Back when jukeboxes were covered with tears and whiskey, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price owned a significant slice of country music. Nelson was the conversational, confessional Zen poet, Haggard the stand-tall, working-man icon and Price the satiny cosmopolitan crooner. Blue collars and Blue Ribbon beer also went a lot further than they do now. Redneck music once galvanized folks below the upper crust with a fury of fiddles and steel guitars. Not quite extinct, but flickering in the onslaught of hair-metal-evoking country-lite, these three icons still have serious potency, displayed with flash and verve on the double CD Last of the Breed, produced by equally old-school Fred Foster. No doubt they’ll heavily mine the vintage classics of Breed—“Heartaches by the Number,” “Lost Highway,” “Going Away Party,” “Why Me Lord” and “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine”—with a jaunty shuffle and a breaking ache where applicable. Backed by Grammy-winning Western swing kings Asleep at the Wheel, this is 100 proof country polished to its gleaming best. (LostHighwayRecords.com) The Grand Ole Opry —HOLLY GLEASON

MUSIC

THURSDAY, 15TH

SILVERSUN PICKUPS The Silversun Pickups were recently hurrying from Minneapolis to New York to play a couple of shows in front of industry types, on whose radar SSPU had suddenly appeared like a bright, well-thought-out twinkle. Meanwhile, the band’s gear was streaking its way across the country from Los Angeles in a van driven alternately by their sound guy and their manager (passing through Nashville in the wee hours of the morning). Such was the relationship between supply and demand: the band could hardly keep up with requests for their presence. And that hasn’t changed much; in the intervening weeks, Silversun Pickups, whose driving, melodic rock is the rougher-hewn kin of fellow Californians Grandaddy and Earlimart, have moved quickly from relative obscurity to sharing the stage with the likes of Wolfmother and OK Go and making the late-night television rounds. Their first full-length album, Carnavas, is a bracing mix of straight-ahead guitar rock and glittering, sometimes cacophonous atmosphere. (silversunpickups.com) Exit/In —STEVE HARUCH

THE LONG PLAYERS WITH AL KOOPER This veteran rocker’s fingerprints are all over rock history. He wrote “This Diamond Ring,” provided the signature organ riffs on “Like a Rolling Stone” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and backed Mr. Jimi on Electric Ladyland. He also formed Blood, Sweat & Tears and produced Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first three albums—and that’s just the first 30 years. In the last three decades, he’s been a record executive and a Berklee professor, and worked with Ray Charles, Alice Cooper, Joe Ely, George Harrison, B.B. King, Nils Lofgren, Roger McGuinn, Ringo Starr, Richard Thompson and Joe Walsh, to name a few. A Nashville resident in the ’90s, Kooper returns to join the all-star Long Players as they re-create Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, on which Kooper originally played. He’ll join the core band of Steve Allen, John Deaderick, Steve Ebe, Bill Lloyd and E-Streeter Gary Tallent and other guest vocalists, including Georgia Satellites’ Dan Baird, Steve Forbert, BR549’s Chuck Mead, the Scorchers’ Jason Ringenberg and The Turtles’ Mark Vollman to pay tribute to one of rock’s greatest albums. The following night, Kooper stays for a rare solo gig that will show why this rock ’n’ roll professor remains a soul-stirring performer who pulls on all strains of popular music to create something musically hip and emotionally raw. Mercy Lounge (Thursday); solo at The Rutledge (Friday, 16th) —MICHAEL MCCALL

