MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS UNIT OPENS FOR YOUTH
>> PAGE 8
CULTURE: REMEMBERING AN ICONIC NASHVILLE ‘GAYBORHOOD’ IN LIGHT OF ITS DEMOLITION
>> PAGE 27
EXPLORING NASHVILLE’S GHOST TOURISM INDUSTRY, CHATTING WITH A HISTORIAN ABOUT THE BODIES BURIED IN OUR STATE CAPITOL AND MUCH MORE
This leather-and-fringe mask was worn by Orville Peck during a performance at his 4th Annual Rodeo concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on November 2, 2022.
From the exhibit American Currents: State of the Music
City Records Show ‘NonTraditional’ Housing Program
Expanding Under OHS Director
April Calvin handpicked who received housing from shelters in a program within Metro Office of Homeless Services BY
ELI MOTYCKA
Mental Health Crisis Unit Opens for Youth State and Metro partner on stabilization center with Mental Health Coop BY
HANNAH HERNER
Pith in the Wind
This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog COVER PACKAGE: THE DEATH ISSUE
Something Strange in Your Neighborhood Murder, music and the gig economy in Nashville’s ghost tourism industry BY ANNIE PARNELL
Where the Bodies Are Buried
Chatting with historian Jeff Sellers about the people buried at the Tennessee State Capitol BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ
All Sales Are Final
With Nashville Casket Sales, you can bring personal style into eternity BY LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
Cemetery Gates
City officials want Nashvillians to enjoy the green space of the City Cemetery, a Metro park BY HANNAH HERNER
How Nashvillians Grieve
From group sessions to hiking and art, local organizations help Nashvillians of all ages and identities grieve BY JULIANNE AKERS
CRITICS’ PICKS
Sabrina Carpenter, Fear Fest, The Beths, TAKAAT, Scream and more
Grow Together Now
Cul2vate’s ministry is working to feed those in need through a unique workforce and a collection of city farms and gardens BY MARGARET LITTMAN
VODKA YONIC
It’s Never Too Late for an Emo Phase How My Chemical Romance soundtracked my second puberty BY MELYNA MORENO
The Shadows of OnceThriving Church Street
Looking back on the beloved safe spaces of this iconic Nashville ‘gayborhood’ in light of its recent demolition BY CAMERON BEYRENT
MUSIC
The Doors of Perception
Luke Schneider keeps opening new portals for pedal steel BY SEAN L. MALONEY
Coronation Day
Rising pop queen Molly Grace gets ready to wow her hometown BY HANNAH CRON
The Spin
The Scene’s live-review column checks out Joshua Hedley at Skinny Dennis BY BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER FILM
Live From New York
From Sentimental Value and Drunken Noodles to Rose of Nevada, here’s the best of this year’s New York Film Festival, NewFest and Brooklyn Horror Film Festival BY JASON SHAWHAN
NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD MARKETPLACE
ON THE COVER:
Illustration by Ganna Bozhko/Getty Images and Elizabeth Jones
SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER: nashvillescene.com/site/forms/subscription_services
PRINT: nashvillesceneshop.com
CONTACT TO ADVERTISE: msmith@nashvillescene.com EDITOR: prodgers@nashvillescene.com
In my 35+ years living and working in Nashville, I’ve navigated the twists, turns and now expansive growth of this wonderful place. Let me help you make the best choices in your biggest investment — real estate. I’m so grateful for my clients’ great reviews, repeat business and continued referrals. I’d love the opportunity to help make your Real Estate Goals a reality!
Buy • Sell • Invest
Proud to now be with Onward Real Estate, a locally owned and focused firm.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF D. Patrick Rodgers
MANAGING EDITOR Alejandro Ramirez
SENIOR EDITOR Dana Kopp Franklin
ARTS EDITOR Laura Hutson Hunter
MUSIC AND LISTINGS EDITOR Stephen Trageser
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Logan Butts
AUDIENCE EDITOR Annie Parnell
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Silverman
Julianne Akers, John Glennon, Hannah Herner, Hamilton Matthew Masters, Eli Motycka, Nicolle Praino, William Williams
SENIOR FILM CRITIC Jason Shawhan
EDITORIAL INTERN Noah McLane
Cat Acree, Sadaf Ahsan, Ken Arnold, Ben Arthur, Radley Balko, Bailey Brantingham, Ashley Brantley, Maria Browning, Steve Cavendish, Chris Chamberlain, Rachel Cholst, Lance Conzett, Hannah Cron, Connor Daryani, Tina Dominguez, Stephen Elliott, Steve Erickson, Jayme Foltz, Adam Gold, Kashif Andrew Graham, Seth Graves, Kim Green, Amanda Haggard, Steven Hale, Edd Hurt, Jennifer Justus, P.J. Kinzer, Janet Kurtz, J.R. Lind, Craig D. Lindsey, Margaret Littman, Sean L. Maloney, Brittney McKenna, Addie Moore, Marissa R. Moss, Noel Murray, Joe Nolan, Katherine Oung, Betsy Phillips, John Pitcher, Margaret Renkl, Daryl Sanders, Nadine Smith, Ashley Spurgeon Shamban, Amy Stumpfl, Cole Villena, Kay West, Nicole Williams, Ron Wynn, Kelsey Young, Charlie Zaillian
ART DIRECTOR Elizabeth Jones
Angelina Castillo, Eric England, Matt Masters
Sandi Harrison, Tracey Starck, Mary Louise Meadors
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN Taylor Stringer
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Christie Passarello
MARKETING AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Robin Fomusa
BRAND PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS MANAGER Alissa Wetzel
MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER Meredith Grantham
PUBLISHER Mike Smith
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Michael Jezewski
SENIOR ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS CONSULTANTS
Teresa Birdsong, Olivia Britton, Carla Mathis, Heather Cantrell Mullins, Niki Tyree
ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS CONSULTANTS
Kailey Idziak, Allie Robbins, Andrea Vasquez
SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER Chelon Hill Hasty
ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS ASSOCIATES Audry Houle, Jack Stejskal
SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Susan Torregrossa
PRESIDENT Mike Smith
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Todd Patton
CORPORATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Elizabeth Jones
IT DIRECTOR John Schaeffer
DIGITAL DIRECTOR Caroline Prater
CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Gary Minnis FW PUBLISHING LLC
Showcasing 13 head-to-toe ensembles, New African Masquerades highlights the motivations, artistry, and economic foundations of four West African masquerade artists. This immersive experience offers visitors the opportunity to see masquerades rarely displayed in the US. Nearly all ensembles were commissioned expressly for this exhibition and represent a wide variety of masquerade practices and cultures.
April Calvin handpicked who received housing from shelters in a program within Metro Office of Homeless Services
BY ELI MOTYCKA
THE CITY’S TOP homelessness official quietly created a new housing strategy over the past year to operate outside agreed-upon protocols between Metro and other service providers. The program preceded what Office of Homeless Services Director April Calvin termed “Non-Traditional Rapid Rehousing” during the fiscal year 2026 budget process. In June, Mayor Freddie O’Connell approved an additional $2.4 million in his budget to expand this work to include 100 families.
According to interviews with the Scene, the effort involved handpicking at least eight families lured by the promise of Section 8 vouchers who were then shuffled between private landlords for months, living on a verbal rent guarantee from the city. In at least two cases, rent money often came late or not at all, prompting landlords to ask tenants directly for rent money they didn’t have and to even initiate eviction proceedings.
Financial records show Calvin assembled funding — totaling at least $100,000 for at least eight families — from the COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act. OHS spokesperson Demetris Chaney says the city acted quickly at the request of the Nashville Rescue Mission and relied on unspecified “bridge funding” to pay families’ rent. In a recent email sent to multiple city officials and reviewed by the Scene, Calvin discouraged public discussion of the program.
The Scene pieced together a rough outline of the program via texts, financial records and interviews with individuals recruited out of the Nashville Rescue Mission who say they experienced months of confusion, poor communication with OHS and subpar living conditions. Nashville’s citywide strategy for addressing homelessness relies on cooperation between the city and nonprofit providers like The Contributor, Room In The Inn, the Salvation Army and Open Table Nashville.
These entities collaborate via the 25-member Homelessness Planning Council, a guiding board for the city’s multilayered Continuum of Care — a chartered network that plans and administers homelessness resources throughout the city. This delicate coalition has frayed recently under Calvin, whose history of unilateral decision-making has put providers at odds with the city. The city is also responsible for leading Nashville’s coordinated entry system; coordinated entry is meant to function as a centralized effort between all providers and individuals experiencing homelessness to match needs with services. In September, city officials approved Metro Councilmember Ginny Welsch’s request to audit OHS.
Text messages from Calvin to OHS employees
in August 2024 indicate that OHS sought to identify eight unhoused families to move from the Nashville Rescue Mission to two different “hotel conversions.” This circumvented the normal coordinated entry process and raised red flags for professionals brought in to help these families. One individual involved in the process, who requested anonymity, compared the strategy to picking people directly off the street and paying their rent.
Misty Hill was staying at the Rescue Mission with her son last summer when she was called in for a meeting with an OHS caseworker. The employee offered to cover a full year of rent at an apartment complex chosen by OHS. After that year, based on her conversation with OHS, Hill believed she would receive a Section 8 housing voucher. The move would also reunite her with her partner, who was living separately in the Rescue Mission’s men’s dormitory.
“She said, ‘I have an opportunity for you and your family,’” Hill tells the Scene. “They were supposed to pay rent for a year while we lived in transitional housing and waited for our Section 8 voucher to come in.”
The family moved into The Avenue, a small apartment complex on Clarksville Pike, with several other people relocated from the mission.
Based on a verbal rent guarantee from OHS, Hill was able to sign a yearlong lease for $1,400 a month. The living arrangement soon turned into chaos. According to Hill, the apartment was plagued by break-ins, and someone began living in the shared kitchen. Her ceiling caved in, damaging the family’s belongings.
“OHS would go months at a time without paying anything,” Hill recalls. “Then, all of a sudden, they’re like, ‘We never intended to pay your rent for an entire year.’ We started getting threatening messages from the property manager that we would be kicked out.”
Metro financial records include dozens of invoices paid to house individuals in three locations: The Avenue, Hillside Crossing Apartments and Extended Stay America. Kirsney Cunningham describes a similar path moving from the mission to The Avenue in August 2024. There, she says, apartment conditions soon became unlivable for herself and her young daughter.
“The pipes started to get clogged,” Cunningham tells the Scene. “We were limited on food. They would bring us toilet paper and mouthwash for us to divide among ourselves. The things that OHS began to tell us that they were going to do, they stopped coming.”
In September, Cunningham and her daughter
“
“ THE THINGS THAT OHS BEGAN TO TELL US THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO, THEY STOPPED COMING.”
— KIRSNEY CUNNINGHAM
moved from The Avenue to Hillside Crossing, where, Cunningham says, OHS again verbally guaranteed a year’s rent followed by a Section 8 voucher and a housekeeping job at the complex. But Hillside did not hire her, and by January, she was told by property managers that OHS would soon stop paying her rent. Neither Hill nor Cunningham received a Section 8 voucher. Instead they found their own cheaper apartments, putting down deposits and prorated rent with help from OHS and another nonprofit, ending a year’s housing saga in mixed success.
Additional reporting and research for this article was provided by Mike Lacy. Read more of Lacy’s work at his Substack, {Rich Text}. ▼
State and Metro partner on stabilization center with Mental Health Coop
BY HANNAH HERNER
PREVIOUSLY, WHEN THE Mental Health Cooperative received a call that a child was experiencing a mental health crisis, they had two options: make a safety plan and send the child home, or arrange for inpatient treatment. Finding availability for the latter was always a challenge, and in the meantime, kids sat at hospitals or the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center awaiting the next move.
That gap in services is now filled, thanks to last week’s opening of the Children and Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit. The center serves kids ages 4 to 17, with an expected average stay of three to five days. It offers 17 beds and staff specially trained to treat children and families.
“This gives us an in-between service that we can help them work through the current crisis situation, and hopefully get them connected to what they need to be successful after that crisis is over and upon discharge,” says Ruth vanBergen, senior vice president of emergency psychiatric services at the Mental Health Coop.
Referrals for youth most commonly come from the emergency room — a go-to for lots of families when their child is having a crisis, vanBergen says. She hopes to see people use the crisis stabilization unit for walk-ins in the future.
