What was originally scheduled to celebrate the release of Saussy’s new CD, The Chocolate Orchid Piano Bar, has instead become a celebration of his life. Saussy died Friday, March 16, at age 70, and friends, family and fans will gather to remember a man who was inarguably one of the most unique and colorful Nashvillians of his era—or, for that matter, any era. After retiring from a successful advertising career in the late ’60s at age 32, Saussy devoted himself to his band The Neon Philharmonic, whose lush, string-drenched über-pop garnered a couple of Grammy nominations. (A few years back, Rhino released Brilliant Colors, a two-CD set containing everything the group recorded for Warner Bros. between 1968 and ’71.) Boldly eccentric, the music had the same sort of accessible-but-bizarro je ne sais quoi that made Brian Wilson an icon for the Pitchfork generation. The next three decades, abridged: Saussy wrote a book attacking the U.S. monetary system, helped James Earl Ray write his autobiography, became a prolific watercolorist—and, perhaps his most notorious accomplishment, went on the lam for 10 years as a tax protester, for which he eventually served time. Saussy was surely one of the few Nashvillians to have many friends and admirers in both Belle Meade blueblood society and Nashville’s rock underground, an achievement that will surely be in evidence when folks from all walks of life (and tax brackets) convene to raise a glass in his honor. Warren Pash, who produced Saussy’s new CD, says the event will be a high-spirited party, the way Tupper would have wanted it. Tentatively scheduled to perform some of the man’s music are K.S. Rhoads, Daniel Tashian and Melissa Mathes. A brief film highlighting Saussy’s life will be screened, and recordings from all periods of his music career will be featured. —JACK SILVERMAN

MUSIC

THURSDAY, 22ND

ROCKY VOTOLATO It’s tempting to pigeonhole Rocky Votolato’s music because the opening track of his fourth album—the breathy acoustic folk ballad “White Daisy Passing”—was featured on teen drama The O.C. But don’t be too hasty: plenty of the remaining 11 tracks on Makers (the album and title track were named for Maker’s Mark bourbon) are ragged, spacious and nicely understated. “Portland Is Leaving” and “Tinfoil Hats” lope along haunted by forlorn harmonica, and the pensive “She Was Only in It for the Rain” is layered with watery Hammond B-3 and the subtle staccato of plucked strings. “Makers” is colored by washes of pedal steel, and by Votolato wringing more roughness from his voice, the latter no doubt a habit formed during his tenure with Seattle punk outfit Waxwing. (rockyvotolato.com) Exit In —JEWLY HIGHT

ELLIS PAUL A product of the fertile Boston folk scene of the early 1990s that produced Dar Williams, Vance Gilbert, The Story and Mary Lou Lord, Paul has a quavery tenor that grows on you with repeated listening. It’s in especially good form on his 2005 CD American Jukebox Fables, which shores up his folk-rock portraits of Alaskan honky-tonks and media-hounded outlaws with sleek adult-contemporary polish: anyone with fond memories of Jackson Browne’s The Pretender should give it a spin. Over more than a decade of touring, he’s amassed a thriving college town fan base that checks in regularly at his blog (ellispaul.com), where you can also find pictures of his new baby girl. If nothing else, his Nashville gig should be a welcome break from changing diapers. Bluebird Café —JIM RIDLEY

DEAN & BRITTA The first sound heard on Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips’ new Back Numbers is a softly percolating electronic pulse, a somewhat misleading hint at a departure from the guitar-based, Velvet Underground-influenced sound of their former band, ’90s college radio darlings Luna. To be sure, the pair have added a great deal of texture to their latest project, augmenting their dreamy, darkly melancholic pop with sweeping strings and delicate touches like vibraphone and shimmering keyboards. Crucially, the languid, laid-back spirit of Luna’s best music carries over to new numbers like the yearning, sweetly romantic “Wait for Me” and the duet “Say Goodnight,” where Phillips’ sultry purr provides seductive counterpoint to Wareham’s unstable quaver. The highlight among the duo’s several choice covers is, fittingly, a take on Lee Hazelwood’s “You Turned My Head Around” where Britta’s voice breaks out of the whispery atmospherics to soar majestically on the chorus as she stretches the word “baby” into a thing of mysterious grandeur. And hey, if the music isn’t enticement enough, pop-culture geeks take note: Britta once supplied the voice for ’80s cartoon hero Jem. (deanandbritta.com) Mercy Lounge —JASON BENNETT

