NATIVE | AUGUST 2015 | NASHVILLE, TN by Native

TURBO FRUITS

A U G U S T

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9am -2pm

SATURDAY&SUNDAY

Benedicts + Biscuits & Gravy + FRENCH TOAST ...AND MORE!

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M E N ' S S TO R E • CU S TO M C L OT H I N G B A R • B A R B ER S H OP

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AFTER 5PM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS august 2015

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THE GOODS

S I P. S A V O R . U N W I N D . O N L Y A T B O N G O J A V A 5 T H A V E N U E

15 Beer from Here 18 Cocktail 22 Master Platers 87 You Oughta Know 90 Observatory 94 Animal of the Month

FEATURES

26 Bao Down 36 Music City Boxing 48 Turbo Fruits 60 Dr. Laura Burns 68 Elliot Root 78 Susan Sherrick

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R E CL A IM E D F L O O R I N G , FU R NITU R E, BA R N D O O R S, BA R N WO O D WALLS & LU MB ER S TO R E GOOD WOOD NASHVILLE - OPEN TO THE TRADE & PUBLIC - EAST NASHVILLE OPEN MONDAY-SATURDAY 8AM-5PM - 615-454-3817 WWW.GOODWOODNASHVILLE.COM

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DEAR NATIVES,

hanks for tagging us, y’all! Be sure to check out these Instagrammers, and #nativenashville to share your photos with us.

president, founder:

ANGELIQUE PITTMAN JON PITTMAN associate publisher: KATRINA HARTWIG publisher, founder:

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DAVE PITTMAN

founder:

CAYLA MACKEY

creative director:

MACKENZIE MOORE

managing editor:

CHARLIE HICKERSON DARCIE CLEMEN

art director:

COURTNEY SPENCER

community relations manager:

JOE CLEMONS

film supervisor:

CASEY FULLER

editor:

@cappamusic

@sweetbitesbakes

@wheatandco

@katecauthen

writers: photographers:

production:

@nashdwell

@jmabeebiz

DANIELLE ATKINS EMILY B. HALL JESS WILLIAMS WILL MORGAN HOLLAND LAURA E. PARTAIN CAMERON POWELL ANDREA BEHRENDS AUSTIN LORD

founding team:

MATTHEW LEFF MARC ACTON DAVID L. HUDSON JR. SCOTT MARQUART LINDSEY BUTTON BENJAMIN HURSTON JONAH ELLER-ISAACS COOPER BREEDEN

GUSTI ESCALANTE

MACKENZIE MOORE JOSHUA SIRCHIO TAYLOR RABOIN

to advertise, contact:

for all other inquiries:

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PROUDLY DELIVERED BY RUSH BICYCLE MESSENGERS

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SARAH SEVEN, CLAIRE PETTIBONE, RUE DE SEINE, SARAH JANKS, HOUGHTON, CHRISTOS, ANNA CAMPBELL, TWIGS & HONEY, TRUVELLE, KATIE MAY, HAYLEY PAIGE, JOHANNA JOHNSON

THE DRESS THEORY BRIDAL SHOP (615) 440-3953 - 1201 5TH AVE N #102 -

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

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Trinity Old Fashioned by Ben Clemons of No. 308 Every bar will make you an Old Fashioned, and almost every bar makes it differently. There are countless contemporary twists on the drink ranging from bacon-infused whiskey and chocolate bitters to maraschino cherries and gas station orange juice. I’ve tweaked my signature Old Fashioned constantly since starting out and I hope I never stop, as it’s about the journey, right? Anyway, here is 308’s version, nicknamed the “Trinity” Old Fashioned for its use of the three primary bitters (or so we believe) . . .

THE GOODS

F Add all ingredients to mixing glass, making sure to express lemon zest oils into mixing glass before stirring. Add ice and stir 30–40 turns, or until outside of the mixing glass has achieved a uniform chill (for you nerds: 1.25 oz of dilution is what we’re looking for). Pour into freshly iced rocks glass and garnish with a large orange zest and brandied cherry (pitted dark cherries soaked in equal parts simple syrup and brandy for at least two days).

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photo by danielle atkins

2 oz Wild Turkey 101 Rye 1/2 oz simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura Bitters 1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters 1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters 1 lemon zest

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MASTER PLATERS

HOW TO: POWDER TOMATOES WITH

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JESSICA RESS, CHEF DE CUISINE AT AVO

THE GOODS: 4 yellow heirloom tomatoes (Delvin Farms preferred) 4 red heirloom tomatoes (Delvin Farms preferred) 2 tsp date sugar

DIRECTIONS: F Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Lay them out flat on a dehydrator teflex sheet. Dehydrate on 117째 for 8 to 12 hours until fully dry and crisp. F Blend red tomatoes in a high-speed blender until they turn into a powder. Add 1 tsp date sugar and blend again until combined.

PHOTOS BY DANIELLE ATKINS

F Separately, blend yellow tomatoes in clean blender until the tomatoes turn into a powder. Add 1 tsp date sugar and blend again until combined. Sprinkle tomato powders over raw mango ice cream (or any other ice cream you prefer).

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“My parents would get notes from my teachers saying I was socially inept,” she says with a laugh. “I had a stutter and I was quiet. So they made me read out loud as therapy.” stutter, and in the process fell Moriah got over her stu in love with books. Naturally an introspective soul, coffee is one thing that draws the assistant manager of Hot & Cold out of her shell. She is at ease talking with customers about how to achieve the perfect brew (she prefers the Honduran) and enjoys making someone’s day with delicately crafted latte art. “The coffee culture is very creative and communal,” says the Joelton native, who got her ﬁrst coffee job at age sixteen. “A cup of coffee alone is great, but I love that sense of community you have when you share it with someone else.” The third of four children, she was often referred to by her father as the “wild card” of the family. “He

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NOBODY IN NASHVILLE KNOWS BUNS BETTER THAN TRISTAN CHIU. AMERICAN, VIETNAMESE, FRENCH BUNS—HE’S SEEN AND TASTED THEM ALL. BUT HE LOVES HIS OWN BUNS MOST OF ALL. AND NASHVILLE’S CATCHING ON BY MARC ACTON | PHOTOS BY EMILY B. HALL

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I’m meeting Tristan today in his food truck, Bao Down. Before we’re finished, two

things are clear. One: he has the best buns in town. Two: I can’t stop finding the fact that his food shares its name with a body part hilarious (you’ve been warned). Tristan founded Bao Down a year and a half ago. He serves handcrafted baozi (or “bao” for short) buns out of his food truck, which he parks here and there around town depending on where the hungry crowds might be. Baozi are Chinese steamed buns with fillings. They come in one shape (round), pretty much one size (bigger than dumplings but smaller than an apple—about the size of a small peach), but an infinite number of flavors based on the fillings. Bao are kind of like China’s version of the hot dog, in that they’re primarily street food, usually cheap, and are a combination of bready goodness and a meat and condiment filling. Tristan comes off like the love child of an American hippie and an Asian skater dude. Or like a Taiwanese Bob Marley (his dreads are tremendous) who grew up watching Food Network. But don’t mistake his Zen skater demeanor for laziness. “I’m usually up ‘till four or five in the morning prepping for the next day,” he tells me as we start to talk about the business. “And then if I have a double [shift with the lunch truck], I might be up again at ten or so and work all day.” His dreadlocked, I-don’t-care-about-this-T-shirt skater look makes more sense when he tells me about his life as a stylist before he started his own business. Everything about Tristan is distinctive, and as you look around the truck (or taste his food, for that matter), you get a very distinct impression that it’s all very him. “I was a personal stylist for a luxury department store. That’s what brought me to the city. I got relocated from Chicago to open the Green Hills store.” He says that watching young managers come in and take charge, knowing nothing about how to actually run a store, eventually got to him. “Nobody there was learning anything or teaching anything,” he says. “So I cashed out my 401(k) and started my own thing.” As we’re talking, a customer walks up, clearly sweating from the million-degree Sunday heat. “How’s it

