By Gwen DeRu
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
TODAY…
OTIS, ROBERT JON & THE WRECK at the Nick Rocks.
WALLOWS AT IRON CITY and PENELOPE ISLES at Saturn.
COMEDIAN FINIS HENDERSON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
WALLOWS and PENELOPE ISLES at Iron City.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE at Perfect Note.
FRIDAY…
GROOVE CENTRIC featuring VOCALIST CHAE STEPHENS at Perfect Note.
GOOD MORNING BEDLAM, HELIOHEART, JOHN ELROD & HALEIGH BLACK at The Nick.
COMEDIAN FINIS HENDERSON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED DATING GAME SHOW and VALENTINES DAY DANCE PARTY with DJ CHARLES III at Saturn.
ABBEY ROAD LIVE presents: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE at Iron City.
JAZZ at Jazzi’s on 3rd Music Gallery.
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.
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).
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.
SNV – SATURDAY NIGHT VIBES, 10 p.m. at Platinum.
COMEDIAN FINIS HENDERSON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
TRUMPETER JOEY SOMMELIER at the Perfect Note.
UGLY BABY COMEDY at Saturn.
CADDIE/CHEYLOE/JOE D. NELSON at The Nick.
SUNDAY…
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
SOULFUL SUNDAY with GOOD FELLAS at Perfect Note.
COMEDIAN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
SUMMER SALT, OKEY DOKEY and BREAKUP SHOES at Saturn.
MONDAY…
THE BIRMINGHAM MOTH STORYSLAM at Saturn.
MO MONEY MONDAYS at the Eastside Lounge.
NETHERFRIENDS and BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND at The Nick Rocks.
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.
COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS, SLAUGHTER BEACH and DOG at Saturn.
GRACE POTTER and DEVON GILFILLIAN at Iron City.
MISTY BLUES and THE SASSY BROWN BAND at the Nick.
NEXT WEDNESDAY…
COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
LONAS and ZOE SKY JORDAN at the Nick.
LOWER DENS and AMI DANG at Saturn.
NEXT THURSDAY…
ORACLE BLUE, ELEMENT XI and BRIAN NATHAN at the Nick 
Rocks.
JASON BOLAND & THE STRAGGLERS and ADAM HOOD at Saturn.
COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
NEXT FRIDAY…
TYLER LANCE WALKER GILL/ ELECTRIC BLUE YONDER/ B.B. PALMER (STURGILL SIMPSON AFTER SHOW PARTY at The Nick.
COMEDIAN KARLOUS MILLER at the StarDome Comedy Club.
RUMBA LATINA BIRMINGHAM: LATIN MASQUERADE at Saturn.
WHO’S BAD: THE ULTIMATE MICHAEL JACKSON EXPERIENCE at Iron City.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
FOR VALENTINE’S DAY WEEKEND…
RED AND BLACK REGGAE AFRO BEATS SOIREE, 9 p.m. at Zanzibar. Don’t miss the 2nd Annual Red and Black Reggae Afro Beats Soiree with no Valentine, only lovers of reggae, afrobeats and other good music with DJ Tali. There is a Special Live performance by LE’A and JNR.
AT PERFECT NOTE…Thursday with PRE-VALENTINE’S DAY LIVE BAND. and, Friday with GROOVE CENTRIC featuring VOCALIST CHAE STEPHENS at Perfect Note.
AT SATURN… ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED DATING GAME SHOW and VALENTINES DAY DANCE PARTY with DJ CHARLES III.
AT IRON CITY …ABBEY ROAD LIVE PRESENTS: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE.
LOVE AFTER DARK, Saturday, 6 p.m. at B.O.S.S. Ultra Lounge.
AT STARDOME COMEDY CLUB…VALENTINE’S DAY WEEKEND with FINIS HENDERSON.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO…Birmingham Zoo Host AUSTRALIA LOVE & SUPPORT WEEKEND, Friday through Sunday. Join in helping with the aftermath of the Australian bushfire crisis by visiting the Zoo on Valentine’s weekend. Paying guests during these days will have funds from their paid admission ticket donated to the Zoo and Aquarium Association, Australia (ZAA), a sister organization to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), for increased aid to wildlife affected by wildfires.