FRIDAY, 23RD

BANG BANG BANG Bang Bang Bang stop short of waving the rebel flag on their new EP, the independently released (but Warner Bros.-funded) American Ride. But they still proudly salute Southern rock in a manner not unlike the band to which they’re most often (and rightfully) compared, Kings of Leon. But where the Kings’ new album is a more cerebral and esoteric affair, American Ride is all hip-swiveling riffs and barstool swagger, stuffed with cocksure come-ons and straight-talking tales of excess. The last few months have seen the band open for Hank Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shooter Jennings and 38 Special—trial-by-fire touring that’s focused the quartet into a razor-sharp rock machine. Bang hit the target almost every time on Ride, with surprisingly sophisticated songcraft on songs such as “Good as Gold” and the re-recorded “Traffic,” which unabashedly aim for the mainstream. (The lone exception is B-level riff-rocker “Rock ’n’ Roll Queen.”) The band is currently working on new songs with L.A. producer James Michael, and expect to start recording its Warner debut this summer after an upcoming string of dates with ZZ Top. (bbbrock.com) Exit/In —JASON MOON WILKINS

RON LASALLE The Nashville blues rocker’s newest album, Nobody Rides for Free, is an unusually credible slab of blue-eyed soul: raw, sometimes fumblingly tender songs of torment and betrayal, sung in a boozy broken-glass howl pitched somewhere between John Hiatt and Tom Waits and backed by a big, shambling medicine-show-revival band. It’ll be interesting—and maybe a little discomforting—to hear the songs stripped naked as LaSalle plays an in-the-round show with Dave Duncan, Jon Ims and Amanda Hunt-Taylor. (ronlasalle.com) Douglas Corner —JIM RIDLEY

SATURDAY, 24TH

COLD WAR KIDS Bands forming at Christian colleges are hardly front-page news in Nashville, where these things happen all the time. But that’s not necessarily the case elsewhere: bloggers, critics and the like have fixated on the Cold War Kids’ Biola University origins to a degree that has threatened to overshadow the California quartet’s decidedly nonreligious music. Actually, Matt Aveiro, Matt Maust, Jonnie Russell and Nathan Willett just churn out solid indie rock with more verve and stylistic range than most. (The “blues” description that’s also been applied to them is a bit of a stretch.) Their debut full-length—last year’s Robbers & Cowards—displays Willett’s frenetic tenor and knack for memorable storytelling. Tokyo Police Club and Delta Spirit open. Mercy Lounge —JEWLY HIGHT

TOKYO POLICE CLUB This Canadian quartet may not have a member over 21, but their post-punk spasms are sooo 30 years ago, with debut A Lesson in Crime harnessing strains of The Cure’s melodic jangle and Wire’s elastic stomp. Toss in fresh themes (song subjects include robots and global destruction), gang vocals and hand claps, and at under 20 minutes you’ve got a fiercely modern batch of post-punk with an irresistible pulse. “Nature of the Experiment,” with its ringing guitars and rubber-band-plucked bassline, is full of buoyancy and thrust, while “Citizens of Tomorrow” perfects a moody-yet-disaffected squalor. The band’s recent SXSW performance proved they’ve got the live chops, too, with throngs of kids buzzing off their exhilarating raw energy. If you think the band are too young to be so good, consider that they’ve already cast off a few false starts in other groups before finding this lineup. As they sing with weary resignation in “Shoulders and Arms”: “You / You’re so young / I don’t care what you’ve done wrong.” (myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub) Mercy Lounge —TRACY MOORE

