The East Nashvillian 10.2 Nov-Dec 2019 by The East Nashvillian

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR: Dave Puncochar A R T I S T I N P R O F I L E : Ciona Rouse

SPECIAL INSERT

Welcome to The Madisonian 36 pages decidated to o ur neighbors to the north Resurrecting a family legacy GREEN BRIER WHISKEY

BAD INFLUENCERS

Guide to the Holiday Season Offbeat curiosities to satisfy your inner child HOW MUSIC CITY ROOTS Came to Madison

CID BULLENS Redefines the notion of creative transition

Y P P I H R E G G I TR

ES T A M D AN RGET B S I H D AN ING THE TA N A M R O T STEVEEGHAPPILY HIT R | DECEMBE AR NOVEMBER 2 E U S IS VOL. X

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DECEMBER 2

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THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA

16th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour with The Imaginaries

Founder & Publisher Lisa McCauley Editor-in-Chief

Chuck Allen

DECEMBER 29

ROBERT EARL KEEN

with Shinyribs

editor@theeastnashvillian.com Managing Editor

DECEMBER 30 & 31

randy@theeastnashvillian.com Copy Editor

with special guest Yola

Randy Fox

Leslie LaChance

Calendar Editor

Emma Alford

calendar@theeastnashvillian.com Contributing Writers

James Haggerty, Linus Hall, Craig Havighurst, Joelle Herr, Luke Levenson Brittney McKenna, Nancy McGuire Roche, Tommy Womack Creative Director

Chuck Allen

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

DECEMBER 31 LIVE AT THE OPRY HOUSE

JOHN PRINE

with special guests Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives and The Secret Sisters

JANUARY 12

TANYA TUCKER & FRIENDS

Layout & Design

Benjamin Rumble Photo Editing

Travis Commeau Illustrations

FEBRUARY 11

CALEXICO AND IRON & WINE

Benjamin Rumble, Dean Tomasek Contributing Photographers

Travis Commeau, Chad Crawford, Linus Hall

FEBRUARY 14

THE WOOD BROTHERS

Social Media Manager

Liz Foster

liz@theeastnashvillian.com Advertising sales@theeastnashvillian.com Marketing Consultants

Coral Sherwood Ad Design

Benjamin Rumble

FEBRUARY 26

OPETH

with Graveyard

FEBRUARY 27, 7, 28 & 29 7

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND APRIL 3

RANDY ROGERS BAND

with Wade Bowen

APRIL 24

THE LONE BELLOW

with special guest Jade Bird

The East Nashvillian is a bimonthly magazine published by Kitchen Table Media. All editorial content and photographic materials contained herein are “works for hire” and are the exclusive property of Kitchen Table Media, LLC unless otherwise noted. This publication is offered freely, limited to one per reader. The removal of more than one copy by an individual from any of our distribution points constitutes theft and will be subject to prosecution. Reprints or any other usage without the express written permission of the publisher is a violation of copyright.

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COVER STORY TRIGGER CONTROL 38 Steve Gorman and his bandmates are happily hitting the target By Brittney McKenna

BOOK REVIEW 47 Steve Gorman’s Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of The Black Crowes—A Memoir By Chuck Allen

BAD INFLUENCER’S

Guide to the holiday season

Reviews of Christmas horror movies by

FEATURES

Nancy McGuire Roche

THEIR LITTLE HOME IN TENNESSEE 48 How Music City Roots came to Madison By Craig Havighurst

ALL OF HIMSELF 60 Cid Bullens redefines the

notion of creative transition By Leslie LaChance

DISTILLING HISTORY 66 Andy and Charlie Nelson discovered and resurrected a family legacy By Randy Fox

CONTINUED ON 10

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

ON THE COVER

COMMENTARY

12 EDITOR’S LETTER 24 ASTUTE OBSERVATIONS 97 EAST OF NORMAL By Chuck Allen

By James “Hags” Haggerty

By Tommy Womack

TRIGGER HIPPY

Photograph by Travis Commeau

EAST SIDE BUZZ

15 MATTERS OF DEVELOPMENT CALMING PROJECT 23 TRAFFIC COMING TO CLEVELAND PARK By Randy Fox

IN THE KNOW

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR Dave Puncochar

By Randy Fox

By Tommy Womack

ARTIST IN PROFILE 28 Ciona Rouse

PARTING SHOT

By Leslie LaChance

BOOKISH 75 Seasons Readings By Joelle Herr

79 EAST SIDE CALENDAR By Emma Alford

98 CIONA’S TYPEWRITER

Photograph by Travis Commeau

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Editor’s

L E T T E R

Change is a comin’ (again)

hile sprucing up my coffee the other day at Portland Brew, I had a flashback of sorts. Remembering all the times I’d been there over the years, starting before the development boom and during the early days of the magazine, I thought, “This place is kinda O.G.” So much has happened to the neighborhood in just 10 short years. It’s astonishing, really. Prior to 2009, new construction had been at a virtual standstill for nearly four decades. The ’98 tornado, often marked as the beginning of the East Side’s Renaissance, didn’t result in a surge in new housing; the vast majority of post-twister work involved renovations to existing homes. What’s happened this past decade, not just in East Nashville but throughout the city, reflects an entirely new phase in our history. At least for now, it would seem our new mayor, John Cooper, will be a good person to have at the helm as we catch our collective breath and begin to address some of the negative consequences of the explosive growth. Perhaps a great start would be to explain why the city has a shortfall when all of the development money is dropping out of the sky; in other words, connecting the dots between a skyline full of construction cranes and our underfunded and understaffed first responders. Oh yeah, and SCHOOLS! I never could quite square previous mayoral administrations’ willingness to grant tax incentives to filthy-rich corporations with their ambivalence about where the money’s going to come from to build the infrastructure required to support all the folks moving to town seeking employment from said filthy-rich corporations. They just want to kick the can down the road so they can plant a feather in their caps and let the locals foot the bill, apparently. So, maybe, we’ll hear from Mayor Cooper about that. He has said his administration

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intends to shift Metro’s priorities back to neighborhoods. Which is long overdue, because the heart and soul of Nashville actually lives in them. None of the cool and endearing parts of what make our fair city attractive were birthed in the downtown area anyway. Sure, the Ryman was around, but the cats playing The Opry lived elsewhere. They didn’t “hang out” downtown. For that matter, no one even cared to go there for 30 years unless it was to work. Nashville’s spirit animal only goes downtown to get loaded. Always has. I’m fine with downtown as a theme park version of everything Nashville. This isn’t the point, nor was it ever the point. To be labeled as anti-growth or anti-development has always been a propaganda tool used by moneyed interests to diminish community concerns and paint people as though they’re stupid. It’s past time we reclaim the conversation and, hopefully, elect officials willing to listen to the concerns of their constituents. All of this is more or less to say, social welfare should always take priority over corporate welfare. The rich irony of this is the better off we are as a collection of communities, the better off businesses invested in our communities will be. Of course, the unfettered free marketeers addicted to shortterm shareholder value might disagree, but we need to make that their problem. You might’ve noticed the mini magazine included in this issue. The Madisonian hopes to shed some light on the direction of development happening in our neighbor to the north, as well as on some history thrown in for seasoning and perspective. Maybe it will help foster engagement from the area stakeholders (politico-speak for the people who actually live there) who wish to have a voice in the future of their community. Change is heading your way, whether you like it or not.

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FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON EVENTS, AS WELL AS LINKS, PLEASE VISIT US AT: THEEASTNASHVILLIAN.COM

Matters of Development NEW & NOTEWORTHY Burgers, barbecue, tacos, or spring rolls? Can’t settle the argument about what to eat? The newly renovated Hunter’s Station retail and restaurant complex at 975 Main St. is now open and supplying the answer to hungry groups of folks who can’t reach a consensus. Local favorites, Hugh-Baby’s, Vui’s Kitchen, The Grilled Cheeserie, Tacos Aurora, and The Picnic Tap all opened for business in October along with Citizen Market, serving food from a variety Citizen Kitchen entrepreneurs. The property was formerly home to Hunters Custom Automotive from 1968 to 2017, when the automotive customizing shop and supplier moved to its new headquarters at 955 E. Trin-

ity Lane. The new Hunter’s Station is managed by the Nashville-based Fresh Hospitality and features two covered patios, a built-in bocce ball court, cornhole, pet-friendly patios, and a dedicated off-leash dog area. Three to-go parking spots, 47 parking spaces (free for the first 90 minutes) and parking along 10th Avenue and Finn Street make for easy access. For more info and menus, visit huntersstation.com. Long time Five Points Favorite, Batter’d & Fried at 1008A Woodland St. recently made several changes including cosmetic improvements to the building, a new menu, and new name. Say hello to Boston Commons. But to paraphrase the Bard, “fish & chips by any other name will still taste as crispy.” “We’re taking the best of Batter’d & Fried and continuing to do those things, but we’re also trying to be more efficient with our

menu,” restaurant owner Matt Charette says. “At one point we had 160 choices on our menu, right now we have 123, which is huge. When we were the only neighborhood restaurant we tried to be all things to all people. Now there are so many places specializing in burgers, pizza, or pasta, we want to be focused on what we do best.” The tighter focus includes such neighborhood favorites as the eatery’s beloved Chef’s Fish & Chips, which Charette says constitutes about 20 percent of sales, but it also allows room for the new. Opening in February 2006, Batter’d & Fried Boston Seafood House brought a taste of Charette’s native Massachusetts to East Nashville. One of the first restaurants to open in the just barely beginning to be renovated Five Points neighborhood, Batter’d & Fried quickly gathered

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East Side B U Z Z a loyal following among locals hungry for more East Side dining choices. The new name reflects both changes in the neighborhood and in the restaurant’s clientele. “Part of the name change is the result of so many tourists now visiting East Nashville,” Charette says. “They see the name, Batter’d & Fried and they walk on by, because they don’t want fried food, not knowing that we do so much more.” For updates follow Boston Commons on Facebook @BostonCommonsNashvilleTN. Matt Spicher, owner and cofounder of Five Points restaurant and landmark, The Treehouse (1011 Clearview Ave.), announced the sale of the eatery and three underlying real estate properties in October. The Clearview property was purchased by Spicher’s father, renowned Nashville session musician Norman “Buddy” Spicher in 1988. He and his family resided in the house for several decades. It was during this period that the elder Spicher built the colorful treehouse in the backyard that became a neighborhood landmark. In 2013, after Buddy Spicher and wife relocated, Matt Spicher and his nephew, Corey Ladd, transformed the former family home into a farm-to-table restaurant. Over the last six years The Treehouse has garnered two Eater.com awards for “Chef of the Year” and multiple “Best of Nashville” awards. The property and restaurant was purchased by POP Hospitality Group owner and 25-year Nashville resident Kelly Black who plans to continue operations under The Treehouse name while making minor changes including a refreshed menu and adding robust late night service. For updates follow The Treehouse on Facebook @TreehouseNashville. Once Upon a Time in France, a 1920s-style French bistro and wine bar is now open at 1102 Gallatin Ave. Former Parisian, Melvil Arnt, along with his father and mother, Laurent and Valérie Champonnois, are operating the new restaurant which will feature classic French cuisine such as steak frites, beef Bourguignon, escargot, and more, as well as French wines, European beers, cocktails, and cordials. For more info and updates visit onceuponatime-infrance.com. Chef Mailea Weger’s new all-day café lou, is now open at 1304 McGavock Pike. The menu includes Tuesday through Sunday brunch, apéro, and dinner with a focus on West Coast cuisine with vegetable-forward dishes, a selection of proteins, a low-ABV cocktail menu, and a selection of all-natural wines. For more info, hours, and menus visit lounashville.com. Former Vanderbilt and Chicago Bears linebacker Marcus Buggs’ new waffle cone and savory chicken eatery, Coneheads, is now open at 1315 Dickerson Pike near

Cleveland Park. For more information and menus follow Coneheads on Facebook or Instagram @coneheadscw. The new East Nashville location of Elements Salon is now open at 914 Woodland St. Owner Jason Facio is particularly excited about Elements’ new location, which joins its current shops in Green Hills, Brentwood, and

12 South. “I have lived in East Nashville for 18 years and opened my first salon in Green Hills,” Facio says. “Finally, I am able to open an East Side location, and I’m pumped about it!” For more info visit elementsalon.com. Outdoor gear and clothing supplier Orbital Outdoors, located in the Shoppes at Fatherland (1006 Fatherland St., Ste. 203),

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East Side B U Z Z had their grand opening in October. The shop specializes in high-end vintage outdoor clothing from brands like Patagonia and North Face, along with vintage national park memorabilia and upcycled outdoor furniture. For more info visit them on Facebook @orbitaloutdoorsnashville. East Nashville Family Dentistry is now open at 1214 Gallatin Ave., Ste. 115, next to Orange Theory. They offer family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign, and more. Open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m, they are currently offering a new patient special. To schedule an appointment online, visit enfdentistry.com or call at 615.610.1680. F45 Training, recently opening an East Side branch at 418 Woodland St. in the ground floor of the Eastside Heights building. The boutique fitness studio offering programs of high intensity interval training (HIIT), circuit training, and functional training joins other Eastside Heights tenants including Pedego Electric Bikes and Surreal Blowout Bar. More info on Facebook @F45EastNashville. BokBox, a new coal-roasted chicken restaurant by Chef Tom Bayless and Dauer Ellis at 604 Gallatin Ave., Ste. 203, recently made as surprise opening. BokBox is now serving crispy-skinned, coal-roasted chicken and rice to go from their walk-up window from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. There’s no inside seating, and they’re only accepting cash at the current time, but delivery through Postmates is available. For more info and a full menu, visit bokboxnashville.com. Eastside Heights, the mixed-use development on the corner of Fifth and Woodland streets in East Nashville, notable for the black and yellow “EAST” mural visible from I-24, was sold recently for an undisclosed amount. The previous owners, Nashville-based commercial real estate development and design services company, Southeast Venture, sold the 1.9-acre property to an entity related to Steadfast Companies, a real estate investment management company that owns and/or operates a portfolio of real estate across the United States and Mexico. The East Nashville commercial building at 600 Main St. recently sold for $3.15 million. A Decatur, Alabama-based family partnership purchased the 0.36-acre property from Nashville-based attorney Talbott Ottinger and developer Chris Dawson according to a story in Nashville Post. In June, it was announced that half of the building would become home to the Nashville office of the San Francisco-based hospitality company Sonder USA Inc. A fitness company will occupy the other half of the building.

