For the past few years, you’ve had a better chance of hearing this immensely talented singer-songwriter on TV—she’s the voice behind that ubiquitous “Serious freedom, Goodyear, Goo-oodyear” jingle—than on the radio. Fortunately, that’s changing with the release and promotion of “Linger,” the contagious first single from Brooke’s new Steady Pull album. She’s one of many artists who have started their own labels since splitting with a major, but her clever approaches to both music and lyrics, mixed with her likable independent spirit, make her a safer bet for further successes than many of her DIY peers. And having respected names like Bob Clearmountain, Mitchell Froom, and Neil Finn in her corner can’t hurt. Brooke’s expressive, exceptional, and underrated voice will fill the Belcourt Theatre in her long-overdue return to Nashville, and this time she’s bringing a full band to flesh out her intricate constructions that blend folk, pop, rock, and more. John Eddie and Kim Richey open the 8 p.m. show.
—D.R.B.
Thursday, 19th
Afro-Cuban All Stars In recent years, Cuban son music—a predecessor of salsa and mambo with a greater emphasis on the music’s African roots—has reached a larger audience as a result of recordings made available by Elektra/Nonesuch’s World Circuit imprint. Ry Cooder’s Grammy-award-winning Buena Vista Social Club showcased the music of many son pioneers (Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo) and has generated massive interest in these artists, who unite across four generations to form the Afro-Cuban All Stars. But hype aside, fans of the traditional Cuban genre should recognize the enormity of this occasion at Vanderbilt’s Langford Auditorium: It is the cultural equivalent of attending the 1964 Newport Folk Festival where Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt staged their “comeback” performances. From González’ inimitable piano to Portuondo’s expressive vocal integrity to Ferrer’s infectious throaty rasp, this music, so beautifully rendered with sublime patience in such assured hands, may never be heard in Nashville again.
—C.D.
Vince Bell Bell’s 1999 LP Texas Plates, a collection of dust-blown cosmic neo-Beat folk songs, was impressive enough on its own. In light of the Texas singer-songwriter’s backstory, though, it was nothing short of miraculous. In 1982, on his way home from a recording session, Bell was broadsided by a drunk driver and thrown 60 feet from his car. He awakened a month later from a coma unable to speak, stand, or remember his own songs. After a heroic personal effort, he emerged from years of recovery with 1994’s “comeback” LP Phoenix, and he’s been gathering accolades ever since. Bell is recording his next LP, a collection of original songs entitled Dust, live with some of his favorite musicians; he’s recording tonight at the Bluewind jazz club at the Factory at Franklin with ace players Mickey Grimm and Viktor Krauss.
—J.R.
Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub Paul Burch, one of the multitude of our beloved Lambchoppers, has been quietly making his own superb records on the sly. Soon Merge Records will release Last of My Kind, Paul’s interpretation and adaptation in song of Tony Earley’s novel, Jim the Boy. Burch’s songs capture an honesty that often leads critics to compare him to “old-time” country singers. A chance to see him at the Slow Bar for a measly two bucks should not be missed. You can also catch him opening for the Bingo Trappers at the same venue next Wednesday.
—T.A.
Friday, 20th
Don Aliquo Saxophonist Don Aliquo can play intense ballads, surging bop, sentimental show tunes, or his own fiery originals. Since coming to Nashville from Pittsburgh a couple of years ago, he has become a top attraction on the local circuit. Hopefully, he will get a chance soon to demonstrate his skills for a national label. In the meantime, you can hear him in one of his favorite locales, Cafe 123.
—R.W.
102.9 The Buzz Birthday Bash Another birthday party for The Buzz at 328 Performance Hall, another line-up of barely palatable modern rock (with at least one ringer thrown in). The bill features Canadian mid-tempo addicts Our Lady Peace (drippy and dreary), Virginia “number band” Seven Mary Three (quintessentially generic), New York glam-rockers Spacehog (supporting their amusing but derivative LP The Hogyssey), and Boston retro-alt-rockers American Hi-Fi (as featureless as their progenitors, Letters To Cleo and Veruca Salt). The most exciting act of the night has to be Boston trio The Sheila Divine, whose sophomore LP Where Have My Countrymen Gone? presents provocative lyrics in an atmospheric setting that hearkens back to U2 (or more likely such U2 followers as Radiohead and Travis). Though occasionally shrill (and never totally fresh), The Sheila Divine nevertheless soar and captivate as a good rock band should. If you’re going to the bash, arrive early.
