Our Critics Picks
Depending on how you feel about Elvis, breakbeat and omnipresent pop songs, Tom Holkenborg—who goes by the moniker Junkie XL—could be the most loved or hated DJ/Producer in the world. His high-energy remix of Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation” was one of the most ubiquitous songs of 2002, heard everywhere from soccer commercials to chat shows. It was like a stain that wouldn’t wash, and perhaps Holkenborg has similar feelings about it. He’s gained fame as a remix artist, which to some might be an oxymoron because Holkenborg has a significant back catalog of his own work, from scoring films to his collaborations with Urban Dance Squad MC Rude Boy. It’s interesting that among the titles Holkenborg gives himself is “programmer,” because his earlier big beat grooves often sound carefully metered out, rather than felt and pounded out. The songs on his latest LP, Today, contain music that is richer, more varied and more accessible, probably a horrid thought to the hardcore big beat fan. The programmer title also fits Holkenborg’s live shows: he’s not a DJ up onstage spinning wax; he brings his laptop and board and makes music on the spot. Joey Modus, R.T.H.M. and Ben Blue will also perform. Cannery Ballroom —MARK MAYS
MUSIC
THURSDAY, 18TH
MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FRIENDS “Let ’er go, boys” was an oft-uttered injunction from Opry announcer George D. Hays, usually directed at a string band that would then tear into a hot number. It’s also the title of Michael Cleveland’s new Rounder album, the release of which is occasion for this show—and like his Opry predecessors, the three-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year tears it up on the disc (and with his new band, Flamekeeper) with barely contained exuberance. At 25, an age at which many of his peers are exploring the fringes of bluegrass or moving beyond it entirely, the Indiana native prefers to re-energize tradition rather than depart from it. Bill Monroe compositions and public domain fiddle tunes abound on the project, and Cleveland succeeds admirably with the help of a small group of equally determined and talented buddies like former bandmate (with Rhonda Vincent) Audie Blaylock. Most of them will be on stage tonight, and though Cleveland makes no promises, don’t be surprised if a few other high-profile guests—other album participants included Vince Gill, Dan Tyminski and Del McCoury—pop in, too. The Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER
DUBCONSCIOUS This non-rasta, neophyte reggae band emphasize the roots music in their modern reggae, adding a twist—chill-out music effects and long, danceable jam sessions. The band show skill handling reggae tenets like chugging guitars and laconic backbeats, but their take on dub reggae is far more interesting, reflective of the bi-directional influence of dub and electronica. In their jams, bleeps and blips fill up the spaces that traditional dub might leave empty. This makes for good headphone music, though it may not make a difference watching the band in a club, depending on how altered your mental state is during the show. The band lack a frontman with an engaging voice, yet the lead singers seem fully committed to testifying to reggae’s mystical power, which, in the spirit of the genre, is sometimes enough to get you over. The jam band influence in Dubconscious isn’t explicit; it hangs in the atmosphere, especially when listening to their live sets and extended jams. That’s a warning to the reggae purists, but an invitation to the hacky-sack crowd. Exit/In —MARK MAYS
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SONNY LANDRETH The musical ghosts that haunt the Mississippi delta can become close companions to the natives. The blues Sonny Landreth plays, specifically his slide-guitar work, is steeped in the local customs native to his home state of Louisiana. Like gasoline produced in the refineries of the Gulf Coast, Landreth’s music is always potentially explosive. And spiced with a little hot-rod zydeco, it can often prove to be a thrill-junkie’s ear candy. Sometimes his performances get a little water in the fuel tank or, if backing other singers such as John Hiatt, Landreth can succumb to temptation and steal the spotlight from the vocalist. These are minor speed bumps compared to the two-lane blacktop he usually cruises. Sonny Landreth has expanded the vocabulary of the slide guitar, much to his credit, even if it hasn’t turned him into its Shakespeare. (www.sonnylandreth.com ) 3rd & Lindsley —COLLIN WADE MONK
