By Gwen DeRu
APRIL SHOWERS AND MAY FLOWERS!!
TODAY
LIVE JAZZ EVERY THURSDAY, 9 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3rd.
TASTE OF BESSEMER AND BUSINESS EXPO, 4-8 p.m. Call (205) 425-3253 for more.
HAMRICK & HAYNES, AARON HUDGINS MUSIC and ANNA MCELROY at The Nick.
COMEDIAN BILLY SORRELLS, DAMN FOOL and D’LAI at the StarDome Comedy Club.
VINTAGE VIDEO GAME NIGHT at Saturn.
MUSIC, COMEDY AND MORE at VIP Lounge in Ensley.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
FRIDAY
ROB BELL “AN INTRODUCTION TO JOY TOUR” at the Lyric Theatre.
READING BETWEEN THE WINES, 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Birmingham Public Library, downtown.
SOUL DESERT, HANNAH FAIRLIGHT and RESULTS OF ADULTS at The Nick Rocks.
COMEDIAN JON REEP at the StarDome Comedy Club.
FUNK YOU and THE TALISMEN at Saturn.
UGLY BABY BITES BIT, 9:30 p.m., at the Birmingham Improv Theatre.
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.
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.
JAZZ GUITARIST U-NAM at the Perfect Note.
EVERY FIRST FRIDAY AT ZANZIBAR Bar and Grill, 9 p.m.
SATURDAY
KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE, every Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on V94.9 FM with Curtis Bell. Request Line (205) 994-8949 (V949).
KISS “END OF THE ROAD TOUR 2019” at the Legacy Arena.
EVERY SATURDAY AFTER HOURS AT ZANZIBAR INTERNATIONAL BAR AND GRILL, 9 p.m., 2024 Green Springs Highway with Caribbean, African, Latino music, Signature Dish Suya and Drink Specials.
THE LATIN ROCK XPERIENCE w/ETER4 & ALONG TIME AGO GO at The Nick Rocks.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, every Saturday, at Luxe Ultra Lounge, 300 24th Street S with DJ CHOCOLATE.
EAT DRINK AND RIDE NIGHT FOOD TOUR WITH COMEDIENNE JOY, at 6 – 10 p.m., meet in Brookwood Mall, at Grille 29. For more, www.diningoutwithcomediennejoy.com.
SNV – SATURDAY NIGHT VIBES, 10 p.m. at Platinum.
COMEDIAN JON REEP at the StarDome Comedy Club.
KEYBOARDIST JUSTIN LEE SCHULTZ at Perfect Note.
RUMBA LATINA BIRMINGHAM: LATIN NIGHT at Saturn.
SUNDAY
JAZZ AND FOOD, at Perfect Note.
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
SOULFUL SUNDAYS at Perfect Note.
THE DIRTY LUNGS, ILLITERATES, RADIATOR KING and ALEXA RANKIN at the Nick Rocks.
COMEDIAN DOUG BENSON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
STRAND OF OAKS WITH TYLER RAMSEY at Saturn.
MONDAY
MO MONEY MONDAYS at the Eastside Lounge.
BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND at The Nick Rocks.
KARAOKE NIGHTS WITH RICKEY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
TUESDAY
TASTY TUESDAY, 5 p.m. doors open, (30+ before 9 p.m.) (21+ after 9 p.m.) at Platinum of Birmingham, every Tuesday. Free Dinner buffet for Birmingham’s Best Happy Hour.
FIESTA TUESDAY at 1st and 23rd, all night.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
JOSE’ CARR at the Boss Lounge, 8:30 – 11 p.m.
SUPER SMASHED GAME NIGHT at the Nick Rocks.
FREE! SUBSTRATE BINGO at Saturn.
SAN HOLO at Iron City.
WEDNESDAY
LIVE JAZZ, at The Marble Ring, every Wednesday, 430 41st Street South, Suite B.
WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY, every Wednesday at 30/40 Hookah Lounge.
WINE AND JAZZ at the Perfect Note.
POLLY PANIC, THE MURDER OF JANE CROW, JACQUIE COTILLARD and POLY ACTION at The Nick Rocks.
COMEDIAN MARVIN HUNTER at the StarDome Comedy Club.
THE BIRMINGHAM MOTH STORYSLAM at Saturn.
