TCB Sept. 7, 2016 — Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Folk

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Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point triad-city-beat.com September 7 – 13, 2016

The 2016 National Folk Festival Issue Kotis’ gambit PAGE 11 Rolling Hills update Candy liquor PAGE 17

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016


A labor of love

by Brian Clarey

UP FRONT 3 Editor’s Notebook 4 City Life 5 The List 5 Barometer 5 Unsolicited Endorsement

NEWS 6 Pence goes to Winston-Salem 7 A public backyard 8 More from Rolling Hills

OPINION 10 Editorial: Insane clown posse

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10 Citizen Green: Soul of the movement It Just Might Work: Marty’s big 11 switch

FUN & GAMES

COVER

21 Jonesin’ Crossword

12 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Folk

CULTURE 16 Food: City council’s lunch tab 17 Barstool: Drinking dessert first 18 Art: The making of Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala

20 Duck soup for Quakers

GAMES SHOT IN THE TRIAD 22 Lake Brandt Road, Greensboro

ALL SHE WROTE 23 Mother’s Finest — revisited

QUOTE OF THE WEEK You need an attorney general who will fight to enforce the laws of this state, and stand up for the balance of power between the state of North Carolina and our broken federal government. We have a big, bloated, broken, out-of-control federal government, and every single day our values are under attack — our values as North Carolinians, our values as Americans — and it’s time that we get up and we let the country know how we feel and that we want change in this country. – Republican attorney general candidate Buck Newton, in the News, page 6 1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 • Office: 336-256-9320 BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey

ART ART DIRECTOR Jorge Maturino

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach

SALES DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Dick Gray

brian@triad-city-beat.com allen@triad-city-beat.com

jorge@triad-city-beat.com

dick@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Eric Ginsburg

SALES EXECUTIVE Stephen Cuccio

SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green

lamar@triad-city-beat.com

eric@triad-city-beat.com

jordan@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL INTERNS Naari Honor Jesse Morales intern@triad-city-beat.com

steve@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn de Berry Nicole Crews Stallone Frazier Anthony Harrison Matt Jones Alex Klein Amanda Salter

Cover photography courtesy of National Folk Festival Grandmaster Flash

SALES EXECUTIVE Lamar Gibson SALES EXECUTIVE Cheryl Green cheryl@triad-city-beat.com

TCB IN A FLASH DAILY @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. ©2015 Beat Media Inc.

triad-city-beat.com

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

CONTENTS

It’s Labor Day here in the Triad City Beat offices, and I’m spending it the way I have done just about every Labor Day for the last decade or so: I’m working. The paper wants to come out on Wednesday; that’s the deal, and everyone here knows it. And everything that gets done on Monday doesn’t have to get done on Tuesday, when the garage door closes for good. With me as always is Jordan Green, pecking away at stories of his own as I work my way through my list. As far as I can tell, we are the only ones in the building. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not complaining. As I see it, I’m doing the work I was born to do — living the dream, as they say — and I’m grateful for every minute of it. I once had a boss of the attitude that Labor Day was an opportunity for working people to be thankful they had jobs at all, somewhat undermining the spirit of the holiday. Now that I am, I suppose, a boss myself, I still don’t get that. One of the first things I learned when I became president of a company was that there really is no such thing as a boss. As the top guy, I learned, I basically work for every single person under my employ: Make sure they get paid, that they have what they need to do their jobs, that we all reach personal goals as we come together to build this company. A publisher’s job defies easy description — sometimes I say that I’m the connective tissue of the whole enterprise — but what it amounts to is that I do whatever it is that needs doing, from dropping off new newspaper boxes to covering an election. I’m the HR department, the tech department, the bookkeeper, the mail sorter and One of the first things I the head delivery driver as well as learned when I became the custodian of president of a company the big picture. was that there really is no I do these things gladly for my such thing as a boss. team, who have enough faith in my vision to help me see it through, and shore it up with an enormous amount of work that is often thankless. I do them because nobody can accomplish great things by himself, and because I’m so appreciative to have the support I need to do my job. I do these things because it is an honor to do them. So it’s a happy Labor Day for me. I’ve got a couple more items on my list, as does Green, and I think we can knock them out and get home soon to see if there’s any barbecue left for us.

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016

CITY LIFE September 7 – 13

by Naari Honor

WEDNESDAY

In solidarity with the Sioux @ UNCG EUC Lawn (GSO), 1 p.m. UNCG campus organization Defund Racism will stand in solidarity with the Sioux tribe who are boycotting the Dakota access pipeline being built on their land that will pass through their main water source. More information can be found at UNCG’s Defund Racism organization page.

THURSDAY Guitar talk with Wayne Henderson @ High Point Museum (HP), 6 p.m. Not just anyone can play the hell out of a guitar. At the same time if the instrument is poorly made, skill is a moot point. Craftsman Wayne Henderson shares the experiences of his career as a guitar maker and musician. More information can be found on the museums Facebook event page. Johnny Azari @ Heyday Guitars (W-S), 6 p.m. So you take this dude born in a town known for its revolution and wine, relocate him to a city of beautiful madness, and blend his experiences with music. What you will end up with is Johnny Azari and for one night only he will be hanging out in the Heyday living room. More info can be found on the store’s Facebook event page. Laila Lalami @ Salem College (W-S), 7:30 p.m. Laila Lalami discusses her book The Moors Account, a depiction of the life of the first black explorer of America. A 2015 Pulitzer prize finalist, the book won the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. More information can be found at salem.edu/events.

FRIDAY

Music and books @ Scuppernong (GSO), 7 p.m. News & Observer music critic David Menconi steps from behind the newsprint to discuss his book Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown. Sharing the stage, Elliot Humphries performs Ryan Adams covers. More information about the event can be found at scuppernongbooks.com.

SATURDAY

People’s Power Party @ Beloved Community Center (GSO), 11 a.m. It’s not the New Power Generation but they are a force to be reckoned with. The NC People’s Power Party uses its democratic right to fight for a greener way of life. For more information, contact peoplepowerparty2016@gmail.com and detailed information can be obtained on ncwarn.org. International Village Food and Music Festival @ Corpening Plaza, (W-S), 12 p.m. Winston-Salem showcases the diversity of their city through cuisine, entertainment and cultural organizations that help to represent its global heritage and richness. More information can be found on cityofws.org/internationalvillage. Leslie Miller @ DeBeen Espresso, (HP), 7 p.m. Landscape and scene artist shares the beauty of her works with DeBeen’s yogis, baristas, smoothie aficionados and patrons. Further details about the event can be found on DeBeen’s Facebook page and lesliemillerstudio.com.

SUNDAY

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Second Sundays on 4th @ 4th Street between Cherry and Marshall (W-S), 3 p.m. Winston-Salem’s answer to cabin fever: a family fun day out on the town. Events are held between Cherry and Marshall streets. Parking is free. More info at sso4.com.


Do you support the city of Winston-Salem’s plan to tear down and reconstruct Cleveland Avenue homes as mixed-income housing?

New question: Do you think the killer clown scare is real, or a fake? Vote at triad-city-beat.com.

Eric Ginsburg: I’m pretty skeptical. I don’t trust that the plans are going to go far enough to protect and maintain affordable housing, which is desperately needed in Winston-Salem in particular. I’ll need considerable convincing to get on board.

Unsure/ Maybe

Yes

20% 10

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60

70

80

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7. End of anti-miscegenation laws — 1967 Anti-miscegenation laws or interracial laws were not deemed unconstitutional until 1967. Bans applied to the marriage of whites to non-whites but also included Native Americans and Asians. In 1908, Oklahoma banned the marriage of any person of African descent to any person of non-African descent. Louisiana banned the marriage of Native Americans to African Americans in 1920 and Maryland banned the marriage of blacks and Filipinos in 1935.

All She Wrote

4. The Trail of Tears — 1838-39 Cherokee Indians were forced to give up their land and relocate to a territory that is now the state of Oklahoma. It is estimated that 4,000 people died from exposure to the

6. Dred Scott decision — 1857 Even though Scott lived part of his life in a free state, he was not considered a citizen under the Constitution at the time and had no right to sue for his freedom.

Shot in the Triad

3. The New Deal — 1933-38 A series of liberal social programs to help the country rebound during the Great Depression, the New Deal was enacted by Congress during the first two terms of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

5. The Tulsa Race Riot — 1921 A racially motivated attack on the black community in Tulsa followed news reports of a black teen trying to assault a white elevator operator over Memorial Day weekend.

Games

2. 19th Amendment — 1920 The amendment ended a 70-year long fight to guarantee all American women the right to vote.

elements, hunger and disease. Some were held in prison camps awaiting the journey.

Fun & Games

1. Last recorded lynching in the US — 1981 Whether you agreed or disagreed with Colin Kaepernick choosing not to stand during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” his position should make you want to take a closer look at America’s history that should not be forgotten. The last recorded lynching in the United States took place in 1981, when two Ku Klux Klan members killed a 19-year-old black man in retaliation for the acquittal of the murder of a police officer.

