the planet weekly 468

SEPTEMBER 18 + OCTOBER 22 >>> PLANETWEEKLY • tuscaloosa's souRcE foR EntERtainmEnt, music, spoRts & tHE aRts

4th Quarter Drive is LaunchedThe Chamber has launched its inaugural 4th Quarter Drive program, under the leadership of Co-Chairs Dr. Judy Bonner of The UA and Shane Spiller of Spiller Furniture & Mattress. This volunteer-driven initiative gives all our members the opportunity to market their businesses by purchasing sponsorships of 2015 Cham-ber events and programs. This exciting 8-week effort kicked off on Sept. 17, and will run through mid-November. Two simple goals: helping local businesses market products and services while also helping support our mission of provid-ing top-quality events and programs. We have 100 volunteers, under the leadership of our Vice Chairs. There are more than 500 sponsorship opportunities available through Chamber events and publica-tions. The volunteers will also seek new members for the Chamber. The 4th Quarter Drive is a great way for member volunteers to meet the region's top com-munity leaders and business owners while working directly with our most dedicated leadership. Successful volunteers will not only expose their respective companies

>>> N E W S | t H E c H a m B E R o f c o m m E R c E

NEWSSTARTUP WEEKEND // OPPORTUNITY FOR ENTREPRENEURS

to new potential customers, but also be rewarded with cash incentives and prizes!

Start Up Weekend Planned for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching suc-cessful ventures. Backed by Google and supported by your Chamber and other local entities, a Tuscaloosa event will be held Sept. 26-28 at the South Engineering Research Complex on the UA Campus. Visit www.tuscaloosa.startupweekend.org to register and learn more.

Limited Rooms Still Available for Washington Fly-In

As always, our schedule while in the nation's capital will allow time for interac-tion with our members of Congress as well as engagements with other elected officials. This year, the agenda will include some fun time at a Washington Nation-als baseball game. Join us Sept. 24-26! Email [email protected] for details.

2014 Civic Hall of Fame Inductees Announced, Event Planned

Each year, we honor "civic giants" that have made an impact on the quality, livability and economic progress of our community. Organizations, businesses and individual citizens submitted nomina-tions for the 2014 class. 2014 Tuscaloosa County Civic Hall of Fame honorees are Davis S. "Buddy" Burton, Jr., Charles M. Durham, Carolyn B. Fritz, Lee Al-len Hallman, John Woodruff Robinson, M.D., Randy C. Skagen and Charles R. Sittason. The honorees will be inducted in downtown Tuscaloosa's Government Plaza on Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. Light refresh-ments will be served. There is no cost to attend the event. Please RSVP to Carolyn Tubbs at 391.0556 or [email protected]. Chamber in Session: State of the State

with Governor Robert Bentley Gov. Robert Bentley will give us an update on our state on Mon., Oct. 6 at 11:30a.m. at Hotel Capstone. Cost is $25/person, which includes lunch. Reserved tables of 10 are available. To reserve a seat or table, con-

tact Stacey Gann at [email protected] or 391.0556. The Chamber offers its members and potential members the opportunity to interact with local, state and national leaders at these Chamber in Session events throughout the year.

Northport Citizen Dinner Tables Available… Former Governor

Jim Folsom, Jr. is Guest SpeakerThe Northport Citizen Dinner will be held on Oct. 9 at 7p.m. at Five Points Baptist Church with former Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr. serving as the guest speaker. Reserved tables of 8 are available for $275, which includes the company name on the pro-gram and table. Individual tickets are $25/person. This dinner will honor a citizen of Northport for their service as well as individuals in categories such as religion, business, education and others. Make your reservations for this event today. To reserve a seat or table, contact Stacey Gann at [email protected] or 391.0559.

3>>> Visit us on tHE WEB @ THEPLANETWEEKLY.COM SEPTEMBER 18 + OCTOBER 2

STORIES4 ORGANIC ANDROIDS // ALYX CHANDLERReview of a great performance

6 ART THERAPY // WILLIAM BARSHOPThe Arc of Tuscaloosa meets the needs of intellectually disabled

8 RAM IN A JAM // THELMA PAULSENA severely neglected sheep finds help and a loving home

14 TRIBUTE TO GLENN HOUSE, SR. // BERT PAULSENA tribute in passing

20 FIELD OR PRESS BOX // STEPHEN SMITHWhat suits best for Offensive Cooridinator?

22 FALL Tv PREvIEW // CARA BRAkEVampires, Gotham City, and leading ladies

27 GOv'T MULE // TREY BROOkSComing soon to the Bama

ENTERTAINMENT10-12 RESTAURANT GUIDE / WINE & BEER

13 MOvIE REvIEW

16-17 EvENTS CALENDAR

18 ROAD TRIP

19 TUSCALOOSA MUSIC

22 THE FLAT SCREEN

23 HOROSCOPES // SUDOkU

24 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

HIGH TIDE SPORTS21 READY FOR FLORIDA By Gary Harris

PUBLISHERlinDa W. JoHnson

MANAGING EDITORBER t paulsEn

ASSISTANT EDITORWilliam BaRsHop

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EVENTSW i l l i a m B a R s H o p

ROAD TRIPtREY BRooKs

DESIGN/PRODUCTIONH E R B n E u

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license unless otherwise credited.

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FEATURE5 BREWFEST 2014 // CRAFT BEER & FELLOWSHIPBy William Barshop and Alyx Chandler

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THE ORGANIC ANDROIDS // STAY TUNED>>> R E V I E W | A L Y X C H A N D L E R

Try To imagine planeT Earth thou-sands of years from now, stuck in a post-apocalyptic time where musical sound is an unreachable prospect. An all-encompassing government rules, and it possesses technology that allows it to be in full control. Though the human race still exists, it's being reprogrammed into androids, void of decision making or joy. But organic sound and counter resistance exists within a single band, one that fights robotic acceptance with buzzing frequen-cies and mind-saving guitar riffs.

“Basically, it's a band that's so good that they take over the world, like in the apocalypse or something,” vocalist and rapper Justin Hammonds said, “and they play this epic show, and then they just disappear into space, into this great existence.”

Now, back to reality.It's a Saturday night in Tuscaloosa,

around 1 a.m. The string of little light bulbs and beer can-lined walls of Tusca-loosa's Green Bar rattled as the Organic Androids jounced its music-savvy bar and fans. Hammonds puts on a passion-ate show for even the small crowd, with a wild stream of break dances that gets the crowd moving.

Fans, meet the Organic Androids.They are a band grooving both as a

post-apocalyptic cyborg awakener in a to-be novelette series and as a 2014 electric rock, hip-hop tinged opener for bands such as Mother Funk and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. On Saturday, September 14, the Organic Androids road-tripped from their newest home location of Nash-ville, Tenn., to play a night at downtown Tuscaloosa, where they rocked everything from covers of Portugal the Man to a mashup of Pretty Lights to some catchy Outkast, in addition to featuring some of their earlier released songs available on iTunes.

The young Tuscaloosa-originated band began by playing covers at bars in Alabama for a about a year, then officially

became the Organic Androids for the last two and a half years. The band currently consists of six members and one art-ist: Guitarist and lead vocalist Jeremy Moulder, lead vocalist Justin Hammonds, keyboardist John McNair, bassist Drew Shelnut, lead guitarist Gaines Cooper, drummer Grant Bramlett and Artistic Director Tyler Key.

“Essentially, very loosely, we're a concept band, and we say graphic novel is the genre. And so it's going to be this con-tinuing story of the Organic Androids. The music isn't going to be directly tied to the graphic novel, but we are going to have that continuing on, so that it gives people something else to have,” said Bramlett.

John Williamson, a local Tuscaloosa graphic artist nicknamed “Squash,” sparked “a creative world for the band,” as Hammonds said, when they discov-ered his graphic novel called “Organic Androids” several years ago. The novel features a futuristic band that alters a crowd's mins before the band's boggling performance, then as the crowd begins to awaken, the band disappears into space. But it leaves a legacy, one Hammonds compares to “Daft Punk.”

“Basically one day I went up to this guy [Williamson] to ask him if we could use the band name, and he looked me in the face and said, 'If you're going to be serious about Organic Androids, you can have it,' and I said, 'Sir, we're more than serious.' That was three years ago,” Hammonds laughed. “Now we're trying to progress even more.”

Although the plot line in the novelette of “Organic Androids” is not the same story as the band, they took specific inspi-ration from Williamson's idea of a mass human awakening. Currently the band is working with Key and writers at Vander-bilt to storyboard and develop a graphic novel to artistically aid the band. Their version of the Organic Androids, different from Williamson's novelette, will feature a band struggling to thrive in a futuristic

world where creativity is forbidden by the government.

It will highlight their fight to rouse feeling in human androids that have been programmed robotically. Three separate mini novelettes featuring the Organic Androids will be released, probably one per album. The three together will then be put together to represent the band's first full novelette.

“We become on the run, we go through crashes, we're slowly being replaced with robotic parts, but we're still playing, as more and more [human] parts are taken, making us more like androids,” Key said. “But when we play shows, we have this realization—we are more than what's happening.”

With only an EP on iTunes and no cur-rent graphic novels released, what does the band want its daily rising fan base to know?

“Stay tuned,” the band said, grinning.The Organic Android members

explained that their inspiration comes from a variety artists, from Pink Floyd to the Roots to Gorillaz, and their ec-centric music ranges in genres all over the grid. They take bluesy, head-nodding pop, transforming different songs into fast-changing, funky beats, most verging with a psychedelic edge. Ultimately the technical music taste distinction between each band member—most graduated with musical majors, as well as Molder with a degree in sound audio engineering—gen-erates a totally new and unique sound in the current music scene.

“We just had everyone [in the band] put their on spin on things, and the distinct sound we have now didn't come till a year and a half of practicing,” Bramlett said.

During the Green Bar show, they pre-miered only two sneak peak songs, called Robotiks and Belly of the Beast, that will be on their upcoming album. The band members are more than excited to start recording the band's first album in about month.

“Having different tastes and talents, that's one of the things that really makes this band unique. We all listen to hip hop, jam band music, and some of us listen to metal, while some of us listen to jazz and classical...It's really all over the board,” said Moulder.

With the projected recording finish date for around December, their current plan is to have the album released in the beginning months of 2015, along with their first small novelette featuring the robot-battling adventure of the Organic Androids band members.

“Stay tuned for the new CD—it's going to be big. All of our stuff that's on iTunes at this point, it's two years old. It's a totally different sound,” Moulder said. “So in the future when someone sees our name and gets interested enough to look online, they'll

see us, not this old version of us.”Although making it big as a band is a

long shot, Hammonds said by opening for so many bands with a following similar to their unique style, they've got their feet wet in gaining fans and learning to play and market their music professionally, and that “now they're going to try to swim and stay afloat” with the new album.

All the while during their shows, their Artist Director Tyler Key, also a marketing and music graduate from the University of Alabama, used shades of chalk to paint a live scene while the band performed, as he does for almost every concert.

“I found the idea of a band being painted so powerful because it captures how they're seen by the crowd, but also it captures the particular environment of the concert and how the band can change over time. It was super cool for the artist to let me witness this small moment be turned into something permanent,” Dylan McCaghren, a senior majoring in mar-keting and spanish at the University of Alabama said after attending the Green Bar show.

After four to five times of doing live performance art for the Organic Androids, they asked Key to be considered part of band as full-time Artistic Director, and to do live art for every show. He is also currently in the process of working on the story boards for the novelette series. He posts and tags every art piece on Or-ganic Androids Instagram and website for marketing, as well as sometimes selling the art after the show to fans, like he did at the Green Bar that Saturday.

“It's kind of nerve-racking at first, es-pecially in Tuscaloosa, theres not a huge live appreciation of art,” Key said. “Mostly though, I had a really good reception from people, even at bars.”

Look for the Organic Androids at the 20th anniversary of the BayFest festival in Mobile, Alabama, scheduled to play on October 4. Otherwise keep an ear out for the release of their new album and the first act of their novelette series.

“Everyone's trying to make music their life,” said Hammonds. “It's so easy to lose your focus in one thing of life, but you have to have someone or have something to awaken you, to keep your focus there—that's what this band is about.”

Remember fans, stay tuned.

Photos: Alyx Chandler

5>>> PLANETWEEKLY • tuscaloosa's souRcE foR EntERtainmEnt, music, spoRts & tHE aRts SEPTEMBER 18 + OCTOBER 2

>>> E V E N T | W I L L I A M B A R S H O P / A LY X C H A N D L E R

BEER AND FELLOWSHIP // ALABAMA BREWFEST

The fall monThs are sneaking up on us in spite of the persistent, blister-ing heat, and when those cool evenings finally greet Alabama, having the right beer in hand will once again be essential to the season of relaxation. When Druid City Brewing Company set up shop in Tuscaloosa, honing in on one’s favorite craft beer got a whole lot easier, with a wide variety to choose from at many Tuscaloosa establishments. Just last year, though, the town briefly became a won-derland of beer choices to sip and sniff and ponder at the first annual Brewfest.

Brewfest returns this year with more than 50 vendors offering their unique craft beers Sept. 26 and 27 at the grounds of the L&N Train Station in Downtown Tuscaloosa.

“You get a sample glass when you get there and you can sample as many of the beers as you like,” said Bill Lloyd, the own-er of Green Bar and a sponsor of Brewfest. “Most of the breweries bring three or four beers apiece so you have a lot of options.”

Another Tuscaloosa brewery present will be the Black Warrior Brewing Com-pany, found on University Blvd across from City Hall. The company recom-mends Apricot Wheat for tasters new to the world of craft beer, or the Strawberry Blonde for a balance of malt sweetness and tart strawberry flavors. Every week the brewery showcases a new beer, like the Hefeweizen, a German-style wheat beer with hints of banana and cloves. The company website is great for researching everything from the alcohol content to the color index of each specialty beer.

“We’re trying to feature Alabama brewer-ies,” Lloyd said. “This is craft beer from all over, from California and Colorado, also.”

Last year, Birmingham’s Good People Brewing Company was a hit at the event with their Coffee Oatmeal Stout and Snake Handler impressing aficionados and amateurs in equal measure.

Greg Moore, local graphic design pro-fessional in addition to a photographer for Work Company of America, wasn't able to attend last year, but is excited to get a chance to this year.

“I'd be called a beer lover, I'd say,” Moore said. “That is sure worth $30.”

Moore said he's a huge fan of the growing enthusiasm for local beer in the Tuscaloosa community.

“Getting together with friends and trying out new beers, I love it. I can ex-hibit mini reviews while hanging out with friends,” Moore said. Tuscaloosa has two major brewing festivals, this one in the Fall and one in the Spring, although he hopes the amount of festivals continues to grow to match the constant flow of new variet-ies of flavors of other metro areas around the country.

“They've been doing a pretty strong job so far, I don't see why they can't con-tinue,” Moore said.

“If you don't know craft beers or need to find the style you want—be it IPA, Pil-sner or a stout, you can find it there,” said EJ Hardin, a communications student at the University of Alabama. He also brews his own wine and beer at home, and loves experimenting with different tastes and flavors.

After attending the Alabama Brewfest last year, he was impressed by the great atmosphere and selections from across the country and state. As Hardin said, “A lot of fun people who enjoy beer,” what's better? Paired with a “noteworthy price,”

it makes for a perfect night. Nothing like drinking more than one’s fair share to make an outing memorable.

Between enthusiasts like Hardin and newcomers like Moore, the crowd at Brewfest will be both easygoing and knowledgeable, perfect for anyone who likes to sit back with a good beverage. The event promises to be a fun way to spend an evening on Friday or Saturday, with food trucks with refreshments from local vendors and live music to keep everyone tapping their toes.

“There will be brewery reps there with all the information on all the different beers,” Lloyd said. “You can talk to people from the breweries and learn a little about beer.”

VIP tickets are available at brownpap-ertickets.com, which allow a festival-goer to enter an hour before the other guests and get a head start on tasting the vibrant selection of beers. A commemorative Brewfest t-shirt is also included in the package.

Marketing representative Haley Acker-man is fielding volunteers to pour at the festival on Facebook. University of Ala-bama students can volunteer through their myBama account, granted they are over 21 years of age.

Regular tickets are $30 in advance and

$40 at the event, so make plans early to visit Brewfest for a medley of well-crafted beverages and excellent company.

30-foot tasting bar where patrons may sample "juices" for free.


>>> A R T | W I L L I A M BA R S H O P

PHOTOS: kEvIN LEDGEWOOD

EXPRESSION THROUGH ART THERAPY // THE ARC OF TUSCALOOSA

an exTra-wide, blank canvas lay out on the concrete. A crowd creative minds arm themselves with 250 water balloons full of paint to splash across the white space, and dowels and stirrers to flick like magic wands. Most splatter paintings are hung up when the color is unleashed, but this one is on the ground so painters in wheelchairs can work alongside stand-ing ones. All the artists have some kind of disability, and the splatter painting is part of the art therapy program provided by the Arc of Tuscaloosa.

