The East Nashvillian 10.3 Jan-Feb 2020

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR: Ross Collier A R T I S T I N P R O F I L E : Patrick Arena

JANUARY | FEBRUARY VOL. X ISSUE 3

Louis York JIM GREGORY makes trees count

WILL HOGE shares the ride

THE WOOD BROTHERS find the secret is in the jam 2019 EAST NASHVILLIANS OF THE YEAR!

SHARES THEIR VISION

2

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

3

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION:

GET A NEW, OLD LOOK

NE W LOC AT ION : 1307 DIC KE RSON P I KE N ASH VIL L E TN 37 2 07 615 .4 5 4 .3 817 | G OODWOODN ASH VIL L E . C OM | s a les @go o d wo o d na s hvi l l e . com

walls and flooring by Good Wood Nashville 4

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

500 COWAN STREET • NASHVILLE, TN 37207 LOCATED AT TOPGOLF

theeastnashvillian.com

UPCOMING EVENTS 1/7

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime

Founder & Publisher Lisa McCauley

1/17

Brooklyn Charmers: The Music of Steely Dan

Editor-in-Chief

1/24

editor@theeastnashvillian.com Managing Editor

The Cold Stares with The Wans

1/26

Sleeping With Sirens: The Medicine Tour with Set It Off, Belmont, Point North

1/28

Steve Harris’ British Lion with The Picturebooks

1/29

Atmosphere: The Wherever Tour - North America with The Lioness, Nikki Jean, DJ Keezy

Chuck Allen Randy Fox

randy@theeastnashvillian.com Copy Editor

Leslie LaChance

Calendar Editor

Emma Alford

calendar@theeastnashvillian.com Contributing Writers

James Haggerty, Joelle Herr, Brittney McKenna, Lauren Turner, Tommy Womack

2/5

The Wailers

Creative Director

2/16

Marc E. Bassy: PMD TOUR with gianni & kyle

Layout & Design

2/23

Subtronics with HE$H, Chee, Level Up, Grave Dancer

2/25

Lightning 100 Presents: Soul Asylum with Local H Dead Letter Tour

2/27

The Wonder Years with Free Throw, Spanish Love Songs, Pool Kids

2/28

Elizabeth Cook & Gravy with Special Guest Cory Branan

3/8

Fit For A King with Chelsea Grin, Crystal Lake, Alpha Wolf

3/9

Olivia O’Brien

Chuck Allen

Benjamin Rumble Photo Editing

Travis Commeau Illustrations

Benjamin Rumble, Dean Tomasek Contributing Photographers

Travis Commeau, Chad Crawford, Scot Sax, Michael Weintrob Social Media Manager

Liz Foster

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

Coral Sherwood Ad Design

Benjamin Rumble

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.

BUY TICKETS AT THECOWAN.COM

©2020 Kitchen Table Media P.O. Box 60157, Nashville, TN 37206

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

5

6

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

COVER STORY AMERICAN BOLD 38 Louis York shares their vision

By Brittney McKenna

EAST NASHVILLIANS OF THE YEAR

33 INTRO | PAST WINNERS MARILYN GREER 34 Citizen Award

FEATURES

The Editors

RIDING THE LIGHTNING 50 Will Hoge shares the ride

By Leslie LaChance

By Randy Fox

A KINGDOM OF FUN 56 The Wood Brothers find the

MANUEL DELGADO 36 Business Award

secret is in the jam

By Randy Fox

By Randy Fox

SHADE & 66 THROWING GROWING ROOTS

Jim Gregory makes trees count

By Leslie LaChance

CONTINUED ON 8

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

7

ON THE COVER

COMMENTARY

10 EDITOR’S LETTER 20 ASTUTE OBSERVATIONS 89 EAST OF NORMAL

By Chuck Allen

By James “Hags” Haggerty

By Tommy Womack

LOUIS YORK

Photograph by Travis Commeau

IN THE KNOW

23

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR Ross Collier

By Lauren Turner

ARTIST IN PROFILE 24 Partick Arena

By Tommy Womack

EAST SIDE BUZZ

13 MATTERS OF DEVELOPMENT MOVE FOR PSC 17 NOHISTORIC NASHVILLE ANNOUNCES 2019 NASHVILLE NINE

HOUSING IN PERIL FROM 18 AFFORDABLE BARNES FUND CUTS

POVERTY AWARENESS MONTH RETURNS TO NASHVILLE

PARTING SHOT

BOOKISH 69 Not Many People Can Do It For A Living

By Joelle Herr

73 EAST SIDE CALENDAR

By Emma Alford

90 THE SUN SETS ON 2019 Photograph by Chuck Allen

8

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

Be Creative.

Be Diverse.

Be Innovative.

Be Nonstop.

Be Nashville. flynashville.com

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

9

Editor’s

L E T T E R

Respectfully Yours

T

here’s no doubt 2020 will be, at the very least, interesting. With a presidential election looming, we can be sure of near-constant bombardment about it from every major media outlet. Our social media feeds will add to the noise ad nauseum. The editorial staff didn’t approach this, our first issue of the year, with a mind to jump into the fray.

Rather, we approached our content the way we always do, which is: shining a light on the folks who make an effort to rise above the negativity and make a positive contribution to our community and, therefore, society.

Rest assured everyone featured herein wrestles with the existential unease gripping the land, but they all chose to rise above it by finding a way to help others. Whether it’s through their music or planting trees or taking music into schools or providing a green alternative to ridesharing or mentoring young, at-risk women or working with the immigrant community, they’ve each found a way.

This edition closes with Tommy Womack’s “East of Normal” screed about the debilitating influence farright talk radio has had on civic discourse. I must admit, I was hesitant about it when I gave it an initial read through. But as the book took shape,

10

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

my feelings about it changed. The reason being, not only is he correct, but in a larger context he makes an important point: talk radio, and for that matter all of the mainstream media’s offerings of “opinion journalism,” only goes one way. It isn’t civil discourse amongst the body politic. It relies on the notion that listeners/viewers will feel empowered because they think they’re informed.

The problem is, being informed isn’t a substitution for actually talking to one another.

The key component to respectful conversations is listening. Listening to someone’s concerns and, hopefully, gaining insight to what they’re afraid of. This can’t happen by watching the news or reading an article. But it can happen by talking to your friends, family, and neighbors. Of all the things our media-soaked world has stolen from us, the ability to talk to folks who hold opinions different from our own is the most egregious. I’m definitely guilty.

With that in mind we decided to run a special “Know Your Neighbor” series throughout the year, and we intend to have individuals who represent all walks of life and political leanings. And we will do so without judgement. Perhaps in doing so we can provoke conversation.

Respectful conversation.

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

11

12

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

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

Matters of Development NEW & NOTEWORTHY After years of East Sider complaints about the limited grocery options in East Nashville and rumors of possible openings, new options and expansions are arriving. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Nov. 12, 2019 for the Hill Center Greenwood at the corner of Gallatin and Greenwood Avenues. The new 72,830-square-foot mixeduse development will be home to a Publix grocery store, Starbucks coffee shop, Chase Bank branch, and 14 new townhomes. The business and residential space is expected to open in spring 2021. The next day, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Eastland Kroger at 711 Gallatin Ave. following an

approximately 10,000-square-foot expansion.

Vegan eatery, The Wild Cow, completed its previously reported move in early December and now open at its new location at 1100 Fatherland St. in the Fatherland District.

The new iteration of Wild Cow features a heated patio, a full bar, draft beer, and much more natural light in a larger dining area. For more updates visit them online at thewildcow.com.

The newly renovated Lakeside Lounge at 921 Woodland St. is open for business.

Owners Michael McIlroy, Sam Ross, and Brandon Bramhall have worked hard to retain the neighborhood appeal of the former Edgefield Grill with a “lite” renovation while adding a few new features and updates. For more, follow Lakeside Lounge on Instagram @lakesideloungebna.

A belated welcome to the neighborhood for Safe House Tattoo, now operating in Inglewood at 4303 Gallatin Rd. Ste. 102, on the first floor of the Volta building.

Previously located in Marathon Village, Safe House owner Ian White says the move to the East Side was long overdue. “We always wanted to move to the East Side. Timing met opportunity and we jumped on buying this space. We had been in a place with a lot of tourists before. We wanted to focus more on Nashvillians as clients, and Inglewood was our first choice. Seven of our eight artists live in Inglewood, and we love it here.” For more info visit safehousetattoo.com.

The Treehouse restaurant, 1011 Clearview Ave., officially announced the arrival of their new Executive Chef, Chris Gianino, just before Christmas. Coming off a successful run

local eyecare. independent eyewear.

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

13

East Side B U Z Z at local, James Beard award winner Husk in Nashville, Chef Gianino was formerly with the Zagat Top 10-rated restaurant Northern Bell in Brooklyn, New York.

Along with a new chef, the Treehouse has revamped their happy hour with a selection of carefully crafted cocktails and new culinary options. Chef Gianino plans to continue the

14

Treehouse tradition of a community-driven menu by partnering with local farms and suppliers. The addition of Chef Gianino to the Treehouse staff is one of several recent tweaks that new owner Kelly Black has made since he purchased the popular East Side restaurant in October. For further updates visit them online at treehousenashville.com.

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

CLOSINGS & MOVES East Side barbecue and smoked cabbage lovers are saddened by the recent closure of G’z Barbecue and Catering’s walk-in location on Gallatin Avenue. The closure was announced in a Nov. 21 Facebook post.

“It is with deep regret that G’z Barbecue and Catering is closing the doors. We are still available for catering so please feel free to place your order. We want to thank everyone for their support and we look forward to the future and we will see you again. Thank you all so much.”

Opening in 2013, G’z owner and barbecue master Chris Galloway attending to his smoker quickly became a frequent and reassuring sight at 925 Gallatin Ave. In addition to barbecue staples like beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken, Galloway specialized in unusual and unique specialty items — smoked meatloaf; smoked, deep-fried, Cajun-spiced chicken wings; Shoulder Mac — macaroni and cheese made with six cheeses and layered with pulled pork; and his renowned smoked cabbage.

Updates concerning G’z future projects will be posted to Facebook @GzsBarbecueAndCatering.

Catering orders can be placed by calling 615.953.6385.

Five Points fav Tenn16 (1016 Woodland St.) also closed in November. Employees were notified of the closure via text on the morning of Nov. 11 and an official notice was posted to Tenn16’s Facebook page that afternoon. Few details were given, “The owners have decided to shift their focus to other business opportunities so we are closing the doors for good and everyone will move on to exciting new adventures. We are very grateful to all our wonderful employees and to you, our amazing customers.

We will miss you. Until we meet again, be well and take care of each other.” Tenn16 opened in 2013 and quickly became a neighborhood favorite for their Cajun-influenced menu.

The popular East Side coffee shop The Post East at 1701 Fatherland St. closed their doors on Nov. 17. The space will be taken over by local coffee shop chain The Frothy Monkey in the near future. For more information and updates, check out The Post’s Instagram @theposteast.

Another coffee lover’s loss came with the closure of the East Nashville location of Stay Golden coffee shop. Located at 901 Woodland St., Stay Golden opened their East Nashville location less than a year ago. The owners announced the closure on their website, “It is with a heavy heart that we finalize our chapter at the Stay Golden East location. It has been an incredible opportunity to be a part of one of the most vibrant communities in Nashville!” The original Berry Hill location, at

East Side B U Z Z 2934 Sidco Drive, is still open. For more info visit stay-golden.com.

After facing large rent increases at their original 1603 Riverside Drive location, The Catio — Cat Café has found a new home at 2416 Music Valley Drive, Ste 114. More info at Facebook @CatioNashville.

Popular eatery, Pepperfire Hot Chicken, closed their East Side location at 1000 Gallatin Ave. in December in preparation for their relocation to Marathon Village. The new Pepperfire is set to open at 1400 Jo Johnston Ave. in March and will feature 1,500 square feet of dining area. Visit pepperfirehotchicken. com for more info.

Phase 1 of the project. Located at 818-828 Cherokee Ave., the development will eventually feature 50 units spread throughout 11 buildings.

A new, four-story residential building is in the works for 1009 Dickerson Pike. The planned Vue Townhomes will include 27 parking spaces located behind the building,

but no announcement has been made to date on the exact number of residences.

The New Destiny Christian Fellowship church property at 3808 and 3810 Gallatin Pike recently sold for approximately $2 million. At this time, no plans have been announced for the future use of the property.

—Randy Fox

COMING SOON Celebrity chef and restaurateur Sean Brock’s new, McFerrin Park restaurants are not open yet, but he’s already planning another new endeavor eater.com reports.

