimed band with modest sales, HBO keeps High Maintenance around despite underwhelming ratings. But there’s always been a sense that the show is living on borrowed time — as of March 17, it’s yet to be renewed for a fifth season — and I’m not sure there’s ever been a better moment for its optimism and humanity. It’s time to call The Guy, y’all. High Maintenance can be streamed in its entirety on HBO Now; the finale airs Friday, April 3. CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

[JESSICA, ONLY CHILD, ILLINOIS, CHICAGO]

Build your own streAMinG BonG Joon-ho FilM Fest

In last week’s Critics’ Picks, I presented a rather simple option for folks practicing social distancing and looking for novel ideas of what to stream from home: a selfcurated Martin Scorsese film festival, exclusively featuring titles currently available on what I call the Big Four services (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix and HBO Now). This week we’re going to get a little more creative. If you, like the rest of the world, were enchanted by Bong Joonho’s Best Picture winner Parasite, what better time than the present to dive into the Korean director’s back catalog? Kick things off with 2006’s delightful monster flick The Host, which scales the time-tested kaiju-wreaks-havoc-on-city trope down by a few hundred feet — and features a killer performance from frequent Bong collaborator Song Kang-ho (Parasite’s Kim Ki-taek). That one, miraculously, is currently streaming for free on YouTube. Follow that with 2009’s more sobering Mother, Bong’s drama about a widow’s defense of her teenage son, falsely accused of murder, which is currently available totally for free on an ad-supported service called Tubi. Then it’s over to Netflix for the 2013 post-apocalyptic thrill ride Snowpiercer, which features excellent turns from both Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton and — like Parasite — is a sharp critique of class inequality. Bring it home with 2017’s Netflix original Okja, about a young girl and her genetically modified superpig (that old chestnut!). If after all that you still haven’t gotten enough of Bong’s work, Parasite, Memories of a Murder and other films in his catalog are available for rental on various services. Dig in — the man contains multitudes. D. PATRICK RODGERS

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food and drink

Lockdown Chowdown Local chefs’ tips for keeping yourself fed while in quarantine By Margaret Littman

“L

ots of people don’t have the resources to start cooking for a family of five,” says Julia Sullivan, chef and co-owner of Germantown’s Henrietta Red and The Party Line catering company. Does Sullivan get us or what? Quarantining, isolating, sheltering in place, or as the Metro government has termed it, “Safer at Home” — call it whatever you like. The bottom line is, we’re all inside for a while. And while we can and should order takeout to support local restaurants and their workers, at some point, we’re going to have to turn on the oven. We asked some local chefs for their help wading through the cans of beans and frozen vegetables we stress-bought to help us cook decent meals for our families during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were generous with their time and their secrets, even as they were juggling efforts to keep their businesses afloat and their employees paid. The cost to you? When things go back to “normal” — whatever that is, whenever that is — go directly to their restaurants and pay them to cook for you.

Think in large batches

It can be stressful for folks who aren’t used to cooking three meals a day to come up with something while working from home, home-schooling and keeping up with all that breaking news. Sullivan suggests not working on one meal at a time. When you make a hearty ragout, make enough for several meals, and freeze some for later.

Cheat with the pros

Take some of the leftovers from your restaurant takeout (which you ordered to support those local chefs) and use it to spice up your next meal. That tip is courtesy of Maneet Chauhan, co-owner and executive chef at Chauhan Ale and Masala House and Chaatable. “I use leftover tikka masala to make a delicious pizza or pasta dish out of it,” says Chauhan. “Boil some pasta, throw in some veggies, leftover tikka masala, and there you go.”

No, we’re not suggesting cereal for dinner again (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Chef Deb Paquette of Etch and etc. suggests treating that plain, old-fashioned oatmeal in your pantry like you would bulgur wheat or quinoa. Par-cook it and sauté with onions, spices and leftover chicken, or mix with greens and chopped tomato and avocado in a salad.

Open the can

There’s a good chance you have canned beans of various varieties (white, pinto, kidney and garbanzo, to name a few), plus canned tomatoes — and maybe some tomato paste — in your emergency stash. Jilah Kalil is the founder of Cooking Up, a cooking school focused on helping average folks feed themselves. She has a formula for making soup from your can stash. Start by sautéing onions and garlic in a deep stock pot with a lid; rinse the canned beans (to reduce some of the added salt), add water and boil, and then start to simmer. At that point you can add any already-cooked leftover vegetable from the fridge, and some of the frozen vegetables you stashed away. Spice and purée (or not) to your tastes.

