FEMINIST THEATER CO. DEBUTS AT PHOENIX PAGE 14
TJ REYNOLDS RETURNS WITH KID RAP ALBUM PAGE 20
Summer Reading Hoosier Authors Old and New PAGE 6
VOL. 30 ISSUE 14 ISSUE #1465
NEWS / 4
THE BIG STORY / 6 FOOD / 12 ARTS / 14 MUSIC / 18 SOUNDCHECK / 21 // SOCIAL
6
Summer Reads: Hoosier authors old and new
Who’s your favorite Hoosier author?
Justin Brown
Alyvia Layton
Rachel Couch
Etheridge Knight
Always Vonnegut. Close second would be John Green.
Kurt Vonnegut
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2 // THIS WEEK // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
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THE DNR VS. THE STATE OF INDIANA G BY DAVID HOPPE // NEWS@NUVO.NET
ov. Holcomb, do you know what your Department of Natural Resources is doing? It is unusual for a major department of state government like the DNR to go rogue, especially in a state as politically lopsided as Indiana, where the same party effectively controls all three branches of our supposedly representative government. But what is happening up in Northwest Indiana seems to demonstrate otherwise. Here, the town of Long Beach has filed a complaint against the DNR because of the state agency’s refusal to abide by a unanimous ruling by the state’s Supreme Court—a court, by the way, that has been packed by Republican governors. Last February, the Supreme Court sent what amounted to a Valentine to community advocates, finding that the beach along Lake Michigan belonged not to those private citizens fortunate enough to be able to afford beachfront property but to the state of Indiana. Here is how the court put it: “Today, we hold that the boundary separating public trust land from privately owned riparian land along the shores of Lake Michigan is the common-law ordinary high-water mark and that, absent an authorized legislative conveyance, the State retains exclusive title up to that boundary.” This was a big deal. The Indiana Lawyer called it “a landmark case.” But there was a catch. Not all judges agreed on how to determine the ordinary high-water mark. The DNR calls the OHWM “the line on Lake Michigan and other navigable waterways used to designate where regulatory jurisdiction lies and in certain instances to determine where public use and ownership begins
and/or ends.” The DNR’s practice has been to rely on a number, 581.5 feet, set by the Army Corps of Engineers, to determine where the OHWM lies. The trouble with this is that you can’t see it; you need an instrument, like an altimeter, to tell where it is. And, since the beach is in a constant state of flux, that number can wind up being in the lake in some places and your neighbor’s kitchen in others. The Indiana Supreme Court’s February ruling was doubly significant because it not only declared Indiana’s Lake Michigan beach to be public property, it also used common sense, not an altimeter, to determine the OHWM. The court endorsed the public contention that the OHWM be defined by the visible line where vegetation takes hold and debris is collected. This part of the Supreme Court’s finding has caused the DNR to go rogue. The DNR has refused to enforce the Supreme Court’s February ruling, even though that ruling was certified by the Supreme Court clerk on May 24, effectively making it the law in Indiana. In its complaint, the town of Long Beach states that the DNR’s refusal to abide by the Supreme Court ruling “gravely impacts Long Beach’s ability to effectively and adequately manage and enforce its ordinances and hinders other necessary public policy decisions regarding issues along the Lake Michigan shoreline over which the DNR and Long Beach both have jurisdiction.” Indiana’s DNR is placing itself above the law—and sticking it to the state’s Supreme Court. You’ve got a mutiny on your hands, Gov. Holcomb. What are you going to do about it? N For more opinion pieces visit nuvo.net/voices
NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // VOICES // 3
NEWBORN MEDICAL TESTING REVISED Muscular Disease Diagnosis Added to Screening Panel BY SETH FLEMING // NEWS@NUVO.NET
A
drienne Vollmer’s son was born with spinal muscular atrophy, which makes it difficult for him to walk, eat, and swallow consistently because of muscular deterioration. Had the disease been discovered at Graham’s birth, treatment might have been more effective at reversing the symptoms of SMA. Vollmer has witnessed firsthand what SMA can do to children and families, which inspired her to approach lawmakers to change the law to require testing at birth for the condition. The changes, which take effect July 1, are expected to result in Hoosier children being diagnosed earlier, allowing more effective and efficient treatment. State Rep. Douglas Gutwein, R-Francesville, authored the House version of the bill, which expands newborn infant screenings to cover SMA and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). It passed both the House and Senate by wide margins. “Hoosier parents can now rest assured that their babies are being tested at birth for these
A HELLISH JULY FOR DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC MONTH-LONG CLOSURE OF I-65 BEGINS SUNDAY
ADRIENNE VOLLMER AND HER SON, GRAHAM //
diseases so they may have more treatment options and more hopeful outcomes,” Gutwein said in a news release. “Our family has been so honored to be a part of the process to add SMA to Indiana’s newborn screening panel,” Vollmer said in a statement in May when the bill was signed into law. The previous newborn screening list called
Beginning Sunday, July 1, the major interstate artery running through downtown Indianapolis will be completely shut down in both directions while the
for the testing of 10 ailments, with the updated bill adding SMA and SCID to the list. The bill also requires that the first screening must take place no earlier than 24 hours after birth, with a secondary test occurring between 48 hours and 120 hours after the birth. These assessments are now required for each infant born within Indiana unless an infant’s parents, in writing, object on religious grounds. Also, those infants who have undergone a full-exchange blood transfusion are exempt from the newly mandated screenings. SMA affects the motor neurons in the spinal cord, which prevents the neurons from regenerating. This ultimately causes muscular deterioration and a lack of motor mobility, such as walking, breathing, swallowing, and other functions. Once these symptoms take effect, they are difficult to treat or cure and require long-term care by medical professionals. SMA kills children at higher rates than any other hereditary disease, according to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. The Indiana chapter of Cure
SMA calculates that approximately one in 11,000 babies is born with SMA. “Once symptoms have onset, then a child loses their muscle mass and their ability to move, breath, swallow, and eat, and once they start to lose those functions, then it is really hard to gain that back, even with treatment,” Vollmer said in an interview. Vollmer pushed hard for the passage of the newborn screening bill after Graham began treatment for SMA at age 7 months. But because her son was already exhibiting symptoms, reversing them was difficult, which is why Vollmer began advocating for the new test. But if the condition can be diagnosed before the onset of symptoms, it is likely that treatment, including new medications on the market, will help. The latest drug on the market to treat SMA, Spinraza, is most effective if taken before the onset of symptoms. N Seth Fleming is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
peak rush hour times every morning and again in
close the downtown I-65/I-70 interchange in order
the afternoon.
to repair deteriorating bridges, upgrade pavement
In order to avoid a cluster fuck of epic proportions
conditions in the area, lessen congestion, and
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) rehabs
during the closure, city and state officials are asking
seven bridges on the Northwestside.
commuters to use public transportation when possible
The North Split project would add lanes on both
and business owners to adjust office hours in order to
interstates, widening some bridges and adding others,
avoid rush hour.
and reconfiguring exit and entrance ramps along 11th
The 35-day project will completely close I-65 between Meridian Street (exit 113) and 21st Street (exit 115) in Downtown Indianapolis. The entrance and
The bottom line? Take I-465 around the city if you
exit ramps at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and West
aren’t coming Downtown during the month of July.
streets interchange (exit 114) will also be closed.
If you are coming Downtown, prepare an alternative
If you choose to ignore all the detour signs, you will be forced to exit I-65 south at 21st Street and continue southbound via Capitol or Meridian streets. Coming north, you will have to exit I-65 at Washing-
route and allow for a lot of extra time. The work is expected to be completed and I-65 reopened Sunday, Aug. 5. INDOT has a website with ongoing updates,
improve overall safety.
and 12th streets at an estimated cost of $250 million. Find out more about INDOT’s plans at northsplit.com. The project is still in the planning stages, but opponents to an expanded interstate system through Downtown have already formed a coalition of residents, business leaders, and politicians, including Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, asking INDOT to
ton Street and then use College, Meridian, or Illinois to
maps, and more information at https://www.in.gov/
consider alternatives to what they see as an outdated
continue northbound.
indot/3687.htm.
transportation model. Rethink65-70.org has more on
According to INDOT, the affected area of I-65 averages more than 130,000 vehicles a day during
4 // NEWS // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
The July closure is not part of the highly publicized and contentious North Split project that will
the opposition. —NUVO EDITORS
Summer Reads
// PHOTO BY HALEY WARD
10 New Books by Indy Authors From Flash Fiction to the Science of Sexual Fantasy
BY DAN GROSSMAN AND LAURA MCPHEE // EDITORS@NUVO.NET
T
he lazy, hazy days of a Midwestern summer lend themselves perfectly to lounging in a shady spot with a good book. To make that process a little less strenuous, we’ve compiled a list of 10 new books by local authors that are worth recommending. The list ranges from several collections of poetry to a scientific inquiry into sexual fantasies via a Kinsey fellow. There are several traditional novels and a truly dazzling flash fiction collection as well. In each case, we were intrigued by the stories being told and new ways of telling
them. More importantly, each has an authentic point of view worth considering. We didn’t set out to make a political or progressive statement with the list. But issues of poverty, prejudice, crime, and violence permeate so much of our city that it was inevitable they would be reflected in the poems and prose about us. None of these writers has his or her head in the sand, so why should we? Got a new work by a local author you want to recommend? Send us a note at editors@nuvo.net so we can consider it for our next reading list.
