Nashville Scene 7-29-21

CITY LIMITS: OUR ONE SHOT AT CONTROLLING THE COVID-19 RESURGENCE IS VACCINATION

JULY 29–AUGUST 4, 2021 I VOLUME 40 I NUMBER 26 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

BEST OF NASHVILLE VOTING IS NOW OPEN!

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MUSIC: TALKING WITH STANDOUT SONGSMITH YOLA ABOUT HER NEW RECORD — AND MUCH MORE PAGE 29

THE NAPIER WAY

How a local elementary school is approaching the upcoming school year despite the changes and challenges of the pandemic

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NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

CONTENTS

JULY 29, 2021

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A Shot in the Dark .....................................7

For the Soul: Tomiko Harvey of the Black Travel Alliance Pushes for Equity in Tourism

CITY LIMITS

Our one chance at turning back the resurgent tide of COVID-19 is vaccination

BY STEVEN HALE

New Report Documents Poor Conditions at The Blue Note Apartments ...................7 Tenants at the complex deal with pests, rising rents and mismanagement, says Elmahaba Center survey

BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

Tennesseans With Disabilities Face Underemployment .....................................8 People with disabilities share their stories, 31 years after the Americans With Disabilities Act’s passage

BY HANNAH HERNER

Pith in the Wind .........................................9 This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

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COVER STORY The Napier Way

How a local elementary school is approaching the upcoming school year despite the changes and challenges of the pandemic

BY KELSEY BEYELER

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CRITICS’ PICKS KRS-One, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Tayls album release feat. Nordista Freeze & Namir Blade, Amelia White, Franklin Pride, Music City Mondays: The Secret Life of Plants, Phish, Gossip Girl, The Criterion Channel’s Neo-Noir collection and more

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FOOD AND DRINK

A Dozen Day-Trip Eats

CULTURE

BY ASHLEY CURRIE AND URBAANITE

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Bringing Out the Dead In The Speaking Stone, Michael Griffith considers the contingent nature of existence

BY SEAN KINCH AND CHAPTER 16

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BY YURINA YOSHIKAWA

There Will Be No Sept. 21 Election

Cloud Control: Seck Advances Music City’s Visual Storytelling ................................... 28 The stellar director discusses changing perceptions of Nashville’s Black creative community, from hip-hop to filmmaking and beyond

BY D’LLISHA DAVIS AND 2 L’S ON A CLOUD

Getting in Touch ...................................... 29 Yola advocates for authenticity on Stand for Myself

BY BRITTNEY McKENNA

The Spin ................................................... 30 The Scene’s live-review column checks out Dara Tucker at Rudy’s Jazz Room and Reigning Sound at Mercy Lounge

BY RON WYNN AND CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

32 FILM

Primal Stream 62 The final Fear Street installment, now available to stream

BY JASON SHAWHAN

Opening and still playing this week in theaters are The Green Knight, Pig, Old, Jungle Cruise and more

On the pleasures of trusting my instincts in the kitchen

12South Building Slated for Brooklyn Pizza Restaurant

MUSIC

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

Muscle Memory

What If Tennessee Republicans Stuck Up for Forrest’s Victims Rather Than Forrest Himself?

BOOKS

Splices: The Knight, the Pig, The Rock, the Spooky Beach and More

VODKA YONIC

Help Rudy’s Jazz Room Recover From Flood Damage

The creator of Passports & Grub wants to amplify the voices of Black travel

Where to dine outside Nashville when you have a tank of gas and a free day

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THIS WEEK ON THE WEB:

BY D. PATRICK RODGERS

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nashvillescene.com nashvillescene.com | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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7/26/21 5:40 PM

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SOURCE: TN.GOV

MEOWS! IT’S KITTEN TIME!

COVID-19 SURGES THROUGH TENNESSEE, AND OUR STATE’S LOW VACCINE RATE HAS DRAWN NATIONAL CRITICISM It is with great dismay that we read about COVID-19’s resurgence and the growing threat of new variants. If you’ve been tracking the news with any regularity you have likely read that in mid-July, our state’s infection rate more than tripled over a three-week period — one of the largest increases across the nation.

On July 16, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist tweeted that Tennessee ranks 44th in percentage of population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, calling that statistic “discouraging and deadly.”

He also stated, “Tennessee can stand by science and save lives,” said Frist, “or we can further a dangerous trend that is eroding public health and trust in government.”

The former senator is not the only one taking note of the crisis and the seeming lack of concern on the part of some GOP lawmakers — and it’s not just Tennesseans noticing. Earlier this month on The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert made Tennessee and its GOP lawmakers the butt of the joke. “The Volunteer State has one of the worst vaccination rates in the country, and they aim to keep it that way,” said Colbert. “Because this week after pressure from Republican lawmakers, the Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach — not just for coronavirus, but all diseases.”

The audience booed. Colbert also aired a satirical tourism commercial that stated in part, “There are just so many things to do and catch in Tennessee.” It ended with, “Tennessee, the last place you’ll ever visit.” The audience laughed.

It’s certainly not ideal for Tennessee to bear the brunt of national jokes or appear as though we cannot take care of our own — or that we don’t have the good sense to do so. Of course we don’t want tourists to vacation elsewhere when they would normally come here. But you can bet there are some who, upon seeing The Late Show and the headlines about our state’s poor COVID response, have changed their plans. Gov. Bill Lee did bother to give a press conference on July 21 saying he was not against the vaccine, saying it’s “the number-one tool that we have to continue to manage COVID-19, including the Delta variant.” I just hope it’s not too little too late.

Tennessee has seen large increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Eleven of our counties have been noted as “very high risk.” According to Fox 17, “These counties in order of infection rate are: Franklin, Davidson, Shelby, Tipton,

Gibson, Cumberland, Sumner, Hamilton, Lawrence, Henry and Hawkins.”

The Delta variant is spreading across the nation, and particularly in areas that have low vaccination rates. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the resurgence is “becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports that “the Delta variant is estimated to be up to 225 percent more transmissible than the original strain.

“Once it finds pockets of unprotected people, it can spread very quickly,” Aubrey notes. “In fact, 97 percent of people who are hospitalized from COVID now are unvaccinated.”

As most mask-wearing and social distancing protocols fall by the wayside, with many feeling like COVID-19 is over, the surge in cases continues. According to researchers at Georgetown University’s Bansal Lab, “The more geographically clustered unvaccinated individuals are, the higher the chance that an unvaccinated individual will interact with another unvaccinated individual, and the higher the chance that a disease transmission event will occur.”

Dr. Michelle Fiscus, Tennessee’s former medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs, has said the administration’s handling of the pandemic has been one of complacency.

Fiscus said: “Gov. Lee should be sending a strong message that Tennesseans need to get protected, just like he is, with a safe and effective vaccine.”

“The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have,” said Fiscus, “but like any good tool, it’s only effective when used.”

Many fear the outcome of taking a vaccine, or think they still wouldn’t be protected. There is a need for accurate information to be distributed, and it needs to come from Tennessee’s state leaders.

Without their advocating and encouraging — which they can do without imposing on personal choice — the results will continue to speak for themselves. Tennesseans will continue to avoid getting vaccinated, and worse than being made fun of on national television, we will see more sickness and more unnecessarily lost lives.

Bill Freeman

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

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Editorial Policy: The Nashville Scene covers news, art and entertainment. In our pages appear divergent views from across the community. Those views do not necessarily represent those of the publishers. Subscriptions: Subscriptions are available at $150 per year for 52 issues.

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NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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Single Tickets On Sale July 30 at 10 am FEATURING YOUR NASHVILLE SYMPHONY BEETHOVEN UNDER THE STARS

Music City Christmas Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor December 16 to 19, 2021

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Stewart Goodyear, piano September 11, 2021 at Ascend Amphitheater

Dvořák & Mozart: Full Orchestra Reunited

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor George Li, piano January 7 to 9, 2022 The Lawrence S. Levine Memorial Concert

NAS

Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor September 12, 2021 at Ascend Amphitheater

Opening Weekend: Fanfare for Music City

Revolution: The Music of the Beatles.

A Symphonic Experience.

Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor January 13 to 15, 2022

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor September 16 to 18, 2021 Latin Fire Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor September 30 & October 1, 2021

Star Wars: The Force Awakens In Concert Nathan Aspinall, conductor April 1 to 3, 2022

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Orchestra World Tour Arnie Roth, conductor January 28, 2022

THE PRINCESS BRIDE IN CONCERT

Nathan Aspinall, conductor October 29 & 30, 2021

Next Generation of Classical Musicians: Accelerando Alumni and Your Nashville Symphony Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Aalia Hanif, flute Bernard Ekwuazi, trombone November 4 to 6, 2021

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Debussy’s La Mer Thomas Wilkins, conductor Adele Anthony, violin April 8 to 10, 2022

Disco Fever: Get Down Tonight Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor February 3 to 5, 2022 Carnival of the Animals Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor February 5, 2022

Strings on Parade with Jun Iwasaki

Guerrero Conducts Messiah: An Easter Oratorio Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Vocal Soloists Nashville Symphony Chorus Tucker Biddlecombe, director April 14 to 16, 2022

Brahms, Birds & ‘blue cathedral’

Jun Iwasaki, leader and violin November 18 to 20, 2021 jennifer nettles broadway under the mistletoe Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor November 30 & December 1, 2021 The Muppet Christmas Carol In Concert Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor December 3 to 5, 2021

YOLANDA ADAMS Dr. Henry Panion III, conductor May 8, 2022

Judy Collins with the Nashville Symphony Nathan Aspinall, conductor March 29, 2022

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Érik Gratton, flute Licia Jaskunas, harp January 20 to 22, 2022

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Andrew Risinger, organ October 21 to 23, 2021

An Evening of Firsts: All-American Program featuring Winger and Warnaar World Premieres Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor José Sibaja, cornet March 17 to 19, 2022 Live Recording Weekend!

When Instruments Roamed the Earth Nathan Aspinall, conductor March 26, 2022

Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’ Plus Symphony Soloists on Mozart’s Concerto for Flute & Harp

Beethoven’s First Plus Winds and Organ Showcase

Tchaikovsky, Ravel & Sibelius Nathan Aspinall, conductor Terrence Wilson, piano May 6 & 7, 2022

Stewart Copeland: Police Deranged Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor March 24 to 26, 2022

Symphony in Space!

Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor January 15, 2022

THE MUSIC OF PINK FLOYD Brent Havens, conductor October 8, 2021

Pops Spectacular: Orchestral Greatest Hits Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor March 3 to 6, 2022

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Jun Iwasaki, violin Kevin Bate, cello February 11 & 12, 2022 Joyce Yang Plays Grieg Plus ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ & Shostakovich’s Fifth Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Joyce Yang, piano February 24 to 26, 2022

Nat King Cole at 100 Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor April 28 to 30, 2022 Gold Rush: An American Musical Adventure Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor April 30, 2022

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ™ In Concert Justin Freer, conductor May 12 to 15, 2022 Ballet Extravaganza: Firebird and Billy the Kid with Nashville Ballet Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Nashville Ballet Paul Vasterling, artistic director May 19 to 22, 2022 Prohibition with the Nashville Symphony Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor May 25, 2022 Leslie Odom, Jr. Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor May 26 to 28, 2022 Beethoven’s Ninth Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Vocal Soloists Nashville Symphony Chorus Tucker Biddlecombe, director June 2 to 5, 2022 Back to the Future In Concert Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor June 17 to 19, 2022 BERNADETTE PETERS Marvin Laird, conductor Nathan Aspinall, conductor June 22, 2022 Ben Folds Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor June 30 to July 2, 2022 Toy Story In Concert Nathan Aspinall, conductor July 8 to 10, 2022

MORE GREAT CONCERTS Presented without the Nashville Symphony Not Our First Goat Rodeo Yo-Yo Ma – Stuart Duncan Edgar Meyer – Chris Thile With guest Aoife O’Donovan August 11, 2021 at Ascend Amphitheater National Geographic Live TERRY VIRTS | VIEW FROM ABOVE September 26, 2021 THE HOT SARDINES October 24, 2021 1964 The Tribute November 7, 2021

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Ballet Folklórico de México January 23, 2022

Kool & the Gang March 13, 2022

Tower of Power April 22, 2022

Pat Metheny Side-Eye with James Francies & Joe Dyson February 7, 2022

Voices of Spring Nashville Symphony Chorus Tucker Biddlecombe, director March 20, 2022

Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music July 17, 2022

CELTIC THUNDER: IRELAND February 27, 2022

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis March 22, 2022

Little River Band August 26, 2022

Gregory Porter February 28, 2022

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CITY LIMITS

A SHOT IN THE DARK have died in the ongoing wave were unvaccinated. There are indications that even low vaccine rates and a shift toward more infections occurring in younger people will mean fewer people die as a result of the ongoing wave, but the wave itself is currently showing no signs of slowing.

“It will continue to spread,” Schaffner says. “Unvaccinated people will continue to have to go to the hospital, and some of them, I’m afraid, will succumb to this virus.”

The best path forward, public health officials agree, is vaccination. That approach has been hampered in large part by some right-wing elements in the state who, if not anti-vaccine, are at least resistant to pro-vaccine messages. The state’s health department is only just emerging from a controversy that saw national attention trained on Tennessee. After state Republicans seized on vaccination materials targeted at teenagers, the head of the department’s vaccine program, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, was ousted and the agency signaled a retreat from vaccine outreach to teens altogether. Now, although Fiscus’ firing still reeks of politics, the clouds appear to be lifting as it relates to the department’s approach to vaccines. Piercey said at her recent briefing that after a “brief pause” the department would resume its efforts, focusing on targeting its communication to parents. She also reiterated that vaccines are the best way to protect oneself against COVID-19, including the Delta variant.

The struggle for public health officials then is to break through the vaccine hesitancy — whether it is fueled by goodfaith concerns or misinformation — that has

kept the state’s uptake stubbornly low.

“People who are unvaccinated have a whole series of reasons to be concerned, to be hesitant,” Schaffner says. “I respect all of those folks, I respect their reasons.

But there’s an answer to each one of their questions. The only issue I haven’t been able to answer is, ‘I’m grumpy, and I’m not going to do it.’ ” We are effectively witnessing a largescale test of how the vaccine performs against the virus. And although there are some breakthrough cases, in which a vaccinated person gets infected, the results could hardly be clearer: Unvaccinated people are more likely to become infected, more likely to spread the virus to others, and more likely to be hospitalized or die from the illness.

One notion Schaffner says he’s encountered often is the idea that people who have already been infected with the virus and recovered — of which there are more than 800,000 in Tennessee alone — might not need to be vaccinated. But the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that even people who have recovered from the virus should still get vaccinated. Schaffner explains why.

“As it happens, this has now been welldemonstrated — the vaccines provide more antibody in your bloodstream, more protection, than does the disease itself,” he says. “Why is that important? Here are the two reasons: Number one, more antibody is usually associated, with what we know about all other vaccines, with a longer duration of protection. And more important, given the current circumstance, higher levels of antibody seem to permit you to fend off the variants more successfully.”

Another common concern, Schaffner says, is about potential negative long-term effects of the vaccines. Schaffner says it’s a “perfectly reasonable” concern for a layperson to have, but one that’s ultimately not supported by our experience with vaccines.

from management than white renters.

Elmahaba Center, a nonprofit formed in 2019 to work with Nashville’s Arabic-speaking communities, conducted the study, which surveyed 80 households.

The report is being released as a four-part series, with three entries already available online.

Each entry in the report concerns a different topic about life at The Blue Note. The entry on mismanagement, for example, finds that many surveyed renters dealt with malfunctioning appliances and discolored tap water, and that 75 percent of them experienced ongoing pest issues within their unit. At the same time, rent is increasing at The Blue Note as the apartment prepares to add amenities like a swimming pool and fitness center. One resident interviewed for the report says her rent increased from $700 a month to $1,200. Many of the surveyed tenants make an annual income of less than $35,000, according to Elmahaba Center.

The study reports that the tenants of The Blue Note reflect the diversity of the neighborhood, which is south of Donelson near the airport. According to Elmahaba Center, 37 percent of surveyed tenants speak Spanish and 18 percent speak Arabic. The report adds that while 45 percent of the surveyed tenants speak English, in many cases it is not their first

language. The survey also finds that white residents at the apartment are more likely to have positive experiences with The Blue Note’s management and maintenance, and were also more likely to negotiate for lower rents.