Joyland will be located at 901 Woodland St. in the former home of Stay Golden. The focus of the new eatery has not been announced yet, but Brock says he hopes to open it before his two McFerrin Park restaurants at 809 Meridian St. 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. 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. Shortly after the sale it was announced that a fitness company, 7-Minute Fitness will occupy the other half of the building.

A new coffee shop, Heart’s Coffee, is planned for the former service station/auto shop at 914 Gallatin Ave. No opening date has been announced for the 1,340-square-foot space.

Local real estate investor Tyler Cauble recently acquired a managing stake in an East Nashville office building located at 3250 Dickerson Pike scheduled for extensive renovation. The 27,800 square foot building will be renamed “Elwood” and marketed as Class B office space once the updates are finished.

In November it was announced that four retail spaces in the currently-under-construction Douglas Market Lofts at 333 Douglas Ave. were available for leasing. The mixed-use Douglas Market Lofts will feature four retail spaces and 16 residences, and is expected to be completed this January.

A new residential project, Lyric at Cleveland Park, is underway with a completion date of October 2020 planned for

INSPIRED JAPANESE & SAKE BAR

215 1ST AVENUE SOUTH | 615.205.5400 THEGREENPHEASANT.COM

1900 Eastland Ave, #105 615/454-2731 twotenjack.com

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

15

16

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

East Side B U Z Z No Move for PSC An incentive deal to relocate PSC Metals from the East Side proposed by the administration of former Mayor David Briley was recently terminated by new Mayor John Cooper’s administration. PSC Metals (once known as Steiner-Liff Iron & Metal Company) has occupied the 45-acre site on the east bank of the Cumberland River, just south of Shelby Avenue, for several decades. With the explosion of East Side development over the past several years, real estate developers having been eagerly eyeing the site as place for potential growth.

In 2017, it was reported that former Mayor Megan Barry’s administration was attempting to negotiate a relocation package with PSC Metals. A recent report in Nashville Business Journal says that the Briley administration had proposed incentives to assist PSC with relocation expenses and would allow the company to retain ownership and redevelop its current home.

That plan now appears off the table. According to Nashville Business Journal, current Mayor, John Cooper, recently said in statement, “We are not in an era where writing large checks without community input is the path forward.”

Cooper’s statement noted that a deal to relocate PSC is still a possibility but, “Our financial environment has changed and we’re faced with tough choices. We must hold ourselves to higher standards in terms of the deals we make.”

—Randy Fox

Historic Nashville Announces 2019 Nashville Nine Historic Nashville, Inc. announced its 2019 Nashville Nine in November. Chosen each year from nominations by community members, the Nashville Nine is a list of historic Nashville properties and neighborhoods most threatened by development, neglect, or demolition and serve as the focus of Historic Nashville’s advocacy and outreach for the coming year.

Although the list includes properties from throughout Metro Nashville, of particular interest to East Siders are the Home for Aged Masons and Masonic School buildings at R.S. Gass Boulevard and Hart Lane and the postwar mid-century and minimal traditional housing that comprises a large portion of East Nashville and Inglewood neighborhoods.

The home for Aged Masons and Masonic School buildings were built between 1913 and 1915 and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Owned by the State of

Tennessee since the 1940s, the property has been vacant since the 1990s. The Metro Historical Commission and a group of Metro council members and state representatives have prevented demolition of the buildings on several occasions, but there are currently no plans for renovation or adaptive reuse, a situation Historic Nashville hopes to change.

Nashville’s many neighborhoods of postWorld War II suburbs, especially mid-century and minimal traditional housing, may not be considered “historic” by some, but are significant to Nashville’s history and provide a vital source of affordable housing. Such housing is currently under threat by developers seeking to demolish older homes and replace

Make Your Summer Plans REGISTER TODAY

Academics, Arts, and Athletics for Girls Explore diverse summer programs and exciting new additions to the camp catalog this year!

HarpethHall.org

3801 Hobbs Road Nashville, TN 37215 615-297-9543

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

17

East Side B U Z Z them with “tall skinnies.” Historic Nashville seeks to raise awareness of these neighborhoods along with encouraging more historic neighborhood designations.

The complete Nashville Nine list can be reviewed on Historic Nashville’s Facebook page @historicnashvilleinc. For more information on Historic Nashville, visit their website, historicnashvilleinc.org.

—Randy Fox

decision has raised alarms from several homeless advocacy groups who have vowed to fight the reduction.

On Dec. 5 the Mayor’s office announced the recipients of the $5 million in grants adding that with potential budget savings and efficiencies Metro will hopefully be able to back an additional round of grants in the spring of 2020.

—Randy Fox

Affordable Housing in Peril from Barnes Fund Cuts

Poverty Awareness Month Returns to Nashville

One of Nashville biggest challenges, affordable housing, may be in greater peril due to announced cuts to the city’s Barnes Fund.

Established in 2013, the Barnes Fund makes competitive grants to nonprofit housing developers to increase affordable housing options for Nashvillians. Previously funded for $9.5 annually, Mayor John Cooper announced he’s cutting the grants to just $5 million for the current fiscal year.

The cuts came in response to orders from the State Comptroller to balance Metro’s budget immediately. While the mayor said the cuts were required to avoid employee lay-offs, the

The month of January is also the start of the Martha O’Bryan Center’s Poverty Awareness Month campaign. Each year the anti-poverty non-profit Martha O’Bryan Center recruits local Nashville businesses as allies to raise awareness, collect supplies, and donate funds throughout January to combat and defeat poverty in our city. Launched in January 2017 with the help of 10 East Nashville businesses, the annual campaign has now grown to include 34 businesses from across Nashville.

“Poverty Awareness Month provides a great opportunity for our neighbors to be de-

liberate with their consumer dollars,” Peter Martino, Chief Development Officer at Martha O’Bryan Center says. “It is also a chance to consider both the reality of poverty in our city and the real solutions we have for defeating poverty in our neighborhoods.”

Participating businesses will also coordinate with Martha O’Bryan Center throughout the month to share poverty facts and solutions relevant to our local community through their social media accounts. These will include the many ways neighbors can volunteer their time in the Center’s family services. A number of businesses will also host supply drives throughout the month to help Martha O’Bryan Center stock its food banks and neighbor welcome baskets with supplemental food and family hygiene items.

Jessica Maloan, co-owner of Gift Horse gift shop in the Shoppes on Fatherland is a firsttime participant. “An important part of being a small business in East Nashville means supporting all members of our community,” Maloan says. “We are so excited to partner with Martha O’Bryan Center to give back to our neighbors.” Gift Horse donated 20 percent of their proceeds from Jan. 4 and are participating in the supply drive throughout the month.

Other Nashville businesses donating a portion of their revenue to Martha O’Bryan Center on specific days in January include: Chopper, Dino’s, Farm Burger, Five Points Pizza (East Nashville location), Galena Garlic Co., Green Hills Grille, Hot Yoga of East Nashville, I Dream of Weenie, Italia Pizza & Pasta, Kendra Scott, Mitchell Delicatessen, Mutts & Meows, Rudie’s Seafood & Sausage, Sunday Night Soul at The 5 Spot, Sweet Tea Candle Co., The Bookshop, Two Ten Jack, and Wild Cow. In addition, Asphalt Beach, Babo, Center 615, Duke’s, East Nasty Run Club, East Park Donuts & Coffee, The Groove, Look East, nancybgoods, Nashville Sweets, Nashville Urban Winery, Smith & Lentz, Studio 615, Vinyl Tap, and Walden are hosting supply drives with their customers and staffs.

A calendar of specific participation dates for each business is available at: marthaobryan. org/news/povertyawarenessmonth.

For more information about Poverty Awareness Month, contact Caitlin Reed at Martha O’Bryan Center: creed@marthaobryan.org.

Have any Matters of Development or East Side news you'd like us to consider?

Send us an email: randy@theeastnashvillian.com

18

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

NOW LOCATED OFF DICKERSON PIKE (North Nashville skyline area - formerly Oak Valley Lanes bowling alley )

• B/W Copies • Color Copies • Plastic Laminating • Large Format • Foamcore Mounting

• Embossing • Custom Diecutting • Spot Color PMS • Edge Painting • Raised Printing

Digital | Offset | Letterpress | Bindery | Specialty Finishing We are known in the Nashville business, music and healthcare communities as a consistent and reliable printing company. Visit our website, give us a call or stop by with your next project today!

www.midtownprinting.com

111 Oak Valley Drive | Nashville, TN | 615.327.1758 January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

19

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

Bittersweet Reflection B Y J A M E S “ H A G S ” H A G G E R T Y

“A

wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work …

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; … I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

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

20

Illustration by

I’m sure by now you have all had your fill of Bing and Nat, Fiedler and Ferrante. Perhaps you’ve grown tired of the tinsel and the blinking lights. The turkeys turned to stock, the decorations boxed, the resolutions so solemnly sworn now swiftly forgotten. I can dig it. What is there to look forward to? St. Valentine’s Day? Are you kidding me?! That holiday is bogus! But Christmas, that’s a holiday I can get behind. If you are of the Christian persuasion, the significance is obvious and life changing. I’ll leave that discussion to the preachers and the scholars. Twelve years of Catholic schools aside, I’m not qualified.

For others it’s a mad frenzy to spend, spend, spend, an exhausting sprint culminating in an orgiastic display of crumpled paper and ribbon. The toys get tossed in a forgotten heap; the kids make forts from the expensive boxes and the top shelf hooch glugs generously and surreptitiously into the eggnog. (I feel it prudent to mention that this edition of “Astute Observations” is for discussion and entertainment, not judgment).

The holidays are a busy time for me. As a member of The Ornaments, I get to pay tribute to one of my all-time favorite albums, Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas in several performances with some of my nearest and dearest friends, all of whom also happen to be amazing musicians, which is a nice bonus. It is a challenge and a thrill ride and I love it. As we all know, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear! I also like

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

to give away my sourdough creations as gifts. Why bring fermented grapes when you can bring fermented dough?

My carbs won’t give you a hangover.

I am writing this edition’s column from the cozy confines of my Inglewood cottage in the waning hours of December 25th. I’ve been ruminating on a topic for some time now, struggling with it in fact. What’s the word I’m looking for?

Gratitude. That’s how I feel. I feel grateful. I am reflective.

Gratitude is a tricky thing. In order to know it, one has to know its opposite. Is that sadness or regret? Is it anger or bitterness? Is it grief ? Maybe it is a combination of these things and maybe we all have our own version. In any case, the opposite of gratitude is a bummer.

Christmas has long been my favorite time of year. The time when folks get a little kinder, a bit lighter, some might say jollier. As a kid it was a respite from the drudgery of school. It was sleigh riding in the woods with my pals. It was being excited to see what presents might be under the tree. It was sugar and spice and everything nice. It was joyful and mysterious all at once, a bit of winter magic and snowy wonder.

As a man firmly ensconced in his forties, Christmas still holds that magic for me, but it’s not all sugar and spice. It holds a more complex flavor, something bittersweet with a tinge of longing. It is a time when I remember loved ones, some of whom are now gone, and I feel grateful for the love and the lessons they shared.

Looking back over the last year, which started with a New Year’s Eve gig in Venice, Italy with The Original Blues Brothers Band and culminated with the music of Vince Guaraldi, here in Nashville, I feel truly grateful. I am grateful for the experiences, the fellowship, the moments of musical wonder, the scenic beauty, swimming and/or sticking my feet in a few different oceans, the amazing meals, the hilarious and the corny jokes. I am grateful for the sweet kiss of romance and I am grateful for you East Nashville.

I am grateful for home. Happy New Year, neighbors!

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

21

22

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

A L L P O L I T I C S I S L O C A L In this very important election year The East Nashvillian turns an eye to our neighbors and their concerns, opinions, and activism. Watch this space for future profiles from across the political spectrum.

KNOW your NEIGHBOR

Ross

COLLIER B Y

L A U R E N

T U R N E R

“T

P HOTO GR AP H BY C HU CK AL LE N

here are plenty of things that don’t bother us as much as they should, but we just need to have them drawn to our lives so that we can understand them.”

— Ross Collier Going on his ninth year living in Nashville, Ross Collier still feels he has more to learn about his community. The audio engineer, musician, and owner of Nashville Omnichord Supply Co. sat down at Portland Brew East recently, where he’s been known to sling a local musician an Omnichord or two. But today he’s discussing his other work, as a volunteer with the Nashville Welcoming Committee — a community organization which greets and provides support for people passing through from border detention facilities on their way through the country.

“Regardless of where you’re coming from or what language you’re speaking, the way the immigration system treats people is mucked up, big time,” Collier says.

