Nashville Scene 12-21-23

NEWS:

DECEMBER 21–27, 2023 I VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 46 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

NES CONTENDS WITH SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS

FOOD & DRINK:

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY RECKONS WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT

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SARAH SHOOP NEUMANN COVENANT MOM

MARYAM ABOLFAZLI RISE & SHINE TENNESSEE

IBTIHAL CHEKO STUDENTS DEMAND ACTION

Nashvillians of the Year THE GUN SAFET Y ADVOCATES

Sarah Shoop Neumann, Ibtihal Cheko and Maryam Abolfazli are at the center of a Nashville community calling for change BY KELSEY BEYELER

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12/18/23 3:53 PM

WITNESS HISTORY This suit, designed by Manuel Cuevas for Country Music Hall of Fame member Porter Wagoner in the 1980s, is blanketed in rhinestones and embroidered flowers and features Wagoner’s classic wagon-wheel motif.

From the exhibit Suiting the Sound:The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter artifact: Courtesy of Debra Jean Loy artifact photo: Bob Delevante

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NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

RESERVE TODAY

CONTENTS NEWS 7 Getting the Lights Back On Dec. 9 tornadoes mark sixth FEMA disaster declaration for Tennessee in 2023

BY ELI MOTYCKA

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

8 Street View: Making East End More Livable Some residents want to create denser multifamily housing in the East Nashville neighborhood

BY LENA MAZEL

9 Nashvillians Caught Between Gaza and Israel Horrified by killings, residents meet for vigils, dinners, protests and fundraisers

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BY ELI MOTYCKA

Students at an April 3 protest • PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

COVER STORY 11 Nashvillians of the Year: The Gun Safety Advocates Sarah Shoop Neumann, Ibtihal Cheko and Maryam Abolfazli are at the center of a Nashville community calling for change

BY KELSEY BEYELER

19 CRITICS’ PICKS

Holiday pop-up bars, Gustavo Flores, Gremlins, Lawndry and more

FOOD AND DRINK 27 Hospitality Industry Reckons With Sexual Harassment There are action items management can take to make change

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

BOOKS 28 Avant-Garde Traditionalist Taylor Hagood uncovers the life and death of country music icon David ‘Stringbean’ Akeman

BY EDD HURT; CHAPTER16.ORG

MUSIC 31 Repeat the Sounding Joy Drew and Ellie Holcomb keep their Neighborly Christmas tradition alive and well at the Schermerhorn

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD

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MARKETPLACE

BY MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

32 When You Least Expect It Master musician Jim Hoke embraces spontaneity on his second solo LP

BY BRITTNEY McKENNA

32 The Spin The Scene’s live-review column checks out Electric Python’s annual holiday party at The Basement

BY P.J. KINZER

FILM 34 Wrestling With the Past The Iron Claw is the ultimate wrestling movie, though not necessarily the best

BY J.R. LIND

35 Pafological Liar Jeffrey Wright proves he’s a leading man with American Fiction

BY CRAIG D. LINDSEY

ON THE COVER:

Sarah Shoop Neumann, Ibtihal Cheko, Maryam Abolfazli Photo by Eric England

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NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 5:49 PM

FROM BILL FREEMAN

WHO WE ARE

NASHVILLE’S FUTURE: MAYOR O’CONNELL’S PRAGMATIC LEADERSHIP AMID MLB SPECULATION IN NASHVILLE’S EVER-EVOLVING landscape, Mayor Freddie O’Connell continues to demonstrate a pragmatic and measured approach to governance, prioritizing the city’s long-term well-being over flashy developments and potential sporting triumphs. Recent discussions surrounding a possible move of the Chicago White Sox to Nashville during the MLB Winter Meetings have ignited speculation and excitement among some residents.

However, Mayor O’Connell’s response has been characteristically composed, emphasizing fiscal responsibility and maintaining a focus on core city priorities.

Nashville, known for many decades as Music City, has long been a hub of cultural and economic growth, attracting attention from various sectors, including professional sports leagues. As noted by Axios earlier this month, Nashville is an attractive destination for major sports franchises: “Because Nashville’s existing pro teams — the Predators, Titans and Nashville SC — are thriving, the city is routinely mentioned as a desirable location for an expansion franchise.” And as reported by Southside Showdown: “The idea of expansion has been around for a while, as there is a movement by owners to bump up the number of teams to 32. Nashville happens to be one of the more popular destinations for MLB to plant its flag.”

Despite the allure of having a Major League Baseball team call Nashville home, Mayor O’Connell remains steadfast in his commitment to a fiscally responsible approach. The mayor has consistently advocated for privately funded sports facilities, emphasizing that the burden of financing should not fall on the taxpayers. Notes Axios, “On the campaign trail in August, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said he ‘would be delighted to entertain a conversation with anybody who wants to fully privately fund our next public entertainment facility.’”

This stance not only reflects sound financial management but also underscores O’Connell’s dedication to ensuring the economic welfare of the city and its residents.

The ongoing discussions about a potential MLB team coincide with another significant project on the horizon — the development of the East Bank. Anchored by a $2.1 billion Titans stadium, the East Bank redevelopment plan represents a major urban revitalization effort.

Mayor O’Connell’s administration is in early talks with the Fallon Company, which is tasked with leading the redevelopment. O’Connell emphasizes the need for careful consideration, ensuring that the project aligns with the city’s long-term goals and benefits all neighborhoods.

This emphasis on the East Bank development shows Mayor O’Connell’s strategic approach to urban planning. Recognizing the importance

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of infrastructure investment, the mayor aims to understand the annual costs associated with the project while maintaining a commitment to “equivalent substantive investments” in neighborhoods across Davidson County.

Even during his campaign, when discussing the East Bank, O’Connell stated, “The East Bank gives us an opportunity to fully embrace smart transit infrastructure, with thousands of units of housing built along our first bus rapid transit corridor.” He added that access and connectivity would be of great benefit not only to those working at the stadium, but to all Nashvillians. This measured approach to major developments ensures that Nashville’s growth is both sustainable and inclusive.

In addition to overseeing major development projects, and considering what future major league sports would be a good fit for Nashville, Mayor O’Connell also faced a test of leadership recently in the aftermath of devastating tornadoes that swept through Middle Tennessee on Dec. 9. His response exemplified his genuine commitment to the health of Nashville’s residents. As a state of emergency was declared, allowing the city to access state and federal resources, Mayor O’Connell handled the situation calmly and effectively, coordinating resources and emphasizing the city’s strong support system. He posted regularly on social media, asking all to be extremely careful around the tornado-stricken areas due to potential downed power lines and other hazards.

In the midst of speculation about MLB teams and ambitious urban development plans, Mayor O’Connell seems to remain grounded in his commitment to the people of Nashville.

As discussions about the potential move of the Chicago White Sox — or any MLB team — to Nashville continue, the mayor’s composed and principled approach is a testament to his leadership abilities.

With a full term ahead, Mayor O’Connell has already shown a keen understanding of Nashville’s needs and a dedication to ensuring that the city’s growth benefits all its residents.

As Nashville navigates major developments, potential sporting triumphs and even natural disasters, having Mayor O’Connell at the helm provides a sense of assurance that the city’s future is in capable hands — hands that prioritize the well-being, safety and prosperity of every Nashvillian.

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.

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 EATING: The Gobbler GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Sandi Harrison, at Crieve Hall Mary Louise Meadors, Tracey Starck Bagel Co. PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Christie Passarello FESTIVAL DIRECTOR Olivia Britton MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER Robin Fomusa PUBLISHER Mike Smith ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Michael Jezewski EATING: SENIOR ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS MANAGERS Falafel at Peachtree Neighborhood Grill 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 ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS ASSOCIATES 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 • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 5:27 PM

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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A MAGNIFICENT MELTING POT

Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800: Highlights from LACMA’s Collection is an exhibition featuring paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and more created in Mexico and Central and South America during the early modern era. The works explore the intricate social, economic, and artistic dynamics of these societies that led to the creation of astounding new artworks.

THROUGH JANUARY 28

Downtown Nashville 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 FristArtMuseum.org @FristArtMuseum #FristArtandImagination Antonio de Arellano (Mexico, 1638–1714); Manuel de Arellano (Mexico, 1662–1722).

The Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgen de Guadalupe), ca. 1691. Oil on canvas; 20 7/8 × 9 13/16 × 9 7/16 in. Los Angeles County Museum of Ar t, purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund. Photo © Museum Associates/L ACMA

All exhibition information is available in English and Spanish, and the audio guide highlights voices from our own community.

Organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Suppor ted in par t by

Program and Spanish Translation Sponsor

Sandra Schatten Foundation

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NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

The Frist Ar t Museum is suppor ted in par t by

NEWS PITH IN THE WIND

GETTING THE LIGHTS BACK ON Dec. 9 tornadoes mark sixth FEMA disaster declaration for Tennessee in 2023

NASHVILLESCENE.COM/NEWS/PITHINTHEWIND Music City Baseball pitched its plans for attracting a new MLB team to Nashville during a community meeting at Hadley Park. Dr. Eddie Hamilton, part of the private ownership group leading the city’s pro baseball effort, spent almost two hours fielding questions from some skeptical North Nashville residents. At times, he assured the room that his group had sufficient funding and a known path to another professional sports team and another expensive stadium. Hamilton also emphasized that the process was bottom-up and would be driven by the community around Tennessee State University, whose wetlands on the Cumberland have already been scoped for a new MLB stadium. If Nashville can’t lure an existing team, Hamilton also expects MLB to announce expansion teams in 2026.

DAYS AFTER THE STORMS, blue tarps are an easy way to know you’re getting closer to the damage. First they cover patches, then entire roofs. Neighborhood streets become thickets of downed trees, shattered glass, crushed vehicles, twisted trampolines and strewn possessions.

Some houses are missing entire rooms or are leveled completely.

On Dec. 9, a tornado killed three people in Madison who had sheltered in their mobile homes. Three others died in Clarksville that day as a result of an early-December outbreak of tornadoes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued yet another disaster declaration for Tennessee, the state’s sixth this year.

For homes close to the storms’ epicenter, power outages became an ongoing threat, and power restoration is a critical step in the slow path back to normalcy. In the parking lot of the Madison Community Center, one family packs up food to replace what they lost in the days since their home was hit. John McMahon, whose Hendersonville home was hit, remembers sheltering in his house while winds whipped up to 125 mph outside — and the eerie flickering that followed the return of his home’s electricity.

“Everyone in the area was given an estimate of four or five days, but we got power back the next morning,” McMahon tells the Scene. ”We had internet, but I noticed the lights starting to flicker every few seconds. The [Nashville Electric Service] people came out and said, ‘If this was my house, I’d turn off the power and cut all the big appliances.’ Apparently the storm had ripped off the neutral connection.”

By Monday morning, McMahon (and his cat) could safely turn their electricity back on. A tarp is covering the hole in his house left by a fallen tree. Insurance claims come next.

NES addresses mass grid outages from the top down. Nashville buys power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, a government-chartered monopoly that serves much of the Southeast, and sells power to more than 400,000 custom-

ers in Middle Tennessee. Big metal towers run transmission lines from TVA power plants to local substations. Lines run out from substations down streets and through neighborhoods, gradually branching out to homes. Everything along that chain is vulnerable to extreme weather.

“We have to work to bring up the most people at one time,” explains Jose Fuentes, an NES customer service representative. “Substations can bring thousands of people back. Then distribution lines that run to secondary lines. Now it’s about individuals — individual sites that crews have to address one at a time.”

The day he speaks with the Scene, Fuentes is at the Madison Community Center talking with residents who have questions about when their power will return. He has access to the queue of work orders from NES’ central office downtown to help estimate when and where service will return next.

“Every storm, we learn something new,” says Fuentes. “We find something to improve how we do things.”

Northeastern Davidson County ends at Mansker Creek, but the NES service area extends past Hendersonville, where it shares a border with the Gallatin Department of Electricity.

Nashville’s electrical grid took two huge hits on Dec. 9, leaving nearly 50,000 customers (about 10 percent of its total base) without power. Most outages came downstream of two substations knocked offline by direct hits.

These sites in Pennington Bend and Hendersonville immediately became top priorities for NES, says one employee who works on a bucket crew.

“You have to get to the subs first,” he tells the Scene. “That took us down to about 6,000 outages. The storm also took out a high transmission tower up by Saundersville, but that’s not us.

We can’t touch it. It belongs to [the Tennessee Valley Authority].”

In moments of crisis, NES ramps up its capacity with out-of-state contractors, adding line workers to the city’s fleet of a few dozen bucket

trucks. They fan out across the city based on directions from “Central” — employees who monitor the grid from the utility’s downtown headquarters. In 2022, NES launched a simplified version of its grid map online. From Dec. 9’s high of around 50,000 outages, viewers could see the total tick down Monday (5,000 without power) to Tuesday (3,700) to Wednesday (1,000) to Thursday (250) and Friday (75). These storms are a relatively tiny portion of NES’ work and budget, but they’ve thrust NES into the spotlight more frequently over the past few years.

The utility’s disaster response — to tornadoes, winter storms and windstorms — headlined the utility’s 2023 annual report in late November.

NES will likely face these challenges again soon. Each weather event presents unique challenges, but each one drills an increasingly patterned response from the community, city, nonprofits and individuals. Recent weather analysis puts Nashville directly in a new Tornado Alley, caught beneath bigger, more extreme and more sudden swirls of hot and cold air — from the plains to Appalachia, amid humans’ ongoing disruption of climate patterns.

Based on viewership, many Nashvillians favor the volunteer weather watchers of Nashville Severe Weather over TV news. After facing criticism following the tornado outbreak for a lack of multilingual outreach efforts by the city, Mayor Freddie O’Connell appeared Friday with Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition director Lisa Sherman Luna to discuss the city’s bilingual outreach efforts.

