NASHVILLE MAKES ITS CASE FOR A DURABLE FILM ECONOMY
>> PAGE 7 METROPOLITIK: METRO COUNCIL SQUEEZES RESERVE FUNDS FOR PROGRESSIVE CAUSES
>> PAGE 8
>> PAGE 30
Talking to The Cowgays, profiling the city’s queer Christian leaders, highlighting the best of Nashville Pride and more
Lainey Wilson wore these studded jeans, customized by Raina Gir, when she performed “Hang Tight Honey” in her role as Abby on the series finale of Yellowstone.
From the exhibit Lainey Wilson: Tough as Nails
artifact:
Beyond the Studio Boom
Nashville makes its case for a durable film economy
BY JP OLSEN
Metropolitik: Budget Season Shows Fault
Lines Between Council and Mayor
With a flat financial outlook, members squeezed reserve funds for progressive causes BY ELI MOTYCKA
Pith in the Wind
This week on the Scene’s news and politics blog
The Renegade Gospel of The Cowgays
Talking with the queer trio about reclaiming ’90s country, healing religious trauma and spreading queer joy like wildfire BY CAMERON BEYERENT
Repairing the Breach
Queer Christian leaders offer communion and show unity at Nashville Pride
BY HANNAH HERNER
Out, Louder
Your quick-reference guide to the music lineup for Nashville Pride 2026
BY BRITTNEY MCKENNA
Fertile Ground
Now in its second season, the Gay Farmers Market challenges misconceptions and builds vital bridges BY ANNIE PARNELL
Peacockin’
Meet the Nashville Peacocks, Music City’s championship-winning gay basketball team BY LOGAN BUTTS
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony, One Step at a Time, Superdrag, Garden Concert Series and more
FOOD AND DRINK
Ube, or Not Ube
The bright-purple yam is native to the Philippines, and one of the many delights found at Maemax Market BY KAY WEST
Some Kind of Paradise Street Theatre closes its season with tender, devastating The View UpStairs BY AMY STUMPFL
Come Together
Nashville’s Kurdish Culture and Music Association prepares for its third anniversary celebration, including a collaboration with the Nashville Symphony BY BAILEY BRANTINGHAM
The Spin
The Scene’s live-review column checks out The Protomen at Marathon Music Works BY H.N. JAMES
FILM
Animal House
An hour outside Nashville, Jackass co-star Steve-O is growing his animal sanctuary BY D. PATRICK RODGERS
Reptile Dysfunction
Florida snake-hunting documentary The Python Hunt reveals who the real monsters are BY CRAIG
D. LINDSEY
ON THE COVER: The Cowgays
Photo: Angelina Castillo; location: Town Studios
SUBSCRIBE
NEWSLETTER: nashvillescene.com/site/forms/subscription_services
PRINT: nashvillesceneshop.com
CONTACT
TO ADVERTISE: msmith@nashvillescene.com
EDITOR: prodgers@nashvillescene.com
CHECK BACK HERE WEEKLY TO LEARN ABOUT LOCAL PROMOTIONS, PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS
EVENTS WE’RE INTO
NASHVILLE PRIDE PARADE AND FESTIVAL
The Nashville Pride Parade kicks off 10 a.m. June 27 downtown, followed by the festival at Bicentennial Park at 11 a.m., celebrating love, color and acceptance. nashvillepride.org
NASHVILLE PRIDE POOL PARTY Join Nashville Pride for a sun-soaked celebration at 11 a.m. June 28 at The Drift Hotel, featuring music, cocktails and an electric close to Pride weekend. nashvillepride.org/poolparty
LOOKING AHEAD
RADNOR LAKE ART SHOW
Celebrate art and conservation at the Radnor Lake Art Show July 17-19 at Walter Criley Visitor Center, featuring original plein air works inspired by Radnor Lake Natural Area. radnorlake.org
summer series through July 31. nashvillesymphony.org
ARMOR FOR SLEEP AT THE BASEMENT EAST Win tickets to Armor for Sleep with Spanish Love Songs and Flycatcher at The Basement East on July 5. nashvillescene.com/freestuff
In my 35+ years living and working in Nashville, I’ve navigated the twists, turns and now expansive growth of this wonderful place. Let me help you make the best choices in your biggest investment — real estate. I’m so grateful for my clients’ great reviews, repeat business and continued referrals. I’d love the opportunity to help make your Real Estate Goals a reality!
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF D. Patrick Rodgers
MANAGING EDITOR Alejandro Ramirez
SENIOR EDITOR Dana Kopp Franklin
ARTS EDITOR Laura Hutson Hunter
MUSIC AND LISTINGS EDITOR Stephen Trageser
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Logan Butts
AUDIENCE EDITOR Annie Parnell
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Silverman
STAFF WRITERS Julianne Akers, John Glennon, Hannah Herner, Hamilton Matthew Masters, Eli Motycka, Nicolle Praino, William Williams
SENIOR FILM CRITIC Jason Shawhan
EDITORIAL INTERN Emma Pickett
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cat Acree, Sadaf Ahsan, Ken Arnold, Ben Arthur, Radley Balko, Bailey Brantingham, Ashley Brantley, Maria Browning, Steve Cavendish, Chris Chamberlain, Rachel Cholst, Lance Conzett, Hannah Cron, Connor Daryani, Tina Dominguez, Stephen Elliott, Steve Erickson, Jayme Foltz, Adam Gold, Kashif Andrew Graham, Seth Graves, Kim Green, Amanda Haggard, Steven Hale, Edd Hurt, Jennifer Justus, P.J. Kinzer, Janet Kurtz, Craig D. Lindsey, Margaret Littman, Sean L. Maloney, Brittney McKenna, Addie Moore, Marissa R. Moss, Noel Murray, Joe Nolan, Katherine Oung, Betsy Phillips, John Pitcher, Margaret Renkl, Daryl Sanders, Bobbie Jean Sawyer, Nadine Smith, Ashley Spurgeon Shamban, Amy Stumpfl, Cole Villena, Kay West, Nicole Williams, Ron Wynn, Kelsey Young, Charlie Zaillian
ART DIRECTOR Kayla Stark
PHOTOGRAPHERS Angelina Castillo, Eric England, Matt Masters
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Sandi Harrison, Tracey Starck, Mary Louise Meadors
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN Alex Levin
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Christie Passarello
MARKETING AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Robin Fomusa
EVENTS MANAGER Tristan Maryanski
MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER Meredith Grantham
PUBLISHER Mike Smith
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Michael Jezewski
SENIOR ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS CONSULTANTS
Teresa Birdsong, Carla Mathis, Heather Cantrell Mullins, Niki Tyree
ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS CONSULTANTS
Kailey Idziak, Allie Robbins, Andrea Vasquez
SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER Chelon Hill Hasty
ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS ASSOCIATE Audry Houle
SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Susan Torregrossa
PRESIDENT Mike Smith
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Todd Patton
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Olivia Britton
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Elizabeth Jones
IT DIRECTOR John Schaeffer
DIGITAL DIRECTOR Caroline Prater
CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Gary Minnis
FW PUBLISHING LLC For advertising information please contact: Mike Smith, msmith@nashvillescene.com or 615-844-9238 National Advertising: Ruxton Media Group www.ruxton.com ©2026, Nashville Scene. 615 Main St., Suite 102, Nashville, TN 37206. Phone: 615-244-7989. The Nashville Scene
Located near West Eastland & Mcferrin Aves, Richmond Bend is an exciting mixed-use community in the historic Greenwood neighborhood of East Nashville. The next phase is now underway, with five new luxury homes currently under construction. Buyers who secure a presale contract will have the opportunity to personalize select interior finishes, creating a home that reflects their individual style.
SINGLE FAMILY HOMES
$1,299,900 – $1,500,000 GREENWOOD
Perched above West End with panoramic views of downtown and the Parthenon, the 51 luxury residences at Athena are designed for those who expect more. More space. More style. More experience. From the rooftop Sky Lounge to the resort-style pool and sauna, every amenity speaks to elevated living. Qualifying buyers can enjoy a reduced mortgage payment for the first two years through our preferred lender. Inquire for details.
CONDOS FROM $1,049,000 WEST END
Nashville makes its case for a durable film economy
BY JP OLSEN
HOLLYWOOD IS NOT dying, but it is shrinking — and fast. The Los Angeles motion-picture workforce fell nearly 30 percent from 2022 to late 2024, while major projects fled overseas and traditional film and television lost eyeballs.
As one Warner Bros. executive put it to me, “YouTube is eating everyone’s lunch.”
Georgia has felt the pinch too, with production spending falling almost 50 percent from 2022 to 2025 and Disney’s Marvel the most visible loss in the state, which previously experienced a rapid increase in film production. AI has added uncertainty.
The 2024 study Future Unscripted estimated that tens of thousands of California entertainment jobs could be affected by AI within three years. It did not predict all those jobs would vanish, but warned they could be consolidated, replaced or eliminated, with visual effects, concept art, animation and postproduction hit hardest.
Bob Raines, executive director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, sees AI as a pivotal disruptor with the potential to “flatten out the marketplace.” It raises a question: Do companies need to be in L.A. for high-end effects, postproduction and animation? This
shifting landscape creates an opening for Nashville. Raines notes that while L.A., New York and Atlanta have deeper infrastructure, a trajectory is emerging.
“Nashville is moving toward being a strong secondary market, but there’s a lot that goes into becoming a billion-dollar production hub,” says Raines.
Some of that challenge is scale. The greater Nashville metro area has about 2.15 million people — far smaller than Atlanta, Los Angeles, or New York. But scale is not the only measure of strength. Since COVID, creative types have relocated to the region. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, between 2023 and 2024 alone, some 20,000 Californians moved to Tennessee, bringing musicians, producers, writers and crew.
The Tennessee Entertainment Commission’s 2025 report backs this up, citing $8.2 billion in music and video production. That momentum is visible in locally shot TV series like 9-1-1: Nashville and Scarpetta, which keep Nashville crews busy. Still, Raines warns against viewing that growth as permanent. This is a transient industry with a natural ebb and flow.
That ebb and flow is familiar on set. Peter Kurland — a Nashville-based production audio
mixer, Grammy winner, four-time Oscar nominee and business agent for the local branch of industry union IATSE — says success should be measured by whether productions sustain stable careers for local crews, not simply by the projects Nashville attracts. He hopes people can lead good lives, with healthcare, while working in production.
As Kurland points out, Nashville’s film scene has two identities: the professional world, where pay, benefits, safety and working conditions determine whether people build careers; and the art-driven world of indies and passion projects that rarely provide a living wage but remain vital to developing talent and culture.
Max Butler, a local producer and informal archivist of Tennessee film history, views Nashville’s film scene as a system building on itself for decades. He points to local filmmakers who birthed everything from Jim Varney’s Ernest franchise to the transgressive indie work of Harmony Korine.
Butler maintains a Letterboxd list of more than 180 films shot in the state, but he cautions against overstating Nashville’s momentum. He says the city has let major talent slip away, most recently filmmaker $ECK, who left Nashville for
New York and whose debut feature So Far All Good debuted this month at the Tribeca Film Festival. Butler believes Nashville does not need to become Hollywood, but rather needs a healthier model for the talented people already here.
Recent breakout hits like Obsession and Backrooms have sharpened that point. Both films were made by 20-something directors and emerged from modest, creator-driven origins rather than the traditional studio pipeline, suggesting that Hollywood’s next durable model may come from backing distinctive filmmakers before the market validates them. For Nashville, a city packed with creative people, the lesson is less about copying those projects than recognizing the path to production they reveal, such as smaller teams, clear voices, direct audience relationships (often built through YouTube) and local support to keep the value of success from leaving town.
Butler says the obstacle for indies is always capital. He says the scene needs a stronger base of backers and institutions willing to finance work before it leaves Tennessee. Too often, he suggests, people want the benefits of culture without supporting the conditions that enable it.
Name: JOAN
9 yrs.
Weight: 51lbs.
MEET JOAN!
A bright, happy-golucky girl who brings sunshine wherever she goes. She loves engaging with people and would thrive with someone who enjoys an active, playful companion. After a good round of zoomies, she’s happy to settle in and soak up attention and affection. Joan is ready to bring her spark and enthusiasm into a forever home.
Call 615.352.1010 or visit nashvillehumane.org
Located at 213 Oceola Ave., Nashville, TN 37209
Adopt. Bark. Meow. Microchip. Neuter. Spay.
This paradox surfaced at a recent meeting of the state’s entertainment oversight body, where Raines confirmed that Tennessee’s 25 percent rebate program prices out many smaller-budget filmmakers. Raising the minimum spend to $500,000 — up from earlier cycles closer to $250,000 — favors larger out-of-town productions while leaving smaller local features behind.
Raines defended the threshold to create better jobs and reduce administrative costs, noting that states like Georgia and the Carolinas use similar minimums. Still, he said a tiered system is being explored, leaving open the possibility of easing the threshold for local projects.
2009 or 2010, with the arrival of the television show Nashville and the film Country Strong, which Wilson also appeared in. Wilson says “the world’s eyes gazed on us as an untapped treasure,” creating new production opportunities. With 9-1-1: Nashville alongside independent shops, he believes the local scene is positioned for a breakthrough.
“I’m an optimist by nature,” Wilson says. “I think it’s only getting started from an animation perspective.”
