december 2013
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2807 WEST END AVE 1900 EASTLAND AVE, SUITE 101
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Where Alcohol and FoOd Get Down 1922 Adelicia StreEt MusicCityTipPlLer.com 615.457.3406
Satisfaction Wednesday night dance party with Jacob Jones
Complimentary Gray Line ShutTle runNing to and from BP in 5 Points to our front doOr. Pick up on the half hour from 9:30pm - 2am # NAT I V ENAS HV I L L E
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DILLON SMITH
MAKES THINGS HE LIKES. There are nights when he does this in front of thousands of people.
And there
are also nights when he does this as 10s of people wait in line at Bongo Java’s East Café for a made-to-order specialty drink. Whatever it is, Dillon has always been driven to make better stuff. He tours with the band Protomen and plays violin in a post-rock outfit called The Ascent of Everest.
This month, he is
releasing his first full length solo album, Comely Homely, under the name Noir Test. Expect it to be infused with the same classically-inspired ambient soundscapes that he’s been experimenting with. As he says, “I make sounds that I like.” He also makes coffee that he likes at Bongo Java’s East Cafe including his favorite, a cortado. Comely Homely will be released December 17th on noirtest.bandcamp.com.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS DECEMBER 2013
36 46
70 60 26 THE GOODS
92 78
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13 Beer From Here 14 Give Gifts That Give 20 Cocktail of the Month 23 Master Platers 102 Hey Good Lookin’ 107 You Oughta Know 108 Overheard @ NATIVE 111 Observatory 112 Animal of the Month
FEATURES 26 The Magical Beer-stery Tour 36 High Art and High Water 46 The Mother Church of Film 60 Learn Twice 70 Eat. Share. Vote. 81 Kids Aren't Kids 92 Art in Motion
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COME GRAB A PIE 12TH AND PORTER CRAZY CHANGES AND RENOVATIONS
COME GET WILD 12/2: THE VIOLET BLUES WITH TIO & UBERPHONICS 12/3: DEAD DAY W/ KEEPS 12/5: KEELAN DONOVAN WITH STEVE LESTER, JESSICA MARTINDALE & MAMADEAR 12/6: MACHINES ARE PEOPLE TOO W/ THE LONELY BISCUITS 12/7: SUNSQUABI WITH HIGHER LEARNING 12/9: TRISTEN SMITH WITH KATIE KESSLER & ZACH BERRY 12/10: TRAVELLER EP RELEASE SHOW W/ LIZA ANNE & MATT WRIGHT 12/11: STEPHANIE QUAYLE W/ LUKAS BRACEWELL & JAKE CLAYTON BAND
12/13: SHANNON LABRIE W/ ZACH RYAN AND THE RENEGADES, SARA BETH GO & JACLYN MONROE 12/16: TIM BERGSTROM W/ BRAD JONES & SETH ABRAM 12/17: FAITH EVANS RUCH W/ SHANE PIASECKI & HOPE SONAM 12/18: MYLA SMITH W/ FERRIER & MOLLY MARTIN 12/19: UNDER GREAT LIGHTS HOLIDAY BALL - SPECIAL GUESTS 12/20: 12TH & PORTER HOLIDAY PARTY W/ THIS IS ART, AMERIGO, SIRIUS COLORS & SPECIAL GUESTS (FREE!) 12/31: NYE AT 12TH & PORTER W/ SPECIAL GUESTS
P.S. NASHVILLE NEEDS TO DANCE MORE # NAT I V ENAS HV I L L E
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DEAR NATIVES,
I
n the magazine industry, we have to work months in advance. Which means we get to start thinking about December in like, August. So, when we think about December, all we know is we can’t wait to break out our Elf DVD. Which makes us think of Santa (WE KNOW HIM!), which makes us think of giving...and children singing and magical bedtime stories and pianos playing and family cooking...and beer. Long story short, we got all warm and fuzzy and we don’t care who knows it. We want to thank you for giving your time to NATIVE this year. Whether Ben Folds’ smirk enticed you to pick up your very first issue, or you’ve been with us for a while now,
please know we really appreciate you, and we know the people and businesses inside our pages appreciate you, too. We deemed this the “Giving Issue” because there are a hearty handful of people in Nashville giving their time, money, and livelihood to ensure our city (and our planet) becomes a better place to live. So let’s use this month to be thankful, be generous, gain ten pounds (all the more to hug you with), and take a deep breath. Then it’s back to kicking ass and taking names starting....January 2nd (the 1st is for napping, duh). See you next year,
president, founder:
ANGELIQUE PITTMAN JON PITTMAN associate publisher: KATRINA HARTWIG publisher, founder:
founder, brand director:
DAVE PITTMAN
founder, senior
account executive:
creative director:
MACKENZIE MOORE
managing editor:
ELISE LASKO
art director:
HANNAH LOVELL
account executives:
COLIN PIGOTT JOE CLEMONS ALEX TAPPER
assistant to senior
account executive:
AYLA SITZES
web editor:
TAYLOR RABOIN
music supervisor: film supervisor:
JOE CLEMONS
CASEY FULLER
contributing editor:
The Native Team
writers: photographers:
BEHIND THE DOOR: This month, NATIVE was gifted the talent of the wonderful Tim Cook: illustrator, designer, and musician. If he’s not coloring on the walls, he’s probably making something else really awesome. Also, he’s a big fan of Ben Folds. Ben — if you’re reading this, y’all met in a bathroom once. That's all, folks!
CAYLA MACKEY
CHARLIE HICKERSON JOE ALLMAN CHARLIE HICKERSON HENRY PILE S.L. ALLIGOOD BECCA CAPERS MALLORIE KING CHRISTINA VINSON CATHERINE PRATER MELANIE SHELLEY WELLS ADAMS RYAN GREEN JOSHUA BLACK WILKINS WILL HOLLAND ANDREA BEHRENDS TREVOR BURBANK EMILY HALL KATE CAUTHEN LAUREN HOLLAND TYLER BLANKENSHIP ELI MCFADDEN HARRISON HUDSON KRYSTAL THOMPSON
design intern:
SETH HAMMOCK
photo intern:
KRYSTAL THOMPSON
community liaison: pr intern:
founding team:
CATHERINE PRATER ALLISON LANCASTER MACKENZIE MOORE JOSHUA SIRCHIO TAYLOR RABOIN
want to work at native? contact:
WORK@NATIVE.IS SALES@NATIVE.IS for all other inquiries: HELLO@NATIVE.IS to advertise, contact:
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YAZOO BREWERY
WRITTEN BY
JOE ALLMAN You might not expect a beer named Sue to pack much of a punch. But it does. Like the protagonist in the Johnny Cash ballad “A Boy Named Sue,” this beer is big and mean, but in the end, it turns out to be a bit of a sweetheart. It’s unlike any other beer made here—and not just in name. The fine folks at Yazoo had an idea to smoke a beer because, heck, everything else in this town is smoked. They rounded up some fine barley malts and made sure the herbs spent some quality time sitting atop blazing cherrywood before dropping
them into the brew, and the result is a sweet-tasting smoked porter that will give you breath like a bonfire. At first, Sue tastes a little bit like a liquid dessert, with strong notes of chocolate and cherry, but galena and perle hops give it a clean finish that leaves you refreshed, happy, and ready for more. Since Sue comes in bombers (750-mL bottles) and contains 9.6% alcohol, there’s sure to be more, and you’re sure to be happy. Come to think of it, maybe it’s not that different from dessert after all. The geniuses at Jeni’s Splendid Ice
Cream seem to agree, and they’ve spun it into a ridiculous flavor they call “Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts.” Jeni’s throws in peanuts, pecans, and almonds dusted with rosemary, brown sugar, and cayenne to make an artisanal dessert that needs no aperitif. But, should you be feeling bold, you can always pair it with a tall glass of Yazoo’s sweet, high gravity treat. All that fat and booze might just be downright irresponsible—but I’m pretty sure The Man in Black would approve.
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GIVE GIFTS THAT GIVE FIND LOCAL GIFTS THAT MAKE THE WORLD BETTER IN OUR GIVING GUIDE
FIND THE GIVING GUIDE AT:
NATIVE.IS/GIVING
DID YOU KNOW NATIVE IS A SOCIAL BUSINESS? Our mission is to make Nashville “awesomer” by telling the stories of creative Nashvillians. It is our goal to encourage, inspire, and connect people to grow and support Nashville’s creative community. We also try to minimize our impact on the planet by using alternative energy, planting 100 trees for every ton of paper we use, and delivering our magazines by bicycle. We will always strive to do better. 14 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ///
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IT USED TO BE THAT YOU SIMPLY BOUGHT A GIFT FOR SOMEONE AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. You gave your
money to a store. They paid the people who made the product. Those people paid their employees. That was it. You didn’t think about the environmental or social impact of that gift. You didn’t think about who made it or where it came from or what was in it. In many cases, neither did the company that sold it. Buying gifts for people used to be a simple transaction, but as businesses and their customers become more informed and more conscientious, the traditional capitalist approach to making and selling goods is no longer enough to thrive as a business. It’s no longer enough to maximize profit while obeying the law. Increasingly, customers and businesses are trying to have a positive impact while making purchases or profit. In some cases, businesses are even seeking that positive impact over profit. Today, when you give gifts, there are now a myriad of enterprises (both for-profit and nonprofit) worth supporting that are competing to do the most good possible, while also serving you as a customer. If they get in the way of profit, capitalism in its most basic form doesn’t leave much room for love, respect, kindness, mercy, honesty, loyalty, dignity, compassion, generosity, or (in many cases) basic decency, even though they are all things we ostensibly care about. That’s why a new way of approaching capitalism has emerged—one that takes our values into account while seeking profit—conscious capitalism or conscious business, which emerged from an earlier idea called corporate social responsibility, which suggested that businesses have ethical obligations to people other than employees, customers, and shareholders. Conscious businesses take the effects they have on others into consideration whenever they make decisions. Conscious businesses often seek to make a positive impact where possible, but they are defined by their aim to do no harm to people or the planet while making a profit. It is an incredibly admirable goal. However, the world of business hasn’t stopped there. Even more radical ways of thinking have also emerged in recent years. Some businesses, known generally as “social businesses,” (although that term means different things to different people) are defined by their desire to actively have a positive impact. Generally, a social business will have solving a social, humanitarian, or environmental problem at its center, along with a desire to make some kind of profit. A model known as “buy one, give one” allows companies to brag (deservedly) that they give
products to people in need when you buy from them. A growing number of social businesses have taken a surprising and surprisingly successful approach to solving social, humanitarian, and environmental problems by applying conscious capitalist principles to doing business with traditionally overlooked, underserved markets. They sell responsibly made and smartly designed houses, lightbulbs, medicines, foods, toilets, bicycles, clothes, mosquito nets, and much more to the world’s poorest people, with a goal of sustainably improving nutrition, health, wealth, and overall well-being. Other companies take a similar approach by giving small “micro-loans” to poor, would-be entrepreneurs, while other social businesses create change by providing jobs, generous wages, benefits, and other deliberately “inefficient” support to people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to such opportunities. Some businesses have decided to approach giving and problem solving in a less direct (but sometimes bigger) way, by committing to giving a certain percentage of profits each year to charity. In some cases, for-profit companies have given away as much as 100% of their profits annually. At the same time, many nonprofits have adopted the production and/or selling of goods and services as a more stable, independent source of income for their charitable operations. These nonprofit businesses are often referred to as social enterprises (although that term also encompasses for-profit social businesses). While these models don’t cover all of the amazing ways organizations are using the traditional tools of capitalism to deliberately make the world better, they help to show that we can easily do good while giving gifts to our friends (and coworkers) and family members. Last year, Native published a gift guide that featured some of the great goods that are made by Nashvillians and sold locally. We talked about the benefits of “buying local”—job creation, keeping money in the local economy, building community, etc. This year, we’d still like to encourage you to shop locally and support local businesses and nonprofits, but we’d also like to ask you to raise your expectations. Don’t take for granted the good you can do by voting with your dollars. Learn which causes businesses support and where their products come from. It’s a beautiful thing that capitalism has led us to a point where companies now compete to do good and not just well. With that in mind, we’ve created the first ever Native Giving Guide, an online guide to local products that do good when you give them.
