90 - Valley Planet

Transcription

90 - Valley Planet

VOLUME 6,
6, ISSUE
ISSUE 11
11
VOLUME
#073108082008
#073108082008
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July 31 - August 20, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE:
Burritt’s “Patsy Cline” by
Renaissance Theatre
Willie G - Local Music
Naked Vine
Miss Mary Bobo
Restaurant Review
1 Tank 2 Pensacola Beach
How To Survive Your
Freshman Year
The Biggest and Baddest
Calendar in North Alabama!
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(256) 533-4613
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On the Cover:
Patricia Eldridge
InThePlanet
Letter To The Planet
There is nothing more fun for us than getting your letters and emails.
PLEASE keep sending them in. We may not print them all, but we’ll
try. Please send your comments to
opinions@valleyplanet.com. Thanks everybody!
I
have been drawing and doodling my
whole life and took private art classes
from local teachers in Ft. Walton Beach.
I then began my art career by majoring
in art at the University of West Florida in
Pensacola. I was a technical illustrator for
Eglin AFB for several years before moving
to Huntsville. I prefer a loose whimsical
style that portrays a moment in time rather
than an actual portrait. The relationship
between people and catching people in the
act of living are my favorite subjects to paint.
I use watercolors with pen and ink and some
acrylic metallic paint for embellishments.
Recently, I’ve been adding collage elements,
including musical notes and Japanese
papers. On some of my Island women, I
make watercolor batik papers that I then cut
out and collage on for their clothing – sort
of like dressing a paper doll. When it feels
appropriate, I add stamps; some that I have
carved myself.
From the first time I picked up a Valley Planet when I moved here last September, I have
been hooked on your column, “What Then Must We Do”. The title was the first thing that
caught my attention; but, your thoughts and the clear, deliberate method you have to
express those thoughts, got me hooked. I find myself nodding in agreement with
what you say, and wondering how you could express what I’m thinking or about to think.
Your column is the first thing I turn to when I get my Valley Planet. As much as I like your
prose, I’m afraid I don’t completely understand your poetry. Maybe it’s a guy thing; I’ll
keep working on it. It’s not that I don’t like the poetry, some of your phrases are magic,
like “locking the icing of all your loves” and “Dance on the rails like a drunken hobo”. Just
wanted to say that there are folks like me out here who read you, and who are inspired by
your thoughts and ideas. Keep them coming!
Tom Rhamstine
I am writing you in the hope for possibly some answers and help in bringing some
awareness to a major concern I have that is taking place in our city. I have been going to
the park by the Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville on Meridian and Dallas to do a
rescue and relocation of a couple of harmless water snakes that reside in the drain creek
after being informed by a friend of their location. They are or were very alert and fast to
seek safety so I have been unsuccessful in my endeavor! I was hoping to save them from
a certain death at the hands of someone who doesn’t appreciate their beauty or doesn’t
care or know that they are harmless. Too late! The body of the largest of the two was
found floating belly up a few days ago.
We investigated this poor creature after its death and there was no evidence of wounds
inflicted by a crushing blow or chop marks to indicate it was slaughtered. This led me to
my concern which is the herbicide the city uses to kill the weeds along the edge of the
water which ends up in the water. It appears to be an herbicide that kills like Roundup
a very strong and effective poison used for many applications of weed control. I myself
have used it to kill poison ivy in my yard, but before I even began to purchase or apply it,
I read the label including the caution, which WARNS not to use near any water source, as
it is harmful and fatal to aquatic life. Since the death of the water snake and no apparent
wounds induced by a senseless killing, I did a little research and read a few EPA reports
on this type of herbicide and the reports all explained that aside from the active chemical, glyphosate which makes up these herbicides, they also contain inert chemicals. The
literature on Roundups toxicity suggests that it is the surfactant, the inert carrier chemical in it rather than the herbicide’s “active” chemical, glyphosate, which causes the high
mortality rate of aquatic life. The surfactant system enables the products to adhere to
the surface of leaves so the active ingredient can penetrate. Surfactants fall under “inactive ingredients” on pesticide/ herbicide labels and the EPA generally does not test inert
ingredients toxicity. The reason fish and amphibians die is the surfactant binds to the gills
of fish and amphibians resulting in suffocation and eventual death. Frogs have been so
affected by this chemical that some species will never recover. Now with this said, what is
a brown-banded water snakes favorite prey in their diet? Frogs! Now, if the snakes are eating the poisoned frogs, the poisoned fish or any other prey that has ingested the poison
in these drain creeks, then they too are ingesting the poison and will eventually die. Other
creatures I have seen at the same creek are a baby soft-shelled turtle (no bigger than
the palm of my hand) swimming in the water, minnows and small fish by the hundreds,
crayfish everywhere, a giant crane feeding there, a red tailed hawk having a drink on a hot
scorching summer evening and so many different species of small birds bathing in the
water. It is alarming to me that eventually the amount of poison, (levels of toxicity), that
any one of the vast array of species that rely on these water sources ingest, will eventually
reach that toxic level for their species and kill it or what feeds on it will get poisoned and
so on and so on, (the circle of life) will end up poisoning every single species. Remember
DDT’s tragic devastation?
I have tried to call the city parks and recreation department to find out their reasons for
spraying a poisonous weed killer ( if that is the case) right on the rocks along the bank
where overspray is allowed to come in contact with the water, but no luck.
I can’t say for sure that this is one of the herbicides that have a label “WARNING! Do not
use by water,” but I do know it kills just like it and if it walks like a duck and quacks like
a duck it probably is a duck. So, Valley Planet, I hope maybe you or some of your readers
who have the same concern may have answers as to what the City of Huntsville sprays
for weed control so close to the water. This appears to be a careless use of dangerous
poisons in albeit just a drain ditch, but these water sources support much of our wildlife.
Our wildlife offers so much entertainment and deserves protection of their habitat, drain
ditch or anywhere else in our city. Are they killing weeds at the expense of these helpless
creatures’ lives? What happened to weed eaters?
The Valley Planet Rocking at Their Birthday Party!
203 Grove Ave., Huntsville Al, 35801, phone 256.533-4613
Publisher
Jill Wood
Sales
Elaine Nelson
Calendar
Sarajo Taylor
Distribution
Charlotte Griffin
Graphics & Layout
Ari
Letter To The Planet
My newest project is illustrating a children’s
book about being kind to animals that
will hopefully be finished in the next few
months.
THE VALLEY PLANET
Photography
Ed Killingsworth
Contributors
Ed Killingsworth
Jim Zielinski
Tina Leach
Billy Joe Cooley
Allison Gregg
Auntie Jen
Terri Schlichenmeyer
Brad Posey
Jim Parker
Bonnie Roberts
Ricky Thomason
Mike Rosenberg
Luisa Morenilla
Cody Ray
Raven Woods
Becca Billiter
Rob Brezsny
Sherry Broyles
& Sherri Carlee
“And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy
Thank you for reading the fine print of
the Valley Planet. The Valley Planet and
valleyplanet.com are published every three
weeks by J W Publications in Huntsville,
AL. You can pick up the paper free all
over the place or get it free on the web.
Copyright 2003 by the Valley Planet, Inc.
All rights reserved. You can contact me at
jill@valleyplanet.com
Reproduction or use without our permission
is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions
expressed within these pages and on the web
site are not necessarily those of the Valley
Planet or its staff. The Valley Planet is not
responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or
art. Back issues are available for viewing
on our web site www.valleyplanet.com in the
archives section. You may reach the Valley
Planet office @ 256.533.4613 or by mail at
Valley Planet 203 Grove Ave. Huntsville, AL
35801.
256-533-4613
-Sherri C.
From Top Left to Right: Cherie & Milton Lamb, Jill Wood, Sonny
Edwards, Ed Killingsworth, Lori Connors, Elaine Nelson,
Microwave Dave, Jennifer Roberts, & Raven Woods
2
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
July 31 - August 20, 2008
NEXT ISSUE August 21, 2008
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On the Cover
Letters to Planet
Valley Planet Contests
Its All About Patsy Cline
Unchained Maladies, Ricky Thomason
Big Spring Jam Update
Party of One, Allison Gregg
News of the Weird, Chuck Shepherd
Adventures in the Tennessee Valley, Tina Leach
Decatur Vocalist Finds Inner Strength in God and
Music, Raven Woods
What Then Must We Do?, Bonnie Roberts
Wall-E, Ed Killingsworth
Gorgeously Green, Terri Schlichenmeyer
Hollywood Charity Artist to do Art Show-Fundraiser
6th Annual Parrots of the Caribbean
Songwriter BD Chase, Jim Parker
Metal Band to Play at Benefit August 9th
Dr. Anarcho’s Rx for Old Stuff That Don’t Suck
MUSIC CALENDAR BEGINS
Get Ready for Obamarooo!, Sherry Broyles
Naked Vine, Mike Rosenberg
zee’s rocket city bEAT, Jim Zielinski
REGIONAL CONCERTS
Listings: Pubs, Taverns, & Clubs
CALENDAR OF EVENTS BEGINS
Invisible City, Brad Posey
Belly Dancing - Not Family Friendly?, Luisa Morenilla
Auntie Jen’s Animal Crazy, Auntie Jen
1 Tank 2 Pensacola, J.Wood
Romping With Miss Mary Bobo, Jim Zielinski
Listings: Restaurants
M is for Mediocre, Cody Ray
Stretching the Creative Envelope, Bonnie Roberts
What’s Tina Up To Now?, Becca Billiter
Free Will Astrology, Rob Brezsny
How to Survive Your Freshman Year,
Terri Schlichenmeyer
Gossip, Billy Joe Cooley
Listings: Galleries, Attractions
Music Exchange, Real Estate & All That Jazz
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ValleyPlanet!
Email:
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
#073108082008
#0713108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
Letter From
the
Publisher
I want to give a “shout out” to Microwave
Dave, the Turner Family Band and the Chris
Shepard Band for putting on a great show at
the Valley Planet Birthday Party a couple of
weeks ago at Crossroads. It was awesome!
It was great to meet a lot of you readers, too.
Without you we would not exist.
Along the lines of our existence…I want to
share three important things. First, I am very
grateful that the Valley Planet has doubled
its circulation from two years ago! And
secondly, we now have several distribution
spots on Redstone Arsenal. I have been
getting emails and phone calls from readers
at the Arsenal for years and finally your wish
has come true! And finally, you can get a
subscription to the Valley Planet for $40 per
year. Of course the preferred way to get it is
to pick it up FREE at one of our 400 rockin’
distribution spots or to download from our
website valleyplanet.com.
If you have not been to our website lately,
in addition to the largest database of events
in this area, we also have access to events
all over the United States. To find out
what is going on everywhere just click on
Events Calendar and go from there! You
can also check who has the cheapest gas
prices, horoscopes, lottery numbers and the
weather. And of course you can download
the actual Valley Planet paper by clicking
on “This Issue PDF”. So there you go…no
reason to be sitting at home, grab a paper and
get moving!
Life is Good!
Jill E. Wood
Subscriptionsto
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3
Unchained
Maladies
E
Ricky Thomason Writes
very morning that I can, I listen to Rocket
95.1 and the Go Fish Radio Network. I’m
here to tell you, that child ain’t right. He’s
not very subtle – in fact he’s bluntly truthful with
his opinions and he’s certainly not politically
correct.
That’s probably one reason I like him. Besides,
who else you gonna listen to? John Boy and
Billy are kind of funny, but the schtick is
unchanging. The Neo-con Rick and Bubba make
my butt pucker to suck a rotten lemon.
Fish has advanced a controversial theory that
any single male who has a cat for a pet is gay.
Apparently, if this single male owns a cat and a
dog, he’s probably straight, maybe bi – but the
cat pet alone is a clincher.
Despite what the homophobes think, saying the
cat owner is “gay” isn’t meant as a putdown, just
a statement of fact, like saying that someone
who had polio as a child is probably crippled.
Again, no insult meant, just a fact.
Is A Man Called Fish swimming in hot water
here?
I don’t think so, but just in case, I feel compelled
to come to his defense and explain a few theories
about pet owners, and disagree with fish in at
least one instance of the “Single male cat owners
are gay” debate. We’ll get to that in a minute…
As I’ve said before, I’m not a doctor -- but I did
play one a lot as a child. So I’m going to hang up
my “Psychiatric Help 5 Cents” shingle and give
you some cheap advice.
It’s All About Patsy Cline
T
he adoration surrounding Patsy Cline
has intensified in the past couple of
decades: tribute albums, two theatrical
productions, movies based on her life. Why?
Rarely has such a talent been able to connect
so intensely with the public, not only through
her music, but through her personality as
well. She was a real person who knew
heartache, and a tough upbringing. She
could cuss like a sailor, she could drink a
beer or two, and she’d treat you as if she’d
known you all her life. And she’d write.
known and most loved tribute to Patsy Cline
touch your heart. Performances August 12 and 7-9 at 7:30 p.m.; matinees Sundays
August 3 & 10 at 2:30. Tickets $20 and it is
strongly recommended that they are reserved
in advance as the show was a sell out last
year. Tickets are available at Burritt 256536-2882 or visit www.burrittonthemountain
.com or www.renaissancetheatre.net.
Do you have a pet? If so, don’t worry, that’s
normal this day and age. Most people think more
of their pets than they do their kids: probably
because the animals behave better.
But I digress, what I want to say is, If your dog
has “outfits,” or you put clothes on it in any
manner shape or form, the cheese isn’t straight
on your cracker. Seek help immediately.
If you’re a male and dress the dog, even if it’s
a slobbering, mean pit bull, you’re gay and
compensating for a small Chihuahua. A male
with a naked pit bull isn’t necessarily gay – but
he’s probably a drug dealer.
What endeared her to so many people was
that during her career, she never forgot her
fans. Patsy maintained correspondence with
several of her fans over the years: those
people showing her kindness when she
was on the road, those people wishing her
well after a near fatal and disfiguring car
crash. And it is one of these relationships,
with a housewife named Louise Seeger,
that fostered a great production written and
initially directed by Ted Swindley, Always
… Patsy Cline. The show returns to Burritt
On The Mountain by popular demand and
features last year’s cast and band. The show
is presented in cooperation with Renaissance
Theatre with performances are in Burritt’s
Old Country Church. The story follows one
fan’s adoration and friendship with Patsy
Cline. Louise, played by Karen Lynn, relives her discovery of a singer whose voice
touched her heart. A chance meeting while
Patsy was in town proved to be the start of
a long friendship through letters and the
heartbreak of a life taken suddenly, and far
too soon. With songs sung in the Patsy style
by Criss Ashwell and music direction by
Mark Torstenson, Always… Patsy Cline will
prove to be an evening you won’t soon forget.
Let the comedy and music of Swindley’s best
4
I must add the disclaimer that my diagnoses are
for entertainment purposes only. If you have any
of the psycho-illogical conditions listed below
you should seek competent professional help
immediately.
This goes double if the pet you dress is a cat.
The first time I met my (adult) sister-in-law she
was putting doll clothes on a damned cat. I was
pleased to find that the affliction doesn’t run in
the family. I am the only animal my wife allows
in the house.
And if you push the dressed-up cat in a baby
stroller your family should stage an intervention
and have you committed before you breed -- if
you’re a breeder.
As I mentioned before, there may be an
exception to the Fish rule.
Trust, Love, and Cicadas
artwork by Debbie West
I had a writer friend who was “bad to drink”
as we say here in the South. He also liked to
trade stuff. He and his girlfriend stayed into it
because every time he left the house he’d come
home loaded and loaded down with some kind
of useless crap that must have looked like a real
deal when he bought it.
She took the buckboard pretty well - even
though they didn’t have a horse. Ditto the suit
of armor -- even though it looked kind of tacky
standing next to the freezer on the front porch
of the house.
Even the most patient girlfriends have a breaking
point.
The lion was the last straw. She came home from
work and found (name withheld by request)
passed out on her new couch. The slightly used
circus lion he’d bought earlier that day had eaten
one arm off the couch and was working on the
other.
One of the smartest people I know, also
named Allison, revealed a great secret to
me. This secret is about trust. When we
think of trust, we think in terms of “I’ll tell
Oh – and forget about air fresheners. They just
make it smell like the cat crapped a Christmas
tree, or an orange.
So, anyway, this big-assed cat dug a hole in
the carpet and floor, in a vain attempt to bury a
large polish-sausage sized coil of cat s***. He
had also sprayed most of the living room with
his charming scent. If you’ve ever been through
a zoo’s large cat habitat, you know it isn’t for
humanity. That’s exactly what I’m talking about.
It smells like the fourth ring of hell.
So my single friend owned a cat for a little while
- albeit a damned big cat - and was definitely not
gay. At least, if he was, he didn’t try to do me,
which makes him no different than 99% of the
straight women I know.
Size is everything in this case. I’d say if a single
dude’s cat is bigger than a cheetah he can stay in
the man-club.
We may need a referendum to settle this.
H
THE VALLEY PLANET
shells and used coffee grinds. I pressed the
lid closed, turned my back on the trashcan,
and returned to the plants and the idea of love
and trust. You can water, feed, and properly
place plants in the day’s light. But only they
can decide to grow or not. In love, I can give
you support, humor, and kindness, but I can’t
make you love me. In trust, I can change
my actions based on your direction (think
of a ropes course), but I can’t stop you from
turning your back on me.
How simple. How hard. How true!
As with gardening, I am not good with
relationships. But every time a new one
begins, I have hope that it will be different,
that I will be different. Armed with Allison’s
advice, I have worked through my issues of
trust and control, and am beginning to look
at many things from a new point of view.
Rather than thinking, “If I just love you a
little more, you’ll stop (insert unwanted
behavior/action/pattern).” But in reality,
it’s time to say, “If I love me, I won’t allow
your (unwanted behavior/action/pattern) to
ruin me.”
I have to think there was also a litter box problem.
Your average house cat buries his Tootsie Rolls
in that little plastic tub in your bathroom. Despite
what you may deceive yourself into thinking,
and what the kitty-litter commercials tell you,
to a non-cat owner, your house still smells like a
mini-zoo. No matter how much they smile, these
catless visitors are thinking “Nasty mofo. How
do they live in that filth?
untsville’s Big Spring Jam Music Festival event is scheduled for September 26th
– 28th at Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville. So far, the confirmed
lineup is: Country- Kenny Rogers, John Rich, Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, Joe
Nichols and Blake Shelton. Alternative Rock: Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown,
Saving Abel, Sister Hazel, and Tantric. Classis Rock: Styx. Hip-hop artist, T-Pain, will
perform as well as Cajun artist BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. In addition, contemporary
Christian favorite MercyMe also returns.
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
Each summer the song of the Cicadas lulls
southern evenings into southern nights.
The distinctive noise has become a piece of
comfort in my life. I treasure the creeking
as a sign of summer’s arrival. Their dead
bodies on my patio serve as a reminder that
the mid-July heat can take its toll on anything
not adapted to the sweltering temperatures.
When it comes to matters of nature, trust, and
love, we must adapt in order to survive.
What are you gonna do? Smack a lion on the ass
with a rolled up newspaper and tell him to stop?
Big Spring Jam Update
#073108082008
Five Cicadas were dead, face up on the back
patio. I stumbled across them one Tuesday
afternoon as I went out to water my dying
plants. My gardening skills are sub-par and
I know this. But every spring I head to the
plant store and buy a fresh array of blooming
plants in hopes that this year I’ll do better.
This year I was wrong, again. Nonetheless,
I watered the dying plants, thinking my hope
would be enough to keep them alive.
you anything, because I can trust you won’t
tell,” or “He’s a trustworthy kind of person,
he’s not going to do you wrong.” She told
me that trust in another person isn’t the right
way to look at trust. Trust is my ability to
alter my behavior or way of thinking about a
situation based on the other person’s opinion
or action. The traditional way of looking
at trust assumes we have a kind of control
over another person’s behavior. That, as she
explains, is the most common mistake we
make as human beings.
In a few days, more Cicadas will find their
final resting place on my patio, of this I am
sure. I am also sure that since I’m adapting
my behavior, should things start to heat up,
my heart won’t be left for dead.
One of the most charming people I know, not
named Allison, was relaying to me a story
about his experience with love. He said, “I
thought love was accepting a person for who
they are.” The relationship had been over for
more than a year when he said this. Thinking
about Allison’s wisdom, I suggested looking
at love in a different way: Love isn’t about
accepting another person. Love is accepting
who you are with that person and who that
person allows you to be. Find someone that
makes you want to be the best version of
yourself - and helps you get there in a kind
and respectful way. And in return, give that
to them.
I collected the Cicadas and threw them into
the trash, watching their bodies tumble off
the red dust pan and land on broken egg
THE VALLEY PLANET
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
5
Chuck Shepherd’s
LEAD STORY
The European Union allows fruits and
vegetables to be sold only in prescribed sizes
and colors (such as its 35 pages of regulations
governing 250 varieties of the apple, or rules
that cucumbers must be straight and bananas
curved). In June, British marketer Tim Down
complained that he was forced to discard 5,000
kiwi fruit because they were 1 millimeter in
diameter too small and one-fourth ounce too
light. (It is illegal even to give them away,
as that would undermine the market price.)
“Improvements” in the EU system continue,
according to a July Washington Post dispatch
from Brussels: Despite 10 pages of standards
on the onion and 19 amendments, the Dutch
Ministry of Agriculture recently issued a report
urging further refinements, using 29 pages and
43 photographs.
Great Art!
Artist Michael Fernandes’ exhibit in Halifax,
Nova Scotia, in June caused a commotion
because it was merely a banana on a gallery’s
window sill, and Fernandes had it priced at
$2,500 (Cdn) (down from his original thought,
$15,000). Actually, Fernandes changed
bananas every day (eating the old one), placing
progressively greener ones out to demonstrate
the banana’s transitoriness. “We (humans)
are also temporal, but we live as if we are
not,” he wrote. Despite the steep price, two
collectors placed holds on the “work,” requiring
the gallery’s co-owner, Victoria Page, to get
assurance from callers. “It’s a banana; you
understand that it’s a banana?”
Government in Action!
In May, the school board in Barrie, Ontario,
notified Children’s Aid Society to intervene with
mother Colleen Leduc and her daughter Victoria,
11, because of suspected sexual abuse, angering
the conscientious Leduc, who until that point
had taken extraordinary measures to protect the
girl, who is autistic. Upon investigation, it was
revealed that the suspicion came from a teaching
assistant who said her psychic had told her that
a girl with a “V” in her name was being abused
by a man aged 23 to 26. Leduc now refuses to
trust Victoria to public schools because “they
might want to take out a Ouija board or hold a
seance.”
neighbors reported a fight between a man and
woman that included yelling and breaking things
inside. When they arrived, they found only a
21-year-old man, conducting the fight by himself,
alternating a high-pitched voice with a lowpitched one. He was referred for a medical exam.
Need for Speed:
Ontario’s recent law against street-racing snared
two noteworthy drivers in April: a 26-year-old
man who was cited when he passed a marked
police car while doing 178 km/hr (106 mph) and
the driver of a garbage truck, racing at 112 km/
hr (double the posted speed limit).
A 3-year-old girl was seriously injured in
Huntsville, Ala., in May in a collision caused, said
witnesses, by a speeding contest between two
men, both employees of Comcast Corp., driving
company vans.
Questionable Judgments
In March, a jury acquitted the former parking
manager for Fresno, Calif., Bob Madewell, of all
misuse-of-funds charges, including one count
for reducing the minor league baseball Grizzlies’
parking fees in exchange for tickets for his
brother and himself, and another count in which
he paid a female worker $300 in city funds to
let him touch her breasts. Juror Trish Riederer,
in an interview with the Fresno Bee, said she
and her fellow jurors believe that Madewell did
everything that prosecutors say he did but that
the city did not have clear procedures in place
about Madewell’s scope of authority.