HANK COCHRAN Hank Cochran likes to say that he doesn’t write songs—God writes them, and he just holds the pen. Luckily, he happened to have a pen handy when the Almighty sent down slices of classic-country heaven like Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces,” Faron Young’s “Make the World Go Away” and George Strait’s “Ocean Front Property,” all of which bear Cochran’s name. (Maybe God gets a piece of the publishing). The Isola, Miss., native will be the first subject of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s new quarterly “Poets and Prophets” series, saluting some of the city’s greatest tunesmiths. An irascible, irresistible storyteller, Cochran will talk about his history, perform a few hits and sign autographs afterward. Price of attendance is included with museum admission. (hankcochran.com; countrymusichalloffame.com) Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum —CHRIS NEAL

NASHVILLE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Conductor Paul Gambill and his ensemble wrap up a two-week Jewish American Music Festival with this performance, which will feature both the world premiere of Michael Rose’s Arguing With God and a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. In his klezmer concerto, Rose works along the same lines as the great jazz arranger Billy Strayhorn, creating a piece that is a mix of improvisation (in the klezmer tradition) and composed score. The noted klezmer band Brave Old World will perform with the orchestra. Speaking of jazz arrangers, the NCO will also present the original version of Rhapsody in Blue, which was orchestrated by jazz conductor Paul Whiteman. Amy Dorfman will solo. (nco.org) Schermerhorn Symphony Center —JOHN PITCHER

SUNDAY, 25TH

YOUTH GROUP Australian band Youth Group have a lineage that ties them to forgettable, or should we say forgotten, Nirvana-be’s The Vines. But unlike that heavily hyped group’s insistent attempts at self-destruction, Youth Group are far more focused on finding their way onto mixtapes than police blotters. Their cover of ’80s hit “Forever Young” (Alphaville, not Rod Stewart) was prominently featured on The O.C. and has helped them accomplish that task. (And having Death Cab’s Christopher Wallace, who mixed a song on the band’s new Casino Twilight Dogs, as a fan hasn’t hurt them either.) Youth Group’s first stateside release, Skeleton Jar, was a bright surprise of indie pop, but Twilight Dogs’ simple, sometimes obvious rhyme schemes go past the point of pleasantness. Still, due to the strength of Skeleton Jar and band leader Toby Martin’s uncanny vocal similarity to the much-missed Tim Booth of James, the group still warrants a look live. (youthgroup.com.au) Exit/In —JASON MOON WILKINS

STREET DREAM TOUR WITH LIL WAYNE, YOUNG JEEZY, RICH BOY, FAT JOE, JIM JONES Wayne and Jeezy may be the headliners for this Southern rap summit, but Rich Boy is the man of the moment. His hot single “Throw Some D’s” is an infectious, danceable song that’s on numerous guilty pleasure lists. But don’t let his goofily profane pronouncements fool you: the kid was a mechanical engineering student before getting bit by the rap bug. High school dropout Lil Wayne is now Cash Money records’ president and most popular rapper, and he’s shown the most growth and maturity of the Dirty South artists, moving from unimaginative pop rap to bold (if slightly paranoid) critiques of the Bush administration’s handling of the rebuilding of N’awlins. Not only do Wayne’s lyrics show progress, he’s also one of the few Southern artists to break from using the tinny, high-hat-heavy beats that were the signature sound of the below-the-Mason-Dixon set for the past five years. Young Jeezy loves that signature sound, and has held on to it like a security blanket. His past as a cocaine dealer may not be special among rappers, but few have made it their calling card as much as the self-proclaimed “Snowman.” Fat Joe brings Bronx flava and Boriqua style to the show, though lately his music has been more reflective of Southern hip-hop. Fat Joe hooks up with Lil Wayne on the club banger “Make It Rain.” New York minute-man Jim Jones rounds out the bill. Municipal Auditorium —MARK MAYS

