MICHAEL OHER SAYS THE BLIND SIDE WAS HOLLYWOOD FICTION
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CULTURE: SOUTHERN GOTHS LOOK TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR ALTERNATIVE NEWCOMERS
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The Tennessee Titans are starting the season with a new coach and plenty of new players. How much will it help?
BY
JOHN GLENNON
This one-of-a-kind custom guitar was built by luthier Michael Tobias for Johnny Paycheck in 1979— an instrumental response to Paycheck’s 1977 ode to quitting, “Take This Job and Shove It,” his one and only Billboard country #1.
From the permanent collection of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Only Apartment Building in Belle Meade
A nearly 100-year-old complex demonstrates how the affluent suburb has maintained its exclusivity BY ALEX PEMBERTON
Michael Oher Says The Blind Side Was Hollywood Fiction NFL veteran tells his side of the story in court case against Tuohy family BY ELI MOTYCKA
Pith in the Wind
This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog
Paris Calling
Talking to Nashvillian Joe Delagrave, Team USA’s wheelchair rugby coach, ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games BY LOGAN BUTTS
COVER STORY
The New-Look Titans
The Tennessee Titans are starting the season with a new coach and plenty of new players. How much will it help? BY JOHN GLENNON
PICKS
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A Buffet of Buffets
Five Nashville restaurants that provide filling, affordable buffet options BY KEN ARNOLD
Booze Hound: Fansville Diesel at Bearded Iris
For fans of fernet, the strange concoction will go down smoothly BY D. PATRICK RODGERS
Shakes It Off
Nashville Shakes’ As You Like It is a fitting sendoff for longtime director Denice Hicks BY AMY STUMPFL
In the Club: GOTHBATS
Southern goths look to set an example for alternative newcomers BY HANNAH HERNER
I Wanna Do It All
Terri Clark comes full circle with Ryman headline debut BY HANNAH HERNER
Outstanding in His Field Sadler Vaden draws on parental instincts to make magic on Dad Rock BY SEAN L. MALONEY
The Spin
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A Good One Is Hard to Find Director India Donaldson’s debut feature Good One explores the rocky trails of father-daughter relationships BY HANNAH CRON
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Calvin Ridley; photo by Donald Page
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A nearly 100-year-old complex demonstrates how the affluent suburb has maintained its exclusivity BY
ALEX PEMBERTON
BLACK SHEEP USUALLY stand out more than this. The Helena Court apartment building at 527 Belle Meade Blvd. stands barely taller than the mansions that sit snugly at its sides — one a historic Tudor, the other an opulent newbuild. It is a basic early-20th-century courtyard apartment building that would look just as much at home in Edgefield, in Hillsboro Village or on West End Avenue. Boulevard House — which opened to residents in the 1930s as Helena Court — is as nondescript as it gets in Belle Meade, with its three stories of bricks and bay windows lacking a broad facade or pretentious ornamentation. It is not style that sets Boulevard House apart, but substance. Boulevard House is the only remaining rental apartment building in Belle Meade. How it earned this title strikes at the very heart of why Belle Meade became its own city.
FROM PLANTATION HOUSE TO APARTMENT HOUSES
The 12-unit Boulevard House sits in the first subdivision cut out from the Belle Meade Plantation. Like other turn-of-the-century streetcar suburbs, the subdivision once included deed restrictions to establish exclusivity — such as large lots with 100-foot front-yard setbacks and mandatory minimum construction costs — and forbade ownership or tenancy by “persons of African blood or descent.”
When those restrictions expired on Dec. 31, 1926, the lot was subdivided again. One new parcel was sold with a different set of deed restrictions — apartments were now allowed, though Black people were still barred from owning or occupying them — and the construction of Helena Court soon commenced.
When the building opened to residents in 1930, it commanded among the highest rents in the region. A two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment went for $110 per month — a little north of $2,000 in today’s dollars. But four years later, as the Great Depression reached its depths, those apartments went for just $70 to $75 per month. Helena Court was the last gasp of the Roaring ’20s in Belle Meade.
As economic conditions improved, a proposal for the first new apartment project in a decade alerted Belle Meade residents to the fact that the deed restrictions covering most of the enclave were to expire at the end of 1938. The apartment proposal caused a crisis — renewal of private deed restrictions was at the discretion of individual property owners, but many were intent to sell for top dollar to an apartment builder or commercial enterprise.
Though exclusive streetcar suburbs within Nashville city limits had established zoning
restrictions a few years earlier, the elites of Belle Meade distrusted inner-city machine politics and disfavored the higher tax rates associated with annexation. With no county zoning ordinance, there was no easy option for a majority of property owners to impose restrictions on the rest.
Radical action was required. On Oct. 25, 1938, 397 poll-tax-paying residents of Belle Meade voted to establish a city “for the purpose of protecting property values by zoning and planning, and for no other purpose.” The first item of business: a zoning ordinance that banned apartments and all commercial uses. The only other duty of the Belle Meade city government was basic street maintenance.
To adapt the famous quip about the Prussian Army: Where most cities have a zoning code, the Belle Meade zoning code has a city.
The withdrawal of its richest enclave set off alarm bells in Davidson County and bolstered the push for county zoning — an ordinance was passed in July 1940 that covered the booming automobile suburbs extending up Gallatin Pike and across Green Hills.
But county zoning did not appease the forces that drove suburban balkanization. Against appeals to civic pride and metropolitan
unity, more small areas sought to defect. Tiny working-class Berry Hill incorporated with a rush vote in February 1950, driven in large part by a desire for liquor stores, which were then allowed only in incorporated cities.
Critics of the 138-135 vote for the “hazardous experiment” of a “sham city” warned that the town was too small and poor to financially sustain itself or provide adequate services.
Other “splinter cities” incorporated in the image of Belle Meade. As the push for citycounty consolidation accelerated, residents of Oak Hill and Forest Hills organized to preempt annexation or absorption into the city and its land-use regime. Like Belle Meade, both prohibited new commercial uses, banned apartments, and imposed large minimum lot sizes while offering limited urban services. (Nashville residents would ultimately vote to incorporate in 1962, with the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County being implemented the following year.)
The divergent forms and fortunes of each splinter city — officially “satellite cities” under the Metro government — are the outcomes of a natural experiment in urban governance. The critics of Berry Hill were right: It could
not sustain itself on residential property taxes alone. In 1968, just 18 years after incorporation, it rezoned its entire area to allow commercial uses — which generate taxes at 1.6 times the rate of residential property per dollar of value.
Today old-timers in midcentury ranch houses and newcomers in tall-and-skinnies peacefully coexist side by side with small businesses of all stripes. With a loose, pro-growth zoning code enabling large apartment complexes, Berry Hill grew its residential population nearly fourfold in the 2010s. When scant wealth is not extracted from elsewhere, it must be built up from within.
Belle Meade, Forest Hills and Oak Hill have maintained their physical and cultural landscapes; each remains more than 90 percent white, and social change has come slowly. Of course, there has never been a suburb of nothing — the wealth that sustains these privileged enclaves is not generated by their mansions, but in the office buildings, stores and factories of the city its residents rejected. Perpetuation of the past is a privilege of wealth; all others must adapt to changing times.
So there Boulevard House, formerly Helena Court, stands, a tie to the past and a vision of an alternate future — a hint of how exclusivity might present, if it were not so dependent upon exclusion. ▼
NFL veteran tells his side of the story in court case against Tuohy family
BY ELI MOTYCKA
CONSERVATORSHIP CASE C-010333 marked 20 years in Memphis probate court this month. In that time, Michael Oher, a standout tackle decorated with national honors out of Ole Miss, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He helped the team win Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 and played eight seasons in the league, including one for the Tennessee Titans.
Oher married his college sweetheart and started a family in Nashville, where they live today.
The Blind Side, a 2009 movie about a white Memphis family who adopted a homeless Black teenager, then turned that teenager into a football star, made Warner Bros. $309 million. The Tuohys, the Memphis family who negotiated the rights to the movie, made money too. Michael Oher, depicted by his legal name in the movie, just kept playing football.
Then a comment to Oher from one of the Tuohy siblings about a big check brought things back to C-01033.
“In all of my 43 years, I have never, ever seen a conservatorship being opened for someone who was not disabled,” said Probate Court Division 1 Judge Kathleen Gomes during opening remarks in a transcript dated Sept. 29, 2023 — the day she terminated the Tuohys’ conservatorship over Oher. “And I say that because, you know, we take the conservatorship statute very seriously. It’s for people that have a disability. We are taking away rights when we establish a conservatorship, and those rights are then given to somebody.”
The case, opened in August 2004, conferred Oher’s legal rights to the Tuohys for 19 years. That summer two decades ago — between Oher’s junior and senior years of high school — Oher was already a football star. Colleges, including blue-chip SEC programs, already had him on their recruiting radar. A college career seemed guaranteed; going pro, not far off.
Oher hired his own counsel last summer to finally end the conservatorship, which — when Oher was 18 — had been portrayed to him as an adult adoption when his attorney, a friend of the Tuohys, set up the legal agreement.
In some ways, Oher told The New York Times in a profile earlier this month, he was the hapless teen in need of material support generously offered by the Tuohy family. But in a big way, he was not.
“It’s hard to describe my reaction,” Oher told the Times’ Michael Sokolove. “It seemed kind of funny to me, to tell you the truth, like it was a comedy about someone else. It didn’t register. But social media was just starting to grow, and I started seeing stuff that I’m dumb. I’m stupid.
Every article about me mentioned The Blind Side, like it was part of my name.”
Oher has said the movie’s depiction affected his draft stock. The tackle position requires a nuanced understanding of football and a deft command of the entire offensive playbook, a central point made by Michael Lewis in his 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which featured Oher’s story. This month, Lewis contributed a sworn affidavit to Oher’s case.
Somewhere between that Memphis summer, Lewis’ book and the movie, Oher’s story morphed into a charity tale that rewrote the facts, robbing Oher of his intelligence, agency and hard work. Hollywood blended racist stereotypes with a formulaic plot. The Blind Side depicted husband-and-wife team Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy — played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw — as saviors and portrayed Oher in two dimensions. Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance, but reportedly expressed reservations about the adaptation when Oher returned to the conservatorship case last year.
After ending the Tuohys’ conservatorship last fall, Oher — with the help of attorneys — is now seeking to unwind all the ways that the family has made money from his name, image or likeness. The couple have earned speaking fees and published books of their own. A conservatorship requires a fiduciary responsibility to the individual, in this case Oher. The two parties are now arguing over financial accounting that did not take place over the course of the conservatorship.
The Tuohys contend that the Blind Side story, and the legal ability to profit from it, just as much belongs to them. Oher says the legal battle isn’t about money — he made plenty protecting quarterbacks. Instead, he says, it’s about recourse for the Hollywood myth that defined him before he could define himself. ▼
The Department of Justice announced last week a formal investigation into prison conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility, a 2,500-plus-bed facility managed by CoreCivic, citing a pattern of mismanagement. “Publicly available information suggests that Trousdale Turner has been plagued by serious problems since it first opened its doors,” said Henry C. Leventis, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee CoreCivic has faced multiple lawsuits related to inmate deaths at the facility in recent years. State auditors found understaffing, inadequate facilities, noncompliance with state policies and insufficient medical care in successive 2017, 2020 and 2023 audits.
