Page 2, The Loafer • February 24, 2015
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Professional Bull Riders bucking their way to Freedom Hall!
Volume 29 Issue #12
Publisher Bill Williams Editor Graphic Arts Director Don Sprinkle Office Manager Luci Tate Cover Design Bill May Advertising Dave Carter Terry Patterson Contributing Staff Jim Kelly Andy Ross Ken Silvers Mark Marquette Jessica Gilliam Published by Tree Street Media, LLC., P.O. Box 3238, Johnson City, TN 37602 Phone: 423/283-4324 FAX - 423/283-4369 www.theloaferonline.com info@theloaferonline.com e-mail: editorial@theloaferonline.com (editorial) adcopy@theloaferonline.com (advertising) All advertisements are accepted and published by the publisher upon the representation that the agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The agency and/or advertiser will indemnify and save the publisher harmless from any loss of expense resulting from claims or suits based upon contents of any advertisement,including claims or suits for defamation, libel, right of privacy, plagiarism, and copyright infringement.
in this issue .... 4 Professional Bull Riders this weekend at Freedom Hall (Rescheduled from Feb. 20 & 21) 5 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion named one of STS Top 20 Event 6 Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver return to Northeast State 7 The Grascals at NPAC 8 FREE Tax prep .... do you qualify?? 9 Get ready to LAUGH... at the Comedy Zone 10 Bumper Jackson comes to Johnson City 16 Acoustic Heritage at Carter Family Fold 17 The Ransom Notes hits the stage at Acoustic Coffeehouse 18 Art Array presents “Low Down”
music & fun 12 20
Spotlight - Great Music & Fun Times Crossword & Sudoku
columns & reviews 14 15 19 21 22
Stargazer - Stars More Than Twinkle In Our Eye Skies This Week Screen Sceens - “Fifty Shades of Grey” Batteries Not Included - The Internet’s Best Secret Kelly’s Place - Fifty Shades of SpongeBob
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This coming weekend the Professional Bull Riders will buck back into the Freedom Hall Civic Center with its elite Built Ford Tough Series Get ready for an exciting weekend as the Professional Bull Riders will buck back into the Freedom Hall Civic Center with the PBR Touring Pro Division on Feb. 27 & 28. During this two-day event, bull riders will face the best bovine athletes weighing more than 10 times their weight. Fans are guaranteed an action-packed, heart stopping experience every time a rider nods his head to attempt to beat the 8-second clock. The competition will begin at 8:00 pm on Friday, February 27th and 8:00pm on Saturday, Feb. 28th. Tickets start at $18.00 and are available at the Freedom Hall box office, or by calling 423-461-4855. Saturday night the winner of the event will be one step closer to the PBR National Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Originally scheduled for February 21st and 22nd the weather did not cooperate with that plan so the event was rescheduled for this weekend. Many of the riders and bulls were not able to make it to Johnson City due to ice and snow on the roads. Many of the local fans would have a hard time getting to Freedom Hall due to inclement weather. Not wanting to disappoint our fans, the decision was made to reschedule.
Bull Riding is a high competition sport. Below is a breakdown of performance standards and scoring for the rider and the bull.
THE BASICS: A qualified ride is 8 seconds. The clock starts when the bull’s shoulder or flank breaks the plane of the gate. It ends when the rider’s hand comes out of the rope, the rider touches the ground, or the rider’s free arm touches the bull (a “slap”). A successful ride will earn a score of 0-100 points. Scores of 90 points or above are considered outstanding. THE METHOD:
Two judges rate each rider and each bull on a scale from 1-25. Those points are added together and divided in half to reach a rider score and a bull score of between 0-50. Those numbers are then combined to reach a final ride score between 0-100.
THE BULL:
The bull always receives a score, even if the rider is bucked off. His score is based on his degree of difficulty. Judges look for drop in the front end, kick in the back, spin, and direction changes (as contrasted with spin, this means changes to movement forward or backward, or left to right).
THE RIDER:
A rider only receives a score if he lasts the required 8 seconds. Judges look for control - the ability of the rider to successfully counter the moves of the bull. Spurring is not required, but tends to demonstrate control, and will add points to the rider’s score.
Photo by; Andy Watson Bullstockmedia.com
pbr.com
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High Honors for Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival Named Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (BRRR) music festival has been designated one of Southeast Tourism Society’s (STS) Top 20 Events. The best events across 12 southeastern states compete to receive the prestigious Top 20 Events designation.
Through a nomination process, Southeast Tourism Society chooses the Top 20 Events in the southeast for each month of the year and publishes the list of winners quarterly. Events must have more than 1,000 in attendance and be in at least its third year of exis-
munity event even though it draws people from all over the world,” said Leah Ross, executive director of Birthplace of Country Music, the parent organization of BRRR. “From our cities, our board and staff, to our hundreds of volunteers and community sponsors, our success is the result of their support.” This year Bristol Rhythm also achieved ranking among the American Bus Association’s premier Top 100 Events in North America. In 2014, the festival took home the “Best of Show” Pinnacle Award from Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association, “Best Festival” Kaleidoscope Award from Southeast Festivals & Events Association, and received the Bristol Mayors’ Award of Distinction. The Top 20 Events publication is sent to over 1,600 newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, AAA publications, and othtence. Judging is based on unique ers. aspects of the event including the The 15th annual Bristol Rhythm economic impact to the communi- & Roots Reunion music festity, community involvement, atten- val takes place September 18-20, dance, or other awards the event 2015 in Historic Downtown Brishas won. tol, TN/VA. For tickets and more “Bristol Rhythm & Roots Re- information visit www.Bristolunion is, beyond a doubt, a com- Rhythm.com.
