By Gwen DeRu
TODAY
SOUND SESSIONS IN THE GRILL at Iron City.
MEET CHANDLER HOFFMAN of Birmingham Legion at Iron City, 4 p.m. Free!
STATES & CAPITALS and RIVEBEND at the Nick.
MR. MICROPHONE KARAOKE at Saturn.
COMEDIAN JAMES JOHNSON at StarDome Comedy Club.
MUSIC, COMEDY AND MORE at VIP Lounge in Ensley.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
FRIDAY
SECRET STAGES, 5 p.m. at Saturn.
COMEDIAN NEPHEW TOMMY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
AN EVENING w/THE DRENNEN BROTHERS BAND at The Nick.
CAHABA BLUES BAND at Iron City.
ZEBULON ELLIS GOSPEL SINGER at Perfect Note.
FACEBOOK FRIDAYS, every Friday, at the Legion in Fairfield, 5 p.m. Happy Hour, 7 p.m. Line Dance, 9 p.m., DJ
Vick Goes Live and Ladies are free until 10 p.m.
MUSIC, COMEDY AND MORE at VIP Lounge in Ensley.
TIM SPINOSI’S COLOSSAL COMEDY SIDE SHOW at the StarDome Comedy Club.
FUNNY FREE FRIDAYS (Comedy Show) at Good People Brewery, 9- 10:30 p.m.
FRIDAY NIGHT EXPERIENCE at Luxe Ultra Lounge.
JAZZ at FRIDAY UNWIND, 6 p.m. – midnight, at Jazzi’s on 3rd.
PASSPORTS FRIDAYS, 10 p.m. – 4 a.m. at Legends Sports Lounge with Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Afro-Beats and Top 40. FREE until midnight.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
SATURDAY
SECRET STAGES, 5 p.m. at Saturn.
SOUND SESSIONS IN THE GRILL at Iron City with FRANK JORDAN.
FUTURE PRIMITIVES,MASQ and HOTBED at The Nick.
COMEDIAN NEPHEW TOMMY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
EAT DRINK AND RIDE NIGHT FOOD TOUR WITH COMEDIENNE JOY, at 6 – 10 p.m., meet in Brookwood Mall, at Grille 29.
SNV – SATURDAY NIGHT VIBES, 10 p.m. at Platinum.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, every Saturday, at Luxe Ultra Lounge, 300 24th Street S with DJ CHOCOLATE.
SUNDAY
TODD SNIDER with ROREY CARROLL at Saturn.
THE SAVANTS OF SOUL and JOHN THURSDAY at The Nick.
COMEDIAN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
JAZZ AND FOOD at Perfect Note.
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
SOULFUL SUNDAYS at Perfect Note.
MONDAY
KARAOKE NIGHTS WITH RICKEY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND, 9 p.m. at The Nick.
CARD PLAYERS SPOT at the TIDE AND TIGER, 6 – 12 p.m.
TUESDAY
Soppin’ Wet Cinema Presents: Trashterpiece Theater: TAMMY AND THE T-REX at Saturn.
FIESTA TUESDAY at 1st and 23rd, all night.
TIDE AND TIGER HOT TUESDAY, 3 p.m. until … on Graymont across from Legion Field with $.50 wings and drink specials until 9 p.m. For more call (205) 503-3880.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
JOSE’ CARR at the Boss Lounge, 8:30 – 11 p.m.
ACCURSED CREATOR, CARNIVORA and AS A NATION DIES at The Nick.
COMEDIAN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
WEDNESDAY
SOUND SESSIONS IN THE GRILL at Iron City.
GUIDED BY VOICES with PARK DOING at Saturn.
THE GREEN SEED, CALLIOPE MUSICALS and LITTLE GIRL at The Nick.
LIVE JAZZ, every Wednesday, at The Marble Ring, 430 41st Street South, Suite B.
WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY, every Wednesday at 30/40 Hookah Lounge.
WINE AND JAZZ at the Perfect Note.
COMEDIAN WILLIAM LEE MARTIN at StarDome Comedy Club.
