Our Critics' Picks

THURSDAY 4/24

MusicBON JOVI W/DAUGHTRY There are only a handful of contemporary rock acts that have managed to have decades of success without the help of a younger act’s lionization or a VH1 reality show. Jon Bon Jovi has maintained his massive fame by constantly fine-tuning his bombastic, sing-along song formula, most recently by recording in Nashville, adding a twang and conquering the county music charts. Oh, and those classics still sound straight-up awesome—it’s quite possible that “Living on a Prayer” will never die. Opening up is American Idol success story Chris Daughtry (whose band gets the reverse Madonna treatment and drops the first name). Daughtry has tapped into the seemingly insatiable American appetite for grunge-tinged MOR rock. Somewhere, David Cook is smiling. 7:30 p.m. at the Sommet Center —LEE STABERT

MusicALEX SNIDERMAN & THE NU-SONICS Produced by MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Alex Sniderman’s 2000 self-titled debut goosed avant-pop with garage-band abandon. Not exactly a singer-songwriter—his music was far too scruffy and energetic for that—the Murfreesboro native wrote confessional songs that didn’t take themselves too seriously. Kramer’s lead guitar added grit, and tunes such as “Barry White” and “She’s Emotion” combined hooks and humor in the manner of Tommy Womack or Paul Westerberg. Since moving to Brooklyn, Sniderman has completed a new collection, The “Eureka” EP, with his latest group, The Nu-Sonics. It sounds like he’s been absorbing Memphis power-pop and 1972’s Lou Reed, with “Nice Guys” illustrating his melodic flair. Tonight’s show leaves the other two Nu-Sonics at home and brings on board a band comprising keyboardist Tyson Rogers, drummer Keith Brogdon, bassist and guitarist (and Scene arts editor) Jack Silverman, who should light a fire under Sniderman’s compact, sardonic songs. And the Family Wash finally got their beer license, which is timely—this is definitely PBR music. 8 p.m. at Family Wash —EDD HURT

MusicFILM SCHOOL Let’s hope that San Francisco new gaze/shoe wave is the next big thing, because we’ve got both terms trademarked. Prattling screamo brats have held court for far too long. If you’re gonna mope, you may as well do so artfully, with echoing melodies and tidal waves of reverb. Greg Bertens returns in support of Film School’s fantastic third album Hideout, along with keyboardist Jason Ruck and three new players: guitarist Dave Dupuis, drummer James Smith and bassist/vocalist Lorelei Plotczyk. You could compare the latest batch of tunes to the seminal works of Bauhaus, Joy Division or Curve, but then you’d be a dick for trying to pigeonhole the group—does everything have to have a label, falling neatly into some preconceived format, restricted by its very definition? Also, they kinda sound like The Cure, before The Cure started sucking. 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —GEOFF JOHNSTON

BooksBRENDA RICKMAN VANTREASE When St. Martin’s brought out Brenda Rickman Vantrease’s first book in 2005, much of the media coverage focused on Vantrease’s own fairy-tale ending. How a retired Metro librarian had finally, at age 60, achieved a lifelong goal of becoming a writer herself was a story that very nearly eclipsed the whole point: Vantrease had written an excellent novel. The Illuminator is nuanced, smart and historically accurate—in short, a work of historical fiction that transcends the genre. No wonder it became a best seller and garnered a heap of glowing reviews. Last year’s sequel, The Mercy Seller, proved Vantrease was no one-book wonder. Reviewing it for the Scene, Lacey Galbraith called it “bigger, broader and even better than its predecessor.” Vantrease will read from the newly released paperback version of The Mercy Seller at 6 p.m. The event is free but reservations are requested; reply to eveningwithanauthor@yahoo.com. Tinney+Cannon Contemporary (237 Fifth Ave. N.) —MARGARET RENKL

FRIDAY 4/25

TheaterBABY WITH THE BATHWATER The community theater folks at Old Hickory’s Encore Theatre Company present Christopher Durang’s wicked and wild 1983 comedy as part of a new “second stage” program. Durang is noted for extracting nervous humor out of eccentric human situations. Here, clueless new parents are baffled about the essentials of child-rearing, and the job gets botched even further when an outrageous nanny gets into the act. The youngster, Daisy Dingleberry, grows into a confused man who strives to confront his unconventional childhood and to establish his identity. The ever-busy Jeffrey K. Williams (Bat Boy, Souvenir, The Full Monty) stars as Daisy, with ’Boro theater vet William Keathley on board as his substance-abusing dad and New Yorker Jessica Morris making her Middle Tennessee stage debut as his bipolar mom. The versatile Lauren Atkins takes on four different roles. Recommended for older children and up. April 25-May 10 at 14905-A Lebanon Road —MARTIN BRADY