FOR BOOK LOVERS…
GOING DOWN HOME WITH DADDY – Author KELLY STARLING LYONS book with illustrations by DANIEL MINTER is about a family reunion at Granny’s house. Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and is parents and sister will join grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in a rich celebration of family history. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. Down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to family history. Sis will sing “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” Granny’s favorite song, Isaiah will read “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. Devin has made a scrapbook in Granny’s favorite color blue. The question is: What will Lil Alan do? Whatever Alan does, nothing is more important than family.
FOR LOVERS OF PERFORMING ARTS…
FREE AUDREY CEFALY MASTER CLASS – THE PLAYWRIGHT VOCABULARY, 7-9 p.m. at Alys Stephens Center Odess Theatre. A once in a lifetime event for writers, directors, actors and all other lovers of theatre.
FOR BLUES LOVERS…
BLUES JAM, Thursday, February 20, 7-10 p.m. at Brennan’s Irish Pub. Join Blues Lovers for the monthly blues jam. Backline provided. Bring your voice or instrument, drummers only need sticks.
FOR LOVERS OF MARDI GRAS AND FAT TUESDAY…
1918 CATERING FAT TUESDAY – February 25 is Fat Tuesday at 1918 Catering, 6 – 9 p.m. It is also Customer Appreciation Day. Celebrate Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras at 1918 Catering in Homewood with great food including jambalaya, red beans and rice, smoked sausage, gumbo and bread pudding Hurricane drink specials and more.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS, SPOKEN WORD…
JAZZ at Jazzi’s on Third.
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 LOVERS…
AT UAB…
UAB ARTIST ALLYSON COMSTOCK – “Antarctica: A Disappearing Continent” by artist Comstock is exhibited until March 21 at UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. Works by Alabama-based artist Allyson Comstock created in Antarctica, alongside scientists engaged in climate change research, will spark conversation with an exhibition and expert panel discussion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Alabama-based artist Allyson Comstock lived and made art in Antarctica in 2013 as part of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers program. Her series of drawings from that time, “Antarctica: Micro, Macro, and In-between,” questions how society views and understands the larger natural world. Each triptych in the series contains three perspectives of the landscape of Antarctica: the macro, the micro and the artist’s view — the in-between. Those works, as well as artwork created in response, will be featured in the exhibition “Antarctica: A Disappearing Continent” on display from Jan. 13-March 21, 2020, at UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, 1221 10th Ave. South.
UAB 44TH ANNUAL STUDENT JURIED EXHIBITION – Works by students, chosen by artist and guest juror Allyson Comstock, will be featured in the Annual Juried Student Exhibition at UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, 1221 10th Ave. South at the University of Alabama at Birmingham through March 14. There will be more than 35 works created by 32 UAB art students. The Juried Student Exhibition is an experiential learning opportunity for the students of the UAB Department of Art and Art History. The show is open to all students currently enrolled in art and art history courses. Featured in the exhibition are works by students Erika Aho, Kathryn Aler, Kaitlyn Avery, Anna Ayres, Kristina Balciunaite, Cicely Brown, Emily Cox-Oldham, Xie Craig, Emmy Faison, Evan Franklin, DeJuan Gilchrist, Kendall Greene, Mikayla Hammock, Salma Hernandez, Marlon Jones, Jessyca King, Ein Laurance, Cole Martin, Mariam Massoud, Maha Mekdad, Harper Nichols, Kole Nichols, Faith Potter, Rosalia Reyes, Levi Sanford, Hannah Slatsky, Maria Smith, Molly Thomas, Savannah Turner, Brian Wang, Sydney Williams and Cristen Youngblood. AEIVA is open to the public 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12-6 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays. For more information, visit uab.edu/uabarts.
AT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART…
Check out five different ways you can celebrate in BLACK HISTORY MONTH, from a night out, to a new work of art. Admission to the Museum is always free
VISIT AN EXHIBITION – Check out the current exhibition Celestia Morgan: REDLINE, a series of photographs and small sculptures by artist Celestia Morgan that explores housing discrimination in Birmingham. Birmingham-based artist Morgan was raised and currently lives in neighborhoods that were once redlined, inspiring photographs in which she places the silhouettes of those Birmingham neighborhoods against photographs of idyllic blue skies.
