2016 Issue 14 Creative Loafing Charlotte

CLCLT.COM | MAY 26 - JUNE 1, 2016 VOL. 30, NO. 14

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EDITORIAL

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DAVID MCCLISTER

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Brandi Carlile performs at The Fillmore on May 27.

COVER STORY SUMMER GUIDE: FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, FOOD TRUCKS AND MORE

BY ANITA OVERCASH THIS WEEK’S COVER FEATURES CL OFFICE MANNEQUINS AND WAS SHOT BY ANITA OVERCASH.

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NEWS&VIEWS ON A PEDESTAL: Danica Patrick hasn’t received the sam patience afforded to other NASCAR drivers entering the sport.

BY DEAN CHADWIN 14 BLOTTER

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FOOD POSTED ON THE BLOCK: The five-year proliferation of Charlotte’s food truck scene came with struggles.

BY RYAN PITKIN

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ARTS&ENT SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES:

No stage? No problem. Charlotte women in theater know the show must go on — no matter where it takes place.

BY PAGE LEGGETT 26 FILM REVIEWS

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MUSIC FINDING HOME IN FADED GLORYVILLE:

Lindi Ortega performs as part of Urban Ministry’s Housing Fest.

BY ANITA OVERCASH

SWEET FOR THE SOUTH: The Everymen discover comfort in Carolina living.

BY CORBIE HILL

DON’T BE A DUMMY: Get tickets to these

summer shows early.

BY ANITA OVERCASH 48 SOUNDBOARD

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ODDS&ENDS

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NEWS

FEATURE

ON A PEDESTAL Danica Patrick hasn’t received the same patience afforded to other NASCAR drivers entering the sport

BY DEAN CHADWIN

T

WENTY FIVE YEARS after

the release of Susan Faludi’s book, Backlash: The Undeclared War on American Women, the backlash she spoke about remains, even as women around the world continue to shatter glass ceilings.

Just as in the years following Faludi’s book, when millions of Americans believed that Anita Hill lied or Nicole Brown Simpson got what she deserved, there are still many who believe that Hillary Rodham Clinton is somehow an even bigger liar than the typical politician. All the while, perhaps the most sexist presidential candidate since the days of suffrage sits atop the GOP in 2016.

In the sports world, it can be even tougher for women to get the respect they deserve. With NASCAR in town this week, it’s worth taking a look at the treatment of Danica Patrick by fans and the media.

Patrick is not the first of her kind; Sara Christian, Ethel Flock and Louise Smith all drove in stock car races for a decade immediately following the Second World War. Three decades later, a powerful feminist wave swept along women racers like Janet Guthrie, Lillian Vandiver and Sylvia Thompson.

What makes Patrick different is her fame and the resulting pressure. Despite being the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 — finishing third in 2009 — and a top-10 finish in the 2013 Daytona 500, Patrick has been roughly criticized by analysts within the sport and in 2014 was named one of the top five most overrated athletes in the world

by CBS New York.

WHEN PATRICK MADE the jump from the IndyCar Series to stock cars in 2012, NASCAR was looking for a savior. “She was welcomed with open arms because she would bring eyeballs to a sport in decline,” says Mary Jo Kane, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota.

Not everyone was so welcoming, however. Patrick’s failure to quickly reach the top of the sport led to a royal backlash.

Richard Petty trashed Patrick, stating in 12 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

BRYCE WOMELDURF

Danica Patrick lost her GoDaddy.com sponsorship in 2015, although the company has remained supportive and a spokesperson stated they aim “to keep her in the GoDaddy Family.” Patrick has starred in some of the most-watched Super Bowl TV commercials on behalf of GoDaddy.

2014 that she could only win “if everybody else stayed home.” Again this year, Petty lived up to his last name when he confirmed his position during Daytona, saying, “She just settled in where she’s at. She ain’t gotten no better or no worse.”

These attacks do not surprise Kane, who worries that Patrick’s hyper-sexualized branding will not help female athletes.

“There’s nothing wrong with her marketing herself on her looks,” Kane says.

“However, it leads to a double standard where her performance is judged more harshly because so many people perceive that her spot is a function of her looks. This means she is getting far more criticism than other drivers who perform at a similar level.”

Nancy Hogshead-Mankar, civil rights lawyer and three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming who recently founded Champion Women, a nonprofit committed to using sport to improve the lives of girls and women, says women athletes are judged in this way whether they appear in sexy Super Bowl commercials, like Patrick has, or not.

“Part of the dilemma women face is that they have to be good at two things: actual

performance and appearance,” she says.

Expecting Patrick to dominate NASCAR immediately would be ridiculous. Even lower expectations were probably unrealistic, given the cruel math behind NASCAR’s competitive culture.

Experts say hitting a baseball is the hardest task in sports because even the best fail nearly seven out of 10 times, but in terms of failure, being a NASCAR driver is much more difficult. Elite drivers lose nine out of 10 races, and very good drivers fail 99 out of 100 times. Michael Waltrip lost his first 462 Sprint Cup races — more than three and a half times the amount of races Patrick has participated in to this day — before winning Daytona in 2001.

In 2015, only 11 drivers won NASCAR Sprint Cup races. The list of talented, veteran drivers who did not win a single race last year includes Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, AJ Allmendinger, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer.

Newman, who almost stole the 2014 Sprint Cup championship, has lost 100 races in a row. McMurray is zero for his last 88. Allmendinger has won just once in 296 career races. Biffle has won 19 Sprint Cup

races and is a likely Hall of Famer, but he’s lost his last 105 tries. Bowyer has finished in the Top 10 in 44 percent of his 373 career races, but he’s mired in a 125-race drought.

The backlash from analysts and Internet comment boards would have one believe Patrick is a weak driver who shouldn’t be on the track, but no one says any of her peers should lose their respective rides. In the 2016 Sprint Cup standings, McMurray is 14th, Allmendinger is 17th, Newman is 18th, Danica is 23rd, Biffle is 24th, and Bowyer is 26th.

What Patrick really needs now is a win. Unlike her five peers, Patrick is zero for her career, which is at 130 races and counting. Many insiders and fans think she is destined to be little more than NASCAR’s Anna Kournikova. Despite the use of their appearance to generate sponsor dollars and media interest, they are not comparable.

Criticizing Patrick for not winning is like criticizing Klay Thompson for not being as good a shooter as Steph Curry. Patrick works incredibly hard at her craft and has repeatedly shown her ability to adapt and improve. It’s only a matter of time until she gets her first win.

IT’S POSSIBLE TO be outstanding at

something without being the best, but that may not be good enough if you’re different from everyone else. As Patrick told Kelley Earnhardt Miller on the Fast Lane Family podcast last year, “In racing, it is super unique still [to be a woman]. I don’t shy away from it because I understand that it’s helped me get to where I am today. But if I don’t have good days on the track, I always notice the media will fade away, and it seems really sad and nobody wants to talk to me.”

If anything goes wrong for the 10 car, Patrick gets crushed. During Friday practice before the Dover race two weekends ago, a gear failed in Patrick’s car, which caused her Nature’s Bakery/Autism Delaware car to catch fire and drop oil all over the track.

Nasty crashes for Tony Stewart, Patrick’s team owner and a strong supporter over the years, and McMurray followed after they hit the oil. Patrick immediately raced to check on her fallen colleagues.

Who could blame Patrick for equipment failure? A lot of people, apparently. An inaccurate and malicious Sporting News headline read, “Danica Patrick causes crash at Dover; Tony Stewart involved.”

The Internet trolls were much worse, as they’re wont to be, directly attacking Patrick’s skills within minutes. One troll named Mr. Big Balls — an interesting moniker for a man hiding behind a psuedonym to insult women on the Internet — on the Yahoo comments board epitomized the worst elements. “She should be making sammmiches (sic) and blowing her husband not wrecking cars and jeopardizing Nascar (sic) drivers (sic) health with her so called (sic) skills and #$%$ luck,” he wrote.

Two days later, when Jimmie Johnson’s car failed to change gears on a late restart during the Dover race and triggered a massive pileup, no one blamed Johnson. Of course, Johnson deserved no heat — and neither did Patrick.

If Patrick’s mere presence in the sport brings out the worst elements of a profoundly conservative culture, Patrick’s appeal to girls suggests a brighter future for women in motorsports. That devotion reminds many of the love generated by the UNC women’s soccer dynasty, one of our state’s greatest teams. “Mia Hamm gave us a new notion of what sport means in the South,” says Tom Hanchett, former staff historian of the Levine Museum of the New South.

“I try and use gender for the positive, inspiring little kids,” Patrick told Earnhardt Miller. “Growing up, my dad never really compared me to other girls. He always was pushing for me to just be the best. That’s the perspective I take on everything is how do you become the best at it, and it’s really

genderless. Why not be the best?”

Patrick’s brand of feminism is a bit limited, which is understandable, according to veteran observers. “Danica Patrick’s inability to talk about sexism is no different than Michael Jordan’s inability to talk about racism,” says Hogshead-Mankar.

Humpy Wheeler, former President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, has said, “The working man of the South is still the core race fan of NASCAR.” To wander out among the thousands of men partying in the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield is to feel that vibe as it relates to Patrick. Nobody thinks much of her racing skill, and they are more than willing to throw shade on her personal life, too.

“Sexism is profoundly embedded in our culture. It’s not unique to Danica, but it’s exacerbated by the role she plays,” asserts Kane.

Research by the Tucker Center shows that 40 percent of all athletes are women, yet only four percent of all athletes are represented in the media. Patrick has done an amazing job of drawing attention to her brand, but has she gained anything in the long run for the sisterhood?

Not necessarily, according to Kane. Five years ago, in an article entitled “Sex Sells Sex, Not Women’s Sports” in The Nation, Kane wrote, “Media images that emphasize femininity/sexuality actually suppress interest in, not to mention respect for, women’s sports.”

AS HEMINGWAY ONCE said, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”

Hemingway’s quote points to the continuing tension about what auto racing is. Is it a sport, something less or something more? Anyone who knows how to drive has probably raced somebody somewhere, which makes it feel relatable and perhaps less heroic. Yet the potential for death cuts the other way, making it seem more fraught with meaning than, say, the major three American sports. The threatening nature of the sport makes Patrick’s gender-busting role potentially even more significant.

The day Patrick finally wins a Sprint Cup race will draw tremendous media attention, and may even lead to a short ratings boost for the sport. But it will not end the backlash against Patrick. That would take a hot streak that only a handful of racers seem capable of.

Without a red-hot Patrick, cultural change in NASCAR nation will be gradual, at best.

While this country almost seems set up for the first woman president, the idea of a Wonder Woman on the race track may still be decades away.

BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 13

NEWS

BLOTTER

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

SCHOOL DAZE Spring fever has officially

ensnared the public school population.

The assistant principal at Tuckaseegee Elementary School called police after an incident involving multiple students and a teacher playing Hulk. The police reports states that the teacher had to restrain several students at once during an incident in the music classroom. In an unrelated event, one student received disciplinary action for bringing an “inappropriate toy” on the bus at Thomasboro Academy. Now taking bets on whether the toy was Nerf-gun inappropriate or under-mom’s-mattress inappropriate.

DOOMSDAY PREPPER Thirty minutes in front of any newscast these days is enough to convince anyone that the end is nigh, and some are now more prepared than others.

One suspect came out ahead last week when he shattered two windows of a man’s car near Matthews and stole a stock of weapons and gear. Among the items stolen were a knife, a leather handbook, a handgun, a tactical vest, face masks, binoculars, a GPS device and a 12-gauge shotgun. (Bonus: listed among the stolen items was a “waffle shirt.” We’re not sure what it is but it sounds tasty.)

STONE AGE TROLL Technology makes it

so easy to communicate with other people.

So much so that messages can be generic and impersonal. Why write a letter to someone when you can just tweet at or DM them?

One suspect, who clearly doesn’t have an unlimited text messaging plan or Twitter account, typed a threatening message and left it in the screen door of a woman in south Charlotte last week.

TWO CENTS As the age-old Smash Mouth

song goes, “We could all use a little change.”

One suspect took that meesage to heart when he stole 3,000 pennies from a west Charlotte man’s car. Yes, you read that correctly. Three thousand pennies, or $30, or $26.73 after Coinstar takes its cut.

OUT THE WINDOW A 43-year-old south Charlotte woman either escaped a robbery, has ghosts or needs to speak with her son about snaeking out of the house. The woman called police after finding “suspicious handprints” outside of her window.

POLICE TYPO Two people in west Charlotte

were engaging in a verbal fight when the argument got a little spotty and turned into an altercation. The lady was bugging the suspect about something involving child care when the suspect escalated the situation and struck the victim in the face with a deadly weapon. This time, the “deadly weapon” listed in the report was a lawn ornament in the shape of a “lady beg.” I can only assume that whoever typed up this report meant the

14 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

little round red and black insect we catch for good luck, but the typo still bugs me.

CHAPERONES Police responded to a

home in northwest Charlotte after reports of two girls fighting in a yerad. When they arrived on the scene they found that two 14-year-old girls had engaged in a fight in the yard as reported, and surprisingly, both of the girls’ parents were present and watching the whole time. Police stated that the fight was a continuation of an earlier fight between the girls at COuldwood Middle School, because it’s so annoying when you have actual responsible adults around trying to break things up.

ROBBIN’ HOOD A man called police after

realizing that his car had been broken into near Frazier Park last week. The man said it was clear that the bandit had attempted to steal the car but couldn’t get it started, so the thief made off with whatever he could grab instead: in this case, a batch of hunting arrows.

OUTTA MY ROOM Police responded to

a break-in at an apartment near the UNC Charlotte campus after someone settled the score with a 23-year-old man who had clearly angered them in one way or another.

Officers found that someone had broken into the man’s bedroom through a window and poured bleach on $800 worth of clothing.

The suspect also stole $400 in cash, two pairs of expensive sneakers, two hand-painted, wall-hung pictures and — for good measure — two wooden giraffes.

SERIAL THIEF Police responded to Novant

Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Elizabeth last week after a man was caught stealing. He wasn’t stealing the usual fare, such as pain pills or syringes, but small boxes of cereal. After the man was escorted out of the building, during which time he assaulted a security guard, it was found that he had previously been banned from the hospital.

That’s won’t be good for him when he needs treatment.

HAND ME DOWNS A 21-year-old woman filed a police report after a woman she was fighting with took things to the next level.

The victim reported that the woman took the clothes out of her closet and threw them outside into the mud while it was still raining. The suspect then allegedly attacked the victim, striking her in the face with her hands. Bruises come and go, but stains are forever.

Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

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FOOD

FEATURE

ANN GIBSON

Photo taken at Harrisburg’s Eat From A Truck Rally.

POSTED ON THE BLOCK

EAT FROM A TRUCK FESTIVAL

The five-year proliferation of Charlotte’s food truck scene came with struggles

BY RYAN PITKIN

L

OOKING BACK NOW, there are multiple ways the Great Recession, which officially ended in 2009, helped bring the food truck culture to Charlotte in 2011, eventually leading to its rapid growth in the years following.

Dave Stuck moved to Charlotte from Portland, Oregon, where he had worked in 18 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

the restaurant industry in late 2009. He worked multiple restaurant jobs in Charlotte but, come 2011, he was ready to branch out on his own. Banks, however, weren’t willing to hand out loans during the precarious recovery from what the country had just been through. Food trucks, plentiful in Portland, proved more affordable and Stuck went that route, founding The TIN Kitchen

and hitting the road in his big silver truck.