—N.M.
B2 Benefit for Cancer Several of Murfreesboro’s hottest acts band together at The Boro to battle the Big C, and with Fl. Oz., Boo Boo Bunny, Spike & Mallets, Team Charisma, Dr. Gonzo, and Susan Smith on the bill, cancer should be very afraid. Proceeds benefit The Hospitality House.
Friday, 20th-Saturday, 21st
Nashville Chamber Orchestra feat. Nashville Bluegrass Band The Nashville Chamber Orchestra’s season finale showcases the Grammy-winning Nashville Bluegrass Band, who will join NCO in the first public performance of Conni Ellisor’s Whisky Before Breakfast, a “partita”—a classical term for a big piece divided into several smaller ones—for bluegrass band and chamber orchestra. This work will share the evening with Ellisor’s Blackberry Winter, a concerto for mountain dulcimer and chamber orchestra that is getting a lot of well-deserved airtime on National Public Radio. NCO has also been written up in some prestigious classical publications for successfully marrying the elegance of the sarabande to the vigor of scootin’ boots; in this weekend’s program, NCO will also play a couple of selections in which Aaron Copland does just that. Performances are at The Factory at Franklin on Friday and at War Memorial Auditorium on Saturday.
—M.S.
Saturday, 21st
Elton John/Billy Joel Despite persistent knocks from critics and trendsetters, both John and Joel were—in their late-’70s/early-’80s prime—responsible for some of the most tuneful and expressive pop music on Top 40 radio. Both men are also consummate showmen, and though there are too many of these two-for-one package tours going on these days, this is a twin-billing that makes sense and should fill the Gaylord Entertainment Center with class.
—N.M.
MXPX/Slick Shoes/Good Charlotte It’s almost a shame that bands like Blink-182 and Green Day have become popular. Now and forever, artists with a similar sound will be compared to their mainstream cousins instead of cheerfully residing in an altogether more melodic and less angry subgenre of punk. MxPx have been in the pop-punk world since they were teenagers. Last year’s album, The Ever Passing Moment, marked an older band that had worked hard honing their songwriting craft; the result is like a Blink-182 you’re not embarrassed to listen to. Following in MxPx’s footsteps, Slick Shoes are cutting their teeth on the influential Tooth and Nail label and exporting the fast, catchy punk of the West Coast. Maryland’s Good Charlotte—a record exec’s dream band: all spiky hair and nice jaw lines—rounds out the bill at 328 Performance Hall.
—T.A.
Eric Taylor Texas-based Taylor tends to get lumped in with his fellow Lone Star songpoets Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Heady company, to be sure, and company in which Taylor more than belongs. But what separates him from virtually every other Texas troubadour except maybe Mickey Newbury is his commitment not just to recording his songs with sympathetic pickers, but, whether through surging horns or the disembodied wailing of background singers, to crafting musical settings that transform his lyrics and create meanings that mere words can’t convey. Taylor celebrates the release of his magnificent new Scuffletown CD with a show at Radio Cafe. Adie Grey opens.
—B.F.W.
Venus Hum/Departure Lounge If Venus Hum’s live show consisted of nothing but a recitation of their self-released album, it would still be worth catching to see singer Annette Strean channel her vocals from the ether. Fantastically, Venus Hum’s live show is quite an event in its own right, with the band’s combination of electronica and pop producing an incredible energy. VH are joined by Departure Lounge, who bless the Exit/In with their presence after a run of successful shows at the Slow Bar. BE opens the show.
—T.A.