CLOSINGS & MOVES East Side fav The Wild Cow has moved to greener (and bigger) pastures. The popular vegan and vegetarian eatery left its long-time location on Eastland Avenue for new digs at 1100 Fatherland St., in the space formerly occupied by Local Taco. “Our current space had become way too small and our lease is up at the end of the year,” co-owner Melanie Cochran says. “So we had been looking for some time. When we heard this space was available our real estate agent arranged for us to look at it the same day. In just a couple of days we’d signed a lease.” In addition to a larger dining area, the new space features a heated patio, a full bar, draft beer, and more. Some changes have also been made behind the scenes with Chef Ryan Toll joining founders Melanie and John Cochran as a full business partner. For more info, visit thewildcow.com. A Nashville institution, Midtown Printing, recently completed their relocation to the East Side. Now located at 111 Oak Valley Dr., the full-service printing company is open for business in the newly-renovated building that was once home to Oak Valley Bowling Lanes.

The new location is great,” manager Erik Voncolln says. “There are no other printing companies near us, we gained some space, and we were able to perfect our workflow by installing all of our equipment where and the way we wanted.” Established in 1972, Midtown Printing was a Vandy-area fixture for over 47 years, but, changes to the area meant it was time for move. “Where we were located has become mostly residential and it was not a place for a printing company anymore,” Voncolln says. “It was just getting too crazy with the pedal taverns and the tractors pulling wagons of tourists.” While Midtown Printing on the East Side may seem a little confusing, Voncolln says they have no plans to change their name at this time, and established customers don’t seem to mind a bit. For more info on Midtown Printing, visit midtownprinting.com or call 615327.1758. AlphaGraphics Music City, the Nashville based printing, sign, design and direct mail company are moving their headquarters and production facility from their current location at 921 Main St. to 858 Dickerson Pike. The move is expected to be completed before year end.

FRESH SEASON / FRESH LOOK Cozy up to the season with some new specs

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East Side B U Z Z COMING SOON After months of speculation and rumors, a new location of the grocery chain Publix is coming to the East Side. According to plans filed with Metro Codes, Publix will occupy the majority of the space in the 31,000-squarefoot retail space planned for the Hill Center

Greenwood development located at 1111 Gallatin Ave., which will also feature a bank and Starbucks. Fourteen townhomes also are planned flanking the Publix. No definite timeline for the construction has been announced. The Madison Town Center mixed-used property that is currently under re-development at 721 Gallatin Pike S., is being listed

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for sale with an asking price $30 million according to a story published this week in the Nashville Post. Real estate investors Tom Corcoran and Jim Maddox purchased the former Madison Square Shopping Center in 1992 for $4.4 million. Built in 1956 and expanded 1963, Madison Square was once home to high-end retailers like Harvey’s, Levy’s, and McClures, and the site of the first Shoney’s Big Boy restaurant. In February 2018, Corcoran and Maddox’s company, Madison Square Partners, L.P., announced plans to transform the property to a mixed-use residential/ office/retail live-walk community with a proposed 1035 residential units and 562,000 square feet of office, retail, and adaptive use space. According to the Nashville Post story, Corcoran and Maddox are seeking a buyer with the resources and vision to see the project through to its completion. A new condo/retail development may be on the way for one of the East Side’s most famous bends in the road. Concept drawings were released in October for a new, threestory mixed-use building at 1012 Main St., adjacent to both The 5 Spot and the building that houses Marché Artisan Foods and Duke’s. The proposed development will include 21 townhomes and approximately 1,500 square feet of retail space. Designed by East Nashville-based Powell Architecture + Building Studio, the development is being undertaken by Nashville-based M Cubed Developments who purchased the former used car lot for $ 3.245 million in April 2019, according to Metro records. M Cubed is also overseeing the construction of boutique hotel at 916 Main St. The 1.13-acre retail space complex, The Shoppes on Gallatin Ave. at 1214 Gallatin Ave., recently sold to for $7.7 million. The entire 4.4-acre property, including the former Walmart Community Market was purchased by Atlanta-based Childress Klein in June 2016 for $5 million, who then renovated the Walmart building into a SpaceMax self-storage facility and built The Shoppes on Gallatin Ave. in front of the existing building. Chef Sean Brock of Husk on Rutledge Hill is hard at work on a new restaurant in the McFerrin Park/Cleveland Park district of East Nashville. Red Bird and Audrey will be located 809 Meridian St., near Wilburn Street Tavern and will be centered on Appalachian food traditions. A long-delayed multi-use redevelopment project for the former Hobson United Methodist Church property at 1716 Greenwood Ave., appears to be back on track. The 3.27 acre site, located at the intersection of

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

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East Side B U Z Z Greenwood and Chapel Avenues would be renovated into a residential/retail/office development that would incorporate both the historic Hobson chapel building (circa 1851) and the adjacent Greek revival sanctuary building (built in 1924). The revived project is being spearheaded by the Nashville-based companies Vintage South Development and the Legacy Companies, after acquiring the property from its former owner. Nashville-based Core Development recently purchased two Inglewood lots located at 4704-4706 Gallatin Pike for approximately $860,000. Long-time East Side residents may recall that 4704 Gallatin Pike was once home to the beloved Mexican restaurant Es Fernandos which closed in 2007. No plans have been announced for the property yet, but Core Development is known for developing mixeduse buildings combining residential and retail uses. The former Bill Martin Grocery building at 1105 Fatherland St., will be getting an interior renovation. Glengarry Partners purchased the property April 2019 for $3.54 million. No plans for the building have been announced yet. The proposed motorcycle-themed restaurant and boutique retailer Moto Moda, that was to be located on Riverside Drive in the former location of Fond Object, has been removed from the development plans. The new plans call for 44 residential units and less than 2,000 square feet of retail space. In late August Jim Higgins and Rick Piliponis, owners of Noble’s Kitchen and Beer Hall on Main Street, announced plans for Eastwood Assembly, a new pub and eatery in the former church building at 714 Gallatin Ave. Homeowners in the surrounding area quickly voiced objections over concerns about noise, trash, and parking as well as opposition to a beer permit waiver voted for by outgoing Councilperson Scott Davis. The plans for the new business have since been cancelled based on the large “FOR LEASE” sign that appeared a few weeks later. The renovation of the beloved East Side favorite Edgefield Grill is proceeding with a new name, Lakeside Lounge. The name was made public through a recent hiring post on Nashville Craigslist. The post says the new owners plan to “continue offering affordable, quality drinks & food every night … serving a simple menu of bar room classics and comfort food from open to 3am every night.” Michael McIlroy, Sam Ross, and Brandon Bramhall, who also own Attaboy Nashville, located at nearby, 8 Mcferrin Ave., purchased the Edgefield Grill from co-founder and owner Charlie “Buzz” Edens in August. (For a history of

Edgefield Grill check out the History Channeled story from our November/December 2018 issue.) For updates, follow Lakeside Lounge on Instagram @lakesideloungebna. TriStar Skyline Medical Center, located at 3441 Dickerson Pike, announced a major expansion during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Nov. 11. New facilities for Medical ICU, Neuro ICU, Medical Surgical Unit, and an Emergency Room are included in the plans presented for the addition. The YMCA is considering a new location in the Cayce Homes neighborhood community, near historic Edgefield and Nissan Stadium, just off of Shelby Avenue according to a story by NewsChannel5. The plan is currently being evaluated by the YMCA in partnership with Metropolitan Development Housing Agency. —By Randy Fox

Have any Matters of Development you'd like us to consider? Send us an email: randy@theeastnashvillian.com

Traffic Calming Project Coming to Cleveland Park Metro Nashville Public Works announced plans in September for traffic calming projects in eight Nashville/Davidson County neighborhoods, including the Cleveland Park neighborhood in East Nashville and Oakland Acres in Madison. The eight neighborhoods were selected from 91 applications submitted from across the county and were evaluated on four criteria: safety/crash history, average speed, neighborhood destinations, and the presence/ absence of active transportation infrastructure like sidewalks. The traffic calming projects will be at making local improvements to address those four areas. In a press release, Public Works Program Manager Derek Hagerty said, “As we continue our work in Nashville neighborhoods, we are seeing tons of community engagement in the process. We’re excited to begin work on this second group of projects, and bring relief to local streets with speeding problems.” Coordination with Council members and neighborhoods will began in October with Public Works staff attending neighborhood meetings to collaborate with residents on the best design for each street. For more information on traffic calming projects visit the Metro Public Works website at nashville.gov/Public-Works. —By Randy Fox

500 COWAN STREET • NASHVILLE, TN 37207 LOCATED AT TOPGOLF

UPCOMING EVENTS 11/3

Dreamers with Arrested Youth, IRONTOM

11/7

LSDream x Shlump with Shanghai Doom

11/8

Charlotte Lawrence: Navy Blue Tour with Goody Grace

11/13

Todrick Hall: Haus Party Tour

11/16

Vintage Trouble with Kyle Daniel

11/20

Mark Farina

11/23

Bear Grillz with Lucii, Somnium Sound, OG Nixin

12/4

Ganja White Night: The One Tour with Boogie T, Jantsen, SubDocta

12/6

Tobe Nwigwe: The Ivory Tour

12/7

The Mowgli’s, New Politics & Plain White T’s: The 3 Dimensional Tour

12/8

Neil Hilborn: The Endless Bummer Tour

12/12

Peekaboo with Finderz Keeperz, Abduction, Rudashi, Sickish

12/17

102.9 The Buzz Presents: Sum 41

12/20

Josh Wink with Wattie Green, Mindup, Tree

12/31

NYE with Feed Me

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November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

Astute O B S E R V A T I O N S

Survival Mechanisms B Y J A M E S “ H A G S ” H A G G E R T Y

Hags is a a full-time bass player, part-time bad influencer©, and goodwill ambassador for The East Nashvillian.

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appy Holidays, friends! The most wonderful time of the year is upon us! On this early Tuesday evening in mid-October, the light from a 74 degree golden hour is streaming through my open windows and I feel pretty good sitting in my cozy living room here in the Country Club Estates section of Inglewood, Nashville, Tennessee. I write to you from my stylish, yet comfortable, Herman Miller lounger. The gentle glow from my 21st century Smith-Corona, aka the MacBook Pro, reflects warmly off the chair’s rich brown leather while its backlit keys tell my hunting digits where to land while the Brubeck Quartet swings in effortless 9/8 on the hi-fi. Outside, the leaves are falling and rustling in the street. Cyclists are pedaling to and fro, enjoying the beautiful weather and the nearby Shelby Greenway. The neighbor’s hens are clucking hello to the affable neighborhood pooch out for his twilight stroll. My feet are up, resting comfortably atop an ottoman, wrapped warmly in my favorite chestnut colored, fur-lined, suede slippers. If I smoked a pipe, I’d be packing, tamping, and puffing away contentedly. It’s a pretty picture; damn near Rockwellian, you might say. And yet, something is amiss. Something isn’t quite right. Like a pebble in my shoe or a pea beneath my mattress, my idyll has been transgressed. My peace has been disturbed. Luckily, that intro to psychology course I took all those years ago has provided me with enough knowledge to diagnose the dilemma, and it is this: The leader of the free world is a sociopathic narcissist. You’re welcome. As you may have inferred, I did not vote for Mr. Trump, nor am I a fan. After climbing from the rubble of the 2016 election, deeply disillusioned, disappointed, and depressed but, sadly, not surprised by the results, I reconciled myself to the fact that my values and the values of pretty much everyone I have any personal or professional relationship with are in direct opposition to the majority of the electorate or at least

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

those of the electoral college. My candidate lost. I put my head down and moved on. Picture a snowflake, sadly blowing in the wind. Here’s the thing though, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot circumnavigate the constant barrage of negativity, vitriol, and outright lies emanating from the spray tanned, wind-socked Grinch. Our elected leader is staring down impeachment proceedings, stemming from his brazen disregard for the law and the norms of his office. Contempt, superiority, and massive insecurity masquerading as bullying bravado and cocksuredness do not mix well with having your toys taken away, aka the threat of being forced to leave office. Now more than ever, if that is even possible, his barrage is intensifying. Wielding his Twitter account like a billy club and swinging wildly, assaulting anything non-white in sight, he has once again invaded my psyche with a non-stop, inane-yet-malignant barrage. Are you feeling my holiday cheer?! How many interrobangs can one man use?! The answer in my case is three. With all the incessant noise coming at us, how does one maintain a positive presence in the world? How does one self-actualize? How does one proceed with equanimity? You know, peace on earth, good will toward men and all that happy jazz. To that end, I have devised a plan, a mission statement, if you will. Hags’ little instruction book, as it were. I’ll give you the Cliff ’s Notes version. Let’s face it, my attention span is less span and more skip these days. Impose a social media moratorium. Take your data back. Turn off the news. Join a twelve-step program to talk with others about this insidious compulsion and to consume donuts. Jettison the smartphone. Get a flip or better yet, pretend it’s the ’90s and put on that new Jeff Buckley CD you just brought home from Tower while you check your answering machine. I know this won’t be easy. We can combat the scratching and wincing by engaging with our community. Bake an (im) peach pie. Read a book, or an engrossing magazine piece. Embrace creativity. Act locally. Lead by example. Do good work. Vote early and often! And “Put On a Happy Face.” Feliz Navidad!