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going, Nathaniel?” Tristan asks. Based on the guy’s puzzled look, he’s not a regular. “Come on, there’s not many Asians [around Nashville], dude,” Tristan says to the guy, smiling. “So I try to remember every single one of them.” Bao Down isn’t just successful because Tristan’s image—which doesn’t come across as crafted so much as invested in—matches his future bun empire’s vibe perfectly. It’s also because he’s the kind of guy who remembers names. In the hour or so that we talk, he calls three different customers by name. The food truck business is even more of a personality-driven industry than brick and mortar restaurants because the restaurateurs are usually front and center. Perfect for a character like Tristan. Amy Zack braved the sun this afternoon, making the pilgrimage here to Ellington Park just to try Tristan’s buns. She says she’s been chasing him around town but just hadn’t connected yet. Partly what she’s been chasing is her love for food trucks. “I really love the food truck scene. They’re just a great way to try different, new things without committing to a fifty-dollar plate of food. I work downtown, and it used to be that somebody would be outside with a truck all the time—it’s kind of like the ice cream truck theory. We’d be going, ‘They’re here, they’re here!’ But [what I love about them] is that they’re all about being adventurous without spending a fortune. And it’s good, quality food.” But she’s here specifically for the bao. “I love Chinese food. It’s really hard to find good Chinese food here in Nashville.” She’s right, mostly—it’s always seemed to me that with rare exception, most Nashville Chinese places seem to order ingredients off the same food catalog, and with a minimal amount of variety in preparation, everything tastes mostly the same. “I wasn’t really familiar with bao,” Amy says, “but I love the concept and wanted to try them.” After Amy heads off with her buns, I ask Tristan how the business is going. His biggest challenge, he says, is just getting new customers. People just don’t know what he does. Repeat customers are not a problem. “For the most part, wherever I show up somewhere around town more than once, I’ll start to see repeat customers,” he says.

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BAO DOWN: baodownnashville.com Follow on Facebook and Instagram @BaoDownNashville or Twitter @BaoDownTN native.is

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“So what you’re saying is,” I respond, “once his traditional Chinese food nontraditional. you bao down, you never turn it down?” I make a “Most Chinese people don’t have the luxury of mental note to figure out what the joke should’ve thinking about local, sustainable, and organic. been, but I’m still happy with it. Tristan humors It’s more about how cheap they can feed their family and how they can stretch that dollar. For me. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” The food truck scene gravitates toward the me, I feel like it’s passing on positive karma. I buy local/farm-to-table concept. I think the feel like anybody could go get cheap meat and same entrepreneurial “I’m doing my own thing” throw some stuff together. It takes a little more personality trait that would lead someone to to care where your meat comes from, and I think build a food truck business probably overlaps that makes my customers care more.” Tristan came by his entrepreneurial spirit with the idea of grassroots (and fed) farms, and honestly. He was raised by traditional Chinese Tristan is no exception. “My farm is Walnut Hills Farm out of Beth- American parents, who adopted him very young page, Tennessee. Everything’s true grass fed. from Taiwan. His businessman father empha[The farm] is super legit.” Tristan takes his agri- sized hard work and encouraged him to go into cultural responsibility personally too. “I actually a respectable career. His father passed away stopped eating meat a couple years ago. So I’m when Tristan was still young, but he’s carrying a pescatarian. My main reason is that I didn’t on the tradition of hard work. Every ingredient want to support mass farming. And I was eating is chopped, seared, marinated, seasoned, and a lot of McDonalds, and a lot of bullshit, so to crafted by hand in the kitchen where he rents teach myself discipline, I was just like, ‘How can space. You can taste the love. The buns themselves I get myself out of that routine?’ So I decided I would stop eating meat.” I ask how he tastes are intentionally neutral in flavor, bringing pilhis food, and he says, “Well, I give myself a little lowy texture and fresh, yeasty goodness to each slack there, just to taste. But that’s one of the bite. But like really great sushi rice, they serve reasons I only buy from farmers I know—be- a functional purpose of food delivery without cause I know I’m not supporting unethical farm- shining on their own. Each filling is a work of art, with enough acidic tang to cut through the ing practices.” He says his emphasis on sustainability and or- bun and one star ingredient, such as spicy cabganic foods is one of the many things that makes bage or Asian BBQ. The filling also has a sup-

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porting cast that brings something to the palate table but doesn’t outshine the star. There’s spice here (chili garlic paste is a supporting character in two of the three buns on today’s menu), but the bun cuts the heat, so the spice becomes more of a flavor component than hotness. It’s not just the bao that are built from the ground up either. There’s also the truck, which is actually a short bus (“I wanted something different”) with an unpainted two-by-four wood framework that his kitchen is built on, exposed wiring around the ignition, and a small plastic fan hanging on the wall. This all reflects Tristan’s bootstrap mentality as well as his style—his decor includes a framed Yen, a hodgepodge collection of tiny Asian plastic toys, and a strand of electric Chinese lanterns hanging next to his perfect 100-point health department inspection score. All of these are as authentic as his dreads— the kind of thing you can’t fake. As we are wrapping up, I ask Tristan what his traditional father would’ve thought of his nontraditional business. “He would’ve been proud,” Tristan says. “I don’t think he would’ve known what to think of it exactly, but he definitely would’ve been proud.” Nashville doesn’t know exactly what to think about Tristan and his buntastic Chinese street food either, but that’s not stopping the adventurous ones from loving what he’s feeding them. One taste and you’re likely to be a believer too. A bunliever. Or bunitarean, if you will. On my way out, I see Amy, who looks pleased. “It was amazing,” she says. “Perfectly cooked. It wasn’t soggy. The pork [filling] was excellent—it was light and it was flavorful. It wasn’t shredded within an inch of its life and swimming in so much barbecue sauce that it was all you can taste. It was excellent. I will definitely track them down again.” Because you know what they say about Tristan’s buns. “Once you bao down, you’ll never have a frown.” Better, but still a work in progress. I’ll get back with you.

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WHO YOU’RE REALLY FIGHTING MUSIC CITY BOXING AND CALEB “SWEET HANDS” PLANT WANT TO MAKE NASHVILLE A PROFESSIONAL BOXING DESTINATION

BY DAVID L. HUDSON JR.* PHOTOS BY JESS WILLIAMS

*David L. Hudson Jr. is a Nashville-based legal educator and author of forty books, including Boxing in America: An Autopsy (2012), Combat Sports Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts (2009), and Boxing’s Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Champs, Chumps, and Punch-Drunk Palookas (2004).

