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MAY 6-12, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Roots Up Gallery closes location, transitions to online Leslie Lovell and Russell Kueker are working on packing up the gallery. Photo by Rachael Flora

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

WEEK AT A Q

Glance A

COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.

Bluegrass by the Pint from Service Brewing — Join Service Brewing for live streaming Bluegrass from one of our favorite local bands, City Hotel! Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/servicebrewing/ Cooking Between the Lines — Hands-on livestreamed cooking lessons from Chef Darin Sehnert. Mondays, 6 p.m., Wednesdays, 6 p.m. and Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/chefdarinskitchentable/

Brady and the Bazookas

TENSE #ArtBreak 5 p.m. Flashback: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Bar with a Sports Attitude — Livestreams Lyn Avenue - “Six String Sippin” with area artists each Friday and Satevery Friday at 8pm urday night at 8 p.m. Fridays, facebook.com/LynAvenue Saturdays, 8 p.m. Neighborhood Comics Facebook Forsyth Farmers Market Live Check-In - Every Wednesday at 9 a.m.-1 p.m. 2PM to discuss the latest in comics, Enhanced social distancing between updates from staff and customers and vendors. general goofiness. facebook.com/nbrhdcomics Front Porch Improv: Storytime — What’s the story, morning glory? You NSFW DJ Collective — Livestreams have to check in to find out! from you favorite NSFW DJs plus Mondays-Fridays, 1 p.m. special facebook.com/frontporchimprov/ guest mixes. 5 p.m.-midnight. Fridays-Sundays. Front Porch Improv: Classics — facebook.com/NSFWDJ/ Enjoy archives of past Front Porch Improv performances. Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Parties — PFS streams unusual facebook.com/frontporchimprov/ feature-length movies with live, locally produced introductions. After Jason Bible — Jason Bible of local the films viewers can discuss the films favorites The Train Wrecks performs in Real-Time via the comments secsolo sets. tion of our page. In order to receive Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. the secret link to these hidden streamfacebook.com/thetrainwrecksband/ ing playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, Keystone Postcard - “Neighborhood at the link below. Each week, anyone Concerts from our Driveway” every who chooses to voluntarily donate at Wednesdays 4-6pm and Sundays least $5 to the organization via PayPal 1-3pm or Venmo receives a free high qualfacebook.com/KeystonePostcard/ ity digital download of a movie from the PFS archive, and is entered into a Laney Contemporary — Join Laney drawing to win a free Contemporary Art Gallery on Instalimited edition T-shirt. Links remain gram Live each day for a PRESENT active for 48 hours. Wednesdays,

Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/ groups/2519522234807695/ Otium Savannah yoga studio and wellness space — 20 minute guided meditation overlooking the city from Perry Lane Hotel rooftop. 9am on Thursdays. @otiumsavannah and @ThePerryLaneHotel Instagram channels Quarantine Concert: Jeff Two Names — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Wed. May 6, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org Quarantine Concert: Brady and the Bazookas — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Fri. May 8, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org Quarantine Concert: D.J. Serch — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Sat. May 9, 7:30 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org Quarantine Concert: Ron Helman Jazz Ensemble — Local ensemble performs a live set in a pro studio setting. Sun. May 10, 3 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org Sarah Poole — Local musician Sarah Poole performs. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 6:30 p.m.

facebook.com/sarah.poole.505 Sean Moloney — Local musician performs. Daily 5 p.m. facebook.com/sean.moloney.5 Irish Music with Seldom Sober — Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/ Shed Show Live - Local musician Matt Eckstine presents a weekly livestream from his cozy shed. A mix of original songs, music from his time with The Accomplices, and covers. Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. facebook.com/matteckstinemusic Streaming Odd! — Odd Lot Improv is streaming some favorite games live! Watch live and interact! Give suggestions! Comment as we go! You can also post your favorite quotes, lyrics, weird words to this event and we will try to incorporate as many as we can! Fridays, 7:30 p.m. facebook.com/OddLot/

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

Eric Britt — Local singer/songwriter Eric Britt plays solo sets, alternating with releases from his new album ‘Full Circle.’ Wed., April 8, 6 p.m. facebook.com/eric.britt1

Sunday Service with Epiphany — A “different kind of church,” Epiphany livestreams their Sunday morning service. Sundays, 11 a.m. 3 facebook.com/EpiphanySavannah/

NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE Proud Sponsor

Did we learn anything at all? BY JIM MOREKIS

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Josephine Beisel, Editorial Intern CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Kristy Edenfield, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 Dean Moesch, Account Executive dean@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 DESIGN & PRODUCTION

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

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jim@connectsavannah.com

FOR MUCH of the pandemic, you could find all sorts of dire predictions in the media about how “Life will never be the same. Everything has changed forever.” There’d be no more live concerts or live performances as we know them. People would have to get used to everything being streamed. The restaurant experience would totally change. Or go away entirely. Everyone would cook and eat at home, in isolation. No more handshaking or hugging. Sports in a stadium with 80,000 people? Forget about it. We’d have new empathy towards essential workers. We’d elevate grocery and other service workers to their rightful place in society, and actually pay them a decent wage, with a civilized amount of paid time off.

Many stated openly that they had grown tired of the lockdowns in their states, such as Ohio and Michigan, and wanted to go somewhere that was “back open,” with none of those pesky rules safeguarding public safety. Savannah being a hospitable place — and dependent on tourists’ money — people eagerly responded with suggestions of where to stay and what to do. While others, who thought it was happening too quickly, looked on with a mixture of disbelief and horror. All the hard work and tough choices by local officials like Savannah Mayor Van Johnson were quickly taken for granted, as our relatively low rate of infection — a direct result of responsible governance — was effectively used against us. Our fairly robust state of public health was taken as an invitation for others to come from out of state and weaken it. No good deed goes unpunished. In addition to pointing out the foibles and fecklessness of human nature, this all points out what a fiasco Georgia’s entire

But this being the Bible Belt, bars still aren’t allowed to open! Not until May 14 as of this writing. Makes no sense. You can go to a restaurant bar and do the exact same thing you’d do at a bar that doesn’t serve food. (Wouldn’t it actually be safer at a bar that doesn’t serve food?) So who are we kidding at this point? I never bought the apocalyptic predictions that there’d be no more live music, or half of all restaurants would close, etc. However, for a short window of time we were having a long overdue conversation in this country about ways to fix the deep wounds and fault lines the pandemic revealed: The need for universal health care… the need for essential workers to have more rights and higher wages… the need to increase vital infrastructure like unemployment office servers… the need for a rent and mortgage freeze during economic crisis…the need to enter the 21st century with family leave and remote working options… the concept of Universal Basic Income… to name a few.

We could “never go back to how things were before.” Until we did. It took one weekend. All those ideas are so April. Now it’s May. All the predictions seemed to go out the window virtually the minute Georgia’s toothless, widely disregarded “shelter in place” order expired this past Thursday at midnight. We could “never go back to how things were before.” Until we did. It took one weekend. Whether it was Tybee Island or Home Depot, Forsyth Park in Savannah or Piedmont Park in Atlanta, you’d never know there was a deadly global pandemic by the numbers of people who decided enough was enough, and they were getting back into the mix. For Savannah, the “new normal” very quickly began looking just like the old normal — bachelorette parties and all. While many welcomed the opportunity to get back to work and try to salvage businesses, one wonders if the rapid resumption of the local destination economy is happening way too quickly. Almost as soon as the order was lifted, you could go on local chat pages and find a steady stream of inquiries from out of state. They’d heard on the news that Georgia was “reopening,” and they wanted to come fill our vacant Airbnbs.

“plan” was to deal with the virus, and then reopen. The endless mixed messages from Gov. Kemp — first proclaiming the importance of public health, then signing orders directly undermining it — set the tone. The idea that the very first businesses allowed to open were the most touch-intensive, close-contact businesses of all — tattoos, hair, nails, massage — seemed like an absurd joke at best, a dangerous targeting at worst. Kemp’s split-the-baby decision to let restaurants open dining rooms at reduced capacity with all kinds of special measures puts owners in a ridiculous bind: Risk life to stay open and give customers a very unsettling experience, but serving so few at a time that it doesn’t even make good business sense to open. Their workers are put in a bind too. Because employers are no longer prohibited from being open, they can’t opt to stay on unemployment rather than return to a potentially unsafe environment. And as has been the case from the beginning, you literally take your life in your hands by going grocery shopping, where no social distancing rules of any kind have ever been widely recognized or enforced.

