2017 Issue 2 Creative Loafing Charlotte by Creative Loafing Charlotte

CLCLT.COM | MARCH 2 - MARCH 8, 2017 VOL. 31, NO. 2

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RAW SHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY.

The Charlotte Roller Girls return to Grady Cole Center on March 4.

NEWS&CULTURE WILL ANOTHER CHARLOTTE HEAVYWEIGHT GO DOWN? Historic Excelsior

Club goes into foreclosure, future unclear BY RYAN PITKIN 9 EDITOR’S NOTE 12 THE BLOTTER 14 NEWSMAKER: ELEXUS JIONDE

FOOD FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, TAKE THREE Cotswold joins in the food truck frenzy BY ALISON LEININGER

ARTS&ENT AGIT PROPS Jermaine Nakia Lee’s A Walk in My Shoes puts the spotlight back on HIV/AIDS BY PERRY TANNENBAUM 20 TOP 10 THINGS TO D0 24 FILM REVIEWS BY MATT BRUNSON

MUSIC THE ACID TEST Sinners & Saints are making it

in Charlotte

BY PAT MORAN

ROLLING OUT THE WELCOME MAT How Perry Fowler helped transform Petra’s into Plaza Midwood’s hottest new old club BY PAT MORAN 31 MUSICMAKER: BLAME THE YOUTH 32 SOUNDBOARD

ODDS&ENDS 34 MARKETPLACE 34 NIGHTLIFE BY AERIN SPRUILL 35 CROSSWORD 36 SAVAGE LOVE 38 HOROSCOPE BY VIVIAN CAROL

Go to clclt.com for videos and more!!

COVER DESIGN AND BY DANA VINDIGNI PHOTO BY DANIEL COSTON CLCLT.COM | MARCH 2 - MARCH 8, 2017 VOL. 31, NO. 2

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VIEWS

EDITOR’S NOTE

GIVING BACK Look at all the ways Charlotteans help each other altogether different than what the two THE FIRST TIME I saw the acoustic duo voices could ever do on their own,” Baran Sinners & Saints, they’d agreed to perform tells Moran in “The Acid Test,” on page 26. at a benefit show I organized at the Evening “There are only so many times when you’re Muse to help raise funds for my former singing with another person and you give wife and dear friend Tarrah, who had been diagnosed with cancer and was faced with yourself chills. I felt that with us.” exorbitant medical bills. I was living in the Sinners & Saints celebrate the release San Francisco Bay Area at the time and had of their new album, On the Other Side, this flown to Charlotte for the show. Perry Fowler week, and we see good things for them on and Mark Baran — the two guys who make the horizon. up Sinners & Saints — had never met Tarrah Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll see the or me. But like the other local Charlotte acts spirit of community in stories about a new on the bill — singer-songwriter Le Anna theater piece and a woman who’s taking her Eden, jazz rapper Quent Young, and Grey writing and ideas to the West Coast. Revell’s David Bowie tribute band Loving Perry Tannenbaum writes of a group the Alien — they had taken time out of of actors, singers and dancers who are their busy schedules to play for a fellow bringing life to a tale of young people Charlottean. in the Charlotte area (and, by “Man, we’re just happy to be extension, other areas) still able to help,” Baran said to me suffering from complications after the band performed a of HIV/AIDS. Playwright blistering set that evening, Jermaine Nakia Lee’s and his sentiment was A Walk in My Shoes is a echoed by every other musical based on the real artist on the bill that day. work Lee has done with This spirit of giving people in Charlotte — is part of the reason we particularly in the Africanhave recently instituted a American community — local-only focus at Creative MARK KEMP who continue to battle not Loafing. Benefit concerts like only AIDS but also the taboos Tunes for Tarrah happen all the surrounding it. time in this city. The Charlotte arts Ryan Pitkin talks with a Charlotte community is fiercely loyal; local creative people stick by each other, collaborate on woman, Elexus Jionde, whose miseducation larger conceptual projects, and donate their and reeducation on African-American time to causes that help this community history had her taking to Twitter, where her thrive. provocative statements on black oppression Just last week, several Charlotte acts — made her a viral sensation. Her upcoming Radio Lola, Modern Primitives, the Menders, book, The A-Z Guide to Black Oppression, is Aloha Broha, and 16-year-old singerabout to be published and Jionde is headed songwriter Maya Beth Atkins — performed to Los Angeles, where she hopes to make a for Refugee Charlotte, a benefit show national impact on the way young people are organized to help raise awareness and funds taught black history. to help our neighbors from other countries “I’m trying to make college education who have sought asylum here. On March 11, more accessible to my own people,” Jionde bands including St. Paul & The Broken Bones tells Pitkin in “Taking ’Em to School,” on will perform at Housing Fest: A Concert to page 14. “At Garinger [High School in End Homelessness, sponsored by the Urban Charlotte], only 11 percent of the people Ministry, to help raise awareness of chronic in my class went to college, and most of homelessness in this city. them were going to community colleges and In this issue’s cover story, CL’s Pat Moran the rest were going to small HBCUs around sat down with Sinners & Saints to find out North Carolina. I was one of a handful who what makes the duo tick, and part of it is that went to a bigger research institution and spirit of community that had them playing that’s where I learned how to research, how the Tunes for Tarrah show last summer. to think objectively.” Another part of it is the amazing chemistry But while Jionde is headed west for they felt when they first got together and now, her ultimate goal, she says, is to return began harmonizing on country and folk home, where she can give back to Charlotte, songs. as so many other local artists and creatives “There’s something about certain voices are doing every day of every week. that, when combined, create something CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 9

RYAN PITKIN

Current Excelsior Club owner James Ferguson at a press conference addressing a recent foreclosure on him and the club.

NEWS

FEATURE

WILL ANOTHER CHARLOTTE HEAVYWEIGHT GO DOWN? Historic Excelsior Club goes into foreclosure, future unclear BY RYAN PITKIN

HERE WAS A time nearing the end of 2016 when N.C. Rep. Carla Cunningham decided to take a drive by the historic Excelsior Club, a trip that one could say marked the beginning of the end for the 72-year-old venue. Cunningham had inherited the deed for the club in 2010 from her husband Pete Cunningham after he passed away. Though she hadn’t been inside in six years, she liked to drive by every once in a while and reminisce about Pete, or just check on the property. This drive-by was a shock for Cunningham, however, who found the grass growing long and the front door boarded up. It had been closed since June, and Cunningham hadn’t heard a word about it. A few months later, on February 14, Cunningham filed for foreclosure on current owner James Ferguson, the heralded civil rights attorney who has owned Excelsior 10 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

since 2006, after deciding that she could not continue to patiently wait for payments she said had been coming inconsistently for years. “I am a firm believer that past behavior is the best predictor of the future,” she said. “And I had not seen anything that was showing me that there was going to be a change made.” Now, as Cunningham contemplates her next move, the future of a club that served as a pillar of Charlotte’s black community for 72 years is unclear. Excelsior Club opened in 1944 on Beatties Ford Road in Washington Heights, Charlotte’s oldest black neighborhood. It’s known as one of the longest-operating nightclubs in American history, black or otherwise. The club, like the neighborhood itself, catered to an up-and-coming black middle class. It soon became the place to be seen among the black elite, with performers like Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, James Brown and The O’Jays playing for the crowds

over the decades. Excelsior served as a gathering place for black political leaders during the Civil Rights era, and as recent as last year remained an important stop for local politicians to pass through. In 2015, CL reported on the Early Voting Kick Off Rallies held there biannually by Ferguson and his goddaughter Colette Forrest, recently named chair of the Charlotte Black Political Caucus. Relatively recent celebrations of President Barack Obama’s first and second elections were filled with an optimism that was not there on Feb. 22, when Forrest and Ferguson held a press conference to discuss the foreclosure. During the press conference, Ferguson said he took over the club reluctantly in 2006 as a favor to Pete Cunningham, and was faced with many hardships in his attempts to keep the business afloat. “During the more than 10 years that I have owned the historic Excelsior Club,

my family and I have been met with both challenges and rewards,” Ferguson said. “The challenges have been many, the rewards few.” He acknowledged the broad support of the community over the years but admitted that the financial burden became to much. Ferguson said the club was originally closed last June in order to do renovations and upgrades, but it all became too much and the club was unable to open its doors again. “With our doors’ closed, we were unable to meet the club’s financial obligations, including mortgages, taxes and other obligations that we expected to meet. My family and I remain committed to doing all that we can do to preserve the club as an asset for the community, whether under our ownership or that of another.” Standing behind Ferguson at the press conference was a conglomerate of community leaders, politicians and clergy members, many of whom want to make