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COME SHOP OUR STORE! 2728 Eugenia Ave • Suite 106 Nashville, Tennessee MONDAY-SATURDAY • 10AM-5PM
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A portion of all sales benefits the Wonderful Life Foundation
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*SPICY CHOCOLATE SYRUP:
BUMPASS DOG GROWING UP, OUR GRANDPARENTS SANG CAROLS AT THE PIANO AND GOT ORANGES IN THEIR STOCKING FOR CHRISTMAS. F*ck that, give me A
2 cups sugar 2 cups water 1 tbsp. unsweeten ed cocoa powder 1 tsp. cayenne powd er
Christmas Story on Netflix, a new iPhone, and a strong cocktail. Our grandma always told us that oranges are associated with Christmas because of their scarcity around the Great Depression, and getting one in your stocking was considered a luxury. Want real luxury? Give me Alexis Soler in those booty shorts pouring chocolate in my goblet. Ben Clemons named this drink after one of his own favorite Christmas memories, but fair warning: just like the Bumpass’ dogs did indeed ruin Christmas, too much of this drink could ruin yours.
F Combine all ing redients. Cook un til dissolved, then str ain with cheeseclot h into container.
THE GOODS 1½ oz.
Belle Meade Bourbon
¾ oz.
spicy chocolate syrup*
¼ oz.
Campari
5 dashes fresh lemon juice
F Stir all ingredients and strain into freshly iced rocks glass. F Garnish with orange zest and cherry. -Ben Clemons and Alexis Soler, No. 308
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IVENNASH AS HVILL VIL LE ##NNATATIVE E
more info at facebook.com/germantowncohousingnashville
CATERING & DELIVERY & ONLINE + LOCAL CRAFT BEER ON TAP TAP!! 112 19TH AVE S. 路 NASHVILLE, TN 37203 路 615.678.4795 路 HATTIEB.COM 22 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ///
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MASTER PLATERS
CHICKEN CHILI There are more versions of the story behind the first chili recipe than Tiger Woods’s mistress list, but a pretty common one credits Sister Mary of Agreda, a Spanish nun from the early 1600s. She was known around the cloister to be pretty familiar with out-of-body experiences—especially the kind involving her spirit teleporting across the Atlantic to save the souls of Native Americans. After one particularly memorable “trip,” Sister
Mary’s psyche transcribed the first chili recipe: chili peppers, venison, onions, and tomato. The same century, American frontier settlers devised a clever way to eat substantial meals on the trail by pounding dried beef, suet (the hard, white fat on a cow’s Pee-wee Herman), dried chili peppers, and salt together to form dry bricks that they’d boil during their travels—sign me up! Coincidence or not, they were all onto something—the same something
THE GOODS: 1 tbsp. olive oil 3 chicken breast halves, boneless 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced
that The Cookery’s Chef Brett Swayn has transformed into a flavorful, spice-filled stew that just might induce an out-ofbody experience. But more than giving us their rendition of the centuries-old staple, the eatery also provides culinary training to members of Nashville’s homeless community to prepare them for local jobs in the food industry. Practice your own culinary skills on their hearty chicken chili recipe below.
RECIPE BROUGHT TO YOU BY CHEF BRETT SWAYN OF THE COOKERY
5¼ cups chicken broth 3 15 oz. cans white kidney beans, rinsed / drained 1 tbsp. The Cookery’s Adobo Mix* 1 tbsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. ground cumin chopped cilantro to taste cayenne pepper to taste salt to taste
DIRECTIONS: F Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chicken, onion, and garlic in hot oil until the chicken is browned completely (3 to 5 minutes per side). F Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut into desired pieces. Dust with approximately 1 tbsp. of Cookery Adobo spice. Mix. Return to Dutch oven and add chicken broth, beans, oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes. F Divide cilantro among 4 bowls. Ladle chili over cilantro and season with salt to serve. Dress with ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a spoonful of sour cream, and a cilantro sprig.
* Visit native.is/master-platers-december-2013 to learn how to make Adobo mix yourself!
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MESSENGERS LEGAL DOCUMENTS LUNCH BANK DEPOSITS THOUSANDS OF MAGAZINES BICYCLES GROCERIES PRESCRIPTIONS COURT FILINGS
Y O U N A M E I T, W E ’ L L D E L I V E R I T
(615) 707- 9 6 9 5
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THE MAGICAL BEER-STERY TOUR
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12SOUTH WINTER WARMER FOUNDER MATT LEFF IS DYING TO TAKE YOU TO A HOPS AND BARLEY-LADEN NIRVANA AND IMPROVE HIS CITY ALONG THE WAY
In a city where it seems like everyone and their dog is a singer-songwriter, visual artist, entrepreneur, designer, or renowned chef, it’s easy to get a little jaded. Every weekend, there’s something exceptional to see, hear, eat, or experience, and after a while, this smorgasbord of creativity can seem like a vast sea of mediocrity (#firstworldproblems). Bands are written off as Mumford, Jack White, or Black Keys ripoffs; last week’s hottest restaurant is next week’s blandest lunchroom; and that new bar down the street is passè before it even opens. In other words, it can feel like there’s nothing new in Nashville. But entrepreneur and craft beer connoisseur Matt Leff stands as a true original. Known around town as the “East Nashville Beer Festival guy,” he has worked feverishly to make this city into a craft beer destination. Through his company, Rhizome Productions (aptly named after the underground root system that spawns hop vines), Matt has put on a series of beer festivals around the Southeast, most notably East Nashville Beer Fest, 12South Winter Warmer, Brew at the Zoo, Taste of Tennessee Craft Brewers Festival, and Tennessee Volksfest—and those are just the ones here in town.
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He doesn’t simply pour beer and set up tents for a living, though. Ever since 2011, when he began putting on the best craft brewed parties Nashville’s ever seen, the entrepreneur’s vision has centered around meticulous planning, focus on the local community, and, most importantly, philanthropy. All of Rhizome’s events are charitable, and to this day, Matt has raised over $182,000 for Nashville nonprofits. These include organizations like the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild (an association that protects craft brewers’ rights) and The Workshop (a collaboration between Halcyon Bike Shop and The Oasis Center to teach underprivileged kids how to build and care for bikes). His signature event, East Nashville Beer Fest, raised $39,000 for Ride for Reading (a group that delivers books via bikes to children in low-income areas) in just three years. And if that wasn’t enough, Rhizome’s first two annual Brew at the Zoo Fests raised over $130,000. Basically, he has emerged as Nashville’s patron saint of all things hoppy. I was fortunate enough to accompany this malted barley mystic on his Nashville Brew Bus, a charter bus tour that, as the company’s website puts it, “takes you safely to several breweries, beer bars, growler fill stations, and other secret venues we support.” But in actuality, the year-old tour does much more. It’s a portal to the tight-knit community that Matt has played a key role in cultivating—an afternoon of buzzed bliss that finds transcendence in taprooms and top-fermenting yeast. Roll up for the Magical Beer-stery Tour. BOARDING: THE FLYING SAUCER A bowlful of Frosted Mini-Wheats sloshes in my stomach—milk was a bad choice—as I run from the Frist parking lot to The Flying Saucer, desperately hoping that the craft beer chariot ahead won’t take off without me. I make it, albeit fifteen minutes late, and board with an assorted group of tourists, work colleagues, and nondescript bros. I check in with Johnny Shields (the eggman to Matt’s walrus) and scan the crowd for
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Rhizome’s mastermind. Sure enough, like some sort of shaman, Matt seemingly materializes out of thin air as soon as I stop looking for him. We find seats at the front of the bus next to Pat, a bus driver in his mid-sixties, and before I can even grab my pen, he gets down to business. “My goal is to make Nashville more aware of craft beer,” he explains as we creep by Black 13 Tattoo. “I don’t really spend money on advertising—it’s all grassroots. The Brew Bus is about pleasure over profit. It’s just a way to hang out.” Over the course of the afternoon, it becomes abundantly clear that this nobullshit-let’s-do-it attitude is Matt’s calling card. He doesn’t waste time with small talk or pleasantries, and he doesn’t waste time with doubt or indecision, either. We wind down 8th Avenue toward Craft Brewed, Pat finds a spot on the curb (the man is an absolutely incredible driver—he parallel parks a charter bus likes it’s a VW Bug), and we step out to begin our alcohol-fueled sojourn. FIRST STOP: CRAFT BREWED “You want a beer? You wanna try the Black Abbey? I’m gonna get the Black Abbey,” Matt excitedly asks. As the bartender fills our glasses, Talking Heads’ “Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place)” fades into the general chatter of the bar/filling station. We get our drinks, he declares, “Any day where you can day drink is a good day. You can quote me on that.” Can’t argue with that logic. I take a swig of the Black Abbey’s The Special—a distinctive Belgian brown ale— and think about how well it would pair with a ribeye or dripping bacon cheeseburger. As I’m busy gastro-daydreaming and getting lost in the beer’s smoky aftertaste, Matt recounts the roots of Rhizome over David Byrne’s whimpering synth solo. Born and raised in Long Island, he moved to Fort Lauderdale at fifteen. At the University of Central Florida, he majored in Legal Studies but eventually came to the conclusion that being an attorney was not his calling. So, when the future entre-
“ANY DAY WHERE YOU CAN DAY DRINK IS A GOOD DAY. YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT.” preneur graduated in 2006, he took a job in IT over pursing his juris degree. From there, Matt lived the married life in Atlanta before relocating to Nashville, where his wife, Tracey, earned her nurse practitioner degree. “When we moved here, I was still doing IT work, and Tracey was so busy with school that I was like, ‘I’m bored. I need to do something.’ So, I woke up one morning and said, ‘I’m gonna put on a beer fest,’” Matt explains nonchalantly, as if trading data storage for stouts is something everyone does at some point or another. But it’s this sort of bold tenacity that’s the epitome of Matt—if he wants to do something, he’s going to do it. As he tellingly reveals, “Sometimes you say, ‘Well, I could keep doing what I’m doing and be unhappy, or I could take a chance. F*ck it, ya know?’” All f*cks aside, the only event planning experience he had at the time was some behind-the-scenes music festival work he’d done in college. And even though driving a golf cart around Bonnaroo is hardly comparable to organizing several of Nashville’s best beer festivals, Matt had learned enough to realize that preparation is key— nine months of preparation to be exact. “I had to take the time to do it right,” he asserts between swigs of Potus 44. “I wasn’t just gonna say, ‘I’m gonna have beer fest
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next week.’ It had to be organic, that was key. If it was forced or artificial, it wouldn’t make sense.” Keeping in step with his “organic,” grassroots vision, Matt rallied the East Nashville community through social media, made an absurd amount of phone calls, and pestered anyone that would give him the time of day. The hard work paid off, and eventually Nashville realized that he wasn’t “just blowing smoke up their asses.” When asked why he took over half a year to plan an event that lasts roughly five hours, his slight Long Island accent takes on a serious tone. “I knew I wanted to do things very differently. It couldn’t just be a beer fest—it had to be more than that,” he begins. “I wanted people to make a connection with the people behind the products. So, I started calling breweries and saying, ‘I know your business is willing to pour beer, but I want you to come. I want the guests at this festival to meet you and talk to you.” Johnny (aka the eggman) chips in, saying, “The more you learn about brewing, the more you learn that there is magic behind it. It’s a science and an art form that produces this amazing, delicious, product that’s also intoxicating. It’s the greatest thing in the world.” We finish our glasses of The Greatest Thing in the World, and Johnny bellows, “All aboard!” Before heading to the door, Matt maneuvers through the room, cracking jokes and asking passengers about their beer—he wasn’t kidding about his passion for one-on-one connections. A few chainsmoking stragglers chief down Marlboro Lights, Pat steps back into the bus, and we’re off to Franklin.