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BRU BAKER Under a Blue Moon, (Camp H.O.W.L. #2)
JAY COLES Tyler Johnson Was Here
Dreamspinner Press, 2018
Little, Brown and Co., March 2018
Who knew there’s a summer camp deep in the Hoosier National Forest that caters to young werewolves and wolflings? Who knew there are gay romantic fiction titles involving interspecies romance between human-dudes and were-dudes? LGBTQ romance author Bru Baker—who is also a librarian at some undisclosed location in the Midwest— knows. The romance that evolves between Nick (a werewolf) and Drew (the all-too-human camp doctor) takes some mild twists and turns as the two try to negotiate how to be more than fuck buddies in a professional environment. There is some drama, some adventure, and a lot of orgasms. Or should we call them were-gasms? —DG
Art imitating life isn’t always pleasant, and Jay Coles’ story of an Indianapolis teenager caught up in an act of police violence is an unflinching look at what it means to be a young African American man in our city—and far too many other cities. In a story seemingly ripped from the headlines, twin brothers Marvin and Tyler Johnson attend a party, but only one comes home. The other is found shot to death. Marketed as a YA novel, the tragic story of these teens is just as relevant for adults. Tyler Johnson is a novel well worth reading and Ball State grad Coles is an Indy author well worth reading. —LM
NUVO.NET/THEBIGSTORY MITCHELL DOUGLAS dying in the scarecrow’s arms
MISSY DEHN KUBITSCHEK Homesteading
Persea Books, March 2018
Rain Press, December 2017
From the legacies of poets Mari Evans and Etheridge Knight to the legendary Long’s Donuts, Douglas uses Indianapolis as a backdrop for his poems and exploring topical issues of violence and crime in the African American community. In his feature on Douglas early this year, NUVO writer Josh Flynn described the poems of dying in the scarecrow’s arms as welcoming and accessible, but also “like the fragments of a broken mirror—sharp, pointed—and they reflect an Indianapolis we may not want to see. But if you stand just right, beauty shines in the shards, and you feel you have the power to reach out and reassemble what’s been broken.” —LM
MA’DESA KINCHLOW The Girlfriend Chronicles: Secrets, Skeletons & Sticky Situations Independent Publishing, March 2018
An outgrowth of her Girlfriend Chronicles blog, Kinchlow’s Secrets, Skeletons & Sticky Situations is an enjoyable and easily digestible romance à la Waiting to Exhale. Set in Indianapolis, the book is a collection of first-person confessionals detailing the ups and downs of being female, Black, and in a relationship that has seen better days. The novel presents compelling characters and realistic situations all too familiar to most women in (and out of ) love in a way that makes it hard to put down. As a first-time author, Kinchlow has done very well, but she deserves a good editor and opportunities to further develop her natural gifts as a storyteller. —LM
Brave and brutal, Homesteading is the story of the staff and residents of an Indianapolis homeless shelter over the course of a single year. Told from the point of view of a volunteer facing her own domestic challenges, the novel deals with poverty, prejudice, and privilege in a way that never rings false or smug. A respected literary scholar and professor, Kubitsheck’s first work of fiction is as smart as it is empathetic. There are no easy answers and few happy endings at the shelter, and Kubitschek wisely avoids both in her fiction. Nonetheless, Homesteading is a story of hope and heart, even when it’s breaking your heart. —LM
SARAH LAYDEN The Story I Tell Myself About Myself Sonder Press, August 2018
The follow-up to her debut novel Trip Through Your Wires (2015), this time Layden gives readers a collection of unforgettable and superb flash fiction. The 15 stories are as short as one page and as long as four or five, but each one is so superbly written and expertly crafted that they feel richer and more complex than most full-length novels. From Mary, who “stands in boots not meant for church,” to the woman who was a house (not as big as a house, but an actual house), each character takes shape immediately in Layden’s prose and then disappears almost as quickly. Slippery, secretive, and sensual, Layden’s short fiction is simply magical. —LM
JUSTIN LEHMILLER Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life Da Capo Lifelong Books, July 2018
What sexual fantasies get you off? Indy resident Justin Lehmiller, research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, wants to know. His book Tell Me What You Want is based on the most comprehensive survey of American sexual fantasies ever undertaken. The book explores where our fantasies come from. He also shows us the way to make them a part of our regular sex lives. Lehmiller wants to provide scientifically based info to help improve sexual communication skills and satisfy your deepest desires with your partner(s) in a mutually beneficial way. —DG
MICHAEL MARTONE Brooding: Arias, Choruses, Lullabies, Follies, Dirges, and a Duet University of Georgia Press, March 2018
Michael Martone isn’t the easiest author to categorize. In his fiction, he’s written in the voice of Dan Quayle (Pensees, Broad Ripple Press, 1994) and in the voice of James Dean’s high school drama teacher (Fort Wayne Is Seventh on Hitler’s List, IU Press, 1993). In his essays, he’s explored agricultural life in rural Indiana and the sexual possibilities available to Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four. In Broodings Martone explores the possibilities of keys and locks, broods on the deaths of relatives used as excuses for class absences, and publishes a lesson plan in a series of tweets. If you like writers who straddle the borders of biography and fiction in their work, then you’ll love Martone. —DG
ADRIAN MATEJKA Map to the Stars Penguin, March 2017
The subject of Indiana poet laureate Adrian Matejka’s last book of poems, The Big Smoke, is Jack Johnson—the African American Johnson who scandalized white America not by taking a knee in football games but by dating white women. But he also managed to earn Donald Trump’s pardon in April, mostly because he is long dead. Matejka’s newest book takes on race in America but on a much more personal level. That is, he plunges into memories of his youth growing up in Indianapolis. In the poem “Stardate 8202.07,” Matejka mixes up his upbringing and Star Trek with larger issues of race: You/all tanlined along your broken afro lines/on this hungry, yellow kind of planet. —DG
MERI HENRIQUES VAHL Hoosier Hysteria: A Fateful Year in the Crosshairs of Race in America She Writes Press, July 2018
As the 1960s dawned in America, Bloomington, Indiana, wasn’t a particularly progressive place to be, particularly if you were IU freshman Meri Henriques Vahl. A Jewish New Yorker, Vahl arrived in 1963, the same year IU’s dorms were first integrated and John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The stink of prejudice was in the air everywhere. Thus, what seemed like good old-fashioned Midwestern values to some of her classmates seemed far less wholesome to her. Vahl makes friends, has various romantic entanglements, and eventually comes to the realization that Hoosier Hysteria is not all it’s cracked up to be. —DG N NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // THE BIG STORY // 7
The Big Story Continued...
Former ‘Star’ Reporter Sets First Novel In Indy
‘Letting Go’ Confronts the Pain of Loss and the Necessity of Moving Forward BY DAN GROSSMAN // DGROSSMAN@NUVO.NET
“E
verything I know I learned at the features desk,” says author Abe Aamidor, riffing on the bestselling self-help book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. That includes figuring out how to write his first novel, Letting Go, published in May by The Permanent Press. Aamidor worked at the features desk at The Indianapolis Star from 1987 to 2008. Aamidor was born in Memphis in 1946 and stayed there until he was 7, and then he lived in Chicago for the most part until he was 30. He is the author of Chuck Taylor, All Star: The True Story of the Man behind the Most Famous Athletic Shoe in History and Shooting Star: The Rise and Fall of the British Motorcycle Industry. The narrator of Letting Go, Dwight Bogdanovic, has a superficial resemblance to the author in terms of age and having a son in military service. “While the character’s not me, a lot of the details of American life are drawn from stuff I know to be true. For example, selling greeting cards door-to-door,” says Aamidor. “I don’t think kids do that anymore. But [as] a kid I used to do that.” Dwight’s son Bertrand is a soldier who dies under mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. But during the time when Dwight himself was of draft age, during the Vietnam era, he was selling encyclopedias door-to-door throughout the Midwest. This was something of an anomaly in his family history, as his working-class grandfather and father had served in WWI and WWII respectively. Flashbacks and reminiscences progressively add more detail as the novel—set in Indianapolis in the 2000s—goes on. Bogdanovic also reminisces about his wife, Thetis, who died a few years after their son was killed. And there are reminiscences of his son growing up and getting older and of a surprise visit that his son made during his military service.
shop about her applications for graduate school, implying that they are courting her because she is Black. Afterwards he wonders if he was really joking at all. Aamidor says that he came across many white, working-class men like Dwight during his reporting in Indianapolis. But he’s also encountered a wider variety of perspectives in his reporting that inform his novel.
