Nashville for Free

Yes yes yes, I KNOW that this was a few weeks ago, but you know how things get. When Nashville’s newest food truck, Moovers and Shakers, finally got all of their Kickstarter monies they decided to have a party and invited Pizza Buds and The Grilled Cheeserie to help them celebrate on Belmont’s campus. Sadly, Moovers and Shakers didn’t have their truck yet (they were serving out of Pizza Buds), but it was still a good time with good food and good tunes.

Luckily, resident photographer Kate Cauthen was there to take some pics.

Alright, y’all ready to get krrrazy?! Not even kidding, Art After Hours is basically the equivalent of a rave for fine arts. All the hottest galleries around town are staying open extra, extra late (5 – 8pm) for all of you party-holics, and they’re sure to celebrate with some special events, food and/or drink and even some new openings. This is Nashville’s finer culture at it’s best, and just a great opportunity to engage with a remarkably impressive community while the sun sets.

Art After Hours, presented by the Nashville Association of Art Dealers, takes place all around town with several prominent galleries, including, but not limited to: Cumberland Gallery (Green Hills), Gallery One (Belle Meade Galleria), LeQuire Gallery (Charlotte Avenue/Green Hills), Local Color (on Broadway), Midtown Gallery (on Broadway), Zeitgeist (Hillsboro Village), Bennett Galleries (Green Hills), Richland Fine Art (Green Hills), and Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery. Emily suggests checking out the Arcade downtown or Hillsboro Village for some art crawl fare, but I also want to highlight a very special event going on at Belmont University’s Lou Center for the Visual Arts.

A special exhibition, “Quick Read, Message Received: The Poster as a Vehicle for Social Commentary” from Nashvillian Kristina Graham has been on display for several weeks now, and her closing reception will be a part of this months Art After Hours event. In addition to a series of works by Graham, the exhibition also features celebrated artists Milton Glaser, Luba Lukova, Kelsey Freeman, Favianna Rodriguez and Jorge Arrietta. From Kristina’s artist statement: (more…)

Bells in the Bell Tower

Hey, guess what! I’m a student at Belmont University! Surprise! That’s right, I’m a Belmont student, but I had no idea until recently that every year Belmont has a Christmas Eve Concert at the bell tower, but they do. In case you didn’t know, Belmont has this pretty nice looking bell tower in the middle of the campus, and it has some sweet bells inside of it which are called carillons.

Every once in awhile (usually when there are lots of high schoolers visiting campus) I’ll  be strolling along and I’ll hear someone playing the bells. When you hear the bells playing like that (as in not on the hour) that means there’s someone inside there physically playing them. I always enjoy hearing the bells, and since I’ve seen people on certain Saturdays just sitting at the foot of the bell tower listening I assume that other people enjoy hearing them as well.

But back to the Christmas Eve performance. I don’t have any details on the exact songs that will be played, but it starts at 2pm and runs for about an hour. It will be at the bell tower (1900 Belmont Blvd). Ms. Cheap says that you can sit in your car and listen but to be perfectly honest that would probably suck since you’d have to park somewhere with a building or two between you and the bells, and though they carry the sound would probably be pretty muddy I imagine. I recommend bundling up  and grabbing a seat at one of the tables by the caf because really, it’s not that cold. Bring a stadium blanket, some hot chocolate, and cuddle up against someone you wouldn’t mind cuddling up against.

Anyway, have a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas eve!

-Emily

Lover’s of dance, listen up! You do not want to miss the Nashville Ballet, a wonderful dance company celebrating its 25th year, performing for free at Belmont University!

This Saturday, join students, friends of the ballet, and the many others at Belmont University’s Troutt Theater for the Ballet’s performance of “Anne Frank.”  Based on the true story of a young Jewish girl experiencing the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust, the Nashville Ballet seeks to portray her story of fear conquered by courage, despair conquered by hope, and the horrors of reality conquered by the gift of imagination through the art of dance.

Again, this event will take place at Belmont’s Troutt Theater (right on belmont Blvd) Saturday, November 20th, from 7pm-9:30pm.  Hope to see you there!

-Abbie

Monday

Local Author Robert Blake reads and signs Little Devils at Davis-Kidd Books – 7pm
Burnie, Winnie, and Big Stanley are three Tasmanian devil pups growing up in the wild. Along with their mother, they make one happy family. With lifelike illustrations, Blake shines a light on a little-known animal in a heartwarming tale of adventure.