Ashley Barrientos, an intern with Elmahaba Center and the editor of Middle Tennessee State University’s school newspaper Sidelines, conducted the survey alongside center director Lydia Yousief. Barrientos says there’s already been displacement of tenants at The Blue Note — particularly tenants of Black, Arabic and Latin American descent. She adds that the rent increase is the biggest sign of gentrification in the area, and that as people leave, so does the neighborhood’s sense of community.

“One lady we had spoken to [told us] she used to have a lot of neighbors around her who came from the same place as she did,” says Barrientos. “There was a big sense of community and culture at one point. And they just kept raising the rent, and her neighbors no longer were able to afford to live there anymore. And now it’s just her, and now they’re raising her rent, and she has been there for like 10 years.”

The first entry of the report was released around the same time news broke about potential mass evictions at the nearby Mosaic Apartments — a complex

Our one chance at turning back the resurgent tide of COVID-19 is vaccination

BY STEVEN HALE

“S

o I’m going to say some things that are pretty obvious, but sometimes they need saying, because there are people out there who seem not to have gotten the message,” says Dr. William Schaffner. “The first thing is, COVID is real. It is a really bad virus, and the latest variant of this virus, the Delta strain, is just extraordinarily contagious. And the contagiousness of this Delta variant is what has brought all of this to the fore again.”

The infectious disease specialist and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine professor is speaking to the Scene near the end of July, a month that has seen the resurgence of a pandemic we might’ve been tempted to declare over. New cases of COVID-19 have risen to levels last seen in the spring, and hospitalizations have more than tripled. Some rural counties are now reporting that more than 20 percent of people who get tested for the virus are infected.

At a recent media briefing, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said the so-called Delta variant of the virus is now the dominant strain in the state. Although small numbers of vaccinated people have become infected and can spread the virus, it’s spreading rapidly among unvaccinated Tennesseans — a demographic Schaffner likens to an “interstate highway of transmission” — which is most Tennesseans. As of this writing, less than 40 percent of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated. Piercey noted that 98 percent of the people who

NEW REPORT DOCUMENTS POOR CONDITIONS AT THE BLUE NOTE APARTMENTS Tenants at the complex deal with pests, rising rents and mismanagement, says Elmahaba Center survey

BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

A

survey of tenants at The Blue Note apartments on Millwood Drive off Murfreesboro Pike finds that residents have significant health and safety concerns at the complex, even while their rents are going up. The survey also finds that people of color at the apartments were more likely to pay higher rents and receive less help

“UNVACCINATED PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, AND SOME OF THEM, I’M AFRAID, WILL SUCCUMB TO THIS VIRUS.” —DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER

“We’ve been doing this now, for many of these vaccines, for 30, 40, 50 years,” he says.

“None of those vaccines have any long-term effects that show up, two years, four years, five years or eight years later. None of them.

There’s no such thing as a long-term effect that shows up — you get vaccinated today and four years down the road you’re going to have some sort of adverse event. That doesn’t exist. You can’t find that in a medical textbook. And so there’s no reason for that to happen with a COVID vaccine either.”

COVID-19 and its variants are part of our world now, Schaffner says. But we can minimize the suffering and death associated with it.

“We talk about trying to stop the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean the virus is going to be gone,” Schaffner says. “No, it’s part of our life now around the world, and we’re going to have to cope with it the way we cope with influenza. We can do a better job with influenza, and we surely can do a much better job than we’re currently doing with COVID. But we all have to participate in this. It’s important for ourselves and important for everyone around us.”

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

with similar reports of poor living conditions and mismanagement. In May, dozens of Mosaic tenants said they’d received phone calls telling them they had three days to move. The management and out-of-state owner, after a series of news reports, later said that only seven households would need to be relocated due to flood damage, but tenants and the advocates working with them remained vocal. And while management said they wouldn’t charge rent for those who plan to relocate, recent reports say they’re still trying to collect from those tenants.

“There definitely are a lot of parallels there,” says Barrientos, adding that both housing situations reflect the “overall displacement of lowincome people of color.”

The final entry of the series has yet to be released, but will focus on solutions to situations like the one at The Blue Note and will voice support for a renters’ bill of rights. The Scene reached out to the management of The Blue Note apartments for comment, but did not receive one by press time.

To read the Elmahaba Center’s study on the Blue Note Apartments, visit elmahabacenter.medium.com.

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

nashvillescene.com | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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CITY LIMITS

TENNESSEANS WITH DISABILITIES FACE UNDEREMPLOYMENT

People with disabilities share their stories, 31 years after the Americans With Disabilities Act’s passage

BY HANNAH HERNER

A

PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

s the severity of the pandemic has lessened in recent months, lots of places have begun hiring. But are they hiring people with disabilities?

July 26 marked the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Part of the law’s purpose was to help with employment — requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. Yet even today, 77 percent of all Tennesseeans are employed, while only 33 percent of people with disabilities are employed, according to a report from advocacy group TennesseeWorks.

Jason Emmons has been looking for a job since 2017, when he received a business administration certificate from Tennessee Rehabilitation Center, a training center for people with disabilities. He was born hearing-impaired and lost his vision in one eye at a young age, and lost his vision completely in 2014. Were they to hire Emmons, employers would be responsible for buying a computer software called JAWS (Jobs Access With Speech), which reads on-screen text directly into his hearing aids. He also has a camera that reads paper documents to him.

Emmons says he’d like to work in an office doing clerical work, as he’s good at organizing and using Microsoft Word and Excel.

“I just want something to work my brain and something I’ll be satisfied with, where

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I’m happy with the job,” Emmons says. “I want to be useful, and more [challenged].”

For the past few years he’s been underemployed, volunteering at the Red Cross and on political campaigns and taking unpaid internships, all while putting in countless job applications. He says the ADA is helpful, but only when it’s properly enforced.

“I know there’s a lot of barriers for employment, but people with a disability have to do twice the work to prove to them that we can do a job,” Emmons says. “The employer will always find a way to work around it, say, ‘I’m sorry, we found another person for the job.’ ” As an adjunct professor at Belmont University, Lacey Lyons teaches her students about competitive integrated employment, a concept she’d like to see grow as a self-advocate with disabilities of her own. The goal is to get people with disabilities into jobs with opportunities for advancement; jobs that offer a living wage and benefits like insurance, are fulfilling and are positioned alongside co-workers who don’t have disabilities.

“That’s for anybody, whether you have a disability or not, everybody wants to enjoy their job,” Lyons says. “And also, living wages. Living with disabilities is expensive, and health care is expensive, and everybody needs these things. And so looking at these values in a concrete way benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities.”

On the days when she’s not teaching, Lyons, who has a master’s degree in creative

JASON EMMONS

LACEY LYONS writing, writes and does speaking engagements on a freelance basis. Without access to sufficient job insurance, she calls the Affordable Care Act a “literal lifesaver,” as medications to manage her epilepsy were very expensive. Not working a typical 9-to-5 schedule allows her to avoid having to use public transportation as much, which has also been a barrier in the past.

“Even though I do feel underemployed a bit, this is a wonderful job for me,” she says.

Dave Griffin has struggled to keep a job over the years, especially when he didn’t know he was on the autism spectrum — he wasn’t diagnosed until he was 45. He has degrees from Duke University and Vanderbilt University, but says the social aspects of work were often far more challenging than the responsibilities themselves. Once, for instance, he asked a customer if she was pregnant. She wasn’t. Griffin says he sees the error of his ways now, and can consistently catch himself, but that social cues simply don’t come naturally to someone like him. “​​It’s like, I know how to take a $10 bill and put it in a cash register and give some-

“I KNOW THERE’S A LOT OF BARRIERS FOR EMPLOYMENT, BUT PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY HAVE TO DO TWICE THE WORK TO PROVE TO THEM THAT WE CAN DO A JOB.” —JASON EMMONS

body $5 change, so why do I need to learn anything else?” Griffin says. “Well, all those soft skills, like greeting somebody, smiling, saying something appropriate to them, thanking them, doing all those kinds of things. That is probably more the job than just giving them change for a 10.”

Now he’s working part time at Autism Tennessee, and hopes to be hired full time in the future. Griffin believes it’s important for people on the spectrum to work on these soft skills, while at the same time, employers should accept the issues with social cues that people on the spectrum face.

“I think we all do and say things that could have been expressed more professionally,” Griffin says. “I do believe people on the spectrum should be held to the same standards of conduct as any other employee.

Ultimately, however, employees can only appeal to an employer’s sense of fairness.

Differentiated treatment happens in the workplace, and I hope employers are mindful that holding anyone to a different standard of conduct, whether they have autism or not, can be problematic.”

Lyons, who was in elementary school when the ADA passed, says her generation was in “survival mode” when it came to advocating for opportunities for people with disabilities.

“I think now we can think about things like getting people to jobs that they enjoy,” Lyons says. “And not just employment as a bare-bones goal, but one of the things we can think about now is, ‘OK do you enjoy your work?’ Not just, ‘Do you have a job?’ I think that’s the next step. Whereas the ADA just laid the bare bones and now we get thinking about building on it.”

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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CITY LIMITS THIS WEEK ON OUR NEWS AND POLITICS BLOG:

PHOTOS: MATT MASTERS

WORKERS REMOVE THE NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST BUST FROM THE STATE CAPITOL ON JULY 23

After more than 40 years, the Tennessee State Capitol finally said goodbye to the bust of slave trader, traitor and potential war criminal Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The State Building Commission — charged with the final decision in the final hurdle of the process thrown up by the intentionally convoluted Tennessee Heritage Protection Act — voted 5-2 to send the bust, erected in 1978, to the Tennessee State Museum. House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, both Republicans, voted against the move, while Gov. Bill Lee, Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Comptroller Jason Mumpower, Treasurer David Lillard and Finance and Administration Commissioner Bill Eley (also all Republicans) voted for Forrest’s retreat. State employees removed the bust Friday, along with those of admirals David Farragut and Albert Gleaves, who were removed as some sort of compromise no one really understands. … Contributor Betsy Phillips wishes white Tennesseans, particularly those in leadership like the aforementioned Sexton and McNally, would stop identifying with Forrest, whose reputation in his own lifetime wasn’t that great — as one might imagine for a man who was at the very least present

at a war crime and who also sold human beings. She wishes instead that our leaders would identify with the people he enslaved, the voters (Republican voters by the way) whom the KKK terrorized and, oh yeah, the soldiers he fought. The ones who were fighting to save the country. Phillips finds it especially galling that McNally tweeted that removing Forrest’s bust from a place of honor was “anti-American,” when, y’know, Forrest did literally the most anti-American thing possible. … No matter what the outcome of the appeals process is regarding the charter amendment referendum to repeal Nashville’s property tax increase, it won’t be held Sept. 21, attorneys for the election commission conceded in a court filing.

The state Supreme Court earlier this month denied the Davidson County Election Committee’s socalled “reach down” motion to skip the Court of Appeals, which then denied the DCEC lawyers’ request to act in an expedited fashion to hear the case. It will be months before we know the results of this phase of the litigation.

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THE NAPIER WAY How a local elementary school is approaching the upcoming school year despite the changes and challenges of the pandemic

BY KELSEY BEYELER • PHOTOS BY DANIEL MEIGS

“I

f I were the very hungry caterpillar, I would eat pancakes.”

This, one of the many messages lining the walls of Napier Elementary School, is from a pre-K class project based on Eric Carle’s iconic children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. There are myriad student works like this one on display, left over from the summer’s Promising Scholars program. They hang alongside cheerful decorations like college flags, colorful murals and quotes from leaders like Barack Obama and Coretta Scott King. The floors are dotted with bear tracks, allusions to the school’s mascot that also serve as social distancing markers.

The motto of Napier Elementary is also displayed throughout the building: “Working together to inspire leaders, learners and high achievers.” This is the guiding philosophy of the local elementary school’s staff, students and principal, Dr. Watechia Lawless.

When the Scene visits Napier, the staff is preparing for nearly 300 students, ranging from pre-K to fourth grade, to start the school year. It’s a Monday, four weeks out from the first day of school, and chairs and classroom materials fill the hallways so that floors can be waxed. Though Lawless cannot be there for an in-person interview (the Scene catches up with her by phone later in

the day), assistant principal Whitney Russell shows us around, along with kindergarten teacher Erial Jones and fourth-grade math teacher Michael Adkins, who also spearheads numeracy instruction and coaching for the teachers at Napier Elementary.

There is a sense of familiarity among the colleagues that extends beyond professional rapport. Having just navigated two extremely difficult school years, they’ve been through a lot together, and it shows. Plus, Lawless prioritizes creating a comfortable space for students and staff.

“It’s definitely a community of respect,” Jones says proudly. “A family. You’ll feel it ... with the students, the teachers, the admin — everybody. It’s not just everybody’s for themselves. Everybody is for everybody here.”

Part of what makes Napier feel like a family, the staff explains, are the struggles and success the school has experienced. While COVID-19 was certainly a unique challenge, it isn’t the only one Napier Elementary has faced.

ON AUG. 10, Metro Nashville Public Schools students will return for their first full year of in-person instruction since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s the plan, anyway. Even though the pandemic is less of a threat

than it was last year, it’s still a reality, and there are new challenges schools must face. But despite the chaos of last year’s back-and-forth from virtual to in-person learning, the experience also initiated some positive aspects, like a greater emphasis on mental health. For Napier, it established deeper connections with the community, as faculty and parents had to collaborate more than usual to sustain students’ academic progress and navigate changing regulations.

After a rocky 19 months, the coming weeks will provide a glimpse into how the pandemic may have changed public education for the long run.

Napier has been experiencing impressive changes for years under the leadership of Lawless. In her time there, she has carried Napier from its status as what’s known as a priority school — one of Tennessee’s schools most in need of improvement (according to Lawless, Napier was at the very bottom of the list) — to being recognized for its significant improvement. In addition to leading the school, she supports local families by contributing school supplies, clothes, food, rental assistance, career support and much more with the help of Napier’s many community partners. Now she can add “leading a school through a pandemic” to her list of accomplishments.

Napier Elementary School serves many

children from the neighborhood’s two public housing complexes, J.C. Napier Homes and Sudekum Apartments. It’s a part of town with high crime rates — shootings are common in the neighborhood, and according to Lawless, many of her students also experience poverty, abuse, neglect and food insecurity. When Lawless entered the interim principal position in 2016, after several years of teaching and a brief stint as assistant principal, she says Napier was the lowest-performing school in the state of Tennessee.

“One of the first things I wanted to do was change how people saw Napier,” Lawless tells the Scene, “because I believe that people treat you how they see you, and it wasn’t OK that [only] 20 percent of the kids were reading on grade level. It wasn’t OK that the families in this area were … seen but not heard. It wasn’t fair that there were so many needs that needed to be met, and no one was really paying attention to it.”

With the guidance of Lawless, Napier exited priority status altogether, moving up from the bottom 5 percent of schools in Tennessee and away from the threat of a state takeover.

“I put together a rebranding program and a marketing plan,” says Lawless, “to make sure that people knew that Napier was full of beautifully made people who deserve an

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exceptional education, period.”

Napier’s growth was so significant that in 2019 it was recognized as a Reward School, a designation given by the Tennessee Department of Education to acknowledge schools that “are improving in terms of achievement and growth for both all students and student groups.” Of Davidson County’s 132 district schools and 27 district-approved charter schools, 37 hold the Reward School status, including magnet and charter schools like Hume-Fogg Academic High School and Nashville Classical Charter School.

Lawless also implemented the Leader in Me program, a student-based framework based on Stephen Covey’s bestselling 1989 self-help book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Alongside Covey’s seven habits, which are inscribed on signs throughout the school, Napier added its own bonus habit: “Find your voice.”

“If you can learn the seven habits of highly effective people starting in pre-K, just think how effective you can be by the time you graduate,” Lawless says. “And so we start talking about college, we start talking about leadership skills when they’re 4 because we know that education is the equalizer. And just because they live in 37210 doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve an excellent education. So we’re trying to pour into them all the skills that we can, and making sure they can understand what their gifts and talents are, so when they do go out to the world, they can make their impact on the world, and they can have a true chance at changing the trajectory of their lives.”

