By Gwen DeRu
TODAY
Thursday Night LIVE BAND KARAOKE and OPEN MIC at Perfect Note.
CHICKEN DIAMOND, JEREMY PORTER & THE TUCOS at The Nick.
COMEDIAN HEATH HYCHE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
OF MONTREAL with LOCATES and1 at Saturn.
TRUMPETER JOSE CARR at Tutwiler Bar and Grill.
LIVE JAZZ EVERY THURSDAY, 9 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3rd.
MUSIC, COMEDY AND MORE at VIP Lounge in Ensley.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
THURSDAY SALSA, 7 p.m. with DJ JORGE “EL TEACHER” IBANEZ and DJ FREDDY KAPONE at Zanzibar Bar & Grill.
FRIDAY
AN EVENING w/DIRTY LUNGS + LATE NIGHT DANCE PARTY w/COREL at The Nick Rocks.
COMEDIAN IAN EDWARDS at the StarDome Comedy Club.
MIKE WATT + THE MISSINGMEN: DICK WATT TOUR 2019 at Saturn.
MICHAEL RAY at Iron City.
UGLY BABY LIVE, 9:30 – 11:30 p.m. at Birmingham Improv Theatre, 2208 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, 35233.
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.
EVERY FIRST FRIDAY AT ZANZIBAR Bar and Grill, 9 p.m.
LUTHER VANDROSS TRIBUTE WITH VOCALIST FRED NICHOLSON at Perfect Note.
SATURDAY
PEPPER PLACE MARKET, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m.
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).
GOOD JAZZ at Jazzi’s on 3rd.
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.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, every Saturday, at Luxe Ultra Lounge, 300 24th Street S with DJ CHOCOLATE.
PEARL LOUNGE in West End.
SNV – SATURDAY NIGHT VIBES, 10 p.m. at Platinum.
COMEDIAN IAN EDWARDS at StarDome Comedy.Club.
TRUMPETER RYAN MONTANO at Perfect Note.
THE MELVINS and REDD KROSS at Saturn.
LEE BAINS III & THE GLORY FIRES, LOAMLANDS, DREE LEER, HIM HORRISON and SNAKE CHURCH at the Nick.
SUNDAY
BARITONE NICHOLAS WARD at Samford University.
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
SOULFUL SUNDAY WITH FLUTIST SHERRY REEVES at Perfect Note.
COMEDIAN IAN EDWARDs at the StarDome Comedy Club.
NASHVILLE PUSSY, SKEPTIC? And ONEHUNDREDS at The Nick Rocks.
X AMBASSADORS – ORION TOUR at Saturn.
X AMBASSADORS at Iron City.
MONDAY
KARAOKE NIGHTS WITH RICKEY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
MO MONEY MONDAYS at the Eastside Lounge.
BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND at The Nick Rocks.
MT. JOY at Saturn.
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.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
JOSE’ CARR at the Boss Lounge, 8:30 – 11 p.m.
FREE! SUBSTRATE BINGO at Saturn.
KYLE KIMBRELL (Solo) and WILL STEWART (Solo) at the Nick Rocks.
NEXT WEDNESDAY
COMEDIAN MARVIN HUNTER at StarDome Comedy Club.
PAISLEY FIELDS and STEVEN BATE II at the Nick Rocks.
MOONCHILD at Saturn.
NEXT THURSDAY
CLASSIC THURSDAY WITH VOCALIST DOMINIQUE POSEY at Perfect Note.
MADNESS BEFORE THE CLASSIC MUSIC FESTIVAL at The Nick.
CLASSIC KARAOKE WITH COMEDIAN RICKEY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
NEXT FRIDAY
SUN SEEKER, LADY LEGS and SIXTEEN JACKIES at The Nick Rocks.
COMEDIAN LAVELL CRAWFORD at the StarDome Comedy Club.
SCARE YOUR FACE OFF FEST X at Saturn.
STEEL PULSE at Iron City.
TRUMPETER LIN ROUNTREE at Perfect Note.
FOR LOVERS OF FASHION
MAGIC CITY FASHION WEEK – SPLASHED BY DKG – BEING BLACK IS MY POWER – FASHION KICK OFF, Friday, 7 p.m. at Ensley Soho. Dress Code: All Black. BLACK DESIGNER SHOWCASE, on Saturday, 7 p.m. Red Carpet and Runway 9 p.m. featuring KENYA B and CALECHIE. Dress Code: African Royalty.
FOR THE COMMUNITY
JAZZNET – Jazznet the Classic Kick Off Networking event hosted by DENO POSEY is Friday, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Boutwell Auditorium where music and minds intertwine with live jazz, food, great networking and prizes all evening. Visit jazznetbham.com for more info. Call (205) 529-6471 for vendor info.
ALABAMA MULTICULTURAL NIGHT OUT –Join Alabama Multicultural Night Out at the Pizitz Food Hall, Every Second Friday night.
