Weekend Preview: jazz festival, BBQ cook off and comedy shows

This is going to be a great weekend! Great comedy, tasty food and fantastic music. Let's get this party started. See you in the streets. 

Tonight
Progressive Southern Comedy - We’ve been taking a lot of hits lately from comedians outside of the state thanks to HB 2. Tonight Gastonia native Clifton Cash and fellow comedians Tom Simmons and Steward Huff will offer Southern comics perspectives on the South Sick of Stupid Comedy Tour. Don’t expect Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty stuff. These are progressive Southern comedians offering their take on politics and culture. 8 p.m., The Comedy Zone Charlotte, Suite B3 900 N.C. Music Factory Boulevard. $15. Tickets.

Beer Release Party - Be one of the first 50 people to try the limited edition of the Rail Trail brew by Sycamore Brewery and receive a free pint glass at today’s release party. 704 Shop will be there selling Rail Trail tees. 4 p.m. Sycamore Brewing Company, 2161 Hawkins St.



Thursday
Artsy Party - Herb & Felicia Gray's Happy Hour and the Charlotte Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi are teaming up for this edition of PNC Bank Presents Gantt After Dark. Features host Q. Talley, live music by the Harvey Cummings II Project and a DJ. Free with registration. There’s also Paint & Sip with Cathay Dawkins, which features guided painting and wine-tasting for $25. All Art supplies and a complimentary glass of wine are included. Limit 20 people.  Enjoy samples from Wingzza, winner of "Best Food Truck" in Charlotte and if that isn't enough, visit the Dessert Lounge with sweets by Creative Catering. 6 p.m. Gantt Center, 551 South Tryon St.
Parking: Duke Energy garage (101 W. Stonewall Street entrance) or The Green garage (435 S. Tryon Street) to receive special discounted parking.  Details.

Jazz Lovers - This is your weekend with dozens of live jazz events throughout the week ranging from lunch to late night jam sessions. Highlights include tonight’s Charlotte Jazz Festival First Night featuring Sammy Miller and the Congregation with special guest Wynton Marsalis, Friday’s Jazz in the Key of Life featuring Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Orchestra on Friday and a Creole Jazz Brunch on Saturday. Events range from free to ticketed. Various venues uptown. Schedule.

Friday

Happy Birthday - Join the EpiCentre as it celebrates Rooftop 210 Anniversary & Season Opener. VIP Happy Hour 8 p.m. Rooftop 210, 210 E. Trade St.

More Jazz - The monthly edition of New Frequencies returns with Trio Red Space. Charlotte duo Ghost Trees opens.  8 p.m. McColl Center, $10/$12. Details.

Concert Series - Another weekly concert series returns tonight with SouthPark Cocktails & Concerts each Friday featuring live music until May 6.  5 p.m. Piedmont Town Center, 4725 Piedmont Row Drive. Details.

Saturday
‘90s R&B - Need to hear some R&B to set off a romantic night? Don’t miss Jagged Edge.  Hits include “Promise,” “Gotta Be” and “Where the Party At?” They performed to a small, but enthusiastic crowd CIAA weekend, but it was a good show. Food will also be available. 10 p.m. The White House, 4808 Wilkinson Blvd. Details.




Jimmy Buffett Party Bus Events
 Rockhouse

Schedule:
1:00-2:00pm - Check-In (Tyber Creek Pub)
2:00 - Bus Departs for PNC Music Pavilion
7:00 - Concert Starts
*** Bus will depart 30 min. after the show

Elevate

Schedule:
2:00 pm - Meet at Hot Taco, 200 East Bland Street
5:30 pm - Bus leaves for the concert
$20 and fees. Tickets.


I’m Just A Bill - My brother and I always started Saturday mornings with cartoons and “School House Rocks!” I can’t wait, wait, wait for tonight’s "Schoolhouse Rocks Live!" Adult Night No kids allowed for this show. We adults get to join the mosh pit and rock to this childhood favorite. Pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. with food, beer and wine from Mac’s Speedshop. 7:30 p.m., Children's Theatre of Charlotte, 300 E. 7th Street. $12 and up.

BBQ Competition - The 3rd annual Smoke Off BBQ Competition features 20 amateur teams making yummy food. Teams cook all day. $10 gets you unlimited samples till 5 p.m., which is when the voting begins. There’s also beer and live music. Benefits Purple Heart Homes. 1 p.m., The Unknown Brewing Company, 1327 S Mint St. Details.