Together, The Wingfeather Saga and Skybone suggest Nashville does not have to build its screen economy by imitating Hollywood. It can grow from locally rooted intellectual property, family entertainment, independent animation, music-adjacent media and small shops whose value lies in taste, craft and ownership. Hollywood’s contraction has exposed the fragility of centralized production economies. Nashville’s strength lies in its diversified community of culture makers across music, sound, postproduction, animation and commercial work.
an independent bookstore for independent people
UPCOMING EVENTS
PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENTS FOR TICKETS & UPDATES
6:30PM
LIZ GRIFFIN with HANNAH WHITTEN at PARNASSUS The Sorcerer and the Swan
10:30AM
SPANISH STORYTIME
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
SATURDAY, JUNE 27
HORA DE CUENTOS EN ESPAÑOL at PARNASSUS
6:30PM
BEATRIZ WILLIAMS with ARIEL LAWHON at PARNASSUS When You Loved Me
2:00PM
MAGGIE O'FARRELL
6:30PM
JENNY JACKSON
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
Brock Starnes, executive producer of The Wingfeather Saga and an advocate for family entertainment, sees another path. Nashville’s future, he suggests, may depend on producers who think entrepreneurially about audience, ownership and distribution. His series — streaming through Utah-based Christian media company Angel Studios — grew out of Nashville-based author Andrew Peterson’s work, and its production relationships and intellectual property have remained largely rooted in Tennessee. In an industry where projects are constantly pulled toward Hollywood, Wingfeather points to locally grown entertainment that builds an audience without exporting its core value.
Skylar Wilson, co-owner of the animation shop Skybone Studios, also views Nashville’s animation future with optimism. He traces the city’s shifting creative atmosphere to around
THURSDAY, JULY 2
with ARIEL LAWHON at VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY Land
TUESDAY, JULY 7
with ADAM ROSS at PARNASSUS The Shampoo Effect
10:30AM
SATURDAY STORYTIME at PARNASSUS
SATURDAY, JULY 11
With a flat financial outlook, members squeezed reserve funds for progressive causes
BY ELI MOTYCKA
Metropolitik is a recurring column featuring the Scene’s analysis of Metro dealings.
The challenge is turning gig work into something durable. Incentives matter, but so does local investment. The talent, crews and history are already in place, says Butler; what Nashville needs is a dedicated base of backers to help them take root.
In an unstable production economy, Nashville’s next move may not be to become the next great studio town, but to build a smaller, diversified film and media economy that can last. ▼
outfit that lobbies for more government investment in housing and non-police public safety.
“The backbone of our city, and our thriving economy — our workers — are literally slipping through our fingers,” Abolfazli told councilmembers at the committee meeting. “We are sending a message to them that, actually, Nashville is not a place to root yourself — it’s a place to leave within two to three years because you can’t afford it.”
The three successfully pitched social housing investments that survived through the Metro Council’s June 16 budget vote, when members passed a $3.85 billion budget for fiscal year 2027. (A new fiscal year begins on July 1.) Both SUN and the People’s Budget Coalition swiftly declared victory for the millions that will go toward new strategies and new staff meant to improve affordability in the city’s housing market. Their only misstep: two separate celebration parties scheduled for the same Thursday evening.
Councilmember Tom Cash carried legislation for a new Vanderbilt University “innovation neighborhood” through its first Metro Council reading last week. Some of his voters clamor for more concessions, while others welcome an upgrade to Vanderbilt’s sea of parking lots along 31st Avenue Residents organized under the name Hillsboro-West End Neighborhood want greater concessions from Vanderbilt regarding maximum building height, traffic calming, parking, construction and green space. Multiple delays and deferrals pocked the university’s initial vision for a largescale office park that integrates corporate investment into campus research, previously advertised as an “Innovation District.” The university bought dozens of key parcels of West End storefront over the years ahead of this summer’s push. Cash’s District 18 encompasses parts of Vanderbilt and surrounding residential neighborhoods, including a well-resourced enclave between 21st Avenue and West End Avenue that is rallying neighbors to the bill’s second reading on Aug. 4.
A new legal motion has been filed over Tennessee’s new congressional map drawn by the state’s Republican supermajority. The NAACP, NAACP Tennessee State Conference and impacted voters have filed a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to block the state’s new congressional map, which the organizations argue is unconstitutional and dilutes the power of Black voters by removing Tennessee’s only majority-Black district. The motion seeks a hearing before a three-judge panel in federal court and asks the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee to block the implementation of the map before the 2026 elections. Early voting begins on July 17 for U.S. House primary elections which the map would impact.
Bring your favorite stuffed animal!
3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 | Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243
Shop online at parnassusbooks.net
@parnassusbooks @parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks @parnassusbooksnashville
SOMETIMES “A SEAT AT THE TABLE” is a metaphor for inclusive decision-making, especially when lots of money is involved. Other times, it’s more literal. At the request of Councilmember Kyonztè Toombs, Cade Wooten, Maryam Abolfazli and Andrew Krinks took three chairs at a May 27 work session hosted by the Metro Council’s Budget and Finance Committee. Abolfazli and Wooten work for Stand Up Nashville, the advocacy group that rose to prominence after negotiating a 2018 community benefits agreement with Nashville SC ownership. Krinks works with the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition, a member-led
While the mayor and his fully staffed office file the city’s massive budget, the Metro Council holds the power of the purse. Dividing and balancing billions is a massive undertaking, and time, coordination, expertise and sunshine laws make it unfeasible for the council’s 40-person body to overhaul the mayor’s first draft. Instead, members propose funding changes between a few hundred thousand and a few million dollars. Toombs, who oversees the council budgeting process and files its substitute as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, earned the respect of her colleagues throughout the process.
Earlier this month, MMA fighter Josh Hokit spit up on himself at the Lincoln Memorial, and the next day he trolled Michelle Obama from the South Lawn of the White House Also this month, right-wing influencer Riley Gaines saw that part of Vietnam Veterans Boulevard has been renamed for Charlie Kirk and she tweeted: “Beautiful tribute that the entire North Nashville community will see for years to come.” This stretch of Vietnam Vets is not in what is actually known as North Nashville, a historically Black neighborhood in Davidson County. Scene opinion columnist Betsy Phillips argues that Hokit and Gaines are part of a movement of grifters who don’t seem to actually care about the context or impact of the things they say. “I don’t think these people say or do this sort of thing to be racist,” writes Phillips. “They might or might not be racist. But I also think they’re something worse and more dangerous. I think they’re meaningless. … I don’t think anything really means anything to them.”
Toombs, an attorney, showed off tactful mediating skills while navigating political and personal turbulence, successfully broaching a controversial aspect of this year’s budget — a city entertainment commission that has been a battleground since its inception in 2022. Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s budget scrapped funding for the body.
“Before I call on councilmembers, I do want to emphasize that this is a collaborative process,” cautioned Toombs as she prepared to tap District 32 Councilmember Joy Styles for comment at another budget work session on June 4. “There will be differing opinions, but I think it’s our job to try to work together and come to a resolution.”
Styles took the chance to slam the O’Connell administration for “machinations,” “nonsense” and “shenanigans.” Styles announced her bid for mayor in January, but her campaign has not translated to blockbuster fundraising or high-profile endorsements. It has, however, given her a perch from which to pillory O’Connell and his administration. During the budget process, she levied charges without hesitation.
“This has not been a matter of legislation — this has been personal, and I’m sad about that because it’s affecting constituents,” said Styles on June 4. “This has been a veritable nightmare, and we have an opportunity in this budget season to fix that.”
The entertainment commission won $300,000 via council intervention. It was among several small but impactful tweaks during budget season, many of which reflect the council’s prevailing commitment to progressive politics. Small grants to nonprofits, like the Sexual Assault Center and the Nashville Children’s Alliance, target social services like SAC’s Safe Bar program. Bigger cutouts for housing stability — including $1 million to Rebuilding Together Nashville and $2 million to the Hispanic Bar Association Foundation — will back affordable housing preservation and legal support for renters facing eviction. Relatively flat city income — mostly from property taxes, followed by local sales tax and
various smaller government revenue streams — means councilmembers raided contingency funds for extra money, specifically the Judgments and Losses fund, which pays out when Nashville is on the wrong side of a legal dispute.
It’s easy to imagine that now-Mayor O’Connell would have pushed for the same investments when he was a councilmember. As the city’s top official, he’s now more prone to worrying about unforeseen catastrophe, the blame for which would fall on his office. He’s still taking predictable flak for last year’s countywide property tax reassessment — specifically from local business owners including Acme Feed & Seed proprietor Tom Morales, who received an eye-popping tax bill increase along with other Lower Broadway property owners. The mayor typically plays this card once per term for a big revenue bump that normalizes the city budget.
The city’s overall economic picture is neither good nor bad; Nashville still enjoys great bond ratings, the equivalent of a city’s credit score, but remains vulnerable to the volatile tourism economy. Tourism income has slowed — vacations often come last in a tight economy, making revenue from sales and hotel taxes sensitive to overall trends for better and worse.
Local sales tax revenue grew a bit this year alongside scant property tax growth, outweighing downtrends elsewhere, leaving the city up about $50 million.
O’Connell committed roughly the same amount to Metro Nashville Public Schools’ budget increase, which passes its own annual budget based on the city’s allocation (about $1.45 billion this year).
Without much new cash to work with, the mayor added $6 million to the Barnes Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $7 million for a revolving affordable housing loan fund, and cut the grocery tax by 0.5 percent, which will cost the city an estimated $9 million. The priorities — housing, cost of living, affordability — match O’Connell’s campaign talking points as he prepares for a second term. ▼
• HIV testing, treatment and support
• Oral & injectable PrEP and PEP
• STI prevention and sexual wellness
• Behavioral health and psychiatry
• Hepatitis C testing & treatment
• Insurance navigation
• LGBTQ+ informed primary care for established patients
Connect with healthcare experts in a safe, welcoming environment. We respect you. We hear you. We see you. And stop by our Nashville Pride tent to cool off and connect!
TO LEARN MORE
AS WE WERE photographing The Cowgays for the cover of this issue, Brooke Eden held up a tiny Progress Pride flag on a toothpick and quipped: “This is what it feels like celebrating Pride this year.” She’s right. In a time of mounting anti-immigrant and anti-trans rhetoric and violence, it’s hard to feel particularly celebratory — and in a state where the legislature recently mandated tracking transgender healthcare data and decreed that Pride Month is “Nuclear Family Month,” actually, it can feel downright dangerous. This year, the United States government removed online references to trans people and a Pride flag from the site of the Stonewall National Monument in New York, which commemorates the site of LGBTQ resistance led by Black trans women that gave rise to Pride as we know it.
Talking to The Cowgays, profiling the city’s queer Christian leaders, highlighting the best of Nashville Pride and more
But queer people have always flourished in opposition, and there are lessons from Stonewall for all of us today. In this week’s Pride issue, stories of queer resilience stand next to ones of queer joy. We’ve got a lineup for this year’s Nashville Pride festivities from Brittney McKenna — this year’s Pride Parade grand marshals will be Lipstick Lounge founders Christa Suppan and Jonda Valentine — and a look at Nashville’s gay basketball team the Peacocks from staffer Logan Butts. Reporter Hannah Herner speaks with the queer Christian leaders working to repair religious trauma created by churches, and I explore the Gay Farmers Market, a Music City PrEP Clinic initiative that’s building vital bridges. And of course, there’s contributor Cameron Beyrent’s profile of The Cowgays — a queer country supergroup with the rallying cry “I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more.”
I hope these stories nourish and motivate you. Read on, and happy Pride.
ANNIE PARNELL, AUDIENCE EDITOR
IN THE NEARLY empty courtyard of Rosemary & Beauty Queen, hours before their Strut Nashville performance kicking off Pride Month, The Cowgays are at sound check, warming up a cappella. As their voices lock into the richly layered harmony of their irreverent gospel anthem “Wish I Wasn’t Gay,” the sound rumbles past the bar and out onto Forest Avenue like an animal overjoyed at being released from a cage. The sound thunders so that even listening from across the street, it feels as if they’re singing to you from mere feet away.
Later that evening, Brooke Eden (one-third of The Cowgays, dressed in sleek and dazzling yet campy all-black Western wear complete with sequined chaps) introduces the song to the audience: “Is it OK if we take y’all to gay church?” With that, she and her fellow Cowgays Adam Mac and Chris Housman (equally striking in all-black gear that matches Eden’s) roar into the performance, transporting a crowd that is practically hanging from the rafters to a space of healing. The song’s opening lyrics — “Wish I wasn’t gay / Wish I wasn’t gay / I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more / Clap your hands for Jesus, hallelujah, praise the Lord / I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more” — beckon the audience to rejoice in reclaiming their ability to love themselves, if only for one night.
Nashville, Mac touches up his bandmates’ glam, studying their faces as he blends blush into their cheeks before a photo shoot.
“I’m the drag mother of this house,” Mac tells the Scene, holding a makeup sponge out to the side.
Mac is stunning, his eyeshadow lined with rhinestones that match the detailing on his powder-blue shirt.
A few days later, in front of the vanity mirrors in their dressing room at Town Studios in East
Talking with the queer trio about reclaiming ’90s country, healing religious trauma and spreading queer joy like wildfire
By Cameron Beyerent
decade. Though they have been releasing music as The Cowgays for only a handful of months, the trio always looks as if they’re ready to walk the red carpet at the CMA Awards, even when many of their outfits are sourced from online platforms like Depop.
