THURSDAY 9/20

Music

RED STICK RAMBLERS Eclecticism and traditionalism rarely meet as comfortably as they do on the Red Stick Ramblers’ new Made in the Shade. The Baton Rouge quintet pay tribute to well-known figures such as Louis Armstrong and Clifton Chenier, and guitarist Chas Justus gives props to the undersung Roy Smeck on “The Smeckled Suite.” On the title track—a paean to a local whiskey-maker—they sing, “He’s got miles of copper tubing coming out of the top / So you gotta sit a spell before you see the first drop.” Like many modern acoustic bands, they evoke the past, but they’re grounded in a culture that’s rich enough to accommodate innovation. “The Cowboy Song,” written by Justus and lead vocalist Linzay Young, is a tribute to freedom that makes the connection between “range and canyon” and central Louisiana’s prairies. They might be “Unsentimental,” as one song is titled, but these guys have plenty of heart. 9 p.m. at Station Inn —EDD HURT

The New Old Weird America

CHARALAMBIDES W/CORTNEY TIDWELL & CHERRY BLOSSOMS At least two of the artists on this outstanding bill have been somewhat dismissively tagged as “freak folk.” And yet, as Todd Haynes’ fascinating Bob Dylan deconstruction I’m Not There suggests, it’s really all freak folk, all of it—Dylan, the Harry Smith Anthology, all those hypnotic murder ballads and hymns and reels, the soundtrack to a secret America full of signs and wonders, while the mainstream roars past on the interstate. Anchoring this night, fittingly enough, is another Carter family—longtime Houston musical partners Tom and Christina Carter, whose Charalambides explore the sonic equivalent of negative space in raga-like entwinings of spindly folk-blues guitar and spectral vocals offset by halos of quiet. Yet they can fuzz/psych-rock out in the best Texas tradition, and their live show is said to cast quite a spell. See them before their eagerly awaited fall release (and before Christina joins Thurston Moore in support of his new solo album, on which she sings a duet). Tidwell and the Cherry Blossoms you know, or should: the former’s Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up is one of the year’s most acclaimed local releases, a bewitching summer storm of stark space-folk atmospherics, while the latter—a wonderful rattle-trap “kazoo-exotica” collective of indeterminate membership—sound like the back-holler bohemians who somehow missed the notice that Ralph Peer was recording up in Bristol. 9 p.m. at Springwater —JIM RIDLEY

Music

DARK MEAT Athens music collective Dark Meat’s roster fluctuates between 18 and 30 members—the group supplements their standard rock ’n’ roll fare with multiple percussionists, a horn section, a vocal trio known as the Subtweeters and random offerings of fiddles, clarinets, flutes and even the occasional didgeridoo for good measure. With personnel representing some of the city’s most prominent bands—Circulatory System, Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, The Olivia Tremor Control, etc.—Dark Meat come across as more of a happening than a band. The eclectic instrumentation lends itself to the eclectic output found on last year’s Universal Indians, on which the band weaves its way in and out of blues, punk, country, free-form jazz and soul. The disparate mixture is held together by a loose, quasi-hippie aesthetic (a former drummer called himself “Spirit Bird”) and the layers of sound meld into a swirling mass of satisfying psychedelia. 9 p.m. at The End —MATT SULLIVAN

Books

PACO AHLGREN First time novelist Paco Ahlgren set out to write a book about his passions and, boy, does he have a lot of them: economics, quantum physics, music, psychedelic drugs, spirituality and the game of chess. Part psychological thriller, part mystery and part literary novel, Discipline weaves together the author’s interests into one succinct story. Can Douglas Cole see visions from another dimension or is he simply going mad? When do the drugs inspire his music and when do they tear his life apart? What happened to the dog that day beside the river? With its own MySpace page and YouTube trailer, Discipline is the product of a new era in reading, and one can almost picture the inevitable movie. A little bit M. Night Shyamalan, a little bit Blade Runner, this is a story that will keep you wondering where reality stops and fantasy begins. Ahlgren will read from and sign Discipline, 7 p.m. at Borders—Cool Springs —CLAIRE SUDDATH

