KATE McGARRYSUNDAY 20TH

In the song “No Wonder” from McGarry’s acclaimed new album The Target, the jazz vocalist asks, “Have you got a heart? / What’s in it?” It’s a question posed to a lover as an inviting challenge to open up to the bountiful possibilities a relationship presents, and McGarry sings as if she’s already exploring those possibilities without limiting herself to musical conventions—jazz, pop or otherwise. By turns sensual, playful and self-examining, McGarry embraces jazz’s freedom yet points the genre toward a future that’s as fresh and thrilling as its past. She wields a crystalline tone with remarkable range and control, musically connecting Miles Davis and Bill Evans with Joni Mitchell and Björk. Her song choices are eclectic and revealing, yet she connects strongest on her original tunes, which burst with insight and desire. She’ll join the Manhattan School of Music’s jazz faculty in September, but for now she offers Nashville a rare treat to see a rising jazz star, and her trio, in full creative bloom. Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Jazz Cave —MICHAEL MCCALL

MUSIC

THURSDAY, 17TH

MARTIN SEXTON Gifted with a voice out of time, singer-songwriter Martin Sexton is at his most heartbreaking on the ballads—the haunting, spare numbers where he starts slow and then hits those exhilarating, mournful, OMG notes. A perfect example is the lilting, piano-driven “Black Sheep” off the album of the same name—a song about escaping the past with a goosebumps-inducing bridge. Sexton has a casual soulfulness that rescues some of his more by-the-book numbers from adult contemporary purgatory, and as a songwriter he’s clever and fluid—skillful at adding an apt, colorful detail, like the truck carrying the prefab house on the touring-is-a-bitch number “Freedom of the Road.” (Speaking of touring, Sexton’s current stint is also eco-friendly; he’s partnered up with Clif Bar’s GreenNotes program for biodiesel fuel, recyclables and alternate energy sources to offset emissions.) Blessed with an eye-opening range, a surprising falsetto and the true singer’s skill for storytelling, Sexton inhabits his songs—he could probably teach those kids on Idol a great deal. Exit/In —LEE STABERT

SATURDAY, 19TH

BRIGHT EYES There are some people who instantly recoil at the mention of Conor Oberst (or his musical alias, Bright Eyes): “too whiny,” they’ll say, “too much angst” or “that dude is way emo.” Yes, the man does have a tendency to wear his shredded heart on his sleeve, a tendency to lose control of his voice in a manner so naked that it can border on uncomfortable, and a tendency to jam-pack words into already-bulging stanzas—but he is also so much more. 2005’s magnificent I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, with its bare-bones Americana twang and undeniably poetic bent, is a powerful refutation to the Oberst naysayers and vindication for all those audacious enough to compare the young troubadour to the legends. His latest, Cassadaga, is an overt step forward: richer, busier and higher minded—more political and less personal, more righteous anger and less lovelorn sorrow. It’s not always as affecting, but on a track like the lead single “Four Winds,” all the new tricks supplement an undeniably toe-tapping, crafty bit of songwriting. Ryman Auditorium —LEE STABERT

HARGUS “PIG” ROBBINS You’ve likely never heard of Hargus “Pig” Robbins, but if you’re old enough to read this, you’ve almost definitely heard him play. Blind since age 4 as the result of a knife accident, Robbins began playing piano when he was 7 and never looked back, going on to becoming one of the most prolific studio musicians in Nashville (i.e., world) history. At 21, he played on the George Jones hit “White Lightning,” and within the next five years had recorded with Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Bobby Bare, Connie Smith and Ernest Tubb, to name a few. In 1966, he played on one of the greatest rock albums of all time, Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, and—thanks to his uncanny knack for playing just the right part—he’s been working steadily ever since, with artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. And did we mention The Sir Douglas Quintet, Duane Eddy, Dolly Parton and Mark Knopfler? Never mind Ray Charles, Ween, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Boxcar Willie and Alvin & the Chipmunks. This event will feature an in-depth interview with Robbins, vintage video, photos and recordings and even a little live playing by Pig himself. 2 p.m. in The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater —JACK SILVERMAN

