Music

YO LA TENGO Yo La Tengo have managed to survive—indeed thrive—throughout a three-decades-long career in a fickle musical climate. Shuffling their way through shoegaze, grunge, Britpop, post-punk and half a million spurious scenes in between, they have nonetheless remained the same doggedly left-of-center, beloved band since their inception. The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour stops at The Belcourt with Kurt Wagner of Lambchop in tow for what looks to be an intimate acoustic-based show—part VH1 Storytellers, part MTV Unplugged and likely far more engaging than anything either of those networks have to offer. If you couldn’t get tickets to see them there, hang out at Prince’s—their affinity for the famous hot chicken is well known. 8 p.m. at Belcourt Theatre; SOLD OUT—ANDREW J. SMITHSON

Funny Business

THAT’S ALL FOLKS! THE HISTORY AND TRIVIA BEHIND LOONEY TUNES CARTOONS If you remember art history class as a chance to snooze in the dark and get college credit for it, you haven’t met Gregory Clark, professor of Art History at the University of the South in Sewanee. Clark’s presentation will trace the artistic development of Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones, focusing on five classic cartoons, including the 1957 masterpiece “What’s Opera Doc,” a.k.a. the one where Elmer sings “Kill the Wabbit,” in a parody of Wagner’s music drama The Valkyrie. He will also explore the characters Pepe le Pew, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, all of whom Jones created with Mike Maltese. Clark’s lecture promises to be more fun than getting blown up with dynamite and smacked in the head by an anvil. 2 to 4 p.m. at the Downtown Library —CARRINGTON FOX

Music

NAILBAT TAPES Let’s face it: $400 iPods aren’t very punk rock, CDs won’t last 10 seconds in the floorboard of your car without getting scratched and, even if you could play records in your car, a hot summer day would warp them beyond recognition. Keeping that in mind, it doesn’t seem quite so wacky that Nashville’s newest indie label specializes exclusively in cassette tapes. Nailbat Tapes is throwing a launch party Thursday night featuring just a sampling of an already impressive roster. Members of the frenetic sludgecore duo German Castro operate the label, and will be performing alongside punk-rock house-party heros Meemaw, making a rare appearance outside of their basement. Rounding out the bill is the whispery, sultry folk of Another Side of Bob Jasmin and the metalocalyptic assault of Murfreesboro noisecore enthusiasts Evil Bebos. 9 p.m. at The End —SETH GRAVES

Theater

HAMLET In its inaugural effort as a professional company in residence at Belmont University, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival presents a production that brings together the talents and energies of individuals from across the spectrum of Nashville’s theater community. The creative team comprises Tony Award-winning costume designer Franne Lee, Belmont theater department chair and set designer Paul Gatrell and veteran lighting designer and MTSU prof Anne Willingham. Meanwhile, director Denice Hicks vows judicious editing and maximum poetic impact in her approach to the tale of the melancholy Dane, and she’s assembled an intriguing cast to help fulfill her goal of accenting the play’s ghostly ambience and bringing Hamlet’s character into starker relief. For more information on workshops, in-school performances, etc., call 255-2273 or visit nashvilleshakes.org. Jan. 17-Feb. 2 in Belmont’s Troutt Theater —MARTIN BRADY

Music

GO JANE GO Music City is home to just about every kind of tunage under the sun, and our local pop scene just got a bit brighter. Local photographer Kristy West’s new project Go Jane Go plays crisp, pretty indie pop filled with catchy choruses and just enough coy rock swagger. Formerly of local all-girl group Ruby Rocket, West has a controlled, effortless voice—perfect for pop—that occasionally acquires a hint of lilting twang. This show celebrates the release of the band’s taught, infectious debut See Jane Go. 9 p.m. at the Basement —LEE STABERT

FRIDAY 1/18

Renaissance Man

AARON DOUGLAS: AFRICAN AMERICAN MODERNIST Arriving in Harlem in the mid-1920s, Aaron Douglas became an integral member of the Harlem Renaissance, creating book jackets for the likes of James Weldon Johnson and Claude McKay and designing posters and sets for the dramatic ensemble founded by W.E.B. DuBois. He also illustrated covers for Vanity Fair and African American publications such as Fire! and NAACP journals. Today, Douglas is perhaps more widely known for the silhouetted figures of his murals—examples of which can be seen on the Fisk campus, where Douglas was head of the art department from 1937-1966. All types of his work, which combines elements of cubism, Art Deco and references to African American traditions, will be on display in Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist. An opening reception featuring the Fisk Jubilee Singers takes place 7 p.m. Jan. 18; related events include gallery talks and guided tours of the Fisk murals. Jan. 18-April 13 at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts —MICHELLE JONES