FRIDAY 9/21

Music

MOCK ORANGE If Mock Orange’s tuneful, distortion-drenched shimmer and off-kilter heartfelt angularities suggest bands like Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement, it’s because the Indiana quartet trace their origins back to ’93. It took more than a few years to really coalesce, but with 2004’s Mind Is Not Brain they achieved a wonderful synthesis of indie rock elements. Singer/guitarist Ryan Grisham’s anxious lilting croon conspires with ringing, zig-zagging guitars to suggest Built to Spill or Modest Mouse, but their sound’s grown louder and grander over the years, separating them from their obvious influences. Folksy acoustic strumming is the centerpiece of several of their brightest pop efforts to date, and a country-rock undertone appears as well. 9 p.m. at the 5 Spot —CHRIS PARKER

Music

WILL KIMBROUGH/FIONN REGAN Kimbrough, a veteran Nashville rocker and producer, is apparently out to prove just how many styles he can master. On his new eight-song album, EP, he takes on acoustic folk, modeling his original songs on a variety of age-old influences, including English modal ballads, Delta blues, early American parlor songs and Appalachian string bands. As with everything else he’s done, there’s an emphasis on melody, feel and smart lyricism. In a strong double bill, Kimbrough follows Fionn Regan, an Irish acoustic songwriter whose recent Lost Highway Records debut End of History is one of 2007’s strongest introductions. Regan’s stripped-bare songs rely on little more than his fingerpicked guitar, yet they teem with dazzling dexterity and unexpected lyrical musings. His songs reach beyond folk-pop formulas with a fresh, literate attitude that embraces life with clear-eyed optimism rather than depressive self-pity. Regan at 7 p.m., Kimbrough at 9 p.m. at The Basement —MICHAEL MCCALL

Music

THE BAND APARTIt’s this band’s emphasis on melody rather than angst that lodges them in the Japanese punk music subgenre “melocore”—what we gaijin know as pop-punk—but The Band Apart’s music has teased boundaries of punk so far out, it’s evolved into a style all its own. Takeshi Arai, lead singer and rhythm guitarist, warbles in English with nary a noise-metal roar heard while his fingers dance down on the frets near the pickups, chugging Prince-like, sharp chords. The bassist slaps out a groove equally sufficient for a Brothers Johnson or Phish record, while the lead guitarist is off on some Frank Zappa math-rock trip. If anything connects the band’s current sound to their punk roots, it’s the mid-song detours into ska-inflected rhythms and the drummer’s rock-steady beats. The music is a conglomeration of disparate influences that seem like a mess on paper, but provide joyful, danceable pop tunes. 9 p.m. at The 5 Spot (opening for Mock Orange) —MARK MAYS

Dance Party

26TH ANNUAL MT. JULIET POW WOW You may not get a chance to enjoy the fall colors this year thanks to our scorcher of an August, but you still have the opportunity to saturate your eyes with a polychromatic spectacle as traditional Pow Wow regalia takes the stage in Mt. Juliet. This weekend, Charlie Daniels Park will play host to the 26th Annual Mt. Juliet Pow Wow, a traditional American Indian celebration featuring dancing, music, crafts and food—fry bread, here I come. Competitors from all over the country will descend to compete for dance and drumming honors. Admission is cheap ($6 adults; $3 children) and the moves will be hot. The Pow Wow kicks off with a concert featuring The Flying Feather Band, Darren Thompson, Quatisi and the Cherokee Youth Choir. (Tickets to the show are $20.) Opening concert, 5:30-9 p.m. Sept. 21; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 22; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 23 at Charlie Daniels Park, Mt. Juliet —LEE STABERT

Music

LOCAL H In the great mid-’90s rush for grunge-rock gold, it seemed like Chicago powerhouse Local H—powered by multi-instrumentalist Scott Lucas and a drummer—were going to triumph over the sizable field of contenders. But “Bound for the Floor,” off 1996’s As Good as Dead, was their lone hit and grunge, for all intents and purposes, was a vapor trail about a year later. Other than a pit stop to change drummers (Joe Daniels for Brian St. Clair), Local H have soldiered on in the indie-rock trenches, releasing an album of originals in 2004 (Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?) and playing as many dates as humanly possible. Their penchant for crafting sly tunes out of a hailstorm of noise was sharper in 1996, but to be a witness to their bracing racket remains nothing but a joy. 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —WERNER TRIESCHMANN

