Thurs 16
KICK
BISCUITS UP A NOTCH: I don’t think
I’m far from the truth when I say that most of us have fond memories of
biscuits. For those of us who have spent most of our lives here in the South,
biscuits are a staple. Christmas, Thanksgiving or Sunday dinner just wouldn’t
be complete without a warm basket of biscuits sitting in the middle of the
table. Dinner proper might not be ready yet, but those biscuits came out of the
oven only a few seconds ago. One of the most tantalizing smells known to man
fills the room. Everyone sits at the table, quietly pretending they’re not
interested, but everyone is thinking the same thing: “I want a biscuit.” The
moment someone makes a move and takes one, it’s over. Blood is in the water,
family and friends and grabbing hand over fist and those biscuits never stood a
chance. At the end of the meal, there will probably be a bit of leftover turkey
or ham, a mysterious green casserole will remain untouched, but the biscuits will have disappeared from the table mere minutes into the feast.
That’s almost exactly what happened back in March, when Birmingham Bake and
Cook Co. scheduled their first class of “Biscuits: A Southern Staple.” The
class filled up so quickly that they decided to go ahead and schedule it again,
so here’s your chance to get in on the action while it’s still possible. The
class will be taught by Rebecca Touliatos, Executive Chef of Hoffman Media.
Touliatos will teach attendees how to make a variety of biscuits, including the
classic buttermilk, sweet potato biscuits, Pecan drop biscuits and “Bacon n’
Cheese Biscuits.” I’m hungry already. The class will be held 6:30-9 p.m. and
costs $35 to attend. If it’s still Thursday, quick! Call (205) 980-3661 to
register for the class. There might still be some space left and you don’t want
to be late to the meal, left without any biscuits, do you? For more information
visit www.bakeandcookco.com.
FRIDAY 17
ROCKING
THE ARTS: It’s time to party hard
with art! The Birmingham Museum of Art is hosting the first of three Art On The
Rocks parties. “Who Shot Rock & Roll” is only a week away, and Art On The
Rocks will feature many events with similar themes. Birmingham is slowly but
surely starting to appreciate the fact that graffiti is art, especially since
the “You Are Beautiful” campaign took off. To that end, Art On The Rocks will feature
a graffiti art performance and creation center, where patrons will be able to
watch a large-scale graffiti collaboration get made before their very eyes and
then make their own. There will also be a scavenger hunt to win a piece of
Bromberg’s Jewelry, a DJ duel featuring LOBOTOMIX
and KIDSINTHECYPHER and guided tours led by Ron Platt, the Curator of Modern
and Contemporary Art. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will cap off the evening. Go to
Art On The Rocks and then go see “Who Shot Rock & Roll” a week later. One
thing’s for certain: it’ll rock. It’s all going down from 6-9:30 p.m. Tickets
are $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Call (205) 254-2565 or visit www.artsbma.org for more information.
SAT 18
THE
GEORGIA PEACH: As one of the best
people, hands down, to ever play the game of baseball, Ty Cobb was an interesting
character. He was often criticized for his aggressiveness on and off the field and
he was a temperamental man his whole life. The Detroit Free Press once called
his playing style “daring to the point of dementia.” But that’s part of his
greatness. So while it might seem odd at first that three people will be
playing one role in the Birmingham Festival Theatre’s performance of Cobb, it
makes sense when you consider who they’re portraying. Three actors will portray
Cobb at three different points in his life: in his teenage years, when he was
still “the Peach”; in his 40s, at the end of his baseball career; and at the
end of his life. A simple bio of Ty Cobb would be plenty interesting on its
own, but there’s another element to this play. Ty Cobb was an unabashed racist.
He refused to even play in exhibition games with black players. He lived in a
different time, sure, but his racism was still part of who he was. To an
outside observer, Cobb’s surliness just seems like a fun, entertaining aspect
of his personality, but such unflinching racism sits squarely across a line
that most people don’t want to cross in their head. With that in mind, having a
fourth actor play Oscar Charleston, a black baseball player, seems like the
natural way to show who Cobb really was–a man, with all his flaws, who was
still one of the best to ever play the game. Go down to the Birmingham Festival
Theatre to see an unembellished portrait of the baseball legend. The show
starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. Call
(205) 933-2383 or visit www.bftonline.org
for more information.