MONDAY, 26TH

LOLA RAY Singer/guitarist John Balicanta has a croon any anglophile could love. It mopes and meanders with pouting ache, lingering like Romeo struggling to locate the address of Juliet’s balcony. Guitars shimmer in reflecting pools of Britpop, the sonorous surface rippling with a new wave shimmy. It’s a moody atmosphere ripe for The Killers, blending the swirling, swooning theatrics of our gloomy, rain-sodden allies from across the pond with the pulsing backbeat of an ’80s dance party. California native Balicanta formed Lola Ray while attending NYU, recruiting a pair of high school buddies to fill out the lineup. They scored a deal with DC Flag, the boutique label of Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden, to release their 2004 debut, I Don’t Know You. It’s nervier and more tightly wound than their latest, Liars, sometimes echoing the spirited churn of Smashing Pumpkins. On Liars, they ratchet back the crash of guitars in favor of lilting jangle, spiked with sugary hooks like XTC. Songs such as “Crumble” (which invites all his “so-called friends” to go to hell), “We’re Not Having Any Fun,” and “The Way We Argue” are enough to make Conor Oberst seem lighthearted. Then again, neither darkwave nor Britpop are known for their sunny disposition. (lolaray.com) Rcktwn —CHRIS PARKER

TUESDAY, 27TH

RICKIE LEE JONES It’s nothing new for Rickie Lee Jones to follow her artistic muse free and unfettered into all kinds of territory. Ghostyhead, her 1997 trip-hop excursion, is a case in point, but this time it’s taken her to Jesus—sort of. Her latest, The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard (the first record she’s done for New West) actually began as author Lee Cantalon’s effort to record a spoken-word version of The Words, his modern-day interpretation of Christ’s teachings. Let’s just say that Jones began improvising and transformed “Nobody Knows My Name” into something entirely different—a jangly, freewheeling rock-ish anthem. Many of the songs (such as the hook-laden “Falling Up,” the dark, slinky “Tried to Be a Man” and the meditative “Gethsemane”) clearly benefit from the spontaneous treatment. Others are decidedly less unintelligible. All told, it’s yet another intriguing season in Jones’ journey as a shape-shifting boho-pop singer. (rickieleejones.com) City Hall —JEWLY HIGHT

DR. JOHN As a session musician, Dr. John has graced recordings by artists as disparate as Carly Simon and Spiritualized. Humble Pie and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band have covered his songs, and he’s a fine interpreter, as last year’s Johnny Mercer tribute, Mercernary, attests. Still, his greatest achievement might be his ability to represent New Orleans music to the rest of the world. Ever since early-’70s records like Gumbo modernized and funkified Crescent City classics, the man born Malcolm Rebennack has kept alive the crazy, careening spirit of forebears such as Huey “Piano” Smith. Tonight’s Tin Pan South appearance benefits the New Orleans chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and features the great musician alone at his baby grand. With his vast repertoire and immaculate touch, he embodies the ease and professionalism that has made New Orleans famous. (drjohn.org) 6:30 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —EDD HURT

G-3 ’07: JOE SATRIANI, JOHN PETRUCCI, PAUL GILBERT For those who live for the squealing buildup, there is nothing as exhilarating as a torrent of hammer-ons, arpeggiated runs and twisting notes that bend against their own will. For those folks who thrill to the loud ’n’ the blaring, the fifth North American run of Joe Satriani’s kinetic, pyrotechic guitar hero fest is ample reason to buy an extra Bic lighter. With copious pedals, axes and amps, this is a guitar-fest of major proportions. Satriani, who’s been a hardcore guitar gawd since releasing 1987’s Surfing With the Alien, knows how to pick ’em. Enlisting Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen for prior G3 tours, this year’s model brings Dream Theater anchor Petrucci and Racer X/Mr. Big alum Gilbert for what will be three crisp sets and a group jam at the end. With double-digit Grammy nominations, endorsements beyond a gearhead’s wildest dreams and a fervor for plugging in, jacking up the volume and letting it fly, this is the reason the shredder nation remains intact, regardless of contemporary music’s fickle nature. (satriani.com; johnpetrucci.com; paulgilbert.com) Ryman Auditorium —HOLLY GLEASON