NEXT THURSDAY
AN EVENING w/ACOUSTIC ASSEMBLY at The Nick.
COMEDIAN MARVIN HUNTER at the StarDome Comedy Club.
4 BANDS 4 BUCKS w/SOUL DESERT, THE GODDAMN RIGHTS, THE AUROPHUS and PEOPLE YEARS at Saturn
MIDLAND at Iron City.
NEXT FRIDAY
TRAGIC CITY, THE BOUQUETS and DOMMEL MOSEL at The Nick Rocks.
COMEDIAN TONY ROBERTS at the StarDome Comedy Club.
TANK AND THE BANGAS LIVE VIBES TOUR, MAGGIE KOERNER and DJ RQ AWAY at Saturn.
TANK AND THE BANGAS at Iron City
FOR FOOD LOVERS
ZANZIBAR BAR AND GRILL – If you love good ethnic food, then Zanzibar Bar and Grill is the place to go every Saturday night. Get your groove on with all kinds of favorite foods from Africa, Caribbean, and more. Enjoy music of all kinds including Caribbean, Soca, African, and Reggae.
VEGAN FEST TASTE AND SEE, Sunday 1- 5 p.m. at Tropicaleo.
FOR LOVERS OF THE OUTDOORS and WELLNESS
APRIL WALKING TOURS – Meet at the Fred L. Shuttlesworth statue at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) every Saturday morning during April for a FREE guided walking tour of Birmingham’s Civil Rights District. Each tour begins at 10 a.m. and lasts for one hour.
PINKTOPPS ZUMBATHON FUNDRAISER, April 20, noon –3 p.m. at 100 14th Street South, Hwy 150 in Bessemer. This event at the PinkTopps Resource & Wellness Center is to provide a resource to help women and men conquer the fight and the fears of breast cancer. There is a team effort in the community called ‘Recycling for a Cause Project’ drinking water that everyone needs and save the plastic to help save a life.
SATURDAY DAYHIKE, Meet 8:45 a.m. at Smith Mountain Fire Tower Area near Lake Martin – DETAILS: The Smith Mountain Alpine Trail at Lake Martin is some 20 miles north of the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail. The highest elevation around Lake Martin, Smith Mountain is a jagged peak mountain in the Sandy Creek area of the lake. The top of Smith Mountain is rugged. Jagged rock formations dissect the mountain top into a series of rough terraces that are for the most part disconnected. A house-sized crag consisting of numerous boulders stands out from and above the rest of the peak. Standing majestically atop Smith Mountain is the historic 90-foot fire lookout tower erected in 1939 for locating forest fires for 40 years. Visiting time is daylight until 30 minutes after sunset, daily. A trail begins at the base of Smith Mountain and ascends the northern and western slope for about 0.4 mile. The trail descends the southern and eastern slope of the mountain for about 0.6 mile back to the parking lot. The view from the tower is spectacular. In addition to the Smith Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, there are 5 miles of hiking trails. The two main trails are the Lake Shore Trail and the Little Smith Mountain Trail. The Island Hop Trail is accessible only during winter months when the lake is down. The Lake Shore Trail is a two-mile trail that descends the western slope to the lakeshore and follows the shoreline for most of the two miles. There is also the dramatic two-mile Little Smith Mountain Trail which has four resting benches with some spectacular views – one bench on a peninsula, two on the south face, and one on the top. Your hike leader has selected a scenic 3-6-mile moderate hiking route. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and over are welcome. Dinner in Alexander City after the hike is optional. Meet 8:45 a.m. at Publix in The Village – Lee Branch in Greystone. Depart from there at 9 a.m. Info: Doris Hatch, (205) 901-8367
SUNDAY DAYHIKE, Meet 1:45 p.m. – Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park – DETAILS: Enjoy a moderate four or so-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon. This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors. Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails. There will be some ups and downs. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and up able to walk the distance of about four miles and complete the hike are welcome. Share an adventure! Bring a friend. Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot. Depart from there at 2 p.m. Bring $5/person ($2 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink. Info: Doris Hatch, (205)901-8367.
