july 2014 murfreesboro pulse

Rockin’ the Boro Benefi tEarth Day on Hippie Hill Excess-O-RamaDay of HopeMitch Gallagher Mouth Reader

City Hall Hosts Work by Bess Turner; Multiple Exhibits at Todd, Earthsoul, Murfree Galleries PAGE 27

Murfreesboro Music Through the Decades: Uncle Dave Macon: The Opry’s First Superstar PAGE 36

MURFREESBORO

Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News

MURFREESBORO

Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News

The Pulse chats with this year’s Uncle Dave Macon Days Heritage Award Winners

The Pulse chats with this year’s Uncle Dave Macon Days

Dailey & VincentART OPINION

Vol. 9, Issue 7July 2014

FREEFor You!

Dailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & VincentDailey & Vincent

DALE ARMOUR ROBERT ARNOLD BILL KENNEDY JIM TRAMMEL

Uncle Dave Macon Days Schedule

PAGE 7

MEET YOUR SHERIFF CANDIDATES

2 * JULY 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

BOROPULSE.COM * JULY 2014 * 3

GREETINGS PEOPLE OF THE ’BORO! HAPPY SUMMERTIME.

The Murfreesboro Pulse is rolling right along. The fi rst half of the year has been excellent. Busy busy, but enjoying life.

I’ve picked up some new sales techniques ob-serving the practices of some of the big corpora-tions and utility companies: 1. If someone wants to cancel a service, offer a crazy discount, validating the point that what the customer was paying for was worth very little (“So, you don’t want to pay $60 each month for our service? How about $18?)2 Get the customer excited about being “hand-selected,” and “pre-qualifi ed,” almost as if they have won a contest, before asking for their money. (i.e. “I am using my ‘hands’ to use the telephone to call anything that remotely ‘qualifi es’ as a working phone number.”)3 After someone cancels, let them go, but then months later insist that they owe hundreds of dol-lars more, contradicting previous statements made by their company.

I’ll have to put these all into practice in regards to selling Pulse advertising.

No, no. I jest.We want to be your friendly neighborhood publi-

cation, on great terms with our fellow Rutherford residents, understanding most do not care to be talked to in such a way, participating in the com-munity, providing a forum to talk about the busi-ness of our county.

With elections coming up, here’s one of my platforms: as your sheriff I will test offi cers for the use of performance enhancing drugs.

I don’t really care if A-Rod is juicing. He’s an entertainer, out in a controlled environment, in a competition with strict rules and game offi cials. What does it matter to the general citizenry if pro-fessional athletes pump themselves full of all sorts of hormones and steroids?

A-Rod isn’t out at all hours of the night pulling over motorists on secluded highways (to my knowledge).

I wouldn’t want anyone in that situation to be dramatically hotheaded, or to have their tempera-ment altered.

I do however care if local law enforcement of-fi cers are injecting substances that may perhaps alter their temperament and judgment. They are the ones who have the ability to ruin someone’s day or year on a whim, or otherwise abuse their position of authority, doing a job that requires quick decision making and good judgment, but protected by the government shield.

Due to the heightened awareness of the Wash-ington Redskins logo and other matters across the country, we should not say “scalper” any more either. From now on, scalpers will be known as, say, event attendance professionals.

For example: Matt Young and Bubba Hutson were involved in a recent controversy with a fellow event attendance professional (not the racist “scalpers” of the 20th Century).Peace,Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief

Copyright © 2014, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378XP

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To carry the Pulse at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: [email protected] N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130(615) 796-6248

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo

Advertising Reps: Jeff Brown, Don Clark, Jami Creel, Jamie Jennings

Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Contributors: Gloria Christy, Philip A. Foster, Mai Harris, Randal Jones, Zach Maxfield, Jessica Pace, Daniel Pedigo, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Edwinna Shannon, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine

Sign up to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter

Leroy Troy

CONTENTS

EVENTS

4June Community EventsCelebration Under the Stars; Zumbathon; Chess Camp;

Riverdale Football Banquet with Butch Jones

LIVING

6Growing as a CommunityMany gardening resources offered at Lane Agri-Park.

7The Law of the Land

Will Sheriff Arnold, facing challenges from Tramel, Armour and Kennedy, be back in office for another term?

SOUNDS0 JULY CONCERTS

qKaraoke, Trivia, DJ & Bingo Nights

Places to go for fun with friends

wAlbum ReviewsFlea Market Hustlers, Ivan LaFever, Bearheart,

The Corbitt Brothers, The Suez, Navaeh

yBonnaroo Hosts Sing-A-Long with Sir Elton

Festival 13 in the books

iConscious AllianceGroup blends art and community service at music fests.

pUncle Dave Macon Days

Dailey & Vincent to accept 2014 Heritage Award

sHellbillies Family Reunion

Hellbillies to stage (yet another) farewell show on July 11

FOOD

fA New Direction: Classically SouthernB. McNeel’s serving the famous foods of Tennessee.

ART

h Ryan Frizzell

The Rhinovirus of Art can’t stop creating!

j June Art Happenings

City Hall Rotunda hosts Bess Turner’s work this month.

REVIEWS

k Movie

Edge of Tomorrow Living Room Cinema Peril in the Lower Americas Video Game The Elder Scrolls Online

; Book

Orphan Train

SPORTS

x Sports Talk with Z-Train

Don’t scalp the Redskins.

c Fitness

You lost weight; so why do you still feel bad? Blue Raider Sports MTSU recruiting football fans for 2014 season

OPINIONS

v The Stockard Report

Rutherford County election season heating up

b Phil Valentine

Sterilization means fewer will rely on the welfare system.

n Music Through the Decades

1920s: Uncle Dave Macon, the Opry’s First Star

m Four Steps to Organizational Success

Process Improvement.

COVER STORY

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DEAR READERS:

ONLINE AT: BOROPULSE.COM

26

TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS RUTHERFORD COUNTY FARMERS’ MARKETMarket vendors from over 20 Middle Tennessee counties offer a wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, baked and canned goods, flowers, plants and more from 7 a.m.–noon at Lane Agri-Park (315 John R. Rice Blvd.) For more information, call (615) 898-7710 or visit extension.tennessee.edu/Rutherford/Pages/Farmers-Market.aspx.

SATURDAYS MAIN STREET SATURDAY MARKETVendors set up on the west, north and south sides of the historic Rutherford County Courthouse in downtown Murfreesboro, offering fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, meats and flowers from 8 a.m.–noon. For more information, call (615) 895-1887 or visit downtownmurfreesboro.com.

SATURDAYSBIKE TOURS OF THE STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELDJoin a ranger for a 90-minute bicycle tour of the Stones River National Battlefield (1563 N. Thompson Ln.) at 9 a.m. Admis-sion is free. For more information, call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri.

THROUGH AUG. 17RANGER PROGRAMS AT THE STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELDPark rangers offer talks, walks or tours at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. daily at Stones River National Battlefield (1563 N. Thompson Ln.). Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri.

JULY 3INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONSmyrna celebrates the nation’s in-dependence a day early at Lee Vic-tory Recreation Park (110 Sam Ridley Pkwy.) beginning at 5 p.m. with events and activities for all ages and fireworks at 9 p.m. For more information, call (615) 459-9773.

JULY 4LA VERGNE 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION

Celebrate America’s birthday in La Vergne at 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park (115 Floyd Mayfield Dr., La Vergne) For more information, call (615) 793-3224 or lavergnetn.gov.

JULY 4“CELEBRATION UNDER THE STARS”The city of Murfreesboro’s “Celebra-tion Under the Stars” at McKnight Park (120 DeJarnette Ln.) begins at the Sports*Com outdoor pool at 10 a.m. with games and prizes until 4:30 p.m. Admission is $3 for youth and seniors and $4 for adults. Evening family games and activities are from 5–8 p.m. and admission is free of charge. At 8

p.m., following the presentation of colors by the Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department Color Guard and singing of the national anthem by Stephen Smith, the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra presents traditional patriotic tunes and inspirational classics. The fireworks show begins at 9 p.m. For more information, call (615) 893-2141 or (615) 890-5333.

JULY 5SATURDAY MORNING STORIES AT THE MUSEUMHelp your child connect with history! Children up to 10 years of age and their caregivers cozy up for the reading of a story in the Sam Davis Home Visitor Cen-ter (1399 Sam Davis Rd.) and participate

in a related craft at 11 a.m.; admission is free. No reservation required. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

JULY 7–11SUMMER CAMP: APPLE VALLEY SCHOOL“Students” (children 8–12 years of age) of the Apple Valley School roleplay as a member of a family from long ago as they take part in authentic 19th-century school lessons, make crafts, play games, sing, and enjoy the historic house and grounds of Sam Davis Home and Museum (1399 Sam Davis Rd.) from 9 a.m.–noon. Registration is required. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

JULY 7–JULY 11VISUAL ARTS CAMP AND ROCK BAND CAMPExperienced instructors guide students (grades 4–12 completed) through the process of art conception using painting, mixed media, and digital photography at Lifepoint Church (506 Legacy Dr., Smyr-na) from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. throughout the week. Each student will complete projects

to be included in the juried gallery show-case on Friday night from 7–9 p.m. Rock Band Camp gives students (grades 6–12 completed) the opportunity to learn from working professionals in the music indus-try as they prepare from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. throughout the week to debut their own band in the Rock Your World Battle of the Bands at the end of the camp. No previous instrument training is necessary to participate in the camp and every-one will have an active role in the Band Showcase (3050 Medical Center Pkwy). For more information, contact (615) 893-6565 or [email protected]

JULY 8PEDIATRIC MEET AND GREETMurfreesboro Medical Clinic will host a Pediatric Meet and Greet on Tuesday, July 8, from 12:30–1:30 p.m. The MMC pedia-tricians specialize in caring for children from birth to 18 years of age, providing care for illnesses, well-child checkups and sports physicals. To register and for more information, visit mmclinic.com

JULY 10-13USTRC EASTERN REGIONAL TEAM ROPING CHAMPIONSHIPSWatch the USTRC Eastern Regional Team Roping Championships 8 a.m. daily at Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B W. Thompson Ln.). For more information, please call (615) 494-8961 or visit ustrc.com.

JULY 12 AUTHOR DR. MICHAEL R. BRADLEY BOOK SIGNINGStep into history the day before the


EVENTSSend event information to [email protected]

compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

JULY 9FLICK N’ FLOATMurfreesboro Parks and Recreation will host Flick N’ Float, a free outdoor movie at Sports*Com’s “Boro Beach” outdoor pool on Wednesday, July 9. Bring your own float for the pool or a blanket to watch poolside. The movie will begin at 8:30 p.m. Concessions will be available for purchase. For more information about the movie contact Sports*Com at (615) 895-5040.

JULY 4FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE CONCERT SERIESEnjoy food vendors and more at Main Street’s Friday Night Live Concert fea-turing Entice from 6:30–9:30 p.m. at the Public Square. Bring your lawn chair! Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 895-1887.


storied anniversary of Forrest’s Raid, as Dr. Michael R. Bradley signs cop-ies of his book The Raiding Winter at Oaklands Historic House Museum (901 N. Maney Ave.) at 2:30 and

3:30 p.m. Bradley brings to life the Confederate cavalry operations during the winter of 1862 with a series of Confeder-ate raids led by Gens. Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Hunt Morgan, Earl Van Dorn, and Joseph Wheeler. Admission is $10 per person; reservations required. For more information, contact (615) 893-0022 or [email protected].

JULY 14–18 MIDDLE TENNESSEE CHESS CAMPMiddle Tennessee Christian School holds Middle Tennessee Chess Camp with both half- and full-day options hosted by Igor Zhislin, coach of the National Champion Central Magnet School Team. Children

ages 6 and up of various proficiency levels, including beginners, are welcome to learn the rules, strategy and tactics, sportsman-ship, and of course how to play. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. For more information, contact [email protected] or (615) 896-3680.

JULY 14–18 THEATER AND ARTS CAMPIn response to a new love of modern musical theater, Carpe Artista provides a weeklong musical theater camp at Life-point Church (506 Legacy Dr., Smyrna) from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. allowing students (3rd–12th grades completed) to gain the skills to perform in musical theater. Local professionals from greater Nashville’s theater community teach and administrate singing, acting, dancing and preparing to perform in the Imagine Showcase that will take place at the end of the week. Creative Clash Visual Arts Camp (week 2) gives students (grades 4th–12th completed) the chance to practice painting, mixed media and digital photography. Each student will complete projects for the final showcase. For more information, contact (615) 893-6565 or [email protected].

JULY 19–20 THE MOST TERRIBLE CANNONADINGCannons and crews from several states assemble on the Stones River Battlefield (1563 N. Thompson Ln.) to tell the story of the artillery at the Battle of Stones River through the accounts of Confederate soldiers and demonstrate the firing of the Civil War cannon. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri.

JULY 16–20 EAST COAST REINED COW HORSE CLASSICWatch the East Coast Reined Cow Horse Classic at Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B W. Thompson Ln.) 8 a.m. daily. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 494-8961 or visit mtsu.edu/tmc.

JULY 18 CANNONSBURGH CONCERT SERIESWatch Emilie Burke perform at Cannon-sburgh Concert Series from 7–9 p.m. at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.). Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 890-0355.

JULY 18RIVERDALE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BANQUET Join the Riverdale Football team at 6:30 p.m. for the Riverdale Football Hall of Fame Banquet and Mitchell Maxwell Scholarship Fund at Stones River Country Club (1830 N.W. Broad St.) where UT Head Football Coach, Butch Jones, will speak. Tickets are $75 per person, or businesses and individuals can sponsor a table of ten for $1,000. For more informa-

tion, contact (615) 351-2262 or [email protected].

JULY 18–20 47TH ANNUAL MURFREES-BORO ANTIQUE SHOWThis longstanding Murfreesboro tradi-tion attracts some of the finest Antique Dealers from across the country at Middle Tennessee Expo Center (1209 Park Ave.). Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Free parking. Admission is $7 for all three days. For more information, call (270) 237-5205 or visit murfreesboro-antiqueshow.com.

JULY 20GOD AND COUNTRY CONCERT AND COMMUNITY DINNER Bob Parks Realty and Pinnacle Finan-cial Partners present God and Country Concert and Community Dinner with Todd Allen Herendeen, featuring Ronnie Knight and the Bradley Creek Choir, to benefit Doors of Hope and Journey Home. Enjoy a country supper of fried chicken, mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, fresh tomatoes, fresh fruit and more donated by the Jour-ney Home Garden. Tickets for the 5 p.m. dinner and the concert to follow at First

United Methodist Church (265 W. Thomp-son Ln.) are limited; cost is $25. Individual concert-only tickets are $15. For more information, contact (615) 653-8491, (615) 890-7812 or [email protected]. You can also visit toddallenshow.com, opendoorsofhope.org, lovegodservepeople.org or facebook.com/CommunityConcert

JULY 20PUGS UNITEOnce a month, owners of Pugs meet at the Murfreesboro Bark Park (1526 W. College St.) at 2 p.m. where pugs can socialize with other pugs and their owners can exchange tips on feeding, vet informa-tion, and other helpful information. For more information, visit meetup.com/Mur-freesboro-Pug-Lovers-Group or facebook.com/groups/1421036228117538, or contact [email protected].

JULY 24–26TWHBEA VERSATILITY WALK-ING HORSE CHAMPIONSHIPSWatch the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association Ver-satility Walking Horse Championships at Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B W. Thompson Ln.) Thursday at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Friday at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (931) 359-0592 or visit twhbea.com.

JULY 28–AUG. 2WALKING HORSE SHOWWatch the Walking Horse Owners Asso-ciation of America’s International Grand Championship Walking Horse Show at Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B W. Thompson Ln.). Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 494-8961.

THROUGHOUT JULYONSTAGE THIS MONTH THE KING AND IJuly 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.July 13, 20 and 27 at 2 p.m.Murfreesboro Center for the Arts110 W. College St., boroarts.orgTHE NERDJuly 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7 p.m.July 13, 20 and 27 at 2 p.m.Murfreesboro Little Theatre702 Ewing Blvd., mltarts.comSHREKJuly 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.July 13 and 20 at 2 p.m.The Arts Center of Cannon County1424 John Bragg Hwy., artscenterofcc.com

Additionally this month, the Center for the Arts will continue its Center Stage Academy, a youth theater camp. A Teen Camp for ages 13–18 will be held July 7–18, while a mini-camp for ages 4–first-graders will be held July 21–25.

For more information, visit boroarts.org or call (615) 904-ARTS.

JULY 124TH ANNUAL ZUM-BATHON FOR CYSTIC FIBROSISGet read to benefit Cystic Fi-brosis Foundation by dancing and exercising with Zumba® from 9-11:30 a.m. at Middle Tennessee Christian School. Admission is $20 in advance and $25 at the door. All pro-ceeds benefit the foundation. The event features T-shirts for the first 100 registrants, complimentary chair mas-sages by Magnolia Medical Center, refreshments by Edible Arrangements, swag bags for all participants, great door prizes and an exciting silent auction lineup. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-zumbathon-for-cystic-fibrosis-registration-10898558883.


A s we approach the high heat of the summer, take a walk through the demo gardens at the Lane

Agri-Park Community Center located at 315 John R. Rice Blvd. Not only will you enjoy the beauty of the gardens, you will get prac-tical, usable ideas.

