The Loafer October 6th

Page 2 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 3

Volume 29 • Issue #44

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Publisher Luci Tate

Editor Graphic Arts Director Don Sprinkle Office Manager Luci Tate Cover Design Bill May Advertising Dave Carter Terry Patterson Lori Howell Contributing Staff Jim Kelly Andy Ross Ken Silvers Mark Marquette Brian McManus Joshua Hicks Brian Bishop Nathan Cox Distribution Jerry Hanger Teresa Hanger Published by Pulse Publishing, 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.

Founder: Bill Williams

happenings 4

Race for the Cure - planned for Oct. 25th

5

Goodwill Hosts Annual Job Fair

6

Alton Chung to Host Storytelling Live

7

Mark O’Connor to perform at the Paramount

8

Layers of Artistry

9

“Hour of Darkness” at LampLight Theatre

10

Rick Springfield at NPAC

11

NewSong’s “Beating Hearts Tour’

13 The Brock McGuire Band at Northeast State 19

Art In The Heart Gallery’s Upcoming Classes

22

37th Annual Wise County Fall fling

23

Zombie Survival 5k

14

Spotlight - Great Music & Fun Times

24

Crossword & Sudoku

14

Batteries Not Included - Ryan Adams’ 1989

16

Stargazer - Space Age Discoveries Still Amaze

17

Skies This Week

18

Screen Scenes - “Hotel Transylvania 2”

music & fun

columns & reviews

20 The Trivial Traveler - Things To Do In Boise When You’re Bored 25

Lock, Stock & Barrel - Apocalypse Ready Pt 3

26

Kelly’s Place - Halloween Horrors 2015

Page 4 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Susan G. Komen® Tri-Cities Plans 10th Anniversary Race for the Cure – Sunday, October 25, 2015

This year’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure marks the TriCities Affiliate’s 10th Anniversary. Since it’s beginnings as the Pink Ribbon Run in 2005, the Affiliate has grown to include 23-counties and 2-cities across a tri-state region of Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia. With the unflagging support of our community and long-time partners like Eastman Chemical Company, Wellmont Health System, and Mountain States Health Alliance, the Tri-Cities Affiliate has made a significant impact on breast cancer in this region. Funds raised over the last decade have provided

life-saving mammograms, genetic testing, education, and resources to those in need. Since 2005, the Affiliate has invested $2.4 million dollars locally for essential breast health services for women and men in need. Additionally, more than $800,000 has been donated to the Susan G. Komen Global Scientific Research Program where lifesaving treatments, such as Tamoxifen, are being discovered to save the lives of women and men in our community and around the world.

With the Affiliate’s 10th Anniversary approaching, many plans are underway to make this year’s Race the most impactful yet! With the support of our com-

munity and to mark the Affiliate’s anniversary, Komen Tri-Cities is launching the “Power of 10” Fundraising Campaign. It’s simple—just ask ten of your friends and family to donate $10 each to your fundraising efforts. With the average cost of a mammogram being around $100, all you need are $10 donations from ten people and you’ve covered the cost of a mammogram for a woman in need! Just think: if 10,000 community members participated, we would raise $100,000! This is enough money to cover mammograms for 10,000 women—possibly even someone you know!

Mark your calendar! Join us Sunday, October 25, 2015 at Memorial Park in Kingsport for the Susan G. Komen Tri-Cities 10th Anniversary Race for the Cure. We anticipate that more than 6,000 participants and supporters will be present at this year’s Race. Let’s have fun, celebrate our breast cancer survivors, and make an impact in our community for years to come.

For more information about the 2015 Tri-Cities Affiliate Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, please visitwww.komentricities.org or call your local office at 423-7659313.

www.komentricities.org

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Komen Tri-Cities Affiliate

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen and launched a global breast cancer movement. The Tri-Cities Affiliate of Komen is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community joining more than 1 million breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Since 2005, events and fundraisers, such

as the Komen Tri-Cities Race for the Cure®, have enabled the Tri-Cities Affiliate to invest more than $2.4 million dollars in community breast health programs in the 23-county, 2-city service region of Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. Up to 75 percent of the net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stay in the TriCities Affiliate’s 23 county region in VA, TN and NC. The remaining income funds the Susan G. Komen Scientific Research Grants Program that strives to identify and support the best science around the world.

www.theloaferonline.com

What affects your risk of getting breast cancer?

The causes of breast cancer are not fully known. However, researchers have identified a number of factors that increase (or decrease) the chances of getting breast cancer. These are called risk factors. Breast cancer is complex and likely caused by a combination of risk factors. Some factors you may be able to control (like exercise). Yet, some are out of your control (like age). Some are still unknown. Since you can only control some risk factors, you cannot

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 5

avoid some amount of risk. For example, the two most common risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and getting older.

Most risk factors that you have some control over only have a small effect on risk. This means there is no one behavior that will prevent breast cancer. But, it also means there’s no one factor that will cause it.

Talk to your health care provider about your personal risk.

Some factors linked to a lower risk of breast cancer:

• achieving and maintaining a healthy weight • getting regular exercise • limiting alcohol • avoiding menopausal hormones containing estrogen plus progestin • breastfeeding, if you can

For more information, visit www.komen.org or call Susan G. Komen®’s breast care helpline at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 10 PM EST.

Goodwill Hosts Annual Job Fair

Job seekers and employers will unite at the Goodwill Industries of Tenneva job fair on October 7, 2015! The Johnson City Public Library, 100 West Millard Street, Johnson City, will be the place to be for individuals who are unemployed, underemployed or searching for a new career. From 9 a.m. to noon, different employers such as Goodwill Industries of Tenneva, Shoffner Kalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service, East Coast Inventory and Labor Ready will have booths set up and looking for talented individuals to fill their open positions.

There will be a wide range of employers present, from retail to industrial to the food industry.

Resources, such as Northeast State and Volunteer of America will also be there! Potential employees are encouraged to bring copies of an updated, complete resume and to dress business casual. Individuals

should be prepared to fill out applications, ask questions and discuss opportunities.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer a second job fair in Johnson City,” stated Robert Miller, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries Tenneva. “This is a great opportunity for individuals to get ahead in life.

We’re also able to share our mission of finding employment for individuals with barriers to employment with other businesses and help provide those businesses with skilled individuals.”

Goodwill Industries of Tenneva is proud to be able to bring hard-working, employable people together with employers in a positive job fair setting. Goodwill strives to help unemployed individuals or those wanting to advance their career.

A special thanks to Food City and WTFM for sponsoring and promoting this event!

A Spot on the Hill: Original Play Returns to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery this Fall

A Spot on the Hill, the original, research based play by Anne G’Fellers-Mason, returns to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery this October. The show premiered last fall to sold-out performances, and this season’s production will feature a number of changes, including new stories, live music, and a stationary location inside the cemetery. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to sit on. Come and listen to real stories of real lives among real tombstones.

Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 6:30 p.m. on October 10 and October 24. Tickets are limited, so make sure you buy yours today! Tickets are $8 and proceeds benefit the Heritage Alliance’s cemetery preservation and tombstone restoration fund. Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time. Parking is available downtown. It is a short walk up East Main Street to the cemetery. A golf cart courtesy shuttle will be available for guests who park behind the downtown Courthouse. This program is not suggested for children under 10 years of age. In case of inclement weather, performances will be moved inside to the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. To purchase tickets, visit jonesboroughtn.org or call the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580.

On the day of the event, tickets should be purchased at the Jonesborough Visitors Center.

Page 6 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Alton Chung to Host Storytelling Live!

Storyteller Alton Chung will be the next storyteller in residence in Jonesborough’s live concert program, which will conclude for the 2015 season later this month.

During his residency, the Hawaiian native will pull from his wide repertoire of traditional folk tales, ghost stories, personal pieces, and sweeping historical narratives for exciting programs that walk listeners through his own life and the lives of his ancestors.

The teller has a special interest in history, not just because he finds it interesting, but also because Hawaiian history is by and large a story that remains untold outside of the islands, where less than one percent of the U.S. population resides.

For years, Chung, who now lives in Oregon, has traveled to his old home to collect living histories from people who have played quiet, but fascinating, roles in national history.

One of his most important works is a set of stories collected from Japanese-American soldiers who fought in World War II. Another more recent set includes stories he collected from plantation workers, many of whom had never had the chance to tell anyone outside of their families about their experiences.

Though each project has its own rewards and challenges, these stories are so interconnected that Chung sometimes revisits old pieces in light of new research. To-

Photo Credit: Mark Shigehara gether, they form a sort of people’s history of Hawaii, taking a close look at the everyday lives and extraordinary circumstances of the people who were there on the ground.