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KNOW your NEIGHBOR

“I

PH OTOGR AP H BY T RAVI S COM M E AU

do feel like there’s a resurgence on Dickerson Pike, and the Merchants Association is going to be the glue for all the merchants to help them know what each other are doing, band together, promote each other, look out for each other and be a voice in the city. It’s a pretty crucial artery coming in and out of the city. There’s really cool stuff happening in the neighborhood and it’s my hope that it’ll keep coming.” — Dave Puncochar

Dave

he liked East Nashville too, so he settled there. I was married at the time, and my wife and I moved home from Knoxville. We loved the East Nashville vibe. East Nashville is so entrepreneurial that it By Tommy Womack rubbed off on me. I had a corporate job back then, I was a drug rep, wore a suit every day — and I stuck out in East Nashville like a sore thumb! I used to joke that when you tell your East Nashville buddies that you quit your pharmaceutical job and you’re going to be self-employed, they’re like, “Hell yeah, “Um … it looked a litman, that’s awesome!” You tell tle rough.” That was Dave your Brentwood friends and Puncochar’s impression of they’re all, “What’re you gonna Dickerson Pike when he first do about your 401-K?” moved his business, Good Like his sniffing out potential on Dickerson Pike, Dave Wood, over there. It was an aptly spied an opportunity not apt assessment for a road long after his moving to the known for having solitary East Side. He built the provermen driving back and forth bial better mousetrap. Having slowly. Nevertheless, the rent bought a house in Five Points was cheaper than in other in 2011 that was a “fixer upper” areas, and Dave could smell to put it mildly, it was his sad a new day for the maligned fortune to watch a sizable porstretch of pavement. tion of his first floor collapse. His smeller was right, The 100-year-old wooden and stalwart businesses are floor had to be replaced and moving in, supplementing the wood had to have the the ones which had long dark character of the flooring been fighting the good fight. that survived the cave-in. It Or perhaps Dave could just took the patience of Job and see the writing on the wall the doggedness of Edison and knew that the expansion to finally find such wood. and prosperity that is East Eventually, he found it, but Nashville would have to spill it didn’t take a brain surgeon across Ellington Parkway to surmise that he wasn’t the eventually. It’s happening, and only East Nashvillian homeDave is digging in to spur the owner who needed antiquatresurgence on. The Dickerson ed-looking wood to replace Road Merchants Association their own flooring either had lain somewhat dormant partially or entirely. since the departure of Mike Acting on that notion, he and Tina Douglas (owners of threw away his neckties and said goodbye to a life of visthe now-defunct Charlie Bob’s iting doctors’ offices with a small rolling bag full of drug samples and resturant) but has risen like a phoenix, and Dave just recently became brochures. And in 2012, Good Wood was born, initially located on president — a booster of a neighborhood long characterized as a Gallatin Pike and then moving to Dickerson Pike. place only Charles Bukowski could love. Once there, he warmed to the neighborhood and spied opportuniAt 42, Dave is an affable sort with salt & pepper hair, three young children, and his own business, the aforementioned Good Wood, ties “I’m all in on Dickerson Pike,” he says. “I live in East Nashville, and wanted to keep my office here, and have the opportunity to see which provides reclaimed lumber, installation services, and custom and help more and more businesses coming to the area. There’s a new furniture. Born in Atlanta, his family moved to Brentwood when hotel and another one coming in, there’s a new restaurant and other he was eight. “After I’d graduated college, my parents uprooted and moved to East Nashville to help start City Church of East Nashville,” businesses buying up big chunks of land. It’s just an area with a lot of history and is coming back strong.” he says. “My other brother came home from the Peace Corps and

Puncochar

Visit Good Wood at 1307 Dickerson Pike or online at goodwoodnashville.com, and for information on the Dickerson Road Merchants Association, visit their Facebook group. November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

ARTIST

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Ciona

Rouse

Making Nashville a poetry town By Leslie LaChance

or poet Ciona Rouse, a new poem can have its start anywhere — an overheard conversation, a radio program, a docent’s remarks during a museum tour, a photograph. Also there’s that swing in the front yard of the Inglewood home she shares with her partner Patrick Luther. “Patrick got me a swing for my birthday, and I told him, ‘This is the poetry maker, this swing,’” she says with a laugh. “So we have it hanging from our maple, and I go out there pretty much every day and swing. It ends up now either starting a poem, or if I’m editing a poem and I’m stuck, I’ll go out to the swing. There’s something about that rhythm.” But most often for Rouse, words beget other words. “I think that reading kicks off a poem for me most often, especially reading poetry, though not only poetry. Still, it almost feels impossible not to want to write a poem if I’m reading poetry.” And though she can tell you pretty easily what starts a poem, she can’t really tell when a poem is finished. The night she received a Louisa Nelson award, given annually by Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery to Nashville women of “achievement, inspiration, and vision,” Rouse came home after the event and started working on some poems she had in progress. →

P h o t o g r a p h y b y Tr a v i s C o m m e a u

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“This is the poetry maker, this swing.” —Ciona Rousse November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

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DO THE CRAZY THING Do the crazy thing The hard to imagine but somehow you did thing The brings you to your knees thing The no one would ever do it that way thing The safety net would not even matter thing The it could kill you but not trying is another kind of death thing The thing on your heart, do it and let them gasp right before they call it a thing of wonder

ciona d. rouse

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

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Flavor of a Place There aren’t many ethnics here. He said. And we remembered it’s hard to feel at home when it’s not in the flavor of a place. And because Cuba doesn’t pulse through the blood of this soil the way it inflates the heart of South Florida. And because we wanted guava paste for pastries more than we wanted to rock any boats in the aisle of Publix. Because we have come to expect it. Here. Because grace. Because perhaps he didn’t mean ethnic to stick in his mouth the way it does naturally. The way you can’t say it without your tongue touching your teeth just like it would if you were to spit on a thing.

He was a helpful man. After all. And we found guava marmalade instead. And we returned home. Refuge. Where even though we drove Ole Betsy to Nashville two years ago and settled in, we still unpack the politics and peculiar of the south and its exhausting, unapologetic unknowing. Where we hang the green imagery of Nick’s northwest. Where we mix black beans the way we learned from Wendy’s Mima. Where when people ask about Nashville’s best Cuban food, we smile and simply say, Come over. Because wherever we land, however our family grows, the flavors of home go with us. The table is welcome. The table is celebration. Pass the plate of picadillo rich with heat, soaked in heritage.

ciona d. rouse

MAY20 16 FROM CASA AZAFRAN P OETRY ON D EMAND

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

ARTIST I N

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ON THE SIDEWALK OF TROY, TN, 1904 Black man walk on the sidewalk, dread on the sidewalk, good speed, god speed, God save him as he walks. White girl on the sidewalk. Cross to the other side, man. Drop into the ditch, man. Don’t look into her eyes, man, on the sidewalk. Ditch the pavement. Don’t pave a way that’s not for you. I mean the ditch, the ditch is for you. Walk down and low, eyes bowed. Walk low and down step around, I pray. Step around or else your body lined in chalk.

I said step aside or get chalked. Or hanged. Neck cracked in permanent supplication by the sidewalk. Sway, sway. Or stay, black man, on the sidewalk. Split the altar of her ego on the pavement of the where you walk. I mean, pave a way that frees her from this lie, the old snake still whispers, still slides, still makes her eat that peculiar fruit. You must walk on thesidewalk. Let me hear the click and clack of your heels on the sidewalk. Drive your stake through humanity and claim it as you walk. Head erect, sun in eyes, forward and never to the side. walk.

ciona d. rouse FROM VAN TAB LAC K

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THE SITUATION IN OUR CITY I could write about rain. I could write about rain and how it fell for 24 hours straight in Alvin, Tx, on July 25, 1979. This is not about rain. This is not about weather or a storm and especially not Alvin, Tx, where I’ve never been before. I’ve been to Atlanta, Georgia. I was there first. I learned of light and breath in Atlanta on July 25, 1979. I was born while children died. Murdered. A black child left his house five miles away as I came to be. But he never came home. He never again dragged flakes of caked up mud from the sole of his shoes into his apartment. Never again ordered a handful of Big Bols at the mart up the road, never again wore the 9pm scent of 13-year-old boy. Truth is this is about a storm. It’s about a thunder that dropped black mamas to their knees a lightning that cracked necks left bodies floating, dragged from rivers. How the rain fell for 24 whole months and nobody could see through sheets of sorrow and fear. I came here when the situation in the city meant my daddy looked everyone in the eyes and shot daggers. My mama showed me the world while squeezing my body too tight. Everywhere we’d go my body close to hers. So close to feel my breath wet her skin. So close to keep me breathing.

ciona d. rouse November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

a nook for people who love beautiful books

1043 West Eastland Avenue â&#x20AC;˘ East Nashville thebookshopnashville.com

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ARTIST I N

P R O F I L E

‘

A poem is an artifact, yes, but it’s a living breathing thing that can change over time, or the way people see it can change because it’s alive. “I thought, hmm, these poems feel finished; maybe they’re finished,” she says, then pauses. “But I don’t know.” She sighs. “The work doesn’t ever feel really finished finished. I mean, I still mark up my copy of Vantablack,” Rouse laughs, pointing to a copy of her poetry chapbook published in 2017 by Third Man Books. It’s not necessarily an overriding sense of perfectionism that drives her continuous editing and revision (though maybe there’s a little of that); it’s that Rouse sees poetry as a living part of a vibrant, evolving community. “To me that’s the humbling aspect of the work,” she says. “A poem is an artifact, yes, but it’s a living breathing thing that can change over time, or the way people see it can change because it’s alive. It’s part of something much bigger and important.” Rouse is known in Nashville as much for her live poetry performances and curated poetry events as for what she puts on the page. In 2012 she founded and still hosts the monthly poetry salon Lyrical Brew at Barnes & Noble. Less than a year later she founded the interactive poetry reading/writing series Writings on the Wall at Atmalogy Café. Along with poet Kendra DeColo, Rouse co-hosts the poetry podcast Re\VERB for Third Man Books, which features interviews with critically acclaimed poets. She participates in Versify too, the WPLN podcast pairing poets with regular folks for some collaborative, lyrical storytelling. Over the past couple of years, Rouse also has collaborated with musicians and composers in performances at The Frist Art Museum and OZ Arts Nashville, and she’s worked closely with Chicago-based visual artist Nick Cave and several area non-profits in a community-wide collaboration based on Cave’s 2017-2018 Frist exhibition Nick Cave: Feat Nashville. That effort culminated in her appearance with the 2018 Nick Cave: Feat Nashville performance at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, a show that brought her a Nashville Scene Writers’ Choice Award for Best Poetry Performance. For Rouse, poetry isn’t just something between the covers of a book. Though books

matter, of course, she wants people to see, hear, and feel poetry with the same kind of intensity she recalls having some years ago when she saw composer and musician K.S. Rhoads perform. “It was just amazing, a total experience because he is a total artist,” Rouse says. “I kept asking people the next day if they knew him and kept telling them about the show. I just talked about it so much because I loved it so much. I want poetry to be in the world in that way — you’re so moved by something, surprised by something, something has spoken to you in that way, that you want to talk about it to everyone you know the next day.”

Though Rouse has always loved reading poetry and has been writing it since she was a child, she locates the source of her professional poetic aspirations in a place many musicians, especially vocalists, locate theirs — church. The daughter of a United Methodist Church minister, Rouse grew up in South Carolina and came to Nashville in the early 2000s to direct youth and young adult programs for the church. In 2005 she was invited to attend a workshop on writing church liturgy, which can be very poetic. “That weekend is when I thought: ‘I’ve always loved poetry; I’ve always wanted to be a poet; why am I not a poet?’” Not long after, Rouse →

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ARTIST I N

began looking for other poets to connect with in Nashville. She attended poetry workshops, went to open mics and readings, published some poems, and started to think of herself as a poet. “But I was still terrified to call myself a poet, or to think I could do that as a main thing,” she says. In 2010, Rouse attended Split this Rock in Washington D.C., one of the country’s most important biennial poetry festivals. “They create a lot of spaces for poetry in that city; there are so many venues, and they are also in a good place to speak to power, so to be a poet in D.C., you feel you’re right there in the midst of it, and poetry matters,” Rouse observes. “On the last day of the festival, there was a workshop on how to make your town a poetry town, and I went. It was actually a last minute decision to go, and I’m so glad I did, because it changed everything for me,” Rouse says. The workshop encouraged her to create spaces for poets and poetry back home, and she’s been working with other poets and artists to make Nashville a poetry town ever since. Her work with Nick Cave was another great source of inspiration for those community-driven efforts. “That elevated my life, the ekphrasis aspect of it, just being with his work, I would just go there [to the Frist] and sit and write,” Rouse recalls. But equally inspiring was the work she got to do with local community groups in creating wearable art under Cave’s direction for the Schermerhorn performance. “He could just as easily have said ‘Just write poetry to my art,’ but instead he had people out in the community making art, and [the poets] were asked to go and sit with those people while they were creating the art. That really pushed me to thinking about what it means to be an artist in the world. I think seeing each other is perhaps our hardest task, and I feel that poetry is that way of seeing each other. I allow myself to be seen, or I allow someone else to be seen through the words, or I allow myself to see someone else in writing it or reading it.” Rouse’s poems invite readers to see what is beautiful, and what is bleak, and to find beauty growing out of bleakness. She’s holding to that approach in one of her current projects, a collection of poems about a series of child murders in Atlanta in the late 1970s. What compelled her to take on such a subject? “The first two bodies of black children who were murdered were found on July 28, 1979. I was born in Atlanta on July 25, 1979, which was the day one of the boys went missing just a few miles from the hospital where I was born. My parents were terrified, and I think I grew up with that story of the children, and their fear, just as part of our story.” In total, an estimated 30

children were murdered, and although a suspect was finally convicted of two murders, and the rest attributed to him, many people believe the cases have not been fully investigated or solved. In fact, the investigations were reopened just this year by order of the Atlanta mayor. Rouse wants those children to be seen, not just as murder victims, but as real children who were lost. She’s read extensively about the cases and has visited some of the places where children were abducted or where their bodies were found. But she doesn’t want her poems to deal only with the dark, grim details of their murders. “I’ve focused a lot the delightful elements of their lives, to bring some light to them and, in some ways, that almost makes it more painful.” Light and darkness are themes she is addressing as well in The Longest Night, a multimedia performance of a winter solstice story she helped write, and which played to sold-out audiences in December 2018 at OZ Arts. The show will be reprised this December at OZ, with a few changes. “What we did was give bones to the show last year, but there are elements that can move in and out, so there will be some new things in it,” Rouse explains. “It’s evolving.”

P R O F I L E

Another 2018 collaboration, the Blair House Collective, involved Nashville-based musician/songwriter Adia Victoria and poet Caroline Randall Williams. Rouse, Randall and Victoria together wrote a series of pieces about an imagined early 20th century blues woman, a project that led them to craft poems about Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday for the NPR Music series Turning the Tables. “It’s a lot,” Rouse admits, when the work is tallied up before her, and the list keeps growing. Like when we add in her mentoring other poets through workshops with The Porch, a center for writing here in Nashville, and with The Makery, an online writing studio at The Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky. “But all of it is so creatively sustaining. I think of poetry as being communal now, in a way I didn’t used to. When I was younger, I thought it was just about self- expression, but it’s more than that for me now. Poets can tell a much bigger story, not just about themselves, but about who we are as a community, and who we can be.” Ciona Rouse’s Vantablack is available at Third Man Books. Check out the Re\VERB podcast at thirdmanbooks.com/reverb.