That brief, shining moment lasted maybe 2-3 weeks. Now we see just how quickly people can forget about all that talk of improving lives, and eagerly go back to being entitled, mindless consumers. All that time we bought for our elected and appointed officials with our shared sacrifice was largely squandered. I can’t help but think of the people dying of COVID-19, painfully trying to suck in one last breath in an intensive care unit, who weren’t even allowed to say goodbye to loved ones. I can’t help but think of all the virus victims who were denied even a proper funeral service. The lives that were saved are worth our sacrifice, obviously. But we can’t even agree on what works best in the public safety realm, what with the mainstreaming of bizarre conspiracy theories and with the usual partisan finger-pointing. At this point, all we can do is hope for the best. Here at Connect Savannah we will continue to support the small businesses and community service organizations that have always been, and will continue to be, the heart of our audience and mission. CS

NEWS & OPINION

QUARANTINE CHRONICLES

Quarantine Chronicles come to an end BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

Local photographer and longtime Connect contributor Geoff L. Johnson did some outstanding portrait work on the series.

person in it, even—and especially—the ones whose story might make us uncomfortable. We have to listen to people who might not otherwise get the mic, just as much as we listen to people whose voices we hear echoing off the walls. All of us matter. All of our stories matter. All of us deserve to be heard. I wish desperately that I could tell every single person’s story, but I’d estimate that each of these articles took me roughly three hours, from interview to transcription to writing to formatting and posting. That’s a lot of time. So I sought people whose experiences could help us bring the most into focus. Some of these stories are refreshingly honest in a time when we’re all putting on a brave face. I was just as inspired by Elizabeth Raley’s feelings of sadness and lack of purpose as I was by Warren Arbury’s reminder that positivity is needed now more than ever. I’m fascinated by the numerous small

business owners I spoke to, who have been tasked with choosing between health and revenue. That conversation in particular shifted in meaning, since Gov. Kemp allowed the reopening of certain businesses towards the end of the series. I was shocked, but also not, at the blundering of government aid, disbursed in a way that’s confusing at best and malicious at worst. I heard how certain business owners applied for the PPP and the EIDL and the PUA and any other acronym of aid they could find. I learned that many of you still have not received your stimulus check, and I sincerely hope that is not the case still! I remain inspired by the people who tirelessly fight for our community and its underserved population, like Raine’s COVID care center that’s run by volunteers out of Civvies on Broughton, or Jennifer Graham’s expansion of services that she offers through her nonprofit, Shelter from the Rain.

I’m thankful for the front line medical professionals who spoke with me, both for their time and for their efforts in keeping our community safe. I’m thankful for the people working jobs that are deemed essential, like Bailey Pierce and Jami Calandros, and I’m thankful for the people who chose to stay anonymous to speak most freely about their experiences. But most of all, I’m thankful to all the people who took the time to share their story with me, and even more thankful to the people who are reading them all. That is all I want: for you to hear these stories and to learn something from them. I learned a lot, and I know you will, too. This series was called the Quarantine Chronicles because it sought to highlight what life was really like for folks in quarantine. With that period effectively over, it leaves the series in a bit of limbo. There’s a lot left that we still have to talk about, and I’m not done listening. My email inbox is always open for you. Let’s talk. CS 5

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

AS WE NEAR the unofficial end of quarantine here in Georgia, it’s also time to wrap up the Quarantine Chronicles series that we’ve been doing for about three weeks now. First of all, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give my editor Jim Morekis the credit he deserves for this idea. In a virtual staff meeting April 1 as we were scrambling for content ideas that made sense postCOVID, I mentioned I was in the market for something to do, and Jim suggested a “slice of life” type series. I got started on it the second our call ended. From there, the series really took off in a way that pleasantly surprised me. My inbox was flooded, and my planner quickly filled up with phone calls (the most action it’s seen in months). I had friends eagerly suggest people who might be interested, and I even had a complete stranger from Twitter reach out. I had so many stories that I knew there was no way I could run them all in print, so many would have to run exclusively online, — another unexpected COVID pivot that worked out for the best. We rolled out the first Quarantine Chronicles in our April 8 issue with accounts by Rubi McGrory and Lana “DiCo” DiCostanzo. On May 1, I posted online the last three chronicles of Clinton Edminster, August David Alderman, and Katie Balthrop. With 33 stories total, I averaged more than a story a day. Each of the 33 people in this series has something important to say. Each is faced with their own challenges and victories, their own thoughts and feelings, and that statement seems pretty obvious (and maybe even a little overly adulatory) until you listen to what they have to say. At its core, that’s what I love so much about this series: it’s all about listening. (That’s not to say I don’t listen in other situations, before all my prior interview subjects call me in a frenzy! I swear I’m listening.) But we’re in a time where listening just does not happen. I see it constantly, from keyboard warriors in the Facebook comments section to people who feel unrepresented by their government. Everyone is talking, but no one is listening. There’s a strong feeling of misunderstanding that’s happening now. We cannot be a community unless we listen to, and care about, every single

NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK But you’re right—that’s not something you’d hear from a transit agency CEO or really anyone in transit, but in these extraordinary times it’s important we try to keep everyone safe, not only our operators but also the customers themselves.

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

AN INTERESTING storyline to come out of this pandemic has been the issue of public transit. For the people who rely on it, public transportation is essential, and the cease of service would lead to big problems. But in an age of socially distancing, a bus seems like the least safe place to be. Chatham Authority Transit has been riding that line (pun intended) through the pandemic, working on solutions to keep the buses rolling while also keeping passengers and employees safe. CAT’s interim CEO, Michael Brown, has worked in transportation for over 20 years, starting as an operator and slowly moving his way up to leadership. We spoke with Brown last week about what challenges they face, how their team is working together, and why transportation should be considered essential.

Why should transportation be considered essential?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

What are some of the challenges you’re going through at CAT?

A couple challenges come to mind: one is keeping our employees and our customers safe. That has been one of the biggest challenges for us, making sure that we have all the personal protective equipment, making sure we keep our vehicles sanitized and clean, making sure we are getting information out to the public as well as to our employees. Another major challenge for us is to be able to stay connected as an organization while we social distance. We have virtual leadership meetings three times a week, and we have virtual town hall meetings for all employees three times a week. That gives us a chance to let our employees know what we are doing, what the leadership team is doing, how we’re working to keep them safe, how we’re working to conduct CAT’s business and how we’re working to make sure that everyone still receives a paycheck while we go through this. We’re seeing that there’s things that have come out of this pandemic that we’re going to be doing in the future that we haven’t done in the past. One of those things are the virtual town halls because it gives us a chance to connect with all our employees without them having to be in the same room. We just set up a time, they dial in, and they ask questions. That’s a change we’re going to make, as well as how we sanitize our vehicles. It’ll be a whole different method of how we keep our vehicles clean. How are you keeping your vehicles clean?

A chat with CAT

Interim CEO Michael Brown discusses transportation challenges, triumphs We do the same thing. We’ve doubled the bleach content and we make sure we change our mop heads and mop buckets more frequently. We’re using a product called White-Out Oxide, which is like a fog we spray in the bus and it kills—now I’m going to sound like a commercial, but it kills 99.9% of the germs, including coronavirus. Wiping down the driver’s area, all the seats, all the handrails, every single bus, every single night. We’re in contact with other transit agencies through APTA and other CEOs, other maintenance directors, other communication directors, so we can get best practices for what other agencies are doing across the country. We’re pretty much doing as much as, if not more than, these other agencies are doing to keep folks safe. What is ridership like right now? Ridership is down, as you might expect. We’re running a reduced service; our span of service is less than what it would normally be. We’re running about 13 hours of service right now, Monday through Saturday, and a little less on Sunday.

We so often hear about medical professionals and first responders as well as law enforcement being essential, and they are. But transportation is essential as well. Sometimes I feel that transportation workers don’t get the same respect and acknowledgement that we are essential. I think it’s important that everyone realizes, and I think a lot of folks do, how important public transportation is. If we were to stop running service, there’s a lot of people in this community and this county that would have no other means of transportation. They don’t have a car, they can’t afford to get Uber or Lyft or a taxi when they need to go somewhere. We take what we do very seriously. We know how valued we are, we know we provide this valuable service, and we don’t take that for granted. When the pandemic is over, how do you plan to restore people’s trust in public transit?