Sunday
Righteous Comedy - Activist and comedian Dick Gregory unleashes his insight and wit on politics, pop culture, race relations and more. One night only. 6 p.m., The Comedy Zone, Suite B3 900 N.C. Music Factory Boulevard. $25. Tickets

Puppy Love - Show your support for our furry friends at the Mutts & Mimosas benefiting the Human Society. In addition to Atherton Market's current vendors, the event will feature other local artisans and mobile boutiques. 1 p.m. Atherton Market,  2140 South Blvd. Tickets.

Holla: Sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Ribs and beer at Southern Sauce festival (Photos)

The Southern Sauce festival uptown on Mint Street Saturday was a pork lover's paradise. Add a couple of pints of beer and life was gravy yesterday hanging out uptown. The free festival which spilled into Romare Beardon Park and featured live music. Next door BB&T Ballpark hosted a beer festival.

Pride parade and festival, BBQ at Birdsong

Today is the final day of Pride week. The parade starts in an hour. There's also a food event at Birdsong. Get out and have fun.


Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade
Don’t miss the festival highlight with all of the usual fun of a gay pride parade, floats, marchers and more. Parade starts at 1 p.m. from 9th and N. Tryon St.

Charlotte Pride Festival
This is what we’ve all been waiting for! National, regional and local entertainers, musicians and bands, and more than 150 vendors, including art exhibitors, area non-profits, political candidates, retailers, food stands and more. Tryon and Stonewall.

Que & Brew - Slow Food Charlotte and Birdsong Brewery partner to present Brew & Chew BBQ to benefit 10,000 Gardens in Africa. The food features local pork from A Way of Life Farm and local vegetables. 3 - 7 p.m., Birdsong Brewery, 1016 North Davidson St. $20. Details.

Arts Festival - Comet Grill isn't the type of place that I would usually go to for an arts festival, but today they are hosting Comet Sunshine Festival. The event features 25 artists ranging from painters to jewelers, a dunk tank, aerialists and more. Ends at 6 p.m. Comet Grill, 2224 Park Road. 

Bounce Baby - The Bounce Queen Big Freedia brings her style of bounce rap to Charlotte for Pride weekend. 7 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 East 36th St. $20.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Legos, bourbon and wine - what a Saturday!

When I was a kid, I loved getting Legos for gifts because my gifted cousin Sean would build me the most intricate ships and structures that would play with for months. This weekend, master Lego builders and other nerds will be into town for Brick Magic in Concord. If playing with Legos isn't your thing, I've got with you plenty of music and booze events.  Let's get this party started. See you in the streets.

Bluegrass and Brews - Enjoy eight bands and beers from nearly two dozen area breweries at the North Carolina Brewers and Music Fest. 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Rural Hill, 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville. Deets.

Race Finale - Head down to the US National Whitewater Center to cheer on the participants in the USNWC Time Laps 24 Hour Relay Race. They started Friday at 7 p.m. and end tonight at 7 p.m. Enjoy bonfires, food, craft beer and live music during the post-race festival.

Family Fun - Spark your child or you own imagination at the Brick Magic LEGO Festival. There will a huge hall filled with custom LEGO creations, and participants can build with thousands of bricks in the Free Build Room, and meet Lego professional builders. 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Embassy Suites Hotel, 5400 John Q. Hammons Dr NW, Concord. $10-$12.








Don't Forget

My Favorite Things - Head to SouthPark for what the Charlotte Bourbon Club calls the best bourbon event - Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival. Enjoy the Shrine of Swine, seminars in the Tasting Theater and live music. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. 5440 Carnegie Boulevard. $39.

Fashion Timeline - The Decades of Fashion show features style and fashion from the 1920’s to 2000’s by local boutiques, designers, salons and make-up artists. Admission includes red carpet, live music, fashion show and the after party with dancing. Participants are encouraged to dress in their favorite decade. 6:30 p.m. Le Meridien Charlotte, 555 South McDowell Street, North Tower.

Wine Tasting - Charlotte Food & Wine Weekend finale Big Bottles & Blues features 40 wineries, live and silent auction and blues music. The event benefits local children’s charities. CWFW is partnering with retailers The Wine Vault, Arthur’s Wine Shop and Bond Street Wines to offer the option to purchase wine at the event. There will also be special guests. 6:30 p.m. Founders Hall, Bank of America Corporate Center. $125.












Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com