Teachers Out of Control:
Fifth-grade teacher Susan Romanyszyn, 45, was
arrested in Bucks County, Pa., in January and
charged with 17 counts of threatening bombings
and gun violence after she was assigned to teach
fourth grade, instead.
Sixth-grade teacher Roshondra Sipp of Jackson,
Miss., aroused parents’ ire in May for forcing
the class to vote on who among them would be
most likely to die young or get pregnant while
still in school or get HIV or go to jail. Then, Sipp
posted the results, enraging parents whose little
charmers made the lists.
Creme de la Weird
“(A) person with a sneeze fetish can find erotic
pleasure in those few seconds,” according to the
ABC News Medical Unit, in an April report, when
“the eyes close as the body prepares to forcefully
expel air,” but “experts are stumped as to
why.” An Internet “sneeze fetish forum” allows
members to wax rhapsodic (“She has the cutest
sneeze ever”) and recall pleasurable experiences
(such as the thrill of discovering that one’s
new college roommate has allergies and will be
sneezing frequently), and many use language
and suggest visions that mimic sexual behaviors.
The June transfer of a prisoner from lockup to
Britain’s Northampton Crown Court, just across
the street, required summoning the closest
prison van (57 miles away) to come give him a
ride. The prisoner (accused thief Mark Bailey)
could not simply be walked across the street
because officials feared that public, custodial
exposure (a “perp walk”) would embarrass him,
in violation of his “human rights.”
Least Competent Criminals
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has
a longstanding policy of not co-operating
with the federal government’s enforcement
of immigration laws, but in June that stance
abruptly backfired, according to a San Francisco
Chronicle report. Illegal immigrants who are
minors and who committed felonies such as
drug-trafficking in San Francisco have not been
bound over for federal deportation but have
either been quietly flown home, with an escort,
at city expense, or placed in California group
homes. In June, when San Bernardino County
officials realized that one of its youth group
homes contained drug dealers, San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom halted the program and
promised the city would improve its relationship
with immigration officials.
Another man who came away empty-handed had
tried to rob a Walgreens in Port Richey, Fla.,
in July, handing a clerk what appeared to be a
holdup note, except that nothing was written
on it. The clerk, sensing the forgetful robber’s
cluelessness, boldly dialed 911 right in front of
him, causing the man to flee.
Police Blotter
Police, including SWAT officers, were called
to an apartment in Mesa, Ariz., in June after
6
In July, the new smoking ban for bars and
restaurants in the Netherlands took effect,
but it won’t curtail patrons’ right to smoke
marijuana in Amsterdam’s coffee shops (where
they can buy up to 5 grams a day to smoke
on the premises). And, just as the ban became
law, the Dutch special-effects company Rain
Showtechniek began selling bars a machine (for
the equivalent of about $900) that, for nostalgia,
replicates the scent of traditional, cigarettesmoked air (but which does not damage health or
linger in clothing or hair.)
Failure to Communicate:
The man who tried to rob the Cafe Treo in Salt
Lake City in April likely told the employee to “fill”
the bag, but when the employee reached over and
earnestly started to “feel” the bag (according to
police), the robber said, “You’ve gotta be kidding
me” and ran out of the store.
Recurring Themes
Ronald McDade, charged with raping a teenager
in Lansdale, Pa., in January, petitioned to be
allowed to submit a plaster cast of his penis
to the jury, to demonstrate that, since he is
an “extremely large” man (according to his
lawyer), he could not physically have penetrated
the girl without causing genital injury (and no
such injury was found). News of the Weird has
reported previously on rape defendants offering
to give the jury either a photograph, or a live
exhibition, to make the same point.
#073108082008
Thinning the Herd
An 18-year-old man was killed in March while
riding in a shopping cart and holding onto an
SUV racing down a Winter Park, Fla., street,
when it hit a speed bump.
A 13-year-old skateboarder was killed in May
at a railroad crossing in O’Fallon, Ill., when
(according to police) he was unsuccessful in
beating a train to the crossing.
An 18-year-old man was killed in June in Blaine,
Wash., when the steamroller he was taking for a
joyride at a construction site overturned and fell
on top of him
LEAD STORY
Among President Sarkozy’s recent moves to
trim the size of the French government was
the layoff of half of the 165 physiotherapists
at the taxpayer-funded National Baths of Aixles-Bains. The pink-slipped masseurs warn that
the country’s health will be at risk if people are
unable to get the mud wraps, thermal baths and
deep-tissue massages covered by national health
insurance (along with subsidized transportation
and lodging for the visits). In fact, 27 of the
physiotherapists immediately went on sick leave
for depression. Among Sarkozy’s other targets
of government bloat, according to a July Wall
Street Journal dispatch: figuring out why France
employs 271 diplomats in India but more than
700 in Senegal.
Compelling Explanations
Edward Defreitas, 36, was arrested in Toms
River, N.J., in June and accused of causing a
three-vehicle collision that injured two men in a
car and sent two others (paramedics riding in an
ambulance) to the hospital. Defreitas told police
that he had been drinking and had decided to
drive around until he sobered up: “He (said he)
was afraid to go home and his mother finding
alcohol on his breath.”
The Litigious Society
School custodian Anthony Gower-Smith, 73, was
awarded the equivalent of about $75,000 in June
in London’s High Court after suing Britain’s
Hampshire County government when he hurt
himself falling off a 6-foot stepladder. GowerSmith claimed that he had not been properly
“trained” on how to use it, despite his long-time
experience with such ladders, and despite his
signed acknowledgment that he had indeed
received training, and despite his having blamed
himself just after he fell. (He disavowed the selfblame by saying that, at the time, he was woozy
and didn’t remember what he said.)
Shannon Hyman, now 24, filed a lawsuit in
July against the Green Iguana Bar & Grill in
St. Petersburg, Fla., for medical bills and lost
wages when she was badly burned four years
ago drinking a “flaming shot” of Bacardi 151proof rum (which normally is consumed without
incident, but Hyman had spit out the drink,
spreading flames to her head and upper torso).
Hyman told the Tampa Tribune: “I’m suing
because I should not have been let in (because
she was under 21 at the time). If I weren’t let in,
none of the events would have happened.”
Not Quite Rehabilitated: A prominent antidrug motivational speaker, who uses his own
sordid life story to inspire troubled kids to turn
their lives around, was arrested in May and
charged with attempted murder after allegedly
shooting at his girlfriend and an old buddy from
prison following a long evening of alcohol and
methamphetamines. Said the prosecutor in Isanti
County, Minn., of the rampage by Russell Simon
Jr., 45, “We’re lucky we don’t have a multiple
homicide on our hands.”
I Demand My Rights!
Murder suspect Broderick Laswell, 19, filed a
lawsuit in federal court in April against the
Benton County (Ark.) Jail, alleging that he
was being “literally” “starved to death” while
awaiting trial, and complaining of “blurry” vision
and of almost passing out. As evidence of his
plight, Laswell pointed out that, in eight months
behind bars, his weight had dropped from 413
pounds to 308.
It’s Good to Be a British Prisoner (continued):
In June, Abu Qatada, a cleric described as one of
Europe’s most dangerous terror proselytizers,
was released from jail, where he has been
awaiting deportation (for three years) to Jordan
and confined to his home in London. British
courts refuse to deport him because, when
Jordan tries him on serious terrorism charges, it
might possibly use evidence obtained by torture
of Abu Qatada’s colleagues. Thus, he will remain
in Britain, under heavy guard (estimated to cost
the equivalent of $1 million a year), in his taxabated home with his wife and five children, who
receive the equivalent of about $90,000 a year
in welfare benefits. (Abu Qatada himself receives
the equivalent of $16,000 a year from the
government, for a previous back injury.)
A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in July that
officials at a junior high school in Safford, Ariz.,
should not have strip-searched a 13-year-old
girl when all they wanted was to see if she was
carrying ibuprofen. However, her “right” to
privacy carried the day among the judges by only
6-5, as the dissenters pointed out that it was,
after all, prescription-strength ibuprofen they
were after and that officials proceeded based on
information from an “informant.” (The majority
apparently holds junior-high-age “informants” in
lower regard.)
People With Issues
At the time that Alan Patton, 56, of Columbus,
Ohio, made News of the Weird in 2006, he had
already been consuming boys’ urine for 40
years, he said, and a 2007 jail sentence has had
no apparent deterrent effect. He was arrested
in June 2008 (and twice since then), accused
of turning off the water in a recreation center
restroom and placing plastic wrap inside the
bowl to catch the nectar that, he says, enables
him to “become part of their youth.” While no
Ohio law prohibits collecting or drinking others’
urine, Patton violates his almost-perpetual
probation by visiting any public restroom.
Send your Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com
or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679.
COPYRIGHT 2006 CHUCK SHEPHERD
DISTRIBUTED BY
UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111;
(816) 932-6600
Ironies
Red Red Wine
S
top! Before you read on, you must first
pass by the bouncer. Are you 21 or over?
You will need to show some i.d. And no
one’s gonna fall for the old “I left it at home.”
This issue’s column discusses the alcohol. No
minors allowed.
Oh, and sorry for the title. This column is
about a winery, and the song title just seemed
perfect. In retrospect it was a bad idea, as the
song is still in my head as I write this and will
most likely still plague me as I type it all up
and send it to the editor. And it will probably
haunt my dreams and eventually kill my taste
for wine altogether.
Or I could just stop being dramatic and get on
with the column.
Wine. The drink of choice for the hoity toity
and cork sniffing, swish and spitters. It’s what
you drink when you want to look sophisticated.
A glass of wine will give someone that je ne
sais quoi, and they will immediately be adored
and respected by their peers (unless you’re at a
dive bar, full of really big tough guys. In that
case I would suggest you stick with beer.)
So there I was on a random Sunday afternoon
feeling all hoity toity and needed a way to
express it. I realized that I either needed to
go to a winery or sport a monacle and top hat.
And since I don’t think the Mr. Peanut look
will work for me, I chose to taste wine.
Monteagle. Most famous for the runaway
truck that was singlehandedly stopped by Bo
“The Bandit” Darville, making him into the
stuff of tall tales and inspiring Jerry Reed to
pen the classic “The Legend.” It’s also the
location of a winery. The Monteagle Winery
to be exact (monteaglewinery.com). The
winery has been open since November 2007
and has 14 wines for sale. They’re open 7
days a week.
They offer tastings of all their wines. So step
up to the bar and shout “Barkeep, set me up
with a shot of red eye.” Though most likely
you’ll get a dirty look, a deep intake of breath,
and an old lady in pearls will pass out. This
is just speculation of course, but I would
probably opt for just stepping up to the bar,
getting a glass and picking from the list which
wine you want to taste. (You can taste them
all if you want).
As far as wine goes, there are reds, whites,
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
muscadine, blush, and a couple of fruit wines.
The descriptions are colorful but highly
accurate. For example, Moonlight Lace is
described as having the aroma of an English
rose. Believe me, it really does. There are
also French-American hybrids (Seyval Blanc
and Mountain Valley White) and one from a
newly bred grape (Chardonelle) that’s like
Chardonnay but not. I actually liked it better
than Chardonnay. But really, I could describe
all the wines in detail and tell you which ones
I liked, but wine is so difficult to review. It
really depends on the person. That’s why
wineries have tastings. Always taste. You
may be surprised by the ones you like. In my
case, I usually lean toward red wines, but here
I ended up with two whites and only one red.
So there you go, case in point. Oh, and you
gotta love the tote bag. When you buy wine,
you get a nice cloth tote bag with wooden
handles and it’s ever so nice....and I need to get
back to the story. But it was a nice tote bag.
Be sure to check out the vines out front.
The atmosphere is relaxed. You don’t have
to dress up all fancy-like (no one else is) and
no one will expect you to know what claret
is or whether you can taste a hint of pine and
jasmine or that the temperatures reached 80
degrees while the grape was ripening during a
thunderstorm while a bird flew overhead. You
can do these things but you’ll most likely get
a look that can best be described as vous est
PRETENTIOUS.
So yeah, wine. Mmm hmmm. Well, okay.
Yep. (This is where you take the hint that I
don’t feel like writing anymore and would
rather be raiding the wine cabinet. That wine
isn’t going to drink itself.)
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
7
Decatur Vocalist Finds
Inner Strength In God and Music
by Raven Woods
I
f you check out the MySpace page of
Decatur native and vocalist Willie Gay,
there is an aptly fitting quote from Jerry
Garcia: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”
Granted, it’s one of those all-too-familiar
quotes that any rock fan instantly recognizes,
a lyric that has become cliché.
But for 23-year-old Gay, known to most
simply as “Willie G,” it is no cliché. It is a
truth that he lives with every day.
Gay’s music career began when he was just a
junior in high school, singing for the Decatur
band Ahead of the Wake. “I met Zach
(Graham) at the Big Spring Jam. We were
both there to see Dust For Life.”
A mere three weeks later, they won the school
talent show playing a cover of Nickelback’s
“How You Remind Me.”
From there, it was mostly fun and good times,
at least for as long as high school held out.
The band’s local party circuit was jokingly
referred to as “Blakeapalooza,” named for
a particularly industrious young man who
once made sure that the “party” included
no less than 200 of their closest friends. He
also participated in perhaps one of the most
bizarre recording sessions in local music
history, which saw the band recording most
nights at Decatur’s historic Dancy-Polk
House at the ungodly hour of 3am.
“I was hoping to catch some paranormal
activity,” said Gay, who preserved much
of the session on film. “One of those old
Confederate ghosts…man, I would love to
talk to one of them.”
Unfortunately, the session yielded no ghosts.
But it did yield Ahead of the Wake’s debut
CD, in the summer of 2006.
However, graduation brought about many
changes, including a move to Troy for Gay in
2003. But there were other changes, brought
about by the singer’s own descent into what
he now looks back on as the dark period of
his life, a time when alcoholism overtook all.
Clearly, despite his young age, Willie Gay is
a man who has faced down many demons.
When he speaks of those times now, it is
with the slightly world-weary tone of a
young man who has already had to deal with
way too much to still be only 23. Living
the typical rock’n’roll lifestyle may have
seemed glamorous and fun at the time. But
looking back on that period with the added
clarity of hindsight, he now recognizes it as
a time that cost him dearly…in relationships,
friendships, and even the music itself.
Although sober now, he acknowledges it has
not been an easy road. And that every day is
an ongoing battle. As has been said of so many
who have struggled with addiction, each day
has to be tackled one at a time. But Willie
G, who feels fortunate to have been blessed
with a second chance at life, is making the
most of the opportunity. Currently enrolled
at Athens State University, he is majoring
in history and philosophy, as well as putting
his many talents and abilities to good use. A
painter by day, a part-time waiter at Market
Street Café and Deli on weekends, he has
also found a bit of a second career as a Civil
War reenactor. In the last few years, he has
participated in reenactments throughout the
South, from Decatur to the Shiloh battlefield
in Tennessee.
This was a fact I found exceptionally
intriguing. When I first spoke with Gay
over the phone about the possibility of this
interview, I came away with one very vivid
impression: That this is a true Southern boy,
with the closest thing to a pure Alabama
accent that I’ve heard in years. In the course
of the interview, I joked about his accent as a
“lost art” in this day and time when so many
have moved into Alabama from other regions
and even other countries. Having come
myself from a family that, on both sides, can
be traced back to having lived in the South
for at least eight generations, I had never met
another individual with such strong familial
ties to the South…until the day I sat down
with Willie G.
It’s something he takes great pride in, both his
heritage and the reenactments which give him
a chance to appreciate what his Confederate
ancestors went through on the battlefield.
“Soldiers don’t realize how easy they have it
now,” he said, “compared to what those guys
went through back then.”
In some ways, as one listens to Gay relate
his struggles to regain control of his life, it is
not surprising that he can identify so strongly
with what these soldiers experienced. His life
has not been easy, but he has not taken the
easy way out.
These days, music is what remains his
greatest addiction. And although his is a
very full plate these days, when he isn’t
studying, painting, waiting tables or toting
a rifle through old, scarred battlefields, it
has been the music that has remained his
greatest steadying force. “If performing was
an addiction, I’d be the worst addict.”
Occasionally, he still sets in with his old
bandmates Ahead of the Wake. I witnessed
one such performance in November of 2007,
at Maria Bonita’s in Decatur, when a young
man who did not appear to be a bandmember
was invited to the stage for one song: Rage
Against the Machine’s Killing In the Name
Of, a raucous, crowd-pleasing anthem that
instantly had the entire place rocking. I
didn’t know then, of course, how special that
moment must have been for these high school
friends whose lives had taken such widely
divergent turns.
But, although such moments are surely their
own reward, I wanted to know if there is more
he wants to do with music. In the back of
every singer or musician’s mind, I think there
is always the thought: Maybe one day…
I asked if dreams of the big time have ever
played into the equation at all.
“Of course I think that is what everyone in
music wants, at some point. But it would
take a lot of commitment. I’m at a crossroads
right now. But I’ve been blessed to be able
to do it.”
8
#073108082008
It’s a philosophy that fits generally with
Willie G’s no-nonsense approach to life. He
doesn’t seem to waste too much time on
regrets. Life is all about moving forward.
Along with a lot of help. When asked if it’s
rough to be a recovering alcoholic and to still
pursue music, which often involves being in
club environments where all your friends are
partying around you, he confesses to a little
helpful aid: “Non-alcoholic beer,” he said,
with a laugh.
But all joking aside, Gay attributes a much
higher power to helping him keep to the
true and narrow. Our interview, for instance,
scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, was set
for 12:30, to give him enough time to get out
of church. I didn’t know why the revelation
took me slightly aback. Perhaps the whole
notion of a rock’n’roller spending Sunday
morning reading verse and scripture, rather
than sleeping off a Saturday night spree,
goes against the grain of all I’ve come to
expect, judging from most every musician
I’ve ever known. But then, that notion,
like so many others, is based on stereotype.
And stereotypes, as I learned long ago, are a
shortcut to thinking.
For Willie G, it’s not so much about any
particular creed or dogma. But it is about
having a relationship with a higher power.
“God is the reason why we’re all alive.”
Wise words from a young man who is indeed
lucky to be alive, but also smart enough to
recognize that it could all change tomorrow.
Each day is a tightrope walk, and it isn’t
so much about the final victory as simply
keeping balanced. Or as they say, maybe it’s
not so much about the final destination but
the trip itself.
“(My) life’s been a real journey,” he said.
“Identity crises, arrests, broken relationships.
But the important thing is, I’m still here for
a reason.”
And Willie G’s road for the future remains an
open one. Wide and ready for travel.
I
asked fifteen graduate students how many
had, in their whole lives, actually touched
a tree. The number: one.
My colleagues didn’t know why I was so
appalled. These were city kids, urbanites.
They had been raised on asphalt and concrete,
not in meadows or woods; skateboarding on
sidewalks, listening to Cindy Lauper on their
“boom boxes” (now MP3 players), or dragracing down University Drive; not making
tree houses or swimming in icy creeks. I
was an old fogey who had grown up in
the country. How could I expect modern
students to touch trees or even want to? In
fact, one of my students had said, “Nature. .
. oooh. . . it’s so dirty!”
Many students reported not even NOTICING
trees, except in fall when leaves changed
color. For the most, trees were like “props”
on the “theatrical” stage of their worlds,
much like dirty laundry and dirty dishes are
the ordinary stage props of my house.
From elementary school, we’ve all been
told that without trees, there would be no
life on this planet. Trees take in carbon
dioxide and put oxygen into the atmosphere.
Same with all green things that go through
photosynthesis.
It’s vital that we know on a gut level that
we’re actually on a planet of limited size
and resources, and that our green and our
trees are limited. More than that, we need to
know these things in order to love the source
of our lives.
So, on some level, we DO know how grateful
we should be to trees. What good care we
should take of them, how we should try to
plant them at every possible chance, how we
should guard against ugly “clear-cuttings,”
and removing the whole tops of mountains,
made of trees.
Mrs. Linda Berry, of New Market, one of
the best teachers I’ve ever known, shows her
students where food comes from. She once
had a little garden for her fourth-grade class.
They planted the seeds, watered, fertilized,
weeded, and harvested.
I began to think my question was like asking
a sea urchin if it had ever touched water, and
finding out that only one “thought” it had.
But my students, except for one, had not
deigned to touch a tree.
Then, it occurred to me. My students were
not truly aware that they were actually living
on a planet.
“These guys sing about the South. When you
listen to their music, you recognize it because
it’s all about this area.”
They knew in their “heads”--they had the
information that they were living on the
planet Earth, 93 million miles from the sun,
No, I’m serious.
students.
THE VALLEY PLANET
When I was in the third grade, Ms. Aiello had
the planets on rotating wires so her students
could get an idea of how far out the planets
were, comparatively, from the sun, and from
the other planets, and how they compared
in size. She always told us that Earth was
“lucky”: We weren’t TOO close to the sun so
we didn’t burn up; we weren’t TOO far away
so we didn’t freeze. At that time, Pluto was
on Mrs. Aiello’s display, and it was purple.
(It’s STILL on MY mental display!)
But, the fact remains that most of us have
never truly realized that we actually live ON
a planet. Knowing something in our gut and
in our head is the difference in attending a
Lamaze class and actually pushing that baby
out of a very tiny space; the difference in
listening to your father tell you about the
“birds and bees” at twelve and actually
having sex at sixteen; making travel plans to
climb on foot in snow to a monastery in Tibet
and ending up wheezing on a yak’s back.
Gay, who cites as his influences a diverse list
of rock frontmen from Eddie Vedder to Chris
Robinson, may not be strictly a “southern”
singer, but southern influences like Robinson
and Drive By Truckers do figure prominently
in his list of favorites. He feels he can relate
to these artists.
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
by: Bonnie Roberts
the planet between Venus and Mars, replicas
of which they had seen painted in various
colors since the third grade.
And these were bright
THE VALLEY PLANET
490,000 miles per hour, along with the rest
of our solar system, and also rotating one
complete turn approximately every twentyfour hours at a rate of 460 miles a second,
whether we are conscious of that turning or
not. The carousel we ride is simply too large
for us to notice the movement, unless we set
our eyes on the heavens. That’s how I came
to have my existential or “gut” knowing I
am on a planet, not an infinite flat plane,
decorated with “cardboard” images for
pleasure, distraction, or something to take
for granted.
I was standing on my front porch one night,
years and years ago, when there was, as
the mother in The Glass Menagerie says, a
“silver slip of a moon.” The night was clear
and crisp, and, all at once, almost like a kick
in the gut, I “knew” that the dark shadow on
the moon was the shadow cast by my planet,
my planet Earth, possibly as far as 239,000
miles through space. (Farther than it is to
Nashville, for sure!) I had known that fact
my whole life, but it was only in that moment
that I truly KNEW it. I became aware of the
“utter hugeness” of Earth--to be capable of
casting such a shadow that far--and also, in
the same moment, of its finiteness--among
all the billions of heavenly bodies.
We have to know trees in the same way.
They’re real, live, three-dimensional. All
different, like people--different shapes;
heights; scents; sizes; forms; colors. They
don’t just give oxygen, which is important
enough! Some give food (apples, red pears,
grapefruit, pecans, coconuts, bananas,
lemons, walnuts, peaches); shelter to
animals; magnolia beauty and scent; shade
when we need to get out of the sun. Some
filter out pollution and keep our soil that we
need, more than ever, for producing food
(that does NOT appear by magic at grocery
stores), from eroding.
As a poet, I just love to say their names:
angelica, camphor, coffee, cucumber (no,
cucumbers do NOT grow on trees!), fever,
flame, fringe, golden rain, gingko, Herculesclub, Joshua, Judas, kastura, kola, apricot,
witness, maidenhair, ming, monkeypod,
shea. Maple, pine, hickory, birch, beech, and
oak are good, solid names, too.
