2017 Issue 46 Creative Loafing by Creative Loafing Charlotte

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 VOL. 30, NO. 46

1 | DATE - DATE, 2015 | CLCLT.COM

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A MEMBER OF:

Butch Trucks and the Freight Train Band at Neighborhood Theatre on Jan. 7.

COVER STORY 14 GETTING HER WINGS Lara Americo’s

Chrysalis exhibit is an in-your-body experience.

BY RYAN PITKIN THIS WEEK’S COVER PHOTO WAS TAKEN BY LARA AMERICO. COVER DESIGNED BY DANA VINDIGNI.

NEWS&VIEWS

6 A MOST VIOLENT YEAR A recent surge in violent crime has Plaza Midwood residents asking what can be done. BY RYAN PITKIN 6 EDITOR’S NOTE 8 THE BLOTTER 9 NEWS OF THE WEIRD 9 TRANS & QUEER IN THE WORKPLACE

FOOD 10 STANDING FIRM As Charlotte institutions shuttered in 2016, 64-year-old Open Kitchen held its ground. BY MARK KEMP

ARTS&ENT 16 FILM 2016: THE BEST & WORST From A (Arrival) to Z (Zoolander No. 2).

BY MATT BRUNSON 18 HAPPENINGS

MUSIC 20 GOODBYE, DOUBLE DOOR: After 43 years, the Double Door Inn threw down for one last jam session. 22 LIKE HE NEVER LEFT Local rapper Erick Lottary released first new music in two years on New Year’s Eve. BY RYAN PITKIN 24 SOUNDBOARD

ODDS&ENDS 12 TOP 10 THINGS TO DO 26 MARKETPLACE 26 NIGHTLIFE 27 CROSSWORD 28 SAVAGE LOVE 30 HOROSCOPE

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 5

NEWS

EDITOR’S NOTE

NEWS

FEATURE

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM It’s déjà vu all over again THIS EDITOR’S NOTE is not going to fall the company went bankrupt and fell into the into frothy nostalgia. We don’t have time for hands of its creditors. When I returned as that in this city and state in 2017. There’s editor in 2011, I served under two different too much reporting to be done on Charlotte’s owners. And now the paper is under different police and city government, on the wacky ownership yet again, with a staff that’s political shenanigans that pop up like that leaner than ever. But I have a gut feeling CL annoying critter in Caddyshack, on crime and Charlotte’s current owner, Charles Womack, poverty and growth and gentrification — not is in for the long haul. For one thing, he’s local to mention on the city’s constantly expanding to North Carolina, and like me, he genuinely diversity and amazing mix of arts, music, cares about Creative Loafing. Charles and I may disagree on things from time to time, and food and sports. But let me say this and get it out of the we may have different viewpoints on certain way: It’s good to be back home and in the issues, but that’s not only OK; it’s healthy. Speaking of that lean staff: CL has an editor’s chair at Creative Loafing again. Lots of crazy stuff has happened since my last CL immensely talented and prolific news editor in editor’s note three and a half years ago — the Ryan Pitkin, who was a freelance reporter when one where I talked about all the hard work our I was here before. Ryan has penned stories that reporting team did on Occupy Charlotte and have gone global – and not just on obvious the 2012 Democratic National Convention. stuff like HB2 or the Keith Scott killing. His piece about a guy who stole the Homer In that dispatch, I told you I was getting the Dragon costume from BB&T married and moving on. Well, we Ballpark transformed the thief did, and we landed in the San into a celebrity. Pat Moran, Francisco Bay Area, where I another staffer, wears a ton logged time as editor of SF of hats around here, one Weekly and Acoustic Guitar of which is arts writer. magazine. Pat has an encyclopedic It was great living in knowledge of music, a leftist’s paradise, aka theater and other arts, Diversity, Inc., covering and writes about it with skyrocketing real estate passion and enthusiasm. prices, out-of-control homeAnd did I mention CL’s lessness and the exploding designer, Dana Vindigni? legal marijuana industry. A MARK KEMP She’s a New Yorker with place where the moderate left is boundless energy and a scrappy considered far right. But don’t let DIY approach. (Let me take this moment the marketing fool you: The Bay Area is not bereft of bigoted cops, a tech industry that’s also to give props to the capable folks who’ve essentially a white boy’s club, and a near-total assumed editorship since I’ve been away: Kim lack of understanding of how working people Lawson, Jeff Hahne, and Anita Overcash.) There will be a few changes this go-round. in the rest of the country live. It was an echo chamber of progressive politics. And it was We will still be dipping into our a stable of regular contributors and other freelancers deceiving. For instance, what did y’all do while I — like relative newcomer Sherrell Dorsey, was away? Well, you tried to pass a non- whose columns on race, diversity, tech and discrimination ordinance that protected other topics bring a fresh voice to the mix; trans people and all hell broke loose. Then nightlife correspondent Aerin Spruill, who’s later, you took to the streets when police out painting the town so much you wonder if shot and killed a black man, Keith Lamont she ever goes home; and of course, film critic Scott, showing the world that Charlotte’s Matt Brunson, who’s been reviewing movies own marketing of itself as a tolerance safe for CL for as long as CL has been around. But zone in a sea of red may be a bit overstated. we’ll be leaning more heavily on our staffers These are just some of the reasons it became — including me — to keep you abreast of increasingly clear to me that Charlotte was what’s going on around town. Rest assured where I needed to be. So I packed up my East that you will continue to get the gamut of Bay apartment two months ago, hitched my news and happenings that you’ve come to Fiat 500 to the back of a Penske truck and expect from CL. Ever feel like you’re meant to be dragged my car and my ass back home. This is my third rodeo at Creative Loafing, somewhere? That’s how I feel about Creative and this joint has undergone some big changes Loafing. Through her highs and lows, her fat since my initial editorship in the mid-2000s. years and lean years, I’ve always come back Two years after my first departure, in 2008, home to her. This time I plan to stay put. 6 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

RYAN PITKIN

Police have stepped up their presence in Plaza Midwood following a recent rash of violent crime.

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR A recent surge in violent crime has Plaza Midwood residents asking what can be done BY RYAN PITKIN

OR BRUCE AND Joanne Parker, Dec. 17 had been a night out in Plaza Midwood with friends like many others the group had enjoyed in the past. They had left Legion Brewing and were walking to their car in the parking lot of Bistro La Bon, where they had eaten dinner earlier in the night, unaware their lives were about to change due to a random act that would shake a neighborhood already coming to terms with a recent spate of violence. The Parkers were about to cross paths with Jamal Glenn, who had pulled into the parking lot just minutes before after telling his passengers, Ebony Ward and Antonio Worthy, that he needed some quick money. Worthy and Ward would later tell police that they had been popping Xanax pills all day, to the point where Ward had a blurred memory of what was about to happen. According to Ward and Worthy’s statements to police,

Glenn got out of the car and opened the trunk. The two told officers they heard him yelling at someone to “Let it go,” and then gunshots rang out. Two nearby police officers working off duty as security ran to the scene and found Bruce and Joanne Parker both suffering from gunshot wounds to the gut. While one officer helped the Parkers, another chased the suspects. Shortly thereafter, Glenn flipped the vehicle he was driving near Presbyterian Medical Center in the Elizabeth neighborhood. While Ward and Glenn fled the scene, Worthy was immediately arrested, and the other two would be taken into custody before sunrise. All three face a bevy of charges, including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and they’re expected to each face indictments for attempted murder as early as this week. A fourth suspect was also later arrested in connection with the case.

Bruce and Joanne Parker survived their initial life-threatening injuries, but are now marred for life by the wounds they received. The bullet that fractured part of Joanne’s spine will be forever lodged in her lower back, as it’s too close to the spine to remove. Bruce underwent emergency surgery to repair injuries to his bladder, stomach and intestines. The robbery shook a community still reeling from the unsolved murder of a young woman walking home after a night of work and play in Plaza Midwood in October. It’s still unclear why or by whom 26-year-old Katherine Jones was killed on Oct. 16, but her death was just one in a recent string of violent crimes that have started a conversation about public safety in one of Charlotte’s most popular neighborhoods. In the four-month span between September and December 2016, there were four aggravated assaults, four armed robberies and one homicide in Plaza Midwood. That’s about double the rate of violent crime in the previous eight months leading up to September. Jones’ murder was the first homicide in Plaza Midwood in years. For Teresa Crawford, who was with the Parkers on the night they were shot, the experience of that night has changed the way she thinks of one of her formerly favorite neighborhoods. “Right now, I honestly have no desire to go to Plaza Midwood. I drive through there to go to work and when I cross Central Avenue my heart drops,” Crawford said. “It’s been very traumatic for all of us. We’re obviously not going through what Bruce and Joanne are going through, and our focus is on them, but it has been traumatic for all of us.” Crawford attended the bond hearings for Glenn and Ward on Dec. 30, and was joined by a dozen others, some of whom are close friends of the Parkers and others just concerned residents of Plaza Midwood. Crawford — who started a GoFundMe account that has raised more than $13,000 to help with the Parkers’ medical expenses — said she’s been blown away by the reaction from a community of strangers who want to stand up against the recent violence. “Just the community in general has really poured out love and support. I read all the names [of those who have donated.] I know many of the names but I also don’t know many of the names either, and it’s just strangers who feel like they want to help,” she said. “Plaza Midwood in general as a community feels bad about it, but they’re also scared to death because it’s gotten so bad over there.”

LT. STEVEN DURANT with the CMPD has worked in the neighborhood for more than a decade. He says he truly believes Plaza Midwood is a safer community now than in years past. While that may be true, that there’s been a recent uptick in violent crimes is undeniable, and CMPD recently announced some new

RYAN PITKIN

A Skytower observation deck now sits just feet from where a couple was shot during a robbery in December. efforts to fight back against robberies and other crimes. These efforts include bringing in six officers on bike assigned to patrol the neighborhood during evening hours, assigning one to two patrol units to specifically patrol that neighborhood around the clock and offering overtime pay to officers who volunteer to patrol the area during what would normally be their time off. Durant and other officers have also been attending community meetings to discuss safety issues with residents. Some have vented frustration with the seeming lack of progress into Jones’ murder investigation, and he says he has to repeatedly tell business owners and residents that even admitting whether or not CMPD has a suspect or lead in the case could potentially compromise the investigation. Some residents have decided to get proactive in helping curb some of the violence the neighborhood has been experiencing. Scott Yamanashi, who has lived and worked in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, became an advocate for victims of violence after being shot during a robbery at Snug

Harbor in Plaza Midwood in 2008. He has been working with Crawford to help inform the Parkers of their rights as victims during the upcoming prosecution of those involved in their robbery. Yamanashi experienced some blowback recently when he took to a private neighborhood Facebook page to suggest that residents form an armed bike patrol to ride around the neighborhood’s business district during late-night hours following Jones’ murder. Some on the page were outraged at the idea of armed citizens patrolling the neighborhood, and Yamanashi was confronted by a man as he tried to speak to Mayor Jennifer Roberts at a recent community meeting about the recent murder and other violence. Yamanashi still patrols the neighborhood by bike, checking in on friends working at various businesses that operate into the early morning, but he stopped carrying a weapon while doing so following that meeting. He said that despite the strong reaction to his suggestion, he thinks the Facebook page is a good way for residents to track crime and

communicate about ways to stop it, although he recognizes that it’s “a double-edged sword.” Sometimes the open nature of the forum can lead to mistruths and misunderstandings. For example, police recently tracked down a man who had posted pictures of injuries he said he had gotten after being robbed and beat up in the neighborhood. Once they found him and questioned him in hopes of finding the suspects, his story was found to be a fabrication. “It is a good forum for communicating the court stuff that I’ve been doing with these people, the ongoing efforts to try to talk to the police and try to talk to people at the city level, to try to really create more awareness for people to be more safe when they’re walking around and stuff,” he said. “A lot of people like to sling arrows and they don’t do their research or they just kind of have opinions and aren’t really willing to debate it or talk about it. I’ve always offered to talk SEE

