Nashville Scene 11-30-23

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NOVEMBER 30–DECEMBER 6, 2023 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 43 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

NASHVILLE HEADS FOR ANOTHER TRANSIT REFERENDUM

FILM:

TALKING TO TENNESSEE’S OWN RAVEN JACKSON ABOUT ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT

>> PAGE 9

>> PAGE 46

MELINDA DOOLITTLE, SEASON 6, 2007

KRIS ALLEN, SEASON 8, 2009

A look at Nashville’s large ecosystem of American Idol alumni

BY HANNAH HERNER

LOCALS PAY WHAT YOU WANT

Daily pay-what-you-want Museum admission for Davidson County residents December 1, 2023 through January 31, 2024—plus the Museum is not just 9 to 5, with late-night programs Tuesdays in January. above: Dolly Parton in Centennial Park, 1975. photo by raeanne rubenstein

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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CONTENTS NEWS 7 Here Are the First Steps in How the East Bank Will Be Constructed Beginning in December, O’Connell’s administration will begin sending pieces of the project to the Metro Council

BY CONNOR DARYANI, NASHVILLE BANNER

7 Pith in the Wind

This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

9 Nashville Heads for Another Transit Referendum Internal recommendations put O’Connell on a tight timeline

BY ELI MOTYCKA

COVER STORY 11 Idol Behavior A look at Nashville’s large ecosystem of American Idol alumni

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BY HANNAH HERNER

15 GIFT GUIDE

WithCo’s Joshua Ellis, Dierks Bentley and Bradley Ryan • PHOTO BY EVAN DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

25 CRITICS’ PICKS

Studio Ghibli Classics, Buffalo Nichols, Angel Olsen, Big Freedia and more

FOOD AND DRINK 34 At the Market: Smokin’ Oaks Justin Head is committed to providing yearround access to local, organic food

BY KELSEY BEYELER

35 Sober on a Plane Dierks Bentley invests in Nashville-based cocktail mixers WithCo

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

BOOKS

FILM

40 Looking for Home

46 Quoth the Raven

Kelsey Norris’ debut story collection resonates with unanswered questions

Talking to Tennessee native Raven Jackson about her anticipated debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

BY SARAH NORRIS; CHAPTER16.ORG

BY ADAM DAVIDSON

MUSIC 43 Off the Charts Dream Chambers teams up with Sonya Waters and chatterbird for her most ambitious work yet

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD

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MARKETPACE

BY P.J. KINZER

44 Another Look

THEATER 36 Food for Thought Geoff Sobelle hopes to feed conversation with Food at OZ Arts

BY AMY STUMPFL

ART 39 Narrative Paintings and Astrophotography Illuminate December’s First Saturday

The Scene’s music writers recommend recent releases from Chuck Indigo, Cidny Bullens, The Shindellas and more

BY RACHEL CHOLST, SEAN L. MALONEY, AMY STUMPFL, STEPHEN TRAGESER AND RON

ON THE COVER:

WYNN

Melinda Doolittle and Kris Allen. Photos by Eric England.

The Scene’s live-review column checks out William Tyler and the Impossible Truth with friends at The Blue Room

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Nashville’s Better Side of Best

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11/30 Intro to MIG Welding 12/2 Intro to Metal Fabrication 12/5 Create Your End-Grain Cutting Board, Part 1 12/6 Parquetry: Geometric Patterns with Wood Veneer, Part 3 12/9 Intro to MIG Welding 12/12 Create Your End-Grain Cutting Board, Part 2 12/13 Intro to Adobe Illustrator 12/13 Build Your Own Canvas Stretcher Frame 12/14 CNC 101 12/14 Intro to MIG Welding 12/20 Laser 101 12/28 Intro to MIG Welding CLASSES

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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FROM BILL FREEMAN

WHO WE ARE

NAVIGATING NASHVILLE’S GROWTH: MAYOR O’CONNELL’S VISION FOR A HARMONIOUS FUTURE NASHVILLE IS at a critical juncture with Mayor Freddie O’Connell at the helm, steering the city toward a future shaped by thoughtful policies and strategic vision. As our new mayor assembles his team, the city anticipates a shift in how key issues such as public transit, education, affordable housing and urban development will be addressed.

O’Connell’s clear campaign priorities reflect a commitment to progress without embracing anti-growth sentiments.

Amid the anticipation of increased investment and population influx, O’Connell’s rallying cry and popular campaign slogan “I want you to stay” resonates with many Nashvillians who have felt their priorities misaligned with the city’s governance. The anticipated update to the NashvilleNext general plan in 2024 signals an opportunity for the mayor, the Metro Council and the city’s residents to shape Nashville’s growth trajectory collectively.

While the prospect of limiting growth is a concern for some, acknowledging the inherent challenges, O’Connell recognizes the importance of guiding Nashville’s expansion intelligently. A growing city is an economic powerhouse, but uncontrolled growth can lead to adverse consequences. Striking a balance is paramount, ensuring that Nashville evolves without sacrificing its unique character.

The evolution of Nashville’s real estate market underscores the need for adaptive strategies, as noted in a recent op-ed from The Tennessean. Historic buildings, once governed by outdated codes, are now subject to reevaluation. And Nashville’s response to the housing need has been an emphasis on increasing density, particularly in the city center. But this approach has sparked debates at numerous neighborhood meetings, where residents express conceptual support for housing expansion but fear denser developments encroaching on single-family homes. This debate is not unique to Nashville, as various and comparable cities grapple with similar challenges.

How will Mayor O’Connell address the affordable housing issue? How will Nashville find continued growth and development while preserving historical assets and maintaining the uniqueness of our city? The expected update of NashvilleNext could provide a timely platform for some crucial discussions involving this issue and the handful of others he considers priorities.

Mayor O’Connell’s proactive approach to governance has already become clear through the policy road maps presented by his transition committees. These committees include community leaders and even former mayoral

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candidates. Since being appointed, they have delved into the intricacies of three vital aspects: How Nashville Moves, How Nashville Works and How Nashville Grows.

How Nashville Moves addresses Nashville’s transit system. Ours was recently named the worst commuter city by Forbes, proving why it’s a central piece of O’Connell’s agenda. A proposed transit referendum coinciding with next year’s presidential election is a strategic move and would garner maximum public engagement.

Learning from Nashville’s 2018 referendum failure, the mayor is placing an emphasis on transparency and community involvement — a wise and invaluable move for securing public support.

The How Nashville Works committee, focusing on foundational fixes, aligns with O’Connell’s commitment to address longstanding issues such as Metro’s customer service. As the Nashville Banner recently reported: “The committee’s recommendations are directly targeted at the systems most visible to Nashvillians: reporting a pothole on your street, streamlining payment services and creating a community safety plan. The idea is that larger projects like the East Bank and a transit referendum could be more doable by getting these things right and creating a system that can accomplish these things smoothly.”

The East Bank has emerged as a focal point for developmental aspirations. The committee’s recommendations for How Nashville Grows center on transparency, communication of infrastructure costs and prioritizing affordable housing over revenue maximization. Recognizing Metro’s historical challenge of executing plans, the committee advocates for a dedicated team to coordinate plan implementation — an idea that resonates with O’Connell’s commitment to dusting off shelved plans and ensuring their realization.

Nashville stands on the brink of positive transformation, guided by Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s vision and the comprehensive road maps outlined by his transition committees.

The city’s future hinges on fostering growth without compromising its essence. As Nashvillians brace for discussions on density, development and preservation, the commitment to transparency, trust-building and strategic implementation laid out by Mayor O’Connell and his committees provides a hopeful blueprint for a thriving and harmonious Nashville.

Bill Freeman Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post, and The News.

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF D. Patrick Rodgers MANAGING EDITOR Alejandro Ramirez SENIOR EDITOR Dana Kopp Franklin ARTS EDITOR Laura Hutson Hunter MUSIC AND LISTINGS EDITOR Stephen Trageser DIGITAL EDITOR Kim Baldwin ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cole Villena CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Erica Ciccarone, Jack Silverman STAFF WRITERS Kelsey Beyeler, Logan Butts, Stephen Elliott, Hannah Herner, Hamilton Matthew Masters, Eli Motycka, Nicolle Praino, William Williams CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sadaf Ahsan, Ken Arnold, Radley Balko, Ashley Brantley, Maria Browning, Logan Butts, Steve Cavendish, Chris Chamberlain, Rachel Cholst, Lance Conzett, Hannah Cron, Connor Daryani, Steve Erickson, Adam Gold, Kashif Andrew Graham, Seth Graves, Kim Green, Amanda Haggard, Steven Hale, Edd Hurt, Jennifer Justus, P.J. Kinzer, Janet Kurtz, Christine Kreyling, J.R. Lind, Craig D. Lindsey, Sean L. Maloney, Margaret Littman, Brittney McKenna, Marissa R. Moss, Noel Murray, Joe Nolan, Betsy Phillips, John Pitcher, Margaret Renkl, Daryl Sanders, Jason Shawhan, Nadine Smith, Ashley Spurgeon, Amy Stumpfl, Kay West, Andrea Williams, Nicole Williams, Ron Wynn, Charlie Zaillian ART DIRECTOR Elizabeth Jones PHOTOGRAPHERS Angelina Castillo, Eric England, Matt Masters GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Sandi Harrison, Mary Louise Meadors, Tracey Starck PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Christie Passarello GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN Kylie Taylor ENJOYED SEEING: FESTIVAL DIRECTOR Olivia Britton Nightly and Knox at Brooklyn Bowl MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER Robin Fomusa PUBLISHER Mike Smith ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Michael Jezewski SENIOR ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS MANAGERS Carla Mathis, Heather Cantrell Mullins, Jennifer Trsinar, Keith Wright ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS MANAGERS Teresa Birdsong, Maddy Fraiche, Kailey Idziak, Allie Muirhead, Niki Tyree, Alissa Wetzel SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER Chelon Hill Hasty SHOPPING: ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS ASSOCIATES at Finnleys Audry Houle, Jack Stejskal SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Susan Torregrossa PRESIDENT Mike Smith CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Todd Patton CORPORATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Elizabeth Jones IT DIRECTOR John Schaeffer CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Gary Minnis FW PUBLISHING LLC Owner Bill Freeman

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

NEWS PITH IN THE WIND

HERE ARE THE FIRST STEPS IN HOW THE EAST BANK WILL BE CONSTRUCTED Beginning in December, O’Connell’s administration will begin sending pieces of the project to the Metro Council

PHOTO: HISTORIC NASHVILLE INC.

NASHVILLESCENE.COM/NEWS/PITHINTHEWIND

BY CONNOR DARYANI, NASHVILLE BANNER

A RENDERING OF FALLON’S INITIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR THE EAST BANK This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and the Nashville Scene. For more information, visit NashvilleBanner.com.

SIXTY-THOUSAND people will make their way through the East Bank to attend a Titans football game at a new stadium in September 2027. Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s administration intends to have the makings of a new neighborhood ready for them to walk through.

Sandwiched between the Cumberland River and I-24 lies the East Bank: a 550-acre plot boasting 110 acres of Metro-owned land, very little development and a lot of concrete. In 2027, 20 acres of that land will be home to the new Titans stadium — arguably the most significant accomplishment of John Cooper’s term as mayor.

As Cooper’s administration made its ultimately successful push for this $2.1 billion structure, they simultaneously pitched Nashvillians a previously considered but unpursued idea: the development of the East Bank as a functional new neighborhood within the city. Housing, transit, green space, family-friendly fun, river access and a potential new space for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center — all were floated as possibilities should the city choose to develop the East Bank.

Now it’s time for the O’Connell administration to turn those ideas into a reality.

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Five-hundred-fifty acres is a massive undertaking that will take decades to develop in phases. For reference, the Gulch is 60 acres. The development of that private project kicked off in 1999 with the purchase of the land. More than 20 years later, the Gulch is only 50 percent complete. The “initial development area” of the East Bank is a 30-acre plot of Metro-owned land near the new stadium.

In other words, don’t expect to take a stroll through a changed East Bank anytime soon.

“I think it’s underappreciated just how unusually large this is for Nashville and really anywhere that you could look,” says Bob Mendes, O’Connell’s chief development officer. “And that translates into time, and multiple phases and complexity, on a scale that hardly ever happens anywhere. The desire to have it all figured out right away, while natural, is hard to accommodate.”

But despite the scale, the city can’t drag its feet. The initial development area directly borders two sides of the new stadium, which means that if at least some of that development is not completed by the time the new stadium opens in March 2027, attendees will be walking through an active construction zone.

“In any universe where we didn’t have a football stadium opening in March of 2027, the timeline that we’re discussing for negotiating

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

this with Fallon would be considered very aggressive,” Mendes said at a meeting of the Metro Council Ad-Hoc East Bank Committee. “But we do have a football stadium opening in three years and four to five months.”

Fallon is the private company selected by Cooper as the master developer to head up making Metro’s plans a reality on the 30-acre initial development area. Fallon was selected on Sept. 11, three days before Metro’s mayoral runoff election. The protest period for that selection ended on Sept. 22, the final day of Cooper’s time in office. That’s left the O’Connell administration scrambling over the past few weeks to set the groundwork for negotiating what the East Bank will look like. As part of those conversations, the administration gave Fallon feedback on the project proposal. The proposal received public scrutiny over its lack of substantial affordable housing units. In the coming weeks, Fallon will come back with a new conceptual design that will serve as a jumping-off point for negotiations.

“We certainly have talked about the conversation related to affordable housing and just kind of looking at total number of units available on the total number of acres available, that kind of thing,” O’Connell said at a recent media roundtable. “I guess I would still call those pre-negotiation conversations.”

PHOTO: NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Columnist and local history expert Betsy Phillips has an update on the case of who bombed famed civil rights leader Z. Alexander Looby’s Nashville home in 1960. Phillips — whose book Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control will land in the summer — finally received a long-awaited FBI file related to the case. At the center of it all is J.B. Stoner, a virulent racist with connections to many bombings throughout the South.

PHOTO: ANDREW JAMESON, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

COURTESY OF: THE FALLON COMPANY

Historic Nashville Inc. last week announced its Nashville Nine, an annual preservation list highlighting homes and businesses under threat of demolition or neglect. This year’s list centers civil rights history, with buildings located in historically Black North Nashville making up the bulk of the Nashville Nine. Among the entries are the home of civil rights figure Juno Frankie Pierce (pictured), the childhood home of Freedom Riders Joy Reagon and Cordell Hull Reagon, and the R&R Liquors building on Jefferson Street.

In the latest installment of her column On First Reading, contributor Nicole Williams reports on the Nov. 21 Metro Council meeting, which covered Metro’s website functionality and a nonbinding resolution related to the historic Morris Memorial Building, which is currently under contract with a private developer. Also on the Metro governance front: Mayor Freddie O’Connell recently released recommendations from his mayoral transition committees. The committees focused on the East Bank and other neighborhood development, various Metro departments’ functionality, and the city’s transportation network.

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Over the past few weeks, O’Connell’s administration has emphasized that nothing has been finalized. They plan to bring a master development agreement to the Metro Council in February, hoping to pass it in April. That agreement and the attached documents will outline the details of developing those 30 acres: a timeline, what phases go first, a description of responsibilities, land usage, documents related to future lease agreements, and of course a price tag. Until that contract passes the council, negotiations are fluid.

But while anything could happen, some aspects seem increasingly likely based on public support and rhetoric from the mayor’s office.

Interest in building a new space for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center within those 30 acres has grown. As the city works to revitalize its transit system, a parcel has already been identified as an ideal space for an East Bank transit hub. And on either side of the new stadium — the parcels likely to see development first — large open plazas will be needed to contain the foot traffic that Titans games, concerts and other events will bring.

That means that not only does Metro have much to negotiate between now and February, it won’t just be Fallon, the mayor’s office and department heads at the table. The Titans and the state will need to participate in some conversations.

Part of the Titans stadium deal was a site-coordination agreement. This agreement acknowledged that some spaces surrounding the stadium must be identified as shared-use spaces throughout future master development negotiations. That means that while the Titans won’t have a say in what happens to all 30 acres of the initial development area, they will be part of the negotiations for some of the spaces that most directly affect the stadium.

From the state end, the State Building Commission has already approved $200 million in grant funds for constructing a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Transportation will need a seat at the table for conversations surrounding an underappreciated elephant in the room: the James Robertson Parkway bridge.

