SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE
COVER STORY
Bicycles Beyond Recreation DITCH THE GAS GUZZLER AND EMBRACE PEDAL POWER TO GET TO WORK IN STYLE By Robyn Wolfe Fogle
EDDIE BRIDGES • THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN • GLASS HAMMER
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VOLUME 13, ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
CONTENTS 4
BIRTH OF A STAR: ISAIAH RASHAD
I have always had a keen interest in astronomy. How can one sit and look up, or down (depending on your perception of how you fit in the universe) and not be amazed?
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INSIDE THE CREATIVE MIND OF EDDIE BRIDGES
Eddie Bridges has a quote hanging in his home that he looks at every day. It reads, “The true meaning of life: We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most."
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THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE AGAIN
We see new films, listen to new music, visit new exhibits hoping to see something that will fill us with a sense of awe or encourage us to discuss new possibilities.
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GLASS HAMMER REMAINS IN PEAK FORM
Glass Hammer may very well be one of the greatest bands Chattanooga has ever produced. Odds are, unless you’re a professional musician, you haven’t heard of them.
ALSO INSIDE
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Bicycles Beyond Recreation “Biking keeps you tethered to your childhood.” If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard my husband say that phrase over the past year I’d be a mill...well okay maybe I’d only have a few dollars, but the point is, I’ve heard it a lot.
FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS
5
THE LIST
20
RECORD REVIEWS
7
DAY TRIPPIN'
21
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
12
ARTS CALENDAR
21
JONESIN’ CROSSWORD
15
NEW IN THEATERS
22
TECH TALK
18
MUSIC CALENDAR
23
OPINIONS & DIVERSIONS
After bidding farewell to the structure of the corporate world over a year ago, Robyn Wolfe Fogle now spends her days pursuing the things she loves. Among her passions are freelance writing, rock climbing and running.
Longtime local radio personality Eric Foster has written for The Pulse over the years on a wide variety of topics, ranging from local education to the history of hip-hop. He can currently be heard every weekday on Power 94.
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 3
BEGINNINGS ∙ CITY LIFE
Birth Of A Star: Isaiah Rashad A strong mother speaks on raising a son with love and purpose By Eric Foster
Pulse contributor
BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor Gary Poole gary@chattanoogapulse.com Assistant Editor Brooke Dorn Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rich Bailey • Thom Benson Rob Brezsny • Robyn Wolfe Fogle Eric Foster • Daniel Jackson Matt Jones • Tony Mraz Ernie Paik Editorial Interns Alyson McGowan • Colin Moran Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow
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Director of Sales Mike Baskin mikebaskin@brewermediagroup.com Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Rick Leavell Libby Phillips • John Rodriguez Logan Vandergriff • Joseph Yang
CONTACT
Offices 1305 Carter St., Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Website chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Contents Copyright © 2016 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.
I have always had a keen interest in astronomy. How can one sit and look up, or down (depending on your perception of how you fit in the universe) and not be amazed at its immensity, beauty, and abstruseness? To be more specific, let’s talk about one of my favorite celestial bodies, stars. Our sun, for example, is just one of billions of stars in our galaxy and happens to be our giver of life, everything from energy production for plants through photosynthesis to vitamin D production in our bodies. To show my extreme “inner nerd”, I will borrow the words of astrophysicist Richard Brill. “A star is born when atoms of light elements are squeezed under enough pressure for their nuclei to undergo fusion. All stars are the result of a balance of forces. Once fusion has begun, they exert an outward pressure. As long as the inward force and the outward force are equal, the star remains stable.” So, where are you going with this nerd boy? Like in the Orion nebula, where did future stars, like Chattanooga’s own TDE recording artist Isaiah Rashad, find his light? When did this future star start feeling the huge amounts of pressure, heat, and energy required to start him on his way to becoming one of the most talked about rappers out today? Simple. The answer is the Traci Vance nebula. In a recent interview, she gave a little insight on this process and offered advice to parents with exceptional children. Here are some excerpts from that conversation; read the full interview on our website at chattanoogapulse.com The Pulse: What is your philosophy on raising three boys collectively and individually? Traci Vance: I had one blanket idea of raising my boys in the beginning. But they were all different. For example, when they
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“I wanted to teach them to survive, to understand what other people were talking about so they wouldn’t be taken advantage of.” were really small I always thought it would be fun to eat together and have pizza night on Friday’s. The problem is none of them eat pizza. TP: When did you know something was exceptional about them? TV: With Isaiah, he could read and comprehend very, very well. He could actually talk when he was about seven months old. He would say, “Traci, I’m hungry.” He would call me Traci because he heard everyone else call my name. I would tell him “No, say ‘mama’ or you can’t eat.” He would correct himself and then he would eat. TP: What was your philosophy on the importance of learning?
TV: Isaiah would come home from school and I would ask about his homework and he would say that he did it all at school. I would say okay, well let me check it and it would all be right. There we no computers or smart phones then, but we loved reading. If he was on punishment, he would have to write. I didn’t just want to discipline them with my hands but with my words. I wanted to continually build them up because I know the world wants to tear them down. I wanted to teach them to survive, to understand what other people were talking about so they wouldn’t be taken advantage of.
The List
EdiToon
The Top Bicycle Friendly Cities
by Rob Rogers
According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, Chattanooga ranks 22nd nationally for bicycle friendly cities. And we're getting better all the time, as we learn in this week's cover story. But aside from the Scenic City, where are other great bicycle towns you might want to visit?
See The World Without Leaving Chattanooga Chattanooga State Community College will be hosting their 17th annual Culture Fest on this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the First Tennessee Pavilion. Chattanooga State has partnered with the Chattanooga Market, the Hunter Museum, the City of Chattanooga, and Hamilton County to bring the diversity of the Scenic City to the forefront for all to experience. Entertainment and activities will include performances from local cultural groups, a Nations Parade, and featured dances and art from eighteen countries. Learning opportunities will be offered by Chattanooga State’s Cultural Ambas-
sadors and International Achievers to enrich the publics knowledge of other cultures within our own city. The Culture Fest will also be giving awards for outstanding representatives in categories such as Best Cultural Display Booth, Best Delegation in the Na-
tions Parade, and the most authentic dress in the multicultural fashion show. The opening ceremony will begin with local leadership presenting the new members of the Cultural Ambassadors and International Achievers; which makes up over 200 local leaders, speaking 30 languages and representing 50 countries. The Culture Fest hopes to give attendees the opportunity to connect with others from different cultural backgrounds within our own city, while working to create a bridge of understanding and respect for one another in our region. — Alyson McGowan
1. Minneapolis, MN - 120 miles of featured bike paths 2. Portland, OR - Bike only areas 3. Boulder, CO - 120 miles of beautiful bike trails 4. Seattle, WA - Investing $240 million into bike paths 5. Eugene, OR - Plenty of bike parking and lit trails 6. San Francisco, CA - Bike friendly mass transit 7. Madison, WI - Bike-friendly improvements since 1975 8. New York, NY - Greenways, and car-free Central Park 9. Tucson, AZ - 700 miles of designated bikeways Source: www.statisticbrain.com/bicyclefriendly-city-rankings/
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 5
HELP WANTED Office/Clerical
Part Time Clerical Person needed from Monday through Friday, $600.00 weekly. Computer skills, customer service skills, some cash and items handling skill required.