“We’ve always struggled with, we don’t have a lot of options for kids in crisis,” she says. “To be able to have this, and if you compare how it looks now versus how it looked 10, 20 years ago, it’s just a world of difference in what we’re able to offer the community.”
son County Juvenile Court and Juvenile Detention Center. Judge Sheila Calloway explains that she regularly encounters kids in crisis, but the juvenile court does not offer mental health services on site or immediately. These are children who are not necessarily suicidal or homicidal, but do need immediate support.
“If it’s a kid that gets brought to us in the middle of a crisis, we’ll be able to reach out to Mental Health Coop, and they actually have a crisis center for them to go [to], versus sitting at our facility waiting on something,” Calloway tells the Scene. “We’ll be able to actually connect them immediately to this service, which is a beautiful thing.”
The Mental Health Coop is called on to meet with kids who need extra mental health support at the detention center too. The Nashville Center for Youth Empowerment, a project granted $88 million in the latest Metro capital spending plan, will double the size of its previous space and offer more services on site. The center is set to open in the spring or early summer of 2027, Calloway tells the Scene
“Our goal is to equip our young people with the skills, relationships and safe places they need to thrive, and in doing so, to reduce interactions between young people and the criminal legal system,” O’Connell said at last week’s ribbon cutting for the crisis stabilization unit.
The Mental Health Coop has been in high demand in recent years. The city tapped the organization to lead the mental health component of two 911 response options: REACH co-response with paramedics, and Partners in Care with police. The Mental Health Coop is also involved with the Behavioral Care Center, an alternative to jail through the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
The ribbon cutting for the center also represented a partnership between O’Connell and Gov. Bill Lee, whom the mayor thanked for his support on the project. The Tennessee General Assembly, through the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, set aside $5 million to create a crisis stabilization unit for youth in both Knoxville and Nashville.
Gov. Bill Lee won’t dip into the state’s $2.1 billion Rainy Day Fund to back Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits relied on by 690,000 Tennesseans. Typically, SNAP funding is guaranteed by the federal government and issued to recipients via an electronic debit system overseen by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. With a government shutdown in D.C. now nearing the one-month mark, some saw state intervention as a potential backstop to guarantee SNAP benefits when those lapse on Nov. 1. Lee says that is operationally impossible. Individuals can use existing SNAP benefits into November, but won’t receive new benefits next month.
Tennessee has joined 23 other states challenging birthright citizenship in the U.S. Supreme Court. According to a release, plaintiffs in the case are “urging the Court to clarify that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause does not provide automatic citizenship to everyone born in the United States,” arguing that lower courts have “misinterpreted” the clause. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Says Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in the release, “Each child born in this country is precious no matter their parents’ immigration status, but not every child is entitled to American citizenship.”
How did Nashville neighborhood The Nations get its nickname? Scene columnist Betsy Phillips offers a few convoluted explanations as to how it might have happened — and one pretty simple one. OFFICIALS FROM
Another common referral source is the David-
Mayor Freddie O’Connell has focused on youth mental health during his tenure, establishing an Office of Youth Safety earlier this year and naming Phyllis Hildreth the office lead in April. At the ribbon cutting for the Children and Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit, O’Connell noted that nearly 1 in 5 Tennessee high school students reports having significant anxiety or depression, a figure released in the Centerstone 2025 Youth Mental Health Report.
At the ribbon cutting, Commissioner Marie Williams of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services asked the crowd to repeat this phrase after her: “Treatment works.”
“Our system’s not broken — our system’s underfunded,” Williams said at the event. “We know what works, and we stand here today with a provider that also knows what works.” ▼
The Vanderbilt University chapter of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost Cybele Raver last week, voicing their continued opposition to a White House compact offer other schools have rejected. The offer would require Vanderbilt to align its policies with those of the Trump administration in order to gain more favorable federal funding opportunities than otherwise. Diermeier sent a noncommittal statement to faculty and staff via an email earlier this month neither accepting nor rejecting the compact — instead saying the university will continue an “ongoing dialogue” and provide feedback to the White House, citing Vanderbilt’s policy of “institutional neutrality.” “We are disappointed and upset,” reads the open letter sent by the Vanderbilt AAUP chapter on Oct. 21. “The Compact is not a good-faith offer to discuss educational policy or an opportunity for ‘constructive dialogue,’ as you claim in your message.”
THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 6TH
NOVEMBER 1
STEELDRIVERS NOVEMBER 4 & 5 ERNEST WITH COLE GOODWIN
NOVEMBER 16 I’M WITH HER WITH YE VAGABONDS
FEBRUARY 11
MIGUEL ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM
MARCH 22 LIVE AT THE OPRY HOUSE
SUSAN G. KOMEN CONCERT FOR THE CURE BAND AS ONE NASHVILLE TRISHA YEARWOOD & FRIENDS ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM
APRIL 1 & 2 2ND SHOW ADDED! MAX McNOWN ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM
UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE MUSEUM’S CMA THEATER
NOVEMBER 1 MARTY STUART AND HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES SPACE JUNK
NOVEMBER 4
BRIAN CULBERTSON BRIAN CULBERTSON’S DAY TRIP TOUR
NOVEMBER 6
HEART LIFE MUSIC A CONVERSATION WITH KENNY CHESNEY WITH HOLLY GLEASON
NOVEMBER 14 MUSCLE SHOALS OPENING CONCERT CELEBRATION Program made possible in part by PEDIGREE® and PEDIGREE Foundation
DECEMBER 14 JON McLAUGHLIN AND FRIENDS HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
MARCH 3 THE HIGH KINGS THE ROCKY ROAD TOUR
TICKETS ON SALE NOW Museum members receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities for CMA Theater concerts. Learn more at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Membership.
Murder, music and the gig economy in Nashville’s ghost tourism industry
BY ANNIE PARNELL
IT’S 7:45 P.M. at the Alvin C. York statue near the Capitol, and Steve Stern is telling a crowd about the time he brought a ghost home.
“There was this little poof of bright white light,” he explains.
“Like an orb?” asks a woman.
“No, not like an orb,” he says emphatically. “There’s orbs up there.”
Stern is a guide with Nashville’s imprint of the ghost tourism company Ghost City Tours. The orbs are spirits that have been spotted at the fountain at the Tennessee Capitol, which, during a recent Ghosts of Nashville Tour, Stern described as the most haunted state capitol in the U.S. He estimates that on a single night in Nashville, about 200 people are taking a ghost tour — a number that climbs on the weekends and leading up to Halloween.
What makes a good ghost story? Nestor Ilagan, another Ghost City Tours guide, says they age like fine wine. Unlike other true-crime attractions, the adults-only Murder in Music City Tour he runs has a vintage focus, with stories mostly sourced from the Victorian era. To him, it’s more fun that way. “You could talk about modern murders, but it’s much more haunting when there’s repeated [ghostly] activity over 50 to 100 years.”
He and Stern navigate their grisly material with an upfront approach. Both lead by warning that they’ll be covering topics like murder, suicide and abuse. Stern sources sensitivity feedback and contextualizes his tours with real-life systemic horrors, noting that all three Tennessean presidents with statues at the Capitol were slave owners.
This is the kind of job where everyone has a backstory. Stern says, perhaps unsurprisingly, that most people are ghost tour guides on the side of another gig. His own journey to the job has a Music City twist: He spent years as the stage manager of Gaylord Opryland Resort &
Convention Center, which is allegedly haunted by notorious local spirit Mrs. McGavock. He wrote an Americana song about her, and was discovered by Ghost City Tours.
Ilagan, meanwhile, is a stay-at-home dad during the day who calls his tours “adult storytime.” Unlike some guides, he doesn’t dress up in historical garb, joking, “I have yet to find a suitable costume for an Asian American.” He’s added his own props to his tour, though: an Aztec death whistle replica that he 3D printed at the library, and a stunt pocketknife, which he picked up at a previous job at Friedman’s Army Navy Outdoor Store.
In this town, even the ghosts are entertainers. Both Ghost City tours end at Skull’s Rainbow Room in the Southern Turf building, reportedly haunted by former owners Ice Johnson and Skull Schulman himself. At the Ryman’s Haunted History tours, which traditionally happen in
October but are starting to run more throughout the year, you’ll hear about hauntings from Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. There’s also Tom Ryman himself, who’s said to stomp his feet when acts he doesn’t approve of play the venue. While common, believing in ghosts isn’t required in the industry. “I’m probably one of the biggest skeptics in the building,” admits Joshua Bronnenberg, the Ryman’s museum curator and tour manager — and creator of their ghost tour. “Several of my co-workers and staff members do [believe],” he adds, “and they claim to have had experiences.”
Stern is an avowed believer, and carries an electromagnetic field detector every night. Ilagan, meanwhile, believes in a “higher-dimensional physics” way. He incorporates the Filipino superstition of pagpag, or “dusting off,” whenever he finishes a tour: Instead of going straight home, he stops at a bar or hotel lobby to file his post-tour paperwork and avoid carrying any unwanted visitors back. He’s become a regular at several spots.
Though their interpretations of the supernatural vary, what unites the three tours is a passion for sharing history in a nontraditional way — and preserving stories of the past in a rapidly changing city. For Ilagan, that’s warts and all, from glitzy local legends to the Wilcox building, where stories of early Tennessee serial killer Dr. J. Herman Feist lie just beneath the facade.
“You understand how much this place has been growing the last dozen years or so,” Ilagan says. “A lot of this history has been lost, and we’re trying to preserve it in our storytelling.” ▼
Chatting with historian Jeff Sellers about the people buried at the Tennessee State Capitol
BY ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ
YOU CAN TELL which limestone blocks in the Tennessee State Capitol are original to its 1840s construction. They’re gray with dark wavy striations running lengthwise, contrasting to the light tan color of the newer 1950s stone blocks. A cluster can be found at the northeast exterior corner of the Capitol, one of them engraved with writing.
“William Strickland,” it reads in part. “His remains are deposited within this wall.”
Strickland was the architect of the building, and is one of four people buried on the Capitol grounds — and one of two entombed in its walls.
Jeff Sellers, director of education and community engagement at the Tennessee State Museum, says Strickland not only designed the tomb himself — he “serendipitously” requested permission from state lawmakers to be buried there just six weeks prior to his sudden death. Construction was still ongoing.
Strickland was well-known for his Greek Revival style (Sellers calls him “a household name for American architecture”), but his tomb is more modest than the rest of the Capitol. There’s no cavernous mausoleum behind the wall tempting tomb raiders. Instead, his resting place was carved into the stones, probably no bigger than two feet in any direction.
Tennessee’s is the only state capitol with bodies buried within its walls. The other interred remains belong to Samuel Morgan, a renowned merchant and head of the commission overseeing the Capitol’s construction. Morgan died in 1880 and was buried in the southeast corner of the building.
Naturally, the presence of dead bodies in the Capitol inspires ghost stories. One of the more popular tales says Strickland and Morgan can be heard quarreling in the hallways, their bitter feud lasting into the afterlife. However, even if you believe in ghosts, it’s an unlikely scenario: Sellers says Strickland and Morgan got along quite well.
Outside the building on the east lawn are two more
bodies, laid to rest in one tomb: President James K. Polk and his wife Sarah. Although it maybe hasn’t been so restful.
No, that’s not a joke about presidential apparitions (a local ghost tour advertises that Polk’s lonely spirit can be seen lingering near the tomb); the remains have actually been relocated a few times. Polk died of cholera and, in accordance with the laws of the time, was buried in a city cemetery. A year later he was reinterred in a tomb, which was also designed by Strickland, at the Polk estate in downtown Nashville. After Sarah died, there was a fracas over the will, and the Polks were moved to the Capitol — and at one point in the past decade were almost moved to Columbia.
Sellers says he’s a better “history teller” than ghost storyteller, but he understands that the Capitol seems kinda spooky. There are bodies on site, it served as a hospital during the Civil War, and strange noises echo through its cavernous halls at night.
The Capitol may not be haunted by ghosts, but by the more troubling aspects of its history. The construction of the building took place in the antebellum South, and
With Nashville Casket Sales, you can bring personal style into eternity
BY LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
IN 2013, Joe Stacey had an idea. A lifelong Nashvillian, he’d been working in automotive design, wrapping cars and semi-trucks in eye-catching graphics. One day, he called up a friend who ran a funeral home.
“Hey, let me get a casket from you,” he said. “I’ll put some graphics on it. Let’s see what I can come up with.”
Stacey covered the casket in University of Tennessee Vols imagery, finishing it with a bold blaze-orange stripe. When Stacey returned the casket, he and the funeral home director had a laugh. But a few days later, the friend called Stacey with surprising news.
“You’re not going to believe this,” the friend told Stacey. “We sold that casket. The family came in, went straight to it, said, ‘This is what we want,’ and they wouldn’t look at anything else.”
