Feb 2015 Murfreesboro Pulse

2006–2015: Celebrating 10 Years

MURFREESBORO

Vol. 10, Issue 2 February 2015

FREE For You!

FOOD

Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News

Happy Hour!

A guide to the best food and drink deals in town PAGE 20

E V O O R G E H T O T E V O M CE N E S S E E BLU p u o r g e t t e nce r e o i j r a e p M x U e S y a T M me d a g e h t p u s shake ART

IN MUSIC

 Unbeatable:

 Terry McClain

Murfreesboro woman, veteran photographer take a stand against domestic violence

Rachael Davis Genie, Child of God Grandpa Egg Ian C. Parker

PAGE 22

PAGE 12

DEAR READERS:

CONTENTS

10

ON THE COVER

30

PHOTO BY DONNA FERRATO

22 EVENTS

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February Community Events Lions Pancake Breakfast, Raptor Day, Young Life Banquet Entertainment Calendar Karaoke, Bingo, DJs and Live Trivia

SOUNDS

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FEBRUARY CONCERTS Album Reviews Rachael Davis, Genie, Child of God, Ian C. Parker, Grandpa Egg Music News The Jam at Main Street, Linear Downfall at Your Pie, Bluegrass Underground, Heaven Sent Children Fundraiser Terry McClain Musician records, releases 12 full albums in 2014.

LIVING

on Local Business: H3O Aquatics r Spotlight The future of fitness, and fun, may be underwater.

y i

On the Road Again Life on the streets is tough for a homeless woman.

Planning Your Garden Square-foot gardening method in raised beds can give the gardener more control over soil quality.

FOOD

Hour in the ’Boro p Happy A guide to the top food and drink specials in town

ART

s Unbeatable Photographer Donna Ferrato documents domestic violence

CREW

PULSE

with her photo project, featuring a Murfreesboro woman.

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo Advertising Reps: Don Clark, Carrie Richards, Jeff Brown, Jamie Jennings Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Contributors: Dylan Skye Aycock, Gloria Christy, Sarah Clark, Nader Hobballah, Zach Maxfield, Darcy Payne, MC Radford, Edwina Shannon, Cecilia Sinkala, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Zek Storm, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine

Art Happenings f February The Rhinovirus at PERK’D; paintings by Joyce Cummings; Harlem Street portraits by Harvey Stein

REVIEWS

ONLINE AT:

h Movies Selma, Big Eyes j k

Living Room Cinema Discovery on the Road Video Game Crypt of the Necrodancer Books: Writers in the ’Boro Twisted by Miranda Leek; Captain Badass by D.M. Mahlon

BOROPULSE.COM

SPORTS

Essence ; Blue Move to the groove with the MTSU Majorettes;

x

student organization adds to the game experience.

Sports Talk with Z-Train Brady wins another Super Bowl; it’s going to be a long wait until next season.

OPINIONS

The Stockard Report v Pearman convicted of first-degree murder; DA Whitesell

b n ,

has one more case to go before retirement.

Phil Valentine: Views of a Conservative Republicans should rally behind a single candidate.

Music Through the Decades Musical Miracles Among the Mundane: slaves watched Battle of Stones River from miles away.

Meditate on the Life You Want Think it, believe it, know it, and it will come to pass.

To carry the Pulse at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 (615) 796-6248

Copyright © 2015, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed

by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

Sign up to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter

SO, THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT condemns North Korea for hacking into private company data. Ha! In this recent instance of hypocrisy from the almighty feds, they effectively say, “Americans have a right to privacy and protection from spying and unauthorized surveillance; it would be wrong for someone to tap into another organization’s communications without their knowledge.” . . . that’s why only the U.S. government itself can conduct this type of information gathering on its own citizens. It’s totally OK when it’s us, right?

The annual Uncle Dave Macon Days festival continues to bring the top names in bluegrass and old-time music to Murfreesboro. Organizers have recently announced that this summer’s event will host and honor both Dr. Ralph Stanley and The SteelDrivers. Nice! Ms. Gloria Christy has also announced that she will be stepping down as the Uncle Dave Days executive director and passing the festival’s leadership torch to her son, Ben. This family has done, and will continue to do, great things in preserving the traditions of old-time music.

If you happen to cut off a nice chunk of the pad of your thumb, and do not necessarily sever the bone, do not fear. The skin will grow back. The skin on your thumb pads is quite thick, come to find out, and it will regenerate, just in case you were wondering. I guess I should say “safety first.” Just use your head and you won’t have to worry about whether your body parts will grow back or not.

Many great leaders have insisted that you should never, ever give up. However, I’d like to encourage everyone to behold the power of giving up. It can feel great to give up, liberating. Simply realize you don’t need it, you are complete and whole just the way you are, and can be at peace without that item or experience in question. You’d be amazed at how often you can give up, and still be content.

But, in those scenarios where giving up is unacceptable, if just the thought of giving up makes you sick, then, that is the goal to focus on. All of that other stuff that you have recently given up will free up tons of time to accomplish your most important goals (and regarding these, never, ever, give up!).

There are some awfully sad stories in this edition of the Pulse (as well as another tale, as told to Scott Walker, that can be found at boropulse.com, or at smalltownbigworld.com).

These are stories of abuse, violence and selfishness, and of the tremendously hard time the victims have in letting go and beginning anew. There is a lot of hurt out there, and too often it seems the perpetrator is not some mysterious masked boogie man, some criminal stranger, but is rather someone who is very close to the victim, the one who should be the source of love and strength and support, but has rather chosen manipulation, violence and abuse.

Please talk. Listen. If you see someone harming others, even if he or she is your dad, mom, husband, brother or friend, stop it. Tell someone. There is support out there. If someone tells you this sort of news, believe them, help, be part of the solution.

Peace, Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 3

EVENTS

compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com

THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY

PHOTO BY MIRANDA MASSEY

THROUGH MARCH 8 WEDDING DRESSES THROUGH THE DECADES It was a bittersweet Christmastime for me this year. My family, with whom I love spending time, got to hang out and have a blast, but we also spent a good amount of time deciding what to do with my recently deceased mother’s possessions. One afternoon as we were going through her clothes, we came upon her wedding dress, and as we were unveiling it to the whole family I sensed a myriad of emotions from all of us—wonderment, respect, pure historical interest, the amazing happiness that must have existed inside that dress on her wedding day and the sorrow of missing one whom that piece of fabric has not touched since it was the centerpiece of a bride’s wedding day on June 16, 1962. It’s amazing what emotions a dress can produce decades after its only night in the lights.

When I heard that Oaklands Historic House Museum in Murfreesboro was going to have an exhibit of vintage wedding gowns, I knew that seeing them and learning about their stories would bring some of those same emotions (albeit in a less personal way) to myself and well as many others. I was not disappointed.

This is the 4th annual Wedding Dresses Through the Decades show, with almost all of the displayed dresses never before seen by the public since they were worn on the wedding day.

Beautifully displayed in one large room by eras, each dress is somehow tied to Murfreesboro. What makes this a must-see for historians, brides to be,

4 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

and anyone looking for something different to do for a change are the stories behind the dresses. No, these are not random dresses found at a thrift shop with unknown history and a theorized year. For dresses worn since the mobile camera was invented (and yes, there are dresses there from before that era as well), most have a picture with the bride wearing that dress, and have an interesting note next to the display.

The exhibit starts with a dress first worn by 19-year-old Elvira Lyman on June 23, 1847 (a Wednesday wedding, believe it or not) and worn 60 years later by her daughter in 1907, and continues in a counter-clockwise direction through the Civil War, Depression era, and ending in the modern era with a striking white dress with a black train.

The dresses also include a 1973 handmade backyard-wedding garden dress, Murfreesboro City Schools Director Dr. Linda Gilbert’s dress from 1969, a blue velvet dress and a 1955 dress with a train so long it could ride the track all the way to Nashville and never leave Oaklands.

It is a self-guided tour, but be sure to ask Oaklands’ Mary Beth Nevills and her staff to tell you some stories, since they have worked with each person who brought in the wedding dresses, and in many instances know some additional background.

The exhibit will be on display through March 8, Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday 1–4 p.m.; and open late several Fridays (see website for dates). For more information, visit oaklandsmuseum.org. — ZEK STORM

AFRICAN AMERICANS ON THE DAVIS PLANTATION SPECIAL EXHIBIT To commemorate Black History Month, the Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation (1399 Sam Davis Road, Smyrna) features a special exhibit where visitors can learn about several of the Davis family slaves, including Isaac, an enslaved worker purchased

by Charles Davis in 1854, and Charlie Waldron, born to Sallie Waldron, who was believed to have been enslaved on the Davis Plantation. Charlie left after emancipation but returned after 1900 where it is believed he lived in the kitchen. He passed away in 1925 at the age of 83. Additionally, a Curator Talk and Tour, a 90-minute guided tour offering an inside look into the featured exhibit and an in-depth tour with the museum’s curator, will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

FEBRUARY 7

FEBRUARY 14 LIONS CLUB PANCAKE BREAKFAST Treat your sweetie to a pancake breakfast while supporting the community at Murfreesboro Lions Club (407 Hickerson Dr.) who will flip the flapjacks from 7–10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased from Lion Jeff Edge, at Edward Jones Office (1602 W. Northfield Blvd., Suite 503) or from Lion Jay Grannis, Grannis & Associates Office, (515 W. Burton St.). Proceeds benefit the Lions Sight Projects, which provide special exams and free glasses for children under 6 years of age and for children in selected grades in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Schools.

Donations of used eyeglasses and hearing aids, discarded cellphones and used ink copier cartridges are welcomed. Prospective members are invited to visit the Lions meetings on the second or fourth Monday night of each month at 6:15 p.m. For more information, call (615) 896-1007.

DOORS OF HOPE SPAGHETTI DINNER Doors of Hope invites all to a spaghetti dinner with WGNS Radio host Kerry Boylan from 5–8 p.m. Enjoy live music, a silent auction and testimonials from Doors of Hope clients. Tickets are available at the office of Blackman United Methodist Church (4280 Manson Pike). Admission for adults is $12 and $5 for children. For more information, visit bertministries.org.

and $10 for students. For tickets or more information, visit mtsu.edu/aahm.

FEBRUARY 8

FEBRUARY 10

MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA JAVA II Enjoy a Sunday afternoon serenade by the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra at the Gallery at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts. For more information, call (615) 898-1862 or visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

SHARE THE LIGHT COMMUNITY PROGRAM Share the Light is a community group designed for practitioners in the healing, wellness and conscious creating arts, and for those interested in holistic and integrated healing modalities at Yoga on the Square (423 Lytle St.) from 7:30– 9:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. Enjoy Social Hour for sharing and networking, followed by a presentation from a featured healer. For more information, call (615) 295-8739.

FEBRUARY 10 UNITY LUNCHEON The Unity Luncheon is a tradition that has been around since 1996 to honor our unsung heroes. Join fellow residents at MTSU in Student Ballroom D (1768 MTSU Blvd.) from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. with Keynote Speaker Bishop Joseph W. Walker III. Admission is $20 for adults

FEBRUARY 12 VALENTINE TEA AT CANNONSBURGH VILLAGE Celebrate the day of love in the 1800s

Leeman House at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) from 4–6 p.m. Dress in your Valentine attire and come for refreshments and a themed craft. Reservations required. Admission is $2.50. For more information, contact (615) 8900355 or mperdzock@murfreesborotn.gov.

President and CEO of St. Thomas Rutherford since 2006. Corporate and individual table sponsorships are available. For more information, contact (615) 893-4272 ext.

101 or mike.cowles@redcross.org.

FEBRUARY 16 AND 28 PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN VISITORS DAY AND OPEN HOUSE Providence Christian Academy (410 Dejarnette Lane) hosts Visitors Day Feb. 16 from 8 a.m.–noon, allowing prospective students and their families to tour the new buildings, meet teachers and administrators, and visit classes in session. The Academy also invites those interested to the Open House on Feb. 28 from 9–11 a.m., during which time students and their families can tour the campus, meet teachers and administrators, and learn more about classes and activities. To register or for more information, contact (615) 9040902 or lthomas@providencechristian. com, or visit providencechrisitan.com.

FEB. 19 FIRST MEETING OF MURFREESBORO CREATIVE Cultivate Coworking will launch Murfreesboro Creative, a group of unique, creative spirits in Murfreesboro, with a meeting beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. Murfreesboro Creative exists to advocate for the preservation of creativity and independent thought in the Murfreesboro community, to celebrate the creative community, and to provide a forum to collaborate, share and learn with other creative professionals.

Cultivate Coworking is located at 107 W. Lytle St. For more information, visit cultivatecoworking.com.

FEBRUARY 28

THIS MONTH

RAPTOR DAY Learn about Tennessee’s fabulous birds of prey and bird watching from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Wilderness Station inside Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) with talks and children’s activities. Jenn Froscher, raptor educator and falconer, brings several species of birds of prey. All ages. Reservation required.

Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 217-3017.

LOCAL THEATER “A RAISIN IN THE SUN” Center for the Arts, 110 W. College St. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, 14, 20 and 21; 2 p.m.

Feb. 15 and 22 boroarts.org “SABRINA FAIR” Springhouse Theatre 14119 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrna 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28; 3:30 p.m. March 1 springhousetheatre.com “LITTLE MERMAID JR.” Murfreesboro Little Theatre 702 Ewing Ave. 7 p.m. Feb. 20, 21, 27 and 28; 2 p.m.

Feb. 22 and March 1 mltarts.com

FEBRUARY 28

FEB. 13 WINE AND CHOCOLATE TASTING Cultivate Coworking, 107 W. Lytle St., will host a wine and chocolate tasting from 5–7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13. Do you need a little direction on which wine to pair with a special meal? Tony Johnston is here to help, and he will present a pairing of wine and chocolate to help with the all important selections for Valentine’s Day. He will also give a short primer on the characteristics of wine to focus on as one shops for a wine. Dr. Johnston teaches courses on wine appreciation and wine science at MTSU and teaches international wine industry as a study abroad course in countries such as Spain, France and Argentina. He has previously served as the winemaker at Sumner Crest Winery, and the owner/operator of Monteagle Winery. For tickets or more information, visit cultivatecoworking.com.

FAMILY DAY: BLACK HISTORY Enjoy Family Day: Black History Month at Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation (1399 Sam Davis Rd., Smyrna) from 1–4 p.m. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

these students can understand. The support committee for Young Life Murfreesboro will host a fundraising dinner banquet for adults interested in learning more about this outreach to high school students at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2, at the Experience Community Church, 521 Old Salem Rd. Matt Thomas, who has served as Area Director for Young Life in Murfreesboro for more than 10 years, will be emcee at the banquet. For reservations, email rsvp.YLboro@gmail. com or call (615) 895-0307.

FEBRUARY 18 COMMUNITY BINGO Join other adults for a lively game of Bingo at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.) from 10–11 a.m. with small prizes and a grand prize drawing at the conclusion of the game. Admission allows access to the game room and fitness track. Cost is $2. For more information, call (615) 893-2141.

FEBRUARY 20–22 SOUTHERN EQUINE EXPO Take part in clinics presented by nationally known horsemen, educational seminars and hands-on demonstrations at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B W. Thompson Ln.) beginning Friday at 11 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m.

For more information, call (615) 4948961 or visit southernequineexpo.com.

MARCH 2 YOUNG LIFE BANQUET Young Life provides fun, safe and comfortable gatherings for youth around the world, giving kids the right to be heard, and communicating God’s love in terms

FEBRUARY 21 BLOCK AND BRIDLE PREVIEW SHOW Heifer breed shows this year include Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, Simmental, Commercial and all other breeds at the Block and Bridle Preview Show held at Tennessee Livestock Center (1720 Greenland Dr.) at 9 a.m. For more information, call (615) 631-8369 or visit mtweb.mtsu.edu/bandb2.