DANIELLE HOWLE The best kind of local colorist, Danielle Howle sketches a New South that is pleasantly idealized with sharp edges intact. On her new Thank You Mark, her big voice suggests self-knowledge that takes into account the very un-idealized lives of the working men and women she observes in her native South Carolina. “Fields of Cotton” skirts the mythic even as it acknowledges the deprivations of poor farmers, while “Roses From Leroy’s,” a re-working of the classic Southern cheating song, displays her eye for detail. On Etta James’ “If I Can’t Have You,” she duets with Hootie and the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker for a sly update of a classic blues. With superb production by Mark Bryan, Thank You Mark combines excess and austerity; “Love Is a Fall” floats on an understated string arrangement, and Howle never overdoes the scatting she employs on songs like “Oh Swear,” which mentions disco balls. There are a few missteps: the blithe pop of “Who Knows” doesn’t suit her, and occasionally she goes for a high note that doesn’t emerge unscathed. But for an artist like Howle, good taste can be a vexed concept, and Thank You works off pop conventions as much as it does those of local color. Great playing from musicians like Sam Bush and Byron House doesn’t hurt either. On stage with her guitar, Howle is a commanding presence—sometimes she invests Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” with a spooky, dark spirit that re-invigorates an all-too-familiar song. ( www.daniellehowle.com ) 3rd & Lindsley —EDD HURT
FRIDAY, 19TH
SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS/THE GOURDS/PANTY RAID Southern white trash is the last demographic available for unbridled lampoon. The probability that the NASCAR-loving cornbread eaters populating the band’s songs don’t frequent watering holes like Mercy Lounge eliminates the possibility of confrontation with the band. This is Hee Haw for Utne readers. But it would be disingenuous to give the impression that SCOTS is just a comedy act. Few bands can rock this hard, for this long (20 years and counting) on a subject matter of fried chicken and beer. The Gourds work the same cultural material as SCOTS, but come at it from more of a stoner angle. It also won’t inhibit them from getting a juke joint rolling. Their hick version of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” is the frat boy iPod companion to Ben Fold’s cover of Dr. Dre’s repugnant “Bitches Ain’t…” Burlesque troupe Panty Raid will add some sultry, Southern sizzle to the proceedings. (www.scots.com) ( www.thegourds.com ) ( www.pantyraiddames.com ) Mercy Lounge —COLLIN WADE MONK
FEDERATION OF HORSEPOWER These guys are heavy. So heavy, in fact, that organizers actually asked them to turn down the volume at a North Texas biker rally—a biker rally with Ted Nugent on the bill, no less. That’s friggin’ heavy. Somewhere between Fu Manchu and AC/DC, Kansas City, Mo.’s Federation of Horsepower rock the riffs fantastic with a minimum of polish and a maximum of raw, testosterone-fueled thunder. And the best part—after this show at Nashville’s favorite dive bar, they play the next evening at...you guessed it! A biker rally. Let’s see how many dBs the Ton Up biker club can handle. ( www.myspace.com/federationofhorsepower ) Springwater; also playing 5 p.m. Saturday at Alley Cat as part of the Ton Up Brit Bike Bash —JACK SILVERMAN
30 SECONDS TO MARS It’s near impossible not to imagine 30 Seconds To Mars frontman Jared Leto as his television character Jordan Catalano, the intellectually challenged pretty boy who gave Angela Chase the Heisman on nearly every episode of My So-Called Life. But in this case, the band may benefit from the association—30STM’s jagged, emotional rock isn’t out of place among today’s version of the angst-filled, confessional-loving audience the show originally attracted. In other words, this band’s got emo written all over it—pounding drums, sky-high choruses and the requisite haunted introspection that ought to give the eyelined Leto’s crushworthiness some extra mileage among misfit teens. (www.myspace.com/thirtysecondstomars ) City Hall —TRACY MOORE
