The Pulse 12.03 » January 15, 2015

The Pulse

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

january 15, 2015

The Modest Man Behind the Major Changemaker Pete Cooper’s revolutionized the Community Foundation

MUSIC

arts

screen

downbeat pop

stained twist

to "life itself"

jamaican glass art thumbs up

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Contents

The Pulse CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Gary Poole Contributing Editor Janis Hashe

January 15, 2015 Volume 12, Issue 3

Contributors Rich Bailey • Rob Brezsny Madeline Chambliss • John DeVore Steven W. Disbrow • Matt Jones Louis Lee • Marc T. Michael Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib • Alex Teach Cartoonists & Illustrators Rick Baldwin • Max Cannon Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow Editorial Interns Eugene Campbell • Gavin Gaither Kristina Kelly

Features

Founded 2003 by Zachary Cooper & Michael Kull

4 BEGINNINGS: Want to play ball, old-style? Here’s your chance.

ADVERTISING

Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Julie Brown Angela Lanham • Rick Leavell Chester Sharp • Stacey Tyler

CONTACT

Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 Website chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II 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 © 2015 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

honest music

8

A Very Modest Man

What do the 21st Century Waterfront and a recent college graduate have in common? Each makes Chattanooga a better place and each received funding from the Greater Chattanooga Community Foundation.

10

Play That Rocksteady Music, Mon

In the beginning there was ska, and it was good. Ska begat rocksteady and it was good. Rocksteady begat reggae and it was very good. BOOM! Sixty-five years of musical evolution in Jamaica summed up in three silly sentences.

16

Not Just For Churches Anymore

Visionary artists are almost unanimously inspired by the metaphysical; by mysticism, dreams, visions, and even hallucinations. Their art seeks to take the viewer away from reality in an attempt to transcend the physical world. It’s quite common to see visionary paintings, but one of Chattanooga’s artists has put a new twist on the genre.

4 science: Prof. Disbrow gives us the poop on medicinal...poop.

12 MUSIC CALENDAR 14 REVIEWS: Al Lover zones out, Maurice Louca throws a studio party.

15 consider this 15 JONESIN’ CROSSWORD 18 ARTS CALENDAR 20 SCREEN: “Life Itself” is worthy documentary about Roger Ebert.

22 on the beat: Officer Alex explains the concept of comparing apples to oranges.

23 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

local and regional shows

Winteractive Tour featuring Freddie Bunz, John Stamps, Ace One, Blu Bamu, Stoop Kids [$5]

Thu, Jan 15

Live Trivia every Sunday afternoon from 4-6pm Ryan Oyer hosts Open Mic every Wednesday @ 8pm

$3 NEWCASTLE PINTS DURING THURSDAY SHOWS

9 pm

Full food menu serving lunch and dinner.

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35 Patten Parkway * 423.468.4192 thehonestpint.com * facebook.com/TheHonestPint

chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 3

news • views • rants • raves

BEGINNINGS

updates » CHATTANOOGApulse.com facebook/chattanoogapulse EMAIL LOVE LETTERS, ADVICE & TRASH TALK TO INFO@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Batter Up, Vintage Version Want to play baseball, old-style?

Here’s your chance.

“

They all seemed to follow the same creed of ‘no spittin’, no swearin’ and no gloves!’”

Baseball didn’t start with multi-million dollar contracts and $10 beer. As simple as that sounds, most sports fans don’t think about the roots of their favorite games. Complex statistics and boundless advertising are far removed from the humble beginnings of “base ball” (its original spelling), a sport dubiously attributed to the myth of Abner Doubleday that likely began long before the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.

Rules were spurious and disparate, depending on where the game was played, but they all seemed to follow the same creed of “no spittin’, no swea-

rin’ and no gloves!” The Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball is bringing this simpler time to Chattanooga this spring.

On Father’s Day in 2014, Chattanooga had its first look at vintage base ball at an exhibition game between the Nashville Maroons and the Highland Rim Distillers at Engel Stadium. At first glance, the game is faster paced, even with the slower pitching and shorter distances. It has the exjohn devore citement of the modern game without the lulls of commercial breaks and ponderous pitching.

It has more than enough action to hold the interest of even the youngest in the crowd while maintaining the pastime feel of America’s favorite game. Everything appears authentic, from the uniforms to the bats to the umpires to the speech used by the players. It’s a game with its own rich vocabulary, using phrases like “strikers to the line” and “stir your stumps.” This is a style of base ball not found anywhere else. A vintage base ball game is “part living-history, part sporting event,” meant “to entertain and educate… by recreating the civility of 19th-century base ball.”

But why play vintage baseball? Founding member and director media Justin Brown says, “What drew me to the game was the game itself. I’ve been obsessed with baseball, specifically the Chicago Cubs, for as long as I remember. I spent all my free time in the summers as a kid at the baseball

Rave

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field…I played through high school and still look for any excuse I can find to be around the game. I could never really find anything that filled the void of actually playing baseball. When you think about it, there aren’t a lot of outlets people can take after high school when it comes to actually playing baseball besides church or rec league softball...Like a lot of our members, I’m just glad I get the chance to play ball again.”

Chattanoogans now have that chance. The league is expanding into our area for the 2015 season and looking for a few more ball players. They are hosting a training camp at the 6th Cavalry Museum at Fort Oglethorpe (6 Barnhardt Circle, Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742) on Saturday, Jan. 17 from noon – 4 p.m. So, if you want to play base ball from a more civilized time, wax up your mustache, trim your beard, and leave your glove at home for a true gentleman’s game.

For more information about the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball or any of its teams, events, rules, customs, etc.; contact Justin T. Brown at CCO@TennesseeVintageBaseBall.com

EdiToon

by Rick Baldwin

TechTown Camp Promises MLK Day Fun Bring on the robots!

If you’re looking for something fun for your future innovator to do this Martin Luther King Day, then plan to have your child attend TechTown’s pop-up technology camp on Jan. 19 at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.

Recommended for kids ages 7-17 (but open to anyone), the session will provide campers with an introductory robotics and circuitry experience.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., kids will see how electronics work, and be able to “build and play with robotics and safely experiment with circuitry.” The camp is free and there is no signup required to attend.

Snacks will be provided, and those who arrive early will receive a free T-shirt while supplies last.

Already known for their year-round after-school programs and summer

IN THIS ISSUE

Louis Lee Our cover story this week on the longtime community work of Pete Cooper is by Louis Lee, who has been involved in journalism dating back to his days on the high school newspaper staff. After a stint in the U.S. Navy, he worked for a weekly newspaper in Baton Rouge,

camps, the TechTown folks strive to provide “an environment that encourages exploration and creation through an individualized path of discovery.”

While the camp gives kids the opportunity to work with robotics, TechTown offers programs in all aspects of technology, including 2D & 3D design and animation, video production, and more.

TechTown Technology Camp, 11 a.m. Monday. Jan. 19. Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 308-7730, gotechtown.com — Madeline Chambliss

Tony Mraz then returned to college for formal training in television news. He came to the Tennessee Valley in 1991 to work for WDEF-TV as a videojournalist, a reporter who shoots his own stories. While working in the media and raising a family, Louis gave back to his community by volunteering as a reserve deputy sheriff in Bradley County.

Louis is now an award-winning documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist.

One of our newer contributors, Tony Mraz joined our writing family last fall and has become a valued regular. He is a local artist, musician, and writer who grew up in Dalton, Georgia before moving to Chattanooga to attend high school at the Chattanooga

School for the Arts and Sciences. After his time at the Kansas City Art Institute, he lived in Kansas City, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans and Northern California. In his career as an artist he has produced thousands of paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, murals, and works of digital art. He has written over 50 songs and is currently writing a novel.