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CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 7

NEWS

FEATURE

NEWS

NEWS OF THE WERID

BY CHUCK SHEPHERD

OH-SO-SWEET DREAMS The Hastens workshop in Koping, Sweden, liberally using the phrase “master artisans” recently, unveiled its made-to-order $149,900 mattress. Bloomberg News reported in December on Hastens’ use of superior construction materials such as pure steel springs, “slow-growing” pine, multiple layers of flax, horsehair lining that’s braided by hand then unwound to ensure extra spring and cotton covered by flame-retardant wool batting. With a 25-year guarantee, an eighthour-a-day sleep habit works out to $2 an hour. Bonus: The Bloomberg reviewer, after a trial run, gave the “Vividus” a glowing thumbs-up.) THE JOB OF THE RESEARCHER

An alleyway next to Snug Harbor is oft-used as a shortcut during late-night hours. Some neighbors would like to see more lighting in spots like this. YEAR

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to people about it instead of coming back harshly to people. I’m trying to help people here, do you want to help or do you want to blast me? So that problem that we all have with social media surfaces on that page and it’s a perfect example of it.” One person always willing to carry the conversation about public safety forward is Jenna Thompson, founder of community advocacy group Plaza Midwood Shows Up. Thompson said she appreciates the work Yamanashi does in his efforts to fight crime in the neighborhood, although she was against the idea of an armed bike patrol. “I don’t necessarily think that’s a great idea having armed patrol. Obviously the most effective way to get it under control is for people in the community to be aware and to protect ourselves, not necessarily through arms though,” Thompson said. “I don’t think that everyone should have arms without proper vetting and training, especially in an organized sense. Personal protection is one thing, but when you go out with guns and try to protect other people, that’s asking for trouble.” Thompson stressed the importance of using a buddy system when walking around the neighborhood at night and surrounding one’s self with a group of people who can be trusted so as not to end up alone late at night and vulnerable to violent crime. Thompson has begun efforts to make 8 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

RYAN PITKIN

certain locations less shady, literally. Her most recent undertaking with Plaza Midwood Shows Up was to begin a discussion about raising funding for more lighting in certain areas of the neighborhood that see a lot of foot traffic but aren’t properly lit. That project is still in the preliminary stages, but she names the alley next to Snug Harbor and the area behind The Diamond as places she’d like to see visibility increased at night. Thompson and Yamanashi agree in their hopes that outsiders won’t let the recent slew of violent incidents dissuade them from visiting the bars and restaurants and other venues in the area. While Yamanashi said he understands Crawford’s hesitance to return to Plaza Midwood, he’s hopeful that the recent acknowledgement of the uptick in crime by the city is the beginning of a legitimate effort to face the neighborhood’s problems before they get out of control. “I love the fact that we have such a great neighborhood, but I don’t blame people for not coming back because of the safety issue. I think time will tell, but I think those people will come back. We all have a good history in that neighborhood and we don’t want to see it to where we can’t go,” he said. “For me it’s right there on the precipice of becoming a neighborhood where this is going to be a problem for a while. Right now we’re at the crossroads, and fortunately the city is stepping up but I think they need to step up some more.” In the meantime, Yamanashi will continue patrolling the neighborhood on his bike, armed with nothing but his watchful eyes. RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

Humans are good at recognizing faces, but exceptionally poor at recognition when the same face’s features are scrambled or upside down. In December, a research team from the Netherlands and Japan published findings that chimpanzees are the same way — when it comes to recognizing other chimps’ butts. That suggests, the scientists concluded, that sophisticated recognition of rear ends is as important for chimps — in terms of “sociosexual signaling,” such as prevention of inbreeding — as faces are to humans.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED Humanity

has accumulated an estimated 30 trillion tons of “stuff,” enough to fit over 100 pounds’ worth over every square meter of the planet’s surface, according to research by University of Leicester geologists. The scientists, writing in the Anthropocene Review, are even more alarmed that very little of it is ever recycled and that buried layers of technofossils that define our era will clutter and weigh down the planet, hampering future generations. Don’t just think of “garage sale” stuff, wrote Mother Nature News; think of every single thing we produce.

FINER POINTS OF THE LAW A federal appeals court agreed with a jury in December that Battle Creek, Michigan, police were justified in shooting and killing two hardly misbehaving family dogs during a legal search of a house’s basement. Mark and Cheryl Brown had pointed out that their dogs never attacked; one, an officer admitted, was “just standing there” when shot and killed. The officers said that conducting a thorough search of the premises might have riled the dogs and threatened their safety. SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE (1) Spencer Hanvey, 22, was charged with four burglaries of the same MedCare Pharmacy in Conway, Arkansas, in October and November, using the same modus operandi each time to steal

drugs. Bonus: Oddly, the drugs were not for obsessive-compulsive disorder. (2) Hamden (Connecticut) High School was put into lockdown for an hour on Dec. 15 when a student was seen running in the hallway, zigzagging from side to side, swinging an arm and leaping into the air. Police were called, but quickly learned that it was just a 12thgrade boy practicing a basketball move and pretending to dunk.

LOW-TECH PERVS (1) A camera-less Alan Ralph, 62, was arrested in Sarasota, Florida, in December after being seen on surveillance video in October in a Wal-Mart stooping down to the floor to peer up the skirt of a woman. (2) John Kuznezow, 54, was charged with invasion of privacy in Madison, Wisconsin, in November after he was discovered, pants down, up a tree outside a woman’s secondfloor bedroom window. BRIGHT IDEAS For about 10 years, organized crime rings operated a makeshift U.S. “embassy” in a rundown pink building in Accra, the capital of Ghana, issuing officiallooking identification papers, including “visas” that theoretically permitted entry into the United States. The U.S. State Department finally persuaded Ghanian officials to close it down, but it is unknown if any purchasers were ever caught trying to immigrate. The “embassy,” which displayed a U.S. flag outside, had well-spoken “consular officers” who reportedly collected about $6,000 per visa.

WEIRD OLD WORLD (1) Wu Jianping, 25,

from China’s Henan province, complained in November that he had been denied home loans at several banks for not providing fingerprints — because a childhood accident left him with no arms. He “signs” documents by holding a pen in his mouth. He was not allowed to substitute “toeprints.” (2) Classes were canceled in early December in the village of Batagai in the Yakutia region of Siberia when the temperature reached minus 53 Celsius (minus 63 Fahrenheit) — but only for kids 15 and under; older children still had to get to school. Yakutia is regarded as the coldest inhabited region on the planet.

SEX TOYS IN THE NEWS (1) The

government in Saxony, Germany, chose as third-place winner of its 2016 prize for innovation and start-up companies the inventor of the ingenious silent vibrator, leading to shaming of the economy minister Martin Dulig, now known as “Dildo Dulig”. (2) An unknown armed robber made off with cash at the Lotions and Lace adult store in San Bernardino, California, in December — although employees told police they angrily pelted the man with dildos from the shelves as he ran out the door.

NEWS

TQ IN THE WORKPLACE

NEWS

BLOTTER

BY RYAN PITKIN

TRIFECTA An elderly man in north Charlotte awoke one morning last week to find that someone had driven through his yard last night and left with a pretty good hit/miss percentage. The unknown — and probably drunk — driver seems to have taken out everything in his path, as the 82-year-old victim reported that tire tracks showed how the vehicle first struck his fence, then took out his apple tree, sent his grill flying, and went through the fence again on the way out. All in all, about $1,000 in damage was done in the drive-thru incident.

In our August 4th issue, we introduced CL contributor Lara Americo’s new “Trans and Queer in the Workplace” photo series. Check online for our interview with Americo about why she began photographing trans and queer Charlotteans in their work environment, as well as a slideshow of all the photos shared thus far. The series will be shown in full beginning this weekend as part of the Chrysalis exhibit planned to run at C3 Lab in South End between January 6 - 20, 2016 [see this week’s cover story on page 14]. This week’s photo, the last of the 10-part series, features Dr. Andrea Pitts, assistant professor philosophy at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Pitts uses they/them/theirs pronouns.

“When I was younger, I studied jazz music pretty seriously. I loved how musicians would riff on the past to create something new, and locate themselves in relation to prior traditions by complicating, dismantling, and reconstructing those traditions. In graduate school, Latina feminist theory and philosophy of race allowed me to locate myself within a complicated history of ideas and develop a creative relationship to the past. Now, as an educator, I seek to encourage students to similarly riff on previous interpretations of the world and find new ways to challenge the normative structures in which we live.” - Dr. Andrea Pitts

WAIT RIGHT THERE Employees of Fairfield Inn in north Charlotte called police after their suspicions about a deadbeat customer of theirs came true last week. The reporting employee told officers that she informed a man as he checked out around noon one day that the original credit card he had offered up to cover his stay had been declined. The man said not to worry, that he had cash to take care of the $75 debt but alas, it was in his car. The woman said she immediately suspected he would flee, so she followed him to his car. Sure enough, the man hopped into his car and sped off, but she was able to write down his license plate number. I’m sure if you asked him, however, he would simply say he was going home to get some cash. MAGIC X-RAY MACHINE A 71-year-old man was left blaming a highly technological machine for his problems at Charlotte Douglas International Airport last week, but what else is new. The man, who resides in Sunset Beach, told police at the airport that he placed his wallet in the bin to be sent through the security X-ray machine. He was steadfast that at the time he put the wallet in the bin it had $140 in cash inside. He then watched the wallet go through the machine and when he picked it up on the other side, he says the money was gone. We’re on to you, TSA, but we won’t tell anyone if you just give us one of those machines. NOT HOW IT WORKS A 48-year-old man filed an assault call after he was sprayed with pepper spray by an angry — if not accurate — assailant. The man told police he got into an argument with the suspect in the University area and the suspect assaulted him by spraying him with pepper spray in the back of the head. Usually, one wants to hit the target somewhere around the eye area. NEW CAR SMELL Employees at Town and

Country Toyota on South Boulevard called police last week after a man stole from their store. It was not a brand new Toyota the man made off with, however, but something even fresher. Employees and witnesses watched the

man conceal an assortment of air fresheners in his pockets — $40 worth in all — and then flea the store. The good news is he will leave an easy trail for the K9 unit to find him.

POTATO PHONE A 41-year-old woman was

swindled out of hundreds of dollars last week when she tried to purchase an iPhone from someone she had met on the internet. The woman told officers she met someone at the old Eastland Mall site on Central Avenue after setting up the meeting, and gave the suspect $300 in turn for what she thought was a new iPhone 6S, in the box and all. What she found when she opened the box, however, does not upload apps very effectively. The victim told officers the box contained a deck of cards, a potato and a roll of tape.

BIG BROTHER A 36-year-old woman filed a

police report after she was able to watch from afar as delinquents damaged property at her home. The woman told officers that she has an app on her phone that is connected to a camera on her front porch that goes into action if her doorbell is rung. She said someone rang the doorbell when she wasn’t home at around 8 a.m. on a Thursday morning. She tuned in to the app just in time to watch the unknown suspects on her porch find the camera. She heard one of the male suspects say, “Let’s break it,” before the screen suddenly went black. When she finally retuned home, she found that the guys had covered the camera in mud, damaging it beyond repair.