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

Trigger Control Steve Gorman and his bandmates are happily hitting the target

By Brittney McKenna Photography by Travis Commeau

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

l Trigger Hippy (L-R) Amber Woodhouse, Nick Govrik, Steve Gorman, and Ed Jurdi at 3rd & Lindsley

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

teve Gorman isn’t the kind of guy you’d expect to struggle with artistic insecurity. Widely known as the drummer of the wildly successful (and now defunct) rock band The Black Crowes, Gorman has toured the world, played with icons like Warren Zevon and Bob Dylan and found success in myriad side projects, musical and otherwise. But like any other artist, Gorman can’t help but turn a harshly critical eye (and ear) to his work. That is, until he released his new record with the soulful rock band Trigger Hippy, Full Circle & Then Some. “It’s the first album, from any I’ve ever been on, where I listen now and I have no thought of, ‘Oh, I wish I’d done that differently,’” Gorman says. “I guess that’s the one benefit to taking a really long time. Nothing was by design, timetable-wise, other than not wanting to rush anything. It was productive. Every time we got together and worked and recorded, we loved what we did. So we were like, ‘Well, if this is the pace that makes sense, the result is worth it.’” Trigger Hippy is the brainchild of Gorman and frequent collaborator, bassist Nick Govrik. The band made its self-titled debut in 2014 and has since rounded out its lineup with the addition of vocalist/guitarist Ed Jurdi and vocalist/saxophone player Amber Woodhouse. Joan Osborne and Jackie Greene played as part of Trigger Hippy on the band’s debut album, but have since left amicably to pursue other projects. The updated lineup began recording Full Circle & Then Some in 2016, after the band took a hiatus following touring in support of their debut, Trigger Hippy. As Gorman explains it, it was Ed Jurdi who greased the wheels and got things moving for the band again. After bringing Jurdi into the fold and recruiting Woodhouse, the foursome began what would be a two-year recording process for Full Circle & Then Some.

“Ed played me two of his demos and I just looked at him and thought, ‘Oh my God, these are fantastic,’” Gorman says. “Right away I thought if I’m this excited over a little ProTools-into-an-iPad demo, this guy is a real songwriter. ... They moved me immediately and they were just off-center enough, too. They were real. I had to get something going with this guy.” The band recorded most of Full Circle & Then Some at Gorman’s Nashville home studio, the Tree House. The album picks up where Trigger Hippy left off, blending Southerninfluenced rock with funk, soul, and a little bit of country twang, a sonic patchwork stitched together with healthy doses of palpable joy and fun. The band also recruited a handful of their most talented friends to join them in the studio, including guitarist Sadler Vaden ( Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit), harmonica player Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson), Nashville-viaLondon pedal steel player Spencer Cullum (Steelism, Miranda Lambert), and others. →

“Ed played me two of his demos and I just looked at him and thought, ‘Oh my God, these are fantastic!’”

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

Opening track “Don’t Wanna Bring You Down” sets a joyful tone for the album with its breezy acoustic guitar, funky organ, and soulful vocal harmonies. The title track is all groove, with crunchy electric guitar riffs and Govrik’s lively bass adding a suitably hefty arrangement to support Woodhouse’s powerhouse vocal. Gorman nods both to Govrik and to the new band members as essential to fleshing out the sound hinted at on the Trigger Hippy debut. “Ed’s writing and his ideas and his ability to take an idea that someone else throws out and immediately make it grow. ... He has a straight line musically from his heart and his gut to what comes out,” Gorman says. “And Amber’s talent as a singer is through the roof. She’s also an incredible saxophone player. She’s very much a spark plug. There’s an energy and a vibe of anything being possible with her.” The band maintained a purposeful openness to collaboration throughout their time in the studio, an ethos that was made easier by recording in bits and pieces over a long period of time. While Gorman credits the band’s slower approach to recording as integral to his contentment with the album, he also realizes that, this far into his career, he’s due a chunk of that credit, too.

“They always say you have to trust your gut, but your gut gets smarter over time, too” “They always say you have to trust your gut, but your gut gets smarter over time, too,” he says. “It’s really a question of learning what your gut impulses really are telling you. When I was younger, I used to say, ‘Oh, I’m just going off my gut.’ But my gut was filled with anxiety and fear. This is common to pretty much anybody, I would hope, but you wake up one day — hopefully before you’re too old — and start to put together not what you think but why you think that way, and how much of it is authentic. “All this to say, I’ve been through an awful lot of creative situations in studios — records that were my band and records where I was playing on other people’s music — and I’m in a place right now where I feel pretty confident with what I feel makes sense and what doesn’t.” →

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

Trigger Hippy, stylin’ in 3rd & Lindsley’s green room.

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

Trigger Hippyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Full Circle & Then Some is now available on Turkey Grass Records from fine record retailers and through their website, triggerhippy.com.

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

Full Circle & Then Some is an appropriate name for the project, as the album found Gorman reuniting with Thirty Tigers founder David Macias, who was integral to the early success of the Black Crowes. It isn’t lost on Gorman that he’s maintained such lasting relationships in a typically fickle business; in fact, he found that revisiting their professional relationship awoke the excited young musician in him. “We have obviously been friends for over 30 years and stayed in touch and see each other in Nashville,” Gorman says. “But when this record was done, I went to see Dave to play him some music and see if he wanted to work with it and I was actually laughing at myself. ... I walked in and started the first song and got really nervous, like, ‘Oh man, I hope he likes this.’ ... If he could have given me a reason he didn’t want to do it, it would have been fine. But it just means a lot when someone you respect that much says, ‘I get this. I dig it.’” Gorman is plenty busy outside of his work with Trigger Hippy. He hosted the long-running Fox Sports Radio show Steve Gorman Sports! until September of 2018 and recently began a new classic rock-themed show, Steve Gorman Rocks! He also released his first book, Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes—A Memoir, in October, a project that took a “warts and all” approach to sharing the story of the dysfunction that ultimately led to the end of the Black Crowes (see sidebar review). “The book is just me,” he says. “Steven Hyden helped me shape the narrative and he greatly helped me edit the book. But that book is just me. A radio show and a band are both very collaborative, in different ways. I’m a team player to a fault. I look at things almost like it’s a basketball team. ‘You be the point guard; I’ll be the center; let him be the guy that shoots.’ I don’t think that limits creativity. I think that everybody understanding their role enhances it. I like to work towards people’s strengths at all times. The fatal flaw in the Black Crowes was not understanding people’s strengths and weaknesses.” In conversation, Gorman is audibly happy to have so many outlets for his seemingly boundless creative energy. And he’s also happy to be part of an album that he can enjoy for repeated listens. “The things I hear in my old albums that I wish I could change are nothing anyone else is aware of,” he says, laughing. “I don’t think the whole world is still upset about the fill going into the second verse of [The Black Crowes’] ‘Sting Me’ from 1992. I think that’s just me. But at the same time, the new Trigger Hippy album has none of those for me.”

In Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of The Black Crowes—A Memoir, Steve Gorman chronicles a living example of Tolstoy’s observation, “All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

eing famous might mean enjoying the cats without having to clean the litterbox, but it can also mean dislocation and separation from the sanity-keeping foundational elements of one’s psychological makeup. In Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of The Black Crowes—A Memoir (Hachette Books), Steve Gorman takes us by the hand and leads us through what it was like to scale the highest mountains of rock stardom while, often simultaneously, struggling in a valley of frustration. Fans of The Black Crowes will get a glimpse of what was happening behind the scenes from the day Gorman stepped off a Greyhound bus in Atlanta — which was also the day he met Chris Robinson — through to the final straw, and they will probably encounter a few surprises along the way. Credit is given where credit is due. Nevertheless, Gorman doesn’t hide the incredulity he had at the time regarding the contradictions baked into Chris and Rich Robinson’s individual personalities and the mercurial nature of their relationship. Relying on a conversational style, he takes a matterof-fact approach to the subject from, as he makes clear, his perspective as the drummer and a founding member of the band. Sprinkled throughout are witty, anecdotal observations like, “Chris somehow failed as both a hippie and a capitalist,” which serve the narrative well and make for an entertaining read. Hard to Handle also provides a unique perspective on the history of times. The Black Crowes emerged from the thriving ’80s alt-rock scene, and the success of their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker (1990), happened after Guns N’ Roses conquered the world with Appetite For Destruction (1987) and before Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991) flipped that same rock world on its head. All three bands were thoroughly informed by everything from Led Zeppelin to REM to The Replacements, although the mileage

varied in terms of perceivable influence. Perhaps due to the timing, The Black Crowes broke through the before/ after wall established by Nevermind to become one of the pre-eminent rock bands of the ’90s alongside bands like Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins while remaining well outside of all things “grunge”. Gorman describes the arc of band’s career through this period in detail, including the fateful choice of the controversial cover art (and name) for the band’s third record, Amorica. The move (albeit an artistic one), was insisted upon by Chris Robinson and resulted in a significant downturn in sales as compared with the band’s first two records. It also foretold the way in which both of the Robinsons would undermine the band’s fortunes through capricious decisions and a baffling willingness to ignore the very people tasked with helping them. All that being said, Gorman makes one thing crystal clear: He loved being in a great rock band, and he knew it when the band was firing on all cylinders. This was particularly true with the lineup of the band during the making of Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992), which also included original bassist, Johnny Colt, as well as Marc Ford on guitar and Ed Harsch on keys. His ability to put into words something that, in its essence exists on a purley creative, emotional level, is a stellar acheivement. He also leaves no question that the musical world The Black Crowes created made up for dealing with all the other bullshit for a very long time. Until it didn’t. Yeah, it’s a book about a band, but the coolest thing about Hard to Handle is Gorman’s ability to consistently shine a light on the contrast between The Black Crowes as a band and The Black Crowes as a brand. At its core, it describes the heroic struggle — and balance — between art and commerce; move too far in either direction and the ship founders. —Chuck Allen

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

Their Little Home in

Tennessee How Music City Roots Came to Madison By Craig Havighurst

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

ountry Music by Ken Burns reminds us that in 1943, the Grand Ole Opry was very nearly made homeless by circumstances beyond its control. It was already the most influential vehicle for hillbilly stardom in the nation, but a steady crush of fans, including soldiers flooding Nashville as they deployed for WWII, had left the operators of the Opry’s state-owned venue, The War Memorial Auditorium, stressed out and fed up. When WSM radio got the notice that their nights at the War Memorial were coming to an end, they made a desperate ask to Lula Naff at the Ryman Auditorium. And it worked out pretty well. Music City Roots is not the Grand Ole Opry, but we who produced the show for its four years at the Loveless Cafe Barn and another four at the Factory in Franklin definitely have, from the beginning, looked to early Opry as a source of inspiration. That includes resilience in the face of change. At the end of 2017, our agreement with the Factory came to an end and renewing wasn’t a viable option. The plan at that point was to move to a SoBro music hall and tasting room then under construction by Yee Haw Brewing Co. and Ole Smoky Moonshine. But in mid2018, plans changed, reducing the size of the music venue below what we needed. No harm, no foul, but it did leave Music City Roots looking for a home once again. →

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

Preceeding page: Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye view rendering of The Roots Barn located next to Amqui Station in Madison. This page: Conceptualization of the performance venue. Facing page: Eye-level exterior rendering of The Roots Barn. 50

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

You know those annoying movie scenes when all hope seems lost and somebody pipes up that there’s been a secret plan in the works all this time that nobody had mentioned before, and it’ll save the day? Well that’s kind of what happened here. MCR co-founders Todd Mayo and John Walker had long hoped the show would own and control its own venue and, over several years, they’d worked with city officials in Madison on preliminary plans. The community had country music history, a growing population, and easy access to East Nashville and downtown, not to mention the music-loving towns like Hendersonville further up I-65. And it turned out Madison was making moves toward designing a culturally rich future on its own. So when the downtown Nashville plan didn’t work out, those talks got rekindled, culminating in the big announcement in July. The show will be re-branded Music City Roots: Live From Madison Station. It will move to Thursday nights and go live out of the new Roots Barn adjacent to historic Amqui Station in, we hope, late 2020. The stone and timber building, modeled to a degree on the famous Barns At Wolftrap venue in Northern Virginia, will be a one of the premiere mid-sized venues in the Southeast, with room for 750 seated or 1,000 standing. There will be a mezzanine balcony running the length of the hall on both sides and recycled timber sourced from North Carolina and Montana. Because MCR is a public television show as well as a radio show, the stage has been designed for professional lighting (by Bandit Lites), and we’ve turned again to our longstanding audio partners Sound Image, for the

acoustics. No expense is being spared. Best of all for the musicians, the area with the bars, food service, ticketing, and visiting will be completely separated from the listening space, so that fans can focus on the stage without distraction. Outside, the grounds of the Madison Station complex will include a firepit and sheltered areas for food, events, and picking parties. Also, right there, sits Amqui Station with its rich history. Built in 1910 as Madison’s passenger line depot on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, it was abandoned in the ’70s when the trains stopped carrying people. Johnny Cash loved the old structure and rather than see it torn down, Madison let him move it to his property in Hendersonville. After he passed away, some community leaders raised the money to move it back to its present location and compliment the building with a covered platform and a community meeting space. Today it’s a farmers market and mini-museum that tells Madison’s story. And that story includes country and bluegrass royalty. Over the decades, the community was home to Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Kitty Wells, Hank Snow, John Hartford, and many more. All this together will make a potent sense of place, which is central to roots music and MCR’s values. We are about identifying sincerely and timelessly talented artists, offering a great-sounding stage for them to reach an in-person and broadcast audience, and letting them tell their story. By its nature, that story is multi-generational, multi-racial, multi-genre and international. “We live and serve to showcase artists of the high integrity who are so often →

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

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“Yet what is American roots music if not an expression of the very melting pot that defines America?” underserved in the mainstream,” said MCR’s John Walker at the July venue announcement. “Yet what is American roots music if not an expression of the very melting pot that defines America? Without the collision of cultures from Europe and Africa, North America and Latin America, there would be no Americana, or bluegrass, jazz, country, blues, rock and roll, R&B, and soul. In a world where there’s much division, music unites.” I like that, but then I feel like John Walker and Todd Mayo have grasped something important and valuable since I met them more than ten years ago. Todd had just established Bluegrass Underground (a show that also switched venues, moving from one cave to another, which makes building a barn seem easy), and they were hoping to launch a weekly program that had variety (four artists per show) and a discovery vibe. We talked about how to capture the feeling of the live radio shows that put Nashville on the national map in the 1930s and ’40s. That included the three-host format we set in place in the earliest weeks of the show in 2009. Since year two, our team has included emcee Keith Bilbrey, musical host Jim Lauderdale, and myself doing artist interviews between sets. The shows open with a solo by Jim and end with an all-hands jam that in the new train-side venue will be called “All Aboard.” Because there’s no musical metaphor or pun we won’t run into the ground. In the eight years of presenting eleven shows per quarter, we experienced countless discoveries and moments of transcendence. St. Paul & The Broken Bones played their first gig outside of Alabama. Bobby Rush brought his twerking dancers. The Doobie Brothers dusted off songs they’d not played since recording them in the ’70s, just for us. We covered the whole bluegrass waterfront with Doyle Lawson, the McCourys, Leftover Salmon, Sam Bush, and more. We

showcased songwriting icons including Jimmy Webb, Gretchen Peters, Tom T. Hall, and the late Leon Russell. We welcomed innovative genre-scramblers like steel pan jazz man Jonathan Scales, the Jon Stickley Trio, Matuto and The River Whyless. I’ve been brought to tears countless times, including moments with legends like Bonnie Bramlett and newcomers

like Katie Pruitt. It’s been simply an astonishing thing to be part of. And here on the occasion of the show’s tenth anniversary, we’re overjoyed to confirm that it will be back. Private investors from out of state have stepped up to be the key supporters of the new venue. The city of Madison, especially City Councilmember Nancy VanReece, has been a full and enthusiastic partner in getting this off the ground. Hundreds of old friends and regular fans have encouraged us with hopes and faith that we’d be back on stage and back on the air. It’s hard to describe how badly we want to be, and we’ll plan some one-off shows and special gatherings in the year to come to celebrate that and to flesh out the story. As for the Grand Ole Opry, they had to move out of the Ryman too. They built their own Opry House and shaped their own destiny. And there they are, 94 years old, still making history. Perhaps we have one more trick to steal from them. Craig Havighurst covers music news and hosts “The String” at WMOT Roots Radio, home station for Music City Roots. He launched his music journalism career while living in East Nashville between 1996 and 2008.