WEDNESDAY, 28TH

1349/NACHTMYSTIUM Named after the year the Black Death spread to their home country of Norway, 1349’s lightning-fast compositions are faithfully crafted to the genre conventions set by such early ’90s Norwegian black metal forebears as Darkthrone, Mayhem and Immortal. The recordings are often impenetrably lo-fi—a mainstay for this particular brand of metal. The double kick-drum sits uncomfortably close to the listener, while guitar screeches in and out of a state of white noise. The group has earned a reputation for its over-the-top live performances, where the band members appear in the full black-metal regalia of spikes and corpse paint, supplemented by occasional fire-breathing. While 1349’s approach may at times seem one-dimensional and recycled, tour mates Nachtmystium delivered one of last year’s most impressive metal releases, Instinct: Decay. Laid on the same gritty, lo-fi foundation as 1349, Instinct: Decay incorporates an almost psychedelic aesthetic and successfully expands the limitations of the genre, while avoiding the esoteric trappings that often plague other black metal bands. (myspace.com/1349band; myspace.com/nachtmystium) The Muse —MATT SULLIVAN

JOHN DIGWEED Even if you don’t know acid house from Hugh Laurie, you’ve probably heard of U.K. DJ Digweed, who as half of Sasha & Digweed and as a solo DJ/producer became one of the biggest dance-floor tastemakers and trendsetters of the past decade. (Perhaps you’ve heard “For What You Dream Of,” his Bedrock hit from the Trainspotting soundtrack, or his club anthem “Heaven Scent.”) It’s been more than 10 years since Sasha & Digweed started the residency at Manhattan’s Twilo that seeded the States with the progressive trance/house sound, and since then Digweed has gone on to a successful radio show on Britain’s Kiss 100, film-scoring work (and an appearance in the 2000 rave indie Groove) and regular appearances on DJmag’s list of the world’s top DJs—including No. 1 in 2001. With rising techno-funk stars MSTRKRFT (whose irresistible single “Easy Love” sounds like the Robo-Gap Band) and local club hero Terry Grant. Play Dance Bar —JIM RIDLEY

THEATER

LONG TIME SINCE YESTERDAY Mary McCallum’s SistaStyle Productions continues to mount works new to Nashville that present a sensitive view of the African American experience. P. J. Gibson’s play concerns five prosperous professional women who reunite at the funeral of a mutual college friend, where tempers flare and old secrets are revealed. John Wiggins directs a cast that includes McCallum, Christan Riley, Jacqueline Holmes, Tamiko Robinson, Fiona Soul and Alicia Ridley. Performances are March 23 to 31. For tickets, call 781-3904. Darkhorse Theater —MARTIN BRADY

CHICAGO In the midst of its historic 40th anniversary celebration, Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre takes on the big challenge of this edgy, dance-heavy Kander/Ebb musical. Pam Atha is assigned both directorial and choreographic chores, with Tim Fudge handling the musical direction. The cast includes Chaffin’s artistic director Martha Wilkinson as Roxie, Holly Shepherd as Velma and Bobby Wyckoff as Billy Flynn. Others in the large ensemble include Billy Ditty, Amanda Lamb, Kim Nygren, Delali Potakey and Derek Whittaker. Onstage now through May 5. For tickets and information, call 646-9977. Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre —MARTIN BRADY

INTIMATE APPAREL Lynn Nottage has trod the right path—Brown University, Yale School of Drama and various fellowships (including the Guggenheim)—to become one of America’s most successful young playwrights. Intimate Apparel has garnered Nottage her widest recognition, including the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Set in Manhattan near the turn of the 20th century, the tale concerns an African American seamstress named Esther, whose clients range from wealthy white patrons to prostitutes. Esther’s hopes and dreams include love as well as the opportunity to open a high-class beauty parlor that caters to black women. Intimate Apparel is notable for its interesting historic setting, sharp dialogue and keen point of view on class and race relations. Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s new production, under the direction of Rene Copeland, is the local premiere. Noted Nashville teacher and actress Stella Reed has the lead, in what promises to be a noteworthy performance. The supporting cast includes Ross Brooks, John Brooks, Tamira Henry, Lisa Kimmey and Jenny Littleton. Resident designer Trish Clark’s costumes, in keeping with the show’s theme, aim for elegance. The production runs March 22 to April 7. For tickets, call 255-ARTS (2787). TPAC Johnson Theater —MARTIN BRADY

