A creative musical genius, Rundgren never reached icon status, primarily because he went out of his way to avoid it. Early ’70s hits like “I Saw the Light” and “Hello, It’s Me” displayed undeniably huge gifts for crafting infectious pop in the manner of Carole King, Laura Nyro and The Beatles. Yet many of his nearly three dozen albums incorporate a smorgasbord of influences, styles and avant-garde indulgences, more often than not finding him light years ahead of his peers, especially in his prog-rock experimentations with his erstwhile band Utopia. He has also stopped along the way in the past 35 years to serve as an engineer and producer, and to pioneer industry developments in video and computer technology. (Rundgren was way ahead of the game in exploring methods for putting sound files on the Internet. Typically, the bigwigs ignored him.) Now, at 55, Rundgren—always at risk for erratic but interesting live performances (including some brazen anti-Bush banter)—is in the middle of his national “Have Gun Will Travel” tour, which continues in Nashville after a two-month hiatus in his adopted state of Hawaii. As recent TV appearances with David Letterman and on PBS’ Mountain Stage series exhibited, he can’t hit the high notes quite like he used to. Still, a genius is a genius, and maybe his devoted cult following was better served by his not going the pop-idol route after all—’cause it’s 2003 and he’s still around. Indigenous and Daniel Tashian open the Uptown Mix show.
—M.B.
Picks by Todd Anderson, Martin Brady, Chris Davis, Jonathan Flax, Paul Griffith, MiChelle Jones, Bill Levine, Jonathan Marx, Michael McCall, Steve Morley, Saby Reyes-Kulkarni, Margaret Renkl, Jim Ridley, Joshua H. Rothkopf, Jon Weisberger, Angela Wibking and Ron Wynn.
Music
Thursday, 10th
Junior Brown Brown’s deadpan comedic persona and crowd-pleasing pyrotechnics on his hybrid invention, the guit-steel, make it easy to underestimate the depth of his musicality. He can write and croon a ballad like “Read ’Em and Weep” with conviction, and he can play it straight on the pedal steel guitar too, as he did on bluegrasser and onetime bandmate Lynn Morris’ latest album. Brown’s appearance will serve as a benefit for Morris, who suffered a stroke earlier this spring, and that ought to add an extra layer of emotion to the occasion. The Station Inn
—J.W.
Sons & Daughters of King Kong—Athens Art & Music Marvels The insurgent musical acts and visual artists in this collective share more than a home base in the college town of Athens, Ga. Each also skews toward a spooky and provocative gothic bent—albeit from different angles. The music portion of the evening will include polyrhythmic punk band Urbosleeks, the warbling Americana of Phosphorescent and the synth-enhanced, techie country-blues of Geoff Reacher. The work of two artists will add a visual dimension: Brian Buchanan’s work includes felt-tip drawings on ripped-out encyclopedia pages as well as traditional oils on canvas, and Jeff Owens is a heavy metal/Hee Haw-inspired painter who most recently designed the cover art for Drive-by Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera. Slow Bar
—J.F.
Altered Statesman Patience is Steve Poulton’s most striking feature. Recently relocated to Nashville, Poulton (a.k.a. the Altered Statesman) and his accompanists take Brian Wilson’s California pop sensibilities, slow them down and troll them through a haunted Midwest, creating spare, somnolent tunes that sound epic even at three minutes or less. With his wide, distinctive voice, he croons through expansive arrangements that suggest he would have been right at home in the jazz lounges of myth. Springwater
—S.R-K.
Impractical Cockpit So murky is the musical terrain navigated by New Orleans-based band Impractical Cockpit, that their detuned blues caterwaul finds its way using Jandek, Twin Infinitives-era Royal Trux and Beefheart’s Magic Band as sonic “feel-sticks”—much like Wisconsin cheese farmers finding their way to the barn in a blizzard by using the clothesline. They play with Marty Lynville’s hot and sweet Szechuan Chocolate and The Mattoid, who are releasing a CD later this summer on local imprint Cleft Records. Guido’s
—C.D.
Aireline Yet another inventive band from Murfreesboro, Aireline incorporate such touches as cello and pipe organ into their airy, slightly prog rock. Ocean Songs From the Year of the Horse, their debut CD, is angsty, vague and lyrically young, but nonetheless demonstrates a compelling knack for imagistic songcraft. The Boro Bar & Grill
—P.G.