FIND A SWITCH Anyone who has ever

gotten a snack that they paid for stuck in a vending machine can relate to the suspects in the next incident. According to a police report, someone became very impatient — or just got a bad case of the munchies — and took their anger out on a west Charlotte vending machine last week. The report states that a group of four unknown males were caught on a surveillance camera removing a branch from a nearby tree and smashing a vending machine with it. The suspects did $200 in damage and in the end only made off with $20 worth of snacks.

THREAT OF THE WEEK Threatening

someone’s life just isn’t what it used to be. Last week, a 14-year-old boy reported the most teenaged threat to ever be reported in The Blotter. The boy told police that he received a message via Snapchat that said “I’ll put the goons on yo(sic) ass betta(sic) run fast of(sic) they blowing your back out” followed by two gun emojis and a sleeping face emoji. You do the math on what this all means.

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 9

FEATURE

FOOD

STANDING FIRM As Charlotte institutions fell by the wayside in 2016, Open Kitchen remains... well, open BY MARK KEMP

O N G T I M E CHARLOTTEANS are in

collective mourning over the closings of so many QC institutions. In the past year alone, the doors shut at Tommy’s Pub in Plaza-Midwood, the Double Door Inn in Elizabeth and Amos’ Southend will soon follow suit. But one modest establishment that predates all of them, and likely will outlive more recent hotspots, is Open Kitchen, a mostly Italian restaurant on Morehead Street just west of Bank of America Stadium. Founded in 1952 by Greek brothers Steve and Speros Kokenes, Open Kitchen was the first restaurant in the Charlotte area to offer “exotic” fare like pizza and pasta. And through the highs and lows of the West Morehead corridor that runs between Wesley Heights and Bryant Park, the Kokenes brothers’ unassuming eatery, with its Little Italy-style red-checkered tablecloths and old-school signage, has stood firm. The threat of the kind of development that’s pushed other longtime establishments out of their neighborhoods is not lost on Steve Kokenes’ daughter Christina Skiouris, who was born around the time her dad opened the restaurant. But for now, she’s not worried — and her son, Stephanos, says he can’t imagine ever closing the doors of the family business. “I love this place,” he says. “I grew up here.” CL recently sat down with Christina Skiouris at one of those red-checkered tables, surrounded by rich red brick walls filled with photos and other memorabilia, to suss out the magic behind Open Kitchen’s longevity. Creative Loafing: With the loss of so many major Charlotte mainstays — and even nearer-by places like beloved soul food restaurant The Coffee Cup a few years ago — how do you keep Open Kitchen. . . well, open? Skiouris: I really don’t know. It could happen here. It’s not our land. But we’ve been here for 64 years and it’s been the same for all 10 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

that time. And the owners like us and we like them. They understand. . . [pauses and smiles]. I think. I’m speaking for them here, but I think they understand that we’re a wellestablished place that people really love. It could go, though, and that would be very sad. Being that we’re not corporate – we’re a family – there’s nobody over our backs saying, “Your percentage of profits has to be this or that or it’s not worth doing.” Because through the years it hasn’t always been worth doing. It’s been up and down and up and down, but you just keep doing it because it’s your life. You were a baby when Open Kitchen was in its early prime. What are the changes you’ve seen, not just in the food, but in the clientele and general vibe? The neighborhood has gone through peaks and valleys, but the clientele is pretty much the same. It’s always been families, a lot of daytime business people from downtown, nighttime couples on dates. You have to remember, this was the first restaurant in the entire area to have Italian food, and that was a big deal in 1952. We still hear from

people today who tell us, “I had my first pizza here.” It’s hard to imagine Charlotte not having a variety of ethnic options, let alone not having Italian food. What inspired your father to take a gamble on “international foods,” as they called it back in the ’50s? Well, my mother was from Washington, D.C., and when she and my father got married they moved to Washington. And then my uncle, Speris, 10 years later, wanted to open a restaurant and he wanted my father to be partners with him. It was after [World War II], and Italian had become a big thing in Washington. So my dad and my uncle went to all these Italian restaurants in Washington and ate. My father had that ability to just taste something and immediately go, “That’s got this ingredient and that ingredient.” So they came up with their own recipes and he moved back down here, and that’s how it started. How has the menu changed? The Italian stuff is the same — the lasagna,

the meat sauce, the marinara. We still have the same handwritten recipes that my father came up with. It’s all the same. And that’s a good thing. There used to be a lot more American and Southern-type food. But we don’t do as much of that anymore. We still have a burger, a chicken sandwich, but that’s about it. I mean, today our lunch special was country-style steak, but we hadn’t had that in years. It was only because we wanted to eat it. Is that how you choose your specials? Pretty much. We’ll say, “What do you feel like having?” And we wanted country-style steak today. But we’ve phased out most of the American stuff and added even more Italian. When you were a kid, your father and uncle must have had you and your brothers working in here early on, no? They used to make us come in and help put together pizza boxes. We learned how to do that as children. But I only started working here full time about 20 years ago. We had another restaurant, Gus’s Original Forty Niner, out at UNCC. I worked out there from

MARK KEMP

the time I was 18.

OPEN KITCHEN

You mentioned that Open Kitchen was a dating hotspot back in the ’50s carculture era. Is it still? Yeah, it still is — even more so since the neighborhood’s coming back. The stadium brought the development back and it’s just continued — the growth has exploded from here to Wilkinson. And that brings a lot of young people. A lot them come because their parents told them about how it was years ago; then they bring their children and that’s how we keep it going. Newer people come in because of our history. People come here instead of going to a chain restaurant or something like that.

Mon., Tues. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Wed., Thurs. 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Fri. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sat. 4 - 10 p.m. Sun. 4 - 9 p.m. 1318 W. Morehead St. 704-3757449. worldfamousopenkitchen.com.

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Other than the fact that Open Kitchen has been in your family all your life, what keeps you going? It’s still exciting when people come in and say, “I’ve been in Charlotte for seven years and I just heard of you all and I came in and this is exactly the place I’ve been looking for.” That makes you feel good. People come in here and you get to know them. It’s like family. And our staff stays very steady — one has been here for over 20 years, and a couple more have been here 15 years. People like that. It’s not some corporate, “Hi, I’m Tiffany, and I’ll be your waitress” kind of place. And we don’t have a hundred TVs in here. We have one. One TV. That’s all.

Old States ville Rd

You have tons of sports pennants, political buttons, and photos on the walls of local luminaries and even national stars who’ve passed through — like Pat Boone, Charles Kuralt, Vincent Price, and the dude from WKRP in Cincinnati. What’s the most notable celebrity you’ve had in here? Buddy Hackett [a popular Borscht Belt comic from the ’50s to the ’70s] came in one time. He had friends or something who lived in Mount Holly. And when he came in, he went table to table, telling jokes and talking to people. And nobody bothered him after that. [Laughs] I guess that’s the key if you’re a celebrity: Come in, talk to everybody, sit

NOW OPEN!

Christina Skiouris and son Stephanos.

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 11

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

KYSHONA ARMSTRONG What: A preliminary search of Kyshona Armstrong reveals a TEDx talk at the top of the results. Armstrong is a singer-songwriter who believes strongly in the healing power of music, partly due to her studies in psychology and work as a musical therapist for the institutionalized and incarcerated. That approach brings new meaning to the idea of “music with a message” within her soulful acoustic presentation. When: Jan. 6, 8 p.m. Where: Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. More: $6/$8. www.eveningmuse. com. — JEFF HAHNE

12 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

THINGS TO DO

TOP TEN

Kyshona Armstrong FRIDAY

SATURDAY

BROTHERS HYPNOTIC: THE FILM

BUTCH TRUCKS & THE FREIGHT TRAIN BAND

What: McGlohon screens a documentary about jazz group Hypnotic Brass Ensemble a few weeks before the eight-brother combo brings its weave of jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop to the venue on January 26. The brothers’ music is showcased in this fly-on-the-wall portrait, but the doc also focuses on the band’s fractured-yet-loving relationship with their father, jazz trumpeter and activist Phil Cohran.

When: 8 p.m. Where: McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square, 345 N. College St. More: Free. blumenthalarts.org — PAT MORAN

SATURDAY

CHAKTI BLACKLIGHT YOGA

HECTORINA

What: Though they’ve only been together for a year, Butch Trucks & The Freight Train Band started on solid footing. With Trucks being a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, expect plenty of covers of the Allmans, Dylan and The Band and others. The lineup includes singer/guitarist Damon Fowler, former Allmans keyboardist Bruce Katz and Dickey Betts Band percussionist Garrett Dawson.

What: Have you ever wanted to feel like you were doing yoga in an old Busta Rhymes video? Here’s your chance. The folks at Essential Thrive encourage you to wear white clothes and bright jewelry, and hell, even cover yourself in fluorescent body paint if the mood hits you. The organizers will have plenty of extra glow sticks and body paint if those aren’t the types of things you just have laying around.

When: 8 p.m. Where: Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St. More: $25/$28. neighborhoodtheatre.com.

What: One of Charlotte’s finest trio’s greatest strengths is its ability to continue evolving and pushing the envelope in every musical direction it can. Just when you think you have an idea what the indie-rock band will do, odd time signatures, screams or off-the-wall artistic, musical operas abound. Frontman Dylan Gilbert has always been a prolific singer/songwriter, and with Hectorina, he’s found bandmates Zach Jordan and John Harrell III to help solidify his ideas.

When: 7-8 p.m. Where: MoveStudio, 1111 Hawthorne Lane, Suite 101 More: $15. essentialthrive.com

When: 8 p.m. Where: Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. More: $8/$10. visulite.com.

— HAHNE

— RYAN PITKIN

— HAHNE

USNWC/TYLER ALLYN

NEWS ARTS FOOD MUSIC ODDS

Rumble in the Concrete Jungle SATURDAY

Turn Your F^*king Head! SUNDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

GENDERLINES OPEN HB2 DISCUSSION

RUMBLE IN THE CONCRETE JUNGLE

What: Genderlines transgender support group is opening up their Saturday morning meeting this week to the public to open dialogue between the local transgender community, LGBT organizations and political representatives. Transgender participants will discuss the effect of Charlotte’s nondiscrimination ordinance and HB2 on their lives before others will join the discussion on what steps can be be taken now.

What: It’s sort of like those empty swimming pools that SoCal kids commandeer for skateboarding, only it’s not swimming pools or skateboards — and not Cali kids. It’s Charlotte bicyclists brave enough to ride the channels at the world’s largest manmade whitewater river. Be there when the Whitewater Center drains its channels for a crazy-ass downhill bike race full of twists, turns, slopes and jumps.

What: This will be the first of (hopefully) many monthly meetings in which folks will get together, grab a drink, screen a dance film and discuss what they’ve watched. It all begins with Deborah Hays’ and Becky Edmunds’ Turn Your F^*king Head, a documentary that depicts Hay and 20 choreographers engaging in the process of creating adaptations of Hay’s new score, Dynamic, into 20 solos.

When: 12-5 p.m. Where: U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy. More: $25-30. usnwc.org

When: 7-10 p.m. Where: Petra’s Piano Bar, 1919 Commonwealth Ave. More: Free. petrasbar.com.

