THURSDAY 9/6Zine Fever

A HUNDRED DOLLARS AND A T-SHIRT The Linebaugh Public Library’s innovative zine collection, the only one of its kind in Tennessee, offers the adventurous a peek at truly unfettered personal and political expression—the only thing (besides modest resources) shared by hundreds of self-published, small-circulation, non-commercial booklets and magazines. Is this the resistance movement of print culture? Ask Joe Biel of Portland, Ore.’s, Microcosm Publishing (microcosmpublishing.com), who joins Murfreesboro-based Zine World publisher Jerianne Thompson for a screening of his 71-minute documentary about the thriving Portland zine scene. Then stay for information on how to create your own zine and get it read. And since the program is free and open to the public, you might also inquire if Grand Palace’s awesome poster design for the collection is available on T-shirts (hint, hint). 7 p.m. at Linebaugh Public Library, Murfreesboro —JIM RIDLEY

Next Big Nashville

AMERICAN SONGWRITER NIGHT AT THE BASEMENT This Next Big Nashville showcase offers a solid crop of local songwriters carving out a name for themselves in poppier or rootsier waters. Cortney Tidwell’s swooning atmospheric rock shimmers in a slow-motion pirouette on the shoulders of the Cocteau Twins and Spacemen 3, with airy, girlish vocals. James Harris Moore is Sawgrass, whose easy-going folk melodies suggest Josh Ritter arm-wrestling Ron Sexsmith. Justin Townes Earle’s mix of homesy honky-tonk ache and rock swagger does both his namesakes proud, and his easy way with a song bespeaks a long career. A last-minute addition to the bill includes Beatles-loving Nobility frontman Sean Williams. 8 p.m. at The Basement —CHRIS PARKER

FRIDAY 9/7Sweet and Righteous Music

THE SUBDUDES As with nearly all musicians from New Orleans, The Subdudes’ new album, Street Symphony, is soaked in the blues and anger of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. And, like much of the music to rise from the Crescent City since, it mixes political diatribes with we-will-endure spirituals. Recorded in Nashville with producer George Massenburg, the album shows that the veteran group’s strengths remain the same: spare, breezy, well-crafted tunes delivered with laid-back, soulful rhythms and sweet harmonies. Now a quintet, the Subdudes have always used the bare basics of voice and rhythm to pull people into accessible performances that lifted the spirit. Nowadays, their righteousness sounds like a community spilling out of the churches and into the streets to raise their voices against an oppressive, dismissive force. 9 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley —MICHAEL MCCALL

Shades of Black Theatre Festival

THE DESIRE For the second entry in this ongoing local theater fest, SistaStyle Productions presents the Nashville premiere of Jackie Alexander's dramedy about a successful Long Island attorney and what happens when his cousin, a Hurricane Katrina survivor, seeks refuge in his East Hampton beach house. MTSU theater professor Jacqueline Holmes directs the production, which features a strong cast including Mary McCallum, Molly Hoekstra, David Chattam, Darius Willis, Amanda Bailey and Gary Douglas. Festival events and schedules are available at shadesofblackfestival.com. Sept. 7-16 at the Darkhorse Theater —MARTIN BRADY

Next Big Nashville

THE BASEMENT Despite last-minute shifting in the Next Big Nashville lineup to accommodate artist schedules, this bill still manages to preserve a semblance of the way local acts move and shake in common circles—in this case, Springwater. Lone Official’s hothouse guitar sound and oddly off-kilter amble suggest Pavement or Archers of Loaf dipped in a field of grain. The Spiritual Family Reunion’s dusty sound is an old-fashioned classic that won’t ever go out of style. Steve Poulton sings over bubbly down-tempo neo-soul with a woozy vibe as Altered Statesman. 8 p.m. at The Basement. —CHRIS PARKER