Play with your food

Yes, you can freeze that!

If you have fresh herbs that you are concerned will go bad before you can get to them, portion them out and freeze them in individual pouches or containers. Then just defrost what you need for a particular recipe, says Sullivan, who is offering a Family Meal CSA-style subscription service for those who don’t want to cook every day.

Grab the oatmeal

Find your muffin tin

If you haven’t used it since you last made cupcakes for a kid’s birthday party, dust it off and start thinking about it as a way to make small servings, says chef Kristin Beringson of Ellington’s Mid Way Bar & Grill in the Fairlane Hotel. “Quiche, pasta cups, little casseroles, stuffed peppers, really anything goes,” she says. Once baked, they are easy to put in the freezer for later and reheat in small portions.

Paquette has an idea for family fun that will also give you condiments. Grab extra butter and get it to room temperature. Divide it up among family members (Paquette recommends a quarter-pound each) and let everyone make their own condiment. Maybe a sweet-savory combo of strawberry jam mixed with sriracha. Or take the three almost-empty varieties of mustard in the fridge and combine them with the butter. Season bit by bit, and at the end of the family culinary project you’ll have some options for seasoning future meals (or bagels).

Wait overnight

Kalil has a suggestion for when you’re getting to the point that you can’t turn on the stove, and you just want to keep things easy-peasy: Turn once again to those canned beans. She mixes a can of kidney or pinto beans with avocado, cilantro, red onion, peppers — add whatever ingredients you like — and a squeeze of lemon juice, plus a drizzle of olive oil. The trick is to do this in advance — in the morning ahead of lunch or dinner, or even the day before. The marinating is the key for more intense flavor. Cooking Up is posting more tips on Instagram (@cookingupnashville) and Facebook, so keep up with Kalil there.

Nashville Scene | march 26 – april 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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food and drink

BIGGEST & TASTIEST SOUTH INDIAN BUFFET IN NASHVILLE (SERVED DAILY) www.amaravatitn.com

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Chef director Bianca Morton and the fine folks at local nonprofit Nashville Food Project are pros at making great meals from whatever donations are in the pantry. That’s their job and how they feed the hungry. Her tip is to be willing to swap things out. Making shepherd’s pie but out of white potatoes? Try mashing sweet potatoes or butternut squash instead. No peas? Try fresh asparagus. Chef Lisa Marie White, who has volunteered in the NFP kitchen, created a morning glory muffin base, which can be mixed with shredded zucchini, shredded apple, puréed carrots, applesauce, coconut or granola, depending on what’s on hand. For more information, check out The Nashville Food Project’s recipe series on social media, sharing staff favorites with the hashtag #communitycooking.

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“I think now would be the perfect time for people to up their game,” says Josh Habiger, chef-owner at Bastion. “Use YouTube as a source, dust off your old cookbooks, Google ‘Thomas Keller Roasted Chicken.’ ” he suggests. “Make a list of those things that you’ve always wanted to cook but didn’t have the time.” Looks like we’re all going to have some extra time in the kitchen for a while.

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Fable Lounge’s executive chef Kraig Hansen and chef de cuisine Chelsea Knight say, before putting your leftovers in the freezer, try what industry is called the “hotel wrap” or “industry wrap.” If you just cover the top of a container with plastic wrap, you’ll get freezer burn and the potential for spills. Instead, lay the plastic wrap flat on the counter, place the vessel to be covered on the sheet, and then fold the wrap over, like you are wrapping a gift — a gift to your future self, who doesn’t want to clean spilled spaghetti sauce out of the freezer.

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Visit Bites!

Check out our food blog for details on local takeout options and more

s much of the restaurant industry has had to change its business model in just a couple of weeks due to COVID-19, we’re highlighting the Nashville businesses that are attempting to stay open via a takeout/delivery option. Each day we’ll give you a critic’s pick for a restaurant and a dish, as well as a running list of restaurants still open that you can support. Visit nashvillescene.com/food-drink.

