Issuu

JUNE 17–23, 2021 I VOLUME 40 I NUMBER 20 I NASHVILLESCENE.COM I FREE

METROPOLITIK: TWO JUDGESHIPS ARE OPENING UP, AND MAYBE MORE PAGE 8

CITY LIMITS: FORMER D.A. TORRY JOHNSON ON HINDSIGHT PAGE 10

FOOD & DRINK: A JUNETEENTH COLLABORATION AT THE CATBIRD SEAT PAGE 20

THE MURDER TRIAL OF OFFICER ANDREW DELKE In 2018, Delke shot and killed Daniel Hambrick. In July, the first Metro officer to face criminal charges for an on-duty shooting goes to trial. BY STEVEN HALE

cover_6-17-21.indd 1

6/14/21 5:18 PM

Dive into a summer of more at SoundWaves, the elevated aquatic experience! Take the plunge off the tallest waterslide or let the current carry you down a lazy river.

MORE ADVENTURE

With three levels of water attractions and plenty of poolside dining options, the whole family can play all day.

EXPERIENCE MORE AT SoundwavesGO.com

MORE THRILLS

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

21-BNAGO- Nashville Scene - fp ad-6.10.2021-10.75x12.5.indd 1

6/10/21 10:57 AM

CONTENTS

JUNE 17, 2021

The Thrill of the Chase

Walk a Mile: Berry Hill ...............................7

Mysterious Nashville offers mystifying encounters for bold adventurers

CITY LIMITS

In the 18th installment of his column, J.R. Lind happens across a piece of hidden history in one of Nashville’s satellite cities

BY ALEXANDRA DEMARCO

VODKA YONIC

BY J.R. LIND

In Praise of Mess

With two judgeships open — and possibly more — Nashville’s civil courts could be in for a big change

BY KENDRA DECOLO

Metropolitik: Bench Press .........................8

BY STEVE CAVENDISH

Two Recent Housing Emergencies Help Illustrate Task Force’s Troubling Findings....8 Communities at the Mosaic Apartments and the Jefferson Street Bridge Camp are fighting to stay in place BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

Former DA Torry Johnson on Hindsight and the Paul Garrett Case ...................... 10 Johnson acknowledges problems but rejects the case as an example of a glaring injustice during his tenure

Or how Courtney Love helped me return to writing after I became a mother

BOOKS

Travel and Disappearance

Kiese Laymon’s Long Division operates at the intersection of language and time BY KASHIF ANDREW GRAHAM AND CHAPTER 16

THIS WEEK ON THE WEB: Pressure Mounts for Quick Release of Shuttered Venue Operators Grants William Edmondson’s Legacy and a Potential Edgehill Development The 42nd Annual l’Eté du Vin Returns as In-Person Event Kid Rock Uses Homophobic Slur. Then Uses It Again.

MUSIC

Space Case .............................................. 26

ON THE COVER:

Namir Blade stakes his claim in Nashville’s burgeoning hip-hop scene

BY STEVEN HALE

Illustration by Rachel Briggs

BY CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

COVER STORY

The Murder Trial of Officer Andrew Delke

In 2018, Delke shot and killed Daniel Hambrick. In July, the first Metro officer to face criminal charges for an on-duty shooting goes to trial.

Cloud Control: Bandplay Expands the Horizons of Middle Tennessee Hip-Hop .... 26 Talking with the stellar producer about establishing his home base in Middle Tennessee and his plans for the future BY D’LLISHA DAVIS AND 2 L’S ON A CLOUD

Zen and the Art of Guitar Rock .............. 27 Tim Carroll has spent his pandemic months getting in tune with his guitar

BY STEVEN HALE

BY DARYL SANDERS

The Spin ................................................... 28

CRITICS’ PICKS

Black Music Month at the National Museum of African American Music, Movies in the Park: Thor: Ragnarok, Far Out Free Fest, Dark City, Juneteenth, NASCAR Cup Series, Science on Screen: Children of Men, Moonlighting: An Oral History, the 90 Day Fiancé Cray Cray podcast and more

The Scene’s live-review column checks out Record Store Day at The Groove BY CHARLIE ZAILLIAN

30 FILM

Lovely Rita

A new documentary showcases the resilience of lauded performer Rita Moreno

Dinner and a Conversation

Devil, de Vil and solo Bo, now available to stream

BY CRAIG D. LINDSEY

FOOD AND DRINK

Primal Stream 57

A Juneteenth collaboration at The Catbird Seat aims to open eyes and minds BY MARGARET LITTMAN

BY JASON SHAWHAN

33 34

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

CULTURE

For the Soul: Brassville Gives Nashville a New Sound and Vibe

Talking with members of the eight-piece brass band about where they’re from and where they’re going

MARKETPLACE

BY ASHLEY CURRIE AND URBAANITE

Walk a

Mile

with J.R. Lind

With feet on the street, we discover Nashville’s own unique beat – one mile at a time

Call for take-out!

Authentic Mexican Cuisine & Bakery...Side by Side!

615-669-8144 PanaderiayPasteleriaLopez

615-865-2646 TacosyMariscosLindoMexico

917A Gallatin Pike S, Madison, TN nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

contents_06-17-21.indd 3

6/14/21 6:09 PM

PET OF THE WEEK! MISTER CASSIDY is a year old and weighs 46 pounds. He’s also a very friendly dog! He’s a little shy when he first meets new people -BUT- within moments he becomes a super-sweet love bug! He truly loves all the people he meets here at NHA and when he has playtime with other dogs here at NHA he is super social and very playful. Basically, he greets everyone and everything with a wagging tail! He also walks well on the leash and has very good inside potty manners. One thing we must warn you about: He’s affectionate. And that tongue of his? Just be prepared and get ready for slobbery wet kisses when you meet! Ok. Now that we have warned you... Come visit Mister Cassidy today at NHA! Call 615.352.1010 or visit nashvillehumane.org Located at 213 Oceola Ave., Nashville, TN 37209

Adopt. Bark. Meow. Microchip. Neuter. Spay.

@parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks @parnassusbooks1

UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS THURSDAY, JUNE 17 6:00PM

AMIE THURBER & LEAROTHA WILLIAMS in conversation with STEVE HARUCH I’ll Take You There

MONDAY, JUNE 21 6:00PM

LISA TADDEO in conversation with ADAM ROSS Animal

TUESDAY, JUNE 22 6:00PM

REGGIE D. FORD in conversation with ANDREW MARANISS Perseverance Through Severe Dysfunction

THURSDAY, JUNE 24 6:00PM

ALKA JOSHI in conversation with ASHA LEMMIE The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 6:00PM

TURK PIPKIN in conversation with NINA CARDONA Willie Nelson’s Letters to America

GET TICKETS & LEARN MORE AT PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENT 3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 | Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243 Shop online at parnassusbooks.net

FROM BILL FREEMAN REPUBLICANS SAY GERRYMANDERING IS UNLIKELY, BUT NASHVILLIANS SHOULD BE CONCERNED Gerrymandering is “the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections,” as defined by Merriam-Webster. The fact that both political parties have used this tool over the years does not make it right, or fair, for Tennessee’s voters. With the official census count expected soon, there has been a lot of chatter and speculation of how our population shifts will impact the redistricting of Tennessee’s congressional seats, including speculation of what district gerrymandering we could see. From what we’re hearing, Nashvillians should be paying close attention. Republican officials have long been eyeing Nashville’s 5th Congressional District as a target to be redrawn — thus carving out enough Democrat voters to make the 5th winnable by a Republican. This attempt to gerrymander Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper’s seat, which he has held since 2003, has been a long time coming. Our Republican-dominated state legislature is expected to begin the process of redrawing districts early in the fall, when the U.S. Census Bureau figures are released. We should expect this reshaping of district lines — more people have moved to Nashville and the state in the past decade. Middle Tennesseans, and Nashvillians in particular, have seen substantial population growth for many years now. It’s the responsibility of our elected officials to review this information regularly to ensure that our population is accurately and fairly represented by our elected leaders, from the school board level all the way up the U.S. Congress. That said, our state’s majority party regularly uses these reapportionment times to better suit their chances at winning in a district historically represented by Democrats. With control of the state legislature and the executive branch, Tennessee’s Republicans will have the opportunity to redraw the lines. Nashville Democrats should be aware of this potential issue, since a result of redistricting would very likely be that solidly blue areas of Nashville get divvied up across multiple districts. As a result, Nashville Democrats’ voice and vote would have diminished impact. As has been recently reported by Tennessee Lookout, Rep. Cooper is concerned with the prospect of the potential gerrymandering attempt, which many are expecting to come prior to the next election cycle. “This would cripple economic development in Tennessee,” Cooper is quoted as saying, “by ruining the oasis of blue in our red state, our economic crown jewel.” The potential for gerrymandering the 5th is increasingly less hypothetical, and that reality is beginning to attract some tirekickers. Former state Speaker of the House Beth Harwell has not served in public office since her 2018 bid for governor. She has publicly stated that she would be interested in running for congress, if “the lines are right.” An interesting possibility, and I

BILL FREEMAN do think Harwell has always had the best interests of Nashville at heart. Republican leaders say they have not discussed the potential redrawing. House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said — correctly — that it is premature to even discuss the issue, since the census figures haven’t yet been released. Sexton has worked hard to guide our state through the pandemic, and has done right by our state in many regards. I believe he will work to do what’s best for all of us who live in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District — Republican or Democrat. But gerrymandering is a political fact of life, and redrawing district lines doesn’t erase blue votes — it sprinkles them into other districts. GOP strategists think that would be to their benefit, but gerrymandering does not always turn out like the strategists intend. Today it may seem unlikely, but if Nashville Democrats are diluted, the surrounding districts would absorb these blue voters. GOP candidates in those districts could find their road to victory harder and more complicated. Nashville Democrats should be aware of the potential for this redistricting effort, and we need to all do our civic duty by expressing our concerns to our elected officials when the time comes for providing public input. But frankly, I don’t believe we are at an economic disadvantage because of redistricting, at least not in a lifechanging way. There was a time in Tennessee when there were more Democrats in Congress, and the Republican Party — simply stated — met the challenge.

Bill Freeman Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and Home Page Media Group in Williamson County.