Apply via email: jenniferwillson00@gmail.com 6 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
COLUMN ∙ DAY TRIPPIN'
Celebrate Fall By Exploring “Apple Alley” Forget pumpkin spice, get a real taste of Fall in Ellijay, Georgia
Daniel Jackson
Pulse contributor
POURING A BIT OF HIGH-FRUCTOSE pumpkin spice flavor into your morning coffee as you rush out to face yet another day on the grind is no way to celebrate the beginning of Fall. Sure, it’s convenient, but to take in the season, to really grab hold of it and take in every drop of the spice of the fall, you have to eat an apple. Now this can’t be any old apple. A grocery store variety cannot do. What you find on the shelves have spent days in a refrigerated container as they are shipped from places like Chile and they taste like it. For a proper introduction to fall you need to bite into an apple—preferably a tart variety—ripened under the harvest moon and still warm from the sun. And for this, the apple houses in Ellijay, Georgia do perfectly. Ellijay is the apple capitol of The Peach State, home of the Georgia Apple Festival. The downtown has that gem of a small-town vibe that comes with antique shops and cafes. The Appalachian Trail begins in the neighborhood of the town. Mountain biking is also big there, according to Karla Haege, communications manager for Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce. The area’s newest attraction, Haege said, is a bigfoot museum in Cherry Log, Georgia called Expedition: Bigfoot! But my wife and I were looking for something slightly easier to find when we made the trip on a September weekend: an apple tree in Apple Alley. Traveling to Ellijay will take about an hourand-a-half drive and you must go over the mountains. Grab a coffee (sans pumpkin spice) and some music you haven’t listened
to in a while. After leaving the interstate in Dalton and driving a few minutes, the mountains loom close. We passed country roads and gas stations that double as convenience stores. The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s tourism website named this route one of the top scenic drives in the state. Haege recommended traveling to Ellijay via Georgia State Route 52 over Fort Mountain, but our GPS didn’t take us that way. U.S. Route 76 leading into Gilmer County, in which Ellijay rests, was recently paved. “Low or soft shoulder” the orange signs warned. The road winds by pine and rock outcrops and while it was still late summer in North Georgia with the cell phone saying its 85 degrees, the trees were beginning to show hints of the coming reds and yellows. We visited R&A Orchards where a tractor ride into the orchard drops you off at a shed where you pay cash for plastic bags that either hold a half-peck ($8) or peck ($16) of apples. By then, it was time for that apple. It was a Rome Beauty, powdery and dull, but a shine on the sleeve made it glisten. The Rome Beauty is both tart and sweet. Fall is coming, with its bonfires and falling leaves. The taste is a raincheck. The orchard smells of dust, dry grass and spoiling apples the trees dropped on the ground rough with long grass and bits of branches from the pruning season. The trick to picking your own apples is to be choosy. Unlike the store where you’re just looking for apples that pass muster for color, that are
“Ellijay’s peak season is October when about 35,000 to 50,000 people will attend the Georgia Apple Festival, which is scheduled to run Oct. 8-9 and 15-16 this year.” not bruised and are blemish free, you’re looking for perfection here. Get close, reach high, examine before you carefully twist the apples from branches. The Rome Beauties were huge, the size of softballs. As the bag filled, the care grew. Bruised apples go rotten. Back at R&A’s apple house, yellow mums sat out in front and phalanxes of apples in plastic bags rested inside. R&A sold cook books, honey sticks on the counters and fudge. But the key to the season is everything apple: dried apples, caramel apples, apple cider, cider donuts. Forget trying to cut back on sugar. Ellijay’s peak season is October when about 35,000 to 50,000 people will attend the Georgia Apple Festival, which is scheduled to
run Oct. 8-9 and 15-16 this year. “There’s an apple experience for everybody,” Haege said. Twelve apple houses operate in the area, according to the chamber. Got active kids? Haege suggested Hillcrest Orchard’s Apple Pickin’ Jubilee because it offers everything from cow milking to an apple tree maze, a maze which is “one of two in the nation and the only one in the southeast,” she said. That drive away from the daily demands, Apple Alley, that apple— it beats just a flavor in a cup of coffee. Daniel Jackson is an independent journalist who studied Communications at Bryan College and covered national events with an internship at the Washington Times. He joined The Pulse in 2015 and has become a regular contributor and feature writer.
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COVER STORY
Bicycles Beyond Recreation Bringing Joy to Commuting Ditch the gas guzzler and embrace pedal power to get to work in style By Robyn Wolfe Fogle
“B
Pulse contributor
IKING KEEPS YOU TETHERED to your childhood.” If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard my husband say that phrase over the past year I’d be a mill...well okay maybe I’d only have a few dollars, but the point is, I’ve heard it a lot. Could cycling really be a cord tying us back to that carefree, happy time of being a kid? I wasn’t convinced it was all that. My bicycle commuting attempts had been limited to about once a year on the annual Bike to Work Day. I’d arrive at the office all sweaty and tired—not much joy in that! But he seemed to think a quality bike would change my mind, so I humored him and we invested in Trek bikes about a year ago. And well, as much as a wife hates to admit it, he was “kind of” right. Now every time I hop on my super snazzy, lime green bike, with its 3-piece crank, sealed bearings and aluminum frame, the effort of biking is much easier and it takes me back to the joy of being a kid. (At least until I encounter a hill and a bit more effort is required.) The new bike did make the effort of bike commuting much easier (I barely break a sweat!) and more fun, so much so that over the past year it has turned into an everyday thing for me. I now bike to work, to the grocery store, the post office, the coffee shop, the gym, the farmer’s market and pretty much every place within about a fivemile radius of our house. Then a friend told me about the website GreenTrips (greentripscha.org) which offers a free program that provides incentives and edu-
Jordan McKay commutes about four miles round trip from his apartment in the Southside to his job on the North Shore.