The bridge is one of the primary connections between downtown Nashville and the East Bank. Bridges are within TDOT’s jurisdiction.

But for a new transit hub and connectivity of an

East Bank neighborhood to work, that bridge will need to undergo significant changes. While the nearby Woodland Street bridge connects to the East Bank almost immediately at street level, having little negative impact on neighborhood connectivity, the James Robertson Parkway bridge sits atop a giant wall.

“It severs the neighborhood, it severs the pedestrian experience and certainly limits our ability to deliver transit,” said Metro Planning Department executive director Lucy Kempf during the Ad-Hoc East Bank Committee meeting.

The site selected for a possible transit hub lies directly against what is currently a concrete slab, rendering that parcel nearly useless as a transit hub. The James Robertson Parkway bridge landing will need to be lowered to street level, an endeavor that will be just as costly as it is necessary.

And of course, materializing a brand-new neighborhood from nothing right next to a brand-new stadium is sure to do one thing — significantly increase the need for sewage capacity. Sometime in December, the Metro Council will see legislation surrounding the construction of a new sewer pump station. That legislation will include agreements with the Titans and an outline of how developments serviced by the sewer pump station will contribute to its cost. During the committee meeting, Mendes explained that this would allow Metro to be cost-neutral on a 30-year timeline. But in the meantime, Metro will have to front some of that money, which means estimating that cost will be a vital early piece of negotiations.

All these details, big and small, need to be hammered out in the coming months for ground to break on construction. Because at the end of the day, whether the city is ready or not, there are going to be 60,000 people traipsing through the East Bank in just a few short years.

“I think the thing to imagine would be, in the ideal world, if somebody starts downtown or wants to take a pedestrian bridge over the river, they could walk over the bridge, straight up to the south plaza into the stadium,” Mendes says. “And there might be a couple of complete buildings that they pass along the way, but more likely construction at various stages on either side, but their ingress and egress is doable in a safe manner.” ▼

NASHVILLE HEADS FOR ANOTHER TRANSIT REFERENDUM

Internal recommendations put O’Connell on a tight timeline

DECEMBER 1 & 2

MAYOR FREDDIE O’CONNELL heard from his three transition committees — tasked with reports on transit, housing and city operations — just before Thanksgiving. After an hour of conversational presentations from committee heads, one audience question hit the mark.

The same question has dogged Nashville’s transit-focused mayor since the campaign trail: “When will the next transit referendum be on the ballot?”

Vanderbilt University Medical Center trauma surgeon Dr. Alex Jahangir, O’Connell’s pick to lead the eight-person committee on transit and transportation, was clear without being pushy.

“You need to present this to all Nashvillians in a high-turnout election,” Jahangir said. “And the most high-turnout elections are presidential elections. The committee would probably recommend November 2024, but I guess that’s a political decision.”

“We hope to have a couple of key hires in the very near future to respond to the recommendations of the [committee] report,” responded O’Connell. “We’ll start there, probably do the analysis they recommend, and make a decision very soon.”

Move quickly to make an “early determination” about a referendum, advises the committee. Get a plan, build a coalition and communicate its goals with eyes on November.

By this spring, Nashville would be almost halfway through the $8.9 billion in light rail and bus rapid transit improvements proposed by former Mayor Megan Barry in the city’s last transit referendum, “Let’s Move Nashville.” Instead, the proposal failed in a drubbing that New York-based think tank TransitCenter attributed to organized opposition from the Koch brothers network, a hastily planned product that lacked community buy-in, and Barry’s abrupt resignation in March 2018, two months before the referendum vote. The whole debacle was turned into a case study by TransitCenter, cutely titled, “Derailed: How Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan Crashed at the Polls — and What Other Cities Can Learn From It.” While the former mayor’s affair with her bodyguard, Metro police Sgt. Rob Forrest, may linger among gossips as her personal legacy, the overwhelming failure of Let’s Move casts a longer policy shadow over the city — a city that continues to suffer from anemic local and regional transportation options and increasing traffic congestion.

A mayor can tweak the edges of the city’s existing transit infrastructure with budget items and capital improvements. Overhauling the entire system with major service upgrades, new offers like light rail or regionally connected routes throughout the county would take much more money. A petition endorsed by 10 percent of registered voters in Davidson County could send any bond issuance approved by the Metro Council to a referendum. Any dedicated transit funding coming from state tax streams triggers a direct referendum.

Overhauling Nashville transit likely hits on one or both of

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

BY ELI MOTYCKA

those scenarios.

First as a Metro Transportation Authority board member and then over eight years on the Metro Council, O’Connell built a reputation as a transit advocate. He often recalls the same anecdote — that getting rid of his car enabled him to save enough money for a downpayment on a home in Salemtown, a personal finance hack currently unimaginable for the average Nashvillian.

Now as mayor, O’Connell has the blessing and burden of putting together the large-scale solutions he’s gestured toward for years.

During their six-week runoff, candidates O’Connell and Alice Rolli pledged to “pursue” a transit referendum, proof that the political calculus has determined the city is ready to move past 2018. The endorsement from fiscally conservative Rolli is a testament to the obvious need that Nashville must do something very big and very expensive to rework its transportation system.

O’Connell emphasized that any plan must proceed deliberately and include community buy-in — his attempts to avoid repeating 2018.

Pressure to get a referendum on the ballot by Nov. 7 could run afoul of both those goals.

“Their recommendation of November 2024 is a tight turnaround,” says Alex Apple, O’Connell’s deputy communications director. “That doesn’t make it unfeasible. A transit referendum is in the cards, but the mayor doesn’t know when or what, or what needs a dedicated funding stream versus what can be included in the budget or what can be done legislatively. He’s not under the misconception that this can be done with the wave of a pen.”

O’Connell’s first moves have been meetings with the Greater Nashville Regional Council (a planning coalition of local governments in Middle Tennessee) and a trip to Orlando, Fla., for a public transit conference. Planners agree that Nashville’s transit picture has to include neighboring population centers across the region, something that can connect satellites like Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Franklin and Columbia.

“My vision for five to 10 years would involve some form of multimodal connectivity for the entire region, including a mix of light rail, other incentives to reduce vehicles and increase higher occupancy travel, and combination of interstate and regional connector roadway improvements,” Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder tells the Scene. He says Columbia sends 10,000 daily commuters to Williamson and Davidson counties. “These discussions have been ongoing for years, and I look forward to continuing this conversation and watching this plan become a reality.” ▼

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A look at Nashville’s large ecosystem of American Idol alumni

BY HANNAH HERNER Performances like William Hung’s famous rendition of “She Bangs” have no place in the new iteration of the show, which takes itself more seriously. Cowell’s snarky comments are also nowhere to be found — the show’s now far too earnest for that. These days American Idol flies in great singers to a select few cities, where they meet with schools including Belmont University to recruit cast members.

Underwood is just one of an extensive list of Idol alumni who are part of Nashville’s expansive entertainment community. Some of them agreed to speak with the Scene about what happened after their time on the show.

Fame

As the seasons went on, American Idol began to beget stars inspired by earlier contestants.

Viewers first met a 15-year-old Lauren Alaina in 2011. Earlier this month, she achieved her dream of being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

“I was a small-town girl who watched women like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson come into their own,” Alaina tells the Scene. “They laid a pathway for me to follow in. I just want to be a trailblazer for young women with dreams.

“People still to this day come up to me and say, ‘I loved you on American Idol, and I’ve been your fan since day one,’” she continues. “It’s really fun, because I have such a devoted fan base because of them voting me into this career. I have gotten to watch them grow up too.”

Sixteen years and a significant haircut later, Chris Sligh may be unrecognizable to some viewers. Sligh placed 10th on Season 6. Nashville has a reputation for mostly leaving famous people alone, but that went out the window for American Idol contestants at the show’s height.

Immediately following his season’s end, the curly-headed Sligh had to leave a local cafe because of a line of fans forming at his table. While the show was airing, he recalls cars screeching to a halt upon spotting him and runner-up Blake Lewis walking down a Los Angeles sidewalk.

Sligh’s wife Sarah, who viewers may also remember from the show, recently tried to explain the phenomenon to their 10- and 13-yearold children.

PHOTO: ROBBY KLEIN

“I’VE NEVER BEEN on a plane before, and this country girl is going to Hollywood!”

That’s what Carrie Underwood announced to a room full of contestants in 2004, clutching a gold piece of printer paper — her golden ticket to enter the fourth season of American Idol.

Earlier in the episode, viewers saw the 21-yearold from Muskogee, Okla., with scrunched hair and a layered lace cami, working on her family’s farm. Later she’s seen pacing around the St. Louis audition venue nervously.

Underwood’s is a satisfying arc that began with the show and was fulfilled in the years following. The winner of her season, she’s gone on to win eight Grammys, 25 CMT Awards and seven CMA awards, along with many other accolades and tens of millions of records sold.

What’s different about Underwood compared to most other similarly successful artists: Thirty million of us were watching from the birth of her music career. And many of us were investing in it, if only in the form of some landline buttons pressed and votes cast. The viewers have a little piece of her crown. That is the magic of American Idol.

American Idol began in 2001 as a part of British artist manager and TV producer Simon Fuller’s Idols empire — at a time before social media kicked open the door to self-promotion for hopeful artists. Would-be contestants filled venues across the country and filed through hours of queues and screenings, waiting for a chance to sing for judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. The show, which aired on Fox, saw its peak viewership during the Season 7 finale in 2008, when 31 million viewers watched David Cook beat out David Archuleta.

(For reference, more recent seasons have topped out at around 10 million viewers.)

But in 2016, after 15 seasons, it all seemingly came to a close, with a televised reunion and a Fox series finale. Audiences thought it was over, and in a way, it was. But less than two years later, American Idol relaunched on a new network.

ABC picked up the show, referring to the 2018 season as Season 1. For the past three seasons, the series has made a stop for auditions in Nashville. Earlier this month, Idol held auditions at the Graduate in Midtown.

Lauren Alaina NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

11

The Nashville Way

Adoration for Idol contestants hasn’t always translated into success in the Nashville music scene — especially for artists who’d been pursuing a music career before they went on the show. Some say there was friction between how the producers saw them fitting into the cast and how they saw themselves fitting into the music world. Prior experience was a plot point that often landed on the cutting-room floor when it didn’t serve a predetermined arc.

Sligh and Season 10 contestant Paul McDonald both went into the show expecting to get a bit of publicity for their bands. McDonald’s band had a tour planned. Sligh’s band was offered a record deal the day he got the golden ticket to

Hollywood. They each made it further in the competition than they anticipated — and record companies were interested only in solo contracts. The bands broke up. Season 6 third-place finisher Melinda Doolittle looked to go back to her backup singer career post-Idol, but lost her previous gigs because she had gained too much fame.

Some former contestants describe their connection to the show as a “scarlet letter.”

McDonald had been touring with his band The Grand Magnolias for six years before Idol — they even won a Lightning 100-sponsored battle of the bands in the lead-up to McDonald’s season.

After the show, McDonald struggled to book gigs at the same venues he had before, like Exit/In or stages at Bonnaroo. Booking agents saw him as a pop artist, and audiences hung onto his American Idol Rod Stewart cover shtick.

“You learn from being in rooms with brilliant people, and American Idol definitely puts me in some rooms that I couldn’t have gotten into before,” McDonald says. “But it definitely shut down a lot of doors in the world that I was in beforehand.”

Now he thinks of American Idol as a band he was in for a year.

“It really was just a season of my life,” McDonald says. “I was a flying monkey in the Wizard of Oz in my high school play, and no one ever brings that up, but American Idol kind of feels like I was just the flying monkey in the Wizard of Oz for a season.”

Walker Burroughs, a 2019 contestant and Belmont alumnus, says he was grateful in the end not to be signed to a restrictive record deal via the show.

“I think that it is a truth that there is something of a scarlet letter that comes with the show in the music industry,” Burroughs says.

“The big music business guys view it [like] I was handed this thing. I didn’t work for this thing.

There’s some truth in that. It took me a long time to realize I have to do the work now. I’m off the show. That doesn’t equate to a career. I have to put my nose down and earn my spot here.”

Throughout his season, Sligh pushed to sing more rock songs — the kind of music he was making before the show, and in line with what he planned to release afterward. Instead, producers had him singing songs like the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie ballad “Endless Love.” He tells the Scene that an executive producer told him he wasn’t interested in making artists, but instead making a “fucking TV show.”

“I’m really grateful for the show, but I came off the show and what I realized in the end is that I was just a Kardashian,” says Sligh. “I was a TV character.”

McDonald remembers butting heads with producers, pushing to play original music — or at least songs by his peers in the indie music world.

“I fought every day for original music,” he says. “I was the first person ever to do an original song on the show, which I think opened some doors for the show moving forward. So at least I

“I fought every day for original music.

I was the first person ever to do an original song on the show, which I think opened some doors for the show moving forward. So at least I can put that feather in my cap.”

PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

—Paul McDonald

Paul McDonald 12

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

Chris Sligh

can put that feather in my cap.”

The contrast between McDonald’s experience and that of 2022 contestant Leah Marlene is stark. She listened to 100 original singles pitched to her, and wrote a handful of new songs. But in the end, she says she was happy with the commercial spin she gave her original single “Flowers,” which was released during her time on the show.

“American Idol is wonderful for the fact that they’re very, very open to original music,” Marlene says. “Whether you’re performing on the show, or if you make it far enough to release a single, your originals are definitely taken into account. It’s an amazing show to go on for artists, because you can definitely be an original artist.”

Season 11’s Colton Dixon, on the other hand, found a soft place to land post-Idol in the Christian music world. “[Walk into] any reputable coffee shop in

COLTON DIXON

PHOTO: JIMMYFONTAINE

“She’s trying to explain to them how famous I was at one point,” Sligh says. “To them, it doesn’t even really make sense. To them, Taylor Swift is as famous as it gets. I wasn’t Taylor Swift famous, but I was on the cover of People magazine twice.”

He laughs and adds, “Then you have to explain — there were these things called magazines.”

In his Nashville neighborhood, Season 8 winner Kris Allen is rarely asked for a picture anymore, but the neighbors do seem to know who to come to when they need someone to perform at the school fundraiser.

“The teacher is like, ‘Will you sing a Christmas carol for us?’” says Allen. “I love that stuff. It’s great. They know what I do.”

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

13

COURTESY OF TENNESSEE TITANS

Nashville and you’re going to see someone in your industry,” he says. “It’s just the way it is. But one thing that’s kind of nice is within our industry — it pretty much feels like family. So anytime you see somebody, it’s like a warm hug.”

A mentor at Lipscomb University, Dixon advises younger contestants to stick to their guns creatively.

“If you don’t know who you are, what you want to do, someone else will figure it out for you, and that can be scary,” he says.

Matt Rogers

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

“I think that’s probably the best part about living in Nashville, is that there are so many of us.”

—Melinda Doolittle

Leah Marlene

Walker Burroughs 14

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

The Friends Along the Way

Fans will be pleased to learn that at least among former contestants from Nashville, some alumni are close with one another, and American Idol group chats are a thing. Doolittle describes Allen as “one of her favorite people in the world.”

“I think that’s probably the best part about living in Nashville, is that there are so many of us,” Doolittle says. “There’s this bond with us that it doesn’t matter what season you were on, we just all get each other because we’ve been through the same thing. My therapist would probably call it a trauma bond. It’s so hard to explain American Idol experience to anyone, and so the people that just innately get it, you have a connection to.”

Doolittle says that as the oldest contestant on the show during her season, she was better prepared for life as an artist when the cameras stopped rolling. Today she works with Porter’s Call, a local nonprofit that offers free therapy for artists. The organization refers artists joining competitions to her.

“I love getting to sit with people and be like, ‘Here’s the reality of what you’re going to be going through, and here’s where I can walk alongside of you,’” she says. “‘No matter what age you’re at, we can help you do this in a way that is healthy mentally for you, and you can come out on the other side a stronger human being and having experienced something really beautiful, and you’re able to enjoy it, as opposed to endure it.’”

Alumni run into each other at gigs and restaurants unannounced, too. Burroughs tells the Scene that at one shared gig with Allen, he confided, “I feel like I’m trying to prove to people that I deserve a spot here.”

“You do,” Allen told him. “I don’t know you, I’ve never heard you sing. But you do.”