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

BAD INFLUENCERS

Guide TO HOLIDAY SEASON

I’M DREAMING OF A MULTI-COLOR CHRISTMAS For the OG Easty inner child, get your loved one the Only in East Nashville coloring book. The Thunder Snow Chicken, and Cornelia Fort cows are just a few of the delightful drawings to color outside the lines.

EIGHT LEGS BY THE BOOK Yikes! Is that a brown recluse? Confirm or allay your fears with a copy of Richard A. Bradley’s Common Spiders of North America. Every East Nashvillian should have a copy on their shelf!

Available at fine bookshops, including The Bookshop at 1043 W. Eastland.

SHARE THE VITTLES

A whimsically fantastical curated collection of phantasmagoric ideas designed to keep your inner Grinch at bay

When you tire from all the shopping and ax throwing, sit back & relax with a loved one and some roasted chestnuts and check out one of these Christmas horror movies, thoughtfully compiled and reviewed by our resident film critic, Nancy McGuire Roche

ny minute Christmas will be upon us. Maybe this is your favorite season, maybe not. One thing is for certain, there will be decorations, Black Friday, Secret Santas (Oh, beware!), and feel good movies. Before you get all holly jolly with Rudolph or marvel once more at the leg lamp, bunny suit, and frozen-tongue-toflagpole of A Christmas Story, be encouraged. There is a cinematic antidote to this cute Christmas cheer. Every year media inundates and manipulates us with an endless stream of movies which

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

To the food pantry and beyond! Step up your food donations by giving space, time, or dollars to The Nashville Food Project. You’ll have a real impact on our local sustainable food economy, so neighbors can keep feeding neighbors all year round.

For more info, visit thenashvillefoodproject.org.

glorify our humanity, generosity, and the magic of children. Miracle on 34th Street dates back to 1947, and thanks to the Disneyfication of Hollywood, endearing comedies such as Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Deck the Halls, Home Alone, and The Muppet Christmas Carol are strategically released each holiday season. At the heart of most classic Christmas tales, however, is a darkness relevant to the promise of disappointment and loneliness which hovers over every holiday season like the Ghost of Christmas Past. Great Christmas movies embrace the gothic, the uncanny,

the antithesis of modern Hollywood. From Brian Hurst’s classic A Christmas Carol (1951) to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), death and desertion asserts itself into these narratives. Even It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) is informed by suicide, duplicity, doppelgangers, and fatalism. Any story that starts with a suicidal protagonist on a bridge in the snow promises a certain kind of dismal poetry along the way. But enough of classic Christmas! There is another way to celebrate the season with cinema, and the horror genre has your antidote.

3 CROW BAR THANKSGIVING Why do we give thanks before we eat, but not before we drink? 3 Crow Bar gives you something to really be thankful for on Turkey Day: They’re freaking open!

Recover from the family blues at 1024 Woodland St., 6p.m. – 3 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.

JOE NOLAN PIKE’S PROJECT POSTCARDS DEE’S THANKSGIVING POTLUCK Forget family drama — on Thanksgiving, turkey should be the only thing giving you a stomach ache! Escape cousins and that one uncle (and even football) at Dee’s Lounge’s annual Thanksgiving Potluck on November 28th. Supper is served at 5 p.m.

Grab your cover dish and head to Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, 102 E Palestine Ave.

Local artist Joe Nolan has been capturing Nashville’s urban vim with his photo-essay series, Pikes Project, for four years now. While walking the thin line between artistic celebration and empirical deference, the series’ entries present otherwise ignorable objects and scenic vantage points upon the Charlottesville, Dickerson, Gallatin, and Nolensville Pikes in stunning lights. Now, Pikes Project pieces are available as postcards which come in ten-count sets. For gift shoppers, Nolan is also selling a portfolio of smaller photos and workbook prints.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/28604631

If you are a fan of Ari Aster’s Midsommar, Michael Dougherty’s Krampus (2015) is your jam. Of course, Toni Collette is a must see, but the summoning of an ancient demon who traditionally kidnaps bad children during the holiday is a delightful twist on the demented Santa trope. Like those cute rituals in Midsommar, Krampus arises from Norse and European mythology — he is a horned, anthropomorphic half-goat, half-demon, perhaps the son of a god. As Santa’s companion, he stuffs bad children into a sack, where once back in his lair, he feeds their eyes to owls. Think Freud’s essay on the “Uncanny”

and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. In this case, the Engle family is being stalked by Krampus on Christmas Eve during a power outage as punishment for losing their Christmas spirit. And only their German grandmother, Omi, knows why. Of course, the demented Santa, or a psychotic, traumatized killer in the suit is absolutely necessary for alternative Christmas fun as well. Christmas Evil (1980) melds its protagonist’s childhood trauma and an everyman’s anger toward the commodification of the holidays to instigate a homicidal killing spree. →

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

NO SECURITY BLANKET REQUIRED

Good grief! Another Christmas already, Charlie Brown? Although the stress and hustle of the season can get you down, there’s no need to feel like a sad, scrawny and unloved Christmas tree with the annual return of the Ornaments on the horizon. Let Jen, Hags, and Martin supply the soundtrack for your best Linus or Lucy dance.

For performance dates and tickets visit theornamentsband.com.

RUB, DON’T LIGHT, THE HOLIDAY LAMP Prefer a warmer clime for your holiday entertainment? Take the whole family to Aladdin & His Winter Wish, December 12-22 at TPAC. The cast includes Richard Karn (aka Al, from Home Improvement) and Bruce Vilanch, of Hollywood Squares fame getting his drag on as “Widow Twanky.”

HOLIDAY TIME REPAIRED Got a defunct antique clock hiding in the attic? Or grandpa’s overwound watch squirreled away in a dresser? Spirit it away for repair to Nashville Clock and put the old-made-good timepiece under the tree for someone who’s always late.

Tick-tock to Nashville Clock at 809 Gallatin Pike S. in Madison.

Don’t wish for showtimes and tickets! Find them at tpac.org.

Also, there are toys and an angry Christmas mob, a la Frankenstein. In Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Billy Chapman witnesses his parents’ murder by a criminal in a Santa suit who has just robbed a liquor store. This does not bode well for his adult development, especially since he is now raised in an orphanage with a sadistic Mother Superior. Eventually coming of age, he works — you guessed it — in a toy store. Forced to wear a Santa suit by his boss for a Christmas party, Billy becomes unhinged and begins a murder spree with a set of Christmas lights. Murder weapons quickly escalate to

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

tools, toys, and an axe. Viola! Slasher Christmas. Billy winds up back at the orphanage. But who has the last word? You’ll have to watch. And speaking of slasher films, what could be better than a Christmas kill rampage set in a sorority house staring Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, and Margot Kidder. Black Christmas (1974) involves sorority sisters, unwanted pregnancy, a homicidal maniac, obscene phone calls, death by fireplace implements and, of course, a “the call is coming from inside the house” plot twist.

5 5

I SAW MOMMY TWISTIN’ WITH XNA! Tired of the same old holiday tunes? Tune it to Nashville’s freeform, listener-supported radio station, WXNA-FM. From Tom Waits’ “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis” to El Vez’s “Santa Claus is Sometimes Brown,” and Tom Lehrer’s “Hanukkah in Santa Monica,” to Rev. J.M. Gates’ “Death Might Be Your Santa Claus,” WXNA’s DJs will be supplying the holiday jams all through the month of December!

Listen up locally at 101.5 FM or streaming at wxnafm.org and on the TuneIn App.

If you are a fan of writer Joe Hill, strong female protagonists, time portals, and immortals who feed on the souls of children, AMC’s NOS4A2 (2019) may be your holiday cheer. Teen protagonist Vic McQueen must defeat the inimitable Zachary Quinto as Charlie

Manx, who uses a dimwit adult “elf” to drag children into his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith where he turns them into vampires on the way to “Christmasland.” Vic’s travel through time portals on her motorcycle and the terror of her everyday family life collides with an ancient, supernatural villain who uses the powerful seduction of presents and the promise of perpetual Christmas to accomplish his goals. And finally, the closest thing to Christmas Horror with a Disney twist is the fun and iconic Gremlins (1984). Mogwai: If you ever get one, be sure to not expose it bright lights,

SMART ART Shop the gallery at Poverty and the Arts, 1207 Dickerson Pike. In addition to getting some fabulous original work, you’ll be helping out artists who have experienced homelessness. If you own a business or company, you can play art Santa in a big way and fill your corporate walls AND the walls of local citizens at the same time by participating in the Shared Walls Art Program (povertyandthearts.org/swap/).

Visit Poverty and the Arts gallery at 1207 Dickerson Pike.

let it touch water, or feed it after midnight. You know you’re going to! Gremlins is the only Christmas film that puts monsters in a microwave or lets horrible, sharp-toothed creatures sing “New York, New York” and watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in ridiculous costumes. And, they are cuter than Kevin McCallister and Zuzu Bailey combined! Gremlins should definitely become a permanent component of your holiday ritual. And while it would seem that Hollywood finds a bit of darkness in every uplifting holiday message, certainly the dark humor of Christmas horror is the perfect remedy for stress this holiday season.

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

DIVE MOTEL – POLAR BEAR CLUB

DOLLAR BIN DIVING Vinyl records are back, but with new platters selling for 20 bucks or more, they can put a big scratch in your holiday gift budget. The solution? Head for the bargain bins! Every great used record store has hundreds of cheap LPs tucked away on the floor or in out-of-the-way racks just waiting for a new home. A bullish collection of matador music? Olé! Hunting a country music concept album on bigfoot? Not so elusive! Groove to gorillas on accordions? Go ape! And that’s not to mention the many classic LPs to be found in lesser condition. Sure there may be a pop and crackle here and there, but that’s just part of the analog appeal!

Hit the bins at Grimey’s New & Preloved Music (1060 East Trinity Lane), The Groove (1103 Calvin Ave.), Vinyl Tap (2038 Greenwood Ave.), and The Great Escape (105 Gallatin Pike N.).

The recently opened Dive Motel and Swim Club at 1414 Dickerson Pike will be launching their first Polar Bear Hot Tub Club this winter with a chilly dip into warm waters for the New Year. Go for a dunk during the day and demonstrate your defiance against Old Man Winter!

For details and swim schedules follow the Dive Motel and Swim Club on Instagram @ thedivemotel.

GIVE THE GIFT OF GOTH! Mom been hankerin’ for taxidermied raccoon ass, complete with tail? Sister Suzie collect disturbing Victorian medical instruments? Pop needs a blacklight Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster for his study? No matter who, or what, you’re shopping for Hail, Dark Aesthetics has got the goods for your most, shall we say, unique holiday gifts.

Go up to the lab and see what on the slab at Hail, Dark Aesthetics, 2410 Gallatin Ave.

HE KNOWS WHEN YOU ARE SLEEPING! Speaking of Hail, Dark Aesthetics, get your picture made with the one and only Satan Claws on a special day in December. He’s in town to find out just how naughty you’ve been and he will give you that Red Ryder BB gun in the hope that you will put your eye out! (Not really, play safe, kids!)

For dates and to check out the, er, “charming” photos from past Satan Claws visits, slide down the chimney on Instagram @iamsatanclaws.

SPLIT WOOD NOT HEADS! Ready to bring the axe down on 2019? Grab some friends, and ring in the New Year with a throwing axe tournament at the Backyard Axe Throwing League.. BATL’s coaches will safely guide you through the sharp edges of axe throwing and stage a mini-tournament for your group, all in one evening.

Limber up your throwing arm at 1302 Gallatin Ave. F or more info and reservations visit batlgrounds.com.

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

All of Himself Cid Bullens, facing the future as himself. 60

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

Cid Bullens redefines the notion of creative transition

fter a career spanning four decades in rock ‘n’ roll, singer and songwriter Cidny Bullens is about to release a debut album – of sorts. Due out in early 2020 on Red Dragonfly/BMI, Walkin’ Through This World will actually be Bullens’ ninth collection of original songs, in addition to two albums released with his band The Refugees. But it’s the first album the artist will put out as Cidny Bullens, a transgender man. When his friend, BMI executive Jody Williams, pointed out the significance of this “debut,” it got Bullens thinking about how to tell that story. “Jody said, ‘You know, you’re more like a new artist now than anything else.’ That kind of stuck in my head; I’m coming from 40 years of experience as Cindy Bullens, but with that in mind, it’s → a new story, starting now.”

