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WITNESS HISTORY

This U.S. Army shirt was worn by Army captain and Airborne Ranger Kris Kristofferson, who resigned his commission in 1965 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional songwriter in Nashville.

From the exhibit Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the Present

NEWS

With Fewer National Special Education Protections, Local Advocates Step Up Parents can turn to special education advocates to help during the individualized education program process BY ZACK BARNES

Pith in the Wind

This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog

Virtual Reality Therapy Gives Neurodivergent People a Practice Run Tennessee is an early adopter of VR technology Floreo, now covered by TennCare

BY HANNAH HERNER

COVER STORY

Core Issues

Examining Tennessee’s relationship with CoreCivic, one of the country’s largest for-profit private prison companies

BY JULIANNE AKERS

CRITICS’ PICKS

Gwar, ThanksKilling the Musical, International Market 50th Birthday Dinner, Ella Langley and more

FOOD AND DRINK

Thanksgiving To-Go Tired of cooking? Build this year’s feast from our lineup of local favorites.

BY DANNY BONVISSUTO

CULTURE

Boot Scootin’ Boogie

Lavender Roots Dance Co. embraces Southern experience and queer identities BY HANNAH HERNER

MUSIC

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost Friends and family honor Luke Bell’s legacy with The King Is Back BY BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER

I Slam, Therefore I Am Talking with Angel Du$t’s Justice Tripp about pushing the envelope in hardcore punk BY P.J. KINZER

Talking to legendary artist Red Grooms about his

Dig Yourself

Lovie Olivia mines her own life and studio with the extraordinary ‘Space Scape Cinema’ BY LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

One More Night in Babylon Nashville rock legends The White Animals get ready to make their last public appearance BY DARYL SANDERS

The Spin The Scene’s live-review column checks out The Beths at Brooklyn Bowl BY COLE VILLENA FILM

Dead Reckoning

Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love is an elusive, immersive character study BY JASON SHAWHAN

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD AND THIS MODERN WORLD

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The Michelin Guide ’s long-awaited verdict on the American South arrived Monday with one star apiece for Bastion (pictured), The Catbird Seat and Locust.

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WITH FEWER NATIONAL SPECIAL EDUCATION PROTECTIONS, LOCAL ADVOCATES STEP UP

Parents can turn to special education advocates to help during the individualized education program process

A STATED GOAL of the Trump administration is to dismantle the federal Department of Education. During the latest government shutdown, the administration announced the firing of dozens of employees in the Office of Special Education Programs — though as of last week, a federal judge had put those firings on hold. OSEP is a key office that provides oversight to make sure school districts are meeting the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

“Tennessee’s educators working with special needs children will no longer be monitored by the federal government — monitoring that helps states comply with the special education law,” says Dr. Douglas Fuchs, professor of special education at Vanderbilt University.

That lack of oversight means parents will have one less avenue to hold districts accountable when they believe a school has violated IDEA. The special education law requires that certain procedures and safeguards be put in place for students with disabilities, including how a student’s individualized education program is developed and a variety of rights that parents have throughout that process. While the state of Tennessee manages the complaint process, it can be especially challenging to navigate for parents who are new to the IEP process. This is why parents often look to special education advocates to help them during the process.

“Special education advocates have historically played a most important role in helping ensure that students with disabilities get the education they need and deserve,” Fuchs tells the Scene “Advocates, often working collaboratively with educators, help to keep educators’ eye on the ball. This is important because it is sometimes difficult for well-meaning but overtaxed and under-resourced educators to keep their responsibilities to students with disabilities in mind.”

In Middle Tennessee, recent stories over the past few years show the need for this kind of support. Early this year, an appeals court ruled that the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System must provide almost 900 hours of specialized reading support for a disabled student who graduated high school without the ability to read. Last year, parents of a student in Williamson County alleged, among other things, that the school district refused to hold timely IEP meetings. Timely meetings are a requirement under IDEA.

When Kate Cortelyou’s autistic son received an IEP nine years ago, she was surprised by how difficult the experience was.

“It was, to be honest, a terrible experience,” says Cortelyou. “I went into those early meetings assuming I’d be treated with respect and that the staff would be honest and compassionate.

BY ZACK BARNES

That wasn’t the case.”

Cortelyou says she experienced condescension and hurtful comments from Metro Nashville Public Schools during the process. She also experienced what she thought were blatant violations. That spurred her into action — she completed advocacy training and studied materials provided by OSEP. The loss of staff at OSEP means that, according to Fuchs, “building-based practitioners will no longer be able to rely on technical assistance, or guidance, that OSEP has provided when teachers are trying to instruct or otherwise support students with disabilities.”

Without that guidance, parents may need to rely more on advocates who have a strong grasp of the laws and procedures. Cortelyou turned her personal experience into a career as a special education advocate, working with families to help guide them through the special education process. She now runs her own special education advocacy firm.

“My first job is to understand the law and rights it guarantees,” Cortelyou says. She hopes to bridge the gap between parents who are navigating a complicated special education system and the school district, which may be underfunded. The lack of background knowledge on special education can be challenging for parents, as teachers and administrators often talk in jargon and acronyms, assuming the parents have the same knowledge. Parents often use an advocate as a translator of sorts to fully understand what is happening.

When parents bring an advocate to an IEP meeting, it’s often seen by the school system as an act of escalation rather than a parent simply needing the support. For example, the aforementioned Williamson County family alleged that their rights were violated after the school

system canceled an IEP meeting simply because the family came to a meeting with an advocate.

“It’s important to recognize that when parents push for services, ask questions or hire an advocate, it doesn’t make them difficult,” says Cortelyou.

Cortelyou has started to provide special education commentary via her TikTok account, @KateCortelyou. She joined TikTok after a video she posted on Instagram — in which she tells her autistic son that she was also diagnosed as autistic — went viral and was featured on Good Morning America. Her TikTok account has grown to nearly 20,000 followers, with her videos gaining millions of views. Parents and teachers often report getting special education information through social media, saying they’re not receiving the information they need during IEP meetings.

Cortelyou wants parents to know it’s OK to ask questions.

“Asking questions, seeking support, and ensuring your child receives what they need is not being difficult,” she says. “It’s being a responsible, engaged parent.”

Parents of children with IEPs should receive what’s known as a notice of procedural safeguards during any official special education meeting. That document provides resources, including information on how to file complaints and how to find advocacy and legal services. Nonprofits such as Support and Training for Exceptional Parents, Disability Rights TN, and The Arc Tennessee have great resources for parents of children with disabilities.

Zack Barnes, Ph.D., is an associate professor of literacy at Austin Peay State University, where he researches executive function and reading development. Before APSU, he spent five years as a special education teacher in MNPS. ▼

Critical monthly food aid for an estimated 42 million people nationwide — including 690,000 Tennesseans — remained in jeopardy as the clock struck midnight on Halloween. Budget chaos from the federal government shutdown left November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits unfunded, causing many advocates and SNAP recipients to sound the alarm about a looming national hunger crisis. While some states, like Virginia and Vermont, stepped in to back SNAP benefits for their residents, others — like Tennessee — put the blame on Congress and directed attention to local support networks like food banks, churches and nonprofits. Mayor Freddie O’Connell appeared at Nashville’s Second Harvest Food Bank on Oct. 31, when the nonprofit announced that recent cash donations were far surpassing typical totals.

Nashville’s Metro Council is reviewing a proposed Midtown Business Improvement District to cover 87 acres of prime real estate between Vanderbilt and I-40 The arrangement, proposed by first-term downtown Councilmember Jacob Kupin would levy an additional fee on property owners — a mix of commercial and high-end residential apartments and condos — within the BID’s boundaries totaling about $1.5 million annually. These special fee-for-service agreements help fund supplemental local services like street cleaning, power washing, public events and personnel, like Nashville’s downtown ambassadors. City and state lawmakers approved Nashville’s Central Business Improvement District which covers most of downtown, in 1999; the Gulch Business Improvement District followed in 2006.

Nashville will host the 2034 Special Olympics USA Games according to an announcement last week. Special Olympics Tennessee’s Adam Germek tells the Scene he had worked on the city’s 280-page bid over four years. The event will be a combined hosting effort between Vanderbilt University, which will house athletes in dorms, the Music City Center, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and various local and corporate partners. The 2026 games will take place in Minnesota. Nashville had originally sought the 2030 bid, which was awarded to Cleveland.

Lee Beaman, former car dealership impresario, wants to be on the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority, even though his qualifications for said role, according to Beaman himself, are, “I’m certainly no expert on it, but I feel like I’m a quick learner.” Beaman sat down with the Nashville Business Journal to discuss how he got the nomination, saying: “I called Bob Ritchie [aka Kid Rock] and he said, ‘Sure, I’ll call [Donald Trump] right now!’ Twenty minutes later, he called me back and said, ‘I just talked with him, and you’re in!’” This prompts Scene opinion columnist Betsy Phillips to write, “I’m sorry to have to ask this: Is Kid Rock the most powerful person in Tennessee?”

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO

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VIRTUAL REALITY THERAPY GIVES NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE A PRACTICE RUN

Tennessee is an early adopter of VR technology Floreo, now covered by TennCare BY

HANNAH HERNER

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AS IT TURNS OUT, practice can make perfect when it comes to everyday tasks like grocery shopping, taking the bus, crossing the street or even just raising a hand and waiting to be called on in school.

Using virtual reality, a neurodivergent person can practice such tasks without risk and before applying the experience to the real world. Tennessee recently became one of the first states to cover the use of VR therapy product Floreo through Medicaid as part of the state’s Enabling Technology program for people with disabilities.

Aaron Addis uses the Floreo virtual reality technology with young adults through Project SEARCH, a program that focuses on competitive employment for young adults with disabilities.

Addis tells the Scene he did not have the time or resources to take students to the grocery store, for example, and even practicing crossing the street can be too high-risk. Virtual reality is a low-stakes way to introduce new skills.

“I’m always worried about, if you’re practicing something here in a video game, will you be able to do that skill in real life?” Addis says.

“What I found was that about 80 percent of the time, students who did a skill here in virtual reality were able to then do that skill in the real world.”

Since its founding in 2016, Floreo has been proven to work across the spectrum of disability. According to Floreo founder Vijay Ravindran, the product has been used by children as young as 4 years old as well as adults, including individuals who have high support needs and those who operate more independently.

safety. They include school-related skills like raising one’s hand in class, and everyday skills like putting away groceries. But there’s also a safety element, with lessons like how to be safe around swimming pools, how to interact with the police and how to ride the bus safely. Floreo also recently developed AI characters so users can attempt role-playing conversations and job interviews.

Ravindran has a tech background, and the inspiration for the product came from his son, who is on the autism spectrum.

“The use of virtual reality seemed to spur new pretend play abilities that got me really interested in the technology as a new medium for therapy and training for neurodiverse children,” Ravindran says.

In 2017, the company landed a National Institutes of Health grant. Since then, thousands of kids and families have used Floreo, including 150 enterprise providers — autism therapy clinics, schools and nonprofits. And the list of available lessons is always growing.

“Once practitioners and parents get their hands on the technology and use it with their loved one, the ideas start flowing,” Ravindran says. “They know better than anyone else what are the biggest challenge areas, and what are the things that they’re doing today with traditional techniques that are not very effective.”

Addis adds, “No educational tool is perfect for a whole classroom of students. It’s just impossible. But there is a way to use and learn using this program for every student.”

reality, and remind them if needed. At the end of the exercise, teachers receive a report on how the student did, including how long it took them to complete the lesson and their ability to master each facet of the lesson. Addis says he can use the technology with people who are nonverbal and use a communication device too, by projecting it on the classroom screen. A student who uses American Sign Language can receive prompts from their interpreter instead of Addis.

Milton Neuenschwander, the director of Enabling Technology at the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, points out that virtual reality can’t as easily simulate the fluorescent lights at the grocery store or the lights and sirens of a police car — but it can simulate picking out groceries, or an interaction with a police officer. These small steps make a difference.

“Being able to practice it knowing that you’re in the comfort of your own home — that if you make a mistake, you can start all over — it relieves a lot of that anxiety, that stress, and helps little by little, build that confidence that people can practice until they feel the point where they’re comfortable enough to try it on their own,” Neuenschwander tells the Scene

Ravindran says Tennessee is a leader in using this and other forms of technology for the disability population.

Floreo now has more than 200 lessons available, with the newest focused on online

Addis uses a script to prompt the user. For example, he’ll direct them to look left, right and left again before crossing the street in virtual

“There’s a handful of states that are really trying to roll out new and differentiated programs, and Tennessee is one of those leaders right now,” says Ravindran, who is based in Washington, D.C. “I think we’ve been really impressed with the state of forward-mindedness for this population.” ▼

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EXAMINING TENNESSEE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CORECIVIC, ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST FOR-PROFIT PRIVATE PRISON COMPANIES

BY JULIANNE AKERS

Core Issues

FIFTY YEARS AGO, private prisons largely didn’t exist.