Napier has also achieved Lighthouse status within the Leader in Me framework.

WHITNEY RUSSELL

This coveted certification indicates outstanding student outcomes as well as a high impact on teachers, families and communities that schools serve. Napier had to meet a number of qualifications and pass several evaluations to earn that title, which, according to Lawless, it shares with only one other school in the district — the nearby FallHamilton Elementary School.

One of the major touchpoints of the Leader in Me framework is its emphasis on social and emotional learning, oftentimes referred to as SEL. Napier has been prioritizing SEL for years, with referral networks

PRINCIPAL WATECHIA LAWLESS

“She’s a firm believer in, when you’re not 100 percent, your kids are not gonna be 100 percent.”

—kindergarten teacher Erial Jones tells the Scene about Principal Lawless 12

ERIAL JONES

to connect students with Vanderbilt counselors, as well as an on-site counselor and social worker.

Soon Napier’s students will have even more support as a result of the upcoming MNPS budget, which allocates funds for every elementary school to establish an advocacy center.

DR. MARY CRNOBORI, MNPS’ traumainformed schools coordinator, is spearheading the implementation of advocacy centers throughout the district. These new advocacy centers, explains Crnobori, will be staffed with specialists and will serve as an avenue to social and emotional learning. If students are having a hard day or experiencing trauma outside of school, they can visit their advocacy center to learn and practice mindfulness-based calming exercises. When they utilize these spaces, parents will be notified and informed about how to continue SEL practices at home.

“It’s both about self-advocacy,” Crnobori tells the Scene, “but also about advocating for that student in order to eliminate some of the barriers that are getting in the way of wellness and [ensuring they] have the ability to stay regulated and experience school success.”

Even though SEL has been implemented in MNPS schools to various degrees, and a handful of schools already had similar centers, the widespread implementation of them throughout the district probably wouldn’t have happened without the pandemic.

“The urgency and buy-in and understanding of the need has just increased exponentially with the pandemic,” says Crnobori, “[as has] our awareness of what our students and families and workforce need.”

The incoming advocacy centers will also provide opportunities for educators. It’s not uncommon for teachers to ignore their own needs so they can focus on their students, but with the advocacy centers, they’ll be able to rely on additional support. This holistic approach will better equip schools to meet student needs and help establish solutions for those whose emotions affect their learning.

At Napier, Lawless prioritizes the well-

MICHAEL ADKINS

being of her staff as much as her students.

“She’s a firm believer in, when you’re not 100 percent, your kids are not gonna be 100 percent,” kindergarten teacher Jones tells the Scene. “The day is not gonna be what it needs, and it’s not fair to them when we’re not our best, so we have to be honest with ourselves and we have to take that time.”

Lawless has many items in place to ensure her staff is taken care of. Teachers have access to healthy snacks, an on-site counselor, yoga classes and a massage chair, and the walls of the teachers’ lounge are posted with positive messages and reminders.

“Everything that is here that’s been implemented, it’s intentional, because there’s a need for it,” says assistant principal Russell.

“Our students experience a lot of trauma, and they bring that trauma with them. And you’re taking on their trauma as well. So what are you doing to take care of yourself?”

Of course, looking out for the needs of students and staff at school means more than mental health care. Despite MNPS’ return to in-person classes, the COVID-19 pandemic is still happening. The state of Tennessee has seen an uptick in cases in recent weeks, and the Delta variant raises concerns amid relaxed regulations because of its higher transmission rates among kids and young adults, especially those who are unvaccinated.

In mid-July, the Tennessee Department of Health fired top vaccine official Michelle Fiscus after she released a memo advising physicians on the Mature Minor Doctrine, a policy stemming from a 1987 Tennessee Supreme Court decision that enables physicians to treat teens ages 14 and up without parental consent. Since then, state health officials have gone back and forth about whether to circulate information about vaccinating minors, including vaccinations other than COVID-19. On Friday, The Tennessean reported that the state will resume nearly all of its halted vaccination efforts and communication (except social media posts aimed directly at minors), emphasizing that the efforts are directed at parents and not children themselves. Though Metro schools — aided by partners Neighborhood Health, the Metro Public Health Department and the Nashville Diaper Connection — continued to administer vaccinations on school property

NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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Architect. Designer. Artist. Visionary.

At the end of the 19th century, the Glasgow Style emerged as the major manifestation of Art Nouveau in Britain, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh was its greatest proponent.

Experience the first US exhibition in a generation to highlight Mackintosh’s innovative architecture, designs, and paintings. See how he played with light and dark, soft curves, and delicate lines to achieve opulent effects. Explore the larger circle of artists and craftspeople, including many women, with whom he collaborated to create the unique and dynamic Glasgow Style.

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 12

FristArtMuseum.org @FristArtMuseum Downtown Nashville, 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 #TheFrist #FristGlasgowStyle Designing the New: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style is a touring exhibition co-organized

by Glasgow Museums and the American Federation of Arts. The exhibition comprises works from the collections of Glasgow City Council (Museums and Collections), with loans from Scottish collections and private lenders.

Support for the US national tour is provided by the Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation.

Platinum sponsor

Hospitality sponsor

Education and community engagement supporters

Spanish translation sponsor

The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by Friends of the Arts of Scotland and

Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. The May Queen (detail), 1900. Made for the Ladies’ Luncheon Room, Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street Tearooms, Glasgow. Gesso on burlap (hessian) over a wood frame, scrim, twine, glass beads, thread,

nashvillescene.com | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

and tin leaf, 62 1/2 x 179 7/8 in. overall. Glasgow Museums: Acquired by Glasgow Corporation as part of the Ingram Street Tearooms, 1950. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection. Courtesy American Federation of Arts

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A DEFINING FACTOR of the upcoming school year that could affect student instruction is Tennessee’s new law regarding critical race theory. The law states that funding can be withheld from schools that teach lessons that suggest “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously,” or that “a

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meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex” or other ideas.

CRT is an analytical framework traditionally taught to graduate-level law students, but rarely in public schools. Even so, the new legislation has distressed many teachers as they approach the coming school year.

Teaching U.S. history, for example, must inevitably address racial injustices such as slavery and the Trail of Tears, but the new law might make these lessons more difficult to navigate due to fear of punishment.

At an MNPS school board meeting in July, several parents and educators addressed the board to share their concerns and ask district representatives how they plan to protect teachers from the new law. “The state attempting to legislate away the ugly truth of this country’s history and foundation will not change the facts,” said Karen Sun, a teacher at East Nashville Middle School. “It will only render a massive disservice to our students and make it difficult for teachers to teach their curriculum.”

Several of the board members voiced their support for teachers. “We have to protect our teachers,” said District 8 board member Gini Pupo-Walker. “Our teachers are going to be the ones that are going to be attacked and questioned and judged, and we have to figure out what the message is [in order] to defend our curriculum, our instruction, our practices [and] our staff.

“I will take the hits,” she continued. “I will take whatever it is if we can carry the load so that they can do what they need to do, because it’s just not ending.”

More than 90 percent of Napier’s students are Black, and Lawless says she has always depended on a diverse array of community partners to promote mutual understanding.

When George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer last year, for example, she facilitated “courageous conversations” with the school’s community partners, including police officers, who have also coached the school’s soccer league. “[Courageous conversations] gave us an opportunity to really be vulnerable and raw in those conversations with the goal to really get to know each other a little bit better, and maybe help ease some of the racial tension that was going on,” says Lawless, who is Black. “Because when you have an area that has so much going on, you cannot ignore those issues.”

Lawless says inviting the police into the school has “a two-fold purpose — so the police can see the goodness that the kids are doing, but also the kids can see the goodness that police are doing. I don’t want our kids to look at the police and say, ‘They’re all bad,’ because they’re not. … They need to know that not all people are one way.”

Facilitating these interactions with students might be more difficult in the coming year, and no one is quite sure what specific measures will be put in place to shape or monitor the teaching of race-related issues.

While the state’s new critical race theory law lays out generalized parameters regarding instruction on race, specific guidelines and the consequences of breaking them have not yet been established as of press time. Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn has promised to deliver specific guidelines by Aug. 1, as reported by Chalkbeat Tennessee.

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

in Nashville during the state’s paused vaccination outreach, the state says it will restart COVID-19 vaccination events on school property elsewhere in Tennessee.

MNPS recently released its new guidelines regarding COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming year. Following CDC guidance, masks are no longer required in schools, but they are still highly encouraged for those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine — which includes everyone under age 12. Students must also try to maintain a distance of three feet from one another, and parents are not allowed in the building without a specific purpose.

Some parents and school board members are not yet comfortable sending kids to school without masks, especially those who are not old enough to be vaccinated. Despite those concerns, MNPS is not changing its guidelines yet, though it will carefully monitor cases in schools and listen to guidance from the Metro Public Health Department.

Alongside MNPS’ COVID-19 guidelines, Napier has its own systems in place to ensure the safety of its students and staff.

Though students won’t have to wear masks in classrooms, they will be required in high-capacity settings, like in the hallways and on the bus. They’ll also use individual desk shields, and students who are showing symptoms will be moved to an isolation room to prevent possible exposure. MNPS nurses will be able to administer rapid COVID tests to identify possible cases.

Lena Miles, a parent of two Napier Elementary students, trusts that Lawless will keep her kids as safe as possible in the coming year. Even though her children didn’t attend in-person school last year, she’s ready to send her kids back to Napier, where they’ve been students since pre-K. “I think they’re doing everything they can, and I’m pretty confident in sending my [children] back to school,” Miles tells the Scene. She compares the possibility of her kids contracting COVID to the possibility of getting hurt on the playground — ​​ it’s just part of our reality now.

Though fears and restrictions are relaxing, the pandemic is still a particular threat to those with underlying health issues, and not everyone can risk contracting COVID-19. Families who still aren’t comfortable sending their kids back to school can enroll in MNPS’ virtual school, but that option is available only to fourth-graders and up.

There are, after all, tradeoffs to keeping kids at home. While some kids had few problems learning virtually last year, others have struggled and experienced learning loss due to a variety of factors, such as digital literacy and home-life changes.

Lawless anticipates that some students will have fallen behind, but through testing, assessments and grade-level exposure, she intends to intervene as necessary to “fill in any gaps.”

LENA MILES WITH HER CHILDREN ELIANNA AND XAVIER Initially, when the Scene asks Napier’s teachers what they think about CRT, assistant principal Russell declines to comment.

A few minutes later, though, she circles back to the topic: “It’s so sticky, and it’s just so disheartening, but our students need to know that they’re beautiful and they’re uniquely made, and they can be anything that they want to be.”

“And we value who they are,” adds fourthgrade teacher Adkins.

ON THE FIRST DAY of school at Napier, a long red carpet will be rolled out to welcome incoming students and faculty. Family and community partners will clap and cheer them on. The school mascot — the aforementioned bear — will be out and about and photos will be taken. In the past, Tennessee State University cheerleaders have joined the party to welcome incoming classes.

Some students will be taking their very first steps into a school as they enter pre-K. Miles’ kids have walked down that carpet a few times already. “It is the most fun,” she says. “It lets the kids know that it’s not

just another day. It lets the kids know that, ‘Hey, we are happy, we are glad, we’re excited for you.’ ” “The night before they can’t sleep,” says Adkins. “We can’t sleep either, because we’re excited.”

Napier’s teachers love their students, and they’re prepared to keep serving them in safe, innovative and creative ways. When the Scene asks the faculty what they’re most looking forward to, everyone answers unanimously: seeing the students again.

Even if the kids are still wearing masks, even if their parents can’t accompany them inside, even if hugs and high-fives must be replaced with fist-bumps and elbowtouches, the first day of school for the 202122 school year will be special. It will mark a fresh start, enabling teachers and students to form stronger connections as they work through the school year as a community.

“Schools are prepared for your students to come back,” says Lawless. “We’re ready.

Not only do we miss them, but we’re ready to get them back on track and to make sure the kids have what they need to succeed.”

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NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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[THE MORE THINGS CHANGE …]

PERCEPTION AND PERSPECTIVE

It’s already happening: We are marking time with the coronavirus. You saw a band play at The Basement before COVID. You got your roof fixed at the start of the pandemic. Your cat died just around the time you got vaccinated. Like it or not, this will probably be one of the ways in which we measure time for the rest of our lives. The pandemic exacerbated inequities that have long existed in our communities — those with shitty access to health care suffered more than those with employment-based insurance. Working parents floundered when they and their children were home together all day — and other parents had to leave their children home alone or risk losing their essential jobs. Painter Donna Woodley will address these themes at the very cool NKA Gallery, which is adjacent to the Slim & Husky’s Buchanan Street outpost and run by the restaurant’s owners and Don Hardin Group. The exhibition Perception and Perspective will address social issues that have been amplified by COVID, such as inequity and mental health. Woodley’s work embraces humor and play while seeking to undo our expectations about portraiture. By painting portraits of women with granny panties on their heads, and men seated on toilets like kings on thrones, Woodley challenges the history of racial and gender representation in portraiture. In one of her works, a woman’s crossed eyes and pouty lips look defiant. In another, a man’s raised

FILM

PERCEPTION AND PERSPECTIVE OPENS THURSDAY, JULY 29

NKA Gallery, 915 Buchanan St.

[KALI MA!]

INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

Last month, many celebrated the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ 1981 blockbuster that gave us Harrison Ford as iconic adventurer Indiana Jones. Now that that’s over, we gotta rap a taste about the 1984 follow-up, which Full Moon Cineplex will screen this weekend. While Raiders is a fun throwback to the adventure serials Spielberg and Lucas grew up on, Temple of Doom apparently consists of them going through some shit. Still sore from their respective breakups, the pair created a dark-ass prequel in which Indy, his little Chinese sidekick (Jonathan Ke Quan) and a ditzy nightclub singer (future Spielberg wife Kate Capshaw) go up against an Indian cult that traffics in child slavery and human sacrifice — you know, just regular stuff.

This movie has so many problems (racism, misogyny and enough violence to inspire

chin projects superiority. I’m ready for artists to help me process this shit. Openings at NKA Gallery are lively, so try to make it to the opening reception. In addition, Woodley will give an artist talk at the gallery at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13. Opening reception 3-9 p.m. at NKA Gallery, 915 Buchanan St.; exhibition on view through Aug. 21 ERICA CICCARONE [RIDE ETERNAL, SHINY AND CHROME]

CHROME PONY W/SWEETTALKER, BEHOLD THE BRAVE & NIGHTINGAIL

This year’s Always Back to Lorraine, the latest release from local psychedelic garage-rock outfit Chrome Pony, has been a long time coming — but it was worth the wait. The record’s 10 songs showcase what central members Kyle and Tyler Davis (they’re brothers) and bassist Jota Ese do best: making shuffling, midtempo, Troggslike psych rock that’s easy to groove to and fun to watch live. Recorded with perennial Nashville rock guru Jeremy Ferguson at his Battle Tapes Recording, Always Back to Lorraine features contributions from a roster of top-notch Music City

PHOTO: ALICA GAIL

ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

FRIDAY / 7.30

“CONISHA THE CIVIL ENGINEER”, DONNA WOODLEY

It’s hard to find new things to say about legendary Bronx rapper KRS-One, who emerged in the late ’80s as part of the Boogie Down Productions crew. While he influenced gangsta rap with tracks like “9mm Goes Bang,” he contributed even more to the development of political and conscious rap with songs like “Stop the Violence” and “Sound of da Police.” The MC has remained outspoken and controversial, whether he’s talking about the U.S. government, the music industry or what constitutes “real” hip-hop culture. He gets a lot of flack for that last one, but his devotion to the culture and the music that culture gave birth to is unquestionable. Deep as KRS’ catalog is, you can expect some recent music as well in his next Nashville appearance at The Basement East. In 2020 he dropped Between Da Protests, featuring the minimalist, thumping track “Don’t Fall for It,” a true-to-form critique of the political and criminal justice systems and show of support for racial justice demonstrations that poured into streets across the country last year. Jay Dolla on Da Track and Classic Williams will open. 8 p.m. at The Basement East, 917 Woodland St.

