2017 Issue 18 Creative Loafing Charlotte by Creative Loafing Charlotte

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PHOTO BY ANDY GOODWIN.

Robbie Fulks will play at Evening Muse on Thursday, June 22.

We put out weekly NEWS&CULTURE

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS A wave of

millennial candidates might take this year’s city council election by storm

BY RYAN PITKIN 6 EDITOR’S NOTE BY RYAN PITKIN 7 THE BLOTTER

FOOD FOOD SUMMIT CL’s resident vegan writer dishes out suggestions on finding compromise

14 16

BY CATHERINE BROWN

TOP 10 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK

MUSIC PARTY BATTLESHIP The rebirth of Shalini BY MARK KEMP 20 SOUNDBOARD

ARTS&ENT PICTURE THAT Legion Brewing brings art into the

taproom

BY PAT MORAN 24 FILM REVIEWS BY MATT BRUNSON

ODDS&ENDS 26 NIGHTLIFE BY AERIN SPRUILL 27 CROSSWORD 28 SAVAGE LOVE BY DAN SAVAGE 30 STARGAZER BY VIVIAN CAROL

On the cover: [Top, from left] Damiko Faulkner, Larken Egleston, Daniel Herrera, Jesse Boyd. [Bottom, from left] Wil Russell, Matt Newton, Dimple Ajmera, David Stamper.

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VIEWS

EDITORS NOTE

OWNING UP MILLENNIAL Taking control of our own reputation I THINK IT’S time we talked about “the M

refused to take any meaningful action on the environment that they’ll leave behind for the word.” rest of us, all the while smirking smugly at Being born in 1986, I have been familiar the so-called “Me, Me, Me Generation.” with my label as a millennial for close to 15 This week, I talked to a group of young years now. As a term that simply defines a folks who are refusing to wait around for group of people born between the early 1980s others to get involved; folks who have and mid-‘90s, it doesn’t really mean much of decided to make their move and enter the anything, and I don’t place a ton of value in it. political fray before things get any worse. What has begun to bother me in recent The last two years have been rough ones years, however, is the growing frequency politically on a national, state and city level. with which fellow millennials outright shun The folks included in this week’s cover story the word, cringing at its mention as if it’s — which covers nine people under 40 years Voldemort’s creation. old who are running for seats on Charlotte The reason for this, of course, is that city council (page 8) — were tired of hearing the word itself has been hijacked by the promises from those in power, and decided to generations that came before us, used to make a move to get a seat at the table (or dais). smear the folks they feel threatened by. The question now is, will this help draw Millennials have been nicknamed the peers to the polling place, when most Boomerang Generation for the increased millennials don’t even identify with rates in which they move back their own age group? in with their parents, often Dimple Ajmera, a 30-yearstopped in their tracks by old who was appointed crippling student loan debt to replace John Autry as or rising home costs. District 5 representative We’ve been called the in January and is Peter Pan generation now running her first for our tendency to not campaign as an at-large want to rush into adult candidate, emphasizes “rites of passage,” such as why local politics should be marriage. I’d like to point RYAN PITKIN a young person’s game. out that the folks who “Especially our generation, created implicative terms like unfortunately, focuses a lot “Peter Pan generation” were the on a national level. Sometimes I ones behind skyrocketing divorce think about it and, you know, you have rates in the ‘80s and ‘90s. In 2016, those very little control over it. What truly makes rates declined for a third straight year, community a great place is the local policies. hitting a 40-year low, but I digress. So people need to get involved if they want The effects of the condescension of older to see a better community. I really hope that generations are clear. Rather than identify millennials, when they read this article, that with their peer group in a positive way, they realize how much impact local politics more than half of millennials refuse to even has in their daily life,” Ajmera says. acknowledge the term. According to a 2015 “Think about it, the council makes the Pew Research Center study, only around 40 zoning decisions, the planning and this and percent of millennials identify as such, with that that’s going to impact the next 40 years. a majority defining their own age group as So if you’re going to be around for 40 or 50 “self-absorbed, wasteful or greedy.” years you need to get involved. This is the They must be meeting different time that you get involved and help shape millennials than I’ve been meeting. the future.” You see, one of my favorite parts of this job The truth is, you can’t deny being born in is that every week, I get to work finding new a certain time period any more than Rachel people doing cool shit in our city so I can share Dolezal could deny being born white. What their stories. Far more often than not, these folks are twenty- or thirty-somethings who you can do (not you Rachel, I’m talking not only have great visions for where this city about millennials) is check out some of these can go but are busy implementing these visions candidates and see who represents your and turning them into reality (see Kia Moore’s interests, then decide who you can get behind. recent series on young women shaking things Maybe in the end, it’s none of them, and up in Charlotte’s cultural scene). that’s fine, but informing yourself is the Millennials have sat and watched as Baby first step to stand against a stereotype that Boomers and Gen Xers have crashed the real has allowed other generations to define us, estate market, nearly run the economy into because at some point — like all of us will the ground, passed archaic laws impeding some day — that shit gets old. RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM the rights of constituents and stubbornly

6 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

NEWS

BLOTTER

BY RYAN PITKIN

FAMILY MATTERS A woman in north Charlotte filed a missing person report for her 3-year-old son last week, although it’s unclear that the person who has the child has any idea he is now considered a kidnapper. The woman told police that the boy was with a man who for three years has been “led to believe” that the boy was his son. The woman told police she recently received “new proof” that the man was not actually the child’s father, and wants to regain custody of her son. It’s unclear what sort of mother she has been over that time because now she says she doesn’t even know how to get in contact with the man who is apparently taking care of her son. TOP SALESMAN A 51-year-old man in west Charlotte called police last week after his efforts to stay clean ended up getting him robbed. The man said he was walking down Beatties Ford Road when a suspect asked him if he wanted to buy some drugs. The man refused, so the man implemented more aggressive sales tactics by punching the victim in the chest and taking his money anyway. The suspect made off with $50 from the victim, so the lesson is that he should have just went ahead and bought the drugs. NOPE-ARY Its hard to say who you

can trust in north Charlotte these days, as someone is now walking around with a fake notary stamp, possibly wreaking havoc on the bureaucratic process by stamping anything anybody asks him too. According to employees at a post office on Sunset Road, a notary stamp was supposed to be delivered but never came. When they checked with the delivery service (who delivers to the post office?), they were told someone signed for the package, although no one there recognizes the signature of the suspect.

SO SO DAFT Police filed a report after a

young girl was knocked over by some excited Jermaine Dupri fans. The rapper was at Ovens Auditorium on June 10 with Da Brat and Lil Bow Wow — who later staged a fake chase with fans through the parking lot in what was one of the lamest not-so-viral videos attempts ever — when a group of fans rushed the stage, knocking over a 7-year-old girl in the process. Luckily, the girl did not suffer any injuries, and the fans were able to get better seats to watch a nostalgia tour that’s not even worth the energy spent on recollection.

NO GOOD DEED A 52-year-old man in the

Sheffield Park area tried to do a favor for a stranger and paid dearly for it. The man told police that a woman knocked on his door and told him she was hot and needed some water. Instead of going to fetch her a glass of ice water, the man let the stranger in to his kitchen and apparently didn’t watch her

around his belongings. He later realized that his wallet was in the kitchen all along, and the woman stole $300 from, which surely quenched her thirst.

ENERGIZER BUNNY Police responded to a Walmart in the University area last week after someone made off with nearly $1,000 worth of car batteries. According to employees, a suspect pulled up to the store around midnight and began stealing used car batteries from the cage they are kept in. He must have been there for a while, because he ended up making off with 120 batteries. It’s unclear what he plans to do with all those batteries, but he might be in a warehouse somewhere plugging himself into all of them at once as he prepares to fight a superhero. One can dream. COLLISION COURSE In last week’s Blotter, we reported on an unknown suspect who nearly crashed their drone into a CMPD helicopter. Another aircraft had trouble in Charlotte’s unfriendly skies last week, as the pilot of a passenger jet flying into Charlotte Douglas International Airport reported that someone “carelessly” flew a drone into the path of his jet, putting everyone on board in danger. Police searched the area in north Charlotte below where the near-collision occurred, but couldn’t find the drone operator. SHITSHOW Police responded to Foxcroft Hills Swim and Racquet Club in south Charlotte after a vandal(s) messed up everyone’s tennis games for the next week or two. Police reported that someone had pushed over a porta-potty right next to the tennis courts, causing puddles of waste and doing about $1,000 in damage to the facilities and landscaping. BACK FOR SECONDS A 27-year-old woman called police last week after her car was stolen, but she was in the right place for it to happen. The woman told police she went to eat dinner at Tokyo Buffet in the University area and when she came out to the parking lot after eating, her car was gone. This scenario begs the question: are you then allowed to go back into the buffet and continue eating while you wait for police to arrive?

FEED THE BABY A couple from south

Charlotte filed a police report after a thief took the food right out from their baby’s mouth … or at least the tool that would be used to deliver it. The couple told officers that their car was broken into, and the only thing the suspect stole was a set of baby spoons that had been sitting on the passenger side floorboard. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the report was that the couple reported the value of the baby spoons at $150. Sure. CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2016 | 7

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

From left: Jesse Boyd, Larken Egleston, Justin Harlow, Daniel Herrera, Wil Russell, Damiko Faulkner, Gary Young and Matt Newton at a recent Charlotte Millenial Political Candidates Forum at Heist Brewery.