That was the beginning of Nashville Casket Sales. Stacey runs the company with his high school-sweetheart wife Tabitha and their son Bret. The family business has built a devoted following — thanks in part to the KISS Kasket, which Stacey says has replaced the band’s legendary pinball machine as the ultimate collector’s item for devoted fans.
Stacey describes the caskets as something you have to experience in order to fully appreciate.
“If you go to a funeral and Mr. Smith is in a white casket or black casket, it’s a somber situation,” he explains. “But if you go there and he’s in a fishing casket, or he’s in a camouflage casket, or whatever he likes, people start smil-
slaves were brought onto the project.
Strickland was from Pennsylvania, a free state, but he didn’t seem to have any issue using slave labor, says Sellers. (Morgan would go on to become a Confederate official, and Polk bought 19 slaves while president.)
Sellers says 15 enslaved laborers worked on the build, along with many more inmates from the state prison. In February of this year, Tennessee lawmakers passed a resolution honoring the enslaved craftsmen. Sellers says the museum is also working to find the names of as many workers who were involved in the construction of the Capitol.
Sellers says the interments of Strickland and Morgan show how much pride they took in the building and demonstrates how much their contemporaries respected them. But he adds that the legacy of the Capitol is not just these “two wealthy white men of the period.”
The building reflects the fitful growth of democracy in Tennessee — the amendments expanding voting rights to Black men and to women were ratified in the chambers of the Capitol.
“There’s just all of these generational moments that are important,” says Sellers. “It’s a place where I think Tennesseans should take pride that their political voice
ing and talking and start telling stories. ‘Oh, he would have loved this.’ Or, ‘This is perfect for her — she loved rhinestones.’
“Whatever it is, people start smiling and talking, and that can change a somber situation.”
Stacey has a comfort with death that serves him well. In fact, his first business was a haunted house — back then all the coffins in his workshop were props.
“The death scene never bothered us,” he says. “Going into a funeral home didn’t bother us. Having caskets. I’ve got a hearse in my driveway right now. It freaks some people out, but for us, it was natural.”
These days, the steel casket frames that come to Stacey are a little more substantial. He calls them “shells.”
“We bring it in and we modify it and do our graphics and stuff on it — either wrap it, or
there’s things that we add to it, like rhinestones.”
The rhinestone-covered caskets can take him days to finish, but the results are staggering.
After making his first rhinestone casket, Stacey posted a short video to the shop’s TikTok account. It got 31 million views.
If there’s a fandom, Stacey can make a casket out of it. He’s made a Dukes of Hazzard casket, a Dallas Cowboys casket, an Iron Maiden casket. He’s made a Ghostbusters casket equipped with plastic tubing that makes it look just like Ecto-1.
The first Spider-Man casket he made hit closest to home — Stacey’s son had been a Spider-Man fan when he was about the same age as the boy who would soon be buried in it. As he wrapped the casket in the superhero’s red-and-blue imagery — symbols he’d associated with his own family’s joy — he realized he was in tears.
“We have a saying here: The smallest ones are
the heaviest,” he says. “We do a lot of children’s caskets — probably more than anyone else around — but we do have a sense of pride about it that we really want to make it special for that child.”
Another of Stacey’s special caskets looks just like a Radio Flyer wagon — it’s small and red, with four wheels and a handle for pulling. The family who ordered it had a young son who spent much of his life in the hospital, where they used a wagon to wheel him through the halls. “That was his favorite thing, that wagon,” Stacey recalls. When they came to him, he knew exactly what to make.
“That little boy is actually in a mausoleum spot,” Stacey says softly, “which was behind the funeral home. And so they pulled him out there, just like it was [his] regular wagon.” ▼
City officials want Nashvillians to enjoy the green space of the City Cemetery, a Metro park
BY HANNAH HERNER
THE NASHVILLE CITY CEMETERY is commonly visited by tourists looking for the nearest green reprieve from Lower Broadway.
The cemetery was established just one mile from downtown back in 1822, with the idea that the city would never spread that far. All of the people originally buried where Public Square Park is today, about a mile-and-a-half to the north, were relocated to the City Cemetery. By 1850, more than 11,000 were buried at the site.
The cemetery is now a Metro park with a fulltime staffer in Bryan Gilley, and the city wants to see people use the space for walks and picnics. (Take a page from the GOTHBATS — a goth social group profiled by the Scene last year that hosts events in cemeteries.) The City Cemetery even held its inaugural ice cream social this year. The cemetery is also asking for $8 million from the city for improvements to gravestones, light fixtures and its stone fence, along with other restoration efforts.
“It’s a place just to honor the dead, but the city wants people to use the cemetery,” Gilley says. “It is one of the few green spaces on this side of downtown.”
Unlike other cemeteries in town, the Nashville City Cemetery has only one or two burials per month, so it’s not especially likely you’ll come across mourners should you choose to enjoy the grassy space. But visitors should know that just because there’s no tombstone does not mean there isn’t a person buried there. Only about 4,000 of the roughly 20,000 graves are marked. Gilley and the Nashville City Cemetery Association have used ground-penetrating radar in partnership with Vanderbilt University on part of the site to locate unmarked graves, with hopes to survey the entire site in the future. Nashville City Cemetery was established as a rare desegregated cemetery in the pre-Civil War South. While it became more segregated after the war, the site hosts city and state leaders alongside people who were enslaved at the time of their death.
“In 1822, we’re still in the midst of slavery,” Gilley tells the Scene. “There’s the wealthiest white citizens buried here along with people that were not free. I don’t think you’d find a place that tells Nashville’s history more diversely than this. It’s a full representation of the whole city from every spectrum, every belief — everybody’s here. It really is an outdoor museum.”
You’ll find Revolutionary War veterans and James Robertson, who’s considered a founding father of Nashville and of Tennessee. There are
members of the Grundy and Polk families; Confederate Gen. Felix Zollicoffer and famed songwriter Harlan Howard, who wrote Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces,” share a plot. Current members of the Fisk Jubilee Singers come yearly to perform at the graves of two of the historic group’s original members. There’s also a grave for someone who died during the construction of the Tennessee State Capitol, with a gravestone designed by architect William Strickland and featuring masonry tools. There are 16 Nashville mayors there.
Two more Nashville mayors plan to be.
The Nashville City Cemetery is a nonprofit supported by membership and donations, as well as volunteers who help clean and repair
graves. (The GOTHBATS are among those volunteers.) The cemetery has also often been the subject of vandalism. Gilley and Oliver Arney, president of the Nashville City Cemetery Association, want people to know they can just walk in from dawn to dusk. That is to say, people don’t need to sneak in at night.
“The more people we get out here, the more we can teach people, and the less wrong activity we have,” Gilley says.
In October, the cemetery hosts the tours Tales From the City Cemetery and Murder & Mayhem, but tours are also available upon request throughout the year.
“I think if you ask historians what we’ve lost
the most in the last 100 years, it’s probably that sense of culture and community, and that’s something we want to preserve,” Arney says. “It’s really cool that you can come to a site and you can say, ‘I’m new to Nashville,’ or even, ‘I’m visiting Nashville, but I want to feel connected to a place.’ You can come somewhere like this and feel that connection.” ▼
FROM 11 A.M. TO 1 P.M. ON NOV. 9, THE NASHVILLE CITY CEMETERY ASSOCIATION AND HANDS ON NASHVILLE WILL HOST A VOLUNTEER DAY AT THE CEMETERY, WHERE VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP CLEAN 10 INTERPRETIVE MARKERS.
From group sessions to hiking and art, local organizations help Nashvillians of all ages and identities grieve
BY JULIANNE AKERS
WHILE LIFE HAS many unknowns, one thing is for certain — at some point, we will all be impacted by death. Local organizations across Nashville are working to help people cope with the grief that comes with death and break stigmas around the grieving process.
One of those groups is Nashville Grief, which offers varying types of support for adults in the LGBTQ community. Services include free peerled support groups and one-on-one care offered both in person and online. Krista Westervelt, who runs Nashville Grief, says the group not only helps people deal with the impact of death but also the grief that comes along with illness, disability and estrangement.
“There’s people who are grieving because they’ve lost family,” Westervelt says. “There are people who are newly out who are both celebrating the joys of being newly out and the losses related to it.”
Nashville Grief services are secular, and Westervelt says this nonreligious form of support is an important option to have in the LGBTQ community.
“Because of so much religious trauma around identity, some people have reasonably good religious experiences, but there has been so much of religion that’s been weaponized against the community,” says Westervelt. “Having a secular space feels safer psychologically, emotionally.”
Westervelt notes that Nashville Grief’s services are not a replacement for professional mental health counseling, but rather judgment-free places where grievers don’t have to explain their identities.
Alive, a nonprofit hospice in Nashville, also offers free grief services for children and adults, regardless of whether they had loved ones at the hospice. These include support groups and individual sessions with licensed counselors.
The organization creates loss-specific groups for people who have lost loved ones due to
similar circumstances. Alissa Drescher, senior director of mission-based services at Alive, says this can be extremely helpful to those grappling with grief because they can often feel isolated in their experience.
Westervelt adds that loss-specific groups are a valuable resource to people who have lost loved ones to substance use.
”Having that space where you know you’re not gonna be judged for the manner in which they died, and people understand that that person was more than just the manner in which they died, is really helpful,” says Westervelt.
But group support isn’t for everyone. Art workshops can also provide a form of solace for grievers of all ages, Drescher says.
“I think when we get a piece of paper out in front of people and a couple of art materials, just something happens in the simplicity of that,” she says. “It brings us back to a very central and solid place, a more childlike perspective on life and on death, and it can open us up to exploring things that we didn’t know we even had in us.”
Alive also offers hiking programs, memorial services and workshops in writing and music, all tailored for people who approach their grief differently.
“I think the media depicts a grief group like a very sad circle of people sitting in chairs with tissue in between them,” Drescher says. “And don’t get me wrong, we do offer that, but the bulk of our services are considered strengths-based, and they’re multimodal. And what I mean by that is that we want people to connect and explore their loss in the way that they’re most comfortable.”
And for children, understanding grief is entirely different than it is for adults. Alive has several child-centered programs, including the annual Camp Forgot-Me-Not. Kristin Keiper-Berneman — a local school counselor and founder of Good Grieve Nashville who also led an effort to create a grief garden at Percy Priest Elementary School — has volunteered with the camp and says it helps children sit with their grief in doses.
“I find it wonderful for our community that it exists and is very healing,” Keiper-Berneman says.
No matter the situation, all grief experts agree: There’s no set formula to grieving, healing or understanding your emotions when someone has died. They all reiterate that grief isn’t linear, and there’s no “quick fix” or “magical cure.”
“Grief is a normal human experience,” Westervelt says. “It’s not a pathology. We don’t have to talk ourselves out of it. We can’t intellectualize our way out of it. It’s a very embodied, somatic experience.” ▼
“WE WANT PEOPLE TO CONNECT AND EXPLORE THEIR LOSS IN THE WAY THAT THEY’RE MOST COMFORTABLE.”
VEMBER 7 00
NOVEMBER 8 7:00 PM
OME EARLY FOR FREE FAMILY CTIVITIES, INCLUDING: COLORING BOOKS, L SSO LESSONS, ODELING EXHIBITION, MOO COUNTRY FASHIO SHOW & MORE!
KIDS 10 & UNDER GET IN FOR $10 8 YEARS THE COWBOY WAY
PROUDLY SUPPORT ING: F I O U M
for more event listings
TUESDAY, NOV. 4
MUSIC
[MY MAN ON WILLPOWER] SABRINA CARPENTER
In October, Sabrina Carpenter made a one-off Nashville appearance on the Grand Ole Opry to sing a few country-dyed (and admittedly PG-rated) renditions of her inescapable pop songs. In November, she returns to town for a full-blown arena show. The two-night run downtown comes as part of Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour, one of the most buzzed-about arenas tours (not named Eras, of course) to hit the road in recent years. While her Opry debut included hearty doses of fiddle and pedal steel, fans who attend the Short n’ Sweet gig can expect over-the-top theatrics and a marathon run of earwormy pop hooks. The tour is named after Carpenter’s breakout 2024 album — the same one that produced hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” among others. This year, she returns to the road in support of a new effort: the 2025 LP Man’s Best Friend, which includes summer single “Manchild” and new fan favorite “Go Go Juice.” Olivia Dean plays main support; Amber Mark opens the show. MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER
7 P.M. AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA
501 BROADWAY
BETWEEN WORLDS: A DÍA DE MUERTOSINSPIRED CONCERT PAGE 20
TIMOTHY WHITE EXHIBITION PAGE 22
EMMYLOU HARRIS: SPYBOY LIVE AT THE EXIT/IN PAGE 22
THURSDAY
BOOKS
[NEVER TAKE IT SERIOUSLY] CAMERON CROWE AUTHOR EVENT FEAT. SHERYL CROW
Legendary music journalist, author, filmmaker and screenwriter Cameron Crowe brings the book tour for his long-awaited memoir The Uncool — published by Avid Reader Press, a division of Simon and Schuster, on Oct. 28 — to Nashville’s CMA Theater Thursday evening. Crowe became Rolling Stone’s youngest-ever contributor as a 15-year-old high school graduate, going on to profile the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Elton John, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and The Who. He wrote the screenplay for the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which was based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story. He wrote and directed the films Say Anything…, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Vanilla Sky, as well as the semi-autobiographical Almost Famous, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. At Thursday’s event, Crowe will be interviewed by recording artist Sheryl Crow. They will delve
into the stories behind the stories of the music of the 1970s that shaped an entire generation. VIP packages for the event include a meet-and-greet with Crowe and an autographed copy of The Uncool. DARYL SANDERS
7:30 P.M. AT THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM’S CMA THEATER
224 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY S.