The Alarm Touring in support of a massive box set project that collects just about every piece of their official and previously unreleased music, these Welsh also-rans hit 3rd & Lindsley trailing a cloud of might-have-beens. Sometimes in a Clash-y vein, sometimes evoking U2, Mike Peters’ big music combo hit the target square-on with such early cuts as “Marching On,” “The Stand,” “Sixty-Eight Guns,” and “Rain in the Summertime.” But the sonic excesses that predominated late-’80s rock—booming drums, sanded-down guitars—dovetailed with the band’s unfortunate weakness for overwrought anthems, making their later albums muddled and insufferable. Now that those trends have died down, perhaps a reformed Alarm can find their more resonant voice again.
—N.M.
Jo-El Sonnier Cajun and zydeco music are both related and divergent, as exemplified in the best tunes of such artists as Jimmy C. Newman and the late Clifton Chenier. Typically, Cajun performers utilize more French songs and feature country instrumentation, while zydeco acts incorporate blues and R&B influences into their material. Jo-El Sonnier’s among the better vocalists working the Cajun side of this equation, and he’s appearing at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Joe’s Diner.
—R.W.
Earth Day Festival 2001 Celebrate what little time the environment has left under the Bush administration with an afternoon concert featuring Jars of Clay, Mike Younger, John Eddie, Tommy Womack, the Josh Dodes Band, Vivian Slade, The Eric Hamilton Band, and Cosmic Pie. It’s at the Green Hills Family YMCA, 4041 Hillsboro Circle; call 297-6529 for more information.
Rock Stars Against MS Schfvilkus, Stack Magic, and Lifeboy make music to fight MS at a benefit for the Nashville Multiple Sclerosis Society. It’s at 12th & Porter, which continues its current exhibit of “pin-ups” by artists Dawn Cooper and Dickie Soloperto. If you can’t make it to the show, send donations to Amy Brown at the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Nashville MS Society, 4219 Hillsboro Rd., Suite 306, Nashville, TN 37215.
Saturday, 21st & Tuesday, 24th
Benita Hill Hill’s versatility is as impressive as her vocal abilities. She’s a capable songwriter, solid popular song interpreter, and fine jazz stylist. Her talents will be on display this week in two very different situations. She’s the featured performer Saturday afternoon in Jazz@Bellevue Center’s continuing series spotlighting local performers. Hill will then turn around and work with country acts like Lonestar and T. Graham Brown on Tuesday night in a show at Gibson’s Bluegrass Showcase in Opry Mills.
—R.W.
Sunday, 22nd
John Scofield Regarded by many as the most consistently interesting and innovative guitarist on the jazz scene today, Scofield is an artist who refuses to be pigeonholed. Equally respected in “serious” jazz and hippie jam-band circles, he crosses genres in a way that seems neither derivative nor calculated. Rather, his music comes across as the natural product of a voracious musical appetite. Eschewing the undistorted, clearly articulated sound preferred by jazz guitar purists, he squawks, bends, and slurs like a rock demon, but possesses the harmonic sophistication of the most respected Berklee grads. His style is quirky and often dissonant, yet rarely if ever inaccessible—a very difficult balancing act that few musicians have achieved. And unlike much of today’s jazz/rock product, you’re not in danger of hearing his music in elevators anytime soon. He plays a free show with his “funky band”—Jesse Murphy on bass, Avi Bortnick on guitar, and Ben Perowsky on drums—at MTSU’s Tucker Theater at 8 p.m. Admission is first-come, first-serve, and doors open at 7 p.m. For information, call Student Programming at 898-2551.
—J.S.
Jim White White mines the same creaky musical terrain as Johnny Dowd, Will Oldham, and Mellow Gold-era Beck. Like Dowd and Oldham, White tends to go overboard with noirish, woebegone twaddle like “God Was Drunk When He Made Me,” but if you can get past poses like that, you’ll likely find his stripped-down, hip-hop take on country and blues—and dystopian vision—pretty riveting. White is touring behind his latest album, No Such Place, a record galvanized by production assistance from the likes of Morcheeba and Q-Burns Abstract Message. White shares the bill with Will Hoge at 3rd & Lindsley (see below).
—B.F.W.