Karen Trauner, co-founder of Sticks and Cones Ice Cream, bought the company’s original Sticks ice cream truck with her husband Dave in 2010 after he became worn out by the stigma of working for Bank of America during the recession.

“He was in the banking field in a time when people weren’t happy with the financial

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situation, so he got yelled at a lot,” Trauner says. “In an ice cream truck you never get yelled at, people are always really happy to see you. They chase you down waving money at you and it’s fun. It was a fun business.”

The couple soon saw a few food trucks appearing around town and knew immediately that they wanted to be a part of

the fledgling industry. Their traditional ice cream truck couldn’t hang with originals like Brian Seeley’s The Herban Legend, who was setting up shop at different spots around Uptown at the time, so they bought a second “Cones” truck and began serving soft-serve.

In January 2012, Seeley created the nowfamous Food Truck Friday event, gaining permission from landowner Gaines Brown to use the lot at the corner of Park Avenue and Camden Road and inviting Stuck and the now-defunct Goody Woody’s truck. Within the first month, three more trucks, including the Trauners, had joined.

It was the birth of something that would change the way Charlotte looked at “eating out,” but it was hard to tell at the time.

“It was terrible,” Stuck says of those first few months of winter rallies. “We would sit out there and feed 12 people; it just sucked.

I remember sitting there just thinking, ‘Oh my God, what do we do? Why did I buy this truck? Nobody gets it.’”

Even as the weather warmed up, people still weren’t catching on to the idea. Stuck became demoralized and came close to giving up. As he and Seeley hung around the lot following another failed rally one Friday night, Stuck announced he was ready to sell the truck and try something else.

“I was like, ‘This sucks. I think I’m going to sell this thing because it’s a waste of my time,’ and Brian said, ‘Well, just come out next week and we’ll see,’” Stuck says. “Then it just took off the next week. It started slowly growing. We would bring enough food for 50 people and have 70 come. Then we’d bring enough for 70 and have 90. It was exponential, like it went viral and it turned into this monster. Obviously, it turned out great.”

When Seeley first began parking The Herban Legend outside of Johnson & Wales University campus in early 2011, it was a bit of a rogue operation. He’s since sold his truck and moved to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, but speaking over the phone from there, he recalled the struggles of being one of the first food truck vendors in Charlotte.

Laws on the books prohibiting food trucks from doing business within 150 feet of an eatery or bar made it difficult to operate in Uptown Chrlotte at the time. The regulation could also affect Seeley’s business outside of certain breweries, an industry that began burgeoning just a year or so before food trucks. Since breweries rarely sell food, partnerships between breweries and food trucks had the potential to help pull vendors like Seeley up along with them.

“NoDa and Triple C [breweries] both started at the same time as I did,” Seeley said. “We all grew that business from there.

That regulation would’ve killed the brewery business.”

Seeley simply kept his head down and continued to work with a low profile. Zoning laws aren’t usually enforced unless someone complains, and there were no complaints from brewery owners, food truck vendors or hungry customers.

“I grew my business pretty quickly and began turning a profit in three months,” he says. “I just grew those spots, and as other trucks came out on the scene I did whatever I could to help them out and pioneer new spots and get everybody on the same page as far as flying under the radar and not getting kicked out of spots or creating a problem with traffic. By the time the first six months had rolled around, a few more trucks were around. We were all just kind of making it happen and gaining buzz.”

That buzz eventually grew too loud to be ignored, and the antiquated laws regulating food trucks had to be addressed. In 2013, vendors began participating in citizen advisory meetings with city staff that went well into the next year.

In January 2015, the city proposed new regulations that allowed vendors to file for broader permits, loosened restrictions on times of operation and shortened distance buffers between trucks and eateries, as well as other trucks. “[The city is] trying to figure out the best way to do this and be supportive — and I do think they’re trying to be supportive — but I think they also want to get paid,” Stuck says.

“But for whatever reasons, the thoughts the city had about food trucks have changed, and they started seeing this as a positive.”

Another change threatened Charlotte’s most popular food truck event later in 2015 when Brown sold the property between Camden Road, South Tryon Street and West Park Avenue — including the Food Truck Friday lot — to developers.

The last Food Truck Friday at the original location was held in October 2015, but the rally’s future was only in question for a short time. Organizers who had helped run the event since Seeley’s retirement began looking for new locations, and the community was more than ready to help. Soon, two new rallies had split off from the event and are now held on opposite sides of the city.

In South End, Justin and Sarah Brigham, co-owners at Sycamore Brewing, now host about six to seven trucks at a new Food Truck Friday. Stuck doesn’t run the new event, but consults with the Brighams and schedules trucks. He says the 450 to 500 customers he serves each Friday is more than his average at the original rally. He sometimes brings two trucks out, with one running an experimental menu.

“It really is the next evolution of Food Truck Friday in South End,” Stuck said.

“They have a lot of the stuff we never had;

trucks are still there but now there’s cornhole boards, more tables, live music, local beer. It was awesome before but it’s evolved into that next step.”

Karen Trauner said she received calls from businesses and landowners throughout Charlotte offering spots for a new Friday rally when news broke that the original lot would be sold. After researching a few of the potential locations, she and Dave decided to set up shop behind The Light Factory on Central Avenue.

Trauner says Food Truck Friday in Plaza Midwood has been successful since it began, an overhwhelming surprise at first. During the second week in Plaza Midwood, she booked only nine trucks and watched in horror as crowds of people had to wait up to two hours to get fed. She now schedules 13 trucks every week and said it’s been a good balance.

She launched CharlotteFoodTrucks.org in 2012 and uses an online scheduling system she created during the original South End days to book trucks for each rally she runs through her business, Eat From a Truck.

Events Trauner has started this summer include monthly Monday rallies in Steele Creek, Harrisburg and Prosperity Village.

She estimates she spends about 60 hours a week on the computer organizing all of the rallies.

“At the beginning, when you first set up the schedules, it’s a tremendous amount of work with collecting the paperwork, getting the schedules together, things like that,” she says. “I enjoy it. I do make money because I’m always booking my truck there, in the best places to go. I do collect a fee from each truck [at the rallies], but I spend that money on police, garbage, bathrooms. It’s not a money-making thing. My basic thrill out of it is that I get to go. Nobody else gets to go as often as I do and that’s my gift to myself.”

Now, with every Food Truck Friday in Plaza Midwood and nearly all of her monthly rallies fully booked through the season, Trauner is setting her sights on the regional record books. The Eat From a Truck Food Truck Fair, to be held in September, (full disclosure: Creative Loafing is a major sponsor) aims to be the largest food truck rally in the Carolinas’ history.

Trauner plans to have 100 food trucks on site at the AvidXchange Music Factory, including trucks from Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Asheville, towns in South Carolina and even Georgia.

“That’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while, but as it happens, I didn’t know where to do it,” she says. “It was one of those calls when the South End lot closed, one of the people who got in touch was Ken [Thomas] from the Music Factory asking, ‘Can we do anything out here?’ That’s

when I realized it would be a great location for something massive. Even if we couldn’t get out there on a regular basis, this onetime big thing would be perfect out there, so we’re totally psyched to do that.”

Despite the struggles once faced by those pioneers who started it all, the ones who stuck around have won the fight and now sit at the top of a booming game.

“All of us that started early had the vision that it could be something worth doing to make a little money and I don’t think any of us expected it to blow up the way it did,” Seeley says. “It’s just one of those cool little cult-following things that blew up and went mainstream. If I got back in [Charlotte], I wouldn’t take on as much, but I would definitely do it again.”

When asked if that’s something he sees in his future, he laughs, Virgin Island wind blowing through the receiver.

“No man, definitely not. It’s just too beautiful down here,” he says.

At least he left a great culture behind for the rest of us.

RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

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NATALIE ROYAL

ADAM AVITABLE

What: Chinese artist Sam Wang is known for using circular wideangle lens’ to add roundness to his images which capture nature, landscape and still life settings.

He designs his own cameras, so each shot has a unique touch.

Last year he released a book titled Photography and Expression via Zhejiang Photographic Publishing Co. out of China. Reception on May 26, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

What: Still touring on the strength of her fifth studio album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter, Brandi Carlile continues to win over music fans with strong songwriting and powerful vocals. Not every musician feels as comfortable being backed by a full band as they are when it’s just them and their vocals blowing the roof off a capella. Carlile has the ability to win over audiences through honest lyrics and presentation.

What: This is not your typical paint party. Hosted by Q.C. artist Jimi “Dammit” Wesley, known for his funky, colorful portaits and painting live around town, it’s an R-rated, booze friendly platform to finding your creativity on the canvas.

Wesley will be there to guide and offer suggestions, but there’s no real right way, as the idea is to leave the brushwork to the mind.

The art class features nude models, a live DJ and is BYOB.

What: I first saw Natalie Royal perform back in 2008 when she was still a high schooler finding her way in the musical landscape, yet holding her own through songwriting and on-stage maturity.

She moved away for college, but comes back often to display an ever-blossoming talent and musicianship. Her latest album, Harbinger, is her best work to date and proves that even the youngest talents get better with age.

What: In comedian/author Adam Avitable’s Interviews with Dead Celebrities, historic figures like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lucille Ball, Adolf Hitler, Steve Jobs and more don’t get to rest in peace. In his posthumous interviews he asks the questions and recites the answers with dark deadpan humor. When he’s not tormenting the dead, he’s hosting his own morning show, “Drunk By 11.”

When: Exhibit runs through July 21.

Where: The Light Factory, 1817 Central Ave. More: Free. 704-333-9755. lightfactory.org.

When: 8 p.m.

Where: The Fillmore, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd.

More: $30. 704-916-8970. fillmorecharlottenc.com.

When: 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Where: Dupp&Swat, 2424 N. Davidson St., Suite 112B More: $25. thinkcolor.bigcartel. com.

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. More: $8-$10. 704-376-3737. eveningmuse.com.

When: May 27-28, 8 p.m.

Where: Bonkerz Comedy Club, 5624 Westpark Drive.

More: $10. 980-288-5653. bonkerzcomedyproductions.com.

SAM WANG TOTAL IMMERSION

— ANITA OVERCASH

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— JEFF HAHNE

— OVERCASH

— HAHNE

— OVERCASH

Lincoln Durham SATURDAY

SAM WANG

JUAN SOLORZANO

Natalie Royal FRIDAY

JAY TREVINO

NEWS ARTS FOOD MUSIC ODDS

Sam Wang Total Immersion THURSDAY

SATURDAY

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LINCOLN DURHAM What: The Texas native makes use of dynamic guitars — cigar box, one-string, resonator — in addition to an old suitcase and drumsticks, fiddles, banjos and more. It gives his music and solo shows a full and interesting spin. In March of this year, he released his third album, Revelations of a Mind Unraveling.

Take a listen to the angst-ridden, ominous “Creeper” for a taste of this solo success.

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. More: $8-$10. 704-376-3737. eveningmuse.com.

— OVERCASH

SATURDAY

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SU CASA FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

THE BAND PERRY/KELLIE PICKLER

What: It’s been five years since Su Casa launched, bringing a fusion of soul, funk, house and Afrobeat to the nightlife scene in Charlotte.

This installment is a special party celebrating that milestone and more to come. It features the usual suspects of music, art, photography and film, as well as DJ Justice Sun Tzulu and DJ Underdog who will be spinning the night away.

What: The street festival currently known as Circle K & Kangaroo Speed Street presented by CocaCola has taken a lot of flak over the years for lackluster lineups. The tables have turned this year as the final night of the event is headlined

by The Band Perry and Kellie Pickler. Sure, it’s gone from free to $15, but where else can you catch either of those country performers for such a low price?

When: 9 p.m.

Where: Petra’s Piano Bar, 1919 Commonwealth Ave. More: $10. 704-332-6608. petraspianobar.com.

— OVERCASH

WEDNESDAY

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Uptown Charlotte.

More: $15. 600festival.com.

— HAHNE

1

EMPIRE STRIKES BRASS

THE BLUEST EYE

What: Some members of this 10-piece band have played in groups like Squirrel Nut Zippers and have done collaborations with groups like Beats Antique and Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band. But for this ensemble, the force is all about making the most out of brass, which provides a New Orleans bayou blend of enthusiastic jazzy numbers.

What: On Q presents this Lydia Diamond adaptation of acclaimed author Toni Morrison’s debut novel.

Set in 1940s Ohio, it tracks a young black girl’s struggles to find comfort in her own skin and in the world.

Pecola Breedlove, 11, prays for blue eyes so she can make a name for herself and have equal rights in a racist landscape.

When: 7 p.m.

Where: U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway.

More: Free. 704-391-3900. usnwc. org.

— OVERCASH

When: June 1-2, 7:30 p.m.; June 3-4, 8 p.m.; June 5, 3 p.m.; Through June 11.

Where: Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square, 345 N College St. More: $28. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

— OVERCASH

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ARTS

FEATURE

PaperHouse Theatre performances of Much Ado About Nothing will go down May 26-June 11 at Frock Shop.

SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES No stage? No problem. Charlotte women in theater know the show must go on — no matter where it takes place

BY PAGE LEGGETT

L

orraine Hansberry, one of a handful of legendary American female playwrights, said, “The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely.”

She probably was lonely. As not just a woman playwright — but an AfricanAmerican playwright — she had few peers in the 1950s and ‘60s. The playwrights’ club is dominated by men: Oscar Wilde, Tennessee 24 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

Williams, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, David Mamet. With all due respect to the celebrated author of A Raisin in the Sun, her quote just doesn’t apply Charlotte’s leading ladies. These stars of the stage are calling the shots behind the curtain and playing the supporting cast to each other’s theatrical triumphs.

There are opportunities for local women in theater. “Both Theatre Charlotte and Actors Theatre have checks and balances ... in place to ensure diversity and gender

equality,” said Paige Johnston Thomas, an actress, director and casting director.

“Ron Law [Theatre Charlotte’s executive director] has been very vocal about promoting equality,” Thomas said. And female directors have dominated the company’s 2015/16 season; Thomas was among them.

But these women aren’t going to wait for suitable opportunities. They’re creating those opportunities themselves. And in some unlikely places.

SHAKESPEARE AND BEER

Women weren’t allowed on Elizabethan stages, so female roles in Shakespeare’s plays went to teen boys.

Sheila Snow Proctor and her all-women Chickspeare troupe began settling that score in 1998. The nomadic group first began performing at the now-closed Johnson Beer Brewing Co. Their shows often include audience participation, so a brewery — where

COMING SOON Much Ado About Nothing.

Paperhouse Theatre’s next production. $30. May 26-June 11. Frock Shop, 901 Central Ave. paperhousetheatre.com “Non-traditional Spaces and Partnerships: How to Make Them Work for You.” Donna Scott Productions will host a discussion on women in business and the arts.

Free. July 25, 6:30 p.m.– 8 p.m.

Charlotte Art League, 1517 Camden Road. donnascottproductions.com.

Shakespeare in the PARK(ing) Lot. Chickspeare presents Comedy of Errors. Sept. 17-18; Sept. 24-25. NoDa Brewing Company. 2229 N. Davidson St. chickspeare.com.

audiences can drink away any inhibitions — is a good setting. When Johnson Beer closed, Proctor asked Suzie Ford if she and her husband, Rob, would consider hosting the chicks at their NoDa Brewing Company.

The arrangement has benefited both groups.

“Performing in an alternative space forces you to let go of traditional mind sets,” Proctor said. “... being in a brewery forces us to do work that engages an audience because they are literally right there a foot in front of us on all sides.”

Suzie Ford thinks beer and Bard go perfectly well together. “Art takes shape in many different forms, and we consider beer to be an art form,” Ford said.

