Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Visual Art 'Freedom Cloth' and 'Life and Death of the Moonshine Man': Two Great Works by Thornton Dial at the Frist
Posted by Laura Hutson on Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 11:23 AM
I wrote a review of the Frist's Creation Story exhibit in this week's Scene, which you can read right here. In it, I give a brief history of Thornton Dial's work, including the 1993 appearance on 60 Minutes that almost derailed his career.
But even briefer is my description of two of my favorite pieces of art that I've seen at the Frist all year: "Freedom Cloth" and "Life and Death of the Moonshine Man." There simply wasn't room to fit all the weird details, the similarities between the work and Billy Tripp's Mindfield in West Tennessee, or the way the work has this magical trash heap quality that I was reminded of at a Beasts of the Southern Wild screening. Luckily, the Internet has plenty of room for all of this, plus a bunch of photos I took of both the sculptures when the exhibit first opened. Check those out below, and see the show — it's up through September 4.
Film Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers To Premiere at Venice Film Festival
Posted by Steve Haruch on Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 10:14 AM
So good news: We now know Breakers will be in competition at this summer's Venice Film Festival, where it will compete with 16 other films, including Brian De Palma's Passion, Terrence Malick's To the Wonder and Spike Lee's Bad 25.
In case you haven't heard, or missed Jonathan Durbin's piece for Interview in May, the film stars Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine (relation) as a gang of college students on spring break (duh) who rob a fast-food restaurant to fund their wildness, and James Franco as a cornrow-sporting arms dealer who I'm guessing is somewhat odd.
More info on the VFF lineup here — try not to have a drink to your lips when you read the words "Shia LaBeouf."
Film Master Music Supervisor Randall Poster at Belcourt Via Skype Aug. 9
Posted by Jim Ridley on Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 9:36 AM
For credit geeks like me, Randall Poster is one of those unsung film professionals whose name on a movie all but guarantees you're going to see something interesting. As a music supervisor, he's overseen everything from the sonic timeline that bum-rushes David Fincher's Zodiac through the 1970s to the credible Music Row ready-mades of Country Strong. He's also built ongoing creative partnerships with directors whose movies are unimaginable without the soundtracks Poster helped assemble: Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, Harmony Korine (with whom he's worked from the Korine-scripted Kids and Gummo to the upcoming Spring Breakers).
Perhaps his most striking work has been with writer-director Wes Anderson, dating back to 1998's Rushmore and its brashly twee assemblage of British Invasion-era nuggets. The soundtracks Poster has put together for Anderson's films are more than just accompaniment: they're extensions of the protagonists' psyches and the movies' sensibilities — like the way Nico's "These Days" synchs up with Margot Tenenbaum's slow-motion despondence, or glam-era Bowie captures the exploratory spirit of The Life Aquatic's Steve Zissou.
On Thursday, Aug. 9, via Skype, The Belcourt will feature a live Q&A with Poster, who'll discuss his work with Anderson on the current Moonrise Kingdom — a movie that benefits immensely from a Poster-supervised soundtrack with Benjamin Britten and Hank Williams as its twin poles. If you haven't seen Moonrise Kingdom yet, you may be alone: It's still in the box-office Top 10 after more than two months in release, and it's on its way to the most successful run in Belcourt history. So let this be the push that gets you off the couch.
Culture Listen to What DeMain Says: Walkin' Nashville a Music Tour You Shouldn't Miss
Posted by Jack Silverman on Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 8:20 AM
You see, DeMain’s just as talented a music journalist as he is a musician, and he’s contributed stories to MOJO, Classic Rock, Performing Songwriter, Mental Floss and Entertainment Weekly. Bottom line: The man lives and breathes music, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of country, pop and rock history.
Which is why his latest venture, Walkin’ Nashville, has us so excited. During this 90-minute walking tour of downtown Nashville, DeMain will share behind-the-scenes anecdotes about many Nashville country legends, and even take you to locations where some of them transpired. Find out the stories behind the creation of timeless classics like the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” Jim Reeves’ “Four Walls,” Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and many more.
And expect a healthy dose of wry humor: This is the same guy behind The Sterling Huck Letters, a hilarious collection of prank letters to various companies, and the responses they generated. (Case in point: A letter to Bekins Van Lines asking if they’d move his grandmother-in-law’s favorite chair from Nashville to Reno, Nev. — with her in it.) Walkin’ Nashville is a no-brainer for music tourists, but also the perfect staycation treat for locals.