“We have learned since the 2010 flood how important it is to have systems, policies and practices that reach non-English speakers, because they are often the first hit, the worst hit, and are left behind in the relief and recovery process,” Sherman Luna told reporters. “It is clear we have work to do as a city to improve our systems. The reality is that extreme weather is on the rise and that Nashville is going to continue to face these natural disasters.” ▼

Tennessee State University students met with Gov. Bill Lee to discuss funding priorities, part of the governor’s proposal to address decades of underfunding at the historically Black university in Nashville. In September, the federal government announced that Tennessee had underfunded TSU by $2.1 billion between 1987 and 2020 based on per-student spending, a revelation that comes amid a housing shortage at the school. Any action on addressing TSU funding will require attention from the Tennessee General Assembly, which doesn’t reconvene until Jan. 9.

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

DOWNED POWER LINES AFTER THE DEC. 9 TORNADO

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

BY ELI MOTYCKA

The Southern Poverty Law Center published more reporting on Nashville-area white supremacists last week, adding to reports from the summer about Nazi organizing at the Lewis Country Store. Local white supremacists fit into Middle Tennessee’s long lineage of hatred, writes Scene contributor Betsy Phillips. It makes sense that extremists would feel comfortable in Nashville, she writes, when the city is viewed through its long history as a safe haven for groups like the KKK and Confederate sympathizers.

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 5:07 PM

NEWS: STREET VIEW

MAKING EAST END MORE LIVABLE

Some residents want to create denser multifamily housing in the East Nashville neighborhood

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

BY LENA MAZEL

SOUTH 10TH STREET Street View is a monthly column taking a close look at development-related issues affecting different neighborhoods throughout the city.

BUILDING MORE HOUSING in Nashville isn’t always easy. New developments can spark months of neighborhood resistance, or run up against zoning and legal restrictions.

But over the past few years, one community in East Nashville has worked to remove barriers to affordability, rezoning their neighborhood to allow for denser multifamily housing. Now East End neighbors are tackling a unique piece of the affordable housing puzzle: revising their conservation overlay.

James Guthrie, president of the East End Neighborhood Association, tells the Scene that neighbors are enthusiastic about the zoning changes — not just in theory, but also in their own backyards. “At our community meeting we had about these specific areas that we were rezoning, a lot of the current residents and homeowners in those parcels were vocal supporters of this project,” he says.

Guthrie says East End — a small neighborhood to the south of East Nashville’s popular Five Points area — contains a number of vacant lots, where higher-density housing makes sense.

“The street can handle more of what we already have in the neighborhood, these multifamily developments,” he says.

Former Metro Councilmember Brett Withers represented District 6, which includes East End, from 2015 to 2023. Now a member of Metro’s Planning Department, Withers worked in his council role to rezone parts of East Nashville to encourage high-density housing, including an update to the MDHA Five Points Redevelopment Plan.

Withers says that throughout 2019 and 2020, community members in East End expressed interest for multifamily zoning in their neighborhood, specifically in areas around South 10th Street, Fatherland Street and Shelby Avenue: a good match for housing density because of the areas’ accessibility.

“We are a walkable neighborhood with side-

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walks on both sides of almost every street in the neighborhood, and we are between two transit lines,” says Guthrie.

In August, just before the end of his second and final term, Withers passed legislation that changed the zoning in areas of East Nashville from two-family to multifamily parcels. In 2021, a previous bill from Withers incentivized high-density housing in existing mixed-use districts.

Now members of the East End Neighborhood Association are working with adjacent Lockeland Springs neighbors and the Metro Historic Zoning Commission to revise parts of East Nashville’s conservation overlay.

Robin Zeigler, the historic zoning administrator for the Metro Historic Zoning Commission, tells the Scene that overlays “don’t have anything to do with how a lot [or] building is used, or density.”

Even so, design guidelines can influence how easy it is to build for certain uses.

In an email to the Scene, Withers explains that proposed updates to the conservation overlay would make the Historic Zoning Commission rules more friendly to high-density development. This could mean changing guidelines around roof heights and design, or even yard size. “Some of the properties on South 10th Street have very deep front setbacks, which create nice front yard sizes but limit the number of housing units that could be built if the buildings could be constructed closer to the street in more of a townhome style,” Withers says.

The design revisions could also allow some locations to have “taller heights and different designs such as flat roofs that are more conducive to townhome and multifamily development than is typical of historic house designs,” says Withers.

Zeigler tells the Scene that altering pockets of a historic overlay is rare but not unheard of.

(The last instance was before her time as zoning administrator.) However, historic zoning regulations can allow flexibility within overlays. “State law requires that the design guidelines meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehab, but

that is flexible enough to allow us to also tailor guidelines to the specific historic context of each neighborhood or even individual pockets of historic districts,” Zeigler says.

Many historic overlays already have pockets in place with exceptions to more restrictive aesthetic requirements: Portions of Lockeland Springs, for instance, allow two-story buildings with flat roofs, whereas other portions do not.

Nashville’s zoning code has been a point of serious discussion in the past year, as the city’s changing landscape has created an affordable housing shortage, and advocates have called for better access to transit and local amenities.

There’s growing bipartisan support for zoning reform, though some advocates have spoken out against rezoning and development proposals in their neighborhoods.

Overlays, too, have their champions and detractors. Last month’s Street View followed one family’s potentially costly violation after they built a garage 19 inches too high, a process that sparked frustrations with both the homeowner and their local neighborhood association in Nashville’s Richland-West End neighborhood.

Zeigler says conservation overlays have many benefits, pointing to a 2019 economic impact study that concluded, among other findings, that people living in historic districts are less cost-burdened than the rest of Nashville, and that preserving buildings promotes sustainability by preventing demolition. (It’s worth noting that some overlays can prevent noncompliant sustainable construction, such as external venetian blinds on an energy-efficient Passivhaus earlier this year).

Guthrie says East End’s conservation overlay has worked as designed, preserving a particular architectural character. “Having been here for 13 years I’ve seen the neighborhood really hang onto that architectural aesthetic while other more fundamental things … have continued to change in a way that we don’t have any kind of planning or overlay to prevent,” he says. As the neighborhood has become less affordable, he says it’s lost diversity. Local businesses have changed too.

“STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT THE DESIGN GUIDELINES MEET THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR REHAB, BUT THAT IS FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO ALLOW US TO ALSO TAILOR GUIDELINES TO THE SPECIFIC HISTORIC CONTEXT OF EACH NEIGHBORHOOD OR EVEN INDIVIDUAL POCKETS OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS.” —ROBIN ZEIGLER, THE HISTORIC ZONING ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE METRO HISTORIC ZONING COMMISSION

In a letter he shared with the Scene, Guthrie writes to Metro’s Planning Department that rezoning would help preserve “a vibrant, walkable urban neighborhood accessible to a range of socioeconomic and professional backgrounds,” and that “allowing more people to live in walkable areas reduces carbon emissions at a critical point in time for our planet.”

In the coming months, the East End and Lockeland Springs neighborhood associations will hold community feedback sessions on their proposed overlay changes. Together with the Historic Zoning Commission, local leaders and current District 6 Councilmember Clay Capp, the groups will draft a proposal to fit the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historic overlays.

After that, the Historic Zoning Commission will decide whether to adopt the proposed changes at a public hearing. The results of that decision will ultimately shape what East Nashville looks like — in more ways than one. ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 5:06 PM

NASHVILLIANS CAUGHT BETWEEN GAZA AND ISRAEL Horrified by killings, residents meet for vigils, dinners, protests and fundraisers

BY ELI MOTYCKA CHILDREN SANG AND music played in Public Square Park at sundown on Dec. 11. A small crowd had gathered on the fifth night of Hanukkah for the city’s 20th annual menorah lighting. A few speakers took turns at the microphone — Rabbi Laurie Rice of Congregation Micah, Erin Coleman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Nathan Appelbaum of Vanderbilt University’s Hillel chapter. All remarks focused directly on Hanukkah, a 2,000-year-old story of light triumphing over darkness, which speakers used to allude just barely to the tense backdrop of that night’s event.

“It is fitting that we’re here in these challenging times to celebrate the light that has sustained the Jewish community over the centuries,” said Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who spoke about his own Jewish heritage at the event. While he spoke, a Metro police detail waited on horseback in the background. “We are a place that welcomes the differences between us and draws strength from inclusivity.”

The week before, activists calling for a ceasefire assembled on Lower Broadway, turning the city’s heart into a stage for speakers and protesters. The message of the action, organized by the newly formed Palestine Hurra Collective, was that the killing in Gaza is not a war but a brutal acceleration of Israel’s decades-long project of eliminating Palestinians from the area. The day after the menorah lighting, educators and teachers met downtown to remember those killed in Gaza. Across Nashville, hostages taken from Israel

by Hamas stare back from flyers tacked on telephone poles.

Vigils, dinners, memorials, protests and demonstrations have marked Nashville’s response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas — which killed more than 1,200 Israelis — and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza. Close to 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died in the tiny strip of land since Israel launched its assault in October, supported and armed by the U.S. government.

O’Connell met with representatives of Nashville’s Jewish community in the days following Oct. 7. It took a few more weeks for O’Connell to meet with Palestinian, Arab and Muslim leaders, who sat with the mayor in late October. O’Connell has shied away from strong rhetoric on either side of the issue, casting himself as a listener and supporter. In late October, his office shared links related to emotional and physical safety in a “Resource Guide for Nashvillians Impacted by Middle East Conflict.”

“My role is to take care of Nashvillians,” O’Connell tells the Scene. “We continue to talk to leaders and all of our Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Palestinian and Arab populations. To me, it is far

more important to be involved in conversation than to make statements.”

Reeling from the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the recent uptick of public antisemitism in Nashville neighborhoods, Jewish leaders cite heightened sensitivity among their peers since the attacks by Hamas. As recently as Sunday, Jewish organizations including the Gordon Jewish Community Center have received emailed threats.

“We’re all feeling a bubbling to the surface of antisemitism that we knew existed,” says Barbara Dab, a spokesperson for the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. “Our Jewish world and the world in general is in a very dark place right now.

We stand with Israel no matter what, and don’t want to see violence or killing on either side. But a cease-fire is not going to accomplish that.”

For months, a clear majority of countries and U.S. voters have supported a cease-fire. The U.S. government has continued to deliver aid and public support to Israel, though warnings from the White House to avoid civilian deaths have gotten sharper in recent weeks. For two months, airstrikes have reduced much of Northern Gaza to rubble, while humanitarian aid trickles in through borders controlled by Israel and Egypt. Dehydration, starvation, death, disease and mass displacement have compounded the international crisis, which has simultaneously become a graveyard for journalists reporting on the situation.

“We can’t understand this,” says Sabina Mohyuddin, executive director of Nashville’s American Muslim Advisory Council. “We can’t comprehend why this is being justified and why people aren’t saying more or demanding a ceasefire. The only explanation is that our humanity doesn’t matter. There is no justification for what happened on Oct. 7, and I haven’t heard anyone in our Muslim community even come close to justifying that, but the lack of support for a ceasefire is hard to deal with emotionally. I know the mental health of our community has really suffered, and it has set back our interfaith work with the Jewish community. It just feels like there’s not a real recognition of Palestinians’ humanity.”

Mohyuddin estimates that the Muslim community of Middle Tennessee is between 50,000 and 60,000 people, a few thousand of whom are Palestinian. Muslims’ views should not be painted with a single brush, but, says Mohyuddin, many share a view of Israel and Palestine that differs dramatically from the mainstream.

She tells the Scene that refusal to condemn or even recognize “genocide” — a term Mohyuddin uses unflinchingly — has eroded the relationship between Arab and Muslim Nashvillians and local leaders, including O’Connell.

“There’s always been this solidarity with Palestinians in the Muslim community, and it’s not just religious,” says Mohyuddin. “Many Palestinians are Muslim, but there’s a Christian population of Palestinians. It’s based in a shared understanding of oppression. Many Muslims experience oppression themselves or come from countries where they were oppressed. We see the establishment of the state of Israel as a colonial project, but nobody really talks about that here. Americans get a different sense of the news from the rest of the world — they are watching a different news.” ▼ NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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Nashvillians of the Year THE GUN SAFET Y ADVOCATES

Sarah Shoop Neumann, Ibtihal Cheko and Maryam Abolfazli are at the center of a Nashville community calling for change BY KELSEY BEYELER

FROM LEFT: IBTIHAL CHEKO, SARAH SHOOP NEUMANN, MARYAM ABOLFAZLI NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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SARAH SHOOP NEUMANN Christmastime feels different for Sarah Shoop Neumann this year. Accessing joy is difficult when you’ve experienced something as horrific as the Covenant School shooting.

“It just seems like the rest of the world gets to keep going on, and I feel stuck in this spot of, ‘Things will never be the same again,’” Neumann, who has worked as a pediatric nurse for well over a decade, tells the Scene.

Neumann’s son was a preschooler at the time of the shooting, and was not at Covenant when it took place — but he was at the reunification site with the rest of his family afterward. When his parents began decorating for Christmas this year, Neumann’s son asked them not to put out a traditional German holiday ornament featuring a man with a gun. They obliged, but also explained that there are responsible gun owners.

It hasn’t been easy for Neumann and other families in the Covenant School community to contend with the aftermath of March’s events.

Three Covenant parents recently shared with The Tennessean how deeply the experience traumatized their children. One child ran shooter drills in her own home after March 27. Some kids are just now starting to talk about it. One parent, Mary Joyce, told reporter Frank Gluck that she can’t shake the mental image of the shooter screaming at the Covenant children.

As Neumann and other Covenant families cope with their new reality, they’ve also been

SARAH SHOOP NEUMANN working to prevent similar tragedies from occurring by maintaining a consistent presence at the state Capitol and advocating for gun safety. Soon after the shooting, Neumann spoke at a protest, reminding those gathered that the Covenant School “had everything” in terms of security — locked doors, shooter training. But it wasn’t enough.