NEWS

FEATURE

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS A wave of millennial candidates aims to take this year’s city council election by storm RYAN PITKIN

T’S HARD TO get a grasp on the facts when it comes to politics these days, but one thing’s for certain: the youth are getting restless. Whether violently shaken from apathy by the election of President Donald Trump and his administration’s enactment of ridiculous policies, stirred by the stubborn refusal of the North Carolina legislature to admit the catastrophe that was House Bill 2, or spurred to action by the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott and the city’s response, the last two years have seen young people in Charlotte standing up against injustice on a city, state and national level. So perhaps it’s no surprise that already the 2017 Charlotte City Council election is shaping up to be the youngest in recent history, with already at least 11 candidates under 40 years old having announced a run and still a month until the filing deadline. Creative Loafing sat and spoke with some of those nominees over the past week and will introduce you to them here, with plans to run 8 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

longer profile pieces on each candidate on clclt. com, in the months leading up the election. Larken Egleston, 34, District 1 candidate Larken Egleston was appointed to his first city council committee, the Charlotte International Cabinet, in 2010. Since then, he’s been heavily active in local politics, serving on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, as president of the Young Democrats of Mecklenburg County, as state delegate for the Democratic National Convention and on the board of the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association. Egleston, who will be running against long-time District 1 representative Patsy Kinsey, is running on a platform that includes prioritizing transportation and preservation, but his biggest passion is housing. On housing “Housing to me is the one thing that if you get it right, it fixes so many problems. As far as Charlotte being last in the upward mobility study, which obviously we’ve all heard 1,000

times — it’s great that we know that, but we’ve got to be more proactive. First of all, we should’ve never gotten to that point, but now that we are at that point, we’ve got to be more proactive about fixing it. So housing to me is the lynchpin there. “A lot of people who run for city office will talk about schools, which oftentimes is disingenuous because the city has very little purview in schools. But if you distribute affordable housing around the city, that is the biggest impact the city can have on schools. The parents — the loudest of the parents — would tell you that they want two things, they want first and foremost neighborhood schools, but then they say, ‘Yeah we want diverse schools, but not at the expense of neighborhood schools.’ The only way to have diverse neighborhood schools is to have diverse neighborhoods, and we don’t currently have very diverse neighborhoods. So you fix the housing thing you can have diverse neighborhood schools because you have diverse neighborhoods.”

On choosing to challenge Patsy Kinsey “I think she has done a good job over the years, and I certainly appreciate and respect all the service that she has given to this community. That being said, I think 80 percent of the job of a local elected official is constituent services, and constituent services in 2017 involves a lot of communication tools that it probably didn’t involve in 1980. “If you’re not on social media, not only are you not getting the messages from your constituents, you’re not seeing what’s going on and seeing what the concerns are. If people are emailing you with concerns and you’re not responding to them, that’s unacceptable. If people are calling you and you’re not returning phone calls that’s unacceptable. There came a point where there were enough anecdotal stories of lack of accessibility, lack of accountability in that regard, that to me that’s a huge part of the job, and if that part of the job is not being done and done well, then the job is not being done well.”

Jesse Boyd, 22, At-large candidate Jessie Boyd never considered becoming active in politics until he served as N.C. Director for Veterans for the Bernie Sanders campaign last summer. As it became clear that Sanders would not survive the Democratic primaries, the Charlotte native and Army veteran, who did a nine-month tour in Afghanistan, decided he would take action to keep the dream alive. On apathy toward local politics “A lot of people don’t know who their district rep is, or their at-large rep, they only know the mayor. If you don’t know who to go to or to talk to about the problems that are going on in your neighborhood, that’s crazy. You should know who’s in charge of your area and who’s going to be accountable if something needs to be done city-wise. “I’m not even going to say it’s just my age group, even older people. I went to my church and I made an announcement, I asked, ‘How many people here know their district rep?’ I probably got two hands out of 200. That’s something we need to change.” On improving relations between communities and police “There are two sides to the story. You have to make sure you’re selecting the right police officers to go out in these communities, and some of them may be scared of being in that community, but that’s your job. “And then also, I would say the leaders of the communities need to police their children and make sure they’re not disrespecting police officers. At the end of the day, everybody wants to go home to their families. Nobody wants to go to jail and nobody wants to take anybody to jail. Nobody wants to fight somebody, Tase somebody, possibly shoot them. We need to police both sides of this situation, because it takes two.” Daniel Herrera, 24, District 3 candidate At the recent Charlotte Millennial Political Candidates Forum at Heist Brewery, Daniel Herrera was the only Republican and the only Latino candidate on the stage. Predictably, he was singled out for plenty of questions on immigration. Although he did state at the forum that he would support the idea of CMPD working with ICE on tracking down undocumented immigrants, he was quick to emphasize that he is more focused on local issues than federal ones like immigration enforcement. Herrera is running on his “Three Points for Victory,” which include creating jobs, improving community relations with police and spurring economic growth by making Charlotte more inviting to out-of-state businesses and organizations. On youth involvement with the GOP “I would love to see the Republican party reach out to young people. Especially right now, I think we have a very ambitious generation that’s looking to invest in themselves and maybe even start their own businesses after college. I think we’re doing a great job. [The Mecklenburg County Republican Party] has a new chairman, Chris Turner, he’s a young man who definitely knows how to lead a party. He’s a very smart man. I think we’re starting to see that

Dimple Ajmera (far right) stands with family as she’s sworn in as District 5 representative in January. change, especially here in Charlotte. “But, yeah, I think nationally we’d like to see more people become like the Mecklenburg Republican Party. It’s diverse and young and I think that the Mecklenburg GOP is going to be a shining example that sets national standards.” On facing so many immigration questions at the recent forum “There’s this stigma out there that Latinos only care about immigration, and I think that’s wrong. At the same time, this is a federal issue, this is something the city doesn’t have power over. CMPD has even said

on the policies that the city can affect and I’m focusing on Charlotte.” Justin Harlow, 28, District 2 candidate When Justin Harlow moved to the Biddleville neighborhood in west Charlotte after graduating from dental school in 2014, he didn’t waste any time getting involved with the community. Within a month, he was attending the local Young Democrats meeting, and he joined the Biddleville-Smallwood Neighborhood Association shortly thereafter, and has since become president of that group. Now, as his friend Al Austin steps down from the District 2 seat, Harlow hopes to

PHOTO COURTESY OF DIMPLE AJMERA

preserve some of these historic West Side neighborhoods, but also create an environment where we have a government that responds to the needs of the citizens and can combat some of those negative things that we consistently talk about but no one’s created any solutions for them yet.” On growing up in Atlanta “I grew up in a two-parent household in south Atlanta, which is just like west Charlotte, majority African-American. Atlanta with its own growth, just like Charlotte, has seen a lot of changing with its neighborhoods. “I tend to think Atlanta kind of got it

“Especially our generation, unfortunately, focuses a lot on a national level. Sometimes I think about it and, you know, you have very little control over it. What truly makes community a great place is the local policies. So people need to get involved if they want to see a better community. -DIMPLE AJMERA, CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 5 REPRESENTATIVE, AT-LARGE CANDIDATE

that they do not enforce immigration laws, that’s something that the federal government enforces. “I think Latinos are more worried about making sure their kids come home safe. I think they’re worried about making sure the quality of living for their kids and their families are better in their city and that there’s opportunity for them. They’re worried that there’s not going to be much opportunity here. I want to be a voice for Latinos. If they want to talk immigration — and there’s a certain group that wants to talk immigration — I’m more than happy to connect them with their congressman or their congresswoman or their U.S. Senator, but I’m focusing right now

continue his work in the ever-changing Historic West End. On how he hopes to affect change on city council “When you talk about affordable housing, gentrification, the displacement effects of that, I see that big time as a neighborhood president in my own community. So how do we combat that? How do we create strategic and intentional development that supports economic growth in a West Side Corridor that has historically been marginalized but at the same time acknowledge, Charlotte let’s face some of our issues. “That’s why I’m running for office, is to really try to protect our neighborhoods,

wrong; our traffic is terrible, our transportation is horrible, our neighborhoods are still segregated, and Charlotte is moving down that same path. But we have an opportunity still to be the world class city we want to be, we just need some leaders at the table on the council that will help shape that future, and for today.” Dimple Ajmera, 30, At-large candidate When Creative Loafing caught up with Dimple Ajmera for a Q&A last month, she was coming off a developer’s forum in which more than 40 development companies from around the region, country and world visited the SEE

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NEWS

FEATURE

YOUNG FROM

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former Eastland Mall site to give feedback on possibilities for development. While keeping Eastland a priority, she has since began work on leading the conversation about redevelopment of the Independence Boulevard corridor. But soon, Ajmera will have to change focus again, as her appointed term as District 5 representative nears its end and she runs for a new, at-large seat. On running her first campaign while continuing her work on council “It’s sort of like drinking water out of a fire hose. Jokes aside, this is definitely a good experience for me trying to attack all the economic development on the Eastland side, while also working on Independence, expediting that, while running a campaign. It’s a huge undertaking. “But as I was thinking about running at-large, I know I couldn’t have done this without the support that I have from many, many community leaders and volunteers, a team of almost 30 people. So I think having that support system has really helped me continue to tackle what I’m passionate about for my district and the campaign also aligns with my overarching goal of providing jobs and opportunities throughout the city and not always just to focus on Uptown and Ballantyne and the South End area.” On more young people getting involved in local politics “Especially our generation, unfortunately, focuses a lot on a national level. Sometimes I think about it and, you know, you have very little control over it. What truly makes community a great place is the local policies. So people need to get involved if they want to see a better community. “I really hope that millennials, when they read this article, that they realize how much impact local politics has in their daily life. Some of them don’t even realize that it starts anywhere from your water and your sewage all the way to transportation and the bus you take, to police and fire and other critical resources. I really want more young folks to know about this. Think about it, the council makes the zoning decisions, the planning and this and that that’s going to impact the next 40 years. So if you’re going to be around for 40 or 50 years you need to get involved.” Matt Newton, 37, District 5 candidate Like Egleston, Matt Newton has been quietly working behind the scenes in recent years to build an impressive resume of work that sets him up nicely for a run at council. The practicing attorney served as chair of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, spearheaded the effort to reform Charlotte’s Citizens Review Board and has sat on numerous other boards and committees locally. Newton even camped out with Occupy Charlotte in 2011, an experience that inspired him to play a more active role in local politics. 10 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

On how the Occupy movement helped drive him into politics “I think the growing inequity in socioeconomic opportunity across the country, especially here in Charlotte, has always concerned me. The dwindling middle class and the fact that most of us are working more hours for less pay, that has affected very detrimentally the family unit and has led to parents spending less time with their children, placing more of a burden on our schools and teachers, and in turn the schools and teachers are receiving less money, so it’s just a broken system altogether. “I think that was really embodied for me in the core tenants of Occupy — I’m not talking about the ancillary kind of circus it became — those frustrations and that need

for us to think more, to understand that we’re individuals in a grander or greater community.” On the importance of spurring development on the east side “A lot of [the Eastland Mall site development] is about creating an economic driver there and quality green space as well — just having an attraction for us that we don’t have. Even Independence was an attraction. When I was younger I lived right behind Independence, and we didn’t have to drive 20 minutes away to go shopping or get something to eat, we could literally walk there and that’s what we did. That doesn’t exist here any longer. “When my fiancé and I go shopping or we go out to eat or want to go watch a

PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTIN HARLOW

Justin Harlow (middle) stands with mentors and one-time District 2 representatives Al Austin (left) and James “Smuggie” Mitchell.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Matt Newton speaks about his campaign at Parkway House Family Restaurant in District 5.

movie and have an evening together, we go to Matthews or we go to another county, we go to Cabarrus County, Concord Mills, or Starlight, which isn’t Mecklenburg, and that’s because we don’t have those amenities right here within our own neighborhoods.” Wil Russell, 38, District 4 candidate Wil Russell’s first foray into local politics came with his campaign to represent District 4 in northeast Charlotte in 2015. After losing in a primary runoff, he began to get involved wherever he thought he could affect change, serving as a board member with Sustain Charlotte and the Prosperity Village Area Association while sitting on other committees like Charlotte’s Immigration Integration Task Force. Now, Russell hopes to use what he’s learned over the last two years to make another run at representing the greater University area. Russell’s number one goal while serving on the council is to look at ways to change the city’s zoning laws as a potential solution to a number of local issues. On reforming the city’s zoning ordinances “I think the biggest issue, not only here, but citywide has got to do with the zoning ordinance. When you look at the myriad of issues that Charlotte faces, whether it be affordable housing, whether it’s being 50 out of 50 on economic opportunity, whether you look at transportation, all of those things come back to the zoning ordinance. “Let’s just take affordable housing, for instance. When you look at the zoning ordinance, the densities that are required don’t allow for the type of housing that you need for affordable housing — you’re talking about duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, those are hard to do. Then you add into it the parking. When you see these large apartment blocks, if you’ve got a 300-unit apartment block and you’ve got one and a half parking spaces per unit, what does that do? So if you’re talking about $1,000 rent just to build a building, now you’ve got to add a parking deck, now you’re up to $1,400 a month in rent, and that’s not affordable for most people. So you’ve priced out a segment of the market. “In my mind, gentrification is more of a symptom rather than a disease. We’re thinking about gentrification as saying, ‘Oh that’s the end point, that’s what we need to solve.’ But that’s not really the issue. Gentrification is a result of what you’re doing with zoning. “When you look at neighborhoods, they’re either single family or their multiunit, multi-family housing, there’s nothing in between that. But if you go and look at the neighborhoods, the NoDas, the Plaza Midwoods, the Dilworths, what do you see? You see a diverse range of housing sometimes on the same block. In Chantilly, you may have a single family home, then a triplex, then another single family home, then maybe a two-story walk-up. Those are the things that by code right now you can’t build. But those are also the types of places that you need to build to get people in because they can afford it. When you start to gentrify it, you’re gentrifying it because someone’s buying the land for next to nothing and then they’re going to stick apartments on it, and the cost

NEWS

On the growth of the Libertarian party “We’re seeing a growth in the number of people who are voting Libertarian, we’re seeing a growth in the number of people who are volunteering, and people can really sense that there’s a change happening. People are really tired of politics as usual, where Republicans and Democrats are pulling the same political tricks back and forth. People want to be behind something that’s more authentic. Libertarians are really big on transparency and authenticity, and we don’t dance around things, we know where we stand. It’s an exciting thing.”

FEATURE

of construction, the amount of land that they have, the amount of parking they have to provide is all going to drive that cost up, so by default you’re pushing out the people who have been there and adding a brand new class of people.” David Stamper, 28, At-large candidate As it became more clear who would become the two candidates for president in last year’s election, David Stamper became more disillusioned with politics in America. The results on both sides were not what he was hoping for, and he eventually decided to vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Come election night, he found a watch party hosted by the local Libertarians and decided to attend. It was there that he realized the folks there weren’t quite as “kooky” as he’d ben led to believe about Libertarians. Just a matter of months later, he was convinced enough to throw his own hat in the ring as a Libertarian candidate for city council. His platform includes cutting wasteful spending, ensuring rights for LGBTQ people and decriminalizing marijuana at best he can from the city level. On putting a Libertarian on city council “Libertarians in a lot of ways are a good compromise between the two parties. We lean left on a lot of the social issues, but we

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

At-large candidate Jesse Boyd at Starbucks off Arrowood Road.

lean right on a lot of the economic issues. We believe in people not politics. We think that if you want to enact change, that starts with people, and people can do a whole lot more than the government can do and a whole lot more efficiently. “So what that means is you get a voice in there that’s not just going to make partisan decisions. They’re not just going to go with the Republican side or the Democratic side because they don’t have a party affiliation in either way. So you’ve got an independent voice who can look at a problem with fresh eyes and side with the one that makes more sense as opposed to the one that’s going to give you more political capital.”

Damiko Faulkner, 39, District 4 candidate Damiko Faulkner’s first political campaign came just a year ago, when he ran at-large for the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. The experience was a rude awakening for the Ben Salem Presbyterian pastor. “I learned that Mecklenburg County is much larger than I thought before having to walk it,” he says. “It’s a totally different perspective. The county is, oh man, it’s crazy.” Faulkner scaled back, and will be running this year on a city level to represent his own district, although his solutions are for the city as a whole. On focusing on family “I strongly believe that family is the foundation for the change that we need to see. Now what family looks like, what the particular issues are from family to family, chances are that those will never be the same. But family is the foundation to change, and in

order to address the issues which make up my platform — economic opportunities, family stability and public safety — we have to have strong and stable families in order to reach what could be our potential to be the best greater Charlotte area that we can be. “I feel as though without having strong, stable families, we limp to that end, as opposed to running. The reality, however, is that the day of the traditional family, if you’re looking for Wally Cleaver, those days have long past. To expect that I don’t think is being realistic. Family is whomever you have.” On inequity and opportunity “I would like to see people in a position to be the best them that they can be. It’s not a matter of boot strapping, if you will. There are just some elements that are working against people who have the best intentions and have made the best strides that they could. “All of my friends are college-educated, post-graduate doctors and so on, but we find ourselves in the same predicaments, and something is strange about that. We were raised to have the belief that we could be anything we wanted to be, and to be that, there are different roads, but a lot of times, my friends were encouraged to go to college, and once you go to college and come home, everything is OK. But truth be told, for the millennials, that has been a struggle, man. “I just can’t say that all opportunities are presented equally, and I’m not saying that it is solely a racial issue, but there are some who benefit and others that don’t, and I believe that if we’re going to play fairly, then let’s even the playing field.”

THIS IS OUR CITY. THIS IS OUR CITY’S ART.

CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 11

FOOD

FEATURE

FOOD SUMMIT CL’s resident vegan writer dishes out suggestions on finding compromise BY CATHERINE BROWN

F YOU LIVE in Charlotte, chances are you fall into one of two categories: You’re an omnivore with vegan, vegetarian, or reducetarian friends, or you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or reducetarian with omnivore friends. Which means you (or your friends) are frequently asking the question, “Where can we all go to eat that’ll make everyone happy?” Well, there’s always pizza (Charlotte is probably the vegan pizza capital of the US), or ethnic. But what if you (or your friends) want something more mainstream? Here are two fantastic options. Sir Edmund Halley’s Like many of Charlotte’s best restaurants, Sir Edmund Halley’s can be a little hard to find. In fact, you’ll never find it if you’re not looking for it. It’s located in the shops in the back of Park Road Shopping Center. (Yes, there are shops in the back of Park Road Shopping Center!) Once you find Sir Edmund Halley’s, you won’t forget it. Sir Edmund’s has a friendly, pub-like feel. You can eat in relative peace in the dining room or enjoy the fresh air on the patio. Or, you can try the more boisterous Pub Room, which features dart boards; tables for checkers, chess or Scrabble; and of course, Monday night trivia. That area also can be reserved for private parties or Meetup groups. While a good time is clearly had in the Pub Room, this is the kind of place that never seems to get too rough or rowdy. Where Sir Edmund’s differs a bit from the average neighborhood pub is the food. Sure, you can order fish and chips or a bacon cheeseburger if you want to. But you can also order Guinness stew, ostrich meatloaf, a blackened salmon wrap, curry chicken … or organic curry tofu, stuffed zucchini, pasta primavera, or a veggie club sandwich. Roughly half of the menu is vegetarian, with many items either vegan or easily modified to be vegan. Truly something for everyone. And if you arrive a little late because you got lost trying to find the restaurant – no worries. The full menu is served until closing time at 2 a.m. General Manager Helen Marie White says Sir Edmund’s has had a vegetarian focus since it opened 21 years ago. “One of the original owners was 12 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

PHOTO BY MARK KEMP

Pinky’s Westside Grill. vegetarian, so there have always been vegetarian dishes on the menu. We’ve just added more and more through the years,” White says. She believes this has given the restaurant

conditions, or allergies — the servers can easily answer or quickly find out answers for you. ) White estimates a full 50 percent of business comes from customers who order

a number from Dublin, North Lancashire, North Yorkshire or Suffolk. Wine and other selections are a wee bit boring — although you can get half-priced bottles of wine on Sundays and Wednesdays, which is not to be

“MY HUSBAND IS VEGETARIAN, AND SOMETIMES IT’S REALLY HARD TO EAT OUT TOGETHER. BUT OUR MENU COVERS EVERYTHING.” -MARIE WHITE, SIR EDMUND HALLEY’S

a competitive edge. “So many people are vegan or vegetarian these days. Even if people aren’t vegetarian, they are cutting meat down to a few days a week. We have regular customers who eat meat one visit, veg the next, just because the food’s so good. “My husband is vegetarian, and sometimes it’s really hard to eat out together,” White adds. “But our menu covers everything. And everything is made from scratch. Nothing bought and frozen.” (Sir Edmund’s does have a huge competitive advantage here. Because the chefs really do start from scratch, if you have questions re: vegan, gluten, any other choices,

vegetarian or vegan. “Some days it may be a little more, some days a little less. Over the course of a week, I think it definitely averages out to 50/50.” The top sellers at Sir Edmund Halley’s? For omnivores, pan-seared lemon chicken with sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes. For vegetarians and vegans and Meatless Mondayers, it’s the quinoa, spinach and roasted vegetable plate – served with brussels sprouts and sweet potato fries. Booze note: Super-friendly, long-term bartenders and an interesting selection of beers – many local; but if you feel like getting your Irish or English groove on, there are

sneezed at. Pinky’s Westside Grill Pinky’s Westside Grill is a fun and funky diner that, unlike Sir Edmund’s, you won’t have any trouble finding. Just look for the building with the red, white and blue VW bug on the roof! (Although you may have trouble parking, don’t stress out trying to find a parking spot in front; there’s plenty of parking in the back. You may have to walk a few extra steps, but trust me, at the end of the night you’ll be happy you burned off some calories.) The inside of Pinky’s is just as intriguing,