Metro Nashville police have arrested a Murfreesboro man who they say admitted to vandalizing East Nashville’s rainbow crosswalk on July 2. According to a release, a 24-year-old was arrested Aug. 20 and charged with one count of vandalizing government property for pouring a “black paint-like liquid” on the crosswalk at the intersection of South 14th and Woodland streets
In recent months, white supremacists have demonstrated on the streets of Nashville and verbally harassed locals — including children.
On Friday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced four pieces of legislation he’s hoping the Metro Council will pass to help the city deal with our Nazi problem. If passed, the ordinances would “create buffer zones to maintain public safety around public buildings and parking lots,” adjust “our mask-wearing ordinance,” prohibit “the placement of distracting signs over a highway” and prohibit “the distribution of handbills on private property before sunrise or after sunset.” Columnist Betsy Phillips writes that perhaps this legislation “encroaches too much on our First Amendment rights for too little gain.” But also, she says, “I don’t think I have an upper limit on how much of my tax dollars you can ‘waste’ on annoying Nazis. I will consider that money well spent.”
Talking to Nashvillian Joe Delagrave, Team USA’s wheelchair rugby coach, ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games
BY LOGAN BUTTS
WHETHER YOU’RE A Certified Olympics
Superfan like me or someone who enjoyed casually tuning in during primetime to check out gymnastics and swimming, you’ve likely noticed the rings-shaped void that has existed since the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. If you find yourself missing that irresistible combination of high-stakes international competition and inspiring performances, you’re in luck. The 2024 Summer Paralympics began Aug. 28 and continue through Sept. 8, also in Paris. And as with this year’s Olympics, there are local connections.
Nashville resident Joe Delagrave spent 13 years playing for Team USA’s wheelchair rugby squad and was a key part of winning silver in Tokyo in 2021 and bronze in London in 2012. Now the two-time Paralympic medalist will be leading the team — and he’s made the often-difficult transition from player to coach look easy.
While serving as the program’s interim coach, Delagrave led Team USA to its first world championship final in 12 years at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships. Now, after being installed as the team’s full-time head coach, he’s hoping to guide the United States to its first gold medal since the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
“Going from athlete to coach and coaching some of my former peers that I played with, it’s definitely a tough transition with letting some of those peer-to-peer relationships dissipate so I could build a coach-player relationship,” Delagrave tells the Scene
“That’s a really special bond that you have. … Having that special bond off the court and on the court is so important to who you are and your identity, and removing myself from that and playing a different role as head coach took some time to adjust, but I think we’ve come a long way since that first season. I couldn’t have done this without the support from the athletes, our staff, and being able to to build those relationships.”
When Delagrave was 19 years old, heading into the sophomore season of his Division II football career at Winona State, he suffered a spinal cord injury during a boating accident. It took time for the collegiate athlete to adjust following the injury, but when he happened upon a video of a wheelchair rugby game, he immediately wanted to get involved. Skills developed from his years playing football — physicality, hand-eye coordination, working within a team dynamic — made him a desirable wheelchair rugby recruit. Delagrave found himself fasttracked to the national team.
“Any sport where you get to put on a USA
jersey across your chest, it’s a pretty special moment,” Delagrave says. “For me, the ultimate was in 2012. I made the Paralympic roster for London, and representing our country, putting on that jersey, having my wife and parents in the stands, our newborn Braxton who at the time was 6 months old was there, it was such an honor and something that I don’t take lightly, still to this day.”
Delagrave wants to use the platform wheelchair rugby has given him to inform more people about the realities of living with a spinal cord injury. Since 2018, the Wisconsin native has been involved with Wings for Life, a nonprofit dedicated to spinal cord injury research. In September — National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month — Delagrave will auction off a game-used rugby ball to raise money for spinal
cord injury research.
“A good analogy for a spinal cord injury is the iceberg visualization,” Delagrave says. “You see the wheelchair and you see that they have a disability, and you’re probably thinking, ‘OK, that’s not an easy thing to navigate around in an accessible world.’ But below that is all the different things that come with it, whether that’s pressure sores or regulating your body temperature or using catheters to go to the bathroom or autonomic dysreflexia and nerve pain, or whatever it is.
“There’s a lot of awesome organizations and nonprofits out there that are doing great work,” he continues. “But it’s just great to be aligned with an organization like Wings for Life that is truly looking to help spinal cord injuries — whether that’s walking again, more hand
function, any little thing that can help us have a better quality of life is huge.”
The wheelchair rugby competition in Paris begins on Aug. 29 and runs through Sept. 2. You can watch the action on USA and CNBC or stream the games on Peacock. ▼
The Tennessee Titans are starting the season with a new coach and plenty of new players. How much will it help?
BY JOHN GLENNON
AFTER TWO STRAIGHT seasons of frustrating losses, endless injuries and anemic offense, there’s no guarantee the Tennessee Titans will bounce back to their winning ways in 2024. But this much we do know: If they fall short, it won’t be for a lack of trying.
Determined to reverse the course of a franchise that had lost 18 of its past 24 games, the Titans instituted a massive overhaul during the offseason, saying goodbye to former cornerstones like coach Mike Vrabel, running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill while adding the likes of coach Brian Callahan, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
In short, the 2024 Titans roster should look very little like those of the past two years — when the 2022 team suffered a 10-game losing streak and the 2023 team limped to a last-place finish in the AFC South.
Every NFL team makes changes to some degree during the offseason, moving on from players and or coaches for various reasons. But the Titans produced a super-sized transformation over the past several months.
Some examples:
• The Titans added 35 players to the roster between last year and the start of the 2024 training camp — 12 veteran free agents, 14 rookie free agents, seven draft picks and two trade acquisitions.
• Only nine of the 22 players who started the Titans’ 2023 season opener remained on the team’s roster as the 2024 season neared.
• The Titans spent a whopping $318.2 million on free agents (the most in the NFL, per sports site Over the Cap) since the end of last season, adding projected starters like Ridley, running back Tony Pollard, wide receiver Tyler Boyd, center Lloyd Cushenberry, defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day, linebacker Kenneth Murray, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and safety Quandre Diggs. Sneed was acquired via trade from Kansas City. Whew.
Take a bow for your offseason efforts, general
manager Ran Carthon.
“People were big fans of Tony Pollard, people were big fans of [Cushenberry, Awuzie] and all the other guys we’ve signed,” Carthon said earlier this year. “The biggest compliment you can get from all of this is when guys from other teams text you and say, ‘You guys signed one of my favorite players.’ And I have gotten [a lot] of those texts, just [on] the type of guys that we’ve signed and the impact they’ve made.
“I feel good about what we’ve done so far, and excited.”
Here’s a closer look at the Titans’ most significant changes from last season and how they’re likely to impact the team in 2024.
It was owner Amy Adams Strunk who decided to fire Vrabel after two straight losing seasons that had been preceded by four consecutive years of winning — as well as three playoff berths.
In the end, it was not only the ugly numbers of the past two seasons that caught up to Vrabel, but Strunk’s desire for a more “aligned and collaborative team across all football functions” — a philosophical difference from Vrabel’s more alpha-oriented approach.
Empowered by Strunk to lead all areas that
THE DEPARTURE OF HENRY, COMBINED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF RIDLEY AND BOYD, MAKES IT ALL TOO CLEAR THAT TITANS FANS SHOULD SEE QUARTERBACK WILL LEVIS FIRING MORE FOOTBALLS AROUND NISSAN STADIUM THIS SEASON.
impact the football team, Carthon spearheaded a coaching search that landed on Callahan.
The son of former NFL head coach Bill Callahan (who’s now the Titans’ offensive line coach), Brian Callahan spent his past five seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator.
The 2024 season will mark Callahan’s first as a head coach and as a play-caller, but he earned plenty of praise in Cincinnati for his work with Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow and the rest of that team’s high-powered offense.
“I think Ran and I are going to build a great [partnership], that I don’t have any doubt about,” Callahan said in January. “That to me is the starting point, is the personalities to mesh and fit and build a partnership with a vision towards building a football team that’s got the ability to have sustained success.”
How will Callahan’s first Titans team differ from Vrabel’s last?
The most obvious changes will come on the offensive side, where the Titans will be far more likely to throw the ball than they were in the past, when the team’s offense was built around Henry’s powerful and productive runs.
An example: Tennessee finished among the NFL’s top five teams in percentage of run-versuspass plays in four of the past five years. On the flip side, Cincinnati finished among the NFL’s
top five teams in percentage of pass-versus-run plays in three of the past five years.
The departure of Henry, combined with the arrival of Ridley and Boyd, makes it all too clear that Titans fans should see quarterback Will Levis firing more footballs around Nissan Stadium this season.
“The teams that win the most games are generally the teams that pass the ball the best,” Callahan said in 2023 when explaining his offensive philosophy. “Usually because they have really good quarterbacks, and usually because they have guys that can make plays on the football outside.”
On the other side of the line for the Titans, Dennard Wilson brings quite a résumé to his first job as a defensive coordinator.
In 2023, when Wilson served as Baltimore’s defensive backs coach, the Ravens ranked sixth in the league in passing defense (allowing 192 yards per game), first in fewest points allowed (16.5 per game) and third in interceptions (18).
A year earlier, when Wilson served as Philadelphia’s defensive backs coach, the Eagles ranked first in passing defense (allowing 179.8 yards per game) and tied for fourth in interceptions (17).
Wilson’s calling card is his aggressiveness, which should be most noticeable when the Titans are defending the pass.
Titans cornerbacks in years past tended to play it safe, surrendering short passes while making sure they weren’t burned by long completions. Under Wilson, expect those cornerbacks to get more physical with wide receivers, pressing opposing pass-catchers from the moment the ball is snapped.
Wilson said in February: “I can tell you this
about the scheme, and I learned this a long time ago. General George Patton said this: ‘Nobody ever defended anything successfully. You are going to attack, and attack some more.’ We are going to be an attacking defense. We are going to be violent in our approach. We are going to be smart, we are going to be intelligent, we are never going to compromise for competing, and that is the brand of football we are going to play around here.”
Almost all of the Titans’ assistant coaches are new from a year ago as well, but the most notable of the arrivals is Bill Callahan, who’s spent 22 years as an NFL offensive line coach, guiding 14 offensive linemen to a total of 35 Pro Bowl selections.
The hope is that the elder Callahan will be able to better a Titans offensive line that allowed quarterbacks Levis and Tannehill to be flattened far too often last season.
“I would say, as far as experience goes, there’s not really anybody that has more in all the different facets of an organization,” Brian Callahan said of his father in February. “He’s been arguably, in my opinion, the best offensive line coach in football for a long time. ... He’s probably forgotten more football than I know. And so it’s a huge asset to us to have him.”
Before we start highlighting what’s new and improved about the Titans’ offense in 2024, it’s only fair to pay one last round of respect to Henry and Tannehill, two players who engineered the bulk of Tennessee’s offense over the past half-decade.
