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September 16, 2014 • The Loafer, Page 3
Volume 28 Issue #41
Publisher - Bill Williams • Editor/Graphic Arts Director - Don Sprinkle • Office Manager - Luci Tate Cover Design - Bill May Advertising - Dave Carter, Akey Kincaid, Terry Patterson Contributing Staff - Jim Kelly, Andy Ross, Ken Silvers, Mark Marquette 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.
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Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion isn’t just a music festival. It’s an infectious, three-day music experience, bursting with creative passion, electricity, and soul. Every third weekend in September, State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia, is amped to the beat of Appalachia’s past, present, and future. It digs down deep into the roots of traditional Appalachian sound and lifts its branches to new heights. It all happens in the heart of The Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol, the site of the Bristol Sessions. In 2013, the Reunion celebrated its 13th anniversary with more than 55,000 festivarians, artists, volunteers, and vendors, and 21 outdoor and indoor stages boasting more than 100 acts of live music. Around 7,500 attendees gathered to see 30 acts at Bristol’s inaugural festival in 2001. “When we started out, we really had no idea how much it would grow,” said Leah Ross, executive director of Birthplace of Country Music, the parent organization of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. “We have so many artists who want to participate... We’ve got more than 150 bands playing over 200 sets of music this year. That’s
a heck of a lot of music and it’s also very diverse. If you’re a music lover, it’s like utopia.” The Reunion’s annual artist announcement is as anticipated as the event itself. Known for booking “musician’s musicians,” the festival takes great care in selecting just the right combination of powerhouse headliners, emerging stars-on-the-rise, and the area’s elite regional and local talent. It isn’t uncommon to see artists among the crowds watching other bands alongside fans. The camaraderie is so palpable, fans and artists become instant “alumni” upon gate entry. The experience is truly a reunion in every sense of the word. The lineup for 2014 includes Grammy Award-winning singersongwriter Emmylou Harris, WILCO front man Jeff Tweedy, The David Grisman Experience, Moon Taxi, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, and many, many more. Festival talent alumni include Dr. Ralph Stanley, the Avett Brothers, Marty Stuart, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Béla Fleck, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion covers the gamut
of traditional bluegrass, old-time, Americana, and Piedmont blues, while reaching out to the trajectory of folk-rock and alternative country music acts. The festival prides itself on the lineup, but downtown is the real showstopper. Its hometown atmosphere provides the perfect ambience for visitors and artists; there are no muddy fields and many unique venues for fans to retreat from the elements. The majority of stages are located indoors; the beautifully restored Paramount Center for the Arts, Theatre Bristol, and a number of downtown restaurants provide a wide array of local flavor for attendees. Major outdoor stages are strategically built near important downtown landmarks including the State Street Stage, haloed by the legendary Bristol Sign, the Piedmont Stage beside the Bristol Public Library, and the Country Music Mural Stage, facing Bristol’s famous Country Music Mural. The mural commemorates the Bristol Sessions, the event that catapulted The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers to fame in 1927. The festival footprint covers five city blocks including Cumberland Square Park. A memorial to vet-
erans is housed at the park near a permanent stage, complete with an authentic war helicopter hovering overhead. John Oates, of the famed Hall and Oates duo, performed at BRRR 2011 and afterwards opined: “This is the best weekend of music I’ve experienced in my whole life.” Dom Flemons, of the Grammy Award-winning group The Carolina Chocolate Drops, played the festival in 2010 and was in awe of Bristol’s music heritage. “Bristol is such a cultural landmark in terms of music,” said Flemons. “It’s one of those places where you pay tribute. When you go to Memphis, you go to Beale Street. When you go to Nashville, you go down Music Row. It holds its legacy.” The legacy of the Bristol Sessions is relevant and far-reaching; it sings loud and proud in the burgeoning music scene in the twin cities with Bristol Rhythm spirit year-round. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion offers an array of other activities, including a Wernick method bluegrass jam camp, a children’s talent contest, a free children’s event, and a chili cook-off. Nearly 800 participants took part in the festi-
val’s 5k road race/2-mile fun walk in 2013. This year the festival took home a number of Pinnacle Awards, including “Best of Show,” from Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association. The recognition came on the heels of receiving the cities of Bristol Mayors’ Award of Distinction and several Southeast Festival & Events Association Kaleidoscope Awards including “Best Festival.” Last November, readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine named Bristol “Best Music Town,” besting Nashville, Charlottesville and Knoxville for this honor. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion was listed among the magazine’s Best Downtown Fests, and the festival received its first International Bluegrass Music Association nomination for Best Bluegrass Event of the Year. Bristol Rhythm Roots Reunion is, and isn’t, your Daddy’s country music. Bluegrass is well represented. It’s not necessarily a rock show, but it totally does—and if you’ve never been, you’ll never know how much. For more information about Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, visit www.BristolRhythm.com.
www.BristolRhythm.com
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Birthplace of Country Music Museum Special Hours During Bristol Rhythm
The story of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion comes full circle with the opening of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. For the first time, visitors to the festival have the opportunity to explore Bristol’s origins as the birthplace of country music—the reason Bristol Rhythm was created. Everyone is encouraged to share this important story of American music during the festival; it is an interactive, state-of-the-art experience unlike any other. Featuring touch-screen technology, cinematic film expe-
Special museum hours during Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion are Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 21, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Festivarians are encouraged to purchase tickets to the museum early in the day so they can explore in one or more trips throughout the day if needed. Museum day passes allow multiple entries on the day of purchase. Tickets to tour the museum are $13 for adults, $11 for children riences and acoustically perfect 6-17, seniors, students (with stusound quality, the museum is a dent ID), and military. Children 5 “festival” of sights and sounds and under are free. Note: There is no charge for that visitors from all over the festival goers who wish to particiworld have heralded as one of pate in the Moon Bound Girl book their favorite museum experiences launch event Sunday, September of all time. Tuesday, September 16, The 21, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Visitors must Carter Family Lives and Legacies: have a festival wristband to gain A Special Exhibit Curated by Fam- entry. Those wishing to attend the ily Members will open in the Spe- book launch will need to RSVP by cial Exhibits Gallery of the Birth- Wednesday, September 17 to tchilplace of Country Music Museum. dress@birthplaceofcountrymusic. The exhibit runs through February org. 28, 2015.
Bristol Rhythm ‘14 Mobile App Now Online! Create your own schedule, share your festival experience on social media, even watch the live stream from Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion from your smart phone! Bristol Rhythm & Roots
Reunion’s mobile festival app, sponsored by King University, is available for iPhone and Android. If you still have last year’s app up on your phone, the update should be automatic. If not,
a quick re-install will work! New users can link up through iTunes or Google Play. Just Search Bristol Rhythm and Roots.