By Leslie LaChance Photography by Travis Commeau

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

Or at least a new story arc in a long narrative of reinvention, renewal, and paradox. That narrative includes some early years touring as a back-up singer and guitarist with Sir Elton John, a stint with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, and collaborations with Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, and T-Bone Burnett. Bullens efforts with Nashville notables Radney Foster, Rodney Crowell, Matraca Berg, Emmylou Harris and others also make the impressive list of collaborations in a long recording career that has produced hundreds of songs and a couple of Grammy nominations. In the ’70s and ’80s Cindy Bullens was known perhaps as much for an androgynous stage presence as for her musical talent. “It was part of the lure of Cindy Bullens, and it took me a long way,” Bullens says. “But that’s also why the record companies didn’t know what to do with me. I was out there playing like a guy, jumping off pianos, twirling a guitar between my legs,” Bullens recalls, grinning. Sexism and cis-gender, binary worldviews still exist in the music industry, of course, but in the early decades of Bullens’ career those rigid categories went mostly unquestioned, except by artists like Cindy, who couldn’t help but rise to the challenge. Search for her online, and you’ll likely come across some vintage footage of Cindy Bullens being interviewed on American Bandstand, politely but firmly explaining to Dick Clark that yes indeed she’d written all the songs on her album, and no, it had never occurred to her NOT to be a singer. “I just had this kind of blind drive that I had something to give to rock and roll,” Bullens tells him, all confidence. Clark kiddingly intimates that she, as a sweet young thing, somehow conned Elton John into taking her on tour. Bullens admits to crashing an Elton John press party, but his people actually approached her about the touring gig, not the other way around, she explains. When the music starts, she’s playing electric guitar in front of an all-male band, not as a girl singer, but as a badass lead artist in a Superman tee-shirt. Frustrated with the “female artist, high heels, and make-up” niche the music industry kept trying to shove her into, Bullens shoved back for a bit, then decided to take a break. She married, had two kids, and settled down in

Cid Bullens new album Walkin’ Through This World, produced by Ray Kennedy, will be released on the Red Dragonfly/BMI label. For more see cidnybullens.com.

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

Connecticut. While Bullens continued to play and write music, the main focus was on family life and raising her daughters, Reid and Jessie. Tragically, Jessie died of cancer at age eleven in 1996. “When you lose a child there’s a timelessness to that death.” Bullens says. “There’s no getting over it. You just take steps forward, and you carry the grief forever.” The grief was paralyzing, but from the awfulness came a sudden and surprising creative inspiration. “I wouldn’t wish this inspiration on my worst enemy,” Bullens declares, “but by some miracle, I found this tiny, tiny little spark of life, of fire, in that moment when I wrote this sad song, and poured out all this longing to see and feel my child again.” More songs followed and Bullens released Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth in 1999. Featuring appearances by Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, and Bullens’ daughter Reid Crewe, it’s a powerful collection inspired by that grief. “Those ten songs came from a place where no songs I had ever written before came, and where no songs I have written after came. There was no thought process. Really there was no conscious crafting. Those songs were pure love, period.”

ullens continued working with Nashville songwriters throughout the 2000s, releasing several more albums, including Howling Trains and Barking Dogs, a best-of selection from those collaborations. She also founded The Refugees, a trio with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland, releasing two CDs (Unbound in 2009 and Three in 2012). A new Refugees EP, How Far It Goes, drops this year, with Bullens performing as Cid. By 2011 Bullens, who’d been writing and singing her truth for decades, decided it was time to live that truth. She’d known since childhood that even though everyone saw and treated her as female, the person inside was male. That meant going through a gender transition to become a man, at age 60. It was not a decision made lightly. By then, Bullens was single; daughter Reid was grown and supportive of her mother’s decision. But there were lots of unknowns, especially about what would happen to an artistic career built over four decades. →

Cid at Ray Kennedy’s Room & Board Studio in Nashville where he cut Walkin’ Through This World. November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

“I knew I was going to have to reinvent myself, but I wasn’t sure what that was going to look like or how that would be received,” he says. He recalls coming to the 2012 AMERICANAFEST with The Refugees, having just recently transitioned. “I wasn’t Cindy and I wasn’t quite fully Cid. I’d changed my name and had top surgery already, but I still looked like Cindy,” he says. Some of his friends recognized him as Cindy, and some as Cid. “It was very awkward. I got in my car, and started driving around Nashville, and I felt grief second to having lost Jessie, and I thought what’s this about? Suddenly I realized I was grieving the death of Cindy Bullens. I was grieving the death of myself, and that I wasn’t Cindy and that I wasn’t fully yet Cid.” The experience inspired “Purgatory Road,” on Walkin’ Through This World, along with “Little Pieces.” While both songs rose out of Bullens’ experience with transition, they also speak to a universal experience of loss and change. After the initial awkward Nashville coming out, Bullens decided to lay low for a bit as he explored how to fully embrace his new identity. During the time off from the performance spotlight, he pursued another creative project he’d been considering — writing a one-person solo show that involved storytelling and song. An internet search led him to Santa Fe-based solo performance and story coach Tanya Taylor Rubenstein, and Bullens applied for her boot camp, which promised he’d have a story outline in four days. “I did my elevator pitch,” Bullens recalls. “I sang with Elton John, I’m a bereaved parent, and I’m a transman. And she emailed me back within the day.” “This is good, I thought. Now I can add a trans story to my resume,” Rubenstein, now his wife, says, laughing. Bullens got his outline in four days, and the two continued a professional relationship over the next fifteen months, while Cid completed Somewhere In Between: Not an Ordinary Life, the autobiographical show he’s performed to critical acclaim under Rubenstein’s direction. Somewhere In Between, which had runs in Nashville in 2016 and again in 2018, brought an invitation to be part of another project, a documentary feature film called Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music. Filmmaker T.J. Parsell and producer Bill Brimm caught one of Bullens Nashville performances of the show at the Bongo Java After Hours Theatre, and thought his perspective as a trans person would be helpful to their Invisible project. During the shooting and editing of the segment with Bullens, they discovered enough good material to craft a second film, the award-winning documentary short, The Gender Line, which won awards at The Tallgrass and The Edmonton film festivals this fall. As 2019 draws to a close, Bullens, Brimm, and Parsell have been appearing at film festivals around the country and in Canada, promoting The

Gender Line as well as talking up Invisible, due for film festival release in 2020. The year ahead looks pretty packed for Bullens, with an album release, touring, and wider releases of the two film documentaries. Plus, if time and opportunity present, a reprise of Somewhere in Between. He also wants to continue ongoing advocacy work for trans people, speaking out and performing to raise awareness and encourage audiences to acknowledge the human dignity of people who are trans.

“I think this album is universal, but I also think it’s a tool for people to maybe open up their consciousness a little bit more to the humanity of being transgender,” Bullens says. “Mostly though, I am a rock and roller and I’m just going to be really glad to get out here and play these songs, do some gigs, and just have some fun on stage. For me it doesn’t matter how old you are. You are who you are. You follow your dream. That brings joy to me, and I feel like all of myself.”

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The original Nelsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greenbrier Distillery barrelhouse, located just outside Greenbrier, Tennessee, that helped inspire Andy and Charlie Nelsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s search for their family legacy.

Dist 66

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

illing HISTORY

Andy and Charlie Nelson discovered and resurrected a family legacy By Randy Fox

Photograpahy by Chuck Allen

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

ndy and Charlie Nelson are two happy brothers. Sitting in the tasting room of the 21st century iteration of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville they relate stories of their family history, detail how they built their business, and celebrate the re-introduction of the distillery’s flagship brand, Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey. It’s an occasion that’s been in the making for 13 years, or 141 years, depending on how you look at it. “Back in 2006 our father went in with a friend to buy a whole, butchered cow in Greenbrier, Tennessee,” Andy Nelson says, starting with the shorter version of the Nelson family story. “We stopped to get gas and noticed a historical marker for Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery near the gas station. We didn’t even know the marker existed. It was a spooky moment. Charlie and I grew up hardly knowing anything about our family’s history with distilling. We knew there was once some sort of whiskey business. We didn’t know how big it was or if it was even legal. We’d just heard bits and pieces of the story from older relatives.” Although the marker was short on details, it contained the basic facts: the distillery operated from 1870 to 1909, was one of the largest producers of alcohol in Tennessee, and was a major economic force in Robertson County — but there were more revelations to come.

‘‘

If we had a passion for something, we could do it, and we found it.

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

(Above L-R) Charlie and Andy Nelson at the modern-day Nelsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Brier Distillery in Marathon Village.

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

(Above) The spring house at the original Greenbrier location. (Left) The historic marker that inspired the distillery’s rebirth.

“The butcher lived about a mile east of the maker,” Andy Nelson continues. “When we got to his house, we asked him what he knew about the old distillery, and he said, ‘Look across the road, that’s one of the old barrel warehouses.’ Behind it was the original spring house and another old building from the distillery. The butcher sent us to the Greenbrier Historical Society and they had several artifacts, including two original bottles of Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey. It was a revelation. I was a year out of college and Charlie just had one semester left. We didn’t have career paths planned out. If we had a passion for something, we could do it, and we found it.” Inspired by their day of discovery and the two bottles bearing their name, the brothers began years of research. Digging through historical records, state and county archives, and old newspaper files, they uncovered a complex family history. Charles Nelson was born on July 4, 1835 in Hagenow, a small town in northern German Grand Duchy of MecklenburgSchwerin. The oldest of six children, his father, John Philip Nelson, was a successful soap and candle manufacturer who sold his factory in 1850, converted his fortune into gold, and embarked for the United States with his family. While at sea, their ship encountered a severe gale. The ship suffered damage and began taking on water. An American sailing packet rescued the passengers and crew, but during the transfer, a small boat carrying the Nelson family overturned, and John Nelson, with the family’s gold sewn into his clothing, was lost at sea. “The rest of the family survived and made it to New York,” Charlie Nelson says, picking up the story. “Charles took over as man of the family and found work making soap and candles. He moved to Cincinnati two years later and became a butcher. In 1858 he moved to Nashville and started a wholesale grocery business — with whiskey as one of his best-selling items. He eventually bought an existing distillery in Greenbrier along with a patent for improved distillation, becoming the largest distillery in the state. By 1895 he was producing 380,000 gallons a year and marketing 30 brands (of spirits) — Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, corn whiskey, peach and apple brandies, and more — with distribution across the entire U.S.”

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

attle

Fannie B

A holiday tradition since 1916

ing Carol for Kids ebration

e for Cel

A Caus

December 1st - 24th Have a Happy Holiday rockinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; around Nashville to carol for a cause. Donate your gig or grab a group to sing some carols this December in support of Fannie Battle Day Homeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a nonprofit childcare center serving Nashville children and families since 1891. Visit fanniebattle.org/caroling for more info on how to get involved or to see other creative ways to join in the fun.

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

Charles Nelson’s death in 1891 didn’t slow the success as his widow, Louisa Nelson, took charge. One of the first women to operate a distillery in the U.S., Louisa guided the family business until Tennessee adopted prohibition in 1909, sounding the death knell for hundreds of Volunteer State distilleries. As the Nelson brothers uncovered their family history, they became determined to reclaim their family legacy. Following a common roadmap for start-up boutique distillers, they planned to purchase product from existing distilleries, create a unique blend, and market it under their own brand name, raising capital from their “starter brand” to eventually build their own production facility. “We started trying to raise money but couldn’t get anyone to invest,” Charlie says. “We ended up borrowing against our parents’ house. At the time, I was renting a house in East Nashville at the corner of 12th and Holly. It was a nice house and impressive when people came for meetings, but they didn’t know I had a couple of other roommates.” In 2013, the brothers launched Belle Meade Bourbon, drawing the name and label design from a brand introduced in 1878 by the original Green Brier Distillery. The success of Belle Meade Bourbon led to the construction of the new Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Marathon Village. As the business grew, they added variations of Belle Meade Bourbon and “Louisa’s,” a coffee caramel pecan liqueur named in honor of their greatgreat-great-grandmother, but their primary goal was the rebirth of Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey. “Back in the day they would offer tours of the distillery on the Fourth of July,” Charlie Nelson says. “We found an old newspaper account that detailed the distilling process step-by-step, including the percentages of corn, wheat and malted barley they used for making the Tennessee Whiskey.” Using that original recipe, the Nelsons began distilling their ancestor’s recipe in-house in August 2014, fully aware that it would require five years for the whiskey to mature. The use of wheat rather than rye as the “flavoring grain” gave Nelson’s a more rounded flavor profile with stronger confectionary notes than other, more well-known Tennessee Whiskeys. While Belle Meade Bourbon will continue flowing from the distillery alongside Nelson’s, the reintroduction of the distillery’s flagship brand closes a chapter that began in the Tennessee countryside 13 years ago. “This brings it all full circle,” Charlie Nelson says. “The night before we re-launched Nelson’s on October 1st I couldn’t sleep. It was like waiting for Christmas morning times a million, knowing that this goal we had been working on for over a third of my life was coming to fruition. On my way to work the

next morning, I stopped at a liquor store as they were opening their doors and bought a couple of bottles. I went on to the next store and bought a couple of bottles. Went on to the next and bought a couple more bottles. You could not wipe the smile off my face all day.” “It was a long day,” Charlie continues, “but when I got home, the first thing I did was open one of the bottles, and pour a couple of fingers

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into a rocks glass my other brother Sean had given me that had a picture of the historical marker we discovered in Greenbrier etched in the glass. Before I could take a sip, I burst into tears. My girlfriend walked into the room and saw me and said, “Oh my God, are you okay?” We’ve been together seven years and I don’t think she’d ever seen me cry. I just said, ‘I’m so happy,’ and that’s probably the most enjoyable glass of whiskey I’ve ever had.”