As someone who has owned guns and “voted conservative my whole life,” Neumann represents a powerful contradiction to a common narrative: that only liberals and urban voters want reform. Other Covenant parents have shared similar messages. A new statewide poll from Vanderbilt University shows that the majority of Tennesseans, including gun owners and Republicans, support stricter gun laws. But because of her advocacy, Neumann has received threats directed at her and her young son. She and other Covenant School parents have been mocked for their efforts. Neumann has also

stood up to far-right hate group the Proud Boys.

“I’m not going to let it stop me,” says Neumann. “If my son has to go to school … knowing that these types of guns exist and that they can come in through a school, I have to be brave enough to deal with it too.”

Neumann isn’t the only one in her community seeking change. In July, she and other Covenant School parents co-founded two nonprofits — Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows and the Covenant Families Action Fund. The nonprofits seek to educate others about school shootings while advocating for mental health and school safety support as well as firearm safety. According to the Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows website, their goals include “stricter background checks, closing loopholes in gun laws, and supporting legislation that ensures firearms are safely stored and inaccessible to unauthorized individuals,” while still “preserving Second Amendment rights.”

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

politicians do nothing to stop gun violence.” Jason Sparks began speaking out after his brother Chris Sparks was killed in a road-rage incident in 2016. Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick, whose son Rodney Armstrong was killed in 2020, has also advocated for gun safety legislation and has supported other mothers who have lost children to gun violence.

This is not a comprehensive list of local advocates, and it’s a community that continues to grow. So do the voices demanding change from state leaders.

This year’s Nashvillian of the Year issue — our 34th — honors those who have worked for gun safety in Tennessee. This includes students and community members who rallied at the state Capitol calling for change, or found other ways to advocate for gun safety. It includes doctors, mental health professionals and first responders who have treated gunshot victims. Specifically, the Scene is highlighting three emerging voices in Tennessee’s gun safety advocacy space.

Sarah Shoop Neumann is a parent of a student at the Covenant School. Soon after the shooting, Neumann began speaking publicly and has maintained a consistent presence at the Capitol alongside other Covenant parents united by a shared experience and goal. Maryam Abolfazli has quickly become a well-known presence in the gun safety space post-Covenant, and has done much to encourage civic engagement and teach people how to foster a safer Tennessee.

Ibtihal Cheko, a junior at Hume-Fogg Academic High School, has been active with Students Demand Action since March, calling for adults to do more to protect her and her peers.

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

GUN SAFETY ADVOCACY is not the kind of work people get into because it’s enjoyable. It’s exhausting, often painful work that forces us to come face to face with horrors — like learning the kind of damage an AR-15 can do to a child’s body, or envisioning a person’s last moments before being gunned down. But it’s work that can also show us the most redeeming aspects of humanity, as people turn tragedy into action, working together to prevent others from experiencing similar horrors.

On March 27, a shooter armed with legally purchased guns entered the Covenant School in Green Hills, opening fire on staff and students.

The shooter killed 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, along with substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, head of school Katherine Koonce and custodian Mike Hill. The tragedy marked an awful new milestone in Tennessee’s history of mass shootings. According to an August report from the Tennessee Comptroller, 49 school shootings have resulted in 12 deaths over the past 25 years. Tennessee Under the Gun, an information hub created by the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus, states that there have been at least 21 mass shootings and three mass murders this year alone, resulting in 37 deaths and 80 injuries.

The American Academy of Pediatrics cites guns as the leading cause of death for people ages 24 and younger. The Sycamore Institute also reported this year that guns are the leading cause of death for children in Tennessee, and that Black families are significantly more affected by gun violence. Gun fatalities have increased over the years, while regulations have been rolled back by Tennessee’s Republican supermajority. Tennessee has some of the most lax gun laws in the country, ranking 11th in overall firearm-related deaths (also according to the Sycamore Institute). People can carry firearms in public, and they’re allowed to store loaded weapons in cars. As of Dec. 12, at least 75 percent (1,134) of this year’s stolen guns in Nashville came from vehicles. In 2021, a law allowing permitless carry was passed despite opposition from advocates and law enforcement agencies. While federally licensed arms dealers are required to run background checks, private sellers are not.

Though the Covenant School shooting marked a new chapter of gun safety advocacy in Tennessee — a chapter that reached fever pitch during August’s special legislative session — it’s a movement that’s been happening for a long time. People like Linda McFadyen-Ketchum of Moms Demand Action have been doing this work for over a decade. Her friend was injured in a 2008 shooting at Knoxville’s Unitarian Universalist Church. (Though McFadyen-Ketchum’s friend survived, Gregory McKendry Jr. and Linda Kraeger did not.)

Shaundelle Brooks has been a vocal presence in the movement since her son Akilah Dasilva was murdered alongside Taurean Sanderlin, Joe Perez and DeEbony Groves in Nashville’s 2018 Waffle House shooting. Brooks recently posted on social media that she’s considering a run for a seat in the state House after having “watched

COVENANT SCHOOL PARENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE NONPROFIT COVENANT FAMILIES FOR BRIGHTER TOMORROWS FROM LEFT: KRAMER SCHMIDT, SARAH SHOOP NEUMANN, MELISSA ALEXANDER AND DAVID TEAGUE

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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MARYAM ABOLFAZLI Abolfazli or one of her collaborators is involved.

Coming from a career focused on nonprofit work and political and economic development, Abolfazli is vocal about everything from LGBTQ rights to the financing of a new Titans stadium and, of course, firearm safety. She is also a mother, a writer and board chair of the Metro Human Relations Commission.

On March 30, just days after the Covenant School shooting, Abolfazli led the organization of a protest attended by thousands of people — attendees covered a wide spectrum of ages, races, political affiliations and religions.

Leveraging the energy from the rally, Abolfazli founded Rise and Shine Tennessee, a nonprofit with a mission to build “a culture of civic engagement.” Most of its members’ energy is channeled specifically into advocating for gun safety and education-related matters. Though the nonprofit is still in its infancy, it has already established a significant presence. Abolfazli describes it as “decentralized,” “bottom-up” and “scrappy” — many of its members contribute however they can amid busy schedules filled by work and family responsibilities.

“People are hungry and dying to make their voices heard,” says Abolfazli. After the March 30 protests, she knew she needed “to channel this energy into action.”

“Then we just did that over and over and over and over again, and it keeps resulting in brave, courageous acts that hold our democracy together just a little bit more as it continues to fall apart,” she says.

One such instance occurred at August’s special session. While Rise and Shine members researched, protested and educated others throughout the week, a few of its members also resisted a restrictive House rule prohibiting spectators from holding signs during House floor sessions and committees. Abolfazli and fellow Rise and Shine members Allison Polidor and Erica Bowton held signs anyway, and were subsequently escorted out of a House commit-

tee meeting. The next day, they filed a lawsuit against the House — which they won. Citing the First Amendment, a Nashville judge temporarily barred the House from prohibiting signs.

Part of Abolfazli’s work is helping people sustain the energy and desire to engage in the political process. She likens it to exercise — it can be daunting to go to the gym regularly, but people usually feel better after they do. Noting that they’re playing a long game, she also encourages people to focus on daily wins, like using social media to counter preexisting narratives or misinformation, voting and speaking with lawmakers.

“Doing these actions is not just for the sake of democracy,” says Abolfazli. “It’s also for the sake of humanity, for yourself, for community. And being in that work of alchemizing these awful emotions into this kind of sense of progress is psychologically very important.”

This work doesn’t always mean resistance. It also means sitting down with others who hold

opposing opinions to better understand where they’re coming from. Abolfazli has done that with lawmakers and gun owners alike, finding commonalities in those conversations, like a shared desire to protect loved ones.

“How do we get it where you feel like you can protect your family without having a gun?” wonders Abolfazli.

She says she’d like to see more accountability and regulations for those who own and sell guns. Specifically, she advocates for legislation pertaining to safe storage, background checks, illegal purchasing of guns, magazine capacities and extreme risk protection orders.

Abolfazli is careful to mention that she couldn’t do this work alone — her community keeps her going, including those inside and outside of Rise and Shine. She acknowledges that others like Shaundelle Brooks have been advocating for gun safety for much longer, and she collaborates with those who came first to strengthen resolve in their shared goals.

“A lot can be done when there’s a lot of people unified together,” says Abolfazli. “I think that’s really what’s going on. A lot can be done when there’s a lot of people being brave and courageous.”

IBTIHAL CHEKO Ibtihal Cheko is a junior at Hume-Fogg Academic High School. She’s a member of Generation Z — also referred to as “the lockdown generation” due not only to time spent in pandemic lockdown, but also to the amount of school shootings and intruder drills its members have contended with in their short lives. She’s a member of her school’s branch of Students Demand Action, a national organization seeking to end gun violence through various approaches, from advocating for commonsense safety laws to registering young voters and educating people about gun violence. Students Demand Action has branches at Hume-Fogg, Vanderbilt University and 12 other high schools and universities across Tennessee.

Cheko got involved in gun safety advocacy in March, following the Covenant School shooting.

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

MARYAM ABOLFAZLI Lately, if there’s a major conversation or protest happening related to the well-being of children in Tennessee, you can bet Maryam

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

Hoping to spark change, Covenant School parents have shared their stories publicly, testified before legislative committees and met with lawmakers. Though they haven’t been as visible, parents of the students killed on March 27 have also shared statements advocating for and against certain bills during a special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Lee in August to address gun violence. Despite the community’s efforts, lawmakers left Capitol Hill for a second time since the shooting without passing any meaningful gun laws.

Neumann says reliving those experiences is “retraumatizing.” Of the lawmakers she’s met with, many have been respectful, but she says there’s also been “a lot of dismissiveness.” Although she was able to briefly speak with state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Neumann tells the Scene his office still hasn’t responded to her request for a meeting.

The Tennessee GOP has been firm in its opposition to passing meaningful gun legislation, even as fellow Republican Lee called the special session and proposed an extreme risk protection plan — that is, legislation removing guns from people who may pose a risk. (Lee has since stated that he won’t push for similar legislation in 2024.) In one committee meeting during the special session, some audience members applauded the failure of a bill designed to allow more guns on school property. They were subsequently kicked out — including Neumann and other Covenant parents who were planning to testify. In another committee meeting that week, Covenant School parents shared horrific details of what happened that day as a means of advocating against another bill that would have allowed more guns on school campuses.

The bill still passed through the committee, to the outrage of many spectators, but later failed in another committee. Neumann described the failure of that bill as the biggest win of the session, even though she anticipates it will return next year.

Neumann and her colleagues experienced other wins too, such as having productive conversations with gun owners about firearm safety.

In September, Neumann and a Covenant School teacher were invited to Washington, D.C., for the opening of a national Office of Gun Violence Prevention. She described the trip as “bittersweet” — she appreciated being there but never imagined she’d be invited to the White House for this kind of work. Another goal of her trip was to speak with U.S. lawmakers representing Florida to see how that state’s legislature was willing to make bipartisan efforts to pass gun safety laws after the Parkland School shooting.

“Our goal cannot be damage mitigation,” Neumann tells the Scene. “Our goal has to be prevention, because even the kids that were not shot at are still not sleeping right now, still having to change schools, still waking up in total-body night terrors and shrieking.”

MARYAM ABOLFAZLI AT A MARCH 30 PROTEST

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

IBTIHAL CHEKO

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officers — in schools. Though Cheko told the Scene in August that she doesn’t support the proliferation of SROs, she understands the need for other safety measures like locking doors.

“I understand why they’re trying to do this,” says Cheko. “But at the same time, I feel like it’s kind of like a Band-Aid on a much bigger issue.”

Cheko says she’s doing everything she can to address that bigger issue — gun violence and the lack of regulations in Tennessee — even as it affects her own mental health, and even though it shouldn’t be up to her or her peers.

“It’s frankly not [young people’s] responsibility,” says Cheko. “You shouldn’t be in charge of keeping people your own age safe. It should be the adults and the people in power and the people who we vote into office to keep us safe in the first place.”

Cheko is also an artist, and she aspires to become an international rights lawyer. With three more semesters until graduation, she plans to remain active in Hume-Fogg’s Students Demand Action branch, and she will step further into a leadership role next year. After that, she intends to continue working with Students Demand Action in college.

“I hope by the time that I am grown enough to have a job, I will be able to focus on something a little bit more fun [and] lighthearted, and not have to keep advocating for gun reform.”

Even so, Cheko knows that might be “wishful thinking.”

“This is kind of a lifetime fight,” she says.

EFFORTS TOWARD gun safety and meaningful justice for gun violence victims will continue in 2024. As lawmakers return to Capitol Hill, so will advocates and protesters planning to hold them accountable and demand commonsense gun laws. Well aware that it’s an election year, they will be paying attention to how lawmakers respond to widespread calls for gun safety legislation.

“IT’S FRANKLY NOT [YOUNG PEOPLE’S] RESPONSIBILITY. YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN CHARGE OF KEEPING PEOPLE YOUR OWN AGE SAFE. IT SHOULD BE THE ADULTS AND THE PEOPLE IN POWER AND THE PEOPLE WHO WE VOTE INTO OFFICE TO KEEP US SAFE IN THE FIRST PLACE.” — IBTIHAL CHEKO The Covenant School will also continue preparation for students to return to its original campus. Covenant students have been hosted at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ while the school’s original location receives renovations with the help of trauma-informed counselors.

The school initially planned for students to convene at the Covenant campus in January, but pushed the start date back to April so they could finalize certain preparations and give students

and teachers time to properly prepare for their return.

Meanwhile, those who have lost loved ones to gun violence must continue to move forward.