The Arc has been meeting the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities since 1957, starting in Minneapolis, Minn. and branching out into a network of state and local chapters. Tuscaloosa County’s chapter curated a gallery exhibition of artwork made in the weekly art therapy that is open at the historic Bama Theatre until Sept. 26.

“The choir sang, the food was won-derful,” said Donna Callahan, the Arc of Tuscaloosa’s interim executive director. “It was such a good night for it, and so many people stuck around to enjoy it.”

The gallery debuted full collections from four artists from the Arc, Matthew A., Curtis D., Gloria H., and Anthony W., along with individual works and team efforts from other art therapy consumers. Will Yates, the art therapy instructor, said all the artists were confident in their work and appreciated all the good feedback.

“They just want people to see what they’ve done,” Yates said. “They’re able to make something on a professional level so they love being recognized just when someone says they like their paint-ing.”

Anthony W., one of the Arc’s most prolific painters created the popular piece “Five Minutes of Funk” and another paint-ing depicting the Twin Towers in New York.

The art projects at the Arc have hit every corner of the creative world, from Christmas ornaments with swirling glass to vibrant, dyed silk scarves. The scarves were a project conceived by Carol Woodard, the Arc of Tuscaloosa’s book-keeper, who played her own part in the art therapy group.

“It’s a collaboration,” Callahan said. “We all contribute whatever we can.”

The goals of art therapy sessions are usually sensory stimulation and personal

expression, both engaging the senses and communicating what someone is feeling. Of course, everyone wants to get festive during the holidays, so seasonal projects are popular.

“For Thanksgiving we might paint a cornucopia,” Yates said. “They really went crazy for the gingerbread houses. We tried to make a neighborhood but once everything was laid out it was free rein.”

Sensory stimulation can be an im-portant part of someone’s routine if they have an intellectual or sensory disability. Art therapy participants often open up and become more relaxed and social when they have an opportunity to work with their hands or vibrant color, Yates said.

“We have one guy who is deaf and blind in one eye,” Yates said. “He’s very in tune with his fingertips, so once he gets into a project he’s interacting with everyone in class, having a good time.”

Other projects focus on bright, en-gaging colors. Making dye patterns on t-shirts is a favorite because of how every shirt comes out unique. Sometimes, though, just the chance to express one-self is enough to brighten their day.

“One guy is obsessed with Nascar,” Yates said. “No matter what we do, whether it’s a sculpture or an ornament, there’s going to be a racecar.”

Whatever the medium, creativity al-ways shines through when the group has time to get the hang of something new.

“I’ll give them something to work with like stamps and see what they come up with,” Yates said. “I’m always surprised at how many different ways they work. We’re creating a unique perspective. That’s what Creative Expressions is all about.”

The Arc’s main services are rehabili-tation programs and supportive employ-ment. Job coaches talk to businesses about the benefits of hiring someone with a disability and pair up positions with the right workers for the job.

“They prove to be such good em-ployees,” Callahan said. “They’re always there on time and they work as hard as anyone.”

The Arc also organizes the Sounds of Joy choir, a singing group that performs popular songs like “Lean on Me” and “America, the Beautiful” all around the

state. The group is often requested in schools, churches and nursing homes, and they have travelled to Mobile and Birmingham to sing.

“They sing those heartstring-pulling songs that people love to hear,” Callahan said. “They’re in very high demand, and now is there busy season.”

Overall, the Arc aims to make adults with disabilities feel welcome and ac-cepted, all while trying to improve their quality of life.

The art therapy team splatter painting sold for $300 in the show’s first weekend, and all the proceeds go right back to art supplies for new projects. From paint and brushes to clay or fabric, the Arc’s resi-dent artists’ primary goal is taking on new

forms and mastering the ones they know.“They always come up with their own

process,” Yates said. “They’re creative minds with something to communicate, so they’ll always have something to get out there.”

The Creative Expressions III exhibi-tion will be on display at Bama Theatre through Sept. 26.


>>> A L B U M R E V I E W S | WILLIAM BARSHOP

success as an indie buzz-band takes just three easy steps: Make one good al-bum, win some kind of cosmic-marketing lottery, and make a few more albums. The first step can be skipped if you really hit the mega-millions, but the second and third are mostly mandatory.

Death From Above 1979’s Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger seemed like they had made the right deal with the devil with their 2004 album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. The high-octane punk record ran on the kind of brash en-thusiasm usually reserved for circus acts, and fans matched the vibe in earnest. It was loud, vulgar and unpolished but it was distinctly fun with no disclaimers. After charting a new direction for punk rock and hitting an unbelievable jackpot of popular-ity for a band of their kind, the duo ignored Step Three for 10 whole years. This year, they reunited to give us The Physical World.

Listening to a record so similar to You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine makes for a disorienting trip to the mid-2000s, but the time loop is welcome when it means fielding fuzz-grenades like “Gov-ernment Trash.” Rockers of any age can scream “21! 21!” and pound whatever’s around to Grainger’s meaty drumbeat. Elsewhere, we find lyrics like the chorus of “Right On, Frankenstein!” that could only be revived from a simpler time for pop-punk. DFA 1979 pull off lines like “I don’t wanna die but I wanna be buried/Meet me at the gates of the cemetery” a full five years after Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll” and it still sounds wicked cool. The squealing guitars on “Gemini” alone deserve their own reunion tour.

At other times, the band’s spirit seems worn down and misfiring. “White is Red” drags us through a half-baked narrative of a teen runaway, padded with the mantra, “She crossed the line/she crossed the line” until the song feels long enough to end. Keeler offers the lifeless statement that we can’t see the future on “Crystal Ball,” adding nothing to sentiment except an unremarkable riff. No one needed reminding which direction time moves in, but we spend three minutes on the lesson. Stiff, phoned-in songs make the good

ones seems like the product of a persona, something no one sus-pected on their previous output.

DFA 1979 take brief adven-tures from their sound, but none too surprising. “Trainwreck 1979” sounds like an AC/DC song written by a third, more lucid Young brother hoping to score a Verizon Wireless commercial. The title track starts out as a chiptune nightmare and closes the album with a robotic fu-neral march. The noise throughout is a little more restrained, though it doesn’t trade abrasiveness for catchiness; You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine is still better party music.

It may be natural for fans to gripe that this record would be so much better as a glorious 2006 follow-up, cementing Death From Above 1979 as a punk-rock prototype, but it would have been even wilder to hear in 2002 or 1965 or 1812. To some fault, this band is behind the times, but The Physical World is exhilarating right now. And just rocking out isn’t something to complain about.

The Physical World is available now via Last Gang Records/Warner Bros.

Perfume GeniusMelodrama is always a gamble. You

could hit the sweet spot for a strong reac-tion, or overdo it and get come off as “try-ing too hard,” a mortal sin in art, high and low. Remarkably, Mike Hadreas of Per-

fume Genius has never made a misstep, though he treads far from the range of subtlety. On 2012’s “Hood,” Hadreas sang “you would never call me baby if you knew the truth,” a line that would feel flimsy and plastic in the hands of a lesser performer, but broke a thousand hearts behind his confessional cry. Not only does Hadreas hold on to his streak of resonance on Too Bright, he actually ups the intensity and opens up the drama to a wider cast of emotions.

The majority of songs in Perfume Genius’ catalog follow the formula of tender piano keys and frank introversion, with Hadreas taking his time to arrange his soul with care. When he drops lines like “There’s no safe place for the heart to hang when the body’s no good,” he leaves plenty of space for the idea to occupy (“No

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979, AND PERFUME GENIUS // TWO BANDS AND TWO REVIEWS

Good”). In an interview with Wondering Sound’s Jayson Greene, Hadreas pointed to Raymond Carver and Lorrie Moore as the kind of writers he tends to emulate. “It’s very simple language and you have to read between the lines to get everything. But there’s still a lot of heart to it. I don’t find it cold.”

Hadreas’ slurred, barely-there vocals demand close attention to pick out, and the fine details you find when you burrow deep into each song’s crevices are reward enough. It’s fitting, then, that the album’s last words on “All Along” are “I don’t need you to understand/I need you to listen.”

This is the Perfume Genius we know. On the lead single, “Queen” he leaves ten-derness on hold to transform himself into a parody of the public menace that people see when he walks down the street. The singer puts on a queer monster mask, hunting for innocents to infect with the gay agenda like a Scooby Doo villain, predato-ry and ugly with “skin sewn on in sheets.” Threatening sirens frame the kicker: “No family is safe when I sashay.”

A lifelong struggle with Crohn’s dis-ease makes him a monster too on “My Body,” where he slithers out from the un-derworld to invite you in “if you handle the stink.” On “Grid” he’s a banshee warning

you to turn back with long, chilling shrieks that drown out a choir’s chanting. The common structure is a scene of murk and shadows, smashed by a blinding light.

Nestled between the horrors are quietly powerful statements like “Don’t Let Them In.” In another time, the tune could have been a Dionne Warwick or Carole King standard, but it’s Hadreas who feels “trapped in this body” and too exhausted to greet company. Gumdrop-sweet piano chords lift the crushing sadness.

The album is divided unevenly be-tween these styles, though, sometimes feeling disorganized when we jump be-tween moods without warning. Signature Perfume Genius piano ballads feel like grainy home movies while the glam-rock half plays like a blockbuster thriller. Both can make us laugh or cry, but the two poles probably shouldn’t borrow from each other. No one asked for Paranormal Activity: The Musical. With pointed grace, Too Bright skirts that line and still comes out feeling genuine.

On the wildly confrontational half of this record, Perfume Genius shoots the moon, and on the gentle, pleading melo-dies, he floats among the stars.

Too Bright is available Sept. 23 via Matador Records.


this neglected animal, was shocking to observe up close. It puffed out from his frame like layer upon layer of shoulder pads (body pads) and was brown and putrid and weighted the full length of the creature’s underbelly.

Looking at one another across the road as we communicated on our cell phones about the status of the sheep and the situation that had suddenly jolted our Saturday morning into a unknown direc-tion, my husband and I strategized a plan of action: I would go inside and search online for any resources or rescues that might help out this clearly distressed sheep, and he would stay with the ram to keep it safe and would call a farmer who lived nearby in an effort to find some answers.

It took a while for him to reach the farmer, but when he did the man agreed to make a few calls—see if anyone he knew was missing a ram. His nephew who lived down the road had sheep; he’d also call him.

At first the ram was frightened, hesi-tant, guarded about this human lingering about, but he didn’t flee—he needed help. My husband sat down on the ground near him and began talking to him. That seemed to work with this oddly soul-ful creature. The ram walked over and allowed his muzzle to be stroked before moving to the base of a nearby tree and lying down.

My husband joined him, sitting back against the trunk of the same tree. I called him on the cell with an update: I’d left messages with three rescues and had called the local vet, I told him. No luck yet.

He waited for nearly an hour for the farmer to show up with his nephew, sitting side by side with the odiferous ram. Finally the farmer and his nephew appeared. I walked over to join them. No one knew to whom the ram might belong.

After some minutes of interaction, it became clear that the farmer and his nephew viewed the unfolding situation a little differently than my husband and I did. We saw a lost, suffering animal. They

>>> N AT U R E | T H E L M A PAU L S E N

iT sTarTed off as a routine Saturday. At the full-glass storm door looking onto the front lawn, our three dogs began rais-ing a unified ruckus, their usual behavior. If one of them detects a suspicious sound or sight out there, in the vast view of green and blue, and starts barking, the other two join in with no clear idea of what they’re barking about. They love looking out that door.

Although we always step up to glance out, just in case, we usually dismiss their yelps of alarm as nothing and turn away. “Quiet,” we tell them. It’s a word they understand.

Yet on this recent Saturday, we did not turn away nor tell them to hush. Instead my husband put on his glasses and stepped outside. “What is that?” I heard him mutter.

The plot of land on which we reside in our mountaintop cottage is not large, certainly not by comparison with the farms all around us. The road in front of our dwelling connects a secondary highway miles away on one end to a road by the lake on the way to Scottsboro at the other. On both ends our road—dotted with farms, ponds, canyon vistas and live-stock—snakes back down the mountain. Cars move along it too fast.

My husband adjusted his glasses as he peered at the property just across the road. That elevated acreage sits higher than the road that passes just in front. On the ledge of that yard overlooking the thoroughfare stood an animal with curling horns, large oval eyes and a massive and grotesquely shaped coat of wool.

“There’s a ram in the yard across the road,” he exclaimed hurriedly as he dashed inside for the camera, then rushed back outside and began clicking away. I stepped out to observe the goings on. The animal made longing and direct eye contact but looked frightened and lost and uncertain, all of which he was.

Concerned that it would attempt to cross the dangerous road, my husband walked over to the ram. The hot, mat-ted helmet of wool, which encompassed

RAM IN A JAM // THE SAGA OF STEWY

saw a piece of livestock, a commodity. They readily acknowledged the serious neglect involved. It was unfortunate, they admitted, but they really didn’t want to get involved.

There was no official rescue locally to come to the aid of such an animal. We could call the local sheriff’s office, the farmer advised. “’Course they’d probably just shoot the ram,” he later conceded.

Between the farmer and his son down the road, they owned at least a hundred acres with multiple ponds and fenced-in pastures occupied by a dozen goats and a donkey. Still, they said, they didn’t room for this guy. Sheep and goats don’t get along, the farmer advised.

The nephew had a busy-looking little farm down the road with a variety of livestock closely sharing his fields. He commented on the extreme condition of the sheep’s wool; in fact, he’d never seen anything like it. The nephew shook his head at the dire state of this animal. Yet he couldn’t help out the sheep either; he expressed concern that this ram might get into a fight with his.

What about the man just down the road with a pond so large it might qualify as a lake and fenced-in fields holding cattle and llamas? No, said the farmer, that neighbor wouldn’t be able to do it either because he rents his fields out to others. In fact, that man had seen the ram a day or so earlier himself but was not inclined to intervene.

And so the dialogue went until the three men roped the horns of the subdued ram and led him across the road and into our yard. The ram little gave resistance to the rope, although guiding him across the road seemed frightening.

Once in the yard, my husband tethered him to a maple tree out front as the farmer and his nephew prepared to depart.

“Good luck,” they said.“I’m going to try cutting off some of this

wool,” my husband declared to me as he slid a bench over from the side yard and took off in search of cutting implements. “Stay here with him until I get back.”

The ram was gently pulling and tug-ging against the rope and periodically getting his legs entangled, but he was attentive and responsive to human voice and human touch. With those slanted yellow-brown eyes that encompassed hues of green, this seemingly intelligent and intuitive creature made eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart contact with both of us. We were unexpectedly moved.

My husband returned with his tools—a pair of heavy-duty scissors and three serrated knives—and got to work. With gloves on his hands, he literally began sawing away at the masses of fecal-infested wool that hung from below the beast and the rock-like wool masses on the sides of his torso.

With few breaks, he kept at it for four hours. Sticks, thorns and debris were deeply embedded in the sheep’s matted wool, and poked into his skin as my hus-

20-gallon sack of rotting wool took 4 hours and barely scratched the surface.


>>> CO N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PAG E

Hannah Brown with granddaughter, Maggie Arrington, in Tuscany

band’s knife pulled at the tangled fleece. After filling a twenty-gallon bag with the hardened, rotting wool, my husband deter-mined he could go no further.

“That’s all I can do,” he declared, finally. It was now approaching evening. We’d heard nothing back from our efforts to reach out to rescue groups. “It’s the weekend,” noted my husband, and we be-gan to plan for accommodating the sheep overnight.

We have a fenced-in back yard for our three dogs and open yards on the sides and front. Our dogs behave when we’re out front with them, so we put the ram in the fenced-in yard. The dogs were inside the house.

But when we took them out to the side yard and our rescue Chow saw the ram, he charged toward the chain-link gate and burst through. The ram began a fervent gallop as the Chow chased after him. “Oh no,” we uttered as we attempted to protect the ram.

Yet in matter of seconds that need was eliminated as the ram stopped abruptly, arched his torso around and head-butted the charging Chow. Equally stunned were my husband, my self and our dog. “Game changed,” we snickered to ourselves.

That evening my husband announced that he was going to put in a call to Jamie Glasgow, a local vet tech who sometimes pet-sat our menagerie. Jamie was at a celebration party for her friend, April Russ, who had just become an American citizen from her native country of Ireland. My hus-band described the ram’s and our dilemma and asked Jamie whether she knew of any resources we might turn to for assistance.

Jamie informed him that ironically her friend April operated an animal sanctu-ary—Shamballa Wildlife Rescue—with her husband, John. They didn’t take in farm animals, but maybe they knew someone who did. She’d ask and pass on our con-tact info to her friend.

It was at this point in the saga that the dots began to connect serendipitously. I’d looked up any animal referral and/or rescue groups, or sheep shearers, I could find in the area. I’d left private messages on their Facebook pages, sent emails to their contacts and left voice messages if there was a number. One of those mes-sages had been to Shamballa, explaining the plight of the lost sheep and our lack of acreage to care for it. Now, at the party, Jamie had also told them about the res-cued ram.

His first night sleeping in the back yard with access to a garage had gone well, with the exception that when our dogs came into his view in the side yard, he rammed our chain-link fence so hard that we feared for its stability. Note to self: don’t take dogs over there.