ART

talent, including Cage the Elephant’s Nick Bockrath and Matthan Minster, Harpooner’s Scott Schmadeke, singer-songwriter Katie Schecter and others. For a good sample, get to Bandcamp or Spotify and check out album standouts like “Where Do You Go” and “I Woke Up” — then buy the record. On Thursday night, Chrome Pony will headline Exit/In, where they’ll be joined by psychpop outfit SWEETTALKER, Chattanooga rockers Behold the Brave and folk-rooted singer-songwriter Alicia Gail’s project Nightingail. 8 p.m. at Exit/In, 2208 Elliston Place D. PATRICK RODGERS

MUSIC

MUSIC

THURSDAY / 7.29

D O

CHROME PONY

nashvillescene.com | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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7/26/21 5:59 PM

TAYLS ALBUM RELEASE FEAT. NORDISTA FREEZE & NAMIR BLADE

When asked to describe singersongwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Cole and his band Tayls, folks familiar with them might start with their posi-vibing rock ’n’ pop sound, or their elaborate Flaming Lips-inspired stage shows. But as much as the project is about celebrating good times, Cole & Co. consistently use the music to explore a lot of challenging social and emotional terrain.

Since January, they’ve been releasing a stream of singles like the anthemic “Scarlet Letter” — a song that came from a long struggle Cole had coping with the death of a close friend, and the shame that came with eventually feeling OK about not dying too — and “Have You Ever?,” an upbeat dance march that Cole described as a “huge love song to our band.” Friday, the deluge of new material culminates with the release of Have You Ever? I’ve Always, the group’s debut full-length, which they worked on with producer Jake Ingalls (Flaming Lips) and engineer Calvin Lauber (Julien Baker). As you might expect, the release celebration is going to be a party-and-ahalf, with support from inventive, rocking megaband Nordista Freeze and ingenious rapper-producer Namir Blade. 9 p.m. at The Basement East, 917 Woodland St. STEPHEN TRAGESER

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AMELIA WHITE

On her 2017 full-length Rhythm of the Rain, Nashville singer-songwriter Amelia White shows her mastery of a socialrealist mode that matches perfectly with her folk-country-pop music. I guess you could call White’s music the great mean of East Nashville country-pop-folk. (I have to hyphenate my genre designation because it’s the only way to express the synthetic nature of the fabled East Nashville sound.)

White recently released a spiffy foursong EP, 11 AM, which she recorded with fellow songwriter Brett Ryan Stewart.

11 AM registers as pop, right down to the way the record’s most striking track, “Mr. Sunshine,” plays in the Nashville section of Brian Wilson’s sandbox. “Mr. Sunshine” is unabashedly romantic, with White and Stewart negotiating a lucent set of chord changes in a gorgeous song that carries just a hint of pain. White says she’s readying a new full-length for release in spring 2022.

Another fine Nashville tunesmith, Kim Richey, handled the production duties.

Friday’s show at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge will feature White with a full band — expect help from local luminaries like guitarist-producer Dave Coleman and pedalsteel whiz Paul Niehaus. 6 p.m. at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, 102 E. Palestine Ave., Madison EDD HURT

SATURDAY / 7.31 [EASY PRIDE]

FRANKLIN PRIDE

Pride Month may be over, but that’s no reason to stop celebrating — and supporting — the local LGBTQ community. In fact, PFLAG Franklin and

the Tennessee Equality Project have teamed up to present the very first Franklin Pride this weekend at Harlinsdale Park. The event will feature a full day of entertainment, including performances from singersongwriter Dianne Davidson, harmonizing identical twins Sisters Mann, Vidalia Anne Gentry, The Miss Fits and Nashville in Harmony’s Major Minors, plus Mr. and Mrs. Nashville Pride. You can also show off your best moves with the We Are Family dance party, hosted by KD Queen and Sir Benton.

Enjoy plenty of food and drink options, and be sure to check out the wide range of artisans, vendors and local nonprofits that will be on hand. Best of all, the festivities are free and include on-site parking.To learn more, visit franklinpridetn.com. 12:30-6 p.m. at Harlinsdale Park, 239 Franklin Road, Franklin AMY STUMPFL

MONDAY / 8.02 [HORROR STORIES]

GRADY HENDRIX, AUTHOR OF THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP, IN CONVERSATION WITH ADRIENNE KING

Grady Hendrix is one of horror’s greats. His résumé includes four classics of modern horror-fiction and a nonfiction overview of ’70s and ’80s mass-market genre paperbacks that helped rekindle awareness of that delicious and disreputable phenomenon. His newest novel, The Final Girl Support Group, is slaying the competition and crossing over to audiences not typically associated with horror — much like the late-20th-century ascent of Stephen King — with wit and baroque violence. Hendrix is gifted with a vivid imagination and a comprehensive understanding of the possibilities of dark fiction, so it’s no wonder he’s helping expand the reach of the genre. His online one-man

shows, lectures and discussions have been a lively and vibrant source of nutrients for fans of horror and genre fiction who’ve been starved during the pandemic. And as if that weren’t enough, he’s bringing legendary final girl Adrienne King (of the original Friday the 13th) along with him for Monday’s virtual event via Parnassus Books. King narrates the book’s audio version, and her presence enriches the discussion, having created a character (and lived through non-film, real-life horror of her own) that helped to lay out the titular concept as defined by scholar and critic Carol Clover. (Seriously, the time has come for you to read Men, Women, and Chainsaws if you haven’t.) Parnassus continues to cover a lot of different bases, and both the book and the discussion are absolute musts for genre enthusiasts and fans of great storytelling. Hendrix is one of the best working today, and he knows how to educate and entertain in equal amounts. Visit the Parnassus Books Facebook page for details.

6 p.m. via Parnassus Books JASON SHAWHAN FILM

[THE BEST PART OF MY MIND]

[NASHVILLE SUNSHINE]

BOOKS

ALBUM RELEASE

the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating) that even Spielberg has said it’s his least favorite Indy flick. But hey, at least there are some kickass action set pieces in there. 7 p.m. July 30-31 at Full Moon Cineplex, 3455 Lebanon Pike CRAIG D. LINDSEY

MUSIC

TAYLS

COMMUNITY

PHOTO: JAKE MATHEWS

CRITICS’ PICKS

[WONDER WORKS]

MUSIC CITY MONDAYS: THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS

The Belcourt will close out its latest batch of Music City Mondays screenings with this seldom-seen 1979 documentary.

Directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Walon Green (whose list of credits also includes co-writing such films as The Wild Bunch and Robocop 2, as well as writing for iconic TV dramas like NYPD Blue and Law & Order), the film is basically a visual companion piece to Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird’s divisive 1973 book of the same name. When it’s not giving us time-lapse montages of plants blooming and blossoming, the movie also tracks down various scientists/botanists/plant lovers and their myriad ways of connecting and communicating with plant life. But what’s musical about it, you ask? Well, the filmmakers got Stevie Wonder, fresh from his “classic period” album streak, to compose the score and turn out some songs. Fans and critics didn’t respond well to the soundtrack, titled Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through ‘The Secret Life of Plants,’ upon release. But the album still provided

NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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DEAD LETTER OFFICE

8:00

6:30

JIM LAUDERDALE

8:00

9:30

BACKSTAGE NASHVILLE!

12:30

12 AGAINST NATURE

7:30

THE TIME JUMPERS

8:00

7/29 A TRIBUTE TO REM FRI

7/30 AN EVENING WITH 21 ST DISTRICT

RECOVERY COURT

SAT

8/2

TUE

RACHEL LOY’S SH*TLIST

DOWNTOWN

SONGWRITER SESSION

LIVE IN CONCERT

Pat Alger and Tony Arata NOON – 12:45 pm

FORD THEATER

•

CONVERSATION & PERFORMANCE

Martina McBride CMA THEATER

•

SOLD OUT

SONGWRITER SESSION

Victoria Shaw NOON – 12:45 pm

FORD THEATER

•

Saturday, August 14 SONGWRITER SESSION

Ray Fulcher NOON – 12:45 pm

FORD THEATER

•

Saturday, August 21 SONGWRITER SESSION

•

BARRACUDA AMERICA’S HEART TRIBUTE + ABSOLUTE QUEEN STAIRWAY TO ZEPPELIN

FRI

A SALUTE TO LED ZEPPELIN

8/7

7:00

JEREMY IVEY

SUN

W/ THE MINKS, AMELIA ROSE

8/5 8/6 SAT

8/8

The Two Birds Tour CMA THEATER

9/14

8/22 T. HARDY MORRIS W/ SHELLY COLVIN

THE PRINE FAMILY PRESENTS

11/3

JOE TROOP (OF CHE APALACHE)

11/9

WILLIE WATSON

LOVE HEALS EVERY BODY : A BENEFIT FOR THISTLE FARMS

You Got Gold CMA THEATER

•

SOLD OUT

COMING SOON

LIVE ON STAGE

Nurse Blake

The PTO Comedy Tour CMA THEATER

Friday – Saturday, November 12 – 13 LIVE IN CONCERT

Willie Nelson And Family CMA THEATER

•

SOLD OUT

Kyle Jacobs NOON – 12:45 pm

THU

Lori McKenna

Saturday, October 23

Saturday, August 7

COUNTRY OUTDOORS

JUST ANNOUNCED

Friday, October 8

Sunday, August 1

7:30

8:00

CLARK GREEN, TOM BUKOVAC AND MORE!

Saturday, October 2

8:00

7:30

8/3 FEAT. SINCLAIR, EMILY EARLE, WILLIAM

Saturday, July 31

8/4

HURRICANE RUTH FEAT. DRAKE WHITE, MO PITNEY & MORE

A STEELY DAN EXPERIENCE MON

WED

FEAT. DAVE PAHANISH, MATT WARREN, GEORGE SHINGLETON W/ BEN CHAPMAN AN EVENING WITH

7/31 VIP DAYTIME HIT SONGWRITERS SHOW

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WILDHEART WEDNESDAYS

8-9 THE TIME JUMPERS 8-11 WILDHEART WEDNESDAYS FEAT. ERIN ENDERLIN, CARLENE CARTER, AND MORE 8-12 KEITH ANDERSON’S PODUNK NIGHTS FEAT. DANIELLE PECK 8-13 SAM RIGGS W/ JOEY GREEN 8-14 WORLD TURNING BAND : THE LIVE FLEETWOOD MAC EXPERIENCE 8-15 JONATHAN TYLER & THE NORTHERN LIGHTS + QUAKER CITY NIGHT HAWKS 8-17 DEREK ST. HOLMES BAND 8-19 THAT 90’S SHOW + 8 TRACK BAND

8-20 RUBIK’S GROOVE 8-21 THE MIDNIGHT RIDERS : THE ALLMAN BROTHERS REVUE 8-26 BONNIE BISHOP W/ BEN DANAHER 8-27 JEFFREY STEELE 8-28 A PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE : ANDERSON COUNCIL “WISH YOU WERE ANIMALS” 9-2 STONEY LARUE 9-3 RESURRECTION : A JOURNEY TRIBUTE 9-5 LIZ COOPER W/ THE MANGO FURS 9-4 PAT MCLAUGHLIN BAND

9-11 MAGIC CITY HIPPIES 9-14 JOE TROOP (OF CHE APALACHE) 9-15 BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS 9-18 GUILTY PLEASURES 9-19 HEARTLESS BASTARDS 10-1 LOS COLOGNES 10-2 SUNNY SWEENEY 10-8 & 9 WILL HOGE 10-15 SERATONES 10-17 EMILY WOLFE 10-19 TOMMY CASTRO & THE PAINKILLERS 11-21 BRANDY CLARK SOLD OUT!

12-5 DAVID SHAW

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CRITICS’ PICKS some lovely music to pair with flowers that grow right in front of your very eyes. 7:30 p.m. at the Belcourt, 2102 Belcourt Ave. CRAIG D. LINDSEY

MUSIC

TUESDAY / 8.03 [SAW YOU WITH A TICKET STUB]

PHISH

In its 37 years as a band, Phish has cultivated a presence in a pretty broad variety of media, from cassette

gritty and familiar that makes cop shows like Law & Order so addictive, only you don’t feel dumber after watching a handful in a row. The Criterion Channel arranges the films chronologically — starting with the 1970 Ossie Davis comedy Cotton Comes to Harlem and ending with 2005’s Rian Johnson debut Brick. But I had to start with the 1984 Coen brothers debut Blood Simple, which is a quiet, low-budget masterpiece that introduced not only Joel and Ethan but also Frances McDormand to the world. Still, my favorite era of noir is

FAREWELL ANGELINA July 29

CHILDREN

JOHN FORD COLEY, BILLY DEAN & TOM WURTH Aug. 5

PHISH

HENRY CHO Aug. 14

DAVID WILCOX Aug. 21

LINDA DAVIS WITH LANG SCOTT & BILL WHYTE Aug. 28

ALSO PERFORMING John McEuen & The Circle Band Pryor & Lee The National Parks Joseph

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the 1970s, and I’ve been luxuriating in that for a while. Night Moves is just a solid, sexy crime film starring a pre-Superman, topof-his-game Gene Hackman. Farewell, My Lovely is a traditional potboiler that shows off Robert Mitchum’s sullen coolness. And of course, Eyes of Laura Mars is the perfect combination of stylish and supernatural. If you’re into moody, cynical films that still feel down-to-earth, I can’t recommend this series enough. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER TV

Aug. 6

recordings of shows traded by fans to CDs and LPs of their albums to Live Phish+, the jam titans’ own dedicated streaming service. In the early 1990s, the group even explored the idea of an interactive CDROM game, and footage from concerts shot for the abandoned project was unearthed and published on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. But nothing really replaces the experience of watching the quartet collectively improvise in person, throwing nuggets of rock ’n’ roll, klezmer, Muppet-y jazz, funk and whatever else sounds good into the pot. Their rescheduled summer tour is stopping in Music City on Tuesday and Wednesday; after a nearly 15-year drought of non-festival shows in our area, an annual two-night stand at Ascend Amphitheater has become a regular thing since 2015.

Among the material you can expect to hear: songs from Sigma Oasis, the 2020 LP the band recorded at their Vermont studio The Barn with multiple Grammy-winning Nashvillian Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, many more) in the producer’s chair. Unfortunately, the two shows are long sold-out, so if you haven’t got a ticket, you’ll have to try your luck on the secondary market — either online or in the lot. The good news: You have at least one more way to see the show. Livestream video of all concerts on the tour, including these two, will be available via livephish.com. 7 p.m.

Aug. 3-4 at Ascend Amphitheater, 310 First Ave. S. STEPHEN TRAGESER

[GUESS WHO’S BACK]

WATCH GOSSIP GIRL

Is the new Gossip Girl good or bad?

The answer is yes. The original CW classic, which went off the air in 2012, was about a group of silver-spooned New York teens whose Upper East Side drama is documented by the eponymous anonymous blogger. In the new series on HBO Max, set at the same elite prep school around a decade later, a new batch of Upper East Siders is going about its obscenely rich

[ONCE UPON A TIME …]

ENJOY KID-FRIENDLY OUTDOOR STORY TIMES

The big kids may be heading back to school soon, but thankfully, there are still plenty of fun story-time activities available for little ones this summer. You might pack a picnic and head over to Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, which hosts weekly story times in the Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden on Tuesday mornings. There’s also a special Moving With Music Storytime with singersongwriter and educator Rachel Rodriguez planned for Aug. 3. (For complete details, visit cheekwood.org.) The Tennessee State Museum also offers a weekly Storytime on the Lawn, welcoming youngsters to enjoy a fun book, along with a related craft activity at its covered patio at 11 a.m. on Saturdays. In honor of National Moon Day, this weekend’s book is Dogs in Space. But you also can access past stories on demand. Go to tnmuseum.org to learn more. And of course, there are several in-person and online options available through Nashville Public Library — from stories to arts activities and even puppet shows. Visit library.nashville.org for details. AMY STUMPFL

EVERGREEN:

THINGS TO DO ANY TIME

FILM

ALLIE COLLEEN

business when Gossip Girl starts posting again, this time on Instagram (RIP blogs) but still voiced by Kristen Bell. I can’t disagree with critics who say the sequel has unnecessarily burdened itself by giving its characters political consciences. (The new crew is hot, rich and oddly interested in local labor fights? Other updates to the series seem like more natural fits.) The show’s queen bee is an Instagram influencer, and there’s a bisexual love triangle — and there’s some fun meta casting with former teen blogger and Rookie magazine founder Tavi Gevinson playing a teacher who picks up the Gossip Girl mantle. Look, Succession will be back soon to savagely satirize and interrogate obscene wealth and privilege.