Have an event coming up? Email a press release and photos to:
editorial@theloaferonline.com
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Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver return to Northeast State Feb. 27
Northeast State Community College welcomes back beloved music legend Doyle Lawson and his band Quicksilver to campus for a performance on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m. Lawson and Quicksilver will perform at the Wellmont Regional Center for the Performing Arts on the College’s main campus at Blountville, adjacent to Tri-Cities Regional Airport. Advance tickets are $20 and can be purchased online now at www.northeaststate. edu/RCPA. Called a “mandolin virtuoso” with “perfectly silken harmony” by The New York Times, Lawson and Quicksilver have nearly 40 albums to their credit, are seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Vocal Group of the Year winners, and have multiple Grammy, Dove, Inspirational Country Music Association (ICMA), and other IBMA award nominations. The band also earned four previous Dove Award nominations for the Best Bluegrass Gospel Album and Best Bluegrass Gospel Song awards for their 2008 release, Help Is on the Way. DLQ burst onto the national spotlight in 1996 when their album, There’s a Light Guiding Me earned a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. They went on to receive three more Grammy nomi-
nations in the Best Bluegrass Album category. Lawson was named Mandolin Player of the Year for 2012 by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA). He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012 at the Ryman Auditorium. Lawson has served as the feature instructor and performer at the College’s summer music workshops held at the Northeast
State at Bristol for two years. He shared his knowledge and expertise with students about recording tips and techniques as well as live performances with a impromptu jam session on the workshop’s final day. Lawson broke new ground in 2011 with a Children’s Hospital and Arena Tour, the first tour of its kind in any genre, combining National Anthem performances at major sporting arenas with performances for boys and girls at Children’s Hospitals in the same cities or regions. The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America has honored the group with numerous awards for albums and recorded gospel songs. The Gospel Music Association honored DLQ in 2011 with a Dove Award nomination for Bluegrass Album of the Year. In 2012, Lawson was inducted into the IBMHF at the Ryman Auditorium. That same year the band was named ICMA Vocal Group of the Year. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information call the Northeast State Box Office at 423.354.5173.
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The Grascals
at Niswonger Performing Arts Center Formed in 2004, The Grascals emerged as one of the most beloved and acclaimed groups in modern bluegrass. They have earned Grammy nominations and awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association. The Grascals have forged a bond based on personal friendships, professional experience, and an appreciation for bluegrass and country music. Terry Eldredge, Jamie Johnson, and Terry Smith lead the group vocally, with Danny Roberts on mandolin, fiddler Adam Haynes, and banjo player Kristin Scott Benson. Although the group’s individual members had each worked on major bluegrass projects, they found further success when they teamed up as a band. “The stars just lined up perfectly for us,” says vocalist/guitarist/ songwriter Jamie Johnson. “We were in the right place at the right time, and that helped launch our career. We went from playing at the Station Inn in Nashville, which we still love, to playing in stadiums.” Even before their first album was completed, The Grascals found themselves working with Dolly Parton. The group has also shared the stage with bluegrass and country performers including Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, George Jones, and several others. They’ve also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry more than 100 times, and released covers of songs made famous by artists such as The Monkees, Waylon Jennings, James Taylor, and Elvis Presley. With various country music connections, some may wonder if the Grascals had considered moving further toward a mainstream style. Johnson, however, makes it clear that such a change is unlikely. “If the song arises and it’s perfect for that, we might do it,” he says. “But no matter how much I respect all the artists in country,
The Grascals are just a different ball game. We’re pretty old-school and set in our ways. We’re great friends with some of those folks but country is just not what we do…though I’ll definitely be glad to write for some of them.” Whether in the studio or on stage, The Grascals honor the past and look forward to the future, bringing fresh yet familiar sounds to the bluegrass world and beyond. The Grascals will perform at Niswonger Performing Arts Center (NPAC) in historic downtown Greeneville, TN on Saturday, February 28th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are
$25 for orchestra level seating, $20 for mezzanine level seating, and $15 for balcony level seating. Tickets may be purchased online at www.npacgreeneville.com, in person at the NPAC box office, or by calling 423-638-1679. NPAC offers online seat selection and no fee ticketing. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am until 5 PM. The 1130 seat performing arts center is located adjacent to the campus of Greeneville High School in Greeneville, TN. For venue information, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.npacgreeneville.com.
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FREE Tax Preparation & Filing Assistance
More than half of individuals and families in the United States earned $60,000 or less last year, making them eligible to receive free tax preparation and filing assistance this tax season. Unfortunately, many of these families are unaware of their options and could pay, on average, more than $200 to file their federal and state tax returns. MyFreeTaxes.com is the only free online platform that can be used to file federal and state taxes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The online tool allows taxpayers to self-file for free using a simple step-by-step process that includes free telephone, email and online chat support from IRS-certified specialists. More than 47 million people self- prepared their tax returns last year, a six percent increase from 2013 filing data, according to the IRS. There are many free options for filers; however,
since 2009, MyFreeTaxes has been the only nationwide initiative that has enabled millions of individuals and families to claim billions of dollars in tax credits and refunds. “This program is absolutely amazing and helps the families and individuals in the communities we serve get their full refund back,” said Robert Miller, President/CEO of Goodwill Industries of Tenneva. Funded by the Walmart Foundation and operated in partnership with Goodwill Industries International, the National Disability Institute and United Way, MyFreeTaxes works with filers to maximize their refunds and help eligible families and individuals claim valuable tax credits to keep more of their hard-earned money and invest in their futures. “MyFreeTaxes is helping individuals put away money for college, start a family, or open a sav-
Nonprofit program works to maximize families’ refunds ings account,” said Miller. “The program is crucial in today’s economic state.” MyFreeTaxes.com is an interactive resource for information regarding tax preparation, valuable credits including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and personal finance, as well as access to free, in-person tax preparation sites. This partnership is made possible through the collaboration of nearly 1,000 partners including the IRS, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, and state and local government agencies. In 2015, the partnership launched an improved filing experience and customized data reporting for its community partners. For more information, please visit www.goodwilltnva.org, www.myfreetaxes.com or call Goodwill at 423.245.0600.
