2016 Issue 24 Creative Loafing by Creative Loafing Charlotte

Clclt.com | March 17 - March 23, 2016 Vol. 30, No. 04

1 | Date - Date, 2015 | clclt.com

2 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

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Creative Loafing is Published by Womack Newspapers, Inc. Charlotte, NC 28206. Office: 704-522-8334 www.clclt.com Facebook: /CLCLT Twitter: @cl_charlotte Instagram: @creativeloafingcharlotte

Staff PUBLISHER • Charles A. Womack III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITOR • Anita Overcash aovercash@clclt.com

Editorial

NEWS EDITOR • Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@clclt.com STAFF WRITER • Madeline Lemieux FILM CRITIC • Matt Brunson mattonmovies@gmail.com THEATER CRITIC • Perry Tannenbaum perrytannenbaum@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS • Corbie Hill, Erin TracyBlackwood, Vivian Carol, Charles Easley, Chrissie Nelson, Page Leggett, Alison Leininger, Sherrell Dorsey, Dan Savage, Aerin Spruill, Chuck Shepherd, Jeff Hahne

ART/DESIGN

GRAPHIC DESIGNER • Dana Vindigni CONTRIBUTING Artists and PHOTOGRAPHERS • Justin Driscoll, Brian Twitty

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Creative Loafing © is published by CL, LLC 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., Suite C-2, Charlotte, NC 28206. Periodicals Postage Paid at Charlotte, NC. Creative Loafing welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however Creative Loafing assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. Creative Loafing is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. Copyright 2015 Womack Newspapers, Inc. Creative Loafing is printed on a 90% recycled stock. It may be recycled furtheR; please do your part.

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Eric Drumwright

Marshall Crenshaw performs at The Evening Muse on Aug. 10.

cover story To hell with cookie-cutting: Carrborobased writer Brockton McKinney talks creativity and gives advice for Charlotte Comicon-goers.

By Corbie hill This week’s cover art of Gingerdead Man (an Ultimate Comics exclusive cover in 2016) is by Tommy Lee Edwards. The Cover was designed by dana Vindigni

News&VIEWS fINDING TRANS PEOPLE IN THE WORKPLACE: CL contributor’s new photo

series spotlights Charlotte’s trans and gender nonconforming community. By ryan pitkin 11 The query 12 The Blotter

Food Taste of thailand: Find the flavors of Thai street food on South Boulevard. By madeline lemieux 16 Three-Course spiel

Arts&Ent 22 Editor’s note 24 Film Reviews

Music

Wild and free: Aussie band Oh Pep! smears pop layers in Stadium Cake. By anita overcash 30 cd review 32 Soundboard

Odds&Ends

18 Top 10 Things To Do 34 Marketplace 34 Nightlife 35 Crossword 34 Savage Love 38 Horoscope

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News

Feature

Meeting Trans people At Work CL contributor’s new photo series spotlights Charlotte’s trans and gender non-conforming community By Ryan Pitkin

hen Lara Americo

was interviewed for Creative Loafing’s cover story in last year’s Pride Issue, she discussed her disappointment at the fact that Charlotte wasn’t able to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance in 2015. “As a trans person, I just want to be normal. I don’t really like all the attention that trans people get. I just want us to be normal people, using the bathroom and buying clothes, whether we pass or not,” she said. “I hope one day in my lifetime I can experience that, even if I’m old and gray.” A lot has happened since we spoke with Americo last August. Charlotte did pass that nondiscrimination ordinance in 2016, quickly followed by the state legislature overriding it with House Bill 2, the now infamous law that has cost the state millions and pushed us into the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Americo has played a large role — sometimes reluctantly — in fighting to have HB2 repealed, from participating in protests to appearing alongside city leaders in press conferences calling for state lawmakers to rethink their hastily made decisions. In the meantime, however, she has continued to make music and art, expanding her portfolio with a newfound passion for photography. As a contributor for Creative Loafing, she has written essays, shot photos and filmed video over the last year. Most recently, she’s been working on a photo series titled Trans and Queer In the Workplace. Inspired by the San Francisco LGBT Center’s #TransAtWork campaign and the popular Humans of New York website, the series spotlights Charlotte’s trans and gender non-conforming community, photographing individuals in their work environment and quoting their thoughts on their work experiences. 10 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Lara Americo

The first of Lara Americo’s 10-photo series titled Trans and Queer in the Workplace. Creative Loafing will print one of the photos, 10 in total, every other week in the coming months. This week, we spoke with Americo about what she hopes to accomplish with Trans and Queer at the Workplace. Creative Loafing: What made you want to start this project? Lara Americo: There is a campaign that [the San Francisco LGBT Center] is doing, they use hashtags: #HigherTrans and #TransAtWork. They’ve done video projects and photo protects that are kind of similar to this but not as much like Humans of New York. So I thought it would be cool to have the quotes and everything with the picture to get a feel of what the person is like and why I think their work is important to the community. [#TransAtWork] does longer interviews and videos. I liked the Humans of New York idea because sometimes you can get a lot from just one small quote from someone. Not everyone is going to read a whole interview.

This work is important because black and trans liberation depends on it. I don’t think of the work I do as representative of people. I hope that the work is representative of histories and traditions of black queer resistance. Learn from others. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Ashley Williams, community organizer

What’s the purpose of the project? The purpose of the project is to show employers that trans people are great to have in the workplace. When a trans person applies for work, sometimes they don’t appear to be the gender that they identify as. Employers tend to ignore them or let them go. And there are trans people who are fired when they come out as transgender. This is to put a human

face on an issue that’s national and worldwide in the workplace. What do you hope people take out of this? It’s similar to singing. A singer has to be confident or else it’s going to show in their voice. When a trans person goes in to get a job, they have to be confident in themselves when they’re applying and interviewing. A lot of times trans people hear all these stories about other trans people being fired or not

Views

environment where they’re out in the open and being themselves to show that they’re part of the community that we all live in, and the job title and the work that they do is only a part of that because even when they’re off work they’re still a part of our community. Hopefully people will see that these are just human beings just like their sisters and brothers and friends.

Lara Americo

Graham Morrison

being able to find work and getting into sex work — there’s not anything wrong with that but not everyone wants to do that — and sadly some people are forced into it. Seeing other trans people in the community that are doing great things and being successful as themselves, it proves to other trans people that they can do it, too. How do you choose your subjects? Some are friends and some are people that I’ve just seen in passing whom I know of that are successful in the community and doing what they love to do. Some are pediatricians and some are farmers and everything in between. Are people reluctant to participate? Sadly, yes. There were some people who aren’t out at work and they don’t want their coworkers to know that they’re trans. They’ll go to work being the gender they were born as or not trying to fit the binary that society forces them to and as soon as they leave work they’re themselves again, and they have to do it to keep their jobs, unfortunately. Ashley Williams, whom we featured this month, identifies as trans nonbinary. How important was it for you to cover all aspects of the wide spectrum of trans folks? I want to include not just trans people fitting a binary, but also gender nonconforming people. Ashley uses they/them/ their pronouns so I thought they would be important, also for the work they do in the trans and queer community. Do you hope this series will reach and affect more than just employers? I try to take pictures of each subject in an

Last year you told us you hope trans people can be treated as normal “before I’m old and gray.” Compared to that time, do you feel like we’re further or closer to that being a reality? In some ways, we’re closer but in other ways we’re further. The people who don’t understand trans issue and don’t include trans people in their circles, they fight harder against trans people now, and there’s the opposite as well; people who support trans and LGBT people, they’re more supportive of trans issues and are more outspoken now. I try to be optimistic about all the issues that have come up recently, and I hope that maybe a year from now people will be more aware of trans people and more accepting and we will be closer to having trans people just being people. It’s really not that big of a deal. Trying to fit the binary is just a ridiculous notion anyway, because there are so many ways to express your gender that don’t fit the binary. I hope I’m not so old and gray when these things happen. You also told us during the conversation last August that stopping mixed martial arts (MMA) was like a last step in your transition. Has photography helped fill that void? MMA was sort of an art form in itself; a violent way to express myself. When I stopped doing that I wanted to find ways to express myself without hurting people and photography is just another medium for doing that — along with painting and music and videography. It’s all just ways to express my soul and I think everyone should do that. Has working on this project affected you in ways you didn’t foresee? It’s hard to find subjects that I can work with because I sort of fall in love with them when they’re in the frame of camera. I look into their eyes while they’re standing there and I notice things about them that they probably wouldn’t notice about themselves while we’re standing there. There’s this metaphysical bond that happens between me and that person — where I just love that person so much and I want to try to express that as much as I can during that little moment in time. My ultimate goal is for someone else to experience that by looking at the photo.

