On Saturday, Nashville’s last historic neighborhood theater (built in 1925) celebrates its reprieve from the parking-lot gallows with a full-scale birthday party, complete with cake, champagne, music and movies. For the family, there’s a 35mm print of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Wonka candies for sale in the lobby; bring your own Oompa-Loompas. And the theater concludes its summer salute to Robert Altman with a special screening and post-film discussion of his still controversial Nashville. The weekend’s birthday festivities also include Friday night’s concert with Ricky Skaggs, whose bluegrass commandos can whip speed-metal demons half their age, and Sunday’s Vaudeville in the Village. (See picks below for more on Nashville, Skaggs, Vaudeville in the Village and other events this week at the Belcourt.) For more information, call the theater at 846-3150.

—J.R.

Picks by Todd Anderson, Martin Brady, Chris Davis, Paul Griffith, MiChelle Jones, Margaret Renkl, Noel Murray, Jim Ridley, Jack Silverman, Ben Taylor, Angela Wibking and Ron Wynn.

Thursday, 20th

The Eskimos The 2001 debut album by this earthy Athens foursome was an impressive synthesis of chugging, Band-style rock and post-Stereolab production technique. For the follow-up, Something Must Be Transmitted Somehow, The Eskimos filter out some of their eclecticism and crank up the bash factor, approaching almost every song with the same vigorous combination of bounce, crunch and studio-aided vocal whine. The single-mindedness works, mainly because The Eskimos’ sing-along songwriting remains strong, and because the ever-pumping sound of the record creates a feeling of unstoppable, bullheaded force. Don’t miss one of the best young rock acts in the Southeast at The End.

—N.M.

Grand Champeen These Austin brat-punks work some scruffy twang into their pop-rock minimalism, proving that they have more of an affinity with The Replacements and Uncle Tupelo than they do with Green Day (even if their sound often comes out like a Southwestern version of the latter). Grand Champeen’s main distinguishing features are their restless energy and the lyrics of bandleader Channing Lewis, who favors passion and personal expression in the best punk/indie tradition. The most talked-about song on their debut Battle Cry for Help (and justly so) is “Broken Records,” in which Lewis lists some of the highlights of his record collection—Let It Be, Let It Bleed, On the Beach, Gilded Palace of Sin, Heaven Tonight and The Kids Are Alright. Grand Champeen may still be figuring things out, but their minds are clearly in the right place. They should be blazing at Springwater.

—N.M.

Steve Earle & The Dukes A couple of years ago, Earle and the Dukes headlined Uptown Mix on one of the most notoriously muggy nights in Nashville history; rarely had just standing outside produced such sweat and dehydration. Nevertheless, Earle led his band in a marathon show replete with crowd favorites, so be prepared for a long set, even if his appearance at Dancin’ in the District falls on another hot night in June. Earle and company will be playing in support of his latest album, Sidetracks, an odds and sods collection that contains several cuts from soundtracks, as well as covers of Nirvana’s “Breed” and The Slickers’ reggae chestnut “Johnny Too Bad.” Four other roots-based acts will join Earle on the bill, most notably Saddlesong and the D.C.-based Last Train Home; both bands are in hot pursuit of major label deals.

—B.T.

Friday, 21st

The Prophecy Collective/Crack Smokin Hooker Orlando’s Prophecy Collective, with its live-band augmentation and effects-laden spectacle, is the nominal headliner of this dusk-till-dawn dance blowout at the new club Transit in Cummins Station. But local folks will likely turn out for a rare live show by Crack Smokin Hooker, the studio project of DJ Terry Grant, who hosts the Friday-night All Good edition of Johny Jackson’s Soul Satisfaction upstairs at the Cantina. The Crack Smokin Hooker CD has flaws endemic to superstar-DJ workouts—namely, it’s sprawling, indulgent and uneven. But whenever Grant locks into an old-school groove of waterbed bass and chicken-scratch guitar, or yokes his echoey found-sound collages to skittering amphetamine beats, it’s easy to see why he has a following on the ever-expanding local dance scene. Featured guests include Dave Apuzzo, Gianna Lavarda, Joey Gotee, Chip B and many others; the party starts at 9 p.m. and lasts until 8 the next morning. For more information, call 255-0333.

—J.R.

