FRIDAY, 3RD, BELCOURT THEATRE, 4:30 PM - MIDNIGHT. GATES OPEN AT 4. JEFF By the time most kids had little more to show for their teen years than a driver’s license, brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall had already amassed three box sets’ worth of mad-scientist studio experiments in their basement lair. Now, their self-starter Infinity Cat label is looking like a blue-chip stock, while their two-man prog-punk project is shaping up as one of the city’s most exciting acts. The proof’s in their current CD Castle Storm, a bombardment of two-minute concussion shells; a live show that plays Jake’s spastic frenzy off Jamin’s atom-brain drumming; and the killer no-frills video for “Noo Sixties,” which pushes the edge for how maxi something can get and still be called minimalist. Don’t miss ’em, unless you’d rather wait for Spin or MOJO to rubber-stamp them first. It shouldn’t be long. ( www.infinitycat.com/jeff.html ) —JIM RIDLEY GLOSSARY In an era when more local bands are getting snatched by the MTV hype machine and given press in major music mags, it’s nice to see scene vets like Glossary plugging away in the face of student loan debt and banal day jobs. Their recent release, For What I Don’t Become, is a bittersweet magnum opus about life’s disappointments. But there’s also something markedly celebratory in Glossary’s self-pity party. On songs such as “Shaking Like a Flame” and “Headstones and Dead Leave,” lead singer Joey Kneiser’s voice is punctuated with an unflinching earnestness. This is the album that this band was born to make. And while it’s likely to make only an impact on a regional level, you get the feeling that the band don’t seem to mind. ( www.glossary.us ) —JOEY HOOD ALL WE SEABEES Murfreesboro transplants by way of Motor City, All We Seabees craft fresh, contemporary songs that sound as if they’ve always existed. A good folk song can do that. Just like Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill or Sebadoh before them, All We Seabees manage to translate this achievement into an aesthetic that is quintessentially indie rock. The band’s sets are typically exhibitions in wild eclecticism, shifting styles drastically from straightforward punk to banjo-laden ballads. The variety keeps the listener on his or her toes, never becoming fully cohesive, yet never lacking their signature. ( www.myspace.com/allweseabees ) —MATT SULLIVAN ALTERED STATESMAN In the spectral sonic landscape of Steve Poulton’s songs, the terrain is sparsely populated, the scenery is a ghostly blur and the clock is always stopped somewhere between 2 and 4 in the morning. Poulton, bass player for ’90s cult favorites Paul K & the Weathermen, may have shifted styles slightly from the underwater soul of 2004’s Past Is Prologue to the haunting heartland murmur of this year’s Change to Go, and his vocals no longer slip into a gargled falsetto. But if his music makes an ideal soundtrack for an after-midnight drive down the lost highway, the ever-present catch in his voice and the searching, hypnotic drone of an organ point toward dawn on the horizon. Quiet, in the Statesman’s case, speaks volumes. ( www.blacklabelempire.com/alteredstatesman ) —JIM RIDLEY THE COMFIES Ex-members of Feable Weiner, Lifeboy, Silent Friction and The Darling Hearts make up this bouquet of early bloomers plucked from the hothouse of Music City pop. On their EP Close to Me (Livewire) they offer their own climbing-wall-of-sound take on the bouncy psych-pop swirl of The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle, layering spun-sugar harmonies atop sweet-spot choruses and arrangements studded with music-hall piano, whipcrack rhythm guitar and sparkly flourishes. Every song is a slice of wedding cake, and the frosting almost hides the razor blades that glint in Ben Harper’s lyrics—the title song’s chorus isn’t a come-on, it’s a threat. Somehow, that only makes it tastier. ( www.myspace.com/thecomfies ) —JIM RIDLEY THE SHAZAM Cheerfully angst-ridden and obsessed with the mock heaviness of his power-pop forefathers, Hans Rotenberry views the genre as the playground of formally acute Everydudes. Rotenberry writes songs that work off comically frantic drum rolls, drolly inflected solos and overstated power chords. His vision includes the occasional confessional couplet like, “Call the counselor / Don’t tell the neighbors,” but The Shazam play it tightly