FEBRUARY 24 ECONOMICS AND FINANCE FAIR Meet employers hiring economics and finance students interested in internships and entry-level positions at the MTSU Student Union Ballroom (1768 MTSU Blvd.) from 1–4 p.m. Hosted by the Economics and Finance Department, Jones College of Business. For more information, visit mtsu. edu/career/careerfairs.php.

FEBRUARY 25 RED CROSS LUNCHEON The Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross hosts the 3rd Annual Heroes Luncheon at noon at the Stones River Country Club (1830 N.W. Broad St.) honoring Gordon Ferguson as the Hero of the Year this year. Ferguson has served as BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 5

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS ALL MONTH LONG FOR JUST $60 CALL (615) 796-6248

DJ, Bingo, Trivia & Karaoke NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO

 MONDAYS BUNGANUT PIG Live Trivia, 7 p.m.

THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7–11 p.m.

TGI FRIDAY’S Live Trivia, 7 p.m.

 TUESDAYS IGNITE Karaoke, 8 p.m.–12 a.m.

OLD CHICAGO Live Trivia, 9 p.m.

COCONUT BAY CAFÉ Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7–11 p.m.

NACHOS Live Trivia, 7 p.m.

NOBODY’S Bingo, 7 p.m.

THE BOULEVARD Karaoke, 7 p.m.

MELLOW MUSHROOM Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

NOBODY’S Live Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

LA SIESTA (GREENLAND) Trivia, 7 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

 SATURDAYS

 THURSDAYS CAMPUS PUB Live Trivia, 8:15 p.m.

LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m.

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

SPORTS SEASONS Live Trivia, 7 p.m.

THE POUR HOUSE Karaoke, 9 p.m.

WALL STREET Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

 FRIDAYS

 WEDNESDAYS

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m.

HEAR WHAT MURFREESBORO SOUNDS LIKE 

CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

NACHOS Live Trivia, 7 p.m.

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

 SUNDAYS O’POSSUMS Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m.

THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7 p.m.

WALL STREET Team Bingo, 5–7 p.m.

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

To be included in the Pulse’s listings, contact zek@tnkaraoke.com

Want your band listed on our QR Classifieds? E-mail murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com

 IF YOU GO:

SOUNDS FEBRUARY CONCERTS

Send your show listings to listings@boropulse.com

THURSDAY, 2/5 BONHOEFFER’S Unicorn Tears, Gus & the Fuss, Jake Ethridge, Jacques Merlino BUNGANUT PIG Mark Brothers HANDLEBAR Paul FM MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Tennessee Valley Winds TEMPT Groove Circus, Skub Duger, Oh Grandpa THE BORO Blues Night

FRIDAY, 2/6 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG The O'Donnells CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West THE GREEN DRAGON Uncle Don Clark MAYDAY BREWERY Ryan Boss MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Wind Ensemble Concert

SATURDAY, 2/7 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG The Mesa Project CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West JOZOARA Live Jazz MAYDAY BREWERY Hoodoo Men TEMPT Fast Nasty, SOSA, Gitsum, Out Of State, Sterfry WALL STREET 40oz Burrito: A Tribute to Sublime, Dread Stripe MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING William Coleman and Philip Autry; Honor Band Concert

Scott Rife: Adam Clark

TUESDAY, 2/10

ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Travis Bowlin CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West THE BORO Blues Night

BONHOEFFER’S Bridges, Nat Durant BUNGANUT PIG Lower Broadway MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Opera: Lehar's The Merry Widow TEMPT Thelma and the Sleaze, Mouth Reader, The Acorn People, Megajoos THE BORO Blues Night

BUNGANUT PIG Rockslide MAYDAY BREWERY Lost Dog Street Band MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Jazz Alumni Big Band TEMPT Eddie Gold, Skinny B TFG PRODUCTIONS Henry Rollins Appreciation Show with Skee-tZoN' Krysis, Formally Lethargic, Trigger Digit, Shadrack, Neptune the Mystic WALL STREET The Acorn People

SATURDAY, 2/14

CENTER FOR THE ARTS Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra (Java Series)

MONDAY, 2/9

SUNDAY, 2/15

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

View Concert Listings Online:

WEDNESDAY, 2/18

THURSDAY, 2/19

ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG The Pilots CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West MAYDAY BREWERY Bart Ryan TEMPT Quiet Entertainer, Ninja Midgets, Raga Sutra THE BORO Bling’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Party YOUR PIE Linear Downfall, Crayons and Antidotes

SUNDAY, 2/8

THE BORO Rhythm Kitchen

THURSDAY, 2/12

FRIDAY, 2/13

Bonhoeffer’s 610 Dill Ln. 907-2890

TUESDAY, 2/17

BUNGANUT PIG Shane Douglas Trio LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night MAIN STREET MUSIC The Jam

WEDNESDAY, 2/11

Autograph Rehearsal Studio 1400 W College St. 631-2605

Jamie Haffner; Margie Way-Kiani

BUNGANUT PIG JD Shelburne Duo LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night MAIN STREET MUSIC The Jam TFG PRODUCTIONS The Black Order, Obelisk THE BORO Dead Soldiers, Hardin Draw

BUNGANUT PIG 2Country4Nashville

Alfonso’s 179 Mall Circle Dr. 439-6155

FRIDAY, 2/20 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Marshall Creek CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West MAYDAY BREWERY That’s My Kid, Sunracer, Tsuyu, Housecat, Daphne and the Mystery Machines MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Opera: Lehar's The Merry Widow

SATURDAY, 2/21 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos AUTOGRAPH REHEARSAL STUDIO Gorgy, Demeanor, Kneel Before None, Vile Desecration BUNGANUT PIG 11th Hour CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West MAYDAY BREWERY Green Sunshine MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Flute Festival TFG PRODUCTIONS Arkansas Elvis THE BORO Plow'd

SUNDAY, 2/22 BUNGANUT PIG Amber’s Drive

WMTS WINTER BENEFIT

Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd.

893-7860

PUL SE PICK

Carmen’s Taqueria 206 W Northfield Blvd.

848-9003

FRI. 2/20 @ MAYDAY BREWERY

Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

494-0504

MTSU’s student-run radio station WMTS will host its Winter Benefit at Mayday Brewery beginning at 8 p.m on Friday, Feb. 20. Local acts Sunracer and Tsuyu are scheduled to perform, as well as Nashville rock bands THAT’S MY KID and Housecat. Along with musical entertainment, a silent auction will be held, offering a chance to bid on tickets to upcoming shows at Marathon Music Works, Exit/In and Mercy Lounge.

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Matthew Curley; Kathry Johnson, Elizabeth Chitwood; Jonathon Romero

MONDAY, 2/23 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Stones River Chamber Players

TUESDAY, 2/24 BUNGANUT PIG 2Country4Nashville MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Paul Osterfield studio; Nick Sipe

WED, 2/25 BUNGANUT PIG Shane Douglas Trio LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night MAIN STREET MUSIC The Jam MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Gregory Reish

THURSDAY, 2/26 BONHOEFFER’S The Zach Allen Band BUNGANUT PIG Radio Drive TFG PRODUCTIONS Echoes and Amplifiers, Negra, The Maness Brothers THE BORO Blues Night

FRIDAY, 2/27 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG The Time Raiders CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West MAYDAY BREWERY Honey Boy and Boots

First United Methodist Church 265 W Thompson Ln. 893-1322

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Fredi Gerling, Cristina Capparelli TFG PRODUCTIONS Saturn Parkway, D-Railed, The New Revival, Mr. Earl, Divided We Stand

SATURDAY, 2/28 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Fender Bender CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West JOZOARA MTSU Cup of Songs MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Symphony Orchestra MAYDAY BREWERY Stephen Simmons TFG PRODUCTIONS Ophiuchus, Flummox, Neufound Me, The Moose, Stego

SUNDAY, 3/1 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Brass Chamber recital

Georgia’s Sports Bar and Grill 555 South Lowry St. Smyrna, 267-0295 Hippie Hill 8627 Burks Hollow Rd. 796-3697 Lifepoint Church 506 Legacy Dr., Smyrna 459-3311 Journey Pointe 1267 Middle Tennessee Blvd., 896-9272 JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175 Level III 114 S. Maple St. 900-3754 Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822 Main St. Music 527 W. Main St. 440-2425 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 479-9722 Moose Lodge 645 SE Broad St. 893-0145 MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2469

MONDAY, 3/2 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Jazz Combos/ Jazz Ensemble II

WEDNESDAY, 3/4 LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night MAIN STREET MUSIC The Jam MTSU SAUNDERS FINE ARTS BUILDING Jamey Simmons MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Eridany GonzálezPeregrina

Nacho's 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd.

907-2700 TFG Productions 117 E. Vine St. The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800 The Green Dragon 714-F W. Main St. 801-7171 Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 867-9090 World Outreach Church 1921 New Salem Rd. 997-1861

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 7

ALBUM REVIEWS

GRANDPA EGG Praying Mantis 4

Grandpa Egg’s sophomore album, Praying Mantis, is the psych-folk follow-up to their 2011 feline-themed debut, Songs for My Cat. It’s a concept album about Pellapetisamo the Praying Mantis, Christopher Cricket, a young girl named Sally and a cast of other creatures living in a meadow together. The Pittsburgh-based quartet (formerly from Nashville) begins the rustic opener “Meadow Song” with a short intro admitting that “the following story isn’t exactly coherent.”

The charming, whimsical voice behind Grandpa Egg is that of Jeb Morris, joined by brother Bart, who plays resonator guitar and bass and also produced the album. Along with musicians Inga Kristaponyte (bass, keyboard) and Jordin Goff (percussion), the brothers Morris have drawn comparisons to the styles of Donovan and Syd Barrett. However, it’s also worth mentioning the similarities, both lyrically and musically, to indie/pop duo Belle and Sebastian (check out “Dandelion” and the closing track “Pellapetisamo”).

The album is fairly stripped-down, although most songs feature a wide assortment of childlike instruments. They incorporate the use of bells, an organ, a xylophone and more to create breezy, lighthearted melodies to mask the album’s otherwise dark undertones. On “Sally’s House,” Morris sings softly over an acoustic guitar: Sally can’t stop crying / Waiting on her man / Lately, he ain’t never home on time / She’ll pass out in the kitchen / When she’s had all she can stand / Of second-rate promises and cheap wine.

Praying Mantis is an album full of insightful and introspective lyrics; however, dismal lyrics like the ones above have a way of getting lost within the shroud of delightfully catchy instrumentation. This is especially true in songs “Sally’s House” and “Daisy.”

Although the album’s storyline can be loose at times, it’s meant to be listened to from start to finish, and it wouldn’t make much sense to skip around. The 13-track compilation is full of fun and folky vibes, but Morris has constructed a deeper meaning that isn’t as pleasant: things aren’t always as they appear to be.

It may take a few listens to firmly grasp this message, but even so, it’s certainly worth the replay.

Visit grandpaegg.bandcamp.com to hear the release.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK 8 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

RACHEL DAVIS Bandbox Jubilee 4

For a sense of luxury and guaranteed easy listening, let Rachael Davis’s pure, soothing vocals take you back to the Jazz Age on her six-song EP Bandbox Jubilee. Originally from Michigan, she now claims Music City as home, giving Middle Tennessee a refreshing spin on an vintage style it so desperately needs.

Upon the first listening of Bandbox Jubilee, Davis’ most powerful instrument becomes overwhelmingly clear—her voice. At times it’s booming, at others it’s soft and sweet. Throughout, she slips effortlessly from song to song with a voice that’s honest and welcoming. Davis sings the praises of simple contentment on “Regular Egg”: That old Ford Model T is alright by me, I don’t need no long limousine, That champagne is fine, but I dig burgundy wine / I don’t need money to feel like a queen.

Although Davis sings about the joy of living modestly, that doesn’t mean she’ll pass up a shiny new ring, as she makes explicit on “(I’m a) Diamond Girl,” a track akin to Marilyn Monroe’s song of similar sentiment, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Just as she does on every other song, Davis proves her ability to seize your attention just by the sole power of her voice. It’s entrancing in the best kind of way.

Apart from Rachael’s distinct vocal style and approach to lyrics, the musical composition heard on Bandbox Jubilee is equally praiseworthy. All six tracks feature a Swing-era flavor conjured by a group of skilled musicians who include her husband, bassist Dominic John Davis, guitarist Joshua Davis and keyboard player Mike Lynch, among others. Most tracks are fast-paced, rhythmic numbers, but the mood slows down on “Je N’aurais Jamais Reve,” a French ballad meaning “I Would Never Dream.” Davis goes out with a bang on the EP’s closing number, “Never Tell Your Sweetheart Yes,” a story about a fairytale relationship gone sour upon a serious request.

This album, both versatile and sincere, offers a time-warp trip to a classic 1930s jazz lounge, evoking draping curtains, dim Art Deco lighting and fancy cocktails.

For more info on Rachael Davis and list of tour dates, visit rachaeldavis.com.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

GENIE, CHILD OF GOD

IAN C. PARKER

Basements 3

Somebody Else

4

2.5

Murfreesboro’s own Genie, Child of God (formerly known as HANDS) is back with their self-produced five-track EP Basements, which combines powerful guitar riffs, acute anxiety and overzealous song titles to create an album postrock fans will enjoy.

“Things That Are Uncomfortable to Listen To” opens the album innocuously enough with low-key instrumentation that surfaces just long enough to be devastated by aggressive cymbal crashes and faintly distorted guitars. As the title suggests, things do eventually become uncomfortable around the six-minute mark, when a feeling of tension threaten to overtake you. The track eventually tapers off to a tapping noise, an effect used throughout the EP to generate anticipation.

Similar to most albums of the same genre, each track is basically structured the same—a slow, steady build-up, heavy guitar/drum riff, followed by a three-minute cool-down. Arrangements are introduced only to be dismantled, as though each section is vying for the listener’s attention. Thankfully, the haunting guitar riffs on basements are elaborated and prolonged to create a feeling of suspense, giving each track the variety it needs to stand out from the others.

The piano is also featured on a couple of the tracks, including “the-exploded-people” and “When We Lose the Use of Our Feet We Will Walk on Our Hands.” For a few brief moments, keyboards prevail before becoming masked again by forceful drumming and delayed guitar strumming.

While fans of this particular style will appreciate the duration of the tracks, the average listener may grow tired of the repetitive structure. Half of the song is a blissful meditation while the rest is an agonizing headache. But, hey, that’s post-rock.

For more information on the band, visit geniechildofgod.bandcamp.com.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

RATINGS: AVERAGE

A CLASSIC BELOW AVERAGE

Ian C. Parker opens his collection of acoustic driven, low-key tunes with some thoughtful lyrics: It’ll wear on you like a mortgage or some other debt . . . It’ll wear on you like cancer or some other death, he sings on “Moving Death,” a peculiarly happy-sounding, jangly major-key jam, and the opener to his album Somebody Else.

While not incredibly complex, the song has a cool vibe to it, and resembles the style of Dylan and other guitar-wielding singer/songwriters.

Somebody Else proceeds with most of its remaining tracks, which are of a softer, more minor-key-centered quality. In general, the songs on the record are very gentle and minimalist, with light percussion and additional sonic ingredients cushioning Parker’s voice and guitar.

While a strummed acoustic usually takes the lead, a more subtle electric guitar creates texture and atmosphere in the background in songs such as “Forty Hour Dreams” and “Concrete Steps.”

Then, it’s on to a very satisfying, but somehow strangely familiar beat in “Either/Or,” like a haunting train coming around the bend.

The cover of the record features the figure of a zebra on a plain white background, somehow nicely representative of the music: not too flashy, but well-defined, attractive and tasteful.