“We have to take the arts and crafts
“Writing these songs has been nostalgic for us — we feel like we’re healing our inner children. After not having the stories we so badly needed to hear as kids, we’re taking the sound of the ’90s and writing our stories to it as adults.” —Brooke Eden
The story of The Cowgays begins in an Airbnb in Mexico after a day of drinking on a catamaran. The three friends, already bonded by their experience as queer solo country artists in Nashville, were vacationing in Tulum to celebrate Eden’s birthday. They found themselves singing old country songs in the building’s stairwell, hitting their stride when they harmonized on the Everly Brothers classic “When Will I Be Loved.” Housman, who grew up singing harmony in a family band, taught both Mac and Eden their vocal parts.
The Cowgays’ initial sound was rooted in a desire to revisit the music that dominated country radio when they were kids. Having all grown up on ’90s country, they felt comfortable leaning into the campier aspects of that era, which was also defined by harmony-heavy, story-driven songwriting.
He floats throughout the room, eager to tell me the details of his outfit.
“This lattice denim fabric was originally a vest that we cut up,” Mac says, showing me the lining beneath his white cowboy hat. “And then I just rhinestoned the hell out of it.”
All three musicians have worked as solo country singer-songwriters for more than a
and bring it to the workroom and make it drag,” Eden announces, referencing queer cultural touchstone RuPaul’s Drag Race
The band’s positive attitude is infectious. The trio warmly greets anyone who enters the dressing room. It’s as if they want everyone they meet to leave The Cowgays’ orbit with their head held high. The vibes are genuine.
“Even Shania’s music had present harmony throughout every one of her songs,” Housman points out. “There really aren’t many trios doing heavy harmonies like we are, so leaning into that ’90s country sound felt so natural.”
During an early writing session, the trio conceived “Good Hoedown,” a delightfully campy romp about two-stepping your way out of rock
bottom after things fall apart.
“We left the ‘Good Hoedown’ writing session like, ‘Yo, this is it — this is what we’ve been searching for,’” Mac says. “From then on, we went into every writing session with that filter in mind. How can we take the songs that we love and reimagine them through a Cowgays lens?”
But the sound isn’t about emulation; it’s about transcendence. They somehow take a genre many would consider dated and make it entirely their own.
“It’s almost like we grew up in the same household because we all know the same music,” Eden says. “Writing these songs has been nostalgic for us — we feel like we’re healing our inner children. After not having the stories we so badly needed to hear as kids, we’re taking the sound of the ’90s and writing our stories to it as adults.”
Kylie Sonique Love, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 6, appears in the “Good Hoedown” music video in a scene-stealing turn as the Belle of the Hoedown. After filming wrapped, the group grabbed some burgers at Dino’s, where Love declared herself Mac’s drag mother, telling him he “can’t be wearing all that makeup and not have a drag mom.”
The Cowgays’ empowering third single, “Kids Like Us” — a nostalgic country anthem that reclaims the idea of belonging for queer youth in the United States — might be a song that actually saves lives. It was written to help closeted kids keep their heads above water by spreading queer joy and sharing their stories.
The conversation turns to how acceptance of the LGBTQ community has dipped in recent years. “Queer people experiencing joy is a form of protest,” Housman remarks. All three members agree that the main ethos of The Cowgays is spreading queer joy.
“It feels like the pendulum has swung the other way,” Mac says. “Pride funding is way down. The [Trump] administration is attacking our community left and right. Trans people’s rights are literally on the brink of extinction. The pendulum needs to swing back, and we’re hoping that showing up like this, as bold as we
emphatically, noting that the word itself is close to their hearts. They reference some of their favorite outlaw pioneers — Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson — who were rebellious by nature and sang about progressive subject matter.
“When I think of outlaws in Nashville, I think of Holly G and the Black Opry,” Housman says. “I think of all the artists of color working in Nashville, because there ain’t nothing outlaw about another straight white man singing ‘beer,’ ‘hunt,’ ‘drink,’ ‘golf.’”
“It’s literally copy-and-paste,” Eden says.
“It’s giving in-law, not outlaw,” Housman says, and the band breaks into a cackle.
The trio also grew up in the church, and religious trauma is another thread that binds them together. Eden notes that they were all exposed to what she calls “R-rated” material at a young age through teachings about hell, and how challenging that can be for queer youth growing up in religious environments. Much of their music is written with those kids in mind — lying awake at night, trying to reach their small hands through the ceiling so they can grab God by the collar, look him in the eye, and ask: “Why do you love everyone but me?”
Eden and her wife have a 19-month-old son, and she talks about wanting to raise him with a strong moral foundation without relying on fear-based religious teachings. Overall, though, the band is hopeful about the future. After releasing only three songs, their online numbers are skyrocketing, and they’re booked solid. (And yes, an album is on the horizon.)
Their solo careers are thriving as well. Eden jokes that she lost all of her press-on nails throughout the day because she hasn’t had time to get her nails done between gigs and still needs to play guitar. A special edition of Mac’s sophomore album Southern Spectacle will be released in July. Housman is set to make his Grand Ole Opry debut on July 26, and on the day of our interview, he announced the release date for his sophomore album Dodge City, available Aug. 28.
The band members may no longer be religious in the traditional sense, but all three maintain a relationship with a higher power, which they call “G.U.S.” — God, Universe, Source. I note that they seem to be finding the most success when they’re at their gayest, which suggests that God might not be as homophobic as they were taught to believe. Eden says following an “authentic path is the best way to connect with a higher power,” and Housman agrees — though he admits that somewhere along the way, he forgot to get baptized.
“That’s why you’re gay,” Mac says, finding humor in heaviness — as queer people so often do.▼ FOLLOW
By Hannah Herner
THE REV. DAWN BENNETT is looking forward to serving communion at Nashville Pride for the first time this year. It’s a chance to look people in the eye and affirm them, she says.
The former pastor of The Table — which bills itself as the city’s only LGBTQ-centric church — moved to Murfreesboro to lead a church there after The Table closed abruptly in October 2024.
“To be able to serve communion at Pride, especially to folks who have not found their way back to an affirming church and who still want to … it’s a very healing thing to say, ‘God does see you and God does love you, and you are welcome at this table,’” Bennett says.
Bennett has long been behind Pride Spirituality Night — which includes a range of faiths and most recently took place on June 24 at the Scarritt Bennett Center — and will also be accepting the Nashville Pride Community Service Award on Saturday. Communion will take place at the booth of the newly formed Lay Leadership Collaborative of Middle Tennessee — ELCA
(Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), who will be joined by affirming pastors across the city to march in Saturday’s parade.
“I think that that’s a huge misunderstanding — that gay people don’t have a very life-nourishing faith, and they do,” Bennett tells the Scene
“Clearly there’s a lot of hurt, and it’s caused by the church. I am not shy to admit that, but because of that, it’s the church’s responsibility to repair the breach.”
Lutheran churches like the one Bennett leads officially show support for LGBTQ people by earning a Reconciliation in Christ designation. This requires adopting a statement denouncing
Your quick-reference guide to the music lineup for Nashville Pride 2026
By Brittney McKenna
THE NASHVILLE PRIDE FESTIVAL’S annual lineup of performers never disappoints, and this year’s roster is no exception. Though entertainment programming is down from two days to one, seemingly as part of a response to reduced sponsorship and a budget shortfall, the organizers at Nashville Pride still packed an entire weekend’s worth of fantastic artists — many of whom are local — into Saturday’s concert at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Revelers of any musical persuasion can bet on a joyful, community-oriented musical experience.
Fancy Hagood and Molly Grace are the event’s official headliners, both slated to play the festival’s main Equality Stage in the evening. Native Arkansan Hagood has been a key figure in Nashville’s queer country music scene for a minute now, and relative newcomer Grace is quickly establishing herself as a local fixture too, with her infectious blend of pop and R&B and her glitzy persona.
As for the undercard, the Equality Stage will also play host to Nashville native and “Southern singing goddess” Saaneah, R&B singer-songwriter Kyleigh, country upstart and self-described “Nashville local lovergirl” Carmen Dianne and a selection of artists chosen by Gay Ole Opry Nashville, namely Lauren Horbal, Laken Campo and Again & Again. Also at the park you’ll find queer music organization RNBW’s Rainbow Stage. There you can catch singer-songwriter and Black Opry alumnus Ally Free, groovy and genre-agnostic singer-songwriter BODHI and Americana singer-song-
racism, a land acknowledgement and a statement welcoming LGBTQ people. First Lutheran Church ELCA in downtown Nashville earned its designation in December, but each denomination does things differently.
Christopher Flor, president of the First Lutheran Church ELCA and co-founder of the Lay Leadership Collaborative, has a “God-sized dream” — that all of the congregations will work together to find a uniform way to show support for the LGBTQ community.
“A queer person walking through Pride and seeing churches there can counter a massive amount of trauma that they’ve been through,” Flor tells the Scene
Some churches welcome women and LGBTQ people into the pews, but not into the pulpit. It’s an issue that divided the Lutheran church in 2009, and the United Methodist Church in 2023. As a bisexual woman, Bennett is doubly in the minority. She says she’s been criticized publicly, spat upon and has even received death threats
“It’s a constellation of beautifully complex truths, and I realize that not everybody is happy that I’m here, but God is happy, and that’s really all that matters to me,” she says. “I am of the mind that there’s enough God for everybody in the world, no matter how you call God, how you get to God, how you allow God to get to you.”
Flor says there are a handful of “clobber” passages in the Bible — scripture that some Christians use to “create a wholesale defense of the exclusion and marginalization of queer people.”
“The prevailing understanding is that churches are not inclusive, that the Bible emphatically and categorically condemns queer love, when it actually doesn’t discuss queer love in detail,” he says. “There’s hundreds of scriptures on inclusion and love and welcome and God’s radical justice and mercy — and the actual case for an anti-inclusive theology, in comparison, feels limited to me.”
At the end of her recently published book, A Seat at the Table: Stories of Faith, Healing and Rebirth, Bennett challenges people to take what The Table’s members learned in the church’s five years and plant seeds in new places. Flor was one of those members.
In the past decade or so, Bennett has observed an increasing number of pastors beginning to unpack the hurt the church has caused LGBTQ people. She believes part of her call is to work with pastors and parents who don’t yet affirm LGBTQ people “in a way that helps them begin to understand in God’s design diversity is all over the world — why would we think that God stops being diverse and creative when it comes to humans?”
She considers those who are not yet affirming “poor in spirit” — a group of people the Bible calls her to care for.
“Pride is an opportunity, especially for people of faith,” Bennett says. “When you can put those two things in the same sentence and celebrate yourself and celebrate your neighbor — it’s just magical.” ▼
writer Bria B. Freeney. You’ll also find country troubadour Jessica Rose, American Idol alum Luke-Michael, Nashville-via-Chicago singer-songwriter Madeleine Kelson and pop-punk revivalist Rachel DeeLynn, along with pop artist and songsmith-for-hire Ty Lakes and introspective indie singer-songwriter Whitney Fenimore. The main festival will also include heaps of drag performances on both the Stonewall Stage and the Equality Stage (including your hosts Trey Alize, Nece Sexton, Coqueta and the inimitable The Princess). And there’s an official afterparty with DJ Danny Verde called Athena Underground at East Nashville’s The Office (604 Gallatin Ave., No. 117). Here’s a deeper dive on some of our can’t-miss favorites on the bill. Keep an eye on Nashville Pride’s website and Instagram profile (@nashvillepridefestival) for schedule updates.
FANCY HAGOOD AND FRIENDS
Equality Stage co-headliner Fancy Hagood is a true Nashville gem. As a solo artist, Hagood makes inventive, country-leaning pop from a queer perspective, as heard on songs like fan favorite “Losing Game” and the recently released laid-back bop “Love Me Back.” As a collaborator, he’s worked with stars like Kacey Musgraves and Ariana Grande. Through it all, he’s been a tireless advocate for the queer community, and this headlining set feels a bit like a homecoming. Hagood will be joined by a few of his most talented friends, including Michelle Branch, Joy Oladokun and She Returns From War.
MOLLY GRACE
Hagood’s fellow Equality Stage headliner Molly Grace brings a similarly bright, buoyant energy to Saturday’s lineup. The Massachusetts-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter makes soulful, glittery queer pop à la Chappell Roan or Janelle Monáe, like standout single “F.E.M.M.E.,” which namechecks beloved Nashville institution Lipstick Lounge (one of fewer than 40 lesbian bars remaining in the U.S.). Look for Grace to put on a dynamic, colorful show,
and keep an ear out for new tunes like the sweet and tender “Say When.”
GAY OLE OPRY NASHVILLE (FEAT. LAUREN HORBAL, LAKEN CAMPO, AGAIN & AGAIN)
The Opry, but make it gay. Local artist-activist collective the Gay Ole Opry Nashville has been spreading the love around town since 2024, raising awareness and crucial funds for organizations like Trans Aid Nashville in the process. Drummer and singer-songwriter Lauren Horbal, indie singer-songwriter Laken Campo and “friendly neighborhood lesbian comedy band” Again & Again are featured in the org’s curated lineup, ensuring an exciting, eclectic set on the Equality Stage.