While early forms of for-profit prisons first began operating in the U.S. during the 19th century via prison labor and convict leasing, state, local and federal governments were the primary entities to wield control of the country’s penal institutions. Then, in the early 1980s, mass incarceration began to skyrocket as a result of President Ronald Reagan’s acceleration of the “war on drugs” and “tough on crime” policies. Meanwhile, the state-run prison system in Tennessee was in a period of turmoil marked by overcrowding and violence that led to the system being placed under federal supervision. As

a result, a trio of Nashville businessmen sought to take an entrepreneur’s approach to address these issues.

Tom Beasley, a previous chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, teamed up with Nashville real estate executive Robert Crants and businessman T. Don Hutto. Hutto’s career in prisons began in the 1960s when he was the warden of a Texas prison’s cotton plantation that primarily relied on the labor of Black incarcerated people, as reported by Time magazine.

In 1983, the three men formed the Corrections Corporation of America — making Tennessee the birthplace of the for-profit prison industry. The corporation’s ties to some of

Middle Tennessee’s largest and most powerful businesses began at its inception. Jack Massey, co-founder of the Hospital Corporation of America (now known as HCA Healthcare) made the initial investment into the company, which also received early support from Vanderbilt University.

Steve Norris was commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction from 1985 to 1988, and during his tenure CCA began to seriously approach the state with its idea to privatize the corrections system. In 1985, CCA presented the state with a $250 million proposal to fully take over the Tennessee prison system — an effort that received support from then-Gov. Lamar

PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Norris tells the Scene he was initially skeptical of the offer — not necessarily because he’s opposed to private prisons, but because of the numerous financial questions raised by the idea.

“My first reaction was, ‘I’m not sure how you do that,’” Norris says. “It was quite a proposal.”

“How do you buy a state-owned corrections system?” Norris says. “How do you value it? What’s the value of the real estate? What happens to the employees? How do you value the assets? How would you establish a price for that?”

He maintains that there is an opportunity for private prisons to function effectively, but only if they are operated correctly.

“I’m not philosophically opposed to [private prisons], done well,” Norris says. “They can certainly add capacity to state prison systems and play a role. But it has to be done correctly.”

While the bid to buy out Tennessee’s entire prison system failed during a special session of the state legislature, a notable provision was passed by lawmakers during that session: a law that says the state can have only one contract with a privately run prison. CCA signed a contract with the state to open its first Tennessee prison in 1992: the South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton. In May of this year, the state renewed its contract with the prison for $168 million and for three years.

Over the past three decades, the company began to circumvent the state law restricting Tennessee to a single private prison by signing contracts directly with local governments in the counties where it sought to place its facilities — often in small rural towns where a large prison can offer much-needed job opportunities.

Now the company operates three other prisons in the state: Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, as well as Hardeman County Correctional Facility and Whiteville Correctional Facility, both in Whiteville. For more than 25 years, CCA operated Nashville’s Metro Detention Facility before ending its contract in 2020 — an effort that was in part pushed for by Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who served as a Metro councilmember at the time.

CCA rebranded as CoreCivic in 2016, adopting the tagline “Better the public good.” Over the past 40 years, the publicly traded company has grown into a multibillion-dollar business operating dozens of facilities across 21 states. Its contracts in Tennessee bring in hundreds of millions of dollars annually. In 2024, the company’s total revenue was $2 billion, with a net income of $68.9 million.

CoreCivic’s latest profit surges have come from its contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to open immigration detention facilities, including a recent contract with the West Tennessee town of Mason.

In 2019, CoreCivic relocated its headquarters — from Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood to a nondescript office park building in Brentwood. There’s little signage to denote the massive operator’s presence.

CoreCivic remains deeply intertwined with state and national politics. The company’s political action committee and its current CEO donated to President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump’s inauguration committee. Gov. Bill Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and state House Speaker Cameron Sexton are just a few of the most prominent names in Tennessee politics to accept tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the company.

While CoreCivic has poured millions of dollars into conservative causes, Democrats have also been beneficiaries of the company’s campaign spending. The group has donated small sums to the Tennessee House and Senate Democratic caucuses. Democratic state Rep. Johnny Shaw of Bolivar — who has two CoreCivic prisons in his district — has received more than $13,000 from the private prison operator. State Sen. Jeff Yarbro, a Nashville Democrat, accepted $1,000 from CoreCivic in 2022, according to nonpartisan database OpenSecrets.

Outside of politics, CoreCivic has cemented its presence in the Nashville business and nonprofit landscape, where it routinely sponsors community events across Middle Tennessee, including those held by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater

Gov. Bill Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and state House Speaker Cameron Sexton are just a few of the most prominent names in Tennessee politics to accept tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the company.

Nashville. Strangely, the private prison operator has been a sponsor of Brentwood’s Ravenwood High School marching band. Cheekwood Estate & Gardens has also taken money from the prison operator, which led to resignations from at least two staff members earlier this year.

On Oct. 2, the CoreCivic Foundation hosted its 34th annual Golf Classic at the Hermitage Golf Course. The event raised $1 million for 72 nonprofits that support justice-involved initiatives. Included among this year’s beneficiaries were Dismas House, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee and area affiliates of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, commonly known as CASA.

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

In recent years, CoreCivic’s reputation in Tennessee has been plagued by reports of physical and sexual assault, riots, killings, gang violence, overdoses and extortion, among other human rights violations in its facilities, which face understaffing, mismanagement and high rates of staff turnover.

One man formerly incarcerated in Trousdale Turner spoke with the Scene under the condition of anonymity, saying he still fears gang members inside the facility. He says he feared for his life while at Trousdale Turner and witnessed numerous fights, assaults and a riot in his nearly two years there. He details neglect by the facility’s medical staff and says he faced issues filing grievances, which he says went unanswered. These all mirror complaints referenced in the hundreds of lawsuits the corporation and its executives have faced in recent years.

“[Trousdale Turner] was the most violent, dangerous place you could imagine,” he says. “It’s a nightmare.”

The Scene spoke with numerous family members of those incarcerated at CoreCivic facilities, as well as a former CoreCivic prison employee who cites similar concerns of corruption, lack of transparency and absence of accountability.

Dana Riner is the mother of Elijah Crosswhite, who was incarcerated in Trousdale Turner. Riner says her son came out of the facility unrecognizable to her after being held in isolation for two years, developing mental health complications

and receiving little to no treatment or evaluations. She says he has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since Crosswhite was released last year, Riner has spent much of her time advocating for better conditions at Trousdale Turner and for an end to CoreCivic’s operations in Tennessee.

“I see too many people saying stuff like, ‘Well, they did the crime, they gotta do the time,’” Riner tells the Scene. “They are doing their time, but nobody deserves to have their civil rights violated like that.”

“We’re not saying they need fluffy pillows and blankets,” Riner adds. “We’re talking about basic human rights here — food, water, safety, not being raped, not being beat up, not being threatened.”

Trousdale Turner is Tennessee’s largest prison and has become known as the most dangerous facility in the state, harboring conditions so heinous that it’s currently the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation was launched in 2024, though its status has been in limbo since the Trump administration took over.

Trousdale Turner has shuffled through eight wardens in the past nine years and was the scene of a riot in June that resulted in injuries to correctional officers and the incarcerated. Since the riot, about 500 people have been moved out of the facility. According to TDOC Commissioner Frank Strada, the riot was the result of shortfalls by Trousdale Turner correctional officers — not CoreCivic. Strada addressed the state Senate’s State & Local Government Corrections Subcommittee on Oct. 1, continuing to call CoreCivic a “good partner” — a phrase that’s been reiterated by state officials over the years.

Family members of people incarcerated in CoreCivic prisons say they have faced roadblocks when trying to communicate or get basic information from officials at CoreCivic and TDOC. In light of these obstacles, many have turned to Facebook pages and groups to search for some semblance of an answer about what’s happening to their loved ones inside the facilities. Pages like “Trousdale Turner - Close It Down” and “CoreCivic-Trousdale Turner … justice for our loved ones” host thousands of fol-

Alexander but was eventually rejected by state lawmakers.

CORECIVIC HEADQUARTERS IN BRENTWOOD PHOTO:

“I see too many people saying stuff like, ‘Well, they did the crime, they gotta do the time.’ They are doing their time, but nobody deserves to have their civil rights violated like that.”

—Dana Riner

lowers who share their experiences dealing with the prison system.

Many of these family members express the same sentiment: They want the state of Tennessee to cut all ties with CoreCivic. Some say they either try to avoid or boycott any businesses or nonprofits that accept donations from the company.

STEPS TOWARD SOLUTIONS

Born out of these instances of violence and decades of unrest inside CoreCivic facilities are stories of people advocating for tangible changes to the methodology in which Tennessee’s prisons are currently operated.

One of those people is Lebanon resident Tim Leeper, whose 25-year-old son Kylan died from an overdose in Trousdale Turner in 2023. Since his son’s death, Leeper has made it his life’s work to advocate for prison reform in Tennessee, stepping away from his job in roofing to launch the nonprofit organization Kylan’s Light.

He says the goal of his organization is to not only spread awareness about the conditions inside CoreCivic facilities, but also to promote opportunities for rehabilitation in prisons.

“I really want to work to make sure that our state begins to change the views we have of our offenders by giving them the dignity, the rehabilitation, the reintegration process, to give them the tools to be successful,” Leeper says. “And that’s going to be a gradual change … because we have so often looked at offenders like the monsters under the bed.”

The chief method of instituting change when it comes to Tennessee’s corrections system is going through the state legislature. Leeper testified before a state Senate committee earlier this year, which in part helped pass a law that reduces CoreCivic’s prison populations if death rates in the prisons continue to rise.

That bill was sponsored by state Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), who has sponsored several pieces of prison reform legislation. While Pody turned down the Scene’s request for an interview, he says he’s working on additional legislation for the upcoming session. He declined to share details of what the policy will entail.

At a town hall event in September that focused on prison reform, Pody said reinstituting

a Corrections Oversight Committee within the legislature could be a possible step toward ensuring accountability for corporations like CoreCivic. This type of committee was first created in Tennessee around the time CoreCivic was founded and operated until it was eliminated in 2011.

“There were a lot of oversight boards that we did away with about a dozen years ago, and we’re in the process of looking back to say, ‘Did we make some mistakes?’” said Pody at the town hall. “I think we did.”

CoreCivic has contributed $6,750 to Mark Pody’s campaigns since 2011, according to OpenSecrets.

State Rep. Clark Boyd, another Lebanon Republican, has co-sponsored prison reform legislation with Pody and also spoke at the town hall, where he said Democrats and Republicans generally agree that the private prison system has its share of issues.

“What I found was, nobody likes private prisons,” Boyd said in September. “Once I stepped forward and started carrying legislation, it was unanimous. Every committee we went to, it was 100 percent of the Republicans, 100 percent of the Democrats. We were lockstep … that we all agree that there’s a problem and we need changes.”

Leeper hopes reform legislation will be passed in the 2026 session of the Tennessee General Assembly. Specifically, he wants to see body cameras being used by all correctional staff and the creation of what he calls “prison alternative camps” for people 18 to 24 years old who have committed nonviolent crimes. There young adults would be given rehabilitative tools and mental health treatment options. Better transparency and communication for family members of those incarcerated and standardization of both public and private prisons in the state are also top of mind for Leeper as he approaches the upcoming session.

Democratic state Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville tells the Scene he thinks private prisons should be eliminated entirely, but the state’s Republican supermajority prevents Democrats from making much headway in the prison reform process.

“There’s a handful of people on the other side

of the aisle that say they care,” Clemmons says. “They really don’t. But at the end of the day, if they go against CoreCivic, they jeopardize a lot of campaign contributions.”

Clemmons also speculates that CoreCivic is not accurately reporting its operations to TDOC, highlighting what he describes as a lack of accountability faced by the corporation.

“This is a very broad problem that is not entirely limited to private prisons, but [with] private prisons, everything is exacerbated because the profit motives outweigh everything else,” Clemmons says. TDOC did not respond to the Scene’s request for comment on CoreCivic.

CoreCivic also declined the Scene’s request for an interview with the company’s officials. But spokesperson Ryan Gustin tells the Scene via email that CoreCivic facilities are subject to “multiple layers of oversight” by TDOC and other parties like the American Correctional Association.

“They have unfettered access to everything that’s happening on a daily basis,” Gustin says. “Our facilities also undergo regular audits several times a year.”

Asked whether CoreCivic would welcome the creation of an oversight committee, Gustin gave neither a yes or a no, but maintained that all CoreCivic facilities “operate with full transparency to our government partners.”