The overall atmosphere of the album is pleasant and the melodies are often creative, but Mr. Parker’s voice can be somewhat rough, as he does not have an incredible range or power and, honestly, his pitch wavers at certain points. Still, that’s not a dealbreaker, as Dylan himself wasn’t the most refined vocalist and probably struggled with his intonation far more than Parker.

So, if you like the idea of a man, his guitar and his poetry, give Ian Parker’s 8-song collection of stripped-down, easygoing tunes a listen.

Download or stream Somebody Else by Ian C. Parker at iancparker.bandcamp.com.

— BRACKEN MAYO

OUTSTANDING AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 9

SOUNDS  WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAM SESSIONS AT MAIN STREET MUSIC Main Street Music, located at 527 W. Main St., will now be home to a Wednesday night jam session held each week beginning Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. The event, called “The Jam,” will be hosted by Marc Williams, who formerly played bass with local rock band Last Straw and toured with country artist Brent Cobb. The Jam will focus on classic rock and R&B styles, but you never know what you may hear, Williams said, inviting all local music lovers to drop by on a Wednesday evening.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

 LOCAL RAPPER GOODY TO DEBUT NEW VIDEO AT MTSU Murfreesboro rapper Goody will premiere his latest music video, “Shawty Swag,” at MTSU’s Student Union building on Friday, Feb. 13. The event begins at 4 p.m., and the first 20 people to arrive will receive “Goody” bags. A live band will perform with Goody as he premieres his new single.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

MUSIC NEWS

 THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WINDS PRESENT FREE CONCERT, FEB. 5 THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WINDS will perform a free concert under the direction of RICHARD SAUCEDO on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. This concert is presented as a part of the Wind Band Conference hosted by Middle Tennessee State University.

Saucedo is a freelance arranger and composer, and during his 31-year tenure at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Carmel bands received numerous state and national honors in the areas of concert band, jazz band and marching band.

The Tennessee Valley Winds is a nonprofit, all-volunteer, self-supporting community band that has been providing quality musical performances since 1984.

The community band experience is unlike school or professional groups. Rarely do amateurs and professionals, young and old, get to work together. The opportunity to learn and grow is unique.

The director is more of a guide than an authority figure, and does

 MUSICIANS JOIN FORCES TO BENEFIT ADOPTION AGENCY The Sidewalk Prophets, Grant Norsworthy, The Henningsens, Janelle Arthur, Cherish the Blue and Jackson Thatcher will team up at a March 6 concert to benefit Murfreesboro adoption agency Heaven Sent Children.

not assign parts or solos. It is expected that all will help each other by offering suggestions and sharing.

The TVW has been under the direction of Erich Zimmerman, the conductor for the Tennessee Valley Winds, in preparation for this concert. Zimmerman is currently in his 24th year as a music educator in Middle Tennessee, and is currently associate director at Blackman High school.

The Feb. 5 concert will be held in the MTSU Wright Music Building. For more information about the Tennessee Valley Winds Community Band, visit tnvalleywinds.org.

Over the years, international adoption rules and regulations have changed. Smaller nonprofit agencies often struggle to raise the funds for the accreditation required to facilitate an international adoption. The concert fundraiser is to raise the money to obtain Hague accreditation for HSC. “Just because countries have closed their doors or made it more difficult to

 BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND’S 2015 SEASON AND PBS TAPINGS ANNOUNCED

 YOUR PIE TO HOST AFTER-HOURS SHOW, FEB 14 Murfreesboro pizza joint Your Pie (1970 Medical Center Pkwy.) will be hosting an after-hours show on Saturday, Feb. 14, with performances by local experimental bands LINEAR DOWNFALL and Crayons and Antidotes. Linear Downfall just finished a tour in support of their third self-released album Fragmental Hippocampus and plan to release a new album this year.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK 10 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

The makers of award-winning PBS program Bluegrass Underground have announced its fifth-season lineup, which ranges from traditional bluegrass acts to jamgrass favorites. The program will be filmed before a live audience in The Volcano Room, a naturally formed amphitheater below ground at Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tenn., about an hour’s drive from Murfreesboro.

The fifth season will kick off Friday, March 27, with performances by the Nashvillebased banjo duo BÉLA FLECK AND ABIGAIL WASHBURN, Hot Rize, Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen and Chatham County Line.

The March 28 show features bluegrass family band The Quebe Sisters, The Earls of Leicester—a Jerry Douglas-led tribute to bluegrass pioneers Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys—soulful singer/songwriter AMOS LEE and Lee Ann Womack.

The three-day concert series will come to a close on March 29 with jam bands Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth and Leftover Salmon.

For more information on Bluegrass Underground, visit bluegrassunderground.com.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

adopt, it does not mean that there are no longer orphans,” states Heaven Sent Children social worker Stephanie Williams.

“Millions of children around the world are now warehoused in institutions . . . it is our moral obligation to help those in need.”

The benefit show will be held Friday, March 6, from 6 to 11 p.m. at Rocketown, 601 4th Avenue S., Nashville.

Tickets are available at Heaven Sent Children, 1800 S. Rutherford Blvd., Murfreesboro, at Salt & Pepper Christian Bookstore or Christian Publishers Outlet, or online at familiesareforeverconcert.com. For more information on the artists performing at the concert and on the work done by Heaven Sent Children, visit heavensentchilden.com.

 SCISSORMEN PLAY MAYDAY BREWERY, MARCH 7 Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen will bring their psychedelic blues to Mayday Brewery, located at 521 Salem Rd., at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.

The cutting-edge trio, led by slide guitar player, songwriter and vocalist Ted Drozdowski, has played at such events as Bonnaroo and Memphis in May and is gearing up for a U.S. tour in support of the upcoming album, Love & Live. The album features special guests including Grammy-nominated keyboardist Paul Brown and captures the energy of the band’s live performance.

For more on the Scissormen, visit scissormen.com. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 11

SOUNDS

S

inger/songwriter Terry McClain played his first show at The Boro Bar and Grill in Murfreesboro in 1992. After 12 years in New York living with and investing in his band, Guiltless Cult, McClain returned to Murfreesboro in 2012 with warm nostalgia for the ’Boro’s talent-rich music scene and, as he describes it, its “limitless creative outlet.” With MTSU having one of the country’s most highly-acclaimed recording industry programs and Nashville, “The Music City,” exploding next door, McClain claims that being around the region’s relentless singer/songwriters has inspired him to do the unexpected.

During 2014 McClain, known as “The Realside,” attempted something not many artists, if any, have done. He created a new album each month of the year, 10 songs per album, 120 songs for the year, incorporating a different genre each month ranging from reggae, electronica, pop/rock and more. Having enjoyed many nights at Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night and reconnecting with friends from his past, McClain gained the support and help from talented, local musicians as he single-handedly wrote each track and played every instrument.

With his current label, Delvin Shade Music, McClain hopes to inspire and bring together the amazing artists in this area while encouraging musical diversity and bringing fresh, out-of-the-box concepts to singer/songwriters.

MURFREESBORO PULSE: How did you come up with this?

McClain: January of last year came, and I was tinkering around in my recording setup like I am normally doing. I just happened to do everything on the computer, like a little electronic album, and I finished it in a month. Then Febuary has a challenge called the RPM Challenge, where you write and record an album in February. Basically I had to do another album and I thought, “Well, OK, I’ll change it up.” [I] did an acoustic album.

Then I thought, “I wonder if I could just do one a month for a year.” It kind of evolved into where I played guitar, bass, drums, keys and sang.

Having moved back to Murfreesboro, how do you view the music scene now as compared to playing music here in the early ’90s?

Obviously, you can always improve on it, but I appreciate what’s here. That’s the reason I did this kind of spontaneous project where everything you record in a month can’t be something you came up with before. It should be a different genre to challenge yourself. I did it to push myself, because I like doing it. Everybody has their reasons, but the fact that I was inspired enough

12 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

WRITER'S YEAR Murfreesboro recording artist Terry McClain finishes a prolific 2014.

STORY BY ANDREA STOCKARD

PHOTO BY RAZZLELAND

to do that, I think is a big part of me being back here in my roots where I first started playing.

I’m lucky to have enough talented friends. I had about 20 guest appearances all throughout the year from different people. I wrote everything and they came into my little shoebox studio and sang their parts. That, to me, is the most important thing to surround yourself with, people who inspire you and challenge you. That’s where the seed begins. It’s not outward-in, it’s how much

1 The Circle (Jan. 2014) Electronica

2 Rhetorical Personal Moratorium (Feb. 2014) Acoustic

7 Live: The Pizdons 8 Soft and Loud (July 2014) Iranian Punk Metal/ Comedy

(Aug. 2014) ’80s New Wave

you’re willing to share with people. That’s why I like the [Ryan Coleman] writers night because you get to go out there and see 8 to 15 artists, and they’re not doing cover songs, they’re doing their own songs. That’s the important thing.

Do you want to do anything else with these albums as far as distributing them or playing them live?

I mean, they’re out there. It would be interesting if I could pull it off live [laughs]. I call it “off the cuff ” because I wanted it to be as close to

3 Ides (March 2014) Goth Rock

9 B.A.M. Impulse (Sept. 2014) Improvisational

4 Love Songs

instinct as possible. I didn’t want the people that came in to really even know the music as much as to just come and do their first visceral reaction to the music. There are songs that I played out at writers night that I recorded last year.

Was there part of the music that you wrote before and part that just came to you while you were playing?

Well, it all has to start within the month. You can’t do anything before that month. So as soon as that month starts, you basically just kind of sit down, play guitar and work out [something] like a structure of verse, maybe a chorus, and not really polish it up that month. I mean it’s kind of not linear in that aspect; it’s still in a pop format.

That’s the cool thing about pop music, you can kind of just do stuff like [David] Bowie, Peter Gabriel and a lot of old soul music. Basically, when you’re writing, you’re just using your influences.

Are there any other artists, other than those two [Bowie and Gabriel] that have influenced your style of music?

Yeah, I guess what it all comes down to is, you would really have to go back to Robert Johnson, because that’s what everything is. It’s all blues. I would say not any one artist [has influenced me].

You’ve got your Beatles, the masters of songwriters with beautiful harmonies, and The Police with their reggae influences, but you know, they all kind of derive from the same influence if you take it back. It’s like, “Thanks, Robert Johnson.”

Were there albums that you were more into because maybe you identify with that genre more?

I’m a little more comfortable in the rock/pop category. I did a country album, and I never

for Strangers (April 2014) Soul

5 Third Party

(May 2014) Hip-Hop/Electronica

6 Into the Wild

0 Nightmares Burrowed: Various (Oct. 2014) Spoken Word

q Gratitude

w Snowmen vs

(Nov. 2014) Reggae

(June 2014) Country

the Machine (Dec. 2014) Musical

thought I would, but I enjoyed it [laughs]. I tried to do something with some older folk elements, kind of like Willie Nelson-style. As far as what I’m comfortable with though, I learned to sing by going to do karaoke and singing impossible songs like Queen and Marvin Gaye, and that’s the stuff that I think I’m most comfortable with. It all depends on who you’re working with. The November one was a reggae one, and the drummer from Guiltless Cult, Jonathan Able, one of the best drummers in the area, pretty much nailed everything without even hearing it.

That’s the cool part . . . you get to play off other people. That’s usually the stuff I enjoy more, when I have other people involved, even though I did a lot of stuff on my own.

So what you enjoyed most, was bringing all those different people and types of music to the area?

Yeah. That’s the thing, and that’s what I love about this area; it’s very limitless. You feel like you can do anything, and when you see this talent around you, it inspired me to do something crazy like this. The original project, which I couldn’t do without a very large budget and a lot of time, was actually 52 albums in a year.

Does your music come from things you’ve experienced? Is there a message that you want people to hear?

I try to have your fine use of metaphor and some philosophical undertones, but you know a lot of the time I actually like writing from other people’s perspective of what I think it is.

[McClain goes into detail about Nikki Oliff, a contributor to the musical album in December, Snowman Vs The Machine, and how experiences with her, other friends and just hanging out at Gentlemen Jim’s (Dirty Jim’s) has helped inspire songs that have come to him in the moment.]

Is there a goal that you’re trying to reach with your music?

I want to get it as proficient as possible. I’m an eternal student. That’s the way I define success; if I can look back and I have improved myself in any way, that’s what I strive to be. The bar is set pretty high around here, and that’s why I did something this insane just to say, “Yeah, I’m here, and I’m learning.”

What’s the biggest thing you learned from doing this?

I named the reggae album Gratitude because it was towards the end of the year and I was just thankful to the people that helped out. Whether it was Ryan Coleman tracking drums for my country album or me going over there for the Old Soul album using his studio, he helped me out in a pinch.

Listen to all 12 of the releases at delvinshadepublishing.com/12-off-thecuff-an-album-a-month-for-a-year.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 13

LIVING

FUN & FIT

H3O Owner Michael Burrows (right); invites you to have your next group event in the heated pool at H3O.

Fitness and therapy: H30 Aquatics offers exercise, hydrotherapy, water volleyball and more.

STORY BY SARAH H. CLARK PHOTOS BY BRACKEN MAYO

AFTER GRADUATING from high school, Eagleville native Michael Burrows joined the Army Medical Service Corps. After graduating from MTSU with an undergraduate degree in business, he did a tour of duty in Iraq as the executive officer of a surgical team. When he got back, Burrows returned to MTSU for a master’s in business. Then he went looking for opportunity.

A member of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Development team suggested that Burrows connect with a doctor who had developed the concept for an aquatic rehab and therapeutic exercise facility. The venture was aimed particularly at helping veterans, so between his business degrees, medical experience, and time in the Army, Burrows was a perfect fit.

“I saw the mission and the vision of it, and I said, ‘I want to be a part of this,’” Burrows says.

Now, a year later, H30 Aquatics (located at 236 Robert Rose Drive) has been open for nearly six months. It’s the first of a national franchise Burrows and his backer hope will open in locations near every VA Hospital and research university in the country. The overall concept behind H30 Aquatics is simple: exercising in warm water is beneficial for a variety of people for whom exercise on land is difficult or painful.

“The water allows people to move and recover more quickly and efficiently—because of the low impact of the water, it doesn’t hurt them, and because of the resistance of the 14 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

Physical therapy at H30 water, they build muscles begins with an evaluation faster and even burn calories from one of the facility’s faster,” explains Burrows. three licensed physical H30 Aquatic’s two pools therapists. Next, they craft are kept at 94 degrees—about an individualized exercise 10 degrees hotter than a program based on the needs normal swimming pool. But Featured Business: of each patient. Physical those ten degrees make all H3O AQUATICS therapy costs $100 an hour, the difference in reducing but, Burrows says, though pain associated with exercise.

H30 does not currently ac“We do everything from cept insurance, every one of his patients so teaching someone to walk again after a spinal far has received full reimbursement for their cord injury, stroke or surgery to helping people out-of-pocket costs from their own insurdo weight loss and preventing falls for seniors,” says Burrows. In addition to the two pools, H30 ance companies.

However, physical therapy is only one of offers a HydroMassage bed for those who want the many services offered by H30. In the to enjoy the benefit of a warm water massage health and fitness realm, the facility ofwithout undressing or getting wet.

ON BUSINESS

Exercising in the water burns calories and builds muscles, while decreasing impact and pain.

fers personal training, yoga, tai chi, Pilates, Zumba, kickboxing, and boot camp classes— all of which take place in the heated pools.

Burrows is also working with MTSU to provide research opportunities for grad students interested in underwater therapy. Says Burrows, “We also do swim lessons, we do getting-over-fear-of-water classes, and we do birthday parties, girls’ nights out, team-building exercises, church groups—any reason to have a group of people come together and have an amazingly fun time.”

