Counting Crows bring acoustic show to Ryman

Counting Crows' Adam Duritz

music
THURSDAY, AUG. 6
Drive By Truckers
Cannery Ballroom
One Cannery Row
248-9494, mercylounge.com
9 p.m., $20

Whereas once the South had a steady stable of writers to chronicle its gothic odd-ball stories and humid tragedies, today the region's best storytellers are often the musicians Southern born and raised, bred on a blend of country, rock and soul, and familiar with all the dusty back corners of the area. Of this crowd, the Drive-By Truckers are the longtime kings. Over the course seven studio albums since 1998, the band has not really put together a career as much as a canon, a dynamic collection of music that channels all the classic Southern styles of music and sets them to stories about the beaten down and unlucky among us. Deftly switching from brassy rockers to the tenderest country ballads, Patterson Hood and company have always taken an epic approach to their playing, never shying away from grandiose gestures such as rock operas or openly courting comparisons with Lynyrd Skynyrd. As a result, listeners walk away from the Drive-By Truckers with the sense that this is a band that takes what it does seriously, particularly in the live setting.
— Kyle Swenson

wine tasting
THURSDAY, AUG. 6
Bacchanalian Society Blind Wine Tasting
Adventure Science Center
800 Fort Negley Blvd.
http://www.bacchsociety.com/upcomingevents.html
7:30 p.m., $15 (tickets must be purchased in advance)

Bring a malbec, carmenere or even a good syrah and you could attract up to 600 oenophilic friends at the Bacchanalian Society's blind wine tasting to benefit charity.

Based on the Bacchanalian Society of Cincinnati, this week's event benefits Adventure Science Center. People come in groups of two, three, or even one, and registration is $15 per person.

Regardless of the number of members, each team presents three bottles of the same wine, which complies with the night's theme — in this case South American reds. Two of the three bottles are then opened by the staff, put in brown bags and numbered. Everyone tastes the wines and votes for the best and worst wine.

Those who brought the wines voted best get to divvy up the third bottles and those who brought to the worst wines get to take home their third bottles.

"It's a relaxed, social, blind wine tasting with a twist," in the words of the group's co-founders.

The twist is some of you will take home a lot of wine. So, whether you are a wine connoisseur or drink wine from a box, grab some friends and come out for a guaranteed good time.
— Sherry Phillips


music
FRIDAY, AUG. 7
Benefit Concert for Thomas Winfrey
Featuring Richard Marx and special guests
Tin Roof, 1516 Demonbreun St., Ste. B
589-5567, tinroofbars.com/Home/Nashville
5-9 p.m., $10 donation

Grammy-winner Richard Marx is headlining this unique fundraiser for a special, yet poignant, cause — a 2-year old boy fighting a battle with brain cancer. The $10 donations will go to help Thomas Winfrey, his mom, Sandy, and his two brothers with all the costs associated with his illness. The toddler was diagnosed only a month ago and his living in Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University.

Marx, who is flying in just for the event, will be joined by nearly a dozen other artists, including Danielle Peck & Coley McCabe, Shanna Crooks, Joe Wiese and Kelsie & Ryan. All performers are donating their time to play all guests with get a "Team Thomas" bracelet when they buy their ticket.

In addition to the music, a silent auction will be held with a decidedly Nashville flavor — an autographed Nashville Predators hockey stick, Tennessee Titans merchandise, signed posters, shirts and CDs of several country music stars, gift certificates and more. Oh, and feel free to bid on and walk away with Jordin Tootoo’s autographed jersey.

The event was conceived and organized by Sandy’s friend, Shana Dyer, co-owner of Harlow Salon, who is also trying to set up a donation site on the Internet. For more information, check her business’ site at harlowsalon.com
— Vincent Troia


fair
FRIDAY, AUG.7-15
Williamson County Fair
Agricultural Exposition Park
4215 Long Lane, Franklin
794-4386, williamsoncountyfair.org
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, $5 for adults, $2 for children

The Williamson County Fair will celebrate its fifth anniversary this month with an acknowledgment of where the event has come from. The eight-day extravaganza’s tagline is “We’ve got a good thing growing” and may be best embodied by Mega Drop, the 145-foot drop tower that will loom over the midway. Other adrenaline attractions include a 90-foot ferris wheel and a 90-foot slide.

Entertainment options will range from the Alabama Blues Brothers Tribute Band on opening night to the internationally traveled Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show and the locally based Hot Shots Jump Rope team. Other musical entertainers will include The Katinas, a band of Samoan gospel singers, as well as veteran performers Savannah Jack. In addition, Taylor Ware, “America’s yodeling sweetheart,” will host a children’s singing competition.