cational resources for “green” trips whether they be walking, biking, carpooling, transit or telecommuting. We members log our green trips, accumulate points and then enter to win contests at the end of each month. Incentives for doing something I love? Sign me up! I’m proud to say I logged 79 green trips last month—burning 6,400 calories according to their calculations. That’s almost two pounds I would have lost if I didn’t reward myself with so much ice cream instead. But the process of logging my trips got me thinking about other people who bike to commute. I see a lot of
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fellow bikers on the road and it made me wonder if I was just seeing them more now since I was one of them, or if it really was a growing trend. Turns out, the growth of bike commuting is exploding across the country. The National Household Travel Survey found that from 2000 to 2013 bicycle commuting rates increased 62 percent as a national average. What’s even more exciting is that the growth of bicycle commuting from 20052013 here in Tennessee has increased by more than 100 percent. Go us! The city of Chattanooga has been rated a Silver Level bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists—the highest of any other Tennessee city ranked (Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis all received the Bronze rating). Our list of Bicycle Friendly businesses includes everything from restaurants like 212 Market and our local hostel The Crash Pad, to Volkswagen Group of America and, not surprising, the Trek Store. Suspicion confirmed, the trend is growing, and our city and local businesses are making it easier than ever to commute on two wheels. But, unlike me, not everyone has a Robert Fogle to convince them of the joy and childhood pleasure that biking will invoke, so what is convincing everyone else to jump on board? “We see a combination of personal health and environmental health as main reasons for this mode of alternate transportation,” said GreenTrips Coordinator Jonathan Gibbons. “There is a trend component to cycling—right now it’s a little bit more stylish.” Of the roughly 1,550 Chattanoogans that have signed up on GreenTrips, 456 have logged at least one bike trip. When you look at the statistics they’ve gathered it’s downright exciting. So far this year, 13,252 bike trips have been logged, cov-
ering 34,432 miles, saving 1,609 gallons of fuel and burning a whopping 1,828,095 calories. Jonathan says the average bike trip is about three miles. “We don’t see many people going further than 10 miles, and less than a mile people are more inclined to walk” he noted. So who are these 456 (known) cyclist and what draws them to this mode of transportation? Jordan McCay, 25, is one. He too loved to bike as a child and told me, “I feel like I’m on the tail end of the generation where you’d get up in the morning as a kid and get outside and you’d be gone for the rest of the day...be out till dark.” Nowadays he commutes about four miles round trip from his apartment in the Southside to his job on the North Shore. “It started off initially as the fact that I needed transportation” he said, but now “it’s turned into ‘my time’ to myself. I’ve got a lot of stuff going on all the time so my biking is kind of my time. I throw my headphones in, get the blood pumping and endorphins going. I have great transportation whenever I need to for free. Period. And I’m getting a great workout.” As Gibbons mentioned, environmental health was a factor for McCay too. “I’m big into living as green as possible and not being so ‘American’ and wasteful” he added. While he is fortunate that his work schedule does not often put him on the roads during rush hour traffic, that’s not the case for many bicycle-commuters. Emily Wood, a Senior Planner at the Regional Planning Agency, says she has been a bike commuter since college. “I like the exercise and the fresh air outside, and not having the headaches of rush hour downtown” she said. In fact, when she and her husband moved here a few months ago from Fisco, Colorado, they specifically looked for a place to live that would allow her to bike to work. Nobody loves rush hour traffic stuck in their car, so why not consider the bicycle alternative? The frustration and stress of traffic can be detrimental to our health and frankly, it can put one in a bad mood to start (and end) the day.
Bikes lanes, shared lanes, and multi-use paths are popping up all over the city to connect residential areas with offices, schools, parks, restaurants and retail.
“My wife says that I’m grouchy when I don’t ride” admits Nelson Barrios who has been commuting by bike about eight years now. “Traffic is everywhere here in Chattanooga and in cities across America. Dealing with traffic, road rage, and sitting idle in traffic can cause health problems” he said. Biking does wonders for his everyday outlook and quality of life. His work commute is 9.5 miles round trip, but he and his family also bike to the grocery store, the park, library, events in downtown and pretty much wherever they can get to on a bike. While having children to shuttle
may seem like the perfect excuse to drive, the Barrios family doesn’t see it that way. “Our 10-year-old, Dante, and I ride to his school as long as it is not raining and above 50 degrees” says Barrios. His wife, Nicole, also rides as many places as possible with their two boys— Dante and younger brother, Marcelo, 4. Barrios took pride in sharing with me how Marcelo recently started riding without training wheels and on his first ride he rode the entire St. Elmo section of the Riverwalk. “I had the trailer attached to my bike” he said, “and kept asking him to take a break and ride in the trailer
but he was just too excited about riding.” The dangers of distracted drivers, angry drivers, and uneducated drivers are some of the biggest hurdles of bike commuting according to Barrios. “Bike awareness is a work in progress” says McCay, adding, “people are aware that we have a cycling community but they aren’t quite as aware in the present moment, when they’re on the roads.” Gibbons puts responsibility on both cyclists and drivers saying he has seen inconsiderate behavior from both drivers and cyclists, and adds that it is important to drive and cycle defensively. Chattanooga is working towards making the city more bike friendly. Bikes lanes, shared lanes, and multi-use paths are popping up all over the city to connect residential areas with offices, schools, parks, restaurants and retail. “Our department of Transportation goes out of their way to seek public input as much as possible” said Gibbons. Barrios agreed, “Our city government has a vision to connect the sidewalks, bus routes, and green ways. Supporting this vision will improve the quality of all of our lives.” In addition to GreenTrips, Chattanooga offers other resources to bikers as well. A Street Cycling 101 class meets the third Monday of each month at Outdoor Chattanooga to teach bicycle techniques, safety and rules of the road. Bike repair stations can be found all over the city. And, if you find yourself without a bike of your own, our local bicycle transit system—Bike Chattanooga—has hundreds of bikes at over 33 stations located throughout Chattanooga and they are available 24/7, 365 days per year. Still intimidated? “I would tell people to remember how they felt the first time they rode a bike without training wheels, most people never forget that feeling” says Barrios. We’re all familiar with the old saying “it’s like riding a bike” —you never forget it. So maybe it’s time to tether yourself back to your childhood. Give your SUV the day off and you might just find some fun in that morning commute.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Inside The Creative Mind of Eddie Bridges Art for the sake of art, freely created, freely given
Once More Through The Looking Glass Even as we grow into adults, we can not deny our love for the old classic storybook fairy tales we grew up listening to. These stories planted a sense of fun and adventure in our little lives that made us believe a fantasy world lied just beyond our front door. Some of us like to still think so and the actors at the FSBE Theater on Mountain Creek Road will re-spark that same adventure in the whole family with their representation of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. The writers of this production also drew their inspiration from the original novels by English mathematician and writer, Lewis Carroll, as well as illustrating elements from the new adventure and fantasy film, Alice Through the Looking Glass. You will get to follow along with Alice as she travels through Wonderland and meets beloved characters like the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and many more. This junior length musical will feature twenty cast members from the CDEKids group as well as music from David Riall and JC Smith. This is their last weekend, and avery important date. No time to say goodbye, hello, don’t you dare be late! — Alyson McGowan
By Tony Mraz
Pulse contributor
E
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. Friday, 7:30 p.m. ∙ Saturday, 2, 7:30 p.m. Four Squares Business Center Theatre 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. (423) 290-8515 cdoorent.com 10 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
DDIE BRIDGES HAS A QUOTE HANGIng in his home that he looks at every day. It reads, “The true meaning of life: We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contribute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.” His sheer level of productivity ensures him a high level of success. It’s not that everything he does turns out well—it’s more that he does a lot. It is a rare day when he doesn’t make some random thing. He is working on at least twenty projects at any given time. Whether he’s building bookshelves in his study, making R2D2 smoker grills, writing questions for Hair of the Dog’s
Pub Quiz, performing food science experiments, bartending at JJ’s Bohemia, officiating at secular weddings, purveying antiques and oddities at Shirtless Dave’s Vintage, or working on the best couch ever invented, Eddie is up to something excellent. “I wouldn’t call myself an artist. I don’t like getting caught up in labels too much. Semantics arguments tend to be useless; you lose the meaning for the sake of the argument. That being said, I consider myself to be a maker.” About four years ago, he had a horrible box store couch that made him feel like he was sitting on a jungle gym. He decided to build a couch with memory foam samples, with the help of his friends. “It was that cherry spot on Facebook before GoFundMe and Kickstarter. Crowd sourcing hadn’t caught on, so people weren’t tired of it yet. I got hundreds of samples from Tempurpedic. The couch is extremely comfortable, and
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“I disagree with the notion that artwork is priceless or eternal. Even the Mona Lisa, in its climate controlled room behind bulletproof glass, will be gone one day.” I’m still sitting on it.” After spending months thinking and acquiring materials, he 3D modeled the couch with Google Sketch. The upholstery came from a high end retailer—it has the same fabric as the furniture at the Chattanoogan, imported from England. It has a mini fridge, record player, computer, drawer for records, an amazon echo, remote control for lights, and room for expansion—he plans to add a Roomba garage. He also built two ottomans—one has a media storage drawer and flask drawer, while the other one converts from an ottoman to a chair to an easel. “I go from hobby to hobby like a mountain goat jumping from crag to crag. I never linger on any one thing, I revisit it. Once I get familiar with it, I will walk away and then come back to it when it is either
called for or interesting to me.” Using a vinegar bath and seaweed extract, he spherized liquor to go on sushi. When bitten, the skin on the droplets burst and released the liquor. “I was into molecular gastronomy—edible foams. I made raspberry flavored spaghetti with agar agar and raspberry puree. It looked like bright red spaghetti and tasted like raspberry jello.” The spirit with which he approaches creation is beautiful. “If I inspire anybody in any way, then I feel like it is a day well spent. If one person gets one smile, if one person says ‘I can do that’ and gets out their glue gun at home, then it is worth the effort. I’m fairly well convinced that many people can but don’t create because they think they’ll do something wrong. It’s been liberating to me to allow myself to put imperfect and unfinished works into the world to encourage others to express themselves.” Eddie is excited about projects that make life easier, like making an automated cat feeder to dispense food
with RFID tags on the collars. He’s building a hammock stand, a greenhouse, or taking apart a radio controlled car and using the parts to make a squirt gun disguised as a flower pot. He’s slowly working on a book of original origami, making drinking vinegars from obscure ingredients, and catering random events with edible art installations. He is writing an introduction for the next anthology that is being produced by the Chattanooga Comics CoOp, a group of sequential artists who meets regularly at Infinity Flux. “The act of making suits my tastes better if it’s both given freely and ephemeral. I disagree with the notion that artwork is priceless or eternal. Even the Mona Lisa, in its climate controlled room behind bulletproof glass, will be gone one day. Treating stuff as precious is something I have never done. I don’t have any work to show—I give it all away. There are very few things that I have made that I cling to, aside from things I use.”
