More Nuclear War, Record Store Day, and more...

They're Still Talking About Nuclear War
Host Clothing is inviting six- to 13-year-old children to collaborate with local artists in offering their visual impressions of the war and violence they see on television and hear adults discussing. A Saturday afternoon workshop was recently held at the KMA, where a group exhibition will eventually be presented, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20 a workshop will take place at Host, at 105 W. Jackson Ave. Titled “Children of the Atom,” the show will allow children to express how they perceive this difficult, often scary subject, as well as give adults an opportunity to see these topics through the eyes of children. If the event sounds a little intense or mature, Host organizer Craig Kandel promises the concept will be presented in a child-appropriate way, and there will be an emphasis on everyone having fun as they create together. For more information, contact Host through its Myspace page.

Record Store Day
April 19 is nationwide Record Store Day, a day to recognize independently owned music shops in your area. With slumping sales growing worse by the year, music retailers are acknowledging the unique and crucial role record stores play, not just in the dissemination of music, but the overall culture of music. More than a place to pick up a new album or two, record stores serve as a sort of bazaar for the exchange of tastes and opinions, tactile browsing and a way station for used records before they find a new home. They also provide that all-important human aspect to your shopping experience. So music retailers have come up with the concept of Record Store Day, to remind us how vital these stores are to the shared experience of music lovers.

Disc Exchange will celebrate with a full day of performances, including The Noble Gases, Econopop, Dishwater Blonde, Quartjar, Medford’s Black Record Collection and Garage Deluxe, as well as a viewing of the not-really-record-store-related-but-certainly-popular Juno. At Lost and Found Records, Nathan Moses will be spinning soul, punk, indie and all sorts of other rarities from his personal collection all day long.

Sassy Jams
Beginning April 16, Jon “Squorly” Worley will host Friends Jam Wednesdays, which is advertised as “NOT a blues jam, but band members and you play together.” If you’ve ever seen Worley with or without the Cornbred Blues Band, you know it’s a pretty safe bet the event won’t resemble typical open-mic jams and will probably be 10 times as entertaining.

Local "Boys"
Brooks Benjamin’s locally made film Boys of Summerville will have its premiere Thurday, April 17, 7 p.m., at Regal’s Downtown West Cinema 8. The film was shot last summer in Benjamin’s hometown of Kingston and several other nearby towns. Local thespian and recent George Jones-singing partner David Keith appears in the story of small-town softball and father-and-son bonding, alongside a cast of local talent.  The crew was comprised primarily of locals, too, making this ultra-low-budget indie comedy a truly homegrown affair. You can find out more about the film at www.boysofsummerville.com. (Eric Dawson)