Fresh poke bowls, healthy smoothies and breakfast bowls, fresh baked goods, craft beers and more! Stop in for a taste of Hawaii in Music City. 901 Woodland St. #105 @kawaipokeco | www.kawaipoke.com nashvillescene.com | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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3/23/20 3:50 PM

books

Have a Spring Fling. $25 OFF $100 OR MORE

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In Her Wake

Nashville author Ariel Lawhon’s latest is a masterful novel about an unsung World War II heroine By Liz GarriGan

orld War II heroine Nancy Wake should be so widely celebrated that whole bevies of schoolgirls dress up as this brave member of the French Resistance for Halloween. It’s a mystery — and a travesty — that she isn’t. But perhaps New York Times bestselling author Ariel Lawhon’s novel Code Name Hélène will finally bring her the recognition she deserves. Lawhon’s exhaustively researched and vividly woven historical novel introduces readers to Wake, who was such a formidable force of nature that she led approximately 1,000 French Resistance fighters, became a critical Allied asset, and eluded the Nazis so effectively that she inspired the nickname “The White Mouse.” (The White Mouse is the title of Wake’s 1985 autobiography, which is currently out of print.) In the 1930s, Wake was an Australian expat living in Paris. She had brilliantly bluffed her

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Code Name HélèNe By Ariel lAwhon DouBleDAy 464 pAges, $27.95 price way into a journalism gig stringing for the European branch of the Hearst Newspaper Group. Well before the start of the war, Wake documented the depravity and revolting cruelty of Adolf Hitler’s private militia known as the Brownshirts. On assignment in 1934 in Vienna’s Old Square, she and her photographer witnessed the paramilitary group publicly and viciously torturing an old Jewish shopkeeper — something the Brownshirts apparently liked to do on Fridays before the beginning of Shabbat. In the novel, as Hitler’s men burn the contents of Jewish shops in a massive bonfire, the Wake character describes an old woman “tied spread-eagle to the massive waterwheel.” She continues: “They turn her round and round as she cries and screams. Her long salt-and-pepper braids swish back and forth across her shoulders as her shawl drags on the ground beside her” before a Brownshirt attacks further. “There is a single crack, like the sound of a breaking rock, and then a red stripe opens across the old woman’s back, splitting her dress diagonally, splitting the air with her screams.” Wake had to fight to get the article published, but when it finally appeared in the New York Evening Journal — her stories often were published in American newspapers — it wasn’t bylined. Failure to credit women journalists wasn’t an oversight but

instead a purposeful and unfortunate reality for women of the time — a reality the harddrinking, foulmouthed Wake character in the book characterizes as “bullshit.” The fictional Wake’s response is no doubt true to life. Lawhon writes in her author’s note that the real Wake used profanity “Liberally. Unapologetically. And with flair. It was one of her greatest weapons in gaining dominance and respect with the Maquisards of the French Resistance. If she was to lead those men, she could not appear weak, delicate, or easily offended.” The author’s note also painstakingly details the areas in the novel where any creative license breaks from Wake’s own accounts, those of her biographers or established history. Most of these are benign, meant to avoid disrupting the narrative. Others include educated guesses about, for example, the shade of Wake’s lipstick — Victory Red, an Elizabeth Arden shade the U.S. military commissioned for female servicemembers — which she continued to wear like “armor” even during the prolonged deprivations of war. But, Lawhon writes, “some of the dialogue and many of the descriptions of people and events” are taken directly from Wake’s autobiography. And the most notable and important aspects of Wake’s life are mostly unembellished in Code Name Hélène, which is as much an epic love story as an engrossing narrative of an unlikely anti-Nazi combatant. Lawhon, a Nashville resident, has proven herself a master at her craft, and she does readers a great service with Code Name Hélène, which she penned after a friend suggested a few years ago that she write about Nancy Wake. Like many of us, the author had not heard of the Aussie legend before 2015. “In all my years researching and writing historical fiction, I have never come across such a bold, bawdy, brazen woman,” she writes. Wake died in 2011, only belatedly being awarded the decorations and distinctions she so justly deserved, including from France, the U.K. and the United States. Lawhon writes that when Wake was first recommended for commendation in Australia, the government refused because she had not fought for the Australian Army. When it backpedaled years later, Wake was famously quoted as saying, “I told the government they could stick their medals where the monkey stuck his nuts.” To read an extended version of this review — and more local book coverage — please visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee. Email arts@nashvillEscEnE.com

