Nashville Scene 5-4-23

STATE OF DISREPAIR

With national attention trained on Tennessee, the state legislature passed laws punishing Metro and restricting gender-affirming care — but nothing on gun control

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LIGHT: BRUCE MUNRO

All images by Bruce Munro (British, b. 1959), on loan from Bruce Munro Studio. Whizz Pops, 2012, Photography by Mark Pickthall; Forest of Light, 1992, Photography by Serena Munro; Time and Again, 2019, Photography by Serena Munro; Forest of Light, 1992, Photography by Serena Munro.

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CITY LIMITS

How the Titans Got New Turf 7

We’re going to need more cranes

BY ELI MOTYCKA

Scholar Nathan Kelly on the State of Democracy in Tennessee 8

‘Democracy itself has become, to some extent, a partisan issue’

BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

Pith in the Wind

8

This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

11

COVER STORY

State of Disrepair

With national attention trained on Tennessee, the state legislature passed laws punishing Metro and restricting gender-affirming care — but nothing on gun control

Is a Special Session Coming?

12

The legislature adjourned without heeding the governor’s calls for gun reform

BY STEVE CAVENDISH

No Cares for Health Care 12

Legislators took aim at gender-affirming care for youth and HIV prevention funding, renewed their commitment to abortion ban

BY HANNAH HERNER

The Legislature’s Nonstop Whipping of Metro Nashville 14 Nashville tries to fight back against anti-Metro legislation

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

What About Schools? ............................. 16

The legislature passed bills related to third-grade reading, ESAs and school safety — but not guns

BY KELSEY BEYELER

Where Our Money’s Going

16

The state budget shows where the Republican supermajority’s true priorities lie

BY CONNOR DARYANI

19

CRITICS’ PICKS

Janet Jackson, Pond, Taylor Swift, Sevier Park Fest, Feist, Best Buddies Friendship Walk, Dave Eggers, Hoodoo Gurus and more

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FOOD AND DRINK

From Farm to Table to Locally Legendary Husk celebrates 10 years as one of Nashville’s most impactful restaurants

BY CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

ART

Crawl Space: May 2023

AI, a bazaar and mixed-media May at this weekend’s First Saturday Art Crawl

BY JOE NOLAN

BOOKS

Not Too Blue Lucinda Williams offers a transparent view of a life spent writing and healing

THIS WEEK ON THE WEB:

What Happens If the East Bank Floods Again?

Cooper Pitches Rosy Retrospective at 60th State of Metro

First Bite: Hoof It to Edit in Hendersonville for a Cool Polynesian Vibe

The Wans Look Forward in ‘Enough of Your Love’

BURNS VILLAGE & FARM MAY EVENTS

Friday, May 12 • 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

How Does a Community Build a Village?

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Sat. May 13 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sun. May 14 • 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Our architects Jack and Patricia will guide us as we begin to plan the layout of our community. This is intended for members and also those who want to learn about cohousing development.

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Photo by Hamilton Matthew Masters

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‘LET’S FINISH THE JOB’ — BIDEN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR SECOND TERM

President Joe Biden has announced that he is seeking a second term as president of the United States, encouraging Americans to continue righting the ship after Trump’s tumultuous and damaging administration.

“Let’s finish the job,” said President Biden in his campaign announcement.

During his first three years in office, Biden has accomplished more than nearly any president in recent history. As NPR recently reported: “Biden’s policies have largely been popular, including climate and health care measures in the Inflation Reduction Act, and bipartisan spending bills on infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing. That’s helped him to make a strong case for himself for 2024, said Democratic strategist Lis Smith, an adviser to Pete Buttigieg in his 2020 bid. ‘Joe Biden has had one of the most successful first two years of any president in recent history,’ Smith said. ‘He has been dismissed and discounted at every turn, and still overperformed expectations.’”

President Biden’s accomplishments in the White House have stabilized our economy and built strong international partnerships. Simply put, his plan is working. As The New York Times reported last month, “Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, rose at 1.1 percent annual rate in the first quarter, according to preliminary data released by the Commerce Department,” going on to note “a third straight quarter of growth.” Writes the Times’ Ben Casselman, “Consumers have been buoyed by a strong job market and rising wages,” which means that Americans feel stable and are willing to spend their earnings on goods and services.

Biden’s stable economic goals are mirrored in his foreign policy. “Fix what’s broken” could easily be his motto. CNN recently described his successes at home and abroad: “The president’s tenure in office so far has been marked by key triumphs for his colossal policy agenda, including successfully pushing forward and compromising on a broad set of legacy-making, high pricetag priorities with Congress that addressed funding for the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, bolstering domestic semiconductor chip production, and addressing climate change. And under Biden’s watch, the US has attempted to undo Trump’s legacy of diplomacy operating through a nationalist lens, returning to global agreements and reinforcing partnerships with allies who had been jilted by his predecessor.”

Far-right MAGA extremists have complained that Joe Biden is too old to run again. Biden addressed this before his campaign launch, saying he took “a hard look” at his age and determined with his physicians that he is fit to remain in office. When asked by ABC News chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce about his age and a potential Biden-Trump matchup, Biden responded, “I know him well, and I know the danger he presents to our democracy.” The simple fact of the matter is that Biden is only three years older than Trump. That’s hardly a dramatic difference in age. If we’re going to express concern about age, that question impacts both parties in this election. Far more important to consider are our leaders’ morality and proven capability.

After all, the thought of a second Trump administration inspires dread in the hearts of many Americans — and not simply those progressives who stand on the far left. As AP News described it: “Few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-thanexpected performance in last year’s midterm elections. The president is set to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall.”

Politico also commented on the growing bipartisan opposition to a potential Trump campaign. “[Biden’s] team believes the electoral map remains tilted in his favor. In 2020, he won back the Great Lakes trio of states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — that Trump swiped four years earlier and Biden has relentlessly campaigned in those states, touting his middle class roots and union support. And Democrats believe that suburban dismay at Trump’s behavior and some extreme Republican positions on issues like abortion and guns could slide new battleground states like Georgia and Arizona in the president’s column.”

“This is not a time to be complacent,” says President Biden in his campaign announcement. “That’s why I am running for re-election — because I know America. I know we’re good and decent people. I know we’re still a country that believes in honesty and respect and treating each other with dignity.”

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CITY LIMITS

HOW THE TITANS GOT NEW TURF

We’re going to need more cranes

BY ELI MOTYCKA

The city has agreed to move forward with a new $2.1 billion domed stadium. It will host the Tennessee Titans’ eight annual home games and bait big-ticket events, namely a Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four games.

The city will contribute $760 million to stadium costs, and the state will chip in $500 million. Costs to develop the surrounding 300 acres — currently an industrial floodplain between East Nashville and downtown — into a stadium district will likely approach another $1 billion. Boosters praise the deal for freeing the city from potentially costly liabilities exposed in the current lease signed in 1996 and launching the city even higher into the entertainment stratosphere. Critics call it a historically lavish giveaway of public funds to another billion-dollar corporation, a painful symbol of city leaders’ upside-down loyalty to downtown tourism dollars instead of pressing city needs like housing and transit.

TIMELINE

Then-Mayor Phil Bredesen aggressively courted the Houston Oilers, signing a lease in 1996 that favored the team and locked Nashville into a long-term agreement that required the city to keep its stadium in “first class condition.” Three years later, Kevin Dyson went down at the 1-yard line — the Titans lost the Super Bowl, but they started winning the city, which got a taste of the national spotlight long before the bachelorettes and James Beard nominations arrived. Adelphia Coliseum became the Coliseum, then LP Field and finally Nissan Stadium.

The Tennessean ran a Sunday cover story on Jan. 2, 2022, headlined: “Nashville’s next chapter is being written on the banks of the Cumberland.” The angle seemed to come out of nowhere, a booster piece by and for real estate circles desperate for the next land bonanza. In February, Axios’ Nate Rau broke the story about discussions on a new stadium. Mayor John Cooper’s former scheduler said Cooper had been meeting with the team weekly for a year about next steps for the stadium.

Last spring, Cooper floated pursuing a new stadium rather than renovating Nissan, matching his talking points to The Tennessean’s lede — “Nashville’s Next Great Neighborhood” became the tagline for a campus that would feature all manner of revamped commercial and residential space, including but not limited to a domed stadium. Cooper put $2.2 billion in June’s Capital Improvements Budget. The Metro Council set up its own oversight body, the East Bank Stadium Committee, to probe the terms of what would be the largest-ever amount of public

money for the second-most-expensive stadium in the world.

Legislation came through the council in bits and pieces. The council bickered, at times confused by proposed Nissan Stadium renovations that were supposed to cost only $300 million now ballooning into the billions. Critics wanted the city to do its own due diligence rather than rely on the Titans’ numbers. Supporters pointed to the glossy stadium renderings and maintenance bills still overdue from the 1996 lease.

MONEY IN THE BANK

Today the East Bank is an industrial wasteland. Last year, Metro’s Planning Department started rolling out new slideshows advertising a revamped downtown corridor. The city will pay for new infrastructure like streetscape, sewer and water, working with one or more as-yet-unknown private developers to build a stadium district with two purposes: raise a live-work-play environment profitable to its developers, and create a sales tax base to repay stadium debt. It will cost a lot of general fund money over a long period of time — money that is necessary for (but not captured by) the stadium’s $2.1 billion price tag.

“A quarter of every [Capital Spending Plan] until 2030!” a Metro source told the Scene recently, referencing the city’s intermittent plans that budget spending for things like road improvements, school renovations and new fire engines. The actual costs of overhauling the area have not been finalized. Expect a five-year construction zone à la Amazon’s Nashville Yards.

THE NUMBERS

Tennessee’s $500 million contribution came in with the straightforward stipulation that it be used only for a domed stadium. Add to that $840 million from the team, which will cover cost overruns. The rest is a thick braid of tax revenue backing Nashville’s $760 million: all sales tax revenue collected in the stadium and half collected in the sur-

rounding 130 acres, plus an additional 1 percent to the hotel occupancy tax collected countywide. These streams include local option sales taxes that would otherwise go to the city’s general fund. Proponents argue that, without the stadium, there wouldn’t be money coming in anyway, so why not pledge future tax revenue, similar to the logic behind tax increment financing (TIF) projects. No one knows how much these streams will generate each year. The city’s money people, like bond counsel Jeff Oldham and finance director Kelly Flannery, will assure lenders that it’s enough to cover payments for $760 million in new bond debt.

POPULAR REACTIONS

Many councilmembers saw the deal as a preferable escape route from an embarrassing and potentially expensive legal quandary. In her blog, District 26’s Courtney Johnston praises the new deal for allowing the city to wiggle from a general fund liability into one backed by tax revenues. Councilmember At-Large Bob Mendes continues to criticize the administration for not sufficiently exploring alternatives (specifically for neglecting to get its own renovation estimate). He characterizes the deal as an

open-ended money pit that will financially short-circuit, forcing the city to sign away more in public money than the stadium will ever return. As legislation moved through the council, members in both camps shared the same frustration: Deal negotiations happened privately and arrived at the council with a sense of urgency that chilled debate and minimized the body’s role in a significant decision for the city.

KICKOFF

The council passed the official “intergovernmental project agreement” at a special meeting on April 25 (which, after much public comment from community members, stretched into the early-morning hours of April 26). The vote cut against objections by local housing and economic justice groups, who called on members to slow the deal and examine the city’s priorities. A Vanderbilt University poll showed that most residents oppose a new stadium, and some mayoral candidates are already campaigning against it.

Expect the project to break ground in 2024 and finish in time for the Titans’ 2027 season opener. Expect even more cranes. EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

TITANS STADIUM RENDERINGS

SCHOLAR NATHAN KELLY ON THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY IN

partisan issue’

BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

After the expulsion of Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, progressive politicians and commentators raised the alarm that the Republican-dominated Tennessee legislature was attacking democracy. Some even called the body fascist. Even before the expulsions, the legislature took steps to criminalize outdoor protests, restrict gender-affirming care, outlaw drag shows, shrink Nashville’s Metro Council and restrict school curriculum.

The Scene reached out to a scholar on democracy to see what an expert on the topic makes of the situation. Nathan Kelly is a professor at the University of TennesseeKnoxville who has studied how economic and racial inequalities affect U.S. democracy, and has also researched democracies in Latin America.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

next election.

I would say, too, that one of the key principles of democracy is welcoming of dissent and welcoming of various viewpoints on contentious issues. I think the issue with the “Tennessee Three” fits right into this theme of a supermajority not being as interested as a pro-democracy party would be in listening to dissent.

We haven’t gotten to the point yet where there are strongly institutionalized restrictions on free speech. … The thing right now that’s closest to [that] is the divisive-concepts bills that have affected both higher education and K-12. I don’t think they quite fit into the category of a complete move on free speech, but it’s definitely in a more authoritarian direction than what you would hope to see in the context of a thriving democracy.

there is that it’s most likely to decrease representation for people of color … in that body. Simply stated, if you have bigger districts, it’s less likely for them to be majority-minority districts.

fully included [in] the governing process — those being Indigenous people. We’ve had an exclusionary democracy for a long time in the United States, too. … Black Americans, in particular, have not really been fully incorporated into U.S. democracy, except for maybe very brief periods of time.

YOUR TAKE ON DEMOCRACY IN TENNESSEE?

WHAT’S

[From a] purely academic standpoint, we probably wouldn’t classify Tennessee as a full democracy at this point. To have a fully representative democracy, you have to have real competition in order for there to be accountability. And in Tennessee … there’s very little real competition, in the sense that one party is very dominant and doesn’t have to worry about what might happen to them in the

IS THE SITUATION IN TENNESSEE UNIQUE? Not completely. There are some states where democracy thrives more fully, but there are a number of states — and I don’t mean to be partisan — that are led by Republicans that are taking actions to decrease competition, to undermine voter rights, to gerrymander in ways so that their representation in legislative institutions … really outpaces the support that they truly have.