MusicTEITUR In Teitur’s music, softly strummed guitar burbles beneath rustling atmospheric shimmer amid baroque pop breakers. Lodged somewhere between Nick Drake and Belle & Sebastian, the Danish musician isn’t as sad as the former or as fey as the latter, but his music still doesn’t sound like it could survive a fall from the kitchen table. Nothing better conveys this orientation than his moody, string-laden crawl through Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire,” whose haunted tone suggests Will Oldham. His dulcet tenor croon is more sparrow than hawk, though its flight is clean and true. While his 2003 debut Poetry & Aeroplanes was met with critical plaudits, Universal did little to promote it, and he’d split with them by 2006’s Stay Under the Stars. The album’s dreamy swath is even thicker, diminishing the music’s inherent intimacy. His latest, The Singer, still works the baroque angle, but with more energy on tracks like “Catherine the Waitress.” 9 p.m. at The Basement —CHRIS PARKER

Bring out the GimpPULP FICTION In which hitman Samuel L. Jackson experiences an according-to-Hoyle miracle and the movies’ most bad-ass religious conversion; his partner John Travolta wins a twist contest and tastes a 5-dollar shake from Buddy Holly on the last night of his life; Uma Thurman does the Aristocats dance before getting a needle in her heart; and Christopher Walken carries a dead soldier’s watch up his ass for two years. Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 compendium of cinematic cool gets two late-night shows this weekend, courtesy of Belcourt projectionist Andy Holmes; no word on what surprises the theater has planned for the midnight hour Friday—but a twist contest is pretty much a no-brainer. Midnight April 25-26 at The Belcourt Theatre —JIM RIDLEY

Jazz at the SymphonyPATTI AUSTIN WITH THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA Outside of a couple of brief hiatuses, the Count Basie Orchestra has been going strong for over 70 years—and you thought the Stones had been around a long time. Though the groundbreaking bandleader died 24 years ago, the group continues to carry his music forward, even as big-band music’s popularity has waxed and waned. The current band still features some players who worked with Basie himself, and focuses more on tight arrangements than on individual solos. Basie’s torchbearers will back up jazz/R&B singer Patti Austin, another seasoned vet—the Dinah Washington protégé began performing in 1955 at the ripe age of 5, and has worked with George Benson, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and Roberta Flack. 8 p.m. at Laura Turner Concert Hall —JACK SILVERMAN

HealthTHE EMBODIED SELF As co-director of the Tennessee Dance Theatre and a dancer for 20 years in New York, Andrew Krichels amassed glowing reviews and an athletic repertoire; he also did untold damage to his bones, joints and muscles with the work’s agonizing physical demands. Now director of Nashville’s healing arts center Creative Action, Krichels recovered using techniques he will demonstrate in this weekend-long symposium that teaches people, in essence, to listen to their bodies. Registration for all three days starts at $195 and goes up to include meals and accommodation. Call 931-285-2543 for more information. April 25-27 at Highland Realm Holistic Health & Wellness Center —JIM RIDLEY

Kaiju ShakeupMTAC INFINITY: 2008 MIDDLE TENNESSEE ANIME CONVENTION To borrow a line from Full Metal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa: “This place isn’t like where I come from. It’s a brave new world.” Para Para the night away as Music City’s celebration of Japanese animation and all things Asian pop culture enters its ninth year. Feast your round wet saucer eyes on a real live monster-wrasslin’ Kaiju Big Battel; demonstrations of martial arts such as Brazilian capoeira, Chinese Northern Praying Mantis and Filipino kali; actors and voice talent Johnny Yong Bosch (the Black Ranger Adam on Power Rangers) and Greg Ayres (Nerima Daikon Brothers); live music featuring the awesome Peelander-Z, The Slants, Chickenbox and Nashville’s The Man Power; a panorama of panels, screenings, dances, costume contests and pajama parties; and even a meeting party for BJDs (ball-joint dolls). And watch for the awesome limited edition T-shirts by artist/voice actor Doug Smith. They’ll go fast—booming attendance for the three-day con topped 3,000 last year. Tickets are $20 at the door or $45 for a three-day pass; see mtac.net for more information. April 25-27 at Music City Sheraton —JIM RIDLEY