FILM
[WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SCARY MOVIE?] FRIST FILMS: SCREAM
For those who somehow haven’t seen the iconic opening sequence of Wes Craven’s gamechanging 1996 horror movie Scream, the film’s antagonist (I won’t ruin the fun) asks Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker what her favorite scary movie is. My answer to that question, for as long as I can remember, has been Scream It’s actually my favorite movie, period. I’ve seen it at home and on the big screen countless times (including at both the Belcourt and the Stardust Drive-In), so I don’t always catch the inevitable local repertory screenings every October. This year, however, is different — the Frist is hosting a combo screening and tour, wherein attendees can view items from the New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations
and Collaborations exhibit that relate to the film. What a unique way to catch one of the all-time great horror movies. LOGAN BUTTS
5:15 P.M. AT THE FRIST
919 BROADWAY
[THE KANSAS CITY CHIS]
The tradition of Día de Muertos (known as Day of the Dead in English) is a Latin American celebration of friends and family who have passed. Celebrated over several days, the holiday starts at the beginning of November, just after the festivities of All Hallows’ Eve and All Saints’ Day, with roots in the culture of Indigenous Mexico. City Winery will be hosting a Día de Muertos-inspired concert featuring Karina Daza and Making Movies, honoring ancestors, immigrants and our shared roots. Karina Daza has an infectious brand of music that fuses the pop, folk and jazz sounds of Latin America. The New York native has an academic pedigree featuring esteemed music schools like Juilliard, Berklee and Fordham, but she makes music that is sweet, fun and approachable for new audiences. Making Movies is a Kansas Citybased Spanish-language psychedelic-rock band centering on Panamanian brothers Enrique and Diego Chi. Their brand of Caribbeaninspired music might seem unlikely coming from the American Heartland. They earned a Latin Grammy nomination for “No Te Calles,” their 2019 collaboration with Rubén Blades, but their finest work is 2022’s tropical space-rock masterwork En Vivo (Sin Aplauso) P.J. KINZER
7:30 P.M. AT CITY WINERY
609 LAFAYETTE ST.
[PERFECT PACKAGE]
Some of the world’s best contemporary pop music is currently being made by a quintet of Australians who go by the name Parcels. With a trio of full-length records, a pair of live albums and a handful of EPs, the Aussies — who have also called Berlin home since their formation more than a decade ago — have quickly built a powerfully catchy catalog of intricate pop
that blends funk, electropop, psych rock and disco. Issued in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the band’s most formidable feats is Live Vol. 1, recorded at Berlin’s Hansa Studios. Those impossibly tight 64 minutes of intoxicating bass lines, sticky vocal hooks and lush, intertwined guitars and keyboards call to mind David Bowie, Prince, Chic, Daft Punk, Phoenix and Tame Impala. (Pull up the footage of the 18-track album being recorded on YouTube for a taste of just how exceptional these guys are at playing together.) Their latest release, September’s Loved, is an all-killer 12-track slab of pop, from party-starters like “Leaveyourlove” and “Yougotmefeeling” to the wistful ballad “Safeandsound.” At Thursday’s Ascend Amphitheater gig, expect onstage chemistry, outsized production and an opening set from fraternal psych-pop outfit (and fellow Scene faves) The Lemon Twigs. D. PATRICK RODGERS
8 P.M. AT ASCEND AMPHITHEATER
301 FIRST AVE. S.
MUSIC
[LIFE IS GOURD] THE ALEX MURPHY TRIO PRESENTS A CHARLIE BROWN HALLOWEEN
If the autumn season had a sound, surely it would be Vince Guaraldi’s “The Great Pumpkin Waltz.” Guaraldi’s iconic score for the beloved 1966 Peanuts television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown comes alive in celebration of Halloween at Rudy’s Jazz Room for A Charlie Brown Halloween. The Alex Murphy Trio will perform the nostalgic autumnal classic for two nights in the cozy setting of Rudy’s Jazz Room this week. It’s the perfect way to spend Halloween with friends and family, away from the crowds, enjoying the rare treat of hearing Guaraldi’s beloved music live. Murphy, who fronts the trio, is a Nashvillebased jazz pianist who trained at DePaul University and has been playing in Nashville and Chicago jazz clubs. For those who want a low-key and intimate Halloween celebration, and to conjure the magic of the original TV special, this is the perfect way to mark the spooky season. LILLY LUSE
OCT 30-31 AT RUDY’S JAZZ ROOM
809 GLEAVES ST.
[NATURAL WORDPLAY]
NATURE POETRY:
There’s certainly no shortage of eerie activities leading up to Halloween, from screenings of horror classics at the Belcourt to hair-raising haunts like Nashville Nightmare. But it doesn’t get more goth than reading a little spine-tingling poetry outdoors at dusk. That’s exactly what you can expect when the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center hosts the latest event in its Nature Poetry series, which celebrates “autumn, change and seasonal spookiness.” Don’t fear — it’s not all macabre. The onehour event will center on poetry that features themes of autumn, with a sprinkling of ghosts and ghouls throughout. It makes for a perfect pre-game to a screening of gothic flicks like Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu or Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. Wear your coziest sweater, grab some apple cider and gear up for an evening of both autumnal odes and the dark romanticism of Edgar Allan Poe. If you close your eyes, you’ll even convince yourself you’ve been transported to a fog-filled New England graveyard or a Transylvanian castle. BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER
5 P.M. AT THE SHELBY BOTTOMS NATURE CENTER
1900 SHELBY BOTTOMS GREENWAY
[MUST BE THE SEASON OF THE …] PROFS AND PINTS NASHVILLE: BECOMING THE WITCH
Contrary to my grandmother’s wishes (RIP Grandma, you wouldn’t let me read Harry Potter), I’ll be attending one of several Halloween-inspired Profs and Pints offerings. At Becoming the Witch, attendees will learn just what it takes to be initiated into witchcraft. Hint: It’s about more than just a broomstick or pointy hat. We’ll hear from Cory Thomas Hutcheson, a folklorist and lecturer at Middle Tennessee State University, and author of New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic. For one thing, folklorist is a pretty sweet title. The professor will detail the various paths a person can take to become a witch through the lenses of folklore and history. As it turns out, one can be born into it, called into it or learn it through study, and it is something still prevalent today. Witch is a still-evolving identity that means different things in different places. (He promises to cover Appalachia to Ukraine.) Get warmed up with Dr. Hutcheson’s podcast, New World Witchery HANNAH HERNER
7 P.M. AT FAIT LA FORCE BREWING 1414 THIRD AVE. S., SUITE 101
[FRIGHTMARES IN FRANKLIN] FEAR FEST
The Franklin Theatre’s annual Fear Fest always has a stacked lineup of crowdpleasing chillers, and this year was no exception. Classics such as Jaws, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Beetlejuice and The Silence of the Lambs have shown throughout October during
this year’s edition. Catch the final screenings of Fear Fest this week, with a double dose of the ultimate cult hit The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Thursday before the main event on Friday night: a double-header of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist and John Carpenter’s Halloween I’m not sure you can catch a more influential, entertaining and frightening two-hander on the big screen anywhere. Just make sure Father Karras and Dr. Loomis are in attendance to ward off any evil. LOGAN BUTTS
THE FRANKLIN THEATRE
419 MAIN ST., FRANKLIN
FILM [THE BOOGEYMAN]
HALLOWEEN & HALLOWEEN KILLS
You can hardly blame David Gordon Green for dropping a Halloween legacyquel in 2018. The eclectic director (George Washington, Pineapple Express) has always had a soft spot for the classic, frightening films of his youth. (Years before Luca Guadagnino beat him to it, he once mentioned to me in an interview that he wanted to remake Dario Argento’s Suspiria.) While rocker turned horror director Rob Zombie churned out a pair of reimagined, Weinsteinbros-distributed Halloween flicks in the late Aughts, Green boldly ignored all the sequels and reboots and made a direct follow-up to John Carpenter’s 1978 original. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as gray-haired final girl Laurie Strode, who’s expecting a 40th-anniversary rematch with on-the-lam serial killer/nemesis Michael Myers. Green could’ve (and should’ve) stopped at this Halloween, which grossed $259.9 million worldwide. Of course, he predictably followed it up with inferior sequels Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). This Halloween night, you can catch Green’s Halloween on a double bill (along with Kills) over at the Full Moon Cineplex.
CRAIG D. LINDSEY
7 & 9 P.M. AT THE FULL MOON CINEPLEX
3455 LEBANON PIKE, HERMITAGE
[DESERT BLUES AND RED MEDICINE] TAKAAT
Before I’d even heard the first note, I knew Nigerian/American trio TAKAAT would be something I would absolutely love. Musicians Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun and Souleymane Ibrahim began as the rhythm section for Tuareg guitar wiz Mdou Moctar, often jamming on their own music during soundchecks. These jams led to the formation of TAKAAT, taking its name from the Tamasheq word for “noise.” The band blended their Sahara Desert blues with the dissonant sound of punk, citing influences such as Fugazi and Unwound. With two Nigerians and a D.C. native, TAKAAT has forged something altogether unique on their two EPs, appropriately titled Is Noise Vol. 1 and Is Noise Vol. 2, both released as 10-inch records this year on Coltun’s own Purplish Records. Listeners will hear winding, microtonal desert blues guitar harmonies and bouncing rhythms reimagined through the lens of the
From platinum-selling chart-toppers to underground icons, household names to undiscovered gems, Chief’s Neon Steeple is committed to bringing the very best national and regional talent back to Broadway. From pla
11.1 Take Me To ChurchCelebrates the 10th Anniversary of “Mr. Misunderstood”
11.5 Eric Paslay’s Song in a Hat w/ Charles Kelley
11.6 Jamie O’Neal, Emily West, Sarah Buxton
11.12 The Kentucky Gentlemen –Rhinestone Revolution Tour
11.13 Anthony Gomes
11.17 Quartz Hill Records / Stone Country Records Take Over - 2 Lane Summer, Annie Bosko, Dusty Black, Matt Cooper, Ben Gallaher, Spencer Hatcher, Lakelin Lemmings
11.18 Chief’s Outsiders Round w/ Skyelor Anderson & Ben Kadlecek with Guests Chris Andreucci, Cody Atkins, Chris Hatfield, Jeff Holbrook
11.20 Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry Presents: A Tribute to the Eagles w/ Dan Tyminski, Sierra Hull, Trey Hensley, Shaun Richardson, Thad Cockrell, Bryan Simpson
11.24 Buddy’s Place w/ The Heels, Preston James, Jack McKeon
11.29 Casey Chesnutt
1.21 Jamie O’Neal Gypsum Album Release Show
At Chief’s we understand that great music is born from the heart and soul of it’s creators, which is why our writers’ rounds are dedicated to celebrating the brilliant minds behind some of today’s most iconic songs.
American avant-garde rock underground. All of it comes together to make two of my favorite records of the year. I would advise picking up tickets early. The performance space in the fantastic new Random Sample location is one of the coolest small venues in town, but it doesn’t hold many people. P.J. KINZER
8 P.M. AT RANDOM SAMPLE
4904 CHARLOTTE AVE.
Jamie Rubin is best known as an East Nashville nightclub owner, first with The Family Wash and now with Eastside Bowl. But before becoming a club owner, he was a singer-songwriter-guitarist leading bands in Boston. After opening The Family Wash in 2002, Rubin fronted a pair of groups who played the space regularly — The Magnificent Others and Carpetbaggers Local 615. Earlier this year, Rubin unveiled a new band — Jamie Rubin and the 2020hz — which will headline a show Saturday at Eastside Bowl. In addition to Rubin on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, the quintet features Joe V. McMahan on lead guitar and backing vocals, Rich Gilbert on pedal steel and keys, Billy Mercer on bass and backing vocals, and Brad Pemberton on drums. Rubin describes the group’s music as “shoegazer” or “mope rock.”