For parties, H30 offers water volleyball, music, and light shows in the water. “We really want to get a warm-water volleyball league going,” he adds. “That’s going to be the funnest thing in Murfreesboro someday.”

Warm-water volleyball is great, Burrows goes on to explain, because it doesn’t require a lot of athletic skill or fitness for it to be fun. It’s also a great way to exercise—without even knowing it.

Since H30 is classified as a medical facility, money spent there can be tax deductible. The cost for independent exercise and HydroMassage is 50¢ per minute. Since H30 is not a gym, there are no contracts or commitments—and Burrows says he will refund any prepaid minutes for those who move away or need to cancel. Like physical therapy, personal training at H30 costs $100 per hour, but the cost can be split between up to five people who want to take a class together.

Weight loss and prenatal exercise are some of the most popular services at H30—but with warm-water volleyball at only $.25 per minute, Burrows is hoping the activity will soon take off. To promote this, he’s offering a free pool party to any and all comers—from friends, to church groups, to high school teams. “I want everyone to have a pool party at H30 Aquatics to see how much fun it is,” says Burrows.

To schedule a pool party, contact Burrows at michael@h3oaquatics.com or visit h3oaquatics.com for more information.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 15

LIVING

I

t’s a harshly windy January morning. The Murfreesboro homeless community is gathering under the Old Fort Park pavilion for breakfast.

The Experience Church hosts breakfast for homeless individuals at the park every Sunday morning at 9 a.m., but one of the regular attendees is missing.

Today, I am gathering information about the most experienced drifter in town. She seems to be missing. While investigating, my cameraman plans to film our findings for a documentary.

People attending and serving breakfast are pondering the whereabouts of the absent homeless woman. A rumor suggests she and her boyfriend of a year and a half are arguing. When they fight, she runs away to a place where he could never find her.

This missing woman, Rhoda, has been homeless for 29 years. She has given birth to 12 children, eight of which are still living. She is not allowed to visit her children anymore for various reasons (divorce, and past charges against her addictions).

An overwhelming scent of cigarettes and beer fills the air. A man with scruffy hair sits quietly at one of the picnic tables. As he eats with no utensils, he shyly opens his mouth to speak.

“I know where she is,” says James, “Er, I could probably guess. She’s either at the old concrete barn, the bridge, or . . . well, I have a few places to check.”

James, Rhoda’s boyfriend, claims he can track her down easily. With no expression of worry, he continues eating breakfast with his hands. He looks like a mechanic with grease all over his fingers, but he is just covered in black dirt.

He picks up his plate, lifts himself up from the picnic table and throws his orange backpack over both shoulders. James throws away the plate and says goodbye to a few friends before heading off on a search to find Rhoda.

After five minutes of searching, James makes his way under the Memorial Boulevard bridge near the park. He scales the wall of the bridge and reaches the top of the underpass.

There are beer cans and what appears to be an empty, rainbow-colored sleeping bag littering the concrete floor.

“She was here!” James says. “I can tell . . .”

Something inside the sleeping bag shuffles around quickly.

“James!” Rhoda exclaims, “What are you doing here? Go away.”

Rhoda sits up in her sleeping bag with a protective look in her eyes. Her chin is freshly wounded. Staring into her ice-blue eyes is almost impossible through her voluminous hair: spirals and frizz. She has a white dot on her eyelid. Rhoda is suffering from cancer. The white dot is a tumor.

16 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

Rhoda on the Road Life is hard for a lady on the streets.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DARCY PAYNE Rhoda and James call a tent under a bridge home, even in the harshest weather.

She tells James she found this brand-new rainbow sleeping bag outside of The Journey Home. The Journey Home serves food and provides showers to the Murfreesboro homeless community. She says she found the sleeping bag on a bench yesterday with a cat napping on it. Rhoda couldn’t be more proud of herself for finding a brand-new sleeping bag.

“You better not touch this sleepin’ bag, James,” Rhoda exclaims. “I know you wanna take it. You ain’t sleepin’ in it with me neither.”

After a few minutes, the two forgive each other.

Rhoda and James are now on the way to the Old Fort Parkway bridge, which is where they have set up a tent, fire and grill. This camp is where they stay together when they aren’t fighting.

Under the Old Fort Parkway bridge there are boulders leading all the way to the Green-

way and river. The boulders are littered with hundreds of empty Natty Ice beer cans and thousands of cigarette butts, smoked all the way down to the last flake of self-rolled tobacco.

“Whatd’ya think of this place?” Rhoda asks jokingly.

She likes staying underneath the Memorial Boulevard bridge (where she was found) better than the Old Fort Parkway bridge. The view is nicer and the ground isn’t as littered, but she has a whole setup under the Old Fort bridge.

Rhoda falls down the rocks occasionally and hits her head on the concrete overhang, but it is “home” nonetheless.

“Will it offend ya if I crack open a beer?”

Rhoda asks.

I tell her no, so Rhoda grabs a beer can out of her backpack and cracks it open.

James gathers firewood while she sits on a rock drinking Natty Ice. She adds one can after

another to the extensive beer can collection. Although she does drink, Rhoda doesn’t usually lose her temper.

She says their tent used to be closer to the fire, but they usually camp at the top of the boulder wall once the river water starts rising.

The fire burns intensely. Rhoda places her petite hand close to the flames to stay warm as she drinks.

James spots a figure in the woods. With squinty eyes and a slightly defensive stature, James recognizes the person in the distance.

“Hey there, Jason!” says James.

Jason Bennett, an active member of Last Call 4 Grace and a former homeless man himself, comes into their camp with a guitar and some sleeping bags. Last Call 4 Grace feeds povertystricken individuals in motels, and shelters homeless individuals during the winter days.

While Jason jams around the campfire with Rhoda, James heads out to “fly” (flying is what the homeless community calls panhandling).

Rhoda stays behind to guard their camp, considering all the belongings they’ve acquired throughout the years.

James saunters to Panera Bread, which is where he typically flies. On his way there he stops at Walmart, but he doesn’t go inside.

He picks up an ashtray outside of the store and sifts through the discarded cigarette butts and ashes.

Boy Scouts asking for donations outside the store look at James curiously. The parents of the little boys are stunned, their jaws agape.

“Ehhhh,” mumbles James, not phased by the gawkers. “Time to go.”

He didn’t find any usable butts.

James meanders towards his flying spot, but on the way he stops and picks up a used cigarette off the ground. Relieved to conclude the tiring search for a smoke, he starts inhaling and continues walking.

Within two hours today, he made $11. He takes a break to buy one pack of Marlboro cigarettes, a large fountain-drink cup and three 40-ounce bottles of Natural Ice beer. He says Rhoda has made $180 a day in just a few hours of flying, but she is too embarrassed to beg.

“I’ll make at least $40 today,” says James, “I just know it.”

As James walks back to camp after four hours of begging, he dumps the contents of a 40-ounce beer into the fountain cup. Presumably, this is to make the act of public intoxication inconspicuous. A few flakes of grass fly into the drink. James drinks the beer from the fountain cup as he plucks out a cigarette to smoke from the red package.

By 7 p.m., James makes his way back to the bridge camp to meet up with Rhoda.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 17

FARMERS’ MARKET EDUCATION SERIES

by EDWINA SHANNON

Planning for the

growing season

THE COLD MAY HAVE US ensconced inside, yet dreams of spring will quickly become our reality. As we wait in our warm homes, this is an ideal time to plan the garden.

If you have not yet subscribed to a seed and garden catalog, call and get on a mailing list or two. One of my personal favorites is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. They have great descriptions in their catalog, highlighting the growing conditions and including hints on the successful production of each crop. They carry standard and unusual seeds, making them a definite resource in my library and a recipient of my annual seed order.

There are many other resources for seed catalogs. You may find seed swaps with likeminded individuals will extend your inventory. There is a plant and seed swap planned by the Master Gardeners of Rutherford County to take place May 2 at the Extension’s Community Center on John R. Rice Blvd. The concept is simple, you take home the equivalent number of what you bring.

You may want to mark that date on your calendar as part of your 2015 Garden Plan.

If you are a first-time gardener, the site selection of your garden is your first decision.

Sometimes, the selection is made for us due to by-laws, restrictions or a lack of growing space.

You may choose to plant in pots on your porch or patio. If you have the space in your yard for a garden, you will want to select an area that is well drained. The hours of sunlight on that area will determine if you select plants for sunny, partial sun or shade location. Vegetables do require a minimum of six hours of sun per day.

If your garden is established, resist the temptation to work in the soil on a warm winter day when the soil is wet. You will regret it, as activity will actually break down soil components, creating clay sculptures that will be time-consuming to amend. If you really need to get into the “ground,” I suggest that you choose instead to develop your compost by turning it over.

With a little bit of planning, this region can support productive outdoor gardening 18 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

throughout three seasons. This requires successive planting, which means that one crop is replaced with another at the end of its productive cycle. As you are perusing the catalogs, pay attention to the recommended planting dates and days to maturity. Both will help you to plan the productiveness of your garden. I recommend ordering seeds for the whole season with your spring order. It is hard to find seeds for a fall planting in July. Store them in a cool, dry place until the appropriate planting time.

There is a technique in successive planting called square-foot gardening. This method is also called intensive gardening, as it utilizes the square footage of your garden area in a more efficient manner than row cultivation.

The concept is to build a raised-bed box, typically no bigger than four feet square to allow for arm’s reach into the middle for maintenance and harvesting what is growing there.

Use non-treated lumber, or you may find kits for a box. This is a fine season to build boxes.

Once you put the box in the garden, fill the box with a potting soil which can be either a purchased bag or a homemade mixture with equal parts vermiculite, compost and peat moss. Then divide the box into square-foot sections with string or more permanent thin wood (lattice) strips. The strips will be placed 12” inches apart both vertically and horizontally on the box. This grid is what defines this technique as square-foot gardening.

With this method, instead of using the whole bag of seeds, plant the number of seeds in each section that is appropriate for the spacing guidelines of the plant. A plant with the spacing need of 12 inches will have one plant in one square; 6-inch spacing will have four plants per square; 4-inch spacing will support nine plants per square; and 3-inch spacing will support 16 plants per square.

If you are planning a vegetable garden, I recommend you consider a raised bed. To my thinking, the best reason for doing this is to control the quality of the soil. The time will soon approach when we can sow the spring crop. Be prepared; have a plan!

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 19

FOOD

Happy Hour

IN THE BORO Find a cool drink and a tasty snack at a great price.

BY ANDREA STOCKARD OUR FINE CITY OF MURFREESBORO offers some of the best drink prices around.

What better places than Murfreesboro Billiards Club and Gentlemen Jim’s for many nights of free pool, cheap beer and the present-day jukebox in the corner? At what other restaurant can you enjoy a magical hippie bus and ’70s vibe like Mellow Mushroom?

Great Mexican-American restaurants like La Siesta Mexican Restaurant and Mi Patria Mexican Restaurant offer reasonably priced margaritas, Dos Equis and outside seating.

Forty-cents-and-up wings seem to be popular on Wednesdays at restaurants like Coconut Bay Cafe and The Boro Bar and Grill. Whether you are enjoying the night with friends, family, karaoke, trivia or just relaxing, these are all great and affordable places to spend an evening no matter what night of the week it may be. >>>

Alfonso’s Mexican Restaurant 179 Mall Circle Dr. (615) 439-6155 Alfonso’s offers a “Special Alfonso’s” triple-margarita concoction and delicious Mexican food, and is conveniently located next to the mall.

Monday–Thursday: $1.99 margaritas (lime, frozen/rocks) Daily: $12 45 oz. (pitcher) margarita (frozen/rocks); $8.99 “Special Alfonso’s”;

Bar Louie The Avenue Murfreesboro, 2615 Medical Center Pkwy., #2395 (615) 410-4120 Bar Louie has a wide selection of about 30 domestic, import and craft draft beers, cocktails and specialty drinks to be enjoyed with great Americana food like loaded fries or tots, bacon cheeseburger sliders, specialty salads and more. “Eat. Drink. Be Happy.”

Monday–Friday (4–7 p.m.): $3.25 drafts, half-price glasses of wine, $5.25 martinis, half-price select appetizers and flatbreads Tuesday: $1 burgers Wednesday: $1 domestic beers

$1.99 or 2 for $3.50 Bud Light or Miller Lite; $2.99 12 oz. homemade sangria

Bonefish Grill 505 N. Thompson Ln. (615) 217-1883 Best known for its Bang Bang Shrimp, crunchy shrimp tossed in creamy, spicy sauce and on sale for $6 on Wednesdays.

Daily (4–6:30 p.m.): $1 off drafts, half-price house wines and well liquors

Buffalo Wild Wings Stones River Mall, 207 Mall Circle Dr. (615) 907-6004 It is hard to be disappointed at Buffalo Wild Wings, with 16 different wing sauces and five seasonings, a great selection of domestic, craft and import beers and lots of sports action on the many big-screen TVs. Monday–Friday (2–7 p.m. and 10–12 p.m.): $3–$5 all tall drafts, $3 domestics, $4–$5 crafts/imports, $3 single and $5 double shots of Capt. Morgan, Jack Daniel’s and Absolut, $3 select appetizers, $3.75 beer of the month

Campus Pub 903 Gunnerson Ave. (615) 867-9893 Pool, pub, karaoke bar and convenient to campus. Karaoke on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m., live trivia at 8:15 p.m. on Thursdays.

Daily (Until 10 p.m.): $3.50 Fireball shots, $3 well liquors Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Friday (8 p.m.–close): $1 PBR drafts Tuesday (After 5 p.m.): 2-for-1 drafts and free pool all day

Coconut Bay Cafe 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

(615) 494-0504 Enjoy pool tables, dartboards, live music, bike nights and more. Live trivia on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. and karaoke on Wednesday nights.

Monday: $3 Fireball shots, $2 pints, $6.99 snack basket Tuesday: $5 pitchers, $5 burger and fries Wednesday (Until 10 p.m.): 40-cent wings Thursday: $3 LITs, $1.50 domestic drafts (After 9 p.m.) half-price nachos Saturday: $6 pitchers and $6 7-inch pizza Sunday: $3 bloody marys, $3 import drafts, $6.99 snack basket, $2 pints

Gentlemen Jim’s Bar & Grill 2115 E. Main St. (615) 896-9716 1325 Greenland Dr. (615) 893-9933 Be it Dirty Jim’s (Greenland Dr.) or Clean Jim’s (Main St.), the vibe equals cheap beer, pool and good tunes from the jukebox.

Monday (9 p.m.–midnight): 99-cent longnecks and $5.99 pitchers Tuesday (9 p.m.–midnight): $2.99 draft pitchers Wednesday (9 p.m.–midnight): 99-cent longnecks and $4.99 buckets of 5 Thursday (9 p.m.–midnight): $2.99 draft pitchers Sunday (9 p.m.–midnight): $1.99 imports and $9.99 buckets of 5

The Green Dragon Public House 714 W. Main St. (615) 801-7171 With a medieval theme, The Green Dragon Public House offers great craft beers, wines and other alcohols alongside original, family food recipes and popular cheese trays with spicy jams and unique garnishes.

Daily: “Greenway Special,” come in after enjoying the Murfreesboro Greenway and get Half off your first beer. Tuesday (3–5 p.m.): $1 off all drafts and free popcorn

Hooters Broadstreet Center, 730 N.W. Broad St. (615) 867-2337 Known-for hot wings, beer, tight-fittin’20 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

clothed waitresses and sports-filled TVs. Monday–Friday (3–6 p.m. and 10 p.m.– close): $1.75 domestics, $2 well liquors, $7 domestic pitchers, half-price select appetizers

Jefferson’s 1916 E. Main St. (615) 907-3339 Convenient to the Square and MTSU, Jefferson’s features “Wings, Burgers and Oysters” with daily food specials and great beer prices. Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2 for $3 10 oz. domestic drafts, $2.50 domestic pints, $3.50 and up for imported drafts Saturdays: $2 domestics

Kirkenburt’s Smokehouse Grill 517 Cason Ln. (615) 893-3663 How often do you get to enjoy delicious nachos and a brown-bagged 40-ounce? Don’t worry, they give you a glass if you ask.

