Our Critics Picks

Take the lukewarm early reviews with a grain of salt, because The Walkmen’s new A Hundred Miles Off is one of those albums that requires multiple listens for its charms to sink in. The explosive velocity and manic mood swings of the last two albums are largely absent, replaced by a more textured sound that takes in Mariachi horns here and Hawaiian rhythms there. The same simmering, slow-burning intensity remains, though, and fans bewildered by the relatively subdued tone and newfound eclecticism can rest assured that the band is as fierce as ever in a live setting. All the barely restrained tension and nervousness of the recorded work bursts forth in person, sending sparks of electricity in all directions. Singer Hamilton Leithauser’s sandpaper drawl provides the focal point as usual, riding over waves of roiling guitar and percussive trickery. The band’s next album, set for release this fall, is a cover of the 1974 Harry Nilsson/John Lennon collaboration Pussy Cats, so maybe if we ask ’em real nice they’ll play their version of “Don’t Forget Me.” No doubt the band would see it as a welcome change from non-stop shout-outs for “The Rat.” ( www.marcata.net/walkmen ) Exit/In —JASON BENNETT MUSICTHROUGH SATURDAY, 24thJAZZ RECORD COLLECTORS CONVENTION Jazz freaks from around the world will be converging on the Renaissance Hotel downtown this weekend for the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors Convention, which runs through June 24. Highlights include symposiums, the Record Mart and live performances by the David Hungate & April Barrows All Stars, David Jellame and more. Friday night at 9 p.m., check out a program of rare jazz movies presented by Californian Mark Cantor, the world’s foremost jazz film collector and historian. For more information, visit www.iajrc.org/convention2006.htm, or contact Andy “Jazzman” Smith at Jazzman9@bellsouth.net or 615-797-9048. Registration is $115, but most of the panels, live music and movies are open to the public for just $5 each. —JACK SILVERMAN OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW These local string-band boys are currently prepping the late-August release of Big Iron World, their fourth studio album and the follow-up to the self-titled 2004 disc that brought Old Crow Medicine Show to the attention of folks who don’t spend their weekends scouring eBay for Del McCoury bootlegs. Iron World should expand the young quintet’s fanbase even further: Recorded (like O.C.M.S.) with roots-music whiz David Rawlings, it injects musty mountain music with the brash attitude endemic to kids raised on punk rock—not necessarily an improvement over the work of more respectful neo-traditionalists, but stuff that makes more sense in a world ruled by Pink and My Chemical Romance. This week the band headlines the Ryman (as part of the Bluegrass Nights series) and hits the Grand Ole Opry. ( www.crowmedicine.com ) Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry the 23rd & 24th —MIKAEL WOOD THURSDAY, 22NDLONE OFFICIAL A concept record about horse racing, urban alienation and nostalgia for a pastoral innocence that may or may not be imaginary, Lone Official’s new Tuckassee Take stands as one of the finest pop records ever made by a Nashville band. On “Fight Song,” singer and songwriter Matt Button declares, “To win in a bar fight in Tennessee / You must be proficient left-handedly,” and sets the lyrics to a delicate waltz. Throughout Tuckassee, Button and company achieve the kind of idiosyncratic grace one finds on classic recordings by Television and Pavement, and producer Mark Nevers underscores every moment with intelligently applied guitars, pedal steel, synthesizers and horns. Although Tuckassee is currently available only as an import on the U.K. Honest Jons label, there are plans afoot to release it domestically, and Lone Official have released a beautifully packaged set of vinyl singles that includes the non-CD track “Tuckassee Take.” Before forming the group, Button tried out his material as a solo performer at Springwater, so this show is a chance to see these guys in their spiritual home. Make sure to keep that advice about bar fights in mind, though. Springwater —EDD HURT SATURDAY, 24THOLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW These local string-band boys are currently prepping the late-August release of Big Iron World, their fourth studio album and the follow-up to the self-titled 2004 disc that brought