ETSU to host first Growing Agriculture Conference East Tennessee State University’s Office of Professional Development, in collaboration with Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council and Walters State Community College, will host the first “Growing Agriculture Conference: Farming for the Ages” on Tuesday, March 3, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Expo Center at Walters State Community College in Morristown. The conference will bring together a variety of expert resources, exhibitors, agricultural consultants and educators. Workshops will include marketing and advertising, farm management, season planning, certification considerations, and making the Web work for the farm. A complete listing may be found at www.etsu.edu/ professionaldevelopment. Consultants available for oneon-one meetings will represent areas such as banking, real estate and insurance. Lunch, with locally made, local-
ly grown fare, will be provided by Unicoi County’s Farmhouse Gallery and Gardens. The conference focuses on the best Tennessee resources for existing farms and for farms that are in transition to the next generation and provides a way for start-up enterprises and established experts to meet and learn new trends and current practices. Sponsors include Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, First Bank and Trust Company Agricultural Lending Division, the Tennessee Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils, and Farmhouse Gallery and Gardens. Pre-registration is required and is $55 per person. Scholarships are available for new farmers under the age of 35. For registration or more information, call 800-222-3878 or go to www.etsu.edu/professionaldevelopment.
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Warm Up with Laughter at The Comedy Zone
Comedian Dean Napolitano is a throwback to the great comedians of yesteryear only with a modern twist that makes him one of the most prevalent comedians working today. A true storyteller with imaginative delivery that makes
This weekend, Feb. 27th & 28th at Holiday Inn - Johnson City Comedy Zone. audiences feel as if they have been through each experience themselves. Napolitano has been seen on the small screen in a variety of shows on various networks. His TV credits include, Three Rivers,
What About Brian (ABC), Heroes (NBC), Las Vegas(NBC), The Shield (FX) Passions (NBC), Ghost Dog (PAX), From the Earth to the Moon (HBO), Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (Nickelodeon), Safe Harbor (Aaron Spelling Productions), Vamps (Victory Productions) and many more. Carmen Morales has developed a captivating style which incorporates quick wit and outlandish
characters. Taking from family, friends and people from everyday encounters she transforms into these characters seamlessly, then add hilarious commentary which leaves the audience doubled over in laughter. With a perfect combination of like-ability and vulnerability she has been well received by audiences internationally. She’s been seen on the tv show “Laughs” on Fox. She’s also been
featured in Gilda’s LaughFest Comedy Festival, the World Series of Comedy, Women of Comedy Festival, in the New York Times and has produced her own traveling comedy show, The Not Your Average Broads of Comedy as well as performed in comedy clubs, colleges and military bases across the country. For reservations and ticket information call (423) 282-4611
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Bumper Jacksons’ Jump Blues Comes to Johnson City
On Saturday, February 28 Bumper Jacksons will perform for the first time at Johnson City’s favorite local hang, the Down Home. Establishing themselves as a favorite along the I-81 corridor, this DC-based band features powerful jazz vocals and clever original songs steeped in early, danceable sounds of jump blues and country swing. They have a slew of original and re-imagined traditional songs to share. A Bumper Jacksons show is an exciting blend of the traditional and non-traditional; contemporary lyricism and form is coupled with the early sounds of western swing, street jazz, bluegrass and country blues. Their expansive roots repertoire and unique instrumentation will delight Americana enthusiasts of both traditional and progressive leanings. Recognized as DC’s “Best Traditional Folk Band” at the 2013 Washington Area Music Awards, the Bumper Jacksons have positioned themselves squarely at the helm of the young roots music scene pioneering a new, fresh take on American music. The Bumper Jacksons are a big, fat party. Hot and sweet, their early jazz and country repertoire paints America’s story from New Orleans’ brothels to Appalachian hollers. Unafraid to scrap together new sounds from forgotten 78’s, the Bumper Jacksons boldly and elegantly balance paying homage to
the traditions while fashioning their own unique, DIY style. Bursting at the seams with some of the richest threads of old America, the Bumper Jacksons bring you into the center of a party where everyone is invited and the dance floor never sleeps! Trombones battle clarinets and kazoos. Playful, genre-exploding originals pepper their sets. Jess Eliot Myhre is a vocal powerhouse. Her smoky holler is rooted deeply in the study of early blues singers; the sheer ferociousness of her voice is belied by her tiny frame. The big-bearded Chris Ousley balances all of this with a heavy dose of wacky energy and humor - his “mouth horn,” unpredictable falsetto interludes and originals like the “Bacon Adoration” keep the shows light, fresh and funny. Yet for a festival party band, you can tell that the Bumper Jacksons love the quiet. They can summon vulnerability and sparsity when they want to break your heart.