He now lives and works at his studio in Red Bank. chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 5

Another Crappy Column Prof. Disbrow gives us the poop on medicinal...poop

“

This procedure seems to be slowly making its way out of the realm of pseudoscience and into the world of actual medicine.”

Steven Disbrow is a computer programmer who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development. He’s also an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personality and parent of two human children.

fatal.

I think it’s fair to say that “Intestinal Microbiota science can be messy. EsTransplant” (“IMT” or pecially medical science.

“Fecal Transplant”) is a I mean, there’s blood and procedure whereby the Inbones and synovial fluids testinal Microbiota (“gut and…. poop. bugs”) of a healthy person That’s right, I said poop (preferably a relative) are (a.k.a. “feces”). Believe transplanted it or not, poop, into the intesspecifically hutinal tract of man poop, is a not-healthy being used to person. treat intestinal The goal of disorders.

STEVEN W. this action And, if you’ll DISBROW is that the take your finhealthy bugs will set up gers out of your ears, and shop and thrive inside the stop saying “La la la, I’m guts of the recipient and not listening,” I’ll explain replace the missing bugs, how it works. thus restoring health.

As you probably know, we Now, there are several humans aren’t actually 100 ways that this transplant percent human. In fact, can be accomplished. In its not too far-fetched to almost every case, the imagine each of us as a colhealthy donor poop is relection of a large number moved and placed in a saof different microbial cololine solution. This is then nies that decided to work introduced into the gastogether so that all the trointestinal tract of the other microbes out there recipient via one of the folwould stop eating them. lowing methods: These different groups of Colonoscopy: The most microbes that live in and common method of delivon our bodies all have a ery, the mix is delivered task to fulfill for the benvia modified colonoscopy efit of the overall organism equipment while you en(i.e. “you” and “me”) and joy a relaxing, anesthesiaif one group of microbes induced nap. gets sick or goes missing, Enema: In this case, the impact on your overall the mixture is delivered health can range from bevia a setup similar to what ing annoying to straight-up

6 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

Just A Theory

your grandmother had on hand. (Well, OK. It’s probably not exactly the same equipment, butt the idea is the same.) It’s doubtful that anesthesia is involved, but (t) it should be.

Pills: Really? Pills? Pills made of another person’s poop. You swallow them... and...you get better? Sure.

Why not? Poop Pills! (Follow-up psychotherapy to deal with the fact that you had to swallow pills full of poop is probably also advised.)

Tube: Nasogastric Wait. No, no. That can’t be right. “Naso” means “nose,” doesn’t it? Let me just Goog…Oh, God! No! Now, at this point, you may be thinking that I’m making all this stuff up, but I’m not. This is something people have been doing for a long time.

It started with the 4thcentury Chinese, who used a preparation they called “Yellow Soup,” and continues to this day. (All of the delivery methods I mentioned above? Those are all real, and to my mind, all preferable to anything called “Yellow Soup.”)

As to whether or not it works, well, that’s a different question. As with any other crazy “medical” procedure, you can easily find a quack that will happily shove stuff up your bottom for money. However, this procedure seems to be

slowly making its way out of the realm of pseudo-science and into the world of actual medicine.

Various studies on the efficacy of IMT when used to treat “Clostridium difficile” (a gut bacteria that can get out of whack and cause life-threatening diarrhea), have actually shown a success rate between 89 and 95 percent. That’s pretty amazing for something which, honestly, seems like a crappy idea.

(To be clear, C diff is the only ailment that the FDA has approved IMT for.)

You’ll often hear IMT proponents say that, to date, there’s no record of anyone dying or contracting a secondary infection as a direct result of IMT. But that’s only when done in a proper hospital-type setting where all potential donors and their poop are screened for disease before their stools are put to use.

There are however, a lot of butt-heads out there that have decided that IMT is a perfect “DIY” home remedy. These folks regularly end up with bowel infections that they hadn’t bargained on and have to be hospitalized anyway.

So, are fecal transplants pseudo-science or actual medicine? Honestly, the jury is still out, and anyone that tells you different is full of…well…you know.

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COVER STORY

The Modest Man Behind the Major Changemaker Pete Cooper’s revolutionized the Community Foundation.

So he’s moving on.

Story & Photography

by Louis Lee

“

The graduation rate for Foundationfunded scholars is triple that of others.

More than 70 percent of GCCF students get the degree they seek.”

W

hat do the 21st Century Waterfront and a recent college graduate have in common? Each makes Chattanooga a better place and each received funding from the Greater Chattanooga Community Foundation. In fact, the Foundation has had a hand in bringing about many of the best changes in Chattanooga over the last quarter century— even though the Foundation was chartered 50 years ago.

The first board meeting was held in 1964. But, somehow, the Foundation never seemed to catch on and was dormant until around 1990. That’s when Pete Cooper was brought in to see if it was even a viable entity. At the time, Cooper was the senior vice president at Suntrust Bank in charge of the charitable trust department. He was ready for a new challenge, and accepted the Foundation’s offer. Cooper says his first year at the foundation involved some fundraising, but mostly included explaining what a Community Foundation was.

The idea has been around for a hundred years, but didn’t catch on in the South until the ’60s. Community Foundations are clearing houses for charitable giving. They facilitate making connections between philanthropists and causes. They also provide education to nonprofits in how to make the best use of the resources they receive.

That first year, The Greater Chattanooga Community Foundation had assets of around $27,000. In other words, very much the same as the previous 27 years. “We didn’t have an office, a computer or a wastebasket,” admits Cooper.

“This year we’ll give away a little more than $16 million in grants.”

The money goes toward everything

8 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

from funding the city’s arts projects to sending disadvantaged students to college. The impact of both cannot be overstated in how they affect the livability of the Scenic City.

Currently there are some 400 lowincome students attending classes in colleges and universities all over the country because of Cooper and the Foundation. “That’s the long-term solution to many of our problems,” he explains. “In a family that is taken out of poverty…a family that’s living in public housing where the child or children end up with bachelor’s degrees.”

Cooper explains that by helping that child get a college degree, you’re not just helping that child. You’re helping his immediate family and his future family by expanding their earning potential. You’re helping the community by creating a citizen who is a positive contributor to the economy. And you’re helping his neighborhood by providing an example that it is possible to break the chain of dependence.

One of Cooper’s favorite success stories revolves around a young person who was put through college using Foundation grants. That student went on to earn higher degrees on his own, eventually becoming an attorney. That young attorney came back to Chattanooga,

has been very successful at his profession and now mentors youth from his old neighborhood. Cooper says, quietly proud, “I think it’s the most impactful thing we do.”

There are many foundations and institutions that provide scholarships, but the students who get their money from the Greater Chattanooga Community Foundation seem to do better. Of all at-risk youths who receive scholarships, only about one in four reach graduation.

“These kids don’t have support systems like you and I think about,” says Cooper. “So we provide not just cold scholarship checks, we provide a support system in the person of Rebecca Suttles, who’s our scholarship administrator.”

Cooper says Suttles keeps in touch with all the students going to college on Foundation money. She’ll arrange for someone to drive them to the campus or buy clothes for the new semester— even talk to them when they break up with their significant others. Whatever it takes to keep the student focused on the goal: graduation.

With the help of Suttles and others, the graduation rate for Foundationfunded scholars is triple that of others.

More than 70 percent of GCCF students get the degree they seek. Then these students, almost all of whom are

the first in their families to attend, much less graduate, college, come back to give back. “When you can spread hope through a low-income population,” Cooper says, “you’ve really done something.”