“It’s kind of vibey, somewhat psychedelic, but also kind of rootsy and organic,” he tells the Scene. “In the live context, there’s a little more of a rock thing that comes out, but there’s a lot of atmosphere and cool sounds going on.” Bill Lloyd and the Pop Tarts will kick off the evening with a full set of left-of-dial college radio rock, as well as some of Lloyd’s originals. DARYL SANDERS
7 P.M. AT THE LOW VOLUME LOUNGE AT EASTSIDE BOWL
1508A GALLATIN PIKE S., MADISON THEATER
AS THE NORTHERN STAR] NASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: JULIUS CAESAR
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is widely recognized for its marvelous outdoor Summer Shakespeare productions. But you may not know that the company also offers a wide range of educational programming — bringing the Bard’s work to students throughout the region since 1992. This fall, NSF has been touring a lively abridged production of Julius Caesar that
showcases the work’s conflict and intrigue in a way that feels fresh and accessible for young audiences. You can check it out this weekend, as the tour arrives at the 4th Story Theater at West End United Methodist Church for a pair of public performances. Education director Katie Bruno has put together a great cast, including Trey Smith, Rebeka Rosales, Chrys Kidd, Zay Williams and Dakota Collins. (The 2 p.m. performance will feature swings Eve Petty and Nick Govindan.)
Recommended for ages 12 and up, Julius Caesar takes on timeless themes of honor, friendship, ambition, power, loyalty, betrayal and more. And while scenes of violence will be depicted, no weapons will be used. AMY STUMPFL
2 & 5 P.M. AT THE 4TH STORY THEATER AT WEST END
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
2200 WEST END AVE.
MUSIC
[TILL MY HEART STOPS] THE BETHS
I’m fascinated by New Zealand. This is a fairly recent development for me, and I can’t really source its origin. Maybe it’s the nation’s exquisite selection of wonderfully weird native birds, the lush greenery or Jacinda Ardern. It just seems like a place where nothing bad happens, and while I know this isn’t true, I very much enjoy my delusion. In the past few years, it’s become clear that there’s another great export from New Zealand — indie-rock band The Beths. They’ve toured with the likes of Death Cab for
Cutie and The National, made Barack Obama’s summer playlist and garnered critical acclaim for their 2022 album, Expert in a Dying Field (which, as a journalist, is incredibly relatable). The Beths’ latest effort, Straight Line Was a Lie, came out in August, and the group will be in Nashville at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday to perform their infectious power pop and danceable indie jams. They’ll be joined by fellow Kiwi band Phoebe Rings, and who knows?
Maybe a kiwi bird will show up too, for a truly immersive concert experience. HANNAH CRON
8 P.M. AT BROOKLYN BOWL
925 THIRD AVE. N.
SUNDAY / 11.2
ART [PIN-UPS] TIMOTHY WHITE EXHIBITION
The Hermitage Hotel has long been a draw for celebrities. Now the hotel, a National Historic Landmark, will be home to a photography exhibit featuring celebrity portraits. Works by photographer Timothy White — including shots of Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles and many more — went on display in the hotel’s entrance and bar and in its restaurant, Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, on Oct. 21. The portraits, intended to honor both Nashville’s cultural legacy and The Hermitage Hotel’s place in the city, will be up as a permanent exhibit. They will be on display and open to the public. MARGARET LITTMAN ONGOING AT THE HERMITAGE HOTEL
231 SIXTH AVE. N.
MONDAY / 11.3
[COMMOTION]
MUSIC
JOHN FOGERTY
From Ike and Tina Turner’s 1971 version of “Proud Mary” to Dan Penn’s 1973 reading of “Lodi” and Uncle Tupelo’s 1993 take on “Effigy,” John Fogerty’s songs have become archetypal. The former Creedence Clearwater Revival leader regained worldwide control of the publishing for his Creedence songs in 2025 after years
of legal struggles and released Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years in August. As faithful remakes of the originals — Fogerty and company hewed to the CCR records as we’ve heard them for decades — Legacy works fine. Fogerty, who is 80, stands as a quintessential 1960s rock hero whose songs, music and image were somewhat at odds with the glamour and outrage that characterized other ’60s bandleaders. Fogerty’s songwriting drew from his fascination with Sun Records, rockabilly and country, and his classic work is as purist as, say, The Band’s contemporaneous music. CCR tracks like “Commotion” and “Green River” are about trying to find peace in a fractious era, and the simplicity and directness of their records are of a piece with Fogerty’s precise songwriting. CCR may not be the greatest North American rock band of the ’60s, but danged if I can come up with many competitors who match them for the range of their achievement. Hearty Har opens.
EDD HURT
7:30 P.M. AT THE RYMAN
116 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY N.
WEDNESDAY / 11.5
[SET IT ON FIRE]
FILM
EMMYLOU HARRIS: SPYBOY LIVE AT THE EXIT/IN
On her landmark 1995 LP Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris and her collaborators took the sounds of country and blues to an ethereal plane while preserving their connection to the earth — perfect for philosophical reflections on permanence and impermanence. The band she assembled to bring the songs to the stage was an absolute wrecking crew dubbed Spyboy, consisting of Brady Blade, Daryl Johnson and Buddy Miller, all playing multiple instruments and singing. Recordings from several performances were compiled and released in 1998 as Spyboy, which New West will reissue Nov. 8, after a long time out of print. All this is context for a very special treat: On Nov. 5, Emmylou Harris: Spyboy Live at the Exit/In premieres at the Belcourt. The film features 10 songs that appeared on the original Spyboy, including three standouts from Wrecking Ball. The recently unearthed footage was professionally shot during a show at the venerable Elliston Place venue in 1998 and painstakingly upscaled to high definition. Harris narrates the piece, and she and Buddy Miller will be on hand for a brief Q&A after the screening. Ticket sales benefit Bonaparte’s Retreat, Harris’ nonprofit focused on dog rescue. STEPHEN TRAGESER
7:30 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT
2102 BELCOURT AVE.
Cul2vate’s ministry is working to feed those in need through a unique workforce and a collection of city farms and gardens
BY MARGARET LITTMAN
THIS YEAR, CUL2VATE, a nonprofit that aims to address food insecurity in Nashville, grew 440,000 pounds of produce. Of that, 320,000 pounds was donated to organizations that help feed people in need in Nashville, including The Heimerdinger Foundation, Second Harvest Food Bank and The Nashville Food Project.
Those pounds of produce are just a small part of food dignity efforts in Nashville, says Jennifer Diehl, director of communications and development for Cul2vate. But it’s enough to make a difference.
It can be hard to remember in a city where luxury brand Hermès opens a store, and where tourists regularly drop hundreds on drinks and dancing on Broadway, but many Nashvillians regularly struggle to feed themselves and their families. The Living Wage Calculator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that in 2025, an adult in Davidson County needs to make $25.41/hour to earn a living wage — meaning they can cover their basic needs without outside assistance. But the minimum wage in Tennessee is just $7.25 an hour, less than the
$7.52 an hour MIT reports is the poverty level.
A 2024 poll from Vanderbilt Child Health found that 40 percent of Tennessee families with children say they are food insecure. As a result, Diehl says, many people work multiple jobs in order to feed themselves and their families.
Unfortunately, the situation does not look like it will improve in the short term. As of this writing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds are likely to be frozen on Nov. 1 as a result of the current federal government shutdown. Cuts had been scheduled for 2026, so families already in need of assistance may need to find other sources for food.
Many of the organizations Cul2vate partners with help feed immigrant populations in the city. As federal funding for those organizations has ceased, the need has increased.
“We have seen a giant rise in need from our partners who need food and need funding,” Diehl says. In addition to supplying produce, Cul2vate has tried to help in other ways, such as delivering produce, as some organizations lost funding that paid for expenses like drivers. “It’s a
delicate subject,” Diehl says of the crackdown on funding for feeding immigrants. But she notes that there are a lot of trickle-down effects on organizations that people might not realize.
While the scope of Nashville’s food insecurity can be overwhelming and depressing, the mood at Cul2vate is anything but.
Founded in 2016, Cul2vate offers a multifaceted approach to assisting with food insecurity. Its model helps people (primarily but not exclusively men — women began in the program about five years ago) in recovery get back into the workforce while helping grow food for the hungry. The stories around the farm are more about joy and hope than they are about hardship.
That’s certainly been the case for Ziggy, who started as a “Cul2vator” about six months ago. He was one of 10 people who worked part time at the nonprofit while honing his job-readiness and life skills. Eight of the current Cul2vators, including Ziggy, will go on to Phase 2 this winter — a program that includes more classroom training in forestry and hospitality during the
months when fields go fallow.
“This isn’t just a 9-to-5 job,” says Ziggy. “It’s not like an ordinary job where you’re going there and you’re facing these evils every day. I know I can come here and be safe, and they care, and they’re helping me every day to get through this.”
Cul2vators complete a number of tasks, including weeding, fertilizing and harvesting at several sites — among them Ellington Agricultural Center, Brentwood Baptist and several other community garden plots. Cul2vate recruits Cul2vators from Men of Valor, the postprison re-entry program in which Ziggy was enrolled, and other organizations helping people in recovery.
It’s a big difference from founder Joey Lankford’s original vision: “We’ll have a couple greenhouses, we’ll give away a couple tomatoes,” Diehl says. Lankford has worked with a ministry in South Africa called Living Hope, and having a Bible-based food dignity program along with those tomatoes was always part of his vision. It fits with their motto: “Growing food
and growing people.”
Cul2vate gets support for its programs in a number of ways, including through sales of produce, honey and other products at its Farm Store on Hogan Road in Ellington Agricultural Center, and its CSA boxes. Corporate partners, including Tractor Supply Co., and individuals make donations. There are events, such as an annual fundraising dinner called Fellowship on the Farm, and workshops, such as an upcoming pressed-flower class on Nov. 8. There are more activities during the growing season — March to November — but Cul2vate is busy behind the scenes in the offseason, and there are opportunities to donate and to volunteer. Experts in a variety of topics — from how to write a résumé to how to prune an apple tree — may be called on to speak to Phase 2 classes, and there are other opportunities to lead prayer and other ministry work.
For the 2025 harvest season, to reach more people, Cul2vate worked with Belmont University students involved in Enactus, an international social entrepreneurship club.
“We have been looking at food insecurity since I joined as a freshman,” says Belmont Enactus president Ava Munyer. “We started to get in the weeds with our downstream partners, like food banks, and we realized this huge supply issue of fresh local produce. We first tried to address this by building our own community garden and growing our own food to donate directly. While growing a few pounds of food is impressive and helpful, it’s not reaching the needs of our community. So we started looking for people in the community who were growing food on a large scale.”
After being connected to Cul2vate, the students developed marketing and messaging around its CSA program, including developing
a structure where people can donate their CSA share to someone in need, in addition to buying it for personal use. The goal, says Belmont Enactus vice president Lily Stockwell, is to help Cul2vate bring in more revenue by shifting the percentage of produce it donates and the percentage it sells. This model allows for the food to still be donated while Cul2vate collects funds. They report that their efforts raised more than $13,000 this year.
Both Stockwell and Munyer are seniors, and are continuing to work with Cul2vate “for as long as they will let us,” Stockwell says.
That’s the kind of connection Diehl says Cul2vate has been building for the past decade.
“Breaking bread with people and having a conversation around food is always very thoughtful and very biblically based,” she says. “Every day we see miracles in the work that we do.” ▼
How My Chemical Romance soundtracked my second puberty BY
MELYNA MORENO
Vodka Yonic features a rotating cast of women, nonbinary and gender-diverse writers from around the world sharing stories that are alternately humorous, sobering, intellectual, erotic, religious or painfully personal. You never know what you’ll find in this column, but we hope this potent mix of stories encourages conversation.
I THOUGHT EMO was for millennials nostalgic for a youth spent stuck in their hometown while they longed for “more.” I was wrong. I came around to the genre much later in life.
