VOL. 16, ISSUE 37 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
PAINTING THE SCENIC CITY A GUIDED TOUR OF CHATTANOOGA’S HISTORY IN MURALS
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 16, ISSUE 37 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher James Brewer, Sr. FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL
EDITORIAL Managing Editor Gary Poole gary@chattanoogapulse.com Assistant Editor Jenn Webster City Editor Alex Curry Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rob Brezsny • Olivia Haynes Matt Jones • Sandra Kurtz Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Michael Thomas • Brandon Watson Editorial Interns Lauren Justice • Mackenzie Wagamon Cartoonists Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow
ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin mike@brewermediagroup.com Account Executives Rick Leavell • Cindee McBride Libby Phillips • Lisa Roche John Rodriguez • Danielle Swindell
CONTACT Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Contents Copyright © 2019 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.
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Painting The Scenic City What was once known as “The Armpit Of The South” is well on its way to becoming the Belle of the Ball. For more than 30 years, Chattanooga has been in the midst of a citywide revitalization effort that is effectively transforming an industrial town into a destination city and outdoor hotspot.
A FOOD HALL IS COMING
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THE RETURN OF ENDELOUZ
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Sprawling food halls are commonplace in many of the world’s cities. Hawker stalls packed into every nook and cranny of endless buildings compete to sell their specialty dishes.
A little over six years ago I wrote my first piece for The Pulse. It wasn’t my first stint writing for a paper, but it was my first in so long that I adorably set out to arrange a convenient time.
POETS ARE EVERYWHERE
The local poetry scene is an evolutionary beast: open mics come and go, events are started with great enthusiasm and then abandoned, never to be heard from again.
ADULTS ARE MONSTERS
“Can an entire city be haunted? Haunted as some houses are supposed to be haunted?” Mike Hanlon asks this question in the first interlude of Stephen King’s sprawling novel “It”.
4 CONSIDER THIS
16 MUSIC CALENDAR
19 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
9 SHADES OF GREEN
18 MUSIC REVIEWS
21 NEW IN THEATERS
19 JONESIN' CROSSWORD
22 GAME ON!
12 ARTS CALENDAR
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • THE PULSE • 3
CITY LIFE · BETWEEN THE BRIDGES
Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick
A Food Hall Is Coming Craft beer, coffee, cuisine...and more
S “Don’t tell me what they said about me, tell me why they were so comfortable to say it around you.” — unknown Ohhh, there’s a lot of gossip here in the South. It’s more than a pastime…it’s an officially condoned sport. Bronze, silver, gold. That said, we’re probably all a little guilty of some verbal headlining from time to time. No harm no foul…maybe. Grandmother’s wisdom taught me that if you cannot say something good about someone, keep quiet. And if you must speak, ask yourself if what you’re about to say is: 1) truthful, 2) kind, and 3) necessary. When you speak of others positively, they may just feel your good energy, and without you even knowing it, return the favor someday. Consider this: Gandhi taught that “You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.”
PRAWLING FOOD HALLS ARE COMMONPLACE IN MANY OF THE WORLD’S cities. Hawker stalls packed into every nook and cranny of endless buildings compete to sell their specialty dishes, out-do their neighbors, and feed foodobsessed inhabitants. By Alex Curry
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Pulse City Editor
At long last, Chattanooga will join the ranks of prominent food cities with a communal gastro-focused space.”
— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.
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In Singapore, there are food halls with food stalls with Michelin Stars, a far reach from our local familiarity of modern-day shopping mall food courts. Grand Central Market in Los Angeles comes to mind; crowds flow through aisleways eating fresh pizza or bowls of noodles or a myriad array of tacos as they sip on local brews and mingle with all walks of life. And good news greets us! Chattanooga is catching on. Can we call it an empire yet? The Monen Family Restaurant Group has been instrumental in the expansion of Chattanooga’s dining foundation. Taco Mamacita, Urban Stack, Community Pie, Milk & Honey, Hi-Fi Clyde’s; it’s difficult to even discuss our eating options without considering the Monens.
Their newest project? You guessed it; a food hall. At long last, Chattanooga will join the ranks of prominent food cities with a communal gastro-focused space. The corner of Main and Long Street will soon be home to Chattanooga’s new food hall, Market South. Three established restaurants, a coffee, cocktail, wine, and vinyl shop, Five Wits Brewery, and a chef incubator concept will inhabit the space. Think Indian street food, Pizza al Taglio, and an Asian fusion wok-focused eatery in the front to start the hall off. A wide array of beers will fill the indoor/outdoor brew hall. “Five Wits is a Shakespeare reference to our five senses. The whole idea is to educate people and give them a sensory experience about
EDITOONS
beer,” says Nathan, one of the brewery’s proprietors. “We want to put Chattanooga on the map as a beer town and we have to do that together.” Beer is a highly sensual experience. The can or bottle or pint glass sets the mood with designs that put an initial perspective on the drink. The color, haze, and foam complement the nose. If you listen closely, you can even hear the beer’s subtle whisper of screaming bubbles. We’re three senses in without even tasting it. The mouthfeel, flavor, and temperature all play a part in the overall message of a good brew. It’s so easy to crack a beer and gulp it down without paying attention to the long hours of dedication from the brewer. At Five Wits, learning to enjoy all the aspects of a beer will help us develop a deeper understanding of this beverage we enjoy so much. My favorite part of the whole concept is tucked neatly in the back, off of the brewery’s taproom. “We have
always wanted to give back to the restaurant community,” continues Nathan as he discusses the concept of their chef incubator. Hopeful restaurateurs will be provided with mentorship and a rent-free space for residencies where they can test their menus and develop their business plans. If you haven’t heard of Lil Oso yet, you’ve got a pretty nice surprise on the way. A rotating menu of six to seven items will have your mouth begging. Cheeseburger fried rice, crispy mushroom salad, spicy pork noodles, apple carrot cake with pineapple jam, caramelized shrimp with romesco, smashed cucumber and herbed melon... I was lucky enough to attend a private and super-top-secret Lil Oso dinner a while back. Finally, the secret is out. A parking lot out back is free for Market South customers. Puppers are allowed on the patio, but please reserve the beers for responsible adults. I promise you won’t want to share your frosty beverage anyway. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • THE PULSE • 5
COVER STORY
Painting The Scenic City A guided tour of Chattanooga’s history in murals
By Tony Mraz
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Pulse contributor
The effect a mural can have on a city is that it brings people out of the mundane— it might awaken someone out of the robotic state of a day-to-day routine.”