VIEWS

THE CHRONICLE

WHEN EVERYTHING AND NOTHING IS EXTRAORDINARY Repeal the extraordinary event ordinance fully IT’S NICE THAT city officials, activists The Excelsior Club has hosted acts like Louis Armstrong and James Brown over its 72 years in existence.

sure Excelsior Club remains a place the black community can rally around. City councilman James “Smuggie” Mitchell spoke with Creative Loafing following the press conference, and recalled that when he was first elected to represent District 2 in 1999, he held his celebration party at Excelsior. “What the Excelsior has meant to me is grassroots effort with tremendous history,” Mitchell said. “My mom and dad would tell me who performed here back in the early days, so I want to be a part of working to keep this legacy viable in our community.” Standing with Mitchell was Al Austin, who currently represents District 2 (Mitchell returned to the council in 2015 to serve atlarge), who said he wants to join Mitchell in offering his platform to help save Excelsior in any way they can. Austin said his grandmother grew up just down the road from Excelsior and attended functions there many years ago. His mother did the same, and so did he. “[Ferguson] talked about the next step, so I’m looking forward to seeing what that is so we can all rally around that to make something happen to save a part of our history,” Austin said. “In Charlotte, we’ve gotten rid of the Good Samaritan Hospital, Second Ward [High School] — many of the communities were just kind of wiped out, so we need to save this part of Charlotte or it’s going to be gone forever.”

THE NEXT STEP, however, appears to

depend solely on Carla Cunningham, who has no intentions of halting the foreclosure process and expects it to take between three and four months. Once that’s finished, she plans to analyze the needs of the building, as she’s been made aware of multiple code violations that will need to be taken care of. Once that’s done, she will have the property appraised and begin discussions with folks who are interested in either buying or leasing the property. Cunningham has mixed memories within the building itself. She and Pete held their wedding reception at Excelsior in 2006, and she still has some of the original lanterns from the club that were replaced during the last upgrades. However, later experiences do not hold

the same nostalgia for Cunningham. She recalls the last time she went to Excelsior on New Year’s Eve 2010. “It wasn’t the type of environment that it was before. When I went back, I didn’t feel as comfortable,” she said. “I was wanded with a security wand. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is not what I’m used to. My husband owned this place for years, and I’m the deed holder, and you’re going to wand me?’ I just never went back.” Cunningham said her personal experiences with Excelsior Club, be they positive or negative, won’t play a role in what she chooses to do next. She said she’s optimistic that Excelsior Club will remain, although it may be more likely to survive as a historical site than the thriving nightclub it once was. “I’m not focused on it returning to its older days. I’m focused on retaining the historical preservation, as well as finding the right person that knows what I want to do, and to make sure that they will ensure that priority for historical preservation remains,” she said. The club is designated a historic site by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Landmarks Commissio, which gives it some protection from demolition, but ultimately its fate lies with the owner, whether that be Cunningham or a new buyer. “I’m very aware of the historical background. I recognize that it has been a pillar in the community for a long, long time. However, business changes every day. I didn’t expect to be where I’m at, but this is where I’m at and I’m OK with it,” she said. I want to assure the community that I’m taking them into account when I make these decisions, but I will be making a business decision. I will be looking at what I need to do for my family. I live today. “I do not want to have any regrets if I were to die tomorrow. And I hope that other people would think of it that way. I am going to do everything I can to get the place back up and running, but I’m not attached to it in that way that a lot of people think I’m attached to it, because my memories are of my husband, not of a place.” RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

that the action is being done with certain intent. Such overbroad language will surely and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police lead to innocent bystanders being detained.” Department agree that the city’s When annual meetings and parades offer extraordinary event ordinance is outmoded opportunity for the police to search your and overused, but be wary of the remedy. belongings and prohibit you from bringing In Jan. 2012, when Charlotte City Council even a bottle of water to a parade it becomes enacted the ordinance, Creative Loafing reasonable to shout “government overreach.” reported, “City attorney Robert Hagemann CMPD would disagree that literally assured council that the ordinances will not reaching into your bag is overreach. For impede anyone’s First Amendment rights or them, the ordinance is about public safety. otherwise be unconstitutional.” “Take a bag of rocks as a broad example,” At the time, the ordinance enabled the said CMPD’s Lt. Dave Moorefield, of the city to yell, “Get off my lawn!” at Occupy Office of the Chief of Police, “A person Charlotte organizers, who had for four would ordinarily be permitted to carry a months maintained an encampment on bag of rocks in a public area as there is no the lawn of Old City Hall across the street law prohibiting it. However, under an EE, from CMPD headquarters. The Democratic a person would not be allowed to carry a National Convention was to be held that bag of rocks (inside a crowd of say, 10,000 September, and CMPD purportedly required people), as they may easily be used as expanded authority due to policeprojectiles against other people.” protestor clashes in other cities. But at the January council Since Occupy’s tent meeting, Sebastian Nicolette eviction, which followed the asserted that the ordinance ordinance’s enactment, is “too broad,” citing CMPD and the city manager missing requirements have labeled more than 40 for CMPD to notify the events “extraordinary,” public about extraordinary even though many of events. He also expressed them, like shareholder concern that the city meetings and football manager – who is appointed, games, already have extra RHIANNON not elected – is responsible security and are as ordinary FIONN for approving CMPD’s requests and regularly scheduled as for extraordinary events. Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. In response, City Manager Marcus Of course, annual parades for those Jones said he requested a review of the holidays also become extraordinary. ordinance and that he was “committed” to Before the ordinance became reality, local sharing their report with the city council historian Tom Hanchett, retired from the in February. That didn’t happen. What did Levine Museum of the New South, told CL, happen: On Feb. 13, WCCB reported that city “The best-known protests in Charlotte are attorney Hagemann “will likely direct council probably the sit-ins during the Civil Rights to repeal the ordinance and add prohibited movement. Young people sat in at [lunch] items people can bring to events to existing counters for six months in some places and ordinances” within “the next 60 days.” were not met with violence, and they weren’t But, which ordinances? And will those rounded up and arrested, either. Ultimately ordinances continue to allow CMPD to stop their message was heard.” anyone they choose for any reason during On Jan. 23, the ordinance’s fifth events, or any other time, so that they may anniversary, several citizens addressed city search their belongings? council and requested they repeal it. They While Hagemann cited the First cited the council’s minutes from meetings Amendment in his 2012 promise — and it past where the public was repeatedly may well be violated by way of intimidating reassured that the ordinance was created for citizens from even attending Constitutionally crowd control during the Dem’s big party. protected events — it seems it’s the Fourth Prior to the DNC, the Charlotte chapter Amendment, protection against unlawful of the National Lawyers Guild expressed search and seizure, that’s more noticeably concern about the ordinance in a letter to at stake. And extending such a potentially the city council, stating that “even mundane unconstitutional arrangement with the everyday activities such as carrying a police into other ordinances is the opposite backpack, wearing a helmet or walking a dog of what citizens are telling officials they would be considered unlawful based on a want. police officer’s spur-of-the-moment judgment CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 11

NEWS

BLOTTER

BY RYAN PITKIN

SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE Police

responded to a Walmart on E. WT Harris Boulevard last week after a man was caught giving a kid some unsavory shopping advice. Employees told police the man entered the business with his 12-year-old relative and began hiding merchandise in his clothes. Not only was he doing this in the presence of a minor, but it was later found that he was encouraging the child to shoplift as well. The two were caught with candy, dairy products, coffee and hygiene products. You can pay for school but you can’t shoplift class.

HELP, SOMEONE A 21-year-old man

finally decided to go to police last week after doing some investigating into a bill he got for a ride he didn’t take. The man told officers that in December of last year he received a bill for an ambulance transport that happened just a month before. Seeing as how an ambulance ride to the hospital would be an experience one would normally remember, he was shocked, as he hadn’t suffered any injuries over the past month. The man did some digging and found in the hospital records that the victim of the actual injury had showed the unknowing man’s driver’s license to paramedics, and therefore charged his trip to the healthy victim.