We must see our home for what it is. No
one takes care of cardboard props, which are
not valued, eventually weaken, crumple, or
blow away. We must see our planet as that-a planet, from which one cannot just step
off when we have used up it up. Without
seeing Earth for what it is, WE will not
survive. Okay. I am not Al Gore. But I bet
I’ve climbed more trees, fallen from more
into blackberry briars, and built more tree
houses--maybe--than he has. So there!
If you haven’t touched a tree, do, oh, my
disconnected ones! I don’t even ask that
you hug one, though for all the free air and
counter-global-warming they provide, it
is the least you could do, even if in some
dark night in the backyard when no one
can see you, you fraidy cat, ashamed of the
miraculous green that has kept you alive,
keeps you alive still, and one of the best
chances of keeping your children alive.
For more information about trees, contact
the Arbor Foundation at www.arborday.org/.
You can order a tree/tress to plant or have
one planted in someone’s memory. I cannot
think of a better gift to a person or to Earth.
“In the woods we return to reason and faith.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
I know adults who cannot tell you where
potatoes come from. No, there is no such
thing as a potato bush or tree. And animals
do not give birth to them. These are actual
answers I have received from adults who are
so far estranged from the source of their own
lives.
Often while writing these columns, I feel I
am writing to people who nod, but may not
hear at all. I know I cannot go to my readers
and ask them to put their hands into the earth
and at the same time feel, know, imagine
that the earth around those hands is moving
through the universe at the incredible rate of
#073108082008
Turner Family Band Rocks the Valley Planet Birthday Party!
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
9
movie Short Circuit, over time WALL-E
begins to develop a curious personality as
well as human-like emotions. While working
on Earth’s clean-up, he collects items like a
Rubik’s Cube, car keys, a paddle ball, and
brings them back to his home, where he
meticulously organizes them. He constantly
listens to a worn out VHS copy of Hello
Dolly, humming the soundtrack while
working. Having a cockroach as his only
companion, WALL-E also becomes very
lonely.
Enter EVE, a robot sent to locate life on
Earth. With her beautiful sleek white shell,
EVE looks like a robotic iMac. At first EVE
seems hostile, but in a Hugh Grant aw shucks
sort of way, WALL-E slowly wins her over.
Buy N Large, an obvious swipe at Wal-Mart,
has removed the inhabitants from Earth to
a cruise-ship like spaceship where all basic
aspects of life (including walking) are taken
care of by machines. Subsequently, all the
humans are fat, dumb, and happy.
The idea for WALL-E has been around a
long time within Pixar. In fact, its origin
dates back to their initial animated feature:
Toy Story (1995). With references to science
fiction classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey,
Logan’s Run, and Star Wars, WALL-E is the
first Pixar movie to give us a glimpse at the
future.
Gorgeously
Green
by Terri Schlichenmeyer
“Gorgeously Green” by Sophie Uliano
c.2008, HarperCollins
$16.95 / $18.50 Canada
309 pages
Every time you turn around, someone
mentions “going green”. All that talk is
making you positively blue.
You already recycle. You buy organic, you
re-use grocery bags, and saving gas is a nobrainer.
But as much as you want to be
environmentally-conscious, there are some
things you’re simply not prepared to do.
You are not, for instance, going to “go
gray”. Manicures and pedicures are sacred
things, you won’t give up chocolate, and you
absolutely need body lotion or you’ll feel
like the Sahara Desert in high heels.
Relax - preferably in a tub filled with Earthfriendly body salts - and read “Gorgeously
Green” by Sophie Uliano. You can be in the
pink of health, keep your finances in the red,
and still be “green”.
Okay, so you’re convinced. Ready to start?
The opening forty-five minutes of the
film is more or less a silent movie. Using
pantomime, the animators were able to
convey the mannerisms of the iconic Charlie
Chaplin, even using similar physical comedy
gags.
Even with the desolate setting, the color was
gorgeous with the sweeping landscape shots,
and its crisp animation. With all the dust and
garbage, you felt as if you were part of the
polluted future. There was a lot of detail,
which becomes even more apparent with
repeated viewings. I challenge you not to
embrace WALL-E’s sorrowful eyes.
First, Uliano says, become aware and
remember that you can’t go green overnight.
Vow to do one positive thing each day and
pat yourself on the back if you do two or
more. For a lot of people, a green lifestyle
starts with baby steps, and there’s nothing
wrong with that.
Next, take a look at the products your family
uses. Gather the jars and bottles together and
take a stab at reading the ingredients. Would
you believe that many of those chemicals are
carcinogenic? Uliano recommends that you
immediately throw out anything that contains
ingredients listed in her “Red Zone”, and she
offers safe websites where you can find
replacements for your makeup, body lotions,
cleaning supplies, and baby products.
Choose your clothing wisely, Uliano
says. Cloth made from plant products is
much healthier to wear and better for the
environment to buy. Shop wisely and when
you do, bunch several trips into one to save
gas. Better yet, bike or walk to errands. Buy
organic or make your own compost and plant
a vegetable garden. Teach your children
ecological mindfulness, and don’t be afraid
to be a pest when you notice a corporation
that’s being wasteful.
Think it’s hard to become earth-friendly?
“Gorgeously Green” is loaded with
thousands of ideas, some of which are easy
and some of which will take a lot of arguing
with your family to enforce.
Author Sophie Uliano offers tips, hints,
websites, checklists, and ideas for feeling
better about your carbon footprint, and
although there are some conflicting
recommendations (Microwave or not? Take
a day to drive all over town in search for
recycled Christmas cards?), readers will
surely find something do-able now and
plenty of good goals for later.
One caveat: while “Gorgeously Green” is
extremely useful, I fear that some readers
might get a little overwhelmed by the
multitude of suggestions. Uliano stresses
that you can incorporate ideas as they fit in
your life and that you can’t leap in with both
feet today, but in her zeal to pack in tips, she
didn’t say that enough.
Pixar does not go for cheesy pop culture
humor like in Shrek. While the overall
themes were sometimes a bit too green and
sentimental, it is not in your face. Some
smaller children might find act one slow,
but they will certainly be on board (no pun
intended) once the robots attempt to leave
Earth.
Still, if you’re paralyzed by indecision,
this book will give you plenty of jumpingoff points, so pick up a copy. For you,
“Gorgeously Green” is just peachy.
Go see this movie. Take your children, or see
it on a date. You will not be disappointed.
As we left the theater, my five year old
nephew said, “It wasn’t as funny as
Ratatouille, but I still really liked it.”
I could not have stated it better myself.
Wall-E
is
by Ed Killingsworth
I must admit after seeing the initial trailers
WALL-E did not excite me all that much.
Surely Pixar with its successful eight-film
track record had to stumble once in thirteen
years of releasing animated features didn’t
they?
Now delivering to
Redstone Arsenal
I could not have been more mistaken.
WALL-E is easily my favorite movie of the
summer, and possibly making my Top Ten
List of Best Films of 2008.
The Valley Planet Rocks!
Set seven hundred years in the future,
Earth has become a garbage dump. The last
functioning robot on the planet, WALL–E
(Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth Class)
is still trying to clean up the mess.
The amazing Chris Shepard Band at the Valley Planet Birthday Party
The Valley Planet
Resembling Number Five from the 1986
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
11
Songwriter BD Chase
B
by: Jim Parker
D Chase, his legal name is Donald E.
Faulkenbury, has been my friend for
over twenty years. Before arriving
in Huntsville he had performed as a bassist
for bands up and down the coast of North
and South Carolina. Shortly after he arrived,
BD came to one of my first Songwriter’s
network/workshops. We became fast friends
and had the same passion for songwriting
and music. BD was a gifted, multi talented
singer/songwriter, caricature artist, painter
and humorist. He had a very quick wit, a dry
since of humor and we were blessed to have
him around every meeting. He said those
meetings were the only reason he stayed in
Huntsville. He was easy going and never
concerned about much or at least didn’t let
on that he worried about anything. Money
was not his obsession but the arts were.
Particularly his songs. He would bring in
S
Hollywood Charity Artist
to do Art
Show-Fundraiser
A
ward-winning Artist McKenzie, known
as the “Hollywood Charity Artist” is
bringing her Art and Fundraising
efforts to Huntsville.
“I am really excited to be involved in such an
amazing event. The people of Huntsville have a
tremendous appreciation for the Arts combined
with a giving spirit. It is just a perfect match!”
says Artist McKenzie.
McKenzie is the winner of the 1st Annual
ARTV Fine Art Awards which debuted on
Bravo Television. “McKenzie has used her
Art to make a difference in the world. She uses
her paintings to raise funds and awareness for
causes close to her heart”, says Manager Steve
Rice. “She has touched many hearts and has
changed many lives.”
McKenzie, along with FastFrame owner,
Debby Reed have planned a Gala Art Show
fundraiser to benefit the Junior Achievement
of Northern Alabama. “It is such a worthy
organization”, says McKenzie. “The children
are our future.”
The One Woman Art Show/Fundraiser will
feature the Art of McKenzie. The show will
be Open Invitation and everyone is encouraged
to attend. It will be catered by Terranova’s. A
portion of the proceeds from the Art Sales will
benefit J.A.N.A. The show will be August 2nd
– August 16th with a wine and cheese reception
on August 9th between 12:00 and 7:00 pm on
Saturday, August 9th.
Art of McKenzie Art Show and Fundraiser
Date: Saturday, August 9th
Time: 12pm to 7pm
Location: Fast Frame – 1420 Paramount Drive,
Paramount Place, Huntsville
One block
west of Providence Main Street
Contact: Deborah Reed 256-722-4949 and
fastframe_Huntsville@hotmail.com
“It is exciting for Huntsville to have a celebrity
Artist do a show here. It is a reflection on
how far Huntsville has come in the Arts
Community”, says Ellen Cain of Huntsville.
6th Annual Parrots of the
Caribbean
T
he Madison Rotary Club will host the sixth
annual Parrots of the Caribbean, an outdoor
evening of live music, food, and libations,
Saturday, August 23rd, from 6:00 pm to 11:00
pm at #58 Martin Street in Downtown Madison.
Parrotheads and music lovers everywhere are invited
to don their grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts, and island
wear to enjoy dancing, door prizes, raffle baskets, a
limbo contest, and a fabulous island theme – all to
be found right in downtown Madison! In its sixth
year, this fund raising event has grown from a small
gathering of Madison Rotarians in a community
clubhouse to a spectacular event attended by guests
from all over North Alabama. This year’s musical
guest is Four on the Floor (www.4-floor.com).
Known to “really get the crowd going,” Four on the
Floor plays the classic songs from the baby boom
generation; from the soulful sounds of the 50’s and
60’s to the pop, disco and dance tunes of the 70’s
and 80’s. Playing an eclectic blend of music from
the golden age of rock and roll, Four on the Floor
is sure to please.
Food provided by Moe’s Southwest Grill and
beverages including soft drinks, beer, wine, and
margaritas will be available for purchase. All
guests must be 21 or older and are encouraged to
bring their ID’s, blankets, and lawn chairs. Coolers,
pets, strollers, and outside food and drink are not
permitted. Event is held rain or shine.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the night of the
event and can be purchased from Madison Rotarians,
at the Madison branch of First Commercial Bank,
or the Madison Public Library. All proceeds from
this event will benefit the Madison Rotary Club’s
annual civic and service projects such as worldwide polio eradication, humanitarian support in
Honduras, local and international educational
projects, and local community support and relief
efforts.
Séance Fiction’s blend of metal, rock,
industrial, and electronic music has drawn
comparisons to the likes of Static-X, Fear
Factory, Nine Inch Nails, Strapping Young
Lad, and Tool.
Forming in 2005 in Florence, Alabama,
Séance Fiction has evolved from three
guys playing along with a computer to a
full-blown, five-piece metal juggernaut.
Founding members Evan Clayton and Alex
Frost along with Adam Lawson ditched the
computer in favor of real humans on drums
and keyboards in early 2008. New members
Fred Crow [bass] and Craig Carrigee [drums]
have taken the band from the level of a music
project to a true live band experience.
On weekends BD would hop in his van
with his art supplies, guitar and ever
present cowboy hat and race off to regional
flea markets to make money drawing his
caricatures with his eye still focused on
humor. He made many caricatures at flea
markets between Madison and Athens. You
may even be the proud owner of his work.
I am! He hand drew Christmas cards and
sent them to me because money was tight.
He is also the only person who ever wrote a
song with a verse about me in it. I only wish
I had recorded it when I had the chance. His
passing was no surprise since he had been
ill from a heart condition for some time but
how do you prepare yourself for such a loss.
He was loved by
be missed dearly. RIP
Metal Band to Play
at Benefit August 9th
éance Fiction is a cult. At least one
would think so judging by the fearlessly
devoted fans that follow the band from
show to show, state to state, screaming
every word to every song at the top of their
lungs, and this “church” of Séance Fiction is
growing.
a new song on a regular basis and we’d
laugh until our sides ached.
perspective of a stalker, and “Intransigent,”
an anthem of defiance with the crowdchanted declaration that “I’ve got more
freedom in my middle finger. My middle
finger is bigger than yours!”
After two years in the making, Séance
Fiction’s second EP Your Answers
Questioned [2008] showcases the band
exploring heavier tones and rhythms paired
with more socio-political themes. The
album’s climactic track, “The Course of
Human Events,” is an epic metal opus
about inciting revolution and rising to the
top of power only to find that the cycle of
corruption still continues.
Now, with a fresh line-up, a more raw and
vicious sound, catchy and contemplative
songs, and the determination of a hungry
beast, Séance Fiction has their eyes set on no
less than domination.
Séance Fiction’s debut EP Believe the
Fiction [2006] is a dark, gothic, and bitter
introduction to the world of The Fiction.
The album unleashed crowd favorites “Boy
Gets Girl,” a creepy love plea told from the
Séance Fiction will be coming from Florence
to play a SPECIAL BENEFIT Concert for
BD Chase on August 9 at 8PM at the Coffee
Tree Books and Brew. Coffee Tree Books
and Brew is located across from Grissom
High school at 7400 Bailey Cove Road in
Huntsville. For more information, call 256
880-6121.
THE VALLEY PLANET
#073108082008
many
and
will
Special Benefit for BD Chase: August
9th Séance Fiction will be coming from
Florence to play at 8pm at Coffee Tree
Books and Brew.
Special Benefit for BD Chase:August
17th Coffee Tree Books and Brew
Songwriters’ Group Members, friends,
Friday night performers, Traditional
Music Association Members performing
from 1pm until.....
Special Benefit for BD Chase: August
24th
Coffee Tree Songwriters’ Group
Members, friends, Friday night
performers,
Traditional
Music
Association Members and more
performing from 1pm until.....
All of the above benefits will be held
at Coffee Tree Books and Brew which
is located across from Grissom High
school at 7400 Bailey Cove Road in
Huntsville. For more information, call
256 880-6121
Artist McKenzie has been involved in many
high profile events with celebrities such as;
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie,
Leonardo DiCaprio, and many others. Her art
has benefitted many worthy organizations such
as the Humane Society, GlobalGreen, Grammy
Foundation, and the Starbright Foundation to
name just a few. For more information on the
Artist and her career, please visit www.McKe
nzieArtStudio.com or call the Gallery at 888368-5213.
Four on the Floor
12
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
13
’s
O
H
C
R
A
N
A
DR
Rx for Old Stuff That Don’t Suck
S
onny Landreth is a musician’s musician. On blues and slide guitar he has few equals.
Even God, I mean Eric Clapton, or it might have been God playing like he was Eric
Clapton, said of Landreth, “He is probably the most underestimated musician on the
planet and also probably one of the most advanced.”
The Southwest Louisiana native’s sound is unique and distinctive and Richard Skelly of All
Music Guide said, “Unlike anything you’ve ever heard. His unorthodox guitar style comes
from the manner in which he simultaneously plays slide and makes fingering movements
on the fretboard.”
As Eddie Van Halenish as that may sound, don’t let it put you off. Landreth is another of
those musicians who has never quite gotten due credit commensurate with his abilities.
Again, I am left to wonder why. I discovered Landreth for myself in 2002 when I first
hooked up with satellite radio.
Landreth is no cover artist. His songwriting is as impressive as his fretwork, lyrical with
feeling and meaning. Landreth admits that writers like William Faulkner had a big
influence on his lyric writing. Richard Skelly says that Landreth is concerned about the
fact that it’s taken so long for academics at American universities to recognize the great
body of poetry that blues is.
Dr. Anarcho’s Old Stuff That Don’t Suck for this issue is: “From The Reach,” by Sonny
Landreth. (and Guests)
If the list of guest players on “From The Reach” doesn’t impress you, you don’t know
blues rock. This isn’t simple guest appearances for sappy duets or backup roles. All of
these guests are superstars in their own right and Landreth wrote every song just for
that particular guest. They play and they rock hard, trading licks with Landreth in a really
unique way.
I give this album 11 stars out of 10 for serious blues rock fans. (And if you don’t believe
me, just ask Microwave Dave, a serious bluesman who knows his stuff.)
Song Tracks Sonny Landreth “From The Reach”
