Nashville Scene 4-2-20 by FW Publishing

APRIL 2–8, 2020 I VOLUME 39 I NUMBER 9 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

FUNNY BUSINESS: NASHVILLE’S STAND-UP SCENE HAS COME INTO ITS OWN PAGE 12

FOOD & DRINK: HOW TENNESSEE ACTION FOR HOSPITALITY WAS BORN PAGE 21

SEE OUR COVERAGE OF THE LOCAL EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PICTURED: AN EMPTY LOWER BROADWAY ON MARCH 28

cover_4-2-20.indd 1

3/30/20 7:21 PM

GERMANTOWN

Elliott School 6TH AVE N AND JEFFERSON ST 27 condominium residences under construction inside the historic Elliott School building. This one-of-a-kind Germantown property features studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and multi-level penthouse residences. Designed by Manuel Zeitlin Architects, the residences combine historic preservation and modern design with urban living. $274,000 - $799,000 Studio - 2 Bedrooms Penthouses From $1.35M

RUTLEDGE HILL

CityLights

Ashland Place

The Chelsea

R UTLE DGE ST & LEA AVE

AS H L AN D C ITY H W Y & D RAKES BRAN C H R D

1 2 T H AV E S & W GR O V E AV E

71-luxury urban condos. Panoramic views, modern amenities & stylish interiors. Located on Rutledge Hill, CityLights overlooks SoBro & downtown – the hub of Nashville’s urban core.

A convenient gem in Northwest Nashville, Ashland Place offers new construction townhomes 10-15 minutes to Downtown, Germantown, the Nations and the Charlotte retail corridor. Get in today to select your finishes.

Located in one of Nashville’s hottest urban communities and just 12 blocks from downtown. Choice of 18 floorplans in studio, 1 & 2 bedroom designs. Fifth-floor sky lounge, ground level outdoor patio with gas grills & firepit, fitness facility, music studio/multipurpose room, & bike storage.

From $759,900

From $265,000

From $230,000

Pictured above: Mark Deutschmann, Newell Anderson, Danielle Helling, Crystal Atkinson, Caroline Dean, Callie Hughes, Deborah Vahle, Anna Dorris, Devin Mueller

12 SOUTH

NORTHWEST NASHVILLE

HELPING YOU F I N D VA L U E IN NASHVILLE R E A L E S TAT E

2206 21st Avenue South Nashville, Tennessee 37212 615.383.6964 o f f i c e | 615.369.6151 v o i c e m a i l

TheCityLivingGroup.com

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

Contents

A Letter From Our Editor-in-Chief..............5

Crawl Space: April 2020

City Limits

art

On the decision to institute the Scene’s new membership campaign

April’s First Saturday events are canceled, but Nashville’s art scene crawls forward

By D. Patrick roDgers

By Joe nolan

Virtual Reality ............................................5 Candidates on the ballot in 2020 are adapting to a new type of campaign By stePhen elliott

Families Fear an Outbreak Inside Tennessee’s Prisons ...................................6 For people with incarcerated loved ones, the pandemic has only increased an ever-present sense of anxiety, uncertainty and isolation By steven hale

Pith in the Wind .........................................6 This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

Front Lines ..................................................8 A Nashville nurse recovering from COVID-19 prepares to return to work

NEW YORK TIMES CrossWord

marketpLaCe

Governor Orders More Businesses to Close

CuLture

Mother Lode Author Mary Laura Philpott has ‘Big Mom Energy to spare’

Unconventional Ways to Safely Do Some Grocery Shopping

By erica ciccarone

The Porch Writers’ Collective Expands Online Course Offerings

Books

Paths of Resistance

By stePhen elliott

Scenes From Nashville ..............................9

By kim green anD chaPter 16

Shots from around the city during the COVID-19 pandemic

this week on the web: Nashville Venues Closed in Response to COVID-19 Launch Crowdfunding Efforts [Updated]

Multimedia artist Jessica Ingram explores the South’s racist history in Road Through Midnight

apriL 2, 2020

on the Cover:

Downtown on Saturday, March 28 Photo by Eric England

musiC

Featured Coverage: Comedy

Funny Business ....................................... 12

Inner Circle .............................................. 26 Lou Turner explores her own kind of spirituality on Songs for John Venn

Nashville’s stand-up scene has come into its own. How did it get here, and what happens next?

By Jacqueline Zeisloft

By charlie Zaillian

Chaz Cardigan faces what’s uncomfortable head-on

The Dusty Trail ......................................... 16

Get Awkward ........................................... 27

Talking local stand-up with Nashville’s don of deadpan, Dusty Slay

By Brittney mckenna

By charlie Zaillian

Nashville’s music instructors navigate a new landscape of web-based teaching

School’s Out Forever ............................... 27 By sean l. maloney

The Spin ................................................... 28

CritiCs’ piCks Watch Tiger King on Netflix, make your own granola, listen to Against the Rules, plant a spring garden, check out art by Devon Eloise on Instagram, stream Broadway plays and musicals via BroadwayHD, and more

The Scene’s live-review column checks out livestreams by Brandy Clark, Amanda Shires and more By kelsey Beyeler, P.J. kinZer, Brittney mckenna, lorie lieBig anD megan seling

29 FiLm

Food and drink

How Tennessee Action for Hospitality Was Born

... And Chill .............................................. 29 We’re back with more recommendations of films to stream while you’re social distancing

Nashville chefs band together to help each other, and the community

By Jason shawhan

By chris chamBerlain

Living Room Film Club brings that Belcourtlobby feeling home

Lobby Hobby ............................................ 30 By erica ciccarone

Come Fly Away With Me Music City Tours in a Classic Biplane

615-810-8510 book now at www.biplanesnbanshees.com please contact ifly@biplanesnbanshees.com for questions!

nashvillescene.com nashvillescene.com | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

contents_4-2-20.indd 3

3/30/20 6:57 PM

FROM BILL FREEMAN NASHVILLE STRONG: A WISE CITY AND NATION ALLOW SCIENCE TO LEAD THE WAY

Shop + Donate To Help Our Veterans 615-248-2447 1125 12th Ave. S.

Louis Pasteur, the scientist generally credited with proving that germs cause illness and disease, once said: “Science is the highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and intelligence.” As we continue to endure the health, psychosocial and economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, we should recognize the undeniable benefits of modern science. Our country’s leaders haven’t provided reassurance or any sense of calm amid the storm. It has been our scientists who have done that. White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci’s scientific expertise and plainspoken directions have given Americans a great measure of reassurance — even when what he is saying is ominous, and very different from President Donald Trump’s unreasonably rosy predictions. In grim times like these, unvarnished truth is more reassuring than euphemistically positive comments. Almost 20 years ago, Dr. Fauci talked to National Public Radio’s This I Believe radio show about how helping others was his strongest motivator. “I believe I have a personal responsibility to make a positive impact on society,” he said. “I’ve tried to accomplish this goal by choosing a life of public service.” We have a similar commitment to helping others in Nashville, thanks to professionals like Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, the president and CEO of Meharry Medical College. Many local leaders and experts have demonstrated impressive efforts in helping us navigate this pandemic, but Dr. Hildreth’s comments on Metro’s daily news conferences have clearly explained the science behind the disease. He has done a good job of providing a sense of comfort due to his understanding of the science behind the decisions — the “why” behind the “because.” We are also lucky to have Dr. Alex Jahangir directing Metro’s Coronavirus Response Taskforce. He has done a remarkable job emphasizing the critical importance of following social distancing protocols. Describing how everyone, particularly young adults, impact those around them, he reiterated the importance of sheltering in place, even if your own personal chance of being harmed by the disease seems minimal. “This is no joke,” he said. “Don’t fool yourself. You can be a vector, and you can kill a loved one.” These three medical scientists stand in contrast to President Trump and also former Sen. Bob Corker, who told The Tennessean that sacrificing our elderly population’s health was a price he was willing to pay for a stable economy. In what sounds like a case of behind-the-scenes influence, Corker’s private opinion may have even made its way to the White House — Tennessee’s former senator is now publicly “backing Trump’s dangerous fantasy about resuming the normal economy,” according to the Nashville Scene. What makes statements like Corker’s

so heartless is the fact that they appear to consider the lives of our elderly as a negotiable commodity. They also appear ignorant, as the elderly among us are not the only ones at risk. We don’t know the virus’ long-term effects on people of any age. As Dr. Hildreth said in a recent news conference: “We’ve developed an amazing capacity to respond and defend ourselves from all kinds of organisms. Time after time, humans have been infected by viruses and bacteria. Some of us die from that, but as a result of those challenges, our immune system gets stronger and smarter. Unfortunately, until last December, none of the 7 billion of us had ever experienced COVID-19 virus, and that is why it is racing through our communities.” We simply don’t have enough information yet to determine with certainty the long-term impact of this disease, and we cannot say definitively the groups of people who might be the most affected. Another reason Corker and Trump are so out of touch is the fact that resuming “business as usual” will not simply reverse the damage already done to our economy. Opening up tomorrow wouldn’t replace the jobs and income already lost. Worse, it would render worthless the sacrifices already made. The only consolation to those whose jobs are lost and whose livelihood is now in jeopardy is the fact that we are sacrificing to protect our loved ones and ourselves. If we resume our normal lives too prematurely, all of this effort will have been wasted. We owe it to the people who’ve lost their jobs, financial security and their businesses to continue sheltering in place for as long as our scientific experts recommend. More importantly, we owe it to the people who’ve lost their lives. We owe it to the people who are still risking their lives and their families’ lives to care for patients and to provide for the rest of us as we dutifully shelter in place. First responders, firefighters, law enforcement officers, grocery store employees, long-haul truck drivers — not to mention our remarkable health care professionals at every level — they’re the ones truly sacrificing. The least we can do is make their sacrifices count. Though the quote is often attributed to the aforementioned Pasteur, it was Hungarian journalist and statesman Lajos Kossuth who once said, “It is surmounting difficulties that makes heroes.”

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 | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

letter_4-2-20.indd 4

3/30/20 7:18 PM

city limits

A Letter From Our Editor-in-Chief On the decision to institute the Scene’s new membership campaign By D. Patrick Rodgers

’ve always been proud of the fact that the Nashville Scene is a free publication. It’s been that way for the 12 years that I’ve been a staffer here, and for two decades before that. Thanks to revenue we generate through both ad sales and events, we have been able to bring news, analysis, criticism and arts coverage to the greater Nashville area in print — and for much of our existence, online — at no cost to the reader. But in the wake of COVID-19’s arrival in the United States, and due to the necessary and responsible institution of social distancing practices like Metro Nashville’s “Safer at Home” directive, we’ve seen an immediate and significant drop in revenue. Most of our ads center on events and gatherings — concerts, restaurants, clubs, various services — and obviously, a great deal of those vanished overnight. It’s been a tough time for alternativeweekly newspapers like ours across the country. In mid-March, essential publications the Portland Mercury and Seattle’s The Stranger were forced to go online only and temporarily lay off much of their staffs. Long-running papers like the Riverfront Times in St. Louis and DigBoston took simi-

Virtual Reality

Candidates on the ballot in 2020 are adapting to a new type of campaign By Stephen Elliott

anny Sethi’s road to the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s open U.S. Senate seat has taken a turn in recent weeks. Sethi, a Vanderbilt surgeon and first-time candidate, had sought to outwork his main rival, Bill Hagerty, who has the advantage of endorsements from both President Donald Trump and national Republican leaders like Sen. Mitch McConnell. Sethi would go to more county fairs, shake more hands and beat Hagerty, an investor and former fundraiser for Mitt Romney and Trump. But now those events are canceled due to the fallout from COVID-19, and Sethi is spending almost all of his time either working at the hospital or, like many of us, at home. “I really miss it,” Sethi says of the person-to-person nature of campaigning. “What we’re trying to do is recreate that feeling through these virtual town halls.” Now, instead of fielding questions about abortion or the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Sethi says his campaign (and himself personally) is being contacted by Tennesseans who have questions about symptoms, social distancing and COVID-19

lar steps not long after. Thankfully, we at the Scene have not had to follow suit, and we intend to keep bringing you the same news and arts coverage, both in print and online, for the foreseeable future. As a matter of fact, I’m proud to say that my staff is working harder than ever to keep Nashville updated with news about how COVID-19 is affecting our city. Our reporters are covering the effects of the virus on our government, our community and our economy. Our food writers are working hard to keep us updated on how the restaurant scene is being affected, and how Nashvillians can still support their favorite establishments. Our critics and other contributors are filling the paper and the website with recommendations of what to do while we all practice responsible social distancing — films and TV to watch, musicians’ livestreams to tune into, artists to check out, causes to support. That being said, the Scene is hurting. Management at the Scene and our sister publications, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and the Williamson Home Page, have taken pay cuts and furloughs in hopes of preventing more significant cuts in the future. The simple fact is this: None of us knows how the coming weeks and months are going to

treatment. Sethi says that’s because he is the only doctor some of his supporters know. “Yes, I am a Senate candidate, but I view this now more as in my role in the public health world and to calm people’s fears and to talk to them as I would my own patients,” he says. “People are really scared, man. They’re really worried.” Sethi isn’t the only political candidate whose scientific training has come in handy in recent weeks. Gabby Salinas, a Democrat running for state House from Shelby County, works in drug research for infectious diseases — specifically malaria — and has worked extensively on a drug touted by Trump as a treatment for COVID-19. Salinas says her campaign “took everything very seriously early on,” shutting down canvasses and in-person meetings weeks ago. Like Sethi and other candidates around the state, she’s shifted to a wholly virtual campaign, using phone-banking, Facebook Live and other online offerings. Some of it is apolitical, including a recent session with a yoga instructor on the campaign page and other planned constituent services. But the situation also plays into a main theme of Salinas’ campaign, pre-virus: health care. “When you have a crumbling health care system in your state, and you add all of this on top of it, it brings those weaknesses to light,” she says. Kiran Sreepada, a Democrat seeking to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green, is not a medical professional. But his wife, Vineesha Arelli, is a pulmonary and critical care doctor, one of the specialities on the front lines of coronavirus response. So like Salinas and others, Sreepada is in part turning

unfold, but the Nashville Scene intends to be here for our community throughout all of it. We have long considered the possibility of instituting a membership-and-support initiative, much as weeklies like the indefatigable Austin Chronicle and the storied Chicago Reader have done in recent years. (The latter of those, I should note, has since moved to a nonprofit model.) Because of our difficult times and the aforementioned extenuating circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to fasttrack and institute just such a membership program last week. Our friends at the aforementioned Austin Chronicle were kind enough to lend us their membership slogan, “No News Is Bad News.” Under that banner we are offering readers the opportunity to become members at two separate levels (each with perks for joining our team), or to make a one-time-only contribution. All of the pertinent information is available at support. nashvillescene.com, and I ask you, humbly:

kiran sreepada

his campaign apparatus into constituent service, with an online Q&A with his wife planned. He’s also planning town halls with regional or issue themes. “We’re doing the best we can,” Sreepada says. “If we find something that works, we’d be happy to share it with anybody else.” While Sethi and Sreepada are running their first political campaigns, former Kingsport Mayor John

If independent local media matters to you, if you’ve ever read anything in our pages or on our site that you’ve been informed or entertained by, please consider visiting that link and supporting us. As a native Middle Tennessean, I cannot begin to tell you how proud Nashville has made me over the past month — from the recovery efforts in the wake of the March 3 tornadoes to our local medical professionals’ response to COVID-19. It is the privilege of a lifetime to serve as the Nashville Scene’s editor-in-chief, and to guide its coverage of our city and its citizens through this time. I am blessed with an exceptionally gifted and hard-working staff, and I know I can speak for them all when I say that I am grateful for your readership, and for any consideration you can give to supporting our cause. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your support.