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November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

at the Schermerhorn with your NASHVILLE SYMPHONY

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Seasons Readings

he holidays will be here in the blink of an eye. Are you ready for the flurry of gifts — both giving and receiving? For most folks, I’m guessing that a book would fall somewhere in the middle of a favorability ranking of presents, likely below, for instance, a shiny new gadget, but definitely above, say, a new pair of socks. Call me biased, but I happen to believe that a carefully chosen book — one that surprises and is thoughtfully matched to the recipient’s interests — has the potential to end up ranking at the top. Book are my thing, y’all, so let me play matchmaker for the friends and family members on your list. Presenting the 2019 Bookish Gift Guide, featuring recommendations for folks with all sorts of affinities: The Music Enthusiast on your list will likely be coveting The Beautiful Ones by Prince, which he was working on at the time of his unexpected death in 2016. More than a mere memoir, the book will feature never-seen-before photos, handwritten lyrics, and other personal touches of the beloved pop icon. For your nearest and dearest Big Biography Lover, how about Edison by Edmund Morris, which clocks in at a whopping 800 pages. Morris’ previous biographies have earned him a National Book Award and a Pulitzer, and this one’s already received multiple starred reviews, making it one of the fall’s buzziest nonfiction books. Searching for the perfect gift for an Outdoorsperson? You might consider Brendan Leonard’s Surviving the Great Outdoors, which includes instructions on how to fight off a bear and spot poison ivy, along with other indispensable tips and survival skills. For the Worst-Caser on your list, check out The Day It Finally Happens, in which Vice journalist Mike Pearl posits what might happen on the day humans become immortal, the last human-driven car drives off the lot, the entire internet goes down, and other frightening-but-fascinating scenarios to

ponder. Not sure what to get for your favorite Book Nerd? Consider The Measure of Our Lives, a collection of quotes and other bits of wisdom from Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, who passed away earlier this year. Bonus: It features an introduction by the patron saint of book nerds, Zadie Smith. On the hunt for the Logophile in your life? The Little Book of Lost Words by Joe Gillard is a super-cute, stocking-size book full of curious, funny-sounding words and phrases that may have gone by the wayside but many of which are still relevant for use today — like “snollygoster” (a dishonest politician). For Kiddos, you might consider Just in Case You Want to Fly, written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Featuring an inclusive cast, this sweet and bright picture book is full of nurturing encouragement and amusing whimsy that can be appreciated by folks of all ages, really. There are all sorts of Foodies out there, so let’s break it down. For the Wannabe Foodie, take a look at You Suck at Cooking, the just-the-very-basics, hilarious cookbook from the creators of the wildly popular YouTube channel. A Legit Foodie would likely appreciate South, the new cookbook from superstar chef (and soon-to-be East Nashville local) Sean Brock. Continuing the local theme, the Tippler on your list just might be wishing for Mike Wolf ’s Garden to Glass, a guide to incorporating fresh garden ingredients into cocktails. Mike Wolf is a partner at Chopper, the recently opened tiki bar here in East Nashville. Of potential interest to, well, Anyone, might be Southern Women from the editors of Garden & Gun. This beautiful coffee-table book features interviews with and profiles of more than 100 Southern women who’ve blazed trails and made their mark. Think: Sissy Spacek, Loretta Lynn, Leah Chase. That’s all the room I have. Hope this has been helpful — and if any of these books have struck your own fancy, go ahead and drop some hints. Maybe it’ll end up being your favorite → gift of the season. Happy holidays, everyone!

“My best friend is a man who’ll get me a book I have not read.” — Abraham Lincoln

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

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5916 Charlotte Pike • Nashville, TN 37209 • (615) 730-7216

New &

⟫ ⟫ ⟫ ⟫ ⟫ ⟫

Little Weirds

notable

Jenny Slate

Mindy Kaling has called this essay collection “magical.” Amy Sedaris says it’s “delicious.” It addresses “emotional horniness” and features discussion of “a French-kissing rabbit.” Intrigued yet?

{November 5}

Bowie’s Bookshelf John O’Connell

Bowie fans and bibliophiles alike should rejoice at this exploration of the 100 books that the late, great musician identified as having most impacted his life.

{November 12}

Children Of Virtue And Vengeance Tomi Adeyemi

All hail the much-anticipated second (sure-to-be-bestselling) book in Adeyemi’s Orïsha trilogy of young-adult fantasy novels steeped in West-African mythology.

No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference

{December 3}

Greta Thunberg Arguably today’s most wellknown climate activist, 16-year-old Thunberg is on a mission to save the world. We can all find inspiration in this, a collection of her speeches.

The Little Blue Kite

{November 26}

Mark Z. Danielewski

The Starless Sea Erin Morgenstern

Morgenstern’s The Night Circus is a cult classic, so lots and lots of folks have been counting down the days (hours, too, perhaps) until this, her second novel, is released.

{November 5}

A new work from literary horror-maestro Danielewski is always cause for celebration among those who enjoy reading fiction of the experimental variety.

{November 5}

Joelle Herr worked as a book editor and is the author of several books. She owns and curates The Bookshop in East Nashville. November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

musiccityroots.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

East Side C A L E N D A R N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2019

EMMA ALFORD CALENDAR EDITOR

F O R U P -TO - DAT E I N F O R M AT I O N O N E V E N TS , A S W E L L A S L I N K S , P L E A S E V I S I T U S AT: T H E E A ST N A S H V I L L I A N .C O M

UPCOMING TALKIN’ TURKEY

Boy Scout Troop 3 Annual Turkey Fry Fundraiser

Through November 27 Pickups at East End United Methodist Church Don’t worry about who is cooking the bird this year. Skip the hassle by enlisting the East Nashville Boy Scout Troop 3 to fry your bird. They’re taking orders now, and you can scoop the bird up the day before Thanksgiving from noon-4 p.m. Then you’ll “Be Prepared,” Scout’s honor. Visit their website, nashvilletroop3. com for more info. To order, email turkey@ nashvilletroop3.com. 1212 Holly St. ᚔ

DROP THE NEEDLE ON BLACK FRIDAY Record Store Day Black Friday

their websites for any special RSD Black Friday activities!

MARK IT EAST NASHVILLE

vinyltapnashville.com 2038 Greenwood Ave. thegroovenashville.com 1103 Calvin Ave. grimeys.com 1060 E. Trinity Lane thegreatescape.com 105 Gallatin Pike N. ᚔ

Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 30-Dec. 22

The Marketplace in East Nashville 400 Davidson St. ᚔ

CAROLING ALL THE WAY Fannie Battle Caroling

Greater Nashville area Dec. 1–24

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY SHOPPING ON NOVEMBER 30

The holiday season is a great time to support local small businesses. Check out these East Side merchants on Small Business Saturday to find the perfect gifts for dear ones, and maybe a little something for yourself. Many shops will have extended hours and oodles of holiday cheer. Shoppes at Fatherland 1006 Fatherland St.

Friday, Nov. 29 Vinyl Tap, The Groove, & Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, The Great Escape

Small Business Saturday at 5 Points 1100 Block of Woodland St.

Black Friday is not just any old shopping day of course, but it’s also one of the best days of the year to go vinyl hunting! All four of these shops will be carrying the exclusive 2019 Record Store Day Black Friday releases along with lots of other grooby discs. And be sure to check

Small Business Saturday at Porter East Shops at Porter East 700 Porter Road ᚔ

This annual Fannie Battle tradition has been around for more than a century. If ever there were a reason to raise your voice in song, this is it. Families, churches, companies, schools, and other organizations are invited to carol their way around the city, raising money for a center that’s provided support to struggling low-income families since 1891. If you feel like rockin’ around Nashville for this great cause, sign up your group now. To become a caroler, call 615-228-6745, email caroling@fanniebattle.org or visit fanniebattle.org/caroling ᚔ

HAPPY HOWLIDAYS East C.A.N. Holiday Open House

7 -10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, Location TBD Every year, East C.A.N continues to make it to Santa’s nice list. These mutt lovers have been helping save, rescue, and adopt animals for over a decade. Their annual open house is a chance to thank them for all the hard work they do throughout the year. It’s a kid-friendly evening

November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

East Side C A L E N D A R and they’ll have beverages and appetizers — a laid-back celebration and everyone is invited. Stay tuned to their Facebook for location details as they are finalized. ᚔ

HOME, SWEET HOME Lockeland Springs Home Tour

Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 7 & 8 Lockeland Springs Neighborhood This holiday home staple has been around for over 40 years now. Take a walk around the beautiful historic homes of Lockeland Springs neighborhood during this season’s home tour. The tour is sponsored by a number of local businesses and it is the Lockeland Springs Neighborhood Association’s only fundraiser throughout the year. Check the LSNA website to learn about the homes included, event sponsors, and ticket vendors. lockelandsprings.org ᚔ

IF YOU’RE (LOOKING FOR) THE HEART OF SATURDAY NIGHT

Get Behind the Mule: 14th Annual Tom Waits Tribute & Second Harvest Benefit 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7 The 5 Spot

Each year we celebrate the gravely raconteur that is Tom Waits. While no one can exactly replicate his smoky bar swagger or voice, they’ll try. Local musicians across the city will join up to cover his songs to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. $10 at the door. the5spot.club 1006 Forrest Ave., 615.650.9333 ᚔ

Stretch and Restore Yoga Tuesdays, through Nov. 19, 6-7:15 p.m. Learn to Ride a Bicycle Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6-8 p.m.

Songwriter Showdown (hosted by Andy Beckey) 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays Secret Shows 10:45-11:45 p.m.

Fridays

RESIDENCIES

Acoustic Happy Hour

5:30-8 p.m.

DEE’S COUNTRY COCKTAIL LOUNGE

THE COBRA NASHVILLE

Sundays

Comedy Open Mic

Jonell Mosser Gospel Brunch

7-9 p.m.

deeslounge.com 102 E. Palestine Ave., Madison

thecobranashville.com 2511 Gallatin Ave., 629.800.2518

Sundays 2-5 p.m.

Wednesdays

Mondays

Another Night, Another Dream

Worldclass Bluegrass with East Nash Grass

DJ Dark Heart & DJ Gravy 10 p.m.

6-8 p.m.

Madison Guild 8:30-11:30 p.m.

Thursdays Funk Night Nashville

Wednesdays

9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

TOY DRIVE AT DEE’S COUNTRY COCKTAIL LOUNGE Chuck Foster Band 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, December 14 ᚏ

NASHVILLE COMMUNITY EDUCATION COURSES

Metro Nashville’s Community Education offers affordable classes for personal and professional enrichment. See the full course offerings, including classes on the East Side, and sign up at nashville.gov/Nashville-Community-Education. Classes below are being offered at Inglewood Elementary School, 1700 Riverside Dr. Key Instruments of Estate Planning Monday, Nov. 18, 6-8 p.m. Understanding Debt Collection Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6-8:30 p.m. November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

East Side C A L E N D A R

THE 5 SPOT

Stumble on into any of our great East Side galleries and shops, which are open late during the East Nashville Art Stumble.

Sundays

Red Arrow Gallery, Michael Weintrob Photography 919 Gallatin Ave.

the5spot.club 1006 Forrest Ave., 615.650.9333

Mondays The Tiger Beats (Blues Music from Nashville’s Finest) 6-8 p.m.

Swing Dancing and Drink Specials 8-10 p.m.

Ongoing Collection

Raven & Whale Gallery, Riveter, Defunct Books, Black by Maria Silver Located within The Idea Hatchery 1108 Woodland St. The Groove 1103 Calvin Ave.

Tuesdays Two Dollar Tuesday Hosted by Derek Hoke 9 p.m. to close

Fridays Tim Carroll’s Rock & Roll Happy Hour 6-8:30 p.m.

Toro

917 Gallatin Ave.

theredarrowgallery.com 919 Gallatin Ave., Ste. 4, 615.236.6575 Daniel Holland lesser gods Through Nov. 30

A Red Arrow Gallery art talk series Every month—check the website for details

Friendly Arctic 1004 Gallatin Ave.

Galleries RAVEN AND WHALE GALLERY ravenandwhalegallery.com

RED ARROW GALLERY

Holiday Group Show Opening reception 6 p.m., Dec. 7. Show through Jan. 4

Motown Monday Hosted by Electric Western Mondays, 10 p.m.

Works from Kenny Kudulis through December Noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday 6-10 p.m., second Saturday of every month

Sunday Night Soul Hosted by Jason Eskridge Every second and fourth Sunday, 6 p.m.

1108 Woodland St. Unit G, 629.777.6965

Museums COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM countrymusichalloffame.org

Strictly ’80s Dance Party First Friday of the month 9 p.m. to close

Saturdays The 5 Spotlight Artists vary First Saturday of the month 6-8:30 p.m.

Funky Good Time First Saturday of the month *December’s event will be held on Dec. 14 9 p.m. to close =

THE GROOVE

thegroovenashville.com 1103 Calvin Ave., 615.227.5760

Thursdays On The Record- Open Mic Comedy 6-8 p.m.

Customer Appreciation Day Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

ART EXHIBITS EAST NASHVILLE ART STUMBLE

5-8 p.m., second Saturday of every month November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

THERE'S NO STOPPIN' THE HOLIDAYS FROM HOPPIN'

RADIO CHEER FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS 84

theeastnashvillian.com November | December 2019

East Side C A L E N D A R 222 Fifth Ave. S.

8th Annual Winter Concert Dec. 12-15

Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s

thetheaterbug.org 4809 Gallatin Pike ∂

Ongoing This major exhibition explores the artistic and cultural exchange between Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, during the 1970s.

NASHVILLE OPERA Presents

Every Poster Tells a Story: 140 Years of Hatch Show Print

Amahl and the Night Visitors Dec. 13-15 Season tickets on sale now nashvilleopera.org 505 Deaderick St. ∂

NASHVILLE REPERTORY THEATRE Presents

Through April 2020 This retrospective focuses on pivotal periods in the history of Hatch Show Print, from its founding in 1879 as C.R. & H.H. Hatch, Printers, to its golden age in the 1920s led by Will T. Hatch, to the shop’s continued breadth and scope of work and long-standing dedication to its “preservation through production” mantra, allowing guests to experience and learn about the shop’s 140-year history through a collection of posters, blocks and memorabilia.

Still Rings True: The Enduring Voice of Keith Whitley Through April 2020 Keith Whitley’s short life cast a long shadow, influencing his contemporaries and successors, including fellow Country Music Hall of Fame members.

FRIST ART MUSEUM fristartmuseum.org 919 Broadway

Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists Through Jan. 12 OSMEGOS: In between Through Jan. 5 Eric Carle’s Picture Books: Celebrating 50 Years of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” Through Feb. 23

(

THEATER/OPERA NASHVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE Presents Auntie Claus Nov. 14 through Dec. 29

Secret Soldiers: Civil War Heroines in Disguise Jan. 16- Feb. 3 Evenings and weekends are open to the public. nashvillechildrenstheatre.org 25 Middleton St. ∂

THE THEATER BUG Presents

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East Side C A L E N D A R Tuesday, Dec. 31, 9 p.m. Every Brilliant Thing Nov. 8-10

Tanya Tucker & Friends Sunday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.. Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m.

Patrick Barlow’s A Christmas Carol Nov. 29- Dec. 22

∂

nashvillerep.org 161 Rains Ave.