Nashville’s thriving R&B scene continues to grow thanks to the talents of artists like Kyleigh (formerly known as Ca$hK), who will perform on the Equality Stage on Saturday. Vibey and minimalist, Kyleigh blends ’90s R&B hallmarks like silky vocals and soulful progressions with modern sensibilities. The sound lands somewhere between the late, great Aaliyah and present-day superstar SZA.
BRIA B. FREENEY
Country up-and-comer Bria B. Freeney counts Charley Crockett and Tyler Childers among their musical inspirations, and you can hear that influence in their vulnerable songwriting and no-frills sound. The trans artist will bring a fresh perspective to their Rainbow Stage set, and likely some unreleased material to check out too. ▼
11 A.M.-8 P.M. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, AT BICENTENNIAL
Now in its second season, the Gay Farmers Market challenges misconceptions and builds vital bridges
By Annie Parnell
LAST YEAR, Music City PrEP Clinic project manager Drew Morrow made a Reddit post.
“It was just like, ‘Hey, calling all farmers,’” Morrow tells the Scene. “‘This is what we’re thinking of doing, we want to hear from you.’”
Now the events manager for the sexual health clinic, Morrow — along with Jeremy Johnson, Diversity Health’s vice president of marketing — inherited the idea for the Gay Farmers Market from a former executive director. The goal, says Johnson, was a space “for the community to come together.”
“[The former executive director] thought that there was a really big need to have a space like any other farmers market, but … our own,” John-
son explains. “Products that would really relate to the people that would be shopping at it, that [they would] identify with.”
The initial feedback on the Reddit post was mixed — Morrow, laughing, says the number one response he got was, “Aren’t all farmers markets gay?” But last year saw a successful inaugural half-season run and a nighttime Christmas pop-up series. The market takes place biweekly on the PrEP Clinic’s property in East Nashville’s East End neighborhood.
“We weren’t aware that there was going to be such a positive response to it,” says Johnson.
Johnson says the market has been a “learnas-we-go situation” — the team has learned to balance a few staples with curated offerings for each date, so it’s not the same market every time. Now grown into a full season that runs every other week May through October, the Gay Farmers Market provides a unique community space with a fun, family-friendly feel. Morrow describes it as “a little more fabulous” than a traditional market: There are drag shows at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. at every market, and patrons can buy drinks from nearby Canvas Lounge and sip in the parking lot while they shop.
“We’re a unique farmers market in that people come and hang out all day,” says Johnson. “They don’t just swing through. The bar’s open.”
But the market also challenges misconceptions about what queerness and allyship look like, especially in a state like Tennessee. As Morrow points out, there tends to be an assumption that “good old boys” dominate the agriculture industry — but in his words, “There are so many queer farmers out there.” The market creates a way for patrons to get to know the people behind their food, and to sustain the work of local farmers and makers who share their values.
“Knowing that you can come out and support your people, buy their products, is really special,” he says.
Red Flynn found the market last year through Reddit and reached out to Morrow. She and her wife live on a half-acre of land in Kingston Springs, where they keep chickens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Flynn started home-preserving fruits and peppers from her garden. Eventually, the side hustle grew, and she’s been selling locally sourced, seasonally crafted jams and jellies under the banner of Redford Farms since 2023.
The Gay Farmers Market was Flynn’s first farmers market residency, and it has allowed her to advance her jam-making career and make new connections in the industry. Now she says it’s her favorite market to work.
“It’s really nice to feel like there’s a commu-
nity space for queer people — not just in June, but all summer long.”
Not all of the market’s vendors are members of the queer community, but Johnson says the ones who aren’t are allies for one simple reason: “They showed up, and they want to participate.” The straight participants, says Morrow, form connections with the community through their participation in the market — building vital bridges.
“Some of these straight people that do come out and participate ... cut to 10 markets later, and they’re out there waving their dollars at the drag queens, and they’ve made friends with all the other vendors,” Morrow explains. “Even if you’re just coming to sell your wares and this doesn’t matter at all to you, now some of these people have gay friends, queer friends, lesbian friends.”
That sense of camaraderie is something that Flynn echoes: “It doesn’t feel like a competition.”
“I’m buddies with a lot of the vendors, [and] we all check up on each other,” Flynn says.
“Everyone is welcome.
Everyone is so cool.” ▼
the Nashville Peacocks, Music City’s championship-winning gay basketball team
By Logan Butts
DID YOU KNOW Nashville has a reigning national champion in basketball? No, it’s not one of our four NCAA Division I universities. And despite what some are saying, the Memphis Grizzlies are not planning to move here. If you haven’t already been acquainted, it’s time to meet the Nashville Peacocks.
In September of last year, the Nashville Peacocks — a local gay men’s basketball team — won the National Gay Basketball Association national championship, going a perfect 5-0 en route to taking the All-Gender Upper B Division title. That’s one of several national competitions the ’Cocks have claimed since the team’s inception in 2023; the trophy case is filling up fast.
Unlike in larger metro areas like New York, Los Angeles or Boston, there is no full-time gay basketball league in Nashville. Instead of joining large pools of free agents, mixing and matching with new teammates every week, the Peacocks play together year-round, often in traditionally heteronormative leagues as they prepare for nationwide tournaments. It has made for a tightly knit group on and off the court.
“They have chemistry, and they’ve been playing together … that is definitely an advantage,” says Sammy Hann, one of the Peacocks’ founders and the team’s general manager.
Hann, who still suits up for the Peacocks while also managing fellow NGBA squad the Kentucky Gamecocks, first dipped his toe into the local gay sports scene with the Nashville Grizzlies, an inclusive rugby team. Hann says Joe Brown, co-owner of Nashville gay bars Play and Tribe, was the team’s first investor. Brown paid for the club’s uniforms when it first launched in the summer of 2023. Tribe and Play, along with Music City PrEP Clinic, remain some of the team’s largest sponsors. Sponsors help Hann achieve one of his main goals for the club.
“My personal mission has always been to make sure that nobody doesn’t participate in what we’re doing because they can’t afford to,” says Hann.
The team has fostered a community-based environment where anyone is welcome — they even currently have a straight team member. But that doesn’t mean just anyone can earn playing time. The Peacocks are committed to high-level competition. Woody Correll played college ball for Bethel University in McKenzie, Tenn., while Brandon Randolph did so in Nashville at Trevecca.
“There’s an expectation,” says Hann. “There are some high-level basketball players who just
happen to be gay. … There’s a level of accountability. We’re there to compete. The other teams know this is a ‘gay team,’ and nobody wants to lose to us.”
Competing as a mainly gay roster in leagues where the majority of the player pool is straight isn’t the only norm-breaking the Peacocks engage in. The team’s head coach, Tess Kilwein, is a woman, which is exceedingly rare for a men’s team of any kind.
“I think that’s what’s so great about the NGBA specifically — gender doesn’t have the place that it does in other spaces,” says Kilwein. “None of these guys treats me any differently. If anything, I think they really respect what I bring to the team. I give them a different perspective that they may lack.”
Kilwein, who played basketball through high school before injuries prevented her from furthering her career, functions more as a mental and interpersonal coach than a typical game manager. Which makes sense, considering she’s a licensed sports psychologist.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a youth, you’re a professional or you’re playing for the NGBA — it’s all kind of the same skills,” Kilwein says. “So a lot of what we do is not necessarily
basketball skills — these guys are really talented, and they know what they’re doing — but how to be a team, how to compete at these high levels, how to grind through these tournaments where you play multiple games.”
Randolph grew up in a basketball family, so the grind of the sport is familiar. His father played professionally in Australia (where Randolph was born), and he’s been playing since he was 3 years old. With the Peacocks, Randolph fills a “Shane Battier or Dennis Rodman” type role, filling in the gaps where he’s needed.
“I’m what you call a Swiss Army Knife,” Randolph says. “I do a little bit of everything. I just do what my team needs at the time, whether that’s guard the best guy on the court or getting everybody else involved.”
Correll, one of the team’s go-to big men, has transitioned into a team leader both on and off the court.
“I love being a leader,” says Correll, who was voted the team captain. Correll, like many on the team, still finds it surreal that Nashville has a team like the Peacocks.
“It’s incredible — I couldn’t imagine my life without basketball,” Correll says. “I’m 33, so I thought maybe it was done. I’ve battled so many
injuries, and I’ve gained the best friends. It’s just amazing, and I can’t believe we have that here. For the longest time, I thought I’d have to move to New York. I thought maybe that would be where I’d need to go to be able to have something like this.”
Randolph echoes the sentiment.
“It’s big for me,” he says. “I came out when I was 13 years old. Even throughout school everyone knew, but it’s just different when you get to play around people that are like you and … are into the same things, and you don’t have to feel like you’re different, but can still compete at a high level.”
In October, the 2026 NGBA national championship will take place here in Nashville. It offers the city a chance to catch the team in person at the highest level of competition. Hann has a message for the city.
“I think it’d be great for the city to know: A. Gay basketball exists; B. Their team’s one of the best teams in the country; and
C. We’re hosting about 50 teams coming to Nashville in October, and it’s going to be cool as fuck.” ▼
VISIT ALL THE LOCATIONS
JUNE 25 - JULY 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summer has a flavor, and it’s being served all over town!
From June 25 to July 5, nine local favorites are pouring exclusive cocktails you won’t find any other time of year. Walk in, ask for the Sips of Summer menu, and find the drink you’ll be ordering all season. Cheers to the summer season — see you at the bar!
Otto’s Bar
Peppermint Pat Tea + More
Rum cocktail with peppermint tea
Mon.: Thurs.: 4 p.m. - midnight
Fri.: 4 p.m. - late Sat.: 3 p.m. - late Sun.: 3 - 11 p.m.
Mango Chamoy Margarita + More
Laelia blanco tequila, Magdala liqueur, lime, cucumber and habanero
Cocktail specials available during all operating hours for Sips of Summer Series
Sun. - Wed.: 4 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Thurs. - Sat.: 4 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Lou/na
Dreamsicle, Coconut Rum Cocktail + More
Dreamsicle: Crown Royal Vanilla and orangecello in a collins glass with a cherry garnish
Coconut Rum: grapefruit and pineapple juice with a touch of Angostura bitters
Open Daily: 4 p.m. - midnight
Brown’s Diner
Peach Fuzz + More
Peach moonshine, peachcello, peach schnapps, limón, mint and soda
Mon. - Fri.: 7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sat.: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sun.: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. $7 2.
Bar Mar
Peach Sangria + More
Albariño, peach liqueur, manzanilla, peach and Topo Chico
Sun. - Wed.: 5 - 10 p.m.
Thurs. - Sat.: 5 - 11 p.m.
$5 off Sips of Summer cocktails between 2 and 5 $15 7. Butterfly
Cumberland Garden + More
Empress Cucumber and Lemon Gin, ginger honey Syrup, yuzu, buzz button
Daily Happy Hour: 2 -5 p.m.
Chief’s on Broadway
Chillin With Jack + More
Jack Daniel’s, strawberry purée and lemonade
Open Daily: 10 a.m. - 3 a.m.
L.A. Jackson
People’s Choice
Vodka, strawberry, génépi, cucumber and lemon
Mon. – Thurs.: 5 p.m. - midnight
Fri. - Sat.: 2 p.m. - 1 a.m. $14
Lockeland Table
Mexico Honey
Caton tequila, yellow chartreuse guava, lime and Angostura bitters
Mon. - Fri.: 4 - 9 p.m.
Closed
From platinum-selling chart-toppers to underground , household names to undiscovered gems, Chief’s Neon Steeple is committed to bringing the very best national and regional talent back to Broadway. om pla hi f’ N h committe t om cha ons, t a s, eeple committ mmi
6.3 Ashley McBryde Trybe Fan Club Party 2026 SOLD OUT
6.4 Quartz Hill Music Group Takeover: 2 Lane Summer, Matt Cooper, Ben Gallaher, Spencer Hatcher, Lakelin Lemmings, Stevie Woodward, Special Guest Adam Sanders
6.5 Nashville Cats Takeover: Ryan Kinder, Tyra Madison, Landon Parker, Cooper Ramsey, Adam Warner
6.6 The Kirby OrganizationTakeover: Callie Twisselman, Sundance Head, Jenna Paulette, Thomas Gabriel, Lou Ridley
6.10 Caitlynne Curtis, Special Guest: Tristan Roberson
6.12 Aaron Nichols & The TravellersChris Stapleton Tribute
6.13 Strait Country TributeThe Ultimate George Strait Tribute
6.14 Larry Gatlin, Rachel Thibodeau
6.16 Buddy’s Place Writer’s Round w/ Janelle Arthur, Smithfield, Chuck Wicks
6.17 Shotgun Granny featuring Dan Tyminski, Kevin MaC
6.18 William Michael Morgan
6.20 Julie Roberts - 20th Anniversary of Men & Mascara
6.24 Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry Takes on Alabama - The Band Not The State w/ Drake White, Reid Haughton, Thad Cockrell, Dee White + Special Guests!