FIGHT CLUB Last week, we told the story

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Treat Yourself Our Location 6157 E. Independence Blvd. Charlotte NC 28212 704/567-9531 12 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

of a young man who filed a report after his car was damaged during a pre-arranged fight in a parking lot in University. Just a week later, a 17-year-old boy also learned that consensual fights can be a lose/lose situation. The boy told police that he took part in a prearranged fight in front of a house in east Charlotte. When it was over, he found the boy whom he had given his phone to for safekeeping, only to find that he was not the guy for the job. The kid told him that somebody had stolen the phone from him in the crowd while he was watching the fight.

PICNIC TIME A CVS employee filed a police

report last week after someone shoplifted two bottles of wine and two bottles of bug spray. You have to love that February spring weather.

MAGICAL BICYCLE Police responded

to Colonel Francis Beatty Park in south Charlotte after a 51-year-old man claimed to have been assaulted with a bicycle, although he couldn’t explain the details of the assault or the suspect all too well. The man told police that he was walking along a bike path when the suspect came into his path, then “used his bicycle bar to strike him on the shoulder and then on the hip.” The report clarifies that the suspect did not use his arms to hit the victim, but only the bicycle bar. According to the report, “The victim did not state how it was possible for the suspect to

use bicycle parts to assault him.” He also told police he couldn’t remember the size of the bicycle used in the assault.

PIZZA DUD Nobody pizzas like “The Hut” — so the motto goes — but one woman in south Charlotte disagreed after an experience she had last week, and she was not going to be quiet about it. According to a 30-year-old employee of Pizza Hut on South Boulevard, a woman began calling the business at 10:30 a.m. one day last week and made eight calls in a short period of time thereafter. The woman was apparently calling because she was upset about an order she had placed over the phone on the previous day. DEFEATING THE POINT A 55-year-

old man in south Charlotte filed a police report last week after a known person stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from him. The man told police the suspect took three gold-and-diamond rings and a diamond tennis bracelet from a safe in his bedroom. So, did this known suspect have the combination to the safe? Why, no, that would actually take effort. The victim told police he kept the safe unlocked, effectively making it more of a dressser drawer than an impenetrable case. He did recover the jewelry, but it’s safe to say he’ll be locking the safe from here on out.

SOME OTHER KEITH Keeping drug

paraphernalia in a case with your name scrawled along the side seems like an easy way to leapfrog over the opportunity for plausible deniability during a bust, but then again, addicts aren’t known for their great decision-making skills. Police busted up a party at a Knights Inn in southwest Charlotte and found a bevy of drugs and supplies in the room, including joint roaches, a scale with residue, a grinder with residue, baggies, a case with a weed pipe inside, two pipes used for smoking either crack or meth, clear white crystals that went unidentified in the report and seven unused syringes. It wasn’t hard for officers to find out who the weed pipe belonged to, though, as the case it was in said “Keith!” in big letters along its side.

AWWW SHANKS Some elementary-

aged kids decided they needed some self protection in school last week, as a steady stream of reports about sharp objects showed the beginnings of a trend. First, on Tuesday, two kids in Oakdale Elementary School were found with knives; one with a silver butter knife and one with a moreintimidating paring knife. Then, the next day, a child at Steele Creek was reported for carrying an Exacto knife around with him. It does not appear that any fellow students were ever put in danger by these kids.

CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 13

TAKING ‘EM TO SCHOOL Elexus Jionde is a new kind of black history teacher BY RYAN PITKIN

LEXUS JIONDE CAME out of college a changed woman, and she aims to bring us all with her on her new path of enlightenment. The 23-year-old Charlotte native graduated from Ohio State University in August 2016, and in less than a month was grabbing national headlines for her thought-provoking commentary — and the harassment it provoked. On September 11, 2016, Jionde, known as @Lexual__ on Twitter, posted a thread of tweets educating folks about the lesser known aspects of racially oppressive American history that she thinks better fit the #NeverForget hashtag that has clogged social media feeds for one day every year since 2001. Despite her acknowledgement that, yes, people should not forget those terrible memories of 9/11 — but should also keep these other unjustly obscure events fresh in mind — the pitchforks came out. Her personal information was released by the trolls of the infamously reprehensible website 4chan, while racist death threats came from every angle on other social media platforms. Jionde brushed it off. “These people didn’t know who they were dealing with, because I have spent my life not giving a fuck what people think,” Jionde says. “So I was like, ‘Oh, interesting.’ That’s alright. I let them do what they had to do, and they got all that hatred out.” In the meantime, she kept plugging along. She founded Intelexual Media and continued sharing her recent racial enlightenment through YouTube. On Twitter, she regularly schools her nearly 39,000 followers with two-minute videos that tackle topics going unspoken in schools during Black History Month — topics like redlining, skin bleaching and sundown towns (Google is your friend). Now, she’s back in her hometown of Charlotte for the month, as she prepares to move to Los Angeles and release her first book, The A-Z Guide to Black Oppression, one of two books she’ll release before the summer is over. We sat down with Jionde at a bagel shop in EpiCentre, one of her old high school stomping grounds, to talk about embracing her blackness, Charlotte’s quiet race problems and beefing with Tomi Lahren (or “Tommy”, as Jionde calls her). Creative Loafing: You graduated from Garinger High School in 2012. It seems things have moved quickly for you since then. What’s been going on? Elexus Jionde: It’s been a roller-coaster ride. I spent my entire school career being told I was never going to go to Ohio State. Then I went 14 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

NEWS

NEWSMAKER

to Garinger and those possibilities seemed even more slim. But I went, and I graduated in four years. I moved to New York, I started speaking out more about things I learned in college — shit that everybody really needs to know. It was things that I didn’t learn in high school, and I just wanted to share my $40,000 a year education [Jionde attended school on The Broad Prize for Urban Education scholarship program] with everybody else. So it sounds like college was a bit of a reeducation for you. Very much so. I was under the impression that we lived in a post-racial society because the way I was taught in school was that we don’t have problems with race anymore; any problems that you face are because of you, yourself. There’s no institutional problems going on that affect a larger population. I didn’t know anything about it. I remember whenever somebody would talk about police brutality my first response was black-on-black crime. That’s how I’d been conditioned growing up to think that certain things weren’t real. Then in college everything just blew open for me. I’ve had this theory, at least in terms of public schooling, and it’s not really my place to say it, but it sounds like something you might agree with for

the reasons you just explained. Is Black History Month bullshit? I hate Black History Month. I think Black History should be celebrated every day. If you click onto the History channel on any given day, they’re showing more shit about aliens than they are about black history. There are tons of documentaries about Vikings, and American this or that, and Swamp People, but I don’t see these stories that I talk about. That’s eventually what I want Intelexual Media to grow into. I want to produce the type of content for black people that History Channel is lacking. So, yes, to answer your question, fuck Black History Month. Before your enlightenment on racial issues, had you always been the outspoken type? I’ve always been outspoken. I’ve never cared about being considered abrasive. As I’ve grown older I’ve realized to be more tactful about what I say, but when I was younger, oh no, nobody could get me to shut up. I always said what I wanted, but I always backed what I said with facts. When I was younger there were less facts to be had so there was less real shit to be said. But now as an adult, I’m more well-read and I’m more up to date on political and social issues. Everything I say is of substance. I don’t just say things just to say them.

And you’ve carried that research-based approach into your first book, which is a collection of relatively short essays that read like term papers, only fun. I’m trying to make college education more accessible to my own people. At Garinger, only 11 percent of the people in my class went to college, and most of them were going to community colleges and the rest were going to small HBCUs around North Carolina. I was one of a handful who went to a bigger research institution and that’s where I learned how to research, how to think objectively. I’ve always loved history, but that’s where I learned true critical thinking about history. Ohio State definitely catalyzed me to be who I am. When was it that you started gaining a following for expressing these views? When I first went to college I was known as @OhioStateLexi. I had a blog, it was very popular. It got so popular that Ohio State wrote me a cease and desist letter and ordered me to shut down the website. I talked about sex, politics, history, I talked about everything, and to them it wasn’t of Ohio State character. I cussed a lot. The sex thing, they really weren’t going for that. So they made me shut it down. I had a good 8,000 followers on Twitter who were there from the beginning. Then, when the 9/11 thread happened, that’s when I got about 25,000 followers overnight.