NASHVILLE SCENE | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

MUSIC

TRISTEN (LEFT) AND VANESSA CARLTON

A LABOR OF LOVE

Vanessa Carlton and writing partner Tristen dig into new emotional territory on Love Is an Art BY BRITTNEY McKENNA

ven with all the rapid growth Nashville has experienced, it really still is a small town, especially for musicians. Singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton knows the phenomenon firsthand. A LOVE IS AN ART OUT New Yorker at the MARCH 27 VIA DINE time, Carlton was ALONE enamored with the agile lyricism and timeless sound of Charlatans at the Garden Gate, the 2011 LP from longtime Music City favorite Tristen. A few years later, Carlton and her husband, Deer Tick bandleader John McCauley, settled in East Nashville. By a twist of fate, the couple chose a spot that proved to be advantageous. “When we moved to this house, guess who lived right behind me, across the creek?” Carlton says, speaking with the Scene at her home. “Tristen.” “I used to walk through someone’s yard and come down here,” says Tristen with a laugh from a seat nearby. The pair became good friends, and toured extensively together behind Carlton’s 2015 album Liberman. They reunited

to collaborate on Carlton’s new album Love Is an Art, out Friday on Canadian indie label Dine Alone. Carlton had never cowritten before, but felt that her friendship with Tristen and their shared outlook on the world would make their partnership a fruitful one. “We quickly found out that we speak a very similar emotional language,” Carlton says. “We can sit and philosophize on human behavior and what motivates people, what destroys people, what makes people grow. … When we go out to a bar and sit and start chatting, that’s really when we get there. That’s a really good place to start a new song.” “We have a real friendship, where we enjoy one another,” adds Tristen. “I think we both have the same sense of humor where we think: The more vulnerable and ridiculous the thing is you say about yourself, the funnier.” The pair began working on Love Is an Art in 2018, meeting up to write three days a week in three-hour blocks. They scheduled their sessions to coincide with nap time for Carlton’s young daughter. “You were so quick,” Tristen recalls, looking over at Carlton. “I was used to having a co-write and being there the whole day. But now that I have a kid, I write during nap time, too.” The two settled into a rhythm of writing, recording demos and revising. Tristen found the exchange unique and refreshing. “I’d never done this back-and-forth with a partner,” she says. “It was so cool, because when you work with great artists, they become kind of mirrors. So you are

really forced to expose more of yourself and bring a lot more to the table than you maybe would have asked of yourself if you were working by yourself.” While they worked together, the two shared a sense of vulnerability. A prime example of the benefits of that: album closer “Miner’s Canary.” Driven by swelling strings and Carlton’s rolling piano arpeggios, the track tells of life within the confines of an emotionally abusive relationship. The narrative draws heavily from a romance Carlton had earlier in her life. “I didn’t even know the term ‘gaslighting’ until a couple of years ago,” Carlton says. “And I was like, ‘Shit! That happened to me!’ I was so young and was in this very

dysfunctional, abusive relationship. I just thought it didn’t work out, and it was the wrong person, and I tried my best. But then I realized, ‘Oh, shit — that was really bad.’ I told Tristen the story, and had started [the song] on the piano. “It was the first and last song I’ll ever write about that experience and that relationship,” Carlton continues. “I don’t think I would have been able to go all the way there to expose that place and expose that experience if I hadn’t been working with another woman like Tristen.” Motherhood was another shared experience that contributed greatly to Love Is an Art. Both artists experienced miscarriages, and both shared how that loss has shaped their current relationships to motherhood. Carlton and McCauley’s daughter Sidney is 5 years old, while Tristen and husband Buddy Hughen welcomed their son Julian in 2019. The “love” in the album title includes romantic love, to be sure, but also transcends it. Carlton and Tristen also channeled their approaches to modeling love for their children while writing the album. “After having a child, I’ve realized that all they do is watch you, and watch how you behave,” Carlton says. “So the biggest impact you have is modeling behavior. How do I want her to watch me love? This is going to set her up for the rest of her life.” “I feel like I’m way more efficient as a mother,” Tristen says. “I get the same amount done in a much shorter time, and any relationships — with people, and also the internet — anything that is not necessary is completely dissolved and doesn’t matter anymore.” Another crucial figure in the creation of Love Is an Art is producer Dave Fridmann, known for his work with acts like MGMT and The Flaming Lips. This pairing is an obvious sonic departure for Carlton, whose previous work has tended more toward a piano-driven singer-songwriter aesthetic than the Technicolor psychedelia of works on Fridmann’s résumé. She was looking for someone who could push her sound in a different direction, though, so who better to ask? “I sent unsolicited GarageBand demos to [Fridmann’s] email, and I guess he loved that, thank God,” says Carlton. “I thought this [project] may be intriguing to him as well, because I’m not his typical artist. … It was different for him, and such a great experience. He’s very Buddhistic in his approach in the studio, but at the same time he’s a wild thinker. So he has this professorial approach, but at the same time he’s going to do something that nobody else thought of. “Tristen and Dave, to me, are in the same category,” Carlton continues, “where they’re really going to force you to look deep down into spots in yourself, in terms of your process as well, that you’ve maybe never looked at before.” EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