Part of the performer’s hope in sharing these slices of life is that people in his audience will seek out stories from their own family’s past. “It’s important to understand where you’re from and where your roots are,” he says. “If I had one wish for people who come to listen to stories, it would be for them to go and talk to their elders, talk to their aunts and uncles and grandparents. That connectedness allows us to know where we’re from and chart a course for where we’re going. It adds meaning and texture to our lives.”

Throughout his residency, Chung will offer daily concerts in downtown Jonesborough, Tuesday through Saturday, October 13

– 17, in ISC’s Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall. All matinees begin at 2:00 p.m., and all ticket holders will save 10 percent on same-day dining at The Dining Room, Jonesborough General Store and Eatery, or Main Street Café.

Tickets for all performances are just $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18. Walk-in seating is often available, but advance reservations are recommended since tickets are first come, first served.

Chung is one of the final performers in the International Storytelling Center’s Storytelling Live! series, which will bring a new performer to Jonesborough each week through the end of October.

Information about this season’s performers, as well as a detailed schedule, is available a www.storytellingcenter.net.

Storytelling Live! is supported by program sponsors CrestPoint Health and Eastman Credit Union, and media sponsors News 5-WCYB, FOX Tri-Cities, Tri-Cities CW, Johnson City Press, Kingsport Times-News, Herald & Tribune, Cumulus Media and Foster Signs.

Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Niswonger Foundation, and the Arts Fund of East Tennessee Foundation.

The International Storytelling Center is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information about Storytelling Live! or to make a group reservation, call (800) 952-8392 ext. 222 or (423) 913-1276.

www.theloaferonline.com

The amazing Mark O’Connor

to perform at the Paramount October 9

He has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “One of the most talented and imaginative artists working in music—any music—today.” Bristol’s Appalachian Cultural Music Association (ACMA), the Bristol Herald Courier and the City of Bristol Tennessee will be hosting the talented Mark O’Connor on October 9 at 7:00pm at the Paramount Center.

The concert is a fundraiser for the ACMA’s Mountain Music Museum. Tickets are on sale now at the Paramount box office. Hours for the box office are Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 5pm or visit www.etix.com. For information on ticket prices and seat locations please call, 423-274-8920.

O’Connor is a product of America’s reach aural folk tradition as well as classical music. His creative journey began at the feet of a pair of musical giants. The first was the folk fiddler and innovator who created the modern era of American fiddling, Benny Thomasson; the second, French jazz violinist, considered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of the violin, Stehpane Grapelli.

Working with classical violin icons Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Yehudi Menhuin and Pinchas Zukerman, he absorbed knowledge and influence from the multitude of musical styles and genres he studied and participated in. With his body of work including 45 feature albums of mostly his own compositions, Mark O’Connor’s concerts

are one of the must see events.

Opening for O’Connor will be east Tennessee native Fiddlin’ Carson Peters, a true musical prodigy and is only 11-years old. Peters and his family live in nearby Piney Flats, Tennessee. He is quickly making a name for himself with his fiddle by winning competitions and entertaining audiences across the region. He began playing at 3 ½ years old and hasn’t slowed down.

The ACMA founded in Bristol, Tennessee was established to preserve the rich cultural music heritage of the Appalachian Mountain. The association promotes the wonderful bluegrass and country music for which the area was officially named, The Birthplace of Country Music.

In addition to the concert there

will be a silent auction of several items in the lobby of the Paramount.

MPCC to offer Five Simple Steps to Overcome Debt Memorial Park Community Center, 510 Bert St., will host Five Simple Steps to Overcome Debt, a free workshop designed for ages 18 and older, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Workshop leader Barry Myers will help participants understand that debt is not a necessary part of life. Participants will be able to successfully analyze their financial

situations and develop a strategy to get out of debt and/or live debt free.

Free childcare is available for those attending the program.

Childcare space is limited and must be reserved in advance by calling (423)434-5749.

For more information about the workshop or to register, please call (423)434-6237.

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 7

Page 8 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Layers of Artistry

Quilt exhibition features tradition intertwined with innovation “In this region, just about everyone grew up under a quilt,” says Patricia Mink, head of the ETSU fibers program. “Down here, everybody has a quilt story. It’s part of the richness of this region.”

Mothers, grandmothers and younger stitchers have been making quilts for warmth and bed-

ding since the beginnings of the “New World” and padding fabrics to clothe, comfort and protect for centuries.

In the last 50 years, though, quilting has become a billiondollar industry, Mink says, and at the same time, visual artists have experimented increasingly with the layered form and myriad techniques and marks. “It’s a medium that’s accessible because it has the connection to the familiar,” she says, “but it is also new to people in a lot of ways, so it is my intent to help expand that understanding of the quilt.”

LAYERS: Quilt As Form, running Oct. 5-30 at ETSU’s Slocumb Galleries, should broaden perspectives on the contemporary evolution of the art form, says Mink, who is curating the show.

In collaboration with the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and Honors College at ETSU and the Tennessee Arts Commission, Mink – an internationally exhibited fibers and quilt artist herself – and ETSU’s Department of Art and Design have arrayed contemporary quilts by eight regional, national and international artists.

Renowned teacher and artist Joan Schulze will highlight the exhibi-

tion with an Oct. 15 talk on her work, travels and the evolving art form.

Artists in the LAYERS exhibition are Susan Brandeis, Dorothy Caldwell, Judith Content, Nancy Crow, Michael James, Jeana Eve Klein, Aaron McIntosh and Joan Schulze.

These artists are “redefining what ‘quilt’ means,” Mink says, while at the same time, they are perpetuating various traditional elements of the American form and often exploring nature and the environment. The continuing traditions of at least two layers of materials and some kind of stitching are the threads that connect these quilt artists, their works and the LAYERS exhibition.

“This is a world-class exhibit,” she says. “These are internationally known artists, but still, none of them are denying the connection to the quilt and the tradition, which I think is important. They aren’t offended by [their work] being called quilts.”

The eight artists she chose fall into three categories, Mink says.

“Joan Schulze, Michael James and Nancy Crow are essentially pioneers of the studio quilt movement,” she says. “They wrote

the books – literally. Dorothy Caldwell, Susan Brandeis, Judith Content are artists working unselfconsciously with the quilt form, also relating to the landscape and the environment, and Jeana Klein and Aaron McIntosh are young artists consciously selecting the quilt form as their means for expression.”

“The new generation” representatives in the LAYERS exhibit, Klein and McIntosh, while nationally known, are regional. McIntosh, who teaches at Maryland

Institute College of Art, grew up in Kingsport and is a fourth-generation quilter. In his work, he explores material culture, family tradition, identity shaping and sexuality. Klein creates her quilt artworks – using digital images, recycled fabric, stitching and acrylics – from Boone, N.C., where she is an associate professor of fibers at Appalachian State University.

Works by Caldwell, a Canada

Layers .....

continued on page 21

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 9

Halloween Thriller Performed at LampLight Theatre “Hour of Darkness” - Rated PG-13

Enter LampLight Theatre’s Mortality Room and prepare to face your fears in the debut production of Hour of Darkness.

The New World Regime and its soldiers are now the governing body of post-apocalyptic America.

The President has declared Martial Law. The Christian Church has been forced underground, as those opposed to this new government are taken away to internment camps to be “re-educated”, but more often, slaughtered. This spine-chilling tale of modern day martyrdom will unveil the masks of the ordinary to expose the evils of Satan and his minions in an Hour of Darkness you will never forget!

Pastor Mark Stevens courageously leads a congregation of the Underground Church during a terrifying era where death is almost as certain as his faith.

Hunted down by the new administration known as the New World

Regime (NWR) for harboring and aiding Rev. John Gains, the Father of the Underground Church, this local body of believers is divided between those who want to stand and fight the NWR with a group of rebels known as the “subversives” and those who believe this battle is not just against flesh and blood.

A blood-stained trail follows the NWR Commander and his ruthless soldiers, known for their fierce brutality and unrelenting pursuit of those opposed to the nation’s newly found “policies”. They will stop at nothing to flush out “dissidents” of their administration.

Hour of Darkness will bring your mind into the realm of the unseen, as you are introduced to a legion of masked nefarious demons.

These “fallen ones” summon Lucifer, who masquerades as “The Angel of Light” to destroy the lives of the most innocent. Beware of Lucifer as he uses his disguised sinister spirits to deceive you into believ-

ing his lies. When this legion of principalities and dark forces gets done with the members of the Underground Church, their mortal souls will hang in the balance of the “after life” of eternity. What will happen to Pastor Mark’s family and his divided congregation?

What will become of the world under this new regime? You will have to see to believe…

Mortality Room’s “Hour of Darkness” is NOT for everyone.

