Stuff to do

Sing, sing a song

The Augusta Chronicle is accepting submissions for its fourth Singer-Songwriter Contest. The rules are simple - send a recording, CD or cassette of an original composition. Six finalists, three chosen by reader votes and three critics picks, will be invited to perform Sept. 16 at the Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival downtown. There, a panel of judges will select first-, second- and third-prize winners. The contest is open to all local singer-songwriters who have not previously been a finalist in the Singer-Songwriter Contest. The deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 12. Entries can be mailed to the following address: Steven Uhles, The Augusta Chronicle, 725 Broad St., Augusta, GA 30901. For more information, call (706) 823-3626.

The song remains the same

Led Zeppelin tribute act Zoso, on Friday brings the sound and style of the legendary British act to the Mission, 1157 Broad St. In the absence of a true Zep reunion, this is as close as fans will get. Agynst opens. For more information, call 399-9148.

The legend continues

Soul savior John Legend, who appeared as the support act when Alicia Keys rolled into town this spring, graduates to headliner status with a gig at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St., Atlanta. Legendary hip-hop mavericks De La Soul and Common open. Tickets are $26. For more information, call (404) 659-9022.

Imperial movies

The Imperial Theatre's foreign, Southern and children's film series wrap up this week with screenings of Amelie, Bright Leaves and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Bright Leaves screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Willy Wonka at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Amelie at 8 p.m. Saturday at the theater, 745 Broad St. Admission to the foreign and Southern features is $4. Admission to the children's films is $3 for kids and $4 for adults.

Being green

The Augusta GreenJackets take on the Rome Braves tonight through Saturday at Lake Olmstead Stadium on Milledge Road. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $1-$10. For more information, call (803) 278-4TIX or visit www.greenjackets.net.

FIRST FRIDAY ROCKS

Tenth Street between Reynolds and Broad once again becomes music central for First Friday. This week features free performances by local acts Edmond Kida at 6 p.m., The Master's City 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Camouflage Spaceship at 9 p.m. First Friday, with its usual, and always welcome, assortment of galleries, street vendors, performers and good Augusta vibes runs from 5-10 p.m. on Broad St.

There's also an acoustic concert and a car and motorcycle show from 6-10 p.m. Friday at Augusta Common, the 800 block downtown between Broad and Reynolds streets. Performers include Sassy Brass and the Recaps, Crop Circle and Tony Howard. Call 821-1754.

Rockin' the chevelle

Atlanta radio station WNNX-FM (99.7) continues its free Downtown Rocks @ Underground series with a concert featuring Crossfade, Seether, Subject 2 Change and Chevelle. Music starts at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Underground Atlanta, 50 Upper Alabama St. For more information or to register for tickets, visit www.99x.com.

Tapping in

Michigan band Taproot takes a break from its current tour with Chevelle to bring its heavy-hitting melodic rock to the Mission, 1157 Broad St., Saturday night. This 95 Rock sponsored show offers Augusta a rare chance to see a quickly rising act in a club setting. Hit it now, because this stuff has arena written all over it. For more information, call 399-9148.

The grass is bluer

Set in site appropriate Rabun County, the Dillard Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival features two of the South's finest contributions to world culture - mountain music and the eternal argument over whether pork is best served with a mustard or tomato based sauce. Admission to the festival is $5, It takes place Friday and Saturday in Dillard in extreme northeast Georgia. For a scenic drive there, take Georgia/South Carolina Highway 28 (Furys Ferry Road) north through Anderson and Clemson, S.C., then cross back into Georgia to Pine Mountain and turn left on War Woman Road. Turn right in Clayton, Ga., on U.S. Highways 23/441 and continue north to Dillard. For more information, see www.dillardbbq.org.

Tori, tori, tori

Piano pixie (I bet she hates being called that) Tori Amos performs at 8 p.m. Monday at the Chastain Park Amphitheater, Stella Drive and Pool Road, Atlanta. Tickets to this outdoor event are $28.50-$43.50. For more information, call (404) 233-2227.

Piece by piece

An exhibition by Augusta mosaic artist Laurie Adams opens Friday at the White Elephant Cafe, 1135 Broad St. There will be an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. with appetizers and a cash bar. The show will be up through the month of August.

VID PICKS

Guess Who (columbia tristar, $28.95): Thirty- eight years after Katharine Houghton brought Sidney Poitier home to meet her parents in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, it's time for an African-American woman to bring her white fiance home. Zoe Saldana is in love with Ashton Kutcher, but her father (Bernie Mac) has big doubts, especially when he finds out she doesn't know her fiance is unemployed. There are a few scenes, including one around a dinner table, that deal with risky areas, but the movie mostly relies on soap opera and sitcom formulas. It works efficiently on its chosen level, and Bernie Mac provides a focused, effective, often funny performance as a father who would subject a boyfriend of any race to merciless scrutiny.

Quick tracks

Slim thug, already platinum (star trak/geffen): Already well-known for foisting himself upon Mike Jones and Lil' Flip - and stealing big hip-hop shows with his thick, slow flow - Slim Thug had little left to do but beat his own boastful best raps. And cash the check. Yet, as cocksure as the title of his debut is, the smug Southerner worked hard to make certain the CD wasn't simply a showcase for the multiple producers and their newest charge. Though the Neptunes' jarring, precise synth vamps, stabs and slaps are as innovative as always, Thug is equally hypnotic. He artfully takes to rude talk (Ashy to Classy) and muscular toasting (Like a Boss). His deep drawl is smooth and sweet, but Thug's sense of timing and childlike rhyming give the clippity-clop of I Ain't Heard of That (with the Neptunes' Pharrell) a dirty percussive grind that'd make R. Kelly jealous.

- A.D. Amorosi, The Philadelphia Inquirer

More stuff

jawbones vs. sawbones charity basketball game: 7 p.m. Friday , Greenbrier High School gymnasium, 5114 Riverwood Parkway, Evans; lawyers play doctors; benefits Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services at University Hospital; $5; 724-5200.

candlelight jazz: 8-9:30 p.m. Sundays through August, Eighth Street Bulkhead; $5; 821-1754.

hopelands series: Free concerts 7 p.m. Mondays; Hopelands Gardens, Windham Performing Arts Stage, off Whiskey Road; Fort Gordon Dixieland Band Monday; 642-7631.

Contact Tharon A. Giddens, features editor, at (706) 823-3347, or tharon.giddens@augustachronicle.com.