NEW WORK OF ART – See the Museum’s most recent acquisition titled Dejygea by modern artist Mavis Pusey, located in our American galleries. Mavis Pusey was a leading abstract artist whose work went largely under recognized during her long career. After her death in 2019, The New York Times profiled the artist and quoted curator Hallie Ringle, “Black abstract artists, particularly black women abstract artists, were often overlooked or rejected for their stylistic choices, yet Pusey retained a focused thematic vision of her work throughout the entirety of her career.”
SCAVENGER HUNT OF THE MUSEUM – Have some fun exploring the galleries with a scavenger hunt that highlights some of the most significant works by black artists in our collection. Set up like a Connect Four game, this activity gives the visitor 10 different ways to play! Scavenger hunts can be picked up at either of our two entrances.
AFRICAN GALLERIES – View a new rotation of works in our African galleries, located on the second floor. Representing artists from many African countries, these galleries contain sculpture, ceramics, paintings, jewelry, masks, and more created by artists living today and hundreds of years ago.
FOR OUTDOORS LOVERS…
SATURDAY DAY HIKE, Meet 8:45 a.m. – Southeastern Outings Day hike at Brushy Creek and Sougahoagdee Falls, Bankhead National Forest. DETAILS: The hike will be six miles long and is rated moderate. Follow a beautiful trail which runs from the Brushy Creek Bridge along the creek. Observe about nine waterfalls on this route. See lovely cliffs, hemlock trees, canyons and perhaps some additional waterfalls. Visit the nearby natural bridge (not the one at the town of Natural Bridge) in the Natural Bridge Recreation Area of the Bankhead National Forest. Carefully-supervised, well-behaved children age 8 and older welcome. Bring a picnic lunch and water. Optional dinner after at a delightful Italian restaurant in Double Springs. Meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride. Plan to depart from there at 9 a.m. Or meet the group at 9:20 a.m. at the Mile 300 Rest Area on I-65. Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680.
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.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS…
AT SATURN…
UGLY BABY LIVE, Saturday, at Saturn.
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 THROUGH SUNDAY… COMEDIAN FINIS HENDERSON…
Finis Henderson’s show brings a TRIBUTE of six decades of iconic music stars from the classics like Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Drake, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, with the sounds and mannerisms of the acts that are accurate to be uncanny. A former Motown recording artist, with his own hit Skip to my Lou, Finis covers all genres of music from pop to country to opera. An all-around entertainer like his Godfather, the great Sammy Davis Jr, Finis’ show encompasses impressions, song, comedy, and dance. This total entertainment experience has made Finis a favorite act for corporate events, casinos and cruise lines across the globe.
NEXT TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY… COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON… By understanding that show business is indeed a business, comedian Marvin Dixon has managed to establish himself nationally while maintaining strong local ties to his loyal Miami fan base with community service. He has a phenomenal 23 year record for booking a weekly comedy show; which includes early showcases of some of the hottest comics in the game. Mike Epps, Sommore, Cedric the Entertainer, Rickey Smiley, Bruce Bruce, Guy Torry and others can thank Dixon for being willing to support them before they hit it big.
NEXT FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY…COMEDIAN KARLOUS 
MILLER…He has appeared in multiple televisions shows such as Hell Date, Yo Momma, Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes, The Mo’nique Show, Off the Chain, Comic View, Last Comic Standing and Wild ‘N Out. Ultimately, Miller is known for his role in Wild ‘N Out and his notorious “wildstyle” battles with fellow alum Chico Bean. Partaking in a series of improvisational musical and comedic games Miller is praised for his comedic genius and witty punchlines. In October 2018, Miller confirmed on the Breakfast Club that he had been fired from the show, but eventually was brought back to the show at the urging of fans. Miller is a part owner of a podcast, the 85 South Show with his co-hosts DC Young Fly, Chico Bean and Clayton English.
COMING SOON!!!
MARCH 14 – UNCF MAYOR’S MASKED BALL at Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.
APRIL 10 – THE ZOMBIES at Iron City.
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.