Music

JENNIFER LARMORE This solo recital is not only a must for opera aficionados, it’s the perfect opportunity for the uninitiated to widen their musical horizons. First, Larmore is an opera megastar—a frequent performer with the Metropolitan Opera and the great companies of Europe, and, oh yeah, the most recorded mezzo-soprano of all time. Second, it’s free. OK, we’ll spell it out for you: You could spend 8 bucks to see a movie, blow a sawbuck on a trendy martini, dish out 40 simoleons to catch the Opry, or hear an international opera sensation in one of Nashville’s most ideal acoustic environments for exactly zippo...nada. Got it? Check out YouTube for Larmore’s sassy take on “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen, a tune sure to be familiar to anyone over the age of 3. 8 p.m. at Blair School of Music’s Ingram Hall; Larmore conducts a master class for Blair voice students 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and the public is invited to observe. —JACK SILVERMAN

Neo-Retro Diva

BRANDI SHEARER On her latest, Close to Dark, Brandi Shearer sings in a weightless, bluesy—but somehow calculated—contralto. An Oregon native who took up residence in Europe before cutting Close in California with producers Ted Savarese and Larry Klein, Shearer is a diva with a point of view. She possesses the poise of a jazz singer such as Sarah Vaughan, and knows how to make herself felt within the record’s pellucid arrangements. “Swampland” features ghostly trumpet and droll guitar figures, while Shearer’s “Congratulations” is one of the most accurate songs ever written about the distance that can accumulate between old friends. An apotheosis of studio-pop, Close highlights Shearer’s concise, worldly songs with a variety of ingenious settings that triangulate countrypolitan, pop and blues. When she sings, “I wanna know how the people lived before the big corporations,” it suggests both compassion and escapism, no mean trick. 8 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley —EDD HURT

Music

NIGHT OF METALOCALYPSE The roster for Rcktwn’s local metal showcase includes two of Middle Tennessee’s most recognizable teams of shredders. Label-mates The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza and Destroy Destroy Destroy (both have records released on the Metal Blade-affiliated Black Market Activities) will lead the march in this night of evil vs....well, evil. But there will be levity—both bands have a somewhat tongue-in-cheek approach. The Extravaganza’s latest offering of groove-inflected tech-metal, Danza 2: Electric Boogaloo, features a song titled “Nobody Eats BBQ Two Days in a Row,” while Destroy’s over-the-top viking metal still elicits one of the city’s biggest stage spectacles, complete with battle axes and a Speedo’d frontman. 6:30 p.m. at Rcktwn —MATT SULLIVAN

Comedy

LARRY THE CABLE GUY It’s easy to go on YouTube and see the kind of comedy Nebraska-born Daniel Whitney was doing before his wildly popular redneck hero struck Blue Collar gold. Whitney’s act was a dime-a-dozen so it’s no wonder he’s since ridden Larry the Cable Guy for all its worth. Sure, he has a conservative bent and the “Git ‘R Done” catchphrase is overdone, but the truth is he has some pretty smart bits. Consider what he said when asked about being cast in the part of a tow truck in the Pixar hit Cars: “Well, I actually put on 1700 pounds to do this. They told me it was a cartoon, and then I felt like an idiot.” 8 p.m. at TPAC’s Jackson Hall —WERNER TRIESCHMANN

Music

UNKNOWN HINSON It’s unlikely you’ll ever have the joy of experiencing comedic country Western music from a real-life vampiric-redneck-ex-con and former circus sideshow geek. Even if there were such a thing, it’s doubtful it would be as entertaining as Unknown Hinson, the self-proclaimed “King of the Country Troubadours.” Singer/songwriter/voice actor Danny Baker’s fictional alter ego is half late-night television horror-movie host, half outlaw balladeer, but don’t let the novelty factor put you off—Unknown is a first rate musician and entertainer. His authentic—albeit campy—country Western tunes, such as “Satan in a Thong,” “Black and Blue Christ,” and “You Ain’t Callin’ the Law” are just as good, if not better, than their titles. Fans of Adult Swim’s “Squidbillies” may also recognize him as the voice behind the show’s protagonist, Early Cuyler. 9 p.m. at Exit/In —SETH GRAVES