Editor-in-Chief D. Patrick Rodgers Senior Editor Dana Kopp Franklin Associate Editor Alejandro Ramirez Arts Editor Laura Hutson Hunter Culture Editor Erica Ciccarone Music and Listings Editor Stephen Trageser Contributing Editor Jack Silverman Staff Writers Stephen Elliott, Nancy Floyd, Steven Hale, Kara Hartnett, J.R. Lind, William Williams Contributing Writers Sadaf Ahsan, Radley Balko, Ashley Brantley, Maria Browning, Steve Cavendish, Chris Chamberlain, Lance Conzett, Marcus K. Dowling, Steve Erickson, Randy Fox, Adam Gold, Seth Graves, Kim Green, Steve Haruch, Geoffrey Himes, Edd Hurt, Jennifer Justus, Christine Kreyling, Katy Lindenmuth, Craig D. Lindsey, Brittney McKenna, Marissa R. Moss, Noel Murray, Joe Nolan, Chris Parton, Betsy Phillips, John Pitcher, Margaret Renkl, Megan Seling, Jason Shawhan, Michael Sicinski, Nadine Smith, Ashley Spurgeon, Amy Stumpfl, Kay West, Abby White, Andrea Williams, Cy Winstanley, Ron Wynn, Charlie Zaillian Editorial Intern Kahwit Tela Art Director Elizabeth Jones Photographers Eric England, Matt Masters, Daniel Meigs Graphic Designers Mary Louise Meadors, Tracey Starck Production Coordinator Christie Passarello Events and Marketing Director Olivia Britton Promotions Coordinator Caroline Poole Publisher Mike Smith Senior Advertising Solutions Managers Maggie Bond, Sue Falls, Michael Jezewski, Carla Mathis, Heather Cantrell Mullins, Jennifer Trsinar, Keith Wright Advertising Solutions Managers Olivia Bellon, William Shutes, Niki Tyree Sales Operations Manager Chelon Hill Hasty Advertising Solutions Associates Aya Robinson, Price Waltman Special Projects Coordinator Susan Torregrossa President Frank Daniels III Chief Financial Officer Todd Patton Corporate Production Director Elizabeth Jones Vice President of Marketing Mike Smith IT Director John Schaeffer Circulation and Distribution Director Gary Minnis For advertising information please contact: Mike Smith, msmith@nashvillescene.com or 615-844-9238 FW PUBLISHING LLC Owner Bill Freeman VOICE MEDIA GROUP National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.com

©2021, Nashville Scene. 210 12th Ave. S., Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37203. Phone: 615-244-7989. The Nashville Scene is published weekly by FW Publishing LLC. The publication is free, one per reader. Removal of more than one paper from any distribution point constitutes theft, and violators are subject to prosecution. Back issues are available at our office. Email: All email addresses consist of the employee’s first initial and last name (no space between) followed by @nashvillescene.com; to reach contributing writers, email editor@nashvillescene.com. Editorial Policy: The Nashville Scene covers news, art and entertainment. In our pages appear divergent views from across the community. Those views do not necessarily represent those of the publishers. Subscriptions: Subscriptions are available at $150 per year for 52 issues. Subscriptions will be posted every Thursday and delivered by third-class mail in usually five to seven days. Please note: Due to the nature of third-class mail and postal regulations, any issue(s) could be delayed by as much as two or three weeks. There will be no refunds issued. Please allow four to six weeks for processing new subscriptions and address changes. Send your check or Visa/MC/AmEx number with expiration date to the above address.

In memory of Jim Ridley, editor 2009-2016

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

letter_6-17-21.indd 4

6/14/21 6:09 PM

FC0036

Architect. Designer. Artist. Visionary. At the end of the 19th century, the Glasgow Style emerged as the major manifestation of Art Nouveau in Britain, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh was its greatest proponent. Experience the first US exhibition in a generation to highlight Mackintosh’s innovative architecture, designs, and paintings. See how he played with light and dark, soft curves, and delicate lines to achieve opulent effects. Explore the larger circle of artists and craftspeople, including many women, with whom he collaborated to create the unique and dynamic Glasgow Style.

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 12

FristArtMuseum.org @FristArtMuseum Downtown Nashville, 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 #TheFrist #FristGlasgowStyle Designing the New: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style is a touring exhibition co-organized by Glasgow Museums and the American Federation of Arts. The exhibition comprises works from the collections of Glasgow City Council (Museums and Collections), with loans from Scottish collections and private lenders. Support for the US national tour is provided by the Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation. Platinum sponsor

Hospitality sponsor

Education and community engagement supporters

Spanish translation sponsor

The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by Friends of the Arts of Scotland and

Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. The May Queen (detail), 1900. Made for the Ladies’ Luncheon Room, Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street Tearooms, Glasgow. Gesso on burlap (hessian) over a wood frame, scrim, twine, glass beads, thread,

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

and tin leaf, 62 1/2 x 179 7/8 in. overall. Glasgow Museums: Acquired by Glasgow Corporation as part of the Ingram Street Tearooms, 1950. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection. Courtesy American Federation of Arts

FC003609_L3rr_Mackintosh_NashvilleScene_10.75x12.5.indd 1

5/26/21 3:09 PM

WE MAKE IT LOOK

BRAND NEW Custom upholstery for residential, commercial, auto, marine, and aviation.

Services We Offer: • Upholstery • Leather Repair • Antique Wood Restoration • Mold Remediation • Deodorization • Complete Auto Restoration • Paintless Dent Repair • Alloy Wheel Repair THERE’S

JUNE 21

CELTIC THRONE THE ROYAL JOURNEY OF IRISH DANCE

PRI NTERS ALLEY

NASHVI LLE, TN

NOT NOT BOOZE IN HEREAUTO UPHOLSTERY

FREE

Kitchen & Spirits | L ive music SPRINGER MOUNTAIN FARMS

BLUEGRASS NIGHTS AT THE RYMAN

JULY 1 - RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER JULY 8 - RHONDA VINCENT & THE RAGE JULY 22 - DAILEY & VINCENT ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

AUGUST 19

DISINFECTING

Hide out tonight in Printer’s Alley, with a scratch, local kitchen and the next generation of bluegrass and Americana virtuosos. ja n e s h i d e away. c o m

Using product approved by the EPA to fight Covid

(615) 557-2968 restore615.com

tract

con under

ELLIE HOLCOMB ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

OCTOBER 27 LIVE AT THE OPRY HOUSE

Nate Bargatze NOVEMBER 9

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER • MARC COHN • SHAWN COLVIN

TOGETHER IN CONCERT

NOVEMBER 13

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

restoration dreams do come true.

2510

BELMONT | 12TH SOUTH

• dramatic Marvin Window glass tower with distinguished floating staircase

with special guest Foy Vance

• cook’s kitchen w/ double islands and scullery pantry

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

DECEMBER 10

• 2nd level owner’s suite with balcony overlooks pool • screen porch with fireplace • apartment over garage

COLTER WALL 4 BEDROOM + 4.5 BATH 4,595 SF half bath off terrace

UPGRADE YOUR NIGHT WITH A RYMAN PREMIUM PASS FOR TICKET INFORMATION AND MORE, VISIT RYMAN.COM Historically Cool Since 1892

116 Fifth Avenue North Nashville, TN 37219

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

NASHVILLE | 37212

DETAILS

2ND SHOW ADDED!

ANDERSON EAST

OAKLAND AVE

1 Bedroom + 1 Bath in garage apartment

MARY BETH THOMAS 615.714.7183 C 615.383.6964 O

quintessential bungalow lovingly restored by Britt Development to meet today’s lifestyle

offered at

$2,995,000 JONNY GLEATON 770.876.5255 C 615.383.6964 O

CITY LIMITS

BERRY HILL

In the 18th installment of his column, J.R. Lind happens across a piece of hidden history in one of Nashville’s satellite cities

Walk a

BY J.R. LIND | PHOTOS BY ERIC ENGLAND

Mile ose

Melr

nue

Ave

Avenue

with J.R. Lind

Columbine Place

Bransford

East Iris Drive

THE ROUTE: From Columbine Park, south on Columbine Place, then right on Heather Place, then right on Bransford Avenue. Turn into Woodlawn Memorial Gardens at Bransford’s intersection with Melrose Avenue and walk about 800 feet to the cabins. CRANES: 0 ABANDONED SCOOTERS: 0

Once a month, reporter and resident historian J.R. Lind will pick an area in the city to examine while accompanied by a photographer. With his column Walk a Mile, he’ll walk a one-mile stretch of that area, exploring the neighborhood’s history and character, its developments, its current homes and businesses, and what makes it a unique part of Nashville. If you have a suggestion for a future Walk a Mile, email editor@nashvillescene.com.

ven on a muggy, overcast June morning when the air hangs like a thicket of cobwebs before the sun has burned off the humidity that settles on warm nights in Middle Tennessee, Berry Hill’s Columbine Park is a pleasant splash of green. Set between two one-way stretches of an eponymous road, the park is open but for a few benches and some strong-looking ancient trees. It’s a park for the sake of having a park, which is a fine reason to have a park. On its northern end, Columbine is overlooked by the House of Blues Studios, owned by Universal Music Group since 2019. It’s a multi-building complex that includes Studio D, which was moved wholecloth from Memphis about a decade back. Murals along the walls and fences nearby feature faces of the legion of artists of all genres (from Ralph Stanley to Lady Gaga) who have laid down tracks in the studio. Moving south on Columbine Place, the character of Berry Hill becomes apparent. Homes, restaurants, offices and businesses are neighbors in the quaint World War II houses, unseparated by the vagaries of a

zoning code that would keep them apart. The mishmash would horrify the midcentury ultra-rationalist planners who would see all cities become barely connected clutches of commerce and entertainment and home life, none infringing on the other. But in Berry Hill, planning seems to have been conducted simply by happenstance. Berry Hill, of course, handles its own planning and zoning, among other municipal duties, having survived 1965’s consolidation of Nashville and Davidson County (along with Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Goodlettsville, a smattering of Ridgetop and the now-evaporated Lakewood). These areas are usually called “satellite cities,” though the Metro Charter simply designates them “smaller cities” and allowed those existing prior to consolidation to continue doing so, unless — as Lakewood did — the residents choose to surrender the charter. Thus freed from those bounds, Berry Hill chugs along, a quirky little pocket where someone’s house is next to the Nashville Jam Company, itself next to a facility offering high colonics and reflexology. Pseudoscientific health seems to be a bit of a cottage industry in Berry Hill, with a statistically significant number of herbalists and crystal purveyors alongside an alarming number of dentists (and the home of the surely-more-powerful-than-we-know lobbying group, the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians). Sidewalks are scarce, but so is automobile traffic, on Columbine Place as it curves southwest into Heather Place, which runs along the backside of two of Berry Hill’s most visible and well-known businesses: Baja

Burrito and Sam & Zoe’s. The latter — with its multilingual sign advising wrong-way drivers to stop lest they cause a slow-speed head-on collision in the modest drive-thru coffee line — is the destination of a handful of joggers seeking their morning jolt. Turning north on Bransford — more or less the main drag in Berry Hill proper, with Thompson Lane a more well-traveled road but lacking the character of its perpendicular sister — more beloved small and local restaurants are readying for the day. The bread for the banh mi and the broth for the pho are no doubt in the works at Vui’s Kitchen, the lunch specials are being prepped at The Yellow Porch and Sunflower Cafe, and folks are grabbing a quick breakfast at Cafe Monell’s. The restaurants match the wood-siding/ clapboard cottage look of the neighborhood. While consistent zoning isn’t much of a concern in Berry Hill, aesthetic consistency surely is. An exception is at the prosthodontist’s office (sadly, a prosthodontist is not a dinosaur — they are dentists specializing in prosthetic devices) just south of Monell’s: It’s a vaguely Spanish Colonial building by way of fast-service restaurant at EPCOT. A few doors north is what is probably the only plaid building in all of Davidson County. This stretch of Bransford is a smorgasbord of niche businesses: tattoo artists next to specialty dentists next to a bead shop next

to a scuba store. A video-production house shares a block with The Pfunky Griddle, from whence the seductive scent of bacon is wafting in the heavy June air, as well as a vaguely named consulting shop. At Bransford’s intersection with Iris Drive is a windowless abandoned building that looks vaguely like an old roadhouse. A secret government facility? Probably not. It was most recently an art gallery. At various times in the 1960s and 1980s, the property was owned by Woodlawn Memorial Park, the cemetery it neighbors, which used it as a source of revenue for the perpetual care fund. One of the city’s largest burial grounds, Woodlawn is the final home of a number of music figures and regular Nashvillians. It dominates the southeast quadrant of Berry Hill, extending beyond Thompson Lane and thus stretching into Nashville proper, or what demographers and statisticians call “Nashville-Davidson (balance).” Like cemeteries should be, it is quiet and well-maintained with a relaxing park-like atmosphere and a grid of paved roads, essential because the sidewalk narrows and then disappears at Bransford and Melrose. It’s little more than a week since Memorial Day, thus many of the headstones are still decorated in the patriotic colors, the wind whistling through the bunting and blooms being the only sound other than the

