The East Nashvillian 11.5 Sept-Oct 2021

K N OW YO U R N E I G H B O R : T R I S H A B R A N T L E Y

Joshua Black

Top Tomatoes WINNERS OF THE 2021 BEST OF EAST READERS' POLL

SEPT | OCT 2021 VOL. XI ISSUE 5

SOCIALIZES

+A

LICIA WITT

sees conduits through music & artistry

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S T I L L N E E D A D E S K F O R T H AT H O M E O F F I C E ?

G I V E U S A C A L L AT G O O D WO O D N A S H V I L L E FO R C U S TO M A N D I N S TO C K D E S K S .

13 07 D I C K E R S O N P I K E N A S H V I L L E T N 37 2 07 615 . 4 5 4 . 3 817 | G O O DWO O D N A S H V I L L E . C O M | M A I L @ G O O DWO O D N A S H V I L L E . C O M 4

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2021 BEST OF EAST NASHVILLE Best Elementary School We are grateful for the opportunity to serve East Nashville for 67 years. As our community has grown and changed, so have we. However, our foundation of providing children a safe and loving environment, academic excellence and opportunities to dream of great possibilities has remained the same.

Thank you for supporting us!

Learn more about Rosebank at www.rosebank.mnps.org

The Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, color, age, and/or disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, or activities. MNPS does not discriminate in its hiring or employment September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com practices.

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theeastnashvillian.com

Founder & Publisher

Contributing Writers

Lisa McCauley lisa@theeastnashvillian.com

Editor-in-Chief

Chuck Allen editor@theeastnashvillian.com

Managing Editor

Jack Evan Johnson jack@theeastnashvillian.com

Associate Editor

Randy Fox randy@theeastnashvillian.com

Jay Dmuchowski James Haggerty Andrew Leahey Megan Seling Tommy Womack Contributing Photographers

Lindsey Morgan Madison Thorn

Advertising sales@theeastnashvillian.com

Creative Director

Chuck Allen Layout & Design

Benjamin Rumble Photo Editor

Travis Commeau Illustrations

Benjamin Rumble Dean Tomasek Tommy Womack

Ad Design Benjamin Rumble Distribution Manager Whit Hubner

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.

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Contents

11.

12.

15.

On the Cover

21.

Joshua Black photograph by

Lindsey Morgan

22.

Winner Winner!

Chicken Dinner!

31.

40.

48.

50.

Editor’s Letter

by Chuck Allen

Astute Observations

by James “Hags” Haggerty

Matters of Development

By Randy Fox, Jack Evan Johnson & Megan Seling

Know Your Neighbor

Trisha Brantley

By Tommy Womack Cover Story

The Comedy Manifesto

Joshua Black supplies laughs with a purpose

By Randy Fox

Best of East

Top Tomatoes & Heirloom Honors

Alicia Witt:

Story of an artist

By Jack Evan Johnson

Out East Soundtrack Featuring Kashena Sampson

Curated by Andrew Leahey & Jay Dmuchowski

East of Normal

by Tommy Womack

This happened because we have the BEST MEMBERS who create a sense of DEEP COMMUNITY… we are HONORED to serve from the HEART.

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theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

Editor’s

Letter

A River Runs Through It by

Chuck

Allen

T

he days of my youth (aka the ’80s) were spent in the Belmont/Hillsboro neighborhood. Back then, the denizens of Nashville’s alternative music scene thrived in a neighborhood full of inexpensive rental houses and cool places to drink and hang out. Basically, the same vibe beckoning musicians from across the world to the East Nashville of today. Good luck finding a cheap rental house on Belmont Boulevard these days — or, for that matter, on the East Side.

East Nashville didn’t come across my radar until around ’84 when my housemates, Scott Nelson and Jeff Johnson, were making what would become the first Guilt EP at Richie Owens’ studio on Eastland Avenue. This was back in the pre-1998 tornado days when Eastland had a gorgeous tree canopy. The studio was located in the basement of the building now home to Samuri Sushi East. Jeff — who at the time was playing bass with Jason & The Nashville Scorchers — had grown up on Preston and went to East H.S., so he knew his way around.

Studio time was hard to come by, and Richie had a respectable set up. I’d tool around with Jeff in my brother’s VW Bug, and we tended to stick out dressed head-to-toe in black — including black fingernail polish.

But it was cool and no one hassled us. It was safer than Brentwood, where the cops didn’t want people like us around. There weren’t really any restaurants or bars to speak of except for Shirley’s. That joint was old-school working-class, but you were OK as long as you weren’t poncified. It subsequently became Slow Bar and then 3 Crow Bar. I don’t remember anyone calling it Five Points back then.

Woodland Studios was still a work-a-day, music-making machine, but otherwise there wasn’t much going on. The action was in the Hillsboro area.

It would be 20 years before I realized the deep musical history of the neighborhood. One of the early stories I wrote for the magazine was a profile of legendary bassist and Nashville Cat, Bob Moore. During a visit to his home for the interview, he regaled Lisa and me with tales of growing up off Shelby Avenue during the Great Depression: working as an usher at what was then Woodland Theater; carrying his double bass over the Woodland Street bridge into downtown for WSM radio sessions; pick-up softball games in Shelby Park where Patsy Cline would bring a trunkload full of beer.

Which leads me to what I find “Best” about East Nashville: It’s a neighborhood with vast musical roots, steeped in history. Plus, I like the sidewalks.

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Astute Observations

by James “Hags” Haggerty

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE

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W

elcome to the “Astute Observations: Best of East” edition! I had a conversation with intrepid East Nashvillian editor Chuck Allen a few days ago during which he graciously reminded me that I had a deadline looming. "When,” I asked? “Soon,” he said.

As you may know, I’ve been spending my summer in The Berkshires, tucked into the mountainous border between New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Tania and I have been working on a rental property here and enjoying the cool, fresh summer breezes and the blue state vibes. Also, weed is legal and available right down the street at the corner store and I like to take walks. Fitness first, friends.

{

It will be easy, it’s the ‘Best of East’ issue!

—C. Allen

{

Easy?! Geez, where to begin? What do I love best about East Nashville? It’s often been said, there is the family you are born into and there is the family you choose. It’s been 20-plus years since I made the trek from Green Hills to Lockeland Springs and 15 since I filled up the ’84 Saab with a hatchback full of records for the quick jog to a cozy Riverwood cottage in lovely Inglewood (it’s where we want to live).

My chosen family are all less than five miles from my door, and most are within walking distance. Hell, I could throw a rock off my front stoop and hit a killer band in its trajectory faster than you can say “Roy Acuff for Governor!”

Certain cities have an energy independent of their citizenry. Manhattan comes to mind.

I have always believed that what makes our city and our neighborhood special are its residents. Collectively, we form a unique, vibrant, well-spring of energy that attracts and nurtures creativity.

Take, for example, Slow Bar, Tomato Art Fest, The Family Wash, Prince’s, Thirth of July, The Hip Zipper, Peninsula, Bolton’s, Margot, Bailey and Cato, and Mas Tacos, each a fantastic independent entity dreamed up and brought to fruition by neighborhood folks for neighborhood folks.

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

We are a city full of geeks. Music geeks, art geeks, food geeks, computer geeks — these are the people that I love to be around. I think East Nashville encapsulates a fiercely independent spirit. We are a community that supports a great idea. Whether it’s a night of pop wizardry by Jim Hoke at The 5 Spot or some fresh vintage duds curated by Nikki Lane, I can cruise around my neighborhood and find something to geek out about.

I can hop on my bike and be on the greenway or I can pop by Grimey’s to pick up some new tunes. I can stop by Joe Pisapia’s studio and cut a record — maybe Pat Sansone will want to cut that Caetano Veloso song? I can drop by Jim Herrington’s for a gourmet Italian meal or a portrait of Dolly.