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Carter County Bank Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Great Chase Medallion Hunt To celebrate 75 years of serving the banking needs of those in Carter County, Carter County Bank is giving away $1,200 in its Great Chase Medallion Hunt. The contest starts Monday, Sept. 22, with clues to the medallion’s location announced each morning on WBEJ, 1230 AM; on the Carter County Bank website and the Elizabethton Star website; and on the Facebook pages of Carter County Bank and the Elizabethton Star. One medallion will be hidden each day Monday through Thursday. The finders of the medallions will follow the directions to call, then will go to the bank’s main office to be awarded $50. The contest will culminate the evening of Sept. 25, the date of the bank’s 75th anniversary, when one of the four medallion finders will also win the grand prize of $1,000. “This is going to be a great way to allow people to come and see the beauty of Carter County,” says Rebecca White, Marketing Direc-
tor of Carter County Bank. “This contest is open to anyone in the area. All the medallions will be hidden within Carter County, and we encourage everyone to take part. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” Carter County Bank opened its doors at 601 E. Elk Ave. in historic downtown Elizabethton on Sept. 25, 1939. This year on that date, the bank will also sponsor The Great Taste of Carter County as a way to not only celebrate its success, but also highlight other locally owned and operated businesses within Carter County. “We are excited to sponsor both the Great Chase Medallion Hunt and the Great Taste of Carter County,” says Duncan Street, President of Carter County Bank. “We wanted to bring a new twist to this annual event that showcases restaurants from around Carter County. It’s a ’30s-themed event, and all money from the sale of tickets will be donated to http:// www.honorflight.org/”Honor
Flight of Northeast Tennessee and Cap the Gap.” The Great Taste of Carter County will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Elizabethton Parks and Rec Building, 300 W. Mill St. The four medallion finders will meet prior to the Great Taste event and each will choose a number. Then they will pick from four identical briefcases in order of the number drawn, with number one going first. Inside one of the briefcases will be The Great Chase Grand Prize of $1,000. Participants must be at least eight years old to play, and only one winner per family or household will be allowed. Those under 18 must have signed parental consent to participate in the grand prize drawing. Employees and immediate family members of employees of Carter County Bank, WBEJ or the Elizabethton Star may not participate. Basic contest rules are avail-
able for review at any branch of Carter County Bank, at the office of WBEJ, and online at www. cartercountybank.com and www. elizabethton.com. Carter County
Bank is a division of Bank of TN, Member FDIC. Find out more about Carter County Bank at www.cartercountybank.com.
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Sundy Best coming to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Critically-acclaimed Kentucky duo, Sundy Best, will be bringing their unique blended sound of country, folk, rock, bluegrass, and r&b to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, VA on September 21, 2014. For more show information please visit http://www.bristolrhythm.com/ or www.sundybest.net. Sundy Best’s unique sound is based around Kris Bentley’s cajon and Nick Jamerson’s guitar playing and powerful vocals. Captivating crowds wherever they go, the duo has recently been featured in Paste Magazine, Country Weekly, New York Times and four times in Rolling Stone magazine.
Sundy Best released their RS Fields produced debut on eOne Entertainment in March which includes 15 tracks all written or cowritten by the duo. Bring Up The Sun, has sparked a lot of attention on the popular Sirius XM station “The Highway” as well as a string of top videos on CMT, GAC and various other video outlets. They have over 1 million views already on their YouTube channel and a full tour schedule traversing the US and Canada. With over 200 tour dates and a fast growing Kin Folk Movement fan base from social media and year round touring- 2014 looks to be a break out year for Sundy Best.
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Voted Among “Top 100” Destinations by ABA Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion now ranks among the American Bus Association’s premier Top 100 Events in North America for motorcoach tour groups. Each year tens of millions of tourists visit destinations in North America as groups on motorcoach trips. The American Bus Association has released the entire list of Top 100 Events in North America. This list is the annual announcement for group travel in the United States and Canada. It’s published as a guide for travel professionals and the general public when
planning group tours and vacations. “We are grateful to Tennessee Department of Tourist Development for nominating Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion for ABA’s Top 100 list,” says executive director Leah Ross. “The honor will bring tourists from all over the world to the festival and to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.” Each spring, the Top 100 Selection Committee, which is comprised of group travel professionals, selects the winners from hundreds of nominated
fairs, festivals, parades, exhibits, theaters and shows based on their broad appeal, accessibility to large groups, and other criteria. The Top 100 Events will be published as a special supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations magazine. You can also find a full listing of the winners at http://www. buses.org/News-Publications/Top100.
Have an event coming up? Email a press release and photos to:
editorial@theloaferonline.com
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ETSU National Alumni Association
To Host 48th Annual Golf Classic
East Tennessee State University’s 48th annual Alumni Golf Classic will be held Friday, Sept. 19, at the Cattails at MeadowView Golf Course in Kingsport. The two-person select shot tournament, sponsored by the ETSU National Alumni Association, is open to the community as well as university alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends. The day will begin with check-in and practice at 11:30 a.m., followed by a buffet lunch and a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Golfers will compete in nine divisions: Gold flight (handicaps of 10 and lower), Blue flight (handicaps from 11-20), White flight (handicaps 21 and above), Women, ETSU Faculty and Staff (both players must be current/ retired faculty or staff), Senior (both players must be 55 or older), Co-ed (male/female), Greek (current members or alumni of Greek fraternities or sororities), and Student (both players must be currently enrolled at ETSU).
Players will also compete in four challenging skills contests. Registration, which includes lunch, is $100 for alumni and friends, $80 for seniors and military personnel with valid ID and $55 for ETSU students through Sept. 17. After that date, the registration fees will increase to $110, $90 and $65, respectively. Massages and warm-up stretches will be offered courtesy of Jones Chiropractic. Door prizes and several hole-in-one prizes will be provided by area businesses, including a chance to win a luxury vehicle provided by Chaparral Buick GMC of Johnson City. For registration or more information, contact the ETSU Alumni Office at 423-4394218 or alumni@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.
Happy Tails Animal Rescue announces upcoming fundraiser
Happy Tails Animal Rescue of Washington County, VA is excited to announce an upcoming fundraiser, the 2nd Annual Run Fur Their Lives 5K/10K and Strut Your Mutt Walk, on Saturday November, 1st at 10am on the Virginia Creeper Trail. The race will be timed by We Run Events, walk is untimed. T-shirts for all pre-registered by October 18th. Registration is available online through We Run Events or at www.htar.org/category/events. Registration fees are $20 for all pre-registered participants ($25 late registration the day of). Packet Pick Up and Late Registration is 8:00 to 9:30 the morning of the event. Door prizes will be given post race and awards for male/female top overall, male/female masters (40+), and top 3 male/female in each age group. Friendly dogs are welcome,
must be properly vaccinated, leashed, and properly controlled at all times. Questions may be sent to happytailsofwashcova@yahoo.com or call Amanda at 423-967-4892.
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More for Kids at Bristol Rhythm 2014 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is proud to announce a weekend-long Kid’s Zone at Cumberland Square Park during the festival with pony rides, clowns, face painting and more. Festival wristband required for entry, some fees may apply. There are also two additions to their BVU Children’s Day: the Wells Fargo Stagecoach and Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Dental Van. BVU Children’s Day will be held Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in Cumberland Square Park and is free to the public. The Wells Fargo six-horse stagecoach comes from Wells Fargo’s real history of using, owning, guarding, and operating them.