SIR EDMUND HALLEY’S Mon-Fri, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; Sat., 12 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sun, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. 4151 Park Road. 704-525-7775. siredspub.com

PINKY’S WESTSIDE GRILL Mon-Sat, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunm Noon10 p.m. 1600 W.Morehead St. 704332-0402. eatatpinkys.com

with plenty of music, movie and comic memorabilia, plus an actual pinball machine (you know, the kind with actual balls and levers and such, not a touch screen). Pinky’s is best known for its hamburgers, hot dogs and pimento cheese – which may give the impression it’s a very coolly decorated but otherwise typical diner. However, there’s a lot more to Pinky’s than just typical diner food. For example, there’s quite a bit of seafood – including fried shrimp, crab puppies (hushpuppies made with crabmeat), ginger tuna salad (tuna salad made with ginger and wasabi-mayo) and fish tacos. Of course there’s the expected veg stuff, including soy dogs and a black bean burger, but Pinky’s also boasts Charlotte’s only vegetarian corn dog. Also, the black bean burger is definitely not, in any way, shape, or form, your mama’s black bean burger. This one is house-made (no frozen patties or burger mixes) and filled with veggies — sweet potato, spinach, onions, carrots and black beans breaded rolled in crushed potato chips. There’s not another place in this city where an omnivore can order a hamburger White Trash style (fried pickles and onion rings) or Ding Dong style (crunchy peanut butter, honey-cilantro slaw and hot sriracha sauce) style, while their veg friend munches on white bean and rosemary hummus or a Tahini salad with traditional falafel? Pinky’s does, of course, have beer — ranging from PBR to local craft beers — but be sure to check out the huge cocktail list of more than 40 specialty drinks. Everything from margaritas to vodkatinis to mango mojitos, Squirrelly Temples and Unicorn Tears. If you don’t drink alcohol, the limeades — plain, ginger, or cherry — are refreshing must-tries. Owner and chef Gregory Auten was the former co-owner and chef of The Penguin, a once-landmark Charlotte restaurant in the heavily veg Plaza-Midwood area. He says after The Penguin, it never occurred to him not to have a menu with lots of veg items. A true soft-spoken Southern gentleman, he becomes quite passionate when talking about Pinky’s and its mission. “We’re different from a lot of restaurants because we don’t have a target demographic. We would like everyone to come in, enjoy our food, and have a good time,” he says. “And the best way to include everybody is to have something for everyone.” Auten says this concept, which may seem counterintuitive in a heavily specialized world, gives Pinky’s a competitive edge. He has friends who are vegetarian or vegan, and his business partner is pescaterian.

The quinoa, spinach and roasted vegetable plate at Sir Edmund Halley’s. “So many times we’ve tried to go somewhere, and the restaurant didn’t have anything for them,” Auten says. He estimates he sells about 60 percent meat items to 40 percent veg items. Pinky’s top sellers for omnivores are hamburgers (of course; Pinky’s was featured on The Food Network’s show Diners, DriveIns, and Dives – for the restaurant’s Triple G Westside Burger.) For the veg crowd? Auten’s “authentic” falafel – he was taught how to make this by an Israeli chef. You can find this falafel on the Tahini salad and falafel sandwich. He’s also proud of his veggie burger – The Nature Boy (what I formerly referred to as Not Your

Mama’s Black Bean Burger.) “I used to use a mix, but that’s what everyone does, and I was concerned about how much soy there is in veg products,” Auten says. “I ditched the mix, added a lot of vegetables, and now my burger contains very little soy. It’s very different from the black bean burger every other Charlotte restaurant is serving.” Auten sees the trend towards veganism growing stronger and stronger. “There are just so many new food products out there, even food products being pushed by the big restaurant food purveyors. And there’s so much information. It’s keeping me on my toes and being creative,” he says.

“At 52, I’m learning new ways to cook. I mean, who would’ve thought you could create cream sauces out of cashews and macadamia nuts? You can make an amazing vegan ranch dressing. As I learn, I’ll keep adding new things to the menu — the more I learn, the better Pinky’s will get.” Catherine Brown is a native Charlottean (yes, they do exist) and vegan foodie (no, the words vegan and foodie are not mutually exclusive). Find out more about being vegan in Charlotte at her blog vegcharlottenc.com. BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 13

THURSDAY

THINGS TO DO

TOP TEN

The Bad Batch SATURDAY COURTESY OF ANNAPURNA PICTURES/VICE FILMS

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

ROBBIE FULKS

DON’T SWEAT IT FEST

STREET CAR TAKEOVER

EMISUNSHINE

What: So we’re driving up N.C. 49 one day, listening to NPR. (I know, very corporate liberal, but bear with us.) The sound of a flute comes from the speakers. (No surprise; it’s NPR). But then comes the voice of a rapper and some gurgling gospel organ. Wait, flute and rap and gurgling organ? Here’s the kicker: It doesn’t sound one bit contrived. Lizzo’s “Coconut Oil” has since gotten tons of attention, and we’re here to tell you: She’s a lot more than just a kickass rapper who plays some badass flute.

What: How many virtuoso acoustic guitarists do you know who can write amazingly catchy countryfolk songs, both funny as hell and achingly sad; collaborate with artists ranging from hilarious Second City singer/comedian Tawny Newsome to the gloriously slipshod original UK punk band Mekons; and sing odes to North Carolina’s once-favorite economic lifeblood: cigarettes? Not many, huh? I’d say only one: Robbie Fulks. Go see him. He never disappoints.

What: What started as a collection of local bands playing in downtown Rock Hill has blown up into a weekend long celebration of homegrown rock and pop, now in its 6th year at The Courtroom in Gettys Art Center – and on the loading dock outside. There’s an art sale on Saturday, food from non-profit The Bulb, and bands like Amigo and Mall Goth. Thursday and Friday bills start at 9 p.m., with Saturday’s lineup plugging in at 4 p.m.

What: You could keep revving your engine at the minivan mom next to you at the red light in hopes that she’ll race you down Brookshire Boulevard, but let’s be honest, if you’re racing on public streets you’re just an asshole. This touring show welcomes exotic, imported and domestic whips for quarterand one-eighth-mile drag racing and roll racing events. Check for a car show and dyno exhibiton. This is where street cars come to party.

When: 8 p.m. Where: The Underground, 820 Hamilton St. More: $18. fillmorecharlottenc.com.

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. More: $15. eveningmuse.com.

When: 9 p.m. Where: The Courtroom, 201 E Main St., Rock Hill, S.C. More: $8-$20. yorkcountyarts.org.

What: Cute kid alert: EmiSunshine is 13 years old and adorable. She arrived at her cuteness as a 9-year-old multiinstrumentalist whose impressive knowledge of Appalachian folk, bluegrass and country resulted in videos that have gone viral. Take her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.” Cute as hell and viral as hell. EmiSunshine is now beyond cute. She writes her own songs and puts that pure Tennessee twang to them in a way that recalls... well, a younger Dolly. Want country? EmiSunshine’s as country as it gets. When: 8 p.m. Where: Don Gibson Theatre, 318 S. Washington St., Shelby More: $21. dongibsontheater.com.

LIZZO

14 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

When: Fri., 5-11 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Where: zMAX Dragway, 5555 Concord Pkwy S., Concord More: $20-45. streetcar-takeover. com.

Lizzo THURSDAY

NEWS ARTS FOOD MUSIC ODDS

Don’t Sweat It Fest THURSDAY

EmiSunshine FRIDAY COURTESY OF LIZZO

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

COURTESY OF EMISUNSHINE

MONDAY

PHOTO COURTESY OF DON’T SWEAT IT FEST

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THE BAD BATCH

HOPE FOR SONNY

REINHARD BEK

FUN HOME

FORTUNE FEIMSTER

What: Jason Momoa of Dothraki fame and Suki Waterhouse of not much fame but lots of potential star in this Back Alley Film Series screening about a young woman trying to survive the cannibal-filled aftermath of the apocalypse in Texas. The 2016 flick is filled out with supporting roles from Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey and Giovani Ribisi. It’s the follow-up from Ana Lily Amirpour to A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, called “the first Iranian vampire Western.”

What: Musician Sonny Skyyz has been giving Charlotte crowds something to party to for years, and now folks from the community are rallying for him in a time of need. Sonny is suffering from Stage 3 Adenocarcinoma. Although his treatments are covered by Veteran Affairs, he can no longer play music, his only source of income. A lineup of Sonny’s friends will be playing through the afternoon and into the night to raise money for the local legend.

What: The local angle here is that hometown actress and Northwest School of the Arts graduate Abby Corrigan stars in this Tony Award-winning, coming-of-age/ coming-out musical based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel. Corrigan’s turn as “Medium Alison” – the protagonist in high school – is not the only reason to see the show. It’s a rarity, a queer-positive crowd pleaser with catchy tunes and plenty of heart. The show runs through Sunday, July 2.

When: 7:30-10:30 p.m. Where: C3 Lab, 2525 Distribution St. More: $5-10. charlottefilmsociety. com.

When: 3-10 p.m. Where: Smokey Joe’s Cafe, 510 Briar Creek Road. More: $5. smokeyjoescharlotte. com.

What: Engaging conservator Reinhard Bek drops by the Bechtler to discuss his work on Jean Tinguely’s 50-year-old kinetic scultpture that’s been on display at the museum since May 12 as part of the engrossing Celebrating Jean Tinguely and Santana exhibition. Visitors can also take a seat at the Swiss Touch Table, which appears to be a simple conference table of Swiss ash, but is embedded with technology under its surface that allows panelists to interact with the public at home and abroad.

