The Vanderbilt Hustler
Vanderbilt's longest-running student publication, it absorbed Versus Magazine in 2010. The Vanderbilt Hustler is the longest-running newspaper in the state of Tennessee.
History[edit | edit source]
Starting in 1888, Hustler is the the main outlet for student journalism on campus. A weekly, the Hustler historically published on Thursdays. Near the end of its printed life in the 2000s, it was published twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. When The Hustler absorbed Versus in 2010 it started printing a midweek issue on Wednesday. It is now online-only.
From the Hustler website:"The Vanderbilt Hustler began as a weekly campus newspaper in 1888. The paper came under the control of Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC), an organization that is independent of the university itself but is housed on campus, in 1967. In 1998, The Hustler became financially independent by declining activities fee subsidies, although the publication remains under VSC.Following the 2015-16 school year, the VSC Board, with support from The Hustler staff, voted to move The Hustler solely online from print. The move sought to allow for a greater focus on content production and technological advancements while looking to get ahead in a direction that the rest of the field seems headed."
'86 Alternative Music Overview[edit | edit source]
The Feb 21, 1986 issue of Hustler, printed on a Friday, came with a Hustler Arts supplement titled "Nashville's Alternative Music: An Overview."
The contributors to the piece represented a generous cross-section of members of the new nashville music scene, incl. E. Thomas Wood (a Vandy student and founder of Fireplace Whiskey Journal), Regina Gee (a Vandy student and frequent writer on the 1980s music scene), and Rick Champion (booker at Phrank n Steins club and manager for Cloverbottom and Raging Fire). The featured article was written by Clark Parsons, who went on write for Variety and later moved to Germany and once lead the Berlin School of Creative Leadership. The Hustler Arts Editor at the time was Alonso Duralde, who also contributed to Fireplace Whiskey Journal and is now a professional film critic.
The overview included bios and descriptions of several local bands, incl.: Andrew and The Upstarts, The Boilers, Chip and The Chiltons, Freedom of Expression, In Pursuit, Jason and The Scorchers, Bill Lloyd and the December Boys, The Movement, The Questionnaires, Raging Fire, Will Rameaux and the Delta Hurricanes, Shadow 15, Tomorrow's World, Walk the West, The White Animals, Webb Wilder and Guilt. The band descriptions were supplemented by a 'family tree,' prepared by Regina Gee and Rick Champion.
Clark Parsons wrote the featured article, presented here in full:
Nashville has a new music scene. That sentence represents the fruit of years of labor by a determined group of songwriters, musicians, managers, club owners, and even fans. It has been a rocky climb for the night Phrank ‘n Stein's opened its doors on New Year's Eve ‘79/’80 to the present.
The journey was furthered by clubs that have been closed for years; by bands that lasted for one gig; by entrepreneurs whose projects reaped only debts; and by consumers who recognized quality music - even if the local music industry didn't.
This overview does not pretend to offer a complete history of the growth of the local scene; It would fill a book. Indeed it is a book waiting to be written. What we do intend to give is an overview. We include bands that were instrumental (sorry) in shaping trends. Many clubs gave this music a place to grow and find an audience, and the most influential are mentioned. Finally a handful of people - some in bands, most not - must be given credit for their years of work and thankless effort.
From the moment it opened until the night it closed in November 30th 1980, Phrank ‘n’ Stein’s was home to Nashville New Music. In those days, of course, the term was “New Wave” but many of the bands that played there contain members of some of the hottest local acts around today.
The manager of Phrank's was Rick Champion. At the time he also managed Cloverbottom, one of Nashville's first new music bands. If the local scene has a father it is he. presently he manages Raging Fire but I'm getting ahead of myself.
After Phrank’s shut down, Cantrell's became the premier club of local artists. It is still (arguably) open today but has lost its prominence to other clubs that book acts almost every night of the week. One such club is the Exit/In. It closed for a short period and reopened under the name Bash Riprocks, although Bash’s wasn't as receptive to local acts. The void was filled temporarily by Rooster’s which regularly featured several local acts each night. 12th and Porter also expanded its booking beyond R&B and country to include local and regional New Music. In late '85 the Exit/In reappeared and is now one of many venues for local acts to build followings. Many new clubs, such as Music Row Showcase, Ellison Square, the Hideaway Cafe in Murfreesboro and others are making room for musical growth in the future.