NASHVILLE SYMPHONY nashvillesymphony.org One Symphony Place

CONCERTS

Johnny Mathis with the Nashville Symphony Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. Rachmaninoff’s The Bells Thursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m.

EXIT/IN

exitin.com 2208 Elliston Place

Tiny Moving Parts Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m. Fruit Bats Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. Wizard Fest Sunday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m. Kendell Marvel’s Honky Tonk Experience Tuesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. Delta Rae Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.

RYMAN AUDITORIUM

SHELBY BOTTOMS NATURE CENTER 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday Noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday and Friday Closed, Sunday and Monday The Nature Center offers a wide range of nature and environmental education programs and has a Nashville B-Cycle station where residents and visitors can rent a bike to explore Nashville’s greenways. 1900 Davidson St., 615.862.8539

EVENTS & CLASSES

ryman.com 116 Fifth Ave. N.

Honey Bee Happy Hour The Doobie Brothers Monday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.

6-7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22 Registration required

Sylvan Esso Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.

Talk Turkey To Me! 2-3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23 Ages 4-10, registration required

Incubus Wednesday, Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m.

First Saturday Bird Friendly Coffee 9 a.m.- 12 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7

The Brian Setzer Orchestra Monday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.

SHOP AROUND SUNDAY

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker Tuesday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Noon to 4 p.m., First Sunday of every month, Shops at Porter East

Old Crow Medicine Show 86

RINC, Y’ALL

Scott-Ellis School of Irish Dance

You’re never too young — or too old — to kick out the Gaelic jams with some Irish Step dancing. No experience, or partner, required. Just enthusiasm, a heart of gold, and ScottEllis School of Irish Dance classes, and you’ll be dancing in the clover in no time. danceast.org

Sundays: DancEast 2-2:30 p.m., Beginner Class; 2-3 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced Soft Shoe Class; 3-4 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced Hard Shoe Class 805 Woodland St., Ste. 314, 615.601.1897

Mondays: Eastwood Christian Church 5-5:30 p.m., Beginner Class; 5-6 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced Class Eastwood Christian Church, Fellowship Hall 1601 Eastland Ave., 615.300.4388 ᚔ

ANSWER ME THIS Trivia Nights

Various Times and Locations East Siders, if you’re one of the sharper tools in the shed (or not), stop by one of these East Side locales to test your wits at trivia. They play a few rounds, with different categories for each question. There might even be some prizes for top-scoring teams. But remember, nobody likes a sore loser.

Monday: Drifters, Southern Grist Tuesday: Edley’s BBQ East, Lipstick Lounge, Tailgate Brewery Wednesday: Nobles Kitchen and Beer Hall, The Mainstay Thursday: 3 Crow Bar, Dose Riverside ᚔ

BRING IT TO THE TABLE

Community Hour at Lockeland Table

4-6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, Lockeland Table

Amy Grant & Vince Gill Multiple Shows December 12 through 23 See website for details.

Robert Earl Keen Sunday, Dec. 29, 7:30 p.m.

tunes, too. 700 Porter Road ᚔ

Sundays at Porter East

The Shops at Porter East open their doors the first Sunday of every month for a special parking lot party. You can expect to enjoy a selection of rotating food trucks (and usually a flower truck), fix-ups from Ranger Stitch, and often some good

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Lockeland Table is cooking up family-friendly afternoons to help you break out of the house or away from that desk for a couple of hours. Throughout the week, they host a community happy hour that includes a special kid-friendly menu. A portion of all proceeds benefits Lockeland Design Center PTO, so you can give back to the neighborhood while meeting up with fellow East Nashvillians. lockelandtable.com 1520 Woodland St., 615.228.4864 ᚔ

TURN ON THE CHEER! w w w.G r af fitiIndoorA d.com November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

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East Side C A L E N D A R

SHOUT! SHIMMY! SHAKE! Motown Mondays

9:30 p.m. to close, Mondays, The 5 Spot For those looking to hit the dance floor on Monday nights, The 5 Spot’s Motown Mondays dance party is the place to be. This shindig, presented by Electric Western, keeps it real with old-school soul, funk, and R&B. Get up and get down and go see why their motto is “Monday is the new Friday.” electricwesternrecords.com 1006 Forrest Ave., 615.650.9333 ᚔ

1:30 p.m., Thursdays; 11 a.m., Fridays, Five Points What better way to indulge in the plethora of East Nashville eateries than a walking tour through the tastiest stops? Walk Eat Nashville tours stroll through East Nashville, kicking off in 5 Points, with six tasting stops over three hours. You will walk about a mile and a half, so you’ll burn some of those calories you’re consuming

in the process. This tour offers the chance to interact with the people and places crafting Nashville’s culinary scene. You even get a little history lesson along the way, learning about landmarks and lore on the East Side. Sign up for your tour online. walkeatnashville.com Corner of South 11th and Woodland Streets 615.587.6138

TELL ME A STORY East Side Storytellin’

7 p.m., first and third Tuesdays, The Post East East Side Story has partnered with WAMB radio to present literary readings, musical performances, and author/musician interviews. Feel free to BYOB. The event is free, but you may want to reserve a spot by calling ahead of time. Check the website for more information. The Post East theposteast.com 1701 Fatherland St., Ste. A, 615.457.2920 East Side Story eastsidestorytn.com 615.915.1808 ᚔ

HOME IS WHERE THE MUSIC IS New Homies Night

5:30-8 p.m., Fourth Tuesday of every month, HOME HOME (Helping Our Music Evolve), is a musical incubator at Center 615. If you’re interested in learning more or becoming a member, Homies Night is where to start. It’s a laid back hang open to all who are interested in learning more. You can meet existing members and get the run down on why they’ve chosen it as their HOME. helpingmusic.org. 615 Main St. Suite G1 ᚔ

BLUEGRASS FED & BRED Bluegrass Wednesdays 8 p.m., Wednesdays, American Legion 82

The bluegrass lineup changes each week, but you can check out their Facebook for the week’s grinners. Admission is free, but tips for the pickers are encouraged. 3202 Gallatin Pike, 615.228.3598 ᚔ

WALK, EAT, REPEAT Walk Eat Nashville

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East Side C A L E N D A R ᚔ

HONESTLY, OFFICER ...

East Nashville Crime Prevention Meeting 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursdays, Noble’s Kitchen & Beer Hall

Join your neighbors and representatives from East Precinct to talk about crime stats, trends, and other community issues. 974 Main St., 629.800.2050 ᚔ

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS HISTORIC EDGEFIELD NEIGHBORS

historicedgefieldneighbors.com Neighborhood Meeting

7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 24, Oct. 29 East Park Community Center 700 Woodland St.

LOCKELAND SPRINGS N.A.

Check website for event updates lockelandsprings.org 1701 Fatherland St.

WAIT FOR THE PUNCHWINE

Punchwine Comedy Hour

8 p.m., third Friday of each month, The Tank Room at Nashville Urban Winery Few things in life are as fine as a good laugh and a tall glass of wine. You can snag both at this stand-up night — a laid-back evening of laughs brought to us by local comedian Connor Larsen. The cost is 10 bucks and each night they’ll have a lineup of four national comedians (with some local jokesters occasionally). Check in online to see who’s on stage each month. 715 Main St., 615.619.0202 ᚔ

A DANCE PARTY WITH STYLE Queer Dance Party

9 p.m. to 3 a.m., third Friday of every month The Basement East The QDP is a mixed bag of fashionably clad attendees (some in costume) dancing till they can’t dance no mo’. Shake your bootie and let your true rainbow colors show. thebasementnashville.com 917 Woodland St., 615.645.9174 ᚔ

PICKIN’ YOUR BRUNCH Bluegrass Brunch

10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays, The Post East Join the folks at The Post East every Saturday for bluegrass and brunch. theposteast.com 1701 Fatherland St., Ste. A, 615.457.2920 ᚔ

ONCE UPON A TIME … Weekly Storytime

10 a.m., Saturdays, The Bookshop On Saturdays, sit down at The Bookshop for a good old-fashioned storytime for young East Side bookworms. Check out the website for updates on special guests. thebookshopnashville.com 1043 W. Eastland Ave., 615.484.5420

Sunday performances offer FAMILY FUN DAYS World Premiere Musical!

Book and Lyrics by Marcy Heisler Music by Zina Goldrich From the book Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera

Buy Your Tickets: 615-252-4675 or NashvilleCT.org

# November | December 2019 theeastnashvillian.com

East Side C A L E N D A R

SHELBY HILLS N.A.

their next meeting and happy hour. Eastwood Christian Church 1601 Eastland Ave.

shelbyhills.org 6:30 p.m., third Monday of every month Shelby Community Center 401 S. 20th St.

EASTWOOD NEIGHBORS

eastwoodneighbors.org Check their socials for updates about

GREENWOOD N.A.

6 p.m., second Tuesday of every month There will be no meeting in December East Precinct 936 E. Trinity Lane

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS N.A.

6 p.m., third Thursday of every month Trinity Community Commons 204 E. Trinity Lane

INGLEWOOD N.A.

inglewood37216.org 7 p.m., first Thursday of every month Isaac Litton Alumni Center 4500 Gallatin Pike

MCFERRIN N.A.

6:30 p.m., first Thursday of every month (Location may vary) McFerrin Park Community Center 301 Berry St.

ROSEBANK NEIGHBORS

6:30 p.m., third Thursday of every month Memorial Lutheran Church 1211 Riverside Drive

HENMA

eastnashville.org Dates and locations vary Historic East Nashville Merchant’s Association (HENMA) is a cooperative formed among East Nashville business owners to promote collaboration with neighborhood associations and city government. Check the association’s website to learn about the organization and where meetings will be held each quarter.

MOMS Club of East Nashville

Monthly business meetings at 10 a.m., first Friday of every month, location varies by group MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) Club is an international organization of mothers with four branches in the East Nashville area. It provides a support network for mothers to connect with other EN mothers. The meetings are open to all mothers in the designated area. Meetings host speakers and cover regular business items (including upcoming service initiatives and activities), and also allow women to discuss the ins and outs, ups and downs of being a mother. Check their website for the MOMS group in your area.

Would you like to have something included in our East Side Calendar? Please let us know — we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at: calendar@theeastnashvillian.com

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E A S T OF N O R M A L Gelukkig Kerstfeest! BY TOMMY WOMACK

hristmas is coming. Hanukkah is coming. Kwanzaa. And the Buddhists just get the day off. With Christmas on a Wednesday this year, it’s likely all the mindfulness practitioners can tinkle their little bells at home and meditate all week. The Hindus? God knows what they’re doing. Still recovering from Diwali and not eating prime rib, probably. The Muslims, as usual, get rooked. Ramadan was in May. The Hajj was in August. The closest you get is Muhammad’s birthday, November 10th, and that’s not a big gift-giving day. That’s 1.8 billion people Santa doesn’t visit. I don’t understand why people are threatened by “Merry Christmas.” Hell, it’s Christmas, isn’t it? Take out Christmas and the whole holiday season Tommy Womack is falls apart. “Happy holidays” a singer-songwriter is so lame. (It’s time for a new and author. His latest surge of insensitivity. This book, dust bunnies: “being nice” thing is a slippery a memoir is available slope.) I suppose we could say, at Grimey’s, Parnassus, “Merry Consumerism!” Or, and tommywomack.com. “Merry Excuse to Drink!” But His new 45-rpm vinyl the “Merry” needs to stay in single and commentary there. of the times, “We’ll Get It reminds me of when I was Through This Too”, is out now on Need to a kid and knew it was Jesus’s Know Records. birthday and all, but what really mattered was that Adventure Team G.I. Joe under the aluminum tree. That agony, the 12-ish longer than long days before you could tear open the packages. That sweet torture. The waiting. The songs. School break. Charlie Brown. Eggnog. Oh yeah, Jesus. There is that. You can take the word out of the greeting but try taking away the presents on Christmas morning. See how far that goes. Churches have midnight masses on Christmas Eve in a desperate attempt to remind people the “reason for the season” and I always go. I like it when the candles get lit and the lights go down. It’s very contemplative and warm and fuzzy. The only problem I have with that is my main problem with going to church at all: that infernal standing up and sitting down thing. Over and over. Stand up! Sit down! I’m sitting! Leave me alone. And you know where you can stick your hymns. I’d rather listen to Gram Parsons, and I fucking HATE Gram Parsons. Christmas is the ceremonial birthday of the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, whose name was neither Jesus nor

Christ, and who never founded a religion. And I’m just getting warmed up. The birth narratives in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew are beautiful tales, and even more so if you grew up with them, but that’s all they are — tales. And each thread of the story is a symbol designed to make a greater point, that Jesus was the Messiah, descended from King David in accordance with prophecy, and born in Bethlehem, again in accordance with prophecy. Surprisingly, neither gospel mentions what time of year Jesus was born in, or a specific year, except to say it was in the time of King Herod, who died — best as can be determined — in 2 BC. Most scholars put Jesus’s birth between 6 and 4 BC, which is amusing because it would appear that according to the modern calendar, Jesus was born 6 to 4 years early. Scholars agree on very little, but there is almost unanimous consensus that a fellow who inspired the modern Christ did exist, and that he was born and raised in the sleepy village of Nazareth. Everybody at the time knew that. But the Gospels had to make the case that Jesus was THE guy, the one who came to save us all, and fulfill all the prophecies. But he died, people said, and the gospel writers said to themselves, yeah, we’ve got to work on that. Give us a minute. Luke, whoever he was, came up with a cockamamie lineage of Moe begat Curly who begat Larry who begat Shemp who begat blah blah blah, WHO BEGAT KING DAVID, voila! Okay, he’s gotta be born in Bethlehem. Hmmm. Okay! How’s this? Caesar ordered everybody to be taxed, and they had to go to their hometown to do it. First of all, the Romans taxed everyone where they lived; we know that. You know why? Because if you made all the peasants pack up a pocketful of gold coins and set out on a trek to their hometown, NOBODY’S GONNA MAKE IT TO WHERE THEY’RE GOING. There’s going to be rich bandits and dead bodies with empty pockets all over Judea. And on top of that, okay, how’s this, let’s put a nine-month’s pregnant lady on a donkey for a three-day trip. It’ll be fun. It’s easy to debunk the Bible. I’m a preacher’s son in my 57th year of recovery. I can do it in my sleep. What’s both easy and hard is Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men. And that’s the reason for the season. Merry Christmas everybody.

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PARTING SHOT

Cionaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Typewriter October 24, 2019

PHOTOGRAPH BY TRAVIS COMMEAU

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100

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