Culture

7by Naari ugly US historical facts Honor

Cover Story

20%

Opinion

Jordan Green: I voted Unsure/maybe because I’m honestly ambivalent about whether the benefit of improving the viability of the neighborhood by diversifying the incomes of residents is worth the price of potentially displacing poor people and putting additional pressure on affordable housing in Winston-Salem. Which is a good position for me to be in because if I had a position either pro or con, I wouldn’t tell you because I need to remain impartial to cover this story.

by Eric Ginsburg Armenian string cheese is a game changer. Don’t get me wrong; I love the classic, overly processed string cheese that I grew up with. There’s some in my fridge right now actually, if my girlfriend didn’t finish it off over the weekend. But Armenian string cheese is worlds better, and you’re missing out if you haven’t tried it. It’s like how, as a kid, my parents wouldn’t let my sister and I eat the more expensive and hard to come by dark chocolate that our neighbors would bring back after visiting their native Belgium. We were perfectly happy with bottom-shelf, Halloween-style candy, and they saw no reason to waste high quality chocolate on us that we wouldn’t really appreciate. My parents called their private stash “grownup chocolate,” and while it technically belonged to the same family as a Peppermint Patty or Twix bar, the gulf between the two only grew as my taste evolved with age. Like grown-up Belgian chocolate, I first learned about Armenian string cheese as a kid thanks to my mom’s best friend, who traces her heritage to the small Middle Eastern country bordering Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran between the Black and Caspian seas. But unlike the dessert, kids were allowed to partake in the cheese, which is relatively easy to track down stateside. Armenian string cheese is generally made with goat or sheep’s milk and looks sort of like a braided rope. The taste is deeper and much more satisfying than other string cheeses, though creamier, smoother and more elastic than its American counterpart. I thought the store-bought and shrink-wrapped kind I knew tasted peppery, but Armenian string cheese generally contains nigella seeds — also known as black cumin — and an aromatic spice known as mahlab that’s often paired with dairy. I hadn’t thought about Armenian cheese in years, until I visited my parents and found some in their refrigerator. I liked it as a kid, sure, but my appreciation doubled as I tore off piece after piece, not just because it reminded me of my childhood, but because it tastes so damn good.

News

60% No

Armenian string cheese

Up Front

Brian Clarey: My first instinct was to tear the place down and start over. Cleveland Avenue is jacked, and a do-over seems like a good idea. But then I look at the response on our website, which clearly shows that the project has a lot of support from the neighborhood, where understandably we’ve gained a lot of readers with our ongoing housing coverage. So far be it from me to tell people what’s best for them in their own neighborhood. I say Cleveland Avenue Homes stays — though it’s going to need some pretty serious rehabbing.

Readers: The majority of our readers said No, by 60 percent, while the remaining 40 percent split evenly between Yes and Unsure/maybe. In other words, it looked a lot like the responses from our editors, though maybe slightly less cynical.

triad-city-beat.com

Tear down/rebuild Cleveland Avenue Homes?

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016

Donald Trump’s running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, aimed his strongest appeal during a recent visit at mobilizing the Republican base to get out the vote on Election Day, suggesting the campaign is already shifting its focus away from trying to win over uncommitted voters. “I hope you really came to get equipped to talk to your neighbors and friends,” Pence told a boisterous crowd of about 450 people at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem on Aug. 30. “Men and women, we’ve got 70 days — 70 days to turn this country around. And it’s gonna take each and every one of you in this room to do it.” Pence pledged that campaign will “be back again and again” to visit a state that is considered crucial to Trump’s prospects for winning the White House during a speech that lasted about 30

by Jordan Green

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence focuses on mobilizing the conservative base during Winston-Salem appearance, while smoothing over party tensions.

minutes. “Make no mistake about it: North Carolina will loom large in the destiny of the nation,” Pence said. “The direction America will choose may well be made in the decision that you and your neighbors make here in North Carolina.” Pence urged those in the audience to ask family members and friends if they want a president who commands the respect of the world and will destroy ISIS, will “stand by our law enforcement community without apology,” will “end the flood of illegal immigration” and will “upend the status quo” in Washington, adding, “Then you say to them, ‘If you want all that, then you have just one choice.’” Pence’s remarks centered on his running mate’s central themes — law and order, negotiations with Iran and bad trade deals — while excoriating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for her supposed untrustworthiness, and casting Donald Trump as a Reaganesque figure capable of leading the United States back to prosperity. The vice presidential nominee left it to Lida Hayes Calvert, a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board, to make the case to potential cross-over voters, particularly people who are frustrated by lack of economic opportunity. “I am painfully, painfully aware that we need a change,” she said. “We’ve struggled with low wages, low jobs, food insecurity. A majority of our jobs have gone south. You know that and I know that. There are probably some right here in this venue that have lost their jobs because of these jobs going south. Our infrastructure is in great need of

All She Wrote

Shot in the Triad

Games

Fun & Games

Culture

Cover Story

Opinion

News

Pence and GOP candidates focus on turning out conservative base

Up Front

NEWS

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Sunday Service @ 10:30am

gatecityvineyard.com

336.323.1288 204 S. Westgate Dr., Greensboro

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spoke at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem on Aug. 30.

repair. You know that and I know that.” Another warm-up speaker — Buck Newton, the Republican nominee for attorney general — dug in with a core conservative message, focusing more on mobilizing the base than reaching out to independent voters. A sitting state lawmaker, Newton’s speech alluded to HB 2 — one of a number of unpopular state laws that have been curtailed or struck down by the federal courts. “You need an attorney general who will fight to enforce the laws of this state, and stand up for the balance of power between the state of North Carolina and our broken federal government,” Newton said. “We have a big, bloated, broken, out-of-control federal government, and every single day our values are under attack — our values as North Carolinians, our values as Americans — and it’s time that we get up and we let the country know how we feel and that we want change in this country.” Like Pence, Newton urged supporters to tell their friends and family to vote. More of a team player than his maverick running mate, Pence paid close attention in his speech to acknowledging fellow Republicans on the ticket in North Carolina. When Pence accompanied Trump to Winston-Salem in late July, the presidential candidate made no mention of Gov. Pat McCrory or other

JORDAN GREEN

down-ticket Republican candidates, while talking down the local economy — to the detriment of a sitting governor seeking reelection, who likes to talk about a “Carolina comeback.” “I just saw here — and I’m not gonna go over the stats of Winston-Salem because you know what’s happening, right?” Trump said at the time. “You know, your jobs are being taken away. Your jobs are being taken and going to Mexico and lots of other places.” During his remarks on Aug. 30, the more tactful Pence said, “I know you’ve been blessed in North Carolina with some strong, common-sense leadership,” before citing anemic numbers in a recent national quarterly report as a set-up for a promise that Trump would “set loose the boundless energy of the American economy” and “do it faster than you can possibly imagine.” At the outset of his speech, Pence exulted, “Now this movement is united, this party is united, and we’re gonna make Donald Trump the next president of the United States.” As the chants of “Trump, Trump, Trump,” died down, the vice presidential candidate added, “And when we do that I know Donald Trump and I want to make sure that you return Gov. Pat McCrory and Sen. Richard Burr to represent North Carolina.”


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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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Recent grads move to Greensboro to create ‘public backyard’ by Eric Ginsburg

A new team running Black Diamond, originally envisioned as an urban orchard flanking downtown Greensboro, is calling the space “a public backyard” and inviting neighborhood input on how to transform the sizable green space. When David Myers signed a lease to take over and transform a fallow plot of land owned by Guilford County Schools near downtown Greensboro more than two years ago, he had grand visions for the lot. Black Diamond Food Forest would be an urban orchard and educational space, he said at the time. Myers dramatically remade the plot that sits between the Cedar Street and ERIC GINSBURG David Myers (center in white) and Thaís Weiss (center in green) talk Westerwood neighborhoods, planting to nearby residents about ideas for Black Diamond near downtown. dozens of donated fruit trees, working the soil and growing sunflowers to pull while neighbors said they appreciated and provide some seating, and they some of the toxins out of the ground. the upgraded view, that’s about as far as hope to host events that bring people But the help he sought for with the projthe benefits extended. into the space, such as outdoor film ect never really arrived, at least not with Enter three recent college graduates, screenings. consistency, and Myers found himself similarly wide-eyed and inspired. “A lot of the inspiration for what we consumed by weeding, mowing, picking Gray Johnston, a Greensboro native, want to do comes from tactical urbanup trash and dealing with general mainThaís Weiss and Molly Fisher attendism,” Johnston said at the open house tenance of the site. ed UNC Chapel Hill together, and last week. He looked over the fruiting Myers, who was 35 when he launched when they finished, decided to move to apple trees and gentle hill of Black Black Diamond, signed a 10-year lease Greensboro particularly because of the Diamond with the city’s bicycle and with Guilford County Schools for the opportunity Black Diamond presented. pedestrian coordinator Daniel Amstutz, unused space about two and a half Last week, Myers and the younger years ago, though the school system can trio hosted an open house of sorts on easily pull back from the agreement and the land, sharing snacks and tea under reclaim the land along Prescott Street a white tent and walking through the and Guilford Avenue. space with neighbors and other city resA dead railroad track runs along the idents drawn by the potential environsite’s western side — it will eventually mental and farming angles to the land. become part of the Downtown GreThough informal and relatively small, enway — right by Westerwood Tavern it’s their first public event aimed at and Greensdrawing people boro College’s into the space theater buildand inviting Visit blackdiamondgso.com for ing, between a neighbors to more info about Black Diamond, define its use more transient, small neightogether. ‘a public backyard’ along the borhood with Some Downtown Greenway. affordable changes will be housing to the definite; they’re east and the calling Black artsy and leafy Westerwood neighborDiamond a “public backyard” now, and hood with higher home ownership rates. they remade the website to reflect the The school system hosts its technology shift. Originally Johnston, Weiss and center in a building directly north, beFisher discussed dreams of community tween Black Diamond and the relatively gardens with plots run by the Cedar new greenway cornerstone gazebo and Street area residents and a few othgarden, but the rectangular grassy site ers nearby. And that may still happen had been unused for almost a decade. depending on interest, and whether two Despite Myers’ progress, he’d hit a Guilford College students who showed point where he was basically treading up at the open house — who work water, trying to keep Black Diamond toat the school’s fully functioning farm gether on his own while falling short of — help construct garden beds as they the stated educational goals. The gate to plan. Johnston said the Black Diamond the site remained locked most days, and crew want to set up more shaded areas

who lives nearby and stopped in to check out the area. Other nearby residents trickled in too, including Kenzi Watts and her kids, traipsing between trees, admiring several pieces of sculptural art that adorn empty spaces and a small apiary in the back corner. Nick Mangili, the farm manager at Guilford College, helped Myers grow some hops along one side, Johnston said, adding that they’re open to myriad other ideas and potential uses for the space that fall along the spectrum of environmental sustainability and urban placemaking. For Weiss, the activation of Black Diamond as a public space is a way to create community. She’s seen the way public space can bring people together elsewhere, she said, and the opportunity to be a part of building that from the ground up was enough to draw her to Greensboro. She hopes Black Diamond can help people — their team included — reconnect to the environment, but Weiss added that they’re intentionally going slowly in order to allow for neighborhood input in shaping what Black Diamond will become.


by Jordan Green

A second former employee at the Rolling Hills Apartments has come forward with allegations that the owner, the Aspen Companies, fraudulently billed HUD for vacant Section 8 units.