THU9.29 The Hurt Business: A Deeper Look into MMA Examines the history of MMA from Ancient Greece to modern day gladiators. 7 p.m. Regal Cinema 2000 Hamilton Place Blvd. (844) 462-7342
FRI9.30 Movies in the Park at Dark – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Grab your lawn chair and your trusty lightsaber. 7:30 p.m. Heritage Park 1428 Jenkins Rd (423) 425-6311 bridgechristian.org
SAT10.1 The Telling Project Chattanooga area veterans gather to tell their personal stories. 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Auditorium 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4400 chattanoogastate.edu
ALL NEW. ALL FOR YOU.
ChattanoogaHasCars.com THE TENNESSEE VALLEY’S MOST POWERFUL AUTOMOTIVE SHOPPING TOOL CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 11
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR
Stump Jump 15K
THURSDAY9.29 Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m. Ooltewah Nursery 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 ooltewahnursery.com Give Back Night 4 p.m. Panera Bread 620 Northgate Mall Dr. (423) 877-0223 panerabread.com Signal Mountain Farmers Market 4 p.m. Pruett’s Market 1210 Taft Hwy. (423) 902-8023 signalmountainfarmersmarket.com St. Elmo Farmers Market 4 p.m. Incline Railway 3917 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 838-9804 lookoutfarmersmarket.com Homebuyer Orientation 5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise 1500 Chestnut St. #102 (423) 756-6201 cneinc.org The Hurt Business: A Deeper Look into MMA 7 p.m. Regal Cinema 2000 Hamilton Place Blvd. (844) 462-7342 regmovies.com Jodi White 7:30 p.m.
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The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
FRIDAY9.30 Divine Fire Yoga Festival 5 a.m. Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center 400 Garden Rd. (423) 339-7799 reflectionriding.org Southern Living Inspired Bridal & Groom Show 4 p.m. Cloudland Station 9862 Georgia Hwy. Chickamauga, GA (404) 297-4350 cloudlandstation.com Cambridge Square
SPOTLIGHT: JODI WHITE Jodi White's comedy adventures have taken her from little podunk bars in the middle of nowhere to the stage at the Historic Tennessee Theatre. Jodi White The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
Night Market 5 p.m. 9453 Bradmore Ln. Ooltewah GA chattanoogamarket.com Monster Fish Member Night 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Alice in Wonderland Jr. 7:30 p.m. FSBC Theater 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatercenter.com Jodi White 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Movies in the Park at Dark –
Star Wars: The Force Awakens 7:30 p.m. Heritage Park 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 425-6311 bridgechristian.org The Telling Project 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Auditorium 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4400 chattanoogastate.edu
SATURDAY10.1 Divine Fire Yoga Festival 5 a.m. Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center 400 Garden Rd. (423) 339-7799 reflectionriding.org Stump Jump 15K 8 a.m. Signal Mountain High School 2650 Sam Powell Dr. (423) 265-0771 riverrockschattanooga.com Founder’s Day Weekend 9 a.m. Lula Lake Land Trust 29 Mt. Oliver Rd. (706) 820-0502 lulalake.org Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m. Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (404) 245-3682 Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR
Chattanooga Pride 2016 1 Broad St. (423) 265-0695 chattanoogarivermarket.com Northside Farmers Market 10 am. Northside Presbyterian Church 923 Mississippi Ave. (423) 266-7497 St. Alban’s Hixson Market 10 a.m. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-6303 Autumn Children Festival 10 a.m. Ronald McDonald House 200 Central Ave. (423) 778-4147 mhchattanooga.com Babypalooza Baby & Maternity Expo 10 a.m. Convention Center 1150 Carter St. (423) 756-0001 babypaloozatour.com Nooga Glo Run-Run for Equality 7 p.m. Tennessee River Park 4301 Amnicola Hwy. noogadiversitycenter.org The Telling Project 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Auditorium 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4400 chattanoogastate.edu Jodi White 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233
thecomedycatch.com Alice in Wonderland Jr. 7:30 p.m. FSBC Theater 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatercenter.com
SUNDAY10.2 Divine Fire Yoga Festival 5 a.m. Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center 400 Garden Rd. (423) 339-7799 reflectionriding.org Founder’s Day Weekend 9 a.m. Lula Lake Land Trust 29 Mt. Oliver Rd. (706) 820-0502 lulalake.org Chattanooga Market 11 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. (423) 402-9957 chattanoogamarket.com Chattanooga Pride 2016 12 p.m. Ross’s Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. (423) 402-0408 tennesseevalleypride.com Autumn Children Festival 1 p.m. Ronald McDonald House 200 Central Ave. (423) 778-4147 mhchattanooga.com Musical Passport 3 p.m.