Due to its true-to-life situations and scary images, this show is rated PG-13. Hour of Darkness will be presented October 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 28-31. Performances will be nightly at 6:30 PM, with additional performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:00 PM. Tickets are a Suggested Donation of $8.00 and can be purchased by calling the LampLight Box Office, Monday – Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM General Admission, and reservaat 423-343-1766 or online at www. tions are recommended. Outdoor LampLightTheatre.com. Seating is concessions will be available from

5:30 until 9:00. LampLight Theatre is located at 140 Broad Street, Kingsport, TN 37660.

Page 10 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Rick Springfield

Saturday, Oct. 10th at Niswonger Performing Arts Center Grammy® Award-winning rocker Rick Springfield brings his high energy, full band show to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Saturday, October 10th at 7:30 pm.

Rick Springfield’s first love has always been music, a lifelong passion after picking up his first guitar at the age of 12 in his native Australia. With 25 million records sold, 17 top-40 hits, including “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “An Affair of the Heart,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Love Somebody” and “Human Touch”, as well as a 1981 Grammy® for Best Male Rock Vocal for his No. 1 hit single “Jessie’s Girl,” Springfield shows no signs of slowing down.

Never one to be confined to the recording studio where the music is born, Springfield has toured for over 30 years, hand-delivering the hits to millions of fans worldwide via his dynamic live shows. His concerts are legendary with their rock heavy, high-energy full band sets.

Although music is Springfield’s first love, he is no stranger to film and TV. At the end of 2014 Springfield wrapped production on “Ricki and the Flash” with costar Meryl Streep and director Jonathan Demme. The film was released on August 7th of this year.

He is currently working on Season 2 of HBO’s critically acclaimed “True Detective, which returns to TV later this year.

Don’t miss Rick Springfield at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center (NPAC) in historic downtown Greeneville, TN on Saturday, October 10th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $60 for orchestra level seating, $55 for mezzanine seating and $50 for balcony seats.

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 with no processing or delivery fees. There is a $1.50 ticketing fee per ticket regardless of purchase method. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am until 5 pm. The 1150 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.

www.theloaferonline.com

NewSong’s ‘Beating Hearts Tour’, featuring Mandisa and Danny Gokey, hits Kingsports’s Harvest Fest

GRAMMY®nominated NewSong is slated to bring their “Beating Hearts Tour” to Kingsport’s Harvest Fest at Cleek Farm on October 10. Hitting multiple cities across the country this fall, the tour is presented by Holt International and will also feature GRAMMY® and Dove Aw a r d - w i n n i n g vocalist Mandisa and chart-topping singer/songwriter Danny Gokey, both former “American Idol” finalists.

Tickets for the all-day festival are available by calling 1-800-9659324 or online via www.iTickets. com. Advance VIP tickets ($20) which include preferred seating are available as are general admission tickets ($15). Prices increase the day of to $25 for VIP and $20 for general admission. Gates open at 12:00 noon for the all-day music festival.

NewSong will showcase selections from their best-selling worship release, Faithful (Integrity Music). The critically-acclaimed 13-song live recording—the group’s first worship set in a decade—is highlighted by such songs as “This Beating Heart,” “Make A Way” and the title cut.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, 19 albums, 20 #1 Christian radio singles, a #1 mainstream AC hit, a GRAMMY® Award-nomination and induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, among numerous other achievements, NewSong is among the most respected artists and mentors in Christian music today.

Their unparalleled ministry has been highlighted by such defining songs as “Arise, My Love,” “The Christmas Shoes,” “Rescue” and “The Same God.” Founders and hosts of the blockbuster Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, which annually ranks among the top

first-quarter tours in the world, NewSong has helped provide a powerful platform for the Gospel in major arenas around the country since 1995. The band’s latest recording and second live worship set, Faithful (Integrity Music), debuted at #1 on Nielsen SoundScan’s Praise & Worship chart earlier this year, while their Faithful DVD—featuring video selections filmed during the live worship recording—was recently nominated for a Dove Award for Long Form Video of the Year.

With more than 1 million records sold, GRAMMY® Award Winner, Dove Award winner and “American Idol” Season 5 finalist Mandisa is a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world. In less than a year, Mandisa performed her three hit singles “Overcomer,” “Good Morning,” and “Stronger” on the highest rated morning show, ABC’s “Good Morning America” (GMA). Her album, Overcomer, released in 2013 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart, with the album’s title track holding on to the No. 1 spot for 12 weeks on the National Christian Audience chart as well as the No. 1 position on the Christian/Gospel Core Digital sales chart for several weeks. In 2014

alone, Mandisa picked up her first GRAMMY® Award, Dove Award and K-LOVE Fan Award. Mandisa was awarded a GRAMMY® for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album and a Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for Overcomer. Her first fulllength remix album, Get Up: The Remixes, is available now.

BMG recording artist Danny Gokey became a favorite of millions of fans as a Top 3 finalist on Season Eight of “American Idol.” Following “Idol,” Gokey released his debut album, My Best Days, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. His current album, Hope In Front of Me, hit the Billboard CCM chart at #1 in its first week of release and the title track spent four weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Christian chart. His current single, “More Than You Think I Am,” from the same album is in the Top 10 at both the NAC and CAC Billboard charts. He is the founder of Sophia’s Heart, an organization established in 2008 in honor of his late wife. The organization’s goal is to provide hope and help to homeless families in crisis. In addition, Sophia’s Heart also has a thriving inner city Music & Arts program in Danny’s hometown of Milwaukee.

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 11

Page 12 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Ryan Adams’ 1989

Let’s take a short walk before we get into the meat of the matter.

I’m opinionated when it comes to music. I’m very opinionated. But that doesn’t mean those opinions don’t sometimes change. 30 year old Andy is not as passionate or vitriolic about people liking certain bands as early 20s and High School Andy was. I still have my very strong opinions though. I lothe whatever the hell country music has morphed into, and I generally find myself bored to tears by what passes as top 40 pop music these days.

Now, I used to not care for Taylor Swift, this is true. However, seeing her embrace her pop side, combined with the fact she seems like a decent person--I kinda like the girl.

I don’t think myself as a fan, but I don’t groan or grumble anymore when her name is mentioned. It’s the same way I don’t care for Lada Gaga’s pop music, but as a person I like her. When she teams up with Tony Bennett, I think it’s golden.

I also like that the combination of that duo helps to introduce The Great American Songbook to

young people who might not have otherwise had a “in” to it.

Two weeks ago, indie artist Ryan Adams released a project he had teased since August of this year. A full, track by track, cover album of Taylor Swift’s “1989.”

Now let’s back up again for a moment, I know I’m taking all kinds of side roads before I talk about Ryan Adams’ cover record. But I have good reason, so just follow me please. I’m not just coming round to the Taylor Swift bandwagon or anything. I used to be a hipster,

but back when I was one was high school and I thought it meant you wore buttons for punk bands and loved The White Stripes. Maybe I still am one? Hell, I don’t know.

Anyway, last night a friend asked me a question that’s been on my mind today: “What is indie music?” Indie, I think, is still a viable genre, but that’s been debated forever. In the free fall of the music industry, bands who used to never crack the top 20 of Billboard would have their albums peak in sales the week they came out as their de-

voted fans all ran to buy it. I know indie when I hear it. To me, Indie is all the stuff that top 40 mainstream radio ignores. To me it’s the stuff that sounds like music. It’s not been over marketed, over produced, and designed to just go to everyone. Maybe, in all honestly, “I know it when I hear it” is the best definition I can offer.

I’ll admit I sometimes, perhaps inadvertently, perhaps not, have a bit of a “hipper than thou music guru” vibe. I don’t plan for it to be that way, I just love music almost more than anything else in my life.

Indeed, sometimes I’m at my true happiest when I’m alone with just a pair of headphones on, getting lost in the music. It’s my drug. It’s my addiction. It’s my fuel. It means a hell of a lot to me.

OK, all of that out of the way, let’s talk about it. First off, I’m not going to tell you who Ryan Adams is, you can google that. I’m writing about all of this as someone who has enjoyed his work for several years, and really quite liked his album that came out last year.

I was just as curious as anyone else was when the words began to fly around the internet. “Ryan Adams?

Doing a Taylor Swift cover album?

No! Really? All of 1989? In the style of The Smiths? What?”

It came with no clear end date in sight for when this would see the light of day. But the turnaround is really quite remarkable. It took just about two months from announcement to release. Do I know why Ryan Adams did this? No. I don’t. Adams mentioned in an interview that Taylor’s album helped him through a hard time--he just went through a divorce. One thing I don’t agree with, is the theory that

Esquire magazine put out.