The Foundation is far more than a big ATM. The business of charity is complicated and involves many people and processes. Cooper says he and his associates handle the charitable giving of more than 130 area families and businesses. “We’ve got some spectacularly generous donors in town,” Cooper says with a sparkle in his eye. “We always hear how philanthropy is big in this county. People have no idea. We have people that give away more money than they could possibly deduct.” And he says they do it year after year after year.

Most of the donors wish to remain anonymous, which is another reason the Foundation exists. It provides a way for benefactors to enrich the lives of others without receiving “embarrassing” accolades. It also provides necessary accounting for the funds as well. Cooper uses the example of a group of young entrepreneurs who wanted to start a fund to help start-ups with small amounts of money. Each member of this group would donate $100 a month and each month the group would choose a deserving person or project to fund or help fund with the money.

But the amount involved was less than $2,000 each month. For this enterpris-

ing group to do this right, they’d have to create a complicated matrix involving IRS paperwork, endless forms and specific accounting procedures. Or they could go talk to Pete Cooper.

Cooper spends about half his time consulting with donors and nonprofits explaining the “business” of charitable giving. He teaches them how to rise funds, file the paperwork, manage their assets—even if they never get a cent from the Foundation. Cooper says he works with neighborhood associations, public schools, small businesses and large corporations, handling charitable monies that theese groups simply don’t have the mechanism to properly deal with.

The Greater Chattanooga Community Foundation currently handles more than 360 separate funds disbursing millions of dollars a year to fund a wide variety of projects. What some may find amazing is that Cooper does all this relying very little on their endowment. The Foundation’s assets currently stand at more than $115 million. Yet each year, they take in and process more than $10 million in donations from more than 3,000 donors.

For example, this year they’ve collected some $13.4 million and will write more than 4,000 checks worth in excess of $16 million. There are hundreds of millions of dollars in expectancies as well. These are funds promised but not yet available because they are tied to donated 401(k)s, insurance policies, estates, etc.

Pete Cooper says he probably has the best job in the city. And to see the light in his eyes and the lilt in his voice, you’d have to agree. So why is he leaving?

That’s right. The man with the best job in the city is calling it quits. “I told the Board six years ago that I was going to retire in seven years,” Cooper explains. At 66 years old, who can blame the man for wanting a rest? But it’s more than just rest he seeks. “I want to leave while people are asking why I’m leaving rather than why I’m still here.” So the search is on.

The Board of the Foundation now has one year to find someone to fill Cooper’s big shoes. “We have a search process beginning,” Cooper says. “I will not control that process. In fact, I will probably not have a lot of input in that process.” He wants the Board to find a replacement while there’s time for him to ease control over to the new person. An orderly passing of the reins, so to speak. He’s sure there will be changes coming. There may be new marketing strategies, things may work a little differently. But one thing he is sure of. The core mission of the GCCF will not change, will not falter.

As for Cooper’s next adventure? Even he’s not sure. “There are some other things I want to do,” he says. Cooper has already been approached by two individuals with ideas of where and how he should spend his “retirement.” And somehow it’s unlikely either of them involves a sunny beach or tented cocktails.

“

This year they’ve collected some $13.4 million and will write more than 4,000 checks worth in excess of $16 million.”

chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 9

MUSIC SCENE

Play That Rocksteady Music, Mon Downbeat Abbey All-Stars bring you some Jamaica. Everything gonna be all right.

Take No Prisoners Punk Prog Pop Step Sisters’ EP is four kick-ass tracks Last week I did a feature on a very interesting band: Step Sisters. This week I’ll be taking a closer look at their self-titled debut EP. There are four tracks, which to my ear were expertly chosen to represent the dynamic range of the band.

“Vox Pop” starts off with an explosion of sound and a manic guitar riff before settling down into the throbbing bass and drums of the verses and then exploding again into the chorus.

There is a late-’70s retro feel to the tune, one that was revisited in the ’90s. Whichever angle the guys were shooting for, they wound up with a high-energy ass-kicker of a song.

“Easy Sleazy” opens with a menacing, militaristic intro (reminiscent of Nazareth in their heyday) before absolutely bursting out of the gate with a high-octane guitar riff that itself gives way to urgent, almost manic verses.

Track three (“Witness”) veers into some different territory, evoking

the sound of The Damned or Robyn Hitchcock. Still a high-energy tune, it has elements of psychedelia and goth as well that taken together make for a very interesting listen.

The EP finishes up with a glorious wall of sound called “Dumb Love.”

This, more than any other, is the tune that reminded me of Weezer at their very best and was part of the reason I dubbed the band “Prog Pop.” I stand by that designation, but I feel like I need to add that there is clearly a strong dose of punk throughout all of the music of the Step Sisters.

Another band trying to combine these elements could easily make one hell of a mess, but Step Sisters has come up with musical gold, penning tunes that are almost too clever and edgy for the radio, yet still manage to maintain enough crossover potential to be commercial chart-toppers.

— Marc T. Michael

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John Lathim & Michelle Young A classic Americana singer-songwriter duo.

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10 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

I

n the beginning there was ska, and it was good. Ska begat rocksteady and it was good. Rocksteady begat reggae and it was very good. BOOM! Sixty-five years of musical evolution in Jamaica summed up in three silly sentences. If you’d like a more visceral examination of that same musical history, just tune in the boys from Downbeat Abbey All-Stars. Rhythm guitarist and horn player Robert Waller introduced the band to me as “one of the hardestworking rocksteady groups out there” and that is accurate—but it’s just as accurate to call them ska and reggae, the whole package if you will.

Music marc t. michael

“

The instrumental tune “Surfin’” embodies the unparalleled ‘cool’ of reggae music, an irie tune if ever there was one.”

The band is, for the moment, a fivepiece, although the guys are looking to add a dedicated horn section at some point. For now, Waller plays horn when he isn’t on rhythm guitar or vocal duty.

Kevin Miller plays lead and vocals.

Jamie Danish thumps the bass while Dave DePriest bangs the drums and Rob Hoskins is the resident keyboard player and vocalist. The guys take turns on lead vocals and harmonies but the lion’s share of singing goes to Hoskins.

Collectively the band has a seriously impressive resume. Jamie, Dave and Rob have all backed major Jamaican recording artists like Freddy Notes, Eric “Monty” Morris, Don Carlos and Justin Hinds. Dave and Rob were both members of Freedom of Expression in the ’80s, the band that inspired Christian Craan to form Milele Roots, a perennial favorite here in the Scenic City.

Freedom of Expression ultimately morphed into a.k.a.: RUDIE (with a side journey as Soul Radics) where they picked up Kevin on guitar while Waller began his stint with Milele. The two bands did a few shows together, leading

“a deeply skilled groove machine”

-LOS ANGELES TIMES ‘14

WITH

GREYHOUNDS to a great deal of crossover in members and ultimately to the formation of Downbeat Abbey All-Stars.

The guys have been plugging away at an album that looks to be wrapped up around June. In the meantime, there are some excellent cuts available on the band’s Facebook page via SoundCloud.

There are some old classics, of course, “Johnny Coolman” for instance, but there are some fun and unexpected entries, too—like their loveable ska version of “What’s New Pussycat?” (which ties with Jack Black’s Korean version as my favorite interpretation of that particular tune).

Of particular note is the instrumental tune “Surfin’” that (to me) embod-

ies the unparalleled “cool” of reggae music, an irie tune if ever there was one.

I’ve made arrangements to receive an advance copy of the album, so expect to see a review of it here when it becomes available. For now the band is working on some upcoming gigs with reggae monsters The Iscariots.

Look for the double-header at JJ’s Bohemia in the coming months. With over 30 years of hardcore experience in the genre, the fellas know their business.