What was that experience like, going viral in such a controversial way? It was completely unexpected. When I tell you I wrote that thread a day before I went on a cruise with my boyfriend at the time. I was like, “You know what, there’s are all of these things that people don’t know, I need to put all this stuff out.” I was just doing research for what will be my second book, The History of Black Sexuality, and I came across something and I was like, “I wonder how many people don’t know this.” I think it was the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. I wonder how much people don’t know about black history period. And I’m not talking about this person invented this or this person invented that. I’m talking about, this is what has been done to us over generations. It was September 11, and I sat down with the stack of paper I had and I was like, “I am pissed.” Because I looked on Twitter and there was all these people like “Remember 9/11, Remember 9/11,” and I was like, “Yeah, I remember 9/11 every year, but I wonder how many people remember these things that still have long-lasting effects on American society.” And that’s why I tweeted the thread. Were you expecting the reaction you got? I did not expect anything. Around that time is when I couldn’t really see anything from anybody’s mentions on Twitter, except I did see the hate. I got a lot of, “You should die bitch. I hope your first child has cancer. Back in the day you’d be hung from a tree.” A whole lot of just nasty, racist stuff. Just days after that thread, the Charlotte Uprising occurred. What was it like watching that unfold from New York? The whole thing was very surreal to me because, Charlotte — from Swann vs. Board of Education to the 2001 case where busing ended in Charlotte — Charlotte has a habit of acting like we don’t have a race problem. We’re this charming, sweet southern town; we don’t have race problems. Then why are our schools so segregated? Why did I go to a school with such shitty resources? To me, the people speaking out and “rioting” as they call it, it’s pretty damn warranted. And to me, it signaled that people here were waking up to the issues in Charlotte, and they were like, “Hey, maybe things aren’t as good as we thought they were.” Do you still feel a strong connection to your hometown? I know I’d like to come back here one day to raise my kids. I love Charlotte. It’s very cute, but it has a long way to go — just like America has a long way to go — in recognizing that some of our black citizens are disadvantaged and they have been disadvantaged over generations. Eventually I want to come back and be able to help Garinger teens specifically, because I know what it was like going to Garinger. I was lucky because I had gone to lottery schools before that. I went to all predominantly white schools where I had SAT prep and teachers who cared and we had extra curriculars and stuff. Garinger didn’t even have a yearbook. All of those kids who went through the schools that led them to Garinger — the school that feeds into Garinger, and an elementary school that feeds into that — those kids are just used to being tossed aside. And me, when I

got there, I was like, “What the fuck is this?” That’s why when I got there I took charge; I did the announcements, I did volunteer stuff. I want to start a scholarship fund at Garinger, because if nobody had ever helped me to go to college — because I definitely didn’t pay for my own college education — if nobody would’ve helped me go to college, I wouldn’t be sitting here today. I would be at a fast food restaurant. How does that Charlotte upbringing inspire your work now? Charlotte has taught me that if nobody speaks up — because I recognize how privileged I am — if nobody uses their privilege to speak up about the disadvantaged then the disadvantaged are just going to keep being disadvantaged. Charlotte can keep sweeping its race problems under the rug, but somebody’s going to trip and fall. And I’m here to lift that rug back and be like, “OK Charlotte, and everywhere else in the country, let’s get real about these race issues. Let’s stop being so polite. Let’s stop trying to coddle racists.” These people are out here saying, “Civil Rights was a long time ago, the KKK really aren’t around anymore.” Yes, the fuck they are. Something as ridiculous as comparing Black Lives Matter to the KKK, that’s the kind of shit that motivates me, to get people to think critically and stop being dumbasses. When you say “coddle racists,” I can’t help but think of Tomi Lahren, whom you’ve called out on video to much acclaim? She ticks me off so much more than anybody else, because when I would watch videos of her I wanted to like her. I wanted to understand her opinion, because one of the things college taught me is you have to listen to the opposition. So I listened. I watched her shit and I felt sick to my stomach. I’m like, “Girl, you are so well-spoken, articulate, and you’re speaking such bullshit. And you went to college? You make me look bad. What were you doing all four years?” She pisses me off mainly for that reason, in addition to being a bigot. When I see Trevor Noah or Charlemagne Tha God — somebody with a similar platform to her or larger than her — and they coddle her and they treat her like, “Oh, we’re going to listen to your opinion because it matters.” She’s saying the same horrible bullshit that racists have been saying for years. But because she’s pretty and blonde and blue-eyed, she gets this special treatment. “We’re going to listen to your opinion.” Nobody calls her an angry white woman, despite the fact that she’s very angry. She always calls people out for acting like victims, but she’s always complaining how liberals are coming for her and everybody else. So when I did that video, people were telling me, “Oh you’re just going to boost her, you’re making her more popular.” That’s a lie. It actually made me more popular. I know what I’m doing, thank you very much. I’m getting my 50 Cent on. I’m calling her out because eventually she’s going to have to reply, and she doesn’t want to reply right now because she knows if she does … it’s over for her. She doesn’t want a good chunk of her followers to know I exist. So I understand why she doesn’t reply to me. I’m here to counterbalance all of the people holding her hand and everybody else like her. I’m not here

for that. I might hurt your feelings, but I’m coming from a place of facts, so you can’t hate me for it. Well, you can hate me for it, but you can’t be mad at me for that. How much of a role does sexuality play in what you do at Intelexual Media? I’m not interested in appealing to everyone. I have a saying that I’m a juicy peach and not everybody likes peaches. So I talk about things that matter to me, and as a sexual black woman, I know that one of the biggest issues facing black women today is sexual violence, domestic violence. Pro-black movements don’t talk about that often and white feminist movements leave black women out, so I’m trying to fill that void. A lot of my black male followers normally hate talking about things like feminism. They still slut shame. I’ve been trying to get them out of that. I’m trying to flip them like pancakes. A lot of them are starting to get it that oppressing women is similar to oppressing black people, that it’s all connected. Sex is fun, but with sex comes a lot of

problems. Like being black is fun, but with being black comes a lot of problems. Sex has always been one of my biggest interests, and so has history. I feel like letting people know that you can be both sexually liberated and intelligent is possible. That’s why Intelexual is the name, intelligent and sexual. What is your 2017 looking like for you, ideally? 2017 is about expanding the Intelexual Media brand, getting more people to think critically and having a solid foundation of knowledge about black oppression in this country, which is why the first book is so crucial. I’m expecting during the holiday season this year, a woke white person who understands the struggle, when they’re listening to their racist uncle at the table, they are going to slam the book down on the table like, “Shut up and read this.” Like, “This isn’t full of jargon, you’re not going to be bored reading it. Just shut up, read it and try to argue with her. You can’t.” Also, I’d like to see Tomi Lahren in a faceto-face debate. CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 15

FOOD

FEATURE

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, REDUX Cotswold enters the food truck frenzy BY ALISON LEININGER

OOD TRUCKS — three years ago them were fightin’ words in Charlotte. That’s when the city’s quest to minimize the presence of constructionsite taco trucks ran headlong into a newly burgeoning culinary scene among a young, mostly affluent population. Eventually, city ordinances settled into a friendlier attitude, and South End’s Food Truck Friday grew into the requisite hangout for a young crowd looking for a laid-back social scene. Perhaps predictably, once the new tradition got a foothold, Charlotte’s ubiquitous development put an end to it. These days, Fridays find trucks scattered around the city. Sycamore Brewing has inherited the South End scene, while the original Food Truck Friday has moved to a biweekly affair in Plaza Midwood. Several smaller gatherings have popped up around town, from Prosperity Church to Rock Hill, and today food trucks are standard fare at any outdoor event. So do we really need another food truck rally? For Michael Rosen the answer is a resounding “Yes!” As director of operations for Carolina Commercial Kitchen, home base to 25 of Charlotte’s mobile eateries, Rosen is privy to the pressures on the owners of those businesses. “There was nothing defined last year,” after the dissolution of the South End location, he says. “A lot of the trucks were very unhappy.” Only Sycamore’s rally, which maxes out at 10 or 12 vendors, occurs every week, and many other locations were uncomfortably situated on concrete or asphalt with limited parking and bathroom facilities. “They just didn’t do any business.”