When: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Where: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1900 The Plaza More: Free. genderlines.org. — PITKIN

— MARK KEMP

WEDNESDAY

SCREENDANCE SOCIAL

— PITKIN

VEGAN FARM-TO-TABLE DINNER

THE TRAIL RUNNING FILM FEST TOUR

What: ‘Twas a time when Charlotte vegeheads bemoaned the dearth of vegan options in the Queen City. Then came Fern. Then Luna’s and Bean. Now, Chef Clark Barlow at Heirloom Restaurant will prepare a vegan meal to end all vegan meals: Six courses of yumminess made from locally sourced ingredients including whole wheat bucatini, fried mushroom “chicken,” cashew cheese, chocolate cake and wine.

What: You can’t expect a film festival focused on running to stay put, can you? That’s why Seattle’s Trail Running Film Festival is on the road, traversing the U.S. and Canada, with its three-hour long slate of documentaries focused on lacing up and hitting the trail. Scenic grandeur and grueling challenges share the screen with portraits of tight-knit community and rugged individualism. Films range from oneminute shorts to full-length features.

When: 7-9:30 p.m. Where: Heirloom, 8470 Bellhaven Blvd. More: $44.99. heirloomrestaurantnc.com — KEMP

When: 6 p.m. Where: Studio Movie Grill, 210 E. Trade St. More: $20. trailfilmfest.com — MORAN

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 13

ARTS

COVERSTORY

GETTING HER WINGS

CHYSALIS - A STUDY OF HUMAN LIFE OPENING NIGHT

Lara Americo’s Chrysalis is an in-your-body experience

Free. Jan. 6. 7 - 10 p.m. C3 Lab. 2525 Distribution St. 980-349-5803. c3lab.com.

BY RYAN PITKIN

THERE WAS ONE brief moment in which Jordan Hoban began to panic, when he felt the wet alginate slowly dripping down his face and eventually clogging his nostrils. The rapidly drying, rubbery mold material already covered his mouth, so the nostrils were all he had left. Right on cue, artist Lara Americo and her partner Joanne Spataro began picking at the flesh-colored sludge in a manner that might be a bit awkward in any other situation, but in this case was an effective way to open Hoban’s breathing passage back up and let him return to a calm state of mind in his newfound shell. Soon, Hoban’s entire face would be covered, then wrapped in plaster bandages. He would sit there listening to a Silver Jews album he had picked just for the occasion, trying not to laugh at Spataro’s wisecracks for fear of cracking the mold as it dried on his skin. The whole process was just another day at the office — or in this case, the kitchen — for Americo, who has been creating molds of different people’s body parts in preparation for her first art showcase Chrysalis, which 14 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

runs at C3 Lab from Jan. 6 to Jan. 20. The 3D molds are just one part of the exhibit, which was born of Americo’s 10-part “Trans and Queer in the Workplace” photo essay that has been featured every other week in Creative Loafing over the last three months. The series, reminiscent of Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, features transgender and non-gender-conforming residents of Charlotte in their work environment. It includes jobs ranging from organizer to paramedic to professor. C3 Lab cofounders Maria and Glen Nocik came across the interview with Americo that ran alongside the photo series’ debut, and immediately decided they wanted to learn more about her work. “I thought it would be so neat to get the pictures out of the paper and into a space where people could see it in a gallery, where people could be able to see it more,” Maria says. “I thought it would make an impact for people to see it all together so people would know and be aware that these people are there.” During their first sit-down with Americo, the Nociks immediately realized her potential

as an artist of multiple mediums. “We wanted to kind of challenge her to express her artistic forms,” Maria Nocik says. “She’s also a [musical] performer and she’s an activist, and I think giving her the opportunity to expand and get her message across on many different levels, I think that’s the main thing that we wanted to do.” While the original idea was to possibly integrate “Trans and Queer in the Workplace” into a show that was already planned, after that first meeting the Nociks insisted Americo showcase her talents in a solo show. They asked if she had any ideas for artistic works that could be relevant to the photo series, and quickly learned that Americo is never short on ideas. The resulting exhibit — or exhibit within an exhibit, as Maria calls it — was titled Chrysalis, named after the late-stage shell of a cocoon that holds a butterfly just as it transitions into adulthood. Chrysalis delves into issues of the body, identity and acceptance. Along with “Trans and Queer in the Workplace,” the exhibit will include a second photo series featuring close-ups of body parts and a selection of molds of body parts

manipulated artistically by Americo to strip the mind of any past associations with said body part and look at it anew.

FOR AMERICO, THE entire exhibit is

an expression of her ambiguous thoughts about the human body and her opinion that it does not effectively portray the person that resides inside it. This view comes from Americo’s experience as a transgender woman. “My own transition just made me consider my own body in a different way that led to me considering other people’s bodies in a different way,” she says. “I realized that I’m not really this body no matter how much I change it or what I do to it, and neither is anyone else. It’s just sort of this puppet we use to get around on Earth. That’s how I see it.” Americo’s close-up photos, such as the one of Spataro’s face feature on the cover of the you’re currently holding, were intentionally left dark to draw the viewer near and force them to truly contemplate what they are looking at. Within the photos, she’s interspersed text quotes taken from video interviews

Lara Americo (in stripes) creates a mold of friend Jordan Hoban’s face for her upcoming exhibit, Chrysalis.

she carried out with subjects, a similar method to the one used in “Trans and Queer in the Workplace,” in which each photo is accompanied by a quote from the subject. She’ll take things further with the new photo series, attaching mementos to the frame of each photo that have meaning to the subject. It’s all a part of Americo’s attempt to look past the body to capture the spirit of each subject she portrays. “Without words, a photo is open for a lot of different interpretations,” she says. “Words can get in the way of that interpretation, but I think in this case it’s important to have the words from that person, because words are another physical manifestation of people and how they express themselves and who they are. The idea is to capture every bit of physical expression that I can from them, and words are just another part of that expression.” The lengths to which Americo is willing to go to capture all she can from her subjects has been an inspiration to some of those subjects. While Hoban sang Americo’s praises for keeping him relaxed throughout his facial molding process, for some the project went deeper than that.

Nina Castellano, who was on hand to watch Hoban go through his facial molding before she had her own breasts molded, says she decided to participate in the project on short notice as a way to confront aspects of her personality she’d like to change. “I’m super, super shy,” she says. “That’s a body part I don’t really show off a lot so I thought it would be interesting to be a part of it and just get out of my comfort zone.” Watching Americo work with her subjects over the last couple of months has made a believer out of Spataro, who can be her biggest fan and loudest critic. Spataro, who calls herself overcomplicated, says she was skeptical of Americo’s newest photo series because of its seeming simplicity. As she watched her partner work, however, it became clear to her that something much more profound was at hand. “It would seem so simple to be like, ‘Oh this is about how you’re not your body,” Spataro says of her initial reluctance to get behind the project. “I just thought it was too simple. But once I saw the people coming here in the foyer and how much it affected them and how they were so empowered by

having a body part featured or photographed; it was like they were empowered because someone was really taking the time to look at them. And I think that’s what a true artist does. She’s inspired me very much with this project.”

WHAT SOME OF the subjects perhaps don’t know, however, is that she’s not done with their body parts once they’ve walked out the door. For Hoban’s mold, for example, some of the most interesting work didn’t begin until he had long left his likeness behind. Once the alginate dried on Hoban’s face in about 15 minutes, Americo peeled it and the plaster bandages off — the coconut oil applied to his facial hair helping to prevent any uncomfortable sticking — and then filled the newly created mold with plaster of Paris to create a 3D model of Hoban’s face. The plaster was left to dry overnight, and later Americo would decide what abstraction to make of the face. She often doesn’t decide until she can look at the finished product and let the inspiration hit her. With Hoban, she decided to cut his face into pieces horizontally. As with her photos, the idea was to force viewers to reckon with

RYAN PITKIN

what they were looking at in a new way. “Seeing a face broken up like that when there’s so much realism, it makes you consider what it’s like when it’s put together,” Americo says. “When a person sees a face, their mind goes back to the past and all the faces they’ve seen and it creates an interpretation with the past faces they’ve seen as well. I think when it’s broken up like that — with other body parts too — it makes them really look at it without putting that past reference and attachment to the face.” What she didn’t expect, however, was how awkward things would become between her and Hoban’s newly hardened head cast. The process of slicing the head up would take hours, but it didn’t take long for her to realize it was going to be an awkward project. Americo said she got sad and could only look at the plaster forehead as she cut pieces out of the face. “It was so weird,” she says of slicing up her friend’s face. The violent part is over, now it will be up to the viewer’s eye to put it all together again. RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

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ARTS

FILM

FILM 2016: THE BEST & WORST From A (Arrival) to Z (Zoolander No. 2) BY MATT BRUNSON

AS 2016 a particularly desultory year for cinema, or did I just miss many of the year’s crowning achievements? Martin Scorsese’s Silence wasn’t screened in time for most critics who don’t live in New York or L.A., so that might have made a slight difference (it opens locally Jan. 13). But scanning the movies I chose to skip over the past 12 months, I see dubious animated efforts like Norm of the North (featuring the vocal, uh, talents of Rob Schneider) and Ratchet & Clank; needless sequels like My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and Mechanic: Resurrection; and low-rent horror flicks like The Forest and The Darkness. Personally, methinks I played my cinematic cards right. Still, out of the 135 movies I saw, there were a number of winners — just not as many as I would have liked. So, here are my picks for the 10 best movies of 2016, followed by 10 worthy runner-ups, and a final look at the worst films I endured these past 12 months. THE 10 BEST 1. ARRIVAL (Denis Villeneuve). This edges out La La Land for the honor only because it qualifies as the most profound viewing experience I’ve enjoyed this year. Arrival is a transcendent motion picture that gets under the skin and into the heart. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners) and adapted by Eric Heisserer from Ted Chiang’s short piece “Story of Your Life,” it finds Amy Adams delivering an exceptional performance as a linguist tasked with communicating with the aliens that have landed on our planet. A philosophical piece that turns out to be far more focused on humanity than on otherworldly visitors, it’s both literate and lyrical, and it celebrates the best among us — the visionaries who gaze open-eyed at the horizon and embrace those who are different. 2. LA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle). The replay value is significant with writerdirector Damien Chazelle’s magnificent musical marathon, since it offers more 16 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander No. 2, the year’s worst movie (Photo: Paramount) blissful and uplifting moments than just about any other film from this past year. As a jazz pianist and an actress both struggling to reach their lofty goals, Ryan Gosling and especially Emma Stone are superb as they flirt, fret, fight, and break out into song (and dance) at any given moment. As effervescent as the finest bottle of champagne, La La Land is an intoxicating cocktail that should particularly please anyone who automatically starts humming whenever Fred or Gene or Judy turns up on the tube. 3. ZOOTOPIA (Byron Howard & Rich Moore). As an animated family film, Zootopia is simply lovely. As a piece of social commentary, it’s almost peerless in 2016, with its examination of cultural differences and poisonous prejudices particularly apropos given the current mood of fear and loathing in Trump’s America. Despite fierce competition, the plucky bunny Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) might be the movie year’s most endearing protagonist. 4. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan). After the death of his older brother (Kyle Chandler), a temperamental janitor/handyman (Casey Affleck) returns to his Massachusetts hometown and deals with

both his nephew (Lucas Hedges) and his ex-wife (Michelle Williams). Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan has crafted a beautiful bummer that nevertheless locates moments of hope and humility in its storm-tossed ocean of despair. 5. SING STREET (John Carney). Writerdirector John Carney, who enjoyed a sleeper hit with Once, returns to the streets of Dublin for another music-minded gem that’s even better. By setting his film in the 1980s, Carney is able to inject some amusing asides into his tale about a teenage lad (newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) who attempts to put together a band. Bonus points for including the best line of 2016: “No woman can truly love a man who listens to Phil Collins.” 6. THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (Kelly Fremon Craig). One of the brightest comingof-age films of recent vintage, this stars Hailee Steinfeld as a high school outcast who’s upset when her only friend (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her older brother (Blake Jenner). Woody Harrelson (as a sarcastic teacher) provides the humor, the teens provide the heart, and writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig provides one of the year’s most tragically overlooked movies.

