Eight Days (7/08/10 - 7/15/10)

LIKE JACK JOHNSON, EXCEPT INTERESTING:

Within my home and— until the oil spill—on certain beaches, I have no problem with going barefoot. It’s pleasant. The sand is warm.

But the idea of walking barefoot through the streets of Birmingham and dodging broken glass and gravel, or hiking unshod around a trail on Ruffner and just hoping to dodge hookworm— these are things that make me feel all icky. Also, subconsciously there might be some play from the barefoot social stigma—that of poverty. It’s kind of funny, because one of the places that you frequently see people go without their shoes is the dance floor at wedding receptions, when nicelydressed women remove their heels to break it down. They probably do this because it’s more comfortable, and it’s easier to move without the encumbrance of heels. It’s also evidently much healthier (aside from the glass, athlete’s foot and hookworm) for your body to be barefoot—a point that author Daniel Howell makes in his book, Barefoot Living. The biochemist, physiologist and barefoot enthusiast will be discussing his book and barefoot living at the Emmet O’Neal Library on Thursday night. The presentation starts at 7 p.m. and it’s free. For more information call (205) 445-1121 or visit www.eolib.org.

FRIDAY 9

GET YOUR BUTT TO ZYDECO:

Seriously. Look, Todd Simpson and the Mojo Child have been ripping up venues throughout the Southeast for a while now. Simpson is a 22-year old guitar sensation who is walking in the footsteps of talents like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and many other heavyhitting guitar slingers. That’s not an exaggeration. The kid can play, sing and control a stage. He’s mesmerizing to watch. And, if you’re a fan of classic rock, Southern rock and the blues, then his setlists will leave you drooling for more. Todd Simpson hails from Odenville, Alabama, so Birmingham is something of a second home for him. But you should go check him out at Zydeco and make him feel welcome. The show starts at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information call (205) 933-1032 or visit www.zydecobirmingham.com.

A HECK OF A LINE-UP FOR THE GULF:

Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico are suffering—a major portion of their fishing grounds can’t be closed, and the public is wary of Gulf seafood. Their livelihoods are being destroyed, their lives put into limbo. But you can do something to help. You can head out to The Nick sometime after 4 p.m. for the all-day Gulf Coast Fishermen’s Benefit. The incredible artist line-up for this event features Maria Taylor, Sharrif Simmons, Zach Broocke, Olympic Swindle, McPherson Struts, Black Snow Revolution, The Jezebel Dogs, Red Mountain Renegades and Leaderdog. Cover is $10. For more information call (205) 252-2831 or visit www.thenickrocks.com.

SHARE THE BIG GAME WITH A BIG CROWD:

Hooligans, don your hooliget-ups. If you’re one of those folks that care about soccer, or simply likes to enjoy sports amongst a group of tons of other people that like to enjoy sports, then I’ve got an event for you. You see, more people around the world tune into the FIFA World Cup finals match every four years than watch the Superbowl or the Olympics. That’s frickin’ nuts. And some local, young Birmingham soccer-lovers are trying to make the finals into an EVENT this year. A HAPPENING, if you will. They’re going to show the game at Sloss Furnaces on a giant 16’ by 12’ screen. There will be beer, other drinks and plenty of food vendors on site. But the best thing is that the World Cup Live at Sloss Furnaces is a benefit for the Mid-Alabama Region of the American Red Cross. Tickets are only $3, making it easy to put yourself amongst hundreds of screaming soccer fans trying to drown out the whir of the vuvuzelas. Make sure your ass is there by 1 p.m. For more information call (205) 458-8285 or visit www.slossfurnaces.com.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MORMONS:

There’s this semi-Christiany church out there in the world called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church. This church is not very fond of homosexuals, and according to a fairly new documentary film called 8: The Mormon Proposition, Mormons and their church ran a highly-orchestrated and purposefully-hidden campaign that raised $22 million dollars to help pass California’s Proposition 8, which made it illegal once again for same-sex couples to marry in that state. Mormons cloaked their campaign pretty well, funneling lots of their cash through groups like the National Organization for Marriage, but director Reed Cowan (formerly a Mormon missionary) has unearthed some formerly secret documents to help argue his case. The film sold out at Sundance, and has received tons of rave reviews. Now you can check it out as part of the SHOUT Film Festival at Bottletree. It starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10; $7 for SHOUT members. For more information call (205) 533-6288 or visit www.thebottletree.com.

ANOTHER OSCAR-WINNER I’VE NEVER SEEN:

You know the story by now—athletically gifted black kid with a troubled background gets adopted by a white Christian, and hilarity ensues. Or, at the least, I assume The Blind Side was a comedy. I didn’t see it—I often end up missing Academy Award-winning movies because too much hype makes me think I know what’s going to happen in the movie, and while I like a couple of recommendations, I resent 50 people recommending the same thing to me. It becomes annoying. I understand it’s a good movie. 252-2831 or visit www.thenickrocks.com. Anyway, that movie is based on a true story, and the family in the movie (and in the Michael Lewis book), the Tuohy’s, are a real-life family. Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy have now written a book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, and they want to tell you about it when The Real Blind Side Family comes to Books-A-Million in Brookwood Village. Oddly, the notice about this event explicitly states that “They will only be signing copies of their new book.” So, you know, if you admire them and want them to sign something that means something to you, as opposed to say, a book you haven’t read yet, don’t bother—you need to buy the book so you can learn to share the power of cheerful giving. Anyway, the price of admission is the price of the book. The event starts at 7 p.m. For more information call (205) 870-0213.

GERI-ACTING, OR GERI- THEATRICS: I don’t want to make fun of these folks, because I think the idea of seniors performing one-act plays and learning to act and having fun is probably a good or great idea, and because I love Betty White. But I seriously couldn’t pass up trying to think of a funnier name for their elderly acting troupe than The Seasoned Readers. But seriously, folks. The Seasoned Readers have a new show called What Is It About Baseball? in which they tell stories of glory in America’s favorite pasttime. It’s sort of like The Vagina Monologues, but with more baseball and less, you know, vagina. They’re putting on this show at the Birmingham Public Library for a BPL Brown Bag event. It’s free and it starts at noon. For more information call (205) 226-3742 or visit www.bplonline.org.

THURS 15

LOVE THE NOISE FOR BLACK WARRIOR RIVERKEEPER:

It’s not just, like, the last movie Michael Keaton was in, I think. I can’t remember. But anyway, White Noise is also the stage name of Grant Willis, a 24-year-old sensation who has spun with the Disco Biscuits, Pretty Lights and Paper Route Gangstaz, among others. He also co-founded and deejays a monthly party in Tuscaloosa called Blow Your Head. But if you haven’t gotten a chance to check him out yet, Thursday would be a great time to do just that. You see, he’s playing for the seventh (of ten) Jam in the ‘Ham shows at Zydeco, a live music series that benefits Black Warrior Riverkeeper. Magic Hat Brewing Co. and March One Music are presenting the series, which has previously featured Darryl Hance of Mofro, Zoogma, Mama’s Love, and The Pimps of Joytime. Showgoers will be greeted by $5 pitchers of Magic Hat No. 9 and $2.50 tallboys of Pabst Blue Ribbon. There’s really no reason you shouldn’t go. It starts at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance; $7 day-of-show. For more information call (205) 933-1032 or visit www.zydecobirmingham.com.