The Read House Hotel 827 Broad St. thereadhousehotel.com Ready to Rock Climb 5 p.m. Coolidge Park 150 River St. (423) 265-0771 riverrockschattanooga.com Jodi White 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com The Telling Project 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Auditorium 4501 Amnicola Hwy. chattanoogastate.edu
MONDAY10.3 The Entrepreneur’s Public Library 9 a.m. The Chattanooga Public Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattlibrary.org Red Bank Farmers Market 4 p.m. Red Bank United Methodist 3800 Dayton Blvd. (423) 838-9804 lookoutfarmersmarket.com Harvest Dinner 8 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. (423) 877-0738 feedtableandtavern.com
TUESDAY10.4 UTC Entrepreneurship Breakfast 8 a.m. UTC University Center 642A E. 5th St. (423) 425-4313 utc.edu Diverse Business Owners Rooftop Coffee and Edney Building Tour 8:30 a.m. The Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. (423) 643-7300 theedney.com East Brainerd Farmers Market 4 p.m. Audubon Acres 900 N. Sanctuary Rd. (423) 838-9804 lookoutfarmersmarket.com
WEDNESDAY10.5 Main Street Market 4 p.m. 325 E. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Wednesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 13
FILM & TELEVISION
The Magnificent Seven Ride Again Hollywood revisits the Western with a quality remake
Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D Some of the world’s most vibrant living communities are hidden from public view in the ocean depths. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) coral reefs support more than 4,000 species of fish and 800 known coral species. Recently, vast areas of these underwater treasures were protected with the creation of the new Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument surrounding the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean and the designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the first in the Atlantic Ocean. A new giant screen film, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D, provides a unique opportunity to view some of the world’s most amazing marine communities with a SCUBA diving legend. This underwater adventure, narrated by oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, opens at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater in downtown Chattanooga this Friday. Filmed over three years in vibrant marine communities from the Bahamas to Fiji, this is the first IMAX 3D film directed by Jean-Michel Cousteau. The conservationist chose to focus on the secret world within the ocean that is perhaps the biggest story of all—that the smallest life in the sea is the mightiest force on which we all depend. — Thom Benson
By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor
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Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D Opens Friday, Noon, 2, 4 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theatre 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax 14 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
FTEN, ART EXISTS AS MUCH FOR comfort as it does for challenging new experiences. We see new films, listen to new music, visit new exhibits hoping to see something that will fill us with a sense of awe or encourage us to discuss new possibilities. But there’s always value in revisiting the familiar. There is a trend right now towards looking backwards, towards remembering those experiences that shaped us into the people we are. Hollywood is spending vast amounts of money tapping into that feeling—this season of South Park, for example, is likening these experiences to a drug in the form of ‘member berries’, drawing parallels between the love of Ewoks and the
standing in the way of progressive ideas. To be sure, the glut of remakes and reboots in Hollywood is tied to memories of a safer, simpler time. My generation seems to have a hard time accepting that the ‘80s and ‘90s weren’t the zenith of popular culture. On the other hand, though, new versions of familiar material aren’t always a bad thing. Like a great cover of your favorite song, some remakes play all the right notes. The Magnificent Seven does this well enough. It lacks the complexity of Seven Samurai, the Kurosawa film on which it is based, and it doesn’t quite hit the high notes of the soaring John Sturges Old West classic. But the film does paint the numbers with all the right colors, upping the action and body count to near Lord of the Rings levels. It’s a fun film for anyone who loves the
FILM & TELEVISION
“The film does paint the numbers with all the right colors, upping the action and body count to near Lord of the Rings levels. It’s a fun film for anyone who loves the genre.” genre. 2016’s The Magnificent Seven, unlike its predecessor, doesn’t begin with a town in Mexico. The banditos have been replaced by an All American Evil: the rich, land grabbing carpetbagger. Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) has captured the mining town of Rose Creek. He runs his mine with a ruthless efficiency, encouraging his violent overseers to intimidate anyone in his path. He has bought the local law enforcement, who maintain Bogue’s lethal justice and force the townsfolk into an impossible bargain—walk away from their land for $20 per acre or stay and lose their lives. Bogue has his henchmen massacre the disagreeable and burn the church, just in case any audience members were on the fence about his evil nature.
Cut to another Western town, where bounty hunter Sam Chisom (Denzel Washington) arrives to collect a barkeeper. After the required Western shootout, a young woman from Rose Creek approaches Chisom to enlist his services in freeing their town from the iron fisted grip of Bogue. Chisom agrees and assembles a cast of colorful gunslingers (including one Native American) to defend the innocent and right some wrongs. Seven Samurai, and The Magnificent Seven by association, have always been a master class in adventure filmmaking. Every theme, every scene, every shot has been repeated and dissected and applied to a multitude of films, across genres and spectrums. Of course, you’ve seen it in westerns like The Dirty Dozen or High Noon. But even the The Avengers is a version of the Seven. Most recently, you’ve seen it in Suicide Squad. It’s a time honored, audience approved formula that works well for a variety of film genres.
2016’s The Magnificent Seven is simply a repetition. It’s a fun one to be sure— I might even prefer Denzel Washington to Yul Brenner, who I never really bought as a cowboy (but then, I doubt I’ll see Denzel in Brenner’s role in HBO’s newest show West World. Brenner was perfect in the 1973 film.) The various actors rounding out the cast, from Chris Pratt to Ethan Hawke to Vincent D’Onofrio are excellent in their roles, although the team doesn’t quite come together the way it should. Still, 2016’s The Magnificent Seven is a quality remake. It’s one worth seeing for a touch of nostalgia and excitement. The western has fallen by the wayside for a long time now. Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles might have delegitimized the genre for a generation or two. I’m certainly in favor of a comeback. The Wild West is uniquely American, an irreplaceable part of film history. Hopefully, Hollywood will write a few new ones. The West is a large place and there’s a lot to explore.
✴ ✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴ ✴
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers. Director: Tim Burton Stars: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench
Deepwater Horizon A story set on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded during April 2010 and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Director: Peter Berg Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Douglas M. Griffin, James DuMont
Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 15
MUSIC
Glass Hammer Remains In Peak Form Legendary prog rock band satisfies with new album
Getting Experimental with Elka Bong Southside Studio’s Salon Studio Series welcomes Elka Bong into their intimate performance space this Friday evening at 8 p.m. If you’re looking for something experimental and outside the norm, this exactly where you’ll want to be. Al Margolis, a well-known experimental music performer and recording artist, will join up with Walter Wright, an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes computer programming, electro-acoustic music, and video performance. The combination promises to be a show unlike any other. Al Margolis, a/k/a “If Bwana”, was an activist in the ‘80s American cassette underground through his cassette label Sound of Pig Music. He co-founded experimental music label Pogus Productions, which he continues to run. His partner in the show, Walter Wright, has developed software and hardware for artists including the Video Shredder, a desktop video processor for the TARGA2K. Walter is also a co-founder of 119 Gallery, the first digital art gallery on the web, which is located in Lowell, MA. The cost is $10 to the public, and it will be the best $10 you ever spend on a music and art show. — Colin Moran
By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor
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Elka Bong Friday, 8 p.m. Southside Studio Salon Studio Series 1431 Market St., Ste. 1 (917) 734-7382 southsidestudio.co 16 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
LASS HAMMER MAY VERY WELL BE one of the greatest bands Chattanooga has ever produced. Odds are, unless you’re a professional musician, you haven’t heard of them. Situations like this are precisely why I started writing about Chattanooga music almost 20 years ago. Back then, on the street anyway, it seemed like there were a limited number of options in local music. It certainly seemed that way to me until I actually started seeking out local bands. To my great surprise and delight I discovered there were world class artists living here, writing here, recording here, and playing almost anywhere but here.