and heavily enough to make desperation sound like fun. They’ve been making well-received records here since the mid-’90s, and are currently working in town on a new project with R.S. Field, who has produced Webb Wilder and Gary Bennett to fine effect. Early reports have songs like “So Awesome” showing off a streamlined two-guitar sound, and recent live shows featuring new material have rocked harder than ever. They’re as deserving a quartet of Everydudes as you might want to see. ( www.theshazam.com ) —EDD HURT MUSIC THURSDAY, 2ND THE DETROIT COBRAS This lady-led Motor City garage-soul outfit specializes in rescuing obscure R&B gems from history: on Baby, their 2005 long-player, the Cobras breathe new sass (and, occasionally, new tenderness) into underappreciated tunes penned or performed by bigwigs like Isaac Hayes, Allen Toussaint and Bobby Womack. Where too many of her throwback peers seem concerned with convincing listeners that their creative visions are singular products of their own unique minds, frontwoman Rachel Nagy is happy to tap into a vein of timeless garage-rock energy, giving her music a sense of joy often missing from this kind of stuff. The band’s records are little more than in-studio recreations of its high-octane live shows, so expect a rousing night out. ( www.myspace.com/thedetroitcobras ) Exit/In —MIKAEL WOOD NASHVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA American Composer Stephen Paulus churns out music with the speed of an ATM spitting out Jacksons. A famously prolific writer, Paulus has composed more than 300 substantial works, including nine major pieces for the dramatic stage. His music now comes to Nashville, with guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leading the orchestra in Paulus’ Sea Portraits. Composed in 2004, this 20-minute piece is like an American La Mer, a work that evokes shimmering sunrises and pulsating tempests. The concert will also feature pianist Yakov Kasman soloing in Prokofiev’s worthy yet frequently overlooked Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, along with Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D major. The program repeats through Saturday. (Paulus holds a master class at Blair 3 p.m. Nov. 2; call 687-6565 for details.) Schermerhorn Symphony Center —JOHN PITCHER FRIDAY, 3RD DAVID OLNEY Olney recorded his new live album, Lenora, in Holland, a nod to the strong fan base he’s built in the Netherlands and throughout Europe for his intense, jagged-edged performances. In the liner notes, he recounts his first visit to Holland where, during a particularly ferocious finale, he cut his hand on a wine glass during a downstroke on his acoustic. He finished the song, blood flying in the air and spotting his clothes, a sight that “horrified” a few viewers, he wrote. It’s the perfect image for Olney’s work, which tends to draw blood by pulling no punches and wasting no words. His acoustic rockers stomp raucously, his story-songs draw on history and high drama, and his ballads cut deep while showing that tenderness need not always be sweet—just as he proves all singer-songwriters need not be gentle. He hasn’t played the Station Inn since before the turn of the century, so expect blood. ( www.davidolney.com ) Station Inn —MICHAEL MCCALL JONESWORLD To understand the foundational principle behind JonesWorld, one need look no further than the hairstyle of charismatic frontman Todd Austin (a.k.a. Toddzilla). It’s a seamless blending of Parliament Funkadelic’s raucous, danceable showmanship (Austin’s long, colorfully adorned George Clintonesque locks) and Van Halen’s muscular, wailing guitar assault (the six-inch spiked hair atop Austin’s head). Like P-Funk, JonesWorld subscribes to the credo that there’s no such thing as too many people in a band. At last count, there were around 30 members in the JonesWorld family, including a troupe of seductive go-go dancers known as the Glittachix and six different bass players. But this is not a case of too many chefs spoiling the soup. The group’s first proper album, A Thing of Booty, is a celebratory, over-the-top affair, a set of 12 combustible, well-executed funk-rock originals peppered with playful, suggestive banter. Austin, skilled at guitar shredding and funk riffing, shares the spotlight with the throaty belting of his wife Tara (a.k.a. Cleopatra). Make no mistake—JonesWorld is no cover