GRAND OLE OPRY: PORTER WAGONER’S 50TH OPRY ANNIVERSARY SIGNATURE SHOW Heart trouble—the literal, not the figurative kind—put Country Music Hall of Famer Porter Wagoner down but not out last year. And though tonight’s 50th celebration is technically late—he joined the Grand Ole Opry cast on Feb. 23, 1957—it’s well worth the extra weeks’ wait to see the West Plains, Mo., native back in full effect. One of the music’s great stylists, Wagoner played an equally important role as an ambassador during his heyday, with a popular syndicated TV show that put a skillful, professional sheen on unrepentantly hillbilly performances. And he also introduced Dolly Parton, who joins in the celebration, to the world. More recently, he’s been one of the most consistently entertaining hosts and performers among the Opry’s many veterans. Patty Loveless, whom he inducted into the cast in 1988, will be on hand, while Marty Stuart, who produced Wagoner’s upcoming Wagonmaster release (June 5), presides over the televised portion of the show, which ought to be one of the year’s best. Grand Ole Opry House —JON WEISBERGER

THE RAPTURE Ever since they first steamrolled onto the public dance floor with “House of Jealous Lovers” in 2002, big things have been expected from New York disco-punk quartet The Rapture. It would be unfair to say they’ve been a disappointment, but they’ve mostly flown under the international radar, content with occupying the niche their hit and subsequent record provided. Last year’s Pieces of the People We Love finally saw The Rapture abandon the angular sound that made them forebears of the post-punk resurgence and instead drafted Danger Mouse, whose influence leads to a much more polished, still very danceable sound. Happy Mondays-aping, cowbell-inundated grooves preside, muting their familiar Cure-happy sound slightly while keeping the overall motif intact. As with most of the post-punk revivalists that came after them, The Rapture are at their best with instruments in hand, standing in front of an audience that’s ready to dance. Mercy Lounge —ANDREW J. SMITHSON

JEFF FINLIN This former Nashvillian’s new Angels in Disguise took a strangely circuitous route to Rykodisc Records, Finlin’s new home. All but four of the songs came out in 2004 under the title Epinonymous on a small American indie, then got picked up last year by an English affiliate of Warner Bros. and released in Europe under its current title. Each successive record company, like each new listener, no doubt wonders why these gritty, literate, slice-of-life tunes aren’t yet being raved about on several continents. Meanwhile, Finlin keeps picking up fans, one blown mind at a time. The tunes strum and clang in a crisscross of Tom Waits, Randy Newman and Bruce Springsteen—the latter of whom is a professed fan, as is filmmaker Cameron Crowe, who used one of Finlin’s songs in Elizabethtown. These songs have run a marathon since being recorded here, and as such they deserve a hero’s welcome. The Basement —MICHAEL MCCALL

SUNDAY, 20TH

AUDIOFONIX REUNION W/MACY GRAY AND KEITE YOUNG To celebrate the reunion of AudioFoniX, the popular hip-hop/improvisational jazz-fusion band who got cut their teeth at the Pub of Love in the early ’90s, Lovenoise organizers scored Macy Gray to host the event. Gray, resurgent after a four-year layoff, isn’t scheduled to perform, but her appearance here is an opportunity fans may not want to miss. Keite Young was a featured performer with Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation before embarking on a solo career. His brand of neo-soul walks a tightrope between spiritual enlightenment and secular wickedness, recalling Al Green in sound and substance. If Young is worthy of a record deal and national press, then local talents Joey Richey and Darnell Levine are next at bat. Both write soul music that recalls the legends without sounding derivative—Richey is an R&B artist with impressive vocals, while Levine colors his funk and soul with quirky turns and classic pop songwriting, tossing in the occasional Billy Joel cover. The evening’s honorees, AudioFoniX, are lead by local underground MC Crisis and former Lovenoise host Ziyon, whose return from South Africa prompted the reunion. Some of Nashville’s best session musicians complete the AudioFoniX crew. Bar Car —MARK MAYS