FRIDAY, 16TH

TIMBALAND In his February review of Justin Timberlake and Pink’s FutureSex/LoveShow Tour for the Village Voice, Tom Breihan wrote that “…hearing Timbaland’s DJ set was like staring into the face of God.” That’s pretty much right, especially as omnipresence goes: since he first began landing hits in the late ’90s with a cadre that included Missy Elliott, Aaliyah and Ginuwine, Timbaland’s become one of the principal definitions of what hip-hop sounds like as its busiest and biggest producer. His style—big, funky and deceptively simple—has been a calling card for Jay-Z, Nas, Jennifer Lopez and, most recently, Bjork. “Give It to Me”—the first single from Shock Value, his first album under his own name—is an unashamed celebration of his friendships and creative partnerships with Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. Sure, it’s only marginally successful—you’ll hear it at Friday’s show, but you may not love it. Really, though, if you’re staring into the face of God, you’re not going to say, “Dude, what are you doing?” You’ll just be gawking. Gaylord Entertainment Center (timbalandmusic.com) —GRAYSON CURRIN

DALE ANN BRADLEY The fact that Dale Ann Bradley would attempt a cover of Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain”—already done so heart-wrenchingly by Peebles in the ’70s and Tina Turner in the ’80s—on last year’s Catch Tomorrow, and that her bluegrass performance of the song is striking in its own right, is just a small indication of the Kentucky native’s abilities as a honeyed, earthy vocalist. Bradley’s pre-solo work includes the Renfro Valley Barn Dance and a stint as lead vocalist and guitarist for the Coon Creek Girls. On her third solo album—and first for Alison Brown’s Compass Records—she delivers potent, unvarnished renditions of Jerry Chestnut’s “Holding on to Nothing” (a keening duet with Marty Raybon), the aforementioned Peebles tune and a handful of solid originals written with her longtime songwriting partner and bassist Vicki Simmons. Not only is the dark, bluesy moonshine romp “Run Rufus Run” a good song, it’s a true story culled from Bradley’s own family lore. (daleann.com) Station Inn —JEWLY HIGHT

SUNDAY, 18TH

ROBYN HITCHCOCK Hitchcock’s surreal imagination has produced men with lightbulb heads, copulating insects, ghostly ex-wives and homey nests in the trees, earning him frequent comparisons to the off-kilter lyricism of Syd Barrett. But to dismiss him simply as fanciful is to miss the serious sentiment, dark wit and allegory disguised beneath the whimsy. Across 30 years, he’s produced a canon of underrated consistency, extending from his late ’70s iconic band The Soft Boys (who reunited for an album and tour in ’02), through a solo career with and without a regular band. His previous album, Spooked, was cut with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. The latest, Olé! Tarantula, boasts a crack backing band, the Venus 3 (featuring R.E.M./The Minus 5 members Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin), who seal the ringing guitars, Beatles melodies and swooning tempos with airtight skill. From the C&W-tinged title track that imagines a “Bonanza”-style Western populated by tarantulas, to his tender ode to Arthur Kane (“N.Y. Doll”), there’s more rock bite than on recent solo albums. Live, Hitchcock’s droll stories, rants and banter make more unfathomable turns than Escher and could be the subject of their own comedy album. (robynhitchcock.com) The Belcourt —CHRIS PARKER

KEN ANDREWS Even if he had never made any of his own music after the demise of his influential ’90s space rock outfit Failure, guitarist/producer/frontman Ken Andrews would still be assured of a loyal cult following. And rightly so—though his individual contribution to rock guitar vocabulary was secured by Failure’s second album Magnified, Andrews deserves at least as much credit for re-inventing himself as a neo-new wave electro-pop maven on his 2000 sleeper classic Shifting Skin. His latest, Secrets of the Lost Satellite, represents his first attempt to blend these two persuasions into one cohesive sound and continues his increasingly overt emphasis on hooks. Where Failure’s dour tones expertly hinted at psychosis and despair, Lost Satellite has a considerably less sinister and more inviting feel, which counterbalances Andrews’ continuing preoccupation with the shadowy, unspoken aspects of attraction and antagonism. For his first area appearance since 2003 (and likely his last for a long time), Andrews is happily playing Failure songs once again, while First Wave Hello, a San Diego band obviously influenced by those songs, does double-duty as backing band and opening act. (kenandrews.com) Mercy Lounge —SABY REYES-KULKARNI