Daily: $13.99 Redneck Nachos and a 40 oz.

Miller Lite

La Siesta Mexican Restaurant 2424 S. Church St. (615) 494-1862 1608 N.W. Broad St. (615) 890-4606 1111 Greenland Dr. (615) 890-0773 One of the most popular Mexican restaurants in the ’Boro, with familiar faces and a warm and a family-friendly atmosphere. Karaoke on Thursdays, Friday and Sundays, 6–10 p.m.

(Church St.) and trivia on Fridays at 7 p.m.

(Greenland Dr.) Monday–Thursday (3–9 p.m.): $2.99 regular margarita or sangria; $3.99 margaritas Saturday: $2.99 regular margarita or sangria

Liquid Smoke 2 N. Public Sq. (615) 217-7822 With cigars and booze, Liquid Smoke has the most comfortable couches and coolest bathroom in town.

Daily (2–6 p.m.): $2.50 domestics

Maple Street Grille 109 N. Maple St. (615) 890-0122 This restaurant features upscale Southern cuisine, exquisite steak and seafood meals paired with great wine, beer or specialty drinks.

Monday–Saturday (4–6 p.m.): $1 off drafts, $5 appetizers and martinis, $4 house wine and sangria, $2 domestic bottles

Mellow Mushroom 2955 S. Rutherford Blvd. (615) 890-8898 “The originators of hand-tossed, stone-baked classic Southern pizza” this groovy pie-town features a Beer Club with a large selection of domestic, import and craft beers, Skinny Shrooms menu, gluten-free, soy and vegetarian options. Trivia on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Daily (after 9 p.m.): $3 drafts, $2 slices (60

cents for extra toppings), half-price appetizers Monday (4–7 p.m.): $1 off local drafts Tuesday (4–7 p.m.): 2 for 1 drafts Wednesday: $2 off pitchers Thursday: 2 for 1 beers all day Friday: $3 LIT and half-price bottle of wine Saturday: $3 LIT and half-price bottle of wine Sunday: $2 off bucket of beer

Mexiven 1706 Bradyville Pk. (615) 890-4184 This one-of-a-kind delicious and authentic Mexican/Venezuelan restaurant offers homemade dishes with great variety.

Daily: $2.75 domestic bottles, $3 imported bottles, $5 24 oz. Michelada

Mi Patria Mexican Restaurant 230 Stones River Mall Blvd.

(615) 907-2838 Mi Patria is a great place to enjoy Mexican food and margaritas, and they always have great coupons.

Daily (11 a.m.–10 p.m.): 2 for $6.99 margaritas (classic house frozen/rocks), 2 for $6.99 glasses of wine and homemade sangria, 2 for $3.50 16 oz. domestic drafts

MT Bottle 3940 Shelbyville Hwy. (615) 962-9872 Great food, drink specials, pool tournaments and more. Karaoke on Fridays from 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

Nobody’s Grille BBQ Daily (4–8 p.m.): 2-for-1and drafts

116 John R.pool Rice Monday: Free allBlvd. day (615) 962-8019 Tuesday (7–9 p.m.): 2-for-1 bottles Select appetizers on game Wednesday: Ladies –half $1 price domestic bottles nights Thursday: Men – $1.75 domestic bottles, Karaoke everycans Thursday–Saturday $1.50 off select (ladies and men) from 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m. Bingo Sunday: $1.50 off select cans on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Live trivia on Wednesdays at 7Billiard p.m. and 9:30 Murfreesboro Clubp.m.

Daily: $2 Bud Light and Miller Lite drafts, 1253 N.W. Broad St. (615) 893-0088 $10.99 domestic bottles buckets of 5 Pool, music, $8 Blackstone Pumpkin pitchers, Monday–Thursday (3–6 p.m.): Halfa super-friendly staff . . . and who can say no price select appetizers to 50-cent wings?

Monday–Friday (until 6 p.m.): $3$2 LIT, Daily (3–7 p.m.): $1.50 domestics, bloody marys and select glasses of wine, (until 10 p.m.): 2-for-1 well liquors

Tuesday (7–10 p.m.): $4 LITs Wednesday (7–10 p.m.): $6 margarita Thursday (7–10 p.m.): $6 select cosmos

Slick Pig BBQ 1920 E. Main St. (615) 890-3583 Slick Pig BBQ offers daily and tailgating specials with some of the best barbecue in Murfreesboro.

Tuesday: 99-cent pork sandwich premiums and imports, $12 bucket of 6 domestics and $18 bucket of 6 imports (3–5 p.m.): Free pool (Except Tuesday) Wednesday: 50-cent wings Sunday, Monday and Thursday (3 p.m.–3 a.m.): Free pool

Nacho’s Mexican Restaurant 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd., Suite A (615) 907-2700 Enjoy great Mexican food and live trivia on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., plus music from Ivan LaFever on Thursdays beginning at 6 p.m. Daily (3–6 p.m.): $3 margaritas, $5 pitchers of domestics, $1.50 pints, $2.99 sangria by the glass

Old Chicago 1835 Old Fort Pkwy. (615) 225-3200 Enjoy the big game in this pizza parlor and taproom, enjoy Italian fare paired with beer, wine and specialty drinks. Live trivia on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m.

Monday–Friday (3–6 p.m.): $3–$3.50 mini appetizers, $2.25 pints of Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Yuengling, $3 local craft pints, $2.50 well cocktails (10 p.m.–close): $3–$3.50 mini-appetizers, $2.25 Pints of Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light or Yuengling, $3 local craft pints Monday: $1.75 10 oz. drafts Tuesday: $2.50 Long Island/Blue Raider Teas Wednesday: $2.50 pints of select beer (Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Yuengling), $3 for all other pints (excluding high gravity); (After 10 p.m.): $5 for a 3-topping pub pizza and select pints Thursday: $3.50 25 oz. Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Yuengling, $2 off all glasses of wine Sunday: $2.50 bloody marys

Sam’s Sports Grill Stones River Mall, 1720 Old Fort Pkwy.

(615) 904-6464 Test your trivia knowledge at Sam’s every Wednesday and Sunday from 8–10 p.m. while enjoying delicious domestic, craft and import beers and the many TVs for sports.

Weekdays: $5.99 lunch specials Monday (3–7 p.m.): 2-for-1 beers, extra ½ oz. pour on well liquors Tuesday: 2 for 1 beers all day, extra ½ oz. pour on well liquors Wednesday (3–7 p.m.): 2-for-1 beers, extra

The Parthenon

½ oz. pour on well liquors Thursday (3–7 p.m.): 2-for-1 beers, extra ½ oz. pour on well liquors, (5–10 p.m.) Halfprice wine for ladies, $4 painkillers Friday (3–7 p.m.): 2-for-1 beers, extra ½ oz. pour on well liquors Sunday (6 p.m.–close): 2-for-1 beers, extra ½ oz. pour on well liquors

The Boro Bar and Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. (615) 895-4800 Live music, pool, great food and drink specials and conveniently close to campus.

Monday (11 a.m.–11 p.m.): $1 off all drafts Tuesday (11 a.m.–11 p.m.): $1 off tallboys Wednesday (11 a.m.–11 p.m.): $1 off all pitchers; 55-cent wings Thursday (11 a.m.–11 p.m.): $2 off pitchers Friday (11 a.m.–7 p.m.): $1 off everything; $2 off pitchers Saturday (11 a.m.-7 p.m.): $1 off everything; $2 off pitchers Sunday (11 a.m.-10 p.m.): $1 off wine & highgravity beer; free pool

The Boulevard 2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

(615) 624-8002 The Boulevard offers great food and beer specials, 29 beers on tap, over 43 bottled beers, and is conveniently located across the street from MTSU. Karaoke on Tuesday nights.

Monday–Friday (3–7 p.m.): 2-for-1 bottles, drafts and well liquors, (10–close): 2-for-1 drafts and bottles; Saturday–Sunday (until 1:30 p.m.): discount 32 oz. bloody marys, $10 buckets of domestics all day

The Bunganut Pig Pub and Eatery 1602 W. Northfield Blvd.

(615) 893-7860 With locations in Franklin and Murfreesboro, The Bunganut Pig is a great place for live music, “steel-toe tapping,” food and drinks daily with brunch now on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. featuring ribeye and eggs, french toast, chicken and waffles, bloody marys, mimosas and more. Live trivia is on Monday nights at 7 p.m.

Daily (2–7 p.m.): $2.50 domestics, $4.95 house liquors, $5.95 cosmos, $4 LITs, $4 Fireball shots Sunday (2 p.m.–close): $5.99 glasses of house wine Monday (7–10 p.m.): $2.50 drafts

1962 S. Church St. (615) 895-2665 The Parthenon, family owned for more than 32 years, offers fine American and Greek cuisine with great drinks.

Daily (2–7 p.m.): 2-for-1 mixed drinks, 2-for-1 imports and domestics, $5 martinis Monday: Half-price bottles of wine all day Tuesdays (3–6 p.m.): Buy 1 entrée, get the 2nd half-price Wednesday: $5 appetizers all day Friday and Saturday: $35 prime rib for two

The Pour House 2404 Halls Hill Pk. (615) 603-7978 Drinks, pool and food. DJ night Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from 7–11 p.m. Karaoke on Thursdays from 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

Daily (1–6 p.m.): 50 cents off domestics Karaoke Nights: $10 buckets of 5 domestics

Thirsty Turtle 2804 S. Rutherford Blvd.

(615) 396-8800 Enjoy fish bowls and super tubes, great American food, sports and more. “Slow down, enjoy the moment and stay thirsty!”

Monday–Thursday (11 a.m.–7 p.m.) and Friday–Saturday (3–7 p.m.): $1.90 domestic drafts and bottles, $2.50 imports, $2.75 premiums, $4 well liquors, $3.25 Sauza margaritas, $4 house cocktails, $4.95 frozen concoctions, $5.49 LITs

Toot’s 2992 S. Church St. (615) 410-3335 860 N.W. Broad St. (615) 898-1301 Toot’s timeless, family-friendly restaurant continues to be “Good Food and Fun!” Daily (8 p.m.–close): Tricycle Sampler $7.50, pick three of the following: 5 boneless Buffalo fingers, fried pickles (small order), onion fries (small order), onion rings (small order), 5 famous Buffalo wings, 4 fried cheese sticks, 6 mini corn dogs (dine-in only) (8 p.m.–close): 2-for-1 drafts (8 p.m.–an hour before close): 2-for-1 well liquors, daquiris, house wine (Peter Vella)

Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. (615) 867-9090 Jukebox in the corner, great drink prices, an upstairs entertainment room for live music, lunch every day and now brunch on Sundays from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Live trivia is on Thursdays at 8 p.m., and team bingo from 5–7 p.m. on Sundays.

Monday–Saturday (5–10 p.m.): $2.25 domestic drafts, $3 well liquors Monday and Wednesday (5–10 p.m.): 24 oz. domestic cans $4 Tuesday and Thursday (5–10 p.m.): $4 pitchers of Natural Light Sunday and Wednesday: $9 All-you-can-drink Bud Light, Yuengling and select Goose Island BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 21

ART Sarah Augusta Jones, (left) Jones with her children

Murfreesboro woman, photographer’s series offer encouragement to domestic violence victims.

BY BRACKEN MAYO PHOTOS BY DONNA FERRATO

Unbeatable

“HE HELD A KNIFE TO MY THROAT. . . he broke my jaw, he threw a pipe at me, he bruised my ribs, he threw a vacuum cleaner at me,” said Sarah Augusta Jones, visibly shaken as she recounted experiences from her past relationship. “He is a real controlling, psychotic guy.”

Jones was 14 when she got pregnant the first time; her boyfriend was 19. But the two tried to make it work.

The couple had another son . . . but could not make their relationship work.

“I’d leave and sleep in parking lots,” said Jones, whose two sons are now 11 and 13.

She has since left the man, and knows that her life and her childrens’ lives are better for it.

But it was not easy.

“He threatened to chop off our son’s head if he said anything about the abuse,” Jones said. “He threatened to shoot us, to snipe us in the woods. . . . He still stalks my house, his dad stalks my house.”

But now, Jones said she and her kids are ready to move forward with their lives. The boys are doing well in school, and with a restraining order against her ex and full custody of the children, the family has a sense of closure on that violent chapter in their lives.

Photographer Donna Ferrato documented Jones’ story, and the stories of other domestic 22 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

violence victims, in a photo exhibit titled I Am Unbeatable: Documenting and Celebrating Stories of Empowerment. Ferrato has long been passionate about photographing and encouraging victims of abuse, and published a book on the subject in 1991, Living With the Enemy.

“Everyone has the right to live free of violence,” Ferrato proclaims boldly on the project’s website, iamunbeatable.com.

“I really believe that if the world could look at women and see what they have gone More images from photographer Donna Ferrato’s “Unbeatable” project

through and understand their real stories, that we have a chance to change the way people think,” Ferrato said.

Ferrato’s work is helping change lives, Jones said.

“One lady came all the way from the UK just to see the exhibit,” Jones said. That woman, an aspiring photographer who says she is living in an abusive relationship herself, has a copy of Living With the Enemy and wanted to view the exhibit in person.

“Others have gotten out of abusive relationships because of the exhibit,” Jones said, adding that she would like many other universities to exhibit I Am Unbeatable.

He would have used it against me (in custody hearings). How could I look like a responsible parent when I was living in a shelter?

Jones desperately wants to encourage others living with violence in their lives to know that they have the strength to change their situation, and that help is out there.

“The Murfreesboro Domestic Violence Program helped me a lot from the get-go. They’re really good people,” Jones said. “They have group therapy every week. There’s a section for kids, and seperate section for adults,” Jones said. “They have a shelter if people need it.

“But I didn’t want to go to the shelter,” Jones continued. “He would have used it against me (in custody hearings). How could I look like a responsible parent when I was living in a shelter?”

Dealing with the legal system was frustrating enough, Jones said.

“The judge kept saying she would give him another chance to see the kids, she was really lenient with him,” Jones said. “She keeps talking about how we can get back together as a family, like that is something that should happen.”

But today, finally, she is safe. She has sole custody of the kids, their father is not allowed to see them or her.

“In getting out, sometimes people go to worse things, but anything is being better about being stuck in the middle of [an abusive relationship],” Jones said. “Even though it’s going to be hard getting out, especially if they have kids, they need to show them they can be strong and not stand for that any more.”

For more information on the I Am Unbeatable photo project, visit iamunbeatable.com.

For more on the Murfreesboro Domestic Violence Program, visit dvpshelter.org or call (615) 896-7377.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 23

ART

CREDIT HERE PHOTO CREDIT HERE

RHINOVIRUS “INFECTS” PERK’D COFFEEHOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER HARVEY STEIN RETURNS TO MTSU’S BALDWIN GALLERY WITH NEW HARLEM STREET PORTRAITS ACCLAIMED PHOTOGRAPHER HARVEY STEIN is returning to MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery with a new exhibit, Harlem Street Portraits, running through Feb. 26.

He shot the photos for the Harlem Street Portraits exhibit over a 23-year period to capture the “energy and grace” of the New York City neighborhood.

The photos in the Baldwin Gallery exhibit are also included in a hardbound book published in 2013.

The Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in Room 269 of the MTSU Bragg Mass Communication Building, and its operating hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Of the Harlem photos, Stein explains that they’re “mostly collaborative portraits that abandon the strategies of candid photography and instead engage the individual with their full knowledge and involvement.