NEXT THURSDAY
LOOSE LIPS LIP SYNC COMPETITION at Saturn.
SOUND SESSIONS IN THE GRILL at Iron City.
CAVE OF SWIMMERS and THRINE at the Nick.
COMEDIAN WILLIAM LEE MARTIN at StarDome Comedy Club.
NEXT FRIDAY
COMEDIAN WILLIAM LEE MARTIN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
TRAGIC CITY, MISS MOJO and DIRTYGIRL at The Nick.
APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION at Saturn.
MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA at Iron City.
FOR THE COMMUNITY LOVERS
BESSEMER NEEDS YOUR HELP – CALLING ALL BESSEMER RESIDENTS!!! HELP!!! Enjoy food, fun and games –1918 CATERING will host a Neighborhood Clean-up in Bessemer and is inviting residents to get involved. This neighborhood event takes place, Sunday, 10 a.m. at Enoch Brown Trinity Park. Bags will be provided. The event will be a full day and includes a school supply donation drive, with lunch followed by lots of fun and games for everyone. 1918 Catering is asking the community to get involved, by volunteering and donating school supplies. The City Needs Your Help! Get Involved Bessemer! For more info, call Jason Brown (205) 260-7515 or (205) 253-2246.
PILCROW COCKTAIL CELLAR OPENING IN DOWNTOWN – A new place to be is opening on Friday, 6 p.m. – PILCROW COCKTAIL CELLAR. This new speak-easy will be the place to go when you want to enjoy great cocktails downtown. It is hidden beneath Founder’s Station – a clandestine bar serving a full craft cocktail menu specializing in agave spirits. Door is located in the alley behind the Essential. (Look for the neon sign).
GROWN AND GREEK WEEKEND – Grown and Greek Weekend is August 23 – 26. There will be Fun and Games on Thursday at Dannon Project, All Black Celebration on Friday at Jazzy’s on 1st, Greeks in the City on Saturday and Divine 9 Sunday. For more, go to www.grownandgreekweekend.com.
PEPPER PLACE MARKET, every Saturday.
FOR ART AND PERFORMING ART LOVERS…
AT KESSLER LOFTS:
PORTIA WILLIAMS ART SHOWING – Kessler’s Artist Reception featuring original works by Portia Williams is August 9, 5- 6 p.m. at Forstall Art Center, 215, 20th Street North. The viewing is August 5 – 30 at Kessler’s Lofts 3rd Avenue North near 20th Street.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART:
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2-3 p.m.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS AND SPOKEN WORD
SECRET STAGES…FRIDAY AND SATURDAY – Secret Stages is a music discovery festival featuring over 50 up-and-coming or under-the-radar acts from around the nation, the region, and our own backyard. Secret Stages 2018 will be held this weekend in the Avondale district (Saturn, The Hangar, Avondale Brewery and on 41st Street) of Birmingham, Ala.
COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS (Phoenix), SA-ROC (Atlanta, GA). Sa-Roc has carved out her own lane through a combination of airtight wordplay and intelligent concepts. She’s performed alongside the likes of Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Atmosphere, and is one of the few MCs to perform regularly as a feature artist with The Roots, around the country. She’s also landed an underground hit with “The Who?” featuring David Banner. She appears in William Feagins Jr.’s upcoming film, The Possibility Of Her, a feature-length documentary that echoes many of the obstacles overcome by Sa-Roc in her career.
OSHUN (New York, NY) performing Midnight Saturday at Saturn – OSHUN is an independent Hip-Hop/Soul duo and the sonic manifestation of Afrofuturism. Using digital and acoustic sounds, heavy drums and bass, and ambient harmonic textures, OSHUN connects with the spirit of their ancestors to manifest a sweeter tomorrow for us all. They are recognized by Rolling Stone, The FADER, Viceland, Huffington Post, NPR, Essence, and Vogue. They’ve performed throughout the U.S. and Brazil all while remaining full-time college students at NYU. It’s been a wonderful journey and now that these young goddesses have graduated college, they are transitioning into the next phase of manifesting their purpose.