There are raised-bed samples for vegeta-ble gardening as well as examples of alter-native irrigation. Rain barrels are installed to collect the runoff from the pavilion roof. The vegetable gardens are an example of drip irrigation, which utilize water collection into a barrel from a faucet, then distributed throughout the gardens by drip irrigation hose. This method is water effi cient and very healthy for the plants, minimizing water collection on the plants themselves. This ir-rigation drips directly onto the soil, supply-ing water to the roots.

Throughout the year, Extension Service agents and Master Gardeners are asked to speak at clubs and organizations. If you

are interested in arranging a speaking engagement, please direct your calls to the Rutherford County Extension Offi ce, (615) 898-7710.

If you are interested in horticulture, please attend an RC Master Gardeners meet-ing. They are held at the Lane Agri-Park Community Center on the third Monday of each month, beginning with a potluck at 6:30 p.m. All meetings are open to everyone.

The website mastergardeners-rc.org has more information and also visit facebook.com/MasterGardenersRutherfordCounty for current concerns and gardening problems and solutions.

Free Farmer’s Market Education Series ContinuesThis month’s upcoming classes offered as part of the 2014 Rutherford County Farmer’s Market Education Series cover a wide array of outdoor interests throughout the month of July. If you are a gardener, reap the ben-efi ts of gardening, or if you are looking for earth-based activities, there are free classes to broaden your horizons.

These programs continue throughout the market season at the Lane Agri-Park Community Center and are held during the market on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m., lasting approximately one hour.

JULY 1 Worm Farming at HomeMimi Keisling, RC Environmental Education

A kid-friendly class on discov-ering the won-derful world of earthworms and how to use them to improve your garden soil.

JULY 4Through the Looking Glass—DIY Smartphone MicroscopesLaura McCall, Tullahoma City SchoolsUse your smartphone to get up close with the world around you. Curious minds of all ages will enjoy.

JULY 8TeaologyTiffany Malapanes, Positiffi teaThere is more to tea than bags! Learn the various types and benefi ts of drinking tea.

JULY 11CompostingMark Murphy, Certifi ed Master GardenerWhat is composting? How do I start? What is it good for?

JULY 15Small Ruminate CareMichael Shirley, RC Extension AgentThe basics of raising & caring for sheep & goats. Be dressed to go to the barn!

JULY 18Let’s Talk About WeatherTom Johnstone, NOAACalling all citizen scientists! We’ll talk about weather trends and major events in Middle Tennessee.

JULY 22Fall Garden PlanningRichard Lee, Certifi ed Master GardenerGardening can be almost year-round! Learn what to plant for the fall to extend the season.

JULY 25Eat Well, Spend LessMisty Layne-Watkins, RC Extension AgentLearn to stretch your food budget while still eating healthy.

JULY 29Seasonal EatingTiffany Schmidt, RC Extension EducatorTaste new dishes made with the season’s freshest locally grown produce. Free recipes.

AUG. 1Geocaching 101Walter Dirl, RC Extension AgentLearn about this great outdoor activity that the whole family can enjoy together. You will even get to go outside and search for hidden caches.

More information about the Rutherford County Farmer’s Market, including a list of other upcoming classes, may be found at extension.tennessee.edu/Rutherford/Pages/Farmers-Market.aspx.

LIVING

Take advantage of the gardening resources offered at the Lane Agri-Park

Summer GardeningGardening

FARMERS’ MARKET EDUCATION SERIESby EDWINA SHANNON

WITH COUNTY ELECTIONS ON THE horizon—Election Day is slated for Thursday, Aug. 7—Rutherford County voters will soon decide if they will keep current Sheriff Robert Arnold in offi ce for another four years, or if a new leader will assume the top position at the Rutherford County Sheriff ’s Offi ce.

Arnold won the 2010 vote over longtime Sheriff Truman Jones, and entered offi ce with a spirit of “cleaning house.” One of his fi rst acts as sheriff was fi ring Det. Ron Killings, who ran over and killed a young girl while driving his patrol car.

Although Killings was not convicted of a crime for the 2008 incident, witnesses say he disposed of a liquor bottle immediately after the accident, and that he far exceeded the speed limit.

Sheriff Jones reinstated Killings to the force, amidst some controversy. But in one of his fi rst acts in offi ce, Arnold dismissed Kill-ings from the RCSO, following through on one of his campaign promises.

However, many of Arnold’s critics say he has not maintained a satisfactory level of professionalism and control over his staff throughout his fi rst term.

He defended Deputy A.J. Ross after a controversial traffi c stop, captured on video, that prompted enormous public outcry. Many in the area have debated that incident at great length, saying that Ross was provoked, the driver should have rolled his window down, Ross lost his temper, the basis for the vehicle search was questionable, and so forth.

But not long after that happened, another controversial video surfaced of another deputy, James Vanderveer, pepper-spraying a partially restrained man in custody inside of the jail.

Many labeled that incident as downright police brutality and fi lled Internet message boards and comment fi elds with words such as “torture,” “cruel and unusual punishment” and “assault,” adding that the members of the RCSO were “thugs,” “sadists,” “miscreants” and “bullies.”

Vanderveer, who also happens to be Ar-nold’s nephew (and possesses a DUI charge and controversy in his past), remains in the employ of the department.

The sheriff now faces challenges from three other candidates, Democrat Bill Ken-nedy and independents Dale Armour and Jim Tramel, in the 2014 election.

“If A.J. Ross and James Vanderveer were under my watch, they would be terminated,” sheriff candidate Tramel said, going on to state that he even felt Vanderveer should face criminal charges for his actions.

These incidents drew international atten-

tion to Rutherford County and a fi restorm of comments and debates, even from many law enforcement communities.

A “Fire Robert Arnold” Facebook page has sprung up where those who desire a new sheriff discuss a wide variety of grievances against Arnold and company.

Some criticize him for allowing a musical group called the Secret Sisters to record their music video in the jail (alongside RCSO em-ployees clad in inmate wear, clapping along).

Others point to Arnold’s special-education diploma from Oakland High School as his

highest level of education.Arnold, who has dyslexia and struggles

with written language, counters that point, saying that overcoming his learning challeng-es demonstrate determination and resolve to fi ght adversity; American heroes like John F. Kennedy, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison all battled dyslexia, and his journey proves he can triumph over dif-fi cult circumstances. His political opponents nearly removed Arnold from the 2010 ballot altogether over the issue of his diploma.

That matter aside, however, Bill Kennedy

said the current sheriff ’s fi nancial management and leadership skills are not suffi cient for the post of Rutherford County Sheriff.

Over the past four years, the expenditures for the sheriff ’s department and jail have skyrocketed. According to county budget docu-ments, sheriff ’s department and jail expendi-tures were approximately $28 million for fi scal year 2009–2010, Jones’ fi nal year in offi ce. Just four years later, that amount tops $38 million, estimated expenditures for 2013–14.

Arnold, like plenty of other politicians, throws around the word “conservative” on the campaign trail, but once elected follows a pattern of outrageous spending; the RCSO and jail budget has increased $10 million, or a 35 percent increase.

Tramel points out that this increased spend-ing does not equate to increased protection.

“He took six guys off patrol and gave them IT positions!” Tramel said.

Other critics of the current sheriff raise ethical questions about his plagiarised cam-paign website.

In 2010, Arnold’s site, sheriffrobertarnold.com, contained a platform directly lifted from a Georgia sheriff candidate’s campaign word-ing, including a suggestion to create a public safety council with the local “Chief Marshall” and “Chief of School Police,” positions that do not exist in Rutherford County.

The borrowed language was followed by a somewhat grammatically awkward reference to “integrity,” and the site stated the material was copyright Robert Arnold for Sheriff and powered by Navigation Advertising.

In the latest bout of online practices with questionable ethics, Arnold’s Chief Deputy of Administration Joe Russell (who also hap-pens to be the husband of perhaps-soon-to-be-former Administrator of Elections Nicole Lester), bought dozens of domain names con-taining the names of candidates Bill Kennedy and Mike Fitzhugh (who has since dropped out of the race).

In a move somewhere in the grey area between savvy campaigning and unethi-cal cybersquatting, Russell said he’d sell his investment property URLs to the candidates if the price was right.

Kennedy, who expressed disappointment in settling on the 29-character billkennedyfor-sheriff2014.com, said he is considering fi ling an ethics complaint in regard to the matter.

Arnold’s supporters point to such “conserva-tive” policies as his eliminating ketchup and other condiments from inmates’ diets, and now having them out working next to the county jail in the Garden of Hope. The offi ce has used in-


LIVING

BY BRACKEN MAYO

The Law of the Land:Will Arnold Be Back for Round 2?With Election Day near, candidates sound off.

said the current sheriff ’s said the current sheriff ’s

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mate labor for various other work as well, both inside the jail and around the community.

But Kennedy and Tramel both have trouble seeing these as anything more than token moves for good PR; granted, neither had a good experience working under Arnold.

In June of last year, Arnold terminated Jim Tramel’s longtime employment with the sheriff ’s 0ffice.

Tramel said the move was nothing more than a politically motivated firing of someone who intended to run for the public office that his boss happened to hold.

Arnold did not link Tramel’s termination to his plans to run for sheriff, but rather cited RCSO Standard Operating Procedure No. 617, which deals with sexual harassment, stating that Tramel spread rumors of a sexual nature about other employees, and failed “to main-tain satisfactory and harmonious working relationships with fellow employees.”

Whatever went down, it motivated Tramel to file a federal lawsuit, which is still pending after numerous depositions were heard.

“If he violates my rights, a fellow law en-forcement officer, think about what he can do to you,” Tramel told a local voter.

Candidate Bill Kennedy also had a rocky exit from the RCSO under Arnold’s tenure.

“I spent 19 years under Sheriff (Truman) Jones,” Kennedy said. “The current sheriff was my subordinate.”

Numerous on-the-job instances and rep-rimands culminated with an episode at La Vergne High School in 2009 in which Arnold failed to investigate a report of a weapon, Kennedy said.

Kennedy had seen enough from the school resource officer.

“I recommended to the sheriff that he (Ar-nold) be terminated,” Kennedy said. “He was the only subordinate officer that I have ever recommended termination.”

After Arnold won the sheriff job in 2010, he did not technically fire Kennedy, but “he told me I could go back and make biscuits,” the Democratic candidate said.

Not wanting to see lunch duty at 940 as the result of his 19-year law enforcement ca-reer, Kennedy went to work for the Lebanon Police Department, and while there earned his masters degree at Cumberland University in public service administration.

“At the time it hurt, but it turned out to be

a godsend,” Kennedy said regarding leaving the Rutherford County Sheriff ’s Office. “It made me a better employee, it made me bet-ter academically.”

The LPD is a great place to work, “but I want to come home,” said the candidate, who still resides in Rutherford County. “I am the most qualified, honest and professional candidate for the job.”

He assures voters he will rein in the spend-ing and bring the overtime and uniform expenditures under control.

“The taxpayers deserve someone who is a good steward of their money,” he said. “Why in the world do you need more uniform money?

“I’m afraid our law enforcement commu-nity has this paramilitary ‘us against them’ mentality,” Kennedy continued. “Our job is to protect and serve the community, not have this military-like presence.”

Tramel echoes that, saying the “threatening and hostile work environment” and “frivolous spending” need to be corrected, as does the be-havior of many of the department’s employees.

“People are asking questions about 5-year and 10-year plans; I can’t even get to five years and 10 years out, there are so many problems facing the sheriff ’s office right now,” Tramel said.

From Phil Brooks losing his firearm, twice, and Arnold instructing him to lie about it, to Jacoby O’Gwynn purchasing ammunition with the sheriff ’s office discount and reselling it to gun ranges and individuals, from jailer Drew Gammon’s statutory rape charges to Luis Flores trafficking cocaine, a “criminal mindset” and serious lack of professional-ism has taken over the RCSO, Tramel said. The department is becoming overrun with criminals, he said.

“If you like this kind of behavior, vote (Ar-nold) back in,” Tramel said. “If not, don’t.”

“I know I’ve overwhelmed a lot of people (with all of the stories of corruption and crime within the department),” Tramel said, but he said the “transparency” that Arnold promised should be a real thing that residents of Rutherford County demand of their lead-ers, and not just a political buzzword.

And be on the lookout, he said; another former employee is preparing to file yet an-other suit against Arnold.

Tramel said that, bottom line, he wants voters to be involved, to look at the issues, to view the recent candidate forum, to listen to the candidates and look at their track records, and make an educated decision at the polls.

“Just watch it, you decide,” Tramel said of the forum video (Available for viewing at boropulse.com).

Early voting begins on July 18. For more information on local elections, visit ruther-fordcountytn.gov/election. For more informa-tion on the candidates, visit:

billkennedyforsheriff2014.comdalearmour.comsheriffrobertarnold.comtramel4sheriff.com

According to county budget docu-ments, sheriff’s department and jail expenditures were approxi-mately $28 million for fiscal year 2009–2010, Jones’ final year in office. Just four years later, that amount tops $38 million, esti-mated expenditures for 2013–14.

STORY BY TONY LEHEW

EARLY VOTING FOR THE 2014 Rutherford County elections starts in mid-July, and the general election will be held on Aug. 7. Along with incumbent Robert Arnold and former sheriff’s department employees Bill Kennedy and Jim Tramel, current TBI and FBI agent DALE ARMOUR rounds out the list of candidates. Armour differs from the rest of the group in that he has never been an employee of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. He is the only candidate not involved in lawsuits with the current sheriff.

Dale Armour is a native of Rutherford County and a 1978 graduate of Oakland High School. In 1979, he joined the Mur-freesboro Police Department, where he was one of the department’s first training officers. In 1986, Armour took a posi-tion with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. While employed with the Highway Patrol, Armour set up an identity theft (or, as it was called in those days, driver’s license fraud) program, working from Memphis to Kingsport. During this time he wrote the Tennessee State Manual on dealing with driver’s license fraud. He also began to do criminal investigations for the THP, includ-ing homicide and drug trafficking.

“I developed a rapport and assisted with investigations at many local depart-ments during this time. I also spent two years as an undercover agent working mostly narcotic cases,” Armour explained.

In 1996, Armour transferred to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, were he investigated workmen’s compensation fraud. On the side, he started investigating white-collar crime.

“I love chasing down the fugitives. For a while, I managed Tennessee’s most-want-ed program, which goes after the worst of the worst. We went after murderers, rapists, child predators and the like. I was credited with arresting over 1,000 violent fugitives in a 10-year period,” Armour said. In 2005, Armour was awarded TBI agent of the year for his fugitive program. He created a media program, TBI’s Most Wanted, which aired on Fox 17 following each episode of America’s Most Wanted.

In 2005, he was promoted to the drug enforcement department of the TBI and oversaw the drug enforcement program in 29 counties. “I learned some very im-portant lessons during that time. We had to work with local law enforcement very closely. We went after mid- and upper-level drug dealers and that rolled into gang-re-lated law enforcement. Since our depart-ment was decentralized, we got to know firsthand how each of these 29 counties

conducted their investigations and did busi-ness,” he said. “There are gangs here in Rutherford County now. When I was grow-ing up here you didn’t see the violence we see now. There was crime, but you didn’t see running gun battles, parking lot shoot-ings and the random gang violence that is common now. The type of co-operation we had to combat the gangs is lacking here.”

In 2011, Dale went to the FBI Academy.“Their management school is one of the

best there is. To this day, I remain in touch with many of those contacts I made at the academy. They are a great resource for solv-ing common problems and sharing ideas.

“For the last 40 years, Rutherford Coun-ty has had sheriffs that came up through the ranks. But I think it’s time we had a new vision for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department. There has been a $9 million tax increase in the budget in the last four years. That’s our tax dollars, that’s my tax dollars, and I believe we can plan the budget better than that. I am coming at this from the outside, I can view this without bias.

“We have some really good employees at the sheriff’s department. I’ve never be-lieved that the employees were a problem, I think most the issues with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department are manage-ment issues,” Armour said.

Added campaign manager Frank Caper-ton, “Dale has management written all over him. The jail has more than 400 employ-ees and a $40 million budget. That is a 34% increase in just four years that does not sound like professional management to me. We need to take the budget line by line, fix what’s wrong with it and make it transparent for the taxpayers to see.”

“The taxpayers are not money trees,” Armour added. “The sheriff’s department is part of the infrastructure of the county and it has to be cost-effective too.

“Overall, crime in Rutherford County has not decreased, and we are seeing an increase in violent crimes,” Armour said.