WHAT // Letting Go by Abe Aamidor PUB DATE // Friday, July 6 (Blackstone audio book available now) PRICE // $29.95
ABE AAMIDOR //
This visit turned out to be the last time Dwight sees his son alive. It soon becomes apparent that Dwight is in a state of limbo, as he wanders around his hometown of Indianapolis—where he grew up—unable to move forward after the loss of his son and wife. Despite this emotional stasis, the novel is a quick read. This is due, in part, to the author’s keen observational skills and detailed descriptions. However, you might consider the narrator’s description of the Broad Ripple neighborhood to be slightly jaundiced: Broad Ripple was a blue collar, working-class neighborhood at a time in America
8 // THE BIG STORY // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
when that was all quite respectable...There were always bars, but only ones with big Schlitz out front or neon Carling Black Label signs in the window. But no craft beers, no Stella Artois, and so on. Dwight is also deeply nostalgic in his recollections of the ’50s. But he is smart enough to know that being romantic about the past will just lead him in circles. At points in the novel, you wonder if Dwight will have the sense to move on with his life or else just get swallowed in the eddies of his past. And there’s another reason to wonder if Dwight’s attitudes toward diversity are a holdover from another era. You see this as he jokes with an African American barista in a coffee
“I was talking to a feminist poet at IUPUI, and we were talking about stuff, it had something to do with America now and then,” says Aamidor. “She said that America in the ’50s was great for lots of people but not if you were Black and not if you were gay. And her idea of inclusion was not just to attack America but to make it good for everybody.” Letting Go also is a reflection on recent political history. At one point in the novel, Dwight attends an antiwar protest at IUPUI. He more or less agrees with the sentiments expressed, but he feels distinctly uncomfortable with the antiwar crowd. The scene where Dwight grabs a student in the IUPUI auditorium is drawn directly from Aamidor’s reporting at The Star. “They had me go out and see what… college kids think, supposedly [at] that age,” says Aamidor. “I didn’t grab somebody. I was interviewing people, and a young man, 20 years old maybe, said, well, I hope we win, because in international sports, I always root for America. My jaw dropped. That’s probably the most alarming thing I ever heard a person say. Whether he’s for war or against war, he didn’t understand anything. What does he think war is…the Olympics?” N
NUVO.NET/THEBIGSTORY
Irvington Gets Its Bookstore Back New Owner for Bookmamas and Vinyl Shop BY SETH JOHNSON // SJOHNSON@NUVO.NET
W
hen Bookmamas and Irvington Vinyl announced their dual closing in March, book and vinyl lovers in the city certainly felt their hearts sink a bit. Luckily, the closure was temporary, however, as the pair of shops has been purchased and are set to reopen under the new name Irvington Vinyl and Books on Saturday, June 30. The Opening Bash takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will include live music performances by local artists Rob Funkhouse, MK-II, and Sam Stone, as well as poetry by Ari Beedie, Chantel Massey, and John Leo, among others. There will also be an outdoor marketplace featuring local vendors such as Spooky Print Company, Ms. Murry’s Vegan Baked Goods, Deb Kappes’ pottery, and Coal Yard Coffee. It’s a fresh start for the two favorite businesses under the vision of new owner Elysia Smith, who made sure to keep much of what made Irvington Vinyl and Bookmamas great. “I really am spending a lot of time talking to [the former owners] about what they did in the past,” says Smith, “as well as how I can ensure that the community continues to feel supported, while also bringing in people that will invigorate it, grow it, and make it more dynamic.” “My fondest hope when I decided to wind this thing up was that we would find somebody to succeed us,” former Irvington Vinyl owner Rick Wilkerson says. “It didn’t look like we were going to, so we went into the liquidation. And then, right at the beginning of the liquidation, Elysia came to talk to us, and I was like, ‘Wow. That would be awesome if we could figure something out.’ Against all odds, it happened.” Wilkerson continues, “I’m just really glad to be able to look back and say it’s still here in some form—that we didn’t leave an empty space behind. There’s a vital and probably growing business coming in here, [being run by] people with energy
// PHOTO BY HALEY WARD
WHAT // Irvington Vinyl and Books Opening Bash WHEN // Saturday, June 30, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. WHERE // 9 Johnson Ave.
and youth on their side and also a lot of knowledge. I couldn’t be more pleased with whose hands it’s going to be in.” In addition to operating as a shop, Smith also wants Irvington Vinyl and Books to act as a hub for creativity in the Irvington community. As a writer, she especially plans to open up her doors to book lovers. “I’m really excited about the opportunity the bookstore presents for me, especially after drowning in the literary community for the last year here,” Smith says. “I plan to open up the space quite a bit, especially in that front room, to create a venue for poetry readings, book clubs, and all sorts of literary events.” She also hopes to draw Irvington’s younger generation into the shop as well. Of course, the store will host its fair share of music events as well. With all of the programming she does at the shop, though, Smith has one primary goal. “I want to provide wonder with what I’m doing at Irvington Vinyl and Books,” she says. N NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // THE BIG STORY // 9
The Big Story Continued...
The Golden Age of Hoosier Literature
10 Best-Selling Indiana Authors from Another Era BY LAURA McPHEE // LMCPHEE@NUVO.NET
I
ndianapolis earned its literary reputation long before Kurt Vonnegut made a name for himself as one of the greatest writers of the last century. In the years between the end of the Civil War and end of World War I, there was barely a time when Hoosier authors didn’t top the best-seller lists. This golden age of Indiana literature occurred roughly between 1870 and 1920. During those 50 years, Hoosiers were second only to New Yorkers in the sheer number of authors with books topping Publisher’s Weekly best-seller lists. BenHur was the blockbuster that truly put Indiana authors on the map, but dozens of others made it hard to ignore the Hoosier phenomenon. Take some time this summer to discover one or more of our literary ancestors for yourself. In many cases, the books offer a wonderful opportunity to experience the Indiana of 100 years ago. In most cases, they simply make a wonderful way to pass a summer afternoon or two.
Schoolmaster was a huge best-seller, and Eggleston became known as the first Hoosier author. A sequel, The Hoosier Schoolboy, appeared in 1873. It was still popular enough in 1937 to be made into a movie starring Mickey Rooney.
SARAH BOLTON (1814–1893)
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY (1849–1916)
From 1850 until her death, Bolton was the unofficial poet laureate of the state, speaking at every public event from Statehouse hearings to church picnics. Her best-known poem, “Paddle Your Own Canoe,” gained worldwide acclaim and was put to music as a popular song at least twice before 1900. She published two collections of poetry in her later years, The Life and Poems of Sarah Bolton (1880) and Songs of a Lifetime (1892). Both have dozens of poems about early pioneer life in Indianapolis and the people and places Bolton knew best.
Born in Greenfield, Riley became an Indianapolis fixture in his adult years, and his name still graces schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings throughout the city. Most recently, that’s Riley with the monocle and top hat staring down from a large mural near his home in Lockerbie. His folksy poems struck a chord with American’s love of all things bucolic as the Victorian era ended, and Riley became a national celebrity. Poems such as “Little Orphant Annie” (1885) and “The Raggedy Man” (1888) were memorized and recited for generations, and books such as An Old Sweetheart of Mine (1891) can still be found in a good number of Indianapolis homes.
EDWARD EGGLESTON (1837–1902) Hailing from Vevay, Indiana, along the river near Madison, Eggleston’s best-
LEW WALLACE (1827–1905) Ben-Hur is the biggest book to come out of Indiana and one of the best-selling books of all time. It was the first novel to outsell Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and it has never been out of print in the nearly 140 years since first published. The full title is Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880), and it is a book of biblical proportions and subject matter. Wallace was a war hero and a historian who spent seven years writing Ben-Hur, and it might feel as if it will take that long to read it. Don’t despair, and don’t give up. The book really is better than the movie, even without Charlton Heston. Wallace’s follow-up, The Prince of India (1883), was less successful but still an extraordinary read.
// PHOTO BY HALEY WARD
known book is the 1871 novel The Hoosier Schoolmaster. Based on experiences his brother had while teaching in the backwoods, the book is a simple romance with light humor and adventure. More impor-
10 // THE BIG STORY // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
tantly, it’s one of the earliest examples of a book written in Midwestern dialect— predating Mark Twain, who is rumored to have gotten the idea of writing about Tom and Huck in dialect. The Hoosier
NUVO.NET/THEBIGSTORY GEORGE BARR MCCUTCHEON (1866–1928) The most famous of the forgotten Hoosier authors, McCutcheon was a playwright and novelist from Lafayette who dominated best-seller lists with his series of Graustark books from 1900–1920. The first, Graustark: The Story of a Love Behind a Throne (1901) is a romance novel introducing the princess of Graustark and her love-struck American suitor. Still a great read, the Graustark novels spawned dozens of movies and became an early example of romantic comedy. Perhaps better known today, McCutcheon also wrote Brewster’s Millions (1902), which has seen 12 film versions over the years, including the 1985 Richard Pryor remake.
BOOTH TARKINGTON (1869–1946) He was the first writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, the first for The Magnificent Ambersons (1919) and the second for Alice Adams (1921). Only two writers, William Faulkner and John Updike, have won twice since. Tarkington was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, though he summered in Kennebunkport for decades, and clung to Victorian mores and ideas of class structure until his dying breath. If you’re new to Tarkington, start with his first novel, The Gentleman from Indiana (1899), the humorous The Two Vanrevels (1902), or Alice Adams. Leave The Ambersons for winter.
THEODORE DREISER (1871–1945)
She was the best-selling Hoosier author of the last century and one of the most famous authors in the world when she died in an automobile accident in 1924. Two of her books, Freckles (1904) and Girl of the Limberlost (1909), were among the 10 best-sellers in the United States from 1870–1920. At the time of her death, she had moved to Los Angeles and started her own film company to produce movie versions of her books. She died before the first film was released, but versions of Girl of the Limberlost continued to find their way to the big screen at least five more times before 1995.
A controversial writer who downplayed his Hoosier roots for most of his life, Dreiser hailed from Terre Haute and made his name in newspapers before novels. The tragic story of Sister Carrie (1909) changed all that, and Dreiser received much criticism for his realistic portrayal of a country girl who goes to the big city and falls prey to just about everything. An American Tragedy (1925) follows many of the same themes, but this time it’s a young man who succumbs to temptation and pays tremendously for his indiscretions. There’s no question that Dreiser is dark. But it’s a welcome antidote to the sugary mores of most fiction from the era.
MEREDITH NICHOLSON (1866–1947)
ALICE WOODS (1872–1959)
If you’re looking for a perfect summer read, you can’t go wrong with Meredith Nicholson. His novels are simply delightful without the heavy prose or saccharine that characterize most of his peers. His most famous, The House of a Thousand Candles (1906), is one of the earliest mysteries of popular fiction and will hold your attention right up to the Scooby-Doo reveal at the end. Another great read is A Hoosier Chronicle (1912). Nicholson’s descriptions of Indianapolis and thinly veiled characterization of prominent citizens make the book a wonderful way to travel back in time.