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR Though her half-sister Norah Jones has sold more records, Anoushka Shankar grew up as student and now collaborator to her father, sitar master Ravi Shankar. The father-daughter duo were scheduled to perform a concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center last October, but he had an injury that forced them to cancel that date. Anoushka has an active solo career, and on recordings such as 2005’s Rise, she joins her sitar playing and singing with Indian and Western musicians in compositions that take Indian classical sounds and fuse them with today’s International Style, a cool form of electronica. The results might qualify as New Age were it not for the strong roots the players have in the forms, techniques and sounds of Indian music. Her father has devoted a lot of energy to crossover projects, especially with Western classical music, so it’s no surprise that his daughter also finds that the powerful expressiveness of Indian music adapts well to new contexts. (anoushkashankar.com) 6:30 p.m., Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music —DAVID MADDOX

ROSANNE CASH Within 14 months, Grammy-winning songwriter/former progressive country music standard-setter Rosanne Cash lost her stepmother, father and mother. Devastating on any level, loss exponentiates when one’s family contains global legends like June Carter and Johnny Cash. Cash descended into mourning and memories, ultimately creating the haunted and haunting Black Cadillac, a rumination on what went before and those who stay behind. A lush record that merged hushed performances with more astringent rockers, Cadillac was a compass to navigate through the legacy of who one is, the marks those gone have left and a prayer for what will be. Yet as potent as it was, Cash had larger frames to fill. Her current tour expands the context, harvesting her heritage and imbuing the larger-than-life with humanity, dignity and grace. With film, pictures and her irrepressible wit, she celebrates country’s first family and peeks into the small moments that make death and the life of those who remain the most universal experience of all. (RosanneCash.com) Schermerhorn Symphony Center —HOLLY GLEASON

TUESDAY, 20TH

JAMES HUNTER To call James Hunter a scion of Sam Cooke or Van Morrison isn’t entirely inaccurate. The British-born singer-songwriter possesses a smooth, effortless croon and vintage-tinged sensibilities, and has logged plenty of tour dates with Morrison, in addition to appearing on his album A Night in San Francisco and Days Like This. On People Gonna Talk—Hunter’s best-known album to date (1996’s …Believe What I Say and 2001’s Kick It Around failed to create as much of a stir)—he channels the cool and easy rhythm & blues of the late ’50s and early ’60s through 14 entirely danceable originals. Hunter made a couple of stops at the Ryman Auditorium last year—one to support Etta James and the other to appear at the Americana Music Association Awards Show—but this time the spotlight is his alone. (jameshuntermusic.com) Mercy Lounge —JEWLY HIGHT

WEDNESDAY, 21ST

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTERORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS It’s been a long time since this jazz sensation has had to play for his supper, and in Nashville he won’t exactly be playing for yours. For its jazz concerts, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center often turns its concert hall into a club, replacing rows of seating with tables that are serviced by tuxedoed waiters. But Marsalis doesn’t do dinner theater. What he does do is traditional, Ellington-style big band jazz that the trumpeter and 15 bandmates spice up with pungent and often contemporary-sounding improvisations. It’s detail music, so Marsalis wants you to pay attention, not place food orders. (Note: you can still get food at the hall, but the waiters are banished.) What you’re likely to hear are tunes from his new album From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, which includes “Where Y’all At?”—a raucous song that has the trumpeter not so subtly declaiming, “We running all over the world with a blunderbuss / And the Constitution all but forgot in the fuss.” (wyntonmarsalis.net) Schermerhorn Symphony Center —JOHN PITCHER

LONEY, DEAR That Emil Svanängen can record several albums worth of exquisite and irrepressible pop songs in his apartment in Jönköping, Sweden, and then turn around and become a minor indie blog sensation in America is proof that something is going right in the world. Seattle’s Sub Pop is the label of name on Loney, Noir, the first Loney, Dear CD available here. (He’s recorded four full-lengths and apparently sold quite a few of them on his own in his native country.) While there are some orchestral components (horns and various wind instruments) in Svanängen’s sound which often bring comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, Loney, Dear is more traditional pop than alt-classical act. Svanängen’s breathy, high voice, which often moves up into a falsetto, makes the music that much sweeter and more memorable. (loneydear.com) Mercy Lounge —WERNER TRIESCHMANN