“I believe that leadership should set theCONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Someone From the Outside


SOUNDS

THURS, 7/3BUNGANUT PIG

Tim BogleNACHO’S

Ivan LaFeverTHE BORO

Baker’s Blues

FRI, 7/4MAYDAY BREWERY

The Smoking Flowers, Kristen Cothron and the Darkside

PUBLIC SQUAREEntice

SPORTS*COMCelebration Under the Stars with Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra

SAT, 7/5BUNGANUT PIG

Karl and the UndertonesMAYDAY BREWERY

Kevin William Ball, Mike Lawson,

READYVILLE MILLJohnny B and the Balladeers

TFG PRODUCTIONS Neufound Me and others

THE BOROSkeetzo N’Krysis, Death Before Dying

TUES, 7/8BUNGANUT PIG

Ryan Dishen

WED, 7/93 BROTHERS

Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night

BUNGANUT PIGMartin Rodriguez and the Rectifiers


The WilkinsNACHO’S


Iraconji

FRI, 7/11BUNGANUT PIG

The Time Raiders

COCONUT BAY CAFÉDJ Prez

MAYDAY BREWERYThe Bird and the Bear

TFG PRODUCTIONS Krash and Burn Karaoke

MAIN STREET MUSICNuts & Volts

THE BOROHellbillies Family Reunion

WALL STREETThe Jauntee


Fender BenderCOCONUT BAY CAFÉ

Bar Room ProphetsMAIN STREET MUSIC

Cold Truth with Black Shag

MAYDAY BREWERYBrushfire Stankgrass


ROOSTER’S BBQGravel Road Gypsies

THE BOROPiranha, LOBO, Heretics Fork

SUN, 7/13THE BORO

Nick Shelton


CJ Vaughn Trio

WED, 7/163 BROTHERS


BUNGANUT PIGGable Bradley Band


Rockslide AuditionNACHO’S


Third Coast Blues

FRI, 7/183 BROTHERS

The Secret

CommonwealthBUNGANUT PIG

Casual ExchangeCOCONUT BAY CAFÉ

Zone StatusMAIN STREET MUSIC

The Brion Gamboa BandMAYDAY BREWERY

Repeat Repeat, Tesla Rossa

THE BOROFundraiser for Laser Tag Kegger 1


Zone StatusCOCONUT BAY CAFÉ

DJ TruFxJOZOARA

Justin Kaleb DriggersMAIN STREET MUSIC

The Jaggered (Rolling Stones Tribute)

MAYDAY BREWERYThe Valley Roots


THE BOROScott Hogue's Gathering of the Grownfolk


Delyn Christian

WED, 7/233 BROTHERS


BUNGANUT PIGFranklin and Farris


The Charleyhorse BandNACHO’S

Ivan LaFeverTFG PRODUCTIONS

Fighting for Air, Landstander, Tomato Face, Scenic

FRI, 7/253 BROTHERS

Amber’s DriveBUNGANUT PIG

Unauthorized PersonnelCOCONUT BAY CAFÉ

CrossroadsEARTHSOUL ART GALLERY

Ezra Taylor, Thunderfrog, The Hardin Draw

MAIN STREET MUSICZig Zag Mojo

MAYDAY BREWERYThe Enablers

THE BOROSouthern Girls Rock and Roll Camp After-Party featuring Birdcloud


The PilotsCOCONUT BAY CAFÉ

Into the RedMAIN STREET MUSIC

Garth Brooks Tribute, featuring Shawn Gerhard

MAYDAY BREWERYBanditos, Flea Market Hustlers, The Granny Whites, Jake Leg Stompers, Don Coyote, The Hardin Draw, Don Gallardo and How Far West, The Glade City Rounders, Danny Trash-ville, The Harmaleighs


THE BOROMurder Suicide

SUN, 7/27THE BORO

Spinrad


John Sutton

WED, 7/303 BROTHERS


BUNGANUT PIGJD Shelbourne Duo

THE BOROMouth Reader, Concord America


Sabrina and Tony

NACHO’S Ivan LaFever

FRI, 8/1MAYDAY BREWERY

Hanna Rae, Honeyboy and Boots

SAT, 8/2READYVILLE MILL

Johnny B and the Balladeers

TFG PRODUCTIONSClusterf**k, Circle of Chaos

THE BOROA Secret Policeman’s Ball

WED, 8/3MAYDAY

Red Wine Hangover

WED, 8/63 BROTHERS


View Concert Listings Online:

Send your show listings to [email protected] CONCERTS

IF YOU GO:3 Brothers114 N. Church St.410-3096

Bunganut Pig1602 W. Northfield Blvd.893-7860

Georgia's Sports Bar and Grill555 S. Lowry St., Smyrna(615) 267-0295

Hippie Hill8627 Burks Hollow Rd.(615) 796-3697

JoZoara536 N. Thompson Ln.962-7175

Liquid Smoke#2 Public Square217-7822

Main St. Music527 W. Main St.439-6135

Mayday Brewery521 Old Salem Hwy.479-9722

MTSU Wright Music Building1439 Faulkinberry Dr.898-2469

Nacho's2962 S. Rutherford Blvd. 907-2700

Readyville Mill5418 Murfreesboro Rd. Readyville563-MILL

Rooster's Lonestar BBQ223 W. Main St.867-1836

The Boro Bar & Grill1211 Greenland Dr.895-4800

Wall Street121 N. Maple St. 867-9090

Willie’s Wet Spot1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 355-0010

FOLK'N ART FEST SAT. 7/26 @ MAYDAY BREWERY

Mayday Brewery has assembled a very impressive roster of area musicians of the primarily acoustic variety to comple-ment all of the visual art the day will host at the second annual Folk ’N Art Fest, Saturday, July 26. Banditos, Flea Market Hustlers, The Granny Whites, Jake Leg Stompers, Don Coyote, The Hardin Draw, Don Gallardo & How Far West, The Glade City Rounders, Danny Trashville, The Harmaleighs will all perform at what should be a beautiful summer day packed with creativity and community.

PULSE PICK

SKEETZO K' KRYSISSAT. 7/5 @ THE BORO

On the heels of playing TFG Productions’ recent “Cash’n Out,” looking for another guitarist and finish-ing their first full length album, local heavy rockers Skeetzo N’ Krysis are celebrating the release of said album at The Boro tonight with the company of Panama City metalheads Death Before Dying.

PULSE PICK

MONDAYSBREW ULive Trivia, 7 p.m.BUNGANUT PIGLive Trivia, 7 p.m.THE POUR HOUSEDJ, 7–11 p.m.ROOSTER’S BBQLive Trivia, 7 and 8 p.m.

TUESDAYSIGNITEKaraoke, 8 p.m.–12 a.m.3 BROTHERSLive Trivia, 7 p.m.OLD CHICAGOLive Trivia, 9 p.m.COCONUT BAY CAFÉLive Trivia, 7:30 p.m.THE POUR HOUSEDJ, 7–11 p.m.NOBODY’SBingo, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAYSBIG EARL'S GRUB & PUBLive Trivia, 7:30 p.m.CAMPUS PUBKaraoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

MELLOW MUSHROOMLive Trivia, 8 p.m.NOBODY’SLive Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m.SAM’S SPORTS GRILLLive Trivia, 8 p.m.

THURSDAYSBIG EARL'S GRUB & PUBKaraoke, 8 p.m.CAMPUS PUBLive Trivia, 8:15 p.m.COCONUT BAY CAFEKaraoke, 8 p.m.–12 a.m.LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.)Karaoke, 6 p.m.NOBODY’SKaraoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.THE POUR HOUSEKaraoke, 9 p.m.WALL STREETLive Trivia, 8 p.m.

FRIDAYSNOBODY’SKaraoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.)Karaoke, 6 p.m.

MT BOTTLEKaraoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m.BREW UKaraoke, 7 p.m.–10 p.m.

SATURDAYSNOBODY’SKaraoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.CAMPUS PUBKaraoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

SUNDAYSO’POSSUMSLive Trivia, 8 p.m.LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.)Karaoke, 6 p.m.THE POUR HOUSEDJ, 7 p.m.WALL STREETTeam Bingo, 5–7 p.m.SAM’S SPORTS GRILLLive Trivia, 8 p.m.

To be included in the Pulse’s listings, or for information on setting up your own Karaoke night, contact [email protected]

DJ, Bingo, Trivia & Karaoke NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO

& Karaoke & Karaoke NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORONIGHTS IN MURFREESBORONIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO

A CLASSICRATINGS: OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD

ALBUM REVIEWS

A follow up to their fi rst recording, Free Demo for Sale, which received critical acclaim and national airplay, Nashville foursome Flea Market Hus-tlers’ Last Man Standing contains 12 tracks of subtly celebratory and spirited acoustic bluegrass.

With John Furbush on mandolin and har-monica, David Preston on guitar and bass, Mike Tharpe on banjo and Jake Winebrenner on per-cussion, all four band members contribute vocals to the songs, which fairly consistently keep an even tempo and an easy, accessible quality.

Favored for their festival performances, like their late-night campsite set at Americana Music Festival and televised show Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s, Flea Market Hustlers’ latest release is fi lled with mando-lin parts that fl utter beautifully throughout the al-bum and a banjo consistently rambling with fi nesse that doesn’t overpower the other instrumentation.

Some tracks, like “Hey, Hey,” are introspective and deal in abstractions and long brushstrokes:

All along the winding wayI came, I saw, I did not stayI lived, I died, I did not changeThe beautiful “Downfall” laments:If anybody sees me drowningIf anybody sees me at allIf anyone sees me fallingWhy don’t you catch me on my downfall.Love, sweet and sour, past and present, works its

way into Last Man Standing as well, from the ridicu-lous but sweet “Liquor in the Collards” to “Buried My Darlin,” written about “that old mule who used to ride my ass,” who is now fertilizing a cornfi eld.

The track “6:15” is about contentedly waiting out the last hours before the end of the world, and “Long Haul Breakdown,” one of the best on the record, is a pretty, wordless, windy dance of strings and a jumble of banjo. All in all, Last Man Stand-ing is a long, breezy, rhythmic and musically pictur-esque bluegrass stretch. — JESSICA PACE

FLEA MARKET HUSTLERSLast Man Standing

Culture Cringe, Murfreesboro’s all-encompassing podcast, zine and label for music and other art forms, recently released The Suez’s fi rst EP, an eponymously titled fi ve-track record of sparkly throwback pop executed with strong female vocals that bring to mind miniskirts and go-go boots without being overdone or trying too hard; they’re self-described as “surf-pop-a-doo-wop-a-ding-dong,” which is about right.

Named after the renowned Suez Motel on Miami Beach where underground fi lmmaker and gore-lord H.G. Lewis shot 1963 horror fl ick Blood Feast (which is about a community terrorized by a serial murderer targeting local girls), the four-piece band includes Austin Coppage of Tetsuo and Culture Cringe co-founder Ben “Cringey” Kaboom.

Taylor Gibbs fronts the band with vocals rife with retro charm and equal parts sweetness and swagger, like a cross between Grace Slick, Linda Ronstadt and Nancy Sinatra meshed with a surfy ’60s pop sound. On “Johnny Get Angry,” a cover of an obscure early 1960s hit, Gibbs attempts to tease a reaction out of a passive love interest (Johnny get angry, Johnny get mad . . . show me that you care for me) while the bass rumbles and a vocal chorus of coyote-like howls inter-jects midway through.

Feedback on Gibbs’ voice is bewitching amid a freewheeling melody set by a twangy guitar on “Chevy Chase,” and my favorite is a tie between rollicking romp “Do Me Do Me” and “Suez War Whoop,” whose popping snare lays a pronounced base for the song, speeding up to a war cry at the end.

The album dropped in early May after a recording session a month earlier produced by Justin Kirkland at Screen Door Records in Old Hickory, Tenn. A de-luxe cassette version is forthcoming on Culture Cringe Records.

For more information on the band visit facebook.com/thesueztn, or listen to the entire record at thesuez.bandcamp.com/releases.

— JESSICA PACE

THE SUEZThe Suez

44


3.5 3.5

4

The Corbitt Brothers’ most recent endeavor and second studio album, Ain’t Nothin to It But Do It, is executed perfectly as a fun, summertime highway odyssey. Introduced with the sounds of a radio dial adjusting through static and passing through sta-tions, it settles into opening cut “Road Rage Blues,” with a depiction of cops, bad drivers and other woes on the road amid a rollicking blues rhythm.

With a blistery, rusty, heat-shimmering-off-the-car-hood sort of style, the record alternates from ridiculous jaunts to a few sobering tracks that deliver a message; both, however, are done with grit and catchy tunes. In “Your Demon,” frontman Newsome Corbitt sings:

You’ve got to deal with your demonOr your demon’s going to deal with you . . .One-night stand, two-week bingeThat’s what you all living“Love One Another,” which is reminiscent of a

sort of countrifi ed version of “One Love,” could surely be a Bonnaroo sing-along with its hippie-dippy message to just get along, and “Bring It all Back” is a wistful sigh over the olden days, when “folks stayed together for richer or poorer” and “tits were real and not so fake.”

But then there’s “Asshole Casserole,” on which The Corbitt Brothers share a secret recipe:

Take four cups of youA pinch of your ideersA teaspoon of your heart, for a startAdd a can of cream of mushroom soupA can of cream of chicken soupA handful of breadcrumbs and some cheese for

some soulPut it in the oven, turn it on, preheat and cook itYou got an asshole casseroleRepeat.In sticking with the food theme, they continue

with a soulful ode to chicken pot pie amidst Isaac Corbitt’s bleating harmonica on “Chicken Pot Pie Blues.” I haven’t enjoyed a food song that much since Those Darlins came out with “Fatty Needs a Fix.”

For more on the Corbitt Brothers, visit corbittbrothers.com. — JESSICA PACE

THE CORBITT BROTHERSAin't Nothing to It But Do It

With members hailing from Tennessee, Ala-bama and California, the formation of Nashville bluegrass-based folk/Americana sextet Bearheart has been a semi-turbulent fl ight for a couple of years now. Dashed hopes of getting off the ground, waiting on the right bandmates and striving to get their name out have all been part of this band’s journey; this band’s perseverance, though, has fi nally paid off with the release of their self-titled debut EP, a dream since 2007 but unrealized until just last year.

Bearheart’s 5 tracks are all worthwhile for those who enjoy the idea of, say, The Avett Brothers and Wood Brothers meeting Langhorne Slim’s clunkiness and (for the local-artist fan) The Hardin Draw’s darkness. This EP takes off with the cheerful “Before I Die,” lyrically moti-vated by an itch for forward motion in light of life’s uncertainty, while musically, the vocals are the Avetts all the way and, stylistically, some-thing the Wood Brothers and Langhorne Slim would do goofi ng around. The following, “Off My Mind,” fl ies in that same airspace.

“Before I Die” is presumably Bearheart’s cur-rent single (they posted a video for the song on YouTube), but “Under Heaven, by the Sea” has brought the band the most attention as of late. It was recently borrowed and performed in a ballet by Chattanooga’s Terpsichord dance company in mid-March while the band was back here competing in Nashville independent station Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem contest as well as being singled out by American Songwrit-er’s “Daily Discovery,” topping off a big month. “Under Heaven . . . ” and the symphonic “Living Out My Dream” provide down-tempo contrast, with dark lyrics to match.

The icing on the cake, though, is the head-bobbing “Drink It Off,” co-written by McMillen and lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Leonhardt. It’s the only duet about alcoholism you’ll probably ever need.

Bearheart can be found on reverbnation.com/bearheartband and bearheart.bandcamp.com.

— BRYCE HARMON

BEARHEARTBearheart


3


ALBUM REVIEWS

Murfreesboro’s LaFever, led by pop and R&B fi xture Ivan LaFever and frequently found playing the local haunts, independently released their fi rst EP, entitled Retro Future, this spring. Recorded and produced by the singer/songwriter and keyboardist, the six songs of Retro Future were completed with funds raised through a Kickstarter campaign.

The artist has played music for more than 15 years and was the fi rst chair of the Tennessee All-State choir as a senior in high school. LaFever also won the Match Records Songwriting Compe-tition hosted at Middle Tennessee State University with his fi rst single, “Not Gonna Come Home.”

“Not Gonna Come Home” dropped April 8, prior to the Retro Future’s release, and is a depic-tion of betrayal and bitterness amid a fl ourish of keys, an infectious Wurlitzer electric piano and cooing vocal harmonies.

Retro Future opens with a warbling guitar being picked on “Assets,” on which LaFever sings:Your head might be fullbut there’s a lot to be knownand if you think you know it allyou better pack it up and take it homeBreak it down and show me your assetsbreak it down and show me what you have to offer me

As the track unfolds, a horn section chimes in and guitarist Andy Most takes a solo. Beautiful husky vocals come in on “Grow” and “I’m Not Lonely” and “Stay Warm for Me” is a crooning, dark and comforting piano-driven lament.

Check out facebook.com/lafeverband for more information on LaFever. — JESSICA PACE

LaFEVERRetro Future

Following up An Ode to Bad Decisions from 2011, Nashville four-piece band Navaeh re-leased And Then . . . There Was One last fall on Of Redmoth Records in digital form, with a physical release following this past May. Mixed by J. Hall in Nashville and mastered by Brad Blackwood in Memphis, the fi ve-track EP, with with heavy rock riffs but structured melody, is perfect for any Foo Fighters lover.

Band members Andrew Godfrey, Ernest Mor-ris, Brandon Keyser and Jim Chiodo received local honors when the disc’s second track, “Un-satisfi ed,” was voted a “Buzz Cut of the Week” by Nashville’s 102.9 The Buzz. With heavy, dense instrumentation that grates like a dull razor, the track leads fulfi llingly into remaining cuts “Climb,” “Face the Lies” and “Doesn’t Matter.”

But it’s the album’s misleadingly mild and downcast opener, “Let Go” that really per-fects And Then . . . There Was One. Introduced with a muted, distorted cry of anguish, the opening song strikes the listener immediately with beautiful, deep and hollow piano notes recalling Smashing Pumpkins at their most introspective; think Mellon Collie and the Infi nite Sadness-esque ballads: pensive, exquisite and vaguely astral.

The situation is direand I won’t give up ’til you let goLearn more about the band at facebook.com/

Navaehrocks and listen to And Then . . . There Was One in its entirety at navaeh.bandcamp.com.