7. HELL OR HIGH WATER (David Mackenzie). Two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) embark on a crime spree while a crotchety Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) sets out in hot pursuit. Moody and morally ambiguous, this is as much a character study of two dissimilar siblings as it’s a tale cut from the reliable cops ‘n’ robbers template, and it’s all set against a desolate backdrop that often mirrors the fundamental loneliness of its players. 8. EYE IN THE SKY (Gavin Hood). A military movie for modern times, this riveting drama asks whether the certain death of one innocent person is worth more or less than the hypothetical deaths of dozens, maybe hundreds, of innocent people. To their credit, director Gavin Hood, writer Guy Hibbert, and a top cast (Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi) offer no easy answers, electing to keep viewers as conflicted and uncomfortable as the characters. 9. FENCES (Denzel Washington). As director, Denzel Washington makes the sound decision to remain extremely faithful to the text of the late August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prizewinning play. And as actor, he and Viola Davis (reprising their roles from the 2010 Broadway

Amy Adams in Arrival, the best film of 2016 (Photo: Paramount) revival) are nothing short of remarkable as a married couple living in 1950s Pittsburgh and dealing with issues involving family, infidelity and dreams deferred. 10. THE HANDMAIDEN (Chan-wook Park). Korean director Chan-wook Park, whose Stoker made my 10 Best in 2013, returns to the list with this adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith. With a con man (Jung-woo Ha) pulling the strings, a servant (Tae-ri Kim) joins the household of an heiress (Min-hee Kim) with the intention of scamming her; instead, sharp turns lace every step of this intelligent, absorbing and erotic drama. The Next 10 (Honorable Mentions, In Preferential Order): Tower; 13th; Maggie’s Plan; Moonlight; Captain America: Civil War; Star Trek Beyond; First Girl I Loved; Hail, Caesar!; The Nice Guys; Hidden Figures Best Actor: Denzel Washington, Fences; Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea; Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Michael Keaton, The Founder Best Actress: Amy Adams, Arrival; Emma Stone, La La Land; Viola Davis, Fences; Natalie Portman, Jackie; Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight; Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar!; Ralph Fiennes, A Bigger Splash & Hail, Caesar!; Simon Helberg, Florence Foster Jenkins; Nick Offerman, The Founder Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, Moonlight; Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea; Kate McKinnon, Ghostbusters; Julianne Moore, Maggie’s Plan;

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land (Photo: Lionsgate) Madison Wolfe, The Conjuring 2 Sleeper Picks: Eddie the Eagle; Everybody Wants Some!!; The Meddler; Our Kind of Traitor; Paterson; Tale of Tales Disappointments: Café Society; The Girl on the Train; Gold; Nocturnal Animals; Passengers; X-Men: Apocalypse THE 10 WORST 1. ZOOLANDER NO. 2 The top three films on this list are similar in that each was made by filmmakers who believe that profanity, scatology and stupidity are worthy replacements for wit, wisdom and timing. This dreadful sequel is the worst of the bunch — comprised of nothing but dead stretches, it offers even less laughs than an obituary column. 2. DIRTY GRANDPA This atrocity offers 97 minutes of Robert De Niro once again mugging shamelessly, Zac Efron once again displaying all the comic instincts of a dead hornet, and filmmakers once again tossing out the usual mix of gay panic and casual sexism. The result isn’t a movie so much as it’s a prison sentence. 3. THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY The espionage genre was sent up in splendid fashion in last year’s Spy, but this eye-rolling

abomination fails to generate any laughs whatsoever, with star and co-scripter Sacha Baron Cohen relying on a series of gross-out gags that reek of desperation rather than inspiration. 4. ASSASSIN’S CREED With a cast led by Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, Assassin’s Creed promised to be the first worthy video-game adaptation. Instead, it’s a complete failure: visually drab, narratively daft, incessantly dull, and about as much fun as watching a snot-nosed kid playing Pac-Man down at the local arcade. 5. COLLATERAL BEAUTY Will Smith’s latest Oscar-bait endeavor, about a depressed guy yakking with Love, Time and Death, manages to be both clumsy and clueless. The closest this train wreck will get to Oscar is if some guy with that name makes the poor choice to go see it during its brief theatrical run. 6. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Among summer sequels, this one was even more useless than Independence Day: Resurgence. Michael Bay (who produced) has become as much of a brand name as Starbucks or Ikea, and those expecting sound and fury signifying nothing will receive exactly that. 7. SWISS ARMY MAN A favorite of

hipsters everywhere, this features fine work by Paul Dano as a suicidal castaway and Daniel Radcliffe as a flatulent corpse but is otherwise incessantly annoying with its mix of sophomoric humor, studied affectedness, and frat-boy attitude. 8. ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS The title suggests that this ungainly eyesore is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, but don’t you believe it — the filmmakers have about as much use for Carroll’s wondrous text as a white rabbit does for a Wall Street Journal subscription. 9. GODS OF EGYPT After his laughable fantasy yarn proved to be a gargantuan flop, director Alex Proyas naturally blamed the critics, calling them “diseased vultures.” The Onion, of course, had a better slant on the situation: “Leaked Documents Reveal Studio Executives Knew About Gods of Egypt Before It Released Onto Public.” 10. LONDON HAS FALLEN In my March review, I wrote, “President Trump hasn’t even taken office yet, but here we’re already being force-fed the first motion picture under his new world order.” What was meant as a sarcastic crack is now cold reality, which makes this punishing film’s nationalistic nonsense even harder to swallow. CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 17

ARTS

HAPPENINGS

COMEDY

420 S. Tryon St. 704-353-9200. bechtler.org.

The Comedy Zone Charlotte at AvidXchange Music Factory Finesse Mitchell. Fri., Jan. 6, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 7, 7 and 9:30 p.m. $20-$25. 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3.

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture Nellie Ashford: Through My Eyes. The exhibition features 30 newly crafted mixedmedia works by renowned self-taught artist Nellie Ashford. Through Jan. 16, 2017. 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. 704-547-3700. ganttcenter.org.

980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone.com.

THEATER/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE ART Boys to Baghdad Set in the late 1980’s and early 90’s, this coming-of-age romance explores the challenges of growing into manhood by way of the military, and the lifelong bonds of brotherhood. $28. Wed., Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Thurs., Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 14, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Wed., Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m.; Thurs., Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 21, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org. Let God F.I.G.U.R.E. It Out A mother with cancer seems to lose hope when she realizes that her daughter, Joy, does not believe in God like she used to, a son, Emmanuel, has an addiction, and a husband, Joshua, that is having issues at his job. All of these problems seem to snowball and hit all at the same time, but just when she was about to give up all hope a faithful group of ladies with wisdom come by unexpectedly to encourage her and remind her who her Problem Solver is. We all need a reminder every now and then. $20-$25. Fri., Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 7, 3 and 7 p.m. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

VISUAL ARTS Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Bechtler Collection: Relaunched and Rediscovered. An exhibition expanding of works from the museum’s collection including modern and contemporary. Includes a number of themes beginning with an introduction to the Bechtler family and the artists with whom they were close including Adolf Luther, Joan Miró, Italo Valenti, and Eduardo Chillida. Through April 23, 2017. All That Sparkles: 20th Century Artists’ Jewelry. This exhibit focuses on the art of jewelry, featuring work from Harry Bertoia and Claire Falkenstein, as well as Bechtler Collection artists Alberto Giacometti, Alicia Penalba, Raffael Benazzi, and Niki de Saint Phalle. Through Jan. 8, 2017. 18 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

LaCa Projects Leandro Manzo: Mar de Mares. This is the second solo exhibition featuring works by Argentinian artist Leandro Manzo at LaCa Projects. A figurative expressionist whose work spans over 30 years, Manzo uses thick brushstrokes and vibrant color to create striking landscape paintings. His new body of work will also feature portraits and black and white images. Through Jan. 14, 2017. 1429 Bryant St. 704-837-1688. lacaprojects.com. The Light Factory Heightened Perspectives. Installation artist and photographer Ethan Jackson will project video into the front and back rooms of The Light Factory exhibition space, transforming all four walls into slowly moving landscapes. Phil Solomon’s experimental film Twilight Psalm II: Walking Distance will bisect these two video installations. Through Jan. 6. The Light Factory, 1817 Central Ave. McColl Center for Art + Innovation Remember. Drawing inspiration from actual histories of McColl Center over the last century, Ivan Toth Depeña manipulates perception to collapse time, creating a multi-dimensional present. The exhibition consists of a mixed media installation encompassing drawing, painting, sculpture, audio, and video. In conjunction with the physical objects created with the media mentioned above, Depeña also incorporates a groundbreaking augmented reality mobile application that exists in various locations throughout the site of the installation at McColl Center. Through Jan. 7, 2017. 721 N. Tryon St. 704-332-5535. mccollcenter.org. Mint Museum Randolph Her Place Was Making History: Mary Myers Dwelle. Celebrating the role of Mary Myers Dwelle, the driving force behind the creation of The Mint Museum. Through March 5, 2017. Leo Twiggs: Requiem for Mother Emanuel. Dr. Leo Twiggs who lives and works in South Carolina, is one of the region’s most significant artists whose paintings have long

dealt with the South’s difficult racial history. He conceived of this moving nine-painting series, Requiem for Mother Emanuel, as a response to the tragic events of June 17, 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina. Through Feb. 19, 2017. American Quilt Classics: The Bresler Collection. Featuring Fleur and Charles Bresler’s collection of American quilts. The quilts showcase a variety of visual impact, historical value, pictorial imagery and historical fabrics. Ongoing. 2730 Randolph Road. 704-337-2000. mintmuseum.org. Mint Museum Uptown Fired Up: Women In Glass. The collaboration between Mint Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art will feature glass works by women through new, interpretive strategies. Through Feb. 26, 2017. Quilts and Social Fabric: Heritage and Improvisation. This exhibition uses the work of one of the most renowned artistic quilt makers, Faith Ringgold, as an entry point to look backward at traditional African American quilts. This includes decorative and artistic quilts, and the work of painters and mixed media artists who improvise upon the form. Through Jan. 16, 2017. Women of Abstract Expressionism. Includes works by female artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Grace Hartigan, as well as works by their colleagues Perle Fine, Jay DeFeo, Sonia Getchoff, Deborah Remington, Ethel Schwabacher, Mary Abbott and Judith Godwin. Through Jan. 22, 2017. 704-337 000. mintmuseum.org. Jerald Melberg Gallery Kim Keever & Felicia van Bork. Jerald Melberg Gallery presents two solo exhibitions: Large-scale photographs by Kim Keever, who meticulously constructs miniature topographies in a 200-gallon tank, which he fills with water and brings to life with colored lights and the dispersal of pigment. Monotype collages by Felicia van Bork, which she assembles from torn and cut pieces of her own monotype prints. The contrasting fragments evoke natural vistas, often populated by non-objective protagonists Runs through Jan. 14. Free admission. 625 S. Sharon Amity Road, Charlotte. 704-365-3000. jeraldmelberg.com.

