No. 179: Transmissions from the Ground
Good morning, everyone.
Somewhat of a wild weekend in the media landscape as Joe Rogan squared off with — and defeated — Neil Young, the trucker convoy in Ottowa sent Just Trudeau into hiding, and the "banning" of Maus resulted in Amazon selling out of the book as hysterical scolds rushed to order the book in solidarity with the author, Art Spiegelman, who has likely landed himself a healthy paycheck. Capitalism at its finest.
Below, we preview tomorrow's Metro Council meeting, take a spin through the SPBGMA Bluegrass Awards, and remind you why central planning never plays out the way it's intended to.
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Thanks for reading.
⤵ ON TOMORROW'S METRO COUNCIL MEETING
In this week’s Metro Nashville Council Meeting rundown, we explore the many ways Metro plans to spend our money after the government takes it and then hands it back to us with rules on how we can spend it. As the American Rescue Plan funds are being divvied up, you’ll hear words like equity and inclusive.
Some grant money has been dug up for the Tennessee Arts Commission in an attempt to save different facilities from going under. Of course, restrictive protocols are leaving them desperate for patronage. This sounds so familiar, where have we seen it? (**cough** Music Venue Alliance Nashville).
In other news, RS2022-1364 is a resolution proposed “to allow Nashville Public Library to assume the Nashville Education, Community and Arts Television Corporation’s responsibilities for operating and programming the Metro-owned cable channels for art, education and public community access. A non-profit set up by Metro to oversee these programs.”
Lastly, up for it’s 3rd and final vote is BL2021-961 which would introduce LPRs (License Plate Readers) into Davidson County. If passed, LPRs will be installed at intersections throughout Nashville.
RS2022-1357
A resolution appropriating $1,100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to permit the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development to create an inclusive and equitable economic development plan and policy, and to conduct a market value analysis, which promotes balanced and strategic growth in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.
RS2022-1356
A resolution appropriating $20,00,000.00 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to create a Nashville Small Business Recovery Fund.
RS2022-1361
A resolution approving an application for a Major Cultural Institution grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission to the Metropolitan Government, acting by and through the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, to provide general operating support.
RS2022-1358
A resolution adopting a Metropolitan Government community-wide target of an 80% reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2014 levels by 2050.
RS2022-1364
A resolution to approve an intergovernmental agreement to allow Nashville Public Library to assume the Nashville Education, Community and Arts Television Corporation’s responsibilities for operating and programming the Metro-owned cable channels for art, education and public community access. A non-profit set up by Metro to oversee these programs.
BL2021-961
An ordinance amending Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws pertaining to the use of License Plate Scanner (LPR) Technology in the public rights of way.
HEADLINES
- Tennessee considers projects for $328M in unassigned federal pandemic money (Center Square) The committee had $3.725 billion to assign to projects with $3.123 billion already allocated and $275 million set aside for external relief grants for COVID-19 affected industries, such as nonprofit health and social service organizations.
- WCS committee removes one book from curriculum, releases lengthy report on others that were challenged (Homepage) After months of reviewing 31 books and instructional materials that had been challenged as being inappropriate for elementary school students by a local parents group, a Williamson County Schools reconsideration committee flagged one of the titles for removal from the English language arts curriculum.
DEVELOPMENT
- Images submitted to Metro for tower planned for river site (Post)
- Mixed-use tower home to Whole Foods sells (Post)
- NOLA developer pays $12.45M for Dickerson parcels (Post)
- Germantown eyed for residential project (Post)
⏚ TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE GROUND: The SPBGMA Bluegrass Awards, National Convention, and Band Championship
Well, I didn’t catch the convention, the awards ceremony, or the band championship. I sat for a show only once. The rest of the music I saw was flung about the hotel, taking root in dead-end halls, rooms, corners, nooks, and crannies. Musicians gathered in many combinations and laced the halls with music. On several floors strings rang out and old stories were retold. It was an exultant affair. I levitated out of the automatic front doors with hands stretched out to the side at the end of it.
First stop, the Kevin Prater Band, the only band I saw on a stage. In between songs, Kevin provided excellent on stage banter like they do in the old recordings. It’s an important part of the art and it makes for high quality entertainment. Even in the hallway jams, the quips rolled freely. “I can’t sing that up there at A,” said a young man, who couldn’t hit a note. “Well just tighten your britches a little, you’ll get there,” was the advice from a more experienced picker. At some point another player said to me, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you but I bet it’s hard to pronounce.” Classic. At this particular jam, a small hispanic worker stopped and asked me if it was ok to take a video by showing his phone and asking, “no problema?” I indicated with broken spanish and hand gestures that it was more than ok. We had the American and the Latin American press on the scene.