Alice Woods lived one of the most exciting lives and wrote some of the most popular fiction of any Hoosier author. Her first, Edges (1902), is based on her experiences as a young art student in Paris, and she followed with five more novels, all but one set in her adopted home of France. The most controversial was The Hairpin Duchess (1924), here Woods fictionalized the circumstances around the suicide of her friend Margaret Cravens, a young music student from Indiana who fell in love with Ezra Pound (also a friend) while living in Paris. N
GENE STRATTON-PORTER (1863–1924)
NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // THE BIG STORY // 11
NOW GO HERE
NEW RESTAURANT // Beholder WHERE // New restaurant from Milktooth’s Jon Brooks COST // $$$
JUNE
30
EVENT // Taste of Indy WHAT // A day-long celebration of Indy food and drink WHERE // Monument Circle
AHI TUNA APPETIZER FROM FLAMME BURGER // PHOTO BY CAVAN McGINSIE
MORE THAN JUST BURGERS Flamme Burger Keystone Fires Up Exciting New Offerings BY CAVAN McGINSIE // CMCGINSIE@NUVO.NET
I
n a city inundated with burger joints, it takes something truly special to stand out in the crowd. Some do it by sticking to tasty and simple classic burger recipes that have stood the test of time. Others make over-the-top burgers, focusing more on their toppings, such as maple-bacon jam, PBR-battered Nutella, and wilted arugula. But when Henri Najem set out to open Flamme Burger, he focused on the meat itself, making sure to use quality hormone- and antibiotic-free beef and bringing out its best flavors by preparing it over a wood-fire grill. Originally, Flamme Burger kicked off in Fishers and then added a second location in Whitestown. But this past week, Flamme Burger made a big move by closing the Fishers location and opening a new spot at Keystone at the Crossing in the Fashion Mall Commons, which also houses Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Kohl’s, and Reis-Nichols Jewelers. Najem cites parking woes as the inciting cause of the move from Fishers. The Fishers location was right in the heart of the Nickel Plate District, which is the cultural epicenter of the town. Because of this, it’s a high-traffic area with very little parking to speak of. “It’s amazing what they’ve done in Fishers, but with the growth and development there and
all the activities, they don’t have room for all the parking.” Najem mentions that there is a public parking garage available beneath the apartment complex that housed Flamme and other local businesses such as Brixx Wood Fired Pizza. But Najem says, “People thought it was just for the apartments.” This confusion led many people to pass up a meal and go somewhere with a parking lot instead. “So we had no parking and saw this opportunity here in Keystone...So I thought, ‘We’ll give it a shot here.’” For Najem, who has worked as a chef and restaurateur for over two decades, the move offers a lot of exciting aspects that the Fishers location didn’t. “What we’ve done is a little different than your fresh, casual concept,” he says. The new location has more space and came with a full liquor license. So, Najem says, “We have a full-service bar in here, and we’re doing table service.” With that full-service bar, they’re mixing up some interesting drink options such as their spiked gelato shake, which is a salted caramel shake with Wild Turkey bourbon to booze it up. They’re also making some major additions to the menu. “With the name Flamme Burger, everybody thinks it’s just burgers,” says Najem, “but it’s all about the wood fire. Cooking over the wood fire, it’s a lot
12 // FOOD+DRINK // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
WHAT // Flamme Burger WHERE // 8487 Union Chapel Road #560 Flammeburger.com
different than the more traditional gas grills and flat tops.” Najem says, “It’s funny because as food trends change, people’s palates change, and people are more educated on food now. I just thought this was a good opportunity to start exploring with some ingredients.” With the wood-fire grill as a tool, he thought seafood would be the perfect world of ingredients to incorporate into the menu. “What I’m trying to do is enhance more of the fresh seafood,” he says. They’ve added wood-fired gulf shrimp and ahi tuna to the menu. “I’m telling ya’,” says Najem. “The fish, off the grill, just those flavors, it’s so good.” He is playing with some new wood types for the seafood additions’ flavors. Their traditional method has been using oak and apple wood chips. “I’m not too into the cedar and hickory,” he says. “They’re too overpowering, and I want people to taste the protein. But the apple, cherry, and oak mixed together give such a great mix of flavors.” The new location had a soft opening on June 19, and it is now officially open. Najem
says that the grand opening on Thursday, June 28, which begins at noon, will be an afternoon filled with fun and celebrations. The event is hosted by sports radio host Dan Dakich and will have food samples, live music, giveaways, and more. Najem also says, “For the grand opening, we’re pairing up with Building Tomorrow.” Building Tomorrow is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that focuses on building and maintaining schools in Uganda. Najem first encountered the organization when Flamme Burger participated in Building Tomorrow’s annual fundraising event, Indy Burger Battle. Flamme Burger has won the Critic’s Choice Award at the Indy Burger Battle multiple times. While Najem is happy to have the accolades, he is more interested in the charitable side of working with Building Tomorrow. In an interview last year, Najem said, “For me, the success of a business isn’t measured by how much revenue you do or how many customers you have; it’s about being a part of the community.” Because of this commitment, he is happy to tie the grand opening to Building Tomorrow’s mission. “I think they just do great things,” he says. “So we want to use the grand opening to help with their charitable cause.” N
Runs every 4 weeks
BARGERSVILLE Taxman Brewing Co. 13 S. Baldwin St. taxmanbrewing.com
CARMEL Danny Boy Beer Works 12702 Meeting House Rd. 317-564-0622 Deviate Brewing 4004 West 96th St. 317-374-8249 Flix Brewhouse 2206 E. 116th St. flixbrewhouse.com Union Brewing 622 S. Range Line Rd. Suite Q unionbrewingco.com MashCraft Fishers 11069 Allisonville Rd. mashcraft.com Redemption Alewerks 7035 E. 96th St. redemptionalewerks.com Sun King Tap Room 7848 E. 96th St. sunkingbrewing.com
FISHERS Four Day Ray Brewing 11671 Lantern Rd. fourdayray.com
FRANKLIN Hoosier Brewhouse 157 Holiday Pl. /hoosierbrewing Shale Creek Brewing 178 W. Jefferson St. shalecreekbrewing.com
GREENFIELD Wooden Bear Brewing Co. 21 W. North St. woodenbearbrewing.com
GREENWOOD MashCraft Brewing 1140 Indiana 135 Mashcraft.com Oaken Barrel Brewing 50 Airport Parkway oakenbarrel.com
Planetary Brewing Co. 188 S. Madison Ave. Planetarybrewing.com
Flat 12 Bierwerks 414 N. Dorman St. Flat12.me
INDIANAPOLIS
Fountain Square Brewing 1301 Barth Ave. Fountainsquarebrewery.com
Bier Brewery & Taproom 5133 E. 65th St. Bierbrewery.com Big Lug Canteen 1816 E. 86th St. Biglugcanteen.com Big Woods 1002 N Main St. /BigWoodsSpeedway Black Acre Brewing 5632 E. Washington St. Blackacrebrewing.com
Grand Junction Brewing 110 S. Union St. grandjunctionbrewing.com
Brew Link Brewery 212 E. Main St. Brewlinkbrewing.com
WESTFIELD
St. Joseph Brewery 540 N. College Ave. Saintjoseph.beer
Broad Ripple Brewpub 840 E 65th St. Broadripplebrewpub.com
Central State Brewing Co. 2505 N. Delaware St. centralstatebrewing.com Chilly Water Brewing Co. 719 Virginia Ave. Chillywaterbrewing.com Daredevil Brewing Co. 1151 Main St. (Speedway) Daredevilbeer.com Deviate Brewing 4004 W. 96th St. Deviatebrewing.com
Complete Listings Online: nuvo.net/food
PLAINFIELD Black Swan Brewpub 7655, 2067 Hadley Rd. Blackswanbrewpub.com
Books and Brews (Multiple locations) booksnbrews.com
CenterPoint Brewing Co. 1125 Brookside Ave. Centerpointbrewing.com
Deer Creek Brewery 17661 Cumberland Rd. deercreekbrewery.com
Guggman Haus Brewing Co. 1701 Gent Ave. Guggmanhausbrewing.com
Blind Owl Brewery 5020 E. 62nd St. Blindowlbrewery.com
Cannon Ball Brewing Co. 1702 Bellefontaine St. Cannonballbrewingindy.com
Barley Island Brewing Co. 639 E. Conner St. Barleyisland.com
Garfield Brewery 2310 Shelby St. garfieldbrewery.com
Black Circle Brewing Co. 2201 E. 46th St. Blackcirclebrewing.com
Brugge Brasserie 1011 E. Westfield Blvd. bruggebrasserie.com
NOBLESVILLE
Happy Brewing Co. 3902 N. Illinois St. /happybrewingco Indiana City Brewing Co. 24 Shelby St. Indianacitybeer.com Liter House 5301 Winthrop Ave. facebook/literhouse MashCraft 2205 N. Delaware St. Mashcraft.com Metazoa Brewing Co. 140 S. College Ave. Metazoa.beer Redemption Alewerks 7035 E. 96th St. Redemptionalewerks.com Rock Bottom Brewery 10 W. Washington St. Rockbottom.com Round Town Brewery 950 S. White River Pkwy Roundtownbrewery.com
Moontown Brewing Co. 345 S. Bowers St. Moontownbeer.com
WHITELAND
Sun King Brewing Co. 135 N. College Ave. Sunkingbrewing.com
Nailers Brewing Co. 6001 N, US-31 ste. 14 /nailersbrewingcompany
The RAM 140 S. Illinois St. Theram.com
WHITESTOWN Urban Vines Winery & Brew 303 E. 161st St. urban-vines.com
The Tap 306 N. Delaware St. Thetapmassave.com
ZIONSVILLE
Thr3e Wise Men Brewery 1021 Broad Ripple Ave. Thr3ewisemen.com
Noble Order 98 S. Main St. nobleorderbrewing.com
Triton Brewing 5764 Wheeler Rd. tritonbrewing.com
Traders Brewing Co. 8587 Zionsville Rd. Tradersbrewingcompany.com
BY RITA KOHN // RKOHN@NUVO.NET
F
rom Speedway-based Daredevil Brewing Co. comes news of Daredevil Hall opening this fall at the Ironworks Hotel Indy at 2721 E. 86th St. Chef Neal Brown, owner of Ukiyo, Pizzology, and Libertine, is joining Daredevil Brewing as a partner in Daredevil Hall and as its executive chef. The taproom and restaurant will feature a rotating selection of Daredevil ales and lagers, craft cider, and wine, along with craft beer-inspired food pairings that are representative of Belgian, British, German, and North American cuisine as well as original dishes that best represent the brewery.