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

citylimits_06-17-21.indd 7

6/14/21 5:50 PM

CITY LIMITS

METr0P0LITIK

BENCH PRESS With two judgeships open — and possibly more — Nashville’s civil courts could be in for a big change BY STEVE CAVENDISH

quiet but very important part of the Nashville legal world could be headed for a sea change next year — and if you’re ever involved in a lawsuit, it could affect you too. Last week, Ellen Hobbs Lyle revealed that she has been planning to retire when her Chancery Court term ends next year. Regarded by many as one of the most capable trial court judges in the state, the embattled chancellor could be forgiven for choosing to exit after some members of the state legislature targeted her this session for the offense of letting people vote absentee during a pandemic. Chancery Court hears some of the more complicated disputes between parties, and often between state and local governments and citizens, businesses and other entities. Lyle is the jurist almost everyone would prefer to draw. Meanwhile, over in Circuit Court, 82-year-old Hamilton Gayden is quietly winding down after almost a half-century on the bench. Appointed to a General Sessions opening by Winfield Dunn in 1974, Gayden has been one of the longest-serving Circuit Court judges, hearing a wide range of suits, from personal injury cases to all manner of employment and contract disputes. Even if it were just these two jurists — one of four chancellors and one of five circuit judges who hear this type of litigation — it would be a significant change. But consider this: Circuit Judge Thomas Brothers will be 70 in a few weeks, and Circuit Judge Joe Binkley just turned 77. All indications are that the judges are making plans to run again, but an eight-

year term is a long commitment. Binkley would be 86 by the end of his next term. Brothers would be 79. And if for any reason they decided to step down during their term, they would be handing a Democratic seat on the bench to Gov. Bill Lee (or our next governor, likely another Republican) to fill. Both are highly respected judges, but there is already buzz within the Democratic side of the Nashville Bar Association about the problems an appointment would create. And then there is Judge Kelvin Jones. The only African American on the Circuit Court, Jones defeated Carol Soloman in 2014. His own sworn testimony in his divorce trial last year, however, raised issues of breaking into his wife’s cellphone as well as impersonation. His wife also alleged that Jones made almost $200,000 in small cash deposits into their bank account over the span of a month. The case has been referred to a special prosecutor who could indict Jones, making the politics of a re-election run almost impossible. Having multiple Circuit Court seats potentially in play raises an interesting question: Who wants to fill them? Former Mayor David Briley is preparing to run for Gayden’s seat, as is Wendy Longmire, an attorney who has spent much of her career defending insurance companies. (Her treasurer works for Liberty Mutual.) In a different era — the one that produced Gayden, Brothers and Binkley — a number of kingmakers might have had a say in who was appointed to or decided to run for one of these seats. For years, George Barrett and John Seigenthaler played this role, often together, as well as people like Fate Thomas, David Torrence, Barbara Haynes and Charlie Cardwell. They would vet candidates and often help stitch together a winning political coalition. But absent any real power brokers or political machines here in town, the path has changed. Because of the timing of the primary in the spring, the race is often a low-turnout affair. In recent years, that has increased the political clout of Black Nashvillians, the most reliable voters in a mostly Democratic city where the party primary usually determines the final outcome.

Because judicial races often have few issues that resonate with voters, they’re also notoriously hard to raise money for, and even less so for the Circuit Court. In criminal court, judges can make nods toward being in favor of either “law and order” or “criminal justice reform” to separate themselves, but on the civil side it’s largely a matter of résumé. That means it will require a lot of self-funding for many candidates in a countywide race that will cost six figures (like Longmire), or someone who already has a lot of name ID (like Briley). So the pool is already limited. In talking to more than 20 people around the city for this piece, I tried to reach out to a number of attorneys who might be interested. One potential candidate, I thought, might fit the bill: young, but with a diversity of experience on both the criminal and civil side of the bar; political enough; bright; great reputation among her peers. Her response to me? No way. It’s not that she wouldn’t love to be a judge, but the thought of running for office made her shudder. And for those who are politically inclined, the statewide landscape has changed. For someone like Thomas Brothers, who was appointed by Gov. Ned McWherter in 1989, distinguished tenure in the Circuit Court might have led to a position on the Court of Appeals or higher. But with Democrats effectively shut out of appointments at the state level, these courts have to be viewed as terminal positions. And unlike General Sessions, where the job is comparatively easy, Chancery and Circuit require substantial immersion in the law and the ability to deal with often complex litigation. So, let’s see. We might need multiple candidates with a range of experience and a good temperament. They need to be smart enough to handle big issues and fair enough to let both parties make their case. They should be well-off, in order to fund at least part of a campaign. And if they want to win, they should probably be a Democrat, but not one who views this as a stepping stone to something else. If the floodgates open, we’re about to find out just how many of those unicorns exist.

ing stock by 2030. Mayor John Cooper assembled the 22-member task force back in January, and the group’s new report says the need is greatest for people at the lowest income levels in the city. It also states that more than 44 percent of renters in the city are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. (The definition of affordability according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development means a household spends no more than 30 percent of its income on housing.) The task force lists nine recommendations, including the need to expand and improve the Barnes Housing Trust Fund — an affordable housing grant that faced a setback in 2019 when Metro impounded

half of the money that was supposed to be awarded that year. The report calls for the fund to be increased from $10 million per year to $30 million, with a goal of creating 1,500 units each year. The task force’s report also recommends that the city create an inventory system to track subsidized affordable housing units, including a dashboard to track the funding and development of those units. The report calls for more investment in subsidized rental vouchers, and notes that without changes, the city will fall short of the need for subsidized units. The authors note that for the first time, the unhoused population has been included in the city’s projected housing needs. The report projects a need for 17,827 units to help people experiencing

EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

TWO RECENT HOUSING EMERGENCIES HELP ILLUSTRATE TASK FORCE’S TROUBLING FINDINGS Communities at the Mosaic Apartments and the Jefferson Street Bridge Camp are fighting to stay in place BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ

ashville has a shortage of affordable housing, and if substantial, direct action isn’t taken, the situation will only worsen over the next decade. That’s the forecast from a new report by the Metro Nashville Affordable Housing Task Force, which found that Nashville will need to add more than 53,000 new units to its hous-

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

rumble of traffic on Interstate 65. But beyond the remains and the memories of Nashvillians since passed and their families, Woodlawn also holds a curious secret. Close to the midpoint of its northern edge, facing a bland industrial park, is what looks like a small village of historic homes, a sort of outdoor museum of early Nashville life with pleasant ponds and bubbling streams and a rowdy flock of Muscovy ducks. The crimson bulbs on their heads contrast with the black and white of their feathers as they swim around squawking at a school of koi. The main house in this little campus is Melrose, once the home of Gov. Aaron Brown. Brown, one of many one-term governors in the 19th century, succeeded the delightfully named James Chamberlain “Lean Jimmy” Jones in the governor’s mansion, and in his 64 years he always circled on the fringe of the powerful. Brown served in the U.S. House and the state Senate, was future President James K. Polk’s law partner and was postmaster general under President James Buchanan. In the 1960s, the house was purchased by the Forehand family, who expanded it and modernized it — the still-extant window air conditioning units were not original to the home, nor was the stubborn artificial poinsettia that’s hung on the door for who knows how long. The Forehands, obviously interested in history, took the time to erect plaques explaining each of the buildings, though their particular interpretation thereof is certainly a product of their time. For example, a Confederate cannon (no longer present) is described as having participated in the valiant defense of the city against the Union attack in the “War Between the States.” (There’s a lot wrong with that description, not the least of which is that the defense of Nashville was more “completely ineffective” than “valiant.”) One small building is described as “servants’ quarters,” as if a well-paid butler lived there and not someone enslaved by the Brown family. Its plaque tells the harrowing tale of a child, asleep in the cabin (it also served as the Browns’ nursery), who was nearly shot in the head by a bullet fired from a Union troop train. That seems unlikely given that the nearest railroad tracks then, as now, are more than a halfmile away and the range of a Civil War-era musket was about half that distance. There is a springhouse that provides the water for the ponds and stream; its regular and reliable flow led to a field hospital being set up in what is now the cemetery. There is one building not original to the site: the Carper homestead, which was built in what is now Cane Ridge shortly after James Robertson et al. founded Nashville. It was broken down and moved piece by piece to Woodlawn in the late 1960s. Connecting this old piece of Nashville with what it has become is a red Solo cup that sits empty outside the front door, which is open, the heavy lock ripped off by ne’er-do-wells. Inside, a few family photographs sit on the mantle. Even more creepily: One of those faceless articulated-wooden-human-body drawing figures lies on the cabin floor. EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

citylimits_06-17-21.indd 8

6/14/21 6:31 PM

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

CITY LIMITS homelessness, including permanent supportive housing and subsidized rentals. Nashville had 2,016 people experiencing homelessness according to the city’s 2020 point-in-time count. The city’s worsening housing crisis is illustrated particularly well by two recent news stories. First was the response from homelessness advocates to news that the city planned to close the encampment underneath the Jefferson Street Bridge on June 1. The city says most people under the bridge have been connected to a housing navigator; advocates who have been critical of the city’s plan corroborated that claim for the most part, but added that some people are still falling through the cracks. Advocates also say that many of the folks under the bridge might not find housing anytime soon. The Scene spoke to a few folks at the camp in recent weeks who said they hope for housing opportunities but were unsure of when those might come along. One man asked, “Where are we gonna go?” As of press time, there are still people camped under the bridge — the Metro Nashville Police Department says there are no enforcement plans — though the city and the advocates at Open Table disagree on the number of people currently staying there. The MNPD says there are as few as three people at the camp but notes that the numbers can fluctuate. Open Table says that last week the group identified eight people without navigators, in addition to five people who do have housing navigators still living at the camp. Eight camp residents also showed up to a weekly meeting Open Table hosted. A press conference on June 1 decrying the decision to close the encampment brought together homelessness service providers and housing advocates. Alongside calls to keep the camp open were calls for the city to institute initiatives involving housing rather than the police budget. Also at the conference were tenants from the Mosaic Apartments, who said they too were being evicted. Several tenants at the Mosaic Apartments say that on Friday, May 21, they received phone calls telling them they would have to leave their homes by the following Monday. Tenants began to rally and organize, with assistance from labor advocates at Workers’ Dignity. It was initially unclear what management told tenants — many mentioned the short notice, but some also heard they could move back after a few weeks or could get refunds on their security deposits. The apartment’s ownership eventually released public statements saying tenants would have to relocate due to repairs from flooding damage, and that they would receive compensation for doing so. Eventually a meeting between Mosaic residents and the complex’s owner, who lives out of state, was arranged. The owner’s attorney said that as few as seven tenants would actually need to leave, and that they could possibly relocate elsewhere at Mosaic. That claim was at odds with what some tenants say management told them — advising them to find hotel rooms or storage lockers. Tenants also had several other complaints, and it appeared that some were facing evictions for reasons unrelated to the flooding damage. Tenants described poor conditions, a lack of maintenance and rude property management, none of which was a good look for Rob Bond, the out-of-state owner of Mosaic Apartments. The stories also highlighted how challenging it is to find safe and affordable housing in Nashville, especially on short notice. One woman who spoke at the meeting said she had to sell her car to afford moving costs. “It’s impossible to find another home in just one week,” she said. EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