I don’t think Ryan Adams made this for attention. I don’t think he made it to sale records, gain new fans, or for a grab for pop stardom.

I think that’s bull. Ryan Adams makes the kind of records he wants to make. I think Ryan Adams made an entire cover album of “1989” for one very good reason, he wanted to. Listening to the album, it’s easy to forget these are Taylor Swift songs. The way Adams covers them makes is easy to picture him on stage, clad in denim, belting these tunes out with his hair all down in his eyes.

In Adams’ hands, “1989” becomes an album of melancholy.

The upbeat infection hit that is “Shake It Off” becomes a down tempo, reflection tune. Once the baseline novelty of “Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift” is stripped away, it’s unmistakably a Ryan Adams record. Do I like it? Yeah, I do.

I’m not going to run out and buy a copy of the original “1989” album, but I wouldn’t be against having this one on my shelf.

Without question this will be a record that will be talked about greatly this year. I doubt it will make any album of the year lists (right now Courtney Barnett is leading that race), but I don’t think it will simply be a fluke record that comes and go. Again, I’m not really a fan of Swift’s music, but I like her as a person. I also, again, can’t say what goal Ryan Adams was ultimately going for here. But objectively, as just another record that came out this year, and as another record of the Ryan Adams’ catalog.

I dig it. It’s not a bad record at all.

See you next week.

www.theloaferonline.com

The Brock McGuire Band plays Northeast State Oct. 8

The Brock McGuire Band returns to Northeast State Community College for an evening of unmatched instrumental music that has made them one of the most beloved and respected bands in Ireland and across the pond.

This Irish traditionalist quartet will play a one-night only show on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Northeast State Auditorium (A202) at the Blountville campus next to TriCities Regional Airport. The concert is free and open to the public.

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 13 In May 1989, Paul Brock co-founded the group Moving Cloud with Manus McGuire.

This County Clare-based band produced two albums for Green Linnet Records, including their 1994 self-titled release that was selected by U.S. music critic Earle Hitchner as the best Irish traditional album of that year. Paul’s CD collaboration Humdinger with Enda Scahill was voted “Irish Music Album of the Year” by the Irish Times and “Instrumental Album of the Year” by the Irish American News.

Residing in County Clare, button accordionist and melodeonist Brock and fiddler McGuire are two of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians and have been at the forefront of Irish music for many years through their joint work with Moving Cloud. McGuire is also a founding member of Buttons & Bows, and both bands, ranking among Ireland’s finest, have helped to introduce international audiences to the virtuosity of their playing.

Named the “Instrumental Band of the Decade” by the Irish American News, the band’s repertoire runs wide and deep. Passion and precision, authenticity and diversity: these are the hallmarks of the Brock McGuire Band in concert. Their tight, tenacious blend of instruments emphasizing mostly

Irish music but also sprinkling in impressive arrangements of American Old Timey, Bluegrass, French-Canadian, and other Celtic traditions.

A multiple All-Ireland champion born in Athlone, County Westmeath, Brock pursued a solo career through the 60’s and 70’s by mastering the single-row, two-row, threerow, and five-row button accordions. His illustrated lecture “Irish Traditional Music in America – The Golden Era” has been widely acclaimed.

Born in Tullamore, County Offaly and residing in Scarriff, East Clare, McGuire is an Irish fiddler who blends dazzling technique with faultlessly far-ranging taste. He has recorded ten albums, including three with Buttons and Bows, two with Moving Cloud, and two solo albums: Saffron and Blue (Green Linnet) and Fiddlewings (Shelly River Music).

Performing with the band are Garry O’Meara, a brilliant banjo, mandolin player & vocalist; and Denis Carey, an acclaimed pianist, composer and arranger.

The concert is sponsored by Northeast State’s Cultural Activities Committee. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.northeaststate.edu.

Page 14 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

- TUESDAY - Oct. 6th JASON LLOYD & FRIENDS at Biggies Clam Bar MATT HECTRONE & THE FAMILY TREE at Acoustic Coffeehouse - WEDNESDAY - Oct. 7th OPEN MIC

at WoodStone Deli

SWALLOW THE SKY NICK OLIVERI at The Hideaway 8pm

HADLEY KENNARY SEAN COSTANZA at Acoustic Coffeehouse

- THURSDAY - Oct. 8th JAZZ at Wellington’s - Carnegie Hotel BROCK-MCGUIRE BAND at NE State Community College

KELLER WILLIAMS

at Holston River Brewing Company

THE LOWEST PAIR at Bone Fire Smokehouse

JONATHAN TEA / KIM SMITH CHRIS WILHELM at The Acoustic Coffeehouse 8pm PETER FRAMPTON at Niswonger Performing Arts Center 7:30pm

- FRIDAY - Oct. 9th GRASS 2 MOUTH at Acoustic Coffeehouse

JEZEBALL

at The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room ACOUSTIFRIED (Country) at Holston River Brewing Company

ASYLUM SUITE at Capone’s

AMETHYST KIAH DARK WATER RISING at Founders After 5 Founders Park JC 5pm

MARK O’CONNOR w/ CARSON PETERS

at Paramount Center for the Arts 7pm

BUMPER JACKSONS at The Down Home 7pm

JASON ‘THE COMEBACK KID’ EDWARDS

SUNDOWN BAND (Country)

at Willoughby Ruritan

HUDSON K LITTLE WAR TWINS at The Hideaway 8pm

HOG SLOP OLD TIME BAND at Carter Family Fold

JIM PERKINS

at Holston River Brewing Co. 8pm

CRYSTAL BRIGHT & SILVER HANDS

at The Willow Tree Coffee House & Music Room 6pm

MYLES SAVAGE

at Paramount Center for the Arts 7pm

COPPER RIDGE

at Country Club Bar & Grill

JV SQUAD

at O’Mainnin’s Pub & Grill

DISILLUSIONED at Capone’s

at Poor Richards Campus 8pm

BLUESMAN

at Jiggy Ray’s Pizzaria 7pm

JASON ‘THE COMEBACK KID’ EDWARDS / STEVE HUNG

STEM WINDERS

HOOT n HOLLER JAM FESTIVAL

at Kingsport Eagles 6pm

HONEY BADGERS

at Bone Fire Smokehouse

RYAN WARD

at Bristol Brewery 8pm

at Bone Fire Smokehouse at Acoustic Coffeehouse

RICK SPRINGFIELD

at Niswonger Performing Arts Center 7:30pm

- SUNDAY - Oct. 11th JIM PERKINS

NIGHTSHIFT

at Bone Fire Smokehouse

SOUTHERN COUNTRYMEN BAND

at NE State Community College

at Ma & Pa’s 7:30pm

at The Outdoorsman 7pm

WHISKEY OUTLAWS at Country Club Bar & Grill

- SATURDAY - Oct. 10th HILLBILLY DEVILLE

JC COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND

COMMUNITY CENTER BEN STALETS at Acoustic Coffeehouse

WYLDEHEART 6pm BLACKFOOT 7pm

- MONDAY - Oct. 12h SANG SARAH BONES OF MARY RUBY THE HATCHET

NATE HARDIN

OPEN MIC

at Biggie’s Clam Bar

at Black Wolf Harley Davidson at Jiggy Ray’s Pizzaria 7pm NIGHTSHIFT (Country, Southern Rock, Oldies) at Buffalo Ruritan 7pm

at The Hideaway 9pm

at Acoustic Coffeehouse

BLUEGRASS JAM

at Hardee’s (Boones Creek)

KARAOKE TUESDAY

KaraokeAt Numan’s - JCTN ***********************

WEDNESDAY

Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at American Legion 8pm Karaoke At Bristol VFW - BTN Turn the Page Karaoke At VFW Post 2108 - JCTN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Busted Still Brewery ***********************

THURSDAY

Karaoke At Numan’s - JCTN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Electric Cowboy - JCTN Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at Macadoo’s 8pm Karaoke At Holiday Inn - JCTN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment At Everette’s Bar & Grille - JCTN ***********************

FRIDAY

KaraokeAt Bristol VFW - BTN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertaiment at Rainbow Asian Cuisine - JCTN Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at Sportsman’s Bar & Grill 9pm Karaoke w/ Reverb Karaoke at The Cottage 8:30 pm Turn the Page Karaoke at VFW Post 2108 - JCTN Karaoke At Elizabethton VFW Karaoke w/ DJ Marques At Holiday Inn (Exit 7) - BVA Karaoke At Numan’s - JCTN ***********************

SATURDAY

Turn the Page Karaoke at VFW Post 2108 - JCTN Karaoke At Numan’s - JCTN ***********************