Adults are $16, ages 4-11 $10, 3 and under free. Click here for tickets.
Fashion Take That, Taxman! What You Can (and Can't) Buy This Tax-Free Weekend
Posted by Abby White on Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 5:45 AM
In case you didn't know, this weekend is Tax-Free Weekend in Tennessee. Officially known as the Sales Tax Holiday, this annual event is meant to give back-to-schoolers a bit of a break as they (or, rather, their parents) gather supplies for the upcoming school year. Hence, there are restrictions as to what is available sans tax.
According to the state's Department of Revenue, the tax-free holiday weekend begins at 12:01 a.m on Friday, Aug. 3, and ends Sunday, Aug. 5, at 11:59 p.m. Items that are included are as follows:
Monday, July 30, 2012
Visual Art 10 Questions for Brent Stewart [Artist of the Month]
Posted by Laura Hutson on Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 4:19 PM
What's the last show that you saw?
Lain York at Zeitgeist gallery. Lain's one of the remaining troubadours of the original Nashville art scene from back in the days of the Fugitive Art, alongside a few others including Patrick DeGuira.
Comedy Nate Bargatze Free Ticket Giveaway!
Posted by Laura Hutson on Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 10:44 AM
It's been almost a month since we told you that Nate Bargatze was headlining tonight's Friends and Friends comedy show, and we're still just as excited about it as we were then. In fact, we might even be more excited, because we've got a pair of tickets to give away — and those tickets are free. All you've got to do is figure out what the "V" on Nate's hat stands for. Hint: Something more hilarious than "Vanderbilt" and cleverer than "Vagina." Please.
The show's at 8 p.m. tonight at High Watt. Check the Facebook event page to see if any of your friends are going. If we like your V-word the best, you'll go for free! Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field — we won't publish your address, but we'll need it in order to contact you.
Film The Late Shift: Ghostbusters
Posted by Lance Conzett on Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 5:00 AM
When I arrived at The Belcourt on Saturday night for the theater's second midnight screening of Ghostbusters, I was greeted outside the lobby by an enormous inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The (ultimately kinda pathetic) avatar of Zuul's destruction was swarmed by a gaggle of Ghostbusters — all decked out in loose-fitting brown jumpsuits, blinking proton packs and at least one Slimer puppet. The Tennessee Ghostbusters were out in force and I think it's safe to say that I was in no way prepared for the scene that awaited me in front of the theater.
It isn't so much that I didn't think a regional Ghostbusters syndicate could exist, it's more that I didn't think it would exist. Going into Ghostbusters on Saturday night, I couldn't help but question if Ghostbusters was still “a thing” in the way that it was a pop-culture phenomenon in the 1980s and early 1990s.
And honestly? I'm still not sure if it is.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Fashion Pool Party?
Posted by Abby White on Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 5:03 PM
The bad news is that it's still really freaking hot outside. The good news is, it's almost August, so we're kind of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
At this point, we're tired of seeing Facebook posts displaying car temperature readings of 110+ degrees, and we're really tired of trying to make ourselves look slightly presentable when makeup instantly slides off our faces and all of our clothing smells like sweat.
So, pool party, anyone? In addition to sharing some of my favorite swimsuit suggestions below, I'd like to recommend a product that is homegrown in Nashville. Roux Maison makes eco-friendly laundry detergent sourced from 100-percent natural essential oils, packaged in BPA-free bottles. The detergent, which is available in intriguing scents such as Ambrosia and Sweet Tea (or Fragrance-Free, for those of you who don't want to smell like a Southern picnic), comes in multiple formulas for all of your dirty laundry needs.
Visual Art / Books Comment Here! Did You Read/Love/Hate/Feel Indifferent Toward Air Guitar, by Dave Hickey? [Art Book Club]
Posted by Laura Hutson on Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 3:09 PM
I've long looked for an art writer who could do with art what Sarah Vowell does with history — crafting stories that are personal and informative, but above all INTERESTING. In fact, I've been searching for so long that it's a little embarrassing that I've only just discovered Dave Hickey, who is basically the apex of the type of writing that I can't get enough of. He's well-informed, but he doesn't tell dry versions of past events. He considers ideas in new and totally relevant ways, then questions them, reconsiders them, and spins them out again with a personal anecdote that will make you why you'd never thought of it before. And his writing is powerful — well-structured sentences and really tight rhythmic wording that never seems to try too hard to be beautiful.