nashvillescene.com | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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music

A Different Light Lilly Hiatt’s Walking Proof is perfect for the time we’re living in

By Marissa R. Moss

photo: David McClister

illy Hiatt is pacing outside her Trinity Lane apartment, the birds in the trees around her chirping loudly enough that I can hear them on the other end of our phone call. It’s a lovely backdrop for a conversation, though we were supposed to have met in person. First, our plan to have coffee at Sip Café was derailed by the tornado that tore across Middle Tennessee on March 3. Two days before our rescheduled date, social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19 became the norm, altering life as we know it for the foreseeable future. So here we are, talking on the phone, despite living barely a mile apart. “I’m the most planted I have ever been,” says Hiatt, an outstanding songwriter who leads one of the best rock bands around. She’s been on the road so much that this break is almost tolerable. All the same, there’s a looming uncertainty about the whole world to contend with, as well as her fears about how the turmoil might impact the musical communities everywhere — not to mention the release of her fourth album, Walking Proof, out Friday via New West. “Something that is comforting is that, ‘Hey, this business is still stressful, despite it all,’ ” she says, chuckling. “But I’m a go-with-theflow kind of person. When something like this happens, I just take it as a sign.” It’s a good thing Hiatt isn’t rattled by the unexpected. The plan for rolling out Walking Proof has had to change — a lot. A show at Grimey’s was canceled after the record store ceased all events during the pandemic. This was after the tornado severely damaged The Basement East, where her release party was originally scheduled. Instead of setting out on tour, she’s pondering digital marketing plans and listening to a lot of Sam Doores and Soccer Mommy at home. Walking Proof closes with “Scream,” which ends with a dramatic crescendo building around Hiatt as she howls, “Not gonna do it for him / Not gonna do it for her / I ain’t slowing down for nobody.” Those lines about persistence have a new meaning in our current landscape. But it makes sense, in a way, that there’s a built-in pause in the proceedings. Hiatt toured relentlessly behind the deeply personal and frank Trinity Lane, which was produced by Michael Trent of Shovels & Rope. That album helped her earn a nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Association Honors and Awards in 2018. Walking Proof was written after Hiatt finally took some time off the road, reflecting on life before laying down the new songs with a new producer, former Cage the Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish. Walking Proof ended up being a collection of music about finding patterns and a feeling of safety in disorder. It’s about being confident in the framework you’ve established for yourself, and looking for consistency in a town — and a world — that

Walking Proof out March 27 via New West Records changes faster than you can say “tall-andskinny.” It’s about eating candy for lunch if you want to, because your rules matter, too. In other words, it’s an album that’s perfect for our world right now. Like Trinity Lane, Walking Proof is written in candid, potent detail. Conversational and confessional, poetic yet to-the-point, it comes across like passages from Jack Kerouac over electric guitar. But where Hiatt’s last album tackled extremely personal subjects like addiction and profound loss, Walking Proof expands her focus. “Trinity Lane was very autobiographical,” she says. “I don’t want to make that album again. Of course, I will write a million more heartbreak songs, but I wanted to let other people in on the cast. There are a lot of friends here. It’s a record for everyone.” Those friends include Amanda Shires, New West labelmate Aaron Lee Tasjan, pedal-steel player Luke Schneider and Hiatt’s father John Hiatt. The elder Hiatt joined his daughter on one of her songs for the first time with “Some Kind of Drug,” one of the album’s standouts. It was inspired by a time Hiatt volunteered with her sister to help Nashville’s homeless population, with