“I think we very much have a shared experience, and I think we have an appreciation for what all of us do and have done, and the trials — or not — that we have to go through,” Allen says. “We try to stay in touch or at least try and support each other.”

Measuring Success

Success has taken different shapes for Nashville Idol alumni. For McDonald, it looks like

being back where he was before the show, touring with his new band, Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves, and playing venues like Exit/In. He’s back in East Nashville, a block away from the band house he lived in before the show, and booking the One Big Love festival.

Sligh considers his recording artist days behind him, and makes a living songwriting.

Burroughs and Marlene both released singles this month. Dixon recently released a song with fellow American Idol alumna Gabby Barnett.

Allen and Season 10 alumna Haley Reinhart recently released a single together too. Fourteen years after his appearance on the show, he says his 2024 album will be the most true to himself.

“I took some time to figure out what I wanted to say, what I wanted to do, how I wanted to make a record,” Allen says. “It’s taken a while, but I’m really, really, really excited about the new stuff that’s coming out next year.”

After some time as a solo artist, Doolittle is back to background singing. She missed the camaraderie, she says. She’s also written a book, created a podcast and toured with Kristin Chenoweth, and plans to maintain her streak of yearly Christmas shows. Getting back into background singing might have looked like a backward step for some, but she says it feels like home to her.

“I think success looks different for everybody,” Doolittle says. “For me, it looks like finding the things that I love and just doing them — being able to make a living doing things that I love, and it doesn’t have to be just one thing. I found that when I was singing nonstop it was getting tiring. It was becoming just a job, and I was losing the enjoyment of it.”

When Matt Rogers joined American Idol Season 3 nearly 20 years ago, he was trying to figure out his path after a professional football career.

Rogers says he wasn’t one of the strongest singers on his season, but he sought to make up for that by getting the audience involved in his performances. That became a transferable skill as the Tennessee Titans’ current in-stadium announcer.

“I love performing,” Rogers says. “Running out of a football tunnel, listening to 100,000 fans screaming for you — the only thing that has ever replaced that feeling it gives you was when that little red light comes on that camera, and you get that same adrenaline rush.”

Idol host Ryan Seacrest gave Rogers his first job as a correspondent with his radio show On Air With Ryan Seacrest. Rogers went on to host shows on the Discovery Channel and the Lifetime network, and also hosts charity events.

For better or worse, American Idol is a show that made its former contestants who they are today. They all say they’d do it again.

“Every now and then, people will be like, ‘What was it like being on American Idol?’” Sligh says. “It was awesome, and it sucked all at once.

It was amazing and it was horrible together. The older I get, the more I realize how much of the human experience is all of the emotions intertwined together.”

Hannah Cron contributed reporting for this story. ▼

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A Very Dave Barnes Christmas

Drew & Ellie Holcomb’s Neighborly Christmas

Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

THANK YOU TO OUR CONCERT PARTNERS

Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

The Ann & Monroe Carell Family Trust MOVIE SERIES PARTNER

FAMILY SERIES PARTNER

POPS SERIES PARTNER

BUY TICKETS: 615.687.6400

24

GiancarloSCENE Guerrero, music director NASHVILLE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

NashvilleSymphony.org/Holidays

MUSIC LEGENDS PARTNER

WITH SUPPORT FROM

CRITICS’ PICKS: WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF THINGS TO DO THURSDAY, NOV. 30 [FULL OF STARS]

MUSIC

TO-GO RECORDS DISCOVERY NITE FEAT. JARREN BLAIR, PRESSURE HEAVEN & KENDEL LEGORE

Visit calendar.nashvillescene.com for more event listings

Much-loved Nashville indie label and booking enterprise To-Go Records has consistently put the spotlight on intriguing up-and-coming local talent with its Discovery Nite series.

They keep the banner high with Thursday’s installment, featuring Jarren Blair. Following a string of summer dates opening for rock outfit Arlie’s national tour and the collaborative single “muse,” Blair released strange, an EP that’s a veritable sample platter of his skills as a songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. The songs lean into the strangeness of navigating relationships in our internet-enhanced, post-COVID-lockdown society, wrapped up in a blend of rocking pop and R&B. Some elements of the production recall hyperpop, but Blair carves out his own space in a way that feels less manic and dense; when he steers his ship in the direction of hiphop (and all the ways it has both influenced and drawn from R&B), he reminds me a bit of Anderson .Paak. Don’t roll in late and miss out on the rest of the bill! Pressure Heaven is a synth-heavy duo that takes inspiration from industrial music and dream pop (as you’ll hear on recent single “Spiral,” backed with “Knowing”), while Kendel LeGore is a rock-schooled songwriter who hasn’t released much music yet but has been busy playing around town with her band and working in the studio. STEPHEN TRAGESER 8 P.M. AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS 623 SEVENTH AVE. S.

MUSIC

THURSDAY / 11.30

JARREN BLAIR

HEALING IN THE HOLIDAYS FEAT. JOY OLADOKUN & FANCY HAGOOD PAGE 26

ALL FOR THE HALL PAGE 28

SILENT BOOK CLUB PAGE 30

[STRINGS OF NASHVILLE]

CAITLIN ROSE W/THE KERNAL & ANDREW COMBS

What I like about Nashville singer and songwriter Caitlin Rose’s 2022 album Cazimi — her first release in nearly a decade — is what I hear as Rose’s genreless approach to genre music. Rose recorded Cazimi in early 2020 with producer Jordan Lehning and a group of country-rock-folk musicians that included guitarist William Tyler and pedal-steel player Luke Schneider. Rose sings in a voice that sometimes blurs the edges of her sharply observed songs, and the music on Cazimi carries traces of 1980s New Wave. I would compare Rose’s Cazimi track “Lil’ Vesta” to a pop-New Wave confection from 1985 by, say, Marti Jones, or maybe a Marshall Crenshaw B-side from the same era. Cazimi harks back to a rich period in Nashville music when ambitious musicians were creating a version of pop that drew from country, Americana, soul and rock.

Rose returned to recording and performing in 2019 after singing at a William Tyler show at

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

25

FILM

QUILTY PLEASURES

LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 P.M.; THROUGH JAN. 27 AT ELEPHANT GALLERY 1411 BUCHANAN ST.

SATURDAY / 12.2

[LEND A HAND]

HEALING IN THE HOLIDAYS FEAT. JOY OLADOKUN & FANCY HAGOOD

It’s encouraging that, since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, it has become more common for people to talk openly about the importance of mental health care — and how everyone has different needs. But folks from LGBTQ and BIPOC communites still face extra challenges — especially financial ones — in getting access to the care they need in safe, inclusive environments. Enter Nashville nonprofit Healing in the Margins, which seeks to make those hurdles easier to overcome.

Friday, the organization hosts a benefit event called Healing in the Holidays that will include performances from two phenomenal singer-songwriters who’ve often spoken (and sung) about the ongoing journey to better mental health. You’ll see Joy Oladokun, who’s been touring all over this year behind her second LP Proof of Life, a stunning pop-folkand-rock exploration of finding the strength in celebrating yourself. She’ll be joined by

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[QUILTY AS CHARGED]

JENNIFER HASTON

MUSIC

As much as I hate the cold weather, I must admit there are few things more magical than a crisp, starry winter’s night in Tennessee. That’s just the sort of scene Nashville in Harmony is hoping to capture with its upcoming concert, Sure on This Shining Night. Inspired by the beautiful title song — which borrows its text from a James Agee poem — the program will celebrate the winter solstice with evocative choral works like “Glow” and “Crescent Moon.” Of course, there will also be plenty of fun, including cheeky numbers such as “Opera Takes a Holiday” and “The Feminist Holiday Songbook.” Audiences can also look forward to a performance from Major Minors, Nashville in Harmony’s youth chorus. It’s the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit while gearing up for Nashville in Harmony’s 20th anniversary season. Keep an eye out for details about 2024 performances at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall and more. AMY STUMPFL DEC. 1-3 AT NASHVILLE SCHOOL OF THE ARTS 1250 FOSTER AVE.

THE BOY AND THE HERON + FIVE STUDIO GHIBLI CLASSICS

[SOUTHERN STAR]

BRENT COBB

A little slice of Georgia will head to Germantown when singer-songwriter Brent Cobb plays Brooklyn Bowl Nashville this week.

A native of small town Americus, Ga., and a regular collaborator in Nashville’s country-roots scene, Cobb headlines the bowling alley and standing-room club on his Southern Star Tour, a coast-to-coast run of shows in support of his new LP of the same name. Self-produced by Cobb and cut at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, Ga., the album offers listeners a taste of the South, as told by this wise and road-worn storyteller.

With songs like the title track — a soulful ode to home that anyone can find solace in, no matter what part of the world you were raised in — and

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

[OLD-SCHOOL ODDBALL]

RESTORATION ROUNDUP: THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY

If you’ve never heard of The Plot Against Harry, welcome to the club. The black-and-white 1969 film didn’t get an official release; the distributor actually dumped it in a Seattle theater two years later. Filmmaker Michael Roemer (who directed the acclaimed racial drama Nothing but a Man) had it transferred to video 20 years after he completed it (for his kids!), leading the film to get some screen time at festivals and in arthouses. Martin Priest stars as a mopey Jewish ex-con fresh out of lockup who tries to get back into the New York street life and ends up getting reacquainted with his ex-wife, his two daughters and the Jewish community he left behind. Clocking in at only 81 minutes, it’s one of the busiest black comedies you may ever see in your lifetime. Roemer has his kvetching protagonist bouncing from one absurd, occasionally embarrassing situation to another.

As the Belcourt wraps up another Restoration Roundup, prepare for Hanukkah festivities by taking in this neurotic comic noir — in a splendiferous 4K restoration! CRAIG D. LINDSEY DEC. 2-3 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

FESTIVAL

[A GLOBAL CELEBRATION]

GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER’S FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

The Global Education Center was established in 1996 with a mission that includes using “the arts of diverse cultures to highlight the commonalities of all people.” This weekend, you can check out this hardworking nonprofit’s annual Festival of Lights, a truly global celebration that explores common themes of family, community and the importance of light.

The program honors a wide range of holidays and cultural festivals — including Shab-e Yalda, Diwali, Hanukkah, Advent, Christmas, Las Posadas, Ramadan and Kwanzaa — with children from various backgrounds sharing their familial customs and traditions. There also will be performances from Travis Jarrell; the students of the Kala Nivedanam School of South Indian Classical Dance; Blue Moves Modern Dance; Helios World Dance Ensemble; AnaLi Ramirez; Reza Filsoofi; Nesrin Simsek; and Nyama Diaspora Ensemble. A joyful, familyfriendly event, the Festival of Lights offers a wonderful reminder that we are all, indeed, part of one global family. AMY STUMPFL 7:30 P.M. AT THE DARKHORSE THEATER 4610 CHARLOTTE AVE. [OUTLAWS AGAIN]

CHRIS GANTRY ALBUM RELEASE FEAT. JON BYRD, DAVIS RAINES & JAMES TRISTAN REDDING MUSIC

NASHVILLE IN HARMONY: SURE ON THIS SHINING NIGHT

[GIMME GHIBLI]

With Hayao Miyazaki’s latest The Boy and the Heron hitting the Belcourt on Wednesday (stay tuned for our review in next week’s issue), the theater will spend the next few days playing five of his classic Studio Ghibli joints. I’ve already written about four of them in these pages when they played the yearly Studio Ghibli Fest that runs at multiplexes: 1989’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (“animated art that looks at the rarely addressed matter of childhood depression”), 1997’s Princess Mononoke (“a compelling, sometimes phantasmagorical piece of fulllength animation”), 2001’s Spirited Away (“an empowering … harrowing heroine’s journey”), and 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle (“basically his Bush II-era anti-war movie”). Believe it or not, the only one I haven’t caught yet is 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro, Miyazaki’s most iconic film.

(I can just hear all the Ghibli heads yelling, “Shame!”) There will also be a “Miyazaki as Auteur” seminar at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, presented by artist, musician and occasional Scene contributor Sam Smith. Visit belcourt.org for showtimes. CRAIG D. LINDSEY DEC. 1-6 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

FILM

[THE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON]

greasy Southern rocker “’On’t Know When,” Cobb warmly invites listeners to his corner of the world … and that’s not a bad place to be. J.D. Clayton opens the show. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER 8 P.M. AT BROOKLYN BOWL 925 THIRD AVE N.

It’s blanket weather — grab your hoodies, put on an extra layer and head over to Elephant Gallery, where you’ll find the warmest art you’ll see all season. Drawing inspiration from everything from Faith Ringgold and Robert Rauschenberg to Gee’s Bend and family heirlooms, the gallery’s Quilty Pleasures show, as you might guess from its title, is playful — these quilts are made to raise eyebrows and spark conversation. More than 30 artists have contributed work for the show, including Callan Downing, Natalie Baxter, Camela Guevara and Jennifer Haston, whose jungle nude in repose is one of the coolest works I’ve seen all year.

MUSIC

MUSIC

FRIDAY / 12.1

country songsmith Fancy Hagood, who also opened Oladokun’s album release party in May; Hagood’s recent single “Southern Sound” showcases his exceptional voice and his outstanding ability to blend at-times painful emotional honesty and indelible melodies.

Also expect to hear from leaders of Healing in the Margins and others in their community; your ticket includes charcuterie and a welcome drink, and there will be a cash bar and a silent auction. STEPHEN TRAGESER 5:30 P.M. AT AB HILLSBORO VILLAGE 2111 BELCOURT AVE.

ART

Drkmttr that doubled as a tribute to the late singer-songwriter David Berman, himself an avatar of post-genre Nashville songwriting.

Also on Thursday’s bill is singer Andrew Combs, whose new album Sundays features his folk-jazz vocal style and arrangements that employ icy minimalism. Rounding out the night is singer The Kernal, who veers into Nick Lowe and Moon Martin territory — with a stop at the shrine of comedy-country giant Del Reeves thrown in for good measure — on his 2021 release Listen to the Blood. EDD HURT 8 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT EAST 917 WOODLAND ST.

Never mind that fans of outlaw country tend to lump singer, songwriter and guitarist Chris Gantry with a group of Nashville insurgents that includes Waylon Jennings, Tompall Glaser and Guy Clark. Gantry has always pushed the margins of country-adjacent music in Nashville, as you can hear on his indelible pop tune “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife” and his slick, harmonically sophisticated 1968 album Introspection. Glen Campbell turned “Dreams” into a classic of late-’60s wistfulness and alienation that topped Billboard’s country chart in 1968, and Gantry went on to cut the superbly demented 1970 album Motor Mouth, which showcases songs that combine jazz chords with structures that zig-zag all over the place. Gantry, who spent a half-century in Nashville before moving to Texas in 2020, remains an underrated guitarist and, well, a true outlaw — his 2019 release Nashlantis serves as an idiosyncratically crafted take on the hidden history of Music City. Saturday at Springwater, Gantry marks the release of Rock Across Texas, which he cut in Texas over the past couple of years with a band that sounds ready to rock, country-style.

Gantry makes like a rockabilly singer on the album’s “Bull Girl” and “Smashed,” and he sets something titled “Conquistador’s List” in the barrooms and rodeos of Texas. Also on the bill is Nashville singer Jon Byrd, whose new full-length All Your Mistakes harks back to the soft countrypop of the 1970s. Meanwhile, Alabama-born songwriter Davis Raines specializes in localcolor narratives on his 2020 album Turquoise & Silver. Rounding out the lineup is Nashville singer and guitarist James Tristan Redding. His

WITNESS HISTORY This 2016 Gibson SJ-200 acoustic guitar was played by Lainey Wilson extensively in her shows and all the way up the country charts. In an era when female artists often struggle for airplay, Wilson took home five awards from 2023’s CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year—the first female to do so in twelve years.

From the exhibit American Currents: State of the Music artifact: Courtesy of Lainey Wilson artifact photo: Bob Delevante

RESERVE TODAY

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

MKTG_Scene_Weekly Full Page_Print Ad_11.30.23 BP.indd 1

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11/22/23 11:07 AM

MUSIC

EVAN P. DONOHUE • FETCHING PAILS • EARDRUMMER

SUN 12.3

FAME & FICTION • LIPS SPEAK LOUDER • MELODY WALKER

MON 12.4 ANNA GRACE ODOM • OLIVERANCE • SPRUCE & HOLLOW TUE 12.5

ULTIMATE COMEDY • FREE LOCAL STAND UP!