One of my very first reviews was a progressive rock band called Somnambulist, guys who were producing music on par with Yes and Rush, guys with an international fan club, guys who, again, were virtually unheard of locally. Through them I met the fellows behind Glass Hammer and even had the great pleasure of sitting in on some of their recordings for a Lord of the Rings themed album that wasn’t their first, and actually predated the resurgence in popularity that came with the release of the films. Alas, my tracks weren’t used in the end, but I still have the scratch tapes somewhere and am still impressed by the quality of even the rough cuts of that release. In truth, Glass Hammer has been active since 1992 with Steve Babb and Fred Schendel forming the core duo that remains the heart of the
MUSIC
“Please believe me when I tell you that this band is one of Chattanooga’s hidden treasures, an underappreciated powerhouse of artistic expression in the tradition of the legends of progressive rock.” band today. From then to now the band and their fluid lineup of regular players have released two live albums, four DVDs and seventeen studio albums including their newest, Valkyrie, out this week. Again, an example of the Chattanooga paradox, most of these albums have received widespread critical acclaim and the group is arguably quite famous while somehow managing to remain almost completely off the radar locally, outside of certain circles. The latest installment is a return to what I happen to think the band does best, the concept album. The arc of the album is, according to Babb, “a soldier’s struggle to return home from the horrors of war, to the girl that loves him and must ultimately find her way
brewer media
to him.” Vocalist Susie Bogdanowicz, who took a hiatus from the band from 2009 to 2013, takes center stage on the album, a response to her status as a fan favorite, while Schendel and Babb have taken on a more active role vocally than in recent albums. Trailers and teasers for Valkyrie reveal Glass Hammer in peak form, with Bogdanowicz on lead vocals, Babb on bass, keyboards and vocal, Schendel on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Alan Shikoh on acoustic guitars and sitar and Aaron Raulston on drums. Produced by Fred and Steve, the album exhibits the perfectionism and attention to detail one comes to expect from Glass Hammer and Bob Katz’s mastering of the final product is flawless. As with much of the very best prog rock available, the instrumentals carry as much impact in terms of mood and story as any vocals ever could, but coupled with the graceful, ethereal vocals of Bogdanowicz, the album delivers a
“one, two knockout punch” of expression leading some critics to refer to it as, “the best of 2016.” You’ll find no argument from me on that count; the album is the best of 2016, and the best so far from a band whose reputation is firmly built on impeccable albums. If you already know the band Glass Hammer, then you already know to expect what I’ve said here and more, but if you haven’t heard them yet, please believe me when I tell you that this band is one of Chattanooga’s hidden treasures, an underappreciated powerhouse of artistic expression in the tradition of the legends of progressive rock. Their new album is Valkyrie, and it is some of the most beautiful and well crafted music you’ll hear all year. For more information on the availability or to hear a teaser, visit glasshammer. com. And if you’ve not heard the band the before, give yourself an afternoon to peruse their vast and impressive catalog.
THU9.29 YGTUT Check out one of the city's hip hop up-andcomers, along with Crown, Hise, and Swayvo. 1 p.m. 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
FRI9.30 Caney Creek Company You want Americana? Check. You want great harmonies? Check. You want strong songwriting? Check. 6:30 p.m. Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. caneycreekcompany.com
SAT10.1 The 3 Sisters Music Festival Time to kick off the annual RiverRocks festival with a riverbank full of great bluegrass and Americana. 6 p.m. Ross's Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. 3sistersbluegrass.com
Chattanooga’s Greatest Hits
everywhere. every day.
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 17
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
The Main Squeeze
THURSDAY9.29 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m. St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Rick Rushing Blues Jazz N’ Friends 6 p.m. Bluewater Grille 224 Broad St. bluewaterchattanooga.com Live Bluegrass 6:30 p.m. Whole Foods Market 301 Manufacturers Rd. wholefoodsmarket.com Coach N’ Commando, Tessa Lynn Plank 7 p.m. Ziggy’s Bar & Grill 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Bluegrass Thursdays 7:30 p.m. Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7:30 p.m. Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. mexi-wingchattanooga.com Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m. The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St.
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citycafemenu.com YGTUT, Crown, Hise, Swayvo 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
FRIDAY9.30 Eddie Pontiac 6 p.m. El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com 3 Sisters Music Festival 6 p.m. Ross's Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. 3sistersbluegrass.com Caney Creek Company 6:30 p.m. Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln.
SPOTLIGHT: KATE KLIM Kate Klim was five years old when her family inherited a piano, 9 years old when she received her first lesson. She's nver once looked back. Kate Klim Sunday, 2 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com
caneycreekcompany.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Jenny Clower and Ken Hicks 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. (423) 892-4960 Instant Replay 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com The Main Squeeze 9 p.m. Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Masseuse, New Wave Rebellion
9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Amber’s Drive 9 p.m. Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com/chattanooga Tree Tops 10 p.m. Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Azreal 10 p.m. Raw Bar & Grill 409 Market St. rawbarandgrillchatt.com Aunt Betty 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SATURDAY10.1 Matt Downer 12:30 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. chattanoogarivermarket.com Eddie Pontiac 6 p.m. El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
The Wood Brothers 3 Sisters Music Festival 6 p.m. Ross's Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. 3sistersbluegrass.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Megan Saunders, Fritsl Butler, Katrina Barclay 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. (423) 892-4960 Instant Replay 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Lazy Horse-A Tribute To Neil Young 9 p.m. Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Brightside, Doyle, Ludge 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com A Galaxy Purple 9 p.m. Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com/chattanooga The Get Right Band 10 p.m. Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com
Kara-Ory-Oke 10 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Azreal 10 p.m. Raw Bar & Grill 409 Market St. rawbarandgrillchatt.com Aunt Betty 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SUNDAY10.2 Ryan Oyer 11 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Stratoblasters 12:30 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Astrophe 1:30 p.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Kate Klim 2 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m. Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775
MONDAY10.3 Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Very Open Mic 8 p.m. The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com Open Mic Night 6 p.m. Puckett’s Grocery 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Open Air with Jessica Nunn 7:30 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com
TUESDAY10.4 Tom Cordell Trumpet Improv Ensemble 6 p.m. Spring Hill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. (423) 834-9300 Babbie Mason 6 p.m. Brainerd Crossroads 4011 Austin St. 423) 643-4978 Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Heatherly, Peak
Physique, Danimal 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
WEDNESDAY10.5 Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonrestaurant.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com The Wood Brothers 8 p.m. Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Open Jam 8 p.m. Raw Dance Club 409 Market St. rawbarandgrillchatt.com Wednesday Night Jazz 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org NOTS, The World 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 19
RECORD REVIEWS ∙ ERNIE PAIK
The Dwarfs of East Agouza Bes, Gaël Segalen L’ange le sage
The Dwarfs of East Agouza Bes (Nawa)
T
he Carl W. Buechner quote “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel” was made about how people are disturbed, not by things, but by the feelings triggered by those things. This summarizes the key divide between a person’s rational response and emotional response, and in a way, this can apply to the realm of music—while a person can break down a memorable song into technical details, a listener is most likely going to remember the emotion it inspires. In today’s world of short attention spans, music that gradually unfurls with controlled repetition in order to work its magic to generate a feeling is automatically penalized, unfortunately—hitting the fast forward button on pieces like Ravel’s “Boléro” or Can’s “Yoo Doo Right” is pointless, as those pieces require a time commitment and patience. This brings us to the new
20 • THE PULSE • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
album Bes from the Cairocentered trio The Dwarfs of East Agouza, featuring Egyptian musician Maurice Louca (Alif, Bikya), the Montrealbased Sam Shalabi (Shalabi Effect, Land of Kush) and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, The Invisible Hands). The ten-minute opener “Baka of the Future” builds a gentle yet firm momentum based on Bishop’s octaveinterval-spanning, seemingly Krautrock-inspired bass line and hand-drum beats, with Shalabi meditative, patternbased wandering on electric guitar and Louca’s keyboard minimalism; time melts away, leaving the listener feeling refreshed, yet slightly lulled and prodded simultaneously. “Clean Shahin” bears more evident North African qualities in its percussion, as does the 16-minute “Where’s Turbo?” while the latter’s effervescent upward synth pattern gives it a space-age flair, spurred by Shalabi’s restless scurrying; past the halfway mark, sounds begin to swirl together into a quasi-psychedelic effecttreated vortex before crawling back to dry land. The 35-minute “Museum of Stranglers,” divided into three parts, finds Bishop noodling frantically on the saxophone on its first part; it becomes shapeless in its second part with odd vocalizations plus squirrelly and bendy guitar and synth parts, and rooted
with beats, the third part drives it all home, revealing sonic mysteries and arcane delights to the patient listener that must be experienced in generous stretches of time.