The Fords don’t charge Chickspeare a rental fee. They take their payment, as it were, in whatever beer sales they make during the show. “I consider this another part of our community responsibility,” Ford said.

And while the goal is to introduce newcomers to Shakespeare (Proctor said they try to get people who rarely attend theater to attend Chickspeare), providing good roles for women is at the heart of what they do.

PAPERHOUSE FINDS A “MAGICAL” HOUSE

Nicia Carla founded PaperHouse Theatre,

which she describes as a feminist theater company, in 2012. Inherent in her company’s mission is a wayfaring spirit. It reads, in part, “We will perform where there is an audience.”

“Finding an audience is a challenge,” she said. “Once we connect with an audience, it’s helpful to return to that location.”

The company struck gold last summer when they staged Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance at FROCK Shop in Plaza Midwood. Audiences responded and Creative Loafing named it one of the best area comedies of 2015. The play is set at a refined country estate, and the audience was welcomed as if arriving for a weekend sojourn.

“At FROCK Shop, we have a space that acts as another character,” Carla said of the inspired setting.

Caroline Cook-Frers, who owns the vintage clothing and homewares shop, agrees there’s something special about the space.

It’s been the site of art exhibitions, Sunday suppers and weddings. “This old house has a way of bringing magical collaborations our way,” she said.

Carla doesn’t just appreciate the space FROCK Shop offers. She appreciates the partnership she has with its owner. “In my experience, women look after each other,” she said. “Caroline has been an advisor, a support, an empowerer. She knows what it is to be a woman with an idea, and how to get from an idea to reality.”

Performing in an alternative space “changes the relationship with the audience, sets up a different dynamic that allows for a closer connection,” Carla said. “Smaller, non-traditional spaces help us connect on a human scale.”

And offering strong roles for women is always part of the goal. “As women in theater, we have to be our own advocates,” she said. “The theatre sisterhood is growing.

We are reaching out to one another more and more.”

get an incredibly creative rehearsal space, and CAL gets exposure and new patrons.”

Connelly said Scott and crew are the “best thing to happen to the Charlotte Art League.”

People have walked into the South End gallery, which has been around for more than 40 years, for a play and wondered why they’d never been there before. The gallery/ studio space has seen an uptick in social media followers, attendance and — what really counts — sales. During The Book of Liz, a comedy by Amy and David Sedaris, the gallery sold 92 pieces of art.

Since Shiloh Rules opened at CAL last March, the gallery has been the site of several weddings, corporate training classes and a fashion show. “The exposure is priceless,” Connelly said.

And exposure is ultimately what these women want for themselves and each other.

Donna Scott talks a lot about creating opportunity for women. That’s why she formed her production company. It’s why there are more women-led theater companies (TAPROOT Ensemble and Three Bone Theatre, for instance) popping up.

These women work within the existing infrastructure. But they’re eager for even more opportunity.

“Chip [Decker of Actor’s Theatre] and Ron [Law] really try to cultivate women directors,” said Scott. “One way to get women involved at that level is to have them apprentice as assistant directors. But that position doesn’t typically pay.”

It’s all the more reason for women to help other women.

“There’s a willingness to share not only the opportunities but also the workload,” said Glynnis O’Donoghue of Donna Scott Productions. “We know we’re stronger together.”

And it’s working. “Women are ruling the independent theater scene,” Paige Johnston Thomas said. “Instead of waiting for the checks, balances and committees to either hire them or produce their work, these women are forging their own creative path.”

Lorraine Hansberry didn’t have it entirely right. When you’re surrounded by sisters, being exceptional isn’t lonely. It’s empowering.

BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

A BLANK CANVAS FOR THEATER

Tonya Bludsworth, actress/director/ producer/casting director, doesn’t bellyache about a lack of roles for women. She just writes them herself. Yes, the quintuple threat is also a playwright.

She and her partners at Donna Scott Productions write juicy roles for women, hire women as directors and actors and generally just help a sister out. They accomplished the latter recently almost by accident, when the location they had planned for Shiloh Rules fell through. They were introduced to Cindy Connelly of the Charlotte Art League (CAL) and have gone on to become CAL’s resident theater company.

Bludsworth loves the collaborative aspect of working with other women artists. “We

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ARTS

FILM

BOOGIE KNIGHTS Russell and Ryan play Nice

BY MATT BRUNSON

T

HE ORIGINAL Lethal Weapon back in 1987 has been given far too much credit as the movie that largely birthed the “buddy action comedy” (48 Hrs. and Running Scared are but two which preceded it), but it was definitely the most successful in that it led to three even more lucrative sequels.

It was also the calling card for Shane Black, who was in his early 20s when he wrote the script and went on to pen other pictures like Last Action Hero and The Long Kiss Goodbye and write and direct Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (his best film) and, most recently, the cluttered Iron Man 3. After that brief dalliance with Marvel, Black returns to his cinematic milieu with The Nice Guys (*** out of four), a witty romp starring the unlikely team of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.

The Crowe-Gosling pairing might stir unhappy memories of such past what-werethey-thinking? twofers as Pat Morita and Jay Leno (Collision Course), Ted Danson and Howie Mandel (A Fine Mess) or Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds (R.I.P.D.), but the truth is they turn out to be a dynamic duo, going together as well as peanut butter and chocolate. Their characters, the bearish Jackson Healy (Crowe) and the bumbling Holland March (Gosling), are private dicks who pool their hot-and-cold talents to track down a missing woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) while subsequently investigating the murder of porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio). And because it’s set in 1977 Los Angeles, unfortunate clothing and hairstyle choices abound, although Healy and March aren’t about to allow sartorial suckiness and grotesque grooming to stand in their way.

Like practically all of Black’s scripts, the one for The Nice Guys is cold and steely to the touch, with little warmth or sympathy to be found anywhere. And while his convoluted plot aspires to stir memories of the likes of Chinatown and L.A. Confidential (the latter starring two of this film’s players, Crowe and Kim Basinger), it’s really not much more complicated or polished than any given episode of Magnum, P.I. Instead, Black’s strengths rest elsewhere, particularly his 26 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

WARNER

Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice in The Nice Guys. facility with clever dialogue and his ability to set up hilarious gags (cue the uproarious Richard Nixon cameo). Black’s homages are also a nice touch: Gosling amusingly channels Lou Costello in panic-stricken mode at one point, and there’s a glimpse of a billboard promoting Airport ’77 and an early teaser ad for 1978’s Jaws 2 (I’m guessing Universal Pictures paid Warner Bros. a hefty sum for those plugs, since Warner is behind The Nice Guys while Universal has both the Airport and Jaws franchises arriving on Bluray next month).

In the manner of Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs, the movie has several lethal weapons, including a dapper killer (Matt Bomer) who goes by the name John Boy (thanks to his Richard Thomas-esque facial mole).

It also has a secret weapon in newcomer Angourie Rice, cast as March’s brainy daughter Holly. This 15-year-old Australian actress is excellent in a key role — she’s as integral to the action as the two stars — and comparisons to the teenage Reese Witherspoon are not inappropriate. Whether she ends up enjoying a similarly vibrant career remains to be seen, but she’s off to a terrific start.

THE LAW OF diminishing returns comes down with Mjölnir force on Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (*1/2 out of four), a needless sequel that feels even more

needless than the usual needless sequel.

The 2014 hit Neighbors found married couple and new parents Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) having to contend with rowdy fraternity brothers who move in next door. This sequel ingeniously finds Mac and Kelly now having to contend with rowdy sorority sisters who move in next door. The leader of the college clique is Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), who understandably is upset with the sexist double standards that exist within the university Greek system and elects to create her own sorority house off campus. Mac and Kelly are initially losing the battle since the sisters are being aided by Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron), the frat rat who gave the Radners so much trouble the first time around. But once Teddy is forced to switch his allegiance, the battle lines are more clearly drawn and the sides more evenly matched.

The notion of making a college-set comedy that tackles patriarchal norms among students sounds intriguing until one realizes that this film is even less progressive than such similar efforts as 2007’s Sydney White and 2008’s The House Bunny. Shelby and her friends are all painted as unreasonable and disloyal, and director Nicholas Stoller and his five (all-male) scripters believe that having the sorority sisters throw bloody tampons at a neighbor’s window and rip the clothes off a middle-aged man are sterling examples of

feminist empowerment.

There are a few chuckles tossed like birdseed along the way, though most of the humor is of the desperate, gross-out variety (the movie even begins with Kelly puking all over Mac’s face). And while the so-so original had trouble maintaining consistency with its characters, at least it had characters — Mac and Kelly, so likable in the first flick as they struggled to hold onto their own youthful zeal, are empty shells here, merely marking time as the next gag is being set up. And didn’t Neighbors end with Mac and Teddy on good terms? That’s tossed out because it didn’t jibe with the direction the scripters wanted to take with this follow-up. Such a lazy stance proves to be less Creative Writing 101 and more Uncreative Loafing 101.

OVERBEARING

MOTHERS

IN

movies are as plentiful as shells on the sand, but rare is the overbearing mother who’s written with such love and care that she ends up being less defined by her obnoxiousness than by everything else. Such a mom can be found at the center of The Meddler (*** out of four), the new film from writer-director Lorene Scafaria.

Scafaria wrote the insufferable 2008 film Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, but that marked her first behind-the-scenes credit (she started out as an actress), so all is forgiven. More recently, she wrote and

Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne in The Meddler. directed 2012’s lovely and unique Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which made my 10 Best list that year but bombed at the

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

box office and left most other critics cold.

Hopefully, Scafaria will have more all-around success with The Meddler, a rich motion

picture hiding behind a silly-sounding title.

(I would have gone with Heavy Meddle; insert audible groan here.)

Not that The Meddler doesn’t describe what’s going on within the confines of the picture. Following the death of her husband, Marnie Minervini (Susan Sarandon) takes herself and her sizable wealth (her spouse left her set for life) from the East Coast to the West, where she hopes to spend more time with her grown daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), a Hollywood screenwriter still stinging over the guy who left her. Lori is also a workaholic, which means she has little time for a mom who calls her incessantly on her cell phone and babbles endlessly about whatever pops into her head.

Forced to fill her days by other means, Marnie immerses herself in the business of others but actually doing them good — whether it’s her daughter’s lesbian friend (Cecily Strong), who couldn’t afford to have a proper wedding, or the young iPhone salesman (Jerrod Carmichael), who just needs the proper push to continue his education. Marnie even finds time to hang

out with a potential beau, a retired cop who goes by Zipper (J.K. Simmons), although her own romantic reticence means her interested suitor has his work cut out for him.

Marnie is a terrific character, brought to life not only by Sarandon (it’s her best work in ages) but also by Scafaria, who refuses to let the woman lapse into the same sort of cartoonish caricature displayed by, for instance, Barbra Streisand in 2012’s The Guilt Trip or even Sarandon herself in 2014’s Tammy. She is a high-maintenance handful, but she’s never without our sympathy or our concern. Byrne is also good as the daughter who just wants some room to breathe, while Simmons is absolutely charming as the gruff yet soft-hearted guy who knows it’s never too late for love (presumably, Sam Elliott was busy).

Scafaria makes a few missteps — there’s the now-obligatory scene of a senior citizen under the influence (in this case, pot), and it adds nothing — but her instincts as both a writer and a director ensure that The Meddler always ends up back on the right path.

BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

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COMPILED BY ANITA OVERCASH AND COURTNEY MIHOCIK

MAY COMEDY Bonkerz Comedy Club May 27-28: Adam Avitable. Hilton Charlotte Executive Park, 5624 Westpark Drive. bonkerzcomedyproductions. com.

The Comedy Zone Charlotte May 26-29: Craig Robinson; May 31: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 9, Round 3). The Comedy Zone, 900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone.com.

Warehouse PAC Now Are The Foxes. Improv comedy. $8. May 28, 8 p.m. 9216 Westmoreland Road, Cornelius. warehousepac.com.

Wet Willies Charlotte Comedy Theater.

Shows on most Fridays and Saturdays.

900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd. charlottecomedytheater.com.

THEATER/DANCE/PERFORMANCE ART The Addams Family Musical Theatre Charlotte presents The Addams Family. A musical based off of the movie/TV series. $12-$27. May 26, 7:30 p.m.; May 27-28, 8 p.m.; May 29, 2:30 p.m.

Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. 704-3763777. theatrecharlotte.org.

Clybourne Park Presented by Evening Star Productions. Considered a “bookend play” to A Raisin in the Sun. $15-$20. May 27-28, 8 p.m.

Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Much Ado About Nothing Paperhouse Theatre presents this Shakespeare classic in an experimental atmosphere. $30. May 26-28, 8 p.m.; May 29, 7 p.m.; June 2-4, 8 p.m.; June 5, 7 p.m.; June 9-11, 8 p.m. Frock Shop, 901 Central Ave. paperhousetheatre.com.

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SPORTS Charlotte Knights May 30-June 1, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Syracuse Chiefs. BB&T Ballpark, 324 S. Mint St. milb.com.

Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR’s most challenging test of man and machine. May 29, 6 p.m.

Charlotte Motor Speedway, 5555 Concord Parkway South, Concord. 704-455-3200. charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Outlaw Showdown Drivers will compete for prize money and prestige in winged, 850-horsepower open-wheel, sprint cars. May 27. Charlotte Motor Speedway, 5555 Concord Parkway South, Concord. 704-455-3200. charlottemotorspeedway.com.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES’ Alive After Five May 26: Red Zeppelin, a Led Zeppelin Tribute on the Rooftop stage and Steve & Chuck and The Beat on the Courtyard stage. Every Thursday after 5 p.m. EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. aliveafterfives.com.

River Jam Series at U.S. National Whitewater Center May 26: Flow Tribe; May 28: Empire Strikes Brass; June 2: John Nemeth; Every Thursday and Saturday 7-10 p.m. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway.usnwc.org.

Sunset at Metropolitan May 26: Liquid Pleasure. Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. for the month of May. 1111 Metropolitan Ave.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS Circle K and Kangaroo Speed Street Transforms the streets of Uptown Charlotte with live music, appearances by top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers and celebrities, exhibits and an assembly of NASCAR show cars and simulators. May 26-2. Held along Tryon

Street in Uptown. 600festival.com.

USNWC Memorial Day Celebration Races, followed by live music and firework display at dusk. May 29. U.S. National Whitewater Center Parkway, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. usnwc.org.

Mint music, carnival, and a admission. p.m.; May (fireworks 29, 12 Fairview

Hill Madness Memorial Day weekend event with live arts and crafts, a family an all-American parade fireworks show. Free May 27, 4 p.m.-11 28, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. at 9 p.m.); May p.m.-6 p.m. 8850 Road, Mint Hill.

The Patriot Festival & Go The Extra Mile 5K Celebrate Memorial Day with a salute to military heroes. May 30 7:30 a.m. 4401 Barclay Downs Drive.

JUNE COMEDY Bonkerz Comedy Club June 3-4: Jeff Jones; June 10-11: Michelle Miller; June 17-18: Brian Aldridge; June 24-25: Steve Mingolla.

Hilton Charlotte Executive Park, 5624 Westpark Drive. bonkerzcomedyproductions.com.

The Comedy Zone Charlotte June 1: Fortune Feimster; June

2-5: Bruce Bruce; June 7: 180 Seconds Comedy Show; June 8: The Pump and Dump Show; June 9-11: Jo Koy; June 12: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 9, Round 4); June 13: Pete Davidson; June 15: Sid Davis; June 16-18: Corey Holcomb; June 19: Funny On The Fly; June 21: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 9 Finale); June 26: The Freestyle Funny Comedy Show; June 28: Wild West Comedy Show; June 29: Almost Famous Comedy Show; June 30-July 3: Deon Cole.