What: Abby Corrigan isn’t the only local girl made good who will take the stage in Charlotte this week to show the childhood bullies and doubters what’s good. Feimster grew up right down the street in Belmont, then graduated from Peace College in Raleigh before heading for Hollywood to chase her comedy dreams. In 2013, she began popping up regularly on Chelsea Lately, and has since appeared on such hits as The Mindy Project, Workaholics and Glee. Catch her now, she’s only home for one night.

When: 6-8 p.m. Where: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, 420 S. Tryon St. More: $10. bechtler.org.

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St., 28202 More: $25 and up. blumenthalarts. org.

When: 7 p.m. Where: Comedy Zone, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. More: $20-25. cltcomedyzone.com.

CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 15

Party Battleship sets sail in Charlotte in 2017 (from left): Adam Roth, Shalini Morris, Donnie Merritt, and John Morris.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHALINI MORRIS

FEATURE

MUSIC

POWER POP NEVER FORGETS The rebirth of Shalini BY MARK KEMP

O MATTER where she goes,

Shalini keeps ending up back in North Carolina. Today, she’s sitting at a booth at Tip-Top Daily Market on the Plaza in a black dress, sunglasses and floppy hat, talking about her new Charlotte-based power-pop band, Party Battleship. The group released its first full-length album, Cake + Flames, in March, and has played a handful of gigs since then at Snug Harbor, the Evening Muse, and Hattie’s. Party Battleship soon will be hitting the road for a show in Winston-Salem, where Shalini once lived with her then-husband, the noted North Carolina producer and musician Mitch Easter, during the late ‘90s and 2000s. The band will return to Charlotte for a July 27 gig at Petra’s. That’s a lot of actitivty for a singer who 16 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

seemed to have fallen off the rock ‘n’ roll radar during the first Obama administration. “Things with Mitch kind of fell apart in a weird way,” Shalini says, reflecting on her 14-year relationship with the producer of early R.E.M. records, founder and/or reinventer of bands including Let’s Active and Big Star, and owner of the legendary Drive-In Studio and the current Fidelitorium. “All of a sudden, all of these young groupies were hanging around. So we were married but he was going out and dating other girls. It just became a weird, bad situation.” That was 2010, and when she’d had enough, Shalini split for the Midwest, licked her wounds and returned to making music. “I was in Chicago for three years and just played solo shows,” she says. “I would take my electric guitar and my amp and just go play my songs, but it was kind of weird.” She began a long-distance relationship

with another fellow musician from North Carolina, the Charlotte-based multiinstrumentalist John Morris, who’d played in the ‘90s Charlotte bands Come on Thunderchild, Electrolux, and Snagglepuss. “Shalini and I had been in remarkably close, but non-intersecting orbits for years,” Morris says. “Like a lot of rock ’n’ rollists from the eastern seaboard, I’ve been a longtime fan of her music, and Mitch’s projects, and would go to see her and Mitch’s outfits when possible.” By 2012, Morris had experienced his own major life change. “I was single, she was single, and we met for an outing with friends in Winston-Salem,” he remembers. “Over beers and rock talk, it seemed the years of cross-orbiting had generated a lively chemistry between us. Our shared interests, plus the fact that we dug each other, and she’s hilarious, made our team-up inevitable.”

The two began traveling between Charlotte and Chicago to see each other. They’d catch shows together in Chicago: Redd Kross, Susannah Hoffs, Bob Dylan. They both were just “generally having fun, something we had been missing for some time,“ Morris says. In 2013, Shalini moved to Charlotte, married Morris, and the two began to put together Party Battleship. They brought in Adam Roth on bass and Donnie Merritt on drums. It’s Shalini’s third marriage to a fellow band mate. As they say, perhaps the third time is the charm.

BUT BEFORE we get into all that, let’s

rewind. In 1990, a rising young indie-pop singer and bassist from Madison, Wisconsin, arrived in San Francisco, eventually married her first husband, the late Scott Miller of the ‘80s indie-rock band Game Theory and the ‘90s

The “Shalini” band, circa 2000 (from left): Mitch Easter, Shalini, Eric Marshall. indie band Loud Family; they formed a kick-ass band of their own called Vinyl Devotion. Her name was Shalini Chatterjee; she was half-Indian and born in England, and she sang better than early-’90s indie darling Liz Phair and rocked harder than early-’90s indie darling Kim Deal of the Breeders. But Vinyl Devotion never got the attention that Phair or the Breeders got. Miller and Easter had been longtime colleagues, Easter having produced Game Theory’s mid-’80s albums Real Nighttime and The Big Shot Chronicles. Shalini had gotten to know Easter through Miller, and after she and Miller split, she eventually began dating Easter. In the late ’90s, Shalini moved to Winston-Salem and married Easter. She initally attempted to recreate Vinyl Devotion but decided a new name was in order. Easter’s friend and colleague Don Dixon suggested she use her first name as the band’s name. And for the next decade, Shalini the band recorded toured with Shalini as frontwoman and Easter and other members of his extended cast of Let’s Active band members backing her. In 2000, the band released the full-length We Want Jelly Donuts, following up with Metal Corner in 2004, The Surface and the Shine in 2007, and the six-song EP Magnetic North, in 2010. The albums all were remarkable sets of power-pop songs revealing Shalini’s deft ability to craft compelling melodies with classic, Cheap Trick-like hard-rock riffs with a band that could play that kind of music in its sleep. But much of Shalini’s time with Easter also involved caring for his dying parents. “I was the primary caretaker,” she says. “So there were the surgeries, the chemo, the hospice and then death and obituaries. It was rough. They were my family. I learned a lot about death and dying and all that. It’s a whole different tangent. It’s something I don’t go around talking about much because it makes people uncomfortable.” Meanwhile, she was also making music

and performing with Easter. Music was her escape. “I basically spent my 30s in constant crisis mode, but also getting to play a lot,” she says. “And it was great that we got to play because it got me away from all that medical stuff all the time.” And then the relationship with Easter dissolved. “You know, when rock ‘n’ roll guys get older but they still want to be young? They’ll only date young girls, and that’s sort of where Mitch is,” Shalini says. “And of course, he’s got the big studio, and he hangs out with Mike Mills of R.E.M. And everybody is entranced by his R.E.M. connnections. So there’s always some sort of fairydust around Mitch that everybody is entranced with.” When she realized she needed to be out of that world of revolving sycophants, she left for Chicago. “I needed to be somewhere where nobody really cared about Mitch Easter, and in Chicago nobody did,” she says. “I mean, people know who he is, but he’s not that big of a deal like he is here.” And yet she was pulled back to North Carolina again. “It’s just a much better music scene here,” she says. “It’s easier to be in a band here and play. And since my music never really took off like some bands, none of my albums ever got, you know, that tailwind of success where you’re kind of important and a lot of people will go and see you because you did this certain album. I just never had any of that,” she says. “So it’s easier to do what I do here, which is play small clubs.” Party Battleship may not be pushing boundaries on their debut album, but the shared vocals among Shalini and John Morris give the album more dynamics than any of her albums under the name Shalini. And there’s a chemistry between this couple that also isn’t present on her previous albums. As good as those albums are, Shalini seems to be making some of her best music now, at 47. And the power-pop world in Charlotte is richer for having Shalini and John Morris’ new band Party Battleship setting sail here.

CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 17

BE BOLD Nellysford, VA

18 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

| Mills River, NC

CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 19

MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD

JUNE 22 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH John Alexander Jazz Trio (Blue Restaurant & Bar)

COUNTRY/FOLK Jerrod Niemann, Out of the Blue (Coyote Joe’s)

DJ/ELECTRONIC Le Bang (Snug Harbor)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Blackbear (The Fillmore Charlotte)

POP/ROCK

Evening Muse) Matt Virgil (Noda Brewery) A Night of Metallica (Sugar Creek Brewing Co.) Nita B & Her Soiree (Birdsong Brewery) Of Good Nature, Roots of a Rebellion, Wild Adriatic (Visulite Theatre) Pluto For Planet (RiRa Irish Pub) The Seduction w/ JaggerMouth, Sunndrug, Gruzer (Snug Harbor) Music Box Lunch (Romare Bearden Park) Sounds on the Square: Loonis McGlohon Jazz Festival Student Competiton Winners (Spirit Square) Yacht Rock Revue (The Underground)

Adrian Niles (Comet Grill) Don’t Sweat It Fest: Old Fighter, Pleather Boys, Sext Message, Sweatlands, Mall Goth (The Courtroom, Rock Hill) Jay Mathey Band (RiRa Irish Pub) Jon Stickley Trio (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Karaoke with DJ ShayNanigans (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Lizzo, Brooke Candy (The Underground) Old 97′s, Vandoliers (Visulite Theatre) Robbie Fulks, Me and Molly (The Evening Muse) Carmen Tate (Eddie’s Seafood & Raw Bar, Mooresville) Take the Fall, Friendship Commanders, Farewell Albatross, The Radio Silent (Milestone)

JUNE 24

JUNE 23

Blakeney Summer Concert Series (Blakeney Shopping Center) 3rd Annual Queen City Metalfest: Skinkage, Something Clever, Vices & Vessels, Annabel Lee, Black Ritual, Auxilia (The Underground) Atlas Rock Machine (Comet Grill) Band of Heathens, The Kodiak Brotherhood (Neighborhood Theatre) Chicago w/ The Doobie Brothers (PNC Music Pavilion) Don’t Sweat It Fest: Chase & the Homewreckers, Motel Glory, Totally Slow, Debbie & the Skanks, Amigo (The Courtroom, Rock Hill) Dont Sweat It Fest: Mariah Van Kleef, Chocala, Blame It On Bart, Darby Wilcox, The Old Paints (The Courtroom, Rock Hill) The Eyebrows (Birdsong Brewery) Heady (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Jay Mathey Band (RiRa Irish Pub) The Normans (The Kilted Buffalo, Huntersville) Matt Bennett Band (Tin Roof) The Nude Party w/ Post Animal, The Halves (Snug Harbor) Reeve Coobs, Caroline Spence (The Evening Muse) The Relics (Comet Grill) Rites to Sedition CD Release w/ Vesterian, Dreaded, Inferion (The Station) Sinners & Saints (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Summer Jam (Tin Roof)

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Jazzy Fridays (Freshwaters Restaurant) Live Music at Tavolo (Tavolo)

BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL MoFunGo (The Evening Muse) Steven Engler Band (Blue Restaurant & Bar)

COUNTRY/FOLK Emi Sunshine (Don Gibson Theatre, Shelby) The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill)

DJ/ELECTRONIC Audien (Label)

POP/ROCK Armory (Tin Roof) Dispatch, Guster, Jake Shimabukuro (Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre) Dont Sweat It Fest: Gardeners, Vanity Plates, Konvoi, Jenny Besetzt, Gasp (The Courtroom, Rock Hill) H.C. Oakes Band (Vinyl Pi, Huntersville) Hectorina, North Elementary, El Malpais, Anchor Detail (Milestone) Holly Russ Johnson, Willow & Wood, John Dungan (Petra’s) The Knockoffs (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Luke Cunningham, Kenny George Band (The 20 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

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CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Summer Jazz Series: (Freedom Park, Charlotte) Charlotte Concert Band: Richard Dill, Dr. Bennett Lentczner (Queen’s University’s Dana Auditorium)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Lyricist’s Lounge (Upscale Lounge & Restaurant )

DJ/ELECTRONIC New Wave Undertow with DJ Price (Milestone) Su Casa (Petra’s)

POP/ROCK

JUNE 25

Best Ex, Promise of Redemption, June Divided (Milestone) Chas & Tyler (Tin Roof)

JUNE 28 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH

COUNTRY/FOLK

The Clarence Palmer Trio (Morehead Tavern)

Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell & Jon Pardi (PNC Music Pavilion)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

HIP HOP/SOUL/R&B Blac Youngsta (Label)

POP/ROCK Dead Cat (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Futurists, Runaway Brother, Downhaul, As Well As Away (Milestone) John Sullivan & Friends (Birdsong Brewery) Oddisee & Good Compny, Olivier St. Louis (Visulite Theatre) Omari and The Hellhounds (Comet Grill)

JUNE 26 HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Knocturnal (Snug Harbor) #MFGD Open Mic (Apostrophe Lounge)

POP/ROCK Find Your Muse Open Mic featuring Jacob R Beck (The Evening Muse) Karaoke party with Battleship and Wyley B! (Milestone) The Monday Night Allstars (Visulite Theatre) Nusound Showcase: J. Quin, Sparkman Music, Tyler Bradford Wright, Fear Until Fury, Rosewave, Richie Rust (The Evening Muse) Open Mic with Jade Moore (Primal Brewery, Huntersville) Session: A Listening Party (Petra’s) Shannon Lee and Thomas Stainkamp Dueling Piano’s Night (Vinyl Pi, Huntersville) You’re Jovian w/Kyle Perkins Band (Thomas Street Tavern)

JUNE 27 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Bill Hanna Jazz Jam (Morehead Tavern)

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

DJ/ELECTRONIC Mind Expansion IV: Oliver Long, T.O.U.N.G.E. and Longchild (Snug Harbor)

HIP HOP/SOUL/R&B The Station Breaks with Hayden Lee (Petra’s)

POP/ROCK

NEED DIRECTIONS?

MUSIC

Cyclops Bar: Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor)

COUNTRY/FOLK Open Mic (Comet Grill)

POP/ROCK Jettison Five (RiRa Irish Pub) Josh Hoyer, Soul Colossal (The Rabbit Hole) Karaoke with DJ Pucci Mane (Petra’s) Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor) NuSound Showcase (The Evening Muse) Open mic w/ Jared Allen (Jack Beagles) Patois Counselors w/ Pleather, Brother Aten (Snug Harbor) Songwriter Open Mic @ Petra’s (Petra’s) The Toasters, Corporate Fandango, The Not Likelys, The Bleeps (Milestone)

COMING SOON  Raviner (June 29, Milestone) Shadowgraphs (June 30, Snug Harbor) The Loudermilks (June 30, Neighborhood Theatre) Spirit System (July 5, Snug Harbor) Vans Warped Tour (July 6, PNC Music Pavilion) Sturgill Simpson (July 7, CMCU Amphitheater) David Wimbish (July 7, Evening Muse) My Morning Jacket (July 8, CMCU Amphitheater) Incubus (July 11, PNC Music Pavilion) Crystal Garden (July 12, The Rabbit Hole) Spoon (July 18, CMCU Amphitheater) Friends at the Falls (July 18, Milestone) The Steel Wheels (July 22, Neighborhood Theatre) Pinky Poodle Doodle (July 25, Snug Harbor) Chastity Brown (July 26, Evening Muse) Boy Harsher (July 28, Snug Harbor) Toad The Wet Sprocket (July 28, Neighborhood Theatre) Frank Secich (July 29, Snug Harbor) Future Thieves (August 2, Evening Muse) Gillian Welch (August 4, Knight Theater) Gov’t Mule (August 5, CMCU Amphitheater) J. Cole (August 9, Spectrum Center) Wyclef Jean (August 10, Neighborhood Theatre) John Mayer, (August 15, PNC Music Pavilion) Kendrick Lamar (August 29, Spectrum Center) Ed Sheeran (September 3, Spectrum Center) Apocalyptica (September 8, McGlohon Theater)

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 mkemp@ clclt.com or fax it to 704-5228088. We need the date, venue, band name and contact name and number. The deadline is each Wednesday, one week before publication.

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CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 21

FEATURE

ARTS

PICTURE THAT Legion Brewing brings art into the taproom BY PAT MORAN

N ART CURATOR walks into

a bar. This isn’t the start of a dad joke, it’s how the exhibition Through the Retrospective Lens, which showcases the work of three Charlotte-based female photographers, found a home at Legion Brewing Company in Plaza Midwood. The show, which starts June 21st, is the first in a series of monthly art exhibits planned for the popular taproom on Commonwealth Avenue. All three photographers - Nancy O. Albert, Monique Praechtl and Kris Solow will be on hand for opening night to answer questions and mingle with art lovers, fellow photography buffs and the merely curious. And it all happened because Megan Lynch set foot in the bar. A recent transplant from California, the Elizabeth neighborhood resident didn’t know anybody at Legion, but she liked the brewery’s vibe and its high profile in the community. Legion is a lively place, says Lynch. “They seem well-connected with their neighbors,” Lynch says, adding that she likes that Legion partners with various organizations throughout Charlotte. “That intrigued me,” she says. “I asked (Legion) if they had ever thought of showing artwork there,” she says, “or having some sort of rotating exhibition throughout the year.” “(Lynch) had hosted and booked arts shows before,” says Legion’s marketing Manager Brittany Smith. “We knew lots of local artists, so there was a great connection between us and Lynch.” “Honestly, right now we have a lot of empty wall space,” Smith says. “We’ve had art here in house for fundraisers, and we realized the place looks so much better with (art on the walls).”

BUT THERE’S FAR more at stake here

than taproom aesthetics. Lynch is interested in nothing less than changing the way artists show their work, how people view and consume art and how artists interact with their community. “I have always been interested in curating art shows and exhibitions in non-traditional spaces,” Lynch says. After earning a Masters in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in Los Angeles, the 30-year-old Asheville native worked as a fine arts consultant for National Geographic. In that capacity Lynch opened a gallery in Laguna Beach, California, where 22 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

COURTESY OF NANCY O. ALBERT

Nancy O. Albert: “Water Towers,” Wilson, NC she sold fine arts prints derived from the work of NatGeo photojournalists. From there, she started creating and hosting shows in offbeat spaces like warehouses, artists’ studios and breweries. Lynch’s approach exposed artists to a broader public than they would otherwise had reached, she believes; the kind of arts consumer who might not ever set foot in a gallery. “It’s bringing art to the people,” Lynch says. For her inaugural North Carolina show, Through the Retrospective Lens, Lynch focuses on three female photographers, all residents of Charlotte — Albert, Praechtl and Solow. “Their artwork is raw, and it’s interesting how they capture the past,” she says. “It made me think of the word retrospective, and ‘lens’ is the prism through which we glimpse their visions.”

NANCY O. ALBERT is one of the first people

Lynch met when she moved to Charlotte. A documentary photographer for over 30 years, Albert specializes in recording endangered structures and disappearing environments. She currently has a grant through the Arts and Science Council to photograph a series of tobacco barns throughout North Carolina. Some of Albert’s barn photos will be in the show, alongside images with a more urban milieu and feel. “Monique Praechtl is friends with Legion’s staff,” Lynch says. “That’s how I connected

with her.” In Praechtl’s work, personal experiences converge with memories and images inspired by contemporary art. Landscapes figure prominently in her photos, in what Lynch describes as an abstract view of nature. “This show is a good chance to get her work seen by more people.” Solow was staff photographer for the city of Charlotte for several years, taking portraits of mayors, councilmen and city workers. “I had access to the [CMPD] Snoopy helicopter to take aerial shots of city facilities and cherry pickers to take photos of large groups of people,” Solow says. Where before she had focused on branding a corporate identity, her current work takes a more personal and artistic approach. “She’s moved into a more abstract direction,” Lynch says,” making photographs without people in them.” “I enjoy honing in on close up details of an object to show an aspect that would not necessarily be seen or noticed,” Solow adds. If the inaugural exhibit connects with its intended audience, Lynch will expand to venues beyond Plaza Midwood. She’s interested in curating a rotating exhibition, which will give artists a chance to show their artwork in different locations throughout Charlotte. In the meantime she will personally curate the shows at Legion – and each month the exhibit will be different. Though Lynch drew on her photography

background for the current exhibit, future shows will not be confined to photography. “It going to be all visual 2D art,” she says, “photography, paintings, mixed media anything we can hang on the wall.”