Families will navigate grief as they enter the holiday season, facing empty seats at the kitchen table. Some will continue to advocate for gun safety and face the hardships that come with that work. It’s not pretty work, but it’s important — a matter of life and death. ▼

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Alongside her peers and through Students Demand Action, Cheko attends regular meetings to educate herself and others about gun violence and related legislation, and to plan for the forthcoming legislative session. During August’s special session, she missed some of her classes to testify in a Senate hearing — but Senate leaders closed the committee meeting before Cheko was able to speak.

“It felt very counterproductive,” says Cheko about her trip to the Capitol. “In that moment, it made me feel really helpless and just unable to do the very little that I can. Because when these tragedies do happen, what they tell you to do is, ‘Oh, speak to your legislators, speak to representatives.’ But when you go out of your way to actually do that and take their advice, you’re not given the opportunity to even say so, and they made me feel very unheard, because I took the time out of my day. … I built up the courage. I wrote a whole speech, and I did a lot to prepare for that. And they weren’t even interested in hearing what I had to say.”

Cheko says that had she been able to testify that day, she would have told lawmakers, “The solution to gun violence is not adding more guns.” She would have advocated for safe-storage laws and other data-driven measures that have proven to reduce gun violence.

“The special session was really a disheartening way to start the school year,” says Cheko. She says it doesn’t feel like anything has changed since Covenant. During classes, she still sits in places where she can see the door and wonders how easy it would be for intruders to enter the building.

Metro Nashville Public Schools and other districts across Tennessee have bolstered security over the years. When a shooter killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, the Nashville school system and police department enhanced school security across the district, including a controversial push to add more school resource officers — armed MNPD

STUDENTS AT AN APRIL 3 PROTEST

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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DECEMBER 30 & 31

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

WITH KASEY TYNDALL (12/30), HARPER O’NEILL (12/31) AND WILLIE WATSON (12/30 & 12/31)

JANUARY 6

EARL SCRUGGS’ 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION JANUARY 11

A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION 50TH ANNIVERSARY JANUARY 27

3 PM SHOW ADDED

JOHN CRIST JANUARY 28

LIVE AT THE OPRY HOUSE

FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS FEBRUARY 9

GRACE POTTER

WITH BRITTNEY SPENCER FEBRUARY 27

GODSMACK

WITH BASTIAN DA CRUZ

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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2023/24 SEASON

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PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION Nashville Symphony Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano

JAN 18 & 19 | 7:30 PM

PIRATES OF GREAT GERSHWIN! THE CARIBBEAN: Nashville Symphony Byron Stripling, conductor Tony DeSare, piano

DEAD MAN’S CHEST IN CONCERT Nashville Symphony Jonathan Rush, conductor

COMING SOON TO THE SCHERMERHORN JAN 20 | 7:30 PM JAN 21 | 2 PM HCA Healthcare and Tristar Health Legends of Music

KRISTIN CHENOWETH with the Nashville Symphony JAN 26 | 7:30 PM Special Event

VIDEO GAMES LIVE with the Nashville Symphony

THANK YOU TO OUR CONCERT PARTNERS

FEB 2 & 3 | 7:30 PM Classical Series

CLYNE, MOZART, AND PROKOFIEV with the Nashville Symphony

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FEB 22 TO 24 | 7:30 PM Classical Series

FEB 14 | 7:30 PM Special Event

FEB 25 | 7:30 PM Presentation

PATTI LABELLE with the Nashville Symphony

ELGAR’S ENIGMA with the Nashville Symphony

The Lawrence S. Levine Memorial Concert

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CRITICS’ PICKS: WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF THINGS TO DO Visit calendar.nashvillescene.com for more event listings

HOLIDAY POP-UP BARS

If your themed holiday decor leaves something to be desired, or if you just want to get out of the house while staying in the spirit of the season, you can grab a year-end cocktail at the holiday pop-up of your choosing. Looking for something relatively laid-back on the pop-up scale? Through Dec. 23, the cozy Nicky’s Coal Fired in West Nashville morphs into Saint Nicky’s, with a tiki bar experience called Tropical Tidings. The cocktail menu at the Italian restaurant includes a gingerbread Old Fashioned and frozen eggnog, as well as tropical drinks served on the heated back patio. Saint Nicky’s is open 3 to 10 p.m. daily, with Tropical Tidings open Thursday through Saturday. Want something bigger and flashier and, well, more? Downtown’s Layer Cake has a speakeasy-style underground cocktail lounge called Santa Baby: A Mrs. Claus Pop-Up. The themed decor follows the life of Mrs. Claus, and the menu offers you the chance to take shots out of food-safe ornaments hanging on a tree, sip on root beer floats and other surprises. Santa Baby: A Mrs. Claus Pop-Up is open through Dec. 24. MARGARET LITTMAN

FINALLY FRIDAY FEAT. INDIA RAMEY, THE HAWTTHORNS & CIDNY BULLENS PAGE 20

GUSTAVO FLORES PAGE 22

DRAG SHOW ROUNDUP PAGE 24

THURSDAY / 12.21 [LENDING A HAND]

PROVIDE TORNADO HELP

It can feel like déjà vu all over again, figuring out how to help people who are suffering after the tornadoes that devastated Middle Tennessee on Dec. 9. The best way to be of service is to work with an organization that has assessed the need and safety risks.

Hands on Nashville aggregates opportunities by the location, type of tasks involved and the skills needed. You can prepare meals, translate materials into Spanish or help with debris removal, just to name a few options. Blood Assurance is accepting blood donations to aid those with storm-related injuries in Tennessee hospitals. If you’d like to donate cash, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee created a fund for victims outside of Davidson County. To donate within the county, head to United Way of Greater Nashville. MARGARET LITTMAN

MUSIC

[THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR]

COMMUNITY

FOOD & DRINK

SANTA BABY: A MRS. CLAUS POP-UP AT LAYER CAKE

[LOST IN SPACE]

LAWNDRY W/KYLE HAMLETT CINCO & GOLD LIGHT

I don’t mind when musicians make my job easier by explaining their intentions, and that’s the case with the lyrics that Nashville pop band Lawndry came up with for their song “Fair,” which is a track on the group’s 2023 EP Laughter From the Rooms Above. “My lady rises, she makes a cup of tea / She’s been unfaithful, she doesn’t offer one to me,” they sing, and the lady in question goes on to dis the narrator by saying he could’ve made music-biz money if he weren’t so pretentious. The relaxed — and yes, slightly pretentious — pop you hear on Laughter From the Rooms Above and Lawndry’s 2022 album Songs for People takes its cues from Stereolab, English psych and the tunefully disaffected music of ’90s rockers Luna. Songs for People tracks like “Stuck in a River” evoke the melodicism of Luna’s great 1995 full-length Penthouse. Songs for People even boasts two consecutive songs about smoking. Rounding out the bill will be folk-rocker Kyle Hamlett, whose live shows are models of restraint that retain a sense of exploration, and North Carolina

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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Holiday rush got you down? Never fear, your good friends at Kindling Arts Festival have got you covered with the much-anticipated Very Special Holiday Special. Billed as an immersive performance party, the evening kicks off with fun preshow festivities including plenty of games, a charitable gift grab and drinks available at the pop-up “Bar Humbug.” From there, guests can look forward to a mix of live performance segments, written by Kindling regulars Daniel Carter (Bar Fight) and Emma Supica (East Nashville Facebook Page: The Musical), and performed by Joe Mobley, J.R. Robles, Blake Holliday and Eve Petty, along with Supica herself. Finally, settle in for a screening of one of my very favorite holiday films, The Muppet Christmas Carol. All proceeds from the event will support Kindling’s work within the local arts scene, and it’s sure to be a great time.

Kindling’s Very Special Holiday Special is only for ages 21 and up, so you’ll want to leave the kiddies at home. AMY STUMPFL DEC. 21-22 AT DARKHORSE THEATER 4610 CHARLOTTE AVE.

1983 ALAN LEQUIRE WITH ARMATURE OF ATHENA PARTHENOS

KINDLING’S VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL

PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

[WONDERS OF THE PARTHENON]

THE ROLE OF A REPLICA

We told you about it when it opened, and now that it’s closing, we’re here to remind

THE ROLE OF A REPLICA you: Get yourself to The Role of a Replica, an exhibit organized by the Centennial Park Conservancy and the Parthenon’s curator Jennifer Richardson. The West Gallery of the Parthenon has been transformed into a wealth of hands-on displays and activities, allowing you to pretend you are an archaeologist and explore replicas related to the Parthenon. Through these exhibits, you’ll learn about the process of using molds and casts to reconstruct friezes. You’ll gain insight into how modern imaging and light technology can reveal lost colors and pigments on ancient statues. “When the [Parthenon] was reconstructed to be a permanent icon of the city, Nashville also committed to creating a full-scale replica of the ancient temple’s interior,” Richardson has noted in a statement.

“This devotion to scholarship and accuracy has created an opportunity for people to experience the pinnacle of Greek architecture in a way that is no longer possible, even in Athens, Greece.” The free gallery exhibit for The Role of a

Replica closes Dec. 31, so time is of the essence.

MARGARET LITTMAN

THROUGH DEC. 31 AT THE PARTHENON 2500 WEST END AVE.

FRIDAY / 12.22 [EASTBOUND AND DOWN]

FINALLY FRIDAY FEAT. INDIA RAMEY, THE HAWTTHORNS & CIDNY BULLENS MUSIC

[MERRY MUPPETS AND MORE!]

[HONKY-TONK HISTORY]

Even if you’re not a museum person, even if you’re not a country music person, now is the time to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Through Jan. 31, locals can pay what they want (even nothing) to gain admission to the museum. That’s a $27.95 value! Living in Nashville certainly includes some growing pains, but I think it’s nice to get out and enjoy the things you can only do here. The Country Music Hall of Fame is one of those things — and on top of that, it’s a very well-curated museum. There are interactive elements, music samples from iconic performers and famous outfits galore. It’s fun to learn more about our city’s music history, but when you’re done, I challenge you to take a loop around Broadway to observe the music present.

Despite the chaos that tourism often brings, hearing snippets of live music — including music written by some of those represented at the museum — in every bar as you pass by is special. I guarantee all those visitors don’t have that at home. HANNAH HERNER THROUGH JAN. 31 AT THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME 222 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY S.

ART

THEATER

band Gold Light, which released the full-length 16 Golden Tracks earlier this month. EDD HURT 9 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT 1604 EIGHTH AVE. S.

MUSEUM

KINDLING’S VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL

The fabled East Nashville alt-country-rock scene might have yielded to the Madison rockcountry-bluegrass scene, but there’s probably no point in consulting a map to get to the essence of an aesthetic that is basic to Nashville music.

The lineup for today’s edition of Americana radio station WMOT’s lunchtime show, Finally Friday, features performers who take their cues from ’70s country-rock. The music on Georgia-born and Alabama-raised singer India Ramey’s 2020 album Shallow Graves is well-done

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

20

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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JANUARY 19

LADYCOUCH

MARCH 23

WHAT IT IS

A TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN

MARCH 29

SAM GRISMAN

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 • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

21

MUSIC

D. PATRICK RODGERS

9:40 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

FILM

SATURDAY / 12.23

WESLEY & THE BOYS W/SEX MEX, THING & DRU THE DRIFTER

[CANTA Y NO LLORES]

GUSTAVO FLORES

A deep well of authentic Mexican music exists bubbling just under the surface of Nashville’s corporate-country facade.

Ranchera music — instantly recognizable by the emotional yells known as gritos — is a symbol of Mexican pride and heritage, as are the folk musicians who play it. Mariachi has traveled considerably since its humble origin in the rural villages and farmlands of Jalisco just over a century ago, especially finding a home in urban centers in the American South.

A young tenor by the name of Gustavo Flores aims to continue these musical traditions here in Music City. Flores rose to local prominence after an exhilarating performance of “Yo Soy el Aventurero” backed by fellow mariachis at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Flores and company were invited by Midland to perform as a part of the popular country group’s Cinco de Mayo show. In coverage of the event, Rolling Stone wrote that Flores, just 18 at the time,

[YULE CRACK UP!]

HOLIDAY CLASSICS: NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

Every family seemingly has its go-to holiday movie every year. For some, it’s a heartwarming classic like It’s a Wonderful Life or the original Miracle on 34th Street. For others, it’s all about the kid-friendly high jinks in films like Home Alone or Elf. But for some families, like mine, laughter takes precedence over everything else. That’s why A Christmas Story is a permanent cable fixture and why our family always, without fail, watches National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve. Sure, Chevy Chase’s Clark is the star, and Randy Quaid’s Cousin Eddie (“Shitter’s full!”) steals the movie, but every single actor — yes, including the kids — has at least one laugh-out-loud line reading, reaction shot or set piece. When the holidays veer into overly busy or stressful territory, the Griswolds are there to remind you what the season is all about: families laughing so hard together that they cry real tears as Chevy Chase gnaws like an animal on a dry piece of overcooked turkey.

[THE BOYS ARE BACK]

WESLEY & THE BOYS “decimated the Ryman with the passionate Spanish-sung love song.” JASON VERSTEGEN 6 P.M. AT PLAZA MARIACHI 3955 NOLENSVILLE PIKE [BYE BYE, WOOF WOOF]

HOLIDAY CLASSICS: GREMLINS

For this year’s Holiday Classics series, beloved Hillsboro Village film center the Belcourt has pulled a number of delightful selections from the seasonal-holiday canon — from the iconic (It’s a Wonderful Life) to the newly classic (Greta Gerwig’s Little Women), action (Die Hard) and comedy (National

GREMLINS

LOGAN BUTTS

Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). Also in the mix?

Schlock master Joe Dante’s unforgettable 1984 film Gremlins. Featuring a stacked cast of ’80s heartthrobs and starlets (Phoebe Cates! Corey Feldman! Judge Reinhold! … Jonathan Banks?), Gremlins is a classic Christmastime tale, despite originally being released in June. A surprise box-office smash, Gremlins was also part of a mid-’80s wave of genuinely interesting horrorcomedy, and thanks in large part to Christopher Columbus’ script and executive producer Steven Spielberg’s guidance, it holds up pretty well.