They still own and display 10 originals in their history museums, 13 authentic reproductions on display in their buildings, and a fleet of 17 that roll almost every weekend in parades across the nation. The Wells Fargo Stagecoach is a symbol of the company’s image, heritage, and values. The legendary stagecoach is priceless, and Wells Fargo strives to present it to their communities. The Junior League of Bristol TN/VA will also bring the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF) Dental Van to Children’s Day to provide free children’s dental health education and prevention. Colgate BSBF will provide free dental screenings and treatment referrals to children aboard a 32-foot customized recreational vehicle. Colgate BSBF screening program is staffed with program coordinators, hygienists and local volunteer dental professionals. Children up to 12 years old will enjoy this fun and engag-
ing program aimed at empowering children to take control of their dental health and disease prevention. For more information about the Colgate BSBF, contact Dawna
M. Fields (212) 310-2816. Sunday, September 21, from 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friendship Ram of Bristol will host Kid’s Day the Friendship Way with face
painting, cornhole, inflatables, and Raminator Monster Trucks on the corner of State and 5th Streets during the festival. Festival wristbands are required for entry.
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eXceptional Orchestra Program Registration Open & Free This inclusive arts program is open to all elementary-aged children, both with and without disabilities, and their families. First time in the Tri-Cities!
The City of Kingsport, Office of Cultural Arts is teaming up with The Symphony of the Mountains, The Kingsport Ballet and William King University to bring eXceptional Orchestra to the Tri- Cities this fall. eXceptional Orchestra is a free and inclusive music, movement, and arts project designed for elementary aged children, with and without disabilities, and their families. Registration is now open for the eXceptional Orchestra KINGSPORT Program. Participants will share in six Saturdays of art workshops beginning September 20th and running through November 1st. The educational curriculum infuses accessible arts, movement, & music into rehearsals and a final performance, adapting for the unique needs of any ensemble member. Each Saturday, children will create new artwork that builds on ideas introduced in the previous workshop. The program culminates in the children & their
parents performing a live public show with the Symphony of the Mountains & the Kingsport Ballet on Sunday, November 2 at 3pm at the Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport, TN. All members in the community – children, professional musicians, entire families, adult and youth volunteers, are invited to help make the dream of eXceptional Orchestra a reality in the Tri-Cities. Accommodations and modifications will be provided as needed for the approximately one-third of children with special needs. Beyond aspects like the arts and education, this is an inclusive community project that encourages people of different backgrounds to interact with each other in a positive and perhaps transformative way with dance, art, music & mutual respect. We are very lucky that eXceptional Orchestra is coming to our area. Symphony of the Mountains Music Director Cornelia Laem-
mli Orth has dreamed of bringing the program to the Tri-Cities since worked on one in 2005 in Knoxville. Now that dream is coming true as we proudly announce that registration for the eXceptional Orchestra program with Symphony of the Mountains is open. This inclusive program’s motto is “Everyone has a party to play,” and its mission is to bring children together to enjoy visual arts, drama, dance, movement, music and accessible musical instruments. eXceptional Orchestra creator
Kim Kredich is a native of Knoxville, TN and studied choral and orchestral conducting at the New England Conservatory of Music. For Kredich, developing this program was a personal journey. She is the mother to three boys; one of them diagnosed with autism. Early on, she realized that there were hardly any art programs for all three of her children to experience together. Over the years, her inclusive work with her own chil-
dren led to the concept and creation of the eXceptional Orchestra. There is no cost to participate and all program materials are provided free of charge. However, children and their parents are asked to commit to all workshops and the performance. Space is limited and participants are admitted on a first-come/first-serve basis. Call (423) 392-8414 for more information on registration. eXceptional Orchestra creator
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Don’t Drink the Water
Indie film documents effects of Asheville toxic site The phrase ‘Don’t drink the water’ is hitting close to home with an award-winning documentary that focuses on a Superfund site in nearby Asheville, N.C. Mary B. Martin School of the Arts at ETSU will present My Toxic Backyard with filmmaker Katie Damien as part of the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers on Monday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. in Martha Street Culp Auditorium. Following a screening of the film, producer and director Damien will engage the audience in a discussion about the film and her work as a filmmaker. A reception with the filmmaker will follow the Q&A session. Film and reception are free and open to the public. My Toxic Backyard chronicles an Asheville community’s fight for clean drinking water as the contaminated soil of an old manufacturing plant continues to leak carcinogens into their water more than 20 years after the threat was first reported to the Environmental Protection Agency. Through investigative reporting and in-depth interviews, Damien’s film dredges up the sludge that accumulates after decades of inaction. Damien’s first encounter with the toxic soil occurred while she was seeking a new home in the Asheville area. She was shocked when a friend said, “There’s something bad in the water out there.” That information sparked Damien’s interest. “I felt like I had dodged a bullet, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the people still living out there who weren’t as lucky,” Damien says. The CTS Corp. Superfund site was ranked among the worst contaminated sites in the nation, yet now there are more than 100 homes within one mile of the site. Residents in the area have been drinking high levels of contaminated water for years not knowing it’s the water that has been making them sick, and My Toxic Backyard documents the stories of many families struggling with the effects of the contamination.
“It’s very timely. It’s in our neighborhood, so I think it’s an important topic for us to discuss, because these kinds of things can happen anywhere and do happen in a lot of communities,” says Anita DeAngelis, director of Mary B. Martin School of the Arts. The film “plays well to anyone for whom injustice strikes a nerve,” says The Asheville Citizen-Times. Jeff Thomas from the not-forprofit Go Green America organization said “stories like this one need to be told.” Filmmaker Damien, an awardwinning filmmaker with a bachelor’s degree in film production from the University of Central Florida, lives in Asheville, the community chronicled in her film. My Toxic Backyard is her first feature documentary and was supported through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Find out more about the film, visit mytoxicbackyard.com. The Southern Circuit Tour of
Independent Filmmakers is a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. South Arts, founded in 1975, is a nonprofit regional arts organization building on the South’s unique heritage and enhancing the public value of the arts. Their work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective through an annual portfolio of activities designed to address the role of the arts in impacting the issues important to our region, and linking the South with the nation and the world through the arts. For information about the film, film series or the ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, call 423439-TKTS (8587) or visit www. etsu.edu/martin. Please “Like” ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts on Facebook and follow it on Twitter and Instagram @ArtsAtETSU.
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Sculptor, Val Lyle to offer public lecture
“Take the Stage”
On Monday, September 22nd at 7:00 pm the Depot Artists Association will hold its Annual Meeting at the Arts Depot at 314 Depot Square in Abingdon, VA. Immediately following the very brief business portion of the meeting there will be a lecture presented by local artist, Val Lyle titled “Take the Stage.” Both the meeting and lecture are free and open to the public. Val Lyle will offer insights into the world of public art as she walks us through the process of creating her popular new interactive bronze statues in Bristol’s Cumberland Square Park called “Take the Stage.” Lyle’s sculpture was Art in Public Places’ (AiPP) first permanent, commissioned sculpture to be installed in downtown Bristol. Lyle was inspired by the musical heritage of our region. Her interactive cast bronze piece features life size figures of male and female musicians playing guitar and fiddle, respectively. A microphone stands between the two
figures, with footprints placed in the granite to invite viewers to become part of the work. The Depot Artists Association is a non-profit volunteer organization that operates the Arts Depot and is dedicated to promoting the arts in the community and features the region’s artists. The Arts Depot is located in the historic Depot Square area of downtown Abingdon, VA. The gallery and Resident Artist’s studios are open Thursday thru Saturday, April thru December from 10 am-4 pm and January thru March from 11 am -3 pm, or by appointment. There is no admission charge. For further information, please contact the Arts Depot at (276) 628-9091, or e-mail at abingdonartsdepot@eva.org, or visit the web site at www.abingdonartsdepot.org. The Association is supported in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Tourism Corp.