6.27 David Cook
6.28 Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Special Guest: Scott Southworth
TUESDAY, JUNE 30
THEATER
[HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL] ONE STEP AT A TIME
One of the exciting parts about living in Nashville is the opportunity to see new pieces of art before the rest of the world does. A new original musical, One Step at a Time, offers a chance to do just that. The musical, produced by locally based music curriculum company QuaverEd, promises high production value: a 27-member local cast, 20 original songs and a live orchestra, plus choreography and animated sets. QuaverEd seeks to teach students not only core subjects, but also resiliency, social skills and resolving conflicts. One Step at a Time explores this by following a school guidance counselor who seeks to change school culture. The influence of some NYC theater veterans, as well as local producer Holly Shepherd and director Brian Hull, polished this five-year project, taking it from a handful of educational songs to a full-scale musical that previewed at Franklin’s Battle Ground Academy earlier this year. Hull says, “It’s less Les Mis and more Rocketman.” HANNAH HERNER
7 P.M. AT TPAC’S POLK THEATER
Beloved Knoxville-based alternative rock outfit Superdrag returns to Music City for the first time since 2009 to headline a trio of shows at Eastside Bowl Thursday through Saturday. The quartet — John Davis (lead vocals, guitar), Brandon Fisher (lead guitar), Tom Pappas (bass) and Don Coffey Jr. (drums) — has been working on new music, and fans can expect to hear a new song or two this weekend. “We’re hoping to have a new record out next year,” Davis tells the Scene. “That’s our goal.” Superdrag had been on a lengthy hiatus when the four original members reconvened in 2021 for a series of interviews marking the 40th anniversary of WUTK, the student-run radio station at the University of Tennessee. The following year, they gave a headlining performance at Knoxville’s Second Bell Music Festival. Since then, the band has played shows in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. At Eastside Bowl, they will play an intimate, unplugged show in The ’58 room Thursday night, admission to
which will be limited to those with a three-day pass. They will follow that with full-electric performances in the main venue on Friday and Saturday. Bobby Bare Jr. will open Friday’s show, while Sound&Shape will kick off the music on Saturday. DARYL SANDERS
JUNE 25-27 AT EASTSIDE BOWL
505 DEADERICK ST. Visit
1508A GALLATIN PIKE S., MADISON
MUSIC
[HELLO, DOLLY!]
DOLLY PARTON’S THREADS: MY SONGS IN SYMPHONY
If you somehow missed out on the sold-out March premiere of Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony, you’re in luck. Threads is back with Nashville Symphony this summer for a limited concert series celebrating Parton’s extraordinary career and legacy. Running through July 31 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, this multimedia concert experience features the Nashville Symphony performing new orchestrations of some of Parton’s most beloved songs, with “narration from Dolly herself on the big screen.” And while Dolly will not be performing live at the event, the 90-minute program features a cast of top-notch talent, including vocalists like Katelyn Drye,
Blair Lamb, Hollie Hammel, Julie Williams, Katie Basden, Kiley Phillips and Ally Jackson. A special exhibit dubbed Dolly’s Hall of Fame Gallery will also be open in the Schermerhorn’s west atrium throughout the series, showcasing a collection of Parton’s gold and platinum album awards. Fans will find plenty of Dolly merch, and can also choose from a variety of themed VIP packages, including options for family outings, bachelorette parties and more. AMY STUMPFL
THROUGH JULY 31 AT THE SCHERMERHORN
1 SYMPHONY PLACE
ART [FLIPPING OUT]
STEVE WARINER: THE FLIP SIDE
Nashville is full of surprises. One of them is Monthaven, the stellar nonprofit art and culture museum just beyond Davidson County in Hendersonville. Another is discovering the visual art practices of some of the city’s most celebrated musical icons. Steve Wariner is an accomplished, award-winning songwriter and guitarist, and he’s also the subject of a solo retrospective exhibition at Monthaven that opened on June 21. The show’s title — The Flip Side — hints at this underexplored parallel creative track, but Wariner has actually been outspoken about his life as a visual artist, and has contributed work to exhibitions at the Tennessee State Museum, among others. This show includes 60 works made over the past 30 years — a monumental undertaking for any artist. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
THROUGH JULY 26 AT MONTHAVEN ARTS
1017 ANTEBELLUM CIRCLE, HENDERSONVILLE
ART [RESIST OBVIOUS DESCRIPTIONS] AN INDIGENOUS PRESENT
It was a little more than three years ago when acclaimed multimedia artist Jeffrey Gibson presented his solo exhibition The Body Electric at the Frist. That show was a well-timed introduction of his work to Nashville audiences — the following year, Gibson represented the U.S. at the Venice Biennale, where he was the first Indigenous artist to have a solo exhibition in the American pavilion. We’re glad to have him back in Nashville at the Frist, this time as an exhibition curator. Along with his cocurator Jenelle Porter, Gibson is presenting the work of 15 artists whose work spans 100 years of Indigenous art. The late, great Cree artist Kimowan Metchewais is quoted in the exhibition text: “Notice how the past shapes the present and ask to what end. Resist obvious descriptions and repeated reasoning.” Although the exhibit opens on Friday, the two curators will be in conversation on Thursday to discuss their selection. Come early — at 5:15 p.m., a performance by Indigenous flutist Justin Mihtukwsun will take place in the Frist’s main lobby. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
OPENING RECEPTION 6:30 P.M.; THROUGH SEPT. 27 AT THE FRIST
919 BROADWAY
[LIGHT OF DAY] RODNEY CROWELL
Although he’s made his name as an exponent of a style of country music that often skews to Americana, Rodney Crowell is a contemporary of Nick Lowe and Alex Chilton, who gained fame in the New Wave era as rockers with a feel for country. Crowell’s 1978 debut album Ain’t Living Long Like This continued in the vein of Gram Parsons, and Gary Stewart’s 1977 version of the record’s “I Ain’t Living Long Like This” is definitive. His production of Rosanne Cash’s pioneering 1980s albums was tougher and more modernistic than the Nashville norm, and he wrote great songs. In particular, his 1985 hit co-write with Cash, “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” is a landmark of ’80s pop that stands tall with Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” released the same year. The last time I caught Crowell live, in December 2023, he was as commanding as ever, with a vast songbook to choose from. His 2025 Airline Highway hints at Texas-Louisiana swamp pop, and the blithe “Louisiana Sunshine Feeling Okay” puts me in mind of the Sir Douglas Quintet’s 1968 “Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day.” His latest release is Then Again, which is finally seeing the light of day after he cut it 20 years ago. EDD HURT
8 P.M. AT 3RD AND LINDSLEY
818 THIRD AVE. S.
[SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME] BLOSSOM’S BLUES: MONICA RAMEY SINGS THE SONGS OF BLOSSOM DEARIE
You may not immediately recognize the name Blossom Dearie, but this remarkable jazz vocalist, pianist and composer was widely recognized as “a musician’s musician.” Known for her light and airy voice (some called it “girlish”), the diminutive Dearie charmed everyone from Miles Davis to Bill Evans with songs like “Once Upon a Summertime” and “They Say It’s Spring.” She also won over a generation of school kids, lending her distinctive voice to the 1970s educational series Schoolhouse Rock! (Who could forget bangers like “Figure Eight,” “Mother Necessity” and “Unpack Your Adjectives”?) You can revisit some of Dearie’s most enduring hits this weekend as local jazz favorite Monica Ramey returns to the Nashville Jazz Workshop with Blossom’s Blues: Monica Ramey Sings the Songs of Blossom Dearie. This marks the second installment of Ramey’s yearlong residency at NJW, and she’ll be joined by The Lori Mechem Quartet. It’s sure to be a great evening for jazz lovers, and fans will also want to keep an eye out for her July concert — Over the Rainbow: Monica Ramey Sings the Music of Harold Arlen. AMY STUMPFL 7:30 P.M. AT NASHVILLE JAZZ WORKSHOP
1012 BUCHANAN ST.
What do we do with Sleepaway Camp? Infamous for its twist ending, the cult-classic slasher has a thorny legacy to say the least. While some fans (justifiably) decry it as transphobic shockvalue slop, others love it subversively — like trans horror critic Harmony Colangelo, who co-wrote a book on Sleepaway Camp alongside her wife B.J., and who called it “one of the most gender-affirming films ever released” in her 2019 “Transgender Defense” of the film. Sleepaway Camp refracts our intentions and predispositions back to us — whether you think it’s schlock or (ahem) a camp classic, something in it will surprise you. It’s an exercise in Death of the Author by entrapment in a bathroom with angry bees. See it for yourself: Just in time for Wrath Month, Sleepaway Camp screens as part of the Belcourt Midnights series on Friday as part of a one-two weekend slasher punch with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood ANNIE PARNELL MIDNIGHT AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.
SATURDAY / 6.27
MUSIC
[PIANO MAN]
GABE DIXON
Fresh off an appearance at Bonnaroo in his day job as keyboardist for Tedeschi Trucks Band, soulful piano rocker Gabe Dixon returns to 3rd and Lindsley Saturday for a performance of his own material, including his brand-new single “World’s Gone By.” Released on June 12, “World’s
SAT., JULY 4 • 6:30PM–10PM ACTIVITIES INSIDE + OUT.
Monday, June 22 – Saturday, June 27
FAMILY PROGRAM
String City
NASHVILLE’S TRADITION OF MUSIC AND PUPPETRY
10:00 am and 11:30 am FORD THEATER FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Thursday, June 25
MARIONETTES AND MARGARITAS
String City
NASHVILLE’S TRADITION OF MUSIC AND PUPPETRY
6:00 pm · FORD THEATER 21+
Sunday, June 28
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
Mark W. Winchester 1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Saturday, July 4
SONGWRITER SESSION
Smithfield
NOON · FORD THEATER
Sunday, July 5
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Darin and Brooke Aldridge 1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Saturday, July 11
SONGWRITER SESSION
Summer Overstreet NOON · FORD THEATER
Locals Kids Always Visit Free
Plan a trip to the Museum! Local youth 18 and under who are residents of Nashville-Davidson and bordering counties always visit free, plus 25% off admission for up to two accompanying adults.
Gone By” is a lush, bouncy pop-rocker that addresses the irony of “looking for the world inside a screen when the real world is all around us.” In places, the single echoes the work of Paul McCartney, whom Dixon has worked with. “We’ll do all three songs I’ve released this year,” Dixon tells the Scene. “Back in January, I released ‘Manically Free,’ and then in February, I released one called ‘Violins.’” All three tracks were cowritten and co-produced by Dustin Ransom, Dixon’s musical collaborator for the past decade. At Saturday’s show, Dixon will be accompanied by Ransom on drums and percussion, Dan Asher on bass and special guest Jess Nolan on keys and backing vocals. In addition to the recent singles, he says they will perform fan favorites from across his career, such as “All Will Be Well,” “Find My Way” and “Till You’re Gone” from his days with The Gabe Dixon Band. DARYL SANDERS
8 P.M. AT 3RD AND LINDSLEY
818 THIRD AVE. S.
BOOKS [A CROSS TO BEAR]
KAVEH AKBAR BOOK CLUB MEETING
I was in London recently and wandered into a small neighborhood bookstore. They were setting up for an event, but said I could stay and shop. It turns out the event was a book club meeting for Martyr! in which the author, Kaveh Akbar, was Zooming in for the discussion. Local friends, I am pleased to tell you that you can have this experience without buying an international flight. The Green Ray is hosting a book club meeting for Martyr! — Akbar’s debut novel about a newly sober poet who is the son of Iranian immigrants — and the author will Zoom in for a Q&A. Real Martyr!-heads know Akbar was scheduled to come to Nashville in 2025 for the paperback release, but had to cancel, so this
seems like a fantastic way to see Akbar, support a really cool store and maybe grab a coffee beforehand from the Earl at Paloma nearby.
KIM BALDWIN
4 P.M. AT THE GREEN RAY 3237B GALLATIN PIKE
[BIRTHDAY BASH]
COMMUNITY
East Nashville’s Hidden Door Tattoo is celebrating an entire year of being in business with a blowout birthday bash featuring live music, food, art and vendors, plus a raffle benefiting Abortion Care Tennessee. From noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, attendees can get special flash tattoo designs from Hidden Door’s staff artists as well as visiting tattooers. You can also witness a vegan hotdog eating contest, in which the competitors will include sponsors like Drkmttr, Gift Horse, Third Coast Comedy Club, Mayday Salon Cooperative, Wild Heart Meditation Center and more beloved local businesses. If tattoos and competitive eating aren’t your thing, you can catch some performances from local bands like Blood Root, Sad Baxter, Knifey, Ol Blue, Sharp Teeth Sweet and IMGRNT. Enjoy food and drinks from the Mexican grub pop-up Besitas as well as Jewish Cowboy, No Yolk Bakery and Merry Co. Cocktails. Browse the vendor market, which will include an array of vintage clothing shops as well as LGBTQ-owned bookstore Novelette Booksellers. Locally made glass art and other creative work will also be for sale. Winners of the raffle will receive prizes from Third Man Records, the Belcourt, Dino’s, Music Valley Archive and plenty of other cherished Nashville businesses.
JULIANNE AKERS
NOON TO 5 P.M. AT HIDDEN DOOR TATTOO 3119 GALLATIN PIKE
Shoutout to Paul Newman for being the only man on record to stay hot for his entire life. In 1967, Newman was at the peak of his antihero streak when he played Luke, a spirited convict serving time on a Florida chain gang. Cool Hand Luke has some of the most famous lines and scenes in cinema, including Luke eating 50 hard-boiled eggs on a bet as well as “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” As the only prisoner with enough guts to talk back to the bosses and the only one with enough nerve to escape, the titular rebel was beloved by audiences — not to mention supporting characters played by George Kennedy (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), Dennis Hopper and Harry Dean Stanton. Newman’s inherent likability as an actor was a major part of the character’s beloved stature. Luke is a cool hand, see. And he’s also, like, sweating the entire movie. It’s an immortal hotness. For showtimes, visit belcourt.org. TOBY ROSE JUNE 28 & JULY 1 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.