Friday, 11th
Robbie Fulks/Matt King Like anyone who can turn pathos into humor, Fulks gets stereotyped by his funny songs—and of all the alt-country jokers, his wit is the sharpest. But his talent is too broad to pin down easily. His hard-country songs portray how pain and shame can transform a person into a desperate kind of wild, and when he plays town this week, he’ll likely show his sure touch with everything from power pop to bluegrass. Opener Matt King has the goods to be the next savior of mainstream country music, only he’s no longer willing to compromise to fit Music Row’s idea of what that means. Fortunately, he’s too determined and too talented not to surface someway, somehow. Grand Ole Opry Plaza
—M.McK.
Tom Hambridge Once a favored Boston drummer and background vocalist, Hambridge stepped out from behind the kit in style with his 2000 album Balderdash, an overlooked gem that ranks with Delbert McClinton’s recent albums in its mix of rockin’ soul and sweet Americana balladry. A former sideman to Susan Tedeschi, Jonatha Brooke and Catie Curtis, Hambridge in recent years has spent a lot of time in Nashville. Credit Lynyrd Skynyrd (see below) for choosing a box-office unknown who’ll open their concert by getting the early arrivals rocking. AmSouth Amphitheatre
—M.McK.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Though the whims of fashionability turned on arena rock a long time ago, one would be hard-pressed to argue against Lynyrd Skynyrd’s legacy. Say what you will about their Southern swagger, but their music seethed with an edgy vitality that was all their own. Purists may scoff that the band started up again after the death of Ronnie Van Zant, and detractors may cringe at the love-it-or-leave-it sentiment that informs their latest hit, “Red White and Blue,” but if you’re jonesing for those heady sensations you can only get at an arena rock show (and can deal with all the flag-waving), this is the ticket. AmSouth Amphitheatre
—S.R-K.
Spat! Records 2 Year Anniversary Party For a solid two years, Spat! Records has diligently shone a light on underground rock in Nashville with a string of record releases and through its partnership with the Inneraction complex (which also houses The Muse and Kung Fu Coffee). The label’s willingness to seek out a diverse catalog has been its greatest asset. To celebrate its second anniversary, Spat! throws a show with its flagship bands—Fall With Me and dharmakaya—and two new additions to the roster, Derailed and The Redliners. FWM and Derailed play two different strains of metal—one dark and gothic, the other angry and punchy. The clean-to-dirty dynamics of dharmakaya and the garage fuzz tones of The Redliners will add some breadth to the lineup. The End
—T.A.
The Blue Dragons One of the more intriguing combinations of bluegrass talent around, The Blue Dragons include tireless mandolin man Scott Shipley, guitarist Robert Bowlin, the supremely underrated fiddler Shad Cobb, and Billy and Terry Smith on guitar and bass respectively. Lurking behind their considerable skills and long résumés are some engagingly off-kilter senses of humor. With the addition of guests like Gene Bush, Chris Sharp and the irrepressible wild card Ed Dye, this show is bound to be, as Shipley says, “a wild one.” The Station Inn
—J.W.
Gordon Kennedy Kennedy is a wild card of sorts who has successfully straddled the secular and Christian sides of the music industry. His biggest coup to date is his co-writing credit on Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” but his classic-styled melodic rock on the one-off Dogs of Peace project proves that commercial pop craftsmanship isn’t his only strong suit. In a casual coffeehouse climate, you’ll get as well-rounded a look at this writer/performer as you’re likely to get anywhere. For info or directions, call 297-8851, ext. 34. The LightHouse
—S.M.
Dead Musicians’ Society Here’s something you don’t see every day: a fusion band led by a marimba player. In a refreshingly liberal take on musical definitions, Kevin Lucas calls his troupe a rock band, and he does want to rock you. This show comes highly recommended to aficionados of out-there minglings between jazz and rock. Springwater
—S.R-K.