D. Patrick Rodgers Editor-in-Chief, Nashville Scene

Clark is an experienced candidate. Now he’s seeking the Republican nomination for an open U.S. House seat in East Tennessee, but it’s in an electoral environment unlike any he’s ever seen. Before coronavirus arrived in Tennessee, Clark was already adjusting to a new type of election. While his past campaigns were focused on Kingsport, he is now running in a district that includes communities across 12 counties. “This is not your typical campaign,” Clark says. “People like to know who their candidates are, and part of that means shaking hands, eye to eye. All of that is not possible. We are challenging ourselves to be creative with our ideas.” Like the other candidates, he is turning to telephone town halls and online videos. Unlike some of the other candidates, he says voters still want to talk about political issues unrelated to the disease, as a sort of break from the news. Matthew Park, a Knoxville Democrat seeking to unseat incumbent Democratic state Rep. Rick Staples, adapted his campaign to quarantine conditions more quickly than some. He estimates that he is interacting with even more voters now than when he was attending public events. Voters can sign up for 15-minute Zoom meetings with the candidate, and he is hosting virtual rallies weekly, including artists and other political candidates. It was less of an adjustment for Park, who works from home in cloud computing. “All of the sudden we’re in the campaign that I was built to run,” says Park. Email editor@nashvillescene.com

nashvillescene.com | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

citylimits_4-2-20.indd 5

3/30/20 6:34 PM

CITY LIMITS

FAMILIES FEAR AN OUTBREAK INSIDE TENNESSEE’S PRISONS For people with incarcerated loved ones, the pandemic has only increased an ever-present sense of anxiety, uncertainty and isolation

BY STEVEN HALE he news that tens of thousands of incarcerated Tennesseans and their loved ones had been bracing for arrived on March 29. CoreCivic, the for-profit prison operator, announced that a staffer at South Central Correctional Center in Clifton, Tenn., had tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was receiving treatment at a hospital, a company spokesperson said, and 35 inmates who might have had contact with the employee had been placed in quarantine. It was inevitable that the pandemic would breach the walls of Tennessee’s prisons. Few, if any, corners of society have been spared. But public health experts, criminal justice officials and activists have been sounding the alarm for weeks that an outbreak could be especially devastating. Infectious diseases do not respect the security protocols of correctional facilities — in fact, they often thrive because of them. Tennessee’s incarcerated population — more than 30,000 people — lives in close quarters with little ability to follow social distancing guidelines. They must buy soap from a commissary, and they are not allowed to have the alcohol-based hand sanitizer recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for killing the COVID-19 virus. Officers and staff come and go, adding the possibility that the illness is being brought into the prison and carried back out into the community again. Those risks have prompted calls for mass clemency. Earlier this month, dozens of criminal justice and prison advocacy organizations filed a petition asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to take broad action to reduce the population of the state’s prisons and jails. The filing called for the release of people jailed for misdemeanors and all prisoners older than 50. According to the state’s most recent data, more than 4,100 people belong to the latter demographic. Data shows that older prisoners are more likely to die from COVID-19 and less likely to reoffend if they are released. The court has ordered local judges to work to reduce jail populations, but has not taken action with relation to the state’s prisons. Gov. Bill Lee has the power to unilaterally commute sentences and free vulnerable prisoners. As of press time, his office has not responded to a question about whether he’d consider doing so. For people with loved ones locked away in Tennessee prisons, the pandemic has only increased an ever-present sense of anxiety, uncertainty and isolation. Amy Thrasher’s longtime partner Chris is incarcerated at Turney Center Industrial Complex in Hickman County, about an hour west of Nashville. The two first got together

some 30 years ago, and between them they have seven children and nine grandchildren. They split up in 2008 over Chris’ addiction to pills, and in 2012 he was arrested in Overton County after selling oxycodone to a confidential informant within 1,000 feet of a school. The charge triggered Tennessee’s drug-free school-zone law, meaning Chris received a mandatory 17-year sentence with a chance at parole after 12. He’s been at Turney Center for eight years now. He and Amy reunited a couple years into his incarceration. For Amy, Chris’ health was a concern anyway. He is 56 years old with a stent in his heart that is overdue to be replaced. Now she sits in her home in Kentucky, three-anda-half hours away from the prison, watching daily briefings about the spread of a lethal illness and wondering when it will arrive at Chris’ prison, his unit, his cell. “Another concern I know for so many people right now is the lack of medical care in our prison system to begin with,” she says. “You know it is substandard on its best day. We know that they’re not going to send ventilators to a prison.” In-person visitation has been suspended to limit the number of people going in and out of prisons, but Amy and Chris have been able to speak on the phone. Their calls are short, though — the result of a collective act of kindness on the inside. “They’ve got only three of their phones open at Turney Center, so they’re talking for two or three minutes instead of 30 so everybody gets a chance to talk,” Amy says. To the east of Nashville is Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a prison operated by CoreCivic that has been plagued by reports of staffing and security issues since it opened in early 2016. A Tennessee woman named Susan spoke to the Scene about her concerns for a dear friend incarcerated there on the condition that her last name, and his name, not be used. For her, the pandemic has thickened the fog that surrounds prisons for the loved ones of people inside. “It’s terrifying for the fact that we really don’t know for sure ever what’s going on until we talk to someone or see our loved one in person,” she says. She too worries about the ease with which the virus could spread in the prison — her friend is housed in an open bay, where inmates sleep on bunk beds in close quarters — and cites what she characterizes as subpar medical care, even in normal conditions. “They can’t even handle a common cold, let alone a pandemic,” she says. CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin says the company has “a coronavirus medical action plan in place at each of our facilities.” The plan, he says, includes the following: • Having medical staff participate in

• •

•

the intake process to identify those who are deemed high-risk of being infected with or contracting COVID-19; Isolating those who are deemed highrisk as needed; and Working with local and state health departments to conduct appropriate testing. Tennessee Department of Correction officials also say they’re closely monitoring the situation.

“We are engaged in constant communication with local health authorities and other state DOCs to evaluate potential developments and operational changes,” department spokesperson Dorinda Carter says in a written statement. “In the event an inmate presents with flu-like symptoms the department will begin immediate isolation, provide medical care, enact contact precautions and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). We have a plan in place to address isolation protocols, if necessary.”

THIS WEEK ON OUR NEWS AND POLITICS BLOG: Nashville’s first mobile testing sites for COVID-19 opened Monday at Nissan Stadium and Meharry Medical College. A third opened Wednesday at the former Kmart parking lot at Murfreesboro Road and Edge O Lake Drive. Metro’s death toll from the disease rose to three with the deaths of two men, ages 67 and 69. Metro extended its COVID-19 protection procedures as well, closing playgrounds and dog parks at park facilities. … Monday, Gov. Bill Lee issued a statewide order shuttering nonessential businesses, following more than a week of pressure and criticism from doctors and other health professionals from across Tennessee. Still, Lee’s order, which went into effect just before midnight Wednesday, didn’t go as far as the doctors wanted. Instead of a mandated stay-at-home order, Lee issued a “strong urging” to Tennesseans to stay at home. He also, knowingly or not, paraphrased Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben Parker, saying, “With personal liberty comes personal responsibility.” … Former Sen. Bob Corker said he’d like things to return to normal before Easter, the arbitrary deadline initially advocated by President Donald Trump before he extended social distancing guidelines through the end of April. “Should my generation be willing to have a degree of sacrifice and risk so that younger generations can have a better life?” Corker, 67, said. “I think so.” The Scene’s Steven Hale urged Tennesseans to ignore Bob Corker, as both economists and public health experts have said things on both sides of the ledger will get worse with a premature return to normalcy. More importantly, Hale writes, such a move risks lives of not only those vulnerable to the infection but also to the rest of us who might, for example, face a bout of appendicitis and go to a hospital with no available beds. … Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and sheriffs all began wrestling with what to do at the state’s correctional facilities. Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall told the Scene the jail’s population is down by 120 to 130 people,

Jeannie Alexander is a longtime advocate for incarcerated people who leads the No Exceptions Prison Collective. “True public safety measures now require us to decarcerate the prison population to the fullest extent possible,” she says. “Before individuals in prison were prisoners, they were and remain family members,” says Alexander. “Our communities and our families need to be rejoined and made whole again to the greatest extent possible during this crisis. It was believed in the past that public safety required the caging of individuals, even long after they posed no risk. True public safety demands the release of those individuals. We can live in reality or die to protect an illusion.” On the phone from Kentucky, waiting for the day’s pandemic briefing and having just checked in with her partner Chris, Amy Thrasher puts it succinctly. “I know that there are a lot of people in there for a lot of bad things. But they are humans.” EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

“but it’s not where it needs to be.” The Tennessee Supreme Court ordered local judges to develop plans to reduce jail populations statewide. “Reduction in local jail populations is a critical component in controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Chief Justice Jeff Bivins wrote in the court’s order. “There are low-risk, non-violent offenders who can safely be released and supervised by other means to reduce local jail populations. Judges, law enforcement, and attorneys must work together to identify and create an action plan to address this issue.” Hall urged his counterparts on the enforcement side of criminal justice to cite misdemeanor offenders rather than arresting them, in part because social distancing is virtually impossible in a jail environment, and also because even with stringent protections in place, it’s difficult to implement in heavy-contact areas, such as booking. Also, Nashville attorney Kevin Teets asked a Nashville judge to suspend mandatory drug testing for those on probation, in the interest of public health. Such drug testing is administered by Averhealth, a private company. … Therapists are adjusting to the present situation, but it’s not seamless, Matt Blois writes. Naturally, many people are coping with increased anxiety and needing more assistance from their therapists, but regulatory confusion regarding telehealth is leaving therapists scratching their heads. In Tennessee, licensed counselors can normally provide therapy via video, but they have to use software that complies with privacy laws. Earlier this month, President Trump issued an emergency declaration that loosened some privacy rules for telehealth software, but it’s not clear if that applies to therapists. Students are permitted in Tennessee to provide counseling, but under the regulations, those sessions cannot be videoed. Lee and the feds loosened numerous telehealth regulations, but none of the relevant verbiage specifically mentions therapy or therapy students. … Worker’s Dignity began hosting digital town halls to address workers’ rights and advocacy during the pandemic, including advice on securing workplace safety protections. An earlier town hall specifically addressed concerns in the construction and hospitality industries and was broadcast in Spanish. … Stuck inside, we were left to wonder: Where did the designs on the back of playing cards come from? Short answer: Guernsey. … Wash your hands. NASHVILLESCENE.COM/PITHINTHEWIND EMAIL: PITH@NASHVILLESCENE.COM TWEET: @PITHINTHEWIND

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

citylimits_4-2-20.indd 6

3/30/20 6:57 PM

MUSIC IS FAMILY

LEFT TO RIGHT: FELICE AND BOUDLEAUX BRYANT, DANE AND DEL BRYANT

nashvillescene.com | APRIL 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 8, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

Photo: Eric England

city limits

akhink omer

Front Lines A Nashville nurse recovering from COVID-19 prepares to return to work By Stephen Elliott

t was Monday, March 9, when Akhink Omer first experienced body aches, fever, chills and coughing. The 31-year-old Nashville nurse would learn more than a week later that her symptoms were the result of COVID-19. Omer initially assumed it was a bacterial infection because, at that point, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state was still in the single digits. A round of antibiotics did nothing to ease the symptoms, so on March 12, she called the new Metro coronavirus hotline to inquire about a test. But at that point she did not meet the criteria for getting a test — she had not recently traveled outside the country or had contact with a known case of the disease, she says. By Saturday, March 14, Omer’s symptoms had not gone away. She went to her doctor’s office, where they told her she still did not meet the criteria for a COVID-19 test. She was given a steroid shot, which helped with her fever for about 10 hours. Other than that

brief respite, her fever lasted nearly 10 days. Her symptoms persisted, and even worsened. She couldn’t walk from her bedroom to the bathroom next door without leaning over the sink exhausted. “I couldn’t take a deep breath,” Omer recalls. “It feels like someone grabbed a hold of your chest. If I could just take one deep breath, I’d feel like that would help me so much, but you can’t. The second you try to breathe even a little bit deep, you start coughing uncontrollably, and then you feel like you’re choking.” Omer went to an urgent-care clinic seeking chest X-rays. She wasn’t tested for COVID-19 because the facility didn’t have testing supplies, but the X-rays showed signs of pneumonia. The doctor sent her home with more antibiotics and an inhaler. A few hours later, the urgent-care clinic called to tell her that she needed to go to an emergency room right away: The radiologist had reviewed the X-ray more carefully and determined that the case was more serious than originally suspected. Arriving at the Metro General emergency room around 9 p.m., Omer was promptly given fluids, antibiotics, other treatment and, finally, a COVID-19 test. “I’d been sick for a week, and it was miserable, but that was the first time that I honestly got a little scared,” Omer says. “I’m in the hospital, and they’re doing all these things that I’ve done for patients so many times, and now I’m on the receiving end of it. It’s intimidating, and it’s very scary.”

Two days later, the doctor told her the test came back positive and discussed the possibility of treating her with hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug touted by President Trump as a possibly effective treatment for the disease. The doctor, Omer says, was honest: They didn’t know if the drug would work. “At that point I just wanted relief,” she says. “I would’ve taken anything.” After she started the hydroxychloroquine regimen, her fever dissipated, though Omer says she’s not sure if that was due to the experimental treatment, other drugs she was on or just the natural conclusion of the illness. But her symptoms were not completely gone: Omer still had trouble taking a deep breath. Doctors wanted to keep her at the hospital because of possible heart and liver side effects caused by the hydroxychloroquine. On March 23, she finally left the hospital, two full weeks after her first symptom and one week after she checked in. Omer recalls the experience being “very, very isolating.” With no visitors allowed and health care workers seeking to limit exposure as much as possible, her main source of entertainment for the week she spent in the hospital were video calls with her large extended family. “I just pray that everybody has that, because I can see how people could get depressed very easily,” she says. Before Omer left, they tested her for COVID-19 again, and the result came back negative. Now she’s back home, where she lives

with her parents (both in their 50s) and a high school-age brother. Though the Metro Public Health Department gave her a letter telling her and her employer that she could go back to work without any restrictions, Omer is waiting until her cough subsides — and until she’s confident she can stay on her feet for a 12-hour shift — before returning to Southern Hills Medical Center for work. At the hospital, she works on the medical floor, so she expects to be treating COVID-19 patients when she returns. “It’s one of the few times you can say, ‘I know exactly how you feel,’ ” Omer says. As she prepares to go to work treating the disease from which she has just recovered, Omer has two concerns: a huge hospital bill, and the possibility that she could become reinfected. (Though scientists believe reinfection is unlikely, there is little definitive scholarship on the matter.) Because she splits work between Southern Hills and teaching Belmont nursing students, Omer has to purchase her own private health insurance, which didn’t kick in until April 1. That’s a little more than a week after she left the hospital, though she applied for coverage before falling ill. “I’m expecting a very large bill to come my way,” she says. “It’s unfortunate that you’re laying in a hospital bed, but in the back of your mind you are thinking about the bill you’re going to get when you leave. … I couldn’t even begin to imagine what the total will be.” Email editor@nashvillescene.com

Nashville Scene | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

citylimits_4-2-20.indd 8

3/30/20 6:35 PM

city limits

Photo: Daniel Meigs

Metro officials have opened two assessment sites to screen and test Nashville residents for COVID-19 free of cost. The two sites are located at Nissan Stadium and Meharry Medical College and at press time were to be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A third site was to open at the former Kmart location on Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch on Wednesday.