the skyline of our booming, rapidly gentrifying city in the background. “[My sister] has this job where she, on cold nights, canvassed on the streets and helped people,” Hiatt says. “That experience with her, going under the bridges and giving people blankets and propane — after coming home from tour and seeing condos everywhere while people are living in destitution — was very vivid and eye-opening.” On one of her outings, Hiatt met a homeless man named Cory, who eventually made it into the lyrics of “Some Kind of Drug.” He was maybe 32, or 33, she thought, but he didn’t actually know his own age. “That blew my mind,” she says. “I know my age, I have the privilege of that, of having a birth certificate. It just really put things into perspective.” Those kinds of experiences built the foundation of Walking Proof. They take on a different kind of significance in a city where people are trying to get back on their feet, dodging developers who see dollar signs in devastation, at the same time as the national economy is grinding to a halt amid efforts to slow the spread of a viral pandemic. On the new LP, Hiatt also brings a re-

newed approach to how she blends her country roots with her love of electric guitars. “Walking Proof” plays like a rock ’n’ roll version of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” thanks in part to Shires’ fiddle, and everything strikes a pitch-perfect balance on the tightrope between genres. “It’s all rock ’n’ roll to me,” Hiatt says, those background birds getting louder. “I’m a Tennessee girl. I made the record with Lincoln, and his background is rock ’n’ roll. But there is a cardboard cutout of Alan Jackson in his studio. I grew up singing ‘Chattahoochee,’ and both Faith Hill and Belly songs. I’ve always been a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n’ roll. These are all my words and feelings, but I’m getting more comfortable with the folk elements.” Those words and feelings make for a record that, in a time when it feels like everything’s up in the air, provides a way to organize the chaos. That suits Hiatt to a T. “I hope this album is simply a shoulder to lean on — a ray of sun in the darkness that will dissipate eventually. I hope that it brings some sort of solace to anyone who is listening.” Email music@nashvillescene.com

Nashville Scene | march 26 – april 1, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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muSic

The Spin

GenTly Down The STream By P.J. Kinzer, Lorie LieBig and StePhen trageSer

aced with canceled tours, postponed festivals and shuttered venues as we attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, musicians in Nashville and across the U.S. have turned to livestreams. Until we’ve dealt with the pandemic, this is going to be our live music scene, and we’ll report on it here in our livereview column The Spin. Though neither the experience nor the broader economic impact of a stream is the same as going out to a club, streaming is a way for musicians to show off what they do best. In the case of U.K.-born folk-sci-fipsych-rocker Robyn Hitchcock and Australiaborn songsmith Emma Swift, who streamed an acoustic set from their home in East Nashville on March 18, that includes singing songs that reflect the strangeness of the truth. Between tunes, the couple also shared some charming insight into how they’re coping with being cooped up together at home — even renowned musicians need a little help, which they got from stuffed-animal friends and a pair of cats who don’t seem thrilled by their people’s singing. The 11-song set was heavy on requests and included a pair of choice covers (Neil Young’s “Motion Pictures” and a couple verses of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman”), though the majority of songs were Hitchcock’s. There were longtime fan favorites like “Madonna of the Wasps” as well as beautiful renditions of deeper cuts like “Television,” a gently surreal love song dedicated to the small screen. It was comforting to feel some solidarity with others who also don’t feel particularly great about any of what’s going on right now, but who seem determined to get through it. A good number of people seem to have felt the same way. According to Swift and Hitchcock, gross donations tallied after the show