MORE EVENTS Free Screening: Brothers Hypnotic In anticipation of The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble’s live concert Jan. 26 at McGlohon Theater, Blumenthal proudly presents a free screening of Brothers Hypnotic, the award-winning

documentary from filmmaker Reuben Atlas, which explores their music, work ethic, life and experience of being raised by their jazz legend father Phil Cohran. Free admission. Fri., Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m Discovery Place Genghis Khan. Explore the culture, conquests and heritage of the world’s greatest conqueror when the treasures and stories of Genghis Khan are presented in Charlotte for the first time. Experience life in 13th-century Mongolia, entering the tents, battlegrounds and marketplaces of a vanished world. Explore Genghis Khan’s life and those of his sons and grandsons during the formation, peak and decline of the Mongol Empire. View gold jewelry and ornaments, silk robes, musical instruments, pottery, sophisticated weaponry and numerous other fascinating relics and elaborate artifacts. Through April 30. $13-$17. 301 N. Tryon St., Charlotte. 704-372-6261. www. discoveryplace.org. Levine Museum of the New South The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls. Robert Smalls’ life traced a trajectory from escaped slave to Civil War hero to South Carolina legislator and US Congressman. He piloted two warships and helped create South Carolina’s first public schools. Artifacts in this exhibit — offering a view of war and reconstruction — include letters, photos and a replica of the “big house” where Smalls was enslaved. 200 E. 7th St. 704333-1887. museumofthenewsouth.org. President James K. Polk State Historic Site The Vanishing Holiday: Twelfth Night. Ron Vinson, Executive Director of the Presbyterian Heritage Center in Montreat, NC, will discuss the origin and prominence of Twelfth Night from its medieval continental origins through Shakespeare’s 1602 play, to observances in Colonial Carolinas. Once the annual peak of parties, gift-giving and weddings, Twelfth Night was gradually absorbed and squeezed out during the 19th century. This presentation will also include illustrations, and an opportunity to hear medieval carols and colonial tunes about the celebration of Twelfth Night. Sat., Jan. 7, 11 a.m. James K. Polk State Historic Park, 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville. nchistoricsites.org. Mint Museum Randolph Pride and Prejudice Tour Part 2. Join a discussion of the Jane Austen classic and docent-led tour of the Mint’s Portals to the Past: British Ceramics exhibition. Wed., Jan. 11, 6 p.m. 2730 Randolph Rd. 704-337-2100. mintmuseum.org.

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MUSIC

FEATURE

! r o o D e l b u o D Goodbye After 43 years, the Double Door Inn threw down for one final jam session The folks at Double Door Inn closed those namesake gateways for the last time Monday night after one more show from the Monday Night Allstars, who have been performing there on Mondays for decades. Last night’s farewell party was sold out, yet many long-time attendees braved the rain for a chance to gain entry as other fans left. Creative Loafing was standing outside the doors talking to folks about what they’ll most remember about Double Door, as the jams from inside reverberated through the walls one last time.

James B

rock

James Brock, a local percussionist, has been attending Double Door Inn since he was a kid with his father, Jim Brock, a longtime percussionist with the Monday Night Allstars. James, like many in attendance Monday night, spoke about what Charles Hairston meant to the venue and the Charlotte music scene in general. “Charles Hairston ... he was one of a kind. Nobody else like him. He could sing, he could dance. And one of the most amazing things I’ve probably ever seen was when Charles would… he’d sing ‘People Get Ready’ and step off the mic, and the volume of his voice – he’d walk around the bar – and the volume of his voice would keep up with the PA. Because he could project so loud. He ‘d walk around to people and sing to them. It was like church in here. It really was.”

“Tango” said he’s been attending the Monday night jam sessions since 2001. “Charles was my favorite. I had come to love listening to him sing on a Monday night. It’s bittersweet. Sometimes you’ve got nothing to do on a Monday night and you come listen to some blues. You can come out here and enjoy. We’re going to miss this place, not just me, everybody.”

lake

Shana B

Singer Shana Blake met late Monday Night Allstars singer Charles Hairston 23 years ago, and has been attending Double Door Inn ever since. She stepped in to fill Hairtson’s shoes following his death in 2009. We spoke before she hit the stage last night. “It all still feels pretty much the same; the crowd that comes out here, the music, the feel and the vibe. It’s just kind of the same thing. If I’ve had a really bad day I come out and I mourn it. If I’ve had a really bad day I come celebrate it. And it’s always provided that for me. [Losing The Double Door] goes in line with any friend I’ve lost. You go through a period of mourning it, and you know that life goes on and it will just be a matter of time before the hurt wears off a little bit. Nothing is sacred in Charlotte. You can’t get too tied to any place.”

o”

“Tang

20 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

Derrick Worthy has been selling hot dogs to the Double Door crowd on Monday nights for two years with his company, A Worthy Dog. “It’s a place that I’m going to miss because you grow to know everybody. Everybody knows everybody and the great thing about this place is it’s so diversified. You have attorneys, you have plumbers, you have wait staff, you have bartenders. It’s a mixture of everybody that comes here and you get to know so many people. There’s a bond that you just can’t break. You’re not going to be able to find it anywhere else in this city.”

Ali Bahmanya

orthy Derrick W

Ali Bahmanyar said he’s been at Double Door Inn on almost every Monday night since 1988. “The music has been what has been pulling us here. The people that have been coming here, they are totally unique type of people. You will not come across them unless you go to places like here. I’m going to have fond memories of the people that I’ve been coming here with. They are cultured, they love music, and more than anything else they are just downto-Earth good people. They enjoy each other. They leave all the differences out there. No religion, no color, nothing, they just come in there and they enjoy coming together and listening to the good music, that’s what makes such a big difference.”

Roger Baldwin, a regular Double Door attendee, spoke about some of his fondest memories at the venue.

Roger Ba

“Chris Duarte, he came in here one night and played like 3 and a half hours without a break. When he finished one song it automatically led right into the other, there was no break. It was amazing. He came in here wearing a kilt the first time I saw him and played all night. In the ‘70s I went to school over here and we would come here for lunch and then we started coming later. Lenny Federal [of The Lenny Federal Band] was one of the first we ever saw here, and he never quit. He’s still coming.”

ldwin

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MUSIC

FEATURE

LIKE HE NEVER LEFT Local rapper Erick Lottary released his first new material in two years on New Year’s Eve BY RYAN PITKIN

RICK LOTTARY’S NEW EP

Hold Please was a buzzer beater of a release, dropping on the last day of 2016 and ending a two-year drought during which the Charlotte-based rapper hadn’t even released a single. Lottary’s new-and-improved style has people drawing comparisons to another rapper from his hometown of Fayetteville, as his trap music style has morphed into something more reminiscent of J Cole after an adrenaline shot. Creative Loafing sat down with Lottary in the waning days of 2016 to discuss what’s he’s been up to since that last release and what comes next. Creative Loafing: What was your goal with Hold Please? Erick Lottary: I haven’t dropped nothing since 2014. I’ve been working on an album throughout that whole period of time. I was actually trying to get that album out and I had one of my good friends hit me up like, “Yo, you need to drop something before the album so that people can get in tune with what you’ve been doing for the last two years.” I pretty much dropped this, and that’s why I called it Hold Please. Just like any good business sometimes you’ve got to get put on hold in order to get good customer service. That’s the premise for it. What is the biggest difference people will notice about this EP as opposed to your last project in 2014? My experiences. When I make music the only thing I worry about putting in is real life experiences or shit that I’ve been through or shit that I understand and know. You can tell that throughout those two years I went through a lot of shit. I had a second child. I was dealing with changing from a lifestyle that I used to live before I had kids, and it’s a way different lifestyle now and you can hear it in the music. Why the long wait between releases? I would say doubt, really. A lot of shit had happened to me. I didn’t have as much time to write. I didn’t have as much time to record. Then I changed my lifestyle, so I didn’t have the 22 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

money to record. I didn’t have the money to do all the things I wanted to do like I could before. I would say that was really the whole issue. How do the two cultures differ between Charlotte, where you’ve lived since ’08, and Fayetteville, where you were born and raised? They differ as far as, Charlotte moves way faster than Fayetteville does. There’s really not a big array of different artists in Fayetteville. Everybody is pretty much trap. You might find a gem here and there, just like J Cole was. When you talk about “my city” in songs like “Where You At,” do you mean Fayetteville? I’m talking about Fayetteville. The whole “Where You At” record is pretty much based on Fayetteville and how it was when I stayed there. When I say my city I definitely mean Fayetteville. Do you consider yourself a Charlottean now? I always rep my city but I would definitely say that I’m very well groomed in the Charlotte culture. Do you feel like that culture is strong? It’s huge. Charlotte should have been blew up, man. Charlotte should have had a light put on it. I feel like Charlotte isn’t a place that supports its own music. And that’s like all around. You got people that go to shows and sell out shows at The Fillmore for people that they’ve never met in their life, but you throw a show here with people that they grew up with and have known for years and they don’t show up. They always got an excuse. I would feel like that’s the only down part about Charlotte, but as far as the culture, it’s budding. There’s a whole bunch of artists here that are really good. Once the light is shined on it, there’s going to be so many people that pop here that it’s going to be an epidemic. Do you see that happening in 2017? I feel like there’s potential for it to happen,

Erick Lottary

AUSTIN JAMES HARTER

but you know, the city has got to get behind something. The city actually has to respond, like “Yo, we’re the shit. We got this shit right here so we’re good on your state.” Then other people will be like, “Yo, what’s going on over there?” and actually want to hear the shit. At the end of the day, that’s really all we need is big group of supporters to really push the artists. How has the time you’ve spent in Charlotte reflected on your music? When I moved to Charlotte, I ain’t even going to front, when I lived in Fayetteville and Atlanta I was heavily influenced by trap music. I was a trap rapper when I started. When I moved to Charlotte it was a total change. I didn’t know anybody and I had to get it from the ground up. It changed the way that I made music. It changed my thought process about music and the shit that I wanted to write about. I would say that Charlotte changed me in a huge way. It definitely made me a better artist. It made me work harder. I wasn’t getting shows until I came here. I didn’t have an actual project that was online and had digital and physical copies. I hadn’t had any of that until I moved to Charlotte, so Charlotte has a huge influence on my music, my sound, everything about me as an artist. Do you have a timeline for releasing the new album? The album is pretty much done, the timeline will just be how long it takes for Hold Please to get older and for people to want new music. I’m going to do a couple shows with those records, and maybe toward the end of the first quarter I’ll start working in new records from the album at shows just to see how people react.