DOES SOMETHING LIKE THE STATE’S ATTEMPT TO SHRINK THE METRO COUNCIL FIT INTO THAT TREND OF UNDERMINING COMPETITION? Absolutely, it does. I think the biggest thing

ACTIVISTS AND OTHERS ARE SAYING THAT TENNESSEE IS LOOKING LIKE A FASCIST OR UNDEMOCRATIC STATE. HOW MUCH VALIDITY IS THERE TO SOME OF THAT MORE ALARMIST LANGUAGE? I think the other end of the spectrum from democracy is not necessarily fascism, it’s authoritarianism. And one of the things that we see from historical example after historical example is that when democracies die, it doesn’t happen in one big event. … Democracies die a slow death by 1,000 cuts. And so, while I think we do have to be careful with our rhetoric and we don’t want to be overly alarmist, at the same time, any move away from democracy is a move toward authoritarianism. And if one doesn’t raise the alarm on initial steps away from democracy, you pretty soon find yourself 20 or 30 steps closer to authoritarianism.

YOU’VE ALSO DONE SOME SCHOLARSHIP ON DEMOCRACY IN LATIN AMERICA. HOW ARE THOSE STUDIES APPLICABLE WHEN IT COMES TO MONITORING DEMOCRACY AT HOME, EVEN ON THE STATE LEVEL? The similarities are relatively subtle at this point. Peru is a place where you’ve had years and years of particular minoritized groups being not

I lived in Venezuela as Hugo Chavez was in the middle of his reign. Obviously, Chavez was more on the left wing, but it’s authoritarianism — no matter what the ideological stripe is — when you are taking specific actions to prevent your opposition from having a voice. … It was like democracy itself became a partisan issue. And I see that happening in the U.S. too, where democracy itself has become, to some extent, a partisan issue.

And when the parties are fighting about democracy, not just policy disputes within a democratic system, you’re in a very precarious place. And that’s where we’re at right now in the United States.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Mayor John Cooper addressed Metro councilmembers and residents last week at the 60th State of Metro address. Cooper announced in January that he would not seek a second term as mayor. The speech took place at the still-under-construction James Lawson High School in Bellevue, where the mayor took the chance to pitch his legacy, which, he argued, includes righting the city’s finances through four turbulent years. About a dozen candidates are vying to be the city’s next top executive. Voters will weigh in on Aug. 3. … The U.S. Department of Justice challenged Tennessee’s new law restricting health care for transgender youth, arguing that, by discriminating based on sex and transgender identity, it violates equal protections granted to citizens by the 14th Amendment. The DOJ joins advocacy groups in opposing the new law — the American Civil Liber-

ties Union filed its own challenge earlier in April. A challenge from the federal government pits sophomore U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis of the Middle District of Tennessee against Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Metro Nashville Public Schools denied three new charter applications — from Pathways in Education, Nashville Collegiate Prep High School and Invictus Nashville

— at a board meeting on April 25. The city has been wary of the influx in charter schools over the past few years, and charter-friendly legislation at the state level has made it easier for spurned charter operators to gain a foothold alongside districts’ traditional public schools. The Rutherford County Schools board recently approved an application for a new American Classical Education school in Murfreesboro — ACE

is the charter arm of Hillsdale College, a Christian private school in Michigan favored by the governor. … Event space AB Hillsboro Village is hosting a prom for Nashville Christian School senior B Hayes, who was rejected from attending the school’s prom by administrators for wearing a suit. Hayes’ story made national headlines amid gender-based attacks by state legislatures in Tennessee, Montana, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota, among others. … Contributor Betsy Phillips drills down on the city’s impending push to develop the East Bank, a floodplain where a new $2.1 billion stadium for the Tennessee Titans will anchor Nashville’s latest commercial-residential real estate bonanza. Phillips uses a DIY pizza-box diorama to walk readers through the implications of layering concrete and cement on top of nature’s battle-tested strategies for flood mitigation. ... On Monday, Tennessee’s education commissioner announced that she is stepping down. Penny Schwinn will be replaced by Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds, who will take over on July 1.

NASHVILLESCENE.COM/PITHINTHEWIND

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TENNESSEE

‘Democracy itself has become, to some extent, a

NATHAN KELLY

“WE PROBABLY WOULDN’T CLASSIFY TENNESSEE AS A FULL DEMOCRACY AT THIS POINT. TO HAVE A FULLY REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE REAL COMPETITION IN ORDER FOR THERE TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY.”

THIS WEEK ON OUR NEWS AND POLITICS BLOG:

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS 2023 STATE OF METRO ADDRESS

JUNE 3 & 4

TANYA TUCKER

JULY 14

KILLER MIKE

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

JULY 19

SCHOOL OF ROCK

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

AUGUST 29 SECOND SHOW ADDED

LEANNE MORGAN

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

SEPTEMBER 8

RAY LAMONTAGNE

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

OCTOBER 18

WHEELER WALKER, JR.

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

STATE OF DISREPAIR

Even for those of us who keep a close eye on the Tennessee General Assembly each year, the 2023 session was a doozy.

Remember back in early March, when liberal activism site Tennessee Holler uncovered odd social media comments left by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on thirst-trap posts by a young, gay aspiring superstar? It was a big enough deal to inspire a segment on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.” (It wasn’t the last time “Update” spoofed the Volunteer State this season, as a matter of fact.) Well, McNally’s odd comments seem practically quaint in comparison to all that has transpired at the Tennessee State Capitol since.

In the wake of the tragic March 27 mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, protesters showed up in droves to demand action from the legislature on gun violence. Gov. Bill Lee and state leaders announced a series of proposals in response to the shooting, though none of them related to gun control. Then, famously, three Democratic members of the state House now known as the Tennessee Three — a reference to Johnny Cash’s longtime backing band — faced expulsion efforts from the body’s Republican supermajority for joining protesters in chants and calls for action from the well of the House chamber. After a long and bitter hearing, Black Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (DMemphis) were expelled from the body, while their white colleague Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) avoided expulsion by one vote. County leaders in Nashville and Memphis returned the Justins to their seats with haste, and the Tennessee

GOP’s efforts backfired on the publicity front: House Republicans found themselves the butt of a nationally circulated joke, and the Tennessee Three earned invites to the White House and the admiration of Joan Baez and Bernie Sanders, among many, many others.

Soon after, leaked audio from a meeting of the House Republican Caucus revealed petty GOP infighting over the expulsion efforts. And before the month was through, allegations surfaced involving the caucus’s vice chair — Rep. Scotty Campbell (R-Mountain City) — who reportedly harassed at least one 19-year-old legislative intern. Campbell, who allegedly put his hands on the intern and offered her cannabis gummies in exchange for seeing her tattoos and piercings, resigned within hours.

Somewhere, among all the Republican supermajority’s humiliating publicity fails, they also managed to pass a bunch of legislation. A great deal of that legislation focused on punishing Metro Nashville and targeting the LGBTQ community. They also passed a budget and approved Gov. Lee’s Transportation Modernization Act. But despite Lee’s calls for action on gun reform, they didn’t pass any laws related to guns — well, except for one from Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits. As a result, Lee announced that he would be calling for a special session of the legislature to tend to the oversight. We’re still standing by to find out if and when that will take place.

In this week’s issue, we take a look at everything the Tennessee General Assembly did — and didn’t — accomplish in 2023. —D.

PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With national attention trained on Tennessee, the state legislature passed laws punishing Metro and restricting genderaffirming care — but nothing on gun control

THE TENNESSEE THREE PHOTOS: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Is a Special Session Coming?

The legislature adjourned without heeding the governor’s calls for gun reform

BY STEVE CAVENDISH

IF YOU HOLD IT, will they come?

As governor, Bill Lee has the ability to call a special session of the legislature to address gun legislation issues. Following the regular session gaveling to a close, Lee said he would be calling one soon. As of last week, the governor’s office says a special session will “likely be after July 4.” But after talking with multiple Democrats in the Davidson County delegation, it’s not clear whether Republicans would attend a special session or what legislation would be offered.

“I don’t expect it to happen,” says Democratic Rep. Bo Mitchell. “I think that what little courage they might have had has dissipated since we got out of session. That’s a shame. The people of Tennessee expect us to do a job.”

Some Republicans, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga, have demanded to see documents written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale before considering any gun legislation. The Metro Nashville Police Department denied Gardenhire’s request, citing its ongoing investigation, and as of press time, the materials have not been released. Lee also urged the release of the records.

One issue, according to Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro, is that it’s unclear who in the majority would take responsibility for the legislation, given the firearms lobby’s threats to support a primary challenge against anyone who proposes new gun or extreme risk laws

— the latter of which Gov. Lee has already proposed language for.

“I think that there are people that avoided talking about firearms legislation during the session with the cynical hope that by the time we adjourned, people would move on,” says Yarbro. “I think it’s pretty critical to prove that wrong. We need people to build and grow and organize so that there is pressure across the state. It turns out Republican families have children and grandchildren too. I believe they want to see the legislature take this issue seriously and get something done.”

First-term Democratic Sen. Charlane Oliver says the ball is in the GOP’s hands.

“This is on GOP leadership if they will listen to the majority of Tennesseans who are demanding to stay safe in their schools and churches and homes,” Oliver says. “We are further along than at the beginning of the session. Now that conversation has shifted, and that is a win to celebrate. The legislation Gov. Lee has proposed is not 100 percent what we would like to see, but it’s something we didn’t have a month ago. It’s a big step forward.”

One possible scenario would be to wait and see the outcome of a redistricting lawsuit that ended last week. Parties have a month to file closing briefs before a three-judge panel of chancellors decides whether or not the lines drawn for state House and Senate districts last year were unconstitutional. If the judges strike down the current lines, the legislature would have to meet in order to draw new district boundaries or risk the court doing it for them. But waiting on that outcome — which would likely be appealed — could make it months before the legislature would need to meet.

Yarbro says pressure is building for the state to do something.

“The longer the governor waits, the less willing voters and families will be to accept half measures and talking-point solutions.” ■

No Cares for Health Care

Legislators took aim at gender-affirming care for youth and HIV prevention funding, renewed their commitment to abortion ban

BY HANNAH HERNER

IT SEEMS THE 2023 legislative session focused on how not to provide health care for Tennesseans — especially when it comes to the type of care that GOP leaders deem immoral.

In February, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a bill effectively banning gender-affirming care for minors, following through on a promise from legislators who took the stage at a Daily Wire-led anti-trans rally in the fall. The American Civil Liberties Union and others have since sued the state on behalf of trans youth and their families, including one Nashville family, and last week the U.S. Department of Justice asked the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee to issue an immediate order to prevent the law from going into effect. Republican legislators also attempted to take the so-called slate of hate directed toward transgender people one step further with a bill that would prohibit TennCare from contracting with insurers that cover gender-affirming treatment. That effort failed.

Lawmakers also kept promises to antiabortion group Tennessee Right to Life. A bill originally introduced to allow physicians to use “good faith judgment” in performing abortions was edited to compromise (their words, not mine) with Tennessee Right to Life. What’s left is a narrow carve-out for physicians to use “reasonable medical judgment” to prevent death of a pregnant patient or spare them from the irreversible, severe impairment of a major bodily function. Before this law, there was no exception in the abortion ban, only an affirmative defense in court for doctors who performed the procedure to save the life of a patient. It’s a small

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

on the country charts, including his 1965 truck-driving anthem “A Tombstone Every Mile.”

RESERVE TODAY

artifact: Courtesy of John Sheldon artifact photo: Bob Delevante

step in the right direction, physicians tell the Scene, but they preferred the original language that allowed “good faith judgment.”

In addition, despite public approval for abortion-ban exceptions in the case of rape and incest, a bill that would allow exactly that failed.

On the maternal health front, the state legislature voted down a bill that would allow for people on TennCare to have doula services covered, but did establish a doula advisory committee to explore reimbursement rates for doulas. It’s something health advocacy organization Healthy and Free Tennessee sees as a step in the right direction on the path to getting necessary infrastructure for pregnant people to be covered by TennCare.

Going into the session, TennCare renewals were front-of-mind. The organization started its first renewal process in more than three years on April 1. In the next 12 months, more than 300,000 Tennesseeans will lose coverage because they are no longer eligible, or as has happened previously, because of clerical errors. The first Tennesseans to lose coverage will be removed from the roll for lack of response on June 12. The latest waiver the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted to Tennessee allows those reported under 100 percent federal poverty level as of March 2019 to be automatically renewed if TennCare cannot find recent income data for them. In addition, TennCare will renew certain individuals’ eligibility based on SNAP enrollment or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families eligibility.

New health commissioner Ralph Alvarado was relatively quiet throughout the session, only showing face to not answer questions about refusing to take Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for HIV prevention centers. In a rare move, the CDC ultimately agreed to bypass the state and give $4 million (the original grant value was around $9 million total) directly to the United Way of Greater Nashville.

This year, the Republican supermajority showed its constituents that they don’t like abortion, HIV prevention or for youth to have access to gender-affirming care. It remains unclear what they do like. ■

The Legislature’s Nonstop Whipping of Metro Nashville

Nashville tries to fight back against anti-Metro legislation

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO DISCUSS the broken relationship between the city of Nashville and its state government, whose seats of power are separated by just a couple of blocks, without talking about the Republican National Convention.

Republicans, who dominate Tennessee state government, desperately wanted to host the RNC in Nashville in 2024. The Metro Council, controlled by left-leaning representatives, did not, and the body voted last year not to support a bid for the GOP coronation festivities.

That decision set off a flurry of vengeful promises, later mostly fulfilled by the Tennessee General Assembly during its 2023 session. But it can’t be said that the legislature’s posture toward Nashville was wholly inspired by the RNC decision. Months before the Metro Council vote, the General Assembly decided to crack Nashville’s congressional district, leaving the Democratic city represented in Washington, D.C., by far-flung rural conservatives. And the legislature has spent years preempting Metro efforts on zoning and other matters.