were $7,000, to be divided among two community funds (for temporarily closed Five Points bars The 5 Spot and Duke’s) and three currently unemployed service workers. Many musicians are streaming to collect funds to replace lost income. Others like Swift and Hitchcock, who are in a better place financially, are doing what they can to look out for fellow community members. All are trying to keep their creative juices flowing. Sweet Lizzy Project — a rock band that combines Latin rhythms and a Wall-era Floydian sensibility, whose members moved here from Havana, Cuba — had to cancel the first leg of their tour behind their new album Technicolor. The group launched a daily series of livestreams from their living room dubbed Sweet Quarantine Sessions, the fourth of which streamed on March 19. The loose format of the stream offered an inside look at Sweet Lizzy Project’s rehearsal process. Frontwoman and band namesake Lisset Díaz explained that the streams are a whole new creative outlet. “Remember,” she said with a grin, “we have no idea what we are doing.” Their engineer, visible at stage left, served as an emcee, while those watching would type messages of encouragement and song requests in Spanish or English into the sidebar. It was an informal combination of an AOL chatroom and a night of hanging out at your buddies’ practice space while they jam. Luck Reunion, a one-day fest-within-afest held each year around SXSW at Willie Nelson’s ranch (called Luck, Texas) in Spicewood, Texas, feels more like a family gathering than a festival. When this year’s fest was abruptly canceled as part of efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, Willie and family opted to bring the party online. A nearly six-hour livestream on March 20, titled ‘Til Further Notice, featured an array of artists playing from wherever they were self-quarantining. Hosted by Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson, the stream had a laid-back and hopeful vibe. There were plenty of quirky interludes, like Nikki Lane’s DIY “stoner advent calendar” tutorial. Similarly, there was a rendition of The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have to Do Is Dream” by Paul Simon with

wife Edie Brickell, their daughter Lulu and … Woody Harrelson? You bet. Well-known and well-loved artists like

Lucinda Williams and Jewel played in slots around rising talents, including Nashville’s own Devon Gillfillian and Katie Pruitt. Surprise appearances were the theme of the night, including Australian philosophical rocker Courtney Barnett’s acoustic collaboration with Lucius and Canadian crooner Orville Peck’s cover of Nelson’s “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other.” Although the heaviness of current events cast something of a shadow on the evening, it also highlighted what’s really important in times of crisis. Family played a huge role in the night’s festivities. Philly songsmith Kurt Vile’s young daughter sat alongside him, clad in a matching flannel shirt. A baby monitor sat close by on the piano during Margo Price and Jeremy Ivey’s heartfelt set. After rolling through her songs “1-800-Jesus” and “World’s Greatest Loser,” Price gave her best to Fiona Whelan Prine, manager and wife of revered singer-songwriter John Prine. Fiona Whelan Prine recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. And no Luck Reunion event would be complete without an appearance from Willie himself. After a surprise video performance from longtime friend Neil Young, Nelson appeared alongside his sons Micah and Lukas in a pre-recorded jam session that rounded out the program. The trio ran through Willie’s classics “Whiskey River” and “On the Road Again,” along with Lukas’ “Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)” and “Just Outside of Austin.” The stream was also an opportunity to give back. Funds were collected via a digital “tip boot” and Venmo throughout the show, to be divided among performers. They had the option to keep the money for expenses, donate it to someone else in need or donate to a charity, and Benson announced that more than $170,000 had been collected. You can’t exactly duplicate the camaraderie of the Luck Reunion, or any other show. But by and large, the streams brought as much of it as you can digitize into viewers’ living rooms — a priceless commodity in a chaotic time. EMaIL tHESPIN@NaSHVILLESCENE.COM

Good Stuff, $10 or less

The Full NelsoN: Willie, Micah aNd lukas NelsoN

nashvillescene.com/cheap-eats/

nashvillescene.com | MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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film

Indoor Cinema Club

From horror to period pieces and more, here’s a slew of new films available on demand By Jason Shawhan