Michael Weintrob always has something vibrant and interesting going on. Maybe I’ll stop by the Silvermans’ for some tasty jams and beautiful, thought-provoking paintings. I can do it all without leaving my neighborhood. C’est magnifique!

These stream of consciousness days that start off like any other and magically morph into the marvelous are what I love best.

These days, my vision may be obscured by cranes and overcrowded, hastily constructed homes on tiny lots. My mailbox may be stuffed with “handwritten” offers of a quick cash sale (any condition!).

Truth be told, I find them mildly offensive, but they do make great fire starters for my backyard grill; reduce, reuse, recycle — that’s my motto!

The greed and the garishness of new Nashville are certainly on full display for us all to shake a fist at (super-spreader parties in tall skinnies), but what made me fall in love with Nashville 25 years ago is what keeps me here to this day.

When I step back and think about the years I’ve spent living in East Nashville, it’s the gigs, sessions, house parties, barbecues, pool parties, and weddings that I remember most. The shared joy in the good times and the love and support in the hard times fill my memory. In short, it’s the people, and we ain’t leaving. We can’t afford to!

Hags is a bass player, bread maker, and regular contributor to The East Nashvillian.

He summers at his idyllic retreat — known fondly as “The Exile on East Main Street” — in North Adams, Mass.

Nashville’s natural & locally-owned grocer.

Providing fresh, local, wholesome foods to the community since 2001

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Thanks for Naming Me the Top Tomato / #1 Attorney in East Nashville!

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ATTORNEY & MED IAT OR

jessica@tnaf l.com 615.896.2022 @tnfamilylaw www.tnaf l.com

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theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

Architecture | Custom Design | Historic Renovation 6I5.76I.9902 nineI2architects.com

Matters of Development SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2021

By Megan Seling, Jack Evan Johnson, and Randy Fox New & Noteworthy The Ironwood Grove Hotel, Nashville’s first micro-house hotel concept opened in July at 999 Riverside Dr. The “hotel” is actually comprised of six tiny homes designed by New Frontier Tiny Homes, which is owned and operated by Nashville native David Latimer, and styled by designer Angela Goedde, owner of the local vintage shop Turchese.

Despite their small size, property operator Erin Wolff says Ironwood’s rentals are “more robust” than a traditional hotel — some rooms have full kitchens with a dishwasher, and guests also have access to a communal courtyard with a fire pit, a dining area, and other outdoor seating to accommodate small, private gatherings.

Ironwood also highlights several East Nashville-based businesses in every room.

“All of our soaps and bath and body products come from local, zero-waste shop, The Good Fill,” Wolff said. “We partner with local coffee roaster Good Citizen for our Ironwood Coffee Blend that is stocked for all of our guests. In addition, guests can add on boutique fitness classes with local studios like 7 Minutes Fitness and Cycle Haus, local catering folks at In Good Company can stock your tiny house

with midnight snacks or breakfast pastries, and we have partnerships with a local tour company to take guests to the favorite local hot spots.”

For more info, photos, and to book reservations, visit Ironwood online at ironwoodgrove.com.

The Up-Down Arcade opened their doors in August at 927 Woodland St. after having to pause construction for more than a year due to the 2020 tornado and COVID-19.

The bar and arcade, which also has locations in Des Moines, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Oklahoma City, features more than 80 arcade games from the ’80s and ’90s, pinball machines, four classic skee-ball alleys, Nintendo 64 console gaming, life-size Jenga and Connect Four, and a large, pet-friendly rooftop patio. The menu includes dozens of different beers on tap and pizza by the slice, topped with things like macaroni and cheese and jalapeno poppers. Follow Up-Down on Instagram @updownnash for hours and updates.

River Queen Voyages, the company that brought kayaking adventures to the stretch of the Cumberland River between downtown and the Shelby Greenway, officially launched their Pedal Pontoon service in July. The new service provides a river cruise with a United

States Coast Guard (USCG) certified Master Captain with food, drinks and a views of the Nashville skyline. For more info visit River Queen Voyages online at rqvoyages.com.

Guerilla Bizkits are now open in their new storefront at Shoppes on Fatherland (1006 Fatherland St., Suite 207). Along with vegan biscuits and coffee, they’re selling records.

More info and hours online at bizkits.biz and on Instagram @guerillabizkits.

Finally, it’s not a new business but a new brand of a beloved product, made right here in East Nashville by thousands of dedicated workers. In August, The Turnip Truck debuted Raw Wildflower Honey. The sweet, natural product is harvested from nine East Nashville rooftop hives. To pick up a jar, stop by The Turnip Truck’s East Nashville location at 701 Woodland St. Closings & Moves The International Tea and Coffee Company has officially moved into their new, larger space at Shoppes on Fatherland (1006 Fatherland St., Suite 105B). Over the winter the Pavillion East event space was renovated and reworked to accommodate larger shop spaces. Rusty Rats Antiques moved into one of the other new storefronts earlier this year.

The new spaces are 800-square-feet, almost triple the 300-square-foot spaces both International Tea and Coffee Company and Rusty Rats occupied before. International Tea and Coffee Company’s owner Laura Thompson says having the extra space has allowed her to expand the shop’s menu. There are more espresso drink and tea latte options, she says, and she now offers seating, a pastry case with treats from In Good Company and Something Sweet, and more retail space for houseplants, art by local artists (she is currently carrying pieces by jazz musician Monica Shriver), and honey, coffee, and spices from other local vendors.

International Tea & Coffee is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Follow them on Instagram @intlteaandcoffeeco for drink specials and updates.

Popular East Nashville dive bar and karaoke hangout Fran’s East Side is the latest East Side institution to fall victim to gentrification.

Frances Adams, Fran’s 70-something proprietress, was recently informed that her lease would not be renewed for the property at 2105 Greenwood Ave. which Fran’s has occupied for 13 years.

A GoFundMe has been set up, with the goal of raising $50,000 to help with the move and other mounting expenses. To contribute, visit gofund.me/b5edd1dd and for more info →

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Matters of Development and updates, follow the Instagram account of Fran’s karaoke master and promoter, Gowa, @gowagram.

A 250-unit apartment complex planned for Dickerson Pike is poised to displace a local non-profit organization that houses and feeds the homeless. Rychus Rydz, a car club and 501(c)(3) charitable organization, has been headquartered at 1411 Dickerson Pike for

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nearly a decade. The organization offers various forms of assistance and mentoring for the homeless, convicted felons, and at-risk youth.

It has nine chapters throughout Tennessee.

The property, along with neighboring 1413 Dickerson Pike and three other nearby parcels, was purchased Aug. 17, for a combined price of $6.85 million. The developer behind the acquisition, Nashville-based real estate

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

investment firm Wedgewood Avenue, plans to break ground on the mixed-used development in March. Wedgewood Avenue principal, Beau Fowler said the project is expected to take 20 months to complete.

A project overlay on the developer’s website shows one of the future complex’s five buildings sitting where the Rychus Rydz building currently sits. “We intend to redevelop the property, so we are going to build apartments there,” Fowler said. When asked if there was any concern that an organization housing the homeless was going to be displaced by the development, Fowler simply stated that the project, “is public knowledge,” and would not offer more on the matter.

It may be public knowledge if you know where to look, but when contacted on Aug. 25, Rychus Rydz founder and CEO Shawn’a Hatcher told The East Nashvillian she had no knowledge of the sale or the development and had not been told by anyone that the organization may have to move.

Rychus Rydz is currently housing five individuals at the 1411 Dickerson Pike location.

The organization also hosts blood drives, clothing drives, and community litter pickups, and puts on charitable events, including comedy shows, talent shows, car shows, and flea markets. In its efforts to help people, Rychus Rydz also partners with other local charitable organizations, including Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Hatcher says she does not know what she will do if Rychus Rydz has to move. It has been difficult receiving funding and other assistance. “If anyone has a house they wanna give me, I just wanna help people,” she said. For more info, follow Rychus Rydz on Instagram @rychusrydz.