I want to tell our customers that we have never left them. We have always been here for them through this pandemic. Yes, we had to reduce our service, but we did it as a way to protect not only our employees but our passengers. Our ridership of our fixed route is down Not only have we always been here, we over 7%, and our paratransit operation is will continue to be here for you and be down over 40%. We’re running less serthere for our passengers and our commuvice, so we’re going to have less ridership. nity when things start to ease up. We have We’re also encouraging out customers only measures in place to make sure we conto use the service for essential trips, which tinue to keep our vehicles sanitized, prois classified as to the doctor, the grocery vide PPE for employees, and to encourage store, or to work. our passengers once this lifts to come on back and continue to use public transit. I That seems almost counterintuitive know there’s a vast majority of our customers that will come back—they have no other to encourage people not to ride, even though that’s the safe thing to do. Does means of transportation. Our frontline employees should be comthat feel like a problem? mended because they’re the ones who have volunteered to continue to come in As transit agencies, we want to build to work and provide this essential service. ridership and improve and expand our Our operators , station care, mechanics transportation modes. So to have a transit and supervisors—those are the frontline agency encourage less ridership is unique. It’s not something I thought I would see in employees who are out there and have the biggest risk because they’re out there with my time! the public. But these are extraordinary times, and I have to say that when things get rough, the most important thing is to keep everyyou really see—it brings out the best in one safe. To do that, we put measures in people, and we have a lot of good people at place where we ask folks to only use our CAT. I have nothing but positive things to services for essential trips. We’re running our fixed route buses at 50% capacity, we’re say about our team. CS encouraging our riders to wear use masks, we’ve placed signage in all the buses.

NEWS & OPINION THE NEWS CYCLE

Returning to ‘normal’ isn’t always a good idea BY JOHN BENNETT

john@georgiabikes.org

During the pandemic, crossing Victory Drive was probably safer and easier than it had been in decades, due to reduced traffic. Now, with speeding vehicles returning to Victory Drive in increasing numbers, people must once again scramble to get across. Not every aspect of returning to “normal” is desirable.

Still, when there is very little good news to be found, it’s encouraging to see so many people out getting healthy exercise and getting where they need to go under their own power. What’s more, sustaining elevated levels of recreation and active transportation after the pandemic can accelerate an economic recovery. Some predict a massive infrastructure investment component will be included in a future stimulus package. If the aim is to put people back to work, widening highways is not the way to go. We’ve known for almost a decade that bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects create significantly more jobs than infrastructure projects for cars alone. According to an oft-quoted 2011 study, these projects create 46 percent more jobs than automobile-only projects. Investing in bike lanes, sidewalks, trails, and paths also provides much more bang for the buck. Portland, Oregon’s extensive and enviable network of bike lanes and trails was constructed for about the same cost as one mile of urban freeway.

Additional research released last week, “Understanding Economic and Business Impacts of Street Improvements for Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility - A Multi-City Multi-Approach Exploration,” found adding improvements like bike lanes largely boosted business and employment at shops and restaurants. “I think that it is very significant that we found that positive business outcomes to the food service and retail industries on these corridors are persistent, even when we looked at different data metrics on employment or sales or when different analytical methods are utilized,” said Jenny Liu one of the study’s principle investigators. After the pandemic, will we be content to return to “normal,” or will we want something better for us and better for local businesses? Mike Maynor thinks people’s attitudes are changing for the better. The owner of Savannah’s Quality Bike Shop said his customers have included, “everyone from kids and families to people who, before

the pandemic, never thought about riding bikes.” “I think people are seeing the connectivity that a bicycle brings to the community and will continue after the pandemic,” he said. “There will be a rise in demand for safe streets and trails because of the increased volume of people participating in not only biking, but running and other outdoor activities.” On a webinar hosted by the East Coast Greenway Alliance on May 4, Terry Landreth of the Camden Bicycle Center in St. Marys said his bike shop has also been busy serving people of, “all backgrounds and ages.” He hopes his new customers, who’ve now discovered bicycling for physical and mental health, will become advocates for trails and greenways. Before the Pandemic, he said, trails and greenways were sometimes regarded as novelties. “Today and after COVID-19 I hope everyone sees them as a necessity for your community,” Landreth said. CS 7

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

FOLKS WHO stayed in Savannah during recent hurricanes may have experienced a familiar feeling last Friday. After Hurricane Matthew, in particular, a sort of quiet camaraderie developed among those who remained. In the first few days after the storm, the weather was mercifully mild and the streets were mostly devoid of motor vehicle traffic. People were out and about on bicycles, surveying the damage and socializing with neighbors. But then, Gov. Nathan Deal lifted the evacuation order and cars streamed back into Chatham County on the Sunday following the storm. I got that Sunday feeling on Friday afternoon while riding my bike in Habersham Village, where car and truck traffic seemed to have increased significantly from only the day before. A driver passed me with about two feet to spare between his car and my left elbow, then abruptly hit the brakes and swung into a parking spot in front of the Red & White. He was on his phone, of course, just like normal. It’s clear some residents have interpreted Gov. Brian Kemp’s lifting of the shelter-in-place order on Friday as an allclear, as if Hurricane Rona encountered a strong high-pressure system and had been steered back out to sea. Yet just east of the frenetic vibe on Habersham Street, I found an entirely different world. I pedaled north for about a mile on Atlantic Avenue and saw only two cars in motion. Instead, I encountered dozens of people, walking, running, biking, and rolling. They seemed happy and healthy. They were sociable, but also socially distanced. I hope we’ll hold on to this. Like everyone else, I’m eager to get back to “normal,” but we must recognize that what was normal before — when it comes to the way we configure and use our streets — was not so good. In fact, the situation was dangerous and even deadly for too many people and especially for those who walk, bike, and roll for daily transportation. I also recognize the idyllic scenes in my neighborhood are a product of privilege. Many Savannahians must travel streets that are unsafe and unfriendly every day, pandemic or not.

NEWS & OPINION MAGIC MAKERS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

BY BRITTANY CURRY SINCE before Christmas, I have been planning the 5-year anniversary celebration of my business, InkyBrittany. The plan: Create a new set of Graphics to hang on display at the Sentient Bean, have a reception, invite everyone I’ve ever met to come to it on May 1. It was always planned for May (I started InkyBrittany on my birthday, May 22, in 2015), but being six weeks into quarantine 8 was not part of the plan.

After the shock, confusion, and disappointment of all the cancellations and closures, there didn’t seem to be a good reason to NOT go ahead with creating a new set of pieces and sharing them in whatever ways I can. In the process of selecting which stories to represent visually and include in the show, there needed to be a range from local to global topics. It needed to keep the theme of highlighting people contributing to their communities and doing civic and public work. The Sentient Bean is A) the planned location of the show when businesses are

fully re-open and it is no longer unsafe to be in public; B) a special place in InkyBrittany history, as it basically headquartered Emergent Savannah and was one of the first platforms for me to get some exposure and experience starting back in 2015; C) a very appropriate and deserving story to feature in the 5-year anniversary collection, given the recent merger of the Bean with Brighter Day, and the retirement of beloved long-time Brighter Day owners, Peter and Janie Brodhead . This visual tribute is based on the December 2019 Connect article written by

Rachael Flora, interviewing Kristen Russell & Brad Baugh of the Sentient Bean and Peter and Janie Brodhead about how the decision came to be, and the compatible and complementary business ethics shared by both. CS Inky Brittany, aka Brittany Curry, practices a form of journalism called “graphic recording.” The idea is to chronicle in real-time her impressions and observations into a series of illustrations. The results often tell the story better and more intuitively than other forms of communication. inkybrittany.com

NEWS & OPINION COMMUNITY NEWS Loggerhead nesting season officially underway

The season’s first loggerhead nest, on Cumberland Island. PHOTO BY DOUG HOFFMAN FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

volunteers, partner agencies and organizations, and teaming with DNR’s Law Enforcement Division, all while navigating social distancing and other requirements involving the coronavirus pandemic. Game wardens enforce regulations including the use of turtle excluder devices, or TEDs, in commercial shrimping.

Chatham Area Transit to maintain reduced schedule and safety measures.

Chatham Area Transit plans to maintain the existing reduced schedule and safety measures implemented in response to COVID-19 pandemic for the next several weeks, even though Governor Brian Kemp’s executive order has already allowed many businesses to reopen. “The reduced services and safety measures will continue in order to comply with social distancing and safety measures that continue to be recommended by health agencies and local government officials,” says a spokesperson. “With respect to the governor, we’re going to do what we feel is right for our employees and our passengers,” said interim Executive Director/CEO Michael J. Brown. “We’re going to take a cautious approach as we work on plans for restoring services prior to the outbreak in our community.” CAT also will continue to waive fares to minimize operator and public contact. Customers should continue getting on and

off the bus using the rear entrance unless they have disabilities that require them to use the front door with its kneeling function and wheel chair ramp. Until normal operating schedules are restored, customers should only use CAT services, including fixed-route buses and CAT Mobility paratransit, for essential trips such as medical appointments, grocery shopping and work. This is especially important since CAT buses are operating at 50-percent their capacity in order to allow passengers to spread out and meet social distancing requirements, Brown said. The revised bus opera ting hours are 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sundays. The modified schedule for each route is available online at https://www.catchacat.org/ modified-bus-schedules/.