Toward us the ram re-mained responsive, affec-tionate even. And although much more wool needed to be removed, the ram had to already feel freer and lighter and relieved. He nuzzled close to us, looked into our

eyes and seemed to listen intently when we murmured to him that he was going to be okay and told him how beautiful he was. He followed us around the yard.

The next morning, Sunday, April Russ of Shamballa Wildlife Rescue gave us a call. Even though their non-profit is “…dedicated to the rescue, rehab and release of Alabama wildlife,” they were compassionately coming through for the sheep. She needed to make a few more calls; she thought she had a home for him. Could we keep him one more night? Absolutely, we said.

In the meantime, my husband had al-ready shared the experience of encounter-ing and caring for the ram on his Facebook feed and generated much interest from like-minded souls moved by the ram’s plight and progress. People were following the outcome.

Online, folks began weighing in with thoughts and opinions about the lost ram and his state. Judging from the growth of his horns, some said, he was around a year to a year-and-a-half old. Regarding his breed, Shetland was the answer identi-fied by the Facebook followers.

After spending the morning caring for their pets and wildlife, the Russes from Shamballa called for directions and began the thirteen-mile journey through the beautiful countryside in the direction of our property. With the ram roped around his horns once again, he and my husband stood waiting.

What an interesting couple the Russes were. John was friendly and focused, keeping our chatty selves on task. Semper Fi stickers dotted the bumper of his truck. His gregarious wife donned a western hat

Continued on page 12

After the head butt from the ram, Jock reevaluates his status. Then, sheepishly, retreats indoors for a nap.

My husband and Stewy awaiting John and April from Shamballa Wildlife Rescue.


Meiomi Pinot Noir ReviewMeiomi Pinot Noir is sourced from Mon-

terey, Santa Barbara and Sonoma counties in California. According to the bottle, the word Meiomi comes from the California Wappo tribe and means “coast”. The vine-yards where Meiomi Pinot Noir come from are all coastal vineyards in California.

Joseph Wagner is the winemaker for Meiomi Pinot Noir. He carefully crafts the wine to take advantage of the layers that come from the three different vineyards that make up the wine.

The alcohol content of Meiomi Pinot Noir is 13.9% by volume.

The wine pours dark in the glass with colors of deep plum. Perhaps darker than the average Pinot Noir, light doesn’t shine through this wine. Meiomi Pinot Noir is very leggy in the glass with many slow dripping tears that remain on the sides of the glass for some time.

Upon first sniff, I immediately noticed a good spicy whiff of alcohol in the nose. You want to allow the wine to get some air for several minutes in order to mute this ef-fect. This wine is aromatic with a very lofty nose. From afar I picked up some hints of mocha. Up close revealed leathery black raspberry scents. All in all, very enjoyable.

Sipping the Meiomi Pinot Noir gave forth flavors of multiple bright berries. This lighter and brighter flavor contrasted well with the heavy appearance and milky mouthfeel. Additionally, an initial chaos of complexity was noticed in the first taste. Things settled down a bit after the wine had a chance to breathe.

Bright tannins were noticed. The wine also finished somewhat bright. The finish length was short to medium initially on the tongue. A longer dark berry finish on the cheeks was also noticed.

Overall, I thought the Meiomi Pinot Noir was great! A nice lush Pinot Noir at a good price. I enjoyed the fact that there were multiple facets to the tasting experience. One bright and the other deep and dark. I think this is attributable to the winemaker’s goal to achieve the “best expressions” of the different coastal vineyards.

I would strongly suggest letting this wine decant for a good fifteen minutes or so to allow the alcohol to dissipate a bit. The wine reviewed was a 2011. I’m sure that cellaring this wine for a couple years would add to the tasting experience.

Highly recommend!Price for Meiomi Pinot Noir about

$19.99.

More wine reviews by Jon Rogers at www.honestwinereviews.com

willameTTe Valley pinoT noir is one of the most well-known Oregon Pinot Noir wines from the Willamette Valley. This re-view is of the 2011 vintage of their Estate Pinot Noir.

Willamette Vineyards was founded by Jim Bernau in 1983 when he purchased the site where the Estate resides. He then planted Pinot Noir and other varietals on the site.

In 1989 he went ahead and built the winery to be able to produce enough quantity to sell to restaurants and stores.

The grapes for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir are grown in well-drained soil with oxidized iron content. According to the bottle, the wine was aged for 9 months in oak and was harvested between October 1st and November 2nd of 2011. Alcohol content 12.5% by volume.

For this review, I again had the help from a good friend with a great palate for wine tasting.

We observed that the bottle had a wealth of technical information about the wine on it. You don’t often see as much information as was on this bottle and we both appreciated seeing the wine’s technical stats.

Price for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir about $30.00. I received this bottle as a gift from my neighbors, who have great taste in wine.

In the glass, the wine was light garnet in color. Much darker than a rose but lighter than most Cabernets. Plenty of light shone through the glass.

Some legs were observed, but overall the wines appears light in the glass.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is very aromatic. A fully developed and medium intensity fragrance was noted immediately upon opening the bottle.

We both noted hints of subtle floral, a little spicy clove and fresh cherry on the nose. Very enjoyable with just a slight whiff of alcohol noted. Flavor of the Wil-lamette Valley Pinot Noir was warm and bright. My friend noted a little bit of spice, currant and more floral notes. My ob-servation was similar and also that some good oak came through.

Well balanced tannins were noted all over the mouth with minimal bitterness. Mouthfeel was regarded as “milky” and “silky” by us. The wine had a medium fin-ish and finished light.

Overall, I thought this was my favorite Oregon Pinot Noir so far. I really liked the lightness and pureness of the varietal.

My friend, who normally enjoys a good robust Cabernet Sauvignon also enjoyed it, but said it’s more of a warm season sip-per than a winter wine.

Recommend!

>>> RESTAURANTS | W H E R E T O E A T I N T U S C A L O O S A

BREAKFAST / LUNCHBrown Bag9425 Jones Road | northport // 333.0970its speciality, fried green tomatoes, joins barbecue plates and fish filets on an extended list of meats and vegetables.tues 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Wed-sat 10:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

City Cafe408 main ave | Downtown northport // 758.9171Established in 1936. Big on food, low on price. open for breakfast and lunch. Historic downtown northport. closed weekends.

CountryPride Restaurant3501 Buttermilk Rd // 554.0215www.ta.travelcenters.comBreakfast 24 hours. lunch and Dinner buffet.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store4800 Doris pate Dr | Exit 76 // 562.8282www.crackerbarrel.com

International House of Pancakes724 skyland Blvd // 366.1130

Jack's1200 Hackberry lane | tuscaloosa // 345.1199

Maggie's Diner1307 ty Rogers Jr. ave | tuscaloosa // 366.0302

Mr. Bill's Family Restaurant2715 mcfarland Blvd | tuscaloosa // 333.9312

Panera Bread1800 mcfarland Blvd *402 | tuscaloosa // 366.8780

Quick Grill1208 university Blvd | the strip | tuscaloosa // 342.0022

Rama Jama’s1000 Bryant Dr // 750.0901closest restaurant to Bryant-Denny stadium.

Sweet Home Food Bar2218 University Blvd. | Tuscaloosa // 764-9346 Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Waysider1512 Greensboro ave // 345.8239open for breakfast and lunch. smoke free.

MEXICANChipotle Mexican Grill1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 391.0140www.chipotle.com

Don Rafa's2313 4th street | temerson square // 345.9191

El Mariachi3520 mcfarland Blvd E |tuscaloosa // 409-8585

El Rincon (2 locations)1225 university Blvd | tuscaloosa // 366.08551726 mcfarland Blvd | northport // 330.1274

Fernando's Mexican Grill824 mcfarland Blvd E | northport // 205.331.4587

Iguana Grill1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 752.5895

Jalapeno’s Mexican Grill2001 new Watermelon Rd | northport // 342.3378

LaGran Fiesta9770 Hwy 69 s // 345.8871

Los Calientes Mexican Grill3429 mcfarland Blvd E // 553.1558

Los Tarascos (2 locations)1759 skyland Blvd // 553.88963380 mcfarland Blvd | northport // 330.0919

Margarita's Grill1241 mcfarland Blvd E // 343.0300

Moe’s Southwest Grill (2 locations)2330 mcfarland Blvd E // 342.14871130 university Blvd // 752.0234moes.com

Pepito’s (2 locations)1203 university Blvd | the strip // 391.90281301 mcfarland Blvd nE // 391.4861

Taco Mama2104 a university Blvd, tuscaloosa409.8173 FINE DININGChuck’s Fish508 Greensboro ave | Downtown tuscaloosa // 248.9370monday - thursday 5-10 p.m. and friday - saturday 5-11 p.m. steak, seafood, & sushi specialities. Daily specials: monday - $20 Bottles of Wine; tuesday - ladies night 1/2 off Domestic Beer and House Wine, select $5 martinis, $2 off select sushi Rolls for Everyone; uptown Wednesday - $6 uptown shrimp; featured cocktails and $20 Bottles of Wine. Cypress Inn501 Rice mine Rd // 345.6963fax: 345.6997 | www.cypressinnrestaurant.com2003 Restaurant of Distinction. Beautiful riverfront location.steaks, seafood and more with southern flavor. Wine list,full bar. specialities of the house include shrimp cypress innand smoked chicken with white barbecue sauce. Kid friend-ly. closed saturday lunch. mike spiller is featured the first

thursday of every month. Happy Hour- mon-fri from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. featuring 1/2 price appetizers. $2 Domestic Draft Beers and $3 Well cocktails.

Epiphany Cafe19 Greensboro ave | Downtown tuscaloosa // 344.5583“new american cuisine” with a strong emphasis on localproduce, organic meats, and sustainable seafood. the menuis always changing and features include an extensive wine list, a large vibrant bar and martini lounge area, as well as patio seating. Reservations are available online at epiph-anyfinedining.com or through open table. Hours: mon–sat 5 p.m. - until

Evangeline’s1653 mcfarland Blvd. north // 752.0830located in the tuscaloosa Galleria. 2004 West alabamatourism award Winning Restaurant. american Eclecticcuisine. lunch: mon–fri 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Dinner: tues–sat 5 p.m. - until... fall: saturday Brunch.

FIVE Bar2324 6th street. // 205.345.6089a restaurant/bar based on simplicity. We offer 5 entrees, 5 red wines, 5 white wines, 5 import beers, 5 domestic, and 5 signature cocktails, to go along with our full liquor bar.Dinner: sunday - thursday 5-10; friday and saturday 5-12lunch: friday and saturday 11-3; sunday Jazz Brunch: 10-3five-bar.com; 205.345.6089

Kozy’s3510 loop Road E | near Va medical center // 556.4112Eclectic menu, extensive wine list. Dinner at Kozy’s is aromantic experience complete with candlelight and a roar-ing fireplace. |killionrestaurants.com/kozys/

Twin3700 6th st, tuscaloosa in tuscaloosa country club | 758-7528 | http://twinpowersactivate.comcertified usDa prime steaks; specialty sushi and cocktails. Hours: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 5 – 10 p.m. JAPANESEBenkei Japanese Steak House1223 mcfarland Blvd // 759-5300Hours: mon–thurs 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. | fri–sat 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Bento Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar1306 university Blvd // 758.7426

Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant607 15th street open sunday through thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and friday and saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Ichiban Japanese Grill & Sushi502 15th street // 752.8844

Tokyo Japanese Steak & Sushi Bar6521 Hwy 69 s | Hillcrest center // 366.1177offers steak, seafood, tempura, teriyaki and sushi. includingcooking at your table, if you choose. sun–thurs 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. fri & sat 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Kobe Steak House1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 759-1400lunch: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Dinner: 4:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.sat & sun 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. ITALIANAvenue Pub405 23rd avenue

Broadway Pizzeria2880 Rice mine Road northeast tuscaloosa, // 391.6969

DePalma’s Italian Cafe2300 university Blvd, Downtown // 759.1879menu ranges from sanwiches to finer pasta dishes and pizza.Varied beer and wine selection.Hours: mon–thurs 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. | fri & sat 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.www.depalmascafe.com

Little Italy1130 university Blvd. | tuscaloosa // 205.345.4343

Mellow Mushroom2230 university Blvd // 758.0112pizzas, calzones, hoagies and more. open dailyfor lunch and dinner. www.mellowmushroom.com

Mr. G’s908 mcfarland Blvd n | northport // 339-8505

Olive Garden2100 mcfarland Blvd E // 750-0321open daily from 11 a.m.www.olivegarden.com CASUAL DININGAvenue Pub405 23rd avenue // tuscaloosathe pub offers a different menu for brunch, lunch, and dinner. feature foods include pineapple french toast, pork sliders, and a house burger which changes daily. the drink menu features specialty cocktails, local pints, bottled beer, and wine. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday Noon – 11 p.m., Sunday Noon p.m. – 9 p.m.

Big Daddy’s Cafe514 Greensboro ave | Downtown tuscaloosa // 759.9925

The Blue Plate Restaurant (Was Northport Diner)450 mcfarland Blvd, northport // 462-3626

Brumfield's Restaurant4851 Rice mine Road | Tuesday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., and Sunday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.Buddy’s Ribs & Steaks2701 Bridge ave | northport // 339.4885

>>> WINE REVIEW | J O N R O G E R S

TWO WEST COAST PINOT NOIRS // TWO GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS


Buffalo Wild Wings2710 mcfarland Blvd // 523.0273mon–Wed 11 a.m. - midnight | thurs–sat 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.Chicken Salad Chickthe shoppes at midtown & Essex square, northport | said to be the very best chicken salad that can be found anywhere. www.chickensaladchick.com

Chili’s1030 skyland Blvd | near mcfarland mall // 750.8881fax: 758.7715 // www.chilis.com

Dave’s Dogs1701 mcfarland Blvd E | university mall // 722.2800

Five Guys Burgers & Fries1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 391.0575www.fiveguys.com

Glory Bound Gyro Company2325 university Blvd // 349-0505Glory Bound Gyro company is a unique restaurant that focuses on great food and service in a funky, fun-filled atmosphere.open mon-thu: 11am - 10pm | fri - sat: 11am-10pm |sun: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Hooligan’s1915 university Blvd // 759.2424from hamburgers to hummus. open daily 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Horny's508 Red Drew ave | tuscaloosa // 345.6869mon 4 p.m. - 2 a.m. | tues-thurs 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.fri 11 a.m. - 3 a.m. | sat 4 p.m. - 2 a.m.new orleans style atmosphere in the heart of tuscaloosa onthe strip. Horny's offerings include a full liquor bar, beer, anda variety of classic american food. Horny's Bar and Grill offers a limited late night menu from 1:30 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.

Tacogi500 Greensboro ave | Downtown tuscaloosa // 342.3647

Logan's Roadhouse1511 skyland Blvd E // 349.3554

Madear’s1735 culver Road // 343.7773mon–fri 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. | 2nd & 3rd sunday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Mugshots Grill & Bar511 Greensboro ave | Downtown tuscaloosa // 391.0572Great burgers & sandwiches. unique setting, full service bar,veggie entrees, kid friendly, and open latewww.mugshotsgrillandbar.com

Newk’s Express Cafe205 university Blvd. East // 758.2455fax: 758.2470 // www.newkscafe.coman express casual dining experience in a refreshing andstylish atmosphere. serving fresh tossed salads, oven bakedsandwiches, california style pizzas and homemade cakes fromnewk’s open kitchen. sun–Wed 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. | thurs–sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

O’Charley’s3799 mcfarland Blvd // 556.5143open daily for lunch, dinner and sunday brunchwww.ocharleys.com

Panera Bread1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 366.8780www.panerabread.com

Piccadilly Cafeteria1701 mcfarland Blvd E | university mall // 556.4960www.piccadilly.com

Quick Grill1208 university Blvd | the strip // 342.0022www.bamaquickgrill.com

Ruby Tuesday (2 locations)6421 interstate Drive | cottondale // 633.3939Just off i-20/59 at exit 77. near Hampton inn and microtel inn311 merchants Walk | northport // 345.4540www.rubytuesdays.com

Ryan’s4373 courtney Dr // 366.1114near marriott courtyard and fairfield inn Sitar Indian Cuisine500 15th st // 345-1419

Southland Restaurant5388 skyland Blvd E // 556.3070steaks, chops and home-cooked vegetablesmon–fri 10:45 a.m. - 9 p.m.

The Southern Dining Room Grill (Behind Ryan's)4251 courtney Dr, tuscaloosa331-4043

T-Town Café500 14th street, tuscaloosa | 759-5559 |www.ttowncafe.co mon - fri: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m., sat: 5 a.m. - 3 p.m. sun: 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Tuscaloosa Burger & Seafood Company1014 7th ave. | tuscaloosa // 764.1976over 160 craft beers.tue. - thu 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; fri - sat 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; sun 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. large selection of decadent desserts.