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ON KENTUCKY AVENUE IN THE NATIONS, near a past-its-prime apartment complex, a few industrial businesses, and a litany of still-being-refurbished houses, lies one of Nashville’s hidden gems—Music City Boxing. Inside the gym, young amateurs, working professionals, and professional boxers push themselves to the limit in the sport that writer Jack Newfield once called his “guilty pleasure” and famed sportswriter Jimmy Cannon termed “the red light district of sports.” The gym feels like a real boxing gym from decades past. “It’s authentic,” says Ernie Rodriguez, one of the gym’s trainers. “It is what you come to a gym for—to learn about the sport and to test yourself physically and mentally.” Music City Boxing is not a fitness gym centered on just aerobics with no physical contact; it features teachers and trainers who have been in the ring for real in different venues around the world. A poster on the wall reads: “What you learn about boxing is nothing compared to what you learn about yourself.” Another poster provides: “They call it shadow boxing because who you’re really fighting is you.” Adorning the walls is an array of great boxing photographs, such as the iconic photo of Rocky Marciano landing his devastating “Susie Q” righthand and contorting the jaw of the great Jersey Joe Walcott, or fabled warriors Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo waging war in the ring. An assortment of heavy bags, speed bags, jump ropes, and other boxing equipment allows everyone from the eager novice to the seasoned pro to be humbled by the rigors

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“HIS GREATEST ASSET IS HIS MIND . . . HE HAS AN EXCELLENT BOXING IQ.”

of the demanding sport known as the “Sweet Sci- ing to work.” While there is no status per ence.” Once the trainers and coaches feel comfortable, people can get inside the ring and spar. And se, there is a star in the gym— there is nothing quite like getting punched in the a twenty-three-year-old, undefeated professional prospect face to appreciate the realities of boxing. The gym is the brainchild of Justin Gamber, a from nearby Ashland City who professional boxing trainer and boxing savant. has garnered a record of 8-0 at Born and reared in South Dakota, Justin has been the time of this writing—midobsessed with boxing since his father took him to dleweight Caleb “Sweet Hands” see a Rocky movie when he was only four years old. Plant. He turned pro in May 2014 “I was completely hooked,” he admits. “I discovered my life’s passion, my path in life. At show-and-tell with a first-round stoppage of in elementary school when other kids would bring an overmatched Travis Donaldson in Los Angeles. In his last bout in June 2015, Caleb squared off various toys, I would bring boxing equipment.” In 2006, Justin, whose father is a country musi- against the rugged Juan Carlos Rojas, a fighter with cian, moved to Nashville partly for country music more than twenty professional bouts, in Pennsylvaand partly because one of his best friends took a job nia. Caleb stopped the veteran in the fourth round. in Music City and needed a roommate. He soon be- Of his eight opponents, only one has lasted until the came involved with amateur boxing at the Boxing final bell, and Caleb won every round in that fight Resource Center, a gym run by Dr. Christy Halbert, too. Caleb turned pro after a decorated amateur cawho is a member of the Women’s Boxing Hall of reer that saw him compete at the US Olympic trials. Fame and an Olympic boxing coach. That passion took Justin to Las Vegas—the box- He now has a contract with Al Haymon, a powerful ing capital of the world—where he worked with professional boxing manager who has worked with numerous professional fighters, including heavy- the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., the late Vernon weight prospect Andy Ruiz. But Justin returned to Forrest, and Antonio Tarver. Caleb has a close-knit circle that consists of his Music City with visions of establishing his own gym. “I had a good blueprint established by what Christy beautiful fiancée, Carman, his father, Richie, and did at the Boxing Resource Center with regard to Justin. He is focused on rising through the ranks of professional boxing and has set his sights on winamateur boxing,” Justin explains. Music City Boxing provides a training program ning a world title and gaining mention on boxing’s for youths interested in boxing. “The sport is a great vaunted pound-for-pound list. These may sound like overly lofty goals for a way to teach discipline and learn respect,” says Ernie, who not only teaches boxing but serves as an fighter with only eight professional bouts, but Caeducator at Cameron College Prep here in town. “It leb is gifted athletically and possesses a singularity is great to involve the kids in something construc- of purpose seen in the highest achieving athletes. “We were at an amateur boxing show in Alabama, tive rather than just have them lying around playing video games, or worse—getting into trouble on the and some kid who had seen Caleb fight a few times yelled out, ‘Man, you got some sweet hands,’” says streets.” The gym also features training classes for adults Richie. “That is how he got his nickname.” Justin believes his prized pupil, whom he calls of all ages, shapes, and sizes who want to get in better shape and learn the basics. Justin explains that the most talented fighter he’s ever worked with, these working professional members of the gym ac- can conquer the odds and become world champion. “He can become champion in different weight classtually keep the place open. The gym is a welcoming place—anyone willing to es—the sky’s the limit. He works hard, has supreme work hard and take the sport seriously has an invi- dedication, possesses blazing hand speed, has a tation. “There is no status here,” says Ernie. “The great chin. But his greatest asset is his mind . . . he only status is determined by how hard you are will- has an excellent boxing IQ.”

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MUSIC CITY BOXING: musiccityboxing.com Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MusicCityBoxing native.is

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Caleb is not a spoiled, pampered athlete but a humble, God-fearing young man from Ashland City who did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. “I think without boxing I may have gone down a negative path,” Caleb says. “Several people I knew growing up fell prey to drugs and ended up in jail.” Richie explains that he introduced his son to boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts as a youngster to give him motivation and keep his mind away from any negative influences. “He actually first started with kickboxing, but then turned to boxing,” Richie says. “He was always gifted athletically, so I knew he could be really good. All you have to do is show him something once and he’s got it.” Caleb has endured his share of hardships in his young life, including poverty and most tragically, the loss of his precious daughter Alia, who succumbed to a debilitating illness earlier this year. “I only survived by keeping my faith in God and the support of my family,” he says. “I know she is in heaven and doesn’t have to suffer anymore. Boxing has been like a sanctuary to me from all the trials and tribulations.” In his short professional career, Caleb has fought twice in California, twice in Nevada, once in Illinois, and three times in Pennsylvania. His closeknit team hopes that “Sweet Hands” can unveil his scintillating hand speed and other skills in a bout in Music City and help build a buzz for professional boxing in Nashville. “It is definitely something we all have been talking about,” says Justin. “We want to bring professional boxing back to Nashville in a big, big way.” Hopefully, Justin Gamber and Caleb Plant can bring professional boxing back to Music City with a world title bout. Even if a high-profile bout doesn’t materialize for several years, they’ve already brought boxing back to the city—you just have to drive up the hill on Kentucky Avenue and have the nerve to enter Music City Boxing.

mon. - fri. 6am-7pm || sat. & sun. 7am-7pm

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IT’S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL (BUT THEY LIKE IT) TURBO FRUITS WORKS, PLAYS, AND SWEATS AS HARD AS ANYONE DOING IT BY SCOTT MARQUART | PHOTOS BY WILL MORGAN HOLLAND