Old Crow Medicine Show to the attention of folks who don’t spend their weekends scouring eBay for Del McCoury bootlegs. Iron World should expand the young quintet’s fanbase even further: Recorded (like O.C.M.S.) with roots-music whiz David Rawlings, it injects musty mountain music with the brash attitude endemic to kids raised on punk rock—not necessarily an improvement over the work of more respectful neo-traditionalists, but stuff that makes more sense in a world ruled by Pink and My Chemical Romance. This week the band headlines the Ryman (as part of the Bluegrass Nights series) and hits the Grand Ole Opry. ( www.crowmedicine.com ) Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry the 23rd & 24th —MIKAEL WOOD FRIDAY, 23RDSTACIE COLLINS Muskogee-born and Bakersfield-raised is a pedigree any aspiring country singer would kill for. Stacie Collins lives up to that heritage—not since Ten Wheel Drive’s Genya Ravan has a woman sung with such bluesy gusto combined with furious technique on the harmonica. Collins makes beer-and-whiskey music that combines the best elements of blues and honky-tonk, rocking harder than Travis Tritt and singing more country than Reba McEntire. Her band of late has included Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites and Scene contributor Paul Griffith, who has played drums with Allison Moorer. ( www.staciecollins.com ) 3rd & Lindsley —COLLIN WADE MONK SATURDAY, 24THGENE BUSH & BRUCE NEMEROV W/JAMES BRYAN AND NORMAN & NANCY BLAKE Guitarist/Dobroist Gene Bush and guitarist Bruce Nemerov had originally planned this appearance as one of their occasional Fedora Brothers shows—enjoyable, laid-back rambles through the rural and country blues catalog. But in recent weeks it began to mutate as long-time friends asked if they might join in. The two principals, fiddler Bryan and the legendary Blakes were all part of the spectacularly fruitful creative ferment in Nashville’s acoustic music community back in the mid-’70s, playing together in various combinations on their own and behind key, if sometimes underappreciated local bluegrass (and less categorizable) artists before going their largely separate ways. That makes tonight’s show a rare reunion, and taking place as it does on the familiar ground of the Station Inn’s stage, it’s likely to be an especially warm and inspired trip down Memory Lane. The Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER KING STRAGGLER The conventional wisdom goes that music stars are far more successful at making movies than movie stars are at making music. Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits and Ice Cube, for example, have all turned in noteworthy performances on the silver screen. But if you’ve ever had to endure the albums of David Hasselhoff, Billy Bob Thornton or Steven Seagal? Our sympathies. That’s what makes King Straggler such a pleasant surprise. Featuring not one, but three Hollywood actors—all of whom share front-man and songwriting responsibilities—King Straggler have emerged with a cohesive, engaging slice of Americana on their eponymous debut. John Hawkes (Me and You and Everyone We Know, HBO’s Deadwood and the upcoming Miami Vice remake) kicks the album off with “Good Man,” which recalls the wistful beauty of Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’,” and bandmates Rodney Eastman (CSI, Cold Case, X Files) and Brentley Gore (anyone remember NBC’s Saturday morning teen show California Dreams?) contribute several strong efforts apiece. Throughout it all, acoustic instruments, brushed drums and sweet stoner harmonies abound. Mercy Lounge —JACK SILVERMANTHE SAMPLES The Samples are a Vermont jam band known for their laments. In “Too Young to Die,” an elegy on their latest LP Rehearsing for Life, singer and bard Sean Kelly grieves for a friend, conjuring up the image of an empty swing twisting and turning in the wind. He identifies with some men making a stand in the street for love and hope, then cuts to a bird’s-eye view of a funeral procession. It’s all pretty oblique stuff until the line: “So you say your soldiers are strong enough / …no wars to win / no seeds to sow.” But here Kelly casts a wide net, ultimately avoiding the question of war and instead questioning death: “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust—is that the truth at all?” he asks over a bubbling creek of guitars. It’s the oldest question in the book, but at least Kelly doesn’t pretend to have the answer. Exit/In —MAKKADA B. SELAHTHE JACK SILVERMAN ORDEAL Mild-mannered Jack Silverman poses as senior editor for the Nashville Scene, but on Saturday night he will reveal his true identity as guitarist and leader of The Jack Silverman Ordeal. “Ordeal” is a complete misnomer: JSO make funky instrumental music with solid grooves and jazzy soloing, yet they never descend into jam-band wankery or the kind of schizophrenic arrangements designed to bewilder rather than delight. Silverman himself chases a tone that mixes John Scofield with Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), while tossing off single-string runs that sound like an animated bar conversation among friends. The band includes Greg Bryant on bass, Jason Hoffheins on drums and Graham Spice on keyboards; Saturday night is a farewell sendoff for Spice, who played with local funksters The Guy Smiley Blues Exchange for many years and is moving to Virginia for a teaching gig at Washington & Lee University. Don’t be surprised if special guests show up to sit in. Family Wash —COLLIN WADE MONKJOHN COWAN BAND The former New Grass Revival singer’s roof-raising vocal power has always amazed live audiences. But as with many top talents in progressive acoustic music, his interest in a variety of musical styles has kept him from galvanizing a larger fan base behind a consistent vision. Over the last few years, though, Cowan has focused on a high-powered, rocking acoustic sound that showcases his intensity and soulfulness. It helps that he’s formed a band of string-music heavyweights good enough to pull off his ambitious ideas. On the just-released CD New Tattoo, produced by Nashville rock veteran Jay Joyce, Cowan comes up with the album everyone knew he had in him, finding songs and arrangements that stand up to the forcefulness with which they’re presented. The album relies more on other songwriters than usual, but the singer-bassist does contribute two stunners co-written with Darrell Scott, including the closing “Drown,” a heart-wrenching examination of the effects of sexual abuse as told from the first-person perspective of a young male victim. Opry Plaza —MICHAEL McCALLJIMMY WEBB “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Didn’t We”—the songs of Jimmy Webb can only be classified as hits. While most writers work a lifetime hoping to write just one standard, Webb began writing them at 20 and had written half a dozen more by 25. Though he’s had hits recorded through the ’90s, it’s his songs from the late ’60s, with their moody character sketches and epic arrangements, that have secured his place in the pantheon of great pop craftsmen. Webb is also an engaging live performer—with only piano for accompaniment, he strips his songs to their emotional core and repossesses them, singing with an intensity that is simultaneously theatrical yet intimate. Many of his tunes are recognizable from countless “easy listening” versions over the years, but his own interpretations of them are anything but. Lesser performers might drag an audience down with such heavy material, but Webb’s self-deprecating charm allows the audience to relate to him like an old friend. His reminiscences alone about the show-business characters he’s met are worth the price of admission for aficionados of pop culture—Webb could (and did) hang with the best of them: the Beatles in London, Elvis in Vegas and rogues like Richard Harris (a friendship that inspired last year’s Twilight of the Renegades). Webb’s past Nashville appearances were usually tied to Tin Pan South or other similar events, so this full-fledged evening with him is long overdue. Belcourt —ANDY McLENON SUNDAY, 25TH THE GREENCARDS Contemporary bluegrass artists often lack consistency and a definitive sound. Not so with British and Australian expatriates The Greencards. The aptly named trio, who count Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen and his band among their fans, are perennial favorites in their adopted hometown of Austin, Texas. Their latest CD, Water and Weather, is light and airy as a summer breeze. Singer Kym Warner’s voice is an enchantingly tender soprano, while bassist Carol Young and fiddler Eamon McLaughlin provide delicate, euphonious harmonies. Tunes such as “Water and Weather” and “Time” have a wistful undertone that evokes loss and longing, while the instrumental “Marty’s Kitchen” and the neo-traditional “The Ballad of Kitty Brown” showcase the band’s bluegrass chops. For fans of Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Greencards are a must-see. ( www.greencards.com ) Station Inn —TRACY M. ROGERS MATT COSTA A buddy of surf-pop kingpin Jack Johnson signed to Johnson’s Brushfire Records, Californian Matt Costa plays mellow, strummy folk-rock that’s more indie than hippie. On Songs We Sing, his debut full-length, Costa decorates his thoughtful meditations on tree-hugging and ocean-dipping with quirky left-field touches such as the harpsichord solo in “Astair” and the high-lonesome harmonica in the title track. But it’s Costa’s sharp songcraft that should attract fans of Garden State faves like The Shins, whose frequent collaborator Phil Ek mixed Songs We Sing. (Additional name-drop alert: The album was produced by No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont.) “These are the melodies with simple harmonies we sing,” Costa announces—but his haunting little tunes aren’t quite as simple as he thinks. With Elvis Perkins and Greg Laswell. ( www.mattcosta.com ) 3rd & Lindsley —MIKAEL WOOD TUESDAY, 27THTHE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS People rushing to talk about how A Blessing and a Curse strays from the Drive-By Truckers’ familiar formula either don’t know enough about this band or severely underestimate them. With the exception of Southern Rock Opera (which was—say it with me—a concept album) the Truckers have never really been the muscular Southern rock band many assume them to be. From the early, lilting punk country of Gangstabilly to the mournful, dynamic masterpiece that is Decoration Day (not to mention the gritty, garage rock of Adam’s House Cat, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley’s first band together back in the late ’80s), the Truckers have never been interested in making the same record twice. This album, coming in at a lean 11 tracks, takes a slight turn towards a more straightforward rock sound, but remains as varied as anything they’ve released. Whether it’s the rampaging day-after mayhem of “Aftermath U.S.A.” or the rich melancholy of “Goodbye,” there are few bands around today making rock as earnest, literate and mature as these boys (and girl) from Alabama. ( www.drivebytruckers.com ) Starwood Amphitheater —LEE STABERT WEDNESDAY, 28THTHE GREENCARDS Contemporary bluegrass artists often lack consistency and a definitive sound. Not so with British and Australian expatriates The Greencards. The aptly named trio, who count Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen and his band among their fans, are perennial favorites in their adopted hometown of Austin, Texas. Their latest CD, Water and Weather, is light and airy as a summer breeze. Singer Kym Warner’s voice is an enchantingly tender soprano, while bassist Carol Young and fiddler Eamon McLaughlin provide delicate, euphonious harmonies. Tunes such as “Water and Weather” and “Time” have a wistful undertone that evokes loss and longing, while the instrumental “Marty’s Kitchen” and the neo-traditional “The Ballad of Kitty Brown” showcase the band’s bluegrass chops. For fans of Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Greencards are a must-see. ( www.greencards.com ) Station Inn —TRACY M. ROGERS THEATERMASS APPEAL After gaining attention off-Broadway, Bill C. Davis’ play about the challenges of a contemporary Catholic parish priest moved to Broadway in 1981. It’s been revived in and around New York since then, and through the years terrific actors have taken the lead role of the Rev. Tim Farley, including Milo O’Shea, E.G. Marshall and Jack Lemmon, who made the engaging but generally overlooked 1984 film version. The story’s important issues—church authority, homosexuality, celibacy, the role of women, the challenge of faith—still have resonance, of course, and they take on added interest in light of this new production, performed inside Christ Church Cathedral as a part of that Episcopalian church’s Sacred Space for the City Arts Series. While American Catholics have long had to watch their priests implicated by the negative deeds of the minority, American Episcopalians are only recently grappling with the potential implications of the sexuality issues surrounding their clergy. The staging is by Catherine Coke, who directs husband Bill Shick in the main role, with John Early and Andrew Swanson playing the pivotal part of the young seminarian on alternate weekends. Performances are June 23 and 24 and July 6 and 8, all at 7:30 