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MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD

JAN. 5 POP/ROCK Jon Linker (Tin Roof) Hot Mulligan, Kayak Jones, Squid Beach (Milestone) Modern Moxie, XOXOK, Em Young (Petra’s) Shiprocked (Snug Harbor)

JAN. 6 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Charlotte Symphony: Schubert’s Great C Major (Belk Theater)

Rothschild, Breaking Tradition, FV, Glimpses (Milestone) Omari & The Hellraisers (Comet Grill)

JAN. 9 DJ/ELECTRONIC Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)

POP/ROCK John Shaughnessy (Petra’s) Find Your Muse Open Mic (Evening Muse)

COUNTRY/FOLK

JAN. 10

Old Dominion, Out of the Blue (Coyote Joe’s)

COUNTRY/FOLK

POP/ROCK The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Thirsty Horses (Ri Ra) The Halves w/ The Remarks, Steel Fish & Incense, Jitsu (Snug Harbor) Shannon LaBrie, Kyshona Armstrong, Dewayne Shivers (Evening Muse) Craig Veltri (Tin Roof) Elonzo Wesley, Bob Flemming & the Drunk Girl Chorus, Heather Himes (Petra’s) Sink Tapes, You’re Jovian, Family Friend, JPH (Milestone) Abbey Road LIVE! (Visulite Theatre)

JAN. 7 COUNTRY/FOLK Steep Canyon Rangers (Knight Theater)

POP/ROCK Hectorina w/ Secret Guest, Shadowgraphs, Good Bones (Visulite Theatre) Wretched w/ AuxiliA (Amos’ Southend) Wicked Powers (Ri Ra) Butch Trucks & the Freight Train Band (Neighborhood Theatre) Drunk in a Dumpster, South Side Punx, Minimums, Black Powder (Milestone) Rothschild w/ Old Sport, Earth Witch, 40oz Mouse (Snug Harbor) 32 pints, The Concussion Theory, Bad Karol (Evening Muse) Blue Monday (Tin Roof)

JAN. 8 DJ/ELECTRONIC Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) 24 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

POP/ROCK

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Marin Morris, Chris Lane, Jon Pardi, Tucker Beathard (Coyote Joe’s)

DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Pucci Mane (Petra’s)

POP/ROCK El Americano, Milkmen, Bombardier, 5251977 (Milestone) Personal Space w/ Melt, Faye (Snug Harbor) Mike & Mitch (Tin Roof)

JAN. 11 COUNTRY/FOLK Open Mic (Comet Grill)

POP/ROCK January Residency: Joshua Cotterino (Snug Harbor) Makeshift, Christian Evanko, Come Clean, Paperback (Milestone) Cracker w/ Camper Van Beethoven (Neighborhood Theatre) Pop Evil w/ Red Sun Rising and Bad Flower (The Underground) Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor) Jettison 5 (Ri Ra) Songwriter Open Mic (Petra’s)

COMING SOON  Aaron Lewis (Jan. 13, Coyote Joe’s) Mike Doughty w/ Wheatus and The Ragbirds (Jan. 14, Visulite Theatre) Dweezil Zappa (Jan. 20, Neighborhood Theatre)

PHOTO OF CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN COURTESY OF THE BAND Breaking Benjamin (Jan. 21, The Fillmore) Circa Survive w/ Mewithoutyou and Turnover (Jan. 25, Amos’ Southend) Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Jan. 26, McGlohon Theater) Parquet Courts w/ Mary Lattimore (Feb. 2, Neighborhood Theatre) Legends of Southern Hip Hop w/ Scarface, 8Ball & MJG, Mystikal, Bun B, Trick Daddy, Juvenile, Pastor Troy (Feb. 3, Bojangles’ Coliseum) Welshly Arms (Feb. 8, The Underground) Hiss Golden Messenger (Feb. 12, Neighborhood Theatre) Justin Hayward (Feb. 16, McGlohon Theater) Chuck Johnson & Charleyhorse (Feb. 16, Evening Muse) Marc Maron (Feb. 16, Knight Theater) Shovels & Rope (Feb. 21, Knight Theater) Tommy Emmanuel (Feb. 24, McGlohon Theater) Juicy J w/ Belly and Project Pat (Feb. 25, The Fillmore) Southside Johhny & the Asbury Jukes (March 2, McGlohon Theater) Landlady (March 4, Evening Muse) Cold War Kids w/ Special Guest Middle Kids (March 5, The Fillmore)

The Dig (March 8, Evening Muse) St. Paul & The Broken Bones (March 11, The Fillmore) Son Volt (March 12, Visulite Theatre) Bad Suns (March 12, The Underground) Celtic Women (March 19, Belk Theater) Black Violin (March 21-22, Knight Theater) The Flaming Lips w/ Clipping (March 30, The Fillmore) Dark Star Orchestra (April 15, The Fillmore) Red Hot Chilli Peppers (April 17, Spectrum Center) Steve Martin, Martin Short, Steep Canyon Rangers (April 22, Ovens Auditorium) Lauryn Hill (April 28, CMCU Amphitheater) Neil Diamond (April 28, Spectrum Center) Carolina Rebellion (May 5-7, Charlotte Motor Speedway) Bastille (May 6, CMCU Amphitheater)

1/6 1/7

SUSTO JASON+ HEYROCCO SCAVONE 1/14 MIKE DOUGHTY + Wheatus 1/13

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The more that I thought about it, THE YEAR 2017 is finally upon us, Queen however, the more sense it made for me to be City. Is it just me or did 2016 fly by? Then again, I guess it feels like that every creating yet another memory with my BFFE year. And just like every other year, preparing for NYE. She’s been present for three out of for New Year’s Eve celebrations brought back the four celebrations I’ve been to in the city some of my most hilarious memories made in and helped create some of my most favorite memories. the city. The first being a threesome. From being grounded together when we Oh come on, get your mind out of the gutter. I’m not talking about a literal were kids after getting in trouble at Kmart threesome, but a non-traditional date with when we were 14, to throwing up in a sport star’s bathtub in the Ritz Carlton Uptown, my current boy toy. This year, we decided to bring in the New to almost ruining a neighboer’s suede couch Year at Barreled at the Lift, a speakeasy and with candle wax, she’s always been there. Every vom, every embarrassment, every hookah lounge nestled at the bottom of the stairs beneath Libretto’s on Woodlawn. It’s epic party and every heart break. We hadn’t seen each other in a couple the first place we met and the place we were going to celebrate 2017 listening to good months, but nothing had changed. She picked tunes and drinking great drinks at “Chicago: me up Friday night at my aunt’s house and we headed to Charlotte together. A New Year’s Eve Affair.” We talked so much, we didn’t There were only three VIP even realize we’d gone past tickets left when we reached out Charlotte to downtown to the owner. That’s when I Gastonia! Next thing you remembered my BFFE (best know, we were taking friend forever and ever) had shots with one of our texted me a couple weeks other friends from back earlier asking if she could home at Ink N Ivy, then come to Charlotte for New Slate Billiards. Year’s Eve. (Side note: Have you Of course she could, I ever had a Green tea answered. shot? We discovered them As we started getting together Friday night, an ready, donning our AERIN SPRUILL they are not too shabby.) 1920s-themed clothing, BFFE The next morning, when the was singing, “Just the three of us, three of us were hungover beyond we can make it if we try. Just the three belief, and our bestie had to go to work, of us, her, you and I” to the tune of Grover I thought, “Yep, nothing has changed.” We Washington Jr’s “Just the Two of Us.” I laughed, thinking back to the first time laid around all day, the boyfriend grabbed us the three of us met and the ongoing “love breakfast and the three of us hopped in an Uber together to head to Montford before the triangle” joke we’ve shared. The boyfriend stood me up the first time countdown. After watching the first half of the Ohio we were supposed to meet one another. The boat was broken [insert air quotes], I tell State football game at Brazwell’s, we walked everyone when the usual question arises, (well, walked and complained of our feet “How’d you guys meet?” I’ve always thought hurting) to Barreled. The familiar dim light and comfy couches that excuse was weak. That’s why when he asked to grab drinks welcomed us and we were placed in our at Barreled one Thursday evening I had no section. VIP status, what what? We ordered qualms bringing my BFFE along with me. a watermelon mint hookah, “the usual,” and After all, I wasn’t going to get stood up twice, settled in for the long haul. By the time the countdown began, I had was I?. My BFFE and I chatted alone most of the abandoned my hangover and another was time, but eventually I let him get in a word already settling in. We grabbed a flute of champagne and or two. Despite having to go to work the next day, I convinced him to come with us to cheered to yet another year of love, friendship Jeff’s Bucket Shop for karaoke, and the rest and adventure. Here’s to making more memories in the is history. Who would’ve thought a third-wheel — QC this year! BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM the boyfriend being the “plus one” — date would be relived a year and a half later.

ENDS

CROSSWORD

COMMON ENDINGS ACROSS

1 Apply, as a coating of powdered sugar 7 Bay on the Mass./R.I. border 13 Had a nosh 20 Realm of Menelaus 21 Oscar Mayer rival 22 “Godfather of Fitness” Jack 23 Cruel canards 25 Wise about 26 Argentina’s Juan and Eva 27 Make moola 29 French telephone greeting 30 Part of IOC: Abbr. 33 Old glory 38 Quick laugh 40 Chichi 41 Crusty treat 42 Odd sort 47 Sailor’s diary 48 Gas Booster brand 51 Enzyme name ending 52 Linz’s river 53 “-- luck” (“It didn’t happen”) 56 -- anglais (English horn) 57 Summer hours in Ohio 61 Some concerto movements 63 Cowpokes’ ropes 64 “I’m treating for this” 65 Bee-related 66 Cottontail’s coat 70 “The -- the Hat” (Mike Myers film) 71 Neighbor of N. Dak. 72 Conger fishers 73 Supporting forces 74 The Tigers are part of it 80 Letter two before iota 81 Practitioner of total patient care 82 Offers one’s views 83 Once around the track 86 -- Moines Register 87 “-- for Outlaw” (Grafton mystery) 88 Lockheed P-3 Orion, e.g. 90 Harris and Wynn 91 Slushy drinks 94 -- voce (quietly)

95 Libelous claims 103 “It’s -- great” 104 Fix typos, e.g. 105 Old anti-communist org. 106 Water nymphs of Greek myth 108 Formal ban 111 What the ends of eight long answers in this puzzle are 117 More sullied 118 Milk-curdling stuff in a calf’s stomach 119 Be creative 120 Spire 121 Titleholders 122 Streisand of “Yentl”

DOWN

1 1990s TV’s “seaQuest --” 2 News agcy. since 1958 3 Bodily pouch 4 Like some small batteries, for short 5 Chief Little Thief, e.g. 6 Pacific island republic 7 Singer Nixon 8 Depend on 9 “Very interesting” 10 Hugs, symbolically 11 Least sullied 12 Artificial 13 Tilt, as italics 14 Rural “uh-uh” 15 Taking after 16 Wine bottle 17 Funeral ring 18 -- Gay 19 Clear up, as a windshield 24 Male delivery 28 Glimmer 30 “-- deal!” 31 NBA team 32 1992 martial arts comedy 34 Blundered 35 Performed 36 Periods in history 37 Vision 39 Closes with 43 Hoods’ rods 44 Suffix with acetyl 45 Prickly seed husk 46 Arabic “son of” 47 Six-term Indiana sena-

tor Richard 48 Emit sparks 49 Center fielder Agee 50 Beautifies 53 Putin’s veto 54 Royal name in Norway 55 In -- (as placed) 58 “A Bell for --” 59 Come about 60 “... and -- a goodnight” 61 Bashed into 62 Sedative 66 Line winders 67 Jai -68 Implores 69 Like very dry champagne 70 Holds tightly 72 Pope’s “-- to Abelard” 73 Cain’s sibling 75 Part of R.I. 76 Crow 77 Spot-on 78 Tristan’s title 79 Brian of electronica 84 Pot starter 85 Low laborer 88 Stir-fry tidbit 89 Dined-upon decapod 90 It may be left to an heir 91 Critical hosp. setting 92 Four, to Julio 93 Shun 95 Gives a bottle to 96 Let enter 97 Cuba -- (cocktail) 98 Tedious task 99 Actress Stevens 100 Hops-drying kilns 101 Tiny criticism 102 Polite title in India 107 Arp’s art 109 Tear apart 110 Hair goop 112 Motel’s kin 113 Certain dir. 114 “Marvy!” 115 Mailbox item: Abbr. 116 Vote to pass

SOLUTION FOUND ON P. 28.