A potential future Hall of Famer, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry steamrolled defenses for 9,502 yards and 90 touchdowns during his eight-year Tennessee tenure, becoming one of just eight running backs in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season in 2020. Tannehill helped steer the Titans to a 39-24 record in his 63 starts, twice throwing for more than 3,500 yards in a season and piling up 93 touchdown passes.
It seemed only fitting that in the Titans’ final regular-season game against Jacksonville last season, the two teamed up to produce a victory in front of the home fans. Henry even grabbed a
microphone following the contest, thanking his legion of loyal supporters “for the greatest eight years of my life.”
But the harsh truth is that despite the efforts of Henry and Tannehill over the past two seasons, the Titans were a losing team. Tennessee chose not to aggressively pursue new deals with either player, as Henry signed with Baltimore and Tannehill went unsigned during free agency.
“I think it was just one of those times where I think it was just best for everybody to just proceed forward,” Carthon said regarding Henry. “I think the world of Derrick. Derrick’s been a consummate pro.”
Which newcomers will the team count on to better an offense that last year averaged just 17.9 points per game, tied for the sixth-lowest in the league?
The flashiest (and priciest) new arrival is Ridley, who the Titans snatched away from division rival Jacksonville by signing him to an eye-opening four-year, $92 million contract. A former Alabama star, Ridley missed the 2022 season because he violated the league’s gambling policy. But the fleet-footed Ridley bounced back last season to catch 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns.
“To actually have the opportunity to even consider [signing] him was something that we had as part of our plan,” Carthon said. “But ... it was more of a pipe dream. Like, ‘Can we afford [other players] and get Ridley?’”
Pollard, expected to split time with Tyjae Spears in the Titans’ backfield, is another Titans offensive addition who should provide some sizzle. A Memphis native and Memphis University alum, Pollard is the kind of back — like Spears — who can produce yardage in both the running attack and passing game.
Adding to the Titans’ air attack is Boyd, a veteran who played under Callahan for the past five seasons, averaging more than 70 catches per year.
But it’s entirely possible that the Titans’ mostneeded new faces on offense are rookie left tackle JC Latham (the Titans’ first-round pick) and center Lloyd Cushenberry, a free-agent signee. The 6-foot-6, 342-pound Latham and the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Cushenberry are two very
large men who should provide Levis with a very large degree of comfort when he drops back to pass. That wasn’t the case last year, when Titans quarterbacks were sacked 64 times, tied for the fourth-most in the league.
The hope is that Levis will have enough time in the pocket to improve upon the 58.4 percent completion rate he posted as a rookie, a figure that ranked last in the NFL.
Who knows? Levis may even have the opportunity to spritz himself with his new cologne: Will Levis No. 08, Parfum de Mayonnaise, otherwise known as “the scent of greatness.”
The Titans would love to see some greatness from Levis, whose performance as a rookie starter in nine games gave ammunition to both his boosters and detractors.
If Ridley and Boyd were the Titans’ splashy additions at a significant position of need on offense, Sneed and Awuzie — a pair of physical cornerbacks — fit that description on defense.
Tennessee added Awuzie through free agency, then acquired Sneed via trade from Kansas City, signing him to a four-year, $76.4 million deal. A two-time Super Bowl champion, the 27-year-old Sneed is recognized as one of the best corners in the game. He stifled the NFL’s best receivers on a regular basis last year, surrendering zero touchdowns when targeted in 16 regular-season games in 2023.
That’s music to the ears of fans in Music City, who’ve watched the team endure some brutal struggles in pass defense over the years.
The Titans’ corners were passive at times in the past. But the team’s top three players at the position this year — Sneed, Awuzie and Roger McCreary — should be anything but when it comes to attacking enemy offenses.
“The one [similar] trait is they’re all dogs,” Titans cornerbacks coach Chris Harris said in the spring. “That’s a great start. We like tough, physical corners, guys who tackle. They all have that in common. Everybody has their different skill set, but one thing they have in common is that they’re tough, physical guys.”
A lingering knee issue has long limited Sneed’s practice and preseason time. But if
Sneed is as consistent and durable in games as he was in Kansas City — when he missed just three contests over three years, while totaling seven interceptions and 33 passes defensed — the Titans aren’t going to be too concerned about practice patterns.
“It’s a huge get,” Carthon said of Sneed. “He matches [Awuzie’s] energy of being a physical, aggressive corner that can also play in run support. ... We have guys who are willing to stick their face in there and tackle people.”
Sneed and Awuzie are far from the only new faces in the Titans’ secondary, as the team also signed Seattle’s two starting safeties last season, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. Adams is a question mark after injuries limited him to a combined 10 games over the past two seasons, but Diggs — a Pro Bowler from 2020 through 2022 — will give the Titans range and experience next to veteran Amani Hooker.
Maybe the most fascinating Titans newcomer is rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat — all 6-foot-4 and 362 pounds of the second-round pick. Sweat last season earned the Outland Trophy, given to college football’s best interior lineman, while playing at the University of Texas. Plenty of NFL observers had doubts about Sweat, concerned with his weight, conditioning and maturity. The fact that Sweat was charged with a DWI in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft didn’t help his cause.
But to his credit, the mammoth Sweat made quite an impression in training camp, overpowering Titans blockers while forming a frighteningly powerful duo with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
“He’s just so big and so powerful, and he’s got real pass-rush wiggle for a guy his size,” Callahan recently said of Sweat. “I mean, he can get on the edge and work it. He’s got fast hands. … You watch him in one-on-ones, and he can win one-on-one, which a lot of times those big guys struggle to win. But he’s got enough quickness to do it.”
So many new faces, so much turnover. Some Titans fans may be left wondering what happened to their teams of yesteryear. But considering the Titans’ recent fortunes, the time for change is now. ▼
UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE MUSEUM’S CMA THEATER
SEPTEMBER 7
JULIAN LAGE
SPEAK TO ME TOUR
SEPTEMBER 11
DAVE MASON
DAVE MASON’S TRAFFIC JAM
SEPTEMBER 19
THE JERRY DOUGLAS BAND WITH SUPPORTING ARTIST CRIS JACOBS
OCTOBER 11
THE PRINE FAMILY PRESENTS YOU GOT GOLD: CELEBRATING THE SONGS OF JOHN PRINE LIMITED AVAILABILITY
DECEMBER 1
OCIE ELLIOTT
DECEMBER 10
HERB ALPERT AND LANI HALL
TICKETS ON SALE NOW Museum members receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities for CMA Theater concerts. Learn more at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership.
AUGUST 29
TERRI CLARK WITH JENNA LAMASTER AND SURPRISE GUESTS
SEPTEMBER 13
MOLLY TUTTLE & GOLDEN HIGHWAY WITH TOPHOUSE
SEPTEMBER 26
SHELBY LYNNE WITH WAYLON PAYNE AND MEG MCREE
SEPTEMBER 28 HOME FREE
OCTOBER 5
WARREN HAYNES BAND
OCTOBER 15
EXPERIENCE HENDRIX
CELEBRATE THE MUSIC & LEGACY OF JIMI HENDRIX
NOVEMBER 7 & 8
NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND
WITH WINE, WOMEN AND SONG: SUZY BOGGUSS, GRETCHEN PETERS AND MATRACA BERG (11/7) AND KATHLEEN EDWARDS (11/8)
AUGUST 29-30
MUSIC [’TIS THE SEASON]
Much-loved concert series Musicians Corner’s 15th anniversary year rolls on with the kickoff of its fall season, a three-night event co-presented with radio station Lightning 100. While the branding may be slightly confusing since Musicians Corner is always free, there’s no mistaking the top-notch talent coming through. Legendary rocking songsmith Lucinda Williams is one of the most gifted storytellers to grace a stage in the past century, and she headlines Thursday night’s show; Austin, Texas, indie-pop-country duo Hovvdy and Nashville songwriter and ace blues-schooled frontman Phillip-Michael Scales are among the support acts. On Friday, Nashvillians including indie-pop songsmith Jill Andrews, blues-rockers A Tribe of Horsman and swaggering rock outfit The Criticals warm up the crowd for New York indie rockers Real Estate, making a second swing through town in the wake of their latest LP Daniel (recorded here with the great Daniel Tashian). Saturday, get to the park on time for rising country singer-songwriter Crystal Rose, top-notch post-grunge rock duo Venus & the Flytraps and others, and hang out till the party’s over for local favorite rock songster Michigander. As ever, it’s a family-friendly affair in one of the city’s coolest green spaces, and all you have to do to enjoy it is get there. STEPHEN TRAGESER
5-9 P.M. AUG. 29 AND 30; NOON-6 P.M. AUG. 31 AT CENTENNIAL PARK 2500 WEST END AVE. Visit
MICHIGANDER, PLAYING AT MUSICIANS CORNER
HOME RUN DERBY X PAGE 18
DANCE YOURSELF CLEAN INDIE DANCE PARTY PAGE 20
LOVECRIMES W/JANE ROSE & THE DEADENDS, MIKEY ADAMS, THE FAMILY DOG AND HELL TUPET PAGE 22
THURSDAY
THEATER
[DRAWING A LINE] HOPE WOODARD: BOYSOBER: LESSONS ON LOVE
If you’ve ever had a horrible date, or swiped through Hinge for long enough, you may have been tempted to quit searching for love. Some people take it even further. Hope Woodard, a Tennessee native living in New York, has gone “boysober”: She swore off dating for the foreseeable future, a celibacy rebrand that has become a major mental health trend in 2024. Boysober: Lessons on Love, Woodard’s storytelling and comedy show, makes funny and highly relatable observations about dating rituals, generational trauma and the long-term effects of a religious upbringing. Boysober will feature a lineup of Nashville-based storytellers whose pieces range from spoken-word poetry to tellall confessions to classic stand-up comedy. All the stories address the topic of love and its many iterations — even the practice of dating sobriety. During her first Nashville show in June, Woodard’s politically conservative parents took the stage to tell a story while taking some gentle teasing from the audience — in other words, what is scripted is as fun as what is unscripted.