The Scene reached out to state Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), chair of the House Republican Caucus, for an interview on what Tennessee Republicans might be thinking when it comes to prison reform for the upcoming legislation. We received no response.

CoreCivic’s CEO of 16 years, Damon Hininger — who recently flirted with the idea of running for governor — is set to retire in January, and the company’s chief operating officer Patrick Swindle is gearing up to take his place.

As the corporation prepares to shift into a new era of leadership, CoreCivic has said in recent months that it has taken steps to improve conditions at the infamously dangerous Trousdale Turner — including new prison

leadership, staffing additions and pay bumps for correctional officers. Gustin tells the Scene that faith-based programs and reentry and academic opportunities are being offered, including courses in basic education, computer coding, construction and career exploration.

When asked what is being done to crack down on gang activity, Gustin says Trousdale Turner takes criminal activity “very seriously.”

“We have many ways individuals can raise these concerns to our facility staff,” he says. “At each of our facilities, we have dedicated staff who focus solely on investigations and matters dealing with security threat groups.”

Gustin also references the company’s human rights policy and says “CoreCivic is committed to providing a safe, secure and humane environment for every individual entrusted to our care.”

It’s unlikely that the state of Tennessee will cease contracting with private prisons anytime soon. And if they do begin to cut ties, it will take a comprehensive plan to determine where to place the thousands of people currently housed in CoreCivic facilities.

“It’s clear that efforts to sideline our industry would be a step backward,” Gustin says. “Removing a flexible tool that helps governments manage their corrections needs responsibly risks returning us to the overcrowded, unsafe conditions that led to our creation in the first place.”

For people like Leeper, whose families have been directly impacted by the for-profit prison industry, efforts to improve private prisons are welcome. But they say a full divestment by the state of Tennessee from CoreCivic is paramount.

“I think that there was probably a time that CoreCivic made sense to play a role,” Leeper says. “But I will tell you that that day has came and gone. CoreCivic has not proven to be a good partner in four decades of their service to the state of Tennessee. They have gotten rich. They’re a corporation that has gotten rich off the bodies of men that have had to be buried and separated eternally from their families because they didn’t do their jobs.” ▼

TIM LEEPER

FALL INTIMATE DINNER SERIES

ALL THE DETAILS ON THIS MONTH’S FALL INTIMATE DINNER SERIES

It wasn’t too long after the last tent was folded up at the spring’s Music City Food & Wine Festival that organizers started planning for next year’s edition. One of the best parts of the multi-day fest was the series of intimate dinners held in restaurants around town, intended to showcase local culinary talent and offer opportunities for chefs to collaborate and think outside of their normal menu boxes. Guests enjoyed the chance to experience something new at some of their old favorites.

So in advance of the second edition of MCFW returning to Centennial Park April 24 through 26, the Fall Intimate Dinner Series will return with six special events in restaurants around town from Nov. 12 to 16. The series will again feature chef collaborations, creative menus, drink pairings, and the chance for some local kitchens to offer something different! BY

CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS!

WEDNESDAY NOV 12

TDOWN THE RABBIT HOLE AT HENLEY WITH CHEFS KRISTIN BERINGSON

AND DAVID ANDREWS

he Rabbit Hole at Henley inside the Kimpton Aertson Hotel is one of the most unique dining venues in town. On most nights, between two and four lucky diners are escorted from the bar through a secret door to a private inner sanctum inside Henley’s kitchen, where chef Kristin Beringson creates a multicourse meal of small bites right in front of the diners and presents each plate personally while explaining her inspirations.

Just for Music City Food & Wine, Chef Beringson is expanding the experience to two dozen diners for one seating at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, and she’s invited a friend along for the trip down the rabbit hole.

David Andrews is a 2024 James Beard nominee for Outstanding Bakery thanks to his achievements at D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe on Church Street. He has also recently become a social media superstar since his realistic fruit-shaped pastries have gone viral on TikTok, attracting thousands of visitors to his website and to the bakery.

Diners will have to show a little faith on this one, because a big part of the fun of a Rabbit Hole dinner is that the chef never announces the menu in advance — although everyone will go home with a list of the courses. Like the Mad Hatter, Beringson isn’t afraid to drop a few hints, and she’s excited about one particular course that she describes as “a French autumnal play on an elote.” Color us intrigued!

The chefs will introduce each course and interact with the guests throughout the evening. Beringson will be responsible for at least six courses, and Andrews promises an intermezzo palate cleanser, a plated dessert and an extra goodie to take home at the end of the evening. Tickets for Down the Rabbit Hole are $125, and wine pairings will also be available.

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HENLEY

CHEFS DAVID ANDREWS AND KRISTIN BERINGSON

WEDNESDAY NOV 12

CPORTUGAL ON THE PORCH AT LOCKELAND TABLE

hef Hal Holden-Bache of Lockeland Table is known for his sophisticated approach to rustic cuisine, combining classic cooking techniques with down-home ingredients to create a unique melange of a menu that could come only from his brilliant mind. The comfortable ambiance that he and co-owner Cara Graham have created feels like an extension of your own dining room, if you happened to have a wood-fired pizza oven and a spectacular bar off your kitchen.

Not everyone knows that Holden-Bache spent some time working in the kitchen of the prestigious Greenbrier Resort and staged under Certified Master Chefs during his breaks from the resort’s Culinary Apprenticeship Program. So his culinary repertoire extends far beyond the pizzas and pork chops that are highlights of the Lockeland Table menu. For the Fall Intimate Dinner Series, Holden-Bache has planned a fun dinner at Lockeland Table, and he’s taking a group of lucky diners with him on a culinary trip to — wait for it — Portugal!

He’ll likely be sourcing some of the more exotic ingredients up until the last minute, so the menu is still mutable. He does promise some Iberian classic dishes like salted cod cake with black olive aioli, and octopus cooked low and slow in a bath of olive oil until the confit has rendered it fork-tender. Other members of the kitchen staff are contributing dish ideas, so there are rumors of a black-eyed pea salad and a sweet rice pudding for dessert.

Lockeland Table is also teaming up with sourdough master Hunter Briely from Emeraude

SALTED COD CAKE

Bakery in Mt. Juliet to provide his unbelievably delicious bread for the dinner and Robin Dennis of 100% Italiano to bring Portuguese wine, port

Black olive aïoli, squeeze of fresh lemon, chopped parsley

Wine - Luis Pato- Maria Gomes Espumante NV Barriada - 13.60

FRESH LITTLE NECK CLAMS

Olive oil, garlic, cilantro, white wine, linguica or chourico

EMERAUDE BAKERY PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD

Pepe Saya cultured butter

Wine - Susana Esteban-Aventura Branco 2022- 17.85

OCTOPUS CONFIT

BLACK EYED PEA SALAD

Olive oil, crispy potato, parsley, onion, shallot, garlic

EMERAUDE BAKERY BAGUETTE NOIRE

Pepe Saya cultured butter

Wine - Folias de Baco UIVO Tinta Francisca 2021- 23.69

SUPPER CLUB: MUSIC CITY EDITION AT NELSON’S GREEN BRIER DISTILLERY

Not only is Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery in Marathon Village a great place to tour and taste, it’s also home to a really good restaurant called The Restaurant. Don’t let the name fool you; there’s some really creative stuff going on in that kitchen, and they’ve been showing it off during Thursday night Supper Clubs that usually revolve around a speciﬁc theme.

For The Restaurant’s contribution to the Fall Intimate Dinner Series on Thursday, Nov. 13, they’ve come up with a new menu designed just for the event. The theme of the night is Southern Italy.

If that makes you think of Neapolitan pizza or Sicilian cannelloni, broaden your horizons a bit. This menu features classic Southern comfort food viewed through the lens of Italian traditions and techniques. Served family-style to the table, the meal will combine the best of Southern hospitality with the warmth of an Italian nonna.

Alongside curated drink pairings, some of the planned dishes include “Chicken & Dumplings” ravioli, with house-made pasta filled with chicken, celery root, and thyme served in a rich, flavorful broth. Another fun course will feature a buttermilk-brined porchetta: a butterflied pork belly rubbed and stuffed with garlic, fennel, smoked paprika and mustard jus. The kitchen will roll up and truss the belly and then cook it to perfection for carving at the table.

The evening kicks off at 6 p.m. with a welcome cocktail before the 6:30 seating.

LOW COUNTRY ITALIAN

$80 per person plus tax + gratuity

WELCOME COCKTAIL: BOULAVARDIER

Nelson Brothers Reserve, Orange Liqueur, Brier Blend Vermouth

LOW COUNTRY CALAMARI FRITTI

Charred Lemon, Parsley

Marathon Malt Whiskey

“CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS”

Handmade Ravioli, Filling of ConﬁtChicken Thighs, Thyme, Celery Root, Root Vegetables

NA Huckleberry Highball

BUTTERMILK-BRINED PORCHETTA

Rolled Pork Belly, Garlic, Fennel, Smoked Paprika, Mustard Jus

CORNBREAD PANZANELLA

Roasted Sweet Potato, Green Apple, Radicchio, Brussels Sprouts, Maple-Apple Vinaigrette

MADEIRA CASK OLD FASHIONED

DESSERT: CANNOLI BEIGNETS

Ricotta, Powdered Sugar, Dark Chocolate Sauce

Sherry Cask Bourbon

MENU

PHOTOS:

FRIDAY NOV 14

A SUPPER THAT SUSTAINS US AT 1 KITCHEN NASHVILLE

1Kitchen on the ground ﬂoor of the 1 Hotel in SoBro presents a quarterly Supper That Sustains Us dinner event. Each dinner highlights seasonal ingredients along with the vital farmers, ranchers and other purveyors who provide the ingredients to the kitchen year-round. Sustainability is the keystone of the hotel property’s philosophy, and 1 Kitchen also operates with that tenet as a lodestar and focuses on providing hyper-local, sustainably sourced and zero-waste cuisine.

Music City Food & Wine Festival is on board with that commitment and is proud to include the Friday, Nov. 14, Supper That Sustains Us as a part of the Fall Intimate Dinner Series. The theme of this edition is “A Seasonal Ode to Squash, Farms, and the Beginning of Winter.”

Chef Chris Crary and his team have planned a menu to venerate and celebrate the humble squash, offering tastes of the fall season through several varieties of squash, root vegetables and other farm staples.

Available à la carte or as a tasting menu for $79 plus tax and gratuity, seatings will be available from 5 until 10 p.m. The thoughtful menu offers ﬂavor pairings that combine international inspirations with regional farm traditions. Think about candy roaster squash served with pickled hakurei turnip, toasted benne seeds and a smoked sorghum vinaigrette, or a seared scallop and honeynut velouté made from roasted honeynut squash, smoked miso broth, chili oil and a toasted pumpkin seed gremolata.

Better yet, don’t just think about it. Plan to dine at 1 Kitchen’s Supper that Sustains Us on Nov. 14, and you can actually eat it!

SUPPER THAT SUSTAINS US

A Seasonal Ode to Squash, Farms, and the Beginning of Winter

Available à la carte or as a tasting menu($79/pp)

Taste the season—squash, roots, and farm ﬂavors of Tennessee.

CANDY ROASTER & APPLE CRUDO $14

Shaved candy roaster squash, Tennessee Apple, pickled hakurei turnip, ﬁeld greens, toasted benne seed, smoked sorghum vinaigrette

SEARED SCALLOP & HONEYNUT VELOUTÉ $27

Roasted honeynut squash, smoked miso broth, chili oil, toasted pumpkin seed gremolata

CHARRED BROCCOLI & SPAGHETTI SQUASH ‘CARBONARA’ $29

Roasted spaghetti squash, farm eggs, parmesan emulsion, peppered kale crisps, mushroom “bacon”

FREEDOM RUN FARM LAMB CHOPS $36

Grilled lamb rack, butterkin squash purée, glazed turnips, cabbage & red kuri ragu, pomegranate molasses jus

S’MORE SQUASH $13

Roasted delicata semifreddo, burnt maple meringue, sorghum crackle, smoked salt

PHOTOS:

SUNDAY NOV 16

ODE TO MOTHER EARTH AT MAIZ DE LA VIDA , IN COLLABORATION WITH LIMO

Every seat sold out for all the Intimate Dinners back in the spring, but the one that got the most buzz was chef Julio Hernandez’s event, where he converted his restaurant Maiz de la Vida into a Mexican marisqueria for one night only, offering the chance to experience coastal Mexican seafood inspired by famed culinary regions in Mexico such as Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa and Veracruz. Instagram was flooded with photos of his creations and calls for him to do something like that again.

