Nashville Scene 12-24-20

DECEMBER 24, 2020–JANUARY 6, 2021 I VOLUME 39 I NUMBER 45 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

CITY LIMITS: A STATEWIDE PROGRAM CONNECTS ESSENTIAL WORKERS WITH FREE COUNSELING

MUSIC: LOOKING BACK ON THE LIFE OF CHARLEY PRIDE PAGE 28

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STORIES to WATCH

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in 2021 From Cooper’s second year in office to the vaccine rollout, the restaurant scene and more, here are eight stories to keep an eye on

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12/18/20 5:03 PM

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NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

CONTENTS

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CITY LIMITS

Help for Helpers .........................................6

Statewide program MHART connects essential workers with free counseling

BY HANNAH HERNER

The Death Penalty Delayed .......................7 The coronavirus brought executions in Tennessee to a halt when nothing else could

BY STEVEN HALE

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FOOD AND DRINK Just the Veganing

These local plant-based eateries are making it easy to eat meat-free for a meal or for life

BY MEGAN SELING

27

BOOKS

Queen’s Rules

9

Late R&B legend Denise LaSalle always called her own shots

Watching the Watchmen ...........................9

A poem illustrated by Alexandria Hall

COVER STORY Stories to Watch in 2021

How much change will a change in leadership bring to the MNPD?

BY STEVEN HALE

More to Come in the Legislature ........... 10

The Tennessee General Assembly — and its Republican supermajority — gets back to work

BY JACQUELINE ZEISLOFT AND CHAPTER 16

‘After Making My Own Non-Sew Face Mask I Walk’

28

MUSIC

Talking to Metro’s chief epidemiologist about Nashville’s COVID-19 vaccine administration

BY RON WYNN

BY D. PATRICK RODGERS

The closing of Douglas Corner leaves a hole in Nashville’s soul

Taking a gander at what the Titans, the Predators, Nashville SC and the rest will look like in the new year

BY EDD HURT

BY J.R. LIND

On the Move ............................................ 14 The city pledged to invest in transportation infrastructure — but when, and where will that money come from?

BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

Returning to the Table ............................ 15 It’s not all bad news in the restaurant scene, with forthcoming projects from Sean Brock, Slim & Husky’s and others

BY CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

Cooper Enters Year Two .......................... 16 The mayor has been in triage mode for most of his first year in office — so what next?

Rocky Horton Is Forming the World’s Largest Country Band

Tour crews bring their experience to bear getting TEMA’s PPE delivered

BY ABBY LEE HOOD

The Spin ................................................... 30 The Scene’s live-review column checks out Thelma and the Sleaze at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

BY CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

31 FILM

Primal Stream 36 ................................... 31 Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey and plenty of Christmas cheer, now available to stream

A look at the challenges facing independent club owners in the coming months

Promising Young Woman is a brutal, dark and sometimes funny dose of vengeance

Best Served Cold..................................... 32

BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

BY SADAF AHSAN

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News of the World is a dusty, contemplative Western success

Tune in to Jon Solomon’s 25-Hour Radio Show, celebrate Kwanzaa, watch Ballets Ruses’ Slutcracker: The Movie, check out Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, catch an author event with Ed Tarkington and Mary Laura Philpott, build your own end-of-the-world film fest, listen to Bad Bunny’s 2020 albums and more

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SEDAN ON DEMAND

Pink Door Cookies Opens in Chestnut Hill, Just in Time for Cookie Season

Road Tested............................................. 29

BY JASON SHAWHAN

CRITICS’ PICKS

Nashville Doesn’t Think It’s Part of Russian Hack

Inside Nashville ....................................... 28

BY STEVE CAVENDISH

Music Venues Hang In ............................ 16

Find Your Ho-Ho-Holiday Spirit With These Festive New Local Tunes

Charley Pride, 1934-2020...................... 28 Looking back at the life of the first Black country superstar

On the Field ............................................. 14

THIS WEEK ON THE WEB:

BY KENDRA DeCOLO

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Vaccine Rollout ....................................... 12

DECEMBER 24, 2020

Hanks as Always ..................................... 32

BY CORY WOODROOF

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12/18/20 6:42 PM

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HI! MY NAME IS WILEY! I love long runs and walks around the park and by long I mean pretty short because I get tired and just wanna lie down! I spend most of my time sleeping on the couch and cuddling absolutely everyone who will let me. Don’t let my laziness fool you, I love to play with toys and I even know how to bring them back most of the time! I have been practicing my tricks and so far I am crushing sitting and laying down! I am not a fan of the guitar and if you insist on playing one then I insist on singing until you stop.

Trust me, I have a loud singing voice, Music City! I love all humans, even the little ones! However, I am not a fan of other dogs! (so a forever home with no other pets would be best for me) I think I would be a great addition to any loving home looking for their first and only dog. PS: Hopefully you have a big backyard for me to show you how fast I can run! Can’t wait to meet my forever family and have a Home For The Pawlidays.

GOV. BILL LEE

GOVERNOR LEE’S HANDLING OF COVID-19 LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED Recently, Tennessee Outlook described Gov. Bill Lee as cold as Ebenezer Scrooge due to his lack of concern and oversight in regard to COVID-19 and many other things.

I’m inclined to agree.

Last week, I wrote about the number of Tennessee commissioners who are resigning amid harassment, sexual misconduct or abuse allegations, and that more proactive “lead-by-example” leadership was needed at the state level. But perhaps I was hasty to assume Lee could be that leader. The number of questionable decisions taking place in his administration is one thing, but the governor continuing to shrug it off by repeating that we’re in a state of emergency is inexcusable. As Democratic state Sen. Jeff Yarbro said, “You don’t just throw all the rules and standards out the window just because it’s an emergency.” But that’s what’s happening. Based on the facts uncovered by NewsChannel5’s Phil Williams, the governor and his administration have clearly taken advantage of this crisis to do as they please.

In a Sept. 8 segment, Williams investigated $79.6 million of no-bid COVID-19 supply purchases. This was just the onset of stories showing the state “skirted normal competitive bidding procedures designed to ensure that taxpayers get the best product for the best price.”

One no-bid contract for $26.5 million was granted to a Utah company called Nomi Health, which offered COVID-19 testing despite the fact that the company had zero experience in the field. Founder Mark Newman in a podcast even admitted with a laugh that some “clinicians may have to call him up and educate him.” Even against the advice of experienced career staff members at TEMA, the state awarded Nomi a $26.5 million contract just weeks after the company set up shop. The Salt Lake Tribune had already issued a warning that results from the new company’s testing may be inaccurate. According to a more recent NewsChannel 5 story, Tennessee’s deal with Nomi collapsed because their test results were indeed found unreliable — and Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, who authorized

$6 million to exit the contract, found herself summoned by the Fiscal Review Committee to testify regarding this no-bid contract.

In November, WPLN reported on yet another $20 million no-bid contract issued to Xtend Healthcare, a Hendersonville billing company with no experience in contact tracing. The state needed manpower to conduct contact tracing but didn’t request bids. And because of the “state of emergency,” auditors with the comptroller’s office aren’t consulted, nor is the Fiscal Review Committee notified.

In September, Gov. Lee said he would continue the no-bid spending, with no apparent concern for how taxpayers’ money is spent. Because when he’s not doing his nobid spending, he’s hoarding both our funds and our vaccines, earning him the label of “Scrooge,” as the Tennessee Outlook put it. Gov. Lee decided to hold back the state’s first 975 doses of Pfizer vaccine, unable to decide how to “equitably distribute them.”

But as Tennessean reporter Brett Kelman noted, 975 doses would have been more than enough to vaccinate every worker at Nashville General Hospital.

Tennessee is currently one of the worst sites in the nation, and indeed the world, when it comes to new COVID-19 cases. More than half a million Tennesseans have tested positive for the illness since March, and roughly 6,000 Tennesseans have died from it. The governor is hoarding $740 million intended to go to needy families. Would there ever be more of a need than now? He’s sitting on a “rainy-day fund” of $1.2 billion.

Does he not realize the storm is here?

What sense does it make for the governor to hold back these vaccines, these funds?

It can only be attributed to poor judgment, poor decision making. Even Scrooge showed a little remorse in the end.

Editor-in-Chief D. Patrick Rodgers Senior Editor Dana Kopp Franklin Associate Editor Alejandro Ramirez Arts Editor Laura Hutson Hunter Culture Editor Erica Ciccarone Music and Listings Editor Stephen Trageser Contributing Editors Jack Silverman, Abby White Staff Writers Stephen Elliott, Nancy Floyd, Steven Hale, Kara Hartnett, J.R. Lind, William Williams Contributing Writers Sadaf Ahsan, Radley Balko, Ashley Brantley, Maria Browning, Steve Cavendish, Chris Chamberlain, Lance Conzett, Marcus K. Dowling, Steve Erickson, Randy Fox, Adam Gold, Seth Graves, Kim Green, Steve Haruch, Geoffrey Himes, Edd Hurt, Jennifer Justus, Christine Kreyling, Katy Lindenmuth, Craig D. Lindsey, Brittney McKenna, Marissa R. Moss, Noel Murray, Joe Nolan, Chris Parton, Betsy Phillips, John Pitcher, Margaret Renkl, Megan Seling, Jason Shawhan, Michael Sicinski, Ashley Spurgeon, Amy Stumpfl, Kay West, Andrea Williams, Cy Winstanley, Ron Wynn, Charlie Zaillian Art Director Elizabeth Jones Photographers Eric England, Matt Masters, Daniel Meigs Graphic Designers Mary Louise Meadors, Tracey Starck Production Coordinator Christie Passarello Events and Marketing Director Olivia Moye Promotions Coordinator Caroline Poole Publisher Mike Smith Senior Advertising Solutions Managers Maggie Bond, Sue Falls, Michael Jezewski, Carla Mathis, Heather Cantrell Mullins, Stevan Steinhart, Jennifer Trsinar, Keith Wright Advertising Solutions Manager William Shutes Sales Operations Manager Chelon Hill Hasty Advertising Solutions Associates Aya Robinson, Price Waltman Special Projects Coordinator Susan Torregrossa President Frank Daniels III Chief Financial Officer Todd Patton Corporate Production Director Elizabeth Jones Vice President of Marketing Mike Smith IT Director John Schaeffer Circulation and Distribution Director Gary Minnis For advertising information please contact: Mike Smith, msmith@nashvillescene.com or 615-844-9238 FW PUBLISHING LLC Owner Bill Freeman VOICE MEDIA GROUP National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.com

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NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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12/18/20 6:06 PM

Advertising stalwart and local legend Stevan Steinhart to retire after 31 years at the Nashville Scene.

Coverage of Nashville’s restaurant scene has been germane to what the Nashville Scene does since its inception as an alternative-weekly newspaper in 1989. Our man-about-town, ad salesman Stevan Steinhart, has been with the publication since even before we called ourselves an alt-weekly. He’s been our restaurant ambassador in his work as a senior account executive — going to bat for small mom-and-pop shops, hole-inthe-wall eateries and some of the city’s most prominent organizations alike. Stevan has always looked out for his clients with care and passion, and we can’t thank him enough for taking care of those who have taken care of us by advertising in our pages over these past 30-plus years.

So to you, Stevan Steinhart, we raise a glass and pay homage to your dedication, attitude and spirit. Thank you for helping us make a dining Scene, it won’t be the same without you.

Cover man!

beloved co-worker sales star!

blast from the past!

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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12/17/20 4:56 PM

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

CITY LIMITS

MHART BOARD MEMBER AMANDA STONE AND MHART EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR T.J. STONE

HELP FOR HELPERS Statewide program MHART connects essential workers with free counseling

BY HANNAH HERNER

I

t’s been a demanding year for mental health professionals the world over.

Seeing how packed their schedules were getting, a group of more than 100 Tennessean mental health experts decided to set aside time to help essential workers pro bono. The result was Mental Health Active Response Team, a statewide organization that connects mental health professionals who want to volunteer their time with essential workers looking for support.

After filling out a short form at MHART’s website (mharttn.org), a worker is given contact information for an available counselor who fits their schedule and needs — and is willing to provide the first four sessions free. Another service that MHART provides is its emotional support line, which offers short phone calls for health care workers; as of Dec. 1, that service has been extended to educators as well.

But since the emotional support line opened in May and the pro bono program started in September, the services have been underutilized. As of early December, there have been 30 calls to the support line and 16 pro bono matches made, with a bank of up to 120 volunteers ready to give their time.

MHART executive coordinator T.J. Stone makes the matches and manages the database of volunteers.

“We’re doing the hard work so you don’t have to go through 20 calls and be denied be-

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cause the therapists don’t have time,” says Stone. “That’s the time-consuming part.”

The fact that MHART’s services aren’t being fully utilized isn’t reflective of a lack of need. Volunteer and clinical social worker Trisha Hothorn says 2020 truly is unprecedented when it comes to working in the mental health field. The intensity of anxiety has increased among her clients, and the means of distraction through which people usually handle that anxiety aren’t currently available.

“The core things that we took for granted that gave us safety — like predictable government, like access to health care, like believing in our fellow man’s good intentions — those core values have been challenged,” Hothorn says.

Hothorn says that in her 40-year career, she never saw a counselor on a regular basis herself. But for the past year, she has been.

“You don’t think as a therapist that you’re going to be sharing the same experience that your patients are having,” she says.

“That’s really just not the norm. It’s an important time for all of us that are helpers to take care of ourselves first.”

Hothorn notes that in a therapy session, you don’t have to know what you’re seeking, or unpack deeper issues if you don’t want to.

In four sessions, the goal is to help the client understand where their stress is coming from, and give them tools to manage it.

“People are afraid to unpack right now,” Hothorn says. “They’re just barely hold-

ing on with Band-Aids to hold themselves together. And when you have this picture of therapy like you’re going to go in and someone is going to undo you … people are afraid to come undone.”

MHART board member and social work professor Ann-Marie Buchanan sees the biggest barrier to accessing mental health help as peer pressure and family pressure. People don’t want to be seen as weak or crazy, and Buchanan says this idea is especially prevalent in the Black community. She’s hoping that the more widespread awareness of the oppression of people of color that this year has brought will normalize the need for counseling — and the fact that it’s free through MHART will create a sense of urgency to take part.

“It’s just a matter of, ‘How can we survive?’ ” Buchanan says. “A lot of minorities live in survival mode, so how can we add something positive to make the survival mode a little more bearable? We don’t want to get to a breaking point, so we want to accept whatever help is out there.”

MHART will continue as long as there are people being affected by the pandemic, Stone says. Of course, it’s hard to say how long that will be. But when this is all over, the hope is that this model and cohort of volunteers can be applied to other crises, whatever they may be.

“People neglect their mental health care,” Stone says. “They’ll seek out a physician 10 times before they seek out mental help. It usually takes a total breakdown, or it’s usually too late before people seek help. I hope that in some ways we can help destigmatize that thinking to where it’s OK to reach out.