If you have a love/hate relationship with Tinder and lingering religious trauma, this show is for you. SARAH HAGAMAN
8 P.M. AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS 623 SEVENTH AVE. S.
FRIDAY
FOOD & DRINK
[FAB FOUR]
THE TROTTER PROJECT WHISKEY, WINE AND WAGYU DINNER
The first world-class chef I interviewed for one of my first freelance cover stories was Charlie Trotter. He was intimidating and visionary, and everyone wanted to eat his food, work for him, or both. Trotter died unexpectedly of a stroke in 2013, but his legacy lives on — and is coming to Nashville. Friday, chef Donald Young will prepare a four-course dinner, and based on the name, I think you can figure out that the meal will include whiskey from Uncle Nearest, wine pairings from Oregon’s Brooks Wines and American wagyu. The dinner, held in the private dining room at Union Tavern in Bobby Nashville hotel, will raise funds for The Trotter Project, which offers scholarships to those wanting to work in culinary and
hospitality fields. Tickets are $175 and can be purchased online. Young is a James Beard Award nominee and one of the youngest American chefs to ever receive a Michelin star, and tickets to this dinner are limited. As would be expected with anything trying to honor Trotter’s name, this will be a one-of-a-kind dinner. MARGARET LITTMAN
6:30 P.M. AT BOBBY NASHVILLE
230 FOURTH AVE. N.
[FAREWELL TO SUMMER]
The first day of autumn may still be a few weeks off. But Labor Day has always marked the “unofficial” end of summer, and whether you’re hoping to make big plans for an actionpacked long weekend or just take it slow, there’s a wide range of events happening all over the city — and highlighted in this section. You can kick things off with some live music, as Musician’s Corner is back this weekend with a great lineup, and Cage the Elephant is playing Ascend Amphitheater Sunday. Grab your pup and head over to Cheekwood for the season’s final Dog Nights of Summer on Thursday, featuring a soulful performance by Paul Childers, along with food trucks and other fun vendors. Or perhaps take a drive out to Arrington Vineyards and enjoy an evening of bluegrass or jazz (and maybe a bottle of bubbles!) with Music in the Vines. Check out Major League Baseball’s new Home Run Derby X competition, which makes its Nashville debut at First Horizon Park. Families with kids ages 4 to 12 years old can enjoy a unique camping experience with the Zzzoofari Slumber Party at Nashville Zoo, or even have a last hurrah at Nashville Shores — complete with fireworks Sunday. And beginning Aug. 29, Nashville Shakespeare Festival returns to OneC1ty with the delightful comedy As You Like It — running Thursdays through Sundays until Sept. 22, plus Labor Day Monday. AMY STUMPFL
Guys, this isn’t just any Green Day show. This weekend in Nashville, the band that inspired snotty suburban punks in the 1990s before staking its claim as a politically charged arenarock powerhouse in the Aughts celebrates its two defining albums in one night. We’re of course talking about 1994’s Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot, the two monumental releases that Green Day promises to play start to finish at Geodis Park. And if that double feature of nostalgia isn’t enough, there’s more to celebrate in Camp Green Day: The band tours this summer in support of Saviors, an underappreciated LP that finds frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and company in excellent form (do not sleep on “Bobby Sox” or “1981”) after reuniting with trusted producer Rob Cavallo for the first time in roughly a decade. Plan to come early, because the tour includes a stacked bill of supporting acts: Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas round out the lineup. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER
6 P.M.
501
I envy the Nashvillian who will be watching Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me for the first time at Friday’s midnight screening at the Belcourt. The 1992 film is the best kind of midnight movie: It’s weird and quotable, it has cheer-worthy cameos from beloved figures like David Bowie, and it’s earned a cult-like following that’s only grown since the Twin Peaks TV series premiered on ABC in 1990. With the recent news that director David Lynch is stepping away from filmmaking due to an emphysema diagnosis, there’s bound to be more than your typical amount of goodwill in the air in the Belcourt’s 1925 Hall. But even though this would be a great first experience with the film, some requisite knowledge is imperative — Fire Walk With Me is a prequel, but you’ve got to have at least the first season of Twin Peaks under your belt, or you’re not going to know what the hell is going on. It will still look pretty and sound great, and Sheryl Lee will still give a heart-wrenching performance as the tragic Laura Palmer, but it will give away the story’s mystery — which is, in my view, the most important element of the whole thing.
LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
MIDNIGHT AT THE BELCOURT
2102 BELCOURT AVE.
SATURDAY / 8.31
SPORTS
[SULTANS OF SWING] HOME RUN DERBY X
Baseball viewership had been in a generational slump after the 1994 MLB strike — until the sport finally recaptured the
Boogie Nights starts off perfectly and never lets up through its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, providing both tear-producing laughter and tear-jerking emotional devastation. No disrespect to Titanic or Good Will Hunting, two movies I love, but Boogie Nights should’ve swept the 1997 Oscars. PTA somehow still hasn’t won an Academy Award, by the way. But like Burt Reynolds’ Jack Horner (Reynolds should’ve won the Oscar over Robin Williams, sorry), PTA is in it for the love of the game, not some measly trophy. Playing in 35 mm as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays series. LOGAN BUTTS AUG. 31 & SEPT. 2 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.
attention of Middle America in 2001 when steroid-era sluggers Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were chasing the single-season home run record Roger Maris had set in 1961. For all the congressional pearl-clutching about doping controversies (not to mention the lack of steroid suspects in Cooperstown), it was clear that casual baseball fans will always love a premier power-hitter. For the folks who aren’t impressed by sabermetrics and middlereliever strategies, Home Run Derby X might be the moonshot you’ve been waiting for.
The co-ed HRDX competition puts a trio of teammates — one retired MLB cleanup man, a softball slugger and a local amateur — at the plate to see how many bombs they can swat. The four Nashville teams will feature 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, 2013 NL homer king Pedro Álvarez, 2022 Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player Jocelyn Alo, 2019 USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year Alex Hugo, switch-hitting Yankees champ Nick Swisher, HRDX alum Ashton Lansdell, threetime Women’s College World Series Champion Amanda Lorenz and Braves legend Andruw Jones. P.J. KINZER
7 P.M. AT FIRST HORIZON PARK
19 JUNIOR GILLIAM WAY
The Emotions’ “The Best of My Love” plays as the camera zooms in on a neon-pink nightclub sign. As we enter the nightclub and the iconic song ramps up, the camera bounces from one intriguing character to another. Part Martin Scorsese, part Robert Altman, but also fully its own thing, Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterwork
It’s hard to imagine that the members of Australian psych-rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard do anything other than make music and tour. Since releasing their first studio album in 2012, King Gizz has played hundreds of shows and released a whopping 26 studio albums, plus several more live albums, compilations and EPs. (There are some very elaborate flowcharts on Reddit that help make sense of the Gizzverse, including mood-specific spinoff charts with names like “What can they do with synths, tho?”) In yet another world tour, the boys are stopping by Ascend Amphitheater as they ride the release of their new new album — with its excellent pig-in-the-sky-themed album art — Flight b741 via p(doom) records. The 10-track album leans a lot more toward classic rock than some of the band’s more metal-heavy releases. It’s a blast to listen to and will be even more fun to experience live. No matter what album they’re touring, you can count on long, energetic sets full of moshable moments from King Gizz. KELSEY BEYELER
8 P.M. AT ASCEND AMPHITHEATER 310 FIRST AVE. S.
Writing about this film is my birthright. I started school at the peak of Hannah Montana’s popularity, a conundrum that blessed me with ample content of my favorite fictional pop star but cursed me to be called “Hannah Montana” by those who barely knew me. I loved Hannah but hated the nickname — I was just an ordinary girl! When the movie based on the popular Disney Channel show hit theaters in 2009, I could not have been more excited. My friend Caroline and I dragged our moms to the theater on a Saturday, determined to see Miley Cyrus become a movie star. I think we were in first grade — old enough to ask to go to the movies but young enough to believe that the front row was the best place to sit. I brought my pink Nintendo DS inside my pink pleather Justice purse so we could message on Pictochat after the movie. To be honest, it was a perfect time. I’m older now, but I’d still drop everything for a chance to hang out with Hannah Montana. I still have my well-loved copy of Hannah
WEEKEND AUGUST 29/30/31 PRESENTED IN PART BY
8/29 Beginner Intro to Punch Needle Intro to Adobe Illustrator
9/4 Build Your Own Picture Frame Part 2
9/7 Intro MIG Welding
9/8 Intro Classical Drawing & Oil Painting
9/10 Create Your Own End-Grain Cutting Board Part 1
9/12 Intro to MIG Welding
9/12 Beginner’s Intro to Felting
9/14 Intro to Wood Turning
9/14 Fused Glass Workshop
9/15 Intro to Wood Turning Workshop
plus fridays in september
6/13/20/27
CLASSES: LEARN A NEW SKILL! BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR BEST HAPPY HOUR BEST COCKTAILS
THURSDAY, august 29
LUCINDA WILLIAMS•HOVVDY PHILLIPMICHAEL SCALES•TEXINO•THE LOVEIN
FRIDAY, august 30
REAL ESTATE•THE CRITICALS•JILL ANDREWS SAM JOHNSTON•A TRIBE OF HORSMAN
SATURDAY, august 31 MICHIGANDER•DANIEL NUNNELEE VENUS & THE FLYTRAPS•CRYSTAL ROSE•TABITHA MEEKS
AUGUST 30
RIVERSIDE FISH FRY WITH FRIDAY NIGHT FUNK BAND
SEPTEMBER 3 BUG HUNTER & THE NARCISSIST COOKBOOK
SEPTEMBER 8
MARC RIBOT
SONGS OF RESISTANCE (FEAT. SHAHZAD ISMAILY) with BUDDY MILLER
SEPTEMBER 27
TINDER LIVE WITH LANE MOORE
Montana: The Movie on DVD, but if you don’t, you can hoedown throwdown to the Belcourt for a midnight showing of the movie that made me. Keep your eyes peeled for the Taylor Swift cameo, and for me crying during “Butterfly Fly Away.”
HANNAH CRON
MIDNIGHT AT THE BELCOURT
2102 BELCOURT AVE.
season, turn, turn, turn,” my generation has LCD Soundsystem’s “And it keeps coming / And it keeps coming / And it keeps coming / Till the day it stops.” You can apply that line to anything from a recession to a global pandemic to an impending election. (Dealer’s choice.) Since originating in Seattle in 2013 — a few years after the indie music scene LCD Soundsystem represented died — the Dance Yourself Clean Indie Dance Party (named after another classic LCD Soundsystem song) has transcended the typical dance-party experience, allowing partygoers to move their bodies with someone great to new and classic indie electronic music.
TOBY ROSE
9 P.M. AT BROOKLYN BOWL
925 THIRD AVE. N.
Because Nashville is so much more than honky-tonks and bachelorettes...
The band Squeeze has never been all that easy to categorize. I mean, are they more New Wave? Post-punk? British power pop? However you may choose to classify them, there’s no denying the incredible legacy and influence of Squeeze. Sure, they’ve had the usual breakups, reshuffles and reconciliations over the years, but co-founders Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook remain the beating heart of this prolific band. You can catch them this weekend at the historic Ryman Auditorium as they continue their 50th anniversary tour throughout the U.S. and Canada. Fans can look forward to revisiting a slew of classic hits from the late 1970s and ’80s, including “Up the Junction,” “Cool for Cats,” “Another Nail in My Heart,” “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Goodbye Girl,” “Tempted” and more. The Beat will also be on hand for Saturday night’s show, making it a real can’t-miss concert for Gen X music fans — or really anyone who appreciates a good earworm. AMY STUMPFL
8 P.M. AT THE RYMAN
116 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY N.