FOR LOVERS OF OPERA
CATCH THIS RISING STAR – Opera Birmingham opens the 2019-20 Season with Catch a Rising Star, as Opera Birmingham shines the spotlight on baritone Nicholas Ward, winner of the 2019 Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition. Catch a Rising Star will take place on Sunday, at 2:30 p.m. at Brock Recital Hall, Samford University. The recital will feature arias from Gounod and Mozart, among others, plus American songbook standards from Gershwin and Porter. Mr. Ward will be accompanied by Cody Martin on the piano. “Nicholas’s warm baritone moves effortlessly through a wide range of repertoire, with a dramatic depth suited to emotional lyric arias and comic timing ideal for opera’s funniest characters,” said Opera Birmingham’s general director, Keith A. Wolfe. “His recital will feature all aspects of that range, from Mercutio’s comic teasing of Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet to the Count’s seething anger in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.” Mr. Ward’s engagements for the 2019-20 season also include the Regular Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. Last season, he made his Chicago Opera Theater debut by stepping in as a cover for the role of Mr. Stubb in Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick. He was also seen as Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri with Winter Opera St. Louis, Schaunard in La Bohème with Union Avenue Opera, and Charles Knight in Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt with Lyric Unlimited. He also joined the roster of the New York City Ballet for the Brahms Liebeslieder Walzer. For more, visit www.operabirmingham.org/catch-
FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS
THURSDAY DAY RIDE, 9 a.m. – Southeastern Outings Weekday Bicycle Ride at Horse Creek Trail, Dora and Sumiton, Ala. – DETAILS: Join friendly folks on an easy 6.4-mile bicycle ride on the Horse Creek Trail in Dora and Sumiton, in Walker County, sort of near Jasper, Alabama. The trail itself is 3.2 miles long of bicycling one round trip on this outing. Ride on one of Alabama’s rails-to-trails conversion routes on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide, level and paved. No hills on this trail through fields, near houses and through the woods. The trail is nicely developed, with frequent covered benches. No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail! Note this is a relatively easy ride. Please bring your bicycle water with you. There is an optional lunch at a nearby casual restaurant with lovely views over the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. Meet 8:45 a.m. at the Floor and Décor Store on Green Springs Highway. Depart from there at 9 a.m.
Info and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, seouting@bellsouth.net or (205) 631-4680.
SATURDAY DAYHIKE, Meet 9:45 a.m. – Southeastern Outings Picnic Lunch and Easy Dayhike at Paul Grist State Park near Selma, Alabama – Details: Paul Grist State Park is one of the state’s most uncrowded, yet scenic state parks containing hills, forests, fields and a large, beautiful, tree-lined lake. Prior to the dayhike, eat your picnic lunch at the smaller pavilion right near the Park Office. Bring your picnic lunch and also $2 per person ($1 for children age 6-12 and seniors age 62 and older) park admission and a beverage for yourself. Dayhike Details: Hike rated easy with a few ups and downs. Total hiking distance is approximately 5.5 miles. Plan to walk all the way around the lake and then also walk on some additional trails in the park to make the drive time down and back worthwhile. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 9 and over able to walk three miles without complaining are welcome. Bring your drink and wear sturdy footwear.
Optional group restaurant dinner after the hike. Reservations not required for this outing. Meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. Plan to depart at 10 a.m. Info: Randall Adkins, 205) 317-6969.
FOR ART AND PERFORMING ART LOVERS
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2-3 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
PURVIS YOUNG: BORN IN LIBERTY, through this Saturday, at the Paul Jones R. Museum, 2308 Sixth Street, Tuscaloosa.
FOR LOVERS OF FOOTBALL AND MAGIC CITY CLASSIC
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL NAMED AMBASSADOR OF MAGIC CITY CLASSIC – Four-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion, Olympic gold medalist, and television sports analyst, Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, has been named this year’s official ambassador. As the ambassador, Shaq will be the Grand Marshal of the McDonald’s Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola parade and honored during the game’s halftime show.
2 CHAINZ PERFORMS AT MAGIC CITY CLASSIC FOOTBALL GAME – The largest HBCU Classic in the country will take place at Legion Field on Saturday, October 26, at 2:30 p.m. when Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University battle it out for bragging rights. McDonald’s will continue to be the title sponsor of the McDonald’s Magic City Classic parade, which will be broadcast live on WBRC Fox6 in Birmingham, as well as Raycom affiliates in Huntsville, Montgomery and Dothan. 2 CHAINZ, Grammy Award winning rapper and songwriter, has been named this year’s post-game concert performer. Concert admission is included in the price of a ticket to the game and the concert will begin immediately after play ends.
AT THE VULCAN PARK AND MUSEUM
LET’S TALK TRAINS, November 15, 10 – 11:30 p.m.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS, SPOKEN WORD
PEARL LOUNGE, Saturday, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 3132 Boise Avenue, S.W. Everyone free before midnight, Summer Time Fly attire and soundtrack provided by DJ CHOCOLATE and DJ PAKK. Pearl’s Famous Kitchen will be open. RSVP at www.urbanham.com.