1. Blue Tarp Blues
Sonny Landreth feat. Mark Knopfler
2. When I Still Had You Sonny Landreth feat. Eric Clapton
3. Way Past Long
Sonny Landreth feat. Robben Ford
4. The Milky Way Home Sonny Landreth feat. Eric Johnson
5. Storm of Worry
Sonny Landreth feat. Eric Clapton
6. Howlin’ Moon
Sonny Landreth feat. Dr. John & Jimmy Buffet
7. The Goin’ On
Sonny Landreth feat. Vince Gill
8. Let It Fly
Sonny Landreth feat. Nadirah Shakoor
9. Blue Angel
Sonny Landreth feat. Robben Ford & Vince Gill
10. Überesso
Sonny Landreth
11. Universe .
Sonny Landreth and Vince Gill
The Valley’s Most Complete
MUSICCALENDAR
Thursday
July31
3rd Base Grill, Donnie Cox
Benchwarmer, Karaoke w/Carol
Benchwarmer, Too, DJ
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Fearless Four
Boondock’s, Ugli Stick
Crossroads (See ad pg. 15), Kush
Finnegan’s Pub, Slip Jig
Halftime Bar and Grill,
Tune Doctors Karaoke w/Brian Holder
Hopper’s, DJ Justin (8-12)
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Juke Joint Duo Featuring
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Dave Anderson
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Crush
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina,
Karaoke with JD Pollard
Olivia’s Sports Bar and Grill (See ad pg. 15),
Karaoke
Partner’s, Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Rob Aldridge
Russ T’s (Scottsboro), Jacob Lyda
Sandy’s Roadhouse (Guntersville), Karaoke
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), 5 O’Clock Charlie
The Brick, Open Mic Night
The Docks (Scottsboro), Trey and Kenny
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill,
Ladies Night w/Ben Trussell
Friday
August1
11th Frame Bar, Karaoke
801 Franklin (See ad pg. 27), Christina Lynn
Black Water Hattie’s, The Crawlers
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Live Music
Boondock’s, 5ive O’clock Charlie
Club Ozz, Karaoke w/ Miss Sweet “T”
Coffeetree Books & Brew (See Ad pg.17),
Diane Miller
Crossroads (See ad pg. 15), Liquid Caravan
Finnegan’s Pub, Sing Along with Nancy
Furniture Factory, The Groove
Hard Dock Café, Big Daddy Kingfish
Hog Wild, Backwater
Hopper’s, Peter and the Wolf (8:30)
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Toy Shop
Jazz Factory, The Swing Shift
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, The Decoys
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14),
Rudy Mockabee and the Music Company
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Identity N/A
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, Sugarstone
Moody Monday’s, Karaoke
Dustin Potter
Partner’s, Live Music
Philby’s Pourhouse, Live Music
Port of Madison (Holiday Inn),
Roberta and Hot Mixx 7-11
Russ T’s (Scottsboro), Live Music
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14),
Shawna P. and the Earth Funk Tribe
The Brick, Frankie Velvet and the Velvetones
The Docks (Scottsboro), Trey, Kenny and Coach
The Station, Naked Eskimos
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Electric Voodoo
Saturday
August2
801 Franklin (See ad pg. 27), Devere Pride
Belvidere Market, Live Music Jam Session
Black Water Hattie’s, Ant and Andrew
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Off the Hook
Boomers, The Legend Band
Boondock’s, The Grenadines
Open Mic Night at 7pm
Coppertop (See ad pg. 16), Live Music
Crossroads (See ad pg. 15), Disc Oasis
Finnegan’s Pub, Dave Merriman
Flying Monkey Arts Center, Iron Horse (8pm, $6)
Furniture Factory, Cliff Darby
Hard Dock Café, Hot Rod Otis
Hog Wild, Backwater
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Nathan Peek Band
Jazz Factory, Charlie Lyle Quintet
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, The Decoys
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Boogafunk
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Live Music
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, Triple X
Bonified
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Blackeyed Susan
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Black Label
The Brick, Bishop Black
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
The Docks (Scottsboro), Trey, Kenny and Coach
The Station, Driven
The Lance Almon Smith Band
West End Grill, Karaoke
Sunday
August3
Black Water Hattie’s, Driving South
Casa Montego,
Live Jazz featuring Devere Pride Trio
Flying Monkey Arts Center,
Rolling Jazz Revue (7pm, $5)
Hopper’s,
Edgar (Brunch, 11-2)/Janice’s Karaoke (8-12)
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Sunday Blues Jam hosted
by Freddy Earl and the Blues Mercenaries
Karaoke
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Karaoke
Karaoke w/DJ Brandon Mac
Monday
August4
Benchwarmer, Too, Karaoke
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Scott Morgan
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Acoustic Open Mic hosted
by Greg Rowell
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Open Mic
Karaoke
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), David Anderson
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Rolling Jazz Revue
Tuesday
August5
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Karaoke with Janessa
Coppertop (See ad pg. 16),
HDK Karaoke with Howie
Hopper’s, Janice’s Karaoke (8-12)
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Ant and Andrew
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Marge Loveday
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Karaoke
Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Chad Reeves
Sammy T’s Music Hall,
Alter Bridge with Special Guest (7pm)
Sandy’s Roadhouse (Guntersville),
Karaoke Contest
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Tom Cremeens
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Dave Anderson
Wednesday
August6
3rd Base Grill, David Anderson 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Redd Letters
Cazadore’s, Open Mic Hosted by Scott Morgan
Songwriter’s Jam 7pm
Furniture Factory,
Chuck Rutenburg and Christina Lynn
Hopper’s, Dave Anderson (5-8)/Lil’ Ed (8-12)
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Black-Eyed Susan
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Big Daddy Kingfish
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse,
Ladies Night w/DJ Doc Roc
Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Scotty Robinson
Russ T’s (Scottsboro), KB and Coach
Karaoke Contest
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Chad Reeves
The Brick, Mike Roberts
The Station, Backwater
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, James Irvin
Thursday
August7
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Saw Mill Road
Boondock’s, The Nonames
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Lance Almon Band
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Nobody’s Fault
#073108082008
Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Ant and Andrew
Karaoke Contest
The Brick, Live Music
Friday
August8
801 Franklin (See ad pg. 27), Live Music
Black Water Hattie’s, Steve Foster and Howler
Boondock’s, Marsha Morgan
Larry Woelhart
Furniture Factory, Scratch Band
Hard Dock Café, Full Circle
Hog Wild, Bonified
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Juice
Kaffeeklatsch @Night,
Lost Troubadours from the Ford Galaxy
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Eyes Around
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, Carridale
JD and the Badboys
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Liquid Caravan
The Brick, The Electric Experiment
The Docks (Scottsboro), Dave Anderson
The Nook, Gentle Ben and his Trained Guitar 6-9
The Station, Blackeyed Susan
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, 4-Door Ramblers
Saturday
August9
Black Water Hattie’s, Rob Aldridge
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), South Street
Boondock’s, The Fiddleworms
Special Benefit for BD Chase, 8p.m. with live music
by Séance Fiction
Crossroads (See ad pg. 15), Mindy Smith
Furniture Factory, Jerry Fordham
Hard Dock Café, Groove
Hog Wild, Bonified
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Electric VooDoo
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Noel Webster
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Four Door Ramblers
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, UFC Fight
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, SpunWagon
Southern Blood
Philby’s Pourhouse, Wetherly
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Live Music
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14),
Liquid Caravan and 5ive O’Clock Charlie
The Brick, Cheesebrokers
The Docks (Scottsboro), Tom Cremeens
The Station, Black Label
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Chris Nathan
Sunday
August10
Black Water Hattie’s, 4 Door Ramblers
Casa Montego,
Flying Monkey Arts Center,
Moondust Big Band (3pm, $6)
Hopper’s,
Karaoke
ContinuedonPage16
15
MUSIC
ContinuedfromPage15
Monday
August11
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Marge Loveday
Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Greg Rowell
Monday Night Open Mic
Karaoke
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Dave Anderson
The Rockville w/Dingus
Tuesday
August12
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, John Isom
Karaoke
Karaoke Contest
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Scottie R
The Brick, Rick Carter and Guests
Wednesday
August13
3rd Base Grill, David Anderson
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Mike and Catherine
Furniture Factory, Rockin Acoustic Duo
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Pla’ Station
Jazz Factory, Live Music
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Live Music
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Boogafunk
Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Donnie Cox
Karaoke Contest
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Jonathan Carter
The Brick, 5ive O’Clock Charlie
The Station, Big Daddy Kingfish
Thursday
August14
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Big Nose Roy
Boondock’s, Kerry Franklin
Crossroads (See ad pg. 15),
Happy Hour Live Music 6-8
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Trial By Jury
Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Rob Aldridge
Sammy T’s Music Hall,
Ladies Night w/Ten Years and Special Guest
Karaoke Contest
Friday
August15
16
#073108082008
Black Water Hattie’s, Southern Blood
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Dixie Road
Boondock’s, Ricky Cardin
Dustin Potter
Flying Monkey Arts Center, Tigers Con Queso,
Christian James and the Coyotes (8pm, $5)
Furniture Factory, Fearless Four
Hard Dock Café, Room 240
Hog Wild, Son Banden
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Kozmic Mama
Jazz Factory, Don & Kim
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, The Rob Aldridge Band
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Full Circle
Left Hand Luckies
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, Jukebox Jim
Peacemaker
Philby’s Pourhouse, Seducing Alice
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Peacemaker
The Docks (Scottsboro), Tony Brooks Band
The Station, Crush
Bob Walters Banned
Saturday
August16
Black Water Hattie’s, Ricky Cardin
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Breakers
Boondock’s, John Stone
Coffeetree Books & Brew (See Ad pg.17), Open
Mic Night at 7pm
Furniture Factory, Bob Walters Banned
Hard Dock Café, Straight Forward
Hog Wild, Son Banden
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Hot Soup
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Josh Wilkins
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Second Hand Lincoln
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Bishop Black
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, Crush
Voodoo Dogz
Philby’s Pourhouse, Fearless Four
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Foam Party w/Live Music
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), 5ive O’Clock Charlie
The Brick, Gary Nichols Band
The Docks (Scottsboro), Tony Brooks Band
The Nook, Open Mic with Greg Rowell
The Station, Peacemaker
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Live Music
Sunday
August17
Black Water Hattie’s, Hot Rod Otis
Casa Montego,
Special Benefit for BD Chase, 1p.m. with live music
by Friday night performers, Traditional Music
Association Members and more
Hopper’s,
Karaoke
Monday
August18
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Lacey Atchison
Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Greg Rowell
Monday Night Open Mic
Karaoke
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), David Anderson
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Tim Tucker
ContinuedonPage17
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
MUSIC
ContinuedfromPage16
Tuesday
August19
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Microwave Dave, solo
Karaoke
Karaoke Contest
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Donnie Cox
Wednesday
August20
3rd Base Grill, David Anderson
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Chuck and Lynn
Flying Monkey Arts Center, Digital Leather,
Thomas Function (8pm, $5, at Vertical House)
Furniture Factory, Howler 2
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, CRUSH
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Live Music
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Big Daddy Kingfish
Karaoke
Karaoke Contest
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Stacy Mitchhart
The Brick, Ben Walker
Thursday
August21
Boondock’s, The Nonames
Happy Hour Live Music 6-8
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Absolym Rising
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Nobody’s Fault
Karaoke
Philby’s Pourhouse, Ant and Andrew
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Ladies Night w/Live Music
Karaoke Contest
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Absalom Rising
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Full Circle
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Identity N/A
Maria Bonita Grill and Cantina, The Letters
The Crawlers
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Sidewinder
The Brick, 3 Hour Tour
The Docks (Scottsboro), John and Dan
The Station, Yes No Maybe
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Young Agent Jones
Saturday
August23
Black Water Hattie’s, Lacey Atchison
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Redd Letters
Boondock’s, The Mason Reed Band
Open Mic Night at 7pm
La Salle and Eyes Around
Furniture Factory, Off the Hook
Hard Dock Café, Juice
Hog Wild, Live Music
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Ben Deignan
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Rob Aldridge, solo
Lee Ann’s (See ad pg. 14), Four Door Ramblers
Mac’s Sportsbar and Steakhouse, Live Music
Latoya and Company
2nd Hand Lincoln
Philby’s Pourhouse, Wetherly
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Delicious
Sportspage (See ad pg. 14), Other Foot
The Brick, Black Label
The Docks (Scottsboro), John and Dan
The Station, Full Circle
Voodoo Lounge Bar and Grill, Donnie and Kim
Sunday
August24
Black Water Hattie’s, Steve Foster and Howler
Casa Montego, Live Jazz featuring Devere Pride
Trio
TheEnd
Friday
August22
Black Water Hattie’s,
Johnny Black and the Jay Birds
Blue Parrot (Guntersville), Cowboy Up
Boondock’s, Tony Brooks Band
Robert Galloway
El Herradura, Pat Nickel’s One Man Band
Flying Monkey Arts Center, Emily Lacy (8pm, $5)
Furniture Factory, South Street
Hard Dock Café, Kozmic Mama
Hog Wild, Live Music
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, 5ive O’Clock Charlie
THE VALLEY PLANET
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
17
RegionalConcerts
ATLANTA
“...When you’re having more than one.”
Let’s face facts.
L
ots of wine drinking has nothing to
do with “wine tasting,” especially
in summertime. Sure, there are
gatherings where people taste a bunch
of wine and there are dinners where it’s
nice to have a good pairing, but this is the
season for long nights out on the patio and
for gatherings. Backyards. Front porches.
Picnics. Reunions.
Somewhere near the cooler of beer, there are
usually at least a few bottles of wine about.
Now, some believe that “more is better”
applies, and the jugs of Gallo get stuck in
the ice next to the PBR. While I’m happy
to toss back wine sans swirling -- I want to
slug something that’s not going to make me
feel like I’ve just poured a plastic cupful of
battery acid.
So, we’re basically looking for some wines
that aren’t going to be center stage. We’re not
going for complexity. We’re not looking to
take flavors apart. We want some wines that
will be inexpensive enough that you can load
up, but of enough of a quality that no one’s
giving their glass that “one squinty eyed”
frown.
I’ve found a few that could fill the bill -- so,
for your gathering’s pleasure...
Get Ready for
Obamaroooooo!
by Sherry Broyles
M
ark your calendars because you
won’t want to miss this one.
Plan to head to Lowe Mill on the
afternoon of Saturday, August 2 for great
live music, unique refreshments, and a
host of opportunities to get involved in
the movement for change that is capturing
our community and our country. It’s
OBAMAROO, and it’s going to be great.
Organized by the Morgan County Young
Democrats, and supported by a host of
volunteers from Decatur, Huntsville, and
surrounding areas, Obamaroo will feature
not only several great bands, but also
information from area activists regarding
voter registration, Amnesty International,
Invisible Children, Alabama Veterans for
Obama, and other grassroots efforts. All this
while being serenaded by a great array of
homegrown bands, such as:
do ourselves a favor and come down to Lowe
Mill. You can pay at the event, but it would
be even better to sign up and pay ahead of
time at the website below. If enough people
sign up, the national campaign is likely to
take notice and write us up on the Obama
blog!
OBAMAROO
Saturday, August 2
6:00 - Midnight
Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment
Huntsville, Alabama
Sign up at http://my.barackobama.com/page/
event/detail/fundraising/44xf5#rsvp
Or pay at the door! For more information, go
to: obamaroo2008@live.com
I
by Jim Zielinski
f you’re planning your Rumtopf for this
Christmas season, you’re a little behind
schedule for the kickoff. Strawberries
have bedecked local produce sections for
quite some time now. www.mombu.com/
cuisine/vegetarian/t-rumtopf-855243.html
(Translated from Dr. Oetker, who knew
whereof he spake.) Now, step beyond the
compote and get to pouring.
And maybe more. This event is still evolving.
However, we know we will be offering all of
the above, as well the priceless experience of
being with a group of motivated, like-minded
spirits, all for an admission fee of $10! All
proceeds will go to the Obama campaign.
Our goal is to raise at least $2,000, so let’s all
Borsao “Vina Borgia” 2006 Campo de
Borja -- I’m intrigued by a wine that tags
itself as the wine of an infamous noble family,
but hey -- why not? (It actually refers to the
town in Spain, Borja). I’ve long been a fan of
Spanish wine, and I’m glad to see them start
to release value-sized bottles of the stuff.
In my experience, especially with Spanish
reds, even the most inexpensive have been
drinkable. This wine is 100% Grenache. Its
solid fruit if you try it right after it’s opened,
but given a few minutes to get its legs, it’s
got a very pleasant fruit scent, enough tannin
to be interesting blending with the flavors of
berries and cherries, and a slightly dry finish.
Another great wine for anything grilled, and
really tasty with chocolaty desserts. $11-12.
Le Faux Frog 2005 Pinot Noir -- I admit,
this was an impulse buy. I was walking past
the box wines and I saw this very cute frog on
one of them. Closer inspection revealed that
this was actually a Toad Hollow production,
so I picked it up. At first pull, very tight and
really tart, but after a few minutes, and for
subsequent glasses, one of us remarked,
“This...is a dangerous wine.” The nose is
largely cherry, but nothing complex. But
definitely a real pinot-ish scent. Flavor,
again, after a few minutes to let it open is
soft fruit and has a somewhat complex finish
of blackberries and coffee. It also lulls you
into a false sense of security because it’s
super easy to drink...so it’s probably good
that it’s only $23-25 for a 3 liter adorablyfrog-adorned box.
BIRMINGHAM
August 2, Def Leppard with Joan Jett
and the Blackhearts, Verizon Wireless
Music Center
August 9, Journey with Cheap Trick,
Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 28, Martina McBride, Verizon
Wireless Music Center
September 18, Music Builds Tour with
Third Day and Switchfoot, Verizon
Listings
Pubs&Taverns
&Clubs&Bars
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
MEMPHIS
August 2, Dave Matthews Band with
Willy Nelson, Autozone Park
August 3, Stone Temple Pilots, Desoto
Civic Center
August 7, Paramore, Mud Island
Amphitheatre
August 17, Kid Rock, Mud Island
Amphitheatre
NASHVILLE
August 1, Def Leopard, Sommet Center
September 10, Trisha Yearwood, Ryman
Auditorium
September 18, Xavier Rudd, City Hall
Septermber 19, Cross Canadian
Ragweed, The Cannery
HOG WILD SALOON
2407 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-533-7446
HOMEPORT
20076 N. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-852-8800
HOPPER’S
5903 University Drive, 256-830-0600
HUMPHREY’S BAR & GRILL
109 Washington Square, Huntsville, 256-704-5555.
2nd STREET MUSIC HALL
208 2nd Street, Gadsden 256-547-0010
JESTERS
373 Gunter Ave., Guntersville, 256-293-4307
3rd BASE GRILL (2 locations)
1792 Hyw 72 E, Huntsville, 256-852-9191
7904 S. Memorial Parkway 256-882-9500
KAFFEEKLATSCH @NIGHT
103 Jefferson Street, Huntsville, 256-536-7993.
801 FRANKLIN
801 Franklin Street, Huntsville, 256-519-8019.
KICKERS
8716 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-772-0701
ADRIAN’S
1405 Sunset Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-3106
LEEANN’S
415 Church St, Huntsville, 256-489-9300
ALLEN’S GRILLE & GROG
9076 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-772-8514.
LISA’S LOUNGE
2313 N. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-534-9520
THE BARN
2510 Ready Section Road, Toney
MAC’S SPORTSBAR AND STEAKHOUSE
1733 S. Jefferson Street, Athens. 256-232-6161
B.B. PERRINS SPORTS GRILLE
608 Holly St. NE, Decatur, 256-355-1045
MASON’S PUB
115 Clinton Ave., Huntsville 256-704-5575
BENCHWARMER FOOD & SPIRITS
2998 University Drive, Huntsville 256-539-6268.
MOODY MONDAYS
718 Church St, Huntsville, 256-533-4005
BENCHWARMER, TOO!
3000 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-489-9600.
MOONDOGS
2002 13th St. SW, Huntsville, 256-534-8844
BLACK WATER HATTIE’S
10000 S. Memorial Pkwy. 256-489-3333.
NETWORKS LOUNGE
2140 Gunter Ave., Guntersville
BLUE PARROT MARTINI & CIGAR LOUNGE
7001 Val-Monte Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-0930.
THE NOOK
3305 Bob Wallace Ave. 256-489-0911
BOGEY’S
412 Main St. Guntersville, 256-582-2860
OLIVIA’S
1009 Henderson Rd, Huntsville, 256-837-4728
BOOMERS
125 Albert Mann Rd., New Hope, 256-723-3029
OTTER’S
5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, 256-830-2222.
BOONDOCKS
Hwy 69, Guntersville, 256-582-3935
PARTNERS
627 Meridian St. , Huntsville, 256-539-0975
BUFFALOS CAFE
8020 Madison Blvd., Huntsville, 256-772-4477
PHILBY’S POURHOUSE
CASA MONTEGO
Jonathan Dr, Huntsville, 256-858-9187 or 714-0155
CD’S PUB AND GRILL
107 Arlington Dr, Madison, 256-773-4477
CHARLOTTE’S PLACE
1117 Jordan Ln. wHuntsville, AL 35816
CHIPS & SALSA CANTINA
10300 Bailey Cove Rd SE Huntsville, 256-880-1202.
CLUB MIRAGE
4701 Meridian Street, Huntsville, 256-851-2920.
COPPER TOP BAR & GRILL
200 Q Oakwood Ave., Huntsville, 256-536-1150
CRICKETS
3810 Sullivan St., Madison, 256-464-3777
CROSSROADS, THE
115 Clinton Ave, Huntsville, 256-533-3393.
EMBER CLUB
10131 Memorial Parkway, Huntsville, 256-881-0057
END ZONE, THE
ESQUIRE CLUB
3701 Governors Dr., Huntsville, 256-534-7303
FINNEGAN’S PUB
3310 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-881-9732
FOCUS BAR & GRILL
2020 Country Club Ave., Huntsville, 256-534-4441
FURNITURE FACTORY BAR & GRILL
619 Meridian Street N, Huntsville, 256-539-8001.
GENO’S PUB
1015 6th Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-355-9998
THE GREEN ROOM
Jordan Lane, Huntsville,256-837-2232
HARD DOCK CAFE
3755 U.S. Hwy. 31, Decatur, 256-340-9234
HALF TIME BAR AND GRILL
8873 Highway 72 W, Madison, 256-430-0266
Amongst the fantastic options at our new
#073108082008
September 21, BB King, Von Braun
Center Concert Hall
INDIGO JOE’S
7407 Hwy 72 W, Madison, AL 256-489-9393
CAHOOTS
114 WestMarket Street, Fayetteville, 931 433-1173
Bridge Street Town Centre is Dolce, better
known as “Dolce Enoteca E Ristorante.”
Dolce offers a very popular 50 percent-off
deal on Sundays (4:00 p.m. – 9:30ish) and
understandably – it’s VERY BUSY! If you
want to partake, make your reservations…
for your alternative is to stare ravenously
through the window like Audrey II checking
out “Animal Planet.” Coming up are Monday
specials – 30 percent off with a Military
I.D! But even more fun is in the offing:
Midweek’s “Wine Down Wednesday” will
feature special appetizers served only that
day ($5 each), plus wine tastings of both the
2.5-oz pour ($2) and 4-oz pour ($4) variety.
It’s a great and inexpensive way to savor the
Ristorante’s fare…and now you know that
“Dolce” translates to “sweet” for more than
one reason. Info at 327-8385. Sweet.
HUNTSVILLE
11th FRAME BAR
8661 Hwy 27, Madison, 256-722-0015
CACTUS JACKS
1117 Jordan Ln, Huntsville, 256-721-6384
Twisted PiG 2006 Pinot Grigio -- I’ve
been seeing a lot of Twisted Head wines
on the shelves of various wine stores, and I
happened upon their pinot grigio. This wine
certainly fits the “uncomplicated” mold. It’s
very light and has some decent fruit, but it
wasn’t anything overly exciting -- until we
had it with some salty snacks. Pretzels were
fantastic, and I’d imagine chex mix would
have been, as well. It’s about $8 for a 1.5
zee’s
rocket city
bEAT
Bimini Road – bluegrass meets jam band
meets rock in a band that grew from a creative
spark in Intergraph; Married in a Fever – like
Death Cab, but more epic; Tim Tucker and
the Uh Huhs – Rock, folk rock, garage, from
Decatur; The National Trust – Rock, garage,
from Tuscaloosa; The Andrew Michael Band
– Folk, rock, progressive, from Falkville;
Group Six – Rock, Decatur
18
Sundial 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon -- When
I bought this bottle, I was told by the person
in the wine store, “People who buy it usually
come back and get some more.” After a glass
or two, I understood why. For a bargain-line
cabernet, this is a surprisingly big and tannic
wine. ($13-14 for a 1.5 liter) An absolute
must: make sure you let it breathe for awhile.
Once it opens up, you’ll get a nice nose
full of raspberries and dark fruit. It’s got
solid body with some uncomplicated fruity
flavors, and a decently dry finish. Perfect for
any grilling occasion.
liter bottle. Easy enough to drink without ill
effect or ill flavor.
August 1, KT Tunstall, Atlanta Botanical
Garden
August 13, Jack Johnson, Lakewood
Amphitheatre
August 13, Nine Inch Nails, Arena at
Gwinnett Center
August 23, Sister Hazel, Chastain Park
Amphitheatre
August 27, My Morning Jacket,
Fabulous Fox Theatre
August 29, John Mayer, Verizon Wireless
Amphitheatre at Encore Park
September 13, Indigo Girls, Chastain
Park Amphitheatre
September 30, Counting Crows,
Maroon 5, and Augustana, Verizon
THE VALLEY PLANET
EVENTS
July 31
All Artists in any medium are invited to participate in
the Redstone Arsenal Annual Oktoberfest- Juried
Art Show at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville. Today is
the submission deadline. Oktoberfest will be held
September 11-14. This is a great opportunity to
display and sell your artwork to a very large public
audience. For more information and application
contact: Event Coordinator, Alison Levson at 256975-1975 or levson57@knology.net. (See ad pg. )
Burritt on the Mountain is the place to Beat the
Heat. The Welcome Center, the Green Space and
the Bluff will be open to anyone who would like
to enjoy a summer evening and Beat the Heat on
Burritt’s Bluff from 5-8 p.m. Come picnic, walk, visit,
get in some shopping at Josie’s or just relax and
enjoy the view. Kids can play croquet, Badminton,
and horseshoes. Members are admitted free; cost
for nonmembers is $5 per family. Please no outside
alcohol. See urrittonthemountain.com
for more information.
The Huntsville Stars will play Montgomery at Joe
Davis Stadium at 7:05. (See ad pg. )
Little L.A. in AL hosted by Huntsville Young
Professionals will be held from 7-10p.m. at Scene
Lounge/Patio. Live music and light appetizers will
be provided. There will be a red carpet entrance
with photographers snapping photos of everyone.
Dress to impress because there will be a VIP list
and themed drinks to meet the occasion. Drawing
for a dinner and movie for two at Monaco will take
place. $10 to enter and that gets you the food and
two drink tickets which will get you a glass of house
wine or domestic beer. See www.gethyp.com for
more information.
PORT OF MADISON
9035 Hwy 20 W, Madison, 256-772-7170
ROSEBERRY PUB & GRILL
Hwy 67 Scottsboro, 256-574-4231
RUGGBY’S
RUSS T’S
Hwy 79, Scottsboro, 256-259-0641
SAMMY T’S MUSIC HALL
116 Washington Street, 256-539-9974.
SANDY’S ROADHOUSE
12740 Hwy. 431 S, Guntersville, 256-571-0450.
SCOOTER’S
Willow St, Scottsboro, 256-575-0800
THE SHACK
105 Swancott Road, Triana 256-461-0227.
SPORTS PAGE LOUNGE & DELI
9009 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-880-9471.
SPORTS ZONE
3429 Hwy 31, Decatur, 256-350-9702
STEM AND STEIN WINE CELLAR AND BAR
1087 County Line Rd. STE. B, Madison, 256-325-3779
THE STATION
8694 Madison Blvd., Madison, 256-325-1333.
STEVE’S BILLIARDS & LOUNGE
2322 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-539-8919.
THE HORSE
2021 Golf Rd, Huntsville, 256-881-8820
THIRSTY TURTLE
4800 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, 256-881-5079
VINOTINI’S
7143 University Dr., Huntsvile, 256-722-2080
VISIONS
6404 University Dr. NW, Huntsville, 256-722-8247
VOODOO LOUNGE BAR AND GRILL
110 Southside Square, Huntsville 256-534-6116
WINGS SPORTS GRILLE
4250 Balmoral Dr. SW, Huntsville, 256-881-8878.
ContinuedonPage27
THE VALLEY PLANET
Calendar of
#073108082008
July 31-August 10
Goddess Class: Re-awakening the True Feminine
with Terri McDaniel will be held at the Dream
Maker, 4004 Triana Blvd in Huntsville. The Class
fees are $ 30.00 for the entire class or $10.00 per
class. Class size is limited and pre-registration is
advised. For more information and reservations
contact: Terri McDaniel 882-5670 or E-mail@
terri_mcdaniel@comcast.net www.fourspiritsprodu
ctions.com
July 31-August 17
Burritt’s Big Exhibit Southern Smalls will be on
display at Burritt on the Mountain. The cost to
view this exhibit is included with general admission.
See www.burrittonthemountain.com for more
information.
July 31-August 31
Solid Foundation’s 1st Annual National Future
Hope Family Fun Spot Family Pledge Marathon
is national program designed to employ, educate,
and provide extreme financial relief to families
in the U.S. Register Now for Early Bird Discount!
Proceeds benefit Project Hope: To find out how you
can participate in Project Hope, to enter, or to find
out more about Solid Foundation, visit us online at
www.mysolidfoundationusa.org
The Huntsville Art League Gallery and Visual Arts
Center (HAL) will “Limelight” the HAL artists who
participated in “Collector’s Draw 2008.” This will be
an excellent opportunity to see what your favorite
artists have been doing of late. The HAL Gallery is
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
located at 3005 L&N Drive Ste. 2 35802 and is open
Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and
Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Call HAL 534-3860 for
additional information.
The Photographic Art Exhibit by Jeff White
will be feature at JavaGalleria @ Sam and
Greg’s Pizzeria/Gelateria, 119 Northside
Square, Huntsville. For more information on the
JavaGalleria, contact Edwards at The Arts Council
office at (256) 519-2787 (ARTS), ext. 207. You can
contact the restaurant at (256) 533-9030; their
hours are posted at www.samandgregs.com.