the query

Back to school in the Bible Belt More tax money set aside for discriminatory schools state have similar policies. Book bag? Check. Loose-leaf SouthLake Christian Academy in notebook paper? Check. Pencils, crayons and Huntersville is another one of those local glue sticks? Check. Kicked out of school schools. SouthLake’s been in the news recently because you or your parents are LGBT? for the crimes of its former headmaster, who Double-check, especially if you’re one of the pleaded guilty last week to embezzling more nearly 100,000 students attending one of than $9 million from the church coffers. Its the more than 700 private schools in North policy on LGBT students is nearly identical Carolina. to Bible Baptist’s: “SLCA retains the right to It seems absurd that schools might refuse enrollment to or to expel any student actually deny admission or enrollment to who engages in biblical sexual immorality, students based solely on their or their family including, but not limited to, any student who members’ sexual orientation and gender professes to be homosexual/bisexual or is a identity. But it’s true; and it happens. It stands practicing homosexual/bisexual, as well as any in stark contrast to state law, which prohibits student who condones, supports, or otherwise anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in all promotes such practices.” public schools. That 2008 legislation The common language in the two was landmark, making North schools’ policies — condoning, Carolina the first southern state supporting, promoting — isn’t to prohibit such harassment and the first southern state by accident. There’s a national to codify protections based model and standard set on sexual orientation and for this kind of anti-LGBT gender identity into state discrimination, encouraged statute. by the two largest national But none of that Christian school groups, matters to the kids the American Association heading off to North of Christian Schools and Carolina’s private schools. the Association of Christian matt comer Most of these schools are Schools International. religiously based and many are That language is also vague, now receiving taxpayer funds in the purposefully. You could, for instance, form of private school vouchers, enabled by say you support equal rights for your family a new funding program passed by Republican member or attend their same-gender legislators and signed into law by Gov. Pat wedding. Maybe you just happen to disagree McCrory in 2013. with your school’s position when anti-LGBT In the recently approved budget, the topics come up in classroom settings. Do any legislature increased the amount of taxpayer of that, and you could be threatened with funds flowing into private schools to nearly expulsion. Heck, your school might even $25 million this year, with a $10 million attempt to force you to come out in some increase every year for the next decade.Large anti-gay witch hunt craze. Two years ago chunks of that cash are landing squarely in in Creative Loafing, I reported on the story church-affiliated schools that see no shame of one young man whose private Christian in discriminating against young people. school forced students to sign statements NC Policy Watch, the commentary arm of that they weren’t LGBT. If they were, they the NC Justice Center, recently pointed out the were expected to come out so they could be disturbingly exclusive policies of Bible Baptist either counseled or expelled. Christian School in Matthews, which received These are radical policies that are $100,000 for 26 students last school year. insanely harmful to young people. Much Bible Baptist’s policy is clear: “The school of this, thanks to the state’s private school reserves the right, in its sole discretion, voucher scheme, is paid for in part by you, to refuse admission to an applicant or to me and every other tax-paying resident. discontinue enrollment of a current student. My queer dollars, my friends’ queer dollars This includes, but is not limited to, living and the dollars of our families and friends in, condoning, or supporting any form of are paying salaries of people who find no sexual immorality; practicing or promoting compunction in kicking kids to the curb. That’s a homosexual lifestyle or alternative gender wrong and shameful, and needs to end. identity,” according to its handbook. backtalk@clclt.com But they’re not alone. Schools across the clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 11

News

Blotter

By Ryan Pitkin

You’re All Guilty Police arrived on

the scene of an assault at an east Charlotte grocery store last week but found it hard to determine who deserved to be taken into custody. Police found the “victim” of the assault, who said that a man began tussling with him in the store and scratched his hand. The suspect told the officer that he assaulted the victim because he was attempting to shoplift a watermelon-flavored malt beverage. Police searched both people involved in the incident and found that the good Samaritan who had tried to stop the theft was in possession of Xanax. He then tried to flee officers and was arrested.

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Notarious A 62-year-old woman filed a police report after recovering from an illness last week. She discovered that one of her caretakers had stolen from her while she was sick. The woman told police that the unknown thief didn’t take money or jewelry, but a notary stamp that she kept in her nightstand beside her bed. She said that many people had visited during her three-month illness, so she has no idea who it could have been. In the meantime, trust not a notary. Flush ‘Em Out The administration at Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy filed a report after realizing that someone has been targeting their bathrooms throughout the year. They told police that a man had entered the hospital on February 16 and removed a flush valve from a toilet somewhere in the building. The suspect, who remains unknown but the hospital believes is the same man, returned on July 25 and removed another. It’s unclear what the suspect wanted with these bacteria traps, but each one was worth about $500, according to hospital staff. Quit Your Crying An elderly man in

south Charlotte was the latest victim to a new trend in which scammers are asking naïve victims to buy them iTunes cards in order to pay back taxes, bail a loved one out of jail, or any number of other scams. The man said someone called claiming to be his grandson, but the man was crying so hard he couldn’t tell. Another man then took the phone and said the “grandson” was involved in an accident and taken into custody, and in order to be released, the grandfather would have to pay for the damages caused by ordering iTunes cards and reading the PIN numbers over the phone. The man ordered the cards, but then was able to reach his real grandson, so he never called the scammers back. However, he can’t get a refund and will now have to spend his iTunes gift cards on a shitload of music.

Hole-y Shit A woman living in a west Charlotte apartment complex gave her

12 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

neighbors quite a scare last week. She was trying to clean up the house, which led to an even bigger mess. The woman told police that she was dusting off a shotgun that her mother had given her years ago when it went off, shooting a hole through the wall. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Freedom Ain’t Free A juvenile was

arrested at SouthPark Mall last week after misunderstanding what a clothing line was all about. The girl allegedly stole a “Free People” tank top from the Belk department store, not understanding that the clothing line is not called “free tank tops” and that the article of clothing actually costs $108. She was cited and released to her guardian.

Flee the Scene A woman attempting

to steal some beer in east Charlotte last week quickly found that she should hire a getaway driver for her next job. The woman allegedly ran out of a Sam’s Mart on The Plaza with four cases of Corona and hopped into her car. While trying to make her escape, she collided with a Kia Sorento, causing $3,000 in damages, and then slammed into a concrete barrier. When she got out of the car, she assaulted the store manager who had been trying to chase her down. The police also found it necessary to note in the report that she fled the scene of the accident with the Kia and without leaving the proper insurance information — as if that was ever an option.

What Goes Around How many times

do we have to offer up the most important Blotter pro tip? Do not return to the scene of the crime. Police responded to an assault call in southwest Charlotte after a 22-year-old man had been jumped by three men. During the investigation, the suspects drove by and the victim pointed them out. The men were found to be driving in a stolen car and in possession of multiple narcotics, including crack rocks, Xanax, crystal meth and black tar heroin, not to mention that the car was also filled with assorted paraphernalia related to all of these drugs.

Give It Up A 61-year-old man called police

after his attempts at a quick solution to a conflict in west Charlotte last week fell apart pretty quickly. The man told police that someone he owed something to came to his house in an attempt to collect what she was owed. The man said that “when she was invited inside so they could calmy figure out the problem,” the suspect went to her car and pulled out a metal pole from the trunk — never a good sign. She then went to work, smashing out the front windows of the victim’s house before leaving the scene. Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 13

Food

Feature

madeline lemieux

“Kao Soy” bowl from Rai Lay.

Taste of Thailand Find the flavors of Thai street food on South Boulevard By madeline lemieux

urrounded

barrier of rocky cliffs and lush jungle, Rai Lay is one of Thailand’s most beautiful beaches. Thai native Jai Budsri pays homage to the exotic destination with Rai Lay Thai, a new concept restaurant that brings authentic Thai street food to South End. Rai Lay is Budsri’s second foray into bringing Thai cuisine to the Charlotte palate; 14 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

she opened her first restaurant, Deejai, on Providence Road in 2009. While Deejai’s traditional approach and a menu that’s full of Thai-American staples helped make the Elizabeth sit-down a neighborhood favorite, Budsri found herself wanting to experiment beyond the basics and introduce a menu of lesser known and more authentic fare. “The main focus is Thai street food,” says Rai Lay manager Emily Hesse. “Thai food

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is really popular around here and there are some great Thai spots, but Jai wanted to introduce a different type of food that people weren’t as familiar with.” Hesse has been part of Budsri’s operation for years. After graduating from Johnson & Wales, she kicked off her career in restaurant management at Deejai. “That was actually my first introduction to Thai food,” she says. “I came in hating

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. 1520 South Blvd., Suite 130. 980-2070991. railaythai.com.

spicy food, being scared of it, then I started eating more of it and now it’s one of my favorite cuisines.” Keeping her own introduction to Thai food in mind, Hesse knows that some diners may have a bit of a learning curve when they come to Rai Lay hoping to find the usual Americanized Thai dishes that they’re accustomed to. “A lot of people come in here wanting the

madeline lemieux

Madeline lemieux

curry dishes or noodle dishes,” Hesse says, explaining that the staff is always ready to help newbies navigate the menu. “They have those dishes at Deejai, but here the focus is on street food. So I’ll tell them, ‘We don’t have that, but we do have this you can try instead,’” she says. “I always ask people, ‘Do you want noodles? Do you want broth? None of the above? Sweet? Spicy?’ I always try to gauge what you’re craving at the moment and can direct you from there,” she explains as she walks me through the menu. “The Kao Soy is a staple and is one of our most popular dishes. It’s our only semicurry. We’ve got yellow curry with noodles on the bottom and fried noodles on top. Palo is one of my favorites. It’s braised pork and it’s so tender. There’s an egg in it, and a

sweet broth.” For diners that are ready to step outside of the box entirely, Rai Lay offers even more exotic and creative interpretations of traditional Thai street fare. “We do Thai chicken wings and Thai beef jerky,” Hesse says, listing off some of the menu’s more adventurous selections. “Our oyster pancakes are really popular. People can’t really picture what that will look like. It’s literally a crêpe-like pancake with oyster in it, and a sauce on the side that you mix together.” Though the menu focuses on breaking the mold, Rai Lay does offer a few cop-outs for diners that crave more familiar flavors. “The basil chicken and Pad Thai are delicious and still really flavorful, if people are really unsure of everything else,” Hesse

Rai Lay’s “Moo Ping” pork skewers with sticky rice.

says. “We offer those dishes to be more traditional.” So what kind of reception has the menu received? “It goes both ways,” Hesse says. “There’s people who come in and are upset we don’t have a particular dish. But we’ve also had people say, ‘Hey, I was just in Thailand, and this is really authentic.’” Authenticity took top priority when Budsri and her staff worked on putting together Rai Lay’s menu. “It took a lot of time to come up with the dishes,” Hesse says of the process. “A lot of it was based on personal experience with dishes they liked in Thailand. It was a lot of collaboration, a lot of trial and error. They know firsthand how dishes are supposed to taste and how they should be served.” That effort to be authentic doesn’t end when the food leaves the kitchen; true to Thai style, spice level is ‘DIY style’ at Rai Lay. Rather than ask diners how spicy they want a dish, Rai Lay brings a tray of spices to the table. “We wanted to give people creative control to spice how they want,” Hesse explains. “That’s how it is on the streets in Thailand — they don’t ask, ‘Do you want spice level three?’ They just have the spices right there. So we bring the spice to the table and you can make it spicy yourself.” Those efforts to bring her hometown’s flavor to South End have paid off for Budsri; though Rai Lay has only been open a month, the dining space is booming at lunch time. Hesse isn’t surprised by Budsri’s success: “She works her butt off running back and forth between the two restaurants. She’s that business owner who is always there and never has a day off. She’ll be back here in the kitchen actually cooking,” says Hesse. “I’m inspired and in awe of her. I think it’s really empowering that there’s a woman who owns two restaurants and has a family at the same time.”