Scene photographers Eric England and Daniel Meigs have rounded up many shots of the new normal in Nashville.

Photo: Daniel Meigs

Shelby Bottoms

been eerily quiet. Meanwhile, many of the businesses still considered essential have made adjustments to serve their customers while maintaining social distancing protocol.

Photo: Daniel Meigs

ince the implementation of Metro Nashville’s “Safer at Home” order on March 23, Nashville’s streets, parks and other public spaces have

nashvillescene.com | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

citylimits_4-2-20.indd 9

3/30/20 7:07 PM

AN ORDER FROM CAFE ROZE

WOODLAND WINE MERCHANT

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

FIVE POINTS PIZZA EAST

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

RIVERSIDE GRILL SHACK

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

CITY LIMITS

MUSIC CITY WALK OF FAME PARK

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

citylimits_4-2-20.indd 10

3/30/20 7:09 PM

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

CITY LIMITS

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

NASHVILLIANS HANG OUT WHILE PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING

nashvillescene.com | APRIL 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 8, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

citylimits_4-2-20.indd 11

3/30/20 7:10 PM

Sean Parrott at Third Coast Comedy club

Funny Business Nashville’s stand-up scene has come into its own. How did it get here, and what happens next? By Charlie Zaillian • photos by john Partipilo “Oh, I didn’t know Nashville had comedy!” If every local stand-up comedian had a dollar for each time they’d heard this line, they could probably all quit their day jobs and pursue comedy full time. The fact of the matter is, it does — and it’s good. Often great, even. Stand-up in Nashville has come a long way since Scene contributor Lance Conzett took its pulse in 2013 with a cover story titled “Knock, Knock: You better open that door before Nashville’s burgeoning comedy scene beats it down.” Back then, the city was more of a stop-off for touring comics than a hotbed for local ones. But that’s changed. Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic and Metro Nashville’s March 22 “Safer at Home” order — which restricts all nonessential business and travel — have stopped events like comedy shows in their tracks. But in recent months and years, there has been a groundswell of activity, with a pair of new comedy venues along with open mics and showcases happening constantly all over town, and a high concentration of talent both onstage and behind the scenes. As a medium, comedy has exploded in

popularity. With 200-plus Netflix stand-up specials to choose from and more than 30,000 podcasts available under iTunes’ comedy category, there are more avenues than ever for comedians to put their work out there. Nashville itself continues to swell in population, giving the local scene a steady influx of new blood. So is Music City becoming Comedy City? Not exactly — at least not yet. But it’s picking up momentum, with a slew of upstart comics capable of holding their own anywhere — and some who have already reached the next level.

When Nashville-based stand-up Dusty Slay appeared on The Tonight Show last summer, Lucy Sinsheimer — booker at the long-running Eighth Avenue comedy club Zanies — held a last-minute watch party at the venue. “I invited local comics and thought maybe we’d have 10 people show up to watch on a projector,” Sinsheimer remembers. “Literally the entire comedy scene showed up, even people who don’t come by very often. It was a great moment for our community.”

Next in line for the national spotlight could be Laura Peek or Brad Sativa, Nashville comedy fixtures who in the past two months each played their first headlining shows at Zanies. To headline there is a milestone for any in-town stand-up, a hardearned reward for years of slugging it out at open mics and moving up through the ranks — showcasing, MC-ing, featuring, working the road. Both comics’ shows sold out. Peek is a Nashville native who recently moved to Los Angeles. She’s a deadpan observational humorist who last year earned plaudits from arts-and-leisure site Thrillist in an extensive state-by-state breakdown of stand-ups to watch. Peek capped 2019 opening for podcaster, writer and stand-up icon Marc Maron at TPAC. In L.A., Peek has been performing at the iconic Hollywood Improv. Sativa has plans to take his bracingly honest, high-energy-stoner act and eye-catching merch (his logo is the all-caps “SATIVA” inside the outline of the state of Tennessee) from Music City to New York City. Before he gets there, he hopes to make a three-month stopover in Chicago to train in its club circuit.

Connor Larsen and his roommate Chance Willie are working stand-ups and show producers in their mid-20s. “Ever since Chance and I have lived together, this is all we do,” Larsen tells the Scene. For them, seeing peers like Sativa and Peek move on from Nashville is exciting but bittersweet. “It’s like when the

Needless to say, live comedy shows — like just about everything else — are currently on hold in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend keeping up with the comedians discussed in this story by following them on Twitter — @LauraKPeek, @dustyslay, @realbradsativa, @chancewillie, @MikahWyman, @tayslurp, @sethpomeroy, @Connor__Larsen, @maryjayberger, @hollyperk, @realaaronweber, @BillyWayneDavis, @thecroftonshow and @jessecase. Also follow along with Zanies (@zaniesnashville), which will be hosting livestream events with local comedians as we all self-quarantine. Keep an eye on Third Coast Comedy’s social media (@3rdcoastcomedy) for ways to support that venue and its staff, and follow Nashville Stand Up on Facebook (@nashvillestandup) and Twitter (@nsup).

Nashville Scene | april 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

coverstory_4-2-20.indd 12

3/30/20 6:01 PM

timer’s done, the food’s ready, time to take it out of the oven,” says Willie. “You miss having that smell in your kitchen, but if it’d stayed in too long, it might’ve burned.” An improved venue situation has helped kickstart this new wave of Nashville comedy. Zanies has existed for nearly 40 years and remains the hub for national, regional and local comedians on the rise, but now it’s got some company. In 2016, Third Coast Comedy Club opened for business in Marathon Village, putting on stand-up, sketch and improv shows and offering comedy classes and workshops. Last year, Chicago venue The Comedy Bar opened a downtown Nashville outpost that, when open, hosts a weekly Wednesday local showcase, Thursday open mic and Sunday brunch show. On Fridays and Saturdays the bar also typically sees stop-ins from touring headliners like Ahmed Ahmed. The new clubs serve different needs in the city’s comedy ecosystem. Allison Summers teaches improv at Third Coast and performs there twice a week. She says a permanent venue for comics to hone their skills in a professional but not pressure-cooked atmosphere was something Nashville previously lacked. She describes Third Coast as part clubhouse, part think-tank for the local improv, stand-up and sketch scenes, which don’t typically overlap. “It’s nice to have a dedicated space for comedians who want to collaborate and develop their own shows,” she says.

Brad Sativa

Ben Sawyer at Third Coast Comedy club

nashvillescene.com | april 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

coverstory_4-2-20.indd 13

3/30/20 6:03 PM

If Zanies is the most traditional of the three venues and Third Coast the most experimental, then Comedy Bar, with its proximity to Broadway, is the wild card. Willie has hosted showcases there, including during last April’s NFL Draft. He compares its rowdier vibe to a certain rogue pro football league. “Comedy Bar is like the XFL,” he says. “It’s dope, but you never know what’s going to happen.”

Nashville has always had comedy, but in recent decades much of it was underground and niche-driven. The downtown venue Jazz and Jokes catered to a largely African American audience, but it closed in 2014. Across the river, the Ultimate Comedy open mic at The East Room got its start in the early 2010s and ended up becoming the unofficial living room for the alternative-comedy community. But for the most part, stand-up happened in scruffy, smoky, since-shuttered dives like Spanky’s off Nolensville Road. Black comics, hipster comics and country comics didn’t mix much at the dives, and women in the scene weren’t as well-represented. The pool of talented Nashville comics has grown exponentially — and it’s grown more diverse — in recent years. Many stand-ups also produce or host shows. Comedian Mary Jay Berger says the number of mics and showcases “has skyrocketed” compared to when she first started doing open-mic night at Spanky’s in 2012. To Taylor Williams, a newcomer from Charlotte, N.C., it’s an embarrassment of riches. “I feel like I’m always missing a show I want to be seeing because I’m at another show,” Williams told

Courtney Warner performs at Drkmttr

the Scene just weeks ago. If you haven’t seen much local comedy, or haven’t checked it out in a while, the quality and professionalism of these shows might surprise you — not just the showcases at Zanies, Third Coast and Comedy Bar, but ones in East Side alternative venues. There’s Larsen’s Brewery Laughs at Southern Grist Brewing, Willie’s Good Job Boys at The Crying Wolf, Holly Perkins’ Kiefer Sutherland

Comedy Hour at East Nashville Beer Works and Seth Pomeroy’s Anaconda Comedy Hour at Anaconda Vintage, among others. These are community-building events where Music City comics share stage time with their counterparts from Memphis and Louisville, Chattanooga and Atlanta. In addition to the monthly showcase Pomeroy hosts at the Grimey’s-adjacent Anaconda, he also puts on pop-up shows at Nic Schurman’s off-

the-wall gallery and showspace Soft Junk. These are meant to foster what he calls an “exchange program” between Nashville and Los Angeles. “I want to put local openers with the L.A. headliners so they see we have real talent,” Pomeroy explains. Nashville comedians are used to having to fight to raise awareness of their own existence, but at their more recent shows, they began to notice they’re no longer perform-

Comedian Taylor Williams at the Back Corner in Germantown

Nashville Scene | april 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

coverstory_4-2-20.indd 14

3/30/20 6:04 PM

from Left: Ronnie Keha, MK Gannon, Beth Inglish, Courtney Warner, Mary Eckersley, Brittany Birrer and Katie Wesolek before a comedy show at local venue the Cobra ing just for each other. A pattern began to emerge: people from outside the scene coming out to the shows, and more importantly, coming back again and again. “We’re working to cultivate a fan base,” Pomeroy says. “Because it’s Nashville and people are fatigued with the music to a certain degree, people end up showing up at these shows a lot ... simply because it’s at a venue they frequent, or their friend’s going, or their friend’s doing stand-up, or their friend’s roommate’s a stand-up. Because we have so many stand-ups and so many shows now, we’re starting to get to entertain people who aren’t already our friends.” Developing a presence in rooms where live bands typically play has helped gener-

before a comedy show at Starstruck Vintage

ate some crossover between Nashville’s music and comedy factions. Pomeroy credits The East Room’s open mic for “starting this kind of rock ’n’ roll vibe.” Third Coast’s Summers even sees stylistic commonalities between local songwriters and stand-ups. “Our voice is unique,” she says. “We are innately storytellers, and we have a way of telling stories that are rich, detailed and truthful, honest and fucked-up — which is funny — without being too drawn-out.” With the addition of Third Coast and Comedy Bar, Nashville comics and promoters have become slightly less reliant on existing music-scene infrastructure to prop themselves up, but it remains an asset. “There’s a million stages, a million PAs,” says Larsen.

He goes on to mention Malcolm Gladwell’s oft-cited metric for how long it takes to master a talent or trade: “Instead of 10,000 hours, it’s 10,000 venues.” “We’re like hermit crabs who live in shells left by other animals,” jokes Mikah Wyman, producer of Third Coast’s Nashville Is Comedy Country showcase. “We book venues on their worst night, we need almost no sound check, and will perform in front of anyone.” As much as comedy in Nashville has grown in recent years, “it’s not yet so big here that stage time isn’t there for the taking,” Larsen says. “There’s opportunities for new people to start and add to it. The barrier of entry is literally just show up, hang out and persevere for a month. That’s all you

have to do to get into this world. Stand-up is only as hard as they say it is the first five times. Then it drops so steeply. You realize even if you bomb, you’re not going to die.” Before the stay-at-home order was issued in Nashville, a typical week for a working local comic consisted of as many open mics as possible Monday through Thursday, then showcases and paid gigs on the weekend or whenever they could be had, here or in nearby cities. The stand-up hustle “is an every-night thing,” says Willie. “The writing is never done until it works in front of a crowd. It’s why you’ve got to hit multiple spots. That’s ingrained into the culture of comedy — how many you can squeeze into a night — and it becomes addictive.” Succeed at it long enough, and like Peek and Sativa — and Billy Wayne Davis, Chris Crofton, Jesse Case and countless Nashville expat comedians before them — you’re confronted with the question of whether to stay or relocate to one of the Big Three comedy cities: New York, L.A. or Chicago. Lately, however, more comics are doubling down on Music City, treating it not as a stepping stone or proving ground, but rather as a home base. Working stand-ups like Zanies mainstay Aaron Weber (who came up in Montgomery, Ala., but came into his own in Nashville) or Slay (who arrived from Charleston, S.C., in 2014) have shown that maybe you don’t have to go to L.A. to make a career of it after all. Slay has had his droll, gentleman-redneck joke-telling featured on Fallon (twice), Jimmy Kimmel and Comedy Central. He’s a regular at the Grand Ole Opry, and has played the Ryman “a couple times now,” he says. But he still makes time each month to host his Grand Ole Comedy Show at Zanies, which is entering its fourth year. “This is where I became a full-time comic,” says Slay, sitting on a couch backstage at the club before a recent gig. He’s about to go onstage to a nearly full room — a stark contrast from Grand Ole’s early days. “I’d go on Lightning 100 sometimes to give away tickets, then come out and see maybe 75 people out there. Then, all of a sudden, it happened [for me], and I just ran with it. “I don’t want to move to L.A.,” Slay continues. “I don’t want to move to New York. I like being in Nashville. Shows [here] are getting better all the time. And everybody likes to laugh. So if everybody’s good, that doesn’t mean they’re going to come to less comedy shows. It means they’re going to be inclined to go to more. ’Cause comedy on Netflix is not the same thing as live comedy.”

Nashville has made great strides as a comedy town. Still, it’s a delicate line between being proud of what’s been accomplished, and becoming complacent. Sativa acknowledges it’ll take time for live standup to become embedded in the culture the way live music is — he just hopes his hometown doesn’t sleep on it for too long. “Right now in Nashville, you could be seeing someone who in a decade could be hosting a late-night show,” he says. “Someone like Laura Peek — she’s not just one of the best local comics, or best lady comics, she’s one of the best, period. ... And people like her succeeding is what’s going to keep the scene motivated to keep doing events and not making excuses, so that when they do get known, people aren’t still like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know Nashville had comedy!’ ” Email editor@nashvillescene.com nashvillescene.com | april 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

coverstory_4-2-20.indd 15

3/30/20 6:04 PM

photos: John Partipilo

Dusty Slay performs at Zanies

The Dusty Trail Talking local stand-up with Nashville’s don of deadpan, Dusty Slay By Charlie Zaillian

ashville currently has a bumper crop of stand-up comics, but can it stick around? With some of its leading figures settling in town instead of leaving for bigger comedy cities, there’s reason to believe it can. Dusty Slay is one such figure. Slay grew up in an Alabama trailer park, a milieu his material both savagely roasts and proudly leans into. The 37-yearold developed his act in the dives of Charleston, S.C., and landed in Nashville in 2014. His star has risen since, thanks in part to appearances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Lights Out With David Spade. But he remains in the Nashville mix, bringing younger local comics on tour and keeping up the monthly Zanies showcase he’s hosted since 2016. Earlier this year, the Scene spoke with Slay about how Music City has shaped him, and why it’s a great place to live and tell jokes.