WED 12.6

IZZY POTTER • AURORA SAGE • KYRA CANNON • MCKAY

2412 GALLATIN AVE

@THEEASTROOM

BUFFALO NICHOLS latest release is this year’s The Nashville 24, Vol. 3, a 36-track album composed of songs Redding wrote in a single day. The show benefits Everytown for Gun Safety, which works to raise awareness of issues related to gun violence.

EDD HURT

MUSIC

4 P.M. AT SPRINGWATER 115 27TH AVE. N.

6 NIGHTS A WEEK! *Closed Tuesdays

EAST NASH V I LLE

THU 11.30 KARI NOVILLA HARP TRIO 7-8:30

PIANO KARAOKE 8:30-12 w/Katie Pederson PIANO KARAOKE 6-9 w/Bella Dorian PIANO KARAOKE 9-1 w/Kira Small SAT 12.2 ANNA LEE PALMER 7-9 PIANO KARAOKE 9-1 w/Kira Small SUN 12.3 **INDUSTRY NIGHT 6-1** PIANO KARAOKE 8-12 w/Kira Small MON 12.4 SHOW TUNES @ SID’S 7-9 PIANO KARAOKE 9-12 w/Benan WED 12.6 HAGS REEL TO REEL 6-8 BURLESK 8-9 ($7) PIANO KARAOKE 9-12 w/Paul Loren FRI 12.1

*available for private parties!* 3245 Gallatin Pike • Nashville TN 37216 sidgolds.com/nashville • 629.800.5847

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[BLUES VISIONARY]

BUFFALO NICHOLS

Carl “Buffalo” Nichols doesn’t view himself as a revivalist, nor does he consider his vision of what the blues should be visionary, even if it definitely qualifies. As a contemporary musician, he’s simply utilizing the influences and sounds he’s heard while performing the idiom he loves most. But what makes him different is that he’s just as comfortable with electronics and state-of-the art recording and production technology as he is with vintage Delta blues standards. Nichols’ second LP, the critically acclaimed The Fatalist, was released in September. The record features his booming baritone vocals and intriguing entries that range from a masterful cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s “You’re Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond” to the crackling original “The Fatalist Blues,” which combines reflections on romance with references to the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. Nichols easily incorporates drum machines and hip-hop influences into his sound, but those are fortified by an earnest, hard-edged, fiery lyrical approach and his dedication to offering a worldview that’s equal parts wise and wary in a manner that has informed numerous songs of blues greats over decades. Though he’s been cited in some publications as trying to “recapture” the blues, Buffalo Nichols isn’t engaged in some lost-cause nostalgic crusade. He’s far more interested in showing that the blues still has relevance and meaning and can be adapted and updated without deserting the qualities that have always made it a cornerstone of American popular music. RON WYNN 8 P.M. AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS 623 SEVENTH AVE. S.

MUSIC

Live Piano Karaoke

PHOTO: SAMER GHANI

SAT 12.2

[IN A FUN WAY]

GIRLHOUSE W/BEL

Maybe it makes sense that the era of COVID lockdowns, when so many talented young

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

pop artists were trapped at home and, well, in their bedrooms, provided a runway for so many talented bedroom-pop artists. One of Nashville’s best torchbearers for this ’20s wave is girlhouse, the solo project of actor and indie folkster Lauren Luiz. Her May release the fourth ep — which follows the girlhouse ep, the second ep and the third ep — runs the gamut from poppunk angst on “gen x boyfriend!!” to towering, dreamy tunes like “worth it.” The standout track for me is “you don’t think about me.” With respect to the super lush, electronica-forward outings by artists like the similarly minded girl in red, there’s something about just cranking up a guitar and singing exactly how you feel that’s still a recipe for success in my book. (OK, it helps that there’s a brief but memorable synth lick in the song as well.) She’s joined at The Basement

by Golden State indie popster BEL. The two collaborated for a 2022 chorus that resonates: “Cigarettes and PBR / At a gentrified dive bar / Ah, and it hits me / I don’t think I wanna be here.” COLE VILLENA 6:30 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT 1604 EIGHTH AVE. S.

SUNDAY / 12.3 [MAKE IT JINGLE]

BIG FREEDIA

Pro tip for turning any ho-hum holiday party into an extra spicy jam: Grab that aux and slip Big Freedia’s modern Christmas classic “Santa Is a Gay Man” on ol’ Saint Nick’s stereo. A New Orleans bounce flip of “Mr. Sandman,” “Gay Man” makes a compelling case that Santa may be freakier than his corporate handlers would like the world to know. And it’s just one example of the booty-poppin’, chimney-stuffing fun on A Very Big Freedia Christmazz, 2018’s ultimate entry into the hip-hop Christmas canon. Which is all to say, get ready for some serious bell jingling when the Queen Diva brings her Christmas in Central City to Brooklyn Bowl this weekend: Freedia’s catalog is stocked with enough Yuletide bangers to keep your booty bouncing till the ball drops on New Year’s. SEAN L. MALONEY 8 P.M. AT BROOKLYN BOWL 925 THIRD AVE. N.

MONDAY / 12.4

TUESDAY / 12.5 MUSIC

GLITCH GUM SINGLE RELEASE SHOW • RYAN HALL • ATLAS IN MOTION & HAN IRL • SOPHIE SHREDZ

MUSIC

FRI 12.1

PATTERSON HOOD

There’s a magical element of vulnerability in Patterson Hood’s solo work. He’s been a cofounder, singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Drive-by Truckers since the seminal Southern rock band’s inception in 1996, and it’s easy to lose the depth of Hood’s emotional intimacy as he wails over a wall of distorted guitars and raucous drums. The veteran troubadour’s potent vocal rasp takes on a raw immediacy when he’s left to his own devices. He dives into deeply Southern character studies on solo songs such as “Murdering Oscar” and “Pay No Attention to Alice,” but also reveals his more introspective moments throughout his solo material. On “Come Back Little Star” from 2012’s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, Patterson sings: “Baby don’t go, take me with you / We can chase down the sunrise or disappear / Have some wishes join together / And I could wish to have you here.” Ever the prolific author, Hood has also contributed pieces to The New York Times Magazine, The Oxford American, American Songwriter and NPR. JASON VERSTEGEN 8 P.M. AT CITY WINERY 609 LAFAYETTE ST.

[DECK THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL]

ALL FOR THE HALL

A slew of country music hitmakers, storytellers and power players take hold of Bridgestone Arena this week for All for the Hall, a one-night showcase raising funds for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Hosted this year by Keith Urban and Vince Gill, this cornerstone benefit concert always boasts a lineup unlike any other in country music.

This year’s bill features Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Griffin, Mickey Guyton, Patty Loveless, Hardy and Jordan Davis. As for the theme? Expect a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane. The show promises to feature performances of songs that define a specific moment in each artist’s life (plus a hit song, of course). The event was launched in part by Gill about a decade-anda-half ago, and previous host cities for the benefit include New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas. This week’s show marks the first All for the Hall to strike a chord in Music City since early 2020, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily upended live music.

MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

7:30 AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA 501 BROADWAY

MUSIC

THU 11.30 STELLA PRINCE • GLORIA ANDERSON • LAURYN MARIE

[MISTER PATTERSON’S NEIGHBORHOOD]

[IN THE STILL OF THE SILENT NIGHT]

THE HOLIDAYS WITH BOYZ II MEN

Whether you’re caroling around the neighborhood, taking in a themed concert from a local ensemble or being forced to perform karaoke in front of your relatives at a family party, the holidays are a time for singing. If you’re looking to let someone else handle the

A N A L O G AT

HUTTON

HOTEL

PRESENTS

MARCUS KING LIVE TV TAPING

BEER & HYMNS PUB SONGS & CAROLS

SPONSORED BY BLACK ABBEY BREWING COMPANY

DECEMBER 10

05

SUNDAY SERVICE DRAG BRUNCH • 1-4 PM

DEC

Analog is proud to present GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist, performer, and songwriter Marcus King for an exclusive live TV taping in our intimate listening room. Hear the music live and be part of a studio audience!

DECEMBER 7

DOORS: 7 PM SHOW: 8 PM GA: $65 VIP: $150

ELLA VOS THE MICRODOSE TOUR

AGES 21+ ONLY

Acclaimed for her dreamy soundscapes and psychedelic anthems, Ella Vos has consistently sold out shows across North America, and with more than 300 million streams amassed independently, her songs have soundtracked hit series on ABC, MTV, E!, The CW, and more.

KEVIN GARRETT

12

DOORS: 7 PM SHOW: 8 PM GA: $17

DEC

DECEMBER 15

DEC

DEC

KING 05 MARCUS LIVE TV TAPING 09 NEFESH MOUNTAIN 10 ANALOG SOUL 12 ELLA VOS 17 ANALOG SOUL HOROWITZ 19 JOE & FRIENDS

LYDIA LOVELESS with REESE MCHENRY

WEIRD EARS WEIRD JAZZ

12/14 THURSDAY 12/28 THURSDAY

AFROMAN

12/30 SATURDAY

FRIDAY

with BABY WAVE

12/29

BABY: SCOUT GILLET

FRIDAY

R&B THROWBACK PARTY

12/9 SATURDAY 12/15

ARIEL POSEN HOVVDY with DORI VALENTINE

SEAN THOMPSON’S

UPCOMING

More info for each event online & on our instagram! See you soon!

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DEC

12/7 THURSDAY

with WILLIAM MATHENY

with CROW BILLIKEN

FRIDAY

FRIDAY

KELSEY WALDON

BUFFALO NICHOLS

12/8

“ COME FOR ME!” COMEDY SHOW

12/2 SATURDAY

12/1

CATHERINE COHEN

DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

December in...

DOORS: 8 PM SHOW: 9 PM GA ADV: $40 GA DOS: $45 RESERVED SEATING: $75

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS BO RINEHART, BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN, BAKHITI KUMALO, JEFF TAYLOR, AND MORE TBA!

Rent out

The Blue Room for your upcoming event!

BLUEROOMBAR@THIRDMANRECORDS.COM

THEBLUEROOMBAR.COM

@THEBLUEROOMNASHVILLE

623 7TH AVE S NASHVILLE, TENN.

ALL SHOWS AT ANALOG ARE 21+ 1808 WEST END AVENUE, NASHVILLE,

TN

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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LIVE MUSIC | URBAN WINERY RESTAURANT | BAR | PRIVATE EVENTS

12.11

ALANNA ROYALE

12.12 AN EVENING WITH

A ROYALE HOLIDAY!

PHOTO: LUKE ROGERS

MIKE PHILLIPS ANGEL OLSEN

SMITHFIELD & FRIENDS

DAVID COOK

CHRISTMAS SHOW

12.18

12.19

CHRISTMAS & LOVE (EARLY & LATE SHOWS)

KENNY LATTIMORE’S

KYLA JADE

MUSIC FIRST PRODUCTIONS INC. 11.30 PRESENTS: ACM NOMINATED GROUP 4RUNNER” 11.30 TANIA ELIZABETH MAMMA MIA! ABBAFABULOUS 12.2 HOLIDAY BRUNCH 12.3 CINDY ALTER WONDERLAND 12.3 WINTER DRAG BRUNCH 12.3 NATHAN THOMAS CHRISTMAS SHOW 12.4 JOHN MAILANDER’S FORECAST EVENING WITH PATTERSON HOOD 12.4 AN (OF DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS) 12.5 SONS OF SERENDIP & RAIN 12.6 THUNDER WITH ASHLEIGH CAUDILL 12.6 SKIP EWING AND HORSEPOWER 307 12.9 TODD BARRY: THE HALF JOKING TOUR GOLDPINE ALBUM RELEASE SHOW 12.10 WITH ALAINA STACEY

JODY NARDONE TRIO 8TH ANNUAL 12.10 “A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS” A TRIBUTE TO VINCE GUARALDI 12.11 JESUS IN A BAR 12.16 ERIC BOLANDER NASHVILLE BEATLES BRUNCH 12.17 FEATURING JOHN SALAWAY & FRIENDS 12.17 AN EVENING PETER MAYER COLLEEN ORENDER 12.18 WITH JONELL MOSSER THE BAREFOOT 12.20 HOLIDAY SHOWMOVEMENT 12.21 GABE DIXON HOLIDAY SHOW LISTER PRESENTS A VERY 12.22 JEREMY CROONER CHRISTMAS DUELING DUOS - THE DONJUANS VS 12.23 MIDDLEMAN BURR - BENEFITTING MUSIC HEALTH ALLIANCE 12.26 NASHVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA 12.27 AARON GILLESPIE

EVE with NEW YEAR’S

DEC

31

CHRIS KIRKPATRICK of *NSYNC • O-TOWN • LFO SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10:30AM-2:30PM

MIMOSAS BLOODY MARYS & ROSÉ PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITH PURCHASE OF ENTRÉE FROM OUR BRUNCH MENU

12:00 PM to

5:00 PM

singing for a change, look no further than Boyz II Men at the Schermerhorn. The group formed in the 1980s and helped pave the way for the larger-than-life boy bands of that decade and beyond, and they’ve stayed relevant for a simple reason: The boyz can sing. Core members Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanyá Morris will belt out holiday favorites and orchestrations of much-loved, intensely emotional originals like “End of the Road” or “On Bended Knee” (and just plain fun ones like “Motownphilly”) with the backing of the Nashville Symphony. The event isn’t just here for one sweet day, though — the harmonic holiday haven is in town both Tuesday and Wednesday.

COLE VILLENA

NOV. 5-6 AT THE SCHERMERHORN 1 SYMPHONY PLACE

WEDNESDAY / 12.6

Saturday

609 L AFAYET TE ST. NASHVILLE , TN 37203, NASHVILLE , TN 37203 @CIT Y WINERYNSH / CIT Y WINERY.COM / 615. 324.1033

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

BOOKS

thru

Taste • Learn • Discover

[BIG TIME]

ANGEL OLSEN

Angel Olsen is an indie-folk singer from St. Louis who lives in Asheville, N.C. To date, Olsen has released six studio albums. She’s 36.

These facts are representative of Olsen as a person and a musician: She is almost heroically respectable, and there are zero throwaway songs in her discography. You put on her music when your heartstrings need a deft tugging. But if you’re the type of person who reaches for sad music when you’re sad (gross), then you’ll be disappointed. She’s known for starting off with slow, ethereal melodies before building into raw rock. Her live set is playful and relaxing, and she’s funny. The point here is, she never misses — and that’s a fact. She’ll be joined at Brooklyn Bowl by Joanna Sternberg, a New York-based artist and musician who released their second album, I’ve Got Me, this summer. TOBY ROSE 8 P.M. AT BROOKLYN BOWL 925 THIRD AVE. N.

Wednesday

camaraderie of book clubs but often found that they petered out, or required too much work in their already crowded lives. And yet there was something perfect about a designated “reading time” in a good space, surrounded by friends. Hence Silent Book Club was born, a nontraditional book club with hundreds of chapters around the country — no prerequisite reading required. Nashville’s chapter, hosted

by East Nashville’s The Bookshop, meets every first Wednesday at the perfectly Instagram-able Graduate Hotel. This month will also feature a book swap, so be sure to bring a book you’d be happy to part with, if you’d like to add something new to your own TBR stack. If you’re feeling chatty after a couple hours of quiet reading, just mosey up to White Limozeen, the Dolly Parton-themed cocktail bar on the roof, for an extended discussion with your bibliophile pals. RYNE WALKER 6 P.M. AT POINDEXTER COFFEE AT GRADUATE NASHVILLE 101 20TH AVE N.

[A BOOK CLUB, BUT WITHOUT THE HOMEWORK]

SILENT BOOK CLUB

Guinevere and Laura began Silent Book Club a decade ago in San Francisco, just two bookish friends reading in comfortable silence over drinks. Like many of us, they loved the

FILM

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MUSIC

12.16

[BYE BYE BARRY]

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE

A dizzying, delirious story of an offkilter, Technicolor love affair, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love remains one of the most joyous and unique depictions of romance to ever strike the silver screen.