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Doc Collier Grand Opening Doc Collier Moonshine on the Parkway in Gatlinburg is hosting its Grand Opening Celebration on Thursday, September 18, 2014 in conjunction with the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours. This event is free and open to the public. Tours of the distillery, samples of Doc Collier Moonshine, and plenty of snacks and refreshments will be available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “We are honored to partner with the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours. We hope to introduce the local business community to the art of distilling moonshine the way William ‘Doc’ Collier did more than 100 years ago,” says general manager Buddy Keyes. Every batch of Doc Collier Moonshine is made with all-natural ingredients like corn, cane sugar, peach and blackberry juice, and is distilled using English Mountain Spring Water. It is bottled by hand on site by Distiller Ronnie Weeks and his staff.
There will also be live music at the September 18th event by The Reunited’s Kate Phillips and Steve Laciak. No reservations are required, but anyone planning to sample moonshine must be at least 21 years old and present valid I.D. Doc Collier Moonshine is locat-
ed at 519 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 (Traffic light #3). Parking suggested in the Gatlinburg City parking deck across the street. For more information, call Doc Collier General Manager Buddy Keyes at 800-398-5132.
The return of the vinyl record The East Tennessee Music Market and Collectors Show will take place Sunday September 21, 2014 at the Double Tree-Hilton on Mockingbird Lane in Johnson City TN, 10am to 4pm, $2.00 admission to general public, (with another show offered on Sept. 20 in Knoxville at the Days Inn North, 5335 Central Avenue Pike). This unique event features music dealers from all over the Southeast, who will offer rare vintage vinyl LPs and 45s, plus CDs, DVDs, memorabilia, and much more – at a variety of price ranges. This will be the “biggest and best one-day music store” in Tennessee! Please contact the show’s organizer and promoter, Gregory Neal, at GregNealShow@gmailcom for questions or comments. Dealer inquiries welcome!
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eXceptional Orchestra .. continued from page 11 Kim Kredich is available for interview, either in person or via telephone. She lives in Knoxville so we just have to make arrangements in advanced. Symphony
of the Mountains Music Director Cornelia Laemmli Orth is also available for comment. Please call (423) 392-8414 to set up.
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Finding Life Outside Earth Matter of Time The more we know about life on Earth, the more likely the possibility that living organisms will be found in our Solar System. That’s because we find life in some of the most extreme situations, like next to boiling vents in the oceans or under the ice caps of Antarctica. And just turn over a rock and watch all kinds of critters scurry! Several new discoveries on Earth raise the percentages that several moons of Jupiter and Saturn might harbor life. And our armada of robotic spacecraft orbiting or roaming Mars has confirmed that everything needed is there for earth-like organisms to thrive. Now we’re talking microscopic life, the kind that swims in water. And then there are the larger “extremophiles” that can live in the void of space, exposed to deadly radiation from the Sun and interstellar sources. You probably didn’t get these important science headlines: • Underground Lake Beneath Antarctica Harbors Life – Nature Magazine reports a huge lake of water under the Ross Shelf harbors about 4,000 species of microbe life despite being without light and locked under the ice continent for millions of years. Some of the microbes actually eat rock to obtain minerals for nutrients. • Sea Plankton Found on Space Station Windows - Unconfirmed by NASA, Russian scientists have said they found living ocean plankton clinging to the windows of the Zvezda module of the International Space Station. How did plankton get there 225 miles above Earth? Initial Russian theories are that ocean currents propel the food source into the air and it gets lofted by the jet stream of air circling our globe. • Extremophiles Survive Outer
Space - There are a select group of living organisms that can survive incredible conditions of extreme heat or cold. Included are footlong tubes that live next to volcanic vents on the Pacific Ocean floor. And a microscopic critter called Tardegrade with the nickname “water bear” that can live in extreme radiation of harmful x-rays and gamma-rays that pervade outer space. So what about life on Mars? Most planetary scientists believe there is life on the Red Planet. NASA’s rovers and orbiters have found all the conditions to be positive for microbes and plants like algae surviving on Mars, but no fossils or bacteria have turned up. That has been the mission since 1965 of America’s Space Age—to find life somewhere besides Earth. Since the mid-19th Century when large telescopes showed the surface features of Mars, the earth-like markings gave hope for life on the Red Planet. Seen in a telescope are dark areas like continents against the large red areas of assumed deserts. And the white polar caps, just like Earth, seemed to grow and shrink with the seasons. People thinking about life on Mars took off when an Italian astronomer named Giovanni Schiaparelli made a map of Mars in 1888 with long channels, “canali” in his native language. The seed was planted for the decades to come of myth and fantasy about living Martians. No one perpetuated the notion that Mars was inhabited more than Boston aristocrat Percival Lowell. Brother of the famous poet Amy Lowell and a former ambassador to Korea, Lowell became obsessed with Mars. He built a stateof-the-art observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and spent hours looking through a 24” Alvin Clark refrac-
tor, the best of the best. He created his own drawings, and wrote three best seller books that exposed the theory that Mars was a dying planet with a civilization watering its cities with canals feeding water from the polar caps. As corny as that may sound today, Lowell’s influence spawned 100 years of science fiction centered on Mars. Everyone in 1914 knew about Lowell and his Mars thanks to his blockbuster books: “Mars” 1895; “Mars and Its Canals” 1906: “Mars as the Abode of Life” 1908. Lowell eventually financed his belief that a ninth “Planet X” existed and influenced Neptune’s orbit. He didn’t live to see his prediction come true when Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930 with the very telescope Lowell hunted Mars. Thanks to Lowell’s canals and science fiction writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs and H.G. Wells, the public came to regard Mars
as mysterious and a hot-bed of debate about what kind of life existed there. Certainly the greening of the planet during its spring and summer seasons was some sort of planet life. And it was generally agreed that microbes and even insects were a sure bet. Then the Summer of 1965 shattered those dreams when NASA’s Mariner IV spacecraft flew by Mars and sent back 22 historic close-ups of the surface. What we saw was a landscape similar to our Moon. Void of forests or hints of water, the vision of canals were replaced with craters and a surface temperature more like Antarctica. Overnight the likelyhood of finding living Martians was about zero. NASA continued in the 1960s and ‘70s to send pairs of spacecraft every two-years when Mars and Earth were closest, called an “opposition” by astronomers. In 1969 Mariner 6 & 7 flew by taking hundreds of photos over
more cratered deserts and the ice covered poles. Next were orbiters Mariner 8 & 9, but a launch failure put Mariner 8 in the Atlantic Ocean. Mariner 9 continued and went into orbit in November 1971, revealing a once-dynamic Mars with huge volcanoes dwarfing anything else and a gigantic valley with immense canyons that stretches more than 2,000 miles. Called Valles Marineris after the spaceship, this titanic tear in the Martian globe may be a stretch mark from the Tharsis bulge , where the volcanoes are located. With more than 7,000 photos and data from an array of sensors, Mariner 9 pioneered the 21st Century invasion of the Red Planet by making the first detailed topographic maps of an alien world. It was America’s Bicentennial year when mankind first seriously tried to find life on another planet. Two complex interStargazer - continuted next page