TSA’s Community Center on Savannah’s Bee Rd. “The roof of this 27-year-old building is in a serious condition of disrepair and is impacting on its future as a safe gathering place, especially during these times of social distancing. Due to the pandemic, the community center is currently being used as an additional shelter for the rising number of people who are facing homelessness and as an additional feeding center for children,” a spokesperson says. The Community Center also serves as recreational space for TSA shelter residents and those in The Salvation Army’s free rehabilitation program which helps those facing the challenges of drug and alcohol abuse rise above their circumstances. “This amazing donation gives us the opportunity to make substantial improvements to the infrastructure of our comSalvation Army receives $250,000 munity center. We will be able to run much donation from Savannah Community more efficiently for months and years to Foundation come,” says the Salvation Army of SavanThe Savannah Community Foundanah’s Major Paul Egan. tion has donated $250,000 from a donor “This gift is obviously a huge blessing to advised fund to The Salvation Army of those we serve but also to all of our donors Savannah. whose gifts are now able to be used even This donation from an anonymous more effectively. And on behalf of our staff donor will help The Salvation Army (TSA) and volunteers that during these difficult build for the future as it anticipates further days have stepped up in remarkable ways increases in a need for its services in the to meet the needs of our neighbors, I just aftermath of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) can’t express what an encouragement it is pandemic. to have someone say to us that they believe $150,000 of this donation will go this much in what we are doing,” he says. towards the urgently needed renovation of CS 9

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

Nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles has begun, with first clutch of loggerhead eggs found the morning of April 27 buried in the sand on a Cumberland Island beach . The nest, apparently made the previous Saturday night, marked Georgia’s 32st year of comprehensive marine turtle nest monitoring and the seventh straight year that Cumberland National Seashore had the first nest. Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd said the state’s southernmost barrier island has plenty of beach-nesting habitat, a number of female loggerheads that tend to nest there and a very dedicated Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative member, wildlife biologist Doug Hoffman of the National Park Service. “He’s just a maniac” about checking the beach and protecting sea turtle nests, Dodd said. Loggerheads, Georgia’s leading marine turtle and a protected species, nest on all barrier islands in the state, including Tybee Island. The season will hit full stride by June. Predicting a nest total is anyone’s guess, according to Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. But one question is whether 2020 can top last year’s 3,950 nests, the most since extensive monitoring began in 1989. The state’s previous record was 3,289 nests in 2016. That count also marked the first time the big, chunky-headed marine turtles had topped a Georgia recovery benchmark of 2,800 nests. “The loggerhead population was declining through the early 1990s,” Dodd said. “Since then, it’s been increasing at approximately 4 percent annually.” While nesting year to year has been highly variable in the state, with the overall gains this species federally listed as threatened is making steady progress toward recovery. Nesting in Florida and the Carolinas is also increasing. Continuing that rebound is the goal of Georgia’s Sea Turtle Cooperative. The DNR-coordinated network of about 200 volunteers, researchers and agency employees patrols beaches daily during nesting season. Working under a federal permit, members mark, monitor and protect all loggerhead nests, plus those of other species that seldom nest in Georgia, such as green and Kemp’s ridley. “The cooperative has done a tremendous amount of work,” and with a measurable impact, Dodd said. “We started out averaging about 800 nests a year and we’re now up to about 3,500.” To prep for the season, Dodd and staff have been training interns, working with

NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER that he was in extreme danger. Officer Willison, assisted by Officer Schmitt, administered a dose of NARCAN® nasal spray and the man began to breathe more normally as the EMS team was arriving. He was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment,” police say. Chatham County Police Officers All Chatham County Police Department save life of overdose victim officers are equipped with NARCAN® in Two Chatham County their vehicles, and have been Police officers saved a man’s trained in its use. NARCAN® life Thursday night by is a nasal spray that quickly administering NARCAN® minimizes the effects of opito counter the effects of an ates in the body, and is used apparent drug overdose. by law enforcement around “Officers Joshua Willison the country to save people and John Schmitt were disfrom accidental and intenpatched to the Holiday Inn tional overdoses of the drug. at 11 Gateway Boulevard just Chatham County Police after 11 p.m. to assist with officers have administered Officer John Schmitt an EMS call. Willison and NARCAN® seven times since Schmitt arrived before the officers were equipped with ambulance, and found a man it in summer 2019. who was having extreme difInformation about subficulty breathing and was stance abuse treatment unable to communicate with can be found by visiting the officers,” police report. Chatham County Safety “The person with him said Net Planning Council’s it was possible that the man website at https://www. had taken heroin. The man’s chathamsafetynet.org/ breathing became more mental-health-care/ . shallow, and it was apparent Officer Joshua Willison

2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday May 3

HOMICIDES

Chatham County Police searching for Sam’s Club theft suspects

At around 8:30 a.m., Harrell Love, 54, was crossing 43rd Street at its intersection with Jefferson Street. Love was in the crosswalk, halfway through the intersection, when Victor Hernandez, 32, driving a Ford E250, attempted to make a left turn on to 43rd Street. Hernandez did not yield the right of way to Love and struck him. Love was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, and Hernandez was cited for multiple traffic violations. This collision continues to be investigated by the TIU.

Pedestrian-involved crash on 43rd Street

ALL CASES FROM RECENT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENT REPORTS. GIVE ANONYMOUS CRIME TIPS TO CRIMESTOPPERS AT 912/234-2020 OR TEXT CRIMES (274637) USING KEYWORD CSTOP2020.

Chatham County Police Department detectives are looking for two men suspected of stealing computers from a local Sam’s Club. On April 13, 2020, surveillance cameras captured two men who left the Montgomery Crossroads store with computers worth more than $1,400, but the computers had not been paid for. Detectives are asking anyone who can identify the men, or who has information on the case, to call Chatham County Police at 912-652-6920 or Crime Stoppers at 912-234-2020.

Savannah Police’s Traffic Investigation Unit (TIU) is investigating a crash that seriously injured a pedestrian this morning.

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NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD On April 22, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Mayor Bruce Wilkerson was hard at work at a house he has been renovating when he smelled cigarette smoke and “heard a ruckus” outside, so he went to investigate. The former police officer found blood on the cellar door and a bag containing women’s clothing inside, but after determining there were no reports of missing women in the area, he told the Bowling Green Daily News, he went back to his work. Later, the electricity suddenly went out, so he returned to the cellar and this time found a young woman. “She said, ‘I’m hiding from someone,’” Wilkerson told police, then she ran away. Police haven’t identified her, but Wilkerson wanted to set the record straight before “a story would come out that I had a lady locked up in my cellar.”

Quick Thinking

Eliza Ruth Watson, 37, raises chickens in Gray, Maine, so she’s used to seeing foxes nosing around, but as she worked in her garden on April 23, the fox she spotted didn’t run when she tried to scare it off by hollering and waving her arms. Instead, the animal lunged toward her, ready to attack. “Thinking back on it now, the fox was a mangy, stanky fox,” Watson told the Sun Journal. She responded by kicking it, but “it kept coming back, and I kept kicking it.” Finally Watson grabbed the fox around the neck, and as it fought back, she shoved it into a large pot used for scalding chickens, sealed the lid and called 911 and her husband. At the hospital, she received five rabies vaccine injections. “People kept asking, ‘Are you the one who wrestled the fox?’” she said. “It’s certainly not how I expected to spend my day.”

Zoom Fatigue

-- A videoconference meeting of the Vallejo, California, planning commission got a little weird on April 20 when commissioner Chris Platzer announced, “I’d like to introduce my cat,” then was seen throwing the cat off-screen. Later Platzer was seen drinking a beer, and after the meeting ended, city staff could still hear him making derogatory remarks about the commission, the Vallejo Times-Herald reported. In an April 25 email to the newspaper, Platzer apologized for his actions and said he has resigned from the commission. “We are all living in uncertain times, and I certainly, like many of you, am adjusting to a new normalcy,” he wrote. Mayor Bob Sampayan said he was bothered by Platzer’s “whole demeanor during the entire meeting.” The commission had scheduled a vote to remove Platzer on April 28. -- ABC News reporter Will Reeve made an internet meme come to life on April 28 when he appeared on “Good Morning America” to report on pharmacies using

drones to deliver prescriptions. Looking dapper in a sport coat and open-collared shirt, Reeve no doubt thought his home setup would camouflage the fact that he wasn’t wearing pants, CNN reported. Twitter had a field day, and Reeve himself tweeted back, “I have ARRIVED ... in the most hilariously mortifying way possible.”