FORMER D.A. TORRY JOHNSON ON HINDSIGHT AND THE PAUL GARRETT CASE Johnson acknowledges problems but rejects the case as an example of a glaring injustice during his tenure BY STEVEN HALE

2018 issue of the Belmont Criminal Law Journal includes a transcript of a lecture given the year before by former longtime Davidson County District Attorney Torry Johnson. His topic: prosecutorial ethics and wrongful convictions. After a discussion of the history of wrongly convicted innocents going back to the Salem witch trials, Johnson — who served as Nashville’s top prosecutor for more than 26 years — moves on to talk about the factors that often contribute to such miscarriages of justice. Although he notes that the presence of one or more of these factors does not always result in a wrongful conviction, he says that every wrongful conviction will have one or more of them. The factors he goes on to list are “ineffective assistance of counsel on the defense side, faulty witness identification, perjured testimony often in the form of a jailhouse snitch, false confessions, bad forensic technology or bad forensic testimony, prosecutorial mistakes, and tunnel vision or confirmation bias, particularly as it applies to prosecutors and law enforcement.” The lecture turns out to be useful in understanding the case of Paul Garrett, a man who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2003 — while Johnson was in office — in connection to the killing of a Nashville sex worker named Velma Tharpe. Garrett went on to serve eight years in prison, on top of the nearly two years he’d already spent in jail before pleading guilty. He’s now been out of prison for a decade. But last month, District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office disavowed his conviction, citing an extensive report by the office’s Conviction Review Unit. Another man, Calvin Atchison, has since been arrested and charged with murdering Tharpe. The report from CRU director Sunny Eaton lays out the narrative of an apparent wrongful conviction that includes several of the factors Johnson would later highlight in his lecture on the topic. It details false testimony by a police detective, reliance on testimony from jailhouse informants and the questionable handling of two DNA reports — one before Garrett pleaded guilty that excluded him as the source of DNA found on Tharpe’s body, and another that came a year after his conviction and identified Atchison as a match for that DNA. The latter report, according to the CRU, was left in the case file with a sticky note and never followed up on by prosecutors. The problems outlined by the CRU’s report were largely uncovered by an internal report conducted by Johnson’s office in 2011, after two cold-case detectives rein-

vestigated the case and came to the conclusion that Garrett was innocent. Then-ADA Kathy Morante told Johnson that the office could not let Garrett’s conviction stand. But with Garrett nearing his release date from prison, Johnson only wrote a letter to the Board of Probation and Parole saying he did not believe Garrett could be exonerated, but that Garrett should be released due to the questions about his guilt. Ten years later, and after the CRU report put his handling of the case under scrutiny, Johnson still feels pretty much the same. He acknowledges doubts about Garrett’s guilt, but is not at all convinced that he is innocent. Nor does he find the case against Atchison particularly compelling. In a recent interview with the Scene, the former DA isn’t overly defensive or dismissive, but neither does he seem ready to accept the Garrett case as an example of a glaring injustice during his tenure. He repeatedly invokes the clarity afforded by hindsight, and he’s keen to note apparent failures by Garrett’s defense attorney. He also cites various policies and procedures that have changed in the 20 years since police first brought Garrett in for questioning. For many observers, a particularly remarkable part of Garrett’s case is the presence of not one but two DNA reports — one excluding him as the source of DNA found on Tharpe’s body, and another identifying Atchison as a match for the same DNA. But Johnson finds those reports less compelling. He says when cold-case detectives came to the leadership of the DA’s office and the police department in 2011 to sound the alarm about the case, he agreed the Garrett case had problems. But he wasn’t convinced that the case against Atchison was any better. “Understand, DNA on a prostitute is not terribly damning,” Johnson says. “This is a street sex worker. We don’t know where that DNA came from, we don’t know when it came. We don’t know any of that.” A counterargument is that the DNA was taken from Tharpe’s vagina and her stomach, suggesting perhaps that it was left by the last person who was with her. Johnson acknowledges it as a theory — an argument but nothing more. Most galling is the fact that the 2004 DNA report from the TBI identifying Atchison went essentially unnoticed, quietly landing in the case file without follow-up from prosecutors. Johnson says that, after learning what had happened in 2011, his office put procedures in place to make sure that new information of such significance would be brought directly to the attention of those who’d worked on the case. There’s more than the DNA reports in the Garrett case, though. Asked about Roy

Dunaway, the lead detective on the case, seemingly lying on the stand about Garrett making incriminating statements, Johnson suggests that might not be as black-andwhite as it’s been portrayed. Maybe, he says, the officer was more confused than blatantly dishonest. He says his office and the police department had a discussion in 2011 about Dunaway and his cases but that he doesn’t remember more details. In his 2017 lecture, Johnson says of jailhouse informants, “If there is a more dangerous group of people, I do not know who they would be.” As for the use of two such informants in the Garrett case, Johnson says his office had a policy of “trying to be very, very careful” about how they were used. But he also says it would be years before prosecutors started compiling databases of jailhouse informants that better enabled them to spot serial snitches who might not be credible. The CRU report in Garrett’s case says that ADA Dan Hamm did not find the informants credible and would not have called them as witnesses if the case had gone to trial. But by then they’d already been used to bolster the case, adding to the pressure on Garrett.

MOST GALLING IS THE FACT THAT THE 2004 DNA REPORT FROM THE TBI IDENTIFYING ATCHISON WENT ESSENTIALLY UNNOTICED, QUIETLY LANDING IN THE CASE FILE WITHOUT FOLLOW-UP FROM PROSECUTORS. Still, there are more questions. For instance, why — when confronted by two veteran homicide detectives with all the case’s flaws in 2011 — didn’t Johnson do more than ask the parole board to release a man who was about to be released anyway? “I felt that the quickest, most direct route was to go to the parole board, because they were holding him subject to their authority,” Johnson says. “And [that was the] quickest way to get him out, which I think he deserved to be out, there was no question about that because of the problems.” Toward the end of the interview, after talking through the many facets of the case, Johnson returns to his fundamental argument that there were indeed problems with the case but that the truth remains unclear. His office didn’t believe Atchison could be charged with the murder in 2011, he says, but maybe Funk’s office will be able to make the case. “It’s one thing to say they disagree with a decision that was made,” he says. “That comes with the territory, I get that. But to imply that we knew, or covered up or didn’t want known or [wanted] an innocent person to be wrongfully convicted and remain in custody is just, that’s just not true.” EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

citylimits_06-17-21.indd 10

6/14/21 6:31 PM

B E M OV E D .

BE INSPIRED.

Case display from American Currents: State of the Music

SING ME BACK HOME: FOLK ROOTS TO THE PRESENT EXHIBIT NOW OPEN

V I S I T T O D AY

CountryMusicHallofFame.org

DOWNTOWN nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

bout an hour before sunset on July 26, 2018, Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke was patrolling North Nashville looking for stolen cars. Delke, a white officer who was then just 25 years old and less than two years out of the police academy, had recently been assigned to the newly formed Juvenile Crime Task Force. The unit had been directed to, among other things, make traffic stops as part of its search for stolen vehicles and juvenile offenders. The details of what happened next, at least according to prosecutors, would emerge two months later in an arrest warrant charging Delke with criminal homicide. As Delke patrolled the area, authorities said, the officer became suspicious of a white Chevrolet Impala that conceded the right of way to him at a stop sign. He followed the car and ran the license plate to see if it was stolen. It came up clean, but he continued to follow the car. When the Impala pulled onto the highway, Delke attempted to stop it, turning on his blue lights. The Impala sped away. Delke didn’t give chase, but instead turned off his lights and continued following the vehicle from afar. Soon, though, he’d lost sight of it. Around 7:05 p.m., Delke pulled into the parking lot of the John Henry Hale Apartments. Moments earlier, a white vehicle had pulled into the same parking lot. Authorities

later said in the arrest warrant that Delke misidentified that vehicle as the Impala he’d been following earlier. In any case, after Delke pulled into the parking lot, one of several men standing near the car — a Black man who was then 25 years old, the same age as Delke — took off running. It was Daniel Hambrick. Delke chased after him and can be heard on audio from police radio reporting that Hambrick had a gun. Hambrick ran out of the apartment parking lot and around a corner onto Jo Johnston Avenue, sprinting through a series of front yards that line the street. Running behind him, according to the arrest warrant, Delke shouted at Hambrick multiple times, warning him to “drop the gun or I’ll shoot.” Hambrick kept running, and as can be seen on surveillance footage, Delke stopped running, aimed his gun and fired four times. Hambrick was hit twice in the back and once in the head, killing him. Two months later, Delke was arrested and charged with criminal homicide. In January 2019, he was indicted for first-degree murder. He is the first Metro officer to face criminal charges for an on-duty shooting. His trial was set to begin last year, but was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now set to proceed next month, with jury selection scheduled to begin on July 6. In the nearly three years since the shooting, Daniel Hambrick’s face has appeared on signs and murals. His name has been a

DANIEL HAMBRICK

part of protest chants that echo through Nashville streets. His killing has already played a role in prompting changes to Metro government. On the night Hambrick was shot by Delke, community organizers were canvassing Nashville neighborhoods to drum up support for an effort to create a Community Oversight Board for Nashville police. In the days that followed, signatures for their petition seeking to force a referendum on the idea poured in. Their effort succeeded — Nashville voters ultimately voted to create the board. Now comes the unprecedented criminal trial. We know that Officer Andrew Delke shot and killed Daniel Hambrick on July 26, 2018. Soon, a jury will be asked to decide if it was murder.