band. It’s a boisterous house party. ( www.the-jones.com ) Gibson Showcase —JEWLY HIGHT SATURDAY, 4TH HOTEL CAFÉ TOUR Yeah, just what Nashville needs: more singer-songwriters. This contingent—25 strong—originates from a small coffeehouse in Los Angeles, but you could call these folks the Zach Braff Traveling All Stars, as a number of them have been featured on soundtracks to Braff’s indie movies Garden State and The Last Kiss. Only six of the 25 perform at each tour stop, though all of them provide support and likely end up on stage at some point. The general vibe of the Hotel Café sound is mellow acoustic, though electric guitars aren’t taboo and some artists work blues or cabaret angles. The tour’s Achilles’ heel is that of coffeehouse entertainment everywhere: a decided humor deficit. Standout Joshua Radin is one of the collective’s emerging success stories, with his recently released debut, We Were Here, demonstrating a keen ear for melody and acute sense of melancholy that college students everywhere can understand. ( www.hotelcafe.com ) Exit/In —WERNER TRIESCHMANN STEEP CANYON RANGERS North Carolina’s Steep Canyon Rangers represent the artful intersection of old and new: they’re a band who don’t hesitate to mine un-bluegrass-like sources for material, or put traditional bluegrass instrumentation to use for a honky-tonk or blues number. A couple of months back, the quintet won the IBMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year award and released album number four, One Dime at a Time. When they perform Robbie Robertson’s “Evangeline” on One Dime, the song is less country-tinged rock anthem than keening waltz, colored by the twin fiddling of Nicky Sanders and the Del McCoury Band’s Jason Carter. The album title track—previously a hit for Del Reeves—receives a swinging honky-tonk treatment. Originals like “Slow Born” and “I’ll Be Long Gone” may not tread entirely new ground, but they’re solid bluegrass compositions and a fitting showcase for this group of college friends turned professional pickers. Station Inn —JEWLY HIGHT SUNDAY, 5TH REGGAE SUNDAY W/ STEEL PLATE, SILVER STAR AND HEAVYWEIGHT SOUND SYSTEMS Billed as “a Night of Roots & Culture,” Reggae Sunday features a peek at Nashville’s surprisingly vibrant reggae sound-system scene. Steel Plate feature Atlanta’s Junior Killa (a.k.a. Shotty Capone) and Nashville’s DJ Stoutty, both originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Silver Star’s leader, Nashville transplant Saddest, is the son of the man behind one of Trinidad’s top sound systems, Supersounds. Like old-school sound systems, Silver Star have their own PA; selectors (DJs) Jack Ruby, Bigga and Gee are Saddest’s brothers. Heavyweight—Nashvillians Chris Aubrey (Shortstroke), Craig Allen (Phase Selector) and occasionally Kon Moulder (Whodat?)—have been rumbling the foundations of Music City clubs since 2000 and host a popular reggae program on Fisk’s radio station, WFSK-88.1 FM. Until you’ve heard a real reggae sound-system show, you don’t know the meaning of the word “bass.” When they say “feel the vibrations,” they mean it literally. You may lose a filling or two, but it’s a welcome and refreshing change from the typical Nashville club show. The End —JACK SILVERMAN MONDAY, 6TH THE WILLOWZ If you weren’t too distracted by the spectacle of Kirsten Dunst dancing in her underwear, you may have heard the Willowz’ brand of scuzzy garage-pop on the soundtrack of Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The band displays a punky, childlike exuberance that proves hard to ignore on record, with lead singer Richie James Follin yowling like a drunken hound dog over reams of fuzz guitar and ramshackle drumming. Last year’s hour-long Talk in Circles stuffed 20 songs full of woozy harmonies and insanely catchy choruses, each imbued with a peculiarly Californian psychedelic gauze. The band’s arty primitivism must really appeal to Gondry, who not only directed one of the 27 videos on their new DVD, but also pegged them as the only rock band on the soundtrack of his latest film The Science of Sleep. ( www.thewillowz.com ) Springwater —JASON BENNETT TUESDAY, 7TH WAX ON RADIO Several years ago, I interviewed Steve Albini for a story on the 15th anniversary of Merge Records—the Chapel Hill, N.C., indie that turned the bravado of its flagship act, Superchunk, into a small empire for some of today’s best