PHOTO BY MICHAEL ROSEN

Fresh Med is a relatively new food truck that’s made a big splash. The owner, Tyler Lee, is standing; in the window is Chris Alves, the chef.

Live music will consist mostly of small duos and trios, keeping the ambience light. To start off, Rosen has 10 trucks confirmed each week through November, with the

who approached Trinity Presbyterian with the idea of creating a Cotswold food truck event. “Their eyes lit up,” Rosen says. The church had been hosting its own

“WE HAVE A WONDERFUL SPACE THAT WE WANT TO SHARE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.” GRACE LINDVALL, ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

THE LATEST Cotswold Trucks’ Food Truck

Rally on Providence Road offers a new Friday go-to with a different vibe, tilted more toward families with kids and dogs, Rosen says. Thanks to Trinity Presbyterian Church, customers won’t be milling about a parking lot or stuck with an adult-focused drinking atmosphere. “There are tons of grassy areas with trees,” Rosen says. “There are two gated kids’ playgrounds that are right there. We have indoor bathrooms; we have tons of free parking.” 16 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

possibility of adding more as traffic demands. Some will appear every Friday, while others will rotate through. Fans will find familiar names like Papi Queso and Yummi Banh Mi, along with newcomers serving everything from barbeque and soul food to curries and hummus. “They all do extremely good food; they’ve all got that niche,” Rosen says. It was Rosen, along with Casey Brawley, the owner of Carolina Commercial Kitchen,

small rally twice a year, but Rosen’s offer was “a win-win situation,” says Grace Lindvall, the church’s associate pastor. “[Our rally] was always such a success that we’ve been interested in being able to do it more, but just couldn’t necessarily take on the work,” Lindvall says. With Rosen’s connections and experience (he was integral in launching a similar rally in Matthews), the church is ready to open its doors every week.

COTSWOLD FOOD TRUCK RALLY Free. 5-9 p.m. March 3. Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Rd., 704-366-3554. trinitypreschurch. org.

“We have a wonderful space that we want to share with the neighborhood and create a sense of community,” Lindvall says. Aside from the other amenities, the church offers a basketball court, a softball field, and a third playground. “It’s a little hidden,” she says, “But kids are really good at finding playgrounds!” Between the wide variety of food and options for outdoor entertainment, Rosen and Lindvall are confident that Cotswold will rally behind this latest food-truck incarnation. “We’re so lucky to have this space,” Lindvall says. “And we want to make sure that we’re sharing it and being good neighbors.” Says Rosen, “We want the parents to come and have a good time and enjoy themselves and tell people about it.” Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful Friday night tradition.

CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 17

18 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

Wellness Event

charlotte

Come enjoy every delicious bite....

Saturday, March 18th 2017 10am - 4pm.

Oasis Shriner Auditorium 604 Doug Mayes Place Charlotte, NC 28262 $10 Adults . $8 Military or Senior with ID (only at door ). Children under 13 Free .

FREE shopping bag to first 1000 . FREE samples of allergy free foods Pre-register for a chance to win up to $500 in door prizes

Tickets: expotickets.blogspot.com . gfafwellnessevent.com

60 MINUTES to ESCAPE...

CAN YOU DO IT? Tickets are $25/person

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

Book your room at:

racecityescapes.com

Use our mystery discount code: CL0217

149C Rolling Hill Rd Mooresville, NC 28117 (828) 461-1534 CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 19

THURSDAY

NOVELLER What: Noveller is as much art as it is music, which makes the McColl Center’s New Frequencies series the perfect setting for Los Angeles-based composer, guitarist and filmmaker Sarah Lipstate’s soundcapes. Like a painter, she uses different colors and textures from her sonic palette and daubs it onto her musical canvass. Naturally, Lipstate has performed with guitar orchestras led by legendary art guitarists Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca and more recently composer Ben Frost. When: 8 p.m. Where: McColl Center for Art + Innovation, 721 N Tryon St. More: $10-$14. mccollcenter.org.

20 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

THURSDAY

THINGS TO DO

TOP TEN

Cold War Kids MONDAY

THURSDAY

VEGFEST JR.

SLEIGH BELLS

What: Vegfest, which takes place in April, is Christmas, Halloween and New Year’s all rolled into one for Charlotte vegans and veggies; a celebration of compassionate and sustainable eating. In the meantime, Vegfest Jr. is here to whet our appetites with tempting bites, mouth-watering desserts, organic juices and more. Featuring a mini-market, a live DJ and the city’s only fully vegan food court, the event also spotlights local animal rescues and not-for-profits.

What: Jessica Rabbit, the latest album from this noise pop duo and the first on its own label Torn Clean, has been critically acclaimed for the most part. The pair has stuck with their slapstick riffs and full-force drum beats behind lead singer Alexis Krauss’s hyper style of singing with more than a hint of yelling. You’ll be dragging at work (not to mention deaf) on Friday after this high-energy show, but that’s what Fridays are for.

When: 7pm Where: Goodyear Arts, 516 N College Street. More: Free. facebook.com/ events/192106327936885.

When: 8 p.m. Where: The Underground, 820 Hamilton St. More: $20. fillmorecharlottenc.com.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

AERIAL CLT INSTRUCTOR SHOWCASE

JORDAN CASTEEL: HARLEM NOTES

What: You don’t have to recognize a good crossback straddle, layback invert, ankle hang or sideways middle split to know that what the women of Aerial CLT do is badass once they get started swinging from the rafters. The instructors will be showing their stuff on silks, lyra, hammock and trapeze during their first showcase in two years. A couple CL staffers study under these women, so we know firsthand, you’re going to want to see this.

What: Spend Saturday with Jordan Casteel’s “Harlem Notes,” an exhibit of the New Yorker’s massive paintings that are colorful and fantastical, but also moody. Her detailed studies celebrate the everyday people of a Harlem that is becoming increasingly obscured by gentrification. Casteel captures, in photographic detail, the people and settings that she sees outside of her upper Manhattan studio.

When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Aerial CLT, 801 N. Tryon St. More: $5-10. aerialclt.com.

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Runs through July 8. Where: Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St. More: Free-$9 ganttcenter.org.

Charlotte Roller Girls SATURDAY

NEWS ARTS FOOD MUSIC ODDS

Loose Leaves SATURDAY

“Jared” by Jordan Casteel SATURDAY FOTOBOSSI PHOTOGRAPHY

SATURDAY

LOOSE LEAVES What: Produced and curated by local dancer/choreographer Salena Mable Stamp, Loose Leaves is a dance showcase unlike any other. The secret is Stamp’s egalitarian approach to the arts. Stamp solicits short pieces from local choreographers and accepts everything. So you’re likely to see hip-hop, jazz and modern, as well as classical ballet. The program runs 90 minutes; so, if you don’t like a particular piece, just stick around — you may love the next one. When: March 4 & 5; 8 p.m. Where: Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. More: $12. blumenthalarts.org.

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

CHARLOTTE ROLLERGIRLS SEASON OPENER

AMOS’ SOUTHEND’S LAST BLOWOUT

What: The girls are back in town. Return to the CLTRG’s home base at Grady Cole Center to see the likes of Beerenstein Bear and friends womanhandle their opponents. The 2017 season kicks off with a doubleheader, as the Charlotte Roller Girls All Stars take on the Tallahasee RollerGirls, and the B-Dazzlers take on the Carolina Rollergirls from Raleigh. Cheers and good luck to our homegirls, the home team.

When: 4:30 - 9 p.m. Where: Grady Cole Center, 310 N. Kings Dr. More: $7-16. charlotterollergirls.com.

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

COLD WAR KIDS

AMY RAY

What: The legendary Amos’ Southend’s final, final show is gonna be a big one. An all-day schedule of Charlotte-area hard rock and metal bands will be on tap for the blowout of all blowouts: Beyond the Fade, A Graceful Regret, Charlotte alt-rockers Beyond the Broken, A Light Divided and instrumental outfit Watch Husky Burn — plus Prowess, Auxilia, Skinn Jackitt, Teratorn, Skipper the Lion and the Rock U Roadshow Band.