Featuring a beautifully reserved performance

by Adam Sandler (yes, you read that right), an ungodly amount of pudding (yes, you also read that right), and some of the most luscious, beautifully constructed sequences of any film released in the 2000s, Punch-Drunk Love plays like a gorgeous dream. At times uneasy and jubilant at others, it has stood the test of time and is considered one of Anderson’s major works by fans and critics alike — which is no easy feat considering the cultural impact of the director’s other works, which include There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights. Take the plunge and dive head-first into this masterpiece of modern cinema, screening in 35 mm at the Belcourt. ROB HINKAL 8 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

DE C EMBER 4-10 Salsa your way into the best week of the year and enjoy $5 TACO SPECIALS from your favorite taco shops for one week only! Birria, steak, shrimp and even breakfast tacos...

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TACO ‘BOUT A DEAL! Your favorite taco joints are whipping up $5 specials just for you! No tickets are required, just show up, inhale tacos and exhale negativity!

**Photos outlined in GREEN indicate restaurants offering pescatarian and/or vegetarian options upon request.

51 North Taproom Southern Smokehouse Taco One taco with choice of pulled pork, smoked chicken or seitan with Taproom HabaQ Sauce, slaw and pickle de gallo on a warm flour tortilla.

Bad Axe Throwing Nashville Fuego de Lena (wood fire) Tacos Smoked Tri Tip Steak served with fresh pico de gallo, cojita cheese and cilantro crema.

Bakersfield Tacos + Tequila + Whiskey Papas & Chorizo Taco Diced potatoes and spicy chorizo blend together for a delicious pairing atop a soft, white corn tortilla garnished traditionally with crema, onions and cilantro.

Big Bad Breakfast Crispy Potato Breakfast Taco Flour tortilla with crispy potatoes, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, jalapeños and onions served with pico.

Blanco Cocina + Cantina Chicken Pastor Taco Nestled in your choice of a warm corn or flour tortilla, each bite is a fiesta of vibrant flavors. Juicy grilled chicken, marinated to perfection, takes center stage with the sweetness of caramelized pineapple and topped with salsa verde, green onions and a hint of jalapeño heat.

Brown’s Diner Brown’s Birria House made seasoned beef on a dipped tortilla, covered with cheese, onion and cilantro. Served with mouth-watering Mexican consommé.

Buds & Brews Bud’s Burger Taco Ground beef, diced tomato, red onion, lettuce, pickle, melty gruyere fontina gouda cheese blend and secret sauce on a flour tortilla.

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Calacas Mexican Cuisine Pork Belly Taco Pan seared pork belly, guava glaze, pickled red onions and crispy chicharrón.

Calle Taco Taco Chiludo Bacon wrapped pepper stuffed with cheese and shrimp. Topped with fresh pico, avocado, cabbage and drizzled in a homemade chipotle dressing. Served In a flour tortilla.

Chago’s Belmont Cantina The Chagos’s Birria Taco Special Braised short rib, dipped corn tortilla, Oaxaca cheese, red onion, cilantro and birria consommé served with Mexican rice and beans.

Cledis Burgers Big Smack Taco Smash burger taco topped with shredded lettuce, pickles and Big Smack sauce served on a flour tortilla.

Condado Tacos Chicken Bacon Ranch Flour shell + Kewl Ranch shell with smoked cheddar queso double decker, roasted chicken, crispy bacon, shredded lettuce, diced roma tomatoes and avocado ranch. Contains dairy and gluten.

Family Taco Birria Tacos Two birria tacos filled with meat, cheese, cilantro and onions. Served with a fountain drink.

Flat Tire Diner Dos Rolled Chicken Tacos Authentic southwestern hand rolled chicken tacos topped with scratch made pico de gallo, smoked poblano crema and pickled jalapeno.

Garden Fresh Food Market Birria Tacos Two Birria tacos with slow cooked beef filled into a large corn tortilla.

Topped with melted cheese, red onions and cilantro. Served with a side of consommé for dipping.

Germantown Pub Birria Beef Tacos Juicy Birria-style roast beef tacos with mozzarella cheese and cilantro, served on flour tortilla.

Graze Nashville Plantain Tacos Grilled flour tortilla topped with deep fried plantains, vegan seitan chorizo, red cabbage, raw red onions, jalapeño aioli and cilantro.

Hi-Fi Clyde’s Buffalo Chicken Nacho Taco Fried chicken tossed in a homemade buffalo sauce, lettuce, pico de gallo, ranch dressing drizzle and pickled jalapeños put together inside a double stacked tortilla. Served with your choice of ranch or bleu cheese dressing.

JWB Gril Chicken Street Tacos Shredded chicken taco topped with onions and queso fresco.

Lady Bird Taco Tasty 2x4 The #4 taco (chorizo, egg, cheese) with potatoes added on! The chorizo’s rich flavor with the potatoes’ crunch has the Lady Bird Taco staff hooked—now it’s time to get the rest of the city on board.

Laura’s Cocina Quesabirria Double tortilla cheese quesabirria with onions cilantro lime and consommé. .

Get more information and restaurant locations and hours at nashvilletacoweek.com

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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Live Oak Nashville Hot Chicken Nashville Hot Chicken, dill sauce, spicy slaw and pickles on a flour tortilla.

Phat Bites Visit nashvilletacoweek.com for special details.

Pie Town Tacos Nashville Hot Chicken Taco

Mojo’s Tacos Tony Montana Pulled pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, Dijonnaise and pickled relish.

Breaded and fried chicken with Nashville hot spice, jalapeño slaw, house made pickles, cotija cheese and cilantro.

Punk Wok Spicy Tuna Taco

Makeshift Burger Tacos Burgers turn into tacos this week! This will feature a Smash Burger Taco, Bacon Jam Burger Taco, Chili Cheese Burger Taco, and the Shifted Burger Taco on a street size taco.

Otto’s Bar Bulgogi Beef Taco Delicious Bulgogi beef on a flour tortilla served with scallions, cheese, cilantro, onions and jalapeño.

Pancho & Lefty’s Cantina Steak Alambre Taco Guajillo-rubbed, mesquite-grilled flank steak, smoky peppers and onions, chihuahua cheese, crema and cilantro in a fresh flour tortilla.

Peachtree Neighborhood Grill Chicken Biryani Tacos Saffron & Persian spiced chicken thigh meat, Basmati rice, red cabbage slaw, tzatziki sauce and feta cheese.

Streetcar Taps & Beer Garden Bratkartaco Two “Streetcar” gluten-free tacos for $5.

House “Hach’t Chicken”, bleu cheese aioli, pickled red onion, Sourwood honey and fresh dill. Sweet heat on corn tortillas!

Taco Mama Ahi Tuna-Si AAA Sushi grade Ahi Tuna sliced and served raw with sriracha slaw, avocado and chipotle ranch on the side. Served with chips and mild salsa.

Spicy ahi tuna, crunchy cabbage slaw and fresh guacamole.

Taco Mamacita Sloppy Jose

Saint Añejo Buffalo Cauliflower Taco

Mama’s Version of a Sloppy Joe. Double-stacked taco with queso, seasoned ground beef, queso melt, jalapeños, jack cheese, sour cream and diced tomatoes topped with Fritos.

Avocado serrano, ranch, slaw, corn, queso fresco, pickled red onion and cilantro on a corn tortilla.

Tee Line Smoked Brisket Taco

Scoreboard Bar & Grill Visit nashvilletacoweek.com for special details.

Smokin Thighs Visit nashvilletacoweek.com for special details.

House smoked brisket, fresh tortilla, pickled red onions, cilantro and lime.

Waldo’s Chicken & Beer Taco Tender Taco Signature chicken tender with cheddar and jack cheese, all topped with lettuce, pico and homemade taco sauce on a flour tortilla.

Wilco Fusion Grill* Boujee Belly Stay Golden Breakfast Tacos

Crispy pork belly, pickled slaw, tangy peanut avocado salsa and glazed pineapple topped with a peanut brittle.

Scrambled eggs, crispy potatoes, roasted tomatillo salsa, cotija cheese and pickled red onion on a corn tortilla.

WHERE WILL YOU STOP FIRST?

VISIT NASHVILLETACOWEEK.COM FOR AN INTERACTIVE MAP!

WHAT GOES BEST WITH TACOS? TEQUILA! ASK YOUR SERVER ABOUT BLACK SHEEP TEQUILA DRINK SPECIALS AT PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS.

Share your pics and win prizes by sharing on social media and tag #SceneTacoWeek23 and @nashvillescene NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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FOOD & DRINK: AT THE MARKET

SMOKIN’ OAKS

Justin Head is committed to providing year-round access to local, organic food

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

BY KELSEY BEYELER

With our series At the Market, we’re highlighting some of our favorite farmers market vendors from the Nashville area.

SMOKIN’ OAKS isn’t a large market, and that’s exactly the point. You won’t find all the items you could buy at big-box grocery stores, but rather a well-curated selection of organic ingredients throughout the grocery, butcher and in-house deli (including plenty of fixings for an excellent meal). At the center of Smokin’ Oaks — and the very reason for its resurrection as a brick-and-mortar market — is the organically fed, pasture-raised meat that comes to the store from the titular farm roughly 30 miles north in Robertson County.

If you’re not sure how to prepare that cut of meat you’re eyeing in the butcher case, just ask the staff at the Melrose-area market (or check the Smokin’ Oaks website for recipes). If you’re not in the mood to cook, lean on Smokin’ Oaks’ deli for a revolving variety of delicious and creatively prepared foods. On a recent weekday af-

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ternoon, I was delighted to find a citrus-ginger beet salad with wildflower honey, precooked pot roast meals, take-and-bake pasta dishes and lots more. I ordered a heavenly sandwich consisting of shaved, grass-fed, dry-aged steak, greens, confit garlic and rosemary blue-cheese aioli, and caramelized onions on a ciabatta bun. The flavors were rich and beautifully balanced, but the shaved steak — which is perfectly cooked and velvety-tender — is the star of the sandwich. Unable to stop myself, I also purchased the jalapeño-dill sausage from the butcher case. The deliciously aromatic yet simple blend of pork, jalapeño, garlic, dill, mustard seeds, salt and pepper will pair well with the organic white beans I picked up in the market.

When the food is this good, you don’t have to compensate with many other ingredients — the quality speaks for itself.

Smokin’ Oaks owner Justin Head grew up on a conventional farm. Over time, he developed a passion for clean food and organic regenerative farming practices. In 2015, Head started

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

transitioning toward organic farming, and today he has 1,300 acres of certified organic farmland. He raises beef, pork and chicken, and grows the grain that feeds the livestock.

He started selling meat at the Nashville Farmers’ Market in 2017, and over time his business spread to other farmers markets across town.

When the landscape shifted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and meat processors started backing up, Head pivoted. He decided to process his own meat and start his own market — this December marks the second anniversary of the brick-and-mortar market.

“We don’t compromise at all,” Head tells the Scene. “If it costs us money, then so be it.”

Indeed, organic foods can be more expensive, but there’s a compelling reason for that.

“When you don’t cheat, and when you treat animals ethically, and when you grow your produce and grains ethically — where you’re not putting poisons on it and killing your soil — you’re not going to get [anywhere] near the yield that you would by using different prac-

tices,” says Head.

Head’s business model emphasizes local food, from the meat he raises to the produce grown by nearby farms, and other products like bread from Dozen Bakery. Smokin’ Oaks doesn’t use seed oils, or nitrates for curing meat. Head resists many global food practices that have created significant problems with our environment and economy.

“We’re losing our farm economy,” says Head.

“It is so very important to support your local farming and agricultural community to keep all these things alive for many, many, many different reasons.” ▼

Smokin’ Oaks 2116 Eighth Ave. S. smokinoaksorganicfarms.com

SOBER ON A PLANE

TEENY MARTINI HAPPY HOUR

Dierks Bentley invests in Nashville-based cocktail mixers WithCo

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

Small Bites Craft Cocktails Intimate Atmosphere

COUNTRY STAR DIERKS BENTLEY has a reputation as a fun guy. He hosts cocktail parties backstage every night on tour, and there’s a party atmosphere onstage too. After all, this is the guy who had a hit about turning an airline flight into “Mardi Gras up in the clouds” with “Drunk on a Plane.”

In 2019, Bentley and his wife Cassidy decided to take a break from drinking. “You don’t get to do this as long as I do without being smart,” Bentley says. It turns out that what was in a red Solo cup at those pre-show parties was sometimes water, allowing him to stay focused and stay social. (Bentley is a pilot and flies his crew to their shows — another reason to abstain.) “It’s like lifting the Wizard of Oz curtain.”

Cassidy was shopping at White’s Mercantile in 12South and bought a couple of bottles of WithCo, nonalcoholic mixers that can be used on their own or combined with liquor. They were a complete game-changer. “It was an eye-opener for me,” Bentley says. “I could take a long break and still be part of the party with a drink in my hand.”

Soon Bentley added WithCo to his artist’s rider, making sure the beverages were stocked backstage. That was a surprise to WithCo’s Joshua Ellis. He and Bradley Ryan launched WithCo from the trunk of a car in 2017, making mixers with botanicals and juices and no additives. In January 2020, Ellis quit his job to focus on WithCo full time. A few months later, the pandemic made mixing cocktails at home a very popular pastime.

“We outgrew three warehouses in a year,” Ellis says. “We were doing the revenue we used to do annually in one month.”

In addition to being stocked at small shops like White’s Mercantile, WithCo is sold online and at national retailers, including Target. Ellis wanted to expand into bars and restaurants, believing that places that have a shortage of bar backs and bartenders would appreciate the opportunity to cut back on stocking and squeezing fresh limes. (In Nashville, WithCo is already available at 1 Hotel, The Listening Room Cafe, Layer Cake and others.) To do that, he needed an infusion of cash.

Ellis is a Nashville native. WithCo is headquar-

4210 Charlotte Ave. | 615.

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k o w k n u p ander

FROM LEFT: JOSHUA ELLIS, DIERKS BENTLEY AND BRADLEY RYAN

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PHOTO: EVAN DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

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tered in East Nashville and is manufactured in Dickson. But Ellis wasn’t a country music fan, and wasn’t familiar with Bentley’s music. He had already decided he didn’t want a celebrity spokesperson — that wasn’t the vibe WithCo was going for. But the brand name is short for “with company,” so when Ellis heard that Bentley was a fan who was using the product exactly as intended — sharing with company before a concert — he knew he needed to reach out. He Googled the name of Bentley’s agent.

“I did not want a celebrity-beverage deal — that does not feel authentic,” Ellis says. But within an hour of meeting Bentley, they had a deal — not for Bentley to be a spokesperson, but to be an investor and a strategic partner. The deal was announced this month, and already Bentley’s contacts have proven useful. Bentley flew Ellis to Arkansas for a meeting with the CEO of Walmart about getting WithCo in those stores. And conversations to stock WithCo at the bar at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row are taking place.

Bentley’s break from alcohol is over (his favorite spirit is bourbon in Kentucky, as expected from one of his song titles), and he’s still drinking WithCo, with or without spirits depending on the occasion. His favorite is the Agave Margarita, which he combines with a nonalcoholic tequila. And for him, teaming with Ellis is using a different part of his brain. “It keeps the other side writing songs, because you aren’t stuck in one gear,” he says of the creative outlet.

The two have a common goal, whether it’s through drinks or music. “My main thing is bringing people together,” Bentley says. ▼

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THEATER East Nashville

Antiques

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Geoff Sobelle hopes to feed conversation with Food at OZ Arts

Vintage

BY AMY STUMPFL

Don’t Miss

Geoff Sobelle’s Food Nov. 30-Dec. 10 at OZ Arts

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PHOTO: MARIA BARANOVA

12,000 SQUARE FEET OF VINTAGE COOLNESS

THE HOLIDAYS ARE upon us. Whether you’re planning to mark the occasion with a formal feast or a frozen dinner, Geoff Sobelle is fascinated.

“There’s such a ritual surrounding food, whether you’re talking about the holidays or just your daily ritual of having a doughnut and a cup of black coffee,” says the acclaimed theater artist, who blends absurdist humor, illusion and physical theater in order to explore the human condition. “What’s that all about anyway? Why do we eat what we eat, and what’s the real cost of that?”

That’s the central focus behind Sobelle’s Food, which opens Nov. 30 at OZ Arts, fresh off its sold-out runs at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Edinburgh International Festival. Presented as an intimate dinner party — complete with a massive table set with plates, silverware and a crisp white tablecloth — Food explores “the funny and fascinating relationship between humans and the food we eat.” And while there’s no actual eating at this party, Sobelle does hope the performance will feed the soul.