Saturday, February 28, 2015 8pm (7pm doors) The Down Home 300 West Main St Johnson City TICKETS: $14 VENUE INFO: 423-929-9822 http://downhome.com ARTIST INFO: www.bumperjacksons.com
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Samson Trinh & The Upper East Side Big Band March 4th at Barter Theater 7:00
ETSU to host Interstate Career Fair A consortium of 16 area colleges and universities will hold the Interstate Career Fair on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Millennium Centre. This year will be the 27th anniversary of the consortium’s spring career fairs. More than 60 employers and graduate or professional schools will attend. The event is free and open to students and alumni of the participating schools, as well as the public. Professional dress is encouraged and those in attendance should bring copies of their résumé. The fair is sponsored by members of the Interstate Career Council Schools, including Bluefield State College, Carson Newman University, Concord University, ETSU, Emory and Henry College, King University, Milligan College, Northeast State Community College, Old Dominion UniversitySouthern Virginia Higher Education Council, Southwest Virginia Community College, Tennessee Wesleyan College, Tusculum College, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Virginia Highlands Community College, Virginia Tech and Wytheville Com-
munity College. A complete list of employers attending the fair can be found at www.collegecentral.com/interstatefair in the “job seekers” section. For those interested in graduate and professional programs, representatives will be on hand from Appalachian College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati College of Business, Carson Newman Uni-
February 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 11 Samson Trinh & The Upper East Side Big Band is made up of the finest musicians in the capital of Virginia. Winner of Richmond Magazine’s Theresa Pollak Award for Best Ensemble, with their horns blasting, rhythm section diggin’, and vocalists swingin’, this 10 to 22-piece ensemble always entertains and excites audiences. Music includes swingin’ big band sounds to modern numbers that are composed and arranged by Trinh featuring lead vocalist, Laura Ann Singh. The Upper East Side Big Band was honored to be the house orchestra for SPARC’s “Live Art” concert (featuring over 200 students of all abilities) with performances by guest artists, Mandy Moore, Sara Bareilles, Jason Mraz, kd lang, Christina Perri and Rene Marie. This concert is free to all area students. Student and faculty tickets must be picked up in the VHCC library prior to March 2nd. Tickets for the public may be purchased at the Barter box office at any time for 10.00. versity, Emory and Henry College, the ETSU School of Graduate Studies, the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Lee University, Liberty University School of Law, Lincoln Memorial University, Milligan College, Northeast State Community College, Radford University, Richmont Graduate University, Tennessee Tech University, Tusculum College and others. Visit www.etsu.edu/careers or call the ETSU University Career Services office at 423-439-4450 for further details.
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Stars More than Twinkle in Our Eye
Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are Up above the sky so bright Like a diamond in the night Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are.
Most of us look up at a star in the night and give little thought about it, maybe noticing how bright it is compared to nearby stars. But most of us understand the “star power” of famous humans, and are quick to anoint a new movie actor or professional athlete as a “star.” A stellar performance by a person might sustain them their entire lives, to “super stardom,” or quickly flame out to obscurity. But the real stars in the night sky are just like people, unique in their own way. And our favorite star, the Sun is among them. Some stars are smaller than our Sun, others are a lot larger. And, yes, there are some real “Super Stars” in the cosmos above. Some stars put out tremendous energy but look faint because they are so far away. Others don’t put out a lot of energy but look bright because they are close to Earth and the Solar System. Regardless of what star you look at, you are looking back in time as distances to even nearby stars take years in “light time” to reach our eyes on Earth. It’s incredible how much empty space there is between stars, even those packed closely in galaxies like the 200 billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. Every star we see in the night sky is in our own Galaxy and fairly close. The light we see from any object is traveling at a constant speed of 186,000 miles per second, which equals 1.16 million miles a minute or 69.6 million miles an hour. At 93 million miles away, sunlight from our star takes a little more than 8 minutes to travel to our eyes. So, we see our Sun eight
Light Minutes away. We see the surface of just one star, our Sun. But we can see the disk of just one other star, that being Fomalhaut in the Southern Fishes, setting in the late Winter night. In fact, Fomalhaut has a primitive ring of cosmic debris circling it, imaged in special light by the Hubble Space Telescope. The ability to see individual stars will change in the 2020s with new telescopes, like the Webb Space Telescope, being able to resolve star diameters and maybe surface phenomenon. It is likely that most stars have the violent surface events like sunspots, prominences of rarified plasma, flare eruptions and stellar winds. And it has already been proven that planetary systems exist around other stars and are probably a common occurrence. That means there are more planets in the Universe than stars—something to ponder when rolling the numbers and looking for the possibility of other intelligent life elsewhere. But where? Look up at the unique worlds each star we see might behold. Starlight might look the same to the casual observer, but the light
from stars is filled with information. Astronomers can tell a star’s temperature, what kind of molecules and atoms make it shine and the complexity of its magnetic field. The tools keep changing, but the physics doesn’t. Each star leaves a fingerprint of its light in the form of a spectrum, and amid that familiar ribbon of rainbow colors is information about the chemicals emitted the most. Starlight also can tell the direction of travel and speed of a star. A shift in the spectrum to the blue end means the star is approaching us, while a red shift—which is predominant everywhere we look— means a star is moving away from us. The Red Shift discovery was a breakthrough supporting the Big Bang Theory of the beginning of the Universe. Stellar evolution was discovered in the 19th Century to follow a “main sequence” when luminosity was charted against a temperature. This HertzsprungRussell graph predicts the lifespan of a normal star based on its mass, with exceptions of the super massive or super tiny stars. Our Sun is a pretty average white-yellow star in the mainstream of the main sequence of stars.