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planetary robots had a dual purpose—Viking 1 and Viking 2 each had an orbiter and a lander. The identical landers were stationary and had a simple incubation heat chamber and laboratory tools to try and detect signs of life. Viking 1 landed in Chryse Plains on July 20th, 1976 for some NASA interplanetary fireworks, and Viking 2 set down on Sept. 3rd in Utopia Plains. The Viking color photos were incredible as a rocky, rolling landscape littered with rocks as seen in every direction at the purposely flat landing sites. When the science lab was fed with the long arm of a scoop, the results were positive for the out-gassing of carbon and other elements consistent with organic material. But it was also a result duplicated by chemical reactions, not biological. Forty years later, the results of the Viking landers’ life experiments are still debated. The orbiters showed the hints of a world that once had rivers, islands in steams and polar caps of water ice and carbon dioxide that grew and shrunk with the rhythms of the Martian seasons. And of course, Viking 1 photographed a rocky butte where the lighting made it look like a human face, thus the popular myth of an alien sculpture, “The Face of Mars.” There was a gap of Mars exploration in the 1980s and early ‘90s when NASA’s planetary exploration budget focused on Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Those
missions tantalized the search for life by revealing several moons of Jupiter and Saturn that had ice water and possible conditions for exotic life. The current 21st Century Martian invasion began with the Pathfinder lander that carried with it a toy-like rover called Sojourner. Those first six wheels on Mars captivated those surfing the new “World Wide Web” as everybody with a computer wanted to see Sojourner moving about. In fact, more than two million visitors to NASA’s website crashed the location, creating the first “viral” posting in the infant “Internet.” Four orbiters and three landers in the 2000s have all but found life on Mars. And NASA is poised
in 2020 to send another complex rover that can make a radar photo of the ground 10 feet below. That’s where we stand today, aware that Mars was once a watery world, that also had an era of violent volcanoes that rose more than 7 miles above the land. Those long dormant volcanoes make the planet lop-sided, like a boil under the skin, and coat the fourth planet with minerals that turned to rust oxide and give the Red Planet its name. Just what might life look like on Mars? There are some solid guesses that might mimic life here on Earth. We’ll look at those suspected “Martians” in next week’s Stargazer. NEXT WEEK: IS MARS AN ABODE FOR LIFE?
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Skies This Week Celestial events in the skies for the week of Sept. 16 - Sept. 22, 2014, as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette.
The first day of Autumn is next Tuesday, Sept. 23rd, but the sky above is reflecting the seasonal change. We are entering the best two weeks to see the Milky Way—right after the Moon’s full phase when it rises about 30 minutes later each day, leaving the early evening dark and starry. And, these are the last four or five weeks to catch Saturn in Virgo and Mars in Scorpius as the two planets are losing ground to the western horizon as they get closer to the Sun from our perspective in orbit on our planet Earth.
Tues. Sept. 16
The Moon is at Last Quarter today, rising after midnight and becoming a beautiful crescent in our pre-dawn skies. Watch it travel through Taurus and Gemini before it stands next to Jupiter in Cancer the Crab on Saturday. On this 1996 date in space history, NASA launched Space Shuttle Atlantis on a mission to the Russian space station MIR, dropping off John Blaha for a four month stay and bringing back Shannon Lucid after an American record 188 days in space.
Wed. Sept. 17
Happy 84th birthday to moonwalker Edgar Mitchell, the 6th man to touch the alien surface. He came back from his Apollo 14 experience in February 1971 with fellow moonwalker Alan Shepard, deceased, and orbiting Stu Roosa, deceased. Mitchell is the founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which for four decades has studied the paranormal.
Thurs. Sept. 18
On this 1990 date in space history NASA released a “family portrait” of our Solar System taken from Voyager 1 at a distance of four billion miles from the Sun. Taken after years of urging by the “people’s astronomer” Carl Sagan, the photo captured six of the then nine planets (Mercury and Mars were too close to the Sun, and Pluto was too faint. In the mosaic of 60 images, the Earth, in Sagan’s words, looked like a “pale, blue dot,” a humbling experience for all mankind.
Fri. Sept. 19
Those lucky enough to be camping this weekend can look up and see the glorious Milky Way. Moonlight will not interfere, and if you’re in the mountains, lake or countryside away from city light pollution. The three stars of the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb and Altair) frames the arm of our Galaxy directly overhead, while the fishhook stars of Scorpius and teapot dotto-dot of Sagittarius show us the center of our island of 200 billion stars.
Sat. Sept. 20
Early morning risers at 5 am will see the bright planet Jupiter above the eastern horizon with the crescent Moon beside it. They are in Cancer the Crab, both heading into Leo the Lion—where bright, white Venus is just ahead of the Sun.
Sun. Sept. 21
This is the hardest time to see the familiar Big Dipper as it dredges along the northeast horizon seemingly plowing up the landscape. That’s why in England, this familiar 7-star asterism is called “The Plough.”
Mon. Sept. 22
The Autumnal Equinox is tomorrow, but you’ve already been experiencing equal day and night. And if you’ve spent any time outdoors, you see the browning leaves, hear the insects chiming and notice the flowering weeds of golden rod, milkweed and many others.
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Michael Feagan & Fiddlegrass at Carter Family Fold Saturday, September 20th, 2014, at 7:30 p.m., the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert of bluegrass music by Michael Feagan and Fiddlegrass. Admission to the concert is $10 for adults, $1 for children 6 to 11, under age 6 free. Michael Feagan has played with some of bluegrass music’s finest – Bill Monroe and Larry Sparks to name a few. He’s also worked with David Peterson & 1946 as well as country singer and guitarist Jerry Reed. Most recently, Michael accompanied Kody Norris on fiddle at his last show at the Fold. Michael will be backed by Fiddlegrass – some of bluegrass music’s finest musicians. His newest release – A Fiddler’s Journey – is now available. The CD features dance tunes that even the most seasoned musicians might not know. It exemplifies the versatility and experience that make Michael’s career so diverse and interesting. A true gentleman, Michael proudly represents bluegrass music at its’ finest. Fiddling and the Carter Fold go together like bees and honey. Come spend an evening at the foot of beautiful Clinch Mountain dancing your cares away. With Michael Feagan on fiddle, you’ll be out of your seat and on the dance floor before you know what hit you. Leave your cares at the door, bring along your friends and family, and spend the evening listening to some of the finest fiddle tunes bluegrass music has to offer. You’ll be glad you did! Check out Michael & Fiddlegrass on You Tube and Facebook. 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
Photo by Mike Morbeck
site at http://thecrookedroad. org. Partial funding for programs at the center is provided by the Virginia Commission for the Arts 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 – @carterfoldinfo. To speak to a Fold staff member, call 276-594-0676.