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HAT WAS ONCE KNOWN AS “THE ARMPIT OF The South” is well on its way to becoming the Belle of the Ball. For more than 30 years, Chattanooga
has been in the midst of a citywide revitalization effort that is effectively transforming an industrial town into a destination city and outdoor hotspot. A vital part of this effort is the introduction of murals to public and commercial spaces—an ongoing series of projects that is gaining momentum with every passing day. Local painter J.W. Butts is responsible for a number of iconic local murals. He understands how his colorful works, and those of other muralists, affect the soul of the city. “The effect a mural can have on a city is that it brings people out of the mundane—it might awaken someone
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out of the robotic state of a day-to-day routine,” he says. “It can inspire people and also attract people to a certain destination. As a business, it can help you stand out and grab people’s attention, and pique their interest.” Murals are springing up in Highland Park, Glass Street, Brainerd…wherever you can walk or drive in the city, you can probably see a mural. Even utility boxes have paintings these days. But we rarely put faces or names to murals the way we do studio art. Let’s take a
tour of the city and its environs and hear the voices, so to speak, behind the paint. EARLY MURALS: MCCALLIE WALLS MURAL PROJECT Muralist Kevin Bate was the primary facilitator of the McCallie Walls Mural Project. “I don’t claim that it was just the murals that did this, but when I first moved to Highland Park in 2005, it was considered to be a bad part of town,” he says. “The drive down McCallie Ave could be depressing— driving through an area where urban decay had set in, and most buildings were abandoned and run down.” The McCallie Walls Mural Project organizers wanted people to slow down and see the beauty of the neighborhood, “to maybe get out of their cars and look at the murals, and see that
there are cool houses and neat storefronts,” Bate says. “Since we did that, there has been a change in people’s perception of the area. There were many factors that contributed to the improvements in Highland Park, and I would like to think that the murals were part of it.” Mural art changes more than just surface appearance, Bate says. “Mural art doesn’t just change the way a building looks, it changes the way people feel about the building,” he says. “If there is a big monolithic box building with no windows and a drab paint job, most people won’t like it. Put a mural on there, and it is no longer this big block—now it is a canvas for something they really like. We are taking something without a lot of aesthetic appeal and transforming it into something beautiful.” AN ARTISTS’ COMMUNITY: GLASS STREET This sentiment is shared by Shaun LaRose, a local muralist who is known for his work with the Glass Street Mural. LaRose is in the process of co-founding a muralist cooperative in Chattanooga that aims to curate and elevate work by national, regional, and local muralists, and to create a yearly event called the Cross Hatch Mural Festival. This muralist cooperative will seek to match businesses and sponsors with artists to facilitate new works in public spaces. They will also ensure mural quality, organize touch-ups, and help the artists to avoid issues like not complying with city ordinances, as was the case with the infamous Donut Mural in 2014. An instructor at Chattanooga Christian School, LaRose tells us, “Before I was teaching, I was doing artwork full time and painting murals. What I have
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We’re especially suited for murals—we have so many industrial buildings, giant walls with no windows, huge spaces for us to put something pretty on.”
wanted to do since then is to empower other muralists to make work, and to find resources to support the artists, and elevate the work.” Bate adds, “There are lots of artists in town doing murals—I think it is awesome, and I would like to see more. We’re especially suited for murals—we have so many industrial buildings, giant walls with no windows, huge spaces for us to put something pretty on. We’re lucky to have the situation we have here in Chattanooga; it lends itself towards murals.” AN ENORMOUS LANDMARK: THE AT&T BUILDING Bate continues, “I want to find a way to start doing gigantic pieces on the buildings downtown; there are big
walls everywhere. All of these people have been doing murals of a certain size; I think we could start doing pieces like Meg Saligman, who came into town to do the AT&T Building.” At the time it was completed, the AT&T mural was the largest in the country; it’s visible from Lookout Mountain. It was spearheaded by Philadelphia muralist Meg Saligman, who hired a crew of local artists to complete the work. LaRose explains, “Part of the concept of the AT&T mural was to bring Saligman here to train local artists, and for them to make work after that—unfortunately, we haven’t had many opportunities for the artists who worked on that crew to make murals after that.” Mercedes Llanos is one of these art-
ists, and though she has only done one mural locally since working on the AT&T mural, her experience with that project has led her to opportunities in other cities. “The AT&T project was fun, but also difficult,” she says. “A lot of hard work, and learning that painting murals is more about physical labor than anything else. This was six months of hard work from sunrise to sunset.” Since working on the AT&T Building, she has painted in Argentina, Chile, Minnesota, and is currently in New York City. She paints both for nonprofits and commercial companies, and is working on her MFA at Hunter College in NY. She says, “During the summer I was lucky to help paint a mural on a water tower in the Bowery for renowned street artist Shepard Fairey.” ENCHANTED INTERIORS: WAYNE-O-RAMA AND INSIDEOUT LAND Finding success elsewhere is a hope for many artists who choose to leave Chattanooga. LaRose explains, saying “Our local artists are generally not getting the opportunities that national artists get through public art, because the selection committees are bound by bylaws where they can’t favor or earmark projects for local artists. Local businesses are still finding artists from other cities to come here and do the work.” For the artists who choose to stay, LaRose’s cooperative and growing interest in local arts is providing hope for the future. Last year, Wayne White showed the local art community a bevy of new ideas with Wayne-O-Rama, and some locals are following in his footsteps. A prime example of this is Butts, who is currently operating an immersive
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COVER STORY installation at Hamilton Place Mall that is as unique and entertaining as White’s year-long exhibit on the South Side. Entitled InsideOut Land, it might best be described as a psychedelic Chattanooga Nature Center—imagine Disney-meets-Joe Rogan at the mall. Butts tells us, “InsideOut Land was an ambitious undertaking. It’s interesting how it has been received—I think Chattanooga has a ways to go as far as really accepting some things that are being prized in other parts of the country, in the art world. We have a chance to be real pioneers here, and that is empowering, scary, and a lot of fun.” EDUCATION, HISTORY, AND MORE Kat Morris has been painting murals since 1973, and does everything from graphics and lettering to photo-realistic images. This week, it is especially relevant that she painted a mural in East Brainerd at the Great American Filling Station to commemorate the 9/11 tragedy. In addition to other commercial projects like the Car Barn and Southside Social, Morris has painted many murals in public schools—more than 100 murals in Catoosa County alone. She says, “The schools spend money on murals because they value the results, and what it means to the students and the parents. The kids are encouraged to stay and learn in the space by the colorful art.” The importance of murals in scholastic environments hasn’t gone unnoticed by Kevin Bate—he recently installed a mural at Dalton State College, and just signed a contract for a mural at UTC, a project that will begin in the next few weeks. He is also interested in educating, saying “I would be 8 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
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I think Chattanooga has a ways to go as far as really accepting some things that are being prized in other parts of the country, in the art world.”
interested in doing something through the Chattery, teaching a class on painting murals, so that people don’t make the same mistakes I did. I want to get a lot more artists interested in painting murals.” AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING “Murals change cities,” say Llanos, “they change people. You can get up on a gloomy day and see all gray all around you, and how will you feel? Gray. Think about getting up on a gloomy gray morning, but when you leave your house those ugly gray buildings are colorful pieces of art. Your day changes. Murals bring hope to communities, and most importantly, they make art accessible to all, not just the elite. Muralism is art for the working class, and that’s something we should never forget.”
Though there has been much progress, the transformative power of murals is only just beginning to affect Chattanooga—there is a long and joyous undertaking ahead for local muralists. LaRose says, “I want to see more diversity in our local work. We have a lot of the same kind of murals in Chattanooga, so I’m really excited to get more people making work, get more people into town making new things, and really challenge our aesthetic as a city, maybe with more murals that are focused on design, color, and pattern. I’m excited to see the murals diversify.” “There are people here who have the talent and knowledge to do large projects,” Bate says. “Let’s start doing these large projects, and getting Chattanooga noticed for more large masterpieces in its downtown area.”
COLUMN · SHADES OF GREEN
Species And Youth Are Endangered Join the fight to keep the Endangered Species Act effective
T Sandra Kurtz
Pulse columnist
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Rather than selections fully based on biological considerations, this ESA backtracking calls for economic considerations to be part of the decision making on a case-bycase basis.”
