Nashville for Free

As a woman I am all about anything that can help women become healthier. Let’s face it, sometimes we don’t take the best care of ourselves. It’s a stereotype that we’re always taking care of others and thus forget about ourselves, but seriously, a lot of us are just so busy with our lives on our own.

It doesn’t matter why we’re too busy to be healthy and get to the doctor. What matters is that we change.

On Saturday there will be an event called All About Women: Free Health Resources held from 10am-2pm at Kipp Academy. More than a dozen organizations will be there providing things like pap smears provided by the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program, bone density, blood pressure and blood sugar screenings performed by the
Vanderbilt Coalition for Healthy Aging, stress reduction techniques led by the Exchange Club, Zumba classes, ways to reduce electric bills demonstrated by the Kilowatt Hour, and more.

Kipp Academy is located at located at 123 Douglas Avenue.

Stay healthy. Tell your friends. Rock.

-Emily

Most of the free movies at colleges that I write about involve Vanderbilt University, but not this one! Tonight Watkins College will be screening El Velador in their theater.

But it’s not just a normal screening - Director Natalia Almada, whose award-winning documentary films address the history and politics of Mexico from the perspective of ordinary people and everyday life, will be speaking as part of the school’s Visiting Artist Series.

A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., with a screening of her latest film, El Velador (The Night Watchman), at 6 p.m. in the Watkins Theater; a discussion and Q&A will immediately follow. Here’s a synopsis of the film:

From dusk to dawn EL VELADOR accompanies Martin, the guardian angel whom, night after night, watches over the extravagant mausoleums of Mexico’s most notorious Drug Lords. In the labyrinth of the cemetery, this film about violence without violence reminds us how, in the turmoil of Mexico’s bloodiest conflict since the Revolution, ordinary life persists and quietly defies the dead.

Here’s a link to the full website for El Velador for those of you who like to dig deeper.

-Emily

Sexual orientation isn’t just an issue in America. Life for the gay community can be difficult all over the world; it can be a struggle. One place where you don’t really think about the issue is the Middle East, especially Jerusalem. It’s something strangely unexpected. City of Borders is a documentary that surrounds that very culture in the Holy Land.

Here’s the synopsis:

In the heart of Jerusalem stands an unusual symbol of unity that defies generations of segregation, violence, and prejudice: a gay bar called Shushan. This documentary follows the lives of five Israeli and Palestinian patrons as they navigate the minefield of politics, religion, and discrimination in order to live and love openly in a world of conflict.

City of Borders is tonight’s International Lens film. Like usual, it’s being shown at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema at 7:30pm.

Monday

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm, 21+
This week’s 8 off 8th will feature performances by The Cadillac Black, Leroy Powell and the Messengers, The Tendoor, Fly Golden Eagle, Kyle Andrews, Wilder Embry, Cashatt, and Heypenny.

Kenny Vaughan and Friends at 12 South Taproom – 9:30pm
Kenny has played with such artists as Lucinda Williams, Rodney Crowell and others and is currently a full-time member of Marty Stuart’s band. He was also named instrumentalist of the year by the Americana Music Association in 2006.

Motown Monday at Two Old Hippies –  5pm
This week Paris Delane and his seven octave vocal range will be performing for Motown Monday at Two Old Hippies.

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The Mercy Lounge‘s birthday parties are always great because THEY give US stuff. Dolly Parton giving us a water park on her birthday is hard to beat, but Mercy Lounge has an awesome lineup of free shows tonight and Saturday night that’ll rock your proverbial socks off.

Tonight’s lineup will feature How I Became the Bomb, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Kyle Andrews, Ponychase, Wild Cub featuring Keegan Dewitt and members of Pico vs. Island Trees, ReLapse, and more. Sorry youngin’s, but it’s 21+.

However, it’s Saturday’s lineup that holds a special place in my heart. Heypenny, Evan P. Donohue, The Nobility, Escondido featuring Tyler James, and ReLapse will all be there, but in my humble opinion the fact that Mayhem will be performing Elvis Costello’s excellent This Year’s Model more than makes the lineup perfect. It will be epic.

Happy birthday Mercy Lounge! We love you dearly over here at N4F and wish you many more excellent birthdays to come.

