Nashvillians get a rare glimpse at one of the world’s finest private collections of Indian miniature paintings in “Intimate Worlds: Masterpieces of Indian Painting From the Alvin O. Bellak Collection,” an exhibit of 90 works dating from 1500 to 1890. The intricate images offer views of Hindu, Muslim and Jain religious traditions and tales, plus scenes of court life and narratives of love and war. The show opens April 12, as does “Faberge,” an exhibit showcasing Imperial Easter eggs, jewelry and other decorative items created by the House of Faberge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A daylong celebration of 400 years of Indian art and culture is set for 1-5 p.m. April 14. Highlights include classical Indian dance performances and art-making activities, plus a 2 p.m. talk by Darielle Mason, the Stella Kramrisch Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
—A.W.
Picks written by Todd Anderson, Martin Brady, Jonathan Flax, Bill Friskics-Warren, Jonathan Marx, Noel Murray, Jim Ridley, Angela Wibking and Ron Wynn.
Thursday, 11th
Kelly Hogan/Hayden Another stellar show at the Slow Bar, headlined by sweet country-rock chanteuse Hogan. The opener is insular indie-folkie Hayden, whose latest album, Skyscraper National Park, offers a harrowing concoction of acoustic gentility and electric anarchy in songs that range from snippet to sprawl. Call his eccentric balladeering Ugly Americana. See Doug Brumley’s review of Hayden’s new disc on p. 92.
—N.M.
Laundryroom Squelchers/Plutonium Pie/Xela Zaid/New Faggot Cunts Miami noise-assault ensemble the Laundryroom Squelchers arose from the ashes of Scraping Teeth, which Spin supposedly chose once as the worst band in America. The Squelchers’ shows are part art prank and part sonic attack, with an arsenal of amplified gadgets ready to fire. Apparently, a club owner once pulled the plug on them within the first minute of a gig, at which point the band members produced horns and made an even worse racket. That places them firmly within the mumble-core continuum, along with their opening acts, trash-punk trio Plutonium Pie, Xela Zaid and Nashville’s own New Faggot Cunts. The show starts 9 p.m. at Springwater.
—J.R.
Rye Coalition/The Falling/Forget Cassettes/1/5 Griffith/The Contract One of the best shows this week is, naturally, at the Red Rose Coffee House in Murfreesboro. New York’s fierce indie cock-rockers Rye Coalition top the bill, and are pretty indispensable on their own, but the bill is crammed with cool new bands. The Falling play a pretty rocking melodic emo noise. Forget Cassettes are the current band of Beth Cameron, formerly of Fair Verona, and are worth checking out based on her résumé. The Contract play a kind of punk-metal in which athletic twin guitar riffs are matched handily by some powerful drumming. And then there’s 1/5 Griffith, about whom we know nothing.
—T.A.
Friday, 12th
Willie Nelson/Pat Green Anyone with even the slightest interest in American popular music is aware of Willie Nelson’s monumental contributions. He’s been a premier composer, highly distinctive performer and a musical maverick who, just in the last few years, has released recordings in the jazz, reggae, pop and country contexts. Pat Green is among the new breed of Texas country artists, noted for his remarkable success despite his refusal to sign with a major label. He opens for Nelson at the Ryman Auditorium.
—R.W.
zenith—the electric lounge’s third-year anniversary party Promoter Leon Jackson celebrates three years of bringing house, trance, techno, drum ’n’ bass and other electronic dance styles to Nashville. This show features one of his strongest headliners yet: U.K. group Hybrid, whose music is indeed a mélange of styles that should appeal to a wide array of fans. Their music is rife with driving beats designed to keep kids on the dance floor, but there’s also a song-oriented sensibility at work that should appeal to fans of Air. The show starts at 10 p.m. at Club Excess and Orbit; supporting acts include Moda, DJ Sharc and Ashley Power. E-mail electriclounge@hotmail.com for more information.
—J.M.
Dana Cooper This veteran Nashville-based singer-songwriter—whose first album came out on Elektra Records in 1973—recently released harry truman built a road, his first album in half a decade. Simultaneously tough and winsome, the 13 tracks on harry rely on Cooper’s lively acoustic guitar strumming and his vocal reveries, which ease their way neatly and nicely around expressive personal narratives, occasionally settling into arresting melodic cul-de-sacs. Cooper’ll be drifting and nestling at Radio Cafe.
—N.M.