People will know in Tennessee that there’s someone on the other side when they’re ready and able to.”

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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12/18/20 5:02 PM

CITY LIMITS

THE DEATH PENALTY DELAYED The coronavirus brought executions in Tennessee to a halt when nothing else could

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ennessee’s highest officials and its highest courts have heard pleas for mercy, arguments pointing to systemic injustice and claims of innocence. But it took a once-in-acentury pandemic to move them to pause the state’s historic execution spree.

On Feb. 20, the state executed Nick Sutton, the seventh man put to death in Tennessee in 18 months. His electrocution was a continuation of a run of state killings unlike any seen here since the 1940s. Gov. Bill Lee has allowed four executions since taking office, just as his predecessor allowed three — with a detached, false neutrality, as if it wasn’t a governor’s place to get too involved in this ugly business. Then the coronavirus breached the borders of our country and our state, and the walls of our prisons. The death chamber, like so much else, was temporarily closed. First the Tennessee Supreme Court, which rescheduled two executions, then the governor, who delayed two more with reprieves, issued orders based on logic taken from a dark satire: A state execution is too large a gathering during a pandemic — someone might get sick.

That concern is real, of course. The federal government has executed 10 men in five months, resulting in a COVID-19 outbreak on the federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind., as well as infections among attorneys, spiritual advisers and even the executioners. But the fact that only a pandemic of this devastating magnitude could slow Tennessee’s death penalty machine raises unsettling questions. Pervis Payne was set to be executed on Dec. 3 and got within a month of his date — so close that prison officials had already asked him to choose between lethal injection and the electric chair — before Lee granted him a temporary reprieve, citing the pandemic.

Payne is an intellectually disabled Black man who was sentenced to death for the

murder of a white woman in Memphis but has maintained his innocence for more than 30 years, and he was awaiting the results of DNA testing when the reprieve came through. The questions surrounding Payne’s case — from the role of racism in his conviction and the effects of his intellectual disability to his innocence claim — are longstanding and serious. Was the governor willing to push ahead with Payne’s execution despite all of them? We have no reason to assume otherwise.

With COVID-19 cases surging at the same time as the vaccine rollout begins, the outlook for 2021 is shrouded in a dense fog.

The temporary reprieve Lee granted for Harold Nichols in July expires on New Year’s Eve, meaning the Tennessee Supreme Court could soon set a new execution date for him. As of this writing, Oscar Smith is scheduled to be executed on Feb. 4. Byron Black’s 2020 execution date had been rescheduled to April 8, 2021, but has since been stayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak on Tennessee’s death row and the infection of Black’s attorneys. Payne’s temporary reprieve lasts until April 9. The case of Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman is still being litigated as Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery fights to have him executed despite Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk’s move to vacate the sentence because of racial discrimination in jury selection and other prosecutorial misconduct at the original trial. And Slatery continues to seek execution dates for other men as well.

After nine months of this deadly, destructive and disruptive pandemic, it is impossible not to think of getting back to normal again. Whenever that elusive state returns, it will bring many beautiful things with it.

And it will also bring the return of a grim Tennessee ritual — gatherings at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for the methodical killing of men.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

24/7 Merchant Info Line at 818-791-0171, Ext. 164 24/7 General Info Line at 818-791-0171, Ext. 162

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nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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12/18/20 5:02 PM

— Bobby Bare From the exhibition Outlaws & Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare, a central figure in the Outlaw phenomenon, was the first Nashville star to take the helm of his own musical ship, helping to bring about a sea change in the country music industry.

The Museum's major exhibition Outlaws & Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s explores the relationship between Austin and Nashville in the 1970s, when creativity blossomed and artists demanded and got greater artistic freedom.

Visit the exhibition to learn more about Bare and country music's evolving history.

DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE Visit CountryMusicHallofFame.org to buy tickets. photo:

Leonard Kamsler, from the Leonard Kamsler Collection

at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

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NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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STORIES to WATCH

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in 2021

From Cooper’s second year in office to the vaccine rollout, the restaurant scene and more, here are eight stories to keep an eye on

A

ll right, we admit it — when we put out our annual “Stories to Watch” issue about 12 months back, there was one rather large story we didn’t see coming. I think we can all admit that 2020 has been a humbling year.

In this annual roundup of stories to keep an eye on in the coming year, we explore what Mayor John Cooper’s second year in office might look like, talk to the city’s chief epidemiologist

WATCHING THE WATCHMEN How much change will a change in leadership bring to the MNPD?

BY STEVEN HALE

M

id-June brought the development that activists, community organizations and a growing number of Metro Councilmembers were loudly calling for: Mayor John Cooper announced that Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson would be retiring after 45 years with the department and a decade as chief. The announcement came in the wake of historic protests against racism and police brutality, in Nashville and around the country. Initially, Anderson planned to stick around until October, creating a lameduck period that didn’t sit well with some of his detractors both inside and outside the department.

But that plan didn’t last long anyway. Less than two months later, with scrutiny of the Metro Nashville Police Department only increasing as allegations of sexual assault,

harassment and other misconduct inside the department came to light, the mayor announced that Anderson’s retirement had been rescheduled. He was out immediately.

For the first time in 10 years, the MNPD would have a new top cop. So, will 2021 bring a new era in Nashville policing? That’s more complicated.

On Nov. 30, Cooper announced his choice to take over as chief — John Drake, a 32year MNPD veteran who had been serving as interim chief since Anderson’s abrupt departure. Drake has spent his entire career in Nashville, he was backed by the city’s police union, and he was a favorite for the job among many Metro insiders. In other words, he doesn’t at all represent the break from the Anderson regime many in the community hoped to see. He is African American and a Nashville native, which undoubtedly gives him a different perspective than Anderson when it comes to the biggest source of scrutiny and skepticism toward the MNPD in recent years — its broken relationship with Nashville’s largely Black neighborhoods. But he has spent his entire law enforcement career in the department that broke that trust with those neighborhoods — the same department whose culture has been described as toxic to women and people of color by women and people of color.

about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and check in on both the restaurant and live-music scenes. We also take a look at the MNPD’s new chief, 2021’s coming sports seasons, the city’s transit infrastructure and what the state’s Republicansupermajority legislature will get up to. Follow along, and let’s all cross our fingers that next year pitches us fewer curveballs than this one did.

That doesn’t mean he won’t bring about any change. That’s exactly what he promised at the press conference announcing his hiring.

“Frankly, I have not always agreed with the decisions of the police department leadership over the years,” Drake said.

“But those decisions, both right and wrong, helped to create for me a breadth of historical knowledge about policing in Nashville.

I believe in change, and in fact, I embrace change. I’m here to tell you change is coming. Our changes, my changes, will be grounded in collaboration and communitybased strategies.”

Amont Nashville’s criminal justice leaders, Anderson was seen as a regular impediment to change and innovation. For Drake to say he’s bringing change from the outset is not nothing. But generations of Nashvillians have also learned that a verbal commitment to change is not change. Drake has already said he will implement some of the recommendations announced by the mayor’s Policing Policy Commission, like establishing a Crisis Intervention Team consisting of police officers and mental health experts. His early appointments have been notably diverse, although it doesn’t take much to clear that bar given how overwhelmingly white and male the MNPD’s leadership has been.

Drake’s predecessor was a savvy politi-

cal operator who regularly made a show of listening to community members but just as often failed, or refused, to really hear them.

The people the MNPD is supposed to protect and serve will be watching to see if the new chief can be different.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

JOHN DRAKE

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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12/18/20 6:29 PM

MORE TO COME IN THE LEGISLATURE The Tennessee General

Assembly — and its Republican supermajority — gets back to work

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

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PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

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fter a tumultuous 2019 that featured a state House speaker’s downfall and on-the-record claims of vote buying, 2020 was supposed to be a return to normalcy — at least insofar as Tennessee’s legislature has ever been normal.

That did not come to pass. In March, a tornado ripped through Nashville, causing destruction within sight of the state Capitol’s balconies. Legislative business continued that day, despite objections from Nashville lawmakers tending to their wounded districts. Ten days later, the Capitol and legislative office buildings were closed as coronavirus continued to spread.

The legislature rushed to finish its work months ahead of schedule, so lawmakers could get out of town and away from the mass-gathering petri dish where they conduct their business. While they successfully completed their constitutionally mandated business (that is, passing an annual spending plan), it was not the end of their work year. The state House and Senate returned to Nashville twice more — once an extension of their original session, resumed in June, and again for a brief August special session, during which they passed coronavirus liability protections for businesses and made it a felony to camp on state property in response to a summer of racial justice protests in the area.

The members of the Tennessee General Assembly are now preparing to return to Nashville for their 2021 session, which begins in January. Though there are a handful of new lawmakers, the makeup of the legislature remains largely the same: Republicans still control 73 of the House’s 99 seats, while Democrats picked up one seat in the Senate, growing their minority caucus to six out of 33 seats.

Yes, COVID-19 will be a topic of conversation in the new year, even if only in the logistical realm: Legislative administrators and leaders will be tasked once again with bringing dozens of lawmakers, staff, lobbyists and members of the public into the same rooms without spreading the disease.

“There’s probably going to be talk about it, but I don’t see a whole lot of legislation coming from it,” says House Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison.

Despite his prediction, several of his caucus members have already filed pandemic-related bills. One would extend religious-based vaccine-requirement exemptions to the ongoing pandemic. Another would prohibit governments from classifying workers as essential or nonessential.

Still more are yet to be filed.

But rather than the novel coronavirus,

Faison says, the session will be consumed by debates over balanced billing, public education, health care access and criminal justice reform.

One of the thorniest discussions will surround the Basic Education Program, the formula by which the state funds public school systems throughout Tennessee. Because it relies on current-year attendance numbers for future appropriations, the formula needs adjusting, Faison says, to take into account an unprecedented year of virtual schooling and lower attendance.

Additionally, Gov. Bill Lee’s literacy initiative, abandoned in 2020 as the legislature rushed to leave town, will likely be back in one form or another.

Faison predicts a push for permitless handgun carry to be another fight this term, particularly because it is “not popular at all” in Democratic strongholds Nash-

ville and Memphis.

“I feel like we’ll be able to pass a bill,” he says.

With Lee’s push for a Medicaid block grant still in purgatory in Washington — and expected to be dead on arrival with the new Biden administration — Faison says a further conversation about health care access could be in the cards too.

Criminal justice reform will be another topic of discussion, though it’s unclear what path Lee and Republican allies plan to take.

Faison has his own ideas.

“The answer is not ‘build more prisons,’ ” he says — though he co-sponsored the felony camping bill. “We could spend as much money on rehab as we can putting people behind bars.”

Democrats, despite their weakness in both chambers, have their own list of priorities.

Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Raumesh Akbari says she wants to work with Republicans wherever possible, particularly on criminal justice and public education issues. She’d like to take a look at civil immunity laws, even though she admits it would be a difficult push in Tennessee. Like Faison, she also wants to loosen marijuana laws. Additionally, Akbari wants to address a wave of evictions that could be coming when federal protections expire at the end of the month.

And as Democrats have done for years, Akbari wants once more to push for Medicaid expansion, particularly in light of the pandemic.

“I know we sound like broken records as Democrats, but we have had the worst health crisis that we’ve ever had to deal with in modern history,” Akbari says.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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PHOTO: DONN JONES | VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY ADULT HOSPITAL CHIEF NURSING OFFICER ROBIN STEABAN ADMINISTERS THE HOSPITAL’S FIRST COVID-19 VACCINE TO TESHA AKINS, DEC. 17

VACCINE ROLLOUT Talking to Metro’s chief

epidemiologist about Nashville’s COVID-19 vaccine administration

BY D. PATRICK RODGERS

A

s I write this, many health care providers in Nashville are receiving the Pfizer-produced COVID-19 vaccine. As you read this, it’s likely even more medical workers will be receiving Moderna’s vaccine, which was cleared for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration late last week.

“Both of them are really highly effective in the clinical trials, so we’re optimistic,” says Dr. Rand Carpenter, the Metro Public Health Department’s chief epidemiologist.

Indeed, clinical trials have shown the efficacy rate of the Pfizer vaccine to be about 95 percent, and Moderna’s to be about 94 percent. That’s significantly more effective, Carpenter points out, than the average flu shot. When the Scene caught up with Metro’s top epidemic expert last week, he explained that about 5,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine

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were being shipped to hospitals in Davidson County, to be administered to members of what the state has designated as the Phase 1a1 group in its vaccination plan.

The state’s tiered plan — which, Carpenter explains, Davidson County will be in step with — begins with “people who work in the ICU, the emergency department, staff that come in direct contact with COVID patients or infectious materials.” Other members of the state’s Phase 1a1 group include first responders and COVID-19 testing site staff.

“The Moderna vaccine is what will go to county health departments across the state, including Davidson,” Carpenter says. “The state will also take some of that Moderna shipment to start the work at the long-term care facilities that retail pharmacy partners are going to be engaged in.”

Once the first group has been vaccinated, members of Phase 1a2 will receive their shots — pharmacists, dentists, behavioral health providers and other health care workers who come in regular direct contact with patients. After that, vaccination of the general public will begin.

“Right now we’re outfitting one point of distribution and working with community partners on another couple points of distribution,” Carpenter says. “And we’ll try some of that out with these early phases — with Phases 1a1 and 1a2. And then we’ll plan to use some of those same points of distribu-

tion as well as adding others in critical locations so that we [can] make it easy for the community to get in.”

Carpenter explains that it’s tricky selecting these points of vaccine distribution, as they’ll need to have plenty of room for social distancing and parking. What’s more, the Metro Public Health Department and their colleagues in the Office of Emergency Management will need to be able to adjust to meet the needs of various communities as the rollout continues and the phases progress in the weeks and months to come: Phase 1b (adults with multiple high-risk conditions), Phase 2 (teachers, infrastructure workers, adults with single high-risk conditions, corrections staff and inmates), Phase 3 (young adults and children, frontline workers) and Phase 4 (everyone else).

Scientists and public health officials, of course, are loath to speculate, and so when asked just when we might see the ultimate end of All This, Carpenter politely declines.

“We’re not speculating on that much, in our building,” he says. “I think there’s some at the national level — more commentators and analysts, political analysts and public health analysts who are speculating more.

But no, we’re just hoping it’s soon.”

One contributing factor in regard to the slow rollout of vaccination is its two-part administration. The Pfizer vaccine, which

must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, consists of two doses given roughly three weeks apart. The Moderna vaccine is stored at minus 20 Celsius, with shots coming about four weeks apart. (While trials have found the vaccine to be roughly 50 percent effective after its first dose, both must be administered for full efficacy.) And while Carpenter notes that there is plentiful freezer storage in the county, “We’re hoping that things don’t stay in the freezer for long,” he says.

According to Vanderbilt University’s biannual statewide poll, released last week, 75 percent of Tennesseans say they’re likely to get vaccinated. That’s good, as — according to Carpenter — the ultimate goal is to vaccinate roughly 70 to 80 percent of the population. And yes, there are minor side effects, but he hopes those won’t discourage the general public.