p.m. Phone 255-7729 for information. —MARTIN BRADY SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD White South African playwright Athol Fugard wrote this work in collaboration with two African actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, both of whom appeared in the original 1972 production in Cape Town. After an auspicious London debut in 1974, the play made a splash on Broadway, where its tale of apartheid’s social dynamics, deferred citizenship and the struggles of blacks to gain identity made it a powerful source for America’s already burgeoning African American theater movement. With elements of absurdism and surrealism, Sizwe Bansi Is Dead should provide a worthy challenge for the actors in Tennessee State University’s Summer Theatre Program. Their production, presented June 22 to 25 at the TSU Performing Arts Center, is under the direction of Patrick Idoye. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 255-9600; for other information, call 963-5742. —MARTIN BRADY COMEDYFRED TRAVALENA: THE MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES From the late ’70s through the ’80s, Travalena was a staple of late-night TV stand-up gigs (Carson, Letterman, etc.), serving up funny impressions of celebrities and politicians. Travalena parlayed his exposure into a solid career that mixed comedy with acting in film and TV. He continues to tour as a comedian, doing clubs, cruise ships and casinos, and has more recently become a recording artist and published songwriter. In 2005, Travalena was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A bout with cancer made him less visible for several years, but he’s back on the circuit, performing June 27 at the Renaissance Center in Dickson. For information, phone 740-5570. —MARTIN BRADYKATHY GRIFFIN She’s loud, snarky and has a face like a redheaded llama...but darned if she doesn’t spew the most biting, celebrity-bashing, ooh-she-did-not-go-there barbs this side of the Friar’s Club. Suddenly Susan gadfly Kathy Griffin may have named her unscripted Bravo series My Life on the D-List, but her material—as evident from her recent Strong Black Woman special – is always Grade A. Join the former Average Joe host and Celebrity Mole winner as she skews the likes of Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Ryan Seacrest and Oprah Winfrey in a rare stand-up appearance Sunday, June 25 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall. Visit www.tpac.org or the TPAC box office (downtown or Davis-Kidd Booksellers) for tickets and surf over to www.kathygriffin.net for some seriously gnarly video footage Griffin created in 2003 while recovering from her botched eye surgery. —JULIE SEABAUGH ARTMARGARET ELLIOTT: “POISED AND STILL” One year after finishing up a studio art degree at Belmont University, Margaret Elliot is making a name for herself showing in venues around the Southeast and in New York. Although she has titled her latest group of painted canvases “poised and still,” her portraits are expressive, even verging on abstraction. Come see what all the fuss is about at a reception for the artist from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 24 at The Art House, 2306 12th Ave. S. The exhibit runs through July 28. —JOE NOLANVALUE MENU SHOW Art patrons who still believe in getting something for nothing—or close to it—will find plenty to like at Plowhaus Artists’ Cooperative’s fourth annual Value Menu Show, where all of the pieces will be priced under $50. Featuring over 35 painters, printmakers and photographers, this cash-and-carry exhibit runs through July 23. The opening reception, featuring live music by 3 Pups Music, Carrie Mills, Shanna Underwood and Alex Kramer and his Blues Band, runs from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 24. —JOE NOLANFOUND Citing both Marcel Duchamp’s appropriation of manufactured objects presented as “ready-made” art and the collagist’s affection for discarded scraps, curator Gina Binkley has pulled together 15 of Middle Tennessee’s leading artists, illustrators and graphic designers who convert found objects into artworks. Notable names here include Mary Sue Kern, known for incorporating books as objects into her sculptures; APSU professor Billy Renkl, who uses pages from books and maps in collage drawings; and Andrew Saftel, who works found objects into pieces that run along a continuum from painting through assemblages into sculpture. The exhibit runs through Aug. 