— JESSICA PACE

NAVAEHAnd Then . . . There Was One

443.5 3.5

THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS ALL MONTH LONG FOR JUST $90

CALL (615) 796-6248


SOUNDS

The 13th annual Bonnaroo is in the books, and once again, the event brought music fans and talented artists from all over to the world-famous Coffee County fi eld.

Elton John played a generous portion of his many hits to bring the weekend to a close on Sunday, June 15. From “Bennie and the Jets” and “Rocket Man” to “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and “Sad Songs,” from “Candle in the Wind” to “Crocodile Rock,” the What Stage was a giant sing-along party once again. The glowstick crowd doesn’t seem to care if it’s Widespread Panic, Bassnectar or “Tiny Dancer,” the night air was aglow, as is the June tradition.

The world of music has changed greatly since the early days of the festival; electronic, computerized sounds comprise an ever-grow-ing portion of the weekend’s entertainment. Still, many different styles of music pop up at the festival.

“Yay for instruments,” Dave Bruzza of Greensky Bluegrass said jokingly, as the crowd applauded the stringed tools of the trade the players wielded onstage.

That said, the otherwise traditional string group did put some electronic effects on slide guitar, straying a little from the unplugged sounds of the totally-acoustic purists.

Not long after, the high-energy Janelle Monae delivered a show-stopping production on that very stage, including a fantasy skit in which Monae’s handlers wheeled her out to

the mic on a dolly, only to have her later escape from a straitjacket and gun down a couple of them, all set to funky, lively music.

Many of the artists this year followed Monae’s example of jumping into the crowd; Thomas Mars of Phoenix (possibly the most successful French rock band in his-tory), surfed an impressive distance on the frenzied crowd.

Multiple artists communicated messages of hope and motivation to the youthful attendees, another theme of the weekend. Vintage Trouble encouraged everyone to spread the positivity of music and life. Shortly after losing a friend of the band to suicide, they asked the crowd at their set to be a positive light of hope in everyone’s lives, and to shake and dance away their blues and

tensions whenever the opportunity arises.In addition to wild and colorful outfi ts, many

Bonnaroovians expressed themselves through various signs, fl ags and accessories that could be seen atop the crowds as music played.

The dancing skeleton on a concertgoer’s shoulders during Meshuggah’s set was so hard-core, as was the band’s light show and perfor-mance as a whole. Blinding blinding, deafening deafening . . . wonderful stuff. To the couple hundred heavy-metal enthusiasts still under This Tent at 3 a.m., 2014 will forever be known as the year Meshuggah came to the ’Roo.

The Flaming Lips and their ever-colorful eccentricity paid homage to The Beatles with a big “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” closer in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

About 12 hours later, multi-instrumentalist

Sarah Jarosz performed a midday set on Sunday under the Other Tent, for those seek-ing a little shelter from the afternoon sun. The Lone Bellow followed her, with some folksy rockabilly jams; great vocals and fun times.

A certain legend reminded those of all ages that no matter what emotion you feel, all you have to do is play Lionel Richie, be it on 8-track, CD or MP3. Big Sam’s Funky Nation kept things extra funky and brassy with their stylistic mix of equal parts march-ing band, New Orleans jazz, heavy metal and perfect summertime dancing-in-a-fi eld music.

Whomever it was performing the headlin-ing set on Friday with the strange mask and boring light show who thought himself such a rock star was barely a better rapper than I am, though. . . . See ’ya next year, Bonnaroo!

BY BRACKEN MAYO

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BY BRACKEN MAYOBONNAROO HOSTS SING-ALONG WITH SIR ELTON

Clockwise from left: The Bonnaroo arch and fountain got a colorful update again this year; Arc Iris at the Solar Stage; Fitz and the Tantrums take Which Stage; the littlest Tantrum fan with his mom; Janelle Monáe on Main Stage; Flaming Lips lights the stage with diamonds.

I WAITED TOO LATE TO TURN IN my cans for the Summer Camp Music Festival 2014 Conscious Alliance Food Drive poster; however, I managed to score one of the coolest posters I have ever gotten at the Wakarusa 2014 Conscious Alliance Food Drive, featuring Android Jones’ iconic holographic image of a man and woman kissing.

If you attend music festivals like Bonna-roo, performances by bands such as The String Cheese Incident or frequent venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater, then you have seen the Boulder, Colorado-based organization featuring some of the gnarli-est, transcendental, new-age art out there. The Conscious Alliance “Art That Feeds” Food Drive, originating in 2002, encourages participants to donate canned foods or mon-etary donations for a themed, limited-edition featured artist poster; donations are then distributed to Feeding America Food Bank affi liates in the area of the festival or show.

Conscious Alliance is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organization whose mis-sion is to disperse food to communities throughout the United States as well as aid in programs for empowering youth in impoverished regions. Through projects such as Pine Ridge Learning Garden, An-nual Holiday Meal Delivery, Sustainable Housing Initiative and more, the year-long grassroots food collections and hunger awareness programs have helped provide over 1.7 million meals to people nation-wide. Donations also support underprivi-leged Native American reservations, and in 2005 a food storage and distribution facil-ity was built on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, one of the most poverty-stricken communities in the country.

Some of the print artists who support Conscious Alliance are Android Jones, Andy Reed, Chris Dyer and others, as well as musi-cal artists Allman Brothers Band, Bassnectar, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, Disco Biscuits, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Lettuce, moe., Pretty Lights, STS9, Um-phrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band and many more. Conscious Alliance also has the support and participates in many music festivals such as All Good, Electric Forest, Envision Festival, Hangout Music Festival, Lockn’ Music Fes-tival, Wanee Music Festival, Summer Camp Music Festival, Wakarusa and Sonic Bloom.

This year, the Conscious Alliance team returns to Sonic Bloom, June 19-22, in South Park, Colo., where they have been participating for the past nine years. This year’s featured “Art That Feeds” Food Drive screen-print is brought to you by Michael

Divine (check out more of his work at TenThousandVisions.com).

“We try to match artists with the festival we feel fi ts them the most,” exclaims Con-scious Alliance Executive Assistant Cathryn Folkestad. “Sonic Bloom is local, which is nice because we have a huge following in Colorado. We just got back from Wakarusa and are going to Electric Forest and others, and it is nice to have a really cool and fun festival right up the road. We have local volunteers who are always at Bluebird Theater and Red Rocks Ampi-theater, and it is nice that they do not have to travel far. Sonic Bloom is going to be a really awesome festival and we are all excited.”

As Conscious Alliance stops through about 60 different music shows and festivals throughout the year, it is great to see them in-spire people with some of the most exquisite, mystical art in the nation alongside support from some of the biggest musical artists and bands appealing to every generation.

“[Conscious Alliance] is a combination of awesome artists and art being a part the music scene,” says Folkestad. All the bands that support us really do believe in us, which in turn inspires the youth. All of us working here are young and enthusiastic, and being positive hopefully inspires others to make a difference. We have a lot of fans, and it is nice to see everyone at festivals and shows super pumped to support others. We are a part of a great community, and I like seeing such a young generation wanting to give back and support those in need.”

To fi nd out where Conscious Alliance will be this year or to get involved, visit con-sciousalliance.org, facebook.com/ConsciousAl-liance or twitter.com/ArtThatFeeds. For more information on Sonic Bloom, please visit sonicbloomfestival.com.

CONSCIOUS ALLIANCE RETURNS TO SONIC BLOOM 2014cans for the Summer Camp Music Festival

however, I managed to score one of the coolest posters I have ever gotten at the Wakarusa

Android Jones’ iconic holographic image of a man and woman kissing.

roo, performances by bands such as The String Cheese Incident or frequent venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater, then you have seen the Boulder, Colorado-based organization featuring some of the gnarli-est, transcendental, new-age art out there. The Conscious Alliance “Art That Feeds” Food Drive, originating in 2002, encourages participants to donate canned foods or mon-etary donations for a themed, limited-edition featured artist poster; donations are then distributed to Feeding America Food Bank affi liates in the area of the festival or show.

sion is to disperse food to communities throughout the United States as well as aid in programs for empowering youth in impoverished regions. Through projects such as Pine Ridge Learning Garden, An-nual Holiday Meal Delivery, Sustainable Housing Initiative and more, the year-long grassroots food collections and hunger awareness programs have helped provide over 1.7 million meals to people nation-wide. Donations also support underprivi-leged Native American reservations, and in

ity was built on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, one of the most poverty-stricken communities in the country.

Conscious Alliance are Android Jones, Andy Reed, Chris Dyer and others, as well as musi-cal artists Allman Brothers Band, Bassnectar, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, Disco Biscuits, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Lettuce, moe., Pretty Lights, STS9, Um-phrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band and many more. Conscious Alliance also has the support and participates in many music festivals such as All Good, Electric Forest, Envision Festival, Hangout Music Festival, Lockn’ Music Fes-tival, Wanee Music Festival, Summer Camp Music Festival, Wakarusa and Sonic Bloom.

returns to Sonic Bloom, June 19-22, in South Park, Colo., where they have been participating for the past nine years. This year’s featured “Art That Feeds” Food Drive screen-print is brought to you by Michael

TO BY ANDREA STOCKARD



SOUNDS

BY BRACKEN MAYO

Cannonsburgh Village will once again host the extravaganza of bluegrass music and old-time cul-ture that is the Uncle Dave Macon

Days Festival the weekend of July 11–13.As always, the weekend will draw in tal-

ented musicians who wish to compete in the various instrumental and dancing competi-tions for prize money and bragging rights, fans of the Heritage and Trailblazer award recipients and area families looking for a wholesome day of fun for all ages.

This year’s festival will expand to a second stage, this one bearing Uncle Dave’s nick-name, The Dixie Dew Drop.

And in addition to a wealth of music, crafts and food packed into Cannonsburgh Village, the weekend will also include dance work-shops, storytelling sessions, the traditional Saturday-morning motorless parade, an antique car show, a community services fair, a job fair and more.

Darrin Vincent, of this year’s Heritage Award winner, duo Dailey & Vincent, at-tended the Uncle Dave Macon Days festival in 2006 when his sister, Rhonda Vincent, accepted that year’s Heritage Award prize; Darrin will be back in the ’Boro this year, and now it’s his group in the spotlight.

“We are so thankful and humbled to re-ceive that award,” said Vincent, who grew up in a family saturated in musical talent.

“We’d play with our dad and mom, with

aunts and uncles at family gatherings,” he said. “The memories I have are just precious.”

Vincent, who spent a large chunk of his professional career as a member of (2013 UDMD Heritage Award winner) Ricky Skaggs’ band, partnered with Jamie Dailey, and performed their fi rst show at the Ryman Auditorium, a heckuva venue for a group’s inaugural performance, no matter the members’ previous pedigrees.

“Dec. 29, 2007: That was our fi rst paid gig as Dailey & Vincent,” Vincent said in a phone interview with the Murfreesboro Pulse while at an auto repair shop in West Virginia; the tour bus had blown a tire the night before while coming down a West Virginia mountainside, and they needed a replacement ASAP, as Dailey & Vincent were scheduled to perform in Florida the following day at the Panhandle Watermelon Festival.

Uncle Dave Macon was a traveling ambas-sador of string band music himself back in his day, and now a new book chronicling the entertainer’s career is available.

Uncle Dave Macon: A Photo Tribute, prepared, designed, written and published by direct de-scendants of Uncle Dave Macon as an authorized portrayal of his life, his music and his legacy,

will be available for the fi rst time to attendees of the Uncle Dave Macon Days festival.

The book includes 70 photographs printed in a glossy magazine format.

“Many of these images come from the Macon family’s private repository of Uncle Dave photos, artifacts and other documents,” says Michael D. Doubler, great-grandson of Macon and author of the book. Proceeds from Uncle Dave Macon: A Photo Tribute will benefi t The Macon-Doubler Fellowship, which was formed in 1998 for the purpose of promoting old-time music and dance by providing scholarships to students of all ages for old-time music and dance lessons.

Also expanding the reach of the Uncle Dave Macon Days mission, the Macon Music orga-nization focuses on educating children about traditional American musical roots through

performances, cur-riculum and instruction by experts in old-time music and dance.

“I really wanted to see a bridge from the festival to the children. They are our future, but I wanted them to share in the heritage of traditional and old-time music,” says Gloria Christy, president of Uncle Dave Macon Days and creator of Macon Music Education.

Macon Music Education initiated a program celebrating six decades of music through band performances, dance and his-tory, which it took to the elementary school students at Bradley Academy.

“Once we saw how the kids took to it, and saw that it was a success, we knew we had to create a bridge from Macon Music back to the festival,” Christy says. “I know Uncle Dave Macon would just be thrilled to see what we are doing.”

The inaugural Macon Music Day Camp will be held the week prior to the festival, culminating on Friday, the fi rst day of Uncle Dave Macon Days. Approximately 40 elemen-tary school children will learn to clog, write songs, identify banjo styles and attend the demonstrations and activities at the festival. Area musicians and dancers will teach the youngsters the ways of old-time music in this age of computers, synths and electronic music.

Vincent said he is encouraged by the popularity of acoustic music as of late, and has tremendous respect for the efforts of groups like Mumford and Sons, noting that their record won album of the year at the 2013 Grammys.

“That’s unbelievable to me; they are compet-ing with rock bands,” Vincent said.

Although Mumford doesn’t play the strict, prototypical bluegrass style, the band is en-couraging today’s generation to pick up their stringed instruments, and promote the mes-sage that electricity and computers are not necessary to be in a band. This freedom from plugging in can allow the musician to carry his instrument of choice anywhere—under a shade tree at Uncle Dave Days, for example.

In addition to the competitions, awards presentations and attractions, many Uncle Dave fans enjoy the spontaneous jam ses-sions that spring up throughout the weekend.

Also joining the fun this year will be Leroy Troy, Roland White and The Tennessee Mafi a Jug Band, who will collectively receive the 2014 Trailblazer Award.

The 2014 festival will also see a fuller sched-ule of Sunday events, which will include perfor-mances by Kristina Craig, The Blue Laws, Chris Golden, Shotgun Rubies and Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, in addition to shape-note sing-ing sessions, a sermon and an antique car show.

“This is the fi rst time we’ve had profes-sional acts to perform Sunday. And we’ve extended the hours so everyone can see all the new features we’ve added,” Christy said.

Uncle Dave Macon Days

Dailey & Vincent, Leroy Troy and many other pickers, dancers and fans converge on Cannonsburgh for . . .

Macon Music Education initiated a

LEROY TROY

BY BRACKEN MAYO

Looking for More Dailey & Vincent?The weekend following their Uncle Dave Macon

Days appearance, the group returns to the Mother Church of Country Music, performing at the Ryman Auditorium on July 17. A Sept. 13 performance in

Virginia, to be recorded for a CD, DVD and PBS

television special, follows.


FRIDAY, JULY 1110 a.m. Start of Festival by Uncle Dave Macon Daze “Ad-hoc” Band (Main Stage)10:30 a.m. Mid-State Cloggers (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)11 a.m. Competitor Registration Opens11:45 a.m. Colors/Prayer (Offi cial Start, Main Stage)1 p.m. Competitions BeginDulcimer (Main Stage)Old-Time Singing Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)2 p.m. Dobro (Main Stage)3 p.m. Beginning Instrumental (Main Stage)4 p.m. DeFord Bailey Harmonica (Main Stage)5 p.m. Buckdancing Junior Preliminaries (Main Stage)6 p.m. Trailblazer Award & Presentation: Roland White, Leroy Troy and The Tennessee Mafi a Jug Band (Main Stage)7 p.m. Clogging Junior Preliminaries (Main Stage)Mid-State Cloggers (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)Boro Storytellers (Under Gazebo, Matilda Macon Folks Arts Village)7:30 p.m. Old-Time Singing Finals (Main Stage)8 p.m. Buckdancing Junior Finals (Main Stage) 8:30 p.m. Clogging Junior Finals (Main Stage)8:45 p.m. Blues Singing with Acoustic Instruments Finals (Main Stage)9 p.m. UDM Free Wheelin’ Style (Main Stage)

SATURDAY, JULY 128:30 a.m. Competitor Registration Opens9 a.m. Competitions Begin:Old-Time Buckdancing Adult Preliminaries (Main Stage)Guitar Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)10 a.m. Old-Time Buckdancing Senior Preliminaries (Main Stage)Gospel Singing (Cannonsburgh Chapel)Contest Fiddle Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)11 a.m. Old-Time Clogging Adult Preliminaries (Main Stage)Mandolin Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)12 p.m. Old-Time Clogging Senior Preliminaries (Main Stage)Clogging Exhibition (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)

Bluegrass Banjo Preliminaries (Main Stage)Mid-State Cloggers (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)Traditional Fiddle Preliminaries (Main Stage)Gospel Singing (Cannonsburgh Chapel)1 p.m. Old-Time Banjo Preliminaries (Main Stage)3 p.m. Heritage Award & Presentation: Dailey & Vincent (Main Stage)4:30 p.m. Guitar Finals (Main Stage)5 p.m. Fiddle Finals (Main Stage)5:30 p.m. Mandolin Finals (Main Stage)6 p.m. Bluegrass Banjo Finals (Main Stage)6:30 p.m. Old-Time Buckdancing Adult Finals (Main Stage)7 p.m. Old-Time Buckdancing Senior Finals (Main Stage)Boro Storytellers (Under Gazebo, Matilda Macon Folks Arts Village)7:30 p.m. Old-Time Clogging Adult Finals (Main Stage)8 p.m. Old-Time Clogging Senior Finals (Main Stage)8:15 p.m. Old-Time Junior National Championship Presentation in Clog-ging & Buckdancing (Main Stage)8:30 p.m. Traditional Fiddle Finals (Main Stage)9 p.m. Old-Time Banjo Finals (Main Stage)9:30 p.m. Old-Time Band (Main Stage)10 p.m. Bluegrass Band (Main Stage)

SUNDAY, JULY 1310 a.m. Wilson Bank & Trust Antique Car Show Registration Begins10:30 a.m. Hymn Singing11 a.m. Pastor Mike Courtney11:30 a.m. BLT Band12 p.m. Community Services FairJob Fair Sponsored by Goodwill12:15 p.m. Kristina Craig Band12:50 p.m. Shotgun Rubies1 p.m. Chris GoldenWilson Bank & Trust Antique Car Show Begins1:30 p.m. The BLUELAWS featur-ing Val Storey2:30 p.m. Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, presented by the Front Porch Fellowship3:45 p.m. Antique Car Show Awards Presentation

Cannonsburgh is located at312 S. Front St.For more information, visit uncledavemacondays.com

2014 Uncle Dave Macon Days Schedule

SOUNDS

“DID YOU SEE THAT PICTURE OF Renner? Holding the pan fl ute?” asks Joel Goode of the newly reunited country-metal band The Hellbillies.