WITH THE TRIAL just weeks away and a gag order put in place by Judge Monte Watkins, the people closest to the murder trial of Andrew Delke aren’t talking. District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office has declined to comment beyond its statements and filings in court. Delke’s defense attorney David Raybin, citing the judge’s orders, tells the Scene that neither he nor his client could comment. Additionally, Vicki Hambrick, Daniel Hambrick’s mother, declined to be interviewed for this story, citing advice from the DA’s office. Media coverage has been an issue in the

case itself from the start. For more than a year, Raybin has argued that the media attention — starting with the publication of the surveillance video footage released by the DA’s office — has contaminated the jury pool and made it impossible for his client to receive a fair trial. “The proof in this case is that an overwhelming number of people think this man is already guilty, and that’s why I’m standing here,” he said in a November 2019 hearing, as reported by WPLN. “I don’t want to have to ferret them out. His presumption of innocence is too dear and precious to go in there with a bunch of people that have got that preconception.” Raybin sought to have jurors brought in from out of town. That request was denied. Then, arguing that the massive protests around the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd further biased the jury pool against Delke, Raybin asked that the trial be moved out of the county altogether. That request was also denied by Watkins. So the trial will proceed in Davidson County with a jury of Delke’s Nashville peers. A precursor came recently in the form of a hearing on June 4 and 5 in which the defense presented testimony and evidence they want to use in the upcoming trial. The hearing foreshadowed at least some of what Delke’s attorneys are likely to argue and the issues that may become central to the case that a jury hears.

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

coverstory_06-17-21.indd 12

6/14/21 5:25 PM

VICKI HAMBRICK HOLDS A CHILDHOOD PHOTO OF HER SON DANIEL

PHOTOS: ERIC ENGLAND

PHOTOS FROM DANIEL HAMBRICK’S CHILDHOOD

In 2019, after Delke was indicted, the Nashville chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police put up a now-expired website ostensibly meant to provide the “Truth About Delke” but primarily focused on Hambrick. Describing Hambrick as a “dangerous convicted felon,” the site included a photo of him with a gun and other shots of him holding stacks of money. It’s true that Hambrick had a criminal

record that included felony gun and drug convictions. It is also true that, according to police, Hambrick was in possession of a gun illegally on the night of July 26, 2018. But on that night, when Delke went chasing after Hambrick, the officer didn’t even know the identity of the person he was chasing, much less anything about his background with the criminal justice system. In her order sending the case to a grand jury in 2019, Judge Melissa

Blackburn wrote: “The decision to pursue Mr. Hambrick on foot seems from this proof to have been prompted by mere assumptions. While this behavior was sufficient to cause Mr. Delke to exercise caution for his own safety, it did not justify the foot pursuit and the killing of a man suspected of no crime known to the defendant at that time.” Hambrick’s family members have objected to characterizations like those made

by the FOP in interviews, calling them attempts to prosecute the victim. Nevertheless, Delke’s legal team appears intent on using Hambrick’s past as part of his defense. One of the witnesses they called at the recent hearing was a former probation officer of Hambrick’s. He testified about Hambrick having been shot previously and also said that he later worked at a gun range where he saw Hambrick with

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

coverstory_06-17-21.indd 13

6/14/21 5:25 PM

foreshadow part of the argument Delke’s defense team will use in an effort to convince a jury that the shooting was justified. “Once he became armed,” Johnson said of Hambrick, “then I think he presented a very real threat not only to Officer Delke, but anybody else in the vicinity.” It was a remarkable moment: A former district attorney testifying as part of the defense for a police officer who is being prosecuted for murder by the current district attorney. For the time being, prosecutors pressed Johnson on only one issue. “If this case had happened under your watch, Daniel Hambrick would have been just another young dead Black man,” ADA Ronald Dowdy said to him. Johnson rejected the suggestion, saying it’s not what he’d been asked or what he’d said. The upshot seemed to be whether Johnson would have prosecuted Delke for the shooting if he were still district attorney. Asked that question directly by the Scene during a recent interview, Johnson declines to answer. “I’m not gonna answer that because it’s pending litigation,” Johnson says. “I could answer that, but I’m not going to because I don’t think that’s what I should be doing at this time, given the status of this case.” When asked if he was at all reluctant to participate in the case, he hesitates. “Well, let’s say I didn’t volunteer my services,” he says. “I was asked if I would look at it and make some comments about how the incident began from a legal standpoint. I said I’d do that.” How much money do you make for that kind of work? Johnson laughs. “Not much,” he says. “Not anything like the prosecution’s latest expert. One-hundred-fifty dollars an hour. I’ve quit charging, I don’t like keeping time.” Johnson’s testimony will go to the heart of the legal matter. He — and Delke’s defense team generally — argue that the officer’s actions were justifiable. Prosecutors have and will argue that they were not, starting with his pursuit of a vehicle driven by someone who hadn’t committed a crime and ending with him firing four shots at the back of a fleeing man. Tennessee law lays out the criteria that must be met: ... the officer may use deadly force to effect an arrest only if all other reasonable means of apprehension have been exhausted or are unavailable, and where feasible, the officer has given notice of the officer’s identity as such and given a warning that deadly force may be used unless resistance or flight ceases, and: (1) The officer has probable cause to believe the individual to be arrested has committed a felony involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious bodily injury; or (2) The officer has probable cause to believe that the individual to be arrested poses a threat of serious bodily injury, either to the officer or to others unless immediately apprehended. Bryan Stephenson, a Nashville-based defense attorney who also has previous

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

a gun illegally before asking him to leave. Raybin also introduced more photos of Hambrick, which are currently under seal. “Character assassination,” ADA Roger Moore told the court in response. “That’s all this has been. All these pictures are for is the unspoken, if not overtly, ‘This is someone whose life was not worth anything because of some of the actions that he may have participated in.’ ” As much as surveillance video footage has already shaped what we know about the shooting, a big issue in the trial will be footage that we can’t see. In an interview with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation two days after the shooting, Delke told investigators that at one point during the chase, Hambrick turned and aimed his gun at the officer. Although the available footage of the chase shows nothing like that, it was revealed at a court hearing in January 2019 that a portion of the chase — a 36-foot stretch in one corner of the apartment complex’s property — was in what seemed to be a blind spot. At that hearing, prosecutors brought forth evidence to argue that it was not possible for Hambrick to have turned and aimed his gun at Delke during the time the two men were in that area; Delke’s attorneys argued it was. At this month’s pretrial hearing, however, Delke’s attorneys sought to present evidence that, although one camera was missing from the complex due to a lightning strike, there were in fact other cameras that could have captured that part of the chase. The defense questioned witnesses who were involved in obtaining the surveillance footage about why footage from every camera at the complex wasn’t obtained before it was overwritten and whether all the cameras were operational. Still another argument previewed at the recent hearing was whether Delke was justified in following the car he deemed suspicious to begin with, or whether he was justified in chasing after Hambrick before eventually shooting him. Prosecutors from the very beginning have laid the groundwork for an argument that he was on increasingly shaky ground starting from his decision to follow the white Impala. They’ve suggested that the shooting was only the final unjustified action in a series of them. But in a move that raised eyebrows in Nashville’s legal community and led to some tension in the courtroom this month, Raybin called former Nashville DA Torry Johnson, presenting him as an expert witness on Fourth Amendment issues. From the stand, Johnson testified that, in his view, Delke had reasonable suspicion to follow the white vehicle. Johnson argued that once the driver sped off, refusing to pull over after Delke turned on his blue lights, Delke had probable cause to arrest the driver. The officer, Johnson said, could reasonably consider it a hot pursuit. As for Delke apparently mistaking one white vehicle for another, Johnson said that such a “reasonable mistake” did not negate the reasonable suspicion that Delke had. Johnson acknowledged that the chase began before Delke saw Hambrick’s gun, but suggested he had a duty to pursue Hambrick once he did see the gun. Arguments to that effect are likely to be disputed by prosecutors, who have emphasized that Delke couldn’t know Hambrick wasn’t legally permitted to have the gun. But as his testimony went on, Johnson seemed to

VICKI HAMBRICK experience as a prosecutor, tells the Scene he doesn’t believe Delke can prove that “all other reasonable means of apprehension” were exhausted before he fired on Hambrick. As for whether Delke had probable cause to believe that Hambrick had threatened infliction of serious bodily injury, the officer has claimed Hambrick pointed his gun at him. That would seem difficult if not impossible to prove without video footage of the unseen portion of the chase, though. In lieu of that, Stephenson acknowledges, Delke’s defense team can argue that Delke had probable cause to believe Hambrick was a threat to the officer or others. But Stephenson finds that idea hard to fully accept. “This notion that if a guy has a gun he instantly is a threat to everyone around him,” Stephenson says. “I mean, hell, we’re about to have [permitless] carry in this state. Last year it was close to [permitless] carry, it’s so easy to get a permit. Now, I realize that Hambrick was a felon and he couldn’t have it, but Delke didn’t know that at the time.”

IN MARCH, the Metro Nashville government agreed to pay $2.25 million to Daniel Hambrick’s family to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit against Delke and the city seeking $30 million in damages. The suit argued not only that Hambrick’s rights were violated but that the MNPD was home to a “culture of fear, violence and racism.” Under the agreement, Metro and Delke do not admit wrongdoing or liability, accord-

ing to city officials. The Hambrick family’s attorneys, Joy Kimbrough and Kyle Mothershead, said at the time that “while money can never make up for the loss of Daniel’s life, we are proud to have delivered some measure of justice for Daniel’s family.” The attorneys noted that it was smaller than settlement amounts paid to Black men and women killed by police officers in other cities. “We can all draw our own conclusions regarding what this settlement says about how much Nashville values black life,” the attorneys said in a statement. “And while we are less than inspired by the value that Nashville has placed on Daniel’s life, we remember the pivotal role that Daniel’s murder played in the passage of the Community Oversight Board referendum. For that, we are forever grateful.” While Vicki Hambrick declined to be interviewed for this story, she did provide photographs of her son. She is legally blind and used to rely heavily on him for help going about her days. On a recent Friday morning, as she and a friend share various photos, she occasionally smiles at a memory of Daniel when he was a boy. Sometimes she even laughs. But her face straightens when she asks a reporter about attending an upcoming court date. Speaking quietly, under a pavilion just across the street from where her son was killed, she says she’s ready for it all to be over. EMAIL EDITOR@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

coverstory_06-17-21.indd 14

6/14/21 5:26 PM

Don't Forget Father's Day! We've got just what he wants.