“There’s a bit of inconvenience with maybe feeling a little grumpy,” he says with a laugh. “Maybe body aches, certainly a little injection-site pain. But mild fever and achy for a day or two, and then it goes away.

Which is inconvenient, but we’re seeing it rolled out really safely, and I think people are realizing that this is how we get to where we need to be as individuals and families and a community, to have that high immunization rate.”

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NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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ON THE FIELD Taking a gander at what

the Titans, the Predators, Nashville SC and the rest will look like in the new year

BY J.R. LIND

L

ike pretty much everything in 2020, sports in 2021 will be subject to change at any time.

Professional sports were able to finagle some semblance of a season during the pandemic, though with mostly empty stadiums and creative scheduling. Some of that is likely to continue, particularly with fall and winter sports, until vaccination takes hold.

The Tennessee Titans are all but certain to make the playoffs, particularly with the NFL going to an expanded 14-team field, and as of this writing they’re the leaders in the AFC South — meaning Nissan Stadium would host at least one playoff game for the first time since Jan. 10, 2009. Last season’s surprise run to the AFC Championship Game proved the Two-Toners’ Derrick Henry-heavy offense is a winner in the postseason, and if anything, the Titans offense is improved over last year’s 9-7 team. Henry shows no signs of slowing down, and he’s on his way to a second consecutive NFL rushing title. The emergence of A.J. Brown as one of the league’s best receivers — coupled with Corey Davis’ breakout year and crucial contributions from bit-player wide receivers and sure-handed tight ends — gives headaches to opposing defenses as well. The Titans’ defense, however, has taken a big step back, though they’ve shown signs of life in the back half of the season.

In the offseason, general manager John Robinson will have to make a decision on Davis. They declined the former firstrounder’s option, meaning he’ll enter free agency coming off his best season and will be due for quite a payday, either in Nashville or elsewhere. Robinson must address the pass rush with the last offseason additions of Vic Beasley (waived) and Jadaveon Clowney (on injured reserve) among the team’s most disappointing signings in years.

To further complicate things, whiz-kid offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will be a

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tantalizing candidate for any team needing a head coach.

Across the river, the Predators are coming off another season of failed expectations, knocked out of the playoffs even before the First Round Proper as the NHL expanded its field to 24 teams after a shortened season.

General manager David Poile had a relatively quiet offseason, shoring up the defense with some tough blueliners, but passing on any splashy signings. The Predators have enough offensive skill, and the team is still one of the league’s best defensive units to make the playoffs. But for now, the Preds’ days of being Stanley Cup contenders are over. Predators fans will also have to make peace with the fact that the most beloved man to ever wear the Smilodon, affable goaltender Pekka Rinne, is nearing retirement.

The 38-year-old will almost certainly give up the bulk of starts to Juuse Saros.

The NHL’s tentative plan is to start the season in mid-January with four divisions and play a baseball-type schedule with extended home stands and road trips, playing the same opponent a handful times over a few days.

On the pitch, Nashville SC has to feel good after a run to the conference semifinals in its inaugural season. The Tonkers, as I prefer to call them, stayed competitive with one of the league’s stingiest defenses, but often found goals hard to come by. We’ll see if that continues next season.

The Nashville Sounds never took the diamond in the Pandemic Summer. Organized baseball plans to play on a normal timeline in 2021. When and if they come back, the Sounds will once again be affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers. Will beloved longtime pitcher Tim Dillard sign a deal with the Brewers so he can return to Nashville the way God intended?

College sports took a far bigger hit than their professional counterparts, playing drastically shortened, mostly in-conference schedules. After posting the first winless season in school history, the Vanderbilt football program fired Derek Mason, bringing in alum and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea to helm the foundering ship. With the Irish in the mix for the College Football Playoff, Lea will have to make quick work to shore up a recruiting class for the Commodores.

On the hardwood, the NCAA appears com-

PHOTO: JOHN RUSSELL | NASHVILLE PREDATORS

PHOTO: ALISON P. McNABB

A.J. BROWN AT NISSAN STADIUM NOV. 12

PEKKA RINNE mitted to having some kind of tournament come the spring, but that doesn’t seem to be much of a concern for Jerry Stackhouse & Co. Belmont should compete for the Ohio Valley Conference crown if the Bruins can

ON THE MOVE The city pledged to invest in

transportation infrastructure — but when, and where will that money come from?

BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

E

ven with the pandemic keeping many people at home and off the roads, 2020 was the deadliest year on record for pedestrians in Nashville. As of Dec. 16, 38 people were killed while walking in the city, surpassing 2019’s previous record of 32 deaths.

At the beginning of 2020, Mayor John Cooper pledged the city to a Vision Zero Action Plan focused on eliminating pedestrian deaths. But that wasn’t the only transit concern on the mayor’s mind.

Weeks after the mayor pledged his commitment to Vision Zero, Metro organized a series of public listening sessions designed to collect feedback from Nashvillians on their transportation needs and priorities. That feedback helped inform Cooper’s transportation plan, released months later. While the new plan isn’t as ambitious as past proposals, like former Mayor Megan Barry’s doomed multibilliondollar overhaul, it still faced scrutiny and uncertainty from the Metro Council due to a lack of dedicated funding. Rather than commit tax dollars, the plan from Cooper stresses aggressively pursuing state and federal grants.

find shooters to replace Dylan Windler and Adam Kunkel. Their cross-Boulevard rivals Lipscomb are the favorites to win the Atlantic Sun. EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Despite the many question marks surrounding the plan, it passed 35 to 5 in a Metro Council vote earlier this month. But what now? Funding is still a big concern, as is Metro’s ability to follow through on short-term goals.

In a statement to the Scene, advocacy group Walk Bike Nashville called the transportation plan “a step in the right direction,” but stressed urgency in the face of a “staggering” increase in pedestrian deaths.

“While the mayor is about to begin a parallel Vision Zero planning process focused on traffic safety,” reads the statement, “we cannot wait for another long-term strategic plan to start making investments in safety.”

Likewise, previous cuts to Nashville’s public transit system WeGo also put the city’s bus services in immediate need of funding.

“WeGo will need upwards of $40 million in funding in the next fiscal year (starting July 2021) to get back to their previous base level of operations funding,” say Walk Bike Nashville representatives.

The $40 million figure includes budget reductions from 2019 and reallocations of funds in 2020 to fill the city’s budget gap.

In a statement, WeGo CEO Steve Bland calls the council’s vote a “first of its kind commitment to major transportation improvements in Davidson County” but warns “the road ahead of us isn’t cleared quite yet.”

“As excited as we are to work with the mayor and other Metro agencies to bring these transportation projects to life,” says Bland, “the fact is we’ll find ourselves further from our goals if we are asked to bear another year of funding cuts.”

Before the council’s vote, Cooper took to the pages

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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PEDESTRIANS IN DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

of The Tennessean to argue that the incoming Biden administration offers Nashville the chance to secure federal dollars. “As the Biden administration telegraphs they’ll pour more infrastructure funding into America’s communities,” wrote the mayor, “money will be available to cities and regions — if they have an adopted plan and are ready to apply.”

Certainly the biggest question facing the transit plan in 2021 is whether that state and federal money actually shows up. After all, there are some big price tags attached to these projects: Nearly $826 million is slated for expanding and improving buses and public transportation; $75 million is planned for projects concerning traffic safety and the Vision Zero Action Plan; and $15 million is set for upgrading traffic-management signals and systems. The plan comes out to more than $1.6 billion in total.

The plan doesn’t commit the city to any spending in the short term, but some grants the city hopes to secure may require Metro to match the funds. Tackling plans case by case may not be ideal, but it seems better than inaction.

“We need to start somewhere,” said Councilmember Kyonzté Toombs after this month’s vote.

It’s going to be interesting to see just where we start. While Cooper may not seem like an experienced gambler (based on curious sports bets with other mayors), this wait-and-see, piecemeal approach to transportation is still a bit of a roll of the dice.

One thing’s for sure: Too many people walking on Nashville’s streets are dying in traffic accidents. On that front, change can’t come quickly enough.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

RETURNING TO THE TABLE It’s not all bad news in

the restaurant scene, with forthcoming projects from Sean Brock, Slim & Husky’s and others

BY CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

PHOTO: HANNAH GREGUS

I

n preparation for my prognostications on Nashville’s restaurant scene in 2021, I reviewed what I wrote for last year’s “Stories to Watch” issue. And you know what? For as messed-up as 2020 has turned out to be, I didn’t miss the mark by all that much in my predictions. While I didn’t anticipate the specific pandemic-related reasons for the upheaval, I foresaw major alterations in business models and wholesale restaurant closings. I’ve never been more sorry to be correct about something.

Looking forward to 2021 in the hospitality industry, two major projects that grab our attention are holdovers from last year’s list. We’re anxiously anticipating Sean Brock’s shrine to Appalachia, Audrey, which seems to be in the final preparations for opening. Audrey will be located in the newest hot restaurant zone, East Nashville’s McFerrin Park, along with neighbors Folk and Redheaded Stranger. While waiting for his barnraising to be completed, Brock has kept busy opening two other projects — his ode to fast food at Joyland, and a nouveau American love letter to classic hotel dining at The Continental in the Grand Hyatt.

Atlanta-based chef/restaurateur Ford Fry did manage to open The Optimist in Germantown after years of construction, but our collective breath is still bated waiting for two other projects that are sitting on go in the same building. Le Loup will be a high-end cocktail lounge, while Star Rover Sound will be decidedly, and intentionally, a little more low-brow. Fry’s version of his perfect honky-tonk will feature live music, taqueria cuisine, cold beer and colder margaritas. Both Le Loup

and Star Rover Sound are fully built out and ready to throw open their doors as soon as economic conditions and dining regulations are more advantageous.

Other announced projects that we’re chuffed about include: an expanded location for Proper Sake opening soon in East Nashville; E, G & Mc, a new cocktail bar and tapas restaurant coming soon to the Buchanan Street corridor courtesy of the brilliant minds behind Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria; an updated version of the Elliston Place Soda Shop in the building right next-door to the original fountain; and Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, a venture from pitmaster Carey Bringle where he plans to offer Hill Country Mission-style smoked meats to The Nations. Oh, and some folks are unreasonably excited about the impending return of Whataburger to Middle Tennessee.

That’s the good news. Unfortunately, all signs point to coming carnage among many existing independent restaurants — unless some sort of meaningful hospitality industry bailout comes from the government in the form of the RESTAURANTS Act. The bill is a bipartisan effort co-sponsored by dozens of members of both the Senate and the House, but it remains on the sidelines of any grand recovery plan.

Many restaurants earn a significant portion of their profits over the holidays, figuring that if they can break even up until Halloween, those last two months can represent all of their black ink for the entire year. Once the calendar turns to 2021, I suspect a great many proprietors will look at those statements and realize that the “December to Remember” they hoped for just didn’t materialize. I’ve heard through the grapevine that March will be a bloodbath as reserves will be exhausted and investors seek to cut their losses in advance of tax season.

As diners, we’re going to gain some, and we’re going to lose some. It’s inevitable. The best you can do is to continue to support your favorite local independent restaurants any way that you can — dine in when you’re comfortable doing so, carry out, buy gift cards, tip outrageously and most importantly, respect restaurateurs’ heroic efforts to keep their staffs and patrons as safe as possible.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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BY STEVE CAVENDISH

O

n Dec. 17, Mayor John Cooper sat down in front of the microphone at the Office of Emergency Management. It was the 90th time in nine months Cooper had addressed the public on the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And the week before his first virus address in March? Four press conferences in almost as many days about the impact of the tornado that ripped through the city.

This is not normal for a Nashville mayor.

By mid-April, Cooper had spent more time at the Office of Emergency Management than any of his predecessors. His first full year in office has been spent trying to strike a policy balance on a virus that has been lethal to both Nashville’s citizens and its economy. To be fair, a lot is outside the control of the mayor — private gatherings continue to be the engine for the spread of the virus, and the state’s response has been criticized as ineffectual as Tennessee leads the nation in infection rate. And the things Cooper actually has done have won little consensus, as small business owners, parents of students, the hospitality industry and more all have competing interests.

The mayor’s moves to steady the city’s finances have faced similar tribalism. He

MUSIC VENUES HANG IN A look at the challenges facing independent club owners in the coming months

BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

A

t press time, only one of Nashville’s independent music venues — venerable songwriter hangout Douglas Corner Cafe, which you can read a remembrance of on p. 29 — closed permanently due to the pandemic. It’s taken enormous effort and ingenuity to keep it that way since March, when practically the entire live entertainment economy was shut down. The folks who run independent venues are encouraged by the news of vaccines being approved for emergency use and are optimistic about a potential return of live music in 2021. But the span of time that they’ll have to remain closed (or open for a very limited audience) presents a gauntlet of challenges.

“In a world where you can’t make a plan past a day, you can only speculate,” says Ron Brice, owner of longrunning Nashville venue 3rd and Lindsley. “We’ve got a plan that hopefully gets us through the next four or five months. If [reopening] comes sooner, that’s great. If it comes later, well then we’ll just bite the bullet and keep on doing it.”

3rd and Lindsley is one of few clubs in town that already had seating for a significant portion of its audience, making social distancing possible inside. They’ve

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held shows for sold-out crowds of around 160 people, less than 25 percent of their standing-room capacity of 750. Like other venues, the business is in survival mode, a state that it can’t maintain indefinitely.

There’s hope that a new pandemic financial relief package will make its way through Congress sooner than later — and that it will include provisions endorsed by the National Independent Venue Association, like grants for expenses such as rent and payroll. Venues form a network across the country that can’t get back to anything like business-as-usual until many clubs can open; a tour doesn’t make financial sense if an artist can’t play in several markets. Saving as many as possible is vital.

In the summer, a group of 15 independent venues called Music Venue Alliance Nashville received an allotment of $2 million in CARES Act funds via Metro Council. That was a huge help, notes Exit/In owner Chris Cobb, but venues are rightfully at the back of a very long line for getting more. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp helped MVAN organize a streaming music fest called Music City Bandwidth, and Two Rivers Ford launched a merch campaign called Drive the Music. Both of those endeavors generated significant donations. The organization has received enough in donations that it was able to disburse money to member venues in mid-December, and is in the process of beefing up its own merch line.

“We keep approaching the end of the runway where we’re going to crash, and then it gets extended,” says Cobb, a charter member of both NIVA and MVAN. “We’ve repeated that, I guess about four times now.

We’ll see if we’re able to again.”

Most venues have hosted at least some livestream shows. Todd Sherwood and Travis Collinsworth, co-

PHOTO: NASHVILLE.GOV

mode for most of his first year in office — so what next?

there’s not much evidence to indicate where he wants to guide it. (A pandemic in your first year has that effect.) A $1.6 billion transit plan is largely unfunded and seen as a vessel to apply for state and federal grants (more on that on p. 14). Nashville hasn’t had an economic and community development director for more than a year, which likely explains why Cooper hasn’t announced any business projects like the ones that marked previous administrations — Amazon, Alliance Bernstein, Bridgestone. A deal with Oracle that predates his tenure as mayor continues to languish. And after cutting the Barnes fund last year, Cooper could pursue affordable housing — something administration officials have indicated the mayor would like to do. But that requires money.

