“If you’re lucky, you will hear parts of your life
played out on a golden harp.”
– Sharrif Simmons
Saturday, May 10, marks a year to the day since Sharrif Simmons was shot at point-blank range during an armed robbery on University Blvd. On the anniversary of the assault that nearly ended his life, the Birmingham-based spoken-word artist and songwriter performs at Bailey’s Irish Pub.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Pepper Place Market opens for its ninth season this Saturday, May 3. The market is open 7 a.m.-noon each Saturday through Sept. 27 and features fruits, vegetables, flowers, honey, bread and other goods from local and regional producers. The market also features cooking demonstrations by Birmingham-area chefs as well as live music from local musicians.
Check out the cooking demonstration and live music lineups below:
Pepper Place Market 2008 Chef Demonstration Schedule
Demonstrations begin at 9 a.m. each Saturday.
May 3: daniel george - Daniel Briggs & George McMillan
May 10: John’s City Diner - Shannon Gober
May 17: The Homewood Gourmet - Franklin Biggs
May 24: A Social Affair - Jim Cobb
May 31: Grey House Grille - Shelby Adams
June 7: Satterfield’s - Haller Magee
June 14: Terrace Café - Jason Mezrano
June 28: Icon - Ben Leingang
July 5: Little Savannah - Clif Holt
July 12: Bitty’s Back Porch Catering - Kimberly Brock
July 19: Standard Bistro - Alan Martin
July 26: Culinary Institute of Virginia College - Antony Osborne
August 2: Brock’s at Ross Bridge - Joshua Towey
August 9: The Gardens Café - Nichole Keesey & Alan Bullen
August 16: Sol y Luna - Guillermo Castro
August 23: Table - Daniel Lasseter
August 30: Café Iz - Ken Barrett
September 6: Bottletree Café - Thomas Bagby
September 13: Veranda on Highland - Tom Robey
September 20: Ocean - George Reis
September 27: Chef Clayton’s Food Systems - Clayton Sherrod
Pepper Place Market 2008 Entertainment Schedule
Performances take place on both the Richard Tubb Stage and the Interiors Market Stage.
May 3: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Grover Sheffield
May 10: TBA/Joel Kauffman
May 17: Debbie Bond and Radiator Rick/Sonny Pritchett
May 24: TBA/TBA
May 31: Christ Episcopal Church/Mike Hipp
June 7: Wayne and Marvin/Ron Dometrovich
June 14: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Joel Kauffman
June 28: Debbie Bond and Radiator Rick/Grover Sheffield
July 5: Wayne and Marvin/TBA
July 12: The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame/Mike Hipp
July 19: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Sonny Pritchett
July 26: Donny Tomlin/Joel Kauffman
August 2: Debbie Bond and Radiator Rick/TBA
August 9: Wayne and Marvin/Ron Dometrovich
August 16: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Joel Kauffman
August 23: Flying Jenny/Iikah
August 30: Donny Tomlin/Sonny Pritchett
September 6: The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys/Grover Sheffield
September 13: Wayne and Marvin/Mike Hipp
September 20: Oxy Morons/Ron Dometrovich
September 27: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Sonny Pritchett
Popularity: 6% [?]
Some artists find their home in the live setting. As a one-time member of the Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell learned a thing or two about delivering inspired live performances. Fortunately, Isbell’s knack for writing and performing has transitioned to his solo career. His 2007 debut release, Sirens Of The Ditch (New West Records), is a reminder that his contributions to DBT will be missed. With tracks including “Hurricanes and Hand Grenades” and “In A Razor Town,” the material on Sirens Of The Ditch possesses a songwriting maturity that belies Isbell’s 29 years.
But as comfortable as Isbell seems in the studio, he is most effective in front of an audience. The EP Live At Twist & Shout captures Isbell and backing band The 400 Unit giving an electrified in-store performance at a Denver record store. Performing three Truckers’ songs (”Outfit,” “Danko/Manuel” and “Goddamn Lonely Love”) two solo songs (”Grown” and “Hurricanes and Hand Grenades”) and one cover (Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic”), Isbell and his band offer a melodic, raw sound that falls somewhere between The Stones and The Replacements. Isbell’s delivery is ideal for listeners that prefer their songs of humor and heartache served over Gibson guitars. The disc is sold exclusively through independent music retailers and can be purchased online at www.thinkindie.com.
Popularity: 8% [?]
You probably know Robyn Hitchcock’s name but you probably can’t hum one of his songs. For more than 30 years, the English singer/songwriter has actively recorded and performed while flying under the radar of commercial success. But while Hitchcock’s songs don’t resonate across the FM airwaves, he has garnered immense respect among his peers. The DVD Sex, Food, Death…And Insects takes viewers behind-the-scenes as Hitchcock forms his backing band Venus 3 and tours the U.S. in support of his album Ole Tarantula.
Popularity: 8% [?]
moe. has been described as a “legendary jam band” and “the preeminent progressive rock band on the music
scene today.” On the heels of touring behind its 2006 release The Conch, the band retreated to rural Massachusetts for the writing and recording of its next studio release. The result is Sticks And Stones, released in January on Fatboy Records. Convening in a space once occupied by a church, the band wrote eight of the album’s 10 tracks during the recording session. A diverse effort, Sticks And Stones feels both familiar and fresh at the same time.