Colors of stars also tell a tale of just like looking at an oven burner. Red stars are coolest, less than 5,000 F. degrees surface temperature. And blue-white stars are the hottest, up to 50,000 F. degrees. Yellow and orange are in between, and our Sun is white-yellow, again in the middle of the pack and pretty average. Stars have been classified in a random letter system: OBAFGKM (remembered by the old astronomy axiom “Oh boy a find girl kissed me!”) Several stars in our winter sky make the point of individuality: Rigel is 910 Light Years away in the knee of Orion. It is a white super giant, type B star that is about 50,000 F. degrees, white hot; Overhead is yellowish Capella 42 Light Years away in Auriga, a type G star similar to our Sun with a surface temperature around 10,000 F. degrees; and giant red star Aldebaran in Taurus, a type K star that is 7,000 F. degrees and 68 Light Years away. Each of these stars shines at about the same 1st magnitude brightness in our night skies, though their distance and energy output vary. Long before man discovered stars were globes of gases glowing from a nuclear reaction, we saw them as twinkling points of light emitting spike-like rays. We even draw a star with pointy edges that geometry calls “stellated.” Also star-like is the * asterisk *, which in Latin means “little star.”
Most of us have drawn the fivepoint star by crossing lines to adjacent tips. Then there is the hexagon of the “Star of David,” and even more stellations can be made by combining triangles. The twinkling star effect is caused by Earth’s atmosphere bending back and forth the refracting starlight as it passes from space to our eyes. Stick a pencil in an aquarium and see the same effect. It is the optics of the human eye (and cameras) that give the brightest stars their radiating spikes. In long exposures, the spikes of stars are actually reflections of telescope parts, giving some dramatic images. Star images are everywhere, in fact, you might not be able to resist scratching out a few stars yourself—I know I couldn’t! We name a child Stella and applaud stellar performances. And, of course, when a person excels in the performing arts and athletic fields, a “star is born.” And when a human reaches universal acclaim on this planet, they become a “super star.” But the real stars are those that are always above us, visible on clear nights yet always present even when masked by the bright light of our favorite star, the Sun. So while you enjoy the “star power” of earthly humans, don’t ignore the real stars of our show, those countless suns in our Universe. One of those stars just might harbor a planet where some “super star” scientists are looking back at us. Just maybe…
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Celestial events in the skies for the week of Feb. 24th - Mar. 23rd, 2015 as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette. The First Quarter Moon is dominating our early evenings, and its light will start to mask all but the brightest stars. But the late Winter is filled with 10 of the top 20 brightest stars that easily punch through the moonlight. While Venus sets in the west Jupiter is rising in the east. These two planets are always brighter than the brightest stars, and draw your attention skyward.
Tues. Feb. 24
In a telescope, Venus will display a gibbous phase, while Jupiter will be striped with bands. Even in binoculars held steady you can easily see a couple of the four Moons that Galileo first saw through is crude telescope in 1609. Venus has no moons, but its phases are like our Moon’s, and you can watch change over the months even in a cheap telescope.
Wed. Feb. 25
The Moon is First Quarter tonight and makes the bottom of a triangle formed by red star Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus to the left, and The Pleiades star cluster (or Seven Little Sisters) in the shoulder of the bull to the right.
Thurs. Feb. 26
Tonight the Moon has moved 12 degrees to the left from last night and makes the top of a triangle shared by two red stars, Betelgeuse to the lower left and Aldebaran to the right. You can see how close to Orion the Moon is, the famous hunter being just
and eight years later the spacecraft is just months away from its The 10 pm skies begin to look historic July 2015 flyby of dwarf like Spring in the east as the Big planet Pluto. Dipper’s handle arcs to bright star Sun. March 1 Arcturus and speeds on to Spica On this 1982 date in space hisjust above the horizon. In the west, tory the Soviet Union’s Venera Taurus begins to dip its horns to 13 unmanned spacecraft landed the horizon, but Orion dominates on Venus and sent back the first the south. So does the huge Winter color photos of the hellish world. Triangle of stars with brightest star In 2002, Columbia rocketed off the south of the Zodiac belt.
Fri. Feb. 27
in the sky Sirius on the bottom and planet into a 420-mile high orbit to Procyon above and Betelgeuse on catch the Hubble Space Telescope and a fourth repair mission by the right. seven astronauts. Sat. Feb. 28 On this 1990 date in space history, Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched on a Top Secret mission for the US Defense Department. Five astronauts spent a quick four days in orbit deploying a reconnaissance satellite called Misty. Also on this 2007 date, NASA’s New Horizon passed by Jupiter,
Mon. March 2
On this 1995 date in space history Space Shuttle Endeavour was launched on a 16-day mission devoted to ultraviolet astronomy with three telescopes in the cargo bay while other experiments were performed in the middeck.
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Acoustic Heritage
The Time and Debbie Yates Family Band at Carter Famly Fold Saturday, February 28th, 2015, at 7:30 p.m., the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert of traditional bluegrass music by Acoustic Heritage – the Tim and Debbie Yates Family Band. Adult admission to the concert is $10, $1 for children 6 to 11, and under age 6 free. Tim and Debbie Grim Yates have combined their lives, amazing talents, and deep musical roots to forge one of the country’s most accomplished and entertaining music groups on the scene today. Acoustic Heritage is the culmination of several generations of singers and musicians who performed old time and bluegrass music while passing on the love of that unique Appalachian Mountain sound to the generations that followed after them. Whether it’s the sound of Debbie’s amazing clawhammer banjo, her lively fiddle, or Tim’s mesmerizing guitar, the
music of Acoustic Heritage always leaves an audience wanting to hear more. The Yates Family Band originated from Acoustic Heritage – Tim and Debbie Yates. Their children – Molly (14) and Sadie (12) – have been performing on stage ever since they could hold an instrument. Tim played in a family band called John Yates and the Yates Brothers from Taylors Valley. Debbie also played in a family band called the Konnarock Critters. Both have been performing for over 25 years. Joining the Yates Family at the Carter Fold will be Debbie’s brother Brian from the original Konnarock Critters. Tim’s nephew, Jordan Yates (who has also played his whole life with various bands) will also be joining them. Fold audiences will remember the Konnarock Critters. They performed many times at the Carter Fold. Debbie Grim Yates grew up in
a family of musicians, so it’s only natural that she would begin playing an instrument at a very young age. Before long she had mastered a dynamic, precise clawhammer banjo style that is distinctly her own as well as the ability to saw out a barn-burner on the fiddle. Her soft, yet amazingly powerful voice has a special quality that simply soothes the soul as you listen. Debbie really loves to perform, and her many years of picking and singing with the Konnarock Critters has helped mold her into one of the genre’s most entertaining peformers. Tim Yates has played both guitar and standup bass for over 20 years with his family band the Yates Brothers as well as some of the biggest names in bluegrass. He has toured the United States with Wyatt Rice and Santa Cruz, the Jimmy Goudreau Bluegrass Unit, and the Tony Rice Unit. Tim
is an outstanding singer with a honey-smooth voice that perfectly compliments wife Debbie’s voice, but what really sets him apart from other performers is his mastery of the guitar. Any time Tim Yates takes a guitar break, you had better look away because you’re likely to fall under the spell of the amazing sights and sounds of his guitar work. For some of the best old time music you’ll ever hear, don’t miss Acoustic Heritage with special
guest Brian Grim at the Carter Family Fold! For additional information on the group, check out their web site – http://www. acousticheritage.com/. The Konnarock Critters played many times at the Carter Fold through the years, and it will be a pleasure to welcome Debbie and Brian back along with Debbie’s family. The
Acoustic .....