Sandra Kurtz is an environmental community activist, chair of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance, and is presently working through the Urban Century Institute. You can visit her website to learn more at enviroedu.net
HE AMAZON FOREST BURNS. Summers are hotter than ever. Extinction rates increase. Plastics pollute the ocean. Glaciers melt. Pollinator numbers diminish, reducing food supply. Wetland and forest ecosystems disappear due to development. Catastrophic storms continue in unusual places while droughts occur elsewhere. People migrate seeking farmable land. The present Federal administration walks back both clean air and miles per gallon regulations, resulting in increased fossil fuel emissions. Fracking releases methane gas and encourages earthquakes. Rising sea levels flood coastal cities with increasing regularity. Tropical diseases spread north. The list can go on and on. In short, we are eating our seed corn. Like canaries in coal mines, our actions are setting off alarm bells. The latest is the weakening of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This 1973 act has been instrumental in saving the bald eagle, along with thousands of other species. ESA special protection to save certain species has met with 99 percent success. Today, the bald eagle is off both the endangered and the threatened list. The ESA is protecting more than 1,600 plant and animal species. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, one million species face extinction. Yet President Trump has instructed Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt to gut the Endangered Species Act. These rule changes target species that need to be added to the list. Rather than selections fully based on biological considerations, this ESA backtracking calls for economic considerations to be part of the decision making on a case-by-case basis. That will make it harder to add species to the list. The Center for Biological Diversity and allies are suing. To briefly summarize the ESA, it says we must provide for the conservation
of endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife, and plants because they have been rendered close to extinction as a consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation. Because they are of value, a list of endangered species and species threatened with extinction shall be published and regulations shall provide for the conservation of the listed species. There is also an international piece within the ESA that prevents loss of species like giraffes that poachers kill and sell for use in consumer products. Each state list shows endangered and threatened species that may or may not be on the Federal ESA list. There are 67 rare species in Tennessee. You may know about the snail darter, but how about the South Chickamauga crayfish, the pink mucket and rough pigtoe mussels, the highfin carpsucker, the tri-colored bat, the least bittern, gibbous panic-grass, or the white fringeless orchid? All these and more are on the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation’s list of endangered and threatened species present in Hamilton County. Too bad insects aren’t included in the ESA, as they, too, are critically important to the whole web of life and we are losing them. And why does it matter that species are rapidly disappearing? How many nails can you remove from a building before it falls? For starters, the disruption of complex and delicately balanced ecosystems not only brings extinctions, but also derails human quality of life. Will future existence require the wearing of masks
and very skinny, unhealthy people living in underground abodes? Then there’s the moral component. Like your mother told you, “Clean up your messes.” Since humans have caused much of the problem due to over-consumption and destruction of said ecosystems, shouldn’t we bear responsibility for repair? Renowned biologist and author E.O. Wilson says the one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us. So, we owe it to our descendants to leave them a chance for quality living and happiness on a healthy, supportive planet. Since most species live on private land, save whatever habitat you can. During the week of September 2027, young people will be calling for climate action around the world during the Global Climate Strike. That includes our own local strike on September 20 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in front of the bridge at the Aquarium. Show up, cheer them on, and speak out. For their sakes contact your legislators and urge them to assure that the Endangered Species Act lives on doing its part to protect all life on Earth.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Poets Are Appearing Everywhere In Town When you start looking, verse is all around you
Come Get Your Hands Dirty Satisfy the need to “Get Your Hands Dirty” this Saturday at Scenic City Clay Arts. If you’re getting tired of the same weekend routine, break out of your comfort zone, try something new, and come out of it with a new skill. On this night, you will learn how to throw your own unique pottery. After you make your special piece of pottery, the SCCA professionals will finish it with the glaze of your choice. Just a month later, you will come home with a finished piece to add to your kitchen table. You have never sat at a pottery wheel before? No worries. This class is designed for those with no experience. It is highly recommended you come wearing clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Come with a friend, date, or by yourself to learn how to perfect this ancient craft. The art of ceramics will never die, so why not learn and enjoy the process? You are sure to cherish your unique piece for years to come. Hurry, though—signing up in advance is a must because these classes fill up fast. The event will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. — Lauren Justice
By Olivia Haynes Pulse contributor
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Unearthing the pulse of poetry in Chattanooga felt a little bit like detective work with a side of anxiety.”
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HE LOCAL POETRY SCENE IS AN EVOLUTIONARY beast: open mics come and go, events are started with great enthusiasm and then abandoned, never to be heard from again. Despite what on the surface may seem like a bleak state of affairs, the desire to create and share poetry is alive and well in the community. Both professional and closeted poets want a poetry scene, and they want it to thrive. In February of last year, this magazine published an article on the poetry scene titled “Many Voices, One Chorus” that highlighted some of the major players in the scene at the time as well as parsing through some of the major difficulties facing the com-
munity (namely, segregation). While many of the individuals highlighted in that article are still active and involved in the community (Christian J. Collier’s documentary on the poetry scene, which was mentioned in “Many Voices, One Chorus”, premieres later this month), many of the standing events have fallen by the wayside, making room for a new generation of poetry events, and opening doors for poets to express themselves through perhaps previously unexplored avenues, from the ole standby
open mic to typewriter poetry on the radio. As a newcomer to the poetry scene, unearthing the pulse of poetry in Chattanooga felt a little bit like detective work with a side of anxiety; the poetry community was not particularly easy to locate, and while it teemed with professionals and performances, there didn’t seem to be a regular place for the casual poet: the person with a 9-to-5 job and no creative outlet. I reached out to several venues, and Stone Cup Cafe responded with open arms—they had been looking for someone to host a poetry open mic. This was the beginning of Poetry, Pups, and Pints, a weekly, dog-friendly, poetry open mic at Stone Cup. I started this open mic selfishly—I wanted somewhere to share what I was writing, and as a recent college grad, I was sorely lacking in community. Soon, it was apparent that other people needed this space as well, and Triple P quickly grew into a warm and welcoming community where people could share their works in progress, their polished masterpieces, and anything in between. As the open mic began to attract more seasoned poets (spoken-word magicians like Demond Moultrie and Denise Adeniyi made appearances), it was like I suddenly couldn’t unsee the poetry scene.
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If you’re trying to find a community of poets, look to open mic nights, organized poetry performances, or even your own friend’s living room.”
Once I knew where to look, it seemed like there were people all over town clamoring to have poetry heard or otherwise witnessed. At the Sunday market, for instance, typewriter poets have been cropping up as a weekly occurrence. I approached one of these street-poets-for-hire, Meredith Garrett, and she wrote a beautiful poem about poetry for me on the spot. Meredith, who goes by the street name River City Street Poet (no pun intended), first saw someone producing typewriter poetry on an anniversary trip to New Orleans. The sound of the keys drew her in, and she had a poem written for her about the month of September. Drawn to the wistful charm of the typewriter, Meredith had already considered purchasing her own, and after seeing the unique craft of the street poet and realizing there was no one in Chattanooga regularly pursuing typewriter poetry, she set up camp on the bridge to create her own. Without a mentor readily available, Meredith had to make her own way with street poetry, and since the prac-
tice is considered busking, she was able to set herself up at the market regularly. Perhaps the greatest marketing tool is pure visibility, because Meredith’s practice has grown and she is now hired for private events and has made appearances on the radio, typing out poems based on wild news stories (talk about improv!). Typewriter poets and open mics aren’t the only outlets for poetry in town. The Chattanooga Poets Collective, organized by Bird White, meets approximately once a month to write and read poetry together as a small group. The poetry is often based on the place of the meeting, which changes each time. If you’re trying to find a community of poets, look to open mic nights, organized poetry performances, or even your own friend’s living room. The poetry scene in Chattanooga once seemed elusive or inaccessible. Now, poets are crawling out of the woodwork from all corners of life and all corners of town. Maybe we were here the whole time… Heck, maybe we were all just shy.