SUNDAY

Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Mellow Mushroom - JC TN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment At Everette’s Bar & Grille - JCTN

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 15

Spotlight Directory Acoustic Coffeehouse 415 W Walnut St. Johnson City 423/434.9872 Biggies Clam Bar 417 W Stone Dr Kingsport 423/765-9633 Black Wolf Harley Davidson 18100 Hubbard Lane Bristol VA 276/ 628-5822 Bone Fire Smokehouse at the Hardware 260 W Main St Abingdon Va 276/623-0037 Bristol’s Pickin’ Porch 620 State St Bristol 423/573-2262 Capone’s 227 E Main St Johnson City 423/928-2295 Carter Family Fold 3449 A. P. Carter Hwy Hiltons Va 276/594-0676 Country Club Bar & Grill 3080 W State St Bristol 423/844-0400 Down Home 300 W. Main St. Johnson City 423/929-9822 The Hideaway 235 E. Main St Johnson City 423/ 926-3896 Holiday Inn (Exit 7) 3005 Linden Dr Bristol Va

276/466-4100 Holston River Brewing Company 2621 Volunteer Pkwy Bristol TN Jiggy Ray’s 610 E. Elk Ave Elizabethton 423/ 518-1500 Maw & Paw’s Restaurant 18928 US Highway 58 Castlewood VA 276/762-7533 O’Mainnin’s Pub 712 State St Bristol 423/844-0049 The Outdoorsman 4535 Highway 11W Kingsport Paramount Center for the Arts 516 State St. Bristol TN 423/ 274-8920 Poor Richards 825 W. Walnut St. Johnson City 423/ 928-8611 Wellington’s Restaurant Carnegie Hotel 1216 W State of Franklin Rd Johnson City 423/979-6400 Willoughby Ruritan 5145 Marvin Rd Bulls Gap Va The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room 216 E Main St Johnson City Woodstone Deli 3500 Fort Henry Dr Kingsport 423/245-5424

An Evening with Keller Williams Holston Rier Brewer | Bristol TN Thursday, Oct 8th | 6pm TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE $25 LIMITED TO 350 @ http://hrbrewing.weebly.com/events--tickets.html

(SOLO)

Ever-prolific singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams brings a variety of his projects and teams up with several music friends for a busy last part of his 20th year making music. DOORS WILL OPEN AT 6PM AT HOLSTON RIVER BREWERY, THE SHOW WILL START BETWEEN 8-9PM. KELLER WILL BE PERFORMING TWO 6075 MINUTE SETS! THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE KELLER WILLIAMS IN VENUE OF THIS SIZE! Tickets and information on Keller Williams shows available at

www.kellerwilliams.net

Page 16 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Space Age Discoveries Still Amaze Everything has changed in the 58 years since the Soviet Union shocked the world by orbiting around the Earth a basketball-sized spacecraft.

Marking the dawn of the Space Age, Sputnik 1 sent a simple beeping signal from outer space that eventually awoke US President Dwight Eisenhower the night of Oct. 4, 1957.

President Eisenhower underestimated the world-wide acclaim and general amazement over the accomplishment of the USSR. America’s military had the ability to place a satellite in Earth orbit around 1959, but it wasn’t a priority.

In fact, the “Father of Rocketry” is American Robert Goddard, who pioneered liquid fuel rocket in the 1920s and saw his dreams of space travel languish for decades with no motivation from Congress to fund his projects.

When German rocket genius Werner von Braun was captured

by Americans in 1945 at the end of World War II, he attributed his knowledge that built the deadly V-2 rocket bombs to Goddard. Von Braun and his team of rocket scientists eventually built the Saturn V moon rocket that took American to the Moon.

America finally orbited its first satellite, Explorer 1, on Jan. 31, 1958, and it had real scientific value studying the Van Allen Belts of energy around the Earth. A Space Race between the two “Superpowers” of Earth was ignited. On Oct. 1, 1958, Congress formed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and those four letters, NASA, are forever branded to space exploration.

The Communist nation of Russia may have been first in space with machines and men, but the major

achievements in exploration and science belong to America’s domination of space.

And our world is a completely different place because of the Spaced Age. Though Russian Yuri Gagarin was the first human to orbit the Earth in April 1961, he ejected from his spacecraft and parachuted to the ground—just like the next five Soviet missions (a secret kept for decades). That technically makes American hero John Glenn the first man to orbit Earth and land in his spaceship in February 1962.

Russia took an historic first photo of the back side of the Moon on Oct. 7, 1959. The fuzzy images of mostly cratered surface was our only clue until the series of four Lunar Orbiter missions documented

the entire surface of the Moon in preparation for surface exploration.

The Russians were also the first to land a robot on the Moon and send the first surface photos with Luna 9 in February 1966. But it was Americans who followed with more sophisticated landers and orbiters, leading to the first and only

boot prints on the surface when six Apollo missions landed 12 men from 1969-1971.

As a consolation, the USSR landed two successful rovers, and then two landers that each scooped up and returned an ounce of moon dirt in 1971 and 1972.

Russia sent the first probes to Mars in 1963 but they failed, and they have ignored the Red Planet after a few more failures in the 1980s. Their interplanetary triumphs came from Venus with the successful flybys and landers beginning in 1966 that sent back photos and data. The surface images from five landers were our first looks at an alien world before succumbing to the 900 F. degree surface heat and tremendous atmospheric pressure after a few hours.

America also had some great success at Venus with several early probes flying by in the 1960s.

But it was the orbiting Magellan spacecraft in the 1980s that filled the books with data that we know about our hellish twin. The European Space Agency also had a successful obiter called Venus Express in the 2000s.

After those few forays, Russia forgot about interplanetary probes and the Moon, focusing on their secret program of both military and civilian space stations. There they have triumphed in space contributions, pioneering the basics of survival in a space station—from the plumbing to ventilation to cargo rotations of supplies. There were seven Salyuts (including three military secretly called Almagaz), each successful in some degree as much was learned from the failures.

All that knowledge of the Salyuts came together in the MIR spacecraft, where modules were added, solar panels constructed and real science conducted as well as a data base for the effects of outer space on the human body. For 15 years MIR flourished and even hosted seven American Space Shuttle dockings.

And from the Russian experience sprang the International Space Station (ISS). Orbiting 225 miles overhead every 90 minutes, the ISS is the ultimate achievement of man’s exploration so far. Living in space has become a habit for the nations involved with ISS. And from it will no doubt spring better habitats in space.

Of course, America conquered the Moon. But NASA has also given mankind its only close-up

views and subsequent scientific understanding of the planets Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Also it has been American space probes that have rendezvoused with dwarf planets Pluto and Ceres, a handful of asteroids and comets, and even the Sun. The list of NASA’s successful spacecraft over five decades is incredible.

Add to the interplanetary success such ground-breaking discoveries made by a series of five NASA “Great Space Observatories” that have probed the Universe and increased our understanding a hundred-fold over the previous 50 years of knowledge. With names like Copernicus, Compton, Spitzer, Hipparcos, and of course Hubble, these scientific instruments have completely revolutionized astronomy.

While America is the world leaders in space exploration, NASA has partnered with nations and institutions around the world to share the new knowledge of the 21st Century. And that has made the Space Age a global community, with sharing and problem-solving creating a scientific network that transcends national borders.

Most of the world’s peoples are connected to instantaneous communication by the satellite networks and ground technology that was spawned by the learning curve of the 1960s.

Compared to even 10 years ago, the world has completely changed to an information age where news, business, relationships, entertainment and life events are communicated by our Smart Phones in our pockets.

This is a direct result of the Space Age. Think back just 20 years ago— the 1990s. Everyone had land-line telephones at home and the office, and you could find pay phones on every corner and store. And how about the status of having a “pager” box on your hip. Those pagers were the first wave of today’s Smart Phone. They were the first link to alerting you’re needed somewhere…or just to keep tabs on where you were.

Today, who wants to live without their cell phone? GPS devices?

Microwave oven? Rechargeable tools? Social media? Satellite TV and radio?

Nobody. Technology is here to stay. So embrace it, and thank the Space Age.

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 17

Celestial events in the skies for the week of Oct. 6th - Oct. 12th, 2015 as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette.

The Moon slips into the morning sky after all the Blood Eclipse attention last week, and visits planets Venus and Jupiter blazing in the predawn sky. Saturn is slipping away in the southwest a few hours after sunset, and taking the Scorpius and Sagittarius with it. But there is still plenty of night so see the glorious Milky Way spanning overhead.

Tues. Oct. 6

In 1990, Discovery was rocketed into space from Cape Kennedy on a mission that deployed the Ulysses spacecraft, the first to orbit the Sun’s poles. In 1992, NASA and the Russian Space Agency signed an historic agreement to share astronauts and cosmonauts in the construction of the International Space Station.