Jamey Aebersold As he showed during his last visit to Cafe 123, jazz educator and activist Aebersold is also a fine soloist. His instructional manuals are extremely valuable, especially to beginning players, yet they’re not so simple that they don’t challenge more accomplished musicians. The trumpet player should offer a similarly all-encompassing appeal to listeners when he returns to Cafe 123 this week.
—R.W.
angel heart farms benefit The Nashville Volunteer String Band and bluegrassers Anna Scala and the Strawberry Farm Band provide the music at this benefit for Angel Heart Farms, a therapeutic horseback-riding program that works with seriously ill children. Show time is 6:30 p.m. at Radio Cafe.
Friday, 12th-Saturday, 13th
B2 Benefit for Cancer A two-night benefit for cancer organizations, this second annual Murfreesboro bash is held in honor of Brian Bowen, an Alabama native and beloved Boro patron who died of cancer last year. Friday night’s lineup at The Boro on Greenland Drive includes Murfreesboro bands The Jesters, The Box Elders, Jeff Keeran, The Craig Murphy Experience and Team Charisma. Saturday night’s bill, at Faces on East Main Street, features Kahil’s Ego, Flesh Machine and Dr. Gonzo. For more information, call Wendi Welch at 895-4800.
—J.R.
Saturday, 13th
Michelle Shocked If you’ve never seen this offbeat singer-songwriter live, you should definitely file into 3rd & Lindsley for a night of humor and pathos. And here’s a real shocker for fans: She’s got a “proper” record to promote! Finally cued that an artist of her stature doesn’t need a label to survive—and that she can do better than the chintzy, desperate-looking limited-pressing CDs she’s been selling at shows for the past half-decade—Shocked has put out Deep Natural, which consists mainly of songs from her refusenik years. Self-released but nicely packaged, the CD comes bundled with a second disc of dub remixes of her bluesy folk story-songs. The material is hit-and-miss, but the effort is appreciated.
—N.M.
Joe, Marc’s Brother A reunion of sorts for the amiable, organic pop-rockers, as the trio have spent early 2002 in separate quarters: Joe Pisapia encamped in his private laboratory, conjuring a stylish and palette-expanding solo debut, Marc (Joe’s brother) and Hags moonlighting as the rhythm section for Josh Rouse’s European and U.S. road swings. With the Rouse tour on a well-earned 10-day hiatus, JMB will reconvene for their only gig in town before summer. Keeping with the night’s theme, Curt Perkins, also out with Rouse on guitar and keys, will open the night with his own outfit, the moody alt-rock group modlang.
—J.F.
Cary Hudson Hudson and his ex-wife Laurie Stirratt were the principals of Blue Mountain, the now defunct, Oxford, Miss., roots rockers who so deftly fused down-home blues and plugged-in twang. Hudson’s new solo album, due out Tuesday, continues in that vein, with more than a nod to the folkloric sources that formed the backbone of Blue Mountain’s 2001 swan song, Roots. Fans of Southern roots and rhythm à la Drive-by Truckers and the North Mississippi All-Stars won’t want to miss Hudson and his band when they play The End.
—B.F.W.
Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band His songs and his performances may be mushy and lethargic, but say this for Buffett: He’s created an image, a lifestyle and a philosophy that have been seductive to enough fans to keep his touring party profitable year in and year out. The middle-aged office workers who will come out for his show at AmSouth Amphitheatre are just looking for a little island fantasy at the end of a week of drudgery. Hard to find anything wrong with that.
—N.M.
James Caudill CD Release Party Fingerstyle guitarist James Caudill has gotten rave reviews for his technique and tasteful playing. His new album, Pictures From America, features 21 tracks, among them an entertaining version of “The Christmas Song” and a stirring original commemorating those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The CD will officially be released at a 1 p.m. celebration at Jazz@Bellevue Center.
—R.W.
Monday, 15th
Caught in the Webb Webb Pierce’s recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame was long overdue, especially considering his monumental legacy, which included hits like “Wondering,” “There Stands the Glass” and “I Ain’t Never.” Thankfully, that sort of neglect is nowhere evident on Caught in the Webb, the loving, multi-act extravaganza that singer-producer Gail Davies put together toward the end of last year, one of the few tribute albums that actually does justice to the artist it honors. Davies and a number of the performers who appeared on the album, including Rosie Flores, Chuck Mead and Matt King, will pay further tribute to the flamboyant honky-tonker, 9:30 pm at the Bluebird Cafe. The show will be broadcast live on WSM-AM.
