THURSDAY 5/8
Art for ChangeTHE NAPIER YOUTH PHOTOVOICE PROJECT “You’re just scared to live here. You don’t know when your life will be taken away.” No, those aren’t the words of a Baghdad shop owner—they’re from the mouth of a seventh-grader who lives just a few miles from you. In January, a dozen middle-schoolers who live in or around the J.C. Napier Homes were given disposable cameras and a mission: to document what it’s like to grow up in one of Nashville’s toughest public housing projects. The youths, all served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, will show their work and speak at a public reception that will be attended by design professionals and city officials, including Mayor Dean. A book featuring the works and commentary will be available for $12. (If you can’t attend, you can purchase the book for $15 including shipping; for info, visit tinyurl.com/5bpdy9.) 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Nashville Civic Design Center (138 Second Ave. N., Ste. 106); a forum on the project takes place at 5:30 p.m. May 15 at the center. —JACK SILVERMAN
MusicROONEY With a ’70s influence this strong, you almost expect Rooney to show up in flares and polyester prints. While owing a small debt to Weezer’s sunny power pop, large swaths of Rooney’s songbook are ripped from ELO, Cheap Trick and The Cars. Though prone to moments of O.C.-level disposability (the Howard Jones-ish single “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?”), there’s a durable pop sensibility that manifests itself in broad Beatles-inflected arrangements worthy of Jeff Lynne. Led by Jason Schwartzman’s (Phantom Planet, Rushmore) brother Robert, Rooney released several EPs before signing with Geffen for their 2003 self-titled debut LP. They recorded last year’s follow-up, Calling the World, three times before finding production that properly captured the unstudied charm of their pocket symphonies, an alluring titration of breeze and sophistication. 8 p.m. at Exit/In —CHRIS PARKER
ArtBRADY HASTON Any fan of abstract painting in Nashville is probably familiar with Haston’s work. Though he continues to be inspired by trends in the changing urban landscape, this latest show at Twist draws inspiration from his explorations on the “other side” of the river. While walking and driving through Nashville’s East Side neighborhoods, Haston replenished his image horde, and is declaring the beginning of a new direction in his work. Regardless of Haston’s concepts and inspirations, it is the pure formal beauty of his colorful, biomorphic forms and whimsical lines that makes his work consistently compelling. Through May 31 at Twist Art Gallery —JOE NOLAN
ArtSTAY LATE ’TIL EIGHT AT CHEEKWOOD Movies are played. Bowling is boring. Art—now that’s the way to really impress a date. Fortunately, Cheekwood is indulging that desire by staying open till 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer months. So many people these days spend their daylight hours behind a desk, under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, so what better way to cure what ails you than an invigorating stroll through Cheekwood’s magnificent gardens and a tour past the current slate of exhibits. Make sure not to miss the intimate bamboo forest—the perfect spot to steal a smooch. Through Sept. 1 at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum of Art —LEE STABERT
FRIDAY 5/9
ArtJENNIFER CAWLEY: SQUEEZE, FLOAT, BANG! Using a variety of media—fabric, string, paper, paint and encaustic—Jennifer Cawley creates fanciful scenes that wouldn’t look out of place on a child’s bedroom wall. That’s not to suggest they’re facile or lightweight, merely that they exhibit a freewheeling aesthetic and childlike whimsy. Rabbits are a recurring theme—in “Sorcerer” and “Sorcerer 2” bunny silhouettes seem to be ascending into the heavens amid colorful plumes of smoke. “Broadcast” features a young boy and girl talking into megaphones, along with a couple of white rabbits, one whose lower body appears attached to the boy’s torso. The works are stylistically varied, but they all have a cartoonish quality and seem be telling a story whose narrative threads hover just out of grasp. Not to diminish their significance as serious art, but the images are, dare we say, fun. Through May 31 at Tinney + Cannon Contemporary —JACK SILVERMAN