THU9.12
FRI9.13
SAT9.14
Host with the Most
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-theMoon Marigolds
Chattanooga Ballet Nutcracker Auditions
Local celebrities try their hand at stand-up comedy, representing their favorite local charities in a night of unexpected humor. 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. thecomedycatch.com
As inspirational comingof-age tale of poverty set in the 1960's. 7:30 p.m. The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. bapshows.com
Ever wanted to be part of a holiday classic? Here's your chance to get in the holiday spirit early. 12:30 p.m. Chattanooga Ballet 817 N. Market St chattballet.org
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • THE PULSE • 11
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR THURSDAY9.12 Handbuilt Dinnerware with Carrie Anne Parks Noon Scenic City Clay Arts 301 E. 11th St. (423) 883-1758 sceniccityclayarts.org Oil Painting with Susan Budash 1 p.m. Reflections Gallery 1635 Rossville Ave. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 5 p.m. Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. 431 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com Alley Hour 5:30 p.m. Cooper’s Alley 10 E. 7th St. Opening Night of “Things of Beauty” by Vesela Baker 5:30 p.m. Gallery 1401 1478 Market St. (423) 265-0015 gallery1401.com Art from the Heart 6 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. (423) 708-8500 feedtableandtavern.com Fearless Abstract: Abstract Painting for All 6 p.m. The Chattery at Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Host with the Most 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Alcoholics Not Anonymous Comedy Open Mic 8 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 682-8200 chattanoogabarley.com
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Country Line Dancing Class 8 p.m. Westbound Bar 24 Station St. (423) 498-3069 westboundbar.com
FRIDAY9.13 Artist in Residence: Alan Shuptrine and Jennifer Pharr Davis 5:30 p.m. The Edwin Hotel 102 Walnut St. (423) 713-5900 theedwinhotel.com Cassandra Armstrong 7 p.m. Frequency Arts 516 Tremont St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Michael Kosta 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds 7:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. LaFayette, GA (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com WWE Live 7:30 p.m. McKenzie Arena 720 E. 4th St. wwe.com Improv "Movie" Night Presents: Book Adaptation 8 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Video Game Night 8 p.m. Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 521-3977 stonecupcafe.com Ruby Falls Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Good, Old-Fashioned Improv
Show 10 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Queens Of The Silver Screen: Hollywood Glamour Night 11 p.m. The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com
SATURDAY9.14 Watercolor Sketching: A HalfDay Workshop 9 a.m. The Chattery at Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. publicmarkets.us Corner Market on 55th 10 a.m. The Woodshop 5500 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 991-8876 thewoodshop.space Soap Making Demonstration 10 a.m. Brainerd Farmers Market 20 Belvoir Ave. localharvest.org West Village Green Farmers Market 10 a.m. Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Smile A While Reading + Signing with BlackCatTips Noon Clumpies Ice Cream Co. 1401 Market St. (423) 648-5425 clumpies.com Chattanooga Ballet Nutcracker Auditions 12:30 p.m. Chattanooga Ballet 817 N. Market St (423) 265-0617 chattballet.org Macramé Workshop with
Mother Mé I 2 p.m. Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Get Your Hands Dirty 6 p.m. Scenic City Clay Arts 301 E. 11th St. (423) 883-1758 sceniccityclayarts.org Michael Kosta 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds 7:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. LaFayette, GA (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com Your Stories 8 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Chatt Talk Tonight: Growing Up 9 p.m. The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com
SUNDAY9.15 Collegedale Market 11 a.m. Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. collegedalemarket.com Chattanooga Market 12:30 p.m. The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Artful Yoga With Tania Aldana-Aguilar
“Things of Beauty” by Vesela Baker 1:30 p.m. The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds 2:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. LaFayette, GA (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com Tony Tone and Friends 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
MONDAY9.16 Summer Belly Dance Session 5:45 p.m. Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd. (423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Joggers & Lagers 6 p.m. Chattanooga Brewing Co. 1804 Chestnut St. (423) 702-9958 chattabrew.com River City Dance Club 7:45 p.m. Peace Strength Yoga 3800 St. Elmo Ave.
(813) 731-9581 rivercitydanceclub.com Comedy Open Mic Night 9 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com
TUESDAY9.17 Paws to Read 4 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Chess K-night 5 p.m. Mad Priest Coffee Roasters 1900 Broad St. (423) 393-3834 madpriestcoffee.com Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Paths to Pints 6:30 p.m. The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 682-8234 taphousechatt.com Free Comedy Show 6:30 p.m. The Moxy 1220 King St.
(423) 664-1180 moxy-hotels.marriott.com His Testimonies, My Heritage Book Release 6:30 p.m. The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Book Launch: Dave Connis in conversation with Matthew Hubbard 7 p.m. Star Line Books 1467 Market St. (423) 777-5629 starlinebooks.com Open Mic Comedy 7 p.m. Common General 3800 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 521-0065 Poetry, Pups & Pints 7:30 p.m. Stone Cup Café 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 521-3977 stonecupcafe.com
WEDNESDAY9.18 Main Street Market 4 p.m. 522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Art & Crafts with Amy BrewerDavenport 4 p.m. Hutton & Smith Brewing Co.
431 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com Handcrafted Happy Hour 4 p.m. WanderLinger Art Gallery 1208 King St. (423) 269-7979 wanderlinger.com Artsperiences! 6 p.m. Mad Knight Brewing Company 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 825-6504 madknightbrewing.com Improv Open House 7 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Open Mic Night 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m. The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • THE PULSE • 13
THE MUSIC SCENE
The Return Of Endelouz Impeccable production, slice-of-life content
Hotbox The Block: Smoking, Hip Hop & Funk Do you love hip hop? Or are you a fan of funk? How about live music? If your answers to the previous questions are a resounding yes, then go online right now and buy tickets for Hotbox the Block. Hotbox the Block is a monthly micro-festival held somewhere in the Chattanooga area. This month it will take place at Stone Cup Cafe. The festival, while short, will include 20 to 25 local artists performing on three different stages. You’ll get to hear a variety of music styles ranging from hip hop to funk. The festival is hosted by The Midnight Puff, a local hip hop lounge dedicated to creating a safe environment to de-stress. The festival is sponsored by local hemp businesses, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and local black businesses. So, if you love live music, smoking, hip hop, or funk, then come to Stone Cup Cafe this Saturday. The festival starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 3 a.m. Tickets range in price from $10 to $25 and can be bought on Facebook. For more information, call The Midnight Puff at (423) 305-9178 or Stone Cup Cafe at (423) 521-3977. — Mackenzie Wagamon
By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor
“
The EP isn’t sad, it’s just life with its ups and downs that in the end adds up to a familiar, relatable, lovable picture.”