18TH STREET DISTILLERY Since its 2013 debut, 18th Street Brewing has attracted national attention for its beer made in Hammond and Gary, Indiana. On June 8, 18th Street Distillery, co-owned by Drew and Hannah Fox, had its grand opening at 5417 Oakley Ave. in Hammond, producing rye whiskey, bourbon, gin, rum, and moonshine. According to Joey Potts, 18th Street’s art director, “The distillery’s tasting lounge is designed with the overall feel of the roaring ’20s and The Great Gatsby. The cocktail lounge will serve a few select beers in cans from its sister company, 18th Street Brewery. The distillery will be open seven days a week.”
Twenty Below 5408 N. College Ave. 20below.coffee TwoDEEP Brewing Co. 714 N. Capitol Ave. Twodeepbrewing.com Wabash Brewing Co. 5328 W. 79th St. Wabashbrew.com
CAN CAN AWARDS
MCCORDSVILLE Scarlet Lane Brewing Co. 7724 Depot St. Scarletlanebrew.com
CRAFT EXPANSIONS
Advertise with the Beer Directory advertising@nuvo.net
Bier Brewery took gold for Special K Kolsch and Weizengoot and silver for PDG and Backpackin’ Brown. Chapman’s won gold for Valiant American Stout. Silver went to Daredevil Kolsch, and bronze medals went to Daredevil Pils and Marzen. NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // BEER BUZZ // 13
THRU JULY
GO SEE THIS
1
EVENT // Prowess WHERE // IndyFringe Basile Theatre TICKETS // $15–$25
THRU JULY
15
FEMINIST THEATER COMPANY DEBUTS AT PHOENIX
Summit Performance Stages ‘Silent Sky’ BY DAN GROSSMAN // DGROSSMAN@NUVO.NET
H
enrietta Swan Leavitt (July 4, 1868– Dec. 12, 1921) was an American astronomer whose work received little recognition in her lifetime. Leavitt is the subject of Lauren Gunderson’s play Silent Sky, the inaugural production for Summit Performance Indianapolis, opening June 28 at the Phoenix Theatre. Summit’s goal is to provide more professional opportunities for women in theater and help with gender parity in the arts says co-founder and Artistic Director Lauren Briggeman. The subject of the play resonates for Briggeman, who is 33; she grew up in Indianapolis and Carmel and went to Cathedral High School. “Leavitt, at the turn of the 20th century, was working as a ‘computer’ at the Harvard Observatory, which is basically the women were hired to do the math for the men who actually got to use the telescope and do the quote unquote real
astronomy,” says Briggeman. “But she was working with this really phenomenal group of women...I think all the characters in the play are based on real people. But her work in particular led to the idea that the universe is vast, that there was more outside the Milky Way galaxy, which we didn’t know yet. And that influenced the work of Hubble. Of course we’ve all heard of Hubble, but we haven’t heard of Henrietta Leavitt.” The fact that the playwright is a woman was also a plus for Briggeman. “I think she’s currently the most-produced playwright in regional theater across the country,” she says. “It’s pretty amazing.” The birth of Summit Performance owes something of the expanding universe, so to speak, to theater in Indianapolis. As the new Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre was being conceived and then built, former Artistic Director Bryan Fonseca saw that there was a large opportunity
14 // STAGE // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
LAUREN BRIGGEMAN WITH LORI WOLTER HUDSON // PHOTO BY DAN GROSSMAN
WHAT // Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson WHEN // June 28–July 22 WHERE // Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre TICKETS // $20 students, $25 GA
for performance that needed to be taken advantage of. “He had this idea to use the Phoenix as kind of an umbrella company to incubate younger or newer, smaller theater companies,” says Briggeman, who has been an actor in six Phoenix performances to date. “They were going to have two new theaters that could actually do shows concurrently; they’d actually be able to produce way more shows than they themselves could actually physically produce in a year, so that was an opportunity for other companies to come and produce here.” Briggeman attended a brunch organized by Fonseca to discuss the possibility of the Phoenix operating as an
EVENT // Annie WHERE // Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre TICKETS // $44+
umbrella company. Afterward, she told Bill Simmons—now the artistic director of the Phoenix—that he should start a theater company. Simmons’ reply to her: She should be the one to start a company, a feminist theater company. “And I thought about it but didn’t really think of myself as a feminist,” Briggeman says. “I hadn’t really thought of myself as a leader. I don’t really know anything about business. And then the presidential election happened. Then the Women’s March happened. I just found myself really shook by some of the misogynistic views that were being openly touted by the president and other people. And I thought, ‘What can I do about this?’ and my brain went, ‘Oh, there’s that idea for that feminist theater company.’ So that’s kind of how it started.” Briggeman has received a lot of help along the way, not the least of which is from the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, which is housing their performances. She also wanted to organize as a nonprofit, so she needed to form a board. “I pitched the idea to Georgeanna Smith Wade; she used to be the artistic director of NoExit and is the current director of Young Actors Theatre,” she says. “But I pitched the idea to her because I knew that I didn’t have any experience. And she said, ‘Well, I know a lot of things that we should not do.’ [laughs] Actually, that was one of her points: skip that friends and family board because it’s not going to give you what you need. We have a very strong, experienced board.” Briggeman also makes a point that Summit, which will be performing its first production out of the Phoenix’s blackbox theater, is living up to its mission of providing opportunities for women. Of the five actors in the inaugural production, four are women. “I’m really proud of Silent Sky,” says Briggeman. “We have a female playwright, a female director [Lori Wolter Hudson], a female stage manager [Danielle Buckel], female producer—myself—and we have an all-female design team; that’s lighting, sound, costume, and scenic.” N
A ONE-OF-A-KIND DINING EXPERIENCE Prepared by award-winning Chef Peter Fulgenzi
INDIANA’S WILDEST, EDIBLE TREASURES SPECIALITY COCKTAILS SILENT AUCTION $150/TICKET, ALL TAX-DEDUCTIBLE RESERVE & PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS AT: INDIANAFORESTALLIANCE.ORG
JUNE
GO SEE THIS
28
EVENT // Collecting Contemporary Art WHERE // Toby at Newfields TICKETS // FREE
THRU JUNE
29
EVENT // Stanley Kroemer WHERE // 10th West Gallery TICKETS // FREE
LIVE ART TALK SHOW AT STATE STREET Absurdist Theater, a Bizarrely Beautiful Stage, and Compelling Conversation BY CHARLES FOX // ARTS@NUVO.NET
O
ne recent evening at State Street Pub, local artist Casey No sat perched across from his friend and art world peer Erin K. Drew. Dressed in drag but still sporting his signature mustache, he was masquerading as “Season 1 Erin” in a hilariously charged power struggle with the real, or “Season 2,” Erin regarding who was the legitimate host of the live art talk show that was about to occur called Putty. They argued back and forth, eliciting howls of laughter from the audience, until the real Erin K. Drew finally took her rightful place as queen of the bizarrely beautiful stage. And quite a stage it was. On this night, it featured a backdrop by local artist John Collins McCormick called “Recentering.” This 100-foot-long fabric installation had previously been displayed in a gallery and is made of scrap material from flags. What ensued was absurdist theater, as Drew concluded a conversation with Collins McCormick by challenging him to finely dice at least one onion onstage while neutrally critiquing the worst piece of art he’d seen recently. Collins McCormick complied, methodically peeling the outer skin of the onion while articulately and humorously critiquing a bad short story he’d read, earning even more spirited audience laughter. Putty is “a monthly live art chat show that appropriates and distorts the format of the talk show,” according to the description on its Facebook event page. The Season 2 premiere occurred Saturday, May 26. Putty’s website states the goal of the series is “sticking together disparate bits of the Indianapolis art community— connecting artists as it connects audiences, growing as it rolls.” It is a unique brainchild of Drew and
LEFT TO RIGHT: GWENDOLYN DOT AND ERIN DREW //
represents a major shift in her practice. Putty is part of Drew’s effort to de-materialize her artistic output and embrace the practice of collaboration. She says the feedback has been stronger and more immediate than any she received for art objects she exhibited in the past, including posters, prints, paintings, and sculptures. Drew’s prior projects, Power Trip and Cartoon Research Lab, served as early catalysts for Putty. As the offbeat art gallery General Public Collective, which Drew was a part of, closed its doors, she had to consider her next move. She explains, “GPC folded, [and] we all lost energy for that project. State Street [Pub] felt like an extension of a lot of the creative community at GPC.” Thus, Putty was born.
16 // VISUAL // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
WHAT // Putty WHEN // Thursday, June 28, 7:30 p.m. WHERE // State Street Pub TICKETS // $5 per night or $25 for season pass
Chicagoan Marc Fischer of the nonprofit arts organization Public Collectors was also interviewed in the season premiere. Fischer’s presence on Putty as a guest felt especially relevant because his practice addresses one of the same concerns that Drew is combatting with Putty: the sense that much of what is relevant and worth presenting and preserving goes neglected by libraries, museums, galleries, and other mainstream cultural institutions. “Did I talk enough to avoid the physical
challenge?” Fischer joked at the conclusion of his interview. The answer was yes, and he ended up a believer in how well the unconventional format and venue of Putty function. “I travel to give lectures a lot...it’s a pleasant surprise that you could do something in a bar, where people are not wasted, are actually giving very focused attention, and have a place to hang around and talk afterward in a way that a lecture hall typically doesn’t function very well. Erin really did her homework and asked very thoughtful questions.” Fischer’s observation on the quality of questions Drew poses to her interview subjects is quite apt. “Often the questions serve things I’m thinking about a lot with my own practice,” Drew muses. “Themes about boredom and entertainment and a social extension of visual art. A lot of my questions come out of my work as an art teacher.” The questions are certainly as unique as Putty itself, and they keep the show both humorous and engaging for the audience. In keeping with the live talk show format, each episode concludes with a musical performance. This helps to navigate between the audience’s silence—save for laughter—during the show and the bar atmosphere they find themselves in at the show’s conclusion. The opener featured a thoroughly enjoyable and otherworldly synthesizer and vocal solo performance by Gwendolyn Dot, and the second episode will feature Kansas City-based musical guest Miss Last. On the next episode of Putty, Drew will interview Sarah Urist Green, former Indianapolis Museum of Art curator and current host of the PBS program The Art Assignment. It’s hard to know just what to expect, but it will certainly be thought provoking, and it will not be boring. N
OPEN LETTER TO
ALEX AZAR
U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Since taking office, you have had ample opportunities to respond to disability rights activists and advocates regarding the unconstitutional treatment of Americans at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC). You have received letters and petitions, phone calls and visits to your offices requesting meetings. Finally, ADAPT came to your home. And yet you remain silent. Meanwhile, because you have not ordered the release of FDA regulations banning aversive shocks, tens of children and adults with disabilities continue to be tortured daily at JRC. Don’t take our word for it the United Nations and the State of Massachusetts have documented the abuse, and dozens of national organizations are calling for the end to this heinous practice. On behalf of all Americans with disabilities demanding their Constitutional rights to equal protection and prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, we demand that you release the FDA regs now. ADAPT
WE CALLED. WE KNOCKED. TIME TO #STOPTHESHOCK. STOP THE SHOCK For more information: www.adapt.org/jrc Tell Sec. Azar to #StoptheShock at JRC: Phone: (202) 690-7000 Email: Secretary@HHS.gov @SecAzar, @HHSGov
AUG.
