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APR 29-MAY 5, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Quarantine concert is a farewell of sorts

2019 PHOTO OF THE BAND AFTER THEIR CONNECT BEST OF SAVANNAH WIN; PHOTO BY TED COMERFORD

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

WEEK AT A U

TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.

Bluegrass by the Pint from Service Brewing — Join Service Brewing for live streaming Bluegrass from one of our favorite local bands, City Hotel! Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/servicebrewing/

Jason Bible — Jason Bible of local favorites The Train Wrecks performs solo sets. Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/thetrainwrecksband/ Keystone Postcard - “Neighborhood Concerts from our Driveway” every Wednesdays 4-6pm and Sundays 1-3pm facebook.com/KeystonePostcard/ Laney Contemporary — Join Laney Contemporary Art Gallery on Instagram Live each day for a PRESENT

Sean Moloney — Local musician performs. Daily 5 p.m. facebook.com/sean.moloney.5

Flashback: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Bar with a Sports Attitude — Livestreams Forsyth Farmers Market with area artists each Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. TENSE #ArtBreak 5 p.m.

Front Porch Improv: Classics — Enjoy archives of past Front Porch Improv performances. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/

Sarah Poole — Local musician Sarah Poole performs. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. facebook.com/sarah.poole.505

Eric Britt — Local singer/songwriter Eric Britt plays solo sets, alternating with releases from his new album ‘Full Circle.’ Wed., April 8, 6 p.m. facebook.com/eric.britt1

Front Porch Improv: Storytime — What’s the story, morning glory? You have to check in to find out! Mondays-Fridays, 1 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/

Quarantine Concert: Jeff Two Names — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Wed. May 6, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org

Cooking Between the Lines — Hands-on livestreamed cooking lessons from Chef Darin Sehnert. Mondays, 6 p.m., Wednesdays, 6 p.m. and Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/chefdarinskitchentable/

Forsyth Farmers Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

Lyn Avenue - “Six String Sippin” every Friday at 8pm facebook.com/LynAvenue Neighborhood Comics Facebook Live Check-In - Every Wednesday at 2PM to discuss the latest in comics, updates from staff and customers and general goofiness. facebook.com/nbrhdcomics NSFW DJ Collective — Livestreams from you favorite NSFW DJs plus special guest mixes. 5 p.m.-midnight. Fridays-Sundays. facebook.com/NSFWDJ/ Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Parties — PFS streams unusual feature-length movies with live, locally produced introductions. After the films viewers can discuss the films in Real-Time via the comments section of our page. In order to receive the secret link to these hidden streaming playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, at the link below. Each week, anyone who chooses to voluntarily donate at least $5 to the organization via PayPal or Venmo receives a free high qual-

Irish Music with Seldom Sober — Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/ ity digital download of a movie from the PFS archive, and is entered into a drawing to win a free limited edition T-shirt. Links remain active for 48 hours. Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/ groups/2519522234807695/ Otium Savannah yoga studio and wellness space — 20 minute guided meditation overlooking the city from Perry Lane Hotel rooftop. 9am on Thursdays. @otiumsavannah and @ThePerryLaneHotel Instagram channels Quarantine Concert: Sean Kelly of A Fragile Tomorrow — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Wed. April 29, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org Quarantine Concert: Moon River Opera — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Fri. May 1, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org Quarantine Concert: Squash — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Sat. May 2, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org

Shed Show Live - Local musician Matt Eckstine presents a weekly livestream from his cozy shed. A mix of original songs, music from his time with The Accomplices, and covers. Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. facebook.com/matteckstinemusic Streaming Odd! — Odd Lot Improv is streaming some favorite games live! Watch live and interact! Give suggestions! Comment as we go! You can also post your favorite quotes, lyrics, weird words to this event and we will try to incorporate as many as we can! Fridays, 7:30 p.m. facebook.com/OddLot/ Sunday Service with Epiphany — A “different kind of church,” Epiphany livestreams their Sunday morning service. Sundays, 11 a.m. facebook.com/EpiphanySavannah/ Virtual Group Bike Ride — Every Friday, Bike Walk Savannah will be releasing a new virtual bike ride route for you to check out, ranging from 3-20 miles. We’ll be doing the ride on Friday morning (weather permitting). Fridays, 10 a.m. facebook.com/bikewalksavannah/

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

Glance

COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA

NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE Proud Sponsor

The Savannah Arena in an age of pandemic BY JIM MOREKIS

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Josephine Beisel, Editorial Intern CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Kristy Edenfield, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 Dean Moesch, Account Executive dean@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 DESIGN & PRODUCTION

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jim@connectsavannah.com

UP UNTIL six weeks or so ago, it seemed like the sky was the limit for Savannah. The economy had literally never been better. Property values were way up, and unemployment was way down. Restaurants were opening seemingly on every block, so fast it was hard to keep up. Locals and tourists alike flocked to the newest offerings to see and be seen like it was Paris in its Gilded Age. Record-shattering years were in the works for both the local tourism industry and at the Port of Savannah, with numbers previously undreamt of. A new Mayor and Council were on board. The phrase “2020 Vision” was the trendy double-entendre: Clear, perfect vision for this most promising of years, with nothing but blue sky ahead. Ground had broken on the new Savan-

For many years and multiple administrations, we’ve been told the money to build that arena would be there, because funding comes from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). You know, a sales tax — a tax dependent on people purchasing goods and services. The purchasing activity that isn’t happening now and might not really be happening very much around here for awhile longer. For decades, SPLOST was sold as a no-brainer because up to 40 percent of it would be paid not by locals, but by out-oftown visitors. You know, the out-of-town visitors who are, well, out of town right now, maybe for months to come. The truth is, the Arena was always a big bite to chew financially even in the best of circumstances, even without the inevitable budget-busting cost overruns and change orders — which have already begun to kick in before the first hard hat appears on Stiles Avenue to begin work. But now?

“The Arena is a feasible project and remains a feasible project. The Arena is going to happen. It is going to happen,” he said. “We have always said the Arena couldn’t survive by itself, hence the need for a Canal District to provide the accoutrements necessary to maintain an arena,” the Mayor said. In the end, the amendment was approved, and no serious effort was made to derail the Arena. However, both Gibson-Carter and Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier — in whose First District the project will actually reside — restated concerns that the funding should keep uppermost in mind the needs of residents. I’m not entirely naïve. I realize the most likely change to the Arena project will not be whether or not it happens. Mayor Johnson is almost certainly right — the Savannah Arena is going to happen. Like the banks and other financial institutions that got bailed out in the last recession, it is Too Big To Fail.

A 9000-seat arena is great — until literally the entire live sports, entertainment, and events industry faces an existential reckoning, possibly years into the future. nah Arena on the city’s westside. Various vast, multi-million dollar contracts for it were awarded as if handing out M&Ms. The money was always going to be there. And now — this. COVID-19. The things that were previously Savannah’s greatest strengths are now our biggest disadvantages. A tourism economy is great — until there are literally no tourists, and all those brand-new hotels stand empty. Buying that residential property for an Airbnb is great — until there’s nobody to rent it out. A port which brings in about 90 percent of its traffic from China is great — until there’s a global pandemic affecting every supply chain from Wuhan to Wichita. All the things that we weren’t supposed to question are now all called into question. Case in point: The previously mentioned Savannah Arena and surrounding Canal District in West Savannah, which together amount to the largest public works project in local history. A 9000-seat arena is great — until literally the entire live sports, entertainment, and events industry faces an existential reckoning, possibly years into the future.

At this past’s week’s City Council meeting, the issue came up during discussion of a contract amendment for Canal District improvements along Stiles Avenue. Alderwoman At Large Kesha GibsonCarter addressed the proverbial elephant in the room: “The way we live and congregate possibly could be impacted the rest of our lives,” said Gibson-Carter. “Is it still feasible for us to build a 9000-seat capacity arena here in Savannah, Georgia?” Pointing out that the Arena and Canal District are “reliant on SPLOST dollars that in large part haven’t been collected,” Gibson-Carter asked, “If SPLOST doesn’t come through, what is Plan B?” Echoing his predecessor Eddie DeLoach, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson defended the project by saying it’s essentially a done deal due to the work of several previous councils. “COVID 19 is not going to be the end of Savannah. Things might look really bad, but Savannah has survived a lot,” he said. “COVID-19 has a time and a season. We will be back in each other’s presence again.... and we have to work toward that day,” the Mayor said.

The question will be whether, and how much, other taxes are raised to pay for it. And so a new City Council elected at Savannah’s economic height, with a mandate to see that wealth represented more equitably in the community, will possibly preside instead over a brutal debate over tax hikes, as the City’s finances grow dire. This argument could of course be extended to other long-range funding commitments by previous Councils, such as the extravagant bond issues to underwrite tourist and upmarket-focused developments on either end of the Historic District. The bond issues are ostensibly selfrepaying, but the truth is nothing pays for itself if the customers and renters and diners and drinkers never show up. One would have thought Savannah would learn its (comparatively cheap) lesson after the economic collapse of Savannah River Landing after the 2008 meltdown, but no. Many of us who warned about the need for greater financial prudence will probably be proved right. That and four bucks will get us a small coffee – but we might have to wait a bit longer on a place that’s open. CS

NEWS & OPINION COMMUNITY

To open or not to reopen? That is the question

Local restaurants navigate public sentiment and mixed messages from government BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com The 5 Spot mobile crew, from a recent Facebook post. Food trucks and home delivery have experienced new popularity during the pandemic.