For many of us in Nashville, evening is one of the few times it actually sounds fun to do something outside during the summer. Madison venue Harken Hall is taking advantage with its bimonthly Garden Concert Series, held in their greenery-adorned outdoor space. The shows are on Sundays, aimed at easing you back into the work week, with $10 advance tickets ($15 day-of) to catch some strong local talent. Coming up this week is Luella, a vocalist and songsmith who’s been a part of East Nashville’s musical fabric for decades and who’s adept at finding
what’s really interesting in the spaces between well-defined genres, with a tendency toward the spooky and sublime (especially in the bluesy part of the spectrum). She’s been at work on new music with longtime collaborators including Joe V. McMahan and Wes Langlois, some of which you can expect to get a taste of during her set. Langlois and Johnny Duke are set to play guitar, along with bassist Michael Majett and drummer Wes Little. It’s also birthday weekend for her beloved dog Leo Bonito, so there’s a good chance of a shoutout to him, too. STEPHEN TRAGESER
5:30 P.M. AT HARKEN HALL
514 MADISON STATION BLVD., MADISON
[IN MOONLIGHT, BLACK BOYS LOOK BLUE] QUEER QLASSICS: MOONLIGHT
It’s a shame how the system has swallowed up Barry Jenkins in the decade since his revelatory, Oscar-winning breakthrough Moonlight. He’s directed only two films since then — the masterful (but underappreciated) James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk and the lifeless “live-action” Lion King prequel Mufasa. He was also the creative force behind the 10-episode version of Colson Whitehead’s instant-classic novel The Underground Railroad, another beautiful piece of art lost in the Amazon streaming seas. Jenkins — with his unique style that melds Wong Kar-wai, Claire Denis and Hype Williams — was poised to become the next big thing. Instead, he’s been stuck in the dual wastelands of IP and streaming services. After my first viewing of Moonlight at the Belcourt, I was ready to follow this guy anywhere. Mahershala Ali’s Best Supporting Actor-winning performance as the drug-dealing father figure Juan is rightly acclaimed (he’s able to convey so much with such small movements), but what Jenkins conjures out of the rest of the young, mostly inexperienced cast is just as special. The shock of Moonlight’s upset Best Picture win over La La Land (also excellent!) has overshadowed the film itself in the years since. Head to the Belcourt to soak in those purple-andblack Miami skies on the big screen if you haven’t gotten the chance. It screens as part of the theater’s ongoing Queer Qlassics series. LOGAN BUTTS
8 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.
For one week only, 60+ restaurants will serve up their beefiest, cheesiest, most insane burgers for only $8. JULY 6-12
JoiN us for our OffIciaL BurGer week KicK ofF paRtY
july 6 frOm 5:30-7:30pm
sullY’s sMokeShacK
InsiDe sKinnY deNnIs
$8 burger specials, happy hour, live music, earn 100 points in the app just for showing up! Download the NEW Nashville Food Weeks app
The new and improved app brings together four food weeks in one easy to use app! Browse participating locations, share photos, save your favorites, plot your route and earn points toward prizes!
51 noRth taprOoM
BarRel prooF
BeyOnd The edge
BlaCk tAp
BurGers & beEr
BluEstoNe lAnE
BreWhouSe 100
BreWhouSe sOuth
BreWhouSe wEsT
BroWn’s dIner
CAfé beTweeN
CamBurgErS
ChiEf’s oN brOadwAy
CitY wiNery
CleDis burgErS & beEr
ComMon grouNd
CouNtryPoliTan
HotEl & baR
CruSh yArD
Dog HauS
BieRgarTeN
DouBle dogs
DraKe’s cOme play
EllIstoN plAce
SodA shOp
EmiLianO’s sTeakHousE
EmmY sqUareD
Fat BotTom brewInG
FlaT tiRe dIner
GerMantOwn cafe
GooDtimEs
FulL seRvicE baR
GraY & duDley
GraZe nAshvIlle
HalLs cAtch
HarTh rEstaUranT & baR
JacK brOwn’s bEer & buRger JoiNt
JasPer’s
JoyLand
JunIe’s Jwb GriLl
KarRingTon rowe
LimO peRuviAn eAterY
LovE & exIle
Bar & wiNery
LovE’s aLibi
MakEshiFt
MesErO
MooyAh burgErs, FriEs, And shakEs
OttO’s bAr
ParK caFe
Try ‘em all!
PerFectLy fInE
PhaRmacY buRger
punK woK
Red OniOn gRill
RobErt’s wEsteRn WorLd
RosEmarY & BeaUty queeN
SidEcar Bar
SonNy’s pAtio
Pub & reFuge
StaTesiDe kItchEn
Stk SteAhouSe
StoKe hAus
BreWing & baRbecUe
StrEetcAr tApS & BeeR gaRden
SulLy’s
SmoKe sHack
TacO baMbA
TedDy’s tAverN
ThiStle & ryE
Top NotE roOftoP
ResTaurAnT & baR
TreS puNtos
UrbAn dOg bAr
Xul BeeR coMpanY
The bright-purple yam is native to the Philippines, and one of the many delights found at Maemax Market
BY KAY WEST
BACK IN YE OLDE NASHVILLE days, there were scant options when it came to immigrant-owned restaurants with authentic international cuisine. In the mid- to late 1990s, immigrants began opening small storefronts on arteries like Nolensville Road, Charlotte Pike and Antioch Pike, in still-affordable areas where they were settling.
For several years at that time, as the Scene’s weekly restaurant critic, I presented a class for University School of Nashville’s evening series called “Eating Globally, Dining Locally.” The concept was that there was a good representation of global food available in Nashville if you knew where — and were curious enough — to look. I would herd about 20 people out of their comfort zones and into one of those restaurants for a meal and an overview, and send them off with a printed (!) guide.
The idea seems quaint now in a Nashville overflowing with multiple places to explore Korean, Kurdish, Ethiopian, Turkish, Peruvian, Uzbek and Venezuelan food. And yet, I bet fewer Nashvillians — no matter how well-traveled or global-cuisine-curious — are familiar with Filipino fare. I’m basing that in part on my three world-traveled companions who ventured with me to the wilds of Madison for dinner at Maemax Market and had never eaten Filipino.
My assumption was confirmed by Chriss Goyenechea, who with his wife Malo (the talent behind the food) owns Maemax, named for their children Maefel and Max. The Filipino immigrants opened the first Maemax in La Vergne in 2018 after building a following through sales of Malo’s siopao (a pork-stuffed white bun common to Filipino street food), which they expanded to catering. They repeated the concept of restaurant plus market on Gallatin Pike in Madison in December 2023 and closed the La Vergne store a year later.
Because I’d eaten at the Filipino pop-up Ate’s, which had a residency in the incubator kitchen at the Nashville Farmers’ Market, as well as the nationally acclaimed restaurant Neng Jr. in Asheville, N.C., I was familiar with Filipino food. But I’m certainly not a guide to be counted on.
When you take your first visit to Maemax, you will be jolted awake by the brightest shade of neon green ever to burst out of a color wheel, swathing everything from walls to chairs to the menu to the restroom stalls. It livens up the two rather cavernous dining rooms, including the one with the small stage for karaoke, a passion among Filipinos and presented on Saturday nights.
Unfamiliarity with the food was not the only challenge. The menu itself — placemat-size, laminated, printed on both sides and broken
into confusing categories — was not helpful. It’s an issue Chriss readily acknowledges and is addressing with what he calls “menu engineering,” which he expects to complete shortly. He also intends to be more assertive in guiding people to optimal appreciation, citing chicken adobo — the national dish of the Philippines — as an example. “People are ordering pancit [a rice noodle] with chicken adobo, when they should order white rice, because the sauce from the chicken and rice go together,” he says. “The new menu will steer people to the right way to order.”
A good introduction and broad selection of food is found on the fiesta tray or fiesta platter, either as a sharable starter or main. The former includes veggie pancit, BBQ sticks (meat on a stick) and a dozen lumpia — the Filipino version of egg rolls, smaller and with a thinner, crackly wrapper. The platter adds rice, chicken inasal and either lechon kawali (cubes of deep-fried pork belly) or pork liempo (marinated and grilled).
I was especially stymied by the lack of distinction between entrées on one side of the menu and family sharables on the other. The two are not so much a matter of portion size as dining style, Chriss explains. “Filipino cuisine is communal,” he says. “When we have pork, chicken, beef, seafood, it’s laid out on the middle of the table and shared by everyone. That’s the sharable part. Americans are used to their own meal — these are my ribs, my coleslaw, my mac-andcheese. The entrées accommodate that way.”
My group leaned heavily into sharing, as evidenced by the inordinate number of plates we accrued throughout the meal. And our server was extremely helpful (and patient), suggesting ways we could sample more dishes.
The unanimous Best of Show was kilawin, an
item that piqued my curiosity on the website but was nowhere to be found on the in-store menu. I asked our server about it, and 10 minutes later a large bowl of Filipino ceviche was before us — big, meaty chunks of pale-pink tuna, “cooked” in tangy vinegar and lime, mixed with diced tomatoes and crunchy raw cabbage and strewn with sliced scallions.
Another standout was the whole, head-on fried pompano (gluten-free, by the way), seasoned simply with salt and pepper, served with wedges of lime and two vinegar-based sauces for dribbling. (Tilapia, mackerel and red snapper are other options.) I regret not getting a side of atchara, a pickled relish made of grated green papaya, raw carrots, onion, peppers and garlic.
The veggie chop suey is a sleeper hit, thanks to the vibrantly fresh vegetables and silky sauce, served at room temperature. As the only pork eater at the table, I opted for a single BBQ pork belly on a stick and relished every charred, fatty bite of it.
Chicken inasal is super-accessible for less adventurous eaters — a chicken leg quarter marinated in vinegar, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, citrus and oil, then grilled like your basic American-style backyard barbecue. We didn’t want
to over-chicken, so we had the adobo treatment on shrimp and received a deep bowl of jumbo shrimp immersed in the traditional sauce made of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorns and bay leaves.
Had we not eaten ourselves into a near stupor, we would have gone over the top with the halo-halo — shaved ice piled into a large cup with sweetened beans, fruits, jellies and ice cream. Instead, we shared a bowl of bright-purple ube (sweet potato) ice cream with the consistency of gelato.
If, like most of Nashville, you have not experienced Filipino food, consider the 20-plus-item buffet served Friday and Saturday nights after 6 p.m. as well as on Sunday afternoons. Something for everyone!
Or more fun, try the kamayan — an immersive group experience based on a feast of dishes set on a table covered with banana leaves. The kamayan is also known as a boodle fight, and traces its origins to the military, when men stood at the table and fought for their food. The experience must be reserved in advance for a minimum of six people, $35 per person. No fighting please. This ain’t the White House lawn.▼
Street Theatre closes its season with tender, devastating The View UpStairs
BY AMY STUMPFL
IN HIS DIRECTOR’S note for The View UpStairs, Deonté L. Warren writes that “Pride is a celebration, but it is also an act of remembrance.” With this engaging production, Street Theatre manages to succeed on both fronts — this show is by turns tender, raucous, devastating and life-affirming.
Premiering off-Broadway in 2017, The View UpStairs explores a largely forgotten incident from 1973 in which 32 people died in an arson attack on a New Orleans gay bar called the UpStairs Lounge. It was the deadliest attack on a gay club in U.S. history, until the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Despite this horrific backdrop, writer and composer Max Vernon offers a surprisingly joyful meditation on community, connection, resilience, and what — if anything — we owe to those who came before us.
The story centers on Wes, a modern-day fashion designer (and rather self-absorbed influencer) who has just flown into New Orleans from New York and is looking to purchase the long-abandoned Lounge. Unaware of the building’s dark history, he plans to raze the dilapidated structure and kick-start his career — or at least “build his brand.” As he nervously considers his questionable investment, Wes is mysteriously transported back to 1973, where he is soon immersed in the bar’s quirky, vibrant spirit. It’s an interesting approach, though the device used to send Wes back in time is a bit clunky. Vernon also leans pretty heavily into the anachronistic humor of it all, with Wes dropping a steady stream of social media references and other modern lingo to his befuddled new
friends. (The scene in which he tries to explain Grindr is especially good.) In trying to squeeze in so many different backstories and perspectives, Vernon runs the risk of reducing these genuinely likable characters to well-worn archetypes. Still, I like the idea of putting two very different generations in direct conversation with one another — it highlights the fragility of hard-won progress and the dangers of complacency.
A frequent Street Theatre collaborator, Warren draws the audience into that conversation with a smart, immersive staging that keeps the action moving along. Scenic designer Garner Harsh has transformed the cozy Barbershop Theater into a kitschy piano club — complete with a full bar, plenty of neon, Mardi Gras beads, paper lanterns and a prominently displayed nude centerfold of Burt Reynolds. As the audience files in, most of the actors (decked out in Melissa Durmon’s groovy period costumes) are already onstage, trading quips and enjoying a few drinks.
By the time the music kicks in, you’re fully invested in this ragtag chosen family — as well as the show itself. Vernon’s eclectic score provides passion and panache, blending glam rock and funk with a touch of blues and even gospel. Music director Makai Keur leads an outstanding band, and let me tell you — everyone in this cast can sing.
