For the Sidewalk weekend only, Speakeasy 1920 will be an all ages venue (must be 21+ w/ID to drink).
2007 MUSIC SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
JUNE AVENUE
Saturday, Sept. 29 @ 2 pm
June Avenue is a five member ensemble with a diverse and dynamic sound. Their songs borrow from singer-songwriter fashions, to driving rock while remaining squarely rooted to an indie-rock identity. Equally capable and proficient in harmony rich ballads, folk-flavored pop and upbeat rock, there is a balance in musicianship and delicate song-crafting that keeps June Avenue on the edges of conventional musical labeling. Although distanced from convention, June Avenue's sound identity is clearly established and characterized by its male-female vocal harmonies, piano melodies, and a variety of supporting instruments including percussion, bass, acoustic and electric guitar, melodica, and flute.
SHARRIF SIMMONS
Saturday, Sept. 29 @ 4:30 pm
Alabama-based performance artist, songwriter and activist Sharrif Simmons began his career at the famed Liberation Bookstore in Harlem. As poetry and spoken word underwent a cultural resurgence, Sharrif became a staple in New York’s cultural art scene. His poetry has been showcased not only in New York at The Cooler, CB’s Gallery, and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, but he has also toured Amsterdam, Berlin, Toulouse, London, and Glasgow.
Mr. Dial Has Something to Say (see pg 64) screens Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11 am at the Civil Rights Institute
THED WELLER, JOHN PAUL, & S. FLY
Saturday, Sept. 29 @ 5:30 pm
Thed Weller describes his music as “a little old school, a little new school.” He is the founder of the Hip Hop is Music Foundation, which is devoted to helping the youth realize their talents in the musical arts (namely Hip Hop music). John Paul has won such awards as the 2007 Alabama Shakespeare Festival Poetry Slam and the 2006 Dirty Thirty Award Poet of the Year. S. Fly and his group Red Light District have released several popular singles since they formed in 1992.
Mr. Dial Has Something to Say (see pg 64) screens Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11 am at the Civil Rights Institute
MICHAEL SHELTON AND THE EFFECT
Saturday, Sept. 29 @ 8 pm
Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Michael Shelton is perched on the edge of the fantastic. With unforgettable vocals and insanely catchy hooks, his songs command your attention immediately. His garage rock guitar sound is gleefully dirty as well. Influenced by a wide musical spectrum, his songwriting style varies from Pop Rock to Folk and Punk Rock to even the self-loathing ballad. Michael Shelton and The Effect pledges to rock, and for those about to rock with them, they salute thee.
LARRY PIERCE
Saturday, Sept. 29 @ Midnight
Larry Pierce, the star of this year’s doc hit Dirty Country, is a prolific singer-songwriter who, since 1993, has released thirteen albums of original dirty country songs on the Laughing Hyena truck stop comedy record label. In addition to being America's dirtiest country music singer, Larry worked for thirty years at Guide Corporation, a General Motors auto parts factory, where he'd dream up the ideas for his filthy songs. On January 9th, 2007, Larry released a new CD, Pussy Whipped, his first album recorded with the band -ITIS.
Dirty Country (see pg 56) screens Saturday, Sept. 29 at 9:45 pm at the Harbert Center.
SUNDAY
KIBBI JONES, DEXTER NEWTON, JOHN PAUL
Sunday, Sept. 30 @ 2:00 pm
Alabama soul singer and songwriter Kibbi Jones brings elements of soul, rock, hip hop, and a slice of R & B, lined with gospel riffs. Candid lyrics tell the stories of love, life, strife, heartache-vs-hope and triumph. John Paul has won such awards as the 2007 Alabama Shakespeare Festival Poetry Slam and the 2006 Dirty Thirty Award Poet of the Year.
Mr. Dial Has Something to Say (see pg 64) screens Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11 am at the Civil Rights Institute
ALABAMA GRAVY SOPPERS
Sunday, Sept. 30 @ 3:45 pm
What happens when former punk and metal musicians decide to hit the woodshed for a few years to learn the guitar styles of Mississippi John Hurt, Mance Lipscomb, and Sam McGee? You get the Alabama Gravy Soppers, constantly seeking enlightenment from music of the Pre-World War II era of the 20th century, including vaudeville and medicine show tunes, Depression-era blues, old-time country, spirituals and the like.
THE EXHIBIT(S)
Sunday, Sept. 30 @ 5:30 pm
With influences ranging from Metallica to Radiohead to Johnny Cash to the Beatles, even members of the band find it difficult to explain the Exhibit(s) sound. The group's shared fondness of Spinal Tap and Jägermeister probably is description enough. They have individually and collaboratively scored films like Hide and Creep, Reciprocity, Seven Year Switch, Sewing a River, and the Sidewalk 2006 short Golden Age.