“I usually don’t point, shoot and scurry on,” he continues. “I want to enter into some kind of exchange and dialogue. Usually at my instigation, we share a brief conversation or laugh, comment on the passing scene, come to a shared understanding . . .”

For more on Stein’s work visit harveysteinphoto.com.

TRACKING CHARACTERS EXHIBIT CONNECTS 40 YEARS OF MTSU DESIGN GRADS MTSU DEPARTMENT OF ART opens the spring 2015 semester in Todd Art Gallery with a celebration of four decades of service to the education of professional designers. Encompassing professions ranging from graphic design, illustration and typography to web design, photography and interactive design, the Tracking “Space Cadet”

by Kyle Jones Characters exhibit plays host to 32 alums from all over the country.

Scheduled through Feb. 12, the exhibit is in a sense a homecoming and an acknowledgment of the important contribution of the study of graphic design and its alums to the art program at MTSU. Participating artists include Aaron Rayburn, Abigail Atkins, Austin Hale, Ben Stewart, Brennan Scott, Cal Morton, Chip Payne, Chuck Stephens, Daniel Brown, Danielle Smith, Davion Baxter, Debra Naeve, Deena Cruz, Devin Warren, Ethan Farmer, Grant Cooley, Jenna Russell, Katie Clagg, Kelsey Greer, Kevin Tucker, Kyle Jones, Kyle Scudder, Lauren Wood, Louis LaPrad, Melissa Grabiel, Micah Loyed, Michelle Fizer, Neal Miles, Sean Hood, Shaun MacDavid, Stephanie Cobb and Suze Morton. For more information, call (615) 898-5653.

24 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

RYAN FRIZZELL HAS RECENTLY DECKED THE WALLS of PERK’D Coffeehouse with some of his pieces.

His colorful works of art often feature colorful robots or celebrities, and some of the works are available for purchase.

Frizzell, who also goes by the name The Rhinovirus, says he is always creating something, whether it be painting, music, photography or 3D work.

This visual art collection is now shared with the patrons of PERK’D, located at 225 N. Rutherford Blvd., and has been earning a reputation for serving some delicious coffee and food items made in-house.

Drop by and check it out sometime; PERK’D is open from 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

JOYCE CUMMINGS’ PAINTINGS SHOWCASED AT MURFREE ART GALLERY ARTWORK BY JOYCE CUMMINGS will display at the Rutherford County Property Assessor’s office through mid-March.

Cummings has resided in Murfreesboro since 2004.

She states as her goals as a painter as “being able to create an image that is pleasing, memorable and endearing to the viewer.” She is quite versatile in her skills and often works outside of the typical oil, acrylics and canvas.

Others participating in the exhibition include MTSU students Kandace Lovett, Holly Hagan, Chloe Campbell, Kari Owen, Erin Potter, Kyle Baker, Jenn Tipton, Monica Kay, Katie Mullins and Sarah Al-Ansari.

The Murfree Art Gallery is a collaboration between Property Assessor Rob Mitchell and the MTSU Department of Art. All exhibits are free and open to the public. Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. and are located on the second floor of the Rutherford County Office Building located at 319 N. Maple St. For more information on Murfree Art Gallery, call (615) 898-7750 or e-mail eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 25

LIVING ROOM CINEMA

REVIEWS

column by NORBERT THIEMANN

facebook.com/livingroomcinema

SELMA

losses that much more emotionally devastating.

No scene captures that emotional devastation better than the recreation of “Bloody Sunday.”

This is one of the most impressive sequences I’ve ever seen on film. It would be easy to be exploitative when depicting a scene in which hundreds of black bodies are beaten, but the director, Ava DuVernay, manages to keep the focus away from the physical pain being inflicted,

instead conveying the pain that these people are feeling. And with that focus, the scene ignites a visceral fear and sorrow in the audience bearing witness.

DuVernay needs to be commended for the way her film effortlessly moves from large set pieces like “Bloody Sunday” to intimate scenes between Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta. I’m probably beating a dead horse, but it’s truly baffling that she didn’t get an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the heart of this movie, and that is David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. Oyelowo doesn’t look like King and he doesn’t sound exactly like him, but he captures the soul of King and there is never any doubt.

Selma is a film mired in controversy but it’s important to not let that controversy overshadow that it is a mighty work that must be appreciated now and for many years to come.

— CECILIA SINKALA

er of the big-eyed children, and Waltz (as did Walter) steals the show; not necessarily by sheer talent alone, but by opportunity, as the majority of the movie shows Walter lying, selling and living it up only to cut back to Margaret diligently painting his next masterpiece for him. The film very nearly becomes about Walter’s descent into madness as he begins to believe the lie, but the paintings and the story are hers, and so there should have been even more attention given to her internal

and external struggle against a patriarch and the patriarchy.

That said, the true story behind Big Eyes is a remarkable one that hits all the hallmarks of great drama: seduction, greed, betrayal, fraud, mid-20th-century sexism, courtroom trials, etc., but the most surprising thing about this sometimes boilerplate biopic is that it was directed by Tim Burton.

Maybe Burton has mellowed with age, but the standard, garish gothicisms of his post-millennial output are thankfully absent. Instead Keane’s tale is told through the hypercolor lens of a Scissorhandsian suburbia, perfectly matching her vivid paintings and the mid-century modern setting. This is subtlety for Burton, and though the film can be disjointed at times, and favors the antagonist over the protagonist, Big Eyes is no less a worthy conveyance for Margaret Keane’s intriguing true story and her truly unique, often stolen, artistic style.

— JAY SPIGHT

4

Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Tom Wilkinson, Common Directed by: Ava DuVernay Rated PG-13 At this point, Selma is almost more a collection of controversies than a film. Whether it’s harsh accusations of historical inaccuracy or Oscar snubs that have sparked outrage on social media leading to hashtags like #OscarsSoWhite, the film itself is nearly eclipsed by the goingson surrounding it. And that’s a real shame, because Selma is an achievement, and one of the best films to come out of 2014.

Selma is a film about humanity. History is sometimes difficult to understand because the people involved are often deified or villainized beyond comprehension. The success of Selma is its constant reminders that the people involved

MOVIE weren’t simply “good” or “bad” but human. Martin Luther King Jr. isn’t portrayed as a god, but as a man with many imperfections. Despite all the critique of his portrayal, Lyndon B. Johnson isn’t the villain, but a politician stuck in a difficult position.

It’s a film that understands the Civil Rights movement wasn’t fought by infallible warriors but by everyday people. It makes their acts of heroism that much more inspiring and their

BIG EYES 4

Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz Directed by: Tim Burton Rated PG-13 Named after the most prominent feature in the paintings of artist Margaret Keane, whose whimsical depictions of children with enlarged eyes became ubiquitous in the 1950s, Big Eyes tells the true story of the artist who painted those eyes and how for quite some time no one knew it was her.

The film opens with Margaret (Amy Adams) boldly leaving her first husband and taking her daughter with her to live in San Francisco. It is there that she meets Walter Keane (Waltz) a charismatic cityscape artist selling his mediocre paintings for 10 times what she, as a female artist, is able to make. Equal parts charming, menacing and meek, Waltz hams it up as the huckster Walter, who is RATINGS:

able to sell, promote and manage Margaret’s big-eye paintings, with the minor caveat that he may have, sort of, told the buyers that they were his paintings. As the popularity of the paintings increases, so to0 does Keane’s prosperity, as does Margaret’s discontent.

Adams is effective as Margaret Keane, but she falls victim to the same plight of the woman she portrays. Big Eyes focuses mostly on the showman in the family, the same way the world focused on him, thinking him to be the paintA CLASSIC

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OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

Discovery on the Road

T

here’s something about traveling away from a familiar life that leads a person on a path of self discovery.

Regardless of any preconceived notions, revelations can come as powerful surprises. Here are some journeys worth taking from the comfort of your very own couch.

Ida (2013) is directed by Pawel Pawlikowskiis. Agata Trzebuchowska stars as a teen who was orphaned in childhood to a Polish monastery. Her plans of taking the solemn vows to become a nun must wait until she meets with a surviving aunt that she has never met. Ida is beautifully made, and is one of the best films made in recent memory.

Broken Flowers (2005) is directed

by Jim Jarmusch, and stars Bill Murray.

An aging bachelor receives a mysterious letter that claims he might have produced a son years ago. With assistance, he tries to piece together the possibilities from his past, and sets out to investigate the leads.

Jim and Bill ensure it’s a quirky adventure.

Almost Famous (2000) is written and directed by Cameron Crowe, as he recounts his young life as a freelance writer for Rolling Stone Magazine.

Standout performances by Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson breathe life into this fun coming of age story, on the road.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

G AME Crypt of the Necrodancer 4 4½

REVIEW BY NADER HOBBALLAH THE REVIEWS ON STEAM HAVE BEEN, and still are, at Overwhelmingly Positive, 98% positive out of almost 2,000 reviews. It seems like a stretch for a game currently in Early Access. I mean, when you load up the game it says there is placeholder music and art; for a game so reliant on rhythm you’d think that music would be the first thing they would have finalized. I started my first game and realized that you only use the directional keys—that’s it, no other keys are used in the game. This is going to get old fast.

All of my concerns about Crypt of the Necrodancer were almost immediately thrown onto the ground and danced upon. The game really is fantastic, from the opening cut-scene down through all of the floors of the dungeon. The use of nothing but the directional keys works really well for what the game does. Everything you do in the game is tied to the beat of Shopkeeper the current song playing, so anything more than the directional keys would probably cause a lot more problems. It really does seem simple on the surface, but the more you play, the more complex it becomes. Not only do you have to move to the beat, every enemy in the dungeon does as well. All of the enemies have different patterns, so you have to sit back (dance back?) and observe the enemies. Alternatively, you can charge them head-on and go for the trial and error route.

Hands down, my favorite part about the game is the music. The music is very good and I often find myself playing the music in my head as I do other tasks. The rhythm gets in your head and you may find yourself typing to the beat as you are doing something completely unrelated. During certain parts of the songs the shopkeeper starts to sing along, too, which I find to be a nice touch. You can use custom music if you feel

so inclined; however, once you get used to the beats of each zone it is pretty difficult to switch to a completely different song. I also recommend you use a song that you could normally dance to, I tried using other genres but it was hard to find the beat while playing.

The enemies in the game are varied, but not so much that you cannot learn what each of them does.

Several of them are just palette-swapped versions of one another, but a lot of them do completely different things, so you still have to be careful even if you are familiar with all of the other versions . . . looking at you, Ice Dragon; I have died to that thing more than any other enemy in the game.

Crypt of the Necrodancer can be very unforgiving at times, but it is well worth the effort to learn the beats and figure out all of the patterns. I found the entire system to be very rewarding. Of course, all of the enemies drop gold, which is used to buy items from the singing Shopkeeper. You can also find chests along the way to get even more items!

They add a lot of variety to the fights and grant various buffs. The weapons also add a lot more flexibility in fights.

The dagger you start with only allows you to hit stuff in the squares immediately next to you. Beware the mimics!

Crypt of the Necrodancer is currently in Early Access, but it is a really well-polished Early Access. All of the levels are not yet in the game, but it does have three out of the four planned. I have been having a blast with it, and if you’re curious about it, I recommend you go ahead and pick it up. The developers have also said that if the game is popular enough they will continue adding beyond the fourth level, and it appears to be very popular. It is likely we will be seeing many updates to come for this fantastic game. Delivering beat-downs to the beat has never been so satisfying.

Visit Facebook.com/PulseVideoGames for exclusive gaming discussion with our Video Game Writers/Editors. Ask questions or share your own gaming experiences.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 27

Captain Badass

REVIEWS BOOK

by D.M. Mahlon

S

WRITERS IN THE ’BORO

BY SARAH H. CLARK

Twisted

by Miranda Leek MIRANDA LEEK’S TWISTED INVITES YOU INTO A MYSTICAL NEW WORLD: Amusement Park Beyond, the home of broken and discarded roller coasters and amusement park rides. Published by AuthorHouse in 2014, Twisted is the first of a planned series inspired by the author’s dream.

The story is narrated by Rodney Philips, a laid-off cake-factory engineer who takes a job repairing roller coasters at Mystic Park.

Before he can start work, however, Rodney is confronted by the park’s mysterious director, Woody. Woody immediately recognizes Rodney as being, like himself, not quite human. In fact, both men are roller coasters from Amusement Park Beyond who have been banished into human form for the past four decades.

Rodney, like anyone would, finds this idea preposterous and goes out for drinks with his buddies. But that night in the bar, he finds Woody’s story is all too true when his human body painfully transforms back into its true roller coaster form.

Rodney is more than just another coaster, however.

He is Railrunner, the powerful red roller coaster who is prophesied to be the only one who can stop the black 28 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

Twisted author Miranda Leek has also created a variety of 3D animated creatures.

Look for more of her artwork in future issues of the Pulse

coaster Ironwheel, who has taken over Amusement Park Beyond and transformed it from a happy home for the discarded rides into a dark and terrible place.

In addition to his dark destiny, Rodney must also navigate the challenges of his new form.

The power and viciousness of his roller coaster nature must be controlled—and he must protect his human girlfriend, Clare, both from himself and from the dangers of Amusement Park Beyond, where love is off limits.

Twisted is illustrated with handdrawn art by the author depicting her anthropomorphic rides. Leek makes the roller coasters surprisingly human, a bit like a dragon but instantly recognizable as roller coasters, too, describing them as part man, part beast, and all coaster.

The tale itself is engaging told and full of twists and endearing characters, including Merrylegs the carousel horse and Static the dodgem. The excitement holds throughout the plotline to the denouement between Railrunner and Ironwheel in the penultimate chapter.

The book’s writing is definitely that of an amateur, and the book could have used a more thorough reading by an editor for consistency of details. Those willing to overlook this, however, will thoroughly enjoy Twisted’s very original concept and can look forward to the publication of its sequel sometime soon.

D.M. MAHLON’S CAPTAIN BADASS IS A CONTRIBUTION TO THE GROWING GENRE OF DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE. It opens with a summary of the fall of Western civilization: a growing dependency on corn, followed by a disregard for husbanding resources which leads to oil shortages, then food shortages, and then a violent takeover of the American government by a man named General Robert Goodson.

Mahlon then narrows his focus, turning his pen to the plight of a single family. Former MMA fighter and current dojo owner Cam Boroughs is preparing his family to leave their California home before their food and water run out.

Their destination is Boroughs’s father’s distant farm, and their currency of choice is the marijuana they’ve been growing in their rooftop garden.

Cam is faced repeatedly with the decision of whether to help others or focus solely on protecting his wife, Melanie, and 13-year-old daughter, Molly. The family eventually find themselves in the clutches of Johnny John Johnson, a hotel mogul with a plan for the end of the world. Cam enters the fighting ring once more to entertain Johnson’s wealthy guests, and his victories earn him the sobriquet of “Captain Badass”—much to his daughter’s disgust.

Johnson, of course, turns out to be no good, and the family must escape from his hotel and set out on their own— much better armed—once again.

The novel is also interspersed with other scenes from what was once America, showing the different ways that states, cities and people have coped with the collapse of all that they once knew. Texas, for instance, becomes a religious dictatorship governed by a network of pastors and megachurches, while some states collapse into racial violence and General Goodson wrecks awful vengeance on the privileged classes of the East Coast. For Boroughs and his family, the novel also explores how people change in the face of a dangerous and uncertain world—and the tragedies that can occur when people are unwilling or unable to adapt to their surroundings.

Captain Badass is not suitable for younger audiences and would, if a movie, likely garner an R rating for graphic descriptions of sex, violence and drugs. It is a lively and engaging romp through post-America, as well as being thoughtful at points about right and wrong, citizens’ responsibilities to both their families and their neighbors, and the effect of a loss of civilizing influences on the actions of the population at large.