“One of the most exciting things for me as an artist is getting people together and really connecting,” says Sobelle, who grew up studying magic tricks and watching Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and later trained in physical theater and clowning at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. “Yes, I hope they’re entertained. I hope they’re really tickled by what they see onstage. But I’m also excited about feeding a much larger conversation.”

Like Sobelle’s other independent perfor-

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

mance works — including The Object Lesson (2013) and Home (2017) — Food strives to “find the extraordinary within the ordinary.” And one way to do that is to put the audience at the center of each performance, balancing personal ideas and experiences with a more global view.

“Food is one of those things that is truly universal — you can’t live on this planet and not deal with food in some way,” he says. “So you can start by thinking about the foods you like, and what that means to you and your family. But what about those experiencing food insecurity?

What about food deserts?

“It’s such a massive issue, it’s really hard to wrap your mind around it all. And I’m certainly not trying to push any specific answers or agenda. I’m just asking that when you think about what you had for lunch, you maybe consider that there’s a lot that goes into that. We don’t have to tie it all up with a bow, but let’s consider all the different little tendrils. Let’s consider, for a moment, how we moved from the hunter-gatherers to the farms and factories, and now to unbridled consumerism. Oh, and maybe let’s have a little fun along the way.”

It might seem like a tall order. But for Sobelle — who says he is looking forward to experiencing Nashville’s food scene for the first time, and maybe even finding a little time to do some people-watching — it’s all about the human connection.

“My job is to set up the conditions for something interesting to happen, giving audiences the chance to play around a little,” he explains, noting that the results can vary wildly from audience to audience. “I love people. I’m endlessly

fascinated by audiences because you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes it’s hilarious. Sometimes it’s really touching. But for me, watching someone lean forward in their seat is what’s most exciting. Listening to someone else’s story, getting a keyhole into that person’s experience — that’s magic.” ▼

MORE UPCOMING THEATER EVENTS: Nashville Repertory Theatre Presents A Christmas Carol Dec. 1-17 at TPAC’s Polk Theater

Studio Tenn Presents It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play Dec. 7-24 at Turner Theater in the Factory at Franklin

Nashville Ballet Presents Nashville’s Nutcracker Dec. 8-24 at TPAC’s Jackson Hall

David Alford’s A Holiday to Remember With Paul Carrol Binkley Dec. 14-22 at The Belmont Mansion

Actors Bridge Ensemble Presents The Christmas Tree Farm Dec. 15-17 at the Actors Bridge Studio

Handel’s Messiah With the Nashville Symphony Chorus Dec. 15-17 at the Schermerhorn

RETURNS TO TPAC DECEMBER 8–24!

Music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky performed live by the Nashville Symphony

Tickets on sale NOW at NashvilleBallet.com NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE MUSEUM’S CMA THEATER

DECEMBER 5 and 6

GIRL NAMED TOM

ONE MORE CHRISTMAS TOUR

DECEMBER 15

RODNEY CROWELL

THE CHICAGO SESSIONS TOUR

DECEMBER 20

DARREN CRISS

A VERY DARREN CRISSMAS

DECEMBER 21

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY’S WILD & SWINGIN’ HOLIDAY PARTY

FEBRUARY 25

CAT POWER

CAT POWER SINGS DYLAN: THE 1966 ROYAL ALBERT HALL CONCERT

MARCH 5

GEOFF TATE & ADRIAN VANDENBERG

TICKETS ON SALE NOW Museum members receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities for CMA Theater concerts.

Learn more at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership.

BOOKED BY @NATIONALSHOWS2 • NATIONALSHOWS2.COM

The CMA Theater is a property of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

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224 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY S • NASHVILLE, TN CMATHEATER.COM • @CMATHEATER

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

ART: CRAWL SPACE

NARRATIVE PAINTINGS AND ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY ILLUMINATE DECEMBER’S FIRST SATURDAY

Highlights include Germán Rojas in Wedgewood-Houston and Julian Rogers in East Nashville

BY JOE NOLAN

WHAT HAPPENED to 2023, y’all? Home Depot had towering tree-and-Santas displays decking the aisles before Halloween. I’m blaming the pandemic hangover for the quickness with which this year has flown by. And I’m also predicting that Nashville’s gallery scene will get its groove back at the highest BPMs ever in 2024.

I’m feeling very optimistic about the new year in local art, but first we’ve got to get this cold weather season started. It’s not officially winter until the solstice on the 21st, but the whole of December is really just a runway rushing toward that last week of religious and secular celebrations, signaled by the shortest day of the year. Now’s the time to look forward to a creative year ahead.

Germán Rojas is a local artist who positively blasted out of the last days of the worst of the COVID times: He was part of the team that brought the Number art journal back to life and relocated it from Memphis to Nashville in 2022; his painting “The Horse of Malta” stole the show at a Modfellows exhibition back in February; and Rojas just finished a sharp hand-painted mural design on the front of Random Sample’s little gallery/venue/art-gift-store building off Charlotte. Rojas opens A Dimly Lit Path at Ryan Rado’s Rockwall Gallery Saturday night. Rockwall’s recent Instagram reels capture Rojas working on some large-to-very-large canvases featuring the painter’s signature combinations of antique subjects and contemporary palettes.

Rojas is an accomplished technical painter who brings a tight, confident hand to figurative scenes decorated with design elements, evoking historical and mythological narratives. I’ll be interested to see how these large works translate in the cave-like confines of Rockwall, which you enter through Earnest Bar & Hideaway. The space is pretty cozy for such big works, but the medieval dungeon vibes might also make a perfect match for Rojas’ new-Old World works. ➡ DETAILS: Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Saturday at Rockwall Gallery, 438 Houston St. Zeitgeist had a strong year that garnered the evergreen local spot two Best of Nashville notices — for David Piñeros: Skullcap and Karen Seapker: Green’s Your Color. The Wedgewood-Houston cornerstone closes out 2023 with a pair of conceptual multimedia shows that explore how people look to natural spaces, places, formations and phenomena in order to discover their own locations in relation to the wild, wooly

“THE MINOTAUR’S MAZE,” GERMÁN ROJAS

WEDGEWOOD-HOUSTON

A DIMLY LIT PATH AT ROCKWALL GALLERY and winged. Local artist Patrick DeGuira’s Down Pressed Sunshine deploys video, photography, sculpture and text to investigate various spiritual symbols meant to guide humans in relation to the nonhuman world. The formal precision of DeGuira’s work contrasts both ethereal metaphysical notions and the natural chaos of wild spaces. And his investigations into looking at flora and fauna simultaneously give rise to questions about how — and why — we look at art.

Andrew O’Brien’s Drift Alignment connects with DeGuira’s display as another attempt to look to the natural world to understand our man-made circumstances. O’Brien employs astrophotography and celestial navigation to engage a dialogue about geography, ideology and the history of colonialism along the U.S.-Mexico border. The show includes photographs and video installations that combine archival information about 18th-century missionary activities with contemporary GIS data regarding migrant deaths in southern Arizona. One of the best things about the paired exhibitions at Zeitgeist is the unintended connections that emerge from their juxtaposed displays. I’m looking forward to a lively conversation between these two

shows in December. ➡ DETAILS: Opening noon-7 p.m. Saturday at Zeitgeist, 516 Hagan St.

Amanda Lomax, Tawna Webber, Amy Hoskins and Anna Wise. ➡ DETAILS: Opening reception 1-9 p.m. Saturday at Coop Gallery, 507 Hagan St.

Coop Gallery upgraded its digs and moved into the largest gallery space at The Packing Plant at the beginning of 2022. They were able to manage the rent increase after opening up their membership roster and expanding their collective to its biggest numbers ever. Coop has a reputation as the place where new-to-town artists can get directly plugged into Nashville’s contemporary art scene, and find opportunities for exhibiting and curating. Growing their official ranks was a great call for Coop, and the bigger gallery has resulted in a huge leap forward for their exhibition programming.

December brings the perfect opportunity to get to know a number of Coop’s newest members and their work at Textural Tangents: A New Members Show. This group show boasts nearly a dozen artists whose creative practices include painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking and curating: Sarah Budeski, Elisabeth Moss, Caitlin Blomstrom, Bethany Yankie, Hayes Hatfield, Nina Covington, Kate Blake Giordan,

EAST NASHVILLE

Julian Rogers’ abstract canvases are all about color and light and texture. And the way he uses digital photography of cloud formations as a starting point makes his formalist obsessions more familiar and accessible for viewers who aren’t ready to completely abandon subjects and content. Rogers has lived and worked in Thailand for years, but I still think of the Nashville native as one of our best local painters, and this new Liquid, Solid, Gas, Ghost exhibition at Red Arrow feels like a sequel to the artist’s Wave Upon Wave show at Red Arrow in July of last year. Both exhibitions use images of clouds as a jumping-off point for paintings about painting and perception, formalism and Romanticism, and how the subtlest art making can evoke the sublime. ➡ DETAILS: Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Saturday at Red Arrow, 919 Gallatin Ave. ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

39

PET OF THE WEEK!

BOOKS

LOOKING FOR HOME

VIXEN!

Kelsey Norris’ debut story collection resonates with unanswered questions

Question: Want to know the quickest way to win over Vixen’s heart?

Answer: Chin and Belly scratches!

More about Vixen...

She is a very gentle and sweet girl with a smile and face that will light up a room (or dog park) whenever she enters. She’s a friendly 2-year-old girl that loves going for calm, leisurely walks with her many NHA Volunteer and NHA Staff besties. She truly is a terrific dog who can’t wait for you to visit her at NHA. Maybe fall in love and adopt too?

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BY SARAH NORRIS

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PHOTO: MARGARITA STAMATELOPOULOS

Adopt. Bark. Meow.

Microchip. Neuter. Spay.

KELSEY NORRIS’ DEBUT story collection, House Gone Quiet, chronicles characters at a turning point between upheaval and the path of reconciliation. Each of these 10 narratives ends on a note that suggests this isn’t the end of the story.

These tales are told from a place of aftermath.

“The Sound of Women Waiting” is set in an unnamed nation that has won a war against the titular women’s native land. The protagonist, Satya, explains, “Our country trucked loads of us across the border — as peace offerings, as wives — and what could we do but go?” The opening paragraph describes one transplanted woman announcing, in the courtyard of the women’s shared compound, her plan to kill her husband.

The others, Satya included, attempt to dissuade her despite the brutishness and brutality of all of their husbands. “They wanted us to stay home, to live half-lives in a country we could not navigate without them. What kind of man takes his wife prisoner? The husbands kept us from happiness.”

Satya is a fitting name; it is a Sanskrit word meaning truthfulness. Over the course of the narrative, Satya turns hard away from complacency. “If we do not kill our husbands,” she asks herself, “are we choosing them?” The only thing that helps her sleep is whispering “the words dead and home.”

The story “Stitch” describes a handful of American hobbyist runners, each of whom, while jogging, has happened across the corpse of a murder victim. Having agreed to be part of a news segment, they gather to answer a reporter’s questions. “The group bristles at the word guilt. Collectively, they bristle. It’s an imprecise word for what they feel, for what they feel

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

they’re working through. Guilt seems to imply some sort of fault which is not theirs. It implies a level of participation in the event that they’re uncomfortable with, since they were really only participants in its aftermath.”

A concurrent theme tying together this collection reckons with home as a place and, by turns, as a feeling. Satya, for example, poses these questions: “How long does a sense of home take to build? How long until a life feels like your own, rather than something you’ve fallen into?”

Set on an island, the story “Certain Truths and Miracles” takes a different tack, literally and metaphorically, on home: “The water is the islanders’ constant — both their center and their perimeter.” In “Salt,” Norris continues this focus in a different albeit still unnamed foreign location, a “world at the perimeter,” a pan surrounded by desert. “Abandoned dwellings littered the pan’s perimeter, and the men loaded the remnants into trucks and donkey carts, hauled them toward the pan’s center. There would be no solid foundation.”

In “Go Way Back,” written in the second person and set in Mississippi, the story’s “you” is a young Black woman in a romantic relationship with Carter: You admit to him that you’ve only ever dated white boys — boys who look like him, sound like him. Boys who look at you like he does. It’s a pattern you’re not proud of, though it might be something learned: this attraction to the Other, inherited.

The speaker acknowledges that “people who looked like him owned people who looked like you … and it is not his fault or yours. Not either of

your doing. But there it lies beside you, tangled up in cotton sheets.”

Another story, “Sentries,” is told from the perspective of Esther, a girl who has begun to discover small dolls concealed in her home.

Before a visiting relative tries to burn down the house, Esther thinks, “A home is only who’s inside of it and what they do to keep each other.”

Afterward, she reflects on the unfound dolls: “There, still. A house gone quiet, filled up with something we wouldn’t look for, because finding it made it gone.”

Norris is skillful and generous in allowing the reader to be a detective as well as an implicit part of the story. While the characters traverse various ordeals and sometimes experience profound transformation, the reader may be forgiven for thinking that some suffer a bit too much to bring about the others’ revelations.

On the other hand, it’s their individual and collective longings that spur some of Norris’ most vivid writing. The opening story includes these lines: “They’ve been through enough already.

Haven’t they been through enough already?”

The final piece concludes, “You are not sure if any of it is enough.” Neither heavy-handed nor patronizing, this collection resonates most for the questions it leaves unanswered.

For more local book coverage, please visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee. ▼

House Gone Quiet

By Kelsey Norris Simon & Schuster 224 pages, $18

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

41

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WMOT Roots Radio Presents 12:30 12/1 Finally Friday featuring NATALIE PRICE, THE SEA THE SEA & STEPHEN CLAIR

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STAIRWAY TO ZEPPELIN: A Salute To Led Zeppelin with THE GARDEN OF EDEN SAT

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7:30 8:00

Backstage Nashville featuring

12/2 GARY BURR, GEORGIA MIDDLEMAN,

12:30

JEDD MIDDLETON & THREE TIMES A LADY with JULIA HUTCHINSON WORLD TURNING BAND “The Live 8:00 Fleetwood Mac Experience” with LEIGH CARA and LOCKWOOD BARR

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EMILY KINNEY with ALICIA BLUE

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caitlin rose

w/ andrew combs & the kernal

JONELL MOSSER and MAURA O’CONNELL

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12/4

12/3 joe hertler & the rainbow seekers

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w/ Post Sex Nachos & BEAN

12/4 a tribute to pearl jam benefitting notes for notes & The basement east staff

nov 30 caitlin rose w/ The Kernal and Andrew Combs dec 1 The Aquaducks w/ friday night funk band, juke of june & girls night

dec 2 free throw w/ Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Charmer & blvck hippie

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JIMMY HALL AND THE PRISONERS OF LOVE

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dec 4 a tribute to pearl jam dec 5 rare hare dec 6 bea miller w/ isabel larosa & ethan tasch dec 7 happy landing w/ CERTAINLY SO dec 8 the emo band: live band pop/punk karaoke dec 9 sicard hollow & tophouse dec 10 a tribute to kiss dec 11 Charlie worsham's every damn monday dec 12 holiday benefit show for musicares dec 13 ben chapman w/ Grace Bowers, Colby Acuff, Nate

12/27 EAST NASH GRASS

Fredrick & The Wholesome Boys, & Brittney Spencer

1/3

1/13

HIPPIES AND COWBOYS + PAUL MCDONALD & THE MOURNING DOVES

dec 14 grateful dead tribute dec 15 the lone bellow dec 16 the lone bellow dec 17 jd mcpherson w/ Joel Paterson

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w/ Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Charmer, Saturdays at Your Place & Blvck Hippie

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12/27

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put it on tape: nashville comedy show mickey darling anees dylan leblanc the emo night tour the record company w/ Jesse ahern town mountain w/ Logan Halstead holding absence w/ Casey, Capstan & Acres squid w/ Water From Your Eyes joe derosa

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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zach russell Upcoming shows dec 2 girlhouse (6:30pm) dec 2 a tribe of horsman w/ emily justin & zip zapp (9pm) dec 3 zach russell dec 4 meredith lane & Ac sapphire (7pm) dec 4 Zoe Cummins, Madeleine, Olivia Rudeen (9pm) dec 6 taylor sackson w/ Williams (7pm) dec 6 black venus (9pm) dec 7 kashena sampson & lilly hiatt (7pm) dec 7 Taxiway w/ shlomo franklin & lb beistad (9pm) dec 9 ron artis ii w/ Kapali Long (7pm) dec 9 gloom girl mfg w/ girl tones & iguanahead (9pm) dec 10 jake kohn w/ zac townsend

12/4 Olivia Rudeen, Zoe Cummins, Madeleine dec 11 Sally Hill, LINNEA, Willa Mae, and Hannah Flora dec 13 meryl rudy w/ vinje dec 14 Jake Hoot and Jamie Floyd (7pm) dec 14 electric python w/ maanta raay (9pm) dec 15 creature comfort w/ julia cannon & gil costello dec 16 Joel Guptill w/ adam Simons (7pm) dec 17 wild the coyote & Devora w/ ragtop reddy (7pm) dec 20 dallas ugly w/ angela autumn (7pm) dec 20 daisychain w/ the garden of eden & calico mantra (9pm)

jan 4 there go i, john louis band jan 6 Blackwater Down

MUSIC

OFF THE CHARTS

Dream Chambers teams up with Sonya Waters and chatterbird for her most ambitious work yet OVER THE PAST 20 years, new generations of players and fans have come to appreciate music built around synthesizers, from synth-pop to experimental music to various flavors of funk and beyond. Though synths were out of fashion among casual music fans in the ’90s and early Aughts, whole constellations of synth-centric scenes and subgenres have flourished more recently. Atmospheric, mostly instrumental works that convey emotion with slowly shifting electronic soundscapes — particularly under the guise of ambient music and its cousin New Age — were scoffed at for a good while. But the ongoing work of artists like Beverly Glenn-Copeland and Tim Hecker is now decidedly cool, and rap hero André 3000 dominated internet discourse with his recent spiritual jazz album New Blue Sun. In the ambient realm, Nashville has long had its own cadre of musicians pushing the envelope (not to mention the envelope generator).