[ALL MY FRIENDS]
MUSIC
[COME A LITTLE CLOSER] CAGE THE ELEPHANT
A few months ago, Cage the Elephant held court on the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival main stage with a seemingly nonstop singalong. Since the band’s mainstream breakout with 2008 hit “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” a slew of songs from this Kentucky-bred, largely Nashville-based group have soaked into rock music’s sonic ether, backed in part by undeniable hooks (“Cigarette Daydream,” “Trouble,” “Come a Little Closer,” et al.) and singer Matt Shultz’s chameleonic chemistry. And when Cage the Elephant returns to Middle Tennessee for a proper headlining gig, showgoers should expect another night jampacked with familiar tunes, plus a few new cuts courtesy of the band’s new full-length Neon Pill, which debuted in May. Fellow alt-rock favorite Young the Giant (of “Cough Syrup” fame) joins Cage the Elephant as main support on the show. Opening acts include Baker, Willow Avalon and Girl Tones. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER
latest album and tour is a fitting swan song. Bando Stone & the New World is a fun and diverse album from an artist who always insisted he was different, but sometimes struggled to prove it (or at least prove it in an interesting way). Bando Stone, which is supposed to soundtrack an upcoming film of the same name, sees Gambino pulling off R&B, trap, alt rock and even a country-ish number. At times it feels like Glover is exploring all the territory he wants to cover as an artist (the anthemic “Lithonia” makes the case for a Gambino rock album), while at other points it feels more reactive, showing he can, in his own off-kilter way, pull off whatever is hot right now. Much of it is polished, but it can be hard to tell where the heart of the winding project is at times. The Funkadelic-inspired “Awaken, My Love!” — arguably his best work — was a bold and focused departure in sound and style. But in an era when even the biggest names in music are flaunting genre conventions in pointed ways, Bando Stone seems to have less edge than Beyoncé’s roots-reclaiming Cowboy Carter, André 3000’s woodwind journey or even EarthGang’s electronic dalliance with Snakehips. On a positive note, I don’t think Glover’s totally done yet. Maybe the broad array here serves double duty as a sampler for what the multihyphenate performer may do next, whether that’s under his own name or an entirely new one. Willow opens at Bridgestone.
ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ
8 P.M. AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA
501 BROADWAY
6:30 P.M. AT ASCEND AMPHITHEATER 310 FIRST AVE. S.
If I were DJing the Dance Yourself Clean Indie Dance Party, the song I’d reach for at 2 a.m. is LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great.” Not only would the high BPM get weary feet moving — it’s also my pick for the best song released in the past 20 years. The “someone great” in question could of course be a reference to an ex. Or as I once convinced a bathroom stall full of friends and strangers, LCD frontman James Murphy could be singing about Anna Nicole Smith. But the true beauty of the song lies in its chorus. Whereas our parents had The Byrds’ “To everything, turn, turn, turn / There is a
MUSIC
[BRAVE NEW WORLD] CHILDISH GAMBINO
Donald Glover is retiring his longtime musical alter ego Childish Gambino, and his
The power-pop bands of the 1990s took their cues from the ’70s bands that invented the genre. The Posies were Big Star acolytes who sometimes sounded a bit underpowered, while Redd Kross always reminded me of a metal-influenced version of The Flamin’ Groovies, right down to their sardonic take on the British Invasion music they mocked. What makes Matthew Sweet’s 1991 Girlfriend a shining moment in power-pop history is how deftly guitarists Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine add drama to Sweet’s songs about, well, girlfriends. Girlfriend stands with Jellyfish’s 1993 Spilt Milk and Fountains of Wayne’s 1996 self-titled debut
as the best power pop of the decade. Sweet, who turns 60 in October, sounds reflective on 2021’s Catspaw, which doesn’t contain much of the hard-edged pop he favored 30 years ago. His new WXRT Live in Grant Park, Chicago IL July 4, 1993 documents a superb show Sweet played back in the heyday of alt-rock with Lloyd and dB’s drummer Will Rigby. Lloyd’s fills and licks sit in the pocket of Rigby’s groove, and Lloyd’s solos are amazing. Sweet’s current touring band includes guitarists Adrian Carter and John Moremen, along with Velvet Crush bassist Paul Chastain and Bangles drummer Debbi Peterson. Alabama singer-songwriter Abe Partridge, whose latest album is 2023’s Love in the Dark, opens. EDD HURT
7 P.M. AT 3RD AND LINDSLEY 818 THIRD AVE. S.
MUSIC [THE RIGHT FREQUENCY] 91 DAY
heap of new music in tow, including a five-track EP and an all pink 7-inch featuring the explosive title track “Time Bomb.” Mikey Adams of the veteran Boston emo band A Loss for Words will join the bill for a solo set, while local cohorts The Family Dog and Hell Tupet round out the stacked lineup. JASON VERSTEGEN
7 P.M. AT THE COBRA
2511 GALLATIN AVE.
MUSIC
[THE BEST DAMN THING] AVRIL
UPCOMING EVENTS
PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENTFOR TICKETS & UPDATES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31
10:30AM
SATURDAY STORYTIME
WITH ALLIE DAVIS at PARNASSUS Clara and the Constellations Play Kickball
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
6:30PM
ANNE BYRN
WITH LISA DONOVAN at PARNASSUS Baking in the American South
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
6:30PM
ELIZABETH BASS PARMAN at PARNASSUS The Empress of Cooke County
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
10:30AM
SATURDAY STORYTIME
WITH BRAD & KRISTI MONTAGUE at PARNASSUS Fail-A-Bration
6:30PM
DANZY SENNA WITH ZZ PACKER at PARNASSUS Colored Television
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
6:30PM PRISCA
WNXP is celebrating another year of music discovery in Music City with the second running of its very own “made-up holiday,” 91 Day. WNXP — FM station 91.1, hence the holiday — prides itself on bringing new tunes to discerning Nashville ears, and they’ll once again bring some of the city’s brightest songmakers to a live audience at The Blue Room alongside local vendors and eateries. The lineup includes hip-hop artist Mike Floss, indie rocker Bats, indie folksters Sugadaisy and the R&B-tinged BEAN. For shopping (and eating), attendees can check out Secret Bodega, Music Valley Archive, Knockin Roots, Cybercrypt, Pink Pizza Portraits, Ebb & Iv, Torres Vintage, Talk Nice Vintage and Yanira Vissepo. You might catch some of your favorite on-air personalities there, too, meaning you have the opportunity to thank a DJ for introducing you to your favorite song on the WNXP airwaves. COLE VILLENA
NOON AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS 623 SEVENTH AVE. S.
MUSIC
[JAILHOUSE ROCK] LOVECRIMES W/JANE ROSE & THE DEADENDS, MIKEY ADAMS, THE FAMILY DOG AND HELL TUPET
All hail the pop-punk princess! True royalty will take the stage in Nashville when Avril Lavigne graces Ascend Amphitheater with her presence. The 2000s truly wouldn’t have been the same without Lavigne’s influence. Her success paved the way for girls to rock on major labels and see commercial success beyond the in-crowd. Beyond the music, her style and undeniable talent influenced the pop-punk generation to be more than just a sk8r bois’ club. She even made neckties cool in a way they never have been and probably never will be again. That’s power! Avril’s hits stand the test of time. As proved by everything from the iconic film Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement to last year’s comedy Bottoms, Avril Lavigne songs always make the best needle-drops. What more can I say?! Make your girlfriend disappear and go relive a time when life wasn’t so complicated. Fellow 2000s Canadian pop-punkers Simple Plan open. HANNAH CRON
7 P.M. AT ASCEND AMPHITHEATER
310 FIRST AVE. S.
When Julian Ness steps up to a microphone to sing, there’s no doubt that he’s the son of punk rock godfather Mike Ness — founder and frontperson of the legendary Southern California rock ’n’ roll outfit Social Distortion. When he drapes himself with a low-slung Les Paul, Ness’ resemblance to his father during the elder Ness’ rebellious heyday is uncanny. Madworld and Jukebox Booking have joined forces to bring the junior Ness’ own band Lovecrimes to Nashville. The group is on tour this fall in support of their debut single “Sabotage,” released in April. “Sabotage coming for me / Run away I’ll never be free / Burn it down to the floor / Can’t stay from feeling bored,” sings Ness on the hard-driving track. Hometown rockabilly boppers Jane Rose & the Deadends will hit the stage beforehand with a
Dave Turner, one of Nashville’s leading digital artists for nearly four decades and a recognized expert in the field of lenticular art, brings an exhibit of his latest lenticular works called New Dimensions to The Westin Nashville Sept. 4 and 5. Lenticular art uses a special lens to create the illusion of depth or motion, and the exhibit’s title is a nod to the larger, deeper lenses Turner used for the prints. Several of the pieces in the show use lenses that are half-aninch thick, producing images that appear to be nearly 3 feet in depth. Turner tells the Scene the pieces featured in the exhibit, which were created using a new UV printing technology, are his “largest and deepest works yet.” Many of the works are based on the ancient meditative and healing concept of mandalas, and two feature floral photographs by Rita J. Maggart that have been transformed into mandalas. These lenticulars show the transformation in stunning 3D and remind us of the sacred geometry present in all things. There will be an opening reception for the exhibit at the hotel on Sept. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. DARYL SANDERS
SEPT. 4-5 AT THE WESTIN NASHVILLE 807 CLARK PLACE
IT CAN BE HARD to justify going out to eat in Nashville. It feels like the prices keep going up while the portions keep getting smaller. But some restaurants are still providing a dining experience where customers are guaranteed to leave full without breaking the bank.
Below are five local restaurants that offer exceptional lunch buffets — as much food as you can eat for less than $20 (before tax). Sample food from across the globe, with Ethiopian, Mexican, Japanese and Indian cuisine at these five buffet-providing Nashville restaurants.
615CHUTNEY
7075 Highway 70 S.
Lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday; $15.99
With its Tamil-style Indian buffet, 615Chutney in Bellevue provides a different kind of Indian cuisine — made with a base of coconut milk and regional specialties from the Tamil province of India. The hits include freshly made parottas and familiar Indian favorites such as chicken tikka masala and butter chicken. The buffet also features a mix of meat and vegetable dishes in addition to hot soups, desserts and all-you-candrink masala chai. The vegetable half of the buffet should also have vegan options, but verify with your server first. (Also of note: 615Chutney’s beloved robot server.)
CANCUN
7077 Highway 70 S.
Lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday only; $12.99
Right next door to 615Chutney, Cancun offers our most affordable option — soft drink included! — with a variety of Tex-Mex favorites such as fajitas and enchiladas. Stack your plate with beef, chicken or pork plus rice and beans, or make your own taco salad with ground beef, shredded chicken, guacamole and pico de gallo. Finish off with a dessert of various fruits, churros with a sweet filling or even a slice of cake. But hurry — the cake runs out fast on Sundays.
GOJO ETHIOPIAN
415 W. Thompson Lane
11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; $13.99
Over in South Nashville, Gojo brings the powerful flavors of Ethiopian cuisine in an open buffet — a perfect way to introduce newcomers to Ethiopian. Beef and chicken are your meat options, but vegans can rejoice: The rest of the buffet options are completely vegan, from gomen (greens) to key sir (beets), misir and kik (red and yellow lentils)! Accompany those options with as much buckwheat injera as you can eat. No worries if you can’t eat gluten — injera made from teff (a domesticated seed) is available on request.