SATURDAY 9/8Music

LARRY CORDLE & LONESOME STANDARD TIME CD RELEASE PARTY Took Down and Put Up wasn’t a long time in the making, but it seemed like forever in actually getting out. Fortunately, feisty Kentucky indie label Lonesome Day stepped up to the plate. The new set marquees “Rough Around The Edges,” a dandy Southern-rock-meets-bluegrass collaboration with Travis Tritt, but it runs a lot deeper than that. While Cordle’s one of the wordiest songwriters around, his long lines stem from a persistent focus on true-life details, making for delicious stories like the wry “Hero of the Creek”—and more heart-wrenching ones, including the somber “Hole in the Ground” and the devastatingly subdued “Visit With an Uncle.” Naturally—in the bluegrass world, at least—there’s been considerable turnover in Lonesome Standard Time since the recording was finished, but tonight’s band includes underrated holdovers Booie Beach (guitar) and Kim Gardner (Dobro), along with some nifty guests. Plus Cordle’s always in his element at the Station Inn. 9 p.m. at Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER

Art

JOHN FOLSOM In a seeming stand against puniness of spirit, scale and vision, former Nashvillian Folsom aims his camera into the treetops and seeks nothing less than the point where the finite vanishes into the infinite. Inspired by hikes as far afield as Reelfoot Lake and Alberta, his “Canopy” series consists of smaller black-and-white gelatin prints combined like puzzle pieces into arrestingly huge vistas of forest cover. The images are rendered all the more mystical by treatments with oil paint and wax that give light the tactile density of fog and shadow a smudgy otherworldliness. Folsom cites the God’s-eye panoramas of the Hudson River School and Caspar David Friedrich’s morbid German romanticism as touchstones, but his upward-straining branches, imposing trunks and shafts of fearsome radiance are the haunted woods of a kid’s fairytale imagining. Anyone who watched the last shot of Terrence Malick’s The New World in tearful awe will feel the sensation come back with a rush. The show runs Sept. 8 through Oct. 20 at Zeitgeist in Hillsboro Village; Folsom will appear at the opening reception. 6 to 8 p.m. at Zeitgeist Gallery —JIM RIDLEY

Secrets of the Krell!

SECOND SATURDAY SUMMER SCI-FI SERIES AT SUNDOWN: FORBIDDEN PLANET In 1956, this high-minded, big-budget science-fiction thriller conferred some legitimacy on a genre no one took very seriously (but should have). It hasn’t held up as well as some of the more disreputable space operas of the era, but this transporting of Shakespeare’s The Tempest to the planet Altair-4 still boasts cool sets, Robby the Robot, that scary Id monster, Louis and Bebe Barron’s pioneering electronic score of whirrs and beeps and impressive special effects by the wizards at Walt Disney. Walter Pidgeon plays Dr. Morbius, and Anne Francis is his fetching daughter Alta; for contemporary audiences, the biggest shock may be seeing Leslie Nielsen as the square-jawed romantic lead. (Already he’s pretty much playing Frank Drebin.) The film will be projected on the outside wall facing the Belcourt’s parking lot, free and open to the public, with concessions available. Bring lawn chairs and blankets or sit in your car to enjoy the city’s downtown drive-in. Pre-show cartoons and short subjects start at dusk. Sundown at the Belcourt —JIM RIDLEY

Biker Babes

HOPE ON WHEELS Dudes need not apply. This annual one-day fundraiser for breast cancer is women only—though men can volunteer to work the water tables. Offering opportunities for cyclists of any level—you can choose 12, 29, 62 (a metric century) or 100 miles—this event sends 100 percent of its entry fees to breast cancer research through the Minnie Pearl Foundation. Last year, they raised over $100,000. Plus, what better way to spend a Saturday than cruising the Natchez Trace Parkway? Just remember the aspirin—as someone who’s spent over 100 miles on a bike seat, I’ll tell you that you can anticipate some butt pain. For more information or to register, visit how100.org. You can also register the day of the ride. 8 a.m. (6:30 check-in) at Hillsboro School in Leiper’s Fork —LEE STABERT