Jerry Sims makes a marvelous Street Theatre debut as the Lounge’s resident piano player Buddy, a closeted gay man with a wife and kids at home. Sims delivers a soulful rendition of “Some Kind of Paradise” — arguably one of the
The View UpStairs Through June 27 at The Barbershop Theater
WEDNESDAYS IN
show’s best numbers — along with the rousing “Lost and Found.” Tristan Valdez is fairly irresistible as a young drag artist named Freddy (who performs as the outrageous Aurora Whorealis, serving up a blistering “Sex on Legs”), and Casey Hardin is quite moving as Freddy’s devoted mother, Inez (“The Most Important Thing”).
Newcomer Evin Baylis Jr. is well cast as the ambitious yet insecure Wes (“#Householdname”). While he seemed somewhat tentative at times on opening night, Baylis shares some lovely moments with Lucas Beckett, who plays a sweet-faced hustler named Patrick. Beckett’s voice is particularly strong, soaring in both the fanciful “What I Did Today” and the haunting “Waltz.”
Hannah Arn packs a punch as the no-nonsense bartender Henri, and Payton Justice gives a nicely layered performance as Dale — a desperate outcast whose rage and trauma finally surface in the powerful “Better Than Silence.” It’s wonderful to see Leon Blandon back onstage as the sassy, wise-cracking Willie, though he’s definitely a little young for the role. The always reliable Jack E. Chambers is also excellent as a kindhearted minister named Richard, and Aaron Catron makes the most of his time onstage, as both a corrupt cop and a dodgy real estate agent.
Each actor gets their time to shine individually, but The View UpStairs is truly at its best when the entire ensemble comes together, their voices lifted in strength, solidarity and celebration. What better message could there possibly be for Pride Month? ▼
Every Breath She Takes: A
for Tonya Ginnetti & Jimmy Nichols featuring David Pack, Deborah Allen, Jonell Mosser, Heidi Newfield, Andy Griggs, Matt King, David Malloy, Frank Myers, Rob Crosby, Tony Arata, Nichols Brothers reunion & surprise guests!
WMOT Roots Radio Presents Finally Friday featuring The Arcadian Wild, Jack Barksdale & Shane Weisman
An Evening with Rodney Crowell
Nashville’s Kurdish Culture and Music Association prepares for its third anniversary celebration, including a collaboration with the Nashville Symphony
BY BAILEY BRANTINGHAM
“MUSIC IS THE heart of Kurdish culture,”
Asiye Taskin says as she welcomes me into the Kurdish Culture and Music Association’s office and studio space.
Taskin, the organization’s president and cofounder, and Rustem Ozer, a board member and technical support lead, both gesture around the room. Rows of dafs — frame drums used in a variety of musical traditions in the Middle East — hang on the wall, and elaborate Kurdish fabrics cover the couch. The back wall is lined with numerous portraits of famous Kurds, from dengbêj singer Şakiro to political leader Qazi Muhammad. Instruments are set up around the room in preparation for the KCMA’s upcoming third anniversary event on Sunday at Plaza Mariachi. The KCMA Rhythm Group has been practicing vigorously each week leading up to the concert. It’s just one example of the association’s dedication to creating cultural connection in Nashville.
The space is a small slice of Kurdistan in Middle Tennessee. All the aforementioned items were shipped directly from the geocultural region. The largest community of Kurds in the U.S. lives in Nashville, and South Nashville is home to a bustling cultural and commercial district nicknamed Little Kurdistan, centered around the intersection of Nolensville Pike and Elysian Fields Court. While traditional Kurdish foods have become increasingly readily available, other kinds of authentic Kurdish goods are still not the easiest to find here.
“Whenever I come here, this is my therapy, you know?” Taskin explains. “Even on the busiest day, if I’m sitting down here, I feel so comfortable, so happy. And then all the stress for me is left behind that door.”
Beyond weekly rehearsals in preparation for the upcoming event, the association’s leaders are committed to maintaining education as a central part of their mission. From weekly daf lessons and classes in English as a second language to Kurdish language instruction and a newly launched Kurdish dance course, all KCMA events are free of
charge and open to the public.
“It’s not just class when [they] come here,” Ozer says, referring to Nashville Kurds who come to classes at KCMA. “They feel like they are coming home.”
For Taskin and Ozer, the Kurdish Culture and Music Association serves a purpose that reaches beyond weekly lessons and annual events. Earlier this year, the organization launched a radio show by and for the Nashville Kurdish community, Dengê Kurdistan (Voice of Kurdistan), airing Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. on community radio station WXNA. And their space functions as a gathering place where locals can maintain traditions, share stories and create relationships across generations. During any given week, children learning Kurdish rhythms might practice alongside adults reconnecting with songs from their homeland. Immigrants may find familiar sounds and faces, while other Nashvillians can take the opportunity to engage with a culture they may not know about. In a city where we celebrate our musical identity, the association offers a unique space where preservation, education and cultural exchange are actively happening side by side.
Turkey’s Bakur region is home to many Kurds and is known as Turkish Kurdistan. For many years the national government enforced assimilation tactics like a ban on using the Kurdish language in media or education. Under those circumstances, music evolved into a form of resilience, and for many Kurds today, music carries collective memory and maintains connection across generations. Music also encourages outsiders to learn about and experience the Kurdish culture that was once silenced.
People of a huge range of ethnicities and cultures call Nashville home, but it’s easy for Nashvillians to get isolated in their own social and geographical bubbles and overlook communities beyond their neighborhood or district. The KCMA is set on breaking down those barriers — not by political or religious means, but through
BY H.N. JAMES
AS A RELATIVE NEWCOMER to Nashville’s music scene — by which I mean I didn’t grow up or go to college here, and have been actively engaged with local music only since 2018 — I was unfamiliar with the lore of The Protomen I won’t attempt to summarize 20-plus years of musical excellence and community-building in one review. I can, however, tell you what I experienced on Saturday, the conclusion of the Protomen’s epic three-night run of shows celebrating their long-awaited album Act III: This City Made Us at Marathon Music Works
7 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at Plaza
music, a cultural practice that bridges gaps and welcomes people in.
“You don’t have to understand the language,” Taskin says, regarding Kurdish music. “You just have to feel it. … It’s going to take you somewhere.”
On June 28, the KCMA will celebrate its third anniversary by igniting a historic collaboration with the Nashville Symphony at Plaza Mariachi. The event marks the inaugural partnership between the orchestra and the local Kurdish community. The collaboration acts as a merging of cultures, with members of the Nashville Symphony performing Kurdish music alongside KCMA members. Other Nashville artists set to perform include Armenian American cellist Hannah Koshgarian, Vaveyla (a band that blends contemporary influences into traditional Kurdish music), Kurdish singer Yakup Çınar and the KCMA’s own Rhythm Group.
“If you don’t love it, if you don’t have hope for it, you cannot do anything,” Taskin says. “So our [anniversary] is just going to be one example of this — a sample of the love.”
Throughout their busy schedule, the KCMA remains focused on one mission: cultural connection. Whether it’s through in-person support or reaching out via email, the organization encourages Nashvillians to get involved.
“Whether you are Kurdish or not, this invitation is to learn, connect and celebrate the diversity that’s making this nation special,” says Taskin.
The KCMA keeps its doors open to everyone. As a reminder to celebrate cultural differences and encourage connection, Ozer offers one final message: “We are here.” ▼
The Protomen have cultivated an avid base of music fans, video game fans, sci-fi fans, and fans in the sweet spot of this Venn diagram of subcultures. The sold-out crowd was full of people in Protomen T-shirts (with or without silver face paint and other regalia of Protomen cosplay), or else wearing a variety of alt-fashion items common to the music worlds of punk, goth and metal. The story is inspired by the long-running Mega Man game franchise, but the 1980s cyber fashion favored by the band and emulated by the fans not only nods to the visual futurism of Blade Runner, but also reminded me of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video (also from 1982) and 1984’s post-apocalyptic bike-gang feature City Limits
The night’s music began with multi-instrumentalist Tim Cappello, who performs on the Act III track “Light’s Last Stand.” Among others, Cappello has played with Tina Turner and Peter Gabriel, and he’s a solo artist and composer. What’s attained him cult status is his appearance in the 1987 vampire classic The Lost Boys, in which he lends his virtuoso sax work to a cover of The Call’s “I Still Believe” during the mother of all beach parties. (Yes indeed, he is that sax man!) Unsurprisingly, Cappello warmed the crowd up with “I Still Believe,” wearing his trademark leggings and tank top with chain belt and necklaces, and inviting the audience to “do the Star.” (If you haven’t seen The Lost Boys in a while, or maybe fewer than a dozen times, that’s the twisty arm-waving dance Jami Gertz’s character Star does during the scene.) Still buff and muscled at 71, the energetic Cappello also played “Tequila” and showed off his Pee-wee Herman dance moves before coming out into the crowd to play sax among the ecstatic fans.
It doesn’t get more rocking than a set from Music City’s reunited garage punks Diarrhea Planet, whose high-energy, four-guitars-strong show clearly delighted the packed Marathon Music Works. These solid shredders ran the gamut from punchy punk-inflected short jams to anthemic shout-alongs to slow numbers that had the audience swaying while holding up their cellphone flashlights. (Who uses lighters anymore, in public anyway?) I recognized “Kids” and “Platinum Girls” from the DP oeuvre, but clearly the crowd was more familiar with them than I was (seeing as the band played their farewell shows around the time I started going to shows here). Nashville is always glad to see DP onstage again, and expresses their enthusiasm with great gusto. This was a pretty
perfect way for Diarrhea Planet to prep for their headline gig the next night at Eastside Bowl — which was also a quick sellout, and which, according to another Spin operative, was a fun, sweaty time, complete with a barely ironic set-ending cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff.”
While excited fans waited for The Protomen to emerge, screens on either side of the stage showed colored, fuzzed-out visuals and the sound of a numbers-station broadcast filled the speakers. This may have been my first Protomen show, but I’ve seen a lot of concerts, and I can tell that they put immense and intense work into the visuals, props, conceptualization and light design as well as the music. Yet the visuals do not overshadow the music — they enhance it. I’ve rarely seen a more seamless multimedia story played out on a stage with so many people on it, all playing multiple instruments at different times. With the live performance of the entirety of Act III, The Protomen created a rallying anthem for times that seem increasingly dystopian, and there was rarely a moment during the set when the audience’s fists weren’t high in the air while we sang along.
Gambler Kirkdouglas’ powerful vocals — reminiscent of Laura Brannigan or Bonnie Tyler on “Holding Out for a Hero” — were showcased several times, beginning
with “Hold Back the Night” early in the set. Lead singer Raul Panther III’s still got it too, with a voice that can evoke raspy emotion or thrilling calls to action. Reanimator Lovejoy’s drumming was otherworldly, as were the guitar solos by Shock Magnum and Sir Dr. Robert Bakker Commander B. Hawkins and bassman Murphy Weller masterfully commanded the synth textures woven into the sound. Onetime regular member Master Blaster popped out to enrich a few songs with trumpet, and longtime Protomen fans were delighted by a surprise guest appearance from former guitarist Heath Who Hath No Name Cappello returned to play saxophone when it was time for “Light’s Last Stand,” and again during the encore when The Protomen played their version of “I Still Believe.” Act III and its predecessors make up an epic anthemic rock opera about resistance to authoritarianism, and it’s done with artful and phenomenal musicianship. The live performance is a potent reminder that rock ’n’ roll is far from dead (despite what various critics have proclaimed practically since rock was born). Hope, too, is alive and well — something The Protomen have been telling us for more than two decades. As Kirkdouglas said early in the show: “Congratulations. You are the resistance.” ▼
THE SCENE ACCIDENTALLY let Steve-O’s goats out of their pen.
About an hour northeast of downtown Nashville in rural Sumner County is a 44-acre property by the name of The Radical Ranch. The ranch’s proprietor: 52-year-old stuntman, podcaster and comedian Stephen Glover, known to fans of the Jackass franchise as Steve-O.
Since purchasing the property in 2023, Steve-O — who says he spends “precisely 30 percent” of his days at the ranch due to frequent touring — has used the land as a home for rescued animals. Among the animals, who are cared for full time by ranch hand Daniel Amaya, is a trio of goats named Sam, Drake and Phil.
“They were our animal sanctuary starter kit,” Steve-O says of the goats, whom he acquired in November 2019 while living in the Hollywood Hills.
As likely the second-most-recognizable member of Johnny Knoxville’s longtime Jackass crew, the skater is best known as a sort of raspyvoiced, Speedo-wearing, Gen-X Evel Knievel with a lot of ridiculous tattoos. (Including, yes really, the rudimentary penis Post Malone inked onto his forehead at Bonnaroo 2024.) But pretty much as long as risk-taking has been a central part of Steve-O’s life, so has caring for and advocating for animals. Steve-O has explained in the past that his gradual entry into animal rights activism was inspired in part by the animal abuse he witnessed in his early days as a circus performer.
An hour outside Nashville, Jackass co-star Steve-O is growing his animal sanctuary BY
Now, as the final Jackass film hits theaters
D. PATRICK RODGERS
— Jackass: Best and Last, which Steve-O promises is “genuinely” the last for the aging crew of skaters — he wants to grow The Radical Ranch. Fortunately, it’s not really a big deal that Sam, Drake and Phil slipped out of the pen during the Scene’s visit. Steve-O lets them wander the property on this clear May afternoon, and he can corral them back toward their pen when he needs to. In the meantime, Steve-O — who insists that the Scene’s small cadre of staffers apply tick-repellent lotion before touring the grounds (he’s heard “too many horror stories” about tick-borne illness) — shows us the skate ramp housed in a barn out back. He’s got gymnastic rings suspended over a half-pipe, enabling some pretty sick tricks despite a banged-up hip that’s been bothering him since he took a spill on his bicycle.