JUST ANNOUNCED
28
EVENT // Miguel: The Ascension Tour WHERE // Murat Theatre TICKETS // oldnationalcentre.com
OCT.
26
EVENT // Young The Giant WHERE // Egyptian Room TICKETS // mokbpresents.com
BEN LUMSDAINE AND MIKE BRIDAVSKY //
15 YEARS OF RUSSIAN RECORDING Mike Bridavsky’s Studio Is Now a Pillar of the Bloomington Music Community BY SETH JOHNSON // SJOHNSON@NUVO.NET
W
hen Mike Bridavsky first started Russian Recording 15 years ago, the longtime musician and sound engineer admits he knew very little about the local music community he’d be serving. Now after 15 years of recording bands, both local and national, his studio has become the lifeblood of sorts for the Bloomington scene. “I didn’t play in any bands, and I didn’t really even go see a lot of bands,” says Bridavsky, who moved to Bloomington for college in 1998. “But then, I opened the studio, discovered this really rich musical scene, and started making a lot of friends. I eventually started a band. I pretty much made all of my friends through the studio, so it’s a very communal, family sort of affair.” Located at 1021 S. Walnut St. in Bloomington, Russian Recording has played a part in all sorts of albums over the years from local, regional, and national acts such as Amy O, Built to Spill, Durand Jones and the Indications, Kevin Krauter, M. Ward, Magnolia Electric Co. of Montreal, and many, many more. All the while, Bridavsky has always stuck to the same community-minded approach that Russian Recording was built on. “I’ve always taken pride in being able to provide what most would consider a very expensive service to bands that can’t afford
it,” Bridavsky says. “As I recorded more and more bands, I would just put all the money back in the studio. That’s what I’ve done the entire time. I’ve actually never paid myself in 15 years. But my studio is really amazing. It all goes back to the studio. It’s basically a not-for-profit business model without being a certified not-for-profit.” Before its Walnut Street location, Russian Recording was housed in a humble A-frame building in Brown County from 2003 to 2008. “Somehow, the right people found out I was doing this,” Bridavsky recalls. “It was a really cool location out in the woods of Brown County. I slowly just started recording bands. It wasn’t quite a home studio setup, but it wasn’t anything like it is now.” After quitting his job as an audio preservation specialist at IU, Bridavsky decided to move Russian Recording to its current home. “The bank surprisingly gave me the funding to build a studio inside of the building that was formerly called the Art Hospital, and before that it was Secretly Canadian,” Bridavsky says. “The whole place was a giant warehouse. It was totally empty. I designed the air handling, the lighting, the electrical, the floors, the walls, the acoustics. Everything was from scratch.” Much like everything he’s done with Russian Recording, the current studio came
18 // MUSIC // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
WHAT // Russian Recording 15-year anniversary celebration WHEN // Saturday, June 30 from noon to 11 p.m. WHERE // Russian Recording (Bloomington), 1021 S. Walnut St. Visit the Russian Recording Facebook page for ticket info and a full listing of performers.
together with help from musicians in the community. This included Pete Schreiner of the Coke Dares and Magnolia Electric Co., who constructed the current Russian Recording interior. In addition to being a close friend of Bridavsky’s today, Schreiner was also one of the first musicians who ever recorded at Russian Recording back in its early days. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with the consummate engineer and musician Mike Bridavsky for a long time,” Schreiner says. “When he moved the operation into Bloomington, I was hired to execute the remodeling project to convert an old cobbled warehouse into the world-class recording studio it has become. It was a professional but DIY venture. Mike designed the studio plans himself, and we built the customized acoustical spaces to rigorous specifications,
largely with the help of volunteers who were excited about Mike’s vision.” As the years have gone by, this reciprocal relationship between Russian Recording and the Bloomington music community has only continued. Having recorded at Russian Recording with several of his own projects over the years, accomplished Bloomington musician Ben Lumsdaine believes Bridavsky and his approach to recording are responsible for the studio’s reputation. “I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it’s very affordable and not an intimidating place to be in,” says Lumsdaine, who also now works as an audio engineer at Russian Recording. “There are a lot of things engineers do that turn musicians off. There’s a lot of pretension, which I don’t feel Mike has. I think it’s an easy place to work and an easy place to be if you haven’t done a lot of studio recording before.” This Saturday, June 30, several bands that have worked at Russian Recording will perform outside the studio for a 15-year anniversary celebration. Many notable acts are featured on the lineup, including Amy O, Bugg, the Coke Dares, Durand Jones and the Indications, Good Luck, Memory Map, Spissy, and more. For full details on the festivities, be sure to visit the Russian Recording Facebook page. N
NUVO.NET/MUSIC
DAMON KARL SHINES BRIGHT
Indy Soul Artist Finds Inspiration from Local Legend Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds BY KYLE LONG // MUSIC@NUVO.NET
to be able to sing more and have a positive impact on people.” Another early musical experience molded Karl’s positive aesthetic. “I grew up in the church, and that provided some background for singing meaningful songs,” Karl says. “I’m never one to be negative when I sing. When I sing, I want people to feel what I’m feeling through that song. I want people to feel happiness and joy.” Karl began to get serious about refining his craft during his time at Arsenal Tech High School. “I started playing guitar on my 16th birthday,” Karl shares. “I was in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program for a few years, and my mentors in that program got the guitar for me. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m determined to learn how to play this and incorporate it into my singing.’ It took a lot of practice, but I didn’t stop until I learned.” For inspiration, Karl looked to one of Indy’s greatest singer-songwriters and guitarists: Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. Karl had the opportunity to meet Edmonds last year. The soul superstar shared some words of wisdom with Karl. “He just told me to keep going and to be me,” Karl recalls. “He told me to be the real me, to be the passionate Damon Karl that not everybody gets to see. When I bring my guitar out and get onstage, the real me tends to come out. He told me to try to bring that person out as often as I can.” Karl doesn’t seem to be having any trouble manifesting his true inner self through music. The 2017 single “Colors of the World” captures his desire to create music with a positive impact. “That song is about uniting people at a time when there’s so much going on in the world, and people are feeling lost and confused about what to do,” Karl explains. “What’s the point of fighting against each other when we can empower one another,
DAMON KARL //
share our knowledge, and lift each other up?” Despite Karl’s positive intentions, the music business often forces artists to compromise their values and vision. I asked Karl if he felt pressured to alter his style for commercial appeal. “There is a little pressure,” he says. “But if I feel like I can get to the point where my music is heard, there are ways to shift the audience’s attention to real lyrics. Music is more meaningful when it comes from the heart. There is some pressure, but that makes
DAMO N KARL AND BABY FACE //
D
uring a time when cruelty and crudity have overtaken our politics and entertainment like cancer, the sweet soul music of Damon Karl shines like a jewel. Damon Karl’s songs of love and unity reflect a more innocent time in music. When I first heard Karl perform, I was reminded of the sincerity and warmth of a young Smokey Robinson or Sam Cooke. Though Karl’s music is informed by a deep appreciation of vintage R&B, he’s not a retro-soul act. Karl performs in a thoroughly contemporary soul context (check out his new single “Beautiful Girl” for an example). Though Karl is young, he’s already put in serious work. In addition to his solo artistry, Karl is also a member of Mariah Ivey & TribeSouL—one of the most important new bands in Indianapolis. I recently caught up with Karl to learn more about his life and work in music. Karl was born and raised on Indy’s Eastside. His love for music manifested early, but his career as a performer started on a sour note. “When I was in elementary school, I was a hype kid, and I always wanted to be part of everything,” Karl recalls. “So I was part of the school talent show in fourth grade. I had the easiest song in the world to sing: ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ by R. Kelly. That was probably my very first time singing out like that. What happened was kind of remarkable though. I forgot the words to the second verse, and I just stopped completely. Everything got totally quiet, and I just broke down and cried.” For some people, that traumatic episode might have killed their dream to perform. But for Karl, it was a formative experience. “I think that moment was pivotal for me,” Karl shares. “I was like, ‘I never want that to happen again.’ But I wanted to continue to sing. Because when I did sing, it would have an impact on people. I wanted
