Nashville for Free

We love the Loveless Cafe for a lot of reasons, but mostly for their food. The way those biscuits…oh and that jam. I could talk about that food for far too long.

No, no, no, the Loveless Cafe is NOT giving away free food. Sorry if I got your hopes up. Though some free fried chicken would be absolutely fantastic, this event will actually benefit the community (not that free chicken wouldn’t).

Rock Away the Blues is an event that wants to help families in Nashville that were affected by the flood, mostly the children. from 4-6pm this Thursday, July 29th, every child in attendance will receive a backpack filled with school supplies and a new toy from Leap Frog. Oh, and everyone, children and adults will get some free food and froyo from Freshii.

Whoa. That's a big man.

In addition to giveaways for children there will be some celebrities of varying degrees in attendance. Remember when they brought back American Gladiators? Well, Justice Smith and The Wolf will be there! Those are some big dudes, I don’t want to mess around with them. I’m sure they’ll do autographs and pose for pictures. I doubt they’ll cause anyone physical harm.

Then there’s Starship. Nashville flood benefits just can’t get away from them. First the Mercy Lounge hosts Rebuild This City (On Rock and Roll) and now the actually BAND Starship starring Mickey Thomas will be performing at Rock Away the Blues. Yes, you’ll finally get to hear “We Built this City on Rock and Roll” live. Yes, you will. Also, some local artists will be performing too.

Remember the Homestead Act of 1862? I don’t blame you if you don’t as it was merely a blip in my American history classes, but here’s the gist: the government gave away free land in Nebraska to get people to move out there. Yes, the government had to give shit away to get people to move out there.

It sounded like a good idea to a lot of people who had been wanting to start farms of their own. You’d get up to 160 acres and you’d grow a ton of food and have cows and whatever. The thing was, Nebraska doesn’t have the world’s most fertile soil. It’s not like Tennessee or the Ohio Valley. If you’ve read anything by Willa Cather then you know what’s up.

Well, get ready for the Homestead Act Part 2! Are you a sucker for sequels? Then check this out! The city of Beatrice is giving away free land to people who promise to live on it! According to the New York Times, they’re tired of just sitting on this land, mowing it and building ballfields on it and shit, and they want to make tax dollars off of it.

Beatrice, Nebraska isn’t the only city in America doing something like this. My dad’s hometown of Dayton, Ohio is giving away land or selling it for next to nothing in hopes of cutting down the mowing bill. In other words, if you’ve ever wanted to move to a dying city in Ohio, now’s your time! One thing I will say about Dayton is that they have good pizza and a really cool park/museum that has a Wright Flyer. Also, it’s pretty close to Wapakoneta, a little city with a real moon rock.

So there it is. Get it while the getting’s good! You can go to Nebraska and get some flat, less than fertile land, or you can go to a dying city that’s the real birthplace of aviation (and Guided by Voices). Uhh…tempting as that is I think I’ll stay in Nashville for now, thanks.

-Emily

This is sort of similar

I am in love with stories about good people. A good episode of This American Life warms my heart like nothing else. I was raised to be cautious of strangers, rightfully so, but sometimes a complete stranger, or group of strangers, can make a significant and positive change in your life.

Lost and Found in America defines themselves as “a non-profit organization focused on documenting positive, humanitarian stories on film.”

The group is currently on tour, screening Lost in Woonsocket across America. Lost in Woonsocket is about two drug addicts living in the woods who are given a second chance at life by a film crew of random philanthropists. The official message behind it is that one person can make a difference and that there is hope for the hopeless. Both of those sentiments are cliches, but I think that there’s a good chance that the film is well done, and it’s sure to make you feel good inside.

This film will be screening this Thursday, July 29th at Renaissance Hotel at 611 Commerce Street at 9pm.

Here’s the trailer to the film. Maybe it will pique your interest:

-Emily

Monday

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm, 21+
Woohoo! This week’s 8 off 8th is hosted by Randy Coleman and will feature Liam Titcomb, 2/3 Goat, Stephanie Tonnemacher, Nissi Lee, Charles Butler, Captain Midnight Band, Truman, and Silver Morning.

Geology Showcase: The Great Stone Door at South Cumberland State Park – 10am
Hike around, learn some stuff about a natural stone door and how it was formed.

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Mmmm, Pied Piper ice cream. Though I’ve only been there a few times I’m well aware of how amazing it is. When I think of good designer ice cream, like Graeter’s in Cincinnati, it’s first on my list.

Tonight, though, the Pied Piper is stepping away from just serving up ice cream. They’re hosting the night at the Mercy Lounge and are bringing some of their favorite bands along. Performers include Brian Van Meter, The Avery Set, I Became the Sky, and Canago & The Japanese School.

This event is tonight, July 22nd at the Mercy Lounge. It starts at 9pm and is 21+. If Pied Piper’s taste in music is half as good as their ice cream then this show should be a blast.