ArtWATKINS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN SENIOR SHOW EVENTS If you’d like a sneak peek at the future of the Nashville art scene, tonight’s the night, as Watkins opens the Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Exhibit II at the college, as well as the Graphic Design Senior Show at Lot 7. The BFA exhibit will feature work by Patricia Earnhardt, Abby Whisenant and Max Haught. Graphic Design graduates include Kenneth Bonner, Alicia Waters, Jenn Lee, Kristin Schleihs, Ben Lancaster, Tierney Millhollin, Christi Osburn, Amanda Bybee, Katherine Tange-du Pre’, Sheena Ebinger and Hugo Martinez. Check out the show at Watkins, then rendezvous at the north end of The Gulch for a second taste. BFA show runs April 25 through May 11 at Watkins’ Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Gallery; opening reception 6-8 p.m. The one-night Graphic Design Show takes place 6-9 p.m. at Lot 7, 125 12th Ave. N. —JOE NOLAN

MusicPELICAN Along with Isis, Red Sparowes and Russian Circles, Pelican occupy the intersection where post-rock collides with metal. Completely instrumental, the band weds the sprawling noodlage of groups like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor with the heavy riffage of more traditional metal. But rather than delve into calculus with math-rockers Don Caballero or Hella, Pelican keep things straightforward. The four Chicagoans find themselves in major keys much more often than their peers, which ultimately leads to either triumphant climaxes or clichéd crescendos. At their best, Pelican approximate the sludgy deluge of Neurosis with much more nimbleness, but occasionally they meander aimlessly along the way. 7 p.m. at Rcktwn —MATT SULLIVAN

MusicCORY BRANAN It’s been so long since the last Cory Branan album that YouTube has become the only source for the crack that is his new material: “The Walkaround,” “Bad Man” and that one about listening to John Cougar Mellencamp and falling in love with the girl across the street. Of course, there’s one other outlet for the good stuff—the man himself, who returns to town for his first-ever date at Douglas Corner Café. Freed from the barrooms he frequents, Branan should be able to play a career-spanning set—it’s hard to do the quiet ones over the inevitable rock-club din. That’s not to say he’ll be toning down his punk-rock-troubadour shtick. A performer capable of making fans of any gender go weak at the knees, Branan has a masterful wit and a heart swoony enough to inspire some of the most brilliantly indulgent love songs out there. 9 p.m. at Douglas Corner Café —LEE STABERT

SATURDAY 4/25

ComedyNICK SWARDSON “[Nick] threw the best roller-skating parties when I lived in L.A.,” says fellow comic Tanyalee Davis. “He’d rent the place from like 10 to midnight…then the comics and their friends would get in for $10, and he’d buy all the booze. He’d be wearing little short shorts and feathered boas and baby tees, and he’d just be the belle of the ball.” And if that’s how he is in real life, imagine how over-the-top he is onstage. The Reno 911 star brings his ultra-chill, frat-boy-with-an-absurdist-twist material on drinkin’, smokin’, carousin’ and, uh, his grandma to town when his Party tour rolls through. Unfortunately, this time the drinks are on you, and roller skates will not be permitted. 7:30 p.m. at The Ryman —JULIE SEABAUGH

ArtROBERT DURHAM/TOM JUDD In his collection of oil paintings Human Tricks, Vanderbilt art teacher Robert Durham examines mundane moments in everyday life with a rich, vivid realism, emphasizing light, shadow and reflection. In “Maestro” (a man play-conducting with a spoon while cooking and sipping Scotch) and “In Thru the Out Door” (a woman holding a shopping bag and putting a key in a door), Durham balances a lighthearted playfulness with a vaguely sinister undertone. (And his obsession with innocent-looking sock puppets could inspire the next Chucky-style horror franchise.) Philadelphian Tom Judd’s show One More Thing features lush, textured collages of fabric, vintage wallpaper and oil-paint images of flowers, birds and other animals. In “Great Blue,” a profile of a stoic heron is superimposed on a background of grandmotherly wallpaper, red and white stripes suggesting the American flag, and blue polka dots, blending the comfort of nostalgia with an undercurrent of mystery. April 26-May 17 at Cumberland Gallery; opening reception, 6-8 p.m. (A gallery talk featuring both artists takes place 2 p.m. May 3.) —JACK SILVERMAN