Gaël Segalen L’ange le sage (Erratum)
T
he absorbing and intricate debut album L’ange le sage (“The Wise Angel”) from Parisian Gaël Segalen at times is like a crowded, costumed ball with unusual sound figures rubbing up against each other in both welcome and unwelcome ways. Sound, as an art form, can be understood as a form of wordless communication, transcending language, and well-crafted sound combinations and minglings can inspire complex responses, beyond simple, basic emotions. The most enlightening writing about Segalen’s work and sources that this reviewer has encountered is her commentary that accompanies a playlist she assembled five years ago, where she discusses her attraction to foreign languag-
es that she could not understand and her passion for listening to dialogue, especially arguments. This makes perfect sense, listening to L’ange le sage, with atypical polyrhythms formed by loops reacting with each other; familiar sounds, like the chimes and tinkling bells on “Ascension” are forced to interact with noises that are not easily placed. It can be hypnotic and disquieting in its otherworldly way, with the most tenuous tie to dance music with lightly pulsing subterranean bass drum beats, in non-obvious patterns, heard occasionally on “Ascension.” Industrial repetition is evoked, with relates to Segalen’s affinity for the rhythm of engines (mentioned in the aforementioned commentary), with an oppressive roar of simulated machinery in the background messiness. “Taïra” builds tension in the odd grey area between terror and horror, and for this writer, the album’s most interesting and compelling track is “Symétrique à la lune” (“Symmetrical to the Moon”) which assembles neutral sounds and human breaths to create a powerful piece provoking a tangled, gut-wrenching sadness—like the rumblings of a building about to crumble and collapse, or the sustained crunch of a tall, healthy tree that is being chopped down and falling.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ∙ ROB BREZSNY LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Thank you for all the entertainment you’ve provided in the past 12 months, Libra. Since shortly before your birthday in 2015, you have taken lively and gallant actions to rewrite history. You have banished a pesky demon and repaired a hole in your soul. You’ve educated the most immature part of yourself and nurtured the most neglected part of yourself. To my joyful shock, you have even worked to transform a dysfunctional romantic habit that in previous years had subtly undermined your ability to get the kind of intimacy you seek. What’s next? Here’s my guess: an unprecedented exemption from the demands of the past. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Are you able to expand while you are contracting, and vice versa? Can you shed mediocre comforts and also open your imagination to gifts that await you at the frontier? Is it possible to be skeptical toward ideas that shrink your world and people who waste your time, even as you cultivate optimism and innocence about the interesting challenges ahead of you? Here’s what I think, Scorpio: Yes, you can. At least for right now, you are more flexible and multifaceted than you might imagine. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You Sagittarians are famous for filling your cups so full they’re in danger of spilling over. Sometimes the rest of us find this kind of cute. On other occasions, we don’t enjoy getting wine splashed on our shoes. But I suspect that in the coming weeks, the consequences of your tendency to overflow will be mostly benign— perhaps even downright beneficial. So I suggest you experiment with the pleasures of surging and gushing. Have fun as you escape your niches and transcend your containers. Give yourself permission to seek adventures that might be too extravagant for polite company. Now here’s a helpful reminder from your fellow Sagittarian, poet Emily Dickinson: “You cannot fold a flood and put it in a drawer.” CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I believe that during the coming weeks you will have an extra amount of freedom from fate. The daily grind won’t be able to grind you down. The influences that typically tend to sap your joie de vivre will leave you in peace. Are you ready to take full advantage of this special dispensation? Please say YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES. Be alert for opportunities to rise above the lowest common denominators. Be aggressive about rejecting the trivial questions that trap everyone in low expectations. Here are my predictions: Your willpower will consistently trump your con-
ditioning. You won’t have to play by the old rules, but will instead have extra sovereignty to invent the future. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you can expect an unlikely coincidence or two in the coming days. You should also be alert for helpfully prophetic dreams, clear telepathic messages, and pokes from tricky informers. In fact, I suspect that useful hints and clues will be swirling in extra abundance, sometimes in the form of direct communications from reliable sources, but on occasion as mysterious signals from strange angels. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You know that inner work you’ve been doing with such diligence? I’m referring to those psycho-spiritual transformations you have been attending to in the dark… the challenging but oddly gratifying negotiations you’ve been carrying on with your secret self… the steady, strong future you’ve been struggling to forge out of the chaos? Well, I foresee you making a big breakthrough in the coming weeks. The progress you’ve been earning, which up until now has been mostly invisible to others, will finally be seen and appreciated. The vows you uttered so long ago will, at last, yield at least some of the tangible results you’ve pined for. ARIES (March 21-April 19): What’s the difference between a love warrior and a love worrier? Love warriors work diligently to keep enhancing their empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence. Love worriers fret so much about not getting the love they want that they neglect to develop their intimacy skills. Love warriors are always vigilant for how their own ignorance may be sabotaging togetherness, while love worriers dwell on how their partner’s ignorance is sabotaging togetherness. Love warriors stay focused on their relationship’s highest goals, while love worriers are preoccupied with every little relationship glitch. I bring this to your attention, Aries, because the next seven weeks will be an excellent time to become less of a love worrier and more of a love warrior. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How will you deal with a provocative opportunity to reinvent and reinvigorate your approach to work? My guess is that if you ignore this challenge, it will devolve into an obstruction. If you embrace it, on the other hand, you will be led to unforeseen improvements in the way you earn money and structure your daily routine. Here’s the paradox: Being open to seemingly impractical considerations will ultimately turn out to be quite practical.