“Renner wants everyone to know he’s been living in the woods for four years mastering the pan fl ute. That’s a true story.”

Goode, aka Festus McGillacutty, isn’t really sure what his other Hellbilly bandmates have been doing since their most recent fi nal—there have been many “fi -nals”—farewell show in September 2011 at the Muddy Roots festival.

Rhythm guitarist and front-man Michael Renner (Mongoose McNichols), guitarist Trey Call, singers Paige Crockett and Nicole Arnette, bassist Sam Baker and long-lost drummer Scott Cooper parted ways after that show three years ago, mainly because Cooper was moving to Colorado.

“We called it quits,” Goode

says. “Now, enough time has gone by and we miss each other.”

Thus, The Hellbillies dubbed their July 11 show at The Boro a family reunion, which should be a drunken homecoming for not just the bands, but their fans and haters, because, after all, The Hellbillies are “the most hated band in town.”

While Renner was perfecting the pan fl ute, Goode has been working on his garden, cooking and housekeep-ing skills, he says.

“Scott—no one knows what he’s doing. He’s lost 50 pounds out there, he’s skinny, so he’s probably selling a lot of drugs. No one will recognize him,” Goode says dryly.

“Sam is mysterious, he wears a mask, and he’s a tiny guy, so maybe he’s been under a bridge some-where. And Trey has been working at Liquid Smoke and playing guitar with every band in town.”

The Hellbillies met 12 years ago when Renner and the band’s original guitarist were the only two contestants in an amateur male stripper review held at Sebastian’s, a now defunct venue once located on Maple Street.

“Then they collected me at a bar a few weeks later,” Goode says.

“I was scared of Renner; I thought there was something really off about him. The bartender Trey, who ended up being our lead guitarist, he told me he’s all right. Then Trey ended up in the band.”

Now the time is right, or in Goode’s words, it was Renner’s 40th birthday, he wanted to reunite the band, and “he’s pretty self-centered, so that was it.”

The band has planned some 3D effects, which are an “extra-special super secret.” Goode will not offer any other hints other than to “use your imagination.”

“Of course we’ve got a game plan, which is to have no plan at all. We’re going to get to-gether maybe once beforehand and get drunk

and do the show at The Boro.”And after?“We’re getting all our camping gear together

right after the show and going to East Tennes-see and get drunk as hell, and that is it,” he says.

“I don’t foresee us doing anything else. This is our fourth comeback. We just want to see everybody.”

The Hellbillies perform at The Boro on Friday, July 11; admission is $6.

Hellbillies Reunite Members put down fl ute, fl y in from Colorado for reunion show. BY JESSICA PACE


Just off the Murfreesboro Square sits a gem of a restaurant serving classic South-ern meat-and-three plates for lunch; somehow, B. McNeel’s balances elegant and classy with relaxed and homey.

Inside, businesspeople, retirees, university students, friends and families dine on the foods Tennessee is known for: fried chicken, pulled pork, squash, okra, catfi sh, sweet potatoes, grits, beans, country fried steak and much more as sunlight pours in on both dining fl oors of the 100-year-old building that formerly held the town’s telephone company.

B. McNeel’s owner Barbara McNeel Thomas opened the restaurant in 2001, and B. Mc-Neel’s quickly became known as one of the top steakhouses and fi ne-dining restaurants in Murfreesboro: a spot to take a date, have some wine and be wowed by the gourmet.

But over the years, the College Street restaurant has transformed into something a little different. The food is still very much high-quality, but now B. McNeel’s markets its culinary efforts as “Express Lunch.”

“What you envision and what happens are two different things sometimes,” Thomas said.

Although the initial version of the restau-rant was popular, the hours needed to change.

“I gave dinners up for my kids,” she said. “I was tired of missing them grow up. . . . It goes by so quickly.”

Although change can be hard at times, many of the patrons seem quite satisfi ed with

the current incarnation of B. McNeel’s.“The chicken fried steak is really good,”

one lunch customer said. “And very fi lling.”B. McNeel’s offers various salads, fruit and

veggies, for those wanting something a little less fried. But:

“They make a great salmon cake,” said another longtime B. McNeel’s diner.

Personally, it doesn’t get much better than a meatloaf plate, with some fried cabbage, glazed carrots and cheese grits.

Then again, there’s the thinly shaved roast beef with gravy. . . .

Lunch plates start at $5.75 for an entree selection with choice of one side.

“I can take a client to lunch in one of the nicest restaurants in town for $20 for both of us,” said a local businessman.

In recent news for the restaurant, Thomas decided earlier this year to open the restau-rant for breakfast each weekday at 6:30 a.m.

In addition to the bacon, eggs, juice and biscuits, B. McNeel’s includes cream-cheese-stuffed strawberries, French toast, and chicken and waffl es on its breakfast menu.

Of course, the Sunday brunch buffet at B. McNeel’s has garnered a great reputation and has long been a favorite Sunday spot for Murfreesborans wanting to sample a variety of incredible dishes.

However, along with the changes at the restaurant, mimosas are no longer part of the offer.

“I gave up the liquor license,” Thomas said. “I debated it for years,” and she fi nally decided that the restaurant wouldn’t sell alcohol.

But still, the Sunday brunch, the quick, quality meat-and-three plates, the charm-ing building with the adjacent beautiful, shady patio setting right in the heart of downtown Murfreesboro all keep the customers happy. Try it one one day for lunch, but remember to get there before the doors lock at 2 p.m. though. Thomas has places to be—with her children.

FOODstory by BRACKEN MAYO • photos by SARAH MAYO

A Change in Direction

TH

E D

ISH NAME: B. McNeel’s Restaurant

LOCATION: 215 N. Church St., MurfreesboroHOURS: Breakfast: 6:30–10 a.m., Mon.–Fri.; Lunch: 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Mon.–Fri.; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.PHONE: (615) 896-1002COST: Meat and 3: $8.25; Fried chicken salad: $9; Sunday brunch: $14ONLINE MENU: boropulse.com/bmcneels

A Change in Direction

Classically Southern:

B. McNeel’s serves delicious

meals out of a vintage

building behind the Square.

French Toast with cheese grits, stuffed strawberries, sausage

Meatloaf, cheese grits, sweet carrots, biscuit and cabbage

Salmon Cakes

Caramel Pie


ART

Ryan Frizzell: The Rhinovirus of ArtRYAN FRIZZELL, A.K.A. The Rhinovirus, has been infectiously spreading his many forms of creativity throughout the Murfreesboro art and music scene for years. Working in graffi ti, 3D photography and music, it’s a destiny that has been infused into him since birth: “As far back as I can remember, I have had a love for art and music. I’ve always made a place for art.”

Growing up, he was inspired by a little bit of everything, including cartoons, stories, songs, bands and comic books. He was also exposed to a variety of artists who made him who he is today, beginning with his family of creatives: his great-grandmother was a painter, art teacher and the pianist of her church. His father had a memora-bilia and collectibles shop, which meant Ryan ended up with tons of comics and sports cards.

“I would draw the characters on the cards over and over until it looked like them, and I always wanted to have my own comic or cartoon,” he said.

Ryan’s dad also played a part in him becoming a musician. Having been in a rock band himself, the stories Ryan would hear of his dad’s musical adventures always made him want to follow in his footsteps.

“He bought me my fi rst electric guitar for Christmas when I was 16, a Hondo bass. I cov-ered it immediately with photos of Don Knotts and of Flounder from The Little Mermaid.”

Ryan was always drawing on anything he could in school, but it was taken to a new level

the day published cartoonist Tim Oliphant paid Ryan’s art class a visit. “He showed our class some basics, and helped us come up with some character ideas. I’m almost certain that is the day I decided I wanted to become an artist.”

Shortly after that he was introduced to photographer Pinky Bass, who taught him and his classmates how to construct their own pinhole camera. Ryan recalls “Pinky’s Portable Pop-up Pinhole Camera and Darkroom” as one of the most unique creations he has ever seen, making him a fan of in-camera effects such as layering images

by double-exposing photos, making shutter speed adjustments,

adding fi ltrations and creat-ing lens fl ares.

“Editing programs are great, but you can’t get some effects with editing that you can do with a real camera,” he said.

His own photogra-phy now consists of 3D

anaglyphs, inspired by the return of 3D movies.

Ryan’s family also spent a lot of time traveling when he was younger.“We would drive everywhere, just like the

Griswolds on vacation. I was usually daydream-ing, listening to my headphones and staring out my window (like most teenagers do), and it was then I started to notice graffi ti.” After lots of practice and meeting a few other graffi ti art-ists, he was able to improve his own street-art skills: “I started picking up style, lettering and being more creative with my characters. The more I practiced the better I got at it.”

Living in Shelbyville for a time introduced him to a few other creative friends and infl uenc-es, including Ray Riddle, a.k.a. DJ Orig, who is now a producer and DJ for local rapper Big Smo.

“[Orig] was always spinning records, and sketching out his ideas on anything and everything in the room. He was constantly sharing something he had done, or working on something new. He’s always had his own style, and he had it mastered very early on.”

Ryan, DJ Orig, and other art friends got involved with the Bedford County Arts council through his high school art teachers. They helped to restore the old Fly Sewing Co. build-ing in Shelbyville, where his great-grandmother and his mother had both worked together in the ’70s. After helping with the renovations, they were allowed to paint murals on the interior walls, providing him with a legal outlet for his newly refi ned graffi ti skills. It is now called the Fly Center for the Arts (204 S. Main St. in Shelbyville), and contains the Bedford County art gallery, history museum and theater.

“I’ve had my work featured in two differ-ent exhibits there, and played several concerts there as well. Almost 20 years later, it’s a great feeling to walk through those doors and still be involved in something so historical and neat.”

Still holding all of these artistic infl uences close to his heart, he now calls Murfreesboro his home, which has its own Pandora’s box of inspiration for him: “Be it music, or visual arts, there’s no denying that creativity fl ows through this town. The ’Boro has defi nitely made an im-pact on my art and life; I’ve met so many great artists here throughout the years including Jeff

Bertrand, Russell Garrett, Patti Mann, Russell White, Mai Harris, Todd Wilson, Dawna Kinne Maglicano, Oliver Langston and Jimbo Eanes, to name a few. Rutherford County has really opened doors for me with such great galleries and venues such as Two Tone, and Earthsoul Gallery in Smyrna (run by talented local artist Angela Elkins). All of these artists, musicians, and this town with a Pulse have all in one way or another helped to sharpen my skills, and to inspire me as an artist.”

For Ryan, art and music have become a compulsive obsession of the best kind: “Al-most every day of my life, I draw, make noise, or create some sort of something. No matter where I go, or what I do, I am always tapping on something, singing a song, whistling a melody, or sketching an idea. I make art because it’s what I do. I can’t stop.”

Ryan now plays for a band called Thunder-frog. You can check them out at Earthsoul’s opening reception, hosted by Fervent Fusion, on Friday, July 25, beginning at 6 p.m., along with some of Ryan’s newest visual art work. He will also have work on display at the Mur-free Gallery throughout July.

And if you miss those opportunities to see Ryan’s artistic and musical talents, it prob-ably won’t be long before it fi nds you. Ryan’s goal is to “catch on like a common cold, The Rhinovirus of art.”

by MAI HARRIS

always wanted to have my own

by double-exposing photos, making shutter speed adjustments,

adding fi ltrations and creat-ing lens fl ares.

great, but you can’t get some effects with editing that you can do with a real camera,” he said.

phy now consists of 3D anaglyphs, inspired by the

return of 3D movies.Ryan’s family also spent a lot of

creatives: his great-grandmother was a painter, art teacher and

1 Pile of Ghetto Blasters, 3D (get your glasses!) series of drawings, edited in CS6

2 Ryan with Put a Bird on it, 11 x 16, acrylic and spray paint on canvas

3 Alien Flora, 8 x 10, spray paint and acrylic on canvas

4 Ziggybot, hand drawing scanned and converted into a sticker

5 Whale of a Good Record, spray paint on 12-inch vinyl record

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JULY ART HAPPENINGSFELLOWSHIP OF ARTISTS EXHIBITION AT MURFREE GALLERY

In partnership with the Rutherford County Property Assessor’s offi ce, the MTSU Todd Art Gallery announces the Fellowship of Artists exhibit at Murfree Gallery through July 28. Curated by MTSU art major Rachael Smith, a member of the Department of Art’s Student Gallery Com-mittee, the exhibit features the work of Dr. Barbara Hodges and husband Leroy Hodges in one gallery and samplings of work from Dawna Kinne Magliacano, Michelle Sweatt, Ryan Sweat, Ryan Frizzell, Chelsea King, Mai Harris, John Bentley and Jennifer Walker in the second gallery.

THREE EXHIBITS TO OPEN JULY 10 AT TODD GALLERY The MTSU Todd Art Gallery in partnership with the Mur-freesboro City Hall Art Committee (CHAC) invites the public to an opening reception Thursday, July 10, 5–7 p.m. for the Winner’s Invitational Exhibit featuring the award recipients from the “Branches of One Tree Rooted in Love” themed art competitions held for the students of Murfrees-boro and Rutherford County Schools earlier in 2014. The exhibit in Todd Art Gallery will display the fi rst, second and third place and honorable mention winners. Dr. Debrah Sickler-Voigt and Charles Clary will speak on current topics related to their respective areas of the art world; art educa-tion and foundations of art/studio art.

Also opening July 10 in Todd Art Gallery 210, the student art gallery, is Powderpuff, an installation by MTSU and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) students showcasing collaborative and individual work intended to bring an element of fl amboyance and humor to an often serious space while simultaneously aiming to reinterpret female stereotypes.

And, in the new Todd Art Gallery 212 the paper-making workshop of students from Art Professor Noel Lorson’s June 2014 Independent Study Course will be on exhibit. In paper-making, a dilute suspension of paper fi bers in water

is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fi bers is laid down. The water is removed by pressing and drying to make paper and draped or molded to shape. Lorson’s class achieves elaborate results geared more toward mixed-media art effects that ever so slightly rely on paper-making as its foundational component.

SMALL SOUTH CURRENT AND MORE AT TWO-TONE GALLERYSmall South Current is a one-day group show of local art-ists, living and working in Murfreesboro. It features a range of work from multimedia, installation, performance, paint-ing, and print work. Small South Current will take place on July 5. Participants will meet at Two-Tone Gallery at 113 W. Lytle St. at 12:30 p.m.

Work by local artist Eric Finn will be on display at the gallery July 13–26; that will be followed by Todd Wilson’sLEGGODT July 27–Aug. 9, with a “Middling” starting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 3. For the month of July, Two-Tone will be open Fridays from 5–10 p.m. and Saturdays from noon–10 p.m. (closed July 4).

FERVENT FUSION AT EARTHSOULFervent Fusion has curated a show to be exhibited at Earth-soul Gallery, 307 Hazelwood Dr., Smyrna, with an opening reception to be held on Friday, July 25, from 6–9 p.m. The exhibit will feature work by Jeff Bertrand, Ryan Frizzell, Liz Kelly Zook, Jennifer Walker, Patti Mann, Jimbo Eanes, Pa-mela Cisneros, Rae Smith, Mai Harris, Amy Raven, and Alicia

and Travis Maynard. The reception will have live musical per-formances by Ezra Taylor, the Hardin Draw and Thunderfrog.

“INTO THE FUTURE” AT MAYDAYThe next monthly exhibit at Mayday Brewery, 521 Old Salem Rd., will be Into the Future, featuring fantasy/futuristic-themed artwork such as spaceships, nebula, aliens and futuristic cityscapes. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, July 24, from 4–7 p.m.

FOLK’N ART FEST AT MAYDAY BREWERYThe 2014 Folk’n Art Fest will feature over 30 regional art-ists with handmade, one-of-a-kind artworks and crafts from pottery and clay, fi bers, jewelry, assemblage, wood carvings, paintings, mixed media, block prints, soaps and more at May-day Brewery. Folk musicians, eclectic food vendors, Mayday Brewery’s craft brews and more will be part of the festivi-ties. The event will be held Saturday, July 26, from 1–9 p.m.