Manual Labor

NSO SEASON DEBUT Leonard Slatkin may be in town this week to conduct the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s gala 2007-08 concert, but the star of the show will be the NSO’s new pipe organ. The 3,568-pipe instrument will seemingly have enough power to blow out the back of the Schermerhorn. But after the concert, it will be the instrument’s rich palette of tonal colors that will most likely linger in our ears. The entire program will feature music for organ and orchestra, starting with Leopold Stokowski’s delightfully bombastic symphonic arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Also on the bill will be Maurice Druflé’s Prelude and Fugue on the Name Alain, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C minor “Organ” and Samuel Barber’s aptly named Toccata Festiva. Organist Andrew Risinger will solo. 8 p.m. at Schermerhorn Symphony Center —JOHN PITCHERSUNDAY 9/9

The Delivery Man

ELVIS COSTELLO W/ THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY First, the bad news: yes, Costello is touring solo with Bob Dylan this month, but the frequent Nashville visitor won’t be opening when Dylan plays his two-night stand at the Ryman. Sigh. That would have been like Lincoln and Churchill strolling into the Capitol to say, “Fellas, we’re here to govern.” But it will be the thrill of the young century to hear Costello test his whisper-to-a-scream vocal command against the world-class acoustics of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center—especially on a career-spanning range of material, from the punk-era standards of his phenomenal early records to his ambitious 2004 ballet score Il Sogno. And if he decides to hush the orchestra, step onto the apron and sing unamplified—as he did with “Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No. 4” at the Ryman, which I watched from so close, the force of his voice felt like 10,000 volts of current—we can consider the place christened. Albert-George Schram conducts. 7 p.m. at Schermerhorn Symphony Center —JIM RIDLEY

“New York Herald Tribune!”

5 X JLG: BREATHLESS A cinematic bolt from the blue in 1960, Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature still breaks all the rules, slashing through establishing shots and sentiment alike in its portrait of existential outlaw Jean-Paul Belmondo and his coolly self-centered American girlfriend Jean Seberg. Building upon pulp-art influences such as Jules Dassin’s Rififi and Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le Flambeur, Godard mixes mobile location shooting with a hard-boiled homage to American gangster movies. But what comes out is more complex than mere movie-worship. For all Godard’s playful in-jokes and references, his use of crime-drama artifice in the midst of gritty street scenes says as much about the fakery of movies as it does about their allure and artistry. What’s amazing is how fresh and quick this seems today, even though much of it has passed into pop iconography: Seberg’s severe blond haircut, Belmondo’s habit of thumbing his lip while chanting the cinephile’s mantra—“Bogie...Bogie....” Watch for François Truffaut (who supplied the story) as an extra with a newspaper, director Godard as a fink, and Nouvelle Vague hero Melville as the novelist Parvulesco, whose creed is “to become immortal, and then die.” In French with English subtitles, this screens as part of the Belcourt’s “Godard in the ‘60s” weekend matinee series. Noon Sept 8-9 at the Belcourt —JIM RIDLEY

Music

MINDLESS SELF-INDULGENCE They’re the Dead Milkmen of the industrial dance-metal set, which is like being Prime Minister of Freedonia—only a select few get it. “You don’t get it,” sings Jimmy Urine on “Stupid MF,” offering a cartoonish tone appropriate to the genre’s melodramatic intensity. What Mindless Self-Indulgence lack in subtlety (“Masturbates,” “Bitches”), they make up for with enthusiasm and an inspiring “pidgin electronica” vocabulary—an offbeat mishmash of throbbing dance-floor bass, goth-metal synths and industrial-metal breakdowns marshaled behind Urine’s hybrid hip-hop/punk delivery. Overall, it’s as idiosyncratic as Dylan’s vocal mumble, and given their sonic signature, it’s hardly surprising that MSI found supporters among the Insane Clown Posse. Aside from their amusing originals (“You’ll Rebel to Anything (If It’s Not Too Challenging),” “I Hate Jimmy Page”), they also do a helluva job overhauling Method Man’s “Bring the Pain” and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” 7 p.m. at Rocketown —CHRIS PARKER