SATURDAY 9/22

Music

LIARS One of the most consistently brilliant bands of the young 21st century, Liars have had a somewhat erratic trajectory. Releasing their debut full-length on the cusp of the burgeoning dance-punk explosion, Liars were set to break through on their second offering. Instead, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned took a drastic left turn into uncompromising and noisy experimentation, effectively alienating a large portion of the band’s fan base. But the band was able to break through regardless, and on their own terms, with last year’s tribal Drums Not Dead, an album that found its way onto many of the most prominent best-of lists of 2006. A year later, Liars have delivered yet another unexpected offering, a self-titled record that sounds poppier than anything they’ve done in years. In essence, Liars culls elements from each of the three records preceding it, packaging them into a cohesive mixture that delivers a clearer lens through which one can view the band’s catalog. Perhaps that’s been their master plan all along. 3 p.m. at Grimey’s; 8 p.m. at Ryman Auditorium (opening for Interpol) —MATT SULLIVAN

Art

PATRICIA GREEN This local artist calls her work “Stream Painting,” in part because her abstract technique calls to mind the narrative flow found in stream-of-consciousness literature. As you might expect, her paintings are colorful and spontaneous. She prefers painting with pastels, though her works are sometimes more striking when she abandons those colors in favor of blacks and grays. Occasionally, her works will also include recognizable forms and figures, which give rise to titles such as “Sign of the Ram” and “Cowboy.” Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Sept. 21. Exhibit runs through Oct. 12 at Project A Gallery. —JOE NOLAN

Rocking the Blues

TOM HAMBRIDGE AND THE RATTLESNAKES Drummer Tom Hambridge is a go-to guy for those looking to add muscle and originality to blues, southern boogie and traditional rock ’n’ roll. As a songwriter and performer, this Nashville resident is everywhere these days: he had songs on the soundtracks for Ratatouille and Bug and Cars, and he’s written current cuts for Rodney Atkins, Shemekia Copeland, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Delbert McClinton, Joe Nichols, George Thorogood, Pam Tillis and Van Zant. He’s been on tour opening for Thorogood for the last few months, where he’s selling 50 or more CDs a night of his new album, Tom Hambridge and the Rattlesnakes Live. The drummer also has a growing reputation as a producer, helming Grammy-nominated albums for Susan Tedeschi and Johnny Winters, among others. In recent weeks, he’s been writing songs with Buddy Guy. He’ll show why everyone wants a piece of him when he brings it back home for a record release party. 7 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley —MICHAEL MCCALL

Secrets of the Krell!

SECOND SATURDAY SUMMER SCI-FI SERIES AT SUNDOWN: FORBIDDEN PLANET Bad weather scotched the Sept. 8 show at the Belcourt’s makeshift midtown drive-in, where patrons can sit in the side lot and watch science-fiction movies from the safety of a blanket, lawn chair or windshield. Not to worry: this splashy 1956 transporting of Shakespeare’s The Tempest to the planet Altair-4 has received a new lift-off date, and all systems are go for Saturday night. Arrive early for a selection of archival shorts, stay late for an episode of a cult TV series set in Nashville (and that’s all we can say). The event is free and open to the public with concessions available. The shorts begin at dusk. Sundown at the Belcourt —JIM RIDLEY

Another Shade of Black

THE SEPIA CHRONICLES The third play in the 2nd Annual Shades of Black Theatre Festival is an original written by Michael L. Walker, whose Dream 7 Productions has been in the vanguard of Music City’s recent upturn in African American community theater. Not unlike Walker’s previous plays, The Sepia Chronicles offers monologues and scenes dealing with contemporary issues—such as what happens when a family member is shipped off to Iraq, and the “down low” phenomenon. Shawn Whitsell directs. Sept. 21-23 at Darkhorse Theater —MARTIN BRADY