CIGARS CIGARS FROM FROM A. Fuente A. Fuente Ashton Ashton CAO CAO Cohiba Cohiba Davidoff Davidoff Montecristo Montecristo Padron Padron Tatuaje Tatuaje Zino Zino &&Many Many More More

BELLE BELLE MEADE MEADE

PREMIUM PREMIUMCIGARS CIGARS & & GIFTS GIFTS Belle BelleMeade MeadePlaza Plaza 4518 4518Harding HardingRoad, Road,Nashville, Nashville, TN

615-297-7963 615-297-7963

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

s g in v a r r c u o y Rock

g n o l y a al l d

rockndoughpizza.com

ey Whisk e g u H lection Se mad H a nd

a e Pizz

Fresh Salads

Craft Beer

404 dickerson pike (629) 333-0 3449 Dickerson Pike

the nations (615) 383-9996 rth 1105 51st Avenue No

GET READY TO LAUGH, FUME, ARGUE AND DEBATE THE WINNERS AS WE ASK YOU TO COMPLETE THE MAGIC WORDS:

YOU ARE SO IF ... NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES THROUGH JUNE 21 AT NASHVILLESCENE.COM/YASNI21 16

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

CRITICS’ PICKS W E E K L Y

R O U N D U P

O F

T H I N G S

T O

D O

ALBUM RELEASE

resistance, resilience, and creativity.” Contributors include the late civil rights icon Kwame Lillard, president of the Native History Association Patrick Cummings and the Nashville Homeless Power Project’s Cathie Buckner. Clear a spot on your bookshelf for I’ll Take You There: Exploring Nashville’s Social Justice Sites, a people’s guide that is sure to be critical to understanding our city for generations to come. Williams and Thurber will discuss their book with author and Scene contributor Steve Haruch online via Parnassus Books. In case you can’t catch it live, Parnassus is archiving all of its online events on its Facebook page. 6 p.m. via Parnassus Books’ website ERICA CICCARONE

M O V I E S I N T H E PA R K THOR: RAGNAROK THURSDAY, JUNE 17

BLACK MUSIC MONTH AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC

The National Museum of African American Music hit the ground running when it opened in January, bringing to life the stories of Black American musicians and music-biz folk who’ve done so much to shape culture around the world. The museum kicks off its Black Music Month event series Thursday with a streaming edition of the Celebration of Legends, which the NMAAM organization first held in 2014. Tribute performers for the online benefit concert will include Avery Sunshine, Syleena Johnson, the Recording Academy’s newly announced Nashville chapter president Ruby Amanfu and more. During the ceremony, the museum will also present its Rhapsody and Rhythm Awards to the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie. On Friday, panels will convene online for the museum’s inaugural State of Black Music Summit, covering the intersection of Black music and many aspects of culture and commerce. And on Saturday, the museum will host its official Dedication Ceremony followed by a Juneteenth Block Party, with an array of live performances to be announced — visit blackmusicmonth.com for updates. June 17-19, online at nmaam.org and in person at National Museum of African American Music, 510 Broadway STEPHEN TRAGESER

[YOUR SAVIOR IS HERE!]

MOVIES IN THE PARK: THOR: RAGNAROK

This week, the Scene’s 27th annual Movies in the Park series continues with the 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Thanks largely to the direction of New Zealander filmmaker and comedian Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit, the essential What We Do in the Shadows), Ragnarok is one of the funnier films in recent MCU history — and thanks to performances from the likes of Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba and Tessa Thompson, it also happens to feature one of the best-looking casts in recent memory. With a whole bunch of Marvel films in the pipeline (including Thor sequel Love and Thunder, which recently completed shooting and is set for a May 2022 release), now’s a pretty good time to revisit this one and bring the kids along. As always, Movies in the Park is free, and attendees can expect food trucks, contests and more — so get there early and bring something to sit on. Still to come in this year’s MIP series: 9 to 5 on June 24. 5 p.m. (with the movie beginning at sundown) at Elmington Park, 3531 West End Ave. D. PATRICK RODGERS

Heritage Project, an initiative meant to collect and preserve the stories and artifacts of a history that is already marginalized. He teamed up with Peabody College’s Community Research and Action program grad Amie Thurber to create an alternative guidebook to Nashville, one that sourced submissions from community members about sites of cultural relevance (which you can read more about in the May 13 issue of the Scene). Criteria for entries included “sites that challenge missing or misinformation; sites that reveal privilege or dominance; and sites that celebrate cultural

MELISSA CARPER ALBUM RELEASE

The songs Melissa Carper wrote for her new full-length Daddy’s Country Gold seem tailor-made for an Americana moment that takes going retro as a bedrock principle. But Carper, who sings the songs in a wise, friendly voice that goes down easy as pie, isn’t a retro artist, and Daddy’s Country Gold stands as one of the best alt-country records in recent memory. Unlike a lot of Americana and straight commercial country, her music isn’t designed to bowl you over. You can hear the influence of Western swing throughout the album, and her forays into honky-tonk also swing pretty hard. As well, Carper can write: “Would You Like to Get Some Goats?” finds her musing about starting a new, improved brand of hot sauce and, you know, maybe keeping a goat farm on the side. With help from Nashville players on the order of songwriter and mandolin player Brennen Leigh and producer and bassist Dennis Crouch, Carper shows off her sly phrasing and musical smarts on Daddy’s Country Gold. She makes everyday pleasures seem transcendent, and that’s cool. Look for Leigh and other luminaries to join her for Thursday night’s album-release show, which you can catch streaming or live

[I KNOW A PLACE]

AUTHOR EVENT: AMIE THURBER AND LEAROTHA WILLIAMS, EDITORS OF I’LL TAKE YOU THERE

Every Twitter user who follows Tennessee State University professor Learotha Williams is regularly treated to nuggets of local history. He leads TSU’s North Nashville

PHOTO: AISHA GOLLIHER

[FROM THE ROOTS]

BOOKS

MUSIC

THURSDAY / 6.17

FILM

ELMINGTON PARK

[COUNTRY LIFE]

MELISSA CARPER

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

criticspicks_6-17-21.indd 17

6/14/21 4:07 PM

CRITICS’ PICKS

FILM

STEPHEN TRAGESER [FORGET THE SUN]

DARK CITY

In 1998 — a year before the Wachowskis’ The Matrix and David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ kicked off the wave of real-

SATURDAY / 6.19 [A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO HEAVEN]

NATALIE PRASS W/ERIC SLICK & BANTUG

Music is a superb way to express what’s difficult to express any other way, or to enrich expression in subtle and sometimes surprising ways. Three folks who have mastered that art — and found ways to make doing it look easy — are playing a socially distanced gig in the parking lot of The Basement on Saturday afternoon. At the top of the bill is Natalie Prass, who displays a gift for dancing between the heartfelt and the whimsical in her work. Both her soul-kissed 2015 debut Natalie Prass and her electronically enhanced 2018 follow-up The Future and the Past draw strength from examining intense emotions without flinching and without giving in to melodrama. She’s joined by husband and bandmate Eric Slick, who you’ll also know as Dr. Dog’s drummer; last summer, he added Wiseacre to his catalog, an album of thoughtful and forward-thinking ’70sschooled pop. Rounding out the evening is Bantug, whose recent dance-pop-inflected album 12 Songs About Loneliness is the

DARK CITY

The holiday Juneteenth marks the end of slavery. It’s not the date of the Emancipation Proclamation, but rather the day news of freedom reached those in the most remote state of the former Confederacy: Texas. On Saturday, June 19, here in Nashville, there will be a bevy of events you can attend to celebrate Black liberation. Local comedy hero Josh Black will host The Equity Alliance’s Black on Buchanan block party (12:30 to 5 p.m. at 905 Buchanan St.), where you can dance to live music, eat some delicious food and check out the Black business expo. Also on Buchanan, the Nashville Jazz Workshop will host artists Omari Booker and Betty Turney-Turner, as well as live music by Brassville (noon to 5 p.m. at 1012 Buchanan St.). At Hadley Park, check out the Music City Freedom Festival (noon to 6 p.m. at 1027 28th Ave. N.), for more music, food and vendors — and bounce houses for the kids. The National Museum of African American Music will be celebrating Thursday through Saturday, including a party on the roof of the new retail and dining complex Fifth + Broadway (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) on Juneteenth. In the evening, the African American Cultural Alliance will bring the Juneteenth615 celebration to Fort Negley Park (5 to 10 p.m. at 1100 Fort Negley Blvd.), with a special proclamation, African drumming and dancing, Black-owned food trucks and fireworks. If you’d prefer to start the festivities on Friday, Midtown apartment building Kenect is hosting a Black-owned Juneteenth marketplace (noon to 4 p.m. at 800 19th Ave. S.) with a slew of vendors like The Oatstraw Tea Company, Kendra’s Popcorn, Perfectly Cordial and more. Find more events listed at nashvillejuneteenth.carrd.co. ERICA CICCARONE

SUNDAY / 6.20 [STORM WARNING]

PATTERSON HOOD

It must be unsettling for Patterson Hood, who has written about the contradictions of the South for a quarter-century with Southern rockers Drive-By Truckers, to see how some of his fellow citizens have screwed up democracy in the McConnellTrump era. Hood turned 57 this year, and the South that once produced soul music and rock ’n’ roll now gives credence to Trumpian attacks on decency and, well, reality itself. The situation may not bode well for Hood’s golden years, but he keeps on trucking as one of North America’s better — and more pungent — songwriters. Apart from his work with the Truckers, which includes the classic 2008 album Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, Hood released a sparsely recorded and very pained solo album, 2012’s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, that stands as perhaps his finest work to date. With his father, Swampers bassist David Hood, pitching in along-

PHOTO: ANDY TENNILLEE

JUNETEENTH

side singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan and Trucker bandmate Mike Cooley on banjo, Heat Lightning often sounds as ominous as the title might suggest. If Heat Lightning is partly about an aging rocker’s misspent youth, Patterson Hood’s recent work with the Truckers, like 2020’s The Unraveling, situates his life, and by extension yours and mine, in a country that has become nearly incomprehensible. Hood makes the contradictions work because he’s a songwriter who uses the form to ask questions he usually can’t answer. He plays two solo shows Sunday at City Winery. 5 and 8 p.m. at City Winery, 609 Lafayette St. EDD HURT SPORTS

Far Out Free Fest’s wide-ranging online celebration of psychedelic music and other artistic expression was the most engaging and smoothest-running online festival we saw in 2020, and we recognized it as Best Streaming Festival in our Best of Nashville Issue. The Free Fest will be on the web once again Friday and Saturday, just ahead of the summer solstice; organizer Kari Leigh Ames says the plan is to make it an online-only happening from here on out, partly to keep it accessible to all-ages audiences. Highlights of this year’s fest include Nashville-area Far Out veterans like heavy-rock heroes Kings of the Fucking Sea and fuzzy punx Mouth Reader, as well as Atlanta sitar specialist Arjun Kulharya’s project Naan Violence. Some exciting new additions for this year include Nashville Ambient Ensemble and Boston psych punks The Prefab Messiahs (long-running in their second wave after a nearly 30-year hiatus). You’ll get to see audiovisual work from folks like Ames, Far Out Film Fest curator John Warren, Mike Kluge’s MKAV and Matt Levin’s Translove Airwaves (in collaboration with Spacemen 3’s Will Carruthers). Some stellar internationally recognized poets who may be familiar to Nashvillians will also be participating: Don’t miss out on contributions from Adrian Matejka or Janaka Stucky, the latter of whom is performing with Adam Glasseye Beckley. As the name suggests, the entire program will stream for free via faroutfreefest.com, but donations and merch sales will benefit Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), the nonprofit that brings you programs like Southern Girls Rock Camp. Keep an eye on the Facebook event page for updates. June 18-19 via faroutfreefest.com

[LIBERATION]

[BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!]