Up Front News Opinion

Jeremy Cox, a former property manager who was fired in mid-July, says the Aspen Companies billed HUD for vacant Section 8 units.

Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

to obtain tax credits in exchange for investing in the rehab of Rolling Hills. “I don’t think that’s an option for the Aspen Companies,” he said. “We have not been very pleased with their handling of their properties.” Jeremy Cox said he billed HUD for the vacant units with his supervisor’s knowledge and blessing. “It was communicated to me that we could pretend that we didn’t know that the people were abandoning the units,” he said. “We knew they were vacant because we would find out when we inspected them. But it’s not like people would stop by the office and say, ‘Hey, we’re abandoning the unit.’… I would mention it and they’d be like, ‘Ah, they didn’t come in and tell us.’” When asked who specifically told him to bill for the vacant units, Cox initially responded, “All of them.” When pressed about whether he spoke to anyone else, such as Mermelstein, about the arrangement, Cox clarified: “Abe for the most part, yes.” HUD announced a new inspection of Rolling Hills Apartments by its Real Estate Assessment Center last week. “The purpose of the REAC inspection is to provide information to help ensure safe, decent and affordable housing,” the agency said in a prepared statement, “and to restore the public trust by identifying fraud, abuse and waste of HUD resources.”

Culture

control. We answer to certain people that are gonna have their way.” He added that when “certain finances are at stake” with the property, the company is “not gonna take any risks.” Joines said the purpose of the press conference was “to bring attention to these deplorable conditions” at the apartments, adding that they didn’t suggest any particular tactic such as firing the property manager to address the situation. “What we wanted to see was an improvement in the living conditions, and how the tenants were being treated,” Joines said. “We were sharing that from the tenants’ perspective, the managers were unresponsive or retaliatory when they reported things.” Cox said he doesn’t believe the Aspen Companies is interested in selling the property. Contrary to Cox’s understanding, Joines indicated that the property is under contract to sell to a prospective buyer. He added that the city’s code enforcement division is currently verifying the cost of bringing the property up to code. “What we’ve seen in the past is a buyer comes in and does the minimal investment, and they slip back into their current condition,” Joines said. “I think a higher level of investment could keep them a good place to live for individuals.” Joines added that he does not believe city council would be willing to support financing to allow the Aspen Companies

JORDAN GREEN

Cover Story

As the on-site property manager at Rolling Hills Apartments, Jeremy Cox was responsible for preparing a monthly invoice for the US Department of Housing & Urban Development requesting reimbursement for low-income tenants supported by Section 8 funds. “I was the one who created the invoice,” said Cox, who was employed by the Aspen Companies from April through mid-July. “I would get an email when they paid. I knew exactly to the cent what we were billing for. That’s how I know we were billing for vacant units.” Over the course of his tenure Cox said the number of vacant units ballooned from two or three to nine, with the illegitimate Section 8 funds that flowed into the Aspen Companies’ business account rising from about $3,000 to $6,000 per month. Cox’s statement to Triad City Beat corroborates a claim previously made by Gene “Tony” Smith that he witnessed another property manager falsely report to a HUD employee that there were only two vacant units when in fact there were 13. “In all cases like this we would certainly investigate these allegations,” said Brian Sullivan, a spokesperson at HUD’s national headquarters in Washington, DC. “In accordance with protocol, we have HUD staff and we have contract administrators who will look into it.” A spokesperson for the Aspen Companies said on Tuesday “that all allegations related to Section 8 fraud are categorically false.” Cox was fired from his position as property manager in mid-July, and quickly replaced by Tursha Ellis; Smith alleges she misreported the number of vacant units during an Aug. 12 visit to the site by HUD employees. In a recording provided to Triad City Beat, Aspen Companies Regional Manager Avraham Derhy informs Cox that he’s being fired at the instigation of Adam Mermelstein, one of the owners. “I just got off the phone with Adam, and to cut straight to the chase, unfortunately we’re gonna have to part ways,” Derhy told Cox. “Certain things have developed amongst the owners and

investors where they’re making us put a new face on the property. It pains me to inform you of that because even with the struggles I felt like we were going to right the ship. But I guess we’re not gonna get that opportunity.” Derhy told Cox that “obviously a lot of it doesn’t have to do with your negligence at all and it’s just been festering and accumulating over the past couple years,” adding that the owners nonetheless felt that management needed be held accountable for current conditions. “Secondly, the city has been in contact with the owners, and they’ve made it really clear that they’re not interested in working with the current management going forward,” Derhy said. “And that’s something which the owners don’t want to worry about. The tax credits being at risk. They don’t want to have to continue to worry about violations continuing to roll in.” The Aspen Companies, a New Jersey-based real estate concern that is a leading provider of Section 8 housing across the South and Northeast, is in a position to profit from the sale of Rolling Hills with the city’s cooperation in financing an investment. Winston-Salem City Council passed a resolution in April exercising its powers as a housing authority to authorize financing to a group of Denver investors to acquire Rolling Hills. The city council has considered rescinding the resolution to leverage a commitment from the potential buyer to increase a pledged investment in the property from about $17,000 to roughly $45,000 per unit, Mayor Allen Joines said. Derhy cited a press conference held by Joines, Councilman Derwin Montgomery and the Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem & Vicinity as setting events in motion that led to Cox’s firing. “To get to the point where the mayor is talking about how bad our property is — that’s something which I think has been unprecedented,” Derhy told Cox. “After that occurred, I think that’s when they really started getting involved. Whatever transpired over the past two weeks is what led to Adam calling me now.” Derhy added that “the majority of the decision-making” driving Cox’s termination came from the city. “We crossed certain people that weren’t pleased with being crossed, and they have the power,” he said. “They can implement certain things that I can’t control, obviously that you can’t

triad-city-beat.com

Former property manager corroborates claim of Section 8 fraud

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games All She Wrote

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CITIZEN GREEN

EDITORIAL

Soul of movement fills civil rights museum

Insane clown posse Police reports from Greenville, SC last week described a full-on clown with white overalls, red hair and red shoes trying to lure children into the woods. And now, according to Fox 8, WXII, the Winston-Salem Journal and the News & Record, the clowns have landed in the Triad. It’s an incredible story: Scary clowns lurking by low-income, predominantly African-American apartment complexes, enticing children into the woods with cash and laser pointers. Except, of course, it’s a load of crap — though you wouldn’t read that in any of the media stories. The first clown sightings relied on anonymous telephone reports to police — the two Winston-Salem incident reports, neither of which have any names of witnesses, are marked as “closed” and “inactive” respectively — and resulted in thinly sourced stories, breathless and with scant detail, that by all interpretations seem to be treating the killer-clown story like it’s some sort of public-safety issue instead of a ridiculous hoax. And yet every major news outlet in the Triad market — and a couple outside it — picked up the story and played it straight. Fox 8 described Winston-Salem as “on edge,” after knocking on doors in the Hope Lane neighborhood and letting residents know about the killer clown in their midst. In response to the stories, WSPD announced they’d increase patrols in the area through the weekend. Yes, we now have an insane clown posse. In Greensboro, police are forced to treat the 911 call seriously, but thatdoesn’t mean the media should be complicit in what is almost certainly a media hoax — smart money says it’s the new Rob Zombie clown-themed horror flick 31, or the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which wraps shooting in Toronto this week. It is one thing when news masks as entertainment — pundits like John Oliver and Bill Maher make their living putting a pop-culture spin on the events of the day. But it is quite another when entertainment masks as news, and a willing media allows its dearth of reporters to be hijacked by what every last one of them must surely know is not a real story. In between the first report late Sunday night and the next one, about four hours, there were two or three automobile thefts in Winston-Salem, three B&Es, a couple of firearm discharges and two drug arrests, none of which necessitated its own special patrol. But hey: There are killer clowns in these here woods! At least, according to our biggest media outlets there are.