He’s decided to go one better this time. He’s partnering with chef Marcio Florez of Limo Peruvian Eatery for an evening of open-fire cooking they’re calling MAIZ X LIMO: Ode to Mother Earth on Sunday, Nov. 16, with seatings from 5 until 8:15 p.m. The chefs promise an evening of pisco and agave, friendships and food. Expect the dining room to crackle with the energy of Pachamama and Coatlicue, two mother earth goddesses from different cultural traditions. Pachamama comes from the Inca traditions of chef Florez’s home of Peru, while Coatlicue represents the Aztec heritage of chef Hernandez’s Mexican culture.

Guests are encouraged to use their hands to tear through five courses representing fire, sea, air and land, plus the crucial fifth element of dessert. (Julio asks, “Make sure the marinade stains your fingers red!”) The tasting menu will feature two red meats, one poultry dish, at least four seafoods and a vegetable course. The kitchen will happily accommodate gluten-free and celiac disease requests.

In addition to the promised pisco and agave, additional beverage pairings will also be available as an add-on to the $95 meal cost.

PERUVIAN MENU

FIRE

Maya / Aztec Degus

Beef heart Anticucho Smoked hierbas santas salsa, pineapple.

SEA

Ceviche Oyster

Royal red shrimp, epazote chili vinegar - Maíz Dlvida

Tiradito Andino

Hamachi, Crab chalaca, avocado, choclo, shrimp ash

LAND

Lengua

Inca Kola braised tongue, papa criolla al rescoldo, alubia blanca demiglace.

AIR

Cornish Hen al Carbon

Native rice, choclo, salsa de pollería, tortillas

POSTRE

Concha Volteada Eclair, sweet potato, atole.

PHOTOS: HAMILTON

CHEF MARCIO FLOREZ OF LIMO PERUVIAN EATERY AND JULIO HERNANDEZ OF MAIZ DE LA VIDA

NOV. 12-13

THEATER

[CINEMA PARADISO] TEATROCINEMA: ROSA

Blending live performance with stunning visual elements, Chile’s Teatrocinema returns to OZ Arts next week with the U.S. premiere of Rosa Taking audiences on “a lush and vibrant multimedia journey through time and memory,” Rosa centers on an esteemed actress who learns she is to be honored for her vast career and many achievements. But as she thinks back on the different stages of her life, she must also confront decades of political and social change in Chile — from the 1970s to the 2019 revolution that led to a new constitution. Local audiences may remember Teatrocinema’s last visit to Nashville — the company presented the “heart-pounding noir tale” of Plata Quemada in March 2020, just days before the pandemic shut down theaters. And while Rosa’s tone is a bit more introspective, it certainly exemplifies Teatrocinema’s dynamic and cinematic approach to storytelling. It’s also worth noting that this run at OZ Arts marks the company’s only appearance in North America this year. Presented in Spanish with projected English supertitles, Rosa is an intriguing — and highly evocative — new work.

AMY STUMPFL

NOV. 12-13 AT OZ ARTS NASHVILLE

6172 COCKRILL BEND CIRCLE

THURSDAY / 11.6

MUSIC

[HUNGOVER AT THE MOTHER CHURCH] ELLA LANGLEY

Ella Langley is the country singer to see on tour this fall, before she takes the leap to regularly headlining much larger rooms. For those who aren’t plugged into the daily

shuffling of Music Row power rankings, Langley’s on a notable streak of success — earning four Academy of Country Music Award wins in the spring, in part for her breakout single “You Look Like You Love Me,” a throwback country duet featuring Riley Green. The song earned two-time platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (you know, the group that tracks these things) and laid the groundwork for Langley to climb the charts with her platinum-selling follow-up “Weren’t for the Wind.” Last year, the smalltown Alabama native released her debut album Hungover and deluxe follow-up Still Hungover. Next year, she’ll tour in support of Eric Church on a run of arena gigs. But first she headlines two nights at the Mother Church.

MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

8 P.M. AT THE RYMAN

116 REP. JOHN LEWIS WAY N.

[OUT ON THE WEEKEND]

MUSIC

HARVEST MOON: NEIL YOUNG 80TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE

Saturday at Eastside Bowl, Robyn Hitchcock, Dan Baird, Shannon McNally, Lilly Winwood and others will gather to celebrate Neil Young’s

80th birthday, which will be on Nov. 12. “Last year, we did a Neil tribute night at The 5 Spot as part of the Magnolia Roads Hoedown event they have every year, and we all liked it so much we thought we should do something like that again,” organizer David Newbould tells the Scene. “We realized his 80th birthday was coming up this fall and thought, ‘What better occasion to do that?’” Proceeds from the show — which will feature more than 20 performers, including Audley Freed, Emma Swift, Kevin Gordon, Jonell Mosser, Brian Wright, Jon Byrd, Stuffy Shmitt, Jamie Rubin and Newbould — will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. In addition, there will be food donation bins on site. Regarding the material the performers have selected, Newbould says, “Unsurprisingly, it’s heavily tilted towards the ’70s, but there are a few things from before and after the ’70s.”

STREET THEATRE

COMPANY: THANKSKILLING THE MUSICAL PAGE 24

Visit calendar.nashvillescene.com for more event listings

Members of Newbould’s band — Newbould (guitar), Adam Dalton (guitar, keys) and Bear Mitchell (bass) — will be joined by The Minks drummer Dylan Sevey and will serve as the house band for the event. DARYL SANDERS

8 P.M. AT THE ’58 AT EASTSIDE BOWL 1508A GALLATIN PIKE S., MADISON

BOOKS [TEMPLE TALKS] SHAUL KELNER AUTHOR EVENT

Vanderbilt University sociology professor Shaul Kelner won a National Jewish Book Award for A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews. The book draws on travelogues and other source material from those who smuggled aid to Russian Jews. In a free talk Thursday at Congregation Ohabai Sholom, better known as The Temple, Kelner will discuss the three-decade campaign to

THE BAKERY RAT ALBUM RELEASE PAGE 26

BILL MCKIBBEN AUTHOR EVENT PAGE 28

ELLA LANGLEY PHOTO:

rescue Jews facing antisemitism in the U.S.S.R. Kelner offers an approachable entry into a complex period of world history. Be sure to RSVP beforehand by texting 615-426-7816.

MARGARET LITTMAN

7 P.M. THE TEMPLE

5015 HARDING PIKE

FRIDAY / 11.7

MUSIC [EVEN

MO’ ONIONS]

BOOKER T. JONES

Few musicians have had a career as enviable as that of Booker T. Jones. The Memphis native was a giant of his hometown’s 1960s soul explosion, writing and arranging many of the best-loved tunes on the Stax and Volt labels. His racially integrated quartet Booker T & the M.G.’s — featuring the Dream Team of band lineups, with Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass and Al Jackson Jr. on drums — was the band on R&B smash hits like Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood,” Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” and their own ultra-cool, omnipresent instrumentals “Green Onions” and its sequel “Mo’ Onions.” Jones’ signature style on the keys was laid-back and loose, giving songs levity in the melodies that floated above the funky rhythm. With a list of collaborators including Willie Nelson, The Roots and Lou Reed, Booker T. has always been a highly sought-after artist due to his ability to make anything better just by playing an organ over

it. A week shy of his 81st birthday, the Lifetime Achievement Grammy winner will take the old church stage at Riverside Revival to share songs and stories from his 65 years of making music.

P.J. KINZER

8 P.M. AT RIVERSIDE REVIVAL

1600 RIVERSIDE DRIVE

ART [WE ALL FAM]

BLYTHE: FAMILY MYTHOLOGIES

One of the strengths of the team behind North Nashville art space Elephant Gallery is their ability to discover offbeat artists with a distinct point of view. The latest is Blythe — the Nashville-based painter, illustrator and designer known mononymously — whose exhibition Family Mythologies opens Nov. 7. The show features new works exploring the artist’s ancestors and reflects her interest in outsider art and art brut. “It’s about how stories, parables, and non-truths alike all shape us into who we become,” she wrote in an Instagram post about the exhibition. Following Omari Booker’s excellent Be, this show — opening this weekend and running for six weeks — is a fitting finale to Elephant’s year, perfectly timed for the familycentered holiday season. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

OPENING RECEPTION 6-8 P.M.; THROUGH DEC. 20 AT ELEPHANT GALLERY

1411 BUCHANAN ST.

MUSIC

[DEVIL’S MUSIC] CHAPARELLE

Are you still on edge anticipating Lana Del

Rey’s long-awaited country album? Are you longing for smoky vocals, impeccable stage presence and the walkin’-the-floor, tear-soaked yearning of George and Tammy ballads? If so, I suggest checking out Chaparelle. The Lana comparison is not to take away from Chaparelle’s originality. In fact, they’re one of the most original acts I’ve heard in a long time. But if you love Lana’s penchant for vintage Americana, you’ll want to give the Texas band — made up of Zella Day, Jesse Woods and Beau Bedford — and their stellar 2025 album Western Pleasure a spin. (They’ve also been known to perform a twangy version of “Video Games” in concert.) Their songs, such as the vibey “Playing Diamonds Cashing Checks” and the breathtaking “Bad Loving,” have already made the group favorites in their home state. Check them out for yourself when Chaparelle plays The Basement East on Friday, with opening act The Kernal. BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER

8 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT EAST

917 WOODLAND ST.

THEATER

[THERE WILL BE NO LEFTOVERS] STREET THEATRE COMPANY: THANKSKILLING THE MUSICAL

Street Theatre is back at it this weekend with a decidedly twisted post-Halloween treat — ThanksKilling the Musical. Based on the 2009 cult film by Jordan Downey and Kevin Stewart, ThanksKilling features music by Jeff Thomson and lyrics by Jordan Mann, and was conceived in partnership with David Eck. The offbeat story

CHAPARELLE

BLYTHE: FAMILY MYTHOLOGIES

follows five stereotypical college students on their way home for Thanksgiving break. The group runs into a foul-mouthed (or is it fowlmouthed?) turkey, hell-bent on avenging his ill-fated ancestors. Everett Tarlton directs this dark comedy-horror mashup (with musical direction by Randy Craft), and the cast features a great mix of talent, including Geoffrey Davin as the demented “Turkie,” along with Joy Pointe, Nikki Berra, Gabe Cyrus, , Payton Justice, Michael Adcock and Taryn Pray. Audiences can also look forward to scenic design by Garner Harsh and costumes by Bonny Green. Packed with campy horror-film tropes, it’s sure to be a bloody good time. But keep in mind, this one is not for the faint of heart. Packed with “comedic depictions of violence and gore, explicit sexual content and pervasive profanity,” ThanksKilling is recommended only for ages 18 and up. AMY STUMPFL

NOV. 7-22 AT THE BARBERSHOP THEATER

4003 INDIANA AVE.

SATURDAY / 11.8

[FEELIN’ CRAFTY]

SHOPPING

CRAFTY BASTARDS ARTS & CRAFT FAIR

Crafty Bastards Arts & Craft Fair — presented by the Scene’s events department — is back this month with a two-day weekend market. On Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can catch more than 80 artisan craft vendors at OneC1ty, plus local food trucks, cocktail stations, a photo booth and more. The free event will feature artisans across 12 categories: body care, ceramics or pottery, clothing, leather, fiber arts, fine art, food products, handbags and accessories, home goods, jewelry, paper goods and glass work. So there should be a handmade gift for just about anyone on your holiday shopping list. Visit craftybastards.com for a vendor map and a list of vendors as well as parking information. LOGAN BUTTS

NOV. 8-9 AT ONEC1TY

8 CITY BLVD.

MUSIC

[VERMIN SERMON] THE BAKERY RAT ALBUM RELEASE

You may not yet know experimental pop trio The Bakery Rat, but it’s likely these rats know you. Cecilie Wahl, Jamie Joyce and Noah Fardon have held down Nashville’s favorite coffee shops and restaurants for years, earning an ever-expanding network of friends and fans. They spend their other hours shaping the local music scene through 15 years’ worth of projects and live bills. (Fardon and Joyce were prolific high school rockers with What Up English.) Together they blend into a smooth, synth-heavy daydream through four tracks on I Found a Lizard, the group’s debut EP. They’ll celebrate the launch with a live set, alongside openers Son of the Challenger, at Random Sample on Saturday.