The Warlocks w/Chris Crofton & The Alcohol Stuntband The Warlocks—who share a name with an early incarnation of the Grateful Dead—wear ’60s influences (the Velvets, Floyd) on their sleeves, yet never come off as posturing revivalists. The eight-member band are adept at the whole of post-’60s psychedelia—everything from up-tempo beat rock and extended jams that actually go somewhere to lysergic drum battles and pastoral cool-downs. Also on the bill are Chris Crofton and his hard-driving Alcohol Stuntband, a group that called the bluffs of a couple of Memphis alt-country acts the other night at Springwater. Head to The End and live in the now.

—C.D.

Ricky Skaggs Skaggs, who’s had 12 No. 1 country singles and won nearly as many Grammy and CMA awards, has lately become something of an elder statesman in bluegrass circles; at this point in his career, it’s safe to call the neo-trad standard-bearer a music pioneer. Skaggs and his blistering band, Kentucky Thunder, should sound glorious in the heritage-soaked confines of the Belcourt Theatre.

—P.G.

Lori Mechem Trio featuring Tony Kerr Vocalist Kerr has yet to make a name for himself in local jazz circles, but his mastery of pop standards and torch songs should soon rectify that situation. Backing Kerr will be a trio led by pianist Lori Mechem. They’ll be appearing at Cafe 123.

—R.W.

The Features/Jetpack/The Obscure Having Jetpack and The Obscure on the same bill makes for a study in contrasts. The Obscure are messy and desperate, their meaty songs complicated by their almost complete inability to rein in their enthusiasm. Lately, however, they’ve been pulling off the impossible—performing live renditions of their songs that surpass their studio recordings in terms of energy and craft. Just the opposite are Jetpack, a studied group of pop-rockers who are soft-spoken and largely impersonal onstage. It’s doubtful that we’ll see them flopping around à la The Obscure’s Mike Gogola, but who knows? Maybe Mike will be kind enough to help them out when they play together at 12th & Porter. The two bands open for The Features, a force unto themselves.

—T.A.

Duane Jarvis & Los Flacos A stinging guitarist and underrated songwriter/ bandleader, Jarvis got a well-deserved break on the soundtrack of The Rookie, this year’s hit sleeper starring Dennis Quaid. So there’s even less reason these days for him to leave his beloved East Nashville for Music Row’s side of the river. Jarvis plays songs from last year’s Certified Miracle at Slow Bar, where he’ll open for Faulkner scholar and honky-tonker Florence Dore; see the article on Dore on p. 29.

—J.R.

Brian Wilson Birthday Celebration Guitar hero Steve Cropper, Sixpence None the Richer’s Leigh Nash, DC Talk’s Kevin Max, Kate Campbell and Robert Reynolds are among the Nashville musicians paying homage to the Beach Boys’ creative genius in honor of his 60th birthday. Not only will they appear at a Tower Records celebration starting at 6 p.m., they also perform on a tribute CD humbly entitled Making God Smile: An Artists’ Tribute to the Songs of Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Released on Steve West’s new Silent Planet label, the CD hits stores Thursday on Wilson’s actual birthday.

—J.R.

Pikadori This Pittsburgh quartet just released an eponymous CD on Hope Records, but their calling card is a thrashy live show that routinely packs basement clubs at home. Pikadori will be joined by Somerset, Ky.’s The Breather Resistance and veteran Middle Tennessee indie rockers Serotonin and Chester at the Red Rose Coffee House in Murfreesboro.

Saturday, 22nd

J.U.M.P. Presents the 2nd Annual Jefferson Street Jazz & Blues Festival It’s hard to go wrong with this lineup of local talent convened by the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnerships. The bill includes Marion James (“Nashville’s Queen of the Blues”), ace guitarists/vocalists James “Nick” Nixon and Johnny Jones, the Jefferson Street Blues Band with Deford Bailey Jr., Bourbon Street Blues perennial Stacy Mitchhart and Carissia, the Empress of R&B. The show, which takes place on Jefferson Street between 26th and 27th avenues, will get under way at noon. Call 726-5867 for more details.

—R.W.

Snowglobe Carrying the same spirit of mind-blowing DIY overproduction as the Elephant 6 Recording Collective (whose records, if you can handle this, they claim to have “listened to in high school”), this Memphis combo also maintain a connection to the rock/soul/country nexus that is their hometown. Snowglobe’s debut LP, Our Land Brains, builds strong roots-rock-worthy songs into semi-psychedelic happenings without losing track of the core qualities of melody, structure and clarity. Their outstanding compositions should translate well live at Red Rose Coffee House & Bistro.

—N.M.