If you can’t come to Jamaica, then the All-Stars can, in a small but significant way, make Jamaica come to you. Respect.

“If you can’t come to Jamaica, then the All-Stars can, in a small but significant way, make Jamaica come to you.”

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LIVE MUSIC JANUARY

SCARLET LOVE CONSPIRACY

15 FRI 9:30p 16 SAT 9p 17 THU 9p 22 FRI 9p 23 SAT 9p 24 WED 9p 28 THU

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A TRIBUTE TO NEIL YOUNG

ALABAMA CHIG MARTIN THE OUTLAWS

with JOSH BUCKLEY BAND

PACK OF WOLVES

with DREW STERCHI & BLUES TRIBE

BACKUP PLANET with HANK AND CUPCAKES

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PROOF THAT ROCK IS NOT DEAD!

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Ringgold Nutrition Center 144 Circle Dr. (706) 935-2541 Feel It Thursday Open Mic 7 p.m.

Mocha Restaurant & Music Lounge 511 Broad St. mochajazz.net Bluegrass and Country Jam 7 p.m.

Grace Nazarene Church 6310 Dayton Blvd. chattanoogagrace.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7 p.m.

Mexi Wings VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Paper Diamond, Torro Torro, Nadastrom 8 p.m.

Track 29 1400 Market St. track29.co Scarlett Love Conspiracy, Dana Rogers, Nick Shanahan 9 p.m.

12 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Freddie Bunz, John Stamps, Ace One, Blu Bambu, Stoop Kids, Moondog Sikes 9 p.m.

The Honest Pint 35 Patten Parkway thehonestpint.com

friday1.16 Jason Thomas and the

Pulse Pick: Leticia Wolf A grunge-rocker grown-up, a versatile song-writer, an intoxicating and engaging performer, and a real nice gal. She is most known for her thought provoking lyrical content and smoldering emotive vocals.

Leticia Wolf Friday, 10 p.m.

JJ's Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com

Mean-Eyed Cats 5 p.m.

Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. choochoo.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m.

El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com Chattanooga Acoustic Showcase 7 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Exit 60 8 p.m.

Sky Zoo 5709 Lee Hwy.

chattazooga.com Priscilla & Lil Rickee 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Roughwork 9 p.m.

World of Beer 412 Market St. worldofbeer.com Amber Rose 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Lazy Horse: A Tribute to Neil Young, Ryan Oyer 9:30 p.m.

Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com The Dead Deads, Leticia Wolf 10 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Ragdoll 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

saturday1.17 Jason Thomas and the Mean-Eyed Cats 5 p.m.

Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. choochoo.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m.

El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com “Hullabowloo” with Rubik’s Groove 7 p.m.

Track 20 1400 Market St. track29.co Dara Tucker 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Black Jacket Symphony: AC/DC “Back In Black” 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogaonstage.com John Lathim & Michelle Young 8 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Exit 60 8 p.m.

Sky Zoo 5709 Lee Hwy. chattazooga.com Priscilla & Lil Rickee 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry

1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Nickel Bag of Funk 9 p.m.

World of Beer 412 Market St. worldofbeer.com Chig Martin & The Alabama Outlaws, Josh Buckley Band 10 p.m.

Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com She She Dance 10 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Ragdoll 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

sunday1.18 Jazzanooga Brunch at the Hunter 11 a.m.

The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View huntermuseum.org Southeastern Bluegrass Association Jam Session 2 p.m.

Silverdale Cumberland Presbyterian Church

7407 Bonny Oaks Dr. sebabluegrass.org 9th Annual Joint Concert 2:30 p.m.

Second Presbyterian Church 700 Pine St. secondpreschattanooga.org Sunday Night Irish Music Jam Session 5 p.m.

Grocery Bar 1501 Long St. grocerybar.com David Peterson 6 p.m.

Sugar’s Downtown 507 Broad St. sugarsdowntown.com Acoustic Gospel Jam 6 p.m.

Brainerd United Methodist Church 4315 Brainerd Rd. brainerdumc.org

monday1.19 Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com

tuesday1.20 Rick’s Blues Jam

MUSIC CALENDAR

Dara Tucker

7 p.m.

Folk School of Chattanooga 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. chattanoogafolk.com Robert Lee 6 p.m.

Sugar’s Downtown 507 Broad St. sugarsdowntown.com

wednesday1.21 Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonrestaurant.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic with Ryan Oyer 8 p.m.

The Honest Pint 35 Patten Parkway thehonestpint.com Preston Parris 8 p.m.

The Palms Lounge 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com

Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

901 Carter St Inside City Cafe (423)634-9191 Thursday, January 15: 9pm Open Mic with Hap Henninger Friday, January 16: 9pm Amber Rose Saturday, January 17: 10pm She She Dance Tuesday, January 20: 7pm

Server/Hotel Appreciation Night $5 Pitchers $2 Wells $1.50 Domestics ●

●

All shows are free with dinner or 2 drinks!

Stop by & check out our daily specials!

Happy Hour: Mon-Fri: 4-7pm $1 10oz drafts, $3 32oz drafts, $2 Wells, $1.50 Domestics, Free Appetizers

Join us on Facebook

daily lunch & drink specials!

WHERE CHATTANOOGA’S BEST ARTISTS PERFORM EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!

call & book a monday night private party!

410 market • (423) 757-wing

singitorwingit-chattanooga.com

Follow us on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) facebook.com/chattanoogapulse

chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 13

Record Reviews

ernie paik

Dark Mass of Psychedelia, Complex Sonic Stew Al Lover zones out, Maurice Louca throws a studio party has the tension of a score for a psychological horror film and manages to make a tambourine sound menacing.

It’s a simple formula on Sacred Drugs—take a loop and build it up—but Al Lover takes it far, with dense assemblages that evoke fascinating monstrosities.

T Al Lover Sacred Drugs (Crash Symbols/Psych Army)

S

an Francisco producer and past rapper Al Lover expands on his former all-sample-based method to one that introduces live instrumentation, heard on his latest album Sacred Drugs. As stated in an interview with The Quietus, his intention was to make a zone-out album—and indeed, one can be hypnotized by his repetition and frequent use of loops.

However, Sacred Drugs is much more than that, being a thick, dark mass of psychedelia, going beyond mere gray soundscapes to make a captivating and ominous concoction that sounds huge.

On “A Shaman’s Hand is

Maurice Louca Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan (Salute the Parrot) (Nawa) Infinite,” the first thing that grabs the listener is its absolutely sick (in the best way, mind you), distorted keyboard line, eventually thickened by a mirroring bass line and enhanced by deep hip-hop/funk beats.

In this writer’s mind, “Jupiter Birth” imagines a genre— the sci-fi western epic—with a forceful, oppressive mood and feeling of impending doom; the keyboards are run through a violent tremolo effect, and spacey, whistling synth melodies tilt the proceedings offbalance.

“Sun from the Jungle” uses what sounds like it could be a sample from perhaps some

14 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

lost ’60s Krzysztof Komeda soundtrack; it takes a nice loop then just keeps building and building, like a dirty snowball rolling downhill to form a gigantic snowman.

“Breath as Metaphor” uses a dusky and meaty electric guitar riff loop, contrasted with whirling melodies that flutter in a whimsical way, and “Super Strength (Power Plants)” with vocalist Morgan Delt offers a murky groove and momentum that resembles the ’70s band Suicide.