JACK INGRAM This charismatic country rocker from Texas just achieved his first No. 1 country hit, “Wherever You Are,” after a decade of kicking a spur into Music Row’s overly careful, overly conservative ass. It’d be nice to say his success is the result of long-term artist development or of radio becoming more open to individuals with distinctive songs and livewire stage shows. But that’s not the case. Instead, Ingram finally signed with a record company, the new Big Machine label, that made good on promises to fully promote his songs to radio. Ingram’s Big Machine debut, Live Wherever You Are, pairs concert highlights with a couple of new radio-directed singles, and the package proves that the engaging Dallas resident has been creating songs all along that should’ve been monster chart hits. It’s time now for radio, and country fans, to catch up. Wildhorse Saloon —MICHAEL MCCALL
SATURDAY, 20TH
GAELIC STORM It isn’t difficult to imagine an overly saturated market of mediocre Irish drinking bands playing dive bars around the country and muddling a few folk tunes along the way. Gaelic Storm are the exception; since the band’s genesis in the late ’90s, their skilled and rambunctious adaptations of traditional Irish music continue to stake a claim on world charts and sell out festivals around the country. Like plenty of bands, the quintet—which includes a fiddler trained in Ireland, a grade 1 piper, and whose world drummer Ryan Lacey is a Nashville resident—are indebted to the movies for their big break. But rather than appear on a movie soundtrack, Gaelic Storm were in the movie—actors playing themselves as the rowdy, partying steerage band in the blockbuster hit Titanic. The band are touring in support of an upcoming album and a live DVD filmed at Chicago’s House of Blues. 3rd & Lindsley —TRACY MOORE
MARY TIMONY On her last album, the surging Ex Hex, Mary Timony re-emerged as a new woman. Rather than the eerie talent who couldn’t seem to keep her crystal visions to herself, here was a rock ’n’ roller who was neither hiding her head in the clouds nor her heart behind obscure incantations. Timony—whose efforts as a member of Helium made her a fixture of the indie world—had followed up that teetering, engaging mess of a band with two solo albums, Mountains and The Golden Dove. Both felt like a logical—and, for some, unfortunate—expansion of Helium’s swirling mysticism. Ex Hex showcased Timony’s considerable guitar chops and a songwriting style that is both charismatic and unsettling. You won’t hear many power duos like this one. ( www.marytimony.com ) Mercy Lounge —STEVE HARUCH
PINBACK A few years ago, in the middle of a set in which bass player Armistead Burwell Smith IV broke a string and had no backup instrument, guitarist and singer Rob Crow passed the time not by offering the usual, regrettable “I guess I’m supposed to come up with some witty banter” routine; instead, he entertained the crowd by playing Misfits songs until his bandmate was ready. As a member of Pinback (especially the newer, airier version), Crow doesn’t always get to shine as brightly as he’s capable of. He was part of the quirky California outfit Heavy Vegetable, is a good songwriter and has a side project, Goblin Cock, who arguably put out last year’s most impressive full-length metal album. Crow’s presence makes Pinback a better band, and he certainly knows how to while away a string change. ( www.pinback.com ) Mercy Lounge –STEVE HARUCH
FUNK BALL FEAT. THE DYNAMITES, JOHNY JACKSON, D-FUNK AND SHAWNA P. If funk is hard to define, at least it’s easy to groove to. Funk Ball hopes to make it easier to get your groove back when some local soul music icons get together to bring you funk uncut. Soul super group The Dynamites headline the party, slinging throwback funk heavy on syncopated horns and greasy guitar licks. The band’s lead singer, Charles “Wigg” Walker, gives the band a veneer of ’60s juke-joint authenticity. Johny Jackson, who kept bodies movin’ to many styles of funk in Nashville clubs for a decade, pops in from retirement to spin discs. Soul diva Shawna P. will get a guest shot for a few songs, and with her sass and rolling thunder voice, she stands to show up the headliners. WRVU’s D-Funk will be dropping the needle on some funk records; DJ Jeezus will also spin. City Hall —MARK MAYS
SUNDAY, 21ST
MINUS THE BEAR Attention Death Cab devotees: Seattle Weekly’s recently voted “Best Indie/Garage Band” is Minus the Bear, whose smart pop-rock has been described as “Seth Cohen’s wet dream.” The band may dance with math rock formulas, but this isn’t just a numbers game—songs like “Drilling,” off 2005’s Menos el Oso, are saved from drowning in angularity on the strength of the band’s atmospheric melodies and sweet-tempered vocals. (www.myspace.com/minusthebear ) Rcktwn —TRACY MOORE