Mothers Know BestMAMAMADE MARKET 2008 The 4-year-old Mamamade, an entrepreneurial collective of creative mothers, holds its first-ever spring sale in Franklin, to coincide with the city’s Main Street Festival. The cooperative of cottage industries includes more than a dozen multitasking moms, who—between wiping noses, doing laundry and scrubbing crayon off the walls—somehow find the time to create gorgeous lines of unique jewelry, toys, handbags, quilts, stationery and children’s clothing. You can also shop Mamamade online at mamamadebiz.blogspot.com. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lillie Belle’s of Franklin, 132 Third Ave. S. —CARRINGTON FOX

BooksSUSANNAH FELTS has written a beautifully textured and moving first novel, This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record. Vaughn Vance, the narrator, is a teenage girl living near Hillsboro Village in the summer of 1989. Thoughtful and intelligent, she looks at the world with a convincing hybrid of adolescent cynicism and romanticism. Felts gave Vaughn a hobby that serves as both framing mechanism and symbol throughout the book—photography. After one of those common fragmentations of high-school cliques dissolves her former coterie of friends, Vaughn expects to spend her summer mostly alone, taking photos of the Belmont area. Instead she meets the seemingly free-spirited Sophie Birch, who becomes Vaughn’s problematic friend, goad to adventure and photographic subject. Much of the story takes place around Dragon Park in Hillsboro Village, and Felts evokes the era with carefully casual details about clothing, music, and slang. Her dialogue is just right—the kind of offhand intimacy of real people living real lives. Nashvillians won’t be the only ones watching to see what she does next. Felts reads and signs her book at 2 p.m. Davis-Kidd Booksellers —MICHAEL SIMS

SUNDAY 4/27

Wild in the StreetsMAIN STREET FESTIVAL We’ve got two words for you: funnel cakes. You can have the 200 artisans and crafters, the free entertainment on four stages, the two carnivals, the three food courts, Saturday night’s “Dancin’ in the Street” event and all the kids’ activities. We won’t even fight you for the Polish sausages, gyros, fried green tomatoes, smoked turkey legs, ice cream, tacos and kettle corn. Just stay the hell out of our way when we get to the funnel cake stand or risk being doused head-to-toe in powdered sugar. And the best part (for Jewish festival goers like myself, anyway): unlike its carnival-midway cousin the elephant ear (i.e., fried dough), the funnel cake is made with unleavened batter, making it (more or less) kosher for Passover. So dig in, and l’chaim! For more information, visit historicfranklin.com. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday at Franklin’s Public Square —JACK SILVERMAN

MusicCLUTCH As the album title Pure Rock Fury openly declares, it doesn’t get any more straightforward than the music of Clutch. A riff band that skirts the edges of stoner rock and metal, Clutch have parlayed mid-tempo, meat-and-potato grooves into a career while like-minded acts either have ventured into experimentation (à la the Melvins) or have been felled outright. For whatever reason, years after the grunge implosion, Clutch carry on, not only maintaining a devoted fan base but also striking a chord with listeners who otherwise prefer more complicated wrinkles in their rock and metal. Perhaps Clutch’s enduring appeal boils down to how the band has openly embraced the blues in the later part of its career. Whatever’s churning away under the surface of the music, it’s hard enough to pin down that it’s always tempting to give the band a closer listen. 7 p.m. at City Hall —SABY REYES-KULKARNI

MONDAY 4/28

MusicEARTH With countless personnel changes, Seattle’s influential Earth have remained anchored for nearly 18 years by the band’s only constant member, Dylan Carlson. Taking their name from Black Sabbath’s original moniker, Earth sought to slow those riffs down to a glacial pace, eventually freezing them on their landmark album Earth 2. As a guitar-and-bass duo, Earth let their amps, rather than their instruments, play the songs, creating impenetrably dense, droning walls of sound that would serve as the template for bands like Sunn O))) and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine, who take their name from the album’s second track. After a number of albums, including a couple of tracks featuring guest vocalist Kurt Cobain, Earth disappeared in ’96. Carlson resurrected the band in 2005, transforming it into the Ennio Morricone of metal. The band’s latest, The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, would serve as the perfect soundtrack for a Clint Eastwood slasher film. 9 p.m. at Springwater —MATT SULLIVAN

TUESDAY 4/29

MusicLIL’ ED AND THE BLUES IMPERIALS When a performer has an unmistakable physical attribute about him, he’s wise to use it to his advantage. Lil’ Ed Williams does. He’s short, and he references his stature in his stage name and in a playfully suggestive party boogie titled “Compact Man.” He wears Fez-style hats to add a few inches to his height, and—leaping around the stage—generally seems larger than life. Williams and his band inject oversized energy into their raucous Chicago blues sound too. In addition to the bursts of dancing, Williams plays a mean slide guitar, sings spiritedly—if not flawlessly—and writes often goofy, danceable songs like “Icicles in My Meatloaf.” Rattleshake is the hardworking band’s sixth and most recent album on Alligator Records, and it opens with an energized reading of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s “Leaving Here.” But the real energy happens live. 9 p.m. April 29 & 30 at Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar —JEWLY HIGHT