(The same can’t be said of Dante’s 1990 sequel, though it has its moments.) If you head to the

9:40 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

FILM

Hot off an appearance at the Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market earlier this month, local outfit Wesley & The Boys headline what guarantees to be a naughty-list-worthy night of pre-Christmas rock ’n’ roll debauchery. The band’s latest single “Switchblade Twist,” released in September on Sweet Time Records, is a full-on garage-rock banger that careens with reckless abandon. “I’m gonna slash and move / I’m gonna jump and jive / I’m going in for the kill / You’ll never take me alive,” wails Wesley. Pop-punk-tinged synthravers Sex Mex make the trip to Music City from San Antonio, Texas. The quartet’s fuzzy sound is playfully reminiscent of seminal New Wave acts such as Elvis Costello and Devo. Chicago band THING, led by Rich Crook of The Reatards and Lost Sounds, rounds out the musical mayhem with Dru the Drifter. Fellow rockers, don’t miss this one! JASON VERSTEGEN 8 P.M. AT THE COBRA 2511 GALLATIN AVE.

22

Belcourt’s Friday night screening, keep an eye out for Spielberg’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, and remember one important rule: Don’t ever feed the mogwai after midnight.

FILM

MUSIC

alt-rock-country with definite avenging-hick overtones — my favorite track is the funniest, “Debutante Ball,” in which rich and poor alike bond over their love of booze and music. Ramey even rewrites Earl Green and Carl Montgomery’s trucking song “Six Days on the Road” as “Up to No Good,” which works just fine. Meanwhile, The HawtThorns sound, well, just a little haughty and Fleetwood Mac-esque on their 2022 full-length Tarot Cards & Shooting Stars. The album peaks with “On the Way,” which provides tasteful country-rock thrills, and the duo sings about making their way through the current social and political paradigm in “One Human at a Time.” Rounding out the bill is veteran singer and songwriter Cidny Bullens, whose albums include 1978’s Desire Wire and 2020’s Walkin’ Through This World. EDD HURT NOON AT 3RD AND LINDSLEY 818 THIRD AVE. S.

[YIPPEE KI-YAY]

HOLIDAY CLASSICS: DIE HARD

In my dozen-plus years of writing for the Scene, I can’t believe I haven’t written about Die Hard in these pages, especially since it was perhaps the most memorable moviegoing experience of my childhood. I remember catching an early-evening Monday screening (in 70 mm, six-track Dolby Stereo and THX!) of the film that proved that Bruce Willis — then the smartass guy from Moonlighting — could be an ass-kicking action hero. To say I was blown the fuck away that day would be an understatement. Seeing Willis’ NYC cop and Alan Rickman’s Eurotrash terrorist try to outexplode each other in an L.A. high-rise gave me a celluloid high I’ve been chasing my entire life since. (Watching all that widescreen awesomeness on small-screen TVs when it hit cable the following year was underwhelming, but still entertaining.) Since some of y’all still debate whether or not the summer blockbuster is a Christmas movie (it’s set on Christmas Eve, for Chrissakes!), the Belcourt will have a midnight screening for those who would like to see some shit blow up real good this holiday season. CRAIG D. LINDSEY MIDNIGHT AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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A N A L O G AT

DEC

31

HUTTON

HOTEL

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

PRESENTS

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

DEC

8 PM IN THE LYRIC BALLROOM 31 DOORS: GA: $60 VIP: $150 UPCOMING

December in...

FRIDAY

12/29

SEAN THOMPSON’S

05 - 06

WEIRD EARS WEIRD JAZZ

JASON SINGER (OF MICHIGANDER)

MARISSA NADLER & SCOUT GILLET

DOORS: 6 PM SHOW: 8 PM 02 GA: $15 DOS: $20

Michigander is the brainchild of songwriter, singer, producer, and guitarist Jason Singer, bringing a rich blend of hook-driven and radio-ready indie rock with electronic flourishes and earnest, big-hearted storytelling.

with BABY WAVE

12/30

AFROMAN

JAMES OTTO

COUNTRY SOUL SESSIONS

James Otto, has been called The Biggest Voice In Country Music and that might just be true, his voice is as big as he is. He’s a seasoned and soulful singer who understands the electrifying magic that occurs when a remarkable voice meets a hit song.

20

Rent out

FEB

SATURDAY

DOORS: 7 PM GA: $FREE RES: $20

FEB

12/28

Nashville singer songwriter with credits like Joe Cocker, Michael Bolton, Tim McGraw, Rivers Cuomo, and more, Steven comes fresh from a stint on THE VOICE as a member of Team Camila, bringing his full band to the Analog stage.

JAN

THURSDAY

STEVEN MCMORRAN HOUSE WEEKEND

DOORS: 6 PM SHOW: 7 PM GA: $20

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 • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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7PM Mamas Who Rock w/Rachel Rodriguez • Hannah Fairlight • Sally Jaye 9PM Lauren Miller • Dustin Sellers • Quinn O’Donnell

sat 12/23

wed 12/27

6PM The Bowery Vault’s Great Christmas Show w/ Lori Kelley • Mehuman • Jessi Robertson • Laura Chartier • Stevie Rae Stephens • Stefanie Clark Harris • Vince Dewald • Meg Gehman • Rosemary Fossee • Anana Kaye + Irakli Gabriel • Dani-Rae Clark • Mallory Trunnell • Paul Bellantoni • Elray Jackson 7PM Karaoke Wednesday w/ Meg Gehman

THU 12.21 WILLAPALOOSA • ALBUM RELEASE SHOW • BIRTHDAY PARTY • VARIETY SHOW SUN 12.31 NEW YEARS EAST • FEAT DJ AFRO SHEEN • GIRLHOUSE • CASPER SAGE • WILD LOVE • ROBIN AUGUST FREE CHAMPAGNE AT MIDNIGHT! TUE 1.2

ULTIMATE COMEDY • FREE LOCAL STAND UP!

2412 GALLATIN AVE

BUY TICKETS

Scan the QR for tickets and info.

FT Live and Great Performances Sponsored by

@THEEASTROOM

KIM BALDWIN

MONDAY / 12.25

THE EARTH

fri 12/22

TUESDAY / 12.26 [BOXING DAY BLOWOUT]

VISIT YOUR LOCAL RECYCLING CENTER

What is Boxing Day, that mysterious holiday that comes after Christmas on the big wall calendar you bought for your workspace?

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it’s a holiday celebrated in British Commonwealth countries as a day on which “servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts.” It’s also a busy day for sports leagues like the Premier League. Neat! We don’t celebrate this holiday in the United States, but it’s as good a time as ever to figure out what to do with your own boxes (or wrapping paper, or general scraps) after the holidays, one of the highest trash-producing times of year. Nashville operates four convenience centers that accept most forms of residential waste and recyclables: East Convenience Center (943A Dr. Richard G. Adams Drive), Ezell Pike Convenience Center (3254 Ezell Pike), Omohundro Convenience Center (1019 Omohundro Place) and Anderson Lane Convenience Center (939A Anderson Lane).

There are also 10 recycling-specific drop-off spots throughout the greater Davidson County area, including in Brentwood, Antioch, Green Hills and Old Hickory. Don’t expect a gross city landfill, either — while individual sites vary, the drop-off point closest to me is a tidy spot located near the wonderful Two Rivers Park in Donelson. You can visit the Waste and Recycling page on nashville.gov for more information, including hours and exactly what’s accepted at each center. COLE VILLENA

[HO HO HO]

SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH YOUR GOTDAMN FAMILY

Listen, we could give you some suggestions on how you could get through Jesus’ birthday.

But the best one we can think of is spending it with your family. We know that getting together with your fam during the holidays can be quite stressful. There may be relatives you prefer not to be around because of their political/religious beliefs, or because they constantly ask you for money, or because they’re creepy and smelly or whatever the hell. But there are lots of people (including the person who’s writing this) who don’t have relatives to hang with this time of year. We’ll most likely be by our damn selves, either drinking heavily or watching Bad Santa for the umpteenth time. If there is anything the roaring 2020s have taught us, it’s that we should all find a way to get along and love and care for one another, because there are so many things out there (viruses, cops, Trump) that could easily take us out. So pour all the whiskey in that eggnog, put on your shittiest Christmas sweater, and wish that uncle who was there on Jan. 6 a very Merry Christmas. CRAIG D. LINDSEY

WEDNESDAY / 12.27 MUSIC

DRAG 4PM Open Mic Night w/ Miss Lonely 9PM Stacey Kelleher •Max Gall • Eva Cassel

DRAG SHOW ROUNDUP

While listening to the Ginger Minj audiobook Southern Fried Sass, I learned that middle-aged women are the biggest demographic for RuPaul’s Drag Race. This is where I confess that I am a middle-aged woman who loves Drag Race. But you know what’s better than sitting at home watching Paramount+?

GOING TO A LOCAL DRAG SHOW. Our local queens and kings have been through it this year, so let’s don our holiday finest and get out there and support these local artists who add so much to the vibrancy of Nashville. Here’s a roundup — but by no means a comprehensive list — of drag shows happening around the holidays. If you like your drag with half-price wine bottles and karaoke, then you’re going to love Wednesday Karaoke Night at 5 Points Diner, hosted by Cordelia Facade. The singing kicks off at 8:30 p.m. and goes until they close, with no reservation or ticket required. Drag Race Season 7 alum Jaidynn Diore Fierce is hosting the Nightmare Before Christmas Drag Brunch on Saturday at The Electric Jane. Tickets start at $18 and are available at flipphoneevents.com/nashville. Nashville’s self-proclaimed “Bearded Latina Socialite” Tony Baby is hosting Latin Night on Friday at Canvas Lounge, with music by DJ Dame Luz. No reservation or ticket required, $5 cover.

Whichever event you decide to go to, just get out there and attend a show!

HOLIDAY

thur 12/21

[YES QUEEN]

[BLAME IT ON THIS SOUTHERN WEATHER]

AARON GILLESPIE

Here’s a holiday treat for all the elder emos in town: Aaron Gillespie — known as the drummer in headbangin’ metal outfit Underoath and frontman of alt-rock project The Almost — plays a one-off headlining gig at City Winery two days after Christmas, creating the perfect excuse to sneak out of the house after a few days of present-sharing and belly-stuffing family time. Gillespie built his career as drummer and singer in Underoath, a favorite among connoisseurs of the mid-2000s mainstream post-hardcore surge. He later launched The Almost, an outlet for hooky rock songs — like the still-catchy “Southern Weather” — and played drums in Tennessee’s own Paramore during the band’s self-titled era. Now he’s still touring with Underoath, collaborating with country singers like major label artist Nate Smith, popping up at Emo Nite gigs and, this week, headlining a solo show that may include a few special guests (or so Gillespie teased last month on Instagram). Who might show up? In Nashville, it’s anyone’s guess.

MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

615.538.2076 | FranklinTheatre.com 419 Main St., Franklin, TN 37064

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7:30 P.M. AT CITY WINERY 609 LAFAYETTE ST.

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 3:56 PM

Live Piano Karaoke 6 NIGHTS A WEEK! *Closed Tuesdays

EAST NASH V I LLE

THU 12.21 SID GOLD’S GLEE CLUB 6-7

COWBOY KEITH’S CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR 7-8:30 PIANO KARAOKE 8:30-12 w/Polina Senderova FRI 12.22 PIANO KARAOKE 6-9 w/Dani Ivory PIANO KARAOKE 9-1 w/Paul Loren SAT 12.23 DANI IVORY 7-9 PIANO KARAOKE 9-1 w/Kira Small SUN 12.24 CLOSED MON 12.25 CLOSED WED 12.27 HAGS REEL TO REEL 6-8 BURLESK 8-9 ($7) PIANO KARAOKE 9-12 w/Katie Pederson

UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE MUSEUM’S CMA THEATER

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

DECEMBER 21

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY

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

Need the perfect last minute gift?

We have first edition subscription boxes for all ages and stages!

Available in 3, 6, and 12 month gift subscriptions parnassusbooks.net/first-edition-clubs

FEBRUARY 25

CAT POWER

CAT POWER SINGS DYLAN: THE 1966 ROYAL ALBERT HALL CONCERT

MARCH 5

GEOFF TATE & ADRIAN VANDENBERG Parnassus First Editions Club: ParnassusNEXT: Spark Book Club: Literary signed first editions Signed YA with exclusive sticker Middle Grade books with a letter books every month! and bookmark! from the author!

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

Learn more at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership.

Introducing Love, Parnassus: Our newest club!

Sprout Picture Book Club: A first edition picture book every month!

Get monthly first edition romance with a sticker and a letter from the author.