Friday, 11th-Saturday, 12th
Watertown Jazz Festival For the past several summers, this quiet town on the Sparta Pike has hosted many of Nashville’s jazz stalwarts, and this year’s event is no exception, with the Barber Brothers, Beegie Adair, Hakim Rahsul and Connye Florance among the scheduled artists. This time, however, the featured visiting performers have a distinctly West Coast or showbiz flavor. On Friday night, the Lori Mechem Trio will back trombonist Andy Martin and saxman Pete Christlieb, both first-call L.A. session players who traverse the worlds of slick pop and straight-ahead jazz. Christlieb, a muscular tenorist, has remained amazingly anonymous despite having been in demand almost as much as Tom Scott and Ernie Watts since the ’70s. On Saturday, trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his brassy small-band Big Bop Nouveau will cap the festival. Even after a half-century of performing with big bands, fusion outfits and calculated pop-crossover ensembles, Ferguson can still deliver his high-register riffs with abandon. For more information, call 237-9999. Public Square, Watertown
—B.L.
Saturday, 12th
Hot Hot Heat Already anointed with band-of-the-moment status, Vancouver’s Hot Hot Heat belong to the same genre of subtly sophisticated garage pop as the most hyped groups of the past two years, White Stripes and The Strokes. Far from aping the sound du jour, however, Hot Hot Heat deliver something more akin to early XTC or perhaps The Rolling Stones at their most raucous and visceral. If it feels good, they do it, typically with their tongues in cheek—and you can dance to it. Their debut LP, Make Up the Breakdown, ably captures the band’s reputedly fiery live set, with all of the wit, guitar crunch and sweaty, synthy beats left intact. Exit/In
—J.F.
The Fever Anyone out there still think the new New York rock scene is all hype? Stand up for a sonic pimp-smacking, courtesy of five brass-knuckled ex-Jerseyites who make even Sheila E’s “The Glamorous Life” sound like a missing No Wave artifact. Their exciting-as-hell EP Pink on Pink dashes off debauched, dynamic garage pop with jagged guitar and an edge of glam thuggery, gassed up by a rhythm section who think they’re cutting heads with The Clash. The Fever open for Hot Hot Heat and Vue. Exit/In
—J.R.
9th annual Hadley Park Heritage Festival Few notions are more wrongheaded and more widely held than the claim that Charley Pride was the first African American country star. That honor belonged to the late harmonica virtuoso, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Deford Bailey, an original Grand Ole Opry member and someone who belongs in the Country Music Hall of Fame. This free festival in North Nashville is part of the Deford Bailey Day Celebration and will feature performances from his son Deford Bailey Jr., his grandson Carlos Deford Bailey, Herschel Bailey & the Paradise Band and more. Hadley Park
—R.W.
Jackson Browne/Steve Earle Their outspoken defense of the downtrodden gets them cast as political insurgents, and they wear the tag proudly. But, as artists, Browne and Earle are at their best when gently and incisively probing the tricky negotiations of interpersonal politics. In concert, they’ll make their rallying cries, but they’ll provoke more emotion with such songs as Browne’s “For a Dancer” and Earle’s “Valentine’s Day.” They share a bill with Keb’ Mo’ (see below). AmSouth Amphitheatre
—M.McK.
Keb’ Mo’ It’s been almost a decade since Kevin Moore emerged from the West Coast with what was then a fresh and intriguing alternative to mega-decibel electric blues. Though he made his initial impact with superb releases for Okeh in the mid-’90s, Mo’s alternately reflective and assertive narratives remain even more inspired in live performance. He’s still arguably the finest pure singer and instrumentalist among the contemporary revivalists, and his attributes as a lyricist make him ideal to appear on a bill with Jackson Browne and Steve Earle. AmSouth Amphitheatre
—R.W.
Darrell Scott Scott writes country radio hits while maintaining a determinedly rootsy approach to his own performing career. A skillful guitarist, banjo player and more, he can be relied on to offer an intimate, thoughtful show as he gears up to release a new album this fall. Opening for Scott is the unlikely but just-right duo of Chip Taylor—another writer who walks both sides of the commercial street—and youthful fiddler and vocalist Carrie Rodriguez. Grand Ole Opry Plaza
—J.W.
The Chicklettes/The Loiterers A double dose of Little Rock punk: The Loiterers do anything but stand idly on the Stooges/Ramones tradition, while their buds and touring partners The Chicklettes sing of slumber parties and cool bad boys as if they’re the long-lost tough-girl sisters of The Crystals. David Cloud’s Gospel of Power open. Guido’s
—J.R.