Irony

The National Weather Service issued a dust advisory on April 27 in eastern Washington after wind gusts of more than 40 mph kicked up a wall of sediment. “We have had reports of blowing dust near Dusty (seriously, near the town of Dusty) on SR 26 and SR 127,” the NWS tweeted. According to Fox News, the Washington State Patrol reported that SR 26 was “fully blocked” about 3 miles outside of Dusty after a car and a semi-truck crashed. The highway remained closed for about six hours.

Least Competent Criminal

North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers stopped Lance Gordon, 32, on April 24, for speeding in a car belonging to Angela Lee, 47, of Holly Springs, whom Gordon said was an acquaintance. WRAL reported authorities grew suspicious after Holly Springs police were unable to contact Lee to confirm the story, and in a subsequent search of her house and car, investigators found Lee’s body in the car’s trunk. Gordon was charged with Lee’s murder, along with stealing her car.

Desperate Times

In Logrono, Spain, an unidentified man pushed the envelope on Spain’s stringent lockdown rules, which make an exception for pet owners, who are allowed to go outside briefly with their pets, according to Gray News. The National Police tweeted a photo on April 24 of the man being arrested for sitting on a city bench holding his pet fish a fish bowl.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Brian Wood, owner of All American Gator Products in Dania Beach, Florida, is taking face masks to a whole new level by fashioning coverings made with the skin of Burmese pythons. “Some people want to make a fashion statement even during this pandemic, so I want to give them options,” Wood told the Miami Herald on April 19. The snakeskin itself doesn’t offer any added protection, but the masks would allow for a filter or lining to be inserted and removed. Wood hopes to add alligator and crocodile skin masks to his offerings, although alligator, “the diamond of leathers,” would be more expensive. Wood said he will be buying animals from local hunters to meet the demand.

Name in the News

Police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, finally caught up with 35-year-old Speedy Gonzalez, of Buford, on April 25. Gonzalez had been wanted in connection with a theft in January, when multiple checks were reported stolen from a mailbox in Suwanee, the Associated Press reported. Gonzalez allegedly cashed the checks, used the money to buy more than $3,000 worth of merchandise at Home Depot, then returned the goods for cash. He was charged with forgery, identity theft and theft by deception.

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In the Sydney, Australia, suburb of Marrickville, a family has resorted to erecting a fence and a warning sign to scare away a “mystery human poo-er” who has allegedly been defecating next to their garage, United Press International reported. “We have installed this fence and a camera to hand over to police,” the sign reads. “We understand that COVID-19 is tough on everyone but please stop.” CS

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

Not What It Looks Like

MUSIC QUARANTINE CONCERT

PHOTO BY VALENTIN SIVYAKOV

DJ Serch goes for energy with Quarantine Concert Veteran DJ plans special show with live visuals

to hear what some of those records would sound like together; I was hooked the first session. I couldn’t wait to experiment with more sounds every chance I got.” JASON LANIER HAS a long history as As far as actually pursuing a path in DJ Serch, the name he performs under as music, Serch points to a particularly fora DJ who specializes in breakbeats and mative experience early on in his exploraall-around excellent music. The veteran tion of rave and EDM culture. artist is set to take the Tybee Post Theatre “The first rave I went to here in Savanstage on Sat., May 9 for what’s sure to be nah in 1994 sealed the deal. It was called the most unique Quarantine Concert so far Sprung and it was at an old warehouse and maybe one of the most unique things downtown. No bar, minimal lighting, you’ll see all year. no liquor license and tons of sound. Serch has been fascinated with music Soulslinger with MC T.C. Islam [a NY jungsince he was young, but says that DJing in list] were the headliners that night,” he particular was “an afterthought.” says. “I remember being 3 years old or so and “After experiencing that sound, with my dad would quiz me on what was playthat vibe, accompanied by that culture, I ing on the radio at any given moment. I had found my ‘it.’ It was one of my most could barely pronounce Dan Fogelberg but memorable nights to this day. That night, I knew his music when I heard it,” Serch and others like it are the experiences that tells Connect ahead of the show. keep me still motivated to do this after all “I got into underground EDM /rave cul- these years.” ture at an early age and would go to shows After years of pursuing his craft, Serch in different cities (also how I learned is still finding ways to innovate and keep about nag champa) and visit the local things exciting—including at his upcoming record stores while in town. I had a crate Quarantine Concert, where he’ll be fusing of records before too long and was dying live visuals from Obamamo into his set. BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

which

Trying new things is just one facet of how music fulfills him, though. The best part about what he does, he says, is the healing that he sees music provide for people. “I reap so many benefits from it, like elevated mood and increased cognitive function, that it’s a really amazing by-product to also be able to take someone to a good place though music and take their mind off of the little things we can sometimes get hung up on,” he says. So, with that said, what can people expect from the May 9 performance? “Energy with ass for this one,” Serch says. “We’ve all been quarantined, stir crazy and need to release some pent up energy. Lets go!” CS

DJ SERCH / QUARANTINE CONCERT Sat., May 9, 8:30 P.M. More info on tickets and streaming links at quarantineconcerts.org

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT “My strategy for weathering the constant changes regarding state and local ordinances has been to double-check the locks whether I’m inside or outside the bar, thereby ensuring no pesky money slips through,” Daniel jokes. “State and local authorities have more than done their part helping me with this and so far, no revenue has been able to darken our door since late March,” he jokes. Warnekros says she’s been leaning on other local business owners for support, though she says every situation is vastly different. “I just wake up every day and roll with the punches. Every day is about adapting to a new law, rule or requirement to adhere to or to get funding, so, my strategy is just to keep us all breathing, I’ve been doing pretty good with that one so far,” she says. “As a restaurant and bar, our strategy [has been] that of an athlete. Never give up! We tried to make each day a little better than the last and still are today,” Henderson adds. It should be noted that as of press time, Coach’s Corner is open for dine-in and has even begun hosting shows again on a trial basis to see if they can be done while implementing social distancing guidelines. “Future shows are booked and have not been cancelled. As soon as we are given the Every Time I Die performs at The Jinx. PHOTO BY TOM CARTMEL all clear we will proceed with our scheduled shows. All shows that have been postponed will be made up ASAP, and refunds are being issued to those who want them,” Henderson explains. Daniel and Warnekros aren’t sure when they’ll resume operations, and aren’t quite sure yet what things will look like when they do. “My likelihood of booking bands again and reopening doors not only depends on his establishment quickly reevaluated how least. As a human, I cannot even express what state and local officials say, but more BY SEAN KELLY they were operating, and decided to do how much I miss my venue, the music, see- importantly what my good friends on the sean@connectsavannah.com whatever they could to push forward. ing our regulars who’ve supported us for Facebook branch of Ton Ton Macoute tells “We had to change our business—resall these years, and my staff that are truly me I can do,” Daniel says. THE LIVE MUSIC industry as a whole taurant and bar—daily to adapt to rules like family to me,” she says. “On a more serious note, El-Rocko looks will undoubtedly see a long-term change and regulations handed down by the “It’s definitely a culture shock for me. As forward to seeing you all soon. You are as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pangovernment. Two weeks before we were an owner, I just keep hoping for the best sorely missed.” demic, which hasn’t diminished in severity shut down for dine in, we began to smoke and brainstorm everyday on ways we can One thing that doesn’t seem up for despite several states beginning to reopen Boston butts, spare ribs, chicken and beef adapt to this era, keep all of us working, debate is that these venues, and hopefully non-essential business and operations. brisket. We prepared these items for fami- and remain a significantly important and others in our city, will get through this. What does the future hold for live lies and others to help with their cooking open venue for our community.” “Will The Jinx survive this? Absolutely music? As has been seen in other counneeds. In the weeks to follow we were shut Daniel says he’s making the best of his yes. I know that for a fact, I am in no way tries, will drive-in concerts become the down for dine in so we turned the front situation, in true Wes Daniel form. ready to let it go and I’m extremely stubnorm? Or will big tours resume and arenas part of our dining room into a ‘pop up “As a venue owner and personally, I’m born. Will it be a different kind of Jinx begin flooding with attendees once again? store,’” Henderson says. doing okay. And by that, I mean just okay. I environment? That‘s very likely. There’s And if so, when? “We never slowed down, working what haven’t finished the great American novel just no way to guarantee anything right For local venues like The Jinx, El-Rocko felt like twice as hard for less sales. But yet, nor have I started,” Daniel says. now. Maybe we will just have to go hiberLounge, and Coach’s Corner, the future is well better than [laying off] 50 employees.” “My one man band box-set is just past nate in our bat cave for a while and come uncertain. Those venues’ owners, Susanne Warnekros says she’s truly no different the 14-second mark but my pommel-horse out kicking and flapping our wings again Warnekros, Wes Daniel, and John Hender- than any other business owner struggling skills have gone through the roof since when it’s a safer environment for everyone. son, respectively, have all been weathering right now—it’s something, she says, that March 24,” he jokes. There’s just no way to know,” Warnekros this storm both professionally and person- they’re all sharing. Though bars and venues continue to face says. ally. And they’re doing the best they can. “I have no sob story. We’re are all in this immense uncertainty and instability, these “And lastly, people should stop blaming “On a personal level, I am stressed,” together and just trying to navigate our venue owners say they’re just taking things our beloved bats for this. They didn’t do Henderson tells Connect. Henderson says way through it but, it’s bizarre to say the as they come. this!” CS 13

