Editor’s Letter

By Chuck Allen

The cover shot of Robben Ford involved quite a bit of serendipity, which seems to be in the water around here. Maybe it’s in the water gurgling up from the spring in Lockeland Springs, which lies in a gully littered with twisted limbs and uprooted trunks. The irony seems apt, given the events of the last few days.

There’s nothing quite like dealing with the sudden collective existential crisis of a tornado. It definitely brings out the best in ... most people. But it sucks, too, to put it mildly. For me and the gang, at least after the initial shock (where everything’s numb), it also involved how the magazine should respond in a way that could best serve folks. Then it dawned on me to basically do what we’ve always done and tell stories about our neighbors doing cool things for each other and the world at large. Which I’d forgotten for a couple of days, because I was in shock.

In the meantime, I had plenty to keep me busy, which is also a way, at least in my understanding, to deal with the above said existential crisis. I knew I was back in business when our chief photo wrangler Travis sent over the portraits of volunteers he took while visiting areas — some just a few blocks from his home — with his wife, Natasha. Then she says, “Hey, I saw Robben Ford post something about finding a poster in his backyard.” Or something to that effect. Hence the cover.

The intrepid husband & wife team also returned from their adventures with stories. This is when the dam burst. The preceding days were keep your head down and do what has to be done days. The emotions drip in, to be sure, but then you kind of know it when the catharsis happens. Reading the stories and looking at the pictures helped bring it all into focus.

So, we retooled this issue as best we could and left the rest. Being as we were ready to go to press the morning after the tornado hit, certain elements exist throughout that might seem slightly tone-deaf under the circumstances. But it’s probably for the best to maintain some sense of continuity.

The stories included on the next few pages deserve to be told. There wasn’t any real preconceived idea about it going in but, taken as a whole, they provide a document representative of the humanity behind the iconic image of the still-standing “I Believe in Nashville” corner of The Basement East.

Among these are stories of survival; others are about being of service to the needs of others. In another, Trisha Brantley, owner of The Hip Zipper, poignantly describes the possible fate of small, locally owned businesses lest we forget the recovery is also about making sure the heart and soul of the East Side remains intact.

Which includes the delicate ecosystem of independent stores, clubs, restaurants — you name it. For even as the community still grieves, the opportunistic vultures hover.

Anyway, read what Todd Sherwood of The 5 Spot has to say about it. He puts it much better than I ever could.

The tornado ripped through the beating heart of East Nashville, taking with it lives, jobs, and livelihoods. There’s no question that the enormous outpouring of donations help offset the economic blow, as do the benefit shows. But long-term recovery depends on living our belief in Nashville, which means supporting local businesses with our patronage and our pocketbooks. Hopefully we won’t all be in quarantine by the time you read this.

Take care, and God bless. T