-Emily

The Frist Center continues its movie series related to their exhibit (AKA the Femme Fatale movie series) with Body Heat, a 1981 thriller starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Richard Crenna. Here’s a synopsis:

In the midst of a soaring Florida heat wave, Matty, a classy, seductive, unhappily married socialite, begins a steamy affair with Ned, a small-town lawyer. After several weeks of electrifying encounters and confessions of love, Matty makes it clear that she wants to leave her husband, but that she also wants his money. In order to live a life of luxury and eschew the secrecy of their relationship, Matty convinces Ned to kill her husband. This study of complicity, sexual obsession, and double crosses, which is told through masterful dialogue and a feeling for character, is a fascinating and powerful drama.

The film starts at 7pm at the Frist Center auditorium. It’s first-come-first-served, so get there early for a good seat (and popcorn). Also, you might want to bring a seat cushion.

-Emily

This is a one-man play by Jeffrey Combs, who you might know him from episodes of various Star Trek franchises and from the Re-Animator, which is probably coming to the Belcourt because it looks awesome.

But I digress – Combs will be performing as Poe for the bicentennial of Poe’s birth. He’ll recite “The Raven” and other selections including The Tell-Tale Heart and Annabel Lee. This is going to be serious. No, really! Combs performed Nevermore at the Lincoln Center in NYC on Halloween, and they don’t just let any schmuck do that sort of thing. Combs even looks like Poe. He’s gotten good reviews from this, so it’s a must-see for Poe fans.

This event will take place in the main public library (the one downtown). There will be a reception with light refreshments beginning at 6:15.

-Emily

A new semester at Vanderbilt means new movies for their International Film Series! I believe things actually kicked off last week, but I didn’t get the email in time to post about it, but now we’re back on track!

Tonight The Strange Case of Angelica is showing at 7:30pm (make note of the later start time) at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema. It’s in Portuguese with English subtitles, and the synopsis is as follows:

A well-to-do family hires a young photographer to take the last photograph of their deceased daughter. Upon seeing her, he falls deeply in love and soon finds her returning to life in his camera lens.

The movie has a pretty excellent 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, if you’re curious. Also, the whole thing might sound kind of spooky, but the reviews throw out some terms like “fairy tale” and “magical,” so don’t be expecting a ghost story.

-Emily

Happy MLK Day everyone! Some of you probably have the day off, especially if you are a student, a federal worker, or work at a place that takes today off. That’s probably a lot of you. But what should you do? How can you keep yourself entertained and fill your mind with knowledge and beauty on your day off?

Easy, go to the Frist. It’s free today!

There are two pretty cool exhibits there right now. I’m a huge fan of the works in A Divine Light: Northern Renaissance Paintings from the Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery. It contains 28 great Baroque works and “designed as intimate encounter with the devotional art of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and explores the ways in which Northern Renaissance artists expressed the central mysteries of the Christian faith through setting, pose, gesture, and the objects of everyday life.”

Tracy Snelling’s “Woman on the Run” is the other exhibit at the Frist right now, and it’s pretty cool. It contains “sculptures of rundown buildings on the outskirts of town show a keen sensitivity to the psychological tensions and hidden narratives of ordinary life.”

The Frist Center will be open today from 10am-5:30pm. Enjoy.

-Emily

Monday

Free day at the Frist Center
In celebration of MLK Jr. Day the Frist will be free today.

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge – 8:30pm, 21+
This week’s 8 off 8th will be hosted by Yellowberri & Starry Nights Music Festival and will feature performances by Buffalo Rodeo, Rainbow KK, Lost River Cavemen, Schools, Billy Swayze, Black Shades, Plastic Friends, Fat Box, and Instant People.

Jessie Baylin In-Store at Grimey’s – 6pm
Jessie Baylin’s new (and third) album doesn’t come out until Tuesday, but she’s celebrating its launch the day before (today!)  with a performance at Grimey’s. The new record is produced, arranged, and mixed by Richard Swift and Kevin Augunas, features some legendary LA session musicians, has songwriting contributions from Thad Cockrell, and the first video is directed by ScarJo.

MLK Day Celebration at Discovery Center at Murfree Spring – 11am-4pm
Today the Discovery Center will offer free admission. There will also be a scavenger hunt, crafts, live performances, and free cake.

Bruce Dudley Double Quartet: Mostly Monk at the Blair School of Music – 8pm
This event is part of the Blair Nightcap Series and will be filmed for a later live broadcast on WNPT-2 TV and VUcast. It’ll feature arrangements of Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn, and Bill Evans along with some originals.

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