Wed. Oct. 7

On this 1959 date in space history, the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 spacecraft returned the first photos of the backside of the Moon.

Today NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is taking photos in unprecedented detail and sniffing for chemicals on the surface of our closest neighbor in space.

Thurs. Oct. 8

While the Milky Way slides westward, rising in the east is the Great Square of Pegasus, the fable horse flying upside down in our early Autumn skies. The horse brings with is the drama of mythology in the night including Queen Cassieopeia, King Cephus, their daughter Andromeda and a hero named Perseus.

Fri. Oct. 9

When you look at the Moon in the predawn sky, and you know if you’re up, you probably will—even if out a window— think of the frozen water at the poles. On this date in 2009, NASA announced their spacecraft called LCROSS had discovered ice beneath the surface of craters at the South Pole that never see the warmth of sunlight.

Sat. Oct. 10

Last Quarter Moon is today. On this 1846 date in astronomy history, William Lassell discovered the Neptune moon Triton, slightly smaller than Earth’s moon. In 1989 Viking 2 photographed Triton with icy geysers of super cold nitrogen erupting. The Hubble Space Telescope has followed the action, and astrobiologists believe Triton could harbor life in its bizarre, super-cold liquids.

Sun. Oct. 11

There was lots of action in space on this

date in history: in 1969 Soyuz 6, 7 & 8 were all in orbit at once in the final rehearsal for a Moon voyage—which never happened; in 2000 STS-92 mission with Shuttle Discovery was launched on a 12-day construction mission to the International Space Station.

Also on this date in 2005, China’s Shenzhou 6 was launched with two “taikonauts” on a successful four day mission, just the second manned mission by the Communist nation.

That’s a total of 15 astronauts, cosmonauts and taikonauts who remember today at one of the most exciting in their lives when they blasted off the Earth.

Mon. Oct. 12

On this 1964 date in space history, the Voskhod 1 manned spacecraft was launched with three cosmonauts. A risky stunt that fulfilled Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s desire for Soviet space spectaculars, the two-person spaceship was cramped with three men without spacesuits to save room. The 24-hour mission may have been cut short when Khrushchev was removed from power while Voskhod 1 was in orbit. The mission in the cramped, primitive spacecraft had to be a nightmare in many ways to the cosmonauts. But to the world, the Soviets looked like they were leading the Moon Race.

Page 18 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

IN THEATRES NOW Box Office Top 10

In Theaters Now

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

“Hotel Transylvania 2” In 2012 Hollywood introduced us to the Drac Pac in the computer animated film “Hotel Transylvania”, and movie fans made the film a hit to the tune of a box office take of just under $359 million, and that was even with Adam Sandler involved. Thankfully Sandler only lends his voice to that of Count Dracula, so we can skip his live action acting. In fact, the animated Dracula is one of Sandler’s best performances to date, proving the actor needs to stick to voicing animated features. With the first film being such a hit, there was no doubt “Hotel Transylvania 2” would follow. The new film is set seven years after the first film, and opens with Dracula attending the wedding of his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) to her human boyfriend Johnny (Andy Samberg).

The film then flashes forward faster than Dracula can transform into a bat, to reveal Mavis and Johnny have had a son named Dennis (Asher Blinkoff). As Dennis is nearing his fifth birthday, Dracula is concerned that his grandson has yet to grow any fangs, leading him to believe Dennis might not be a pure-blood vampire. While Dracula worries, Mavis has become an over-protective Mom, and is considering moving away from the dangerous Transylvania to California, the home of Johnny’s parents. In order to make a final decision, Mavis travels with Johnny to California, leaving Dennis with Dracula.

While the duo are away from their son, Drac and company, Frank (Kevin James), Wayne the

who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invadDracula and his friends try to ing his turf. bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in The Visit (2015) A single mother finds that things order to keep Mavis from leaving in her family’s life go very wrong the hotel. after her two young children visit their grandparents.

The Intern (2015) 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retire- The Perfect Guy (2015) After breaking up with her boyment isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Seizing an opportunity to get back friend, a professional woman gets in the game, he becomes a senior involved with a man who seems intern at an online fashion site, almost too good to be true. founded and run by Jules Ostin.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

War Room (2015)

A seemingly perfect family looks to fix their problems with the After having escaped the Maze, help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser the Gladers now face a new set of woman. challenges on the open roads of a desolate landscape filled with un- The Green Inferno (2013) A group of student activists imaginable obstacles. travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that Everest (2015) A climbing expedition on Mt. they are not alone, and that no Everest is devastated by a severe good deed goes unpunished. snow storm.

Black Mass (2015)

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston,

Sicario (2015)

An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

Source: IMDb.com (10/03/2015)

Werewolf (Steve Buscemi), Griffin the Invisible Man (David Spade), Murray the Mummy (KeeganMichael Key), and Blobby the Blob (Jonny Solomon), attempt to train Dennis to become a monster. After their many attempts to train Den-

nis fail, Mavis discovers her Dad’s plot, and quickly returns home to scold her Dad for not accepting Dennis as he is. After returning home, Mavis and Johnny help throw a birthday party for Dennis, and invite Dracula’s father Vlad

(Mel Brooks) to attend. Dracula is upset his Dad will be there, as the OLD vampire doesn’t realize the hotel has been opened to humans, so he disguises the humans at the hotel as monsters. Eventually everything is resolved in the Dracula family, including a surprise revelation from Dennis. The film is a wonderful follow up to the original, with the wit, clever dialogue and charm still left intact. As I touched on earlier, Sandler is great

as Count Dracula, and proves I can sit through, not one, but two movies featuring Sandler, even if it is only his voice.

For a bit of fun during the Halloween season, take the whole family, and a stray vampire or two, and check into “Hotel Transylvania 2”.

Rated: PG

B+

www.theloaferonline.com

Art in the Heart Gallery

in Downtown Kingsport announces upcoming schedule of classes Art in the Heart Gallery promotes art and artists from our region with over 50 local and regional artists represented by the gallery. Art in the Heart Gallery, at 246 Broad Street in beautiful Downtown Kingsport, offers excellent fine art for sale with the goal to support the work of our local artists. Classes for adults and children are also regularly offered at Art in the Heart Gallery and all classes are open to the public. In addition, special monthly shows will feature many of the local artists.

Art in the Heart Gallery offers paintings in oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastel. You will find pottery by various artists as well as turned wood pieces, stained glass, mosaics and assemblage, as well as fabric creations, baskets and jewelry.

For that perfect one of a kind gift, original artwork is the answer!

The following is a list of upcoming

classes: • ”Rooster” Wood Burning: Michele Howe Saturday Oct 10, 2015 • Paint the Town! with Donna Bird Thursday Oct 22, 2015 • Double Wine Basket: Joy Smith Saturday Oct 24, 2015 • Creating Stencils for Painting: Byron Kindig Friday Nov 6, 2015 • Mixed Media Workshop: Renee Pitts Saturday Nov 7, 2015 • Introduction to Oil Sticks: Paul deMarrais

Saturday Nov 14, 2015 Art in the Heart Gallery is located at 246 Broad Street, in beautiful Downtown Kingsport. The gallery is open Wednesday & Thursday 11 am to 5 pm; Friday 11 am to 7 pm; and Saturday 11 am to 3 pm.

Participants may register for classes online at www.EngageKingsport.com or by calling the gallery at (423)-480-9702.

Art in the Heart Gallery invites you to get engaged in the arts in Downtown Kingsport, a place of creative discovery.

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 19

Page 20 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Things To Do In Boise When You’re Bored Flying on a budget requires you to make a few sacrifices. To get that lowest-possible fare, you have to be willing to be flexible, especially when it comes to your itinerary. A few years ago, I figured out a creative way to get from the Tri-Cities to Pennsylvania for hundreds of dollars less than what I would normally have to pay - by making a connection in Manchester, New Hampshire and spending the night in their airport waiting for my next segment. Not the most comfortable night of my life, but it was very satisfying to not get ripped off by the airline like usual.

On another occasion, while doing pretty much the same thing, this time with a lengthy connection in Boise, Idaho, I was pleasantly surprised to have the opportunity to sample the local fare – from a French fry vending machine!

I was actually excited by the chance to connect through Boise.

First, I would get to cross Idaho off my list of states visited (albeit

in the lamest way possible), and second, I thought I might be able to catch a glimpse of that football stadium with the blue Astroturf.

College football fans know what a mind-bending sight that would have made.