I was born and raised in South Texas, and was the first girl in a mixed-race family. I am the product of an Mexican immigrant father and a tomboy mom whose combined musical knowledge was informed by whatever played on the radio — either classic rock or ’90s country. I went to Catholic school and sang in the church choir, and my aspiration was to be a cookie-cutter, academically sound, God-loving daughter.
In seventh grade, my classmates began breaking the dress code — they were getting written up, and they looked cool while they did it. I tried to follow suit, but my awkward attempts at hiking up my skirt under a large school-approved sweater looked juvenile. I feared a write-up, or worse — a call to my parents. While my friends wore hoodies with bright images and words like “Pierce the Veil,” “Motionless in White” and “My Chemical Romance,” I would hear the screaming coming through dirty shared headphones and wonder why anyone would willingly listen to that.
The first time I engaged with any “heavier” music was when my friends showed me My Chemical Romance’s video for “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” Amid their gasps — “How have you not seen this?” and “Oh, you have definitely heard this!” — I replied “Maybe?” But the truth was I hadn’t.
It wasn’t until autumn 2021 that I added the 2002 MCR album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love to my music library. A song called “Drowning Lessons” was suggested by Spotify radio, and I needed to hear more. This would be the first time I truly listened to MCR. I was working in the emergency room and critical care units in a world navigating a global pandemic. As a 21-year-old, I paid rent, sat in lines of impatient commuters, prepared meals and accepted my place as a member of the working-class monotony.
I learned that the album accompanying me through my disenchantment was written by people who were my age when it was released. A 20-something Gerard Way saw a plane hit
the Twin Towers on the way to his unpaid internship. That night, he wrote “Skylines and Turnstiles” — the first My Chemical Romance song. It begins with the words “You’re not in this alone.” This line was befitting of the journey through the discography ahead. It was also something I needed to hear. I felt socially isolated and useless, witnessing so much beyond my control. The world felt so large and unnavigable, but maybe if confused 20-somethings of the past have made it through, I could too.
Within a few months of hearing that album and committing the band’s entire discography to memory, I booked an appointment to get my then-virgin hair dyed a vibrant red, á la Way in 2010. Then came a walk-in tattoo of a scorpion, because I saw a video of guitarist Frank Iero explaining that he had gotten one on his neck in the late ’90s. Back then, something like that might render a person unhirable, and it was his way of declaring his choice to be an artist. When my family asks, I just say it’s my astrological sign. Around the same time, my clothing started to shift from oversized florals to fishnets, combat boots and dark shirts I’d buy at concerts — regardless of whether or not I liked the band.
When MCR’s reunion tour came through Nashville, I missed it so I could see a different seventh-grade-hoodie regular, Motionless in White. I vowed then and there that I would see MCR while crowded against the barricade, screaming out every ounce of the 20-something angst I felt.
That day came this summer. I made the pilgrimage of every 2000s tween’s dream: a road trip to Forks, Wash., best known as the setting for Twilight. Then I went to downtown Seattle to see My Chemical Romance on the first night of their sold-out Black Parade Tour. I cried with my friends singing the melancholy words, “You’re just a sad song with nothing to say.” My tears did not cease during the inspiring songs as I proclaimed that I am “Not afraid to keep on living / To walk this world alone.”
Maybe it’s my Catholic upbringing, my anxiety or the phase I had when I was 19, but I believe everything has found me when the timing was right. This includes being able to experiment with my interest and appearance at my age. In fact, I believe more 20-somethings should scream, should be provocative, should change their appearance and change it again.
Mundanity will always be there. In the words of My Chemical Romance: “Fake your death.” Give yourself permission to be whoever you want to be. ▼
Looking back on the beloved safe spaces of this iconic Nashville ‘gayborhood’ in light of its recent demolition
BY CAMERON BEYRENT
FOR MANY LONGTIME Nashvillians, memories of Old Nashville line the walls of their minds like a set of dusty encyclopedias — anthologies they revisit when they’re looking for a comforting dose of nostalgia.
For those of us who identify as LGBTQ, one of the most cherished volumes in that memory bank includes tales from throughout several demolished structures along the 1700 block of Church Street. This row of buildings, which were unceremoniously demolished earlier this year, housed a number of beloved queer and queerfriendly independent businesses. They stood in an arguably overlooked part of Midtown — especially during the ’80s and ’90s — and created the perfect opportunity for a lively “gayborhood” to thrive in the shadows.
Speaking with the founder of Nashville Queer History, a spectacular community organization with a much-loved Instagram account, I learned just how impactful this area of Nashville was for queer individuals in Middle Tennessee.
“I always say there’s more queer history than people realize,” says the Nashville Queer History founder, who asked to remain anonymous. “Southern queer history feels like the final frontier.”
Throughout our conversation, I recall my favorite spots on this strip. Outloud! is my most treasured — the beloved gay bookstore expanded and flourished for the majority of its 15-year lifespan, at one point taking over the building next door. There was also Blue Gene’s, which was a self-proclaimed “no attitude,” nofrills gay bar — the type of bar where you could sing “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret through tears while on your knees and in the midst of a breakup, smoking a cigarette at the same time. (This may or may not be based on personal experience.)
But I was surprised to learn how many queerrun establishments existed in that area before my time, some dating back to the early ’80s. There was the short-lived yet well-remembered gay bar Jaded Mary’s, which later became Blu (not to be confused with Blue Gene’s), another no-frills nightclub with a lesbian slant. It seemed as if these businesses were constantly coming and going.
Of all the establishments on this strip, the most sorely missed — and ironically, the least documented — was the restaurant The World’s End, which opened in 1981. The World’s End was considered one of the first truly “cosmopolitan” Nashville restaurants. And although it was never officially advertised as a gay bar, it was known for its strong LGBTQ clientele and a prominently queer front-of-house staff — a true safe haven in a time when being gay was a social and professional liability.
Local political figure Mary Mancini — who agreed to meet me for coffee — remembers The World’s End well. Lucy’s Record Shop (Mancini’s incendiary all-ages punk club) opened just two doors down in 1992. This same building would later serve as the original location for the bar Canvas, another LGBTQ staple.
Mancini, who would later serve as chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, was inadvertently made High Priestess of the Nashville punk scene after she started letting local punk and hardcore bands perform in the back of her store. She also famously adopted the store’s legendary motto — “No racist, sexist or homophobic shit tolerated” — to show her support for the surrounding businesses.
When I ask Mancini about the demolition, she shrugs. “My reaction was to the reaction other people had. They were torn up about it, and I felt sad for them.”
Despite Mancini’s Yankee pragmatism (she’s originally from Long Island), I know that if I had wandered into Lucy’s in my tattered Abercrom-
Name: BRIE 4 yrs
Weight: 50 lbs
MEET BRIE
We can’t say for sure what Brie went through before she made her way to us, but we do know her ears were not cropped by a professional. Because of that, she needed medical care from our team once she arrived, and now she’s ready to find the loving home she deserves! Brie is pottytrained, crate-trained, and has lived with dogs before. She enjoys their company but prefers laid-back hangouts over high-energy playtime. Her favorite activity? Cuddling! She will take any opportunity to crawl up next to you, like she just can’t get close enough.
Call 615.352.1010 or visit nashvillehumane.org Located at 213 Oceola Ave., Nashville, TN 37209 Adopt. Bark. Meow. Microchip. Neuter. Spay.
bie polo, Mancini would have instantly taken me in, just like all the other dented cans who turned up there — the kids in the back row who were looking for a place to be themselves. Over the course of our interview, she gives me some excellent advice. She laughs when I tell her I got my GED at the same testing center as Gretchen Wilson, but then looks into my eyes and says, “You know that doesn’t matter, right? Please don’t see that as [a reason] to feel badly about [who you are].” Mancini also splits her avocado toast with me.
As I wrote this story, I often thought of a famous quote from one of my favorite gay icons, Broadway legend Elaine Stritch: “Everybody’s got a sack of rocks.” I believe that every longtime Nashvillian felt their burden become a little heavier after The New York Times changed our city forever with a rave 2013 review proclaiming us the “it” city. But we all have the heaviness of our memories, our sack of rocks, to remind us of a town we once knew, and the safe spaces that shielded us. ▼
an independent bookstore for independent people
PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENTS FOR TICKETS & UPDATES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 6:30 PM CLARE GILMORE with JENNA LEVINE at PARNASSUS Never Over
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 10:30AM
SATURDAY STORYTIME with POLLYMOON MUSIC at PARNASSUS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 6:30PM MAC BARNETT & SHAWN HARRIS at THE ENSWORTH SCHOOL The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate's Revenge WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 6:30PM
DAVID DARK with CHRIS CROFTON at PARNASSUS Everyday Apocalypse: Art, Empire, and the End of the World
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 5:30PM & 8:00PM KENNY CHESNEY with HOLLY GLEASON at PARNASSUS Heart Life Music
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 10:30AM
SATURDAY STORYTIME with RACHEL TAWIL KENYON at PARNASSUS Thanksgiving is a Blessing
3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 | Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243 Shop online at parnassusbooks.net
@parnassusbooks @parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks @parnassusbooksnashville
Bluegrass on 3rd Presents DownRiver Collective
David Garfield...“LA + NYC + Nashville” Vol. 2 featuring Wendy Moten, Paul Franklin, Mark Douthit, Steve Ferrone, Paul Jackson Jr. and Freddie Washington
Backstage At 3rd: BIG DAMN MUSIC JAM Texas Takeover featuring Bryan Sanford, Kyle Garrett, Payton Riley, Tristan Roberson, Ty Smith, Dyaln Rhys, Bubba Westley, Caleb Young, Chloee Rae, Celeste Marie Wilson, John Dempsey, Jenni Dale Lord, Tasman Sharp
Backstage Nashville! Daytime Hit Songwriters Show featuring RAY FULCHER, PHIL O'DONNELL, JUSTIN WILSON & RAY STEPHENSON + GLORIA ANDERSON Addison Inniss with Starletta & Brian Wight
Rubiks Groove Halloween Extravaganza! Guitar Party featuring Tom Bukovac, GUTHRIE TRAPP, JEDD HUGHES, NICK GOVRIK, TIM MARKS, JORDAN PERSON, and JIMMY WALLACE
Tim Miner & Friends featuring Benjhy Gaither, Tabitha Fair, Chip Davis and Zach Gonzalez & Daron Maughon
Luke Schneider keeps opening new portals for pedal steel
BY SEAN L. MALONEY
PEDAL STEEL PLAYER, composer and improviser Luke Schneider is on the phone with the Scene from his camper van, hauling ass back from Muscle Shoals to Nashville, which he’s called home for about two-and-a-half decades. He’s in good spirits after a good gig, and his positive energy is pinging off the cellphone towers and satellites between us. Schneider has been having a good year filled with cool shows, like Thursday’s performance opening for Australian experimental funk trio Glass Beams at The Caverns in Pelham, Tenn., and cool record releases like A Companion for the Spaces Between Dreams, his new collaboration with soulful electronic wizard Jamie Lidell, out Friday via Northern Spy records.
Through the end of last year, Schneider was on the road extensively with longtime musical partner William Tyler as a member of Tyler’s band The Impossible Truth. But the opportunity arose for Schneider’s scattered solo dates to coalesce into something more substantial.
“In January [William] was like, ‘Hey guys, I think this is going to be a solo year for me, probably not going to be doing any band stuff,’” Schneider recalls. “And I was like, ‘OK, it can be a solo year for me too.’”
He quickly put together two tours, one up New England way and one out west. While Schneider built a name for himself playing steel with more tradition-focused Americana and the kind of badass pickin’ you’d expect to go along with that, his solo work has been focused on the abstract potential of the instrument. His work vibes so hard it blurs the lines between ambient — the use of sound to evoke a sense of space over time — and New Age, the use of sound to create a sense of spiritual well-being. It is a balance of ethereal and corporeal that works best as a communal listening experience.
“Every night I’m definitely trying to bring a moment of peace and grounding and help people exhale through all of the crazy shit that is going on right now, and just sort of the burning of Rome that we’re living through, and just everybody being just clenched and on edge doom-scrolling,” says Schneider. “I want to try and help people exhale. I think that that is getting across. I think it’s starting to sort of be [an] opportunity that people have to come and just fucking close their eyes and just breathe and turn off the phone for 30 minutes. I’m playing and sort of listening to these different tones through this weird pedal steel instrument that they don’t usually get to see played. I think that’s a big part of the appeal, just breathing. Peace, slowing down, getting grounded, getting more present.”
Schenider’s work has become more open, more spacious with each step down this path. His August solo EP For Dancing in Quiet Light is steeped in minimalism — the exploration of
sound over time — without being bound to its dogmas. His work with Lidell is the sound of two musicians disintegrating the barriers between past and future, stretching the listener’s ear out like a yin yoga class for your tympanic membrane.