Rai Lay’s future looks bright in South End, and Hesse is confident that they’ll continue to convert fans of standard Thai takeout. “We want people to come in and try out the food,” she says. “It might not be something you’ve seen before or are used to, but try it out.” mlemieux@clclt.com

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Roger and Robert Kongkham are no strangers to Charlotte’s Thai food scene. About 28 years ago, around the time Roger was born, their mother and former stepfather opened the first Thai Taste in Charlotte, and both have played an integral part in the restaurants as they’ve grown up. In June, the brothers officially flew the nest, opening their own Thai-fusion restaurant called Hibiscus in Park Towne Village in the Montford area. It’s tucked away in the lower level of the Village, but Roger hopes that Hibiscus and Bonchon, opening soon right next door, will lead a revitalization of that oft-forgotten corner down the stairs. We caught up with Roger to talk about what made him and his brother decide to follow their own vision and how keeping things local is important to the sons of a small business owner. Creative Loafing: What made you and Robert decide to open Hibiscus?

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Roger Kongham: When we started managing the two newer Thai Taste locations, we wanted to make some changes but some of the partners weren’t very receptive — people liked it the way it was. The other restaurants were a little bit more resistant to change because they’ve been around for so long. Why change anything that’s not broken, right? Even though we are related to Thai Taste, we are not going to be Thai Taste. We were kind of anxious to have something of our own to be more of an expression of how we saw the restaurants going, something more of an expression of our generation. We wanted to do something more of an expression of ourselves. We traveled quite a bit and got inspiration from a lot of places up north: New York, Chicago, different kinds of bars and lounges that inspired the speakeasy atmosphere.

PHOTO BY SCOTT STOCKTON

Where else do you look for inspiration on how to make Hibiscus inviting for customers?

I’ve been explaining to customers that we’re open and receptive to any kind of changes they want to see — any kind of feedback or criticism that they want to give us. Because we are very open-minded. We know we’re trying a new concept, especially in this area of Charlotte. Since I know that it’s a new concept for us, we’re trying to be receptive of people’s tastes. Even though we’ve been in the restaurant

Ryan Pitkin

Robert (left) and Roger Kongham hope their restaurant will play a role in revitalizing the oft-forgotten lower level of Park Towne Village.

business for a while, we’re not trying to tell people what’s good. We want to know their opinions and how we can adjust to better suit their tastes. We’re just coming in there with an open mind and trying to be humble and receptive to any kind of changes they want to see. Honestly, we just really want to push out a good product that we’re proud of and that people enjoy. You have local breweries here on tap, I’ve noticed. Is that something that’s important to you? Besides the local breweries, we also used Modern Lighting on East Boulevard and ordered a lot of stuff through them. Even for the Live Edge table [a large table at the front of the restaurant}, the wood that we bought for that was locally sourced from North Carolina. As well as the people that we got to make it, instead of just ordering a Live Edge table on Amazon or something. Even the art on the walls is all by a local artist named Duy Huynh that my brother and his wife found. A few of the customers have recognized the artist’s work, a few customers are actually friends with the artist. I know that a lot of people in North Carolina — especially Charlotte, it’s a growing community — a lot of people agree that it’s good to support other local businesses. We all stick together. If you can get a product from anywhere, I feel like you might as well go with something local. Support your neighbor, you know? rpitkin@clclt.com

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 17

thursday

friday

THINGS TO DO

TOP ten

Motion City Soundtrack Wednesday

saturday

tuesday

Steve Byrne

Joedance Film Festival

Reeve Coobs

Let the Good Times Roll

Bush

What: Steve Byrne, father of TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son, recorded a fourth comedy special earlier this year. The new special is a follow-up to 2014’s “Champion.” He’s already making good jokes on Twitter about this year’s presidential candidates: “A walk of shame usually takes place leaving a bedroom. This year it will take place leaving a voting booth.”

What: In its seventh year, the Joedance Film Festival’s 2016 lineup consists of 14 local films. Shea Sizemore’s My Luchador (see production still above), a short film about dreams and marriage is one of many that will be screened. This festival is one of the best places to catch flicks by Charlotte-area filmmakers and it’s for a good cause. Proceeds from all ticket sales are donated to Levine Children’s Hospital and go towards rare pediatric cancer research.

What: A singer/songwriter for 16 years, Reeve Coobs has won a handful of CL Best of awards for her talent as an artist — solo and as a part of the Near Misses. Her vocals are her strength and her new album, Me & You, gives listeners more vocally-pleasing songs. Only this time, the album is a direct response to all those who have asked, “Why don’t you write a love song?”

What: This yearly skateboard deck art show has picked up wins in CL’s Best of Charlotte for good reason. Artists purchase new or salvaged skateboards and give them new life through art. Locals like Alexandra Loesser and Phoebe Alicia gave us a peek (one of Loesser’s works features David Bowie and Alicia’s features kittens) and CL graphic designer and artist Dana Vindigni shared another kickass board design (pictured) that goes down the rabbit hole.

What: There’s a sense of nostalgia that comes with hearing “Glycerine” “Come Down,” and “Everything Zen,” all tracks from Bush’s debut 1994 album, Sixteen Stone. Yet, today Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale seems to make more news in regards to his bad breakup with Gwen Stefani. Following the band’s 2014 album Man on the Run, Bush recently released a video, “People at War” for the UN Refugee Agency.

When: Aug. 4, 8 p.m.; Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m.; Aug. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Where: The Comedy Zone, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. More: $18-$22.50. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone.com. — Anita Overcash

18 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

When: Aug. 5-6, 8 p.m.- 11 p.m. Where: 10th Street Town Homes courtyard, 308 W. 10th St. More: $25. joedance.org. — Overcash

When: 8 p.m. Where: Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St. More: $10. 704-942-7997. neighborhoodtheatre.com. — Jeff Hahne

When: Aug. 6 through Sept. 4. Where: Twenty Two Gallery, 1500 Central Ave. More: 704-334-0122. — Overcash

When: 6 p.m. Where: Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheater, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. More: $29.50-$65. livenation.com. — Overcash

News Arts Food Music Odds

Let the Good Times Roll Saturday

tuesday

Steve Byrne Thursday

Joedance Film Festival Friday

wednesday

wedenesday

Wednesday

Newsies

motion city soundtrack

Marshall Crenshaw

God Save the Queen City

What: Last year when this Tony Award-winning musical rolled through town, I was stuck in bed with the flu. Nothing is worse for an arts journalist than missing a musical about newspaper delivery boys who buck the system and go on strike over low wages. It’s all inspired by a real-life strike by newspaper delivery boys that went down in 1899 in New York City. Sounds like headline heaven.

What: After nearly 20 years, pop-punk alt-rockers Motion City Soundtrack have announced that it’s time to call it quits. The So Long, Farewell Tour is leading up to an indefinite hiatus. Original members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain have been the long-standing members, forming the group that has undergone a handful of lineup changes since forming just after high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Catch ‘em while you can.

What: Early on in his career, Marshall Crenshaw was compared to Buddy Holly. The resemblance was so canny that he even starred as Holly in La Bamba, a film about Ritchie Valens. Last year Crenshaw released, #392: The EP Collection, featuring material and other versions of songs from over the years, in addition to some new mixes. It’s a compilation that Crenshaw didn’t intend to make, but one that fans are lapping up.

What: This is the second night (Wednesdays in August) of a God Save the Queen City residency at Snug. This round features Kansas Bible Company, The Everymen and The Business People. Each year, Ink Floyd puts together the GSTQC series with talented local and regional acts, as well as national bands that you should get to know. This show is only $2, but they’re also accepting donations to help save the Milestone.

When: 8 p.m. Where: The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. More: $15-$17. 704-376-3737. eveningmuse.com.

When: 10 p.m. Where: Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. More: $2. 704-561-1781. snugrock. com.

When: Aug. 9-11, 7:30 p.m. Other showings held through Aug. 14. Where: Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. More: $25 and up. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org. — Overcash

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: The Fillmore, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. More: $20. fillmorecharlottenc.com. — Hahne

— Overcash

— Hahne

Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally Summer of 69: No Apostrophe What: Did you know that two of the most iconic sitcom characters of the past two decades are married in real life? Even better for us, this hilarious couple is touring together. Megan Mullally, known mostly for her role as Karen Walker on Will & Grace, and Nick Offerman, known for his role as Ron Swanson on Parks & Recreation, bring their raunchy, quirky comedy to Ovens. When: 8 p.m. Where: Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. More: $39.50-59.50. 704-372-3600. ovensauditorium.com. — ryan pitkin

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 19

Arts

coverstory

To hell with cookiecutting Carrboro-based writer Brockton McKinney talks about creativity and gives advice for Charlotte Comicon goers by corbie hill

n Brockton McKinney and Dave Dwonch’s upcoming comic book Party Monster, one of the characters has a kaiju sniper rifle — that is, a gun built to take down Godzillasized monsters. So McKinney contacted Rodrigo Solsona, a Brazilian artist who goes by the name Magenta King, to design it. “It’s huge. It’s got notches in it,” McKinney says, describing the initial idea. “The girl who uses it is badass.” The sketch he got back exploded the concept — and blew his mind. Instead of a mechanical gun, Magenta King designed a living weapon made from a piece of a monster. From one happy accident, McKinney excitedly explains, a whole host of narrative options opened up. They named this exciting new weapon Nemo and decided its user could talk to it. McKinney is thrilled. He recalls this from his office inside of his Carrboro house, appropriately surrounded by his beloved Godzilla figurines. On one wall are shelves on top of shelves full of b-movies on VHS, and there are animals everywhere — cats and dogs inside; chickens and rabbits in pens on his wooded lot. But comic books are his life: McKinney is the writer behind titles like Ehmm Theory and Gingerdead Man, but also the creative director for both NC and Oak City Comicons, held in Durham and Raleigh, respectively. On Sunday, he comes to town as one of Charlotte Comicon’s many guests, bringing issues of his first all-ages book, Zoe Dare. It’s a good feeling, he says, to finally have his name on a book his teenage daughter can take to school without being sent to the principal’s office. “I’m used to slapping kids’ hands away,” McKinney laughs. “’Please don’t open that Gingerdead Man book! You can’t see that!’” Gingerdead Man’s slasher film-derived absurdist violence is the kind of thing 20 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Brockton McKinney will be at Charlotte Comicon on Aug. 7. McKinney is known for, though he’d wanted to write a comic for all-ages for some time. Then he ran into his friend Andrew Herman at a party, and the Texas writer and illustrator suggested a comic book series about a stuntwoman named Zoe

