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Warming up to the wintry blues at Mac & Joe's

Ben Meinking, Columnist

It's another Friday night in Oxford. The bars are reaching capacity as the temperature drops, making students question where to put their coats. The weather can make some people very sad, or in other words, feeling blue.

In an alley that holds two of many great Oxford bars, music emanates from the lower level of Mac & Joe's. After showing identification (since you have to be 21 to enter), rock'n'roll lovers can enjoy a great blues band by the name of Smokestack Lightning. They are a three-piece (guitar, bass, drums) band whose set list ranges from some of their own creations to the likes of Jimmy Hendrix and Eric Clapton, among others. For me, it was great to sit at the bar while listening to Alex Potet rip away at his guitar, Ed Kreibal keeping it steady on the drums and Mark Bittinger giving up some melody for my ears.

I recommend spending a Friday night at Mac & Joe's for this reason. You can feel the energy that pours out of every note they play. They have been playing there for quite some time now. I went and saw them back in late November and the bar had around seven people inside: three bartenders, the band and myself.

I went back this past Friday and found the bar packed with students enjoying the show as much as the guys were playing. It was a sight to see indeed. Grab your coat and head over to that alleyway and catch Smokestack Lightning killing it on a Friday night.

Career Services will be offering a Basic Interviewing Skills program at 7 p.m. in the Shriver Center MPR-BC. The session encompasses basic interviewing techniques and is required for any student who intends to participate in an on-campus interview.

After a year's hiatus, the Brown Bag Recital Series returns to a new home at the Armstrong Student Center's Shade Family Room. The series features solo and group performances by faculty and students, beginning at noon each week.

Wendy Brown of the University of California Berkeley will be sharing her theories of power, gender and oppression in her lecture, "Does Human Capital Have a Gender? Homo Oeconomicus and the Neoliberal Transformation of Politics." The event begins at 4 p.m. in the Shriver Center Multipurpose Room.

The Oxford Community Arts Center is hosting Second Friday, a celebration of the arts, starting at 6 p.m. This free event features live music from local musicians, new art exhibits and one-of-a-kind artwork for sale.

A two-day workshop put on by CraftSummer in Philips Hall will teach the art of copper enameling. Workshop attendees will learn how to produce usable bowls and dishes using different techniques. No previous art experience is required; call (513) 529-7395 to register.

Spend the afternoon ice skating at Goggin Ice Center. The event begins at 3 p.m. and is $7.50 for public, $6.50 for high school students and younger and $4.50 for Miami students.

Part one of the two-part lecture, "The World that Smith Made: Advocating for Religion in the U.S. Today," begins at 5:30 p.m. in ART 100. Speaker and Indiana University - Bloomington professor, Winnifred Sullivan, will be available for a Q&A session after the lecture.

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