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FOR MOST OF HIS FANS, it’s probably hard right—but even though Jonas can play as hard as to imagine what Jonas Stein looks like when his anyone out there, he maintains a boyish charm features aren’t darkened by the neon shadows of and instant likeability that you might not expect a midnight club stage. When the club circuit is from someone who was raised on the rock-andyour life, there’s no room for nuance. You’ve got roll lifestyle. Jonas was still a teenager when he started Turto be the party you wish to see in the world, and bo Fruits (in the aftermath of BYOP’s breakup), Jonas and Matt—the two permanent members and he’s been turning out rollicking, libertine anof rabble-rousing garage rockers Turbo Fruits— thems under the moniker ever since. But while bear both the scars and the hard-fought wisdom their hard-partying lifestyle was a central topic of years spent drinking, smoking, and fucking of their first two records, and continues to be their way across the continental United States. the defining force of their live show, their latest That’s why it feels especially odd to find them release, No Control, reveals a more refined side both here, in a small cottage christened the Sugof the band. ar Shack, nestled between the hills of a sprawling Most of the lyrics on the album are about a hay farm on the outer reaches of Bellevue. girl—an ex Jonas split with a while ago but has The driveway is easy to spot—just past an only recently started to get over. “In the back of overhanging power line that’s being patiently my mind, I [always thought] we’d get back toovertaken by a strand of ivy. Soon after the nargether, like, this is my fucking girl, we’ll make it row blacktop turns to gravel, I spot an old washwork,” he says, still sounding a bit bewildered. tub littered with empty cases of Coors Light. A “I did everything I could possibly think of to get few yards farther up, a burn barrel with bottle back together with her, and I couldn’t do it. She rockets poking out above its rusted rim. It rained wouldn’t have it. The only really good thing that recently, but the cardboard beer and fireworks came out of it was learning more about myself, casings don’t show any water damage. These are more about life, and having something to write just recent additions to the weed-filled lawn. The trail of evidence leads me right up to the with. I definitely had some fuel for the fire.” This album also marks the first time since shack itself, a modest two-room cabin that Jotheir early single, “Mama’s Mad Cos I Fried My nas has been living in since he was seventeen. Brain,” that Jonas has written about the death of Through the window I see Jonas in a tank top his older brother. “[He passed away when] I was and swim trunks, scooting a towel across the really young. I had kind of just avoided writing floor with his feet, mopping up God-knows-what. about it, but through staying sober for six weeks WWW during the recording process, I actually sat down Jonas has been playing guitar since he was a teen in my kitchen and went for it, tried to get some and playing shows nearly as long—first as the thoughts out on paper.” Those thoughts eventufrontman for one of the first artists on Infinity ally gave birth to the album’s heart-wrenching Cat Records, Jimmy Cushmin?, then as the lead closer, “Big Brother.” guitarist for Nashville teen punks Be Your Own For Jonas, writing comes easiest when life gets Pet. He grew up on the road, and he was shaped complicated, whether personally or professionby the personalities he brushed up against in ally. “Through shitty situations, good songs can those early years. come. And hopefully through good situations “At a young age I got exposed to some real-ass good songs can come too—I just haven’t really touring musicians,” he tells me. “They were all fucked around with that too much.” getting wasted and having a good time playing WWW punk rock music, and I was just looking at these Even as the band grows up sonically and lyridudes like, Man, I think I can do this.” He was

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cally in the studio, they’ll always be known for the energy, about seven hours south, and we had to be there by noon, showmanship, and wild antics of their live show. Since he through New York traffic.” Jonas takes a slug of beer and leans back in his chair. started Turbo Fruits, Jonas has toured virtually nonstop with a revolving cast of backing musicians. At six years in “[Somewhere in New York] Google Maps redirected me to a the band, drummer Matt Hearn is the other most veteran faster route . . . I’d been up for probably twenty-four hours, member, and he’s here with us today as well, rocking gently I was delirious, seeing shit,” he sighs. “[Our touring van] is like nine feet, five inches, and I see this sign that says ‘No on a creaky wicker chair in the shack’s sole sitting room. Jonas cracks open a Miller Lite. When you live out on vehicles over 8’6”.’ And at this point I was like, ‘Fuck it, I the road, even a few days at home between tour stops can don’t know where to go, I don’t know where the fuck I am, I make you restless. “You can’t really have a regular job when don’t know where the interstate is, there’s too much traffic you’re gone every week,” Matt explains. He supplements back there. We’re just going,’” he laughs, leaning forward his touring income with freelance design projects, while a bit. “So these old-school bridges on this parkway had an Jonas fills his off days refereeing ice hockey games and spin- arc, and I think if you were over to the right, that’s where the clearance was. So there’d be times where I would see we ning records as one half of Sparkle City DJs. “A modern touring musician who hasn’t hit a certain were really close, and last second I’d have to swerve into the level of success yet will not survive without another line right lane just to avoid scraping the roof off.” That’s not even their closest call. On the way back from of income,” Jonas says. Despite the success of their latest album—even seeing some radio airplay for the lead single, Miami, they added the wrong fluid to the wrong tank of “The Way I Want You”—the band hasn’t reached that level the van and wrecked their engine, plunging them about just yet. But though they might be just scraping by, they’re ten grand deeper into a debt that they were just starting to getting by, and at the moment that’s all they’re asking for. catch up on. “As soon as it happened, [Jonas] was stressed “You just pull favors and try to work while you’re home,” about it,” Matt says, “and I was just like, ‘Nobody’s dead. Matt says, “and if it ever pays off, great, but for so many It’s just money.’ You just have to look at it like you’re just here because you just fucking want to play music . . . it’s a people it takes fucking ten, twenty years.” I ask Matt if he envies people who live a more normal privilege to get to do this.” For two guys with a reputation for partying as hard as they schedule. He leans forward. “I used to work an office job, and I fucking hated my life while I was doing it,” he says, his play, Matt and Jonas seem remarkably grounded. They’re eyes wide. “It really put into perspective that this shit might grateful to be doing what they’re doing, and they work hard be extremely hard, extremely exhausting, but at least it’s not to lose that perspective when times get tough. Matt, in gratifying . . . You may feel like shit [on tour], but at least particular, isn’t afraid to slap a band mate with reality when necessary. “[A few years back] we were at a beach north of you get to see places and party and meet people.” Touring is hard work. Only the biggest bands can afford Brisbane in Australia, sitting there swimming, and one of to rent a tour bus with a driver; the rest are stuck schlep- the guys in the band is bitching about something. We were ping their way from city to city in a van, taking shifts at the all tired and shit, but I just looked at him and I said, ‘Dude, wheel to try and make it to the next gig by sound check. you fucking play music and that’s why you’re swimming in Earlier this year, Turbo Fruits did thirty-four shows in thirty the ocean in Australia.’” Maintaining that perspective isn’t easy, but it doesn’t days. Matt and Jonas look like they still haven’t caught up from the lack of sleep, but from that run of shows alone, hurt that practically everywhere they go they bump into they have a lifetime’s worth of stories that they’re excited people with straight jobs who tell them they’d give anything to tell. The rougher the story, the harder they laugh about it. to trade places. “I met a dude who trades stocks recently,” “We were up in Portland, Maine, for the first time, and we Jonas says. “He probably makes like, I don’t know, a hundidn’t get paid out until two in the morning,” Jonas tells me. dred grand a year or something. I get off stage and he’s like, “We had to be in Philly, which is—without stops or traffic— ‘Dude. I want your life. I want to do what you do. I’m stuck

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“‘NOBODY’S DEAD. IT’S JUST MONEY.’ YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT IT LIKE YOU’RE JUST HERE BECAUSE YOU JUST FUCKING WANT TO PLAY MUSIC . . . IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO GET TO DO THIS.” 54 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / //////

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TURBO FRUITS: turbofruits.com Follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @TurboFruits Native.is

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trading stocks—I make a lot of money, sure—but fuck, dude, it looks like you’re having so much fun.’” Jonas shrugs. “And well, I am having fun.” But it’s one thing to come to a party, and quite another to live in the party house. After the show, a hotel is a rare treat. They’re usually sleeping on floors—when they don’t have to drive straight through the night. “[Fans] might be jealous of our lifestyle, but we’re jealous of their comfort. It’s hard to have both,” Matt says. Jonas and Matt chose their paths years ago, and despite all they’ve been through, they haven’t strayed since. Even if they never achieve stardom, they would do it all over again. “We’ve been to like fourteen countries as a band, have been to every state in America except Alaska and Hawaii, most of Canada,” Matt says. “We’ve gotten to experience a fuck-load because of this. I’ve got stories I’ll probably tell for the rest of my life.” Sure, they’ve got scars. They’ve broken down in the middle of nowhere, they’ve gotten into fistfights, they’ve slept on floors next to snakes, but it makes it all the better when they do catch a break. “Anything exciting or good that does come our way, like a sold-out show outside of Tennessee, or getting to go to Australia, or getting paid to fly somewhere and getting taken care of, getting put up in a hotel . . . when that does come around, it’s not normal for us, so we’re very appreciative of it,” Jonas says. “If that’s what you were fed from day one, then you’re just kind of like, God dammit, this hotel sucks,” he laughs. “But for us we’re like, Fuck yeah, we’ve got a bed to sleep in . . . Anything like that is more appreciated by a band who has been through so much turmoil and been in the trenches for so long. It’s nice to come out and have some sunshine on you for a minute.”