Zoe’s Kitchen312 merchants Walk // 344.4450a wonderful selection of Greek foods

SPORTS GRILLBaumhower's Wings of Tuscaloosa500 Harper lee Drive | catering-pick-up tuscaloosa //556.5858 | always fresh and always fun. owned by former ua/miami Dolphins great Bob Baumhower. Kid friendly

Buffalo Phil’s1149 university Blvd | the strip // 758.3318sports grille with tVs galore. Diverse beer and wine selection, full barBilly's Sports GrillHistoric Downtown northport / 879.2238Good food, beverages and family friendlyMonday through Wednesday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Thursday

through Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. till 9 p.m. (Sunday Brunch 10:30am-3pm).

Buffalo Wild Wings2710 mcfarland Blvd. East | tuscaloosa // 523.0273sports grille with tVs galore. Diverse beer and wineselection, full bar

Champs Sports Grille320 paul Bryant Drive | inside four points sheraton Hotel // 752.3200Breakfast and lunch buffets. sunday brunch 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Hooter’s5025 oscar Baxter Dr | next to Jameson inn // 758.3035Wings, clams, shrimp and of course the Hooters Girlswww.hooters.com

Innisfree Irish Pub1925 university Blvd | tuscaloosa // 345.1199

Moe's BBQ101 15th street | Downtown tuscaloosa // 752.3616mon-sat 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.Bar open until 2 a.m., 3 a.m. on fridays

Mugshots Grill & Bar511 Greensboro ave // 391.0572Great burgers. full service bar. open late.www.mugshotsgrillandbar.com

Tuscaloosa Burger & Seafood Company1014 7th ave. | tuscaloosa // 764.1976over 160 craft beers.tue. - thu 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; fri - sat 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; sun 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. large selection of decadent desserts

Wilhagan’s2209 4th st | Downtown tuscaloosa // 366.0913

Wings U 1800 mcfarland Blvd East suite 218 | pick-up tuscaloosa // 561.3984 features the first coal-fired pizza oven in alabama. owned by former ua/miami Dolphins great Bob Baumhower. completely open concept! www.wingsu.com

WingZone1241 mcfarland Blvd E | tuscaloosa // 342.2473

BARBEQUEArchibald & Woodrow's BBQ4215 Greensboro ave | tuscaloosa // 331.4858mon-sat 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. | sun lunch

Bama BBQ & Grill3380 mcfarland Blvd | northport // 333.9816

Dickey's BBQ9770 alabama 69; midtown; and 13544 Hwy 43 north at Rose Blvd. in northport. Great texas Barbecue. | 344.6500

Dreamland (2 locations)5535 15th ave | tuscaloosa // 758.8135101 Bridge ave | northport // 343.6677the legend. on game day, get there early if you want to makekickoff. seating is limited. Hours: mon–sat 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. | sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Hick’s BBQ4400 fayette Hwy // 339.3678 // tues–sat 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Moe's Original BBQ2101 university Blvd.. // 752.3616serving up an award-winning, all things southern BBQand live music experience. come dine-in or sit on thepatio and enjoy some great Que, beers, whiskey, and livemusic on thursday-saturday. Roll tide!mon–sat 11am - 10pm | Bar service mon-sat 2am andfri -3am | Kitchen closes at 10pm

Pottery Grill (2 locations)Highway 11 | cottondale // 554.18153420 alabama 69 | northport // 333.5848menu: thepotterygrill.comawesome barbecue. the pottery Grill serves up everything from pork, chicken, ribs and sausage to burgers, hot dogs and salads. take-out and catering available.

Tee’s Ribs and Thangs1702 10th avenue // 366.9974 |11 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily

STEAKSLogan’s Roadhouse1511 skyland Blvd | next to sams // 349.3554steaks, ribs and spirits

Longhorn Steakhouse1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 345-8244 #412

Nick's In the Sticks4018 culver Rd | tuscaloosa // 758.9316a long-time tuscaloosa tradition.Good steaks at a reasonable pricetry a nicodemus if you have a designated driver.

Outback Steakhouse5001 oscar Baxter Dr // 759.9000

Twin Restaurant3700 6th street |tuscaloosa | 758-7528 a full service restaurant specializing in sushi, prime steaks, made fresh daily pasta, and whiskey oriented cocktails. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. // former tuscaloosa country club SEAFOODChuck’s Fish508 Greensboro ave | Downtown tuscaloosa // 248.9370monday - thursday 5-10 p.m. and friday - saturday 5-11 p.m. steak, seafood, & sushi specialities. Daily specials: monday - $20 Bottles of Wine; tuesday - ladies night 1/2 off Domestic Beer and House Wine, select $5 martinis, $2 off select sushi Rolls for Everyone; uptown Wednesday - $6 uptown shrimp;

>>> RESTAURANTS | W H E R E T O E A T I N T U S C A L O O S A ( C O N T . ) >>> BEER REVIEW | B R E T T R E I D

LEFT HAND MILK STOUT // REALLY, REALLY GOOD

enjoyable; much like I’m not even drinking a beer.

The mouth-feel was the perfect accent to this brew. The beer has a thick mouthfeel, like syrup; settles really heavy in your mouth and stomach as well. The carbonation level could have been a little higher be-cause it was a little flat, and after sitting out for a bit, it was almost com-pletely flat which was a bit disappointing. If you’ve read this column before, you know that I’m a stickler for carbonation levels, and this is probably the only time I will ever complain about carbonation being too low. Just something that I was thinking of and wish it was a little different. As it settled on the tongue, the flavors get stronger and stron-ger; you can really pick apart the different elements and layers of flavors. Overall, it’s really silky, really smooth, and really, really good.

Overall, this has been one of the best stouts I’ve had in a while and Left Hand Brewing seems to be known for their darker beers rather than anything else as far as I can tell. The perfectly executed Left Hand Milk Stout builds its body on complementary layers and flavors. The velvety mouthfeel is what did this one for me; along with the quintessential sweet-ness and chocolate notes that were ever-present. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this brew and I’m glad I know where I can get it now. This definitely won’t be the last time I pick this one up. If you’re not a fan of sweeter dark beers, this one will make a believer out of you. Trust me.

i’Ve found ThaT my tastes and prefer-ences changing a bit over the past few months. Where I would have never drank stouts and porters willingly, I have recently found myself enjoying them more than most IPA style beers. I guess it could have something to do with the fact that I haven’t had an IPA that has really blown me away lately. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my favorites (i.e. Jai Alai, Single Wide, and Good People’s IPA) but everything else I’ve had lately just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve been drinking a lot of stouts and darker beers as I previously mentioned, and I’ve found a lot of beers that are really, really awesome. Currently, I’m a total fan boy for the Left Hand Milk Stout, but there’s a problem, because not many places are carrying it. Plenty of places have the Left Hand Brewing Nitro Milk Stout, but I’m talking about the O.G., plain and simple Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout; which is nothing close to plain and simple. This beer was fantastic and I’m so happy I found it. Here are my thoughts:

This beer poured a deep black, typical of most stouts, and had a fluffy, bubbly mocha colored head; about two and a half finger widths. After the head settled, there was nice lacing that gathered around the top of the glass, and was a great indica-tion that there would be a ton of lacing as I drank. After pouring, I did my usual waft and sniff, and I picked up on a TON of sweet cream. When I say sweet cream, I am referring to the smell of half and half. You could tell from the scent alone that there was going to be a great creamy flavor. Aside from the powerful punch of half and half, you get some coffee scents and maybe even some toffee. This beer, on scent alone, ranks up there with the Maduro from Cigar City Brewing; I could smell both of these all day long.

Taste follows nose for the most part, and that was welcomed. Spearheaded by a faint chocolate flavor, this beer is really one of the most balanced stouts I have ever experienced. As you continue to drink, you get a lot of the creaminess that you picked up on from the nose. There is a slight flavor of some toasted elements that add to the wide array of depths that the beer has. The roasted malt adds a nice slight bitterness, but there are isn’t a strong hop presence. Toward the end, you get some coffee flavors and a little more vanilla that culmi-nates in a dry finish. The dry finish gives a slight false sense of sessional aspects, but that is NOT true. This beer, while very tasty, is very heavy, and very filling. It’s a great dessert beer if this is all you’re going to have for dessert. The flavor is exactly what I wanted it to be. When I see milk stout, I expect a level of creaminess that almost masks the bitterness and a level of sweetness to make it really


>>> RESTAURANTS | W H E R E t o E a t i n t u s c a l o o s a ( c o n t . )

featured cocktails and $20 Bottles of Wine.

Red Lobster2620 mcfarland Blvd // 553.8810mcfarland plaza shopping center

Tin Top Restaurant & Oyster Bar 4851 Rice mine Rd nE #460 // 462.3399mcfarland plaza shopping center & temerson square

Tuscaloosa Burger & Seafood Company1014 7th ave. | tuscaloosa // 764.1976over 160 craft beers.tue. - thu 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; fri - sat 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; sun 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. large selection of decadent desserts.

Wintzell’s Oyster House1 Bridge ave | northport // 247.7772casual riverfront diningsun–thurs 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. | fri–sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

CHINESEBuffet City1747 skyland Blvd E // 553.3308all you can eat buffet. open 7 days a week.

Chang’s Chinese Restaurant1825 mcfarland Blvd n // 391.9131China Fun2600 university Blvd | alberta city // 553.2435

China GardenHwy 69 s | Hillcrest center // 758.0148

Hot Wok Express6751 alabama 69, tuscaloosa // 758.0148

Lee Palace6521 Highway 69 s // 391.9990open daily 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Mr. Chen's Authentic Chinese Cooking & Oriental Market514 14th st. | in the oz music shopping center //343.6889 // open sun - thu 11am - 9pm,fri & sat 11am - 9:30pm

Pearl Garden2719 lurleen Wallace Blvd | northport // 339.0880

Peking Chinese Restaurant1816 mcfarland | northport // 333.0361open 7 days a week. super lunch and dinner buffet.Hours: sun–thurs 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. | fri & sat 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Swen Chinese Restaurant1130 university Blvd | the strip // 391.9887

Trey Yuen4200 mcfarland Blvd E // 752.0088

ASIAN CUISINERuan Thai1407 university Blvd // 391.9973 | ruanthaituscaloosa.comExotic thai cuisine. offers vegetarian options, outdoor dining,and a full bar. sushi on thursdays. lunch: mon–sat 11 a.m. -2 p.m. | Dinner: mon–thurs 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. fri & sat 5 p.m. -10pm | sun 11 a.m. -3 p.m.

Surin of Thailand1402 university Blvd // 752.7970authentic thai restaurant and sushi bar. open daily.lunch: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Dinner: 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.www.surinofthailand.com

PIZZA AND SUBSA Taste Of Chicago1700 Greensboro avenue 205-342-DoGsmon. - thurs. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; fri. - sat. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.17th street and Greensboro avenue. authentic chicago style foods. italian Beef sandwiches, chicago Rib tips, and chicago style pizza.

California Underground13552 Highway 43, northport | 339.8660

Firehouse Subs1130 university Blvd | tuscaloosa // 248.0680

Hungry Howie’s (2 locations)1105 southview ln | south tuscaloosa // 345.60001844 mcfarland Blvd | northport // 333.26331211 university Blvd | tuscaloosa | the strip // 366.15004851 Rice mine Rd | northriver/Holt // 345.3737

Lenny’s Sub Shop220 15th st // 752.7450fax: 752.7481 // www.lennys.com

Little Caesars Pizza1414 10th ave // 366.2220 | 1www.littlecaesars.com

Little Italy1130 university Blvd. // 345.4354

Mellow Mushroom2230 university Blvd | Downtown tuscaloosa // 758.0112

Subs n' You2427 university Blvd. | tuscaloosa // 205.758.0088

Roly Poly Sandwiches2300 4th street | tuscaloosa // 366.1222

The Pita Pit1207 university Blvd | the strip // 345.9606Hours: mon–sat 10:30 a.m. - 3 a.m. | sun 11:30 a.m. - midnight

Pizza 12050115th st. East | 561.6853

Pizza Palace Buffet

6521 alabama 69 | 752.5444

Tut’s Place1306 university Blvd | the strip // 759.1004

DELICATESSENHoneybaked Ham Company421 15th st. E // 345.5508www.honeybaked.com

Jason’s Deli2300 mcfarland Blvd // 752.6192fax: 752.6193 // www.jasonsdeli.comlocated in the meadowbrook shopping center.

Jimmy John’s (3 locations)1400 university Blvd | the strip // 366.36991875 mcfarland Blvd n | northport // 752.7714815 lurleen B. Wallace s | tuscaloosa // 722.2268Delivery 7 days a week.www.jimmyjohns.com

Manna Grocery & Deli2300 mcfarland Blvd E | tuscaloosa // 752.9955

McAlister’s Deli (2 locations)101 15th st | tuscaloosa // 758.00393021 tyler Dr | northport // 330.7940sandwiches, salads and spudswww.mcalistersdeli.com

Momma Goldberg’s Deli409 23rd ave // 345.5501www.mommagoldbergs.com

Newk's205 university Blvd E | tuscaloosa // 758.2455

Schlotsky’s Deli405 15th st. E // 759.1975schlotskys.com

Which Wichuniversity Blvd.// Downtown tuscaloosa // mon – sat 10:30 – 9 // sunday 11 – 7 // fun atmosphere,fresh ingredients, great sandwiches. 764.1673

COFFEE SHOPBarnes & Noble1800 mcfarland Blvd E | tuscaloosa349.6366

Chloe's Cup2117 university Blvd.| tuscaloosa // 764.0218

Crimson Cafe International Coffee House & Gourmet Deli1301 university Blvd | the strip // 750.0203mon–fri 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. | sat & sun 8 a.m. - 11 p.m.thecrimsoncafe.com

Five Javacoffee, fresh juices, smoothies and treats from mary's cakes. open monday - saturday at 7am; 9am on sundays

Heritage House18 mcfarland Blvd | northport // 758.0042

Krispy Kreme Doughnut1400 mcfarland Blvd // 758.6913www.krispykreme.com

Starbucks (2 locations)1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 343.24681901 13th ave East | inside super target // 462.1064starbucks.com

DESSERTSCelebrations Bakery, Inc.1832 mcfarland Blvd n | northport // 339.3221fax: 349.1945

Cold Stone Creamery1130 university Blvd. | tuscaloosa //343.1670specializes in customized ice creamHours: mon–thurs 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. | fri & sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.sun 12 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Dunkin' Donuts2520 stillman Blvd. |tuscaloosa// 349.3400mccorvey Dr. | tuscaloosa // 348.4041www.dunkindonuts.com

Mary's Cakes & Pastries412 22nd avenue | behind opus | northport // 345.8610www.maryscakesandpastries.common–fri 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. | sat 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Smoothie King (2 locations)415 15th street | tuscaloosa // 349.1721fax: 349.19451403 university Blvd | tuscaloosa // 462.3664

Sweet CeCe's Frozen yogurt Treats2217 university Blvd. | Downtown tuscaloosa // 561.6458a fun and friendly make your own creation,yogurt experience!

TCBY (3 Locations)2304 mcfarland Blbd | meadowbrook shopping center //349.4661 // 2 mcfarland Blvd | northport | Essex shoppingcenter // 758.6855 // 1130 univ. Blvd. | the strip // 345.0804

Yogurt In Lovepatriot center 7402 Highway 69 southphone number: 764.9173 fax number: 764.9228monday-thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., friday & saturday 11 a.m.-10 pm.

Yogurt Lab920 paul W. Bryant Dr ste 200 | tuscaloosa // 347.9522

Yogurt Mountain1800 mcfarland Blvd E | midtown Village // 342.1484

>>> R A M R E S C U E | C O N T ' D F R O M P A G E 9

John and April Russ from Shamballa Wildlife Rescue secure Stewy for the short 20-minute drive to greener pastures.

April Russ, with her new family member, Stewy.

The author and her husband revisited Stewy a week after his being adopted by the Russes.

and spoke perfect English with a charm-ing foreign accent.

They’d arrived with a snug carrier and we were able to coax and guide the fright-ened yet somehow trusting ram inside and lift the crate into the bed of their small truck in order to continue his journey into the next phase of his life.

Wherever and whatever his life of ne-glect had been, he’d broken free and mys-teriously made his way to us. And now to Shamballa, where they, too, posted about his arrival at their sanctuary and spent another six hours shearing the rest of his

fecal-infested fleece away: “A bit unusual for us to take in a farm type animal but this little guy came in wandering in a yard near Grant a couple of days ago and he was so sweet and so friendly. …It killed us to think that this animal was covered with layers and layers of rotting wool during the Alabama summer! For the first time in probably a couple of years, he is finally able to wiggle his tail and his poop finally falls to ground!”

They sent us pictures and we posted the updates. The online followers posted messages of cheer and support as pic-tures of a cleanly shorn “Stewy”, as he was now named, appeared. One could only imagine the freedom he felt minus the tens of pounds of wool.

The Russes sent an update along with pictures of the completely shorn ram. More cheers went up from the online crowd, many based in Tuscaloosa where we had lived until two years before.

“This story brought tears to my eyes. I am so happy for this sweet animal. Just imagine how much better he feels!!” wrote Sandra Wolfe, Executive Director of the Tuscaloosa Arts Council.