COMEDY

JIM GAFFIGAN A product of the mid-1990s observational humor trend, Gaffigan floundered around for a decade on the nightclub circuit, with a sitcom appearance here and a late-night talk show performance there, telling jokes about his experience as a Midwestern white boy trying to make it in the Big Apple. But thanks to countless TV and movie appearances, regular gigs in Rolling Rock and Sierra Mist commercials and Pale Force—a series of video shorts starring Gaffigan and Conan O’Brien as two superheroes who use their blindingly pale skin to defeat evil—the Indiana boy has finally made it big. Gaffigan has perfected the art of self-deprecation, lambasting his own jokes with the aid of an inner monologue and a deadpan delivery that will make you laugh every time. He’s bald, he wears khakis and he looks like that funny guy from work—you know, the one who microwaves a Hot Pocket on high for 15 minutes in the break room just to see how long it will take before the sucker catches on fire. In fact, he has a whole series of jokes about the “Pop Tart filled with nasty meat.” With a stand-up routine that focuses on food, sleep and sitting on the couch, there’s a little bit of Gaffigan in all of us. Jim Gaffigan performs at 8 p.m. March 23. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com. Ryman Auditorium —CLAIRE SUDDATH

FILM

MORE 50 YEARS OF JANUS FILMS: IL POSTO You can’t argue with success, especially in something as dicey as revival-cinema programming. So after attracting more than 3,000 moviegoers in January and February—including a startling number of first-time visitors—the Belcourt is extending its salute to arthouse pioneer Janus Films for an additional two months of weekend classics. First up is Ermanno Olmi’s 1961 comedy Il Posto, a bittersweet comedy about a corporate drudge that critic Dennis Lim described as a precursor to Office Space; it screens Saturday and Sunday afternoon, to be followed in coming weeks by films from Bresson, Kurosawa, Ozu, Jacques Tati, Louis Malle and more. See belcourt.org for more information. —JIM RIDLEY

2 X RORY KENNEDY: AMERICAN HOLLOW/A BOY’S LIFE Acclaimed documentarian Kennedy, the youngest of Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy’s 11 children, will speak at MTSU April 5 as the school’s Windham Lecturer. In advance of her visit, her films American Hollow (an award-winning account of an Appalachian family’s isolation and collision with modern civilization) and A Boy’s Life (about a Mississippi 7-year-old’s hardscrabble childhood) will screen at MTSU’s KUC Theatre 11 a.m. March 27-29, free and open to the public. —JIM RIDLEY

STARBUCKING His name is Winter, and Starbucks stockholders owe him a debt of gratitude along with a quintuple venti whateverthehellhewants. Since 1997, the computer programmer, Scrabble hustler and self-professed lover of women, philosophy, episodic TV and biscuits has made it his mission to have a cup of coffee at every Starbucks in the world: according to his website (starbuckseverywhere.net), he’s at 6,336 stores and counting, and last year alone he traveled 35,780 miles to visit 1,035 new franchises. He’ll be at the Belcourt March 26 for two screenings of Bill Tangeman’s documentary portrait, which among other things chronicles his attempt to visit 29 Starbucks in a single day. I presume either Winter or the film will answer why. Your ticket money goes toward a police escort to get him past Bob Bernstein and Fido without an all-out javapocalypse. —JIM RIDLEY

A KIND OF LOVING Director John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) made his feature debut with this 1962 drama about a draftsman (Alan Bates) and a typist (June Ritchie) in a Lancashire factory who try to make marriage work after he gets her pregnant. Part of the British cinema’s early-1960s “kitchen-sink realism” movement, the film is this week’s selection in the Downtown Presbyterian Church’s Lenten Film Series; the screening 7 p.m. Thursday is preceded at 6 p.m. by a meal, both free and open to the public. Alert Ms. Cheap! —JIM RIDLEY

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL There’s no way of knowing what will make up this year’s program of award-winning shorts from the Canadian film fest, which assembles world-class films about mountain climbing, outdoor sports and the far curves of the globe. It could include anything from a tiger hunt in Russia, a base jump in Mali or an iceberg climb to following a pair of red pandas released into the wild. Past years, though, have led audiences to expect two things: spectacular nature footage, and a sell-out crowd. Sponsored by Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, the films screen 7 p.m. March 27 at the Belcourt; tickets are $10 in advance at Blue Ridge, 108 Page Road, or $12 at the door. —JIM RIDLEY