If there’s one thing we learned from a certain late-night excursion last year, it’s that Nashville loves Mumford & Sons – or maybe they just really love us. Okay, they definitely love us. If you didn’t get a chance to catch Mumford & Sons at their sold-out War Memorial show in November 2010, they’re coming back for another round (or three). The band announced today that they’ll be playing three consecutive Nashville shows in March, at none other than our beloved Mother Church. Tickets go on sale February 4th. If you’ll excuse us, we’re off to go stand in line now.

Mumford & Sons at the Ryman Auditorium, March 6, 7 & 8.
Tickets on sale February 4 at Ticketmaster.

Photo by christyfrink.

We’re prepping ourselves for some serious eating this week, as Nashville’s first Restaurant Week of 2012 is upon us. Restaurant Week, for the unfamiliar, is a week of fixed-price meals at nearly 50 of Nashville’s finest local restaurants, mostly at $20.12 or $30.12 price points. We like to use the semi-annual event as an opportunity to try newcomers to the list of participating restaurants, but we have a little problem – it seems that every single menu is calling our names this time around.

Even at special reduced prices, Restaurant Week could easily wreak havoc on our bank accounts if we’re not careful. Our plan this time around is to make the most of it by partaking in some of the fantastic (and lower-priced) lunch offerings – $20.12 for a two-person lunch at Fido or Noshville, $2.12 for a cup of soup and bread at Provence, $12.12 for burgers for two at McCabe Pub, or $10.12 for a generous lunch at either Sunset Grill or Fish & Co. We may splurge on a dinner or two - we’re dying to try the mysterious and much-blogged-about Mama Myint’s House Salad at ChaChah - but the lunch deals should keep us fat and happy.

Check out all of the Restaurant Week participating restaurants and their menus here. The first Restaurant Week of 2012 runs January 16-22, but check individual restaurants for operating hours and days (most recommend reservations).

Photo by Keith Gallagher.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Frist Center is offering free admission today! This drizzly, dreary weather may keep us inside on our day off, but at least we’ll be getting cultured instead of sitting on the couch watching Netflix all day. (Who are we kidding, we’ll be doing that too.)

We’ve been itching to check out the current exhibits at the Frist, including Tracey Snelling’s “Woman on the Run” and “A Divine Light, a collection of Northern Renaissance paintings. Today’s the day! The Frist is open until 5:30pm on Mondays.

Photo by EAndJsFilmCrew.

Happy weekend, Nashville. With the plethora of holiday events this weekend (shopping, shopping, shopping), you could almost fool us into thinking that it’s already Christmas. Even though December is so fresh that we haven’t even flipped over our calendars, ChristmaHanuKwanzaakah will be here before we know it. So grab a jacket, some mittens and a steaming cup of hot cocoa and browse through this weekend’s holiday markets, art crawls and more.

Toy Drive at the Nashville Zoo (PDF alert!). Saturday & Sunday, December 3 & 4 from 9am-4pm, free admission to the zoo with each new toy donation. Looking for a low-cost way to spend the day with the kids? This weekend, Metro Police are collecting donated new toys at the Nashville Zoo. Bring a new toy, get a complimentary admission ticket – it’s that easy.

Porter Flea Handmade Holiday Market. Saturday, December 3, 12-8pm at East Park Community Center, free. We can’t think of a more perfect time for a handmade artisan market – If you’re looking for unique gifts for the holidays, this is your place. We’ll be busting down the doors at noon to get first pick of the goods, then fuel up at our favorite food trucks.

Local Table Holiday Market. Saturday, December 3, 5:30pm at the Nashville Farmers Market, free. Oh hey. Look at that. Another holiday market! We’ve missed the past few Night Markets at the Nashville Farmers Market, so we’re pretty excited to be getting a mini-second chance. Libations will be on hand for purchase (to increase your holiday cheer), then settle in for some local shopping, live music, tasty food, crafts for the kids and more.

First Saturday Art Crawl. Saturday, December 3, 6-9pm in downtown Nashville between 4th & 5th Avenues, free. Holiday art crawls are always our favorites (as long as we remember to bundle up appropriately). There’s something special about wandering from gallery to gallery, sipping hot (spiked) cider and enjoying the twinkling lights in downtown Nashville. It’s free and friendly for all ages (sans the spiked cider, of course), so bring the whole family.

Five Points Holiday Open House. Saturday, December 3, 6-9:30pm in East Nashville’s Five Points, free. Seventeen East Nashville businesses are offering drinks, munchies, sales, specials, freebies, crafts and events for the kiddos tonight in Five Points. Head to the source for a full list, which ranges from Eastside Cycles to Pied Piper Creamery to the Art & Invention Gallery (swing in there for their 10th annual Holiday Art Show).

Preds vs. Sabres. Saturday, December 3, 7pm at Bridgestone Arena, tickets start at $25. Had enough with the holiday this, holiday that? Head to the Bridgestone Arena to see the Preds play their first home game since before Thanksgiving. They’re coming off an impressive win in Vancouver, and we’re fired up to see them destroy the Sabres.