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A
LITTLE OVER SIX YEARS AGO I WROTE MY FIRST piece for The Pulse. It wasn’t my first stint writing for a paper, but it was my first in so long that I adorably set out to arrange a convenient time to meet with the band leader at a local bar. We had some beers. I furiously scribbled notes (eight or nine pages worth) in a small spiral bound notebook while a meter maid put a parking ticket on my car. I went home and spent the evening laboring over a piece that was dutifully submitted the next morning ahead of deadline. Two things came from that first endeavor. First, it went over well enough that I’ve managed to somehow stay gainfully employed by the paper ever since. Secondly, it dawned on me that in an age of texting, instant messaging, email, Skype, and, god forbid, picking up the phone, the complications of scheduling and rescheduling
sit-down interviews on the other side of town are hardly efficient or necessary. Also, to paraphrase the great Douglas Adams, deadlines make really cool noises as they go whizzing by. That first interview and article was with and about Endelouz and what a pleasure it is six years later to revisit my old friend, his band, and their newest EP. Mama’s in the Backstreet is slated for release on September 20th, and the trio of Jack Kirton, Dennis Hubbard, and Joey Berkley (along with featured guest Randy Steele) has
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I simply cannot envision a more professional arrangement or recording. These guys know their business like no one else.” demonstrated why they are, and have been for many years, some of the most respected performers in the area. The title track is more Elvis Costello than Elvis Costello has been in decades. A bright, poppy, upbeat tune, “Mama’s in the Backstreet” is a classic switcheroo whose party anthem style belies its grim subject matter. Extremely clever in its writing, performance, and production, the tune features what I can only describe as “rock and roll banjo”. Yeah, yeah, I know what that looks like on the page, but give it a listen and you’ll be genuinely impressed by the range of an instrument too often regulated to very predictable status. “Get Her Back Again 2019” features an organ and rhythm guitar that give it a distinctly reggae feel, though more in the style of
certain new wave Brit bands influenced by reggae than an actual reggae band. Like the title track (and every track for that matter) it features a level of production almost unheard of on a hometown band’s album. I simply cannot envision a more professional arrangement or recording. These guys know their business like no one else. If those two tracks evince a certain retro new wave flavor, “Bad Advice 2019” eschews that for a classic blues-driven rock and roll style, a la early Rolling Stones. From a personal perspective, lines like “I got some bad advice, I tried it twice” resonate ferociously with MY misspent youth. I have a feeling that plenty of listeners will have no problem hearing their own story in this sweet tune. The EP rounds out with “I Remember Our Home”, a relaxed ballad that seems
wistful without delving in to the maudlin. It’s a classic “one in the morning” tune, the sort of show closer you expect when the crowd is tired but happy, couples get in a slow dance before the lights come up for the night, and the morning isn’t as far away as one might like. One of the true marks of the band’s skill, both in writing and performance, is that this collection of tunes doesn’t hold back on the emotion, but avoids the pitfalls of predictable sappiness. The EP isn’t sad, it’s just life with its ups and downs that in the end adds up to a familiar, relatable, lovable picture. It’s a work of art, and you can preview some of the tracks on Bandcamp now ahead of the release later this month. It is an especial high water mark in a scene that is bristling with talent and a treasured addition to any collection.
Swinging And Stomping
Fresh off the release of one of the year’s best albums, the 9th Street Stompers will be appearing this Friday the 13th (with a full moon, no less) at Barking Legs Theater for an evening of swing music and dancing. The evening kicks off at 7 p.m. with free lessons in swing dancing (so be sure to bring your best dancing shoes). Then from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. you’ll get the opportunity to show off what you’ve learned with a scorching set of swing music from one of Chattanooga’s most beloved groups. The 9th Street Stompers are an outfit of well-dressed nocounts chopping on acoustic instruments and singing about
life, death, love, and liquor. They cull up the musical scenery of an era when the lines between swing, gypsy jazz, blues, rockabilly, and tango weren’t nearly as hard and fast as the drinking and dancing. Barking Legs features a gorgeous dance floor and one of the more acoustically perfect rooms to be found anywhere, the ideal venue to travel back in time to an era spanning pre-prohibition to the post-war boom. Tickets are available in advance for eight dollars, ten dollars at the door, so grab your dancing shoes and hoof it up with the Stompers at Barking Legs this Friday night! — MTM
THU9.12
FRI9.13
SAT9.14
Rev. Sekou & The Freedom Fighters
The Scarlet Love Conspiracy
Jerry Douglas The Earl of Leicester
A unique musical style blending Mississippi Hill Country, Arkansas Delta Blues, and Memphis Soul. 6 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. bessiesmithcc.org
One of the best bands in town takes the stage along with The Tennessee Tremblers. 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
Preserving and promoting the legacy of bluegrass legends Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • THE PULSE • 15
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR THURSDAY9.12 Rev. Sekou & The Freedom Fighters 6 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. bessiesmithcc.org Shawnessy Cargile 6 p.m. Charlie’s BBQ & Bakery 2309 E. Main St. (423) 541-1500 Elaine Cole 6 p.m. 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Thursday Night Live Jazz 6 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic Thursday 6 p.m. Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Naomi Ingram 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Rick Rushing 7 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Toby Hewitt 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Open Mic Night 7 p.m. Gate 11 Distillery 1400 Market St. gate11distillery.com Michael DeBacker, Sherry Cothran, E.T. 7 p.m. Heritage House Arts Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. chattanooga.gov Grizzly Fowler 7:30 p.m. Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. cambridgesquaretn.com Dustin Concannon 7:30 p.m.
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Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Butthole-Fart Rockers, Planet Terrestrial, Lul Lion, Victoria Priest 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
FRIDAY9.13 Carlos Colon and his Tropical Swing Band 11 a.m. Miller Park 910 Market St. millerparkmarket.com RYLY’s “Young + Naïve Tour” 6 p.m. Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com Preston Ruffing 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Craig Hendricks 7 p.m. The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Spinster 7 p.m. OddStory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.com Tim Hughes Quartet 7 p.m. Virgola Wine Bar 608 Georgia Ave. chattanoogawinebar.com Johnny Monster Band 7:30 p.m. Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. cambridgesquaretn.com Maria Sable 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com The 9th Street Stompers
8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Steve Miller and Maya Trippe 8:30 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Barron Wilson 9 p.m. The FEED Co. Table and Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Matt Stephens Project 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com The Scarlet Love Conspiracy, The Tennessee Tremblers 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Randall Adams 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Velcro Pygmies 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Nicholas Williams 9:30 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com McKinley James 10 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixon Pike tremonttavern.com Voodoo Slim 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SATURDAY9.14 Danimal 10:30 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Sweet Georgia Sound 12:30 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium Plaza
1 Broad St. publicmarkets.us No Big Deal 6 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Gino Fanelli 6 p.m. Edley’s Bar-B-Que 205 Manufacturers Rd. edleysbbq.com Courtney Holder 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Hotbox the Block 7 p.m. Stone Cup Café 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Hit Town 7 p.m. Gate 11 Distillery 1400 Market St. gate11distillery.com Share the Road 7:30 p.m. Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. cambridgesquaretn.com The Righteous Brothers 7:30 p.m. The Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Jessie Jungkurth 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Abigail Dowd 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Hannah G 8 p.m. Barley Chattanooga 235 E MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Weatherman 8:30 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Jerry Douglas and The Earl of Leicester with Twisted Pines 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St.