But this year the efforts reached a new volume. During the three-month session, the Tennessee General Assembly passed bills cutting the Metro Council in half, abolishing Nashville’s police oversight board, restricting funds related to the Music City Center, taking over seats on Nashville’s airport and sports boards and easing the path to a NASCAR-fueled overhaul at The Fairgrounds Nashville’s racetrack.

Though Republicans in the legislature occasionally slipped and admitted the reason for the

moves was retribution, bill sponsors and supporters frequently cited a desire for governmental efficiency and fiscal oversight.

Democrats, especially those from Nashville, were outraged — and even the rare Republican would speak out against the bills. Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) saw his district take on a chunk of Nashville in recent redistricting, and he railed against some of the anti-Nashville efforts (while also sponsoring the police oversight bill). He at times pleaded with his GOP colleagues to turn down the temperature of the Metro stir-fry while noting that he thought Nashville should not be “picking a fight” with the legislature. To no avail.

The issue has become a significant one in the ongoing mayor’s race, set to be decided in an August election with a possible runoff the following month. Some candidates argue that their experience at the legislature, working with state agencies or, in Republican Alice Rolli’s case, as a fellow conservative, will allow them to reason with state leaders and stamp out some of the tensions. Other candidates caution against negotiating with terrorists.

At-Large Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes in part conditioned his endorsement of mayoral candidate and District 19 Councilmember Freddie O’Connell on the latter argument. Mendes said campaigning on a belief that the state can be reasoned with is “a naive posture” that he cannot support, thus his endorsement of O’Connell (who did say he plans to frequently engage with the governor’s office, the legislature and community leaders outside of Nashville if elected).

With little hope of a cease-fire, some in Nashville see the only recourse in the courts. The first antiNashville bill to pass this session, the one capping the 40-member Metro Council at 20 members, has already been put on hold by a court. Residents or city leaders could still sue over others, including the police oversight bill.

“We hope cooler heads will prevail, but in the event they do not, we are prepared to vigorously defend the constitutional rights of our city and its residents,” Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said in March. ■

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

METRO COURTHOUSE

RALPH ALVARADO, HEALTH COMMISSIONER

Bold. Dynamic. Vibrant.

For spirits connoisseurs that crave a taste for something new yet extraordinarily steeped in tradition, Nashville’s premium Black Sheep Tequila is produced entirely from the organic labor-intensive, additive-free, centuries-old, hands-on process. Due to its character, complexity and incredibly smooth taste, tequila experts around the globe have awarded Black Sheep the "World's Finest Tequila."

Carmen Herrera (Cuban-American, 1915-2022), Courtesy the Estate of Carmen Herrera and Lisson Gallery. Untitled

What About Schools?

The legislature passed bills related to third-grade reading, ESAs and school safety — but not guns

BY KELSEY BEYELER

MANY EDUCATION-RELATED ISSUES that received a lot of attention at the beginning of this year’s legislative session flew under the radar following the Covenant School shooting and the ensuing gun violence protests. Here are some of the most notable education bills heading to the governor’s desk.

Much time and money was spent addressing school safety, though Tennessee Republicans’ strategy on this front was greenlighting as many safety measures and resources as possible without addressing gun reform. One bill that would have allowed teachers to be armed was shelved. A school security bill backed by Gov. Bill Lee passed, focusing on locking exterior

Where Our Money’s Going

The state budget shows where the Republican supermajority’s true priorities lie

BY CONNOR DARYANI

A BILL TO ARM TEACHERS was scheduled to be heard in the state House on the final Monday of the General Assembly’s session, and the chamber’s gallery was once again packed with protesters holding signs calling for gun control legislation. Two days later, the state’s $56.2 billion budget passed in the House. That day, for one of the the first times since the Covenant School shooting on March 27, the gallery was nearly empty.

This was a common theme throughout the session. Before the gun violence protests began, legislators and lobbyists were relatively free to roam the halls of the Capitol with little fear of being harangued by protesters. While issues like abortion, trans rights and guns might have the pull to get people to rally, economic policy isn’t exactly a barn-burner of a topic. But while less exciting, the budget has a very significant impact — and provides some good indications of where the Republican supermajority’s true priorities lie.

Gov. Bill Lee’s $3.3 billion Transportation Modernization Act took up one of the largest chunks of the budget, and despite passing with bipartisan support, it drew the ire of critics on both sides of the aisle for its lack of ambition and introduction of “choice lanes” — which advocates adamantly say are not toll roads. Despite Nashville Democrats like Sen. Heidi Campbell criticizing the plan as another instance of big cities being shortchanged, the bill passed with relatively little obstruction.

Other pieces of the budget were far smaller but nevertheless significant. After Lee originally proposed $100 million for his

doors — a measure that proved to be moot in the case of the Covenant School shooter, who entered by shooting out the glass doors of the building. Moving forward, schools that repeatedly fail checks for locked exterior doors could face financial penalties. The legislation also seeks to bolster school buildings against attacks by requiring security mechanisms like cameras, door locks, bulletproof film for glass doors in newly constructed buildings and more. It also requires schools to implement and report school safety plans and drills. The state budget also allocates $140 million to add school resource officers to every public school, plus additional funding to enhance security measures in public and private schools.

A controversial 2021 law that would retain some third-graders will move forward as planned before slight changes go into effect during the 2023-2024 school year. Colloquially referred to as the third-grade retention law, it requires third-graders who don’t pass the English language arts portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program to attend summer school, receive tutoring or both in order to be promoted to fourth grade. Going into

the session, legislators were flooded with requests to change the law by parents and school leaders. After much deliberation, they passed legislation that will add an additional state benchmark test to be considered alongside the TCAP. Students who score within the 50th percentile of the last benchmark test before the TCAP may be promoted, but if they are promoted via this measure, they must receive tutoring in fourth grade. Additionally, the bill allows school staff to assist parents in appealing a retention decision to the state, and requires students who have been previously retained to receive tutoring.

The legislature found some new culturewar bills to pass this year as well. One, titled the Tennessee Higher Education Freedom of Expression and Transparency Act, focuses on so-called “divisive concepts” at public universities that consider race and sex. A 2022 law allows college students and staff to take legal action if they feel they’ve been negatively impacted for “their refusal to support, believe, endorse, embrace, confess, act upon, or otherwise assent to a divisive concept.” This year’s legislation enables them to file an institutional report if they feel the law has been violated. The

institutions must share these reports and results of subsequent investigations with the state comptroller. Another bill prohibits education institutions, from grade school to higher education, from requiring staff to partake in implicit bias training.

Bills that could affect LGBTQ students include one that targets trans athletes in private schools by requiring them to “participate in such athletic activity or event only in accordance with the student’s [biological] sex,” though it clarifies that female students can participate in male sports teams if there isn’t already a female sports team at the school. One bill protects teachers who refuse to use students’ preferred pronouns.

On the privatization front, a bill that will expand the state Education Savings Account Program passed. The ESA program will now include Hamilton County, though an amendment that would also include Knox County ultimately failed.

The passage of these bills, which were widely criticized by state Democrats, indicates that Tennessee’s GOP leaders are not finished wielding power over local school districts, even at the expense of some students. ■

anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, the funding was later cut to $20 million.

The legislature also set aside $50 million for future prison construction. That, combined with a number of bills to increase prison sentences — as well as a piece of legislation allowing children to be tried as adults — indicates the legislature doesn’t plan to shy away from mass incarceration anytime soon.

To the displeasure of the Democrats and thousands of protesters who visited the Capitol over the past several weeks, there was no funding for any form of gun legislation in the budget. What was included was $200 million for Lee’s school safety plan, which includes $140 million to place armed

guards in every Tennessee public school, and $27 million for security upgrades to public and private schools.

It wouldn’t be a Tennessee budget without some tax cuts. One piece of legislation provides a one-time, three-month grocery-tax holiday for families. But lumped in with that is an estimated $271 million tax break for businesses. Another tax cut, which received bipartisan support, capped the amount any one entity has to pay in jet fuel taxes at $1 million — a huge tax break for corporations like FedEx. Jet fuel taxes go toward funding airports, and with that loss of revenue, the burden will be placed on the general fund.

The Republican supermajority denied $13 million of funding for a bill from Rep. Anto-

nio Parkinson (D-Memphis) that would have required rape kits to be tested within 30 days. They did manage to approve, however, $16.2 million for renovations to airports in the counties of Republican leadership — as well as $2 million for another audit of Tennessee State University.

While the budget passed with bipartisan support in both chambers, Democratic lawmakers made it clear that they were not fully satisfied. Items with Democratic support such as paid leave for state employees made it worth their vote, but lawmakers stood during debate to express concerns that the budget was not doing enough for issues like health care and poverty.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

INTERSTATE CONSTRUCTION IN DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE

Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

CRITICS’ PICKS

WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF THINGS TO DO

CION: REQUIEM OF RAVEL’S BOLÉRO

down relatively easy. Led by songwriter and singer Carl Shane, the band sounds great on My Name Is Hell, which may have something to do with producer Seth Manchester’s flair for double-tracking guitars and adding touches of Mellotron to the template of splayed drumming and ugly guitar work. Shane cites Portishead’s 2008 full-length Third and the work of fellow Boston band Pile as inspirations. My Name Is Hell ends up being slightly addictive — the guitars signify the rage that Shane presumably feels about his social and economic situation. He’s told interviewers that he once worked 80 hours a week to get himself out of debt, and the album’s “Debt” stands as a stark statement of dissatisfaction that working stiffs everywhere can relate to. Elsewhere, Shane & Co. address the anomie and alienation of contemporary life on “Bored Again” and “The Future.” Sometimes Shane’s lyrics seem uninflected, but he makes a song titled “Mr. Dictionary (A Satire)” into a sharp commentary on the disappearance of a shared language. Opening will be Chicago post-punks Meat Wave and Nashville altpunk band Soot, whose latest album is 2022’s Talons of Empathy. 8 p.m. at Drkmttr, 1111 Dickerson Pike EDD HURT

FRIDAY / 5.5

DANCE

THURSDAY / 5.4

[A POWERHOUSE PERFORMANCE]

CION: REQUIEM OF RAVEL’S BOLÉRO

OZ Arts is certainly no stranger to powerhouse performances. This spring alone, the contemporary arts center has hosted influential choreographers, musicians and makers from France, Algeria, Ukraine, Canada and Guinea in its flexible warehouse space. Beginning Thursday, audiences can experience one of South Africa’s most visionary artists, as Gregory Maqoma and his Vuyani Dance Theatre arrive with a stunning new music/ theater/dance work called Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro. “Set in a graveyard, following the story of a designated mourner as he navigates the tension of a post-Apartheid South Africa,” this awardwinning piece draws inspiration from the South African author Zakes Mda’s novel Cion, along with French composer Maurice Ravel’s unforgettable Boléro. Balancing incredible visuals and choreography with haunting vocals — based on the singular harmonies of isicathamiya, a Zulu style of a cappella singing — this fascinating work offers a powerful meditation on grief, mourning and, ultimately, hope. May 4-6, at OZ Arts, 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle AMY

STUMPFL

[GOT

MUSIC

JANET JACKSON

You could feel it in the air from the moment the Together Again Tour was first announced — that synthy riff on a medieval carillon that kicks off “Escapade.” That’s the prelude to joy and liberation, the potential for all human experience distilled into a little fanfare right before that brickwall beat hits. Artists could build entire careers on the sonic impact of “Escapade” alone, but it’s just one of Janet Jackson’s many, many, many hits. The Together Again Tour is a retrospectacle, designed to deliver the nearly 40 years of jams that Janet has served up, and it promises pure pop pleasure. Don’t forget, 1986’s Control really is what would have happened if The Time weren’t a Prince adjunct project in the studio, and it was Janet who took up the mantle of MPLS funk when striking out on her own. There are probably a bunch of people who claim they made the first pop song about the internet, but no one went as hard as Miss Jackson’s drum-and-bass soaked vibe “Empty” from The Velvet Rope. (In a way that song remains the “Here Comes the Rain Again” of the ’90s, because no one’s made a song that sounds anything like it.) Though Jackson has been thrown under the proverbial bus by Justin Timberlake and American broadcast media for way too long, it is absolutely correct that we as a culture take some time out to just vibe on the legacy of Miss Janet Damita

Jo Jackson, because we are all part of the Rhythm Nation. 7:45 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena, 501 Broadway JASON SHAWHAN

[EASY MONEY]

MUSIC

KAL MARKS

The hardcore-meets-post-punk stylings on Boston quartet Kal Marks’ 2022 My Name Is Hell make the album’s politics go

ART [HALF-BAKED]

SAI CLAYTON: HĀFU

Sai Clayton is an extraordinary artist whose work explores self-portraiture as a vessel for racial, cultural and sexual difference. Her unexpectedly vulnerable and profound COVID sketchbook was a highlight of the 2022 Adult Contemporary exhibition Drawers: Provocative Drawings,

’TIL IT’S GONE]

PHOTO: JOHN HOGG

SAI CLAYTON: HĀFU

and more recently she’s shown at Coop and was part of the Zeitgeist exhibition Art of the South. For HĀFU, an exhibition of new works that opens on Friday at Random Sample, she focuses that exploration into what she calls “racial hyper-awareness, the transcultural experience, and American biraciality.” A Nashville-based artist whose recent stints working at both OZ Arts and the Frist have armed her with a familiarity with the local art scene, Clayton seems poised to be one of the area’s next most exciting talents. In a recent Instagram post, Clayton explains the exhibition title: “Borrowed from the English word ‘half,’ hāfu refers to people who are ethnically half Japanese. Hāfu has always been my adjective — it affirms my racial identity, yet asserts my otherness. This exhibition gives form to my heritage as a Japanesewhite girl raised in the South.” Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 5; through May 29 at Random Sample, 407 48th Ave. N.

LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

MUSIC [LIVE AND IN PERTHIN’] POND

At the risk of using an imprecise term, Australia’s Pond makes psych rock — borrowing less from the Syd Barrett school of psychedelic whimsy and more from the Flaming Lips academy of joyful, wide-eyed psych pop. Fronted by Perth native Nick Allbrook, Pond formerly featured among its ranks Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and Cam Avery, the former of whom also produced five of the band’s records. Parker didn’t produce 2021’s 9 — Pond’s ninth studio album, fittingly — but the finished product doesn’t suffer as a result. “Human Touch” features a driving rhythm beneath fuzzedout guitars and whirring synthesizers, while “Pink Lunettes” is a fast-paced, chaotic freakout. Last year, the band followed up with a deluxe edition of 9 featuring the danceable electro-pop of “Hang a Cross on Me,” which takes a bit of influence from Pond’s fellow Aussies INXS. Next month Allbrook will release the solo album Manganese, but in the meantime you can see him at The Basement East, where he and his band will play with support from duo Angel Saint Queen. 8 p.m. at The Basement East, 917 Woodland St. D.

PATRICK RODGERS

[ERAS]

MUSIC

TAYLOR SWIFT

Is there anything left to say about Taylor Swift? Everyone has an opinion about her, to an almost unprecedented extent, and her music is practically inescapable. But if you say you want to escape it, you’re probably lying to yourself. Above all the noise about her personal life and professional exploits, Taylor Swift is the musician of a lifetime. Her songwriting is undeniably masterful, and her magnetic performances draw record-breaking crowds on the regular. Her last stadium tour for her album reputation was immortalized in a Netflix concert film that critics raved about, and it was the highest-grossing North American tour of all time. This year’s Eras Tour is meant to be a celebration of each of Swift’s albums, including the four albums of new material she has released since her last tour in 2018. If you manage to get a ticket and are willing to brave the enormous crowds of Swifties, you’ll be in for a memorable night. Indie darling Phoebe Bridgers, a prolific songwriter in her own right, will open for all three dates, as well as Gracie Abrams on May 5 and 7 and local

Here at this more temperate time of year, it’s been nice to see the return of a post-quarantine-era tradition at venerable venue The Basement: free shows outside in the parking lot on some Friday evenings. At press time, the May 5 installment is the last one on the books for a while, but the lineup is packed to the brim. At the top of the bill are local punk ’n’ pop favorites Gloom Girl MFG, hot on the heels of their eagerly anticipated debut EP Factory. Highway Natives, a quintet inspired by ’70s country and country-rock, will also play; so will The Weird Sisters, whose musical DNA includes a lot of electric blues and funk and a little kosmische experimentalism, among other things, as you can hear on their new 7-inch, “Lost in the Chronic” backed with “Ride That Satellite.” Rounding out the lineup is rocking pop group Pet Envy, who’ll be celebrating their long-in-the-works debut full-length A Modern Way to Stand 6

FILM

[MAMMALUCCO OF THE YEAR]

WEEKEND CLASSICS: RAGING BULL

Yes, this black-and-white masterwork from one of our greatest living filmmakers — featuring an iconic, Oscarwinning performance from Robert De Niro — has been heralded as one of the greatest films ever made. But people forget that Martin Scorsese’s palooka picture Raging Bull was a divisive dud when it dropped in 1980. The director pulled no punches (sorry, couldn’t resist) in telling the life story of middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, who terrorized opponents and loved ones (including Joe Pesci as his brother/manager and Cathy Moriarty as his long-suffering wife). The film didn’t just polarize critics, as the $18 million movie only grossed $23 million. (This made Scorsese, still smarting from the dismal failure of his bitter musical New York, New York — his previous collabo with De Niro — obviously worried about his future.) Eventually, people came around to this bravura work of cinematic art, an unflinching, uncompromising portrait of a man who couldn’t control the beast in him, both in and out of the ring. Catch it this weekend in a new 4K DCP restoration, approved by Scorsese himself. May 5-7 at the Belcourt, 2102 Belcourt Ave.

CRAIG D. LINDSEY

MUSIC [LIVE FAST, DIE OLD] OFF! W/UPCHUCK

When Nashville last saw 67-year-old L.A. punker Keith Morris, he was reviving Group Sex and Wild in the Streets for the 40th anniversary of the two classic Circle Jerks albums last summer. With the Jerks back on hiatus, Morris’ 21st-century project Off! is back on the road with a new lineup featuring folks from Burning Brides, Trail of Dead and Thundercat’s band. Their first album in eight years, Free LSD, shows the band expanding into a trippier, avant-garde realm than the previous meat-and-potatoes punk records. Their tourmates, Atlanta’s Upchuck, are one of the Southeast’s newest musical heavyweights — fast, melodic, offkilter and infectiously merciless. 7 p.m. at Drkmttr, 1111 Dickerson Pike P.J. KINZER

artist GAYLE on May 6. May 5-7 at Nissan Stadium, 1 Titans Way HANNAH CRON

MUSIC [HELLO WORLD] GET HAPPIER FRIDAYS FEAT. GLOOM GIRL MFG, HIGHWAY NATIVES & MORE

p.m. at The Basement, 1604 Eighth Ave. S. STEPHEN TRAGESER

TAYLOR SWIFT

OFF!

POND PHOTO: JEFF FORNEY

DOWNTOWN

Saturday, May 6

SONGWRITER SESSION

Madeline Edwards

NOON · FORD THEATER

Saturday, May 6

HATCH SHOW PRINT

Block Party

3:00 pm · HATCH SHOW PRINT SHOP LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Sunday, May 7

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Mike Rogers

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, May 13

SONGWRITER SESSION

Jenn Schott

NOON · FORD THEATER

Sunday, May 14

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Joseph Wooten

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, May 20

SONGWRITER SESSION

Alex Hall

NOON · FORD THEATER

Saturday, May 20

NASHVILLE CATS

Brent Mason

2:30 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, May 20

HATCH SHOW PRINT

Block Party

3:00 pm · HATCH SHOW PRINT SHOP LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Sunday, May 21

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Laura Weber White

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Check our calendar for a full schedule of upcoming programs and events.

Museum Membership

Members receive free Museum admission and access to weekly programming, concert ticket presale opportunities, and much more.

JOIN TODAY: CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership

PRESENTS JUNE

PRESENTS

WITH CAITLIN ROSE

MAY 10 Writers Round Hosted by Quincy Meeks

MAY 17 Josh Womack w/Jack Silverman Quartet

MAY 24 Taylor Brashears w/ Wes L’anglois

MAY 31 MELD w/Austin Grimm

COME TO THE GIG AND GIVE BACK

SUNDAY / 5.7

MUSIC [THE POWER OF PROTEST]

PORTARA ENSEMBLE PRESENTS DANGEROUS

Music has long played a vital role in protest movements, spanning many genres and touching on a wide range of social and political issues. This weekend, you can help “honor the music and movements of protest” as Portara Ensemble presents Dangerous: The Soundtrack of Social Transformation

SATURDAY / 5.6

[WHAT A DRAG]

FESTIVAL

WE

AIN’T FOOLS: A CELEBRATION OF SELF-EXPRESSION

In its recently concluded session, the Tennessee General Assembly passed its so-called anti-drag legislation. The law — widely derided by LGBTQ activists and allies nationwide — broadly aims to ban “adult cabaret performance on public property,” including “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest.” A federal judge last month issued a temporary restraining order on the law, and it remains to be seen how or if the vaguely defined legislation will be enforced throughout the state. But in the meantime, plenty of people are taking the opportunity to stand up for LGBTQ folks and celebrate the rich and wonderful culture of drag performance. Among those celebrating are local musician Jack Evan Johnson and friends, who’ve rounded up a bunch of resources for We Ain’t Fools: A Celebration of Self-Expression at Raven Beauty Bar. Rescheduled from April, the all-ages event, to be hosted in the venue’s grassy backyard by selfdescribed “shameless Southern showgirl” BeBe McQueen, will feature a raffle to benefit Trans Aid Nashville including items like signed Dolly Parton memorabilia. Johnson’s band Jack Shit will perform, as will longtime rock ’n’ roll husband-andwife duo The Smoking Flowers, plus fellow locals Seth Martin, Elyse Wilkinson and Budge. Naturally there will also be drag performances, including by the performer formerly known as Truvy Trollop (now Mona Von Holler). Johnson also promises food trucks, a bouncy house and educational opportunities involving sociopolitical issues beyond the state’s slate of anti-LGBTQ legislation. 3-9 p.m. at Raven Beauty Bar, 917 Gallatin Ave. D. PATRICK RODGERS

FESTIVAL [SATURDAY, IN THE PARK] SEVIER PARK FEST

If someone asked me to describe an ideal city green space, my answer might come pretty close to 12South’s Sevier Park, which boasts walking paths and playgrounds amid enormous old trees, in addition to the historic home Sunnyside

and a substantial community center. Since 2014 — except in 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic prevented it — the park has also hosted the community gathering Sevier Park Fest. This year’s happenings include the annual Max Gander Memorial Criterium bike race, an array of activities for kids (including a youth bike race), a hot-wingeating contest with wings from Edley’s BBQ, heaps of artisan and food vendors and music on two stages all day. Depending on your perspective, the music lineup leans toward the rocking side of Americana or the rootsy side of rock, with the bill including songsmiths Will Hoge and Lilly Hiatt and their bands, as well as rock ’n’ soul outfit Banditos and many more. Check out sevierparkfest.com for all the ticketing and scheduling details. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Sevier Park, 3021 Lealand Lane STEPHEN TRAGESER

[SCIENTIST. HOUSEWIFE. REVOLUTIONARY.]

BOOKS

BONNIE GARMUS

Bonnie Garmus, a copywriter and creative director who has worked widely in STEM fields, sat down and wrote her debut novel. Now she can add “No. 1 New York Times bestselling author” to her already impressive résumé with Lessons in Chemistry. The secret behind her instant success? Bonnie’s novel speaks to a broad spectrum of the female experience. Its protagonist, chemist Elizabeth Zott, would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. Unfortunately, she would also be the only person to view herself as chemist Elizabeth Zott. It’s the early 1960s, and her male colleagues take an … unscientific view of equality, acknowledging Elizabeth only long enough to steal her work — all while treating her as a secretary and doormat. Zott eventually finds herself a single mother and reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show. Through Supper at Six, an unusual scientific approach to cooking proves revolutionary. Elizabeth isn’t just teaching women to cook — she’s daring them to change the status quo. Garmus’ debut is as original and vibrant as its protagonist. Saturday at Parnassus, catch her in conversation with Todd Doughty and pick up a signed copy of the book. 6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books, 3900 Hillsboro Pike

KARIN MATHIS

The concert promises an inspiring mix of music, from familiar spirituals to more contemporary works by everyone from Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye to Lady Gaga and Janelle Monáe. But what I love about this lineup is that it steps well beyond American music to include international songs and movements — including “Shosholoza” (a traditional South African song associated with mining workers), “Bella Ciao” (an Italian folk song that was used as part of the anti-fascist movement) and “Baraye” (a recent Iranian protest song). Along with Portara’s 32 singers, audiences can also look forward to hearing from a number of guest artists, including Odessa Settles, Devon Gilfillian and Saro Lynch-Thomason. 4 p.m. at Riverside Revival, 1600 Riverside Drive AMY STUMPFL

MUSIC

[FOREVER BEFORE] FEIST

If you come to Feist’s show expecting to hear the cheery songs that used to be featured on iPod commercials and Sesame Street, you might be shocked, but you won’t be disappointed. Actually, you’ll be enlightened. Her latest album, Multitudes, is deep. The Canadian singer-songwriter took a minute to release her pandemic album, but it was well worth the wait. The lockdown changed us all, and Feist is here to remind us that it also made us stronger. Each new song is so complex, so impenetrable, so well suited for a solo drive in an enclosed car or simply a set of headphones. I’m curious to see how this kind of intimate ethos plays out in a room full of people standing shoulder to shoulder. Brooklyn Bowl will be the perfect envelope for nurturing and nudging fellow listeners through the experience. 8:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl, 925 Third Ave. N.

TOBY LOWENFELS

[WALK A SMILE]

COMMUNITY

BEST BUDDIES FRIENDSHIP WALK

Best Buddies International is doing the work of providing opportunities for friendship, employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. On Sunday, the Nashville chapter of the international organization is taking a walk. More than 1,000 participants are set to walk in an effort to beat this year’s fundraising goal of $180,000. Since 2009, more than 200,000 participants have walked in more than 50 cities and raised more than $21 million for Best Buddies. It’s fortunate that the disabilities movement has come a distance since the Americans with Disabilities Act passed 33 years ago (if you’re wanting to learn more about the movement, watch Crip Camp). This legislation helps protect the civil rights of those with disabilities, but unfortunately

often does not work in practice for people with disabilities as they search for work, community and ways to avoid social isolation. Showing up for Best Buddies helps with the latter, as we advocate for true equity in all facets of life for people with disabilities. 1-4 p.m. at Montgomery Bell Academy, 205 S. Wilson Blvd.