Well, I didn’t get to see the stadium. Probably sitting on the

wrong side of the plane. But the French fry machine ... that totally made up for it. It was quite shocking really, as I had never imagined such a thing could exist. But there it was, tempting me with “Hot Fries in 45 Seconds”. To put it in the proper context, this was back in 2000, during the time of dial-up internet, pay phones, and Ace of Base. So, seeing such innovative technology right before my eyes – Brave New World indeed.

That’s my picture, too. What a tourist, huh? It turns out that this machine was something of a rarity though. Researching this column, I found that this was actually the only such vending machine in the entire state of Idaho (though there were a few more elsewhere).

Furthermore, my inability to find any current references to it (or pictures of it) suggests that it didn’t last long. Maybe people were too awed and afraid to interact with it.

Maybe the airport in Boise is so efficient, people just routinely made it to their next flight in under 45 seconds. I guess we’ll never know.

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 21

Layers ..... continued from page 8 resident, and Content, from California, incorporate contemporary interpretations of Asian Shibori and Middle Eastern dyeing techniques. Content’s hand-dyed, quilted and pieced silk wall pieces often depict elaborate Pacific landscapes, while Caldwell often integrates historical work in contemporary contexts, traveling to the Australian outback and Canadian Arctic to pursue these themes.

Brandeis, like Klein and McIntosh, is an educator, coordinating the fibers and surface design program at North Carolina State University. Her work, exhibited the world-round, focuses on honest, universal human themes and features repetition, pattern, color contrasts and textured relief surfaces.

The “pioneers” – Schulze, James and Crow – have taught and exhibited across the country and abroad. James, also a longtime professor and department chair, in Nebraska, melds the psychological and emotional with the pattern-focused abstract in his works, whether dreamlike or tense and conflicting.

Author of several books, Crow maintains a large studio and teaching facility on her 90acre farm in Ohio, as well as leading textile and arts tours to disparate locales, such as South Africa, Peru and Mexico. Her colorsaturated works, boldly cut and pieced from hand-dyed fabric, are known for their exceptional use of color and line and in recent years, screen-printed surface design.

Schulze’s studio is in California, where she teaches less nowadays and focuses more on her own work and inspiring her 13 grandchildren to various artistic explorations.

Reviewers have called Schulze the female “Rauschenberg.”

Midway through the exhibition, on Thursday, Oct. 15, Schulze will travel to Johnson City to expose some of the layers of her art, which in the 1960s, started with dyeing fabrics and “stitching,” expanded to quilt-making and added layers of poetry, collage, photocopying and glue transfer.

Her talk, which begins at 6 p.m. in ETSU’s Ball Hall Auditorium, is titled “The Restless Explorer” and will include, she says, how travel impacts her work, as well as her process and perspectives. She will also spend a day working with ETSU students and art graduates on an “exquisite corpse” collaborative activity.

The exhibition and the exploration of the form of expression are multi-layered, “metaphorically,” Schulze says. “That is the exciting complexity of it all, the reason why we keep making quilts …

“I am looking forward to seeing other people’s exploration of layers … Patricia has invited an extraordinary group of people, each one doing their own thought processes and they are very true to what they do.”

The pieces in the LAYERS exhibition are im-

pressive in their scale, as well as their scope, says Slocumb Galleries Director Karlota Contreras-Koterbay. “Most of these pieces are large scale,” Contreras-Koterbay says.

“Some of the works in the show are actually iconic pieces. Like Nancy Crow’s ‘Construction’ series, which has been on covers of catalogs and books. A number of them are coming from museum exhibits, galleries and the artists’ collections. This is a very ambitious project.”

The exhibition and talk and activity with Schulze make a good package, says Anita DeAngelis, director of the ETSU School of the Arts. “It’s important for us to support some of the curriculum activities that are happening on campus and the art department has long had a very active fibers program and this particular region is known for quilting, as well,” DeAngelis says. “So, being able to participate with an exhibition that is about the contemporary quilt, not only satisfies a need in the Department of Art and Design but also in our community.”

Looking at three-dimensional quilts on slides, in photos or in books is one mode of teaching the craft or art, Contreras-Koterbay says. “Seeing the actual work to-scale in front of you is very different,” she says, “That is a very different aesthetic experience that our students and the community will truly benefit from.”

A limited number of catalogs for the exhibition will be available in exchange for a donation.

A complementary exhibition – Threads of Empowerment – is running Sept. 28-Oct. 22 at Tipton Gallery in downtown Johnson City, featuring work by emerging artists – using quilting, stitching and thread to express social concerns, such as racism, sexism, ageism, ableism and motherhood. Threads includes pieces from the collaborative Exquisite Uterus Project, curated by Alison Gates; a quilt project that ETSU Art & Design MFA student Lyn Govette has undertaken with the local Girls Inc.; and works by Jeana Klein, Jessica Jones, Joetta Maue, Shara Rowley Plough, Jaime Santos-Prowse and Lydia Wilson.

The School of the Arts and Slocumb Galleries will also be collecting blankets, which can be dropped off at the galleries during the run of the exhibition, to be donated to the Haven of Mercy Ministries’ new women’s shelter. Any donations of quilt squares or material, Mink says, would be appreciated, as well. Students in Art & Design fibers classes will use the materials to make quilts to be donated to the women’s shelter.

For information about reading and ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, call 423439-TKTS (8587) or visit www.etsu.edu/ martin.

Page 22 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

37th Annual Wise County Famous Fall Fling Wise, Virginia • October 10 & 11, 2015

MECC Hosts Annual Haunted Forest Event

The woods around Mountain Empire Community College will soon come alive with the spirits of the “undead.” MECC will host its annual Haunted Forest beginning Friday, October 9 from 7-11 p.m. The event will be held every Friday and Saturday until Halloween. Admission is $10. The Haunted Forest is recommended for age 10 & up. All proceeds will benefit student scholarships at MECC. Visitors to the Haunted Forest are forewarned: groundskeepers have reported seeing a lady in dark clothing wandering around the woods. When they have approached her, she reportedly speaks with a thick Creole accent and talks about voodoo, the dead, and sacrifice. She is looking for somebody, but never reveals exactly who. Perhaps it is you!

For more information, please check out the MECC Haunted Forest Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ MountainEmpireHauntedForest or contact Cindy Ringley at (276) 523-2400, ext. 264.

With a backdrop of the historic Wise County courthouse, The Inn at Wise, and a recently updated streetscape, the Town of Wise promises more than ever, to be “the place to be” during the 37th Annual Wise County Famous Fall Fling, scheduled for October 10 & 11, 2015.

The official opening for The Fall Fling is Saturday, October 10, 10 AM on the Stage at Big Glades.

More than 125 vendors will be set up and ready to go and the coffee will be hot. The free two day event will have something for most anyone. In addition to a wonderful array of crafts, two music stages, demonstrators, and exceptionally good food, the Fall Fling is adding two new events this year - Anything Apples, with an Apple Pie and Apple Butter Contest, and tours of the Historic Inn at Wise, newly restored and full of art and photography and three dining venues – The Diner, The Dining Room, and the Tavern. There’s more! For the first time ever, Stage 2 will be on the balcony of The Inn at Wise. Both Stage 2 and Big Glades will have favorites such as Kody Norris and The Watauga Mountain Boys, Roan Mountain Moon Shiners, and Thistle Dew. From Mountain City, TN, The Watauga Mt Boys exemplify the pride they have in their musical heritage, and are reminiscent of

Flatt and Sruggs and the Clinch Mountain boys. TV Barnett and his Roan Mt Moonshiners are one of a very few bands left that play the general east TN style of Old time Mountain Music. They have often been called the “real deal”. Thistle Dew a trio make up of three lassies from East Tn and NC have a mix of Celtic and Appalachian, and harmony that has to be heard to be believed. Kathy Hughes & Country Gold, Katie Caudill & Moonshine District and Donna & Major Griffey are all new to The Fling, but not to folks around the region.

The sanctioned 5K race and 1 Mile Fitness Walk will start Saturday at 9 AM sharp, and take runners and walkers alike through the heart of downtown Wise, all the while getting encouragement from all the vendors lining both sides of the street! What a thrill!

At a slower pace, the Corn Hole Tournament starts at 11AM, with registration at 10:15.

The Fall Fling runs all day Saturday, 9 AM till 6 PM, and Sunday, 12 till 5. Proudly sponsored by the Wise Business Association, the goal of The Fling is to “create community”, and to showcase our many talented people as well as the beautiful Town of Wise, Virginia.

For more info, please go to www.wisefallfling.com.

www.theloaferonline.com

Arts Array presents “Slow West” The Arts Array Film Series presented by Virginia Highlands Community College is in its 45th year.

All films are presented at the Abingdon Cinemall on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and again at 7:30 pm.