Puppets

ANANSI THE SPIDER I have a basic litmus test for works I was exposed to in childhood: If I remember it, it must have been pretty cool. The tale of Anansi the Spider is one such story. A legendary trickster hero from the Ashanti in Ghana, Anansi is no saint, but he is clever, and funny, and things usually seem to work out for him in the end. For the next few months, Nashville Public Library will be presenting a colorful marionette and hand-and-rod puppet play based on this batch of legends. Don’t be surprised if your kids leave a bit more mischievous. 9:30, 10:30 & 11:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays Jan. 18-March 1 —LEE STABERT

Comedy

JEFF GARLIN Before Garlin rose to stardom playing Larry David’s adulterous, henpecked manager on Curb Your Enthusiasm—in the process becoming America’s favorite “fat fuck”—the Second City alumnus cut his teeth on old-school stand-up. In fact, he has more in common with the great Borscht Belt storytelling comics of the ’60s and ’70s (Woody Allen, Buddy Hackett and Curb co-star Shelley Berman) than with today’s lot of hipsters and ranters. That’s because he doesn’t need jokes, shtick, irony or shock value—he’s just funny. He looks funny, acts funny, sounds funny…he’d be funny reading the phonebook out loud. (Search “Jeff loves the 4 questions” on YouTube to see him explain why he, uh, liquidated his inventory in Larry’s guest room during Passover seder.) The Curb fanatics (and they are legion) will surely be out in force, so buy your tickets in advance. 7:30 & 9:45 p.m. Friday; 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday at Zanies —JACK SILVERMAN SATURDAY 1/19

Dance Dance Revolution

THE BOOM BAP These days, just about anyone with a pair of CD players and a stack of discs can call themselves a DJ—a trend that has pushed the old-school art of spinning records even further into the underground. Out of the basements and into the bar, local vinyl disc jockeys have put their respective noggins together to curate what may very well be the only regular DJ night in town these days: The Boom Bap. On the third Saturday of every month, Music City DJs will convene with their nationally touring colleagues and share in their love of bona fide dance party classics and the truest in dusty hip-hop. The inaugural edition is going down this Saturday at the Blue Bar and features DJ/producer Sharkey—who has shared studio time with the likes of Rick Rubin, Wyclef Jean and Digable Planets—as well as local faves Rate, Coolout and Bowls. 9 p.m. at Blue Bar —SETH GRAVES

Marathon Men and Women

GILDA’S GANG HALF-MARATHON TRAINING When the Country Music Marathon rolls around on April 26, Gilda’s Gang will hit the pavement, walking in support of Gilda’s Club of Nashville, a support group for people affected by cancer. For the next 15 weeks, the Gang will train for the big event with walks led by fitness specialists, personalized training plans for all fitness levels, access to the wellness centers at Saint Thomas and Baptist hospitals and a weekly pilates mat class. To join the Gang, Gilda’s asks that you pledge $750, which will benefit the nonprofit organization’s free programming. Information sessions will be held at noon on Jan. 16 and after the 7 a.m. group walk on Jan. 19. All training sessions will be held at Gilda’s Club (1707 Division St.). To register, contact Deb at 329-1124 or deb@gildasclubnashville.org. —CARRINGTON FOX

Music

SUSAN ALCORN/MISHA FEIGIN Though experimental music often gets a bad rap as indulgent or overly cerebral, in the right hands it can be as visceral as a James Brown groove or as simple as a nursery rhyme. This intriguing bill featuring two internationally renowned performers can attest to that. Baltimore pedal steel player Susan Alcorn’s otherworldly sound at times suggests whale calls and sci-fi soundtracks, yet weaves in playful melodies reminiscent of guitarist Bill Frisell. The exotic harmonies she coaxes from her instrument transcend Western 12-tone sensibilities and scratch aural itches you didn’t know you had. The music of Louisville guitarist/balalaika player/poet/storyteller Misha Feigin, born and raised in Moscow, can vary from the Eastern folk of his homeland to flurries of percussive avant-garde mayhem that wash over you like a tsunami. Alcorn and Feigin will perform both solo and together. 3-6 p.m. at Twist Art Gallery —JACK SILVERMAN

Aloha, Mr. Hand!