Residents of East Nashville’s Berkshire Place Apartments, 1500 Porter Road, will not know if they have to move, making way for a new development, until next year, according to District 7 Councilmember Emily Benedict.

Berkshire Place currently has 195 apartments, all Section 8 eligible. The property owner, First Cumberland Properties, plans to tear it down and build a mixed-use development, called “Porter Hill,” that may have as many as 750 apartments, plus retail and restaurants. It will not be Section 8 eligible, though the developer has pledged that an unspecified portion of the housing at the new Porter Road development will be affordable, workforce housing. Porter Hill is scheduled to be completed in 2025 or 2026.

Before work can begin, the property owner must first transfer a Department of Housing and Urban Development contract, providing vouchers for the complex’s Section 8 eligible housing, to a new property in Madison. →

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE

Best of East Award-Winners Compass is proud to be the home of Best Real Estate Agent, Robbie Drimmer. Hand-selected for their tenure, values, and entrepreneurial spirit, Compass Nashville agents are transforming East Nashville’s search and sell experience.

Compass RE is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. To reach the Compass RE office, call 615.475.5616.

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Matters of Development The outcome of this transfer is expected to be known in January, Councilmember Benedict said, adding, “If that application is denied, then nothing happens.”

The property owner aims to move residents, which include the elderly and children, to a new complex it plans to build on North Dupont Avenue in Madison called Birchstone Village, scheduled to be completed in 2023.

Once completed, residents will receive notice that they have to vacate the East Nashville property.

“I think the big thing that people need to understand is nobody is being evicted,” Benedict says. “When it’s time, they will get at least 90 days’ notice. Their moving expenses are covered, and they will get a $200 voucher for the day.”

Coming Soon A barn raising event, with music and accolades, was held Aug. 6 for The Roots Barn, the massive state-of-the-art venue at 303 Madison Station Blvd., Madison, that will be the new “forever home” of Music City Roots television and radio show.

The new venue will be a 60-foot-tall structure made of 100-year-old barn wood and will hold up to 600 people. Set to open in spring 2022, the Barn will be part of a new Madison campus that includes the historic Amqui Station. Built in 1910, the once-functional train depot was purchased by Johnny Cash in 1979 and relocated to his property in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where it remained until his death.

Music City Roots, which aired on PBS and WMOT Roots Radio, has been on hiatus since leaving The Factory at Franklin in 2017. Three ongoing concert series are planned for The Roots Barn: Music City Roots (Wednesdays), Sunday Soul Brunch (hosted by The McCrary Sisters), and Music City Roots Presents on Mondays, featuring new talent and surprise guests. The Roots Barn will also be booked as a traditional music venue.

“This is a place where some amazing things will happen, new talent will be discovered and classic veterans will have a place to play,” said Nancy VanReece, Vice President of Public Affairs and Business Development for Roots Productions and Metro Councilperson for District 8. For more info and updates, follow Music City Roots on Facebook and Instagram @musiccityroots.

Denver-based breakfast restaurant chain, Snooze A.M. Eatery recently announced they will be opening their first Tennessee location in Hunters Station at 975 Main St. Snooze A. M. will be located in a previously unoccupied building adjacent to the main Hunters Station structure.

Snooze A.M. Eatery specializes in breakfast and brunch, with approximately 50 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas.

Edley’s Bar-B-Que recently announced they will be opening a new location in Donelson at 2717 Lebanon Pike. Edley’s Donelson will mark the sixth location for the chain, with five in Tennessee and one in Illinois.

This comes on the heels of Edley’s announcing plans for their first Williamson County location in the Berry Farms neighborhood, and plans to move their East Nashville location from 908 Main St. to the new Magnolia Investment Partners development at 1000 Woodland St. in Five Points. For more info, visit Edley’s online at edleysbbq.com.

Harpeth Hall educates young women to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably.

Join us for Preview Day Sunday, Nov. 7 Campus tours and student visits begin late September for students applying for the 2022-2023 school year For more information: admission@harpethhall.org

HarpethHall.org

A college preparatory school for girls in grades 5-12 • Financial aid available 3801 Hobbs Road • Nashville, TN • 615-297-9543

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theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

Trisha

BRANTLEY B Y

T O M M Y

KNOW your NEIGHBOR

W O M A C K

“I’ve

been in this neighborhood a long time, 22 years — bought my first house in 1997 — and I’ve seen a lot of changes.

I can tell you where everything used to be. I sang at the Radio Café. I ate at Sasso. I was here for both tornadoes.

There are people who moved here before me who I respect tremendously because people were terrified to come over here, much less live. I’ve been held up at gunpoint over here. I’ve got stories that you don’t want to hear. But there’s no place else I’d want my business. I’m still here because I love the neighborhood. I’ve seen so many changes and I understand the concept of impermanence. Nothing is sure except change. Somebody once sang, ‘changes aren’t permnent, but change is.’” — Trisha Brantley

“Vintage clothing will always be in fashion,” Trisha Brantley, owner/operator of The Hip Zipper on Forrest Avenue said in a recent interview. “It’s never going to stop. The t-shirts we’re wearing right now, our grandkids are going to die for. And the rules are, there are no rules. Anything goes in vintage because you get to express yourself. And it’s a green form of shopping.

It keeps old things out of landfills.”

The Hip Zipper, which happens to sit right next to The 5 Spot, is known to be a go-to place for anything your nostalgic sartorial yen might have a hankering for, whether it be coats, slacks, the perfect sequined dress for next week’s party, that Grace Kelly fedora … and oh, those shoes! The store is a bit on the small side, yes, but that only accentuates the bounty there to be found.

You don’t stroll around between the racks of coats and dresses; you shimmy sideways through them.

“I try to have a balance of everything,” said Brantley.

“And it’s not that I try to be all things to all people, but I want to have as big of a selection as I can. I try to keep it as affordable as possible. My prices are based on what I must pay for things. I try to offer a good selection of men’s clothing and good women’s pieces that you can incorporate into your wardrobe — whether you are an all-vintage clothing person or whether you’d like to add vintage to your wardrobe and incorporate it and make your style an individual style — so that people don’t know what you’re wearing is vintage and what is new.

Trisha Brantley in the doorway of her vintage clothing store, The Hip Zipper.

Photograph by Madison Thorn

“One of the things I ask my staff to do is to ask where people are from,” she continued. “And most of my customers right now are from out of town because East Nashville is a tourist destination.”

Brantley, a talented singer with a winning smile, was raised in Dallas and came to Nashville on a music scholarship from Lipscomb University in 1987. It translated not into fame and fortune, but a slew of music business jobs at various labels and agencies. She is a charter member of famed specialist cover band Guilty Pleasures, and her responsibilities in the band show off her can-do nature.

“I’m in charge of doing the setlist, I’m in charge of putting all the background vocals together, I’m in charge of the LLC, doing the guest list, making sure everybody’s on stage when they’re supposed to be, and I’m in charge of paying everybody, doing all the tax stuff, and I’m also the one who passes out the Ritalin.”

Along with selling clothes, tending her backyard vegetable garden, being Guilty Pleasures’ cat-herder and drug mule, and indulging her passion for hot yoga five or six times a week, has she herself changed along with the neighborhood? Well, I guess we all do. But, as she says, “It’s just the nature of life. You learn to evolve with it, and that’s okay. I’m happy just to have been a part of it here.”

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Comedy M THE

Joshua Black keeps a watchful eye on socials at his favorite cigar shop, Smokers Abbey.

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theeastnashvillian.com theeastnashvillian.com September September || October October 2021 2021

Manifesto JO SH U A

BLACK

SUPPLIES

LAUGHS

WI TH A P U R P O S E Fed up with the “New” East Nashville and need a good laugh? Just Google “@sirjoshuablack East Nashville” and follow the link to Nashville comedian Joshua Black’s Twitter feed. In a video lasting less than two-and-ahalf-minutes, Black cheerfully turns the screws on coffee shops, upscale ramen noodle joints, hipster witch hats, well-intentioned but clueless liberals, drunken hijinks at The Cobra, blue-haired hot yoga girls, facial-hair haute couture, capitalism, and the revenge weed dealers take on their customers for gentrifying their grandmama’s house — not to mention a call for the equal veneration of Starlito and Dolly Parton.