BOOKED BY @NATIONALSHOWS2 • NATIONALSHOWS2.COM

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

3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 | Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243 Shop online at parnassusbooks.net

@parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks1

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

@parnassusbooks Parnassus Books

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

25

LIVE MUSIC | URBAN WINERY RESTAURANT | BAR | PRIVATE EVENTS

12.28

COME CHECK OUT 12 SOUTH’S ORIGINAL NEIGHBORHOOD HANG DAILY DRINK SPECIALS

TRIVIA WEDNESDAYS

SCRATCH-MADE EATS VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN OPTIONS

HOST YOUR HOLIDAY PARTIES AND EVENTS

12.29

SONNY LANDRETH IN A RARE SOLO APPEARANCE

THE TON3S

AKA THE HAMILTONES

WITH KEVIN GORDON

12.30

2318 12th Ave S 12southtaproom.com

1.01

LANGHORNE SLIM WITH TWAIN, NATALIE JANE HILL,

DOMINE

FOR THE LOVE OF PINK FLOYD

ERIN RAE AND ANDREW COMBS

1.08

1.13

DAVE HOLLISTER MATTERS OF THE HEART TOUR

AN EVENING WITH

ANTHONY DAVID GABE DIXON HOLIDAY SHOW 12.21 WITH SAHARA MOON LISTER PRESENTS 12.22 JEREMY A VERY CROONER CHRISTMAS NASHVILLE IMPROV PRESENTS: 12.22 FUNNY HOLIDAYS DUELING DUOS - THE DONJUANS VS 12.23 MIDDLEMAN BURR - BENEFITTING MUSIC HEALTH ALLIANCE NASHVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA WITH 12.26 SPECIAL GUEST MATT BELSANTE NASHVILLE IS THE REASON PRESENTS 12.27 AARON GILLESPIE NORA BROWN + STEPHANIE COLEMAN 12.28 WITH ELISE LEVY NORA BROWN + STEPHANIE COLEMAN 12.28 WITH JP HARRIS’ DREADFUL WIND AND RAIN 12.30 THE CLOSE

(EARLY & LATE SHOWS)

1.2 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.17 1.14 1.18

THE PURPLE MADNESS THE # 1 AMERICA’S PRINCE TRIBUTE EXPERIENCE THE BAND BILLY GIBBONS AND FRIENDS SOLD OUT - JOIN WAITLIST

CITY OF LAUGHS FT. MIKE JAMES, KHRISTAL MAJORS, EDDIE SISNEROS AND ASHLEY CORBY BEATLEMANIA - AGAIN REBIRTH BRASS BAND SWEET BABY JAMES: THE #1 JAMES TAYLOR TRIBUTE ALLIE DUNN WITH JILLIAN DAWN AND REN RICHARDS JOHN MCEUEN (CO-FOUNDER OF NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND) MUSIC AND MINDSET TO ELEVATE AND MOTIVATE THE MOLLY RINGWALDS

EVE with NEW YEAR’S

DEC

31

CHRIS KIRKPATRICK of *NSYNC • O-TOWN • LFO

ALL SATURDAYS — IN — DECEMBER 12:00PM PORTION OF PROCEEDS GOES TOWARDS

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION

12:00 PM to

5:00 PM Wednesday thru

Taste • Learn • Discover

Saturday

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

LEARN ABOUT COHOUSING AT OUR COMMON HOUSE WORKSHOP January 19-21, Friday night public event; Saturday-Sunday workshop The Common House in cohousing encompasses form, function, and fun!

The architect for Burns Village & Farm will present publicly on Friday night, January 19th, at Germantown Commons to describe cohousing and the community’s role in planning as well as answer questions.

Scan the code to learn more about cohousing or to join the public lecture with our architect on January 19th.

CALL 615-480-2786 FOR DETAILS | BURNSVILLAGEFARM.COM

26

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

FOOD & DRINK

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY RECKONS WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT There are action items management can take to make change

IT’S BEEN 17 YEARS since the phrase “Me Too” was coined as a means of bringing awareness to sexual abuse and harassment. Sixty years since the Equal Pay Act passed. Six years since celebrity chef John Besh left his own company in a flurry of headlines after allegations of sexual harassment by 25 different women.

Yet here we are. The Scene receives tips about sexual harassment in Nashville’s hospitality industry with stunning regularity. Among the things reported: Women are asked to dress in short skirts and low-cut shirts to work behind a bar, or to lose weight before going onstage in prime time. They are cornered in walk-in coolers and called names. They’re groped. And assaulted.

It feels like we ought to be past this by this point, with more awareness of what constitutes harassment, with younger workers who have grown up in an age when such behavior isn’t dismissed. Not everyone is turning a blind eye to behavior that feels endemic to the hospitality industry. Some restaurant managers, chefs, trainers and other professionals are being proactive about what it might take to significantly reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in Nashville hospitality hot spots.

“It blows my mind that any workplace, any owner, any CEO, any director, any manager, any co-worker, would allow this to happen,” says Joe Guerra, director of hospitality for The Nations Brewing Co., which operates several bars, including Fat Bottom Brewing and Lucky Duck Lounge.

Through the Nashville Sexual Assault Center (SAC), Guerra became trained to lead Safe Bar programs as a way to encourage his staff to talk openly about harassment and assault, notice the signs of such activities among their co-workers and customers, and learn how to safely de-escalate. He says that like all the solutions folks are implementing, training isn’t a once-and-done solution. That’s partly because turnover in bars and restaurants is high; not only do managers need to reinforce teaching with existing staff, they also need to regularly train newcomers.

One of the criteria to become a Certified Safe Bar with SAC is to have 50 percent of employees trained at any given time.

Guerra conducts training about every six months at different bars. Now his staff will let him know when it’s time to schedule another.

Much of the public attention on the Safe Bar program has been on its focus on training hospitality workers to recognize the signs of sexual harassment and assault in order to keep customers safe. That work is crucial. But Safe Bar also helps address sexual harassment in hospitality businesses among employees, and that can also change attitudes.

“We want people to be prepared to intervene in the emergency situations, but we also want people to understand that these emergency situations don’t just emerge out of nowhere, but that it is part of a broader rape culture that we live in,” explains Maria Michonski, statewide training specialist for SAC, who works on the Safe Bar program. “General sexist attitudes, rape jokes, stalking, catcalling, unsolicited exchange or taking pictures: These kinds of things build a culture in which the more overt forms of violence — like drugging, rape, molestation — are normalized and viewed as acceptable.”

Michonski notes that other prevention programs on different issues — such as seat belt usage or cigarette smoking cessation — have used bystander intervention and prevention education models successfully. “Having everyone … be motivated and prepared to intervene in those behaviors would make the biggest difference and kind of turn the tide on the more overt severe forms of violence,” she says.

Training is a big step, but not the only one.

Sarah Worley, who founded the Biscuit Love restaurant chain with her husband Karl, used “an immense amount of intentionality to create something different” when it comes to company culture. Over the years, her company has learned how dialed in and dialed down they needed to be with their expectations, she says.

“It’s great to say you have a ‘no gossip policy,’ but if you do not know what gossip is, then you can’t follow that.”

Worley starts the explanations in the job interview and continues on the first day of work, when new employees “have the opportunity to say ‘no,’” she says. That means being clear about what a lewd joke is and why it’s not OK, and underscoring that employees are not permitted to comment on the appearance of their co-workers or their customers. That doesn’t mean violations don’t happen, but when they do, Worley has learned that action is critical. “When you have a top performer who is behaving poorly, the instinct is to try to resolve it,” she says. But, she says, a zero-tolerance policy is the only way to reinforce your values.

Worley says when Biscuit Love fired someone who violated the sexual harassment policy, that decision set the company back financially, because that employee had been involved in strategic operations. It took six months to get back up to speed. But, quoting Ari Weinzweig of the Zingerman’s chain, Worley says, “Your beliefs are only words on paper until they cost you something.” (The Worleys have participated in ZingTrain, Zingerman’s management training program for entrepreneurs.)

Both of the Worleys make their cell numbers available to staff and encourage them to reach

out if there are issues, but Worley knows not everyone is comfortable doing so. So there’s also an anonymous tip line and an outside investigator to look into any allegations. (That investigator has been called once in nine years.)

Chef Sean Brock was vocal about wanting to create a different kind of restaurant company when he opened Audrey, June, Joyland and Bar Continental (the last of which was formerly The Continental). He wanted people to have a different experience than the stereotypical kitchen.

But even with that forethought, the issue of sexual harassment has come up repeatedly within the organization. Earlier this year, two high-profile staff members were terminated for inappropriate behavior, and recently an anonymous Instagram account was created alleging concerns about inappropriate and harassing behavior experienced by front-of-the-house staff.

None of the impropriety is attributed to Brock himself, but some of those involved say they felt neither Brock nor his human resources team responded quickly enough to concerns.

Brock says he can’t talk about specific allegations, but he does talk to the Scene about the big-picture issue and his efforts to fight stereotypes. Seeing that Instagram account was “heartbreaking,” he says.

“One of the complicated things for me as a business owner is that those [sexually inappropriate] comments are not being made while I am in the room,” says Brock. Like the Worleys, Brock makes his cell number available to staff if they have concerns. No one has ever used it, although he has received emails.

The company hired a human resources director to address that stumbling block. Brock, who is public about his own use of therapy in his sober recovery work, thinks approaching sexual harassment as an action born of mental illness may be useful. “If someone chooses to sexually harass, then we need to look at it from a mental-health perspective,” he says. As a result, therapy is available to all staff. (The Worleys also make therapy available for their employees.)

Michonski stresses that any efforts to change culture in a hospitality business must include both front-of-house staff (servers, hosts and management) and back-of-house staff (kitchen employees). If the front of house is undergoing trauma-informed training, she explains, and the back of house is telling sexually explicit jokes, then progress won’t be made.

Lt. Col. Michael “Moose” Moore is a former fighter pilot and air marshal who founded The Vigilance Group, which offers interactive workshops on self-defense and harm reduction.

He would like to see more support activities to reduce sexual violence on the part of the city.

One of his concerns is the safety of hospitality

SARAH WORLEY, BISCUIT LOVE CO-FOUNDER

“WHEN YOU HAVE A TOP PERFORMER WHO IS BEHAVING POORLY, THE INSTINCT IS TO TRY TO RESOLVE IT.” BUT, WORLEY SAYS, A ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY IS THE ONLY WAY TO REINFORCE YOUR VALUES. workers when they’re leaving their late-night shifts. Management at some downtown bars and restaurants say they will walk people to their cars after their shifts, but some workers tell the Scene that that doesn’t happen in practice.

Guerra has policies, depending on the location of the bar, that require two people to always walk out together. But Moore would like to see the city operate a shuttle to ferry workers from Broadway to remote parking lots.

“My personal opinion is that bartenders and people who work in restaurants are very brave individuals who are going to be exposed to this type of activity more than in other fields or other professions, because of the correlation of alcohol and sexual assault,” says Rachel Freeman, president and CEO of SAC. (Disclosure: Freeman is the daughter-in-law of Bill Freeman, owner of the Scene.) “The more equipped somebody is to say, ‘This is not acceptable,’ the greater likelihood that we can reduce sexual assaults.”

If you have experienced sexual assault, contact the Sexual Assault Center confidentially at 866811-7473. More information on participating in the Safe Bar program is on the SAC website. ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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AVANT-GARDE TRADITIONALIST

Taylor Hagood uncovers the life and death of country music icon David ‘Stringbean’ Akeman

BY EDD HURT

SINGER, COMEDIAN AND BANJO player David Akeman, better known as Stringbean, made his mark as a bluegrass pioneer and star of the television show Hee Haw, and he wielded an instrument that evoked modern ambiguities and old-time practices. Taylor Hagood’s Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend lays out Akeman’s life story and details the murder of Akeman and his wife Estelle at their house near Nashville on Nov. 10, 1973. The murders and the subsequent trials marked a turning point in the history of country music.

Akeman was born in Jackson County, Ky., in 1915, and he grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville radio program that featured country musicians like Uncle Dave Macon, who would become Akeman’s biggest influence. He began playing banjo at 14 and weathered the Great Depression by working at a Civilian Conservation Corps site, where he helped build roads and lookout towers.

A notably tall, skinny young man, Akeman got his stage moniker in 1935, when fellow musician Asa Martin called him “String Bean” or “String Beans” during a radio performance on WLAP-AM in Lexington, and the name stuck.

It’s clear Hagood set out to give Akeman the credit he deserves as a traditional musician who also made major contributions to the avant-garde of stringed-instrument playing that includes blues guitarist Skip James, banjo player Dock Boggs and all manner of 20thcentury folk and rock musicians. Hagood writes lyrically about Akeman’s relationship with the instrument: Already instrument and man may have been entwining as two living beings, not necessarily a specific banjo but “banjo” and the entity growing within David, an avatar that as yet had no name but was sprouting inside him and bound up with the entity of banjo-ness.

By 1942 Akeman had secured a job with the inventor of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe.

Akeman was, in fact, the first banjo player in Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, and he played in the two-finger clawhammer style. It was during this period that he began to step fully into the comic persona of “Stringbean,” adopting a trademark costume that exaggerated his already long torso. Hagood describes it from a 1950s performance: He wears a long-sleeved orange gingham shirt that stretches well below

PHOTO: ELVIO SALAZAR

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his waist and is sewn onto short blue jeans with a leather belt in place unnecessarily.

A keychain loops over the right hip pocket, while a white handkerchief sticks out of his back left pocket. His tiny black coachman hat looks too small for his head.

Akeman’s abilities as an entertainer made him a natural for the Opry, where he was a fixture from 1944 until his death, though he briefly left the show to travel with a musician named Tommy Scott. One of the pleasures of reading Hagood is being able to luxuriate in the raffish world of country music as it existed in the ’40s and ’50s. With Scott, Hagood tells us, Stringbean had a chance to tour with his Hillbilly Jamboree and Circus Review, which hawked a patent medicine called Herb-O-Lac. By the early ’60s, young folk enthusiasts viewed Akeman as a bluegrass musician. When he appeared at the 1965 University of Chicago Folk Festival, the bookers forbade him from wearing the costume. For the folkies of the ’60s, this was strictly about music, and as such was deadly serious.

Because Akeman often used a banjo tuning that allowed him to use the Lydian mode — with the relationship between the third and fourth notes in the mode a whole step — he extended the tonality of the banjo. (Since he preferred the key of A, this means the fourth note in the mode is a D-sharp.) Hagood describes a 1961 performance of the folk tune “Pretty Polly” that Akeman delivered on The Porter Wagoner Show that sounds like it uses

Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend

By Taylor Hagood University of Illinois Press 272 pages, $19.95

this tuning. It’s both futuristic and old-time and a remarkable snapshot of ’60s folk.