indie rock. When I asked Albini what it now takes to start a record label, he replied simply: “A website.” We giggled and moved on, but check Chicago quartet Wax On Radio, signed to Downtown Records, the upstart that suddenly claims Gnarls Barkley, Art Brut and Cold War Kids. Both the band’s site and MySpace domain make the act—who subtract bombast from The Mars Volta equation and drop in radio-ready hook agility—look like this decade’s Stones: sneer-sporting sexy dudes that are the most amazing superstars we’re all too ignorant to know about…yet. Beware: the Internet claims no conscience. ( www.waxonradio.com ) Exit/In —GRAYSON CURRIN WEDNESDAY, 8TH LOS LONELY BOYS W/OZOMATLI Los Lonely Boys change very little about their sturdy backyard-barbecue sound on Sacred, the recent follow-up to their self-titled 2004 debut, which transformed them from favorites on the Texas cantina circuit to multi-platinum pop stars. No problem there—few current bands are as good at (or as interested in) making groove-based roadhouse rock whose instrumental detail rarely gets in the way of a catchy tune. Ozomatli, from L.A., make high-energy live-band hip-hop that works in a similar way: their power-to-the-people political convictions detract not at all from their ability to get a party pumping. ( www.loslonelyboys.org; www.ozomatli.com ) Ryman Auditorium —MIKAEL WOOD THE TYDE Singer-guitarist Darren Rademaker was born and raised in Florida but relocated to Los Angeles in his mid 20s, a move so satisfying that he’s spent the years since then attempting to write the perfect Southern Californian pop song. He gets close more than once on Three’s Co., the latest by his likable indie-jangle outfit the Tyde: “Aloha Breeze” exudes the dreamy vibe its title promises, while “Brock Landers” (a nod to Mark Wahlberg’s Boogie Nights character) sports a fuzzy keyboard riff that recalls the Beach Boys’ post-Pet Sounds soul-rock stuff. ( www.thetyde.com ) The Basement —MIKAEL WOOD THEATER HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE Paula Vogel’s Off-Broadway hit won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize, and for good reason. It is a challenging piece, characterized by well delineated yet shifting time frames and sensitively wrought but never maudlin dialogue. But more so, it daringly exposes its audience to a disturbing, fleshed-out tale of pedophilia and incest, as a woman approaching middle age flashes back to when she was between 11 and 18, and caught in a twisted relationship with a twisted uncle. There are thematic echoes of Nabokov’s Lolita here—the author even attempts to deconstruct the predator’s impulses with understanding and black humor. But Vogel’s more contemporary thrust puts us face to face with the all-too-common plight of abused young females, the nature of recovered memory and the role family plays when human need and longing go unattended. Major stars like Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse, Bruce Davison and Molly Ringwald had the first crack at these roles in the original New York mountings. Denice Hicks played the lead in the 2001 Tennessee Repertory Theatre production. The new Actors Bridge Ensemble version stars Vali Forrister, Matthew Carlton and Rebekah Durham, with Jennifer Lewis and Tom Mason in support roles. Bill Feehely directs. Performances are Nov. 3 through 12 at the Darkhorse Theater. For reservations, call 341-0300 or email actorsbridge@comcast.net. —MARTIN BRADY ART “GAMBIT” Curated by Beth Gilmore, “Gambit” has up until now been one of Nashville’s several regular one-night group shows. Since joining up with Caroline Carlisle to open Twist Gallery in the Arcade this summer, Gilmore can now convert the show from a one-night phenomenon to something with longer wall-life. This is the first appearance of “Gambit” in its new guise, with a very good group of local artists: Terry Glispin, Sara La, Erin Anfinson, Chris Scarborough, Rocky Horton, Shana Kohnstamm, Shane Doling, Todd Greene, Joe Hardwick, Mandy Rodgers, Hans Schmitt-Matzen, Kelly Williams, Dooby Tomkins and Mary Addison Hackett (the last an L.A. artist who spent some time in Nashville this summer preparing to show in the inaugural exhibit at TAG’s new digs). The show opens with a reception at Twist from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, which will probably draw a good crowd, but you’ll have until Dec. 1 to