Will Hoge As well as sitting on the most explosively entertaining local rock record of 2001 (so far, at least), Hoge is noteworthy for his sweaty, back-to-basics rock shows, juiced by his soulful, craftily arranged songs. He’s a Nashville treasure, and you can see him on exhibit at 3rd & Lindsley.
—N.M.
Sharon Moore & Color Wheel There are so many fine jazz performers working in Nashville that it becomes cliche to talk about who deserves more attention. Still, Moore is a singer worthy of bigger and better venues and attention. See for yourself when she appears at F. Scott’s.
—R.W.
Monday, 23rd
Barbecue Bob & the Spareribs These New Jersey sluggers have been serving up slabs of stick-to-yer-ribs rock and butt-ugly blues in various incarnations since 1981, and grillmaster Barbecue Bob Pomeroy has the recipe down: raw eight-bar raunch basted with Ira Spinrad’s stinging slide guitar, his own wailing blues harp, and doses of zydeco (“Hot Biscuit”) and garage-y twang (“Too Bored to Live, Too Dumb to Die”). Nothing can be more boring or pathetic than party-hearty blues, but these guys are great—their CD Pass the Biscuits is highly recommended to fans of NRBQ and Roscoe’s Gang. Kiss the chef at Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar.
—J.R.
Living Sacrifice This Little Rock “white metal” band plays the hammering, darkly insistent brand of hard rock that is usually associated with vulgarians and satanists, but the Arkansans are howling for the lord. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to take their word for it, since their chosen genre favors inarticulate shouts over proselytizing, which means that Living Sacrifice could just as easily be playing for the other team and the casual listener would never know it. For better or worse, they’ll be appearing at the Exit/In.
—N.M.
Tuesday, 24th
Carey Bell Because blues veterans never stop working, a great harmonica ace and singer like Bell will make frequent appearances at his favorite stops. That is no reason to ignore his return to Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar. He is among a handful of harmonica players who not only held his own with Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton, and others, but he can talk authoritatively about changes in South Side blues technique and style because he helped implement them as a singer and instrumentalist.
—R.W.
American Made/King David/Kenyon Gray Three popular young contemporary Christian rock acts share a bill at 328 Performance Hall.
—N.M.
Tooth & Nail Records Hip-Hop Showcase Tooth & Nail, the Seattle-based label that’s home to ska, death-metal, and alt-rock bands comprised of devoutly Christian members—a way of avoiding the “Christian music” label that automatically scares away droves of teens—hosts a showcase of its hip-hop talent at Indienet Record Shop.
Wednesday, 25th
Actionslacks Continuing the tradition of indie-rock that’s all growed-up, Actionslacks mine post-adolescent themes and music on their third record, The Scene’s Out of Sight. Produced by J Robbins—producer du jour for “maturing” punk bands—the record captures the emotive elements of Jets to Brazil and Burning Airlines while mixing in a down-home personal spirit à la Superchunk, Ashley Stove, and Built to Spill. Hit material like the title track and “Tad Loves Kimberly James” assures that Actionslacks aren’t a band that will let their maturity dull their senses. The record’s sharp songwriting and clever arrangements keep it interesting. They play The End.
—T.A.
Bingo Trappers This Dutch lo-fi duo’s recent CD, Juanita Ave., documents music that exists at a crossroads where the understated sides of The Velvet Underground and The Kinks hold equal sway with Hank Williams and Bob Dylan. But the Bingo Trappers are not mere imitators: They’re great songwriters with excellent lyrics who rely on brevity and wit rather than bombast to communicate. Joining them at the Slow Bar are CYOD, Marky Nevers rarely-seen combo and one of Nashville’s great unsung rock bands, and Paul Burch and the WPA Ballclub.
—C.D.
Bernie Worrell & the Woo Warriors The wildly imaginative synth-squiggles and incessant vamping of keyboard whiz Worrell had as much to do with landing the mothership as anything in George Clinton’s P-Funk arsenal. For better and for worse, Worrell’s interstellar synth sustains also provided the eerie soundtrack to virtually every West Coast gangsta rap album that came out in ’90s. Worrell and his band, the Woo Warriors, play the Exit/In with Shariff.