Tell me about your early days in Nashville. I lived in a house with six

other dudes, in an attic apartment for $250 a month. I was doing an open mic on Mondays at Bobby’s Idle Hour and on Tuesdays at Spanky’s in South Nashville. Spanky’s was my favorite. All the countrier comics were going there, and I liked going and hanging out with the people a little rougher around the edges. I was [also] getting in with Zanies, working a bit. My first gig hosting here was for Jeff Ross, and Gene Simmons was in the audience. John Rich from Big & Rich came out after a show, shook my hand and had a wad of cash in there. There was like $180, so I was like, “Man, all right, Nashville.”

What kind of changes have you observed in the years since? A lot of people either moved away or quit doing comedy, which is just the natural flow of things. And the rooms have changed. Now I’m not as involved in the open-mic scene as much as I used to be. I’m on the road every weekend, so the two or three days I have off I don’t really want to sit in an open-mic room for two or three hours. But we have some good people in the scene now. That’s what it all boils down to. When people care about whatever they’re doing, it’s gonna show.

Doing the road gives you perspective, I’m sure. Yes, absolutely. So much of the problem for a lot of comedy scenes is they’ll do certain things really wrong, then it upsets the audience — and those people, not only do they not come back to your show, they go, “comedy in this city sucks.”

from left: comedians Josh Inocalla, Bobby Rindhage and Mikah Wyman (with her daughter) at Dusty Slay’s house

Locally, do you think the quality has gone up? Yeah, I think people are running better shows so audience members know they can count on it being good. There’s no bigger waste of time than a bad comedy show. A bad music show ... taste is subjective, but even if you don’t like country, go to Robert’s Western World and see them play those instruments. You may not want to buy the CD and listen at home, but you enjoy the experience. I took Moshe Kasher there, hipster comic to the extreme, and he loved it.

What keeps you here? Whatever you would want to see is just naturally

happening. I was talking to someone from my management the other day about the [now postponed] Nashville Comedy Festival and how there’s bigger comics on that lineup than some of the better-known comedy festivals around the country. Bill Burr filmed his special at the Ryman years ago. Having an established club like Zanies here is special. People know about Nashville, people love Nashville. It’s this great spot — to me, it’s what everybody thinks Austin [Texas] is. I went to Austin — and no offense to Austin, I had a good time there — but it was not Nashville. Email editor@nashvillescene.com

Nashville Scene | april 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

coverstory_4-2-20.indd 16

3/30/20 6:06 PM

The Nashville Scene has been serving our city for three decades and counting. A strong, independent voice, the Scene covers news, music, film, food, art, culture, and state and local politics in a way that only we can — with hard news, creative feature writing, long-form reporting, analysis and criticism that serves a diverse readership, and does so with a voice. Now more than ever, we need your support so that we can continue to provide Nashvillians with free, independent press from a source you can trust. Please consider making a donation, whether it’s recurring or one time only, so that we can keep supplying our city with journalism, and keep putting news in your hands. Member ($5/month or $60 one-time)

Super Member ($35/month or $420 one-time)

• Early access to purchase tickets to select Nashville Scene events

• Members-only discount code for all Nashville Scene events

• Exclusive quarterly email featuring special members-only advertiser discounts

• Nashville Scene branded notebook

• 2 tickets to Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville Party • Mailed copy of the Best of Nashville issue

DONATE NOW AT SUPPORT.NASHVILLESCENE.COM

nashvillescene.com | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

Critics’ Picks

FOOD & DRINK

It’s as if the programming wizards at Netflix somehow predicted just the type of brain candy the public would crave during these unexpected days of isolation. Tiger King’s Joe Exotic is the ideal trashy reality TV star: part Kenny Powers antihero, part Christopher Guest goofball character, with a pinch of Reno 911’s Lt. Dangle, just for fun. The fact that he runs a roadside zoo — filled with scores of large jungle cats, apparently — will hook you, but that isn’t even close to the strangest part of this story. Exotic himself is wildly over-the-top — don’t get me started on his moonlighting career as a country music performer — but so is every other player in the film, from Exotic’s shirtless, toothless husband to his vaguely menacing reality-TV producer and his animal-rights-activist nemesis with the corny YouTube vids (and possible blackwidow past). With seven bingeable episodes, Tiger King is the quarantine content we deserve. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER [FROM OATS TO NUTS]

Make Your Own Granola

When I first moved out of my parents’ house, I was worried about my ability to cook for myself. If you’re really feeling that right now, here’s a recipe for homemade granola that boosted my confidence — maybe it’ll help you, too. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and set out an ungreased baking sheet. One that’s 9-by-13 inches and has a lip all the way around is ideal. Pour the following into a large bowl: three cups of old-fashioned oats (not the instant kind), a cup of chopped nuts of your choice (I like almonds), and a cup of dried fruit (cranberries are my favorite). In another bowl or big measuring cup, combine and mix thoroughly: one-third cup vegetable oil, one-third cup maple syrup, one-third cup brown sugar, a half-teaspoon each

of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a quarterteaspoon of salt. Pour the small bowl of wet stuff into the large bowl of dry stuff and mix it up with a big spoon until everything is coated. Dump that onto the baking sheet, spread it out and let it cook for an hour, stopping at 30 minutes to stir. While it’s baking, put down a layer of paper towels and another of wax paper on your counter. When it’s done, spread out the cooked granola on the wax paper. Let it cool for about 30 minutes, and you’ve got a meal or snack that will make you feel like a pro, but is easier to make than actual oatmeal. (You’ll end up with about a gallon. Every time I bring a bag into the office, it’s gone in a few hours.) STEPHEN TRAGESER [VALLEY OF PLENTY]

Dive Into The Witcher franchise

With lore across books, games and a recent Netflix series, The Witcher is a great fit for anyone looking to dive into a new geeky fantasy obsession. The multimedia franchise follows the adventures of mutant monster-hunterfor-hire Geralt of Rivia (the eponymous Witcher) as he battles warped beasts and begrudgingly navigates the war, politics and palace intrigue of power-hungry nobles. If you want to start with the TV show, go ahead — just know that the series doesn’t really care about onboarding newbies to the inner workings of its world. It’s not the next Game of Thrones, but rather a spiritual successor to episodic ’90s actionadventures like Xena: Warrior Princess or Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Plus, “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” is one of the catchiest songs from TV in the past few years. If you want to ease into the franchise, you can check out the books, authored by Andrzej Sapkowski, starting with either the short-story collection The Last Wish or the novel Blood of Elves. Or you can do what I did and jump right into 2015’s epic,

sprawling and masterful action-RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, available on PC and all gaming consoles. I didn’t play any of the previous entries and never read the books, and honestly I didn’t need to. The open world is packed with superb side quests, the main story line is bleak, gripping and full of consequences, and two expansion packs add extra story and depth to an already solid game. ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ [DON’T PICK SIDES, UNLESS IT’S MY SIDE]

Listen to Against the Rules

One of the underlying themes of almost all of Michael Lewis’ books — whether it’s Moneyball or The Big Short or even The Fifth Risk, his book about the beginning of the Trump administration — is how people bend and break rules and norms. He’s extended that curiosity into podcasts with an excellent series via Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Industries. Lewis examines NBA referees, grammar cops, mediators, art appraisers and other people responsible for enforcing the rules in society. It’s filled with fascinating interviews, a few twists and turns, and some time inside places people rarely get to go. Find it via Stitcher, Apple or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. STEVE CAVENDISH

outdoors

Watch Tiger King on Netflix

plant a spring garden

podcast

[HEY ALL YOU COOL CATS AND KITTENS]

e d i t i o n

the witcher

BOOKS, Games, TV

tiger king

d i s t a n c i n g

[HOPE IN THE DARK]

Plant a Spring Garden

It’s spring, sort of. Cheerful daffodils greet me at my mailbox, arrogantly showing off their full-time occupancy in the outside world. Chickadees chase each other around my backyard in their mating rituals. The days are getting longer, but the world feels as gray and desolate as ever. I’m fighting this ongoing phenomenon with a spring garden, and even if you’ve never planted one before — and even if you claim to have a black thumb — you can do it too. You can order seeds online and get started today. This time of year is perfect for leafy greens — we’re talking lettuce, arugula, spinach, collards and more. You can also plant some tasty root vegetables like carrots, radishes and beets. To prepare a garden bed, dig into the soil to loosen it up, and add organic matter like dead leaves to improve the soil tilth. Wait a month or two before tackling heat-loving veggies and herbs like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and basil, but you can prepare your garden to invite the pollinators you’ll need to grow those sweeties. Order annual seeds of zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos and marigolds to attract the bees and bugs that will pollinate your veg patch. Getting your hands dirty will ignite your senses and lift your mood, with the added benefit of providing fresh food down the road. Planting a spring garden is an act of hope, and you deserve to feel hopeful. ERICA CICCARONE FILM

s o c i a l

[WE CONNECT LIKE WI-FI]

Watch Everybody’s Everything on Netflix

When Lil Peep died from an overdose in 2017, it was the first time many people had even heard of him. But once you saw his baby face (shrouded in a fortress of face tattoos) and heard his voice (equal parts angelic and agonized), the emo rapper and pop-icon-in-the-making was hard to forget.

Nashville Scene | april 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

criticspicks_4-2-20.indd 18

3/30/20 3:53 PM

critics’ picks

[MODERN 21]

CheCk Out Art by DevOn elOise On instAgrAm

One of my favorite esoteric subjects is the theory of a hollow earth. Edmond Hailey, a British Astronomer Royal, was an early champion of the existence of another world inside the hollow earth way back in the 17th century. The most popular reference to the theory is Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the recent local art exhibition Agartha took its title from a legendary kingdom that might exist just below our feet. But just like the eponymous magical locale, the exhibition of work by Devon Eloise — planned to open mid-March at the Gallatin Pike gallery space inside LabCanna East CBD — disappeared into legend as the city began to self-isolate. These delays disrupt the hell out of a creative practice following months of making, and weeks of scheduling and promoting a particular exhibition. Lovers of abstract landscapes and dreamy aesthetics should find and follow Eloise on Instagram (@devoneloise). Eloise’s works are emblematic of a style that borrows fundamental elements from the origins of modernist painting before spinning them for the 21st century. And Agartha, with

its dreamy landscapes and silent moonlit scenes rendered in undulating fields of luscious painterly color, is the show I’m most looking forward to catching up with in post-quarantine life. JOE NOLAN

SCALE MODEL GUITARS

[YOU SHOULD TALK WITH SOMEONE]

WAtCh Joe Pera Talks WiTh You On ADult sWim

While some folks try to exorcise their pandemic anxiety by watching disaster films like 2011’s Contagion and 2002’s 28 Days Later, those of us who are carefully rationing our anti-anxiety meds need calmer viewing fare. Enter Joe Pera Talks With You, a series on Adult Swim that stars comedian Joe Pera as a mild-mannered choir teacher leading a simple life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Two seasons in, the show is a slow-building meditation on finding joy and awe in everyday experiences, like going to the grocery store, collecting rocks and finding creative ways to grow bean plants. Fellow comedian Conner O’Malley adds a touch of slapstick to the proceedings, and Jo Firestone shines as Pera’s “prepper” love interest (timely!). But the real joy is in the childlike wonder Pera brings to the screen. Several episodes — particularly those about Pera’s relationship with his Nana — have brought tears to my eyes, and the series as a whole reminds me that there is beauty to be found just about anywhere. BRITTNEY McKENNA THEATER

ART

The documentary Everybody’s Everything, now streaming on Netflix, makes up for that missed introduction. It’s a tender portrait of a life cut short, reconstructed from home movies, smartphone footage of DIY concerts and interviews with close collaborators. Produced by Terrence Malick, the film takes visible influence from Malick’s philosophizing style of filmmaking; as we observe intimate moments from the life of a misunderstood artist, Peep’s grandfather reads emotional letters addressed to his “tattooed poet.” There’s a powerful feeling of catharsis to Everybody’s Everything, especially in a time of social isolation — Lil Peep willed a world into being from his bedroom, sharing his personal darkness across an internet connection, reaching a generation weighed down by the doomed feeling of an uncertain future. NATHAN SMITH

[IN THE SPOTLIGHT]

streAm brOADWAy PlAys AnD musiCAls viA brOADWAyhD

Theaters may have taken a bit of an extended intermission, but thanks to streaming services like BroadwayHD, you can catch your favorite shows while still practicing social distancing. The subscription-based program offers an impressive collection of performing arts titles and categories — including everything from plays and musicals to behind-the-scenes specials and in-concert performances. You might start with a true classic like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (the 1982 version starring Angela Lansbury, of course), and then move on to the more intimate (and recent) Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, featuring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday. There are some incredible dramas, such as Paula Vogel’s Indecent and the 2016 revival of Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize winner Buried Child (starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan). Shakespeare lovers can find a slew of BBC-produced favorites, along with Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female productions of Henry IV, Julius Caesar and The Tempest (starring Dame Harriet Walter). Other intriguing works include the Norwegian National Ballet’s fascinating take on Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and an operatic adaptation of Brokeback Mountain, composed by late Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Wuorinen. You can access a free seven-day preview of BroadwayHD, and then choose from a monthly or yearly plan. Visit broadwayhd.com for details.

REPAIR, RESTORATION, & CUSTOM BUILDS scalemodelguitars.com 615-988-0411

Walk a

With feet on the street, we discover Nashville’s own unique beat – one mile at a time

Mile

with J.R. Lind

SHOP MARATHON MUSIC MERCH T-SHIRTS | HATS | KOOZIES | POSTERS

FILM

AMY STUMPFL [I LIKE KOOLS … MINTY FLAVOR]

builD yOur OWn streAming PhiliP seymOur hOffmAn film fest

In the past two editions of our Critics’ Picks, I’ve recommended curating your own at-home film festival using currently

SHOP ONLINE: STORE.MARATHONMUSICWORKS.COM nashvillescene.com | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

criticspicks_4-2-20.indd 19

3/30/20 3:53 PM

critics’ picks A Division of The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County

(615) 538-2076 • WWW.FRANKLINTHEATRE.COM •419 MAIN STREET, FRANKLIN, TN 37064

BJ THOMAS

Thu, June 4 - Fri, June 5

DAVID WILCOX Saturday, June 13

THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

Thu, June 4 - Fri, June 5

THE SELDOM SCENE Friday, June 12

AN INTIMATE NIGHT OF SONGS & STORIES WITH

HENRY CHO

SANDI PATTY

Saturday, June 20

Friday, July 17

HOT TUNA (ELECTRIC) (7/25) RICKIE LEE JONES (8/6) JOSEPH (10/7) 2020-21 PERFORMING ARTS SEASON FEATURING

THE SPIN

YOUR TICKET TO SHOWS...