Five Nashville restaurants that provide filling, affordable buffet options
BY KEN ARNOLD
WOODLANDS INDIAN VEGETARIAN CUISINE
SUSHI KINGDOM
2010 Gallatin Pike N., Madison
11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; $18.95
There are many all-you-can eat sushi places in Nashville, but when you want quality and affordability, this little place in Madison has you covered. Sushi Kingdom is unrivaled at its price point with a lunch menu that includes delicious nigiri options as well as Americanized classics like the California roll and more interesting creations like the TNT Roll. And it’s not just sushi on the menu: Appetizers such as takoyaki (fried octopus fritters) and tempura are available as well as fried rice and udon.
WOODLANDS INDIAN VEGETARIAN CUISINE
3415 West End Ave.
Available daily; $13.99 Monday to Thursday, $14.99 Friday, $15.99 Saturday and Sunday
And finally, over on West End, we have one for the vegetarians! Woodlands is a beloved Indian spot without a single piece of meat on its buffet — but it brings plenty of punch in the flavor department, with a constantly rotating list of offerings that’s even more expansive over the weekends. You never know exactly what you will get — aside from the always available gulab jamun (a deep-fried milk dessert) — but rest assured it will be full of flavor. Vegan options are also available — just ask your server. ▼
For fans of fernet, the strange concoction will go down smoothly
BY D. PATRICK RODGERS
FERNET IS DIVISIVE. With its minty, licorice-forward flavor, the Italian amaro — best known in most American markets via the brand Fernet-Branca — tastes to some drinkers like toothpaste made using Essence of Black Jelly Bean. Others simply can’t get enough of the stuff. Most of the bartenders I’ve met are in the latter camp; so is my significant other. Let’s just say we are a house divided.
For those who align with my girlfriend on this one, take your cursed tastebuds to the West Side outpost of Bearded Iris Brewing. There are many reasons to visit the brewery housed in adaptive reuse space Sylvan Supply. Chief among them: Bearded Iris’ great selection of original beers, as well as Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House. (Black Dynasty operates out of the brewery, and they sling some of the best ramen you’ll find
anywhere in the city.) But also, if you’re one of these fernet people, it’s where you’ll find the Fansville Diesel, a concoction that according to one bartender “started as an inside joke.” Featuring fernet, Dr Pepper and lager — often Bearded Iris’ bright and crispy Pep Talk — the Fansville Diesel tastes like … well, it tastes like fernet, Dr Pepper and lager. Perhaps that speaks to you. Perhaps it doesn’t. Perhaps you should see for yourself. (Be advised: Bearded Iris’ Germantown location doesn’t offer the Diesel.)
No matter what you think of the Fansville Diesel, Bearded Iris Sylvan Supply makes for a great hang. It has enough TVs for you to catch whatever game is on, but not so many that you can’t tune them out if that’s your preference. It has plenty of space, outdoor seating, laid-back DJ sets, pop-up vinyl events, the aforementioned top-shelf ramen … and a peculiar fernet drink that could one day grow on me.
WITH ITS ICONIC characters, whimsical humor and musical elements, As You Like It may be the perfect selection for Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s annual Summer Shakespeare production. And as it turns out, the Bard’s beloved pastoral comedy also offers an especially fitting send-off for executive artistic director Denice Hicks, who will be stepping down from her position on Sept. 30.
You see, Hicks was there for the festival’s very first performance back in 1988, when an intrepid group of actors known as TheatRevolution presented As You Like It as the city’s first free Shakespeare in the Park. Legend has it the performers had to pull their trucks up to the stage to light the second act, and that an enthusiastic audience — including Hicks — sat out in the rain, eager to check out the show.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is just the coolest thing — we’ve got guerrilla theater happening in Centennial Park,’” says Hicks, who started working with the company as an actor in 1990 and would eventually take on the role of artistic director — first as a volunteer and then with a full-time position in 2005. “I just loved the spirit behind it all.”
Over the years, Hicks has embodied that can-do spirit. Under her leadership, the festival has thrived — it is consistently acknowledged for its artistic excellence, creates a host of professional job opportunities, and supports a wide range of educational programs.
“I’m so grateful for the time I’ve spent with the festival,” Hicks says. “It’s really been an honor. And while I’m stepping away, I have every confidence in the current leadership team — including executive managing director Isabel Tipton-Krispin and our new artistic director Jason Spelbring — to keep things growing and moving in the right direction. I’m excited for the future, and look forward to auditioning and continuing my work here in Nashville. I still love this community so very much. I’ve invested 45 years of my life into creating a thriving professional theater community here, and that commitment is not at all diminished.”
That unwavering commitment is not lost on Cammy Harris, who’s directing this summer’s production of As You Like It
“With this being Denice’s final summer show as artistic director, I think it would have been very natural for her to sort of seize the moment and make it more about herself and her vision,” says Harris, a busy director and dramaturge and the executive director/founder of the Nashville Theater Link. “It’s just so telling of her generosity and her love for this artistic community that she decided to give me the opportunity. That’s Denice — always giving back and setting other people up for success. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Harris says she and Hicks worked closely together in selecting As You Like It, noting the
Nashville Shakes’ As You Like It is a fitting send-off for longtime director Denice Hicks BY AMY STUMPFL
play’s joyful and celebratory tone.
“We talked a lot about the nature of Summer Shakespeare — families and friends gather, there are kids running around and dogs barking and food trucks,” she says. “It always feels like something of a community celebration, so I was excited to find a show that matched that tone.”
Harris says this summer’s production draws inspiration, both aesthetically and musically, from the late 1950s and early ’60s.
“The show opens in Duke Frederick’s court and then moves to the Forest of Arden,” she says. “And there’s a striking contrast between those two worlds. The court is super controlling and autocratic, while the forest is more open and freeing, offering our characters the opportunity to really think about who they want to be, rather than who society expects them to be. So as we approached the show, I was looking for a period in time that would reflect those big contrasts between the dominant culture with its strict social norms, and then a counterculture that was em-
bracing personal freedom and pastoral imagery. That led us to the late 1950s and early 1960s. And while our production is not set specifically in that time period, we’re drawing a certain visual vocabulary from the era.”
Harris is quick to credit her design team — including set designer Jessie Baldinger, costume designer Bethany Dinkel and lighting designer Phillip Franck — with establishing the production’s dynamic imagery. She also enlisted the help of local composer and musician Andre Madatian to create a worthy soundscape.
“The music in this play isn’t incidental,” she says. “It fuels ideas, debates and a sense of play. “We’re so fortunate to have Andre providing original music that really serves our story and moves it forward.”
In addition to Hicks, the cast features a great blend of new and familiar faces, including Dani Grace Nissen and Gerold Oliver, along with Kate Drury, Andrew Johnson, Galen Fott, Ethan Jones, Lorenzo Rivera, Aleia Eagleton and more.
“good in everything.”
“We’ve actually made Duke Senior a mother to Rosalind rather than father,” she says. “But it’s really nice to be playing such a good guy, someone who models such principled leadership.
“As You Like It looks at a community that is divided, facing real difficulty,” she adds. “And yet everyone is able to come together to — as my character says — make good use of adversity. Together they find joy and make music and embrace those who have it worse. And that lifts everybody up. To me, that’s what this play is all about.
“So to present As You Like It at this particular time in history, to remind folks that we have the power to make the world a better place — what could be more meaningful? I can’t wait to share this beautiful production with our community.” ▼
In the Club is a recurring series in which the Scene explores Nashville’s social club offerings.
IF YOU ASK a group of goths whether it’s hard to be goth in the summer, you’ll hear a resounding and pained “YES!”
Tennessee’s oppressive heat is something to contend with for people who find themselves in vinyl clothes, petticoats, tights, chunky boots and black velvet on a regular basis — not to mention the occasional balaclava. It’s hard to be a goth in the American South, but what the lifestyle lacks in practicality, it makes up for in community.
GOTHBATS, or Guild of Tennessee Humanitarians Bolstering Alternative Trending Subcultures, formed through a 2022 picnic hosted in a cemetery.
The all-female board members of GOTHBATS represent a range of personal styles, from glam goth (think lace, leather and intricate makeup) to vampire goth (Victorian-inspired, fangs optional), Lolita goth (frilly looks originating in Japan) to cyber goth (industrial neon featured in the classic YouTube clip “cybergoth dance party”). They love fashion and host a yearly fashion show to showcase members’ creations, but it’s really not just about the outfits. What brings them together is a shared interest in dark aesthetics, music, fashion and literature.
“Goth is also a love and appreciation of things that typically aren’t loved and appreciated,” says GOTHBATS admin team member Rachel Morrell. “Spooky things. Things that, because you don’t know about them, people tend to be afraid of.”
The group can relate to the underappreciated creepy-crawlies of the world, Morrell says, because sometimes people misunderstand goths.
Depending on their occupation, some members live a bit of a double life. But many of them already know what it’s like to hide their gothness under a bushel, having grown up in more traditional and often religious households. They’re eager to show their style.
“My persona during the day, I call it ‘corporate goth,’” says admin team member Leslie Benson. “I wear business wear with a little black touch — a little accessory or something. But then at night, I let it all hang out.”
While club members love specialty DJ nights like Fascination Street at The East Room and She’s Lost Control at Cobra, part of the club’s goal is to provide opportunities for people to come out in their gothic best during the day, too. GOTHBATS host picnics, clothing swaps and volunteer opportunities, including at Nashville Pride and cemetery cleanups.
For treasurer Laura Collins, gothic tendencies started at a very early age — when she announced her favorite color was black.
“I saw this beautiful woman with neon-green hair and a chain running from her ear to her nose, and spiked shoulder pads and a leather
Southern goths look to set an example for alternative newcomers
BY HANNAH HERNER
jacket, fishnets and spiked biker gloves,” she tells the Scene. “I was 7, I saw her and I was like, ‘I want to be that woman.’”
Today it’s important to the group members to show up decked out whenever they can to help make the path easier for “Baby Bats” — people of any age who are just getting into the gothic subculture.
“My goal in dressing the way I do out in public everyday is to set a good example, and to be that first contact for a lot of people in the South,” Morrell says. “That way, maybe if their kid starts getting into goth and dressing in an alternative way, maybe that parent is a little easier on them.”
Morrell’s mother didn’t need an explanation on goth culture — she was the one to introduce her to Dark Shadows, a ’60s horror soap opera. Other group members have their own entry points into the goth world. They drew inspiration from movies like The Crow, anime
series and specific fictional characters like Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice and Wednesday Addams of The Addams Family. Others played video games like Doom, and listened to industrial metal from acts like Switchblade. (Yes, many also frequented Hot Topic.) The GOTHBATS are less about Marilyn Manson, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails and … well, Satan, than the mainstream world may assume.
They may not look approachable, but that’s perhaps the most egregious misconception. Goths like dark things, but when they’re able to express themselves, they’re generally happy — chipper, even. Collins says expressing her goth identity has made the difference.
“I have become happier, less depressed, less emotional,” Collins says. “I have become more confident. The confidence from being who you are is so incredible.”
The group is made up of people who were
often not allowed to express themselves in their youth, and the ones who could were bullied for doing so. They want to ensure that nobody else feels the way they did.
“Many of us came from an environment where we were bullied, or where we didn’t belong,” says admin team member Endora Gloom. “We came to the goth scene and found other people that are like us, that are also outcasts.”