One week after the ram’s adoption by the Russes at Shamballa, we went to visit. While we were being given a tour of their operation, Stewy bleated to us from the pas-ture. We joined him. As I squatted down he nuzzled my hand and leaned his head in close; I stroked the humped bridge of his nose. When my petting motions slowed, he bent his head further and lightly butted my hand. “Don’t stop,” he

was communicating.Once they’d gotten the ram back to

Shamballa, the day they picked him up, his legs had to be tied in order to ac-cess the knotted wool against his raw and irritated skin. It had taken them an additional six hours to finally finish that job, the Russes said. His ribs poked too prominently through his skin once the fleece was trimmed away, and his belly was swollen with worms—more evidence of the neglect he’d endured.

It was clear that he’d never been shorn. Some speculated that he been

roaming wild for a while. But the wet brown wool on his legs and belly seemed to indicate he’d been penned in some unhealthy barnyard-like setting, standing leg-deep in his waste, and per-haps that of others. John Russ examined his hooves and noted the lack of nicks and cracks, supporting the penned-in-barn-yard theory.

“Maybe he was a 4-H project gone bad,” speculated Mr. Russ. The sheep had clearly bonded with humans, but his care had been full of life-threatening ne-glect—a cute, lovable lamb that had grown into an overlooked ram. The Russes were revers-

ing those conditions, deworming him and feeding his ever-hungry appetite.

As April scratched Stewy’s back, his now freed and visible tail wagged wildly in celebration. We would never know the place from which Stewy had come, but we know where he is now. And that is good; very, very good.


"AS ABOVE, SO BELOW" // CAST GIVES IT THEIR BEST SHOT, BUT...

BACkROAD ANTHEM

>>> F I L M | V A N R O B E R T S

✭✭1 1/2 out of 4

“QuaranTine” direcTor John erick Dowdle conjures up plenty of spooky atmosphere but delivers only a paucity of thrills in his half-baked, found-footage chiller “As Above, So Below” about a group of cataphiles who plunge into the catacombs of Paris to exhume a Medieval relic known as the Philosopher’s Stone. Initially, this low-budget but polished look-ing thriller must have appeared promising on paper: a plucky Laura Croft heroine, who knows six languages and holds a black belt in Capoeira, persuades a motley crew to crawl through the claustro-phobic confines of the dead for a treasure worthy of an Indiana Jones escapade.

Unfortunately, Dowdle and his co-scenarist brother Drew Dowdle don’t stock their storyline with a sufficient number of screams. Once the novelty value of the catacombs as an eerie setting wears off, the brothers Dowdle resort to standard-issue shenanigans that generate no white-knuckled terror. Naturally, claustrophobia takes a toll on our heroes. Each ends up hallucinating about a tragic event from the past, and some find themselves in circum-stances best described as surreal. Not only does one spelunker see a younger brother who he couldn’t save from drown-ing, but also he finds a mysterious piano that reminds him of one from his youth that needed a tune-up.

Simply said, “As Above, So Below” won’t scare the catacombs out of you. Neverthe-less, Dowdle does a good job of setting up suspense, but few of his alarming antics will send you screaming for the exits. Sure, you may feel a shiver scuttle up your spine, but you won’t cut loose with blood-curdling screams unless you’ve never seen a horror movie. The blood and gore content isn’t nearly as gruesome as it could have been for an R-rated chiller. The attractive twen-tysomething cast gives it their best shot, but the outcome seems fairly anti-climactic.

Although she has multiple doctorates, Scarlett Marlowe (Perdita Weeks of “Ham-let”) qualifies more as a tomb raider. She is the kind of girl who doesn’t squeal at the sight of rats and spiders. In a suspense-ful opening sequence, she enters Iran disguised as a native to obtain pictures of a giant stone bull that serves as a Ro-setta Stone of sorts to interpret alchemic inscriptions prominently featured in the work of her late father. Basically, Scarlett is pursuing the same research that her father embarked on before he felt sui-cide was the best hope for his unhinged mind. He had devoted his entire life to the search for the fabled Philosopher's Stone. According to legend, this extraor-dinary stone could heal wounds as well as convert base metals into gold. Scarlett narrowly avoids death in Iran when the au-thorities blow up the tunnels where she is snapping pictures of those exotic inscrip-tions. Later, Scarlett convinces one of her former boyfriends, George (“Mad Men’s” Ben Feldman), who has just repaired an ancient cathedral church bell that hasn’t tolled for 200 years, to accompany her on her elusive quest.

Actually, Scarlett needs George because he knows a language that she doesn’t. Moreover, George can get her into a museum during after-hours that houses an obscure artifact about medieval-era Parisian Nicolas Flamel who figures prominently in her research. What Scarlett learns from that museum piece that she desecrates without a qualm confirms our Tomb Raider mistress’s suspicions.

At first, an incredulous George refuses to follow Scarlett into the bowels of Paris in what amounts to a hair-raising colonos-copy. Since credibility is essential to her outlandish venture, Scarlett invites Benji (Edwin Hodge of “Red Dawn”) to record her historic expedition. After she arrives in Paris, Scarlett enlists three quirky

guides, a charismatic graffiti artist named Papillon (Francois Civil of “Molière”), his girlfriend Souxie (newcomer Marion Lam-bert), and a professional climber Zed (Ali Marhyar of “Zero Dark Thirty”), to not only get them into the forbidden catacombs but also keep them from getting lost. It should come as no surprise that Papillion succeeds splendidly in the first respect but fails miserably in the second. While Benji carries the camera, he has designed headbands equipped with micro-cams for the team to photograph everything from a variety of perspectives. This clever gim-mick enables director John Erick Dowdle to show us various points-of-view from the participants so as to heighten the conflict. Obviously, if you suffer from claustropho-bia, watching this marginally entertaining chiller may prove to be a genuine chal-lenge. Furthermore, French lenser Léo Hinstin’s epileptic, hand-held camera work may have you scrambling for Dramamine.

“As Above, So Below” is about as close as anybody will want to come to prowling the labyrinth of Parisian catacombs that contain the remains of some six million skeletons. As it turns out, Scarlett and her scavengers aren’t the only intruders lurking in those passageways. Women wearing

too much mascara and not enough apparel stand around and chant; a lanky dude long rumored dead reappears; a hooded character in a priest’s robe skulks about, and petrified skulls protruding from walls transform into ghastly ghouls with an ap-petite for blood. None of them are scary enough to raise your hackles. Predictably, the Dowdle brothers stage several cave-ins and send our heroes into smelly drainage canals that connect the catacombs. All of this squirming about seems frightfully compelling as our heroes wriggle from one gritty crevice into another and struggle to decode hieroglyphics about alchemy. Inevitably, they have to contend with deadly booby traps that their predecessors concocted to discourage this kind of quest. Eventually, Scarlett and company stumble onto a doorway with the familiar Dantesque inscription “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” Anybody who winds up watching this lackluster chiller would do well to remem-ber those sage words. Comparably, “As Above, So Below” isn’t a tenth as terrifying as “The Descent” (2005), a thriller about a group of women trapped in a cave. Instead, “As Above, So Below” stinks as badly as the 2011 underwater cave thriller “Sanctum.”


>>> A R T | K E V I N L E D G E W O O D

EXHIBIT // "THE LAST BRUSH OF KUSH"

an exhibiT by norThporT artist Jennifer Hamner will be hosted by The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa at the Bama Theatre’s Junior League Gallery during October. Titled “The Last Brush of Kush,” it will be composed of seven large format paintings and will be on display Oct. 3 – 31. A reception open to the public will be held at the gallery on Oct. 10 from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Hamner describes “The Last Brush of Kush” as a series of seven paintings representing the seven days of Creation. The title for this series was chosen be-cause Kush is an ancient African King-dom that is now known as the modern regions of Aswan, Egypt and Khartoum, Sudan. Art and architecture flourished in this ancient kingdom and presently these areas, particularly Sudan, are known for art. Sudan has a long history of Christian-ity, but today Christians account for only a very small portion of the predominantly Islamic stronghold. Years of civil unrest have driven Christians and artists in Sudan and surrounding areas into secrecy. Many Christian artists have developed a cultural and religious underground in order to remain safe as they spread their beliefs. Their paintings or other works of art sym-bolize events or stories in the Bible. Many artists know that if their attempts to spread their message through their art are discov-ered by extremists, they could be killed.

Each painting is approx. 48" wide x 48" high x 2" thick. The pieces, comprised mainly of design elements, are colorful and have somewhat of an African flair. Once “The Last Brush of Kush” is completed, the paintings will be donated to The Genesis

Mission Home, a branch of Mission Teens. “This series was my attempt to share

the story of creation by paintings alone. There are no words on the paintings, just beautiful, vibrant pictures of the unfolding of life,” stated Ms. Hamner.

Jennifer R. Hamner (a.k.a J. M. Rubi-no) resides in Northport, Ala. with her two daughters, Marisa and Salena, and their two rescued dogs, Maggie and Wally. She enjoys writing and currently contributes monthly for “SAVED News” and quarterly for “Faith Filled Family Magazine.” Prior to writing for these publications, she was a monthly contributing author for “Knit-ted Together by God.” She is an active author at Faitherwriters.com where she participates in their weekly Writing Chal-lenge. Two of her weekly pieces recently earned her the Editor’s Choice Award and will be published in two separate “Mixed Blessings” books by Breath of Fresh Air Press. Her first novel, “The Route,” was released on Memorial Day, 2014. The profits earned from the novel benefit The Find HOPE Here Project, a Christian non-profit organization she founded. Hamner is an active speaker in Tuscaloosa and the surrounding counties for agencies and organizations such as Celebrate Recov-ery, A Woman’s Place and The Phoenix House. She also enjoys painting, recently completing and donating five acrylic works to The Braydon House in Tuscaloosa.

Gallery hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. – noon, and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. and dur-ing Bama Theatre events. Enter the gal-lery through the PARA Building, adjacent to the Bama, during daytime hours.

social media in wesT Alabama was abuzz this week with the surprising news of the passing of local artist, illustra-tor, sculptor, collector, paper-maker, printer and professor emeritus in the University of Alabama’s Book Arts Program, Glenn House Sr.

He died on Sunday, Sep-tember 14, after being in-fected with the West Nile Virus. House was 83.

After retiring from UA in 1991 he went on to found—along with his wife, photog-rapher and artist Kathleen Fetters—the Crossroads Arts Alliance, a collective of artist studios in Gordo, his Pickens County hometown.

As an artist, he became especially known as the designer of the iconic Moon Winx Lodge neon sign, when he had just graduated from college in the early fifties. As a professor in the Book Arts Program at UA he developed Kozo papermaking using the bark of the indigenous mulberry tree. But there was something beyond his art that made Glenn House stand out in the community: his personality, his spirit, his generosity and kindness. He didn’t know a stranger, some said.

The outpouring of tributes began as soon as his sudden death was an-nounced and has continued. Person after

>>> I N M E M O R I U M | B E R T P A U L S E N

A TRIBUTE IN PASSING

person posted pictures of themselves with House, quoted him, shared favorite memories or pictures of him or one of his sculptured faces hanging on their walls. He had touched so very, very many. He was the best of the Deep South, the very essence of the “magic” at its core.

No doubt he is aware, pleased and humbled by the outpouring of adora-tion— to know the value that his art and his goodness had to those carrying on in his stead.


>>> A R T | K E V I N L E D G E W O O D

“THE 'B' SIDE” GROUP exhibit will be hosted by The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center during October. The display, composed of works by 13 Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Nashville artists, will open with a reception on Oct. 3 from 6 – 10 p.m. during First Friday and will conclude on Oct. 31, 2014. Two musical groups, The Infinite Monkey Typing Pool and the Alabama Blues Project, will be performing during the opening reception.

The subject matter in this second annual B Side exhibit will be composed of artists' visual music-themed inter-pretations, covering all genres from country to rock and jazz. Tony Brock, B Side Art Show originator and orga-nizer, asked each artist to produce at least two pieces of art of their choice and style, interpreting songs, designing faux album covers, painting portraits of musicians or anything music-related. The title of the exhibit originated with the B Side, or flip side of vinyl albums and 45s. At times the B Side was an undis-covered gem, with little airplay but a good alternative to the more mainstream. The B Side art show provides an art alternative in the visual sense.

Artists whose works will be included in the exhibit are JenX, Tony Brock, Chris Dav-enport, Tony Bratina, Tony Tavis, Anjeanette Illustration, A.L. Swartz, Shweta Gamble,

EXHIBIT // "THE 'B' SIDE"

Bruce D. Andrews, Jeff Bertrand, Tingler, Joe Rossomano, and Charles V. Bennett.

Gallery hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. – 12 noon and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Admis-sion is free.

The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Av-enue in Downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about the CAC, Call 758-5195 or visit cac.tuscarts.org for further information.


It's clear sailing with this Skipper at your side! This is Skipper, a handsome 8–9 month old male Retriever/Setter mix. He has a thick white coat with black spots and markings like a setter but the build of a retriever. Skipper will be a large dog since he already weighs 32 pounds. He will prob-ably get to around 60 or so when he is full grown. Skipper is very friendly and loving. He does have a lot of energy, so he will need lots of play time and ex-ercise. He is still a BIG PUPPY so he will require training and structure to help him develop into a well-mannered adult dog. Skipper will require a fenced-in yard. He seems to do well with other dogs and should be fine with children 12 and up (still a bit jumpy!). We have started his crate training. Skipper is up to date on his vet care, heartworm negative, neutered and is micro chipped. He is on heartworm and flea/tick prevention. What a wonderful dog – who will be the lucky owner that gets to take him home?! If you are interested in giving Skipper the forever home he wants and deserves, visit the Humane Society of West Alabama at humanesocietyofwa.org or call us at 554-0011.

>>> EVENTS CALENDAR | T H E S O U T H E A S T ' S L A R G E S T

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18ALABAMA NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBI-TIONWHEN: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 405 McCorvey DrivePHONE: 348.5967LINK: art.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: Alabama native Robert Sherer, an internationally known artist, judges and selects the finest work for the first annual Alabama National. Enjoy the work of more than 25 artists at the Sella-Granata Gallery.

IN DEFENSE OF IDEALSWHEN: 7:30 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 711 Capstone Dr.PHONE: 348.9748LINK: lib.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: Author and acclaimed essayist Mark Edmundson will present, “In Defense of Ideals,” discussing cour-age, contemplation, compassion and purpose. The lecture is presented by the UA chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious Greek-letter society in the country, as part of the Allen Going Lecture series.

HOMEGROWN ALABAMA FARMER’S MARkETWHEN: 3 – 6 p.m.COST: Prices varyWHERE: 812 5th AvePHONE: 210.9621LINK: homegrownalabama.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: Support local farmers and treat yourself to freshest produce. Homegrown Alabama invites you to the lawn of the Canterbury Episcopal Church every Thursday through October.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19INTERNATIONAL COFFEE HOURWHEN: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 400 McCorvey DrPHONE: 348.5402LINK: is.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: Come enjoy coffee, tea snacks and conversation with people from around the world. Expand your worldview or become more acquainted with the Univer-sity of Alabama campus at B.B. Comer Hall, hosted by Capstone International Services.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21MASTER SERIES: AMERICAN STRING QUARTETWHEN: 3:30 – 5 p.m.COST: $10, Seniors $5, Student $3WHERE: 810 2nd AvePHONE: 348.7111LINK: americanstringquartet.comDESCRIPTION: The esteemed quar-tet of Peter Winograd, Laurie Carney, Daniel Avshalomov and Wolfram Koessel is known for its mastery of Beethoven, Schubert, Schoenberg, Bartok and Mo-zart, and they are bringing their music to the Moody Music Building Concert Hall. Classical enthusiasts will not want to miss this performance of the highest caliber-

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22WILLIAM C GORGAS AND THE PANA-MA CANALWHEN: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 810 Capstone DrPHONE: 348.5906LINK: lib.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: One hundred years ago the Panama Canal opened after the sanitation work of army physician William Gorgas made its construction possible. This exhibit at the Gorgas House Museum features Gorgas family collections as well as Panama Canal memorabilia. Visit before it closes on Sept 26.

YOGA THERAPYWHEN: 4 – 4:45 p.m.COST: $9WHERE: 2200 Rock Quarry DrPHONE: 562.3230LINK: tcpara.orgDESCRIPTION: This class is for anyone with MS, back conditions, arthritis, senior adults or beginners who would like to take an adapted (gentle) yoga course. You may use a chair during this session. Drop-in any Monday at the Phelps Center.

WEST ALABAMA MOUNTAIN BIkING ASSOCIATION WEEkLY BEGINNER’S RIDEWHEN: 5:45 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: Monny Sokal ParkPHONE: 562.3220LINK: wambarides.org DESCRIPTION: Interested in mountain biking but don't know where to ride in Tuscaloosa? Come out to Sokal Park and join the beginners' group that ride out weekly on Monday evenings.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23ALABAMA REPERTORY DANCE THEATREWHEN: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.COST: $20, senior $17, student $14WHERE: 428 Colonial DrivePHONE: 348.3400LINK: theatre.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: ARDT returns to Morgan Auditorium with an all-new concert, cho-reographed by UA’s award-winning dance faculty. This concert offers a diverse mix of traditional and innovative pieces high-lighting the talented students of the UA dance program. Catch the performance Sept 23 through 26.