CALL FOR ARTISTSFervent Fusion is an event production entity based in Mur-freesboro that brings music and art of all genres together into a happy union: musical interpretations of visual art, and visual interpretations of music. And, of course, all of the old-fashioned musical performances and art exhibitions are thrown right into the experimental craziness. We are always looking for new visual artists and musicians to be considered for future events. To be considered, please submit examples of your work to [email protected].


BESS TURNER EXHIBIT AT CITY HALL The City Hall Art Committee invites the public to the Rotunda of City Hall June 24–Aug. 8, 2014 for the painting exhibit of Murfreesboro city school teacher and artist Bess Turner. An artist reception in the Rotunda is scheduled for Thursday, July 24, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. All art exhibits in the Rotunda are free and open to the public between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for observed holidays. City Hall is located at 111 W. Vine St.

MURFREESBORO CREATIVE GROUP MEET-UPS Bring your own art proj-ect and meet up with other artists to connect, learn from and support each other. Meetings take place every other week at Two-Tone Art Gallery, 113 W. Lytle St. The meeting dates and times for July will be Wednesday, July 2, and Wednesday, July 16, from 5–8 p.m.


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PERIL IN THE LOWER AMERICAS

LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANNfacebook.com/livingroomcinema

A CLASSICRATINGS: OUTSTANDING AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD

REVIEWS

Over the past decade Tom Cruise has disappeared into a wide-range of roles, from spy movie action hero (Knight and Day, Jack Reach-er) to sci-fi movie action hero (War of the Worlds, Oblivion) with results ranging from forgettable to middling. While I will unabash-edly defend Mission:Impossible—Ghost Protocol as the exception to the mediocrity rule, I will now have to add Edge of Tomorrow to that short list.

Adapted from the 2004 Japa-nese novel All You Need Is Kill, helmed by inconsistent director

Doug Liman and penned by three writers (one of which wrote The Usual Suspects), Edge of Tomorrowmanages to entertain throughout because of a plot that is basically Groundhog Independence Day. In the near future, an alien race has landed on earth, inciting a global war that has all but wiped out Europe. Thanks to “new jacket technology,” in which soldiers are outfi tted Elysium-style in battle-enhancing metal exo-suits, humans have regained confi -dence after a victory at Verdun. Former ad-exec turned honorary

major, William Cage (Cruise), acts as the face of recruitment when, in a corrupt political stunt, he is involuntarily enlisted to the front lines of the military’s next strike against the alien invaders. Squeamish and combat-green, Cage is thrust into the middle of battle and . . . dies.

It’s no spoiler, as this is the fi rst of many lives Cage will go through. Something happens to him the fi rst time he dies that locks him in a time loop, and like a kid playing Contra in the ’80s, each life brings him one

step closer to defeating the alien scourge. Like Groundhog Day, the fi lm stays fresh through smart casting and colorful characters as Cage explores new butterfl y-effect variations with each repetition, and the script takes its premise to its maximum comedic and dramatic potential. Despite Cruise’s budget-enhancing star power, Edge of Tomorrow more closely resembles the work of Neill Blomkamp, albeit with a little less social commentary and more cool-looking, color-coded land squids, than Cruise’s previous forays into sci-fantasy. But its closest cousin is the video game, not any one in particular, but their structure. Watching Cage become a better warrior through repetition and memorization feels both new and familiar, and it makes Edge of Tomorrow quite possibly the best video game movie ever made.

— JAY SPIGHT

1��Fitzcarraldo (1982) is written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog. The spirited Klaus Kinski stars as an Irish opportunist hoping to bring traditional opera to South America. His other prominent dream is to cut a new path between two rivers, which will expedite the lucrative rubber trade, allowing for a massive steamship to cross rivers. Detesting mimics, Herzog chose to under-take the task of moving a steamship across (over an incline) for real, which makes Fitzcarraldo epic.

2�Burden of Dreams (1982) is directed by Les Blank. The documentary chronicles the struggles in making Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo. Aptly titled, almost every aspect was inhospitable. It also makes legend of the fi lmmaker and his rant-ing star, Klaus Kinski.

3��The Wages of Fear (1953) is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Set in Central America, a group of contracted drivers must transport volatile explosives across treacherous terrain. The wages are high, if they can just elude death and reach their destination.

4��Sorcerer (1977) is produced and directed by William Friedkin. It is a notable remake of The Wages of Fear. Friedkin’s vision still has parallels and relevance to today. Making use of great loca-tions, Sorcerer is a big movie worth your eyes.

EDGE OF TOMORROW

Starring Emily Blunt, Tom CruiseRated PG-13Directed by Doug Liman

MOVIE

SAFETY IS IN UTTER DISREGARD WHILE TRAVELING through these dodgy routes. Movies like these would be nearly impossible to make in this age (sans any CGI), as they are about as impractical as they come. To watch them helps to honor the daring it took to make them.

THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE

THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE has been out for about three months as of this review, and the game has garnered a lot of attention for a lot of reasons, including: Skyrim being such a successful game, it being an MMO and automatically being hyped as “anoth-er WoW killer” (which it isn’t, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves), and having a spectacularly large number of bugs.

Let’s get two things straight here im-mediately: it’s not a WoW killer, and it’s not Skyrim online. While comparisons to either of the aforementioned games is al-most necessary from an industry standard perspective, ultimately the game was de-signed to be something very different from either. If you don’t like that and demand nothing less then don’t buy it or play it. You wouldn’t be happy, and nothing will change your mind. Oh, it’s fun by the way, so let’s start talking about the game itself.

From a technical perspective, there’s only a bit to cover. A lot has been written about ESO‘s “megaserver” system, and it’s interesting, but the only part that really matters is the ability to play with people without having to port characters from one server to another or call it a day.

As a former WoW addict, I can’t stress enough how useful that is, at least in the-ory. I say in theory, because I don’t know if this implementation is the cause of the game’s two biggest technical fl aws: serv-ers being down, and friends being locked to separate phases. The running gag is that one day Europe will get a server too (pointing to it being down so often it may as well not exist). That’s not really fair, but suffi ce it to say that when you pay a fee for a game, you absolutely expect the servers to be up pretty solidly. The phasing issue is probably the single worst annoyance in the game. It is not fun to be running along-side your friend only for them to suddenly disappear and you both be fi ghting totally different mobs. The good news is that Ze-nimax is addressing this in a future patch, though we don’t know how quickly.

The other big technical concern is

GAME

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the matter of the game’s bugs. Yes, it had a ton of them upon launch. Yes, they have patched a lot of them. No, they aren’t done. Most remaining bugs aren’t game-breaking, though. If you’ve been waiting to play until most of the bugs have been fi xed, I’d say go ahead. There will be more server patches and complaints, but that’s life playing an MMO.

In gameplay terms, here’s the quick and dirty: it has a lot to do in the initial areas, and some of the systems in it, like craft-ing, are very deep and take time to learn. Min-maxing your character’s stats is nearly impossible, and even just fi guring out how to allocate skill points can feel daunt-ing at times. A lot of this has to do with your ability to be a healer, tank, or DPS with any class, and, if you so choose, the ability to change your role in the group with a quick weapon swap.

The game is all about weighing choices. Do you become better at healing, or tank-ing? Should you spend your gold on a horse (yes, asap), or more bag space (also a huge priority)? Do you block the incoming attack, or try and fi nish them before they get it off? While that sounds, and can be, frustrating, it also keeps you motivated to do that next thing that will make your character stronger and see where the storyline goes.

In a more narrow sense, it is an abso-lute blast to randomly group up, which is something you’ll be doing a lot, to melt faces when the forces from Molag Bal’s realm dare to set foot in Nirn, or to manage some sophisticated way to deal with three simultaneous bosses in a dungeon you probably should have waited to get to a higher level to even challenge. Most of that fun stems from a good balance of MMO “action-barring” and positional tactile com-bat feedback. In the end, the game is very addicting and rewarding if you put serious time into slogging through its nuances.

While I haven’t played a ton of PvP (and I don’t suggest you do until max level as the gear gap between you and veteran-ranked players will make you useless), it’s huge, ongoing, and strategic fi ghts will offer liter-ally weeks of playtime, should you venture into that aspect of the game. Just be sure to bring a horse or you’ll spend most of your time just running to or from the action.

Despite its legitimate shortcomings, I’ve found myself addicted to Elder Scrolls Online unlike any MMO since WoW because the game is actually fun to play the vast majority of time, and isn’t fi nding that out the reason why you’re even reading this?

If you’re looking for World of Skyrim all polished and well-aged, look elsewhere. If you don’t mind getting your hands meta-phorically dirty (sometimes very dirty), and want to slay baddies in a deep, immersive MMO set in the Elder Scrolls universe, then you owe it to yourself to at least play the entire trial period of the game. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot of fun.

— DANIEL PEDIGO

Molly Ayars has had her fair share of disappointment. After her father is killed in a car accident and her drug-abusing mother is arrested, she spends years being shuffl ed from one foster family to another. At age 17, Molly is about to age out of the foster care system and face charges for stealing a book from the school library when a friend recom-

mends her for a community service project that might keep her out of jail. The project involves helping 91-year-old Vivian clean out her attic, and at fi rst, the teenage Goth girl and the elderly widow seem to

have little in common. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through boxes of memorabilia, they realize that they have more in common than they could have imagined.

Christina Baker Kline’s novel Or-phan Train skillfully weaves the stories of present-day Molly with the tragic history of Vivian, who lost her family in the early 1920s. While Molly’s story of rejection and trying to fi nd her way through the challenging foster care system is poignant, it is Vivian’s story that is most captivating. After losing her family in a New York City tenement housing fi re, Vivian (then known by her Irish name, Niahm) is placed in a temporary orphanage. But before she can come to terms with her own grief, Niahm (pronounced Neeve) is placed on an “orphan train” with other children ranging from infants to teenagers. The train is headed for various cities in the Midwest, where an organization known as the Children’s Aid Society will help them fi nd new homes. Much like Molly, Niahm only wants to fi nd a family who will love her, but instead she is passed from one family to another, enduring cruelty, neglect and rejection.

Part of the book’s appeal is the history behind it. Between the years of 1854 and 1929, as many as 200,000 children of all ages boarded trains to the Midwest, most of them destined, like the book’s main character, for a life of servitude. Although ostensibly the program was designed to provide homes for orphaned or abandoned children, it also provided people in the Midwest with free labor. Those in the highest demand were babies and young men, and those hardest to place were adolescent girls, who, like Vivian, were seen as posing a threat to the wife of the house-hold. Siblings were separated, and original birth certifi cates sealed. The sense of shame from those placed on the trains was so pervasive that most rarely spoke of it, and it wasn’t until the 1950s and beyond when train riders began to search for family members and other fellow orphans who shared the same experiences.

Orphan Train is a sweet and touching story of friendship, resilience and strength of character, but it is the glimpse into a little known part of American history that makes this novel an intriguing and thought-provoking read.


Molly Ayars has had her fair share of disappointment. After her father is killed in a car accident and her drug-abusing mother is arrested, she spends years being shuffl ed from one foster family to another. At age 17, Molly is about to age out of the foster care system and face charges for stealing a book from the school library when a friend recom-

mends her for a community service project that might keep her out of jail. The project involves helping 91-year-old Vivian clean out her attic, and at fi rst, the teenage Goth girl and the elderly widow seem to

have little in common. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through boxes of memorabilia, they realize that they have more in common than they could have imagined.

phan Trainstories of present-day Molly with the tragic history of Vivian, who lost her family in the early 1920s. While Molly’s story of rejection and trying to fi nd her way through the challenging foster care system is poignant, it is Vivian’s story that is most captivating. After losing her family in a New York City tenement housing fi re, Vivian (then known by her Irish name, Niahm) is placed in a temporary orphanage. But before she can come to terms with her own grief, Niahm (pronounced Neeve) is placed on an “orphan train” with other children ranging from infants to teenagers. The train is headed for various cities in the Midwest, where an organization known as the Children’s Aid Society will help them fi nd new homes. Much like Molly, Niahm only wants to fi nd a family who will love her, but instead she is passed from one family to another, enduring cruelty, neglect and rejection.

history behind it. Between the years of 1854 and 1929, as many as 200,000 children of all ages boarded trains to the Midwest, most of them destined, like the book’s main character, for a life of servitude. Although ostensibly the program was designed to provide homes for orphaned or abandoned children, it also provided people in the Midwest with free labor. Those in the highest demand were babies and young men, and those hardest to place were adolescent girls, who, like Vivian, were seen as posing a threat to the wife of the house-hold. Siblings were separated, and original birth certifi cates sealed. The sense of shame from those placed on the trains was so pervasive that most rarely spoke of it, and it wasn’t until the 1950s and beyond when train riders began to search for family members and other fellow orphans who shared the same experiences.

touching story of friendship, resilience and strength of character, but it is the glimpse into a little known part of American history that makes this novel an intriguing and thought-provoking read.

BOOK

by Read to Succeed’sMICHELLE PALMERmichellepalmersbooks.blogspot.com

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline


SPORTS

The Train Daddy is back with the pain, daddy, and ready once again to hit you punks in the mouth with some serious

sports knowledge and life les-sons in a sexy kind of way.

The sports world is constant-ly changing. We live in a country where everyone has an opinion and everyone has a voice, and I personally love voicing my opinion., I love weighing out the pros and cons of a decision, I love to study sports; it’s a true passion that I have.

I had planned on talking about the World Cup in this article—the intense play of the USA or the controversial ending to Mexico’s season, the corruption of FIFA or the stupid decision to play the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The president of FIFA recently stated that awarding the bid to the fi rst-ever Middle Eastern country, Qatar, was a mistake after defending the decision for months. Qatar’s population is 85% migrant workers, and since winning the bid to host the games, 1,200 workers have been killed prepping for it. In a Middle Eastern country where homosexuals are murdered, alcohol is illegal, women must cover their lady parts entirely and it’s a place hotter than hell, FIFA, what are you thinking? Rumors have circulated that the USA has been put on alert by FIFA to be prepared to host the event should they strip Qatar of their bid. I hope they do.

But that’s all the soccer talk you get; I have a burning desire to voice my opinion on the Redskins controversy and really break

it down. So before you get too deep into this article, let me tell you that I am 100

percent against changing the Redskins name. I originally

planned on doing this article a few months ago, but I decided to wait and think more about

it. I slowly let the matter marinate inside me. Now, the meat is tender and juicy and ready for the grill. So let me explain why I feel the way I do.

Hail to the Redskins! Hail victory! Braves on the warpath! Fight for old DC!

Run or pass and score, we want a lot more! Beat ’em, swamp ’em, touchdown! Let the points soar! This is the Redskins fi ght song, composed in 1937 by the team’s band leader, and today remains one of the best known and most popular chants in the NFL. The Red-skins are a team of pride and history. I wish my Tennessee Titans had a tradition that rich and full of history. Someday, maybe, but an old franchise like the Redskins, well, they have deep roots. And these roots are being threatened by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offi ce as well as a group of senate demo-crats voicing their opinion on the matter. In Virginia, a group of delegates recently stated the controversy is all political correctness on steroids and have created a fl edgling group named the Redskins Pride Caucus in an at-tempt to back the Redskins name. So I ask you right here in the middle of this article: is the name Redskins racist? I have never heard the word used in a derogatory way; I mean, anyone growing up watching westerns, well,

you hear cowboys calling Indians “injuns,” and I can understand that being completely derogatory. No one questions that some of the things that happened to the Native Americans were awful, but it’s part of history now. I read an article by a well-known journalist who claimed if the matter offends even one person then the name should be changed. That’s ridiculous, because someone will always be offended no matter the route you take. Imagine being an owner of a new team: everything is new and you have to create the team, the colors, the names, the mascot; you give your new team an identity. You want your mascot to be as cool and prideful as possible. Why are so many teams named after Native Americans, then? Because most of these names represent honor, pride and Native Americans were known for being survivors, great warriors. I imagine if I were Native American I would be proud that so many teams thought highly enough of my ancestors to name a billion-dollar franchise after them. But I am not Native American, so what do I know? It’s just my opinion. I am just saying you don’t see teams named the New York Homeless Folk or the Cleveland Goobers or even the Tennessee Buck Tooth Rednecks—no, you name your team with something that gives you pride, and then an entire city and entire fan base embraces and respects the mascot.

My worry is if the Redskins are forced to change, how far will this go for other teams, what new rules and regulations will the government be able to enforce? I had a wise man tell me that the only way nobody gets of-fended is to numerically name sports teams: “Tonight on Monday Night Football the No. 14’s versus the No. 3’s.” It’s a rivalry that dates back to the good old days: no names, no controversy. Just like the Redskins, there are bound to be other teams deemed offen-sive. The Minnesota Vikings: I reckon there are bound to be some Scandinavian football fans out there who don’t appreciate being identifi ed with men who raped and pillaged. The L.A. Angels: enough with the religion! If you want a mascot with wings, pick a bird like everyone else. My hometown Tennessee Titans: Greece conquered the known world thousands of years ago, so don’t force their mythology down my throat. The Toronto Raptors could offend anyone terrifi ed by the Jurassic Park movies. The Boston Celtics: an obvious attack on Irish heritage, a team making a profi t on shamrocks and lepre-chauns. We might even need to take my favorite cereal off the shelf. Lucky Charms could be deemed offensive also, but they’re so magically delicious! The Fighting Irish of

Notre Dame: so I reckon all Irish

people are known for starting bar fi ghts before a game.