The Comedy Zone, 900 AvidXchange Music Factory

Blvd., Suite B3.

980321-4702. cltcomedyzone. com.

Evening Muse All Organic Comedy Show. Part open mic, part show. Hosted by Jordan Scott Huggins. $5. June 8, 9:30 p.m.

Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. 704-3763737. eveningmuse.

com.

UpStage Improv Charlotte. June 3. 3306 N. Tryon St. upstagenoda.com.

The Sweet Spot The Chuckleheads. June 18, 6 p.m. all ages show; 8 p.m. adult show.

10050 Edison Square Drive, NW, Concord. planetimprov.com.

FILM The Classic Black Cinema Series Screening The River Niger. Free with museum admission.

June 12, 2 p.m. Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St. 704-374-1565. ganttcenter.org.

Modern Film Fest Kannapolis film festival screening a variety of modern films June 4. kannapolisarts.com.

Matthews Summer Concert Series June 13: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; June 27: The Box Trolls; Movies: begin around 8:30 p.m. Stumptown Park, 120 South Trade St., Matthews.

Modernism + Film Screening Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity. $5-$10. June 9, 6 p.m.

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, 420 S. Tryon St. bechtler.org.

12th Annual Tony Awards Viewing Party Watch the Tony Awards ceremony live on the big screen. Free. June 12, 7 p.m. McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

THEATER/DANCE/PERFORMANCE ART Aladdin Jr. CPCC Summer theatre presents Aladdin Jr. June 29-30, 10 a.m.; July 1-2, 10 a.m.; July 5-9, 10 a.m. CPCC’s Halton Theater, 1201 Elizabeth Ave. 704-330-6534. arts.cpcc.edu/.

Annie CPCC Summer theatre presents Annie.

June 3-4, 7:30 p.m.; June 5, 2:30 p.m.; June 8, 7 p.m.; June 9-10, 7:30 p.m.; June 11, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. CPCC’s Halton Theater, 1206 Elizabeth Ave. tix.cpcc.edu.

Big Mammas House of Burlesque Heroes & Villains Burlesque show themed around heroes and villains from comic books and other fandom. $15-$18. June 18, 9 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200. visulite.com.

Charlotte Squawks: 12 Angry Hens Described

as Saturday Night Live meets Broadway meets our beloved Queen City. $24.50 and up. June 2, 7:30 p.m.; June 3-4, 8 p.m.; June 7-9, 7:30 p.m.; Through June 26. Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Blue Man Group Comedy, theater, rock concert, and dance party all compiled into one interesting experience. $20. June 17, 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.; June 18, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; June 19, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Chicago CPCC Summer theatre presents Chicago. June 17-18, 7:30 p.m.; June 19, 2:30 p.m.; June 22, 7 p.m.; June 23-25, 7:30 p.m.

CPCC’s Halton Theater 1206 Elizabeth Ave. tix. cpcc.edu.

Festival Spring Performance Charlotte Ballet Academy’s culmination to their training this year. June 3-4, 7:30 p.m. Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance, 701 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. carolinatix.org.

Forever 4 What? The Legacy Theatre Production Company presents this show about the hardships of matrimony. $21-$28. June 24, 7 p.m.; June 25, 6:30 p.m. Stage Door Theatre, 100 E. Trade St. 704-372-1000. carolinatix.org.

Guilty Pleasures Carolina Voices Impromptu brings back its “extreme a cappella,” performing songs that folks secretly love but hate to admit it.. $10-$20.June 17-18, 8 p.m. Duke Energy Theater, . 704-372-1000. carolinatix.org.

Mi Casa Come explore the beauty of the Spanish language with PlayPlay, which is collaborating with Mexican artist and Charlotte resident Rosalia Torres-Weiner. June 2-3, 10 a.m. & 12 p.m.; Through June 11. ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th St. ctcharlotte.org.

Oklahoma A love story about a cowboy named Curly and a farm girl named Laurey in the wild, wild West. $12-$18. June 10-11, 8 p.m.; June 12, 2 p.m.; June 17-18, 8 p.m.; June 19, 2 p.m.; June 24-25, 8 p.m.; June 26, 2 p.m. Matthews Playhouse, 100 McDowell St. 704-846-8343. matthewsplayhouse.com.

Primary Spring Perfornance Charlotte Ballet presents an exciting culmination to their training this year. $16-$26. June 4-5, 2 p.m.

Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux

Murphy’s Dirty 30 Habitat Mud Volleyball will go down on June 26.

Center for Dance, 701 N. Tryon St. 704-3721000.carolinatix.org.

Singin’ in the Rain A starlet, a leading man, and a love affair set during the beginning of Hollywood’s golden age. $15-$29. June 16-18, 8 p.m.; June 19, 2 p.m.; June 23-25, 8 p.m.; June 26, 2 p.m. Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall, 207 Faculty Drive, Davidson. davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

Stage Kiss Two actors with a history are given leading roles in a romantic play, but things get weird when their lives start to follow the lives of the characters in the play. June 2, 7:30 p.m.; June 3-4, 8 p.m.; Through June 25. Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, 650 E. Stonewall St. 704342-2251. actorstheatrecharlotte.org.

Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host A fun and unlikely combination of dance and radio. Featuring Monica Bill Barnes and Company, Ira Glass, and Anna Bass. $20. June 25, 8 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

SPORTS Charlotte Knights June 1, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Syracuse Chiefs; June 2-3, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Lehigh Valley Ironpigs; June 4, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Lehigh Valley Ironpigs; June 5, 2:05 p.m.: Charlotte

Knights vs. Lehigh Valley Ironpigs; June 1315, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; June 17, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Indianapolis Indians; June 18, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Indianapolis Indians; June 19, 2:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Indianapolis Indians; June 27-29, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Durham Bulls. BB&T Ballpark, 324 S. Mint St. milb.com.

Charlotte Hounds June 9, 7:30 p.m.: Charlotte Hounds vs. Ohio Machine; June 25, 7:30 p.m.: Charlotte Hounds vs. Atlanta Blaze.

American Legion Memorial, 310 N Kings Drive. charlottehounds.com.

Murphy’s Dirty 30 Habitat Mud Volleyball The money raised from Murphy’s Dirty 30 will support Habitat Charlotte’s affordable housing programs. June 26, 1 p.m.–8 p.m.

Players entrance is free; $5 for spectators.

Bryton Development Savoy Lane, Huntersville. habitatmudvolleyball.org.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES’ Alive After Five June 2: We Got the Beat on the Rooftop stage and Smokin’ J’s on the Courtyard stage; June 9: Bantum Rooster on the Rooftop stage and Live Big on the Courtyard stage; June 16: Root Doctors on the Rooftop stage and Steve & Chuck and The Beat CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 31

on the Courtyard stage; June 23: Satisfaction, a Rolling Stones Tribute on the Rooftop stage; June 30: Early Ray on the Rooftop stage. Every Thursday after 5 p.m. EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. aliveafterfives.com.

Bearden Music Series June 11, 4 p.m.–9 p.m.: West End Mambo Latin, Ritmo & Sabor, Bachata Flow. Every Wednesday 6-9 p.m.

Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St. Blakeney Summer Concert Series June 3 & 4: Tony Barnes Band; June 10: DJ Chuck; June 11: Heroes At Last; June 17 & 18: Chris Sanchez Band; June 24 & 25: Loafers Band. Fridays and Saturdays 7-10 p.m. Blakeney, 9870 Rea Road.

Charlotte Symphony Pops June 2, 7:30 p.m.: Charlotte Symphony presents “Music for the Soul.” $10. Myers Park Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road; June 4, 8:15 p.m.: Free Charlotte Symphony concert. Stumptown Park, 120 South Trade St., Matthews; June 5, 8:15 p.m.: Summer Pops Opening Night. $12.

Symphony Park @ SouthPark, 4400 Sharon Road; June 6: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra @ Matthews Summer Concert and Movies Series. Free. Stumptown Park, 120 South Trade St.; June 10, 8:15 p.m. Free. Romare Bearden Park, 300 South Church St.; June 12, 8:15 p.m.: Summer Pops: Symphony Swings. $12.

Symphony Park @ SouthPark, 4400 Sharon Road.; June 17, 8:15 p.m. Free concert, Duke Energy Energy Explorium, 13339 Hagers Ferry Road, Huntersville; June 18, 8:15 p.m. Free concert. Town Square Harrisburg, 4100 Main St., Harrisburg; June 19, 8:15 p.m.: Summer Pops: A Night for “Pops”: The Music of Jon Williams. $12. Symphony Park @ SouthPark, 4400 Sharon Road; June 26, 8:15 p.m.: Summer Pops: “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” $12. Symphony Park @ SouthPark, 4400 Sharon Road; June 25, 8:15 p.m.: Free concert. Bailey Road Park, 11536 Bailey Road, Cornelius; June 29: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra @ Pineville Rockin’ and Reelin’. Belle Johnson Park, 1000 Johnson Drive, Pineville. June 30, 8:15 p.m.: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra @ Kannapolis Summer Entertainment Series. Free. Village Park, 740 W. C St., Kannapolis. 4400 Sharon Road. charlottesymphony.org.

Concerts on the Green in Davidson June 12: Band of Oz; June 19: Image. 6-8 p.m. Held in downtown Davidson.

Party in the Park June 1: Too Much Sylvia; 32 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

June 8: The Entertainers; June 15: Envision; June 22: Steve Owens & Summertime; June 29: SummerDaze. Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St. River Jam Series at U.S. National Whitewater Center June 2: John Nemeth; June 4: David Childers; June 9: Sara Rachele; June 11: The Get Right Band; June 16: The Shack Band; June 23: Cranford Hollow; June 25: The Floorboards; June 30: The Honeycutters. Every Thursday and Saturday 7-10 p.m. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Parkway. usnwc.org.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS 19th Annual Juneteenth Festival Celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. June 16-June 19. juneteenthofthecarolinas.com.

Bacon Fest Featuring 14 different stations with savory bacon inspired appetizers, entrees, candies, chocolaty desserts and bacon cocktails along with bacon games, giveaways, a DJ and more. $15-$20. June 25, 2 p.m.– 6 p.m.

Blackfinn Ameripub, 210 East Trade St. 704971-4440. blackfinnameripub.com.

Brew Stash Bash A wide selection of regional and national craft breweries will be featured from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy live music on Belmont Abbey Island. $5 parking; purchase beer sampling card separately. June 18, 9 a.m. U.S. National Whitwater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. 704-391-3900. usnwc.org.

Carowinds BrewFest Try samples from a plethora of breweries and micro brews from across the Carolinas. June 4-5. Carowinds, 14523 Carowinds Blvd. carowinds.com.

Margarita Wars Watch Charlotte’s finest bartenders battle it out to concoct the best margarita in the city — and you get to be the judge by sampling up to 15 margaritas and voting for the best. June 25, 2016, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

Rooftop 210, 210 E. Trade St. eventbrite.com.

Microbrew Cruise Microbrews Cruise begins with a guided group flatwater paddle along the Catawba River. As the sun starts to set on the river, the group returns to the shore for a chefprepared, fireside dinner with craft beer at the Ridge Pavilion. June 1, 3, 8, 10, 22, 24, 29. $55 a person. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. 704-391-3900.

usnwc.org.

Taste of Charlotte A three-day festival featuring over 100 samples from area restaurants along with live music and entertainment, interactive children’s activities, street performances and vendors. June 10-12.

Held in Uptown along South Tryon Street. Free admission; must purchase festival coins for food. tasteofcharlotte.com.

2016 Warrior Dash Warrior Dash is the obstacle course race. $65-$90. June 4. Historic Rural Hill, 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville.

6th Annual Super Hero Bar Crawl Dress

up as your favorite super hero of villain during this bar crawl. $12. June 18, 6 p.m. –2 a.m. Fitzgerald’s Irish Pub, 201 East 5th St. carolinanightlife.com.

C&E Gun Show The gun show features handguns, shotguns, rifles, ammo, antique guns, swords, knives, and more, as well as special guest and gun experts. $10 for adults; free for kids 12 & under. June 18, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; June 19 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Charlotte Metrolina Expo Center & Fairgrounds, 7100 Statesville Road. cegunshows.com.

Civil War Battle Re-Enactment Living history exhibits, ladies antebellum tea party, food

vendors and a battle re-enactment each day at 2 p.m. $7-$8; free for children under 5. June 4, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; June 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Historic Latta Plantation, 5225 Sample Road. 704-8752312. lattaplantation.org.

ConCarolinas 2016 A sci-fi convention that also covers genres like fantasy and horror.

Featuring fandom related events and guests, including gaming, discussion panels, costume events, and more. June 3, 3 p.m. ends June 5, 6 p.m. Embassy Suites in Concord, 5400 John Q. Hammons Drive., NW. $10-$50. concarolinas. org.

Con A de Arte (“A” Is For Art) Con A de Arte is an annual event that seeks to showcase the work of local artists from the Latin American community in the Charlotte Area. June 8, 6 p.m.; 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St. Dudeapalooza 3: Death to Potpurri Shop for all the cool guys in your life. Wilson from WCCB-TV hosts this event with local craft beer, food, vintage concert T-shirts, sports memorabilia, and more. June 4, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.

Free admission. C3 Lab, 2525 Distribution St. 980-349-5803. c3-lab.com.

Fashionology Presented by Mercedes Benz Fashion Tour. The event features full threecourse meals, live entertainment and fashions from both emerging designers and established designers. $25-$55. June 18, 5 p.m. Crowne Plaza Executive Park, 5700 Westpark Drive. fashionologyintl.com.

Monster Mash Crawl Featuring monster makeup artists and drink specials at each location. Six bars and clubs on the itinerary.

June 25, check in is 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. $5-$15 in advance, $20-$25 at the door Starts at Tilt on Trade, 127 West Trade St. lazyday.com.

HeroesCon Comic book convention with special comic books writers, illustrators and other guests and celebrities, as well as vendors and exhibitors. $15-$20; $40 for three day pass; Free for kids 12 & under. Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St. June 17, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; June 18, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; June 19, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. heroesonline.com/heroescon/.

Metrolina Antique & Vintage Market The market features an assortment of vintage items and antiques for all areas of the home. $5 for

all four days. June 2-4, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; June 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Charlotte Metrolina Expo Center & Fairgrounds, 7100 Statesville Road. metrolinaantiquemarket.com.

the magic of your senior prom. DJ Skillz will be spinning. $20; $35 for couples. June 3, 9:30 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-3721000. blumenthalarts.org.

National Beer Mile Drink four beers over the course of one mile, then head to the after party.

June 9, Check in starts at 11 a.m. Wave one starts between 1 p.m.-2 p.m., wave two starts 2 p.m.–3 p.m. AvidXchange Music Factory, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. nationalbeermile.com.

South End Beer Dash Test your endurance with four, 12 oz. beers in just four laps (one mile).

After party inside/outside of Slate Billiards.

There will be flip cup, beer pong, live music, award ceremony and other activities. June 25, pick up/check in at 8:30. $24.19-$69.88. Slate Billiards, 200 East Bland St. eventbrite.com.

NoDa 5K In addition to the 5k, there’s beer, live music and food trucks. $30-$40. June 4, 6 p.m.

NoDa Brewing Company, 2229 North Davidson St. noda5k.racesonline.com.