State restrictions include enhanced social distance spacing between patrons, and extensive use of masks and gloves by service personnel – altogether not the most appetizing picture. In some cases, the social distance requirements cut down on the number of patrons to the extent that a restaurant would literally lose money trying to serve the few allowed inside. The guidelines call for having not more than ten guests per 500 square feet of public space. For many restaurants, that would mean only having five or six available tables – barely worth keeping a kitchen open. Owners cited concerns not only of finding enough staff, but more importantly, concerns over the safety of their staff. “We’re a sensitive employer. We got enough of a barometer to gauge that it was going to be very difficult to staff,” says Brian Huskey, whose Gaslight Group includes The 5 Spot, B. Matthew’s, and Abe’s on Lincoln. The Foxy Loxy portfolio of establishments, a major locally-owned employer, quickly came to the same conclusion. “We just wanted to take a minute to let y’all know that despite the Governor’s choice to ‘reopen’ Georgia businesses, we do not have any plans to change our current protocols or to open the courtyard. We are balancing the health and well-being of our customers, staff and community,”

Foxy said in a statement. There’s also the pure business aspect of it, Huskey says — the demand just isn’t there yet. “On the marketing side, hotel occupancy rates are about as low as oil prices,” Huskey says. “We could open B. Matthews, but there’s just no one downtown to feed right now. That would be a terrible business decision even if you’re allowed to reopen.” Huskey says for him the bright side has been the enhanced business coming from the food truck, which makes regular rounds to residential areas. “Our trailer has outperformed 5 Spot on Habersham several times during this ordeal,” Huskey says. “Many neighborhoods have been very appreciative and generous.” The food truck’s performance has been so good, Huskey says, he’s considering adding a second one. The success is relative, however, and of course is in no way a replacement for his brick and mortar businesses. Some restaurants, like Coach’s Corner in Thunderbolt, were initially planning to reopen dining areas, but decided against it for a variety of reasons – including public sentiment. “After the new guidelines by the Governor came out yesterday afternoon and the public outcry…. we have decided to not open our dining room yet,” owner John Henderson said. “We will continue to do

takeout and delivery, however we will provide tables outside in the parking lot so that patrons that come in the same vehicle can dine together outside.” Coach’s now anticipates opening for dine-in later this week. But for the most part — between the hammer blows of the cratering economy, poorly administered relief programs, public sentiment, and the health threat itself — restaurant owners find themselves in a real damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t bind, in an industry already notorious for thin profit margins even in good times. “I’m not saying that restaurants and other businesses that are choosing to open are wrong for doing so. It’s an incredibly difficult position the state has put us in, and those that are in danger of losing their livelihoods may be under tremendous pressure to see revenues come in,” Green Truck’s Yates says. “Many of us were hoping for some kind of assistance from the Small Business Association but many, ourselves included, didn’t get a piece of that pie,” he says. “I feel that to reopen now, without hard data that shows we are in the clear and against the federal government’s reopening guidelines would jeopardize everything we’ve sacrificed so far in closing down and furloughing staff,” says Yates. “We’ve endured a lot of hardship to see it wasted by reopening too early.” CS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

WHEN GOV. KEMP issued his instantly controversial executive order allowing restaurants in the state to reopen dining areas this past Monday — albeit with many restrictions — local restaurant owners had to navigate a series of difficult, and ultimately completely individual, decisions: • What does reopening look like? When Kemp gave the order, specific guidelines were still days away from being announced. • How many staff will be needed, and how best to get them back on board? Many employees were just beginning to receive unemployment benefits, including an additional $600 a month for four months. Would they opt to return to a sketchy and uncertain work situation, in exchange for what in some cases would be less money? • And perhaps most problematic of all: What will the public think? Would the reward of reopening be outweighed by the inevitable social media outrage? In the case of quite a few locally-owned restaurants in Savannah, the flow chart led to the same decision: It’s just too soon to reopen for full service. “The guidelines the governor’s office released for dining room operations are fairly difficult to implement effectively, and I’m not sure it will be worth it as written for the restaurants or for the customer’s experience,” says Joshua Yates, owner of The Green Truck Pub, among the many opting not to dip their collective toes back in the water just yet.

NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK

Tattoo you?

Owners of local tattoo shops talk about the decision to reopen—or stay closed BY RACHAEL FLORA

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

rachael@connectsavannah.com

WHEN Gov. Brian Kemp allowed the reopening of non-essential businesses to begin this past Monday, the announcement raised quite a few eyebrows, particularly due to the inclusion of tattoo studios. The decision came as a bit of a surprise to even the studio owners themselves. “I was definitely shocked. It was not what I was expecting,” remembers Kelly Borders of Honor and Grace Tattoo. “I thought we were going to be the last to reopen just because of the services we do.” “I was surprised, but also not surprised,” says Jenny Butcher of the Butcher Tattoo Studio. “I was shocked that anyone would open up a state, but I thought if anyone’s going to do it, it’s going to be Kemp.” With Kemp’s order, shops were permitted to open as soon as April 24. Borders chose to open Honor and Grace on May 1, whereas Jenny and husband Jimmy don’t plan to even consider opening the Butcher until that date. What’s the difference? A major factor in the choice to reopen, for both the state and for the shops themselves, is the issue of unemployment. “People are finally being candid about that this may be a lot more about being able to get unemployment,” says Jimmy. Many of the businesses that are permitted to reopen—restaurants, nail salons, tattoo studios— are either low-paying jobs or staffed by independent contractors. Those are the people most dependent on unemployment and, in some cases, who have yet to receive it. Borders is one such person who, as of this writing, still hasn’t received her stimulus check and didn’t qualify for the Payroll Protection Program because the shop is so new, she’d just put herself on payroll a month earlier. The reopening order could also potentially jeopardize employees’ unemployment prospects if their job remains closed. “We definitely took that into consideration with, now that they’re saying you can go back to work, what’s that going to do to my employees who have already filed for unemployment?” asks Jimmy. “I’m worried that now that businesses are open,

Tattoo studios are one of the businesses allowed to reopen, and they have a difficult choice to make. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BUTCHER TATTOO STUDIO

insurance companies are going to do the same thing that unemployment offices are going to do and say, ‘Well, you can’tjust voluntarily not go to work and make money.’” “I see a lot of people saying, ‘If you’re afraid or at risk, just don’t go back to work,’” adds Jenny. “The problem is that without unemployment, we don’t have that option. It’s this Mobius strip of selfish and disgusting logic.” This decision forces people into a difficult choice: remain closed and risk going broke, or reopen and risk your health. One of the reopening guidelines set forth by the governor’s office is to limit people in the shop and to continue to stay six feet apart from each other, except when performing service. For a shop like the Butcher, who has four full-time artists, that’s not always possible. At Honor and Grace, it’s a different story. Borders is the only artist working at the shop, and she rotates her two apprentices and two assistants for minimal exposure. “At max, it’s already four people at a time that are here. It never really gets above 10,” says Borders. “We have a lot of space. We just didn’t have the same issues or concerns that other people had with having multiple artist and multiple clients.” Borders notes that many of her clients are breast cancer survivors, so there are already extra steps taken to protect their safety, but then, tattoo studios are already clean by design. “I think most tattoo shops are already doing above and beyond what’s recommended on our health score anyway,” says Borders. “If you don’t get an A on your health score, you’re doing something foul.” When Borders reopens on May 1, she’ll be doing so while being fully stocked on supplies like a forehead thermometer, masks, and face shields. She also won’t tattoo permanent makeup, a service she typically offers, until much later. That’s well

within the reopening guidelines. “I think it’s important that people know that we’re not opening up because we’re trying to be irresponsible. We just don’t have a choice,” says Borders. “I feel like the people who are really upset about everybody reopening are the people that are financially okay.” The Butcher’s team has kept in touch via Zoom and made the choice together. “I was getting notices from my team members who were like, ‘If it’s okay, I’m not going to work,’” recalls Jenny. “I finally had enough people say it that I was like, we’re done. I’m not going to risk anything.” “We had a meeting [last] Monday and I was ready to say, ‘Listen, I can’t tell you no. If you want to go to work, you can go to work. I can’t say no,’” says Jimmy. “But I didn’t have to because I have a really awesome crew of people that are like, ‘We don’t even want to touch this until we all feel really good about it.’” The Butcher team will reassess the situation on May 1, though neither Jimmy nor Jenny see that as being a realistic reopening date for them. When that date is, they don’t know. They’ll continue to listen to health officials and make their choice based on what they say. “All the same information is available to all of us. The people who want to open up and the people who don’t have access to the same information, and none of us are really sure if any of it’s good,” says Jimmy. Ultimately, though, the decision to reopen tattoo studios means nothing without customers, and every customer has to make that call as well. “We did not make this decision, so please stop demonizing us over somebody else’s decision,” says Borders. “Just because I’m opening my doors does not mean I don’t care about somebody’s grandma. That’s not what this is. It’s so polarized, and it really makes me sad.” CS

NEWS & OPINION QUARANTINE CHRONICLES

QUARANTINE CHRONICLES:

rachael@connectsavannah.com

DANIELA RODRIGUEZ is the lead organizer of Savannah Undocumented Youth Alliance, an organization that raises awareness of and provides support to the undocumented population of Savannah. An undocumented person herself, Daniela works hard to support her community, who face significant struggles right now. This is Daniela’s Quarantine Chronicle. What issues are undocumented people facing right now? A lot of undocumented people in Chatham County are service providers, meaning they either work in the hotel industry or the service industry. Right now, because what’s happening, they’re not able to work. They’re also not able to qualify for the stimulus check. It’s really unfair because we pay taxes, undocumented people pay taxes, and they don’t receive any kind of government help and then no unemployment benefits whatsoever. So right now, they’re in a limbo because they live paycheck to paycheck, and now that they’re unable to work, they’re just having a really hard time having money and not being able to receive any kind of help. Have you talked to anyone since the governor opened some businesses? Does anyone want to go back to work? You’d be surprised. There are a lot of immigrants who are willing to risk themselves and their health just to rush and go back to work. They have kids, they have families, and they’re really willing to risk their health just because they need a paycheck, and they need to have food on the table and they have rent to pay. Is it a good thing that some businesses are open? It’s not a good thing. It seems like some people have to sacrifice their health because the government decided not to give back the money that they pay in taxes. Honestly, it’s not a good thing; it’s a sad thing. If these people had government help, they would think twice before going back to work. Now that the governor decided to open things, it’s because he’s not the one who’s going to work.