Photo by Denise Mattox.

So, there’s a Christmas parade downtown tonight! Did this fact escape you too? The 59th Annual Nashville Christmas Parade will get started tonight at 7pm by crossing the totally-structurally-sound-despite-being-hit-by-a-barge Woodland Street Bridge, then make its way down 2nd Avenue and Broadway before ending around Broadway & 7th (map). This year’s parade is supposed to be the largest ever, with grand marshal Vince Gill leading the way for over 80 parade participants. There will be floats, marching bands, giant inflatable things, gift-wrapped U-hauls, dance troupes, people in creepy costumes, the works! There’s also the annual Rudolph’s Red Nose Run 5k beforehand, if you’re into that physical-activity-on-a-Friday-night sort of thing. You won’t find us running, but you will find us bundled up, cheering, enjoying some uh, specialty hot chocolate from home and soaking in some holiday cheer.

5k & Parade Schedule

• 6:00pm: Rudolph’s Red Nose Run starts at LP Field (registration starts at 4:30pm)
• 6:30pm: Lighting of the Nashville Christmas tree in Public Square Park with Mayor Karl Dean, Piedmont Natural Gas execs and Vince Gill
• 7:00pm: Parade starts crossing Woodland Street Bridge

Road Closures for Friday, December 2

Closing at 4:30pm:

• Woodland Street westbound from 3rd Avenue to Interstate Drive
• North 1st Street from Jefferson Street to Woodland Street
• North 1st Street from Russell Street to Jefferson Street
• Titans Way
• Victory Avenue
• South 1st Street at Davidson Street
• 2nd Avenue North between Church and Union Streets
• Russell Street from South 2nd Street to South 1st Street

Closing at 5:20pm:

• Eastbound and Westbound lanes of Union Street (at 3rd Avenue North) to Woodland Street at Interstate Drive

Closing at 5:30pm:

• Broadway from 1st Avenue to 13th Avenue (including traffic crossing Broadway from 1st to 8th)
• Church Street from 3rd Avenue to 1st Avenue
• 1st Avenue from Demonbreun Street to Union Street
• 2nd Avenue from Demonbreun Street to Union Street

Closing at 6:30pm:

• 9th Avenue South from Broadway to Demonbreun Street
• 9th Avenue North from Broadway to Church Street
• 10th Avenue North from Broadway to Charlotte Pike
• Commerce Street from 9th and 10th Avenues North
• Broadway from 1st to 13th Avenues (including traffic crossing Broadway from 1st to 13th)

Photo by Stephen Yeargin, who is evidently the only person who takes pictures of the Nashville Christmas parade and puts them on Flickr.

The Regal Cinemas at Opry Mills has reopened over a year and a half after being flooded in May 2010, and they’re throwing a pretty sweet reopening party this week. Of course we’d never recommend that our readers skip out on work, but if, you know, you just happen to get sick or something, we know just the ticket to recovery – $2 movies!

Both today and tomorrow (and yesterday, but let’s not dwell on our failure to inform you), head out to Opry Mills to catch $2 flicks while stuffing your skull with $2 popcorn and soda. It’s for a good cause! Each day of the week benefits a local nonprofit, so round up your friends (after work, if you must) and take a big crowd. Special selections each day join a lineup of the past year’s blockbusters, so you can catch up on what you missed while the theater was closed.

Today’s special “Red Carpet” selections benefit our friends at the Nashville Film Festival, and include a few films we had the pleasure of seeing at this year’s fest:

• The Artist [PG-13] – 7:15, 10:10
• My Week With Marilyn [R] – 7:00, 9:50
• Weekend [NR] – 1:05, 4:20, 7:05, 9:30
• The First Grader [PG-13] – 12:55, 4:25, 7:20, 10:25

Tomorrow’s special selections will get you in the holiday spirit and benefit Second Harvest Food Bank:

• Fred Claus [PG] – 12:40, 4:10, 7:15, 10:10
• How The Grinch Stole Christmas [PG] – 1:00, 4:15, 7:00, 9:50
• Four Christmases [PG-13] – 1:05, 4:20, 7:05, 9:30
• Disney’s A Christmas Carol [PG] – 12:55, 4:25, 7:20, 10:25

If none of these tickle your fancy, all of the following films are showing through Wednesday the 16th (times here) and also benefit the nonprofits above:

Soul Surfer, Zookeeper, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Super 8, Green Lantern, Fast Five, Bridesmaids, X-Men: First Class, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Captain America, Cars 2, Thor, The Hangover 2, Crazy Stupid Love, Cowboys & Aliens, Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (IMAX 3D)

Welcome back, IMAX. We’ve missed you.

Photo by morganlevy.

We were so sad to hear the news that Joey Bowker, better known as Nashville’s own Bat Poet, passed away over the weekend at the young age of 59. Your Nashvillest editors discovered the Bat Poet shortly after relocating to Nashville, flipping back and forth between whatever was on public access and weeklong Made marathons during caffeine-fueled college all-nighters. In a way, he was sort of our role model – capturing the quirky side of Nashville for all to see. For those who never had the same late night moment of discovery, allow us to point you to YouTube to get to know our longtime friend.