Sacred Drugs reveals an obsession with atmospheric details like amp hum and vinyl surface noise, like that heard on “Nature’s Tuning,” which

he second album from Cairo, Egypt-based musician Maurice Louca, Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan (translated as “Salute the Parrot”), is a complicated stew with what sounds like the results of a studio party with 13 guest musicians and singers; its attitude seems to be to throw it all against the wall and see what sticks, and no element is too odd or disparate to find a home in the mix.

The album is a blend of electronic music, with sampling and synths, and traditional instruments, including the rababa (a bowed string instrument) and buzuq (a lute).

Acoustic drums—in the form of drum kits and hand-struck percussion—sit alongside beatbox patterns with relative comfort, providing a muddled genre backbone, at times resembling hip-hop, dance-oriented forms or more nebulous rhythm-worlds.

The opener “The Golden Age” uses a slow, heavy beat (think “When the Levee Breaks”) with startling synth hits and flying, manic melodic

lines on the keyboard, bringing to mind the work of Syrian Omar Souleyman.

The album’s title track features electro shaabi MC Alaa 50 Cent with a distorted voice among the electronic bloops and drum machine beats, and “Idiot” reveals its complex strata through subtraction— during its breakdown, the listener can focus on a compelling small ensemble of hand percussion and violin improv.

“Rupture” is a weird amalgam and offers a little space with a more moderate tempo, with a dub-esque mood with echoing vocals and accordion parts; “Salt Pans” is a maelstrom of polyrhythms and electronic squeals, and “It Will Set” even features some free jazz sax squawking from Alan Bishop (formerly of Sun City Girls).

One way, heard often here, to try to find new musical territory is to smash together unexpected ingredients; however, the one notable disadvantage of Louca’s method of presenting vocalists with somewhat cheesy contemporary soundeffect treatments is that they are firmly placed in the present era—the consequence of which is that tomorrow, they will already sound dated.

Still, it’s refreshing to hear Louca’s inclusive sonic attitude with rich ingredients, leaving fresh footprints on his explorations.

Consider This with Dr. Rick

Jonesin’ Crossword

matt jones

by Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.” — Anais Nin I was standing in a checkout line recently, and heard the woman in front of me complaining to the cashier that it was “a terrible day outside.” She looked perfectly miserable as she gazed out the window and frowned at the rain.

I began to think about how when we have a sunny day, we might say, “What a nice day it is today” and when we have other sorts of weather, the kinds of weather most people don’t like, we might say, “What a terrible day!” In reality, the day is just a day. We’re the ones who endow it with certain meaning and give it adjectives. But what if someone likes the rain, or the dampness or dark clouds? Is it a “terrible” day to them? Are the adjectives we use describing the day, or describing us?

Why is it that we don’t look outside at the rain and say, What a beautiful day?

ACROSS 1 Affected mannerisms 5 “The Munsters” son 10 Dollar bill’s weight, roughly 14 Abbr. on a bottle of Courvoisier 15 New, in Nogales 16 2000s sitcom starring a country singer 17 Response to King Kong after being carried away?

20 Depression Era agcy.

21 Checks out suggestively 22 Big song 25 Type 27 Urban blight 29 Haifa resident, e.g.

31 Roofing material 32 Castellaneta, the voice of Homer on “The Simpsons” 35 Low poker hand 36 One-eyed character on “Futurama” 38 Bob Hope’s entertainment gp.

39 King Kong’s act of barroom generosity?

43 Mighty tree 44 Meteorologist’s tracked prediction 45 Parallel, e.g.

46 Retreating 47 “___ favor!”

48 Breakfast fare where you might take your lumps?

51 Catch forty winks 52 Earth orbiter until 2001 53 Punctured tire sound 54 Corrective eye surgery 57 “Dawson’s Creek” actor James Van ___ Beek 59 King Kong’s hopedfor response?

67 Paste alternative 68 Constellation with a belt 69 Bring under control 70 “The camera ___ 10 pounds” 71 Becomes liquid 72 Christian Louboutin item DOWN 1 Beginning for

the birds?

2 Patriot ending 3 “Ruh-___!”

(Scooby-Doo gulp) 4 Disgorge 5 Final purpose 6 Penn & Teller, e.g.

7 “Slumdog Millionaire” actor ___ Patel 8 “So, ___ been thinking...”

9 Musical taste 10 Allman brother who married Cher 11 Slot machine spinner 12 Up to the task 13 ___ movement 18 “Four and twenty blackbirds baked in ___” 19 “Yay, team!”

22 “Hungry Hungry ___” 23 Washington dropped from “Grey’s Anatomy” 24 Deceptive 26 East Texas city or college 27 Parent not related by blood 28 ___ liquor 30 Boat full of animals 32 Job description list

33 Yoga postures 34 Prestigious prizes 37 Iberian Peninsula’s cont.

40 “Looks like ___ too soon” 41 File cabinet label for the latter half of the alphabet 42 “A Nightmare on ___ Street” 49 Actors Quinn and Mitchell 50 Uno + dos 51 Small change?

54 Annika Sorenstam’s gp.

55 “___ Lang Syne” 56 Poker option 58 Charlie Brown utterance 60 Burt Reynolds co-star DeLuise 61 Hematite, e.g.

62 “Star Trek: TNG” alum Wheaton 63 Forget-me-___ 64 “Boo-___!”

65 Music genre with a lot of guyliner 66 “What’d I tell ya?”

Copyright © 2015 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 0710 chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 15

ARTS SCENE

Not Just For Churches Anymore Sarah Hiles makes stained glassworks that are both quirky and complex

Layer Upon Layer (upon layer) Modern magazine design explored at the Hunter Print media has come a long way since its inception, not just in terms of content, but also in terms of layout. Every now and then, publications get a “new look,” The Pulse being no exception.

If you’ve ever wondered what a zine is or have been curious about how a publication’s layout affects a reader’s interpretation, then plan to attend the program, “The Layers of Layout” on Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Hunter Museum of American Art. Lead by Aggie Toppins, assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, those in attendance will learn about the ever-evolving magazine genre and “how the design of images and text influences the way we

interpret print media,” through the Hunter’s current exhibit “The New York Times Magazine Photographs.”

On display through Mar. 22, this exhibit is described as “a behindthe-scenes look at the collaborative, creative processes that have made this magazine the leading venue for photographic storytelling within contemporary news media.”

“Layers of Layout” will run approximately an hour and a half. The cost to attend is regular museum admission of $9.95.

Get in touch with your inner Saul Bass or Paula Scher and take a peek behind the many layers of graphic design!

— Madeline Chambliss

Thu1.15

fri1.16

sat1.17

local artists

music time

it's magic!

Opening Reception: “Artist Favorites”

“Ragtime”

Illusionist Jaden Maxwell

Lee Highway's premier gallery salutes their favorite artists from around the region with a friendly gathering.

4 p.m.

Reflections Gallery 6922 Lee Hwy. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com

This classic musical's approach to racial bias and discrimination is still relevant even 20 years after it first premiered.

7:30 p.m.

Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

Ringgold's own resident illusionist presents a mix of new tricks and popular classics designed to delight and mystify audiences of all ages.

6:30 p.m.

Mt. Peria Baptist Church 341 Sparks St., Ringgold (706) 866-0917

16 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

V

isionary artists are almost unanimously inspired by the metaphysical; by mysticism, dreams, visions, and even hallucinations. Their art seeks to take the viewer away from reality in an attempt to transcend the physical world. It’s quite common to see visionary paintings, but one of Chattanooga’s artists has put a new twist on the genre. By accessing the medium of stained glass, Sarah Hiles has developed a style of visionary art that is refreshing and beautiful.

Arts tony mraz

“

Hiles’s compositions glow with an otherworldly light, their organic forms radiating a very distinct and aesthetically pleasing vision.”