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IN AMERICAN RELIGIONS WHEN: 7 – 9 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 711 Capstone Dr.PHONE: 348.5271LINK: rel.as.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: As part of the Zachary Daniel Day lecture series, Dr. Kelly J. Baker presents “They’re coming to get you Barbara!”: Zombie Apocalypses in Ameri-can Religions at the Gorgas Library.

LADIES’ DOUBLES TENNIS TOURNAMENTWHEN: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.COST: $160 per teamWHERE: 1650 McFarland Blvd

SKIPPER AND JERRY // WHO GETS TO MAKE A HOME FOR THEM?

>>> PET PLANET | T H I S M O N T H ' S P E T SNOTE: All events listed here have phone numbers in the 205 area code unless otherwise indicated.

This sweet little guy is Jerry, a short-haired male tuxedo kitten with a good bit of white in his coat and really unusual "tuxedo jacket" coat pattern. He is such a handsome boy! Jerry is approximately 5 months old and is a happy boy! He is playful and fun-loving! Jerry does well with other friendly kittens. He would do okay with chil-dren who can handle him gently. Jerry is negative for FIV and FeLK and current on first round vaccina-tions. The next and final round for the year (which includes Rabies vaccina-tion) is due three weeks after the previous round. Due to being underage for a spay/neuter surgery, adoption requires an additional refundable spay/neuter deposit to reinforce state requirements for all adopted pets to be fixed by age of maturity. If you are interested in giving Jerry the forever home he wants and deserves visit the Humane Society of West Alabama at www.humanesocietyofwa.org or call us at 554-0011.

Join the Humane Society of West Alabama for an adoption event in front of Pet Supplies Plus Sunday, September 21, between 1-4pm.

You will get a chance to meet some of the dogs available for adoption, speak with our volunteers, and find out more about adopting a pet from the Humane Society. We hope to see you there!


>>> EVENTS CALENDAR | T H E S O U T H E A S T ' S L A R G E S T

PHONE: 657.8799LINK: thedchfoundation.orgDESCRIPTION: The DCH Foundation is hosting the third annual A Day on the Courts, a ladies' doubles tennis tourna-ment. Proceeds benefit The DCH Founda-tion's Breast Cancer Fund, which supports The DCH Health System's ability to offer breast screenings and further assistance if needed to the uninsured and under-insured women of our West Alabama Community. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Each player will receive a pre-mium gift for participating!

BAMA ART HOUSE // "FRANk"WHEN: 7:30 p.m.COST: -$7, general admission-$6, students and seniors-$5, Arts Council membersWHERE: Bama TheatrePHONE: 758.5195LINK; bamatheatre.org/bamaarthouseDESCRIPTION: The Bama Art House will show the film "Frank," starring Mi-chael Fassbaender, Maggie Gyllenhall, Domhnail Gleeson.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25AMERICAN vETERANS TRAvELING TRIBUTEWHEN: 12 – 5 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 620 GreensboroPHONE: 758.5195LINK: cac.tuscarts.orgDESCRIPTION: The mission of the project is to travel the nation to honor, respect, and remember men and women who served, and to pay specific tribute to those who gave all in that service. Visit the Cultural Arts Center to see several Cost of Freedom memori-als and the Traveling Wall, a 50 percent scale version of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Open through Saturday.

A FINANCIAL GUIDE FOR WOMENWHEN: 9 – 10 a.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 801 University BlvdPHONE: 348.9700LINK: uahr.skillport.comDESCRIPTION: Charting Your Course: A Financial Guide for Women is for women who need help maximizing savings op-portunities and who want to get to solid financial ground and those who need assistance planning for their own complex situations and long-term planning. Go online to register.

HATHA YOGA WHEN: 6 – 7:10 p.m.COST: $9WHERE: 2200 Rock Quarry DrPHONE: 562.3230LINK: tcpara.orgDESCRIPTION: Learn relaxation tech-niques while increase your strength and flexibility. New classes begin every month. Bring your yoga mat any Tuesday or Thursday and join us for some calming exercise.

>>> T H E A T R E | A M E L I A W E B B E R

PUBLICIZE YOUR EVENT. CONTACT

[email protected]

Jimmy Welborn, "Mr. Piggly Wiggly"

TheaTre Tuscaloosa pres-enTs The Alabama premiere of Hands on a Hardbody Sept. 26 – Oct. 5 in the Bean-Brown Theatre on Shelton State’s Martin Campus.

Written by Doug Wright, with lyrics by Amanda Green and music by Green and Trey Anasta-sio (member of the GRAMMY®-nominated band Phish), Hands on a Hardbody is based on the documentary film by S. R. Bindler and Kevin Morris. This new musi-cal tells the story of ten hard-luck Texans who believe a new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end, armed with nothing but hope, humor and ambition, they’ll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. In the hilarious, hard fought contest that is Hands on a Hard-body, only one winner can drive away with the American Dream. This musical comedy contains strong language and mild adult themes and may not be suitable for ages 12 and under; parental discretion is advised.

Hands on a Hardbody is directed by Theatre Tuscaloosa Executive Producer Tina Turley.

“We are so excited to be the first theatre company to produce Hands on a Hardbody in Alabama,” Turley said. “Our audiences will fall in love with the down-home charac-ters, and they will be singing the songs long after they leave the theatre.”

Working alongside Turley is a talented production team including Leslie Poss, Musical Director; Beth Key Patrick, Cho-reographer; Wheeler Kincaid, Technical Director and Scenic Designer; Jeanette Waterman, Costume Designer; David Jones, Lighting Designer; Frank Duren, Sound Designer; and Ashlyn Lambert, Stage Manager.

The cast of Hands on a Hardbody includes Justin Barnett, Sarah Kathryn Bonds, Clifton Daniels, Carol DeVelice, Craig First, Jamie Lynn Flacco, Ben Miller, Danielle K. Molina, Jenny Ryan, Danny Salter, Andrew Smith, Logan Spradley, George Thagard, Ernie Turley and Laura White.

New to Tuscaloosa and to the Bean-Brown Stage, cast member Jamie Lynn Flacco said she has enjoyed working with Theatre Tuscaloosa and becoming a part of this 'talented and caring' community.

"This is my first show with Theatre Tuscaloosa. I moved to Alabama about a year ago and got to perform in two shows with Birmingham Children’s Theatre last season," Flacco said. "After seeing Hairspray this summer, I really wanted to find an opportunity to work with Theatre Tuscaloosa. Fortunately, I was a good fit for Hands on Hardbody and here I am

HANDS ON A HARD-BODY // PREMIERE

working with them now."Flacco, who plays a character named

Kelli Mangrum, said she believes audi-ences will be thoroughly entertained by Hands on a Hardbody.

"It's a show that will make you laugh and break your heart at the same time," she said.

Theatre Tuscaloosa’s 2014-15 Season: To Life! is presented in cooperation with Shelton State Community College and is sponsored by JamisonMoneyFarmer PC. Hands on a Hardbody is sponsored by Afflink, Buffalo Rock, Left Hand Soap Company and TownSquare Media Group. Additional season sponsors include Ala-bamaOne Credit Union, Warrior Roofing Manufacturing Co., TotalCom Marketing, Mercedes-Benz, f8 Productions, South-land Benefit Solutions, Ameriprise Finan-cial and Bank of Tuscaloosa.

Hands on a Hardbody will be present-ed Sept. 26 — Oct. 5 in the Bean-Brown Theatre on Shelton State Community Col-lege’s Martin Campus, 9500 Old Greens-boro Road. Performances will take place Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays and Wednesday at 2pm. All pro-ceeds of a pay-what-you-can final dress rehearsal on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 pm, will benefit the Charlie Dennis Memo-rial Scholarship Fund.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for seniors (60+) and $14 for students and children. Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more. Season subscrip-tions, which can save patrons 15 percent on single ticket purchases, are still avail-able for a limited time.

For more information about the 2014-15 season or to purchase tickets visit www.theatretusc.com or call 391.2277.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26OPERA GUILD GUSTATORY GALAWHEN: 7 – 9:30 p.m.COST: $75WHERE: 427 6th Ave NEPHONE: Go online for detailsLINK: uaoperaguild.orgDESCRIPTION: The Opera Guild pres-ents a delectable fundraising event called “Music and Food from Around the World; A Gustatory Gala.” Enjoy the guild’s fine performance and a taste of global cuisine on the second floor of the University of Alabama Museum of Natural History. Go to the Opera Guild website to purchase your tickets.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TUSCALOOSA COMMUNITY WALk TO STOP DIABETESWHEN: 9 a.m..COST: FreeWHERE: 1 Greensboro AvePHONE: 562.3220LINK: main.diabetes.org/goto/tuscaloo-sawalkDESCRIPTION: Join the American Diabe-tes Association in the fight to Stop Diabe-tes by registering for the 2014 Tuscaloosa Community Walk to Stop Diabetes, at Bama Belle Park. The 5k walk starts from the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk area and goes downtown and back. Each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $25 in honor of the 25 people who die every hour from diabetes.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29THE DINING ROOMWHEN: 7:30 p.m – 12 a.m.COST: $10WHERE: Rowand Johnson Hall, Stadium DrPHONE: 348.3800LINK: theatre.ua.eduDESCRIPTION: A highly acclaimed play featuring six actors in over 50 roles. The New York Times called it “an overlapping and amusing anthology of vignettes about family and food, inherited and disowned values.” See the talents of University of Alabama’s finest actors at Allen Bales Theatre Monday through Friday at 7:30 p.m. or Friday at 2 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2kENTUCk ART NIGHTWHEN: 5 – 8 p.m.COST: FreeWHERE: 503 Main Ave, NorthportPHONE: 758.1257LINK: kentuck.orgDESCRIPTION: As on the first Thursday of every month, Kentuck opens its doors to visitors for a night of art, music, food and fun. Enjoy a live band, food from the cob oven, and the wonderful art of resi-dent Kentuck artists.

Check out our new website:www.theplanetweekly.com


Fox Theatre660 Peachtree St NE 404.881.2100

The Hangout251.948.3030thehangout1.com

Marathon Music Works 1402 Clinton St615.891.1781

Minglewood Hall1555 Madison Ave901.312.6058

>>> R OA D T R I P D I R E C T O RY Travel the South's best venues. Visit their website for ticket info and more.

Acoustic Café2758 County Hwy 9205.647.3237

Amphitheater at the Wharf23101 Canal Rd251.224.1020

Bridgestone Arena501 Broadway615.770.2000

Centennial Olympic Park265 Park Ave W NW404.223.4412

Montgomery Performing Arts Center201 Tallapoosa St334.481.5100

The Nick2514 10th Ave S205.252.3831

Sloss Furnaces20 32nd St N205.324.1911Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre2200 Encore Pkwy 404.733.5010

Von Braun Center700 Monroe St SW256.551.2345

WorkPlay500 23rd St S205.380.4082

Zydeco2001 15th Ave S205.933.1032

>>> ROAD TRIP | s o u t H E a s t E R n co n c E R t s a n D E V E n t s

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 BIRMINGHAMThe Wood Brothers, WorkPlay Theatre

MONTGOMERYDale Watson, The SanctuaryB.B. Palmer and Kudzu, Cigar and Fine Spirits Bar

NEW ORLEANSBun B, Howlin’ Wolf

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 BIRMINGHAMMike Epps, BJCCTwenty One Pilots, Iron CityThe New Orleans Suspects with CBDB, Sloss Furnaces

HUNTSVILLEKozmic Mama, Lee Ann’sAlyssa Jacey, Buenavista Mexican Cantina

MONTGOMERYDouble Barrel Democracy, Head on the Door

ATLANTAKeb Mo, Atlanta Botanical GardenAfghan Wigs, Center Stage

NEW ORLEANSDarius Rucker, Champions Square at Mercedes-Benz SuperdomeDax Riggs, One Eyed Jacks

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20BIRMINGHAMCrown the Empire, Sloss Furnaces

MONTGOMERYRebel, Carl’s CountryKaren Collins, The Hank Williams Museum

HUNTSVILLEWWE Live, Von Braun Concert HallSYLO, Hideaway’s Lounge

ATLANTAWhoopi Goldberg, Cobb Energy Performing Arts CentreTim and Eric, Variety PlayhouseAb-Soul, The Masquerade

NASHVILLEThe Avett Brothers, Riverfront Park

NEW ORLEANS

Midnight Conspiracy, Howlin’ Wolf

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 BIRMINGHAMRick Springfield, Iron City Real Estate, Bottletree Café

NASHVILLEForeigner, Schermerhorn Symphony Cnter

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22BIRMINGHAMCitizen Cope, Iron City

ATLANTAJanoskians, Tabernacle

NASHVILLELorde, Grand Ole Opry HouseSnarky Puppy, Mercy Lounge/Cannery BallroomBahamas w/ The Weather Station, High Watt

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23NASHVILLETom Petty and the Heartbreakers w/ Steve Winwood, Bridgestone Arena

ATLANTATheory of a Deadman, Center StageParadise Fears, The Masquerade

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24BIRMINGHAMBreak Science w/ Space Jesus & Bad Robotz, Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

ATLANTAJOI, Center Stage

NASHVILLEBanks, Mercy Lounge/Cannery Ballroom

NEW ORLEANSThe Pretty Reckless, House of Blues

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 BIRMINGHAMPerifery, Sloss Furnaces Experience Hendrix, Alys Stephens Center

NASHVILLETycho, Mercy Lounge/Cannery Ballroom

NEW ORLEANS

How to Dress Well, Hi Ho Lounge

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 HUNTSVILLEThe Black Jacket Symphony, Von Braun Concert Hall

ATLANTANick Swardson, Tabernacle

NASHVILLERandy Rogers, Ryman AuditoriumYo Gotti, Nashville Municipal AuditoriumKygo w/ Amtrac, Exit In

NEW ORLEANSDavid Gray, Saenger Theatre

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27BIRMINGHAMThe Velcro Pygmies, Iron Horse Café Trotline, Sloss Furnaces

ATLANTAOutkast w/ Kid Cudi and Childish Gambino, Centennial Olympic ParkStyx, The Gathering PlaceGreensky Bluegrass, Variety PlayhouseSkid Row, Wild Bill’s

MONTGOMERYJessie Lynn, Agriculture Heritage Park

NASHVILLEAmy Schumer, Ryman Auditorium

NEW ORLEANS1964 the Tribute, Saenger TheatreOdesza, One Eyed Jacks

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28BIRMINGHAMWe Came As Romans, Sloss Furnaces

ATLANTAThe Head and the Heart, Cobb Energy Performing Arts CentreThe Airborne Toxic Event, The Buckhead Theater

NEW ORLEANSPhillip Phillips, Mahalia Jackson Theater

NASHVILLEChicago, Ryman AuditoriumBonobo, Marathon Music Works

MICHAEL THORNTON // MONTGOMERY // DECEMBER 22

NEW ORLEANSAndy McKee, House of Blues

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30BIRMINGHAMJ Mascis, Bottletree Café

ATLANTAJethro Tull, Symphony Hall Atlanta

NASHVILLESkrillex, Nashville War Memorial Auditorium

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1ATLANTAOne Direction, Georgia DomeBelle and Sebastian, Tabernacle

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2BIRMINGHAMTrombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Alys Stephens CenterBroken Bells, Iron City

HUNTSVILLEHall and Oates, Von Braun Concert Hall

MONTGOMERYLuke Bryan, Ingram Farms

NASHVILLESt. Lucia, Mercy Lounge/Cannery Ballroom

NEW ORLEANSBone Thugs-N-Harmony, House of Blues

WRITERS WANTEDCONTACT

[email protected]

KOZMIC MAMA // HUNTSVILLE // SEPTEMBER 19 FOREIGNER // NASHVILLE // SEPTEMBER 21 ODESZA // NEW ORLEANS // SEPTEMBER 27

WILL DOWNING // NEW ORLEANS // AUGUST 29

WE CAME AS ROMANS // BIRMINGHAM // SEPTEMBER 28

JETHRO TULL //ATLANTA // SEPTEMBER 30


HAVE YOUR LOCAL MUSIC EVENT

LISTED FREE. PLEASE EMAIL

[email protected]

4th & 23rd //

1831 // 331-4632

Alcove // 469-9110

Bear Trap // 345-2766

Big Al's // 759-9180

The Booth // 764-0557

Buffalo Wild Wings // 523-0273

Capones // 248-0255

Carpe Vino // 366-8444

Catch 22 // 344-9347

Copper Top // 343-6867

Downtown Pub // 750-0008

Gallettes // 758-2010

Gnemis Top Shelf Tavern // 343-0020

Grey Lady // 469-9521

Harry's Bar // 331-4151

Houndstooth // 752-8444

Innisfree // 345-1199

Jackie's Lounge // 758-9179

The Jupiter // 248-6611

The Legacy // 345-4848

Mellow Mushroom // 758-0112

Mike's Place // 764-0185

Mugshots // 391-0572

Rhythm & Brews // 750-2992

Rounders // 345-4848

>>> LO C A L B A R S

THURSDAYSEPTEMBER 18Casey Thrasher, Rhythm & BrewsCouches / Three Crown Imps, Green Bar

FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER 19Velcro Pygmies, Rhythm & BrewsSean Rivers, RoundersGravy, Green Bar

SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER 20The Steels, Green BarSean Rivers / The Devines, RoundersGlen Templeton / Desperate Measures, Rhythm & Brews

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25Sumilin, Green BarCooter Brown, Rhythm & BrewsMatt Bennett, Rounders

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26Your Girlfriend, Rhythm & BrewsOriginal Snake Charmers, Green BarAxe to Grind, RoundersI'm Shmacked, JupiterWho Shot Lizzie, Mike's Place

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27Steady Flow, Green BarFarmers Daughter, Rhythm & Brews

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2Dank Sinatra / The Junkyard Kings, Green Bar

SISTER HAZEL // JUPITER BAR // SEPTEMBER 11 RICKY YOUNG // ROUNDERS // SEPTEMBER 12

>>> LOCAL MUSIC | WHO'S PLAYING AROUND TOWN


head coaches aTTracT a lot of atten-tion, but the chess game in football starts with the coordinators. Whether its of-fense or defense, a coordinator’s primary job is to articulate the system to each player in order to for the player to obtain a clear understanding.