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Susan O’Halloran to perform for Storytelling Live! Storyteller Susan O’Halloran, a dynamic entertainer known for using humor to engage people in current events, will be the next resident in the International Storytelling Center’s popular Storytelling Live! series. O’Halloran is widely celebrated for her true stories depicting different ways of life in America. While she’s worked for more than 40 years for equality, she tends to laugh at serious-sounding phrases like “activism.” She’d rather just be known as a good neighbor. “I think people are afraid they’re going to be made to feel guilty,” she says, pinpointing why some people are wary of stories about societal issues. “Who likes to think about overwhelming things? We avoid it, which is natural. But you
can’t do something about it if you don’t know it’s there.” O’Halloran will offer a series of matinees during her storytelling residency. Daily performances are scheduled September 23 – 27, Tuesday through Saturday, at 2:00 p.m. in the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall. Tickets for all shows are just $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18. Advance purchase is highly recommended. The storyteller will share a wide variety of tales from her travels, folk tales from around the world, and other stories. “I’m going to tell a story about all the violence in Chicago,” she says, name-checking her hometown. “I understand when people are like, well, that doesn’t happen in my neighborhood. Crime in Chicago is generally way down, so they think if it’s not happening in their neighborhood, it’s not hap-
pening. But the stories connect us to each other. “It’s just a whole different reality,” she continues. “It’s a really
powerful thing to use storytelling to bring people into neighborhoods they would normally never go into. Suddenly they see the reality, and they think it’s not fair.” On top of her matinee performances, O’Halloran will lead a workshop on creative approaches to fundraising. “Story Power for Non-Profits,” which takes place Thursday, September 25, at 9:00 a.m., will feature a variety of techniques for sharing stories that will make your organization or cause more memorable. Admission is only $30 and is open to the public. Spots are limited, so advance purchase is advised. “Stories are a big part of any non-profit’s marketing success,” O’Halloran says. “People get compassion fatigue because there are so many good causes to care about. But if you tell a story, you can make people think of a person. I’ll give participants some tools they can walk away with that will really help them start to think about what stories are under their roof.” O’Halloran is the latest performer in the International Storytelling Center’s Storytelling Live! series, which will host a new performer every week through October. Information about all TIR performers, as well as a detailed schedule for 2014, is available at www.storytellingcenter.net. Storytelling Live! is supported by Presenting Sponsor CrestPoint Health, program sponsors Eastman Chemical Company and Eastman Credit Union, and media sponsors News 5-WCYB, FOX TriCities, Tri-Cities CW, Johnson City Press, Kingsport Times-News, Herald & Tribune and Cumulus Media. Ticket holders will save 10 percent on same-day dining at The Olde Courthouse Diner, The Dining Room, Jonesborough General Store and Eatery, or Main Street Café. 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.
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A New Kind Of Folk Music Is Coming To Accoustic Coffeehouse
solo project of singer-songwriter, suitcase-kicker, can-banger, and mandolin-wrangler Owen LymanSchmidt. As a one-man ruckus Owen had been winning over audiences for years with his backhanded poetry, and unique instrumentation, but he missed the excitement of collaboration and with junk percussion on both feet, he’d run out of limbs for new instruments. In late 2013 he teamed up to record the Amphibious Love EP with bassist Bobby Szafranski, whose unique melodic style lent a velvet fist to the ever growing collection of original music. After a year planting the seeds of a formidable regional reputation, Driftwood Soldier is taking their “populist rabble-rousing gutter-folk” on tour before returning Driftwood Soldier isn’t your throughout the Mid-Atlantic and to Philadelphia to record their first average mandolin-bass foot- New England a taste of what that full length album. Catch Driftwood Soldier this stomping gutter-folk duo and means. they’re hitting the road on the Two Based out of Philadelphia, Saturday, September 20th at Tail Tour from September 19th to Driftwood Soldier evolved out of Acoustic Coffeehouse, 415 W. WalOctober 5th to give audiences Owen and his Checkered Past, the nut St, Johnson City.
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Northeast State’s
Got Talent to hold auditions Northeast State’s Music and Choral Program will hold preliminary auditions Sept. 16, and 18 for its Northeast State’s Got Talent show. The event is part of the College’s annual Because of You Campaign to raise scholarship funds. The auditions will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Wellmont Regional Center for the Performing Arts (WRCPA), 2425 Highway 75, adjacent to the Tri-Cities Regional Airport. A non-refundable registration fee of $10 is required for individuals and $25 for groups. The show welcomes entrants from the community as well as Northeast
State’s faculty, staff, and students. The winners of the auditions will advance to the final talent show on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the WRCPA. Prizes will be awarded for the top three winners. First place will receive $150, second place will receive $75, and third place will take home $50. Admission to the show is $2 for students and $8 for adults. All proceeds benefit the program’s Performing Arts Annual Scholarship. For more information, contact Tawana Teague at 423.354.5164 or tcteague@northeaststate.edu.
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Stephen Evans, Singer-Songwriter performs at Accoustic Coffeehouse Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida by musical parents, Stephen Evans naturally had the desire to perform music at an early age. Starting very young by singing and performing along to records of his dad’s band, Four Saints, he soon began playing the trumpet in various bands, singing in the choir, and performing in musicals throughout high school. Inspired by his brother’s regional success in the band, Floating Men, Stephen started his own rock band in the late 80’s called Mean Season where he began honing his songwriting skills on the guitar. After a few years of local success and radio play in Tallahassee, FL, his band moved to Atlanta, GA to try and develop into something bigger. Unfortunately, the band ended up separating which left Stephen to try his hand at writing and performing solo around Atlanta.
Soon the crowded streets of the big city drove him to the mountain town of Asheville, NC where he quickly began soaking in the creative influence of the amazing surroundings. After a few years of ups and downs while living in Asheville, Stephen is once again aiming his focus on his love for music. His songwriting style is a blend of darkness mixed with hopeful optimism. There is no denying the heart that shines through his powerful vocals and lyrics. Songs like ‘Bleed’ and ‘Shining Star’ are beacons of the human emotional experience expressed through his songs. Listen to Stephen’s music at www.reverbnation.com/stephendalevans or www.facebook.com/ stephendalevans or watch him live at The Acoustic Coffeehouse, 415 W. Walnut St, Johnson City, Thursday, September 18th.
Theatre Bristol Announces Auditions for “Scrooge! The Musical”
Theatre Bristol is excited to bring a major musical production just in time to celebrate the holidays! “Perhaps one of the best-known modern adaptations of [A Christmas Carol] is the musical Scrooge! by Leslie Bricusse. The musical, made into a film in 1970… is traditional, and the stage show has enjoyed noted success in England, where it was hailed as “Sensational” and “Terrific” by BBC Radio 2; and in the Unites States, where it has become an established favorite of regional playhouses nationwide.” ~Breaking Character. Auditions for “Scrooge! The Musical” are at Theatre Bristol, 512 State Street, and there are two options to choose from: Tuesday, September 16, at 6:30 pm; or Monday, September 22, at 6:30 pm. Callbacks are scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, at 6:30 pm. No preparation is needed, though please wear closed-toed shoes and clothes to move in for the audition. Please bring your schedule for October through mid-December. Note that this show opens Thanksgiving weekend, the day after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 28 and runs three weekends: Fridays, November 28, December 5, December 12; Saturdays, November 29, December 6, December 13; and Sundays, November 30, December 7, and December 14. Roles are available for men, women, children, and chorus members. Regarding children, there are limited roles for children ages five to eight years old, and greater numbers of roles for children ages eight and above. Adults of all ages are invited to audition. Directing the show will be highly respected and talented actor/ director, Theatre Bristol veteran Glenn Patterson. “Scrooge! The Musical” is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. For more information, visit www.theatrebristol.org or visit the Theatre Bristol Facebook page.