“So [NWC is] a very small work but it’s welcoming people because they’re in America, and we believe that says something about how they ought to be received and what they’re due as human beings.”

Collier’s experiences with these families and travelers are inherent to his sense of civic duty. People from Latin America leave border detention facilities with no food, no warm clothing, and no way of contacting their families they’re going to meet. Even though they’re often just passing through on their way to another city, he believes the opportunity to provide translation or a meal is a way to affirm our shared humanity, and it connects to realities in Nashville.

“We share a state and a community with CoreCivic, one of the biggest private prisons that makes millions of dollars [through] contracts with ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” Collier says. “If you have something that’s important to you, I can guarantee you that there’s a way to connect it with people in your community in one way or another.”

Upon graduating from Belmont University in 2015, Collier began teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) through local nonprofit Conexión Américas.

He saw it as a way to put down roots in Nashville as

well as practice his Spanish. Around the same time, he was drawn to Edgehill United Methodist Church and began attending regularly, inspired by the congregation’s historic commitment to social justice as a profession of faith. The two experiences opened a window to local organizations like Worker’s Dignity and Nashville Organized for Action and Hope, and he began to engage politically in a way that he hadn’t before. “I voted in 2012, but I don’t even remember who for,” he says. Seven years later, Collier can’t help but be passionate about issues that connect his neighborhood to the national.

“It can feel too big to be real,” Collier says. “The more small-scale stuff you get into, there are more ways where it’s not just like, ‘Oh, immigration!’ It’s not this abstract painting of some person coming to take your job. It’s like, ‘no, this person was in my ESL class and they have a kid my age and we live in the same neighborhood.’ These aren’t things that are so far away. There are people that are waiting in our community for family members to come over, there are ICE raids happening here — there’s a lot of fear.”

He clearly articulates a common feeling within the millennial generation: When you feel isolated from the mechanisms behind the intersection of issues in the broader landscape of society, it’s easy to become jaded; but when you or someone you care about is impacted by a policy, you are more likely to show up to the polls. Through this lens, Collier offers advice to those who contact their elected officials about a large issue: Show how it hits close to home.

“Instead of writing that we saw something that happened at the border on CNN and we’re upset, we can organize and say, ‘We’re a group of voters, and we will vote for a different candidate if you don’t do something, because there’s someone in our community whose family member was detained illegally at the border, and you came out publicly and said that was okay.’”

For Collier, playing Omnichord in local band Styrofoam Winos on a week night in East Nashville is just as important as audio engineering for a network television show.

Similarly, voting for mayor is as essential as voting for president. It’s the commitment to community that provides the antidote for apathy and proves the adage “All politics is local.”

For more information about the Nashville Welcoming Committee visit welcomingtn.squarespace.com January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

23

ARTIST

I N

P R O F I L E

Patrick

Arena Painting The Light Fantastic B y To m m y W o m a c k

L

ocal painting champ Patrick Arena has gone a circuitous route to wind his way from his native Syracuse, New York, to Nashville. And, as accomplished as he is wielding acrylic magic, he started a bit late.

“I drew pictures from the earliest age I could hold a pencil, but I got into painting first in community college in Syracuse, and then I spent a very brief time in Boston at the Museum School of Fine Arts, but my financial aid package didn’t come together, so about halfway through the first semester they pulled my support and I couldn’t afford such a school on my own,” says Arena, recalling the portrait of the artist as a young man. “So, I dropped out and was a bank teller for a year, then moved back to upstate New York, and I spent a little stint in New York City driving a truck more than I painted anything.

So, my formal education is really very limited. Either self-taught or mentoring with other artists and trying to observe and mimic.” → 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

24

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

25

ARTIST I N

26

P R O F I L E

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

ARTIST I N

P R O F I L E

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

27

ARTIST I N

28

P R O F I L E

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

ARTIST I N

P R O F I L E

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

29

EAT LOCAL BBQ

A great new location for a great haircut.

THE GAMBLING STICK BARBECUE & CATERING

Douglas Ave

McKennie A ve

Gal latin Ave

Orange Theory

Check us out FOR our DAILY SPECIALS!

@TheGamblingStick

TheGamblingStick

Get your fix Wednesday THRU SATURDAY 11-8 501 Gallatin Ave East Nashville 37206 615.521.9742 www.thegamblingstick.com

30

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

6

$

East Nashville 1214 Gallatin Ave • (Next to Orange Theory) 615-750-2937 M-F 8-8 • Sat 9-6 • Sun 10-6

Any Haircut

99

greatclips.com | greatclipscareers.com | greatclipsfranchise.com

Not valid with any other offers. Limit one coupon per customer. Valid at East Nashville.

Offer Expires: 1/31/20

Find us at

ARTIST I N

He downplays himself with that word, ‘mimic’. Whether he copied other artists in his learning years or not, he’s long since found his own voice. Or several voices, some more unusual than others. Arena uncannily captures the look and colors of sunlight shining on the white side of a house and casting complimentary blue shadows, getting that knack of capturing the look of a sunny day by what objects are touched by sunlight. “The impressionists really broke down light. It was revolutionary at the time. The old masters could paint accurately, but the impressionists did it in a way that really captures the essence of light,” he explains.

Then there is the odd portrait of an axe-wielding kitty cat or a dog wearing a threepiece suit (better still is the canine Princess Leia), and in other respects employing realism in a rendering that one would take for photography on first glimpse. Throw in curve balls like his menu banner at Mitchell Deli, or the Nashville Scene box in front of Gabby’s painted to look like a cat with an outstretched mouth surrounding the flap you pull down on to get the paper out.

As inferred by his stints as a bank teller and a truck driver, Arena’s more than cognizant that an artist has to earn a living during the day unless he or she wants to wind up like Van Gogh, smelly and living in a shed. “I have a day job,” he says, “I work for Metro, because everyone’s got to have health insurance, but I’ve had various stints doing freelance, and I’ve done a lot of photo retouching and Photoshop work. This week has been nuts for me, (that week being smack in the middle of the holiday season at the time of this writing) because even though I have a day job I still do a lot of commission work, especially during the holidays.

I was delivering commissioned paintings up until 9 p.m. Christmas Eve.” A genial chap in his forties, Arena’s travels took him from the aforementioned East Coast enclaves to Quincy, Illinois, and Kansas City, before he settled in East Nashville some years back. While in the Midwest, he developed an appreciation for the “regionalists.” “The ringleader for those guys was Thomas Hart Benton. I always really liked him. He had a lot of influence in Missouri, because he was from Missouri and had a studio in Kansas city, and his father was a senator from that area. But the guy I really liked from the regionalists a lot, who kind of gets overlooked, because his most famous painting [‘American Gothic’] gets satirized a lot, is Grant Wood. He was a really great landscape painter. I enjoy his sort of sense of whimsy, and his sense of light. ‘American Gothic’ is actually one of his lesser works.”

Arena has certainly given back to the community. His résumé is rife with supervisory positions. He’s been the director of

the Nashville Drawing Group, the Nashville branch of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, and United Nashville.

“Your goals as an artist at my age are a lot different than they are in your ’20s. When you’re young like that, you want to be famous, or at least recognized, all this other crap. But then you come to appreciate craft and experience. It changes your perspective. I enjoy

P R O F I L E

talking to young artists because they bring a lot of vitality to the conversation, but talking to someone who’s got a couple more decades experience has a little more nuance. It’s nice to have that perspective, and talk to someone who understands where you’re coming from.”

You can check out more of Patrick’s work at: patrickarenaart.myportfolio.com

HELPING YOUTH

SUCCEED

MARGARET MADDOX FAMILY YMCA LITERACY PROGRAM Our Y-Literacy program helps struggling readers in grades K-4 gain confidence by increasing their reading comprehension and literacy skills with free one-on-one tutoring. Y-Literacy serves hundreds of children in the Nashville area.

For more information on participating in or volunteering with Y-Literacy, contact us at 615-228-5525 or visit us at 2624 Gallatin Road Nashville, TN 37216

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

31

32

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

PA S T W I N N E R S

EAST NASHVILLIANS OF THE YEAR! 2019 2008 BUSINESS: Meg & Bret MacFadyen, Art and Invention Gallery CITIZEN: Bob Acuff 2009 BUSINESS: Dan Heller, Riverside Village CITIZEN: Carol Norton 2010 BUSINESS: Alan Murdock, ArtHouse Gardens CITIZEN: Catherine McTamaney

2011 BUSINESS: The Green Wagon CITIZEN: Eric Jans 2012 BUSINESS: The East Nashvillian CITIZEN: Elizabeth Chauncey 2013 BUSINESS: March Egerton, Developer (Walden) CITIZEN: Carol Williams

2014 BUSINESS: Powell Architecture + Building Studio CITIZEN: Brett Withers 2015 BUSINESS: Matt Charette, Restaurateur CITIZEN: Darrell Downs, Kelly Perry

2017 BUSINESS: The 5 Spot CITIZEN: Stacie Huckeba 2018 BUSINESS: Lockeland Table CITIZEN: Anthony Davis

2016 BUSINESS: The Basement East CITIZEN: Bonnie Bogen

The start of a new year means of the announcement of the East Nashvillians of the Year!

Awarded by the Historic East Nashville Merchants Association (HENMA) from nominations submitted by the general public, and selected by HENMA members in a secret ballot, these annual awards honor those individuals and businesses, or business owners, who exemplify the true spirit of a being a good neighbor — those who actively seek to make East Nashville a better place.

And the Winners for 2019 are: Marilyn Greer for the Citizens Award Manuel Delgado for the Business Award We’d like to offer our congratulations to the winners and wish them all the best in the coming year!

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

33

E N

2019

O T Y

34

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

M A R I LY N G R E E R Citizen:

T

alking with Marilyn Greer in her Cayce Place apartment reveals she’s charming, friendly, and welcoming, but there is also a no-nonsense intensity underlying her passion for her community.

“My heart is all about giving back,” she says.

“Everyone knows if they got a problem, they can come to me, whether it’s about housing, personal problems, or if their daughter is in trouble.”

As vice president of the Cayce Place Residents Association for the past three years, she’s not only helping her neighbors address problems.

She’s a proactive, positive force for change in her community. She’s worked closely with area schools, organized the annual community Easter egg hunts and coat drives, founded the youth group Positive Attitude, providing mentoring relationships for teens and young women to develop positive self-esteem and life skills, and served on the board of the Envision Cayce neighborhood revitalization project — as well as recently joining the board of the anti-poverty non-profit Martha O’Bryan Center.

Greer was not always the person to whom neighbors brought their problems; in fact she was in desperate need of help and understanding herself. A Nashville native and the youngest of three siblings, she grew up in a church-going, middle-class family.

“I was the baby of the family and was spoiled,” she says. “I was young and didn’t want to listen. I got involved in abusive relationships and turned to drugs. For 25 years I was homeless and destitute. I had seven children but lost custody of them. My family raised them because I lost all of my self-respect. I would go to rehab over the years, but it never took because I didn’t want to change.”

Greer finally found the desire to change a little over 12 years ago, thanks in part to the love of one of her daughters. “She found me living on the street and asked me to live with her,” Greer says. “Because of the love she had for me, I started enjoying life again — sleeping in a bed, having a bath every day, having food on the table. I found a church and asked God to take

the desire for the crack cocaine away from me.

I have been delivered ever since, but don’t get me wrong, it was still a struggle.”

With her life improving, Greer found a desire to give back. In addition to work at her church, she became a volunteer at the Martha O’Bryan Center, throwing herself into volunteer work with the organization’s parenting and afterschool programs, among others.

“They embraced me and I started working in all these different programs because I knew I needed the positive in my life to stay clean,” Greer says. “I had to find me a new ‘feelgood,’ and that’s what they gave me.”

Beyond her volunteer work, she also began searching in her community for ways she could make a difference. “There were no holiday activities for the community,” Greer says. “I decided I wanted to do an Easter egg hunt for the children. I just started asking people to help. We did the first one in 2015 and with each year it got bigger and bigger. My church and Martha O’Bryan Center pitched in the next year and it has turned into a yearly community cook out.”

Greer’s greatest passion is her mentoring group, Positive Attitude, which began to take shape after one of her daughters went to jail and Greer found herself caring for her five grand-children. “I started Positive Attitude because I did not want the young ladies of my community to get caught up in the streets, doing drugs, catching diseases, or just being angry and not having anybody in their life. We have seminars on healthy teen dating, what ‘no’ means, setting goals for life, surrounding yourself with people who want the same things that you do, and learning how to ignore negativity.”