Gossip 101

KATHY GRIFFIN Kathy Griffin’s comedy is intensely topical—this time around you can bet we’ll hear some Britney at the VMAs, some Lindsay behind the wheel and (fingers crossed) some Miss Teen South Carolina on the mic. But we might also be lucky enough to get more dirt on Kathy’s trip to Iraq (the staunch liberal went over on a U.S.O. tour), her fledgling relationship with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, a report on the antics of her two rambunctious pooches, Chance and Pom Pom, or some heartfelt words on the passing of her father. You never really know with Griffin—her gossip-heavy act is fluid, making it feel a bit like a conversation between girlfriends—if your friends talked more about Oprah’s vagina and their feud with Ryan Seacrest. The comedian turned reality TV star (her Emmy-winning show My Life on the D-List finished its third season on Bravo in July) has taken her underdog, outsider image and co-opted it for her own benefit, and our amusement. She is her audience’s proxy at the Oscars, the Golden Globes and other glamorous Hollywood events, snickering, exposing cracks and undermining the whole pageant of celebrity. Plus, anyone who calls Renee Zelleweger a “sweaty, puffy coke whore” and gets away with it is OK in my book. 8 p.m. at TPAC —LEE STABERT

Cetaceous Creations

STANDING ON A WHALE Are you standing on a whale, fishing for minnows? Nashville artist Jorge Arrieta phrases an old Polynesian proverb as a question, encouraging viewers to look inside themselves for strength and purpose instead of seeking answers externally. (A trailer for the show, available at standingonawhale.com, features Nashville singer-songwriter K.S. Rhoads singing John Lennon’s “God,” the lyrics of which further reinforce this theme.) Arrieta’s exhibit includes a 28-minute film, featuring animation and music by several Nashville acts—Rhoads, The Gypsy Hombres, Tales in Bohemia and Stone Jack Jones—as well as New Yorker Miwa Gemini. After the film, the artist will debut 50-plus “painted dreams,” ranging in size from 5 inches to 12 feet tall. When asked what inspired the show, Arrieta (whose varied résumé includes work as a web designer, graphic artist, film grip and home inspector) simply says, “You come to a point where you either follow your bliss or you don’t”—a sentiment sure to stir up some unrest in all the repressed artists, musicians and authors out there neglecting their muses. 8 p.m. at the Neuhoff Site, 1312 Adams St. Closing reception, 8 p.m. Sept. 29. —JACK SILVERMAN

SUNDAY 9/23

5 x JLG

CONTEMPT Given a sizable budget and an international cast led by sex bomb Brigitte Bardot and Hollywood hunk Jack Palance, Jean-Luc Godard responded by refashioning The Odyssey in the twilight of classical ideals—offering instead an unheroic Odysseus, an unfaithful Penelope and an Ithaca that’s less an idyll than a Babel of clashing cultures. Michel Piccoli, in his star-making role, is the hack screenwriter who gets an assignment to retool Homer for director Fritz Lang (playing himself) and boorish producer Palance (playing a thinly veiled version of Godard’s vulgarian moneyman Joseph E. Levine). Bardot plays his wife, for whom a casually received ride in the producer’s convertible signals the end of love. In 1963 it was a critical and commercial disaster, but a 1997 reissue presented by Martin Scorsese (who used snatches of Georges Delerue’s score in Casino) confirmed it as one of Godard’s most accessible and affecting films, shot by Raoul Coutard in fiery Technicolor and widescreen CinemaScope. (Never mind what Lang says about ’Scope being good only for “snakes and funerals.”) The film continues the Belcourt’s successful month long salute to Godard in the ’60s, running through next weekend. Noon Sept. 22 & 23 at the Belcourt —JIM RIDLEY

Music

THE PLASTIC PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE The story of The Plastic People of the Universe isn’t the standard rock bio. Taking their name from a Frank Zappa song, the band formed in 1968, months after the Kremlin stationed soldiers in Prague to quell the Western influence that had precipitated the “Prague Spring.” In the eyes of the Soviet-led Czechoslovak government, The Plastic People—birthed largely as an homage to the Velvet Underground—lived an illegal existence. As the group developed, adopting a similar approach to that of Captain Beefheart and free jazz musicians, they were banned from performing their bizarre, underground jazz rock on the premise that such music corrupted the youth. The Plastic People nonetheless operated in the shadows, and two members served lengthy prison sentences. Their imprisonment led to the Charter 77 manifesto, which ultimately served as the catalyst for 1989’s “Velvet Revolution,” which overthrew Soviet rule and led to the election of Václav Havel—author of the charter and occasional lyricist for The Plastic People. 9 p.m. at Springwater —MATT SULLIVAN

