Sugar-pop walks a fine confectioner’s line: the sweet stuff hits the bloodstream fast, but sometimes offers little more than an empty high. Not so with Belfast’s electronic-pop duo Oppenheimer, whose saccharine soundscapes are supported by tight hooks and clever songwriting. Songs like “Breakfast in NYC,” off their self-titled Bar/None debut, fuse delicate pop with fuzzy thumps, conjuring most everything summertime-in-the-city anthems should, from bright lights to dance floors. Though the record’s drenched in bleeps and flourishes, the tracks aren’t hiding behind effects—some of the album’s best moments are achieved with little more than double-tracked vocals and a shaker, as on “My Son, the Astronaut.” —Tracy Moore MUSIC THURSDAY, 10TH THE AUDITION With Franz Ferdinand honing their parenting skills and The Killers channeling Bruce Springsteen, indie dance-rock fans may find themselves craving a bit more stability. Enter this tongue-in-cheekily named Chicago quintet who are young enough to appreciate both the mass appeal of pop and rawness of punk, yet old enough to know that posturing and hair products do not a lasting career make. Judging by the telling “Dance Halls Turn to Ghost Towns,” theirs is the perfect balance of book smarts, unbridled id, dance shoes and, perhaps most intriguing, the removal of lab coats. The Audition may only have one album—2005’s Controversy Loves Company—under their non-skinny, non-studded belts, but they’re already riding high on the next wave of New Wave. (theauditionrocks.com ) Exit/In —JULIE SEABAUGH JIMMY THE LUNG There’s a sense of expansiveness in the acoustic soundscapes Jim Reed brings to Jimmy The Lung. It keeps things steeped in possibility, unlike most acoustic-based singer-songwriters who find themselves stymied by the limitations of one person with one guitar. The Lung is about finding more crayons to play with; the plaintive and sensitive love songs are there, but never feel less than fresh and spare. Reed has an undeniable gift for arranging, and The Lung’s recent eponymous EP is a marvel of austere and frank experience. Springwater —JASON SHAWHAN MARIO MOORE According to the title of his full-length debut, Mario Moore fancies himself Nashville’s friendly neighborhood soul singer. The elegant slow jam “The Next 1” serves as the mellow crooner and producer’s statement of intent; name-checking R&B luminaries such as Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Teddy Pendergrass and Stevie Wonder, Moore vows to earn his way onto the list. From the sound of his sensual, buttery falsetto on “The Way,” he may just be able to deliver. Don’t confuse this Mario Moore with the embattled Vanderbilt hoops star and rapper who stirred things up on The Tennessean’s sports page. This Moore has a decade of production experience under his belt from working with his father’s JonToinn Productions, and he recently gave his unsigned hometown hip-hop and neo-soul peers a boost by spearheading the launch of weekly Urban Indie Live showcases. B.B. King’s —JEWLY HIGHT DUNCAN SHEIK W/VIENNA TENG Duncan Sheik is probably best known to U.S. audiences for his 1996 alterna-pop hit “Barely Breathing.” His fifth record, White Limousine, features lush pop arrangements and Sheik’s sparse vocals, but the personal narratives are his best, with the tender piano ballad “Hey Casanova” and the string-infused lament “The Dawn’s Request” setting the tone. The title track is a moseying pop-rock political diatribe that features the heaviest riffs on the record, while the loneliness inherent in the minimalist “I Don’t Believe in Ghosts” is palpable. New York piano chanteuse Vienna Teng shares the bill. Her latest, Dreaming Through the Noise, is a collection of breezy summertime love songs that marry jazz, folk and pop. ( duncansheik.com & viennateng.com ) Belcourt Theatre —TRACY M. ROGERS FRIDAY, 11TH WANDA JACKSON & AMY LAVERE At nearly 70, Wanda Jackson remains one of rock ’n’ roll’s most distinctive singers. Best known for late-’50s recordings like the explosive “Fujiyama Mama,” the Oklahoma-born Jackson was one of the era’s sexiest, funniest performers. Amy LaVere makes her home in Memphis and is a few decades younger, but she’s another genre-spanning artist whose music and persona suggest new possibilities for female rockers. (The