He made that decision, but he’s not the one who’s going to go and expose himself. That’s going to be immigrants. What sort of solutions are available to undocumented people? One of the things I’ve been seeing is there are many organizations giving out food, but the problem is that many times, they’re not very explicit with the language. So they say, “If you have a need, we can help you with food.” However, they don’t say you’re going to have to show any kind of ID or that this help is only open for citizens, which makes a lot of immigrants be like, “Oh, so should I go? Should I not go? Am I going to be rejected because I cannot provide a government ID?” I do feel like a lot of these places that are willing to provide food should be very explicit. If they really want to help people, they should be very explicit to say that their help is open to everybody. I do feel like it’s very important that we, as a community in Chatham County, have to make sure that every member of the community, regardless of their immigration status, have access to the basic needs that we need, because we are a community. People that are undocumented in Savannah can be our friends, they can be our coworkers, our neighbors, and they definitely should not be forgotten. To anybody who says they don’t deserve help because they’re undocumented and they should have done it the right way, it’s just so heartbreaking for me to see someone question the ability of someone to get food or basic needs just because they don’t see us being human enough. They don’t see our humanity just because we don’t have a nine-digit number. Since I’m in charge of SUYA’s Facebook page, I’m proud to say that as part of SUYA we’re now giving out a stimulus check. It’s only $100, it’s not much, but it helps provide with food or rent and we put it out there. It’s immigrant-friendly help, so people can qualify regardless of their status. We don’t have much money to give out, but we’re going to be working on making a GoFundMe to collect more money and give it out. At the moment, SUYA is the only organization that is helping with rent and medicine to impacted undocumented community. I wish there were more, but at the moment, it’s just us, so it’s better than nothing.

From some other messages I receive through the SUYA Facebook page, I can tell you that it can be really hard for immigrants to ask for help. When they come here to the U.S., they come to work. I know a lot of people say immigrants come here because they try to get things for free, but that’s a lie. Immigrants come here to get a job and make their own money. Right now, these are tough times, and it can be hard for them to ask for help, so many times they ask for help and are like, “Can you please not share, please keep it between us? I’m very embarrassed to be asking for help.” How does this issue extend past our own community? Right now, everything I’m telling you is local, but the problem is so much bigger. Farm migrant workers have been considered essential workers, but it’s funny because a lot of them are undocumented. They’re the ones providing food during this time and risking their health and their families when they go home, but without them, none of us would have food on the table. To give them a title of being essential, but at the same time not even providing them with the citizenship or even give them a permit, is just very … It’s frustrating to see that undocumented people keep getting forgotten.

What else should people know? At the moment, ICE continues to detain immigrants, so right now there are detained immigrants at really high risk of getting the virus. I feel like right now, everyone should be released. They’re at high risk of being infected with something just because they’re so close to each other. That also brings me to another issue that’s happening here in Savannah. I’ve been trying to get in contact with the hospitals and asking if they have any kind of healthcare available for people who don’t have health insurance and who want to be tested, and there’s none. There are so many immigrants that are scared; they don’t know if they have the virus or not, but they’re not able to go and get tested because they don’t have health insurance. That’s definitely a resource we need. Everyone deserves a right to get tested and get treatment regardless of their immigration status. How are you personally doing?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

BY RACHAEL FLORA

I’m good. It can be a little overwhelming to see there’s so much community need, and I just feel like the undocumented community are forgotten. We’re the only organization that focuses on this community. We don’t do it for the pictures. We have a lot of volunteers, and they do it because they really care. I’m just fortunate to have people help me, because otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own. CS 7

NEWS & OPINION QUARANTINE CHRONICLES been really great. I had one customer give me a gift card to Squirrel’s Pizza, so that was sweet. But then the other day I was loading groceries, and this guy got out of his car and started screaming at me and cussing at me while I was loading groceries into another woman’s vehicle. The other lady apologized for this man, who she did not know, and then he walked inside the store, which completely nullifies the idea of a grocery pickup service. He walked through the store to complain. We were just like, “Sir, we’re just backed up. We can’t help it; it’s not an instantaneous thing.” What was his problem? Just that it was taking too long? Just that he was there first. And he had been waiting over half an hour, according to him. That’s when I decided I was going to night shift. That was your choice? With Kroger, my understanding is if we request to go to night shift, they can’t really tell us no because of everything. They’ve given us a lot of options. You can go on a personal leave for two weeks, or you can switch to night shift. It’s nice you can make those choices for yourself. Well, Kroger is part of a union. It’s the United Food and Commercial Workers of America; there’s 1.3 million of us. The union is the reason that we have what we QUARANTINE CHRONICLES: have: masks, gloves, giant bottles of hand sanitizer. [Kroger] has done stuff to protect us as much as they have, but the union has had to fight for a lot of that. One day we got all these masks in and I on Wilmington Island, so it’s a lot of elderly was like, “What the hell is going on? How BY RACHAEL FLORA folks, new moms, a lot of customers that did we manage to get masks when there’s rachael@connectsavannah.com really need to not be in the store. this huge shortage?” And then I read an My department is super stressed right article that they think between 30 to 40 JAMI CALANDROS works the night shift now. It’s the most critical part of the store people in the union have died from the at Kroger doing grocery pickup, a job she’s in response to what’s happening. The virus and I was like, “No wonder we’re gethad for just five months. demands of the department right now are ting masks: we’re dying.” In that time, she’s witnessed toilet paper outstanding because our orders have literfights and meltdowns aplenty, but she’s ally tripled in the last month. We used to Are you afraid? also experienced kindness and gratitude get about 40 orders a day, and now when I and done her best to take care of her cuswalk in I’m looking at 120 orders a day. No, I’m not. I have coworkers that are tomers, who she loves and cares for. Before all this happened, we used to scared, but for the most part, I think a lot This is her Quarantine Chronicle. come in at 5 a.m. and and we’d start packof us are glad to be employed. It sounds ing the order through the store. Since this cheesy, but a lot of us really care about our How are you? has happened, we actually had to start customers. A lot of my customers, I know a night crew because we have so many on a first name basis because that’s just me. I’m doing okay. I’m just exhausted—I just orders. I do night staff and I’m actually I’m not scared because I’m more scared for worked eight days in a row. That’s just how training new people at the same time while them to go in the store. the days off worked with the department. I’m running a night crew because we have I work in ClickList, which for Kroger so many orders. How long have you been at Kroger? is our grocery pickup service. Before this At this point, the department is stressed. happened, my department was already We are tired. I’ve had people cuss me out I started working at Kroger in January kind of stressed because grocery pickup is over toilet paper. For every nice person, 2019 until May, when I went to West Vir8 a popular thing. My Kroger specifically is there is a bad person. Some of them have ginia. When I came back to Savannah to

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

PHOTO BY GEOFF L JOHNSON

restart my whole life, I came to Kroger to say hey to my old friends and they were like, “How many hours do you want?” Right before Thanksgiving, I asked to go to ClickList, and they were like, “Well, right now it’s the holidays, so it’s crazy, but it’ll slow down.” It has yet to slow down. I feel like Kroger has done a really good job of trying to handle this, especially with them being the biggest primary grocer in America. Honestly, in my opinion, this job is kind of gold right now if I can just manage to not get the virus, because I’m guaranteed employment and I’m in a union. I don’t know if I could handle it if I didn’t have the union backing me. Every department is tired and stressed. We’ve all been working 40-hour weeks, whether we’re part time or full time. It’s really surreal working in a grocery store right now. People line up at the door at 7 a.m. We let the elderly in first, they line up and all go straight to the toilet paper and then they disperse. One day we left all the toilet paper in boxes and put it in the aisle and let the people go for it, and they went through nine entire pallets of toilet paper in 45 minutes. I guess I picked a hell of a time to go into grocery store pickup as a backup job. I really did. I picked up this gig five months ago and now I’m like, are you kidding me? I can’t wait to be old—if I live through this— to be like, “I worked at a curbside grocery during the pandemic, okay? Don’t ever tell me I’m not a badass again.” How does it feel to be working? I could’ve sat at home on unemployment. I know this sounds really cheesy, but if I had the opportunity to go help people— especially elderly people, because I’m a grandma enthusiast—if I can help them, if I can shop for these old ladies that can’t come in the store because they’re high risk, then dammit, I’m going to do it. Why not? I helped this one old lady who came in the store and she was like, “My husband is 71 and my sister is on chemo, so I said I’d be the one to go to the store.” She should not have been at the store. I was like, “Can I see your list?” I stopped everything I was doing and got her in and out of Kroger within 15 minutes myself. And I’m not going to lie, I felt a little bit like a hero. I’ve known people that are like, “Fuck this job, I’m just here.” But I couldn’t do it if it was like that. I always used to be down on myself for working in a grocery store. I was always like, “I didn’t go to college for this, this was not in the cards!” But now I’m like, this wasn’t the worst decision. It was just a different decision than what we originally thought was going to happen. I didn’t become a lawyer, I’m a lesbian that lives in Savannah and works in a grocery store. That’s fine! It works out. CS

NEWS & OPINION MAGIC MAKERS

A Closer Look Q&A: a Graphic Recording INKY BRITTANY, aka Brittany Curry, practices a form of journalism called â€œgraphic recording.â€? The idea is to chronicle in real-time her impressions and observations into a series of illustrations. The results often tell the story better and more intuitively than other forms of communication.