me feel motivated to do more. The future is looking great.” Follow Karl at Damon Karl Music on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with future releases and live dates. N NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // MUSIC // 19
NUVO.NET/MUSIC
F
XAVI AND TJ REYNOLDS //
TJ REYNOLDS RETURNS WITH KID RAP ALBUM
New Release a Collaboration with Son Xavi BY SETH JOHNSON // SJOHNSON@NUVO.NET 20 // MUSIC // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO.NET
or years, rapper and multitalented artist TJ Reynolds has collaborated with all sorts of Indianapolis artists, whether it’s been powerful vocalists such as Kate Lamont and Sarah Grain or mainstay musicians such as drummer Devon Ashley and keyboardist Reggie Bishop. With his latest album, though, the man once described as “rap’s raconteur” teamed up with someone he’s never worked with before: his son Xavi. A project that’s been eight years in the making, Play! Hip-Hop for Kids of All Ages covers the gamut of relatable topics. With song titles such as “Bedtime Routine,” “Potty Time,” and “Three More Bites,” the 12-song album is certainly meant for children, although TJ thinks older listeners will get a kick out of it too. “I think it appeals to any parents and kids,” TJ says. “Since we all come from a family, that interest should be universal. But I also wanted it to have things that adults would catch and find funny or clever that might go over a kid’s head. So much kid-centered rap is super corny and not much fun for the parents to listen to, so we wanted to avoid that pitfall.” In a way, work on Play! began before TJ’s son could even form clear sentences. “It started with my wife Sarah [Zuckerman] and I making up simple little songs while we did everyday parental activities like getting dressed, feeding—or attempting to feed—our son, and changing diapers,” TJ says. “Most of them were just silly little ditties to find the humor in the routines. Even before Xavier [or Xavi, pronounced Havi] could talk, he would sing along in baby babble and then eventually with the words.” After singing his parents’ tunes for a while, Xavi started to come up with his own compositions. “When he could talk, he would start making up his own songs about stuff, usually without even being conscious of it,” TJ says. “I would record them whenever I could, and eventually, we had quite a number of little ideas.” As this collection of Xavi snippets grew, TJ got busy turning the ideas from his son into complete songs. “When Xavi was around 2 or 3, I started making beats to fit the different song ideas, and I would record them with him,” TJ says. “The songs slowly built
up over time and so did Xavi’s ability to write and record them.” This process continued for the next eight years (Xavi is now 10 years old), starting in Indianapolis and then continuing after Reynolds and his family moved to Boston. All the while, TJ was aware that he was working with a limited timetable for releasing the music. “I knew I had a window of time where Xavi still thought it was cool and not embarrassing, so we have been working hard this last year to release it,” he says. With this in mind, TJ successfully put together a Kickstarter campaign for Play! this past April, raising more than $4,000 to make the album happen. As part of the campaign, TJ and Xavi will be releasing some music videos, which are currently in the works. Throughout the Play!-making process, both TJ and Xavi relished their time writing and recording music together. “I enjoyed making songs that were about pure joy and having Xavi being able to see a project go from a little idea in his head to a product that he can share with the world,” TJ says. This sentiment is one that his son also shares. “I’m proud of the fact that we just got it done,” says Xavi, who has been selling Play! CDs at his lemonade stand to get money for LARP (live-action role playing) camp. “I hope it becomes a hit to little kids.” For the father and son duo, Play! will now serve as a keepsake that they can both cherish forever. “This might be the only time in Xavi’s life where he makes an album with me,” TJ says. “I realize how special that is. It is in some ways a record of our first 10 years together. I am proud that we’ll always have this to look back on and to share.” In turn, he hopes that Play! encourages other musically minded parents to make songs with their children. “I hope these songs become a part of a family’s routines the way they have ours and they sing their own versions as they go through their daily routines,” Reynolds says. “I hope this project has a life of its own and that new parents keep discovering it and celebrating life’s little accomplishments with their little ones.” Play! is available now for purchase via TJReynolds.net. N
THURSDAY // 6.28
FRIDAY // 6.29
FRIDAY // 6.29
SATURDAY // 6.30
SATURDAY // 6.30
TUESDAY // 7.3
WEDNESDAY // 7.4
Unknown Hinson Radio Radio
Banditos Duke’s Indy
Deaf Poets, Chives, Thee Holy Sheets Pioneer
Sunflower Bean Hoosier Dome
Rob Funkhouser’s Reflect & Release Grove Haus
Dead Boys Black Circle Brewing Co.
MOKB 10-year anniversary Sun King Brewery
Yeeeefuckin’ haaaw, you
If you’re on the Southside,
bad squid-lovin’ somethin’
head to Duke’s on Friday
If you love amp-shatter-
hear the dream-state pop
Get to Grove Haus on Sat-
back from the dead...like
There’s no better way to
or ’nothers. Unknown
night to catch Banditos.
ingly loud guitars and fast,
rock of Sunflower Bean.
urday evening for Forward
a rocket from the tomb.
spend your Fourth of July
Hinson (best known as the
They’re touring in support
stomping drums, check out
The band released their
Motion’s performance of a
Known in the late ’70s as
than at Sun King for MOKB’s
voice of Early Cuyler on
of their newest release,
Deaf Poets right now. See?
second album, Twenty Two
new piece composed by Rob
one of the rowdiest and
10-year anniversary party
Adult Swim’s Squidbillies)
Visionland, named after the
I told ya’ so. They’re here
In Blue, in March and have
Funkhouser, titled “Reflect
most violent bands in
with Durand Jones & The In-
is comin’ to Radio Radio to
defunct $60 million theme
from Brooklyn to shake the
been touring in support of
& Release.” The ambitious
punk, the boys are hittin’
dications, Clint Breeze & The
sing some songs and fuck
park built in the early ’90s.
walls at Pioneer all night
it since. Joining them on
five-movement work will
Black Circle with Craig Bell,
Groove, America Owns the
shit up, hot off the release
Check out the single “Fine
long with local support
the Midwest tour is Public
make use of defined textures
Drunks With Guns (who
Moon, and Amy O. There’ll
of his latest, Live and Un-
Fine Day.” It’s been stuck in
from The Holy Sheets and
Access T.V., whose music
and ambient moods to cre-
haven’t played a show in lit-
be free hotdogs and bomb
dead. Don’t miss it, and do
my head for a damn week.
my favorite spaz-punk
is not at all boring like the
ate a sonic atmosphere that
erally 30 years), and Think
pops, food trucks, games
freak-out, Chives.
name suggests.
one might not expect from
Tank. Holy shit.
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WEDNESDAY // 6.27 Bad Bad Hats, Shortly HI-FI 8 p.m. $10, 21+ Blues Jam w/ Jon Strahl The Slippery Noodle Inn 8:30 p.m. FREE, 21+ Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Memphis Soulphony The Jazz Kitchen 7 p.m. $50–$75, 21+ Dull, Shoot On Sight State Street Pub 8 p.m. $5, 21+ Hala, Boyo, Time With Jameson The Bishop (Bloomington) 8:30 p.m. $5, 18+ Soundlab with Oreo Jones Listen Hear 6 p.m. FREE, all-ages Urban Pioneers The Melody Inn 7 p.m. $6, 21+ Yanni Murat Theatre at Old National Centre 7:30 p.m. $29–$125, all-ages
THURSDAY // 6.28 Annarbor, Alvarez Kings, Graham The Empire HI-FI 7 p.m. $10, 21+
Grupo Bembe Latin Band The Jazz Kitchen 6:30 p.m., FREE, 21+ John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band The Slippery Noodle Inn 8:30 p.m. $5, 21+ Kate Lamont Pioneer 10 p.m. $7, 21+ Secrets The Emerson Theater 6 p.m. $14, all-ages Strange Creature, JV Golf The Melody Inn 8 p.m. $5, 21+ Third World w/ Blackberry Jam The Vogue Theatre 8 p.m. $25–$30, 21+ The Cold Hearts Duke’s Indy 7 p.m. FREE, 21+
FRIDAY // 6.29 500 Miles To Memphis, Autumn Androids Black Circle Brewing Co. 7 p.m. FREE, 21+ Eliot Bigger The Melody Inn 9 p.m. $5, 21+ Flying Toasters The Rathskeller 8 p.m. FREE, 21+ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM State Street Pub 6 p.m. FREE, 21+
Complete Listings Online: nuvo.net/soundcheck
Huntertones The Jazz Kitchen 9 p.m. $20, 21+ Josh Garrett Band The Slippery Noodle Inn 8 p.m. $5–$10, 21+ Maravich Album Release The Melody Inn 9 p.m. $5, 21+
BARFLY
Tell All Your Friends Emo Night HI-FI 11 p.m. FREE, 21+ Rumpke Mountain Boys The Bluebird (Bloomington) 8 p.m. $10, 21+ Suzanne Santo, Leah James HI-FI 8 p.m. $13–$15, 21+
SATURDAY // 6.30 Blaze & The Meltdowns, Wife Patrol, The Come Alongs The Melody Inn 9 p.m. $6, 21+ Crossroads Brass Band Garfield Park Arts Center 3 p.m. FREE, all-ages
BY WAYNE BERTSCH
fect view of the fireworks.