And that is why the most important thing to watch is city revenues in the upcoming months. If the dollars are as dire as projected earlier this year, Cooper will be limited to doing little more than staying the

course. But there is hope in some Metro circles that receipts will not be bad — tourism is off, but consumer spending has not plummeted off a cliff — which could leave the city with upward of $100 million to work with. Could Cooper make a big bet on schools? During the campaign he pledged to put half of all new revenues toward MNPS, and the district has a capital wish list piling up. If the state and feds can’t agree on an aid package for the hospitality and live music industries, some form of city aid might be needed to protect Nashville’s most important assets.

The best measure of whether Cooper is able to achieve some sense of normalcy, though, might be those press conferences at OEM. The longer he is required to give regular updates on the city’s progress in the fight against the coronavirus, the longer Cooper is delayed from being able to reclaim his own agenda.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

TANYA TUCKER AT 3RD AND LINDSLEY, SEPT. 11, 2019

PHOTO: LAURA E. PARTAIN

COOPER ENTERS YEAR TWO The mayor has been in triage

was elected by a coalition of right and left, and his conservative supporters bolted after a 34 percent property tax increase was required to fill a budget hole blown open

by COVID-19. Some of Cooper’s most rabid critics even tried to initiate a recall of the mayor and put a tax repeal on the ballot, though both efforts suffered from incompetence — the latter, a referendum that read more like a list of grievances, was shot down by the courts.

In short, it was a year unlike any other for Metro government, and that’s not even considering the social justice protests of the summer or the police chief being shown the door early. But that’s what Cooper signed up for, so where does he go from here?

The mayor’s top staff members have largely acquitted themselves well. Finance director Kevin Crumbo is well-respected within the Metro Council, even by those who disagree with his risk-averse approach to budgeting. Operations chief Kristin Wilson is praised by most as a steady force within the administration, while chief of staff Bill Phillips — brought on in January in order to clean up the office’s processes and help set priorities — tells the Scene he’ll continue in the new year despite initial reports that he only came out of retirement to help Cooper for a year. “My plans are to get up, get dressed, and go to work,” Phillips says.

Legal director Robert Cooper’s litigation prowess has staved off two significant threats — a voucher bill by the state and the aforementioned tax referendum — though the Metro legal department itself remains beset with issues. Communications director Katie Lentile’s January departure will be the only significant loss.

If Cooper pitched himself to voters as being able to steer the city back on course,

owners of Five Points staple The 5 Spot, spent much of 2020 turning the room into a livestream studio. In late summer, they shifted to a pay-per-view model, streaming most shows via the StageIt platform. It’s been a qualified success.

“The money raised on each show is similar to Nashville’s daily COVID cases,” says Sherwood. “Some days there is a huge spike in ticket sales, some days it is real low, but it’s an upward trend with a much higher average than previous months. It will not replace the bar business that had a 20-person staff.”

When case numbers eventually dwindle and restrictions relax, there will still be an uneasy period before both go away completely. Mike Simon is programming manager at City Winery, which has socially distanced

seating and a full slate of precautions in place to minimize the possibility of an infected guest transmitting the disease. He praises his staff and the majority of guests for their diligence in reducing, if not eliminating, the risk.

“There have definitely been some instances where guests pushed back on wearing masks,” says Simon.

“And we’ve seen some people not wanting to do a wellness check at the door or to give us their name, and so we’ve had to turn them away. The bottom line is that if you’re not willing to wear a mask or to do a wellness check before entering our building or wine garden, then this is not the experience for you. Our ability to continue to operate in this very limited capacity depends on every person following the rules.”

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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| DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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THE PHILA AWARDS 2020 WINNERS Celebrating the life of Phila Rawlings Hach by honoring those people and organizations continuing her legacy of using food and cooking virtuously.

People’s Choice Award Winners Social Justice Seder Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival

The Nation United

In honor of the United Nations dinner Phila catered at Centennial Park, this award celebrates a person, group, or organization using food to bring people together to discuss issues related to justice, equity, and inclusion.

The Patti Myint

Big Al

( of Big Al’s Deli)

2 Peruvian Chefs in a Truck Margot McCormack Martha Silva Gideon’s Army The Nashville Food Project

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This award celebrates the person, group, or organization that best exemplifies Patti Myint and Phila’s spirit for using their food/ cooking skills to improve, assist, and/or support their community.

The Ruth

In honor of Phila’s partner in thyme for almost 60 years, this award celebrates a person, group, or organization that uses food/ cooking/restaurants to inspire, empower, or support women seeking a better future.

The Serving Spoon

In honor of Phila’s desire to feed everyone she met, this award celebrates a person, group, or organization that uses food/ cooking/restaurants to address hunger, food insecurity, and/or self-sufficiency.

The Phila Awards and Phila’s Phund are initiatives of Fare Nashville; a comprehensive plan to embed a just, affordable, and accessible food system for all Nashvillians. To learn more, NASHVILLE visit: SCENEwww.FareNashville.org. | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

PRESENTED BY:

Phila’s Choice Award Winners Searcy Memorial Thanksgiving Dinner African Street Festival Arnold Myint Cindy Wall

Maneet Chauhan Tallu Quinn Sean Brock Shugga H i Bakery and Cafe To learn more about our voting, selection process and the good work that our winners did to qualify for the awards this year visit ThePhilas.com

CRITICS’ PICKS R O U N D U P

O F

T H I N G S

T O

D O

MUSIC

W E E K L Y

DEC. 23-24

WATCH THE ORNAMENTS PLAY A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS VIA INSTRUMENTHEAD LIVE

The Christmas spirit is a complicated thing — a blend of wonder, nostalgia, sorrow, anxiety and more. Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz managed to capture the whole mystifying concoction elegantly in the 1965 anti-commercialist animated classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. And like some kind of jazz wizards, the Vince Guaraldi Trio translated it perfectly in their effortlessly cool soundtrack. Neither the show nor its accompanying mostly instrumental collection of holiday tunes has lost a bit of their charm or poignancy in 55 years. And since 2005, The Ornaments’ performances of the soundtrack album front-to-back have been a beloved Yuletide tradition in Nashville. Thanks to COVID-19, keyboardist Jen Gunderman, bassist James “Hags” Haggerty and drummer Martin Lynds aren’t performing their usual sold-out multiple-sets-a-night run of shows. But they aren’t letting the 15th anniversary holiday season go by without some kind of celebration. The first of three shows streamed Dec. 19 via photographer Michael Weintrob’s Instrumenthead Live platform, but you have two more chances

on Dec. 23 and 24. Each stream will feature special guests on a prismatic array of instruments. Virtual tickets are free, but donations for the band are accepted and encouraged, so pay what you can. Visit instrumentheadlive.com for all the details.

6 p.m. Dec. 23-24 via instrumentheadlive. com STEPHEN TRAGESER

“for the first and hopefully last time ever,” he says — kicks off at 4 p.m. Central on Christmas Eve. Dec. 24-25 via wprb.com CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

COMMUNITY

[JOYFUL MEMORIES THERE]

[U.N.I.T.Y.]

CELEBRATE KWANZAA

Nashville’s African American Cultural Alliance is back with its 37th annual citywide celebration of Kwanzaa — [SAINT JON] of course, things are going to look TUNE IN TO JON SOLOMON’S 25-HOUR a little different this year. At 7 p.m. on RADIO SHOW every night from Dec. 26 to Jan. For a Jewish guy from New 1, kwanzaanashville.com will Jersey, Jon Solomon is really host a streaming celebration into Christmas. Since 1988, of the principles of panthe college-radio mensch EDITOR’S NOTE: Africanism as embodied in and owner-operator of indie AS A RESPONSE TO THE ONGOING seven empowering pillars. label Comedy Minus One COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE’VE CHANGED THE FOCUS OF THE CRITICS’ PICKS Among the various events has nobly crusaded against SECTION TO INCLUDE ACTIVITIES YOU are a Dec. 26 screening of ho-hum holiday music with CAN PARTAKE IN WHILE YOU’RE AT the film I Am My Ancestor: his annual 25-hour program HOME. Unmasking My Roots, a teen on WPRB out of Princeton, summit on Dec. 28, and a live N.J. Solomon’s playlists draw talent show on Dec. 31. There’s upon an ever-expanding bank also a donate button that makes of thousands of deep-cut Christmas contributing to the organization a cinch. covers and originals, many of which are Full details are available on the Kwanzaa made for the express purpose of airing on Nashville website and Facebook page. the show by people in his sizable Rolodex of Dec. 26-Jan 1 via kwanzaanashville.com underground musicians and bands. Better heard than explained, the 2020 installment LAURA HUTSON HUNTER — live from Solomon’s dining-room table MUSIC

MUSIC

PHOTO: MICHAEL WEINTR0B

via instrumentheadlive.com

CELEBRATE ALEX CHILTON’S 70TH BIRTHDAY

I managed to land a 1981 interview with Memphis guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Alex Chilton on his home turf of Midtown Memphis, where he had cut the epochal Big Star albums at Ardent Studios a few years earlier. By the time I caught up with him, he had already scored pop hits with The Box Tops and helped invent power pop with Big Star. A musical chameleon of staggering talent, Chilton had also dabbled in punk in the late ’70s, and he would go on to become a purveyor of roots music who could cover Ernest Tubb and KC and the Sunshine Band with equal facility. Born in Memphis on Dec. 28, 1950, Chilton died in New Orleans in 2010. Chilton ranks with Tom Petty and John Lennon as a major figure in popular music, and he furthered the tradition of Memphis rhythm-guitar playing that includes Steve Cropper and Teenie Hodges by juicing it with hints of rockabilly and punk. In addition, Chilton was a superb singer who could deliver his 1967 Box Tops smash “The Letter” as easily as he could interpret material by Furry Lewis and Brian Wilson. The Big Star albums remain sui generis, and Chilton’s subsequent solo work sounds better with the passing years.

Check out the 2015 full-length Ocean Club ’77 for a taste of his punk-influenced work.

Meanwhile, the 2019 compilation From Memphis to New Orleans makes a strong case for his ’80s recordings. Celebrate Chilton’s 70th birthday with those excellent albums, and read Holly George-Warren’s 2014 biography A Man Called Destruction to get a picture of a pop intellectual who never lost his feel for the various vernaculars of North American music. I hear word that filmmaker David Julian Leonard is busy working on his long-awaited feature-length documentary Alex Chilton: Why Should I Care? For an analysis of his mercurial personality, listen to the 2018 podcast former Chilton bassist René Coman put together on the great Alex as part of his ongoing “Troubled Men’’ series. Chilton was what you might call a self-made man, and that’s pretty inspirational in a business that can overvalue conformity. EDD HURT DANCE

THE ORNAMENTS

[ALEX THE GREAT]

[NOT YOUR GRANNY’S NUTCRACKER]

WATCH BALLETS RUSES’ SLUTCRACKER: THE MOVIE

If your idea of The Nutcracker is limited to wholesome images of dancing flowers and snowflakes, then perhaps you’ve not yet been introduced to The Slutcracker — a bawdy burlesque parody of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet. Choreographer-director Vanessa White first presented the sassy show in Boston back in 2008, and quickly won over a loyal following — cult filmmaker John Waters is reportedly a big fan. The story follows the sexual awakening and holiday dreams of a grown-up — but rather pent-up — Clara, and features a wide

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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CRITICS’ PICKS SLUTCRACKER

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

STREAM CONCERTS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

One more holiday tradition put on hold by the pandemic is crafting the Scene’s annual flowchart of New Year’s Eve musical happenings. But you can stay safely at home and still partake in one or more concerts as you show this chaotic year the door.

Starting at 7 p.m., you can check out the sixth installment of Lucinda Williams’ Lu’s Jukebox series of filmed covers concerts.

This one, called It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll, is a Rolling Stones tribute; visit City Winery’s website for details. At 8 p.m., you can catch Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit playing live from Brooklyn Bowl Nashville; find all the ticketing information at fans.com.

Beginning at 8:30 p.m., Exit/In’s website Will

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EXPERIENCE THE RUFFIANS’ BURNING BLUEBEARD

[LE RAT RETURNS]

CHECK OUT RATATOUILLE: THE TIKTOK MUSICAL

What started out as a somewhat goofy salute to a favorite children’s film has taken off as a true TikTok sensation.

[RAGS TO RICHES]

CATCH AN AUTHOR EVENT WITH ED TARKINGTON AND MARY LAURA PHILPOTT

There’s something special about Nashville

authors, particularly those writing fiction about our town. It’s easy to get it wrong — to rely on stereotypes that, when repeated so many times, begin to feel like baggage.

So when a longtime Nashville resident publishes a new novel, my ears prick up.

Scene contributor Ed Tarkington’s second novel, The Fortunate Ones, takes us back to 1980s Nashville and into the life of one Charlie Boykin, a working-class kid who lives with his single mom. When he receives a scholarship to a tony private school in Belle Meade, he gets thrust into upper-class society and forms a friendship with a wealthy boy destined for political stardom. But the seductive world of Nashville’s elite is corroded by bigotry and corruption, and Charlie must wrestle with this fact and find his place. Tarkington will discuss his book online with local fave Mary Laura Philpott — an absolute delight — via Parnassus Books. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, via the Parnassus Books Facebook page ERICA CICCARONE MUSIC

[A BITTERSWEET HOLIDAY TREAT]

In The Ruffians’ lyrical production of Burning Bluebeard, an ensemble of sad-eyed performers return from the dead to share a somber tale inspired by real-life tragedy — the Iroquois Theatre fire, which claimed the lives of more than 600 people in December 1903. It may not be your typical holiday fare, but there’s something quite magical about this haunting work, which has become a tradition for Chicago audiences since its premiere in 2011. It incorporates elements of vaudeville, clowning, slapstick, tumbling and dance, and there are surprising bits of whimsy and irreverent humor along the way, as the intrepid players struggle to reach the happy finale that has eluded them for so long. And modern musical choices — from Nirvana to John Lennon — add to the overall impact. Due to COVID restrictions, Burning Bluebeard is moving online this year, with a filmed performance from its 2019 run. Through Jan. 3 via goruffians.org. AMY STUMPFL BOOKS

[GO WITH THE FLOW]

stream a highlight reel of shows filmed at the venue this year. The full roster wasn’t available at press time, but folks who are set to contribute two or three songs in the set include Lilly Hiatt, Tim Gent and Julien Baker.