That includes New Zealand-born Jess Chambers, who makes extensive use of contemporary modular synthesizers under the name Dream Chambers. On a recent video call, Chambers and her fellow Kiwi Sonya Waters were enthusiastic about working together on a unique project.

The two composers collaborated with Nashville avant-classical chamber ensemble chatterbird on The Blossoming, a concert program that Chambers will perform with the group Nov. 30 at East Nashville’s Emerson Hall; Flooded Sun Liquid Light Show will provide visuals. The work features new arrangements of six pieces for voice and synthesizer, supported by traditional orchestral instrumentation, all based on works Chambers originally wrote for solo performance. Waters and Chambers worked together to turn them into something far more ambitious, musically speaking, than Chambers could perform on her own.

“I became friends with Carissa Stolting, who is on the board of directors of chatterbird ensemble,” Chambers explains. “And she put me together with Celine [Thackston, chatterbird’s founder and artistic director], and they invited me to present some work for them to perform with me.”

Chambers expressed a desire to work with a composer who was a woman, and hoped to find one from her home country. She spent eight months in New Zealand this year, and took the opportunity to connect with Waters.

Waters has more than four decades of experience as a writer, composer and performer.

She played keys in two-tone-era ska band The Instigators, releasing a pair of singles that now fetch high prices from collectors. Her work with ’90s San Francisco psychedelic pedal-hoppers Orange put her on tour with artists like Brian Jonestown Massacre and Mazzy Star. These days

PHOTO: PETER HILL

BY P.J. KINZER

DREAM CHAMBERS

SONYA WATERS Waters is back in New Zealand, where she releases her own musical projects and scores short films. During Chambers’ stay in the country, Waters lent her some gear.

“I didn’t actually know anybody — especially another woman — that was doing modular synth music, or any kind of synth music actually, in New Zealand,” Waters recalls. “And I was just really struck by how gorgeous the music was, and just how incredibly relaxed you look just operating the modulars,” she says to Chambers.

During our chat, both artists keep coming back to describing their musical relationship as “sharing the same language.” Their collabora-

tion with chatterbird opened up a whole new dimension to that lexicon. Before delving into the world of synths, Chambers had been a singer-songwriter in a folk-pop mode — “Island,” the opening song from her 2008 solo debut, was a finalist for the prestigious Silver Scroll songwriters’ prize — and she’d always wanted to hear her music interpreted by a bigger ensemble.

“To have chatterbird accept me into this collaboration and offer me that opportunity is just a dream,” Chambers says. “To have the budget to hire someone who’s wonderfully skilled like Sonya — to just add that element for me — and then to create the scores, which is a big deal!”

Waters notes that her approach to writing has an orchestral perspective. “When I compose on my synths,” says Waters, “I’m always really drawn to the big string pads and the sort of clarinet and oboe sounds. Even though I love blips and bleeps and strange, unusual noises.”

Chambers, on the other hand, writes and plays with a certain baroque harpsichord-esque quality, reminiscent of the raindrop-rhythm keyboards of Keith Emerson’s 1960s prog-pop band The Nice; years before Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Nice was known for performing high artworks like Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony and the Sondheim-Bernstein compositions from West Side Story. Technology-driven music can sound cold — often intentionally, for artistic effect — but Chambers’ work is full of warm, organic emotion, alternating between tuneful musicality and raw, spiritual fervor.

“I’m playing expanding patterns of sound with my synthesizer,” Chambers says of the pieces in The Blossoming. “And then I have my voice — which is processed and granulated and synced to the patterns. And then we have these classical instruments that are in conversation with what I’m doing.”

She and Waters explain that the layers of texture and melody that Chambers creates will weave into and out of the chamber orchestra, taking listeners along their meandering paths. While the composition itself is set, Chambers points out that there are some elements of chance.

“I sequence the notes on my sequencer, so they’re not improvised in this concert,” she says. “So the improvisation comes more from the timbre of the filters. And how long the sustain and decay is on the synths, for dynamic improvisation.”

“It’s immersive,” Waters chimes in, with a grin. “It’s not like you can just follow a melody through, like a song. There’s a synth droning, and then there’s these flutes playing over — you know, that just seems weird.”

Waters won’t be present for the concert in Nashville, but the pair is planning to reunite and team up with an ensemble in New Zealand in January for an encore performance. Meanwhile, the community around emotive electronic composition and performance in Nashville continues to grow.

“I think there is a movement in Nashville for ambient music,” Chambers says. “I’ve been a part of that community for the last 13 years. I think Nashville is ready for it.” ▼

The Blossoming Thursday, Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., Emerson Hall, 2512 Gallatin Ave.

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

43

ANOTHER LOOK

The Scene’s music writers recommend recent releases from Chuck Indigo, Cidny Bullens, The Shindellas and more

SOON THE HOLIDAY season will get in full swing, and whether you’re looking for gift ideas or needing to soundtrack a long day of errands, Nashville musicians have your back. The Scene’s music writers have eight new recommendations for you. Add ’em to your streaming queue or pick them up from your favorite record store.

Bandcamp, the sales-and-streaming platform much-loved by musicians and fans alike, continues to struggle in the wake of being sold off by its parent company. Some of our picks are also available to buy directly from the artists on the platform, whose Bandcamp Friday promotion — in which the company waives its cut of sales for a 24-hour period — returns on Dec. 1.

people who don’t care about your feelings is not the way (“Toxic City”), and guides us straight through to loving forgiveness (“The Next Lifetime”) and embracing yourself (“Not the Girl Next Door”). The EP closes with “Barefoot and Pregnant,” a retro-country banger that mocks the repeal of Roe v. Wade. This arena-ready collection cements Levey as an artist to keep an eye on. RACHEL CHOLST

CIDNY BULLENS, LITTLE PIECES (KILL ROCK STARS)

CHUCK INDIGO, IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW… (INDIGO CHILD) On his latest EP, standout rapper Chuck Indigo is in a more reflective mood than on his albums Indigo Café and No Moor Bad Days. Don’t take that to mean he’s any less thoughtful and incisive as he takes stock of the challenges of tending to all the parts of your life that need attention: relationships, ambition, spiritual sustenance whether from religion or not. No track really outshines another on this 12-minute release. But closer “’94 Baby,” with a feature from fellow Nashville native Brian Brown, includes an affirmation of the importance of music as creative expression that hits close to home.

Cidny Bullens has been on quite a roll this year, making national headlines with his powerful new memoir TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star. Little Pieces could be seen as something of a companion piece to the book, exploring Bullens’ journey of perseverance and transformation since coming out as transgender in 2012 with songs like “Gender Line” (featuring Rodney Crowell) and “Call Me by My Name.”

But Little Pieces — a thoughtfully remastered repackaging of his 2020 self-released album Walkin’ Through This World — stands on its own, with rocking guitars and introspective lyrics. Add in the tender new single “Not With You,” written and recorded by Bullens with pal Beth Nielsen Chapman, and you have a potent collection that balances heartache with an unmistakable sense of hope and healing.

— creating a hyper-referential kaleidoscope of pop culture. Nerd’s storytelling has reached new levels: His small-town narratives are detailed and evocative on songs like “Getting Kicked Out of Church” and “Trying Beer for the First Time.”

Posse cut “The Beast” is another highlight, featuring longtime collaborator Ceschi and oldschool Nashville homie 24/7. SEAN L. MALONEY

songs Miller co-wrote himself, such as “Every Time I Reach for You” and “Puttin’ Up Hay,” a testament to his growth as a writer when placed alongside contributions from veterans like Jerry Salley. Miller once entertained thoughts of a career in professional baseball, but the consistent excellence of Country proves he made the right choice. RON WYNN

QUIET ENTERTAINER, THEME MUSIC (SELFRELEASED)

LOU RIDLEY, HELLHOUND (SELF-RELEASED)

Between this album and Spoken Nerd, it’s almost like a Cafe Coco reunion up in here.

Quiet Entertainer is a longtime producer and performer and host of Body Movin’ at The Cobra. His Theme Music LP showcases his keenly developed sense for moving the crowd while indulging his unique creative worldview. With hip-hop propulsion and a synthesist’s approach to sound design, Theme Music feels like both classic ’90s trip-hop and its ’70s inspirations.

Whether QE is channeling Tangerine Dream’s guitar-solo era on “Possibility” or classic Illadelph Halflife vibes on “Cosmic,” Theme Music has what you need for your main-character moments. SEAN L. MALONEY

On Hellhound, Lou Ridley works through everything she survived to get out of Texas: authoritarian preachers, abusive lovers and the guilt of leaving it all behind. There’s an unmistakable twang to Hellhound, not just in the way Ridley elongates her vowels.

But the music soars beyond barrooms with sweeping orchestral arrangements and sound-bites of fiery sermons that make the listener feel claustrophobic and weak.

This EP packs a punch, and it will force you to pay attention to Ridley and her future work. RACHEL CHOLST

AMY STUMPFL

STEPHEN TRAGESER

THE SHINDELLAS, SHINDO (WEIRDO WORKSHOP/THIRTY TIGERS) ALEX MILLER, COUNTRY (BILLY JAM)

SPOKEN NERD, MAGICAL POWERS (INVISIBLE LIBRARY) GWEN LEVEY AND THE BREAKDOWN, NOT THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (GO LONG) Gwen Levey punches through the morass of her life on Not the Girl Next Door. This is a hard-driving country-rock EP that finds Levy taking control and reveling in it. The five songs chronicle her realizing that partying hard with

44

Nashville hip-hop’s most endearing goofball Spoken Nerd returns with his signature irreverent, nostalgic backpack rap. Nerd’s production and writing are taut, and his punchline poetry more energetic than ever — the horn vamp on “Bicycle Anthem,” the John Carpenter creeper stabs in “Secret Door”

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

While still in his teens, Alex Miller already enjoyed national prominence, making it onto the American Idol stage two years ago. There’s added maturity in his voice and depth in his tunes as he continues the masterful juggling act of balancing a classic technical approach with a contemporary vision. His sound reflects a love of country’s cornerstone artists like George Jones and Loretta Lynn, just two among the many whose work he absorbed while carefully listening to their music growing up in Kentucky.

Standouts on the current release include

Sonically, girl-group-inspired R&B trio The Shindellas’ second LP takes a high-fidelity trip into the territory of Forever Your Girl, Rhythm Nation 1814 and Funky Divas.

And that’s reason enough to recommend at least one listen to, well, anyone with a pulse. What’ll keep you coming back are the songs. Some explore intimacy in romantic relationships — both emotional (“Think of Me”) and physical (“Juicy”). A major standout is “Last Night Was Good for My Soul,” about how important it is for your well-being to maintain close relationships with friends. STEPHEN TRAGESER ▼

MUSIC: THE SPIN

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH IS RIGHT AT HAND

BY BEN ARTHUR

SPIRITUAL MACHINES: EVE MARET

BEEN CAUGHT STEELIN’: LUKE SCHNEIDER

4PM Open Mic Night w/ Dave Nooe 9PM Gwen Holt & The Blue Souls • Andi Jane

fri 12/1

7PM Meg & Gwen Present Ladies Night w/ Meg & The Boys • Gwen Levey & The Breakdown • 76th Street • Meredith Rounsely • Layna • Hayley Fahey

sat 12/2

7PM Oceana • Hennessy Margaret • Seth Nathan Green • Idin Kain 9PM Hannah Nicolaisen • Dani Stacy • Tori Miller

mon 12/4

7PM Karaoke Night w/ Britt Ronstadt

tues 12/5

7PM Heather Bond • Kaitlyn Raitz • Breann Young 9PM John Laprade • Coralee • Alec Lang • Elray Jackson • Violet Moons

wed 12/6

7PM On The Mic Karaoke w/ Meg Gehman

Est. 1896

PHOTOS: DIANA LEE ZADLO

WILLIAM TYLER and his band — formerly just William Tyler Band, they recently started touring as William Tyler and the Impossible Truth — have a refined knack for shifting at a moment’s notice from their time-honored Southern-fried krautrock to blues, punk or anything in between. Saturday night, Tyler & Co. returned to The Blue Room to reignite their annual Thanksgiving-time tradition of augmenting the sound they’re known for with a diverse selection of covers featuring guest vocal turns from fellow Nashville music mainstays.

The general homecoming feel shares a lot with The Band’s grand finale The Last Waltz, the concert portion of which was filmed in San Francisco exactly 47 years prior. Ahead of Saturday, Tyler riffed on the parallels on Instagram, noting that “there probably will only be a couple Neil Diamond covers and everyone likes each other.” Something else the two concerts share: an ephemeral feeling that grows from knowing what you see and hear is unlikely to be replicated.

Electronic artist Eve Maret set the tone with her opening set, her table at center stage festooned with various synths, effects and cables.

She began with shimmery bell sounds before introducing layers of live clarinet into the mix.

Those swelled into a drone, and the visuals courtesy of Morgan Higby-Flowers dissolved and coalesced into forms akin to topographical maps or television test signals. Eventually, with a few twists of control knobs and buttons, the drone morphed into a hallucinogenic breakbeat while the images in the background streamed together in an array of colors before fading to white. Maret left the stage with a bow.

After a quick intermission, pedal-steel ace Luke Schneider saged his instrument and adjusted its pedals, another meditative act before The Impossible Truth took the stage. Tyler and Schneider have played individually with folks like Lambchop and Margo Price and together in various bands, and the pair’s paths have crossed frequently across the expanding universe of what they’ve called “cosmic pastoral” music.

Among the group’s five members there are decades of experience, with music in Nashville and beyond. For a few select credits, bassist Jack Lawrence is an alum of various Third Man- and Jack White-affiliated supergroups, plus many others; Tyler’s onetime Silver Jews bandmate, drummer Brian Kotzur, has been rocking hard with Country Westerns; and keyboardist Jo Schornikow has been releasing much-loved solo LPs like last year’s Altar as well as touring with Sunny War and more.

As they slid into their opening number “I’m Gonna Live Forever (If It Kills Me)” — versions of which appear on Tyler’s 2016 solo release Modern Country and the band’s recent live LP

thur 11/30

MEDITATE ON THAT: WILLIAM TYLER AND THE IMPOSSIBLE TRUTH Secret Stratosphere — you could detect fragments of the group’s storied history along with plenty that’s new and all their own. The special blend includes the ambient groove of past collaborators Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) and Steve Gunn with the jammed-out twang of the Allman Brothers or Little Feat. Tyler and the group stuck the landing throughout their set, including songs like “Whole New Dude” and “We Can’t Go Home Again.” These pieces highlighted their talent with intricate bass solos, a zydeco-esque pedal-steel breakdown and a firm rhythmic foundation. Similarly, the duality of Tyler’s playing was a feature, both his inventive fingerstyle and his freak-out soloing that calls to mind Ira Kaplan or Thurston Moore. In the last few seconds, Tyler channeled Moore especially, falling to his knees and cradling his Gibson SG surrounded by a wall of noise.