YOUR OPERATOR (FORMERLY THORNTON) One of the more interesting local rock trajectories of late, Thornton have nearly all but abandoned their sweeping Buckley-esque melodies in favor of a meatier synth-rock sound, thanks to the Krautrock-lite studiotronics of Battle Tapes engineer Jeremy Ferguson. The band’s evolution continues this weekend as they salvage their post-breakup career with an inevitable name change. Dubbing themselves after their standout single “Your Operator,” primary songwriter Kevin Thornton and his long-suffering bandmates Enoch Porch and Luke Jones have coalesced the now tighter instrumentation with their trademark sublime harmonies. The name change notwithstanding, you certainly haven’t heard the last from Kevin Thornton. Exit/In —JOEY HOOD

LOVEDRUG Cleveland’s Lovedrug sound like they belong over the pond, where epic rock arrangements and oceanic melancholia are as hand-in-hand as Coldplay and Snow Patrol. They enjoyed a cup of coffee with Columbia, who rereleased their debut, Pretend You’re Alive, but then cut them loose before their follow-up, Everything Starts Where It Ends. Michael Shepard’s aching croon soars over atmospheric guitar with hooks indebted to the shimmering rumble of early Smashing Pumpkins. But despite their grand sonic intentions, they haven’t abandoned their Midwestern roots, keeping the swagger on tracks such as the Muse-like “Pushing the Shine” and the chunky post-punk “Bleed Together.” The ghostly, acoustic-driven single “Happy Apple Poison,” sounds like radio-friendly Radiohead, and while enjoyable, highlights a regrettable tendency toward pabulum on the big ballads. Playing a sidestage on Warped Tour last summer, Lovedrug leaned much harder on the rugged crunch, suggesting the incredible polish of Everything Starts is more an artifact of studio production than reflective of the band’s live aesthetic. Exit/In —CHRIS PARKER

MONDAY, 21ST

EUREKA GOLD W/BAD FRIEND It seems Nashville’s new-band dossier grows by degrees every day, but it’s the depth and quality rather than mere numbers that impress. Local quintet Eureka Gold work from an extensive palette of harmony-laden folk-pop, classic-rock pastiche and power-pop with a few quirky flourishes of new wave synth thrown in. Much like De Novo Dahl, they reach into different genres and their own city’s roots without delving into Ween-like schizophrenia, pulling their three-part harmonies into crisp pop melodies. Bad Friend, by contrast, specialize in the kind of simple, lo-fi art-rock that Guided by Voices once did so well and that Yo La Tengo still do. Taking basic VU-inspired song structures and marrying them to fuzzed-out guitars, hazily dissonant vocals and narcotically repetitive codas, Bad Friend’s resulting passages won’t necessarily be mentioned in the same breath with the two aforementioned bands—but whose would? Springwater —ANDREW J. SMITHSON

TUESDAY, 22ND

LAURA VEIRS & SALTBREAKERS There are two places on her new album, the excellent Saltbreakers, that Portlander and recent Decemberists collaborator Laura Veirs refers to “a fallen leaf who keeps her green.” That image, in its precision and grace, not only embodies one of the album’s thematic concerns—coming through loss with something of yourself still intact—but also Veirs’ lyrical style. She is always finding mirrors of herself and vehicles for narrative in the natural world, then animating them with her own kind of magical realism: “Serpent tails and flying fish / sup up all the wishes / that you sent to the stars / Chinese dragons incandescent / mirror in the waves / I want to put them in jars.” Like its predecessor Year of Meteors, Veirs’ latest is crowded with images of nature: rivers, stars, birds and, like the idea of God itself, the sea—ever dark, mysterious and unimaginably powerful. But even with the sometimes weighty, idiosyncratic symbolism, Saltbreakers is accessible, engaging and melodically direct. The title track is a spry ’60s pop-style number replete with playful call-and-response vocals that bring her solid backing band to the fore. At her best, which is on nearly every song, Veirs is possessed of an insightful poise that, coupled with her keen melodic sense, makes for haunting, indelible music. The Basement —STEVE HARUCH