ELI MOTYCKA

8 P.M. AT RANDOM SAMPLE

4904 CHARLOTTE AVE.

MUSIC [UNDERNEATH THE ROLLERS] THE AUTUMN DEFENSE

Saturday at The 5 Spot, The Autumn Defense — led by Wilco multi-instrumentalists John Stirratt and Pat Sansone — will celebrate the release of Here and Nowhere, their sixth album and first since 2014. They recorded the album in Nashville at Creative Workshop between October 2022 and February 2025. “We started this band in the late ’90s because we were becoming friends, and we realized we had extremely similar tastes in music,” Sansone tells the Scene. “We realized we had this really nice vocal blend, and that really is what pushed us to start making music together. We were discovering a lot of music from the ’60s and ’70s, so that was kind of the starting point for the band.” Saturday’s show will be the first Nashville performance in a decade for the group, which also includes bassist James “Hags” Haggerty and drummer Greg Wieczorek. Sansone says they will play a selection of songs from their new record, as well as material from their back catalog. Jim Hoke and his son Austin will open the show with a short set, then join The Autumn Defense for their performance. String ace Matt Combs will also sit in with the band. The Hokes and Combs all appeared on Here and Nowhere

DARYL SANDERS

6 P.M. AT THE 5 SPOT

1006 FOREST AVE.

SUNDAY / 11.9

[MARKET FORCES]

FOOD

INTERNATIONAL MARKET 50TH BIRTHDAY DINNER

International Market has had different

NASHVILLE SCENE • NOVEMBER 6 – NOVEMBER 12, 2025 • nashvillescene.com

owners (Patti and Win Myint, and now their children Arnold and Anna Myint) and different locations (both on Belmont Boulevard). What hasn’t changed is the fact that the restaurant is a cornerstone of the community and an important advocate in cross-cultural communication. To celebrate, International Market is hosting a 50th birthday dinner on Sunday, with a set khantoke-style multicourse tasting menu. The lineup includes dishes and flavors not typically found on daily Thai menus. Due to the evening’s design, menu substitutions will be politely declined. Tickets include a copy of Arnold Myint’s new book, Family Thai Proceeds will benefit API Middle Tennessee, an organization working toward racial justice. Make advance reservations online. MARGARET LITTMAN 5-9:30 P.M. AT INTERNATIONAL MARKET 2013 BELMONT BLVD.

FILM [CRUCIAL HISTORY] PAPER CLIPS

On the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht — the violent Night of Broken Glass in Nazioccupied Europe — Belmont University will screen Paper Clips, the 2004 documentary featuring a Holocaust study project at Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee. When students set out to collect 6 million paper clips to represent the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust, they ultimately amassed 30 million clips from around the world and established the Children’s Holocaust Memorial in the mountains of Marion County. Featuring speakers from Whitwell Middle, the free screening is part of Belmont’s ongoing exhibit Some Were Neighbors: Choice, Human Behavior, and the Holocaust. In partnership with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the exhibit features 21

posters exploring courage and complicity in European communities during the rise of fascism before World War II. Belmont is the first university in the nation to host the traveling exhibit, through ongoing collaboration between the Holocaust Memorial Museum and Belmont’s Office of Jewish Dialogue and Discovery. CARRINGTON FOX

7 P.M. AT THE R. MILTON AND DENICE JOHNSON CENTER (1909 15TH AVE. S.); EXHIBIT THROUGH DEC. 8 AT BELMONT UNIVERSITY’S LEU GALLERY (1907 BELMONT BLVD.)

MONDAY / 11.10

MUSIC [IN THE SHADE] CHEZILE

Although the production slightly blurs the presentation of New Mexico-born and California-residing singer Chezile’s neo-soul tendencies, his 2025 EP Alē is autobiographical and musically innovative. Chezile, who was born Alejandro Sanchez, grew up near Albuquerque and gained attention when his 2023 track “Beanie” became a TikTok hit. “Beanie” is soul as bedroom pop, while Alē places Chezile’s vocals in various settings that show off his range and his feel for structures that are a little weird. The EP peaks with “Hotel,” which features piano and a well-timed vocal break. Alē and his 2024 EP 47 contain some pretty experimental music — check out the fractured funk of the track “Porn Star” — and some moments where his flexible voice soars free, as in “Still in Love.” I also like “Asymptomatic,” one of the standout tracks on Alē — when he sings about being “safe in

THE AUTUMN DEFENSE

NOVEMBER 7

BOOKER T. JONES

7 PM DOORS • 8 PM SHOW

JENNA DAVIS THU, 11/6

NOVEMBER 11

RACHAEL & VILRAY

WITH MOOREA MASA & THE MOOD

7 PM DOORS • 8 PM SHOW

LEITH ROSS FRI, 11/7

CEREMONY FEST SAT, 11/8

DECEMBER 5

A McCRARY KIND OF CHRISTMAS

WITH EMMYLOU HARRIS, BUDDY MILLER, THE WAR AND TREATY, WENDY MOTEN AND MORE!

6 PM DOORS • 7 PM SHOW

WISHY MON, 11/10

JOHN HOLLIER & THE REVERIE TUE, 11/11

SUNAMI X SCOWL WED, 11/12

MATT MCCLURE WED, 11/12

EDDIE AND THE GETAWAY THU, 11/13

RYAN HURD THU, 11/13

NEW CONSTELLATIONS SAT, 11/15

CHRIS WILLIAMSON SOLD OUT SAT, 11/15

BENJAMIN WILLIAM HASTINGS SUN, 11/16

ELIJAH TUE, 11/18

NIGHT CAP WED, 11/19

THE ACES FRI, 11/21 FOR TICKETS & INFORMATION VISIT RIVERSIDEREVIVALNASHVILLE.COM

the shade,” you feel it. You can hear his voice in action in his 2025 performance on Live in the Medium Sized Backyard, where he covers Al Green’s “Tired of Being Alone” and dips into “Beanie” and “Alē.” Chezile has real chops — let’s hope he gets around to recording a fulllength soon. Alex Banin opens.

EDD HURT

7 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT

1604 EIGHTH AVE. S.

TUESDAY / 11.11

MUSIC

[THE SALAMINIZER] GWAR

Following September’s Riot Fest, for about 15 minutes — because the right-wing rage machine has the collective memory of a gnat with head trauma — Gwar was the focus of all the ire in the entire conservative world. Rightwingers got bent out of shape about the Virginia shock-rock legends beheading an effigy of the richest man in the world — hardly a new gag for a group of intergalactic aliens who have been poppin’ the tops off world leaders for the past four decades. And while the right’s little conniption fit was not a surprise, the band’s even-tempered, often hilarious reaction to their moment in the MAGA spotlight was not one we Gwar fans had on our 2025 bingo card. To say that we are pleased and proud little bohabs is to undersell it. Gwar, in all their fake-bloodcovered glory, have risen to the moment. Which maybe doesn’t reflect well on the moment, but hey, that’s 2025 for ya. The Dwarves and Blood Vulture open. SEAN L. MALONEY

7 P.M. AT MARATHON MUSIC WORKS 1402 CLINTON ST.

BOOKS [AND I SAY, ‘IT’S ALL RIGHT’] BILL MCKIBBEN AUTHOR EVENT

It’s easy to lose sight of the century’s biggest story in the chaotic daily news cycle. Legendary environmentalist and writer Bill McKibben has built a career by piecing together mega storms, raging wildfires, respiratory disease, corporate corruption and species extinction in the honest context of a rapidly destabilizing global climate. It’s McKibben’s additional gift to inspire hope over despair. He will appear

at Second Presbyterian Church on Nov. 11 to discuss his new book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, in an event co-sponsored by Congregation Ohabai Sholom (aka The Temple) and Third Act Tennessee — a local chapter of McKibben’s grassroots effort to bring together adults 60 and up to stem climate change. After a talk, McKibben will stick around to sign books. The event is free.

ELI MOTYCKA

7 P.M. AT SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 3511 BELMONT BLVD.

WEDNESDAY

/ 11.12

MUSIC

[B.A.B.E.] SCOWL

Try to find a better band name in 2025 than Scowl. You can take one look at that label and know what’s in the bottle. Scowl plays hardcore music at its peak — high energy, grungy, crusty. Frontwoman Kat Moss leads the Santa Cruz, Calif., quintet, shifting between haunting melodies and demonic shrieks, her trademark neon-green hair in a constant blur as she stomps, struts, kicks, kneels. Genre gatekeepers might dismiss Scowl on the grounds that they’ve been featured in a Taco Bell commercial — or because the drummer wore a collared polo in their first TV appearance on Colbert — among other petty reasons. But there’s no denying that Scowl’s show is a heavy, visceral experience, an annihilating catharsis of noise. It’s all right there in the name. San Jose hardcore band Sunami coheadlines. TOBY ROSE

7 P.M. AT THE MIL AT CANNERY HALL

1 CANNERY ROW

Live Music at ON BROADWAY

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.

NOVEMBER LINE UP 2ND & BROADWAY

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

11.11 Quartz Hill Records / Stone Country Records Take Over - Spencer Hatcher, Matt Cooper, Lakelin Lemmings

11.12 The Kentucky Gentlemen –Rhinestone Revolution Tour

11.13 Anthony Gomes

11.18 Chief’s Outsiders Round w/ Skyelor Anderson & Ben Kadlecek with Guests Chris Andreucci, Cody Atkins, Chris Hatfield, Jeff Holbrook

WRITERS’ ROUNDS AT CHIEF’S

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

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.

FIND REDEMPTION ON THE 5TH FLOOR OF CHIEF’S BROADWAY’S FIRST NA-FORWARD BAR

Uncle B’s

Jamie O’Neal

Anthony Gomes

From pla hif’N h t

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PIE TOWN TACOS

LAST YEAR, on the morning after Thanksgiving, I left the bed briefly to get my laptop, returned before the gray flannel sheets had gone cold, typed this note to my future self and put in on my October 2025 calendar: Start thinking about a different way to do Thanksgiving. It’s too much work, and I was so worn out by the time it was over last year that nothing tasted good. It just wasn’t worth all the money and effort. I want to have real, present conversations without distraction, play games and pretend to care about football with everyone else.

Like many who live in the same town as their extended family, I have two Thanksgiving meals — one with my side of the family and one with my husband’s, usually a day or two apart.

On my side, my parents host and stick to the same menu and recipes every year. As someone who reads five food newsletters a day, I like to research trends, try new recipes and go crosseyed reading comments. A few years ago, I offered to bring the sweet potato casserole recipe they use, which is so sugary it makes my teeth hurt. The next year I went rogue and brought butter-poached sweet potatoes. I’ve been on mac-and-cheese duty ever since.

I’ve learned to funnel my creativity into the Thanksgiving meal we host for my husband’s side of the family: He does the turkey, and I do everything else — and by that I mean go overboard in every possible way because I conflate food with love, wear myself out and wind up hating everyone and everything.

This year, I’m taking 2024 Danny’s advice to heart. My husband will still smoke a turkey — and we’ll ooh and ahh as if he’s the only human ever to transform raw meat into cooked meat — but the rest of my Thanksgiving table will be a mash-up of snacks, sides and desserts from locally owned restaurants. I need support. They need support. Instead of running laps around my kitchen for three days, I’ll cruise around town picking up preordered, premade sweet and savory self-care.

PUFFY MUFFIN’S SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP puffymuffin.com

Thanksgiving snacks weren’t a thing in my childhood home. The only way to knock back hours of hunger was to swipe a few handfuls of Planters peanuts from the ever-present canister on our kitchen counter and return to the living room couch until called. Now that my family has embraced all-day eating, my usual M.O. is cured meats, cheeses and crackers, some obligatory crudité, my late mother-in-law Lucy’s Chex Mix and the warm spinach and artichoke dip recipe from Square Table: A Collection of Recipes From Oxford, Mississippi, which starts with sautéing one diced onion in two sticks of butter. Puffy

THANKSGIVING TO-GO

Tired of cooking? Build this year’s feast from our lineup of local favorites.

BY DANNY BONVISSUTO

Muffin’s version, available by the pint from their grab-and-go section, is the only local version I’ve found that comes close, with the same dense creaminess that bubbles up beautifully in the oven, plus the tang of shredded Swiss on top.

THE LOVELESS CAFE’S MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY lovelesscafe.com

Mashed potatoes are a mindset. Some are strong enough to share the spotlight with turkey — like Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Others are made to stand in the shadow of the almighty bird, like Queen behind Freddie Mercury. The Loveless Cafe, the OG meat-and-three that has been mashing taters for 74 years, takes the “Islands in the Stream” approach. White with bits of brown skin and a few small lumps, their mashed potatoes taste like actual potatoes, which is different from looking like potatoes and tasting like either butter and cream or nothing at all. Each quart of to-go mashed potatoes comes with one pint of peppery brown gravy that walks the line between thick and pourable and will either complement your turkey or hide all its sins.

sgwbbq.com

If the name alone isn’t enough to make you swear off green bean casserole forever, surely the menu description will: “We systematically remove all the healthy parts of a green bean and replace it with magic!” Said magic includes spices that create a mild heat — not enough for Grandma to reach for her water glass — and juicy cubes of brisket. Mr. Tony seems a little magical himself — a real employee with a genuine smile who weighs pulled pork to order before sending your silver, paper-lined tray down the line to the sides section.