What: So the Cold War Kids’ breakout hit “Hang Me Up To Dry” may have run its course by now, but the band is back and ready to reinvent with a new five-piece line up and a hit single, “First,” which spent eight weeks atop the alternative charts. The band’s new mainstream success has been 13 years in the making, but we still will defend “Hang Me Up To Dry” as at least one of the coolest videos of the 2000s. Also check out special guest and fellow child-named band Middle Kids.

What: The Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray launched her solo career in the early 2000s with the one-two punch of Stag and Prom, two albums of intensely personal and political punk delivered with an unvarnished, downhome approach. Ray’s latest set, Goodnight Tender, keeps the stripped down esthetic, but switches the sonic template to back porch, rawboned country. If anything, the new sound amps up Ray’s yearning activism by spotlighting her earnest, fine-grained vocals.

When: 3:30 p.m. Where: Amos’ Southend, 1423 S Tryon St. More: $10-$15. amossouthend.com.

When: 7 p.m. Where: The Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St. More: $25. fillmorecharlottenc.com.

When: 8 p.m. Where: Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E 36th St. More: $20-22. neighborhoodtheatre. com.

CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 21

A Walk in My Shoes cast from left: Kyran McShaw (Mr. Jimmy), Gail Ford (Ms. Wynetta), Elijah Ali (Travis), Keon Sunkins (O’Neal), Tiffanie McCall (Bonnie), Tara Anderson (Ms. Kara), Quinn Marques (Maseo), Clifford Matthews (Pastor Gary Rutherford), and Myrna Key-Parker (First Lady Rutherford).

ARTS

ALL PHOTOS BY MOYÉ

THEATER

AGIT PROPS Jermaine Nakia Lee’s A Walk in My Shoes puts the spotlight back on HIV/AIDS BY PERRY TANNENBAUM

T’S NO WONDER the multitalented Jermaine Nakia Lee was once hired at a community center called the PowerHouse Project. He’s not just a playwright, director, actor, poet and songwriter, but Lee also is a committed community activist. This week, he premieres his second new musical in the past five seasons, A Walk in My Shoes. His first one, For the Love of Harlem, spotlighted key figures of the Harlem Renaissance, and was so popular in 2011 that On Q Productions reprised it 22 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

three years later. Walk turns the spotlight to HIV/AIDS. “In North Carolina and in the country, African-American and Latino 13- to 24-yearolds are disproportionately living with HIV/ AIDS,” Lee says. “In Mecklenburg County, African-Americans make up 70 percent of all new HIV infections. In most metropolitan U.S. cities, two out of four black gay men are living with HIV/AIDS. As a black gay man, these statistics alarmed me to action.” Lee had more than statistics for expressing his alarm. Each of the major

characters is loosely based on the experiences of clients he met as program manager at PowerHouse. Located across the street from Northwest School of the Arts on Beattie’s Ford Road, not far from Johnson C. Smith University, PowerHouse mostly serves “young adult queer men and women living on or below the poverty level,” Lee says. “After my first month at PowerHouse,” Lee recalls, “I was so moved by the lives of my clients, I began writing songs about their experiences. Then that led to poetry. And that lead to the first draft of A Walk in My

Shoes.” The narrative of Walk covers many thorny scenarios surrounding the virus, and the tunes are not not always happy ones. Bonnie, for instance, was born with HIV, but she’s still keeping the secret from her three besties, one of whom is Maseo, who has developed a mad — and dangerous — crush on his childhood friend. Overachieving O’Neal is the closeted son of the beloved Pastor Rutherford, a staunch homophobe who gets a rude shock when he issues an altar call for those in his

Sunkins (from left) with Tara Anderson (who plays Ms. Kara), Tiffanie McCall (Bonnie), Quinn Marques (Maseo) and Elijah Ali (Travis).

Pastor Gary Rutherford (played by Matthews) preaches to O’Neal (Sunkins).

flock who are wrestling with the “spirit of homosexuality.” The most serious drama centers on the most sensational character, Ms. Kara. Lee describes her as “a transgender female who can slay you with her sharp tongue or her killer eye for fashion. Those designer digs are afforded by her latest venture, online escorting.” Problem is, Ms. Kara has just set up a rendezvous with Marques, a bona fide charmer — and a dangerous sexual predator. Apparently, Marques is a bisexual with a ravenous appetite, so you can bet he drives plenty of the drama.

JOHNSON C. SMITH, the co-producers of A Walk in My Shoes, approached Lee during his final year at PowerHouse to help them with a federal grant to draw attention to the correlation between substance abuse and risky sexual behavior. The grant came through just before Lee resigned in 2016, and it was then that he committed to creating a community-based event with JCSU. The character of Maseo targets the connections JCSU has sought to address. With the backing of JCSU and its Collegiate Health Improvement Project (C.H.I.P.), Lee could aspire to far higher production values than the workshop version of A Walk in My Shoes that premiered in November 2013. “A Walk in My Shoes 2013 was a poorly funded, community-theater effort,” Lee admits. “The intent was to cast ‘the community’: People living with HIV, people in high risk groups for HIV and inspired LGBTQ peeps. A Walk in My Shoes 2017 is a professional theatre production with a working budget, seasoned singer/dancer/ actors and a grassroots marketing strategy.” This week’s three-performance run at the Attic Theatre marks a homecoming for Lee. Before it became the HQ for Little

Rock Community Development Center, 401 N. McDowell Street housed the city’s AfroAmerican Cultural Center, which was reborn as The Harvey B. Gantt Center for AfricanAmerican Arts + Culture. Lee was a resident teaching artist at the old center after graduating from UNC Charlotte,

desire the audience to feel like players in the story. . . bystanders watching it all go down.” Lee won’t specify the exact setting of the musical, other than to say it’s a Southern metro area — like Charlotte, or Atlanta, or Houston. He also slipped the question of whether Pastor Rutherford was based on a particular local cleric or political figure, choosing instead to make a stunning statistical revelation: “More than 50 percent of the clients I referred to psychosocial care were wounded, sometimes suicidal, due to

“I WAS SO MOVED BY THE LIVES OF MY [HIV/AIDS] CLIENTS, I BEGAN WRITING SONGS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.” JERMAINE NAKIA LEE

interning for the urban division of Arista Records in Atlanta and performing on Disney Cruises for two years. So he knows the Attic well. In fact, that’s where he workshopped Love of Harlem and directed Cheryl West’s Before It Hits Home seven years ago. “It’s the perfect intimate venue for a show like A Walk in My Shoes,” Lee says, “where I

religious oppression.” There is, however, an unexpected local tie-in to the new production of A Walk in My Shoes: Pastor Clifford Matthews Jr., spiritual leader of the St. Luke’s Missionary Baptist Church, came out to his congregation and withstood an exodus of his flock, most of whom have since returned. This gay pastor

A WALK IN MY SHOES Pay what you can (no advance sales). March 3, 8 p.m.; March 4, 7:30 p.m.; March 5, 3 p.m. The Attic Theatre, Little Rock Community Developmennt Center, 401 N. McDowell St. 704-334-3782

will be playing the role of the homophobic Pastor Rutherford. “It was important to him that affirming pastors and churches like his be highlighted sometimes,” Lee says. “Respectfully, I told him my conviction was to give light to the most common truth, which is that most traditional black congregations are homophobic. His church and others like it are the anomalies.” And it might be mentioned that black churches are the wellspring of some mighty rousing music. Gospel is one of the prime elements of Lee’s score, co-composed with Tyrone Jefferson of the A Sign O’ the Times band. The music also roams into the realms of pop, rock, R&B and jazz. For the pair of hip-hop song lyrics, Lee looked to local poetess L’Monique, and he called upon the Reliable Brother dance group, who performed at Breakin’ Convention CLT in both 2015 and 2016, to make the hip-hop dancing as credible as possible — or, as he promises, mesmerizing. In For the Love of Harlem, Lee was at his best when the music was big and brash — as it was in the opening title song, presented with the added sizzle of splashy ensemble choreography. In fact, some theater-goers who have seen Lee’s productions find the music performances to be the most memorable. “The weekend anthem ‘Friday Night’ and the vogue dance ensemble are unforgettable,” Lee says. “People stop me in the grocery store singing that song.” CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 23