THURSDAY Once called “Tone Geoff” by former bandmates because of his limited singing abilities, Thursday singer Geoff Rickley gets the last laugh with the post-hardcore (or the much-maligned term emo) band’s ongoing success. In 2002, the taut single “Understanding in a Car Crash” united sullen teens everywhere, and the group’s latest, the Dave Fridmann-produced A City by the Light Divided, debuted in the top 20 its first week out—not bad for a band in a genre often wagered most likely to disappear. It’s worth noting that Rickley secured fellow Jersey act My Chemical Romance a deal on Eyeball Records. Thursday are also Warped Tour faves and play the festival date here in June; here’s your chance to see them with a more manageable horde of confused teens. ( www.myspace.com/Thursday ) Rcktwn —TRACY MOORE
WORLD PARTY Sidelined for the last half-decade by a series of misfortunes that included a crippling brain aneurysm and the death of his manager, Karl Wallinger has re-emerged with his paisley-tinted sensibility fully intact. The band’s latest work, Dumbing Up, treads familiar territory, its crystalline ’60s sound evoking a more innocent age. It’s fitting, as the album was actually recorded and released as a British limited edition back in 2000. With its wistful melody to the fore over a bed of shimmering acoustic guitars, the single “What Does It Mean Now” could slide comfortably in line with the string of college radio classics Wallinger has generated beginning with the surprise hit “Ship of Fools.” An appearance at this year’s SXSW found the notoriously prickly leader energized and upbeat, playing a stripped-down set of his retro-styled folk-pop. ( www.world-party.net ) Mercy Lounge —JASON BENNETT
THE BALLS From the band’s name to its album title, from the photo of scantily clad Panty Raid Dame Lula Licious in boxing gloves on the cover to the image of her fondling a Gibson Flying V on the back of the liner notes, you’d expect The Balls’ Come Out Swingin’ to be a take-no-prisoners affair. Any doubts will be decimated like a shotgun blast through a cantaloupe 20 seconds into the first track, “Dog Eat Dog.” Led by guitarist Nick Kane, formerly of The Mavericks, this all-instrumental, three-piece affront on decency runs rockabilly through a meat grinder, sprinkles on some early-Sabbath heaviosity, crams it into a prog-rock sausage casing, then shoves it in your mouth until you gag. Whether channeling Link Wray, infusing “Pachelbel’s Canon” with “Maggot Brain”-style grandiosity or—the masterstroke—weaving together Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo” with Frank Zappa’s “Apostrophe,” The Balls combine intensity, odd time signatures, whammy bar bravado, homage to the roots and demented humor into the perfect soundtrack for the next Quentin Tarantino flick. ( www.ballsrock.com ) Playing 6 p.m. at Alley Cat as part of the Ton Up Brit Bike Bash —JACK SILVERMAN
MONDAY, 22ND
ORANGE GOBLIN Many stoner and doom rock bands lift from Black Sabbath the way pop bands cop from The Beatles and Beach Boys—that is to say, shamelessly. Such bands seem to make for our ears like an endless horde of zombies, proudly wallowing in unoriginality. So how do Britain’s doom metal outfit Orange Goblin stack up? The band openly identifies itself as a “coupling of Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd” and seems to yearn for 1972, so it’s ironic that, when Orange Goblin miss the Sabbath bull’s-eye, the results grab listeners most. Sometimes the band recall White Zombie and easily conjure more energy and enthusiasm than that band ever could. Elsewhere, they lean toward psychedelic influences, and this is where Orange Goblin’s music has a sense of going somewhere. How many doom bands can say that much? The End —SABY REYES-KULKARNI
WEDNESDAY, 24TH
T BONE BURNETT If Burnett had done nothing else besides write 1983’s brilliant “Hefner and Disney”—a perception-altering song about a warper of national ideals and a peddler of plastic fantasies, and you guess which is which—he’d be worthy of mentions in the same breath as his sometime collaborators Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello. But the new two-disc compilation Twenty-Twenty: The Essential T Bone Burnett stakes his claim to one of the sharpest overlooked catalogs of the past 25 years: songs that range from delicate to scalding, over a panorama of styles from cabaret-lush Euroswank (“Image”) to hard-charging rock ’n’ roll (hell, pick one). Apparently he also produced some record called O Brother, Where Art Thou, but whatever. I saw him 20 years ago at the Bluebird, and it’s still one of the best country shows I’ve ever seen; I’m grateful for a chance to catch up. City Hall —JIM RIDLEY