Following one more break, the band returned for the “And Friends” portion and poured their talents into being a first-rate cover band.

Schornikow took the mic first for a rendition of The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love,” followed by an equally moving cover of Linda Perhacs’ “Hey, Who Really Cares?” sung by Erin Rae. A few minutes later, they transitioned into a rowdy bar band, inviting Adia Victoria to the stage to cover Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away.” Tyler introduced the next tune with a

caveat: “We’re gonna play a Rolling Stones song, but don’t worry, it’s not off Hackney Diamonds,” he quipped, before the band played “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” with Annie Williams. Kotzur and Schornikow jammed together a while before the towering Tré Burt appeared to sing the epic cheating song “The Dark End of the Street.” Memphis legend James Carr’s original version made the song famous, and it’s been covered many times; it was a perfect fit for Burt’s soulful vocal chops.

As the night drew toward its close, The Impossible Truth transformed into a punk outlet, guided by Tyler’s “all-time rock and life hero,” The Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison. The band ran through a surf-rock instrumental with Denison and Tyler trading quickened solos. For the final number, the band welcomed their “official frontperson,” Be Your Own Pet’s Jemina Pearl. “I’m the Ruby Starr to your Jim Dandy,” she joked, calling back to Southern rockers Black Oak Arkansas.

Pearl’s comment felt representative of the entire night, fusing deep-cut references and disparate genres into a cohesive whole. The last song, Wipers’ “Youth of America,” exhibited a panoply of techniques, with Kotzur and Lawrence laying an intricate beat beneath Pearl’s effects-modulated vocals as Schneider and Tyler wreaked sonic havoc. The jam session ended just as it began, riding waves of sludge and noise. ▼

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

45

FILM

QUOTH THE RAVEN

Talking to Tennessee native Raven Jackson about her anticipated debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

BY ADAM DAVIDSON

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calendar.nashvillescene.com

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“IF OUR LIVES were to flood, what are the moments that would rise to the surface?” That’s the central question that swirled around in Raven Jackson’s mind, inspiring her feature-length directorial debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

With All Dirt Roads, Jackson — a native Tennessean — beautifully captures the “emotional journey” of her protagonist Mack, who is portrayed by three actresses throughout the course of the film. The audience is taken on a visceral and immersive journey through the defining moments of Mack’s life, from birth to death and places in between, including her first kiss. It’s a fragmented portrait of Black Southern girlhood and womanhood that fluidly shifts between different periods in the protagonist’s life. Jackson is masterfully in control of the time and pace of this thought-provoking debut, which thrives in its unconventional structure.

“I was intentional with the placement of different portraits [of Mack at different ages] to create a forward movement with the film,” Jackson tells the Scene. “I thought of it like water, which is an important image in the film, and the fluid way that water moves. I’m trying to fluidly move the film forward.”

The script, which Jackson wrote, was merely a starting point. The movie started to fully take shape during production. The filmmaker says it can be “uncomfortable sitting in the unknown,” but she has developed “a deep trust in the process” to effectively create a purposeful emotionality in each scene.

“I know what I’m looking for,” she says. “If I’m on set I certainly have it in me to be rigid, but I work best when I’m loose and see what’s unfolding in front of me. That’s what the edit was asking for, to be loose and see what footage we have. Yes, it can work in the script, but does it work in the film? Being open to that is very important.”

Jackson says that while making All Dirt Roads, she further developed the skills she had acquired when directing short films, but she also used her background as a poet to create something lyrical and intentional with sound and language.

“I wanted to allow the body to do most of the speaking in this film through body language, silence, gesture and the soundscape,” she says.

“I knew going in that I didn’t want to rely on dialogue.

“Poetry helps me trust the talking that’s happening when folks aren’t talking with their mouths. There is a lot that is being communicated, even if folks aren’t talking.”

For All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Jackson drew upon some of her own experiences growing up in the South, as well as conversations with family members. The movie transports the audience via an immersive natural soundscape and depictions of Southern traditions like eating clay and

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

RAVEN JACKSON (LEFT) ON SET fishing for crayfish, which Jackson did as a child along the Cumberland River.

These are the moments and places Jackson missed when she moved to New York to study poetry, where she was initially hit with culture shock.

“It made me miss the pace of the South, or something as simple as seeing fireflies,” says Jackson. “There’s nature and parks in New York, but it’s different. It made me appreciate where I come from even more. I don’t think everything I do will be in the South, but a large proportion of it will be. I recognized that for myself when I moved to New York — how much love I have for where I come from.”

Jackson now lives in Los Angeles, but says the South will always have a big place in her heart, and filming in Mississippi reinforced that love.

“It feels like home in a real way, not only the places but also the people. That was special in the process of making this film, that feeling of home.”

Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Jackson’s debut went on to screen at some of the biggest film festivals globally over the course of 2023, from London and New York to San Sebastian, Spain, and the Nashville Film Festival in October. This week it opens at the Belcourt.

“It’s been a long journey — it has taken five years to get the film to this point, and now it hits theaters,” Jackson says. “It feels like a lot of chapters to bring the film to the world, but truly I’m so excited for more folks to be able to watch it, and I look forward to the many conversations I anticipate happening after more people do.” ▼ All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt PG, 92 minutes Opening Friday, Dec. 1, at the Belcourt

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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What it’s impossible to be in

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Top-grossing movie of 1987

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66

small front-end loaders

Finer points, slangily

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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LEGALS NOTICE OF SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE’S SALE WHEREAS, Audrey Price acquired improved property located at 810 Bellevue Rd, Unit 120, Building # 6, Nashville, Tennessee 37221, by that Special Warranty Deed of record at Instrument No. 201008310069040, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee, as well as that Warranty Deed at Instrument No. 20070615-0071628, said Register’s Office, which conveyance was expressly subject to easements, restrictive covenants and conditions, and other matters of record; and WHEREAS by that Master Deed Establishing a Horizontal Property

Regime “Peppertree”, Creekside Meadows Condominiums dated July 15, 1974, of record in Book 4834, Page 257, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee, as subsequently amended, including at Book 6874, Page 354 (collectively referred to as the “Master Deed”) and those Bylaws for the Administration of Creekside Meadows Association, Inc., of record in Book 4834, Page 297, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee (collectively the “Declarations”), James H. Brewer, as Trustee for Developer, submitted and subjected all of the land described therein to all the provisions, covenants, conditions and restrictions set forth in said Master Deed and Declarations; and WHEREAS, Creekside Meadows Association, Inc. (“Creekside”) is the duly created governing body for the owners of all the units subjected to said Master Deed and amendments to the Master Deed; and WHEREAS, the Master Deed and Declarations create a lien in favor of Creekside for assessments for common charges and expenses, attorney’s fees and costs incurred for collection duly levied against the lots subject to said Master Deed and Declarations; and WHEREAS, there has been a default with respect to the obligation to pay assessments for common expenses with regard to a certain lot, subject to the Master Deed and Declarations, and described more specifically herein, and Creekside has asserted a lien on such lot by that Notice of Lien of record at Instrument No. 20190904-0088857, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee, and by that Agreed Order Resolving Plaintiff’s Motion for Partial and Final Summary Judgment of record at Instrument No. 20230719-0055714, said Register’s Office, as well as a lien under the Master Deed and Declarations for other and later amounts due to Creekside; and WHEREAS, Creekside, the owner and holder of the lien created by the Master Deed and Declarations, has demanded payment of the delinquent assessments as to the said lot, and payment has not been made (as well as subsequent amounts coming due), and Creekside has directed that said property be sold, with such sale to be conducted as ordered by the Davidson County Chancery Court in an Order Directing Judicial Sale of Real Property Pursuant to HOA Docu-

ments (the “Sale Order”), as well as pursuant to the provisions of the Master Deed and Declarations and applicable Tennessee law (including Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-27-415); and WHEREAS, for the limited purpose of enforcement of said lien, all of the property subjected to the said Master Deed was transferred and conveyed unto James H. Brewer, Trustee, his successors and assigns, reserving an authorization and empowerment to name and appoint a successor in trust to execute this trust exercisable by the owner and holder of the above described lien, all as set forth in the Master Deed; and David M. Anthony was duly appointed Successor Trustee in an instrument of record in Instrument No. 201910901-0103592 (as well as later instrument filings), Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee; and NOW, THEREFORE, Notice is hereby given that David M. Anthony, Successor Trustee, by virtue of the power, duty and authority vested in and imposed upon him, will on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at 11:00 a.m on the steps of the historic Davidson County Courthouse, Public Square, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, offer for sale the property hereinafter described, to the highest bidder for cash, at public outcry, free from the statutory right of redemption, homestead, dower, and all other exemptions of every kind, all of which have been expressly waived in the Master Deed. Said property is more particularly described as follows: Building Number 6, Unit Number 120, and Garage Number(s) 3, on the Plan of “Peppertree”, Creekside Meadows Condominiums of record in Book 4675, Page 128 through 130, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee together with all fixtures, appliances, wallcoverings, carpets or other improvements therein and the undivided interest in the common elements appurtenant thereto, all being more particularly described in the Master Deed and By-Laws of record in Book 4834, Pages 257 through 312, as amended in Book 4984, Page 174, Book 5045, Page 800, Book 5086, Page 80, and Book 5259, Page 5, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee, and the Charter of Creekside Meadows Association, Inc., of record in Book 4836, Page

610, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee, to which plat reference is hereby made for a more particular description of said property.

Being the same property conveyed to Audrey Price a/k/a Aubrey Price

by Special Warranty Deed of record at Instrument No. 201008310069040, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee, as well as that Warranty Deed at Instrument No. 200706150071628, said Register’s Office.

Map & Parcel No.: 142-06-O-A120.00 CO Street Address: The street address of the property is believed to be 810 Bellevue Road, Unit 120, Building # 6, Nashville, TN 37221, but such address is not part of the legal description of the property.

In the event of any discrepancy, the legal description herein shall control.

CURRENT OWNER(S): Audrey Price OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES: Nashville Electric Service; FV-1, Inc. in Trust for Morgan Stanley Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC; Joshua J. Phillips, Esq.; Ray McClain THIS PROPERTY IS SOLD AS IS, WHERE IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND SUBJECT TO ANY PRIOR LIENS OR ENCUMBRANCES, IF ANY. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, THE PROPERTY IS SOLD WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO TITLE, MARKETABILITY OF TITLE, POSSESSION, QUIET ENJOINMENT OR THE LIKE AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, CONDITION, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A GENERAL OR PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE. TERMS OF SALE (as stated in Sale Order): Cash, Certified Check, or Receipt on Judgment from Plaintiff.

Pursuant to Sale Order: high bidder will be required to execute a written sale agreement at conclusion of bidding; Creekside is allowed to credit bid; redemption rights and equity of redemption are waived, pursuant to Master Deed and Declarations; the sale shall be approved and confirmed

by the Davidson County Chancery Court, the Court which issued the Sale Order; and Substitute Trustee shall provide a deed after entry of the order of confirmation of the sale and after confirmation of payment to Substitute Trustee.

As to all or any part of the Property, the right is reserved to (i) delay, continue or adjourn the sale to another time certain or to another day and time certain, without further publication and in accordance with law, upon announcement of said delay, continuance or adjournment on the day and time and place of sale set forth above or any subsequent delayed, continued or adjourned day and time and place of sale; (ii) sell at the time fixed by this Notice or the date and time of the last delay, continuance or adjournment or to give new notice of sale; (iii) sell in such lots, parcels, segments, or separate estates as Substitute Trustee may choose; (iv) sell any part and delay, continue, adjourn, cancel, or postpone the sale of any part of the Property; (v) sell in whole and then sell in parts and consummate the sale in whichever manner produces the highest sale price; (vi) and/or to sell to the next highest bidder in the event any high bidder does not comply with the terms of the sale.

Subject to validity and enforceability, this sale may be subject to a Deed of Trust recorded in Instrument No. 20070615-0071629, Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee, and that lien at 200711010128605, said Register’s Office. The sale is further subject to all matters shown on any applicable recorded Plat or Plan; any unpaid taxes and assessments (plus penalties, interest, and costs) which exist as a lien against said property; any restrictive covenants, easements or setback lines that may be applicable; any rights of redemption, equity, statutory or otherwise, not otherwise waived in the relevant documents, including rights of redemption of any governmental agency, state or federal; and any and all prior deeds of trust, liens, dues, assessments, encumbrances, defects, adverse claims and other matters that may take priority over the instruments upon which this foreclosure sale is conducted or are not extinguished by this Sale. This sale is also subject to any matter that an inspection and accurate survey of the property might disclose.

The sale will be conducted subject (1) to confirmation that the sale is not prohibited under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and (2) to final confirmation and audit of the status of the debt pursuant to the said Master Deed.

THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. David M. Anthony, Substitute Trustee EXO LEGAL PLLC PO Box 121616 Nashville, Tennessee 37212 david@exolegal.com Telephone: (615) 869-0634 NSC: 11/23, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21/23

EMPLOYMENT Sr. Analysts, IT QA. Integrate software testing processes and procedures into development projects in support of a major retailer’s business and IT software applications. Employer: Tractor Supply Company.

Location: Headquarters in Brentwood, TN. May telecommute from any location in the U.S. Multiple openings. To apply, mail resume to S. Case, 5401 Virginia Way, Brentwood, TN 37027 and reference job code 22-0339.

Sr. Architects, IT. Analyze, develop, and support the development of domain roadmaps that align with goals, business plans, and business processes for a major retailer. Employer: Tractor Supply Company.

Location: Headquarters in Brentwood, TN. May telecommute from any location in the U.S. Multiple openings. To apply, mail resume to S. Case, 5401 Virginia Way, Brentwood, TN 37027 and reference job code 22-0319.

UBS Business Solutions US LLC seeks Associate Director, Data Engineer in Nashville, TN. Position is eligible for remote work.

Build re-usable data pipelines using Azure Data Factory and Databricks.

Perform data transformations and aggregations using Spark based in Java, Scala or Python. Qualified Applicants apply through shprofrecruitingcc@ubs.com.

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Qualifacts Systems, LLC. Software Engineer Technical Lead. Nashville, TN. *Hybrid position. Build & work on enterprise soft syst framed in IT projects. Bach in CIS, Sys. Engin., Info. Syst or rltd. IT field. 4 yrs’ exp. dev end-user apps & back-end svcs; 4 yrs in each: dvlp J2EE web apps &/or using “Open Source” soft; work w/Java 8 & above; Java, JavaScript & SQL ANSI; front end frameworks: AngularJS or ReactJS; exp. in techs: JSP, Servlets, JavaBeans, ORM, JMS, JPA & Tomcat; work w/ databases like: Oracle, MariaDB or MongoDB; Object Oriented Analysis & Design leveraging UML notation; Java dev. environ such as Eclipse, IntelliJ or STS; tools such as JIRA, Git, Jenkins & SonarQube; & impl solut leveraging an SOA paradigm approach. 3 yrs open-source frameworks: Spring, Hibernate, & MyBatis w/ Continuous Integration. 2+ yrs’ leading teams.

Knowledge of SDLC frameworks: Scrum, Kanban, UML Artifacts, &/or Agile Iconix, Ent Bus & Design Patterns, & Best Practices like Static Code Analysis, OWASP &/or Dynamic Analysis. Visit: https://jobs.jobvite.com/qualif acts/job/o1Wlofwq to apply.

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LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

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FAVORITE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD BAR

· Inglewood Lounge

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· Adventure Science Center

· Tennessee Central Railway Museum

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Studio 79

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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MUSIC CITY 20% off readings

PSYCHIC

WE SPECIALIZE IN GOOD VIBES AND POSITIVE ENERGY.

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615-915-0515 107 White Bridge Road MusicCityPsychic.com

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A metaphysical supply store serving Nashville since 2002. crystals singing bowls jewelry books gifts incense & much more

Dec. 16th 7-11pm

2117 8th Ave S Nashville, TN 37204 615.463.7677 yourcosmicconnections.com

21 and up only DJ Food Truck best disco attire contest 154 Bonita Parkway, Hendersonville, TN

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NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

$20

includes 1 pint

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