WEDNESDAY, 23RD

ADRIENNE YOUNG Adrienne Young’s earnest enthusiasms—sustainable agriculture has been the most consistent, but not the only one—sometimes give her a faintly wacky aura, but the ultimate effect is mostly to make the graceful strength of her music that much more surprising. With a brand-new edition of her road band, Little Sadie—Andy Thacker on mandolin, Scott Treyer on bass and Landon Fishburne on guitar—the guitar- and banjo-strumming singer-songwriter is celebrating the release of her third album, Room To Grow, and with good reason. Mostly recorded at Levon Helm’s upstate New York studio, and boasting a couple of high-profile guests alongside longtime collaborator Will Kimbrough and past Little Sadie members, the set is an energetic, engaging vindication of her decision to go it alone as producer. Young’s hardly alone in the search for an accessible blend of acoustic roots and electric muscle, but she’s one of the few who’s actually found it. Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER

THE DAMNWELLS W/ARI HEST New York City singer-songwriter Ari Hest has a husky voice that on occasion can jump into a striking falsetto that compliments his lovely, acoustic-guitar powered songs. His new CD, The Break-In, is his second full-length for Columbia, but he spent his post-college years releasing his own CDs and touring college coffehouses. So it’s no suprise that songs such as “I’ve Got You,” which is sweetened by violins, could stand alone with just Hest and his guitar. The Damnwells, also from New York City, share Hest’s love of the pop song, but where Hest leans toward folk, The Damnwells are more rooted in traditional rock ’n’ roll. Still, the band’s 2006 CD Air Stereo has its slower, coffehouse moments. In any case, this bill that should offer tons of catchy songs. Mercy Lounge —WERNER TRIESCHMANN

THEATER

BAD DATES Ever striving to produce plays never before seen in Nashville, GroundWorks Theatre gives us the Music City premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s 2003 one-woman show. It’s a comedy laced with serious reflection, its heroine an insular single mom and career woman who’s taking the courageous step to reenter the dating scene. There may be slim pickings out there on the man front, but at least our gal Haley wears cool shoes as she traipses through the relationship minefield. Community theater regular Caroline Davis has the stage all to herself, and she proves to be equal to the task of parsing the author’s witty observations about the human condition. Robert O’Connell directs. The production runs May 18-26. For reservations, call 262-5485. Darkhorse Theater —MARTIN BRADY

LYSISTRATA Aristophanes’ classic Greek comedy, now about 2,400 years old, is one of the strongest and best-known antiwar pieces ever written. It’s been adapted and updated time and again. No doubt, producers and writers find it hard to resist the premise: Athenian women, fed up with war, withhold sex from their soldier-husbands until the dolts agree to peace with Sparta. Even pop-rocker Todd Rundgren got into the act in 1982 with his same-titled song: “Lysistrata, little boys like to have their fun / and you know I gotta put on my colors and get my gun / Every able-bodied man that I know, every patriot is packed to go / Won’t you give me a last goodbye / I’ll be sent off to a distant land, to spill my blood upon some foreign sand.” The play’s relevance to current events is almost too obvious. People’s Branch Theatre’s new production, directed and adapted by Ross Brooks and Julee Baber, touts an all-female cast including Holly Allen, Amanda Bailey and Mary McCallum. Not recommended for children. Performances are are 7:30 p.m. May 17-26. Belcourt Theatre —MARTIN BRADY