HANNAH HERNER

MONDAY / 5.8

MUSIC [AMERICAN STRAIN] JOHN MELLENCAMP

I feel good about my take on John Mellencamp, who made his best album in 1987, back when Americana music was gestating in rehearsal spaces all over North America and England. The populist fervor of the Indiana-born singer and songwriter’s The Lonesome Jubilee achieves real density because Mellencamp added fiddle, dobro and accordion to his modified classic-rock structures, which are a little trickier — and therefore more engaging for people who don’t believe populist fervor necessarily equals good rock ’n’ roll — than the stuff he got famous for. Mellencamp seems to have felt competitive with Bruce Springsteen in the ’80s, and danged if I can work up much enthusiasm for anthems like 1983’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” a tune that confirms every suspicion I’ve ever had about the decadence of ’80s rock that strived to imitate ’60s populism. Give the man his due for The Lonesome Jubilee and his political leanings — he’s told interviewers how tough it can be to be a liberal in Bloomington, Ind. He has a new album, Orpheus Descending (he’s been studying his mythology in Bloomington), set for June 2 release, and he’s set for a three-night stand at the Ryman to celebrate. As he told Classic Rock Magazine in 2009: “I think I invented the whole No Depression thing with the Scarecrow album, though I don’t get the credit.” He certainly helped codify a strain of Americana, and that’s a mixed blessing that I can’t help but admire. 8 p.m. May 8-10 at the Ryman, 116 Rep. John Lewis Way N. EDD HURT

JOHN MELLENCAMP

WILL HOGE AT SEVIER PARK FEST

GUITAR LESSONS

with former Musicians Institute and Austin Guitar School instructor MARK BISH

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

512-619-3209

markbishmusic@gmail.com

UPCOMING EVENTS

PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENT FOR TICKETS & UPDATES

6:30PM

SATURDAY, MAY 6

BONNIE GARMUS at TODD DOUGHTY at PARNASSUS Lessons in Chemistry

6:30PM

SAVANNAH ALLEN at PARNASSUS The Nature Journal

6:30PM

DAVE EGGERS

MONDAY, MAY 8

FIVE  FREE  COMIC BOOKS

*From  our  special  selection  of  exclusive  of  “Free Comic  Book  Day”  titles.  No  purchase  necessary!

STAR  WARS/AVATAR      SMURFS

TUESDAY / 5.9

[SUPER SONICS]

MUSIC

DIGABLE PLANETS W/KASSA OVERALL

Rappers Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler and Kassa Overall have a lot in common. The two Seattle natives both backpacked their way all over the rap world with their funky beats, celestial jazz and cerebral wordplay. Kassa Overall put on one of the most engrossing Blue Room shows of 2022, recording the whole thing for a forthcoming live LP, showcasing his highvoltage fusion and esoteric lyrical style. Digable Planets released only two albums — the cool-jazz-inspired Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and their 1994 magnum opus Blowout Comb — but their contribution to hip-hop had so much more impact than their record sales would indicate. Butterfly and his Digable Planets trio knocked rap music off its axis with their low-in-the-mix philosophical rhymes about Black Nationalism and spaciously funky sample breaks from figures like Roy Ayers and Bobbi Humphrey. 8 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl, 925 Third Ave. N. P.J. KINZER

TUESDAY, MAY 9

with ANN PATCHETT at PARNASSUS

The Eyes and the Impossible

6:30PM

KEVIN GRIFFIN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

with SAM HOLLANDER at PARNASSUS

The Greatest Song

10:30AM

AVENGERS/X-­MEN      LOIS  LANE   STAR  TREK      STREET  FIGHTER       SPIDERMAN/VENOM  and  more!

At  our  Madison, Murfreesboro  & Bowling  Green  stores: 20%  OFF  all  COMIC  BOOKS, used  TRADE  PAPERBACKS, HARD  COVERS  &  GRAPHIC NOVELS!  (Sale  includes  Sale   Comics  &  Grab  Bags!)*

SATURDAY, MAY 13

SPECIAL SATURDAY STORYTIME with SYLVIA WALKER at PARNASSUS Hair to Share

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

a  sale,but  we’ll  be  putting  out  DOZENS of  PRIMO  SILVER  AGE  &  BRONZE  AGE COMICS  from  the  HUGE  COLLECTION that  we  acquired  recently.

BOOKS

[HERO STATUS]

DAVE EGGERS

As an elder millennial, I strive to hang out with no group more than Gen X. They always have been — always will be — my idols. And Dave Eggers is OG Gen X. Author of A Heartbreaking Work of

Staggering Genius, founder of 826 Valencia and McSweeney’s, Eggers is one of the few who was bitten by the Gen X nihilism bug but came through on the other side. His latest book, The Eyes and the Impossible, is a story about “friendship, beauty, liberation, and running very, very fast.” Told from the point of view of a dog named Johannes, this is a picture book for readers of all ages. And since no one appreciates the value of children’s literature more than Nashville’s own Ann Patchett, she’ll be joining Eggers in conversation to celebrate the book’s release. Bring your favorite humans (and maybe favorite dogs?) and your Gen X sensibilities, ’cause this’ll be a delight. 6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books, 3900 Hillsboro Pike TOBY LOWENFELS

WEDNESDAY / 5.10

MUSIC [HOODOO YOU THINK YOU’RE FOOLING?] HOODOO GURUS

Note:  there  may  be  additional  activities  & markdowns  at  some  locations  of  The  Great Escape,  in  celebration  of  Free  Comic  Book Day.  Check  our  social  media  sites  (Facebook &  Instagram)  and  website  for  more  details.

The Australian psych/garage/punk scene has produced some big hitters in the past few years, including King Gizzard, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Tame Impala. With all the new attention, it’s nice to see the older generation getting back to the U.S. (The Chats are bringing Gen X Aussie rockers The Cosmic Psychos to Nashville in October!) Hoodoo Gurus have been part of that scene for over 40 years, functioning as the Down Under counterpart to L.A.’s Paisley Underground. The Gurus’ surrealist acid-eater pop and power-chord psychedelia became a mainstay on American college radio with their albums Stoneage Romeos and Mars Needs Guitars! In recent years they’ve been more active than ever, releasing a ton of new original music, a surfy instrumental LP and a collection of covers. 8 p.m. at The Basement East, 917 Woodland St. P.J. KINZER

6:30PM

PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY with MARY LAURA PHILPOTT at PARNASSUS

The Secret Book of Flora

*No  holds,  online  or  special  orders  for  comics  giveaway  or  20%  off  sale.

DIGABLE PLANETS

PHOTO: BRUCE TALAMON

PER  PERSON!*

FROM FARM TO TABLE TO LOCALLY LEGENDARY

Husk celebrates 10 years as one of Nashville’s most impactful restaurants

BY CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

Ten years ago this month, Neighborhood Dining Group president David Howard was scrambling. As they prepared to open the first outpost of Husk outside of the original location in Charleston, S.C., Howard and chef Sean Brock found themselves dealing with filling out the kitchen and service staff, codes inspectors, construction delays and locking down relationships with the local farmers and purveyors who would supply the bounty of Southern ingredients that Brock planned to exalt in his kitchen.

In an interview I conducted with Howard at that time, he lamented: “When people say they want to open a restaurant, this is the stage where they have no concept of the workload, frustration and expense involved as you pay premium prices for the flurry of activity that leads to completion.” The project to convert an Italianate mansion — which over the years had served as the home of a former Nashville mayor, a boarding house, an advertising agency and a modernist cuisine restaurant — was beset with several problems and idiosyncrasies.

A small tornado blew a brick wall down in the middle of construction. The hip glass atrium the ad agency had haphazardly added on the side of the building leaked like a sieve. The only spot to add a walk-in cooler to store all that precious produce turned out to be a “walk-out” in the side yard necessitating multiple trips up and down outside stairs to acquire needed ingredients for the kitchen staff.

But on May 23, 2013, Husk welcomed in its first diners and changed the Nashville culinary scene in vastly important ways. In addition to Brock, the kitchen launched the careers of several chefs who have made major impacts in Nashville and beyond.

Kiwi-born opening chef de cuisine Morgan McGlone discovered Nashville hot chicken during his stint and returned to his home region of Australasia to spread the gospel of the fiery fowl in restaurants across Australia. Brian Baxter learned at Brock’s right hand and went on to helm kitchens in Atlanta and The Catbird Seat in Nashville. Katie Coss spent her term in the kitchen adding a little feminine touch to the restaurant, including replacing Brock’s kitchen icon photo of Wille Nelson with Dolly Parton. Husk was also at least partially the inspiration for a half-dozen culinary books over the past decade, including Brock’s South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations, which was conceived, researched and photo-

graphed in the restaurant. There were also two cocktail books by mixologist Mike Wolf and opening pastry chef Lisa Donovan’s impactful personal essay “Dear Women: Own Your Stories,” which garnered a James Beard Award and which she expanded into a book titled Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger, winner of the 2021 M.F.K. Fisher

Prize of Excellence.

The leadership team at Husk today includes a holdover from Brock’s regime in GM Rory O’Connell, a transplant from Asheville, N.C., who rose through the ranks, starting as a server and moving up to head gardener and manager of the restaurant within a few years. Joining O’Connell in

management is executive chef Ben Norton, a Neighborhood Dining Group veteran with experience working with Brock at McCrady’s in Charleston and leading that kitchen after Brock departed from NDG in 2018.

Together, O’Connell and Norton have maintained Husk’s laser focus on regional ingredients provided by local purveyors and

HUSK NASHVILLE WILL HOST ITS TICKETED 10TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER TUESDAY, MAY 23

PHOTOS: ANGELINA CASTILLO

NC CATFISH

JOYCE FARMS HERITAGE CHICKEN

the restaurant’s unique brand of informed customer service with a dedication to hospitality. They have managed to stay true to Brock’s initial vision for Husk while at the same time moving the menu forward to showcase Norton’s own culinary philosophy.

“When I was first announced as the new chef, Sean sent me a congratulatory text almost immediately,” says Norton. “Then he followed it up with sort of a manifesto that I haven’t shared with anyone. He said, ‘It’s your restaurant, and you should do what you want to do, but …’ He was doing the right thing here, and I wanted to use those same purveyors.

“He told me to stay committed to using the ingredients of the region, and that was a great framework for how to do it,” Norton continues. “It’s my responsibility and the right thing to do.”

But there was another immediate detail to attend to after the transition.

“[NDG vice president of operations]

Kenny Lyons called me and said there was something we needed to talk about,” Norton remembers with a chuckle. “They had given Katie the Dolly photo as a going-away present, so we had to decide who to hang up on the wall of the kitchen.”

Norton’s choice revealed volumes about his philosophy.

“I chose Sturgill Simpson,” he says. “I think it speaks to the city, and all of the chefs at Husk have been country music fans. Sturgill is like the younger guy putting his spin on something that’s been done for a long time, and that reflects my philosophy of food. I like to present qualities that are recognizable and comfortable. I want to keep talking about Southern ingredients, but not necessarily Southern food. I like to use them and borrow ideas from other cuisines.”

Another sign that’s almost hidden from public view in the side kitchen at Husk reflects Norton’s attitude toward food, and O’Connell’s philosophy of customer interaction. It reads simply, “Give a damn!”

“I’m proud of our team’s commitment to real hospitality, informed service and a dedication to real, delicious food,” says O’Connell. “I feel we have the most informed restaurant staff in town. My goal is a restaurant that leaves memories, like the experience of walking up the stairs to this lovely old house and thinking about a meal

you had in the past.”

He also takes pride in the procession of chefs that have passed through the kitchen at Husk over the past decade, commenting in particular on Brock (“a visionary with an infectious curiosity and a passion for sharing it”), Baxter (“a talented person of many layers with an impish sense of humor”), Coss (“a firebrand, a small package with a big personality and a heart of gold”) and Norton (“a badass in the kitchen and a Georgia boy who is inspired by other cultures”).

O’Connell also notes that two of the competitors in the latest season of Gordon Ramsay’s powder keg of a competition cooking show, Hell’s Kitchen, spent time at Husk — including eventual winner Alex Belew.

To celebrate Husk’s 10th anniversary, the restaurant is holding a ticketed multi-course dinner event on Tuesday, May 23, featuring Norton and his compatriots from the two other Husk locations in Charleston and Savannah, Ga. Norton, Chris “Chino” Hathcock from Savannah and Ray England of the original Husk location in Charleston will each prepare an appetizer and a main course featuring some of their favorite suppliers from the past decade, including Bear Creek Farm, Villa Acres, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, The Withers Winery, Crema Coffee and others. Husk Nashville pastry whiz Rachel Rathgeb will prepare the dessert.

The event sure looks like an appropriate way to offer a nod to Husk’s dedication to local sourcing in all of their restaurants. “It’s not just about the land, about the terroir of the area around each location,” says Norton. “It’s about the people that live there. Each of our restaurants is called ‘Husk,’ but each one of us has our own idea of food.”

That’s what makes a meal at Husk so memorable and special. As the seasons change and the available produce moves from late-winter tubers to midsummer tomatoes to the greens and gourds of autumn, no matter who is currently in the kitchen, they all refer back to Brock’s admonition to revere the bounty of the region. Even as chef Norton is preparing to pass through his third cycle of Middle Tennessee growing seasons, he’s still always excited to see what comes next through the back door of the kitchen and what he can do with it. And so are we.

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO

CHEF BEN NORTON

TEQUILA MADE YOU DO IT!

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CRAWL SPACE: MAY 2023

AI, a bazaar and mixedmedia May at this weekend’s First Saturday Art Crawl

BY JOE NOLAN

WEDGEWOOD-HOUSTON

One of my favorite First Saturday stops is the Show & Sell Maker’s Bazaar at The Packing Plant. The DIY art-and-lit sale is organized by local poet and Nashville Free Poetry Library founder Matthew Johnstone. The event feels like a farmers market for creative freaks and geeks — local publishers, scribes, painters and fashionistas sell their wares at folding tables and under tents, often accompanied by a soundtrack provided by live music and poetry performances. Sometimes there are even WXNA DJs spinning records on the lawn — the radio station and the poetry library are both located inside The Packing Plant. The bazaar is a great example of the kind of creative happenings that were able to thrive during the pandemic when small open-air, sunlit gatherings mostly posed no health threats. In fact, it’s become so popular with local creatives that Johnstone has recently shaken up a semi-permanent lineup to create more opportunities for new artists and writers to get into the rotation. One of my favorite discoveries at the bazaar is Melissa Smith. The painter moved to Nashville from Chicago in 2019, and her formalist style and candy-aisle color palettes make her one of my faves in the May lineup. Smith is also a great example of the renewed trend of accomplished fine artists foregoing gallery representation to present and sell work directly to collectors, and events like Show & Sell radiate the open, inviting hospitality that some traditional galleries and arts institutions are still struggling to conjure. New treasures at the bazaar this month include multimedia art by

Sophia Gulley, henna tattoo art by Ania K. Diallo and ethically sourced taxidermy art and jewelry by Kale Crunch Art

➡ DETAILS: Enjoy the music, art, poetry and more outside The Packing Plant on Saturday — it’s at 507 Hagan St. from 3 p.m. until sundown.