MARDO Los Angeles rock band Mardo return to Nashville in advance of the blistering new record The New Gun, a high-voltage blast of muscle-car riffage. On standout track “Killer on the Dance Floor,” singer and bassist Aron Marderosian puts on his best Bon Scott and pumps out the oft-repeated lines “Shake it baby shake it” and “Like a son of a bitch” over fuel and hot asphalt—gritty party rock at its finest. ( www.myspace.com/mardo ) Exit/In —TRACY MOORE
KING’S X It’s bad out there for a band fronted by a gay, left-handed, God-rejecting, soul-singing black bassist, and still King’s X keep on rocking your mind, inside and out. The band arose in 1985 on the fringes of the Jesus Rock movement, its members having filtered through Petra and Phil Keaggy’s band. Built upon the solid Rock, they construct radiant harmonies and swirling guitar textures into an ever-shifting musical frame for Doug Pinnick’s righteous vocals. Lyrically, King’s X are obsessed with God—not the God-is-my-buddy manifestations of contemporary Christianity or the spirituality of the Lilith Fair gang, but God incarnate in Jesus Christ. What separates these gentlemen from the average punker-for-Christ is that they don’t shy away from their doubts and, currently for Pinnick, major unbelief. Don’t let the philosophical pondering give you reason to miss seeing King’s X. For a moment, you will be too busy banging you head to wonder where your ass will spend eternity. ( www.kingsxonline.com) Exit/In —COLLIN WADE MONK
SCISSORMEN There is no direct route from Boston to Highway 61, geographically or musically speaking. Even though Beantown-based Scissormen know where they want to go, namely the blues that blossomed along the famed roadway, they are happy to share in any serendipity that comes their way. A drum and guitar two-man band that can lay down a solid groove, they pile on layer after layer of musical influences until you can’t tell where The Ramones end and Led Zeppelin begins. The sound can get a little murky, but band leader Ted Drozdowski has referred to his guitar as a Ouija board and lets his mojo do the working. He will play slide with an ashtray or old boot, on top of the bar or under the table. Call out a cover tune and they will be happy to oblige, but you may barely recognize what comes back at you from the stage. (www.scissormen.com) Family Wash —COLLIN WADE MONK
THEATER
THE LITTLE PRINCE French author, journalist and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote this classic tale in 1943. On the surface a simple children’s story, many adults claim The Little Prince is actually a profound and deeply moving parable that mixes philosophy with poetic metaphor. Adapted by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, this stage version is being produced by People’s Branch Theatre; Denice Hicks directs and Matthew Carlton stars. Performances are May 18-27 at the Belcourt Theatre. Tickets are available at the Belcourt box office or online at www.belcourt.org/events?id=27908. —MARTIN BRADY
ODD MAN OUT John Holleman and Company continues to embrace the mask-theater form, using both verbal and nonverbal scene work to playfully explore the human condition. This revue of a half-dozen or so shorter pieces gives the troupe a chance to develop some ongoing themes (office life, for instance), and to showcase accompanying musical contributions by local composers. Cast members include Trish Moalla, Wesley Paine, Marin Miller, John Devine, John Early and Andrew Swanson. Performances are May 19-27 at the Darkhorse Theater. For tickets, phone 210-0463. —MARTIN BRADY
COMEDY
THE SPONTANEOUS COMEDY COMPANY This popular local comedy ensemble broke up about seven years ago when its various performers went their separate ways in search of career fulfillment and, in some cases, relocation to larger media centers like Los Angeles. Sketch comedy and improv were SCC’s stock-in-trade; this reunion show will feature nothing but the latter. The actors are Matt Carlton, Carolyn German, Frank Rains, Cooper Thornton and Jackie Welch, with local favorite Jeff Lisenby handling keyboards. There is one show only, 10 p.m. May 20 at Darkhorse Theater. Phone 874-8715 for information. —MARTIN BRADY