The San Francisco Giants is a clear insult to the vertically challenged people

of America. How about San Francisco one-size-fi ts-all for a proper non-discriminatory name? And lastly, the New England Patriots: there is nothing patriotic about the found-ing fathers and colonists conspiring against the British Crown. The government min-ions know best. (These are just a few of the wonderful examples from ijreview.com). This is a slippery slope we stand on, and one thing I don’t like is government telling us what’s right and what’s wrong.

So I imagine all these other teams named after Native Americans should be ready to fi ght for their name. I mean, the Cleveland Indians is a politically incorrect name, right? I wouldn’t be bringing this up if there weren’t numerous reports of these activist leaders calling for all Native American activity to cease at all levels of sporting events. We have the Braves, the Chiefs, the Blackhawks, the Seminoles, and who knows how many high schools named after Native Americans. The pride of high school football in this great city known as the ’Boro goes to the ’94, ’97, ’01, ’04 state champions the Riverdale War-riors. Their mascot is Chief Win-Em-All, on the sidelines of the fi eld stands a smoking tepee, and ritual demands that a long spear is spiked into center fi eld before a game, while the famous tomahawk chop is a guarantee at a Riverdale game. The road that gets you to the stadium is named Warrior Drive and the stadium is named Tomahawk Stadium—an awful lot of Native American stereotypes. Should Riverdale change everything that makes them Riverdale because some people think they’re degrading their culture and ancestors? No. They take pride in all they do.

So let’s wrap this thing up. Sorry if I of-fended anyone but this is something I have been thinking on for months now. I hope this country keeps striving to make itself a better place, full of opportunities and possibilities for all people of color. There will never be true change if there isn’t honest conversation from all sides of the table. And all sides will never agree, but we can always come to some resolution. That’s why America is so great, we can speak freely, and while all may not agree, we all have the same right to speak from the heart. Just as an owner should have the right to name his franchise after what-ever he desires. If you don’t like it, don’t be a fan. But we the people decide what is wrong and right, not a few in the government. The Train is out the station. Choo-choo!

DON’T SCALP THE REDSKINS

SPORTS TALKcolumn by Z-TRAIN

[email protected]

it down. So before you get too deep into this article, let me tell you that I am 100

percent against changing the Redskins name. I originally

planned on doing this article a few months ago, but I decided to wait and think more about

he Train Daddy is back with the pain, daddy, and ready once again to hit you punks in the

Notre Dame: so I reckon all Irish

people are known for starting bar fi ghts before a game.

The San Francisco Giants is a clear insult to the vertically challenged people


Tickets now available for this year’s MTSU games.

BY BRACKEN MAYO

AT A RECENT BANQUET FOR BLUERaider sponsors and supporters, MTSU football head coach Rick Stockstill issued a challenge to Murfreesboro to pack Floyd Stadium this fall.

The schedule is set for 2014, and the ticket push has begun with the goal of fi lling some seats.

“There’s no reason we can’t sell it out,” said Stockstill, who is back at the helm of the Blue Raiders for his ninth season at Floyd Stadium.

Stockstill praised the Norfolk, Va., com-munity and Old Dominion football program as an example of a town rallying behind its university and the football program and coming out on game day.

“They pack their stadium,” the coach said in regard to the Blue Raiders’ Conference USA foe as he was speaking at the sponsors luncheon, held June 24 at Gondolier, where members of the business community got

the opportunity to spend their lunch hour with Blue Raider golf coach Whit Turnbow and Stockstill and talk about the athletic program and the MTSU student athletes.

MTSU will travel to Virginia to face Old Dominion this year, but True Blue fans want

to see Floyd Stadium rock-ing for games in Murfrees-boro against Savannah Stave, Western Kentucky, Southern Miss, Alabama-Birmingham, Brigham Young and Florida Atlantic.

College students: Don’t leave town for the weekend this season; come to the games, urged Stockstill.

“If it’s cold, bring a jacket,” he continued, noting the Blue Raider games are a great, affordable, family-friendly activity, and the area around campus is easy to access and navigate around.

The pre-game atmosphere at Walnut Grove is enjoyable as well, as game-goers cook out, play games and mingle under the shade trees on a fall afternoon prior to kickoff. The football squad is coming off of a 5–1 home record last season and its fourth bowl appearance in the Stockstill era.

I Lost Weight, So Why Do I Feel Horrible?BY RANDAL JONES

OKAY, YOU HAVE LOST 15 POUNDS AND YOU FEEL HORRIBLE. What is the deal? This is frustrating. You are doing the right things. You drank your water! You worked out like you were supposed to and made the right choices at the table. What is the problem? In a word, it is toxins caus-ing you issues. Even if you live a healthy lifestyle, you are still surrounded by toxins: from the water you drink and bathe in to the air you breathe, toxins have invaded our world at every turn.

Toxins are the heavy metals and addi-tives in our food, pollution in our air that we inhale and water we use. We have been exposed to these heavy metals and toxins since the time we were in the womb, continuing through to this mo-ment. We live in a toxic world, and unless you are living in a bubble you can almost bet that you are being exposed to some-thing right now. But don’t worry, your body has become an expert in processing or hiding those toxins. Just know that the process makes losing weight harder if you don’t get to the underlying cause: the toxins themselves.

From day one, our body was designed to take toxins out of the blood in whatever manner possible. One way is to surround it with fat cells to protect the vital organs. It is like storing your clothes for winter; your body goes to the blood, plucks out the tox-in and places it in a fat storage box. Now you are safe. It is packed away in a safe place, your belly. This is, fi rst, a form of self-defense against being poisoned, and second, a strategy to get toxins out of the circulation and away from major organs. This means that some people will not be able to lose any weight at all, regardless of how little they eat, until the acute nature of their plumbing problems are addressed. Some of you are now smiling and thinking to yourself, I knew my fat was doing some good. Well, don’t kid yourself. Being fat is still going to shorten your life.

Let’s get back to the original prob-lem—why am I plateauing and not losing weight? You focused on eating right, cut-

ting the calories and hitting the gym, and you lost some weight, but now nothing is coming off. Here is part of your problem. Your body released the fat, but it also re-leased those deadly toxins that increased your free radical production and can damage your internal organs. The body, being the resilient creation it is, recog-nized its toxicity and started making fat cells to hide those toxins. So now your body has a split personality. The one personality wants to shed fat, since you are doing the right things in your lifestyle, yet the other personality does not want to die from toxin exposure and begins the process of making blubbery fat too.

What do you do now? In a word: detox.Here are some suggestions for detox-

ing. First, increase the amount of fi ber in your diet. It acts like a sponge for toxins. To help with digestion and dealing with toxins, your diet should include 35–60 grams of fi ber per day. This helps keep the toxins in your food and water on the run.

Fiber is primarily found in our whole fruits, whole grains and whole veg-etables, which are scarce in the average American’s diet as there is not much fi - ber in processed foods, dairy

products and meats. To get more fi ber in your diet,

make the best choices you can in terms of

the food you eat. The best option is eating 8 to 10 servings of real, unprocessed fruits and vegeta-

bles. Fresh is the best option, with frozen foods being

a decent choice and canned being your last choice in terms of nutrition when choosing what goes in your body.

Next, you need to attack the toxins with high-quality nutritional supplements includ-ing antioxidant nutrients such as grape seed extract, known to help the detoxifi cation processes while protecting the vital organs.

Finally, I recommend that you use a true detox product that goes into the body and scrubs you clean at the cellular level, not just a mere cleanse. When choosing a detox product you should make sure it contains zeolite and chlorella, which help remove toxins and heavy metals.

Now that you know how to take care of your toxicity, you will see all of the benefi ts of a living a healthy life and that fat will be gone for good.

Randal Jones is a certifi ed health coach at Nashville Healthnote on Music Row. For more information on how to retune your body and information on nutri-tion, you can contact Randal at [email protected].

MT RECRUITING FOOTBALL FANS FOR 2014MTSU SPORTS QUICK-CAPHEALTH & FITNESS

OPINIONS

IT WAS A PRETTY MUNDANE budget meeting at the Rutherford County Court-house. No “horror stories” in the sheriff ’s spending plan, as some people had heard prior to the meeting. It was believed Robert Arnold was proposing a new pay plan, but commissioners approved just a few increases for warrants offi cers and other personnel, in addition to $1 million for new vehicles and $158,000 for yet more uniforms.

At the end of the evening, though, as I was walking down the steps from the second fl oor, sheriff ’s offi ce chief administrator Joe Russell was walking up—possibly to confront me—and said something to the effect of, “You’re the reason my son was threatened.”

Caught off guard, I responded, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He said that I had put a picture of his house in The Post (not the Pulse) showing election signs in the front yard and that someone had threatened his 16-year-old son as a result.

Let me say that I am truly sorry if someone threatened his son.

Here’s what happened: I wrote a story about Russell’s wife, Rutherford County Ad-ministrator of Elections Nicole Lester, having election signs in her yard in advance of the May Republican primary. The signs touted Arnold for sheriff, Andy Brunelle for public defender and Jennings Jones for district at-torney, and their opponents were upset.

Rutherford County Election Commissioner Johnny Taylor brought up the matter at a com-mission meeting, so it was fair game. And even though the state Division of Elections said it was legal, a question remains about whether it was appropriate for the top election offi cial in the county to show favoritism. Several local Re-publicans have mentioned to me they thought it showed poor judgment.

When Russell passed me on the stairs that evening, I knew nothing about any threat, although I wasn’t surprised that he was upset.

Yet when he went past me he also said something to sheriff ’s candidate Dale Armour and former sheriff ’s candidate Ralph Mayer-cik, who were standing there, and it sounded as if it were a bit of a threat toward me.

But who’s keeping statistics? So I let it go (since I’m trying to hold the blood pressure down). It raised its head again recently, though, in another encounter at the courthouse.

I was working on a story about Russell, who runs Sheriff Arnold’s campaign, gobbling up Internet domain names for candidates Bill Ken-nedy and Mike Fitzhugh when they announced they were running for the sheriff ’s post last

year. In an e-mail to sheriff ’s offi ce Public Infor-mation Offi cer Lisa Marchesoni, I asked if Rus-sell did the computer work on sheriff ’s offi ce time and whether it was ethical to take website domain names from other candidates.

Marchesoni replied by e-mail that she forwarded the message to Russell, though I was asking for a response from the sheriff. I didn’t re-ceive any e-mail response from Russell, but when I saw him that same night at a county commis-sion meeting at the courthouse, I approached him as he was leaving the main meeting room and asked him about the domain names.

His only response was, “Is it ethical for Sam Stockard to put a picture of my house in the newspaper and cause my son to be threatened?”I pointed out that he wasn’t directly answering the question. But that’s about all I could get out of him. Again, keeping the blood pressure low, I returned to the commissioners’ meeting.

Incidentally, Russell’s sheriff ’s offi ce salary is set at $68,970 next fi scal year but, accord-ing to county documents, was to be $84,197 under the sheriff ’s initial proposal, which apparently was one of the “horror stories” budget committee members described.

A week laterYou’d think this thing about the election-signs picture might die down. You might be wrong. But if you think this column is developing a theme, you’d be right. I was interviewing Nicole Lester in her offi ce a couple of weeks ago about a pending vote by the Election Commission whether to fi re her, keep her or let her resign.

Election Commission Chairman Ransom Jones raised the matter during a June 9 meeting, and in a subsequent interview he said she failed to work offi ce hours as he requested—often com-ing in for only a couple of hours in the morn-ing—and showed poor leadership in the offi ce, which led to “terrible” morale. This had been going on almost since she took the job in 2011, and he had warned her to change in a November 2012 letter he placed in her personnel fi le.

Anyway, in addition to matters Jones brought up about her work performance, I asked her about recently taking the Election Offi ce van to the sheriff ’s offi ce to be washed by inmates. Some people could argue that such an arrangement creates too cozy a situ-ation between an elected offi cial running for offi ce and the county’s top election offi cial.

Lester disagreed and said she took the van there to be washed simply because that’s a service they offer at the jail. She said she’d paid for it to be washed previously and had washed it at her house too. (If I’d been think-

ing, I would have asked, “Why are we paying someone about $90,000 a year to get the van washed?” Maybe that’s why she has to leave the offi ce early.)

She continued, complaining that I had taken the picture of her house with election signs in front of it, which she said belonged to her husband (as if anyone could tell) and that when the state said it was legal, it should have ended there. No story should have been written. (Apparently, she’s so busy editing The Post, she doesn’t have time to be at the offi ce.)

Lester said the picture led to a threat to her son by someone who drove by the house, and she called it “irresponsible” on my part. (Again, I am sorry, but I can’t be held account-able for someone else’s stupidity.) But we must ask: Just who is being irresponsible here?

Firebrand candidateHeather Ann Brown, an independent candidate for Rutherford County Mayor, can rile up some people. That’s what happened when she met with Sheriff Arnold this spring to discuss a spate of reports on fi le about her and Dorsey Meeks.

Brown, of Rockvale, said she was to meet earlier this year with a sheriff ’s offi ce lieuten-ant to talk about a stack of reports, which she felt were targeting her and Meeks because they spoke out last year against the county and sheriff ’s budget.

She was 15 minutes late and missed the meeting with the records lieutenant, she said, so then she asked to see the sheriff. “They kept putting me off and I got a little antsy,” she said.

Eventually, she wound up getting to meet with Arnold, who, she said, had fi ve minutes be-fore he went to lunch. Meeks, who admits he has an “anger management problem,” says he went outside so he wouldn’t say anything stupid.

Meanwhile, Brown contends, Arnold’s body language was “disrespectful.”

She says she told him they were there to talk about a report that shed Meeks in a bad light. The sheriff asked her for a copy of the report, but she refused to give it to him. Somewhere during the conversation, she apparently said something that irked the sheriff. She contends he stood up, pointed his fi nger in her face, cussed her out and then kicked her out.

“I said I was not going anywhere until you apologize,” she says.

Arnold called several offi cers into the room and had Ms. Brown escorted out, she says.

In response to questions about the in-cident, Sheriff Arnold denied cursing her, though he admitted using “strong language” toward Brown. The sheriff ’s offi ce also produced numerous incident reports deal-ing with Brown and Meeks, most of which involved confrontations with neighbors.

Ah yes, the classic “she said, he said.”

Not long after I met with Brown and Meeks, a report surfaced about signs on their property next to an Ernest Burgess for county mayor sign on adjacent land. One said “Low representation” and had a possum hanging from it, and the other two said, “Higher taxes” and “Barney Fife.”

Brown is a bit of an enigma. She can be rea-sonable one minute and then say some rather odd things the next. She was under control during an election forum, saying the county needs to “take a step back” and stop borrow-ing so much money. But she also answered one question regarding budget constraints with a string of words about high wires and balancing acts that I just couldn’t fi gure out.

During a budget public hearing, she was highly critical of county commissioners. On the one hand, she said the county’s debt is too high (because it builds schools that cost $20 million to $40 million), but then she said it’s a shame that the county has one portable on its school campuses.

She is concerned about the rate of growth and the impact on spending and the ability of the water supply to meet its needs.

“We need to look at resources,” she says.From what I understand, Consolidated

Utility District, which serves most of unincor-porated Rutherford County, takes its water from Percy Priest Lake and has plenty of supply.

Another independentTeresa St. Clair, also an independent candidate for the mayor’s offi ce, said during the mayoral forum she believes taxpayers are being “over-charged a great deal of money” for the way the county handles its employee benefi ts plan.

St. Clair, an insurance broker and chief operat-ing offi cer for Medibid, also said she believes the county must do a better job on garbage disposal and managing the landfi ll, though she didn’t specify which one. The county operates a demoli-tion landfi ll for yard and construction waste, while Allied Waste runs a massive sanitary land-fi ll next door that collects household garbage and special waste from across the region.

Rutherford County’s “trademark is its pastoral character,” she says. “I’d like to preserve that.” She says she favors policies that back small busi-nesses over corporate stores and says she would educate the medical community on free-market practices to benefi t county government.

What he said“I fi nd it to be comical and an insult to my

intelligence,” commented Dorsey Meeks, speak-ing about the sheriff ’s budget during a County Commission budget public hearing. He pointed out that it includes $43,000 for dry cleaning.

Of course, Meeks also has accused me of being on the sheriff ’s payroll. I’m still waiting for my fi rst check.

2014 Election Season Heating Up

TheSTOCKARD

REPORTBY SAM STOCKARD



There’s a court case in Virginia that has liberals all in a tither. It involves a man who has fathered seven children with six different women. The judge took the unusual step of offering the man the option of getting a vasectomy in exchange for a

lighter sentence. The liberals are crying that the deal harkens back to the days of eugenics, when mentally defi cient individuals were forcibly sterilized. The claim is not only hollow, it’s ironic.

You may not be familiar with the name Margaret Sanger, so let me bring you up to speed. Sanger was the founder of Planned Parenthood. Sanger was one of the key fi gures in that eugenics program—the forced sterilization of individuals—that we all now so vehemently oppose. In a 1932 essay, Sanger advocated excluding immigrants “whose condition is known to be detrimental to the stamina of the race,” and advocated forced sterilization and segregation of those she and her cohorts deemed inferior. That’s Planned Parenthood’s ugly history, which they choose to keep swept under the rug.