THE

CHARLOTTE ART world is experiencing a pivot, Lynch says, where galleries are finding it harder to stay open, and shows are switching to the non-traditional venues. As Lynch sees it, taking art to less conventional spaces is not a choice. It’s a necessity. The online art platform has blown up, she says, especially over the past five years. While public art spaces like the McColl Center and the Mint Museum are still thriving, that explosion has been detrimental to traditional private galleries. “Unfortunately a lot of these gallery owners are having to close their doors and think of alternative ways to show art, or get art into the community, outside of their brick and mortar spaces.” “Bringing art into non-traditional spaces is an avenue which I have turned to, rather than opening up a gallery myself. I’m trying to tailor the trend and reach people.” It’s easy to lament the demise of brick and mortar galleries, since they serve as a focus for the city’s art community, Lynch says. But galleries can also be saddled with a snooty reputation. “Quite frankly a lot of people don’t feel

Monique Praechtl: “Image 4”

Megan Lynch

COURTESY OF MONIQUE PRAECHTL

PHOTO BY ARI GRUYS

comfortable going into a gallery because they feel they might not be welcome if they just want to come in and look at the art.” People may have a notion that galleries are just for buyers, Lynch maintains. It’s a perception that keeps people who simply want to broaden their horizons out of traditional spaces. “Brewery shows like Legion’s give them a separate avenue away from that milieu, to view and experience artwork.” The way the lure of the brewery affects the city’s art business may be the latest example of the “chicken or the egg” debate. Did nontraditional art spaces spring up to fill the void left by a contracting private gallery sector? Or did the combination art-and-taprooms propel the demise of the galleries? For Lynch, the debate is moot. The situation is what it is. “Here in Charlotte there are 40-some breweries that have come up in the past five years,” Lynch says. “The appetite for breweries is not going away.” Breweries are popular because they offer the public social and entertainment options. “(Breweries’) pull is that they get people out in public. People are coming out not just

Nancy O. Albert: “Cans, Southern Resources Recycling”

Kris Solow: “Silver Tubes”

COURTESY OF KRIS SOLOW

COURTESY OF NANCY O. ALBERT

THROUGH THE RETROSPECTIVE LENS Photography by Nancy O. Albert, Monique Praechtl and Kris Solow. Wednesday, June 21, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Runs through July 19. Legion Brewing Tap Room 1906 Commonwealth Avenue, 28205 FREE. legionbrewing.com

to try different beers, they’re also responding to the community aspect of going out and trying new things, seeing new sights and meeting new people.” Lynch believes that embracing this new arts marketing paradigm is a no brainer. “I want to help (artists) have another place to display and discuss their art. That’s what a curator does.” BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

CLCLT.COM | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | 23

COLUMBIA

Ilana Glazer, Jillian Bell, Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon and Zoe Kravitz in Rough Night.

ARTS

FILM

NEVER A BRIDESMAIDS Raunchy comedy kills potential BY MATT BRUNSON

EVER A BRIDESMAIDS but always a Bridesmaids wannabe, Rough Night (** out of four) stars Scarlett Johansson as Jess, whose political campaign gets put on hold for one weekend as she heads to Miami for her bachelorette party. Set to marry sweet Peter (Paul W. Downs, who also co-wrote 24 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

the script with director Lucia Aniello), she’s joined on her outing by her best friends from her college days: needy Alice (Jillian Bell), sophisticated Blair (Zoe Kravitz), outspoken Frankie (Ilana Glazer), and, from her studies abroad, eccentric Aussie Pippa (Kate McKinnon). After much consumption of alcohol and cocaine at a nightclub, it’s

determined that a male stripper should be summoned to the house for Jess’s pleasure. But in her state of perpetual horniness, Alice ends up killing the dude, and the five ladies spend the rest of the picture determining how best to cover up the crime. Rough Night never gets as ugly as 1998’s comparable Very Bad Things, but even

acknowledging (semi-spoiler, I guess, though it’s pretty easy to guess where the movie is heading) that it will eventually be revealed that this man deserved his gruesome fate, the filmmakers never find the proper degree at which to pitch their black comedy, making the scenario more lurid than intriguing. Moving beyond the killing, the remainder

Cars 3. of the picture just isn’t very funny, with the great McKinnon largely wasted and Bell receiving far too much screen time while playing a truly odious character. To its credit, the movie isn’t afraid to acknowledge alternative lifestyles — one central character is gay, another is bi, and neighbors amusingly played by Ty Burrell and Demi Moore are rampaging swingers — and there are some bright early sequences involving Peter and his friends, all of whom’s idea of a wild weekend is to attend a wine tasting in which one of the wines is — gasp! — served chilled. But for the most part, Rough Night only succeeds in squandering a strong cast on material that’s guilty of mediocrity and inconsistency. The latest installment in Pixar’s NASCARapproved franchise, Cars 3 (**1/2 out of four) owes almost as much to Rocky III as it does to the previous two entries in this lucrative series. In fact, Rocky III’s Oscar-nominated theme song, Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” reverberates through the mind at such a high pitch during the viewing experience that the band might as well have been contacted to provide an updated version (“Eye of the Tiger In Your Tank”?). The previous pictures are perhaps Pixar’s most underrated offerings — 2006’s Cars offered a lovely look at Route 66 mythology while 2011’s Cars 2 was an engaging espionage caper — but I daresay this one will probably be rated about right. Resolutely sweet-natured

DISNEY-PIXAR

and marked by some compelling visuals, it’s still the weakest of the trio, with Lightning McQueen (again voiced by Owen Wilson) and other old-school race cars finding themselves becoming obsolete with the emergence of newer and sleeker models. Chief among the upstarts is Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), who usurps Lightning’s position as the sport’s reigning champion. Combatting both injury and depression, Lightning falls into a funk during the off-season, requiring his friends (including Bonnie Hunt’s Sally and Larry the Cable Guy’s Mater) to talk him off the mental and emotional cliff. With his optimism and enthusiasm restored, he undergoes a vigorous training regime, aided by his new coach Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo). Cars 3 spends too much of the early going in neutral, repeating familiar beats about how it sucks to get old (a sop to aging adults in the audience?) while fetishizing shiny new cars and accessories that will look great on Target shelves. Still, the movie is always agreeable if rarely exciting, and it does kick into high gear for the final stretch, which offers a pleasing plot pirouette that’s right in line with the usual Pixar philosophies of solidarity and self-worth. If this turns out to be the final Cars film — only the studio bean counters know for sure — there are worse ways for the franchise to ride off into the celluloid sunset.

For more videos & interviews check out

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NIGHTLIFE

RAIN CAN’T STOP THE VOGUE The first Pride Pool Party of many greenery-covered enclosure. TEAR-AWAY SWIM trunks, nonstop Once inside, I searched for my friend voguing and a little bit of rain. who’d been waiting for me for over an Those were the highlights of my Sunday hour (I know, I know, I was upholding the a couple weeks ago. Why, you may ask? I stereotype). went to this year’s first Takeover Friday’s Fortunately, he’d made a few friends and LGBTQ and Ally Pool Party hosted by Craft was sitting comfortably with his feet in the City Social Club. pool. Despite my tardiness, he hopped up For those of you in the Q.C. who don’t know, let me school y’all real quick. June is with a smile on his face and agreed to walk reserved for Pride Month in honor of the to with me to grab a glass of champagne at Stonewall Riots that took place in Manhattan the bar. in 1969. I surveyed the landscape and confirmed As a major social demonstration against what I’ve always known, LGBT parties are police mistreatment of members of the some of the most care-free, happy-go-lucky gay community, Stonewall has become celebrations of self a human can ever be recognized as the catalyst of the LGBT blessed to experience. Yes, there can be movement for civil rights. drama and it can be difficult to fit in In Biggie’s words, “If you don’t to smaller cliques — as with any know, now you know.” group — but nothing beats Shortly after the month Speedos and voguing for of June kicked off, the hours on end. event popped up on As a matter of fact, one my Facebook feed. I partygoer came by himself immediately marked and vogued non-stop to myself as “interested.” every song. Even when he The only thing that was drenched in sweat, or would keep me from rain, nothing stopped him going was the fact that from dancing. it was on a Sunday. Would AERIN SPRUILL Drinks were expensive so I really want to risk being my comrade and I didn’t concern hungover on a Monday? ourselves much with running back But y’all knew that was not and forth to the bar. Instead, we decided going to stop your girl, right? to take a dip in the pool where everyone else I took the trolley from Elizabeth to had made themselves comfortable on a pool Uptown in the hopes of sweating out some float. of the alcohol from the night before. Once It goes without saying, but once I found there, I went straight to Latta Arcade to get a float shaped like a piece of pizza to take a pizza from Zablong. Little did I know they the perfect #Instaphoto on (find me at were closed on Sundays. omgaerin), my day was complete. I settled (yes, settled) for Mellow It’s a good thing, too, because shortly Mushroom before heading over to Craft City after, it started to rain. What a bummer, I Social Club to meet one of my friends for thought. My friend and I grabbed our things the event. and went inside for some shelter and tried Located inside the Sheraton at the our hand at ring toss. corner of S. McDowell and E. Stonewall We were contemplating making our exit, streets in Second Ward, Craft City Social thinking the party was over when all of a Club is an indoor/outdoor poolside bar and sudden “It’s Raining Men” came on. You lounge. Opened in 2016 along with City guessed it! Everyone was belting out the Lights Rooftop next door, Craft City Social tune while dancing in the rain. Now that’s Club is the only social club with a pool what I call a finale fit for a queen — for us that Charlotteans don’t have to worry about anyway. “crashing.” If you missed the first pool party put Not to mention, they have plenty of on by Takeover Friday, the South’s longest games to keep an adult child occupied, running LGBTQ and ally mobile happy hour, including billiards, darts, fuse ball, life-sized you’re in luck! Three more are scheduled for Jenga and shuffleboard. I grabbed a parking ticket and stuffed July 10, August 13 and September 10. Mark my face with one more slice of pizza. As your calendars and get ready to show your I walked past the pool area I could feel support and PRIDE! the energy from the party spill over the BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

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CROSSWORD

HOLLYWOOD HEDGING ACROSS

1 Really dislike 5 First-string athletic group 10 Black mark 16 Suffix with fiend 19 27-Across’ continent 20 Elder Obama daughter 21 Approached to assail 22 Bakery treat 23 Start of a riddle 26 Carte or mode leadin 27 Seoul’s land 28 Engine sound 29 Also include 30 Erfurt article 31 Spider-Man cocreator 34 Declares, informally 35 Spread of pureed liver 37 Wish for 38 Riddle, part 2 42 Romanov ruler 46 Very regretful one 47 Pretense 48 Lew of “State Fair” 49 Riddle, part 3 55 Jewish holiday in spring 56 Give -- on the back 57 Pop singer Bareilles 58 Times of distinction 62 Informal name for Utah 65 Easter entrees 67 Many truck engines 69 Farrow of films 70 Riddle, part 4 73 Beer in Bath 74 Gucci or Armani rival 76 “That’s all there is --” 77 Trials by fire 79 “Hey, you there” 80 Suffix with switch 82 Brand of hair remover 84 Prefix with tasking 86 Riddle, part 5 91 Moved like a kangaroo 94 Stock debut, for short

95 “Oh, uh-huh” 96 Spanish for “other” 97 End of the riddle 103 “Bill” penner Jerome 104 Butterlike product 105 -- -di-dah 106 Stir-fry tidbit 111 Meyers or Onassis 112 Leave agape 113 Sun. church talk 114 Sphere 115 Giant in pens 116 Riddle’s answer 123 Feline sign 124 Fighting spirit 125 Old major-league team 126 Inert element 127 N.J. hours 128 Elmo’s street 129 “10” star Bo 130 Darns, e.g.