On that note: Along with turnip greens, glazed carrots and mashed potatoes, Mr. Tony’s green beans are part of Shotgun Willie’s holiday sides, and their queso y mac is not. But there is zero chance I walk out the door without at least six side orders of al dente elbows covered in liquid cheese (which I will hide in the back of the fridge so I don’t eat it all before Thanksgiving Day). So many macs in this town — and I’ve eaten plenty in the name of research — are laden with heavy cheese sauces that beat

AVO’S CORNBREAD STUFFING AND MUSHROOM GRAVY eatavo.com

Part of the reason I was exhausted last Thanksgiving might have been that I made two versions of stuffing because I couldn’t decide on one. Cornbread! Sourdough! How

SHOTGUN WILLIE’S MR. TONY’S MAGIC GREEN BEANS (AND QUESO Y MAC)

down noodles until they give up and go limp. Queso y mac takes a lighter approach that’s just as rich.

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

SHOTGUN WILLIE’S MR. TONY’S MAGIC GREEN BEANS

AVO’S CORNBREAD STUFFING AND MUSHROOM GRAVY

is a carb-loving woman supposed to choose?

They both turned out pretty meh — a box of Stove Top would’ve tasted better. Sign me up for a hearty vegan take on the classic cornbread stuffing from AVO, the plant-based restaurant in OneC1ty. Gonna need some mushroom gravy as well.

THE PICNIC CAFE’S GRANNY ROLLS AND MASHED SWEET POTATOES

thepicniccafe.com

Every year I rope my teen into making rolls with me for Thanksgiving, and every year they come out flat, partially raw or a sad combination of the two. This year I’ll snag a dozen Granny Rolls off the refrigerated shelf at The Picnic Cafe in Belle Meade. One of the few food items they don’t make in house, yeasty Granny Rolls benefit SweetAbility, a South Nashville nonprofit bakery that creates an inclusive work environment for people with disabilities. I’ll also pick up preordered mashed sweet potatoes — with tiny marshmallows and without — in easy-to-heat metal pans, and a few pints of various soups to serve when everyone’s tired of leftovers.

ELLISTON PLACE SODA SHOP’S PUMPKIN PIE

ellistonplacesodashop.com

Last Thanksgiving, my neighbor sent an SOS text: “Do you have pumpkin pie? We didn’t cook

Thanksgiving food this year because we didn’t think the kids would care. Grace is melting down because we don’t have pumpkin pie.” My father-in-law brought pie from Publix, so I cut a wide wedge and walked it three doors down. It got the job done, but had that pie come from Elliston Place Soda Shop, it would’ve blown Grace’s 5-year-old mind. Linda “The Pie Lady” Melton has filled the dessert case at one of Nashville’s few remaining culinary landmarks with family-secret-recipe pies for more than three decades. While you’re there, pick up a halfpint of cranberry sauce

TEMPERED FINE CHOCOLATES’ SEASONAL TRUFFLES temperedfinechocolate.com

Some people don’t like pie. No need to clutch your pearls about it — there’s a reason dessert menus have more than one option. For those who want something small that packs a punch, Tempered Fine Chocolates’ truffles are the perfect one-bite way to end the meal, and prettier than a slice of pie ever thought about being. Fill a box with a custom mix of yearround classics like Leiper’s Fork Bourbon Old Fashioned Milk Chocolate plus some of their seasonal flavors like Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Spice, Milk Chocolate Sweet Potato Pie, White Chocolate Apple Crisp and Dark Chocolate Cranberry Orange. ▼

Support LOCAL INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

A RED-LETTER DAY

Talking to legendary artist Red Grooms about his collaborative Nashville painting

BY LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

RED GROOMS’ FIRST major artistic breakthrough was Ruckus Manhattan, a 1976 installation at New York’s Marlborough Gallery that cemented his reputation while elevating the gallery’s profile. Now 88, Grooms has returned to his native Tennessee, where David Lusk Gallery has assumed his representation following Marlborough’s closure earlier this year. The timing feels apt: As the Brooklyn Museum revisits Ruckus Manhattan in Excerpts From “Ruckus Manhattan,” Lusk celebrates the artist’s enduring local legacy with an exhibition devoted to Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel, the beloved work that endeared him to his home state.

For the Lusk exhibition, Grooms assembled a handful of the city’s best artists — Herb Williams, Jodi Hays and Ellie Caudill among them — to create a wild site-specific wall painting that captures the ebullience of Grooms’ singular style. The Scene spoke to Grooms via phone as he sat at the gallery overlooking the crew of painters, merrily directing them to create new versions of the horses, piano players, spitting dragons and more that populated his iconic carousel.

You’ve had a long career, and you’re still sharing your vision with other artists who are coming up behind you. Nashville is great. I mean it’s really got so much talent, as everybody knows, and all the architecture in Nashville is really much more far-out than in New York, I can tell you. It’s going strong.

You’re such an important figure in Nashville, and

the carousel is so beloved. What has the experience of returning to it been like? This really is the first time I’ve been really connected to Nashville artists in a long time. I told David [Lusk] that we’ve got to keep them together, because we could win the Super Bowl with this group.

It’s a new generation, and it’s a generation that’s past the carousel, which started in ’98 and closed in 2003. But actually, now, it’s almost more fun than when it was here, because you can kind of imagine what its ephemeral life is. It’s been in storage here, so maybe it still exists in a fading imagination.

It’s such an exciting project. It feels like a big deal. Actually, I’m feeling like it’s Nashville that’s the big deal. I’m glad to be here. You know, it connects right up to New York, it’s just as vibrant. Only here it’s even better, because it’s smaller.

We’re having a lot of fun, and I have a great team. We’re calling ourselves the Ruckus Tennessee team, and they’re wonderful painters. We’re just really pulling it together out of nowhere, really, and it’s great. It’s hard to know who’s actually at the helm here. ▼

Red Grooms: Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel Through Dec. 20 at David Lusk Gallery

PHOTOS:

RED GROOMS

DIG YOURSELF

Lovie Olivia mines her own life and studio with the extraordinary ‘Space Scape Cinema’

BY LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

“I WOULD LIKE to consider myself an artist who invites all parts of me into the room.” That’s a line that will stay with me for a while, and it was also the first thing Lovie Olivia told me in a recent conversation about her multifaceted piece “Space Scape Cinema,” which she completed only after it was installed as part of her Space Scape exhibition at Tinney Contemporary.

This is the Houston-based artist’s second show at the downtown Nashville gallery — the first was 2023’s Beauty as a Method — but it is her first solo show since the gallery has begun to represent her, actively engaging with the artist’s creative growth and career.

While speaking about her exhibition, Olivia discussed influences ranging from Carolee Schneemann to Octavia Butler, from Pompeiian frescoes to contemporary film. But given the intensity of this particular artwork and the experience of creating it on-site in Nashville, this conversation has been condensed to focus on that process.

“Space Scape Cinema,” the multipanel mural that you made on-site at Tinney, is such a layered piece. Was making it an extension of your work in fresco, or is this more of a newer iteration or evolution of it? It’s an evolution, for sure. I’m always challenging what pre-exists, because I think that because

of my multiple identities and the way I walk in the world, I think that allows me — or I think it’s a necessity — to question and to counter what exists already.

Two things about the work are particularly interesting to me. First, the assembly of the work out of fragments and pieces, and then what you’ve made out of that once the structure is up on the wall and in place. Is that a more intuitive process, or do you already have it in your mind what you want it to be?

I had a show at Tinney in 2023, and there were about 12 leftover panels that I didn’t use. Those panels went back to my studio, and for the last two years I have spent making marks, scores, impasto caked-on mud layers. I’m constantly, constantly, constantly doing these sort of intuitive motions on all of the slabs that I keep in the studio. I’m literally just layering what I call auto-history. Because I like the act of excavation, I am trying to apply something that I can go back and later excavate and realize. … I can’t say that it wasn’t met with some challenges, right? Because what I didn’t consider was the mess that it would make on such beautiful black floors.

[Laughs] You know, there are going to be challenges, but I think that those challenges make the work even better.

That’s the thing about site-specific art-making — you don’t always foresee having to contend with those, like, super glossy reflective floors, or the big picture windows looking out into downtown Nashville tourism. Right, or the heat of someone’s breath behind you while you’re painting! And making the work on-site really emphasizes your presence here. You know, the artist is always present in the artwork, but when place is also present, it lends an extra layer of personal history, of interest. Right, and cheers to Tinney, cheers to [director] Joshua and [owner] Susan and [associate] Hunt for trusting me to do so, because we all learned, you know, what’s possible. ▼

Lovie Olivia: Space Scape Through Nov. 15 at Tinney Contemporary

LOVIE OLIVIA PHOTOS:

Enjoy an afternoon of free, family-friendly festivities complete with over 100 craft and artisan vendors, free photos with Santa, live music, cocktails, and more!

CULTURE

BOOT SCOOTIN’ BOOGIE

Lavender Roots Dance Co. embraces Southern experience and queer identities

BY HANNAH HERNER

Lavender Roots Dance Co. Queer line dance classes Thursdays at Turn Their Heads; also appearing Saturday, Nov. 8, at East Nashville’s People’s Pride Picnic linktr.ee/lavender.roots

IF A PERSON IS new to line dancing, they should stand in the middle of the floor so they’re surrounded by other dancers. That way, when turning to each side of the room as the dance continues, they’ll have someone to watch.

On Thursday evenings, Lavender Roots Dance Co. offers its queer line dance class at dance studio Turn Their Heads. The $15 entry fee gives participants permission to dance with the rainbow lights, and space to embrace one’s own queer identity. As the group’s three co-founders tell it, they’re all on a similar journey: from growing up with Southern roots and listening to country music with their families, to rejecting it all, to embracing it again. Line dancing is a conduit.

Previously, Ellie Crain’s dance experience was limited to marching band and the nearly universal experience of fifth-grade line dancing.

“Moving to Washington, D.C., really awakened this reclaiming of what it means to be Southern and not wanting to be associated with the negative parts of Southern culture,” says Crain, who grew up in Clarksville, Tenn. “In the last couple of years, I have not turned my nose up quite so much at the things that are loudly part of Southern culture, and this is one of them.”

Queer line dancing often includes song swaps, which means performing a prescribed line dance to a gay anthem, like a Chappell Roan or Muna song. The Lavender Roots founders point out, however, that country songs are also anthems of queer people — the same as explicitly gay songs are.

“Country songs are good, and more gay people should be brave enough to say so,” says co-founder Salem Horne. “There is something about, ‘I’m dancing to a song that I used to listen to in the backseat of my mom’s car in the early 2000s.’ I didn’t know there was going to be a time in my life where I felt like my weird little queer self was embraced by that. I have a new relationship with this song, with this genre.”

Crain, Horne and Attie Marshall were the most consistent guests of a now-defunct Nashville branch of Stud Country, a Los Angeles-based company that produces queer line dancing nights. While Lavender Roots hopes to one day produce larger-scale events, its path is a bit different from an organization located in L.A., where “everybody is gay anyway,” Crain jokes.

Success for Lavender Roots looks like intimate Thursday night classes that stand on their own, but can also help break down the barrier to entry to Nashville’s more experienced dance crowd at places like Nashville Palace.

“To enter into a place like the Nashville Palace is intimidating if you don’t know line dancing — period, end of story,” Crain says. “And if you add in any other marginalized identity, it’s hard to tell whether people are looking at you funny because you look visibly queer or because you just don’t know the dance.”

There’s power in going as a group, the founders say.

Lavender Roots’ leaders pick up dance routines to teach in class at line dancing spots around town and on social media. There are dif-

ferent versions of many of the dances, however, because line dancing is a regional art. On one occasion at Nashville Palace, the Lavender Roots crew began performing an alternate routine they had learned at one of their old Stud Country classes.

“Are y’all from New Jersey?” one patron asked. “No, we’re just gay!” Horne replied.

For Lavender Roots, it’s not really about the dancing — the dancing is a vehicle to community. It’s why they go to dinner after class every week.

Marshall happened upon the group shortly after her move to Nashville roughly one year ago. She’d been eyeing the group for months online, pledging that she would join when she finished working as a firefighter at a national park in Mississippi. The move was no coincidence.

“Because I’m born and raised in the South, queer community can be hard to come by sometimes,” Marshall says. “I knew that that was the first element that I was looking for when I moved to a new place. I really wanted to feel like I was connected to my queer peers in a way that I really hadn’t experienced in my life before.”

On the Thursday night dance floor, Marshall draws a comparison between dancing in unison and community care.