This brilliant comedic take on East Side sensibilities was instrumental in the meteoric rise of Black’s career over the last year. But tucked away in Black’s machine-gun delivery of quips is a genuine affection and respect for the people, places, and peccadilloes he punctures. Dive a little further and you’ll find a full spectrum of cultural touchpoints, knowledge of history, and degrees of empathy one might not expect in a young comic. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

BY RANDY FOX

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDSEY MORGAN

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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Black surveys the landscape from the rooftop dining area of Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish

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theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

“My background, my reading, and rap music are all tied into how I now write jokes,” said Black.

“I observe, I write down, and then I project. My path has shown me that you need to keep an open mind to everything. Because you never know where it will lead.

The only reason I’m doing comedy now is because I wanted to go on a cheap date.”

A cheap date may have been the inflection point, but the road to success began many years earlier. A native of North Nashville, Black grew up in a closeknit, working-class family. “My mom was a nurse, and my family was 90-percent women,” he said. “Me, my grandad, and a cousin were the only men. We all lived in the same area over by Ted Rhodes Golf Course in North Nashville. My grandma lived a street over, and my aunt lived another street over.”

As an only child, Black often relied on his own resources for entertainment. “I hated being an only child until I was about 10 or 11 and then I loved it because I didn’t have to share Christmas gifts with brothers or sisters,” he said with a laugh. “I was lonely sometimes, but it shaped my perspective. I can be alone for quite a long time. Drop me off in the desert with a cellphone and I’ll be completely satisfied.”

The sense of satisfaction didn’t carry over into school, however. “I was so bored I would misbehave,” he admits. “I was a smart kid, I picked up on things quick, but I had no study habits. I went to decent schools, but no teacher ever got me excited about learning anything. I just wanted to pass funny notes to somebody and make them laugh. If the teacher was marking something on the board and the class started laughing, I was the guy that always got kicked out — even if it wasn’t me that time. I was a mess.”

His skill at basketball enabled Black to attend a variety of both public and private schools that led to a scholarship at Milligan College in East Tennessee, but a lack of focus continued dogging him. “I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he said. “My friends were going to nursing school or majoring in business administration or marketing — I had no idea. I took psychology because I like how the human brain works, but I had no end goal, so there was nothing that kept me up at night doing homework. I ended up dropping out and somehow got into MTSU, ended up leaving there and going to Nashville State, and while I was there, I bumped into the book The 48 Laws of Power.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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Caffeinating the thought process at Portland Brew East

JOSHUA BLACK’S “BEST OF EAST” Swinging while drinking at Rosemary & Beauty Queen

musician

Starlito shopping

Apple & Oak restaurant

The best-selling self-help book by Robert Greene has been praised by many hip-hop artists, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and athletes for its frank discussion of the nature of power and the simple “laws” governing the behavior of powerful individuals. It’s also been criticized for its veneration of ruthlessness. For Black, it was the gateway to a new world of knowledge.

“The book changed my life,” said Black. “I read it in a day, and it taught me so much about perspective, the power of confidence, the power of public speaking, how to politic. My mind was blown by it, and it made me think, ‘If this book can teach me this, what can other books teach me?’”

Reading became Black’s new obsession — self-help books, history, philosophy, and more. “Of course, after dropping out of college, wasting scholarships, and my mom wasting all this money on me, I suddenly had an appreciation for reading,” he said. “I became a huge book nerd. I had started working on becoming a hip-hop musician, and I was able to incorporate what I was learning into my music, making it better.”

For the next six years, Black pursued a career in music but made little headway in Nashville’s small but vibrant hip-hop scene. “I did music for six years, thinking it was my passion in life,” he said. “I’d wake up every morning and do the same thing — read, smoke weed, and then write, write, write every day, but the gatekeepers were not letting me in. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 26

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish coffee

Portland Brew East bar

Rosemary & Beauty Queen dog hangout

Shelby Park art gallery

Red Arrow Gallery comedy

The East Room cigar

Smokers Abbey dessert

The Cake Project

“

I’ll take what I know, take what the activists

are saying, and make it more digestible, and push an agenda to help working class people.

” "Shoot Nothing But Picture Leave Nothing But Footprints"

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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My mom hated it, and my entire family was like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Having a dream of doing something spectacular wasn’t even a reality to them. They just thought I was lazy.”

The doubts and frustrations weren’t just coming from his family. “Even though my family was successful, we were surrounded by poverty. Because of how America is set up, there is poverty around every Black neighborhood. As I was growing up my mom would see people she went to school with and they would be a crackhead or look crazy, but when my mom knew them, they were a regular person.

So in the back of my mind, I would think, ‘That could be me.’”

With pressures from within and without, Black was faced with an all-too-common choice for creative people closing in on their thirties. Continue chasing a dream full-time or find a “real job.” When his grandfather suggested he apply for a job with the Metro Fire Department, Black did so and joined the force in 2017.

“It was good pay and benefits, and it’s a noble profession,” said Black. “My family was now proud of me, but in the back of my mind I was thinking, technically, it had nothing to do with me. I didn’t earn it. Four thousand people filled out an application and they pick 30, so I was stable but still felt unfulfilled.”

Creative fulfillment was waiting just around

28

the corner, however, starting in the early months of 2018. “I wanted to go on a cheap date with my girl, and I saw there was a free open mic night at Bobby’s Idle Hour,” said Black. “This one comedian was roasting the hell out of me randomly. I had to kinda laugh so it didn’t seem like I was offended, but it wasn’t really funny. I was thinking, ‘I could do better than that.’ So I signed up that night just to get back at him.

I was only partially funny, but because of my music and all the self-help books I’d read, I knew how to project my voice and command a room. After my set people were asking me, ‘How long have you been doing this?’”

The reaction to his impromptu performance made him eager to repeat the experience. After a few more open mic appearances, stand-up was his new obsession. “I dived deep into comedy — studying the history and trying to find my voice. I had favorite comics but never studied it or thought about it. I was always the edge killer in my family. If things got too heavy, I could lighten it a bit by saying something funny. I was also a storyteller; I had several cousins, but I was the one my grandma would always call over to tell a funny story to people.

Stand-up is much the same thing — a little harder but much more fun.”

Black’s confidence on stage and his ability to read a room were essential skills for a stand-up comic. And while hip-hop culture supplied

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

much of his voice, another personal passion provided focus.

“Around the time Trump got elected I also dove deep into politics and history,” said Black.

“I pretty much gave up when he got elected.

It felt like America didn’t give a fuck about Black people so where was the solution? I started studying the Black Panthers, and that led me to the history of socialism and revolutionary thought and theory. It made me understand that capitalism, and even hip-hop culture because of capitalism, was telling me if you’re working class, you’re kind of a bozo and clearly lazy because you didn’t work hard enough — like the rich guys. Socialism taught me the real hard workers are the working class — that’s the backbone of the country. It gave me a greater respect for my family, my neighborhood, and myself. It also gave me hope for white people, because they’re being manipulated too — capitalism needs racism to survive.”

Even before his comedy conversion moment, Black was becoming more politically active, first with the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America and then with the Nashville chapter of Communist Party USA, both multi-racial organizations.

“I was trying to work politics into my jokes, but with Trump in office every comedian was talking about politics,” said Black. “So it was what we call ‘hack’ or just easy. You would think Trump would be great for comedians, and he was for the first year, but then there was this wave of political comedians who only talked about Trump. I didn’t want to be lumped in with them.