NASCAR CUP SERIES

On July 14, 1984, then-upstart Geoff Bodine took the checkered flag at the Pepsi 420 at the old one-mile short track at the fairgrounds. He edged local legend Darrell Waltrip, who had won five of the previous seven NASCAR Cup series races at the speedway, including three on the trot in the Coors 420, the other annual Nashville date on the NASCAR calendar held in May. Bodine’s win put the skids on Waltrip’s dominance at his home circuit and marked the last visit to Middle Tennessee for NASCAR’s top division. The opening of the Nashville Superspeedway in Gladeville in 2001 came with the expectation that Cup racing would return, but it never did, ultimately leading to a slow decline at the mileand-a-third concrete oval, which eventually became a car testing site, a filming location and a storage facility. Until now. Not only is racing returning to the Nashville Superspeedway, but Middle Tennessee will host a Cup race for the first time since Bodine’s upset, when the Ally 400 goes green at 2:30 p.m. on Father’s Day, the climax of a weekend of racing that begins with a Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night. Wonder if ol’ D.W. has a couple laps left in him? 2:30 p.m. at Nashville Superspeedway, 4847 McCreary Road, Lebanon J.R. LIND

WEDNESDAY / 6.23 FILM

FAR OUT FREE FEST

COMMUNITY

[THE IN SOUND]

culmination of three years of work by singer-songwriter Amanda Bantug as she explored and refined her voice. 4 p.m. in The Basement parking lot, 1604 Eighth Ave. S. STEPHEN TRAGESER

MUSIC

FRIDAY / 6.18

versus-simulation sci-fi flicks — director Alex Proyas (The Crow) came out with the mind-bending psycho-noir Dark City. Rufus Sewell plays an amnesiac who’s been accused of killing sex workers. As he tries to clear his name and figure out who he is, he discovers that he’s living in a consistently nocturnal town that’s controlled by a trenchcoat-wearing, bald-headed, memory-building race known as Strangers. Despite the trippy premise, jaw-dropping production design from Patrick Tatopoulos (who has worked on several DC Extended Universe movies) and Jennifer Connelly’s performance as Sewell’s voluptuous nightclub-singer wife, the film has been mostly forgotten. (It had a fan in Roger Ebert, who not only made it his No. 1 film that year, but provided a commentary track for the DVD.) Perhaps you’ll wanna take this in before you see Reminiscence in August, another sci-fi noir in which a dashing leading man (in this case Hugh Jackman) is in the thick of danger, mystery and lost memories. 7 p.m. at Full Moon Cineplex, 3455 Lebanon Pike CRAIG D. LINDSEY

MUSIC

at the Station Inn. 8 p.m. at the Station Inn, 402 12th Ave. S. EDD HURT

[STRAWBERRY COUGH]

SCIENCE ON SCREEN: CHILDREN OF MEN

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I curled up on my couch and clicked play on Children of Men, a 2006

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

criticspicks_6-17-21.indd 18

6/14/21 4:07 PM

CRITICS’ PICKS science-fiction film that was one of my first beloved adult movies. Not 10 minutes later, I shut it off. As I was still trying to process what was going on in the crumbling real world, the crumbling fake world in the movie seemed too much like a possible outcome, and one that I didn’t really want to consider for two hours alone in my apartment. It may sound silly, but the early scene in which star Clive Owen and a bunch of strangers gather around a TV, shocked at the death of the world’s youngest person, felt too much like our collective response to early COVID-19 milestones — when Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson contracted the virus, or the NBA canceled its season. Now,

though, my fragile emotions have dulled, and movie theaters have reopened. I’m ready to try Children of Men again, as part of the Belcourt’s Science on Screen series. This time, perhaps, I’ll make it through the first 10 minutes. Directly following the film will be a post-screening presentation by Autumn Kujawa, director of the Mood, Emotion and Development lab at Vanderbilt University. 7 p.m. at the Belcourt, 2102 Belcourt Ave. STEPHEN ELLIOTT

THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY PRESENTS

[I’M A WINNER, BABY]

CELEBRATE THE 25TH BIRTHDAY OF BECK’S ODELAY

PODCAST

Somewhere in the distant past, Beck’s slacker-zeitgeist-capturing 1994 hit “Loser” got him briefly pigeonholed as a one-hit wonder. Follow-up album Odelay handily freed the artist born Beck Hansen from that fate — and then some. From the three-chord Gen X-er mating call “Devil’s Haircut” to the stadium-friendly, ivorytickling “Where It’s At,” James Browninspired “New Pollution,” cosmic-cowboy lament “Jack-Ass” and stoner sound collage “Novacane,” Hansen proved his versatility and vision in spades on Odelay. Fun fact: the album was titled for the flexible Chicano Spanish slang term “órale” but also, according to fellow Golden Stater Stephen Malkmus from Pavement — who opened for Beck throughout 1997 — “it’s really called ‘Oh Delay’ because it was taking so long to come out.” (At least, that was Malkmus’ claim in a 2011 interview.) The chameleonic singer-songwriter-producer has enjoyed numerous career highlights since then, from 2002’s soul-baring Sea Change to 2017’s maximalist pop crossover hit Colors. But Odelay’s summer of ’96 release was the end of anyone ever secondguessing Beck’s vision. CHARLIE ZAILLIAN [AT THIS POINT … ]

LISTEN TO THE 90 DAY FIANCÉ CRAY CRAY PODCAST

If irony, snarkiness and the entire concept of guilty pleasures fell by the wayside in our find-joy-wherever-we-canget-it lost year of 2020, someone neglected to tell TLC and its weekly train wreck of a flagship series, 90 Day Fiancé. The show, in which Americans (generally from the Midwest and Florida) and foreigners (mostly from Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East) unite in occasionally pure, mostly dubious quests for love (and/or green cards), was already a cultural phenomenon even pre-COVID. With a captive audience, its popularity snowballed, turning 90 Day Fiancé Cray Cray’s L.A.-residing podcasters Kim and Kyle (last names unknown) into unofficial chroniclers and watchdogs. During the pandemic, showrunner Matt Sharp (not to be confused with the former Weezer bassist of the same name) unapologetically milked whatever footage he and the network could get, leading to the oftunbearable drawing-out of story lines far beyond their sell-by dates (like the saga of

Northwestern mountain man Mike and his mercurial Ukrainian boo Natalie). At this point (those, by the way, are perhaps the three most frequently uttered words on “unscripted TV”), the only reason I keep loyally tuning in is because I look forward to Kyle and Kim’s dulcet radio voices, endearing platonic-BFF dynamic and onpoint observational humor brightening my Monday. I even recently caved and got a “premium account,” which for $5 monthly enables spending hours more in the trashTV dumpster, but with the hosts’ astute, no-bullshit commentary — not just going deeper on 90DF than it deserves, but also less popular, equally exploitative fare like Love After Lockup — providing great company. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. CHARLIE ZAILLIAN BOOKS

MUSIC

EVERGREEN: STUFF YOU CAN DO ANYTIME

[GETTING HOT TONIGHT]

READ MOONLIGHTING: AN ORAL HISTORY

For a brief time in the ’80s, the hippest, coolest TV show that wasn’t Miami Vice was Moonlighting. Every Tuesday, viewers sat in front of their sets to watch ’70s “it girl” Cybill Shepherd and an unknown, smart-ass actor named Bruce Willis play detectives who bickered, broke the fourth wall and did the will-they-or-won’t-they dance while solving crimes in an hourlong dramedy. With Moonlighting: An Oral History, author Scott Ryan, whose previous books include The Last Days of Letterman and thirtysomething at thirty, rounds up interviews with the cast (Willis is noticeably absent) and crew to discuss how and why this popular show took a ratings nose-dive in later seasons. The book immediately debunks the much-believed claim that it fell off with fans because the two lead characters finally got it on. Anybody who knows about the show’s legendary behindthe-scenes troubles knows there is much more to the story — from ABC often airing reruns when episodes weren’t delivered on time to the stars not getting along — especially once Willis became a movie star. “It was always threatening to self-combust,” Allyce Beasley (who played the show’s rhyming receptionist Agnes DiPesto) says. But before it all went kablooey, Moonlighting was truly some anarchic appointment television. Moonlighting: An Oral History came out on June 1 — find it at Parnassus, The Bookshop, or wherever you like to get your books. CRAIG D. LINDSEY

Not Our First

GOAT RODEO

YO-YO MA – STUART DUNCAN EDGAR MEYER – CHRIS THILE with guest AOIFE O’DONOVAN

August 11 Tickets and Information

615.687.6400 | NashvilleSymphony.org

A Toast to

a Summer to Remember Now Serving Local Wine & Beer

nashvillescene.com | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | NASHVILLE SCENE

criticspicks_6-17-21.indd 19

6/14/21 4:06 PM

DINING

DINNER AND A CONVERSATION

A Juneteenth collaboration at The Catbird Seat aims to open eyes and minds BY MARGARET LITTMAN

hen chefs Jonny Rhodes and Brian Baxter met at Indie Chefs Week in the kitchen at Nashville’s Green Pheasant in 2019, they hit it off immediately. They were both ingredient-focused, says Baxter — who is now the executive chef at The Catbird Seat — relying on the small garden out back for certain items. Rhodes shuttered his Houston restaurant Indigo in April of this year to start his own farm, with a goal of being 100 percent sustainable and expanding access to food in Black and brown communities. Baxter appreciated the way Rhodes tells a story with each dish he makes. “We got an opportunity to bond and talk about food,” says Rhodes by phone, the birds at his farm a symphonic background during our interview. “We made a connection. [Baxter] has such a deep respect for food. He

is one of those people who considers themselves a master of nothing and student of everything. He is such a great student and is always looking to teach that learning.” The two started talking about possible collaborations. While the pandemic delayed them, the time has finally arrived. As first reported on the Scene’s food blog, Bites, last week, Rhodes will cook a onenight guest-chef dinner at The Catbird Seat on Saturday. (Space is very limited, though by the time you read this there may be wait-list spots available.) Baxter and Rhodes are working together on the multicourse Southern dinner, with Rhodes telling stories of the African diaspora through his dishes and Baxter drawing on his time in Charleston, S.C. (where he worked with Sean Brock at McCrady’s). The dinner takes place on June 19 — or Juneteenth, the national holiday that commemorates the end of Black enslavement