songbirdsguitars.com The Lix 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Timberwolf 9 p.m. Trish’s Sports Bar 4762 Hwy. 58 (423) 269-8400 Ra and The Flames 9 p.m. SkyZoo 5709 Lee Hwy (423) 521-2966 Jordan 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com We Are Us with Jerome Obholz 9 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Voodoo Slim 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SUNDAY9.15 Albi and The Wolves 11 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Mark Andrew 11 a.m. The Edwin Hotel 102 Walnut St. theedwinhotel.com Carl Pemberton 11 a.m. Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jordyn Pepper Noon 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Travis Bowlin 12:30 a.m. The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Danimal and Friends
12:30 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Rebekah Todd 1:30 p.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com The Other Brothers 2 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Sabrina Murdaugh 2 p.m. The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m. Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. Zack Dallas 5 p.m. 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Them Coolie Boys 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
MONDAY9.16 Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Blues Night Open Jam 7 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Open Mic Night 7 p.m. Fiddler’s Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. (423) 994-7497 Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m. The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8
wellonthesouthside.com
TUESDAY9.17 Joylene 6 p.m. Charlie’s BBQ & Bakery 2309 E Main St. (423) 541-1500 Ryan Ramey 6 p.m. 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Acoustic Bohemian Night 6:30 p.m. Mexi-Wing IX 6925 Shallowford Rd. mexiwingix.business.site String Theory Season 11 6:30 p.m. Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. huntermuseum.org Danimal 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Space Jam Open Mic 7 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Open Mic Night 7 p.m. The Bicycle Bar 45 E. Main St. facebook.com/TheBicycleBar Webb Barringer 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Pickin’ N Pints 7:30 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Live Jam Session 8 p.m. Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com The Growlers with Video Age 9 p.m.
Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com
WEDNESDAY9.18 Arlo 6 p.m. 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Eric Kirkendoll 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Dexter Bell & Friends 7 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Open Mic & Jam Night 7 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Popa Chubby 7 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Jimmy Dormire 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Randall Adams 8 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m. Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Ryan Back 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Ruston Kelley 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • THE PULSE • 17
ERNIE PAIK’S RECORD REVIEWS
New Music From Biota, Rey Sapienz
Biota Fragment for Balance (ReR)
Rey Sapienz Mushoro (Hakuna Kulala)
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(and probably difficult for most listeners). In the early ‘80s, the musical part of the group started calling itself Biota, while the “Mnemonists” moniker then referred to the visual artists in the collective, whose artwork was included in Biota albums. While Biota’s music often seems to be beyond mere genres, aspects of folk music have a presence in Biota’s body of work, and this has become more prominent than ever in recent efforts including 2012’s Cape Flyaway, 2014’s Funnel to a Thread and the group’s latest fulllength album, Fragment for Balance. With its ever-evolving lineup, Biota now seems to align more closely with British folk-rock than anything else, with vocalist Kristianne Gale sometimes bringing to mind Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention, and the acoustic guitar is the dominant instrument in play, among strings, brass, accordion, and piano parts and many others.
he career of the Colorado-based group Biota has many extraordinary moments that are compelling, dense, and strange, while bearing a certain sonic lush elegance, even when things get muddled and complicated. Using acoustic source material and electronic processing, the group systematically builds its meticulously crafted studio work that feels timeless, creating a continuum that conjures arcane traditions filtered through modern methods. The word “biota” refers to the plant and animal life of a certain region, and with this in mind, the work of Biota is like magnifying the unknown, zooming in on a patch of wilderness, digging through the dirt and shaking bushes to see what creatures emerge and present themselves. Before Biota, there was the Mnemonist Orchestra, formed in 1979, which then released fascinating music under the name Mnemonists. This music was often dark and abstract
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Certain elements, like the muted trumpet on “Rivers Apart” or the piano on “On a Level Place”, suggest odd hints of jazz, but free from any particular jazz forms. While Biota continues to have an air of mystery, the more folk-based approach—while more accessible than certain other Biota efforts—doesn’t always reach the flat-out weirdness that this critic admires. However, there’s an otherworldly strangeness that is summoned on certain jumbled tracks, with great disorienting effect; “Compass Well” is noteworthy because rhythmically and melodically, its pieces fit together, but the overall effect is that something is offbalance, but in a fascinating and charming way.
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oukous is Congolese dance music that became popular in East Africa in the ‘70s, marked with jubilant, fast rhythms and fluid, melodic electric guitar lines, and it has continued to evolve today, in the hands of musicians who are part of a generation that embraces new technology yet still keeps the basic elements of the dance genre to retain the joy and excitement of the original style. One such musician is the promising Rey Sapienz, who was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo but now resides and works in Uganda, due to the political situation in his home country. Rey Sapienz began sing-
ing as a kid in a church choir before rapping at the age of 12, and soon after teaching himself to produce music just two summers ago, he created his first EP Hakuna Kulala, which also shares its name with the record label that he co-founded. Rey Sapienz’s new EP Mushoro, released on cassette and as a digital download, is a potent romp that wastes no time in generating bristling energy and establishing a style, using unsubtly sharp, stabbing drum beats with a distinct tug, attention-grabbing sounds that resemble alarm warnings and some menacing tones that linger and lurk in the background—things move quickly, but among the euphoria, there are elements that make things thornier than one might expect. If you bent this music even further into a more sinister direction, you might even end up with an industrial, post-punk era sound. Vocalists Whisky and Papalas make appearances on the six-track Mushoro, and Rey Sapienz saves his best for the final two tracks. “Mabulu” seems to have Jamaican dub influences with its ample echoing, and its wildly treated vocals use pitch shifting and delay effects; “Entainetenment” is insistent and persistent, with a high Peter Hookesque bassline, closing out Mushoro with its wonderfully mutated version of soukous.
JONESIN' CROSSWORD
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Novelist Wallace Stegner wrote, “Some are born in their place, some find it, some realize after long searching that the place they left is the one they have been searching for.” I hope that in the last nine months, Virgo, you have resolved which of those three options is true for you. I also trust that you have been taking the necessary actions to claim and own that special place—to acknowledge it and treasure it as the power spot where you feel most at home in the world. If you have not yet fully finished what I’m describing here, do it now.