in the heart of Nashville
30 days for $30 ShaktiYogaNashville.com • 65 Music Square E • 615.942.8100
STOP TWO: COOL SPRINGS BREWERY If I didn’t already feel like the Paul and John of Nashville’s craft beer scene were leading me on a slightly less surreal version of The Fab Four’s 1967 foray into film, I definitely do now. I don’t know if I’m getting an early afternoon buzz or if I simply spent too much time at Ms. Kelli’s the night before, but things are starting to get weird. Matt changes all the bus’ TVs to a QVC special on “authentic” Japanese knives, the bus gets flipped off by a dad in a Camry, and
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Pat lets us off at a sad strip mall where Cool Springs Brewery sits next to The Children’s Hour Drop-In Daycare and Sport Clips. Inside, exposed piping and ventilation create an environment that’s equal parts pub and power plant. A pair of vats surrounded by a series of bronze tubing and pressure gauges marks the entrance, and like Dr. Frankenstein emerging from the fog of his lab, brewmaster Derrick Morse walks out of his beer cave to greet us. Assorted employees scurry around him to prepare for a party of thirty, and the whole place seems to fall in line like a beer-savvy von Trapp family. We find seats, and I order a fish fillet as big as my head while Derrick addresses the tour group. He declares, “Luckily, you have to drink based off what I like to drink.” Today, that means a round of the brewery’s Black SenSaison, a farmhouse ale with a floral scent and bronzed head, and Private Johnsons, a West Coast APA with a hint of grapefruit in its dry finish. As Johnny’s pizza arrives, Rhizome’s right-hand man elaborates on the process behind the com-
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pany’s events. “We always work it out so there’s an educated, knowledgeable person at events pouring the beer. We don’t just want volunteers who say, ‘It’s a brown one!’ when you ask them what you’re drinking,” Johnny says, readjusting his conductor hat. “I think that’s the big difference between our events and ones in other cities,” Matt adds. “If you’re just throwing beer at people, you might as well put a keg in the backyard. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not going to teach people anything about beer.” I put away a few more bites of the absurd amount of fish in front me, just to make sure I reach full gluttony. Struggling to move, I walk down the mezzanine and realize that the Black Abbey Potus 44, Black SenSaison, Private Johnsons, and various other samples I had during lunch are starting to catch up to me. I follow Johnny and Matt outside and the combination of grease, alcohol, and mid-sixties weather sends me into a slightly buzzed, surrealistic daze. We seem to float across the strip mall parking lot to Pat, who
stands leaning against the charter bus like Phaethon preparing to take his chariot to the sun (sans the whole Zeus killing him part, of course). LAST STOP: TURTLE ANARCHY BREWERY The charter bus turns into an industrial park, and we arrive at another strangelyzoned brewery, Turtle Anarchy, located beside Prima Performance, a kids’ dance studio. Compared to Cool Springs’ exposed industrial look, Turtle Anarchy seems perfectly quaint, like a cozy little nook for beer aficionados. I later learn that the brewery’s down-home feel is the result of family ownership—brothers Mark and Andrew Kamp serve as the president and vice president of the year-old company. I take a seat in a row of benches with some fellow passengers—a few of whom let the afternoon’s events get the better of them. Like (slightly inebriated) school children, we listen to Mark explain the differences between Scarlet Harlot, Another Way to Rye, Portly Stout, and Aurumglass. While I wonder if I can handle even more
MATT LEFF: rhizomeproductions.com Follow on Twitter @RhizomePro native.is/matt-leff
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beer on top of the Frosted Mini Wheats, the fish and chips, and the veritable science experiment of craft brews already in my stomach, Mark addresses one of the brewery’s top FAQs: its name. He explains that a “turtle anarchy” is his ideal vision for the future of the beer market— a slow revolution in which independent brewers usurp reigning kings like Anheuser-Busch or Miller. It’s sort of like Marx’s hope for the proletariat, except you replace a really intense revolution with really good beer. Mark finishes his spiel and goes back behind the bar, where Johnny and Matt are enjoying a couple of Scarlet Harlots. I grab a seat near them and feel like Michael Anthony Hall attempting to sit with the cool kids in a John Hughes movie. The trio shoots the shit for a while before talking about a beer festival in Chattanooga that Rhizome hosted and Turtle Anarchy attended. Because of the festival, Mark picked up three new accounts and spread his beer to a previously unreached market, East Tennessee. Almost a year later, he now has over ten accounts in the area. Visibly ecstatic that the festival produced business for Turtle Anarchy, Matt begins, “This all goes back to our events as a whole and what we do. It’s about supporting your local community. It’s not about sending beer to California or any other state, it’s about supporting your home state.” We’re finishing our drinks, and Matt makes a few business plans with Mark before adding, “Beer brings people together, and it’s just fun in general. Even if we’re picking up trash, it’s fun. I value who we work with, and I try to give, not just take. I just want everyone to be happy.” As I reflect on the day—from swigging APAs to the Talking Heads to eating obscene amounts of pub food to floating across a Cool Springs parking lot—I realize that I’m just one of the many people Matt’s made truly happy in “this cynical music town.” When I get home, I promptly enter a craft brew coma, and I spend the rest of the afternoon dreaming about the Eggman, the Walrus, and the wonders of the Magical Beer-stery Tour.
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BEN FOLDS HOLDS THE KEYS TO MUSIC CITY By Henry Pile | Photography by Joshua Black Wilkins
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“Ben is his own worst PR guy,” Mike Kopp, the musician’s comanager, tells me with a grin that belies his teddy bear exterior. With a professional music career spanning nearly twenty years, Ben Folds has etched his name in rock ‘n’ roll and earned the right to lose the sales pitch and get right to his opinions. His work, accomplishments, and stark raving mad fans converge to create a forest greater than any trees of potential publicity misgivings. But as the overly warm security office at Schermerhorn Symphony Center fills with managers, PR people, and, eventually, Ben Folds himself, I suspect this army of spin doctors is not protecting Ben from himself. They are protecting Ben from me. To find a quiet place to talk, the entourage heads down the promenade to an empty cocktail area. Ben is busy on his phone. He and I are separated by the phalanx of his people. Once through the next set of doors, down the hall and into the dimly lit space, the minders scatter. Other than the giant image of Amy Grant hanging ominously overhead, Ben and I are alone. The heavy stone walls reverberate with the dissipating echo of footsteps. I am keenly aware of my posture and pace of breath. It dawns on me; I feel the weight of Ben Folds’ “celebrity.” He’s small. He wears glasses. He walks with a slight shuffle, but he is so practiced at the art of commanding a room that I am overwhelmed in the silence. In a typical interview, I would start asking a few layup questions to give my subject a warm up. This time, I babble for two minutes about NATIVE, the background conversations I’ve had about this article, and my depth of symphony. In my lap, the list of questions blurs and Ben’s stone face is blacked out from the white light streaming through the window behind him. Without nuance or grace, I jump into the interview with, “What drives you to donate so much of your time and energy to charitable work?” My lungs feel a post-sprint burn, and I wince at the
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bluntness of this opener. But, with measured breath and poise, Ben begins, “It emanates out of how I’ve structured my life. Everyone I work with enjoys spending time on things that aren’t necessarily lucrative but are interesting and fun.” A traditional business structure is built with a singular goal—make money. But Ben’s business is different and he’s assembled a team that strikes a healthy balance with a smart focus on the value of music as an educator, healer, connector, and enhancer. “Because I work with people who are all really interested in helping people, we leverage a lot of energy toward these things. I use my quasicelebrity status where I can,” he says with self-awareness. For a moment, forget about bricks, black t-shirts, reality TV shows, and Chatroulette. Imagine Ben Folds the humanitarian. Bob Lynch, CEO and President of Americans for the Arts (the organization that founded the National Endowment for the Arts), describes Ben as “our most adamant, helpful, and generous member of the Artist Committee.” Through Americans for the Arts, Ben has participated in workshops with folks like Robert Redford, lobbied Congress for art funding, and volunteered his time generously and freely. He is the Americans for the Arts ambassador to Nashville, a Schermerhorn board member, and music therapy fundraiser. Ben and his team spend time “putting together a database for music therapists” because the work is meaningful. Ben travels across the country for benefits and speaking engagements, but home is where the heart is, and Ben Folds has a big heart for Nashville. His advocacy for Music City took center stage in 2010. You might recollect that in May of that year, some water spilled into Nashville’s downtown area and the sump pump in the Schermerhorn’s basement couldn’t keep up. Stop me if you’ve heard this story, but the Symphony’s $10 million flood insurance policy wasn’t enough to fix the mess. In a nearby storage unit was Ben’s piano, just floating around like a wood and
wire iceberg. Maybe it was sunken at the bottom like freshwater treasure, but regardless, it was ruined along with countless volumes of personal instruments, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and pretty much everything else in the guts of the high art music sanctuary next door. The Symphony’s $10 million flood insurance seems pretty handy compared to the repair for my basement, but the Schermerhorn racked up $13 million in clean up alone. By the end of the summer, they were over $42 million for the entire rebuild. Just below the floorboards, that place was ruined, and there weren’t a lot of people psyched to throw cash at it. Why? Because nearly everyone and everything was in some state of disarray. Back at the height of the flood, the world outside any of the 372XX zip codes saw a “Breaking News!” version of the mud and water pouring into our homes and businesses. These highlights underrepresented the misery many families suffered. The misperception motivated Ben to load his camera with film and grab his phone for a “this is how it really is” photo documentary. Those pictures of asphalt beaches, artistic deluges, and a spate of weary-eyed yet hopeful Nashvillians were eventually published on Weather.com, in National Geographic, and on Ben’s website. As the waters receded, Ben’s pianoturned-iceberg was beyond resuscitation. This unplayable instrument was just one broken heart in a litter of ruin, mangled fretboards, and waterlogged music makers. Rather than scrap it, Ben pulled the heap out, broke it down into pieces, and found clever ways to reinvent each and every piece. The most public demonstration of this effort was the Keys to Music City fundraiser. Ben began signing
“EVERYONE I WORK WITH ENJOYS SPENDING TIME ON THINGS THAT AREN’T NECESSARILY LUCRATIVE BUT ARE INTERESTING AND FUN.”