Defensive coordinators are on the field most of the time. They are ones who are barking out assignments and trying to get everyone set in the right position. Offensive coordinators are focused on running set plays. It’s their job to make

sure everything flows smoothly.

Unlike defen-sive coordina-tors, offensive coordinators have an alterna-tive. An offen-sive coordinator can operate either on the field or in the press box.

Both venues have their perks, but let’s start with the press box first:

Press box AdvantagesThe press box is spacious (offensive

coordinators need room to work).Being inside gives a coordinator time

to process thoughts.With head phones in the press box,

communicating to quarterbacks is crisp.Field AdvantagesWhen coordinators are on the field,

they get a better view of the game.The communication is faster because

you see what the team sees.

>>> S T E P H E N ' S R E P O R T | S T E P H E N S M I T H

FIELD OR PRESS BOX? // WHAT BEST SUITS AN OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR?

Photo: UA Athletic Photography

If an offense doesn’t understand the play called, adjustments can be made quickly.

Despite the perks, both venues have their disadvantages. We started with the press box on advantages, so let’s dissect the field drawbacks:

Field Woes

A lot of crowd noise disrupts an of-fense’s timing. This causes a coordinator to constantly change plays or burn time-outs. Some coordinators perform better in space. It’s crowded on the sidelines and being packed in tight doesn’t allow enough room for thinking.

Press box Woes Technical difficulties happen in col-

lege football. It’s just part of the game. If there is a breakdown in communica-

tion, a coordinator would have to leave the press box and go to the field. Time and strategy are both wasted when this happens.

Being an offensive coordinator in this league is a lot of work. Offensive coor-dinators are constantly changing plays, creating different packages and trying to combat defensive coordinators.

In Alabama’s game against West Vir-

ginia, Nick Saban wanted Lane Kiffin on the sidelines. Kiffin preferred the press box because of the advantages stated earlier, but Saban knew that Alabama’s offense would be nervous against the Mountaineers and he needed Kiffin on the field to maintain balance.

The Crimson Tide defeated West Virginia 33-23 and its offense totaled 538 yards. Kiffin was able to keep Blake Sims calm by going no huddle and Sims passed for 250 yards. Kiffin’s simple, yet aggressive play calling helped Alabama total 288 yards rushing with three scores.

Alabama is ninth nationally in offense, averaging 579.0 yards per game. The Crimson Tide has maintained balance on the ground as well as in the air.

The phrase “different strokes for dif-ferent folks” is significant. Both venues are nice, but some coordinators will pre-fer press box over field and vice versa. The important thing for an offensive coor-dinator is to find an area that’s conducive to helping him run a productive offense.

Field view gives coordinators a better perspective on the team, while press box view is better for thinking. Fans, you decide. Which area is better suited for offensive coordinators, the field or the press box?


>>> HIGH TIDE | G A R Y H A R R I S / W V U A S P O R T S D I R E C T O R

BAMA IS READY FOR FLORIDA // SABAN TALKS GATORS AND MORE

On the Southern Miss game:"We definitely played better as the

game went on. Didn't start out great in the game. But as the game went on, we played better, executed better, played more physical. We started out tentative for some reason, but I think overall we really improved. I think it's really impor-tant to continue to improve and play with confidence, make plays when we have op-portunities to make plays, especially when you get into league play, which we are now. We have to do a little bit better job preparing, do a little bit better job execut-ing against the teams that we play."

On injuries:"We've got a couple of guys that are a

little bit nicked up that may not be a hun-dred percent today but we should have just about everybody tomorrow. White will practice this week. We'll kind of see how it goes with him and make a decision later this week to see if he's able to go out there and play. He practiced last week, so we're encouraged by the progress that he's made. Jarrick Williams will start running and doing drills this week, but probably a much greater longshot for him to be able to play this week."

On the Florida game:"I think that games like this the play-

ers get really excited. If they don't, they don't understand Alabama football and they don't understand the SEC, but I think we have enough guys on our team that understand that, so I don't think that will be an issue. I think the fans also get excited and I think it's important that they create an atmosphere for our team to have the best chance to be success-ful in this game. Noise, energy, enthu-siasm, all of those things carry over in how we play.

"I think Florida has a really, really good team. Maybe a lot better team than

what they're ranked right now, because ratings right now don't mean a lot. Their new offensive coordinator [Kurt Roper] has definitely done a good job for them in terms of what they're doing offensively. They have some significant impact players back who were injured a year ago. Their quarterback has played very well. They have two running backs that have played very, very well. Their receiver, number 11 Robinson, is one of the top guys in the country. So this is a much, much improved offensive football team. Their offensive line is big and playing much better. Defensively, these guys always play really good on defense. They're always one of the top teams in our conference when it comes to defense. Will does a good job with that part of it. They've got really good players and they play well together. They have good specialists and returners that are explosive on special teams."

On UF star CB vernon Hargreaves:"He was a really, really good player in

high school. He's very instinctive player. He's fast, quick. But I think probably his greatest asset, besides having great ability, is that he's very instinctive player. He's tough, physical. He's got good ball skills. Can play man to man and he's a good tackler. He does all those things very well."

On limiting explosive plays against the better competition in the SEC:

"When players are in position to make plays, they need to make those plays. A couple of those plays that ended up being explosive plays, people were in po-sition to make the plays and their player made the play on the ball. We need to do a better job in that regard. But I think we're improving in that area. We're in the right places. We've just got to play the ball with confidence and make plays on the ball. I think that will eliminate a lot of

it. But we're going to be playing against better players and they're going to have more capabilities to make plays, which is a bigger challenge for us to do our jobs better."

On getting players not named Amari Cooper involved in the passing game:

"I think there were opportunities for other guys. Sometimes we didn't get them the ball. But I also think we're trying to feature the guys that we have. So far, what we've tried to do has been effective and it's worked and a lot of it has gone through Amari Cooper. D White had six catches in the first game before he got hurt. Christion Jones had four in the last game. The running backs, I think that we utilized all of those guys. We have people with capabilities and we want them to be involved. I think we have ways that we can do that."

On what makes Amari Cooper a good receiver:

"He's got really good size. Very quick for a guy his size. He's got explosive speed. He's exceptionally good against press coming off the ball, but also he's very good coming out of the break. He has really good ball skills. So he's the complete package when it comes to a guy that's a pretty complete player. He'll prob-ably get a lot more man-to-man coverage in this game. It will be interesting to see how he handles that. He does a good job with it in practice."

On the team's progress through three games:

"I think our team has definitely gotten better. I think that we have a young team in a lot of areas, and I think that those guys need to continue to play with more confidence. Hopefully in the games that we have played, they have gained more

Dallas Warmack

confidence and understanding of what it takes to play and be successful. I think that's how players learn best, when they play in games. I do think that our team has improved. But I also think that it's very, very important that we continue to improve and be one of those teams that can play with consistency, because I don't think you play well one week and not so well the next and be able to survive. I think the best way to do that is play one game at a time. I'm encouraged by the attitude that this team has. We're just going to have to keep doing that and keep developing as a team."

On improving the tackling:"I think we didn't feel like we tackled

very well in the first two games. I thought we tackled much better in the last game. If you start tackling and take guys to the ground in practice, I think you're going to get a lot of guys banged up. So the em-phasis for us is to get yourself in the right position to tackle and thud. We probably did a better job of doing that in practice last week, and we probably did a better job of tackling because of it in the game. I think it's going to be very, very impor-tant that we continue to do that, because missed tackles and mental errors will just kill you when it comes to playing good defense."

On what makes UF's Demarcus Robin-son a good receiver:

"He's got good size. He's a really competitive guy. He's got good hands and he's got good speed. Kentucky played them off a lot and pressured a lot, so it definitely created some opportunities and he took advantage of it quite a bit and made some big plays. He has the ability to run with the ball after the catch. He's a pretty compete player in my mind when it comes to outstanding receivers."

Photo: TouchdownAlabama.net

Photos: UA Athletic Photography


THE MAN OF THE EVENING // HE CAN PLAY

>>> T H E F L AT S C R E E N | C A R A B R A K E

FALL PREVIEW // VAMPIRES, GOTHAM CITY, AND LEADING LADIES dressed in a black

t-shirt and loose white linen pants, Michael Brannon made his way across the veranda of the Firemen’s Lodge in Northport in late August, shaking hands, pat-ting people on the back and reminding them of how good it was to see them all again.

Inside the lodge, family members and old friends got to know each other all over again over plates of pulled pork and southern-style potato salad. An inexorable disco ball pro-vided the only light, save for what little seeped out from the stage and a nearby kitchen. The people talked and kept themselves busy, but they were waiting on Brannon.

The rows of tables that stretched nearly the length of the room were almost com-pletely full of people waiting to see him perform. To many of them, he is something like a legend. They tell incredible stories about him. One man whispered that, since starting his band The Blues Crew in 2012, Brannon is rumored to have legally changed his name to his stage name, Michael B Reddy.

And so the people waited for him. But Brannon took his time getting across the room. He casually circled his way around, stopping to mingle at this or that table. He wasn’t ready to get on stage just yet. On the far left of the room, sitting beneath an American flag tacked to the wall above her, his wife Katrina waited for him as well.

Soon the tables were all full, the guests had devoured their barbecue, and everyone was ready to have a good time. So members of The Blues Crew set up their micro-phones and plugged in their guitars.

The band is comprised of Guitar Player Michael “Razor” Sharp, Pianist Don Dendy, self-titled “Ragin Cajun” Fiddle Player Thomas Jenkins and the Harmonica Boy Wonder, Jameson Hubbard, a 19-year-old who is regarded by the rest of the band as a harmoni-ca-playing prodigy. When all was set up, Sharp got to singing and the room grew quiet.

The band transitioned back and forth from heart-wrenching ballads to funk-infused, up tempo rhythms that would send the people in the audience to tapping their feet, rock-ing their heads and tapping their fingers lightly against the table tops to the beat of the drums.

Sharp backed away from the microphone as he tore more violently into the guitar. Hubbard followed his lead and it looked as if his harmonica were leading him to where Sharp stood raging against his guitar strings.

The older man, Sharp, would look occasionally up from his guitar to glance at Hub-bard. They seemed to be having a conversation through their instruments. Sharp would play a note on his guitar and Hubbard would respond, almost convulsing, blowing into his harmonica with all of his might, making each note come a little bit more alive than the last.

Out in the audience, Brannon's father, Huey, grinned in amazement. “He’s just a kid,” he exclaimed. “He can really play! I’ve never heard anyone play a

harmonica like that before.”The Blues Crew concluded their song and lapsed into something slower, so Michael

Brannon took Katrina’s hand and, together, they made their way to a spot at the front of the stage with no tables, joining just a few other couples who had finished their barbe-cue and wanted to dance.

A little while later, the band took a break and Brannon disappeared. The room re-turned to its previous state as people crowded in line for second helpings, drifted out to their cars to find their cigarette lighters or stayed at their tables to talk about how much fun they were having.

When everyone returned, Brannon had transformed into Michael B Reddy. He stood before them now at the microphone in the center of the stage, dressed in a hounds tooth coat and one of the cowboy hats no one has ever seen him perform without. He took a moment to offer some personal recollections about his band mates. He pointed first to Hubbard.

“I discovered this guy right here,” he said, harkening back to the time when he first observed Hubbard playing. “Jameson is one of the best harmonica players you’ll ever hear. I’m just telling you.”

At that, Brannon started a soft tune on his guitar. “You need to hold somebody close, this is a slow one,” he said during the intro to

the song. The couples in the audience returned to the dance floor as Brannon began to sing.

“I’m so lonesome, I’m so lonesome,” he crooned as the couples held each other close and drifted ever so slowly in short circles.

>>> MUSIC | J U DA H M A R T I N

Jil Chambless

as summer comes To an end, it gives way to falling leaves, pumpkins, and brand new televi-sion shows. To break out of your summer slump, keep a look-out for these upcoming television shows.

First up on our list is a medical examiner who does more than just deal with the dead. “Forever” fol-lows Dr. Henry Morgan, New York’s best medical examiner. Morgan solves cases for the police, while trying to solve a mystery of his own: the secret to his own mortality. While he impresses his partner, Det. Jo Martinez, with the skills his life of over 200 years has given him, his secret is only known to his best friend, Abe. “Forever” stars Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) as Dr. Henry Morgan, Alana De La Garza (“Law & Order”, “CSI: Miami”) as De-tective Jo Martinez, and Judd Hirsch (Damages, “Numb3rs”) as Abe. “Forever” will air on September 22nd on ABC at 10/9 central.

Superheroes are all the rage on silver screen, and television is no exception. DC Universe is taking to the television screen with “Gotham”, a Batman spin off featur-ing popular villians such as The Penguin, Catwoman, Two Face and The Joker. “Gotham” shows audiences the rise of all of these villains and heroes—the fight of Detective Jim Gordon, Gotham’s most famous detective, Bruce Wayne before he became Batman, and the most treacherous supervil-lians of all time tell their backsto-

ries and show how they became what the fans of the are familiar with. Ben McKenzie stars as Jim Gordon, David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Camren Bicondova as Selena Kyle, Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot, and Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma. “Gotham” will air on FOX on September 22nd at 8/7 central.

Marvel has a television adap-tion of “The Flash” coming up this October starring “Glee”’s Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, a CSI (crime scene investigator) who is on the hunt for the truth about how his mother was killed and to free his father of blame for the crime. After being struck by lightening, Barry develops super speed, and he flies through Central City saving the day. “The Flash” stars Grant Gustin, Can-dice Patton as Barry’s best friend Iris, Jesse L. Martin as Det. Joe West, and Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, and will air on October 7th at 8/7 central on the CW Network.

Finally, four law students get a very realistic lesson in “How To Get Away With Murder”, airing on ABC. Viola Davis (“The Help”) stars as Professor Analise Keating, a teacher who gets entangled in four of her students’ drama, and shows them that you do,

in fact, use lessons from the classroom in real life. The students will do any-thing to make Keating’s law team, legal or not. “How To Get Away With Murder” stars Viola Davis, Billy Brown, and Alfred Enoch, and will air September 25th at 10/9 central.

For a full list of pre-mieres and shows, check out www.tvguide.com.

Meghan Steel

"Forever" // ABC

"Gotham" // FOX

"Flash" // CW

"How to Get Away With Murder" // ABC

Michael Brannon, aka Michal B Reddy

Photo: Judah Martin


a passionate encounter might capture your imagination early in the week as thoughts about a certain person perhaps become obsessive. Being too premature here could result in embarrassment, so bide your time. meanwhile, mars in sagittarius can make it competitive when it comes to business matters and entrepreneurial affairs. You'll want to explore the potential for increasing your earnings, and you're willing to move out of your comfort zone to do so. later, try to avoid lending money - you may not get it back.

monday's Quarter moon might inspire you to come up with creative ways to redecorate your home. the combination of borrowed ideas and natural genius could give your place a delightful makeover. When it comes to romance, an instant attraction might be tempting, but there's a chance it may not last. later, issues associated with your job or career could divert your attention away from your partner. Give work a rest, and instead make a decision to spend quality time with your sweetheart.

Work and play conflict as the focus shifts. You may prefer pleasurable options to knuckling down to the daily grind. However, the offer of extra money might be enough to entice you to work long hours. the week unfolds in a relaxed way with romance high on the agenda. a love adventure may be just what you need to boost your mood and brighten current circumstances. Even online liaisons look very possible and could lead to something stronger. Watch your spending over the weekend. You could be tempted to splurge.

Will intense feelings tempt you to dive headlong into a romance? the current climate suggests it's possible even though deep down you know better. meanwhile, you may zip into action on the home front, eager to get down to some DiY projects like redecorating or perhaps something bigger. if you're renting, this might be the time you decide to buy some property. Go easy over the weekend. You and your sweetheart may not see eye to eye, which could be unsettling unless you can be willing to compromise.

