8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge, -8pm, 21+
8 bands, 15 minute sets, a night of local music and drink specials.

Abigail Bobo at Two Old Hippies – 5pm
Check this out if you’re a fan of strong rhythm, soaring melodies, literature-inspired lyrics, and the harp.

Tuesday

Moon Taxi In-Store at Grimey’s -6pm
Their new album Cabaret comes out today, and they’re celebrating by playing a stripped-down acoustic set at Grimey’s.

New Faces Nite at the Basement – 8pm, 21+
This week’s New Faces Nite will feature performances by Vitamin Overdose, Abbott Martin, Brian Buckley, Rickolus, Henry Wagons, Melody Kills and more.

Film Screening: The Blues Feels Like Going Home at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema – 7:30pm
This homage to the Delta Blues travels through Mississippi and on to West Africa, exploring the roots of the music. It includes vivid original performances by Willie King, Otha Turner, and Ali Farka Toure among others and rare archival footage of Son House, Muddy Waters, Jonny Shines, and John Lee Hooker. English. Not rated. 83 mins.

Team Green Full Moon Hike at Edwin Warner Park – 7:30pm
Get your hike on under the full moon. I’ve always meant to go on one of these. It’s about a 4.5 mile hike so bring good shoes, a flashlight, and some water. Meet at 7:30 Edwin Warner Park Pavilion #9 Off Vaughn Road. Drive past the nature center to the very back pavilion.

Wednesday

Old Time Jam at the 5 Spot – 7:30pm
East Nashville’s Wednesday Night Old Time Jam provides enthusiasts of traditional, acoustic-based roots music the opportunity to regularly meet, share tunes, dance, swap stories, and bond together in general camaraderie.

ASCAP New Crew Writer’s Round at the Basement – 6pm
This showcase of new ASCAP writers will feature performances by Ryan Griffin, Daisey Mallory and Robert Count.

Lunch and Learn featuring Dale Carnegie at CoLab Nashville – noon
Dale Carnegie is back to speak about effective time management. Time escapes minute by minute and hour by hour. Nothing you do will stop or rewind a clock or calendar. Start the New Year off on the right foot by planning, organizing, and managing your time.

Ralph Murphy Signing Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting at Two Old Hippies – 5pm
Hit songwriter, publisher, veteran ASCAP executive, author and former President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, Ralph Murphy will be talking about his recently released book Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting, THE BOOK! Ralph Murphy, as a songwriter, has been successful for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living ding what they love to do. In easy to grasp terms, Ralph talks about helping arm the songwriter for success by demystifying the process and opening the door to serious professional songwriting.

Thursday

Sons of Fathers In-Store at Grimey’s – 6pm
According to Grimey’s, “with a soaring, rootsy sound Sons Of Fathers have been compared to The Avett Brothers, The Byrds and The Everly Brothers with an infusion of Texas Grease.”

WSM Live Broadcast of Janie Frickie at Station Inn – 5pm
Be a part of the WSM Live Broadcast from Nashville’s Station Inn with Janie Frickie. “All I ever wanted to do was sing.” Janie Fricke has gone from Indiana farm girl to internationally acclaimed recording artist throughout her career. She was born in South Whitley, Indiana, and raised on a 400-acre farm where her father taught her how to play guitar.

Living Sounds at Vanderbilt’s Blair’s Turner Hall – 8pm
This event showcases Vanderbilt student composers. It’ll show off the next evolution of classical music.

David Hillard Opens Photography Exhibit at Watkins – 5:15pm
Photographer David Hilliard, whose colorful, multi-paneled images balance autobiography and fiction, will speak at Watkins tonight to open the 2012 Watkins Visiting Artist Exhibition, “Highway of Thought.” Hilliard’s remarks will begin at 5:15 p.m. in the Watkins Theater, followed by a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. “Highway of Thought,” which includes nearly a dozen of Hilliard’s large-format photographs, will be on display in the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery through March 2.

New Year, New You Aromatherapy Class at Symmetry – 6:30pm
Co-facilitated by aromatherapy expert, Rhonda Ford, these classes teach participants how to empower themselves to take control of their healthcare and their families’ well-being with the use of aromatherapy. Also co-presenting is a lead nurse from Vanderbilt’s Adult Emergency Department. These events are free to attend, open to the public and take place at Vanderbilt-area, Symmetry.  RSVP to doterrateam@gmail.com or (615) 975-3863.

Friday

Film Screening: Neo-African Americans at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema – 4pm
This documentary discusses the idea of being black in America in light of the influx of black immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa. English. 64 mins. DVD. This film is part of the Black Migration Symposium which will take place at Vanderbilt University February 10, and 11, 2012. The director of this film will lead a discussion after the screening.