Through all of her community work and activism, Greer’s powerful sense of hope and positivity shines the brightest. “You have to give yourself a chance,” she says. “You cannot just sit back because you feel like things are against you and not try. I’m here because I made a choice and took a chance and tried to change. It wasn’t easy all the time, but I found people who could pour the positive outlook into me. That’s what I try to bring to my community.”

By Randy Fox | Photographed by Chad Crawford

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

35

MANUEL DELGADO Business:

W

hen custom luthier Manuel Delgado relocated Delgado Guitars to Nashville 15 years ago, he brought more than just tools, building materials, and a desire to expand his family’s business.

“My dad always included us in anything that was going on with the business,” Delgado says, “Whether it was working with the tools, helping with clients, or meeting with the Los Angeles Museum of Art about exhibits he was helping with. We have a longtime connection with museums and music education programs.

I’ve worked with the National Endowment for the Arts, and I’m a Commissioner of the Arts here in Nashville. There’s a lot of overlap between what we do, music education, and community involvement.”

Through three generations, Delgado’s family business has been hand-crafting stringed instruments. From guitars to Irish bouzoukis and ukuleles to vihuelas, Delgado has designed them, made them, and played them. “We don’t make bowed, archtop instruments,” he says, “but otherwise, I don’t think there’s been an instrument I’ve said no to. If somebody comes to us with an idea, we work with them.”

Commitment to quality and adaptability of craft reaches back to Delgado’s great-uncle and grandfather who founded the family business in Torreón, Mexico in 1928, eventually moving it to Juarez, Mexico, and then East Los Angeles.

Manuel Delgado was born in L.A. and grew up learning the family business from his father, Candelraio, until he decided to follow a different path as a law enforcement officer — a plan cut short when his father was diagnosed with cancer.

After his father’s death in 1996, Delgado returned to the family trade, eventually relocating to Nashville in 2005 with the encouragement of his wife, singer/songwriter Julie Delgado. Delgado brought his talent, tools, and commitment to community service to the Music City. Settling in the Eastwood neighborhood, he became a leader in the neighborhood watch program and served on the board of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association, as well as dedicating time to many other charitable and community causes. Working with young people through music education soon became his greatest commitment and cause.

“I was very fortunate to have good role models and opportunities, but I grew up with a lot of kids in the Boyle Heights/East L.A. area that did not,” Delgado says. “So we are very strong advocates for education and in particular music education. When my grandfather and great-uncle moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s, ukuleles were very popular, especially in public school programs, so they built ukuleles. We have a long history and a good reputation. When people want to start a school music program and most especially when it’s focused on mariachi music, sooner or later our name comes up.

With Delgado’s familial and business roots in Mexico, the connection to mariachi music is a natural one. With the spread and growing popularity of Latin culture in the U.S., many school systems have adopted music programs focused on this traditional Mexican form. Regardless of the details, Delgado says his company’s approach to music education remains the same.

“We approach [education sales] from a different angle,” Delgado continues. “Instead of just trying to get the sale, we ask how can we help to either start, grow, or revive a music program. If they want information or contacts, we supply them, and if they decide to order from somebody else, that’s okay. We can leave that situation knowing we’ve done something positive.”

A long-term view has also influenced Delgado’s founding of the Music City Mariachi Festival. Launched in 2018 in partnership with the Nashville Symphony, the annual event features a free concert by a 54-piece Mexican mariachi ensemble. Delgado plans to eventually develop the event into a four-day music festival and educational conference, attracting mariachi students and educators from across the U.S. His commitment to music education and community engagement is at the core of Delgado Guitars.

“We have what would not be considered a good business model by some people,” Delgado observes. “We look for ways to invest in the community without waiting for the community to invest in us. For example, we built the Music Makers stage in our shop, and we do have events that bring in business, but our dream for the space is to rent it out for corporate events, album release parties, or whatever that might be and use the profits from that to do free events for kids — concerts, movies, inspirational speakers and more. I always like to say we’re a small business that does big things.”

By Randy Fox | Photographed by Michael Weintrob

36

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

E N

2019

O T Y

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

37

Bo AMERICAN

38

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

ld

Louis York shares their vision

By Brittney McKenna Photography by Travis Commeau January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

39

F 40

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

F

or Louis York’s new project, American Griots, principals Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony wanted to make more than just an album. They set out to create a collection of songs that encompasses the full spectrum of their artistry, both as individual songwriters and as a duo.

“For the kind of music we’ve always done and for how people see us as musicians, behind the scenes and now in front, we felt like people expected something bigger than us than just putting out one song at a time,” Kelly says, speaking from the duo’s Weirdo Workshop headquarters in Franklin. “We wanted to do something thought out and complete, almost like a musical dissertation. That’s how Chuck and I approached the whole thing.”

If you haven’t heard of Louis York, there’s a good chance you’ve still heard some of their music. Kelly and Harmony have a collective resumé that boasts songwriting and production credits for artists like Bruno Mars (“Grenade”), Rihanna (“Russian Roulette”), Britney Spears (“Circus”), and Miley Cyrus (“Party in the U.S.A.”). They’ve performed together since 2015 as Louis York, a name that nods to Harmony’s roots in St. Louis and Kelly’s in New York.

American Griots, which came out in October of 2019, is the duo’s first proper full-length release and follows a trio of EPs — Masterpiece Theater Act I, Act II, and Act III — the duo put out between 2015 and 2017. The title of the new album references West African griots, traveling poets who share knowledge and pass on history and cultural traditions through oral storytelling.

“We got the idea to do the album at the top of the year [2019],” Kelly says. “The first order of business when we got together in January was to put an album together. We started compiling songs — some we’d had and had been testing out live — and we wrote a bunch more.”

“Musically speaking, what I was trying to say is that basically I’ve been doing music since I was 3 years old,” Harmony adds.

“My musical knowledge runs the gamut of genre. That was the first thing that I wanted to convey. We shouldn’t just box our music into a specific genre because our musical knowledge supersedes genre. With this being our first album, we wanted to give a solid example of that. So American Griots is a solid example of the fact that we can do country, we can do classical, we can do jazz, we can do R&B, we can do pop, we can do rock.”

American Griots truly does run Harmony’s “gamut of genre,” blending Miami Vice-esque rock; emotive R&B; slick, radioready pop; contemporary jazz; and a singularly orchestral take on country to masterful effect. Alongside guests like country artist Jimmie Allen and R&B group The Shindellas, Harmony and Kelly perform the bulk of the album’s instrumentals and → vocal parts.

we “Musically wanted to pay

tribute to the people that actually started those genres.

A lot of them look like us, you know what I’m saying?

”

—Chuck Harmony

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

41

“

The whole thing is purposely designed to be like the journey of two griots, two storytellers, landing in your eardrums.

”

—Claude Kelly

The album opens with “American Griots Intro,” an atmospheric overture built on tribal percussion, staccato horns, and a striking spoken word performance from local poet Caroline Randall Williams.

“This an American story / a fist up story,” Williams recites. “An our power story /I’ve read / I’ll write this blues story … We survive off the sound we make / When we tell our story.” Williams appears later on the operatic “I Wonder” and the mid-album interlude “Teach Me a Song — Reprise,” which nods to “call and response” and “the words that let me fight for my life.”

Apropos of that “call and response” mention, Harmony explains that he and Kelly also wrote American Griots as tribute to the musical trailblazers who came before them. Like the sounds heard across the album, those honorees are also genre agnostic.

“Musically we wanted to pay tribute to the people that actually started those genres,” he explains. “A lot of them look like us, you know what I’m saying? As ‘American Griots,’ we felt like it was our responsibility to tell that story, too.”

Though American Griots draws inspiration from myriad kinds of music, the album is still a cohesive listening experience, begging for the kind of start-to-finish attention that isn’t always granted in today’s streaming, singles-driven musical climate. Creating an album that is listened to with the same intensity that a novel — or a dissertation — is read was a chief goal of the duo from early on in the LP’s writing process.

42

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

“Chuck and I work really well together, and we have similar tastes,” Kelly says. “But [cohesion] is also something that, even though it comes naturally, we spend a lot of time paying attention to. One of the parts of the album that we’re most proud of isn’t even just the musical part of it; it’s the A&R-ing that Chuck and I literally did of ourselves, of the music, of the timing.

That makes the album special. We’re very aware that we couldn’t just throw a whole bunch of things on the album and say, ‘Look what we can do.’ It was more than that. It was about weaving songs in a way that tells a story. The whole thing is purposely designed to be like the journey of two griots, two storytellers, landing in your eardrums.”

Kelly also notes that he and Harmony are greatly inspired by musical theater. Both the narrative arc of the lyrics and the album’s structure — with its overture, interludes, reprises, and extended musical outro — lend themselves to the composition of a musical, which was also on the duo’s minds in the writing and recording processes.

“What people don’t know about us is that obviously our idols are in pop but we love Rodgers and Hammerstein,” Kelly says. “And we love Andrew Lloyd Webber. For us the whole thing is like presenting a production, a play, a story. Our EPs before this were called Masterpiece Theater. The whole time we’ve been projecting that people should open their minds to a bigger adventure than just what singles can be. Singles can be so linear. It’s like, ‘Here’s a song. It’s three minutes and 30 seconds. Dance your ass off.’ We’re suggesting, while you’re dancing, let’s take you on a ride. Let’s make you think. Let’s make you feel. Let’s make you cry. And at the end of the song, you’ll be glad you danced but also glad you learned a lot.” →

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

43

Chuck Harmony (this page) and Claude Kelly enjoy a rare moment of relaxation in their Weirdo Workshop headquarters.

44

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

45

B

oth Kelly and Harmony are quick to sing the praises of the featured guests on American Griots, all of whom the duo chose not for their musical similarities but because in them they found kindred creative spirits. They met Williams, for example, through the Nashville Ballet and bonded over a shared love of storytelling before inviting her down to the Weirdo Workshop to record for American Griots.

“We were blown away by [Williams’ Lucy Negro Redux],” Kelly says. “And not just by the performance but that she was in it and delivering her poetry with so much class and excellence and sophistication. It was so dramatic and well done.

Afterwards I reached out to her online about doing some work and we hit it off right away.

We’re very similar-minded and we like the same things out of art and the same things out of life.

When we started to do the album, we wanted to incorporate Nashville, which is a big part of why the album sounds the way it does. We moved here to do this album and to find ourselves and find our people. … There was no one else to open the album but Caroline, to be honest.”

Elsewhere on American Griots, Louis York taps emerging country star Jimmie Allen, known for hits like “Best Shot” and “Make Me Want To,” to join them on the rootsy, affecting ballad “Teach Me a Song.” As Harmony explains it, they met Allen by chance at the gym.

“We became cool,” Harmony says. “It’s not many times you run into a black guy in Franklin [laughs] who does music. We started a bond that lasted through his whole meteoric rise over the last couple of years. We invited him to the Workshop to record our podcast and in that podcast we learned how much music he actually knows. You listen to his music and you think he only knows country, but he knew all the same music we knew and could spit it back and tell us who wrote it and what year. So we’re like, ‘This is a true music head. We need to do something with him for Griots.’”

A true high point of American Griots is “No Regrets,” a flashy, infectious rocker that recalls both the glossy noir-pop of the late 1980s and the contemporary Top 40 sheen of artists like Bruno Mars in equal measure. Built on the →

46

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

47

48

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

refrain “Have fun with no regrets,” the song is a danceable reminder to take everything in stride. “‘No Regrets’ is a song we’ve been chasing for a while,” Harmony says. “Me and Claude have these feelings we’re always chasing, whether it’s a Billy Joel feeling or a Sade feeling or a Ray Charles feeling. For this particular one, we were chasing that ’80s, Miami Vice sexiness. I came up with the groove in rehearsal and Claude started singing what is now the hook, ‘Have fun with no regrets.’ We carefully fleshed it out because we wanted to capture that exact feeling. Listening back, I’m damn proud of it because we nailed it.”

“No Regrets” features local group The Shindellas, who are also signed to the duo’s Weirdo Workshop record label.

The trio makes modern-day girl group R&B with the same level of craft and passion that Louis York approaches their own music. Though having just released a six-song EP, Genesis, in late December, Harmony and Kelly reveal that they will be at work on a full-length debut album by The Shindellas in 2020.

“The Shindellas are our girl band equivalent,” Kelly says.

“We decided we wanted to have an all-female formidable trio that could say the things we couldn’t say. They have harmony and attitude and intelligence and sophistication, but with really catchy songs, too. … These girls are just the modern-day Pointer Sisters on steroids.”

