Eight Days (7/15/10 - 7/22/10)

THURS 15

ENTERING THE FORBIDDEN ZONE:

Here in Birmingham we have a history of getting fed up with shit, and then deciding not to take it anymore, and organizing against that shit. When Walgreen’s proposed that they tear down the historic Fire Station No. 22 on Clairmont Ave., and tear down Bogue’s and Clairmont Auto, we decided we’d had enough. A civic group called I Believe in Birmingham sprung up, and partly thanks to that group Walgreen’s has agreed to preserve the No. 22, and possibly move Bogue’s Restaurant into it. They’re not done, either. Led by group president Joseph Baker, I Believe in Birmingham is looking forward, to new projects and new issues that encourage, preserve and celebrate what’s great about Birmingham. The group meeting is Thursday at 6 p.m. at Los Amigos restaurant (in the shopping center with the Piggly Wiggly on Clairmont). If you care about the integrity of Birmingham’s neighborhoods, then you should be there to make sure that the group isn’t only make believe. Help make sure that developer’s fingers are trembling fingers when they think about touching our forbidden places. Bum bum bummmm. For more information look around Facebook for the “I Believe in Birmingham” group.

FRIDAY16

THE DANCING OUTLAW:

Deep in the rural mountain country of West Virginia, in a place called Bandytown, lived a 54-year-old man named Jesco White. I say lived because that’s where he achieved a touch of celebrity, as a mountain dancer struggling with life in rural Appalachia, and with his father’s legacy. See, Jesco’s father D. Ray White was known as the greatest mountain dancer in the country. He’d become an expert at mountain dancing—a distinct style of dance native to Appalachia that involves elements of tap and clogging—before his murder in 1985. And Jesco is quite literally following in his father’s footsteps, preserving this intense and captivating style of dance. But Jesco is known for more than just his dancing—just like his father, he’s been the subject of several documentary films, which also profiled his rather rancorous romance with his wife, Norma Jean, who unfortunately died in 2009. He’s known as much for his dancing as his hard drinking, drug use and marital disputes, and he’s a rather fascinating character. You can come experience the man known as The Dancing Outlaw at Zydeco. Jesco will be joined by Caddle. The show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12. For more information call (205) 933-1032 or visit www.zydecobirmingham.com.

SAT17

IT’S TIME YOU CHECKED ‘EM OUT:

[Correction: The Dexateens are playing two night at The Nick. The line-up listed here is actually Friday nights. The correct Saturday night line-up is The Dexateens / The Howlies / Black Willis / The Spidereaters]

The Tuscaloosa-based rock band known as the Dexateens has been touring and playing around Birmingham and Tuscaloosa for more than a decade now. They’ve put out a number of records, including “Singlewide,” their most recent effort on SkyBucket Records. They’ve got a heckuva Southern sound that’s just damn delightful if you like that kind of thing, and you should because it’s awesome. You know you’ve heard their name— maybe you just haven’t made it to see them. Well, don’t miss this opportunity like you missed the other ones. Head out to The Nick at 10 p.m. to catch the Dexateens. They’ll be supported by Howlies, Hans Condor, and Downtown Handshake. Cover is $10. For more information call (205) 252-3831 or visit www.thenickrocks. com. If that’s not your bag, may we suggest you check out the Gulf Aid concert at WorkPlay? It’s $10, and starts at 8 p.m. For more information call (205) 879-4773 or visit www.workplay.com.

SUN 18

JAZZ ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON:

Thank God it’s summer. I wouldn’t care if it never ended. Drenched in sweat or not, I’ve concluded that I just love being outside in an Alabama summer. And I especially like being outside when there’s good music. If you’re like me, then I’ve got good news. You can head on down to W.C. Patton Park and see great music from Tena Wilson, Kimoni Duo, and Vann Burchfield Sunday at 3 p.m. The event, part of the Jazz in the Park series, will also feature a free musical lesson from the community music school known as ScrollWorks. The concert lasts ‘til 6 p.m., and is free. For more information call (205) 616-1735 or visit www.magiccitysmoothjazz.com.