Nashville painter Kevan Joseph O’Connor describes his works as “visual poems,” but that feels like an unnecessarily complicated way to describe his multimedia abstract paintings. That said, there are direct connections between abstract painting and poetry. The best poetry transcends the mundane meanings of words, freeing itself from the strictures of the very language it’s made from. Similarly, the best abstract painting frees itself from words by ditching narrative-inspiring figuration. The best abstract paintings and poems don’t convey messages or ideas — they throb with emotion, glow with nostalgia, rumble with wrath. O’Connor will likely be showing smaller works in the abbreviated confines of Red 225, where his solo exhibition, Clumsy, opens Saturday night. I love O’Connor’s restless textures and looping lines, and his use of pencils, pastels, brooms, wooden tools and finger-painting make this another example of the kind of multimedia exhibitions that are dominating Nashville’s art calendar this month.

➡ DETAILS: Visit O’Connor’s opening reception at Red 225 inside the Packing Plant this Saturday from 6 until 9 p.m.

EAST NASHVILLE

There are any number of techniques that might go into making multimedia art, but sometimes what makes a work most remarkable is the actual stuff that it’s made of. Philadelphia-based artist Saskia Fleishman grew up in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay, where her father was a landscape architect, her grandmother was a landscape photographer, and her grandfather was a pioneering wetlands scientist. Fleishman’s attraction to natural subjects is a family tradition, and her unique works combine unusual, unexpected materials and methods to render designs that combine landscape

elements like clouds and trees and water with obscure symbols. The works evoke Fleishman’s metaphysical connections to a place that holds many personal memories and family ties, and her application of sand to printed and painted chiffon make her family’s story feel just within reach. But please don’t touch the art. Liminal Horizons is Fleishman’s first show at the newly rebranded Red Arrow — formerly The Red Arrow Gallery.

➡ DETAILS: The East Nashville spot has a reputation for lively exhibition openings — don’t miss it this Saturday from 6 until 9 p.m. at 919 Gallatin Ave.

DOWNTOWN

Tiffany Calvert’s Adversarial Nature offers another intriguing take on multimedia art downtown at Tinney Contemporary. The 17thcentury origins of Dutch floral painting coincided with the “tulip mania” that saw the Dutch flower market skyrocket before crashing in one of the most spectacular financial wipeouts in history. The hellish economic bloodletting that followed the tulip run was as miserable as the paintings of the flowers were gorgeous, and the weird juxtaposition of a beautiful art period

and a devastating economic downturn sort of reminds me of the way the digital art space has evolved. Calvert actually uses an AI tool called StyleGAN (style generative adversarial network) that she trains on a dataset of classic Dutch floral canvases. The AI generates its own take on Dutch Golden Age plant paintings — complete with all the glitches and weird effects we’ve come to expect from the unsettling AI image posts flooding our socials. Calvert reproduces the remixed masterworks as water-based latex prints, which she sticks vinyl to and paints over, applying gooey oils with a loose, imperfect hand. Adversarial Nature boasts a knockout title and collects numerous contradictions within one ambitious series — artificial versus human intelligence; digital art versus traditional art; AI as a plagiarist; art as plagiarism; natural versus artificial interpretations and expressions of beauty. It’s a lot, but it’s a super timely show for springtime 2023.

➡ DETAILS: See Adversarial Nature at its opening reception this Saturday at Tinney Contemporary, 237 Rep. John Lewis Way N., from 2 until 8 p.m.

“INFINITE (OJAI),” SASKIA FLEISHMAN

LIMINAL HORIZONS AT RED ARROW CLUMSY AT RED 225

TO HOLD SOMETHING IN YOUR HANDS,” KEVAN JOSEPH O’CONNOR

NOT TOO BLUE

spent writing and healing

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

Singer-songwriter and threetime Grammy winner Lucinda Williams writes in her memoir Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You that when she first came to Nashville, she didn’t have “a very good attitude” about the city.

“I hated what had happened to country music,” she writes. “I had trouble with the idea of two, three, four, or even five or six people writing a song together. I didn’t like the sound of country music at the time, the slick way it was being produced.”

music. Williams has often eschewed genre and titles. She dislikes the terms alt-country and Americana, but she does consider herself a Southerner.

“When I say ‘I’m a Southerner,’ many people think, ‘That must mean you’re racist, you’re this, you’re that,’” Williams writes. “There are all these stereotypes associated with being Southern, which is a whole problem in and of itself. I think that’s why my dad instilled in me, ‘We are Southerners, and we have to fight the people who think that all Southerners are racist, all Southerners are hicks, all Southerners are stupid.’ That’s how I was raised. That’s my South.”

The same year she moved to Nashville, in the early ’90s, she also won a Grammy for Best Country Song for writing “Passionate Kisses,” which was famously covered by Mary Chapin Carpenter. In the book, she writes through her mixed feelings on artistry and popular success with honesty and self-awareness. Williams laments being overlooked for so long and then gaining attention and the constant push from others to do things their way instead of hers.

“The truth is that I was not just selfconscious, but also scared,” she writes. “I feared that I didn’t belong. It’s a feeling I’ve been trying to shake my entire life. It’s a riddle I believe many artists have been trying to solve for centuries. It takes enormous fortitude to create the work in the first place, but then once it’s time to put it out in the world, the confidence required to go public is unrelated to the audacity that created the work. I’m not as stricken with fear now as I used to be, but it can still pop up from time

Williams’ style is very straightforward — it’s nice to read a music memoir shaped enough to see a person’s perspective on their full story, and it’s not so polished that it reads like publicity alone. The writing here is nothing like the semi-cryptic and poetic lyrics of her songs like “Lake Charles” or “Right in Time,” but it provides the backstory to each of these songs and more. And again, the transparency is striking: Williams notes her penchant for poets on motorcycles, and walks us through the ways they made her life better and worse. She writes things as she remembers them, not always offering a tidy narrative, but relaying detail with a seeming vulnerability. She explores her place in Southern culture and in country

It took Williams years to earn her much-deserved success, working odd jobs at health-food stores and record shops between moments of creating. This book also weaves through the good, the bad and the ugly of her work and personal life, including a deep dive into her dating and family relationships. It’s not all sad, and there’s one awesome, bizarre and fun story about biting Ryan Adams’ lip during a make-out session.

Williams also writes of the trauma she experienced as a toddler when her mother, who suffered with severe mental illness, locked her in a closet, and the healing process that spanned many years. She was raised largely working class in the South and moved a lot as her father found new work. Miller Williams was a poet, professor and salesman who threw wild but intellectual parties with members of the literati. Williams notes that if folks think rock stars are depraved, they should spend a little time with writers. (She is absolutely not wrong.)

In one moving portion of the book, she writes about a therapist who asks her to hold her young self in a hug and provide the child the safety she didn’t have then. It’s a poignant moment that clearly had a major impact on Williams’ healing. And it’s a stunning reminder of the necessity of a connectedness to ourselves. This is the kind of stuff made to highlight and come back to again and again.

“In other words, the little three-year-old girl and the sixty-eight-year-old woman are not separate,” she writes. “We’re the same person. You love her as much as you can, you give her everything you have.”

Williams also writes that one day she’ll cover songs written by the late Jason Molina. As for those, the world is patiently waiting.

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

Lucinda Williams offers a transparent view of a life

TELL ANYBODY THE SECRETS I TOLD YOU BY LUCINDA WILLIAMS CROWN, 272 PAGES, $28.99

w/ The Home Team, and Action/Adventure

The Emo Night Tour

jax Hollow w/ Naked Gypsy Queens & Moon City Masters

Summer Salt w/ The Rare Occasions and Addison Grace

Annie DiRusso w/ Hannah Cole

loveless w/ Taylor Acorn

Be Our Guest: The Disney DJ Night

Rich Ruth w/ Crooked Rhythm Section No. 1 & Rose Hotel

Spitalfield w/ Shane Henderson of Valencia, Rookie Of The Year, & Lucas Carpenter

Rare Hare 16

Kendell

Logan Halstead w/ Zachary Scott Kline (7pm) GET HAPPIER FRIDAYS: Gloom Girl MFG, Highway

Natives, The Weird Sisters, Pet Envy (6pm)

Eggy (8pm)

Eggy (8pm)

Mozart Gabriel (7pm)

Trashville w/ JT Loux and el SIREN (9pm)

Alex Cuba w/ Gustavo Moradel, Karina Daza, Marta Albarracin (7pm)

VINJE w/ Meryl Rudy (7pm)

The Josephines (9pm)

Claire Vandiver w/ Suzie Chism (7pm)

Shakira Chinchilla, Johnny Sam Hall & His Big Bad Wolves, Henry Cruz Band (9pm) Cabin Boys, Amanda Stewart (7pm)

Blackpool Mecca, Vera Bloom, Violet Moons (9pm)

Highwater w/ Ballhog (8pm)

A Man Called Stu w/ The Hi-Jivers and Heather Moulder (7pm)

Shlomo Franklin w/ Abigayle Kompst (7pm)

Bleary Eyed, Impediment, Angel LTD (9pm)

Evan Bartels (7pm)

Rob Leines w/ LoneHollow (9pm)

Brian Dunne, Skylar Gudasz (7pm)

IF I’M A BIG STAR

Peter One makes a triumphant return with Come Back to Me

BY EDD HURT

It’s altogether fitting that Come Back to Me, the major label debut album by Nashville singer, songwriter and guitarist Peter One, sounds like it’s designed to bring an African-born pop master to the mass audience he’s wanted for decades. Come Back to Me could have suffered from the sort of over-determined approach that ambitious Americana artists who record in Nashville and overdub in Memphis sometimes fall prey to, but Peter One — a singer influenced by country and folk music, and a big star in the 1980s in his native Ivory Coast — sounds as relaxed as exemplars like Don Williams and Graham Nash throughout Come Back to Me, which will be out Friday via Verve Forecast. It’s a record of radical simplicity and elegant design that ranks with the finest folk-rock of any era.

Peter One was born Pierre-Evrard Tra in Bonoua, Ivory Coast, in 1956. Come Back to Me is the second album he has released under his name since he moved from the politically embattled West African country to the United States in 1995. Talking to the Scene from his home in Nashville, where he’s lived since 2014, he mentions that he put out a home-recorded full-length titled Alesso in 2009.

“I’ve learned a lot from meeting people — songwriter meetups and playing with musicians here and there,” Peter One says about living in Nashville. “Being in the real music business now, I’ve learned a lot by touring, and the reality of what is behind the scenes — way more than I knew before.”

Still, he was already a veteran of the West African music scene before he landed in New York in 1995. He planned to stay in the land of Don Williams and John Fogerty long enough to learn the tricks of the music business and then return home to the Ivorian

THE HUMANS ARE AWAY

Sunny War revisits her hometown with Anarchist Gospel

BY SEAN L. MALONEY

All a title has to do is be functional — give us a little description of a body of work, maybe differentiate it from other works that are somehow related. Singer-songwriter Sunny War, however, is out here throwing brainbombs with her latest album Anarchist Gospel

Is she talking about Bibles in little leather jackets?

Or punk kids retelling the story of Jesus throwing the moneylenders out of the temple? Or perhaps something bigger, more radical, more mysterious?

capital city of Abidjan. With fellow guitarist and singer Jess Sah Bi, Peter One gained notice in the early ’80s in Ivory Coast, performing on radio and television and on concert stages. Their 1985 album Our Garden Needs Its Flowers became a hit, and their music fused the harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash with impassioned playing by local stalwarts like guitarist N’Guessan Santa.

Our Garden Needs Its Flowers was recorded in Abidjan at JBZ Studio, which operated there from 1981 until 2018. Along with pioneering work by reggae artist Alpha Blondy and Malian rock-fusion band Les Ambassadeurs, Our Garden makes a case for JBZ as a world-historic recording studio. (The album was reissued in 2018, and Peter One says he’s currently in talks to acquire the master tapes from producer Etienne Theo.) Meanwhile, Peter One cut Come Back to Me with producer Matt Ross-Spang at a couple of equally storied Tennessee studios. The tracking was done at Berry Hill’s

The songs only hint at answers, which is a testament to War’s immense skill as a writer and craftsperson, a sculptor of vibes.

War was born in Nashville, and moved often with her mother. As a teenager in Los Angeles, she struggled with addiction; she left home while still a minor and experienced homelessness for a time. She also found her love — and phenomenal talent — for music, and during recovery and beyond, she developed a style that draws on the immediacy of old-school folk and punk and effectively blurs distinctions between traditions including blues and country. Anarchist Gospel reflects on recent phases of her life, finding lessons in a messy tangle of emotions and rendering them with expert precision. She recently returned to Music City for a short spell; she has since shifted home bases again to Chattanooga.

“It’s been interesting,” War says of her recent relocations. “I think I was pretty sad when I got to Nashville. And then I got sadder, and now I’m on the other side of that. And it’s more like, really great now.”

Creative Workshop, with additional work at Memphis’ Sam Phillips Recording.

With playing from Nashville musicians like drummer Ken Coomer and multiinstrumentalist Pat Sansone — and turns by Memphis saxophonist Jim Spake — Come Back to Me modernizes Peter One’s sound without distracting from his liquid singing and deft guitar work. I ask Peter One about his take on the difference between modern recording techniques and the process he remembers from his days at JBZ Studio.

“It’s a little bit easier, and it’s a little bit trickier,” he says about digital recording. “I would say the difference is the sound. The sound is not as great as the sound we had with the tapes [at JBZ Studio]. The computer thing is good — it makes the workflow easier. But the end sound is less strong, less hot.”