Stained glass, as a medium, has been around for at least a thousand years, but traditionally has been used for religious art. The glass is colored by adding metallic salts, cut into shapes, and then composited together with metal to form a translucent mosaic.

There is something interesting and delightful about an ancient medium being combined with modern subject matter. Hiles’s compositions glow with an otherworldly light, their organic forms radiating a very distinct and aesthetically pleasing vision.

We sat down with Sarah to find out what makes her tick, artistically speaking.

The Pulse: What is your earliest memory of making art?

Sarah Hiles: Making construction paper finger puppets.

TP: If you had to choose three other artists to play a game of Monopoly with, who would they be?

SH: Genghis Khan, Jake the Dog, and a spider.

TP: What is your favorite thing about working with stained glass?

SH: Colors!

We Are Saving Mobile Lives 1906 Gunbarrel Rd. 423-486-1668 (Next to GiGi’s Cupcakes)

5425 Highway 153 423-805-4640 (Next to CiCi’s Pizza)

cellphonerepair.com/chattanooga

TP: How did you learn the craft?

SH: I have been a professional metalsmith for 15 years and I taught myself to make stained glass. I learned to metalwork at the Appalachian Center for Craft and the Memphis College of Art where I earned a bachelors of fine art in metal in 2002.

TP: Can you tell us a little bit about the processes you use?

SH: I use the traditional Tiffanystyle copper foil technique. First, I imagine up a design and draw a stencil. Then, I cut and shape the glass pieces to fit like a puzzle. The edges are carefully wrapped with thin copper foil strips and soldered with an iron. Last, it is cleaned, patina is applied, waxed and framed.

TP: What are you doing to challenge the media?

SH: With a diamond saw I am able to cut quirky complex shapes. The glass conforms to my drawn lines, presenting a modern style. I like to have

“Stained glass is a skillful craft of heirloom quality art. Nothing equals it for enlivening a home with colorful beams throughout each day. ” a challenge piece in every design as a reminder to work carefully.

TP: What inspires your choice of subject matter?

SH: Plants and animals are my favorite. Oceans, space, history, mythology and Melatonin.

TP: Do you do custom work as well?

SH: Yes, but winter is not ideal because thermal shock cracks the glass.

Stained glass is a skillful craft of heirloom quality art. Nothing equals it for enlivening a home with colorful beams throughout each day. I am currently booking for spring at northchatt.glass.

TP: Do you have any plans for the future? Upcoming shows, projects, etc.?

SH: I have a small stash of available work shipping directly from my studio. There are visions of large, complicated pieces in my future… something about Palenque and flying squirrels in jade green.

TP: Any observations about our local art scene?

SH: Chattanooga has a richly talented pool of resident artists.

TP: Any advice for other artists?

SHL Whatever it is that you make, make a lot of it.

••• To see more of Hiles’s stained glass art, visit her website at northchatt.glass

This could be yours...

Buy. Sell.

Trade.

ChattanoogaHasCars.com

chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 17

ARTS CALENDAR thursday1.15

for more info call 706.820.2531

See RockCity.com

“Zero for Conduct” Film Screening 2, 7 p.m.

Heritage House 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 Opening Reception: “Artist Favorites” 4 p.m.

Reflections Gallery 6922 Lee Hwy. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com JFGC: Reception for Noa’s Exhibit 5:30 p.m.

Jewish Cultural Center 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Hunter Happens: The Layers of Layout with Aggie Toppins 6 p.m.

Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org The Photographic Society of Chattanooga: Bootcamp 6 p.m.

St. John United Methodist Church 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 344-5643 chattanoogaphoto.org Winter Workshop: Ease into Yoga 6:30 p.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888

18 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

Sandhill Crane Migration outdoorchattanooga.com Kristin Key 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Ragtime” 7:30 p.m.

Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

friday1.16 River Gorge Explorer Sandhill Crane Cruises 11 a.m., 2 p.m, Sale Creek Marina 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy (423) 785-3007

Pulse Pick: Kristin Key She seems like any other sweet, sexy, well-behaved preacher’s daughter… until she opens her mouth. A finalist on Last Comic Standing4, she has earned the title “The Preacher’s Kid Gone Wild.”

Kristen Key The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

tnaqua.org “Ragtime” 7:30 p.m.

Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Kristin Key 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

saturday1.17 St. Alban’s Hixson Farmers’ Market 10 a.m.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-1342

Teacher Appreciation Day at the Tennessee Aquarium 10 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org River Gorge Explorer Sandhill Crane Cruises 11 a.m., 2 p.m.

Sale Creek Marina 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy (423) 785-3007 tnaqua.org Brainerd Farmers’ Market 11 a.m.

Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (423) 698-0330 Illusionist Jaden Maxwell 6:30 p.m.

Mt. Peria Baptist Church 341 Sparks St., Ringgold (706) 866-0917 “Before The Revolution” 7 p.m.

Jewish Cultural Center 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Kristin Key 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Ragtime” 7:30 p.m.

Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

ARTS CALENDAR

Shen Yun 2015 Global Tour

sunday1.18 River Gorge Explorer Sandhill Crane Cruises 11 a.m., 2 p.m.

Sale Creek Marina 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy (423) 785-3007 tnaqua.org Jazzanooga 2015: Brunch at the Hunter Museum 11 a.m.

Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “Ragtime” 2:30 p.m.

Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Kristin Key 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

monday1.19 River Gorge Explorer Sandhill Crane Crusies 11 a.m.

Sale Creek Marina 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy (423) 785-3007 tnaqua.org Chattanooga Bicycle Club 6 p.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga

200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Graduate Recital: Pianist Ying Shan Su 6 p.m.

Lee University Humanities Building, Squires Recital Hall 1250 Parker St. NE, Cleveland (423) 614-8240 leeuniversity.edu The Backlot: A Place for Film Makers 6:30 p.m.

Heritage House 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 Senior Recital: Clarinetist Maria Shepherd 8 p.m.

Lee University Humanities Building, Squires Recital Hall 1250 Parker St. NE, Cleveland (423) 614-8240 leeuniversity.edu

tuesday1.20 Benefit Night for the Chattanooga Autism Center 5 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com UTC Department of Art 2015 Student Exhibition: Juror’s Presentation 5:30 p.m.

UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. Room 356 (423) 425-4269

cressgallery.org Shen Yun 2015 Global Tour 7:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5156 chattanoogaonstage.com Chris Brubeck & Triple Play 7:30 p.m.

Dixon Center, Lee University 1120 Ocoee St., Cleveland (423) 614-8343

wednesday1.21 Main Street Farmers Market 4 p.m.

325 E. Main St. mainstreetfarmersmarket.com “Introduction to Buddhism and Zen” 7 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga 3224 Navajo Dr. (423) 622-2962

ongoing “New York Times Magazine Photography Exhibit” Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “Artist Favorites” Reflections Gallery 6922 Lee Hwy. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com “Human Plus: Real Lives + Real Engineering”

Creative Discovery Museum 321 Chestnut St. (423) 756-2738 cdmfun.org UTC Department of Art 2015 Juried Student Exhibition UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu “Light , Shadow & Color” River Gallery 400 E. 2nd St. river-gallery.com “MSA Select: A MidSouth Sculpture Alliance Member Show” AVA Gallery 30 Fraizer Ave. (423) 265-4282 avaarts.org “Member’s Choice” Gallery At Blackwell 71 Eastgate Loop (423) 344-5643 chattanoogaphoto.org “The Female Form: Raphael Soyer and Harold Cash” Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “Pioneering Pulpits: The First Ocoee Churches” Museum Center At Five Points 200 Inman St. E (423) 339-5745 museumcenter.org Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

Named “One of the Ten Most Incredible Cave Waterfalls on Earth” World Reviewer

RubyFalls.com

423.821.2544

chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 19

SCREEN SCENE

A Moving Tribute to A Man Who Loved The Movies

Before The Iranian Revolution Doc looks at the last days of Tehran's Jewish residents The Jewish Cultural Center continues its Winter Film Series with a documentary thriller describing the last days of the Israeli community in Tehran, on the eve of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

“Before The Revolution” director Dan Shadur, whose family was in Tehran at the time, uses rare archive materials to illustrate how thousands of Israelis, who enjoyed unusual affinity with the Shah’s regime, wake up one morning to find their paradise vanished.