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Acoustic .....
Continued from page 16 Fold is steeped in musical family heritage, and the Yates and Grim families are part of that tradition. Carter Family Memorial Music Center, Incorporated, is a nonprofit, rural arts organization established to preserve traditional, acoustic, mountain music. For further information on the center, go to http://www.carterfamilyfold. org. Shows from the Carter Family Fold can be accessed on the internet at http://www.carterfoldshow.com. Carter Music Center is part of the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. You can visit the Crooked Road Music Trail site at http://thecrookedroad.org. Partial funding for programs at the center is provided by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. For recorded information on shows coming up at the Fold, call 276-386-6054. The Fold is on Facebook – page Carter Fold – and Twitter – Twitter @carterfoldinfo. To speak to a Fold staff member, call 276-594-0676.
The Ransom Notes
take the stage at Acoustic Coffeehouse The Acoustic Coffeehouse is regarded as one of Johnson City’s premier live music venues and taking the stage Friday, February 27, at 8:00 p.m. is The Ransom Notes, a talented acoustic ensemble originally from Colorado, now residing in Tennessee. Describing The Ransom Notes’ sound in a single word is an impossible task. Schooled in the precision of classical music and steeped in homegrown tradition, The Ransom Notes epitomize the phrase “best of both worlds”. Drawing inspiration from genres such as bluegrass, folk, Americana, and Celtic fiddling, this eclectic group has enthralled audiences for nearly two decades. The band never fails to amaze with its exceptional talent on a multitude of different instruments including fiddle, cello, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and dobro. In addition to instrumental prowess, The Ransom Notes inspire audiences with soulful vocals that are considered by
February 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 17 many to be one of the best features of this talented ensemble. The Ransom Notes have been blessed with numerous opportunities to share their music across the country through performances at many prestigious venues including The Kennedy Center and The United States Capitol in Washington, DC, Musicians Corner Concert Series in downtown Nashville, TN, and countless others. Along the way, The Ransom Notes have had the opportunity to appear on bills with many notable artists including Paul Simon, Yo-Yo Ma, Sierra Hull, and The Gibson Brothers to name just a few. Stop by The Acoustic Coffeehouse Friday, February 27, at 8:00 p.m. to hear this talented group live in concert and to pick up a copy of their newly released album, Journey’s End. Following The Ransom Notes is Billy Litz, singer and multi-instrumentalist from Asheville, NC whose set will begin at 10:00 p.m. Come early and stay late...you won’t want to miss this exciting night of music! Acoustic Coffeehouse, 412 W. Walnut St., Johnson City. Call 423434-9872 for more info.
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Arts Array presents
“Low Down”
The Arts Array Film Series presented by Virginia Highlands Community College is in its 44th year. All films are presented at the Abingdon Cinemall on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and again at 7:30 pm. Low Down (March 2 and 3) Based on the memoir by Amy-Jo Albany, LOW DOWN is a compassionate, tender look at the complex relationship between Amy-Jo (Elle Fanning) and her father Joe (John Hawkes), a man torn between his musical ambition, his devotion to his teenage daughter, and his suffocating addiction. Set against a sensuously textured 1970s Hollywood, the film beautifully evokes a colorful, seedy world of struggling musicians, artists, and vagabonds, in
which Joe and Amy-Jo strive to live the lives they want against seemingly insurmountable odds. The Arts Array Film Series is part of the comprehensive cultural outreach program of Virginia Highlands Community College. The series is co-sponsored by the Abingdon Cinemall, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Emory& Henry College, and King University. Admission to the films is free for the faculties and students at the supporting institutions. Members of the general community may attend for $7.75. For a brochure on the series or more information, please contact Tommy Bryant at 276-739-2451 or email him at tbryant@vhcc.edu.
Rescheduled Due to inclement weather and the impending ice and snow still yet to come, the Tourism Department and it’s Appraisal Fair Committee have elected to postpone the 10th Annual Antique Appraisal Fair and Preview party set for this weekend. The new dates are Friday, March 27 from 7-9 p.m. for the Preview Party and Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Appraisal Fair. 10th Annual Antique Appraisal Fair & Show@ Greeneville High School.