“We’re all relying on one another, watching them to know when the next beat needs to come,” she says. “There’s that sense of unknown, that element of ‘I’m not quite sure what I’m doing yet, but I trust the people around me to show me what I need to do.’ That’s really profoundly impactful to me.” ▼

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO

Daytime Hit Songwriters Show featuring TRENT TOMLINSON, JILL COLUCCI, ROB SNYDER + ALYSSA FLAHERTY & SHELBY RAYE

French Connexion featuring French Family Band, Jimmy Fortune, Mike Rogers, Jenee Fleenor, Ben Isaacs &

Meeks + Young Original with Bee Kelly

& cherie amour Hot in herre: 2000s dance party Graham barham w/ highway home band of skulls w/ Tom Hamilton Jr Leif Vollebekk w/ hunter metts durry w/ vial Willi Carlisle w/ clover county The Last Waltz Tribute

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST

Friends and family honor Luke Bell’s legacy with The King Is Back BY

BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER

IT’S BEEN MORE than three years since country singer-songwriter Luke Bell died at age 32 after a long battle with mental illness. This week, Bell’s family and friends will honor his legacy with the release of The King Is Back. Out Nov. 7 via All Blue and Thirty Tigers, the album is a collection of 28 unreleased songs written and recorded by the late troubadour, who lived in Nashville during the height of his career. The album was assembled by Bell’s mother Carol Bell and manager Brian Buchanan, with assistance from Tiffany Buchanan and Luke’s sister Jane Bell.

“Parts of it have been really stressful, because I know it would’ve been really important to Luke to do it well and to do it right,” Carol Bell tells the Scene. “But the people who have helped us on this project are people that really loved Luke. They’ve all been so dedicated to the project, and they’ve shown up in the best way possible.”

Carol Bell says the album is a snapshot of a time before Luke’s mental health struggles, which were exacerbated by his father’s death in 2015.

“All of the music was written and recorded before Luke got sick — either before his dad died or right after his dad died,” Carol Bell says. “It sort of returns a happy version of Luke to me.”

Born in Lexington, Ky., and raised in Cody, Wyo., Bell was a performer from an early age. From the moment he could dress himself, he loved wearing costumes and would often fashion capes out of silk Western scarves — a black scarf for Zorro, a red scarf for Superman. He was always passionate about music, obsessed with everything from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to Michael Martin Murphy’s “Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail.” One summer, while working on his grandparents’ ranch in Shell, Wyo., he discovered a box of his granddad’s old country records and fell in love with the storytelling in songs by Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins and Kris Kristofferson. A few years later, he dropped out of college to pursue a music career in Austin, Texas, where he played in a band called Fast Luke and the Lead Heavy. He spent some time in New Orleans before making his way to Nashville in 2014.

J.P. Harris was one of the artists to mentor Bell during his time in Music City. Harris remembers Bell driving up to his house in his “beat-up, really ugly, white grandma Buick from the ’90s” with his pit bull Bill, who Harris described as “the sweetest dog and the most untrained motherfucker that I’d ever met.” Bell spent the night on Harris’ couch and would end up staying for nearly a month. Harris, who owns a carpentry business in Nashville, put Bell to work when the singer needed extra money.

“He didn’t know the dumb end of a hammer when I met him, but he could learn, and he was enthusiastic about working,” Harris says. “Something about the mix of his fearlessness and his charm and his work ethic just made me immediately want to take him under my wing. … The closest thing I’ve had to a little brother really was those good years with Luke.”

Riley Downing, a member of the Americana band The Deslondes, first met Bell in New Orleans and remembers him as a “young puppy finally meeting all the musicians he’d been listening to.” Downing says once Bell started gaining his own success, he’d invite lesser-known artists to come play a show with him.

“He tried to be a big brother to a lot of younger musicians as well because he remembered what it was like,” Downing says. “Whatever we gave him when he was young, he gave back.”

Andrija Tokic runs the East Nashville recording studio The Bomb Shelter, where Bell recorded his breakthrough self-titled 2016 album. Tokic produced The King Is Back with Stephen Daly and Justin Frances. Tokic and his team spent hours going through old recordings, including tunes Bell had hoped would make it onto prior releases.

“Working on it was pretty emotional,” Tokic says. “The banter between songs, it would blast me back into sitting in the studio.”

The King Is Back showcases Bell’s spirit, featuring blue-collar anthems (“Roofer’s Blues,” “Irrigator’s Blues”), witty, Roger Miller-esque ditties like “Orangutang,” and haunting tunes like “Black Crows.”

Country singer-songwriter Kristina Murray, who first befriended Bell at Santa’s Pub, says Bell showed a remarkable understanding of himself in his lyrics.

“One thing about Luke’s writing is that a lot of times it’s almost predictive,” says Murray. “It’s almost like he knew himself and could write about himself better than he could articulate or take care of himself.”

Carol Bell says the buoyant, euphoric title track is the perfect encapsulation of Bell when he was on an upswing.

“When Luke felt like the king, he felt like the king,” Carol Bell says. “Luke’s bandwidth for human emotions was a lot broader than some of ours. He was often either really high or really

low. The song is about the upside, but people can only feel that kind of joy if they feel an equal amount of sorrow. I love that song because it’s Luke at his happiest and his best.”

On Aug. 29, 2022, Bell was found dead in Tucson, Ariz., after having gone missing nine days earlier. His cause of death was ruled as an accidental fentanyl overdose. Proceeds from The King Is Back will benefit the Luke Bell Memorial Affordable Counseling Program, a nonprofit founded by Carol and Jane Bell that supports residents of Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin by providing vouchers for up to 10 sessions with a therapist.

“One of the challenges for me when Luke was starting to spiral into mental illness is that he didn’t have health insurance,” Carol Bell says. “If Luke had had access to free therapy early in his illness, maybe it would’ve made a difference. But whether it would’ve made a difference for Luke or not, it makes a difference for a lot of people to be able to have the support they need and not be stressing about the cost.”

Bell’s friends have continued to honor him in Nashville and beyond.

Harris performed Bell’s “The Bullfighter” in honor of his friend at the 2022 Americana Music Awards, just weeks after Bell’s death. In September of this year, Downing, Murray, Jane Bell, Emily Nenni and more took the stage at The Basement East for an AmericanaFest tribute to the singer. On Nov. 7, Grimey’s will host an album release party for The King Is Back, featuring performances from Downing, Joshua Hedley, Aaron Lee Tasjan and more.

Murray considers what Bell might think of his newfound attention.

“Knowing him, he’d be laughing at the fact that he ‘got famous’ after he died,” Murray says. “What a funny, diabolical, devious fellow.”

Carol Bell says she hopes Luke’s story is a reminder to people that they’re not alone.

“After his dad died, Luke was homeless,” Carol Bell says. “Luke was missing. Luke was incarcerated. Luke was hospitalized. It’s easy for us to imagine that those people are not a part of mainstream America. If that’s true, it’s because we turn our backs on them. Here was a talented, successful, beloved, supported human who was deeply embedded in his community and in his family. In spite of all those things, he ended up living without any kind of support. I want Luke’s story to be a comfort to people who have family members who are outliers or a comfort to people who feel like outliers — just as a reminder of the humanity of all of us, including people who are mentally ill.” ▼

I SLAM, THEREFORE I AM

Talking with Angel Du$t’s Justice Tripp about pushing the envelope in hardcore punk

BY P.J. KINZER

BY NATURE, hardcore punk is music born of the underground. It lurks in basement shows and firehazard venues with graffiti-coated public restrooms that haven’t ever seen a toilet brush. The music generally sounds intentionally uninviting to visitors. But sometimes the ones on the inside feel the draw of something different than what their small scene provides. Hardcore purists have shunned that notion, and strive to keep the waters pure from outside influence. Bands like Black Flag and Corrosion of Conformity were criticized for incorporating metal elements. Die Kreuzen and Hüsker Dü were denounced by slamdancers when they slowed their velocity and started playing college rock. More recently, bands like Scowl and Turnstile have caught flak for taking on sounds that don’t strictly align with their thrash roots. It’s always been difficult to navigate the idea of expanding the sound without getting a knock on the door from the punk purity police. Baltimore native Justice Tripp is an exception in many ways. In 2013, his band Trapped Under Ice called it quits, and he started Angel Du$t, which has shared members with the other band of TUI expats, the aforementioned Turnstile. While TUI’s gruff mosh grooves kept them at the center of the hardcore world, Tripp took a different sonic approach for Angel Du$t. From the beginning through the pre-release tracks from the band’s forthcoming Cold 2 the Touch, there have been huge melodies, delicate guitar tones and even a saxophone solo — all signatures of artists who have left the scene behind. But AD$ has held onto hardcore as an aesthetic while expanding the palette,

The King Is Back out Friday, Nov. 7, via All Blue/Thirty Tigers Tribute performance Nov. 7 at Grimey’s

because that’s how Tripp wants it.

“I think there’s like this loyalty element to some people with hardcore, where it’s like you’re not allowed to do anything else,” says Tripp. “You know, it’s not like a judgment call, but people will change the identity of what hardcore is to fit their narrative. And I think that’s so much of what Angel Du$t is — challenging that narrative. Being like, ‘Yo, Cock Sparrer is foundational for hardcore, whether people see that or not.’ You know what I mean? ‘Biggie Smalls’ Ready to Die is a hardcore

album without guitars.’”

Tripp explains his mission statement for his project: “I want to utilize all the tools, all the things that, whether they’re currently hardcore or the things that have defined hardcore in the past.” But he also wants to explore ideas that might be foreign to his thrash underground, noting that “hardcore could be a lot more things than we realize.”

“And I feel like sometimes authenticity is a defining part of hardcore.”

“Authenticity,” a word Tripp used over and over in our interview, seems to be the boundary line for what AD$ will and won’t do with music. “Ideally,” he says, “art is about authenticity. It’s revealing your authentic self.”

But Tripp has to stay vigilant to keep that pure self at the front of his work. Although he’s worked on pop records and even has his own mellow Flaming Lipsesque side project Cold Mega, pop isn’t where he sees an identity for himself.

“I think there’s a level of performance in pop music

ONE MORE NIGHT IN BABYLON

Nashville

that’s OK for pop music. There’s a level of inauthenticity in some capacity. Not saying pop stars in general are inauthentic, but you allow so much room for performance and artistic expression that just doesn’t really exist in hardcore to me. You know? I mean, so there’s that line where I’m like, ‘OK, this feels too performative.’” ▼

PLAYING 8 P.M. SUNDAY, NOV. 9, AT EASTSIDE BOWL

rock legends The White Animals get ready to make their last public appearance

BY DARYL SANDERS

SATURDAY EVENING AT Exit/In, a 46-year journey that began in a cellar on West End will come to a close when legendary Nashville indie-rock band The White Animals give their final public performance.

The emphasis is on this being their final public performance — they’re not ruling out still playing some private functions. “If some billionaire wants to give us a big pile of money to play their wife’s birthday party or something, we wouldn’t be adverse to that,” founder and frontman Kevin Gray says with a laugh.

But as far as booking shows and selling tickets, Saturday’s show will be their last one. According to Gray, it just felt like it was time.

“It just kind of feels right,” he says. “We’re still on top of our game, and we’re all still friends, but the logistics are pretty crazy for us. Rich is in East Tennessee, Steve’s in Thomasville [Ga.], and I’m in Dallas.”

Rich is lead guitarist Richie Parks, and Steve is bassist Steve Boyd, the band’s musical director and one-half of the potent Boyd-Gray songwriting team. Drummer Ray Crabtree is

the only member of the band who still calls Nashville home. Together the four bandmates will be leaving behind an indelible legacy etched in the annals of the city’s rock history.

The White Animals jump-started the indierock scene in Nashville in 1979 with a lengthy weekend residency at Herr Harry’s Phranks and Steins Rathskeller, ground zero for the city’s punk and New Wave scene. They were DIY pioneers launching their own label — Dreadbeat Records — and releasing their own singles, EPs and LPs. In 1984, they became the first indie rock band from Nashville to land videos on MTV when both “Don’t Care” and “This Girl of Mine” were in rotation on the network.

The band toured from coast to coast, averaging 300 shows a year. They mostly played clubs and colleges, but they also headlined 3,000-seat theaters and opened for The Kinks, Talking Heads, Duran Duran and other major label recording stars. Major publications including The Village Voice, CREEM, Stereo Review and The Hollywood Reporter gave the band positive press, but they

never landed a coveted major label contract. So after nearly a decade of life on the road in a van, they decided to disband in 1987.

The White Animals reunited in 1999 and released the career-spanning compilation 3,000 Nights in Babylon, which featured 17 tracks from their debut EP Nashville Babylon and the four studio albums they released in the ’80s — Lost Weekend, Ecstasy, Drums in Church and In the Last Days. Since then, the band has released two more acclaimed studio albums — an eponymous record in 2001 often referred to as Monster Mash Message and Star Time in 2024.

“I’m thankful for all the people that supported us all those years,” says Boyd, reflecting on Saturday’s show being the band’s last. “I’m just grateful for all the people who booked us for shows, the radio DJs who played our records and the people who loved our music.”

“God, that’s a heavy thought,” says Parks, who is still processing the idea that Saturday night will be their final public performance. “I think we’re all a little sad.”