I can hear what he’s referring to in the airy grooves of Come Back to Me. But the improved technology also brings the style of a great pop singer into the era of Jason

While in town, she recorded Anarchist Gospel, released in February by New West, with outstanding producer-engineer Andrija Tokic and a broad array of badass musicians. She’s now deep into the sort of intense touring that comes with being an artist on the cusp of the mainstream, and we’re catching up by phone ahead of a return visit to Nashville on Friday at Eastside Bowl.

“After we recorded, my dad died,” War continues. “But he was living in Chattanooga, and it was just so weird because, besides recording in Nashville, I was moving there to be closer to my dad’s side of the family. … But then the good stuff that came out of it, like me and my brother — a half-brother who I didn’t grow up with — we had to come together to deal with my dad’s passing. And now we have a really strong relationship.”

War moved into her late father’s house, but notes that she still comes a couple hours up the interstate to visit Nashville regularly. “I feel like I’ve met a lot of musicians that I look up to,” she says, “and now

Isbell and Allison Russell. The latter makes an appearance on the album’s closing track, “Birds Go Die out of Sight,” and Peter One has recently toured with Isbell. The album even sports a blues song, “Staring Into the Blues,” written by Nashville songwriter and Crave On leader Patrick Orr, who contributes guitar to the track.

Come Back to Me is a triumph of pop internationalism, and it stands as a testimony to the determination of a 67-year-old musician who has made his way in the tough Nashville music scene. He plays a show at Third Man Records’ Blue Room Saturday night, and he tells me about his April 14 debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry, where he played a couple of his songs.

“It went very well. I heard about the Grand Ole Opry only, I would say, about four years ago. I knew, every time I passed by, that there was a mall there. But I didn’t know it was a venue until a friend told me about that.”

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

COME BACK TO ME OUT FRIDAY, MAY 5, VIA VERVE FORECAST; PLAYING SATURDAY, MAY 6, AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO

PHOTO: JOSHUA BLACK WILKINS

PLAYING FRIDAY, MAY 5, AT EASTSIDE BOWL

MUSIC

it’s like, we talk on the phone, and I see ’em in Nashville, and it feels, like, right.”

Not a small number of those folks play on the album. Percussionist Megan Coleman and bassists “Little Jack” Lawrence and Dennis Crouch build a foundation for the organic grooves that come rippling out of War’s understatedly mesmerizing guitar work. Local dynamo Allison Russell and California songsmith Chris Pierce contribute to several tracks; other guests include My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and Micah Nelson — a son of Willie, alias Particle Kid, who released a split LP with War in 2018 called Particle War “Everything was good, so it was like, ‘But what’s your favorite?’ — especially with Allison Russell,” says War. “We kind of liked everything, so it was just sort of, ‘Well, what do we like the best?’ It was never like, ‘Can you do it like this?’ … So we had to kind of choose what parts we were going to use. Turned out to be really hard.”

Standout track “No Reason” drives and rings, evoking early rock ’n’ roll energy in the vein of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. In it, War examines the ongoing struggle to find your better self in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. The theme reappears in the next song “Shelter and Storm.” While folkster David Rawlings peels off ominous fingerpicked riffage, War sings: “For your life, you must fight, reach out for your mother’s hand / All our wrongs, we must right or drown in her sinking sand.”

As War writes her way through an array of personal and social spaces in Anarchist Gospel, she creates a document of artistic maturity that rides waves of tumult with calm detachment. With her collaborators’ help, she even slips in a couple of covers — Van Hunt’s “Hopeless” and Ween’s “Baby Bitch,” the second of which War mutates from a bit of borderline misogynist juvenilia into an opportunity for thoughtful self-examination.

In a way that mirrors many other changes she’s made in her life, War even altered the way she does demos. Tokic is known for being wellprepared, so she revised and revised her drafts before meeting up with him for pre-production, as opposed to rolling with off-the-cuff vocals-andguitar voice memos.

“I get frustrated working on one song if I can’t make it work — and then I just, like, go to something else for a while. I might go to work on other stuff for like a month if I have to, and then come back when I’m not, like, mad at a song anymore. [Laughs] But I [still] get mad at songs, I guess.”

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

ANOTHER LOOK

The Scene’ s music writers recommend recent releases from Jamiah, Molly Martin, BEZ and more

BY HANNAH CRON, EDD HURT, P.J. KINZER, DARYL SANDERS AND STEPHEN TRAGESER

Amid the flow of outstanding releases from Nashville musicians, the Scene’s music writers have seven new recommendations for you. Add them to your streaming queue, pick ’em up from your favorite local record store or put them on your wish list for Bandcamp Friday. The promotion in which Bandcamp waives its cut of sales for a 24-hour period returns May 5, and many of our picks are available there to buy directly from the artists.

striking lyric: “I fought the bottle with the sword / But won the battle with the Lord.” Boomerang Town is notable for its measured tone, and Harris’ deft handling of familiar material proves musical and verbal templates usually work for a reason.

EDD HURT

BEZ, TRAP SABBATH (LEAVING FOR MEMPHIS)

It’s hard to hear when Georgia-born MC Brandon Evans, aka BEZ, has time to breathe during the first half of his new LP Trap Sabbath. It feels like he’s going into battle against anyone who’d play him for a fool or doubt his dedication, and he maintains the onslaught while barely seeming to break a sweat. But where the record really takes off is at the midpoint, when he brings in fellow rappers Odd Moon and 2dolla for “On Scrill,” a dark, resolute and athletic track that amplifies the philosophical perspective that underscores the whole album.

STEPHEN TRAGESER

JAMIAH, SUPERSTAR VOL. 1 (JAM EXPRESS)

In spite of technical difficulties, R&B singer-songwriter extraordinaire Jamiah dominated her Record Store Day set at The Groove. That’s the kind of energy that’s fueled her work for a long time, and it drives her newest EP, a danceable collection called Superstar Vol. 1. The three songs focus on confidence in a way that’s a credit to a rising star. “Good on Me” brushes off haters, “Dreaming” is one side of a conversation with someone you wish shared your belief in yourself, and “Money” centers on aspiring to the professional success you believe in your heart you’re capable of.

ZG SMITH, NIGHTTIME ANIMAL (TONE TREE)

MOLLY MARTIN, MARY (SELF-RELEASED)

STEPHEN TRAGESER

JAIMEE HARRIS, BOOMERANG TOWN (FOLK ’N’ ROLL/THIRTY TIGERS)

The doleful tone of singer-songwriter Jaimee Harris’ Boomerang Town might put you in mind of a slightly more Americanaized Mary Chapin Carpenter, or maybe Gretchen Peters in a particularly dark mood. Like those exponents of modern singer-songwriterdom, Harris has a knack for dramatizing the struggles of everyday people, and she’s unsparing about the dangerous aspects of her own bad habits. The arrangements are generic-plus in the classic Americana manner, but the album peaks with the nuanced folk rock of “On the Surface,” which contains this

After more than a decade fronting successful roots duo Smooth Hound Smith, ZG Smith takes a solo turn with Nighttime Animal, a catchy six-song EP that invites repeated listenings. With backing from keyboardist Josh Blaylock, steel player Blake Reams, bassist Taylor Thompson and co-producer and drummer Jonathan Smalt, the record finds the singer-songwriter-guitarist moving in a funkier and more psychedelic direction. The EP moves at a groovy, unhurried pace, giving it a kind of trippy, tropicalisland vibe. R&B singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian adds soaring backing vocals to the gospel-flavored “Hooks,” and Antibalas’ trombonist Ray Mason takes a memorable solo on the old-schoolR&B-inspired “Let Me Back In.” But it is Smith’s soulful and assured vocal performances that steal the show throughout this impressive debut.

DARYL SANDERS

Molly Martin’s debut album Mary shares the most intimate parts of her life and the turmoil of being caught between different versions of yourself. Even the title holds this weight: “Mary” is Martin’s birth name, one she doesn’t use but that is inherently part of her identity. In a mere 25 minutes, the album covers topics from infatuation to sobriety to sexual assault. Martin’s commanding vocals, introspective lyrics and brazen attitude are infectious in a way that recalls many great rock albums, especially Lucy Dacus’ Historian. The two records share many collaborators, so the similarities — including their greatness — are no coincidence.

HANNAH CRON

BARRICADED SUSPECTS, TERMINAL GROWTH (CLOSET LANDSCAPES RECORDS)

Much like the 1983 hardcore comp that inspired their band name, Barricaded Suspects lay down full-tilt aggression on every track of their new album. Of the

PHOTO: JOSHUA BLACK WILKINS

FIND LINKS TO STREAM AND BUY THESE RECORDS AT NASHVILLESCENE.COM/MUSIC

21 saw-toothed anthems on Terminal Growth, only one exceeds two minutes. In many ways, their sound parallels the late-’90s thrashcore of Talk Is Poison, No Parade or Tennessee’s own Deathreat. Yet these Suspects seem to eschew the uncurbed tube-amp heaviness of those bands, bringing the gaunt, buzzing snarl of early Bostonians like The F.U.’s and Jerry’s Kids, or perhaps even Wire. With rare live shows and only their demo tape and three EPs released since 2014, Barricaded Suspects are hardly prolific. But the group’s first fulllength has proven one of the most radiantly deranged local punk LPs of the year. P.J. KINZER

THE SPIN

WILLING TO ROLL

BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

“Maybe we should go back to the bush league,” quipped singer-guitarist Joey Plunket, wiping sweat from his face a few songs into Country Westerns’ set Saturday night at The Blue Room at Third Man Records

“Eh, we only got 32 more songs left to play,” deadpanned touring bassist Jordan Jones from the other side of the stage.

For the previous 15 minutes or so, drummer Brian Kotzur had joined his bandmates in what amounted to an intense cardio workout, treating his kit like a sparring partner. He just leaned forward and took some deep breaths.

Celebrating the release of their second LP Forgive the City, Country Westerns wore the mantle of rock ’n’ roll lifers well. As are many of the folks they collaborate with, Plunket and Kotzur are veterans of various scenes and bands. For a small sampling, Plunket was part of Gentleman Jesse and His Men and led a band called JP5 before he took a break to focus on opening Five Points bar Duke’s with partner Sara Nelson, while Kotzur plays with his fellow former Silver Jews band member William Tyler in Tyler’s group The Impossible Truth.

Plunket and Kotzur have developed a big batch of anthemic songs that orbit the idea of centering yourself in a fucked-up world, married to great punk-tinged rock sound that doesn’t try to hide its Southern accent as it drives forward like a freight train. Touring clubs a few months at a time seems like a great fit, but if the opportunity comes to do something bigger, they leave little doubt that they could take it on. They’re at a point where they can decide what makes sense for them — and what keeps the joy of writing and playing at the forefront.

SPENCER CULLUM’S COIN COLLECTION, SPENCER CULLUM’S COIN COLLECTION 2 (FULL TIME HOBBY)

Part of the Coin Collection project’s purpose is giving Spencer Cullum space to explore a pastoral psychfolk-prog mode and exercise his skills outside the world of pedal steel, the instrument for which he’s best known. But each of the thoughtful songs plays to the strength of his musical friends (aka his “Coins”). Who better than Rich Ruth to collaborate with on the kosmische gem “The Three Magnets,” or Erin Rae on the elegiac “Betwixt and Between,” or Caitlin Rose on the wry “That Same Day Departure”? If you’ll pardon the pun, they all shine here. STEPHEN TRAGESER

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Listening to Runaways deep cuts and other tunes selected by DJ Jemina Pearl wasn’t a bad way for a handful of us early birds to spend half an hour before the opening set, and the room began to fill as pop ’n’ rock champs Ornament settled in. Frontman Will Mann, who plays guitar and keys, and his longtime musical partner, drummer-singer Ryan Donoho, are also stalwarts of local rock, who’ve been in and around local bands since they were teens in the late Aughts and early 2010s; they were joined by bassist Linda Parrott and guitarist Connor Theriot. The band’s evolving sound includes touches of popminded British rockers like The Kinks and Nick Lowe, James Gang-esque American hard rock and a bit of yacht rock. It serves their songs very well, especially set highlight “Sometimes People Get Together and They Dance,” a clever and heartfelt tune from last year’s LP Rock Solid that encourages listeners to avoid the distractions of the digital world and,

y’know, mingle with others in person.

Up next was NYC’s Joanna Sternberg, who sat down with only an acoustic guitar and reeled off three bittersweet and quietly intense songs in a row, not saying a word between them. On the surface, their fingerpicked country, folk and blues licks and their lyrics both seem simple in construction, but are exceptionally sophisticated and powerful, in a way that recalls Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum. Life can throw emotional haymakers at you all day long, for no other reason than you exist; Sternberg’s songs feel like an inspiring way to land a few back. After the third song, they revealed themselves as a funny and charming person, who channels all their nervous energy into performing; the rest of their show was filled with interludes, asides and jokes. Not talking for the top of the set wasn’t their idea, but that of guitarist’s guitarist and producer’s producer Matt Sweeney, who was offering encouragement from the front row. His many credits include both of Country Westerns’ albums as well as Sternberg’s forthcoming I’ve Got Me

Then it was time for the band of the hour to plunge headfirst into their set list, scrawled on the back of a large Five Points Pizza box. Kotzur pounded away at the drums while Jones filled the low register with athletic, melodic lines. Plunket swapped between his bespoke Scale Model Guitars electric 12-string and a Danelectro 12-string whose lowest pair of strings was

gone — perhaps intentionally, as Keith Richards once demonstrated for Sweeney in a video for Vice’s Noisey — while growling out the wry reflections and hard-won wisdom gleaned from a life in and around the strange, often-unkind music business.

Sweeney’s guitar and amp were set up, so it was clear he’d planned to sit in. Following Sweeney’s production tradition of “tough love,” as Plunket recently described it to Scene contributor Charlie Zaillian, there was some lighthearted back-and-forth about which songs he’d play. “Getting produced, even on the stage,” Plunket said with a grin, as Sweeney pushed his sunglasses down to consult the pizza box. He’s a hands-on producer who gets to know artists’ material very well and often plays on their records, and he nonchalantly inserted wiry lead lines into the interstices of a three-song run that began with “Wait for It.”