JONNY RHODES

in the United States. “My work is directed and geared toward the liberation of Black people through food,” Rhodes says. “That does not mean that is what it is limited to.” Rhodes’ cooking, for which he has been a semifinalist for a James Beard Award, garden unless he was planning 12 recipes focuses on neo-soul food, combining finewith kale. Instead, expect that RV to be dining experiences and techniques with stocked with candied yams, preserves and time-honored traditions and ingredients. ash-cake dough. The Rhodes family will The Juneteenth menu will include Afroexplore and learn more about the stories of centric dishes and Rhodes providing the Southeast after their trip to Nashville context on food apartheid and the his— Rhodes hasn’t planned that part of the tory of soul food. He looks forward to the trip extensively, because he wants to be small open-kitchen environment of The open to opportunities when they present Catbird Seat to discuss issues and food themselves. But visiting Benton’s Smoky with diners. Rhodes had a similar setup Mountain Country Hams is on his list. at Indigo, with a small number of guests In addition to what Rhodes is bringwatching him cook — Indigo, however, ing in that RV, guests will each receive a was intentionally located in one of Gullah rose (also called a palmetto Houston’s marginalized neighrose). These woven flowers are borhoods, naturally leading deeply connected to the history to more conversations about of Charleston, where Baxter poverty and accessibility of FOR MORE JUNETEENTH EVENTS TAKING PLACE THIS spent many years of his career. food. (In 2019, Time magaWEEK, VISIT OUR CRITICS’ Enslaved Africans brought zine named Indigo one of PICKS ON P. 17. the weaving technique to the the greatest 100 places — United States, and for generaplaces, not just restaurants tions African American residents — in the world.) “It is my reof the Low Country sold the roses in sponsibility to speak and share,” roadside stands outside Charleston. Those says Rhodes. being given out at the Juneteenth dinner Rhodes describes his work as “inforwere made by Corey Alston. mational.” He served in the U.S. Marines “This dinner is about a completely difbefore he started cooking professionally, ferent perspective,” Baxter says. “It is imand he says he’s always loved the way that portant because it is about [Rhodes] and his food and history intersect. He now uses story and what he wants to say.” Of course, that background to open guests’ eyes about the Rhodes event isn’t the first guest-chef issues like agricultural oppression, notdinner, nor will it be the last, at The Catbird ing that people who do not own land do not Seat, which turns 10 years old this fall. Baxhave the same access to food and opportuter isn’t quite ready to announce who’s next nities related to food as those who do. in his guest series, but it is safe to say it will Juneteenth diners will be given a handbe another chef who is, like Rhodes, willing sewn menu book created by Rhodes, with to push boundaries. the menu written in calligraphy and in“The goal has always been to try and cluding history about the dishes. This is bring people into the space to cook with something Rhodes wanted to do while at us,” Baxter says. “Now that folks are Indigo, but he wasn’t able to swing it while traveling again, we’re looking forward to making dinner every day. He’s driving to hosting even more guest chef dinners in Nashville with his family, including his the future. We’ll always bring in chefs who three children, in an RV, bringing the suphave similarities to what we’re doing and plies for making those physical menus as who we respect, but also who we are able to well as some ingredients. Baxter jokes that learn from.” Rhodes wouldn’t have been able to get evEMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM erything he needed out of The Catbird Seat

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

dining_06-17-21.indd 20

6/14/21 6:13 PM

Soul For For Soul THE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH URBAANITE.COM

CULTURE

GIVES For For BRASSVILLE NASHVILLE A NEW AND VIBE Soul SOUND Soul Talking with members of the eight-piece brass THE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH URBAANITE.COM

band about where they’re from and where they’re going BY ASHLEY CURRIE

he men of Brassville have a brotherhood like no other. Each member’s amazing talents are succinctly intertwined to create a rich sound that automatically pulls you in. You start grooving, hands raised, claps immediate, and “Y’all better do it” instantly comes out of your mouth. Experiencing a Brassville performance is a whole vibe — one traditionally reserved for New Orleans or New York — that we can now confidently say graces our Nashville streets. Brassville is made up of Jonathon Neal, Larry Jenkins, Nate McDowell, Derrick Green, Marcus Chandler, MarVelous Brown, Adrian Pollard and Rashad Sylvester — and the eight men make it look easy. As Green, who plays drums, shares: “We collectively bring ideas to the table. When you take the horns and drums away, we are each Black men coming together to make a difference.” And the impact they are making in Nashville is going to put this city on the brass-band map. Trust me.

STARTED FROM A TEXT AND NOW THEY HERE “Man, there is money to be made out here,” says trumpet player Neal, reflecting back on his initial conversation with Jenkins about starting a brass band in Nashville. McDowell would later send a similar text to Jenkins, which would be the catalyst for Brassville’s creation — the name was also courtesy of McDowell. From that group-text chain, they would not just sit back and think about it. They tested out their concept for the first time during the 2019 NFL Draft weekend in Nashville. “We ended up meeting up at TSU after my text to Larry,” McDowell, a tuba player, recalls, “ran a couple of songs, then just went out on Broadway to play and see what happens.” As they say, the rest is history.

HISTORY, TSU + BRASS Brass bands have their roots in early-19th-century European military marching bands. In the mid-1900s, some British employers actually financed their employees’ musical endeavors, allowing them to practice during work hours and stage competitions — possibly to decrease their political activity during the time of the Industrial Revolution. Brass bands would later be adopted into so many musical environments, including taking center stage in historically Black college and university

FROM LEFT: NATE McDOWELL, LARRY JENKINS, DERRICK GREEN, JONATHON NEAL, MARVELOUS BROWN, MARCUS CHANDLER, ADRIAN POLLARD (NOT PICTURED: RASHAD SYLVESTER)

PHOTOS: ELLE DANIELLE

For the Soul is a collaboration between the Nashville Scene and local culture website Urbaanite that uncovers local gems in Nashville.

marching bands. “[Tennessee State University] is definitely like a linchpin,” says McDowell. “Everybody went to TSU for either undergrad or grad.” “I was in a program, the 105 HBCU Voices and jazz orchestra at Tennessee State University,” Neal adds. “I experienced so much working with James Sexton, one of their band directors, that I knew I had to get my second degree there.” All eight members of Brassville were also featured in Spencer Glover’s short film “Message Read,” which was featured on digital streaming network FOX Soul and took home awards at the D.C. Shorts International Film Festival and others.

IT’S BIGGER THAN US The group is on a mission to turn Nashville into Brassville. “So many people take pride in this city and love being a part of the local community,” says McDowell. “We want Brassville to be in this mix.” The band has had a chance to work with local and

national artists and musicians, and they’re not planning to slow down anytime soon. From collaborating with producer Ski Beatz to Detroit’s J.Jackson and many others, trumpet player Jenkins says they’ve “had a chance to produce original music and loops that are in producer packs around the world. It has really been amazing.” He also drops a hint about a secret upcoming project that will have Brassville creating new historymaking sounds. With live music being back in the ’Ville, you will be able to hear Brassville live this summer, starting this weekend with their Juneteenth performances at the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s daylong celebration (12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at 1012 Buchanan St.) and Acme Feed & Seed (8 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at 101 Broadway). It’s definitely going to be a day to remember. For more local culture stories, visit urbaanite.com. EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE Mysterious Nashville offers mystifying encounters for bold adventurers BY ALEXANDRA DEMARCO

PHOTO: ELLE DANIELLE

re you looking for something? These words are what initially captivated many Nashvillians now playing a perplexing game called Mysterious Nashville. The inquiry, along with a set of coordinates, appeared on flyers around the city in April. In the months since, players have encountered LEARN MORE AT MYSTERIOUSWEBSITE.COM a series of absurd riddles and bizarre adventures created by an anonymous group that describes itself to the Scene as “incorporeal.” Members of the group declined to reveal their identities but claimed that players might discover telekinesis, true love or even a new perspective on life during their journey — among other surprises. Singer-songwriter Eva Snyder was grabbing coffee in East Nashville with her fiancé last month

NASHVILLE SCENE | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2021 | nashvillescene.com

culture_06-17-21.indd 22

6/14/21 4:04 PM

CULTURE when she stumbled upon one of the flyers. She followed a set of coordinates to a box submerged in rainwater, which contained cards with a QR code leading to mysteriouswebsite.com. “It was just so strange to see,” Snyder says. “Usually, I feel like I don’t really look at flyers, but it just stood out.” Snyder’s video about the discovery has amassed 870,000 likes and counting on TikTok as of this writing, and she’s continued to document her journey playing the Mysterious Nashville game via her TikTok account, @evasnyder_music. And here’s the part where we warn you: Subtle game spoilers ahead. I began playing the game on Memorial Day. After entering my email address on mysteriouswebsite.com, I opened an email with the subject line “Something Odd.” Inside was an ominous image of a white door with an eye on it, followed by this message: Maj malthen Nashville vajtswv qam tond. Nrog qe’ maeg qhov muag ghaH thírar thoob plaws ghaH gador. Saum toj no ghaH camlann nws ‘uch sen nkawm khau. I was overwhelmed to discover this was my only clue. I first pasted the message into Google Translate — an effort I imagined would be futile. When a few of the words were translated, I realized the message consisted of multiple languages. I then translated each word individually, uncovering that certain words of the same language were united in ways not clear to the naked eye. After intensive efforts, I came up with this translation: “May golden Nashville god stem round. With eggs’ soft eyes grass seeing across grass together. Above grass Camlann her tiptop its shoes.” I Googled “golden Nashville god stem round,” and the Parthenon was an immediate hit. The 42-foot-tall statue of Greek goddess Athena stands in our city’s replica of the original Athenian temple. Clad in golden robes, Athena is the jewel of Centennial Park, and saying her eyes “see across grass” isn’t a stretch, considering her post overlooking the park. When I visited the goddess, I discovered that a smaller figure perches on Athena’s upturned palm. Nike, the goddess of victory, holds out golden branches like an offering. Nike is also a shoe brand, and branches could be interpreted as stems, two clues aligning with the message. But my search efforts gleaned nothing, even after looking beneath every bench — surely to the hilarity of other park-goers — and conferring with park employees. Leaving the Parthenon, I didn’t know where to turn next, so I sent a message to @MysteriousNashville on Instagram to ask if my approach was right. While I pondered the riddle, Mysterious Nashville released another email instructing players to visit a particular

address within a certain time frame, wearing a white hat — that is, if we wished to identify ourselves. As I eagerly awaited the meetup, the elusive founders confirmed that I was on the right track and nudged me toward an unlisted webpage. From there, I guessed the site’s hidden URL, which pointed me toward a phone game leading to another hidden URL — a website that prompted players to donate either $0 or $4.99 to Mysterious Nashville. The following Saturday at noon, I arrived at the meetup location, East Nashville’s Crazy Gnome Brewery, and found dozens of players sporting loosely defined interpretations of white hats. Everyone ordered a drink — part of the assignment — before scanning a QR code hidden in a drawer, which led to a website with an entrance password we identified on our drink coasters. The site presented a three-part riddle and a picture of a clock in a tunnel. I wouldn’t generally suggest finding strangers online and following them into dark tunnels, but one makes exceptions for this sort of mystifying encounter. We decoded a set of coordinates and tracked them down on an overgrown embankment — inviting stares from nearby restaurant-goers — to find multiple clues. Another player quickly discovered that one clue led to a recently created social media account that posted cryptic images. We sat outside the tunnel in the late-spring heat, examining the account for clues illuminating our next adventure — to no avail. From what we discerned, there was nothing left to unveil. But this really didn’t feel like a conclusion — and we’ve been fooled by the enigmatic crew before. Keep one eye open, Nashville — I know I will. EMAIL ARTS@NASHVILLESCENE.COM

SOCIALLY-DISTANCED CAPACITY AND IN LINE WITH NASHVILLE’S GOOD TO GO HOSPITALITY SAFETY PROGRAM

818 3RD AVE SOUTH • SOBRO DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE SHOWS NIGHTLY • FULL RESTAURANT FREE PARKING • SMOKE FREE VENUE AND SHOW INFORMATION

3RDANDLINDSLEY.COM GREAT MUSIC • GREAT FOOD • GOOD FRIENDS • SINCE 1991

THIS WEEK THU

SMITHFIELD

7:30

6/17 EP RELEASE SHOW FRI

THE MIDNIGHT RIDERS

SAT

THE SAX LOFT SUMMIT LIVE! JEFF COFFIN, TIA FULLER,

7:30

6/18 ALLMAN BROS REVUE PLUS JIMMY HALL 6/19

8:00

THE PIANO MEN

THU

RESURRECTION

FRI/SAT 6/25 & 26