“I wanted to be an activist, so I decided to be a propagandist. I’ll take what I know, take what the activists are saying, and make it more digestible, and push an agenda to help working-class people. I’m doing something that counts, I’m doing it purposefully, and I’m trying to get funnier.”

With his purpose squarely in place, Black began building his career, but as with his education, Black found his own path through a DIY work ethic. “The traditional route is to get in with your hometown club, be an opener for somebody big, go on tour, become a star yourself, and it’s made. I reached out to Zanies and they’re like, “Who are you?” I had too much pride to play the game and fight to get into the clubs, so I decided to do my own shit, throw my own shows. I found a venue in Germantown, did my first show, and it went great.”

After experimenting with booking name acts with himself as the opener, Black hit upon the idea of promoting themed shows utilizing a collective of local talent to attract audiences — all black comics, all women, roast battles — with himself as the host. The shows made money, promoted fellow comics, and gave him a chance to sharpen his skills and raise his profile.

“I would look hard for the venues and keep expenses cheap, and the cover charge low,” said Black. “I decided to try the idea in other cities and did a show in Atlanta and 80 people showed up, so I was going to take it on the road. I booked shows in Charlotte, Miami, and Chattanooga, and right when I was about to go to Chattanooga, COVID hit and everything shut down.”

The arrival of a pandemic obviously devastated the live entertainment industry, forcing comics, musicians, and other performance artists to scramble for alternative, virtual venues.

While many established artists turned to livestreams as a source for income and connecting with fans, it was far more challenging for up-and-coming artists like Black, just beginning to build a reputation.

Black had effectively used social media to promote his live shows and experimented with a few short comedy videos, but his experience was limited. In fact, social media had landed him in hot water when a prank phone call clip with the owner of a now nationally notorious local hat store complained to the Fire Department, leading to an eight-day suspension without pay for Black. But any hesitancy Black had about social media comedy changed when a discussion on Twitter about whether Madison qualified as “Out East” [a traditional nickname for East Nashville] sparked the idea for his East Nashville video.

“The video got about 2,000 likes,” said Black. “I tried again with a video about North Nashville, and it did even better. I was hitting on another level because I know all types of people from all types of cultures from going to so many schools.”

The ability to appeal across cultural lines and fearlessness for tipping social and political sacred cows on the right and left are valuable weapons for any comic. When Black delivers it in his rapid-fire manner, it’s a salvo that can inspire both belly laughs and moments of clarity. It’s a beacon of compassion, understanding, and common-sense truths in the scorchedearth landscape of post-Trump America. Think of it as Will Rogers meets free verse hip-hop.

The success of multiple “neighborhood videos” soon led to other topics: Nashville hot chicken and cultural appropriation; the GOP’s fanatical love for guns; the importance of respecting service workers; and even a sitdown interview with former Mayor Megan Barry — perhaps the most insightful and funniest interview with a scandal-tainted politician ever recorded. Black’s stealthy approach to political comedy finds its sharpest expression in his street interview videos.

“It’s probably the most awkward type of comedy I do,” said Black. “My cameraman hates them. Luckily, I’m a tall Black dude, and people are scared of me, so they don’t immediately go to wanting to start a fight. I call it ‘Black Privilege.’ Plus, I’m smiling and try to be

disarming by starting with something ridiculous like, ‘I’m with Fox News, you hate Trump, right?’ Plus, a lot of people have something they want to get off their chest, especially on the right. They feel like they’re not heard, so they want to talk to people on the left. A guy in a MAGA hat tapped me on the shoulder and asked me what we were doing. He wanted to talk and tell me how good Trump is. I was like, ‘Perfect!’ Those moments are great.

As the likes, shares, and retweets multiplied with each video, Black quickly found himself becoming an internet celebrity, which led to a monthly headlining show at Nashville’s premiere comedy club, Zanies, as well as gigs at other venues. It also opened the door to a partnership with the Frist Art Museum.

“Art has become intimidating to most people,” said Black. “If you don’t know anything about it you can feel like you’re too dumb to appreciate art. The Frist reached out to me after I did a piece on the Nashville art scene.

I wanted it to be funny but also accurate in reflecting the scene, so I reached out to several artists to get their advice.”

Impressed with Black’s informed but funny style, the Frist asked him to do something similar for their recent Picasso exhibit and then allowed him to “take over” the museum for a running commentary of the museum’s “Creating the American West in Art” exhibit.

As for the future, Black is still looking to grow his career, but with the emphasis still on purpose rather than specific goals. “When I first dove into politics, my girl used to say, ‘What are you planning to do with this?’” said Black. “I didn’t know, but now I realize there was a purpose. If the universe calls you toward something, go to it. COVID taught me to be real loose with long-term plans and be open to opportunities. My five-year plan is I want to become great at whatever I’m doing and always be ready to go down a detour that might be my real path.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Joshua Black will provide questionable dating advice, among other things, when he performs at Zanies on September 22.

@sirjoshuablack >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LOCAL EYECARE. INDEPENDENT EYEWEAR.

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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Best ast! of & W

W

TOP TOMATOES HEIRLOOM HONORS

elcome to the inaugural Best of East Awards, fellow travelers of the East Side! Herein you'll find both Top Tomatoes, as well as Heirloom Honors. The Top Tomatoes won the most votes cast through our online ballot. Heirloom Honors are an honorable mention award for businesses deserving recognition for coming in a very close second (and, in some cases, third).

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who took their time to cast a ballot, and congratulations to the 2021 winners.

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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BEST OF EAST '21

&

Victuals Libations

Asian Cuisine

Two Ten Jack

Hawkers Asian Street Food Bakery

Sweet 16th Bakery Bartender

Jim Popp Lockeland Table Brandy Flowers Margot Cafe & Bar Coral Sherwood The 5 Spot

Brewery

East Nashville Beer Works

Smith & Lentz | Southern Grist Chef

Margot McCormack Cocktails

Attaboy

The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club

Bar

Coffee Shop

Duke’s

Sip Café

top tomato

heirloom honors tie!

Inglewood Lounge Pearl Diver BBQ

Edley's Bar-B-Que Beer Selection

top tomato tie!

East Nashville Beer Works Nobles Kitchen & Beer Hall Breakfast/Brunch

Margot Café & Bar 32

Ugly Mugs Coffee & Tea Deli

Mitchell Delicatessen Dive Bar

Dino’s

Donut Shop

East Park Donuts and Coffee Family Friendly Restaurant

Boombozz Craft Pizza & Taphouse Gas Station Beer Selection

4 Stop Market 4 Way Market

Greek or Mediterranean

Greko Greek Street Food

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

Lockeland Table

Voted

top tomato Best Restaurant

& Best Happy Hour +

heirloom honors Best Patio Dining

Hot Chicken

Pizza

Five Points Pizza Quick Eats

Hunters Station Sandwich

Mitchell Deli Seafood

Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish

Boston Commons

Italian

Margot Café & Bar

Nicoletto's Italian Kitchen Juice Bar

Urban Juicer Latin American/ Mexican

El Fuego Restaurante Liquor Store

Sinkers Beverages Meat & Three

Doll’s Family Cafe

The Nashville Biscuit House New Restaurant in 2021

Bite A Bit

Shep's Delicatessen

Restaurant for Romance

Once Upon a Time in France

Vegetarian/Vegan

The Wild Cow

Wine Selection

Woodland Wine Merchant

Patio Dining

top tomato

El Fuego Restaurante

heirloom honors 3-way tie!

Lockeland Table | Lou | Lyra

musiccityroots.com September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

33

BEST OF EAST '21

Culture & Revelry

Art Gallery

The Red Arrow Gallery Festival or Event

Tomato Art Fest

The 5 Spot

Music Venue

Place to See Live Comedy

The Basement East

BUILT WITH INTEGRITY SERVING WITH RESPECT FREE ROOF INSPECTIONS CALL TODAY

(615) 200-7259

E2RoofingNashville.com VETERAN-OWNED

The East Room

Toddlers, Tykes, & Teens Daycare or Pre-K

​Holly Street Daycare Elementary School

Family Friendly Festival or Event

Tomato Art Fest

Rosebank Elementary School

Place for Music Lessons

Lockeland Elementary School

Fanny's House of Music

Junior High

School of Dance

Meigs Academic Magnet Middle School

DancEast

High School

Syndle Musselwhite Jenny Martin

East Nashville Magnet H.S. License # : 76479

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Place to Go Dancing

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

Teacher

top tomato tie!