MON 19

WOULDN’T HURT TO LEARN A THING OR TWO:

Now, I know you have your own concerns. You might be struggling, especially in this economy. Maybe you’re behind on a bill or two, or had to cut some things out of your life to save some money. But hopefully you’re not homeless. A lot of people are, and because of our current economic situation many more people are becoming homeless. If you’re not homeless, you’re doing better than a lot of folks, and you might want to keep that in mind. A good way to keep that fresh on your head is to head down to Jessie’s Place, which is the shelter founded by Jimmie Hale’s wife. The shelter is offering a free tour, called the “I Had No Idea” Tour, of their facility and operation, which they hope will offer visitors some truths they didn’t know about homelessness. They won’t solicit donations from you, so don’t worry about that. The tour starts at 10 a.m. The management at Jessie’s Place requests that you notify them if you’re coming so they can get an accurate headcount. You can accomplish this either by e-mail (tour@jimmiehalemission.com) or online at www.jimmiehalemission.com/tours. For more information call (205) 323-5878.

TUE 20

MEDITATE ON THIS:

A lot of meditation involves closing one’s eyes (it’s easier, then, to open the doors to your soul, you see). So I see an immediate problem with this ArtBreak event at Birmingham Museum of Art—what’s the point of meditating in an art museum if you close your eyes when you do it and can’t see the art? Do you feel it? Do you look at the art and then meditate? If we all chanted “Ohmmmmmmmm” at the right volume and frequency, couldn’t we damage the pottery? I have so many questions, which I’m sure the museum’s Curator of Education, Samantha Kelly, will answer. She’s leading a 20- minute gallery talk called Meditate with Art at the museum. It will begin at noon. Afterwards, you can go eat lunch at Oscar’s, the gallery’s new café! The talk is free. For more information call (205) 254-2571 or visit www.artsbma.org.

WED 21

THE MOST INTERESTING LUNCH IN THE WORLD:

Well, maybe not in the world. But the most interesting lunch you’ll have all week, assuming you’re not lunching with that fellow from the Dos Equis commercials. (Side note: Do you know the guy from the Dos Equis commercials got all the money he needed to do all those crazy things across the planet that make him “The Most Interesting Man in the World”? Well, I’ll tell you. Not many people know this, but in the late 1950s he fomented a revolution on a small island nation in the Gulf of Mexico called Cuba, and established himself as dictator. The money started flowing in then!) We’ll assume you’re not having lunch with Fidel Castro, and so if you want to have the most interesting lunch you’ll have all week, you should pack one up and head to the Birmingham Public Library for a BPL Brown Bag Lunch. This week, you can help Hitman With a Heart solve a mystery—a murder mystery, perhaps. It’s a dinner theatre murder mystery, only it’s at noon! Crazy. It’s completely free, so check it out. For more information call (205) 226-3742 or visit www.bplonline.org.

THURS 22

SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK DIRECTOR:

Earlier this month, you may have seen beret-wearing strangers with cameras in their hands and bags under their eyes frantically shuffling around Birmingham. While early reports suggested our city was under attack by insomnia-afflicted hipster tourists, there is no reason to be alarmed. Birmingham Weekly can now report with some confidence that these strangers were merely filmmakers preparing for the Sidewalk Scramble Jam on Saturday at WorkPlay. On July 9, teams participating in the music video contest were given 48 hours to meet a musician/band, and conceptualize, plot, film and edit a music video for one of the artist’s songs. Besides the time limit and content requirements, the entries are limited only by the filmmaker’s own skills, imaginations and capacity for caffeine. Don’t know what to expect? Neither do we, but it’s bound to be interesting. Tickets to the screening are $8. The program starts at 6 p.m. and will feature performances by local bands while judges are tabulating the results of the music video contest. For more information call 324-0888 or visit www.sidewalkfilm.org.