REVIEWED nashvillescene.com/music/spin

FROM ROCK and

Americana

TO HIP-HOP,

COUNTRY AND PUNK,

whatever

YOUR SCENE,

WE HAVE IT

COVERED. CHECK OUT THE NASHVILLE SCENE FOR NEWS, REVIEWS AND FURTHER COVERAGE OF MUSIC CITY.

NASHVILLESCENE.COM

boogie nights streaming work from two powerful directors (first Martin Scorsese, then Bong Joon-ho). This week we’re going to pivot from directors to a performer — the late and incomparable Philip Seymour Hoffman. It’s hard to believe it’s been six years and two months since the actor’s death, but he leaves in his wake an exceptional body of work showcasing an unparalleled amount of range. For starters, I recommend queuing up 1997’s Boogie Nights, which is available for free via Crackle. While every one of PSH’s collaborations with director Paul Thomas Anderson is worth revisiting — including the phenomenal craps-table scene in 1996’s Hard Eight — Hoffman’s turn as Scotty, the sad sack of the 1970s porn scene, is the one that put him on everyone’s radar. Follow that with 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (available on Netflix), in which Hoffman steals every scene he’s in as loathsome rich kid Freddie Miles. At this point you’ll need something light, which is why I recommend 2004’s Along Came Polly (currently streaming on HBO Now), a largely forgettable romcom featuring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston that is not just rescued but made essential by Hoffman’s portrayal of former child star Sandy Lyle. (PSH performs what is possibly the best pratfall of the 21st century in that one, and also delivers the first known usage of the term “shart” in cinema … sorry, but it’s true.) Hope you got all of your giggles out with that one, because up next is Charlie Kaufman’s paralyzingly dark and beautiful Synecdoche, New York (which is available on Amazon Prime for a small rental fee). It is remarkably good, remarkably overlooked, and remarkably depressing. Bring it home with another PTA/ PSH collab, 2012’s The Master (now on Netflix) — one of Hoffman’s final performances, and an absolute masterwork. The actor is so good, so convincing as the abhorrent L. Ron Hubbard analog Lancaster Dodd, that you’ll be thinking about the performance for days afterward. D. PATRICK RODGERS culture

GREAT PERFORMANCES, CELEBRATION OF DANCE & FAMILY SPOTLIGHT SERIES

[MAPPING CULTURE]

ExplorE opEn CulturE

favorites. Hi Diddle Diddle brings together opera, gambling addiction and stock-market manipulation. It’s something else, and Open Culture also features thousands of other movies and documentaries, online courses, audiobooks and artworks. For example, a recent post by Seoul-based writer and Open Culture contributor Colin Marshall examines the resurgence of interest in novelist Albert Camus’ 1947 The Plague. Read Marshall’s reporting on the effect of the coronavirus in South Korea, and supplement it by watching Albert Camus: The Madness of Sincerity, James Kent’s 1997 film. Jazz fans will dig the Linked Jazz Map, courtesy of New York’s Pratt Institute. It brings together famous and obscure jazz players, with an emphasis on female jazzers, like saxophonist/clarinetist Zena Latto. Never heard of her? Check out the map, and read the 2015 interview with Latto, conducted shortly before she died, where she remembers her days on the bandstand with the likes of Lester Young. EDD HURT

I got hooked on the website Open Culture a few years ago. I was searching for director Andrew L. Stone’s 1943 cult film Hi Diddle Diddle, which Quentin Tarantino had cited as one of his

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

criticspicks_4-2-20.indd 20

3/30/20 3:53 PM

food and drink

How Tennessee Action for Hospitality Was Born Nashville chefs band together to help each other, and the community

ennessee Action for Hospitality all started with a text. I was sitting alone on my couch at 9:28 p.m. on Monday, March 16, thinking about how the Nashville restaurant community that I have cared and written about for years was rapidly imploding. Then my phone pinged — it was a text from Bryan Lee Weaver. The chef at Butcher & Bee and Redheaded Stranger had composed a heartfelt message to about 25 of his industry friends, and it was clear he was concerned. “Hey y’all,” Weaver began. “Some of you might know each other. Some of you don’t. I just wanted to say that I love y’all, and things are getting weird. I’d like to think about putting forward a message as a community about how to move forward. Not just as one restaurant, but as a united front. Particularly try and start a conversation to put in front of legislature and community leaders. I hope that we aren’t going to shit in the face of common sense like the bars on Broadway and blah, blah, blah … I just hope that we collectively could come up with how we could survive the next several months and still have a staff and a place to come to work.” He continued: “The rest of the country is suffering and I’m obv looking to what is happening there, but for the most part they also aren’t dealing with a natural disaster on top of this. I know we are all trying to deal with this personally and restaurant to restaurant, but if anybody wants to talk about how we make this a bigger issue, I’m all ears and would love to talk. I know this isn’t the most eloquent message, but I wanted to try to start something in light of how this is changing hour by hour. ❤” Typical of the humble and self-effacing Weaver, he underestimated both the eloquence and import of his message. “The first group of texts wasn’t even a wellthought-out thing,” he says two years, err … 10 days later. “It was just a mass text to people I know and love around Nashville to try and figure out what we could do as a team to help the situation. Many of the people on the list were affected by the tornado, so we were already hurting … and I just wasn’t sure how to deal with corona on top of it. I really wanted people much smarter than myself to come together, and hopefully we would have some ideas.” The recipients of Weaver’s initial text were a remarkable group of chefs and restaurant owners who were quick to weigh in. Weaver had selected a powerful cadre of allies: “For the most part I felt like I was reaching out to family, and asking for help in coming together and figuring out how we survive as a community and a city. Everyone on the chain were neighbors or people I’ve worked together with in close quarters.

Tandy Wilson [of City House] has continually been an incredibly amazing person to interact with from almost the second I moved to Nashville. [Husk founder] Sean Brock will hopefully be my neighbor at Redheaded Stranger for years to come. [Brock plans to open a restaurant nearby.] Tony Galzin [of Nicky’s Coal Fired] would come help at the drop of a hat. I’m pretty sure Kahlil Arnold [of Arnold’s Country Kitchen] would bail me out of jail if I need it. Brandon Bramhall is amazing; he had just gone through hell and back with Attaboy [his bar, which suffered severe damage in the tornado, and also employed one of the Nashvillians who was killed by the storm]. I could go on and on with everyone in the list. I figured some folks on the chain would have the connections to get the conversations started that I didn’t know how to have.” Chefs began to add other chefs to the chain until it quickly grew too large and unwieldy — phones overheated from the constant pinging of ideas and offers of help. Overnight, the discussion migrated to a WhatsApp conversation, and a group Skype call was scheduled for noon on Tuesday. Several chefs from larger restaurant groups added their public-relations reps to the group — say what you will about PR flacks, but these talented professionals sharpened the group’s message immediately and started crafting a name for the effort, graphics for communications, distribution lists and social media strategies. I was able to offer up a long-dormant Facebook group of altruistically minded locals who had participated in the very successful (but unfortunately named) Eat Out for Nashville dining event to raise money for flood recovery a decade ago. I turned the keys over to two fantastic PR pros, who quickly converted it to one of the social media homes for the newly named initiative: Tennessee Action for Hospitality. The March 17 conference call was so crowded with chefs, restaurateurs, lobbyists, PR folks and state and local legislative representatives that it was difficult to call into. I, uh, WhatsApp’d: “I know there are much more important people than me trying to get on this call, so I’ll read the notes afterwards. Just don’t volunteer me for anything!” After a few cheeky “Chamberlain for President” texts popped up in the stream, I tried again and got through. Fortunately, the group had already coalesced around Henrietta Red chef Julia Sullivan, who had

Photo: Daniel Meigs

By Chris Chamberlain

bryan lee weaver naturally stepped forward as a leader early in the process, eloquently speaking for both the chefs and restaurateurs involved in the effort. She kept the call on track and spoke for the group’s needs to the invited speakers from outside the industry. Less than 24 hours after Weaver’s initial text, Tennessee Action for Hospitality was a fully functioning organization that had drafted a thoughtful list of requests to be presented to local government officials, Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee’s congressional representatives. Knowing that time was of the essence while governmental aid packages were being prepared, the hospitality industry moved quickly to drag its collective chair to the negotiating table. The effort had expanded to a statewide initiative — the group continues to represent the

entire state in its demands for immediate temporary tax relief, rent and loan abatement measures, guaranteed unemployment benefits for displaced workers, and the promise of loss-of-business payouts by insurers. Tennessee Action for Hospitality also undertook a social media campaign to spread the word, and secured digital billboards to share its messages with any members of the public who aren’t plugged into the online culinary community. Because of the group’s efforts — along with similar actions from chefs around the country — the hospitality industry is a part of the conversation of how the final federal bailout money is ultimately distributed. Ironically and unfortunately, right in the middle of all this progress, the chef who put everything in motion made the heartbreakingly difficult decision to shutter his own two restaurants for the duration of the crisis. “The Bee wasn’t a model for takeout unfortunately,” says Weaver of Butcher & Bee. “We asked people to come in, and share plates and rip pita apart, and pass along to your friends. I just felt odd about trying to

nashvillescene.com | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

foodanddrink_4-2-20.indd 21

3/30/20 4:34 PM

food and drink

: Winners’ Reader poll

VOTED BEST FOR 15 YEARS! PRESENT THIS COUPON FOR

20% OFF YOUR TO-GO ORDER ONLY

WE CARRY Cigarettes Tobacco Vape Products

WE NOW CARRY

MUST BE PRESENT AT SITAR (EXP. 4/30/20)

CBD Products & Hemp Flower

WE DELIVER WITH: GRUBHUB...POSTMATE DOOR DASH...UBER

Grown By Licensed Middle TN Hemp Farmers

116 21st Ave. N. | 321-8889 | SitarNashville.com

We Deliver: Call @ 526-9100

FREE PARKING!

Call for take-out!

Pipes Cigars Glass

WE ARE NASHVILLE’S ONLY ONE-STOP SMOKE SHOP 2204 Elliston Place Suite H, Nashville, TN 37203 615-457-3314

put that in a box. For [Redheaded Stranger], I felt guilty as hell for closing down on Friday and into Saturday. I saw people in Nashville and around the country figuring out ways to do takeout and pickup, but in the end I just didn’t feel safe. I didn’t feel comfortable interacting with any of the delivery drivers. I didn’t feel comfortable interacting with pickup folks. To some extent I didn’t feel comfortable interacting with my staff. My wife has autoimmune issues and is at risk. My immediate employees have people who work in hospitals. There is no level of contact in our restaurants that is safe. Most of my people were on my side. I’ve yet to see anyone that felt differently.” But Weaver reached out to me again after we had spoken about the closures. “After sleeping on it,” he says, “I feel no guilt at all. I feel good about taking a stand for my employees and what I feel like is the right thing to do. At this point, I don’t care what

is political or what happens to my business. I just want my people to survive, and hopefully we have the means to build on the other side.” Although he never asked to be a leader, Weaver is a perfect example of what is special and right about the restaurant community. Who’s better than a chef at dealing with the special needs of different constituents? Who spends more time than restaurateurs worrying at the same time about their businesses and their workers, particularly the most vulnerable hourly employees who might not have access to health care and unemployment benefits? Who cares [more] about preserving beauty and joy in the world by what they put on the plate, and the inviting atmosphere of community they create, than hospitality professionals? Maybe we should let chefs run things for a while. Email arts@nashvillEscEnE.com

Authentic Mexican Cuisine & Bakery...Side by Side!

615-669-8144 PanaderiayPasteleriaLopez

615-865-2646 TacosyMariscosLindoMexico

917A Gallatin Pike S, Madison, TN

Photo: Eric England

nashvillescene.com Arnold’s Country KitChen offers tAKeout

Visit Bites! As much of the restaurant industry has had to change its business model due to COVID-19, vegan & vegetarian with gluten-free options East Nashville

we’re highlighting the Nashville businesses that are attempting to stay open via a takeout/delivery

In the interest of public health, we will be closed temporarily. We are offering 15% off on our electronic gift cards, so now is the time to buy one! Just go to thewildcow.com and use the discount code: NashvilleStrong. We look forward to seeing you again soon! 22

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.

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

foodanddrink_4-2-20.indd 22

3/30/20 4:34 PM

art

Crawl Space: April 2020 April’s First Saturday events are canceled, but Nashville’s art scene crawls forward

vance, and the disruptions caused by natural disasters or pandemics throw calendars into chaos. “We’re trying to make the most of our social media presence,” says Briggs. “We’re streaming live videos on Instagram every day at 12:30 p.m.” The gallery recently hosted a virtual artist talk from its Memphis location, and Briggs took viewers on a tour of her personal art collection, which features several artists from Lusk’s roster. Find those on Instagram at @davidluskgallery. The Browsing Room at the Downtown Presbyterian Church is curated by the church’s artists-inresidence. Resident painter Richard Feaster spoke via telephone with the Scene about Magical Books and New Looks, an interactive community art exhibition by artists Paul Collins and Bandy. “It’s a high-touch exhibition,” explains Feaster. “[Collins] was working with the homeless at the Saturday Breakfast events. He was planning to come in every Saturday, and he was inviting folks to interact with the art and the artists.” Obviously, the phrase “high-touch” spells doom for an art exhibition right now. It’s doubly frustrating to lose an exhibition that so successfully incorporates participation from Nashville’s homeless community, when the tornado and the pandemic have both highlighted the vulnerability of our neighbors living on Nashville’s streets. “opening,” karen seapker

ith venues and establishments citywide abiding by Metro’s “Safer at Home” directive, shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Nashville’s art calendar has nearly been wiped clean. That has challenged the city’s visual arts community to do what it does best: get creative. Among the artists whose lives were turned upside-down by the recent tornadopandemic double-whammy is Karen Seapker, whose longtime art studio was in the basement of a Five Points building that was in the direct path of Nashville’s March 3 tornado. “We got the call at 2:30 in the morning that the building was gone,” says artist Lain York in a recent phone conversation with the Scene. York is a painter whose studio space was in the same building. “We got most of the art out of there, and most of the tools.” The studio space below the Asphalt Beach Skate Shop at 961 Woodland St. was home to magical books and five artists’ studios. York is also the director new looks at the of Zeitgeist Gallery, and was planning to pick browsing room up Seapker’s work for her new exhibition on the morning of March 3. Ultimately, Seapker’s exhibit at Zeitgeist, Circuities, made it safely to the gallery for her March 7 opening. The same day, Zeitgeist also hosted an art sale to benefit North Nashvillians affected by the tornado — see our review of the exhibit in the March 19 issue of the Scene. Seapker’s sprawling show is an ambitious affair that takes up an entire gallery space usually devoted to two shows simultaneously. But Circuities had barely opened before Nashvillians began to practice social distancing, and Mayor Cooper’s “Safer at Home” order — which went into effect on March 23 — put on hold what was supposed to be a two-month run. “We’re going to hold it over,” says York. “We’re looking at what to do with the next show, and perhaps bumping a show out of the calendar.” Like most Nashville galleries, Zeitgeist has also pivoted into digital presentation, sharing snapshots and even behind-the-exhicircuities at bition images, on Instagram at zeitgeist @zeitgeistgallery, and archiving the exhibition on its website, zeitgeist-art.com. “We’re also looking at doing some smaller show,” says Lusk’s gallery director Amelia curated shows online,” says York. “Since Briggs. “She’s doing wooden sculptures, and we’re all cooped up, we’re going to be lookwe had a huge wooden platform built just ing at virtual offerings for the time being.” for this show. It was going to be a really dramatic installation. We were going to David Lusk Gallery’s excellent group show go ahead and install the show anyway, but Fable opened on Feb. 18, and had about a with shelter-in-place, that’s also been put month to generate a lot of buzz before its on hold.” run was cut short, a couple weeks before its Well-established galleries like Lusk reguslated April 4 closing date. larly have shows booked out months in ad“Next was supposed to be a Kit Reuther