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH In 1982, when Fast Times came out, the hottest midnight movies were underground sensations like Pink Flamingos, Eraserhead and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Now, the movies that draw the biggest midnight audiences across the country are typical mainstream mall-cinema fare from the ’80s—in short, Fast Times. In this case, the renewed attention is deserved, and here’s why: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Forest Whitaker, Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, Kelli Maroney, Anthony Edwards, Ray Winston and Vincent Schiavelli, screenwriter Cameron Crowe—oh yeah, and that Penn guy nobody figured would amount to anything. Plus it’s the rare movie that contains both the ’80s’ hottest male jack-off fantasy and maybe the most clear-eyed losing-your-virginity scene ever shot from a girl’s point of view. Next up at midnight: Sixteen Candles (Feb. 1-2) and Airplane! (Feb. 15-16). Midnight Jan. 18-19 at the Belcourt Theatre —JIM RIDLEY

Whole Lotta Lasers

LASER ZEPPELIN Ready to have your mind blown? Ready to have the shear epic force of rock, digital surround sound and lasers send your consciousness into the great beyond? Well, head on down to Dickson! The Renaissance Center is presenting Laser Zeppelin in their Cybersphere on Saturday nights. Who cares if you couldn’t make it to London in December? This is just as good. Plus, all that money you saved can be used on reinforcements. 9 p.m. Saturdays through Feb. 23 at Renaissance Center —LEE STABERT

STACEY IRVIN AND TIM ROBERTS The Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery’s first exhibit of the year, Down to Earth presents work by two artists exploring how people connect to the everyday world around them. On her journeys, Stacey Irvin, a self-proclaimed Photo Nomad, has photographed the people and places of Pakistan, Nepal, China and Montana. Her work explores the day-to-day life of working people, and their relationships to their surroundings—especially the natural world. Irvin’s best images combine a photojournalist’s eye for narrative with the empathy of an artist identifying with her subject. Her latest work documents daily life in a farming community at the base of Mt. Kenya. Ceramicist Tim Roberts takes a more hands-on approach, investing his utilitarian objects with figurative elements, creating a hybrid portrait-craft. Through Feb. 22 at Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery; opening reception, 5-7 p.m. Jan. 19. —JOE NOLAN

SUNDAY 1/20

Music

JAMES McMURTRY Like his father, novelist Larry McMurtry, James’ career has been driven by his demonstrable narrative skills—but he’s no slouch as a guitarist either. He’s got a dusty country-folk style that, with its loping open-road vibe, could have come from Texas. While his keenly sketched character studies command the stage, there’s plenty of craft to his arrangements as well, including varied instrumental touches and a rhythm guitarist’s sense of groove. His expansive stories are even roomy enough for a fair bit of jamming, but it never gets egregious. The Virginia songwriter’s seventh album, Just Us Kids, is slated for an April release. It follows up 2005’s Childish Things, whose success was propelled by the white-hot “We Can’t Make It Here,” whose scathing, dispiriting lyrical sweep is still the most poignant indictment of the Iraq war. 9 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley —CHRIS PARKER

Art on the Cheap

$1 ADMISSION AT CHEEKWOOD With the Titans out of the hunt, and the weather being intermittently lovely, it’s a great time to take advantage of Cheekwood’s $1 January admission. Stroll the grounds, check out some Fabergé eggs or walk the sculpture trail—and do it without much company. The flowers might not be out, but there is something oddly romantic about a windswept estate in winter—plus the bamboo patch in the Japanese Garden remains insanely green and quietly beautiful. Another highlight: works by emerging video artists in the Temporary Contemporary gallery. Housed in an old barn, each installation occupies a refinished stall—you walk outside from one to the next—and offers a radically different take on the art form. Through Jan. 31 at Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art —LEE STABERT

TUESDAY 1/22

The Revolution Will Be Televised

DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL It premiered as an original movie on the Disney Channel in January 2006, and to recount its subsequent cover-the-earth, youth-driven popularity and cash-generating impact in every medium would be an exhausting journalistic task. So ubiquitous is this tween empowerment vehicle that it has already been performed by Nashville high schools and community groups. Yet here’s the national touring company, invading Music City with its tale of multiethnic youngsters (Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay and Ryan) sharing karaoke and pursuing dreams while standing up for the values of friendship, loyalty, integrity and forgiveness and fighting the evils of (gasp!) peer pressure. In the world of High School Musical, individuality is celebrated—every young man sings like a Backstreet Boy and every young lady sounds like a generically stylistic pop diva. To be historically fair, the show has to be seen as a spiritual descendant of the old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland musicals, in which young, wide-eyed, purely motivated innocents get all dramatic and are apt to burst into song at any moment—hence, tunes like “Stick to the Status Quo” (irony, Disney style), “Bop to the Top” (a boy-girl salsa duet, which daringly includes the word “caliente”) and the closer, “We’re All in This Together” (which counsels “rock the house”). Obviously, MAD TV’s spoof—featuring lyrics about parental abuse, bulimia, drugs, tawdry sex, homosexuality and juvenile diabetes—is a lot more culturally enlightening. But maybe the candy-coated fascist revolution is already here, with HSM as its first tool of indoctrination. This production is directed by Jeff Calhoun, with book by David Simpatico (adapted from the original movie script by Peter Barsocchini). The score includes all the songs from the original soundtrack plus some new material. Jan. 22-27 in TPAC’s Jackson Hall —MARTIN BRADY