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

35

LIGHT THE NATIONS MUSIC • FOOD • NEIGHBORS • KIDS + FAMILY ACTIVITIES • LUMINARY BAGS • AND MORE!

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theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

LIGHTTHENATIONSNASHVILLE.COM

BEST OF EAST '21

​ ry Goods D & Sundries

Antique or Vintage (home decor)

Old Made Good (OMG)

East Nashville Antiques & Vintage Bookshop

The Bookshop Clothing - Kid’s

The Getalong

Gifts

Gift Horse

SEPTEMBER 20

BIG THIEF

WITH MIND MAINTENANCE

OCTOBER 3

RIVAL SONS WITH DOROTHY

OCTOBER 4

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS

Welcome Home

WITH BUFFALO NICHOLS

Grocery Store

Turnip Truck Natural Market

OCTOBER 21

PATTI SMITH

Hemp/CBD Store

LabCanna

OCTOBER 29 & 30

Hempsterville

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS WITH LINDSAY LOU

Musical Instruments top tomato

DELGADO GUITARS

NOVEMBER 3

DAUGHTRY

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS SEVENDUST AND TREMONTI

heirloom honors

EASTSIDE MUSIC SUPPLY FANNY’S HOUSE OF MUSIC

OCTOBER 17

EARTH WIND & FIRE WITH SPECIAL GUEST JORMA KAUKONEN

OCTOBER 24

Clothing - Men’s top tomato tie!

Backslide Vintage The Hip Zipper Clothing - Women’s

Welcome Home Record Store

WITH JEFF BABKO & THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS

NOVEMBER 24

Grimey’s New & Pre-loved Music Smoke Shop

Vinnie Louise

Smokers Abbey

Eyewear

Vintage Clothing

Look East

STEVE MARTIN & MARTIN SHORT

Home Goods

ZZ TOP DECEMBER 6

DREAM THEATER WITH SPECIAL GUEST ARCH ECHO

The Hip Zipper Anaconda Vintage

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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Paying It Forward

BEST OF EAST '21

Taking Care of Business top tomatoes

Barbershop

SCOUT’S BARBERSHOP Hair Salon

DANDELION SALON Accountant

Advanced Tax & Income Services Attorney

Jessica Doyle

Sawnie “Trip” Aldgredge

38

Auto Repair

H&H Automotive Care Nashville Auto Care

Bicycle Repair Shop

Shelby Ave. Bicycle Co.

Nonprofit Organization

East C.A.N

Nonprofit Fundraiser or Event

Yum! East

Hearth & Home

Architect

Plumber

(East Nashville Plumbing)

The Russell

Bootstrap Architecture + Construction Powell

Financial Institution

Arborist

Sharon Green

Nail Salon

Druid Tree Service Life & Limb Tree Care HVAC

Village Real Estate East Nashville

Dry Cleaners

Nicholson Cleaners Hotel

First Horizon Cured Nails

Tattoo Studio

Kustom Thrills Tattoo

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

top tomato tie!

top tomato tie!

Cumberland Cooling

Ron Gomez

Real Estate Agent top tomato tie!

Robbie Drimmer (Compass Real Estate)

(Keller Williams Realty)

Real Estate Company

Compass Real Estate

BEST OF EAST '21

Self Care Acupuncture

Encircle Acupuncture Chiropractor

The Spine Shop Dentist

East Side Smiles Doctor

Dr. Rozmond Lewis (East Nashville Family Medicine) Gym

Margaret Maddox YMCA Massage Therapist

Tyrus Arthur

Medical Clinic

East Nashville Family Medicine

Optometrist

Dr. Kathleen Brasfield (Look East)

Orthodontist

SmileMaker

Personal Trainer

Sarah Coomer Pharmacy

Riverside Village Pharmacy Pilates

Maeva Movement Place to Walk, Bike, Run

Shelby Park & Bottoms Yoga

Hot Yoga of East Nashville Kali Yuga Yoga

Domestic Critters Veterinary Clinic top tomato

MOBLEY VETERINARY CLINIC heirloom honors

5 POINTS ANIMAL HOSPITAL Pet Sitter

Dogs to Frogs Pet Store

Wags & Whiskers Place to Adopt a Pet

East C.A.N.

Veterinarian top tomato tie!

Dr. Josh Good (5 Points Animal Hospital) Dr. Summer Mobley (Retired; Mobley Veterinary Clinic)

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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Alicia Witt:

Story of An Artist

By Jack Evan Johnson Photography by Travis Commeau

40 40

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September September || October October 2021 2021 theeastnashvillian.com theeastnashvillian.com

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T

his is an Alicia Witt story. It is also, to a degree, a David Lynch story. It is not, however, a Lynchian story. There is one timeline and one reality. And on that timeline, and in that reality, David Lynch gave Alicia Witt her first acting role.

So, without David Lynch, there would be no Alicia Witt — at least not in the current reality, which is the only one, for journalistic purposes, we’re talking about here. Follow?

It was 40 years ago when Witt, a precocious, home-schooled five-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, performed the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet on a national television show in front of a live audience. “I loved being on stage, and parting was such a sweet sorrow,” she recalls. In short, that’s how she caught the acting bug, and that’s how the legendary filmmaker found her two years later, casting her in the intergalactic sci-fi behemoth, Dune.

“In the movie Dune, I needed a small girl,” said Lynch in a recent interview with The East Nashvillian. “So, there’s lots of small girls in the world, but this particular small girl had a genius IQ and memorized her part completely — memorized all kinds of different things, came in for an audition just completely understanding the whole script and her whole part.

She eventually memorized the entire script, knew everybody else’s lines, and so she was consequently very easy to work with, having this great understanding. So, it worked out really well — she was the right size with a mind that was able to be reasoned with.”

As Witt grew up, her body of work grew too. You may not know her name, but with an impressive filmography spanning more than three decades, you’ve seen her in something. Maybe it was Lynch’s groundbreaking television series Twin Peaks, in which he cast Witt at age 12 (and again for 2017’s Twin Peaks: The Return). Maybe you saw her in the ’90s sitcom, Cybill. Or The Sopranos. Or films like Urban Legend, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Vanilla Sky, and 88 Minutes (with Al Pacino). Recently, you may have seen her in Orange is The New Black, The Walking Dead, or the Netflix film, I Care a Lot. She’s quite good at her job — especially for someone with no formal acting training. But don’t take our word for it.

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“You know, as they say, some people have it, and some people don’t, and she obviously had it,” said Lynch. “But I think having this intellectual — this capacity, mental capacity — helps her understand the human condition, you know, quite a bit. And therefore, [she’s] able to at least know what to portray and finding a way to portray it; being a musician and a singer helps too, for timing and a feel.

And, so, she’s got a lot of things going for her. And when I work with her in the acting, she just is great. She’s unafraid, she understands the thing on a deep level and is able to pull it off.”

Adding to her talents, Alicia Witt is also an East Nashville-based musician — a pianist and singer-songwriter, who recently cracked the Billboard charts for the first time as an independent artist with a song she co-produced. “Chasing Shadows” is a wistfully romantic and autobiographical piano-pop jewel that Witt said is about “two broken people trying to repair themselves with each other.” It will be on her fifth album, The Conduit, out Sept. 24.

On top of that, she has a book coming out Oct. 5, a cookbook/memoir/ lifestyle guide, titled Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More PlantBased Foods, Peace & Power to Your Life (Harper Horizon).