FOX SEARCHLIGHT

The Red Turtle

ARTS

FILM

HAPPY TOGETHER New films examine unity and understanding BY MATT BRUNSON

HE RED TURTLE (*** out of

four), aka La tortue rouge, stands as the first Studio Ghibli movie that isn’t primarily a Japanese production. Instead, the outfit behind such gems as My Neighbor Totoro and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away put its faith in Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit after studio founder Hayao Miyazaki caught de Wit’s animated short Father and Daughter. It was a move that paid off, as the picture is one of the five Academy Award nominees this year for Best Animated Feature Film. What’s more, as the movie is backed not only by Japan’s Studio Ghibli but also by British, French and German financiers, it further promotes the theory that cinema continues to expand its borders even as other aspects of the world around us continue to throw up walls at 24 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

every opportunity. Certainly, the film itself is all about tolerance and acceptance, as a man who finds himself deserted on a tropical island encounters a large turtle that becomes his constant companion. I won’t reveal exactly how the turtle becomes an integral part of his life, but it involves a transformation that in turn transforms the direction of the film. Related with no dialogue and illustrated in an uncluttered yet often luminous style, The Red Turtle is ultimately a mediation not only on what it means to be human but, more significantly, what it means to be as one with the natural order of the world.

THE SORT OF formidable true story that nevertheless doesn’t generally make it into the textbooks handed out during history classes, A United Kingdom (*** out of four)

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo in A United Kingdom

centers on the difficulties encountered by a loving couple whose different skin colors meant they had to deal with an astonishing amount of societal prejudices. David Oyelowo, terrific as Martin Luther King in Selma, here plays another crusader for equal rights: Seretse Khama, a prince who

in the 1940s journeys from Bechuanaland (now Botswana) to England to further his education before he returns home to claim the mantle of king. While in London, he meets and falls in love with Ruth Williams (Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike), a secretary who returns his affection. The two plan to wed, a decision that not only upsets Ruth’s parents but also Seretse’s kinfolk, who bristle at the thought of a white woman becoming queen of their country. The proposed union also faces the wrath of the British government, whose members are outright antagonistic since they’re playing nice with a South Africa that has just recently adopted a policy of apartheid. The first section of A United Kingdom is the strongest, since the personal problems faced by the couple are more delineated than the political ones that tend to blur during the latter segments. And, as is often the case with historical sagas, the picture relegates lots of fascinating material into a few blocks of text at the end, giving short shrift to the subsequent accomplishments of two people who refused to be defined merely by their physical appearances. Overall, though, director Amma Asante (Belle) and scripter Guy Hibbert (Eye in the Sky, which made my 10 Best for 2016), working from Susan Williams’ book Colour Bar, have presented a compelling piece that serves as a welcome reminder that, even in the direst of situations and in the most impossible of times, love can indeed trump hate.

ARTS

ARTSPEAK

Evan Plante hides away in his home screen-printing studio.

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE SCREEN PRINTED Local couple aims to print a protest BY RYAN PITKIN

WHEN LOCAL screen print artist Evan Plante hosted a show called “Reclaimed” at Twenty-Two art gallery in Plaza Midwood two years ago, his goal was to show the city a culture he felt it was lacking. Plante brought in screen print artists from around the country to showcase the possibilities of the art. Now, he and his wife Susan Plante will host Print|Organize|Protest: Charlotte on March 5 in hopes of instructing and inspiring local folks to get involved in screen printing themselves by printing t-shirts and posters based on resistance. The event is part of a nationwide campaign and will be held in conjunction with similar pop-ups in cities ranging from Chicago and New York to Austin, Texas, and Berkeley, California in the lead-up to International Women’s Day on March 8. Creative Loafing sat down with the Plantes at The Company Store in NoDa, where the event will take place, to talk about the role of screen printing in activism and why it’s needed now more than ever. Creative Loafing: How did you get into screen printing in the first place? Evan Plante: When I lived in Richmond, Virginia, I was in a lot of political punk bands and stuff like that, and screen printing was just something that all the bands did. All the bands made their own t-shirts and made their own posters — resistance art and stuff like that. It was just part of the scene. I said to my friend Braden, “I’ll trade you whatever if you’ll show me how to screen print.” He said, “You don’t have to trade me anything, I’ll show you how to screen print just because you should know how to screen print.” When he taught me how to do it, it

was definitely on a DIY level for punk kids that didn’t have any money to go and buy real equipment basically. I held on to that because I’ve never learned how to do this the right way. I’ve been doing it off and on for 16 years. I’ve never taken a course and have never owned real equipment until very recently. Braden showed me how to do it because he wanted to push that information around. He just wanted to be helpful and I wanted to learn. For 15 years I’ve had this thing in my brain, like, I really want to pay that forward, I want to show people. At some point you founded Docklands. What made you go official? Evan: I couldn’t find the culture; this culture that revolves around activism and DIY and music and how all those things coalesce together. I just felt like, where is that? Maybe it’s around but I couldn’t find it. And so I was like, “Well, I’m going to start doing this because I need to express myself but also because I want this culture to exist in Charlotte. It makes people think, “Oh, why don’t we have that? Why are we such a glossy city, such a plastic city? How come there isn’t this kind of grassroots, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, make-it-happen kind of atmosphere?” I think it’s growing now. How did you two get involved in hosting the local Print|Organize|Protest? Susan Plante: When he was asked to do it, he started waffling a little bit afterwards because he felt like, “I don’t know if anybody’s going to come to this if I set up an event. Is it worth it?” It’s cool because I feel like a lot of the other cities involved are considered

much bigger, well-known cities. It’s nice to get Charlotte on that kind of map. When I saw the other cities involved I got really excited. He wasn’t sure if anybody was going to show up and we were talking about this and I was just like, “Let me take the lead and organize it because I know a good group of women that are already active in the community — in the activism that has come up.” How important is that activism aspect of screen printing in light of the recent election? Susan: All of the recent marches, not just the Women’s March but the Day Without Immigrants march — all of them — I think it’s really important for people to know that there’s still a wide-reaching community that disagrees with some of the ideas that this administration has. Evan: I think the idea that enough people voted for [Donald Trump] to win is just a really bad sign. All I want to be doing is, I don’t want to burn down the state, I want to help the state, I want to help the community come together. I feel like I’m just floating out in space right now; like I don’t have my people and I don’t have a country anymore and I feel like I’m not a part of anything, and that’s scary. I want to bring people together so that if everybody feels as lonely and as scared and as freaked out as I do, then at least we’re lonely and scared and freaked out together. How will Sunday’s event build on that idea? Susan: The interactive nature of what’s going to happen at P.O.P. is going to be

PRINT | ORGANIZE | PROTEST Free. BYO t-shirt. 1-4 p.m. March 5. NoDa Company Store, 3221 Yadkin Ave., 980-859-04441. the companystorenoda.com; printorganizeprotest.org.

empowering on its own, that people are going to be making their own t-shirts or posters or whatever it is, that to me is awesome. Not only am I going to have this t-shirt that supports my beliefs but I’m making it myself, and I think that’s just empowerment in itself. It’s a group creative project. It’s not Docklands, it’s not just us two, it’s going to be a collective of whomever comes out, a collective group doing this creative process. Evan: The Women’s March was such a healing event for me because I felt so alone and then I found myself in a group of thousands and thousands of people, and for the first time I felt not alone. I want that to happen every weekend, but I realize that it can’t happen every weekend. But if we can print a shirt that 1,000 people will wear and I’ll see them on a street corner and realize that they’re still there — we may not be walking around together in a giant group, but we are here — then that’s how I’m helping. I’m not organizing a march but I’m helping knit together the fabric of the march when it’s not together. CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 25

PHOTO BY DANIEL COSTON

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Sinners & Saints: Fowler (left) and Baran.