Known for superior musicianship and a devoted fan base, moe. - Al Schnier, Vinnie Amico, Rob Derhak, Chuck Garvey and Jim Loughlin hosts the festivals Summer Camp, Snoe.down and moe.down. In addition, the band has appeared at Lollapaloooza, Langerado and the Ottawa BluesFest.
moe. will perform at Workplay on Friday, April 11. Show time is 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.workplay.com or by calling 380-4082.
Popularity: 19% [?]
There’s the Broadway crowd, comprised of folks who actually go to New York at least once a year to take in a few shows, and then there’s the Broadway Across America crowd, comprised of folks who go the BJCC at least once a year to take in the touring productions of whatever their OTM friends saw two seasons ago on The Great White Way. And there are still other crowds, albeit significantly smaller ones, who support local theatre companies whose productions never, ever include anybody breaking into song. Of course, I can’t know for sure which of these crowds would boast the greatest number of Monty Python fans, but I’d bet on the latter — and my purpose in this post is to encourage that very group to go see Spamalot. I’m as snobby a theatergoer as lives in this area code and I enjoyed the show, which surely means you will – or should.
Popularity: 38% [?]
When people think of Southern soul music, the thoughts usually turn to James Brown, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. But a lesser-known crop of Southern soul men made substantial contributions to the genre and found exposure through the “Northern Soul” DJs in Europe. Three of these living legends will perform at Bottletree Cafe on Saturday, April 5. Ralph “Soul” Jackson, Roscoe Robinson and Wiley & The Checkmates will give a triple-bill show beginning at 9 p.m.
While each of these artists has his own unique story, Herbert Wiley’s resurgence is perhaps the most unlikely. Forming Wiley & The Checkmates in Mississippi 1960, Wiley led his band through the “Chitlin Circuit” and backed Soul legends including Percy Sledge and Otis Clay. But Wiley quit music to run a business and raise a family before finding the inspiration to perform again. In 2002, Wiley re-formed The Checkmates and the band released the CD Introducing… in 2004. The band’s latest release - We Call It Soul - is currently available on the Rabbit Factory label.
Tickets are $10 - $12 day of the show - and can be purchased at www.thebottletree.com or by calling 533-6288.
Popularity: 25% [?]
Bassnectar - a.k.a. Lorin Ashton - lists his influences as “NWA to Simon & Garfunkel to The Cure to the Field Of Dreams soundtrack to Frank Zappa” among numerous others. Voted “Number One DJ” in his hometown of San Francisco three years in a row, Bassnectar will make his debut Birmingham performance at Zydeco on Friday, April 4. Creating sounds described as “a vibrant concoction of hip-hop, glitch and jungle” (Remix), the DJ has remixed and collaborated with a diverse array of artists including KRS One, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Perry Farrell and The String Cheese Incident. Currently, Bassnectar is touring in support of Underground Communication, his latest release on Om Records.
Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $13 - $15 day of the show - and can be purchased at www.zydecobirmingham.com or by calling 933-1032. The show is open to ages 18+.
Popularity: 27% [?]
Things are moving so fast for Tea Leaf Green that its collective members should have windburn. Following the release of the 2005 CD Taught To Be Proud, the band took “Song Of The Year” honors for the album’s title track at the 2006 Jammy Awards. Shortly following the success of Taught To Be Proud, director Justin Kreutzmann - son of The Grateful Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann - captured the band on film for the documentary Rock’n'Roll Band. In addition to being released as an audio CD, Rock’n'Roll Band couples live footage with a behind-the-scenes look into the life of an emerging rock band.
Popularity: 31% [?]
Festival organizers have made the first announcement about the 2008 City Stages lineup. Acts playing on nine stages in downtown Birmingham June 13, 14 & 15 include:
Diana Ross
The Flaming Lips
Old Crow Medicine Show
The Roots
Buddy Guy
Citizen Cope
Sean Kingston
Galactic
Marc Broussard
Ledisi
Dave Barnes
Will Hoge
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Israel & New Breed
Martha Munizzi
Toubab Krewe
Fredy Omar Con Su Banda
L’Angelus
Rosie Ledet
Michael Warren
Jon Black
Ford Turrell
Act Of Congress
Blues Old Stand
Beyond Me
The Basement
Within Reason
Weekend passes for City Stages will go on sale in May.
The 2008 festival marks the first time that Knoxville, Tenn.,-based A.C. Entertainment, which co-produces the wildly successful Bonnaroo Music & Arts festival, has handled booking talent for City Stages. Bonnaroo takes place the same weekend as City Stages and acts that perform at the Manchester, Tenn., festival sign a non-compete clause that precludes them from playing both festivals. While having A.C. Entertainment involved in City Stages won’t eliminate the non-compete clause, it does connect the Birmingham festival with a significant talent pool: Musicians who already have a working relationship with Bonnaroo organizers.
Popularity: 41% [?]