“We’re lucky to have her in our neighborhood. She’s gifted and driven too,” said the poet laureate of East Nashville, Todd Snider. In May, the songwriters’ songwriter invited Witt, who has lived in East Nashville since 2017, to join his live stream at The Purple Building in Five Points. They did a duet of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” that’s worth watching for Witt’s piano solo alone.

But now we’re jumping ahead. We are messing up the timeline. Perhaps, we are getting Lynchian here. We haven’t even mentioned the fact that Witt was a classical piano prodigy, who won awards and began playing professionally at age 10, doing so until her acting career took off at 16. And we haven’t clearly and emphatically stated the fact Witt isn’t just some actor who decided to try her hand at music — her music and acting have been so intertwined, for so long, that these biographical threads cannot be unwoven.

You see, many of Witt’s acting roles

have showcased her musicality, from performing an awkward family piano recital as Donna Hayward’s younger sister Gersten on Twin Peaks; to years as a rebellious, teenage piano virtuoso on Cybill; to singing with Randy Newman on Ally McBeal; to, more recently, owning the stage as country star “Autumn Chase” on Nashville. In muso-speak, the girl has chops — she even learned the clarinet to play a struggling young clarinetist in Mr. Holland’s Opus, but then had to unlearn it, because she had learned it too well.

And in a way, music also helped Witt land her life-changing acting role, playing a teenage killer in the 1994 indie drama Fun (for which she received a Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Recognition award). She was discovered by the film’s director at her five-night-a-week gig, playing standards and show tunes, in the lobby of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. This kind of thing, however, was not the norm for the aspiring actor.

“I was tremendously grateful I could support myself with the skill I’d worked so hard to build — even though, on a daily basis, I was faced with well-meaning patrons who’d ask me what my plans were, assuming I was planning to study at a conservatory,” Witt writes in Small Changes. “When I told them why I was in L.A., they’d wince in dismay and reply, ‘Oh no, you don’t want to do that. This town is full of actresses — you should be a pianist. You’re really good at this!’

I’d smile while bristling inside, thinking, ‘Well, you don’t know this yet, but I’m a good actor too.’”

Witt said she wanted to prove everyone wrong and prove everyone wrong she did. But at some point — we’re jumping way ahead in the timeline now — Witt’s musical and artistic evolution took a very natural course, a course that needn’t be explained to a Nashville readership: She started writing her own songs.

“It wasn’t until around 2008 that I started consistently going out and playing shows and writing songs,” said Witt. “[There were] shows where I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath, and I questioned what I knew in my core, which was that I was supposed to be doing this. That was something that kept me going forward, and I knew in a way the nervousness was because I was supposed to be doing it, not because I wasn’t.” →

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Truly, I believe being an artist is being a conduit ...

—Alicia Witt

Witt said she knew because it was the same nervousness that she had felt when she first stepped on a stage to perform theater. It was as if her acting experience had in turn started informing her music, with both serving the same underlying purpose.

“My primary reason for being on a stage or in a studio playing songs is to communicate, and when that’s the main focus, I think everything else kind of falls into place,” she said. “It’s not the question of, ‘Do I belong up there or not?’ It’s ‘I have these stories to tell, and these people came to hear them, and we’re all going to connect tonight.’ And I have that same sense of responsibility when I make an album, especially this one.”

Witt still gets excited about challenging acting jobs, but said her heart is “way more” into music these days.

And with music’s return to the forefront, Witt suggests that her life has come full circle. And perhaps she’s right.

But perhaps her life has not come full circle. Perhaps, the artistic journey is a never-ending, forward march of discovery, and The Conduit is another important waypoint on that journey. Call it what you will, but the fact remains after years of working with other producers, including former beau Ben Folds (2015’s Revisionary History), and Grammy-winning Jacquire King (2018’s 15,000 Days EP), Witt took a new step forward, producing The Conduit herself.

“I felt I wanted to know each song on it was a genuine reflection of how I heard it in my head, rather than give that vision to someone else,” said Witt. “I wanted to be

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The Tao of Witt able to say, ‘OK, each of these songs feels to my ears exactly as it felt to my heart when the song was born.’ And we accomplished that, so I’m very proud of that.”

The Conduit finds Witt working alongside Nashville co-producers Jordan Lehning (Lydia Luce, Andrew Combs, Caitlin Rose, Rodney Crowell) and Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses, Lissie, Milo Greene, Avett Brothers) to create a reflective, cinematic album indebted to the piano singers of the ’70s, a little modern indie pop, and, mostly, her own meaningful relationships.

“I wanted it to all tie together with a theme: what a conduit is,” said Witt. “The idea that we meet these people as we go through these incredible lives, and sometimes we know that that person is so significant to us. We might believe that that’s our life partner or our forever best friend, [but] I think what is to be most celebrated about all of these connections we make is what they bring to us, and where they lead us — whether or not that relationship is the be-all, end-all.”

The album’s title track is a delicate and bittersweet rumination on the difficulty Witt had letting go of a past love until solace — along with the song’s lyrics — arrived by way of an illuminating realization.

“It was something I’d been thinking of for a while, as I was sorting out what this relationship was, and what it was meant to be,” she said. “And when I landed on that notion, ‘I’m finally on to it, you are the conduit,’ it just locked in, and made my feelings around that relationship a lot more peaceful.”

Witt has spent her whole life telling others’ stories, and while the album is personal in nature, she continues to use her voice and experiences to honor others throughout The Conduit.

However, the story of Alicia Witt — actor, pianist, singer, songwriter, producer, author — is the story of an artist. (“A talented artist,” said Lynch.) And artists are conduits too.

“Truly, I believe being an artist is being a conduit, which is another reason why I call this record The Conduit,” she said. “I think the best artists that I can summon to mind are the ones that channel a specific feeling and deliver it to the listener or the watcher. And you do, as an artist — or at least I do — regularly feel some sort of entity or energy come into you, and then come out through the song or the character certainly, and it might be your story, but it’s not you, it’s from some other place. … If someone’s a conduit for me, then I get to be a conduit through that inspiration to someone else — and maybe lots of people,

In her forthcoming book, Small Changes, Witt offers readers a stressand-judgment-free approach for enacting easy, incremental changes across all areas of life. Available Oct. 5, from Harper Horizons.

Her latest album, The Conduit, drops Sept. 24. Find the self-produced, selfreleased album, as well as October tour dates, at aliciawittmusic.com.

She performs at City Winery Nashville Oct. 10.

and maybe everybody who reads the book and or likes the music, maybe they will then be conduits for someone else; a whole network of conduits.”

September | October 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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Out East Soundtrack

KASHENA SAMPSON

“A great song can take me somewhere else,” says Kashena Sampson. “It can pull me in and bring me back to the place where I first heard it.”

Time Machine, Sampson’s second album of ’70s-inspired country/soul sizzle, is similarly transportive. Rooted in the spirit of Linda Ronstadt, Bobbie Gentry, and Stevie Nicks, it’s a classic record for the modern age, built around the swoon of Sampson’s songwriting and the woozy warmth of her voice.

Take a peek at her record collection, though, and you’ll find albums that reach far beyond the folksingers and bellbottomed roots-rockers

whose music inspired her 2017 debut, Wild Heart, and its Time Machine follow-up. Truth be told, Sampson’s a bit of a metalhead. She’s a fan of golden-era Broadway musicals like “West Side Story” and “South Pacific,” too. And when it comes to high-drama pop/rock, it doesn’t get much better for her than Roy Orbison.

Days before the September 10th arrival of Time Machine and its accompanying release show at The Basement East, we spent a Saturday morning on the phone with Kashena Sampson. Our conversation naturally drifted to her favorite songs, 10 of which make up this month’s version of the “Out East Soundtrack.”

Curated by Andrew Leahey & Jay Dmuchowski

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“Black Sabbath”

Black Sabbath

“I listen to a lot of stoner metal. I love it. The heaviness, the darkness, the mysticism … the rain and the trolls coming out of the forest! There’s this fantastical element to the lyrics and the production, and I love that kind of drama in my music.”

