Time to make your New Year’s Eve plans
LISA DENTON: Merry Christmas (observed), Barry.
Here we are with an extra day off, which I guess we can use to make New Year’s Eve plans.
But first I want to rewatch the special Music Wednesdays concert, the PB & Holiday Jam, that took place here at the Times Free Press last week. I’m not through listening to Christmas music just yet, and that’s a good sampling from a bunch of local artists.
BARRY COURTER: I’m with you. That was a lot of fun and a special thank you to Dennis Haskins, James Rogers, Cody McCarver, Swayyvo, Nick Lutsko, my brothers and nephew, Eric Scealf, David Lescher and the Jazzanooga Choir with Shane Morrow. Everyone was great. If you missed it live, you can watch it again at timesfreepress.com/musicwednesdays. You can find previous epi-
sodes there as well.
LISA: Your brothers and nephew, for the record, are Bob, Scott, Mike and Matt Courter. It was cool that your parents came with them. Your mom said she never gets to hear them play — “except for all those years in the basement.” But clearly, that was time well spent.
BARRY: Welllll, today I’m sure she might agree with that.
LISA: And thanks to Santa Hank for reading “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” aka “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” BARRY: That Santa looked really familiar, didn’t he? Loved his hair.
LISA: He was perfect. Regular readers of “Grand Thoughts” by our fellow columnist Karen Nazor Hill may recall that this particular Santa began as a treat for his grandchildren.
BARRY: On Wednesday, we will have The Communicators in to talk about their New Year’s Eve show at Clyde’s on Main. We’ll also talk about other NYE shows around the area.
LISA: There are plenty of those this year. You can catch rapper Juicy J at Track 29, The Velcro Pygmies at Revelry Room, The Beaters at the Chattanooga Choo Choo and The Power Players at The Chattanoogan.
There are also special events at The Comedy Catch, Hunter Museum, Ice on the Landing, Ziggy’s, Poblano’s and Dwell Hotel, and the Southern Belle will have two river cruises that night.
For families, Chattanooga Zoo is debuting a Zoo Year’s Eve party, and Creative Discovery Museum will continue the long-standing tradition of New Year’s at Noon. That’s one of my favorites — they make “fireworks” by letting the kids jump on bubble wrap. It’s especially cool when kids are wearing shoes that light up. With those shoes on bubble wrap, you get visual and sound effects. I wish I could find shoes like that in my size — especially house slippers. That would be good for trips to the bathroom at night.
BARRY: Gillian Welch returns to town for a show at the Tivoli on Friday. We talked last week, and she said she is very excited to have “discovered” the Tivoli. Now living in Nashville, she loves having “such a cool place to play so close to home.” She’ll be here with longtime collaborator Dave Rawlings.
They’re great.
Get event details every Thursday in Chattanooga Now or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.