Old songs sat comfortably alongside new ones. Some standouts from Forgive the City included “It’s a Livin’,” which includes the album’s titular lyric in its examination of living amid change, and the autobiographical “Country Westerns.” Near the end of the set were “At Any Time” and “Gentle Soul,” fist-inthe-air shout-along songs from the band’s 2020 debut Country Westerns. They sent us into the cool night with what Plunket called “a lullaby” — Dead Moon’s “A Miss of You,” with its punk rock prayer for battered souls: “I know the way now / This time it won’t take long.”

EMAIL THESPIN@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

PHOTOS: STEVE CROSS

OLD-FASHIONED ROMANCE: ORNAMENT

IT’S ALWAYS BEEN: COUNTRY WESTERNS

Nashvilleʼs longest running FREE movie screening returns this summer to Elmington Park, Thursdays in June. Enjoy games, giveaways and food truck fare before taking in a fan-favorite film under the stars.

LET THEM LEAD THE WAY

The Belcourt’s Strong Leads program provides confidence, inclusion and support for teenage girls

BY HANNAH CRON

It’s usually not much fun to find yourself in a room full of people far smarter and cooler than you. Except, that is, at Strong Leads: A Film Seminar for High School

Girls — I’ve never been more excited to be in over my head.

Belcourt Theatre education and engagement director Allison Inman shares a staggering statistic: Of the top 100 films released each year, only about 5 percent are directed by women. This and other disparities in the industry inspired her to start the program Strong Leads in 2016. Once a semester, Inman puts out a call for female and gender-nonconforming teenagers interested in film — specifically films made by and starring women. The spring 2023 installment wrapped up at the end of April.

“The gender stuff was so glaring that I knew it needed to be talked about, because I wasn’t finding enough films to show our students that had female leads or were directed by women,” Inman tells the Scene “We were constantly just seeing sort of the same point of view in a lot of films, and I just wanted to see more gender diversity and racial diversity. So I just started thinking

about how to build a program where we focused on female-directed films where the female characters were well-rounded and had agency, and weren’t just sexualized, and they weren’t just accessories or supporting the male action in the film.”

When I enter the upstairs classroom at the Belcourt, I am greeted with a buzz of energized chatter. Within minutes of my arrival, the Strong Leads students are deep in a discussion about the film tropes they hate — everything from Joss Whedonstyle kitschy dialogue to limiting queer characters to minor roles.

On the week of my visit, the girls are watching Lulu Wang’s 2019 film The Farewell, which leads into a discussion far more frank and thoughtful than many adults would have. They discuss how we express love, different ways people and cultures process grief, and whether there’s such a thing as a good lie. Their passion is evident, and it is impressive.

“It just renews my strength and my faith in this generation,” says Inman. “These girls are so fired-up!”

Fired-up is an apt description — these teenagers are dealing with a world that doesn’t want to welcome them in, and they won’t take no for an answer. They care about diversity and inclusion.

“It’s been really interesting and honestly a breath of fresh air,” says Mollie, a senior at Nashville School of the Arts. “Obviously everyone here is very similar and very nice and kind, but everyone is also very different. It’s not as diverse as I’d want it to be, but that’s also a really good part, because at the same time, Allison makes an effort to actually educate people on not only how women are [treated] in the film industry but also the disadvantages people of color [face] in the film industry as well,

and I really appreciate her for that. It’s nice to hear others’ perspectives on these issues and share mine in a space where that’s welcome and accepted.

“I know that in Metro specifically the arts are not as appreciated,” she continues, “so it isn’t stuff that schools such as Stratford, which is my zone school, would be exposed to, and I think everyone deserves a chance to learn more about this type of stuff. It’s really fun!”

Rose, a senior at Hillsboro High School, wants other girls to see themselves on screen the way she has.

“Part of being a marginalized group is that you don’t even realize at first that you are marginalized or you’re in the minority,” says Rose. “So once you gain that awareness, for me it was really important to just never stop wanting to pursue finding [films] that had similar stories to mine. It’s kind of addictive to see yourself in something. It’s really exciting. After that, you never want to go back to something else that doesn’t really feel like you.”

When asked what films they love and see themselves reflected in, the students provide a diverse and impressive list — Mosquita y Mari, Beba, Times Square, Silence of the Lambs, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love and The Breakfast Club. A natural instinct upon meeting these students is wanting to wrap each of them in a giant hug and protect them from the world — but if anyone is ready to face it, it’s them.

“These kids are having to figure out where to go to college based on where they will be safe, and it’s just heavy existential stuff,” says Inman. “We’ve lost the rights to our bodily autonomy — it’s dire.”

Throughout the years, Inman has seen firsthand the confidence that inclusive, supportive spaces can instill in these girls. Even more than film knowledge, she hopes confidence is what the Strong Leads students take away each semester.

“I hope they have confidence to talk about movies and be film nerds, and don’t apologize for what they like, and just assert their opinions,” she says. “I think that’s something that girls are not encouraged to do, so I hope they do that. I also hope that they make their own stuff and see the value in their own narratives.

“Their voices matter,” she continues. “They are fully formed human beings who are entitled to everything that their male counterparts are entitled to, and that seems like it should go without saying, but it doesn’t always. And maybe that changes with this generation.”

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

ALLISON INMAN LEADS A MEETING OF STRONG LEADS

INTERGALACTIC, PLANETARY

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a remarkable homecoming

BY JASON SHAWHAN

The highest compliment you can pay a comic book film is that it punches through however many decades of adult living and paying rent and taxes you’ve had, putting you back in whatever state of mind you were in when you first discovered the art form of comics. Perhaps comic books introduced you to a lot of complex themes and concepts even before you got into the works of literature that helped you define your perspective on art and existence. If you were reading the good stuff at the right age (thank you profusely, Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz), comics helped lay the foundation for your critical mentality, however that happened to shake out. Sometimes, though, you forget that. I’ve been riding with the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Day 1, and there have been a few films (as well as WandaVision and the non-MCU Ang Lee Hulk) that have done that, breaking through all those years and kicking up those big emotions when these archetypes were new, before I even had the language to analyze things. But Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feels special.

You would not expect the third film in a Marvel subtrilogy to hit this hard. Perhaps that’s due to diminished expectations based on the past few MCU offerings (which I generally enjoyed), or maybe the sheer weight of the past nine years since Vol. 1 first came out has ground us down. But as my friend Josh said, “I was not expecting to cry like that.” So know that if you respond to works like Flowers for Algernon, or We3, or Sid’s handiwork in Toy Story, be ready. Because the focus of this installment is beloved curmudgeon Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and how he got to the point of being everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed procyon. Fear not: This isn’t just an instance of treading water until we get a fight at the special effects factory, because writer-director (and now universe-shaper for DC, which is a whole other thing) James Gunn is the closest the superhero genre of film has come to Chris Claremont at the top of his game.

With the way other MCU films have been passing characters back and forth, we’ve been getting a cinematic equivalent of the way

comic book characters grow beyond any one single writer. MCU honcho Kevin Feige (back in the day, it was Jim Shooter) is determining the paths for these characters by assigning writers as deemed appropriate (which is one of the immediately noticeable differences between Quantumania and its predecessors when looked at as a subset of the MCU rather than the current soap opera perspective). So Guardians Vol. 3 feels like a remarkable homecoming, reminding us of the joys of one of these films firing on all cylinders.

There’s a great deal of delight to be found in the way these characters interact, coming together to battle a particularly evil Big Bad. (They’ve shaken the multiverse in some capacity, so it’s already happened and isn’t pertinent to the proceedings, though I am just a little bit terrified/intrigued that we may have to have a siege of Wundagore at some point.) Our heroes also work through various and sundry emotional traumas.

The big one is that Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is back, but she’s not the Gamora we knew from the first few MCU phases, and this is really wrecking our guy Star-Lord’s program, because he’s still swoony over someone who doesn’t exist anymore. Something you’ll notice: This film understands that the public’s parasocial relationship to Chris Pratt has changed, and as such there’s a different dynamic afoot — this is a differ ent Pratt vibe. And it benefits the film, as do the continually great comic duo stylings of Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff as Drax and Mantis, and the angry cybernetic awesomeness of Karen “Amy Pond for Life” Gillan as Nebula.

If nothing else, us that Pee-wee’s Big Adventure moral film of the ’80s, and hopefully this will serve as a similar reminder for future generations. It’s been a while since we had something in this genre that really did this kind of narrative heavy lifting, rather than just playing in the sandbox that we know and love and are fine with just hanging out for a little while in. Who even knows what the world will look like a few years down the road, much less these diverting moviehouse fiefdoms where we can let the thematic signifiers of our youth knock each other around? But for now, at least, there’s great power in a quality story told well by some one who truly gives a shit.

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

Summer Guide

PRESENTED BY

Your guide to all things summer – from food and drink events to music fests and more!

ACROSS

1 It’s true!

5 “Not my favorite”

8 Soft opening?

13 Mar contents

14 Mer contents

15 Like spaces reserved for compact cars

16 Tease / Tease

18 Hockey goalie’s domain

19 Word rhymed with “intelligent” in T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” 20 Brillo offering

DOWN

1 Made out

2 Like a mind that can solve crosswords

3 Chops evenly, in a way

4 What arrows might point at

5 Was deeply appreciated

6 Riyadh-to-Abu Dhabi direction

7 House of straw, maybe

32 Spaces where people pay to destroy household objects with sledgehammers

34 Word before or after “down”

35 Chevy Bolts and Nissan Leafs, for short

38 “Ni-i-ice”

40 Digital boarding pass, e.g.

42 Raise, maybe

43 Zodiac sign transition

45 Many-stringed instrument

47 Foolable

48 Medieval Spanish conqueror

49 Feints on the ice

50 Sudden, temporary loss of athletic ability, with “the”

51 Purity ring?

52 Request to a barber

54 ___ joke

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

Chinese instrument

29 Presale alert?

30 Heard / Heard

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

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.

FAMILY COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ONEIDA

In the Matter of an Article

6 Custody/Visitation

Proceeding File #: 33868

Docket#:V-01489-22

Deborah Bryden (Petitioner)

Alex Bryden (Petitioner)

Rikki L. Swackhammer (Respondent)

Roy M. Swackhammer Jr. (Respondent)

Charles W. Rayburn Jr (DOB: 01/05/2010)

SUMMONS- GENERAL (IN PERSON)

To: Rikki L. Swackhammer 1828 Second Street Salisbury, NC 28144

Roy M. Swackhammer Jr. 1828 Second Street Salisbury, NC 28144

A petition under Article 6 of the Family Court Act has been filed with this Court. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear IN PERSON before this Court on: Date/Time/Part: June 15, 2023 at 09:00 AM in Part VI

Purpose: Pre-Trial Conference, Respondent to Appear or Default, and First Appearance

Presiding: Peter Angelini, Court Attorney Referee Location: Rome- County Office Building, 301 West Dominick Street, Rome, NY 13440 Floor:

1 Room: VI to answer the attached petition and to be dealt with in accordance with the Family Court Act Please bring this notice with you and check in with the Court Officer in the Part. If you fail to appear as directed, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. Dated: March 27, 2023 Amy Lawter, Chief Clerk

NOTICE: FAMILY COURT ACT §154(C) PROVIDES THAT PETITIONS BROUGHT PURSUANT TO ARTICLES 4, 5, 6, 8 AND 10 OF THE FAMILY COURT ACT, IN WHICH AN ORDER OF PROTECTION IS SOUGHT OR IN WHICH A VIOLATION OF AN ORDER OF PROTECTION IS ALLEGED, MAY BE SERVED OUTSIDE THE STATE OF NEW YORK UPON

A RESPONDENT WHO IS NOT A RESIDENT OR DOMICILIARY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. IF NO OTHER GROUNDS FOR OBTAINING PERSONAL JURISDICTION OVER THE RESPONDENT EXIST ASIDE FROM THE APPLICATION OF THIS PROVISION, THE EXERCISE OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION OVER THE RESPONDENT IS LIMITED TO THE ISSUE OF THE REQUEST FOR, OR ALLEGED VIOLATION OF, THE ORDER OF PROTECTION. WHERE THE RESPONDENT HAS BEEN SERVED WITH THIS SUMMONS AND PETITION AND DOES NOT APPEAR, THE FAMILY COURT MAY PROCEED TO A HEARING WITH RESPECT TO ISSUANCE OR ENFORCEMENT OF THE ORDER OF PROTECTION.

NSC: 4/27, 5/4, 5/11/23

EMPLOYMENT

Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager. Oversee, coordinate, direct, and promote all environmental, health, and safety activities for a manufacturer and distributor of computer and electronics components.

Location: La Vergne, TN.

Employer: Quanta Manufacturing Nashville, LLC. To apply, mail resumé to S. Jones, 1621 Heil Quaker Blvd., La Vergne, TN, 37086.

HealthStream, Inc. seeks a Lead Developer in Nashville, TN to work with business stakeholders to refine and inform the requirements for software application features and enhancements. Reqs. BS+5 or MS+3 yrs. exp. To apply mail resume to HealthStream, Inc., Attn: HealthStream HR, 500 11th St, Suite 1000, Nashville, TN 37203. Must reference Job Title & Job Code: 000085.

TN to work with business stakeholders to refine and inform the requirements for software application features and enhancements. Reqs. BS+5 or MS+3 yrs. exp. To apply mail resume to HealthStream, Inc., Attn: HealthStream HR, 500 11th St, Suite 1000, Nashville, TN 37203. Must reference Job Title & Job Code: 000085.

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ATTENTION

HOMEOWNERS!

If you have water damage to your home and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in and work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP!

Call 833-664-1530. (AAN CAN)