MusicDE NOVO DAHL W/AUTOVAUGHN & THE PINK SPIDERS It’s a dual CD release party at the Mercy tonight, but it could be a “Major Labels Don’t Know Their Ass From Their Elbow” party. After 30 years of reckless spending, poor management and terrible customer service, the music biz is cutting back on development and reigning in the way they work with new artists. The Clive Davis era is over and labels are dropping everyone that doesn’t have a reality show or an iPod ad. Two of tonight’s acts have already been sent back to the farm leagues, and a similar fate could befall De Novo Dahl if SoundScan doesn’t show some love real soon. And that’s a damn shame since all three bands are making the best music of their careers. 9 p.m. at Cannery Ballroom —SEAN L. MALONEY
It’s Never DoneWOMEN’S WORK 2008 Tennessee Women’s Theater Project landed on a very good idea last year with its first arts festival celebrating women and diversity. “Women’s Work 2008” promises more of the same, with some two dozen different performances and programs crisscrossing boundaries of stagecraft, dance, music, poetry, essays, film and fine art. The monthlong lineup includes new musicals (Motherhood by Sue Fabisch; Nashville: The Music City Musical by Carolyn German); new plays (If I Give My Heart to You by Dorothy Marcic; Music City Stories by Molly Hoekstra); concert appearances by Ginger Newman, Xiu Hong Feng and singer/songwriters Melissa Brett, Connie Hutto and Shirley Rutland; documentary films by Benita Hill and Chicago’s Salome Chasnoff; the poetry of Edith Costanza, Amy E. Hall and Jeanne Moses; dance by the Nashville Chinese Culture Club; and artwork and photography from Sue Dippold and Kim Kinsley-Herrera. That’s really just a sampling of available offerings—to parse the schedule, visit twtp.org. May 9-25 at Looby Theatre —MARTIN BRADY
Shine a LightTIFFANY BY DESIGN Before its distinctive blue boxes became the hallmark of to-die-for jewelry, the fabled Tiffany Studios was known for producing some of the most exquisite decorative arts ever made. A selection of the company’s signature leaded glass lampshades featuring beautifully intricate patterns inspired by nature (dragonflies, lilies and daffodils) are on display in Tiffany by Design this summer at the Frist Center. Design credit has traditionally been given to Louis Comfort Tiffany—whose skills were indeed top-notch, as his elaborate windows illustrate—but researchers have recently discovered that one of the female studio workers, Clara Driscoll, was responsible for many of the iconic lamp designs. This show includes table and floor lamps made between 1900 and 1918 and drawn from the Neustadt Collection. Meanwhile, Tiffany & Co. at the Mall at Green Hills offers a glimpse into the company’s vault—rings, brooches, necklaces and other baubles—through May 25. May 9-Aug. 24 at Frist Center for the Visual Arts —MICHELLE JONES
No Iggy Pop, Just…LUST FOR LIFE As director of this tumultuous 1956 biopic of Vincent van Gogh (a clenched Kirk Douglas), the great Vincente Minnelli faced a bizarre technical challenge: The artist’s paintings didn’t match the dimensions of the then-new CinemaScope process, which filled a screen two-and-a-third times as wide as it was high. Rather than lop the tops and bottoms off the paintings in a style similar to pan-and-scan—which, ironically, is the only way this widescreen wonder played for many years on TV—Minnelli treated the canvases as fresh, newly wrought works splayed across surfaces, giving the film a boost of creative energy in the process. Featuring Anthony Quinn as Gauguin (in the role that won him an Oscar for less than 15 minutes on-screen), the movie shows free and open to the public alongside the From Monet to Dali exhibit—where, if you arrive early, you can see van Gogh’s own brushstrokes up close. 7 p.m. at Frist Center for the Visual Arts —JIM RIDLEY
Everything’s Funnier in TexasDEARLY BELOVED Jessie Jones, co-author of the corny but beloved Southern comedy Dearly Departed, is also co-author of this piece of silliness involving a wedding in small-town Fayro, Texas, where the nuptials don’t go off as planned, leaving 300 pounds of barbecue at serious risk. The spirited Futrelle sisters—Frankie, Honey Raye and Twink—are in charge of the proceedings, which only leads to confusion, family angst and a righteous case of hot flashes. Actor-writer Nate Eppler, quite excellent in GroundWorks Theatre’s The Pillowman earlier this season, holds the directorial reins, with a mostly familiar cast of locals that includes Cinda McCain, Kim Nygren, J.Dietz Osborne, Joy Tilley Perryman, Jennifer Richmond and Ken Dale Thompson. Through May 31 at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre —MARTIN BRADY