Morrell sympathizes. “Sometimes people think that if they do express themselves truly that they’ll be alone, they won’t have anybody,” she says. “But if you express yourself, you’ll tend to find people who are like-minded.”
Being goth is a mindset. Show up in a band tee and enjoy the company.
Admin team member Kat Gaume sums it up. “You don’t have to look goth to be goth, you just have to be cool and nice.” ▼
IT’S HARD TO BE A GOTH IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH, BUT WHAT THE LIFESTYLE LACKS IN PRACTICALITY, IT MAKES UP FOR IN COMMUNITY.
Connor Clark & Blue Rhythm Revival w/
landones w/ the scurvies & nightmare beach (9pm)
Mark taylor w/ Cassidy Daniels (7PM)
Mike gowen w/ Ivan Pulley Band, Stokes & The Potential (9Pm)
the bad ends w/ Josh Joplin Group (7PM)
Jason Charles Miller w/ joey myron (9Pm)
Denitia w Chris Housman (7PM)
Melissa Erin w/ eva Cassel, Trevor Bahnson (9PM)
Laurel Sabadosh w/ Erin Grand (7PM)
Terri Clark comes full circle with Ryman headline debut BY
HANNAH HERNER
RARELY DOES LIFE have such a satisfying story arc as the one that’s about to culminate for Terri Clark. On Thursday, she is set to play the Ryman for the first time as a headliner — just steps away from Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, where she got her first break into the country music industry.
“I started playing for tips in 1987, 30-some-odd years ago when I was a kid,” Clark tells the Scene. “I would often take my breaks and go over to the Ryman and step inside — and just look around and dream about the day that I might actually be able to do a show there, play that stage, even just as part of the Opry series. To be able to headline an entire 90-minute set there now — it’s surreal.”
She certainly won’t be alone in her celebration. The concert follows the May release of Terri Clark: Take Two, which features reworkings of eight of her most popular songs, each with a special guest. Clark says she got most of her wish list, including Ashley McBryde on her 1995 debut single “Better Things to Do” and Cody Johnson making a duet out of “I Just Wanna Be Mad.” Lainey Wilson joins on “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” and Kelly Clarkson taps in for “If I Were You,” among other artists.
The songs on Take Two showcase Clark’s range and success, but there are a few that didn’t make the cut. “No Fear” appeared on her 2000 album Fearless and remains a set list staple; she counts the song as emblematic of who she is as an artist. She took time away from the country radio circuit to make that record, which saw critical acclaim but less commercial appeal.
“I had felt like I was being pigeonholed a little bit by the tongue-in-cheek, fun, bouncy songs that were sort of indicative of what radio was playing from me at the time,” she says. “I’m really grateful for the bouncy hits. I didn’t want to be just known for that. I wanted to show I was more dimensional.”
Having proved her chops, “Girls Lie Too” — which she shares with Carly Pearce on Take Two — was her path back to sassy-girl country radio. Clark has never been one to balk at recording an anthem for the ladies.
“I’m grateful to have had some really great rocking, up-tempo, female-anthemic type songs to go out there and sing every single night,” says Clark. “And to see people smile and sing along is so gratifying.”
Growing up in Canada, Clark dreamed of moving to Nashville. She saw Tootsie’s in Coal Miner’s Daughter, read biographies of country favorites including Barbara Mandrell and consumed all of the Nashville country radio that she could.
“When I finally went to Nashville for the first time, it was like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz,” she says. “I just couldn’t believe that this all really existed. All of these things that I had heard
about and seen on television were such a big part of my thought process growing up.”
She crossed the border with her mother and mother’s best friend in a Honda Civic and told border control agents they were going to the Grand Ole Opry. Her mom stayed for a week and helped her find a room to rent for cheap in exchange for babysitting for a mother who worked the night shift.
Clark didn’t have a green card when she got her first chance to play on Tootsie’s stage. She went on to land eight singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot Country charts. Among other accolades, her first three albums went platinum, she’s been nominated for multiple CMA Awards, and she has been inducted as a member of the Opry
It’s a cinematic story that almost didn’t happen. One sweltering late-July afternoon, early in her tenure in Nashville, she got off the bus at the wrong stop, wearing stage clothes and with her guitar in hand. She called her mom — one of many collect calls — and said she wanted to come home.
“She said, ‘You are always welcome to come home, I just want to play devil’s advocate,’” Clark recalls. “‘I don’t want you to be 50 years old and regret not giving it a real shot.’ I can only imagine how hard it was for my mom to actually try to be diplomatic in that moment, because she was worried sick about me.”
Broadway isn’t what it once was, but Clark has a piece of advice that remains consistent for today’s young hopefuls: Surround yourself with people who are better at music than you, and who will tell you the truth.
“Even though it’s not a long way physically [from Tootsie’s to the Ryman], it’s a long way in so many other ways. It’s been a long ride and it’s been a lot of years. And that dream is finally coming true, and it is very sweet.” ▼
Playing 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Ryman
Sadler Vaden draws on parental instincts to make magic on
BY SEAN L. MALONEY
SADLER VADEN HAS a new album. And a new baby, and a toddler, and a day job that takes him all over the country, slinging six-strings for Jason Isbell. I am exhausted just thinking about it. As a dad who can barely get the trash cans in the front yard before the garbage truck shows up, I am astounded that Vaden manages to balance work and life enough to squeeze in a self-produced, self-released record for himself. I might not understand the how, but I understand the why. When you finally get the kids in bed and put on Dad Rock, Vaden’s latest solo album, you can feel the paternal urge to roll a number in the garage.
“I’m really, really tired, obviously,” Vaden tells the Scene ahead of a break punctuated by a belated album release party Friday at Third Man. When we speak, he has just stepped off the bus after a morning driving through Texas hill country. The longtime guitarist in Isbell’s band The 400 Unit has been all across the country this summer, from festivals to theaters to opening slots on Zach Bryan’s stadium tour. Luckily, Vaden has had his family with him for the past two months.
“Rock ’n’ roll hours and baby hours don’t mix too well,” he says. “But it’s fun, because we’re
together and I can help. … I will say, [the kids] sleep really well on the bus. [Laughs] It’s all the white noise — the kind of cold and the hum of the bus.”
Dad Rock, released just in time for Father’s Day back in June, captures the whirlwind of emotions that comes with those early years. If “dad rock,” the lower-case concept, can really be characterized as any music that embarrasses your children, Vaden’s kids are going to have plenty to roll their eyes at. He is unabashedly emotional in telling listeners about all of his joy and anxiety and wonderment. Dad Rock is 34 minutes and change of gushing dad vibes, a paternal positivity that pairs well with the ripping guitar solos that have been Vaden’s trademark.
“I actually started the sessions for Dad Rock right before our second son Theodore was born,” says Vaden. “So life on and off the road has been very, very busy, and a lot of adjusting. But ultimately it’s been really, really, really good.”
Dad Rock feels like a miracle of time management, a moment stolen from the all-encompassing process of making little people and teaching them how to be little humans. Primary tracking took place over two days, with the rest of the
pieces coming together during downtime. It involved collaborating over the internet and crafting the fine details in the wee hours. Dad Rock captures that heady euphoria of exhaustion and elation of early parenthood the way “White Light/White Heat” captures the rush of scoring or the way “Dopesmoker” captures the aesthetic of a bong hit held too long.
“I don’t really know how I did it,” Vaden says. “I guess since it was in December, we weren’t touring. But it was definitely harder with two kids to find the time to do a project like this that I’m not necessarily able to tour on and all that. … I’d be cleaning up the kitchen with headphones on, listening to my friend Owen [Lewis] mix it.”
Having ace timekeeper Fred Eltringham (whom you’ll have seen lately onstage with Sheryl Crow) and Vaden’s fellow Music City rock dad Julian Dorio split drumming duties certainly helped. The deep pocket they create underscores the fundamental Southernness in songs like “The Rescuer” and “Two Balloons,” bringing out elements of Muscle Shoals and Alex Chilton’s Memphis in the ’70s and Mitch Easter productions in the ’80s. And, in a total dad-rock move, Vaden covers “Staying Alive” by
Dorio’s old band The Whigs, a stone-cold classic of 21st-century Southern rock. The fact that Vaden turns the back half of the song into something that would be at home on Joe Walsh’s But Seriously Folks… makes it all as satisfying as cracking a cold beer after mowing the lawn.
“I didn’t really have a lot of time,” says Vaden. “I’m glad I didn’t spend too much time on it. I think it came out way better because I think it didn’t sound labored-over too much.”
It seems like Vaden tapped into that primal dad focus that makes us carry too many grocery bags at once. But rather than getting the pantry stocked faster, he made a stripped-back rock record that delivers exactly what it advertises.
“It was liberating for me personally to be like, ‘You know what? I think that feels good to me, so let’s leave it.’” ▼
Playing 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at The Blue Room at Third Man Records
BY JASON SHAWHAN
PUTTING ASIDE SKYROCKETING COVID numbers, it’s exceedingly ironic — if not surprising — to get yelled at by a passing motorist for masking on my way to an Orville Peck show. Despite more than a bit of worry about having such a dizzyingly queer event as Peck’s Sixth Annual Rodeo in the sometimes unpredictable streets of downtown’s tourist district, the vibe felt secure. If nothing else, queer fans were spending money, meaning even the most shamelessly hateful members of the state legislature would have to approve of our presence.
There’s always been an intersection between queer spaces and country music. If you don’t believe me, ask those who thankfully are still with us from the plague generations how even the New Waviest of early-’80s places would raise the roof for Shelley West’s “José Cuervo (You Are a Friend of Mine).” The walk to Ascend Amphitheater from the downtown library garage — if I’m going to have to support the Nashville Parking Industrial Complex, I’m going to choose the option that benefits an essential civic resource like the library — crossed paths with Margaritaville’s sound system bumping Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” which when encountered in the wild is like a Super Mario invincibility star for queer folks.
The 2024 installment of Peck’s Rodeo was a three-night extravaganza spanning three different venues and bills. On a hot but not unmanageable Saturday afternoon and evening, it took over Ascend — “Ass End,” as Tanya Mother Tucker herself would later call it — for the second of the three engagements. Host John Waters (!) was the perfect emcee for the five-act, sixhour show. He was nimble on his feet and gave each of the artists all the respect and gentle ribbing they merited, and he let the crowd know where the aesthetic sensibility for the day was oriented. His welcome was comprehensive, proclaiming that we all had one pronoun, “y’all,” and we better see that on a bumper sticker posthaste.
I knew some of first act Goldie Boutilier’s work from a previous incarnation in the EDM world. It’s always a joy when a dance diva explores a new path, taking her exceptional voice (capable of Stevie Nicks’ midrange and the rhythmic and tonal variety we rely on from Robyn) into whole new genres. I also love when a dance diva rocks out, because they understand the key that arrangements play — a strong bass line spans every style, and there’s no doubt Boutilier can find myriad ways to get her songs across to any kind of crowd. Especially with something that hits like “The Angel and the Saint,” which entwines itself in your cerebral cortex and stays there. Next up was Mickey Guyton, fresh from a triumphant turn at the Democratic National Convention and giving the crowd so much joy and love for the medium. Her voice was a beacon,
kicking the vibe up a notch with several bangers (including her take on Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy”). And you know what? “Better Than You Left Me” is still an all-timer, and she brought the energy that my shins needed.