There will be no cost to view, but consider making a donation if you can. Country-folk veterans Old Crow Medicine Show are playing a version of their traditional NYE run at the Ryman, with two shows each on Dec. 30-31. A small, socially distanced audience can see any of those four in person, and the final show, at 10 p.m. on NYE, will stream via Sessions Live — see the Ryman website for all the details. And from 10:30 p.m. to midnight, you’ll be able to catch the virtual version of the city’s annual Music City Midnight show, airing on Lightning 100 and NewsChannel5 and streaming on the NewsChannel5 website. There will be highlights from past performances, plus new sets from girl-group-inspired outfit The Shindellas and rockers Moon Taxi.

More events will likely be announced as the day approaches, so keep an eye on nashvillescene.com/music. STEPHEN TRAGESER THEATER

MUSIC

range of talent and dance forms. There are ballerinas, drag artists, belly dancers, hula hoopers, pole dancers, a “Dildo Prince” and even a phallic candy cane. It’s certainly not your granny’s Nutcracker, but it is cool to see such body-positive diversity represented. This year, White’s Ballets Ruses company has put together Slutcracker: The Movie — a film compilation from The Slutcracker’s 2019 stage show.

Tickets are $15, and are recommended for the 18-and-up set. Through Dec. 31 via slutcracker.com AMY STUMPFL

THEATER

A 26-year-old New Yorker named Emily Jacobson first posted a video titled “Ode to Remy” back in August, in tribute to the main character from Pixar’s 2007 animated film Ratatouille. TikTok creators and musicaltheater fans (including composer and arranger Daniel Mertzlufft, who recently went viral with his own Grocery Store: The Musical) soon took notice, remixing and adding songs of their own to create a fully imagined musical — complete with choreography, costumes and more.

Momentum built throughout the fall, with Broadway’s Seaview Productions eventually announcing that it will present a digital concert-style version of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, which premieres on Jan. 1.

No word yet on who will be performing, but playbill.com has already created an official playbill. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit nonprofit The Actors Fund. Streams Jan. 1 via Seaview Productions AMY STUMPFL

[SNOW IS FALLING]

LISTEN TO CHILLY GONZALES’ A VERY CHILLY CHRISTMAS

Chilly Gonzales’ Solo Piano albums are my most-played albums all year round.

They’re spare, atmospheric, and have the exact right blend of playful and morose to suit whatever mood I’m in, and make whatever I’m doing feel a little more sophisticated than it really is. So when I found out that Gonzales was releasing a Christmas album, I knew that my Yuletide was about to get a whole lot cooler. For those unfamiliar, Chilly Gonzales is the stage name of Jason Charles Beck, a Canadian pianist and composer who has collaborated with an array of pop stars, from Peaches to Feist. His live performances are full of schtick — he’s only a couple steps away from being a Tony Clifton-type character, donning lush smoking jackets and slippers.

But his music transcends. A Very Chilly Christmas, which is available to stream but has already sold out on vinyl, is full of classics like “Silent Night” and “O Tannenbaum,” but also features covers of more contemporary holiday classics like “Last Christmas” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” There’s even a cover of one of the last songs recorded by late Silver

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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BUILD YOUR OWN END-OF-THEWORLD FILM FEST

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021. Americans are receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and Donald Trump is leaving the White House. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that the worst could always be just around the corner. If you want to indulge your fear and anxiety (that’s totally healthy, right?), hunker in your pandemic bunker and host an end-of-theworld film festival for you and your closest bubblemates. For lighter viewing, cue up one of Edgar Wright’s Simon Pegg- and Nick Frost-starring apocalyptic comedies — either bumbling and bloody zombie romp Shaun of the Dead (streaming on HBO Max) or alien-invasion flick The World’s End (on Amazon Prime). Then check out Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg’s hilarious directorial debut This Is the End (available for rent on Google Play and Amazon Prime, among others). I’d throw 2012 (free for Prime subscribers) in there too, because what other apocalyptic flick ends with a little girl feeling optimistic about an otherwise bleak future because she no longer wets the bed?

To really lean into the dread and horror of the year, cue up the Terry Gilliam-directed sci-fi favorite 12 Monkeys (HBO Max) and Danny Boyle’s legitimately terrifying 28 Days Later (Amazon Prime). And now would be a great time to rewatch dystopian classics like Soylent Green (HBO Max) and Dr. Strangelove (available for rent on iTunes, Prime and YouTube). For extra credit, you can serve treats: Decorate cookies to look like Strangelove’s leather gloves, or serve soy pudding with green food coloring and a sprinkling of candy bones. MEGAN SELING

CLOSED Christmas Day & New Year’s Day

GIFT CARDS: THE PERFECT LAST MINUTE GIFTS!

[SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE]

[ROCK ’N’ RONA]

REFLECT ON THE YEAR IN MUSIC

If we had to be home all year, at least we had lots of great new tunes to listen to. Highlights included shadowy U.K. collective SAULT coming out of nowhere with two volumes of zeitgeist-capturing, Black-experience-encapsulating protest music; Run the Jewels extending their reign as rap’s MVPs; Fiona Apple boldly reinventing herself; Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan proving they’ve still got it; thrilling comebacks from thinking-person’s altrockers Hum and Deftones; and big steps forward from Irish post-punks Fontaines D.C., Southern indie-folk songsmith Waxahatchee and L.A.’s multitalented sister act Haim.

Locals turned up in a big way too, as you can read about in last week’s Scene cover package (“Year in Music,” Dec. 17, 2020).

For those like me who don’t like to lock in their year-end favorites until Dec. 31, there is no shortage of best-of lists out there, of both the populist and specialized varieties, to help you play catch-up on 2020 in music — one of the few aspects of the past 300-odd

MUSIC

finger-onthe-pulse,

days worth preserving. (The real interesting year is going to be 2021, where new work will be made post-COVID.) CHARLIE ZAILLIAN [EL MUNDO ES MÍO]

LISTEN TO BAD BUNNY’S 2020 ALBUMS

There’s arguably no bigger artist on the planet than Bad Bunny, and he’s put in the work to maintain his top spot in the music industry, dropping three surprise albums this year alone. The Puerto Rican artist’s newest release, El Último Tour del Mundo (The Final World Tour) became the first Spanishlanguage album to take the No. 1 spot on Billboard charts. It’s a great year for fans of Benito, and his hat trick is as good a reason as any to revisit the catalog. Rewind back to February’s impeccable YHLQMDLG (“Yo hago lo que me da la gana,” or “I do whatever I want”), an unapologetic reggaeton-as-hell album that brought in veterans like Daddy Yankee and new stars like Sech. It was a bit of a traditional turn from Conejo Malo’s more genre-defiant debut X 100pre, but still featured plenty of unexpected twists and forward-thinking beats and lyrics.

“Yo Perreo Sola” was one of the standout tracks, an ode to women’s empowerment with a music video that featured Bad Bunny in drag. His May release, Las Que No Iban a Salir, consisted mostly of outtakes, but despite rougher mixing and engineering it was a tight project that served as a huge mood-booster months into the pandemic.

Round it out with November’s Último Tour, which sees the artist embracing elements of alt-rock and emo-rap more fully than ever before. For a lot of English speakers in the traditional music industry, Bad Bunny’s rise may seem like a total surprise from out of nowhere. But his 2020 output alone demonstrates just how ahead of the game he’s been. ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ [OLD BALLS]

WATCH OLD EPISODES OF MTV’S NEW YEAR’S EVE ROCK N’ ROLL BALL ON YOUTUBE TV

: Winners’ Reader poll

Jews frontman and sometime Nashvillian David Berman: “Snow Is Falling in Manhattan” from Berman’s project Purple Mountains is sung by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. It’s haunting and solemn. Think of it as a welcome replacement for the oncebeloved “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by charity supergroup Band Aid — it’s almost impossible to listen to that tune in 2020 without cringing. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER FILM

An unAbAshed,

CRITICS’ PICKS

If you know what’s best for you, you’ll keep your ass at home on New Year’s Eve instead of going out and possibly contracting or spreading COVID with all the idiots who still aren’t wearing masks. If you really want to make an interesting night out of the last evening of this punk-ass year, you’ll go on YouTube and track down all the old broadcasts of New Year’s Eve Rock n’ Roll Ball that MTV put together in the ’80s — back when they gave a damn about music and hardcore partying. After looking through various balls recently, I was reminded how the ’80s was a simpler time for everyone to go batshit-crazy before the clock struck 12. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve this sure as hell wasn’t. Everyone was shitfaced at these shows — the audience, the VJs, David Lee Roth — and they had no problem showing it.

My favorite one is 1987’s Nero’s Eve Rock & Roll Ball, where host Joe Piscopo tried to keep a ravenous crowd at bay as unruly acts like the Beastie Boys kept things nice, disorderly and soaked in beer. CRAIG D. LINDSEY

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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New Year, New Recipes!

Cook up something fresh.

A collection of recipes from Music City’s best chefs

Order now at nourishnashville.com

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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FOOD AND DRINK

JUST THE VEGANING

These local plant-based eateries are making it easy to eat meatfree for a meal or for life

BY MEGAN SELING

S

THE BE-HIVE DELI & MARKET ITALIAN SANDWICH

PHOTOS: DANIEL MEIGS

orry, good ol’ boys, but it’s time to stop laughing at vegans. A plant-based diet is no longer the tree-hugging, granola-crunching butt of the joke. Veganism is a lifestyle embraced by millions — lifestyle website WTVOX estimates that there are roughly 78 million vegans worldwide — and numbers are on the rise.

According to The Vegan Society, “retail sales of plant-based meat grew 31 percent, while total U.S. retail meat sales grew just 5 percent” between 2017 and 2019, and in recent years the “consumption of plant milk increased by 61 percent while consumption of cow’s milk decreased by 22 percent.”

Veg World Magazine predicts the “market for vegan meat alternatives will reach $7.5 billion globally by 2025.” Perhaps even more telling, the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t slowed things down. Plant Based Foods Association reports that plant-based food sales were up 90 percent during “peak panic buying” in March, outpacing other food sales.

Online vegan restaurant guide HappyCow reports more vegan eateries have opened during the pandemic than closed.

The meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free action is booming in Nashville too. The Sunflower Cafe, a vegan staple since 2012, opened a second location, Sunflower Bakeshop, in September of last year. Months later The Wild Cow, which has been serving vegetarian and vegan food in East Nashville since 2010, moved into a larger space on Fatherland Street to accommodate their growing customer base.

Want to get in on this plant-based action?

Here are three more vegan eateries making meat-free waves in Music City.

THE BE-HIVE DELI & MARKET

“We have definitely been seeing a steady rise in our local customer base,” says Diana Lee Zadlo, co-owner of Nashville’s vegan deli and plant-based meat retailer The BEHive. “I think what’s so great about more veg options in town is that it’s starting to normalize it. People are thinking more about where their food comes from, what impact it makes on our world, our environment, our health.”

The BE-Hive first started serving its house-made seitan in 2011 by way of plantbased pop-up buffets at The Wild Cow. Demand for the product has steadily grown over the years, and the owners recently moved their production into a 7,500-squarefoot warehouse in Donelson. The BE-Hive is also representing Nashville’s vegan scene nationwide. Their packs of marinated and sliced seitan, breakfast sausage patties and chipotle chorizo can be found in more than 45 Whole Foods locations. What’s more, this year they also started to distribute their vegan cheeses and faux pepperoni (which

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THE BE-HIVE DELI & MARKET FRIED CHXN SANDWICH is perfectly spiced with fennel, mustard seed and red pepper flakes, by the way) to pizzerias around the country by way of Vedge.co, an online vegan food retailer.

The pepperoni is topping pizzas from Los Angeles to New York.

The BE-Hive has grown its local options too. The BE-Hive Deli — the small, brightred to-go window tucked between Hail Dark Aesthetics and The East Room on Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville — is now open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The deli serves up the kind of food you want to cram in your mouth after a stressful day, the kind of food that feels more indulgent than healthy. You know, the kind of food that makes for a fitting reward once you’ve made it through yet another day in modern history’s most awful year.

The BE-Hive’s Crunchwrap is an homage

to the Taco Bell favorite — a folded-up flour tortilla is stuffed with taco “beef,” queso, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream. Their “soy chxn” Philly sandwiches, served with peppers, onions and “chz sauce,” are as saucy and gut-bomby as you’d expect the classic Philadelphia sammies to be.

I’m partial to the fried chxn sandwiches, which come in three flavors: Nashville Hot, Buffalo and Plain Gain. The Plain Gain is spicy enough for anyone who maxes out at two stars at any given Thai restaurant (me, the wuss), and all that peppery seasoning is expertly balanced with the softest, most tender bun you’ve ever tasted, a slightly sweet cloud from Croissant Bakery in Georgia.

“Our whole thing, personally, is making plant-based eating more accessible to anyone, not just those who are already deep in the veg world,” says Zadlo. “Helping people

reduce their consumption of animal products by making it easy. And with the deli, we get to show people how indulgent, fun and crazy vegan food can be.”

Speaking of fun, don’t forget to order a side of breakfast tots, a mountain of golden fried potato nuggets topped with queso, tofu scramble, pico de gallo, veggie bacon bits and sour cream.

SUCCULENT VEGAN TACOS

The BE-Hive’s meat-free proteins also take a starring role in the street tacos served at Nashville’s newest vegan eatery, Succulent Vegan Tacos in the Nashville Farmers’ Market.

Owners Adriana Ortega and Ronald Cerdas have been slinging their plantbased traditional Mexican street food via the market’s Grow Local Kitchen for two

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

FOOD AND DRINK

Save the date February 1-7, 2021

SUCCULENT VEGAN TACOS years, but in October they made it permanent by moving into a space across from Bella Nashville Pizzeria.

Succulent’s day-to-day menu is small, but it has everything you need for a quick, tasty lunch. There are four different kinds of tacos — al pastor, tinga, papas and asada — as well as refried black beans, seasoned rice and esquites (Mexican corn with mayo, lime and Tajín).

The papas is my current favorite. Though it doesn’t look like much — a pile of white potatoes in a white corn tortilla topped with roasted tomatillo salsa — the filling is bursting with just-right spicy flavor. The al pastor is delicious too — chopped seitan is marinated in smoky, tangy sauce and topped with fresh pineapple, onion and cilantro.

Succulent Vegan Tacos also rotates in specials, including tamales, mushroom pozole, chile relleno stuffed with seasoned soy crumbles and, surprisingly, huevos rancheros, topped with JUST Egg’s vegan egg substitute. I know the phrase “vegan egg substitute” can be cringy to ovo-lovers, but try it before you judge it, OK?

RADICAL RABBIT

Mariah Ragland’s Radical Rabbit has been, ahem, hopping around town too. Ragland started the business as a side hustle in 2018, selling plates of plant-based soul food from her apartment and the trunk of her car. But these days she’s cooking fulltime in a commercial kitchen to keep up with demand.

Ragland’s rotating menu includes plates of seitan ribs, fried-oyster-mushroom burgers, macaroni-and-cheese, greens, black-

eyed peas and banana pudding, all of which you can find every Tuesday at East Nashville Farmers Market (which just closed for winter, but will reopen in spring), every Saturday at Richland Park Farmer’s Market and every day in the grab-and-go section of Citizen Market in Hunters Station.