ART
“GAMBIT” Curator Beth Gilmore has pulled together another impressive group of local artists to participate in the latest “Gambit” exhibit at Studio SoBro. Always an eclectic show, “Gambit” is a great place to see new art by familiar faces, but also work by artists who show less regularly in Nashville. This version features works by Erin Anfinson, Shane Doling, Richard Feaster, J. Todd Greene, Mary Addison Hackett, Joe Hardwick, Jodi Hays, Rocky Horton, Shana Kohnstamm, Sara La, Mandy Rodgers, Chris Scarborough, Hans Schmitt–Matzen, Kelly Williams and Lain York. “Gambit” is a one-night-only event, 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 19 at Studio SoBro, 524B Third Ave. S. —JOE NOLAN
DANNY GREENE: “MONSTERS” One of several grassroots art groups in Murfreesboro, Hive presents a one-night show of works by Greene, who has shown previously at exhibits by the D6 group and Secret Show. As the title suggests, Greene draws monsters, mostly comic and playful, in a fluid, painterly style. The exhibit is from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 18 at 322 N. Maney Ave. in Murfreesboro. —DAVID MADDOX
BROTHER MEL A member of the Marianist brotherhood, Mel brings his creative ministry to Music City for a “One Man Festival of Art” at The Arts Company. This new exhibit features a wide variety of work, from Mel’s decorative still-life paintings to his handmade, sculptural paper collages. The show opens with a Salon Saturday reception, 2 to 6 p.m. May 20; stop by and wish Mel a happy 78th birthday. The exhibit runs through June 9. —JOE NOLAN
JULIE PÜTTGEN: “VOLCANO SERIES” These new paintings and drawings by this self-proclaimed “longtime Buddhist practitioner and onetime nun” embrace the natural and spiritual worlds. Atlanta artist Püttgen renders the volcano in images both illustrative and realistic, drawing inspiration from graffiti, photography, cartography, cartoons and the fine arts. Her work will be augmented by interactive volcano structures that “erupt,” created by area schoolchildren. The exhibit opens at Ruby Green gallery with an artist reception, 6 to 9 p.m May 20, and runs through July 1. —ARMON MEANS
VITUS SHELL: “SOCIALLY HANDICAP” Shell, an up-and-coming black artist in Memphis, is a member of the NIA collective (“nia” means “with purpose” in Swahili), whose members can be counted on for interesting work. Shell’s art often includes images of black men and women from an earlier era, dressed in dignified clothes that could be their Sunday finest. He renders the figures somewhat indistinctly, increasing the sense that they are emissaries or memories of a shared past. His Tennessee Arts Commission show will address the psychology of skin color among blacks around the world, with particular reference to the “brown paper bag test,” which was used to distinguish people with skin color light enough to be considered fit for the upper echelons of African American society. Shell is concerned with the way the harmful remnants of that stratification “continue to invade our consciousness through modern mediums.” The exhibit runs through June 23; there will be a reception for the artist from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. —DAVID MADDOX
“EAST OF CENTER: A BENEFIT FOR EAST ACADEMY” The artists of the Plowhaus cooperative have teamed up with students from East Academy to create the works on display at this benefit for the school’s Fine Arts program. “By working with the children in our community we hope to open their eyes to the arts,” says Plowhaus executive director Franne Lee, “so when they grow up, they will continue to discover and support the arts and possibly become artists themselves,” This family-friendly event will also feature the East Academy Chorus and the Improv Nashville comedy troupe. The benefit takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20 at Plowhaus. —JOE NOLAN
WHITNEY FERRE: “TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING—THINGS I LOVE” In the 10 years since she opened The Creative Fitness Center—a do-it-yourself, studio/art education space in the 12 South neighborhood—Ferré has never had a solo show in Nashville. A self-taught artist, she creates paintings that reflect the just-do-it enthusiasm she has inspired in so many students over the years, including a group of women from Magdalene House, whose work will also be displayed in this exhibit at The Art House, the space Ferré opened with Christy Shuff in 2002. An opening reception will be held from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, May 20. A portion of the show’s sales will go to support Magdalene House. —JOE NOLAN