You could see the magic on Nick Carpenter’s face when Waters called him “hot-ish” while introducing his project Medium Build. You want to leave some room for surprises, and sometimes unfamiliarity with an artist lets them make an impression on you that you carry into the future. (See: Muse during The Cure’s traveling Curiosa Festival in 2004, or Mansionair opening for Carly Rae Jepsen at the Ryman in 2019.) But if you had never heard what Carpenter and his band do before (I sheepishly raised my hand), you rightfully had your ass’s soul promptly kicked.
Ever since Michael Penn dropped “No Myth” in 1989, dudes with guitars and drum machines have combined forces, yielding some incredible results. Medium Build delivers everything you could want, with lyrics as pensive and real and fiery as Maria McKee — Medium Build’s “Rage” is evidence that Carpenter is the only male voice I ever want to hear tackle “I Forgive You” as performed by McKee and later Sam Brown — and a sound that finds the field where pedal steel and programmed percussion play nice with one another. And Carpenter’s voice has that David Gray rich tone but with Sadie Flood passion, pushing the limits and pulling the whole crowd in, bringing the intimacy of a carpeted conversation-pit performance to an outdoor festival crowd that by this time had reached thousands strong. Real talk: “Knowing U Exist” is the first country song since The Chicks’ “Easy Silence” to reduce me to a weepy mess the first time I heard it, and “In My Room” was so real I had to sit back and figure out who I was for a bit.
I hope every musician, drag artist and teacher in attendance took mental notes from living legend Tanya Tucker’s set. Not only was it a transcendent experience, but it was also a master class in the many different kinds of drama that live performance can offer, and exactly how much space to give each variety. There was the slight delay at the beginning of her set, the immaculate eye shadow that perfectly matched the turquoise piping on her suit and a couple of lineup shifts and song changes (sometimes within the song itself).
Her wardrobe evolved with help from a befringed hat provided by the audience, and she was presented with an award for helping bring awareness to and fundraising for breast cancer research. There were a couple of unexpected guests, including national treasure Waylon Payne and Tucker’s current beau and fellow musician Craig Dillingham, who joined her on “When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go),” a song he co-wrote for Tucker’s 2023 LP Sweet Western Sound. There was a tequila shoutout, as well as an improvised Communion with the audience using said tequila. When Tucker closed with “Delta Dawn,” she brought every individual in earshot into the same mental and emotional space, and it felt holy.
If there were ever a doubt as to the glorious energy at play, John Waters proclaimed his type
to be “male Lucinda Williams groupies.” Give that man the key to the city.
The thing about Orville Peck’s live presence that is very hard to capture precisely in words is that voice. He’s always had the kind of baritone that you notice, even with the captivating visual aesthetic of his 2019 debut Pony that blends early Treasure Island Media and campfire ghost vibes. He’s reshaped his look and iconography with each successive record. But like Pat Benatar’s, his voice has such power that it can’t even be fully registered on tape, let alone a compressed data stream: It’s a little Orbisonian, sensual and witty like Twitty, and with those resonant bass frequencies that soothe the soul and make subwoofers tremble like a DJ Magic Mike cassette.
He’s a country artist, with no asterisk or subsequent elaboration needed. He doesn’t have to play the concealing game as to who his songs are about. He doesn’t have to provide an indie or rock context for his work. And you could tell from the way the sweat started taking up more and more of the physical space of his mask that he was putting his ankles into this performance. Willie Nelson duets with Peck on “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other” on Peck’s new album Stampede. Performing the
song onstage without a duet partner, Peck took all the energy from the neutron explosion of “Delta Dawn” and went even higher.
As with the Stampede album and the curation of artists throughout the Rodeo weekend, Peck’s guest list selections were impeccable. Noah Cyrus popped up early on for “How Far Will We Take It?” and Guyton returned later on in a stunning outfit for “Where Are We Now?” Both women have a gift for meshing with Peck’s voice in a way that yields texture and heightened emotional impact. For the encore, he gathered three-quarters of the album’s queer male quartet (minus TJ Osborne) for “Rhinestone Cowboy,” deadpanning that they call themselves The Highgaymen. It was fun, a tad subversive, and the kind of enjoyable cover that spans many eras and gets everyone on the same page.
Saturday’s portion of the 2024 Rodeo was like a six-hour shift at a job where your duties included soaking in queer-positive vibes and feeling safe and spry. Word on the street is that there were some fantastic covers during Friday’s show at The Basement East. Here’s hoping that some of them pop up in the future — “How B-sides are missed!” said the ancient critic — and that Peck brings this kind of extravaganza back Nashville way in the future. ▼
Director India Donaldson’s debut feature Good One explores the rocky trails of father-daughter relationships
BY HANNAH CRON
THE FATHER-DAUGHTER relationship just might be one of the hardest connections to navigate, and unfortunately, there’s no trail map. Beyond the obvious generational divide, the dynamic is famously cursed with emotional rifts — fathers taught not to feel, and daughters who don’t know how not to. It’s like “trying to squeeze water out of a rock.”
Good One is the debut feature from director India Donaldson, daughter of Thirteen Days director Roger Donaldson. The film follows 17-yearold Sam as she embarks on a long weekend hiking trip with her father and his longtime best friend, and it received critical acclaim during this year’s Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Maybe some true film buffs don’t watch trailers, but if you usually do, skip this one. It’s not laden with spoilers, but it frames the plot as that of a thriller with a big, sinister twist. Sure, Good One centers on three hikers alone in the woods and struggling to communicate, but this is no Blair Witch Project. There are a few articles floating around the internet promising to explain the “twist ending,” but don’t be misled — the events these articles refer to will feel inevitable to many, especially those who relate to the main character. M. Night Shyamalan is not in the room with us! You could say the third act confirms a suspicion, at most.
Filmed on location in the Hudson Valley, scenes of tense dialogue are intercut with breathtaking glimpses of the surrounding woods. Arguments melt into shots of streams and bright-orange salamanders, contrasting the complexity of the personalities at play with the peaceful wilderness.
It’s hard to outshine the grandeur of the stunning setting, but newcomer Lily Collias brings gravitas to the film’s wiser-than-her-years protagonist. It’s her film, and she makes it work
in a way that many of today’s talented young stars could only dream of. James Le Gros and Danny McCarthy round out the film’s leading trio, bringing their rowdy father characters to life with almost painful realism.
Dialogue is sparse in Good One, letting the natural tension of silence do much of the talking. So much of the film’s text is understood through glances and motion. This is where Collias as Sam truly shines — in one pivotal scene, she says very little, but in her expressions alone lets down her guard, only to build it back tenfold after a single sentence. It’s chilling, and the moment cements Collias’ star power. Expect her to be an A24 or Neon darling by 2026!
Even the film’s beautifully captured natural light and sound design — which sounds straight out of a nature-sounds CD kiosk from 2006 — can’t take away from the darkness of the plot. Donaldson’s understanding of Sam’s experience breathes life into the plot, especially in the film’s darker moments. Threats of comparison, issues of trust and fraught communication plague the central relationship between Sam and her father. It’s difficult for Sam and the viewer alike to perceive which if any of the film’s other characters may be a threat to her, and which are innocent comedic relief — from her dad’s bumbling college friend Matt to the oafish “tarot bros” her co-hikers invite to camp with them along the trail.
A full-circle ending brings a hint of satisfying closure to the complicated relationship at the heart of Good One. In many ways, the film serves as a female gaze at the male gaze, exploring the emotional weight families carry, the universal adolescent experience of learning who to trust, and the rocky trails we blaze in finding peace within it all. ▼
SONGWRITER
Sunday, September 1
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
Christian Sedelmyer
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Wednesday, September 4
PANEL DISCUSSION
With Designers Marina Toybina and Maria “Poni” Silver
6:00 pm · FORD THEATER PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK
Saturday, September 7
HATCH SHOW PRINT
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Saturday, September 7
SONGWRITER SESSION
Mark Irwin
NOON · FORD THEATER
Sunday, September 8
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
Ross Holmes
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Saturday, September 14
SONGWRITER SESSION
Lydia Vaughan
NOON · FORD THEATER
Saturday, September 14
BOOK TALK
Tyler Mahan Coe
Discusses George Jones and Tammy Wynette
2:30 pm · FORD THEATER
Sunday, September 15
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
John Shaw
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
1 Build up
6 Adjective that’s been called “one of the most hated words in the English language”
11 Pilates class equipment
15 Pike relative
16 Prefix meaning “straight” or “correct”
17 Like some accounts
18 Big name in cosmetics
19 Gave credit where credit was due, say
20 Singer who coaches on “The Voice,” familiarly
21 *Nabisco cookie brand
23 English town known for its mineral springs
24 Either parent of Zeus
25 *Major fantasy sports platform
26 Feature of “woulda,” “coulda” or “shoulda”
29 Ones doing impressions
31 Head off
32 Totally perplexed
34 Meadow call
37 Finishes in grand style, like the answers to the starred clues?
41 Scroll holder
42 British unit of mass
43 “___ Doone”
44 Creates buzz for
46 Get more of the same, maybe
48 Currency units in Nepal and Sri Lanka
51 How children’s books are often read
52 Union gain?
53 *Willa Cather novel set in 1880s Nebraska
58 Had too much, for short
59 Aptly named two-time Super Bowl M.V.P.
60 Hardship
61 *Slogan in the 2016 Republican presidential primary
62 One of 11 in “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
63 Present, for one
64 Son of Zeus
65 Digression of sorts
66 Outlines DOWN
1 ___ Douglas-Home, former British P.M.
2 Hit the ball well, in baseball slang
3 Not a fan of
4 Symbols of sovereignty
5 Views, as the future
6 Specialty espresso drink
7 Hunter in the night sky
8 Wee
9 The whole ___
10 Browning who directed 1931’s “Dracula”
11 Transforms
12 Juvenile rebuttal
13 Out of bounds
14 Exciting in a noisy or violent way
22 Counsel: Abbr.
23 Musical aptitude
25 “That’s right”
26 George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire,” for one
27 Songwriter Novello
28 Plant in the allium family
29 Speller’s clarification
30 First actor to portray a Bond villain (Le Chiffre, 1954)
33 Many basketball buckets
34 Teller of tales
35 Oscar-winning Hathaway
36 Gelatin substitute in vegan recipes
38 Org. that delivers
39 Classic children’s song about a lark
40 Was neighbors with
44 Rocks out to heavy metal, say
45 Fine-grained wood
47 One of four in Earth’s history
48 Spanish region with a namesake wine
49 Anesthetized
50 Academy newbie
51 Ran
53 ___ Day and the Knights, band that performs “Shout” in “Animal House”
54 Nickname for un padre
55 Criminal group
56 R.S.V.P. convenience
57 Rigid bracelets
59 Belgian town known for its mineral springs
NSC 8/29, 9/5, 9/12/24
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