And as of this fall, you can have Radical Rabbit delivered via Hot Poppy, the local grocery delivery service that started up during the pandemic.

It’s Ragland’s fried jackfruit smothered in savory sauces like cranberry chipotle, sweet teriyaki, garlic parmesan and Carolina gold barbecue sauce that got me hooked. The hunks of jackfruit have a tender, meaty texture similar to an artichoke heart, and when fried and tossed with the sauce, their texture is much like that of a boneless chicken wing. Even non-vegans love them, Ragland says, as about half of her customer base is not full-time vegan. She’s noticed a positive shift in the city’s relationship with meat-free options too.

“It’s so great that the word ‘vegan’ isn’t a foreign word to people anymore,” Ragland tells the Scene. “A lot of attitudes toward the word are good feelings with new associations that include thoughts of good food that’s good for you and the world. We are at a place in time that everyone has at least one person in their family who is vegan. Let’s hope that by this time next year, everyone has at least five people in their family who are vegan, including them!”

Don’t laugh. With more and more tasty vegan options hitting the mainstream food market, it could totally happen.

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Warm the cluck up during the Scene’s 5th Annual Hot Chicken Week!

Indulge in

rt Suppo z!

Bi Local

$7 HOT CHICKEN

Dine In specialties from or C a r r y our participating -Out! restaurants all week long!

Your participation supports beloved local businesses and is the reason why these amazing restaurants create delicious hot chicken year after year. So come hungry and get EGGCITED for Hot Chicken Week!

#hotchickenweek21

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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We at the Nashville Scene want to thank our contributors — our freelance writers, photographers and illustrators. These folks help make the Scene what it is, providing insight, color and expertise both in our pages and online at nashvillescene.com every week. We’re also grateful for our distribution team, who — in the middle of a pandemic — somehow managed to maintain our regular schedule of delivery, making frequent adjustments whenever and wherever they were needed. We appreciate their work on the front lines — always, but particularly in 2020.

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Ken Aldridge

Sean L. Maloney

Andrea Williams

Adia Victoria

Brandon Aldridge

Marissa R. Moss

Craig D. Lindsey

Amy Eskind

Todd Bybee

Margaret Renkl

Sadaf Ahsan

Susannah Felts

Keith Cameron

Steve Haruch

Steve Erickson

Betsy Phillips

Mike Capizzi

Lance Conzett

Nathan Smith

Abby Lee Hood

Joseph Daniels

Abby White

Galyn Glick Martin

Marcus K. Dowling

Don Hillaker

Kim Green

Joe Nolan

David Hollerith

Paul Niehaus

Edd Hurt

Sara Lee Burd

Skip Anderson

Maria Browning

Ron Wynn

Audrey Molloy

Kelsey Beyeler

Ashley Spurgeon

P.J. Kinzer

Rachel Wells

Mamie Davis

Ashley Brantley

Charlie Zaillian

Amy Stumpfl

Bronte Lebo

Steve Cavendish

Olivia Ladd

Sara Estes

Jonathan Marx

John Pitcher

Jacqueline Zeisloft

Destiny Birdsong

Alicia Binkley

Adam Gold

Jack Silverman

Margaret Kingsbury

Holly Carden

Megan Seling

Geoffrey Himes

Shantay Robinson

Alexandria Hall

Chris Chamberlain

Todd Barnes

Ciona Rouse

XPayne

Seth Graves

Brooklyn Dance

Kashif Andrew Graham

Sensei ArJae

Jennifer Justus

Hannah Herner

Meg Wade

Rachel Briggs

Margaret Littman

Bailey Basham

Chet Weise

Poni Silver

Brittney McKenna

Lorie Liebig

Joy Ramirez

Molly Brooks

Jason Shawhan

Charlie Zaillian

Chris Crofton

and more

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

BOOKS

QUEEN’S RULES

Late R&B legend Denise LaSalle always called her own shots

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n her posthumously published memoir, Always the Queen: The Denise LaSalle Story, the fiercely unapologetic soul singer and songwriter LaSalle looks back at her illustrious career as a self-made R&B icon. Cowritten with blues historian David Whiteis, the narrative is told from LaSalle’s perspective and draws largely from transcripts of conversations between the two collaborators and friends.

In 1963, a young LaSalle signed her first recording contract with Chess Records — the preeminent blues label that launched legends like Muddy Waters ALWAYS THE QUEEN: THE DENISE LASALLE STORY

BY DENISE LASALLE, WITH DAVID WHITEIS UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS 256 PAGES, $19.95 and Etta James. But the magic faded for the singer and songwriter shortly after she signed. The label wouldn’t record her material, and she had her suspicions as to why. “See, I wouldn’t go there [to the studio] alone,” she writes. In those days, manipulative tactics from male power brokers were, depressingly, a music industry standard.

Yet LaSalle kept her guard up around label execs, despite the effects this may have had on her early career: “I honestly think I could have recorded … had I been the kind that they could take advantage of.”

A year later, LaSalle wrote to Chess saying she wanted out of her contract. The label said they’d cut her record in the next two weeks. Unconvinced, she dropped them and moved on.

LaSalle’s refusal to cede to the power structures attempting to control her is a delightful theme throughout Always the Queen. She sets the rules in the early pages: “I never let anybody rule me. I’ve always been my own woman. I always had the contracts written where I could call my own shots. And if they didn’t like it, they didn’t get me.”

Born in 1939, LaSalle grew up belting out gospel and country tunes while picking cotton in Mississippi with her parents, who worked as sharecroppers. She looks back fondly on life in the country, but her family’s move to Belzoni, Miss., when she was 13 woke her up to the hostile realities of the racist Jim Crow-era South. Nicknamed “Bloody Belzoni,” the town was the site of the 1955 murder of the Rev. George Lee, a Black minister who advocated for African American voting rights throughout the Mississippi Delta. The police tried to cover up his murder as a traffic accident, and the case was never solved.

The trauma of Lee’s death and the wide-

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spread racial violence LaSalle witnessed in Belzoni angered the future star, but it also mobilized her. Staying in Mississippi, she explains, didn’t offer prospects for independence or stardom, the only life she imagined for herself: “I knew I couldn’t take what a lot of people took. I would have to be sassy and fight back. Probably end up getting killed.

So, I just said, ‘I want out. I can’t stay in this part of the country, or I will be dead.’ ” She forged her own path by moving to Chicago. Cutting her teeth in the South Side nightclub circuit, LaSalle transformed from barmaid to bona fide diva in a few years. Shortly after the Chess incident, she landed another recording contract and cut her first album, A Love Reputation, released in 1967.

In the early ’70s she moved to Memphis, where she recorded “Trapped by a Thing Called Love,” her careerdefining hit that solidified her eternal place in the blues canon.

Always the Queen is LaSalle’s victory lap, a catalog of the successes and memorable moments in a 50-year career of recording and touring. From playing with Lou Rawls in Sweden to cooking dinner for Bill Withers, LaSalle revels in the memories of friends and collaborators, describing those who touched her life in full and loving detail. She also dishes out unfiltered anecdotes about run-ins with Ike Turner, Aretha Franklin and even Bob Dylan.

Self-possessed and fearless, LaSalle created herself in her own image, managing a roster of businesses — including record labels, radio stations and a wig shop — and controlling her musical output. “You see my name listed as producer on most of my records, and that’s exactly what I am,” she writes. A pioneer for female R&B entertainers at the helm of their own enterprises, LaSalle clearly earns the right to be the unrepentant diva that she is.

LaSalle and her husband James Wolfe, a legendary figure in West Tennessee radio, settled down together in Jackson, Tenn., in the late ’70s and called the city home for 40 years. The final chapters of Always the Queen depict LaSalle as buoyant and still dreaming. After a leg amputation due to a fall in 2017, “the one-legged diva,” as she called herself, was aching to start a blues academy. “By teaching these kids the blues,” LaSalle writes, “and by teaching them the history of the blues, we’re teaching them the history of their own people.”

LaSalle passed away in 2018 and never had the chance to start the academy. Yet Always the Queen serves as an entertaining and boldly rendered look into the history of the classic genre LaSalle loved and honored with her life.

To read an extended version of this review — and more local book coverage — please visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

ILLUSTRATION: ALEXANDRIA HALL

BY JACQUELINE ZEISLOFT

‘AFTER MAKING MY OWN NON-SEW FACE MASK I WALK’ A poem illustrated by Alexandria Hall

BY KENDRA DeCOLO

through our neighborhood imagining the smell of heliotrope and privet, puddles of diesel and cologne, men fixing a roof hemmed with blue tarp so much like the sea where I once lived and would run along the beach, breathing in the stink of dead horseshoe crabs and seaweed, long brown strands dusted with barnacles, each mouth opening to filter the air like tiny arias, I would run down Commercial Street inhaling the smell of Spiritus pizza, the shirtless men doused in Banana Boat, I would smell my grandmother’s boutique bug spray from Avon’s and the light spilled through her nightgown, cherry taffy melted into cement, sugared raspberries and plastic bags of Bazooka Joe, I would smell my own red vomit in the sand, at the altar of public toilets, the after-spit of sex, condoms washed ashore like tiny squids, the smell of semen humming as in the opening scene of The Piano Teacher when Isabelle Huppert scavenges the red-light district for tissues drenched in cum and I never understood how pleasure could be that conceptual but didn’t I smell myself on my husband’s beard this morning and wasn’t it like reading an old diary entry, like smelling my funk after a run before jumping into the water and I still won’t take off my mask that won’t let me smell the pollen loosening from yellow strands, won’t let me imagine how the sky smolders the way after the tornado it smelled like burning for weeks, the smoke of fallen trees sawed in half and I thought I’d never want to smell them again— forgive me— now every time I open my mouth it is to swallow something I never thought to name, breathing in as if doing a bump on a lover’s wrist, like I’m sucking down the last blue raspberry slushy from my childhood, the last good thing I might ever taste.

Kendra DeColo is the author of My Dinner With Ron Jeremy and Thieves in the Afterlife. Her new collection, I Am Not Trying to Hide My Hungers From the World, is due in April via BOA Editions.

12/18/20 12:12 PM

MUSIC

CHARLEY PRIDE, 1934-2020 Looking back at the life of the first Black country superstar

BY RON WYNN

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PHOTO: JASON KEMPIN | GETTY IMAGES FOR THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM

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harley Frank Pride was a rare commodity. Not only was he an icon with universal appeal, but his six-decade career also embodied a strong message that many to this day still don’t understand. He was living proof that being true to yourself and what you love is the highest form of cultural authenticity, and that country music — as much as music of any other tradition — belongs to everyone. Pride, who died Dec. 12 at 86 of complications from COVID-19, was the first Black superstar in country music’s modern era, although he knew better than most that he wasn’t the idiom’s first African American performer.

As he rose to unprecedented heights, Pride overcame hostility and treatment that would have crushed a less resilient person.

Instead, he persevered, offering fans a combination of a splendid, resonant baritone, naturally charismatic stage presence and remarkably savvy song selection. His brand of just-plain-folks humility and ease in any setting enabled him to win over even the most skeptical sort regarding whether he was truly “country.”

In fact, Pride was about as country as it gets, the son of a sharecropper who picked cotton as a child. One of the myths he obliterated during one of my interviews with him was something I heard quite a bit in the late ’60s and early ’70s: that he’d adopted country music because he wasn’t familiar with blues, soul or gospel. That kind of idiocy seems in retrospect to be profoundly absurd regarding someone who grew up in Sledge, Miss., but there were folks who believed it with a degree of passion often reserved for arguing that the Earth is flat.

“I never said I didn’t hear that music,” Pride once told me. “I love all kinds of music. But country is what really captivated me. It was what I loved and wanted to sing.”

It was just that simple for him. Born into a family of 11 children, Pride had help from his mother Tessie in purchasing his first guitar, a $10 number out of a Sears Roebuck catalog. He schooled himself with the Grand Ole Opry, paying special attention to The Louvin Brothers. He related another formative experience in his 1994 autobiography Pride: The Charley Pride Story — his first country concert, performed by DJ and singer Smilin’ Eddie Hill on a flatbed truck.

But for a time it seemed that baseball, not music, would be Pride’s ticket out of the Delta. He chased the Major League dream in the ’50s, not only playing in the Negro Leagues but also MLB’s minors, pitching for teams in multiple states. His best year was 1956, when he was on the Negro American League all-star team. But he also got

come up with an approach to cut the tension: “ ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I realize it’s a little unique with me comin’ out onstage wearin’ this permanent tan. I got three singles — I only have 10 minutes — I get through with those, I’ll maybe do a Hank Williams song, but I ain’t got time to talk about pigmentation.’ And I hit it.”

From 1967 on through the ’70s and into the ’80s, Charley Pride was a commercial hurricane. He’d ultimately have 29 songs reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, with more than 50 in the top 10, and he became RCA’s best-selling artist since Elvis Presley. He also was a voice and inspiration for other Blacks, both those who were simply fans and those who wanted to be performers. These were people who grew up not just appreciating but immersing themselves in country.

Their love of the music was no sign of disdain for their background or heritage — just what they preferred to perform or listen to.

Pride ascended to legendary status in the ’70s, winning honors no Black artist ever had in country music.

The Country Music Association named him Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1971. In 1972, he was the CMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year again, making him the first artist ever to take home back-to-back trophies in the category — a category in which he had competition like Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty. Over the course of his career, Pride also won three Grammys in member-voted categories as well as the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Long after the hits ended, his impact and fan base endured. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1993 and entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Pride’s death came a month after his appearance at the CMA Awards. Though it’s been noted that many in the studio audience appeared unmasked, the CMA and Pride’s representatives released a joint statement indicating he’d tested negative for the coronavirus before, during and after the ceremony.

During the show, Pride was recognized with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Jimmie Allen, a rising Black country star who treasures and reveres Pride, joined him onstage to sing one of his anthems, “Kiss an Angel Good Morning.” I spoke with Allen for The Tennessee Tribune before he headlined his first Ryman show on Dec. 17, and he related what it meant to sing alongside his idol.

“Charley Pride was a great man and a great artist who showed us that no matter what you look like, or where you come from, there are no limitations on what you can do in country music,” Allen said. “His life and career is a direct reflection that country music is for everyone.”

drafted that year, and served in the military until 1958.

In Pride, the singer acknowledges that his plan was to play baseball into his mid-30s and then give music a shot. But his fastball lost some zip, and by 1962 he was living in Helena, Mont., dividing his time between semipro ball, working as a smelter and occasionally singing in local bars. Then his life changed forever when he appeared on a gig in Helena with Red Sovine and Red Foley. Impressed by Pride’s renditions of “Lovesick Blues” and “Heartaches by the Number,” Sovine encouraged him to visit Nashville. The next year, Pride did stop in Music City and met Jack D. Johnson, who’d become his manager. In 1965, Pride recorded with visionary producer Cowboy Jack Clement, and the results led Chet Atkins to sign Pride to his first record deal with RCA. Pride was among the most incurable optimists you’ll ever meet and someone with remarkably little bitterness, no matter how justified bitterness might have been. As his stature rose and his fame was cemented, he’d only discuss indignities during interviews if pushed, though his autobiography certainly details plenty of them. His early singles, particularly gems like “The Snakes Crawl at Night,” were successful as radio hits without RCA having to inform audiences a Black man was singing them.