Dinner and a ShowTHE ART OF EXPRESSION: A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC, CULINARY AND VISUAL ART Sure, he can golf and sing, but can Vince Gill make dinner? The Grammy-winner will prepare a meal for wife Amy Grant, with a little help from Johnny Carrabba. The country singer and the man behind Carrabba’s Italian Grill will take the stage together for a cooking demonstration, followed by dinner and an acoustic performance by Gill. Tickets are $200 per person and proceeds benefit the Campus for Human Development and Room at the Inn. Seating is limited to 200 people. 6:30-11 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum —CARRINGTON FOX
Are You Out of Your Vulcan Mind?STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN Look skyward, raise your fist to the heavens, now holler along with me: “KHAAAAAAN!!!” “From hell’s heart, I stab at thee,” hisses Ricardo Montalban, armed with earwigs, a lot of resentment and some serious male cleavage as he takes on archenemy Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Nicholas Meyer’s 1982 sequel still stands as the most enjoyable film in the series and a cult favorite, a seafaring pirate picture teleported to outer space—and who can deny Kirstie Alley’s allure as a Vulcan hottie? It screens this weekend not only as the midnight movie, but as a family matinee Saturday and Sunday as well. Midnight May 1-2; noon May 2-3 at The Belcourt Theatre —JIM RIDLEY
SATURDAY 5/10
MusicTHE MOANERS W/MR. GNOME Three’s a crowd at Springwater on Saturday. Chapel Hill, N.C.’s two-woman team The Moaners play straightforward, biting blues rock that’s equally indebted to the Mississippi delta and their hometown’s indie rock credentials. Cleveland-based Mr. Gnome employ the same guitar/drums combination, but dabble in artier territory with long, soft sections interrupted by spastic flurries. 9 p.m. at Springwater —MATT SULLIVAN
No Mere Mortal Can ResistNASHVILLE ZOMBIE WALK Braaaaaiiiins. If you can groan that in a listless, guttural monotone, you’re halfway to the necro-nirvana that is zombiehood. This Saturday, the Nashville Zombie Walk descends (rises?) upon downtown Nashville, and all are invited to join in the gruesome parade of decay. So if you ever found yourself staying up late with Dawn of the Dead and thinking the zombies had all the fun, you might want to slap on some gore makeup, tatter your least favorite outfit, and head to Riverfront Park, where a cadre of like-minded would-be flesh eaters is sure to welcome you with stiff, lurching open arms. From there, expect to wander hungrily and aimlessly through the downtown area with your new friends, terrorizing the populace and stumbling around like those rigor mortis-hampered zombies of yore, back when zombies knew that slow and steady ate the face. 5 p.m. at Riverfront Park —CODY DE VOS
Storm CenterMACON COUNTY DISASTER RELIEF BENEFIT FEAT. JETT WILLIAMS, TANYA TUCKER AND THE OAK RIDGE BOYS In February, tornadoes stormed through Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky—everyone in the area can no doubt remember watching the doppler with dread for hours. Macon County was hardest hit, and this massive all-day concert looks to raise money for the victims of those devastating storms. More than 30 acts have signed on, including Jett Williams (daughter of Hank), country star Tanya Tucker and longtime stalwarts the Oak Ridge Boys. Tickets are available through ticketsnashville.com. Noon at Deerwood Park in Red Boiling Springs; evening show begins at 6 p.m. —LEE STABERT
ArtLAURIE LIPTON AND EMILY LEONARD Laurie Lipton is the first to admit that her painstaking pencil drawings “take forever,” but the results are worth it. Inspired by the paintings of 15th century Flemish masters, Lipton’s deeply layered draftsmanship results in a compelling contradiction: hyper-realistic renderings of goofy, surrealistic scenarios. Lipton’s technical preoccupations are the crux of this show, and if you missed the First Saturday opening, you might want to work a trip downtown into your weekend plans. In addition to Lipton’s work, local painter Emily Leonard takes a break from her large canvases to explore her somnambulistic landscapes within the confines of much smaller paintings. For a painter like Leonard who routinely shows work that can measure over 10 feet in length and/or height, this signals a new, interesting direction. Through May 31 at TAG Art Gallery —JOE NOLAN