There are plenty of limited series if you want to focus on one story for seven hours.

This is Gossip Girl, it’s trash, it will burn through more plot in two episodes than most shows do in a whole season, and I am going to watch it all. XOXO. STEVEN HALE

[ELECTRIC NOIR]

WATCH THE NEO-NOIR COLLECTION ON THE CRITERION CHANNEL

I’ve been loving The Criterion Channel’s collection Neo-Noir. At its best, the neo-noir genre strikes the same balance between

GOSSIP GIRL

NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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thebasementeast basementeast thebasementeast

PRI NTERS ALLEY

PRI NTERS ALLEY

NASHVI LLE, TN

NASHVI LLE, TN

Kitchen & Spirits | L ive music

917 Woodland Street Nashville, TN 37206 thebasementnashville.com

Walk The West & John Jackson and the Rhythm Rockers // Jul 31

BLACK PISTOL FIRE // AUG 1

SPAFFORD // AUG 3 & 4

BECCA MANCARI // AUG 6

THERE’S NOT NOT BOOZE IN HERE

Hide out tonight in Printer’s Alley, with a scratch, local kitchen and the next generation of bluegrass and Americana virtuosos. ja n e s h i d e away. c o m

GET TICKETS & LEARN MORE AT PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENT

MONDAY, AUGUST 2 6:00PM

PARNASSUS SUBSCRIPTION BOX CLUBS AUGUST SELECTIONS:

GRADY HENDRIX

in conversation with ADRIENNE KING on FB LIVE The Final Girl Support Group

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3 6:00PM

SUZANNE PARK So We Meet Again

6:00PM

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4

AMY WRIGHT

in conversation with MARGARET RENKL on FB LIVE Paper Concert

6:00PM

w/ A Killer's Confession, OVTLIER & Pushing Veronica

Upcoming shows Jul 29 Jul 30 Jul 31

krs-one Tayls w/ Nordista Freese and Nadir Blade Walk The West & John Jackson and the Rhythm Rockers Aug 1 Black Pistol Fire w/ welles Aug 3 & 4 Spafford (PHISH AFTER PARTIES) Aug 5 Kendall Street Company & The Aquaducks w/ stoop kids Aug 6 Becca mancari w/ annie Dirusso Aug 7 Jerry Garcia 79th Birthday Celebration Aug 8 Gemini Syndrome w/ A Killer's Confession, Aug 11 Aug 12 Aug 13 Aug 14 Aug 18 AUG 21 Aug 24 Aug 25 aug 27 aug 31

in conversation with EMILY HENRY on FB LIVE

w/ Annie DiRusso

Gemini Syndrome// Aug 8

JERRY GARCIA 79TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION // AUG 7

UPCOMING EVENTS

w/ welles

OVTLIER & Pushing Veronica

Blink 182 vs Weezer Tribute Leah Blevins Kody West Drivin N Cryin w/ LORE fancy hagood feat. sarah buxton Chase Matthew John 5 w/ Jared James Nichols & Black Satelitte sarah darling w/ maggie baugh and colin elmore space capone hellzapoppin

Sep 1 Sep 8 Sep 9 Sep 10 Sep 11 Sep 12 Sep 17 Sep 20 Sep 27 Sep 28 Sep 30 Oct 1 Oct 2 Oct 5 Oct 7 Oct 8 Oct 9 Oct 14 Oct 16 Oct 17 Oct 18 Oct 19

Brandon "Taz" Niederauer Kashena Sampson Sam Fischer The Foxies w/ Wild Love Nikki Lane w/ Joshua Hedley turnstile SOLD OUT! Summer Salt w/ Covey and Breakup Shoes Jordy Searcy w/ palmertrees Gary Numan w/ i speak machine Wild Rivers w/ jillian jacqueline Fozzy w/ Through Fire, Royal Bliss & Black Satellite Jukebox the Ghost Perpetual Groove the nude party The Emo Night Tour Mae & The Juliana Theory Songs of John Prine SOLD OUT! okey dokey Parker Millsap w/ molly parden Noga Erez w/ McKinley Dixon Madison Cunningham w/ S.G. Goodman gus dapperton w/ Spill tab

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5

MARY ADKINS

in conversation with OPHIRA EISENBERG on FB LIVE Palm Beach

6:30PM

TUESDAY, AUGUST 10

JEFF ZENTNER

in conversation with DAVID ARNOLD at PARNASSUS

6:30PM

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11 in conversation with ARIEL LAWHON on FB LIVE The Light of Luna Park

in conversation with ZEA KEMP on FB LIVE

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe

AJ PEARCE on FB LIVE

Yours Cheerfully

PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/FIRSTEDITION-CLUBS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 12

RAQUEL VASQUEZ GILLILAND

6:00PM

W/ KARLY DRIFTWOOD &MAGGIE BAUGH

w/ S. Grant Parker

ADDISON ARMSTRONG

6:30PM

JEFF SHEPHERD // AUG 4

THE RTS // JUL 31

In The Wild Light

MONDAY, AUGUST 16

@parnassusbooks @parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks 3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243 Shop online at parnassusbooks.net

Jul 29 Jul 29 Jul 30 Jul 31 Aug 2 Aug 3 aug 4 Aug 4 Aug 5 aug 6 Aug 6 Aug 10

UPCOMING SHOWS

vincent neil emerson (7pm) mEld, mosey, cass hart (9pm) get happier fridays free show!

The Rts w/ S. Grant Parker elise davis, stephanie lambring, caroline spence, hailey whitters the cabin boys residency (7pm) Rose Hotel w/ Maddie Medley (7pm) jeff shepherd w/ karly driftwood & maggie baugh vincent neil emerson get happier fridays free show! red shahan (9pm) emily rose

Aug 13 get happier fridays free show!

Aug 14 love montage & badculture (7pm) Aug 14 Samuel Herb w/ Bonner Black (9pm) Aug 20 & 21 Sierra Ferrell SOLD OUT! Aug 27 Darrin Bradbury aug 28 Rett Madison w/ Liv Greene Sep 1 Valley Maker w/ The Ophelias Sep 9 Husbands w/ Crumbsnatchers Sep 10 Rock Eupora w/ Sad Baxter & Gentle Organisms Sep 12 Quiet Hollers w/ She Returns From War and Oct 8 Oct 9

Katy Guillen & The Drive

Samia w/ Savannah Conley SOLD OUT! The Bones of J.R. Jones

1604 8th Ave S Nashville, TN 37203 thebasementnash

thebasementnash

thebasementnash

nashvillescene.com | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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GET YOUR TICKETS NOW Tyler Hynes

Trevor Donovan

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NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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FOOD AND DRINK

A DOZEN DAY-TRIP EATS Where to dine outside Nashville when you have a tank of gas and a free day

BY MARGARET LITTMAN

P

erhaps the kids are going back to school (in person) soon, and you missed your window for a vacation. Perhaps rental cars and hotels were booked when you wanted to do some traveling, so you’re staying close to home. Perhaps you already did go on vacation, but you want to get out of the house again. Whatever the reason, a day trip full of eating and drinking is easy when you live in Middle Tennessee.

No matter in what direction you set out, there’s a destination-worthy food or drink stop within a few hours of Nashville. Here are a dozen options for an eating adventure, whether you have all day or just an afternoon. These options are organized in a clockwise circle(ish) around the perimeter of the city. All distances and travel times are measured from downtown Nashville. Pick one, download your podcasts or queue up a playlist, and be home before bedtime.

THOMAS DRUGS IN CROSS PLAINS

Distance: 36 miles; 40 minutes From my house in Inglewood it takes me less time to get to Cross Plains in Robertson County than it does to get to downtown Franklin, so sometimes I’m tempted to get in the car and head to Thomas Drugs. This oldfashioned soda fountain serves phosphates and ice cream treats from a 1915 building on Main Street that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I’m a fan of the salty lemonade, but I’m an even bigger fan of sitting at the counter, looking at the woodwork of the fountain, and strolling through downtown Cross Plains. Thomas Drugs is only open until noon on Saturdays and closed Sundays, so it’s best as a weekday adventure.

CHEROKEE STEAKHOUSE IN LEBANON

Distance: 38 miles; 45 minutes If to you a steakhouse means putting on a coat and tie and remembering which fork to use first, Cherokee Steakhouse will adjust your mindset. Since 1958, this no-frills old-school steakhouse has served chops and seafood to folks who either arrive by boat or drive up. It may be the least fancy steakhouse you’ll ever visit. The decor isn’t much to look at, but the views of the Cumberland River are. Make a reservation or be prepared for a long wait. And if drinking a beer with your ribeye is important to you, stop and fill up your cooler — Cherokee is BYOB.

FOGLIGHT FOODHOUSE IN WALLING

Distance: 90 miles; 1 hour, 43 minutes A favorite of paddlers and hikers who go to Rock Island State Park, Foglight Foodhouse serves Cajun dishes, including red beans and rice, a kitchen-soup take on jambalaya, and a blackened-chicken crawfish Alfredo. Foglight is famous for being a leisurely meal, but that’s sort of the point of a day-trip excursion, and the views of the Caney Fork River are worth meditating over.

MARCY JO’S MEALHOUSE AND BAKERY IN POTTSVILLE

Distance: 47 miles; 50 minutes Housed in a former rural general store in the unincorporated community of Pottsville, Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse and Bakery was founded by the late singer-songwriter Joey Feek and her sister Marcy. After Joey passed away in 2016, Marcy kept the kitchen running — and now the brand has expanded.

Joey’s widower, overall-wearing singersongwriter Rory Feek, teamed up with Joey’s other sister Candy to open Marcy Jo’s Muletown in nearby downtown Columbia.

The Mealhouse focuses on quiche, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods, while the Muletown location has a full menu of biscuits and gravy, stuffed French toast and omelets.

MARCY JO’S MEALHOUSE AND BAKERY

COMMON JOHN BREWING CO. IN MANCHESTER

Distance: 65 miles; 1 hour This taproom is the most fun to happen in Manchester outside of Bonnaroo. Common John Brewing Co. is a casual, friendly taproom with local beers and ciders, a full food menu and an environment where you just want to sit and hang out all day. Build your own flatbread or choose from six kinds of oven-baked wings, including a “Nashville hot” option. The lovely patio includes a stage for live music, and the indoor area features tables made from antique tractor engines.

They’re head-turners, for sure, and are also the subjects of about 10 percent of the photos on my phone. You can play board games on those while you sip and eat.

THE SOUTHERN OVEN IN PALMER

Distance: 105 miles; 2 hours Owned by sisters who wanted Palmer locals to have an option for a sit-down restaurant, The Southern Oven serves a rotating menu of stick-to-your-ribs classics like meatloaf with peppers and onions and spaghetti with red sauce. It’s a good choice for carb-loading before a Savage Gulf hike.

MOUNTAIN GOAT MARKET IN MONTEAGLE

Distance: 88 miles; 90 minutes Mountain Goat Market is Monteagle’s go-to picnic supplier. Grab a specialty sandwich (there are lots of vegetarian options, like the Treehugger with its piles of peppers on top of mushrooms on top of sprouts) and go explore Monteagle and Sewanee. Go for a hike, or take a cave tour and see a concert at The Caverns. For more area options for where to go with your Mountain Goat sandwich in tow, check out the Scene’s recent Road Trip Issue (June 24, 2021).

PINEWOOD KITCHEN MERCANTILE IN NUNNELLY

Distance: 54 miles; 1 hour At the helm of Hickman County’s organic Pinewood Kitchen Mercantile is Mee McCormick, author of several cookbooks on using food to fight diseases. McCormick cooks with ingredients from her bio-

COMMON JOHN BREWING CO. dynamic farm. The menu, which changes daily, is packed with Southern dishes like a seasonal blueberry salad or hush puppies served with jalapeño jelly, with options for making everything gluten-free, nut-free or keto-friendly.

BEACON LIGHT TEA ROOM IN BON AQUA

Distance: 45 miles; 45 minutes Since 1936, the biscuits from Bon Aqua’s Beacon Light Tea Room have been a mustdrive-to dish. These famous biscuits, cooked with lard, will be delivered to your table with preserves before your food arrives.

Don’t get confused by the “tea room” name.

This is a sweet-tea-and-fried-chicken type of place, not an afternoon-tea-and-scones-withpinkies-in-the-air type of place.

ROCHELLE’S BAR NONE BBQ IN HURRICANE MILLS

Distance: 66 miles; 1 hour Roadside barbecue shacks aren’t exactly hard to find on a Tennessee drive, but Rochelle’s Bar None BBQ is worth noting nonetheless. Its location right off of I-40 makes it convenient if you’re hitting Walls Art Park (one of my favorite day-trip getaways), Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills (which also has several restaurants on site) or heading out on the Duck River. The menu

includes pork, brisket, chicken and catfish, plus ribs and wings.

FREIGHT HOUSE IN PADUCAH, KY.

Distance: 137 miles; 2 hours Of course, Nashville has plenty of chefs who have shown off their skills on Top Chef.

But it’s worth the drive over the Kentucky border to Paducah to try Sara Bradley’s cooking at freight house, the restaurant she opened in 2015. Bring a designated driver along for this particular outing, as Bradley pairs her locally sourced dishes with an impressive bourbon list.

STRAWBERRY ALLEY ALE WORKS IN CLARKSVILLE

Distance: 50 miles; 1 hour Strawberry Alley is a fun street behind downtown Clarksville’s main shops and just a block from Downtown Commons, the city’s open-air plaza that hosts movie nights and live music. Whether you opt for the downtown exploration or head to nearby Dunbar Cave State Park, end the lounging at Strawberry Alley Ale Works. They’ll have 10 beers on tap, including six seasonal options. The food menu is ample, with quirky takes on bar food like potato chip nachos and a burger topped with bourbon-mushroom sauce.

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VODKA YONIC

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On the pleasures of trusting my instincts in the kitchen

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BY YURINA YOSHIKAWA NASHVILLE

Vodka Yonic features a rotating cast of women and nonbinary writers from around the world sharing stories that are alternately humorous, sobering, intellectual, erotic, religious or painfully personal. You never know what you’ll find in this column, but we hope this potent mix of stories encourages conversation.

NASHVILLE

W

hen I was little, I used to ask my mother what I could do to become a good cook like her.

How would I ever learn to cut vegetables so quickly without hurting myself? How did she know how something would taste without testing it? “There’s no secret,” she’d say.

“Just do it a lot, and it’ll come to you.”

This is my family’s fourth summer in Nashville, and my body knows to expect the heat, humidity, scattered thunderstorms and a chorus of cicadas. I’ve gotten into the habit of making iced barley tea at home, because water tastes too bland in this weather. I used to love baking, and now I’m reluctant to go near the oven. We go through too many cans of LaCroix and Coke Zero. Our toddler hardly eats anything, a combination of pickiness and natsubate, a Japanese word that describes the fatigue and loss of appetite specific to the summer season. I vaguely remember my mother saying that all children need is milk and sunshine to grow. For our son, it’s that plus a packet of goldfish.

Despite our collective lack of appetite, I still cook dinner most nights. It feels like one of just a few basic things to check off before calling it a day: Feed the family. Or at least put some food in front of them, just to tell myself that I tried.

Over the past couple years, I’ve accidentally become a housewife, a mother of two boys and a teacher of writing classes sometimes at night. Since the pandemic started, my responsibilities at home have amplified just as they have for all the other working parents around me who suddenly lost child care and other forms of help. The boys have grown, and the younger one graduated from baby food more quickly than I’d expected.

They’re still so small, just like our appetites, and yet I still feel like I’m actively cooking for four full-size humans every single day.

Oftentimes, the leftovers turn into the next day’s lunch. Needless to say, circumstances have forced me to cook a lot more than I used to.