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Let the ContraForce be with you! It’s Contra Dance Time in Jonesborough!
The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will present a contra dance on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. The featured band will be ContraForce from Charleston, SC with Chattanooga’s Vicki Herndon calling. Admission to the dance is $7, HJDS Members $5, Students $5. No partner is necessary. All dances are taught by the caller. All dances are smoke and alcohol free. A workshop for beginning contra dancers will be led by the caller at 7:00pm. The dance will run from 7:30-10:30pm with a waltz break at 9:00pm where, once again, Klondike Bars will be served to all. ContraForce’s goal is to bring the rock influence to some folk tunes. This three-piece powerhouse packs the frenzied bowing arm of Andrae Raffield, the Donkey Kong slammin’ palms of drummer and saxophone player Joey Dorwart, and the acoustic and electric guitar onslaught of Jimi “Two Nails” Periano, into a hurricane of wild, energetic, kickin-the-mouth contra music that will leave you gasping for breath and begging for more. Andrae and Joey were old hands at the contra band scene, having vetted themselves in local Charleston bands, Anna’s Bananas and Shady Groove, for over fifteen years before deciding to create ContraForce to explore their new and exciting vision for contra dance music. To complete the rockin’ trinity, Jimi “Two Nails” Periano came on board to begin experimenting with “rocking out some fiddle tunes”. This synergy quickly led to a period of this new band writing much of their material. On the side, Joey and Jimi are registered nurses while Andrae is teaching music at a Charleston middle school. Thus, a new band was born merging traditional contra music with psychedelic, surf rock and metal to create a new force: ContraForce! With these crazy jokers at the wheel, there’s no telling where the dance will end up, but you can be sure that the hall will
be filled with happy dancers as was the case when they played for the FOOT BALL in Jonesborough on February 2nd and at Serenity Knoll on August 8th. They were one of the featured bands at the 2014 Moon Dance at Table Rock State Park last weekend. Thus, a new band was born merging traditional contra music with psychedelic, surf rock and metal to create a new force: ContraForce! With these crazy jokers at the wheel, there’s no telling where the dance will end up, but you can be sure that the hall will be filled with happy dancers. Vicki Herndon has been a dancer since 1997, when she accidentally came across contra dancing, and has been a dance lover since. She began calling in 2000, and have called all around the southeast. Wedding dances in open fields, and dances with kids are all part of the diversity she represents, and loves. Vicki is very active part of the Chattanooga dance community. “Keeping my home group growing and strong has become very important to me over the years. Welcoming newcomers, and giving them confidence is my specialty. Dancers must have this to return to your dance and thrive” offers Ms. Herndon. Being a dance gypsy has led Vicki to be a familiar face at many dance weekends along with her husband, Steve, where her enthusiasm as a caller is just as evident as when she is dancing. “There’s
not much more than I love to do . . . dance and call”, she adds. Contra dancing is a traditional form of American folk dance that evolved from the long ways country dances popular in English society centuries ago. Contra dance communities now thrive all over the country. There are websites that can direct you to contra dances in most states. The modern contra dances provide dancers of all ages and experience levels with the opportunity to smile, move, connect, flirt and create an evening of dance nirvana with each other. No previous dance experience is necessary. No fancy footwork is required. If you can walk and count to eight, you can contra dance! Contra dances are community events. At almost any contra you will find people of all ages and all dance skill levels, from young to old, beginner to expert. Contra dancers form a very open and welcoming group of people. You can come alone or with others since it is a tradition to dance with a variety of partners throughout the night. It is perfectly acceptable for either a man or a woman to ask someone to dance. It’s a great way to make friends with someone they haven’t met before. You will find contra dancing a great way to make new friends. For more information, please contact event organizer, David Wiley at 423-534-8879, visit www. historicjonesboroughdancesociety. org and on FACEBOOK.
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Rarely do films leave me with a sense of puzzlement, but the new film “The Identical” succeeded. The film is described as a musical/drama, and for the most part, features an excellent cast. The film begins in during the Great Depression of the 1930’s and introduces us to the characters of William and Helen Hemsley (Brain Geraghty and Amanda Crew). While William is struggling to find work, Helen gives birth to identical twins, resulting in a struggle for survival. When a traveling preacher, Reverend Wade (Ray Liotta,) visits the small Mississippi town where the Hemsleys reside, the couple find themselves at a crossroads. The difficult decision is made by the Hemsleys to give
up one of their twins to Reverend Wade and his wife Louise (Ashley Judd) to raise. As the years pass, the twins become adults, and are headed in completely different directions. Ryan, the twin adopted by the Wade’s, is expected to follow his father into the ministry. Meanwhile, as rock and roll is exploding in the 1950’s, the other twin,. Drexel, is fast becoming a music star in the vein of Elvis. Even though Ryan is attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps, he realizes, his calling is different after discovering the music of his lookalike Drexel. The lookalike aspect of the film was hard for me to swallow. How could you see someone who looks EXACTLY like you and not wonder if you were
possibly separated at birth? Certainly not the clueless Ryan, who, even though he is constantly being mistaken for his twin brother, just brushes the resemblance off. As Drexel’s star continues to rise, Ryan tells his Dad he has chosen a different path for this life, that of a rock and roll singer (imagine that!), and after being discovered in a contest, is soon playing the music of Drexel Hemsley on the national Fair circuit. Another puzzling moment for me was when Drexel actually sees Ryan performing, declares him the winner of a contest, and then leaves the concert hall! In reality, I am sure Drexel would want to meet his lookalike and at least pose for a photo, but not in this movie. The twins never actually meet one on one in the film thanks to a tragic accident, and the producers apparent lack of budget for special effects to allow such a contact. Talk about a missed opportunity. After much drama and healing among the characters, the film concludes with Ryan performing at a concert hall as “The Identical”. If only the two had met, they would have made an awesome concert attrac-
tion. At the beginning of the film I thought the film might be a sly salute to Elvis through the fictional Hemsley twins, but Elvis is actually mentioned in the film, blowing that theory out of the water. Speaking of Elvis, the actor playing the twins, Blake Rayne, looks VERY much like the late singer, right down to the jet black hair, but lacks the stars charisma. At times Rayne is out-acted by his slicked back, and eventually long, hair. Despite the weakness of Rayne’s acting chops, he is still able to por-
tray a conflicted twin without destroying the film. Meanwhile, Liotta and Judd are wonderful as the reverend and his wife, and give the film its heart and soul. Plus, a film featuring the impish Seth Green as a rock and roll drummer, can’t be all bad, even if he appears to be the missing drummer from the 70’s band The Partridge Family. Despite its obvious flaws, if you can accept the “The Identical” warts and all, you can at least enjoy some of the great songs in the film. (Rated PG) B-
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To Stache, or not to Stache Every now and then I’ll go a day or two without shaving. Sometimes when I’ve skipped two days, and I have a rather noticeable look at what my beard line is like, I’ll stand in the mirror and have a conversation with myself. “Hmm. You could grow some facial hair, if you wanted.” Once I begin this conversation with myself, the next step is to determine what kind of facial hair I could adequately grow. A beard? No, not enough on the sides for that. I then come to