Louisiana-born LaVere appears as Jackson in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line.) LaVere is equally at home singing her own material or triple-slapping upright bass with Bluff City singer Jim Dickinson. LaVere and company will play an opening set, and then it’s on to a collaboration that most likely won’t be your father’s notion of rock ’n’ roll. ( wandajackson.com ); ( archer-records.com/artists/amy_lavere ) Mercy Lounge —EDD HURT ROGER BROWN This sweetly swinging Texan doesn’t saddle up his music and take it out of the Lone Star State very often, partly because Western swing and twin-fiddle shuffles can pack a San Antonio dance hall any night of the week. But Brown’s always been a favorite of fellow Texans like George Strait and Clay Blaker, and his songs have been cut by Randy Travis, Gary Allan, Patty Loveless, Nanci Griffith, Michael Martin Murphey and, um, that ol’ cowhand Barbra Streisand. That’s because Brown’s elegant tunes draw on Gershwin and Porter as much as Bob Wills and Ray Price. But, then, good swing music always has. Douglas Corner —MICHAEL MCCALL SATURDAY, 12TH MARK GERMINO After an extended break to write novels, this master of inner rhymes and conscience-clearing storytelling returns with a new album, Atomic Candlestick, that proves he’s still the Norman Mailer of roots-rock songwriting. Like a librarian shadowboxing in the poetry section, Germino packs colorful, pithy phrases into hard-charging epics of love and personal morality. No one else writes about war, the working class, wild women and the temptations facing married men in the same language or from the same point of view, and his return serves as a reminder that songs can be much more than Nashville sometimes teaches its young. He’s certainly the only writer alive who’d begin a couplet with a woman dancing naked on a rural backroad “humming verses of ‘Scheherazade’ by Rimsky-Korsakov,” and tie it up by singing, “I can picture your sweet sadness / Ride herd on all your madness / Kill your gladness with this hateful sense of me.” Bluebird Café —MICHAEL MCCALL LYNYRD SKYNYRD One part musical mortality play, one part yardstick by which all other VH1 profiles are measured, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s legacy has influenced not only generations of inebriated concert-goers who delight in hollering out obnoxious requests, but such contemporary acolytes as Drive By Truckers, Shooter Jennings and Kings of Leon. The current ranks of the Southern-fried whiskey rock-a-rollers only include about half of the original royal-family members, but despite a few unfamiliar faces, the hits hold up: Tuesday remains gone with the wind, Alabama is forever sweet and homely, and this Freebird, Lord knows, it still can’t be changed. As an increasing number of reunion tours feature artists pasting on a smile for the sponsors and stockholders, Johnny Van Zant (bro of Ronnie) and Co.’s brand of swamp rock still provides a rare and welcome return to the bygone era of ’70s six-string sleaze. ( lynyrdskynyrd.com ) Starwood Amphitheatre —JULIE SEABAUGH BILLY JOE SHAVER This real-life honky-tonk hero, cowboy and actor had to suffer profligate personal horrors before finally getting hoisted up and waved around as one of America’s most distinctive songwriters, something he is, and has been, for nearly 40 years. The subject of a moving documentary by Robert Duvall’s partner, Luciana Pedraza, Shaver’s recently been inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, and he’s currently working on an album with John Rich of Big & Rich and John Carter Cash, son of Johnny and June. That may raise his profile even more, but the quality’s always been there, from early classics like “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal” and “Georgia on a Fast Train” to more recent ringers like “Live Forever,” “Tramp on Your Street” and “When Fallen Angels Fly.” Live, he’ll punch at the air and he’ll wipe away tears, all along opening his heart in a way that removes all artifice between lyric and listener. Opry Plaza —MICHAEL MCCALL ATREYU W/ LACUNA COIL One of metalcore’s highest-profile acts, Orange County’s Atreyu play high-octane crash-and-thrash regularly punctuated with earnest melodic choruses engineered to attract Laguna Beach-watching