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HOW DR. LAURA BURNS OF TENNESSEE BREW WORKS USES HER BIOLOGY BACKGROUND TO CREATE SOME OF THE BEST CRAFT BEER IN NASHVILLE BY LINDSEY BUTTON PHOTOS BY LAURA E. PARTAIN

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Dr. Laura Burns, head brewer of Tennessee complex, but easy to drink. Brew Works, talks over the bubbling of the presShe explains what all of the kettles are for sure relief valve of one of the towering metallic and leads me through a tour that includes whirlfermenters. She shows me the grains and where pools, heat exchangers, four different yeast they are loaded into the hopper, the weigh sta- strains, and the fermenters. As much as I am obtion, and the place where they store the grains sessed with good beer, I’ll admit that the term before they mill them in their hammermill. I “isoamyl acetate” is lost on me until she explains am sipping on the Nashweizen, the first beer it is the organic compound in hefeweizen yeast Laura’s made entirely on her own at Tennessee that gives it its banana hints. As she explains the Brew Works. It is a hybrid between an IPA and different strains of yeast, beer suddenly seems hefeweizen and is hoppy and tropical. like one big science experiment to me—and in We stop in front of a wide machine that she many ways, for Laura, it is. tells me is the mash filter. “We’re actually the She has a PhD in Cell and Developmental Bifirst brewery of our size to have a mash filter,” ology from Vanderbilt University. “I was raised she explains. “If you know anything about brew- in a very creative, artistic family, but I was aling, there’s a point after you’re done converting ways the science nerd. I was into bugs and frogs all of the starch to sugar when you have to re- and the outdoors growing up. I went to undermove the spent grain from the wort [the ex- grad, and I was set on being in science and probtracted liquid that becomes the alcohol]. This is ably education but developed a really strong actually how we remove the grain. We pass all of interest in biomedical research.” At Vanderbilt, the mash through here and all of the grain stays she began to develop a serious interest in yeast. behind in between each of these filter plates, “I thought yeast was a great organism to study and then we can drop the grain down into basic cellular mechanisms. I could approach the the bins below, which we give to [West Wind stuff I was interested in more easily with yeast Farms] to use as feed.” Because of the mash fil- as an organism, so I just started to really dive ter, Tennessee Brew Works gets a 100 percent into the science of using yeast as a model sysefficiency rate, whereas most breweries only get tem. My hobbies at home were bringing science about 85 percent at best. and creativity together, so I did a lot of fermenShe directs me to one of the large kettles and tation on my own.” She and her husband began explains that it is their Extra Easy. “You’d prob- brewing at home when they first met, and the ably really like it,” she tells me. She offers to let ways she could apply her knowledge of science me try some straight from the fermenter. She to creating flavors became a passionate hobby steps up on the ladder to reach the tap and says, of hers (along with yoga and making kombucha). “This is one of my favorite yeasts that we work As she was finishing up her PhD, she began with because as it’s fermenting, it gives off a lot helping Tennessee Brew Works manage their of esters that are like a little pear, dried apricot, yeast strains, which inevitably led to her becomdried fruit aromas, and a little bit of apple.” She ing head brewer. “We grew in our relationship hands me the glass and I take a sip. I can taste and it was really strong, and they were interestthe fruity esters she was talking about and the ed in hiring me for the brewing position because way it almost has a hint of caramel. One sip it became such a passion of mine—the science and I know this is my kind of beer—delicious behind beer.” Brewing was the first time she felt at room temperature, a little bit malty, slightly her creative upbringing and her love of science

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coming together in a fun and useful way. Laura’s science-heavy background causes her to stand out in the brewing world. She also stands out as a female brewer, though many stereotypes about beer being a man’s industry are dissolving. “Usually one of the first reactions I get is, ‘Oh, you’re a girl and you brew beer?’ They’re always so surprised, but it’s not that big of a deal. We’re all capable of doing this. There are job descriptions in the industry that are always going to say you should be able to lift fifty-five-pound bags regularly. They basically emphasize the fact that you have to be physically capable of doing the job, which I think a lot of people automatically assume a woman’s not going to be.” Beyond the job itself seeming burly, beer in general, for a long time, has been viewed as a masculine drink. “The idea of beer being for men began when it was marketed as light beer— crushable—and people just brought it home and drank it by the case . . . I think now so many women are developing a taste for beer. Sometimes the most extreme drinkers that come in are going to be women, and they’re looking for the hoppy IPA or the dark stout and something that boasts a ton of flavor because it’s something that is just a different world.” Nashville differs from many craft beer scenes in its presence of women. “Another thing about us being such a new and young, vibrant beer scene is that we didn’t have any stigma around only men brewing, and we had some really great women to start the movement,” Laura explains. “Stephanie from Blackstone and Karen from Bosco’s were really great role models in Nashville. Bailey and Sally are over at Jackalope, and then

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when I started on at Tennessee Brew Works, it wasn’t really that big of a deal. We’re still the minority of the brewers in Nashville, but we’re treated as equals. There’s no question of our talent and capability.” In fact, Laura even adds that she believes being a woman can give her an advantage in the world of brewing. “People can see it’s much more than being a girl. I bring the science and creativity; I bring a very sensitive palate. I think there are a lot of things that women add to the industry that are pretty cool.” When Laura took the Cicerone, a beer certification program, she had to test the sensitivity of her palate. “There is a big tasting component: you have to identify all flavors in beer and distinguish between beer styles, and if they give you a beer and there is a flaw in it, you have to be able to say that there is a flaw and identify it. That entire tasting portion of the exam is hard. You have to have a refined and sensitive palate, and girls genetically have better taste. There’s definitely studies out there that show women have more sensitive palates. That makes us good brewers. If we can taste the beer and know the flavors we’re tasting and be able to give a good description, then we make better beer and we design better beer. And it’s not that only women necessarily do that, but it’s not a bad thing to add.” Laura is a member of the Pink Boots Society, an organization focused on empowering female beer professionals through education and community. The Nashville chapter was started by Zoe Glassman, sales representative for the Middle/ East Tennessee branch of A Head for Profits (the organization

that supplies breweries and taprooms with equipment, training, etc.). The society has fostered strong relationships among the women of Nashville craft beer. “Pink Boots has allowed us to come together more regularly,” Laura says. “I have developed some strong relationships with the girls, and it’s in every aspect of the beer community. We’re not about competition in our local beer scene, and we’re always really coming together.” Community-building isn’t only true for Pink Boots; the Nashville beer community has always been supportive of one another, and that is one of the many reasons our craft beer scene is so strong. “We’re all really about promoting each other and beating out the big guys and not trying to take another local tap. We all have big beers we go up against. We’re trying to get people into craft and local, away from some of the bigger brands.” Laura is also all about building community within the brewery. “I think it’s important to realize that the success of each one of us depends on how well we work together. Our sales team especially. I mean we wouldn’t really be making beer if we couldn’t sell it. So that’s really important to me.” Christian Spears, founder of Tennessee Brew Works, happens to walk downstairs as we are discussing the Nashville beer community and adds, “We’ve always tried to amp this thing up about the brewing district because, you know, Czann’s is right there and Jackalope and Yazoo on the other side . . . When we were first building the place and it was hot in here but we had no beer, Czann’s and Jackalope brought growlers to us. That was kind of the start of things.”