July 31-September 28
The Huntsville Museum of Art’s award-winning
Encounters series of regional contemporary art
continues with a selection of engaging works by
internationally recognized artist Shane Fero. For
more information see www.hsvmuseum.org.
July 31-October 9
Looking at the Collection: Four Points of View
will provide visitors a chance to get “up close
and personal” with the Huntsville Museum of
Art’s curatorial department, and enjoy aspects
of the collection seen through a variety of
individual perspectives. For more information see
www.hsvmuseum.org.
August 1
Olde Towne Coffee Shoppe host Drum Circle on
the first Friday of each month.
Flying Monkey First Friday Open House begins
at 7p.m. Admission is free. For more information,
visit www.flyingmonkeyarts.org.
Monkey
Speak
begins
at
8p.m.
at
the Flying Monkey Arts Center. See
www.flyingmonkeyarts.org for more information.
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment presents
Friday Night on the Back Dock with Marge
Loveday. Marge will be playing on the back dock
from 6-9 pm, with new restaurant “Happy Tummy”
open Friday from 12-8 pm. There is no charge for
this event and as always, adults may bring kids and
coolers along. Donations are appreciated. Lowe
Mill is located at 2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville.
For more information, visit www.lowemill.net.
Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
will perform at Merrimack Hall Performing
Arts Center. Tickets are $27.50. Visit
www.merrimackhall.com or call (256)534-6455 for
tickets and more information. (See ad pg. )
“Coffee & Cards” Networking will be held every
Friday at 7:30am at Average to Art, 905 Meridian
St. N.
HYP is excited to help out local kids with the
“Tools for Schools” event at the Huntsville
Stars Game at Joe Davis Stadium. There will
be a variety of booths set up after 4 pm and the
game starts at 7:05 p.m. You can attend the game
for free by bringing some type of school supply
to donate. HYP is also pleased to partner with
Big Brothers and Big Sisters of North Alabama for
this event. Please visit www.gethyp.net if you are
interested in attending the game with one of our
little brothers or sisters for this fun evening event
for a great cause!
ContinuedonPage21
19
Calendar of
EVENTS
help shape this non-profit educational association
to mold it to your needs. We are currently meeting
at 2:00 pm on Saturday’ at Corron Studio in the
Miller Shopping Center, Suite 15 (8006 Old Madison
Pike), in Madison. Email AlaCAC@gmail.com for
more information.
ContinuedfromPage19
August 1-2
100th Annual DeKalb County Fiddlers’
Convention will be held at the Fort Payne Middle
School. Come out and join in the “Jam Sessions”,
greet old friends, meet new ones, and “Celebrate
The Heritage”. For more information, Contact the
Big Wills Arts Council at 256-845-2224 or e-mail the
director at bwac@russellgulley.com. Be a friend at
www.myspace.com/dekalbfiddlers.
I
stepped into a wormhole last weekend.
My wife went out of town and when she
does I get weird. If any of my friends
are reading this, I’m sure they’re thinking,
“Get weird? Posey was born weird.” When
my wife and kids go on trips I don’t really
know what to do with myself. I could do
something constructive around the house,
like clean the gutters or mow the lawn... But I
usually just listen to music and watch movies,
Clerks II, The Royal Tenenbaums and a
documentary about The Flaming Lips called
Fearless Freaks are some of my favorites
to revisit. This time when I found myself
alone I went out to the shed and walked
right into a time-warp. Since accepting the
inevitable…one day I knew that cassettes
would be replaced by CD’s, I moved my
stash of tapes to the shed. I can’t bear to
part with them just yet. I found my giant
box of “Brad’s Old Band Cassettes”, about
3 or 4 dozen tapes of various combinations
of me, friends, keyboards, guitars and drums/
drum machines. In our 20’s, my friend Ezra
Manley and I were a duo that constantly
changed the name of our “band”. First we
were The Drugstore Cowboys, then The
Bumpin’ Uglies, which was soon followed
by The Baywatch Estras, The Beekeepers,
The Question Marks and finally we settled
on About The Author. Mostly we recorded
lo-fi folk-rock in the vein of R.E.M., Vic
Chesnutt and Guided By Voices. We played
a few Huntsville coffee shops in the 90’s but
no one really noticed. I still have About The
Author t-shirts lying around. When I listen
to those old tapes I remember those times and
they were good ones.
Digging deeper into the box I found more
treasure. My buddy Tony Dollar and I have
been the Wrong Brothers since 9th grade.
Our first albums were crudely decorated
cassettes, painted with Tony’s mother’s red
nail polish. We thought it looked like blood.
The Wrong Brothers were a mostly two
man thrash metal machine. We have since
become a real band, we play shows, we have
August 1-3
The Whole Backstage Community Theatre in
Guntersville begins their 2008-2009 Season with
Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music,
under the direction of Johnny Brewer. There’s
more information at (256) 582 SHOW (7469) and at
www.wholebackstage.com.
Brad Posey
Keith on drums and Daniel on bass. The
four of us have been close friends for a little
over two decades. We’ve come a long way
from those ancient recordings but the seeds
for what we’ve become were there, growing
all along. I didn’t know it then but we were
documenting our friendship. When I listen
to songs like “Gumby In Hell” and “Driller
Killer”, I relive those days. I laugh at all
the little inside jokes, the blatant Metallica
worship and the beyond bad hair-styles. I
can’t escape my mullet past. We are all older
now, with jobs, families and responsibilities.
We’ve put on a few pounds, some of us had
to cut our hair but when we get behind the
drums, pick up our guitars and grab the
mic for one more jam… for a moment, all
the years disappear, we launch into a song,
escape the flesh and become the music.
There is a feeling I get when I play music
with my friends that I guess is what other
people feel when they go to church. This is
the way I pray.
The Invisible City with Brad Posey is
streaming now at www.wlrh.org, go to the
website, select programs/schedule and then
choose audio on demand to listen to an
episode of The Invisible City. (soon to be an
on air program on WLRH)
Renaissance Theatre is presenting Always… Patsy
Cline at Burritt on the Mountain. Let the comedy
and music of Swindley’s best known and most loved
tribute to Patsy Cline touch your heart. The Friday
and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. with
a matinee on Sunday at 2:30. Tickets $20 and it is
strongly recommended that they are reserved in
advance as the show was a sell out last year. Tickets
are available at Burritt 256-536-2882 or visit www.b
urrittonthemountain.com or www.renaissancetheat
re.net. (See Ad pg.4)
August 1-31
The Huntsville Times Gallery will exhibit works
by HAL artist Katrina Weber during the month of
August. Weber works in oil, pastel, and watercolor.
The Huntsville Times gallery is located at 2317
Memorial Parkway SW and is open Monday through
Friday from 9AM-5PM. For additional information,
please contact HAL at 534-3860.
August 1-September 30
The Heritage Club hosts an exhibit of color-filled
works by HAL artists Peter Grant and S. Renee Prasil
during the months of August and September. Please
call HAL 534-3860 for additional information.
August 2
Obamaroo Music Festival will be going on
from 6p.m. until midnight on the Back Dock and
Downstairs of Lowe Mill, 2211 Seminole Drive.
Admission is $10 (for 8 bands) – all proceeds go
to Barack Obama’s campaign. Sign up at http:
//my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/
fundraising/44xf5#rsvp. Visit www.lowemill.net
or email obamaroo2008@live.com for more
information.
Local artists and others are invited to set up a
booth at the Flying Monkey Arts Center and
sell their wares to the public for Artist Market.
There will be art, jewelry, vintage clothing, and
more interesting things for sale inside our facility,
safe from rain. We now have air conditioning. See
Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters will
perform a second time at Merrimack Hall
Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $27.50. Visit
www.merrimackhall.com or call (256)534-6455 for
tickets and more information.
One on One with Billy Bob Thornton will be held at
4p.m. at Merrimack Hass Performing Arts Center.
One-on-On will be structured in a format similar to
Inside the Actor’s Studio with a moderator who will
ask Billy Bob questions and guide us through his
career as a musician, writer, actor and director for the
first hour. Billy Bob will also take questions from the
audience for the last 20 minutes. All tickets are $20.
Visit www.merrimackhall.com or call (256)534-6455
for tickets and more information.
Contra Dance with live music by Jim and Inge
Wood with calling by Jef Hodge will be held in the
gym of Faith Presbyterian, corner of Airport Rd. &
Whitesburg Dr. All ages are welcome: singles, couples
& families. Admission is $7.00/$4.00 students/Free
for ages 12 & under. See http://secontra.com/
NACDS.html for more info or call 837-0656.
A group of enthusiastic potters is forming a
cooperative to promote pottery and the ceramic
arts in north Alabama. Interest in the arts, in general,
and the ceramic arts in particular is growing in the
area and, with the Alabama Clay Conference to
be held in Huntsville in March 2009, this is a prime
opportunity to promote our art. The cooperative
intends to open a studio and offer classes. Your input
and creativity are needed and now is your chance to
Microwave Dave, better than ever at the Valley Planet Birthday Party!
20
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
August 2-3
2nd Annual Day Beach 7-Aside Soccer Showdown
offers adults an opportunity for a weekend of
fun at an affordable price. There are divisions for
every player, from the most competitive to those
just looking to have some fun. The location of the
fields will be announced. For up to date information
please view www.southernsoccer.net or contact
Southern Soccer at info@southersoccer.net or 256479-9247 with any questions. July 13th is the last
day for early registration ($175), and July 27th is the
last day for registration ($200). (See ad pg. )
Transcendental Drumming/Dancing will be held
at The Dreammaker Shop, 4004 Triana, from 10am
until no later than noon. This event is free, but
a love gift is appreciated. For more information,
please call 883-8446.
August 2-16
Award-winning Artist McKenzie, known as the
“Hollywood Charity Artist” is bringing her Art
and Fundraising efforts to Huntsville. The show will
be Open Invitation and everyone is encouraged
to attend. It will be catered by Terranova’s and
held at Fast Frame located at 1420 Paramount
Drive, Huntsville. . For more information Contact:
Deborah Reed 256-722-4949 and fastframe_
Huntsville@hotmail.com. (See ad pg. 12)
August 3
Partner’s Bar and Grille will host a Wine Dinner.
The cost is $65 per person. For purchase and
reservations call (256)837-8728.
August 4
“Concerts in the Park,” will be held at Big Spring
International Park and featuring Rob Aldridge
at 6:30 p.m. and Rolling Jazz Revue 7:20 p.m.
This event is free and open to the Public! Blankets,
lawn chairs, & picnics encouraged; snacks & soft
drinks on sale. For more information call (256) 5192787 (ARTS), ext. 205. Schedules can be found at
www.artshuntsville.org.
August 5
Beginner II Salsa Lessons will be given from 78p.m., and Intermediate I Salsa Lessons will be
given from 8:15-9:15p.m. at the Kinesthetic Cue
Dance Club, 8006 Old Madison Pike, Madison. Cost
is $40 per person, $60 per couple (Repeat students
= $20 per person only) Cash is preferred. No
partner is necessary. For more information, email
salseroblanko@yahoo.com.
Huntsville Alive! Hip Hop Dance Class will be
held form 5:30-6:30p.m. at Merrimack Hall, 3320
Triana Blvd. Class cost is $10.00 at the door. You can
make your reservation now by calling Merrimack
Hall at 534-6455. See huntsvillealive.com for more
information.
August 6
The Women’s Business Center of North Alabama
(WBCNA) is offering a workshop from 1:00 p.m.
- 4:00 p.m., entitled “The ABCs of Starting Your
Own Business.” We’ll cover getting started, type
of business, legal structure, business planning,
financing, business licenses, marketing, and much
more. The WBCNA is conveniently located in
the Crestwood Women’s Center at 185 Chateau
Drive (off Airport Road in Huntsville). The cost to
attend is $25.00 (pay at the door - cash or check
payable to WBCNA). Make reservations online
at www.wbcna.org or by calling 256-213-2727.
Scholarships are available for qualified clients.
August 7
Beginner I Salsa Lessons will be given from 8:109:10p.m. in the Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison
Blvd, Madison - in the shopping center of Olde
Time Pottery. Cost is $40 per person, $60 per couple
(Repeat students = $20 per person only) Cash is
preferred.
The Women’s Business Center of North Alabama
(WBCNA) is offering a workshop from 1:30p.m.5:30p.m., entitled “QuickBooks Pro for Small
Business Owners.” The WBCNA is located in the
Crestwood Women’s Center at 185 Chateau Drive
(off Airport Road in Huntsville). The cost to attend is
$25.00 (cash or check made out to Small Business
Solutions). Reservations are requested online
at www.wbcna.org or by calling 256-213-2727.
Scholarships are available for qualified clients.
family Featuring Akintunde, Marcus D.Wiley Horace,
Small Fire and others will take place at Gooch Place
in Madison at 7pm Tickets are $4.The number for
more info is 325-5500 or visit goochplace.com.
HAL 5 presents a free public lecture “Microgravity
Propellant Transfer in Parabolic Flight” by
Mike Brennison at 7:00 PM at the Huntsville
- Madison County Main Public Library 915
Monroe Street. A social will follow. For more
information contact Ronnie Lajoie at 256-509-3833
or space@knology.net or www.HAL5.org.
August 7-10
Renaissance Theatre is presenting Always…
Patsy Cline at Burritt on the Mountain. Let the
comedy and music of Swindley’s best known and
most loved tribute to Patsy Cline touch your heart.
The Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:
30 p.m. with a matinee on Sunday at 2:30. Tickets
$20 and it is strongly recommended that they are
reserved in advance as the show was a sell out last
year. Tickets are available at Burritt 256-536-2882 or
visit www.burrittonthemountain.com or www.renai
ssancetheatre.net. (See Ad pg.4)
August 8
All are welcome to pack a picnic and come to
the Huntsville Museum of Art’s west lawn at
sundown to enjoy Dr. Strangelove as part of
Classic Movies in the Park.
Everybody’s Famous! will be shown at 7p.m. at the
Guntersville Public Library, 1240 O’Brig Ave. in
Guntersville, Alabama as part of the F4 season. For
more information: (256) 571-7595 or, books@gunte
rsvillelibrary.org
St. N.
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment presents Friday
Night on the Back Dock with Phil Weaver and
Emily on guitar. Phil and Emily will be playing on
the back dock from 6-9 pm, with new restaurant
“Happy Tummy” open Friday from 12-8 pm. There
is no charge for this event and as always, adults
may bring kids and coolers along. Donations are
appreciated. Lowe Mill is located at 2211 Seminole
Drive, Huntsville. For more information, see
www.lowemill.net.
Gas Too High Christian Comedy Tour for the entire
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
August 9
The Huntsville Ballet School, formerly known
as Community Ballet School, is having an Open
House from 10a.m.-2p.m. It will be held at 800
Regal Drive, Huntsville. Huntsville Ballet School
offers class for ages 3years to adult in ballet,
pointe, modern, character, jazz, tap, and Pilates.
For more information, call (256)539-0961or visit
communityballet.org. (See ad pg. 11)
The One Woman Art Show/Fundraiser at Fast
Frame will feature the Art of McKenzie with a
Wine and Cheese Reception between 12 and
7pm. Fast Frame is located at 1420 Paramount
Drive in Huntsville. For more information Contact:
Deborah Reed 256-722-4949 and fastframe_
Huntsville@hotmail.com. (See ad pg. 12)
Crash Boom Bang Theatre presents “Skits &
Giggles” at 9p.m. at the Flying Monkey Arts
Center. Admission is $7.
Free Gospel Concert “Jesus Ain’t Mad at You”
sponsored by Hellfighters Motorcycle Ministry
will be held on the Back Dock of Lowe Mill,
beginning at 6pm. This is an alcohol and drug free
event. Please bring a lawn chair. Lowe Mill is located
at 2211 Seminole Drive. Visit www.lowemill.net for
more information.
Marlowe’s Ribs and Restaurant and Elvis Fan
Club of Sharon Parker present Elvis Fan Meet-Up
at 12 Noon featuring singer/impressionist Kevin
Adams. For more information email Sharon Parker
at Elvis77Presley@hotmail.com. Marlowe’s is on
Elvis Presley Blvd. (5 miles past Graceland heading
towards Southhaven Mississippi).
“Wet Paint” will take the stage at 7:00PM at the
Arabian Theatre in Arab, AL. The cast will present
two contrasting monologues which they worked
during acting classes held at the Theatre Arts and
Dramatic Academy. Tickets may be purchased
for $2 at the door the night of the show. For more
ContinuedonPage22
21
Club on August 12 from 4:30-6:30PM. Please call
HAL 534-3860 for additional information.
Dance Club, 8006 Old Madison Pike, Madison.
Cost is $40 per person, $60 per couple (Repeat
students = $20 per person only) Cash is preferred.
No partner is necessary. For more information, email
August 13
Free Zydeco CD Dance sponsored by the Cajun
Zydeco Connection (CZC) of Huntsville will held
at the Eagles on 10th Street off Bob Wallace. A class
will be held at 7p.m. followed by a dance practice
session until 9p.m. See http://czdance.com for more
information.
WBCNA is offering a workshop entitled, “Building
an Awesome Website,” to be led by Tim Knox,
founder of Digital Graphiti, one of the first Internet
companies in North Alabama. The workshop will
be held form 10-noon at IMPACT Learning Center,
305 Scott Street in Scottsboro. There is not cost
to attend; however, reservations are requested by
calling Martha at 256-218-2121.
August 14
Beginner I Salsa Lessons will be given from 8:109:10p.m. in the Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison
preferred.
An Evening at the Cove, a kick-off for this year’s
Kitchens for CASA fundraiser, will be held at
Interior Marketplace at 7:00 p.m. For a $30 donation
to CASA, attendees will enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres
provided by Café Michael, sample a selection of
wine from featured distributor The Wine Source,
bid on Silent Auction items until 8:30, and enjoy
Private Shopping throughout the night. For more
information contact Amber Underwood, Volunteer
Administrator, at 256-533-7775 or voladmin@casa
madisoncty.org.
Ca l e n d a r o f
EVENTS
ContinuedfromPage21
information on “Wet Paint” or to register for fall
classes at TAADA, please contact Kelleybrooke
Brown at 256-558-6008 or at kelleybblackwell@ya
hoo.com
August 15
St. N.
August 11
International Park and featuring The Purple
Ravens at 6:30 p.m. and Toy Shop 7:20 p.m. This
event is free and open to the Public! Blankets,
Free Film Night will be held at Lowe Mill at 8pm
on every third Friday of each month. The Ironweed
Film Club series will be showing. The films will be
shown outside, unless we have bad weather, and
then we will move the showing inside downstairs.
As always, donations are appreciated. BYOB if you’re
over 21. Lowe Mill is located at 2211 Seminole
Drive in Huntsville. See www.lowemill.net for more
information.
August 11-14
The 11th Annual Space and Missile Defense
Conference and Exhibition will take place at
the Von Braun Center. The theme for this year’s
event is Space & Missile Defense...the Next 50 Years.
The SMD Conference is widely attended by more
than 6,000 professionals from throughout the
United States and our allies around the world. For
additional information, please contact Giselle Bodin
at 256-955-3889 or giselle.bodin@smdc.army.mil.
August 16
Rhymespot Poetry Showcase and Open Mic will
be held at 8:15p.m. at a location to be announced.
The cover charge is $10, but bring 3 or more school
supplies and receive $3 off. For more information,
including the location, visit www.myspace.com/
rhymespot. (See ad pg. 21)
Merrimack Hall will shake, rattle and roll when
Scot Bruce takes the stage as Elvis at 7:30.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $27 for seniors 60+.
Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center is located at
3320 Triana Blvd. See www.merrimackhall.com for
more information.
August 12
A Massage Therapy Program Open House will be
held from 6-7p.m. on the Calhoun Campus, HealthScience Bldg, Room 231. For more information,
contact tjobe4960@calhoun.edu, (256)260-1437, or
visit calhoun.edu/health/massage.
The Heritage Club hosts an exhibit of color-filled
works by HAL artists Peter Grant and S. Renee
Prasil during the months of August and September.
A reception to meet the artists will be held at the
22
The Elvis Presley Memorial Dinner will be held
at the Peabody Hotel in the grand ballroom.
Our guest list includes the famous and fabulous
Jordanaires, Terry Mike Jeffrey, Kevin Mills, Vince
Anthony, Gary Coleman, Will Debley , Gary Elvis Britt,
Kevin Adams, and others. For tickets ($75.00 each)
please make checks payable to EPMD and mail to
Marian Cocke @ 784 Pecan Gardens Circle East,
Memphis, Tn. 38122 and please enclose a SASE for
tickets to be returned to you. For more information,
visit www.collingwoodrockswithelvis.com.
#073108082008
3rd Dimension Entertainment presents the
gospel stage play “In His Safety” on at 2pm &
7pm. This play is written, produced, and directed
by Necia L. Sharpley. Tickets are $21.00 and are on
sale at James Records & Tapes in Huntsville and
Williams Books and Church Supplies in Decatur.
Group discounts are available. For more info call
466-7658.
Contra Dance with live music by Kaleidoscope
with calling by Harry Delugach will be held in the
gym of Faith Presbyterian, corner of Airport Rd.
& Whitesburg Dr. All ages are welcome: singles,
couples & families. Admission is $7.00/$4.00
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
students/Free for ages 12 & under. See http:
//secontra.com/NACDS.html for more info or call
837-0656
Huntsville Alive! Night with Elvis will be held
from 6-9p.m. at Merrimack Hall, 3320 Triana Blvd.
There will be reception, Elvis look-alike contest,
and Scot Bruce will perform as Elvis. Tickets are
$43.50 (Price includes private reception with jailhouse food, two drink tickets, and performance)
Tickets must be purchased by July 30! All seating
is reserved. Purchase tickets by calling Merrimack
Hall at 534-6455. See huntsvillealive.com for more
information.
Back 2 School Youth Jam featuring Major Gospel
recording artist Javen, Sean Simmonds, Melinda
Watts and others will take place at Gooch Place
in Madison at 7:30pm. The first 50 kids ages 10 and
under will receive a backpack full of school supplies.
Tons of other gifts will be given away. For ticket info
please call 325-5500 or visit goochplace.com.
August 17
Cajun and Zydeco Dance & Pot Luck sponsored
by Cajun Zydeco Connection of Huntsville will
be held from 4p.m. until dark at Ditto Landing
Pavilion. Bring a “pot luck” dish & folding chair.
Admission is $8 for non-members and $6 for
members. There will be CD dancing from 4 PM on.
See http://czdance.com for more information, or
call 534-2840.
Boozefighters will host a bikini bike wash for Skylar
Kirk at David’s Dreamgirls from 12-4pm. All bikes
are welcome!
A Benefit for Skylar Kirk will be held at 5p.m.
Sportspage on South Parkway. There will food,
drinks, and 5 bands to be announced. Raffle off
Huntsville Stars tickets, Gift Certificates for Ink Spot
Tattoo, Naughty and Spice, Bistro La Ville, Packages
for make-up and photo sessions, numerous
restaurant certificates, movie tickets, and SO much
more!
August 18
International Park and featuring Olde Towne
Brass at 6:30 p.m. and Young at Heart 7:20 p.m.
This event is free and open to the Public! Blankets,
August 19
Dance Club, 8006 Old Madison Pike, Madison.
Cost is $40 per person, $60 per couple (Repeat
students = $20 per person only) Cash is preferred.
No partner is necessary. For more information, email
August 21
Beginner I Salsa Lessons will be given from 8:10-9:
10p.m. in the Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison
preferred.
Cheeseburger in Paradise hosted by HYP will be
held from 6-9p.m. at Ditto Pavilion. Enjoy a cook
out while listening to some great live music right
by the water. There will be a drawing to win a
convertible bug for one month. $10 cover and we
will provide three drink tickets equal to a beer or
wine. See www.gethyp.net for more information.