Black Migration Symposium Begins 
Black Migration Symposium  seeks to examine from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspectives a range of issues pertaining to the challenges, possibilities, and tensions that have emerged from the migration and settlement of Black/black people—self-identified and identified as such—in varying sites and contexts in Africa and the African diaspora, in particular the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe. You can learn more about the symposium (which is free and open to the public) here.

Hutcheson Gallery Presents Daniel Johnston at Lipscomb’s Hutcheson Gallery – noon
Daniel Johnston has spent the last 20 or so years exposing his heartrending tales of unrequited love, cosmic mishaps, and existential torment to an ever-growing international cult audience. A healthy number of discerning musicians and critics have hailed him as an American original in the style of bluesman Robert Johnson and country legend Hank Williams. He has collaborated with the likes of Jad Fair (a founding member of Half Japanese) and members of Sonic Youth.

Saturday

Free the Trees at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary – 1-3pm
Put on your work boots and gloves, sharpen your trimmers and come to Owl’s Hill to help free our beautiful trees from invasive honeysuckle and other exotic plants. This is a great opportunity for older scouts, home school groups and students looking for volunteer projects.

Family Program: Sid the Serpent Wanted to Sing at the Country Music Hall of Fame – 10am
Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing blends classical favorites such as Beethoven’s Moonlight Serenade with popular opera melodies to help introduce this timeless art form to school-age children. The delightful 45-minute production follows Sid, a performing snake in a circus, who wants to learn to sing. Accompanied by his circus friends, he travels the world, trying a different style of singing wherever he goes—grand opera in Rome, music-hall in London, rock in New York. He fails every time, until he realizes that if he sings in his own style, he sings very well. He then rejoins the circus as Sid the Singing Serpent.

Kids Club: Through the Eyes of O’Keefe at the Frist Center - 10:30am, 1:00pm, or 3:00pm
Designed for 5–10 year olds, the Frist Center Kids Club offers exciting opportunities for children to discover, explore, and create art. Featured activity: use a viewfinder to get up close and personal! Inspired by the exhibition To See as Artists See, participants will look closely at objects from nature to create colorful artworks that reflect larger than life scale and the style of American artist Georgia O’Keefe. Due to a limited number of space in each class, reservations are required. Call (615) 744-3357 to make your reservation.

Film screening: Judgement Day-Intelligent Design on Trial at the Green Hills Library – 2pm
In 2004, the Dover, Pennsylvania school board ordered science teachers to read a statement to high school biology students suggesting that there is an alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution called intelligent design—the idea that life is too complex to have evolved naturally and therefore must have been designed by an intelligent agent. The teachers refused, and parents filed suit, accusing the school board of violating the constitutional separation of church and state.

Black History Month at the Hermitage – 1pm
John Baker, author of The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation, will discuss his research into the genealogy of his family, dating back to enslavement at the Wessyngton Plantation, and give tips into tracing the genealogy of families who were enslaved.

2nd Saturday Book Sale at the Donelson Library – 10am-2pm
Cheap books of the pre-loved variety. Woohoo!

Atlanta fans, let me give you something to cheer about. Members of your team will be IN Nashville today, signing autographs at Academy Sports + Outdoors from 1:30-3pm in Cool Springs. You’ll have the opportunity to get autographs and chat with Mike Minor, Cory Gearrin, and Zane Smith.

-Emily

While there I highly recommend you check out, in addition to the exhibits, the two programs running today. There be a musical petting zoo from 11am-3pm and a songwriting session with Erin Enderlin and Jim “Moose” Brown at 11:30am. You know how I feel about musical petting zoos right? Hint – they’re awesome.

The songwriting session at 11:30am sounds pretty cool too. You might know Erin Enderlin from the Lee Ann Womack song “Last Call,” which Erin co-wrote. Jim “Moose” Brown has some even more famous songs under his belt, including “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” which is now stuck in my head and will remain there all day. You too? You’re welcome/I’m sorry.

The Country Music Hall of Fame is open today from 9am-5pm.

-Emily

That’s where Meet ‘n 3 comes in. The event brings together four things Nashville loves: local artists, local music, local food trucks, and the Nashville Farmers’ Market! It’ll take place tonight at the Farmers’ Market from 6-9pm, but if you actually want food from a food truck I highly recommend you get there early.

The participating food trucks include Riffs Fine Street Food, The Grilled Cheeserie, Hoss’ Loaded Burgers, Smoke Et Al, Yayo’s OMG, Jonbalaya Catering, Love Shack, Blackbird Heritage, Wrapper’s Delight, and The Latin Wagon.

There will also be twenty local artists and crafters selling handcrafted jewelry, fine art, photography, sculptural objects and more.

NAAD Presents Art After Hours – 5-8pm
Be you downtown, in Hillsboro Village, in Clarksville, or elsewhere, there is probably an art crawl happening near you. There will be music, wine, finger foods (maybe), cool art, and awesome people. Don’t miss this, it only happens once a month.

