Music

A Cause, A Movement, A City Without Tears

March 6, 2013 By Adams, Alexandria Leave a Comment

By Alexandria Adams
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop)- Michael Kelly, also known as Big Mike Mic, is a local Chattanooga rapper who dreams of a city without violence.

Kelly and his brother Brian started the project, “City Without Tears”, a year and a half ago. M. Kelly said, “ I want to bring awareness, awareness to the numbness of the violence and injustice that has been going on in the community.”

City Without Tears flyer

M. Kelly said that City Without Tears was inspired by his own self reflection, and seeing the tremendous toll that a life with violence takes on not only one person, but a community.

M. Kelly considers himself an artist and has been creating music for ten years. He wrote a six track EP, a documentary, a poem ,and a music video to help spread the message about the reoccurring violence and murders that Chattanooga has been experiencing.

By seeing the effects of violence firsthand M. Kelly said that is what drives him to continue his efforts to help put a stop to the violent crimes. “God led my heart to stop talking and be active.”

The two brothers hope City Without Tears becomes not just a message, but also a movement. B. Kelly said,” No one wants to see anyone hurt; especially not someone that you love. If one person is hurt, that hurt is going to spread.”

Brian Kelly speaks about the cause in the documentary

They hope their efforts make an impact not only on the local community, but that the message to end violence reaches to other cities having the same problem.
M. Kelly said, “ This project needs to be on the biggest platform possible. There is heavy violence going on in every city. This, most definitely is something that needs to be broadcast.”

B. Kelly said, “Everything is like an infection. If you don’t do something, it’s only going to get bigger and bigger. Why be reactive, when we can be more proactive?”

They hope to raise at least $10,000 for the project.

If you are interested in finding out more information about the City Without Tears project please e-mail Brian Kelley at bdotkelly@gmail.com or call 423-903-4293. If you would like to donate to the City Without Tears project please visit www.kickstarter.com and type “City Without Tears” into the search bar.

You can also follow Michael Kelly on Twitter and “like” his Facebook page.Make sure to view the exclusive interview with the Kelly brothers only on the Mocs News Youtube page.

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Featured, Local, Music

Big Mike Mic Describes A City Without Tears

March 6, 2013 By Kalmon, Tia Marie 7 Comments

By Tia Kalmon

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop) – Gangs and crime are a problem for Chattanooga, but one local rapper is trying to stop the violence through his organization, City Without Tears.

This organization was founded by Michael Kelly a year and a half ago. It now consists of a documentary, music video, a six-song EP album and a poem.

This is the postcard for City Without Tears.

“I want to bring awareness, awareness of the numbness for the violence and injustice that’s been going on in the community and how people need to self-reflect,” Kelly said. “Actually the song in the project came from me actually self-reflecting and seeing what I can do, because I knew a lot of things had been going on and I didn’t want to be one of those people that was saying ‘that’s what you should do,’ or just being someone who talked. Since I’m an artist, music is so powerful, words just came out and that was the birth of City Without Tears.”

He wants this to be on the biggest scale possible, raising $20,000 to give back to the community to stop the violence. Kelly wants to take City Without Tears into the community to meet people, to make an impression on them, and to change the statistics to stop the crime.

“What drives me is the shape of the community and my own insecurities and ways that I want to be better because I’m not where I want to be as an individual,” Kelly said.

Kelly began City Without Tears when he saw loved ones in his life disappear because of violence in the city. It hit close to home for Kelly and now he has found inspiration in the mist of danger.

“Life is about your own journey and what you find in yourself and what you were put on this earth to do, to find your purpose,” Kelly said. “That’s a journey through ups and downs. It’s hard sometimes but I feel like that’s what inspires me so my music is real personal.”

Kelly goes by Big Mike Mic when he performs. Big Mike Mic performed at the Barking Legs Theater Friday, February 28^th. He began his performance by making a juice out of only organic products, because he wanted to give the audience “an organic performance.”

Big Mike Mic performing at the Barking Legs Theater March 1.

“Everything is like an infection, if you don’t do something it’s going to get bigger and bigger,” Brian Kelly, Manager for Big Mike Mic, said. “And why be reactive when we can be more proactive.”

If you would like to donate to City Without Tears you can visit Kickstarter.com and search “City Without Tears.” For more information you can e-mail Brian Kelley at bdotkelly@gmail.com or call, 423-903-4293.

Check out the video of the interview with Big Mike Mic uploaded to the Mocs News YouTube page!

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Featured, Film, Local, Men, Music, Uncategorized, Women

Country Singer’s Death, Marked as a Suicide

February 18, 2013 By Adams, Alexandria Leave a Comment

By Alexandria Adams

Singer Mindy McCready dies in apparent suicide

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (AP/The Loop) — Mindy McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, died Sunday in Arkansas in an apparent suicide. She was 37.

The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that McCready was found dead at a residence in Heber Springs from what appears to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot to the head. An autopsy is pending.

It wasn’t the first suicide attempt for the troubled singer, whose list of problems only continued to grow in 2013.