For music venues, the future’s still a question mark

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

Owners of El-Rocko Lounge, The Jinx, and Coach’s Corner weigh in amid pandemic

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Lulu The Giant - Solid Gold

Released in early 2019, local trio Lulu The Giant made significant musical and sonic leaps with Solid Gold. The songwriting and arrangements go beyond what you’d expect from a trio with an upright bass as its anchor. Even from the opener, “Same Grave,” it’s clear you’re not getting a jazz record. There’s mystery, in terms of what exactly this album is—it’s a feeling you never lose throughout, but a GOOD feeling. This is a smart record that knows what it is, but doesn’t want you to. For example: in the same song (see “Ah Men”) you get melodies that echo a band like Dresden Dolls, deep pocket groove, and delays and echoes that sound like something you’d expect to hear on something that’s more ethereal on paper. There’s so much that is unexpected here, and there’s a lot of beauty as well. “Think Of Me” is as tender and honest as any piano ballad to come before it, but it’s not a ballad for the sake of being a ballad. You can tell in Rachael Shaner’s voice that what she’s singing is genuine. By the time you get to “We All Fall Down,” you’re back where you started with high and low octave voices, bassanchored flow, and sparse production. It’s the in-between that makes the statement, though. The bookends of “Same Grave” and “Fall Down” seem to be strategically placed to tie it all together. There’s something classic about the call-and-response vocals in the closing track, but it still works incredibly well next to some of the more contemporary compositions. Solid Gold is a journey of discovery, experimentation, and upright bass with no preconceived notions. It’s a daring record that deserves to be heard. Solid Gold is available now at luluthegiant.bandcamp.com

Dope KNife - Breakbeats n’ Vandalism

Dope KNife may not call Savannah home right now, but he’s as synonymous with the city as anything else. A pioneer in the local hip hop scene as part of Dope Sandwich, KNife has been pushing the boundaries of the genre for years. Sometimes, a great hip hop record is great mainly because of one aspect that outweighs the rest—often it’s, obviously, the lyrics. But with Dope KNife, the beauty of what he does is that it’s not just one thing, it’s everything. That’s truly hard to do in any genre, but in hip hop there are noted examples of records that accomplish every possible feat of mastery. Wu Tang’s 36 Chambers and A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders (my choice for greatest hip hop album of all time) come to mind. To my ears, his latest album Breakbeats n’ Vandalism could stand up right next to those albums easily. The production, the lyrics, delivery, the wit, the power, the weight behind the lyrics, the musical presentation—it’s all there on Breakbeats. Right out of the gate, things are serious. “A Million” is a staggeringly great song. It’s boom bap but modern, and lyrically he signals immediately that he’s not playing around. “Face Fuck” is so deep and captivating on a lyrical level that you almost listen to it like you’re listening to someone tell a story to your face. The production lends itself to that notion as well— it’s sparse, with just the drums up front to keep the groove intact. “Make It Dope” is classic Dope KNife, but it’s also got some really ethereal and atmospheric looping behind the beat that make it sound truly unique. Speaking of Midnight Marauders, “Make It Dope” ends with a nod to Tribe’s “Oh My God”—specifically the Busta Rhymes chorus hook that makes it one of their most memorable songs. All in all, Breakbeats n’ Vandalism might be my favorite record of the year so far. Breakbeats n’ Vandalism is available now at dopeknife.bandcamp.com

WHO’S OPEN

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Leslie Lovell and Russell Kueker are working on packing up the gallery. PHOTO BY RACHAEL FLORA.

Roots Up Gallery closes location, transitions to online BY RACHAEL FLORA

CONNECT SAVANNAH | MAY 6 - 12, 2020

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MAY 1 SHOULD have been a day of celebration at Roots Up Gallery. This Friday marked six years since the folk art gallery opened its doors. How perfect that the anniversary naturally fell on a Friday; it was set to be a big day. Instead, it was a somber day as artists trickled through the gallery to pick up their pieces and wave to owner Leslie Lovell from a distance. May 1, instead, was the day that Lovell announced Roots Up Gallery would be closing its brick and mortar location and transitioning solely to online operations, effective immediately. The shocking announcement wasn’t easy for Lovell to make, let alone come to. “It wasn’t taken with a grain of salt to make that decision,” says Lovell. “I went over there today and I was like, ‘I’ve got this, I’m cool.’ I turned around and the gates opened; I was just bawling. I know

it’ll happen tomorrow.” Six years is a long time for a gallery to stay open in Savannah, but Lovell has felt each of those six years. “It’s a freaking miracle that it did make it six years,” laughs Lovell. “This one’s just taking me down now.” In 2014, Lovell was looking for a space to run a co-op gallery after another one had pulled its lease. She and her husband, Francis Allen, had been passionate about folk art for a long time. “He was really into public art that was affordable and approachable,” remembers Lovell. “He knew a lot more about it than I did at that point because he went to Georgia when all that was coming out.” The time was right to make the jump. Lovell and Allen found the space at 6 E. Liberty St., right above the Book Lady, in February. It was the perfect catalyst for a busy spring: Lovell and Allen got married April 19 and opened the gallery May 1. But by February of the next year, Allen had become ill. By the time he went into hospice care two years later, Lovell was now also dealing with a less-than-pleasant landlord who was slow to repair hurricane damage and sought to raise rent on the

building. “Francis was literally dying and I was having to deal with him,” says Lovell of the landlord. Allen passed away on Aug. 30, 2017, and Lovell and her business partner Russell Kueker—“Saint Russell,” as Lovell calls him—signed the lease at 412-C Whitaker St. not very long after. “When the transplant came about and we had to leave immediately for Atlanta, Russell said he would be there to help with the gallery,” says Lovell. “I’m not lying, I threw the keys at him and I bolted. Russell did so much.” For a while, Roots Up was hitting its stride in the Downtown Design District. Lovell and Kueker brought lots of great exhibitions by esteemed artists like Helen Durant and continued to be a treasure trove of folk art for both locals and travelers. And then, of course, COVID-19 came to town. At the end of the day, through illness and moving and heartbreak and triumph, there was always Lovell. “It was all about me!” she laughs. “I’m a Leo!”

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Anyone who knows her doesn’t need me to confirm that that was a joke—Lovell is tirelessly selfless. Her love for folk art and the artists that created it has always been apparent through everything she does. Roots Up represents about 30 artists, and Lovell called each one personally to break the news before announcing the closure on Facebook. When the effects of the pandemic were first beginning to be felt, Lovell started the Creatives in Need initiative on her website as a way for unrepresented artists to have a place to show and sell their work. Artists retained 80% of the sale, and 20% went to benefit WRUU—Lovell didn’t take any of the money. But as the days went on and the pandemic seemed like it would never end, it became harder for Lovell to run her business as she used to. “As a sole business owner trying to carry that overhead, without any sales, and there’s just no way it’s going to come back the way [it was],” says Lovell. “People think there’s just gong to be a switch, but there’s not. People are not going to be able to just pop back into their norm. It’s going to be a long time before it gets back to where it was, and I won’t be able to sustain it as it had been.” The answer seemed pretty obvious.