Dare. Herman and McKinney both love stunt legends Hal Needham and Jackie Chan, and McKinney was immediately onboard. This kind of creative collaboration sounds like the foundation of good comic work. Granted, there’s a division of labor, with

Patrick Sun

many comics having three or four different people responsible for the final result — one writer, one penciler, one inker and one colorist. This division of labor is essential when it comes to cranking out comics every 30 days. It’s an assembly line of sorts, sure,

Tommy Lee Edwards, Ultimate Comics, Action Lab, exclusive variant issue 1, 2016

John Penta

but it’s also a collaborative environment. “It’s a pretty standard process,” McKinney says. “It obviously starts with the concept.” If it’s a creator-owned book like Zoe Dare — that is, one with new characters and new situations — the writer figures out how long the series should go, then creates an outline. This part is fun, McKinney says. Usually he goes into a dark bar, orders a scotch, and unloads into his notebook. Whatever comes to mind, be it characters or dialogue, he scribbles it down. The more he creates this way, the better, as the comic book script format is tedious, inorganic and far less enjoyable to him than writing screenplays or prose fiction. Each panel on each page must be described: who or what’s in it? What’s the point-of-view? What’s being said? Is there descriptive text? “That’s the first panel,” McKinney says after rattling off all these questions. “Page one, panel two, you’re continuing — you’re just stopping and starting over and over again. There is no better way to get crappy dialogue than to have me just go in with nothing.” Once he’s done writing, it goes to the artist, the penciler and the colorist, who all engage the story according to their gifts.

Sometimes the end results are thrilling and unexpected, like Magenta King’s kaiju sniper rifle, and sometimes the best results come from the writer leaving his script vague enough for the rest of the assembly line to plug in their own creative talents. “You get better results if you give people the room to do stuff,” McKinney says. “I know where to pick my fights.”

BROCKTON’S CHARLOTTE COMICON TIPS

• ”It’s a one-day show and it runs about seven hours, so my first tip is take a lap. Check the place out. See every table, every room. Just wander, look at stuff, take notes.” • ”If you see something that you absolutely love ... go ahead and get it.” If you see some cool, rare item, it’s likely you’re not the only person hunting for such a thing. It won’t be there later, so don’t wait. • ”Be respectful for the people who are behind the table. For a lot of these guys, this is how they make their living.” • ”If you’re speaking to a creator, an artist — they want to talk about their comic books, they want to talk about their stuff, but limit the amount you’re doing.” Don’t dwell on minutiae. They want to meet fans,

Charlotte Comicon $6. Aug. 7, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Embassy Suites, 5400 John Q. Hammons Drive, NW Concord. charlottecomicon.com.

sure, but they’re also here to do business. If you monopolize their time, they’re doing less of both things. • If you have an idea to pitch to a creator, ask for their email address or see if they’ll grab a drink with you later. Again, don’t monopolize their time. • Always ask before taking a cosplayer’s picture, and don’t touch anybody’s costume. Cosplayers hate that. • Make sure you’re not blocking the aisle. If you want to get a picture of a cosplayer, ask them to step to the side. They get it.

The Deal on Zoe Dare

In Zoe Dare #1, Brockton McKinney and Andrew Herman waste no time getting to the action: by the third page, Zoe launches a motorcycle off the top of a Vegas hotel. Zoe is fearless, hotheaded and only slightly

Andrew Herman, Zoe Dare artist/co-creator, Action Lab issue 1 variant B cover, 2016

grounded by her mohawked sister Danni, a mechanical genius accompanied by two bickering robots of her own invention. In the best sci-fi tradition, it’s this gang of leapbefore-you-look misfits that has to somehow save the world. backtalk@clclt.com

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 21

Arts

editor’s note

Vote, now! It’s time to hit the polls for Best of Charlotte 2016

HOME ALL WEEKEND! Friday-Sunday Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides

FRIDAY

FRIDAY NIGHT FIREWORKS AT BB&T BALLPARK!

GAME AT 7:05 PM

SATURDAY

LIVE MUSIC AFTER THE GAME FEATURING THE BAND PUSHH

MYSTERY BALL NIGHT PURCHASE A BAG WITH AN AUTOGRAPHED BASEBALL OF MYSTERY BASEBALL PLAYER

GAME AT 6:05 PM

SUNDAY

KIDS RUN THE BASES MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT

MILITARY CARD SET GIVEAWAY

MILITARY CARD SET FOR THE FIRST 1,000 FANS

SUNBELT FAMILY SUNDAYS GAME AT 5:05 PM

TO PURCHASE TICKETS VISIT:

charlotteknights.com 22 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

September to weed through everything and It’s not time to choose Team Hillary to tally up the votes. or Team Trump just yet, but it is time to vote Since we’re bringing back our Critics’ for Creative Loafing’s Best of Charlotte 2016. Picks this year — they didn’t run last year Hit up our website at clclt.com/charlotte/ and we missed forcing our opinions on BestofCharlotte2016/Page, where you’ll find our readers — you can expect some snark. the five usual sections — After Dark, Arts & Sometimes winners aren’t quite sure if it’s a Entertainment, City Life, Consumer Culture, good thing or a bad thing to pick up a Critics’ and Food & Drink — and lots of categories. Pick. Most likely, it’s a good thing and if not, And that’s where you come in. We want you we urge folks to remember that they’re still to fill in these sections by picking favorites. It’s all about you and the local people, places getting exposure through our wisecracks. and things that you love. We added some The truth helps and hurts, but we’re of the new categories, like Best Doughnuts (Not mindset that honesty is the best policy. that we’re trying to stump you or anything) Our Best of Charlotte 2016 is always a and we kept a lot of the classics, including hefty issue and it hits the stands on Oct. the ones that get folks riled up every year. 5. That being said, we like to honor all of Rules and more information for Best the winners and to pat ourselves on the of Charlotte 2016 voting are posted on our back with a party. This year’s party is site, but as a rule of thumb just don’t happening on Oct. 7 at McColl do anything that you wouldn’t be Center for Visual Art + able to do with real-life election Innovation. Back in 2013, voting. For all you rebels: when we last partied You’ve already broken the there, some staffers took first rule with all these writeit to another level by ins. dressing up as zombies, We do welcome even the our theme for that year. most outlandish responses, This year we’re so don’t hold back on the also planning a special things that are near and dear theme — notice our vote to your heart. But seriously, anita now ad (look to the right) we don’t like shadiness overcash with masks. It’s a cosplay here at CL, so theme that welcomes comic, no trying to vote anime, Sci-Fi and supernatural multiple times and no characters — superheroes or villains — voting for things outside at our party. You don’t have to come dressed of the Charlotte-area. up, but it’d be cool if you did. We welcome If you list some thing the public to buy tickets and come party like the Asheville-based with us. Tickets will be available for purchase brewery Wicked Weed online closer to the party date. for “Best Brewery,” we’ll We hope this week’s cover story by be ignoring that vote Corbie Hill on comic book writer Brockton (because as noted back in McKinney and Charlotte Comicon might our April Beer Guide, there are leave you inspired. Who wouldn’t want to more than 10 quality Charlotte try dressing up as the Gingerdead Man, who breweries in the Q.C. alone. Another rule: If was concocted at a bakery from the ashes of you’re wishy-washy and can’t decide about a a serial killer. category, do not fill in your top two choices. On another note about Charlotte One. Only one vote per category. Also, make Comicon, the event’s website boasts that 11 sure to fill out each section. N/A’s are always guests who starred in The Walking Dead will good for those few categories that leave you be there. Kudos if you can spot the ones who scratching your head and going ‘What?’ but played zombies without their makeup. we want the majority of the survey complete. The list goes on and on with other local You can carve time out of your day and take and regional writers and illustrators slated things section by section at a leisurely pace to attend Charlotte Comicon. If you really or you can be a true CL trooper and charge want to shine at our Best of Charlotte 2016, right through it all in one setting. We really we can’t think of a better place to go to don’t care how you do it, we just care that people-watch and steal costume ideas. you get it done. Go check it out and go vote dammit. Online voting will go down for one month — meaning your absolute, no-exceptions aovercash@clclt.com deadline is Aug. 31. That gives us time in

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cCl .cM clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 23

Arts

film

Paramount

Zachary Quinto, Sofia Boutella and Karl Urban in Star Trek Beyond.