Kristi Rose & Pulp Country Showing off “new songs, new stories and a new dress,” Nashville’s swan of the saloons belts out hillbilly tunes at the Radio Cafe with a whoop-ass band: hubbie and musical jack-of-all-trades Fats Kaplin, Maxwell Schauf, Dave Jacques and Jack Silverman. If the 9:30 p.m. show is past your bedtime (snicker), head over to Hillsboro Village’s TAG Gallery for Rose’s early-evening set at the “Sop ’n’ Dip” art opening, billed as “rural art for city folk.” Your reward: acoustic duets with fellow East Nashvillian and Red Wagon Cafe co-owner Paul Burch.

—J.R.

Stack Magic This Nashville foursome sound ready to elbow their way onto modern-rock radio with their new six-song EP: The band steer proficiently from power balladry to near-metal, and the record packs the kind of sonic punch you’d associate with million-dollar advances and A&R men liberally frosting the console with coke. That’s an achievement of sorts, but the group’s personality is pretty much camouflaged by the production’s Teflon coating. Now flanked by bassist Royal Reed, from the cast of the Broadway musical The Civil War, the band play a CD release party at 12th & Porter with Hurricane Mills Revival.

—J.R.

Character/Lifeboy/Verde Beloved local dream-poppers Lifeboy return for a show at The End with related instrumental project Character and purveyors of lo-fi indie melodicism, Verde.

Some Awful Bridge Perhaps the most puckish and experimental rock act in town, these trippy game-players celebrate the release of their latest sure-to-be-confounding CD at Springwater.

Baby Stout’s Summertime Cavalcade Of Stars Rebecca Stout hosts this night at Slow Bar devoted to funk, rap, rock and punk alchemists, including her own band Baby Stout.

Sunday, 23rd

Corey Harris Harris has never been comfortable with the notion that he’s a youthful relic, even if he is a gifted exponent of vintage Delta and country blues. His latest album, Downhome Sophisticate, not only shatters that preconception; it also demonstrates Harris’ range as a writer and performer—as well as how contemporary he sounds regardless of context. Harris will headline WRLT’s Nashville Sunday Night 7:30 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley.

—R.W.

Vaudeville in the Village “Carnival Freak Show in the Village” might be a more appropriate billing for the latest installment of the Belcourt Theatre’s multifarious monthly performance series. Self-described “Faulknerian idiot-manchildren” The Legendary Shack♦Shakers will headline and host the June conclave, which will also feature self-impaler Sideshow Benny and singer-songwriter Holly Williams. (How’d she fall in with this crowd?) Add a few corn dogs, a calliope and storm clouds on the horizon, and the proceedings are sure to smack of the second coming of Blue Velvet. A must-see event for fans of Nashville’s seedy underbelly.

—J.S.

A Study In Her It’s easy to start a record label and not release anything; it’s a whole lot harder to start a label and put out quality records from virtually unknown bands. Honest in Secret, the label run by former Murfreesboro residents Brooksie Edmonson and Andrew Seward, does just that. First it was Seward’s band, Kill Devil Hills. Now the label has released Dialogic by A Study in Her, an IDM record from a former member of DC rock group Jenhitt. The album’s tracks are minimal and spacey, their sparse atmosphere giving way to mesmerizing electronic textures and voices. A Study in Her play at the Red Rose Coffee House.

—T.A.

The Gypsy Hombres They’re known for their proficiency playing the “hot” jazz of the ’20s and early ’30s, but the Gypsy Hombres’ musical references have always been more far-reaching than that billing might suggest. The trio can handle everything from country and swing to pop and rock with equal facility. They’ll be at F. Scott’s.

—R.W.

Monday, 24th

Nicky G’s Jubilee A cool scene has been developing at the Corner Pub in Green Hills. Every Monday night, Nick Govrik of the band Highwater and several of his friends have been treating the bar’s growing crowd to tightly improvised arrangements of blues and R&B classics. Dubbing their confab “Nicky G’s Jubilee,” singer/bassist Govrik and Highwater drummer Trey Landry have recently been joined by such roadhouse vets as sax and harmonica player Jim Hoke, guitarists Rob McNelly and Mike Durham, steel guitarist Tommy Hannum and saxophonist Dennis Taylor. Combined with Mike Henderson’s gut-bucket house gig across the street at the Bluebird, this gathering actually makes Green Hills a pretty soulful place to be—at least on Monday nights.

—P.G.