Nashville Music Guide Acoustic Performance Night at Douglas Corner Cafe – 8pm
It will feature performances by Herrick, Stephanie Quayle, Joe Matthews,  Jamie Saylor, Ben Gallaher, Carli & Julie Kennedy, -Brenda Best, and Jon Dakota.

Jody Lee Petty Showcase at 12th and Porter – 6pm
From the artist bio: Who does he sound like? To answer simply, he is authentically Jody Lee Petty, a humble man of southern charm and amazing energy. Petty has appeared live with Colt Ford, Justin Moore, Molly Hachet, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Blackfoot, and Josh Thompson among others in an active touring schedule.

Friday

Curator’s Perspective: Duncan Phillips: Champion of American Art at the Frist Center – 12pm
In this talk, Susan Behrends Frank, Ph.D., associate curator for research for The Phillips Collection and curator of To See as Artists See, will speak about the extraordinary vision of Duncan Phillips, who made an institutional commitment at the end of World War I to champion American art and encourage American artists of independent vision who looked beyond the strictures of the academy at a time when other institutions were unwilling to do so.

Collectors Art Night at The Arts Company – 5:30pm
Prominent Nashville art collectors will discuss what draws them to photography, what criteria they use to discern something collectible, and other insights into the acquisition of photographic art.   Free Admission. Refreshments. By Reservation Only. RSVP to arts@theartcompany.com

Meet ‘ 3 at the Farmer’s Market – 6pm
Meet n’ 3 is the delicious blend of 4 of Nashville’s favorites— Local Artists, Local Food Trucks, Local Music, & Nashville Farmers’ Market. All 4 will converge on Friday, Feb. 3rd from 6-9pm at Nashville Farmers’ Market. This free to attend event will feature 10 of Nashville’s favorite Food Trucks, over 30 local artists, local band Striking Matches, and beer + wine sales. Sponsored by Metro Arts Commission, Nashville Food Trucks, & Lightning 100.

Saturday

Free day at the Country Music Hall of Fame 
Big thanks to Ford for making it possible. I now will buy one of your cars. Just kidding, I already have one! There will also be a musical petting zoo from 11am-3pm and a songwriting session with Erin Enderlin and Jim “Moose” Brown at 11:30am.

Atlanta Braves Autograph Signing at Academy Sports + Outdoors – 1:30-3pm
Yay, baseball! I’m a Reds fan myself, which means I am often filled with sorrow, but I still love them. The Braves, I guess they’re okay. They’ll be signing stuff!

First Saturday Art Crawl in the Arcade – 6-9pm
Look at some art, drink some wine, mingle, and repeat. Oh, and there will also be an architectural tour of the Frist at 4:30pm.

Connection Cultures Celebrates China at the Green Hills Library – 10:30
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts will facilitate an art-making activity at the Green Hills Area Library highlighting the artwork and story of the Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville in conjunction with the Frist Center’s Connecting Cultures: Children’s Stories from Across the World exhibition. In the Chinese tradition, the dragon traditionally symbolizes power, strength, and good luck. Participants will make their own Chinese dragon puppets based on the artwork, Chinese Legends.

Seed Starting Class at Mt. Juliet Community Center – 10am
This class will be on seed starting and will be taught by MariAnne Pelletier, President of the Wilson County Master Gardeners. All classes will be free for the public. For more information please call Jan at the Mt. Juliet Community Center at (615) 758-6522. Look for more classes to be available in the near future.

Reflections in the Freestyle Gallery at the East Library Branch – 2pm
In Black History House’s Freestyle Gallery, some of the city’s top freestyle artists including Rashad “thaPoet” Rayford, Aphropik, and Poet will take prompts from the audience and weave them into powerful messages about the past and future. Younger poets and emcees will join these leading artists to create a dynamic, improvised performance. Freestyle is the art of creating poetry and rap on the spot in response to prompts or in response to lines by other poets and rappers.

To the person or highly intelligent ape reading this,

The Springwater beckons to you.  Its smokey rooms are normally home to loud rock and roll but on the first Wednesday of every month some of Nashville’s funniest comedians (and most fascinating crazy old men) invade the stage for Dive Laughing, a comedy Open Mic where anyone with the ability to write their name can go up (sounds exciting, doesn’t it?)   As the host I’ve seen hilarious observations about bubble baths, fun puns, and the occasional drunken ramblings of a real, live madman.  It’s the best Zero Bucks you’ll ever spend!

So, whether you’ve always wanted to tell jokes and were looking for a place to do it or you just want to enjoy a fun show at one of Nashville’s great underground landmarks, Dive Laughing at The Springwater is a great time for the whole family.  (As long as everyone in your family is over 21 and not easily offended.) Sign-up is at 9pm and the jokes start at 9:30.

heart,

Sean Parrott

Editor’s note: this was a guest blog post by Sean Parrott, a cool dude who hosts several comedy events around Nashville. If you’d like to guest blog about your event email tips@nashvilleforfree.com and we’ll see what we can work out.