Roots Up’s online presence had already been pretty good thanks to Lovell’s background in marketing and graphic design. The day after the City of Savannah went on lockdown, Lovell was up at 6 a.m. working on the website. “I feel like it’s starting to take on its personality, and I think it’s going to get even more so,” says Lovell. “Before, it was just like, ‘Hey, here I am.’ But I think it’s just going to keep getting more and more personalized and incorporating the whole soulfulness that was in the gallery I hope will come through online.” During this time, Lovell has also been accepted to Gallery 209 as a 3D artist and to Signature Gallery as a 2D artist, two big steps for her personal career. Lovell’s own artwork could tend to get overshadowed by the work she did as a gallerist. Lovell is confident that this step is the right one and is taking the change in stride. “I don’t feel like a failure whatsoever,” she says. “I don’t have all the answers and how it’s going to go and what it’s going to be. But for what I’ve read and everything, you look at what resources you have available to you and what it’s going to take to get through this time.” But still, the closure of Roots Up Gallery’s physical space serves as a sobering look at what could be ahead for the art

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world. We don’t know how long the effects of the coronavirus pandemic will last. We don’t know which businesses will make it through the inevitable recession to the other side. Roots Up Gallery is just the first local gallery to make a significant change to their plans. But, for Lovell, making big changes isn’t really anything new. She likens the experience to getting a job in a field that’s not what you went to college for. This is just another punch she’s got to roll with. “It builds character, they say,” says Lovell. “I guess I’ve got a lot of character now.” CS Visit Roots Up Gallery at rootsupgallery.com, follow their Facebook and Instagram pages, and contact Leslie at 704-777-1868.

A handmade sign by artist Rubi McGrory had Lovell in tears after Friday’s announcement. PHOTO BY RACHAEL FLORA

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CULTURE THEATRE

Remember When @Telfair Square, 1995

Savannah Children’s Theater’s Laura Keena Wild reminisces about a powerful childhood memory BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

WELCOME TO ‘Remember When,’ a chance for Savannah art veterans to reminisce on some of their favorite events in the city’s history. Today, we’re catching up with the Savannah Children’s Theatre’s Laura Keena Wild. For years now, the Children’s Theater has played one of the most vital roles in shaping the future of the theater community in Savannah by teaching kids and fostering creativity. As it turns out, acting and theater is something that started at a young age for Wild as well. Way back in 1995, when Wild was 11 years old, she attended a production of Romeo & Juliet in Telfair Square, as part of City Lights’ Shakespeare in the Park. Today, she’s looking back on that monumental event in her life. What sticks out in your mind about Keena this particular show? It was an ethereal theatrical experience. Verona in Telfair Square. Summer heat and Spanish moss hanging off the Live Oaks. Beautifully directed by Jim Holt and Jody Chapin. Amazing acting by all including JinHi Soucy Rand, Kelly Blackmarr and Jim Morekis. At that time in Savannah, what do you remember most about the theater community and the arts scene in general? I was young, and the city was a little smaller and a little slower paced, but the arts scene was really vibrant. My family and I were really involved in the

community. My parents were very active with the coastal heritage society scene, my brother, dad and I did shows with numerous community theatres. City Lights, The Little Theatre, the city theatre program which was headed up at the time by Kelie Miley. I was also involved in Junior Strings, which was headed up by the Savannah Symphony. I was really fortunate to have so many arts programs at my fingertips. Do you remember where you were at in the trajectory of your life in theater at that point? I would have been almost 11 years old when I saw R&J. I did my first play (Peter Pan) when I was 7 and I couldn’t get enough theatre, on and off the stage. And the performance captured my attention. The language, the setting, the energy. Is there one moment from the show or the experience overall that stands out to you, all these years later? I think it was just a perfect moment. Watching amazing theatre in a beautiful place with family and childhood friends. And I’m lucky enough to be back in that beautiful place and that I get to work with some of those childhood friends. I’m a lucky one, no doubt. CS Visit savannahchildrenstheatre.org for more info on how you can support Savannah Children’s Theatre

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CULTURE VISUAL ARTS

QUESTIONS

WITH

Sophie Funck BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

A CHICAGO NATIVE by way of the Bay Area, Sophie Funck is finishing up her senior year at SCAD, which has been a bit of a unique quarter. Funck is in the painting program and likes to switch up her practice every now and then so as not to get stuck in a rut. After graduation, she plans on taking a year off to produce more work before pursuing her MFA. We caught up with Funck last week.

1. How’s your last quarter at SCAD

going?

It’s definitely a memorable last quarter with everything that’s going on. I have to say the painting department, especially

the professors, are doing such a good job transitioning. It’s nice to be able to at least see our classmates and the professors since we’re all pretty close. I have two painting department classes; one is exhibition design that’s preparing us for our senior show, which we’re going to do still. We’re all doing different projects, but it just won’t be public exhibitions. Luckily, we have Zoom and are able to submit hi-res documents and everything through the SCAD portal. They canceled the commencement the last day of winter quarter. There’s nothing we can do about it. I’m not too upset about it, just because we have no control over the situation. But I think once we’re able to go back and socialize, a couple of us from the painting department have been talking about having our own little commencement gathering, which will be kind of nice.

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Left: one of Sophie Funck’s self-portraits of her as a child. Right: inside the artist’s studio, body parts pop out of the artwork. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOPHIE FUNCK.

2. What are you working on for your senior show?

I’m using some of the more recent work I’ve been doing over the past three-ish months. I’m having a duo show with Hannah DiGregorio, who’s also a graduating senior. She and I decided to do a duo show

just because of the situation. It takes a little bit of the pressure off of trying to throw together a show when we don’t have venues. Hannah and I had been talking about it months before all this happened because our work balances each other out, really contrasts nicely but has really similar concepts and themes throughout. Our show is

VISUAL ARTS

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“IN STORAGE” -WALK-INS ACCEPTED

Like an artistic Frankenstein, Funck puts body parts together to create a new work.

called “Insatiable Creeps;” we’ll be using part of my apartment to hang the work and have a virtual visit. I started sewing together some of my work about a month and a half ago. Since I started painting on top of different fabrics and materials with more of my observational practices, I’m very into observing the figure like a live model and then using different tools and brushes I’ve made myself, doing blind contour drawings/ paintings of these models, which are typically my friends. Instead of paper, which is usually what I’d be starting out with, I started using different materials—polyester, satin, velvet. I’m looking for burlap, plastic-y, drop cloth materials. I started cutting them up and putting them up in my studio and painting them while I’m doing the observational drawings; I typically use acrylic gouache. Then I started cutting them up and sewing them together to make these strange figures. I have so much of this painted material, I’m going through it again and cutting up and trying to create these three dimensional figures. I’m trying to make those blow-up figures at the car dealership and filling them up with foam or water. It’s super fun.

3. How did you decide to take your work from 2D to 3D?

I was feeling a bit stuck a couple months ago and wanted to expand myself a bit. Some of my friends in the class had been experimenting a lot with hand sewing and embroidering. I love anything that’s visceral, so I love using my hands to create things. I’ve always been like that ever since I was little. I’d find a foot somewhere in this giant piece of fabric, or an ear or a leg or a hand,

ACROSS

and I wanted to collage them together to create a form. I explored it a bit more. There are a few artists doing similar things. It’s nice for me to have variety in what I’m making because it keeps me on my toes.

4. What other work do you create?

I’ve definitely been a person that hasn’t always stuck with just doing one thing, mostly because I want to try everything. I don’t want to get stuck doing one thing because I become bored and restless of it. Earlier this year I was making these more graphic poster-like paintings that were based on vintage Playboy magazines. I’m super fascinated with old advertising because they were so beautifully done. Those were all painted or hand-drawn. I did a couple of self portraits. I never really did them and then someone said, “You should do self portraits,” so I started doing self-portraits that were totally bizarre. They don’t really look like me, but that’s even better, I think. I was focusing

CONTINUES ON P. 22

1 NATO Phonetic Alphabet vowel 5 Socially distance from 10 Kind of D.A. 14 Hawaiian party 15 Cape ___ (westernmost African point) 16 Tea-based drink 17 ___ Blanc (highest peak in the Alps) 18 About 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere 19 Prefix for “medicine” seen more often recently 20 Heart charts, briefly 21 Is a huge fan of, slangily 22 Garden gastropod 23 Nigiri sushi option 24 Come back inside 26 Army outposts (abbr.) 27 Squeeze bunt stat (or so I’m told... it’s sports) 29 Pen name? 30 “Meatspace,” for short 32 Like some sprays 34 Wu-Tang Clan member born Robert Diggs 35 Balance 38 Got high 39 ___ Arann (former airline) 40 Charge to a sponsor 41 “Hurts 2B Human” singer 42 Rosie of “Birds of Prey” 44 Gasket, e.g. 45 Flub 47 Fluffy grazer