—B.F.W.
Monday, 15th-Tuesday, 16th
David Zollo Zollo was the lead singer for High & Lonesome, an Iowa City alt-country quintet that was something of a second-tier Uncle Tupelo. As a solo act, Zollo plays a similar brand of raucous heartland rock, albeit flashing more Stonesy swagger than H&L did. He’ll celebrate the release of his forthcoming album, The Big Night, with two shows this week, the first as part of Daniel Tashian’s 12@12th showcase at 12th & Porter on Monday, the second as the featured act at Slow Bar’s New Faces Nite on Tuesday.
—B.F.W.
Tuesday, 16th
Johnny Jones & Charles “Wigg” Walker In a field as rough and perilous as the blues, seldom is a performer’s character praised as much as his skill. But that’s the case with Johnny Jones, an exciting guitarist and wonderful singer who is beloved as much for his personality as for his considerable talent. This longtime veteran of the local R&B scene will be teaming with Charles “Wigg” Walker for what should be a first-rate show at Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar.
—R.W.
Kristi Rose & pulp country Recently returned from Austin, where she was featured on a SXSW panel with rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson, Nashville’s pulp-country pinup brings that wrong-side-of-the-tracks je ne sais quoi to the Bluebird with a killer band: musical jack-of-all-trades Fats Kaplin, Jack Silverman, Dave Jacques and Maxwell Schauf.
—J.R.
Rascal Flatts The Country Music Hall of Fame’s “New Country Cafe” presents this young pop-country trio, who layer a twangy version of boy-group harmonics over crunchy, danceable ditties.
Wednesday, 17th
The Connells These Raleigh-based contemporaries of R.E.M. deserve credit for more than just sheer longevity. Through 17 years and eight albums, The Connells have made a consistent, under-the-radar impact, with Travis’ Fran Healy being the latest artist to name-check the group as an influence. From their stride-hitting 1987 release Boylan Heights to the career highlight of 1993’s Ring to 2002’s still-vital-after-all-these-years Old-School Dropouts, the band create a unique chemistry of above-standard-issue jangle-pop and strikingly poignant, almost boyish vocals. The effect, on record or onstage, has always been a bittersweet one, and surprisingly tough to categorize. Thus, not so surprisingly, they broke in Europe years ago. They play Exit/In.
—J.F.
Susan Werner Werner often gets tagged as a “folkie,” but the Iowa native’s musical palette is considerably broader than that, spanning everything from pop and rock to forays into classical music and jazz. Indeed, her torchy, cabaret-style vocals are anything but those of a chirpy singer-songwriter, even if they can be a tad mannered at times. As a songwriter, Werner is best when employing narrative and confession to plumb the quotidian. She appears at 9 p.m. at the Bluebird Cafe, celebrating her new CD, New Non-Fiction.
—B.F.W.
Thursday/the Ghost/Love is Red/Oliver’s Army Yes, yes, we know the term is overused, but don’t we get to call bands “emo” when they call themselves “emo”? Thursday are emocore: powerful and energetic, the vocals pleading and fraught with teen angst. It’s emo, but hey, it’s good. And though you may not have heard of them yet, The Ghost are making noise. Their angular punk is just as emotionally fraught as Thursday’s, but not as conventionally packaged—think Shellac and Fugazi fighting over a girl. At The End, the two bands are joined by Love Is Red and Oliver’s Army.
—T.A.
Film
On the Waterfront The American cinema’s great statement of individual defiance, or the self-justifying glorification of a stoolie? The argument rages still over Elia Kazan’s undeniably powerful 1954 portrait of labor corruption, with Marlon Brando in his legendary role as Terry Malloy, a washed-up pug turned dockworker forced to stand up to a corrupt union boss (Lee J. Cobb). It concludes the Belcourt’s salute to Best Picture Oscar winners this week.
—J.R.
What Time Is It There? Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang (The Hole) has emerged over the past decade as one of the world’s most distinctive new talents, with a style dependent on long takes and elaborate movement within a fixed frame. (It’s a lot more exciting and engaging than it sounds.) His most recent film is a gem, and it finally arrives in Nashville this weekend at the Belcourt; see Noel Murray’s review on p. 89.
—J.R.
