Around and About Chattanooga

While some girls dream of growing up to be a ballerina, Michelle Givens decided working in funeral service was her calling.  As owner and president of Givens Funeral Tradework, Removals & Shipping, she provides support services to funeral homes. 

Hot Club of Cowtown played an energetic western/swing set the second night of Riverbend 2013.

Nashville singer/songwriter Brandon Maddox played the festival during the second night.  WUTC's Michael Edward Miller chatted with him about the astonishing number of songs he's written.

The first performance of Riverbend 2013 happened at the Chattanooga Public Library, with an unplugged performance from 2nd South Carolina String Band.  They play authentic Civil War-era songs on period instruments, and they've been featured in Ken Burns documentaries and movies like Gods and Generals.  

View the complete Riverbend schedule here.

The 2013 Riverbend Festival begins June 7th in downtown Chattanooga.  WUTC's Richard Winham and festival talent coordinator/WGOW talk radio host Jeff Styles preview the music for the festival's first weekend.

On Saturday June 15th, L2 Boards will be presenting the second annual Kewl Race, a competition which includes climbing, stand up paddle boarding, and trail running. The Kewl Race will benefit the MacLellan Island wildlife sanctuary.

The Chattanooga Engineers Club meets for lunch each week to share information across engineering disciplines. 

For the past four years Jack Skowronnek has shaved his head for the summer but it is not to keep cool. Jack was 10 years old the first time he shaved his head to raise funds for children's cancer. 

When you think of concrete, you may think about the material needed for sidewalks and cinder-blocks. But for Justin Burd, the material is used for sculptural and artistic purposes. 

Anjali Chandra, a Girls Preparatory School Student, says that people of South Asian ethnic origin are particularly needed as potential bone marrow donors.

"There is a vast shortage of South Asian bone marrow donors. An individual of South Asian origin has as 1 in 20,000 chance of finding a compatible bone marrow match," she says.

The drive will take place at the Chattanooga Christian Assembly (CCA) on Sunday, June 9th from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. People can call (423) 499-9888 for more information.

Ian Svenonius is a singer who fronted  Weird War, The Make-Up, The Nation of Ulysses and other Washington, D.C. hardcore and indie groups. Yet he claims his book Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group doesn't draw on his own personal knowledge. Instead, the book contains advice from the Great Beyond. Ghosts communicate with him in bizarre ways, such as tossing spaghetti against a wall, and share unconventional, Marxist interpretations of popular music's evolution. In this interview, Svenonius and WUTC's Michael Edward Miller talk about the book (and play and discuss several of his songs.)

   The third annual New Dischord Festival will take place June 6th – 9th, 2013 in various Chattanooga locations.  Originally, the festival focused primarily on experimental and improvised music.  Now it includes art collaborations, with local and national poets, musicians, dancers and other artists working together.  Malcolm Goldstein, a violinist/composer active in experimental music since the 1960s, will perform on Thursday and Saturday. 

The National Day of Civic Hacking is Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd. In cities across the nation, software developers, hackers, and citizens are coming together to create new technology that may help communities, neighborhoods, and cities. Chattanooga will be taking part in the national event with a local hack-a-thon.

Since 2009, the Chattahooligans have been causing havoc in the stands of Finley Stadium for the city’s soccer team, Chattanooga Football Club. 

    Closed Door Entertainment is performing the fractured fairy-tale musical Into The Woods on May 31st, June 1st and June 2nd at the Memorial Auditorium’s Community Theatre in Chattanooga.  Cast members sing and talk about the show in this segment.