Calendar of
EVENTS
ContinuedfromPage22
August 23
The Madison Rotary Club will host the sixth annual
Parrots of the Caribbean, an outdoor evening of
live music, food, and libations from 6:00 pm to 11:00
pm at #58 Martin Street in Downtown Madison.
This year’s musical guest is Four on the Floor. Event
is held rain or shine. Tickets are $15 in advance and
$20 the night of the event and can be purchased
from Madison Rotarians, at the Madison branch
of First Commercial Bank, or the Madison Public
Library.
August 24
Kitchens for CASA is CASA’s primary annual
fundraiser. This year’s tour will be held from 1:00
- 5:00 p.m. Kitchens for CASA is a self guided tour
of many designer kitchens in several of Madison
County’s most exceptional homes. Most of the
kitchens included on the tour feature products
from many local merchants, so if you are looking
to remodel, Kitchens for CASA is the place to go!
Tickets are a $15 donation to CASA. All proceeds
benefit CASA’s programs for the elderly and
homebound. For more information contact Amber
Underwood, Volunteer Administrator, at 256-5337775 or voladmin@casamadisoncty.org.
August 24-27
Renaissance Theatre presents La Cage aux Folles
at 8p.m on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 matinee
showings on Saturday and Sunday. All seats are
$20. For more information, visit www.renaissancet
heatre.net.
The End!
Belly Dancing
- Not Family Friendly?
by:Luisa Morenilla
M
embers of the Beledi Club of
Huntsville have been shaking it
since 2005, yet many city residents
are still unfamiliar with the dance studio that
specializes in belly dance and other Middle
Eastern dance forms.
Boz, who travels the world as an instructor,
made his Alabama debut at the performance.
He conducted a belly dance workshop for the
club on Saturday and Sunday that attracted
belly dance enthusiasts from across the
Southeast.
Beledi Club dance instructor Elizabeth Butler
said she hoped Saturday night’s performance
at Huntsville’s American Legion would
raise awareness for the club, and the art of
belly dance, by showcasing the area’s most
talented belly dancers.
Becky Waller, who watched the show with
her family, has been belly dancing for three
years, and traveled from Savannah, Georgia
just to work with Boz, whose talent she has
long admired, she said.
“Some people have a stereotype that it’s not a
family-friendly event, but it is,” she said.
She also hoped that the night’s performance
might serve to shatter people’s stereotype
that it is an exclusively female art form, by
featuring veteran belly dancer Jim Boz.
Butler said the club will bring in two
more renowned belly dancers to conduct
workshops this year- one in October and one
in November.
Butler said she was pleased with the turnout
for Saturday’s show, which she estimated to
be 150 people. One hundred percent of the
recommended $10 admission donations were
donated to the Humane Society.
ValleyPlanet
Birthday
Pictures
The Sidewalk Arts Stroll will be going on from 4:
30-8:30p.m. on the square around the courthouse.
For more information, visit www.sidewalkartsstro
ll.com.
August 22
All are welcome to pack a picnic and come to the
Huntsville Museum of Art’s west lawn at sundown
to enjoy Bedknobs and Broomsticks as part of
Classic Movies in the Park.
Danielle Cox a member of the Lumani and the Lounge Lizards dance group
Photo by Luisa Morenilla.
Don’t Forget About
the 3rd Annual
Tax-Free Weekend!
August 1st - 3rd
St. N.
The Redstone Officers and Civilians’ Club
presents Comedy Night with Spark Mann, Tom
Foss, and Tim Lewis. The show starts at 7:30p.m.
and dinner is at 6p.m. Advance tickets are $16 with
dinner, $8 without; tickets at the door are $20 with
dinner, $12 without. For more information, call
(256)830-2582. (See ad pg. 24)
ContinuedonPage23
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
23
1 Tank
2 Pensacola
by: J.Wood
A
T
he Golden Retriever (according to
The Complete Encyclopedia of Dog
Breeds) came about in the United
Kingdom in the 19th century when a yellow
Wavy-coated Retriever was crossed with a
Tweed Water Spaniel. The four offspring
of this match are considered the ancestors
of Goldens.
Goldens are perhaps best known for
their ability to retrieve “game,” but they
also do other kinds of work—guide dog
responsibilities, bomb and drug detection,
and rescue.
Goldens are also known for their gentle,
friendly demeanor, making them popular
household pets (or, as Auntie Jen prefers to
say, children).
I’ve known a lot of Goldens in my time.
They each have their unique personalities,
but one thing seems to be true of them
all—regardless of age and size, they are
eternal puppies.
Take Maggie, my Golden sister. She just
celebrated her 1st birthday on May 12, and
she’s as much puppy as she was the day
her proud dad brought her home from her
birthplace in Huntsville to HER house in
Hartselle. (There’s even a sign on the front
door that reads “Maggie’s House.”)
The day of our interview, Maggie had a
busy schedule, mainly looking around the
backyard for “Elephant” (her first squeaky
toy that miraculously survived puppyhood).
But the idea of being a Valley Planet celebrity
was so exciting to her that she actually
(almost) sat still for a half hour interview
so Auntie Jen could pick her brain…and get
licked in the face a whole bunch of times.
AJ: Maggie, what fulfills a complex dog
like yourself?
Maggie: Chasing balls, retrieving dummies,
destroying things like paper dog food sacks,
eating paper towels, and generally driving
my dad crazy.
AJ: How do you feel about boys?
Maggie: Uh! I’m just a girl puppy! Boys?
Yuk!
AJ: Do you have a favorite perfume?
Maggie: Eau de Wet Dog.
AJ: What’s your biggest quirk?
Maggie: I have to have my dummy in my
mouth when I go potty. Dad says I have
something called Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder.
AJ: What’s your favorite color?
Maggie: Color? What’s color?
AJ: Lots of Goldens like water. Are you a
water dog, Maggie?
Maggie: Yes, I am. I love the rain. I love to
swim in my swimming pool…Oh, and I love
toilet water. I hear there’s something called a
bath, but I’ve never had one of those. Other
dogs say they make you stink.
Maggie: Yeah, but I don’t really like to
stick my head out the window like some
dogs. I prefer to look at Dad and bark at him
while he drives, especially when he won’t
let me get under his feet. He can be strict
sometimes.
AJ: Who’s your hero?
Maggie: My dad. He says he exists to love
me.
AJ: What’s your favorite treat?
Maggie: A Whopper Jr. without the onions.
Onions are really bad for dogs.
AJ: Are there any groups you support?
Maggie: I like Ducks Unlimited because
they help preserve our wetlands. And I
like the ASPCA because they have lots of
helpful information for my dad, like things
he shouldn’t use around his backyard or keep
in the house that could hurt me.
AJ:
What’s
accomplishment?
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
life
Maggie: I’d like to thank Valley Planet for
making me a star. When this comes out, I’m
totally getting a copy to frame and make my
dad hang on the wall…And, if it’s ok, I’d like
one to chew up, too. And I mean that as a big
compliment.
(Please send your funny animal stories to me
at writers@valleyplanet.com.)
We found tons of hermit crabs, starfish and
sandollars (of course we threw back the live
ones) and every jellyfish found us.
Besides dining at Lillian’s Pan Pizza, Doc’s,
the Shrimp Basket, the Crab Trap and getting
a snow cone at Da Girlz Place and a beer
and a lottery ticket at the FloraBama in the
Perdido and Orange Beach areas, we took a
day to spend in Pensacola. It is only fourteen
miles to Pensacola from Perdido! Our new
friend Laura Lee from the Pensacola Bay
Area Convention & Visitors Bureau drove us
around to see the sights and enlightened us
about some very interesting historical facts
and landmarks in the area. One extremely
remarkable event going on as we speak is
the uncovering of a Spanish ship (traveling
in 1559) that was recently found in the
Bay in about eight feet of water. Amazing
that it could be right there for hundreds of
years just a few feet from the shore! The
barracuda inhabited Pensacola pier, the
Bayview Dog beach, the huge, clean seafood
market called Joe Patti’s Seafood and lunch
at a very cool place around the corner from it
named the Fish House (signature dish “Grits
a Ya Ya -smoked gouda cheese grits topped
with grilled shrimp!) were the high points.
Whatever you choose to do, free or not, make
sure to save money for the tank back home,
gas might be up to $5 by then!
Check out the website: www.1tank2
pensacola.com for the following list and
more information! If you need to board
your pet…we had a good experience at Bella
Pooch in Perdido Beach and the La Quinta
Inn welcomes pets.
25 Fun, Free Things to Do In Pensacola
Southeast.
5.Bring a lawn chair and enjoy an outdoor
concert at Evenings in Old Seville (May
– September)
6.Learn about sea life and coastal ecology
at Gulf Islands National Seashore ranger led
programs for kids.
7.Watch the world-famous Blue Angels
practice on most Tuesday and Wednesday
mornings (March – November) at the
National Naval Aviation Museum.
8.Kick back and enjoy a fabulous Gulf Coast
sunset.
9.Explore nature and take a hike at the
Edward Ball Nature Trail located on the
University of West Florida campus.
9.On Tuesday evenings from May
– September head to the Gulfside Pavilion
on Pensacola Beach for Bands on the Beach
Concerts.
10.Visit the Veterans Memorial Park –
featuring a World War II Memorial, a Korean
War Memorial and The Wall South – the
nation’s only full-name permanent replica
of Washington D.C.’s Vietnam Veteran’s
Memorial.
11.Uncover history a the Pensacola Colonial
Archaeological Trail – if you’re timing is
right you can actually participate in a dig!
12.See the only natural bluffs in Florida
at Bay Bluff Park located along Scenic
Highway.
13.Go bird watching at Project GreenShores
– a habitat restoration project along
Pensacola’s waterfront.
14.Stroll through Pensacola’s Palafox and
Seville historic districts where you’ll find
a wealth of shops, galleries and restaurants.
15.Visit Old Christ Church – one of Florida’s
oldest churches.
16.Search for sand dollars, seashells and
hermit crabs along the shoreline on Pensacola
Beach and Perdido Key.
17.Play a game of disc golf at Shoreline Park
in Gulf Breeze.
18.Enjoy the Sounds of Summer concert
series most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
at the Quietwater Shell on Pensacola Beach.
(June – August).
19.Tour Fort Barrancas and Advanced
Redoubt at NAS Pensacola.
20.Visit the Pensacola Lighthouse – the
fourth-tallest brick lighthouse in the nation.
21.Plan you stay around one of our many
festivals – Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival,
Pensacola Seafood Festival, Pensacola Jazz
Fest and Goombay Gulf Coast to name a
few. For a complete list and details see our
calendar of events.
22.Enjoy free admission on Tuesdays at the
Pensacola Museum of Art which features
traveling exhibits of national prominence
such as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali.
23.Get a glimpse of the past at St. Michael’s
Cemetery, a burying ground since the late
18th century.
25.Wade, splash or swim in crystal clear Gulf
of Mexico waters.
1.Play on our stunning white sandy beaches.
2.Visit the National Naval Aviation Museum
– one of the largest aviation museums in the
world
3.Learn about Pensacola’s rich history at the
T.T. Wentworth Jr., Florida State Museum
4.Browse works from more than 200 local
artists at Quayside Gallery in Downtown
Pensacola, the largest co-op gallery in the
Maggie: Gangsta rap. My dream is to one
day star in a Snoop Dogg video!
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
greatest
AJ: Is there anything else you’d like to
add?
AJ: What’s your favorite music?
#073108082008
your
Maggie: I’ve been able to destroy every
Kong toy my sister’s ever given me! I don’t
know any other dogs who can destroy a
Made in the USA Kong toy. I’m pretty proud
of that one.
Maggie:
I’ve never actually been to
someone they call a shrink, but Dad says
I definitely have a bad case of Attention
Deficit Disorder, too.
I will admit that all of my activities were not
free, especially eating out, but many of them
were. My favorite “freebies” were walking
and shell collecting at Johnson Beach,
eagle watching, snorkeling at Blue Lagoon,
visiting the “Pet Beach”, checking out the
archaeological digs and the Art Gallery in
the old jail and catching rays on the beach.
AJ: Do you like going for car rides?
AJ: Ok then. So what is your opinion on
modern psychiatry?
24
fter taking a marvelous vacation at
Perdido Key and Pensacola beaches, I
came back to gas prices above $4 per
gallon! Criminal! But, we North Alabamians
are going to keep on taking vacations and are
going to head south to the beach. Pensacola
has a slogan “One tank to Pensacola”. So…
if you can pay for a tank of $4/gallon gas to
get there, once you are there they have a lot
of fun free activities for you to do.
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
25
Romping With Miss Mary Bobo
You know it’s a good recipe if it starts with a
stick of butter. – Paula Deen
Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House
Restaurant
295 Main Street (just off Town Square)
Lynchburg, TN 37352
(931) 759-7394
www.jackdaniels.co.uk/lynchburg/
boarding.asp
Monday—Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Monday—Saturday, 11:00 a.m. (based on
demand)
Saturday, 3:00 p.m. (based on demand)
Reservations Compulsory
M
any, many moons ago, I tendered an
invite to college kid David Sharp,
one of the Subclass Affiliates of
the Epicurean Snobs Triumvirate, so that
we might dine together at one of our local
mom-and-pop’s: “You wanna go to Mullins
tonight?” I asked, whereupon he responded,
“I have class, man.” To which I replied, “So
do I, but I’m going anyway.”
That confab with EST’s “Baron de
Crescendo” points out an almost-moral
dilemma that confounds most food-lovers,
from those who haunt the Hickory Farms
sample plates to connoisseurs of the hottest
and hautest cuisines. Can oenophiles savor
pot liquor? Should the well bred relish
cracklin’ bread? Was Anne Landers fried
when she said one could eat fried chicken
with their fingers?
Well, take a gander at the Food Network.
Joining the Deens are Alton Brown, who
offers recipes for “southern biscuits,” and
Rachael Ray, who’s cooking “sweet n’
southern,” while over on the Travel Channel,
Andrew Zimmern recently devoured four
orphaned possums and the Mayor of Atlanta.
The official word is, “You can have your
hoecake and eat it, too.”
The former Bettinna Student (Empress, et
al.) and I (Mikado, et al.) would no more
have turned up disdainful noses at a mess of
collards than we would hang up our cleavers
and renounce our favorite, from-scratch, Pei
Mei stir-fried cuttlefish mélanges. Even
EST’s Pendragon (also et al.), Steve Ponder,
could whip up a mean cauldron of pintos and
a skillet of cornbread when withdrawals took
hold. We did, however, draw the line at pig
tails and hog maws, employing them instead
as a substitute for the more pedestrian toilet
paper when decking one another’s front
lawns.
As much as we love the multiplicity of
ethnic establishments in our area, the blessed
“within-our-grasp” status of some superb
upscale restaurants, and the handy nature of
microwaveables, sometimes you just have
to take a break and go back to the basics…
down-home cookin.’
With that, I decided to forsake our environs
for a Saturday jaunt, heading slightly north
to one of the bastions of southern kitchen
wizardry, Miss Mary Bobo’s. Yes, THE
Mary Bobo’s, which is even now celebrating
its centennial—one more great reason to
check it out. Accompanying me were a
most motley crew, including Gary Gee and
his fiancée, Lori Golden; “Magic Matt”
Growden and his fiancée, Jackie Bailey;
Rhonda Prentice and her fiancé, Daniel
“Dani” Jada; and Donny Becht, who ain’t
affianced and ain’t planning on it.
The big, happy vanful of travelers I’d
envisioned came crashing down as Gary
announced he’d be coming back separately to
deal with family house-hunting issues, Matt
declared Jackie was on-call with Huntsville
Hospital and they’d ride separately, and
Rhonda and Dani arrived after the rest of us
left. I should have known ill fortune loomed
26
from my childhood cuisine, with each item
spruced up and looking and tasting its very
best, and, fortunately, the meal blessedly free
of the old tendency in southern cooking to
reduce vegetables to an indefinable mush.”
by: Jim Zielinski
when I kicked off the morn by watching
Donny, who was picking me up, park briefly
at the house next door and then drive off
before I could get his attention. Ah, well.
Eschewing a planned side trip to the Swiss
Pantry, we decided the point was now just to
get there alive and in time for the Pavlovian
clangor of the well-worn dinner bell.
That, too, seemed problematic as we drove
down Winchester only to find it blocked,
with the detour apparently compelling us to
drive through field and dale. So off we went
down I-565, just missing the Sparkman exit
leading to North Parkway. Somehow, we
finally we made it onto Meridian Street, at
which point we had Rhonda calling us on the
phone intermittingly, somehow timing it so I
was talking to her each time I was supposed
to give Matt another verbal direction. I
mean, we almost overshot the Fayetteville
bypass because I was talking to the chick that
actually had a GPS with her. What?!?!
On normal days, it’s a pleasant journey
and, as time raced by, we passed through
Meridianville, Hazel Green, Park City,
Fayetteville, Mulberry…all those places
where you are either related to me or were,
before you were buried.
Finally, we made it. And JUST in the nick of
time…was there ever a mob! Amongst them
was the celebrated Wynn Oldham, another
of the Huntsville theatre crowd. Plus church
groups. Plus big families. There is certainly
a rationale for making your reservations far
in advance, as well as an excuse for making
your Saturday plans waaaay far in advance.
This is neither a bed-and-breakfast nor a true
boarding house, but instead an icon, respite,
and tourist Mecca, so be prepared. You’ll
be amazed to discover the common ground
shared between ham hocks and the Lorelei.
There’s much to recommend Bobo’s…in
addition to the justifiable renown of the
foodstuffs, there’s the “atmos,” itself. Set
in a laid-back little hamlet, the recently
renovated Federal-style house, standing just
a block off town square and boasting a roomy
porch surrounded by maples and flowers,
calls softly to your inner julep. There’s also
the proximity of the Jack Daniels’ Distillery
for those who wish to tour and inhale various
stages of various mash. But more on that
later.
After scant moments spent perusing the gift
shop, the ringing began and we were led
lemminglike to our destination. Down the
wooden stairs we tumbled, where we were
slated to dine in the Fanning Room (not to
be confused with Mullins, circa 1978). I
was most glad we’d nabbed the ground
floor area, just about the oldest section of
the house, and just across the hall from the
spring upon which the original edifice was
constructed. Gary’s immediate response to
the aura and a table smothered in southern
fare was “AWESOME!” but there are those
of us who wonder whether that might be
attributed to the fact that this is the closest
he’s actually gotten to a Gone with the Windlike experience without eating a raw turnip
or birthin’ a baby.
Our large, Arthurian table was impressive,
its roundness perfect for intense confab.
These are typically topped with a rotating
“shelf” of sorts—a bit reminiscent of Bea’s
in Chattanooga—allowing easier access to
the victuals. Alas, the closest we came to
a Lazy Susan was a Somnolent Rhonda;
evidently, Suzie had been observed turning
without aid, leading visiting tots to fear La
Bobo had returned in spectral form, perhaps
to possess the greens.
With or without circumnavigation, we all
doted over the Table d’hôte: fried chicken,
#073108082008
Continuing his encomium—and thus
cementing his position as the “Katherine
Tucker Windham of Holmes Street,” he
added:
meatloaf, fried okra, baked apples, blackeyed peas, turnip greens, a sweet pepper
salsa/chow-chow, cornbread muffins, a giant
bowl of cheese grits (polenta sans attitude),
and a delicious cobbler that was rumored to
be cherry, but apparently was rather a fruit
mix. Some know their onions; we know our
blackberries.
The meal, incidentally, is prix fixe and said
prix is fixed at $19, which includes your tax.
For the bottomless meal you receive, it’s
well worth it. And there’s more to the round
table than just dining; we were also joined
by a gracious hostess, one Georgia Hensley,
who served as tour guide, historian, fellow
deipnosophist, and, provided you agree
that iced tea is the “Wine of the South,”
sommelier. That she is apparently a lifetime
member of the Moore County Historical and
Genealogical Society is no surprise. Rhonda
described her as a “perfectly lovely garnish
to a perfectly lovely meal” and, let us add,
much more personable than parsley.
Our servers were students from nearby
Motlow College, referred to by my cousin
David (for reasons of his own) as “Fred
Tech.” They kept the bowls and platters,
which we were encouraged to continually
pass to our left, brimming with delectables.
The cloth napkins added even more to the
homey feel, and were handy for wrapping
the fingers of the servers who held onto the
fried okra just a bit too long.
Though sections of the building date back
to 1820 (specifically the area in which we
were seated) and even earlier, the Bobo
story began in September 1908 when the
young proprietress and husband Jack took
possession of the historic Salmon Hotel,
which had been a traveler’s stopover since
1867. Mary ran the business until 1982,
when she passed away, just weeks short of
her 102nd birthday. Currently, it is run by
Jack Daniel’s great-grandniece, nutritionist
and cookbook author Lynne Tolley; in fact,
the boarding house is owned by the distillery,
which purchased it in 1984. Tolley is also a
Master Taster at the distillery and, while she
might not make it to 102, her body should be
preserved well into the next millennium.
Though everything rated high on the
Mayberry Scale, favorites included the
aforementioned okra and fried chicken.
Rhonda confirmed this, lauding the “fine
country, crunchy crust” and adding that
Dani, being a teetotaler, was particularly
caught off guard to discover the addictive
baked apples had a touch of the “local
product,” a.k.a. hooch, in them. Georgia,
in turn, seemed a bit surprised to discover
Dani and the rest of the Indian nation also
cooked okra, so whoever labors under the
misapprehension that the veggie is limited to
the southern states needs to include the state
of Andhra Pradesh. We then spent some time
discoursing on the mechanics of hominy, for
it appears the cheese grits also transcended
the Indo-American line. Dessert and a cup
or two of hot java rounded out the experience
in fine form.
Happily, the gang was quite enrapt with the
establishment. Said the shy and retiring
Donny:
“The food was like an idealized version of the
southern cooking I remember so well from
my childhood—sort of a ‘greatest hits’ list
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
“…As for the ambience of the house itself…
well, sitting in the front parlor/living room,
looking out the window towards the street
running in front of the house, I had a sense
of being transported into an archetypal past
which actually may or may not ever have
been quite as real as it felt in that moment.
Something about the composition of the
scene—the narrow front yard, but with a
big sprawling tree, benches on the porch and
in the yard, white picket fence all around,
and the permeating atmosphere of a quiet
tiny American town—reconnected me, not
so much to my own past, I suspect, as to a
dreamlike past of celluloid shadows…”
Rumors that Simon and Garfunkel are
reuniting for the 16th time in order to
set Donny’s critique to music may seem
premature, but don’t say you weren’t
warned.
Incidentally, the earlier hooch reference
brings to mind another part of the saga, for
mere minutes away is the epicenter of the
Jack Daniels Empire…the oldest registered
distillery in the United States. Needless to
say, but I’m going to, it’s on the National
Register of Historic Places. It was also on
our radar.
Initially we were compelled to laze about the
comfy parlor, waiting out the sudden burst
of inclement weather, but we rapidly betook
ourselves distillery-wards once the salute to
Noah ended and the streets returned to a less
Venetian state. The tours (which leave on the
quarter hour) include a couple of short films,
a visit to the original offices, and looks into
the granary, cooked and fermented mash, the
rickyard, where the charcoal used in filtering
the creation is produced, and various storage
areas. It proved an interesting final course
to the earlier feeding frenzy. Do bear in
mind, however, that the lion’s share of the
tour exposes you to the elements, so prep
accordingly. Let us also add you can now
buy Jack Daniels at Jack Daniels…and if you
don’t know why that has to be mentioned,
let’s just say it’s a long story.
It should be obvious by now that a sojourn
to the Casa de Bobo and its surroundings
is definitely recommended. It’s Southern
Hospitality in its rawest form, offering a
Rockwellian escape from our Orwellian
times. If you’re looking for a good, homestyle, meat-infused spread, this is the place…
but if you’re remotely vegetarian, see Dani
and find out more about Andhra Pradesh.