Shadur utilizes intimate interviews with family friends, diplomats and

✴✴✴✴

former Mossad agents, along with rare 8- and 16-mm films from the era, to portray the almost unknown story of a community caught in political turmoil that changed their lives forever.

Tickets are $7 and include complimentary popcorn and a soft drink.

"Before The Revolution" Saturday, Jan. 17 7 p.m.

Jewish Cultural Center 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com

NEW IN THEATERS

✴✴✴✴

Blackhat Paddington A furloughed convict (Chris HemsA family befriends a talking bear at worth) and his American and Chinese a London train station. Based on the partners hunt a high-level cybercrime popular children's books and toy line network from Chicago to Los Angeles but with a live-action twist. to Hong Kong to Jakarta.

Director: Paul King Director: Michael Mann Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Davis, Wei Tang, Leehom Wang Jim Broadbent 20 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

“Life Itself” is a very worthy documentary about legendary film critic Roger Ebert

I

write because of Roger Ebert. He isn’t why I love movies. I loved them long before I read his column. But he is the reason I write.

I discovered him as almost everyone did, though the Siskel and Ebert television show.

Screen JOHN DEVORE

“ Empathy and love are the emotions found in abundance in ‘Life Itself.’ It is without a doubt the best film of the year.”

When I was younger, I always agreed with Gene Siskel. Siskel seemed to understand my point of view, my youth and what I was interested in. Ebert was always more sophisticated in his tastes, and my 7th-grade mind wanted no part of those pretensions. But I grew and read and saw more film. I blundered my way through a literature degree and retail work and saw more film. And I read Roger Ebert’s column from the Chicago Sun-Times. I read about movies I’d never see, from directors I’d never heard of. I read them because I liked the sound of his writing. I liked the music it made in my head.

What I found was that as Ebert wrote about movies, he wrote about other things. He expressed other opinions and connected films to other subjects. It was Ebert who taught me that films are not made in a vacuum and a “New Criticism” approach to their discussion is not always valuable. Roger Ebert found the emotion in film to be the thing and emotions are never just self-referential.

They are at times abstract, but more often a simple connection with the world. In “Life Itself,” the 2014 documentary based on his memoir, he speaks about film generating empathy. Empathy and love are the emotions found in

“Ebert passed away during the filming of the documentary but solidly refused to have the camera cut away. We see him as he was—a brilliant mind despite a failing body.” abundance in “Life Itself.” It is without a doubt the best film of the year.

The film loosely follows the structure of the memoir, introducing the critic as a young man.

It captures the voice of a man who had so much to say, about so many things, all of them worth hearing. The hardest part of writing is finding something to say.

Expressing the essential parts of yourself through words is both daring and frightening. Roger Ebert showed no fear.

The film explores every part of his life: his introduction to film criticism, which was not yet an important position, his strange relationship with Russ Myer and his screenplay for “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” his rise to legend status through the weekly verbal sparring matches of “At the Movies” with his original partner Gene Siskel, his marriage to Chaz, and ultimately his sickness and final days.

Ebert passed away during the filming of the documentary but

Movie Night Is Any Night

solidly refused to have the camera cut away. We see him as he was—a brilliant mind despite a failing body. Ebert knew that a documentary must, above all things, show the truth.

The scenes of his sickness are the hardest to watch, particularly for those who followed his work. It is difficult to see others speak for him and his frustration at not being the man he was. Ebert wrote furiously at the end of his life, updating his blog and offering his reviews to devoted, even rabid followers. He posted his final entry the day before he died, raging against the dying of the light. I was one of those followers.

Before I wrote movie reviews, before I wrote anything of note, I wrote to Roger Ebert. In particular, I wrote to him about how the cool air in autumn reminds me of football and marching band. He responded with a link to a video of my high school band playing their Halloween show. I have never been more proud of any-

thing I’ve written because the man I admired responded to me in a personal way.

He couldn’t know that something so small could mean so much to me. The film gives great insight into this aspect of his personality. He had time for people and loved to discuss their ideas.

I write because of Roger Ebert. Movies are my subject for now because they encompass so much. In my time writing for The Pulse I have expressed opinions on poverty, foreign policy, history social justice and religion. My beliefs are found here because movies give me an occasion to express them.

Roger Ebert showed me that I can do that. I have pages and pages of my thoughts published because Roger Ebert told me I could. He believed that anyone could have their say. That I get to have mine here is a boundless joy. I have never been one for celebrities—I don’t have a real desire to meet any one person. But I wish I had met Roger Ebert.

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Playing The Numbers Game Officer Alex explains the concept of comparing apples to oranges

“

Do you have people shooting crab fisherman in the back of the head because of the flotation device they wear (a clever analogous comparison to a policeman and his uniform)? Exactly.”

When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center.

As I’ve matured on the job (a.k.a. “gotten older”), I’ve learned to not take the bait for the sake of taking the bait when dealing with agenda-driven folks. It used to be a novelty. I admit it; I liked it. Once folks started going for my job like a piñata, though, it stopped being so amusALEX ing.

Lose an argument these days? Go for the career. It’s funny because I’ve had clients convicted of child abuse and I didn’t go for their jobs, but cat ladies on the Internet will go for mine for calling someone a “coward.” It’s magical.

That said, once again the age-old argument of just how non-dangerous my job is came up, and I decided to bathe in the shallow end of the gene pool again. (As I said, I like it.)

“Linemen have a more dangerous job than police officers. So do truck drivers and construction workers.

What are you always whining about? You don’t even make the top 10 list.” And so, my eyes begin to roll.

The fatality/mortality rate of police officers (and firefighters for that matter) is indeed quite low. It’s math.

I don’t deny it. But the selective takeaway is “it’s not dangerous work.” To those wishing to compare the hazards of a police officer with a fisherman, I welcome the

challenge.

Let’s try some context: How many linemen (#9) wear body armor? How many longshoreman (#2) wear body armor? How many crab fisherman (#2) wear body armor? How many lumberjacks (#1) wear body armor?

Sensing a pattern here?

TEACH Now wait.

They don’t wear body armor because when they are killed it is through “industrial accidents.”

When a police officer is killed, it is because he/she was murdered. Lumberjacks and crab fishermen are not professionally subject to homicide. They don’t even have to arm themselves with projectile weapons to defend themselves or others. Yet, a cop’s job isn’t deemed “dangerous” to folks citing these mortality indexes. You do know these jobs are different, right?

(Fun Fact: Car crashes are the number-one cause of cop deaths, actually, which makes statistical sense because they spend about 30 hours a week driving a car in conditions dangerous enough they have to be exempt from certain safety laws to get to you when you’re down.)

At any rate, you are judging the danger by the frequency of death of the professional.

As it happens, people have been trying to kill cops for years (as opposed to mining machine operators, #6) hence

On The Beat

22 • The Pulse • january 15-21, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

the development of Kevlar body armor, improved firearms, less lethal weapons to subdue people without killing them, and training, training, and training.