McCready entered court-ordered rehab earlier this month after her father told a judge she was no longer taking care of herself or her children and was abusing drugs and alcohol. Her sons were put in foster care at the time, but it’s not clear where Zander and Zayne were at the time of McCready’s death.

McCready’s longtime boyfriend David Wilson, the father of her younger son, died last month in Arkansas. Authorities found his body on the same porch where they discovered McCready’s on Sunday, and his death also was investigated as a suicide.

The front porch light remained on Sunday night at McCready’s home in the wooded lakefront community filled with large homes. Yellow crime-scene tape blocked off the front of the house, and a deputy sat watch over the property, referring questions to the sheriff. A pickup truck remained in the driveway.

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Music

Country Star Kills Dog Before Killing Self

February 18, 2013 By Flora, Andrew Michael Leave a Comment

By Drew Flora

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say they found country singer Mindy McCready’s body on the same porch of her northern Arkansas home where her boyfriend was found dead of an apparent suicide last month.

Cleburne County Sheriff Marty Moss said Monday that it appears McCready killed her late boyfriend David Wilson’s dog before she turned the gun on herself Sunday. The dog and McCready were found dead next to one another the home in Heber Springs, a vacation community about 65 miles north of Little Rock. Moss says the dog’s body was next to McCready’s.

Authorities are investigating Wilson’s shooting death as a suicide, but Moss says an official determination hasn’t been made.

Moss says he expects McCready’s official cause of death to be released soon, but that “all indicators” point to suicide.

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Featured, Music

Pitch Perfected- UTC has it’s Own A Cappella Group

January 28, 2013 By Adams, Alexandria Leave a Comment

By: Alexandria Adams

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop) – Mocking Birds are known for the ability to mimic songs. And that goes no different for UTC student A cappella group, The Mocking Birds.

UTC student Sidney Toney started the group in the fall of 2011. The group is comprised of ten members.

The Mocking Birds performing at the 2012 Spring Greek Show.

Most members come from a musical background. President Whitney Gonyea, Vice President Melody Shenkman, and Secretary Caitlyn Krueger were all a part of their high schools’ choirs as well as other small musical groups that led the way for them to join The Mocking Birds.

All three say the have deep passion and appreciation for singing.

The musical group performs a variety of tunes from artists ranging from Taylor Swift to the jazzy melodies of Michael Buble says, Shenkman.

Gonyea says, “We are all a bunch of different individuals and we come together. We all sound really great and we have a lot fun.”

The Mocking Birds next performance will be at UTC’s annual Greek Show later this spring.

Filed Under: Campus, Entertainment and Culture, Featured, Music

All Aboard for Entertainment In Chattanooga

September 6, 2012 By jmartin Leave a Comment

Jacob-Martin@mocs.utc.edu

CHATTANOOGA/Tenn. (UTC/The Loop) - Chattanooga has been voted the best town ever by Outside Magazine.

That being said, what’s the next big thing happening in the city?

A new entertainment venue called Track 29 has been built in Chattanooga on 1400 Market St.

Track 29 officially opened on Sept. 1 this year, in hopes of bringing in more live entertainment to Chattanooga.

Upcoming artists include: Brett Dennen, Marc Broussard, and there’s also a Halloween bash featuring three bands.

Chattanooga resident, Josh Adams, has been to Track 29, would like to see some larger entertainers come through.

Adams said, ” I would love to see some larger acts come to Chattanooga, such as maybe The National, Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Bon Iver, along that line, who normally just, you know, would skip Chattanooga and go to either Atlanta or Nashville because they have nicer venues and larger crowds.

Adams is also a Senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and sings in the University’s chamber choir.

Besides music in chattanooga, there is also a well known comedian coming in.

Tim Conway is visiting Chattanooga on Feb. 11 and will be performing in the Tivoli theater at 7:00 p.m.

Of the last forty years, Conway has won five Emmy awards and a Golden Globe.

Tickets are priced at $47.50 and can be bought at Memorial Auditorium Box Office or online. The Tivoli is located at 709 Broad St.

A large part of Chattanooga’s culture is the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga itself. College students would like to see a different form of entertainment in the area.

UTC sophomore, Daniel Eldridge, is hoping for a bit more youth-centered events in Chattanooga.

Eldridge said, “There needs to be a young person’s festival. Maybe something they can host in Coolidge park. They could have like classic festival games in a carnival kind of style.”

For more information on upcoming events, http://www.chattanoogafun.com has an extensive calendar detailing entertainment for each day.

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Featured, Music Tagged With: Track 29

40th anniversary of Elvis Hawaii concert to be remembered

April 4, 2012 By Michael Andrews Leave a Comment

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Elvis Presley Enterprises has announced a vacation package to Hawaii in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of his concert on the island in 1973.

The getaway Jan. 10-15 will feature concerts, panel discussions and tours of Elvis-related locations in Hawaii.

The concert, “Aloha From Hawaii,” was broadcast live via satellite around the world. During his movie career, scenes from “Blue Hawaii,” ”Girls! Girls! Girls!” and “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” were filmed in Hawaii. Elvis also did several concerts and visited the island many times to relax.

According to Elvis Presley Enterprises, Jan Shepard, the singer’s co-star in “King Creole” and “Paradise, Hawaiian Style,” is to participate in a panel discussion during the event. There also will be an enhanced movie screening of the 1973 concert.