DANCE

JUGGLEVILLE II: SYMPHONY IN GRAVITY Vanderbilt Juggling and Physical Arts is an energetic, student-run ensemble that combines youthful contemporary style with the pure entertainment elements of all that is beloved about the circus. Juggling, breakdancing, acrobatics and physical comedy are carried off using balls, clubs, Chinese yo-yos, glow-sticks and other props, creating tantalizing visuals that are backed up by hip music and interactive video technology. After the success of last year’s inaugural Juggleville, the new (and presumably improved) version returns to Vanderbilt for three shows, March 16-17. For a video preview, visit vanderbilt.edu/juggling/juggleville/index.php . For tickets, phone 255-9600 or visit ticketmaster.com. Ingram Hall —MARTIN BRADY

THEATER

LUCKY STIFF This zany, delightful Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty musical was a big hit when produced in 2002 by Boiler Room Theatre. Now the Franklin company mounts a revival, with all the key players intact: director Corbin Green, musical director Jamey Green, and the same funny cast featuring Patrick Kramer, Megan Murphy, Lisa Gillespie, Scott Rice, Sondra Morton-Chaffin and Craig Murphy. It’s all about a shy shoe salesman who’s in line for a hefty inheritance if he can fulfill the nearly impossible terms of his late uncle’s will. Opens March 16 and runs through April 14. For tickets, call 794-7744 or visit online at boilerroomtheatre.com. Boiler Room Theatre —MARTIN BRADY

ART

HOME Barry Noland’s photography has run the gamut from Mapplethorpe-inspired eroticism to urban landscapes and everything in between. One of Plowhaus’ most active artists, this local shutterbug may still be finding his voice, but he is doing so with a vengeance. Home is a new collection of images that explore Noland’s hometown of Cairo, Illinois through landscapes and portraiture. The show opens on Thursday, March 15, and runs through March 25, with an artist’s reception on Saturday, March 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. Proceeds from the show will support the Comprehensive Care Center, the premier clinic for HIV/AIDS treatment in Nashville and the Southeast. Plowhaus Artists’ Cooperative —JOE NOLAN

THE SERPENT HANDLERS After years of working with abstract forms, Knoxville-based artist Gary Monroe made a mid-career shift when he began to explore figurative drawing and painting. Creating work that loosely explores the traditions of Appalachian snake-handlers, Monroe’s complex, humorous narratives connect his art to the Bible and mythology, all the while making sly references to the history of painting. This show of Monroe’s large graphite and pastel drawings is a perfect match for Estel, where work in similar media has always been a highlight. The show opens with a reception on Saturday, March 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through April 14. Estel Gallery —JOE NOLAN

SWEET 16 Once upon a time Bellevue Mall was going to be the premier shopping center in town, but that didn’t quite work out. Now it’s a sad place, underfilled with off-brand stores and atypical mall businesses, such as a secondhand furniture consignment shop, insurance agents and a health club. The building’s creeping obsolescence means one thing—it’s the perfect place for art, a suburban version of the derelict warehouses where big city scenes thrive. The itinerant Untitled group and mall management found each other, and now the artists will hold this quarter’s show in the former Disney store, which still has traces of its Princess color scheme to match the Sweet 16 theme from the show’s poster. Other than the repurposed location, the one-night show should deliver the usual Untitled experience with tons of art by tons of artists and a big crowd to take it all in. There’s no question this will be—in zoning parlance—the “highest and best use” for the mall’s retail space. The show is from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, March 16. Bellevue Mall —DAVID MADDOX