Throughout his body of work, he employs his signature 1967 Emmons push-pull pedal steel and various effects to cover some wide and beautiful territory, creating soundscapes that evoke natural phenomena — whether of our planet or some other. Schneider’s catalog includes his Tangerine Dreamy debut Altar of Harmony and its Windham Hillbilly follow-up It Is Solved by Walking, both released via Third Man Records, and the delightfully deep Understand, a COVID-era collaboration with fellow traveler Tyler.
lends itself to making interesting, ambient New Age sounds. [It’s] versatile and gives a very, very kind of universal — I don’t know, energetic tone to it that really hits people and they respond to.”
Now just think about how awesome that will sound in a fucking cave. Not since Pauline Oliveros climbed into that cistern to record Deep Listening have an underground artist and an underground venue been paired so well. It’s a rare opportunity for fans of literal, metaphorical and metaphysical deep listening to close their eyes and receive sound in a new and revelatory way while also engaging one of Nashville’s most beloved traditional instruments.
“I am proud of the fact that this sort of came together in the South and in Tennessee and is sort of a uniquely American thing. … In terms of what pedal steel can do in different genres, how it can be introduced in different parts of the world, I think we’re just now hitting our stride.” ▼
Rising pop queen Molly Grace gets ready to wow her hometown BY HANNAH
CRON
Opening for Glass Beams Thursday, Oct. 30, at The Caverns in Pelham, Tenn.
A Companion for the Spaces Between Dreams out Oct. 31 via Northern Spy
“Third Man really was a great foundation for me, and I’m so appreciative that they took the chance on putting out their first kind of ambient record [with] mine,” says Schneider. “I’ve been doing stuff with Tompkins Square Records and Northern Spy and most recently Leaving Records out of L.A., and that’s just really kind of grown the circle of people who are discovering what I’m doing, especially out west.”
Discovery seems to be a prime motivator in Schneider’s music. As each note unfurls, you can feel it poking and prodding the outer limits of what can be done with a pedal steel guitar, drawing on traditional techniques, bending and twisting sound in ways that feel like they are defying physics.
“Pedal steel is definitely something that
PLACES, EVERYONE: Molly Grace is taking the stage, and if she has anything to say about it, she’s pop music’s next big star. The Belmont alum puts on a show you don’t want to miss, and in just the past two years, she has played major festivals like Bonnaroo and All Things Go, signed a deal with Nettwerk Music Group and opened for artists like Betty Who, and to top it all off, she’s just released her debut album Blush. Her career has taken off at a meteoric pace, and she’s ready to take the world along for the ride.
The Nashville-based songwriter and R&B-infused pop singer has channeled her glitzy, hyper-feminine stage persona into a flirty, funky album full of radioready pop. Blush displays a mastery of the pop format well beyond Grace’s 20-something years. But writing her first full-length record posed a new challenge: learning to wait.
“I knew I wanted to make an album, because I’ve made a couple of EPs and done the singles thing, and I’m an album girl,” says Grace. “I figured out my sound enough to the point that I was ready to make an album. In the past, I had always, like, written a song I like, and then just released it. … Write, record, release. And I really wanted to challenge myself to write more songs than I needed — to write way more than just the 12 songs that would end up on the album — and really forced myself to be picky with what songs I put on the album.”
The deliberation paid off. Blush’s track list is tight and polished. Fans of major pop acts like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan or Reneé Rapp will find a shoo-in for their next favorite artist in Molly Grace. She playfully describes herself as the “lesbian Bruno Mars,” and
it’s an apt comparison. She’s got the energy of a young starlet with the intentionality of a seasoned performer, cheeky lyrics sung with heart and an undeniable talent for winning over a crowd.
Grace describes Blush as the thesis statement for her artistry — an introduction to her pop-star persona. “Lemme” opens the record with a groove primed for a shameless windows-down sing-along. “Do Me (Feels So Good)” is an infectious breakup earworm that would serve as the perfect soundtrack for a girls’ night out. “Heaven Sent” sparkles through flirtation and soulful vocals, while “Lemonade” slows it down and packs up a bygone relationship, ready to move onto bigger and brighter things. Front to back, it’s a bubblegum-flavored treat for listeners with a pop-loving sweet tooth.
Grace calls it “the perfect curtain coming up on my artist project.” But she notes that listeners who jam along only from the comfort of their homes (or wherever they bring their earbuds) are missing out on the fullest experience of her music. Good thing her national headlining club tour has a hometown stop on deck Thursday at The Basement East, with her fellow pop queen in the making Meg Smith supporting. As the lights dim and instruments begin to swell, prepare yourself for the glow of a rising star perfectly in her element.
“Touring is definitely my bread and butter. I feel like it’s where my artistry and my music shines the most. So it’s just been really fun to get to play this album live. And also there’s something so nice about seeing, like, real bodies in space and seeing fans face to face instead of online.” ▼
BY BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER
COUNTRY SINGER Joshua Hedley has been a staple of the Lower Broad honky-tonk Robert’s Western World for years. He earned the nickname “Mr. Jukebox” (also the title of his 2018 debut album) for his encyclopedic knowledge of country music and his ability to play a Webb Pierce or Ernest Tubb song at the drop of a cowboy hat (or a $10 bill in the tip jar). Hedley is a student of country music history, whether it’s the ’60s countrypolitan of his first record or the neo-traditional ’90s country of his 2022 album Neon Blue. But Hedley’s new Western swing record All Hat, out Oct. 24 via New West, is particularly special to the singer. The album was produced by Hedley’s childhood hero, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson.
Hedley gave fans a preview of All Hat at his album release show Thursday night at Skinny Dennis. Before the two-hour set, the crowd took two-step lessons from Caitlin and JB Duckett of Hello Honky Tonk and perused baked goods (including cowboy-hat-shaped cookies) from Literary Flour, VHS tapes from Danger Zone Video and Emergency Movie Services, and vintage clothes from Freaks & Keeks. By the time Hedley and his band The Hedliners kicked off the show with the one-two punch of “Hedliner Polka” and the Bob Wills-inspired “Come Take a Ride With Me,” the dance floor filled with two-steppers
and swing dancers. Hedley has spent his career playing music for people to dance to, and the songs on All Hat are a perfect addition to his repertoire.
“At its core Western swing is just dance music,” the singer shared in a recent press release. “The music is for dancing and that’s what I wanted to come through on these songs.” Throughout the show, Hedley deftly alternated between slow-dance fodder like the silky smooth Mr. Jukebox song “Let’s Take a Vacation,” which Hedley dubs a “belly rubber,” and dance floor scorchers like “Broke Again.”
The set included tried-and-true honkytonkers and Hedley classics like “These Walls,” inspired by East Nashville haunt FooBar before its closure and transformation into The Cobra — “If you remember it, you weren’t really there,” Hedley quipped — to set list mainstay “Mr. Jukebox,” which Hedley referred to as “my ‘Wagon
Wheel.’” Hedley and company punctuated those numbers with a handful of new tunes from All Hat, including the lively, jazzy “Fresh Hot Biscuits,” which already sounds like a Western swing standard.
Hedley also shared a story that serves as a reminder of his ability to give songs new life. “Boogie Woogie Tennessee,” the only cover song on All Hat, was originally recorded in 1950 by country singer Ricky Riddle. Hedley recorded his version after a friend bought a Dodge Durango on Craigslist and found a burned CD that had the song on it under the seat.
The singer also tipped his Stetson to the King of Western swing with Bob Wills’ “Faded Love” and Red Steagall’s “Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music.” He gave an apt history lesson on the prolific singer-songwriter Cindy Walker with his rendition of “Sugar Moon” as performed by Wills and his band The Texas Playboys. “Country
music wouldn’t be half as cool as it is without Cindy Walker,” Hedley said. “Bob Wills songs would’ve had two chords and that’s it.”
In “Country & Western,” Hedley dubs himself “a singing professor of country and Western” and bemoans being labeled as “neofolk,” “outlaw” and all manner of other terms under the Americana umbrella. Introducing the song at Skinny Dennis, he reflected on some critics’ and listeners’ reluctance to just call his music what it is: country.
“People are afraid to call my music country music,” said Hedley. “I don’t know why that is. In my mind, it couldn’t get more country than this shit. You ain’t gotta call me Americana. Everybody knows I’m from America. I’m from Florida. It’s not really like America. Florida’s like its own thing.”
Fittingly, Hedley closed out the Western swing portion of the night with “All Hat (No Cattle),” a song that pokes a bit of fun at the often exhausting hand-wringing over country artists’ authenticity. It also showcases Hedley’s sense of humor about himself, as he sings: “I ain’t got no horse / I can’t rope or ride / But I got me a Stetson about four foot high.” Hedley doesn’t take himself too seriously, but he takes country music as seriously as any of his heroes.
That deep respect was evident in his closing song, a cover of Johnny Paycheck’s “The Old Violin.” For the first time all evening, there was no dancing. Instead, the crowd opted to listen in reverent near-silence as Hedley sang the devastating song about mortality and what it means to truly give your all to music. All Hat is the latest chapter in the singing professor’s textbook of country music, and anyone who steps into Hedley’s class is fortunate to learn from one of the greats.
ASIRIS THU, 10/30
LOATHE FRI, 10/31
HARVEY STREET FRI, 10/31
ARTIFAKTS SAT, 11/1
HENRIK SOLD OUT SAT, 11/1
JOSH GARRELS SOLD OUT SUN, 11/2
Saturday, November 1
SONGWRITER SESSION
Donna Fargo with Lauren Mascitti
NOON · FORD THEATER
Sunday, November 2
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
Pete Finney
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Saturday, November 8
BLUEGRASS AND BEYOND Pitney Meyer
11:00 am · FORD THEATER
Jim Hurst Band
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER High Fidelity
3:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Sunday, November 9
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Lillie Mae
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Friday, November 14 MUSCLE SHOALS
Opening Concert Celebration *
7:30 pm · CMA THEATER
Saturday, November 15
SONGWRITER SESSION Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham *
NOON · FORD THEATER
Saturday, November 15
PANEL DISCUSSION
Making Music in Muscle Shoals *
with Marlin Greene, Linda Hall, Clayton Ivey, and Candi Staton
2:30 pm · FORD THEATER
Sunday, November 16
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Mac McAnally * 1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
* PROGRAM MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY PEDIGREE® AND PEDIGREE FOUNDATION
WITNESS HISTORY
Local Kids Always Visit Free
Plan a trip to the Museum! Local youth 18 and under who are residents of Nashville-Davidson and bordering counties always visit free, plus 25% off admission for up to two accompanying adults.
JACKIE SCHIMMEL MON, 11/3
HELLOGOODBYE MON, 11/3
MICHAEL SANZONE WED, 11/5
JENNA DAVIS THU, 11/6
LEITH ROSS FRI, 11/7
CEREMONY FEST SAT, 11/8
WISHY MON, 11/10
JOHN HOLLIER & THE REVERIE TUE, 11/11
SUNAMI X SCOWL WED, 11/12
MATT MCCLURE WED, 11/12
From Sentimental Value and Drunken Noodles to Rose of Nevada, here’s the best of this year’s New York Film Festival, NewFest and Brooklyn Horror Film Festival BY
JASON SHAWHAN
IF JUST TO TAKE stock of what all is going on in the world at the moment, international film festivals are a good way to keep afloat, to make a list of things hopefully coming down the pike over the next year, and to stay focused on how other cultures and nations have dealt with chaos and strife. Following my recent sojourn to New York City, here’s some of the best of the fall 2025 film festivals — focused mainly on the New York Film Festival, but also including NewFest and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival for this installment.
If you saw The Worst Person in the World back in 2021, just know that director Joachim Trier and star Renate Reinsve are back — along with Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård — with one of the best films I’ve seen all year, Sentimental Value (at the Belcourt Nov. 21). The film centers on two daughters of an acclaimed filmmaker on the back end of his career, and how they process a new script he’s written that aims to clear up some family history — and also obfuscate other aspects. It’s essential viewing, with so many outstanding performances that you can almost feel overwhelmed by what all it’s giving you, and I want to see it again as soon as possible. When it (hopefully) comes to acknowledging works of art that directly address retribution and reconciliation toward those who enabled corruption and cruelty, Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just an Accident (at the Belcourt Nov. 14) is going to be an essential part of the discussion. With a concept that would work in any number of genres, it asks how you would react if you’d found the person who had institutionally assaulted you, and more so who you could trust to be sure. Unbelievably tense, fascinating in its revelations of how society works, morally sound in a way that shakes the viewer, and with a jaw-dropper of an ending, this is not to be missed.