MusicTHE BRAVERY Mainstream indie rock may seem like a contradiction in terms, but that hasn’t stopped The Bravery from winning over new fans. Hailed as “the next big thing” by MTV and the popular music press after the release of their 2005 self-titled debut, the band emerged as part of a new wave of well-dressed young synth rockers. Lumped together with acts like The Killers, Bloc Party and She Wants Revenge, the group built its name on catchy, haunting dance tracks and singer Sam Endicott’s wanna-be Robert Smith vocals. They surprised their detractors last spring, releasing an organic, guitar-driven sophomore album that traded their similarities to Depeche Mode for post-punk riffage reminiscent of The Clash. While neither the smartest nor the most original among their musical peers, The Bravery’s ability to craft melodies and choruses that stay in the heads of listeners has ensured their continued success. 6 p.m. at Wildhorse Saloon —DANIEL RAVEN
It Takes a VillagePRETTY FIRE Charlayne Woodard’s tale of African American family struggle and triumph, set in New York state and Georgia, was first presented locally in July 2007 at the Darkhorse Theater. This one-off remounting, a joint effort by SistaStyle Productions and Destiny Theatre Experience, aims to raise funds for The Village Cultural Arts Center. The cast includes Mary McCallum, Tamiko Robinson and Christan L. Riley. 7 p.m. at The Village Cultural Arts Center (340 W. Trinity Lane) —MARTIN BRADY
MusicICE COLD HIP HOP NIGHT The prevailing wisdom states that all contemporary rap music must include auto-tuned vocoders, remedial ringtone-ready melodies and sales pitches for “affordable luxury” goods to prepubescent Caucasian girls. Fortunately, the organizers behind this party didn’t get the memo and have amassed an evening of old-fashioned mic skills, turntable wizardry and funky, funky beats. Antioch ex-pat MC Pow Shadowz is making a rare return from the Left Coast to hype his hot new mixtape Where’s Your Head 2. Local turntable terrorists Wick-It The Instigator and Kidsmeal are debuting their four-turntable tag-team, which has us drooling over the potential double-destructo virtuosity. New Orleans’ DJ Dubla, Juskwam and Jingo Ba create bluesy, soulful tracks that have more in common with Lee Dorsey than Master P—perfect for a sublime Saturday night. Make sure to visit the Combined Visions website (combinedvisions.com) for free downloads from all the artists. It’s well worth the bandwidth. 9:30 p.m. at The Rutledge —SEAN L. MALONEY
MusicKATHY CHIAVOLA There are more than a few people quietly going about the business of making great music in Nashville, and they don’t get much better than Kathy Chiavola. Though she’s got a steadily growing list of harmony vocal credits—and a shorter one of her own CDs—the classical-turned-bluegrass singer remains under way too many folks’ radar. Perhaps it’s because she’s more of an artist than a self-promoter, or because her intertwining of solid ’grass tradition and other, more wide-ranging forms is so uniquely rooted in her personality, but in the end those are increasingly thin excuses. 9 p.m. at Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER
You Had Us at ChocolateWORLD FAIR TRADE DAY What better way to celebrate than to patronize Ten Thousand Villages, a company that’s made fair trade its mission. To help promote the movement, the store will be handing out free samples from Divine Chocolate, the first farmer-owned fair trade chocolate company. Through their partnership with Divine, members of Kuapa KoKoo, a Ghanaian cocoa farmers’ co-op, are paid a fair price for their beans and receive a social premium that they invest in schools, clean drinking water, medical clinics and women’s entrepreneurship projects. And what better way to honor women than to buy Mom some Divine Chocolate for Mother’s Day? If you just happen to be around when she opens the present, and you snarf a few pieces yourself, let’s just call it enlightened self-interest. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Ten Thousand Villages (3900 Hillsboro Pike) —JACK SILVERMAN