MICHAEL GREENSPAN AND JOHAN HAGAMAN Hagaman is well known locally for her mixed-media sculptures that use incongruous material such as concrete and metal for whimsical takes on everyday personal dilemmas. Her tall, solitary figures can be reminiscent of the works of sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Greenspan, a new artist at Cumberland, paints abstract compositions with strong geometric elements that he tempers by working on a plaster base, which softens the edges and appears to give the surfaces more texture. The show opens with a reception on Saturday, March 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. and runs through April 14. Cumberland Gallery —DAVID MADDOX

MATERIAL TERRAIN Cheekwood is at its best when it finds common ground where its missions as art gallery and garden meet up. Material Terrain, a touring sculpture show, fits that model with indoor and outdoor work by 11 important contemporary artists who operate at the borders of built and natural environments. The participants include major figures in the international art world like Ursula von Rydingsvard, Dennis Oppenheim and Roxy Paine. These are artists who play off naturalness and artificiality in every way possible, from constructed things that look amazingly like living forms to living plants put into strange contexts that remove them from the natural world. The show runs March 17 through June 17. Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Gallery of Art —DAVID MADDOX

RADIO

“PREMIUM JAZZ” Tune in Monday night to WFSK-FM’s jazz show, as host The Watchman devotes the episode to the late Larry Young, whose playing on Miles Davis’ seminal Bitches Brew and his own 1965 LP Unity remain jazz-organ landmarks. Young’s former manager Jay Glover will appear on the show, extending a list of “Premium Jazz” interviews that includes Ornette Coleman, Headhunters drummer Mike Clark and organist Melvin Rhyne. The show airs 7 p.m. Mondays on 88.1 FM. —JIM RIDLEY

FILM

MAFIOSO: DINNER AND A MOVIE A few years ago, the Belcourt had enormous success serving an Indian meal at screenings of Lagaan. Now here’s (dare we say it?) an offer you can’t refuse. Attend the opening night this Friday of the recently restored Italian comedy Mafioso—a wild farce about a native Sicilian (rubber-faced Alberto Sordi) whose return home places him in the middle of a mob squabble—and you get a plate of pasta from Savarino’s Cucina and a glass of wine along with the film. Advance tickets are $15 for Belcourt members and $18 for non-members, and are almost gone; any remaining day-of-show tickets will be $20. Call 846-3150 for more information, and see the capsule review on p. 64 and a longer review online at nashvillescene.com. —JIM RIDLEY

CITY LIGHTS/DIG THROUGH ART FILM SERIES Every year, the Downtown Presbyterian Church’s Lenten film series invites audiences to look at familiar films in unfamiliar ways, using the festival’s theme as a prism. The theme this year is human sacrifice with regard to atonement, the death penalty and daily life, and while Charlie Chaplin’s 1931 comedy may seem an odd selection, its story of the Tramp’s attempt to help a blind flower girl who cannot recognize his selfless gesture remains a heartrending evocation of disinterested charity. Talk about a cheap date: the free 7 p.m. screening Thursday will be preceded at 6 by a meal, also free, and weekly dinner-and-a-movie selections for the next month include John Schlesinger’s 1962 kitchen-sink drama A Kind of Loving, the evergreen Citizen Kane and a special outdoor showing (weather permitting) of the original King Kong. All screenings are at the church, located downtown at the corner of Fifth and (where else?) Church. For more information, call 260-6238. —JIM RIDLEY

THE SOCIALIST, THE ARCHITECT AND THE TWISTED TOWER As fights loom in Nashville over public art vs. public function and the role of architecture in shaping—or warping—a city’s identity, check out Frerik Gertten’s hour-long 2005 documentary about the flap over architect Santiago Calatrava’s controversial “Turning Torso” tower in Malmo, Sweden: a 624-foot skyscraper that resembles a stout peppermint stick given one massive twist. The film gets two free screenings at 11:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, at the Nashville Civic Design Center, 138 Second Ave. N.; call 248-4280 for more information. —JIM RIDLEY