Music

TENSIONS MOUNTAIN BOYS W/CHRIS THILE Are the Tensions Mountain Boys different from the How To Grow a Band, which has episodically toured behind IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year nominee Chris Thile’s mindblowing return-to-bluegrass album How To Grow A Woman From The Ground? The answer is a definite “sort of.” For one thing, guitarist Chris Eldridge, who appeared on the disc, has finally left the Infamous Stringdusters to join Thile’s ensemble, bringing a different, but no less virtuosic, touch than fill-in Bryan Sutton’s. For another, the TMB name hints that listeners may get at least a taste of the knotty yet engrossing, through-composed opus for bluegrass band by Thile that debuted at Carnegie Hall earlier this year. While these three nights of shows are nominally sold out, it couldn’t hurt to call, or even to hang around the door and hope to get lucky—they’re gonna be that good. Sept. 23-25 at Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER

Groundbreaking Theater

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING The first-ever production in the new Bill and Carole Troutt Theater at Belmont University marks two historic events. First, there’s the completion of the building itself, which boasts an exceedingly attractive and functional 330-seat mainstage as well as an additional black-box space. Second, this production of the classic Shakespeare comedy features the first formal collaboration between Actors Bridge Ensemble and Belmont’s theater and dance departments. ABE co-founder and artistic director Bill Feehely, now also a professor at Belmont, directs a cast combining pros and aspirants, the former including Christopher Browne, who left the Nashville theater scene several years back to find steady employment as a member of Blue Man Group. Sept. 20-30 at Belmont’s Troutt Theater —MARTIN BRADY

Fabulous Fiddle

CHRISTIAN TEAL Best known for his work with the Blair String Quartet, this violinist is going solo for his opening concert of the season, performing the first of two recitals devoted to the complete sonatas and partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach. Completed in 1720, these works represent the apex of the violin repertory. They are long, fiendishly difficult, profoundly original and extraordinarily beautiful. Teal’s recitals are billed as the first performance of the complete works in Nashville. For his opening concert, he’ll play the Partitas Nos. 2 and 3 and the Sonata No. 2. 2 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral (the second recital is next fall) —JOHN PITCHER

MONDAY 9/24

Plans for Next Week

SALMAN RUSHDIE One of the few world-class writers, Salman Rushdie is almost as famous in celebrity culture as last week’s pop star. The Booker Prize committee voted Rushdie’s 1981 novel Midnight’s Children the best work to win the coveted literary award in its first 25 years. The book brought him international acclaim even before The Satanic Verses inspired a certain faith-based outreach program in Iran to put a price on his heretical head. His flights of outrageous humor, his mythmaking and game-playing, not to mention his demands for a cultural reformation in Islam, have often offended religious fundamentalists. Here’s a man who, armed only with a fountain pen, managed to outwit legions of Koran-thumping bounty hunters—and then married a supermodel. His subsequent novels, including Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Shalimar the Clown, have gained him an ever-larger audience. No one in our lifetime will be asking, “Salman who?” Rushdie will speak at 6 p.m. Sept. 28 at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium. A free reception begins at 5 p.m. Tickets, which are free, will be available Sept. 24 at the Ticketmaster desk at Sarratt Student Center. —MICHAEL SIMS

Music

PEELANDER-Z Decked out in color-coordinated costumes reminiscent of the Power Rangers, New York City-based Peelander-Z play what they describe as “Japanese action comic punk” and claim to hail from the Z portion of the planet Peelander. The music is primitive and fast, with simple chants shouted overtop, but all of that is largely secondary to the live show. The Peelanders themselves are often busy handing off their instruments to audience members in order to engage in human bowling, wrestling and kung fu shtick. When the band is actually playing, the Peelanders go the extra mile and provide cue cards so the crowd can follow along with the chants—though the sing-alongs rarely exceed two words. 9 p.m. at Exit/In —MATT SULLIVAN