To the manner Bourne Slick sequel suffers from lack of identity by matt brunson

those

unnecessary sequels requested by absolutely no one, Jason Bourne (**1/2 out of four) finds Matt Damon returning to the role of the former CIA assassin with the faulty memory and a very particular set of skills, skills that he acquired ... well, Liam Neeson said it better. 24 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

At any rate, as far as needless follow-ups go, this fourth entry in the series (fifth if one includes that offshoot starring Jeremy Renner) works for a surprisingly lengthy amount of time until it finally, perhaps irrevocably, runs out of steam. In this one, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nicky Parsons (returning Julia Stiles) who gets the ball rolling

(again) for Bourne. A former CIA analyst now involved in anarchist activities, Nicky tracks down Jason to inform him about yet another mystery from his past. Their alliance worries the powers-that-be at the agency, particularly CIA Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and an opportunistic agent named Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander, recent Oscar

winner for The Danish Girl). Dewey clearly wants Bourne exterminated, even bringing in his favorite hired gun (Vincent Cassel) to pull the trigger, but Heatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motives and allegiances are far murkier. Paul Greengrass, who helmed the second and third films in the franchise, returns as director, and he still demonstrates an

Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn in Bad Moms. impressive command of staging cat-andmouse dalliances on a global stage. His ability to effectively orchestrate mano-amano skirmishes, on the other mano — excuse me, hand — seem to have largely deserted him, as the up-close-and-personal fights are presented as whirlwind blurs of sound and fury. This is especially true of the climactic punch-out, shot so incoherently that we’re left wishing the auditorium seats came equipped with remote controls offering slo-mo options. Then again, the entire final act of the picture, everything that transpires after a confrontation in a hotel room, is a waste of time, an unnecessary padding that dissipates much of the slow-burn suspense built up over the first stretch of the film. Stiles delivers a fine performance, although it proves to be far too brief — those (like me) hoping that she would finally step out the shadows of support to become a fully fledged character in the Bourne universe will be left disappointed. The other supporting players do what’s expected of them — no more, no less. As for Damon, he still brings a steely determination and haunted aura to the role of Jason Bourne, but he’s let down by co-scripters Greengrass and Christopher Rouse. This series (initially adapted from the novels by Robert Ludlum) has always been about a man discovering his own identity and rediscovering his own humanity. But in this latest chapter, Jason Bourne is more indecipherable and unformed than ever, with Damon not given much more to do than shoot, brawl, bleed and run. The franchise may be Bourne again, but the character feels as if he’s trying to claw his way back into the womb.

STX Entertainment

In such efforts as The Hangover

and The Change-Up, screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore have allowed boys to be bad boys, engaging in all manner of lewd, obscene and even illegal behavior. With Bad Moms (** out of four), the pair (who also co-direct) attempt to flip the script: Why not showcase women being as awful and irresponsible as the dudes? It’s an interesting angle — although certainly not unprecedented (see Bridesmaids, with its terrific, Oscarnominated script by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo) — but a large degree of timidity and (maybe?) an unfamiliarity with the subject at hand combine to produce a soft film that, a few R-rated hijinks aside, might as well be playing as part of a primetime sitcom lineup, with a laugh track and some soft-drink commercials thrown in to complete the effect. Mila Kunis portrays the main mom, feeling crushed by the expectations placed upon her by society at large and by a dictatorial PTA head (Christina Applegate) in specific. She finally feels she’s had enough, severing ties with her cheating-via-Internet husband, forcing her bratty kids to do their own homework and make their own breakfasts, drinking to excess, and (gasp!) walking out on a PTA meeting. She’s joined in her bad — make that mildly naughty — behavior by two other had-it-up-to-here moms (Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn), and together they decide to take on Applegate’s harridan, who not only runs the PTA but seemingly the entire school. Aside from a sincere performance from Kunis and a funny one by Hahn, there’s not

Matt Damon in Jason Bourne. much to recommend Bad Moms, which brings up parental challenges in the modern age but doesn’t do any digging beneath the surface. The villains are not only paper-thin and easy to knock down, they also allow Lucas and Moore to skirt any real issues. Wouldn’t it have been more fascinating had Kunis’ husband been a decent guy who nevertheless needed to do more for the household rather than just an absolute imbecile seemingly unable to tie his own shoes (begging the question, as it always done in lazy comedies, as to why a beautiful and intelligent woman would marry him in the first place)? And wouldn’t it have been more satisfying to watch our heroines challenge ingrained patriarchal standards rather than just dealing with woman-on-woman crime instigated by Applegate’s ludicrous character? Certainly, many will appreciate Bad Moms in the same manner as they would any given episode of, say, Modern Family or New Girl. But our dear mothers deserve better.

With the same level of heroism and determination exhibited by Enterprise crew members as they overcame Klingons, Romulans and William Shatner’s stint in the director’s chair, Star Trek Beyond (***1/2 out of four) finds all involved overcoming a troubled production history and shaky pre-release buzz to emerge as yet another winner in the new Star Trek franchise. Following 2009’s popular Star Trek and 2013’s controversial Star Trek Into Darkness (which has its detractors, though I’m not one of them), this third entry manages to travel at warp speed when it comes to delivering a satisfying mix of action, exposition, effects

Universal

and — here’s the real key — characterization. Despite the shake-up of key personnel — Justin Lin (four of the Fast & Furious flicks) replaced J.J. Abrams as director and Simon Pegg and Doug Jung replaced Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman as writers — Star Trek Beyond operates in the same manner as the previous installments insofar as it cannily stirs memories of the original series as well as the motion picture offshoots. But even those not aware of the homages will immediately be absorbed into the story, as Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) both contemplate leaving their positions aboard the Enterprise, albeit for very different reasons. Of course, such personal matters are placed on the backburner once an evildoer threatens the Federation — in this case, a snarling villain named Krall (Idris Elba). The starship subsequently takes a beating (to what extent, I won’t say), and the crew members find themselves scattered across the landscape of a hostile planet. It’s at this point that the movie truly takes off, since the structure of separating the principals — Spock with McCoy (excellent Karl Urban, finally given more to do), Kirk with Chekov (Anton Yelchin, R.I.P.), Uhura (Zoe Saldana) with Sulu (John Chu), and Scotty (Pegg) with a marvelous new character named Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) — allows everyone a chance to shine. Add in a few nifty plot twists, some impressive stunt work, and a hefty amount of humanizing moments, and what’s on tap is a tasty summer treat that deserves to succeed at the multiplex and beyond.

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 25

Arts

Happenings

Comedy Bonkerz Comedy Club Mark Evans. Aug. 5-6, 8 p.m. $10. 5624 Westpark Drive. 980-288-5653. The Comedy Zone Charlotte Steve Byrne. Aug. 4-6. $18-$22.50. Shaun Jones. Aug. 7, 8 p.m. $17. 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone.com. UpStage Improv Charlotte. Improv Charlotte performs long form and short form comedic improv games. Proceeds benefit local and international charities. For more information, visit improvcharlotte.org. Doors open at 6 p.m. First Friday of every month, 7:30 p.m. $5. 3306 N. Davidson St., Suite C. 704-430-4821. upstagenoda.com.

Film 48 Hour Film Project Filmmakers have 48 hours to make a film, based off of set criteria and a hand selected genre. 48hourfilm.com/ charlotte-nc. Aug. 5-7. Joedance Film Festival The annual Joedance Film Festival honors the late Joe Restaino to raise awareness and funds for rare pediatric cancers research. Fri., Aug. 5, 8-11 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 6, 8-11 p.m. 10th Street Townhomes Courtyard, 308 W. 10th St. 704-307-9571. joedance.org. Kannapolis’ Summer Movies in the Park Screening Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. Movie begins approximately 8:45 p.m. Aug. 5. Village Park, 700 West C St., Kannapolis.

26 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Theater/Dance/ Performance Art Evita A teen performance experience of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical. Aug. 5-6, 7:30 p.m. ImaginOn’s McColl Family Theatre, 300 East 7th St. 704-973-2828. GONZO: A Brutal Chrysalis’ An original play by Paul Addis about an over-the-top evocation of the iconic inventor of gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson Through Aug.3-6. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org. The Naked Magic Show R-rated magic due to nudity. $19.50 and up. Aug. 4, 7 and 9:30 p.m. McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-3721000. blumenthalarts.org. Newsies Newsies features high-energy song and dance about those who delivered the papers until they made headlines. $25. Aug. 9, 2 p.m.; Aug. 10, 8 p.m.; Aug. 11, 1:30 p.m.; Aug. 12, 7 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Visual Arts Bechtler Museum of Modern Art All That Sparkles... 20th Century Artists’ Jewelry. Presenting an array of selected jewelry alongside examples of more conventional artwork, this exhibition celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity of artists who used the medium to explore texture and color.

The House That Modernism Built. The exhibit presents Bechtler Museum of Modern Arts’ rich mid-20th century art collection alongside furniture, textile and ceramic holdings on loan from other institutions and private collectors. Through Sept. 11. 420 S. Tryon St. 704-3539200. bechtler.org. Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture Shaping the Vessel: Cummings + Mascoll + Samuel. The exhibit features 26 wood works by three artists, including Frank E. Cummings III, John Mascoll and Avelino Samuel. Through Jan. 16, 2017. 551 South Tryon St. 704547-3700.ganttcenter.org. Jerald Melberg Gallery Two to Watch. Featuring art by Nicholas Napoletano and Matthew Steele. Through Sept. 10. 625 S. Sharon Amity Road. 704-365-3000. jeraldmelberg.com. Mint Museum Uptown Romare Bearden Gallery. A permanent gallery devoted to the work of Romare Bearden (1911-1988), who was born in Charlotte. Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint. The first survey exhibition of photography drawn solely from the Mint’s permanent collection. It’s comprised of approximately 100 of the Mint’s most stunning and provocative photographs. Through Sept. 18. 500 S. Tryon St. 704-337-2000. mintmuseum. org.

More Events African Fashion Week Charlotte African Fashion Week Charlotte aims to celebrate the beauty of African culture through fashion, show casing designers in North Carolina and surrounding States. Aug, 5-7. 201 Stetson Drive. eventbrite.com. Carolina Bridal Fair Meet wedding professionals, taste cakes and catering options, see flowers and find new ideas for the big day. Prizes and giveaways, too. $5. Aug. 7, noon. Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, 4751 Highway 49 North, Concord. Charlotte Hounds vs. Chesapeake Bayhawks Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m. American Legion Memorial Stadium, 310 N. Kings Drive. Charlotte Knights Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides. Aug. 5, 7:05 p.m.; Aug. 6, 6:05 p.m.; Aug. 7, 5:05 p.m.; Charlotte Knights vs. Louisville Cardinals. Aug. 9-11, 7:05 p.m. BB&T Ballpark, 324 South Mint St. milb.com/index. jsp?sid=t494. Miss Gay North Carolina America Pageant The pageant will honor the current Miss North Carolina America 2015, Vivian Vaughn of Chapel Hill and feature Miss Gay America 2016, Asia O’Hara of Dallas. The evening’s theme will be “A Night at the Theatre.” For more information, visit missgaynorthcarolinaamerica. com. Aug. 10-12. The Scorpio, 2301 Freedom Drive. 704-373-9124. thescorpio.com.