Music

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN What did DEP do when founding drummer Chris Pennie left them in favor of Coheed and Cambria? Only record their best album to date, Ire Works, a spot-on blend of the New Jersey quintet’s trademark spazzy, mathcore pastiche and a melodic sensibility cadged from Faith No More. The cacophonous roar comes only in spates—which no doubt will disappoint some fans—but when deployed like punctuation in looser, prog-inflected arrangements, it packs more punch. Pennie’s replacement Gil Sharone is more than able, pounding with authority while exhibiting more swivel than the Jetson’s robot maid Rosie. The horn-abetted (?!?) “Milk Lizard” sounds like Jesus Lizard doing the Peter Gunn theme, while last album’s new singer Greg Puciato vindicates the choice with high-pitched vocal theatrics reminiscent of Mike Patton on the catchy single (?!?) “Black Bubblegum.” 6:30 p.m. at City Hall —CHRIS PARKER

WEDNESDAY 1/23

Music

XAVIER RUDD Psychedelic folk music is making a big comeback, and you can count this Aussie (who now resides in Los Angeles) as one of the proponents. Despite the new zip code, his home country still figures into his sonic blueprint—the electric didgeridoo is an integral part of his act. As a singer-songwriter, Rudd sounds like Paul Simon, and his songs are preoccupied with nature and peace. He has a nice way with a hook as demonstrated on his last two albums White Moth and Food in the Belly. Though his ballads can go on too long, Rudd can still be counted on to offer up a very cool vibe. And, really, how often do you see somebody play a didgeridoo? 9 p.m. at Exit/In —WERNER TRIESCHMANN

Music

EUREKA GOLD W/MOCK ORANGE For a band full of Berklee-trained musicians, Eureka Gold are surprisingly laissez-faire with their musical approach. Like a technically sound finger-painting, their full-length debut boasts masterful moments of harmony-layered folk-rock without losing the fun, experimental quality often squashed by technical talent. The band makes everything seem deceptively easy. Songwriters Jordan Lehning and Buddy Hughen’s lyrics mix the poetic plainness of Paul Simon with the earthy freedom of Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow” or “Into White.” Despite the fact that their album is only distributed free at live shows, these Boston transplants have quickly moved from notable newcomers to key local players. Plus they have a host of brand new songs, and are markedly tighter and more confident than just a year ago. Indie veterans from Evansville, Ind., Mock Orange—who, by the way, are huge in Japan—round out the evening with their brand of angular, driving pop. 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —JEREMY RUSH

He Can’t Stop His Leg!

ROBERT KLEIN Apart from his status as one of the world’s foremost Jewish bluesmen, Klein remains a pivotal figure in the evolution of stand-up comedy. Man walks upright, then he learns a few mammoth impressions to tickle the monobrows around the campfire; next thing you know, he’s in a back alley behind some place called “Laffs” buying gags off dudes in checkered jackets. Klein was one of those first to rise from the primordial ooze of the vaudeville tradition with his own material, an off-the-hip improvisational style and a new form of comedy rooted in observation rather than joke-telling. The result: without Klein, no Jerry Seinfeld, no Ray Romano, no Billy Crystal...and the thunder rolls. (It seems unfair to blame him for the 1,657,769 dud routines that begin, “Have ya ever noticed...?”—but a paternity suit might stick.) He’s hosted SNL twice, he’s been nominated for Grammys and Tonys, he left his ass groove in Johnny Carson’s chair, and his trailblazing 1975 HBO special pretty much drew the blueprint for Comedy Central. Klein’s collegiate-Catskills voice comes through even in his 2006 memoir The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back. “The only hunting my father ever did was for bargains at Macy’s, though he did bring home a copy of Field & Stream once that he found on the subway, and read it on the toilet,” Klein writes, sidling up to the zinger: “When he moved his bowels he liked to price kayaks.” 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23-24 at Zanies —JIM RIDLEY