Shot in the Triad

Games

OPINION

The connection between the civil rights movement and classic Winston-Salem soul music might not be obvious to everybody, but the throwback concert by Odyssey 5 and Eliminaby Jordan Green tors II at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum on Sept. 2 was a fitting occasion to kick off ArtsGreensboro’s Fabric of Freedom series. Odyssey 5 is likely not a household name, but First Time Around, the album recorded by five young women from Winston-Salem for Brunswick Records in the mid-1970s, showcases the group’s dynamic vocal mix with taut funk backing and orchestral arrangements that distinctly evoke the period. The Mighty Eliminators have established a reputation as an ace live band in the Twin City. (The spinoff group that performed on Sept. 2 scrupulously identified themselves as Eliminators II to acknowledge a significant evolution in personnel.) Both groups have resurfaced recently, with Odyssey 5 reuniting for a concert at SECCA in 2011, and the Mighty Eliminators resuming as a live band in their hometown in 2012. The Sept. 2 concert went heavy on nostalgia though both bands gave short shrift to their original material, perhaps reasoning that it wouldn’t be as familiar to the audience. Odyssey 5 lead vocalist Carlotta Fleming introduced a number of the songs by saying, “Remember this one?” She noted the continuing relevancy of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and later led the group into a rendition of the Staple Singers’ 1972 hit “I’ll Take You There,” a song with heavy spiritual overtones that has come to signify a communitarian vision of social uplift. No doubt much of the music of Odyssey 5 and the Mighty Eliminators in their ’70s heyday was about romantic relationships and partying, but it fits the social justice theme of the Fabric of Freedom

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series. The early ’70s was a high-water mark of black power, with the Civil Rights Movement having consolidated legal guarantees to the electoral franchise, access to public accommodations, integrated schools and fair housing. Deindustrialization was still on the horizon, and African Americans had made some inroads in securing decent paying jobs manufacturing jobs. Whether it’s the Staple Singers or Stevie Wonder, there’s an assertiveness and confidence, mixed with a strong sense of social solidarity, that gives the music of the period immense appeal and staying power. The theme of social solidarity was conveyed by Odyssey 5’s Fleming and Sylvania Wilson talking about their affection for each other as friends who grew up together in Winston-Salem, and Fleming introducing a cover of the 1979 Sister Sledge hit by saying, “So you know we certainly are family.” It came across in the emphasis on women getting respect, or “propers,” as the female vocalist of Eliminators II put it, introducing a cover of Kool & the Gang’s “Ladies Night.” Still, the idea of music as a soundtrack for a social movement only stretches so far. No musician, especially ones as talented as these, wants to be put in a box. Musicians who get good at their craft want to be recognized for their versatility. If the idea of the showcase was to provide a musical snapshot of black social life in the 1970s, Eliminators II proved culture is fluid by applying the same unstoppable groove to a rendition of Steely Dan’s “Peg” as Kool & the Gang’s “Boogie Shoes.” That said, it would have been nice to see some of the connections spelled out for the benefit of those in the audience who weren’t in the clubs or in the streets in Winston-Salem and Greensboro in the ’70s. It would have been interesting to hear Forsyth County Commissioner Walter Marshall talk about the Dungeon, the nightclub owned by Rodney Sumler on Liberty Street that showcased the Mighty Eliminators while also providing a meeting place for the Winston-Salem chapter of the Black Panther Party. Or to hear activists Nelson and Joyce Johnson talk about cutting loose at Cosmos II, a legendary hotspot in Greensboro that was open during the same period. Musicians and artists don’t galvanize social change — that’s the work of people organizing marches, leading voter-registration drives, bearing pressure down on elected officials and launching enterprises for the betterment of the community. But when the movement captures people’s imagination, artists and musicians who are in tune with the community can’t help but reflect its higher consciousness.


Marty Kotis’ big switch

Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

Marty Kotis, Greensboro developer, entrepreneur, restaurateur and Boss Hogg of the district he’s named Midtown, announced over the weekend that he’ll be shuttering his Marshall by Brian Clarey Free House after about two years in operation. The restaurant itself lasted almost exactly as long as the build-up, which began in February 2012 when Kotis told Triad Business Journal reporter Katie Arcieri about plans for his “British gastropub” in the as-yet-to-be-named district. The new place, according to a press release, will be called Farmer’s Realm, a farm-to-fork concept that has long The restaurant itbeen the specialty self lasted almost of Chef Jay Pierce, who came on last exactly as long year, and Bart Ortiz, as the build-up, who worked in the Quaintance-Weaver which began in organization before February 2012. leaving to head Kotis’ restaurant group. Powerhouse bartender Mark Weddle will continue his innovations behind the bar, only he won’t have to wear a kilt while he’s doing it. Marty’s financial and emotional investment in the Marshall Free notwithstanding — he traveled throughout the British Isles for like six weeks while formulating this concept, established a relationship with one of Scotland’s oldest whisky dealers and placed the single largest liquor order in Greensboro ABC board history — it looks like a good move to me, because it follows a paradigm being used successfully just down the road in Winston-Salem. It all starts with capital. As the Camel City built up towards its current renaissance, capital flowed to people with talent and vision, who were then enabled to manifest their ideas relatively unfettered. That led to the resurgence of the Arts District and the business empire of John Bryan, which started with Krankies and has laid deep roots in the city’s culture over 20 years. When Kotis hired Pierce, a chef of note in North Carolina who had been working a modern concept at Rocksalt in Charlotte, to remake the Marshall Free House’s British-themed menu, he was doing the exact opposite. Now, though, it looks like he’s getting the square pegs in the square holes. I’ve seen what Pierce, Ortiz and Weddle can do when they spread their wings. I can only imagine what they’ll accomplish together.

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IT JUST MIGHT WORK

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016

The 2016 National Folk Festival issue

Cover Story

by Eric Ginsburg, Jordan Green, Brian Clarey and Naari Honor

Other acts Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys (Wrangler Stage at 6 p.m.) If you’re going to see Le Vent du Nord, it’s more or less mandatory that you check out Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys to see what happened when the French tradition filtered down the Mississippi valley to rural Louisiana and then mixed (or creolized) with African-American culture. And besides, Broussard and his band are the inaugural act, and there’s nowhere else to be. Grandmaster Flash is the can’t-miss act at this year’s festival.

There’s plenty to be excited about at this year’s National Folk Festival in downtown Greensboro, but one act stands shoulders above the others: the legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash.

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Can’t miss Le Vent du Nord (CityStage, 8:30 p.m.) There’s a reason why traditional Québécois bands will sound familiar to anyone who digs Cajun music: They both sprang from the culture of French settlement in the New World. As with many great styles, relative isolation seems to have had a salutary effect. As a conduit of the French culture, the music persisted in towns and villages north of the border when Canada became a British colony in 1763, with dances and tunes influenced by later immigration from Scotland and Ireland. Le Vent du Nord, which translates as “the wind from the north,” is one of the best traditional Québécois traditional bands around.

Considering the breadth of music, the free buses, the convenient location and, most importantly, the solid booking, the free festival deserves even more credit than it receives. We truly enjoyed last year — the first in a three-year run in Greensboro — with Mavis Staples, bluesman Marquise Knox and the Japanese taiko drummers. But Grandmaster Flash is one of the founding fathers of hip hop. There’s no good excuse for not being aware of Flash at this point, especially given his high-profile portrayal in Netflix’s new series “The Get Down.” The Baz Luhrmann epic chronicles the birth of hip hop, including the monumental influence of Grandmaster Flash on the genre’s style. It’s a fast-paced, engaging look that Flash and other greats directly helped mold. Flash said in an interview with Triad City Beat that he got “quite emotional” the first time he saw part of the show because of how adeptly it translated what he and others had relayed about the time. Flash, who acted as a producer, called the final product “totally incredible.” In many ways, Grandmaster Flash is the perfect fit for the National Folk Festival. As a DJ, he’s long sampled from disparate genres including Latin music, disco, jazz and rock. His style hasn’t changed from the same precision and technique that made him famous decades ago, spinning two copies of a record at once and pioneering a form of turntablism that extended beats and clips. Back then he didn’t have the internet, a studio or much at all beyond his fingertips on a record, and when Flash takes the stage at the National Folk Festival, it will be much the same.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL

Spend a little time looking up videos of Flash’s “quick-mix theory” to see his raw talent in action, the sort of live sampling that is a far cry from what most DJs do today. But it’s that approach that allows Grandmaster Flash to change on the fly — he’s constantly watching his audience, he said, figuring out what they’re into and honing his set to the crowd. What works in France won’t work in Germany, Flash said — he returned from a tour in Europe just last week — and he’ll put forward something fresh and unique at the Folk Festival as well. “For me, it’s candy,” he said of the festival during a phone interview. “It’s wonderful.” In many respects, the National Folk Festival transcends what many Triad residents might imagine when they hear the word “folk.” But interpreted as something like “the people’s music,” the festival draws on deep-seeded musical traditions from this region and others around the world. The diversity of the music makes attending a profoundly interesting experience. And that’s a huge part of Grandmaster Flash’s appeal, too; he isn’t just a living legend and a pioneer who’s still practicing the craft, but his DJ set promises to be an embodiment of the symbiosis that the festival itself aims to achieve. Don’t miss DJ Grandmaster Flash when he takes the stage at the Dance Pavilion on Saturday at 9:15 p.m. He’s the kind of artist that’s worth seeing over and over, especially since his sets will be tailored to the crowd, so find him again on the same stage on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Beyond that, here’s a curated list of the most significant, interesting and out there performances to catch at this weekend’s National Folk Festival, running from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 11. We picked out highlights and made a schedule of our own — there’s too much happening at once to see it all — to help you find your way.

SATURDA Can’t miss Alberti Flea Circus (1 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., Center City Park) They’re not actually fleas — third-generation proprietor Jim Alberti of Winston-Salem uses ingenious devices and tiny contraptions to bring the invisible performers to life. The form of entertainment harkens back to vaudeville and even earlier, when watchmakers began to use their skills for fun. Other acts Bahamas Junkanoo Revue (12:15 p.m., Center City Park;5:45 p.m., CityStage) The deep pounding of percussions, an explosion of color and imaginative costumes. You’re not in a dream, you’re in the middle of a Junkanoo parade. Get your life together honey with a rarely seen tradition reserved for Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Bahamian Independence Day. Magnum & Company (CenterCity Park, 2:30 p.m.; Wrangler Stage, 6:15 p.m.) A supergroup of Charlotte’s United House of Prayer members brings the brass to the gospel genre. Heavy on the trombone, soaked in spirituality, this is where church meets the second line.