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TENNESSEE BREW WORKS: tnbrew.com Follow on Facebook @TnBrew or Instagram and Twitter @TNBrewWorks native.is

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Nashville’s craft beer community has grown fairly quickly over the past ten years. Laura remembers when she first moved to Nashville in 2007. While there weren’t a lot of breweries, she sensed that the scene was up and coming. “Part of my love and appreciation for craft beer is out of my upbringing in the Northeast. We have some amazing breweries, and I found a love for beer when I was in college. When I moved down here, Blackstone and Yazoo were certainly around, and they were making really great beer. Even though it was small back then, beer was everywhere in Nashville, especially Yazoo. I remember when Jackalope first opened, going to the taproom and everybody else that has come up since. We’re all kind of in it together. It’s a young scene, and we have a lot of respect for any knowledge we get from Blackstone or Yazoo.” Nashville still has a long way to go, and that is something to look forward to. “I think we’re a little bit behind,” Laura states. “Mostly our laws and the regulations on ABV and beer tax and all of that. All these things are going to be changed eventually. We’re all working our way toward that.” As of now, Tennessee laws limit breweries to brew ABVs no higher than 6.25 percent. To brew anything above that, the brewery must have a distiller’s license and pay a distiller’s tax, which is measured by volume. Because the volume of beer is not equivalent to what liquor would be, it can get quite expensive for a brewery if they plan to brew high-gravity beers. However, in January 2017, that will change and they will be able to brew beer up to 10 percent ABV. At some point within the next year, Tennessee Brew Works will also begin bottling. “We’re really excited for 2017 to brew some more interesting, exciting beers,” Laura says. “But for now—like everyone around us—we’re working within a strict limit of ABV, and we’re making some fantastic beers. The fact that we have nice session beers that people can really appreciate—that’s awesome for Tennessee.”

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LEAVING

THE NEST

INDIE ROCKERS ELLIOT ROOT DETAIL A SERIES OF GOOD FORTUNE THAT’S POSITIONED THEM TO TAKE MUSIC CITY BY STORM BY BENJAMIN HURSTON PHOTOS BY CAMERON POWELL

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It was 9 p.m. on an ordinary night toward the

end of May, and Scott Krueger was doing yoga at his home when he got the call. “Normally I wouldn’t have answered, but he doesn’t usually call that late, so I thought something might be wrong,” the twenty-four-year-old guitarist says. Something was wrong. His day-to-day manager, Jason, had called to inform him that the Zac Brown wanted Scott’s band, Elliot Root, to open a few stops on his ongoing tour. Under normal circumstances, an opportunity of that proportion would have been met with joy, but there was one detail complicating Scott’s excitement. They had to go on in less than twenty-four hours. “When Jason said, ‘He wants you tomorrow,’ all I could say back was, ‘Oh shit!’” The ensuing twenty-four hours were what the five members of Elliot Root call the longest day of their short but budding career. Aside from the stress of getting prescheduled gigs covered at the last minute, procuring the proper equipment and crew and packing it all in a van for the long haul to Cincinnati, there was something else. They were worried about a potential disconnect between their own dreamy, alternative rock and the upcoming audience of country music lovers, a fan base that isn’t exactly known for its openmindedness. It didn’t help the band’s nerves that the crowd would be about ten times bigger than the largest audience they’d ever entertained. “On the way up there, we were talking about how we needed to have chicken wire up front,” says Melissa Mattey, who plays keys and produces for the group. “That way if they threw tomatoes at us, it wouldn’t get on our faces.” The band is much more relaxed telling the story a couple of months removed from the occasion and lounging comfortably at their management office on Music Row. A complete set of KISS masks watches us from a desk in the corner of the office, a reminder of the success of their manager, Doc McGhee. They are a diverse group, with ages ranging

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from twenty-four to the upper thirties and accents cultivated from Nashville, the Midwest, and Southeast Asia. Early in the interview, Melissa, the lone female, mentions how “gushy in love [the guys] are with each other.” It’s easy to see by the way they interact. They laugh readily, look each other in the eyes when speaking, and feed off each other’s excitement. Recounting the events of that first show with Zac Brown Band, they get particularly wound up as they relive the embarrassment of the first twenty seconds. When the band finally stepped onto the Riverbend Music Center stage in Cincinnati a day after getting that unexpected call, they were just relieved to have made it. Finally, they could forget about phone calls and logistics and traffic. They could drop all the bullshit and just do what they do best: lose themselves to the music. Exhaling deeply, Scott put his fingers to the strings of his guitar to start the show. But no sound came out. “We were like, oh God, it’s going to be as bad as we thought,” he remembers. “Fifteen seconds felt like ten minutes, and my mind just completely went away.” For a few awkward moments, the clueless band stood around looking at one another, the fragile wave of good fortune they’d been riding since mid-March threatening to break. Then, just before the first tomatoes might have been thrown, a saintly guitar tech came out and flipped Scott’s amp off of standby and gave the band a thumbsup. It was a momentary pause in the four-month whirlwind that thrust them into a spotlight they weren’t prepared for. “It’s like being a parent,” says Justin Smith, Belmont University graduate and bassist, speaking of the band’s newfound success. “You can read all the books and talk to your friends, but until you do it, you just don’t really know what to be ready for.” Cofounder and drummer Sean Truskowski is the only member who can really appreciate Justin’s comparison. A father of two children with another on the way, he certainly didn’t know

ELLIOT ROOT : elliotroot.com Follow on Facebook @ElliotRootMusic or Instagram and Twitter @ElliotRoot native.is

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what to be ready for when his cousin asked him to do a free weekend recording with a friend back in 2009. That friend turned out to be a teenaged Scott, who had recently moved to Nashville to pursue his newfound love of music. Though both guys grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and even attended the same high school, they had never met before. Sean, six years older and already working as an engineer at a music studio in town, agreed to help the aspiring youngster, and Elliot Root was born. “I just remember in the beginning, there was just this notion that it could grow into something bigger,” Sean says, brushing his thick dreadlocks out of his face. And grow it did. Over the next three

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years, the duo went through a series of lineups while experimenting with their sound. As the two experienced new challenges and progress in their personal lives, the music began to mirror that maturity. Slowly, the project began to shift from an acoustic singer-songwriter tone into the more sophisticated soundscape of indie rock that the band inhabits today. “Early on, I was really just imitating music,” Scott says toward the beginning of our interview, the first of a few comments that illuminate both his maturation as a musician and his grateful modesty. “I was wanting to be a musician but was really just throwing things at a wall trying to be something that I’d heard.” Those things started to stick, and

gradually the band’s current formation began to fall into place. Cleveland native Justin came on board in 2012 to play bass, and guitarist Todd Bond joined a year later. It wasn’t until February 2015 that Melissa, who had been playing keys on the band’s records and producing their music for years, finally gave in and became the official fifth member. “She didn’t want to be seen in public with us for the longest time,” jokes Justin. Even if that had been the case, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. At the time, Elliot Root wasn’t really being seen all that much. But that all changed quickly. Having heard of the band through their mutual friends in Moon Taxi,