Todd Snider Snider’s recent live CD Near Truths and Hotel Rooms displays the personable writer and singer in his element—as a scatological storyteller with a gift for creating audience rapport and eliciting plenty of laughs. Musically, he invokes folk/country originals like John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker, but he has a rocker’s heart beating underneath. Nashville singer-songwriter Greg Trooper opens the show; see the story about Trooper on p. 35. Belcourt Theatre
—S.M.
Sunday, 13th
Music of Charles Mingus Charles Mingus was not only an incredible bass soloist and accompanist, he was an extraordinary composer as well. The latest Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society summer concert focuses on his prolific catalog with a premier lineup of area players including Denis Solee, Jeff Coffin, Don Aliquo and several others. Their mandate emphasizes playing the music the way Mingus wanted it done—something he always insisted upon from his perch on the bandstand. Belle Meade Plantation
—R.W.
Monday, 14th
Darediablo When artists look to the past but try too hard to be hip, their excavations sometimes come across as pillaging or, worse, affected irony. Luckily, this indie rock trio seem aware of this pitfall, or maybe they just like what they’re playing too much to be self-conscious about it. With a keen eye toward keeping it all fresh, Darediablo combine groove aspects of the Stones, Deep Purple and Air with a hint of Ohio Players. They turn up the attack just slightly to come up with earnest, Fender Rhodes-driven instrumentals that approach heaviness from several angles. Think Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, only jazzier, more cohesive and without the wise-ass swagger. The End
—S.R-K.
Shamisen Workshop and Concert w/Hiromitsu Rokuya The shamisen, a three-stringed lute, has been integral to Japanese theatrical, chamber and folk music since the 16th century. Featured artist Hiromitsu has not only mastered all the historical modes of playing the shamisen, but has also allowed his instrument to speak across generations by adapting it to original rock and dance-club compositions. His brief “meet the instrument” workshop will precede a concert, for which he will be joined by a trio of traditional Japanese dancers. Beginning at 11:15 a.m., both events are free and open to the public. Keathley University Center Theater, MTSU
—B.L.
Tuesday, 15th
Dave Mason Mason’s standing as rock legend has far less to do with his commercial success in the mid-’70s than with his role as co-founder of Traffic and his straight-ahead rock solo records. Time (coupled with a dearth of latter-day releases) has dimmed his light in the public eye, but not his influence: Joan Osborne’s recent remake of “Only You Know and I Know” is but the latest in a long line of perennial Mason-penned covers, including the oft-recorded “Feelin’ Alright.” With publishing royalties paying the bills, Mason has been able to remain in his bag of choice—the late ’60s/early ’70s musical aesthetic, laced with classic-style lead guitar work. 3rd & Lindsley
—S.M.
Tues., 15th-Wed., 16th
Marshall Chapman Somewhere, be it in Bali or Tallahassee, there is a shrine erected to this guitar-slinging parrothead Amazon who has weathered a quarter-century of music-industry weaseldom without losing her mind or wit. A onetime South Carolina debutante who righted herself by going wrong, Chapman has been a Nashville club favorite since the Bluebird was an egg, and her 1978 album Jaded Virgin has just made its bow on CD. Her upcoming book Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller (St. Martin’s Press) uses 12 of her songs as an autobiographical road map—albeit one sometimes traveled under the influence. As a warm-up for a Belgian festival date and her book promotion, Chapman hosts a two-night “Bon Voyage Party” with her band, The Love Slaves. Bluebird Cafe
—J.R.
Wednesday, 16th
Daikaiju Fire-breathing U.S. assault of monster lizard all go! The mix of surf guitar and instrumental thunder you will find very pleasing. With the name of “giant mysterious beast” in this Huntsville band’s possession, along with deep respect for all things Godzilla, honor and glory will follow forever. Make room in the hall of honored warriors for their opening act, the Amsterdam surf-instrumental band The Anacondas. OK! Springwater
—J.R.