In addition to releasing The Shindellas album, Harmony and Kelly already have a stacked 2020 planned. In February, they’ll make their official Louis York debut at the Grand Ole Opry. They first played the Opry in late 2019 alongside Allen, impressing both the audience and Opry staff so much that they got the official invitation to come back and do their own set.

“Since we moved to Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry has been on our vision board,” Kelly says. “We didn’t know how the hell we were going to get there. But after we recorded ‘Teach Me a Song,’ Jimmie invited us to do it. … It’s insane.

We’re honored and excited. Vision boards work!”

They also have a collaboration with the Nashville Ballet’s Attitude series in the works, but can’t share too much just yet about what that collaboration will entail. However, Kelly does say the production will be unlike anything the Nashville Ballet has done before and will exist outside of the musical and narrative confines traditionally associated with ballet.

American Griots closes with a cover of Des’ree’s 1994 hit “You Gotta Be.” The duo refracts the R&B song through their kaleidoscopic, Weirdo Workshop lens and gives the song a hefty new groove, stretching it out with an extended musical outro, tying a sonic bow around a complex, ambitious album. And lyrically, the song is a fitting embodiment of the Louis York ethos, particularly the chorus’ assertion that “you gotta be bold.” Louis York and American Griots are nothing if not bold and Nashville’s music community is all the better for it.

FEBRUARY 11

CALEXICO AND IRON & WINE

with Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn

FEBRUARY 26

OPETH

with Graveyard

MARCH 14

COIN

with special guest Sure Sure

APRIL 4

LUCERO

with special guest Ian Noe

APRIL 13 LIVE AT THE OPRY HOUSE

BILL BURR

APRIL 15

NATE BARGATZE

APRIL 18 - 2 SHOWS

BERT KREISCHER

APRIL 21

TYLER HENRY

HOLLYWOOD MEDIUM APRIL 22

SHARON VAN ETTEN

with special guests Julien Baker and Jay Som

APRIL 25

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS

MAY 12

American Griots by Louis York is available via Weirdo Workshop. To purchase, and for more information, visit weirdoworkshop.com/louis-york or follow them on Facebook @weirdoworkshop.

MILKY CHANCE

UPGRADE YOUR NIGHT WITH A RYMAN PREMIUM PASS FOR TICKET INFORMATION AND MORE, VISIT RYMAN.COM Historically Cool Since 1892

FOLLOW US @THERYMAN

116 Fifth Avenue North Nashville, TN 37219

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

49

Ridin’the L

50

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

ightning Will Hoge shares the ride

By Leslie LaChance Photography by Travis Commeau

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

51

Will Hoge sits in Nashville Electric Tranportation’s Tesla Model X, a mid-size luxury SUV capable of over 300 miles on a single charge that features falcon-wing rear doors and seating for up to seven adults.

To sign up for NET’s rideshare service and to download their app, visit nashvilleelectrictransportation.com.

52

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

E

ver since rock ‘n’ roll danced its way up out of the Mississippi mud and took to the highway in a Rocket 88, great tunes and a sweet ride have been inseparable. Musician Will Hoge would agree, though his definition of a sweet ride has expanded over the years from a rusty, third-hand Chevy to a fleet of high-tech autos.

“My very first car was a 1971 Chevrolet Kingswood station wagon — rusty, fire engine red,” he says. “It was a hand-me-down; my parents bought it for 500 bucks in 1980, and I begged them to let me have it when I was 16. I still have the key to it. That was my first real taste of freedom. I discovered rock ‘n’ roll in that car; I discovered girls in that car, and then there was just talking to my friends about music in that car, and solving all the world’s problems.”

After the station wagon, Hoge drove a 1972 Delta 88 convertible, maroon with a black top. “It was the first car I ever bought with my own money; I felt like John Lee Hooker riding around in that, a real bluesman.” With money he made waiting tables and touring in a band Hoge eventually got himself a brand new Mazda MX3, and then later, a motor scooter. “That ended poorly,” he says, cringing a little and recalling the near-fatal collision with a van on Main Street in 2008, a wreck that left him hospitalized in critical condition and set him on a years-long road to recovery.

“Then there were a ton of vans and tour buses along the way, a pick-up truck for a little while, and now I’m back to a fifteen-passenger van. And a whole bunch of Teslas,” Hoge says, smiling. A whole bunch of Teslas would make anyone smile, but Hoge is not getting all Jay Leno about car collecting. The Teslas he is talking about are the ones quietly whisking rideshare passengers around town with Nashville Electric Transportation, or NET, the business Hoge founded with long-time friend Bryan Johnson in 2017. As with other app-based rideshare services, cars in the all-Tesla fleet can be booked on a mobile phone through the NET app. But what sets the company apart from other services is NET’s

The rideshare all-electric service just seemed like something Nashville would embrace.

”

exclusive use of electric cars, which offer users a ride that embraces green technology along with a touch of luxury.

Lots of musicians in Nashville have side-hustles; they open retail shops, put their names on gigantic downtown venues, operate recording studios, sell real estate, teach master classes, whatever seems to work for them in the ecosystem swirling around the music industry. For Hoge and Johnson the all-electric rideshare concept rose out of their long-standing love of cars and a desire to address local traffic problems. “We started looking at the transportation issues in Nashville and how it continues to grow and be more and more of a problem,” Hoge says. ”We wondered if we could provide a service that’s not dissimilar from the rideshare experience that people have come to know and love, but maybe with higher-end electric cars. You just get on your app, set up the ride, and a car shows up. I think the old-fashioned idea of a limo service is just a bit of turn off for a lot of people, me included. The rideshare all-electric service just seemed like something Nashville would embrace.”

So after doing some research (which included driving and shopping for electric cars) Hoge and Johnson started NET with one Tesla and two drivers: Hoge and Johnson. After a few months, they added another partner, Kyle Roelke, with each partner driving shifts to learn the business. “For us as owners, that’s been a huge part of what helped us to grow the company as fast as we did. We knew what we needed in drivers, knew what we needed to tell those drivers to do, where to go to find the right rides,” Hoge explains. “You really start to learn the parts of town where people are going and hanging out and why people are coming to Nashville.”

As the business grew, so did the fleet. They added cars, running six for a while, but found that four vehicles offered a better balance. Currently they are running three Tesla Model S sedans and one Model X, an SUV with showy falcon-wing doors. They’ve added drivers too, all of whom go through FBI background checks and a rigorous interview process. It’s an important feature of the business that helps the riders feel safe.

“We can provide a different level of service for not a huge level of price difference, and you’re guaranteed to get a great car; it’s a really cool →

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

53

a nook for people who love beautiful books

1043 West Eastland Avenue • East Nashville thebookshopnashville.com

54

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

ride,” Hoge says. “And the green aspect of it, really being able to NOT add to the traffic pollution in our city was important to us.”

The service can be customized as well. “With our app, there’s always a concierge available if you need to change something in your reservation, if you need to pick up flowers for your wife on the way, or the driver can stop and do that on the way to get you and have them in the car for a little upcharge,” Hoge explains.

“If you’re going to a concert at the Ryman, you want to get there and have a nice night out.

Why spend 30 bucks to get there with a guy who smokes cigarettes in his Civic when you can pay 35 bucks and use a local company, get a background-checked driver that’s going to be a person that’s well dressed who can help you with your bags, open your doors, and you know it’s going to be a car that’s world class.”

Hoge compares the Tesla experience to hearing his grandfather talk about the first time he rode in a Model A Ford. “It was just a point of transition. There were all these companies making cars back then and making motorized carriages, but there was this one that was just leaps and bounds above everything else, and from there it’s just sort of a well-spring moment. Everything is going to change after this. This is that same sort of big bang. I think when we first got in the car, we were believers in that.” He and his partners have looked at including other electric cars in the fleet, but none of them currently have the driving range (300+ plus miles), performance, and luxury of the Tesla. “The other cars only get a hundred miles to the charge, and when you’re talking about driving 18 hours a day, you just can’t do it in that kind of vehicle.”

With NET doing well and hiring more drivers, Hoge doesn’t need to get behind the wheel as often, so the chances he’ll be your driver are smaller these days. But with less driving, Hoge has been able to devote more time to writing and recording, and he’ll have a new album coming out this summer.

“It’s very much a rock ‘n’ roll record. It is not a political record in the way [his last album], My American Dream was, but I guess in some ways all records are political in nature. I think this new album is the widest range in terms of sound that I’ve made. There are some really wide soundscape cinematic songs, and also two of the most acoustic and mellow, and two of the hardest rockin’ songs that I’ve ever recorded. There’s an almost Big Star-like power pop song on it, and I’m pretty excited about the whole thing,” he says.

Running NET in addition to caring for his family and writing music has been quite the balancing act, but he’s still a prolific writer. “I’m up at 6 a.m. to mediate, and get the kids ready for school, get Julia [his wife, a school counselor] breakfast and get them out the door, and then try to be a normal functioning adult that

has way more responsibility than I did in my 20s, and then still carving out time to write.”

And his years as a touring musician have helped Hoge face the challenges of running a dynamic car business as well. “When you’ve spent 20 plus years on the road with a band, you’re pretty hard to rattle,” he says. “There’s always a flat tire; there’s always a trailer axle that broke, there’s always somebody that doesn’t have an instrument that works, and

without panicking, you just figure out how to make shit work. And that’s been really beneficial in the NET business. Something’s wrong with the car, well we can spin in circles and freak out about it or we can just take this car off the road and get the problem solved. And there’s a part where you start to welcome that problem solving. You start to lose your fear of that mountain. We’ll figure it out one step at a time.”

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

55

AKing ofFun The Wood Brothers find the secret is in the jam

By Randy Fox Photography by Scot Sax

56

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

A

sk Oliver Wood about The Wood Brothers’ upcoming album and you’ll receive a large helping of enthusiasm. In this case though, the passion for Kingdom in My Mind is a special kind of zeal.

“The coolest thing is how fun it was,” Wood says of the new album by the trio comprised of himself, his brother Chris, and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. “We’ve been recording for a long time and made several records, but to do it without a record company looking over your shoulder and worrying about studio time running out made it a really fun project. It was like being a kid.”

“Fun” is an adjective missing from most reviews of The Wood Brothers’ career over the past 14 years. Not that their records haven’t been fun, but “accomplished,” “artistic,” and “distinctive” have been the superlatives preferred by critics for the group’s previous seven studio albums and four live releases.

Since 2006, The Wood Brothers have crafted finely wrought fusions of folk, blues, gospel, jazz, and country, spotlighting outstanding musicality and creativity, while providing a →

dom January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

57

58

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

59

The Wood Brothers take their jam to the Ryman Auditorium at 8 p.m.on Valentine’s Day. (L-R) Chris Wood, Oliver Wood, & Jano Rix 60

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

tonic for Americana fans burned out on too many artists whose knowledge of American roots music seems to reach no further than Ryan Adams’ catalog and sparse selection of Neil Young albums.

Oliver and Chris Wood’s depth of knowledge and affinity for American folk music can in part be attributed to their pedigree. “Our father, Bill Wood, went to Harvard in the late ’50s, so he was in the middle of the famous Cambridge folk scene,” Chris Wood explains. “He had a radio show and knew and played all of the classic material.

He was friends with Joan Baez and played with her on some of her early recordings. He ended up being a molecular biologist by trade but he always played music. There’s nothing like seeing someone play guitar right in front of you to inspire you as a young kid. We took it for granted at the time, but when we started The Wood Brothers, we began to appreciate how special it was seeing him play live in the living room.”

Oliver was drawn to music first, starting with electric bass and then handing off the instrument to his little brother after switching to guitar. The Wood Brothers 1.0 only existed for a short time, with each brother following their own musical path after high school. Oliver’s path led to Atlanta where he came to the attention of blues/funk troubadour Tinsley Ellis. After several years of backing Ellis on the road and recordings, Oliver left to co-found the blues-rock combo King Johnson in 1996. Meanwhile, Chris’ musical road led to studies at the New England Conservatory of Music and then New York City where he formed the avant-garde groove-jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood.

“We didn’t see each other much or even talk much for 15 years until both of our bands ended up on a double bill and Oliver sat in with Medeski Martin & Wood,” Chris Wood says. “It was a lightbulb moment. We realized there was a musical connection. King Johnson was starting to wind down and not long after that there was talk in my band of some of the guys wanting to get off the road. So it started with this vague idea that we were going to do something together. We started by taking some of Oliver’s older songs and rearranging them for a duo. In the process we came up

“ It was a lightbulb moment. We realized there was a musical connection.”

—Chris Wood, reflecting on the origin of The Wood Brothers

with some more and that ended up being our first record, Ways Not to Lose.”