Wells Adams (formerly of Lightning 100) unexpectedly selected Elliot Root’s “Punks and Poets” for his weekly Wells Smells a Hit feature in mid-March. Though none of the band was listening to the live show at the time, their phones immediately began blowing up with messages from friends, and they realized that they’d gotten their first big break. “Lightning 100 started things off in a big way for us,” says Scott. “They rolled us out in really great fashion.” Shortly after their first play, the band was selected as the independent radio station’s Artist of the Week. Their subsequent show at Soulshine Pizza Factory was the most packed crowd the Lightning team had ever seen. A few

days later, they were invited into the station for a live performance and interview. The following months only continued the trend of growing exposure. As Lightning 100 put their songs on heavy rotation, the band geared up for the release of their third EP, Thoughts From Yesterday, with a full schedule of shows around the eastern half of the country— including a performance at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. To their astonishment, they found their way onto multiple “must-see” lists for the festival, resulting in a sizeable crowd for their early afternoon set. The group gets giddy reminiscing about their Hangout experience. They highlight the incredible artists’ servic-

es that included a beach covered with sod, couches, and lobster tails. They mention the glorious irony of watching Skrillex dancing to a DJ set by Arcade Fire’s Win Butler. And they even admit to stealthily stalking some of their idols, like My Morning Jacket’s Jim James. The buzz they got from the event is still palpable even two months later. “Hangout was pivotal for us,” says Scott. “There was so much momentum going into that, and it was kind of like a proving grounds.” They proved themselves well enough. It was during their time at the beach that they met Zac Brown, and they must have made a good impression—a week later, when he needed a last-minute opener, he called Elliot Root. It was an

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opportunity none of the members could have predicted, but it fell nicely in line with the aggressively steepening trajectory that Adams’ radio show had initiated in March. “We’re getting these odd looks at these things that are kind of above our pay grade right now,” says Scott. “That’s affording us the opportunity for people to know who we are, but we’re still babies, and we’re sort of pushing out of the nest.” It’s a fitting metaphor. Lucky for them, they built their nest in a branch above one of the hottest cities for music in the country. Though they’re understandably still solidifying their identity as musicians, they say that their location in Nashville has definitely made flight a little easier. “We get more exposure as a band because Nashville is getting so much exposure right now,” says Todd, who despite his laid-back disposition continually surprises by jumping into the conversation with fervor. “It’s all due to this synergy, and that’s all working in our favor.” Equating Nashville’s current musical trajectory to what happened in LA and Austin, the band says the insane amount of talent surrounding them has pushed them to be better. It has also outfitted them with a community of other hardworking musicians that continually inspire them. “I’ve seen some things happen with certain musicians getting together, and it’s been mind-blowing,” says Scott. “If you took that kind of talent and put it outside this city, people would be lining up with money in their hands, and you can walk into Douglas Corner and watch that randomly on a Tuesday night.” Still, the guys admit that trying to make it in Music City can certainly have its downsides. A saturated market makes initial discovery hard to come by. And they say being surrounded by so much talent might have caused insecurity that prevented them from putting themselves out there early on. “It’s kind of sad because you see a lot of dreams die in this town,” says Scott. “I could tell you twenty bands in town that are more deserving of being in this spot that we are in right now, and we aren’t even that far along.” So why them? How did Elliot Root find themselves in their current position of playing for sold-out amphitheaters, touring with one of the biggest country artists in the nation,

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when just as little as a year ago they were playing for a crowd of thirty people at The Basement? Well, they don’t really know. “The music industry isn’t ‘this is how you do it,’” Sean says. The rest of the band unanimously breaks out the Montell Jordan classic for five seconds before letting their drummer finish his thought. “There are trends and outlets, but there really is no formula for being discovered or seen in any way. I think that’s why the music has been a little random.” When he says random, he’s referring to the three EPs the band has put out all within the last fifteen months. The first, ER/EP, was recorded a while back but wasn’t released until last May, by which time they’d already recorded their second. The aptly titled 2 - EP was released half a year later in January 2015. But two releases in a little over six months weren’t enough for the band, and they headed back into the studio to record their latest, Thoughts From Yesterday, which came out just over two months ago. Though their release schedule may seem haphazard, the actual music is quite consistent. There’s an easy, relaxed quality to the rock they craft. Imagine The Script but less formulaic and, consequently, a little less catchy. But what they sacrifice in immediate gratification, they make up for in technical variation. Backed by dreamy, atmospheric rock, Scott’s voice switches deftly between full-bodied tenor and an almost angelic falsetto, a la Chris Martin. It’s a tranquil combination that lends itself to a wide expanse of listening palates and certainly is in large part responsible for their sudden embrace by the Nashville community. As for the future, the band says the next step is to tour as much as possible to support the sizable catalog of music they’ve put out in the last year and a half. When I ask if there are plans to record more, they joke that there is pressure to actually stop recording in order to adequately promote the tunes they already have out. They’ll get a pretty good chance to do just that later this summer when they perform at Lightning 100’s Live on the Green. Their performance opening for Shakey Graves and Lord Huron is bound to win them more than a few new fans, and they’re even calling the August 20 show their biggest break so far. Until then, I’m sure they’ll be keeping their fingers crossed that their wave keeps on its current path. As long as they get more than twenty-four hours’ notice before each of their shows and they remember to turn all of their amps off standby before they perform, they should be just fine.

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Q&A WITH SUSAN SHERRICK, COOWNER OF WEDGEWOOD-HOUSTON ART GALLERY SHERRICK & PAUL BY JONAH ELLER-ISAACS | PHOTOS BY ANDREA BEHRENDS

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Susan Sherrick is not the woman I expected. I’ve just arrived at Sherrick & Paul, her WedgewoodHouston art gallery. Featuring artists of international renown in a semiformal setting, the gallery is unusual for Nashville. It’s not a party that happens to include art, or an artist loft showing the residents’ work (not that there’s anything wrong with either scenario). Given the formal nature of the gallery, I wasn’t sure what Susan would be like—is there a gallery owner stereotype?—but the person shaking my hand is a surprise. Susan is a small woman, waifish even, with cropped black hair and a soft-spoken demeanor. Her black T-shirt adverts The Clash in bright green lettering. Thoughtfully designed and expertly executed tattoos spread across her wrists and forearms. She welcomes me with a smile, and we stroll through the gallery as we chat.

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What brought you to Nashville, and what inspired you to start a gallery here? I was living in New Orleans, and I had some friends here. I started coming up here to visit and hang out and liked the people I was meeting. I liked the city. I checked out the arts community, and I saw there was a hole for the type of galleries that I had worked in in both New York and San Francisco. I thought I could add to the existing community of artists and galleries that were already here. I started out doing three pop-ups called Joint, and each gallery pop-up had a different theme and location. The second Joint pop-up was in what is now David Lusk Gallery. You opened your gallery in WedgewoodHouston. What made you choose this

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my neighborhood. I see what’s happenparticular location? I loved this neighborhood, the gallery ing to the rest of the city, as we all do. community that’s already here . . . I see That’s actually something we’ve been this neighborhood as the arts district for meeting about as a neighborhood, the Nashville, and I know a lot of the artists, building owners, small business owners gallery owners, musicians, and studio . . . People who’ve been [here] for a long owners who are here see it the same way. time don’t want to see anything happen I just felt like we could add to what was to the neighborhood. We’re all working already here. I really couldn’t have seen together to make sure that it stays the the gallery being in any other neighbor- way it does but keeps moving forward hood in the city. I live in East Nashville, . . . I chose this neighborhood for a reabut I see this neighborhood as an exten- son, so I’m gonna do everything I can to support it. sion of where I live. Nashville is in the midst of a period of rapid transformation. How do you maintain an authentic neighborhood spirit and adapt to the changes? I’ve only been in Nashville for three years, but I see what’s happening to