“bending spaces,” paul collins and bandy

By Joe Nolan

“We’re planning to talk to Paul about doing some kind of solo virtual stuff on Instagram that we can use to share the show in the meantime,” says Feaster. “I think, at this point, we’ll plan to extend the exhibition for at least another month, but nobody knows when we’ll be able to open the show again.” Follow the gallery on Instagram at @browsingroomgallery. For Channel to Channel director Dustin Hedrick, these recent challenges are just the latest stepping stones on the long, strange path of operating an artist-run gallery. “Right now, I’m curating a group show by a few gallery artists to share on Instagram,” explains Hedrick on a phone call with the Scene. “It’s inventory I needed to photograph anyway.” For Hedrick, rolling with the punches is just another skill set he’s learned playing the art game. “Things are always precarious, so you’re always finding a way to adapt,” he says. “Now we just can’t adapt outside in groups.” Hedrick is also directing art crawlers and collectors to updates on Instagram at @channeltochannel, and he’s planning to continue to spotlight and sell work on the online platform Artsy. “We’ve always taken online stuff pretty seriously, so we’re hoping that will pay off for us now,” says Hedrick. “I remember when we started, the art market wasn’t as robust as it has been. In times like that, and like now, you have to get creative — whether this is a changing of the tide or just a brief interruption. Who knows? Maybe artists will take over the neighborhood again.” Email arts@nashvillescene.com

nashvillescene.com | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

art_4-2-20.indd 23

3/30/20 6:26 PM

culture

Mother Lode

Author Mary Laura Philpott has ‘Big Mom Energy to spare’ By Erica Ciccarone

What inspired you to offer to be the internet’s mom that day? It felt here like that was the day the switch was flipped. … It was dawning on me minute by minute and hour by hour that nothing I had bet on for spring was likely going to happen. As that day was going on, I felt the earth shifting under my feet, and I had this elemental, almost instinctive homesick feeling, like, “I want my mom.” I’m lucky to have my mom. I can call my mom anytime. But I thought about how many people don’t have that comfort. I’m old enough that a lot of my friends’ moms have passed on, that a lot of people don’t have close relationships with their moms. There’s not a lot I can do to help solve what’s happening right now, but I can be a mom. Remember after the tornado how local businesses and people all over Nashville were posting online to share whatever they had extra of? Like, I remember on Instagram that Hey Rooster General Store, which is a tiny little store, was offering shelf space to other retailers that had goods to sell but whose storefronts had been destroyed. Res-

Mary Laura Philpott and Woodstock taurants were offering each other freezer space. People were offering up power tools. And I think I must have had a little bit of that in the back of my mind at the time. That example of, Here’s what I have. Who needs it? That’s kind of where I was. What surprised you about the response? I was surprised that people responded at all! I’m a small little fish on Twitter — usually like three people respond if I [tweet]. There were a lot of people who responded and said, “I need reassurance, tell me something to do.” But then a lot of people responded … to say, “Gosh, that’s what I needed to hear right now.” … I was touched by how many people just wanted to hear that they were not alone. I was also really tickled by how many people responded to each other in the comments of the thread. Someone would say, “I lost my mom,” and I would write back to them, and then other people would write back and say, “Me too, I know how it is.” … It’s nice to see humanity being sweet to each other, especially on Twitter, which is not always full of sweetness. … And there were several people who were strangers to me who retweeted it and said: “Hey, me too! My kids are grown up and out of the house, but I still have mom energy if you need it.” Like, yeah, mom army, got it. That was adorable.

In I Miss You When I Blink, you say that you’re addicted to getting things right. But you also seem

really good at encouraging others to be gentle and forgiving with themselves. Oh yeah. I can give pep talks all day long about how you don’t have to be perfect and it’s OK! I can give that pep talk to everybody but myself.

Do you feel like this experience has encouraged you to apply some of your advice to yourself? Oh certainly. It’s good for all of us who are not actually out on the front lines being the doctors and nurses and scientists and people working 24 hours around the clock, those of us whose job it is to just go home and get out of the way — I’m absolutely having to practice almost a meditative stillness. We can’t go to work. We can’t run all the errands. Even if we’re working from home, we’re not as productive as we normally would be. And we just have to be OK with it, because that’s our job right now. That’s what our fellow humans need us to do. Go home. Get out of the way and wait it out. Do you like how I just turned that around and said, “That’s my job right now — I’m doing a great job not being productive!” I just gave myself an A+ for staying out of the way.

What are some of your favorite self-care activities? It’s tough because normally reading is my go-to activity, but my focus is really fractured right now. … If I can get outside and walk with my family and my dogs, maybe take a walk by myself and have some solitude, that helps a ton. … Getting off

photo: Heidi ross

n March 12, Gov. Bill Lee declared a state of emergency in Tennessee in response to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the nation. Metro Nashville Public Schools closed early for spring break, ultimately remaining closed after that. For Nashvillians still reeling from the March 3 tornado, the already surreal state of the city — shuttered businesses, destroyed homes, the ceaseless need for volunteers — was about to get even weirder. “Hey,” local author Mary Laura Philpott tweeted that day. “If you have that uneasy ‘I need my mom’ feeling, but don’t have access to your mom for whatever reason, I have Big Mom Energy to spare. (Seriously, my teenagers are over it.) Lemme know here / DM if you need me to tell you it’s OK. Now go wash your hands. — Your Internet Mom.” Philpott spent the rest of the week replying to people in her mentions, cheerfully encouraging strangers to wash their hands, stay hydrated, put on pajamas and take a break from the internet. At times, she adopted a tough-love tone: “Now you listen up, Millie.” At other times, she made gentle suggestions: “Have you had breakfast? Maybe a banana?” When one young woman shared that she had gotten into Harvard but couldn’t tell her own mother, Philpott replied, “HOT DIGGITY DING DONGS, that’s amazing.” Like many of us, Philpott is suddenly at home with her entire family, plus their two dogs: Woodstock (“the funniest-looking dog and the sweetest dog we’ve ever had”) and Eleanor Roosevelt (“breathtakingly beautiful and an absolute terrorist.”) The Scene caught up with Philpott to see how her Big Mom Energy was panning out and to chat a bit about her book of essays, I Miss You When I Blink, which was published last year.

the internet is good. The other day, I had to clean out my office so that one of our family members could use it, and I had my phone in another room for three hours. Even though I was cleaning out an office, which is the world’s most miserable task, I was in such a good mood after three hours of not compulsively refreshing the news.

I have this theory that artists and creative folks can be some of the unsung heroes in dark times. You just keep producing things for us to look at and listen to and read. Yes! My daughter and I took a tap-dancing class online the other day, with no tap shoes. Wearing socks on a rug, we did silent tap dancing. The way performers are finding innovative ways to set up and go, “Look.” It’s the same thing I was talking about earlier. What did they have extra of? They have this performance energy. If they could find a way to get that out there, that’s a gift. Anything that gets our heads out of the logistical moment-to-moment concerns we’re facing is good. When you think about literature and art, anything that connects us to history and gives us hope for the future and gets us a little bit out of the right-now present tense is good. Science has a big job to do right now. Science has to save our bodies. But art and performance and literature and film, that can take care of our souls while we’re staying out of the way and staying healthy. Email arts@nashvillescene.com

Nashville Scene | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

culture_4-2-20.indd 24

3/30/20 4:12 PM

books

mmm...

Paths of Resistance

Multimedia artist Jessica Ingram explores the South’s racist history in Road Through Midnight

By Kim Green

Refreshing! Refreshing!

n the preface of Road Through Midnight, Jessica Ingram writes of a wish to deepen her understanding of America’s racist origins by “illustrating histories of violence and resistance, where often there were no cameras or tape recorders.” With that goal in mind, Ingram spent nearly a decade researching the South’s history of racial terror — traveling to sites where those crimes occurred, recording the testimonies of victims’ families and local journalists, and collecting documents from the era. The result of her research is a haunting monograph that presents narratives of struggle, injustice and unspeakable brutality in almost austere fashion. The facts of each story appear, without comment, in white lettering against a black background. To that context, Ingram Road ThRough MidnighT: adds her own finda Civil RighTs MeMoRial ings: yellowed By Jessica ingram newspaper clipUniversity of north pings from librarcarolina Press ies and archives; 240 Pages, $35 personal letters and snapshots shared by families; edited interview transcripts; excerpts from FBI files; and photographs Ingram took of sites where crimes were committed, where victims lived or worked or where bodies of the murdered were discovered. The most wrenching entries are transcribed interviews with survivors, some of whom required years of gentle urging before they would share the full measure of their anger and agony. One of the most devastating of these interviews is with Thomas Moore, whose brother Charles Eddie Moore and friend Henry Hezekiah Dee were kidnapped, beaten and murdered in Meadville, Miss., in 1964 by a notorious Klan cadre called the Silver Dollar Group. Both victims were 19 years old. When Thomas Moore learned that his brother’s body had been found tied up and weighted down in the Mississippi River, he flew home from his Army posting in Texas to arrange the funeral. “The anger began to set in,” says Moore, who told his mother of his plans to steal weapons from the post and “come back and kill everything on the 84 Highway. I will poison the water tank in Meadville and kill everyone in Franklin County. She said you stay in the army. She said the Lord will make a way.” As in so many cases like that one, the perpetrators walked free. But decades later, Canadian documentary filmmaker David Rigden asked Thomas Moore to collaborate on a film about the murders. Their investigation and the 2007 documentary ultimately led to the trial and conviction of one of the killers. “I do believe that the dead know what you’re doing,” Moore tells Ingram. “I believe that they are so glad. I believe that Charles Moore and

books_4-2-30.indd 25

Henry Dee can rest up now.” Two photographs accompany this entry: one, of a forlorn drive-in restaurant, is the last place Dee and Moore were seen alive. The other, taken in 2009, is of a simple roadside memorial in their honor. The photos are shocking in their ordinariness — these are places you’d drive by without noticing, the photos washed out to dreariness by harsh midday light. The fact that such sites exist all over the South reminds us that these extraordinary stories are, in fact, dispiritingly commonplace; most bear no memorial marker at all. There is no signage at a former shoe store in Ferriday, La., where shop owner Frank Morris was burned alive by Klansmen in 1964. There is no signage at the Tyler-Goodwin Bridge near Montgomery, Ala., where in 1957 Klan members beat Willie Edwards and forced him to jump to his death. Photographing both places for this book is Ingram’s way of marking the sites. In the afterword, Ingram recalls a flash of insight when she stumbled upon a historical marker at a onetime slave market in Montgomery. But for the sign, she might have just as easily walked blithely by that tragic, haunted place. Ingram was suddenly struck by “what it means to erase histories,” and how important it is for communities living with a legacy of racist violence to see those histories acknowledged. The late Mississippi newspaper editor Stanley Dearman, whose outspoken articles helped call attention to the now-infamous 1964 murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, told Ingram that he

considered these acts of remembrance vital to the healing process: “I think it’s a good thing for the community to do — to look at itself and say this happened.” For Ingram, who grew up in Nashville, the book is itself a kind of memorial. Her hope was “to reframe these rivers, fields, and homes as markers of struggle.” In showing us how everyday landscapes are forever scarred by violent histories, Ingram is telling us that the wounds of slavery, segregation and white-supremacist ideology survive in ways we refuse to see, in our cities, prisons, schools and neighborhoods. “The act of marking these sites of injustice in America, of loss of life to racial terror, binds us all,” she concludes. “We must do the work of remembering.” For more local book coverage, please visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee. Email arts@nashvillEscEnE.com

A women’s column featuring a rotating cast of contributors

jessica ingram

Vodka Yonic nashvillescene.com

3/30/20 4:12 PM

music

Inner Circle

Lou Turner explores her own kind of spirituality on Songs for John Venn By Jacqueline Zeisloft

photo: Linda Parrott

ou Turner’s second album Songs for John Venn gives us a lot to think about — philosophical questions about spirituality, the nature of the universe and our place in it. All the same, it’s a light, ethereal listen, with touches of folk-rock, surf and other styles that might leave you with the impression of easy movement. This was intentional, but not for reasons that are immediately obvious. “With songs that sound like a breeze, there is more room to think about subject matter,” Turner tells the Scene. “We’re creating capacious songs for you to slide into.” The “we” Turner mentions is a wide cross-section of the Nashville musician and poet’s friends and collaborators. They include Trevor Nikrant, Joe Kenkel and Ross Collier, Turner’s bandmates in the innovative folk-pop group Styrofoam Winos. (In addition to these 11 sinuous songs, all of which Turner wrote herself, the trio also Songs for John Venn out April 3 via Spinster backed her up on Sounds her debut, 2017’s An Ex-Pat Returns.) Other contributors to the new LP include cellist Austin Hoke, guitarist Ellen Angelico, electronic composer Eve Maret, clarinetist Dave Meyer and drummer-engineer Kate Haldrup. The symbol of the Venn diagram — two or more circles overlapping to display what characteristics multiple entities do and do not have in common — is a recurring theme throughout the record. Just before the total solar eclipse in August 2017, Turner was volunteering at an eclipse-themed craft event sponsored by the Nashville Public Library, and she started to write lyrics on the back of her watercolor project: “In the creamy pastel Venn diagram of the soul / There will always be overlapping spheres of opposing light shows.” Turner loved making Venn diagrams as a kid, but never knew that “Venn” was a proper noun. The lyrics on the back of her painting eventually grew to become the album’s lead track “Solar Eclipse,” in which she compares the sun and moon overlapping during the eclipse to the curves of a Venn diagram. Writing the song inspired her to research the person who invented the diagram. She learned that she and John Venn, a 19th-century English mathematician and Anglican priest, had some things in common. Both of them were raised in devout evangelical Christian families with fathers who were church leaders, and both Turner and Venn eventually stepped away from the rigidity of their faith’s traditions. Turner, who was born in Texas and moved to Nashville to study at Belmont University, says that from her perspective, religion often promotes “black-and-white thinking patterns” that focus narrowly on our differ-

ences instead of what we have in common — what you find in the center of the Venn diagram. “I’ve had to unlearn those ways of thinking,” she says. Venn left the priesthood after 20 years because he did not agree with orthodox principles of the church. Turner relates to that deeply in her own life, as her values have evolved over time. But her work has a strong spiritual bent, which provides it with sincere depth. In the droning, krautrock-inspired “Flickering Protagonist,” Turner leads us through a day in her life that’s full of the mundane and the profound. As she’s attending to chores and errands, she’s reframing biblical references. In the process, she’s reclaiming her identity as a spiritual person on her own terms, as she sings, “I am learn-

ing my new name.” Turner explores this further in the next track, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?,” in which she reads a poem she wrote over an improvised acoustic backing track. In the piece, Turner spends an afternoon with Peggy Snow, co-founder of the long-running experimental folk ensemble The Cherry Blossoms as well as a painter whose subjects are buildings that will soon be demolished. The two discuss their shared love of hymns, and Turner sings a verse from the hymn that shares its title with the track: “You remember songs of heaven / Which you sang with childish voice / Do you love the hymns they taught you / Or are songs of Earth your choice?” Turner has found something new in the lyrics, as she’s recontextualizing her child-

hood, spent surrounded by music in church. “The spirituality I felt in music as a child is still there,” she says, “but is far more mysterious and boundless [to me now].” It’s simple and gentle, but it’s a heart-wrenching piece that encapsulates the ethos of the entire record. Turner, who also writes poetry, is drawn to songwriters who “speak-sing,” like Bill Callahan, Lou Reed and Patti Smith. “I’m interested in the Venn diagram between poetry and music,” she says. Her pop-inflected songs aren’t hard to digest, but they are inventive and not easy to categorize. They’re driven by expressing the feelings and observations she wants to convey, and her interest in exploring the different ways to share them. Email music@nashvillescene.com