Before I even became aware of it, my mother’s words came true. It happened gradually but surely. I stopped looking at recipes and began to trust my instincts and memories, which were more physical than mental. I never measure anything anymore while I’m cooking. I pinch salt from the salt cellar next to the stove, and I can guesstimate whether the pinch was about

THE JAPANESE PART OF ME WILL ALWAYS THINK OF TREES AS HAVING SOULS, OF GLASSES BEING SAD WHEN BROKEN, AND OF ANCESTORS WATCHING OVER US LIKE GENTLE GHOSTS. one-quarter teaspoon or one-half. I pour soy sauce and mirin into a pot, stopping when the color looks somewhat tea-like, which is completely subjective and only makes sense to me given how I take my tea. I know exactly when to stop the faucet when I soak the rice in water before putting it in the rice cooker. Our oven doesn’t beep when it’s been preheated, so I open the oven door a few times to look at the thermometer, and decide to take things out depending on the smell and the sound of crackling oil.

There were some failures here and there — disappointments that we’d consume because they were still technically edible, or that would end up in the garbage disposal because they couldn’t be saved by any condiment. It wasn’t until the successes continued for days and then weeks in a row that I realized I’d unlocked something in my cooking abilities.

Everyone knows that practice makes perfect. Spend enough hours doing something and you’re bound to get better at it.

So maybe what I’m experiencing is just one iteration of that.

On the other hand, there’s a part of me that likes to believe in spiritual things. The Japanese part of me will always think of trees as having souls, of glasses being sad when broken, and of ancestors watching over us like gentle ghosts. So when I chop and stir and wash and serve, identical to my late mother’s movements, I can’t help but speculate that maybe her soul enters my muscles, just when I’m in the kitchen.

I still have a long way to go until I’m actually able to cook like her. In the time it takes for me to make three dishes, my mother would have been able to make seven. She also had an eye for beautiful plates and placemats, where I’m settling for the same bland set of plates we bought at Target after moving to Nashville four years ago. If only I could see what her dinner table looked like when I was a toddler. Had she always been so perfect? Will I ever catch up?

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NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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CULTURE

For Soul For Soul THE

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TOMIKO HARVEY OF THE BLACK TRAVEL ALLIANCE PUSHES FOR EQUITY IN TOURISM The creator of Passports & Grub wants to amplify the voices of Black travel

BY ASHLEY CURRIE

For the Soul is a collaboration between the Nashville Scene and local culture website Urbaanite that uncovers local gems in Nashville.

G

iven Nashville’s reign as a top tourist destination for travelers from around the world, it’s only fitting that a senior leader of one of the country’s newest tourism organizations calls our city home. Tomiko Harvey is the vice president of the Black Travel Alliance, an organization formed in response to last summer’s racial justice movement and poised to be a true voice for Black

travel writers, broadcasters, podcasters and others around the world.

Says Harvey, “We saw a lot of travel brands posting black squares, saying they’re in solidarity with Black people, yet those same brands were not working with Black content creators, posting them on their Instagram feed or reflecting diversity in their leadership positions.” Nearly 20 travel and tourism writers and creators agreed, and they decided to come together for a common purpose — pushing for diversity and inclusion in travel media — and the Black Travel Alliance was born.

The alliance’s first initiative was the #PullUpforTravel campaign. After seeing all of those black squares, BTA put out a call for travel brands and organizations that used the #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackOutTuesday hashtags to share their 2019

key performance indicators for diversity measures. The alliance created the Black Travel Scorecard, which assessed Black representation in employment, conferences and tradeshows, advertising and marketing campaigns, and media and press trips — as well as charitable contributions made to Black charities and community groups.

Sixty-seven brands and companies replied.

Findings suggested that the travel industry had a long way to go.

“It’s about economics and revenue,” says Harvey. “Can brands afford to say they do not want to be a part of the $129 billion tourism dollars spent by the African American consumer?”

BTA is a new resource within the tourism industry, directly connecting brands with Black media makers, and connecting media makers with grants, scholarships and opportunities for employment and professional development. Brands can also benefit from joining the alliance, whether they are owned by Black entrepreneurs or not. BTA’s mission includes conducting research about Black travelers that will help brands improve revenue, image and diversity strategies.

At just over a year old, BTA has already partnered with several leading travel and tourism organizations. With the multiuniversity and interdisciplinary research and outreach initiative Tourism RESET, BTA created the History of Black Travel (historyofblacktravel.com) project, which includes a timeline of significant people and events in Black travel. The timeline dates back to 1492, when Afro-Spanish explorer Pedro Alonso Niño and his brothers helped lead Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas, and chronicles the growth of Black communities in the U.S., trailblazing pilots, the Great Migration and much more. BTA worked with marketing strategy group MMGY Travel Intelligence to publish “The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities and Priorities,” a report that aggregates and analyzes spending habits of Black travelers worldwide. The Alliance was among the recipients of Travel + Leisure’s 2021 Global Vision Award, which recognizes leaders in the industry.

Harvey has been a travel writer for many years, managing her online publication Passports & Grub, “a luxury lifestyle publication for Black women.” Scrolling through her website, you will find beautiful pictures and thoughtful storytelling that take you on the journey with her to places as near as St. Louis, Mo., and as far as Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Harvey is focused on encouraging family travel and creating lifelong memories, so it was a natural fit for her to join the BTA family and advocate for other Black media creators.

BTA is actively looking for amazing travel professionals, bloggers, journalists and podcasters to join the alliance. “Our three pillars are alliance, amplification and accountability,” says Harvey. “We want Black content creators to be amplified, and we want to hold these travel brands accountable. … We are going to continue to train and educate tourism boards and travel brands on the importance of diversity.”

For more local culture stories, visit urbaanite.com.

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

SCENERY Arts and Culture News From the Nashville Scene

Looking for the latest on art and culture in Nashville? Subscribe to Scenery, our weekly newsletter that covers visual art, theater, comedy, books, film and more.

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BOOKS

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD In The Speaking Stone, Michael Griffith considers the contingent nature of existence

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The book’s conceit appears modest — to record the lives of people interred in Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum — but its impact is profound. These essays track the subtle ways history intersects with individuals, and they remind us that pride THE SPEAKING STONE: STORIES CEMETERIES TELL

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and ambition lead inexorably to oblivion.

Griffith simultaneously sharpens our sympathy for solitary lives and chastens us for harboring fantasies of immortality.

Gravestones themselves, Griffith observes, “represent an attempt — conscious or not, self-ironizing or not — to claim for ourselves a limited permanence.” Very limited, as the author points out: “What vanity is more pitiful — or more poignant and inevitable — than the one that moves us to try, and fail, to dictate the terms we’re remembered by.”

Among the most colorful of the characters in The Speaking Stone is Fanny Wright, a Scots woman born in 1795 who at a young age “fell under the spell of American ideals of liberty.” After becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, she devoted her life to civil rights, publicly advocating for the abolition of slavery and for women’s suffrage. Wright attempted to put her ideals into practice by establishing a utopian community on 2,000 wooded acres east of Memphis (where the suburb Germantown now lies).

Though the community (named Nashoba, “a Chickasaw word for wolf”) failed to achieve its emancipatory goals, Wright’s oratory prowess and striking looks (tall, red-haired) turned her into a polarizing public figure. Griffith connects her story to contemporary concerns regarding the paradoxical nature of fame and “the prison-house of celebrity,” as he puts it. “To be known by the public,” he notes, “is to be owned by it.

If Britney Spears earns a PhD in astrophysics, it will enter her obituary only after the crotch-shot caught on film by a paparazzo.”

This collection is replete with pop-cultural references that will appeal to Griffith’s fellow Gen X readers. Smokey and the Bandit, This Is Spinal Tap and Bon Jovi provide touchstones for the author’s ruminations.

One chapter, “Six Degrees of Jonathan Cilley,” reads like a variation on the Kevin Bacon game. Quietly though, Griffith pivots from riffs on REM to quotations from Borges and Nabokov. These shifts from comedy to philosophy never seem jarring; they correspond with the author’s observation that death, like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, is the great leveler. “It’s hard to cling to the idea of social superiority when the formerly bright lines between high and low are dimmed, blurred, or effaced altogether,” Griffith writes.

Griffith, a professor of creative writing at the University of Cincinnati and lecturer at the Sewanee School of Letters, wants his essays to capture the nonlinear, contingent nature of existence. Progress is an illusion, a label placed retroactively on a jumble of events. “We are poor, forked animals who live most of our lives, and thank God, in a state of ungress, regress, and circumgress,” Griffith avers. He likens his technique of wandering among tombstones looking for stories to “rhapsodomancy, the ancient mode of divination that involves flipping open a manuscript of poems at random.” He calls his method “graveyard-walk-omancy,” a narrative form driven by “impetus and accident.”

Griffith’s associative prose moves with the rapidity and vector redirections of a pinball machine. His chapter on drinking in Cincinnati, the nation’s “number-one most besotted” city in 1880, drifts from pub crawling with friends (“a rigorous, academically legitimate research technique that we called the Bender”) to the temperance movement to the invention of the beanbag.

The quality that ties the essays together is the “persistent strand of autobiography” — that is, Griffith’s own sensibility, honed by decades of writerly observation. He confesses that he is “a sucker for selflessness,” for stories of “self-sacrifice.” Griffith draws our attention to forgotten toilers (“editors, translators, single parents, pit crews, defensive stoppers in basketball”) with the knowledge that we too are headed for the ash heaps of history. The most impressive achievement of The Speaking Stone is that, in Griffith’s hands, such somber observations appear to be causes for celebration.

His knack for light humor enables Griffith to tackle serious issues — notably, the recurrence of racial violence in Cincinnati — without succumbing to despair. Griffith continually returns to the lesson of Spring Grove: “Immortality is capricious, a shapeshifter, and there’s no guessing what our legacies will be, if we are lucky enough to have them.” If we are supremely lucky, our stories will be told by someone like Michael Griffith, who possesses the vision and humanity to perceive, beneath our flaws and foibles, the unsung heroism of our mortal acts.

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

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MUSIC

CLOUD CONTROL:

SECK ADVANCES MUSIC CITY’S VISUAL STORYTELLING

The stellar director discusses changing perceptions of Nashville’s Black creative community, from hiphop to filmmaking and beyond

BY D’LLISHA DAVIS Cloud Control is a collaboration between the Nashville Scene and music news, events and promotions platform 2 L’s on a Cloud.

M

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

baye Seck’s name has spread like wildfire around Music City over the past couple of years as he has continued to find his niche and perfect his craft as a filmmaker. Inspired by jazz music and driven by a promise he FOLLOW @CALLUPSECK made to himself early on to ON INSTAGRAM FOR maintain creative control in UPDATES ON HIS WORK his projects, the esteemed director is a prolific and prominent contributor to the Nashville rap scene. His passion for creating meaningful representation and his gift for naturally supporting artists’ storytelling command attention in rooms around town where decisions are being made.

At only 23, Seck has developed a distinctive and refined style, and he’s on the cusp of reaching new levels in his directing. But he’ll be the first to tell you that his story goes far beyond music videos.

In seventh grade, Seck began to develop an interest in acting. Knowing the limitations he would face down the road in having control over his work, he then began to write fiction. Ultimately, he decided directing films would be the way to tell stories the way he wanted. But once he decided to follow his growing passion, Seck noted that some of the essential tools and resources were not available.

“When I first wanted to do this, I didn’t have a camera, so all my efforts went into reading about film,” Seck says. He credits director, screenwriter, actor and producer Spike Lee as a huge inspiration in learning the ins and outs of creating in film. “Any

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MUSIC In 2019, Seck found himself listening to Nashville MC Ron Obasi. He was moved to reach out directly about sharing Obasi’s stories and expanding the way people thought about his music. For Seck, the professional relationship — which resulted in standout work like the visual for “Good Rapz” — was about more than just making music videos.

“Ron was going to be the only artist I worked with,” Seck explains. “It was more about creating the art, and it was a way for me to express the emotions I felt while still telling his story. I wanted to use Ron’s song as a soundtrack to my thoughts.”

Seck never envisioned being known around Music City for shooting music videos.

However, being around peers like Chuck Indigo and JordanXx, he was inspired to create more for artists in Nashville.

“It is important to be as creative as you can be,” Seck notes, referring to his work on the visual for JordanXx’s track “Highs N Lows.”

“I was watching A Black Lady Sketch Show on HBO and the intro made me think how it would be dope to have Jordan doing something like that.” Both the opening credits of the show and the “Highs N Lows” visual use puppets in thought-provoking ways.

Seck has created visuals for many artists in the city, including $avvy and Mike Floss, Madi Diaz, Tim Gent and Brian Brown. He’s also worked with lifestyle brands such as Forts 615 and Yoleven. Though Nashville is a place where many entrepreneurs in creative fields feel that there isn’t much of a willingness to collaborate, some of Seck’s most distinctive work has been in collabora-

tions on photography, filmmaking and other visual arts. He’s built relationships with two other artists who cultivate the city’s rising interest in its Black culture through multifaceted businesses that include making and curating art: LeXander Bryant of ORGNZD VISUALS and Bryan “YoBreezye” Roberson of V$NR. “I actually met Lee [Bryant] at a V$NR event at [designer clothing and shoe store] Rooted,” Seck recalls. “He approached me and ended up becoming like a big brother to me. He even changed my perspective with pricing my work. [Laughs] But seriously, after meeting him there was so much growth in me as a person, and my outlook on Nashville and how we are underserved as Black creatives.”

Despite his extensive experience in filmmaking, Seck still finds himself frustrated in ways that many Black and brown people do in Nashville. Opportunities often come with limitations that apply to white people far less often, if at all.

“I come across many conversations with these gatekeepers where I am asked to work as a production assistant before [I can be] a director,” explains Seck. “I don’t feel like the city wants Black creatives to prosper, only to fit into whatever role they can fill us in. Oftentimes, those roles are underpaid or unpaid.”

That’s where YoBreezye’s V$NR Lab comes in. It is an agency dedicated to creating boutique content that highlights the ideas, arts and individuals shaping our culture. The latest issue of V$NR’s magazine

component includes a substantial feature on Seck; the magazine also published an extensive series of behind-the-scenes videos exploring his work.

“Seck is a visual genius.” YoBreezye remarks. “He’s a true artist. He has a true love for what he does. It’s not just about the money or praise with his work.

I honestly don’t think he knows how dope he is. I know he knows he’s dope, but I see him being one of the next greats. He already is in my eyes.”

Given the collective energy that seems to be brewing, Seck remains hopeful about the progress for Nashville filmmakers and directors of color. He also notes his admiration for Ed Pryor, a fellow Black director.

Pryor has made music videos for rappers like Killah Calico, FU Stan and 2’Live Bre (as Lil Bre). He’s also been nominated for CMT Awards for music video clients like country star Dierks Bentley and been featured in various national publications. He’s pushed well beyond the confines of the roles that the city has traditionally offered to Black directors.

Seck is a creative presence in Nashville who has long been extraordinarily passionate about his craft and remains eager to learn as the days go by. In the future, he hopes to work with youth and inspire them to enter the world of filmmaking. And he’s excited about continuing to grow his client roster of companies and creative individuals. With skills, vision and instincts like Seck’s, the sky should be the limit.

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

If I were to talk chronologically, there were songs I had already written and played out that I wanted to take into the studio and finish. … In those situations, it

allowed me to go, “I know what this song needs.” For a song like “Diamond Studded Shoes,” me and Aaron Lee Tasjan started it over a bottle of wine, talking

BY BRITTNEY McKENNA

complemented by an even broader assemblage of sounds, adding funk, R&B and alternative rock to Yola’s already commanding combination of country, folk and soul. The Scene caught up with Yola to talk about all she’s accomplished since that last conversation, her experiences with racial tokenism in the music industry and, of course, her fantastic new album.

n 2019, Yola graced the cover of the Scene’s annual overview of AmericanaFest. The rootsand soul-schooled singer-songwriter came into the fest on the heels of high praise for her stunning debut album Walk Through Fire, which STAND FOR MYSELF OUT FRIDAY, JULY 30, VIA EASY she performed songs EYE SOUND from for awed audiences.

She also had two major nominations for the annual Honors and Awards. Her star continued to rise rapidly into early 2020, when she notched four nominations at the Grammy Awards and accepted the role of Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming film about the life of Elvis Presley.

Like all of us, Yola hit a series of roadblocks as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Production on the film halted, as did the entire live-music industry, leaving the Bristol, U.K., native stuck in Nashville. Undeterred, Yola set up a residence here and took time to get quiet and get back in touch with herself, a task that had been impossible within her increasingly packed schedule. That introspection birthed Yola’s new album Stand for Myself, out Friday via Easy Eye Sound.