Captain Badass was released in September 2014 and is available for purchase as a Kindle book from amazon.com.

If you know someone in the ’Boro who has published a book recently, let us know!

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 29

SPORTS

Coach Melaneice Gibbs (in white) leads the ladies of Blue Essence.

BLUE ESSENCE SHAKES IT UP Move to the groove with the MT Majorettes.

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO

A

n MTSU student organization says it wants to add to the Blue Raider game experience, and it has some heads turning.

Basketball fans may have noticed the group of young ladies moving in fluid synchronization at games in the Murphy Center.

The group, called Blue Essence, dresses in matching blue sequins and white boots, and takes up the majority of a seating section in the basketball arena, as each member is spaced precisely a few seats over from her neighboring performer.

“We want to become more of the school culture,” said Blue Essence coach Melaneice Gibbs. “We want to promote school spirit.”

The Blue Essence team members have become familiar with many of the pieces played by the MTSU pep band, and as the band plays each number, the dance team, led by captain Taylor Secrest, shakes, gyrates 30 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

and pops in hypnotic unison.

“We always sit next to the band,” said Blue Essence member Krishawn Nolan.

But even after the music ends, the ladies exhibit a certain grace in simply taking their seats, as each one slowly waves her arms overhead and fluidly sits down, one by one, creating a mesmerizing, gently undulating tidal wave of Blue Essence.

“It’s hard to take your eyes off of them,” said one MTSU alum attending a basketball game.

Gibbs said she wants to eventually see the group move from the stands to the hardcourt, and perhaps have an opportunity to perform

for halftime or pregame festivities.

She said other majorette groups in the past may have been a little too provocative, making it harder for Blue Essence to find a spot in an athletic department trying to keep things family-friendly.

But Blue Essence isn’t just about sexy moves. The members say there’s a great deal of skill and tradition in what they do.

“The popping and arm movements are from African dance,” said Nolan; this is mixed with modern hip-hop influences for the ladies’ dance identity.

The group has hosted dance camps for

kids. “We go out and mentor and volunteer,” Gibbs said. They work with the Nashvillebased Dynasty Dance Elite, the coach’s team of girls ages 5–17. Gibbs added that the Blue Essence girls are interested in and able to dance jazz and ballet as well.

“There’s a great number of people who come to the games who like what we do,” said Gibbs, who transferred to MTSU from Jackson State. “But there’s a different atmosphere here than at HBC (historically black colleges).

“I feel like we are ambassadors for the school,” she continued. “I get emails from high schoolers asking how they can join the team if they come to MTSU.” Nolan said she was very pleased to find out about the opportunity Blue Essence offered when another MTSU student, who attended Cane Ridge High School with her, encouraged her to join.

“A friend told me about the group and said I should audition,” she said. “It’s a lot of work.

You’ll break a sweat [during practice].”

And there’s a competitive element to Blue Essence, too.

“Not everyone makes the cut,” Nolan said, adding that there’s a spirit of sisterhood among the dancers, who strive to help one another improve.

Basically, Blue Essence is a group of MTSU students who love to dance, who want to support the university’s athletic teams, and who want to add to the gameday fun for fans.

For more information on the group, find Blue Essence on Facebook and Instagram or look for them at the next MTSU basketball or football game.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 31

SPORTS

LYNCH WAS ROBBED

Coaches take away his would-be game-winning TD; at least there was a nice Carl’s Jr. ad

T

SPORTS TALK

team, that hero being Rushe Train Daddy sell Wilson, an educated is back with the column by Z-TRAIN player who could represent pain, daddy, the Super titanman1984@ the team well in front of the Bowl is a thing of the yahoo.com media. So they let Wilson past, and now we wait throw a pass from the seven months. Kickoff for one-yard line rather than handing it off to the 2015 season is Sept. 10; that means Lynch, and it ended in disaster. Those are zero, nada, zip, zilch, no football anytime all the conspiracy theories I was able to soon, my friends. come up with.

The New England Patriots will kick off Come on, man! Come on, man! Come the 2015 season in Foxboro, and their opon, man! Hand the ball off to the Skittlesponent will be one of the eight teams that will travel to New England next season, the eating monster, the beast, the man that just pounded the ball to the goal line with PaTitans being one of the teams on that list. triots hanging all over him the play prior.

Yeah, right! It will be one of these three Everyone knows that game ends proper for teams that creates the juiciest match-up: the ’hawks with a hand-off to Marshawn. either the Steelers, the Bills or the Eagles I will say, for the little that Lynch speaks, get the honor of kicking off the season, I he was composed after the game. Instead predict. So, the Super Bowl is over, and of bashing the coaches he said he wasn’t while it wasn’t my sexy pick for the big mad, because football is a team sport. No game, it was still a hell of a game to watch.

I personally don’t ever find myself cheering offense, Lynch, but you had every reason to bash the team and the coaches, the world for either the Patriots or Seahawks, but I knows it’s true. They took your touchdown found myself cheering for Old Tom Brady nonetheless. The man is a 37-year-old beast away, and a nice Super Bowl ring, and a place in the history books. This was your and, as Stuart Scott would say, cool as the destiny until the coaching staff went full other side of the pillow. He also lies down retard with less than a minute left in the every night with his sexy supermodel wife, biggest, most important game in the world.

Gisele, a long-legged fox!

That’s all I got on the Super Bowl. . . .

I didn’t want to see the Seahawks win it Well, almost—just two more tidbits. Rob two years in a row. That group is amazGronkowski, the 6-foot, 6-inch tight end, ing and punishing, but they are a little too is nasty, a force that is unstoppable when cocky for me and I find myself annoyed by healthy. Also, Katy Perry: sexy, sexy, sexy; their personalities. Russell Wilson I do apshe gave me the roar of the tiger, and I preciate, though—one of my favorite playthink I liked it. ers to watch. I love his play, speed, agility Let’s talk about some of my favorite and the long ball. commercials from the big game; hell, some I still find myself dumbfounded by that people only watch the game for them, and costly, stupid, dumbest-play-ever-called the companies throw out millions to air interception. Yes, dumbfounded! Oh well, there is plenty of career left for Wilson, and them. We had a great game, a great fist fight, and a halftime show with Katy Perry he already has as many rings as Peyton riding a giant demon robot lion.

Manning has.

So why did so many of the commercials I have a couple conspiracy theories as suck this year? There were a few good to why the game ended the way it did, one being that Pete Carroll went full retard, like commercials, but all we got were puppies, dads, a car getting a boner from Viagra, Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder. As Robert and a weird Nationwide commercial reDowney Jr. states, you never go full retard! minding us that children can die.

The second theory was that the Seahawks’ My favorite, without a doubt, was the coaching staff had enough of Marshawn Lynch and his antics in front of the camera. one for Loctite Glue, with a bunch of goofy-looking people dancing with fanny They wanted a true hero to represent the

32 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

The fabulous Carl’s Jr. Super Bowl ad. Who wants a cheeseburger?

packs. Maybe it was the alcohol in me or maybe it was just the fact that, after so many emotional and sentimental ads, somebody finally made me laugh. The Snickers/Brady Bunch commercial was great; anything with Steve Buscemi and Danny Trejo is great. And, of course, the so called “sexist” ads were great; Kate Upton, it doesn’t matter what she is doing; and the Carl’s Jr. ad with the bombshell Charlotte McKinney . . . well, hamburgers never tasted so sexy. Not all the females got my vote, though; the Kim Kardashian “save the data” ad was bogus. A bunch of selfies of that fat ass—it looks like it was sculpted

from Silly Putty and blown up to max size.

Yucky! That’s all I have on the commercials, it was a disappointing year. So sad.

So, that is all I have for you, ladies and gents. I hope you had a great Super Bowl with lots of food, friends and family. Seven months before we kick her off again. We will have to be patient. The Titans have that No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Time to build, Titans. I still envision a future bright, a future where we have a winning team, players that we love, players with skill. I fear we still are a long way away from that, but hope will eventually bring change. The Train is out the station. Choo choo!

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 33

OPINIONS GUILTY: Whitesell, Newman Hang First Degree Murder Conviction on Jacob Pearman that time would have figured he was juicing.

WHEN JACOB PEARMAN was arrested Pearman’s attorney, Luke Evans, didn’t bring for murdering his wife, Carla, on Feb. 14, 2013, up the possibility that his client was suffering speculation ran rampant that he killed her in a from ’roid rage the night of Carla’s death. Alfit of ’roid rage—steroids, that is. though he could have used that information to Pearman was a trainer at the Murfreesboro show Pearman was out of his mind, that stratAthletic Club, and word was that he had previegy also would have allowed the prosecution ously been in trouble for using steroids. Sure to introduce the fact that Pearman had been enough, before he met Carla Dillard in 2011, Jacob pleaded guilty to conspiring to manufacture convicted of selling illegal steroids, building up jury prejudice against him. and distribute anabolic steroids and served a The 5-foot-8 Pearman was still year in the federal pen, as court repretty stocky when he went to cords show. In fact, he would have court, but nowhere near as big been on probation in 2011 when he as he was two years ago. Even first met Carla at the MAC. Maddox testified that his muscles His federal sentence ran from didn’t look as big as they did.

February 2009 to February 2010, No doubt, Pearman was a beast and he was to be on probation in 2013, weighing around 220, for two years afterward. So when and Carla, at 112 pounds, was no Pearman was arrested for assaultmatch for him. ing and abusing Carla’s then-7PEARMAN When he punched her, then year-old son in December 2012, he started strangling her, she told him she would was in for another collision with prison time. do whatever he wanted. That meant testifying A Feb. 14, 2013 hearing date loomed.

One of Carla’s childhood friends, Megan Porter, for him in court, not divorcing him and giving up her son for him. But as they rolled off their testified outside the jury’s presence in Pearman’s bed onto the floor, he continued to strangle her Circuit Court murder trial that Carla told her Jauntil she died, evidence showed. cob said he would leave their home if she wanted He put her back on the bed, lay down for a him to go but that if she waited until the night while, held the dog, then drove to Manchester. before his court date and told him she wasn’t goEventually, he called police, and, as much as ing to testify for him, then he would kill her. he didn’t want to go back to jail, that’s where he Judge David Bragg determined that statewent. Now, he’s in for a life sentence. ment by Porter was hearsay and wouldn’t allow it in front of the jury. If they’d heard that, they probably would have convicted Pearman of firstdegree murder in seven minutes of deliberation Paul Newman sets them up and Bill Whitesell instead of seven hours. knocks them down. For years, this tandem Then again, Bragg might have felt the has handled high-profile cases in Rutherford prosecution didn’t need that statement to get County’s Circuit Court, winning their fair share a conviction, and that allowing it might have of convictions. given the defense an avenue for appeal.

Assistant District Attorney Newman is the Whatever the case, Pearman clearly didn’t voice of reason, setting up the state’s case, want to go back to jail for aggravated assault and and Whitesell is more emotional, the closer. It child abuse, and he might have been afraid that showed in the Pearman trial, which Whitesell Carla would flip on him if she did go to testify. volunteered to take on after retiring from the Carla wanted to regain custody of her son, DA’s post in September.

Maddox Thomas, and she’d been told the only He will wrap up his career as a district atway to get him back was for Jacob to go. She torney pro tem with the cold-case murder trial packed his clothes in plastic bags and put them of Moses Bess, which was set for February but by the door Feb. 13, 2013, so Jacob would get postponed. Bess, in his mid-60s, was indicted the message as soon as he walked in. in March 2012 on a first-degree murder charge They argued all night, talked to parents. Then in the shooting death of his former wife at her she said something that set him off. Whether Richland Road home. Bess, who has been servhe had ’roid rage at the moment, we may never ing time in state prison after pleading guilty to know. But anyone who’s seen YouTube videos of four counts of child rape in 1998, has not been Pearman going through a brutal workout around allowed out on bond in the murder case.

A TOUGH DUO TO TOP

34 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

The

STOCKARD REPORT

BY SAM STOCKARD

Investigators ruled his wife’s death a suicide in 1986, but new details brought forward in May 2011 led to the murder charge against Bess of his second wife.

Crews with 48 Hours showed up at the Pearman trial in mid-January, but the Bess trial could elicit even more interest. It might prove to be a tougher conviction, too. The Pearman trial’s main argument was whether he was guilty of first-degree or second-degree murder.

And the Newman-Whitesell duo sealed it in their closing argument.

Newman, who felt Pearman’s confession to police was the key to the case, reminded jurors that Pearman told Murfreesboro Police Detective James Abbott that he choked her until she died.

In fact, he remembered all sorts of details from the murder, but Newman pointed out that he didn’t remember what Carla said that set him off.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, how can you ever forget why you killed your wife on Valentine’s Day?” Newman asked, setting up this line. “He didn’t want anybody to know.”

It was a haunting question about a heinous crime, and with Valentine’s Day falling this month, it should give everyone pause.

And, oddly enough, it probably wasn’t planned. Defense attorneys filed a motion asking the prosecution to limit the use of Valentine’s Day in its case. As a result, the state had made little, if any, reference to it. But defense attorney Heather Parker brought up Valentine’s Day when questioning a witness, and that opened the door for Newman’s closing statement line.

In his closing, defense attorney Luke Evans agreed that the night was full of emotion but argued that Carla set off Jacob and that he killed her in a fit of anger (making it seconddegree murder).

“I just lost it,” Evans said, quoting Jacob’s “honest” confession to police.

Divorcing Jacob was a strategy Carla was using to get her child back, and she intended to seek an order of protection, Evans told jurors.

Friends also said Carla was afraid she was going to face criminal charges, too, in connection with injuries to Maddox, Evans said.

But Whitesell used a simple piece of evidence from the trial to help make his case. Wound up when he took the floor for the final argument, the retiring DA pointed toward a picture of a memento Jacob and Carla kept highlighting significant moments in their life together: Oct. 15, 2011 – first date / Nov. 6, 2011 – first time for “I love you” / Sept. 29, 2012 – engagement / Nov. 18, 2012 – wedding At the bottom, it said, “What a difference a day makes,” and Whitesell repeated those words.

Whitesell told the jury that Carla was an outgoing person who spent time with friends and family, but when Jacob came into her life,

he “isolated” her. At age 30 and with several broken relationships behind her, she was “desperate” to make it work, even willing to sacrifice her life and happiness, he said.

Whitesell described a situation in which Pearman wanted to “toughen up” the 7-yearold Maddox, put him in wrestling and football, decorate his room with football posters and instill some discipline in his life. Yet, Maddox’s favorite subject at school was art, and he enjoyed playing video games, Whitesell noted.

After Maddox suffered injuries at the hands of Pearman the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, police took photos of the marks on the boy’s neck, head, face and body. But Pearman told Carla that he must have gotten hurt in wrestling two nights earlier.

“They want you to think those injuries were inflicted Monday night and lay dormant for two days,” Whitesell said.

Carla “was in disbelief ” the morning Maddox ran to school in freezing weather and Jacob was arrested. She confronted Jacob at MPD’s interview room and couldn’t believe he would have done such a thing, Whitesell said.

“What a difference a day makes,” he continued. “Witnesses said Maddox was her world.”

When the Department of Children’s Services got involved, the child was sent to live with his father near Chattanooga.

“She could choose her son and his best interests or her marriage,” Whitesell said, noting that as things progressed, Carla began to understand the situation and realize she was trapped.

In January, they argued one day and Jacob called his parents, asking them to send the police to their home. “He’s a grown man and he has to get Mama and Daddy to call 911,” Whitesell said.

But after Pearman killed Carla, instead of driving to his parents’ home in Columbia, he drove to Manchester where Carla’s parents live. While the defense had contended that Pearman was suicidal and looked for his gun at home to kill himself, then tried to put a bag over his head and suffocate himself, Whitesell raised the possibility that he might have been going after the Dillards.

