Eternal Y2K2

Twenty three years ago, most of the restaurants in Assembly Food Hall didn’t exist. Bridgestone Arena and the Preds had just passed the half-decade mark. The Titans had a whole two years under their belt after shaking off the ill-fitting Oilers moniker. This was the version of Broadway that born-and-bred Nashvillians sanctify even if then, as now, they avoided visiting when they could. 

But on Wednesday night, anyone who traversed downtown’s tourist hub during those years could close their eyes and go right back to the Summer of ‘02. At Bridgestone, metal rockers Incubus thrilled millennials and their middle school offspring as they played their 2001 record, Morning View, in its entirety. A mile away at the CMA Theater, indie rock singer-songwriter Aimee Mann celebrated the 22 1/2-year-anniversary of her 2002 album, Lost in Space, by recreating one of her most-loved works note for note. 

While the crowds who listened to Incubus and Mann didn’t mix all that much in the halls of high schools where some of us watched 9/11 live in our AP Statistics classrooms, music fans of all stripes have had the chance to tap into 2002 for the past couple of years. Two summers ago, The Flaming Lips went on the road for a Barnumesque celebration of their magnum opus, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Last summer, Pitchfork darling Ben Gibbard pulled double duty on a tour with his bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, replicating early 2003 classics Transatlanticism and Give Up in cities across the world, including a sold-out stop at Bridgestone.

🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.

⚖️ Competency To Stand Trial Judge Steve Dozier has yet to determine whether the defendant in the tragic Belmont shooting of Jillian Ludwig, Shaquille Taylor, is competent to stand trial. Yesterday, NewsChannel 5 Legal Analyst Nick Leonardo weighed in on several factors that will inform the next steps once a ruling is released.

During last week’s competency hearings, Taylor's attorneys called upon multiple expert witnesses and family members to testify to establish his intellectual disability. Psychologist Mary Elizabeth Wood, who performed Taylor’s most recent evaluation, determined he has a low IQ and would struggle to understand his trial. That said, when Judge Steve Dozier asked whether the defendant is able to understand information if it is explained to him repeatedly and slowly, Wood said focused instruction could help Taylor to comprehend the situation. 

According to Leonardo, the burden of proof to establish Taylor’s incompetence falls on the defense. Since he faces a first-degree murder charge, the defense has to meet the highest standard of proof by presenting clear and convincing evidence. However, Leonardo says that the decision to deem Taylor competent to stand trial is difficult due to the potential of appeal. “They have to be confident because, number one, you don't want to try this case several times,” he said during a segment of MorningLine with Nick Beres. “If there is a trial, if there's a conviction, then in that case everything would be appealed, as well as the defendant’s competency.”

In that scenario, the entire process would start back at the beginning. If Taylor is found too incompetent to stand trial, Jillian’s Law could take effect, which would place him in a state mental health facility. The problem is, there are only six beds available. The law, which was passed in response to the tragic Belmont shooting, provides limited capacity due to a lack of funding. It is unclear whether there are provisions to take in Taylor if he is deemed incompetent.

🚨 Abrego Garcia Doesn’t Want Bail Kilmar Abrego Garcia asked to remain in criminal detention in order to avoid a second deportation. On June 7, Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. to face human smuggling charges after being deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March. Last week, Federal Magistrate Judge for Middle District of Tennessee Barbara Holmes denied the Department of Justice’s request to jail Abrego Garcia until he faces trial, which would allow him to be released on bail until his court date. According to the Lookout, his attorneys have until noon today to submit legal arguments addressing how the government can ensure Abrego Garcia won’t be “precipitously deported.”\

On Wednesday, there were reports of Homeland Security waiting outside a Nashville federal courthouse in anticipation of Abrego Garcia’s release. Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that the Justice Department has asserted that the Trump Administration plans to re-deport Abrego Garcia to a country other than El Salvador. White House officials have since called those reports fake news. “Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States to face trial for the egregious charges against him," posted White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson on X. "He will face the full force of the American justice system - including serving time in American prison for the crimes he’s committed.”

According to Axios, Abrego Garcia's lawyers are concerned he could be taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement following his release from the U.S. Marshals Service today. Abrego Garcia is set to attend a motion hearing on July 7 in Maryland.

🏛️ CMs Revive Metro Black Caucus On Wednesday, black council members announced that they’re “reclaiming a vital piece of civic history” by separating off from Metro’s Minority Caucus to reestablish the Metro Council Black Caucus. “In subsequent decades, Black Council Members formalized their collective advocacy through the creation of the Black Caucus, which later evolved into the Minority Caucus in 2011,” reads the press release. “The Minority Caucus remains as a coalition of the Black Caucus and Immigrant Caucus and will continue to advocate for communities of color in Nashville. However, the Black Caucus recognizes that there are issues unique to Black Nashvillians that require a more targeted focus.”

Council Member Jennifer Gamble will take the lead as Chair of the Black Caucus. In addition, Council Member Antoinette Lee will serve as the Vice-Chair, Council Member Brandon Taylor will serve as Treasurer, Council Member Tasha Ellis will serve as the Secretary, and Council Member Jeff Preptit will serve as Parliamentarian.

DEVELOPMENT

• 12South hot spot home to Ladybird Taco, E+Rose listed for sale (NBJ)
• Texas BBQ Terry Black's plans expansion in Germantown (Tennessean)
• Renderings released for planned East Bank affordable housing building (Post)
• Concept plan approval sought for Gulch hotel proposal (Post)

💥 HIT-AND-RUNS FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS

An excellent report in the Nashville Banner this morning on the difficulty MNPD faces in prosecuting hit-and-runs. An remarkable statistic from the report:

Of the 7,695 hit-and-runs reported to police in 2024, [MNPD Capt. James Williams] said 5,500 were cleared either because they could not be solved or the victim decided against proceeding with the case. Others are still pending, but only 39, or 0.5 percent, of the cases led to an arrest. That doesn’t include cases involving a death, but Williams said most of those are also unresolved.

Only two detectives are assigned to investigate hit-and-run incidents. LPRs have been proposed as an easy way to enhance the department's ability to punish offenders to make up for the staffing shortage.

✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: June 27-July 2

The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week. For a complete list of upcoming titles, check out the 2025 Film Guide.

F1 (Dir. Joseph Kosinski) Apple hopes the director of Top Gun: Maverick does for racing what he did for fighter jets in this old-school Hollywood summer epic featuring Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem as drivers back to take on the new blood. See it in IMAX or Dolby before Jurassic Park comes out next week. Now playing in theaters.

M3gan 2.0 (Dir. Gerald Johnstone) 2023’s raucous horror-comedy featuring a killer A.I. doll is back for the inevitable second helping and more social commentary about iPad kids. Now playing in theaters.

Hot Milk (Dir. Rebecca Lenkiewicz) The screenwriter of 2014’s Oscar-winning Ida, makes her directorial debut with a tale of a mother-daughter duo (Fiona Shaw and Emma Mackey) traveling to a seaside Spanish town to seek a cure for a mystery illness whose lifelong resentments reach their boiling point in the sultry locale. Now playing in theaters.

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Wes Parker w/ Julia of The Foxies @ The Basement, 7p, $12.85, Info

🎸 Matt TV w/ Voltagehawk and Broken Champion @ The Basement, 9p, $12.85, Info

🎸 WMOT Finally Friday featuring Colin O'Brien , Ethan Samuel Brown & Kelly Willis @ 3rd and Lindsley, 12p, Free, Info

🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).