JONESIN' CROSSWORD ∙ MATT JONES
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Is it possible that you’re on the verge of reclaiming some of the innocent wisdom you had as a child? Judging from the current astrological omens, I suspect it is. If all goes well, you will soon be gifted with a long glimpse of your true destiny—a close replica of the vision that bloomed in you at a tender age. And this will, in turn, enable you to actually see magic unicorns and play with mischievous fairies and eat clouds that dip down close to the earth. And not only that: Having a holy vision of your original self will make you even smarter than you already are. For example, you could get insights about how to express previously inexpressible parts of yourself. You might discover secrets about how to attract more of the love you have always felt deprived of. CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’m not asking you to tell me about the places and situations where you feel safe and fragile and timid. I want to know about where you feel safe and strong and bold. Are there sanctuaries that nurture your audacious wisdom? Are there natural sites that tease out your primal willpower and help you clarify your goals? Go to those power spots. Allow them to exalt you with their transformative blessings. Pray and sing and dance there. And maybe find a new oasis to excite and incite you, as well. Your creative savvy will bloom in November if you nurture yourself now with this magic. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): One of your old reliable formulas may temporarily be useless or even deceptive. An ally could be withholding an important detail from you. Your favorite psychological crutch is in disrepair, and your go-to excuse is no longer viable. And yet I think you’re going to be just fine, Leo. Plan B will probably work better than Plan A. Secondary sources and substitutes should provide you with all the leverage you need. And I bet you will finally capitalize on an advantage that you have previously neglected. For best results, be vigilant for unexpected help. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Attention! Warning! One of your signature fears is losing its chokehold on your imagination. If this trend continues, its power to scare you may diminish more than 70 percent by November 1. And then what will you do? How can you continue to plug away at your goals if you don’t have worry and angst and dread to motivate you? I suppose you could shop around for a replacement fear—a new prod to keep you on the true and righteous path. But you might also want to consider an alternative: the possibility of drawing more of the energy you need by feeding your lust for life.
“Movies on the Cheap”—working with a low, low budget. ACROSS 1 Flower’s friend 6 Beaver-made barriers 10 ___ Punk 14 With “The,” groundbreaking Showtime series 15 Jacob’s biblical twin 16 Singer Lorde’s real first name 17 Charity beneficiary 18 “Like” or “leave”, e.g. 19 Chick chirp 20 “We couldn’t get alien blood, so we just sprayed plants with ___” 23 2016 U.S. Open winner Wawrinka 24 Abbr. at the bottom of an application 25 “Ring around the collar” detergent 28 “Of course we can’t have a monster destroy buildings, so we built entire ___” 34 Bit of slapstick 36 Jabba the ___ 37 Anti-___ hand soap 38 Grosse ___, Michigan
39 How hordes advance 42 Mrs., in Mallorca 43 Quentin preceder 44 Ground beef packaging word 45 Fixate (on) 47 “Instead of alien spacecraft, we got fishing line and dangled ___” 51 “Shepherd Moons” Grammy winner 52 Hornswoggled 53 Samoa’s capital 55 “Fake blood was too expensive, so we just used ___” 62 Inside info 63 List-ending abbr. 64 “Everything will be all right” 65 Bird associated with the Egyptian god Thoth 66 Shoe accessory 67 Like meshed fabric 68 Religious offshoot 69 They’re hot in Hanoi 70 Needing a pat on the back?
DOWN 1 Apt. complex unit 2 Mil. infraction 3 Hi-fi setting 4 It’s passed when someone requests “beer me” 5 “That is,” in Latin 6 “Workaholics” costar Adam 7 “Hey, wait ___!” 8 Put an X on 9 School curriculum categories 10 Portray 11 “Match Game” host Baldwin 12 Run like hell 13 Savion Glover’s specialty 21 Jazz guitarist ___ Farlow 22 Delta competitor 25 Belt place 26 Relative by marriage 27 Dictation taker, once 29 Kofi Annan’s home country 30 Ending for danger or thunder
31 “A Doll’s House” playwright Henrik 32 In advance 33 La ___ (Milan opera house) 35 Kind of issues aggravated by gluten 40 Be in a fix 41 It’s way easier to fold than a GPS 46 Unsatisfactorily watered-down argument, in slang 48 Hot tub maintenance task, often 49 Home city of pizza 50 Mineral spring site 54 Cupcake topper 55 Two-decade Laker Bryant 56 Insanely great 57 State with six sides 58 Rabanne of perfume and fashion 59 Approx. costs 60 Little ‘uns 61 Blue-bottled vodka brand 62 Insult
Copyright © 2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per3minute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 799 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 21
COLUMN ∙ TECH TALK
Future’s So Bright, Got to Wear VR ViatorVR wins 48 Hour Launch with immersive language learning
Rich Bailey
Pulse columnist
A FEW MONTHS AGO, I WROTE about a pair of MIT grad students in Gig Tank developing a company to make virtual reality experiences available to elderly people living in long-term care communities. This column is an unplanned sequel: the winner of CoLab’s latest 48 Hour Launch this month was a pair of Chattanoogans developing a VR product to teach languages. “ViatorVR is an immersive, interactive language-learning experience that utilizes virtual reality to submerge users into engaging environments,” says cofounder Forrest Pruitt. “The project’s main goal is to provide intermediate to advanced languagelearning experience, with a focus on listening, speaking, and cultural exchange.” Pruitt and cofounder Nicole Prebula both graduated from Chattanooga’s Center for Creative Arts, then pivoted from arts (music performance for him, technical theater for her) to computer science at UTC. She’s finishing up at UTC, while he graduated in 2014, spent two years as a developer for Chattanooga-based moving startup Bellhops and just started working remotely for a StudioNow, a global video production platform headquartered in Nashville. Language study for adults learning a second language is typically far less immersive than for a child learning its first. Compared to what a toddler experiences—knowing no language, surrounded by people constantly talking about and touching things—listen-
ing to audio, reading text, and responding to “repeat after me, class” are like a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy: there’s still something there, but most of the good stuff is gone. “In a ViatorVR environment, you can point to, pick up, and hear or see the names of objects,” says Pruitt. “You can have conversations with fellow language learners, or have a private lesson with an instructor.” Software development for the single-learner version is complete, and now Pruitt and Prebula are working on the multi-user experience. “Users will be able to choose the language they wish to learn and the environment they wish to visit, like an airport, restaurant, hotel, etc.,” says Pruitt. “They can choose to be placed into a public space with other language learners, or to enter a private session by themselves—it’s up to the user and what they feel comfortable with. There will also be functionality to enable one-on-one sessions with registered instructors or peers.” Pruitt and Prebula earned a place in GigTank 365 by winning the 48 Hour Launch competition, but they plan to develop ViatorVR’s software a bit more first. “We have decided to postpone our entry into GigTank 365 while we work on our core product and get to a place where we are ready to build our brand and message,”
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“The project’s main goal is to provide intermediate to advanced languagelearning experience, with a focus on listening, speaking, and cultural exchange.” says Pruitt. “In the next three to six months, we are looking to open a VR lab in Chattanooga, so we can have a place other than home for project development and user testing.” Initially they plan to market to university language departments, as a tool for intermediate-to-advanced language learners. “The base platform will be free and open source for anyone who wants to download it,” says Pruitt. “Our current plan is to market setup and support to universities, as well as custom content creation and premium content packs to all customers. Billions of dollars are changing hands in the VR startup space.
Facebook recently paid $2 billion for the hottest VR hardware company, OculusVR, and a newer VR tech company, Magic Leap, drew $1.4 billion in funding before releasing a beta version. Competing VR language-learning products are few, and none offer everything that ViatorVR will include, according to Pruitt. Sounds like the future’s so bright, we’ll all be wearing VR headsets soon.
Rich Bailey is a professional writer, editor and (sometimes) PR consultant. He led a project to create Chattanooga’s first civic website in 1995 before even owning a modem. Now he covers Chattanooga technology for The Pulse and blogs about it at CircleChattanooga.com
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • THE PULSE • 23