49 With 53-Across, what a 7-Down helps keep 53 See 49-Across 57 “First Blood” protagonist 58 France on the new “Queer Eye” 60 “A Fish Called Wanda” Oscar winner Kevin 61 Sicilian mountain 62 Madcap 64 Americana lithographer 65 Punxsutawney notable 66 Multiple-choice choice, sometimes 67 Infamous fiddling emperor 68 Blue-green shade 69 Showtime series set in Agrestic Township 70 Spring up

Down

1 Fudd who bugs Bugs 2 Actress Kaley of “The Big Bang Theory” 3 *Sycophants 4 Escape clauses 5 “Three Sunflowers in ___” (1888 Van Gogh painting) 6 Spine components 7 *It helps out in the closet (as demonstrated by the other starred answers) 8 “Meh, whatever” 9 Packed 10 Does something 11 *Product’s freshness

period 12 “Cheers!” in France 13 ‘70s supermodel Cheryl 24 Really irk 25 “Live With Kelly and Ryan” cohost 28 *Steph Curry’s sport 31 *”The Twilight Zone” creator 32 Forty winks 33 “Dutch” actress Meyers 36 The briny 37 “Jellied” British fish 42 Lead-in to lude 43 “Your Moment of ___” (“The Daily Show” feature) 46 17th letter of the Greek alphabet 48 Panda Express vessel 49 Crawled cautiously 50 Wood shop equipment 51 “___ vincit amor” 52 Texas, for one 53 Did some comic book work 54 Coral reef visitor 55 Start of el año nuevo 56 Implant again 59 Dull pain 62 “That’s great” 63 ‘19 and ‘20, e.g.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOPHIE FUNCK.

VISUAL ARTS

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

on texture, but I wasn’t referencing anything, which I had been doing in the Playboy ad-based paintings. I was in a rut after doing those, so I wanted to let the process of painting reveal what I wanted to be showing in my work. That’s when I would do more of my abstract paintings, so I went back to my roots and that’s how I ended up working from the live model again.

5. What’s your background? I grew up outside Chicago. I was definitely creative. I worked really hard in school but I had a hard time learning, so I was always a little bit slower and I resorted to creating or building things by myself. A fibers artist grew up next to me and she was a big inspiration for me, as well

as my grandfather. He was a radiologist most of his life, and then as he got closer to retiring, he became really interested in life drawing. He was a huge influence for me; he’d always take me out and draw people at the beach. I was a competitive swimmer my whole life, and I learned everything I ever wanted to learn about time management. It’s

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

According to Aries author and mythologist Joseph Campbell, “The quest for fire occurred not because anyone knew what the practical uses for fire would be, but because it was fascinating.” He was referring to our early human ancestors, and how they stumbled upon a valuable addition to their culture because they were curious about a powerful phenomenon, not because they knew it would ultimately be so valuable. I invite you to be guided by a similar principle in the coming weeks, Aries. Unforeseen benefits may emerge during your investigation into flows and bursts that captivate your imagination.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

dreamy, emotional, self-protective, creative Cancerian. That may explain why he wasn’t a good soldier. During his service in the French army, he was ranked 73rd in a squad of 74. On the other hand, his majestically intricate seven-volume novel *In Search of Lost Time* is a masterpiece— one of the 20th century’s most influential literary works. In evaluating his success as a human being, should we emphasize his poor military performance and downplay his literary output? Of course not! Likewise, Cancerian, in the coming weeks I’d like to see you devote vigorous energy to appreciating what you do best and no energy at all to worrying about your inadequacies.

“The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious,” says businessperson and entrepreneur John Sculley. You Tauruses aren’t renowned for such foresight. It’s more likely to belong to Aries and Sagittarius people. Your tribe is more likely to specialize in doing the good work that turns others’ bright visions into practical realities. But this Year of the Coronavirus could be an exception to the general rule. In the past three months as well as in the next six months, many of you Bulls have been and will continue to be catching glimpses of interesting possibilities before they become obvious. Give yourself credit for this knack. Be alert for what it reveals.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

Last year the Baltimore Museum of Art announced it would acquire works exclusively from women artists in 2020. A male art critic complained, “That’s unfair to male artists.” Here’s my reply: Among major permanent art collections in the U.S. and Europe, the work of women makes up five percent of the total. So what the Baltimore Museum did is a righteous attempt to rectify the existing excess. It’s a just and fair way to address an unhealthy imbalance. In accordance with current omens and necessities, Virgo, I encourage you to perform a comparable correction in your personal sphere.

For 148 uninterrupted years, American militias and the American army waged a series of wars against the native peoples who lived on the continent before Europeans came. There were more than 70 conflicts that lasted from 1776 until 1924. If there is any long-term struggle or strife that even mildly resembles that situation in your own personal life, our Global Healing Crisis is a favorable time to call a truce and cultivate peace. Start now! It’s a ripe and propitious time to end hostilities that have gone on too long.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Novelist Marcel Proust was a sensitive,

“Fortune resists half-hearted prayers,” wrote the poet Ovid more than 2,000 years ago. I will add that Fortune also resists poorly formulated intentions, feeble vows, and sketchy plans—especially now, during an historical turning point when the world is undergoing massive transformations. Luckily, I don’t see those lapses being problems for you in the coming weeks, Leo. According to my analysis, you’re primed to be clear and precise. Your willpower should be working with lucid grace. You’ll have an enhanced ability to assess your assets and make smart plans for how to use them.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

interesting, I think, connecting a lot of my swimming days with my work recently. When you’re underwater for that long and you’re working so hard, it’s like your mind totally goes to these different places. CS

Follow Sophie on Instagram at @sophiefunck.

BY ROB BREZSNY

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

In the course of my life, I’ve met many sharp thinkers with advanced degrees from fine universities—who are nonetheless stunted in their emotional intelligence. They may quote Shakespeare and discourse on quantum physics and explain the difference between the philosophies of Kant and Hegel, and yet have less skill in understanding the inner workings of human beings or in creating vibrant intimate relationships. Yet most of these folks are not extreme outliers. I’ve found that virtually all of us are smarter in our heads than we are in our hearts. The good news, Libra, is that our current Global Healing Crisis is an excellent time for you to play catch up. Do what poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti suggests: “Make your mind learn its way around the heart.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Aphorist Aaron Haspel writes, “The less you are contradicted, the stupider you become. The more powerful you become, the less you are contradicted.” Let’s discuss how this counsel might be useful to you in the coming weeks. First of all, I suspect you will be countered and challenged more than usual, which will offer you rich opportunities to become smarter. Secondly, I believe you will become more powerful as long as you don’t try to stop or discourage the influences that contradict you. In other words, you’ll grow your personal authority and influence to the degree that you welcome opinions and perspectives that are not identical to yours.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“It’s always too early to quit,” wrote author Norman Vincent Peale. We should put his words into perspective, though. He preached “the power of positive thinking.” He was relentless in his insistence that we can and should transcend discouragement and disappointment. So we should consider the possibility that he was overly enthusiastic in his implication that we should NEVER give up. What do you think, Sagittarius? I’m guessing this will be an important question for you to con-

sider in the coming weeks. It may be time to re-evaluate your previous thoughts on the matter and come up with a fresh perspective. For example, maybe it’s right to give up on one project if it enables you to persevere in another.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The 16-century mystic nun Saint Teresa of Avila was renowned for being overcome with rapture during her spiritual devotions. At times she experienced such profound bliss through her union with God that she levitated off the ground. “Any real ecstasy is a sign you are moving in the right direction,” she wrote. I hope that you will be periodically moving in that direction yourself during the coming weeks, Capricorn. Although it may seem odd advice to receive during our Global Healing Crisis, I really believe you should make appointments with euphoria, delight, and enchantment.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Grammy-winning musician and composer Pharrell Williams has expertise in the creative process. “If someone asks me what inspires me,” he testifies, “I always say, ‘That which is missing.’” According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you would benefit from making that your motto in the coming weeks. Our Global Healing Crisis is a favorable time to discover what’s absent or empty or blank about your life, and then learn all you can from exploring it. I think you’ll be glad to be shown what you didn’t consciously realize was lost, omitted, or lacking.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

“I am doing my best to not become a museum of myself,” declares poet Natalie Diaz. I think she means that she wants to avoid defining herself entirely by her past. She is exploring tricks that will help her keep from relying so much on her old accomplishments that she neglects to keep growing. Her goal is to be free of her history, not to be weighed down and limited by it. These would be worthy goals for you to work on in the coming weeks, Pisces. What would your first step be?

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