Cheers, Mr. Bowker. You’ve made our years in Nashville a bit more colorful and taught us to never take ourselves too seriously. In your memory, we’ll keep embracing all the weird that Nashville wants to throw our way.

Photo by HipNose Photography.

It’s a fine weekend in Nashville. Beautiful crisp fall weather and lots of things to do. Here are our top picks for the weekend:

Edgehill Village Artisan Fair. Saturday, October 22 in Edgehill Village, 10am-5pm, free. 50+ vendors and lots of festivities make this the perfect event to hit up on a crisp fall day. Read more here.

Grizzlies Red Dress Rampage. Saturday, October 22 at Belcourt Theatre, 12pm, $40. Ladies (and especially gents), put on your best red dresses and head to the Belcourt, where your $40 registration fee gets you a Yazoo beer at each of the five stops along this different sort of pub crawl/fun run. Stops at the Belcourt, ChaChah, PM, 12 South Taproom and Cabana. Registration starts at 10:30am.

Ghost Story Festival & Haunted Museum. Saturday, October 22 at Tennessee State Museum from 12-4pm, free. Follow a “ghost trail” through the Tennessee State Museum at this free annual event. Prizes, crafts, refreshments and spooky history.

The Big Nashty. Saturday, October 22 at 550 South Tunnel Road in Gallatin, TN. 12pm-3am Sunday, $20. Who doesn’t like a scrappy startup music festival? Two stages, lots of local music until the wee hours of the night, food trucks and more. Camping is encouraged, and we’re not sure why since it’s only one day. But hey!

Music City Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony. Saturday, October 22 at Walk of Fame Park, 1pm, free. Peter Frampton will be the newest star on the walk, and the ceremony is free and open to the public.

Musician’s Corner. Saturday, October 22 at Centennial Park, 3-5pm, free. Musician’s Corner is quickly winding to a close, with only three weeks left before they pack it in for the year. This week’s lineup features Matt Giraud, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, Coal Train Railroad, Heather Bond Trio, Felicia Barton, Micah Dalton and Melissa Fuller.

A School Uni-Formal. Saturday, October 22 at Old Made Good (1304 McGavock Pike), 8-10pm, suggested $10 donation. An “old school” party at Old Made Good benefitting a fine cause – the THRIVE Youth Development Program. Free beer and snacks, a raffle and a costume contest (dress as your best jock, nerd, lunch lady, or band geek to participate). C’mon… it’s for the kids.

Grassy Knoll Movie Night & Neighborhood Fall Festival. Sunday, October 23 in the side lot beside Bongo Java East, 4-6pm festival, sundown movie, $5. The star of the final Grassy Knoll Movie Night is Poltergeist, and there will be a neighborhood fall festival before the film. Read more here!

Photo by antirealism.

It’s no secret that your Nashvillest editors have bought into the food truck craze hook, line and sinker. And if our favorite trucks want to get together and serve up delicious eats in one spot every week and donate part of their proceeds to a fantastic nonprofit, we just can’t pass that up.

On the heels of the smashingly successful Food Truck Tuesdays benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank in Metro Center comes Food Truck Fridays at the YWCA on Woodmont Boulevard. Every Friday, a rotating lineup of Nashville’s finest food trucks wheel themselves into the YWCA’s spacious parking lot from 11am to 2pm and give 10% of the day’s proceeds right back to the organization to help them provide services focused on empowering women and girls to get out of domestic violence situations.

Hungry yet? Head over to the YWCA for today’s Food Truck Friday featuring the Grilled Cheeserie, DegThai, Mere Bulles and Dixie Belle’s Cupcakes.

Food Truck Fridays at the YWCA, 1608 Woodmont Blvd, 11am-2pm.

Photo by Sarah Duffel.

When Grassy Knoll Movie Nights came on the scene back in July, we didn’t know much about them, but we were excited. Outdoor movies are the best! Now, with a solid season of cult classics behind them – Lucas, Harold & Maude, Rear Window, The Princess Bride, Cool Hand Luke and Annie Hall – they’re wrapping up the year in October with Poltergeist. Appropriate for the season, is it not?

Arrive early for a Neighborhood Fall Festival before the movie. Belly-warming beverages from Hot & Cold, Bang Candy Company and Jackalope Brewery will be present, plus pumpkin decorating (BYOP), face painting by Chrome Halo, bobbing for apples, live music, a costume contest and “possible zombification” are all on the agenda. We think the new owner of that Ke$ha Halloween costume on Craigslist would be wise to debut his or her new digs and clean up – or glitter up – that costume contest prize.

Final Grassy Knoll Movie Night & Neighborhood Fall Festival on Sunday, October 23 in the side lot beside Bongo Java East. Fall Fest from 4-6pm, Poltergeist begins at sundown. $5 admission for the movie and festival (or $4 with a canned food donation), $1 for kids. $5 suggested donation for festival only.

Photo by Emily Spence for Grassy Knoll Movie Nights.