view the artwork. —DAVID MADDOX “DELAYED REACTION” This show at TAG Art Gallery features works by two San Francisco artists, Jonn Herschend and Michael McConnell, who have been engaging in a yearlong call-and-response art conversation. Each artist would create a work, then leave it on the studio wall for the other artist to create another work in reaction to it. The works will be presented in chronological order, allowing viewers to see the how the process played out. East Nashvillian Mr. Hooper will be showing new works in the small gallery. The artists will attend the opening reception, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. The show will be up until Nov. 25. —JACK SILVERMAN CARL LINSTRUM A couple of years ago, Virginia Cannon became the director for the Striped Door Gallery downtown, but she has since moved on to her own space. This show highlights a painter who himself owns a gallery, in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. Linstrum’s work, based on imagery with strong roots in the domestic realm, has an immediate and accessible sense of beauty. The show opens with a reception from 6 to 9 Saturday, Nov. 4. (The gallery will also hold a closing reception for the current Michael Kalish exhibit from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1.) Virginia Cannon Fine Art is located on the fifth floor of the Orbison Building, 1625 Broadway. —DAVID MADDOX BOOKS KEN WALDMAN Fiddling poet Ken Waldman is often compared to the late John Hartford. Like Hartford, he has a deadpan folksiness, and his words, rather thin on the page, seem to come to life when supported by his spirited old-time playing. But where Hartford had a touch of romantic whimsy, Waldman has a slightly depressive edge. A former academic, this Philadelphia native resettled in Alaska and has spent the last 10 years traveling across America as a performer and teacher. His poems are simple, mostly free verse musings on human passages and bittersweet memories, and he has produced a delightful children’s CD, Fiddling Poets on Parade. His latest poetry collection, As the World Burns: The Sonnets of George Bush and Other Poems of the 43rd Presidency, is angrier and less subtle than his typical output, but it gains liveliness and humor when married to Waldman’s earthy fiddling. On Nov. 6, Waldman will do two shows in Clement 209, Nashville State Community College, at 2 and 6 p.m. The latter will feature material from As the World Burns. –MARIA BROWNING ELIZABETH BIRKELUND OBERBECK A Cosmopolitan columnist, Oberbeck grew up “inhaling stacks of fashion magazines” and makes regular trips to France to appease her love of French food and fashion. It’s no wonder, then, that her debut novel deals with a French fashion designer who falls in love with a Parisian socialite. Claude Reynaud is a skilled tailor who is happy mending seams and hemming dresses in the small town of Senlis. But when Valentine de Verlay, an art curator and one of Paris’ top socialites, asks him to design her wedding dress, she sends Claude into the center of the fashion limelight and steals his heart along the way. What follows is a journey through haute couture houses and the sufferings of unrequited love. Oberbeck will appear at Davis-Kidd Booksellers 5:30 p.m. Nov. 8. –CLAIRE SUDDATH FILM RIO BRAVO I wouldn’t mind living in the universe of Howard Hawks’ awesome 1959 Western—a rowdy meritocracy where the ultimate goal (other than staying alive) is earning the respect, company and tough love of John Wayne’s coolly heroic lawman John T. Chance. Among those worthy of the honor: Angie Dickinson’s smokin’-hot saloon girl, Walter Brennan’s loyal codger, Ricky Nelson’s cocky young gun—and in the best performance of his career, Dean Martin as a boozy deputy given a crack at redemption. A more enjoyable movie you won’t find playing anywhere in theaters. It’s the Weekend Classic Matinee at the Belcourt 11:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday, with two-for-one admission for members. See the review on p. 72. Coming next week: the original gay Western, Red River. —JIM RIDLEY SHUT UP & SING Perhaps you recall the underreported incident in which Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told a British audience she was ashamed that the current president was from Texas. (This was in 2003, back when some people disagreed.) Given remarkable access to damage-control