Features:
A How2 Session at Grand Palace
a photo-editorial with Grand Palace’s Chuck Bruner
by Brandon Jazz
[photos courtesy of Monkey Ink Design
To help our readers visualize what goes into a basic single-layer screen print, Grand Palace’s Chuck Bruner graciously walked us through the process. He was especially excited to test-drive an experimental process called discharge printing; it was obvious that we weren’t the only ones learning something completely new, and this only encouraged our sense of childlike enthusiasm. Read more
Rabbit Rock the Block, MAY 4th
Line Up for the party:
The Exit/In:
Jordan Hull
Kid Stuff
Colorfeels
D.J. Double Click w/ Miles Cramer
How I Became the Bomb
The End:
Jacob Thomas
Rex James Angel Snow w/ Vicktor Krauss
Andrew Combs
Joshua Black Wilkins
D.E.A.
VALENTINE-VALENTINE
By Alexander Elliott
AMANDA VALENTINE: Jack-of-All-Trades Designer on her roots, Project Runway, and the state of Nashville’s fashion scene
We decided to meet at Cafe Coco. This is our dialogue.
AE- Well hello there! How are you?
AV- Fine. The burgers and fries are so good here!
AE- I just bought some fries for us to nibble on, but you already jumped the gun!
AV- Don’t worry, I’ll end up eating some of yours, too (snickers).
AE- Well okay then. So, who “is” Amanda Valentine?
AV- A silly girl from Nebraska. Read more
Lunchbox Confidential
by David Hellams
Matt Alexander grew up on a dairy farm near Nashville. His return to our fair city comes after studies at the University of Tennessee and Detroit’s Cranbrook Academy of Art, and a stint living in Brooklyn. In addition to being an exhibiting sculptor, Matt and his wife, Melissa, run the furniture design company HollerDesign, LLC. Personal history aside, one look at this artist’s work gets the brain churning up more curiosity than you could fit in a dozen 64 oz. travel mugs. As I’ve gotten to know his work, it has become tempting to view Alexander’s move “home” as a research project supporting his artistic practice – he cites his childhood experience as a major influence on his art. Read more
Thistle Farms: The New Standard For Sustainable Beauty
By: Lauren Williams
I initially set out to observe the operations of local beauty business, Thistle Farms, and talk about the benefits of buying locally made and eco-friendly products. As I dove deeper into the assignment, I learned that the faces behind the production; the women of the Magdelene House, are the real story.
The Magdalene House is a non-profit 2-year program for women with a criminal past of prostitution and drug use. Upon entering the program, they are given clothing, food and shelter free of charge. When a woman is first brought to the Magdalene, she is enrolled in a rehab program to become free of the stranglehold of addiction. After graduation, Read more
Open Lot
Open Lot is a gallery space, a meeting hall and a music room. It’s artists sharing square footage and inspirations. It’s a call to community that spans doers of all kinds, admirably ignoring boundaries between professional creatives, fine artists, writers, designers, architects, actors, comedians, acrobats, vaudeville nudists and fire eaters. Open Lot may prove to be the most significant evolution in Nashville’s art scene since the downtown Arcade became the city’s artistic focal point. Open Lot is a message, delivered by a Prodigal Son. Read more
News:
Bonnawho?
By Cheyenne Cannon
So here’s the thing about Bonnaroo, the whole experience is one really big test. It’s a test of endurance, devotion, limits, and humanity. The heat is extreme, the music is loud, the women are wild, the drugs are hard and there is no real escape from any of it.
Luckily, for everyone who attends, there is no way anyone can fail this test once you have made it into the grassy glory of the 700 acre Manchester farm… unless you die there, which unfortunately does happen on a occasion.
I was given some “super secret directions” by guest/press hospitality that turned out to be a wild goose chase that led us through all of bumfuck Manchester that we never wanted to see and resulted in us arriving at 8 P.M. Sunday night, 4 hours after our departure time. By the time we arrived all of guest/press camping was full and we were redirected to camp out in the guest day camping parking lot. We set up next to a 58 year old child psychologist who later on tried to force me to drink his home made beer while wearing nothing but a towel and rain boots. On the other side of us was a chronic traveler from Arizona who said to me on Friday morning that Tennessee was “literally hotter than Vietnam in August”. It was her first Bonnaroo so I took it with a grain of salt, but later on found out from administrators that this was in fact the hottest Bonnaroo to ever have been held and unfortunately was the cause of the only death this year.
The artists certainly didn’t let the heat get them down; few performances fell short of amazing. 
I was fortunate enough to steal away the mad men of Boy Crisis for a few seconds to gain some perspective on the artist’s side of the Bonnaroo experience. 
I asked them what it was like to perform such a physically demanding show is such extreme heat and humidity and they said that it wasn’t much different than performing under stage lighting. The only thing that seemed to be throwing them off was the gaggle of screaming girls in the front row singing along to every word. I asked if it was strange for them to be confronted with that and they all agreed quite adamantly “the album leaked and that’s probably where she heard the songs she was singing along with.” Although the leak was unintentional, it seems to have benefited them in the long run. They packed out the tiny tent with a surprising amount of eager fans that were all given the chance to actively participate in the performance.
At one point the guitarist actually threw his instrument into the crowd and allowed everyone who could reach to wail on it for close to 5 minutes. After digging it back out and returning to his place on stage, the lead singer proceeded to work his way down the line of panting girls in the front row, embracing each of them and even adorning some with a kiss. By the end of the set, it was time for the song we had all been waiting for. Dressed to digress may have been what put these Brooklyn boys on the map, but they were over it. 