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BEN FOLDS: benfolds.com Follow on Facebook and on Twitter @BenFolds native.is/ben-folds
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LOCATED IN EDGEHILL VILLAGE each piano key, selling them through the Schermerhorn’s website, and donating the money to the Symphony. Within minutes of posting the keys online, the first one sold. “I’m pretty sure Makiko Ishikawa bought that one,” he recalled. She is Ben’s selfproclaimed number one fan from Japan. The fact that he remembers her name points to a level of sincerity within Ben’s story that becomes more meaningful as our conversation unfolds. Growing his fundraising efforts, Ben and the Schermerhorn added Sara Bareilles, Diana Krall, and Kristin Chenoweth to their campaign, each donating eighty-eight signed keys. Keep in mind, the goal of this drive was not to raise over $60,000; the goal was to raise awareness by leveraging the power of celebrity. Hustling for a donation and carrying the flag for the Symphony are not typical rock star behaviors, but Ben doesn’t ascribe to any predestined, rock star life. Sure, he has his wayward moments, but his path is
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NASHVILLE SYMPHONY: nashvillesyphony.org To buy a Ben Folds Key to Music City, visit nashvillesymphony.org/support/keys Follow on Twitter @nashvillesymph and on Instagram @nashvillesymphony 42 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ///
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uniquely his own, and he’s cultivating an existence of musical sustenance on a new level. His time donated equates to time returned, with every minute a high-value investment. He looks at this system as a “second economy,” and he is ardent that everyone can exist on this fundamental principle. “There are too many people getting good out of what you do to fail,” he tells me. This line is a blink in the longer conversation of “goodness.” It’s heady and centered in activism, but not the organized, protest type. This is a personal, apolitical focus on being a good person. In the music business, Ben looks back to those studying therapy and education as the ones who get it. He admits, “They’re not likely to sign a major label deal and go make millions of dollars.” But they are farmers seeding the field. In this metaphor, their toil returns a harvest that feeds more than their own. An abundance nourishes the mind, body, and soul. What’s most compelling about our conversation is the ebullience with which he speaks. He approaches this work without a labored drain and gets revved up at the thought of giving his time, his energy, and his focus. In his secondary economy, there is no need to sell anything, nor is there a need to buy anything. To share the work and the reward is one of the central themes. Jamie George, owner and director of The George Center for Music Therapy, recognized this in Ben. In cahoots with four other music
therapists, she began Twitter-stalking him for some time before finally getting his attention. Their timing proved to be serendipitous as Ben was getting more involved with music education, and the link to music therapy was clear. Ben synced up with Jamie’s organization, and a relationship developed. Ben has since promoted American Music Therapy Association, of which Jamie is an active member, supported music therapy through his own work, and hosted fundraising concerts. Not familiar with these concerts? That’s because Ben launched them as a music event, not a fundraiser. He donated ticket sales without publicity as a way to remove any perceived political agenda. But recently, he has started to embrace the publicity because he wants more focus on what The George Center is accomplishing and wants to clear a path for people to get involved. Ben grins until his eyes nearly close, “I think the kids in college now who consider a career in music education or music therapy are crazy, and they know no one will pay them. But their faith is that if they do it, they will be taken care of—and they’re right.” His hope is to leverage his celebrity to form relationships between organizations doing good and the people who can help. These relationships matter because the arts simultaneously add value to and derive inspiration from their surroundings. The arts are married to the local community and the relationships between artists and their com-
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“IF YOU’RE GOING TO CALL A TOWN ‘MUSIC CITY,’ AND YOU DON’T BACK IT UP WITH THE FINEST ORCHESTRA AND THE FINEST HALL, THEN YOU’RE REALLY F*CKING UP.”
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munity would paint a picture of interde- tion,” Ben admits, pendency. The arts played a role in every “I really have to put that out of my head great civilization. The Symphony specifically is made up and make a piece of terms we use to describe a heightened that I thought was level of engagement—“in concert,” “har- the reason that I mony,” “well orchestrated.” As Ben ex- make music.” With plains it, “People need to look at a stage only a handful of and see eighty people who can work to- months to go and gether because they turn on television and a composer's salsee a body of congress who can’t work to- ary, Ben is putting gether. We’re accustomed to that kind of his time where is mouth is, but dissonance as entertainment.” When it comes to the arts, working to- he seems to engether is easy. Like Ben and his Keys to joy the challenge. Music City fundraiser, you are tasked with “It’s a lot of work... offering a life-saving breath when the ar- and it’s hard,” he tistic heartbeat of the community threat- laughs. Look for ens to flatline. There are plenty of cities music videos and that produce music, but no other city lives an eighteen-month on it. Nashville draws musicians in and tour to accompany the launch. gives them a permanent address. We stand and make our way out. This But the dynamic of the musician is evolving. “When I was coming along, it time, as we reenter the promenade, Ben was more about doing shit for yourself,” and I are walking next to each other, he admits. “But I think that there’s a new laughing about some misguided driving breed who are thinking, ‘I love music, I directions in Kentucky and a speeding love performing, and I love seeing other ticket in New Jersey. Ben’s management team surrounds us. I look at Mike Kopp people perform.’” Keep in mind, Ben is not just talking and he smiles a pure teddy bear smile, about going to see the musicians that shakes my hand, and thanks me. It dawns on me—Mike lied to me, and slurp coffee at Barista Parlor or your friend’s neighbor who landed an opening he did it on purpose. He knows that Ben spot at The End. Ben is talking about all is an excellent PR guy because Ben is forms of music in all venues, and he is ada- supremely passionate. He revived Nashmant that the city put its money where its ville’s historic RCA studio A and made it mouth is. In a breath, he lays it out plainly, his own. He represents our city at Ameri“If you’re going to call a town ‘Music City,’ cans for the Arts. He looks to Nashville and you don’t back it up with the finest as a solid foundation to hold this prize orchestra and the finest hall, then you’re high overhead. Ben has stood mired in the flood damage and surrounded by the really f*cking up.” Ben is taking full advantage of our elegance of the Schermerhorn stage. He fine orchestra with the still-under-wraps knows what it means to act as an ambasconcerto he is writing. Working with the sador for Music City. Ben is not some “shoot from the hip” Nashville Ballet, he began creating an instrumental piece that, in Ben’s words, rock star looking for the next party. Ben “blew up.” The Symphony is now part of has a message, and I can help deliver it. the commission with the full debut taking Before everyone leaves, I ask Ben for a call place in Nashville this coming March. The to action he might issue to Nashville. He piece may be better described as a tone- smiles, and with full rock ‘n’ roll bravado poem written in concerto form, but the says, “You should see the orchestra. It will get you laid for sure.” Without a doubt, I focus is all on the quality of the music. “I’m not trying to get an ‘A’ in composi- know he’s right..
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The Mother Church of Film
Almost ninety years of community indie-pendance makes The Belcourt the mecca of film for Nashville By S. L. Alligood | Photography by Will Holland
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Nate at Black Abbey Brewing Co.
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Toby Leonard ought to have succumbed to jet lag by now. Twenty-four hours earlier he was on the Left Coast, ending a week of visiting studios and collecting info on soon-tobe-released films at the American Film Institute’s Film Fest, an annual event that attracts cinephiles like Toby by the thousands. But here he is on a Wednesday morning in his broom closet-sized office on the second floor “executive” suite that serves as the nerve center of the Belcourt Theatre. As Programming Director at the Belcourt, which is to Nashville’s film aficionados as the Ryman is to music lovers, Toby is responsible for choosing the movies that flicker on the revered art house’s twin screens 365 days a year. That’s everything from the annual Christmas offering of It’s a Wonderful Life to retrospectives by Alfred Hitchcock, the Coen Brothers, and French New Wave director Jacques Demy. And gems like Moonrise Kingdom and Beasts of the Southern Wild, both of which played to large, appreciative audiences
during their extended runs at the Belcourt. And indie productions and documentaries and the best of cinematic offerings from every continent. “At some point in the last six, seven years, we really started hitting our stride, creating a certain level of trust with the community,” Toby says. He notes that Nashville audiences understand the Belcourt is more about quality storytelling than Hollywood productions dependent upon computer-generated images of war and mayhem. Hitting that stride in programming as well as with the Belcourt’s two-yearold education and engagement program has brought the theater national notice. Its success with indie filmmakers led to a relationship with the Sundance Film Festival and to a seat at its Art House Convergence, an annual meeting of theater professionals held each year just before the festival. “When I go to these meetings, people have heard of the Belcourt. They know we’re in Nashville, and they know what we’re doing,” Toby says.
He wears a dark wool blazer, a blue t-shirt from the River’s Edge Film Festival in Paducah, Kentucky, a pair of corduroy pants, and sneakers. His eyes say he’s a little tired, but his body language says he’s glad to have his butt back in his chair in front of his twin computer screens. His office could be described as a hovel; however, he might take exception since the dictionary definition of the word is “a small, miserable dwelling.” Toby, who unfolds to six-foot-six and possesses a disarming smile and a habit of rubbing his thick beard with his fingers, has not been miserable a single day since he started working here. He was twenty-seven when he asked the question that nonprofits like the Belcourt love to be asked: “Can I help?” He’s now forty, and he’s risen through the ranks to his current title of...wait, what is it? “Director of Programming...Programming Director. I haven’t really settled on one. I think my business card says Director of Programming.” Toby reaches for his wallet, retrieves a card. “Yeah, Director of Programming.”
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Nate's workshop at Fort Houston
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Even if he cares little about titles, Toby is passionate about his job. He smiles and points to one of the computer screens. “It’s not public yet, but I’m finalizing a Coen brothers retrospective in December leading up to their new film Inside Llewyn Davis, ” he says. The excitement in his voice is palpable. Last year, a Hitchcock retrospective he planned attracted sell-out crowds. He’s confident the chance to once again see Coen favorites like Fargo on the big screen will sell a lot of tickets, too. That’s what Toby’s been working on all morning before our meeting. “I should have slept two hours late,” Toby notes. “Instead, I got up two hours earlier.” So he came to work. ••••••• The Belcourt’s beginning goes back to the era of silent film. In 1925, it opened as the Hillsboro Theater, where audiences laughed at the antics of Buster Keaton and women swooned at the debonair (but equally mum) Rudolph Valentino. For reasons unclear, the movies stopped showing as the Depression took hold. It could have been due to the economy or a failure to switch over to talkies (motion pictures with sound), which rose to prominence after the release of 1927’s The Jazz Singer. For a number of years that followed, the building in Hillsboro Village went through a number of transitions. In
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the early 1930s, the theater became the home of the Children’s Theatre of Nashville (the precursor of the Nashville Children’s Theatre) and, for two ostensibly rollicking years from 1934 to 1936, the venue hosted the Grand Ole Opry. At the time, the Opry’s popularity was growing so fast, the show skipped around town to larger venues until it moved to the Ryman in 1943. In 1937, the Belcourt became the Nashville Community Playhouse, a multi-purpose facility for plays and community meetings, as well as film events. It retained this purpose until 1966, when it became the Belcourt Cinema, a venture that lasted for three decades. After experiencing financial difficulties, the art house closed in 1999. And
shortly after, a nonprofit group, Belcourt YES!, organized and leased the building but found the going rough. Cineplexes with better facilities and more movie choices sucked the life out of the smaller theater. Ticket sales were lackluster, despite the successful grassroots efforts to save it from other development, and overhead on the old building was high. A reprieve came in 2003, when Belcourt YES! board member, Thomas Wills, purchased the theater and became a lenient landlord. In 2007, the nonprofit group bought the movie house from Wills, with donations from generous Nashvillians. Today, the Belcourt remains a nonprofit, independent theater. According to Jennifer Fay, a professor of film studies at Vanderbilt University, the theater could have easily been torn down and replaced by apartments or businesses. Instead, the movie house has remained an invaluable cultural asset.
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“I did not arrive in Nashville and then discover the Belcourt. The Belcourt is among the great things in Nashville that convinced me to move here in the first place,” says the professor, who has led numerous discussion panels at the Belcourt in recent years. Fay credits the theater with creating a culture “that fosters a welcoming and very smart film-going community. Movies are something around which we can all gather. But this is the only movie theater in town that really brings people together.” “Its status as a nonprofit, communityoriented institution means that the Belcourt has deep and very specific ties to Nashville in a way that you simply do not find at any chain theater or cineplex.” ••••••• Allison Inman holds the title of Education and Engagement Director at The
“We had one theater, and I loved goBelcourt, a position she has segmented into digestible portions—much like she ing to the movies, but they never had the portions out the spelling of her name sound right, and the movie would be out into five common words: “All-is-on-in- of focus. I always had to leave and find the manager and ask him to fix someman.” What Toby schedules, Allison pon- thing,” Allison recalls with a laugh. Needless to say, that wasn’t the kind ders, thinking of ways to get people talking about the movie they just saw. Her of movie engagement she craved. When she was in college at Tech, Allihope is that discussion will make the storytelling more meaningful and, she son discovered the Belcourt existed and hopes, bring them back to the Belcourt. that it was showing films she wanted to Her methods are Q&As, panel discus- see. “I drove this very old car that my fasions, director interviews via Skype or in person, and anything else she deems ther called a “one zip code car,” so I’d fit to use, including delivering movies to kind of hitch a ride with a friend who kids who might not otherwise be able to was coming to Nashville to go shopping or to a doctor’s appointment or somesee a movie. Like Toby, Allison is obsessed with thing, and I would have people drop me movies, although her first years as a off at the Belcourt.” Sometimes Allison bona fide film fan were frustrating. She would see two movies in an afternoon. Allison is sitting at one of a few café grew up in Cookeville, the “Hub of the Upper Cumberland,” where her father, tables set up in the lobby for patrons. Connie Inman, was basketball coach at “This was the early 1990s. I fell in love with the Belcourt. I remember seeing Tennessee Tech.