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FRIDAY

Grupo Rebolú (Dance Pavilion at 9:30 p.m.) Africa is considered the third root of Latin America, together with the European influence. The stamp of Africa is especially felt on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Master percussionist Morris Cañate comes from Palenque de San Basilio, reportedly the first town in the Americas to be founded by freed slaves. He founded Grupo Rebolú with singer-composer Morris Polo, who plays a flute-like instrument called the gaita. As transplants to Queens, NY they have become the leading ambassadors of Afro-Colombian music in the United States. Wild card Norfolk Southern Lawmen (Dance Pavilion, 7:15 p.m.) Not all music springs from anarchic sources, and Norfolk Southern Lawmen proves the exception as an outfit founded in 1951 by Snow Baker, a lieutenant in the railroad’s police department. Now, as PR ambassadors for the railroad system that traverses the Southeast, the Lawmen wouldn’t sound out of place as the opening act for Travis Tritt or any number of Southern rock-influenced Nashville cookie cutters. Suggested itinerary The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. with Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys at Wrangler Stage. Stick around for the opening parade at 6:45 p.m., and then head over to CityStage to see Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano at 7:30 p.m. You can stay put and wait for Le Vent du Nord’s 8:30 p.m. set, or head over to the Dance Pavilion to see Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks at 8:15 p.m. Grupo Rebolú revs up at 9:30 p.m. at the Dance Pavilion. Slip out early and catch part of the Alt’s set at the Lawn Stage.

AY DAY Wild card Bouncing Bulldogs (McDonald’s Family Stage, 1 p.m.; CenterCity Park, 4 p.m.) No, these are not jumproping dogs — the Bulldogs are an award-winning, internationally touring team of 140 athletes who combine agility, dance and acrobatics with the double-Dutch tradition. Suggested itinerary Start with Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba at the NC Traditions Stage at noon. Griot and kora master Dialia Cissokho leads this highly sought-after musical collage of storytelling tradition taken up a notch. Chill with the fleas over at Center City Park a little after they start at 1 p.m. Then catch the breakdance crew, Dancing on Air, at the same location at 1:45 p.m. If you hang out until about 2:30 at Center City, you can catch Mangum & Company gospel brass “shout band”. If you’re lucky maybe the gospel crew will jam with the breaking crew. Synergy! At 3 p.m. CityStage starts rocking with the Samba Mapangala & Orchestra Virunga, the smooth, Irish tones of the Alt at 4 p.m., and the spiffy looking group Le Vent du Nord at 5 p.m. And yes I said spiffy.

Bahamas Junkanoo Revue are the Caribbean cousins of the Mardi Gras Indians of Louisiana.

SATURDAY EVENING Can’t miss DJ Grandmaster Flash (Dance Pavilion, 9:15 p.m.) This probably goes without saying, but if you’re anywhere near downtown Greensboro on Saturday night, it would be near criminal to miss Grandmaster Flash in a historic appearance at the Dance Pavilion stage. Flash is one of the Founding Fathers of hip hop, a pioneer of turntablism and a lion of the scene for — gasp! — the last five decades. This is the guy who invented beat-juggling: spinning two copies of the same record concurrently, in order to extend breakdowns or inject samples. And while the description sounds pretty dry, the result is absolutely dope. I’d advise marking off a space near the stage early of you want to watch a master DJ at work, but better optics may be had near the fringes, where no doubt there will be some serious B-boy action. Other acts Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks (Dance Pavilion, 5 p.m.) James “Super Chikan” Johnson came up hard in the Mississippi Delta, picking cotton and steeped in the musical traditions of the Chitlin Circuit — no better crucible for a bluesman. He came up during a 1990s blues resurgence that saw Chris Thomas King experiment with hip-hop techniques and RL Burnside as the darling of Bonnaroo — a modern, thoroughly electric take on the classic genre. Super Chikan gets the edge because he makes his own guitars. The Alt (Lawn Stage, 6 p.m.) Three seasoned Celtic musicians — John Doyle, Eamon O’Leary and Mick McCauley — explore the deep affinity between traditional Irish music and Appalachian folk in what amounts to a supergroup. Guitar, bouzouki, whistle and accordion should feature prominently.

Clinton Fearon & the Boogie Brown Band (Dance Pavilion, 6:45 p.m.) Clinton Fearon landed sessions with Lee “Scratch” Perry in Jamaica on the strength of his bass playing, a key element of the sound. But with his Boogie Brown Band, Fearon slaps bongos, wails on a six-string and maintains the spiritual vibe of the enterprise. Leonardo Sandoval (Lawn Stage, 8 p.m.) Like all great hoofers, Leonardo Sandoval’s feet are his instrument. Fusing American tap techniques with traditional Brazilian rhythms, he’s brought his act to stately concert halls, subway platforms and everywhere in between. If we’re lucky, we’ll see his newest touring act with a stand-up bassist that brings all his influences together. Wild card Joshua Nelson (Citystage, 8:45 p.m.) Gospel music inspired by ancient Hebrew texts performed by African Americans. Oprah Winfrey named this act one of her “Next Big Things.” Hula Halau ‘O Lilinoe (Lawn Stage, 9:45 p.m.) Traditional Hawaiian hula dancing out of California. Why not? Suggested itinerary Start the evening at the Wrangler Stage, where at 6:15 p.m. Magnum & Company fires things up with some gospel shouting. Stay for some Bill Kirchen at 7:15, then catch a little Tibetan opera from Chaksam-pa at the Lawn Stage until 8. Maintain the energy level with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano at Wrangler until it’s time to head over to see Grandmaster Flash at 9:15. If that looks like a hot mess, consider absconding back to the Wrangler Stage for Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, which should be able to handle the overflow.

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016 Cover Story

SUNDAY Can’t miss Guitar Traditions (noon, Lawn Stage) One of the revelations of the folk festival is the periodic sessions convening musicians from different cultural traditions. The mutual respect that these master musicians hold for one another is evident, and the commonalities and divergences in technique and style are fascinating. The Guitar Traditions session convenes “master of the Telecaster” Bill Kirchen with Mississippi Delta bluesman James “Super Chikan” Johnson; Simon Beaudry of Le Vent du Nord; Traphill, NC bluegrass flat-picker Presley Barker and Steve Lewis, a veteran guitar player in the Blue Ridge tradition of western North Carolina and Virginia. It will be especially interesting to see where Kirchen, who developed a supercharged rockabilly style, overlaps with Super Chikan, a blues traditionalist who makes his own instruments, and how the Scots-Irish influence in Barker and Lewis’ Appalachian music compares to the French-Canadian strain of Beaudry’s music. Other acts Samba Mapangala & Orchestra Virunga (Dance Pavilion at 3:15 p.m. and

CityStage at 5:30 p.m.) It may seem counterintuitive, but the Congolese style developed in the late 1930s and early ’40s that later came to be known as soukous is heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban music. Few exemplify the haunting vocals and irresistible dance rhythms that characterize the music better than Samba Mapangala. Known as “East Africa’s most beloved singer,” Mapangala was born in Zaire and relocated to Kenya in 1977, but has lived in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC for the past two decades. Nathalie Pires (Wrangler Stage, 5:30 p.m.) Few styles are more emotionally compelling than fado, a Portuguese music somewhat akin to the tango that combines intricate guitar playing with soaring vocals. As described on the festival website, “the emotional core of fado is saudade, an indefinable yearning or nostalgia for love, times past, or a lost home.” One of the leading new voices of fado, Pires, is not from Lisbon, but rather from the Portuguese-American community in Perth Amboy, NJ.

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Nathalie Pires is a voice of Portuguese fado.

Leoonardo Sandoval has tapped in subway stations and concert halls.

Wild card Chico Simões (McDonald’s Family Stage, 12:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.) There’s a thin line between “can’t miss” and “wild card” at the folk festival, but since Brazilian puppeteer Chico Simões stages his show twice while Guitar Traditions is one-time affair, puppetry takes the wild card. The face-painting of both the performers and puppets in mamulengo can bring to mind the unfortunate American tradition of blackface, but that’s probably a glitch of translation considering Brazil’s more racially varied development. A form of social commentary akin to English Punch and Judy shows that is conveyed in a 16th Century language of gibberish designed to communicate across cultures, mamulengo seems like an essential experience.

want to see him at the Dance Pavilion at 2 p.m. Stay there for Sampa Mapangala at 3:15 p.m. (Alternately, you could catch Chico Simões’ puppetry act at McDonald’s Family Stage; Mapangala and Simões perform multiple sets at the festival, so adjust accordingly.) The African Diaspora: Roots & Rhythms session at 4 p.m. at LeBauer Park Stage is definitely worth checking out. Participants include Dr. Michael White, leader of the Original Liberty Jazz Band; kosher gospel artist Joshua Nelson; members of Grupo Rebolú; Brazilian-American tap dancer Leonardo Sandoval and Langston Longley of Bahamas Junkanoo Revue. Awalom Gebremariam, an Eritrean singer and lyre player from Durham, performs only one time at the festival, so you’ll want to be at the North Carolina Traditions stage at 5 p.m. Consider leaving Gebramariam’s set early to close out the day with Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks at the Dance Pavilion at 5:45 p.m.