Paranormal Grounds Investigation Join professional ghost hunters as they take guests through the grounds of Rosedale’s 200 year old plantation, and attempt contact with the beyond. Featuring the latest technology in partnership with the Charlotte Area Paranormal Society. $15. June 18-19, 9:45 p.m. Historic Rosedale Plantation, 3427 N. Tryon St. Purgatory 70: Rise of the Villians Single Cell Productions presents this BDSM party with live performances by Djinn the Nitechylde, The Purgatory All-Stars, House of Payne, Sinister Suspensions, & Cindy Holiday. $12-$15. June 25, p.m. Amos’ Southend, 1423 South Tryon St. 704-377-6874. amossouthend.com.

Repticon Charlotte Reptile & Exotic Animal Expo A reptile event featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages and merchandise as well as live animal seminars and raffles for prizes. $5-$10; Free for children 5 and under. June 4, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (VIP entry at 9 a.m.); June 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, Highway 49 North. repticon. com/charlotte.html.

Second Chance Prom Charlotte MAZ Entertainment, The Alist and The Grae Group have teamed up to create an event that let’s you relive

8

QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour 2016 Visit three existing slave cemeteries, a former slave church, listen to African drumming, see a home that was bombed during the Civil Rights Movement. June 18: 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 1:30– 5:55 p.m. $15-$30. 7th Street Market, 224 E. 7th St.704-566-0104. charlottepilgrimagetour.com.

Unknown Brewery’s 2.5-ish Anniversary and Music Fest A 2.5ish birthday party w/ live music at 4 p.m., multiple food trucks and a special limited edition beer. $10. June 18, 4 p.m.– 10 p.m. Unknown Brewery, 1327 South Mint St. 980-237-2628. unknownbrewing.com.

Graduation for Comedy Zone Comedy Class; July 26: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 10 Round 2); July 27: Almost Famous Comedy Show; July 28-30: Drew Lynch. The Comedy Zone, 900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone. com.

UpStage Improv Charlotte. July 1. 3306 N. Tryon St. upstagenoda.com.

Wet Willies Charlotte Comedy Theater.

Shows on most Fridays and Saturdays.

900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd. charlottecomedytheater.com.

FILM Real to Reel International Film Festival Kings Mountain film festival screening flicks from around the world. July 27-30. ccartscouncil.org/ realtoreel/.

Hollywood Shoots Itself Film Series July 9:

Unwined Stand-up paddle boarding on the Catawba River, followed by a chef-prepared, fireside dinner back on shore at the Ridge Landing.

Unwined will feature one local, regional, or national winery, providing a tasting of their signature wines to be enjoyed after a funfilled evening on the water.

June 1, 3, 8, 10, June 22, June 24, June 29. $55 a person. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. 704391-3900. usnwc.org.

JULY COMEDY The Comedy Zone Charlotte July 1-3: Deon Cole; July 5: 180 Second Comedy Show; July 12: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 10 Round 1); July 13: Greg Warren; July 14-16: Vir Das; July 17: Season Finale: Funny On The Fly; July 19: Laugh Your Tail Off; July 20: Johnny Millwater; July 21-23: Dominique; July 24: Charlotte’s Funniest Dentists; July 25: CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 33

INT vs. PCL Triple-A All-Star Game; July 18-20, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Scranton/WB RailRiders; July 29, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Columbus Clippers; July 30, 12:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Columbus Clippers; July 31, 5:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Columbus Clippers; Aug. 5, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Aug. 6, 6:05 p.m. vs. Norfolk Tides; Aug. 7, 5:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs.

Norfolk Tides. BB&T Ballpark, 324 S. Mint St. milb.com.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) at ImaginOn’s Wells Fargo Playhouse; July 23: Day for Night (1973) at ImaginOn’s Wells Fargo Playhouse; July 30: Sullivan’s Travels (1942) at ImaginOn’s Wells Fargo Playhouse. ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th St.; Main Library, 310 N. Tryon St.

THEATER/DANCE/PERFORMANCE ART Aladdin Jr. CPCC Summer theatre presents Aladdin Jr. July 1-2, 10 a.m.; July 5-9, 10 a.m.

CPCC’s Halton Theater, 1201 Elizabeth Ave. 704330-6534. arts.cpcc.edu/.

Charlotte Hounds July 23, 7:30 p.m.: Charlotte Hounds vs. Denver Outlaws. American Legion Memorial, 310 N Kings Drive. charlottehounds. com.

Alice in Wonderland Jr. Travel down the rabbit hole and join Alice, one of literature’s most beloved heroines, in her madcap adventures.

July 8, 7 p.m.; July 9, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; July 10, 2 p.m. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. theatrecharlotte.org.

Beauty and the Beast Showtime Theatre Company is proud to present this classic musical tale that follows Belle and the Beast as they find love against all odds. July 15, 7 p.m.; July 16, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; July 17, 2 p.m. Winthrop University’s Johnson Hall, 115 Johnson Hall, Rock Hill. 704-372-1000.carolinatix.org.

Boys to Baghdad Set in the late 1980’s and early 90’s this coming to age romance reflects on the process of becoming a man. $21-$28.

July 15, 7:3 p.m.; July 16, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Duke Energy Theatre, 345 N. College St. 704372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Dixie’s Never Wear a Tube Top Dixie Longate, fastest-talking Tupperware lady, shares the 16 things she learned from a hard night of drinking. $24.50. July 5-7, 7:30 p.m.; Through July 24. Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. 704372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

The Drowsy Chaperone The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Jazz age musical featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another. July 21-22, 7:30 p.m.; July 23, 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; July 24, 2:30 p.m. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. theatrecharlotte.org.

The Fox on the Fairway An adventure about life, love, and a man’s eternal love affair with golf. A hilarious comedy based on the Marx Brother’s classic. $15-$29. July 14-16, 8 p.m.; Through July 24. Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall, 207 Faculty Drive, Davidson. davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

34 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES’

Haydini He specializes in the art of magic and sleight of hand, mentalism, theater, and comedy. $15-$20. July 8-9, 8 p.m. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

If/Then: A New Musical A musical about living in New York today and the infinite possibilities that tomorrow holds. The story follows a woman and the two possible life paths she could take. July 19, 2 p.m.; July 20, 8 p.m.; July 21, 1:30 p.m.; July 22, 7 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Sister Act CPCC’s Summer Theatre presents Sister Act. July 15-16, 7:30 p.m.; July 17, 2:30 p.m.; July 20, 7 p.m.; July 21-23, 7:30 p.m.

CPCC’s Halton Theater, 1201 Elizabeth Ave. 704330-6534. arts.cpcc.edu/.

Slueth CPCC’s Summer Theatre presents Sleuth. July 1-2, 7:30 p.m.; July 3, 2:30 p.m.; July 6, 7 p.m.; July 7-9, 7:30 p.m.; July 10, 2:30 p.m.

CPCC’s Pease Auditorium, 1200 Elizabeth Ave. 704-330-6534. tix.cpcc.edu/.

Mario the Magician An NYC favorite who creates his own props. $10-$20. July 23, 4 p.m.

Stage Door Theater, 100 E. Trade St. 704-3721000. blumenthalarts.org.

The Tempest A teen performance experience of this William Shakespeare classic. July 1-2, 7:30 p.m. ImaginOn’s Wells Fargo Playhouse, 300 E. 7th St. ctcharlotte.org.

National Dance Day National Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance, created this annual event to promote health and self-esteem through the art form of dance. Featuring an array of participatory dance activities. Free. July 30, 1 p.m. Held at Wells Fargo Plaza in Uptown. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

The Wizard of Oz This new production features an adaptation developed from the MGM Screenplay. July 5, 2 p.m.; July 6, 8 p.m.; July 7, 1:30 p.m.; July 8, 7 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

RSVP - Real Struggles and Venomous People Tochi Bueno Productions in association with JazzNSoul Music presents this show about riendship, family, faith, food, and foolishness. $25-$30. July 30, 8 p.m.; July 31, 7 p.m. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-

SPORTS Charlotte Knights July 4, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Pawtucket Red Socks; July 5-6, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Pawtucket Red Socks; July 7-8, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs.

Gwinnett Braves; July 9, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Gwinnett Braves; July 10, 2:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Gwinnett Braves; July 11, 7:05 p.m.: Triple-A Home Run Derby; July 13.

Alive After Five July 7: Breakfast Club, an 80’s Tribute Band on the Rooftop stage; July 14: Hot Sauce on the Rooftop stage; July 21: Mr. Potato Head on the Rooftop stage; July 28: Rubberband on the Rooftop stage. Every Thursday after 5 p.m. EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. aliveafterfives.com.

Bearden Music Series July 9, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.: Mint Julep Jazz Band Swing. Every Wednesday 6-9 p.m. Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St. Charlotte Symphony Pops July 1, 8:15 p.m.: Summer Pops: “Celebrate America.” $12.

Symphony Park @ SouthPark, 4400 Sharon Road. charlottesymphony.org.

Concerts on the Green in Davidson July 3: Ted Vigil; 6-8 p.m.

Party in the Park July 6: Flashback, The Party Band; July 13: Band of Oz; July 20: Jim Quick & Coastline; July 27: Hip Pocket. Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St. River Jam Series at U.S. National Whitewater Center July 2: The Packway Handle Band; July 7: Scythuan; July 9: Urban Soil; July 14: The Way Down Wanderers; July 16: The Ragbirds; July 21: Big Daddy Love; July 23: Temperance League; July 28: Head For The Hills; July 30: Koa. Every Thursday and Saturday 7-10 p.m. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewatercenter Parkway. usnwc.org.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS 4th of July Celebration Celebrate America and get outside during this two-day celebration featuring outdoor activities, live music, and a

372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

The Comedy Zone Charlotte Aug. 1: Cindy Kaza Psychic Medium; Aug. 2: 180 Second Comedy Show; Aug. 4-6: Ralphie May; Aug. 9: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 10 Round 3); Aug. 11-13: James Davis; Aug. 14: Funny On The Retry; Aug. 16: Night of 500 Laughs; Aug. 17: Laugh It Up Blue; Aug. 18-21: Gary Owen; Aug. 23: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 10 Round 4); Aug. 25-27: Big Jay Oakerson; Aug. 26-27: Big Jay Oakerson; Aug. 30: Wild West Comedy Show; Aug. 31: Almost Famous Comedy Show. The Comedy Zone, 900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone. com.

UpStage Improv Charlotte. Aug. 5. 3306 N. Tryon St. upstagenoda.com.

Clarion Hotel at Carowinds OTC presents “Back to School Improv Show.” $12-$15. Aug.

spectacular firework displays. July 3-4, 3 p.m.9:30 p.m. $5 parking, $30 to register cornhole team. U.S. National Whitewater Center Parkway, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. usnwc.org.

4th of July Celebration A patriotic celebration of Independence Day. July 4, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The Charlotte Museum of History, 3500 Shamrock Drive. 704-568-1774. charlottemuseum.org.

Summer Food Truck Rally Food truck rally at Rural Hill featuring an array of food trucks. July 15. Free admission. Rural Hill, 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville.

Country Bar Crawl Grab your cowboy hats, daisy dukes, flannels, and boots, and get ready

20, 8 p.m. 3695 Foothills Way, Fort Mill. 704618-4203. otcimprov.com.

Wet Willies Charlotte Comedy Theater.

Shows on most Fridays and Saturdays.

900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd. charlottecomedytheater.com.

FILM Joedance Film Festival Aug. 5-6, 8-11 p.m.

Free admission, but donations suggested. 10th Street Townhomes Courtyard, 308 West 10th St. 704-307-9571. joedance.org.

48 Hour Film Project Filmmakers have 48 hours to make a film, based off of set criteria and a hand selected genre. Aug. 5-7.

48hourfilm.com/charlotte-nc.

Hollywood Shoots Itself Series Aug. 13: Silent Movie (1976) at ImaginOn’s Wells Fargo Playhouse; Aug. 20: Ed Wood (1994) at ImaginOn’s Wells Fargo Playhouse; Aug. 27:

to party. Participating bars include Blackfinn Ameripub, Fitzgeralds, Connelly’s on Fifth, SIPS, The Pub at Gateway. $20-$35. July 23, 2 p.m.–10 p.m. 201 E. 5th St. countrybarcrawl. com.

Hoshicon A three day event celebrating Japanese culture, animation, and video games.

Includes vendors, panels, a game room, cosplay contest, and more. $25-$45. July 15-17. Westin Charlotte Hotel. 601 S. College St. hoshicon.org.

AUGUST COMEDY Booth Playhouse Elizardi Castro Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m. Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. 704CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 35

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) at Main Library

The Naked Magic Show R-rated magic due to

Francis Auditorium. ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th St.;

nudity. $19.50 and up. Aug. 4, 7 p.m. & 9:30

Main Library, 310 N. Tryon St.

p.m. McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-

THEATER/DANCE/PERFORMANCE ART

372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Evita A teen performance experience of

Newsies Newsies features high-energy song

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical.

and dance about those who delivered the

Recommended for ages 12 and up. Aug. 5-6,

papers until they made headlines. $25. Aug. 9,

7:30 p.m. ImaginOn’s McColl Family Theatre,

2 p.m.; Aug. 10, 8 p.m.; Aug. 11, 1:30 p.m.; Aug.

300 E. 7th St. ctcharlotte.org.

12, 7 p.m. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-

372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

p.m. Held in downtown Davidson.

Rouge Caroline Calouche & Co. presents this cabaret-style performance filled with gravitydefying aerial acts and tantalizing dance. $25$30. Aug. 13, 8 p.m. Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

Party in the Park Aug. 3: Fantastic Shakers; Aug. 10: The Extraordinaires; Aug. 17: Gary Lowder & Smokin Hot; Aug. 24: The Tams; Aug. 31: Rick Strickland Band. Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St.

Seminar A provocative comedy about four aspiring young novelists who sign up for private writing classes with Leonard, an international literary figure. Aug. 11-13; Aug. 18-20. UpStage, 3306 N. Davidson St. threebonetheatre.com.

Pineville Rockin’ and Reelin’ Summer Movie Series Aug. 26: Gump Fiction; Concerts start at 7 p.m. Belle Johnston Park, Lake Drive, Pineville.

SPORTS Charlotte Knights Aug. 5, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Aug. 6, 6:05 p.m. vs. Norfolk Tides; Aug. 7, 5:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Aug. 9-11, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Louisville Cardinals; Aug. 15-17, 7:05 p.m. vs. Gwinnett Braves; Aug. 20, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Buffalo Bisons; Aug. 21, 5:05 p.m. vs. Buffalo Bisons; Aug. 22, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Buffalo Bisons; Aug. 23-25, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs.

Durham Bulls; Sept. 1, 1:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Sept. 2, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Sept.

3, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Sept. 4, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs.

Gwinnett Braves; Sept. 5, 2:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Gwinnett Braves. BB&T Ballpark, 324 S. Mint St. milb.com.

Charlotte Rollergirls Aug. 13: CLTRG Special 10th Anniversary Intra-League Bout. $7$16. Grady Cole Center, 310 N. Kings Drive. charlotterollergirls.com.

Charlotte Hounds Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m.: Charlotte Hounds vs. Chesapeake Bayhawks.

American Legion Memorial, 310 N Kings Drive. charlottehounds.com.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES’ Alive After Five Aug. 4: Slippery When Wet, a Bon Jovi Tribute on the Rooftop stage. Every Thursday after 5 p.m. aliveafterfives.com.

EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. Bearden Music Series August 13, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.: Mac Arnold & Full Plate of Blues Chicago Blues.