FOR SPORTS LOVERS
JACKIE ROBINSON STREET FESTIVAL – In honor of Jackie Robinson Day, the Negro Southern League Museum will hold the 2019 Jackie Robinson Street Festival on April 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 102 16th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233. The festival is a part of an annual nationwide celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, which takes place on April 15. The festival will include meeting former Negro League and Industrial League players, children activities, stage performances, fitness activities, food trucks and vendors, and the introduction of Barry the Bear, the new NSLM mascot. For more, www.birminghamnslm.org or call (205) 581-3040. Guests will experience a day full of history as former players will be signing autographs and sharing memories. The museum will be open to view artifacts and memorabilia telling the story of black baseball in Birmingham and across the nation. This is a free family friendly event
COMING SOON! TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE WEEKEND – Mark your calendar for the RACES at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26-28 with the Big One on the Blvd Friday night, the Saturday Night Infield Concert, and the MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of 10-time Talladega Superspeedway winner Dale Earnhardt, was in town recently. Jeffrey made the ceremonial “first-drive” through the new oversized tunnel – getting a first look at what will be the new “finished” oversized vehicle tunnel. He will be driving a limited schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing this season in the No. 18 iK9 Xtreme Concepts Toyota. He led a personal best 29 laps in the season-opener at Daytona and was a contender all day, and then backed it up with a sixth-place result in Atlanta a few weeks ago. He will compete in the JGR machine in Talladega’s MoneyLion 300, as well as make his 2019 debut in the No. 81 for Xtreme Concepts Racing in the GEICO 500. Don’t Miss the TRANSFORMATION – THE TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY INFIELD PROJECT. For more, go to www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call (855) 518-7223. This is an experience of a lifetime.
REGIONS TRADITION GOLF TOURNAMENT – Regions Center will light up for the Regions Tradition Golf Tournament, each night from 8 p.m. until 12 a.m. and again 5 – 6 a.m. through May 12. This is to continue to build community excitement for the upcoming tournament May 8 – 12 at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Hoover. This golf tournament benefits Children’s of Alabama as the primary beneficiary. For more info on the tournament, go to www.RegionsTradition.com.
FOR COMMUNITY
CHURCH LADIES CLOSET – Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist, (Thomas), Rev. W. Eric Pullum, Associate Pastor, is hosting their ANNUAL CHURCH LADIES CLOSET, Saturday, 8 – 11 a.m. in the parking lot at 503 Fifth Street, (Thomas), Birmingham, Alabama 35214. The closet will include clothes and accessories for men, women, children, plus household items, toys and much more. FREE! Rain or shine! For more details, call (205) 854-1098 or 602-6981. The closet is sponsored by The Redemptive Women Ministry at Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church.
EMMA FORD AT THE JUNIOR LEAGUE BIRMINGHAM BARGAIN CAROUSEL – The Junior League Bargain Carousel is April 27, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and April 28, 1–5 p.m. at 5201 Princeton Way, Hoover, AL 35244. Don’t miss EMMA FORD. April 27, 10 – 11 a.m. to shop the sale with her and get shopping tips. Emma is a stylist, influencer and content creator based out of Birmingham who has worked with major brands (Proctor & Gamble, Johnson’s Baby, Kleenex, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, to name a few.) This is the largest garage sale in Birmingham. The BARGAIN BASH is Thursday April 25, 6 – 10 p.m. Join the Junior League of Birmingham for an evening of exclusive access to all the merchandise that will be sold at Bargain Carousel. Enjoy fabulous food and tasty beverages from local businesses, incredible auction items and private shopping at bargain prices. All patrons will pay double the sticker price and bid numbers are issued with ticket purchase. Be a part of this wonderful night as JLB raise awareness and funds community projects, which have made a positive impact on the Birmingham community for over 96 years.
BARGAIN CAROUSEL provides the local community with the opportunity to purchase gently used merchandise, including necessities like clothes, as well as furniture, large appliances with the added benefit of raising money to fund JLB Programs. This is not your typical garage sale! JLB programs serve those in need in the metro area, including initiatives related to domestic violence, human trafficking, homelessness, juvenile crime, healthy living, job readiness, personal finances and education. When you purchase a ticket to Bargain Bash and/or Bargain Carousel, when you purchase merchandise, or when you purchase Auction items at Bargain Bash, you are helping to fund the 38 community projects that the JLB supports, such as the JLB Diaper Bank, JLB Second Servings Program, JLB Essentials Pantry Program, Children in Crisis through our partnership with the YWCA, or Mobile Food Pantry through our partnership with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. Tickets for Bargain Carousel can be found: bargaincarousel.net. For more details, go to http://bargaincarousel.net/ or email BargainCarousel@jlbonline.com.