Knowing nothing about Lucio Castro’s Drunken Noodles (except having loved the writer-director’s 2019 film End of the Century), I found it to be one of the most pleasant surprises across the multiple film festivals making up this overview/catalog. It springs from both artist Sal Salandra’s bawdy embroidery and a very ’70s
sense of magical liberation. Art student Adnan (Laith Khalifeh) finds himself amid a series of episodic adventures (ménage à Doordash, witnessing interpretive faun dance, sexy chronoskimming, teleporting trees) — the kind that result from having a healthy sense of curiosity and a willingness to experience mystical possibilities, however they may surface. Humorous and horny in equal measure, Drunken Noodles is the kind of queer art that (while it’s still legal) feels timeless and playful — a testament to the magical places the baser instincts can lead us.
Equally surprising was the new divorce-core classic The Love That Remains, a wry and earthy Icelandic portrait of a family navigating the aftereffects of a marriage in dissolution that is never afraid to find the humorous in the wrenching (and vice versa). It feels real, but not in the way that some family dramas aim to grind the viewer into a fine paste. Writer-director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) is not afraid to let things get weirder as they go along (much like life), and Saga Garðarsdóttir grounds literal kitchen-sink realism and fanciful freakouts alike in a great performance that feels inhabited in a way that sweeps you along for quite a wild ride.
Cornwall’s master of the mystically uncertain Mark Jenkin is back with Rose of Nevada, an exquisite story of fishermen who haunt their own
lives, displaced from what they have lived and known by the needs of their community and a boat that flouts spacetime object permanence. If you saw his last film Enys Men, you have a feel for the vibes (creepy, low-key cosmic) and the characters (adrift in something not easily qualifiable). George Mackay fits right into this way of storytelling effortlessly. Highly recommended, though some of the processes of commercial fishing can be overwhelming.
It’s always interesting when two films share a thematic or narrative jumping-off point that, upon diverging, crafts a continuum that stretches way wider than you would have ever expected. The latest film from German director Christian Petzold, Miroirs No. 3, and the Brazilian film Only Good Things (seen at NewFest) both start from a tragic road accident and what happens when a bystander becomes a caregiver for someone who came very close to death. The former brings in art therapy, family psychodrama, malleable identities, Paula Beer at her most enthralling and the undiminishing power of Frankie Valli’s “The Night.” The latter starts
with Marvin Gaye-style sexual healing and then gets very weird across the fragmenting tides of love and experience, the evolution of technology, and what it means to witness something in many permutations of the word. Both films stick in the back of your mind as visceral examples of the human instinct to care, and both are emotionally hardcore.
The complement to Petzold and Trier’s intricate family dramas are a staggering pair of films from genre stalwarts the Adams Family (writers, directors and actors Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams and Lulu Adams) and Robbie Banfitch. These are filmmakers who incorporate their actual relatives into their cinematic texts, finding a grounding in actual relationships that allows for a much deeper dive into the forking paths of existence at this time.
The Adams’ Mother of Flies (seen at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival) is a modern folk-horror masterpiece about a family pushed to the brink by the one-two punch of cancer and the domestic health care system and driven to explore more witch-based treatment possibilities. Banfitch’s Tinsman Road (also at the BHFF), on the other hand, is about the journey that grief can drive us down, especially when Not Knowing can be just as horrifying as the secrets being kept. In both films, the magic is with the mothers, with Toby Poser and Leslie Banfitch delivering incredible performances that even those who eschew genre film would rightfully be drawn in by. As the apothecary Solveig, Poser keeps her cards held close, a matter-of-fact force of natural power who sidesteps camp and ensures her own iconic space among great movie mystics. And while Leslie Banfitch was a small-scale marvel in Robbie’s 2022 freakout The Outwaters, here she is allowed a complex and involving turn that provides an ironclad spine to the found footage mystery she presides over. Two absolute must-sees for anyone interested in the way cinema tells family stories, and essential for anyone lamenting the dearth of imagination in the current cinema.
Despite the overwhelming [gestures madly at All This] vibe of this historical moment, there’s also a lot of pleasure to be had at the movies. Imagine Jodie Foster (in fluent French) as a therapist solving a mystery with the help of her ex (Daniel Auteuil!) and her mentor (Frederick Wiseman!). All that and more in Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life, a cozy-adjacent grown-up thriller with big laughs and a slightly boozy heart. Equally fun but also very spicy in today’s climate is Harry Lighton’s Pillion. Also known as the one with leather daddy Alexander Skarsgård and former Dursley Harry Melling (riffing on his stellar performance in Please Baby Please) as a parking attendant who finds liberation in subbing out. It’s the film your queer friends have been asking about — bawdy, boisterous, focused on what agency can mean, and not afraid to show a little skin. Hopefully it’ll still be legal to show it when it comes out around Valentine’s Day.
More to come … ▼
ACROSS
1 Onetime capital of the Mughal Empire
5 Dad on “Family Guy”
10 Word after long or before paper
14 Film unit
15 “Pardon me,” in Padua
16 Home of Minor League Baseball’s SeaWolves (more than 350 miles from the ocean!)
17 Airline known for tight security
18 Continental products
19 Disney character who asks “Have you ever met a shark?”
20 Illegally siphon funds
23 Grand Ole ___
24 Subj. studied with the help of telescopes
25 Property owner subject to a legal claim
28 Law derived from the Quran
32 “Not interested”
33 Snitch
36 Savanna antelope
37 Common street name
38 Quivers
41 Android alternative
42 Some necklines
44 “I’m here to help”
45 Look greedily
46 Livestock identifiers
48 Bit of fraternity party headgear
50 Actress Garr
51 Final stroke of most rounds
52 What each Down answer needs from its clue in order to make sense
59 Big name in laptops
60 Only president not born in the continental U.S.
61 “I’ll handle that!”
62 Beginning of every Washington State ZIP code
63 Steakhouse choice
64 Like John Lennon on a 1981 Rolling Stone cover
65 Disapproving sounds
66 Celebratory events
67 Tore DOWN
1 Blast loudly
2 Anaheim ballplayers
3 String of wins or losses
4 Studs
5 Apple shop
6 Spell out
7 Replace the sod of
8 Programs in advance
9 Pastors’ concerns
10 Possibility
11 Standard music equipment
12 Scratch and save
13 Carved part of a piece of jewelry
21 Terrible storm
22 Sees red
25 Replace on the mound
26 Traveler’s aid, familiarly
27 Storage item on some ocean voyages
29 Stop slouching
30 Shoe polish brand
31 Determined
33 Strain’s partner
34 Freeze-___
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE R
past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/ wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.
35 Enter into a plot?
39 Show that you think something isn’t important
40 The Chicago Bulls had a pair of them in the 1990s
43 Hors d’oeuvre servers, maybe
45 Shipping weight units
47 Stop’s opposite
49 Alaska native
52 Incubator occupant in a neonatal unit
53 Crucial difficulty to get through
54 Neophyte
55 Shipwreck locales, often
56 Headgear for a bicyclist
57 Step with confidence
58 Beat in competition
handmade noodles, amazing sushi, & the greatest happy hour on earth
$2 beers | 1/2 off sushi 3p - 6p every day
4101 charlotte ave. in sylvan supply punkwoknashville
NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION
TO: CELENA A. SZOSTECKI, Defendant IN RE: JEFFERY TERRELL FOSTER, Plaintiff v. CELENA A. SZOSTECKI, Defendant IN THE CHANCERY COURT FOR KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE DOCKET NO. 210935-1
In this cause, it appearing from the Motion for Service of Publication and the affidavits of the process server that the whereabouts of CELENA A. SZOSTECKI, Defendant, are unknown to Plaintiff so that the ordinary process of law cannot be served on CELENA A. SZOSTECKI, Defendant, and said Defendant, CELENA A. SZOSTECKI, is hereby notified that you are required to file with the Chancery Court of Knox County at Knoxville, Tennessee, your defense or answer to the Complaint filed against you in said cause. A notice shall be published for four consecutive weeks in The Nashville Scene in Nashville, Tennessee. Within 30 days of the fourth publication of this Notice, a true copy of your defense or answer to the Complaint filed against you must be filed in this case and served on Jedidiah C. McKeehan, McKeehan Law Group, LLC, 1111 N. Northshore Drive, Suite P295, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919.
In case of your failure to do so, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
This the 22nd day of August, 2025.
ORDER ENTERED August 22, 2025, by John F. Weaver, Chancellor Published in The Nashville Scene for four consecutive weeks – 10/9, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6/25
the relief demanded in the Complaint.
This the 22nd day of August, 2025.
ORDER ENTERED August 22, 2025, by John F. Weaver, Chancellor
Published in The Nashville Scene for four consecutive weeks – 10/9, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6/25
Envision Physician Services, LLC seeks Principal Oracle Fusion Architect in Nashville, TN to analyze, design, develop, test, & implement new application components, & maintain & optimize already deployed Enterprise applications. BS in Comp Sci, Electron Engg or closely rltd field, or foreign equiv req’d & 8 yrs of relevant application & sftwr architecture exp req’d. Add’l specific skills req’d. Position 100% remote. Must be available during MST business hrs. Domestic travel (5%). Position supervises work of Soft Developers. For position details & to apply, visit: https://careers.envisionhealt h.com/.
Sr. Developers, IT Mobile Apps. Design, develop, and maintain a major retailer’s consumer facing mobile applications. Employer: Tractor Supply Company. Location: Brentwood, TN. May telecommute periodically from within normal commuting distance of Brentwood, TN. Multiple openings. To apply, mail resume to J. Yokley, 5401 Virginia Way, Brentwood, TN 37027. Ref. job code 240344.
CONSUMER CELLULAR - THE SAME RELIABLE, NATIONWIDE COVERAGE AS THE LARGEST CARRIERS.
No long-term contract, no hidden fees and activation is free. All plans feature unlimited talk and text, starting at just $20/ month.
For more information, call 1-866-282-5303
(CAN AAN)
Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and longlasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 888-464-2920 (CAN AAN)
GOT AN UNWANTED CAR??? DONATE IT TO PATRIOTIC HEARTS.
Fast free pick up. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans find work or start their own business.
Call 24/7: 1-833-426-0086 (CAN AAN)
WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION:
A small amount of water can lead to major damage and mold growth in your home. We do complete repairs to protect your family and your home’s value! For a FREE ESTIMATE, call 24/7: 1-833-880-7762 (CAN AAN)
VIAGRA AND CIALIS USERS!
A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices! 50 Pill Special - Only $99! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW: 1-833-641-6594 (CAN AAN)
MOBILEHELP, AMERICA’S PREMIER MOBILE MEDICAL ALERT SYSTEM.
Whether You’re Home or Away. For Safety and Peace of Mind. No Long Term Contracts! Free Brochure! Call Today!
1-877-667-4685 (CAN AAN)
SUNSETTER. AMERICAS NUMBER ONE AWNING!
Instant shade at the touch of a button. Transform your deck or patio into an outdoor oasis. Up to 10-year limited warranty. Call now and SAVE $350 today!
1-855-480-7810 (CAN AAN)
HOME BREAK-INS TAKE LESS THAN 60 SECONDS.
Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets NOW for as little as 70¢ a day!
Call 1-833-881-2713 (CAN AAN)
Broadway The
NEIGHBORHOOD
Big Machine Distillery
12-South Tap Room
Tin Roof
Moss-Wright Park
Centennial Park
Fair Park Dog Park
BEST PLACES NEARBY TO SEE A SHOW Zanies Comedy
FAVORITE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
Southside Kitchen and Pub
BEST LOCAL FAMILY OUTING
The Nashville Zoo
& Outdoor Turf Space
3 Sparkling Salt Water Swimming Pools
35-Acres of Lush Green Space
EXPERTS
Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and fees cancelled in 2019. Get free informational package and learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call 888-960-1781 (CAN AAN)
DO YOU OWE OVER $10,000 TO THE IRS OR STATE IN BACK TAXES?
Get tax relief now! We’ll fight for you! 1-833-441-4783 (CAN AAN)
AFFORDABLE TV & INTERNET
If you are overpaying for your service, call now for a free quote and see how much you can save! 1-833-423-2924 (CAN AAN)
Brother’s Burgers
Southside Kitchen & Pub Eastern Peak
Radnor Lake State Park Rockland Recreation Center
Social Events & Instructor Led Fitness Classes
Off Leash Pet Park & Pet Spa
Tennis Courts Gated Community