Charlotte Pride August 20-21, 2016

more info: charlottepride.org

PHOTOS: JENNIFER L. HOGAN (HOGANIMAGING.COM)

August Charlotte Pride Festival

August Bank of AMerica

Saturday, Aug. 20, Noon-10 p.m Sunday, Aug. 21, Noon-6 p.m. S. Tryon St. between Trade & Stonewall Sts.

Sunday, Aug. 21, 1-3 p.m. N. Tryon St. between 9th and Trade Sts. Emcee Stand: Trade & Tryon Sts.

20-21 @ PNC Bank Festival Zone

Presenting Sponsors:

Wells Fargo Stage

Charlotte Pride Parade

Weekend-long community & headlining entertainment S. Tryon & Stonewall Sts.

Leadership:

VIP

Charlotte Pride VIP Experience

Food, drinks, entertainment Passes on sale now! charlottepride.org/vip/

Visibility:

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 27

Music

feature

Wild and free Aussie band Oh Pep! smears pop layers in Stadium Cake By Anita Overcash

he last time Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs of Oh Pep! were in Charlotte, it was just a stopover. Had the Aussie pair had the hind-leg capacity to travel like their Melbourne-based marsupial cohabitants, the journey might have worked by foot. But after landing in the Q.C. and struggling to find fast transportation options to Asheville, where they planned to partake in a fiddle convention, the sheilas jumped on Craigslist and hired someone to drive them there. “That’s my memory of Charlotte … doing that 30-second check over with this person on Craigslist,” says Hally between laughing. “Sounds like a horror film.” This time around the ladies are prolonging their stay in the Carolinas and closing their North American tour with performances in Charlotte at The Evening Muse and Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. The indie folk-pop duo, which oftentimes pick up band members to play with them along the way, is hitting the road solo after recently touring with Lake Street Dive and Basia Balut in Europe, and Lord Huron and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats in the states. Next up, the band is slated to tour with The Mountain Goats, a Durham, North Carolina-based indie band. But for now, they’re on their own. The nomadic sojourns allow them to be wild and free with intimate shows in the mix. These twenty-somethings, friends since high school, combined the nicknames — Oh for Olivia who now goes by Liv and Pep for Pepita — they had been appointed to create the band’s name. Both girls come from music backgrounds: Hally comes from a classical music background and plays guitar and Emmerichs from a jazz background playing violin and mandolin. Emmerich also pondered the prospect of acting before the band. In 2009, she played the part of Claire, Max the protagonist’s older sister in Where the Wild Things Are, a feature-length film adapted from Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book. “I had it very good with doing Where the Wild Things Are. I finished on top and music 28 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Giulia mcgauran

Pepita Emmerichs and Olivia Hally of Oh Pep!. took over from that point,” says Emmerich, 24. “I think in any case we were definitely going to be playing music, it’s just way too much fun to pass by to be in a band and playing with a best friend.” The pair’s diverse musical backgrounds have sharpened the band’s sound,

differentiating them from the indie pack with scratchy and playful rhythms and Appalachian-like harmonies. Having previously released two selfproduced and self-funded albums —a selftitled EP and a sophomore follow-up, II — the band’s debut studio release, Stadium

Cake, released in June of this year, treads new waters. For the album, the pair crossed the pond to record in Nova Scotia, Canada. The result? A poppier array of soundscapes that left the girls in awe.

AUGUST 12

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Oh Pep! $12. Aug. 5, 8 p.m. The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. 704-376-3737. eveningmuse.com.

“We recorded it in a different way and we had a producer that was really into pop sounds. He kind of made all our dreams come true,” says Emmerich. “We had ideas about sound and maybe didn’t know how to get them and he showed us.” But Oh Pep! didn’t need much guidance. At the core of the band’s folk melodies they had a void that could easily be filled with pop elements. Previous EPs were recorded live and the group spent significantly less time in the studio recording. “We couldn’t expand on our ideas and create a really lush sound [for the other albums]. But I still think the songs that we were writing were always pop songs, we just really went nuts with it this time and took advantage of being in the studio and with a producer,” Hally says. Songs on the latest album are frisky with somber zest. Hally, 25, notes John Prine as being an unconscious influence in the band’s since of humor in songwriting. On Oh Pep! songs like “Bushwick” the comical aspects are apparent. Hally wrote the song after escaping the Melbourne summer heat for a trip to New York back in 2015. Then winter in the empire state, she faced luggage delays, icy temps and transportation dilemmas. All these travel blunders and obstacles turned out to be muses for the catchy ditty. The album’s first single “Doctor Doctor” was inspired by merely a line: “I know what I want and it’s not what I need.” Initially not intended for the album, the song came to life in the studio. Meanwhile, others like “Tea, Milk and Honey,” take a softer and less popfocused place on the album. As for Stadium Cake: “We decided on that name when we first started recording. These two words are juxtaposed and you have this familiar thing and then when you put them together, it’s like ‘Oh, what is that? I know these words but I don’t,’” says Hally. “It also has that big and small thing — like a cake is usually personal and a stadium is big. That, hopefully, is like a description of our music. It’s essentially pop music but it has all these twists and turns and it sounds deep but it’s still personal.” aovercash@clclt.com

JUSTIN MOORE WITH FULL BAND FREE CONCERT DOORS OPEN AT 7 PM SHOW STARTS AT 10 PM

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AUGUST 20

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LIMITED ADVANCE TICKETS $17 ALL OTHERS $20 OCTOBER 22

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ON SALE AT COYOTE JOES AND COYOTE-JOES.COM

COYOTE JOE’S : 4621 WILKINSON BLVD 704-399-4946

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 29

Music

Review

Temperance League Day of the Dove Independent; Release Date: July 5, 2016

With their fifth studio effort since 2011, Temperance League is doing their best to earn the “hardest working band” in Charlotte label. Comprised of some of the Queen City’s best musicians and songwriters — singer Bruce Hazel, guitarist Shawn Lynch, drummer David DK Kim, keyboardist Jay Garrigan, bassist Eric Scott and guitarist Chad Wilson — fans have always appreciated the group’s straight-forward, blue-collar approach to rock ‘n’ roll. Day of the Dove continues that tradition, though it might also be a kinder, gentler Temperance League. It’s tough to listen to these songs and picture the beer swilling/spitting, raucous group of the past. Where previous efforts were straight out of the garage with their raw edges, this one leans more toward lyrical content and a bit of experimentation. Opening tracks “Feel Like I’m Falling in Love” and “Like New” are written straight from the heart with themes of love while “Cathedral in the Sky” offers hints of ‘60s psychedelia. “Begin Again” might be the album’s strongest track with its sparse instrumentation and its emotive vocals from Hazel. Meanwhile, “Welcome to the World” proves there’s still plenty of Springsteen influence — in the best way possible — in Hazel’s vocals and songwriting, while the ever-present jangly guitarwork of Lynch is strong throughout helping with a retro feeling that doesn’t sound dated or overdone. From start to finish, Temperance League proves their worth as one of Charlotte’s finest rock bands while proving they don’t have to reinvent the wheel if what they’ve always done has been solid from the start. It’s a no-bullshit approach that has worked for them from day one and continues on. — Jeff Hahne 30 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 31

Music

Soundboard

AUG. 4

AUG. 6

Country/Folk

Blues/Roots/International

Greg Lilley w/ Kerry Brooks (Comet Grill) River Jam Series w/ The Show Ponies (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Thirsty Horses (Tin Roof)

Abe Reid Blues (Vinyl Pi) Donna-Debbie-Toni (Comet Grill)

Pop/Rock Alive After Five w/ Slippery When Wet (Rooftop 210) Knowne Ghost w/ Gardens, The Moose, Little Fury Things (Milestone) The Peach Kings w/ Mobley (The Evening Muse) Shiprocked (Snug Harbor)

AUG. 5 Classical/Jazz/Smooth Jazzy Fridays feat. Linda Straite Band (Freshwaters Restaurant) John Gurske & Friends (BluNotes) Stonecrest Summer Concert Series w/ Flute Praise (Stonecrest Shopping Center)

Country/Folk Jay Brannan w/ Lauren Jenkins (Visulite Theatre) The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Mike Alicke (Tin Roof) OH PEP! (The Evening Muse) Three Piece Bucket (Puckett’s Farm Equipment)

Hip-Hop/Soul/R&B Electric Relaxation f. DJ Skillz (‘Stache House Bar & Lounge)

Pop/Rock Airpark (The Evening Muse) Below the Belt (RiRa Irish Pub) Blakeney Summer Music Series w/ Hot Sauce Band (Blakeney Shopping Center) Butterfly Corpse, The Fetish, Full View, Mega Head & Burn Toast (Amos’ Southend) Downtown Gastonia Summer Concert Series w/ Fantastic Shakers (Downtown Gastonia) The F-Use w/ Nerve Endings, DuMpSter Service, Van Huskins (Milestone) Hey Rocco w/ Millennial, Kickback (Snug Harbor)

32 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Classical/Jazz/Smooth Stonecrest Summer Concert Series w/ Flute Praise (Stonecrest Shopping Center)

Country/Folk Connor feat. Connor Christian & Southern Gothic (Double Door Inn) Flat Blak Cadillac (Puckett’s Farm Equipment) Reeve Coobs feat. The Band of Men & Charlie King (Neighborhood Theatre) River Jam Series w/ Parsonsfield (U.S. National Whitewater Center)