THE PAYOUT Writer-actor-director Bill Feehely has recently taken an academic position overseeing the performance program in Belmont University’s theater department. But he remains the founding artistic director of Actors Bridge Ensemble, which will mount his latest original work May 18-27 at the Neuhoff Site in Germantown. About two years in the writing, The Payout is a psychological drama with the narrative feel of a detective novel and the shadowy overtones of 9/11. The piece probes some essential ideas about alienation and the relative value of human life. Don Griffiths directs this world premiere, with a cast featuring Kris Campa, Timothy Fudge, Jeff Lewis, Alice Raver, Rebecca Robbins, Trish Vogel and the author himself. For reservations, call 341-0300 or email actorsbridge@comcast.net. —MARTIN BRADY

JUST SAY YES Can we rewrite the story of our lives? Deborah Bishop-Shotland, from Vancouver by way of Los Angeles, believes it’s never too late to try, and her interactive one-woman show presents a series of personal narratives, poetry and original songs aiming to entertain and inspire audiences. “Follow your heart, and life shows up,” says the singer-songwriter, who has a mixed-bag background in radio, newspaper writing and the healing arts. Accompanying herself on piano and guitar, Bishop-Shotland offers her brand of New Age folk cabaret at 7:30 p.m. May 19 at Palette Gallery ‘n’ Cafe, 2219 Belcourt Ave. For reservations, call (800) 345-9688, ext. 1315. —MARTIN BRADY

ART

LEQUIRE GALLERY SPRING EXHIBIT An invitational exhibit featuring stand-out artists from gallery shows of the past three years, the Spring Exhibit at LeQuire Gallery is a best-of presentation of the figurative painting, drawing and sculpture the gallery is known for. Juliette Aristides’ reduction drawings find the artist toning the entire ground of a piece and then removing the lighter values of her human forms with an eraser, revealing graceful bodies in the color space the way a sculptor reveals a form in stone. The work of Japanese master printmaker Masaaki Tanaka will also be on display. Tanaka’s serigraph screen-prints combine a bold graphic style with poetic composition and exotic materials such as 24 karat gold. The show opens on Saturday, May 19, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will run through Aug. 25. The LeQuire Gallery is located at 4304 Charlotte Ave. —JOE NOLAN

BOOK

BUZZ THOMAS It’s not that God, homosexuality, evolution and the afterlife are exactly ha-ha funny topics, but Rev. Oliver “Buzz” Thomas tackles those issues and other deep thoughts with refreshing humor in his book, 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can’t, Because He Needs the Job). A Baptist minister and constitutional lawyer, Thomas serves as the executive director of the Niswonger Foundation in Greenville, Tenn. In 10 Things, he approaches biblical text from unexpected angles, reading more through a blue-state lens than with a fundamentalist myopia. How did it all begin? Why are we here? What should we think about other faiths? What about the role of women? How does God really feel about homosexuality? What happens after we die? Thomas will address these and other thorny questions in a conversation with Rev. Becca Stevens May 17 at 5 p.m. at Belmont University’s Curb Café. To R.S.V.P. to the reception and book signing, call 259-4000, ext. 111. —Carrington Fox

KARLEN EVINS People’s hobbies often mirror their professions: geologists are rock hounds; athletes gather sports memorabilia. So for Nashville talk show host and radio personality Karlen Evins, the choice was obvious: she collect phrases, words and expressions. In I Didn’t Know That: From “Ants in the Pants” to “Wet Behind the Ears”—The Unusual Origins of the Things We Say, Evins shares her collection, inviting everyone to discover why we say that a knowledgeable person “knows the ropes” but the opposite is a “nitwit,” and why “jumping the gun” could cause someone to “kick the bucket.” As Evins admits in the author’s note, many of her explanations are apocryphal and even controversial (will anyone ever resolve the “whole nine yards” debate?) but always interesting and frequently amusing. A book like this should make word mavens happy as a clam. Karlen Evins will appear at Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 6 p.m. May 17. —Chris Scott