That first jam ended on a great song with a gypsy bent that I had never heard, I made a note of the title - ‘Eat Dirt’ - then went a wanderin’ through the halls with a Modelo and a shit eatin’ grin birddogging bluegrass. I bounced from gospel to murder ballad and back as is typical of the art form. From Joshua and the walls of Jericho falling down to man killing man on account of an unfaithful woman. I was moved. I found more substantive art in that hotel than just about anything I’ve seen from Hollywood in the past few years.
⍾ TODAY IN: CENTRAL PLANNING NEVER WORKS
Sri Lanka’s President abruptly banned chemical fertilizers earlier this year in a bid to become 100% organic. The ban has resulted in reduced production and soaring prices that, together with declining tourism and the pandemic, have created an economic crisis.
As a result, the government will pay 40,000 million rupees ($200m) to farmers whose harvests were affected by the chemical fertilizer ban, agriculture minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Tuesday.
Source:
Sri Lanka to pay $200m compensation for failed organic farm drive
Al Jazeera, January 26th, 2022, Read Online
⚔︎ MISSIVES ⚔︎
- 🧪 As the White House’s free at-home COVID-19 test kits are reaching millions of American households’ mailboxes, the “made in China” label on some of those kits are stirring concerns.
- 🎙 Joe Rogan, responding to Neil Young’s objections to his podcast and host Spotify, said his show has grown “out of control” and pledged to be more balanced and informed about controversial topics and guests.
- 🚚 A group of over 10,000 Canadian truckers are leading Freedom Convoy, a protest against government mandates, and will be joined by hundreds or thousands of American truckers who support the cause.
THINGS TO DO
View the full calendar here.
What is the cost of having a robust music scene like Nashville? Well, the quality of the music it seems. Good bands are getting undercut by hordes of low quality acts that will play for nothing but exposure. This has bands that make their living playing music deciding that they would be better off playing in other cities.
For much of Nashville, if you book low quality entertainment, your patrons won’t abandon you — think about Broadway or Midtown. All you need to do is have a functional band or DJ, serve alcohol, open your doors, and you'll be packed. Sometimes it seems like cheesy artists — who are really just playing artist dress up — draw the biggest audiences. So who's to blame here?
It’s a combination of elements: a saturated music scene, audiences that aren’t really interested in music, and people taking advantage of the large free entertainment pool.
Whatever should we do? Great question, reader. Assert yourself in the music scene, have a presence, put your money down when people deserve it, ignore the rest. Or, if you’re a media organization that has a focus on entertainment, you could partner up with a quality venue, book quality bands, invite your readers, and lay claim to some territory. More to come on this front...
TONIGHT
🎩 History Class @ Bold Patriot Brewing, 5:00, Info
🎸 Harry Fontana @ American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
💃 Swing Dancing Lessons @ The Bold Patriot, 8p, Free, Info
GET 'EM WHILE YOU CAN
🎸 Tedeschi Trucks Band (Feb 22, 23, 25, 26) @ The Ryman, 7p, $40+, Info for the 22nd, 23rd, 25th, and 26th
🔆 Jordan Peterson (03/22) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $40+, Info
🎸 Buddy Guy (03/26) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $80, Info
🐷 Primus a Farewell to Kings Tour (05/09) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $55+, Info
🎸 Three Dog Night (02/12) @ The Ryman, 7:30, $45+, Info
Around the Web
⇟ Orcas Are Able to Kill and Eat Blue Whales Recordings in seas off Australia proved that the predatory prowess of killer whales is inescapable, even for the adults of the largest species that ever lived.
⚔︎ The Big Lie of Biden’s ‘Black Woman’ Court Promise Remembering what was done to Clarence Thomas
⚒︎ Thomas Jefferson and “A Little Rebellion Now and Then” Nowhere to be seen now are the old Jeffersonians, once a major American type, rebellious men who dared defend the rights of themselves and their communities from outside impositions. But buried somewhere deep in the American soul is a tiny ember of Jeffersonian democracy that now and then gives off an uncertain, feeble, and futile spark.
Political Theater Highlight Reel
- Donald Trump promises to pardon Jan. 6 prisoners if he runs and wins in 2024
- Three-quarters of Americans (76%) want Pres. Biden to consider "all possible nominees," while 23% want him to follow through on his commitment to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court
- Justin Trudeau says the "small fringe" trucker convoy on the way to Ottawa does "not represent the views of Canadians."
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Words of Wisdom
1) Everyone is conservative about what he knows best.
2) Any organization not explicitly right-wing sooner or later becomes left-wing.
3) The simplest way to explain the behavior of any bureaucratic organization is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.
Robert Conquest’s Three Laws of Politics