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“…THIS IS THE ONLY MOVIE THEATER IN TOWN THAT REALLY BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER.”
Hoop Dreams, the Steve James documentary, I think in 1994, right there in the 1966 Hall,” she says, pointing to the second screening room. The original theater, meanwhile, is simply called “the 1925,” referring to the year it was built. “Just this last year, Steve James had a new film out, and I did a Q&A with him via Skype in that same hall where I really learned to love documentaries. Hoop Dreams blew my mind. And so to have that connection twenty years later was pretty exciting to me.” Allison began working at the theater two years ago via a circuitous route that began with corporate communications, which led to a publicity job with public television in Denver, which led to producing panel discussions for Independent Lens on PBS, which led to similar work in New Orleans and Nashville. For a time, she also worked
with a concert promoter who frequently booked shows at the Belcourt. When Stephanie Silverman, Executive Director of the Belcourt, offered her a job, “I felt I already belonged here in a sense.” The work is hard but rewarding, she notes. “Usually, I’m putting together events all the time, coordinating panels, chasing people down, trying to find the right thing, trying to work within our schedule. It’s a constant back and forth.” She mentions with a smile, that she actually gets paid to watch movies. “I need to watch everything so I can determine if there’s an engagement aspect.” For instance: is there a local tie between the movie and a person in Nashville, or is there an expert in town who would make a good panel member, or is the subject of the movie something that Nashvillians might want to talk about? “Those are some of the things I think about. But of course, it’s got to be a good film. Not every show is going to need a
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panel or a Q&A,” she says. Allison explains that music documentaries have been very popular at the Belcourt. “We have all these wonderful musicians in Nashville who can participate on panels and who are in the documentaries we’re showing. They have been very interesting programs.” The other half of her job is education. “I have a regular program at the Martha O’Bryan Center, which is very dear to me. I’ve gotten very close to the kids and teachers there. I think they are fantastic,” she says, explaining that she takes the movies to them, except in the summer, when the kids are bussed to the Belcourt for a couple of private showings. On one occasion, she screened Ponyo, an animated tale about a goldfish and a boy, and “they flipped out over it. They still talk about it,” Allison says. In fact, one of her secret delights is strolling through the lobby after a showing and listening to patrons dis-
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cussing movies. “People talk about film in the lobby of the Belcourt, which is not what I see in other theaters. I’ve been to other art houses before where no one was standing around talking about movies. That is what I love about this place,” she says. ••••••• I ask Toby about his hopes and dreams for the Belcourt. He tilts his head and scratches his beard. “Hopes and dreams. I mean, I have notions. The thing is, we’re doing what we set out to do,” he says. “We’re now at the point where we can take chances, where we wouldn’t have been able to years ago.” As an example, he mentions a recent Jacques Demy series featuring his best work and the aforementioned twentyfive film Alfred Hitchcock series. Another example: the most recent Robert Redford film All is Lost. After an initial week-long run, it was popular enough that Toby extended it to a month. “Other things have to be pushed back as a result. You’re constantly adapting to successes and failures,” he says. “Sometimes the hardest part of the job is dealing with curve balls.” Even so, the Belcourt has developed a track record for success. “Our run of Moonrise Kingdom last year was pretty incredible. We opened the film on the week they expanded it to 840 screens. We had the highest gross in the country out of all those. That was a pretty good coup. I think it turned a lot of heads,” Toby recalls. Allison says the secret to the Belcourt’s success is that “it’s all about the movie. We program films not based on how much money they’re going to make—I mean, we definitely want to stay afloat—but we certainly program films that might not have a wide audience. And we know that, but we still think it’s important to show it. Film is sacred here.”
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By Becca Capers | Photos of Alyssa and Trevor by Andrea Behrends Photos taken at Nakikungube Primary School in Nakikungube, Uganda, by Trevor Burbank
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LEARNTWICE Two Vandy grads use children’s books to illustrate that cultural literacy is all one language Three years ago,
Trevor Burbank and Alyssa Van Camp were working toward the same solution from different angles. While studying International Development in Uganda, Trevor was struck by the dearth of Ugandan storybooks for children. Outside of their elders’ fireside-type tales, most of which have struggled to survive orally, all that’s available for Ugandan youth to read are unrelatable Western favorites like The Cat in the Hat. He immediately realized that children in developing countries needed books—physical stories—in their native tongues, written by people from their countries and cultures. Armed with a Masters in International Education Policy and Management, Alyssa began teaching fourth grade at Eiken Elementary School. However, after her similar experiences in Uganda, she became preoccupied with the bigger picture of the education world outside her classroom. To help imbue
her students with a sense of where they live and how fortunate they were to have access to books and education, she found that stories were the most effective approach. These two issues effectively sum up the two sides of Teach Twice. Founded by Trevor and a group of Vanderbilt students in 2010, Teach Twice aims to improve cultural literacy by publishing children’s stories from around the world. The organization has since collected stories by Ugandan, Chinese, Salvadorian, Zambian, Indian, and South African authors. Two of these stories have already been published, with the profits dedicated to creating foundations for improving literacy in the author's native country. Their business model is to publish each book with a specific education incentive, which could be anything from the construction of a new school to a scholarship program. But it’s not just these coun-
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Excerpt from Teach Twice book, Tall Enough
TEACH TWICE:
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teachtwice.org Follow on Facebook and Twitter @TeachTwice native.is/teach-twice
tries’ literacy rates Teach Twice is concerned about. Cultural literacy is as much of a problem in the US as it is in sub-Saharan Africa. There, children have only other countries’ books to read; here, we have only ours. So, Trevor set out to teach this reality equally to two parties with completely different levels of need. Teach Twice began with him at the helm of a half-dozen or so Vanderbilt graduates—each with a different role. During this time, Alyssa was still earning her masters while teaching, but she eventually replaced some of the less committed among Trevor’s original task force. Now, Alyssa is Chief Executive Officer of Teach Twice, and she and Trevor are a tour de force of can-do spirit. Clear and grounded, she is the eternal problem solver, while he is the smiling face and the voice that humbly says, “We’re here to help.” Their first story, My Precious Name, was written by Eve Barongo from Northwestern Uganda, and proceeds go to-
wards funding the building of a primary school. In and around its publication, Trevor found vital African connections to work with on the project. His bright and sincere disposition must translate into any language. He reports, “Since starting Teach Twice, we’ve really found a lot of people and organizations around the world that are similarly-minded and willing to help.” Since distribution is not limited to any one country, translation is a key part of the process. Trevor and Alyssa place particular importance on providing young people with books that were written in their mother tongue. Countries like Zambia and South Africa are surrounded by hundreds of dialects that have hardly met the pages of a single book. But as Trevor says, “Stories exist around the world—no matter what.” Sometimes it takes more than two people to get those stories out. When they’re working on fundraising to publish an upcoming story— as they are now for the five
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stories they have on deck—Trevor and Alyssa are surrounded by a team of lawyers and translators. But to sustain all of that takes more money than they currently have. “Right now,” Alyssa explains, “We’re just waiting to build our capital enough to be able to pay our employees.” Having focused for so long on a philanthropic model for change, she says it was a surprise to learn that the for-profit model might better suit some charitable organizations. And if that applies to anyone, it applies to Teach Twice. The funds they raise go toward the production and distribution of the books they publish. So Alyssa, and by extension, Trevor, have had to adopt a business-savvy outlook on their shared passion. “One inefficient method we were practicing was direct sales,” Alyssa admits. “At first, all book sales were made directly on the website and in person. But, as we quickly figured out, that’s not the way to provide for the masses.” So, they ended up switching to Lightning Source, a web-sourced company that allows for mass distribution—to schools, libraries, and Amazon—internationally. Another efficiency of the modern book business that Teach Twice fully embraces is providing the media in a digital form as well as a physical one. Of course, the availability of Kindles and iPads in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, isn’t a given. But if Teach Twice can partner with an organization that provides the instruments necessary to read eBooks, they could easily go digital. “The publishing industry is really not an easy one to make it in,” she continues. “We’re looking for a way to scale sales to match a following that isn’t just limited to Nashville.” Having built their brand around an elementary school age group, Teach Twice currently appeals to International Baccalaureate Schools like Julia Green Elementary. They have also partnered with Nashville Pub-
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lic Libraries, Parnassus Books, and the tribution company in the world: Ingram. pansion is key for a business like Teach “Their employees have been incredibly Twice. They hope to have offices all over Southern Festival of Books. "There tends to be a disconnect be- helpful with our recent projects,” Trev- the US, maybe a few in other countries tween the money and where it comes or effuses of the publishing giant. “We as well, and a translation of every book from,” Alyssa relates. “But we really try really feel like we’re working alongside they publish that suits the language needs of its reader. to raise all necessary funds to be able to the people at Ingram.” The way things are looking for the orSo far, Teach Twice has only taken empower the people we work with." Before our meeting, they had just left inspiration from the academic and busi- ganization right now, the pair may only a social enterprisers’ potluck. They were ness cultures of Nashville. But Trevor need a few magnanimous Yuletide doenjoying a post-potluck pumpkin beer, and Alyssa recognize that international nations to get rolling towards that goal. seemingly in a cheery mood after net- communities flourish and struggle all They’re spreading themselves across the corners of Nashville and the internet to working with like-minded philanthro- over Nashville. Alyssa sighs, “We’d love to publish fund their next books, but their success pists and entrepreneurs. Alyssa chimes, “It’s good to be in Nashville, where any- more books by authors whose countries still depends on the demand for these one will share their opinion, if they have are represented in high volumes here, stories. Or better said, the vocalizing like India, Egypt, Kurdistan, Laos, and of demand. The need for stories from a one, on your business plan.” Trevor agrees, and he’ll admit that Mexico. We are still working on scaling diverse canon of writers is no less apparTeach Twice enjoys pro bono help on our business to fit local need and inform ent now than it was before globalization the occasional project when a peer in the immigrant population about our brought the third world into our living rooms. But it remains for the financially the social enterprise crew is available. publications.” In ten years, Trevor and Alyssa agree, comfortable to say, “I will read your stoEven outside of this network, which the two agree largely stems from a commu- “the same but better” would be their ry to my children.” As for the children in Uganda and nity of Vanderbilt students and profes- ideal vision for Teach Twice. Nashville, sors, Trevor and Alyssa don’t have to with many think-tank enclaves, publish- Zambia, they have long been saying, look far to find help. After all, Nashville ing gurus, and globally-minded universi- “What’s a wardrobe? What’s a tuffet?” is host to the largest publishing and dis- ties, is a perfect fit for the pair. But ex-
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Eat. Share. Vote. MEGAN MORTON KNOWS HOW TO HOST A DINNER THAT LEAVES YOU HUNGRY
By Mallorie King | Photography by Emily Hall & Kate Cauthen
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If you Google “Megan Morton,” you will find results on childbirth education, homemade green cleaning products, or a video of her making an organic vegetable-loaded ratatouille with her family. “I live in a universe of my own creation,” the pixie-haired thirtysomething admits. From equality rallies to school board meetings to visits to the farmers market, Megan gets around, meeting many likeminded Nashvillians along the way. However, on a business trip to Detroit last fall, Megan’s path took an unexpected turn.