We also now hire college graduates when possible (compare those wages to that of a lineman’s) and even boast a few doctorates in my department. Do you have a lot of folks with doctorates working a refuse truck (#5)?

Framing a house (#10)? Roofing a house (#4)?

In other words, when you factor in training and equipment and hiring practices, we have gotten smarter about how we do business and the tools with which we do it. We are killed less as a result.

So are you really saying policing in America is less dangerous “these days”? That people have fewer guns than ever? That people are more sensitized then they were a few years ago all of a sudden?

Do you have people shooting crab fisherman in the back of the head because of the flotation device they wear (a clever analogous comparison to a policeman and his uniform)? Exactly.

But you want numbers.

OK, here are a few more from your own list: Sixteen mining machine operators (#6) were

killed in 2013, compared to the 76 cops that were killed, therefore their job is more dangerous. (Cops made the top 10 in 2010 with 146 killed when miners didn’t crack it at all, but it’s still a stupid comparison.)

More numbers: An officer is killed every 53 hours, but it’s not dangerous. In fact, there were 49,851 officers assaulted on-duty last year.

Compared to…well, damn.

They don’t keep those statistics for airline pilots, farmers or roofers on the list.

Why is that, I wonder?

By this logic, being U.S. president is possibly the most dangerous job in the country. Four out of 44 have been killed, or 9 percent, compared to police officers and construction workers.

In short, you’re comparing people who are subject to being murdered to the point of having to wear cloth that keeps bullets out to people who are subject to falling out of a tree or off a boat and saying, “Yeah! That’s perfectly reasonable!”

Classy. Completely subjective and possibly inappropriate, but very classy.

Let the self-serving mockery continue. I have a defensive tactics class to take for no apparent reason.

Free Will Astrology CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Most plants move upwards as they grow. Their seeds fall to the ground, are blown off by the wind, or are carried away by pollinators. But the peanut plant has a different approach to reproduction. It burrows its seeds down into the soil. They ripen underground, where they are protected and more likely to get the moisture they need to germinate. The peanut plant’s approach to fertility might be a good metaphor for you Capricorns to adopt for your own use.

It makes sense for you to safeguard the new possibilities you’re incubating. Keep them private, maybe even secret. Don’t expose them to scrutiny or criticism.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In his poem “The Garden,” Jack Gilbert says, “We are like Marco Polo who came back / with jewels hidden in the seams of his ragged clothes.” Isn’t that true about you right now, Aquarius? If I were going to tell your recent history as a fairy tale, I’d highlight the contrast between your outer disorder and your inner riches. I’d also borrow another fragment from Gilbert’s poem and use it to describe your current emotional state: “a sweet sadness, a tough happiness.” So what comes next for you? I suggest you treat yourself to a time out. Take a break to integrate the intensity you’ve weathered. And retrieve the jewels you hid in the seams of your ragged clothes.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “All the colors I am inside have not been invented yet,” wrote Shel Silverstein, in his children’s book Where the Sidewalk Ends.

It’s especially important for you to focus on that truth in the coming weeks. I say

rob brezsny

this for two reasons. First, it’s imperative that you identify and celebrate a certain unique aspect of yourself that no one else has ever fully acknowledged. If you don’t start making it more conscious, it may start to wither away. Second, you need to learn how to express that unique aspect with such clarity and steadiness that no one can miss it or ignore it.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You will never make anything that lasts forever.

Nor will I or anyone else. I suppose it’s possible that human beings will still be listening to Beethoven’s music or watching The Simpsons TV show 10,000 years from today, but even that stuff will probably be gone in five billion years, when the sun expands into a red giant star. Having acknowledged that hard truth, I’m happy to announce that in the next five weeks you could begin work in earnest on a creation that will endure for a very long time. What will it be? Choose wisely!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What does your soul need on a regular basis? The love and attention of some special person? The intoxication provided by a certain drink or drug? Stimulating social interaction with people you like? Music that drives you out of your mind in all the best ways? The English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins said that the rapture his soul needed more than anything else was inspiration—the “sweet fire,” he called it, “the strong spur, live and lancing like the blowpipe flame.” So the experience his soul craved didn’t come from an outside stimulus. It was a feeling that rose up inside him. What about you, Taurus? According to my analysis of the

astrological omens, your soul needs much more than usual of its special nourishment.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1987, California condors were almost extinct. Less than 30 of the birds remained. Then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched an effort to capture them all and take emergency measures to save the species.

Almost 28 years later, there are more than 400 condors, half of them living in the wild. If you act now, Gemini, you could launch a comparable recovery program for a different resource that is becoming scarce in your world. Act with urgency, but also be prepared to practice patience.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was an American statesman who served in both houses of Congress. He dearly wanted to be President of the United States, but his political party never nominated him to run for that office.

Here’s the twist in his fate: Two different candidates who were ultimately elected President asked him to be their VicePresident, but he declined, dismissing the job as unimportant. Both those Presidents, Harrison and Taylor, died after a short time on the job. Had Webster agreed to be their Vice-President, he would have taken their place and fulfilled his dream. In the coming weeks, Cancerian, I advise you not to make a mistake comparable to Webster’s.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In one of his poems, Rumi writes about being alone with a wise elder. “Please,” he says to the sage, “do not hold back from telling me any secrets about this universe.” In the coming weeks, Leo, I suggest you make a similar

request of many people, and not just those you regard as wise. You’re in a phase when pretty much everyone is a potential teacher who has a valuable clue to offer you.

Treat the whole world as your classroom.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Have you been tapping into your proper share of smart love, interesting beauty, and creative mojo? Are you enjoying the succulent rewards you deserve for all the good deeds and hard work you’ve done in the past eight months? If not, I am very upset.

In fact, I would be livid and mournful if I found out that you have not been soaking up a steady flow of useful bliss, sweet revelations, and fun surprises. Therefore, to ensure my happiness and well-being, I COMMAND you to experience these goodies in abundance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran engineer Robert Goddard was the original rocket scientist. His revolutionary theories and pioneering technologies laid the foundations for space flight. Decades before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, he and his American team began shooting rockets aloft. Members of the press were not impressed with his unusual ideas, however. They thought he was a misinformed crank. In 1920, The New York Times sneered that he was deficient in “the knowledge ladled out daily in our high schools.” Forty-nine years later, after his work had led to spectacular results, the Times issued an apology. I foresee a more satisfying progression toward vindication for you, Libra. Sometime soon, your unsung work or unheralded efforts will be recognized.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the plot of the TV science-fiction show Ascension, the U.S. government has conducted an elaborate covert experiment for 50 years.

An outside investigator named Samantha Krueger discovers the diabolical contours of the project and decides to reveal the truth to the public. “We’re going full Snowden,” she tells a seemingly sympathetic conspiracy theorist. She’s invoking the name of Edward Snowden, the renegade computer administrator who in the real world leaked classified information that the U.S. government wanted to keep hidden. It might be time for you to go at least mini-Snowden yourself, Scorpio— not by spilling state secrets, but rather by unmasking any surreptitious or deceptive behavior that’s happening in your sphere.

Bring everything out into the open—gently if possible. But do whatever it takes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1939, author Ernest Vincent Wright finished Gadsby, a 50,000-word novel. It was unlike any book ever published because the letter “e” didn’t appear once in the text. Can you imagine the constraint he had to muster to accomplish such an odd feat? In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to summon an equally impressive expression of discipline and self-control, Sagittarius. But devote your efforts to accomplishing a more useful and interesting task, please. For example, you could excise one of your bad habits or avoid activities that waste your time or forbid yourself to indulge in fearful thoughts.

chattanoogapulse.com • january 15-21, 2015 • The Pulse • 23

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