Pop/Rock Anchor Detail w/ Goodfires, Throwline, Glimpses (Milestone) Blakeney Summer Music Series w/ Hot Sauce Band (Blakeney Shopping Center) The Concert Years feat. Travis Powell w/ Special Guests Alissa Davis and Diane Bailey (Sylvia Theater, York) Falling Through April w/ Chris Sanchez, Atrium, The Big FanDamily Band (Visulite Theatre) LangTree Live Music Series w/ Heroes at Last (Langtree Lake Norman) Let’s Dance: A Tribute to David Bowie (The Evening Muse) Pluto for Planet (Tin Roof) Scowl Brow (Snug Harbor) Stuck Mojo with AuxiliA & Skinn Jackett (Amos’ Southend) Trial by Fire: A Tribute to Journey (The Fillmore Charlotte) Walk the Moon w/ MisterWives (Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre)

AUG. 7 Country/Folk Carowinds Harmony Hall Summer Concert Series w/ Back Porch Orchestra (Harmony Hall at Carowinds)

Pop/Rock The Charlotte Blues Society Monthly Meeting feat. The Full Grown Band Reunion & Roadshow Band (Double Door Inn) Concerts on the Green Series w/ Da

FRI 8/5

JAY+ LAUREN BRANNAN JENKINS SAT 8/6

FIELDSTUES MUSIC FEST 8/9 Throwback Band (Davidson Village Green) Death Card, w/ Violent Life Violent Death, End the Empire, Persistent Shadow (Milestone)

COMING Soon

Lisa Denovo Band (Tin Roof) Omari and the Hellrasiers (Comet Grill) Sense of Purpose f. Paul Agee, Chris Allen, Joe Lindsay, Jody Gholson (Tyber Creek Pub)

Dixie Chicks (Aug. 13; PNC Music Pavilion)

AUG. 8

Chatham County Line (Aug. 26; McGlohon

Pop/Rock

Rich Springfield (Aug. 26; CMCU

Kayak Jones w/ No Dice, Futurist, Squid Beach (Milestone) Knocturnal (Snug Harbor) The Monday Night Allstars (Double Door Inn) Wicked Powers (Comet Grill)

AUG. 9 Classical/Jazz/Smooth

*Squirt Day Party feat. Project Pat (Aug. 13;

NeedtoBreathe (Aug. 18; CMCU Amphitheater) Keith Urban (Aug. 18; PNC Music Pavilion) Jeezy (Aug. 25; The Fillmore) Theater) Amphitheatre) God Save the Queen City (Aug. 27; The Ghostface Killah & Raekwon (Aug. 27; Amos’ Southend) The English Beat (Aug. 27; The Underground) Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 28; CMCU Amphitheatre)

Country/Folk

Florida Georgia Line (Sept. 10; PNC Music

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Tuesday Night Jam w/ The Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s Cafe)

Dinosaur Jr. (Sept. 10; Neighborhood Theatre)

Pop/Rock Bush w/ Chevelle, The Dead Deads, Black Map (Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre) Fairplay & Special Guests (Lucky Lou’s Tavern) Sea Ghost feat. Melt, Death for Hours (Snug Harbor)

PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG THE FRI 9/2

WHIGSTHU 9/15

MON 9/12

FRI 9/16

HAYES CARLL

Luke Bryan (Sept. 1; PNC Music Pavilion) BJ Barham (Sept. 1; Visulite Theatre)

Jelly Roll w/ Whitney Peyton (Visulite Theatre)

Wed 8/17

Fillmore)

Bill Hanna Jazz Jam (Double Door Inn)

Hip-Hop/Soul/R&B

FRI 8/12

Snug Harbor)

+ Whitney Peyton + F DUX & BENIHANA

The Melvins (Sept. 6; Amos’ Southend) Pavilion) Heart, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick (Sept. 16; PNC Music Pavilion) Brian Wilson (Sept. 19; Belk Theater) Bad Boy Family Reunion (Sept. 20; Time Warner Cable Arena) Built To Spill (Sept. 21; Neighborhood Theatre) I Love the 90s Tour (Sept. 23; Time Warner Cable Arena) James Bay (Sept. 25; The Fillmore) Kishi Bashi (Sept. 28; Visulite Theatre)

AUG. 10

Gov’t Mule (Oct. 1; CMCU Amphitheater)

Pop/Rock

Pavilion)

Gringo Star (Double Door Inn) Ink Floyd w/ Kansas Bible Company, the Everymen, The Business People (Snug Harbor) Marshall Crenshaw (The Evening Muse) Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor) Motion City Soundtrack w/ A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Rozwell Kid (The Fillmore Charlotte) Open Mic Night (Comet Grill) Party in the Park w/ Exraordinaires (Romare Bearden Park)

Charlie Puth (Oct. 6; The Fillmore)

Korn w/ Breaking Benjamin (Oct. 5; PNC Music

Wednesday 13 (Oct. 10; Amos Southend) Die Antwoord (Oct. 25; The Fillmore) Bonnie Raitt (Oct. 26; Ovens Auditorium) Phantogram (Oct. 29; The Fillmore) * - CL Recommends

Need directions? Check out our website at clclt.

com. CL online provides addresses, maps and directions from your location. Send us your concert listings: E-mail us at aovercash@clclt. com or fax it to 704-522-8088. We need the date, venue, band name and contact name and number. The deadline is each Wednesday, one week before publication. clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 33

Ends

Marketplace

JOBS | POSTINGS | LISTINGS | RENTALS

Ends

Nightlife

Splashes of Champagne and plenty of food Free booze and fine dining brings in August with a bang

PHOTOGRAPHY Family Engagement Real Estate Events and more

www.JeffHahnePhotography.com

704-737-2145

The Perfect Combo.

34 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Recycle me, please (Only after you’re done reading me)

took over the upstairs bar area. As soon As my coworkers and I piled as we crossed the street, the hostess was in to a room for a meeting, one of them already opening the door to greet us. I proclaimed, “Champagne cures all.” thought to myself, “If they can immediately I nodded my head in agreement, which distinguish a few underdressed young was weird considering champagne had dominated my previous weekend in Durham. professionals crossing the street and assume It was there that I discovered another drink we’re heading that way, they must be able to to add to the list, things you can still drink tell what they’re getting into.” even after it comes back up. Per usual, I avoided the large crowd that gathered we spent the first portion of the meeting and went straight to find a space at the recapping the weekend’s excitement and for bar. The smart cookies that coordinated the the first time in a while, we had a company event knew that free liquor was a bad idea, event to discuss. so that limited our options to wine and beer. Our company finally hit a goal we’ve been There was a loophole, however, Prosecco was focusing on for months. Our reward? An on tap. Score! I grabbed a flute and headed all-expense-paid trip to 204 North Kitchen to a table full of familiar faces — I know, I & Cocktails. Talk about #winning. We know, I should have been mingling, wrapped up the work day a couple but honestly large crowds can be a hours early, 3 p.m. to be exact, bit overwhelming for my taste. and walked up the street Two and a half hours to one of my newest fave later, the president of our Q.C. spots. Decked out company couldn’t wait to in exposed brick, piping close the tab and disappear and natural wood, it’s yet before stragglers began another great place for begging for more. We grabbing appetizers and packed up our things and cocktails in the heart of headed around the corner Uptown. to Connolly’s on Fifth. It (Sidenote: It’s quite Aerin Spruill wasn’t until I realized I had hilarious that it’s situated cried with not just one, but two, between RiRa and Prohibition because 204 North gives off the of my coworkers that I was a bit “I’m adulting today vibe” while the more tipsy than I was supposed to be. latter tend to be where I end up when I’m My boyfriend and I had a triple date planned re-making poor college decisions.) in honor of restaurant week and he’d only If you happened to pick up a copy of asked for one thing, “Aerin, don’t get wasted Creative Loafing last week, then you know I before dinner.” Oops. was planning on hitting up 204 North for I knew it was time for me to make my Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week. Irish exit as we walked to the last stop on the Last Tuesday, a few coworkers and I snagged pregame tour: Fitzgerald’s. The unamused a reservation for dinner. I had planned boyfriend came to pick me up and we on getting the classic burger, fried green stopped by my house so I could get changed tomatoes with pimento cheese and a dessert. for dinner at Upstream. But after we arrived, my eyes landed on By the time our reservation rolled something I couldn’t resist: wine and lobster around, I wasn’t even hungry but I knew mac and cheese. I weighed my options, and I’d better eat something. Remembering decided that since I’m not a huge dessert fan this spot was a popular seafood destination and since more wine and the mac and cheese in Charlotte, I kept it simple and ordered dish would equate to the $30 restaurant the crab cake appetizer which ended up week three-course deals, I’d go with the new being the best decision of the day. And after choice. Not to mention, they gifted us a munching on my boyfriend’s meal — spicy charcuterie board for a delay in seating, so shrimp lettuce wraps and Wagyu flank steak I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I would be. — I felt full and satisfied. Needless to say, after an excellent meal Now that’s what I call a recipe for with great company on Tuesday, I was more restaurant week success and a pretty great than happy to accommodate my peers and way to wrap up July. head back for round two on the company’s backtalk@clclt.com dime. This time, however, we completely

Ends

Crossword

DIRECTION FINDING ACROSS

1 Use for target practice, say 8 They’re littler than mediums 14 Mongol invaders 20 See 125-Across 21 Dine at a restaurant 22 Lucky charm 23 BB rifles 24 One going from station to station 26 Bohemian dance 28 Icicle sites 29 DVR giant 30 Oscar-nominated actress in “Victor/Victoria” 36 Censored-word sound 37 “I haven’t --” (“Beats me”) 38 Very old boys’ school 39 Eye 40 Mother of Zeus 41 Rue Morgue creator 43 Grow up and move away from home 51 Getting the airborne matter from, perhaps 54 Sly 55 Art Deco lithographer 56 Kind of engine fuel 57 Opening opera part 58 -- -Cherry (Ocean Spray flavor) 59 Hulk of pro wrestling 62 Flee with a flame 64 Residents of Japan’s third-largest city 66 “Am -- blame?” 67 Eight three-letter ones are found in appropriate places in this puzzle 72 Staff sgt., e.g. 73 Small mosaic tile 75 Revved thing 76 Western flick 78 French “she” 79 Befuddles 82 City partition planners 85 -- -buster (certain drug) 86 Track vehicle 87 One of 100 on the Hill