—B.F.W.
Mandy Barnett Perhaps the sweetest crooner in contemporary country music, Mandy Barnett brings her criminally underappreciated voice to 3rd & Lindsley. Perhaps the reason mainstream accolades evade this treasure is Music Row’s inability to market someone who can actually sing. The mainstream’s loss is our gain.
—T.A.
Glossary/Lucky Guns/Jack Murfreesboro’s one-man culture engine Bingham Barnes plays The Boro with his band Glossary, who have displayed tremendous growth since their days as Daphne’s Operation—and they were really good to begin with. They are joined by beard rockers Lucky Guns, whose MC5-derived rock blast unfortunately leans more toward “Ramblin’ Rose” than “Starship Trooper” or “Icepick Slim.” Jack closes the evening with simple, superb garage-rock that thankfully owes more to The Sonics, speed, and beer than it ever could to fashion.
—C.D.
Peter Case/Duane Jarvis Case, the former Plimsouls frontman who helped sow the seeds for Americana as a solo folksinger in the 1980s, and Jarvis, the world-class guitarist (Lucinda Williams, John Prine, The Divinyls) turned roots-rock troubadour, pool their talents for a can’t-miss show at The Sutler.
Ron LaSalle & the East Side Rockers Soul-rocker LaSalle plays Douglas Corner in support of his new CD Too Angry to Pray. See the story on p. 31.
The Dan Tyminski Band The man who gave George Clooney his singing voice in O Brother, Where Art Thou? brings his own band of Soggy Bottom Boys to The Station Inn.
Film
Yi Yi (A One and a Two) We’ve received lots of calls about this one. One of the most purely enjoyable movies around at the moment, this funny, engrossing, and deeply moving family drama by Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang (A Brighter Summer Day) concerns a Taipei businessman in the midst of a mid-life crisis that blinds him to the problems of those around him—including an ailing grandmother, a teenage daughter in the midst of a love triangle, and an inquisitive young son who incurs the wrath of his schoolteacher. Winner of the National Society of Film Critics’ award for the best film of 2000, the movie opens Friday at the Belcourt, which holds over the romantic comedy When Brendan Met Trudy. See the story on p. 35.
—J.R.
Beau Travail French filmmaker Claire Denis transposes Melville’s Billy Budd to a French Foreign Legion outpost in sun-baked Djibouti, where the Vere figure, Galoup (Denis Lavant), is driven to a jealous rage by the arrival of a young recruit (Gregoire Colin). Brilliantly shot by cinematographer Agnes Godard, this maddening and fascinating film was little seen last year; the Nashville Film Society brings it back to Sarratt next Tuesday and Wednesday. See the review in our Film Listings.
—J.R.
The Wind Will Carry Us If you missed this understated gem by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, in which a media engineer wanders through a remote Iranian village hoping to film the aftermath of an elderly woman’s death, you still have one more chance 3 p.m. Sunday at Sarratt. See the review in our Film Listings.
—J.R.
The Tailor of Panama John Boorman (Deliverance, Point Blank) directed this witty adaptation of the John Le Carré novel, with Pierce Brosnan as a junk-Bond agent who senses opportunity in post-Noriega Panama and pressures a mild-mannered tailor (Geoffrey Rush) into supplying him with leads. The movie co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Dylan Baker, Jon Polito, and playwright Harold Pinter; it opens Friday at local theaters.
—J.R.
The Widow of St. Pierre Juliette Binoche plays the wife of a French captain (Daniel Auteuil) in the mid-19th century off the coast of Newfoundland, where a condemned man (filmmaker Emir Kusturica, in his acting debut) triggers a crisis of conscience by proving himself invaluable to the community. Patrice Leconte (The Girl on the Bridge) directed this romantic drama, which opens Friday at Green Hills.
—J.R.
Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale David and Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s documentary concerns artist and adventurer Tobias Schneebaum, who left New York in the 1950s to live, love, hunt—and at one point, take a nibble of human flesh—with a tribe of natives in the remote Peruvian rain forest. The film opens Friday at Green Hills.