While Stand for Myself shares similarities with its predecessor — once again, she tapped Black Keys frontman and Easy Eye owner Dan Auerbach as producer — the album is Yola’s most potent, personal work thus far. Its powerful lyrical content is

Last time we spoke for the Scene was around this time two years ago. When you think back to that time, and everything that you’ve accomplished since then, how does it compare to now? Almost everything has changed, in short. In long, to be blunt about it, the bloody Grammy Awards.

I got nominated for four bloody Grammys, including Best New Artist … trying to duke it out with Lizzo and Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish. I didn’t have that on my to-do list. That changed a lot of things.

Outside of awards and things like that, I actually got to know some people in Nashville. I was working so much, for pretty much all of 2019, and I finally got to make some real connections. That gave me that sense of home that I was looking for, so that I could speak on subjects that are even closer to my life experiences that maybe I couldn’t have on the last record, because I didn’t know anyone I was working with. It’s very hard to go into what it’s like to be a token Black lady that’s English with white men that are American. So that was one thing that I was able to remedy on this record.

To your point about being able to work with people who have a real understanding of your experience, how did that change your energy when it came time to write and go into the studio? I imagine you’d feel a palpable difference with what you were willing to express and share.

book you can name on film, I have probably read it. The biggest thing was when I read Spike Lee’s Gotta Have It. It was a journal that he kept while he was creating his first film. Seeing that at a young age, I felt like I had the blueprint just by reading a book.

And that instilled something in me — to want to start on it right in that moment.”

While Seck’s parents did not understand that film was something their son wanted to do for the long run, his sister saw the creative spark and purchased him a handheld Samsung camcorder. He continued to educate himself through books and practice with his camera throughout high school. It was then he realized he was interested in the narrative aspect of filmmaking and telling the stories of others. In 2016, Seck’s senior year at Overton High School, his mentor and fellow director Wesley Crutcher connected him with a student at Antioch High School: rapper 2’Live Bre, then known as Lil Bre, for whom Seck began shooting videos.

After graduation, Seck strived to keep working steadily in spite of how expensive just about everything seemed. Shooting music videos allowed him to be a consistent presence and build his reputation, as well as putting money in his pockets to invest in equipment. But he quickly grasped that he was taking more direction from artists than he was giving and not staying true to his ideas and creative drive. He looked for a way back to his original blueprint.

He wanted to create stories in ways that stretched far beyond the ideas offered by those he was working with.

GETTING IN TOUCH

Yola advocates for authenticity on Stand for Myself

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about life. Then I played it in Scotland and the crowd went nuts. That was 2018.

Because of the kind of song it is, quite inspired by something political but human in its way, I was like, “If someone doesn’t understand the angle I’m coming from with it, it’s going to be hard for them to get in the room and contribute.” And I found that with a number of songs that had a political bent or a particularly personal bent based on me being a Black woman, and a token Black woman at that — I need people in the room who can speak on that and contribute. … I want the art to have the ability to do what it wants to do. I want it to be born. That meant I had to find people who could finish songs with me and understand what I’m trying to say. … A lot of the time that was Natalie Hemby. She’s credited a lot on this record.

She’s incredible at her job. She really is. But she’s also an arch empath. Maybe she isn’t clued in to everyone’s life experience all of the time, but she’s an empath and she can’t help but feel. She’s that type of person. You can talk to her about anything,

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and she’ll find her way to it. That’s what great writers do.

You’ve already spoken a bit about your experiences with tokenism as a Black woman, including how conversations with contemporaries like Joy Oladokun allowed you to be more open and vulnerable in your music. Joy and I had a lot of similar experiences. We had the experiences of being threatening in a creative space to our white peers, sometimes — and maybe more commonly, our white female peers — and having to minimize ourselves so that they felt comfortable in our space. Sometimes, even when they were singing something like soul music or something ostensibly, from my point of view, where my body is made to churn out that kind of sound, and then feeling like you have to minimize your ability to deliver to make someone feel comfortable.

Or you’re in the studio and you’re writing in your early career and the idea of “knowing your place” starts cropping up. And not because you aren’t in the room to be creative, but because people don’t want you to be the person in charge of proceeding.

When you’re always the token, you’re never fully relaxed. You’re always going to be skewing to someone else’s life experience, someone else’s story. And you’re told that what you want to talk about isn’t a common enough experience to talk about — being made to feel like you don’t belong is a very common experience for a lot of people.

They only want the parts of you they feel comfortable with or feel that they can use, then they reject the rest? Yes. “That made that person feel uncomfortable, so could you just not be?” That’s not conducive to love. It’s conducive to exploitation and control. To be in an environment that allows you to speak on your truth and doesn’t heel-turn the moment you start serving it has everything to do with not just this record but the conversations I was having, and the ability to write something that really is our life experience.

How can you make real, authentic art if you can’t be yourself? That’s just a contradiction.

It sounds so obvious to say, right? One-hundred percent. It seems almost trite to say it. But it’s the most true thing. It’s really hard. To make authentic art you actually have to be yourself. But think about the number of times you’ve heard of artists speaking on their experience and how they haven’t been able to be themselves. Loads! Which is insane. People go, “Oh, I don’t feel like music is the way it used to be.” But you’re going to struggle to find people who are authentic if you don’t allow them to be who they are, or if you make them afraid to be who they are. That was more in line with the conversation. It was that instilling of fear, that if you are you, bad things will happen.

That’s a powerful tool that seems to get wielded a lot — everywhere, but especially here in Nashville. It is. And it’s not always people who want to do you wrong. It’s often people who love you who just want to protect you from being rejected, or protect you from not getting an opportunity. But I want to tell you something now. For me, personally, the worst thing that can happen is the people that love you telling you to change. The people that are supposed to be uplifting you telling you to minimize yourself, or the people you trust and work with betraying you. All of these things pertain to being cared for, being well-tended. As artists, we really need this. I don’t know if that is a conversation that is often had. But we need to be well-tended, because this lifestyle is arduous.

There’s such a sense of joy in this record, even on tracks with difficult subject matter.

How do you feel that aspect of the album is connected to this greater sense of freedom you found? When we were getting ready to track this record, Dan [Auerbach] said, “OK, what are you thinking for this one?” And I said, “We need a drummer like James Gadson. We need a bass player like James Jamerson. We need a rhythmsection philosophy to govern this record, because I feel as though I have a bone to pick with time.” And by that I mean feel, and pocket. We’ve been in the land of “Nashville time,” which is so straight-ahead, but I really wanted to explore what it would be like to take some Nashville players and some New York players, people who maybe had a background in jazz, and see what it would mean to play with that kind of feel in this environment.

What happened to the countrified soul? What happened to that kind of “wall of sound” classic pop song? … I really wanted it to be sexier. I felt that the last album was beautiful and very clean.

But I was like, “I really want to feel less clean on this record, and feel sexier.” So when we’re recording, and I’m feeling this and everyone is playing the living daylights out of their instruments, I’m happy that it’s a bit dirty. Because I’m a bit dirty.

EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

THE SPIN HOMECOMING

BY RON WYNN

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aturday night was one of triumph for vocalist-songwriter Dara Tucker, a longtime Nashville favorite who relocated to New York City a few months before the pandemic hit. The occasion was the official release party for her celebrated new album Dreams of Waking: Music for a Better World. Over two sets before a full house at Rudy’s Jazz Room — a venue undaunted despite taking on two feet of floodwater the previous weekend — she repeatedly demonstrated the stage

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

MUSIC

SOUL OF THE CITY: DARA TUCKER

presence, technical prowess and dynamic personality that won her multiple Nashville Independent Music Awards as Music City’s top jazz vocalist.

Even though Tucker told the crowd it was “[her] first time before a live audience in many months,” neither she nor the top-notch band — which included pianist Matt Endahl, bassist Greg Bryant, who’s also Tucker’s husband, and drummer Derrek Phillips — showed any signs of nervousness or rust. She opened the first set with a glorious version of Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” It set the stage for the evening’s primary mode of putting improvisational touches and flourishes on pop and rock standards, with an occasional original composition included. One standout among the originals was the moving “All I See Is Love,” which appears on Tucker’s LP Oklahoma Rain. But many of the choices reflected her desire to make music that was equal parts joyous and prophetic or instructional.

The set ranged from an emphatic version of “Dreams of Waking” to a demonstrative rendition of Stevie Wonder’s scathing “You Haven’t Done Nothin’ ” and a pair of James Taylor numbers — even the Hoagy Carmichael postwar vocal standard “The Nearness of You.” Tucker also welcomed onstage Jason Eskridge, whose powerful treatment of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” was another highlight of the evening.

While the occasion was focused on the vocal performances, the backing band got ample room to shine as well — particularly pianist Endahl, who got most of the solo space. He made versatility look easy, whether the tunes called for harmonic flourishes, rhythmic fervor or simply melodic exposition. The duo of Bryant and Phillips was splendid as well. Each got some solo time near the end of the second set, but they focused mainly on ably handling their role

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he last two shows I caught before the world shut down in 2020 were Wire at Mercy Lounge and Archers of Loaf at Cannery Ballroom, both in the same weekend. The pandemic might not technically be over, but returning to Cannery Row on Sunday for Reigning Sound at Mercy Lounge felt like cause for celebration regardless. It’s always been a great place to see a show, and on reaching the top of the stairs a few minutes into Country Westerns’ opening set, I immediately felt the comforting presence of so many friends I’d missed seeing around. It was a welcome reminder of what makes Nashville such a great place to be a lover of live music.

Country Westerns singer-guitarist Joey Plunket, bassist Sabrina Rush and drummer Brian Kotzur got the crowd amped for the main event with spirited, genuine rock ’n’ roll. The trio released a stellar self-titled debut for Fat Possum last summer at the height of the pandemic. It felt like a cruel joke that music so clearly meant to be enjoyed in a live setting couldn’t be at the time. Sunday’s set made it right.

The Replacements are a big influence on Plunket’s songwriting, but where the Twin Cities legends’ gigs frequently went off the rails, Country Westerns were on point. The group, whose members’ past projects include Gentlemen Jesse and His Men, State Champion and Silver Jews, reeled off two- and three-minute gems like “Guest Checks,” “Anytime” and the spectacularly jangly “I’m Not Ready” with a looseness and closeness that can only be gained from experience.

Like all great power trios, each player had something interesting going on at all times, but never lost sight of serving the song.

Reigning Sound main man Greg Cartwright was up in the front for Country Westerns’ whole set with a drink in his hand and a smile on his face. After an ef-

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ficient changeover, Cartwright (a longtime Memphian who now lives in Asheville, N.C.) and his Memphisbased bandmates — bassist Jeremy Scott, keyboardist Alex Greene, guitarist and pedal-steel player John Whittemore and drummer-percussionists Greg Roberson and Graham Winchester — got right to it. Cartwright is a bit like Robert Pollard with a higher batting average. Between Reigning Sound, Oblivians and side projects like Compulsive Gamblers and Parting Gifts, Cartwright has a seemingly bottomless songbook, several hundred songs strong.

The latest addition to that catalog, A Little More Time With Reigning Sound, is mellower than earlier albums like the raucous 2002 fan fave Time Bomb High School. When the band played Time Bomb’s title tune Sunday, it got the loudest cheers of the night.

But the go-for-broke energy each member brought to the performances — more characteristic of a band in their 20s than in their 40s — ensured that there were no weak spots.

With the southpaw Cartwright toggling between electric and acoustic guitar, Reigning Sound’s artful amalgam of classic American music from soul and R&B to punk and psychedelic rock was on full display. The frontman told the audience that the night before, they’d played a packed hometown show with a string section and additional guests he lamented being unable to bring along to Nashville. But even the “downsized” version — which also included Parting Gifts collaborator Coco Hames, late of The Ettes, singing on the Parting Gifts songs “Keep Walking” and “Bound to Let Me Down,” plus “Just Say When,” a duet from A Little More Time — was the stuff great concert movies are made of. Scott’s bass lines bobbed and weaved, Greene gleefully pounded the keys, and whichever drummer was on tambourine at any given time (Roberson and Winchester switched off) played the absolute hell out of it.

From Reigning Sound’s debut Break Up Break Down (which turned 20 in May) to the new record, a through line of the band’s output is that it makes you want to move. The joy and enthusiasm Cartwright & Co. put into the show was reciprocated in full by the crowd. Once the last notes of set-closer “Straight Shooter” rang out, fans beelined to the merch table for records and blue-and-yellow scarves emblazoned with the faces of the members — this fall’s must-have merch item. It feels safe to assume anyone who’d been on the fence about heading to Memphis in September for the band’s Gonerfest headlining set went straight home to buy a ticket. Well, to the livestream at least, since the in-person tickets are sold out.

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supporting Tucker on her various journeys, or working off of and supporting Endahl’s solo statements and answering phrases.

The two sets seemed to fly by, and the house no doubt would have gladly stayed for a third. It was a reminder that no matter how great any album sounds, there’s no substitute for hearing those numbers in person. Here’s hoping that shifts in the pandemic won’t force us to give up club shows again in the weeks to come.

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POLISH THE CROWN: REIGNING SOUND

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PRIMAL STREAM 62

The final Fear Street installment, now available to stream

BY JASON SHAWHAN FEAR STREET PART THREE: 1666 ON NETFLIX You knew I was going to have to talk about this one. A gambit that the horror genre hasn’t seen since the glory days of the Fridays the 13th or the slightly less glorious heyday of the first run of the Saw films, Fear Street has done something unthinkable. By embracing the bifurcate

nature of its own existence as a trilogy of theatrical films that became a streaming event, in a two-week span it has delved deep into the hearts of the horror community. Director Leigh Janiak and her co-writers have laid the groundwork for a franchise that — in addition to the enduring goodwill extended to creator R.L. Stine’s book series (in its several incarnations) — can build a path into the future in all sorts of ways.

Opening with a temporal gambit that fills in the story of Sarah Fier through the eyes of the perennially suffering Deena (Kiana Madeira), Fear Street Part Three: 1666 is initially such a different beast than its predecessors that it can be challenging to engage with. Part One: 1994 and Part

Two: 1978 were very deliberate in leaning in hard to the visual and auditory signifiers of their timespace, making it nearly impossible to misplace oneself in time. So when we find ourselves in 1666, we’re as adrift as Deena. Thankfully, furtive queer desire and getting fucked-up in the woods are timeless pursuits for humanity, so there’s that. But we know how the story of Sarah Fier ends, and it is as sad and upsetting as you can imagine.

There’s an early moment in 1666 that lets us know what’s going on in Union (later known as Shadyside), and we don’t even see it because we just assume that animal husbandry and filial cannibalism are part of the day-to-day business of 17th-century life. It’s not in any way an exaggeration to

SPLICES: THE KNIGHT, THE PIG, THE ROCK, THE SPOOKY BEACH AND MORE Opening and still playing this week in theaters are The Green Knight, Pig, Old, Jungle Cruise and more

BY D. PATRICK RODGERS

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ccording to the folks over at the Belcourt, the historic Hillsboro Village arthouse’s recent opening weekend of the Anthony Bourdain documentary Roadrunner was the film’s second-highest-grossing opening in the country. The Nicolas Cage vehicle Pig did well in its first weekend at the theater also, reportedly landing at ninth place out of 552 theaters. Those two flicks are still showing at the Belcourt (visit nashvillescene.com to read our reviews of both), and the latter — a simmer-

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THE GREEN KNIGHT

ing, food-centric showcase for Cage’s deep reservoir of talent — is one of the best films of the year so far. See it on the big screen while you can.

Opening this weekend at the Belcourt (as well as at Regal Cinemas’ Nashville locations) is the longawaited The Green Knight from writer-director David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Old Man & the Gun). That one’s got Dev Patel as fabled Round Table knight Sir

Gawain and Ralph Ineson (known for The Witch, the British version of The Office and having one of the best speaking voices in cinema) as the titular foe. It’s fetched strong early reactions, with folks like Screen Rant’s Alisha Grauso calling it “a true slow-burn tale of man vs. nature vs. himself.”