Belmont University Faculty Woodwind Quintet at the Belmont Mansion – 7:30pm
Say what you will about Belmont, but the bottom line is it’s a music school, and a good one. All of the professors in the Faculty Woodwind Quintet are current or former members of the Nashville Symphony, so they know what they’re doing. Come on down and check them out.

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Monday

Belmont Camerata Musicale at the Belmont Mansion – 7:30pm

Belmont faculty, guest artists and artistic director, Elisabeth Small present the 21st season of Belmont Camerata Musicale’s chamber music series in the historic Belmont Mansion. On September 28, they will present a program of Bach and Mendelssohn works featuring Erbarme dich from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet Op. 80 and Concertpiece No.2 in D minor for piano, clarinet and bassoon.

8 off 8^th at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm

This week everyone’s favorite weekly showcase with 8 bands is hosted by Brenn, and the lineup includes Brenn, The Worsties, RT Gentlemen, Kink Ador,The Effects, Mona, Bravo Max and Daniel Ellsworth.

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In-stores, book signings, learnin’ stuff, it’s gonna be a busy week.

Monday

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge: Heypenny’s COP CAR EP Release – 9pm
Come on down and buy Heypenny’s new EP, the packaging of which is pages from a coloring book. Live performances by Matthew P. Jones, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, The Biv, Madi Diaz, Coral Castles, Mikky Ekko, Natalie Prass, Heypenny, & Coach DJ’ing between sets!

Sam & Ruby In-Store at Grimey’s – 6pm
Sam & Ruby blend folk, R&B, and pop and are just awesome. They’re doing pretty well for themselves, and are playing this in-store they day before their album drops, but because Grimey’s is wonderful, you’ll get to pick it up a day early at the in-store

Local Mystery Writer Jennie Bentley discusses and signs Spackled and Spooked at Davis-Kidd Books – 7pm
From Now Playing Nashville:

A mystery surfaces behind the walls in the new Do-It-Yourself series! Avery Baker and her boyfriend, Derek Ellis, are flipping a seriously stigmatized house rumored to have ghosts. Soon, they’ll have even bigger problems, and this renovation project might haunt them forever. (Includes original DIY bathroom remodeling tips in the back!)

Tuesday

Darryl Worley autograph signing at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum – 4pm
If you head down to the Country Music Hall of Fame’s store starting at 9:30 and buy Darryl Worley’s new album, you’ll get a voucher to show up at 4pm and get him to sign the record.

ASCAP Rocks the Basement – 8pm
Free show featuring The Elms, Chris Nathan, Gabriel Kelly, Lee Anna James and Mike Willis

Rock the Block at Exit/In – 8pm
Performers include Lazar Lazar, Ikaik, Joshua Armstrong, and Steve Satre. Haven’t heard of them? Go check them out anyway, it’s free.

Wednesday

Arby’s free food
Free Roast Chicken Club with soft drink purchase

LYLAS in-store at Grimeys – 6pm
Come down and see LYLAS, our artist of the week, play a free show at Grimey’s. More on them later.

Thursday

Shakespeare in the Park at Centennial Park – pre-show at 6:30pm, curtains at 7:30pm
Shakespeare in the park presents Taming of the Shrew every Thursday-Sunday in Centennial Park through September 13th. Tonight will be the first presentation of the year. Free, but a $5 donation is suggested.

Bear House Lecture at the Belmont Mansion – 7pm
Belmont’s history is weird. Really weird. Come by and hear about how freaking weird it is. $5 suggested donation.

Friday

Fall Home and Garden Show at Cool Springs Galleria (through Sunday) – 10am til
Vendors throughout the mall will have tips and ideas for home improvement. Food, fun, shopping, and education.

Dyer Open House Telescope Night at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory 8-10pm
Come for a great view of the stars. If it’s cloudy the event will still be on, but will involve tours and such.

The Big Rock Show with Aubrey Collins and Anthony Corder at 12th & Porter – 8pm
Free rock show. ‘Nuff said

Saturday

Big Band Dances in Centennial Park featuring Debbie Bailes Band – 7:30-10pm
Participate in one of the amateur dance competitions, take a ballroom dancing lesson (7-7:30, 8:30-8:50), or just bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the tunes.