Every Wednesday 6-9 p.m. Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St. Concerts on the Green in Davidson Aug. 7: Da Throwback Band; Aug. 21: Poor Boy Revival; 6-8 36 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

River Jam Series at U.S. National Whitewater Center Aug. 4: The Show Ponies; Aug. 6: Parsonsfield; Aug. 11: Davy Knowles; Aug.18: Jarekus Singleton; Aug. 20: Amigo; Aug. 25: The Accomplices; Aug. 27: The Mike Strauss Band. Every Thursday and Saturday 7-10 p.m.

5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. usnwc.org.

Stonecrest Summer Concert Series Aug. 5 & 6: Flutepraise; Aug. 12 & 13: Bonejazz; Aug. 19 & 20: Skate Rink Jukebox; Aug. 26 & 27: Leslie & Friends; Every Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. 7832 Rea Road.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS Charlotte Pride Festival Highlights the diversity of the Charlotte area’s LGBTQ community. Free admission. Aug. 20, 12 p.m.-10 p.m.; Aug. 21, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. Held along South Tryon Street.

Dirty Dancing Festival This annual festival celebrates the movie, in a location where parts of it were filmed. Aug. 19-20. Morse Park Meadows 2932 Memorial Highway, Lake Lure. $20 for adults; $5 for children.

USNWC Festival X (Cheers to 10 years) Celebrate 10 years with live music, craft beer, and outdoor adventures. U.S. National Whitewater Center Parkway, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. usnwc.org.

2016 CHS Cornhole Tournament Cornhole competition. Aug. 13, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Free registration. Hornets Nest Park, 6301 Beatties Ford Road.

Carolina Bridal Fair Meet wedding professionals, taste cakes and catering options. $5. August 7, 12-5 p.m. Cabarrus Arena & Events Center 4751 Highway 49 N, Concord.

Charlotte Challenge 2016: The Ultimate Urban Scavenger Race Solve clues, strategize the best route, and explore undiscovered corners of the

city. $35-$55. Aug. 21, 2 p.m. challengenation. com/charlotte/.

Extreme Midget Wrestling Described as “the baddest little show on earth.” $15-$18. Aug. 25, 8:30 p.m. Amos’ Southend, 1423 South Tryon St. 704-377-6874. amossouthend.com.

Southern Women’s Show This event is jampacked with jewelry and handbags, make-up tips and tricks, gourmet treats, runway fashion shows, cooking classes, speakers and celebrity guests. $6-$10. August 26-28; Fri-Sat 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Charlotte Convention Center Hall A, 501 S College St.

SEPTEMBER COMEDY The Comedy Zone Charlotte Sept. 6: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 10 Round 5); Sept. 13: 180 Second Comedy Show; Sept.

15-17: John Caparulo; Sept. 16-18: Sinbad; Sept.

19: Graduation for Comedy Zone Comedy Class; Sept. 20: Fight Night Comedy Competition (Season 10 Round 6). The Comedy Zone, 900 AvidXchange Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone. com.

FILM Charlotte Film Festival This film featival features an

assortment of award-winning and internationally acclaimed films throughout its week-long run. Sept. 22Oct. 2. charlottefilmfestival.org.

Hollywood Shoots Itself Film Series Sept.

10: The Player (1992) at Main Library Francis Auditorium. Main Library, 310 N. Tryon St.

THEATER/DANCE/PERFORMANCE ART Saturday Night Fever Get out your “Boogie Shoes” as this mega-hit musical hits the Theatre Charlotte stage. Featuring Songs by The Bee Gees, David Abbinanti, David Shire, Walter Murphy and Kool and the Gang.Sept.

9-10, 8 p.m.; Sept. 11, 2:30 p.m.; Sept. 13-15, 7:30

p.m.; Sept. 16-17, 8 p.m. Sept. 20-22, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 23-24, 8 p.m.; Sept. 25, 2:30 p.m. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. theatrecharlotte. org.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

accompanied by a parent/guardian. Sept 10, 11

Festival of India In its 22nd year, the festival continues to showcase Indian culture. Sept. 1718. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.

a.m.-9 p.m.; Sept 11-12, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sept 13,

SPORTS

Festival in the Park In its 52nd year, the festival features arts and craft vendors, live music and family-friendly activities. Free. Sept. 23-25.

Freedom Park, 1900 East Blvd.

Charlotte Knights Sept. 1, 1:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Sept. 2, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Sept.

3, 6:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides; Sept. 4, 7:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs.

Gwinnett Braves; Sept. 5, 2:05 p.m.: Charlotte Knights vs. Gwinnett Braves. BB&T Ballpark, 324 S. Mint St. milb.com.

Charlotte Rollergirls Sept. 17: CLTRG AllStars vs. Appalachian Roller Girls All-Stars. $7-$16. Grady Cole Center, 310 N. Kings Drive. charlotterollergirls.com.

SUMMER Alive Journey

CONCERT SERIES’ After Five Sept. 1: Departure, a Tribute on the Rooftop stage; Sept.

15: Simplified on the Rooftop stage. Every Thursday after 5 p.m. EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. aliveafterfives. com.

Matthews Alive! Festival A Labor Day weekend celebration with family activities, food, arts, and entertainment. Free. Sept 2-5. Held along North Trade Street, Matthews.

Yiasou Greek Festival The Yiasou Greek Festival began in 1978 and since then has become one of Charlotte’s largest cultural events, featuring Hellenic cultural exhibits, authentic Greek cuisine and pastries, entertainment, art, shopping and more. $3 admission to festival, children under 12 are free

12-8 p.m. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral 600 East Blvd.yiasoufestival.org.

Uncorked This wine festival features a variety of local, regional, and national wineries. The day begins with the Wild Vine 5k and half marathon trail races, followed by the wine tasting from 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 24. $5 for parking, purchase individual tickets for samples. U.S. National Whitewater Center Parkway, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. usnwc.org.

Yard Art Day A grassroots arts exhibition, curated by the community, for the community.

A 24-hour event where art of all mediums is displayed in front yards or balconies for the public. Sept 5. yardartday.org.

Concerts on the Green in Davidson Sept.

4: Rusty Knox Band; Sept. 18: Davidson College Symphony & Jazz Ensemble. 6-8 p.m. Held in downtown Davidson.

Party in the Park Sept. 7: Swingin’ Medallions; Sept. 14: Peace & Love. Romare Bearden Park, 301 S. Church St. River Jam Series at U.S. National Whitewater Center Sept. 1: The Hip Abduction; Sept. 3: The Trongone Band; Sept. 8: Dangermuffin; Sept.

10: Billy Strings; Sept. 15: Sol Driven Train; Sept.

17: Dank; Sept. 22: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band; Sept. 29: Seth Stainback & Roosterfoot.

Every Thursday and Saturday 7-10 p.m. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. usnwc.org.

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 37

The 3rd Annua

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SATURDAY JUNE 25th

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presented by

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Join us on June 25 as Charlotte’s finest bartenders battle it out to concoct the best margarita in the city - and YOU get to be the judge. Sample over a dozen margaritas as we kick off summer 2016 the right way. The drinks will be cool and the music will be hot!

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38 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

ETC.

SPOT SHOTS Photos from last year’s Margarita Wars at Rooftop 210.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN TWITTY

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 39

MUSIC

FEATURE

FINDING HOME IN FADED GLORYVILLE Lindi Ortega performs as part of Urban Ministry’s Housing Fest

BY ANITA OVERCASH

F

OR MANY FOLKS, the old idiom “home is where the heart is,” rings true.

Home is where you want to be. It’s a place where you’re surrounded by the people, places and things that give you security and satisfaction. For Canadian country artist Lindi Ortega — who’s coming to Charlotte for a performance that’s part of Urban Ministry’s Housing Fest at The Fillmore on May 28 — home is currently in Nashville, Tennessee.

But more importantly, at least from a musical standpoint, her home is on Last Gang Records. Having released a trio of independent albums in the 2000s, followed by a sour stint with a major record label, Ortega found refuge in signing with the indie label. Fast forward to 2015, when she released her fourth full-length album, Faded Gloryville, on the label and in her home away from home. In 2011, Ortega moved from her longtime dwelling in Toronto, Canada to Nashville. From a cityscape with far and few country artists to a cityscape with a colossal country music scene, Ortega credits the change to having an inadvertent effect on her music.

As a child in Canada, the only exposure Ortega had to country music was through her parents’ record collection, which she raided in her early days.

“I never even knew a single country musician when I was living in Toronto,” she says. “The only sort of country that I would have been exposed to — and I didn’t play with these people or anything — was Stompin’ Tom Connors and K.D. Lang, stuff like that. I wasn’t very much exposed to it at all in Canada.”

Ortega, now 35, has since reaped the rewards of more than a decade devoted to the genre. In 2014, she was nominated for not one, but two awards at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards and, in the States, her Faded Gloryville has generated more acclaim than any of her other records to date.

Part of that, she believes, comes from delivering raw, honest songs that audiences can relate to.

“I think early on in my career — and 40 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

this was when I was like playing crappy little coffee house gigs with maybe three or four people — one of the things that I felt was most rewarding and what I still do find rewarding was and is people being touched by my experiences,” she says, noting that 85 to 90 percent of her lyrical material is autobiographical. “We all go through these same experiences and emotions and that’s really what connects humanity to each other,” she says.

On Faded Gloryville, Ortega grapples with heartache and with her own personal struggles with the music industry. On the album’s title track, she recalls her ups and downs on the music front; “The road can break you coming down a hill, but going up is always fun. And here we are in faded Gloryville, the victory is never won.”

The song was inspired by Jeff Bridges’ bruised character — a country music legend with fleeting success — in the movie Crazy Heart.

“I think a lot of musicians who watch that movie would ask themselves what they would do if they were to end up in the character Bad Blake’s position.”

Does satisfaction come from reaching a certain status? And what about that nudging feeling that there’s somewhere else you should be on the totem pole? These are the kinds of questions that the song lends itself to.

“There’s this personal struggle with you saying ‘Ok, I’ve accomplished a lot and I should be quite proud of myself,’ but then there’s the labels and the business side that’s like ‘You haven’t sold x amount of records and you’re not played on radio and you haven’t reached this area of venues yet, so you’ll probably never make money,’ so there are a lot of things that can be daunting.”

Though Ortega notices an increase in attendance at her shows, which in turn have moved to larger venues, she doesn’t feel like an overnight success story.

“It’s interesting for me because it’s been a slow build, so I don’t see it the way other people see it because I’m touring constantly.”

When her deal with a major record label went astray, Ortega toured as a backup

Lindi Ortega performs at The Fillmore on May 28.

singer with The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers. After globetrotting, she returned home and had an epiphany about her musical endeavors. Though risky, she wanted to

JULIE MOE

continue her solo efforts. “It was not so much about being in the spotlight, but more about creating and singing my own songs.”

Since then Ortega has shaped her

JULIE MOE

URBAN MINISTRY’S HOUSING FEST: A CONCERT TO END HOMELESSNESS W/ LINDI ORTEGA, JOSH RITTER, MATRIMONY, NIKKI HILL, JIM LAUDERDALE $39-$78. May 28, 4 p.m. The Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St. fillmorecharlottenc. com.

identity and honed her craft as a songwriter.

Of the album that didn’t make the major label cut: “I listen to it and kind of cringe a bit. I guess it was trying to pander to a major label and what would get put on the radio,” she says. “It was a little too polished and a little too pristine for my liking. I like things that are gritty and rough around the edges and I really developed my love for that more and more with every record I’ve put out.”

That being said, that doesn’t mean that Ortega would snub mainstream success or never sign to a major record label again. For her, it all depends on how much creative control she would have as an artist.

“I feel like now that I’ve kind of solidified myself as a certain thing, I would have more

of a gambling chip than I would have initially as a complete unknown,” she says.

As a singer/songerwriter, Ortega has many layers. Country, folk, Americana, soul, rockabilly are all genres she can easily nestle into. Her voice can be sweet and soulful like Dolly Parton, and deep and melancholy like Jersey psych-rock songstress Nicole Atkins, while her appearance lends itself to country goth and rockabilly assertions — red lipstick, red cowboy boots, black-fitted dresses and a church lady hat complete with fishnetting.

“At the end of the day, genres don’t really matter. All that matters to me is that people that come to the shows are enjoying what they’re hearing,” she says. “They can call it whatever they want.”

Ortega thinks that some of the confusion comes in overgeneralizing of the country music genre. In addition to negative stereotypes about country music being a male-dominated genre with lyrics centered around drinking, girls in blue jeans and pickup trucks, Ortega feels that the genre’s many layers remain uncharted. It’s a large, diverse home filled with squeaky doors and vast hallways worth exploring.

“A lot of people just think it’s super twangy hillybilly music, which I personally like, but a lot of people will take sort of all of country as being that. The reality is that country music is so multi-faceted.”

AOVERCASH@CLCLT.COM

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42 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

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MUSIC

FEATURE

The Everymen perform at Double Door Inn on June 1.

SWEET FOR THE SOUTH The Everymen discover comfort in Carolina living

BY CORBIE HILL

W

HEN THE EVERYMEN

went into the studio to make These Mad Dogs Need Heroes, their latest record, the New Jerseyformed outfit knew they wanted the music to come from a different place — literally and figuratively.

They traveled to the legendary groove hub of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and worked with Alabama Shakes touring keyboardist and friend-of-the-band Ben Tanner. Suddenly, this 44 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

six-strong outfit from the urban Northeast was immersed in the small-town South, recording in tiny Alabama towns where they could go a week and only encounter people who were working on the record.

“People can talk about the ghosts in the river, and I don’t know if I believe in that stuff, but I believe in the people who are there making the record with you,” says Mike Venutolo-Mantovani aka Mike V, the Everymen’s songwriter and one of its lead

vocalists. “If we wanted to make another rock record, we would have stayed in New Jersey.”

The Jersey shore is a steady thread throughout the band’s narrative: Mike V grew up in the small Jersey town of Tuckerton, eventually moving to Jersey City and then across the border to New York City.

Yet returning to Jersey always felt like home.

Nowadays, though, he’s found a new and surprising home.

When Mike V called, we spoke briefly about the weather — small talk, yeah — and he mentioned that the sun hadn’t yet come out that day over Chapel Hill.

“You’re in Chapel Hill right now?” I asked.

“I live in Chapel Hill,” he said, noting he’d moved to North Carolina just over a year ago.

For the first time, he says, he’s found a place that makes him feel like his native state. To this New Jersey bandleader, North Carolina feels like home.

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“I can’t laud it enough,” he says. “There’s some little stuff — the pizza here sucks and the coffee here is way too good.” Still, Mike V married a Charlotte native, and when she took work in North Carolina he tagged along.

He notes that since he’s a broke musician, he may as well live someplace affordable.

After living in New York City for a decade, he likes to sleep with the windows open and hear birds instead of sirens. The couple is looking to buy a house somewhere in the rural expanse between Chapel Hill and Saxapahaw, a small town to the west along N.C. 87.

“It’s funny,” he says in observation of how the area reminds him of his hometown.

“My high school graduating class was barely 150. My wife makes a funny joke — my wife calls Tuckerton [New Jersey] the South up north,” Mike V says with a laugh. People loved NASCAR, big trucks and fishing, and the high school yearbook featured superlatives like “most flannel.”

He laughs, but recognizes the complexity of his new home. What some people from the Northeast don’t realize, he says, is how many people in North Carolina oppose legislation like HB2. It’s a purple state, he says, and he’s thrilled to see street protests like the Air Horn Orchestra in Raleigh.

“I love the people here. I’ve toured around the country, shit, 30 times in my life,” Mike V says. “These are the nicest people in the

United States — other than the piece of shit governor.”