Darrell has been nominated for 3 Grammys, plays with Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, and has collaborated with Steve Earle, Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris, John Cowan, Guy Clark, Tim O’Brien, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Mary Gauthier, and more. With a resume like that I don’t even need to tell you how good he is. His new album Long Ride Home is being released today and he’s celebrating by playing an in-store at Grimey’s.

The in-store gets started at 6, and there will likely be free beer.

Monday

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm, 21+
This week’s 8 off 8th is hosted by Steve Cross and will feature performances by Scale Model, I Believe in Hotpants, Bows and Arrows, King Arthur, Bravo Max, Magnolia Sons, Honey Locust, and Sugar Sk*_*lls.

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.

Free Monthly Meal for Hendersonville Residents at Community Church of Hendersonville – 1:30-5:30pm
Bring your ID (to prove you live in Hendersonville) and bring your family for a monthly free community meal presented by Share Our Food Kitchen.

Tuesday

3rd Annual Keep the Music Playing at the Schermerhorn- 6:30pm
Hosted by RCA recording artist and two-time CMA Award nominee Chris Young, CMA’s Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert will honor several of the brightest music groups from Metro Nashville Public Schools that have benefited from CMA’s Keep the Music Playing program.

A Twisted Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste at the Main Public Library – 6:15pm
Spend the evening on a comic adventure inside the ridiculously twisted mind of Rubes® cartoonist Leigh Rubin. Rubin’s cartoons are syndicated in more than 400 publications worldwide. Books and other goodies will be on sale in front of the art gallery.

Film Screening: If These Halls Could Talk at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema – 7:30pm
Over a weekend in Ukiah, California, a group of eleven students from around the country gathered to talk about the state of diversity on their college campuses. The students’ stories are starkly emotional, and highlight the complex issues that underlie the demographics of higher education.

Rock’n’Roll Trivia at the Mercy Lounge back bar– 6:30pm
What, you think you know more rock minutia than I do? Well, you’re probably right, but if you really want a challenge then you should hit up this event. It consists of three rounds of questions, two rounds of “name that tune,” and the rock and roll-est of final wagers where you can bet (and possibly lose) it all. The prizes are $50, $25 or $10 to be spent at Mercy Lounge. Plus, everyone gets free parking and beer specials all night. It’s about teams, so grab some friends. Oh, and there’s free parking and drink specials.

Darrell Scott in-store at Grimey’s – 6pm
Darrell has been nominated for 3 Grammys, plays with Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, and has collaborated with Steve Earle, Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris, John Cowan, Guy Clark, Tim O’Brien, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Mary Gauthier, and more. With a resume like that I don’t even need to tell you how good he is. His new album Long Ride Home is being released today and he’s celebrating by playing an in-store at Grimey’s.

New Faces Nite at the Basement – 8pm, 21+
This week’s New Faces Nite will feature performances by Jason Childs Band, Junktrain, Chris Hartfield, Dare Dukes and Blackstock Collection, Haley Dreis and Molly Jewall.

23 Years Without War Since 1000 AD Artist Talk/Discussion at Scarritt-Bennett Center – 7pm
Looking back into history to the year 1000, the folks at Scarritt-Bennett Center count 23 years of peace in the world. In the remaining 989 years, one or more wars have been taking place at any given time. To have an exhibition about peace is impossible without also addressing war. As we approach the tenth year since the beginning of the U.S. involvement in the wars of the Middle East, gallery F. @ Scarritt-Bennett considers some perspectives on peace and war.

Wednesday

Dive Laughing Open Mic Comedy Night at Springwater Supper Club – 9pm, 21+
This open mic stand-up night is hosted by our friend Sean Parrott. Get there at 9 or before to sign-up or just show up at 9:30 to enjoy the jokes.

Old Time Jam at the 5 Spot – 7:30pm
East Nashville’s Wednesday Night Old Time Jam provides enthusiasts of traditional, acoustic-based roots music the opportunity to regularly meet, share tunes, dance, swap stories, and bond together in general camaraderie.

Some Type of Meditation at Hermitage Library – 6:15pm
Every week this event has a different name but the event description doesn’t tell me what the difference is between Smiling Meditation and Space Meditation and Contentment Meditation. Despite the name the event description is ALWAYS the same.

Jer Gregg and Old Dominion at 12th & Porter – 8:30pm
From the artist’s bio: Midwestern singer/songwriter Jer Gregg has brought back the rock that we all have been missing. Taking from blue collar singer/songwriters like John Mellencamp & Bob Seger and blending them with rock ‘n roll sounds influenced by Led Zeppelin and Soundgarden.

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

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