Your gallery is in Houston Station, a converted 19th-century factory. How did you prepare the space to show art? I love this building. It’s the original sock and hosiery mill. The space we’re in, it’s the first time there have been windows

in the space in over sixty years. We left the original floors and brick . . . Nick Dryden [of local firm DA|AD] was our architect for the space. He [is] a friend of mine. One of the things I love about Nick’s work and the buildings he designs or works with [is] he leaves a lot of the original structures and makes new but keeps with the old. You’re bringing internationally established artists to Nashville. Are there ways to get Nashville more prominently on the international art map? One of the things I’m working on is a mural project for the neighborhood, trying to bring in several graffiti artists that I’ve worked with in the past . . . I think it would solidify this neighborhood as the arts district of Nashville, and if I can get

the artists here, one of whom is interested, it could put the city on the international art map, which is something I’d really like to see happen. And I know a lot of people in the neighborhood would like to see that happen . . . A lot of these artists have never been shown anywhere in the South, and definitely, obviously not in Nashville, so I think that’s adding to the visibility. How do you balance promoting wellknown, internationally established artists with supporting arts locally? I really enjoy talking to artists about their process and what they’re working on. It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about working in a gallery, being involved with the artist and their pro-

cess, whether it’s a book or just hearing about working in the studio or working on an exhibition. With the first three pop-ups we did, we incorporated emerging photographers with established . . . I loved that collaboration of emerging artists with established artists because I feel like that never really happens. So when I got the opportunity to curate a show at Howard Greenberg [Gallery] in New York, it was called Scenes from the South. I did the same thing . . . I was really excited to be able to do that, cause I know some of those emerging photographers, even the career photographers, and that’s not something that would’ve happened in a normal circumstance.

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SHERRICK & PAUL: sherrickandpaul.com Follow on Facebook @SherrickandPaulGallery and Instagram @SherrickPaul native.is

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Can Nashville support high-end art collecting? Yes. It’s been my experience in the cities that I’ve lived in and worked in, New York and San Francisco . . . Collectors want you to know what they have. Especially with dealers, they wanna have good relationships with [you]. They’ll invite you into their home, which is always wonderful! There are communities of collectors and they form relationships with dealers and curators, and there’s dinners and cocktail parties surrounding this. There’s always this constant, really wonderful conversation and dialogue that takes place, and I wanna see that happen more here. I’m trying to make that happen. I’m setting up a collectors’ group around the gallery, which I think is really important. Tell me about the response you’ve received in the gallery’s first year of business. I’ve been very encouraged and excited about the response we’ve received from the city. But outside the city as well, the feedback I’ve gotten from colleagues in the art world who’ve been in this business for a long time just think it’s great what we’re doing. It’s hard opening a new business, no matter where you are. The support we’re getting is really awesome. The attendance at shows, the press we’ve gotten, it’s just been a whole mix of things. It’s been really wonderful . . . The conversations I’ve had with people who’ve come in the gallery—either on vacation or used to live here or grew up here and moved away and came back—they’ve said, ‘We never thought we’d see this kind of artwork shown in Nashville.’ I’ve had this conversation with a lot of my former colleagues in New York, San Francisco, LA, and London. They’re like, ‘Why Nashville?’ I’m like, why not? It’s growing, people moving here all the time, a lot of creative, artistic, wonderful people already living here. Why not just add to what’s here?

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VISIT PLOWBOYRECORDS.COM FOR NEW RELEASES # N AT IVE N ASH VI LLE

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RESPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

YOU OUGHTA KNOW: CAPPA

CAPPA cappamus ic.net Follow on Facebook , Twitter, and Inst agram @CappaMu sic native.i s

Brace yourself, Nashville, electropop music is coming. Well actually, it’s already here—and no one knows that better than CAPPA. With the release of her eponymous EP in May, the Philly transplant has distanced herself from the piano-driven hooks that defined her early efforts as Carla Cappa (her parents named her after Carly Simon). These days, CAPPA has more in common with the likes of The Knife, Purity Ring, or Phantogram than her namesake, but nobody seems to mind. Since taking the plunge into synthier waters, CAPPA has taken part in Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem series, played Adam Duritz’s Outlaw Roadshow, charted on Spotify's Viral 50, and premiered the video for “Hush” (in which she sings while submerged in a tub full of what appears to be milk) via VICE. Expect a new single the first week of September, but in the meantime, give CAPPA—and the rest of Nashville’s rising pop scene—a listen. Just don’t blame us when you can’t get “Hush” out of your head.

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observatory

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ANIMAL OF THE MONTH Written by Cooper Breeden*

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If you frequent the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, or nature shows on Netflix, you may be familiar with some of the awe-inspiring migrations of animals like salmon in the Pacific or African elephants in the Okavango Delta. However, when you see the fluttering bob of a butterfly in your garden, your first thought may not be to wish this epic hero well on his legendary journey—but perhaps it should. The migration of the monarch butterfly follows a several-thousand-mile-long trail blazed by each butterfly’s great-grandparents. Beginning early in the spring, each monarch will leave its Mexican wintering ground to begin a multigenerational journey north. Most monarchs only live a few weeks—not enough to complete the year’s several-thousand-mile migration—so they breed along the way and pass the baton to their offspring before dying. This goes on for three generations until the great-grandchild of the monarch that set out months earlier from Mexico is entrusted with the last and longest leg of the migration: the return trip to the wintering grounds. These monarchs live exceptionally longer than most, up to nine months, allowing them to return to Mexico without the help of any successor. There is no mistaking a monarch when you see it—its wings are orange with black veins and borders interspersed with white spots. It’s also pretty simple to identify the males: they have a black spot (a scent gland used to attract females) in the middle of the hind wings. If you wish to see a monarch fluttering about, your best bet is to find its main food source: milkweed. As an adult, monarchs can get nectar from many types of flowers, but the caterpillar lives almost solely off of milkweed. Aside from a source of food, the milkweed gives the monarch a leg up in the rough and tumble world by way of a chemical compound that lingers in the monarch’s body after ingestion. The chemical is

poisonous to its predators, and whether through instinct or trial and error, the predator learns to associate the bright colors of the monarch with foul taste and illness. After adult monarchs mate, they lay their eggs on milkweed leaves. In a few days, a caterpillar emerges and survives mostly on milkweed, the only exception being when it eats its eggshell or the layers of dead skin it casts off as it grows. After about two weeks, the monarch goes through the pupal stage of its life cycle by making a chrysalis (a cocoon is the moth version of a chrysalis). Inside the chrysalis, the monarch spends about two weeks changin or metamorphosing, from a caterpillar to a grown changing, adult. Each year fewer and fewer monarchs are returning to Mexico. There are several likely causes, but one of the problems is the loss of milkweed habitat in the United States caused by industrial agriculture and land-clearing. Industrial farms need to scale back their use of herbicides that kill everything except a genetically modified crop. Landowners and managers of open spaces (parks, road medians, etc.), need to value a grown-up meadow of diverse floral life as opposed to a carefully manicured lawn of just a few grasses. Until then, the future of the monarch butterfly will be in jeopardy. If you want to aid in the recovery, try setting aside a part of your yard for a meadow full of milkweed and other monarch-friendly flowers. For the most part, milkweed grows in sunny, well-drained areas. There are seed mixes on the market that are tailored to attract butterflies. If you go this route, just look at the plant list on the back of the seed pack to make sure it contains milkweed. Once the meadow is in full bloom, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at the unique ecosystem you created.

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