Yet Chapel Hill seems cosmopolitan compared to Muscle Shoals towns like Sheffield, where These Mad Dogs was recorded, Mike V says. Even deeper in the South, and in even smaller towns, he found a nexus of world-class musicianship wildly different from what he knew up north. In New York, if you know a few barre chords and want to form a band, you go right ahead, talent be damned. But in small-town Alabama, if you can’t play, you don’t play in a band. Period.

“Everyone wants to talk about Aretha Franklin and Duane Allman. All that history is all well and good, but the reality is that there are eight or 10 or 12 white-fucking-hot bands down there,” Mike V says. “When you consider that versus the population of the area, it’s unreal.”

It forced the Everymen to step up their game, he says, and he appreciates that it did.

They wanted to go beyond Free Jazz anyway and fill out the songs as a collaborative unit, which the Muscle Shoals experience enabled.

Songs like “Chum Pt. 1” and “Chum Pt. 2,” which collectively form a seven-minute soul-rock anthem of abuse and survival, find co-vocalist Catherine Herrick belting “I’m always the one that gets thrown back into the sea” over churning guitars, keys and saxaphones. It’s visceral and Southern, but also modern and radio-friendly — a mélange of the urban Northeast and the rural deep South.

“We were trying to shed the maybe historically inaccurate perception that we were a punk rock band and go into a territory that’s more grooving,” Mike V says. They did so by traveling to small towns far from home, the bandleader says from the central North Carolina town he now calls home.

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CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 45

MUSIC

SUMMER GUIDE

Adia Victoria

BRANDON THIBODEAUX

All For One Brass Band

Garbage

JOSEPH CULTICE

Aesop Rock

BEN COLEN

Gwen Stefani

DON’T BE A DUMMY Get tickets to these summer shows early

BY ANITA OVERCASH

WHILE SOME OF Charlotte’s longtime venues have closed and others are struggling to stay open, we’re reminded that getting out and going to see live music is one of the best ways to show support. That’s an easy task when there’s enough music to sustain you through the summer — as is the case this year. If there’s a show you want to go to, get your tickets early to avoid the sold out slump. We’ve listed 18 upcoming concerts to keep on the radar.

JUNE 9 — ELLIE GOULDING

JUNE 10 — ALL FOR ONE BRASS BAND

These days it seems you can turn on the radio and easily hear this Brit synthpop princess’ “Love Me Like You Do.” But the single, fresh off her third studio album, Delirium, is just one of many of her catchy tracks. Having seen Goulding previously at a show where there were some tech problems, I can vouch for her vocals — with or without the sounds that make her a clubby sensation, she hits the high notes. $35-$59.50. June 9, 6:45 p.m. Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. livenation.com.

All For One Brass Band brings a taste of New Orleans to the Q.C. From performing on the streets of NoLa to music venues across the States, this is a fun bunch to see without having to take a trip down to the bayou. $5. June 10, 10 p.m. Double Door Inn, 1218 Charlottetowne Ave. 704-376-1446. doubledoorinn.com.

46 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

JUNE 11 — KURT VILE Philly indie rocker Kurt Vile may have gained widespread recognition for 2011’s Smoke Ring For My Halo, but his latest, 2015’s B’lieve I’m Goin Down is a more solemn affair with banjo

picking and piano playing that results in sharp, edgy folks ballads. $20-$22. June 11, 9 p.m. Amos’ Southend, 1423 S. Tryon St. 704377-6874. amossouthend.com.

JUNE 14 — LONNIE HOLLEY W/ GHOST TREES An eclectic visual artist and musician, Lonnie Holley conjures soulful backwoods-esque melodies layered with extra touches — electronics and other noise making devices. Performing with Charlotte’s own, avant-garde jazz duo, Ghost Trees, makes for one interesting night. $10. June 14, 9 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. 704-561-1781. snugrock.com.

Kurt Vile

MARINA CHAVEZ

Lindsey Stirling

ANDREW ZAEH

PJ Morton

Rob Thomas

JUNE 20 — LOST IN A WORLD OF COLOR

JUNE 29 — ADIA VICTORIA

Looking like something straight out of a color run, this Austin, Texas-based band believes that color and music go hand in hand.

The result is a psychedelic mix of sounds. Performing with local acts Sinners and Saints and The Fat Face Band, this concert is one of many #SaveTheMilestone fundraisers. $5. June 20, 9 p.m.

The Milestone Club, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road. 704-398-0472. themilestoneclub.com.

This Nashville songstress has generated quite the buzz with her debut album Beyond the Bloodhounds. On the record, she delves into dark emotions — some of which have to do with her turf in the South — which drift into country/blues territory. $10-$12. June 29, 9 p.m. Double Door Inn, 1218 Charlottetowne Ave. 704-3761446. doubledoorinn.com.

JUNE 23 — THE CURE

Though Maroon 5 recently canceled shows in Charlotte and Raleigh due to HB2, this solo set by PJ Morton, the band’s longtime keyboardist/vocalist, remains on the Neighborhood Theatre calendar. $22.50-$30. June 30, 8 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St, 704-942-7997. neighborhoodtheatre.com.

With 37 years worth of material to choose from, this show should be filled with hits and rarities, but that’s not all. There’s also reason to believe that the band will present some new material, too. $25-$100. June 23, 7 p.m. PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd.

704-549-5555. pnc.pavilioncharlotte.com.

JUNE 25 — JAY FARRAR Best known as the creative force behind alt country acts Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo, Farrar has hit the road with two other musicians — pedal steel player Eric Heywood and multi-instrumentalist Gary Hunt — to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Son Volt’s Trace album, recently reissued. $20-$30. June 25, 8 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St, 704-942-7997. neighborhoodtheatre.com.

JUNE 28 — TWENTY ONE PILOTS The band has made it big with its sophomore album Blurryface, featuring singles like “Stressed Out” and “Ride,” and is currently on its “Emotional Roadshow” tour, which is selling fast. $187.69.

June 28, 7 p.m. Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. livenation.com.

JUNE 29 — LOS VAN VAN Formed by bassist Juan Formell, who passed away in 2014, this post-revolution Cuban band offers danceable pop worthy of a fiesta. $25-$40. June 29, 8 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St, 704-942-7997. neighborhoodtheatre.com.

JUNE 30 — PJ MORTON

JULY 1 — AESOP ROCK Aesop Rock’s seventh studio album, The Impossible Kid, was released in April of this year and peaked on the Billboard charts.

The hip-hop artist offers abstract lyrics and sounds that are putting his underground beats even more on the radar for good reason. $18-$20. July 1, 9 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200. visulite.com.

JULY 19 — LINDSEY STIRLING Acclaimed violinist, Lindsey Stirling has one hell of a story. Her autobiography, The Only Pirate at the Party, released in 2015 is the best way to hear it in its fullest form, but if you aren’t one for reading, her versatility to dance and play the violin while delving into an assortment of musical genres will have you saying “hardy har har” in no time. $33-$63. July 19, 8 p.m. Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. 704-372-3600. ovensauditorium.com.

JULY 23 — GARBAGE The band’s sixth studio album, Strange Little Birds, is a follow up to 2012’s Not Your Kind of People. Front woman Shirley Mason spreads her wings while confronting isolation and loneliness in the albums first single, “Empty.” $35. July 23, 8 p.m. The Fillmore Charlotte, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. 704-916-8970.

BEN WATTS

Twenty One Pilots

fillmorecharlottenc.com.

JULY 23 — GWEN STEFANI There’s been so much circulating on the web about Gwen Stefani’s dreamy romance with country man Blake Shelton that’s its easy to overlook the substance of her latest solo material. On “Used to Love You,” the first single from This is What Truth Feels Like, she wallows in the disappointment of a marriage gone sour yet charges on with anthemic reflection that things will get better — and by the looks of it, things have. $29.95-$99.95. July 23, 7 p.m. PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd. 704-549-5555. pnc. pavilioncharlotte.com.

JULY 27 — ROB THOMAS & THE COUNTING CROWS Rob Thomas joins forces with Counting Crows for this ‘90s throwback of a concert that’s got everything but the matchbox.

Both Thomas and Counting Crows have consistently released material over the years, sharing fans along the way. This should bring them all out. $26-$80.50. July 27, 7 p.m. PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd. 704-549-5555. pnc.pavilioncharlotte.com.

AUG. 5 — OH PEP! This folk/pop duo of Aussie ladies is already generating quite the buzz and their debut album, Stadium Cake, and it isn’t even out yet (look for it on June 24). Be on the lookout for them when they cross the pond. $12. Aug. 5, 8 p.m. Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. 704-376-3737. eveningmuse.com.

SEPT. 20 — PUFF DADDY Sean “Diddy” Combs aka Puff Daddy is launching this Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour that features Lil’ Kim, Mase, Faith Evans, Mario Winans, 112, Total, Carl Thomas, The Lox and French Montana on the roster and is slated to make “hip hop and R&B history.” $39.50-$125. Sept. 20, 8 p.m. Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 E. Trade St. 704-688-9000. timewarnercablearena.com.

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 47

MUSIC

NOW HIRING INTERNS. THE BRIGHTER, THE BETTER. EMAIL BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

SOUNDBOARD

MAY 26 BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL Nita B (Comet Grill) Tab Benoit & Dead 27s (Neighborhood Theatre)

COUNTRY/FOLK Session Americana (The Double Door Inn)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Minutes and Years (Tin Roof) R&B Live (Studio Movie Grille) Sunset at Metropolitan Series w/ Liquid Pleasure (MET Stage at Metropolitan)

POP/ROCK

FRI 5/27

+ Carl Anderson & Christy Hays THU 6/2

SAT 6/4

DUST & ASHES * LAUREN JENKINS

LEANNA EDEN *KELLY SUMMERS *ERIN MAYNOR MON 6/13

FRI 7/8 COMING SOON: SWIM IN THE WILD - AARON WEST CODDLE CREEK - BASSH WHAM BAM BOWIE BAND VIVA LA HOP - OF GOOD NATURE GONDWANA -AESOP ROCK

48 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

Alive After Five w/ Red Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin Tribute (EpiCentre) Alive After Five w/ Steve & Chuck and The Beat (EpiCentre) Butch Muffles and the Buck Nasty Bastards w/ Mercury Dimes, Black Fleet, Evergone, For the Byrds (Milestone, Charlotte) River Jam w/ Flow Tribe (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Shiprocked (Snug Harbor)

MAY 27 COUNTRY/FOLK Blakeney Summer Concert Series w/ Wicked Powers Duo (Blakeney Shopping Center) Brandi Carlile w/ Samantha Cain (The Fillmore) Cody Purvis w/ Tyler Henderson (Sylvia Theater, York) Justin Jeansonne (Tin Roof) Leadville Social Club w/ Truckstop Preachers (Double Door Inn) Natalie Royal w/ Mason Schmitt (The Evening Muse) Out of the Blue (Coyote Joe’s)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Downtown Gastonia Summer Concert Series w/ The Entertainers, DJ Johnny B (Rotary Centennial Pavilion, Gastonia)

POP/ROCK Cal Tucker (Tin Roof) Cowboy Mouth (Neighborhood Theatre) Dave Matthews Band (PNC Music Pavilion) A Graceful Regret w/ Halden Vang, The Reason You Stayed, Meliora, Skyfold (Amos’ Southend) Jaggermouth w/ Dirty White Lies (The

Evening Muse) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Scar Tissue (RiRa Irish Pub, Charlotte) Scowl Brow w/ Poontanglers, Little Fury Things (Snug Harbor) Stonecrest Summer Concert Series w/ Dukes & Smith (Stonecrest Shopping Center) Susto w/ Carl Anderson, Christy Hays (Visulite Theatre) The Things They Carried w/ Megosh, The Early Dismissal, Rothschild, Take the Fall (Milestone)

MAY 28 BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL River Jam Series w/ Empire Strikes Brass (U.S. National Whitewater Center)

COUNTRY/FOLK Blakeney Summer Concert Series w/ Wicked Powers Duo (Blakeney Shopping Center) Jay Taylor (Tin Roof) Lincoln Durham w/ Malachi Henry and the Lights (The Evening Muse) Out Of The Blue (Coyote Joe’s) Ryan Melquist Band (RiRa Irish Pub)

DJ/ELECTRONIC Digital Noir w. Michael Price, DJ Spider (Milestone) Electric Soul Pandemic w/ The Jauntee, Dr. Bacon (The Rabbit Hole)

POP/ROCK Auxilia w/ SkinKage, Gruzer, Butterfly Corpse, A Light Divided (Amos’ Southend) Craig Veltri (Tin Roof) The Relics (Comet Grill) Serfs w/ Psychic Mirrors, Pleasures, Beach Bath (Snug Harbor) Stonecrest Summer Concert Series w/ Dukes & Smith (Stonecrest Shopping Center) Urban Ministry’s Housing Fest: A Concert to End Homelessness w/ Josh Ritter, Matrimony, Lindi Ortega, Nikki Hill, Jim Lauderdale (The Fillmore)

MAY 29 DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ A-Rod (Tin Roof)

POP/ROCK Dirty South Fest w/ Aloha Broha, Queen City Rejects, World War IX, Old Scratch, Nemesis (Milestone)

VIEW FROM THE COUCH For reviews on the latest in home entertainment, visit

CLCLT.COM/CHARLOTTE/VIEW-FROM-THE-COUCH/ Mammoth Indigo w/ The Mike Strauss Band, The Luciferian Agenda, Bombardier (Snug Harbor) Omari and the Hellraisers (Comet Grill) Sense of Purpose f. Paul Agee, Chris Allen, Joe Lindsay, Jody Gholson (Tyber Creek Pub)

Luke Stemmerman w/ Michael Earle (Snug

MAY 30

Too Much Slyvia (Romare Bearden Park)

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH The Monday Night Allstars (The Double Door Inn)

Harbor) Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor) Open Mic Night (Comet Grill) Romare Bearden’s Party in the Park Series w/

COMING SOON Selena Gomez (June 7; Time Warner Cable

COUNTRY/FOLK

Arena)

Hunter’s Travesty (Comet Grill) Open Mic Night w/ Tim McNary (The Evening Muse) Open Mic w/ 3 Piece Bucket (Puckett’s Farm Equipment)

Ellie Goulding (June 9; CMCU Amphitheatre)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Kurt Vile (June 11; Amos’ Southend)

Knocturnal (Snug Harbor) #MFGD Open Mic (Apostrophe Lounge)

R Kelly (June 9; Time Warner Cable Arena) Dead & Co. (June 10; PNC Music Pavilion) Weezer, Panic at the Disco (June 10; PNC Music Pavilion) Miranda Lambert (June 11; PNC Music Pavilion) Lucius (June 13; Visulite Theatre)

POP/ROCK

Death Cab for Cutie, Chvrches (June 16; CMCU

Locals Live (Tin Roof) The Monday Night All Stars (Double Door Inn) Wicked Powers (Comet Grill)

Amphitheatre)

MAY 31

Weezer, Panic at the Disco (June 20; PNC

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH

The Cure (June 23; PNC Music Pavilion)

Bill Hanna Jazz Jam (Double Door Inn)

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

POP/ROCK Christ Cohen w/ Laser Backgrounds, Zodiac Lovers (Snug Harbor) CJ Ramone w/ Broken Gold (The Rabbit Hole) Craig Veltri (Tin Roof) Fairplay & Special Guests (Lucky Lou’s Tavern)

Lake Street Dive (June 17; The Fillmore) Chris Cornell (June 20; Belk Theater) Music Pavilion) Aesop Rock (July 1; Visulite Theatre) Vans Warped Tour (July 5; PNC Music Pavilion) Garbage (July 23; The Fillmore) Gwen Stefani (July 23; PNC Music Pavilion) Peter Frampton, Gregg Allman (July 26; CMCU Amphitheatre) Counting Crows and Rob Thomas (July 27; Time Warner Cable Arena) Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Of Mice & Men (Aug. 2; PNC Music Pavilion) Motion City Soundtrack (Aug. 10; The Fillmore)

JUNE 1

Maroon 5 (Sept. 11; Time Warner Cable Arena)

COUNTRY/FOLK

Puff Daddy (Sept. 20; Time Warner Cable

Open Mic (Comet Grill)

Arena)

POP/ROCK Crackers and Snackmeat w/ Joules, Dr. Cirkustien, Your Fuzzy Friends (Milestone, Charlotte) Dollar Signs (Snug Harbor, Charlotte) The Everymen w/ Amigo, Temperance League (The Double Door Inn)

Brian Wilson (Sept. 19; Belk Theater)

* - CL Recommends

NEED DIRECTIONS? Check out our website at clclt.