FRIDAY – CHEW, DOPE KNIFE, SA-ROC, KADESH, SILAS, ANDREW BRYANT, D. HORTON.
SATURDAY – SAMUS, TRANSLEE, ROSCOE, 729, BASS HEAD JAZZ, TIDUS, G. I. MAGUS, ERTHLING and plenty more each night. For all of the performers, check out www.secretstages.net.
SUNDAY JAZZ, 5 p.m. at the Perfect Note.
SPOKEN WORD OPEN MIC NIGHT, every Third Sunday, 7 p.m. at the Carver Theatre.
A NIGHT OF SOUL, JAZZ AND FUN – Mose Stovall is celebrating 49 years, August 17, 8 p.m. at the Purpose Center at Dannon with Crowd Control by DJ Mose Stovall… Call (205) 862-4723 for more.
SOULFUL JAZZ FEST- Live in Concert is MAHOGANY SEOUL featuring MARLON BOONE Saxophonist. 8 p.m. at Dannon Project.
MIDTOWN MUSIC FEST in Linn Park, August 10-11 featuring BONEY JAMES, LEDISI, KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL, DAMIEN ESCOBAR, ORIGINAL BIRMINGHAM ENTERTAINMENT with LOGAN, ALVIN GARRETT, YUNG VOKALZ and DOMINIQUE POSEY, JOSE CARR JAZZ QUINTET, NOTHING BUT THE SAX featuring DEE LUCAS, TONY EXUM and DONALD HAYES.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS
AT GOOD PEOPLE BREWING EVERY FRIDAY
FUNNY FREE FRIDAYS (COMEDY SHOW), 9 – 10:30 p.m., at Good People with Birmingham’s finest comedy show at a brewery. It’s free and features the best comedians from around the country.
AT THE STARDOME
TODAY: COMEDIAN JAMES JOHANN. James Johann was born in the Midwest during the ’70s era of bell-bottom jeans, wood paneled station wagons and disco music. His childhood upbringing was influenced by country music, countless bad haircuts and heavy doses of Catholic school. In 1991, after being fired from several “McJobs” James began his stand-up career in Kansas City. But don’t let James’ boyish appearance fool you; he’s a 10-year veteran of the stand-up comedy circuit. His self-deprecating sense of humor and high-energy style all come together to create a unique onstage persona. James relies more on his brain than the profane, and his comedy often hits upon the universal theme of failure, and provides a truthful and hilarious reflection of life as he sees it.
THIS WEEKEND: COMEDIAN NEPHEW TOMMY. Actor and comedian Thomas Miles has captivated audiences around the country and has received outstanding critical praise for his performances as a stage actor in King Lear, Soldier’s Play, Twelfth Nite, Colored Museum, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and What Ever Happened to Black Love. Thomas joined his Uncle Steve Harvey on the nationally syndicated “Steve Harvey Morning Show.” When his uncle offered to bring him on as his “sidekick”, Thomas jumped at the opportunity to be proclaimed Steve Harvey’s Nephew Tommy.
MONDAY: COMEDIAN RICKEY SMILEY ‘EVERY MONDAY NIGHT’ at the StarDome Comedy Club for Karaoke Nights.
COMING SEPTEMBER NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH
8th ANNUAL RECOVERY LUNCHEON – Celebrate National Recovery Month on September 15, 11 a.m. at the Harbert Center for the 8th Annual Recovery Luncheon. Join Pearson Hall, Olivia’s House, Zukoski Center and Fellowship House as they celebrate the successes of the programs. Enjoy a lunch and Silent Auction. Call (205) 923-6552 for more or visit www.adatc.org.
COMING SOON
AUGUST 19 – IRON CITY BOTTOMLESS BRUCH
SEPTEMBER 2 – SOUTHERN SOUL & BLUES LOVERS FESTIVAL.
SEPTEMBER 15 – TAJ MAHAL TRIO with JONTAVIOUS WILLIS at Iron City
SEPTEMBER 27-29 – SAINT GEORGE’S MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD FESTIVAL
Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time.
People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my emails:
thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com and gwenderu@yahoo.com.