gestion, but with my busy social calender and meetings with notable dignitaries, one must keep a groomed appearance. But the idea is there, despite my fear to the commitment. There are only two possible outcomes for this situation if I do grow the stache. I’ll either look amazing, dashing, and charming (not that I don’t already), or I’ll look like a sad dad at a 1982 soccer practice. I’ll have some time to myself, and I’ll let the stubble rock out, or even on the days when I just don’t
response is always the same “You look good with a three day stubble beard, but facial hair would look bad/weird on you.” This only confirms what my brain has been telling me, facial hair does not fit the functioning Andy protocol. It’s for the best, as I’m not quite Groucho Marx, and heaven knows I lack the ability to be a swashbuckling Errol Flynn type. I’m not evil either, so there goes my B plan of roaming the streets in a black cape, tying people to the railroad tracks, rubbing my hands and laughing
the realization that maybe I could rock a mustache. “Hmm, I might have a certain Ernie Kovacs touch with a mustache. It could be quite suave.” But then after thinking about it, I decide that even though I can rock a two day stubble, perhaps facial hair just wouldn’t quite fit in with my general demeanor. I shave it all off, and I like the reflection that I see looking back at me. Still, the thought of a mustachioed Andy haunts me. I think about it often while shaving. Sure, there’s the argument “Just go a week without shaving and see what you think.” A good sug-
feel like shaving. I’ll look again, and I’ll think “this is the week I will not shave.” Have I made it a full week? Nope, I give up and shave on day three, as I’m just not convinced that I would look good with facial hair. Whatever happens on my face on day three is just three shades enough close to “sad dad” that it makes me shave. Logically I know this is to be true, but since I sometimes don’t trust my brain, I consult with friends of mine, largely female. They look at my face with a deep inquisitive glare, pondering what a hairy Andy might look like. The
manically. So this is how it goes, I’ll be lazy, skip shaving for two days, then bust out my electric razor to act as a weed whacker to my face. Truth be told I think a facial hair bare look is best for me, I don’t have to worry about catching things in my beard. This allows me to walk around care free, knowing that no one is looking at the crumbs of food, bits of dirt, and tiny Dickensian children that are trapped in my mighty whiskers. See you next week.
Page 30, The Loafer • September 16, 2014
A Little Column about
Big Data According to the cover story in last week’s Time magazine, we are “living in a golden age of answers.” With instant information available to us on a 24/7 basis, answers are apparently more important than questions. Some would beg to disagree, of course, including me. Two recent books have asked us to reevaluate the role that questions play in our lives. Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas and Ian Leslie’s Curiosity: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It both place questions center stage and present us with many reasons why questions are ultimately more important than answers. But they are both competing with something called Big Data. And Big Data is not very much interested in questions. What exactly is Big Data? Viktor Mayer-Schonberger and Kenneth Cukier, in their essential new book, Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think, tell us that there “is not a rigorous definition” of the term, but since they have devoted an entire book to it, they are obliged to try and give us something as a take-away. They tell us that “[o]ne way to think about the issue today—and the way we do in the book—is this: big data refers to things one can do at a large scale that cannot be done at a smaller one, to extract new insights or create new forms of value, in ways that change markets, organizations, the relationship between citizens and governments, and more.” Warning us that “this is just the start,” the authors affirm that the “era of big data challenges the way we live and interact with the world,” and that, in order to benefit from it, “society will need to shed some of its obsession for causality in exchange for simple
correlations: not knowing why but only what.” This, needless to say, “overturns centuries of established practices and challenges our most basic understanding of how to make decisions and comprehend reality.” In other words, the arrival of Big Data is a really big deal. The aforementioned authors further define big data as “messy,” and tell us that it is more concerned with macro analysis rather than with micro analysis. Big Data is designed to give us the big picture rather than a detailed blowby-blow account. And it exists because we now possess the numbers-crunching ability to engage in something like this. Powerhouses like Google and Amazon, with their gazillion servers and data processing abilities, can generate millions of numbers and correlations about their customers’ buying habits and then provide lots of neat infographics to dazzle us with. At this point I can’t help but recall the lyrics from the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction—“When I’m drivin’ in my car and the man comes on the radio, he’s tellin’ me more and more about some useless information, supposed to drive my imagination.” Who knew back in the mid-Sixties just how prescient that song would turn out to be? Big Data is all about quantifying our world. As Mayer-Schonberger and Cukier tell us, Big Data means that “a preponderance of things that could never be measured, stored, analyzed, and shared before is becoming quantified.” And, the arrival of Big Data means that the world is shifting from one based on causality to one based on correlation. If you’ve ever taken statistics, you probably know that correlation is at best a very inexact science and is sometimes more akin to voodoo than it
is to science. Practically any two or more things can be correlated, but that doesn’t mean that the results make any sense whatsoever. But Big Data is not overly concerned with meaning just so long as there are numbers that look good in an infographic. The Time magazine cover story contains a lot more information, gleaned from Big Data analysis, than we will probably ever want or need. Some of it is nevertheless fascinating and quite diversionary. For instance, did you know that the average person (whoever that is) blinks 4 million times each year? Or that women living in New York City “tilt their heads 7.6 degrees on average” to capture their perfect Selfies? We learn from utilizing a Big Data predictive model that there will be 880 billion photos taken by the end of this year, and that Durham, North Carolina is the line dancing capital of America. And did you know that 47.8% of people living in Seoul, Korea have post-secondary
degrees, or that Pittsburgh has the highest number of bars per 10,000 people of any city in the United States (11.8 to be exact, although I am trying to visualize what 8/10 of a bar would look like)? I felt like a statistic when I read that the average length of the average American’s (there’s that mythical person again) commute to work is 25.5 minutes, just about the same as mine every day. Some of the Big Data findings should be filed in the TMI category. For instance, do we really need to know that 433 million miles of toilet paper are used each year in our country? I guess it is pretty neat, and telling, to know that most Americans only live 6.7 miles from their nearest Walmart (again, just about the same distance I live from my nearest Walmart). One of my favorite Time magazine infographics shows in what year words describing the concept of “excellent” came into existence. Some examples include “Peachy” (1900), “Wicked” (1920), “Groovy”
(1937), “Smoking” (1964), “Neat” (1806), “Hot” (1845), “Special” (1225), and “Awesome” (1980). In case you’re wondering “Bomb” was first used as a superlative in 1973. I agree with Time’s assessment that if “there’s a cost to the age of answers, it’s probably our loss of serendipity,” meaning that with all these answers at our fingertips, and with so many news feeds and shopping apps that target our specific wishes and interests, there are fewer chances that we might “stumble upon a quirky story on page B-13.” The only cure for this, in my opinion, is to ask more questions and enlarge our capacity for curiosity. I therefore hope your volume of questions will exceed your answers this week and that you will not suffer from infographic overload. See you next week with a smaller amount of data than this week.
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