As Executive Director of the East Nashville-headquartered Community Food Advocates, she was aware of Detroit’s “high risk” food security ranking. Based on a series of measured indicators, this “risk” rating system effectively defines places that have limited or uncertain availability to nutritionally adequate and/or safe foods. Simply put, these spheres of insecurity are areas where food is hard to come by. For comparison, the only higher rating is “extreme risk,” which generally occurs in third world countries experiencing drought. With a rising number of Nashville residents relying on food stamps and food pantries, Megan is equally aware of the
likelihood of Nashville’s food security rating escalating to the same level as Detroit’s. Megan knew about food insecurity before she’d ever heard the term. For a large part of her childhood growing up in different parts of Tennessee, she experienced hunger and saw its effects. Now, she spends her days sitting behind a desk overrun with books, documents, community assessments, and maps of the city, working towards ensuring that fewer and fewer people have to experience what she did. She was initially hired by Community Food Advocates as an administrative assistant. “It was part time and it was temporary. It wasn’t
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great, but it was with an organization that I followed and loved,” Megan says. Months into her role, however, the food advocacy nonprofit found itself in a managerial gray area. With a multiplying to-do list and no director to supervise her, she just started doing everything she could herself. She filled in all the necessary gaps and, within a year of being hired as a part-time administrative assistant, she became Executive Director. “I like to joke with new employees that they too could be the next Executive Director of Community Food Advocates,” Megan laughs. Unlike soup kitchens or food pantries, Community Food Advocates focuses primarily on changing our food system as a whole in order to make local food more readily available to the community. This involves a lot of planning, research, and ceaseless policy work, which means it’s difficult to define what it is the Community Food Advocates team actu-
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ally does day to day. “It’s not easy to explain what we do,” says Megan. “We sit at our desks all day long and make big things happen that you will never know happened.” Community Food Advocates hosts three programs: Growing Healthy Kids, the SNAP Outreach and Advocacy Program, and Seed Money Suppers. The first, Growing Healthy Kids, educates Nashville children, parents, and school administrations through classroom presentations, mini-grants to fund school gardens, and an overall “farm-to-school” approach in cafeterias. Then there’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) Outreach and Advocacy Program which in Tennessee is similar to food stamps. This past October, anticipating more than one million Tennessee residents losing their benefits, Community Food Advocates dedicated an entire week to educating Tennesseans on SNAP. That same month, just over a year since her promotion, Megan became a finalist for the Center for Nonprofit Management’s Memorial Foundation Leadership Award, given to a nonprofit that has demonstrated sound management strategy in the heat of crisis. Now, Megan is receiving the popular vote within the community as well. Her big discovery in Detroit was an organization called SOUP—a monthly dinner whose concept was so intriguing that Megan brought it home to Nashville. Enter Community Food Advocates’ next big undertaking—Seed Money Suppers. Attending a Seed Money Supper is like Food Security 101—that is, if Food Security 101 was taught by a rotating cast ranging from neighbors to food lobbyists, and if drinking Black Betty during the lecture was encouraged. The open-sourced structure builds a more open-sourced community. For a ten dollar donation, you receive soup, salad, and (usually) beer. Every detail—from the food, the diners, the presenters, and the projects— is community-sourced. The public dinners are different from pop-ups, since
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they’re hosted to raise money for a local business or organization. More importantly, the entrance cost allows you a vote. “I wanted to empower the community to make a decision instead of making it for them,” she says. “That thought process fit hand in hand with my belief that nothing good can come from a top-down approach.” During dinner, speakers ranging from local movers and shakers to those just hoping to get their foot in the door give presentations. Afterward, the audience votes on whichever project they feel has the best chance for success in their community, and the winner takes home an oversized check from the money collected at the door. ••••• This is where we enter the “choose your own adventure” portion of this story. No two dinners are the same, and a “typical” dinner is different for everyone.
Adventure One: You were into Community Supported Agriculture before it was cool. You’ve probably even volunteered for Community Food Advocates in the past. You’ll likely discuss Megan’s latest work on Nashville school lunch programs until the presentations begin. The first is for a new farmer’s market that may be opening in your neighborhood. If they win, the money will be used to buy card readers that can accept SNAP benefits. It’s a no-brainer. Adventure Two: You read Eater Nashville as much as (or more than) The Tennessean. And while Instagramming the roasted eggplant soup, you recognize Sloco’s chef, Jeremy Barlow, hovering nearby. You quickly find yourself midsummary into his book, How Chefs Can Save the World, until the presentations begin. You hear from a food truck owner you haven’t spotted on the food blogs. Pending the purchase of new kitchen equipment, you may find them at Centennial Park soon.
Adventure Three: Quino-what? Beyond its necessity to sustain life, you’re a complete ingenue when it comes to food. Maybe you’re a little skeptical about an event sponsored by a group with the words “community” and “advocates” in the name. You’ll likely eat quietly, hoping to keep your lack of local knowledge a secret. You listen to a shaggy-looking presenter describe the process for growing organic mushrooms at home, something that he hopes to teach others while selling his gourmet selection. You find his passion for mushrooms so endearingly odd that you can’t help casting a vote. ••••• The first dinner was hosted by Sloco, a sandwich shop in 12South that marries the health-conscious conservativism of a vegan diet with a rewardingly sloppy meatball sub. The success of Seed Money Supper’s January debut has
SEED MONEY SUPPERS AND COMMUNITY FOOD ADVOCATES: seedmoneysupper.org communityfoodadvocates.org natve.is/seed-money-suppers
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snowballed into a monthly sponsorship with each self service spread including options for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. Fat Bottom Brewing Company also jumped on board early and continues to pull draft beer from a tapped Igloo cooler each month. Megan attributes the supper’s early success to the support of the local food community. These days, that community has grown to encompass a much larger swath of the city, while somehow maintaining a “small world” disposition. Megan’s work, which bridges the line between advocacy and entrepreneurship, is a testament to that. “There’s no bar in Nashville that I can get drunk at,” she jokes. While Megan never seems to stop working, Seed Money Suppers combines both of her worlds; it incorporates communal education and democratic entrepreneurship with a healthy dose of food and booze. Although the idea of gathering as a
community to make meaningful decisions is an old-fashioned concept, it’s also one that’s back in vogue. “It’s an old-school idea with its vintage font and grandfather mustache, wrapped up in a brand new package,” says Megan. It’s right there with pop-up dinners, the return of the farm-to-table movement, and anything having to do with canning. The tangible DIY aspect lends itself to a more creative, entrepreneuriallydriven crowd. And that’s opened the door for a whole new group (maybe even a new generation) to enter into this systemic conversation. Herein lies the weird beauty of Seed Money Suppers. Interesting things happen when you gather a cross section of society in one place. Add in the monetary investment, even if it’s only ten dollars, and people speak up fast. Thankfully the attendees, as Megan puts it, “come up with some damn great questions.” It’s a new take on entrepreneurial natural selection—one where
the audience is much more nurturing to start-up businesses. Take past winner Jeffrey Orkin, for example. After initially losing to another presenter, he returned to Seed Money Suppers six months later to take home the grant money, which he used to invest in new lights for his hydroponic farm, Urban Hydro Project. “I think that you need to have a story to tell about what you’re doing,” he says, “and the impact it will have on the community,” noting the importance of subscribing to the crowd-funded format. His failed presentation turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Jeffrey the broad communal insight he needed to revise his business proposal. With an improved lighting system, Urban Hydro Project is now able to grow local food—from herbs and leafy greens to tomatoes and cucumbers— year round. Demand for their perennial produce selection already has Jeffrey planning expansion into a larger space.
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One of his best customers? Sloco’s own Jeremy Barlow. But it’s not just about supporting its presenters and winners. Seed Money Suppers aims to educate the community as part of an effort to keep Nashville out of the “high risk” territory. However, this need to inform might also be Community Food Advocate’s biggest holdup. Unlike, say, Detroit, Cleveland, or Memphis, Nashville lacks a certain amount of immediacy when it comes to socioeconomic issues. So many people don't even realize there is an issue at hand—meaning that it may take a little more to get locals to the table. “We see the visible, obvious fight here,” says Megan. With other cities being over-documented, prodded, and publicized for their misgivings, our comparative economies of scale slip us further into neutrality and inaction. “But it exists,” she assures me, “We don’t do our job because it’s fun—we do it because there’s a need for it.” But that’s when I realize that Seed Money Suppers really is fun for Megan. I’d say it’s the one chance she gets to be selfish, but that would be obtuse. For the woman who never leaves work at the office, who carries the weight of equality wherever she goes, Seed Money Suppers is her idea of a good time—a celebration of the community that she and her team have worked so hard to create. Being a self-proclaimed, lifelong social justice advocate, Megan’s vocabulary doesn’t include the phrase “work/life balance.” “Having a job where my work satisfies that part of me that needs to be making a difference as a ‘bleeding heart’ kind of person...you don’t really land anything better.” With or without a paycheck, Megan wouldn’t live her life any differently. Sure, she leaves the office at 5 p.m. to eat dinner with her family, but you can sure as hell bet dinner is locally sourced, safely grown, and most of all, homemade.
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KIDS AREN’T KIDS AT NOTES FOR NOTES, THEY’RE MUSICIANS BY CHRISTINA VINSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREN HOLLAND
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I WALK INTO THE SOUTH LOCATION OF THE ANDREW JACKSON BOYS & GIRLS CLUB ON A DRIZZLY, GRAY AFTERNOON, and I find myself
standing in the middle of a bustling room with youth everywhere, playing games, laughing, running around. I ask the first smiling face I see, “Can you tell me where to find Jen Hodges?” Even in a full room, I see exactly where I’m being pointed, or rather, I hear exactly where I need to go. There is a studio straight ahead with music playing at full force, vibrating through the walls in an audible greeting. I tentatively open the door and immediately, I’m part of a crowd. We’re all crammed into the small studio, all enjoying one thing: music. This isn’t just any music studio— it’s part of the nonprofit Notes for Notes, which provides youth ages six through eighteen free access to musical instruments, lessons, and after school drop-in recording studios, known as MusicBox Studios. And the best part? Notes for Notes is free for all! Just become a Boys & Girls Club member. Jen, Program Director for MusicBox Studio South, makes her way over to me, holding out her hand in greeting, and I immediately feel comfortable. With wavy light brown hair, rectangular black-rimmed glasses, and an ambience that epitomizes the word “chill,” it’s hard not to feel right at ease with her. And, even though she is shorter than a lot of the students packed around her, it’s clear by their adoring looks that they respect her tremendously. We decide to exit the studio and chat in a quiet classroom in the Boys & Girls Club, and along the way, we walk past a six-year-old boy. He’s singing a melody that I just heard in the studio next door. “They all know each other’s songs in here,” Jen explains, and I nod thoughtfully. I begin to sense MusicBox’s positivity seeping through its walls and bringing music to everyone
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within hearing distance. As we settle down into two uncomfortable classroom chairs, Jen, a native of North Carolina, tells me about her background. I quickly realize she’s a music prodigy. “I started playing piano at six, bass at ten, guitar at twelve, and drums somewhere in between,” she rattles off. “I was in a band in middle school, grunge band in high school, went to Berklee in 2005, and graduated in 2008.” Although she worked in the music industry after graduation, the role within her company started to move away from music and towards the stock market—which was not up her alley. So, Jen opened up Craigslist and stumbled on Notes for Notes. When she saw the program director position included music and youth, she jumped on the opportunity and was hired in March 2012. Her experience gives her more than enough credentials to instruct the youth who come to Notes for Notes. When I ask what she does on an everyday basis, Jen lists, “I teach bass, drums, guitar, keyboard. I book shows. I teach them about recording, how to write a proper email, make a proper phone call, basically everything.” As any musician in Nashville knows, the music industry isn’t just about practicing your instrument or writing the catchiest hook; it’s also about sitting down and writing endless emails, making hundreds of phone calls, trying to make connections. That’s why Jen works to ensure that youth acquire these necessary communication skills. She furrows her brow for a second and leans in to tell me, “You always hear that kids don’t want to learn, and I can tell you it’s not true. Every day, I come in and ask them if they want to learn, and every time, the answer is, ‘YES.’” Jen pauses, then corrects herself. “Youth, not kids,” she laughs and explains that in MusicBox Studios, kids aren’t kids—they’re musicians. From the moment they walk in, they’re treated with respect.