So instead they opted to allow a fantastically thrilled blonde in the front row to sing the lyrics while our main man did aerobics.
Another lesser-known band that left a pretty epic impression was War Paint. These 4 beautiful L.A. girls blew the minds of every individual who had the honor of attending their set Friday night. 
As they began their sound check, side stage filled with large middle-aged men holding expressions of amusement on their mildly sunburned faces. When the ladies launched into their soul twisting psychodelia-rock those expressions dropped into disbelief, the giant arms uncrossed and backwards thumbs were pointed towards the wailing women as the men turned to one another with phrases like “damn, they’re not half bad.” Count on Tennesseans to be taken aback by an all girl rock group.
Out of all the headliners, Jay Z was the most impressive. The stage was backed with an interactive LED block screen, which switched back and forth between female silhouettes and cityscapes. Staying true to his humble nature, Jay Z finished off his show by calling out about 20 individuals by whatever distinguishable characteristic he could make out and thanking each one personally. He even pulled a fan up on stage to sing happy birthday to her in his thick New York accent. Every person who attended that show left with a look of satisfied euphoria smeared across their face, I far cry from the panic they wore into muddy field before hand. When security opened the gate 20 minutes before the beginning of the show there was a mad dash to reach the front, and that’s phrasing it lightly. The 240-pound security guard standing at the opening was literally trampled by the crazed fans and several tiny girls had the breath squeezed out of them. I was told by the other security guards that this was nothing new, and pretty much happened before every main act went on stage. If such were the case, then it would probably account for the terrible disposition and generally rude behavior exhibited by just about every security personal I came into contact with over the weekend.
Drugs seemed to be less of a problem this year, I witnessed far fewer acid freak-outs and the only fainting spells I saw seemed to be from heat exhaustion rather than system over loads. So either people had their shit under control better, or all the dealers were just too hot to do business. Nudity was prevalent as ever, a lot of girls just gave up on the body paint and opted to use their hair as sufficient raiment. No one seemed to mind. The biggest difference this year seemed to be a much stronger focus on keeping green (earth friendly, not the other green. Ok, that too), recycling and composting were pretty well pushed concepts. There was never one lonely trash barrel; it was always 3 divided receptacles – landfill, recyclables, and compost. There was also a water refill station to keep the waste of plastic water bottles down. And for those still mentally together enough to attend and be receptive, good old Bonnaroo hosted gardening workshops where one could learn how to grow their own food, create a proper compost heap, and other sustainable practices.
Every year we pass around the usual rumors and fears of selling out and mainstream take-overs that we “just know” are going to be the end of our precious June weekend of freedom this year. Every year we know MTV is going to be there, every year we know the cops are going to be real this time, every year we know the FBI is watching us and every year we buy the ticket and take the ride anyways and always come sunburned, dirty, tired and happy. At some point we’ll loose our paranoia and just trust that next year is going to be better than the last, because it always is.
Click here to see our photostream of the whole weekend!
All photos by Roxanna Shohadaee
Album Review: Evan P. Donohue – Rhythm & Amplitude
By Rob Duke
Evan P. Donohue's Rhythm & Amplitude is available via http://www.rhythmandamplitude.com this week.
I was excited to get my hands on an advance copy of the new Evan P. Donohue record entitled Rhythm & Amplitude. Though I had never listened to him before, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this album’s maturity, excellent use of layers, and incredibly large kit of sounds. Very rarely does one find an artist who uses such a diverse array of noises to create something as wonderful and unique as Donohue has pulled off so adroitly. From a classic rocker like O Justice, to heartfelt love-lost ballads like California Sunshine, this album delivers an old-school feel while simultaneously remaining innovative and fresh. The arrangements are incredibly complex and each is a jewel of heartbreak and an example of what musicians who are both pupils and avid listeners of music can accomplish when put to the test. Read more
LAY LADY LAY
“Thick,” Joel Batey
JOEL LAMAR BATEY’S SOUL TRAIN CRASHES INTO OVVIIO ARTE
by Joe Nolan
Joel Batey is a painter who until recently was mostly familiar to local art-abouts as “that guy who used to work at Plaza” – the art supply store. Batey’s work isn’t unknown, but it’s certainly obscure. Even if you had attended some of the now-mythical Secret Show Series exhibits, you’d be forgiven for not remembering the few, compelling contributions Batey made to those shows.
The Rabbit featured Joel in an early issue and, for some of us, Batey’s work has always been as fresh and alluring as it has been elusive – if not plain absent. There have always been rumors Read more
Album Review: Michael Huff – Other Hearts
By James Mielke
Michael Huff's "Other Hearts" out now!
Familiar sounds are immediately recognized in singer-songwriter Michael Huff’s debut EP, Other Hearts. Although familiarity has the unfortunate potential to leave the listener grasping for something more, Huff brings six songs to the table that offer up a varied stylistic palate. While the songs draw from heterogenous influences, it’s the reverence for these influences that shine through as Hearts’ greatest success. Read more
Quote: A Deeper Green
By Matt King
Editor’s Note: This piece was written as a follow-up to an article previously published in issue #4 of The Rabbit. The band “Quote” was the first musical act that The Rabbit covered, you can view the original article here.
In 2007, two friends, Justin Tam and Jamie Bennett, approached me to collaborate on their first major project, Quote’s “The Pace of Our Feet,” a 132 page book/album including ten original songs along ten works of writing and ten works of art based on those songs. After touring for two years with crates filled with oil paintings and mixed media work, “The Pace of Our Feet” culminated at the Rymer Gallery in Downtown Nashville. With a final display and auction of all the artworks involved, along the release of a final EP, titled “A Deeper Green,” the duo performed for the last time. Read more