Details are at http://www.elvis.com/aloha .

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Music

Six UTC Students Booked to Rock Riverbend 2012

October 17, 2011 By nhardison Leave a Comment

By Cooper Hardison

nzq225@mocs.utc.edu

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop) - Six University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students were recently booked to play on one of the main stages at Riverbend 2012 with their band Finesse.

All six members of Finesse are also musicians in the UTC jazz band and include Isaac Eady on drums, Taylor Freeman on guitar and trumpet, Nathan King on bass and vocals, Dylan Ripley on tenor and baritone saxophone, Sam Sencabaugh on alto saxophone and flute and John Turnstall on piano and vocals.

Over the past two years, Finesse has played live shows at some of Chattanooga’s best known music venues such as Rhythm and Brews. The band plays a mixture of rock, hip-hop, funk, jazz and classical music, performing their own original songs as well as covering songs by artists from Kool and the Gang to Lil’ Wayne.

The band was asked to play at Riverbend by 102.3 Talk! Radio host and Riverbend coordinator, Jeff Styles. Styles took an interest in Finesse when they won Chatta Music’s Battle of the Bands last year. He then booked them for last Summer’s Band on the Run, where bands that didn’t get booked to play Riverbend were invited to play music outside various locations in downtown Chattanooga during the festival. After that, Styles booked the band for Riverbend 2012.

Freeman said that him and the rest of the band felt excited and relieved when asked to play the festival. “We’ve been trying to put ourselves out there for a while,” Freeman said. “It takes a lot of weight off our shoulders when someone finally contacts the band and asks us to play a big show like that.”

The band agreed that the chance to play Riverbend came not only from their hard work, but also from their participation in the UTC jazz band.

“I feel like we play so well together because we play in the jazz band here,” Freeman said. “We get the experience of playing with other musicians as well as playing with just Finesse. After a while, it all integrates into the same thing really.”

The band agreed that one of their main goals is to promote unity among their fans and listeners through their wide range of musical styles.

King said he hopes that Finesse’s music can break down barriers between culture and age differences. King said, “We want our audience to come from a lot of different places in the world. Some people who listen to heavy rap think that it only works for them, just like classical buffs think that their music is too sophisticated for everyone. Our goal is to mesh those two worlds and let everybody groove together.”

Fans can find music, photos and dates for future shows at www.facebook.com/finessechattanooga.

Click here to listen to guitarist Taylor Freeman talk about how the band first got started

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Music

Grammy Award Winning Percussionist, Forrest Robinson, Visited UTC

October 6, 2011 By Kalmon, Tia Marie Leave a Comment

By Tia Kalmon

fly962@mocs.utc.edu

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop) – UTC alum and Grammy Award winning percussionist, Forrest Robinson, gave UTC a rhythm to drum and a West African beat when he came to visit Monday.

“I have a love music. If there is no music industry around, I’m still going to love music,” Robinson said.

Click here to listen to the story about Forrest Robinson

He performed many original pieces that gave him a standing ovation. Robinson ended the night with a bang, performing with the UTC Percussion Ensemble directed by Dr. Monte Coulter. Robinson concluded the ensemble with a drum solo, complete with twirling drum sticks in between beats.

Robinson conveyed a love of Chattanooga and a remembrance of friends as he called to a couple of audience members by name.

“The main thing that I wanted to bring here tonight was that everyone here sees Chattanooga as a very special city with special gifts with a lot of talented people and there’s a whole lot to learn anywhere and everywhere including Chattanooga,” Robinson said.

Robinson said he expressed his love for music at a very young age, beating on pots and pans to find that perfect rhythm.

“Music from its onset which was literally since I was a baby, it exists in a way that let me know that there is something much bigger than me out there that is just really beautiful and it literally helps my outlook on life,” Robinson said.

Robinson left Chattanooga in 1994. He has made a name for himself as a renowned drummer and pianist performing with names like India Arie, Victor Wooten, Joe Sample, TLC, Arrested Development, Hikaru Ataka, The Crusaders and many others. He has traveled the world as a musical performer and recording artist playing live on “The Opera Winfrey Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” and “Live with Regis and Kelly” to just name a few.

“People like Forrest Robinson and songs like this with people with their heart in it like this, really do give it the character, kind of returning back to the soul,” Jarod Soltis, a senior percussion player from Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn. said.

Filed Under: Campus, Entertainment and Culture, Local, Music, News and Opinion

Nashville concert Wednesday to honor Bill Monroe

September 27, 2011 By jmartin Leave a Comment

By: Jake Martin

fxp295@mocs.utc.edu

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop ) — An all-star concert Wednesday in Nashville will celebrate the 100th birthday of Bill Monroe, the “father of bluegrass music.”

Ricky Skaggs and the Del McCoury Band are among the scheduled performers at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.

Monroe, who was born Sept. 13, 1911, is best known for his bluegrass classic “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” He died in 1996.

Matt Combs, adjunct instructor in fiddling at Blair, said Monroe was always writing and evolving.

Filed Under: Entertainment and Culture, Music

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