—J.R.
Series 7: The Contenders In Dan Minahan’s satirical thriller, contestants on a Survivor-like reality series compete for big prizes—by killing each other off. Brooke Smith and Glenn Fitzgerald are among the contestants looking to vote each other off the planet; the movie opens Friday at Green Hills.
—J.R.
Freddy Got Fingered Since MTV assault-comic Tom Green tends to affect most viewers like atrocity footage from an animal shelter, we can’t wait to see his first big-screen starring vehicle with as large a crowd as possible. The plot reportedly involves such antics as horse masturbation and false incest accusations, so share it with someone you love. Also opening Friday: the imaginatively titled Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.
—J.R.
DVD/Video
The Sorrow And The Pity For this landmark 1971 documentary, now available on DVD, Marcel Ophuls assembled newsreel footage and original interviews to tell the story of the Nazi occupation of France. Sprawling over four-and-a-half hours, The Sorrow and the Pity displays Ophuls’ relentless journalistic approach to the subject as he squeezes his interviewees to open up about why and how they did (or did not) collaborate with the enemy. The result is as chilling as it is plain. Those who eschewed resistance explain themselves with reasons mundane (laziness, fear) to sinister (belief that the Nazis were in the right). By laying open the truth of France’s complicity, Ophuls makes evil more comprehensible, and true heroism more laudatory.
—N.M.
Bamboozled Spike Lee’s most problematic feature comes to DVD with a host of extras to put its deliberate race-baiting into context. Lee himself provides a commentary and offers deleted scenes and a gallery of the exploitation artwork that was created for the film. There’s also a documentary about the low-budget production, which was Lee’s first fiction feature shot on digital video. Somewhere amidst all that, maybe the director will explain how this often powerful (yet also often repellent) satire avoids being an example of the very race-obsessed entertainment that it’s targeting.
—N.M.
Mumford The only special feature on this new DVD edition of Lawrence Kasdan’s 1999 comedy is a making-of featurette, but given that Mumford is an overlooked sleeper, any opportunity for it to reach a new audience is cause for celebration. Loren Dean stars as a psychologist whose small-town practice is too good to be true, and Hope Davis is the patient whose romantic appeal pushes the doctor toward revealing the truth about himself. Mumford is funny and poignant, with superb supporting performances (by Jason Lee and Pruitt Taylor Vince especially) and a unique structure that pays off well in the film’s second half.
—N.M.
Theater
OTELLO Fresh off the success of their recent production of Regina, the Nashville Opera comes roaring back with Verdi’s Otello, Apr. 21 and 24 in TPAC’s Jackson Hall. It has been said that this version of Shakespeare’s memorable tragedy packs an even bigger emotional wallop than the original play. No small feat, since the tale of the passionate, misguided Moor has it all: envy, jealousy, deception, murder, and suicide. After a careful search, the opera has brought in acclaimed young tenor Frank Porretta III to play the title role. He’ll be making his Nashville Opera debut, along with Marc Embree (Iago), David Cangelosi (Cassio), and Mark Walters. The role of the ill-fated Desdemona will be sung by Lori Phillips. The orchestra will be under the baton of Christopher Larkin, who led the opera’s successful 1999 production of Madama Butterfly. Nashville Opera Artistic Director John Hoomes stages the action, which promises a raging storm at sea and some tightly choreographed sword fighting. This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the composer’s death.
—M.B.
Art
Public Art Forum This free series on public art and the artists who create it presents a talk by British sculptor Chris Drury at 7 p.m. Apr. 19 at Vanderbilt University. Drury is known for his site-specific environmental creations that use, as he puts it, “the stuff of the world to explore nature and culture, inner and outer.” The Sri Lanka native, who now lives in London, has created outdoor art installations using earthworks, growing plants, woven vessels, chambers, and cairns throughout the U.S., Great Britain, Europe, and Asia.
—A.W.