Suggested itinerary Start with Guitar Traditions at the Lawn Stage at noon. If you haven’t caught DJ Grandmaster Flash yet, you definitely


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Bill Kirchen pulls strings by Jordan Green

Bill Kirchen, a master of the Telecaster Kirchen recalled performing as part of with a love of rockabilly and honky-tonk a package show headlined by Haggard bound by the common denominator in 1971. Commander Cody opened and of twang, is a veteran performer at the then backed the rockabilly legend Gene National Folk Festival, with past appearVincent, who would die a couple months ances in Butte, Mont. and Lowell, Mass. later from a ruptured stomach ulcer. The festival’s eclecticism suits his “Merle Haggard played his hit, which ecumenical approach to music. at that time was “Fightin’ Side of Me,” “I love those people,” he said during a Kirchen recalled. “I always wondered: recent phone interview. “It’s a great opWhat made him so angry? I later got a eration. I get to hear music that I would sense of what he was angry about. His never get a chance to hear live.” anger was directed at kids of privilege, Kirchen’s music spans the country end in stark contrast to how he’d come up, of the San Francisco psychedelic scene in thumbing their nose at stuff that they the late ’60s to the pub rock movement were still taking advantage of.” in England in the mid-’70s that laid the Although Kirchen left Commander groundwork for new wave. In the interCody in the mid-1970s, the influence of vening decades he’s established himself the group hopped across the Atlantic as something of an elder statesman of when de Lone, an American musician Americana. living in England, covered one of their Both phases of Kirchen’s career are songs, “Home In My Hand,” with his referenced on TransAtlantica, his collabband Eggs Over Easy. Widely regarded oration with pub-rock pioneer Austin de as progenitors of pub-rock, Eggs Over Lone that was released by Red House Easy has been acknowledged as an influRecords on Aug. 25. ence on Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and “Hounds of the Bakersfield,” the lead Graham Parker. track, is tongue-in-cheek tribute to counKirchen befriended de Lone after try great Merle Haggard. founding his second band, the MoonCommander Cody & His Lost Planet lighters. “Austin introduced me to Nick Airmen, Kirchen’s band, relocated from Lowe,” Kirchen remembers. “We were Ann Arbor, Mich. to San Francisco in the invited to England to make the second late ’60s. While the Bakersfield sound, Moonlighters album. After that, I and Haggard’s music in particular, captoured with him, recorded with him. tured the imagiI did a couple nation of many of [Costello] Bill Kirchen performs on Fri- Elvis the San Francisco shows.” acts, including the The transition day on the Wrangler Stage Grateful Dead, was seamless, as at 9:15 p.m., Saturday at the Commander far as Kirchen is Cody more faithDance Pavilion at 12:30 p.m. concerned. fully attempted “British and again on the Wrangler honky-tonk and pub rock was boogie-wooStage at 7:15 p.m. On Sunday, really Eggs Over gie while their Easy,” he said. “It Sept. 11, he shares the Lawn was these Amercontemporaries ventured into ican musicians Stage with Super Chikan, psychedelia. The with a residency Presley Barker, Steve Lewis two cultures didn’t in a pub in always intersect London. They and Simon Beaudry for the comfortably. Repwere bringing Guitar Traditions session resenting a rural, Americana over working-class to England. at noon, and closes out at perspective, It wasn’t a big CityStage at 4:30 p.m. Haggard mocked stretch for me. his emulators in It was one of the his hit, “Okie From building blocks Muscogee,” singing, “We don’t make a of new wave. Our idea was to play party out of lovin’/ We like holdin’ hands music we loved. When we get together and pitchin’ woo/ We don’t let our hair to make a record, it’s more writing for grow long and shaggy/ Like the hippies it and collecting songs that we want to out in San Francisco do.” do. There’s never an agenda. It’s more

Bill Kirchen, a master of the Telecaster.

just to share our enthusiasm for these songs. Austin and I always felt there’s a very blurry line between soul music and honky-tonk and rock-and-roll.” As a guitar player who has cultivated roots music for half a century, Kirchen is considered a founding member of the Americana movement, his legacy enshrined in the music of acts ranging from Dave Alvin to Wilco. “I love it that it rubs off on someone

else and they get excited, too,” Kirchen said. “I’ve pretty much been a professional musician for 50 years. I feel extremely lucky to have played with so many people. That’s a lot of interaction I’ve had in this half century. How lucky to do something that I love and it’s my vocation. If other people are inspired by it and want to do it, that’s even better. Many of them have surpassed me in fame and fortune. I love it.”

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Sept. 7 — 13, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

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CULTURE City eats: How city council spends money on food by Eric Ginsburg

W

hen the Greensboro City Council members are hungry, it’s usually for pizza. Triad City Beat culled through the 63 most recent food receipts for city council meetings, work sessions and retreats to figure out where the city’s leaders spend public funds on food. Most of the time it came from restaurants (49), though 13 receipts are from grocery/retailers and one is from a catering company. The spending ranges from Walmart — minimal — to a significant amount of turkey barbecue, pizza, sandwiches and salads, much of it from locally owned businesses. The city dropped markedly more with five companies than any others — Elizabeth’s Pizza, Jason’s Deli, Hickory Tree Turkey BBQ, Harper’s and Spectra by Comcast Spectacor. Here’s a breakdown of the disbursements and frequency. 1. Elizabeth’s Pizza The local Italian chain with independently operated locations easily topped the list, with 15 orders being placed all at the Lawndale location. In all, the city spent $2,296 at the restaurant — though not all on pizza — and averaged about $153 per order. 2. Jason’s Deli Only the chain sandwich shop Jason’s Deli came close to the number of orders placed with Elizabeth’s, racking up 11 out of the 50 analyzed. But the city spent almost as much at Jason’s as Elizabeth’s, totaling $2,006. 3. Tie between Hickory Tree Turkey BBQ and Harper’s The city called on these two joints six times each. The city did spend more with the local turkey barbecue outfit ($1,564 than at small chain restaurant Harper’s, but the receipt for catering at the council’s Jan. 29, 2016 retreat ran higher. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor charged Greensboro $1,678 for the one-day catering, which included $69 for bottled water, $54 for Keuring K-Cups and 65 portions worth of the Mama Mia Italian Buffet lunches ($1,072 for the meals themselves, sans snacks and drinks). After Hickory Tree Turkey BBQ and Harper’s, there’s a steep drop-off to the other restaurants on the list, with just two orders being placed at locally owned Ghassan’s and chain Zoe’s Kitchen. The remaining restaurants — Jimmy John’s, Venice Italian, Chick-fil-A, Mid City Sandwich Co., Newk’s Eatery, Café Pasta and Barberitos — each only received one order. While there are a considerable number of corporate providers on the list, including the majority of the catering, take-out or delivery orders at the top of the list, city council does rely on a decent dose of local businesses. Many of the chains are located in the Friendly Shopping Center, including Jason’s, Harper’s, Newk’s and others, while most of the remaining restaurants fall either downtown or out Battleground and Lawndale. When it comes to snacks, supplies such as forks and tissues,

The steak kabob at Zoe’s Kitchen is good, but not good enough that a local alternative couldn’t easily best the chain restaurant, located in Greensboro’s Friendly Center.

soda and water, the city most frequently turns to Food Lion. The city spent anywhere from $32 to $98 on each of its nine trips to the grocer, while spending just $34 total in three trips to Harris Teeter. There’s a lone $7 receipt for Walmart as well. Though on a larger scale, the city’s spending looks the way it might for many households where people pick favorites and return to them, occasionally venturing to try something new but frequently bouncing back to the standbys. Council hit up the same four restaurants for a total of 38 out of 49 times — that’s more than 77 percent of the orders, excluding the catered retreat and snack/supply runs. But if city council members were willing to experiment just a little more, they could easily find a way to patronize local restaurants more often. While there’s certainly some representation on the list, including at the top, the city council still opts to spend a hefty amount of money at chains. And it would be easy to argue that there’s no good reason for it — there are more than enough locally owned sandwich shops that could replace what Jason’s Deli provides, maybe even Jay’s that’s in the same shopping center, or somewhere else like First Carolina Delicatessen, Jam’s Deli or Mid City Sandwich (which appeared once in the receipts). The steak kabobs ordered at Zoe’s Kitchen aren’t exactly cheaper than their counterparts at Ghassan’s, a local restaurant that made the

Pick of the Week The crabs are attacking! Southeast Crab Feast @ Bolton Park (W-S), Saturday, 4 p.m. Food trucks ain’t got crap on crabs. And this amount of crabs could probably take on trucks, shark tornadoes, a King Kong or two, the Starship Enterprise… the list is endless. Just grab some napkins, a bib, pull up a seat and get ready. More information can be found at southeastcrabfeast.com.

ERIC GINSBURG

cut twice, and they don’t taste better at Zoe’s either.

SUP


News Opinion Cover Story

case, it came with a blend of liqueurs including Godiva Dark Chocolate, German-style peppermint schnapps Rumple Minze and the sweet and minty Crème de menthe. The martini list ERIC GINSBURG The Girl Scout draws on a fruit martini tastes just like a Thin basket of flavors, Mint cookie. including apple, cherry, watermelon and strawberry, and reaches towards the decadent with raspberry truffle, Key lime, tiramisu and bananas foster. Most are vodka — Stoli and Absolut — and just one uses gin, the Classic Bleu Jewel with Bombay Sapphire, dry vermouth and bleu cheese-stuffed olives. Regardless of which you favor, Thursday when they’re all half off is hard to beat. As I finished the Thin Mints-inspired drink, spring rolls arrived for college-bound student down the bar. The appetizer smelled so alluring that I regretted closing out already, wishing I’d taken the bartender’s advice to take advantage of the restaurant’s mid-afternoon app discount. But greener grass aside, I’d satisfied my original urge for a cookie cocktail, and decided not to second-guess myself.