But in concert, when folks saw exactly who was performing, things could get ugly.

He often pointed to a landmark 1966 Detroit performance where he’d experience his biggest audience yet realizing for the first time that he was Black. As Pride told The Tennessean in November, Clement helped him

Tributes to Pride have come from a host of country stars. Among the most poignant was Marty Stuart telling Rolling Stone about the first time he heard Charley Pride.

“He’s from Sledge, Mississippi, I’m from Philadelphia, Mississippi,” Stuart said. “So when I was a little boy, he was one of those heroes — like one of our guys that made it. … There was a country music disc jockey named Marty Collins. He played a Charley Pride song called ‘All I Have to Offer You Is Me.’ He announced it as Charley Pride’s new release. When the record was over, Marty Collins came back on the air, and you could tell he had been crying. And he said, ‘I believe I need to hear that one more time.’ And he played it again. And I stood there kind of frozen in front of the stereo, kind of mesmerized by the sound of his voice and that recording and the song. He just had it all.”

In recent years, widespread viewing of Ken Burns’ Country helped set the record straight regarding Black artists’ crucial role in country’s evolution. In addition to male stars like Jimmie Allen, Darius Rucker and Kane Brown, there’s also been an impressive wave of Black women country and roots vocalists coming to the fore, like Mickey Guyton, Rhiannon Giddens, Miko Marks, Yola, Valerie June and Rissi Palmer.

Palmer’s Apple Music Radio show Color Me Country is turning heads worldwide, and she recently joined up with Kelly McCartney to establish the Color Me Country Fund to help Black and indigenous people and other people of color get established in country music. Charley Pride’s legacy is in great hands, and is being rightly celebrated and expanded. He was irreplaceable, and will truly be missed.

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

INSIDE NASHVILLE

The closing of Douglas Corner leaves a hole in Nashville’s soul

BY EDD HURT

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hat I remember best about hanging out at Douglas Corner, the venerable Nashville listening room that closed in May after 33 years in business, isn’t the many big-time stars who played there. Yes, the cozy space on Eighth Avenue South hosted performers like Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Guy Clark, but I have never felt comfortable at industrysanctioned shows. I don’t recall catching Garth at Douglas Corner. Certainly, seeing the future megastar at a tiny venue in the late ’80s would have been something to remember.

The performers I did see at Douglas Corner weren’t always big stars, and that’s why I loved the place and feel a huge sense of loss at its passing.

Douglas Corner began its life in 1987, when former recording engineer Mervin Louque started it with businessman Rick Martin. Born in Baton Rouge, La., Louque came to Nashville in 1974, and he joined Fanta Professional Services, a company that recorded live albums by the likes of The Charlie Daniels Band and soul singer Millie Jackson. In 1976 Louque helped build the Fanta Mobile Recording Studio to capture live performances. He installed the studio at Douglas Corner in 1996, dubbing it

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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The Ugly Truckling.

Guy Clark’s 1997 album Keepers was recorded at Douglas Corner with The Ugly Truckling, but I never saw Clark or many singer-songwriters there. As I mentioned, I get nervous at musicbusiness affairs. For me and my friends, Douglas Corner was where we sent to see the soul and R&B greats we idolized.

For example, late Alabama singer, songwriter and keyboardist Donnie Fritts played an annual wintertime gig at the venue for about a decade, with the final show circa 2012. In particular, I remember the compelling performance he gave around Christmas in 2009. Fritts, who penned soul and pop songs like the 1968 Box Tops single “Choo Choo Train,” also acted in Sam Peckinpah movies and played in Kris Kristofferson’s band.

The shows felt casual, but they afforded me a glimpse into a vanishing world. Backing him up were The Decoys, a superb Alabama group that includes legendary Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood and ace guitarist Kelvin Holly. They laid down a ferocious groove — it was like seeing some down-home amalgam of The Ohio Players and The Rolling Stones.

It was likely you’d run into some of Nashville’s greatest performers and songwriters at Fritts’ shows. I heard Billy Swan, Dan Penn and the late Tony Joe White, all of whom seemed to be in their natural element at Douglas Corner. One night, feeling confident after a few beers and one of the club’s delicious soft pretzels, I slid into Penn’s booth and asked him about a 1969 track he’d cut in Memphis with rocker Dale Hawkins, “Little Rain Cloud.” The wheels turned in Penn’s head, and he told me about making the record.

That’s the kind of place Douglas Corner was: hip, relaxed and high-level. I never felt like an outsider there. I liked the way it was set up, with booths and tables in front and the bar and another table or two toward the back. On the other hand, it was hard not to think of yourself as an insider when you were talking to musicians on the level of Penn and Fritts. The performers and audience seemed to exist on the same plane.

I miss seeing Nashville singer and producer Rob Galbraith’s biannual shows, which were loose and very funky. Galbraith’s band featured drummer Chester Thompson, who brought a jazzy touch to Galbraith’s R&B-influenced songs. Galbraith would crack jokes in his Tennessee-hipster drawl, and his band would swing just as hard as The Decoys did.

Douglas Corner had an old-school feel that always put me in mind of an earlier, cooler Nashville. I felt at home the minute I walked through the door. Just maybe, there was a moment or two during the many hours I spent there when I really was an insider.

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

ROAD TESTED

Tour crews bring their experience to bear getting TEMA’s PPE delivered

BY ABBY LEE HOOD

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f you work in a school, hospital or nursing home, you may have received a mask, gloves, hospital gowns or COVID-19 test kits from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. If so, there’s a good chance your supplies were packaged and shipped by someone who, before the pandemic, was responsible for you being able to enjoy a concert.

Out-of-work production managers, merchandising experts and other touring professionals have found work shipping out personal protective equipment, and the gig is a win-win: It gets vital supplies where they need to go, and helps some of the hardest-hit music industry folk pay their bills while the coronavirus keeps live music in suspended animation.

Early in the state’s COVID response effort, TEMA began working with Memphisbased F&W Transport to run their PPE and testing kit distribution center. The move was part of ramping up from a 60,000-square-foot space in the back of a warehouse used by footwear chain Journey’s to a dedicated facility with more than 250,000 square feet. This upgrade came with a need for F&W to take on more local staff.

As TEMA logistics manager Jason Arbogast tells the Scene, quite a few touring pros came on board — about two-thirds of the 30-person team.

“Our inventory guy was in charge of merch for artists like Chris Stapleton and Foo Fighters,” says Arbogast. “We have enough industry staff here that we could pull our own festival. These people have worked their asses off since last spring making sure things are done quickly and correctly. They have brought their professionalism from the road to work here supplying millions of Tennesseans. They have worked long hours under some of the strangest conditions ever. They adjusted to having their lives upended and created a new normal in this environment.”

The work has kept Nashville music industry professionals from losing their homes, and at least a little, it plugged the hole left by unemployment and a lack of government support. Three staffers took a few minutes to get on a call with the Scene.

Craig Porter, a recent addition to the F&W team, was a touring and production manager

BRIAN STITT

working for artists like Tanya Tucker and Ice-T. His last paycheck before getting hired on at F&W was in March, and Porter says he lost his six-figure salary for nearly eight months before securing his current position in November. Losing his income was incredibly hard for his family.

“You go from all to nothing in a quick second, like a car wreck,” Porter says. “If my wife [wasn’t] able to work, we would have lost everything. I went through my savings in about seven months.”

Porter says he found out about his F&W position through Brian Stitt, who came off managing the merch for a tennis tournament in March to find himself unemployed.

Stitt was hired by F&W in April and says he’s grateful he wasn’t unemployed long, especially since he knows road crews sidelined by the pandemic are hurting now. He says when he posted about job opportunities at F&W, the emails from out-of-work touring professionals poured in within minutes.

Stitt says working closely with PPE is a constant reminder of how and why to stay safe, and he prevents COVID risks as much as possible. Daniel Wharton, F&W’s territory manager in Nashville, tells the Scene that staff members work in small groups that stay separate from each other, and they have their temperatures checked daily. If one person in a pod gets sick, that group can go into quarantine without affecting the rest.

Wharton also says staff wear masks and sanitize the warehouse regularly. Stitt says the workers are all attuned to the importance of the products they’re shipping.

“The last thing that we need here is for somebody to get sick, and it spreads and it jeopardizes the mission,” Stitt says.

Stitt also connected with Lexi Johnson, who’d lost her job as a traveling tech working big conventions and other corporate events. She saw Stitt’s Facebook post about

an opening. Johnson says that, while she doesn’t have a family or house payments like Porter, the work has kept food on the table. Her new job is a little different than being on the road, but the adjustment hasn’t been all that bad. Johnson says the schedule, like waking up early and going to bed earlier, is the biggest day-to-day change. That said, her long-term plans, which included going to grad school around her tours, might have to change.

“I chose this industry because I love it so much,” says Johnson. “I might have to change career paths, because we’re still not sure when it’s coming back, or how different it’s going to be.”

She’s concerned about other touring folks who’ve had their entire careers upended too, noting many seasoned pros who chose to retire. Porter, Stitt and Johnson agree the music industry will never be the same. They worry that smaller venues and artists won’t be able to stay in business, leaving only the biggest players in the field.

Right now, the impact each member of the team is making can’t be overstated.

Dean Flener, spokesperson for Tennessee’s Unified Command Group, says TEMA’s efforts — including the F&W logistics team we spoke with — have delivered more than 23,000 individual shipments of PPE. The packages included more than 90 million masks, gowns, face shields, wipes and bottles of hand sanitizer delivered to teachers and students in Tennessee’s K-12 schools.

“If I can help some little kid receive a mask, that’s huge to me,” Porter says. “That’s another child that could possibly be saved.”

While nobody is sure what kind of music industry these crews will be returning to when the pandemic is over, they’ve worked their hardest to keep as many people safe as possible.

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

MUSIC

LEXI JOHNSON

CRAIG PORTER

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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MUSIC

Big things are coming in the new year.

THE SPIN

IT AIN’T EASY BEIN’ SLEAZY

BY CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

T

he freeze on live music has been rough on touring-reliant DIY musicians, but it’ll take more than a global pandemic to stop Lauren “L.G.” Gilbert. Back in 2016, the Southern-rock firebrand hatched a frankly preposterous plan to play 31 generator-powered shows over 29 days in locations across Nashville. As you can see in Scene contributor Seth Graves’ 2017 rock doc Kandyland, she and the then-current incarnation of her band Thelma and the Sleaze pulled it off. Leave it to Gilbert, then, to grind out a win in a year you wouldn’t blame anyone for punting on. On the heels of TATS’ 2019 album Fuck, Marry, Kill comes Sacred as Hell, seven songs written and homerecorded during quarantine.

To commemorate the new EP, out Dec.

$25 off your purchase of $100 or more in store and online.

candied harmonies, while the New Wave jangle of “Good Girls” evoked classic GoGo’s. Staggering the chipper new songs with slow-burning, hot-and-heavy TATS standards “High Class Woman” and “Leather Nights” made for an appealing light-dark dynamic. If none of the songs from Sacred are in rotation yet on Nashville’s new radio station WNXP, any of them would sound great over the FM airwaves.

Though Muscle Shoals Sound Studio has been restored a few times since The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and TATS’ spiritual forebears Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded there, the studio maintains a hallowed vibe. The sound quality of Thursday’s set, as one would expect, was top-tier. But were it to be repurposed into a concert film, a tighter edit could better capture the studio’s atmosphere. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to the camera cuts, and despite knowing the performance was pretaped, minor continuity issues from song to song — leather jackets coming off, going back on and coming off again — were a little distracting, making it feel less live.

A FUTURE SO BRIGHT: THELMA AND THE SLEAZE

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18, Gilbert brought the latest TATS lineup to Sheffield, Ala.’s iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio for a miniature concert movie. Gilbert, guitarist Helen “Shy-Anne” Gilley (who you may know from local rockers Butthole), bassist Heather Gillis and drummer and historian Tiffany Minton presented Sacred as Hell in full along with a few other staples from the Sleaze’s catalog. Gilbert’s ribald humor, forthcomingness about queerness and sexuality, and penchant for muscular, palmmuted riffs are as synonymous with the 35-year-old musician as her hustle. These traits were all on display during the Dec. 17 stream, hosted on Sessions Live.

Witty, catchy and tightly written, Sacred as Hell doesn’t mess with the group’s proven winning recipe of hard-rock bravado, ’90s angst and girl-group hooks, but sands off some of the spikier edges with keen powerpop style. Gilbert’s energetic guitar runs on “Come Back Now” and “Waiting on the Rain” highlighted her superb, set-it-andforget-it tone. “Makin’ Me Hot” recalled early Liz Phair with its big, lazy chords and

That didn’t stop the TATS faithful in the chat box from using their imaginations, though. “Pretending I’m in the front row at Spewfest right now,” one viewer typed, referring back to the band’s most recent in-person show, headlining at February’s installment of Cold Lunch Recordings’ annual rock fest. “Maybe the most fun Thelma set I’ve been a part of,” agreed another, discussing the same gig. Tide yourself over until the next one by supporting your local garage-rock institution this holiday. Sacred as Hell is now streaming on Spotify and available on Bandcamp.

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NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2020 | nashvillescene.com

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FILM

PRIMAL STREAM 36 Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey and plenty of Christmas cheer, now available to stream

BY JASON SHAWHAN

THE CHRISTMAS SETUP

CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE

T

he idea was simple: barrel through a whole bunch of Christmas movies and become a glutton for cheer rather than 2020 fear. My approach wasn’t formal enough to spread the word about, or hype on social media. This wasn’t meant to be a marathon, because that is the path of madness. That’s not to say there wasn’t the temptation to try and see how much Christmas could be packed into 24 hours, because you want to do something memorable for the holidays. But anyway, this is all the Christmas I could pack into a column. As always, look back at past issues of the Scene for more recommendations on what to stream.

CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE ON NETFLIX I’m still trying to figure out if the guy playing the preacher in Christmas on the Square is delivering a bad performance or if he’s making a deliberate choice that forces the viewer to unwind all their expectations about what screen performance is. (Think Summer Phoenix in Esther Kahn.) But he’s part of Fullertown, where all the emotions are happening constantly, and everyone is

EYES WIDE SHUT

perfectly ready to handle business by singing about it — especially since the town is about to be sold off to the Cheetah Mall company, throwing the town Christmas tradition off balance. Perennial Best Tennessean and Saint Dolly Parton stars as an angel whose goal is to fix the broken parts of humanity with joy, fellowship, 14 new songs and well-deployed genuineness that overwhelms all defenses. I’m a lifelong Christine Baranski stan, and she delivers as the film’s Scrooge analog. Jenifer Lewis helps keep the proceedings from slipping into cloying foolishness. It’s a perfect fusion of Dolly’s aesthetics with the vibe of Tyler Perry’s stage productions — even if, as a friend on the internet said, “You’re going to want to wallow in sin afterward, it’s so sweet.”