Next Big Nashville

LOVENOISE Lovenoise’s Next Big Nashville contribution is a showcase of the area’s next big soul acts, featuring Darnell Levine, Joey Ritchie, GRAVATAY and Brandi Sellerz. Sellerz’s airy yet engaging vocal style might recall a couple current neo-soul stars, but her songs have more in common with Joni Mitchell than Macy Gray. A listen to Sellerz’ fine single “Blinded” will make you think you’re riding a Big Yellow Taxi until the hip-hop beat drops. Richey is a talented songwriter and producer with a distinctive, husky voice. He’s capable of melodic, funky grooves and wistful, heart-aching contemporary blues. “Maybe,” his mid-tempo lament of a friend who’s passed on, is a fine example of the latter. Levine’s clearly listened to a few Billy Joel records and made a lesson of it. He’s taken Joel’s pop sensibilities and layered that with Bill Withers’ subtle approach to soul music, giving him a unique sound among his peers. GRAVATAY’s spoken word has hip-hop flavor and strong spirituality. 9 p.m. at Bar Car —MARK MAYS

Next Big Nashville

FREEDY JOHNSTON Between 1992 to 1997, Freedy Johnston, the Kansas born singer-songwriter, released three great albums. Critics have generally held up 1992’s Can You Fly or 1994’s This Perfect World (which contained “Bad Reputation,” a track that landed Johnston on some ’90s one-hit wonder compilations) as the best of the trio. But it’s 1997’s Never Home, where Johnston’s matchless songwriting skills were paired with direct and fresh melodies for an album’s worth of music, that only gets better with each passing year. Whether singing—in a flat, breathy voice that fits the subjects of his songs—about an arsonist, a shoplifter or a pilot’s son who won’t fly, Johnston finds the drama and the humor in resonant details. Though Johnston’s next album will be filled with covers, he has a huge songbook and can match any other songwriter alive classic for classic. 7 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsey —WERNER TRIESCHMANN

Bible Studies

AMY-JILL LEVINE A professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Levine is both a highly respected Biblical scholar and an eloquent advocate for interfaith dialogue. Levine is a passionate adherent of her Jewish faith, but she has a lifelong fascination with Christian tradition, which she approaches with respect and openness. In her 2006 book, The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, she explores the foundations of Christianity within Judaism, arguing that Jesus’ teachings are an outgrowth of Jewish laws and ideals, not a break with them. Levine will deliver a brief lecture and will answer questions about The Misunderstood Jew. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 297-3216. 4 p.m. at West Nashville United Methodist Church, 4710 Charlotte Ave. —MARIA BROWNINGMONDAY 9/10

Music

OAKLEY HALL Pat Sullivan may have left Oneida behind to form Oakley Hall, but he didn’t abandon their garage-psych experimentation, only recast it in Americana. The result is something like Blue Cheer mugging Jerry Garcia in the bathroom while Crazy Horse watches the door. It’s twang that’s not afraid to get its overalls dirty, and to take its time doing so. While their first two releases relied mostly on rootsy melody, last year’s Gypsum Strings displayed a surprisingly meaner, crunchier bite. Tuesday they released their fourth album, I’ll Follow You, which returns to a more melody-driven approach and even reins in the discursive amps of the harmonies. It also seems to feature more of co-songwriter Rachel Cox. Which isn’t to suggest there’s no soloing: “All the Way Down” swells to a guitar-driven climax, and “Alive Among Thieves” rumbles and drones, building to a fevered pitch in a very efficient three-and-a-half minutes. 9 p.m. at The Basement —CHRIS PARKERTUESDAY 9/11