Tuesday, 25th

Owen Temple Temple gave up a prosperous career as a financial analyst to become a singer-songwriter. He hails from Texas but recorded his new album, Right Here and Now, in Nashville with Buddy Miller cohort Phil Madeira as producer and locals like Greg Trooper, Al Perkins and Fats Kaplin lending a hand. Temple will do a 5 p.m. in-store at the Tower Records on West End; later that evening, he’ll be performing as part of Billy Block’s Western Beat Bon Voyage Party at Exit/In.

Forget Cassettes Comprised of two members of the defunct Fair Verona, Forget Cassettes largely shed the heavy grunge sound of their previous band in favor of emotionally charged melodies. Clean and precise, the guitar and drums sometimes recall the urgency of Unrest. Beth Cameron’s voice might, on first blush, remind you of one of the women in Sleater-Kinney, but she’s got her own style. Forget Cassettes play Tuesday at Slow Bar, and they also take part in Daniel Tashian’s 12 at 12th Monday night at 12th and Porter.

—T.A.

Wednesday, 26th

Local 429 This fledgling local folk-rock duo, opening for The Bees at Slow Bar, have a whispery, hypnotic sound clearly influenced by Leonard Cohen and the lengthy, epic side of Bob Dylan. Their music is imaginative and winning, but their lyrics and vocals are a bit too spot-on, showing too much fannish replication and not enough original personality. Still, they’ve got promise.

—N.M.

Bering Strait This hot new country band from Russia are a tough act to peg. Flashing chops that recall the New Grass Revival and Nickel Creek, yet citing influences ranging from Whitney Houston and Garth Brooks to Marcus Miller and Jesus Christ Superstar, Bering Strait certainly seem poised to shake things up on Music Row. It’d sure be something if their recording of “Porushka-Paranya” made its way onto radio playlists. Bering Strait play a showcase at 12th & Porter.

Film

Nashville The highpoint of Hollywood filmmaking in the 1970s, or the ultimate in carpetbagger condescension? Opinion is still divided over Robert Altman’s 1975 tapestry of Bicentennial-bound America—a masterpiece, in our estimation. Hear a panel of fans, detractors and Music Row notables continue the debate Saturday evening at the Belcourt, following the afternoon matinee. The moderator is WSMV anchor Demetria Kalodimos, whose documentary Injurious George was a hit at last weekend’s Nashville Independent Film Festival. Panelists include retired Tennessean critic Gene Wyatt (who was one of the film’s few local champions when it was first released), myself and music publisher Charlie “The Mayor of Music Row” Monk—whose hilarious and oft-expressed hatred of the movie hasn’t dimmed after almost three decades. For more information, call the theater at 846-3150.

—J.R.

Joe Christ A disciple of the “cinema of transgression” practiced by Richard Kern and Nick Zedd, confrontational filmmaker Christ has emptied more theaters than bomb threats. His notorious 1988 film “Communion in Room 410,” 20 torturous minutes of unfaked self-mutilation and blood-drinking, is an endurance test even for people who beat their chests sitting through the likes of Cannibal Holocaust and Nekromantik—perhaps because its matter-of-fact extremity is so grubbily real. A former Manhattanite relocated to Knoxville, Christ has been touring with My Struggle, a sort-of Amish-fixated Pink Flamingos. He’ll show some of his work at Some Awful Bridge’s CD release party Saturday at Springwater, sponsored by The TAG magazine.

—J.R.

Renegade Independent Film Festival You’ve seen the NIFF; now meet the RIFF, a collective of Nashville filmmakers taking over the Belcourt 7 p.m. Thursday for a one-night showcase of their work. Among the seven scheduled films are David Van Hooser’s “Scene of the Crime,” Zac Adams’ “True Love” and organizer Mark Naccarato’s “The Crusader.”

—J.R.

“High Noon at Midnight” For everyone who couldn’t get into the sold-out Nashville filmmakers’ showcase at the NIFF two weeks ago, filmmakers Travis Nicholson and Blake McClure screen their 20-minute short Tuesday at the Belcourt at 8 and 9 p.m. Watch for familiar faces from the local music scene, including Kieran Kane and Malcolm Holcombe. Also screening is “Tom,” an 8-minute short by young Middle Tennessee filmmakers Jake and Jamon Orrall and Ben Flynn-Goodlett. The film was scheduled to show during the NIFF’s recent showcase for teen and preteen filmmakers, but a transferring snafu robbed them of their screening; For more information, e-mail dbmfilm@cs.com.