This week Brittany contributes a graphic recording of a recent Q&A session on April 22 between local citizen advocate, good governance advocate, and all around Savannah legend Tom Kohler, and Chatham County Commission candidate Clinton Edminster, of Starlandia Art Supply fame, among many civic pursuits.

Along with discussing his policy ideas, Edminster spoke with Kohler about his background, including stints on The Creative Coast and Chatham Area Transit boards as well as the recently formed Thomas Square Neighborhood Association.

Unlike the nonpartisan City of Savannah elected positions, Chatham County Commission races are partisan (Edminster is running as a Democrat). The primary, originally scheduled for May 19, has been postponed all the way to June 9 due to the pandemic. The general election is in November. CS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

BY BRITTANY CURRY

inkybrittany.com

NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER 2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday April 26

HOMICIDES

Savannah Police investigate suspicious death on Stephenson Avenue

Savannah Police Violent Crimes detectives are investigating the suspicious death of a child the morning of April 23. At around 6:30 a.m., officers responded to a hotel on the 200 block of Stephenson Avenue in regards to a medical call. Upon arrival, officers located a deceased fouryear-old boy. The circumstances leading up to the death are still under investigation. The cause of death will be determined after an autopsy. Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact detectives at (912) 525-3124 or CrimeStoppers at (912) 234-2020.

Domestic cases rise locally during shutdown

The Chatham County Police Department and Savannah Police Department say they have seen an increase in domestic

disturbance and domestic violence cases as schools are closed and citizens shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. “With Governor Brian Kemp’s shelter in place order in effect until April 30, law enforcement and community organizations are banding together to address this problem and educate the community abut helpful resources,” a Chatham County spokesperson says. “Between April 5, 2020 and April 16, 2020, Chatham County Police Department officers responded to an average of 4.2 domestic disturbance calls a day. This is up from the daily average of 3.6 for the same time period in 2019,” the County says. “Approximately 70% of those incidents were first-time domestic disturbance calls to those residences. During the same time period, Savannah Police Department officers responded to an average of 12 domestic violence-related calls a day, which is up from the daily average of nine calls for the same time frame in 2019.” “Sheltering in place is one of our most crucial weapons against spreading the deadly COVID-19 virus,” said Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley. “But, it is incredibly stressful for many families who are now dealing with a disrupted daily routine, job loss, economic uncertainty and the anxiety brought on by this global

pandemic. Sadly, in some households, the tensions are escalating to the point where the police must become involved for everyone’s safety.” “Calls for domestic violence are on the incline nationwide and in our community, and we knew it was time to shed some light on this unfortunate circumstance,” said

Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter. “We want to encourage those in our community to please call police if they are in an unhealthy or abusive situation. We are here to help. From our patrol officers to our Family Violence Unit detectives, you will receive a thorough investigation and get the assistance you need.” Both Chief Hadley and Chief Minter say if a situation turns threatening or violent, call 9-1-1 right away. “Those who are not in immediate danger, but want help leaving an abusive spouse or partner, can call Safe Shelter’s 24-hour Crisis Line at 912-6298888,” they say. Police say for those “who are not in an abusive situation, but are concerned about the extra stress in their household and the potential for escalating tensions,” there are resources available where you can receive assistance. Call the Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Disaster Distress Hotline at 1-800985-5990 or text TalkWithUs at 66746. You can reach the Georgia Crisis line at 1-800-715-4225. ALL CASES FROM RECENT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENT REPORTS. GIVE ANONYMOUS CRIME TIPS TO CRIMESTOPPERS AT 912/234-2020 OR TEXT CRIMES (274637) USING KEYWORD CSTOP2020.

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NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD Police Report

Early on the morning of April 15, an unidentified driver smashed his yellow Mustang into a fence in unincorporated Marin County, California, KPIX reported. California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay later recounted what followed: The driver tried to back out of the fence, but failed to realize he was in drive and crashed through a home instead. The homeowner came out to investigate and, noting the driver’s impaired state, removed the keys from the Mustang and returned inside to call police. The driver then discovered the keys inside the homeowner’s Toyota and tried to make his getaway, Barclay said, but he shifted the car into drive and barreled through the house once more, coming to rest alongside his Mustang. When the homeowner again tried to take the keys away, the driver allegedly hit him repeatedly, causing major injuries. CHP arrested the driver for suspicion of DUI involving drugs, battery and theft of a vehicle.

Bright Ideas

• Many hospital workers are self-isolating to keep their families safe from COVID-19 exposure, but Corpus Christi, Texas, emergency room doctor Jason Barnes, 39, is taking a novel approach: He’s

moved into his kids’ treehouse in his backyard. Barnes told the Caller Times on April 20 that he’s lived in the treehouse for about three weeks. If he needs something, he’ll shout down to the kids or call the house. “(T)he Wi-Fi reaches the treehouse, so I have my laptop and my own little command center here,” Barnes said. He uses a camping toilet with disposable bags, and he either showers at the hospital or “my oldest son will rig up a water hose. ... Luckily, my fence is pretty tall.” As for when he can re-enter the house, Barnes said, “We’re always looking at the CDC and Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision, but the final determinator is the wife.” • The Washington Examiner reported on April 21 that some people appear to be spending their coronavirus stimulus checks on another kind of stimulation. The adult live model site Cams.com says it has seen a surge in traffic. “Since April 13, we’ve seen a 22% uptick in traffic to our livestreaming site, and tips to our models have increased by 40%,” said Gunner Taylor, director of strategic development for FriendFinder Networks, of which Cams. com is a part. Traffic from Washington state is up 204%, and it’s up 83% in Illinois, but it’s down in Washington, D.C., by 29%.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

At the Peace N Peas Farm in Indian Trail, NC, owners Francie and Mark Dunlap have launched a new career for their 8-year-old mini donkey, Mambo, and their other horses. For $50, Mambo, Eddie, Zeus or other animals will make a 10-minute appearance to liven up your videoconference, the Charlotte Observer reported. You can even give the four-legged interloper the on-screen name of a regular attendee: For instance, Zeus might become Paul, the guy who asks too many questions. The Dunlaps also arrange for animals to visit classrooms or happy hours.

Reports of My Death

Cancer patient Gladys Rodriguez Duarte, 50, was rushed to a clinic in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, on April 11, after her blood pressure shot up, according to the Paraguay National Police. Two hours later, Dr. Heriberto Vera declared her dead and shared the news with Duarte’s family, but her daughter, Sandra, later told local media, “He assumed she was dead and ... they disconnected her and passed her off to the funeral home.” The Daily Mail reported that funeral directors told investigators they were shocked to find she was breathing and moving around inside the body bag at the funeral home. Duarte was transferred to another hospital.

The Continuing Crisis

Geauga County (Ohio) Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand told WJW his office was called to break up a large party of Amish late on April 18 in Huntsburg Township. “When we got there, there was a barn full of people and some of them ran,” he said. One partier was arrested for disorderly conduct, two were charged with underage drinking and another was issued a summons for violating the state’s stay-at-home order, according to the sheriff. “We won’t tolerate this,” Hildenbrand said, “and we have to keep everybody safe.” Amish people are reportedly continuing to gather in large groups, and the county health

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commissioner has sent a letter to Amish bishops about an increase in COVID-19 cases in that community.

NOT COVID-19

An unnamed 22-year-old Chinese woman has spent the last 14 years trying to discover the cause of her persistent cough, which started when she suffered a serious fit of coughing as a child, Oddity Central reported on April 22. Over the years, she has been misdiagnosed numerous times, but as she recently prepared for an unrelated surgery, the mystery was solved. Dr. Wang Jiyong at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine ordered CT scans that revealed a foreign object in her right lung that turned out to be a chicken bone fragment just over half an inch long. Doctors said she had probably inhaled it at 8 years old, when the coughing started.