Up Front

volition. The shroud-like covers The Girl Scout, a three-liqueur cocktail served in over the bar lights and the a martini glass, is designed to taste like a Thin Mint, impending storm made it the cookie best consumed frozen and rivaled only by seem like evening at Bleu the classic Caramel deLite (though I admit to recentRestaurant & Bar, but ly falling for Lemonades and the occasional Peanut enough light shone in for me Butter Patties). Arriving in a chilled glass — approprito feel a little embarrassed ately mimicking a frozen cookie — lined with a drizzled ordering a mid-afternoon chocolate pattern, the drink looks almost like an outmartini called “Girl Scout.” by Eric Ginsburg of-place milkshake though it holds a consistency closer I’d pulled up a stool at to chocolate milk. the bar in southwest Winston-Salem while practically Nobody cracked any jokes at my order, other than nobody was around, shortly after a cluster of laughing the bartender commenting that I’d decided to have middle-aged women made their way to their cars. But dessert first, and when it arrived I eagerly sipped the as I glanced over the list of 16 specialty martinis, a regsweetness. ular showed up with her college-bound daughter, fresh Yes, this is one of those so-called “girly” cocktails, from some back-to-school shopping. Moments later frowned upon by much of the liquor world and certaina couple more patrons arrived, as did a second beer ly not the drink of a connoisseur. But the regular near distributor and another restaurant employee, but by me drank a Bud Light, the daily special boasted drafts this point, I’d already committed to the chocolate-flafor $3 and I couldn’t care less. vored martini and no amount of I wanted to drink Thin Mints. ingrained gender roles would stop Visit Bleu Restaurant & Bar Bleu Restaurant & Bar isn’t the me. Indeed, I have a history of brush- at 3425 Frontis St. (W-S) or at kind of place where anyone cares, either. With music reminiscent ing aside gender norms when it bleurestaurantandbar.com. of a hotel lobby tinkling in the comes to the dessert-loving girl background and the sort of décor gang, having been dragged along you’d expect from a place named Bleu, it lacks the to my share of Brownie meetings as a kid while my judgmental attitude of some venues in the same genre. mom acted as my sister’s troop leader. But this time You have to if some of the drinks on your martini menu instead of reluctantly playing my Game Boy off to are made with Wild Turkey bourbon or rum. In my the side and waiting to leave, I’d arrived of my own

triad-city-beat.com

Drinking dessert first

Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad

336-273-0970

orders@cheesecakesbyalex.com

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315 South Elm Street Greensboro, NC 27401

17


Sept. 7 — 13, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad

CULTURE The making of Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala by Naari Honor

E

arlier this year veteran actor Scott Parker found himself in a conversation with his wife about the state of the presidential campaign. “These are people, if you see them on the street, they don’t look insane,” Scott said. “I asked her and myself a rhetorical question. ‘How people could be so adamantly for the regressive ideas of the Republican Party while we are a 180-degree opposite?’” The conversation led Scott not only to embark on a journey of research but to deviate from a 10-year acting career to move into the field of directing. “I just thought that they hadn’t interacted with people of other cultures or it was more of an environmental thing.” Scott said. “I started doing research and I found out that there was actually scientific research showing that their brains are different, and that was the germ for Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala.” Although the film Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala was a “passion project” for Parker that took only three months to write before its Aug. 8 premiere at Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema, not every actor that he invited to be involved with the film shared in his enthusiasm. “Early on I did have a couple of people say that it was too much for them, which I don’t respect because I do roles, that’s an actor’s life,” Parker said. “I am very much an atheist and I have played many preachers.” Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala, while a comedic film about a bigot — with a scattering of hilarious features like a dance number, a dominatrix doctor scene, a classic cat lady, a concupiscent skunk lady and limitless political puns — has a serious underlying message. “It goes against guns,” Parker said. “It goes against religion. It goes mainly against this idea that America is supposed to be one thing. This is a part of the style in which I grew up, America is supposed to be, white, preferably male, Anglo-Saxon heritage and Protestant; not even Catholic, but Protestant.” Stephanie Lindley, the actor who plays German dominatrix-scientist Schlampe, agreed to participate in Parker’s film, though she had never worked with him before, simply because of shared values. “I’m a Bernie supporter,” Lindley said. “I was all for this. I assumed everybody would be of that mindset, but when I went on set the day of filming. I didn’t feel like everyone was necessarily of the same political mindset. I was having a little battle with the guy playing the doctor over who we were going to vote for.” There will be no entries into an independent film festival, vying for the attention of a cable network or straight-to-DVD movie deal for Bob. The story of his amygdala and the ruckus it creates can be seen for free on YouTube. And now that the dust has settled from the hype of the film the cast has largely moved on. “We still have candidates who are hanging on by their fingernails to archaic concepts.” Parker said. “These constructs of race, religion, national origin and sexual preference are created constructs, and they are not helpful. They are usually very harmful. That’s what I want to get across.”

Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala was a passion project for Scott Parker.

COURTESY PHOTO

Bob and His Enlarged Amygdala was a passion project for Scott Parker.

COURTESY PHOTO

All She Wrote

Pick of the Week

18

Art Show Exhibition Artist Felix Semper @ Park Place Salon (GSO), Friday, 5 p.m. Free wine is paired with Semper’s provocative works, which include 25-feet-long paintings and stretchable paper sculptures. Additional information about the artist can be found at felixsemper.com and additional information regarding the event is posted on the salon’s Facebook page.


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19


Sept. 7 — 13, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote

20

FUN & GAMES

G

uilford College defensive end Gibson Ziah could hardly believe it when I told him. He’d recorded three solo sacks against the Greensboro College Pride quarterback Mac Graham in the 20th annual Gate City Soup Bowl, the two by Anthony Harrison schools’ season opener. “Did they give me three?” he laughed after as quartz light shone through the mild night. “I thought he worked out of one of them, but if it’s three, I’ll take three.” Sure enough, I’d seen Ziah slam Graham onto Herb Appenzeller Field’s gridiron three times. The game’s Most Valuable Player rushed the pass ferociously, outfoxing the Pride’s left side to deliver bone-crushing hits to the hapless QB, leading to 15 yards lost. During one of his sacks, he forced and recovered a fumble on the Greensboro 9-yard line. When an offensive line can’t protect its field marshal, you know that team’s in trouble. And in the case of Sept. 2’s Soup Bowl, “trouble” is a kind word. Ziah, linebackers Hunter Hoots and Jared Davis and strong safety Trevon Simmons alone combined for 29 tackles. This impressive defensive effort at home helped the Quakers hold onto the Soup Bowl trophy. Until recently, the rivalry between Guilford and

Duck soup for Quakers Greensboro College had been one both of proximity and equal skill. In 2012, when Greensboro College last won the game, the win-loss record stood at 8-8. But the Quakers pulled away as head coach Chris Rusiewicz built a program with dynastic potential, going 9-1 last year and winning six Old Dominion Athletic Conference games — both figures setting school records. Of course, the two schools will continue to play the Soup Bowl, no matter how lopsided the victories may be. It’s for a good cause. Greensboro College President Craven Williams can take credit for naming the contest the Soup Bowl. It was back in 1997, the Pride football program’s inaugural season, when Williams suggested the idea of holding a canned-food drive during the Guilford-Greensboro game. This year, the drive collected 7,658 items, donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. Along with the Soup Bowl trophy, the school with the most collected canned goods receives the Soup Cup. Here again, Guilford slayed the competition, donating 5,829 of the cans. Damn hippies. Of course, they benefitted from home-field advantage, just like their team. “This isn’t a typical Soup Bowl crowd,” Guilford College athletic spokesman Bryan Jones said in the press box. “This is more like homecoming last year.” It’s true. The home-crowd stands below the box swelled with students and alumni alike, a crimson tide rolling and roaring with each huge play. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about the ensuing blowout by my alma mater. At first, I maintained a veneer of neutrality. I remained calm as Guilford wide receiver Rontavius Miller secured a 36-yard catch from quarterback Karsten Miller for the first Quaker touchdown of the game. But I soon couldn’t hide my excitement. Guilford played possibly the most dominant game of football I’d ever witnessed in person. I’m including my years following the Appalachian State University Mountaineers back when they were good enough to beat the University of Michigan, let alone demolish James Madison University. While the Quaker defense damaged Greensboro’s pride, leading to frustration penalties keeping them out of the red zone, Guilford College scored seven touchdowns, a

series record for points in a half. Three of those touchdowns occurred in less than a minute of possession: one 13-yard run by back Hunter Causey shaving 47 seconds off the clock and two carries by running back De’Eric Bell, one a 20-yard dash in 25 seconds and the other accomplished in only 10 seconds after Ziah’s red-zone sack. Abe Kenmore, an old friend from the Guilfordian student newspaper, covered the game and watched with me, and we both couldn’t believe the runs, passes and hits Guilford leveled against Greensboro. But then we realized something. The Quakers failed to score on their first possession of the second half, so punter Chase Mitchell kicked. “That’s the first time we’ve punted in a while,” Kenmore said. I stopped and I looked at my halftime stat sheet. “That’s the first time we’ve punted the whole game,” I replied. Even the coaches responded with disbelief at times. “There’s still 11 minutes left?” one of the Guilford coaches squawked from the home coordinators’ booth. By that point, Guilford had brought out the third string, and they still couldn’t help but score touchdowns. With 56.9 seconds to go, Greensboro wide receiver Patrick Jesequel bobbled a punt return, and Davis recovered the rock at the 13-yard line. Guilford reserve quarterback Brodie West took two knees to end the slaughter at 69-0. Ziah credited the win to Guilford’s physicality. “They wasn’t as fast as our guys,” Ziah commented. Bell echoed the sentiment. “We were just more conditioned,” he said. “Before snaps, people would still be on their knees and walking to their position.” Jones was more constructive. “Greensboro’s really improved. You can’t tell here,” he said, pointing to the scoreboard, “but they shot themselves in the foot.” The Guilford squad couldn’t contain its joy over a fourth consecutive win. “We’re tryin’ to make this tradition,” Ziah said. A pensive beat. “Well, it is a tradition.”