Today at the Main Public Library in downtown Nashville Alex Heard, a Vanderbilt alum, will be speaking about his new book, a work of nonfiction called The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex and Secrets in the Jim Crow South. This work follows the trial of Willie McGee, an African-American man accused of raping a married white woman, who he might have just had an honest relationship with. His trial lasted one day and the all white jury only took 2 and a half minutes to find him guilty. He was eventually executed.

If this sounds a lot like To Kill a Mockingbird to you, then you’re not alone. The similar plot points were obviously not missed on Heard, as the book’s publish date coincides with the 50th anniversary year of the Harper Lee classic. The Eyes of Willie McGee is for fans of Mockingbird and historical nonfiction.

This event will take place tonight at the Main Public Library at 5pm.

Yes yes yes, I know that this site is called NASHVILLE for free, but no matter how much you love a place sometimes you just have to get the hell outta Dodge. For all the great things that are in Nashville I’ve been feeling a little antsy. I needed a vacation.

As a poor college student I can’t really spend a lot of money to go on a big fancy vacation to someplace like Las Vegas or wherever it is people with money to go party. Hotels, unless they’re incredibly sketchy are absolutely out of the question, as are fancy dinners and taxi cabs.

So, I decided to go visit a good friend in the great city of Chicago. He has a studio apartment near Loyola that has a nice big floor that will fit a nice air mattress, so that took care of the housing situation. Flights to and from Chicago on Southwest are only about $80 each way, and public transportation in the Windy City is easy to use and incredibly affordable.

Of course, none of that would mean much if all interesting activities in Chicago cost big money, but Chi-town has no shortage of awesome free shows, parks, zoos, and exhibits.

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Tuesday

Rock’n’Roll Trivia at the Mercy Lounge – 6:30pm, 21+
It’s moved to Tuesdays, but it’s still the same night of trivia we all love. The game consists of three rounds of questions, two rounds of “name that tune,” and the rock and roll-est of final wagers where you can bet (and possibly lose) it all. The prizes are $50, $25 or $10 to be spent at Mercy Lounge. Plus, everyone gets free parking and beer specials all night. It’s about teams, so grab some friends, yo.

Good Food Film Series: The Real Dirt on Farmer John at Warner Parks Nature Center – 6:30pm
Call (615) 352-6299 to register for this event, which is a screening of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. The synopsis on the website for this film is, “This entertaining documentary tells the story of one man, his farm and his family—a story that parallels the history of American farming.” Okay then.

New Faces Nite at the Basement – 8pm, 21+
This week’s New Faces Nite features Sleep Study, Parkington Sisters, Cameron McGill, Clark Paterson, Tax Brandywine and David Jacobs Strain. I’ve never heard of them either, which is why it’s called New Faces Nite. You might find your new favorite local band.

Hermitage Adult Book Club: East of Eden by John Steinbeck at the Hermitage Branch of the Public LIbrary – 6:30pm
I know quite a few people who would put East of Eden in their top books. If you’re one of those people then you’ll probably enjoy this event. Hell, even if you didn’t like the book you can go and discuss why you thought it sucked. That’s what book clubs are for, discussion, not blind cult love.

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Keshav Pradhan in Bhutan

When I first moved to Nashville I was surprised to learn how diverse this city is, especially for a southern one. I wasn’t expecting to meet refugees from countries all over the world in this southern city. According to InsideVandy.com and State Department Statistics,  Nashville was ranked 28th in the nation for refugee resettlement, and that was in early 2009 before we saw a new wave of Bhutanese refugees.

These people from Bhutan are the newest mass addition to the Nashville family, and I think that we should learn more about them, which is why I’m writing about this event. It’s called Next Door Neighbors: Meet the People of Bhutan that Call Nashville Home and it will be held in Vanderbilt’s Scarritt-Bennett Center tonight, July 13th from 7-9pm.

This event will give Nashvillians a better idea of what life is like for the Bhutanese refugees by showing excerpts from the documentary Next Door Neighbors: Bhutanese, which offers a glimpse of the daily life of this culture as the refugees adjust to Nashville. Then get an even better understanding as people from this culture offer their thoughts and answer questions in a follow-up panel discussion.

This should be a really good, informative event. If you care to learn more about one of the many refugee groups in Nashville then you should seriously consider checking out this event. RSVP is requested, and you can do that here.

Monday

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm
You know the drill, short sets, 8 bands. This week’s show features Parachute Musical, Oblio, Milktooth, Born Empty, Colorfeels, Eastern Block, and Shapiro and Deleted Scenes from Washington DC.

Jerrod Neimann CD Release Show at the Basement – 7pm
Jerrod thinks that he can be the next big thing in country. If you go to this show you can decide for yourself.

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