—J.R.

Minority Report Another summertime blast of heady science fiction from Steven Spielberg, here adapting a short story by the paranoiac visionary Philip K. Dick. Tom Cruise plays a futuristic policeman on the run for a crime he hasn’t even committed yet—although psychics claim to foresee his guilt. The film starts Friday; see the review in our Movie Guide on p. 71, along with reviews of Windtalkers, The Bourne Identity and more. Also opening Friday: the Disney comedy Lilo & Stitch.

—J.R.

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys In 1970s Savannah, two Catholic schoolboys (Kieran Culkin and Emile Hirsch) graduate from dirty comic books to a major retaliation against their school’s stern disciplinarians—including nun Jodie Foster, who produced this film version of Chris Fuhrman’s cult novel. Featuring animated sequences by Todd McFarlane, the movie opens Friday.

—J.R.

Theater

Six Degrees of Separation After dedicating the last year to establishing itself as a major local resource for musical theater, The Boiler Room Theatre will venture forth into straight nonmusical fare when it presents the Nashville area’s first professional production of Six Degrees of Separation. This comic and fast-paced play—winner of the 1990 New York Drama Critics Outer Circle Award and later filmed in 1993—will open June 21 for a run through July 20 at the Factory at Franklin. John Guare’s play deals with a variety of issues, including family, social status, prejudice and self-discovery. The drama is based on the true story of a young African American con artist who insinuates himself into the lives of a wealthy New York couple by telling them he is the son of actor Sidney Poitier. Corbin Green directs a cast that includes Kazu Hishida and Laura Green.

—M.B.

Art

The Parthenon There are still no words to describe Sept. 11, 2001. But there are pictures, as “Words Fail,” a moving exhibit of photographs by New Yorker Richard Law, demonstrates. Law was teaching at a secondary school in Brooklyn when word came of planes crashing into the World Trade Center. Rushing to the roof of his school, Law captured a view of the smoking towers from across the river. His most powerful images, however, were shot over the days that followed, as frantic family members posted makeshift signs in an effort to locate loved ones missing since the attack. It’s not a place in time to which we may want to return, but it is a place from which, as these photos remind us, there is no turning away. In the Parthenon exhibit, some of Law’s photos will be posted on a simulated brick wall, deepening the reality. Meet the artist and talk with him about his experiences at the opening reception, 5-7 p.m. June 22.

—A.W.

Frist Center The Frist offers two refreshing summer art shows, both opening June 22. “Vital Forms: American Art and Design in the Atomic Age, 1940-1960” presents 218 objects that illustrate a movement by artists and designers during the 1940s and 1950s toward a softer, more organic style. Objects range from a huge abstract painting by Willem DeKooning to a 1959 Predicta television. The other summer show is an installation by Japanese artist Rie Oishi, a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee. The installation combines helium-filled balloons with other elusive phenomena, such as video projections of shadows cast by rain.

—A.W.

Jennifer Quigley’s $199 & Under Art Sale The 2002 version of Quigley’s annual clearance sale takes place 8 to 11 p.m. June 20 at the Slow Bar in East Nashville. Sympathizing with the commoner’s plight of not being able to afford the often prohibitive cost of original artwork, the prolific Nashville artist—who works in a number of media and always seems to be exhibiting in three galleries simultaneously—is providing an opportunity to get into the art world cheap! Browse the reasonably priced works to the ethereal alt-country trancedelia of Ole Mossy Face’s Casey Sanders and Mason Vickery.

—J.S.

TAG Art Gallery TAG presents its“First Annual Southern Sop ’n’ Dip:Rural Art for City Folk,” in which the gallery hosts a group exhibit of local and regional artists who focus on country music and backwoods-hillbilly chic. If you love a little kitsch with your culture, this is the show you’ve been waiting for. Pull on your overalls and head to the opening reception, 6-9 p.m. June 22.

—A.W.

Reading & Writing

Melissa Sanders-Self Debut novelist Melissa Sanders-Self renders another fictional version of the 19th century Bell Witch, Tennessee’s most famous poltergeist. This one offers a very modern if not entirely innovative theory about the ghost’s motivations for plaguing Robertson County farmer John Bell and his 13-year-old daughter, Betsy. Less thriller than historical fiction, the novel draws a convincing portrait of rural life in 1820 and of an all-too-familiar family dynamic that is more pernicious than any ghost. Sanders-Self reads from All That Lives: A Novel of the Bell Witch at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 6 p.m. June 24.