By the time of the murders, Akeman had made a small fortune in the music business.

The Akemans were reputed to distrust banks and carry around a lot of cash, and this seems to have been why a pair of cousins, Doug Brown and John Brown Jr., decided to target them. While waiting for the couple to return home, the killers tuned in the radio to listen to Stringbean play his final show on the Opry.

Hagood delves into the labyrinth of the 1974 trials, and it’s the sheer futility of it all — the Akemans were beloved by everyone — that gets to you when you finish. The Browns never found the nearly $6,000 that David and Estelle Akeman had on them when they died, and to this day, no one has found Stringbean’s will or the murder weapon. His banjo — a beautiful Vega No. 9 five-string — is in the possession of Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

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

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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MUSIC

REPEAT THE SOUNDING JOY Drew and Ellie Holcomb keep their Neighborly Christmas tradition alive and well at the Schermerhorn

BY MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER WHEN ELLIE HOLCOMB steps onstage to sing a few holiday tunes, she feels a little bit like Buddy the Elf, Will Ferrell’s cartoonish, sugar-fueled embodiment of people who really love this time of year. And she’s typically joined in song by her husband Drew Holcomb, who the couple says channels the season’s green goober whose heart is two sizes too small — the Grinch, of course.

Luckily for them, these Yuletide opposites work pretty well together. Drew is a Memphis-born troubadour who has built his nearly two-decade career on delivering in-the-feels Americana sing-alongs as the leader of a band of road dogs called The Neighbors. Nashville-raised Ellie is a singer-songwriter who built her own Dove Award-winning career in Christian music after her own tenure with The Neighbors. Hundreds typically flock downtown in late December to see the couple’s annual Neighborly Christmas show, which they’ll reprise Thursday at the Schermerhorn. Music kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and tickets were nearly sold out at press time. “[It’s a] gathering of a community of people — really, a similar group of people come every year — to remember the good stuff and celebrate the good stuff together,” says Ellie. “I’m grateful for that.”

The couple played their first holiday show in 2007 at the Belcourt — how’s that for a throwback to the days when Nashville’s arthouse booked live music more frequently? It was the first sold-out gig in Nashville for either of the Holcombs. For a few years, the Neighborly Christmas show migrated to 3rd and Lindsley.

Then the Holcomb family put it on hiatus — not knowing that they’d thrown a wrench in what had become a holiday tradition for locals, who looked forward to hearing the couple croon “Blue Christmas” and “Santa Baby,” among others. Ellie points to “feedback from our fans” as the main driver for the decision to revive the show about a decade ago.

“In that [time], our careers had grown substantially,” Drew adds. “We were able to bring it back at the Schermerhorn. That room is very, very beautiful and magical. It’s part of the show, in its own way.”

For their visit to the symphony center, the Holcombs craft a set list bound to scratch the itches of Buddies and Grinches alike. Backed by The Neighbors and playing in the round, they pull from a canon of time-tested holiday staples, as well as the couple’s growing catalog of duets and songs featuring guest appearances from each other. Often both singers use this time to debut new music in a room that’s full of family and longtime friends. Drew remembers earning a standing ovation in 2018 when debuting what would become a fan favorite and the titular song of his next album, “Dragons.”

Drew and Ellie Holcomb’s Neighborly Christmas 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at the Schermerhorn

But playing a handful of original tunes doesn’t mean they cut corners on Christmas classics. Ellie can’t leave the stage without singing “O Holy Night,” while her husband takes advantage of covering Chuck Berry’s highly spirited “Run Rudolph Run” to — as he puts it — act like an idiot.

“There’s a sense of anticipation in that room

that’s really special,” Ellie says. “Often families will bring their children. There’s some very excited moments from children that echo and reverberate throughout [the venue], which feels appropriate for a Christmas show. There’s that childlike anticipation and excitement, which is something I think we all can remember and appreciate about Christmas.”

And though he sometimes finds himself in a decidedly Grinch-y mood, Drew isn’t immune to feeling his heart swell — much like Dr. Seuss’ beloved character — when it’s time for this once-ayear happening.

“It’s a reminder that it’s a joy and it’s a privilege to make music,” he says. “It’s a nice way to put a period on the end of every year.” ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 4:08 PM

WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT Master musician Jim Hoke embraces spontaneity on his second solo LP

BY BRITTNEY McKENNA

Was there a song or idea that kick-started this record for you? The first solo album of pop songs that I did came out in 2018. That was The Floating Zone. The whole album came from songs that I dreamed — literally. I’d wake up in the middle of the night hearing the song, and then if I was lucky enough to be able to remember

MUSIC: THE SPIN

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT

BY P.J. KINZER HARD ROCK AND Christmas haven’t always had the most harmonious of relationships. Sure, there have been holiday tracks by the likes of the Ramones, AC/DC, The Damned and Slade. There was even a fantastic 2008 version of Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run” by Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons and Dave Grohl. But often, the blending of Yuletide traditions and monster riffs leaves a lot to be desired, smelling suspiciously like a cash grab that’s destined for the discount bin. And since it’s the season of hope and cheer, we’ll just leave the Trans-Siberian Orchestra out of this discussion.

But all denim-vested heshers aren’t totally immune to the spirit of a joyous Noel. Thursday night, I stopped by The Basement to join up with a crowd whose letters to Santa are likely to include original pressings of Hawkwind LPs, long-

32

Given how you wrote “Gotta Go” and your tendency to write from dreams, it sounds like spontaneity is a big part of your process. Yeah. Songs can

it, I’d write them down and, you know, develop them that way. There were so many of them that there were a bunch of spillover songs that didn’t go on that album. Then I put a band together to play The 5 Spot. I got a nice little band with my son playing cello and Kristen Weber on violin.

And they’re just so, so good that it kept the momentum going for me, and I kept writing songs for the band.

be silly little ideas that just happen and pop into your head washing the dishes or shoveling your driveway or driving someplace. A lot of my ideas have come that way, totally. And I’ve learned not to just blow them off, because the smallest little germ of an idea, you put a little rhythm to it and then it takes on a life. You throw some chords behind it, and you’ve got something. So many songs that we love came that way. They’re not very profound if you really analyze them, but something happened with it.

What’s a song from this record that came from a dream? “Wake Up the Whole World.” It’s kind of a message song. The dream that brought me that one was about listening to Rubber Soul outtakes. In my dream, I’m hanging out at some friend’s house and he’s saying, “Oh, I just got this bootleg of Rubber Soul outtakes from Abbey Road. Let’s listen to it.” And the whole course of that song — the chords, the lyrics, the arrangement — was pretty much complete. So I just had to write some verses.

Backtracking a minute, it must be special for you and your son to play together. It’s a very big experience. We switch gears from being father and son to being, you know, bandmates, or musical cohorts. It can be confusing, to forget the history and that dynamic. But it’s very rich. He’s such a good musician, and he doesn’t hold back when he’s criticizing ideas I have. He’s not always gentle with his assessments of things. [Laughs] “You know, Daddio, you don’t want to do that. That’s so ’90s.” I don’t even know what “’90s” means because I’m stuck in the ’60s.

sleeve Sleep T-shirts and a vintage Graffix bong.

Electric Python’s annual holiday party celebrates the European folk-villain Krampus with downtuned riffs and volume knobs that go to 11. Krampus has recently gained a following in America as the anti-Santa, but if you’re still not familiar, he’s part of Christmas traditions that began in the Alps. While St. Nicholas treats the good children, Krampus punishes the naughty ones — beating them with rods, or perhaps making a meal of them, depending on the version you hear. With features like goat horns and cloven hooves, Krampus has an unmistakably heavy-metal appearance, even though he predates Ozzy Osbourne by at least 400 years.

I got my first punishment swat from the Krampus stalking around Thursday’s show before I even got out my ID for the door guy. The mythical punisher stood just outside the venue door, waiting to give patrons a good thwack with a branch, just in case they were considering acting a fool. Cozying up to the wall near the sound board, I prepared myself for power trio MAANTA RAAY. The band is the most recent project featuring veteran riff-rocker Chet Weise.

Currently the editor at Third Man Books, the

The world has changed a great deal since you released The Floating Zone, and mostly not for the better. Did that influence creep into your songwriting?

You can certainly hear that ’60s influence all over the record. I’m thinking of “Gotta Go,” with that kind of push-and-pull shift in feel and the trippy lyrics.

That was just a bit of silliness. I was hurrying out the door. I was late for lunch and I just started nervously going, “Gotta go, gotta go. Gotta go.

Gotta go now.” And it just came out of nothing.

I got in my car, and I’m driving down the street, and I’m still chanting that thing. Next thing you know, here comes the slow part, when it kind of takes a sharp turn into that slower section. So I fleshed that out. I had my wife, Lisa Haddad, sing harmonies on that. She’s a one-man background vocal group.

I’m sure it did. Some of those songs came about during COVID. Everyone had all this free time. So that allowed for deeper dives into the process.

But it’s not like I wrote the songs, you know, two months ago. Whatever version of trouble has come along — and there’s certainly been just so, so much tragedy in the world — I just hope that my songs point to a way out, for individuals anyway, to deal with life and feel good. ▼

I Was Born in Ohio out Thursday, Dec. 21 Playing 6 p.m. Dec. 21 at The 5 Spot

PHOTO: H.N. JAMES

THERE’S MUCH TO say about Jim Hoke’s résumé — after all, the beloved multi-instrumentalist and songwriter has collaborated with a murderers’ row of musicians, including Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney and Buddy Guy. His creative process, though, is even more fascinating.

Hoke’s ideas often come from his subconscious mind, whether they appear to him in dreams or emerge during otherwise quotidian moments like rushing through traffic.

On his solo LP I Was Born in Ohio, whose release he’ll celebrate Thursday at The 5 Spot, Hoke builds upon the dream-inspired songs of his previous record The Floating Zone for a more expansive, sonically varied collection of songs that also touches on — if obliquely — the ills facing society today. Hoke played every instrument on the record himself, with the exception of strings (played by Kristen Weber and Austin Hoke) and additional guitar from Chris Cottros.

Hoke has a succinct description of the record’s sound: “I’m stuck in the ’60s, and you can print that.” The Scene caught up with Hoke to talk about about writing message songs, making music with his son, the aforementioned Austin, and literally composing songs while sleeping.

PUTTING THE SQUEEZE ON ’EM: ELECTRIC PYTHON onetime poetry professor has been playing loud rock ’n’ roll guitar for three decades with bands like the Quadrajets, The Immortal Lee County Killers, Ultras S/C and Kings of the Fucking Sea. With My Wall’s Carlos Ortiz on drums and recent addition Mason Hadley holding down the low end, MAANTA RAAY pairs up heavy blues

chords with extended guitar solos and sparse vocals. When Weise does approach the mic, his singing shows he’s pushed himself into new territory since the launch of KOTFS. MAANTA RAY has been in the studio at Battle Tapes, so be on the lookout for their powerhouse intergalactic boogie to arrive on wax sometime in 2024.

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 4:08 PM

GUITAR LESSONS

with former Musicians Institute and Austin Guitar School instructor

MARK BISH.

THUR 12.21

FRI

12.22

SMOKE, LIGHTNING, HEAVY-METAL THUNDER: MAANTA RAAY

Jazz, Rock, Blues, Country, Fusion, Funk, Flamenco, etc. Technique, theory, songwriting. Programs available. 40 years exp.

512-619-3209

PHOTOS: H.N. JAMES

markbishmusic@gmail.com

12.23

SUN

9PM THE CHEWERS XMAS THROWDOWN

WED 12.27

5PM WRITERS @ THE WATER OPEN MIC

12.24

115 27TH AVE N. OPEN WED - SUN 11AM - LATE NIGHT

HATCH SHOW PRINT

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Block Party

Sierra Hull and Justin Moses

HATCH SHOW PRINT SHOP

ing, while Krampus continued the limb-lashings throughout the crowd.

Electric Python’s lyrical content parties just as hard, as Hime hollers about his love of stuff like rocking hard and slamming cans of White Claw. Ever the jokester, Hime kept the crowd chuckling between songs with his impression of Ozzy’s ’80s stage banter. But the levity and humor of Electric Python is good only because the songs are actually great — it takes premium sativa metal to make goofs like this hit home. Would the relatable send-ups of holy text This Is Spinal Tap resonate as much if even the dumbest songs in the fictitious band’s catalog didn’t kick a fair bit of ass and play off of something smart?

Now that their lineup is solidified, the Python crew is working on a new record. Their dissonant October single “My Next Crime” — which is on streaming platforms as well as Weedian’s recent Trip to Tennessee compilation of Volunteer State heavy rockers — sounds even more gargantuan live. “Speed Demon,” their next single, will be streaming on all the usual suspects before the end of the year, and fans got a nasty teaser of it near the end of the set. The band put a cap on the evening by playing a request, the titular song from their 2020 LP Into the Night.

While I settled my tab, Krampus appeared and gave me one more spanking, which I took as my cue to wander off into the night. ▼

SAT

Sunday, January 7

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

While showmanship isn’t always welcomed by fans of underground music, Electric Python’s Jeff Hime never shies away from showing the audience a good time. The guitar slinger spends his days at Hime Amplification, building and repairing amps for rock stars and some of country’s best-loved side players. But when the sun is down, he’ll don snakeskin cowboy boots and his own band’s backpatch for some industrial-strength mayhem.