Nashville Scene | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

music_4-2-20.indd 26

3/30/20 5:56 PM

music

Get Awkward

Chaz Cardigan faces what’s uncomfortable head-on

By Brittney McKenna

photo: AL KALYK

lot has changed for local pop artist Chaz Cardigan — and for all of Nashville — in the past few weeks. On March 3, deadly tornadoes destroyed homes and businesses across Middle Tennessee, including The Basement Vulnerabilia out now via Capitol Records East, the much-loved and Loud Robot East Side club where Cardigan was slated to perform April 8. That show was part of a string of headlining dates Cardigan had scheduled in support of his new EP Vulnerabilia. Then, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the live-entertainment industry, along with much of the rest of

the U.S. economy, ground to a halt. That, of course, means that Cardigan’s entire spring headlining tour and upcoming dates supporting British singer-songwriter Barns Courtney are off until further notice. While there was a lot of upheaval in a short period of time, the Kentucky native tells the Scene — via a social-distancing-approved phone interview — that it isn’t the loss of his tour getting him down, but rather the blows dealt to his adopted hometown. The 25-yearold has been pursuing a career in music here since he was 17. “It’s been kind of hard to disentangle how I’m doing from how the collective is doing right now,” Cardigan says. “Which is maybe sort of a good thing. The last few weeks were just a blur of emotions. But it’s weird. I’m really not even all that depressed or disappointed by the tour canceling or any of that. That all feels really selfish to be attached to right now. I’m more depressed by what happened to Nashville with the tornado and now feeling distanced from everybody.”

If you’ve listened to Cardigan’s danceconscious contemporary pop music, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his concern for others supersedes his own personal disappointment. Cardigan, who came out as gay as a teenager, has developed extraordinary musical skills as he’s used music to help cope with negative attitudes and perceptions. He writes songs grounded in compassion and honesty, often grappling frankly with mental health in a way that’s being heard more often in mainstream pop these days, following decades in which it was taboo. “Not OK!,” a Vulnerabilia track co-written with veteran Canadian songsmith Todd Clark, makes the case for the beauty of imperfection and for moving past old mistakes with grace and forgiveness. “Todd and I had a writing session, and that week I had just started going to therapy,” Cardigan says. “Honestly, it was the best decision I’ve made in my life. But at the time I was just starting to get into the space of unpacking my more toxic behaviors. … So I was looking at my first panic attack, and the time in my life when I was homeless, then living in a band house and getting drunk every day. I was wanting to get out of that. I remember saying, ‘Everybody’s got that something they can’t fix with love or money,’ and Todd was like, ‘That’s the song.’ ” Rivaling Cardigan’s ability to write an honest and affecting lyric is his knack for crafting an infectious, unexpected melody. On Vulnerabilia track “Being Human,” Cardigan’s vocal follows a serpentine, almost dizzying melody before finding catharsis in a straightforward, anthemic chorus. EP closer “Passinthru” nods to pop-radio hiphop like Drake’s in its production, but Cardigan’s vocal hews more closely to a soaring indie-rock ballad. “The Beatles are the top for me,” Cardigan says of his melodic influences. He also includes pop ace Imogen Heap and rapper and R&B singer Kevin Gates among those he looks up to. “I don’t think there have ever been better melody writers than The Beatles. It’s so cliché, but they do these unexpected things — they don’t always go for the easiest option. ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ — those are really weird songs. And beautiful.” Vulnerabilia follows Cardigan’s 2017 album I, an LP that quickly broadened his fan base and found particular traction on streaming platforms like Spotify. The success of I eventually landed him on the radar of labels Capitol Records and Loud Robot (a subsidiary of director J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company). In an unusual move, the two labels signed Cardigan to a joint deal that combines the muscle and resources of a major label with the invention and agility of an indie. “I’ve worked my whole life to get to a place where just getting music in front of people and having an excuse to play bigger rooms has been the real win,” says Cardigan. “At the same time, it comes with the responsibility of knowing that now I have to make better work. The only way I keep any of what I’ve worked for is by working harder.” Like the rest of us, Cardigan isn’t sure when he’ll return to his normal routine of touring and releasing new music (though he does allude to a new project, the details

of which are still under wraps). More than that, he isn’t even certain whether we’ll ever get back to that old “normal” — or if we even should. “I’ve been struggling the same as everybody, but really learning what life looks like when we can’t keep up this illusion of constant content,” he says. “What does life look like when there isn’t a cool picture to post every day, or a great video? There’s always something you’re working towards or a show to promote. What does it look like when we’re all left to our own devices?” When asked what he’s most looking forward to in the coming months, Cardigan is quick to answer: “Being with people again.” Email music@nashvillescene.com

School’s Out Forever

Nashville’s music instructors navigate a new landscape of web-based teaching

By Sean L. Maloney

“I

feel like I’m on a hunk of wood in the middle of the ocean, and if I cling to this thing, eventually I will wash up somewhere.” Sam Farkas, bandleader of Acme Feed & Seed house band Music City Toppers, guitarist-for-hire and teacher, sounds flustered but resilient. He’s seen all of his gigs canceled, and he’s on the verge of sending back an entire season’s worth of deposits for shows that won’t happen. But his home is still standing in the wake of the March 3 tornado, he hasn’t gotten sick during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he is still projecting the unflappable cool you hope to see from a professional. “I teach guitar lessons during the day and at night, and this is kind of the only shining beacon in all of this,” Farkas says. “We’ve been very easily and effectively able to slide into online lessons.” Farkas is one of many music teachers — both veterans and those new to the game — who have transitioned from traditional faceto-face teaching to the new, socially distanced pedagogy of online instruction. Like their peers at schools and universities across the country, they’ve been part of a sudden shift out of the classroom and into cyberspace. And like their peers, they are approaching the crisis with a mix of grit and optimism. “Music is invaluable in times of emotional turmoil, uncertainty, stress and chaos,” says musician and arts advocacy polymath Ariel Bui. She has successfully migrated her piano lessons from her home-based business Melodia Studio to the video chats of FaceTime and Skype. “I’ve noticed … since the tornado, that the adults will come to me, the kids will come to me, and it is almost like a therapy session.” As the vast majority of public spaces have closed down in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, the live performance sector — one of the most reliable sources of income for musicians — contracted rapidly. Naturally, in-person lessons are off the table too, for the time being. Private music instruction is an up-

nashvillescene.com | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

music_4-2-20.indd 27

3/30/20 7:19 PM

MUSIC close activity that involves more boogers, sweat and tears than the average music fan (who doesn’t have a kid in a music class, at least) would give credit for, and de-gunking generations of instructional norms will take time. Then, there are technical concerns. How do you make a streamed class sound good? Composer and drummer Sofia Goodman of jazz outfit The Sofia Goodman Group has a twokit teaching style, where she and a student have their own drum sets to play on simultaneously in the same room. On top of everything else going on right now, she’s modifying her instruction methodology to work with video-chat technology for smartphones. Drums, as any parent of a budding percussionist will tell you, are not quiet, and overloading the phone’s tiny microphone is just one concern. “I’ve never done Skype lessons before,” Goodman says. “I’ve heard that drummers have done it, but I just don’t know about clipping. Drums aren’t like a violin — they’re really loud, so I don’t know what I’ll be able to hear, let alone see. I don’t see how it can be the same type of quality [as an in-person lesson], but I’m going to adapt.” This widespread reconfiguration in the wake of the coronavirus may lead to the biggest shift yet in American music education. As everyone I spoke with pointed out, now is the time to think of new ways to pass on old lessons about the art of playing and composing. Teachers are applying creative approaches to sharing lessons about human connection in a time when people can’t physically get together — some of them for the first time. DJ and producer Wick-it the Instigator, a longtime fixture of the Music City electronic scene, had already been laying the groundwork to transition away from live events when the virus began to spread. He’s produced a series of sample packs and a group of instructional videos, compiled an exhaustive collection of sounds and effects, and explained in depth how and why to use them — all available for free on his YouTube channel. He’s still working on the mechanics of one-on-one lessons. “I’ve been playing just enough shows to keep the lights on,” says Wick-it. “I was unsure what to charge [for lessons] and talked to a lot of people about it. That’s always tricky, because if I go too low, I’m working without making any money, but I also don’t want to scare anybody off.” There are loads of questions weighing on everyone I spoke with. How do online lessons affect the value of music education? How much do space and equipment figure into the cost? How do you maintain that value when family budgets are under unprecedented strains? There’s a steely determination and sense of thankfulness projected by all of these musicians — a feeling that despite cataclysmic changes, there will still be music, teachers and students. “I feel grateful that my particular skill set can transfer online,” says veteran piano teacher Sara Zentner. With 27 years of experience and a strong base of students, Zentner was able to transition fairly quickly from in-person lessons to teaching online. She has concerns about billing — as well as playing with both hands in a way that can be seen by the camera — but she’s optimistic and open to the challenges. Like her fellow instructors, she is thankful to be teaching when so many others are physically displaced and financially struggling. “There are little things that don’t [transfer],” Zentner says. “But compared to folks that have to close their business? It’s whatever.”

THE SPIN CROSSING THE STREAMS BY KELSEY BEYELER, P.J. KINZER, BRITTNEY McKENNA, LORIE LIEBIG AND MEGAN SELING

uring the second week of widespread temporary closure of local businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19 (the first week under Metro’s “Safer at Home” recommendation), musicians across Nashville continued to stream performances from their houses. Artists’ need to make up lost income and their desire to raise money for good causes will be a key element of these streaming concerts for the foreseeable future. (And if you have cash to spare, now is the time to visit artists’ websites, buy merch and maybe leave a tip.) But it was also apparent just how important performing is to the players involved — as a means of expression as well as a way to build a community. With just an acoustic guitar, her excellent songs and a painting of The Beatles peeking over her shoulder, Brandy Clark brought a hopeful spirit to her Instagram Live session on March 23. She kicked off the brief performance with “Who You Thought I Was,” as fine a piece of country songwriting as you could ask for. The tune is from Your Life Is a Record, her third studio album, which was released on March 6. She weaved that song into a shortened version of “The Gambler,” the signature number of country icon Kenny Rogers, who died March 20. “His passing felt like a fist to my heart,” said Clark. “I loved his music and never really knew him, but there were so many good songs and duets that shaped me as a songwriter. It’s just sad that he’s not around, but we keep playing his music. That’s the best thing we can do.” Matt Friction, songwriter and frontman of storied local rock ’n’ pop outfit The Pink Spiders, brought fans into his living room via Facebook Live on March 24. Once Friction banished the technical hobgoblins that seem to be part and parcel of all streams, die-hard Spiderheads began making requests via the live-comment window, some of which were such deep cuts that Friction couldn’t remember how to play them. All the same, his self-deprecating humor always came across as genuine. Once the show got rolling, he seemed to be much more in his element, strumming his Gretsch White Falcon through an hour-and-a-half of songs written for different projects over the past 17 years. Over in the comments section, fans — as well as former Spiders bassist Jon Decious, sometime utility man Dave Paulson and others from the Spiders orbit — were clearly excited to hear stripped-down versions of

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Spiders tunes like “Black Dagger” and “Nobody Baby.” But they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company just as much. The stream wasn’t exactly like going to a party at Friction’s house, but it was as close as you can get during a pandemic. Despite being stuck in their house, Natalie Prass and bandmate/partner Eric Slick made the most of what they had on hand for a short-and-sweet 15-minute set on March 25, part of Ron Gallo’s ongoing online festival Really Nice Fest. Before the performance, Slick panned across an illustration of a cozy living room to a homemade title card, which fell away to reveal Prass at her keyboard. Keeping with the theme of showing support for independent businesses affected by the COVID-19 closures, Prass noted on the card that her outfit came from Anaconda Vintage and the ceramic figurines and vase adorning her space were made by Erica Prince. For the first and last of her three songs — Doris Day’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and Prass’ own “It Is You” — Prass sang along with pre-recorded tracks. With a timeless and versatile voice like hers, even a little karaoke break is pretty special. Between those tunes, Prass accompanied herself on the keyboard for an original cowritten with Evan P. Donohue, a poignant love song that touches on the organic nature and fragility of romance. Prass brought the dramatic emotional stakes of each of her songs to life. But she didn’t take the whole thing too seriously, either — she got silly with her dog Marvin, who made a couple of cameo appearances. We’re going to need to tap into both of those kinds of energy to make it through this crisis. Another critical component of coping with this pandemic seems to be establishing routines. On March 26, Amanda Shires led the latest installment of her I So Lounging series on YouTube, which streams from a stage at her home most days at 5 p.m. Shires and her co-host Kelly Garcia Plemmons have the format down, loose though it is. As Garcia Plemmons explained at the beginning of the stream, they aim to offer “some music, some chats, maybe bust a ha-ha, who knows.” Garcia Plemmons and husband Seth Plemmons, a guitarist in Shires’ band, have been staying with Shires and her husband Jason Isbell since the calls for social distancing started. Most songs in the day’s set got a three-guitar attack from Shires, Plemmons and Isbell. The banter was a consistent highlight too: Shires mentioned that she has a pair of Chanel galoshes that she wears to “clean up chicken shit.” The more you know. The band pulled deeper cuts from Shires’ catalog, including a couple of songs from 2013’s Down Fell the Doves: First was “Stay,” which recounts in gorgeous detail the early days of falling in love, and then “Bulletproof.” The latter song was inspired by Shires’ encounter with a Tampa, Fla., resident who went by “Tiger Bill.” Shires made a connection between this tale and Netflix’s recent bizarre and much-loved docuseries Tiger King. Then she picked up her fiddle while Isbell took the lead on “Flagship” from his 2015 LP Something More Than Free. Before wrapping up with an impromptu blues jam in honor of the Plemmonses’ dog Zeyk, the group shared ways they were holding onto their equanimity. Isbell recommended limiting your news intake to

