by Erin Turner | Oct 6, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Searching for beauty and capturing striking images in the industrial ugliness and desolation of the Tennessee watershed — including the remnants of the infamous toxic ash spill that swallowed an East Tennessee community — is the sole focus of photographer Jeff Rich’s most recent collection: The Watershed Project. Rich has spent the last six years researching and photographing the Southeastern Mississippi River basin. His most recent work in the project brought him to Tennessee to capture all the small pieces that make up the Tennessee River basin. This system of rivers is for the most part controlled by the Tennessee Valley Authority — a federally funded corporation that provides for flood control, navigation on the rivers, economic development and — as Tennessee electric consumers know — power production. The TVA operates around 50 dams in the Tennessee watershed — several of which Rich visited to photograph. “One of the things about The Watershed Project in general is showing the complexities of our relationship with the land,” Rich said. “A lot of this work is just research — researching for six months at a time, then going out and shooting for about a week at a time.” The Savannah College of Art alumnus set out to not only research the French Broad, Tennessee and lower Mississippi watersheds but also capture them in a new way. Rich uses an 8×10 large format film camera to capture the ridges of land and dams of impounded water. But in order to compose the shot with his large format camera, he first makes a sketch with a digital camera. “I jump out [of the car], take a bunch of shots with digital...
by Stephanie Schiraldi | Oct 4, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Men’s social club Tau Phi introduced new and old traditions to the audience in Collins Alumni Auditorium with the 36th annual Cowboy Show Saturday night. This year’s show featured a wide range of talents including Nashville singer/songwriter and producer Pat Flynn and the first ever mother-daughter duo of alumna Michelle Robertson and sophomore Rebecca Robertson. The performances featured songs by hit artists Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, George Straight and Lipscomb alumna Kelsea Ballerini. Junior psychology and political science major John Blake Parker directed this year’s show with assistant directors Stephen Ingram and Ashton Montgomery. “I’ve been honored to put this production together, one that is so rich in history and features so much talent from Lipscomb students,” Parker said. Parker said every girl who auditioned this year made it into the Cowboy Show. “I believe this speaks volumes for the level of talent we have this year,” he said. “I honestly believe this year’s Cowboy Show is one of the best we’ve ever had talent-wise.” The Cowboy Show began in 1979 on the steps of Collins Alumni Auditorium, but since then has grown into a full professional production. Each performance is backed up with music played by Flynn and a band of professional musicians. “Pat has played an enormous role in making the show the production that it is today,” Parker said. Flynn said it all started 15 years ago with a group of Lipscomb students in a band called Crucial Smith who he was working on a record with. The band asked Flynn to come watch them perform in the Cowboy Show in the early 90’s and asked him to be a part...
by Haleigh Ker | Oct 1, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Whether you are interested in chrysanthemums, Polka dancing or the Day of the Dead — Nashville has a place for it all. A wide variety of festivals are happening in the Greater Nashville area in the month of October. Below is a list of prime, well-known locations in Nashville that offer affordable festivals and events. Cheekwood is known for it’s beautiful gardens and art showcasing. This year, Cheekwood Harvest is showing off all the colors of Autumn with it’s gorgeous chrysanthemums collection, cute scarecrows and a pumpkin patch that kids and kids-at-heart can buy and carve. Cheekwood Harvest will continue through Nov. 1. Along with the Harvest, Cheekwood is also hosting a “El Dia De Los Muertos” (“The Day of the Dead”) event on Oct. 24. It will provide authentic Latin American food, vendors showcasing their crafts, lively music, Aztec dancing and art activities that you can take part of, such as molding your own clay skull. All are worth the $14 entry ticket. The Hermitage always has annual fall events that are a Nashville favorite. Fall Fest at the Hermitage is huge craft fair with food, refreshments and activities abound. You’ll see anything from jewelry to leatherwork. There’s also a community art project that uses recyclables to represent vegetables and flowers of a garden. If you miss out on the Fall Fest, the Hermitage has another event on Oct. 24: Hauntings at the Hermitage. There’s a ghost tour at the mansion, along with great storytelling and hayrides. Every year since 1980, Nashville’s Germantown has hosted Oktoberfest. There is Polka-dancing, tasty German food to snack on, along with a marathon...
by Becca Risley | Sep 23, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Up-and-coming country singer Abbi Scott said she dreams of sold-out arenas, personalized tours and selling millions of records. “I don’t want to be a small-time singer who just does it for fun,” Scott said. “I want to be Garth Brooks big. It’s not for the money, I just want to live out my passion and bring back the soul of country.” Scott first realized this was her dream around age 5, while standing in her living room during American Idol commercials and singing into a hairbrush for her parents to “judge” her. At age 8, Scott performed live in public for the first time at a county fair in her home state of Indiana. She won the contest that year and for the next six years. It wasn’t until Scott performed at the Colgate Country Showdown in 2009 that she met several people with singer/songwriter contacts in Nashville. At age 14, Scott and her family traveled to Music City for the first time. “After that, I traveled back and forth between Nashville and Indiana two weekends a month all through high school,” Scott said. “Sometimes the trip would be for writing and sometimes I would come for gigs.” Now a sophomore on campus at Lipscomb, Scott studies Public Relations and works with publicist Katherine Cook to perform as many times and at as many venues as possible. “I went to college because I thought it would be the wise decision while I’m waiting to get my break,” Scott said. “Performing is what I love to do. It’s my passion and it’s what I want to do for the rest of my...
by Charlie Bateman | Sep 23, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Tokens — Nashville’s “Best Local Variety Show” — began its new season at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Collins Auditorium, with performances by All Sons & Daughters, Sandra McCracken and The Arcadian Wild. Tokens is a live radio show composed of music, humor and spoken issues of social justice. The event was created in February of 2008 by Bible professor Lee C. Camp. “My wife and I were at a radio variety show at the Ryman,” Camp said. “I loved the show so much I was wondering, since I teach theology, if we could create a theological variety show.” All Sons & Daughters consists of two worship leaders, Leslie Jordan and David Leonard, from Journey Church in Franklin. The band has three EP’s on iTunes, including two full-length acoustic albums Season One and Live. Sandra McCracken is a singer, songwriter and producer from Nashville with more than eight albums, with her next, Psalms, to be released later this year. The Arcadian Wild consists of current and former Lipscomb students Sarah Wood, Everett Davis, Isaac Horn and Lincoln Mick. The band’s first EP was released earlier this year and is titled “The Colorado EP.” Included among these musical guests were skits and speeches put together by Brother Preacher and alumni Blake Farmer of WPLN, National Public Radio. The theme of the evening was “Reason to Sing.” “All Sons & Daughters has an opening line in one of their songs that is about needing a reason to sing,” Camp said. “That is so much of what this show is about.” The next live performance of Tokens is Oct. 4 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall with a special appearance from The Nashville Choir. The sixth annual Tokens Thanksgiving show is...
by Ben Davis | Sep 23, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, Galleries
Tokens presented “Reason to Sing,” a variety show put on by Lipscomb’s Lee Camp, in Collins Alumni Auditorium on Sept. 22. The show featured special guests All Sons & Daughters, Sandra McCracken and Lipscomb’s own The Arcadian Wild. Photos by Ben Davis and Erin Turner « ‹ of 2 ›...