“Be a Superhero”—they all wear one. ACROSS 1 Technique taught at the Groundlings and UCB 7 Here, in Paris 10 Like 7 or 13 13 Airport serving Tokyo 14 Magnetic metal 15 “La ___ en Rose” 16 ___ Berry Farm (California theme park) 17 1991 De Niro thriller, or what you shouldn’t have when answering the theme clues? 19 “Caribbean” plant more commonly called allspice 21 Holy Roman leader (abbr.) 22 Golf course supply 23 Piano exercises 26 “I’m off!” 28 Chiwetel Ejiofor, in 2019’s “The Lion King” 31 Donut maneuver 32 Start of many rap names 35 Cracker in sleeves 37 ___ Wonder (Robin’s nickname) 38 Puzzle activities
where you want to leave? 41 Film street of nightmares 43 Turn from bad to mad, maybe? 44 Luau paste 45 Inventive Goldberg 47 “Eat It or ___ It” (Smosh Pit show on YouTube) 49 “Diary of ___ Black Woman” (2005 film) 53 Phobic 55 Old saying 58 Drink that may be pale or Scotch 59 Key ingredients in boba tea 63 1990s web browser now owned by Verizon 65 Silent film’s successor 66 Olive loved by Popeye 67 Scott Turow memoir about law school 68 More malevolent 69 Small, in Scotland 70 Former M&M hue 71 Can’t stand DOWN 1 Type of computer
printer 2 Bahrain’s capital (not to be confused with a Central American country) 3 On time 4 “One Day at a Time” star Moreno 5 Super Bowl XXV MVP Anderson 6 Explorer ___ da Gama 7 “Dies ___” (“Day of Wrath”) 8 Duracell battery feature 9 Unskillful 10 Adds vocals to, maybe 11 ___ de los Muertos 12 ___ Spiegel 14 Gathering of the Juggalos band, to fans 18 Family conflict 20 Freemium game breaks, often 24 “Achtung Baby” co-producer Brian 25 Tough section of a jigsaw puzzle, maybe 27 “Happy Days” hangout 29 Minotaur’s island
30 Go on the radio 33 Neat drink’s lack 34 “The People’s Princess” 36 Where zebras may be spotted 38 Fortify for fighting 39 Pizzeria order 40 “Pulp Fiction” role 41 “Nurse Jackie” settings 42 “Star Trek” captain Jean-___ Picard 46 Notable timespans 48 Org. with wands and X-ray machines 50 The Duchess of Sussex’s original surname 51 Partners 52 Dry zone 54 Center of Disney World 56 Director Michael of the “Up” series (now at “63 Up” in 2019) 57 Make on a loom 60 Amenable 61 Cartoon unit 62 Hit the ground 63 Right this moment 64 Knack for detail
Copyright © 2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents perminute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 953
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Earth’s species are going extinct at a rate unmatched since the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. Among the creatures on the verge of being lost forever are birds like the cryptic treehunter and spix’s macaw, as well as the northern white rhino and the vaquita, a type of porpoise. So why don’t we clone the last few individuals of those beleaguered species? Here are the answers. 1. Cloned animals typically aren’t healthy. 2. A species needs a sizable population to retain genetic diversity; a few individuals aren’t sufficient. 3. Humans have decimated the homes of the threatened species, making it hard for them to thrive. Conclusion: Cloning is an inadequate stopgap action. Is there a better way to address the problem? Yes: by preserving the habitats of wild creatures. Inspired by this principle, Libra, I ask you to avoid trying halfway fixes for the dilemmas in your personal sphere. Summon full measures that can really work. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Though patched together and incomplete, the 2,200-year-old marble sculpture known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace is prominently displayed at Paris’s Louvre Museum. It’s a glorious depiction of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, and is regarded as one of ancient Greece’s great masterpieces. For hundreds of years it was missing. Then in 1863, an archaeologist discovered it, although it was broken into more than a hundred pieces. Eventually, it was rebuilt, and much of its beauty was resurrected. I see the coming weeks as a time when you, too, could recover the fragments of an old treasure and begin reassembling it to make a pretty good restoration. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “I’ve learned that I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me,” said actor Sidney Poitier. That can be a dynamic meditation for you during the next three weeks. I think you will derive substantial power from putting it into action. If you’re ingenious and diligent about finding those positive outlets, your anger will generate constructive and transformative results.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1905, at the age of 30, Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote the novel “Anne of Green Gables” . It was a tale about an orphan girl growing up on Prince Edward Island. She sent the manuscript to several publishers, all of whom rejected it. Discouraged, she put it away in a hatbox and stored it in a closet. But two years later, her ambitions reignited when she re-read the story. Again she mailed it to prospective publishers, and this time one liked it enough to turn it into a book. It soon became a bestseller. Since then it has sold over 50 million copies and been translated into 36 languages. I figure you Capricorns are at a point in your own unfolding that’s equivalent to where Lucy Maud was shortly before she rediscovered the manuscript she’d put away in the hatbox. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Toxorhynchites are species of large mosquitoes that don’t buzz around our heads while we’re trying to sleep and will never bite our skin or suck our blood. In fact, they’re our benefactors. Their larvae feast on the larvae of the mosquitoes that are bothersome to us. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose that you be alert for a metaphorically comparable influence in your own life: a helper or ally that might be in disguise or may just superficially seem to be like an adversary. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Audre Lord identified herself as a black writer, lesbian, librarian, mother, feminist, civil rights activist, and many other descriptors. But as ardent as she was in working for the political causes she was passionate about, she didn’t want to be pigeonholed in a single identity. One of her central teachings was to celebrate all the different parts of herself. “Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat,” she testified. These approaches should be especially fun and extra meaningful for you in the coming weeks, Pisces. I encourage you to throw a big Unity Party for all the different people you are. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Hi, I’m your sales representative for UnTherapy, a free program designed to provide healing strategies for people who are trying too hard. Forgive me for being blunt, but I think you could benefit from our services. I don’t have space here to reveal all the secrets of UnTherapy, but here’s an essential hint: every now and then the smartest way to outwit a problem is to stop worrying, let it alone, and allow it to solve itself. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): People in Northeast India weave long, strong suspension bridges out of the living roots of fig trees. The
structures can measure up to 150 feet and bear the weight of hundreds of people. In accordance with astrological omens, let’s make these marvels your metaphors of power for the coming weeks. To stimulate your meditations, ask yourself the following questions. 1. How can you harness nature to help you to get where you need to go? 2. How might you transform instinctual energy so that it better serves your practical needs? 3. How could you channel wildness so that it becomes eminently useful to you? GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you climb to the top of Mt. Everest, you’re standing on land that was once on the floor of a shallow tropical sea. Four-hundred-million-year-old fossils of marine life still abide there in the rock. Over the course of eons, through the magic of plate tectonics, that low flat land got folded and pushed upwards more than five miles. I suspect you Geminis will have the power to accomplish a less spectacular but still amazing transformation during the next ten months. To get started, identify what you would like that transformation to be. CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 1996, when Gary Kasparov was rated the world’s best chess player, he engaged in a series of matches with a chess-playing computer named Deep Blue. Early on in the first game, Deep Blue tried a move that confused Kasparov. Rattled, he began to wonder if the machine was smarter than him. Ultimately, his play suffered and he lost the game. Later it was revealed that Deep Blue’s puzzling move was the result of a bug in its code. I’ll encourage you to cultivate a benevolent bug in your own code during the coming weeks, Cancerian. I bet it will be the key to you scoring a tricky victory. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): American hero Harriet Tubman escaped slavery as a young woman. She ran away from the wealthy “master” who claimed to “own” her, and reached sanctuary. But rather than simply enjoy her freedom, she dedicated herself to liberating other slaves. Nineteen times she returned to enemy territory and risked her life, ultimately leading 300 people out of hellish captivity. Later she served as a scout, spy, and nurse in the Union Army during the Civil War, where her actions saved another 700 people. In 1874, the U.S. Congress considered but then ultimately rejected a bill to pay her $2,000 for her numerous courageous acts. Don’t you dare be like Congress in the coming weeks, Leo. It’s crucial that you give tangible acknowledgment and practical rewards to those who have helped, guided, and supported you.
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FILM & TELEVISION
Adults Are The Real Monsters But will the new Stephen King movie adaptation get it right?