“He looked for his gun but couldn’t find it,” Whitesell said. Then the DA speculated that maybe Pearman considered killing them with a plastic bag. That conjecture raised an objection from Evans and a short conference with the judge, and Whitesell didn’t broach that subject again.

Rather, he pointed out, “Did he ever even say, ‘I’m sorry I killed Carla,’?” Whitesell asked.

In the 10 to 30 seconds that Pearman was choking Carla, before she lost consciousness, he had plenty of time to reflect on what he was doing. But even when they fell off the bed onto the floor, he didn’t lose his grip.

“When he found out she was going to pick the little boy over him, he killed her,” Whitesell closed. “Oh, what a difference a day makes.”

Conservative Republicans Should Unite Behind a Single Candidate

A

s Republicans start to jockey for position in next year’s primaries, there’s one lesson they need to learn in order to win.

It seems to be the hardest lesson of all. Moderate Republicans don’t win presidential elections.

There’s this notion that the nation has moved to the left, therefore the Republicans must moderate their positions if they’re going to win. Mitt Romney recently said the Republicans need to swallow hard and pass amnesty. He either believes that’s the only way Republicans can win or he believes that’s the proper course of action for the country.

Either way, he’s wrong.

Folks like me point to the last time the Republicans won by a landslide. That was 1980 and 1984 with Ronald Reagan. Reagan won 44 states in 1980 to Carter’s 6 and flogged him in the electoral vote 489-49. But here’s the interesting part. The Republican Party was far more liberal then than it is now. And this is the strategy behind another conservative victory in 2016.

In 1980, the major GOP candidates were George VIEWS OF A H.W. Bush, John Anderson (who went on to run as a third-party independent), Texas Governor John column by Connally, Tennessee Senator Howard Baker and PHIL VALENTINE philvalentine.com Kansas Senator Bob Dole. Everyone with the exception of Reagan was a moderate. Remember, this was the era of Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford. Moderates were the mainstays of the party. Reagan was regarded as a right-wing crazy by the party establishment. That’s why the GOP primary was filled with moderates. That’s where the Republican Party was at the time.

What happened was the moderates all fought for the moderate Republicans and Reagan took all the conservatives. The mainstream media had no idea there were enough conservatives to take Reagan to victory but, at the end of the process, Reagan had 60 percent of the vote. His closest rival was Bush with 24 percent. Once Reagan won in a landslide over Jimmy Carter it became cool to be conservative. Truth is, this country has been center-right for a long time. The media either tries to convince us it isn’t or they just can’t see it based on their own circle of friends.

Flash forward to 2008. Vying for the nomination against John McCain were Fred Thompson, Alan Keyes, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Duncan Hunter. With the exception of Romney and Giuliani, all of these candidates were to the right of McCain. Even Romney positioned himself as a conservative. The end result was a much more conservative field of candidates than in 1980 but the conservative candidates split the conservative vote and gave McCain the nomination.

Here’s an interesting fact to ponder. Up until Super Tuesday, when most of McCain’s competition dropped out and gave him the nomination, he only had 32 percent of the Republican vote in the primaries. Astonishing, isn’t it? Sixty-eight percent of Republicans preferred another candidate, primarily a more conservative one.

That’s how moderates get nominated these days. In 2016, the conservatives better wise up. There will be Jeb Bush and probably Mitt Romney. There may be Lindsey Graham and possibly Chris Christie. But the rest of the potential field is decidedly conservative, just like the rest of the country.

Names like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul and Ben Carson and Scott Walker. This time the conservative candidates are going to have to decide who has the best chance of winning and get behind that candidate. Maybe they give it to South Carolina, but conservatives beating each other up all the way to the convention has to end.

CONSERVATIVE

“Here’s an interesting fact to ponder.

Up until Super Tuesday, when most of McCain’s competiton dropped out and gave him the nomination, he only had 32 percent of the Republican vote in the primaries.”

Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with Westwood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 35

Murfreesboro’s Music Through the Decades

BY GLORIA CHRISTY

Slave Songs: Musical Miracles Among the Mundane

T

he winter had left the Knob barren and dead.

Through the dark, seemingly snarling branches, a small group huddled silently and secretly. They had been driven to the summit by the thundering sounds and the billowing smoke of the cannonades from the battle raging in Murfreesboro that New Year’s morning of 1863.

These folk were the property of Charles O. Abernathy.

They had never known anything but the plantation. For the most part, Master Abernathy had been a decent man, treating his slaves with civility and respect.

But now rumor had spread that they were about to be “free.” Mr. Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation were making freedom possible. What that meant no one knew. For the most part, all they had ever known was working in the fields from sunrise to sunset and life in and around the “big house.”

On a clear winter morning, this frightened bunch plodded their way to the top of Pilot’s Knob. In the distance, smoky purple and gray plumes towered over the prior day’s battle, spiraling like an apparition—the angel of death and destruction against a brilliant azure sky.

The canons belched their deadly contents with a deafening roar, flashing columns of flames that soared hundreds of feet into the air. As Gracie watched, she clenched the hand of her husband, Lewis. Lewis Anderson was a hardworking man and a good husband. Two years earlier, when she was only 16, Gracie married; that is, she “jumped the broom.” It was a simple ceremony. Lewis steadied a glass of water on his head. In the presence of a small group by the soft glow of a kerosene lamp, they grabbed each others’ hands and jumped over a broomstick. That was it. With that maneuver, she had officially changed her name from Gracie Abernathy to Gracie Anderson. Lewis had been born an Anderson slave; however, he was now the property of the Abernathys.

Gracie was an industrious young girl. In the big house she could iron, knit, spin and weave for her master’s family better than any other house slave.

But at that moment, on New Year’s Day on Pilot’s Knob, she sought refuge and strength by clutching tightly to her husband’s hand. These brawny hands had been roughened by years of field work. From his youth, the master had put Lewis right in the fields pulling and shucking corn, and of course, picking cotton. Now, Lewis’s strong hands became

36 * FEBRUARY 2015 * BOROPULSE.COM

a lifeline for this frightened young woman.

As she stood there on the ridge, she began thinking about what her mama had told her about life.

“De’ devil can blur out de’ truth, Gracie!” she insisted.

“In ‘dis ole world there will be all kin’a trouble, but don’t ya’ fear, little gal. Trust, trust, trust! Never be afraid. The Lord will always be there. You’s always in the hands of the great Maker.”

With this calming thought, Gracie’s fearful heart was reassured. As she gazed upward through the bare branches, vulnerable and exposed, she realized that the warmth of spring would come soon. Although these branches appeared seemingly dark and unadorned, the “great Maker” would provide His life-giving spirit silently. Soon new life would burst forth, bringing buds, leaves, blossoms and fruit. This Master is far better than any earthly one.

There was a moment of hesitation. Minutes passed, long minutes of strange intensity. The crowd began to mutter and moan in the shadows. The sound grew louder, more dramatic, as the slaves’ songs began to penetrate the people like an electric vibration. Even though some words were only half-audible, the atmosphere was unified as the sounds intensified, shaping each musical phrase into song.

Some patted their crying babies as war was waging across the hills in Murfreesboro. Others began swaying backward and forward, moving their feet in strange syncopation.

Half-formed melodies and phrases were hummed and songs dramatically emerged in their midst. Every mind there became synchronized in movement and melody.

Recollections and oral traditions about those slaves who lived in our community have left lasting impressions.

From an account that I documented nearly 10 years ago from an interview with Leffel Brown, longtime resident of the Brown’s Mill near Lascassas, Gracie and many slaves watched the Battle of Stones River from Pilot’s Knob just near Woodbury, almost 20 miles away.

These accounts and others like them accentuate the idea and make clear that spirituals and slave songs prior to and during the American Civil War were products of the communal existence of the slaves. In bits and pieces throughout the 20th century, these primitive slave songs, dances and vocal styles were snatched, soon to become the creative influences for all of modern American music, including blues, jazz, country and rock ’n’ roll.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

Jason left camp, but he plans to return later in the evening. An older man they call “Crazy” is sitting with Rhoda around the fire. When asked why he is called “Crazy,” he says he once got angry and gauged out a man’s eyes.

James doesn’t disclose how much money he made when Rhoda asks, but she assumes it is enough to eat tonight.

“We’re gonna be eatin’ good tonight!” shouts James.

A young man in a red hoodie who looks about 20 years old, climbs down rocks to meet with James. He takes James aside to talk quietly. The boy keeps his hood up and rarely smiles, but intermittently he lets out a laugh or two while speaking with James.

Rhoda says they try to hide things from her, but she always knows what’s going on.

“I heard ’em say he can help James get some,” says Rhoda, “I know what he means.”

This boy in the red hoodie is James’ drug dealer. He typically deals James synthetic marijuana and cocaine, which can cause elevated mood, altered perception and paranoia.

The boy moseys away from the camp as if nothing happened. Rhoda doesn’t look happy.

Although James doesn’t spend his money wisely, Rhoda is fed and doesn’t partake in drugs today. She eats an apple and some chips for dinner.

As night falls, Jason returns with his guitar and his homeless friend, Michael. Rhoda’s spirits are lifted as Jason sings her favorite song, “Wagon Wheel.” James, Rhoda, Michael, Jason and Crazy are all gathered around the campfire happily.

James vanishes with the drug dealer, who has returned as Rhoda is singing around the campfire with her friends.

The smell of burning cocaine surrounds the camp.

Upon James’ return from the meeting, Jason leaves with Michael to visit the Coldest Nights Shelter at First Baptist Church. Coldest Nights Shelter is a place for the homeless men to stay when the weather is below 30 degrees.

James and Rhoda and Crazy congregate around the campfire. The fire starts to go dim.

“What you got that crazy look in your eye for?”

Rhoda asks James suspiciously.

“I ain’t got no look in my eye!” says James. “I swear I ain’t done nothing. You’ve done somethin’, though.”

Crazy is curled up in his sleeping bag next to the fire with his whole body covered, even his head. Rhoda and James argue loudly about “the crazy look in his eye” and who has done what. Crazy is annoyed and sits up angrily.

He curses and emerges from inside his sleeping bag.

“You and you,” Crazy says, pointing at Rhoda and James individually, “Go up to your tent, lay down and sleep!”

“But she went out on me!” yells James, “She’s my woman! I saw her up there with Bill before.”

“Who cares!” shouts Crazy. “She’s yours now! Let it go!”

Rhoda is a strong woman who knows how to defend herself, but she tries to maintain her aggression by quietly backing away from James.

“You’re getting too active now, James,” says Rhoda.

“Besides, I ain’t no one’s woman.”

In jealous rage, James jumps up and down as he threatens to fight Crazy. James violently pulls off his coat and sweatshirt. Crazy stands up screaming about

how he will fight him easily.

While following the homeless, I typically bring a male along. Luckily, my cameraman is here tonight.

Rhoda looks afraid, so I call out to her that we should go to Walmart to “pick up some s’mores.” This is my attempt at getting Rhoda to a safe location tonight.

As my cameraman distracts James and Crazy, Rhoda grabs her rainbow sleeping bag and comes with me to the car.

James follows closely behind and hops in the silver 2010 Dodge Avenger next to Rhoda.

“She’s gonna run away again, man!” James says.

“Ain’t no way I’m leavin’ her side.”

Rhoda’s drowning eyes overflow as we arrive at Walmart.

“Hmm,” I say, “I have never been to this Walmart before, Rhoda. Where is the restroom?”

Her eyes light up as she begins to understand the plan.

“Oh, I can show you!” she says. “James, go away.

Women’s bathroom.”

Rhoda scurries off, leading me inside. James is close behind. As Walmart workers watch James attempt to enter the ladies’ room, he stops and waits outside.

While hiding in the women’s restroom, Rhoda explains to me that the cut on her chin is from James pushing her down the hill of rocks at the camp. She took off her gloves to show me gashes on her hands. Life on the streets is extremely different for a woman. She relies on James for food and other necessities to survive, no matter how he treats her.

My cameraman tricks James into the men’s room as Rhoda and I make our great escape to the car.

“Your cameraman is going to be so confused!” says Rhoda.

She is enjoying the thrill of escape and the thought of being away from James.

I press the lock button on the car remote so we can find the car quickly in the packed parking lot.

Beep! Beep!

“Let’s go!” I say with a smile.

We both run to the car.

I try to make this escape an adventure for Rhoda, but in the back of my mind I can’t help thinking James might figure out the plan.

I ask Rhoda where she would like to stay tonight, but she just wants to go back to the Old Fort Parkway bridge. She primarily wants the beer she left behind, and in her heart she still sees that bridge as home.

I suggest we swing by and grab the beers, and then we could find somewhere else to stay.

“Shoot yeah!” she says excitedly.

Parked at Coconut Bay Café, Rhoda jumps out of the car and runs down under the bridge. Crazy is sleeping in her tent. She takes 15 minutes to return, but she got the goods.

We race to The Greenway at 50 mph, just to make sure James isn’t on our tail. The park closes after sunset. It is now 9 p.m., so Rhoda has to move quickly.

She steps out of the car, grabs her sleeping bag and stops before she closes the door.

“Hey,” she says, “You’re pretty slick. I like you!”

She winks at me with a smile as she closes the door.

All I can see is her silhouette. She is walking into the woods, rainbow sleeping bag in hand, as she disappears into the night.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2015 * 37

Meditate on the Life You Want: Your Subconscious Can Help Build Your Dreams

BY M.C. RADFORD CAN SUCCESS CONSCIOUSNESS BE instilled into a mind already filled with a record of failure?

Think of your mind as your architect and your brain as your engineer.

Nothing moves in your body until the brain tells it to, and the mind tells the brain what to do. When you get out of bed, your mind made that decision, and the brain started sending signals to all the right muscles to enable you to do so.

When you come to know your own mind and live your own life, you can wipe out a record of failure just as surely as you can erase the message on a tape recorder, leaving a wonderfully receptive tape—or mind—to receive new and better impressions.

The subconscious mind is everything, contains everything, knows everything, and therefore can do anything. All it needs is suggestion. All matter, all substance, all knowledge, exist within it, and it rearranges them according to suggestion. And hypnotism is the first concrete way in which man has been able to reveal and study the working of this mind.

Now, where does the power of this subconscious mind cease? If you tell a sick man’s subconscious that he is well and he becomes well, if you tell an injured man’s subconscious that he feels no pain and he feels none, does this perhaps mean that you can tell an unsuccessful man that he will become successful?

It most certainly does. Given the proper suggestion, the subconscious mind will manifest success from failure, health from disease, prosperity from poverty, friendship and love from loneliness and isolation. For nothing is impossible to the subconscious mind and it operates entirely by suggestion.

Geniuses are people who have learned to use more of their minds, and use them in a special way. We all have that potential.

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We live in an imaginary world. Your whole world has been created by your imagination. Think how beautiful this is. If the world all around you has been created by your imagination, and if you don’t like it, then you can create your world as you want it to be.

You are the only creator in the universe.

You were created and given free will to create your life as you want it to be. You were given the law of attraction, which is the greatest law in the universe.

What you think and believe will be created by your subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind was put in charge of your body and your life. It takes care of your heartbeat, your breathing, your blood flow, your digestion, all of your involuntary nerve system, but your conscious mind is the boss. If you think and believe in sickness, the subconscious mind will create sickness for you. Think good health and it will create good health for you; think successful thoughts or failure, and either way it will create the things you think about most in your life.

Hypnosis can help you build the patterns in your mind, brain and circumstances that you want in your life.

M.C. Radford will answer any questions on the mind, brain, body, spirit, hypnosis, cybernetics, parapsychology or metaphysics. Contact him today at (615) 351-2939.