Pick of the Week

If it seems like a lot of attention has already been paid to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's new exhibit, opening this weekend, there's a reason. This is a genuinely momentous undertaking, a chronicling of local history too often overlooked. With "Night Train to Nashville," the Hall of Fame tells the story of blues and R&B music in Nashville, beginning with postwar boogie woogie and extending to 1960s soul. Yes, it's true that Nashville's R&B legacy may not be as prominent as that of Detroit or Chicago or New York. But it is a unique, engrossing tale that makes connections that reach across the whole of popular music—from Elvis Presley (who covered local bluesman Arthur Gunter's "Baby Let's Play House") to James Brown (whose hit "Please Please Please" first broke on WLAC-AM) to The Beatles (who covered songs originally performed by Arthur Alexander, a soul singer with significant Nashville ties). Maybe more important is the fact that the music highlighted by the exhibit and its accompanying CD compilation is flat-out, mind-rattlingly amazing. And for every historic moment that might simply have taken place in Music City, there are just as many or more homegrown treasures to be celebrated here: Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers' 1955 hit "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)" (later covered by Ruth Brown), the late Gene Allison's "You Can Make It If You Try" (later covered by The Rolling Stones), Robert Knight's eternal "Everlasting Love" (covered several times over since its original 1967 recording). So why is the Country Music Hall of Fame highlighting this history? It's not such a dumb question, and it's one that'll be addressed in a variety of ways at a 3 p.m. panel discussion on Saturday titled "Let's Trade a Little: The Country-R&B Connection," featuring singer-songwriter Bobby Hebb ("Sunny"), producer and song publisher Buddy Killen, producer Shelby Singleton, Eugenia Sweeney and singer Audrey Bryant Watkins. Later the same night, Nashville singer Earl Gaines, who has lent his deep, warm voice to "It's Love Baby" and plenty other songs over the past half-century, will perform with his band at 7 p.m. It's a fittingly exciting kickoff to what will be more than a year's worth of special occasions surrounding this historic exhibit. For more information, call 416-2001 or visit www.countrymusichalloffame.com.

—Jonathan Marx

Music

Thursday, 25th

Boss Martians The Boss Martians bang out a classic brand of pop-punk that channels '60s garage and surf with an emphasis on Spector-like melodies, four-square rhythms and anthemic choruses. The Seattle quartet's "I Am Your Radio," featured on their recent CD The Set-Up, was voted the "Coolest Song of 2003" by listeners of Little Steven's syndicated Underground Garage radio show. The Ramones and early Elvis Costello & the Attractions are obvious influences, but their fashion-conscious, joyous spin on straightforward rock 'n' roll is most reminiscent of The Fleshtones. Fun, yes, but they're also true believers in rock's religious qualities—its potential to inspire and empower those who need it most. With Athens, Ga.'s The Forty-Fives and Warner Hodges' Disciples of Loud opening, this is a night designed to hail, hail rock 'n' roll. Mercy Lounge

—Michael McCall

Dexter Romweber Rock 'n' roll fans who've come of age in this latest resurgence of trebly garage riffs might not be familiar with Romweber's name, but a little more than a decade ago, his outfit Flat Duo Jets were one of the finest bands paying tribute to rockabilly and the blues while looking squarely ahead with sometimes startling directness. Romweber never really quit making music, but he's been quiet these past few years. He returns this summer with a new album, Blues That Defy My Soul, that should bear witness to his singular style. There's always been something a little unsettling and hard to pin down about Romweber's music, a Gothic tinge that feels completely and utterly genuine—not unlike The Cramps, but with none of the kitschy trappings. To hear him sing is to hear a man reach back through popular-music history and bring a forgotten moment back to life, whether he's taking on the traditional folk tune "Froggie Went a-Courtin'," finding every bit of emotion in Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart's immortal "You Belong to Me" or simply wringing the Link Wray out of his guitar. The End

—Jonathan Marx

Tim O'BrienO'Brien has such a broad stylistic range that it's easy to forget he's as gripping a bluegrass singer as the genre has turned up in the past couple decades. Recent album appearances, including a guest turn on Jim Mills' My Dixie Home, help to remind one of the point, but there's no substitute for hearing O'Brien sing up close and personal—especially with a band like the one lined up for this appearance. Guitarist Jeff White is a powerful enough bluegrass player and singer to have had his usual bossman, Vince Gill, serve as a sideman on his albums; fusionary fiddler Casey Driessen melds jazz and old-time influences into a dazzling bluegrass style; and Dennis Crouch of the Nashville Bluegrass Band holds down the bottom end with impeccable timing and the kind of subtle creativity that signals a gut-level understanding of the genre. Rounding out the quintet is up-and-coming picker Tony Ray, a double threat on guitar and banjo, who combines crisp rhythmic drive with a deft melodic sense. With strong originals from O'Brien and White mixed with bluegrass classics old and new, this should be one special evening. Station Inn