91 Hit song subtitled “To Be Loved by You” 94 -- daily basis 95 High, elegant hairstyle 96 Voguish thing 97 Polaris, e.g. 99 Weirdo 100 Arizona tribe members 103 American slices, e.g. 109 Budget Rent -110 “A Bell for --” (Hersey novel) 111 Japanese truck maker 112 1980s game show 116 Sir Walter Scott’s title 121 River dividing Nebraska 122 Munchkin 123 Document repository 124 Placed in a farm tower 125 With 20-Across, epinephrine or cortisol 126 “Moby-Dick” narrator

DOWN

1 “-- Na Na” 2 -- polloi 3 Bruin Bobby 4 “Wow!,” in a chat room 5 Fake locks 6 Bug 7 Edison rival 8 Reciprocal of cosine 9 -- -jongg 10 -- discount 11 Solitary sort 12 LEM part 13 Comic Martin 14 Itar- -- news agency 15 -- Darya (Asian river) 16 Sweater type 17 2004 Jude Law title role 18 Actor Christopher 19 Barber’s leather band 25 Film director Wiseman 27 Heavily involved (in) 30 Hog product 31 Repeat 32 Plethora 33 Capital of Angola 34 Jackal’s kin 35 Hex- ender 36 Flying stinger

39 Least bold 41 Pizzeria unit 42 Slip- -- (pullovers) 44 Say yes to 45 Winery tank 46 Vanity 47 It fits into a mortise 48 Wandering 49 Plate position 50 Tightening muscle 52 Flinch 53 Paella pot 57 Lhasa -- (little dogs) 59 Like e-devices 60 Verdi work 61 Inch along 63 Actor Haley Joel -65 Hit -- spot 68 Pontificated 69 Mother, in Mexicali 70 Be seepy 71 Smelted materials 74 Ignites 77 Promise 80 “True --” (“Indeedy”) 81 Cato’s 52 83 Flatbread of India 84 LAX abbr. 87 Former jets to the U.K. 88 Sword variety 89 Juice drinks 90 Booze up 92 Is no more 93 Expert finish? 98 Whispers in stage acting 99 Place to pray 100 Lock parts 101 Eyelike windows 102 Of pontiffs 103 iPod Touch, e.g. 104 Grates on 105 Initial stage 106 Flinch 107 Persian Gulf sheikdom 108 Old autocrats 110 Did like 113 Road no. 114 Be indebted 115 Domicile: Abbr. 117 Unit of resistance 118 Actress Vardalos 119 12/24, e.g. 120 -- Aviv

Solution found on p. 38.

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 35

Ends

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walked away from “Second Life” a decade I can’t believe this is why I’m ago, you’ll be in a better position to decide finally writing you. My husband is using whether you want to leave him. “Pokémon GO” as an excuse to stay out until 5 a.m. with another woman. I hooked up with this hot married She is beautiful and about a decade couple. We’d done it before, and my younger than him, and he won’t hear expectations were shaped by previous me out on why this is bothersome. Our (fun) experiences with them. But the work schedules don’t match up, and he sex wasn’t good this time. That would always wants me to meet him in the wee be fine — sometimes it just doesn’t hours of the morning after I’ve worked work, and I am an adult about it — but a full day shift and done all the work for the specific reason it wasn’t good: looking after our pets. I can give him The husband came on my face after I the benefit of the doubt and be totally specifically told him not to do that. fine with him wanting to stay out after I used my words. He still blew a load work for a few drinks with friends, even in my face and then sheepishly kinda though I’m too tired to join them, but apologized afterwards. He said he didn’t “Pokémon GO” until 5 a.m. alone with mean to do it and that he was aiming at a twentysomething for four straight my boobs. I do not believe it for a second. weeks?! It’s driving me crazy. I told It was an “ask for forgiveness, him how I feel, and he says it’s not for permission” kind of my fault for “never wanting thing — I could see that to do anything.” (I don’t on his face. He looooves consider walking around facials. So that sealed staring at a phone my decision to not sleep “doing something.”) I with them again, which told him I feel like he I told them about. doesn’t even like me I consider a load anymore, and he didn’t in my face against my even acknowledge will to be a big violation my feelings with a of my trust/friendship. response. With the craze Dan Savage The couple thinks I’m this has become, we can’t overreacting and that a be the only couple with load in your face should be a this problem. I don’t think me forgivable offense. I’m not going enabling his actions by joining the to change my mind, but I am curious game is the answer, but I’d be absolutely what you think about sneaky facials. gutted if this game was the straw that Unwanted Semen Angers! Unicorn broke up our 10-year relationship. Seeking Advice! Please help. Pokémon GO Means No Sneaky facials are sneaky, and I don’t approve of sneakiness in the sack. People “Second Life,” “SimCity,” “Quake,” should be straightforward and direct; they “Counter-Strike,” “World of Warcraft, should communicate their wants, needs, and “Minecraft” — it’s always something. limits clearly; and we should all err on the By which I mean to say, PGMN, “Pokémon side of solicitousness, i.e., drawing new sex GO” isn’t destroying your marriage now, just partners out about their wants, needs, and as “SimCity” wasn’t destroying marriages limits, because some folks have a hard time 15 years ago. Your husband is destroying using their words where sex is concerned. your marriage. He’s being selfish and You used your words, USA!USA!, and this inconsiderate and cruel. He doesn’t care dude violated your clearly communicated enough about you to prioritize your feelings wants, needs, and limits. I’m glad you let — or even acknowledge them, it seems. them know you were upset and why you When a partner’s actions are clearly weren’t going to see them again. Single saying, “I’m choosing this thing — this video women who want to hook up with married game, this bowling league, this whatever couples are hard to come by and in — that’s — over you,” they’re almost always saying why you’re called unicorns — and his selfish this, as well: “I don’t want to be with you disregard for your limits, his clear violation anymore, but I don’t have the courage or the of your trust, cost them a unicorn. decency to leave so I’m going to neglect you until you get fed up and leave me.” For more Dan Savage, go to savagelovecast. Let him have his ridiculous obsessions — com or to send him a message, mail@savagelove. with this game, with this girl — and when he net. comes to his senses and abandons “Pokémon GO,” just like people came to their senses and

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 37

LILLY SPA

Ends

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For All Signs: Venus, goddess of love,

beauty and harmony, is traversing troubled waters. This is a time that will test the strength of your relationships. Dormant or hidden tensions that are gnawing at the edges of any relationship are likely to become apparent. Make an effort to recognize the difference between ego conflicts and genuine difference of opinion. In ego conflicts we wave our feathers. One or both seek control. We operate with false pride and launch into battle. We may begin the process of disengagement. Alternatively, we can back up to think and then regroup later when tensions are not so high. This aspect may be prominent for a month or so.

Aries: Use particular caution with your body this week. Your reflexes may be tested at the time you least expect. If you have a health episode, the source can be traced to activities of November 2015 that are now showing results. It is possible you will feel challenged by your job or coworkers. See the lead paragraph for more information. Taurus: Give attention to the lead paragraph. The relationship challenge concerns a lover or possibly a child. If it is a lover, then the prompting trouble may have to do with intimacy or the sharing of resources. You will find a solution if this is a truly ongoing relationship. This could be a turning point that tests your level of commitment. Gemini: Relationships to partners,

whether business or personal, and family are strained at present. If you feel discomfort, look for the assumption or the illusion that is cracking. It is painful, but better to face. The relationship will ultimately be improved by the honesty or the alternative, broken. Either way, you will be in better condition long term.

Cancer: Your mind and heart are clearly

in sync at this time. You are likely at peace with yourself. There is a solid and practical solution at hand and you do not have to quarrel with yourself over it. You may feel a need to write about your feelings or communicate thoughts of the heart to others. Siblings, roommates, and/or neighbors may be on your mind, so take this time to talk with them.

Leo: This may be a week in which you have no choice but to take care of others. The needs are too great to let go of the responsibility. The only way out is to become ill, which is often a culturally accepted solution. Even so, you may feel guilty for opting out. It feels like a no-win situation, but it will be improved by next week. Breathe deeply and stay calm for yourself and for others who are relying on you. 38 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com

Virgo: This is not the best week for the

peace loving Virgo. Turmoil involving home, hearth and family is on the front burner. Hundreds of details clutter your path. Either an elderly relative or aging property is requiring your attention. Take a deep breath and tackle each thing as it develops.

Libra: Your carefully maintained peace may go flying this week. Do not press yourself to do more than you can readily accomplish. There might be a clash between you and a sibling, neighbor or a roommate. Walk and talk on the mature side for a smooth landing. Scorpio: In the fall of 2015 you opened your life to a new person, whom you consider a friend. This is a time of evaluation. If this friend has been good in your life, then make an effort to get beyond the problem. Remember that although the relationship has changed, it may still be beneficial.

Sagittarius: Back in 2015 you began

something new in your career or life direction. Many things have happened since then, some for the better and some for the worse. At this time there is a test of your commitment. It may come in the form of a challenge from your partner or legal underpinnings that are required to make.

Capricorn: Beware of the tendency to

obsess and worry over matters that may never happen. You are tempted to see the world through a dark lens this week and you may think that this vision is the true version. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more likely that the pessimistic view is extreme. If there is something you can do to make things better, then hop on it.

Aquarius: There are issues related to resources, including those related to property and money. Someone in the mix is not being quite honest but it is unclear to you at this time. You need to trust your feelings and double check behind others to make sure that they are correct in their findings. If you feel resentful about something, then maybe someone has been using you. Nothing is wrong with drawing boundaries and protecting yourself.

Pisces: Take especially good care of yourself this week. A false accusation or a rumor about you or your partner may cause you considerable worry at this time. The probability is that it is based only upon the assumption of a third party. The reason you worry is that you and your significant other have not been communicating well. Speak clearly and be as honest as you can. Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-366-3777 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments. There is a fee for services. Website: www.horoscopesbyvivian. com.

clclt.com | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | 39

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40 | aug. 4 - aug. 10, 2016 | clclt.com