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 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.
PEPPER PLACE MARKET, Saturdays, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m.
SHADES VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN FARMERS MARKET, Wednesdays, 3 – 6 p.m.
MOUNTAIN BROOK PRESBYTERIAN MARKET, Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS, SPOKEN WORD AND DANCE
PEARL LOUNGE, Saturday, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 3132 Boise Avenue, S.W. Everyone free before midnight, Summer Time Fly attire and soundtrack provided by DJ CHOCOLATE and DJ PAKK. Pearl’s Famous Kitchen will be open. RSVP at www.urbanham.com.
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 COMEDY LOVERS
AT THE LYRIC THEATRE
Comedy Queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Bianca Del Rio brings her worldwide It’s Jester Joke Comedy Tour to Lyric Theatre on Sunday, November 3. This Fall, the self-proclaimed “clown in a gown” brings her irreverent, side-splitting comedy to over 40 cities for what will be the biggest ever solo drag stand-up comedy tour in North America. All along her global It’s Jester Joke Tour, which includes sold out headlining shows at London’s Wembley Arena and NYC’s Carnegie Hall, America’s funniest drag superstar Bianca Del Rio tells tales of her worldwide adventures and the outrageous circus that is her life, covering everything from politics to travel, family and social media. * Bianca Del Rio “It’s Jester Joke” North American Tour * Matt and Kim Grand 10 Year Celebration Tour * McQueen ‘Black Cat’ out 10/25 * Foil Arms and Hog U.S. Tour * Hari Kondabolu on Tour * Mark Mallman “The Happiness Playlist” Book Tour (Think Piece Publishing) * Cantina Acres ‘Future Youth’ EP and Tour * Shane Mauss “Stand Up Science” on Tour * Eugene Mirman “It Started As A Joke” Documentary *
AT BIRMINGHAM IMPROV EVERY FRIDAY
UGLY BABY LIVE, 9:30 p.m. at Birmingham Improv Theatre, 2208 7th Avenue South, 35233.
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 HEATH HYCHE… Heath’s television credits include “The Tonight Show”, Jeff Foxworthy’s hit sketch comedy show “Blue Collar TV”, CMT’s “Comedy Road Show”; NBC’s “Late Night Stand-Up”, Roseanne Barr’s “Saturday Night Special”, “Last Comic Standing”, FOX’s “Jack’s House”, CBS’ “Drive” and “Style and Substance”; and the lead in the ABC pilot “Mark of Greatness”. Throughout his extensive career, Heath has headlined at countless comedy clubs across the country including the world famous Comedy Store in Hollywood, Calif., The Hollywood Improv and The Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club; as well as numerous performing arts centers and comedy festivals. He is also a favorite guest entertainer on Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. You may have seen Heath on the big screen in Jim Carrey’s “Man on the Moon”, “Odd Couple II” with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon or “These Ol’ Broads” starring film legends Joan Collins, Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor.
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY…COMEDIAN IAN EDWARDS… Ian Edwards was born in England and raised in Jamaica. His family moved to N.Y. when he was 17. Since then, Ian has obtained some of the most prestigious credits such as SNL (writer), MTVʼs hit show Punkʼd (regular cast member) and HBOʼs Def Comedy Jam (performer). Most recently, Ian was a writer on Foxʼs In The Flow (sketch comedy show Executive Produced by Jamie Foxx) and wrote on the 2011 BET Awards. He also performed on both Conan and Lopez Tonight in 2011, and appeared as a performer on Comedy Centralʼs Russell Simmons Presents the Ruckus in 2012.
MONDAY… KARAOKE NIGHTS WITH RICKEY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
NEXT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY…COMEDIAN MARVIN HUNTER… Having traveled both 
internationally and throughout the United States, sharing the stage with the countless veteran comedians such as Rickey Smiley, Mike Epps, Nephew Tommy, Rodney Perry, Michael Blackston, Corey Holcomb, Aries Spears and Damon Williams to name a few, Marvin’s brilliant comedic aptitudes has earned him numerous awards. Among them are 2003 1st place winner of the All-Star Hawaii Comedy Competition in Honolulu, HI; 2008 1st place winner of the Charleston Comedy Festival Stand Up Competition in Charleston, SC; and 2010 Top 5 Finalist in the Nephew Tommy’s 50 Comics Deep Competition in Columbia, SC.
NEXT FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY… COMEDIAN LAVELL CRAWFORD… Lavell Maurice Crawford is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Huell Babineaux, the bodyguard, assistant, and pickpocket for Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul. Lavell also played the role of Gus Patch in the Netflix original movie The Ridiculous 6.
COMING SOON!!!
OCTOBER 26 – 78th ANNUAL MCDONALD’S MAGIC CITY CLASSIC.
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.