Rockin’ Blues Music

BENEFIT CONCERT FOR JIMMY NALLS As a well-traveled and much-loved guitarist, Jimmy Nalls can be heard on a wealth of classic blues rock songs. The endless list of artists and bands he’s played with includes Gregg Allman, Bonnie Bramlett, Dr. John, The Nighthawks, Sea Level and B.J. Thomas, all of whom benefited from his jazz-influenced sound. Nalls has fought Parkinson’s disease since 1994, a particularly debilitating disease for a musician who depends on precise finger movements. To help him out, a potent collection of top blues rockers will gather to celebrate his music and friendship. Veteran blues rockers The Nighthawks, with whom Nalls played for several years, are driving down from Washington, D.C., to join with several of Nashville’s finest, including T. Graham Brown, Jimmy Hall, Gary Nicholson and Jack Pearson. Special guests are expected to drop by and jam. 7 p.m. at Douglas Corner —MICHAEL MCCALL

TUESDAY 9/25

Music

U.S.S.A. Duane Denison seems to have a penchant for starting underground rock supergroups. The ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist also plays in Tomahawk, which at one point or another has included members of The Melvins, Battles, Helmet and a guy named Mike Patton. This time around Denison has teamed up with former Ministry and Revolting Cocks bassist Paul Barker. Together the two enlisted longtime clinic drummer Johnny Rabb and relatively unknown vocalist Gary Call to round out the lineup for U.S.S.A. Their debut album The Spoils, released earlier this week, focuses on moody, dark and melodic rock that doesn’t always equal the sum of the band’s parts. But U.S.S.A.’s interest in the atmospherics and ambience beneath the power chords is their saving grace, balancing the sound somewhere between industrial and post-punk. 9 p.m. at Exit/In —MATT SULLIVAN

Music

DEERHOOF W/SMOOSH With all due respect to Bloc Party, who are really, really well-known, one of the best bands on earth is playing on Tuesday night and their name is Deerhoof. They followed up their messy, far-flung masterpiece The Runners Four with this year’s Friend Opportunity, a splendid and variegated love letter to rhythm, friendship, kookiness, pooky-ookiness, guitar heroism and all things good and right in the world. Live, they are inspiration incarnate, conjuring more noise, fury and pure rock fire than any trio you’ve seen recently—and when the Electric Rainbow Machine is squirting color in all directions behind them, watch out. Meanwhile, the founding members of Smoosh were a combined 22 years old when their first album, She Like Electric, came out. (The Seattle sisters are now all of 15 and 13.) It probably doesn’t hurt that drummer Chloe bought her drums, and subsequently took lessons, from Death Cab for Cutie drummer Jason McGerr. Their disarmingly sweet pop songs belie their youth, while simultaneously embodying it. 7 p.m. at City Hall —STEVE HARUCH

Music

TICKLEY FEATHER Animal Collective, who headline this Cannery show, boast a history of excellent, hand-picked openers: three years ago, Gang Gang Dance were largely unknown Brooklynites toting their own vinyl to AC one-spots, and, earlier this year, solo guitar maestro and former Sun City Girl Sir Richard Bishop was the bringer of attentive silence before the headliners’s tribal ecstasy. Like her predecessors, Tickley Feather (Philadelphia’s Annie Sachs) isn’t a safe bet for fame (neither was AC’s Here Comes the Indian) but rather for continued intrigue (again, Indian). Sachs drifts through an aesthetic of playpen beats, merry-go-round loops and ethereal vocals that crawl in melodies and creep back out. Her fractured kaleidoscope songs advance and spin like hazy images scrimshawed onto corroded celluloid, as her perfect little melodies extend themselves into palimpsests for secondhand sound and crisscrossing motifs. Sachs’ style is still in development, but it’s well worth an early arrival. 9 p.m. at Cannery Ballroom —GRAYSON CURRIN