Music

CROWDED HOUSE Drummer Paul Hester’s 2005 suicide seemed to spell the end for Crowded House, the Australia-based trio (and later quartet) that enjoyed American hits throughout the late 1980s and early ’90s with abstract pop glories like “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” “Something So Strong” and “It’s Only Natural” before dissolving in 1996. Instead, Hester’s tragic passing provided an occasion for his fellow founding members, singer and guitarist Neil Finn and bass player Nick Seymour, to reconnect and renew their collaboration. The subdued, melancholy air of their first album in 14 years under the Crowded House banner likely stems from the members’ reaction to Hester’s absence, as well as from the absence itself—the playful drummer’s spark-plug energy is replaced by a measured moodiness that resembles Finn’s solo work. The reunion lineup—also including early-‘90s House guitarist Mark Hart, drummer Matt Sherrod and Finn’s guitarist son Liam (who will also open the show, along with Pete Yorn)—has had several months to get into a groove, and should be in fighting trim by the time it reaches the Ryman. 7:30 at the Ryman Auditorium —CHRIS NEAL

Musical Tribute

FRIENDS OF LIN POULSON As heard on his debut album Hardway, this Oregon native’s voice and songs suggest a natural country stylist with the easy confidence and effortless grace of Alan Jackson or Gene Watson. It’s easy to hear why the traditional country singer created such excitement among fellow musicians and a growing legion of fans—and why his 2004 death in an auto accident is seen as such a tragic loss. At the time, producer Dave Roe had been finishing an album with Poulson, and in recent months several well-regarded Nashville honky-tonkers chipped in to finish the tracks. A score of Poulson’s friends—including Gary Bennett, Chuck Mead, Randy Kohrs and Jay Weaver—will gather to perform Poulson’s songs and toast his talent and memory on the date his album becomes available. 8 p.m. at the Bluegrass Inn—MICHAEL MCCALL

Café Drama

THAT WORD New York playwright Henry Miller is the author of this African American absurdist drama, the featured piece in a double bill of theatrical cabaret. Helen Shute-Pettaway directs the performances by Nubian and mark anthony peek. The evening also includes Elizabeth Davidson in her one-woman show Harriet Beecher Stowe: Literary Soldier. Admission is free. 6:30 p.m. at Café Coco —MARTIN BRADY

Project Dialogue

GORE VIDAL It’s a good thing Vanderbilt calls the program Project Dialogue, because no one participates more bluntly in American political discourse than Gore Vidal. A former presidential candidate, Gore Vidal is a magnificent essayist, a brilliant if wildly uneven memoirist, a bestselling historical novelist with a revisionist take on our clay-footed forefathers, and the author of several amusing detective novels under the pen name Edgar Box. He also wrote the first novel from a mainstream publisher to deal openly with homosexuality (The City and the Pillar). And, oh yes, he wrote those insightful and not-at-all timid books that flag-wavers and Bible-thumpers love to hate: Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta and Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. On the well-chosen date of Sept. 11, Vanderbilt will host “A Conversation with Gore Vidal” on this year’s Project Dialogue theme of “Why We Hate.” After Vandy dean Frank Wcislo finishes the official conversation, an open Q&A will give audience members a chance to make fools of themselves trying to outwit the 81-year-old master. 8 p.m. in Vanderbilt’s Benton Chapel —MICHAEL SIMS

Music

DJ TIËSTO Dutch DJ Tiësto authored a number of popular dance-mix comp series (Forbidden Paradise, Magik) before his titanic remix of Delerium’s “Silence” (featuring Sarah McLachlan) at the turn of the millennium made him an international star. His Springsteen-ian solo sets (from six to nine hours long) established a new standard, helping him be named DJ Magazine’s No. 1 DJ in the World for an unprecedented three years in a row (’02-’04). He made it to the biggest stage in ’04, playing the opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics. Though ostensibly a trance DJ, he’s very adaptable and says he feels even freer in the U.S. to mix in a variety of styles from house to hip-hop. Certainly his new album, Elements of Life, betrays much more of a pop vibe, influenced by American DJ Brian Transeau (a.k.a. BT). Tiësto claims Iron Maiden, Metallica and Judas Priest as musical touchstones, but don’t expect “Enter Sandman.” 8:30 p.m. at City Hall —CHRIS PARKERWEDNESDAY 9/12