Again, take great pains to call ahead and
book your spot! Even with the renovation/
expansion, demand easily exceeds reality,
as well as the 98-person capacity, ensuring
that the home is now open on Sundays,
as well. Depending on the day, there are
11:00 seatings for early lunch (I’m all for
elevenses!) as well as 1:00 and 3:00 options.
Of course, if you’re planning to attend the
very popular Christmas meals this Yuletide
season, be sure to make your reservations
about a week ago, last March.
And allow yourself an hour’s ride from
Huntspatch, unless you’re going with
my group, as well as room in the car for
tchotchkes and more practical souvenirs.
Indeed, both Jackie and Lori took home
cookbooks and thus you will doubtless soon
find members of the gang, as Gary put it,
“Driving Under the Influence of Apples.”
Listings
listings@valleyplanet.com
Cont.from19
801 FRANKLIN
APPLEBEE’S
3150 N. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256 859-4200
11331 Hwy 72 E., Athens
BEAUREGARD’S (3 Huntsville locations)
1009 N.Memorial Pkwy , 256-512-0074
511 Jordan Lane, 256-837-2433
975 Airport Rd. SW, 256-880-2131
1421 H.Paramount Dr., Huntsville, 256-489-5380
BISTRO LA LUNA
7001 Val-Monte Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-0930.
BISTRO LA VILLE
7914 South Memorial Pkwy, STE E16, Huntsville 256 489-1515
B&J RESTAURANT
Hwy 231 S., Lacey Springs, 256-880-0521
THE BLUE PARROT
7001 Val Monte Drive, Guntersville, 256 582-0930
BONEFISH GRILL
4800 Whitesburg Dr. , 256-883-0643
BUFFALO WILD WINGS
2750 Carl T. Jones Dr., Huntsville, 256-650-4115
CAFE 113
113 Grant St. SE, Decatur, 256-350-1400
CAFÉ MICHAEL
5732 HWY 431 S, Huntsville, 256-539-9113.
CAHOOTS
114 WestMarket Street, Fayetteville, 931 433-1173
Breakfast
Coffee&Lunch
TONY’S ITALIAN DELI (2 Locations)
119 James Madison Drive SW, Huntsville, 256-772-444
Airport Rd., Huntsville,
CRACKER BARREL (2 Locations)
2001 Drake Ave, Huntsville256-881-4177
120 Cleghorn Blvd., Madison,256-461-7670
Italian
ALFONSO’S
2400 6th Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-355-1045
SOUL BURGER
2900 Triana Blvd. SW, Huntsville, 256-534-8585
AROMA’S
6275 University Dr. NW #24, Huntsville, 256-425-0495
COFFEE TREE BOOKS & BREW, THE
7900 Bailey Cove Rd., Huntsville, 256-880-6464
ROSIE’S MEXICAN CANTINA (2 locations)
7540 S. Memorial Pkwy, 256-382-3232
SCHLOTZSKY’S DELI (3 locations)
4319 University Drive NW, 256-830-6400
11120 Memorial Pkwy SW, 256-650-6300
8969 Hwy. 20, Madison, 256-464-5300
STANLIEO’S SUB VILLA (2 Huntsville locations)
605 Jordan Lane, 256-837-7220
602 Governors Drive, 256-536-6585
COFFEE AND TEA COMPANY
Madison Square Mall, Huntsville 256-837-7085
PHIL SANDOVAL’S MEXICAN RESTAURANTE
6125 University Dr., Huntsville, 256-489-5711
SAM & GREG’S GELATO CAFE
119 North Side Sq. , Huntsville, 256-533-9030
ANGEL’S ISLAND COFFEE
7538 S.Memorial Pkwy., Huntsville, 256-319-3424
COFFEE CREATIONS
616 HWY 31, S ATHENS, AL 35611
PEPITO’S
3508 Mem. Pkwy. S, Huntsville, 256-858-0059
RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS
2720 Carl T. Jones Dr., Huntsville, 256-650-1367
365 The Bridge St., Huntsville, 256-327-8530
WILD FLOUR BISTRO
501 Jordan Ln., Huntsville, 256-722-9401
BROKEN EGG CAFE
2750 Carl T. Jones Dr., Huntsville
MARIA BONITA GRILL & CANTINA
125 E. Moulton St., Decatur, 256-552-1903
McALLISTER’S DELI (2 Huntsville locations)
4800 Whitesburg Drive S, 256-880-1557
1480 Perimeter Pkwy, 256-425-0034.
WEST SIDE COFFEE PLACE & CAFE
2699B Sandlin Rd., SW, Decatur, 256-353-2025
ALABAMA BREAD COMPANY
975 Airport Rd., Huntsville, 256-882-2010.
LITTLE ROSIE’S TAQUERIA
4781 Whitesburg Dr S, Huntsville, 256-882-0014
HOTDOGGIT
6610 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville
TOP O’ THE RIVER
7004 Val-Monte, Guntersville, 256-582-4567
CARRABAS
Parkway Place Mall Huntsville, Al 35801
LA STRADA
524 Gunter Ave., Guntersville. 256-582-2250.
LUCIANO
964 Airport Road SW, Huntsville, 256-885-0505
RICATONI’S ITALIAN GRILL
107 N. Court St., Florence, 256-718-1002
BBQ
ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL
5901 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-722-4770
BB PERRINS
608 Holly St, NE, Decatur, 256-355-0980
TELLINI’S CAFE & GRILL (2 LOCATIONS)
4855 Whitesburg Dr. Huntsville, 256-881-9155
1515 Perimeter Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-726-9006
CLEM’S BBQ & FISHERY
3700 Blue Spring Rd., Huntsville, 256-852-6661
TERRANOVA’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
1420 Paramount Dr., Huntsville, 256-489-8883
DREAMLAND
3855 University Dr., Huntsville 256-539-7427
Japanese
DAILY BREW
2941 St. Mallard Pkwy, Decatur, 256-355-0330
GIBSON BBQ (4 locations)
3319 Memorial Pkwy., Huntsville, 256-881-4851
8412 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, 256-882-0841
735 Hwy 72 E, Huntsville, 256-852-9882
1715 6th Ave., SE, Decatur, 256-350-6969
EDO JAPANESE RESTAURANT
104 N. Intercom Drive, Madison, 256-772-0360
CHOPHOUSE, THE
109 Washington Street, Huntsville, 256-704-5555.
ELK RIVER COFFEE COMPANY
117 Main Avenue North, Fayetteville, 931- 438-9888
MERIDIANVILLE BBQ
11537 Hwy. 231N., Meridianville, 256-828-3725
I LOVE SUSHI
2000 Cecil Ashburn Dr. ATE 102, Huntsville, , 256-885-1818
CLAYSVILLE SNACK BAR
21192 U.S. Hwy 431, Gunterville
JAMO’S CAFÉ
413 Jordan Lane NW, Huntsville, 256-837-7880.
OLE HICKORY PIT BBQ
5061 Maysville Road New Market, 256-859-2824
CRAWMAMMA’S
5000 Webb Villa, Guntersville, 256-582-0484
JAVA JAAY CAFE (2 Decautr Locations)
1713 6th Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-351-8555
1801 Beltline Rd. (Colonial Mall), 256-350-6700.
SIMMON’S BBQ
10099 SOUTH MEMORIAL PARKWAY, 256-882-5030
MIKATO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & LOUNGE
4061 Independence Dr. NW, Huntsville, 256-830-1700.
SMOKEY’S BARBEQUE
8073 Hwy 72, W, Madison, 256-721-0300
MIKAWA RESTAURANT
1010 Heathland Dr, Huntsville, 256-837-7440.
TAILGATER’S BBQ
5638 Hwy 53, Huntsville 256- 852-3388
MISO HOUSE
404 Jordan Lane, Huntsville. 256-489-7766
THOMAS PIT BBQ
Hwy 72 ,W, Madison, 256-837-4900
MIWON JAPANESE RESTAURANT
404 Jordan Lane NW, Huntsville, 256-533-7771
CHILI’S (2 Huntsville locations)
2740 Carl T. Jones, 256-882-1230
CUES STEAKHOUSE
12361 U.S. Hwy 431, Guntersville,
D&L BISTRO
7500 SW Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville,
256-881-7244, located in Main St. South
KAFFEEKLATSCH
LAGNIAPPES COFFEE CAFE
119 East Moulton, Decatur
MAMA FU’S ASIAN HOUSE
6920 University Dr. Huntsville, 256-830-4433
THE DOCKS
417 Ed Hembree, Scottsboro, 256-574-3071
LITTLE DINER (across form Chuckee Cheese)
1219 Jordan Lane Suite A, Huntsville, 256 837-6971
DOLCE
365 The Bridge Street, Huntsville, 256-327-8385
MAMA ANNIE’S
4550 Meridian St. N, Huntsville, 256-489-3275
EDEN’S EAST
2413-B Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-721-9491
O’HOULIHAN’S
101 East Market Street, Fayetteville 931 433-0557
BILL’S CAFE
111 East Market St., Fayetteville, 931 433-5332
SHO GUN JAPANESE STEAK & SUSHI BAR
FURNITURE FACTORY BAR & GRILL
OLDE TOWNE COFFEE SHOPPE
511 Pratt Ave NE, Huntsville, 256-539-5399
BISCUITS AND BLUES
325 The Bridge Street, Huntsville, 256-327-8490
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & SUSHI BAR
1105 Wayne Road, Huntsville, 256-217-1719
STEARNS COFFEE
2113 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, 256-534-0513
BLUE PLATE CAFE
3210 Governors Drive, Huntsville, 256-533-8808
SUBWAY
14450 hwy 231-431 STE A, Hazel Green
DUFFEY’S
5125 Moores Mill Rd., Huntsville, 256-859-6003
WILD ROSE CAFE
121 North Side Square, Huntsville, 256-539-3658
ERNEY’S
1605 Pulaski Pike NW, Huntsville, (256) 533-5734
GAME DAY GRILL
10871 County Line Rd. STE E, Madison, 256 461-8082
GRILLE 29
445 Providence Main, Huntsville, 256-489-9470.
HAZEL GREEN FAMILY RESTAURANT
13903 Hwy 231-431 N, Hazel Green 256 828-7959
HOOTERS
Cajun
HUMPHREY’S BAR & GRILL
109 Washington Street, Huntsville, 256-704-5555.
CAJUN CAFE
704 Hwy 231 Lacey’s Spring 256-650-5586
INDIGO JOE’S
7407 Hwy 72 W Madison, AL 256-489-9393
PO BOY FACTORY
815 Andrew Jackson Way, Huntsville, 256-539-3616.
JAZZ FACTORY
109 North Side Square, Huntsville, 256-539-1919.
K C’s COYOTE CAFE
410 Old Town St., Guntersville, 256-582-1676
KETCHUP
Bridge Street Town Center, Huntsville, 256-327-8390
LE BISTRO DU SOLEIL
300 Franklin Street, Huntsville, 256-539-7777
LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE (3 Huntsville locations)
4249 Balmoral Drive, Huntsville, 256-881-0584
University Drive NW, Huntsvile
2315 Beltline SW, Decatur, 256-432-2746
MAIN STREET CAFE
101Main Street, Madison, 461-8096
MAMA ANNIE’S
4550 Meridian Street N, 489-3275
THE PALETTE’ CAFÉ
5000 Whitesburg, Huntsville, AL, 256-533-2230
PAULI’S BAR & GRILL
7143-C Hwy 72 W, Huntsville, 256-722-2080.
THE RESTAURANT
2167 Winchester Hwy, Kelso, TN, 931-433-9946
SCENE AT BRIDGE STREET
370 The Bridge Street, Huntsville,
SHEA’S EXPRESS
415 E Church St, Huntsville AL, 532-5277
SWAMP JOHN’S RESTAURANT
2850 N. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, Al 851-7760
THE VALLEY PLANET
TGI FRIDAY’S
4935 University Drive NW, Huntsville, 256-830-2793
WINGS SPORTS GRILLE
4250 Balmoral Dr. SW, Huntsville, 256-881-8878.
LA ALAMEDA
3807 University Drive NW, Huntsville, 256-539-6244
FIREHOUSE SUBS
3022 S.Mem.Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-880-8246
8572 Madison Blvd.,, Madion, 256-774-8028
TINA’S CANTINA @ Lowe Mill
2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville, 256-457-0977
THE VALLEY PLANET
TIM’S CAJUN KITCHEN
114 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-533-7589.
Mediterranean
PAPOU’S
110 South Side Square, Huntsville, 256-534-5553
Burgers,Deli
&Pizza
BELLACINO’S PIZZA & GRINDERS (2 locations)
4851 Whitesburg Dr, 256-880-8656
BIG ED’S PIZZERIA
903 North Parkway Huntsville 256-489-3374
C.F. PENN HAMBURGERS
121 E. Moulton St., Decatur, 256-553-1903
CHEEBURGER, CHEEBURGER (3 locations)
300 Hughes Rd, Madison, 256-464-9990
Providence Main, Huntsville
DALLAS MILL DELI
500 Pratt Ave. Huntsville, 256-489-4240
DUFFY’S DELI
2324 Whitesburg, Huntsville, 256-533-4179
#073108082008
HomeCooking
MIYAKO
10013 South Parkway, Huntsville, 256-880-9879
ROYAL BUFFET
2003 Drake Ave. Huntsville, 256-883-8998
Thai
PHUKET
Providence Town, Huntsville, 256-489-1612
G’S COUNTRY KITCHEN
2501 Oakwood Dr., Huntsville, 256-533-3034
SURIN OF THAILAND (2 locations)
975 Airport Rd SW, Huntsville, 256-213-9866
Hwy 72 ,Madison
MAMA ANNIE’S
4550 Meridian St. N, Huntsville, 256-489-3275
THAI GARDEN RESTAURANT
800 Wellman Ave. NE, Huntsville, 256-534-0122
Chinese
MULLIN’S
607 Andrew Jackson, Huntsville, 256-539-2826
ROLO’S CAFE
505 Airport Rd., Huntsville, 256-883-7656
Mexican&
Southwestern
BANDITO BURRITO (3 locations)
3017 Governors Dr SW, Huntsville, 256-534-0866
208 Main St., Madison, 256-461-8999
11220 S.Parkway, Huntsville, 256-489-3232
NEW CHINA
German
CASA BLANCA MEXICAN RESTAURANT (4 locations)
7830 Hwy 72 W, Ste 230, Madison 256-864-0360
140 Browns Ferry Rd, Madison 256-464-6044
7900 Bailey Cove Rd, Huntsville 256-883-4447
1802 Hwy 72 E, Ste D, Athens 256-771-0130
HILDEGARD’S
OL HEIDELBERG CAFÉ
6125 University Drive NW E14, Huntsville, 256-922-0556.
EL CAMINO REAL
41782 Hwy 231, Meridianville, 256 828-2942
SCHNITZEL RANCH
EL MARIACHI (3 locations)
14450 Hwy 231/431 N Hazel Green, 256-828-1466 1836 Winchester Road,
Huntsville 256-851-7255
7193 Hwy 72 W, Madison, 256-890-0900
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
DING HOW II
TAI PAN PALACE
2012 Mem. Pkwy, S, Huntsville, 256-539-5797
CASA OLE
13989 Hwy 231-431 Hazel Green,, 256 828-6000
GUADALAJARA MEXICAN RESTAURANTS
11208 S. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville 256-882-7311
8572 Madison Blvd, Madison 256-774-1401
CHINA MOON
11700 S Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-880-2626
PANDA
5000 Whitesburg Dr., Suite 128, 256-880-3220/880-1395
CANTINA LAREDO
300 The Bridge Street, STE 100, Huntsville, 256-327-8580
EL PALACIO
2008 Memorial Pkwy SW, Huntsville 256-539-6075
ASIAN CITY
10871 County Line Rd. STE C, Madison, AL, 256-772-8282
Caribbean
ISLAND JERK
2501 Jordan Ln, Huntsville,. 256-489-4774
CASA MONTEGO INTERNATIONAL LOUNGE
2117 Jonathan Drive, Huntsville, 256-858-9187.
ContinuedonPage30
27
M is for
Mediocre
by Cody Roy
A review of Chelsea Cain’s Heartsick
A
law enforcement agent visits an
imprisoned serial killer in hopes of
gleaning clues to catch a murderer at
large. Sound familiar? Well, the parallels
stop abruptly there, as Chelsea Cain’s
Heartsick is a far cry from Thomas Harris’
The Silence of the Lambs. Imagine a pale,
clumsy, 6-year-old girl trying to prance
around in her sister’s day-old prom dress,
one glove slipping off and the other only
held on by a wilting corsage. That may
sound harsh, and others might even say it’s
unfair to pit Cain’s novel against an alltime classic. She, however, threw the first
punch by using TSOTL as a template—not
as something to emulate but merely copy—a
move that would only beg comparisons. In
an interview, Cain goes so far as to say, “I
love formula—there’s a reason it works.”
Art is not formulaic, no connect-the-dots or
paint-by-numbers. In her defense, though,
she’s never referred to her work as artful or
even literary, just a “pulpy page-turner” . . .
which it is to a certain extent.
Free Will
Astrology
Herald, but it becomes clear early on that
her own history will, as luck would have
it, play an integral role in the capture of the
murderer.
Cain not only does a great job weaving the
setting into the transparent-thin fabric of the
plot, but she essentially transforms Portland
into an accessory to murder. So vividly does
she depict the rain-soaked dreariness of the
Pacific Northwest that we’re granted fodder
for speculation as to the likely mindsets
of individuals like Gary Ridgway (a.k.a.
the Green River Killer), who, interestingly
enough, indirectly inspired this novel.
Heartsick, however, fails to accomplish what
Cain set out to do: follow formula. And by
no means am I implying that she somehow
transcended it. No, she fails to convey some
of the thriller-genre pillars effectively and
omits others outright. A few of the subplots
don’t really coalesce as they should, and the
reader isn’t set up well for a surprise ending,
not to mention the fact that there isn’t a
big last twist at all . . . just the inevitable
apprehension of an obvious suspect. Cain
is, in other words, no M. Night Shyamalan.
Let’s just say that if this novel were The Sixth
Sense, Bruce Willis would literally turn into
Casper halfway through.
by Rob Brezsny
T
his issue’s challenge is to invite you to
submit your stories (400 words), flash
fiction (250-300 words), or poems (3040 lines) about your experiences with trees.
Below, I have submitted one of my own early
poems about my parents’ marriage beneath a
tree. I had much rather read YOUR work in
the next issue of the Valley Planet.
Sarah Elizabeth Hall Married James William
Brooks Gibbs Beneath a Spreading Oak Tree
in the Side Yard of Pappy and Mammy Hall
in Oakland, Alabama on May 23, 1937
It is fitting that I buried their ashes beneath
a tree.
Some things need to go in a circle like that-to go around, to round out.
Like a mother’s belly before giving birth,
the growing arc of life, pushing outward,
a roundness people long to touch with the
inner circle of their palms, or to feel the
soft-heeled kick beneath the mother’s skin,
or on bended knee, to listen to the wheeling
heartbeat.
After spending ten years of his life trying to
capture a murderess known as the Beauty
Killer (Gretchen Lowell), Portland Detective
Archie Sheridan finally found her—
only she trapped him. A sadistic femme
fatale, Gretchen then proceeded to torture
Archie Misery-style (without mentioning
so much as one “dirty bird”): breaking his
ribs, carving an indelible heart into his chest,
funneling Drano into him, etc. Then, for
whatever reason, she resuscitated him from
the brink of death and surrendered herself.
Fast-forward two years, and we find Archie
and Gretchen both serving life sentences
of sorts. She managed to delay death via
confession, whereas he cannot seem to
return to any degree of normalcy. Estranged
from his family and on disability, Archie has
become addicted to prescription meds and,
on a much greater scale, to Gretchen herself.
Under the guise of eliciting information on
more bodies, he visits her every Sunday to
do his dance with the she-devil in the pale
moonlight.
Without roundness, life
would be rectangular or square,
like coffins or rooms or cells-that might lock us in,
or triangular,
like sharp tools of war or daily knives, that
could cut us to pieces, tear us apart.
Raindrops fall into ponds
of unresisting mud banks,
lakes and rivers that curve
without agenda or warnings.
With one oval drop,
water widens into rings
that splash ashore, cleanse away
the hurt of living
in places
where marriages beneath trees are
extraordinary,
my mother in her simple dress and corsage,
my father in his white suit.
My parents, already contained my tree seeds
the day they were wed.
From roots to topmost branches,
to my little trunk,
they made me into a circle.
As a tiny child,
I drew and colored
the tops of trees
round and green
like the frogs and fields around me.
I covered the balls of trees with the roundness
of red, orange, and purple fruits.
I have had no choice
but to love trees.
but to make leaf crowns
joined by sticks
with my sister.
but to choose roundness over sharpness,
groundedness over running in fear,
peace, over war.
--copyright, Bonnie Roberts
What’s Tina Up To Now?
I
spoke with Tina Rochester of Tina’s Cantina
as she was poolside in her bikini, relaxing
after a busy day, or more like a very busy
2 years. Tina discussed the ups and downs,
mostly due to weather, of running an outdoor
cantina and how she prefers the predictability
of catering, but will miss her Cantina
customers. Catering is now the direction she
is taking under the name Tina’s Catering, still
at Lowe Mill! The little restaurant she started
has expanded from feeding a few people, a
few hours a day, a few days a week in the very
localized spot of the back dock of the Lowe
Mill to providing working lunches at Research
Park, and catering full on events.
Meanwhile, a new serial killer is making a
name for himself (the After School Strangler
actually) by abducting, violating, killing,
and dumping the bleach-doused bodies
of teenage girls into a local river. Due to
his experience as the leader of the Beauty
Killer Task Force and despite his current
condition, Archie is elected to spearhead the
investigation. And Susan Ward, a bohemian
punk-flake, covers the case for the Oregon
by Becca Billiter
feeding the artists, actors, musicians and their
supporters!
During our interview, Tina mostly talked about
her supporters, but if Jim Hudson didn’t believe
in the same small business dreams as Tina, then
she would not be a thriving business after the
benchmark of 2 years - Congratulations to
Tina’s Catering at Lowe Mill! To contact Tina,
please email tinas.catering@yahoo.com.
Tina’s food has been enjoyed by bands like the
Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and
Donna the Buffalo, as well as the local Dixie
Derby Girls. Tina, smile beaming, is generally
met by a cheer when her food arrives. Tina has
been spreading her love through food and that
has brought her some great other catering jobs
too. She explained the tough job of working
on a movie set and feeding a cast for 6 weeks
- 3 meals a day like she did on the movie
“Hunger.”
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Sometimes hope
is an irrelevant waste of time, even a stupid
self-indulgence. Let’s say, for instance, that I’m
really hoping that a certain disagreeable person
I’ve got to communicate with won’t answer
when I call on the phone. That way I can simply
leave a message on his voice mail and avoid an
unpleasant exchange. But it doesn’t matter what I
hope. The guy will either answer or not, regardless
of what I want. But there is another kind of hope
that’s invigorating and transformative. Let’s say
I have a hope that we humans will reverse the
environmental catastrophes we’re perpetrating.
Let’s say that my hope motivates me to live more
sustainably and to inspire others to live more
sustainably. Then my hope is a catalyst. Meditate
on these things, Taurus. It’s a perfect time for you
to get very clear about the two kinds of hope.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Futurist
magazine predicts that by 2025, there’ll be a
billion millionaires in the world. I hope you will
be one of them. If you do end up in that fortunate
position, it may well be because of the smart,
aggressive actions you initiate in the next four
months. Cosmic tendencies are in place for you
to ensure your prosperity well into the future; now
all you have to do is understand and capitalize on
those tendencies. Here’s a good place to start:
Spend some quality time taking inventory of your
financial life and brainstorming about a 17-year
plan to make you a millionaire.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The world record
for attaching clothespins to one’s face is 153.