A Woman Is a Woman A musical by Jean-Luc Godard? The Nouvelle Vague director’s 1960 homage to Stanley Donen and Vincente Minnelli is one of his breeziest and most accessible films, with Anna Karina as a stripper who longs for a child with either boyfriend Jean-Claude Brialy or his pal Jean-Paul Belmondo. The Watkins Film School screens it Friday night on video.
—J.R.
Frailty The trail of a psychopath known as the God’s Hands Killer leads to Matthew McConaghey in this grim horror yarn directed by and co-starring Bill Paxton. It creeps into local theaters Friday.
—J.R.
Human Nature A hirsute woman (Patricia Arquette), a feral man (Rhys Ifans) and a scientist (Tim Robbins) obsessed with teaching table manners to mice form a triangle in the bizarre new black comedy by Being John Malkovich screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Michel Gondry, who directed some of Björk’s most striking music videos, makes his feature debut with the film, which starts Friday at Green Hills.
—J.R.
Changing Lanes A callous lawyer (Ben Affleck) sideswipes the car of the wrong man: struggling businessman Samuel L. Jackson, who launches an escalating campaign of retaliation. Roger Michell (Notting Hill) directed the sardonic drama, which opens Friday at area theaters, along with the Cameron Diaz comedy The Sweetest Thing.
—J.R.
DVD
Barcelona Whit Stillman’s second and perhaps most fully realized comic probe into upper-middle-class angst and romance comes to DVD with deleted scenes (including an alternate ending), an interview with then-newcomer Mira Sorvino and a commentary track by Stillman and his stars Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols (who play sparring American cousins in turbulent early-’80s Spain). The movie itself holds up well, as a memoir of an only-slightly-earlier era and as a poignant tale of idealism and the value of personal connections.
—N.M.
Bull Durham There’s already been one DVD edition of this classic baseball comedy, featuring a beloved commentary track by writer-director Ron Shelton, who expounded on his own experiences in the minor leagues. The new DVD also adds a (reportedly hilarious) new commentary by stars Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins, reliving one of their most joyous filmmaking experiences. A couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes round out an essential package.
—N.M.
The Guy Maddin Collection Completing the transfer of Canadian oddball Maddin’s filmography onto DVD in one fell swoop, this new set features his problematic but dazzling features Archangel (about a small Russian village in the midst of World War I) and Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (a fantastical folktale that was Maddin’s biggest-budget film and his biggest flop), along with his masterful history-of-cinema short The Heart of the World.
—N.M.
Dance
Grupo Corpo Brazilian Dance Theatre Rodrigo Pederneiras and his brother, Paulo, founded this company in 1975. Known for its promotion of Brazilian culture as complex, integrated and aesthetically singular, Grupo Corpo presents a personal style of choreography that blends Afro-Brazilian, classical ballet and Western theatrical dance. The performing ensemble, which currently features 20 dancers, has developed a strong reputation worldwide as fleet, irresistibly rhythmic and exhilarating. Their two-night Nashville engagement, April 12 and 13 at the Blair School of Music’s Ingram Performing Arts Center, is a part of the Great Performances at Vanderbilt series.
—M.B.
Theater
At Home and Abroad: An Evening with Tennessee Williams, Anton Chekhov and Edgar Allan Poe Razors Edge Productions, a community theater group that has been on hiatus for the past year, returns to action with this cabaret-style evening featuring performances of Poe’s classic poem “Annabelle Lee,” Williams’ “The Lady of Larkspur Lotion” and Chekhov’s “The Proposal.” Conceived by Jaz Dorsey, the production will feature actors Sally Hoke, Jack Hoke and Amy Chomsky, as well as musical performances by Rebecca Holden, Cory Ryan and Daniel Warner. Special guest Angelica DeVille will serve as master of ceremonies. There will be one free public performance only, April 16 at the Gas Lite Lounge, 165 Eighth Ave. N.
—M.B.
Freaks and Irrelevancies: An Evening of Dada Tristan Tzara was one of the founders of the Dadaist movement in Zurich in 1916. A man of notably short stature and intense energy, the Rumanian poet became an indispensable mouthpiece for this anti-art ethos; relentlessly declaiming in three languages, he remained a driving Dada force until he hit 35, when he gave it all up for surrealism. Bongo After Hours Theatre revives the Dada spirit with a cabaret of experimental sketch comedy—“the roar of contorted pains, the interweaving of contraries and of all contradictions”—April 11-13 and 17-19. In true Dadaist fashion, the doors will open sometime after 8 p.m. or sometime after 10 p.m.