Business talks and money transactions work in your favor as Jupiter continues its move through your zone of shared assets. along with this, the presence of mercury in libra enhances your ability to negotiate with key people, giving you more leverage in crucial situations. the weekend brings a chance to collaborate on projects that may be hard work but also lucrative. avoid giving away too much personal information, however, as you may regret it later (even though you might normally trust this person).

a very positive influence can make all the difference to your career situation. this is the time to put in the hard work that can lead to some jaw-dropping opportunities. With just a little effort you can reap big rewards over this week and next. What's more, if you don't succeed the first time, keep trying. this weekend a friendship or budding romance could show signs of growing more committed, but more trust may be needed before it can really blossom.

a nice break from routine would do you a world of good and could quite possibly prove to be lucky. see what friends have on their agendas, and don't hesitate to join in if it sounds like fun. it's all systems go regarding a key ambition or important career goal. this is the time to plan for success and then take baby steps to achieve it. the only thing to watch out for is losing your focus. if you can remain true to your vision, you should do really well.

an opportunity to net a lucrative contract could be yours early on. Don't waste time wondering whether or not to take it, as it won't be around for long. in addition, if you're after action and adventure, you can have plenty of both. the offer of a trip could lead to some exciting opportunities if you can be willing to move outside your comfort zone. if you prefer working, you have some excellent chances to upgrade your skill set or find a job in an exotic location.

Your intuition could conflict with the facts in a key situation, making it hard to choose the best path ahead. But if you can adopt a fresh perspective, you might find the right answer was there all along just waiting to be noticed. mars in your health zone encourages you to explore ways to exercise without boredom. consider dancing, swimming, or even martial arts if it will help you stay fit and feel fabulous. Enjoy a fun weekend and make time to relax.

>>> HOROSCOPES | W E E K L Y O V E R V I E W

the more time you take to understand how you feel about a situation the better. Regular meditation and dream work can let you know how things sit with your subconscious and if your conscious mind is in alignment with it. With this inside information you should be able to make a more informed decision. Be careful when signing important documents or saving files on the computer. an edgy influence suggests you could lose out. You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you take a little extra care.

Everything is about attitude this week, so you might attract good things and people to you by keeping yours upbeat and cheerful. there is certainly a positive focus on your social sector, encouraging you to move in new circles that can bring positive opportunities your way. the cosmos is enticing you out of any rut you may have been in and pushing you to embrace a wider circle of friends and associates. conserve your energy over the weekend—take the time to recharge.

It's easy to play Sudoku! simply fill every column, row and 3x3 box so they contain every number between 1 and 9. the game is easy to play but difficult to master! solution page 27

You may be galvanized into action at the start of the week, ready to explore new ideas and opportunities. Good fortune shows up for you when you make the effort in the areas of romance and creative activity. studying and travel may also be on your mind, which might entice you to look for more information. the weekend focus is one of dutiful activity, along with a chance to catch up with yourself. Drift, dream, and do things that nurture your soul.

>>> PUZZLEMANIA | s u D o K u


Across1. Fancy sports cars, for short5. Bitter-tasting10. Dwell on tediously14. Man ___ Mancha15. "Really!"16. Like the U.S. president's office17. Bronte hero19. Naldi of silents20. Character actress Volz21. Mise en scene23. Sleeves cover them26. Jesuit founder27. The horse goes ___32. "___ Blu Dipinto di Blu"33. South Kyushu strait34. Paso ___: two-step38. Caspian seaport40. Stops on a rep's rte.42. Island in the Carolines43. How to start up a Model T45. West Indian47. Film director Lee48. They're played from scratch51. Glowing54. Barbecue rod55. Collision consequence58. Art Deco, say62. Corded fabric63. Cue wielder66. Der ____ (Adenauer)67. Israeli seaport on the Gulf of Aqaba68. 1102, in dates69. Slog (through)70. Like the Boston-accented pronunciation of many words71. Lullaby

Down1. First name of fourPresidents2. "...for ___": "if you pay"3. Joyful

4. Petty despot5. Very old: abbr.6. Newspaper feature: Abbr.7. Crimson foes8. Cleavage9. Happen by chance10. Pooh favorite11. Dispatch craft12. Badger of the tropics13. Sonora silver18. Silent brother in 'Duck Soup'22. Buck's "The ___ Earth"24. Hopi Indian locale25. Wall finish27. Network that covers the N.Y.S.E.28. He disinherited his youngest daughter.29. Actress-writer Chase30. Recreation orgs.31. Orange's family35. "Dracula" novelist Stoker36. Debussy's 'Clair de ___'37. Aids for cardiologists39. Expanded, as a compressed computer file41. Ignoramus44. ___ Ration: dog food brand46. Tavern temptress49. Autumn farm worker50. Special Forces units51. "That's ___!": director's "We're finished"52. Turtle cover53. Cognizant of, slangily56. Besmirch57. Bagel's middle59. Big name in little trains60. Halter attachment61. Not a duplicate: Abbr.64. ___Palmas (Canary Islands seaport)65. A TD is worth 6 of these

>>> PUZZLEMANIA | C R O S S W O R D P U Z Z L E

SOLUTION FOR PUZZLEMANIA CROSSWORD ON PAGE 27

OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE // TREMENDOUSLY GRIPPING

>>> BOOK REVIEW | C A M I L L E C O R B E T T

Widespread Panic

eVeryone has nighTmares ThaT they’ve forgotten. Whether they were created in childhood, adolescence, or even adulthood. Within the novel, Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman brings back the haunting fear of nightmares past. Although this novel’s initial intention was to satiate the literary interests of his wife, it quickly evolved into a sur-real world that collides ev-eryday issues with fantasy.

It seems as if Neil Gaiman left no stone unturned and took every opportunity to make this story as unsettling as pos-sible. At the beginning of this 192-page adventure, the audience is introduced to an unnamed middle-aged protagonist returning to his childhood home for a funeral in Sussex, England. While in town, the protagonist decides he should visit the home of a childhood friend of his who moved to Australia, named Lettie Hempstock. However, this is simply a frame for a much more sinister tale that the very same protagonist experienced as a child. For after encountering members of Lettie’s family, he begins to recall pre-viously forgotten supernatural incidents from his childhood.

It should be noted that although a majority of this story is written in the perspective as a young boy, this is a story for an adult. This story is freckled with complex language and scare tactics that would be lost on anyone under the age of 12. Gaiman seems to revel in the knowledge that although this story is from the perspective of a frightened seven-year old, the true horror comes from encountering the events within the novel as an adult. Because this novel exploits the hopelessness one feels as a child, and forces his adult audience to experience a set of events that would be utterly paralyzing for a child to undergo. In addition, by mixing a sinister world of fantasy with a very realistic upper middle class family life Gaiman explores a perverse alternate reality where human vices can be exploited for supernatural gain and fantastical weaknesses can be defeated through mortal love.

Gaiman deftly sweeps the audience into the story within the frame by pro-viding a window into the life of a seem-ingly ordinary seven-year old boy at his birthday party. This time the audience is introduced to the protagonist as a bookish, friendless child whose parents are far too preoccupied with conserv-ing their middle class status to actually understand their own children. You see the protagonist’s parents slip further from

their children and into their world posses-sions when their mother returns to work and hires a hellish nanny who happens to be from a supernatural dimension and the protagonist befriends a special mysti-cal friend of his own, Lettie Hempstock. The rest of their novel flows the human nature of each character into a web of supernatural temptation and adventure. This novel is one of those special events works of fantasy that puts your reality into moral question due the complex events it forces on it’s characters.

I give this book a 5 out of 5. Simply because it was incredibly well written and caused me to bleed a response I thought impossible from a book: com-plete terror and awe. If you are already a fan of Neil Gaiman, you will be absolutely enraptured by this book. In fact, this book might not seem half as nightmarish to you as someone new to Gaiman, for you will be used to his, complex and suffo-cating supernatural obstacles. However, this was my first Gaiman novel and it left me with nightmares for about two weeks straight. As one who enjoys the darker, more hideously fine things in life, I appreciated that a relatively short book could haunt my self conscious in such a manner. But if you are of a faint of heart, I would advise you to beware and perhaps start with American Gods or Neverwhere before you hop into the darkest depths I’ve seen Gaiman go. However, if you’re ready for a jolly good scare, Ocean at the End of The Lane is right up your alley.

Follow Camille on Twitter @thewittygirl


HALLEY // HISTORICAL YOUNG ADULT FICTION

>>> B O O K R E V I E W | RYA N M AG E E

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Please Call or Email Linda Johnson

205.792.7239 • [email protected]

fourTeen year-old halley Franklin wants nothing more than to get an education and to leave her rural lifestyle behind. When her father dies in an accident however, those dreams are put on hold and Halley’s family must move in with her grandparents in order to survive the mountains of Georgia. Unfor-tunately, it is dismal household commanded through her miserly and tyrannical grandfa-ther Pastor Franklin, and Halley must learn to accept their complacency while waiting for the Rapture. Set during the nation-wide struggle of the Great Depression, Halley begins a journey of self-discovery, spirituality, and womanhood in order to find her destiny.

Upon reading Halley, I had learned that author Faye Gibbons grew up during the time period and region in which the novel took place. I cannot imagine any better account than a first-hand one to describe the difficult life that was Depression-era Georgia, and Ms. Gibbons does so quite well. On each page, there are blunt and honest details in every chore, errand, and process that goes

into running a family farm. Several times, I had to call my own grandmother to ask what was involved in the jobs that Halley and her family did to make money like tufting spreads, picking cotton, and working at a mill. Suffice to say, it was not an easy life, and Ms. Gibbons makes that quite evident and coherent.

In a clever way of paying tribute to the individuals who were born into that lifestyle, Gibbons does not build much emotional depth with her characters; rather, they are all very humble and ordinary people. Halley is the only character that the reader has any commentary on, and there is certainly plenty any young woman can relate to. Even a cen-tury ago, romance, insecurities, and social pressure all plagued a fourteen year-old, and I feel Gibbons gently tries to make that aware to this detached generation that is her audience.

As a young adult novel, Halley goes above and beyond. As an overall work of literature, I feel that there were a few issues that I found somewhat infuriating. I feel that there was not much creative license taken by Gibbons to really flesh out her vision. Mo-ments that are critical to Halley’s life are gone in less than two paragraphs, and the feelings and nuances associated with them are either sparse or nowhere to be found. Many plot points as I can recall are resolved with a brief explanation or just seem to fade away.

But I suppose that cannot be much of a criticism if it’s similar to how life works. Events pass, only to exist in our mind. Halley isn’t a masterwork of American fiction by any means, but it is certainly is a simple reflec-tion of how an elderly woman remembers her childhood. I feel that through living in this region of polite and quietly extraordinary folk, everyone knows of a young person feeling as Halley did, unsure of what fate has in store for them. If you feel that they would appreciate a bit of perspective, introduce them to Halley.

Published by NewSouth Books, Montgomery, Ala., Halley is available from NewSouth Books, and online.


WANT TO KNOW THE RIGHT WAY TO ORGANIZE A BOOK STORE? // SO DO I!

>>> RED CLAY DIARY | J I M R E E D

©2014 by Jim Reed [email protected]

blog: www.redclaydiary.com

only i know ThaT, so far, I’ve learned from experience and from other armchair experts, a hun-dred ways not to organize a book store.

1. You can arrange all the books by color. This would please the customer who insists that she wants oversized old children’s nursery books, but only if they fit in with the color scheme of her expectant daughter’s baby-to-be room. I do my best to help, and she seems pleased with the results.

2. You can arrange all the books by size. Years ago, the Salvation Army Thrift Store book section manager did just that. The books were shelved by size. It took me years to realize that he was an adult illiterate—that he, by his own admission, could not read a word. This obviously qualified him for the job. I encouraged him to take an adult reading course, but have no way of knowing whether he took the advice.

3. You can arrange the value of the books by weight. Many’s the time I’ve taken a stack of books to a flea market dealer to be priced and bagged. He carefully holds each volume in his hand, testing its heft and size, before giving me a price. Heavier books are more expensive than light ones.

4. You can arrange them alphabetically, but this often backfires. For instance, if you are a customer looking for all books about Marilyn Monroe, it would take you a long time to find them in the show biz bio section, because they would be spread throughout the alphabet by the names of the authors. Or you can arrange the books by the name of the subject of the bio—mainly, placing all Marilyn Monroe titles togeth-er, regardless of author or heft or color or size. This backfires when someone asks for all books by Norman Mailer, for instance. You’d have to go to many different sections of the store to find them all—since he wrote books about all kinds of subjects, includ-ing Marilyn Monroe.

5. You can arrange books by series name—for instance, placing all Pollyanna books together, but in this and many other cases, the Pollyanna books were written by more than one author…if you were looking for all books by one Pollyanna author, you’d again have to scurry about the store a long time to find them.

6. You could arrange books by geographic location, but this can get compli-cated, too…

Anyhow, you catch the drift.Next time you’re looking for a specific book at Reed Books/The Museum of Fond

Memories and notice me running about, looking in different sections, you may be more tolerant. An example: “I’m looking for Ray Bradbury books.” Well, Bradbury wrote in practically every genre, so where do you look? His enormous lifetime output was only ten percent science fiction/fantasy. He also wrote grand opera, poetry, plays, architectural columns, mysteries, autobiography & biography, children’s books and science commentaries, to name a few. I know where they are in the store, but it may take me some time to make a stack for you to peruse.

Go ahead—make a better book store, one that’s perfectly arranged so that you can find anything instantly. If you can also invent a backpack or purse in which you can locate exactly what you want at the push of a button, you could make a bunch of money. But that’s in the science fiction genre, isn’t it? Where would you file the instructions?

Let me know

Photo: Audrey Davis


GOV'T MULE KICK DOWN BAMA THEATRE DOORS

SOLUTION FOR PUZZLEMAINIACROSSWORD PAGE 24

>>> MUSIC | T R E Y B R O O K S

SOLUTION FOR PUZZLEMAINIASUDOKO PAGE 23

@tREYBRo

oKs88

haVing liVed my enTire life in Tuscaloosa, I can say without any hesitation that the Bama Theatre is by far the best venue in the city. It really is the center for artistic cul-ture in West Alabama. The Italian décor of the stage and night-sky ceiling adds an air of intimacy that really connects the performers and audience together in a way very few venues can. Whether you are watching a play, an independent film or a band perfor-mance, the Bama Theatre seems to encourage audience engagement more than any other stage I have ever seen.

On October 2nd, this historic Tuscaloosa landmark will host an artist that is all too familiar with the importance of audience engagement. Gov’t Mule has been a staple of the jamband scene and festival circuit since the middle of the 1990’s. A band that em-bodies the do-it-yourself spirit of rock n’ roll troubadours of the past, Gov’t Mule bases their sound in the blues rock/early hard rock of power trios such as Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, though their influences also include groups like the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Like most other jambands, their constant touring and ever-changing sets have earned them a devoted following, especially here in the South.

The key figure behind Gov’t Mule is guitarist and lead vocalist Warren Haynes. Haynes has had a long and eventful career in music, even before Gov’t Mule ever came into existence. When he was just 20 years old, he joined country musician David Al-lan Coe’s touring and recording band as the lead guitarist. After touring with Coe for several years, Haynes joined the former Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts solo project. When The Allman Brothers Band reformed in 1989, Betts recruited Haynes to be the second guitar player for the band. Though Betts eventually left the band, Haynes remains a member of the Allman Brothers to this day, although he has announced he will leave the band after this year. He has also toured with The Dead, the remaining members of the Grateful Dead.

Warren Haynes formed Gov’t Mule in 1994 as a side project initially. He was joined by bassist Allen Woody and drummer Matt Abts. Woody also played with the Allman Brothers, and Abts had been the drummer for Dickey Betts. They released a self-titled debut a year later, and followed with several live albums throughout the 90’s. Woody died in 2000, just after Mule released the album Life Before Insanity. He would eventu-ally be replaced by Andy Hess, formerly of the Black Crowes. In 2002, Danny Louis joined as a keyboard player, expanding the line up to four members. Hess left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Jorgen Carlsson. Many other famous musicians have played with Gov’t Mule throughout their existence, including Chuck Leavell, Les Clay-pool, Oteil Burbridge, Victor Wooten, Billy Gibbons and Jack Bruce.

Warren Haynes last came to Tuscaloosa with his solo band in 2012. Haynes’ solo act is more focused on traditional blues and has a much more reserved performance. Gov’t Mule is much heavier, with emphasis on hard rock. There is sure to be quite a scene when they play at the Bama Theatre. I cannot think of a better venue for someone to watch Warren Haynes play guitar. The old style works well for an old soul. The crowd will also be interesting to see. Mule’s fanbase con-tains a healthy mix of older rock fans and younger festival goers. The event is also another sign of the Bama Theatre’s continued variety of entertain-ment options that has defined the venue since the 1970’s. As a lifelong resident of Tuscaloosa, I ap-preciate what they have brought to this city.

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