BOOKS
MARK BOWDEN The subtitle of Guests of the Ayatollah, Mark Bowden’s exhaustively researched account of the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 and 1980, is The First Battle in America’s War With Militant Islam. This statement may be redundant, because the seeds of our current troubles in Iraq, not to mention our growing conflict with Iran, are evident on virtually each of the book’s 680 pages. The storming of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by young Islamic zealots led to 444 days of captivity for 66 American hostages, diplomatic dead ends based on failed U.S. intelligence, a disastrous attempt at a military solution and a still-growing culture of instantaneous media hype fueling major policy decisions. As with his best seller Black Hawk Down, the author deftly weaves hundreds of interviews into scenes that place the reader in the midst of the conflict. Bowden reads at 4 p.m. May 24 at Montgomery Bell Academy’s Pfeffer Hall, and at Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 6 p.m. that evening. Both events are free and open to the public. —MICHAEL RAY TAYLOR
PAT EMBRY/RACHEL LAWSON So you think you know where to get Music City’s best hot chicken, matzoh-ball soup or burger, huh? Prepare to match wits (and guts) with Where the Locals Eat—Nashville, a new Magellan Press guidebook to the city’s finest foods, compiled by youthful, vigorous veteran editor Pat Embry and you-name-it chef Rachel Lawson. To bolster their claims, they host a book signing and tasting 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Davis-Kidd, featuring samplings from Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, Rotier’s, Swett’s, La Hacienda, Jimmy Kelly’s and more. Take that last corncake or medium breast sandwich, and I’ll kill you. —JIM RIDLEY
FILM
BETTIE PAGE LOOKALIKE CONTEST Sharp black bangs? Check. Bustier? Check. Whip? Get one! Blondes may have more fun every other night of the year, but brunettes rule this weekend at the Belcourt, where the gangbusters turnout for The Notorious Bettie Page has prompted another parade of lovelies. If you resemble the Nashville-bred bombshell in the slightest, you’ve got a shot at winning Friday night’s Bettie Page Lookalike Contest and getting a year’s worth of free movies in the bargain. The pageant precedes the 7 p.m. show Friday; call 846-3150 for more information. —JIM RIDLEY
I AM A SEX ADDICT This sly, original comedy-drama is the first movie ever to screen in Nashville by San Francisco filmmaker Caveh Zahedi (A Little Stiff), who’s perhaps best known as an animated talking head in Richard Linklater’s Waking Life. The writer-director-star mixes autobiography and fiction in describing his sexual obsession with prostitutes and the toll it took on his many relationships: he juxtaposes home-movie footage of his actual girlfriends with dramatic reenactments, addressing and sometimes undermining the idea of subjective truth. The movie begins a short run at the Belcourt Saturday; see the review, and check out Zahedi’s blog at www.cavehzahedi.com . —JIM RIDLEY
THE DA VINCI CODE I had no idea this was coming out already. I just heard about the book last week! In this interesting companion piece to Art School Confidential, Tom Hanks searches for clues to a centuries-old religious conspiracy in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, sort of like how second-graders scour pictures looking for Waldo. The Ron Howard thriller starts Friday, along with the digital cartoon Over the Hedge; a review will appear on the Scene website at www.nashvillescene.com —JIM RIDLEY
L’ENFANT (THE CHILD) A white-knuckle thriller of ethical crisis, this is the most accessible film to date from two of the world’s great filmmakers, Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Rosetta). Looking for an easy score, a teenage delinquent (Jérémie Renier) makes a terrible transaction with no sense of its repercussions or implications; in what is essentially real time, he must try to undo the act. Somehow the Dardennes even manage to pull off a near-impossibility in today’s cinema: an edge-of-your-seat car chase. The film opens Friday at Green Hills; see the capsule review in our Movie Listings and a longer piece on our website at www.nashvillescene.com . —JIM RIDLEY