Ignorance Was Bliss

Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne, formerly of Manchester, England, followed their dream and have been sailing around the world since 2017. They were en route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, where they planned to dock on a small island in mid-March, but were surprised to discover the island’s borders were closed because of a worldwide pandemic. “In February, we’d heard there was a virus in China, but ... we had figured by the time we got to the Caribbean in 25 days it would all be over,” Elena told the BBC. The couple had told friends and family they didn’t want to hear any bad news, but Elena is from the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy and has since caught up with her family. “It’s a very macabre picture at home, there are no more coffins, no more cemetery space. ... My family is thankfully safe ... but people we’ve known for years have died,” Elena said. The couple was eventually able to dock in Saint Vincent, and they hope to head north before hurricane season starts in June. “We’re sandwiched between the hurricane season and the virus,” Elena said. CS

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

DOWNTOWN

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Revving up for big move, Jeff Two Names says goodbye for now

Punk band’s drummer Rev Kev chats ahead of Quarantine concert, move to NY BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

LOCAL PUNK ROCKERS Jeff Two Names have been a staple in the local music scene for the last several years—as has Kevin “Rev Kev” Veitinger. Veitinger arrived in Savannah with his family over a decade ago, as a temporary landing place. It ended up being his home until now, where he’s been the pastor at the Episcopal Community of St. Joseph. And now, he’s moving on. Veitinger is prepping a move up to Briarcliff Manor, New York, where he accepted a pastor position at a church. Don’t worry, though— punk rock never dies, even when the drummer is hundreds of miles away. “We’ll still do some touring and stuff, but this will definitely be the last show in Savannah for a while,” Veitinger tells Connect ahead of Jeff Two Names’ Quarantine Concert on May 6. The move, he says, is something his family was thinking about for a little while. “Savannah was never going to be the place we stayed forever, but we’ve been here 14 years now,” he says. “Really and truly, our family kind of found our identity here. It’s been an amazing place that we are completely grateful for. Savannah will always be a part of who we are.” Rev Kev says he applied to churches all over the world, but there was something about his soon-to-be home that felt like the right move. His family will be hitting the road for New York not long after his band’s upcoming concert. Punk rock, Veitinger says, was some14 thing he’d been into all his life after

L-R: Kevin “Rev Kev” Veitinger, Jeff “Glowy McNeal” Storey-Pitts, Michael “Doc” Lewis, and Daniel “Prince Dan” Garrick

studying classical percussion when he was young. His first exposure was The Ramones, who he heard through his dad. Later on, in high school, he discovered bands like NOFX and others from that particular era. When he moved to Savannah, Kev met Jeff Storey-Pitts through soccer (Kev also officiated his wedding). The two hit it off, and ultimately formed a band through their shared love of punk rock. Jeff Two Names & the Born Agains (now just Jeff Two Names) was born. Though he hasn’t often mixed his musical pursuits with his religious/professional work, he does see music as going hand in hand with faith and spirituality—even punk. “I don’t buy into the separation of the sacred and the secular in that kind of way. Playing in this punk band has been one of the most important ministries I’ve had in Savannah. Being engaged with the punk

scene here, being able to be a part of that community, has been an important part of my ministry really,” he says, specifically citing the memorial service he was part of at The Jinx for beloved Savannahian Niema Ross. “When Niema passed away, we were able to do a memorial service for her. And that was a really incredible experience for me. It was an honor for me to be a part of it.” Though he doesn’t often fuse his two roles, Kev insists that he doesn’t see a “dichotomy” between “punk rock Kevin and pastor Kevin.” “It’s really all the same thing,” he says. The band recently released its latest album, which is a collection of songs recorded at several studios around town. The album is classic Jeff Two Names, full of both the humor and energy that people have loved since the band started. The Quarantine Concert, streaming live on Facebook and quarantineconcerts.org on

Wed., May 6, will be a celebration of that album as well as Kev’s departure from Savannah. “I always believed that community was important, but I really was able to live into that here,” he says of his time in Savannah. It’s important for pastoral types to have a life outside of their church and to be engaged in the community outside of the church,” he says. “Those were things that I believed on some level or had some kind of intrinsic understanding of, but I was able to live into those here in a way that was very formative. I think that in a lot of ways, my time in Savannah has formed me.” CS

JEFF TWO NAMES / QUARANTINE CONCERT

Wed., May 6, 7:30 P.M. Streaming info and tickets at quarantineconcerts.org

MUSIC FEATURE

Lyn Avenue release powerful new EP

down and save for later, or emotionally what I might be going through. It really all is subject to whatever inspires me. I usually never write a song just to write it. It’s gotta strike me and challenge me and it’s going to be a little part of my/our story. Pat tends to write from less of an emotional standpoint but more from a humorous or quirky perspective. I’m always so blown away by the clever lyrics he comes up with and how fast he can put together a song idea.

Duo chats about their latest collection of songs

Is there a song that encompasses where you’re at as a band?

THERE’S SOMETHING special about Lyn Avenue. The husband-wife duo of CC Witt and Patrick Ellington have a unique musical bond, which undoubtedly comes from the chemistry they share. You can hear that chemistry in what they do, and perhaps no more strongly than their latest EP, Sophisticated. Produced and mixed by Peter Mavrogeorgis primarily at Low Watt Recording on Broughton Street, the album was also recorded in part at Mavrogeorgis’ new Dollhouse Studios in Atlanta. The set features a who’s who of great local musicians including Jared Hall on keyboards, Igor Fiksman on pedal steel, Larry Jones on bass, Jack Miller on drums, and Kenny Munshaw on bass. It’s country, Americana, pop, rock, and everything in between. We caught up with the duo to learn more about the new project. When did the process start of really compiling the songs and figuring out where to take them? CC: We released our last EP in 2018 titled “Never Been to Nashville” and we learned a lot from that process. The last two years have been amazing for us - hitting 50,000 views on our music video for “Kentucky Bourbon” and debuting at CMA fest in Nashville last year, all in addition to a great Southern U.S. tour schedule. Since that release, we got married, got “the band van”, and played somewhere around 300+ shows (collectively). During that time we ended up gradually writing songs that we felt were a good follow up to the previous EP and would help us keep the momentum going. We loved the sounds we got at Dollhouse with Peter Mavrogeorgis from the last record. We loved his vision and advice and how he always managed to push the best out of all of us creatively in the studio. So when it came time to record this thing, we knew he had to be a part of it. The only problem was, he had closed his studio and moved to Atlanta.

CC Witt and Patrick Ellington are Lyn Avenue. PHOTO BY MONICA JEAN PHOTOGRAPHY

So in the middle of last year, Pat and I started looking for a new space to track the EP and found Low Watt Recording in Savannah. Ironically, Ted Comerford from Low Watt reached out to us the following week about doing a “Live at Low Watt” sponsored by Connect Savannah. So we actually got a chance to come in the studio and work with Ted and track a couple songs for that, which you can check out our acoustic video from “Live at Low Watt” for Hurricane Bride on Low Watt’s Facebook Page. Do you feel you had a goal in mind with this EP? Pat: We’ve definitely matured musically and lyrically for this EP hence the title, Sophisticated. We feel like we have finally found “our voice” and that opened us up to not trying to fit neatly inside of a genre or subgenre but to experiment with different sounds and instrumentation. One of our songs, I’ll Be Your Umbrella, even features CC playing a mean Kazoo solo. From a production standpoint, our song “Silver Lining,” although it really only has two chords, has a complex layering of guitars, keys, and organ, and really has a washy feel to it. It was pretty challenging and pushed us in a very unexpected direction. And for that reason, I think secretly both CC and I hold it as our favorite song on the new EP. Looking back, were these songs happening pretty organically or did you chip away at them until they felt ready? CC: These songs definitely happened very organically. What I will say is, especially on the last record, Pat and I wrote a lot of those songs together and worked on them together. This EP however, was actually

more of a...collectively independent thing. He wrote “Sophisticated” and “I’ll Be Your Umbrella” pretty much all by himself. I wrote “Silver Lining,” “Hurricane Bride,” and Burn Out.” “Burn Out” took me the longest to write because I think it was the song closest to my heart and what I was going through at the time. I rewrote it three times until I went back to the original melody and decided that was its most true form. But as far as musically, we both work on each song together to make sure they are the best we can make them. Pat: Most of my song ideas came to me while I was not thinking about writing at all. Usually, I get brief flashes of inspiration while I’m doing routine activities. I’ll be standing in the shower and all of a sudden a verse or a hook will hit me. I can normally write a couple verses and maybe a chorus before I go to CC for her perspective. How do you feel like you know when a song is done? Pat: I think finishing a song is initially a very fulfilling and accomplished feeling. But sometimes you have to sleep on the song for a while before you can see it objectively. Oftentimes we will demo new songs at our house with nearly full production. We’ve definitely gotten all the way through the “demo stage” of a song and decided that a song wasn’t that great. Honestly, sometimes bailing on a song is also a satisfying feeling because it frees you up to start working on something new. Lyrically, I’m curious to know what interests y’all. What sort of subject matter grabs you the most when you’re writing. CC: I usually draw inspiration from the people in my life around me, sometimes it’s the things they say that maybe I write