an hour a day, while Shires quoted the Ron Padgett poem “How to Be Perfect,” which offers timely advice like “get some sleep” and “don’t be afraid of anything beyond your control.” When Alicia Bognanno’s solo electric livestream kicked off on March 27, the Bully singer-guitarist (and producer and songwriter) confided her unease to the growing crowd on her Instagram feed. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” she said. Who doesn’t right now, honestly? The COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted our daily lives, with little idea when or how they’ll get back to normal. Bognanno started her 12-song set with “Reason,” an exuberant and crunchy pop tune from the band’s 2015 debut album Feels Like. The opening lines about enjoying being at home with her dog Mezzi are especially apt for this time of necessary and responsible social isolation: “I feel good when I’m at home / Especially when I’m alone / I watch Mezzi stare at the shed / Play guitar on my bed.” Bognanno is a gem of a human, a funny, relatable woman who also just happens to be mega-talented at writing, playing and producing songs. On Friday night, fans were invited to see a side of her that most don’t get to experience, direct from her living room decorated with framed posters and a large portrait of Mezzi. The set included Losing songs “Blame” and “Trash,” old favorite “Milkman” and even a couple of new tunes. Every now and then, Bognanno would pause to thank her nana for tuning in, or to feed Mezzi treats. She also fumbled with minor technical difficulties, but those watching didn’t seem to care. A stream of thankful comments and hearts flooded the feed, with onlookers from around the world saying things like, “This is the happiest I’ve been in all three weeks of isolation.” EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

music_4-2-20.indd 28

3/30/20 7:20 PM

film

... and chill

We’re back with more recommendations of films to stream while you’re social distancing By Jason Shawhan

ere we are, still locked into this stressful and terrifying ongoing experience that we’re all sort of blindly careening through. As we all continue social distancing to avoid the spread of COVID-19, perhaps you’re trying to find something to watch to get through the day. Maybe I can help. There are heaps of streaming services out there, and I’m happy to find all sorts of interesting options and evaluate them as need be. See more recommendations in last week’s issue of the Scene, and read on for this week’s picks.

The Assignment on Netflix This down-and-dirty 2016 flick from Walter Hill (The Warriors, Streets of Fire) has been trending on Netflix in recent weeks. The Assignment finds mad scientist Sigourney Weaver forcibly transitioning (literal) swinging-dick assassin Michelle Rodriguez to a female body. As you can imagine, this film is fraught and deeply problematic, graphically violent and irredeemably stupid. Rodriguez is fine, but the reason this film sticks with you is Weaver, who has never been meaner or funnier; her deposition scene is one of the greatest line deliveries in cinema history.

BMX Bandits on Amazon Prime It can be hard to know exactly when it’s the right time to introduce your children to the cinema of Nicole Kidman. Paddington is a delightful film, but do you want to start a new generation out on their cinematic journey with Kidman as a villain? The same goes for the tragically underrated film version of The Golden Compass. But fear not, because Aussie exploitation master and friend of the Belcourt Brian Trenchard-Smith (Frog Dreaming, Dead End Drive-In, Megiddo: Omega Code 2) made this excellent kids’ action movie featuring La Nicole in her first film, in

the assignment

which she plays a BMX biker having adventures and stopping crime with her friends. Way less yell-y than The Goonies and with a lot of great bike sequences, BMX Bandits also has a theme song you won’t be able to get out of your head.

Fury of the Demon on Amazon Prime and Kanopy What would you say about a film that caused riots every time it was shown in public? How do you address a “cursed film” without immediately getting shunted off to the land of found-footage horror? The 2016 French project Fury of the Demon addresses a lost silent film that may even have been directed by the legendary Georges Méliès — a film that may in fact be infused with something ... unearthly. As close as we may ever get to a film version of Steven Boyett’s short story “The Answer Tree,” this hourlong documentary aims for the impact of 2008’s Lake Mungo. And if it doesn’t quite land that goal, it’s unique and essential for lovers of French film and horror cinema.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot on Amazon Prime Hardcore Kevin Smith fans have already seen this. Haters won’t go near it. But if you’ve ever had any affection for the View Askewniverse, you should certainly check out Jay and Silent Bob Reboot — it’s Smith’s Big Fish. Now, this isn’t quite the kind of rip-it-up-and-start-over movie that Tim Burton’s film was in comparison to previous work; Smith has always had a vein of sentimentality running through his films, and he finds a way to reconcile it all. Rather, this is a movie about all the dick and weed jokes, but also about what happens when the past becomes a prison. Worth a look to be sure, though I missed Hooper X.

the platform

Lady of Burlesque on Amazon Prime

Shakma on PopcornFlix

“What’s that?” you say. “A movie from 1943 on one of the major streaming services?” Indeed, your eyes do not deceive you. Anyone who’s missing their classic Hollywood programmers should check out Lady of Burlesque, a Barbara Stanwyck musical-mystery (based on a novel by Gypsy Rose Lee) about murder backstage at a vaudeville/burlesque house. It’s got singing and dancing and murder and drama (and way too casual an attitude about partner violence toward women), and Stanwyck is always iconic (in Edith Head outfits).

In this corner, we have a baboon whose brain has been messed with by scientists. In the other corner, we have several LARPer college students — including Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street, To Die For), Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon) and Ari Meyers (Kate & Allie) — taking over a school building after hours to play their game on a grand scale. Beloved icon Roddy McDowall is their professor. Before the night is over, they will all understand why Shakma means terror. If you enjoy films in which teen ignorance and arrogance collide with furry rage, this 1990 film is the one for you. It’s also for you if you enjoy movies like Roar, where it seems like real-life horror could have happened at any moment on set.

The Platform on Netflix One of the big new releases on Netflix, this Spanish film has a great allegorical hook at its center and something of an inspirational message. But it’s very enamored of its own cruelty and violence, and the central hook goes only so far. It’s what you could call edgelord-y optimism, if that’s a subgenre that you’re into. (As noted in last week’s Critics’ Picks, Snowpiercer is also on Netflix; it has a similar structure, and Bong Joon-ho does it better.) Regardless, director Galder GazteluUrrutia is one to watch.

Bill Hader and John Mulaney on Amazon Prime A discussion between two longtime friends, ostensibly focusing on Hader’s HBO series Barry but way more free-form and jazzy than that may sound, this special — recorded at New York’s 92nd Street Y — is essential for anyone who likes either or both of these performers. It’s also essential, honestly, for anyone who digs good storytelling. Lots of big, cathartic laughs. Email arts@nashvillescene.com

shakma

nashvillescene.com | April 2 – april 8, 2020 | Nashville Scene

film_4-2-20.indd 29

3/30/20 3:56 PM

fiLm

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

The STeel helmeT

Lobby Hobby

Living Room Film Club brings that Belcourt-lobby feeling home By Erica ciccaronE

615-810-9625 | MyPleasureStore.com *Offer Ends 4/13/2020. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Discount Code: NSSF25

PRB_NS_QuarterB_020920.indd 1

2/6/20 8:16 PM

ABS EXPERTS

$ 89 99

$ 59 99 FREE 04/30/20.

04/30/20.

$15

e at the Scene know that the Belcourt Theatre is one of Nashville’s finest institutions. We’ve all had meaningful interactions in its lobby with fellow cinephiles, discussing the latest release or repertory screening. The culture surrounding movies is as important as the films themselves. That’s why we’re partnering with the arthouse to present the Living Room Film Club, an online gathering for film lovers. It’s our way of extending that Belcourt feeling while we’re practicing social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Each week, the Belcourt and the Scene will announce a collection from the Criterion Channel, with one film as the spotlight. You can watch the spotlight feature on your own at home, along with any other films in the collection that strike you, and join our guest speakers for a live 30-minute discussion online. At press time, our first club was planned

for April 1, featuring the Learn more at Criterion collection StarbeLcourt.org/ events/Livingring Juliette Binoche and room-fiLm-cLub a Zoom discussion with Belcourt education and engagement director Allison Inman; Nashville Scene contributing writer Sadaf Ahsan; and the director of cinema and media arts at Vanderbilt University, Jennifer Fay. On April 8, we’ll feature Samuel Fuller’s 1953 Korean War drama The Steel Helmet. On April 15, we’ll discuss the Sidney Poitierstarring classic In the Heat of the Night, and on April 22, we’ll feature the original Godzilla, directed by Ishirō Honda. A subscription to the Criterion Channel is well worth the $10.99 per month fee. With hundreds of thematically presented collections, it’s a great way to find new favorites. You can follow your curiosity to collections like Italian New Wave Cinema, German Expressionism and Pioneers of African American Cinema; study directors and actors like Poitier, Agnès Varda and Erroll Morris across their careers; and have access to Martin Scorsese’s extra-special World Cinema Project. Stay updated about Living Room Film Club at belcourt.org/events/living-roomfilm-club. See you at the movies — sort of! Email arts@nashvillEscEnE.com

OFF $ 10 OFF 04/30/20.

04/30/20.

in The heaT of The nighT

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 – APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

film_4-2-20.indd 30

3/30/20 3:52 PM

crossword EditEd by Will Shortz Note: This puzzle has 16 solutions. Across 1 British brew since 1777 5 Early challenge for Barack and Michelle obama, for short 9 streak 12 Usefulness 13 Bill of rights defender, in brief 14 Dracula accessory 15 Big fly at the ballpark 16 see 14-Down 18 Mantra chants 19 Underground workers 21 “What’s the ___?” 22 “I, claudius” role 23 Layers of stone 24 one of the Twelve Apostles 28 old phone features 30 “___ #1!” 31 certain rough patches 33 opposite of masc. 35 Part of Indochina 36 Jargon 37 Palindromic term of address 39 Zenith 40 Bit of baby talk 41 Locale of the 2018, 2020 and 2022 olympics 42 “You win” 43 Irk 45 Listed 48 camper driver 50 Joan ___, player of Pat Nixon in 1995’s “Nixon” 51 sleeper hits, perhaps 53 A pair 55 see 42-Down 57 Hall-of-Fame hitter rod 59 Tablet one might take before going to bed? 60 Fearsome part of a Jabberwock 61 sets straight 62 crucial 63 A dreadful state, with “the” 64 Leo or Libra

1 2

DoWN sounds that can startle company division

20 23 28

42 45

2000

EMPLOYMENT

22 25

No. 0227

Senior Build and Release Engineers. Schedule, coordinate, and deploy code over multiple environments, including development, QA, stage, and production for multiple teams, including Technical Shared Services and Application Development, for a major retailer. Employer: Tractor Supply Company. Location: Brentwood, TN. Multiple openings. To apply, mail resumes (no calls/emails) to P. Hatcher, 5401 Virginia Way, Brentwood, TN 37027 and reference job code 0127.

Looking for a good granita?

SICK OF SOUS VIDE?

NashvilleScene.com

Animal Scientist (Nutritional Services Specialist). Evaluate customer nutrition programs, make recommendations to improve performance/cost of production. Employer: PIC USA, Inc. Job location: Hendersonville, TN, with extensive travel to U.S. & int’l client sites required. Mail CV to Karla Herring, PIC USA, Inc., 100 Bluegrass Commons Blvd., Ste. 2200, Hendersonville, TN 37075.

3000

SERVICES

EARN YOUR HS DIPLOMA TODAY For more info call 1.800.470.4723 Or visit our website: www.diplomaathome.com

Rental Scene For a small investment you can finally reach the right tenants. Call Emma today! 615-844-9221

Rocky McElhaney Law Firm InjuRy Auto ACCIdEnts WRongFul dEAth dAngERous And dEFECtIvE dRugs

Voted Best Attorney in Nashville Call 615-425-2500 for FREE Consultation

www.rockylawfirm.com

puzzle by andrew kingsley and john lieb

3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 14 17 20 23 24 25 26 27 29 32 33 34 37 38 40

Fruit part that’s thrown away The Kaaba in Mecca, e.g. “ciao!” Quantum mechanics thought experiment in which contradictory states exist simultaneously Bar orders Popcorn container Item in a beach bag Ivy seen along the schuylkill river “Darn it!” Pronoun that can ask a question With 16-Across, travel internationally Iridescent stones recent recruits, so to speak Like the boys in “Lord of the Flies” Hole puncher “swell!” sag Hi or lo follower “Aladdin” parrot Amazonas and others Go to extremes, foodwise Buildup during vacation Welcome site? Fannie ___ Hollows

42 44 45 46 47 49 51 52 53

With 55-Across, breakup line Puts up surgery to improve how you look? Go off, but not without a hitch? Big name in cosmetics YouTube data Java neighbor Madras wrap Many a middle schooler

54 56 58

Possible reactions to shocks Angel dust oval thing in the oval office

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE b o u T s

a l p h a

p i T a s

a s a d a

X r F i l o

r e g l 8 e F o T u p p a w h h i l g r i a l e M p i e 8 d l l s e

o a h u

b l u r

a i n T

M a C h

T T 8 r s a 8 p n

i s l a M

g u r u

C o V e

s a g e

o d 8 i l n s

e n i d

a s h e s p p a o n T T y s i p F e

r i p T o r n C l i C k

s V p C e e h e w

l d a z e

l o h a n

s n

o g r e s

w s h T 8 r p i i p

8 p s

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/ crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.

nashvillescene.com | APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

crossword_4-2-20.indd 31

3/30/20 4:14 PM

NowWe Serving Regret That We Need to Featuring

monellstn.com

Close Our 3 Nashville SATURDAYS: Southern Country Locations At This Time. Midnight to 3 Breakfast We Look Forward To Serving A.M. BREAKFAST 7 Days a Week!

You Again Very (Germantown Location Only)

Soon!

IRS Problems?

MUSIC CITY

We can help!

PHONE Phone READINGS Readings

PSYCHIC

Unfiled returns Penalties IRS and State Notices Payroll issues

gloverandglovercpas.com Local CPA firm helping tax resolution clients for 20+ yrs

615.370.0341

special offers & pricing

OUR 8th AVE. SOUTH LOCATION IS OPEN FOR TAKEOUT... YOUR FAVORITE MEXICAN FOOD & ‘RITA, TOO! Available Daily 11 AM-8 PM

2330 8TH AVE. SOUTH

615-988-0404

ille Nashv ! e Fuer t

Nashv ill stron e g!

615-915-0515

284 White Bridge Rd

HOME. AUTO. LIFE. BIZ.

HERE’S TO 25 YEARS OF SERVING NASHVILLE! Have we helped you yet?

Text “TNMuffler” to 85100 Thetford Insurance Services, Inc.

615-297-2200

IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT A NASHVILLE PREDATORS PODCAST FROM

SUBSCRIBE ON 32

NASHVILLE SCENE | APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

NASHVILLESCENE.COM/PODCAST