The Arts Company Sometimes with art, less is more—but sometimes more is better. In the case of “A Painting Extravaganza,” a show featuring new works by more than 25 painters, more artists mean more styles and more variety of subject matter. For example, there’s Kata Billups’ new series of black-and-white paintings based on Bob Dylan and his songs, and Budd Harris Bishop’s landscapes inspired by his home in Overton County. Or perhaps Jorge Leyva’s “Fish Series,” Chestee Harrington’s painted wood-block images of Cajun country, or Mariano Carrera’s “Tango” paintings will strike your fancy. If that’s still not enough, choose from new paintings by more than 20 other gallery artists, including Todd Greene, Rusty Wolfe, Ben Stroud, and Jack Isenhour. Join the crowd of artists for the opening reception 4-6 p.m. Apr. 21.
—A.W.
Frist Center for the Visual Arts In addition to its excellent opening exhibits, the Frist is offering an impressive array of free gallery talks by artists and curators over the coming months. First up is glass artist Tom Fuhrman at 6 p.m. Apr. 26; he’ll discuss the four outdoor fountain sculptures he created for the arts center’s courtyard.
—A.W.
Premier Art Decor & Designs A new art gallery on Demonbreun near the Music City Roundabout celebrates its grand opening with an exhibition of paintings by Nigerian-born, Memphis-based artist Ephraim Urevbu. Join the artist for the opening reception, which will also feature live jazz and a talk by Urevbu, 6-10 p.m. Apr. 20.
—A.W.
Books
Davis-Kidd In the tradition of great debuts such as Thomas Pynchon, J.D. Salinger, and Zadie Smith comes Manil Suri and his first novel, The Death of Vishnu. Suri, who holds a Ph.D. in mathematics, offers a candid account of daily life in a Bombay apartment building. The book is a farcical commentary on social and religious classism in India. An interesting exploration of human behavior, the story opens with the tenants arguing over ambulance fees for the dying Vishnu, the building’s handyman and stairwell resident. Combining Hindu mythology with a love of Bombay cinema, the book examines the cultural and social divisions of India with humor comparable at times to Flannery O’Connor. In an event not to be missed, Suri will be signing and discussing his book at 6 p.m. Apr. 25 at Davis-Kidd.
—A.M.
Events
Planting Seeds for Our Seventh Generation: An Earth Day Celebration More than greenery is growing at the Sylvan Park Community Garden, located at the Cohn Adult Learning Center at 49th and Park avenues. Recent studies have shown that interaction between neighborhood seniors and at-risk schoolchildren working in the garden has resulted in lower instances of depression among the adults, while the students have received better behavioral grades and show less prejudice toward the elderly. So there’s plenty to celebrate this Saturday at the garden area, where Earth Day festivities will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The celebration will feature many of Cohn’s 200 English-as-a-second-language students, with an emphasis on international music and culture. Highlights include a performance by the acrobatic Chinese percussion and dance troupe the Wah Lum Lion Dance Team; blues from R&B band The Rattlebones; folk-rock from Nina Adel & Danny Wells; and a “kid zone” with games, a relay race, and a reptile petting zoo hosted by Radnor Lake Nature Center staffers. And you can always visit the Richland Park Library Sale across the street. For more information (including rain-day locations), call 298-2525, ext. 114.
—J.R.
Nashville Screenwriters Conference The third annual conference of film and TV writers, agents, actors, and other talents doesn’t take place until May 18-20 at the Hermitage Hotel, but advance registrations are already on sale—at a discounted rate of $225 for the three-day event. And new panelists are signing aboard each week: The latest is screenwriter Ed Solomon (Charlie’s Angels, Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), who joins returning vets such as producer Karen Murphy (Best in Show) and screenwriters Les Bohem (Dante’s Peak) and Lewis Colick (October Sky). For more information, consult www.nashscreen.com or call (888) 680-4491.
—J.R.
Picks written by Todd Anderson, Martin Brady, Doug R. Brumley, Chris Davis, Bill Friskics-Warren, Angela Messina, Noel Murray, Jim Ridley, Jack Silverman, Marcel Smith, Angela Wibking, and Ron Wynn.