SUNDAY 5/11
MusicDEVOTCHKA Though best known for their involvement with the soundtrack for little movie that could Little Miss Sunshine, cirque de bohemian quartet DeVotchKa have been amassing followers to their gallimaufry brand of gypsy folk for the better part of the decade now. With the street success of their fourth LP, A Mad and Faithful Telling, the kudos earned from that film has been further justified. A raucous, lowbrow symphony of brass blasts, violin lash-outs and Nick Urata’s burly vibrato mellowed in a boîte stupor, DeVotchKa will absolutely be a one-of-a-kind show for Music City regulars looking for a break from the drab overflow of singer/songwriters and four-piece bar rock. 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —DUSTIN ALLEN
MusicBASIA BULAT Bridging the divide between traditional folk and a sweep of contemporary alt domains, Canadian singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Basia Bulat finds her voice in the untamed fringes on her striking debut Oh, My Darling (Rough Trade). She can sound brittle, etching spare tales of love, remorse and cautious hope, but the full dimension of her voice quickly becomes apparent. Slightly husky, marbled with rich, amber streaks and harboring a knowing authority, it is reminiscent of Natalie Merchant, Sandy Denny or, when her band gallops into jangly overdrive on “In the Night,” Ronnie Spector. The diverse arrangements sometimes kick into epic folk-rock territory—especially when brother Bobby Bulat rumbles on full drum kit—but arch, chamber-like strings add a measure of earthy refinement, and a piano occasionally weighs in with a dose of devilish alt-jazz irony. Opening for DeVotchKa. 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge —RICK MASON
ArtJASON FACIO: JUISSANCE Having previously brought his creative touch to set designing for the Nashville Ballet, painter Jason Facio opens a show of new work in the Ballet’s Frist Gallery at the Regions School in Sylvan Park. The exhibit’s title references Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytical insights into the geography of desire. The narrative content of Facio’s paintings is revealed in the way his figures seem compelled to move toward one another, or are repelled from the confines of their own picture space by unseen, unnamed forces. During the reception, the public is also invited to step into Studio A to watch dancers perform Works in Progress, a choreographic workshop of new, original pieces. May 11-Aug. 11 at Nashville Ballet’s Frist Gallery (3630 Redmon St.); opening reception, 3-5 p.m. —JOE NOLAN
MusicTHE SWORD After their 2006 debut Age of Winters, retro-metal road warriors The Sword landed virtually every coveted opening slot available, touring with Converge, Mastodon, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, In Flames and Lamb of God, to name a few. The Austin, Texas, quartet’s latest, Gods of the Earth, establishes the band’s reputation beyond name-dropping. The Sabbathisms remain, with singer/guitarist J.D. Cronise’s trance-y vocals barely peaking over mountains of riff, but this time around the peaks are higher and the path to the top is far less trodden. 9 p.m. at Exit/In —MATT SULLIVAN
Hope Springs MaternalMOTHER’S DAY AT KIMBRO’S CAFE If mimosas tend to turn Mom into a chair-throwing wildcat, consider this alternative to the usual brunch: a day of art, food and music served as fresh as this morning’s wash. A familiar face to longtime Brown’s Diner regulars, bartender Ron Kimbro now runs his own pickin’ parlor and down-home eatery in Franklin’s antique district. To remember Mama, he hosts this all-day social for the folks. Artist/songwriter Ann Tiley will be painting on-site, hanging her small portraits of local landmarks and surroundings on a clothesline to dry, while ’70s hitmaker Michael Johnson of “Bluer Than Blue” fame provides music. The menu runs the gamut from orange walnut chicken salad to pulled-pork sandwiches. For more information, call 599-2946—or check out their MySpace page for the awesome jingle. Kimbro’s Café (214 S. Margin St., Franklin) —JIM RIDLEY
MONDAY 5/12