FOR WOMEN WRITERS
THE WRITE START 21-DAY CHALLENGE – See Jane Write by Javacia Harris Bowser is presenting a challenge to women that really want to be a writer, want to write a book or just want to write more. This challenge, April 6-28, is designed to help women uncover the confidence, commitment and creativity to develop a daily writing practice and get serious about writing, blogging and building a platform. Each day will be a challenge sent as a lesson and a writing prompt. By the end of the challenge you will be in the habit of writing daily. The challenge will also include a weekly virtual group coaching session, one virtual write-in and one virtual critique session that should give you the encouragement and community needed to stick with the challenge. FREE. For more, javacia@seejanewritebham.com.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS, SPOKEN WORD AND DANCE
SUNDAY JAZZ, 5 p.m. at the Perfect Note.
SPOKEN WORD OPEN MIC NIGHT, every Third Sunday, 7 p.m. at the Carver Theatre.
FOR ART AND PERFORMING ART LOVERS
AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2-3 p.m.
EMBODYING FAITH: IMAGINING JESUS THROUGH THE AGES through April 22.
ARTIST CAROLINE YOUNGBLOOD, next Thursday, April 18, at Gallery 1930. Meet Caroline, sip wine and celebrate her work while enjoying hors d’oeuvres provided by Stone Hollow Farmstead. Gallery 1930 is located at 1930 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, 35233. Call (205) 870-1930 for more details.
THE CONGO SERIES: PORTRAITS OF MWANA – The Congo Series: Portraits of Mwana is just around the corner! Seven portraits by Wellon Bridgers will be featured at Gallery 1930 in a solo show to benefit Mwana Villages.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS
AT BIRMINGHAM IMPROVE EVERY FRIDAY
UGLY BABY LIVE, 9:30 p.m. at Birmingham Improv Theatre.
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
THURSDAY… COMEDIANS BILLY SORRELLS, DAMN FOOL AND D’LAI…music video “Down in the DM” that to date has over 80 million views. Previously he was a series regular on FUNNIEST WINS for TBS, hosted a pilot for Oxygen called SWIPE FOR LOVE, and played “Chester Rich” in the feature LUCKY GIRL for eOne/BET. He can currently be seen as one of the correspondents on BET’s MAN CAVE.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY… COMEDIAN JON REEP… Jon Reep is an
American stand-up comedian and actor, known as the “That thing got a Hemi?” guy in Dodge commercials starting in 2004. In 2007, Reep won the fifth season of Last Comic Standing on NBC.
SUNDAY… DOUG BENSON ONE NIGHT ONLY…Doug Benson is known for his popular podcasts (including “Doug Loves Movies” and “Getting Doug With High”), films (“Super High Me,” “The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled,” “Chronic-Con: Episode 420”), appearances on TV shows like “@midnight,” “The Trailer Park Boys” and “You’re The Worst” and he had his own show on Comedy Central called “The High Court.” All rise for the comedy of Judge Doug!
MONDAY…KARAOKE NIGHTS WITH RICKEY SMILEY… Birmingham’s own, Rickey Smiley is taking over the StarDome on Monday nights. Come join Rickey, his band and whatever else he has up his sleeve as he brings Karaoke to a whole new level.
NEXT THURSDAY…COMEDIANS
COMING SOON
APRIL 20 – PINKTOPPS ZUMBATHON JAM at Bessemer Park and Recreation Center.
APRIL 20 – FAMILY FRIENDLY MINING HISTORY HIKE at Ruffner Mountain.
APRIL 26 – 28 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY RACES– Celebrating the 50TH ANNIVERSARY.
APRIL 26 – SHOVELS & ROPE + FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS with special guest INDIANOLA at Avondale Brewing Company.
MAY 7 – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.
MAY 11 – COOSA QUEEN RIVERBOAT DINNER CRUISE
MAY 14 – INDIA ARIE at the Alys Stephens Center.
MAY 22 – TYLER PERRY’S “MADEA’S FAREWELL PLAY TOUR” at the Legacy Arena.
NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 5 – 3rd ANNUAL ALUMNI GETAWAY CRUISE.
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.