meetings, PR strategy sessions and the Chicks’ offstage lives, filmmakers Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck show how the fallout ultimately forced the Chicks’ career in a different direction—and how they responded to a cold shoulder from reactionary country radio with extended middle fingers. The Music Row Democrats host the first public Nashville screening 7 p.m. Thursday at the Belcourt at a fundraiser for Senate candidate Harold Ford; no word yet whether the Chicks themselves will attend. —JIM RIDLEY OLD JOY Singer-songwriter Will Oldham, a frequent Nashville visitor over the years, stars in writer-director Kelly Reichardt’s understated drama of a friendship drifting apart. A strong candidate for the year’s best-reviewed film, it starts Friday at the Belcourt for a week’s run: for more details, see the review on p. 73. Held over for a second week, thanks to a huge turnout by Nashville pervs: Shortbus. —JIM RIDLEY 49 UP Inspired by the Jesuit creed, “Give me the child until he is 7 and I will give you the man,” filmmaker Michael Apted has documented the lives of a group of British schoolchildren every seven years. For viewers who’ve been following Apted’s project for the past 42 years, it’s less reality TV than an unmissable reunion; for those who’ve never seen any of the films, it’s among the most startling and overwhelming experiences in all of movies to watch entire lives develop onscreen before our eyes. The latest film opens Saturday at the Belcourt. —JIM RIDLEY THE QUEEN “She ain’t no human bein’,” Johnny Rotten famously spat at England’s monarch: Helen Mirren’s performance as an only-too-human Queen Elizabeth begs to differ. Stephen Frears’ riveting docudrama re-creates the dark days just after Princess Diana’s death, as newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair (an amazing Michael Sheen) becomes middleman between a grief-sodden populace and the stiff-upper-lipped royal family, with Mirren’s stubbornly stoic ruler bearing the brunt of public vitriol. The film opens Friday at Green Hills. —JIM RIDLEY TO A TEE Watkins senior Matt Riddlehoover wrote, directed, edited and stars in his feature-length comedy-drama as a playwright who milks his dud relationships with men for material—until he attracts the attention of an admiring newspaper columnist (Lindsay Hancock) whose boyfriend (Jonas Brandon) is unfortunately just his type. Last May, the trailer won a MySpace Film User’s Choice Award that got Riddlehoover interviewed by Filmmaker magazine; the film makes its public premiere 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at the Belcourt. See www.toateemovie.com for more information. —JIM RIDLEY DON The 1978 original was a delirious vehicle for Hindi movie idol Amitabh Bachchan, pressed into double duty as a super-suave gangster and his happy-go-lucky mirror image. In Farhan Akhtar’s high-tech, effects-heavy remake, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan takes over Big B’s dual role: all we can hope is that he still comes equipped with the original’s swanky theme music, the melodic equivalent of a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick. The overseas smash shows 2 p.m. Sunday at the Belcourt and will sell out; get advance tickets at tickets.belcourt.org. —JIM RIDLEY IRAQ FOR SALE: THE WAR PROFITEERS / “THE FACES OF TENNCARE” Having taken on Wal-Mart, FOX News and the 2000 election debacle, progressive muckraker Robert Greenwald rips into another juicy subject: the private-sector corporations making big-time bucks off the Iraq War (Halliburton: $18.5 billion) while stranding their employees in harm’s way with inadequate training and protection. With the clock running down on the hotly contested midterm elections, the Darkhorse Theater at 4610 Charlotte Avenue offers a free screening 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, preceded by another hot-button doc: Nashville filmmaker Molly Secours’ short film, which casts Tennessee’s dire health-care crisis in stark human terms. Call 661-6162 for more information. —JIM RIDLEY THE LATE SHOW: THE PRINCESS BRIDE The one with the shrieking eels, the Rodents of Unusual Size, Princess Buttercup and Westley, and André the Giant. Rob Reiner’s 1987 version of William Goldman’s “hot fairytale” is the Belcourt’s late show 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Inconceivable! —JIM RIDLEY