MySpace kids. A Death-Grip on Yesterday, the band’s latest, sports a big-budget production job by Velvet Revolver vet Josh Abraham that highlights their latent hair-metal aspirations—never a bad thing, particularly in metalcore’s often puritanical environs. Openers Lacuna Coil are Italy’s premier goth-metal combo; their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” is exactly as melodramatic as you’d hope it’d be. ( myspace.com/atreyu ; lacunacoil.it ) RCKTWN —MIKAEL WOOD SUNDAY, 13TH SIMON JOYNER For well over a decade, Simon Joyner has been toiling away in relative obscurity within the same Omaha scene that has brought Bright Eyes, Cursive and Saddle Creek Records to the indie-rock forefront. He’s appeared on split records with Mountain Goats and has collaborated with members of Son Volt, Lambchop and Dirty Three. While his low profile appears mostly self-imposed, his output has nonetheless been grossly overlooked. The folks at the Jagjaguwar label are looking to right this wrong by reissuing his ’93 debut, Room Temperature, and compiling a collection of singles entitled Beautiful Losers. The recordings on the latter feature the same bedroom intimacy one would expect from a Daniel Johnston record—painfully honest and direct—while maintaining a literary sensibility. Joyner can lull his listeners with a soft croon one second and frantically strum and wail maniacally in the next. It’s a tried-and-true approach, but Joyner restrains the obnoxiousness that too often inhabits his Omaha contemporaries—the mark, perhaps, of an older, wiser songsmith. (myspace.com/simonjoyner ) Springwater —MATT SULLIVAN TUESDAY, 15TH KELLY JOE PHELPS On his new Tunesmith Retrofit, guitarist and singer Kelly Joe Phelps demonstrates his awesome fingerpicking technique and writes clear-eyed songs whose twists and turns are colored by occasional drums melodica and pedal steel. A native of Puyallup, Wash., Phelps cut his teeth playing jazz guitar in Portland in the ’80s, and became interested in eccentric blues and folk guitarists like Robert Pete Williams, John Fahey and Bert Jansch. Phelps approaches his material with a jazz musician’s sensibility; he’s the rare musician who could sound equally at home with an avant-garde player like Eugene Chadbourne or with the Del McCoury Band. Tunesmith songs like his Chris Whitley tribute, “Handful of Arrows,” are never too sweet, but they’re impeccably performed, and “Plumb Line” is a perfectly judged mixture of blues tonality and something that is beyond category, and quintessentially American. ( kellyjoephelps.com ) 3rd & Lindsley —EDD HURT WEDNESDAY, 16TH ASV ASV are esteemed, wide-ranging banjo man Scott Vestal and his wife Alice, a mostly unheralded singer with a distinctively nuanced and sensitive drawl. On their debut, Goin’ To The Dance, the pair are backed by a short list of friends that includes Randy Kohrs (resophonic guitar), Steve Thomas (fiddle, mandolin), Byron House (bass) and Chris Brown (drums). But while the instrumentation may at least whisper bluegrass, the music here’s anything but; instead, it’s an evocative, moody and more than occasionally swinging set of hard-to-pin-down originals that have strong elements of jazz and what used to be called pop music. Balancing the Vestals’ unfettered embrace of variety with the discipline instilled by working within the conventions of differing genres, the collection is both musically intriguing and emotionally convincing, and there’s little doubt that both attributes will translate well to the stage. Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER PARIS STREET Carl Polgar has a gift for lyrical origami, and with his band Paris Street, he lends his troubadour voice an emotional diversity, with an art-rock sense of liberation. But what proves most endearing about Paris Street is that, regardless of whether it’s a Polgar solo show, a tag team throw down (which also features drummer Mark Harris) or a five- or six-man incarnation, there’s an emotional consistency to the material that most artists have to work for years to attain. Paris Street make it seem effortless; it’s one of the most accurate weapons in their arsenal of sound. Springwater —JASON SHAWHAN THEATER MACBETH The Nashville Shakespeare Festival mounts “the Scottish play,” with all its dark