Released in 2006 on Blue Note Records, Ways Not to Lose drew praise from critics for the unself-conscious mix of blues, folk, and jazz, garnering the number one spot on amazon. com editors’ folk picks for the year and NPR’s “Overlooked 11.”

Starting as a side project, The Wood Brothers gradually became the centerpiece of the brothers’ careers, leading to a geographical reunion. “We began to float the idea around that we should live in the same city,” Chris Wood says. “Oliver wasn’t going to move to New York and I wasn’t going to move to Atlanta. We were both attracted to Nashville. It’s one of those cities that gets musicians and accepts them as normal people and even respects them — which is not the case in every city.”

In 2011, The Wood Brothers signed with Zac Brown’s Nashville-based Southern Ground label for their fourth studio album, Smoke Ring Halo and physically relocated to the Music City the next year. Around the same time they added Jano Rix to The Wood Brothers line-up, replacing a succession of various drummers. The multi-talented Rix brought more than just a steady beat.

“Jano has so many talents,” Chris Wood says.

“Not only is he a great drummer, he is a really studied jazz piano player and sings great too. →

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

61

62

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

63

Then he has this instrument he invented called the ‘shuitar,’ a crappy acoustic guitar that he turned into a multi-use percussion instrument. So we can play acoustic bass and guitar, and with this thing, you have a drum kit with a low volume.”

With the addition of Rix to the line-up, The Wood Brothers’ already impressive sound fully came into its own on the Buddy Miller produced 2013 album, The Muse. The Wood Brothers’ ability to tap into the sonic mythology of what critic Greil Marcus termed “Old Weird America” and present it with a contemporary yet timeless feel, drew comparisons to the classic recordings of The Band. Writing for allmusic.com, critic Steve Leggett said The Wood Brothers’ music suggests “a rural America where myths are born and made real with music, a place where current fashion is useless, a place where a trip to the local juke for some backwoods jazzy honky tonk gospel blues is nigh near a trip to Heaven.”

Both brothers agree that knowledge and familiarity of the varied strands of American music is only one part in the creation of exciting and innovative music. The real secret is found in the clash and collaboration of talents and personalities.

“In the beginning when we were playing as duo, I was coming from the New York world and Medeski Martin & Wood, which most people consider experimental jazz, and Oliver was coming from a classic blues world,” Chris Wood says. “We had 95 percent of the same background influences but our experiences and where we lived made us produce very different music. For The Wood Brothers, the image I had in my head was what if Charles Mingus and Robert Johnson were in a band together? It seems like a lot of the time American black music isn’t represented in

64

“ For The Wood Brothers, the image I had in my head was what if Charles Mingus and Robert Johnson were in a band together?”

—Chris Wood Americana. For us Delta blues, gospel, R&B, and jazz are really important music, and how can those be blended in an organic way with bluegrass and Appalachian folk music? There are just so many great songs out there — lyrics and stories, but is there a way to take the music out of the box, make it interesting and different, while still preserving the songs, images, and the story? That was the challenge.”

Oliver Wood expounds on the same idea. “Chris, Jano, and myself all have very over-lapping tastes but we still bring different things to the table. Art in general is about choices. It’s what you don’t do that’s important — ‘No, that’s been done. What’s the twist that we can put on it?’ That’s where the experimentation comes in — ‘We’re not going to go there, we’re going to take a left instead.’ That’s where all art comes from. It’s

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

true there’s nothing new, but your influences become the vocabulary that you can use in original ways.”

The mastery of musical vocabulary has continued through two subsequent albums, Paradise (2015) and One Drop of Truth (2018).

When it came time to start work on their latest collection, Kingdom in My Mind, circumstances allowed them to approach collaborations in a different manner.

“On our last record we had an engineer — Brook Sutton — we really liked,” Oliver Wood says. “He lost his lease to his studio.

We decided to go in together with him on a new space. We would have a home base for The Wood Brothers and he would have a working studio while we were on tour.”

With the new studio ready to go in July 2019 and The Wood Brothers between tours,

they decided to put it through its paces with a freeform jam session.

“It’s a method that we’ve used for writing songs,” Oliver Wood says. “We would set up in our old rehearsal space and just jam without really thinking about songs. One of us would start a groove and the rest would just jump in and improvise. We used to do that in our rehearsal space and capture it on a phone or laptop and re-record the parts we liked later, but in our own studio space we were capturing album-quality recordings. We didn’t know if we were going to use them or not, but it turned out to be some of the coolest music we ever made. We would never be able to recreate some of the music that we were making with no thought.”

The lack of intention even boosted the sonic feel of the recordings, as Chris Wood explains: “We even liked how everything was set up quick and dirty so there was a lot of bleed in the microphones from the other instruments. It created a nice character to the music. A lot of our favorite records are filled with bleed. We decided pretty early on the process of this record was improvise first, get inspired by the music, and then write lyrics over that.”

“A couple of songs on the album were worked up more conventionally,” Oliver Wood adds, “but most of the songs were recorded that way. Some of the jams were 30 or 40 minutes long. We’d find the coolest three to five minutes of one and write a song over it. The process got us really excited because we were able to capture some of those ‘mistakes’ you hear on old records — a weird drum fill in an odd place or guitar riffs right over the top of vocal — things you can’t try to do. You have to get lucky and capture them.”

The free-flowing creativity of Kingdom

in My Mind is front and center from the followed pretty much the same process for first notes of the album opener, “Alabaster,” Remain in Light [jamming in the studio and a folky, R&B and jazz-infused jam chroni- then writing lyrics to match the music]. It cling the story of a young woman who has keeps the improvisational part of the creative reached her limit with her confining small process going the whole way. Once you write a town life and a dead-end, abusive love affair. song and then work up the music, the boundThe song grew from one of the first jams aries are set. The limitations are already there. they recorded.

The word that really nails it is ‘playful.’ In the “It was from before we realized we could situation we created, we remained playful the turn the recordings into an album,” says whole time.”

Oliver. “I love the way we collaborated on it.

With the release of Kingdom in My Mind I wrote some lyrics; Chris arranged the jam set for Jan. 24, a major North American tour into a song, and then Jano played some amaz- kicking off on Jan. 29, and a hometown pering piano overdubs. It was perhaps the most formance at the Ryman Auditorium on Feb. experimental and collaborative song we’ve 14, The Wood Brothers are facing a busy done to date, and I’m very proud of it.” schedule for the next several months. When The diversity of The Wood Brothers’ they return home, their studio will be ready stylistic mastery continues through “Little to capture more accomplished, artistic, disBit Sweet,” a rumination on the exquisite tinctive, and yes, even fun, music from three beauty and sadness of life and love, built on outstanding musicians.

“Now that we know how fun recording this a foundation of classic hillbilly picking and vocal harmonies. way is and how it effects our creativity, I’m “I’m very attached to [“Little Bit Sweet”] sure we’ll do it again, but we are still using the for sentimental reasons,” Oliver Wood says. conventional method too,” Oliver Wood says.

“It was written from the very first jam in the “We write all the different ways. Sometimes new studio. When we listened to it, we said, we write from the ground up as a group, ‘Wow, we did the right thing.’ It was so fun sometimes we work individually, but they and easy.” always end in collaboration.”

The sense of easy-going fun, like random sparks leaping from a musical bonfire continues throughout the album, whether The Wood Brothers’ it’s the polyrhythmic Big Easy Kingdom in My Mind drops on Jan. 24 via rock ‘n’ roll drive of “Don’t Think Honey Jar/Thirty About My Own Death,” the lanTigers, and they will guid Southern-ballad tradition of be performing at the “Satisfied,” or the funky gospel Ryman Auditorium on call-and-response-spiced sway of Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. For more information, visit “Little Bit Broken.” thewoodbros.com.

“It’s not like it’s a new idea,” says Chris. “The Talking Heads

Wonder.

Awe. Curiosity.

Learn about this decidedly independent education that creates decidedly independent thinkers: Experience Waldorf Day • February 1 Windows On Waldorf Tours • January - April

lindenwaldorf.org/tours 3201 Hillsboro Pike Nashville, TN 37215 Now enrolling Pre-K through 8th

Nashvillian Ad.indd 1

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com 12/29/19 7:52 65 AM

66

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

Throwing Shade & Growing Roots Jim Gregory makes trees count

J

im Gregory is a man with a shady plan for East Nashville.

“In a few years, we want to create a walkable arboretum that runs from Shelby Park to Downtown,” Gregory says.

As the Chair of the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps, Gregory hopes to soon see folks strolling along Shelby Avenue under a spreading canopy of Red Maple, Tupelo, Yoshino Cherry, Red Bud, Burr Oak, Dogwood, and other trees, along with having the thoroughfare officially designated as an arboretum by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.

“With that great view of downtown in the background, it’s the kind of spot that could be just as popular for taking photographs as the angel wings [Kelsey Montague’s famous Gulch mural, What Lifts You] because it will be so beautiful, a living landmark,” Gregory says.

By Leslie LaChance | Photograph by Chad Crawford For Gregory and the all-volunteer non-profit organization he leads, creating that arboretum will mean planting more trees through a donations-driven project, which began with getting 46 trees in the ground along the avenue in January of 2019. “It was a very good start,” he says. “We have a few more years of planting ahead of us before we get there.” The NTCC is now raising funds for the 2020 Shelby Avenue planting, set for mid-March.

Donations will be used to purchase trees, with volunteers supplying the labor for planting.

In addition to organizing community tree plantings, the NTCC sponsors a tree farm-to-yard program that helps Nashvillians buy and plant trees for their own property more affordably. It works

as a kind of community buyers’ club. The NTCC doesn’t take any revenue from the tree sales. “We do it because it’s in keeping with our mission,” Gregory explains. “Our only revenue comes through donations, not sales.”

Gregory’s interest in Nashville’s tree canopy began when he and his husband Will Worrall moved into their Shelby Hills home in 2015. “One of the great things about our neighborhood is that we were surrounded by amazing tree canopy,” Gregory says. “It was wonderful.” There were some folks, though, who didn’t appreciate those trees. “Within six months of us moving in on our street, they began tearing down one older house after another and taking with them all the trees.”

It was devastating to see the trees going down, but Gregory and Worrall weren’t sure what they could do about it. “Trees are private property, but they are part of a neighborhood as well,” Gregory says.

That paradox poses some difficulty when it comes to preserving trees. The couple began to wonder if there might be any city regulations protecting them. “We’re a regulations-driven household,” Gregory says, laughing. Worrall works as a civil engineer in regulatory compliance for the Army Corps of Engineers and helps to implement the Clean Water Act; Gregory works in compliance and risk management for Humana. Turns out you can’t find two better data-loving people to watchdog Nashville’s tree policy.

They learned the city did have a “tree replacement” code which required a certain number of trees to exist on a plot of land, a number calculated based on lot frontage. “It’s a bit of a misnomer,” Gregory says. “It has nothing to do with tree replacement really; it has everything to do with tree density, but not replacement specifically.” He and Worrall suspected the tree density regulations were not being followed or enforced. So the two compliance experts spent the next six months counting trees around newly built houses to see which properties met tree density requirements and which didn’t. “You’d see these million dollar homes and no trees,” Gregory says. They tracked their findings in a spreadsheet, and the data they collected confirmed the hypothesis.

“In the course of six months we found there were within East Nashville over 300 missing trees at about a hundred new houses that were built in 2015 and 2016,” Gregory says. Counts in The Nations and 12 South found similar tree sparsity. The tree counters brought their data to city officials to ask that builders be required to heed existing density requirements. “We just wanted them to follow the law,” Gregory says.

The NTCC was instrumental in getting Metro Council to pass Bill 1416 in July of 2019, which raises tree density by 60 percent for commercial and multifamily properties, implements street tree planting requirements for commercial and multifamily developers, and introduces incentives to preserve heritage trees.

“Healthy tree canopy is the sign of a healthy city,” Gregory observes, “and a community that plants together grows together.”

For more information about the NTCC and the Tree Farm-to-Yard program or to donate, check them out at nashvilletreeconservationcorps.org

}

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

67

Your Nashville Symphony

Live at the Schermerhorn A CAPPELLA DISNEY SHOWSTOPPERS

january 26

january 24*

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

in concert

A DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY LOVE STORY IN SONG

february 6 to 9

Patti elle LaB Valentine's with

Star-Studded Tribute • february 13

Beethoven’s Birthday Bash february 20 to 23

february 14

CELTIC JOURNEY march 8* *Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

68

615.687.6400 NashvilleSymphony.org

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

march 12 to 14

B Y

J O E L L E

H E R R

Not Many People Can Do It for a Living

I

n a 1962 interview, Sylvia Plath said, “I think writers and artists are the most narcissistic people,” only to backtrack with, “I mustn’t say this, I like many of them, in fact a great many of my friends happen to be writers and artists.”