DOWN

1 Pro-war sorts 2 “Give it --!” (“Try!”) 3 Triple crown 4 Worn (away) 5 “I love,” to Ovid 6 Frat “T” 7 Pipe fitting 8 Give a boost 9 Chaos 10 Pond coating 11 Sea- -- Airport 12 “-- little teapot ...” 13 Cold Italian desserts 14 Actor Karl 15 Very little 16 Apple debut of 2013 17 Quiet 18 Brick floors of fireplaces 24 Young cow 25 Anise-flavored liqueur 32 Italian money 33 Adequate, to Li’l Abner 34 Waffle pour-on 35 Painter Pablo 36 Allstate rival 37 “Indubitably!” 39 Counteract 40 Dirt Devil, e.g., for short 41 -- -Mart 42 Phone bug

43 Crams, e.g. 44 Overdue debt 45 Social reformer Jacob 50 Frat “O” 51 Loutish sort 52 Endurance 53 Opposite of chaos 54 Water nymph of myth 59 Portion out anew 60 Sports VIP 61 Louisville-to-Atlanta dir. 63 Houston college, for short 64 “If -- Would Leave You” 66 Silver or gold 68 Rival 69 Sports VIP 71 Go as low as 72 What the weary get, in a saying 75 Walk over 78 Sedan, say 81 Of sheep 83 From Cork, e.g. 85 “-- perfect world ...” 87 Fourth of a fiscal yr. 88 -- au vin (chicken dish) 89 Shar- -- (wrinkly dogs) 90 Russia’s Trotsky 91 Pleasant 92 Manicure boards 93 Yellowish fruit 98 Red-eyed sparrow 99 Tips off 100 “--’s Gold” (1997 film) 101 Part of ERA 102 Usual 107 Takes off the bottle 108 Check recipient 109 Ulna’s end 110 Prayer ends 112 PIN points 113 Pal of Hook 117 11-Down guess, briefly 118 Wood for dartboards 119 Hack down 120 “World Cafe” airer 121 Female koala 122 “Fire away!”

SOLUTION FOUND ON P. 30.

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killer? Or Jeffrey Lord? Or all of the above? I am a 34-year-old straight woman. Surely you would’ve dumped him then. I’m monogamous and have an avoidant Veaux advocates ethical polyamory attachment style. I’ve been seeing a guy — it’s right there in the title of his book I really like. He’s just my type, the kind — and he thinks this guy did you wrong of person I’ve been looking for my whole by not disclosing his partner’s existence life. Thing is, he’s in an open relationship right away. “Making a nonmonogamous with someone he’s been with for most of relationship work requires a commitment to his adult life. He was sneaky — he didn’t communication, honesty, and transparency,” reveal he was in an open relationship said Veaux. “Concealing the fact that you’re until the second date, but by then I in a relationship is a big violation of all three, was infatuated and felt like I wasn’t and no good will come of it.” in control of my actions. So what I’ve I have a slightly different take. Straight learned is that poly couples often seek women in open relationships have an easier out others to create “new relationship time finding men willing to fuck and/or energy,” (NRE) which may help save date them; their straight male counterparts their relationship in the long run. I was have a much more difficult time. Stigma and deeply hurt to learn about NRE. What double standards are at work here — she’s about the people who are dragged into sexually adventurous; he’s a cheating a situation by some charmer in an bastard — and waiting to disclose attempt to breathe new life the fact that you’re poly (or into a stale relationship? kinky or HIV-positive or a I feel like no one cares cammer) is a reaction to/ about the people on work-around for that. It’s the side, the ones who also a violation of poly might be perceived best practices, like Veaux to be cheating with says, but the stigma is a someone’s partner, violation, too. Waiting as some sort of to disclose your partner, competitor, a hussy. kink, HIV status, etc., can How can I reconcile the DAN SAVAGE prompt the other person to fact that I’ve fallen for weigh their assumptions and someone who sees me as a prejudices about poly/kinky/poz tool to be discarded once the people against the living, breathing excitement wears off? I know we person they’ve come to know. Still, disclosure all have a choice, but we also know what needs to come early — within a date or two, it’s like to be infatuated by someone certainly before anyone gets fucked — so the who seems perfect. I feel like such a other person can bail if poly/kinky/poz is a loser. deal breaker. SOBBING HERE AND MAKING ERRORS As for that new relationship energy stuff… “One of life’s hardest lessons is this: Two “There are, in truth, polyamorous people people can be absolutely crazy in love with who are NRE junkies,” said Veaux. “Men each other and still not be good partners,” and women who chase new relationships in said Franklin Veaux, coauthor of More Than pursuit of that emotional fix. They’re not Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory very common, but they do exist, and alas (morethantwo.com). “If you’re monogamous they tend to leave a lot of destruction in and you meet someone you’re completely their wake.” smitten with who isn’t, the best thing to do But your assumptions about how NRE is acknowledge that you’re incompatible and works are wrong, SHAME. Seeing your go your separate ways. It hurts and it sucks, partner in the throes of NRE doesn’t bring but there it is.” the primary couple closer together; it often This perfect, sneaky guy who makes you places a strain on the relationship. Opening feel like a loser and a hussy? He told you he up a relationship can certainly save it (if was in an open relationship on your second openness is a better fit for both partners), date. You knew he wasn’t “your type” or but NRE isn’t a log the primary couple tosses “perfect” for you the second time you laid on the emotional/erotic fire. It’s something a eyes on him, SHAME, and you needed to poly person experiences with a new partner, go your separate ways at that point. And not something a poly person enjoys with an I’m not buying your excuse (“I was too established one. infatuated!”). What if he had revealed that On the Lovecast, Michael Hobbes on gay, he was a recreational bed wetter? Or a serial middle-aged dating: savagelovecast.com.

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FOR ALL SIGNS We arrived at the point of the summer solstice at 1224 am EDT today on June 21, 2017. This is the point of the year at which the northern hemisphere is tilted closest to the sun. This is also theoretically the longest day of the year. For centuries, pagans (country people) celebrated this day with prayers and requests for blessings from mother earth, who would soon yield the summer harvests. Take a moment to give honor and thanks to the trees, which are weakening in their battle against our pollution. The solstices and equinoxes throughout the years are especially significant points in time on this planet. Give attention to the main events both one month before and after the solstice. They represent a global message.

VIRGO You are finishing a work project and

ARIES Going off on your own might make your life easier for the next few days. However, give more attention to the roles played by the important people in your life. The reward might be longer term peace and harmony. You have to decide which is more valuable: short term freedom or the support of a longer term relationship.

SCORPIO Take yourself outdoors this

TAURUS Circumstances will work in your

in paying off debts and organizing your finances. In less than a year you will make some big changes and you don’t want to be encumbered by bills or financial promises that might slow your forward motion. Time with family and home interests are rewarding to you now.

favor as you deal with travel, legal interests, higher education, religious activities, and/or publishing matters. In some situations, it is a matter of good will from others. In other situations, it may just be your good fortune that the rule of the Powers that Be helps things flow in your direction.

GEMINI

Your ruling planet, Mercury, moves into the sign of Cancer for the next two to three weeks. Your attention will be drawn to organizing your financial picture. Be open to a realistic check on this area. If there are issues, leave the credit cards at home on the weekend. You will be prone to overspend.

CANCER (June 20 – July 21) On June 21,

2017, not only will you have the solstice (see lead paragraph) but also Mercury enters your sign. You may need to think out loud about whatever you are pondering. If there is no one to listen, satisfy that need by making outlines or lists. Your mind is flowing with good ideas. Perhaps you need to diagram how all these things fit together. Your mind is working fast. You will need to find a way to bring order out of the apparent chaos.

LEO THE LION It is normal to feel somewhat lethargic during the month just prior to one’s birthday. At this time the sun is figuratively at its darkest and we experience a natural low in our personal annual cycle. Don’t take the dip too seriously. It is meant to happen this way, so that you can rest before your new year begins. Take a vacation if possible. 30 | JUN. 22 - JUN. 28, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

shifting gears into new territory this week. You will be focusing on communications with friends, acquaintances, and building your network. Near May 27, 2017, you are tempted to speak about things that are better left unsaid. Avoid the temptation to gossip.

LIBRA Aspects favor collection of debts and

small gifts or favors from others. All you must do is be present and open to receiving them. Communications with family and friends is a large part of your weekend. You have a lot of energy to share and likely will be involved in activities that help you burn up some of that excess. Keep your opinions to yourself unless asked. week and enjoy the summer weather. Go somewhere or do an activity that soothes your nerves and offers peace of mind. Things are improving in your primary relationship. Perhaps you are using better diplomacy, so exchanges go more smoothly.

SAGITTARIUS You are especially interested

CAPRICORN The bells of romance may be ringing this week. You are unusually open and friendly, which attracts people to you. If you have wanted to ask someone for coffee, now is the time. You are also especially creative. That does not imply that you should do something artistic, but you may have a good time with any type of media. AQUARIUS This is an unusually quiet

week for the Waterbearer. Your avatar planets are Saturn and Uranus. During this week neither of them is sending you new messages. Chill. Take a week’s breather. Go on a vacation. Read some books or watch good movies.

PISCES This is a fine time to enjoy books

and/or TV, meditate and journal. Give yourself time for self-exploration and even just “diddling around” and relaxing. Your dreams are meaningful and your intuition strong. Romance is on the horizon if you are interested. Allow your intuition to be your guide. Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-3663777 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments. You may also visit her at www. horoscopesbyvivian.com.

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