—M.R.

Thom Rutledge Fear is a hot topic, but local psychotherapist Rutledge wasn’t trying to be trendy when he wrote his latest book, Embracing Fear and Finding the Courage to Live Your Life. Helping patients confront fear is what he does for a living. And while self-help books don’t always do the trick, Rutledge’s characterizations of good fear vs. bad fear as competing (though not necessarily equal) people are not only intriguing, but entertaining as well. Rutledge discusses his book 6 p.m. June 25 at Davis-Kidd Booksellers.

—M.J.

Robert L. Gibson & Taylor H. Wang Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years features the kind of glorious photos one expects from space books, as well as informal shots of life onboard. Written by Gibson and Wang, contributors to Air & Space and Smithsonian magazines, and comprised of personal accounts by shuttle crew members, the quick-read essays cover Mir, the Challenger disaster and more. Dr. Wang, a physicist, was a payload specialist aboard a 1985 Challenger flight. Robert Gibson, a graduate of the Navy’s “Topgun” program, flew five shuttle missions and now lives in Murfreesboro. The duo appear 6 p.m. June 26 at Davis-Kidd.

—M.J.

Frist Center The Frist offers two refreshing summer art shows, both opening June 22. “Vital Forms: American Art and Design in the Atomic Age, 1940-1960” presents 218 objects that illustrate a movement by artists and designers during the 1940s and 1950s toward a softer, more organic style. Objects range from a huge abstract painting by Willem DeKooning to a 1959 Predicta television. The other summer show is an installation by Japanese artist Rie Oishi, a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee. The installation combines helium-filled balloons with other elusive phenomena, such as video projections of shadows cast by rain.

—A.W.

Jennifer Quigley’s $199 & Under Art Sale The 2002 version of Quigley’s annual clearance sale takes place 8 to 11 p.m. June 20 at the Slow Bar in East Nashville. Sympathizing with the commoner’s plight of not being able to afford the often prohibitive cost of original artwork, the prolific Nashville artist—who works in a number of media and always seems to be exhibiting in three galleries simultaneously—is providing an opportunity to get into the art world cheap! Browse the reasonably priced works to the ethereal alt-country trancedelia of Ole Mossy Face’s Casey Sanders and Mason Vickery.

—J.S.

TAG Art Gallery TAG presents its“First Annual Southern Sop ’n’ Dip:Rural Art for City Folk,” in which the gallery hosts a group exhibit of local and regional artists who focus on country music and backwoods-hillbilly chic. If you love a little kitsch with your culture, this is the show you’ve been waiting for. Pull on your overalls and head to the opening reception, 6-9 p.m. June 22.

—A.W.

Reading & Writing

Melissa Sanders-Self Debut novelist Melissa Sanders-Self renders another fictional version of the 19th century Bell Witch, Tennessee’s most famous poltergeist. This one offers a very modern if not entirely innovative theory about the ghost’s motivations for plaguing Robertson County farmer John Bell and his 13-year-old daughter, Betsy. Less thriller than historical fiction, the novel draws a convincing portrait of rural life in 1820 and of an all-too-familiar family dynamic that is more pernicious than any ghost. Sanders-Self reads from All That Lives: A Novel of the Bell Witch at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 6 p.m. June 24.

—M.R.

Thom Rutledge Fear is a hot topic, but local psychotherapist Rutledge wasn’t trying to be trendy when he wrote his latest book, Embracing Fear and Finding the Courage to Live Your Life. Helping patients confront fear is what he does for a living. And while self-help books don’t always do the trick, Rutledge’s characterizations of good fear vs. bad fear as competing (though not necessarily equal) people are not only intriguing, but entertaining as well. Rutledge discusses his book 6 p.m. June 25 at Davis-Kidd Booksellers.

—M.J.

Robert L. Gibson & Taylor H. Wang Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years features the kind of glorious photos one expects from space books, as well as informal shots of life onboard. Written by Gibson and Wang, contributors to Air & Space and Smithsonian magazines, and comprised of personal accounts by shuttle crew members, the quick-read essays cover Mir, the Challenger disaster and more. Dr. Wang, a physicist, was a payload specialist aboard a 1985 Challenger flight. Robert Gibson, a graduate of the Navy’s “Topgun” program, flew five shuttle missions and now lives in Murfreesboro. The duo appear 6 p.m. June 26 at Davis-Kidd.

—M.J.