SUN 19
BOGART
& BACALL AT THE ALABAMA THEATRE:
If there’s any one person who has become synonymous with “cool, ” it’s Humphrey
Bogart. I’m hard pressed to think of another American actor (or any American,
really) who has such a large fan base overseas. Bogart was also married to Lauren
Bacall, sultry leading lady of such classics as The Big Sleep and Dark Passage.
The two co-starred in four movies before Bogart died. The Alabama Theatre is
playing Key Largo, their fourth and final film together, as the second movie of
their Summer Film Series. Key Largo is a film noir about ex-Major Frank McCloud
(Bogart) who visits a Key Largo hotel after World War II to pay his respects to
James Temple (Lionel Barrymore), the father of a dead war buddy, and Nora
(Bacall), his friend’s widow. While everyone is still in mourning, gangsters
take over the hotel and hold Nora hostage, all while a hurricane looms off the
coast. Bogart and Bacall alone are enough incentive to attend, but the
supporting performances are fantastic as well. Claire Trevor won the Academy
Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role as Gaye Dawn, the gang
leader’s mistress. So go see Key Largo. Not only do you get to watch a noir
classic, you get to watch it in the beautiful Alabama Theatre. The show starts
at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for seniors and children under 12.
Call (205) 252-2262 or visit www.alabamatheatre.com
for more information.
MON 20
OPEN
MIC AT MOONLIGHT: Moonlight on the
Mountain hosts open mic nights throughout the year. There’s a winner each night,
but it’s finally time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Moonlight is
hosting its Open Mic Grand Playoff, where winners from previous open mic nights
are invited to return and compete against one another for a chance to win a
three-song recording deal with Higher Ground Studios, valued at $500. It’s only
$5 to get in, and doors open at 7 p.m. Visit www.moonlightonthemtn.com for more
information.
TUES 21
PHONING IT IN: It’s been nearly two months since tornadoe store through Alabama and brought our state to its knees. There’s still work to be done, money to be raised and pieces to be picked up. Old Car Heaven is hosting “Raise Alabama—Benefit for the Survivors of 4.27.11.,” a telethon to be broadcast over the internet and rebroadcast by CW21 and MY68WABM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, 7-9 p.m. Celebrity hosts and volunteers will be on hand to accept pledges, and donations can also be given through salvationarmyusa.org with the tag RAISINGALABAMA. The event will take place 7-9 p.m. Visit raisingalabama.org for more information as it becomes available.
WED 22
A GUM
CREEK AND A BOTTLETREE: The Gum
Creek Killers will be playing at Bottletree along with Romany Rye and Adam
Foucette. The Gum Creek Killers are what you might call a local super group
(like our very own Travelling Wilburys!), pulling leading members from several
other local bands. They are Verbena member Duquette Johnston’s latest project, and
also include Teen Getaway leader Janet Simpson, and Brad Davis and David Hickox
of Plate Six and Broken Letters. Their sound is very folk-rock, but each member
brings something special to the table to create a unique experience. Head to
Bottletree and enjoy the tunes. Doors are at 8 p.m., and the show is at 9 p.m. Call
(205) 533-6288 or visit www.thebottletree.com
for more information.
THURS 23
ISAAK AT ALYS: Rock musician (and sometimes actor) Chris Isaak will be playing at Alys Stephens Center singing about the good, the bad and the ugly of love. Isaak wrote and performed the hits “Wicked Game,” which was featured in David Lynch’s film Wild At Heart, and “Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing”, which was featured in Stanley Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut. There will also be a pre-show party featuring food from Yellow Bicycle and music from the Martini Shakers. The party will be at 5:30, p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $32.50-59.50. $20 for students. Call (205) 975-2787 or visit www.alysstephens.org for more information.
coachpurses