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“You Got It”

Roy Orbison

“I love that song. It gives you such a specific feeling. When my niece was born, all I would do was put this song on and dance around the room with her. It was an influence on my record, too. I have a song called ‘Old Bones’ and I wanted it to sound like an old Roy Orbison tune.”

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Edith Piaf

“Edith Piaf sings with everything she’s got. You can hear the emotion and the passion in her voice. The movie La Vie en Rose begins with her singing this song onstage, and it’s so amazing — the orchestration, the drama, and the story that rips your heart out. I’ve never found that song on any of her records. It’s only on the film soundtrack and The Best Of Edith Piaf, but once I did find it, I listened on repeat. It’s a song that you feel, and I like to feel my music.”

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“Long Long Time” Linda Ronstadt

“When I was first learning to sing and use my voice properly, all I did was listen to Linda Ronstadt. I remember auditioning for the musical “Hair” on Broadway and using that song for my audition. And I did get called back for the lead! I think someone from American Idol got it, though.”

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“Song For Romeo” Sweetwater

“It’s very ’60s but also very Renaissance, like a Shakespearean love song. I’m pretty sure that’s how I got the influence to write ‘The Black Sea,’ which I call my Renaissance rock song.”

“Detroit or Buffalo” Barbara Keith

“When I lived in LA, I used to go to an open mic with a lot of California country fans. That’s where I practiced playing with my guitar in front of people — at a little Irish pub in the Valley called Ireland’s 32. I’d play a couple covers, like ‘Rhiannon’ or Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock,’ and then my friend John Schreffler would do a set. He’d often do this song — a four-chord song with such a catchy melody — and I’ve loved it ever since.”

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“Heaven Have Mercy”

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“Always See Your Face” Love

“I found that song while shuffling through playlists on Spotify, and I loved it immediately. The simple melody and those lyrics! The first line goes, ‘Won’t somebody please help me with my miseries,” and you’re like, ‘What?!’ It sent me down the rabbit hole of Love’s music.”

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“Box #10”

Jim Croce

“Jim Croce is my main man. That’s my dude! I’m in love with him. I’ll listen to any of his records, anytime.

I used to work at a piano bar in Vegas as a singing bartender. I brought in all these songs from the ’70s, and I remember bringing ‘Box #10’ to the piano player. He was like, ‘I know why you like this song. It’s the same chords as ‘Detroit or Buffalo.’ You become surprised at how many great songs are those same four chords.”

“It’ll All Work Out”

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

“I’m not crazy about the actual recording of that song, but I remember hearing Erin Rae play it at a Petty tribute, the same week he died. It was incredible. We were roommates at the time, and I heard her practice it over and over. This last year, whenever I’d sit down with a guitar, that’s the only song I’d play.”

“Too Long At The Fair” Bonnie Raitt

“I remember when I first heard Bonnie Raitt’s first record. Every single song was great. This was on her second album — the self-titled record — and this song is everything. The guitar playing in it. The production of it. The melody! ‘Won’t you come and take me home?

Been too long at the fair; Lord, I just can’t stand it anymore.’ It’s one of those songs that sticks with me.

marketplace Misty Waters Petak M.S., CFP ®, CLU® Financial Advisor (615) 479-6415 mistypetak.nm.com

March | April 2021 theeastnashvillian.com

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THE PRICE OF HIPNESS IS ETERNAL VIGILANCE

Ah,

the east side of the river.

The Promised Land. There are citizens of this borough (which for intents and purposes is what it is) who go days, weeks, or even months, never crossing the Cumberland. No need, all the staples of life are here: beer, pizza, cigarettes, hot chicken, acupuncture, weed, and all manner of other things an East Nashvillian might need to sustain life.

I’ve always liked the East Side because the houses and streets remind me of Bowling Green, where I lived for 12 years, 1980-1992. There are trees, and neighborhoods, and no Jaguars, nor any of those godforsaken skateboards with handlebars on them.

But things are changing. We all know it, we all talk about it, we bitch to the high heavens, and we all know there’s not a goddam thing we can do about it.

There’s no target building where you can paint your face and put on a wolf ’s head wig and bash in some doors with your rainbow flag and raise hell. Who are we going to sue?

The city’s changing. And the only constant in life is change. Look at the Amish.

They use electric tools to build their furniture now. They go to hospitals, and you know there’s nowhere to park a buggy at Saint Thomas Midtown. Personally, I’m waiting for the first Amish porn movie.

Think of it. Oh, Josiah! Josiah! Oh, Miriam!

Oh fuck, Josiah! I’m raising a barn, Miriam!

I’m RAISING A BARN! It’s no state secret that East Nashville is a cleaner and safer place than it once was. When I moved to Nashville in 1992, East Nashville was like Noah’s Ark; if you didn’t travel in pairs, you didn’t travel.

When venturing down off the Shelby Avenue exit, you knew exactly where you were going, you knew the exact route you were taking, and you didn’t deviate from it for God or Country. Now you can amble around and even take walks

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without pepper spray to avoid being eaten alive by some buffed-up snarling cur that’s owned by nobody.

It’s the same thing that happened to New York City. When I first visited The Big Apple in the late ’80s and ’90s, there was an excitement to the place, a chaos, and an adrenalin rush stemming from how you might be shot, stabbed, or at least beaten to a pulp at any moment. It was terrifying. And cool. And now it’s all clean and safe there. Too safe. I mean, Times Square used to be a place for prostitutes, gamblers, and porn, and now it’s all giant brightly lit signs advertising the next Disney movie. The same thing has happened to East Nashville. It’s all safe and nice now. I can’t think of the last time in EN someone got caught hooking or selling crack or being mauled by a stray rottweiler. I miss all that.

The East Nashville of Olde was where the riffraff lived, and this would count the musicians, visual artists, actors, and every other person who waited tables, prep cooked, and washed dishes in order to buy enough ramen noodles to keep body and soul together, so they could open for Dickie Do & the Don’ts at the Radio Café or the Slow Bar or the Family Wash.

These were my people, the ones who shared decrepit two-story houses with five or six other people. They were poor, but they were hip. They were the bohemians that everybody else in the world wanted to be, all the accountants and brokers and financial planners who were about as hip as an Izod sweater.

Their encroachment precipitated the demolition of the hip, old, run-down houses held together by spit and willpower. And for every fleabag domicile knocked down, 17 shiny new houses 10 feet wide and 80 feet tall were put up on the same lot with prices way beyond what any pachouli-redolent, stocking-capped barista could afford. So, the hipsters put their easels and amps into Kroger shopping carts and began their diaspora.

Is East Nashville still hip? Of course! There’s almost nothing like it west of the Cumberland. It’s still got its magic. Five Points on its own is hipper than 12 South and The Gulch put together. But change is coming. All we can do is embrace it. Until a Wal-Mart tries to open anywhere nearby again.

There’s no embracing that.

That’ll be the uniting factor between the remaining artsy-fartsy and the upper-middle-class supplanters to work side by side stocking up on Molotov cocktails, building balloon catapults, and filling condoms full of horse tuberculosis. If we’re not all careful, it’ll come to that.

theeastnashvillian.com September | October 2021

EAST OF NOR MAL

by Tommy Womack

Tommy Womack is a musician & author, and a regular contributor to The East Nashvillian.

His new album, I Thought I Was Fine, will be released October 15.

SEPTEMBER

18 &19

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park PRESENTED BY

SAT 9/18 • 10 AM-9 PM

SUN 9/19 • 11 AM -7 PM

THE ACES | ANDREAS MOSS | DOMINIQUE MORGAN

TOMMY GENESIS | BROOKE EDEN

MERCY BELL | VYRGO | PAIGE BELLER | AND MORE

FREAK DADDY | TAYLS | MIKE MAIMONE | AND MORE

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