Even if you’re tempted to surpass that mark, I
beg you not to. Inflicting pain on yourself in order
to impress someone or prove a point is never a
good idea, but it’s an especially misguided notion
right now. I wouldn’t object, however, if you did
the opposite, which is to barrage yourself with
pleasure in order to impress someone or prove
a point. In my astrological opinion, it’s a perfect
time to intensify your commitment to making
yourself feel good. This is true for many reasons,
but here’s one of the most important ones: It will
have a magically tonic effect on your relationships
with others.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I would love to see you
walking down the street dressed in a feathered
headdress and white boots and leopard-print
cashmere pants, plus maybe some scarlet velvet
gloves and a silk t-shirt that says, “You don’t
scare me.” To present yourself in such a bold and
forthright manner would be in perfect alignment
with your astrological omens. If that particular
form of expression doesn’t feel right to you,
please find an equivalent that does.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Could you get
access to a crane with a wrecking ball? How about
a chainsaw or sledgehammer? Metaphorically
speaking, you may need some heavy equipment
to do all the demolition work that’s necessary
right now. Among the structures that could be
due for destruction: a mental block you’ve been
preserving out of perverse nostalgia; a prison
cell you lock yourself inside on your off days; a
half-built bridge you’re no longer interested in or
capable of completing; a pedestal on which your
fallen idol used to stand; and a door you nailed
shut in order to seal yourself off from a person
with whom you still have unfinished business.
Friday nights on the back dock have become a
staple with the locals who hang out at the Lowe
Mill. Being able to eat a good dinner outside
with a band playing and letting the kids run
around on the lawn is unheard of! These nights
will go on without pause with the opening of
the “Happy Tummy” restaurant in the same
location, by friends, Cat and Ellis. They are
both heavily involved in the Flying Monkey
Arts and are anxious to uphold the tradition of
28
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Work can be
hazardous for the actors who portray cartoon and
fairy tale characters at Disney theme parks. The
U.S. Health and Safety Administration reports
that one-third of them have suffered on-the-job
injuries. A prime cause of the mayhem: kids who
kick and punch, sometimes out of misplaced
exuberance and other times out of Lord-of-theFlies-style malice. I wanted to preface my advice
to you with that story, Aries. Your assignment is to
summon the angelic 85 percent of your inner child
to come out and play. As for the other 15 percent - the part of your inner child that might be inclined
to pummel Mickey Mouse or headbutt Cinderella:
Keep that rascal under wraps.
be. None of these fine developments in your social
life will magically unfold on their own, however.
You can’t just sit back passively and hope that
cosmic forces will somehow make them happen.
So formulate your intentions crisply and act
aggressively to manifest them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t just shamble
down to the pizzeria and gobble a slab of greasy
cheese, tomato sauce, and dough. Instead, arrange
for an interesting person who likes you to homedeliver a pizza lovingly prepared by a gourmet
chef. For that matter, Scorpio, don’t tolerate
mediocrity or the lowest common denominator
in any area of your life. The Season of the Peak
Experience is here -- a time when you have a
sacred duty to give your best, commune with the
highest, and ask for excellence.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I don’t
recommend that you go on a spiritual retreat at
the Zen monastery near Mount Kumgang in North
Korea. As exquisite as the place is, the repressive
government’s secret police are suspicious of
tourists and would probably make your trip
miserable. Likewise, don’t take a vacation on the
gorgeous beaches of eastern Somalia. Pirates prowl
the coastal areas of that lawless land, and anyone
can buy a hand grenade for $10 at the outdoor
markets in nearby Mogadishu. No, Sagittarius,
while it is an excellent time to leave your familiar
haunts and expose yourself to exotic scenes, you
should be acutely discerning about where you
go. In my opinion, you need a sanctuary that
simultaneously surprises you and deepens your
sense of being at home in the world.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “You have
to love life when you’re in really deep trouble,”
said poet Robin Blaser. So what about if, on the
other hand, you’re in only shallow trouble? Do
you have a mandate to just sort of like life a little
more? Or can you, with a little work, exploit the
mild disturbance that the shallow trouble provides
in order to dramatically pump up your adoration
of life? I hope that your actions in the coming
days, Capricorn, will be a big “yes” in response
to that question. I’m happy to tell you that you can
wangle a big boost from a small inconvenience.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Some bars are
now charging fines to people who drunkenly puke
on their floors. I advise you to stay out of such
places in the coming week. Better yet, don’t get so
wasted that you hurl anywhere. It’s one of those
rare periods when every little sin will be quickly
punished, when every excess will provoke an
equal and opposite reaction. On the other hand,
this is also a time when even minor eruptions of
virtue will be immediately rewarded, when every
brave act and self-disciplined shift will bring you
an opportunity.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Two friends of
mine, a couple engaged to be wed, rode their
bicycles for days up the Northern California coast
from San Francisco to Oregon. They saw many
other riders pedaling from north to south during
their trip, but they rarely encountered anyone
heading in the same direction they were. Why?
The wind was blowing against them the entire way.
When they stopped to rest they would sometimes
meet and talk with bicyclists whose destination
was San Francisco. “Why are you riding against
the wind?” the other travelers inevitably wanted
to know. My friends enjoyed replying, “We’re
building our characters so we’ll be strong enough
to stay in love after we’re married.” They’re your
role models for the coming weeks, Pisces. Do
some against-the-wind work to prepare yourself
for your next big assignment, which is to make
your intimate relationships more interesting and
invigorating and enduring.
How to Survive Your
Freshman Year
“How to Survive Your Freshman Year”
by Hundreds of College Students Who Did
c.2008, Hundreds of Heads, LLC
$15.95 /
$18.00 Canada
302 pages
F
or thirteen years, you’ve worked and
waited for this time to come.
You’ve endured lectures and practices, written
hundreds of essays, and passed thousands of
papers forward. You’ve slept through more
classes than you’d ever admit to your parents.
You’ve gotten energized by teachers you’ll
never forget.
Now you’re ready for the next step: college.
You leave soon and while you’re excited,
you’re also scared to your bones.
Will you like your roommate? How will you
find your classes? Will the pressure to party
ramp up a dozen notches?
Take a deep breath and go find “How to Survive
Your Freshman Year” by Hundreds of Heads,
LLC. This book is going to make the next 10
months the best ever.
Right about now, you’re throwing things in a
box, and getting ready to move into your dorm
or off-campus housing.
by Terri Schlichenmeyer
– going off to college can be emotional and
difficult. For students, “How to Survive Your
Freshman Year” may be a lifesaver. For
parents, it’s a relief to have reminders reiterated
in print.
Written by hundreds of past freshmen and
upperclassmen, this book (updated in a 3rd
edition) is filled with words from the trenches.
Although there’s plenty of conflicting advice
(Take a computer, don’t take a computer. Stay
in a dorm, get an apartment.), it’s going to give
the Class of 2012 a few things to ponder and
some direction in this time of thinking amok.
Keep in mind that this book is for college
freshman only and positively not for someone
entering 9th grade in high school. Whether your
newly-minted college freshman will attend
a private school, HBCU, tech school or state
university, grab this book. For them, “How
to Survive Your Freshman Year” jumps to the
head of the class.
The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri
has been reading since she was 3 years old and
she never goes anywhere without a book. She
lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and
11,000 books.
Or at least you’re thinking about it.
The first thing to remember is not to over-pack,
particularly if you’re going to be living in a
teensy room. Take your favorite blanket and
pillow, your music, a really good alarm clock
and be judicious in what else you pack. If you
can, talk with your roommate so you don’t
bring duplicates.
And about that near-stranger you’ll be living
with: there’s lots of advice on roommates in
this book. First, and maybe the most important,
is to ask for a transfer if you absolutely can’t
stand one another. Learn to be flexible and
accommodating. Don’t choose a roomie you
already know. And for heaven’s sakes, get out
of the dorm often!
On that note, beware. Freshman year means
going a little wild, but not too wild. Party, but
remember that you’re there to go to class and
get a degree. Set aside time to study, don’t push
yourself into any relationship, and make friends
with your R.A. and the professors. Have fun but
be responsible. Freshman year is the time to
learn more about you, but do it safely.
And the biggest thing to remember: college is
not high school.
For parents and students alike – particularly if
this is the first child off to a higher education
Homework: I dare you to bestow three blessings
you’ve never even dreamed of bestowing. Report
results to me at FreeWillAstrology.com.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): This is your best
chance in a long time to meet people you’ve
always wanted to meet. It’s also a favorable time
to turn pretty good connections into excellent
collaborations, and to adjust your role in your web
of alliances so it’s closer to where you want it to
THE VALLEY PLANET
THE VALLEY PLANET
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
29
Gossip
Farewell to our longtime friend Cotton Johnson,
whom you will remember as bus driver at Butler
High. He died earlier this month. His family and
his church family have meant a lot to me.
This is “Be Nice to Steve Wesson Week.” He
pastors Life Church International on Pulaski Pike.
Jim Zielinski is heard from, reporting on things
matrimonial among the thespian crowd. “This
fall will be the time for “dramatic” marriages. In
October actor/artiste Gary Gee will marry Lori
Golden and “Magic Matt” Growden will wed
Jacquelyn “Jackie” Bailey. Local actress Enzie
Davis was slated for an October marriage to Russ
Willet of local mulch fame. However, Enzie and
Russ amazed everyone by holding a surprise
wedding at her home under the pretense that it was
a surprise early birthday party for Enzie, under yet
another pretence that it was a one-year anniversary
celebration of Russ’s company “Mulch It!” The
impromptu ceremony was beautiful. November
keeps up the pace when scene-stealing Jay Poff
marries Megan Brand and The Arts Council’s
Joanna Broad ties the knot with photographer Jeff
White. The theatre season will just have to skip the
fall and start in December!”
by Billy Joe Cooley
Photog Charlie Scott is showing off Sparky, his
latest puppy. Charlie is also part of a popular new
band of veteran musicians, Young & Restless.
The others are fiddler Melvin Lane, banjoist
Jim Pearson, mandolinist R.D. Walker and Jim
Derrington.
This is “Be Nice to Tim Rothenberger Day.” He
is a volunteer at the Monday night park concerts.
Sammy Butler is home at last, still mending from
his ladder fall.
Happy birthday to Gail Gallagher, Steve Reavis
(who carves bears) and Kyle Critelli. All live on
Grove Avenue.
How nice to hear the music of John Isom and
Bobby Kendricks as they played for Tommy
Battle’s big mayoral campaign kickoff.
Fran Bowne and 50 of her friends had a fine outing
downtown on July 4. Our neighbor Jim Beavers
was there celebrating his birthday a week or so
early.
This has been a season of family fun reunions. My
first one was with the Kemp family at Hollywood and it was a corker.
Kemp grandkids Calvin, Ellen, Ronny and Charlene Hudson came up
from Florida (God’s waiting room). Then came Pat Moon, Rene Bolton,
Carrie Lawhorne and Patti Silver. Decatur’s Doris Rigel showed up
with Fred Linley. Handsome Pledger Schaefer brought his parents,
the Milton Schaefers, down from Winchester. Jackie Nelson and her
son Riley came from Bridgeport. And the list goes on for 100 or more
exciting names.
Some of us joined Patsy Trigg on Saturday in driving over to Florence
to catch the stage production of “Tammy Wynette,” which features
musician Wayne Bridge, former Huntsvillian.
A bunch of us lunched at Shea Express (off Church
Street) ON Saturday and listened to the popular
jazz trio “Heart Strings” play music from the
Golden Age of showtunes to Hoagy Carmichael
and Johnny Mercer tunes of the last century.
The trio is comprised of three local professionals:
guitarist Mike Ridner, bassist Mark Teague and
guitarist Phil Saruk. Decatur’s Lisa and David
Love (and daughter Rachel) were at our table, as
were Dean Matthews and Brenda Newman.
The Valley Planet Music Exchange is FREE to any individual looking to buy, sell, trade or find bandmates. You get a headline and 3 lines of text for the low, low price of nothing. If you
wish to embellish your ad further, say, with a small photo (add $5) or more words (add $1 per line), it’s up to you. Now, if you are a business, you gotta pay a little something, $12 per
column inch. Please call Jill Wood at (256) 533-4613 if you would like to put your business in the Exchange. Email your ads to classifieds@valleyplanet.com or send them by snail mail to
Music Exchange,203 Grove Ave. Huntsville AL, 35801. NO AD WILL RUN UNTIL PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED!
MUSIC EXCHANGE
Band seeking guitarist. Must be
willing to do gigs . Stlyles Hard
rock, Metal.
Contact mark @ (256) 616-4275
Multi-range metal vocalist who’s
creative and fun and open for suggestions needed for local thrash
metal band Konflyct.
Call: 256-694-1055
KEYBOARD: Roland RD-600
88 key piano-weighted keyboard
w/stand. Great, solid kick-butt
keyboard; needs one key
repaired. Ideal for keyboardist
looking for an additional workinggig-horse. Originally purchased
at $1,300. AS IS: $350, obo. Call
Lori: 457-9204.
For Sale:
Refinished Wurlitzer Upright
Piano, Tropicalized-(256)7774072, $750
Gibraltar Road Series
Multiclamp(sc-grsmc) $12.00,
(256)777-4072
Gibraltar SC-GPRMC Power
Rack Multi-Clamp $10.00,
(256)777-4072
Carbonlite 33” bar $45.00,
(256)777-4072
DW 5000 HiHat Stand in Good
Condition $100.00 (256)777-4072
Singer seeking band: Female, wide range; into alternative or modern rock, open
to other genres. Contact at
runningtherisk@yahoo.com
Listings
MoreListingsCont.from27
Attractions
ALABAMA CONSTITUTION VILLAGE
109 Gates Ave., Huntsville, 256-564-8100.
AMERICAN INDIAN MUSEUM
2003 Poole Drive NW, Huntsville, 256-852-4524.
BURRITT ON THE MOUNTAIN:
3101 Burritt Drive SE, Huntsville, 256-536-2882.
CATHEDRAL CAVERNS STATE PARK
637 Cave Road, Woodville. 256-728-8193.
HUNTSVILLE HAVOC
700 Monroe Street. Huntsville, AL (256) 518-6160.
HUNTSVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
North Side Von Braun Center, Huntsville 256-539-4818.
INTERNATIONAL VOCAL STUDIOS
2358 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, 256-512-5571,
LOWE MILL
2211 Seminole Dr., Huntsville,
THE LAND TRUST TRAILS
Bankhead Pkwy., Huntsville, 256-534-LAND
MONTE SANO STATE PARK
5015 Nolen Ave., Huntsville, 256-534-3757
SCI-QUEST
102-D Wynn Drive, Huntsville, 256-837-0606.
US SPACE & ROCKET CENTER
1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, 256-837-3400.
VON BRAUN CENTER
700 Monroe St. Huntsville, 256-533-1953.
EARLYWORKS MUSEUM COMPLEX
404 Madison Street SE, Huntsville, 256-564-8100.
GORHAM’S BLUFF
Pisgah, 256-451-ARTS.
HARMONY PARK SAFARI
431 Clouds Cove Road, New Hope. 1-877-7ANIMAL.
HARRISON BROTHERS HARDWARE
124 Southside Square, Huntsville, 256-536-3631. Alabama’s oldest hardware store.
HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN
4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, 256-830-4447.
HUNTSVILLE STARS
Joe W. Davis Stadium, 3125 Leeman Ferry Rd, Huntsville, 256-882-2562.
HUNTSVILLE ART LEAGUE GALLERY
3005 L&N Drive, Suite 2, Huntsville, 256-534-3860.
HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART
300 Church Street So., Huntsville. , 256-535-4350
LIVING ART WATER GARDENS
220 Old Hwy 431, Hampton Cove, 256-288-0003
MAYES BLACK DANCE THEATRE (M.B.D.T.)
2419 Oakwood Ave. NW Suite #F Huntsville, 256-489-5903
MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND STUDIO
3614 Jackson Highway Sheffield Al.
RENAISSANCE THEATRE AT LINCOLN CENTER
MERIDIAN ARTS
370 Little Cove Road, Gurley, AL, 256-776-4300.
THEATRE HUNTSVILLE
1701 University Dr, Suite 1, Huntsville, 256-536-0807.
MONDO DE TATUAGE GALLERY
Corner of 6th Ave. and 7th St., Decatur, 256-306-9099.
THE WHOLE BACKSTAGE THEATRE
1120 Rayburn Avenue, Guntersville, 256-582-7469.
MVAC FINE ARTS GALLERY
300 Gunter Ave.,Guntersville, 256-582-1454.
Galleries
THE WEEDEN HOUSE
300 Gates Avenue SE, Huntsville, 256-536-7718
801 FRANKLIN
ARS NOVA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
7908C Charlotte Drive, Huntsville, 256-883-1105.
CLAY HOUSE MUSEUM
16 Main Street, Madison 256-325-1018.
30
HUNTSVILLE COMMUNITY CHORUS
3312 Long Avenue, Fantasy Arts Center, Huntsville, 256-533-6606
Rock band needing bassist in
Decatur, 227-2562
PARSONS ART GALLERY
3rd Floor Railroad Station Antiques
315 Jefferson St., Huntsville, 256-520-2360
SIGNATURE GALLERY
2364 Whitesburg Drive S, Huntsville, 256-536-1960.
ARTS COUNCIL, THE
700 Monroe street, Suite 2 Huntsville AL 35081, 256-519-2787
ATHENS ST. STUDENT UNION ART GALLERY
300 N. Beaty St., Athens, Athens State University,
800-522-0272
THE STUDIO
1219 C Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256 318-0169
BROADWAY THEATRE LEAGUE
700 Monroe St. Suite 410, Huntsville, 256-518-6155.
ART@TAC GALLERY
Von Braun Center, 700 Monroe St., Huntsville, 256-519-ARTS (2787)
UNIVERSITY CENTER ART GALLERY
University of Alabama in Huntsville, 256-824-1000
FANTASY PLAYHOUSE CHILDREN’S THEATRE
3312 Long Avenue SW, Huntsville, 256-539-6829
ARTISTIC IMAGES
2115 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, 256-534-3968.
FLYING MONKEY ARTS CENTER
2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville, 256-489-7000
CALVERT STUDIO
627 Gunter Ave., Guntersville,
FOOTLIGHTS COMMUNITY THEATER
302 Hoffman St. Athens, 256-216-0903
CAROLE FORET FINE ART
206 West Market St., Athens, 256-232-2521.
HUNTSVILLE BALLET COMPANY
800 Regal Drive SW, Huntsville, 256-539-0961
CORRON STUDIOS
8006 Old Madison Pike #15, Madison, 256-325-7622
WILLIS GRAY GALLERY
211 2nd Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-355-7616
TheEnd!
FOOTLIGHTS COMMUNITY THEATER
302 Hoffman St., Athens, 256-777-0822.
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
THE VALLEY PLANET
Lead GUITARIST / SINGER:
Searching for experienced female
vocalist/musician or male/female
guitarist that sings or Keyboardist
that also sings for high-tech TRIO
Band. Prefer baby-boomer era
artists with roots in the 60’s, 70’s,
Blues, Motown, Rock, Country
etc., genre. Must be professional,
dependable, focused, reliable
transportation, pro equipment, no
drugs, no alcohol, willing and able
to commit to the mutual goals of
the band. Not a “bar band”, per
se. Will be doing predominately
wedding receptions, Corp. party’s,
special occasions, etc. Rehearse
2X a week.
I am a veteran of the HSV club
scene, owed booking agency
and have played in many Bands.
Much equipment & lights John,
256-468-4233 johnnymack7@mi
ndspring.com.
THE VALLEY PLANET
Rhythm guartist seeking to join/
form alternative/rock band
ask for dave 256-682-7663
Bass player needed for rock
- metal band contact doom_
popguitarist@yahoo.com or
227-2562
For Sale:
1985 Fender MIJ Stratocaster,
white, gigbag, ding on bottom.
$600 obo. 2005 SX SPJ-62
Sunburst Bass (Fender P/Jazz
copy) w. T-I strings. $125 obo.
2005 Stellar Mercury 001 (Les
Paul Standard copy) Sunburst.
$150 obo. 2005 Peavey JF1
EX (ES-335 copy) Dark wine
red. $150 obo. 2005 Tech21
Trademark 10 guitar amp $200
obo. 2005 SWR LA10 bass amp
$150 obo. Please call 256-4688136 for more info.
Looking for versatile guitarist
who likes to play funk, rock and
groove style music. Call Bryan at
655-4178
Wanted someone for banjo
lessons 5 string. Call 652-3791.
Guitarist forming instrumental
Surf band. Need drummer,
bassist, 2nd guitarist/
keyboardist for show on 4/19.
Other gigs to follow. Mix of covers
and original material. Vintage
or reissue gear a plus. email:
Gretschman66@aol.com
For sale: 15.5 inch Viola. Case,
bow, & headrest. great condition.
$700.00 or best offer. 701-6413
Church Looking for Musician
Morris Chapel Church Desperately seeking a musican for
Sunday Services Contact: Mozella
Davis 256-852-8844 Email:
cmd_2425@knology.net
Veteran, professional guitarist
and singer looking to start a
Band or join a Band with mature,
experienced players. Duo, trio or
full band? Prefer Classic Rock,
Blues, Motown, Hard Rock but
not medal. Influences: Clapton,
Hendrix, Allman Bros., Skynyrd,
Led Zeppelin, Grandfunk RR,
Santana, Bad Company, Eagles,
Joe Walsh, Gary Moore to
name a few. I am dependable,
drug free, alcohol free, nonsmoker. Pro equipment
and gear. 35 plus years
Need a pet sitter? “If
you’re not home to play
Mommy or Daddy, Auntie
Jen will take care of your
furry family.”
Detailed info at
auntiejenpetsitter.com,
or call (256) 566-2020,
5am-9pm, 7 days/wk.
experience. Veteran of local club
scene. 256-461-2903. John
Pianist - Looking for restaurant/
lounge gig in Huntsville with a
piano - oldies, jazz, blues, new
age. 931-433-0565 or
931-625-5101
Violin Teacher Wanted to teach
music classes, contact Ann at
info@ivsmusic.com or
256-512-5571
Musician looking for local work- For Sale
Crate CA125D acoustic amp. $350
ing band...
I am a professional guitarist look- Epiphone Valve Junior combo amp $100
ing for a working Band. I can sing
lead or backup, play rhythm or
lead guitar. I have lots of equipment and know the local club
scene. I’m in my 50’s. I prefer
the classic stuff best... 60’s, 70’s,
80’s, Motown, Blues and Rock.
Call me. Johnny Mack 772-8037.
OLDIE SEEKING OLDIES AARP Bassist looking for AARP
drummer to form Prog Rock/
Fusion Jazz cover band. Contact
Andy at andywells2@knology.net
or 256-885-3746.
Singer wanted for original
rock bank. Visit myspace.com/
seekingasinger for details.
Professional Drummer Versatile
Styles Chris @ 227-6490
Sciatica, local metal band on
Dreamscape Records seeks
drummer. We’re looking for
someone who loves music, is into
all styles of music(not just metal),
and willing to practice, record, and
tour some. We’re into everything
from pink floyd and neurosis to
the cro-mags and pantera. Hit us
up at sciaticahate@netzero.com.
And you can check out our stuff
at: http://www.myspace.com/
Vsciatica666
BASSIST NEEDED
IMMEDIATELY! for show on
4/27/07 256-431-5130/278-0343/
374-9110 Everyone welcome
to audition. Studio band Keyboard player needed. Contact
leadguitar@knology.net
Authentic Reggae Band
looking for drummer and
other musicians (keyboard/
back up singer). Contact
leadguitar@knology.net 714-5089
#073108082008
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 11
31

90 - Valley Planet

Transcription

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