motivations, eerie presentiments, bloody encounters and tragic consequences. Blind ambition, madness and witchcraft drive one of the Bard’s greatest tales, which survives as an audience favorite despite—or maybe because of—its black overtones. Denice Hicks directs the large cast, and her new interpretation mixes a variety of global influences—including Chinese-inflected choreography created by Jen-Jen Lin and Susan McDonald—along with eclectic costumes by June Kingsbury and original music by local composers. The imaginative Gary Hoff designed the set. Ross Brooks takes on the title role, and the tantalizing Marin Miller promises to put a fresh spin on Lady Macbeth. Other local stalwarts include Matt Carlton, Evelyn Blythe, Sam Whited, Brian Russell and Jon Royal. Members of the festival’s Apprentice Company fill ancillary roles, including the Weird Sisters. Macbeth runs Thursday through Sunday from Aug. 10 to Sept. 10. (There’s also a Labor Day show on Sept. 4.) As always, the free performances take place at the Centennial Park band shell. Curtain is at 8 p.m., with pre-show musical entertainment beginning at 7 p.m. For further information, call 255-2273. —MARTIN BRADY PULPITS The second offering in the Shades of Black Theatre Showcase, a monthlong celebration of black theater, is Dream 7’s production of poet/playwright Michael L. Walker’s story about a young Mississippi pastor who takes on ministering duties at an urban congregation, the New Light Free Methodist Church. Rev. Rufus Collier faces resistance to his progressive preaching style and along the way uncovers community secrets that challenge his ability to point the way to redemption. The cast includes Shawn Whitsell, Sheerene Whitfield and Rodrikus Springfield. Performances are Aug. 11 through 13 at the Darkhorse Theater. For additional information or tickets, phone (615) 781-3904. —MARTIN BRADY BIG RIVER Country music legend Roger Miller’s crossover hits of the ’60s (“Dang Me,” “England Swings,” etc.) sold millions of records and established him as a wry singer-songwriter with mass appeal. Then this big Broadway musical, based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and featuring Miller’s lyrics and music, debuted in 1985 and went on to garner seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. An award-winning 2003 Broadway revival reaffirmed the show’s popularity, with its timeless story and catchy blend of bluegrass and country music. Franklin’s Boiler Room Theatre opens its new mounting of this warmhearted vehicle on Aug. 11, with performances through Sept. 16. The large cast includes Jeff Pettit as Huck, Dante Murray, Megan Murphy, Lisa Gillespie and Nick DeNuzio. For tickets, call 794-7744. —MARTIN BRADY COMEDY FRANK CALIENDO Only 32 years old, Caliendo has already enjoyed a prolific career. After establishing himself quickly on the stand-up circuit, he joined the cast of MADtv in 2001, where he distinguished himself as a solid comic actor and one of the finest impersonators working today. Caliendo’s impressions range from President Bush, Andy Rooney and William Shatner to more offbeat and unexpected caricatures of lady performers like Doris Roberts and Janeane Garofalo. He also has a strong presence on FOX’s sports programming, and is probably best known for his devastatingly funny portrayal of Hall of Fame football coach and announcer John Madden. The popular comedian will be at Zanies Aug. 10 through 13 for seven shows. For tickets, call 269-0221. For scheduling information, visit nashville.zanies.com. —MARTIN BRADY ART TOMATO ART SHOW Now in its third year, the Tomato Art Fest has become a hotly anticipated multi-venue event, and this annual show at Art & Invention Gallery is the spark that started it all. The tomato-themed exhibit features a bountiful harvest of artists—about 100 in all—including Sheila B, Dorna May, John Baeder, Bill Brimm, Bobby Miller, Duy Huynh and Greg Morrow. And to go along with the motto, “The tomato...a uniter, not a divider—bringing fruits and vegetables together,” one room of the gallery will be dedicated to “emerging fruits and vegetables.” The main reception is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12; there’ll be BLTs from the Southern Foodways Alliance as well as Yazoo beer and Bloody Marys, and admission