Having made himself heard from Bessemer to Brooklyn to Berlin, songwriter and spoken-work artist Sharrif Simmons will release his second full-length album with a show at Matthew’s Bar & Grill tonight, Monday, Jan. 19. American Music features a lineup of accomplished musicians collaborating with Simmons, include both Oteil Burbidge and Caldwell Macklin on bass, Carlos Pino on guitar and Jesse Suttle on drums. The CD release party begins at 8 p.m. Matthew’s is located at 2208 Morris Ave. in downtown Birmingham.\
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On Friday, Jan. 23, Simmons will host a special program titled “Music of Global Protest” at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Simmons has served as the curator of music in the newly renovated BCRI Human Rights Gallery, developing a soundtrack to complement the exhibits on the worldwide struggle for human rights. He will perform historic and contemporary protest music and spoken-word poetry from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Gallery tours and refreshments will be provided. The event is one of many being held in conjuction with the institute’s “Expanding the Legacy” renovation project. Visit www.bcri.org to learn more.