11 at Gallery 121 in Belmont University’s Leu Center for the Visual Arts. —DAVID MADDOX BOOKSDAVID PAYNE The literary time twister Back to Wando Passo is part antebellum murder mystery, part contemporary love story. With a sly wit and an ear for dialogue, David Payne ties together two tales of voodoo, revenge and cuckoldry: one the story of a doomed, interracial love triangle set in Charleston, S.C.; the other involving a retired rocker who suspects his wife has been similarly unfaithful. In the manner of Pat Conroy, Payne doesn’t moralize about the South’s less savory aspects. Racism, for example, is woven into the fabric of his characters’ being, even as they try to rise above it. David Payne will promote Back to Wando Passo at Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 6 p.m. June 22. —PAUL V. GRIFFITHJAMES P. CANTRELL In How Celtic Culture Invented Southern Literature, Cantrell maintains that white Southern culture developed from Celtic rather than English roots. Cantrell’s work is part of a trend acknowledging the contributions of Scotch, Irish and Welsh immigrants to American society, influences that have long been muted in favor of more Anglo-centric explanations. Cantrell’s argument hinges on this animosity between north and south: Anglo-Saxons, he says, came from the south of Britain yet immigrated to northern states; Celts, on the other hand, were from the northern British Isles but settled in the American South. The U.S. Civil War, then, is but a continuation of an ancient blood feud (and, by implication, not a conflict over slavery). According to Cantrell, the American South is the lone storehouse for Celtic literature, but because winners write history, the Gaelic influence on writers like William Faulkner and William Gilmore Simms has long been obscured. Cantrell’s dualistic argument should raise flags—as should his homogeneous understanding of British and Southern culture—but if nothing else How Celtic Culture Invented Southern Literature adds fuel to the unsettled debate over what it means to call something “Celtic.” James Cantrell discusses writing and publishing at the Cool Springs Barnes & Noble at 7 p.m. June 28. —PAUL V. GRIFFITHDONNA GEHRKE-WHITE Roughly 6 million Americans call themselves Muslim; that’s twice as many as the 3 million members of the Episcopal Church. Yet the rest of the country knows very little about their lives, especially the lives of Muslim women, or Muslimah. Miami Herald reporter Donna Gehrke-White profiles the lives of 50 Muslim women in The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America, telling the story of American Muslimah from New York City to rural South Dakota. Farida Azizi escaped post-Taliban Afghanistan by hiding her two small sons in her head-to-toe burka and smuggling them through the Pakistani border. Another woman, who goes only by Tania, fled an abusive fiancé and cannot return to her homeland without falling victim to an honor killing. Then there is Cathy Drake, a Virginia suburbanite who drives a minivan, used to be Catholic and converted to Islam three years after 9/11. Gehrke-White successfully incorporates dissenting religious opinions with minimal editorializing. She will discuss and sign copies of the book at Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 6 p.m. June 26. —CLAIRE SUDDATH FILMAN INCONVENIENT TRUTH In what amounts to a live-action Ice Age: The Meltdown—though far-right apparatchiks are busy trying to discredit it as Chicken Little—former Vice President Al Gore lays out the case against global warming, using his popular lecture-circuit appearances as framework. Basking in the movie’s unexpected success, which has been powered by some of the same grassroots forces as The Passion of the Christ, Gore will appear Friday at a gala red-carpet premiere at Green Hills to mark the film’s opening weekend.  —JIM RIDLEYTHE BIG BUY: TOM DELAY’S STOLEN CONGRESS It’s Hammer time in Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck’s slugging doc—only the Hammer’s the one getting nailed. The filmmakers lay out the transgressions that brought down (for now) the powerful speaker of the House and Republican strongman, with special guest appearances by cronies such as disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and President George W. Bush. Distributed through maverick documentarian Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Films, the movie kicks off a regular screening series by the local DFA Film Club, an offshoot of Democracy for Tennessee devoted to showing politically progressive films. It screens 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Watkins Film School, co-sponsored by Tennessee Alliance for Progress and Common Cause; the $7 ticket ($5 for students) includes a post-film panel featuring state Sen. Doug Jackson from Dickson. Robert Wilonsky talks to the directors in an article available on the Scene website at www.nashvillescene.com. —JIM RIDLEYDISTRICT B13/A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION Everyone who’s supported the Belcourt for the past 10 years through thick and (mostly) thin should pop in the feisty Hillsboro Village arthouse this weekend. It’ll do your heart good to see crowds in both houses for the held-over martial-arts action spectacular District B13 and the Robert Altman/Garrison Keillor Prairie Home Companion—a sign that the city’s last historic movie theater may finally be getting a solid foothold. PHC continues to set attendance records at the theater—its opening weekend beat the national per-screen average by something like $4,000—but DB13’s kicking ass also, bolstered by great word of mouth from action-movie junkies.  —JIM RIDLEYWE JAM ECONO: THE STORY OF THE MINUTEMEN & MINUTEMEN TRIBUTE NIGHT There are those of us who still remember where we were in 1985 when we learned singer/guitarist D. Boon of the Minutemen had been killed in a van accident—thus ending perhaps the brightest hope of the early-1980s punk scene. For those too young to remember the glories of the Minutemen’s landmark Double Nickels on the Dime album, Tim Irwin’s doc is a must-see, as much for the interview gallery of punk’s founding fathers as for the thunderbolt performance clips; the new two-disc DVD includes 19 deleted scenes and three entire Minutemen concerts. In a night that might be called “Project: Mersh,” Grimey’s hosts a movie screening 8 p.m. Monday in The Basement, followed by a tribute band playing Minutemen classics, all free and open to the public. —JIM RIDLEY48 HOUR FILM PROJECT COLLABORATORS MEETING Why put yourself through the hell of making and finishing a short film in just two days’ time? Because you could get it into the Nashville Film Festival. Because you could get it shown for a week at the Belcourt. Because you could beat out teams from all over the country for prizes and meetings with Hollywood movers and shakers. Interested? Show up between noon and 5 p.m. Saturday at the Watkins Film School to meet actors, composers and other participants. For more information, see www.FilmNashville.org/48hour/ or contact Andy van Roon at AndyVR@filmnashville.org . —JIM RIDLEYTHE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARQUEE If you’ve ever spit out your coffee driving past a church sign that reads, “This blood’s for you,” Drew Talbert and Raygan Henley have a film for you. Two pastors get into a flame war on their adjacent church signs in this comedy by local filmmakers Talbert and Henley, shown on a bill with the Tennessee shorts “Flypaper” and “Once Upon a Time” (the latter featuring music by Michael W. Smith). The screening, 7 p.m. Monday at the Belcourt, is free and open to the public. —JIM RIDLEYCLICK A magic remote gives harried householder Adam Sandler the power to freeze, rewind and fast-forward time—until he discovers life’s not so easy to TiVo. Kate Beckinsale and Christopher Walken co-star in the high-concept comedy, which opens Friday along with the Tyrese Gibson action vehicle Waist Deep. —JIM RIDLEY TELEVISIONA LION IN THE HOUSE Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s devastating documentary is one of the finest films you’ll see this year, even though its unflinching portrait of children fighting cancer over a six-year period in the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is something any parent will dread. Themselves parents of a cancer survivor, the filmmakers document an agonizing cycle of fragile hopes, new treatments, temporary remissions and terrifying relapses: parents age and children wither over the course of the film’s gripping four hours. And yet the overall impact is cathartic rather than depressing, in keeping with the Isak Dinesen quote that provides the film’s title—which says that you don’t know what it’s like to be alive until you’ve lived with lions. Shown this year at the Nashville Film Festival, it airs in two parts, 8 p.m. June 21 and 22, on NPT Channel 8. —JIM RIDLEY