And if you think you might have one too many funnel cakes Friday night, you can sign up for the 5K Run/Walk, which will kick off events bright and early the morning after.
— Geert De Lombaerde


fund-raiser
SATURDAY, AUG. 8
Orphan's Ticket Home Gala
Gaylord Springs Golf Links
18 Springhouse Lane
orphanstickethome.org
5:30 p.m., $40

When you get down and dirty with stats about orphans, it's pretty grim. Across the globe, there are more than 143 million orphans. That's the equivalent to the population of Russia. And, in such countries as El Salvador and Honduras, children without birth certificates — such as abandoned orphans — cannot be adopted, they cannot be registered for school and they cannot receive medical treatment at hospitals. This means abandoned youngsters face hopeless futures without love, education and proper nutrition and care.

In this economic downturn, now is not the time to shrug your shoulders and shrug off the issue. Locally, you can take part by throwing your support and cash toward An Orphan's Ticket Home Gala, a fundraiser by the American World Adoption Association to raise money for orphaned children through the world. The event, will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday with drinks and a silent auction featuring such items as a trip to Mexico, Tennessee Titans tickets and autographed memorabilia, jewelry, photography packages and more. A sit down dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by a performance by Sparrow recording artist Britt Nicole ("Set the World on Fire" and "Lost Get Found").

Money raised will go toward researching the identities of orphans in El Salvador and Honduras to make them eligible for adoption and to fund transitional homes in Ethiopia to prepare children for adoption in the United States.
— Alexa Hinton


music
TUESDAY, AUG. 11
Counting Crows
Ryman Auditorium
116 Fifth Ave. N.
889-3060, ryman.com
7:30 p.m., $45, $55, $65

Vocalist Adam Duritz and guitarist Dave Bryson began Counting Crows as a duo that had as much acoustic and folk influence as rock sound in its early days back in 1991. But by 1994, they were already becoming a superstar band, thanks to T-Bone's production of their hit debut release August and Everything After, particularly the smash single "Mr. Jones." Since that time, Counting Crows has evolved into a band with sometimes as many as seven members, featuring songs with two and three-guitar frontlines, soaring melodies and prominent blends of alternative and vintage rock sensibility. Known for fierce and exhaustive live shows, Counting Crows has also had quite a few songs featured in films and on television programs such as Family Guy and Brothers and Sisters. The single "Accidentally in Love" not only dominated rock and alternative radio, it earned them an Oscar nomination after it was included in the soundtrack for Shrek 2. Counting Crows will be appearing Tuesday night at the Ryman Auditorium as part of a big multi-act concert with Michael Franti and Spearhead and Augustana.
— Ron Wynn


music
TUESDAY, AUG. 11
Daughtry
Cannery Ballroom
One Cannery Row
251-3020, mercylounge.com
8 p.m., $20

Chris Daughtry didn't win American Idol in 2006, but he hasn't lost very much since then. The North Carolina rock band that he founded and leads had an enormous first CD. The self-titled disc ended 2007 as that year's biggest rock release and the fastest selling CD in its genre since Billboard began using Soundscan to accurately track record sales. It yielded two hit singles and eventually sold 4.5 million copies. The follow-up has only sustained that success. Last week Daughtry became the first set of live performers to outsell the deceased Michael Jackson in the past month, while also taking over the top spot once again on the pop charts. The lead single "Leave This Town" is more powerhouse material from the band whose specialty is driving, edgy rock with very little restraint or sonic variety. They are intense and energetic, and their tunes simple and exuberant. It's not aimed at sophisticates or musicians, but has proven ideal for plenty of fans. Daughtry will appear Tuesday night at Cannery Ballroom.
— Ron Wynn


music
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12
Demi Lovato
Sommet Center
501 Broadway
770-2000, sommetcenter.com
7 p.m., $39.50, $49.50

If you don't have teenage children, then it's possible you don't recognize either Demi Lovato's tightly produced, bubbly pop and haven't seen her films. But the Disney channel audience who embraced her roles as Mitchie Torres in Camp Rock and Sonny Monroe in Sonny with a Chance have also helped turn her into the latest big money act on the teen circuit. Both a veteran actor (she's been on screen since the age of 6) and a singer/songwriter, Lovato's first full-length CD Don't Forget debuted in the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts last year. Lovato topped that achievement last month when she released Here We Go Again. The second disc sold more than 100,000 copies in its first week, while also opening at No. 1. Lovato's said in recent interviews she wants to make the transition eventually to more serious, adult-oriented music, but that won't be happening for a while. Right now the light, celebratory fare that's clicked for the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus also is proving Lovato's ticket to success. She'll appear Wednesday night at the Sommet Center along with David Archuleta.
— Ron Wynn