Our Critics' Picks

THURSDAY 5/8

Art for ChangeTHE NAPIER YOUTH PHOTOVOICE PROJECT “You’re just scared to live here. You don’t know when your life will be taken away.” No, those aren’t the words of a Baghdad shop owner—they’re from the mouth of a seventh-grader who lives just a few miles from you. In January, a dozen middle-schoolers who live in or around the J.C. Napier Homes were given disposable cameras and a mission: to document what it’s like to grow up in one of Nashville’s toughest public housing projects. The youths, all served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, will show their work and speak at a public reception that will be attended by design professionals and city officials, including Mayor Dean. A book featuring the works and commentary will be available for $12. (If you can’t attend, you can purchase the book for $15 including shipping; for info, visit tinyurl.com/5bpdy9.) 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Nashville Civic Design Center (138 Second Ave. N., Ste. 106); a forum on the project takes place at 5:30 p.m. May 15 at the center. —JACK SILVERMAN

MusicROONEY With a ’70s influence this strong, you almost expect Rooney to show up in flares and polyester prints. While owing a small debt to Weezer’s sunny power pop, large swaths of Rooney’s songbook are ripped from ELO, Cheap Trick and The Cars. Though prone to moments of O.C.-level disposability (the Howard Jones-ish single “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?”), there’s a durable pop sensibility that manifests itself in broad Beatles-inflected arrangements worthy of Jeff Lynne. Led by Jason Schwartzman’s (Phantom Planet, Rushmore) brother Robert, Rooney released several EPs before signing with Geffen for their 2003 self-titled debut LP. They recorded last year’s follow-up, Calling the World, three times before finding production that properly captured the unstudied charm of their pocket symphonies, an alluring titration of breeze and sophistication. 8 p.m. at Exit/In —CHRIS PARKER

ArtBRADY HASTON Any fan of abstract painting in Nashville is probably familiar with Haston’s work. Though he continues to be inspired by trends in the changing urban landscape, this latest show at Twist draws inspiration from his explorations on the “other side” of the river. While walking and driving through Nashville’s East Side neighborhoods, Haston replenished his image horde, and is declaring the beginning of a new direction in his work. Regardless of Haston’s concepts and inspirations, it is the pure formal beauty of his colorful, biomorphic forms and whimsical lines that makes his work consistently compelling. Through May 31 at Twist Art Gallery —JOE NOLAN

ArtSTAY LATE ’TIL EIGHT AT CHEEKWOOD Movies are played. Bowling is boring. Art—now that’s the way to really impress a date. Fortunately, Cheekwood is indulging that desire by staying open till 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer months. So many people these days spend their daylight hours behind a desk, under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, so what better way to cure what ails you than an invigorating stroll through Cheekwood’s magnificent gardens and a tour past the current slate of exhibits. Make sure not to miss the intimate bamboo forest—the perfect spot to steal a smooch. Through Sept. 1 at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum of Art —LEE STABERT

FRIDAY 5/9

ArtJENNIFER CAWLEY: SQUEEZE, FLOAT, BANG! Using a variety of media—fabric, string, paper, paint and encaustic—Jennifer Cawley creates fanciful scenes that wouldn’t look out of place on a child’s bedroom wall. That’s not to suggest they’re facile or lightweight, merely that they exhibit a freewheeling aesthetic and childlike whimsy. Rabbits are a recurring theme—in “Sorcerer” and “Sorcerer 2” bunny silhouettes seem to be ascending into the heavens amid colorful plumes of smoke. “Broadcast” features a young boy and girl talking into megaphones, along with a couple of white rabbits, one whose lower body appears attached to the boy’s torso. The works are stylistically varied, but they all have a cartoonish quality and seem be telling a story whose narrative threads hover just out of grasp. Not to diminish their significance as serious art, but the images are, dare we say, fun. Through May 31 at Tinney + Cannon Contemporary —JACK SILVERMAN

MusicDE NOVO DAHL W/AUTOVAUGHN & THE PINK SPIDERS It’s a dual CD release party at the Mercy tonight, but it could be a “Major Labels Don’t Know Their Ass From Their Elbow” party. After 30 years of reckless spending, poor management and terrible customer service, the music biz is cutting back on development and reigning in the way they work with new artists. The Clive Davis era is over and labels are dropping everyone that doesn’t have a reality show or an iPod ad. Two of tonight’s acts have already been sent back to the farm leagues, and a similar fate could befall De Novo Dahl if SoundScan doesn’t show some love real soon. And that’s a damn shame since all three bands are making the best music of their careers. 9 p.m. at Cannery Ballroom —SEAN L. MALONEY