Standing in front of a backdrop bearing the same Electric Python logo on his back, Hime called his rock machine to order. Surrounded by bassman Bingham Barnes (Glossary, Jasmin Kaset), shredder Dillon Smith (Faster Is Faster, Fetching Pails) on a second ax and Chris Fox (Asschapel) on drums, Hime served as the gravitational force at the center of their fuzzed-out blues riffage. The stoner-rock foursome draws on heavy music that made it to FM radio in the ’70s, like AC/DC and ZZ Top, dragging the sound through the crunchy debris left by ’90s groups like Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu, resulting in a concoction that’ll wallop you like a hit from a well-packed bong. The band’s veteran rhythm section gives Smith and Hime space to have tasteful fretboard duels that bring to mind the prime of Wishbone Ash or UFO. I spotted Mike Grimes — musician and co-owner of the two Basement venues as well as much-loved record store Grimey’s — fist-pumping and headbang-

SOUL, ROCKSTEADY & REGGAE DJ PARTY

Saturday, December 23

10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:30 pm

SWITCHING IT UP: KRAMPUS

7PM ONE SOUL, ONE TURNTABLE

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER Tuesday, January 9

Saturday, December 30 SONGWRITER SESSION

Brinley Addington NOON · FORD THEATER Sunday, December 31 MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Charlie McCoy

PERFORMANCE

Charlie Worsham Featuring Long Jon

6:30 pm · FORD THEATER Saturday, January 13 SONGWRITER SESSION

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Kent Blazy and Cory Batten

Tuesday, January 2

NOON · FORD THEATER

PERFORMANCE

Silent Country Disco with DJ Jerry

6:30 pm · HALL OF FAME ROTUNDA

Saturday, January 13 MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Zoe and Cloyd 1:00 pm · FORD THEATER Tuesday, January 16

Saturday, January 6 SONGWRITER SESSION

Don Schlitz NOON · FORD THEATER

PERFORMANCE

East Nash Grass 6:30 pm · FORD THEATER

WITNESS HISTORY

Museum Membership Receive free admission, access to weekly programming, concert ticket presale opportunities, and more.

MKTG_Scene 1/3 Page_PrintAd_12.21.23.indd 1

FULL CALENDAR

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33

12/15/23 12:03 PM

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

12/18/23 4:08 PM

FILM

WRESTLING WITH THE PAST

The Iron Claw is the ultimate wrestling movie, though not necessarily the best

BY J.R. LIND WRESTLING OBSESSIVES OFTEN struggle to convey the gravity of a certain match or storyline to normies.

Casuals — or the otherwise heretofore uninterested — are nevertheless usually sucked in by the performances. Pro wrestlers are largerthan-life physically with outsized personalities to match. Their athleticism is undeniable, and sociologists and anthropologists and other ivory-tower types can explain why humans are drawn to displays of violence and the particular appeal of the type of “safe” violence on display inside the square circle where, usually, no one’s actually getting hurt.

And even a new observer can usually grasp the basic stakes and structure of most every match.

This guy hates that guy for some reason (usually jealousy of one flavor or another; the Greeks were on to something), and they are fighting. We want the good guy (he’s usually good-looking but not in a threatening way) to beat the bad guy (usually ugly or way too good-looking and probably wearing white boots).

That’s why people watch wrestling. But people get obsessed with wrestling — watching for decades and decades — because it lends itself to great big stories that can stretch out over a lifetime. Anybody could watch, for example, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens win the tag-team titles over the Usos at Wrestlemania 39 and enjoy it and even understand why the match was subjectively good. But to really get it, you’d have to be invested in the storyline, which for Zayn and Owens stretches back to 2007.

And that is the great triumph — and the great shortcoming — of The Iron Claw, director Sean Durkin’s latest for A24. If you’re already invested in the characters because you know the story, it’s engrossing. If you don’t, you can admire the performances and understand the arc, but Durkin struggles to get you to care outside the confines of the film. The director has said in interviews that as a wrestling fan, he’d been obsessed with Texas’ Von Erich family and their eponymous curse and had wanted to tackle the tale on celluloid. Those of us who already know the story understand why.

Early on, eldest brother Kevin (Zac Efron) lays out in a voiceover his belief in the family curse.

Much has been made of Efron’s physical transformation for the film, and indeed the former kid star is impressively beefy. Efron’s performance is exquisite, if muted, almost as if Kevin is bound up by the crushing weight of his family’s destiny — its curse. He’s premodern in his unquestioned belief in it. He’s on a train with an inevitable destination, and the doors are locked.

It’s all “prearranged,” just as the Von Erichs’ matches are, as Lily James — playing Kevin’s love interest — explains in one of many, many, many, many long stretches of exposition. James is darling in her role, which serves as a surrogate

34

The Iron Claw R, 132 minutes Opening wide Friday, Dec. 22

for anyone watching the movie who isn’t terribly invested in wrestling going in.

The rest of the characters are deeply invested in wrestling, starting with the Von Erichs’ patriarch, an old fighter named Fritz who pushes his sons to do what he could never do by leading them to the top of the Texas-based promotion he heads. This inevitably leads the brothers to compete in reality as well as in kayfabe. (Fritz, played by a gruff Holt McCallany, actually ranks his children; it would come across as a heavy-handed modernization of King Lear, except this is a thing that actually occurred.) Kevin’s brothers — Kerry (The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson) and Mike (Stanley Simons) — all have their turn vying for their father’s respect and attention. Meanwhile Fritz pushes his sons to get what he never got, and the brothers learn that the only people they can rely on are each other.

It’s nearly impossible to miss all this familial subtext, but if you do, don’t worry: One character or another will make it explicit through direct address, as Durkin, who has proven he can be a subtle director in the past, falls into the all-toocommon 2020s film trap of having characters tell the audience exactly what the movie is trying to say. But hey, wrestling’s not subtle either.

The wrestling itself is extremely well-done, with the actors obviously invested in the training. There are many bad wrestling movies with actors who are very bad wrestlers, so bravo to Chavo Guerrero Jr., who served as technical adviser and makes an appearance (as numerous wrestlers do, playing other wrestlers, a nice Easter egg for the fans — though I doubt many nonfans would care very much that Dolph Ziggler’s brother plays Gino Hernandez). The behind-thescenes, locker-room portions of the film are also

interesting looks into how wrestling works, or at least how it worked in Texas in the 1970s or ’80s.

The movie’s deeply sad third act is easily the finest — and best-paced — part of the film, as the family’s destiny reaches the foregone conclusion and the Von Erichs transition to the tragic footnote they are in the annals of the sport they didn’t really love.

Wrestling fans will love The Iron Claw as a period piece about a chapter in wrestling lore that has begged to be given the big-screen treatment for decades. Casuals can appreciate the performances, particularly of Efron and James, who both deserve the plaudits they’ve already received, but might leave failing to understand why the fans love it so much.

And that might make The Iron Claw the ultimate wrestling movie, but not the best — a title still held by The Wrestler. ▼

NASHVILLE SCENE • DECEMBER 21 – DECEMBER 27, 2023 • nashvillescene.com

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12/18/23 3:54 PM

PAFOLOGICAL LIAR

Jeffrey Wright proves he’s a leading man with American Fiction

BY CRAIG D. LINDSEY

American Fiction R, 117 minutes Opening Thursday, Dec. 21, at the Belcourt

AMERICAN FICTION WILL initially have you thinking it’s going to take the piss out of a lot of people.

It opens with main character Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) — an embittered, not-so-successful author and college professor — kicking a white student out of his literature class because she’s offended that he wrote the N-word on his whiteboard. After being forced by his school to take some time off, Ellison heads back to Boston, his hometown, to visit family. He also attends a literary festival where he finds that white people are straight-up in love with We’s Lives in Da Ghetto, a broken-English-filled novel written by a rising African American literary star (Issa Rae).

As a death in the family and other pressing issues force him to stay close to home and find ways to drum up money, a fed-up Ellison writes My Pafology, a blatantly ’hood melodrama he pens under the assumed name Stagg R. Leigh.

Needless to say, the book (which Ellison retitles with a more profane one-word title) becomes a hit, attracting the attention of the lily-white literary elite and even a Hollywood producer (played by a rather oily Adam Brody).

Fiction is an amusing Trojan horse of a film.

Journalist turned Emmy-winning TV writer Cord Jefferson (Master of None, Watchmen) uses his debut film to adapt Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, a response to acclaimed “I’m Black, y’all” tomes like Sapphire’s Push (aka the novel that became the Oscar-winning misery train known as Precious). At first it seems like Fiction is gonna be balls-to-the-wall satire, taking shots at those who think Black folk are mostly stuck in the inner city, ducking bullets and baby mamas.

The movie mostly concentrates on Ellison and his middle-class upbringing. With the movie taking place predominantly in a beachside neighborhood — miles away from any concrete jungle — we see Ellison living and reconciling with his dysfunctional family, including his doctor sister (Tracee Ellis Ross), his mentally decaying mother (Leslie Uggams) and his coke-snorting, fresh-outta-the-closet brother

(Sterling K. Brown). Jefferson practically suckers you into watching a movie about a Black man and his Black family where — apart from a scene Ellison creates between two characters as he’s writing — gunshots don’t ring out.

Every now and then, Fiction doles out chuckles by reminding you how goofy-ass white folks will eat up stories about Black folks scratching and surviving. Practically every white character here is a clueless idiot who thinks supporting gritty Black stories makes them an automatic ally. But I do wish the movie also took certain aspects of Black culture — my people — to task for embracing and propagating stereotypical Black tropes. Even though Black people have proven time and time again that we are not a monolith, there are still Black folk out there who, just like white people, believe that unless you came out the ’hood, your Black story isn’t that valid.

Nevertheless, Fiction does something long overdue: It gives Wright a very meaty lead turn. Ever since he hit the scene as Jean-Michel Basquiat in Julian Schnabel’s biopic Basquiat, Wright has spent 25-plus years as one of the most versatile, reliable African American character actors working today. He’s been in everything from Wes Anderson movies to Daniel Craig-era James Bond films to HBO shows like Westworld and Boardwalk Empire, often stealing whole scenes from whatever star he’s supposed to support. (My favorite of Wright’s performances is Bill Murray’s amateur-detective neighbor in Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers.)

Fiction has Wright pretty much leading the whole charge. He’s a proud, frustrated, intelligent Black man trying to get his shit together personally and financially, and unfortunately pretends to be a thugged-out literary star in order to do that. He even gets a love interest (former Living Single cast member Erika Alexander), whom he has a hard time confiding in. Although American Fiction doesn’t go all-out with the merciless satire, it does show how Wright can carry a whole damn movie — and it would be nice if Hollywood remembered that in the future. ▼

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12/18/23 3:55 PM

BACK OF THE BOOK ACROSS

59

That’s the key!

14

“The Addams Family” nickname

60

“Dominus illuminatio ___”

20

“___ Mack” (2010s Disney show)

(Oxford’s motto)

21

Cry of pain

1

Sonic boom generator?

5

“Curious George” channel

8

Puts on, perhaps

61

Prey for an arctic fox

24

“That it is”

12

Motion propellers

62

State that’s approximately

25

Noted feature of “The Brothers

13

Chris of “The Super Mario Bros.

Movie”

15

63

N.L. East team

17

“Vive ___!”

19

64

22 23

Wishy-washy words 1

English rock band with a string

change even if I tried”

Post-mortem exam Word before drum or trumpet Acting dangerously, like this

2

Pencils not used for writing

3

Punny advice to this puzzle’s

27

Forever and ever Company with a pine tree and

28

“Otello,” for one

29

“Otello” composer

30

Something to believe in, Married a woman, archaically

32

Lake home to the cryptid “Bessie”

33

Places of respite

35

“Hogwash!”

36

“___ puns are a rare medium well done” (dad joke)

38

Super-celebrities

40

“Hotel Transylvania” nickname

42

Kiss in Kent

43

R&B trio with the album

37

One of Microsoft’s “core fonts”

39

Creator of Sherlock Holmes

41

State capital with the nickname “Arch City”

42

Paper handed out as a matter of course?

45

Pasting prompt

48

Lake that feeds the Truckee River

49

Lilliputian

50

Bit of comic book art

Lords

52

Item missing in “business casual”

Rhythm-interrupting jazz

54

Original “Are You the One?”

One of three South African capitals Certain member of the House of

channel

technique

informally 31

Part of Egypt that’s in Asia

Slip

5

7

34

44

Jerk

6

So-called “African unicorn”

Cargo hauler

4

mountains in its logo

33

43

subject

57

8

Back

9

Description of this puzzle’s

“T_RN,” for “No U-Turn,” e.g.

PUZZLE BY PAOLO PASCO

subject 10

Is a no-body?

11

Some promotional material

13

Charging station feature

NO. 1116

Karamazov”

2012 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis single with the lyric “I can’t

puzzle’s subject 26

Late start?

DOWN

section, for short 20

Group cleared by this puzzle’s subject, depicted literally

Going rate?

16

18

trapezoidal: Abbr.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

“CrazySexyCool” 46

One way for a co. to raise money

47

“Go you!”

48

Abbr. that completes “_ea_ _oon”

51

Style that’s long behind

53

Rapper with the 2007 hit “Lip Gloss”

55

Alphabetically first in a set of 12

56

___ hijacking, another term for “typosquatting”

58

Hunt in spy films

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

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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. 200706150071628, 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. 202307190055714, 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 Documents (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. 2019109010103592 (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-OA-120.00 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. 200706150071629, 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 UBS Business Solutions US LLC has the following positions in Nashville, TN. Authorized Officer, Tech Support Analyst to analyze sophisticated nextgeneration and legacy network equipment to develop and implement solutions to UBS networks. (ref. code(s) 000527).

Qualified Applicants apply through SHProfRecruitingcc@ubs.com.

Please reference 000527.

NO CALLS PLEASE. EOE/M/F/D/V. #LI-DNP. UBS Realty Investors LLC has the following positions in Nashville, TN. Associate Director, Real Estate Economist, responsible for playing a key part of the investment process covering all major markets with a focus on the traditional and non-traditional real estate sectors in the US. Can work remotely. (ref. code(s) 001368). Qualified Applicants apply through SHProfRecruitingcc@ubs.com.

Please reference 001368.

NO CALLS PLEASE. EOE/M/F/D/V. #LI-DNP.

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