iven the massive societal, cultural and philosophical upheaval we’ve been pinballing around in over the past few weeks, it stands to reason that the dynamics of what we do for fun have shifted — a lot. First and foremost is staying alive. Once that is addressed, then comes the question of keeping the mind engaged and stimulated. Understand that I am completely aware of the horrifying inequality that has deepened the lines of stratification in our society — some people don’t have homes at all (which is staggering considering the amount of housing sitting empty throughout the city), and countless people are put in an economic position of having to struggle to stay alive. It’s a giant fucked-up casserole of inequality and privilege, and I address this because it’s irresponsible of me not to. But if you are (hopefully, ideally) in a space where you are isolated (by yourself, with your spouse/significant other/polycule, or with your family), and you need to just grab a little joy for a few hours here and there, you’ve got film options. I’m going to focus on video-on-demand titles at the moment, though we’ll be getting into all the streaming services over the time we spend hunkered down. The big news out of the scared-shitless movie industry is that Universal Pictures decided to put several of its current theatrical titles onto VOD services March 20. So if you missed The Invisible Man, The Hunt or Emma, you can shell out $20 and view them in the comfort of your own home. You’ve also got Little Women, VHYes and the singular experience of Cats (which has already gone from first-run fiasco to midnight movie resurrection before it even hit home video) as options as well, as far as recent big-ticket titles go. Two of the biggest titles from last year’s Nashville Film festival — Swallow and Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street — are also out there as well, waiting in your cable box or preferred VOD service. So you can always make your Jellicle choice and catch up with any of those. But there are several titles that never got any sort of theatrical play (some not locally, some not at all), so let’s just start with this quartet. If you’re willing to drop a few dollars (and every dollar matters, given that the industry of cinema itself is just completely screwed across the board right now), you can experience these:

Doctor Sleep: Director’s Cut Tragically slept-on during its post-Halloween 2019 theatrical run, Mike Flanagan’s sequel to The Shining surfaced on homevideo platforms with a three-hour director’s cut, one that is essential for anyone

doctor sleep: director’s cut who dug the first version or who digs epic horror. The longer running time allows for a more measured pace, and several narrative elisions from the theatrical version are restored, making the end result a more satisfying take on a film that was already pretty good. It also does that thing like Dreamcatcher, where it commits full-tilt to the Stephen Kingisms that define his work but don’t always fly cinematically. You will want to try on your witchiest hat after this.

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion A South Korean sci-fi/action/horror/gore epic that delivers all the cathartic mayhem you could want. If you’ve burned through Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This, then this is a good follow-up for you. It’s got spectacular gore, a totally charming best-friend character (Go Min-si’s Myung-hee is just precious) and a major set piece at a nationwide talent show. Director Park Hoon-jung and lead actress Kim Da-mi lay the groundwork for something imaginative, violent, and stuffed to the gills with palpable crunch.

(I am psyched for Horror of the Blood Monsters like you wouldn’t believe.)

Verotika Glenn Danzig’s now-infamous directorial debut is every bit as jaw-dropping as you might imagine. Verotika is a trio of “edgy” horror tales packed with as many breasts and plot points of sexual concern as it is nonconsensual face surgery, sacrificial virgins (Elizabeth Báthory archetype? Check!) and endless shots of plastic bodies dripping with blood. Is it good? Oh God no. Does it have more confusing nudity than any other English-language movie you’ll see this year? Sure does. Did you ever wonder if a manspider has more human or arachnid sexual imperatives? Maybe you did; Verotika sure does. But is it the kind of bonding experience that a shared viewing with friends across the internet could transform into something magical? Maybe. If Cats can emerge as a tool for bringing folks together, then it’s worth a try. Warning: Do not play drinking games with the porny French accents, because it will kill you.

Bacurau And then there’s Bacurau. A surprise hit at October’s Nashville Film Festival and one of my favorites at the New York Film Festival, Bacurau is now available to the public via the new Kino Marquee program from distributors Kino Lorber and several domestic independent theaters (including the Belcourt). It’s a way to stream the film while supporting the filmmakers and your local indie theaters (Knoxville folk, Central Cinema is taking part as well), and there is no movie more relevant right now. When it first hit festivals, Bacurau was a lightning bolt right into the middle of the anxiety over Brazil’s Bolsonaro regime, and with the burning of the Amazon rainforest and ensuing COVID-19 horrors, it hasn’t lost a bit of its visceral immediacy. Equal parts Sergio Leone, Alyce Wittenstein and John Carpenter, Bacurau is the story of a matriarchal village versus consumptive globalism, and it is a sexy, violent, righteously furious shout from the heart. If you need some catharsis, you will get heaps of it. Email arts@nashvillescene.com

Blood and Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson One of the true mavericks of ’60s and ’70s American indie cinema, Al Adamson was a cheapskate visionary who made 32 films across all genres, always chasing what the crowds wanted. And sadly, he got his most mainstream fame due to the horrifying circumstances of his death. If you wanted a true crime-aesthetic take on that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood vibe, this is the one for you. The lovable freaks at Severin Films are distributing this, along with restorations of 31 of Adamson’s films.

bacurau

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