“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO THEY ARE, HOW OLD THEY ARE, WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE— NOTHING. THAT’S ALWAYS THE ANSWER: ‘WE DON’T JUDGE.’” Jen explains that Notes for Notes was founded in Santa Barbara, California, in April 2006. It was essentially born from a need that founder Philip Gilley recognized while volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Santa Barbara.His “little brother” wanted to learn drums. Philip remembers taking him into a local music store and teaching him on a demo kit, justifying the visit with pick and spring purchases. It didn’t take him long to realize it simply wasn’t a sustainable model for their music instruction. So, he decided to create an environment where any youth could have free access to instruments, a recording studio, and the professional guidance of musicians like Jen. Since then, the organization has grown tremendously, with five current locations in California and Tennessee—and they’re not stopping. Their goal is to be in every major city across America—potentially internationally. Nashville boasts two Notes for Notes locations, the North Studio and the South Studio. When Jen and I head back into the studio, it’s the first chance I have to really look around. I am immediately impressed by the caliber of instruments surrounding us. A red Gibson Explorer hangs on the wall, and Fender amps are scattered throughout the small room.
Notes for Notes doesn’t just provide equipment; they provide high-quality equipment. Two of the youth at the South Studio are Sentwuan Gooch and Queen McElrath, both fifteen years old. Queen sports buzzed hair and large studs glisten from her ears. She is driven and focused, with a commanding presence of someone who has been through hell and back. Sentwuan is easily a couple feet taller than Queen, with an easygoing, steady personality. Jen tells me she can count on him for anything. Just as Queen and Sentwuan’s love for music brought them to the studio, music helped save them both from dire situations. In Sentwuan’s case, music replaced the need for drugs. He explains vulnerably, “I’m not going to lie—I thought drugs were the answer, so I started getting drugs. I kept doing drugs until I came to Notes for Notes where I started doing music, and all of a sudden, my feelings started coming out. That’s how I came to music.” Queen’s journey to Notes for Notes began with her love for poetry and words, both outlets for a difficult childhood— one that was controlled by a drug-addicted mom. “I had to grow up early,” she tells me, with no hint of self-pity in her voice. After a teacher’s recommendation, Queen walked into the door of the MusicBox Studio and hasn’t stopped coming since. “Music brings up the happiness inside of me; it could be a very sad song, but it’s bringing out the good in me. That’s what I turn to when I’m hurting or when I’m sad or mad. Music has always been there—it’s like a person, kind of.” The participants of Notes for Notes are not required to censor their every word, thought, and feeling into youthappropriate expressions. Instead, they encourage youth to vent their frustration, hurt, and experiences artistically through music. Instead of being told to be quiet, these students are asked to speak up. With the direction and expertise of Jen, Nashville’s South MusicBox is thriving. And, more importantly, the youth are thriving. It’s due in part to the transcendent quality of music, the relaxed envi-
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ronment she has created, and the passion she has for this worthy, inclusive cause. Jen finishes, “At first, they’re always shy about singing or playing an instrument or rapping, but everyone is always like, ‘Oh come on! We don’t judge.’ It doesn’t matter who they are, how old they are, what they look like—nothing. That’s always the answer: ‘We don’t judge.’” ••••••• A few weeks later, I head to Nashville’s North Studio, located in the Preston Taylor Boys & Girls Club. It’s a newer MusicBox, and the studio is a little bigger; the equipment a bit shinier; the wall paint a little fresher. Yet, one thing remains the same—it’s a musical environment available to youth. Nick Oldham is this location’s Program Director with a big personality, a solid build, and a jolly laugh. His love for music can even be seen in what he’s wearing—a white t-shirt with headphones printed on it. His deep voice prompts me to imagine the clear, soulful sounds that must come out when he sings. Nick’s introduction to Notes for Notes didn’t begin with a timely Craigslist ad, like Jen’s experience. He explains, “I have a music production company, RockStone Entertainment. We do all positive music, and we were looking for other like-minded organizations to partner with.” When RockStone’s Director of Operations came across Notes for Notes, she and Nick wanted to get involved. It seemed like it would be a beneficial fit for both parties—Notes for Notes offers talented youth, and RockStone Entertainment manages a record label. So, Nick began volunteering for the organization and getting to know the youth that popped into the studio. Soon, it wasn’t enough for Nick to simply volunteer; he became Program Director, putting his expertise as a singer-songwriter, vocal coach, and vocal producer to work. While the South studio focuses more on rap, the North studio focuses on songwriting and vocals. “Every day, I assist the youth in taking their ideas from their heads and giving them something
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tangible to walk out with. I help them vocally, assist in writing the lyrics and vocal arrangement. I mix it, master it, and then give it to them.” Nick leans forward and says astutely, “I learn more from them than they learn from me, period.” That’s not to say it’s without struggle. As a certified vocal coach, Nick has been singing and writing for two decades, working primarily with adults, including a wide range of celebrities. The transition from working with adults to school-aged individuals has been a challenge, and he chuckles, “It takes longer to get a song done. It takes an incredible amount of creativity to work with youth. Because of their attention span, you have to be so much more creativefor them to stay involved.” Despite the challenges he faces, Nick loves the work of Notes for Notes and considers it an honor. “There are so many talented kids who come through, and it’s such an honor to help them find their voices or find an instrument they didn’t know they liked before,” says Nick, settling back in his chair. Along with the glitzy side of the
recording industry, he, like Jen, teaches the youth about the other aspects of music business. “I try to teach them about some of the lucrative jobs behind the camera—managing, songwriting, booking. I try to expose them to so many different avenues so they don’t feel the pressure of always being in front of the camera.” Nick turns to a thirteen-year-old student named NeVondre, who is sporty in tan khakis and a plaid button-down shirt, his hair in neat dreadlocks. He’s soft-spoken until the topic turns to music—then, he lights up. NeVondre sings, plays tuba, and is unstoppable on drums. He stands next to Nick, who’s sitting at the keyboard, and they hammer out vocals, going over a melodic line again and again. After their practice time, NeVondre stands in the recording studio with headphones on, singing into the microphone. His eyes are closed, his body moving to the beat. “You feelin’ it?” Nick asks. “Yeah,” says NeVondre, nodding slowly, “I’m feeling it.” Nick grins, “I know you’re feeling it,” he
retorts, as NeVondre’s vocals fill the quietness of the warm, energetic studio. At Notes for Notes, youth are respected. Once they’re in the studio, it doesn’t matter whether their parents are millionaires or are on a fixed income; they have the same access to every piece of equipment. “Once you come to the door, you’re a musician,” Nick tells me. “Jack Johnson hung with us a while back. He was a musician just as much as a sixyear old who comes here.” With Notes for Notes’ focus on transcending barriers and assisting youth in developing their talents, the world of opportunity broadens to so many young individuals. Through the efforts of Jen, Nick, and the entire organization’s team, they’re helping youth discover themselves—talented artists just like Queen, Sentwuan, NeVondre, and loads of other students. They’re speaking the same universal language—music—and using its power and freedom of expression to bridge the gap and show their words matter, because the world needs to hear them.
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POPCAUSE: JAMESSnow: COX: Angel
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WHEN I ARRIVE DOWNTOWN AT burn—all performing on two moving public THE MUSIC CITY CENTER BUS STA- (and free) downtown buses. Listeners ranged TION, I’m greeted by a tall, slender twenty- from music fans to important names in the four year old with an impeccable fashion sense and a distinctive mustache (an embellishment that becomes more and more fitting as I get to know him). Kevin Scott Page, Founder and Creative Director of PopCause, is a filmmaker and producer with an impressive resume. His first affirmation that he was good at the art was in tenth grade when he won first place in a film contest without any formal training—impressive coming from a school in West Tennessee that had no camera equipment. At the age of seventeen, a film he produced made it into the Nashville Film Festival. And by the time he could have his first legal beer, he’d worked on projects with Lionsgate, FX, and The History Channel, to name a few. We board the bus as I fumble for cash. I have no idea where we’re going. After we claim two sideway-facing seats, he describes his transmedia brainchild and its impressive accomplishments over the past eleven months. PopCause originated from his belief in cause marketing—the art of storytelling through multiple media platforms as a way to raise awareness for a specific cause. “On a simplified level, we create branded content and link them to causes. They’re like five minute commercials for different organizations,” Kevin says in a well-rehearsed manner. Structured by a threefold formula of brand, experience, and nonprofit, the innovative company gracefully blurs the line between musical talent and philanthropy in order to forge connections with local causes. Launched in January of 2013, PopCause has more to show for its year-long presence than most startups do in five years. By July, it had already hosted its first community involvement project, Music Moves Festival. Nashville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau took notice of the event’s success, granting PopCause the Brand Champion Award “for pushing the Music City brand.” The fest involved twenty-nine local musical acts, including Anderson East, Marc Scibilia, James Wallace & The Naked Light, Great Peacock, even Béla Fleck and wife Abigail Wash-
business to passengers who were unaware of the event. Proceeds from Music Moves directly benefited music education via Notes for Notes, a nonprofit that provides youth with free access to instruments, instruction, and recording experience, enabling self-exploration in a safe, creative environment. (Read more about Notes for Notes and its Nashville anchors, Jen Hodges and Nick Oldham, on pg. 81.). Kevin smiles at its success, “Music Moves was the best event to launch PopCause because it featured a brand [Metro Transit Authority], experience [music performers], and a cause [Notes for Notes]”—fulfilling their underlying platform. “I’d say it featured the city in a way, too.” Sponsors ranged from mega-corps like CMT to local forces like Kaleidoscope Media and Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority. But before its success, several community partners were hesitant about supporting PopCause, and its founder encountered considerable resistance. After several meetings with Music Row record labels, he realized that many of them were approaching cause marketing as product placement. “They wanted nonprofits to pay $60,000 for the company to make a music video,” Kevin says with an incredulous look. “I’d reach out to these companies and organizations, and when they first saw me, I could tell they were thinking, ‘This is too different. We don’t want to be bothered by this.’ But as PopCause started to interact with the community more, they began showing interest. I find it kind of funny,” he muses, emitting a quiet, friendly laugh. Among these initially unsure groups were the decision makers of Nashville-based National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM). But after PopCause’s perfect score with Music Moves, the museum’s PR firm turned around and hired the organization as their Creative Team for their My Music Matters Campaign. Shortly after Music Moves, PopCause spearheaded the project, featuring a group of forty-five business executives, politicians (including Mayor Karl Dean), and musi-
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Kevin and the PopCause team
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cians telling stories about the importance of music in their own lives. After mentioning Karl Dean, Kevin tells me about his memorable encounter with the mayor. “One morning around 7 a.m., I was riding the bus from Green Hills to downtown when I noticed Karl get on. He was just taking the bus to his job—like me and so many others do.” He continues, “I’d seen him do that before, but it was always for photo ops. It was really cool to see him do that when he has other options to get to work.”