Before mentioning the bands one thing must be understood this music scene is best described as “incestuous.” The chart we have included offers some indication of the liquidity of formations.
One milestone band, again, was Cloverbottom. Drummer John Elliott, formerly the leader of Dessau, introduced electronic percussion in Nashville audiences. Cloverbottom were not ashamed of the title of “New Wave” bands and they had a large impact on the musicians in town.
Another was the Electric Boys with Jeff Johnson and Warner Hodges presently of Jason and the Scorchers and Greg Herston, now with the Questionnaires, the lineup was stellar. Johnson and Herston were later together in the Resistors while Hodges went to the Press - but it's all in the chart.
The Ratz were fronted by Les Rat (Shields) who quite recently departed from his position as Raging Fire’s bassist. Guitarist for the Ratz was Joey Blanto,n now the front man for the Royal Court of China (See how incestuous the scene really is?). These groups are just three examples of the revolving door personnel policy that exemplified the scene.
There are many other bands that were just as temporary and yet important. These three however contain the most recognizable names. All that we intend is to offer a glimpse into how rich these past 6 years have been in terms of style and personnel changes.
There have been five Alternative Jams held in town and they each capture the status of New Music in Nashville at the time of their existence. The show was held the night of Charlie Daniel’s Volunteer Jam and features the best in alternative music. The first jam was at Cantrell's in 1981. It featured Cloverbottom, the Ratz, File 13, and the Babylon Dance Band. Subsequent jams have included Jason and the Scorchers, Basic Static (now the Questionnaires), Raging Fire, the Movement, Shadow 15,and many others. These jams showcase the best in local talent as well as giving the scene a chance to pat itself on the back. Because Daniels moved his jam to the summertime the alternative jam will move with it this year
Finally no summation of local music would be complete without mention of the role of 91 Rock. by providing local groups with large amounts of airplay the station helps artists find an audience and build a following. The station released a compilation cassette in 1983 which contained cuts from the Scorchers, real RamboWill Rambeaux, the White Animals, Bill Lloyd, and others.
In late March [of 1986] 91 rock will release a 10 song album of local talent aimed at attracting national attention to a musical environment that has been growing since 1981. With a related concert at TPAC on April 4th and hopeful exposure on MTV, those outside of Music City will learn what we've known all along: Nashville New Music is a force to be reckoned with. –by Clark Parsons
Promotional[edit | edit source]
From the Hustler website:
The Vanderbilt Hustler serves as a news source for Vanderbilt University’s campus and forum for students’ perspectives. The Hustler’s content is divided into six sections, each of which is run by an editor and staffed by Vanderbilt students:
Sections:
News: The News section provides information about university changes, announcements, initiatives and influential on-campus events. The News staff also covers local, state and national stories, especially when these stories affect Vanderbilt students. The News staff maintains close connections with campus leaders, including administration, student government and other faculty and staff.
Life: The Life staff brings readers updates about entertainment, fashion, food, music and more, both on campus and around Nashville.
Opinion: The Opinion section offers a platform for students to express their views, reactions and suggestions. The Opinion staff analyzes Vanderbilt affairs, policies and campus climate and offers their input in a concise, constructive manner. Additionally, any Vanderbilt student (undergraduate or graduate), faculty or staff member is encouraged to submit their own opinion pieces, Letters to the Editor and reactions to previous pieces for review by the Opinion Editor and for possible publication as a guest piece. See our editorial and Letter to the Editor policies to submit your own.
Sports: The Sports section provides comprehensive coverage of Vanderbilt varsity sports teams, holds those in charge of Vanderbilt Athletics responsible for their conduct and tells the stories of student-athletes.
College Voices: The College Voices section is composed of columns written by students with expertise or passions in a variety of areas and experiences.
Multimedia: The Multimedia staff reports on topics in all areas through visual forms, as well as creates accompanying images for regular coverage.