Adam Dread, one of the band’s longtime

supporters who gave them extensive airplay on Vanderbilt radio station WRVU in the early ’80s, will serve as emcee Saturday night as he has done at many of their Nashville shows. (Formerly a broadcast station that now streams online, WRVU is a free-format channel that features student DJs and once included community DJs as well.)

“Their legacy is, it was such a great, happy scene — and still is,” Dread says. “They make more of a personal touch with their audience, so it’s an experience.”

While their days as a live band will come to a close, there probably will be some future recordings. “Like The Beatles, we’re coming off the road,” says Gray, “but we can still be a studio band.” ▼

Playing 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at Exit/In

SIMPLY THE BETHS

BY COLE VILLENA

NEW ZEALAND ROCK outfit The Beths dispelled Saturday night’s rain and gloom with 90 minutes of power-pop perfection, serving up catchy riffs, impeccable musicianship and delightful onstage energy. It was the band’s first headlining set in Nashville since 2023, though they have been back through since, supporting The National at Ascend Amphitheater and playing Bonnaroo.

Despite the weather — and the show arriving immediately after a holiday when folks tend to go out and stuff themselves with booze, candy or both — it was a fairly packed house at Brooklyn Bowl. Fellow Aucklanders Phoebe Rings kicked off the night with slick dream- and city-pop grooves that occasionally sounded like the musicians of Lake Street Dive had swapped out instruments you might expect to hear in a jazz band for spacey, swirly synths. It was just the band’s second performance in the Western hemisphere, and it’s fair to say their recent release Aseurai has earned some new streams stateside.

The first sign this Beths show might be different came when lead singer Liz Stokes opened the night with an acoustic guitar rather than the electric that propelled the group’s first three albums. That’s a reflection of August release Straight Line Was a Lie, which features some gentler, more contemplative arrangements alongside Beths trademarks of introspective lyrics, tight four-part harmonies and infectious guitar melodies. The album has earned some well-deserved buzz, with the band recently performing the energetic title track on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for their U.S. television debut.

“Straight Line Was a Lie,” maybe unsurprisingly, was the opening song in Nashville. The band then ripped into “No Joy,” a head-bopping rocker that’s also on the new LP, which features The Beths’ classic crunchy guitar sounds and harmonies — as well as two recorder breaks played by guitarist Jonathan Pearce and bassist Ben Sinclair. As drummer Tristan Deck explained later on,

he launched these tiny woodwinds into his bandmates’ hands with a foot-operated contraption called the “Recorder Me.” This all sent a pretty clear message: Just because the latest album had some slower moments didn’t mean the show wouldn’t still be tons of fun.

“Silence Is Golden” and “Future Me Hates Me” — the latter of which is The Beths’ most-streamed song by far — got the crowd moving before Stokes pulled out the acoustic again for a trio of Straight Line’s softer tracks. She played entirely solo on the simple, affecting ballad “Mother, Pray for Me,” which marked an early emotional high point only slightly undercut by Deck afterward: “Thanks for not doing a strike during that song,” he said. Longtime fans knew he wasn’t entirely joking: During the band’s previous show at Brooklyn Bowl, an audience member made the perplexing decision to hurl a ball down the lanes during a similarly quiet acoustic number.

The group then launched into outstanding renditions of “Out of Sight” and “When You Know You Know” before some band introductions and Nashville-specific banter. Pearce recounted a visit to Gibson Garage earlier in the day — he has now convinced himself he needs a very specific edition of the brand’s countless guitar necks — and then asked the crowd if anyone had ever “gotten pissed with 12 of their mates and biked down Broadway.”

The 12 mates Pearce referenced were probably having the time of their lives when he saw them on their pedal tavern, but even those joyful tourists couldn’t have matched the energy when the band cut straight from fan favorite “Little Death” to the frenetic “I’m Not Getting Excited” during the homestretch. The only way to build the hype even further? Playing the deep cut “Less Than Thou,” as requested by a trio of fans near the front row.

“Expert in a Dying Field” served as the band’s “last song” before the obligatory encore fakeout.

Straight Line song “Take” was a bit of a curveball for the one-song encore, as it’s a moody, uncharacteristically dark but driving song that finds Stokes musing on coping mechanisms and oblivion. It’s clear the band loves playing it, though, and the crowd would have enjoyed absolutely anything The Beths rolled out by that point in the night. ▼

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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

WITNESS HISTORY

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

Saturday, November 22

SONGWRITER SESSION Adam Wright NOON · FORD THEATER

Saturday, November 22

NASHVILLE CATS Alison Prestwood 2:30 pm · FORD THEATER

* PROGRAM MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY PEDIGREE® AND PEDIGREE FOUNDATION

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.

MUSIC: THE SPIN

PHOTO:

BETHS OF NASHVILLE: THE BETHS

DEAD RECKONING

Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love is an elusive, immersive character study

BY JASON SHAWHAN

WHEN WE FIRST see the house of Die My Love, in a grand static shot determined to wring all the tension from foreground/background contrasts, the question seems to seep up through the wooden floorboards, like ants or secrets. The leaves that line the floors are not addressed directly, but they echo that same question — one that recurs throughout many different events throughout the film. “What exactly has happened here?”

It takes the young couple, Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), some time to get at the tragic circumstances of the uncle, now-removed, who lived in the house they’re now moving into. They were in New York in some capacity, but a newborn and unspoken circumstances put them in this place, down the road from Jackson’s family home (where an intermittent reunion of 2001’s In the Bedroom recurs). This new arrangement will facilitate Jackson’s unelaborated-on job — one that requires him to travel often and passively chip away at Grace’s certainties. She was a writer, but not so much now. Not with the baby and this new house. And all this history.

You can sense landmark works of womanhood-in-crisis percolating in Die My Love’s insides. A Woman Under the Influence, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Diary of a Mad Housewife, Opening Night, Secret Ceremony — you can feel the foremothers of these kinds of narratives stalking the woods around Grace and Jackson’s new home. And though there’s nothing that speaks to any specific time period, what director/co-writer Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar, You Were Never Really Here) gets across is the unspoken weight of being alive and trying to

be sociable and pleasant even as it pulls at your feet like the thickest of mud. Ramsay shoots in the Academy ratio, and it echoes its 1.37:1 sibling Bugonia in demonstrating “the frame” in both senses of the word: the space that demonstrates and differentiates the image it contains, and also a construction, mostly figurative, that implicates and entraps.

This is another of those fearless films, echoed with a go-for-broke performance from Lawrence that pulls no punches and doesn’t really care if you sympathize with her situation or responses to it. Though free with the body and its many means of expressing deeper emotions, Die My Love makes a couple of choices that have nothing to do with physicality and incarnation that you know would cause corporate board rooms and focus groups to throw up their hands in resigned dismay. You’ll know when it happens — a choice that walks the fine line between gutsy and foolish and shuts down some audience members completely and instantly.

But you don’t seek out the cinema of Lynne Ramsay looking for an easy ride. She has always had a gift for making the delineation between the internal and the external elusive, immersing the viewer in character studies that sidestep narration and exposition to let us live inside another life — and our subject Grace allows for empathy, shock, revulsion, pity and analysis. But she does not invite any of these things. Tickets get bought, and rides get taken. There are temporal shifts here, but nothing that needs to be solved like a math problem. These jumps in time serve more to unify the vibe. Even as the opening credits are unfolding, we’re immersed in a

Die My Love R, 119 minutes

Opening Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Belcourt and Regal and AMC locations

forest springing into fiery life. Is it a literal fire, or something more metaphorical or symbolic? The answer is yes.

There are scenes between Lawrence and Sissy Spacek (as Jackson’s mother) that build on a languid, palpable tension that feel like they could tear the roof off the world. I haven’t read the Ariana Harwicz novel that the film springs from, so I can’t comment on it as a work of adaptation. But Ramsay and co-writers Alice Birch and Enda Walsh are tapped into something electric. There’s a wedding sequence, scored to patron saint of Nashville John Prine and Iris DeMent’s “In Spite of Ourselves,” that feels like an echo of We Need to Talk About Kevin’s tomato festival, only with confetti and menace instead of Tilda Swinton’s cathartic crawl through nightshade pulp. Lakeith Stanfield haunts the periphery of the film, a mysterious motorcyclist who embodies several different potentialities (including becoming a future discourse lightning rod when this film opens wide). There’s an afternoon spent with Toni Basil’s “Mickey” that skips through a day in a manner both effervescent and bone-chilling. What is it about this house that calls forth these things from Grace? This ongoing series of genuinely shocking moments, in the service of something spectacular. Just a word of friendly advice: If your significant other says what your family and home need is a cat, and you bring home a dog … well, that’s what we call a hint-and-a-half. But more than that, as a ride-or-die for 2017’s mother!, I find no insignificant amount of joy to report that Lawrence wreaks great vengeance against her sworn enemy, the sink. ▼

ACROSS

1 “That so?” or “Uh-huh, that’s so”

5 Abbr. that often follows a comma

8 Hardly anyone counts on this anymore

14 Shakespearean villain

15 Zip

16 Wine and dine

17 How something distinctive appears

19 Any member of a band dubbed “The President’s Own”

20 Leveled the playing field, say?

21 Fight night sites

22 Shortage of a sort

25 Cardinal’s honorific

27 Suppose

29 Feel 41-Across

30 ___ Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach

33 Asian city one can view within Instagram?

34 Among others, for short

37 Well-informed

39 Writer Zora ___ Hurston

41 See 29-Across

42 Its hands might be near one of yours

43 Common daytime spots for first dates

44 Part of a list at an awards show

46 Biker’s selection

47 Doc seen for sinusitis

48 Austin summer hrs.

50 Board meeting handout

52 Discusses at length

55 Pin number?

56 Literary detective whose final case is in 1975’s “Curtain”

59 Sounds heard in haunted houses

61 What might prompt someone to close a window

62 Classic computer game whose players avoid hazardous items in a grid … as suggested by this puzzle?

66 Eye, slangily

67 Actress Long

68 “You’ll ___”

69 Sabotage

70 Lift a finger, so to speak

71 Output of a social media algorithm DOWN

1 Sound from a puppy

2 Balance aid

3 What might come after many years?

4 Ad ___

5 Interweave

6 Scrabble rackful

7 Half of a noted crime duo

8 Renowned house at Milan Fashion Week

9 Cousin of a Danish

10 Match, as subject and verb

11 Biblical person who says “My punishment is greater than I can bear”

12 Bone with a radial notch

13 Candy company known for its chocolate and butterscotch

18 Neighborhood in N.Y.C. or L.A.

22 Home of the most Literature Nobelists in history

23 Greece’s largest airline

24 Only video game to sell 300 million copies

26 Selfish cry before an evil laugh

28 Moolah

30 One of four awarded to Bill Nye

31 Crane’s place, maybe

32 Where the film “Argo” is set

35 Features of some windows

36 Spanish phone greeting

38 Job listing info

40 Moped alternative

45 Erode

49 Figure out

51 Out of the park

52 Certain Kool-Aid flavor

53 On the horizon

54 Polite refusal

56 ___ platter (Chinese restaurant offering)

57 Doing business

58 Carded

60 The “s” in the acronym “scuba”

63 Pizza, e.g.

64 Christmas ___

65 Like Malbec wine

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

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

Amazon.com Services LLC seeks candidates for the following (multiple positions available) in Nashville, TN.

Apply at: https://www.amazon.jobs/en/ , referencing job ID AMZ26127.1: Business Intel Engineer III (Job ID: AMZ26127.1). Support senior management by managing metrics reporting and performing mathematical and statistical modeling to produce business forecasts. Research, design, and develop new forecasting technologies to help Amazon leverage its data to support business functions through complicated mathematical modeling.

Salary Range: $147160$167500

Amazon.com Services LLC seeks candidates for the following (multiple positions available) in Nashville, TN. Apply at: https://www.amazon.jobs/en/ , referencing job ID AMZ26118.1: Program Manager III (Job ID: AMZ26118.1). Identify, design, develop, implement, and execute new and existing processes, policies, goals, and solutions to ensure optimal customer experience related to fulfillment solutions. Drive development efforts and manage priorities for project/program completion, including operational solutions. Up to 30% domestic and/or international travel may be required.

Salary Range: $139651$155400

goals, and solutions to ensure optimal customer experience related to fulfillment solutions. Drive development efforts and manage priorities for project/program completion, including operational solutions. Up to 30% domestic and/or international travel may be required.

Salary Range: $139651$155400

Revance Therapeutics, Inc. in Nashville, TN seeks Data Engineer, IT Commercial: Responsible for building & scaling production data pipelines. May work remotely anywhere in the continental U.S. TO APPLY: please send your resume to human.resources@revance. com and refer to this posting. EOE.

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