CC: The song that I think encompasses us right now is “Sophisticated,” because it captures all the things that we want our fans to see in us - a sense of humor, honest lyrics, and our love of traditional country. But I think that when you hear a song like “I’ll Be Your Umbrella,” where Pat is singing more, it shows a small glimpse into our future. We’re in a time where even album releases are being delayed. What was the thinking behind continuing with the release despite having to postpone tour dates? CC: All the cancellations in our area happened right after we had set up the distribution of the EP to all the major platforms. We were getting texts and emails of losing shows every day. It was hard waking up to messages from venues and events cancelling or rescheduling. But at that point, we knew how much WE needed music, we knew and hoped these songs would resonate with everyone - especially in a time like this. “Hurricane Bride” was written about our wedding getting postponed by a Hurricane. In this situation, the “hurricane” was COVID-19. So we made the best out of our situation and came up with a regular live stream show that went every Friday throughout April. We named it “Six String Sippin” and had an official livestream party with our fans. We even wrote a theme song for it, which may end up on the next album. Fri., May 1, will be our last one for the foreseeable future. To expand on that—in your minds, what does music mean to you right now?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CC: You really don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore. It’s really been a humbling experience. It definitely emotionally took a toll on us because we are artists that feel that constant need to express ourselves and share that with people. So that being said, we cannot wait to get back to playing and when we do, we’ll be definitely making up for lost time with our fans! CS 15

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The DeSoto launches new concert series on multiple balconies

Landmark hotel’s Vibe series brings local musicians back, from a safe distance BY SEAN KELLY

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

sean@connectsavannah.com

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THE DESOTO RECENTLY announced a week-long series of concerts called the Vibe...For Savannah Concert Series, which aims to bring local jazz musicians back to a live setting in our city from a safe distance. Utilizing the historic hotel’s many balconies, musicians will perform out to the city, with locals encouraged to park their cars, stand far enough away to listen safely, or open their windows and take the music in. In a time when live music is nonexistent, and all industries are trying to figure out how to operate in this new normal. With new management in place, The DeSoto launched the concert series as a way to encourage people to listen to music during this trying time and promote the rich musical history of Savannah. “As we’ve seen in so many other great

cities around the world, we too want to bring the music of our community to help lift spirits and play a role in the healing process,” the hotel’s new managing director Jay Wiendl tells Connect. “As The DeSoto is under new management, and new leadership, we wanted to celebrate the city with this experience. We certainly feel that this could be the beginning of our new vibe and a tribute to the Savannah culture of music.” The shows will start at 6 P.M. nightly, from May 1 through May 7, and feature an incredible lineup of talented local jazz artists. “Living in the Lowcountry, we want to relish the history of The DeSoto and celebrate with our community, a reminder we are #SavannahStrong,” a statement from Wiendl read. “With COVID-19 dominating our lives and news cycles, The DeSoto wants to bring back the vibe of music and

hospitality to the heart of the Historic District and celebrate our blessings.” CS

FULL SCHEDULE:

Fri., May 1: From Rancho Alegre, The Jody Espina Trio with Maggie and Jackson Evans (Jody Jazz Trio) – 2 balconies Sat., May 2: Kirk Lee & Bill Smith (Trumpet and Guitar Duo) – 2 balconies Sun., May 3: Jonathan Swygert (Trumpet) Mon., May 4: Calvin Barnes (Saxophone) Tues., May 5: John Tisbert (Trumpet) Wed., May 6: Kirk Lee & Bill Smith (Trumpet and Guitar Duo) – 2 balconies Thurs., May 7: From Rancho Alegre, The Jody Espina Trio with Maggie and Jackson Evans (Jody Jazz Trio) – 2 balconies Vibe...For Savannah Concert Series @The DeSoto May 1-7, 6 P.M. For more info, visit thedesotosavannah.com

MUSIC REVIEWS

Local Album Reviews!

The latest and greatest from Savannah artists

Skippy Spiral - Circuit Circus

Part goth, part new wave, part sci-fi, and part lo-fi, Skippy Spiral’s latest album Circuit Circus is a lesson in how to innovate. Spiral doesn’t hold back in his sonic experimentation, as is particularly evident on songs like “Ringmaster Computer” and “Clownbot 3000.” There’s most definitely nobody else like Skippy Spiral in Savannah, and that’s a good thing. The production on this record is at times understated, but when things get intricate it’s never a passing thing. There aren’t very many notes wasted on this incredibly weighty collection of songs, which is kind

of an amazing thing in itself. The industrial-esque drum machine on “Forced Perspective” signals an approach to music that isn’t defined or boxed in. Skippy Spiral could do whatever he wanted (he’s an accomplished accordion player in addition to the synth madness he cooks up) and it would still sound like Skippy Spiral. That’s the mark of a true artist. His musical persona truly just adds to that artistry and makes you feel like you’re witnessing something conceptual and thoughtful. All in all, Circuit Circus is a wonderful record (released by an incredibly vital and consistently great label) that should be heard by anyone who wants to expand their musical palette or even just hear a more unique approach to the world of synth and electronic music.

Circuit Circus is available via Graveface Records. For more, visit graveface.bandcamp.com

Matt Collett - Flood

The first song that really grabbed me on Matt Collett’s excellent Flood was the second one on the record, “Easy.” There was a heaviness that felt familiar on a musical level, but Collett’s vocal delivery had an emotional depth and melodic curve to it that was distinct enough for it to feel pretty singular. The great thing about this record is that there’s a ton of variety. Continuing on from track two, you get a sense of that variety immediately with “One Night,” which sounds rich and heavy tonally but also has a slight Americana leaning lyrically and

vocally. The dissonance of that lead guitar line will likely be stuck in my head for days to come, too. This is a rock and roll record, without question. To really understand the weight of it, though, it’s important to pay attention to the lyrics. Overall, Flood is dark enough to appeal to your most vulnerable sensibilities and make you confront your own inner demons. But there’s also an overwhelming sense of beauty and poetry, which I find oddly uplifting. The wash of reverb on “Breakdown” signals something I could sense all the way through—this record is meant to be not just a recording, but the sonic encapsulation of a feeling. Flood is available via Bandcamp. For more, visit mattcollett.bandcamp.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CULTURE VISUAL ARTS

QUESTIONS

WITH

Nate Hinners BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

BY DAY, Nate Hinners is an art director at a marketing agency. By night—and weekend—he works on generative and audio reactive design, which is like a moving painting. A relative newcomer to the Savannah art scene, the Chicago native came here on vacation with his wife and decided to stay. We caught up with Hinners last week.

How are you getting adjusted to being here in Savannah?

Stills from Nate’s generative design work. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

How do you balance working a creative job and your own creative pursuits?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

That’s a really interesting dynamic, because it’s honestly something I wrestle with pretty often. There are certainly My wife and I moved here almost exactly was kind of a reaction and a middle finger days when I come home and the last thing two years ago. We lived in Seattle for a towards being so thoughtful about design I want to do is look at another glowing number of years, then did a year and a half work. It was a form of freedom for me to rectangle. in Raleigh, North Carolina. We ended up not have to think through everything and What I do as an art director for clients, in Savannah because it’s sort of that clasjust let things happen based on computer I have a hard time considering that to be sic story: we came here just for a few days code. It was a pretty freeing feeling to not artistic, believe it or not. To me, somebody to celebrate our anniversary and really know the outcome necessarily, but to put a who works on an advertising or marketing loved it, and we knew we wanted to move bunch of things together and then just see campaign or a brand identity system for out of Raleigh because we didn’t love that. where it goes and see what happens. a client, all of that work is rooted in solvRaleigh is like the khaki pants of America. I’m very interested in the idea of texing some type of business problem. That’s Im terms of creative pursuits, for me, tures within it. much more about the there’s work life and then art stuff outside Rather than creatideas of hierarchy and of work. At work, I’m the art director at a ing some type of the idea of communibranding, design and marketing agency recognizable scene, cating specific mescalled Clark Creative Communications. like a beach or a saging or an emotion, meadow, I’m very Getting plugged in through that has been all with the end goal of interested in pure really good. My boss is one of those people solving a challenge for who’s a connector. “Oh, you know this per- texture. I find inspia client. son? I know a guy who does that. Let me ration in all kinds So what happens of places, whether introduce you two.” when I come home? it’s the grungy part We have a buddy in town we go back For me, that’s not at all some years, with, Jason James. I’ve been of a wall in an alley about solving a busiteaching myself, over the last couple years, somewhere or the ness challenge. It’s generative and audio reactive design. It way that oil from purely my time to play. takes the form of projections and projecta car on the street To create without coning stuff onto a wall or the side of a buildlooks. I try to keep straints is a really weling. Jason and I work together pretty my eyes open to come difference from often—he’ll DJ and run his audio through the world around me and then see how I the day-to-day of my job. I come home and my laptop and do live generative projection can take those things that stand out to me have total freedom with no pressure, and stuff for shows and things like that. and try to recreate them as best I can, or if I do end up having to shut my laptop and create something inspired by them on a walk away, it’s not a big deal. How did you get started doing computer. Years ago, I had a boss who said somethat? The actual work process for that is a lot thing that stuck with me: “If you want to of trial and error. I’m really learning as I create art in your life, don’t think you’re Until the job I have now, my whole go. I’m fairly slow at it compared to people going to do it by being a graphic designer.” career is in large global advertising agenwho do it for a living, but it’s a lot of sitting Art is about expression; it’s about conveycies. One thing about that is you’re always down in front of my laptop and spending ing something you’re thinking or feeling or needing to have a reason for why you do a few hours just trying to see if I can get it reflecting a piece of the world you’re seeing. something, because you always have to close. There are certainly times where I Whereas graphic design and art direcsell and defend work internally and also to have to shut the laptop, walk away and take tion for clients is always about solving a clients. a deep breath. specific issue, so you have to get out of the 18 With generative design, for me, that way of what needs to be done.