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mentality of ‘I’m not waving a flag to chose to go back to Nashville, launch save the world; I’m just going to ob- PopCause, and return when he could serve,’” he explains. And once the resi- make a bigger splash. Now, instead of instituting a film dents realized he had no real agenda, they grew to accept him, even greeting workshop, he’d like to start a collective that participates in community projects. him by name on the street. He explains that this small town in “I want to help the Pine Ridge residents the badlands of South Dakota is still tell their stories in creative ways, to proconsidered a war camp from the feder- vide a lens for them to look at things difal government’s division of the area in ferently,” he says. He continues, “My experience is a 1889. It lacks several necessities—a public library, public transportation, com- good reminder for people working at puters and internet accessibility, and a nonprofits that it’s worse in other places. brick-and-mortar bank. The streets lack And while I didn’t directly experience names and mailboxes. Approximately the challenges, I’ve seen them.” Kevin eighty percent of its inhabitants are returned to Nashville with a drastically unemployed, explaining why forty-nine different perception of need—and of percent live below the federal poverty the disparity between what improvements can be made and the limitations line. After his nine-day stay with pastor of executing them. The bus slows, and he motions that and author Leon Matthews, the film producer was offered a job as a commu- this is our queue. As we make our way nications manager at a top high school to the door, I try to maintain my balance nearby. “I thought about accepting the while the bus comes to a complete stop. job,” Kevin remembers. Instead, he Kevin still hasn’t mentioned what he’s
EquAl HouSiNg lENdEr
“People our age should really ride the bus more,” Kevin asserts. I can tell this topic is a passion of his, from MTA’s pivotal role in Music Moves, to the fact that our interview is happening on a bus that I’ve just figured out is headed towards West Nashville. “Whenever someone talks about the bus system here, they say it’s broken,” he notices. “But if we get more people riding the bus, we can find a way to make it better.” Kevin’s passion for public transportation parallels other personal projects, such as his trip to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation last October. After watching a PBS documentary about the last Indian massacre, he became invested in bringing a film workshop to teens living in America’s most devastated reservation. Most people who visit Pine Ridge come with church groups who are hellbent on “saving the Indians,” but Kevin chose to go alone to the desolate area where the teen suicide is 150% higher than the national average. “I took the
showing me—only that it will make his narrative complete. As we walk against the traffic on Charlotte Avenue, he makes an offhanded joke about Nashville drivers and their complete disregard for pedestrians. “I used to be one of those drivers,” he says, half-sarcastically. “Now I don’t drive anymore. No one really knows
[NIGHTLIFE + EVENT SPACE]
that I don’t have a car, unless I really like them.” Pieces of his story start coming together—not only his investment in improving broken systems, but his determination to utilize resources that are already around him. We begin walking up a driveway, the asphalt cracked in its more traveled spots. I see rows of orange garage doors before a Public Storage sign emerges over the incline. “This was one of my first interactions with Nashville,” Kevin begins, talking over his shoulder as he leads us to the entrance of the storage units. Growing up in Chicago, he had a unique living situation. His mother worked as a Public Storage manager at a location that’s an exact replica of the one we’re visiting now. Above each of the franchise’s leasing offices is an apartment for the manager and his or her family, so from fourth
through seventh grade, Kevin lived with his parents, older brother, and younger sister in the space atop a lot of others’ belongings. “Not many people can say their backyard looked like this,” he laughs, though changing his tone when he says, “It’s cool because each of these units is full of people’s stories.” He mentions a few people he remembers, like a homeless man who slept in his storage space, and John Mahoney (Kelsey Grammer’s father on Frasier) who owned a unit there as well. Kevin and his sister Brittany re-envisioned their “backyard” as a Hollywood set, using golf carts for James Bond action scenes. “When I was ten or eleven, I found a broken VHS camera at our Public Storage—it was the first time I ever had a camera. Here I was, making imaginary short films with a broken camera until my parents bought me one,” he laughs again, shaking his head. When he was an early teenager, he and his family moved to a small town
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(population: 800) in West Tennessee. His mother began working at this very location, commuting home on weekends to see her family before finding a job closer to home. Standing here, I’m not only impressed by the creativity of his own interview, but I’m seeing even more of his story come together. After his move to Tennessee and his unexpected film contest win in tenth grade, he began formally studying. He attended Governor’s School for the Arts and worked as a video news director for a newspaper in Parsons, Tennessee, during his high school career. While studying film production in college, Kevin knew he wanted to start his own business. But after graduation, he began doing the “film career thing” instead, working as a video editor at a cable company that paid well. When the company lost a contract and had to let their editors go, the young filmmaker took his severance package, along with the money he was saving for
a car, and began PopCause, LLC. He reasons, “I knew if I was going to take time to invest in this company, it would have to be different—and also give back.” Almost a year later, PopCause has proven itself to be an invaluable conduit between the city’s most prevalent art form and the act of charity by highlighting local nonprofits and similar causes.
New projects include the renewal of their web series, Good to Go, a mobile talk show with musicians discussing their art and their own involvement in philanthropy (nonprofit: check) while riding in the passenger seat of a Zipcar (experience: check; brand: check). Though each project has its own specific goal, PopCause’s primary concern
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is education. “It’s important to me that people realize education can change lives,” Kevin says passionately. He explains his organization’s role in community education succinctly: “PopCause educates the public about nonprofits and what they’re doing, and how these brands, these bigger companies, are caring.” Kevin’s hopes for the future of PopCause include a stronger emphasis on charity work and community involvement, explaining, “A big goal for us is to look less like a production company and more like a doorway to volunteerism—and an entertainment hub as well.” Just as every artist begins with the proverbial blank page (or reel), Kevin sees Nashville as his empty canvas. For PopCause’s newest project, NATIVE’s providing the blank page (brand: check). Illustrate your charity of choice and Instagram it (nonprofit: check, experience: check), and Kevin will create a video promoting the most commonly mentioned organization.
#NativePopCause 1. Write/doodle/draw/scribble a local cause of your choice and why it matters to you on this blank page 2. Instagram a photo of this page and tag #NativePopCase 3. Native and PopCause will launch a video campaign for the cause with the most mentions!
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YOU OUGHTA KNOW: GREAT PEACOCK
by wells adams, lightning 100 | photo by harrison hudson
WHAT’S THE OLD SAYING? “NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.” Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd need to write. Not for the prospect of fame, but simply to maintain their sanity. Writing is their version of therapy. It was something they did for years together in bands like Shotgun Lover, Wess Floyd, and the Daisycutters, but things changed as they matured. It was time to silence the ringing in their ears from years of angst-filled rock and simplify some things. In other words, the amps had gotten a little too loud. Backstage one night, Andrew and Blount described the genesis of what would become one of my favorite Nashville bands. “We kept noticing this tendency of bands with names like Modest Mouse, Deer Tick, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, and Imagine Dragons—they all had two names,” Nelson says, “one of which was always an animal.” So as a “lark,” they decided to start a band called Great
Peacock. It’s all fun and games until you write a hit song, or two for that matter. That’s what happened with “Desert Lark” and “Take Me To The Mountain.” That’s when things changed. They posted it to their Bandcamp page and sent it to me for the615. Friends and fans were going nuts over this new sound, begging the guys to take the project seriously. I remember playing both of the songs on the show and being blown away. Then, we booked them for our On Tap showcase, and I got to see what was originally a therapeutic outlet turn into something real, something remarkable. Their friends and fans were spot on—they were awesome. Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd truly are two sides of the same coin. Blount’s falsetto complements Andrews’s deeper, more prominent vocals in perfect harmony. Andrew’s tall stature is multiplied by the ten-gallon cowboy hat he dons,
and Blount seems drawn down to the floor with a long poncho, lengthy hair, and an epic beard. One stands relatively still while the other dances ’round; they honestly couldn’t be more dissimilar, and at the same time, more in tune with one another. Great Peacock is an indie-folk band similar to The Head and The Heart and Fleet Foxes, but they differ in one area: they are a Nashville band with a dash of that southern style. There is something in Great Peacock that can’t be found or replicated in the Pacific Northwest. It’s fried okra, collard greens, sipping whiskey, and damn fine song writin’. Sorry Sub Pop, you wouldn’t understand. “You Oughta Buy” their self-titled EP, and “You Oughta Know” their full length is scheduled for release early next year. In fact, you just may hear “Tennessee,” their debut single and ode to their Southern roots, on Lightning 100.. # NAT I V ENAS HV I L L E // / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 1 0 7 # NAT I V ENAS HV I L L E //// / / / / / / / / / / / / / 1 0 7
OVERHEARD@ NATIVE
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RUMOURS EAST HOLIDAY EVENTS Sunday 8TH at Four PM CHOCOLATE & WINE TASTING wednesday 18TH at five pm CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE Visit us at our Open House and enjoy 1/2 off select Happy Hour items, special bubbly menus, champagne and much more! Music by Jason Eskridge starting at 7PM
tuesday 31st NEW YEAR’S EVE Kick off the night or ring in the New Year with Rumours East! Four-Course Prix Fixe Dinner & Wine Pairings. Call for Reservations.
1112 WOODLAND ST.
RUMOURSEAST.COM 615-262-5346
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observatory photos by:
Krystal Thompson
JULIANA,25 Jacket from Pangaea “Frye wedges from East Nashville’s Hummingbird”
DALTON,25 Jacket from H&M “My favorite pair of boots”
JUSTIN,32 Boots from Red Wing “My beanie”
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animal of the month written by: Catherine Prater
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ursus Species: U. Americanus
Mama Bear has been in hibernation for a couple months now, avoiding the cold and the holiday weight gain by sleeping all hours of the day and feeding on her body fat. But, boy, have we missed her sassy self. With the polar bear getting all the attention this time of year, let’s pay tribute to the most common bear on the planet—she deserves a spot in those Coca-Cola commercials and snow globes, too. Mama Bear has the life, and she’s not alone—American Black Bears typically hibernate from mid October until April each year. Mama Bear’s species is the smallest bear found in North America, sticking to a fairly strict diet of berries, nuts, and the occasional small rodent or deer fawn. For someone who eats mainly berries, though, this gal sure knows how to chow down, sometimes feeding up to twenty hours per day and packing on weight for pregnancies and her winter slumber. You can often find Mama Bear scavenging behind the dumpster at The Wild Cow after hours. Ask her about her favorite blueberry cobbler sometime—she’ll go on for days. If you really want to get Mama Bear riled up, ask her about that pesky Brown Bear. He’s the one who spread the rumor that she likes to eat humans (“It was just one time!”). Mama Bear claims it’s because she started the “If it’s brown, lie down… 112 / / / / / / / / / / / / /////
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if it’s black, fight back!” chant in high for the lack of a telltale hump on her school. We have a theory this whole back. Mama Bear also has smaller thing came about because Brown claws, a straighter nose, and a better Bear had a crush on Mama Bear back pedicure. She comes from a long line of in the day and got his heart broken. Can you blame him? Mama Bear’s strong women. President Teddy a triple threat with those non- Roosevelt had a run-in with her greatretractable claws, which are perfect great-great Grandmama Bear back in for scaling trees, gathering food, and the day. Legend has it that in 1902, the fending off anyone who gets up on adventurous President embarked on her man. Disclaimer: you are 180 a hunting expedition with Andrew H. times more likely to be killed by a bee Longino, the governor of Mississippi. After several unsuccessful days on than a black bear. So, let’s say the weather’s warm and the chase, the guides, with help you decide to join one of Team Green from hunting dogs, tracked down a Adventures’ hiking trips. You set up wounded black bear. Everyone in the camp in Mama Bear’s neck of the group urged the president to shoot woods, the Appalachian Mountains the bear, but Teddy fell for the fur of Eastern Tennessee. It’s break time, ball, claiming he could not shoot the and you walk off to get a better view bear out of sportsmanship. Word of the mountain for your Instagram traveled back to the White House, pic. You’re feeling #outdoorsy when cartoonists had a field day, and the all of a sudden, you look to your right “teddy” bear was born. There have been many beloved and see a very well-fed, dark-colored bears throughout history: the bear. What do you do? Well, there is some truth to Mama Berenstain clan, Goldilocks’ crew, Bear’s teasing. Stand your ground, The Jungle Book’s Baloo, Paddington make some noise with your keys, and his rain boots, Winnie the Pooh, and don’t run. It’s nothing personal. Smokey, and that one that tried to She’s really just looking out for the eat my grandmother’s hummingbird kids, like any good mama would. feeder. Lucky for us, Mama Bear How could you tell the difference calls Tennessee home, adding to between Mama Bear and her arch its thriving black bear population, nemesis, the Brown Bear, should you thanks to the number of state parks spot her? They tend to have similar and national forests. So, let’s raise fur color (Mama’s not ready to go our eggnog and cider to Mama Bear gray just yet, and brown’s a little and hope that she’s having a good easier to maintain), so instead, look (looooong) night’s sleep.
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