Postponed Rocky Mount Museum’s “The Slabtown District Convention” Due to inclement weather, and current road conditions, Rocky Mount has postponed “The Slabtown District Convention” originally scheduled Fri. & Sat. 21&22. Make-up dates have not yet been scheduled, but will be posted on Rocky Mount’s website www.rockymountmuseum.com and through other outlets. For more information call (423) 538-7396 or 888-538-1791.
Volunteer
Contact Ministries 211 to host volunteer information sessions Contact Ministries 211 will host two Volunteer Information Sessions in March. The sessions will be held on Tuesday, March 3rd at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday, March 4th at 9:30 a.m., at Summit Leadership Foundation on Hanover Road in Johnson City. Every month, hundreds of people in our community call 211 seeking help. Contact’s trained volunteers connect people with the services they need and offer a friendly ear to the struggling. If you are looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of your neighbors, 211 is the place for you. Interested parties should contact Contact Ministries 211 at 423-9260140 or info@contact211jc. Information is also available on our website at www.contact211jc.org.
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In Theaters Now
Box Office Top 10 plans of a time machine, and conThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) struct one. However, things start
Fifty Shades of Grey
“Fifty Shades of Grey”, based on the hit novel of the same name, has finally hit the big screen, and before the movie even began filming I remember reading how the casting of Charlie Hunnam, from the television series “Sons of Anarchy”, caused a stir among fans of the novel. Apparently Hunnam did not want to face the wrath of “Grey” fans, so he dropped out of the role of Christian Grey due to “scheduling conflicts”. Finally the studio releasing the film had their Christian in the casting of Jamie Dornan (“Once Upon a Time”). The plot involves the relationship between college student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey, the CEO of Grey Enterprises. Anastasia meets Christian when she interviews him for her college newspaper, and the two develop and immediate, yet awkward attraction. After the interview, Anastasia goes back about her business as a student and hardware store worker, when one day Christian pops into the shop to pick up a few items. Of course, what billionaire doesn’t need to pick up some duct tape and rope? Eventually, after several meetings between the two, Christian takes Anastasia back to his high rise apartment via helicopter and while taking her on a tour of the place, introduces her to his “playroom”. We are not talking a room in which to store an Xbox. Of course “X” would apply to the happenings in the playroom, which is Christian’s room for BDSM (Bondage Dominance Submission Masochism for those in the dark). As one would expect with a character having such a playroom, Christian has a contract for Anastasia to sign regarding what will and won’t happen in the room when the two are together. After several trips to the room, our
When a diabolical pirate above the sea steals the secret Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and his nemesis Plankton must team up in order to get it back.
American Sniper (2014)
Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle’s pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
In a bright and colorful future, a young destitute caretaker gets targeted by the ruthless son of a powerful family who lives on a planet in need of a new heir, so she travels with a genetically engineered warrior to the planet in order to stop his tyrant reign.
Seventh Son (2014)
Young Thomas is apprenticed to the local Spook to learn to fight evil spirits. His first great challenge comes when the powerful Mother Malkin escapes her confinement while the Spook is away.
Project Almanac (2014)
A group of teens discover secret
dear Anastasia discovers she is in love with Christian, only to discover, even though he admits she is changing him, he is “fifty shades of messed up” (an edited version of what he said) to be what Anastasia wants. I must say the casting of Dornan in the tile role was successful, but the plot gives him little more to do that show a mostly emotionless face, but I suppose when you are as messed up as the character says he is, not much else can be expected. Dornan is basically on hand to be a handsome window dressing. As for Steele, her last name is perfect as she displays the
acting range of a steel enforced building, and the two actors have as much fiery passion as two mannequins in a high end department store window. That’s not to say there aren’t a few moments when your candy bar could melt, it just all feels so antiseptic. I will say the highlight of the movie for me was Christian’s apartment and the soundtrack, which I immediately bought after the movie. However, “Fifty Shades of Grey” cannot live on its soundtrack or an amazing apartment alone.
Rated R
C+
to get out of control.
Paddington (2014)
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
The Wedding Ringer (2015)
Two weeks shy of his wedding, a socially awkward guy enters into a charade by hiring the owner of a company that provides best men for grooms in need.
The Imitation Game (2014)
During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians.
Black or White (2014)
A grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her entire life.
The Boy Next Door (2015)
A newly divorced woman falls for a younger man who has recently moved in across the street from her, but their torrid affair soon takes a dangerous turn
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The Internet’s Best Secret
Though it’s been getting a little more press lately, one of the best hidden resources on the internet is The Internet Archive, found by directing your browser of choice to archive.org. What is The Internet Archive? It’s exactly what it sounds like, an online archive of
media, available to any and all who wish to access it. Think of it as a massive digital library, because that’s exactly what it is. Everything is on The Internet Archive, all largely posted in the public domain, or with the approval of copyright owners.
There’s hours upon hours of movies, music, and books that you can read, watch, listen to, and even download to your own computer. The Internet Archive is something I’ve been aware of for a few years, but just in the past two months two things they’ve been up to
have hit people of my age right in the nostalgia box. In January, The Internet Archive revealed their new MS-DOS software collection. Nearly 2,000 games from the early days of computer gaming all free to play, in browser, with no need to download an emulator. “The Oregon Trail,” in all its dying from dysentery glory is one of the games you can play, as is the theme song inducing “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” Even the old MS-DOS “Wheel of Fortune” I used to play in my elementary school classroom was there, talk about a trip back. The other “happy little upload” was the recent discovery that nearly 200 episodes of “The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross” are up on the archive, all free to watch, and free to download in high quality. On both occasions, when I went to simply check out what was there, I found myself lost for a few hours, either chasing down Carmen’s gang, or watching Bob Ross beat the devil out of a brush. The visual and audio portions of the archive are my favorite. If you’re a fan of old time radio
shows, there’s an overwhelming amount of them posted. Most of which are complete runs of what exists, curated, in restored quality, and again—free to download. The Internet Archive is also home to a Wayback Machine, that uploads and archives how webpages looked on certain dates. Wanna see what TCM’s webpage looked like in 1998? You can! There’s a lot of fun one can have with the archive too, playing around with films from The Prelinger Collection, which is an archive of mid century educational and industrial films. Many of the short subjects featured on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” were culled from The Prelinger Collection. The films on hygiene and sex ed play like weird pop culture artifacts. So if you’re trying to find more weird and wonderful things you fill your time with, head over to archive.org, and dig around. You may find yourself watching some old cartoons, B movies, or maybe just trying to paint that “happy little tree” you’ve always wanted to try. See you next week.