Slow West

(October 12 and 13)

A dark river of fatalism courses beneath the beautifully photographed vistas of Slow West,” an intriguingly off-center Western that brings a bevy of European talent to bear on an American frontier story.

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee as a young Scotsman who’s made the journey to Colorado in search of the woman he loves, and Michael Fassbender as a wily companion who turns out to be hunting the same quarry. John Maclean’s impeccably crafted writingdirecting debut at times has a distinctly Coen-esque.

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 276739-2451 or email him at tbryant@vhcc.edu.

Zombie Survival 5K to take place Oct. 17 at ETSU The East Tennessee State University Department Zombie Survival 5K run on Saturday, of Physical Therapy within the College of Clini- Oct. 17, at 9:30 a.m. cal and Rehabilitative Health Sciences will host a Registration for runners is $25, or $35 on the day of the race. Those wishing to pose as zombies for the event can do so for $15. Spots are limited for the number of zombies.

Each runner will be given two flags to wear during the race. Zombies will be hidden throughout the course and will try to steal runners’ flags. Those making it to the finish line with one or both flags are considered survivors.

The race will begin at the Tri Hall Field behind Centennial and Governors halls and in front of Davis Hall.

Approximately half of the course is located on the trail in the ETSU woods.

In addition to the race, a prize will be awarded for best costume.

All proceeds go to the non-profit Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge, a fundraising effort coordinated and carried out by physical therapist and physical therapist assistant students across the country to support the Foundation for Physical Therapy.

To register for the race or for more information, visit http://bit.do/zs5kr.

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 23

Page 24 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 25

Apocalypse Ready Pt 3 So last week we looked at what to look for in the perfect apocalypse shotgun. This week we will look at your options for an end of days battle rifle. I say battle rifle because although these rifles can and should be used for hunting, their true purpose is protection of your loved ones and provisions. So for this article we will stay away from high powered bolt-action rifles, which, although useful for long-range shots, tend to have very limited magazine capacity and are often bulky. Instead we will focus on three rifles, the AR-15, AR-10, and AK-47/AK-74.

First up is the much loved AR15. There are literally hundreds of variants of this platform, from your top of the line competition AR’s to budget AR’s, to the one’s you cousin Ralph builds from scratch.

The truth of the matter is as long as your AR is of decent quality, and comfortable, the rest is irrelevant. One of the reasons the AR platform is so popular is the ability to customize and accessorize it.

Although there is always that guy at the range (I would say ‘or girl’, but honestly in my experience it’s always a man, I guess women have more sense) with the “Swiss Army” AR, it has everything you would never need, it even gets HBO. I just chuckle and shoulder my streamline Magpul AR and kill some paper. One of the greatest advantages of the AR is the availability of ammunition, granted a year ago you couldn’t find any because everybody lost their minds and bought it all, but our armed forces use 5.56 NATO therefore there are millions of rounds stockpiled all over the country. While ther are AR’s available in 300 Blackout, this ammunition is pretty scarce, stick to the 5.56 NATO if you can.

The AR-10, while technically

still an AR platform is chambered in .308 Winchester. A devastating round with long-range capability that doesn’t make you compromise magazine capacity, Magpul for example makes a twenty-round AR10 mag, while not as prevalent as 5.56 NATO, .308 Win is still widely available. This rifle can be used for both big game hunting as well as a battle rifle.

Lastly we have the AK-47/AK74, I mention both rifles because while AK-47’s are everywhere they shoot the notoriously inaccurate 7.62x39mm. Meanwhile the AK74 while more scarce shoots the 5.45x39mm, a more accurate round and Russia’s answer to the 5.56 NATO. Unfortunately 5.45x39mm is no longer being imported, so ammunition is likely to become scarcer. However, if we are ever invaded

by Russia or any country that uses

AK-74’s it might be a good idea to have one so you can utilize their ammunition. 7.62x39mm is in no danger of running out, and at 100 yards or less the accuracy issue shouldn’t be too problematic. The greatest thing AK’s have going for them is their rugged dependability.

They shoot in mud, snow, sand, just the worst conditions. There is even a video by FPSRussia on Youtube where he opens the action and proceeds to fill it with an ice-cream sundae, he then wraps the barrel in bacon, and the gun shoots flawlessly frying the bacon of course.

I hope we never find ourselves in an apocalyptic situation, but if we do I hope this series will help you be prepared. I hope you enjoyed this series, and as always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me, I look forward to your feedback.

Page 26 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015

Halloween Horrors 2015, Part One: The Creature With The Atom Brain In what has become an October tradition for nearly twenty six years, I am presenting you with the first of four weekly columns devoted to those things that go bump in the night. That’s right— this month we will be exploring the scary world of horror films and literature. I can only hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. So, let’s begin— if you dare.

This week, in honor of its sixtieth anniversary, let’s take a look at the movie that perhaps more than any other gave me my lifelong fascination with horror on the big screen (which now includes the many small screens that accompany us as we go through our days). In order to do this, I will ask you to turn your clocks back to 1955, the year when Disneyland opened, James Dean died, the microwave oven was invented, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, McDonald’s sold its first hamburger, “I Love Lucy” captivated American TV audiences, “Rock Around The Clock” filled the airwaves, the Cold War was nowhere near thawed, and Glenn Gould released the biggest selling classical album of all time, his quirky yet mesmerizing version of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. And, last and perhaps nearly least, we got our first glimpse of Edward L. Cahn’s not-quite-a-box-office-smash, “Creature With The Atom Brain” in July of that year.

I first encountered this little gem of a movie—perhaps the first horror movie I saw at a theatre— a few years after its release during a Saturday afternoon double feature (probably paired with “It

Came From Beneath The Sea”) at the Spartan Theatre in my hometown of Sparta, North Carolina. I remember being creeped out at the sight of several animated corpses with ragged stitches across their foreheads, indicating that their brains had been recently removed to make room for their new “atom brains”. Because there were no DVD players back then, I didn’t see this movie again until a couple of years ago, when I found it on YouTube in a very crisp restored print. And now, as I write this, I am watching the near-Blu-Ray-quality 60th Anniversary edition just released by the usually-crappy Mill Creek video distribution company.

This movie, which was an inspiration for George Romero’s “Night Of The Living Dead,” has a very simple plot—the Wikipedia entry very succinctly covers the entire movie in one sentence: “De-

ported American gangster Frank Buchanan forces ex-Nazi scientist Wilhelm Steigg to create zombies by resurrecting corpses through radiation in order to help him exact revenge on his enemies.” And that, no more and no less, is what this seventy-minute movie is all about. Starring Richard Denning of “Creature From The Black Lagoon,” “Day The World Ended,” “The Black Scorpion,” and “Hawaii Five-O” fame, this film noirish horror story was a product of Cold War hysteria about the dangers of atomic radiation and fears of how modern society might be turning us into mindless dehumanized robots (a theme that was handled much better in 1956 when “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” invaded our screens, harking back to the Tin Man, L. Frank Baum’s turn-of-the-twentieth-century version of human beings being trans-

formed into machines by industrial culture).

The pivotal scene in this movie occurs shortly after it begins when the first creature, remotely controlled by Buchanan, commits its first murder. After witnessing the murder via a TV signal emanating from the creature’s implanted video transmitter, Dr. Steigg remarks in horror to Buchanan, “If I had only known when you had offered to help me financially . . . .my theory was to use these creatures to help by doing everything that was difficult and dangerous. You just want to see people die.” This debate over whether robots might be used for good or for evil is what animates this movie and continues to make it relevant today—in addition to its “so-bad-it’s-good” diversionary qualities.

From Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece “Metropolis” in 1927 to more recent movies like “Forbidden Planet” (with Robby The Robot), “2001: A Space Odyssey” (with its focus on HAL, the maniacal computer), Steven Spielberg’s “AI,”

“Her” and “Ex Machina,” the fears expressed by “Creature With The Atom Brain” have been reflected in popular culture. I am currently reading a fascinating book about our love/hate relationship with robots and artificial intelligence, John Markoff’s MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE: THE QUEST FOR COMMON GROUND BETWEEN HUMANS AND ROBOTS (2015). The central concern of this book is one that has driven discussion about robots since the beginning—will technology be used to augment human capabilities or replace them? In its own weird and wonderful way, this is also the basic question posed by “The Creature With The Atom Brain,” as it is with the aforementioned movies and countless others. A very apt and frightening theme for consideration during this month of Halloween Horrors.

See you next week with Part Two. In the meantime, be on the lookout for anyone with stitches across their forehead

www.theloaferonline.com

October 6, 2015 | The Loafer | Page 27

Page 28 | The Loafer | October 6, 2015