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 27

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30 in a few weeks. He said he wants to hire an escort just for drinks and conversation for his birthday, but he doesn’t really know how to tell what’s a reliable service or what criteria he should be looking for to tell whether an agency is legit, reliable, etc. I’m very happy he came to me with this because I can tell it’s not something he wants to share with many people—but I don’t have any advice or knowledge to pass on regarding this and I want to respect his privacy by not discussing it with everyone in our social circles. Do you have any advice in regards to what he should be looking for? MY YOUNGER BROTHER’S ROMANTIC ORDER

you he wants). “Obviously, this is not a good option for the budget-conscious,” said Matisse. “But if you want to test your chemistry and create some trust on both sides before booking a private date, it’s a solid way to go. Note the keyword, though: PAY her for her time. (Most ladies have a public social meeting fee that’s lower than private-time rates.) And remember the basic rules when you do decide to set a private-time date: Don’t ask about sex and don’t talk about money other than to briefly acknowledge that you have seen her rates and agree to pay for her time. Expect to use condoms and to abide by the rules of whoever you’re seeing.” You can follow Mistress Matisse on Twitter @mistressmatisse.

I’ve been reading your column for years, and it “Look to social media,” has definitely helped said Mistress Matisse, me develop a sexa writer, sex worker, positive view of dating, and sex-workers-rights relationships, sex, and activist. “Now that so otherwise. I’ve been many review boards have seeing a girl recently been taken down, social who revealed to me media is the best way to she’s a cam girl. I’m find a good independent totally okay with it. escort.” About those review DAN SAVAGE She makes a great living, boards: Law enforcement it’s important to her, and agencies, always on the lookout it turns her on — all great for ways to “save” sex workers things! But it’s something she by making their jobs more dangerous, likes to keep to herself, and for good have gone after online sites, aka review reason, obviously. People, however, are boards, where clients rated and ranked obsessed with what other people do for escorts and—more importantly—escorts a living. So what’s the best answer for communicated with each other about safety, when I’m asked what she does? She’s clients to avoid (flaky, rude, unhygienic), as unsure of what to say as I am. I’m and clients they absolutely shouldn’t see bringing her to a company event (I work (erratic, threatening, violent). Elizabeth in finance), and both of us are sure Nolan Brown wrote a great piece for Reason everyone is going to ask what she does about the issue last fall (“The Truth About (cocktail party small talk is the worst!). the Biggest US Sex Trafficking Story of the What are your thoughts on this subject Year,” September 9, 2016), and everyone and other things in a relationship like should go read it at Reason.com. this? Anyway, MYBRO, back to your brother MAN BEHIND THE CAM GIRL and Matisse’s advice. “I’m not saying ‘no social media’ equals Say this: “She’s an independent ‘bad escort,’” said Matisse. “There are lots contractor with a video production of good escorts who don’t have much of a company—she makes her own hours and social-media presence. But if you want to works from home. It’s a great gig. Oh hey, get to know a little about who someone is how about them Bears/Colts/Cubs/Broncos/ before you meet them, that’s just how you Braves/WhateverTheFucks.” do it now.” Another rarely discussed, perfectly legal Listen to the Savage Lovecast every week at alternative to figuring out if an escort is for www.savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove.net real: pay them to meet up for drinks and @fakedansavage on Twitter conversation, which just so happens to be all your brother wants (or all he’s willing to tell

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 29

ENDS

STARGAZER

THE YEAR 2017: OVERVIEW, PART 2 ARIES Mars, the god of war and your avatar in the zodiac, begins this year in the laidback sign of Pisces. The pace is slow until it moves into your personal sign on Jan. 28. At that point you will sense a new surge of power and self-confidence. You will have a strong urge to escape whatever contains you on Feb 23—27. Bow to the authorities between the end of May and mid-July. They are bigger than you are. Give special interest to health issues during Sep and Oct. Use caution Oct. 11 through Oct. 19 as accidents are possible. Love life reverses or decelerates from early March through April, but returns to an improved normal in May. Avoid making big decisions while Mercury is retrograding in your sign between April 20 and May 14. TAURUS Venus, your avatar in the zodiac, begins the year in romantic and artistic Pisces. Near the end of January she moves into a sign that causes you to feel cautious and hesitant about all her interests. “Something” doesn’t feel quite right in a relationship, and by March you will be certain that you need to depart a situation so you can give it more thought. Near the middle of April the cause of your reticence becomes clear. You likely will give that thing or person a wide until the beginning of June, when you feel more sure of yourself. In October, Jupiter moves into your 7th house of partnerships/clientele. Jupiter is known to make improvements in whatever sector he travels. It is likely you will make one or more decisions about partnerships near the beginning of Oct. A new relationship at that time will have a rocky start, but things become much smoother in Nov. GEMINI You begin this year with Mercury, your ruling planet, in retrograde motion. So you will enjoy a pause in activity while you continue to ponder your life and your investments. Mercury turns direct on Jan. 8, giving you the sense that you can move forward again. The week following March 19 will be intense. Between May 16 and June 6 you may prefer to be solitary and quiet. Your attention shifts once again near the summer solstice to things financial. Use caution with tools and machinery from June 28 to July 4. Between July 23 and Sept. 20 you are focused on home, property and family. Repairs are necessary, perhaps even in relationships. The last Mercury retrograde for you is in the sign of partnerships, whether marital or business. You may feel the need to review old issues together. CANCER We cannot look at Cancer without

giving thought to this year’s eclipses. The full moon eclipse on Feb. 10 shines a spotlight on your financial affairs. If 30 | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

there are errors in calculation, they will be discovered, or perhaps a new resource becomes available. Later in Feb., the new moon eclipse occurs in the house of your travel plans, education, church affiliations, publication and legal affairs. This suggests the beginning of new ideas or plans in one of these areas. On Aug. 7 there will be a full moon eclipse in your solar eighth house of investments, shared resources, inheritance, debt and money owed to you. Then the new moon eclipse occurs in your second solar house of financial resources on Aug 21. The revelations of the Aug. 7 eclipse may send you back to study and refine your spending habits. Jupiter, the planet of expansion and improvements, spends the first nine months of 2016 in your house of living quarters, family matters and property.

planning.

LEO You begin the year in a work mode.

SCORPIO Mars, the Warrior god, is one of

Now is the time to start a diet or exercise routine. It calls for reorganization of your schedule but you will probably choose to do so anyway. The month of Feb. constellates around dealing with debt, investments, and finances (or other material things) that you share with others. An unusual total eclipse of the moon occurs in your sign on Feb. 10. This is a time of revelation, whether personal or public. The time of late Marchearly April may bring art, beauty or a new love into your life. Give yourself time for reflection and solitude beginning with the Summer Solstice until near your birthday in August. The month of August is intense with a new moon eclipse in your sign on Aug. 21st. That symbolizes the dawning of a new thought, plan, or idea.

VIRGO Mercury, your avatar among the planets, has been retrograding since midDecember. So you have experienced a slower holiday season than many. You may be reflecting upon your relationship to a lover or a child. After Jan. 8 life begins to resume normal speed. The week following March 19 is likely to be intense, with concerns over taxes, debts, or money that comes from joint resources. That could be related to partner’s income, pensions or insurance payoffs. Between March 23 and May 5 it is best not to initiate new legal, educational or publishing matters. Wait out that time to see if those issues will resolve themselves. If they are not resolved, work on those with gusto between May 16 and June 6. Use caution with tools and machinery from June 28 to July 4. On July 25 Mercury enters your own sign of Virgo and remains there essentially through Sept. 29. It will go through an entire retrograde cycle during this period. Be prepared to accept that time as indecisive, especially with long-term

LIBRA Jupiter, the original Zeus, is firmly in your sign until October. He tends to lighten any load and soften burdens. He is a carrier of good fortune as well. You may already be involved in a new relationship and it is likely to continue. Venus, the original goddess of love, romance and the arts, is your planetary avatar. She begins the year in your work or daily routine, bringing positive experiences to that area. During February through May she goes through a retrograde cycle. During those months you or your partner may be in a questioning period. This is meant to give both of you some time to evaluate how to make the relationship better. Some may even separate for a time to reflect before coming together later in June. your ruling planets and it begins the year in your 5th house of romance, children and creativity. Near Jan. 11 you likely will have a bright idea in one of these areas. Health matters become important between Jan. 27 and March 9. Matters of partnership are prominent March 9 through April 20. You have challenges between April 21 and May 30. You want to tell your troubles to others, but it is a bad idea to do so. The Powers That Be are stronger than you until mid-August. Then you may get a lucky break and be in the right place at the right time late August and early September.

SAGITTARIUS You have one more year of

serious work on your new identity. Saturn has been in your sign for year and a half. Two and a half years is a long time, but you are recreating yourself and that requires effort and energy, and multiple beginnings. It is not the type of thing that can be managed briefly. One piece of the puzzle began with a challenging launch in Aug. 2016. During Jan. 2017 it comes to a turning point. You likely will decide to pour more effort into the project or let it go entirely in favor of some other, easier approach toward your goal. If you choose to remain with it, you will see results by the end of May. That is another turning point, requiring you to pour on the effort once again. It requires considerable tenacity to keep it afloat and many would not do it. You have considerable support through friends and allies. There will likely be a surprising event early in March with an extra boost of help. You will discover a high tech program or gadget in May that will ease the burden of your journey. And by the end of 2017 you will see the new identity emerging.

CAPRICORN During December 2016,

Mercury was retrograding in your sign. That phenomenon often represents a feeling of difficulty concluding anything. During January there will be a slow move toward better motion and accomplishments. Saturn, your ruling planet, continues for one more year in your 12th house, suggesting that you may still be in the quiet zone. Two years out of every 24 is a time for a metaphorical sabbatical. Your ambitions may not yet be rewarded at this time. During this period (2016-2017), attempts to achieve recognition are thwarted. Rest now and don’t abuse yourself because you can’t “get ahead.” In November and December of 2017 you will experience a crack in the shadows which will grow to a fresh start in the winter of 2018.

AQUARIUS In August of 2016 you may have taken on a major responsibility at your work or in the community around you. At the time you did not know the depth of the challenge or you might have bypassed it. However, you are not a quitter so if you adopt a responsibility you generally will see it through to its end. This project likely has one more year to the finish line, so you must pace yourself. A full moon eclipse on Feb. 10 brings a time of illumination over any marital or partnership situations. Then the answering eclipse of August 7 helps you resolve your personal issues in those same relationships. You will see the situation more clearly and will be better able to discuss it after that. There is likely a surprising twist or shift near March 2 that alters your plans with regard to transportation, the law, communications, education and publishing. A wish may be fulfilled. PISCES Mars, the Warrior god, is your

companion for all of January. You may use it to take initiatives beyond your normal reticent self. It is also a great starter signal for a new exercise routine. Jupiter, one of your ruling planets, spends much of this year in the sign of Libra. This brings partnership(s) of all kinds to the fore. It suggests the sharing of resources with others for whom you care. The full moon eclipse in your sign occurs on Feb. 10, symbolizing revelations, whether public or private. Your work and health will be the subject. Financial surprises may happen in March and Sep. That may or may not be favorable. Income continues to be up and down. Don’t allow anyone to sell you something too good to be true. Don’t mix water and electricity, especially between August and October. Note that there will be a new moon eclipse in your sign on Feb. 26. This signifies the beginning of new creativity for those in Pisces.

CLCLT.COM | JAN. 5 - JAN. 11, 2017 | 31

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