TheaterTHE RELUCTANT DRAGON British author Kenneth Grahame’s richest legacy to children’s literature is The Wind in the Willows. But before that he produced another charming masterwork, The Reluctant Dragon, which tells of a witty, soulful, oversized creature who befriends a lonely boy and, eventually, none other than that age-old dragon-slayer himself, St. George. The dragon is the official mascot of Nashville Children’s Theatre, so the company often pays tribute with a fresh mounting of Mary Hall Surface’s stage adaptation. The latest version features noted local players Brian Webb Russell, Peter Vann and Henry Haggard. Scot Copeland directs. Through May 12 at Nashville Children’s Theatre —MARTIN BRADY

MusicDESTROYER Dan Bejar is one of indie rock’s most accomplished stylists. The Vancouver singer-songwriter has honed a vision uniquely his own over the past decade, both as a member of the New Pornographers and as frontman for Destroyer. On the latter group’s eighth album Trouble in Dreams, Bejar replaces the glam elements that permeated 2006’s Destroyer’s Rubies with a folksy psych and cocktail-hour amble. It’s mostly Bejar’s show—guitarist Nicholas Bragg unleashes a few raw peals, but he mostly hangs back, coloring Dreams with understated and atmospheric runs. Meanwhile, Bejar holds center court with his speak-sing croon and inscrutable but evocative lyricism, which pull together “Rivers,” a sinewy, piano-driven paean to the course of life, and “Shooting Rockets (From the Desk of Night’s Ape),” the album’s luscious eight-minute centerpiece. 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —CHRIS PARKER

MusicRED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS This Middleburg, Fla., hard-rock act seemed to come out of nowhere with their 2006 hit about domestic abuse, “Face Down,” but had in fact been a huge North Florida draw for several years. Despite selling out thousand-person venues in nearby Jacksonville, they couldn’t draw so much as a label bite, and struggled with lineup changes before manager/A&R exec Steve Tramposch took over, eventually signing them to Virgin. Singer Ronnie Winters’ impassioned wail owes a debt to Chris Cornell, while the band draws on post-grunge acts like Candlebox for their mix of metallic rhythms and polished, insistent hooks with occasional blasts of emocore screeching. While musically familiar, there’s a passionate energy that transcends the stylistic clichés and suggests ambitions beyond the charts. They’re currently doing a more intimate acoustic tour as they prepare to release their as yet untitled second album this summer. 9 p.m. at the End —CHRIS PARKER

WEDNESDAY 4/30

MusicJOEY BELLADONNA In happier times, Joey Belladonna’s Anthrax bandmates would cue the crowd to yell “JOEY FUCKED UP!” during their all-in-good-fun rap number, “I’m the Man.” And after having reunited briefly in 2005 and gone through yet another bad breakup, happier times are indeed in the past for Belladonna, his former band and their fans. But while it may seem unfortunate to see one of thrash metal’s premier vocalists—the first in the genre to actually sing and make it work with the music, anyway—playing clubs, Belladonna was always more at home with bar rock to begin with. This, remember, is the man who identified with Joe Lynn Turner and sang a Journey tune at his Anthrax audition. In a sense, you get to see him in his element now. Plus his good-ol’-boy charm connects a lot better in smaller places. 7 p.m. at The Muse —SABY REYES-KULKARNI

ArtMOSES HOSKINS AT STUDIO B Spring is always a busy time for the Nashville art scene, and this new year has been full of so many surprises it’s been easy to miss some of the highlights. Studio B—a new 12 South venue—is currently hosting what may be the best painting show of the season. Moses Hoskins is a New Yorker whose abstract work is equally joyful, meditative, defiant and insightful. A given Hoskins canvas or collage may seem to begin as a geometric study, but all of the pieces in the show ultimately give way—playfully and energetically—to expressionistic gestures, lines and mark-making. Hoskins has won grants from both The Pollock-Krasner and Adolph & Esther Gottlieb foundations, and his show is not to be missed. Go to studiobgallery.net for hours and information. Studio B, 2814 12th Ave. S. —JOE NOLAN