MusicRACHAEL SAGE It’s no surprise that Sage got a degree in drama from Stanford, or that her first big break came from winning a talent search for a slot on Lilith Tour. Her songs are arch and dramatic, enhanced by piano-driven arrangements and adorned by her willowy yet resilient voice, which recalls Tori Amos, from its breathy, flittering moments to its soaring full-throated croon. Her seventh album, The Blistering Sun, maintains the momentum of 2004’s critically hailed Ballads & Burlesque, and includes some of the best music of her career. Well-polished, less cluttered and more sonically adventurous, Sun mines a sultrier mood on the jazzy “Lonely Streets” and the beatnik-inspired “Hit Song.” 7 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley —CHRIS PARKER
TUESDAY 5/13
Gotta Dance!ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER The name “Alvin Ailey” is synonymous with African American culture, American dance and modern dance. This year the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, participating in 18 months of special public performances, events and projects that will reaffirm its mission: to unite people of all backgrounds in “a celebration of the human spirit through the universal language of dance.” The troupe has performed in more than 70 nations and remains arguably the best known and most successful of all American dance ensembles while further extending its influence through its noted training and arts education programs. This Nashville appearance will include a presentation of founder Ailey’s signature masterpiece Revelations, danced to 10 spirituals. There are some strong local connections in the company. Current artistic director Judith Jamison attended Fisk University before studying at Philadelphia Dance Academy and Nashville native Courtney Brené Corbin (a Father Ryan grad and former student with Nashville Ballet) is a member of the ensemble. She graduated from the Ailey-Fordham University BFA Program in Dance, and in 2005 became the first product of that unique academic collaboration to become a member of the AAADT. 8 p.m. May 13-14 at TPAC’s Jackson Hall —MARTIN BRADY
GeniusJOHN PRINE Bob Dylan’s motorcycle T-bones Roger Miller’s boxcar, and from out of the wreckage emerges Prine, maybe the only major musical figure today who could play a set encompassing a dirge about a returning Vietnam smack casualty and a ditty about talking dirty in Hawaiian. And make sure you place that “major” in 48-point boldface all-caps: Prine at his corrosive, cockeyed, unsentimental best throws an arm around your shoulder with his warm, folksy melodies, while the lyrics sneak up and slit your throat. His well-publicized bout with throat cancer years ago left him singing in a huskier voice, but it suits the songs’ conversational cadence. He’ll use it to fight that no-good sonofabitch cancer on behalf of the good folks at Gilda’s Club. Tickets are $70 general admission; $150 includes a meet-and-greet and a signed Hatch Showprint poster. 7:30 p.m. at The Belcourt Theatre —JIM RIDLEY
WEDNESDAY 5/14
MusicSIERRA HULL CD RELEASE SHOW Sierra Hull is 16, but she’s already a bluegrass veteran. Her nascent career was boosted several years ago by an impressive PBS appearance with Alison Krauss & Union Station on which she played Adam Steffey’s kickoff to “Every Time You Say Goodbye” with perfect tone and timing. Her Rounder debut Secrets was co-produced with Union Station’s Ron Block, and offers an implicit rebuttal to the notion that teenage gal musicians are limited to superficiality, whether it comes out as faux innocence or faux maturity. An obviously brilliant mandolinist, she’s also a winsome singer who tackles complex themes and sentiments convincingly on a neatly chosen collection of songs that includes some promising originals. The result is a genuinely mature yet sprightly and energetic project that offers proof of a bright—and durable—future. 9 p.m. at Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER
Wine MixerB.R. COHN WINE BLENDING Match wine wits with other wannabe vintners to concoct the perfect blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. Working in three teams of eight, you’ll be equipped with measuring cups, glasses, bowls, dump buckets and all the 2005 B.R. Cohn wine you’ll need to create your perfect vintage. Prizes will be awarded. Admission of $35 (plus tax and tip) includes appetizers paired with B.R. Cohn wines from Sonoma Valley. Ages 21 and up. Call 321-1990 for reservations. 6-7:30 p.m. at Loews Vanderbilt Plaza —CARRINGTON FOX