Gene Deer Band, Henthorn & Feaster Band The Slippery Noodle 8:30 p.m. $5–$10, 21+ Jennie Devoe The Rathskeller 8 p.m. FREE, 21+ Red Wanting Blue, Liz Brasher The Vogue Theatre 8 p.m. $17–$20, 21+ Rob Dixon Album Release The Jazz Kitchen 7:30 p.m. $20–$30, 21+ The Dynamics, Pam Thrash Retro The Bluebird (Bloomington) 7 p.m. $6, 21+ The Black Antler w/ Maharaja Black Circle Brewing Co. 7 p.m. $5, 21+ Zephaniah Ohara Duke’s Indy 8 p.m. $10, 21+
SUNDAY // 7.1 Dave Muskett The Slippery Noodle 7:30 p.m. FREE, 21+ Flatland Harmony Experiment Union Brewing Co. 4 p.m. FREE, 21+
Halie Loren The Jazz Kitchen 7 p.m. $15, 21+ Haven Darkwave Night The Melody Inn 8 p.m. $5, 21+ Paramore, Foster The People The Lawn at White River State Park 7 p.m. $24+, all-ages The Remarkables, Blacksage Black Circle Brewing Co. 7 p.m. FREE, 21+
TUESDAY // 7.3 Doug Henthorn & Travis Feaster The Slippery Noodle 5 p.m. FREE, 21+ Jake Dodds, Cody Ikerd The Bluebird (Bloomington) 8 p.m. $6, 21+ Oso Oso, Queen of Jeans Hoosier Dome 7 p.m. $10, all-ages The Postman & The Letter Writer, Robert Craven The Melody Inn 7 p.m. $5, 21+ Wax Nostalgic, Brandon Wadley Band The Melody Inn 7 p.m. $5, 21+
NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // SOUNDCHECK // 21
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© 2018 BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your best ideas and soundest decisions will materialize as if by magic while you’re lounging around doing nothing in a worry-free environment. So please make sure you have an abundance of relaxed slack and unhurried grace. Treat yourself to record-setting levels of comfort and self-care. Do whatever’s necessary for you to feel as safe as you have ever felt. I realize these prescriptions might ostensibly clash with your fiery Aries nature. But if you meditate on them for even two minutes, I bet you’ll agree they’re exquisitely appropriate for you right now. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “It is always what is under pressure in us, especially under pressure of concealment—that explodes in poetry.” Taurus poet Adrienne Rich wrote that in an essay about the poet Emily Dickinson. She was describing the process of tapping into potent but buried feelings so as to create beautiful works of literature. I’m hoping to persuade you to take a comparable approach: to give voice to what’s under pressure inside you, but in a graceful and constructive way that has positive results. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Introductory offers are expiring. The bracing thrills of novelty must ripen into the cool enjoyments of maturity. It’s time to finish the dress rehearsals so the actual show can begin. You’ve got to start turning big, bright fantasies into crisp, no-nonsense realities. In light of these shifting conditions, I suspect you can no longer use your good intentions as leverage, but must deliver more tangible signs of commitment. Please don’t take this as a criticism, but the cosmic machinery in your vicinity needs some actual oil, not just your witty stories about the oil and the cosmic machinery. CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the coming weeks, you will have an excellent chance to dramatically decrease your Wimp Quotient. As the perilously passive parts of your niceness toughen up, I bet you will encounter brisk possibilities that were previously off-limits or invisible to you. To ensure you remain in top shape for this delightful development, I think you should avoid entertainment that stimulates fear and pessimism. Instead of watching the latest flurry of demoralizing stories on Netflix, spend quality time summoning memories of the times in your life when you were unbeatable. For extra credit, pump your fist ten times each day as you growl, “Victory is mine!” LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It’s not so bad to temporarily lose your bearings. What’s bad is not capitalizing on the disruption that caused you to lose your bearings. So I propose that you regard the fresh commotion as a blessing. Use it as motivation to initiate radical changes. For example, escape the illusions and deceptions that caused you to lose your bearings. Explore unruly emotions that may be at the root of the superpowers you will fully develop in the future. Transform yourself into a brave selfhealer who is newly receptive to a host of medicinal clues that were not previously accessible. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here’s my list of demands: 1. Avoid hanging out with people who are unreceptive to your influence. 2. Avoid hanging out with people whose influence on you is mediocre or dispiriting. 3. Hang out with people who are receptive to your influence and whose influence on you is healthy and stimulating. 4. Influence the hell out of the people who are receptive to your influence. Be a generous catalyst for them. Nudge them to surpass the limits they would benefit from surpassing. 5. Allow yourself to be deeply moved by people whose influence on you is healthy and stimulating. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”
Activist author Audre Lorde said that, and now, in accordance with your current astrological and psychological needs, I’m offering it to you. I realize it’s a flamboyant, even extreme, declaration, but in my opinion, that’s what is most likely to motivate you to do the right thing. Here’s another splashy prompt, courtesy of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre: “We only become what we are by the radical and deep-seated refusal of that which others have made us.” SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): André René Roussimoff, also known as André the Giant, was a French actor and professional wrestler. He was 7 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed 520 pounds. As you might imagine, he ate and drank extravagantly. On one festive occasion, he quaffed 119 bottles of beer in six hours. Judging from your current astrological indicators, Scorpio, I suspect you may be ready for a binge like that. JUST KIDDING! I sincerely hope you won’t indulge in such wasteful forms of “pleasure.” The coming days should be a time when you engage in a focused pursuit of uplifting and healthy modes of bliss. The point is to seek gusto and amusement that enhance your body, mind, and soul. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): On her 90th birthday, my Great-Aunt Zosia told me, “The best gift you can give your ego is to make it see it’s both totally insignificant and totally important in the cosmic scheme of things.” Jenna, my girlfriend when I was 19, was perhaps touting a similar principle when, after teasing and tormenting me for two hours, she scrawled on my bathroom mirror in lipstick, “Sometimes you enjoy life better if you don’t understand it.” Then there’s my Zen punk friend Arturo, who says that life’s goodies are more likely to flow your way if you “hope for nothing and are open to everything.” According to my analysis of the astrological rhythms, these messages will help you make the most of the bewildering but succulent opportunities that are now arriving in your vicinity. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In accordance with the astrological beacons, I have selected two pieces of advice to serve as your guiding meditations during the next seven weeks. You might want to write them on a piece of paper that you will carry in your wallet or pocket. Here’s the first, from businessman Alan Cohen: “Only those who ask for more can get more, and only those who know there is more, ask.” Here’s the second, from writer G. K. Chesterton: “We need to be happy in this wonderland without once being merely comfortable.” AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Ecologists in Mexico City investigated why certain sparrows and finches use humans’ discarded cigarette butts in building their nests. They found that cellulose acetate, a chemical in the butts, protects the nests by repelling parasitic mites. Is there a metaphorical lesson you might draw from the birds’ ingenious adaptation, Aquarius? Could you find good use for what might seem to be dross or debris? My analysis of the astrological omens says that this possibility is worth meditating on.
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I suspect that sometime soon you will come into possession of an enchanted potion or pixie dust or a pouch full of magic beans—or the equivalent. If and when that occurs, consider the following protocols: 1. Before you use your new treasure, say a prayer to your higher self, requesting that you will be guided to use it in such a way as to make yourself wiser and kinder. 2. When you use it, be sure it harms no one. 3. Express gratitude for it before and during and after using it. 4. Use it in such a way that it benefits at least one other person or creature in addition to you. 5. See if you can use it to generate the arrival or more pixie dust or magical beans or enchanted potion in the future. 6. When you use it, focus on wielding it to get exactly what you want, not what you sort of want or temporarily want.
HOMEWORK: Describe the tree house you would like to build for yourself one day, and what pleasures
you would like to pursue there. Write: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
NUVO.NET // 06.27.18 - 07.04.18 // ASTROLOGY // 23
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IT Firm has multiple openings in Indianapolis and Client Sites Software Developer, II (Code#308, Indianapolis, IN): Be involved with planning & development activities associated with the implementation of a new CRM system using Microsoft Dynamics; development of ETL/API interface development planning & activities; development & execution of testing activities of new API, ETL & other software development deliverables; perform requirements gathering, analyzing & GAP analysis; create business workflows & processes. Requires: Master’s degree (or foreign equi. deg.) in Computer Science, I.T., or rel. with knowledge of at least 7 of the skills from the following technologies: AJAX, SSRS, SQL Server, CRM, HTML, UAT, Web Services, ETL, QTP & Clear Quest. In lieu of a Master’s degree (or foreign equi. deg.) in C.S., Information Technology or rel., the Employer will accept Bachelor’s deg. (or foreign equi. deg.) in C.S., Information Technology or rel. with 5 yrs. of progressive experience in IT and knowledge of at least 7 of the skills listed above. Quality Assurance Engineer (Code# 309, Indianapolis, IN): Be involved in performing Impact Analysis on the enhancement to the existing application as per client request; conduct business requirements gathering, Design, Business process flows, Business process modeling, Analysis & Documentation using Waterfall & Agile (Scrum) methodologies in implementing AX & Microsoft Dynamics CRM 365; perform Design, Coding, documentation of test scripts &plans as well as be involved in quality assurance. Requires: Master’s degree (or foreign deg. equi.) in Computer Science, Engineering (any field) or rel. with knowledge of at least 7 of the skills listed below. In lieu of Master’s deg., we will accept Bachelor’s deg. (or foreign deg. equi.) in Comp. Sci., Engg. (any field) or rel. with 5 yrs of exp. in IT & knowledge of at least 7 of the foll. skills: Performing Unit Testing, System Integration, User Acceptance Testing, .Net, Visual Basic, C#, CRM, SQL, Visual Studio & ERP Applications. Travel to unanticipated projects/client sites. Please send cover letter with resume and code# to HR, Brite Systems, Inc. 101 W. Ohio Street, Suite 1450, Indianapolis, IN-46204.
BRAIN IMAGING STUDY
5310 North Keystone Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46220 | 317-929-1015 OPEN 10am - 9pm Everyday | 10% off purchase with this ad! Excludes Tobacco and Sale Items
MUST BE 18-55
Hookahs, Shisha, E-Liquid, Vaporizers, Dab Rigs, Grinders, Scientific Glass, Premium Cigars, Imported Cigarettes, Rolling and Pipe Tobacco
STUDY TAKES ABOUT 4-5 HOURS OVER 2-3 DAYS UP TO $201-$260 FOR PARTICIPATION. WE ARE INTERESTED IN PEOPLE WHO ARE DAILY CIGARETTE SMOKERS CALL OR EMAIL US TO SCHEDULE A PHONE INTERVIEW 317-278-5684 EMAIL: YPETLAB@IUPUI.EDU
IU CENTER FOR NEUROIMAGING GOODMAN HALL, 355 W. 16TH STREET, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
VETERANS COOL BUS/ MOBILE GROCERY STORE. Seeking interested veterans & supporters for multiple ongoing projects. CONTACT jeff@ovrthere.com 317-946-8365
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20% of all restaurant registrations fees and sponsorships will be given directly to Second Helpings.