Pick of the Week Cross-Triad volleyball showdown Guilford College Quakers @ Salem College Spirits (WS), Thursday, 7 p.m. The Salem College Spirits host the Guilford College Quakers in women’s volleyball. These two Division III teams seem evenly matched, both teams boasting similar records but respective strengths. Moreover, it’s an inter-Triad match, which tend to be super fun. Visit salemspirits.com for more information.


triad-city-beat.com

GAMES

‘Your Daily Allowance’ some ration-al terms. by Matt Jones Across

Down

Opinion Cover Story

1 Attack, tiger-style 2 Drive or putt 3 Short pulse, in Morse code 4 Hood or Washington 5 Extra somethin’-somethin’ 6 Word after parking or safe 7 Buying channel on TV 8 Marinated meat in a tortilla 9 Dunkable dessert 10 Fell apart, as a deal 11 Allow 12 Kidnapping gp. of the ‘70s 13 Email folder that’s often automatically cleared

17 Move swiftly 21 Dick in the Pro Football Hall of Fame 23 Soup follower 24 Roman called “The Censor” 26 You’re looking at it 29 “Heavens to Betsy!” 31 Austin and Boston, for two 32 Late Pink Floyd member ___ Barrett 34 “Austin Powers” verb 35 “Jeopardy!” in a box, e.g. 36 How some medicines are taken 37 Baby bronco 38 Adjusts, as tires 43 Naomi Watts thriller set for November 2016 45 Gender-neutral term for someone of Mexican or South American heritage, say 46 Establishes as law 49 “Common Sense” pamphleteer 50 “Fame” actress Cara 51 A and E, but not I, O, or U 52 “Easy ___ it!” 54 “The Lion King” lioness 57 “Au revoir, ___ amis” 58 Arm-raised dance move that some say looks like sneezing 59 “Brokeback Mountain” director

News

47 “Amazing!” 48 Assistance 53 Trivial Pursuit edition 55 Elvis’s disputed middle name 56 “I Ching” philosophy 57 Hardly happy with 58 Bygone lemon-lime soda 60 “Next to Me” singer ___ Sande 61 Rice from New Orleans 62 “Lord of the Rings” creatures 63 Passenger car 64 Insects with a waggle dance 65 “___ & Oh’s” (Elle King hit)

Up Front

1 “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” topic, presumably 4 Dance in a pit 8 Chickens, ducks, and such 13 Org. which still has not detected any signals from outer space 14 “My mistake!” 15 In a whirl 16 Like a centaur or mermaid 18 Pastime requiring careful movements 19 Abbr. in a military address 20 Like many trollish comments 21 Flora and fauna 22 Qualifies to compete in a tournament 25 Beehive St. capital 27 “American Horror Story: Freak Show” enclosure 28 Steaming mad 30 “Waterfalls” group 32 Company shares, for short 33 Mandarin hybrid used in Asian cuisine 34 Facebook meme often paired with a non-sequitur image 39 Gardener’s gear 40 Pioneering filmmaker Browning 41 ___-mo 42 Common soap opera affliction 44 Marooning spot

Culture

Playing September 9 – 14 SUMMER TIME BREW N’ VIEW PRESENTS

Fun & Games

“Blazing Saddles”

Screening will include special MARGARITAS! 8:30 p.m. Saturday, September 10. $6 ticket includes FREE BEVERAGE!

Answers from previous publication.

Games

8:30 p.m. on Friday, September 9. Tickets $9 each!

TV Club Presents MR. ROBOT (SEASON PREMIERE!) Based on the hit comic book series! 10 p.m. Wednesday, September 14 Free Admission With Drink Purchase!

©2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

Beer! Wine! Amazing Coffee! 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro geeksboro.com •

336-355-7180

All She Wrote

TV Club Presents Fear The Walking Dead New episode. 9 p.m. Sunday, September 11. Free Admission With Drink Purchase! Totally Rad Trivia 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 13 $3 Buy In! Up to Six Player Teams! Winners get CASH PRIZE!

Shot in the Triad

--OTHER EVENTS & SCREENINGS--

The Idiot Box presents Stand-Up Comedy

21


Sept. 7 — 13, 2016

Lake Brandt Road, Greensboro

All She Wrote

Shot in the Triad

Games

Fun & Games

Culture

Cover Story

Opinion

News

Up Front

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

22

Labor Day Weekend.

PHOTO BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

336-375-1880 • Taylor’s Auto Sales • taylorsautosales.com 83 Buick Riviera

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07 Kia Amanti

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10 Ford Fusion

$9,995 SEL, Auto, FWD

06 Toyota Avalon

$10,555 Auto, Leather, FWD

07 BMW X5

$18,575 4.8i, Auto, Leather, AWD

12 BMW 1-Series

$19,995 128i Coupe, 6-Speed, RWD, Leather


I

On parenting: Mother: So what event are you attending tonight? Me: “Corks for Kids.” Mother: Good. Children today don’t know how to use cutlery. Me: I said “Corks” not “Forks,” mother. Mother: What’s the difference?

Specials every day!

by Tony

slices $349 • 2 special slices $449

For Delivery: Take Out Triad • OPEN EVERY DAY!

by Tony

Expires 09-13-2016

by Tony

Expires 09-13-2016

facebook.com/slicespizzagreensboro • [336]378-1932 401 Tate Street • Greensboro, NC 27403

All She Wrote

Any order larger than $3000

Any large pizza

Shot in the Triad

3OFF 5OFF

$ 00 $ 00

Games

On Greensboro: Mother: So has anyone come up with a slogan for Greensboro yet? Me: I drove by the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau the other day and noticed a club next door called “Sexy Party Bar & Club.” Maybe that should be it: Greensboro: It’s one Sexy Party. Mother: They should have embraced the Green trend when it was still green.

After 6pm • 2 cheese

Fun & Games

On hair: Mother: So, are you single handedly bringing back “The Rachel?” Me: Rachel who worked at the coffee shop or Rachel the buyer at Bloomingdales? Mother: Does it matter? It’s still Greek Girl Blond. Me: Says the woman who went from Cruella DeVille to Tina Louise in one swift dye job. Mother: Answer the question. Me: Well if it’s Bloomingdale’s buyer then yes, why not? It’s worked for Greek girl Jen Aniston for all these years. Mother: Angelina Jolie might beg to differ. Me: Your hair may be lighter, but your roots are still dark.

On the Oscars: Mother: Did you watch the Oscars? Me: You mean the Oprahs? Mother: The camera did seem to spot on her a lot.

On Death: Mother: Where are you going all dressed up? Me: I’ve got another funeral. Mother: Don’t be like me and outlive all of your friends. Me: You’ve still got me mother. Mother: Nicole, you’re my child. Not my friend.

Culture

On my love life: Mother: So why did you come home so early from your date last night? Me: That’s none of your business. Mother: Nicole, your love life is a conundrum, not a business.

On food: Mother: What did you have for dinner last night? Me: I clubbed some baby kale. Mother: Why? Me: I needed strength for the Golden Globes.

Cover Story

On sports: Mother: So what do you want to watch tonight? Me: I thought we could watch the Super Bowl. Mother: I’m sorry, my hearing must be going. I thought you said you wanted to watch the Super Bowl. Me: Very funny. C’mon, it’ll be fun with the commercials and the half-time show. Mother: This reminds me of when you were a cheerleader and I asked if you understood football. Me: What did I say? Mother: You said ‘it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, you still get to cheer.’ Mother: Did you watch the Final Four? Duke won? Me: I know, mother. The whole world

Me: So for Mother’s Day we could get mother-daughter tattoos. What would yours say? Mother: Do not resuscitate.

On boys: Mother: You never know a man until you see him on a boat, on a mountain or in the cut. Me: How about in his cups? Mother: Well, that’s a given.

Me: Yeah. You’d think she was Kanye at the Grammys. Mother: Who is Kanye? Oh. I know. That rude rapper. I’m glad he’s not in the movies. So many rappers are. Me: Street cred pays off on screen. I have to say that I love Common though. Mother: Who is Common? Me: He’s kind of like the Harry Belafonte of this era. Mother: Then why is he called Common? Me: I think he was originally named Common Sense but some ska band with the same name sued him. Mother: I’m not even going to ask what ska is. It sounds like something my neighboring Swedes would eat in Minnesota.

Opinion

On fashion: Scene: Driving from the lake on Mother’s Day in a bikini with a bucket of chicken, and emerging from the car to greet mother. Mother: Yeesh, Nicole, do you even own any pants? Me: Says the woman who greeted my high school date at the door in panties and one of dad’s undershirts. Mother: Well, we didn’t have air conditioning.

On holidays: Scene: Epic Halloween blowout at my late ’90s apartment and my mother shows up in a full-length mink with a sweeping sable collar and a More menthol dangling from her mouth. Me: So who are you supposed to be? Mother: You in forty years.

Me: That’s what my friend Angie said when we were walking the Greenway the other day. Mother: Greensboro: The Green Way Me: I just wish they would stop building doo-dads along the Greenway and finish the actual Greenway. Mother: The Greenway wasn’t built in a day. Me: You may be on to something.

News

On education: Scene: Early September dinner time at the Crews household and my hair is in pre-Bo Derek cornrows because it meant I didn’t have to wash it if Miss Ruby, my nanny, braided it that way. Mother: So what did you and Ruby do today, Nicole? Me: Ruby took me to my first day of school! Father: She did what?! Me, proudly: Yes, we walked to Kern Street School and I signed up for the free lunch! Mother, dropping her cigarette: Hand me the phone, Joe.

knows mother – with the exception of certain drag queens and various Trappist monks. Mother: Well if they’re from North Carolina they should know it, too.

Up Front

n honor of what would have been my mother’s 85th birthday (she was born Sept. 7, 1931), I’ve scoured put together by Nicole Crews a collection of her greatest quotes. Cheers mom — and thanks for all the wit, wisdom and laughter!

Mother’s Finest — revisited

triad-city-beat.com

ALL SHE WROTE

23


Presented by

Festival Schedule SATURDAY - September 17th - 11AM-11PM

SUNDAY - September 18th - 12PM-8PM

1:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 3:30 4:00 - 5:00 5:30 - 6:30 7:00 - 8:00 9:00 until

12:30 - 1:30 2:00 - 3:00 3:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 6:00 6:30 until

Music

Patrick Ferguson of Vel Indica 1970’s Film Stock Carolina Music Ways Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin The Dead Tongues Phil Cook

Music

Bjorn and Francois Cinnamon Reggae Future Nature Spirit System The Cat Herders

Restaurant Lineup Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro 6th and Vine Hutch and Harris Sweet Potatoes Dewey’s Bakery/Blue Ridge Ice Cream Atelier on Trade

Black Mt. Chocolate Bib’s Downtown Meridian Restaurant Mellow Mushroom Milner’s American Southern The Porch

Finnigan’s Wake Providence Restaurant & Catering Local 27101 Quanto Basta Rooster’s A Noble Grille Camel City BBQ

SEPTEMBER 17 & 18 • DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM • TEXASPETEFEST.COM


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