Page 22, The Loafer • February 24, 2015
Fifty Shades of SpongeBob (and other pop culture oddities)
Blame it on the arctic weather conditions last week. This week’s column is a product of the weird effects below freezing temperatures have on the human brain. Call it a science experiment if you will. In any event, here’s what happens when a real brain freeze takes place, along with a lot of proverbial cabin fever mixed with my rather jaded interest in pop culture. First up is what might be considered the year’s most interesting—and problematic—pop culture news item so far. No, I’m not talking about the Super Bowl halftime show, the Grammy Awards, the release of an album of Frank Sinatra songs by Bob Dylan, or the knockout performance of “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Miley Cyrus on the “Saturday Night Live” 40th anniversary show (and it was a real showstopper). What we have here is the hoopla that has arisen over a Concord, California drive-in theatre’s decision to screen the new SpongeBob movie alongside (and I do mean alongside) “Fifty Shades Of Gray.”
And what a double feature it is (or probably was by the time you read this). Needless to say, I received some dubious comfort knowing that the people in Concord were watching an outdoor movie in comfort while I was worrying whether or not my heat pump would survive the brutal assault of below-freezing temperatures while I watched Netflix. Apparently this still-surviving California drive-in theatre resembles the Twin-Aire Drive-In, one of the seven wonders of the world I frequented much too often during my residence in Knoxville back in the early 1980s (this establishment, which sported the biggest snack bar I’ve ever seen, closed in or near 1985). This theatre, in addition to being able to park what was rumored to be 2,000 cars, featured two screens at opposite ends of the parking lot. Although you couldn’t hear both movies simultaneously (this was before the era of wireless sound at drive-ins), you could watch both screens; as you can imagine, you could have a very interesting show by listening
to the sound of one movie while watching the other one, often with better results than if you just watched one movie. Now, back to our show. It seems, understandably so, that many parents became quite upset when they realized their children could watch two fairy tales at once—one for adults and one for children. According to a Fox News report (so it must be true and unbiased) one parent—Deborah Powell— “brought a big group of children to see the ‘SpongeBob’ movie, but when she arrived she found herself unavoidably close to the screen showing ‘Fifty Shades’”. As Powell explains it, “There is no way to avoid looking at that screen. It’s too tempting. So we couldn’t stay. So, we had to turn around. My children were devastated.” We are left to wonder—devastated by having to miss SpongeBob or not being able to snicker during the other movie? And I’m sure Ms. Powell was equally devastated. Talk about a moral dilemma. For some reason this drive-in story captures the very conflicted
essence of pop culture. Reminds me of the countless movies and TV shows that illustrate moral dilemmas by showing a devil sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other. And the really interesting thing is that the evening Ms. Powell decided to take all those kids to the show was billed as “Drive-In Family Night”! We can only wonder if patrons who came to see the rather boring and shallow world served up by “Fifty Shades” were equally offended (or perhaps intrigued) by “Sponge Out Of Water”—a movie that also features several naked characters doing things far more interesting than anything Mr. Gray could dream up. We definitely live in interesting times, don’t we? A related item (perhaps only related in my warped mind) came to my attention during my bout with cabin fever last week. This one belongs to the ever-growing “Internet of Things” (IoT) category. You might (or might not) recall a product I included in my Christmas wish list a few weeks back. That item, a Selfie Pole, enabled
the user to attach his or her smartphone to the end of a pole and then, by using a Bluetooth button, take a selfie from an arm’s length perspective. Now, the enterprising folks at JDBeauty.com are marketing a device called SelfieBrush. Yes, you probably guessed it—this is a hairbrush that can hold your smartphone on the reverse side, guaranteeing that your hair will always look good in your selfies. In fact, the product’s webpage has the tagline, “Have your best hair in every selfie.” Could this be a new motto for a new year? Pretty scary thought, isn’t it? The website does come with a caution, however—“Please remove any screen protectors or stickers prior to inserting cellphone into SelfieBrush. Forcing your phone into the SelfieBrush may cause damage to your screen.” Not a very pleasant thought, but at least we’ve been warned. Nothing is said about doing damage to your hair or to your personal integrity or credibility by using this must-have new product. My favorite part of the SelfieBrush website is a section about “How To Take The Perfect Selfie,” which is followed by the byline, “Never again question your selfie before taking a selfie.” I’m sure an entire selfie workshop (and I am sure there are such things) could be structured around this deeply philosophical statement. Needless to say, one of the keys to taking the perfect selfie is to “Show off your luscious locks,” made that way of course by your SelfieBrush. With all the potential smartphones have for allowing us to access the world’s intormation, it is comforting to know that more and more users are treating their devices as selfie generators. Is it any wonder some people probably think “Fifty Shades Of Gray” is a movie about hair care? I will leave you to contemplate all this stuff as I try to keep warm. See you next week. In the meantime, be careful which double features you take your kids (or your parents) to see.
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