Music

NIGHT RANGER Their status as a pop-culture punch line on VH1 ’80s retrospectives—thanks to the enduring guilty-pleasure appeal of their 1984 power ballad “Sister Christian”—sells Night Ranger disappointingly short. The California quintet was always a few steps ahead of its hairspray-and-spandex brethren on the hard-rock scene of the time. Look no further than “Sister Christian” itself—how many Bic-flicking rock anthems describe the singer’s bittersweet feelings about seeing his little sister grow up? Listen a little closer to the group’s catalog and you’ll hear a literary sense of detail (“Sentimental Street,” “7 Wishes”), some killer pop hooks (“When You Close Your Eyes,” “Four in the Morning”) and an unswerving dedication to the proposition that you can, despite it all, still rock in America (“[You Can Still] Rock in America”). Now celebrating their 25th anniversary, the band has endured a couple of lineup changes—but guitarist Brad Gillis and both lead singers, bass player Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy (also of Nashville-based supergroup Scrap Metal), remain. 9 p.m. at the Wildhorse Saloon —CHRIS NEAL

Music

ADAM LEVY Listening to the smart lyricism and relaxed yet vibrant arrangements on Levy’s latest album, Washing Day, it’s easy to hear why fellow songwriters like Norah Jones and Tracy Chapman would use him on the road and in the studio. As Jones has repeatedly proven, she likes working with musicians who are writers and bandleaders in their own right, quite likely because their playing serves the larger story being told. Levy’s solo efforts make it clear that, even as a jazz-trained guitarist and an effective vocalist, he’s all about conveying the emotion of a lyric and the mood of a tune. As might be expected, the emphasis is on taste, tone and melodic craft. But as with any good storyteller, what resonates most strongly is the human, rather than technical, know-how. 8 p.m. at The Basement—MICHAEL MCCALL

Poetry

MARK JARMAN Who knows how they do it, but the folks at Austin Peay State University’s Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts continually attract some of the world’s best poets to read from and discuss their works. (A very short list includes Yusef Komunyakaa, Eavan Boland and Stephen Dunn.) The Center continues its work this week by hosting Mark Jarman, one of America’s foremost poets and a teacher at Vanderbilt. Jarman’s poetry has earned plenty of awards, but what sets him apart is his ability to match technical virtuosity with readability and emotional depth. His poems have, on at least one occasion, caused a roomful of ordinarily fidgety undergraduates to sit in stunned silence, then openly weep. (Literally. No hyperbole here.) Those poems were from his collection, Questions for Ecclesiastes, which, with his seven other volumes, comprise a breathtaking body of work. 8 p.m. at APSU’s Gentry Auditorium (a book signing and reception will follow) —PABLO TANGUAY

Music

CROWDED HOUSE Drummer Paul Hester’s 2005 suicide seemed to spell the end for Crowded House, the Australia-based trio (and later quartet) that enjoyed American hits throughout the late 1980s and early ‘90s with abstract pop glories like “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” “Something So Strong” and “It’s Only Natural” before dissolving in 1996. Instead, Hester’s tragic passing provided an occasion for his fellow founding members, singer and guitarist Neil Finn and bass player Nick Seymour, to reconnect and renew their collaboration. The subdued, melancholy air of their first album in 14 years under the Crowded House banner likely stems from the members’ reaction to Hester’s absence, as well as from the absence itself—the playful drummer’s spark-plug energy is replaced by a measured moodiness that resembles Finn’s solo work. The reunion lineup—also including early-‘90s House guitarist Mark Hart, drummer Matt Sherrod and Finn’s guitarist son Liam (who will also open the show, along with Pete Yorn)—has had several months to get into a groove, and should be in fighting trim by the time it reaches the Ryman. 7:30 at the Ryman Auditorium —CHRIS NEAL