WEDNESDAY 9/26

Music

KELLY WILLIS If Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are Nashville’s first couple, then Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison are their Austin counterparts. While Robison’s been busy penning No. 1 hits for Tim and Faith (“Angry All the Time”), Willis has been playing Mom to four kids, the most recent of which, Joseph Willis Robison, might have convinced her to get out of the house more. Now she and Robison are trading tour dates and playdates on alternating weekends, as the honey-throated siren returns from a five-year hiatus with Translated From Love. It’s a wonderful showcase of Willis’ gifts: rocking in some places, particularly the terrific, album-opening “Nobody Wants to Go to the Moon Anymore,” offering jangly, country-folk in others, like the wonderful “The More That I’m Around You,” aching with pedal steel balladry, as on the lovely “Losing You,” and even delivering the jaunty organ-fueled vamp of “Success.” The fun is infectious, and producer Chuck Prophet gives it a crisp sparkle without sacrificing any of the life. 8 p.m. at the Belcourt Theatre —CHRIS PARKER

Lunchtime jazz

ANNA WILSON Anna Wilson’s languid, contemporary jazz stands out for two reasons: her voice, with its sweet-yet-husky tone and elegant phrasing, and her original songs, as rich and stylish as the standards on which most other young jazz singers must rely. On Wilson’s recent album, Time Changes Everything, her songwriting is her ace in the hole, with tunes like “That’s What Lovers Do” and the title cut sounding like timeless Cole Porter classics. With help from her husband and producer, Music Row veteran Monty Powell, Wilson is a good example of how Nashville’s focus on songcraft need not be limited to commercial country music. The singer had a tune featured in the recent premiere of the Fox TV series Nashville, and with Powell taking the role of mentor on the show, we can expect to hear more from her on the program. 11:30 a.m. at the Nashville Public Library as part of its free lunchtime Courtyard Concerts series. —MICHAEL MCCALL

Music

CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON Canada—it’s like a whole other country. Up there, Carolyn Dawn Johnson is a giant of contemporary country music who was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the Sept. 10 Canadian Country Music Awards, and whose latest album, Love & Negotiation, has spawned three hits and counting. Her adopted home country hasn’t been so kind. Even after the success of her 2001 debut, A Room With a View, Johnson’s former record label showed little interest in releasing or promoting the much-delayed follow-up, 2004’s Dress Rehearsal. Now Love & Negotiation, available since July 2006 in the Great White North, still awaits a U.S. street date a year after her current label signed her. (Impatient American fans may order it from carolyndawnjohnson.com.) Johnson’s immaculately crafted country-pop, intelligent and ebullient in equal measure, deserves better. 6 p.m. at Belle Meade Plantation —CHRIS NEAL

Music

DURALUXE Even though they’ve moved around like army brats and founding guitarist Chris Colbert has left, Duraluxe haven’t strayed from their cinematic, psych-folk. The lavish warmth of their arrangements suggests the Flaming Lips being given a swirlie by Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous. Atmosphere and texture hold their ground against gentle, drifting melodies as the crashing waves create a lo-fi mist that hangs in the air. Keith Cleversley recorded their ’98 debut, Dolorosa, after which the band relocated to Nashville from Chicago. Multi-intrumentalist Megan Morrison’s pretty backing vocals joined the mix during their time in Athens, Ga., and then it was off to California, where they recorded 2002’s The Suitcase with help from Frank Lenz (The Lassie Foundation). By 2005 the quintet were back in Nashville. They’re currently supporting their third release, Spread the Word. Opening Jersey singer/songwriter Lanky (onetime Darby Jones guitarist Frank Stabile) recalls Goo Goo Dolls’ Johnny Rzeznik. 9 p.m. at the Basement. —CHRIS PARKER

Music

COLIN HAY You could try and talk about Colin Hay without mentioning his once ubiquitous ’80s pop group Men At Work—lord knows he’s written and recorded a few good songs in the 20-plus years since they disbanded—but it would be a bit hard, since “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now?” introduced to the world the identifiable wit, husky brogue (he’s actually Scottish, not Australian) and melodic sensibility that continue to color his solo output. With the passage of time has come less saxophone, less MTV rotation and—as evidenced by his latest album, Are You Lookin’ at Me?—more introspection. You need get no further than the title track—a surprisingly compelling amalgam of talking blues and hip-hop—to hear a sharply delivered story of his career up to this point. The rest of the album digs deep as well. We’ll spare you a witty line about how it’s a good thing that this man is still at work—but it is. 9 p.m. at The Wildhorse Saloon—JEWLY HIGHT