Steve-O and his team successfully established The Radical Ranch as a 501(c)(3) last year, but he says it’s been a tough process — one that’s been “mired in administrative fucking red tape.”
“I didn’t sign up for becoming a fucking secretary, right?” he says. “The idea is, ‘Let’s fucking rescue some fucking animals.’ … But I get it, I’m gonna be under way more scrutiny than the average person.”
Steve-O came across the property while in town for a UFC event at Bridgestone Arena in the summer of 2023. Having struck out while
looking for animal-appropriate sites in Colorado and Southern California, he had a real estate agent take him to see properties in the Nashville area — mostly in and around Franklin, he says, where he “didn’t see anything that was even remotely close for my budget and for what we were trying to do.”
But ultimately, the agent brought him to these 40-plus acres in Sumner County — more land than he’d planned to acquire, but it felt like the right fit. He spends much of his time on the road, with his Crash and Burn comedy tour set for dozens of dates later this summer. But a primary priority is expanding the number of animals he can rescue and care for.
“I was told that there are 43 species of farm animals that are ideal for human interaction,” he says. “There’s a children’s playhouse over there that needs to become a chicken coop. … And [I’d like] to build a tunnel out of the chicken coop that brings the chickens into the goat pen, so they can clear out all the ticks.”
Steve-O points to Rutherford County sanctuary The Gentle Barn as the “gold standard” of animal rescue.
“Sure, at some point,” he says when asked if he’d be open to inviting people to the ranch to visit with the animals, as The Gentle Barn does every Sunday. “It’s just tricky because I live here. I can certainly imagine a point when we open up to the public, but I’m just not ready for that.”
As much as this man has abused his body over the years, he’s nothing but tender with the animals — as illustrated by how he talks about The Radical Ranch’s pig, Fonzarelli. Steve-O rescued the thick, bristly-haired pig of an indeterminate age roughly a year ago.
“One of our neighbors — his uncle had terminal cancer and had some animals that he could no longer care for,” he tells the Scene, gesturing toward the “particularly nimble and agile and mobile” pig. “And we rescued Fonzie from the uncle, and like the day after Fonzie got here, the uncle passed away.”
The ranch is currently also home to several rescued cats and dogs, and Steve-O wants to put up more fencing so he can acquire cows. Could horses be in The Radical Ranch’s future?
“Horses are ambitious,” he says. “Maybe at one point we get to that, but they are an incredible amount of work and skill and resources. I think donkeys are probably first. And they’re really good at protecting cattle, and I could have a whole cast of jackasses.”
Anyone interested in donating to The Radical Ranch can do so at theradicalranch.org/ pages/donations.▼
theradicalranch.org
Florida snake-hunting documentary The Python Hunt reveals who the real monsters are
BY CRAIG D. LINDSEY
I KEPT WAITING for The Python Hunt to become the most Florida Man movie ever made.
This marsh-filled documentary takes us to the Everglades for the annual 10-day Florida Python Challenge, when amateur and professional python hunters descend upon the region to round up and kill enough Burmese pythons to win $10,000. This is the Sunshine State’s way of controlling its overpopulation of pythons, which have been chowing down on wildlife ever since Hurricane Andrew sent a reptile importer’s baby-python collection flying all over the area.
I was fully prepared to watch a bunch of brain-dead, danger-seeking yokels have their very own Whacking Day, mistaking this ecosystem-balancing exercise for a bloodsport, possibly injuring each other and themselves in their mission to eradicate some unwelcome foreigners.
However, filmmaker/Floridian Xander Robin (who caught rappers enjoying nature in the HBO reality show Chillin Island) populated his documentary with people who have earnest reasons to sharpen up their machetes. The most environmentally conscious of them is Jimbo, an ousted python hunter who sees this government-sanctioned challenge as the farce/ environmental cover-up that it is. (He leaves fake pythons out in the swamp for the unserious “yahoos.”) To him, snakes — both figurative and literal — are ruining the region.
Others are doing it just to accomplish something. Widowed gin-and-tonic-guzzling octogenarian Lynn wants to take one out of its misery before she permanently leaves this place. She teams up with Toby — a veteran guide, newspaper columnist and “eighth-generation Florida cracker” — to take dead-of-night treks all through the ’Glades, getting increasingly grumpy the more she comes up empty.
Most of Hunt features these wannabe snake handlers in the nocturnal thick of it, switching on the lens-flare-inducing lights atop their trucks and going on painfully slow rides up and down the area. (Producer/DJ Nick Leon’s ominous, heavy-lifting score is clearly modeled
The Python Hunt NR, 91 minutes Opening Friday, June 26, at the Belcourt
after the scores Philip Glass has done for Errol Morris docs.) Armed with three single-camera units, Robin catches these seekers from many dramatic angles, turning a real-life journey into a deep, deadpan adventure — a nature documentary for people who drink tallboys and listen to any country singer named Luke. Robin keeps it all about the hunt, even when it seems there are far more interesting things going on in these people’s lives. We take in some trippy hunting time with Richard, a hipstery science teacher from San Francisco who enjoys microdosing, styling his own facial hair and, quite possibly, polyamory. We also go on a ride-along with Madison, a bong-hitting ex-Marine who leaves her cuckish techbro boyfriend at home to go snake-snatching with studly fellas. Even Jimbo participates in a bar’s python-hunting contest just to hang with his teenage daughter, who used to do a YouTube nature show with Pops.
There are some thrill seekers — we catch a weed-smoking “swamp boy” named Brandon spending an uncomfortable amount of time with a venomous cottonmouth. But Robin focuses more on the people who take it seriously, whether they’re out there for environmental reasons or just to be in the presence of a python before it gets bagged up. It seems obvious that Robin sees this less as a challenge and more as a metaphor for where the hell we’re at now. He proves there are still decent people in DeSantis Country. Unfortunately, the decent ones are drowned out by bloodthirsty folk who’d rather get violent than take the time to learn and understand.
A gnarly coda featuring Floridians publicly dissecting these pesky pythons ultimately reveals who are the real bad guys of this flick. But it’s the sage Toby who — while informing a group of trappers on hunting do’s and don’t’s — lays out The Python Hunt’s pro-humane message even before the snake-chasing starts. “If you ever watch Scooby-Doo,” he tells them, “it always turns out the real monsters are always people.” ▼
Elmington
ACROSS
1 Gossiped-about duo
5 River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi
9 Animal that expresses anger by spitting
14 Curbside call
15 Egg’s outline
16 Traditional Vietnamese garment whose name means “long shirt”
17 2000 Eminem single with lines from his “biggest fan”
18 St. Benedict, for one
19 Central meeting points
20 timiL
23 50¢ or $1: Abbr.
24 Fish more formally known as a batomorph
25 Capital of Portugal, to natives
29 Crown of jewels
31 Penultimate Greek letter
33 One of four seen on Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”
34 Goat’s cry
35 Golfer’s suppor-
38 Move like a fox
40 Get a lode of this!
41 John from Britain
42 Evade
44 “Bad” beginning
45 Like news that everyone already knows
46 Legal boundaries?
47 Kind of cat with a blackand-white coat
50 More melted, as a marshmallow
53 Tree alongside a ski run
54 Bro, e.g.
55 P | u | n | c | h | e | s
59 Sound of a perfect basketball shot
62 “Beware the ___ of a patient man”: John Dryden
63 Ordered
64 Increase, as interest
65 German Ms.
66 Pupil’s surroundings
67 Environmentalist Adams
68 Site for many stars?
69 Sounds of disapproval DOWN
1 Short negative review
2 Floor covering in a Japanese tearoom
3 “Bingo!”
4 Stole material
5 Southern denial
6 Something tickled on a piano
7 “Buy ___. They’re not making it anymore” (old saying)
8 Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo
9 The so-called “Pineapple Isle”
10 Goes around and around
11 Make sense, with “up”
12 “Maggie ___,” classic folk song covered by the Beatles
13 ChatGPT, Claude, etc.
21 Inflicts
22 Muse of history
26 Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically
27 Milkshake flavor
28 Gospel shout
30 “Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes” painter, 1945
31 Contented sounds
32 “Changed my mind,” in editing notation
35 Curl
36 Hip-knee connectors
37 Source of linseed oil
38 It’s all a haze
39 Drug bust unit
43 Model Miranda
47 Make neat
48 Large-eyed African antelope with a duplicative name
49 Fixate
51 Give out
52 Neighbor of Ricky and Lucy, on 1950s TV
53 Far from house-trained
56 Dodgy
57 100%
58 End piece?
59 Belinda’s business on “The White Lotus”
60 Prevail
61 Some test figs.
ACCIDENTS
Voted Best Attorney in Nashville
LLC has the following positions in Nashville, TN. Employee, IB OperationsTrade & Processing Specialist to uphold compliance with legal, regulatory, and statutory obligations, as well as internal policies and contracts including Vendor Risk Framework and GCOO Operational Risk Framework. Requires Bachelor's. Can work hybrid (In-office/remote). (ref. code(s) 002091). Qualified Applicants apply through SHProfRecruitingcc@ubs.com. Please reference 002091. NO CALLS PLEASE. EOE/M/F/D/V. #LI-DNP. The expected salary range(s) for this role as of the date of this posting is/are based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, qualifications, educat ion, location and skill level. This role may also be eligible for discretionary incentive compensation. For benefits information, please visit ubs.com/usbenefits
The world’s rst hearing aid with touchscreen controls. No tiny buttons, apps or prescriptions. 45-day risk free trial. Free shipping. Lifetime support. More than 1.5 million happy customers. Call Audien 1-833-689-4423
(CAN AAN)
APPLIANCES AND HOME SYSTEMS
YMT VACATIONS. OVER 50 GUIDED TOURS AVAILABLE. Affordable, social and stress-free travel designed for mature travelers. Our tours include accommodations, transportation, baggage handling, sightseeing, entrance fees, a professional Tour Director and select meals. For a limited time SAVE $250 on all tours. Call YMT today.
1-866-314-6821
(CAN AAN)
Advertise on the Backpage!
It’s like little billboards right in front of you!
Contact: classifieds@ fwpublishing.com
C Spire seeks a Systems Analyst II in Brentwood, TN to collaborate with marketing teams to support campaign management, dynamic content delivery, and customer segmentation. Req. BS + 5 or MS + 3 yrs exp. To apply, submit a resume to https://www.cspire.com/web/ company/careershome.html, OR mail resume to C Spire, Attn: Lauren Lawhorn, 1018 Highland Colony Parkway, STE 300, Ridgeland, MS 39157, OR submit a resume to https://www.tn.gov/jobs4tn. Must reference Job Title & Job Code: R0000978. EOE.
LIKE HEATING AND COOLING CAN BE COSTLY.
A home warranty plan can help. Start saving and get 30% off any plan today. Workmanship Guarantee included. Terms apply. Call Cinch Home Services 1-844-415-1477
Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move. Call 1-866-381-0627 today to schedule a free quote (CAN AAN) UBS
(CAN AAN)
Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets NOW for as little as 70¢ a day!
Call 1-877-864-3209
(CAN AAN)
END YOUR TAX WORRIES TODAY.
Let us make your tax problem our priority. Scared, stuck with high tax amounts? Our A+ tax professionals can help. Call for a FREE consultation. Call Priority Tax now 1- 855-496-0514
(CAN AAN)
A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices!
50 Pill Special - Only $99! 100% guaranteed. Call Now!
1-877-616-4827 (CAN AAN)
Looking for 1920-1980
Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. These brands only!
Call for a quote: 1-877-590-0187
(CAN AAN)
AN
CAR??? DONATE IT TO PATRIOTIC
Fast free pick up. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans nd work or start their own business.
Call 24/7: 1-877-318-7973
(CAN AAN)
If you owe $10,000+, we can help you become debt free in 24-48 months! Make one monthly affordable payment. Get Help Now! Call 1-877-895-5782 (CAN AAN)
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Opryland
NEED NEW WINDOWS?
Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction?
New, energy ef cient windows may be the answer!
Call for a consultation & FREE quote today: 1-877-804-8285
(CAN AAN)
STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE!
A recent survey says that most Americans are overpaying for their car insurance. Let us show you how much you can save. Call Now for a no-obligation quote: 1-877-856-0046 (CAN AAN)
Opry Mills Mall Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort
NEIGHBORHOOD DINING & DRINKS
El Fuego Mexican Restaurant
Flamie’s The Hot Chicken Factory Roma Pizza & Pasta
ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
Shelby Bottoms Nature Center
Bicentennial Capital Mall State Park
BEST PLACES NEARBY TO SEE A SHOW
Opryland
FAVORITE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
Inglewood Lounge
Centennial Park
Henry James Sid Gold’s Request Room The Underdog
BEST LOCAL FAMILY OUTING
Adventure Science Center Tennessee Central Railway Museum
COMMUNITY AMENITIES
Fitness Center
Valet Services
Bike Storage Package Room
SmartLock technology Doggie Stations Elevator
Cable/Internet ready
Washer/Dryer in each unit