EYES WIDE SHUT ON HULU Eyes Wide Shut is the perfect embodiment of capitalist Christmas tendencies, wherein money talks and class supplants everything. A visual marvel that chemically obliterates shadows from the frame because it is all about facing the truth of yourself, this movie, even if its legacy is for ornately masked sex parties, has only grown

stronger and more resonant in the 21 years since its release. It’s still amazing to watch the late Stanley Kubrick do with Tom Cruise what he did to Ryan O’Neal in Barry Lyndon (that is, grind him down into a fine pulp).

But this is Nicole Kidman’s show, and she rules the psychic space this film curls up in. It is one of the finest performances of the 20th century.

for the soul of little Lupita (Lupita Quezadas, in a performance that will break you), a young girl beset by poverty who only wants a doll but who is already learning the sad truths of why Santa only brings gifts to the rich. Santa and Pitch have it out in this 1959 Mexican technicolor epic from René Cardona. Santa Claus is a trippy freakout that sticks in your subconscious, and if Old Pitch VISIT wasn’t the inspiration for THE CHRISTMAS SETUP ON NASHVILLESCENE.COM TO READ HIM in The Powerpuff Girls, LIFETIME OUR REVIEW OF SOUL, COMING then I just don’t know what.

A symphony of sweaters TO DISNEY+ ON CHRISTMAS DAY. The Mystery Science Theater and flannels looking for closet 3000 version is fun, but the space to share, The Christmas regular film is an endearing Setup is the story of Hugo (Ben classic all its own.

Lewis) and Patrick (Blake Lee).

One of several notable holiday films this year featuring queer central characMARIAH CAREY’S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ters, this one via Lifetime is actually really ON APPLE TV+ good. It has a believable central romance This was the damnedest thing — like a (provided that you can accept a society that freshly chilled glass of eggnog, but instead wants its LGBTQ folk to be happy and fulof rum or nutmeg, it’s been constructed with filled) as well as a historical surprise that’s mescaline. I don’t even think it’s possible to relevant to our gentleman protagonists’ watch Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas interests and skill sets, and at no point does Special ironically, because Carey and her it feel treacly or like December homework. co-director Roman Coppola have created Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim’s Knives Chau) something that delivers everything one is a delight as the best friend, and Fran would expect from a traditional Christmas Drescher kicks nitro-fueled holiday joy as special but also feels cutting-edge (part the supportive mom everyone could use, of that might be due to COVID safety proespecially around the holidays. If Lifetime tocols and the technology of safety at this wants to keep making films of this quality, point in time) and dappled with weirdo I hope they do. Slight and sweet but filling energy. You have to respect any project like the finest of home-baked carbs, The that features Snoop Dogg, Billy Eichner, Christmas Setup might even become (dare Tiffany Haddish and the Peanuts gang, I risk my grumpy cred and say it) part of which this special does. Because the shockmy holiday routine. While Abby and Riley in ing truth of this holiday season is that it’s Happiest Season have the best outfits, Hugo been such a chaotic log flume ride through and Patrick totally win the battle of the a sewer of a year that it’s hard to keep 2020 Christmas Homosexuals. Also, Hugo’s focused on hope, or kindness, or anything Santa voice sounds like Bane, which is both that isn’t corrosive unease. So many holiendearing and hilarious. (If you don’t have day classics are built as a soft flick of the cable, you can stream this one by joining the nostalgia switch, relying on the viewer’s Lifetime Movie Club — a free trial followed own stored-up serotonin to do the work. by $4/month.)

Mariah Carey delights in entertaining, but you’ve got to gear up and meet her in the simultaneously futuristic and outdated video SANTA CLAUS ON TUBI arena (think Kylie Minogue’s Infinite Disco In this corner, we have Santa Claus, who performance, or a souped-up planetarium lives in a castle in space above the North laser show), where she’s offering a feast of Pole with an array of multicultural children postmodern cheer. So make your Yuletide and the wizard Merlin. And in the other corbright, grab hold of some holly jollies and ner is Old Pitch, one of Satan’s demon mindon’t let go until it thunders. ions whose job is to talk children into being EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM wicked during Christmas. They’re battling

nashvillescene.com | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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BEST SERVED COLD

Promising Young Woman is a brutal, dark and sometimes funny dose of vengeance

BY SADAF AHSAN

F

rom the moment I first saw The Bride seek bloody vengeance against the cult of assassins who betrayed her in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Uma Thurman’s yellow-jumpsuited slayer has been PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN burned in my brain.

R, 113 MINUTES That character has OPENING CHRISTMAS DAY AT become an avatar THE BELCOURT for the specific FOR MORE ON THE BELCOURT’S EXTENSIVE anger that belongs COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS, to women and our VISIT BELCOURT.ORG collective quest for justice. One rewatch is a satisfying salve, a legal substitute for butchering the men who’ve wronged me, my friends or any victims of abuse whose names are splashed across news headlines since as far back as I can remember — even as the men get away with it all ’cause of, you know, the patriarchy.

There’s a similar sort of energy to Cassie Thomas, the younger, less predictable vigilante at the center of Promising Young Woman. She swaps school-bus yellow for a disarming pastel pink, but otherwise, her drive and intentions are much like those of The Bride, right down to the notebooks where they keep their body counts.

Cassie, however, is a touch more creative.

Her method isn’t murder, but rather simple, ice-cold confrontation. Why? Because back when Cassie was in med school, her best friend Nina was raped. In the aftermath, Cassie dropped out of school to care for her.

HANKS AS ALWAYS

News of the World is a dusty, contemplative Western success

BY CORY WOODROOF

T

his Christmas, you don’t need Santa Claus.

You need America’s Dad playing a rugged journalist saving kids and fighting bigots and fake news in the Wild West.

Paul Greengrass marks his return to midNEWS OF THE WORLD PG-13, 118 MINUTES budget drama with News OPENING CHRISTMAS DAY of the World — the kind AT THE BELCOURT of film so many of us are FOR MORE ON THE worried will go extinct BELCOURT’S EXTENSIVE COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS, amid the modern studio VISIT BELCOURT.ORG landscape. While 2020 has already seen the release of another magnificent Western, Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, Greengrass’ film takes the much more traditional route of modern Western-making: revise and grimy up the John Ford/Howard Hawks template, pitting the moral loner (in this case, screen legend Tom Hanks) against the elements and what-

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But as time goes on and wounds fester, her rage only grows. Now, by day, she serves coffee at a cafe. By night, she tricks greasy douchebags into believing she’s blackout drunk. This way, once they take her home in an attempt to take advantage of her, she can reveal the sobering truth — exposing them for committing a crime they’re not even convinced they’re guilty of. The shame she induces in these extremely realistic culprits feels visceral — it’s on par with The Bride slicing through bodies with her katana.

Cassie effortlessly conquers these creeps one after another, though her anger is never even mildly sated. It isn’t hard for her to find these types of men, and repeatedly facing them is a painful indicator that they exist everywhere. It helps, too, that the actors playing these would-be rapists are all known for having portrayed innocent best-friend types in the past — Adam Brody (The O.C.), Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars), Christopher

Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), Sam Richardson (Veep), Max Greenfield (Veronica Mars, New Girl). Even Alison Brie, who plays a mean girl from Cassie’s past, goes against type here. It’s a reminder that women can play a part in rape culture too, by excusing what we know to be true because “he was always nice to me.”

In another clever bit of casting, Carey Mulligan — not often seen in thrillers or genre films — plays Cassie. It’s tough to look away from her, and not question what’s beneath each coy smile. It’s no secret Mulligan is good at what she does, but here, she is newly revelatory, nailing every beat of a film that defies genre.

And that, of course, is by design. On the surface, Promising Young Woman seems like a comedy. But as it progresses, it offers touches of Heathers-esque black comedy.

(Keep an eye out for a wonderful montage set to Paris Hilton’s underrated single “Stars

ever outlaw rambles into the scene.

While News of the World isn’t as inherently dark and unnerving as classics like Ride the High Country and Unforgiven, it does effectively reimagine one of cinema’s formative genres. With his adaptation of the Paulette Jiles novel of the same name (which he cowrote with Lion screenwriter Luke Davies), Greengrass certainly gets the spirit of the Western right, and puts Hanks in one of his best roles in a long time.

In a Reconstruction-era Texas, Hanks’ Civil War veteran Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd goes from town to town, reading newspapers to various communities.

Some of these communities are filled with disgruntled former Confederates who don’t like hearing news about how the world is progressing. And in some of these towns, various magnates disseminate their own racist pamphlets in an attempt to brainwash the citizenry. Though Hanks frequently plays characters who practice flagrant decency at this point in his career, Kidd seems a bit more reluctant when it comes to do-gooding. He’s got a world-weariness Hanks has always been stellar at portraying — while we all associate the actor with a desire to do the right thing, he’s really, really good at showing you why that can sometimes be especially difficult. It’s like he’s taking on both the Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne roles in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, another great Western centered in part around journalism.

As the film goes on, Kidd must guide a lost Ger-

man girl (Helena Zengel in a promising turn) raised

by Native Americans across a torturous Texan noman’s-land replete with danger. It’s a riveting experience — cinematographer (and frequent Ridley Scott and Tim Burton collaborator) Dariusz Wolski captures the grandeur of the setting as well as anyone could, and Greengrass uses his knack for taut sequencing in whip-smart fashion. The precision of his filmmaking melds perfectly with Hanks’ warmth and nobility — it’s a film about a man who has clearly lost a lot, but is still trying to make the best out of his situation and

Are Blind.”) Later, perhaps it’s a straight revenge thriller.

Cassie — with her rainbow manicure, doe eyes, dimples, ribboned tresses and affinity for pastels — couldn’t possibly bite. But, of course, she does much more than that.

Promising Young Woman, then, unabashedly offers the bitchin-sheep’s-clothing trope. In its intentionality, it works.

The film’s director and writer, Emerald Fennell, is currently playing Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown, and her cunning in that role is comparable to Mulligan’s here.

She also wrote and produced the second season of the delectable Killing Eve, earning two Emmy nominations. She also writes horror novels. With this film, she proves to have mastered a genre of her own making: feminist thrillers, with a sexy edge.

The movie, by the way, is unforgiving in the way life sometimes is. This is a land where happy endings don’t live, and it isn’t always easy to watch. I found myself sitting in silence as the credits rolled, processing the film and its gut-punch of a climax. For those watching who are victims of sexual assault, it might cut especially deep.

But it also takes aim at the “nice guys” who never are what they insist they are, and who profit from and perpetuate rape culture. A snake in the grass, much like its beguiling antihero, Promising Young Woman is necessarily disturbing in its efforts to teach us all a lesson.

One of those lessons arrives when a target of Cassie’s proclaims, “Every man’s worst nightmare is to get accused.” She responds, “Can you guess what every woman’s worst nightmare is?”

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

his decisions. The world is tough, but it’s made easier when we try to extend a helping hand, and fight for the ideas that matter.

News of the World is 2020’s second-best American Western, and a heartening reminder of why we still long for the Western expanse we see in movies. Modern filmmaking is often extravagant, but sometimes it’s nice to be back in a familiar, rough-and-tumble genre, watching the work of an actor we all love and trust and a filmmaker who knows how to use him.

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NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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ACROSS Ignorance, perhaps 76ers, on scoreboards Chump File accompanying many a download They turn on machines Fort Myers-to-Orlando dir.

Photo from a drone Aesthete’s collection, maybe *Creator of 55-Across *Co-host of 55-Across MADD ad, e.g., in brief Commercial ploy Noted “retiree” of ’03 Groundwork of a plant manager?

Shipshape *Group of six given for free on 55-Across Country that has no rivers: Abbr.

Memorable hurricane of 2017 Something there’s almost no point to?

Peaceful, rustic scene Tilt Set, in French Triton’s domain, in Greek myth *Co-host of 55-Across Go postal Online endorsements ___ Speedwagon Put forward Long-running TV series set in Las Vegas *Bad place to land on 55-Across *It debuted on 1/6/1975 Not completely crazy, as a plan Fade, as a fad Geisha’s accessory Ace Tabasco, en México Upscale hotel amenity Afore Unreliable DOWN Round things?

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Sch. in Ames Johnny who made his film debut in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” Aquarium denizen ___Kosh B’gosh Little waves, in Spain Offer a thought Speak with a deep, hoarse voice Room opposite the kitchen on a Clue board

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Egyptian key of life Roach or termite A.D.A.-compliance option What you might cry when trying to answer the six starred clues?

Like many homes along bayous Gave to, as answers Actor McDonough Some accommodations on long-distance trains Where nearly half of the U.S.’s publicly traded cos. are incorporated Key of Pachelbel’s Canon: Abbr.

Jerk move?

Zebras Turn in a popular game show City that rhymes with “Rosanna” in a #1 George Strait country hit

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S U H P I TC

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MUSIC CITY

PSYCHIC

EAST/Five Points: 972 Main St. (615) 434-6000 Nashv ill stron e g!

ille Nashv ! e Fuer t

2605 Jefferson St.

Holiday Predictions

order online @ (below 1-40 Overpass) 615-730-6632 WingzandFriez.com

615-915-0515

284 White Bridge Rd

Dine-In...Take-Out...Delivery (Doordash, UberEats)

@Wingzfriez wingsandFriez.com

Vintage Bus

x 6

TAKE-OUT SPECIALS

BIG BOY BREAKFAST SANDWICH* $6.99

BEST LAWYER

CHICKEN or BEEF KEBAB* $6.99

*”House-Cut” Fries Included Athens Family Restaurant 2526 Franklin Rd. Melrose 615-383-2848 Open Since 2004

WE !

ER DELIV

WWW.ROCKYLAWFIRM.COM

615.425.2500

WE FIGHT FOR YOU

4106 Conversion on YouTube Asking 40K Ph 931-979-1205 email duncanfreddy@gmail.com

VOTED BEST CHINESE (5 YEARS) & BEST TAKE-OUT TOO! WRITERS’ R: CH NE

AUTHENTIC ASIAN CUISINE

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WI N

luchador regular is the font

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SICHUAN & CANTONESE

OPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH & DINNER: SUN. THRU THURS. 11-9 | FRI./SAT. 11-10 36

NASHVILLE SCENE | DECEMBER 24, 2020 – JANUARY 6, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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facebook/Luckybamboonash | B.Y.O.B. No Corking Fee! | ORDER ONLINE: luckybamboochinabistro.com 5855 Charlotte Pike | 760-5930 | 1/2 Mile West of White Bridge Rd. (“Up The Ramp on Left”)

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