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an an entire city be haunted? Haunted as some houses are supposed to be haunted?” Mike Hanlon asks this question in the first interlude of Stephen King’s sprawling, complex novel “It”. By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor
“It” is likely my favorite of King’s books, as unfocused and strange as it might be. I love the structure of the book, the way the narrative jumps timelines to tell the same story twenty-seven years apart, maintaining a steady grip on the characters before losing the plot in interdimensional mysticism. The book is filled with themes about growing up and facing fear, about sacrifice and hope, about friendship and promises. But as much as the story focuses on the characters, the book is also about the rot beneath an entire town, about the ineffective systems that allow that rot to fester, and the people who turn a blind eye. It’s easy to blame the misery of Derry on an otherworldly clown creature, but as Eddie Kaspbrak said: “adults are the real monsters.” These are the aspects of the book that I connected with most—that people are source of the violence and monsters can only exploit it. There have been two adaptations of “It” and neither have explored these ideas effectively. It makes sense, I suppose. The easier thing to do is to focus on the 20 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
surface level themes. It: Chapter Two is the conclusion of the story begun by director Andy Muschietti and it’s likely the best adaption fans are going to get. For that reason, it should be celebrated. The films are capably made and finely performed. What else is there, really? Twenty-seven years after the events of It, the infamous town of Derry is celebrating its annual Canal Days festival. A young gay couple offends a group of local homophobes and a severe beating ensues. When Adrian Mellon is tossed over the side of a bridge into the canal, it marks the beginning of a new cycle of death, brought about by the re-emergence of Pennywise the Clown. Mike Hanlon, an original member of the Losers Club, takes note. He has been tracking the history of Derry and watched for signs of the creature. He finds one on the underside of the bridge—a bloody message encouraging the others to “come home.” Hanlon begins making calls. The members of the club have long since left Derry and do not remember the events of the first film. They are all highly successful in their chosen careers; some are even world famous. But as their phones ring and they
learn of the new cycle, they suddenly remember their promise to Bill— “if it’s not dead you’ll all come back.” Come back they do, although they don’t really remember what they’re coming back for. It’s soon too late for them to change their minds. The ideas presented in the film are as largely simple. Children fear the unknown and their imaginations are stoked by it. Adults hold onto to those fears into adulthood. To truly grow up, you must let those fears subside. This is as complex as the films get because it’s a deep as most audiences will allow. Both It films are made for a mass audience, hence the reliance on jump scares and noise to sell the fear. The truth is “It” was never a truly scary book—it’s an entertaining adventure story of cosmic proportions. The films do the story as much justice as they can, although there are some baffling editing decisions and quite a few frustrating pacing issues. These are more prevalent in It: Chapter Two, with its two-and-ahalf-hour run time. There seven members of the Losers Club and each one has to have an individual scare session with the clown, which makes the film predictable and slow in some parts. There are some changes from
✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴
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It: Chapter Two is the conclusion of the story begun by director Andy Muschietti and it’s likely the best adaption fans are going to get.”
the books, changes present in both films, that are problematic. For instance, Mike Hanlon’s backstory was changed from being the son of a small farming family to the only survivor of a fire in a crack den, which is concerning as Mike is the only person of color in the film. I can’t come up with any good reason for this change. Additionally, the Ritual of Chud, the ceremony necessary for defeating Pennywise, was given to Bill by Maturin, the World Turtle, in the books. In the film, Mike discovers the ritual by visiting a local Native
American tribe. While I understand that cosmic turtles are hard to work into a Hollywood narrative, this smacks a little too much of the “magical Indian” stereotype. Still, the performances are wonderful all around. If the film is too long (and it is), at least the audience gets to spend their time with a highly capable cast doing their best to be believable and earnest. It: Chapter Two isn’t the best movie around, but it’s not the worst either. If you’re a fan of the book, you’ll likely find enough to love.
The Goldfinch A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Director: John Crowley Stars: Finn Wolfhard, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson, Ansel Elgort
Hustlers Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. Director: Lorene Scafaria Stars: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer
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COLUMN · GAME ON!
Making Gaming Great Again Some original content to shake off terminal videogame pessimism
H Brandon Watson Pulse columnist
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Here are three titles that may restore some faith in the video-game industry if not offer up some thrills while soaking up that delicious A/C before the sweet release of Fall.”
When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.
OLD ON TO YOUR THUMBSTICKS, folks, because we may be riding high on the videogame rollercoaster crest of 2019! The start of the year was a dismal drop into some horribly executed and half-assed grabs for digital wallets and microtransactions. Yet out of the chaotic miasma of greed and shallow creativity some beautiful gems have surfaced to keep hope alive for gamers still interested in having their digital entertainment served up with healthy portions of weirdness and originality. Here are three titles that may restore some faith in the video-game industry if not offer up some thrills while soaking up that delicious A/C before the sweet release of Fall. Remnant: From the Ashes Gunfire Games is an Austin-based developer with a pretty impressive portfolio of titles ranging from Darksiders III to super fun VR games. I’m not sure if Gunfire is a developer that has pinned down any specific type of games to create. They seem to be blind-firing at a cyclic rate in terms of builds and designs and from the looks of it they are hitting the marks. Remnant is a third person online coop/offline single-player venture into a post-apocalyptic hellscape with intriguing enemies and huge bosses. The art design is a tasty mashup of H.P. Lovecraft and Guillermo Del Toro liberally spread over thick Dark Souls toast. From the jump you will notice established influences, but this only make the endless roguelite smash and blast adventure more fun. The controls are tight and responsive and the co-op, while a bit unwieldy, is actually some of the best I’ve experienced in a while. Though the story isn’t for everybody, the visuals and gameplay hooks keep you diving in just for the thrill of it. For the price, it’s a great foray into a fantastic upside-down world with angry alien kudzu and trippy weapons.
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Control Remedy Entertainment has been the flag bearer for games that have created industry standards for third person shooters since Max Payne back in the day. My man Sam Lake and company have returned with another unique world to explore—a world filled with mystery, intrigue, gunplay, and weirdness galore. The visuals are eye-popping, with realistic physics and perceived weight to objects in the environment. The story is a strange adventure into a secret government paranormal research facility with the protagonist being gifted with awesome abilities. Telekinesis, levitation, and mind control paired up with a service weapon that can literally change at the will of the wielder all make for a great time smacking the otherworldly forces around with extreme prejudice. While Control is not narratively as compelling as Max Payne or Alan Wake, it does establish a coherently bizarre world with a fine list of characters to interact with. However, it’s all about the righteousness of ripping up the scenery and smashing bad guys with maximum destruction. It’s been a while since a game made me feel like a badass, but this one definitely will corrupt you with absolute paranormal power. Control is the Jedi-meetsMen-in-Black shooter we may not have wanted but never knew we needed. GreedFall Spiders is a French developer who has spun some digital gold over the decade with cult sleeper hits that mostly PC gamers are aware of. They’ve ranged from point-and-click mystery games to super
frustrating Dark Souls clones that cause migraines. I’ve been no stranger to setting a few of their titles on blast; but what they miss in gameplay they always make up with originality. Their latest game, GreedFall, is set in a seventeenth-century fantasy world and looks to be a complete RPG experience that could finally bring Spiders to prominence in the videogame industry. The game centers around a player-created protagonist charged with finding a cure for a mysterious plague on an island filled with monsters, warring factions, and magic. At the time of writing this I’ve barely scratched the surface of all GreedFall can be and it’s with all the hope I can muster that this game will make singleplayer RPGs great again. A huge player campaign, player choice-driven narratives, unique party members, strange monsters, trifold hats and flintlock pistols? Just shut up and take my coin already! Oh baby, what a time to be alive and a gamer! With the creative forces at work this year, I’m very excited to see what will be in store for us over the next couple of months, especially for the holiday releases. Until then, there is more than enough to keep your thumbs and mice busy until the New Year.
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