Art
Rule of Thirds Stenciling is one of the oldest forms of printmaking, and it continues to be a vital form of street art in many cities across the country. If New Yorkers have long grown accustomed to seeing images and messages stenciled in spray-paint on the pavement, such art is a more recent trend in Nashville. A walk along Belmont Boulevard, for example, reveals the work of local stencil artists who have emblazoned the sidewalks with slogans like “Dream More.” Rule of Thirds gallery salutes the art of the stencil with this touring collection of work from more than 30 graffiti artists, fine artists and activists from all over the United States known as Stencil Pirates. The show opens with a reception, 6-9 p.m. July 12.
—A.W.
12th & Demonbreun Building Zeitgeist Gallery’s “Art on the Edge” series has transformed the third floor of this renovated building in the Gulch into an exhibit space for conceptual and experimental art. The latest show, “Magnetic North,” features the work of Jim Haynes, a visual and sound artist who grew up in Nashville and now lives in San Francisco (where he works at Aquarius Records, very likely the coolest record store in the universe). The installation consists of large-scale photographic images composed of smaller pictures to which Haynes has applied a corrosive mixture of rust and chemicals, resulting in alterations that the artist himself can’t fully control or predict. The show opens with a reception, 5-9 p.m. July 11, and the artist will spend much of the day at the gallery on July 12 performing an extended, improvised sound piece. See the story on p. 49.
—J.M.
The Parthenon A Smithsonian exhibition of 50 black-and-white photographs documenting the women of southern Appalachia continues its national tour with a stop July 12-Aug. 31 at The Parthenon. Through portraits and landscape photographs, acclaimed documentary photographer Barbara Beirne draws on two generations of Appalachian women, ranging in age from 50 to 100, to capture the rhythm of life in places such as Pippa Passes, Ky., and Ravenswood, W.Va. Among those photographed are a union activist, the daughter of a slave, a pediatrician, a miner, a police captain, a musician and a published writer. Each portrait is accompanied by the words of the women themselves, excerpted from Beirne’s interviews with her subjects. As part of the opening reception, 2 to 4 p.m. July 13, Beirne talk about her work at 2 p.m.
—A.W.
Zeitgeist gallery On Saturday, this Hillsboro Village gallery opens its “Switchyard” summer invitational show, in which 19 emerging artists working in a variety of media switch out their works every few weeks. Participating artists include Michelle Anderson, Betty Leigh Hutcheson, Christopher McNulty, Christi Teasley, John Watts, Joseph Whitt and Anderson Williams. The show opens with a reception, 6-8 p.m. July 12.
—J.M.
Premier Art Decor & Designs/ Belle Meade Plantation Jazz and art make a fine pairing, especially when the jazz is a salute to the late Charles Mingus and the art is the work of Louisiana painter Frank Kelley. Meet the artist and see his paintings of jazz musicians at a reception, 3-7 p.m. July 12 at Premier Art on the Music Row Roundabout. The following evening at 6 p.m., the Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society hosts a concert at Belle Meade Plantation featuring an eight-piece group performing the best of Mingus, and some of Kelley’s work will be on view here as well.
—A.W.
The Renaissance Center Though Everett Niewoehner taught social studies for 20 years at Dickson County High School, he studied art in college and once owned a gallery in California. After retiring a few years ago, Niewoehner returned full-time to his original love—oil painting. “Painting, for me, is a process of discovery, a journey where I am constantly learning,” he says. “It leads me to new ideas, new colors and new techniques that are quite different from what I originally had in mind.” His works are in numerous collections in Europe and the U.S., and this Dickson arts-and-culture center hosts a show of his paintings through July 18.
—A.W.
Books
Arthur Phillips Now in paperback, Phillips’ debut novel is set in the heady early 1990s, when droves of young Westerners headed to the newly opened Eastern bloc. Prague is not about the city then hailed as the new Paris; it’s about a state of mind shared by the clique at the center of the book. Making their way through the not quite real world of expatriate life, the five characters can only worship the Czech capital from afar—from Budapest, as a matter of fact. Phillips reads from and signs his book, 6 p.m. July 10 at Davis-Kidd Booksellers.
—M.J.