Now, back to the case in Virginia. The individual in question has proven himself to be irresponsible. He continues to procreate with no means of support. In short, he’s a menace to society. Should he be forcibly sterilized? Of course not; however, giving the man the option to have a vasectomy is no different than offering him the option to perform community service to lighten his sentence. It’s purely his choice, an option he accepted, by the way.

If we want to get to the heart of the welfare program, this case in Virginia does. There are far too many people having far too many children they can’t afford. Giving them an incentive to do the right thing only makes sense. If we, for example, were to offer a one-time cash award for anyone on welfare who would voluntarily take measures to break the cycle of generational dependency, shouldn’t we jump at that opportunity? Welfare recipients, both male and female, who would choose to stop having children they can’t afford would only benefi t society as well as their own life situation.

There are millions of Americans who have already chosen to take measures to prevent pregnancy for myriad reasons. Those reasons range from fi nancial constraints of the

family to the limits of taking on the respon-sibility of more children. But they are all incentives nonetheless.

I would hope that more judges would seek the remedy of the judge in Virginia. If they do we will see a substantial reduction of the welfare caseloads in future genera-tions. It’s not just about saving money, it’s about rebuilding lives and society. I don’t need to tell you that the housing projects are not only trapping millions in cyclical poverty, they are breeding grounds for crime. Ask any police offi cer in any town where the major crime area is and he or she will point you in the direction of the government housing projects.

The current course leads us into un-charted waters for America of more people riding the wagon than pulling it. We need only look south to the hordes of illegals

coming here from third world countries to understand what that means to the well-being of a country. Soon we will be like them.

But here is my prediction. The ACLU and other fellow travelers will band together to stop this judge and others like her. Not to mention Planned Parenthood, which is the largest abortion factory in the world. If voluntary sterilization catches on, they’re out of business, which would no doubt benefi t us all.

Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with West-wood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

Sterilization Means Fewer Will Rely on the Welfare System

“If we, for example, were to offer a one-time cash award for anyone on welfare who would voluntarily take measures to break the cycle of generational dependency, shouldn’t we jump at that opportunity?”

can’t afford. Giving them an incentive to do the right

VIEWS OF A CONSERVATIVE

column byPHIL VALENTINEphilvalentine.com


Since ancient times, entertain-ment has been an important part of daily life in virtually

every culture. In America during the 1920s, advances in technology created the record and radio indus-tries. This vital need for citizens to be entertained fl ourished through-out the country. As the profes-sional entertainer became a more prevalent part of the American landscape, the demand for musical entertainment would increase. Mu-sical range and infl uence widened from the self-structured community barns, porches and parlors to public venues, creating the stage for such talent as Uncle Dave Macon and the fi rst stars of the broadcasts that would become the Grand Ole Opry.

In Rutherford County, life was simple in 1926. Inside their rustic cabin dwelling, complete with dirty wooden fl oors, windowless walls, and a stony fi replace shaping their one-room domicile, each huddled around one of two radio sets in Rutherford County. They had come from miles around swarming into the house as the word got around that one of their own, Uncle Dave Macon, featured star of the Grand Ole Opry, “King of the Hillbillies!” was about to perform.

He began with a playful song, one they had heard at every barn dance: a play-party song, “Sail Away Ladies,” a familiar and lively tune passed on from their immi-grant ancestors. Moreover, the drama continued as the syncopated rhythm ensued. The congregated crowd laughed, danced and clapped loudly, stomping their feet to the nonsensical rhythmic phrases don’t she rock . . . die-dee-oh, don’t she rock . . . die-dee-oh!

Uncle Dave Macon was one of their own who was preserving an elusive and rare heritage. He had popularized the old square-dance tune, “Sail Away Ladies,” carrying it successfully from oral tradition to a mainstream audience. Before the early 1920s and the birth of the Grand Ole Opry, with his claw-hammer style banjo and fl amboy-ant stage presence, Macon had enjoyed popularity as a professional entertainer on the vaudeville circuit.

Then it happened: The old-time phase was sweeping the nation and Macon, with his wealth of experi-ence from vaudeville and burlesque, was at the right place at the right time. His wild, showy and comedic style of entertainment was some-thing to behold. In those early days of the Opry and its predecessor, the WSM Barn Dance, he has come to symbolize its spirit. As an estab-lished entertainer on the circuit, the Opry needed Uncle Dave more than Uncle Dave needed the Opry.

Macon had become extraordi-narily popular by word of mouth through his stage appearances and records (most recorded in New York City). So many early string-band artists like Kirk and Sam McGee and fi ddlers Mazy Todd and Fid-dlin’ Sid Harkreader would tour around the South with an old-fash-ioned “word of mouth” advertising approach. They would go into a town and put on a sample show, and let the grapevine do the rest. In a raucous fashion, Macon and his musical magicians created one of the most dynamic string bands ever, drawing hundreds in the audience to their feet dancing and stomping to the “Fruit Jar Drinkers.”

It was on Nov. 28, 1925, that a white-bearded man sat before a carbon microphone to play a few fi ddle tunes on WSM radio. Uncle Jimmy Thompson played on the air for about an hour as listen-ers throughout Middle Tennessee perked up to hear the familiar tunes that had been played for

generations at barnstorming events, church socials, and square dances. The response was dramatic. Phone calls began pouring into the radio station, as listeners demanded to hear more of that “hoe-down” music. The station was besieged by pickers and fi ddlers wanting a shot at the airwaves. George D. Hay, cre-ator and founder of the Grand Ole Opry, later recalled, “We soon had a good-natured riot on our hands.” And thus the Opry was born.

This was the environment in which Uncle Dave Macon began his musical career at the age of 50. Uncle Dave, known as the “Dixie Dew Drop,” was an established performer and recording artist before he joined the cast of WSM’s Barn Dance in 1926. It was then he became the fi rst individual performer on the Opry, the status he maintained until his son, Dorris joined him in the early 1930s.

Uncle Dave Macon’s music was steeped in the rural tradition of the South. As with many performers of his day, his music celebrated the ru-ral folk culture of the communities surrounding Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Until the 1920s, most contiguous communities around Nashville including Murfreesboro were remote and isolated. In the 1930s, a description from a local writer from Ashland City, James Aswell, described the area:

Here, where Paradise Ridge rots away into a series of high limestone knobs cut by trees and ravines, is a pocket of land and people which

The 1920s: Uncle Dave Macon, The Opry’s First Superstar

Murfreesboro’s Music Through the Decades by GLORIA CHRISTY

Then it happened: The old-time phase was sweeping the nation and Macon, with his wealth of experi-ence from vaudeville and burlesque, was at the right place at the right time. His wild, showy and comedic style of entertainment was some-thing to behold. In those early days of the Opry and its predecessor, the WSM symbolize its spirit. As an estab-lished entertainer on the circuit, the Opry needed Uncle Dave more than Uncle Dave needed the Opry.

narily popular by word of mouth through his stage appearances and records (most recorded in New York City). So many early string-band artists like Kirk and Sam McGee and fi ddlers Mazy Todd and Fid-dlin’ Sid Harkreader would tour around the South with an old-fash-ioned “word of mouth” advertising approach. They would go into a town and put on a sample show, and let the grapevine do the rest. In a raucous fashion, Macon and his musical magicians created one of the most dynamic string bands ever, drawing hundreds in the audience to their feet dancing and stomping to the “Fruit Jar Drinkers.”

white-bearded man sat before a carbon microphone to play a few fi ddle tunes on WSM radio. Uncle Jimmy Thompson played on the air for about an hour as listen-ers throughout Middle Tennessee perked up to hear the familiar tunes that had been played for

generations at barnstorming events, church socials, and square dances. The response was dramatic. Phone calls began pouring into the radio station, as listeners demanded to hear more of that “hoe-down” music. The station was besieged by pickers and fi ddlers wanting a shot at the airwaves. George D. Hay, cre-ator and founder of the Grand Ole Opry, later recalled, “We soon had a good-natured riot on our hands.” And thus the Opry was born.

which Uncle Dave Macon began his musical career at the age of 50. Uncle Dave, known as the “Dixie Dew Drop,” was an established performer and recording artist before he joined the cast of WSM’s Barn Dancehe became the fi rst individual performer on the Opry, the status he maintained until his son, Dorris joined him in the early 1930s.

steeped in the rural tradition of the South. As with many performers of his day, his music celebrated the ru-ral folk culture of the communities surrounding Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Until the 1920s, most contiguous communities around Nashville including Murfreesboro were remote and isolated. In the 1930s, a description from a local writer from Ashland City, James Aswell, described the area:

away into a series of high limestone knobs cut by trees and ravines, is a pocket of land and people which


might have been lifted directly out of our East Tennessee hills. Sagging moss-green cabins, cascades and small waterfalls, barefooted washed out women and gaunt, hard faced men, stills, rutted winding hilltraces. Until the highway cut through, these folk were quite isolated as the people of the Smokies, though Nashville was 30 miles away.

Local artists were heading for popularity. The old-time traditional music played was fi nally being broadcast over the radio and being heard in these remote areas by the people who had loved the music for generations. This formula launched the successful career of Uncle Dave Macon. People would walk for miles to one house that had a headset just to listen to their local hero on the radio.

I remember one Saturday Night, in 1926, when Uncle Dave made his debut on WSM. We had read it in the paper, but we didn’t mention it in Lascassas. We were afraid that everybody in that end of the county would swarm our house to hear Uncle Dave and trample us. Nevertheless, the word got around and just about every-body did swarm into our house, except for a few local sages who

didn’t believe in radio.Around Middle Tennessee, Uncle

Dave became a folk hero of sorts with his banjo antics, singing, dancing, and jokes. He recorded far more than anyone else in the early days of the Opry and became its fi rst featured superstar. Modern folklorists have said this about Uncle Dave Macon:

With the exception of the Carter Family, Uncle Dave preserved more valuable American folklore through his recordings than any other folk or country music performer.

Macon’s Opry performances energized the broadcasts in novel fashion, and his success was in-stantaneous. His habit of a spoken introduction to his songs and his lyrical novelties contrasted nicely to the then largely instrumental presentations. His consummate showmanship excited the audienc-es in the Ryman Auditorium. This was picked up by the radio listeners who, in turn, attended in even larger numbers his traveling act.

Uncle Dave’s hillbilly preemi-nence culminated in the mov-ie Grand Ole Opry in 1940, fi lmed when he was 70. He continued his Opry performances until three weeks before his death in 1952.

His son, Dorris Macon, continued in his stead through 1982. Posthu-mously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966, the Dixie Dewdrop is survived by a legacy that will be no less discern-ible in the 21st century.

Uncle Dave proudly played from town to town, his instrument case denoting his notoriety. Sam McGee, who had once played the guitar with Uncle Dave recalled, “I will never forget what Uncle Dave had on his instrument case—‘Uncle Dave Macon, the World’s Greatest Banjo Player.’ ”

Macon’s musical magic contin-ued until his death on March 22, 1952.

The musical heritage is cel-ebrated every year at Uncle Dave Macon Days at Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro. The 37rd annual celebration starts July 11.

(Excerpts from A Good Natured Riot by Dr. Charles Wolfe, former board member of the Uncle Dave Days, English professor at Middle Tennessee State University, and one of the leading experts on the history of country music.)

Visit boropulse.com to view Uncle Dave’s Performance in the Grand Ole Opry movie (1940).

didn’t believe in radio.

Dave became a folk hero of sorts with his banjo antics, singing, dancing, and jokes. He recorded far more than anyone else in the early days of the Opry and became its fi rst featured superstar. Modern folklorists have said this about Uncle Dave Macon:

Family, Uncle Dave preserved more valuable American folklore through his recordings than any other folk or country music performer.

energized the broadcasts in novel fashion, and his success was in-stantaneous. His habit of a spoken introduction to his songs and his lyrical novelties contrasted nicely to the then largely instrumental presentations. His consummate showmanship excited the audienc-es in the Ryman Auditorium. This was picked up by the radio listeners who, in turn, attended in even larger numbers his traveling act.

nence culminated in the mov-ie Grand Ole Opry in 1940, fi lmed when he was 70. He continued his Opry performances until three weeks before his death in 1952.

His son, Dorris Macon, continued in his stead through 1982. Posthu-mously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966, the Dixie Dewdrop is survived by a legacy that will be no less discern-ible in the 21st century.

from town to town, his instrument case denoting his notoriety. Sam McGee, who had once played the guitar with Uncle Dave recalled, “I will never forget what Uncle Dave had on his instrument case—‘Uncle Dave Macon, the World’s Greatest Banjo Player.’ ”

ued until his death on March 22, 1952.

ebrated every year at Uncle Dave Macon Days at Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro. The 37rd annual celebration starts July 11.

Riotboard member of the Uncle Dave Days, English professor at Middle Tennessee State University, and one of the leading experts on the history of country music.)

Uncle Dave’s Performance in the

by DR. PHILLIP FOSTER

NO ONE KNOWS YOUR business better than you do, right? This is a trick question because, while you and your team know your business, if your methodol-ogy is fl awed then the way you do business is broken. This is why the organizational analysis emphasized in Step 1 becomes so important. Case in point: I recently spoke to an organization that requested I conduct a survey of their customers to reveal a predetermined outcome. While it is always a good idea to get feedback from customers in Step 1, it is only part of the equation. It is like changing the oil in your car in hopes it will fi x the broken radiator.

If you don’t look at the whole pic-ture and address the actual problems that exist, your organization will fl ounder and perhaps fail.

Once your organization has moved through the fi rst two steps of the Organizational Success Mod-el, you are now ready for Step 3:

Process Improvement. As a result of the analysis and alignment process, the organization’s best practices and defi cits are now clearly exposed. We are then able to begin considering the “How” of what organizations do and develop scalable processes and best practices to generate positive outcomes. The key to this step rests in the idea of scalability. Scalable is when a process can grow and contract with the organization’s life cycle. Unfortunately, many organi-zations are still using systems and processes that are out of date and have not kept up with the organiza-tion’s growth, changes in laws or even technology. Process Improve-ment requires someone with an unbiased view of the organization to observe and report those areas that appear to be in defi cit.

Process Improvement also requires speaking with the individu-als in the company who actually do the work and asking them questions like, “what would you do to improve this process” or “what would you

change in this process to create effi ciencies?” Unfortunately, what I’ve discovered is that many leaders believe they know better than their followers on how things are done. When you include them in the change process, they are more apt and able to assimilate the changes required to achieve success.

Effective leadership is really in the empowerment of your follow-ers to do their job.

If you believe your organiza-tion would benefi t from an honest assessment of your operations, we are ready to help! Our team has over 60 years of leadership, man-agement and organizational devel-opment experience; please contact me today for a free consultation.

Dr. Philip A Foster is a prolifi c writer and serves as adjunct professor at MTSU. He is the Founder and CEO of Maximum Change Leadership and Business Consulting. For more informa-tion, visit maximumchange.com.

Four Steps to Organizational Success Step 3: Improvement


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8example: you treat your employees well and your employees will treat the public well. You can’t treat employees bad and then expect them to go out and do better. You treat your employees fairly, equally and consistently, and then you demand that they do the same. There was a lot of negativity surrounding a video from a roadblock last Fourth of July. I don’t think that anyone should feel that they are being belittled by offi cers. There should never be a reason to look in your rear-view mirror and think, ‘Oh no, is the offi cer behind me the guy from the video?’” Armour said. “On the campaign trail, I keep hearing younger people are scared of local law en-forcement. Now it’s obvious, no one wants to get stopped or get a ticket, but you should not be afraid of how you’re going to be treated.

“One of the issues we are hearing repeat-edly is that of nepotism. The offi cer in the video pepper-spraying a restrained inmate is Robert Arnold’s nephew. Another issue that has been mentioned to me on several occa-sions is the offi cer who gave ’a professional courtesy’ and did not arrest a fellow offi cer for DUI. This offi cer was not disciplined by the current sheriff, who said he didn’t see anything wrong with his actions,” Dale said.

“Another glaring issue is the fact that the jail is used as a dumping ground for problem em-ployees. When there is a problem with a patrol deputy, he is moved to detention. Detention

should be run as professionally as any other department. Offi cers are hired into the jail knowing they’ll move to patrol. We train them as detention offi cers and then move them, then someone has to be trained to take their place. So that resource and the money it took to train them is lost. We need to hire specifi cally for the area that the offi cer will be used. If there’s a problem with any employee, the problem needs to be dealt with where it’s at. Moving employ-ees in this manner creates a second-class atmosphere in the jail, and it should not be that way. The jail is as important a part of the infrastructure as any other,” Armour stated.

“Driver’s license enforcement is a regula-tory function of the highway patrol, not the county sheriff. There is no reason for us to uti-lize county money and resources to conduct regulatory inspections for the highway patrol,” Armour continued. “I am against random DUI checkpoints; I do not think someone should be stopped without a reason.”

Armour stated that he has been blessed with a great career, experience and training, and now feels he has something to give back to his home county.

“We need to get away from elected politicians thinking that this is their kingdom, and back to a mentality of working for the citizens,” Armour said. “The sheriff’s offi ce of Rutherford County has over 400 employees and a $40 million budget. It needs a leader, not a patrol offi cer, to manage it.”

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