Existentialist Albert Camus — who died in 1960, two years before Plath’s slip of the tongue — infamously declared that, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Case in point, right?

There’s no denying that writers tend to be a fascinating sort, many of whose lives are (or were) as memorable as their works — or at least as entertaining. Think: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Stein, Baldwin, any of the Beats, and perhaps even Plath herself.

Sixty years ago, readers didn’t have much opportunity to meet or mingle with their favorite writers. Which is not the case these days, even if the “mingling” is only virtual. On social media readers can get a peek (albeit filtered) into writers’ homes, their families, their struggles, their mundane day-today-ing. There’s a transparency, an intimacy that wasn’t there pre-Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

I had my first author encounter when I was in high school (years before the internet). I was attending a summer writing camp at Rhodes College in Memphis, and a newly minted bestselling author paid our band of word nerds a visit.

The author strutted into the classroom and hoisted himself onto the desk. His legs swung, and he smacked gum. “I didn’t want to be a writer. I wanted to be a [redacted detail that might identify this writer]. Y’all don’t want to be writers. It’s hard, and not many people can do it for a living.”

I don’t remember much of what followed. I was trying to contain my shock. Who did this guy think he was? How dare he try to squash our love of writing? Who said we all thought

we were going to write for a living? The indignation of it all.

Five years later, I’d just read William Styron — author of Sophie’s Choice and Darkness Visible — for a class. The professor pulled me aside to let me know that Styron would be accepting an award at a nearby literary festival. I went and sat rapt as Styron spoke. When it was time for him to sign books, I stayed in my seat for a bit, eyeing the queue starting to form. After a fierce internal debate, I couldn’t make myself get in that line.

I was too worried that he’d say or do some (narcissistic) thing to negate my admiration. I walked out of that auditorium with my recently purchased first edition of his debut novel tucked in my tote, unsigned.

(Um, yeah, I absolutely did regret my decision and followed up with Styron a couple of years later. But I don’t have room for that part.)

Fast-forward more than two decades to the most recent Southern Festival of Books, last October. I was asked by Humanities Tennessee to lead an onstage conversation with Ottessa Moshfegh, the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of Eileen and My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I said yes (of course I said yes — Moshfegh is one of the most talented, innovative, and intriguing writers today), but spent the weeks leading up to the festival in near constant panic. Would I ask stupid questions? Forget 95 percent of my vocabulary?

Generally embarrass myself ? Or worse — would it go so badly that I’d never want to read another book by Moshfegh again?

Thankfully, I managed to avoid freezing up, and — more importantly — Moshfegh was open, insightful, intelligent (of course she was), and all-around lovely. Toward the end of the conversation, I asked about something I’d come across during my research. A Slate reviewer had declared her “a writer invigoratingly immune to uncertainty and self-doubt.” I asked her if that were accurate. She smiled, nodded, and said, “yes.” Case in point? Sure, but, man, were we all cheering at her response.

p

“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” — Thomas Mann

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

69

70

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

New &

⟫ ⟫ ⟫ ⟫ ⟫ ⟫

notable

Tyll

Daniel Kehlmann Kehlmann is a big deal in his native Germany, where this historical novel was an instant, giant bestseller.

{February 11}

Cleanness

Garth Greenwell

One of the buzziest novels of 2020, with the likes of Carmen Maria Machado, Lisa Taddeo, and Alexander Chee raving about it.

{January 14}

Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies Tara Schuster

This title. All I could think when I first read it was, amen!

{February 18}

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick Zora Neale Hurston

Heads-up, Hurston fans: This collection includes nine “lost” stories that most of us likely haven’t read.

{January 14}

Vote for Our Future!

Margaret McNamara Illustrated by Micah Player

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington

It’s never too early to instill the importance of voting in our young’uns.

{February 18}

Alexis Coe

A presidential biography by a feminist historian?

Yes, please!

{February 4}

Joelle Herr worked as a book editor and is the author of several books. She owns and curates The Bookshop in East Nashville.

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

71

72

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

East Side C A L E N D A R J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y 2020

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

CELEBRATION OF MANY COLORS

depth and passion. The line-up of performers includes Jessie Baylin, Molly Parden, Savannah Conley, Andrew Combs, and more.

TUNES ARE TIGHT

Sunday, Jan. 19 Exit/In

Wayne “The Train” Hancock w/ The Waymores and Lucas Denton & Friends

Booker T. Jones Performance & Book Signing Thursday, Jan. 16 The City Winery

Memphis music legend Booker T. Jones celebrates the release of his memoir Time Is Tight and the companion album, Note By Note, with a special reading, performance, and book signing. Hear the stories behind such Booker T. and M.G.’s classics as “Green Onions,” “Time is Tight,” and more.

Presented by WMOT/Roots Radio. citywinery.com 609 Lafayette St. ᚔ

TALENT CALL, Y’ALL

The Voice 2020 Open Call Auditions Saturday, Jan. 18 Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Ready to make your voice heard on national television? Got that special talent hidden away?

Here’s your chance to strut your stuff and possibly secure a spot on the NBC television series The Voice. Advance registration is required so don’t drag your heels. nbcthevoice.com/auditions/opencalldates 417 4th Ave. N. ᚔ

SCIENCE FOR SHELBY Mr. Bond and the Science Guys 5th Annual Science Spectacular First Saturday of every month through May, 10 a.m.

Shelby Bottoms Nature Center

East Nashville’s, Mr. Bond’s Science Guys are back in the lab again for their annual “Science Spectacular” to benefit Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. This recurring fundraising event is open to all ages. This year the little science buffs will have four opportunities to see a “Science Edutainer” in action. Register in advance to get your edutainment on. Donations are encouraged but not required, however your donation, no matter how small, will help support the awesome Shelby Bottoms programming all year long!

1900 Davidson St. ᚔ

Happy Birthday, Dolly!

A Tribute to Dolly Parton

Celebrate the birthday of the original Tennessee Mountain Girl, Dolly Parton, with this fabulous tribute, hosted by Nashville risqué country drag performer Marlene Twitty-Fargo. Dress up in your best rhinestones and spangles and enjoy Dolly Parton’s hits, as well as deep cuts, performed by a stellar lineup of talent. Net proceeds will benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

2208 Elliston Place ᚔ

NASHVILLE CLASS

Nashville Community Education Courses Various dates through April 2020 Inglewood Elementary School

1700 Riverside Drive Nashville Community Education is sponsored

by Metro’s Nashville Community Education Commission and offers classes to enrich the population of Nashville through professional and personal education.

Full course offering and sign-up at nashville.gov/Nashville-Community-Education Beginning Sewing

Mondays, Jan. 27-March 9, 6-8 p.m.

Intermediate Sewing

Mondays, Jan. 27-April 23, 5:30-8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 24 Little Harpeth Brewing Co. For 25 years, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, has been earning fans the old-fashioned way, one live show at a time. Although his 11 albums have all held recorded treasures, it’s his reputation as the road warrior of honky-tonk, juke joint swing that has garnered him a loyal and devoted audience.

The Steel Wheels

Sunday, Jan. 26 The City Winery With music rooted in traditional bluegrass, The Steel Wheels have managed to navigate the tricky Americana gap by developing a sound that successfully combines the traditions or their roots with the indie rock street cred.

As the final stop on their current tour, their Nashville appearance is sure to be winner.

The Adicts w/ Antagonizers

Wednesday, Feb. 5 The Basement East Since the 1981 release of their debut album, Songs of Praise, British punks The Adicts have been mixing punk fury with catchy melodies and large helpings of humor, fun, and theatricality — elements missing from many of their second-wave punk contemporaries. Don’t miss this rare Nashville appearance.

The Wood Brothers w/ Kat Wright

American Sign Language

Mondays, Jan. 27-March 9, 6-7:15 p.m.

Tai Chi Basics

Mondays, Feb. 3- March 9, 6-7 p.m.

1

PICKS

Friday, Feb. 14 The Ryman Auditorium The Wood Brothers’ transcendent fusions of American roots music is not only some of the finest Americana music recorded today, but it’s some of the finest music period. On tour to support their latest masterpiece, Kingdom in My Mind, (which you can read about in this issue) this hometown stop is sure to be a special evening.

Elizabeth Cook & Gravy w/ Cory Branan

Drunken Angels: A Lucinda Williams Tribute Thursday, Jan.16 The Basement East This tribute to songwriter and raconteur Lucinda Williams is sure to provide an evening of great performances and classic songs spanning her career as songwriter of

Friday, Feb. 28 The Cowan at Topgolf Nashville’s own Queen of all Media, Elizabeth Cook, takes the stage at the Cowan for one night with her band Gravy, Expect lots of attitude, sass, great clothes, and of course, awesome music.

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

73

Help Us Grow a More Beautiful East Nashville Be part of the change! Donate to Envision Shelby, a walkable arboretum along Shelby Avenue!

Your support will ensure East Nashville has a beautiful, healthy future for generations to come.

Please visit: www.treeconservationcorps.org/shelbyavenue

Tree Planting Date: March 21, 2020 74

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

East Side C A L E N D A R Sloan

Tuesday, March 3 The High Watt Superstars in their native Canada, power popsters Sloan have never quite captured the same success in the U.S. despite a string of so-good-it’s-hard-to-believe albums starting in 1992. Go see them because they’re one of your favorite bands or just go to discover your next favorite band.

Fisk Jubilee Singers

Sunday, March 8 The Ryman Auditorium Founded in 1871 as a means to raise funds for the financially-foundering Fisk University, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were pioneers in presenting genuine African-American culture to a mass audience through their a cappella concerts of traditional spirituals. A century and half later, the current ensemble continues to lift hearts and voices.

0

RESIDENCIES =

3 rd & L indsley

818 Third Ave. S.

Friday WMOT Finally Friday with Whit Hubner hosting & broadcasting live Noon

A merican L egion P ost 82

2511 Gallatin Ave., 629.800.2518

Tuesdays Honky Tonk Tuesday Nights

Me & Paul (Niehaus) 6-8 p.m.

Wednesdays Songwriter Showdown Hosted by Chris Mitchell

=

S pringwater S upper C lub

and L ounge 115 27th Ave. N.

Thursdays

= thecobranashville.com 2511 Gallatin Ave., 629.800.2518

Sundays Comedy Open Mic 7-9 p.m.

Mondays Industry Night 3 p.m. =

T he 5 S pot the5spot.club 1006 Forrest Ave., 615.650.9333

Honky Tonk Saturday Nights

=

D ee ’ s C ountry C ocktail C lub & L ounge deeslounge.com 102 E. Palestine Ave., Madison

Mondays

The entire Nashville community is invited to hear an eyewitness account of the mass shooting that killed 11 as they prayed.

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

Mondays

Wednesdays

Through Feb. 15 (for now).

7 p.m.

With Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue, Spiritual Leader Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

T he C obra N ashville

The Tiger Beats

Saturdays

Stand with Us

Jon Byrd Through January, 6 p.m.

Blues Music from Nashville’s Finest 6-8 p.m.

8 p.m.

Nashville is Stronger Than Hate

Sign up starts at 7:30 8-10 p.m.

6 p.m.

Bluegrass Wednesday Nights

PRESENTED BY

Tuesdays

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

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

Tuesdays India Ramey Through January 6-8 p.m.

Two Dollar Tuesday

February 10th | 7-8pm THE TEMPLE 5015 HARDING ROAD, NASHVILLE, TN 37205 Opportunity will be given to support the community wide security commitment to keep our Jewish institutions safe.

For more information, contact Naomi Limor Sedek, Assistant Executive Director at naomi@jewishnashville.org.

CO-SPONSORED BY

Hosted by Derek Hoke 9 p.m. to close

Worldclass Bluegrass Jam Hosted by East Nash Grass

Wednesdays

6-8 p.m.

Through January 6-8 p.m.

Jim Hoke

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

JFON-TreeOfLife-Ad-ENash-Dec19.indd 1

75

12/27/19 9:04 A

76

musiccityroots.com

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

East Side C A L E N D A R

Thursdays Nellen Dryden Through Jan. 16 6-8 p.m.

Joe Pisapia’s Love In

Poverty and The Arts

6

1207 Dickerson Pike

Museums

6

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM

Galleries

Tursdays in February 6-8 p.m

RAVEN AND WHALE GALLERY

Fridays

ravenandwhalegallery.com 1108 Woodland St. Unit G, 629.777.6965

countrymusichalloffame.org 222 Fifth Ave. S. Exhibits:

Tim Carroll’s Rock & Roll Happy Hour

Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s

6-8:30 p.m.