Alafair Burke Crime writer Burke comes by her craft honestly: She’s a former Portland, Ore., deputy district attorney and the daughter of crime fiction megastar James Lee Burke. Her debut novel, Judgment Calls, avoids many of the genre’s clichés by telling its story from the prosecution’s point of view. What’s more, Burke’s complex and all-too-human heroine, D.A. Samantha Kincaid, shatters the tight-ass image of the prosecuting attorney. The author reads from and signs copies of her new book, 6 p.m. July 15 at Davis-Kidd.
—P.G.
Louise Shaffer The fact that the three main characters are called Miss Peggy, Dr. Maggie and Miss L’il Bit may be all you need to know to deduce the setting (small-town South) and the plot (terrible secret uncovered years later) of Shaffer’s first novel, The Three Miss Margarets. And knowing that Shaffer herself is a recent convert to literary pursuits after a long career as a soap-opera star (as Rae Woodard on Ryan’s Hope) might give you advance notice of the kind of drama you’ll find in some of the scenes. But there are literary surprises here nonetheless, which are perhaps all the more surprising in this context. Shaffer reads at Davis-Kidd, 6 p.m. July 16.
—M.R.
Events
8th Annual Celebration of Cultures Move to the sounds of a samba, let your kids try their hands at paper sumo wrestling or take part in any of the dozens of other activities at this yearly festival, July 11-12 on the Scarritt-Bennett campus. You can also hear music and see dance demonstrations from more than 30 performing groups and enjoy the cuisine of Ethiopia, Thailand, Peru, India and Armenia. Amidst all the fun and games, there are also presentations on Nashville’s Kurdish community, immigration and other topics. For info, call 320-4600.
—A.W.
Film
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Take it from a skeptic, me hearties: Though the producer is Jerry Bruckheimer, king of the loud and dumb, and the inspiration a theme park ride, this swashbuckler comes pretty close to pure summer gold; it may be the most satisfying dose of silliness since Raiders of the Lost Ark. The duels and sieges are dynamite, but as charming scalawag Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp casually commandeers the picture in his oddest turn since Ed Wood. The movie opens at area theaters on Friday.
—J.H.R.
Spellbound America’s annual National Spelling Bee combines the brainiac fever of preteen geekery with intense competition more readily found in athletic contests. Jeffrey Blitz’s documentary gets a good handle on both, as it follows its handful of young hopefuls through their state regionals to the big televised event. There’s a whiff of redundancy to some of the exposition; many of these kids are driven by hard-riding parents, often foreign-born, who see the challenge as a kind of condensation of the American dream. The movie would have benefited from more reflection on the pressures being foisted on the children, who occasionally resemble valuable racehorses being put through their paces. But there’s no denying the nail-biting tension of the final rounds, as the fortunes of natural favorites rise and fall on a single letter. The film opens Friday at Green Hills.
—J.H.R.
The Sea Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur follows up his deadpan comedy 101 Reykjavik with a darker portrait of family in crisis: a drama reminiscent of King Lear, in which a fishing-company patriarch assembles his ungrateful heirs to see who will succeed him. Incest, treachery and other buried family secrets come to light. The film opens Friday at the Belcourt.
—J.R.
Nowhere in Africa This year’s Oscar winner for best foreign film examines a German Jewish family’s flight to Kenya in the wake of Hitler’s rise to power, and the hope, despair and newfound freedom that each family member finds in their radical new life as tenant farmers. The production history behind Caroline Link’s drama is an epic in itself—the film company essentially built roads, runways and irrigated fields to get the movie made—which only enhances the movie’s portrait of struggle. Nowhere in Africa returns to local theaters for a week’s run at the Belcourt.
—J.R.
Television
In Memory of Katharine Hepburn In Katharine Hepburn’s movies, men were always trying to take her down a peg for her free and haughty ways. Yet even when the scripts demanded that she acquiesce, her style and bearing made it abundantly clear the fix was in. Even as a fluttery ingenue, she made independence and intelligence radiantly sexy; in an autumnal romance like David Lean’s Summertime, she made passion seem all the more powerful for trumping such formidable gifts of reason. Her death last week at age 96 wasn’t unexpected, just sad and final. In tribute, Turner Classic Movies hosts a marathon of 12 Hepburn films, from 1933’s Little Women to 1968’s The Lion in Winter, starting at 5 a.m. Thursday. See the schedule at www.turnerclassicmovies.com.
—J.R.