—M.B.
Disney on Ice You gotta hand it to the Disney people: When they’ve got a product, they know how to sell it. And sell it, and sell it, and sell it. They’ve got various versions of this popular ice capade touring throughout the country; the Disney caravan invading the Gaylord Entertainment Center this week will have its ice performers flitting to and fro in celebration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid and 101 Dalmatians. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy will be on hand too. The production runs for six shows, April 12-14.
—M.B.
Sun Shines on Homeless Highway The Campus of Human Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the homeless, sponsors this play written and performed by Nashville’s homeless. Not surprisingly, since the script is based on gritty, true-to-life experience, there is some adult content. An open dialogue with the actors will follow each performance, April 12-13 at St. Augustine’s Chapel. For more information and reservations, call 491-2120.
—M.B.
Swing! There are a few original tunes in this dancing and singing extravaganza, but mostly the energetic cast croons and hoofs its way through some 30 numbers from the ’30s and ’40s. “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “Blues in the Night” are just a few of the tunes. The accompanying hot “neo-swing” band effects the styles of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Count Basie, and even forays into the Texas swing of Bob Wills. The original Broadway production of Swing! garnered six Tony Award nominations, and critics from coast to coast have raved about its multiethnic appeal and gifted performers. Running for eight performances at TPAC’s Jackson Hall, April 16-21.
—M.B.
Art
Ruby Green Contemporary Art Center Atlanta artist Leslie Kneisel explores what she calls the individual’s sense of “cosmic disequilibrium” in a series of mixed-media works that juxtapose images of body parts and high-tech instruments and machines. As the artist says, “I enjoy combining what I see as appalling with the comic, because paradoxes hold the greatest truths.” The show opens with a reception, 7-9 p.m. April 12.
—A.W.
Sarratt Gallery Just what you were looking for to jazz up your spring wardrobe—wearable sculpture. Actually, it’s an exhibit of performance artist Pat Oleszko’s oversized and over-the-top pneumatic costume creations, which range from an inflated piece of sheet music to a rocket ship. The exhibit opens with a live performance by the artist at 7 p.m. April 17. Word is she’ll be presenting her very funny “Roamin’ Holiday: A View From a Broad,” in which she interacts with a film screening behind her and the audience in front of her.
—A.W.
Midtown Gallery Artist Barbara Coon answers the question “Who’s Been Sitting in My Chair?” in an exhibition of that title, opening April 18. Coon’s answers include salutes to three of her favorite artists, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, each depicted sitting in a period-appropriate three-dimensional chair. Join the artist at the opening reception 5-8 p.m.
—A.W.
The Parthenon Spring is a great time to hug a tree—literally or figuratively. After enjoying the newly green trees outdoors, slip inside the Parthenon and check out Tennessee artist Candie Y. Ferrell’s 18 oil paintings of trees on view in the West Gallery. Join the artist at the opening reception, 2-4 p.m. April 13.
—A.W.
Reading & Writing
Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum The museum continues its monthlong salute to new books about country music with a visit from author Bill Koon, who will sign copies of his new biography, Hank Williams, So Lonesome, 2-4 p.m. April 13 in the museum store, which features a newly expanded collection of books on country and popular music.
—A.W.
Events
Cheekwood If you’re looking for some wild new plants to jazz up your garden this year, here’s your chance. The annual Wildflower Fair, April 12-14 at Cheekwood Botanical Garden, offers more than 100 different varieties of wildflowers for sale, including the brand-new “Eco-Bluebird,” a dwarf-crested iris with cornflower-blue flowers, orange beards and white throats surrounded by navy blue. You can also stock up on celandine poppy, woodland phlox, bloodroot, cardinal flower, Tennessee coneflower, summer phlox, alumroot, asters, goldenrods and more. Garden accessories are also on sale. For information, call 353-2148.
—A.W.
Karen Essex A novelist and journalist whose subjects range from Cleopatra to Bettie Page, former Nashvillian Essex has been adapting Anne Rice’s The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned for James Cameron’s production company. She’ll share her insights on “The Art of Adaptation,” 5 p.m. Thursday at the Borders Cafe on West End, as a sort of sneak preview of the upcoming Nashville Screenwriters Conference, to be held May 17-19.
—J.R.