is free. (A preview party, featuring acclaimed chef Sean Brock’s catfish BLTs and plenty of the aforementioned beverages, takes place 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11; admission is $25.) But that’s just the stem of the beefsteak—for a lot more information on Tomato Art Fest events this weekend throughout East Nashville’s Five Points neighborhood, see Dining News on p. 62 and visit tomatoartfest.com. —JACK SILVERMAN PALETTE GALLERY ’N’ CAFE Combining an art gallery with a South American-style cafe, Palette Gallery ’n’ Cafe holds its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 12. The free event will feature a reception for artist Jorge A. Yances, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages as well as live classical music and jazz. In addition to food and art, this new venture will provide custom framing and a selection of creative gifts. The gallery is located at 2119 Belcourt Ave. across from the Belcourt Theatre. The grand opening celebration runs from 6 to 9 p.m. —JOE NOLAN JIM VIENNEAU: “GRAPHIC WORKS” With more than two decades of experience as an art director for a marketing and design firm, Jim Vienneau understands a thing or two about graphic art. His newest venture is creating large-format artworks for the modern environment, mostly using a process called “giclée,” in which high-resolution digital scans are printed with archival quality inks for better color accuracy. His images are bold and arresting, and achieve the artist’s stated goal: to bring clarity and simplicity to complex images. “Power Lines,” for example, uses a minimalist approach to find an eerie beauty in one of the most ubiquitous aspects of modern life. “Graphic Works” opens at The Art House, 2306 12th Ave. S. with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12; the show runs through Sept. 12. —JACK SILVERMAN FILM WASSUP ROCKERS Photographer turned filmmaker Larry Clark cemented his rep as the man critics love to hate with two wildly polarizing movies written by sometime Nashvillian Harmony Korine, Kids and the as-yet-unreleased Ken Park. This oddly genial comedy about Latino L.A. skatepunks trooping home across ritzy Beverly Hills, shot with nonprofessional actors in the leads, starts as riveting semi-documentary; midway through, it morphs into The Warriors as a shaggy ‘80s teen-sex comedy. Audiences loved it at this year’s Nashville Film Festival; it opens Friday at the Belcourt. See the capsule review in our Movie Listings on p. 74, with a longer review available online. —JIM RIDLEY GONE WITH THE WIND For good or ill, David O. Selznick’s 1939 production of the War of Northern Aggression epic is probably the most famous movie ever made, and its name is practically synonymous with Hollywood mega-gloss at its best. Generations of Southern parents have introduced their kids to it, either as entertainment, instruction or indoctrination; to experience it properly, forget television—the Technicolor burning of Atlanta (which in real life consumed much of the MGM backlot) is essentially the definition of big-screen spectacle. The Belcourt screens it 11:30 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday as part of its great new Weekend Classics matinee series—and frankly, if you ever plan to see it, you should give a damn. —JIM RIDLEY THE LATE SHOW: BREAKIN’ 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Shabba-Don’t! See the movie that launched a million jokes, as breakdancers “Shabba-Doo” Quinones and “Boogaloo Shrimp” Chambers save an inner-city community center with a little help from Golan-Globus starlet extraordinaire Lucinda Dickey, a young rapper named Ice-T and some magic on the wheels of steel. The Belcourt’s cult-movie late shows have invigorated the midnight-movie idea with clever extras: the 11:30 show Friday night will feature a breakin’ contest with live spinning by DJ Kidsmeal. For those who mistakenly think they have something better to do, a no-frills screening follows 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Also this week, as part of the Sunday-night Walk-In/Drive-In Family Film Fest: Nanny McPhee, projected outside on the theater’s wall starting at dusk. Park in the back lot or bring lawn chairs; admission is free, and concessions will be available outside. —JIM RIDLEY