4. When do you find yourself being most creative?

For me lately, it’s on the weekends, which I suppose is a fairly cliche answer but it’s true. As somebody who has a family, there’s a level of responsibility in life when you get home, so the weekend is when I can relax. I don’t have the pressures of the workday on my mind; I don’t have something that came up during the day we have to figure out quickly on my mind. There’s just a lot more mental freedom and mental space to sit and create.

How did you get started as a creative person? Thirteen-ish years ago, I was in my senior year of college in Chicago. I’m a tiny man, and buying clothes I like is really hard for me. One night I was like, “Man, I really need some T-shirts, but I can’t find anything I like.” I found a can of spray paint in my garage and a stencil of posterboard, and I painted a little design I made onto a T-shirt. Over the next couple weeks, I did that on some more shirts with no plan or anything, but I got stopped on the streets of Chicago about, “Hey, I love your shirt, where’d you get it?” People would ask me to make them one, and I said no because the quality control of spray paint and posterboard isn’t very good, but it made me start thinking, “Maybe I can start producing some stuff and selling it.” Over the next year I did a ton of research and started a clothing company, Head Vs. Heart, which I’m pretty sure I stole from a Death Cab for Cutie song. After about four years, I realized I hated running a retail company, so I stopped and went to a portfolio school in Atlanta. I met my wife there, and from there I’ve been in the advertising industry ever since then in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Raleigh at different agencies. And then I’ve told you the rest. Creativity has always been sort of a common thread, even though it can take various forms. CS

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Washed Ashore makes waves on Tybee

TATE ELLINGTON IS a regular on the local market scene. Her bright watercolors of familiar Savannah landmarks are sold across the city, and she loves the interaction that makers’ markets afford her. So, when Ellington branched out to begin her own co-op earlier this winter, it was an exciting move that made a lot of sense for the entrepreneurial artist. It was also a way for Ellington to spotlight her friends she made through the market scene. Washed Ashore Collective was given the opportunity to open up in the storefront of a gallery that sits along Highway 80 on the way onto the island. Ellington brought a strong roster of artists from both Savannah and Tybee because she wanted Washed Ashore to bridge the two art scenes, which can tend towards insular. “We thought it would be a great

of indoor and outdoor events, which wasn’t able to happen either. “We like to do markets with a collection of artists inside and outside the shop to give people an opportunity to meet us and to sell work,” she says. “But they’re saying we have to go through one register, so people would have to go inside and buy.” The final blow was the 45-day waiting process to get an outside vendor permit approved by Tybee’s city council. Combine that with some Tybee politics, and Washed Ashore was forced to move out of their storefront and look for a new home. And then, of course, came the pandemic. Given the complicated circumstances, Ellington could be forgiven for laying low and regrouping privately. But the everpositive artist has no plans to take it easy anytime soon. As is the case with many artists and galleries right now, Washed Ashore now lives online. Ellington’s social media prowess shows through on the co-op’s active Facebook page, where she features her 30 artists and the work they’re creating. “We’re promoting all the artists right

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

opportunity to bring this great collection of the Savannah and Tybee artists, small businesses and makers,” says Ellington. “We wanted to bring a little bit of Starland to Tybee.” With the exception of the Tybee Island Farmers’ Market, which happens on Mondays through the season, Ellington didn’t see any family-friendly markets like Savannah has. Washed Ashore was designed to be Tybee’s answer to the First Fridays in Starland, a family-friendly outdoor event with plenty of art and opportunities to meet and connect with other artists. However, that didn’t exactly pan out for Washed Ashore. After their grand opening market, Ellington was told by officials that her market was in violation of Tybee’s strict laws. “Tybee is really difficult because there are a lot of laws prohibiting outside vendors,” she shares. “We were told that even though we were on private property, we were still taking up parking because we were taking parking away from the city.” Ellington also envisioned a combination

THE ART•BEAT OF SAVANNAH

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The items for sale at Washed Ashore run the gamut from jewelry and prints to home goods and paintings by the 30 talented artists represented by the co-op. PHOTO COUR-

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now through social media, just so they get to keep 100% of their sales right now,” says Ellington. “We’re also setting up a website, which is really cool because all the items are photographed by two of our photographers, Diane Dodd of Savannah and Josh Stewart of Tybee.” When I spoke with Stewart a few weeks ago, he mentioned that his photography business was currently on hold, so this is a perfect way to allow him to continue flexing his creative muscle. Ellington used Stewart’s situation as an example of why keeping Washed Ashore alive is so important right now. “These artists and people running these businesses, a lot of them are doing them on top of their other jobs. I’m hearing about people getting furloughed, healthcare is affected, some people have even lost friends and family,” she explains. “A lot of them have talked about maybe throwing in the towel on doing their art career for a minute. And I just feel like that’s something that can’t do. I feel like this might give them something, maybe help us all get some motivation to create pretty stuff as well as give people the opportunity to shop online and shop locally, and give back to their local economy.” With all in-person gatherings canceled indefinitely, it’s important to keep the spirit of makers’ markets alive through whatever means necessary. “We still have this vision of doing something market-affiliated since we all met through doing markets,” says Ellington,

“but it’s really tough right now.” As Ellington alludes to, the maker circuit in Savannah is very much a family, and losing interpersonal interaction is tough for businesses as well as for the people who run them. When markets begin to happen again, Ellington hopes to welcome Tybee’s artists into the fold of Washed Ashore. “Tybee does need this,” she stresses. Ellington would consider renting a space in Savannah, possibly around the Starland area, but she’d ultimately like to stay on Tybee and work with the council to fill a much-needed niche there. “There’s a lot of unity in Savannah,” she says, “so we’re trying to bring a little bit of that to Tybee.” CS Visit Washed Ashore Collective on Facebook.

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

FOOD & DRINK FEATURE

“AROUND THE WORLD IN 1000 STEPS” -A WORLD TOUR OF THE HOME.

Sandra Attales, Pink on Drayton

June Stratton, Breathless

Lisa Ocampo, Under Siege

Tacos for a cause

Bull Street Taco and Location Gallery pair up for Moveable Feasts needs and “I decided to go ahead and start taking donations, and with that being the case, if somebody donates $5, they can trace that WHEN Peter Roberts returned from Man- $5 bill through our restaurant and into the hattan in mid-March, he came home to a healthcare system to feed the healthcare very different Savannah. workers,” says Massey. “That $5 goes to Coronavirus threatened to ravage two causes: it helps us keep our staff workthe city, just as it was about to do in New ing, keeps us paying the business, and it York. Roberts was forced to postpone his feeds the healthcare workers at the same upcoming exhibitions at Location Gallery, time.” including Rubi McGrory’s solo show, and In that way, Moveable Feasts are a winquarantine himself for two weeks. win-win-win situation: Bull Street Taco’s Once his time was up, Roberts came employees keep working, Location Galback strong with a big idea: the Moveable lery’s artists sell some work, healthcare Feasts. workers get fed, and customers get to buy In lieu of a physical art exhibition and art that goes towards a good cause. sale, Moveable Feasts is all online and feaAs of this writing, Bull Street Taco has tures the usual suspects from Location’s donated and delivered over 100 taco boxes, roster. Typically, the gallery donates its and Location Gallery is responsible for 37 profits to a featured nonprofit, but the sales of those boxes. from this show go towards purchasing Bull “There’s a lot of good people out there,” Street Taco’s taco boxes that then go to says Massey. “Money is tight for everyone feed frontline health workers. Each piece right now—every business, every industry. of art for sale is accompanied by the numEveryone’s kind of pulling back, so there’s ber of taco boxes it will purchase. still a lot of generosity going out there.” It was the perfect arrangement for RobThis has been a paradigm shift for both erts, who wanted to help nurses in a mean- Location Gallery and Bull Street Taco, in ingful way. two different ways. “My sister-in-law is a nurse, and she “It helps Location to just be relevant said, ‘I know it sounds crazy and really and to keep some dollars flowing to them,” simple, but feed the nurses,’ because says Roberts. “We just had to. At that they’re not getting the break or the proper point, they were only allowing 50 people nutrition,” says Roberts. “Then I learned to gather, and we get more than that at an that Bull Street Taco was already sort of opening.” doing it, and I realized that instead of dis“I hated these taco boxes,” laughs persing our dollars to a local nonprofit this Massey. “I couldn’t stand them before time, we would disperse them to our front- the pandemic. I said, ‘These things don’t line healthcare workers.” make us any money, they’re expensive, it’s Bull Street Taco began collecting dona- a custom-made box, we don’t sell enough tions for taco boxes for healthcare workof them, we don’t make a ton of money on ers because owner Johnathan Massey’s them.’ wife, Sharon, was a speech pathologist and “I thought we’d just run out what we well-connected in that field. They’ve also have and I won’t reorder them, and then partnered with Meals for Medical, a group the pandemic hit and these things have CONTINUES ON P. 22 run by Jennifer Green who coordinates the BY RACHAEL FLORA