Ongoing Collection

Strictly ’80s Dance Party

Noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday 6-10 p.m., second Saturday of every month

Through February 2021 This major exhibition explores the artistic and cultural exchange between Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, during the 1970s.

RED ARROW GALLERY

Still Rings True: The Enduring Voice of Keith Whitley

First Friday of the month 9 p.m. to close

Saturdays Funky Good Time First Saturday of the month 9 p.m. =

T he G roove thegroovenashville.com 1103 Calvin Ave., 615.227.5760 Thursdays On The Record- Open Mic Comedy 6-8 p.m.

Through April 5 Keith Whitley’s short life cast a long shadow, influencing his contemporaries and successors, including fellow Country Music Hall of Fame members.

theredarrowgallery.com 919 Gallatin Ave., Ste. 4, 615.236.6575 Dane Carder & Lindsy Davis Through Feb. 2 Dana Oldfather Opening reception 6 p.m., Feb. 8 through March 7

Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors

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

Through June 7 A celebration of the six-time Grammy winner’s universally acclaimed Golden Hour and more.

3

ART EXHIBITS EAST NASHVILLE ART STUMBLE

5-8 p.m., second Saturday of every month Stumble on into any of our great East Side galleries and shops, which are open late during the East Nashville Art Stumble.

Red Arrow Gallery, Michael Weintrob Photography 919 Gallatin Ave.

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

The Groove 1103 Calvin Ave.

Toro 917 Gallatin Ave.

Friendly Arctic 1004 Gallatin Ave.

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

77

FROM X TO JOE TEX,

IT ALL SOUNDS GOOD TO US. 78

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

East Side C A L E N D A R Brooks & Dunn: Kings of Neon

J.M.W. Turner: Quest for the Sublime

Through July 19 The story of the best-selling country duo of all time and their innovative approach to stage production and touring.

Feb. 20–May 31

THE THEATER BUG

Terry Adkins: Our Sons and Daughters Ever on the Altar

The Theater Bug Shakespeare Workshop

We Could: The Songwriting Artistry of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant

(

thetheaterbug.org 4809 Gallatin Pike ∂

Through Aug. 2 The remarkable love and success story of Nashville’s first full-time professional songwriters.

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

Presents

Jan. 6-18

Feb. 20–May 31

THEATER/OPERA/ SYMPHONY

NASHVILLE OPERA

Presents Turn of the Screw Jan. 24-26

NASHVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Presents Secret Soldiers: Civil War Heroines in Disguise Jan. 16- Feb. 3

La Bella Notte Saturday, Feb. 8, 6:30-10 p.m.

Hans Christian Andersen Feb. 20-March 15

Opera Club Sunday, Feb. 9, 2-5:30 p.m.

Evenings and weekends are open to the public. nashvillechildrenstheatre.org 25 Middleton St. ∂

Season tickets on sale now nashvilleopera.org 505 Deaderick St. ∂

Musician Spotlight: Joseph Wooten Sunday, Jan. 19, 1 p.m.

Ellen Angelico Sunday, Feb. 2, 1 p.m.

Jimmy Church Sunday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m.

Jason Coleman and Meagan Taylor Anderson Sunday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m.

Film Screenings: The Porter Wagoner Show Sunday, Jan. 19, 11 a.m.

Austin City Limits: Brooks & Dunn (2001) Sunday, Jan. 26, 11 a.m.

FRIST ART MUSEUM fristartmuseum.org 919 Broadway

Eric Carle’s Picture Books: Celebrating 50 Years of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” Through Feb. 23

The Nashville Flood: Ten Years Later Jan. 10–May 17

Multi-District School Art Show Jan. 25–Feb. 9

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

79

80

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

East Side C A L E N D A R

NASHVILLE REPERTORY THEATRE

RECURRING

Presents A Streetcar Named Desire Feb. 8-23

Ice Cream for Breakfast Coffee Social!

nashvillerep.org 161 Rains Ave. ∂

10-11 a.m., Feb. 1 and continuing on the first Saturday of every month through May See details in “Upcoming” section Registration required

NASHVILLE SYMPHONY nashvillesymphony.org One Symphony Place

Foreigner with the Nashville Symphony Jan. 16, 7 p.m.

Jan. 17-18, 8 p.m.

The Times They Are A-Changing: The Words and Music of Bob Dylan

9-10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 1

Mr. Bond’s Science Guys

Star Party with BSAS 6:30-8:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1 Registration required

Young Birder’s 4-H Club 9:30-11:30 a.m, Saturday, Feb. 8 Ages 10-18

Love Birds Pickin’ Party

Sunday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m.

1-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 15

Valentine’s with Patti Labelle

Bodyworks

Feb. 14, 8 p.m.

Beethoven’s Birthday Bash Feb. 20, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21-22, 8 p.m.

Feb. 23, 2 p.m.

!

10-11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 22 Ages 18 and up, registration required

LEAP Frog YEAR! 10-11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 29 Ages 6 and up, registration required

SHOP AROUND SUNDAY Sundays at Porter East

Noon to 4 p.m., First Sunday of every month, Shops 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 tunes, too.

700 Porter Road ᚔ

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 you’ll be dancing in the clover in no time. danceast.org

Sundays: DancEast 2-2:30 p.m., Beginner Class;

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 Bodyworks 10-11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 Ages 18 and up, registration required

Hunting Season 1-2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 Registration required

Annual NPL Seed Exchange 1-2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 25

Oh Rats!

2-3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 25

First Saturday Bird Friendly Coffee 9 a.m.- 12 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1 January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

81

East Side C A L E N D A R 2-3 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced Soft Shoe Class; 3-4 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced Hard Shoe Class

Eastwood Christian Church, Fellowship Hall 1601 Eastland Ave., 615.300.4388 ᚔ

ANSWER ME THIS

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

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 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

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

BLUEGRASS FED & BRED Bluegrass Wednesday Nights

8 p.m., Wednesdays, American Legion 82 The lineup changes each week, but you can check out their Facebook for the week’s pickers.

Admission is free, but tips are encouraged.

3202 Gallatin Pike, 615.228.3598 ᚔ

WALK, EAT, REPEAT Walk Eat Nashville

11 a.m., Fridays, Five Points K N A C K- FA C T O R Y. C O M I N F O @ K N A C K- FA C T O R Y. C O M NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

82

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

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.

East Side C A L E N D A R 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 ᚔ

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS

7 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, May 26 East Park Community Center 700 Woodland St.

HISTORIC EDGEFIELD NEIGHBORS

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

historicedgefieldneighbors.com Neighborhood Meeting

LOCKELAND SPRINGS N.A.

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 the East Precinct to talk about crime stats, trends, and other community issues.

974 Main St., 629.800.2050 ᚔ

WAIT FOR THE PUNCHWINE

Punchwine Comedy Hour

8 p.m., Every Third Friday, 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 nights — a laid-back evening of laughs brought to us by local comedian Connor Larsen.

The cost is 10 bucks and 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., Every Third Friday The Basement East QDP is a mixed bag of fashionably clad attendees (some in costume) dancing till they can’t dance no mo’. Shake your booty and let your true rainbow colors show. thebasementnashville.com 917 Woodland St., 615.645.9174 ᚔ

ONCE UPON A TIME …

Weekly Storytime

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

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

83

WE LOVE OUR GREAT CITY! {

A H E A R T F E LT M E S S AG E F RO M YO U R LOC A L I N DOO R A DV E R T I S I N G C O M PA N Y

w w w.Gr af fit iIndoorAd.com 84

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

}

East Side C A L E N D A R

SHELBY HILLS N.A. 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 their next meeting and happy hour.

Eastwood Christian Church 1601 Eastland Ave.

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

GREENWOOD N.A.

6 p.m., second Tuesday of every month 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 PARK N.A.

6:30 p.m., first Thursday of every month McFerrin Park Community Center (Location may vary though summer) 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 facebook.com/momsclubeastnashville

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

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

85

marketplace

Misty Waters Petak M.S., CFP ÂŽ, CLUÂŽ Financial Advisor (615) 479-6415 mistypetak.nm.com

86

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

marketplace

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

87

88

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

E A S T OF N O R M A L Out of the Mouths of Boors

BY TOMMY WOMACK

H

ow do! I hope you’re well. I thought I’d start this edition of “East of Normal” with a few simple truths, some of which you may well know about already, but some you might not. So here they are, simple truths …

TRUTH #1: The principle purpose of Rush Limbaugh is to make people feel more comfortable with their own prejudices.

TRUTH #2: The main effect of 30 years of incendiary talk radio jocks, people like Limbaugh, Phil Valentine, G. Gordon Liddy, is that they have fomented the hostile and combative political partisanship that is strangling dialogue in this country.

TRUTH #3: They haven’t been held responsible for how much they’ve contributed to the climate of our government and its resultant gridlock.

TRUTH #4: Any person who can talk nonstop about the same thing for three hours at a stretch, and do that five days a week, and again the next week, and the next, doesn’t know jack shit about what they’re talking about.

TRUTH #5: It is impossible to talk and learn at the same time.

Let’s talk about Rush Limbaugh’s résumé for a minute. It doesn’t take long to read it. CURRENT EMPLOYMENT: Bloviating gasbag. PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: Couldn’t get hired dog catcher. Screwed up every junior office job he ever had. Spent the last 30 years inciting animus upon liberals and Democrats, ‘feminazis’, and the ‘drive-by media’ (whatever the fuck that is). He gained his following in the early ’90s, just in time for the Clinton era. The hatred directed by Limbaugh at the Clintons was an invaluable factor in the pillory the right ceaselessly tried to lock the Clintons into. You think all the Republicans Limbaugh influenced toward vehement apoplexy didn’t make a difference in the climate of the electorate? Look at how his commentaries have affected conservative candidates and people already serving in Congress, who have taken cues for him and even changed their opinions after hearing Rush’s opinion on the radio, because Rush Limbaugh has eight trillion listeners on five planets. If he were an actual politician, he wouldn’t know his ass from his femur. If he worked at Cinnabon, he’d fuck up the butter cream icing.

Now, G. Gordon Liddy. Whoo boy, what a piece of work he is! I met him in college when I knew about as much about politics as I did quarks. Soon thereafter I read his (incredibly

self-serving) autobiography called Will, in which he bragged incessantly about his perfectly lived life. He has German lineage and remembers that as a child during the pledge of allegiance he had to remind himself to put his hand on his heart instead of sticking his arm out straight in a Nazi salute. “Will” is a buzzword Hitler was fond of. (See the film, Triumph of the Will). Liddy’s favorite song to sing, according to his book, is “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” a neo-Nazi anthem.

He didn’t just talk about politics, he took listener questions about anything, and he would have an immediate answer full of encyclopedic “expertise” on the subject. His guests were always saying, “Thank for your service to our country,” even when he has done nothing of positive service to our country, ever. The biggest-ever job he ever had was playing dirty tricks on Democratic candidates during the Nixon reelection campaign, and in his book, and statements since, he appears to have had no moral conflict at all with such a job. G. Gordon Liddy had one important mission in his entire life, and he screwed it up. His job was to burglarize the Democratic party office in the Watergate hotel and Tommy Womack is a plant a bug in it. Consider for a musician and writer. second that this was a hotel. A His current book, HOTEL! Where strangers pass dust bunnies, is each other in the hallways all day available at Grimey’s, and night long. And they STILL Parnassus, Amazon and tommywomack.com got caught. Liddy, in his perfectly formed logic, hired burglars who could screw up a one-car funeral procession. That is the only thing he ever accomplished — good or bad — in his entire life. He was the kid in eighth grade who always had his hand up, and he still is.

Phil Valentine? Our homeboy in the spew? Don’t know him. Don’t want to. I would imagine if he reads this, he might challenge me to a debate on the air. No way. He’d win. I can’t argue. I don’t think on my feet fast enough to give as good as I get. But what I CAN do — better than him I’ll bet — is think things through and write those thoughts down in a cogent enough screed. To wit, I refer you to my five truths at the top of the page. Have a good day. Keep the faith.

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

89

PARTING SHOT

The Sun Sets On 2019 New Year’s Eve | Shelby Avenue

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHUCK ALLEN

90

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020

January | February 2020 theeastnashvillian.com

91

Eddie@EddieFerrell.com WHEN BUYING OR SELLING REMEMBER TO USE SOMEONE THAT YOU TRUST. SOMEONE THAT LIVES ON THE EAST SIDE AND UNDERSTANDS SELLING THE EAST SIDE.

CALL, TEXT AND REFER EDDIE!

CALL OR STOP BY!

92

theeastnashvillian.com January | February 2020