Still playing in the megaplexes is M. Night Shyamalan’s return-to-form thriller Old, which answers

say that the way Fear Street resolves its central supernatural situation is incredibly satisfying; they hit the landing so hard that it retroactively makes the sweatier aspects of the films much less troublesome. It’s also a profound relief that this series has given actor Gillian Jacobs something to do — last year’s Come Play showed that she’s down to put her heart and soul into something scary, and this one lets her and Madeira work as central points of the story throughout time.

That said, I can’t help but be intrigued by what would have happened if, as originally intended, Alex Ross Perry had directed 1978. But that’s being picky on my part, because this is quite the shot in the arm for contemporary mass-audience horror.

EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

the eternal question: What if a magical beach made you rapidly age? Alex Wolff — who’s great in the aforementioned Pig — is in this one too, playing one of the kids that the, uh, beach makes old. My take? It’s kind of like a B-minus Twilight Zone premise writ large and outlandish, with a bit of mediocre soft-core body horror mixed in there for good measure. Old was last weekend’s highest-grossing film, coming in ahead of Snake Eyes, the G.I. Joe movie.

Opening wide at the big theaters this week are Stillwater, in which Matt Damon plays an oil worker who moves to France to clear his daughter of a false murder charge, and Jungle Cruise, Disney’s latest theme-park-attraction IP cash-in. (Given the fact that The Rock leads that one, it’s likely to be more Pirates of the Caribbean than Tomorrowland, at least content-wise if not box-office-gross-wise.)

If you’re looking to get out to the movies and none of those appeals to you (and you’re all caught up on your Space Jams and your Marvel installments and your Boss Babies), there are repertory screenings of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom at Full Moon Cineplex in Hermitage and The Secret Life of Plants at the Belcourt (more on both of those in our Critics’ Pick section on p. 17). Feels good to be at the movies again, doesn’t it?

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NASHVILLE SCENE | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

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CROSSWORD EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS

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Lucy van Pelt’s frequent outburst to Charlie Brown … or how to fill some squares in this puzzle?

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Indian rice dish

Margarita Festival on Friday August 20 at oneC1TY! Your ticket gets you entry to the event and margarita samples from the city’s best marg makers. Sip and vote for your favorite while DJs rock the park andyouNotice Non-Resident Fourth Circuit enjoy food truck fare, salsa dancing, photo booth fun and more!

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MARGARITA SAMPLES FROM:

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S M O U A T R S M S I A L N K S A H R A K

In this cause it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that the defendant is a non-resident of the State of Tennessee, therefore the ordinary process of law cannot be served upon STEVEN J. HOSSNon-Resident Notice MAN. It is ordered that said DefendThird Circuit AND MANY MORE TO COME! ant enter HIS appearance herein Docket No. 21D700 with thirty (30) days after July 29, SHARITA MICHELLE MILTON 2021 same being the date of the last GET TICKETS AND LEARN MORE AT vs. publication of this notice to be held HERSHEY BENARD BURNETTE at the Metropolitan Circuit Court located at 1 Public Square, Room In this cause it appearing to the sat302, Nashville, Tennessee, and deisfaction of the Court that the defend or default will be taken on Au#MARGFEST2021 @NASHVILLESCENE fendant is a non-resident of the gust 30, 2021.

State of Tennessee, therefore the It is therefore ordered that a copy of ordinary process of law cannot be this Order be published for four (4) served upon HERSHEY BENARD weeks succession in the Nashville BURNETTE. It is ordered that said Scene, a newspaper published in Defendant enter HIS appearance Nashville. herein with thirty (30) days after July 29, 2021 same being the date of the Richard R. Rooker, Clerk last publication of this notice to be M. De Jesus, Deputy Clerk held at the Metropolitan Circuit Date: July 1, 2021 Court located at 1 Public Square, Room 302, Nashville, Tennessee, F. Michie Gibson, Jr. and defend or default will be taken Attorney for Plaintiff on August 30, 2021. It is therefore ordered that a copy of this Order be NSC 7/8, 7/15, 7/22 & 7/29/2021 published for four (4) weeks sucInjuRy cession in the Nashville Scene, a newspaper published in Nashville.

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Many subjects of Scheherazade stories

Without a leader?

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Woodwind section

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One making a scene

Oscar winner Berry

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Caro who directed 2020’s “Mulan”

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www.rockylawfirm.com LEGALS Non-Resident Notice Third Circuit Docket No. 21D700

SHARITA MICHELLE MILTON vs.

HERSHEY BENARD BURNETTE In this cause it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that the defendant is a non-resident of the State of Tennessee, therefore the ordinary process of law cannot be served upon HERSHEY BENARD BURNETTE. It is ordered that said Defendant enter HIS appearance herein with thirty (30) days after July 29, 2021 same being the date of the last publication of this notice to be held at the Metropolitan Circuit Court located at 1 Public Square, Room 302, Nashville, Tennessee,

Richard R. Rooker, Clerk L. Chappell, Deputy Clerk Date: June 30, 2021 Larry B. Hoover Attorney for Plaintiff NSC 7/8, 7/15, 7/22 & 7/29/2021

Non-Resident Notice Fourth Circuit Docket No. 21D780 TAMARA L. HOSSMAN vs.

STEVEN J. HOSSMAN In this cause it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that the defendant is a non-resident of the State of Tennessee, therefore the ordinary process of law cannot be served upon STEVEN J. HOSSMAN. It is ordered that said Defendant enter HIS appearance herein with thirty (30) days after July 29, 2021 same being the date of the last publication of this notice to be held at the Metropolitan Circuit Court located at 1 Public Square, Room 302, Nashville, Tennessee, and defend or default will be taken on August 30, 2021.

It is therefore ordered that a copy of this Order be published for four (4) weeks succession in the Nashville Scene, nashvillescene.com a newspaper published in | Nashville.

Non-Resident Notice Fourth Circuit Docket No. 21D408 BERNADETTE DENISE BROWN vs.

WALTER MORRIS BROWN JR In this cause it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that the defendant is a non-resident of the State of Tennessee, therefore the ordinary process of law cannot be served upon WALTER MORRIS BROWN JR. It is ordered that said Defendant enter HIS appearance herein with thirty (30) days after August 12, 2021 same being the date of the last publication of this notice to be held at the Metropolitan Circuit Court located at 1 Public Square, Room 302, Nashville, Tennessee, and defend or default will be taken on September 13, 2021.

It is therefore ordered that a copy of this Order be published for four (4) weeks succession in the Nashville Scene, a newspaper published in Nashville.

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NO. 0624

Richard R. Rooker, Clerk M. De Jesus, Deputy Clerk Date: July 16, 2021 Nicholas D. Waite Attorney for Plaintiff NSC 7/22, 7/29, 8/5 & 8/12, 2021

JULY 29 - AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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Richard R. Rooker, Clerk M. De Jesus, Deputy Clerk Date: July 1, 2021 F. Michie Gibson, Jr. Attorney for Plaintiff

7/26/21 1:02 PM

and provisions of the applicable note and Deed of Trust; and WHEREAS, if applicable, the requirements pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 35-5-117 have been met;

Marketplace

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SALE NOTICE WHEREAS, THERESA AVENUE HOLDINGS, LLC, a Texas limited liability company, executed a Deed of Trust to Randall Clemons, Trustee, dated December 12, 2019 of record as Instrument No. 201912230131957, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee, for the benefit of Wilson Bank & Trust (“Lender”), the hereinafter described real property, to which reference is hereby made, and to secure payment of indebtednesses of grantor then existing or to arise thereafter. The term "Deed of Trust" shall include any and all modifications, renewals, extensions or amendments thereto whether noted above or otherwise; WHEREAS, Lender did appoint Michael Clemons as Substitute Trustee, of record as Instrument No. 20210716-0095963, Register's Office for Davidson County, Tennessee; WHEREAS, Default in the payment of the note secured by said Deed of Trust has been made; WHEREAS, Lender, the owner and holder of said note and Deed of Trust, has demanded that the property be advertised and sold in satisfaction of said debt and the cost of the foreclosure, in accordance with the terms and provisions of the applicable note and Deed of Trust; and

Rental Scene

WHEREAS, if applicable, the requirements pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 35-5-117 have been met; NOW THEREFORE, notice is hereby given that Michael Clemons, Substitute Trustee, pursuant to the power, duty and authority vested in and imposed upon in said Deed of Trust will on THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 AT 10:00 AM LOCAL TIME OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HISTORIC DAVIDSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE FACING PUBLIC SQUARE PARK AT ONE PUBLIC SQUARE, IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, offer for sale to the highest bidder for cash and free from the statutory right of redemption, homestead, and all other exemptions as are expressly waived in the Deed of Trust, certain real property in Davidson County, Tennessee, described as follows:

NOW THEREFORE, notice is hereby given that Michael Clemons, Substitute Trustee, pursuant to the power, duty and authority vested in and imposed upon in said Deed of Trust will on THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 AT 10:00 AM LOCAL TIME OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HISTORIC DAVIDSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE FACING PUBLIC SQUARE PARK AT ONE PUBLIC SQUARE, IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, offer for sale to the highest bidder for cash and free from the statutory right of redemption, homestead, and all other exemptions as are expressly waived in the Deed of Trust, certain real property in Davidson County, Tennessee, described as follows: Land in Davidson County, Tennessee, being Lot No. 10 on the Plan of W.R. Cornelius, Jr. Subdivision, of record in Plat Book 57, Page 124, in the Register’s Office for said County, to which Plan reference is hereby made for a more complete description of the property.

Being the same property conveyed to Theresa Avenue Holdings, LLC by Warranty Deed from Jennifer Destiny Rothlein nka Jennifer Rothlein Ansell, married, recorded September 17, 2018 in Instrument No. 201809170092210, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee.

The following is for informational purposes only: Property Address: 1600 Forrest Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37206 Map-Parcel Numbers 08310-0-174.00

The following is for informational purposes only: Property Address: 1600 Forrest Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37206 Map-Parcel Numbers 08310-0-174.00

Subject to tenant’s rights to possession.

This sale is subject to all matters shown on any applicable recorded document, including but not limited to any applicable recorded plan, plat, charter, restriction, judgment(s), notice of governmental entity, or declaration of taking(s); any prior lien(s) of record; unpaid taxes and assessments which exist as a lien against said properties; any restrictive covenant(s), easement(s) or setback line(s) that may be applicable; any rights of redemption not otherwise waived in the Deed of Trust, including rights of redemption of any governmental agency, state or federal; and any prior deeds of trust, liens, dues, assessments, encumbrances, defects, adverse claims, and other matters that may take priority over the Deed of Trust upon which this foreclosure sale is conducted or are not extinguished by this foreclosure sale. This sale is also subject to any matter that an accurate inspection and survey of the premises might disclose.

The transfer shall be AS IS, WHERE IS, AND WITH ALL FAULTS, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, as to the condition of such property and the improvements located thereon, including merchantability or fitness for particular purpose. Trustee shall make no covenant of seisin or warranty of title, express or implied, and will sell and convey the subject real property by Substitute Trustee’s Deed only.

The successful bidder shall tender cash payment by close of business, or 4:30 P.M. CST, on the day of the foreclosure sale.

merchantability or fitness for particular purpose. Trustee shall make no covenant of seisin or warranty of title, express or implied, and will sell and convey the subject real property by Substitute Trustee’s Deed only.

The successful bidder shall tender cash payment by close of business, or 4:30 P.M. CST, on the day of the foreclosure sale.

The Substitute Trustee, in order to accomplish the most advantageous sale and consequent discharge of his obligation under the Deed of Trust, reserves the right to do any or all of the following, without further publication and upon announcement at the time and place for the sale set forth herein: 1.

To adjourn the sale to another time during regular business hours on a different day or place or rescind the sale; 2.

To delay the sale for a reasonable time during regular business hours on the same day, to be continued at the announced place and time, and to this end Substitute Trustee reserves the right to delay the sale of the Property to take place at the actual Property location(s) or at such other location as is orally announced and in such instance, the precise time of sale or sales will be announced at the time and place for the sale set forth herein; 3.

To sell the Property at the time fixed by the last postponement or to give new notice of sale; 4.

To sell the Property in such lots, parcels, segments or separate estates as may accomplish the most advantageous sale and consequent discharge of his or her trust obligation under the circumstances, and to this end Substitute Trustee may sell the property first in whole and then in part, and ultimately consummate the

5.

To sell part of the Property and delay, adjourn, cancel or postpone the sale of the remaining part of the Property; and/or 6.

To sell the Property to the next highest bidder in the event any higher bidder does not comply with the terms of the sale.

Other interested parties: Davidson County, Tennessee Tax Assessor; Bell Rock Income Fund 1, LLC; Meridian Capital Group, LLC; and Wilson Bank & Trust This 20th day of July, 2021.

J. Michael Clemons CLEMMONS & CLEMONS, PLLC 414 Union Street, Suite 1900 Nashville, Tennessee 37219 Phone: (615) 823-1201 Facsimile: (615) 823-1194 Insertion Dates in The Nashville Scene: July 29, 2021, August 5, 2021 and August 12, 2021.

THIS LAW FIRM IS ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

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1.

To adjourn the sale to another time during regular business hours on a different day or place or rescind the sale;

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Land in Davidson County, Tennessee, being Lot No. 10 on the Plan of W.R. Cornelius, Jr. Subdivision, of record in Plat Book 57, Page 124, in the Register’s Office for said County, to which Plan reference is hereby made for a more complete description of the property.

Avenue Holdings, LLC by Warranty Deed from Jennifer Destiny Rothlein nka Jennifer Rothlein Ansell, married, recorded September 17, 2018 in Instrument No. 201809170092210, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee.

Neighborhood dining and drinks: · Chef’s Market · Blue Crab Shack The Ville · Grams Coffee and Tea

2.

To delay the sale for a reasonable time during regular business hours on the same day, to be continued at the announced place and time, and to this end Substitute Trustee reserves the right to delay the sale of the Property to take place at the actual Property location(s) or at such other location as is orally announced and in such instance, the precise time of sale or sales will be announced at the time and place for the sale set forth herein;

Best place near by to see a show: · Grand Ole Opry Favorite local neighborhood bar: · Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge

3.

To sell the Property at the time fixed by the last postponement or to give new notice of sale;

Best local family outing: · Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park 4.

To sell the (Old Property in such lots, Hickory, TN) parcels, segments or

separate estates as may Enjoy the outdoors: accomplish the most The following is for advantageous Your sale andnew home amenities: informational purposes only: · Treetop Adventure Park (Hermitage, TN) consequent discharge of his · On-site · River Queen Voyages or her trust obligation under laundry Property Address: the circumstances, and to 1600 Forrest · Nashville Fly Board · Dog park this end Substitute Trustee Avenue

Nashville, Tennessee 37206 Map-Parcel Numbers 08310-0-174.00

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The Substitute Trustee, in order to accomplish the most advantageous sale and consequent discharge of his obligation under the Deed of Trust, reserves the right to do any or all of the following, without further publication and upon announcement at the time and place for the sale set forth herein:

Local attractions: · Cedar Hill Park · Amqui Station and Visitor’s Center · Madison Farmers Market (Sundays June Being the same property through August) conveyed to Theresa

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separate estates as may accomplish the most advantageous sale and consequent discharge of his or her trust obligation under the circumstances, and to this end Substitute Trustee may sell the property first in whole and then in part, and ultimately consummate the sale in which ever manner produces the most advantageous result;

may sell the property first in whole and then in part, and

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ultimately consummate the 601 N. Dupont Avenue.

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cumberlandretreatapartments.com | 615.356.0257 Dupont Avenue Apartments 601 N. Dupont Avenue Madison, TN 37115

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2 Bed / 1.5 Bath - 2 Bath 1,047 – 1,098 sq ft $1,299 +

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To advertise your property available for lease, contact Keith Wright at 615-557-4788 or kwright@fwpublishing.com

1 Bed / 1 Bath 675 sq ft $959

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gazeboapts.com | 615.551.3832 nashvillescene.com | JULY 29 - AUGUST 4, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

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Nashville is a diverse city, and we want a pool of freelance contributors who reflect that diversity. We’re looking for new freelancers, and we particularly want to encourage writers of color & LGBTQ writers to pitch us.

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615.425.2500

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TSO is a community, volunteer orchestra that meets weekly (Thursday Nights) and performs traditional orchestral rep 6-8 times per year. We are currently seeking new members for the 2021-2022 season.

Contact David Diehl at 615-248-1291 for more information.