ACROSS

1 Door frame parts 6 Some laptops 10 Ring decoration 13 Fish tank buildup 14 Heart chambers 16 “Ceci n’est pas ___ pipe” (Magritte caption) 17 *Largest city in Somerset, known for Roman-built spas 19 Tajikistan, once (abbr.) 20 “Abnormally Attracted to Sin” singer Tori 21 *Brooklyn neighborhood, colloquially 23 Hulu show starring Aidy Bryant 26 Big figure in pop? 27 “Whatever” 28 Cry of pain 30 Bobcat’s cousin 31 Soccer stadium shouts 33 Be changeable 35 Actress Day of Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much” 39 *City in southern Ontario, a little over an hour from Toronto 42 Superfluous 43 Spider monkey’s feature 44 Breeze 45 Greek vowels 47 Internet address ender 49 ___-Magnon 50 On the train 53 Nut and bolt spacer 55 *Country home to

Legoland 57 Part of SVU 58 Word before Palmas or Cruces 59 *Portland thoroughfare often mispronounced by visitors (it’s an “oo” as in “boot”) 64 Land in a rivière 65 Friendly, gender-neutral address for a child 66 Pakistani money 67 Make a wager 68 Backside 69 Writer Zola

DOWN

1 Boxer’s move 2 “Blue Rondo ___ Turk” (Brubeck song) 3 People in charge, briefly 4 Believer in spiritual unity 5 Respectable 6 GQ and EW, e.g. 7 Hartsfield-Jackson airport code 8 Item on a seafood menu 9 Tough and stringy 10 Blasts of wind 11 Follow logically 12 Streep of “Florence Foster Jenkins” 15 Back-of-the-book material 18 2010 Eminem song featuring Lil Wayne 22 Battle of Hastings combatants 23 Light up

24 Shape of a DNA strand 25 Scarlett’s Butler 29 Hopes to get 30 Sheet music line 32 Roller coaster reaction 34 “Prêt-à-Porter” actor Stephen 36 Dressing named for the type of location where it was created 37 “Go ahead, ___ you!” 38 Flavor quality 40 Place to put your fedora 41 Circus performers 46 Cleverly skillful 48 ___ d’hotel 50 Extemporaneous response 51 Fictional anchorman Howard of “Network” 52 Beginning stage 54 Play the banjo 56 African antelope with curvy horns 57 “That ain’t good” 60 Inserts in some car changers 61 ___Pen (injection for allergic reactions) 62 Fish that goes into some British pies 63 Concert wear

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

rachael@connectsavannah.com

FEATURE

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

been our saving grace. They were just kind of made for a pandemic—it’s as easy as ordering pizza.” The partnership will last as long as it makes sense to do so. Location’s artists are busy creating new work inspired by the pandemic: June Stratton’s “Breathless” depicts a woman with cloth over her mouth, and Stratton is donating all

proceeds from the sale of that piece to buying taco boxes. Lisa Ocampo also painted “Under Siege,” a depiction of the Statue of Liberty with a mask, especially for the exhibition, and Tate Ellington offered a watercolor painting of Bull Street Taco. As the pieces fly off the virtual shelves, Location replaces them with new work,

ensuring that the project will live on as long as the need is there. The reaction so far has been popular, even in far-flung places, which reassures Roberts that art is essential, perhaps even more so than ever. “This is a way to define art and restaurants as essential and figuring out our essentialness,” says Roberts. “I’m getting

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19)

I always hesitate to advise Aries people to slow down, be more deliberate, and pay closer attention to boring details. The Rams to whom I provide such counsel may be rebelliously annoyed with me—so much so that they move even faster, and with less attention to the details. Nevertheless, I’ll risk offering you this advisory right now. Here’s my reasoning, which I hope will make the prospect more appealing: If you commit to a phase in which you temporarily invoke more prudence, discretion, and watchfulness than usual, it will ultimately reward you with a specific opportunity to make rapid progress.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Is there an area of your life where you would like a do-over? A chance to cancel the past and erase lingering messiness and clear a path for who-knows-what new possibility? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to prepare—not to actually take the leap, but rather make yourself ready for the leap. You will have God and fate and warm fuzzy vibes on your side as you dare to dream and scheme about a fresh start. Any mistakes you committed once upon a time could become irrelevant as you fantasize practically about a future breakthrough.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | APR 29 - MAY 5, 2020

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

In 1855, Gemini-born Walt Whitman published his book of poetry *Leaves of Grass*. A literary critic named Rufus Wilmot Griswold did not approve. In a review, he derided the work that would eventually be regarded as one of America’s literary masterpieces. “It is impossible to imagine how any man’s fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth,” Griswold wrote, adding that Whitman had a “degrading, beastly sensuality” driven by “the vilest imaginings.” Whitman’s crafty Gemini intelligence responded ingeniously to the criticism. In the next edition of *Leaves of Grass*, the author printed Griswold’s full review. It helped sell even more books! I invite you to consider comparable twists and tricks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

In your efforts to develop a vibrant community and foster a vital network of connections, you have an advantage. Your emotionally rich, nurturing spirit instills trust in people. They’re drawn to you because they sense you will treat them with care and sensitivity. On the other hand, these fine attributes of yours may sometimes cause problems. Extra-needy, manipulative folks may interpret your softness as weakness. They might try to exploit your kindness to take advantage of you. So the challenge for you is to be your generous, welcoming self without allowing anyone to violate your boundaries or rip you off. Everything I just said will be helpful to meditate on in the coming weeks, as you reinvent yourself for the future time when the coronavirus crisis will have lost much of its power to disrupt our lives.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Now is an excellent time to take inventory of your integrity. You’re likely to get crucial insights if you evaluate the state of your ethics, your authenticity, and your compassion. Is it time to boost your commitment to a noble cause that transcends your narrow self-interest? Are there ways you’ve been less than fully fair and honest in your dealings with people? Is it possible you have sometimes failed to give your best? I’m not saying that you are guilty of any of those sins. But most of us are indeed guilty of them, at least now and then. And if you are, Leo, now is your special time to check in with yourself— and make any necessary adjustments and corrections.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

I predict that you will have more flying dreams than usual in the coming weeks— as well as more dreams in which you’re traveling around the world in the company of rebel angels and dreams in which you’re leading revolutionary uprisings of oppressed people against tyrannical overlords and dreams of enjoying eightcourse gourmet feasts with sexy geniuses in the year 2022. You may also, even

Instagram messages from people in other cities and they’re like, ‘How cool, can we do this?’ Absolutely. Who doesn’t love art, tacos and nurses?” CS For more, visit locationgallery.net, bullstreettaco.com, and Meals for Medical on Facebook.

BY ROB BREZSNY

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

while not asleep, well up with outlandish fantasies and exotic desires. I don’t regard any of these likelihoods as problematical. In fact, I applaud them and encourage them. They’re healthy for you! Bonus: All the wild action transpiring in your psyche may prompt you to generate good ideas about fun adventures you could embark on once the coronavirus crisis has ebbed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

It’s time to work your way below the surface level of things, Libra; to dig and dive into the lower reaches where the mysteries are darker and richer; to marshal your courage as you go in quest of the rest of the story. Are you willing to suspend some of your assumptions about the way things work so as to become fully alert for hidden agendas and dormant potentials? Here’s a piece of advice: Your fine analytical intelligence won’t be enough to guide you through this enigmatic terrain. If you hope to get face to face with the core source, you’ll have to call on your deeper intuition and non-rational hunches.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

When was the last time you researched the intricacies of what you don’t like and don’t desire and don’t want to become? Now is a favorable time to take a thorough inventory. You’ll generate good fortune for yourself by naming the following truths: 1. goals and dreams that are distractions from your primary mission; 2. attitudes and approaches that aren’t suitable for your temperament and that don’t contribute to your maximum health; 3. people and influences that are not in alignment with your highest good.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky believed that the cleverest people are those who regularly call themselves fools. In other words, they feel humble amusement as they acknowledge their failings and ignorance—thereby paving the way for creative growth. They steadily renew their commitment to avoid being know-it-alls, celebrating the curiosity that such blessed innocence enables them to nurture. They

give themselves permission to ask dumb questions! Now is a favorable time for you to employ these strategies.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

What wonderful improvements and beautiful influences would you love to be basking in by May 1, 2021? What masterpieces would you love to have as key elements of your life by then? I invite you to have fun brainstorming about these possibilities in the next two weeks. If an exciting idea bubbles up into your awareness, formulate a plan that outlines the details you’ll need to put in place so as to bring it to fruition when the time is right. I hereby authorize you to describe yourself with these terms: begetter; originator; maker; designer; founder; producer; framer; generator.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

If I asked you to hug and kiss yourself regularly, would you think I was being too cute? If I encouraged you to gaze into a mirror once a day and tell yourself how beautiful and interesting you are, would you say, “That’s too woo-woo for me.” I hope you will respond more favorably than that, Aquarius. In fact, I will be praying for you to ascend to new heights of self-love between now and May 25. I will be rooting for you to be unabashed as you treat yourself with more compassionate tenderness than you have ever dared to before. And I do mean EVER!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

In the coming weeks, I’d love to see you get excited about refining and upgrading the ways you communicate. I don’t mean to imply that you’re a poor communicator now; it’s just that you’re in a phase when you’re especially empowered to enhance the clarity and candor with which you express yourself. You’ll have an uncanny knack for knowing the right thing to say at the right moment. You’ll generate blessings for yourself as you fine-tune your listening skills. Much of this may have to happen online and over the phone, of course. But you can still accomplish a lot!

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