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

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 49

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50 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

ENDS

NIGHTLIFE

HOW TO GET IN BED BEFORE 12 A.M. ON THE WEEKEND more satisfied once my eyes settled on a sour ONCE AGAIN I got an early start to the ale I haven’t tried. I chatted a bit with the weekend after getting off work at a decent bartenders about nightlife in Rock Hill, but time on Friday. I had originally planned on a night at Strike City in EpiCentre, but opted from the sounds of it, outside of quirky little for some much needed alone time — after spots like Grapevine, there isn’t much of it. all, I’m an only child. But that didn’t last The next morning I woke up without long. After a couple glasses of wine at my a hangover, which felt amazing. After my condo, I decided to venture out on my own. boyfriend’s second game ran late, nachos I hit up Hattie’s Tap and Tavern located from Duckworth’s and a movie sounded like on The Plaza. I reviewed the spot shortly a dream come true, so that’s what we did. We after they opened last year and have made were much more excited for Sunday Funday an effort to check in every once in a while. as the rainy weather started to clear up. I An intimate spot featuring live music, games made reservations for us and few friends to and an outdoor patio, it’s the perfect place grab brunch at 5Church. for one-on-one’s or quiet time by yourself.

A popular spot for drinks and food, I The patrons are friendly enough to have a was ecstatic to add another brunch spot conversation with but aware enough to know when you don’t want to chat — qualities to my list. I was worried that we were that I love when I’m out by myself. going to run into issues making a I managed to finally meet reservation so late in the day, the owner, Jackie DeLoach as but after calling to secure a she ran home to prepare for spot for six at 2:15 p.m. the night’s entertainment with no problem, I was — a Prince tribute band relieved and looking and local DJ, That Guy forward to the experience.

Smitty. Two vodka The last time I had the grapefruit juices later, I pleasure of stopping by, was thoroughly engaged bottomless mimosas were in an entertaining still a thing. But apparently conversation with a couple AERIN SPRUILL a law was passed in North who worked for an event Carolina preventing that this set-up company. They shared some of Charlotte’s best-kept year (talk about a buzzkill!). No real secrets that they’ve stumbled upon happy hours, no bottomless mimosas and while working. That conversation really left legal discrimination in public bathrooms, me intrigued. (Sidenote: Be on the lookout North Carolina apparently just doesn’t want for a later column on underground spots in us to be great.

Charlotte.)

Nevertheless, a mimosa is only $2.50 at After finishing up my last drink I decided 5Church during brunch. Quite a deal if you against keeping the party going. Feeling like ask me, and they also offer $28 pitchers for an adult, I headed home. For the first time those that like sharing. If we all could grab a in a while, I exercised self-control, hopped in few of those bad boys at that price regularly, the shower and turned in before 12 a.m. on I guarantee we wouldn’t be worried about a Friday night. which bathroom we needed to use once the The next morning my boyfriend and seal was broken. Did I mention the food was I had to coordinate a trip to Rock Hill, South Carolina, for yet another basketball awesome? Try the croque madame. tournament he was coaching at. In between After 5Church my plan was to head back games, we decided to check out a local spot. home, but my crew was more interested On the way to The Pump House — the area’s in keeping the party going. We decided on newest on-the-water restaurant and bar — VBGB Beer Hall and Garden for drinks and we passed a wine bar. Who needs food when then ended the night at The Workman’s you have wine right? We grabbed a couple Friend in Plaza Midwood for dinner. This stools at Grapevine, a wine shop and bar just all left me exhausted and I ended up falling a hop, skip and a jump away from The Pump asleep on the Uber ride home. But guess House. what? I still managed to get in bed before 12 A beautiful venue featuring industrial a.m. — that’s three times in one weekend! accents, an outdoor patio, charcuterie, I think it’s safe to say I’m finding a balance cheeses and a vast selection of wine and between nightlife shenanigans and being an beer, I was more than satisfied with the adult. switch in our choice of venue. And I was even

ENDS

CROSSWORD

2-FOR-1 #1 HITS ACROSS

1 Battery variety, briefly 6 Yellow cheese 10 Vegan diet staple 14 Spotless 19 JPEG, e.g.

20 Aria star 21 Graph line 22 Call opener 23 Matriarch in Genesis 24 Alpaca’s coat 25 Russo of Hollywood 26 Green area in a desert 27 Smitten lady from the U.S.? [1970/1980] 31 No, in Paisley 32 Counterpart of a frat 33 Santa - (hot wind) 34 Desist 35 Order to a Nile reptile to upset a vessel? [1973/1974] 43 Overall fabric 44 Fork over 45 “Twilight” novelist Stephenie 46 Jackson 5 hairstyle 49 Response to “Are you sure?”

51 The, in Arles 52 Wide foot spec 54 Gp. issuing nine-digit IDs 55 Comment to a growing whale? [1974/1955] 60 Sporty car roof option 61 Pax - (uneasy peace) 62 “Scat!”

63 “Stay -!”

64 Dem. rivals 65 Another high body temperature at bedtime?

[1985/1978] 71 Kid’s racer 73 Fluffy scarf 74 - T (just so) 75 One-man-army guys 78 Purposes 79 My sweetie Dickinson returned? [1974/1992] 84 Luau paste 85 Top-secret U.S. org.

86 Canonized Mlle.

87 Mineo of Hollywood 88 Constellation with Vega 89 North of Iran-Contra 91 Swiss river to the Rhine 92 “The Waltons” actor

Ralph 95 Very uncivilized lasses in Soho? [1988/1986] 103 “L’-!” (“To life!”)

104 Hunger 105 Ca++, e.g.

106 - Lingus (Irish carrier) 108 Apply a wall coating in either of two opposite shades? [1966/1991] 113 Gridder Bart 115 Irrefutable 116 Witty Mort 117 Major artery 118 Big crowd 119 Boot securer 120 Genesis twin 121 U-Haul competitor 122 Gather 123 BPOE part 124 Animal lairs 125 Soothes

DOWN

1 Month after Adar 2 Greeting statement in Apple ads 3 Occupation 4 Gel in a petri dish 5 Burst open, as a seedpod 6 1327-77 English king 7 Singer Celine 8 Affirmation 9 Karl of hoops 10 Ice skater Lipinski 11 Plow beasts 12 Fussy 13 Early online newsgroup system 14 Eager volunteer’s cry 15 Stop bugging 16 Additionally 17 Old ring king 18 Refusals 28 Maine - (cat breed) 29 Damage 30 - -di-dah 36 Scent releasers 37 Giant-screen film format 38 Available 39 Acting group 40 Long Island hamlet near Theodore Roosevelt’s estate 41 Fable writer 42 Pitfalls 46 Scottish port

47 Egg - yung 48 Gossipy network 50 Pymt. for a homeowner 51 #1 Beatles hit of 1970 52 Ample, in dialect 53 Town near Florida Gulf Coast University 56 WSW’s opposite 57 Rio dances 58 One, in Bonn 59 Decide (to) 60 One quaking 66 “Game of Thrones” actress Chaplin 67 Dusting cloth 68 - few rounds 69 Montreal Canadiens, to fans 70 Big tank 71 “Wham!”

72 Garlicky mayonnaise 76 Bar code-scanning device: Abbr.

77 Reggae relative 80 “... ere - Elba” 81 To be, in Marseilles 82 “How boring” 83 Iris relative 85 Ones added to the payroll 90 Security checkpoint items 91 Naval officer 93 Helper for Frankenstein 94 Light metal utensils 96 Holm of film 97 Pint-size 98 Wd. division 99 Ribbed 100 Put in a crate 101 Landed Scots 102 Lobby sofa 107 Fosters 108 Prefix with normal 109 Nip’s partner 110 Comb users 111 Kubla 112 Boxer Oscar de la 113 - Na Na 114 NFLer Brady

SOLUTION FOUND ON P. 54.

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slammed on Twitter (heavens), MHL, but I am a 40-year-old woman; I came I’ve learned not to read my @s, so here we out when I was 16. When I was 17, I met go... If using male pronouns when referring M and we dated for eight years. M was to your ex is gonna complicate your life a horrible human being — emotionally — really complicate it — I don’t see the and occasionally physically abusive. M nontheoretical harm in you — and only you still sends me the occasional (creepy) — misgendering Mike on the rare occasion email, wishing me a happy birthday or when a convo about him can’t be avoided. giving me updates on people I don’t You don’t live near him, no one you know really recall. I don’t respond. A few years back, I got an email saying that M knows him, and the misgendering is unlikely was now “Mike.” I think it’s important to get back to him. The adage “no harm, no to use the pronouns people want you foul” applies here. But it would be simpler, to use for them. But Mike wasn’t Mike easier, and ally-ier if you sidestepped the when he was in my life. Changing his issue by not speaking to anyone about your pronoun when describing him feels like asshole ex ever again.

I’m changing my identity — my first real long-term relationship was with I am a fortysomething bi woman someone I thought was a woman. Mike caused a lot of damage in my life happily married to a newly — does he get to fuck up (or transitioned 50ish trans complicate) my identity, woman. I have a history too? It’s not like the of putting myself about subject of Mike comes a bit (safely) before up daily. When it does, our relationship, I feel like a liar if I but we have been use “she,” using “he” monogamous since makes me feel like I’m lying about myself, we met (except for a and stopping to explain disastrous threesome). everything derails My wife hasn’t put the conversation. And DAN SAVAGE herself about and has it’s not like I’m being a slept with only myself and great trans ally when a one other to whom she was also conversation gets sidelined married — and that threesome. She by something like: “Well, random understands that I have a high libido and coworker whose only trans reference is Caitlyn Jenner, my ex is trans and he’s mostly she doesn’t. Our sex life is loving a psychopath.” and good mostly, but I do want more.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade There have been discussions on opening up our relationship — but essentially I Block Mike’s number, block his email want to and she is resistant. I want to address, block him on Twitter, Facebook, do this with transparency and with men Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Periscope, (mostly), but I don’t feel this is realistic Kik, FuckStick, WhatsApp, CumDump, etc., emotionally for her given some conflict etc., etc., ad infinitum.

And stop talking about Mike — don’t we’ve had over this issue. Is cheating discuss him with random coworkers, casual the only answer here? acquaintances, or friends. If you absolutely, Never Overly Terrified positively must discuss him with someone — a true intimate with a right to your I can see how it might be emotionally relationship history, who needs to be tricky for a recently transitioned trans sensitive to the abuse you suffered — you woman — that would be your wife — to can be a good ally to other trans people cheerfully sign off on her second wife sleeping (not your abusive trans ex) by carefully using nouns and descriptors in place of your with men (mostly) and with transparency asshole ex’s preferred pronouns. So instead (ethically). But if you absolutely, positively of “I met him when I was still a teenager,” can’t commit to sleeping with only her for you say, “I met the abusive piece of shit when the rest of your life, NOT, and you can’t get I was still a teenager.” Instead of “It took me her permission to sleep with others... then, eight long years to get away from him,” you yes, there’s cheating. There’s also fantasy, say, “It took me eight long years to get away masturbation, repression, sublimation, selffrom that asshole psychopath.” sacrifice and divorce.

What I’m gonna say next will get me

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 53

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FOR ALL SIGNS: Mercury turned direct last week on May 22. It is remaining in what is called “stationary” position. This means that we will continue to have effects of the April retrograde until early June. It is still a challenge to get things off the ground. The closer we are to mid-summer, the easier it will become to launch without considerable challenge. This is the last stage of the retrograde in which we are asked to think things through carefully before plunging ahead. You can anticipate a small flurry of changes in schedules and appointments now as people become more clear about their plans for the next few weeks. Decisions, temporarily shelved, are closer to resolution than before this retrograde began on May 22.

ARIES: Continue to drive and handle tools with caution. Give plenty of attention to the law, as there may be a cop on every corner.

Give special note to anything in the vehicle that sounds or looks amiss. Have the car checked before you travel. If there are no problems, then sail away and take a break from the Mars retrograde.

TAURUS: This is a week filled with changes

in direction. You may no sooner decide on one thing than you switch to another. Be aware you are trying on answers, just as one tries on clothes. Under these cosmic circumstances it is perfectly normal to argue with yourself.

GEMINI: Although your avatar planet,

Mercury, has changed directions, there are still rough waters ahead. It appears as though there may still be some sparring and negotiating before the choppy seas smooth out. If you are fortunate enough to be in a beautiful place while taking some rest, your nerves will settle faster.

CANCER: It is possible that the full moon

on the 21st rattled your cage a bit. Your temper may have been showing. Now that it is over, you may have emerged with one or more fresh perspectives. More pieces begin to fit together in your life since you have information that will help you sort things.

LEO: It is possible that someone is declaring love, loyalty, and more to you. This is a person who is not to be trusted and who may have entered your radar in February or March. He/she has a hidden motive. It is possible that this person wants to take credit for your work or something you have created. Don’t divulge your secrets.

VIRGO: Taking time off to travel is what

you want to do most. However, home and family responsibilities weigh heavily on your freedom. Perhaps it will help if you start making plans for your next getaway. Enjoying yourself with inner images of the future

54 | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | CLCLT.COM

vacation may lift some of the heaviness out of the present day.

LIBRA: You might be putting significant effort into issues involving your family, your body, or your home at this time. The symbol suggests you are digging deeply into the ground or the truth. It is possible that you are discovering a truth about your family history that completely alters your perspective.

SCORPIO: Mars enters your sign by retrograde motion this week and will be with you through the end of July. The probability is high that you will decide to back away from circumstances that developed recently. This is a good decision because the initiation of this situation may have been made by missjudgment at the time. Consider things after you back out of the trap.

SAGITTARIUS: The major issue now is whether or not to trust and invest in the future as you see it. The brief answer is to shorten your stride forward to tiny baby steps, while being prepared to stop if you get into trouble. Those who have been hindered in their education process will be able to move forward in a couple of months.

CAPRICORN: What you do in your business and financial life now will have greater than usual impact in the future. The problem is that you do not yet feel clear about where you should expand and where you need to contract. Let the issue float in the back of your mind for a while. Don’t rush into a rapid decision.

AQUARIUS: In the big picture you are on the verge of major change. The need became apparent last winter and it looked easier then. Now you are hesitating. It is wisest to make conservative decisions for the next several months. Take a look at how you can make this change in small increments.

PISCES: It is important that you use your future telling skills for yourself at this time.

Take a look at the various threads of your life so you can discern their direction. If you don’t like it, examine the cause and plan ways to alter the directions you are taking.

Health needs to be number one on the agenda.

Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-366-3777 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments. www.horoscopesbyvivian.com.

CLCLT.COM | MAY. 26 - JUN. 1, 2016 | 55

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