MUSIC

FEATURE

THE ACID TEST Sinners & Saints are “making it” in Charlotte BY PAT MORAN Fowler, Ba ran

HEN THEIR HOST, who was tripping on acid, started playing punk rock records on a turntable with no needle, Perry Fowler and Mark Baran knew they were in for a long night. “The record player was making these insane cat noises,” Fowler says. “But the guy was into it,” Baran adds. “He was rocking out.” Fowler and Baran play rollicking and sweetly sorrowful folk and country tunes as Sinners & Saints. The duo’s second album, On the Other Side, which comes out March 10, takes their original songs in a more pronounced classic honky-tonk and country direction. Sinners & Saints plays regularly in their hometown of Charlotte, and on March 14 they will set out on their most extensive tour to date, which will take them to places they’ve never played before — Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Upon their return to the Queen City, the two will throw an album release party at the Neighborhood Theatre on April 15. Right now, Fowler, 39, and Baran, 35, are sitting in a quiet and comfortable room at Petra’s, the Plaza Midwood bar Fowler manages and co-owns with three other partners (see sidebar). The warm, dimly lit room is a gallery off to the side of the performance space, lined with bold and colorful abstract paintings. It seems a universe away from that bizarre, acidfueled night in Virginia Beach, where Fowler and Baran performed what they consider their worst gig ever in a rundown bar. “Virginia Beach is a weird town anyway,” says Fowler, who plays acoustic guitar, sings, and writes most of Sinners & Saints’ songs. “It’s part touristy, part Hollywood. There are a lot of people just strung out everywhere.” After playing their set, the duo discovered the bar owner wanted to renege on their guaranteed fee. By the time Fowler and Baran had haggled to get paid the full amount, it was 2:30 a.m. and they were focused on getting some sleep. Luckily, they had met a record label representative earlier in the evening who had offered to put them up for the night. The rep was at the gig to see another band on the bill, but also expressed interest in Sinners & Saints. Good fortune seemed to be shining on Fowler and Baran. “Then we found out that (the label rep) had dropped acid earlier in the evening,” Fowler remembers. “By the time 3 o’clock in the morning rolled around, he was on another

PHOTO BY DA

NIEL COSTON

planet. And we were going home with him.” At their host’s house, the situation turned surreal. “The guy wouldn’t shut up and he wouldn’t turn the music down,” says Baran, who plays upright bass and sings harmonies. “He was doing coke and taking shots of vodka left and right.”

bond between Fowler and Baran. It began in early 2011, when Baran, who had played with the Americana outfit Buck Mountain Stranglers, the straight-ahead rock band Red Letter Blue and progressive rockers Mulaxul, went to Snug Harbor to see Fowler do a solo performance. “I’ll never forget that night because Perry’s

“THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY TIMES WHEN YOU’RE SINGING WITH ANOTHER PERSON AND YOU GIVE YOURSELF CHILLS. I FELT THAT WITH US.” -MARK BARAN

“Then he started inviting prostitutes over,” says Fowler, shaking his head. “We just wanted to find a quiet place to sleep.” The Virginia Beach escapade is an anomaly in Sinners & Saints’ decidedly non-rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Both men are married, in their mid-30s, and hold down day jobs. Fowler is devoted to running Petra’s and Baran is a freelance graphic designer. Despite this, they say, some people assume the duo are the kind of rambling, hard-partying traveling act depicted in vintage MTV videos. Touring is “kind of boring,” Fowler says. “You’re in a van just driving until you get to the gig. Once you’re there, you sit around and wait until you play. You play for 30 or 45 minutes, and when it’s over, you go to bed because you have to get up in the morning and do it all over again.” “But that 30 to 45 minutes makes it all worthwhile,” Baran adds. “And we’ve met some of our best friends touring and playing shows,” Fowler says. “You form an instant camaraderie and kinship with musicians who are doing what you’re doing. You become instant buds.” The tightest of those friendships is the

songs really hit me,” Baran remembers. “His lyrics are deep, but they’re easy to understand.” Fowler can write catchy hooks with the best of them, Baran says, but his words connect on an emotional level. Right then, Baran knew he wanted to make music with Fowler. After the show he asked Fowler if he ever considered playing with a bassist. “I went home and told my wife that I’d found my musical soul mate,” Baran says. For Fowler, Baran’s interest in teaming up couldn’t have come at a better time. He was getting burned out playing solo, and was considering taking an extended break from performing. Those thoughts faded fast, Fowler says, because he felt a partnership with Baran would be a rejuvenating shot in the arm. Fowler’s only concern was about his own musicianship. “I’m not a guitar god. I don’t jam or play intricate fingerstyle,” Fowler says. He figured Baran was out of his league. But his misgiving was put to rest when the two men sang together. Right off the bat, their harmonies attained the uncanny closeness usually reserved for fraternal or “blood” harmonies. As I noted in a Creative Loafing

review of the duo’s 2014 debut album Love and Misery, Fowler and Baran’s “closeyet-distinct harmonies echo the Louvin Brothers’, coupling soaring sweetness with the twist of a pocket knife.” “There’s something about certain voices that, when combined, create something altogether different than what the two voices could ever do on their own,” Baran says. “There are only so many times when you’re singing with another person and you give yourself chills. I felt that with us.”

TAKING THEIR NAME from the title of

one of Fowler’s solo albums, Sinners & Saints experimented with the addition of a fiddler, the Buck Mountain Stranglers’ Chad Shores, who played on the band’s first EP, Stupid Little Songs. Soon after the EP’s 2012 release, Fowler and Baran decided to keep Sinners & Saints a stripped-down duo. “Traveling, decisions and keeping track of schedules — it’s all a lot easier with two people,” Baran says. Touring and traveling is a subject that comes up often with Fowler and Baran. It’s even the subject of “Music Man,” a song on the new album. Over a gently rolling doseydoe of bass, banjo and guitar, the duo’s joyous harmonies intone, “Make ’em cry, make ’em dance, like they’re the only ones who came to your show.” Sinners & Saints are serious about reaching out and welcoming new audiences. “I never wanted us to be local heroes,” Fowler says. “I don’t want to be just a Charlotte band. I want to go where the music takes us.” Next month, the band’s music takes them across the Mississippi and through the Midwest. And the April, the tour will take the duo further afield than they’ve gone before. But they’re careful not to just stop in for a visit and never return. “You can’t just go play a place once and mark it off your list,” Fowler says. “You have to plan to go back within a year,” adds Baran. “The more you tour, the more you have to tour,” Fowler continues. At a time when the duo is working to increase their fanbase, On the Other Side turns Sinners & Saints’ sound from mainly folk-based to more of a traditional roadhouse

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TINTYPE BY JEFF HOWLETT

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country, but he feels there’s a stigma attached to the genre, due to the sounds coming from

a six-pack of brew or a party in sight, On the Other Side is a world away from bro-country.

willingness to embrace it when it’s revealed. “The pain and loss you go through define

“THE PAIN AND LOSS YOU GO THROUGH DEFINE WHO YOU ARE. WITHOUT THOSE, YOU DON’T HAVE ANY STORIES TO WRITE.” -PERRY

honky-tonk style associated with Merle Haggard and the slice-of-life storytelling of Don Gibson. “Country may be the best description of us I’ve heard,” Baran says. “We get classified as Americana a lot, but nobody really knows what that means.” Fowler doesn’t mind being classified as 28 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

FOWLER

contemporary Nashville acts. “The stuff now isn’t even country,” Fowler says. He sees it as a bad mishmash of R&B, hip-hop, and rock, with a soup·çon of country flavoring. “It’s what publicists, disc jockeys and the Country Music Awards decided to call country.” With nary a pickup truck, a girl in cut-offs,

“I don’t even think there’s a dirt road in all our songs.” What the new album does best is tell tales of love slipping away and protagonists accepting their lot with down-home fatalism. But Fowler says the songs are really about happiness — the struggle to find it, or the

who you are,” Fowler says. “Without those, you don’t have any stories to write.” Within the wheelhouse of looking for love, Fowler turns some country music tropes on their heads. “Old Bones” is a breakup song that adds a forlorn hound dog to a traditional love triangle. The story is simple, says Fowler.

MUSIC

FEATURE

ROLLING OUT THE WELCOME MAT How Perry Fowler helped transform Petra’s into Plaza Midwood’s hottest new old club

TINTYPE BY GILES CLEMENT

“This couple gets a house together. Then they get a dog. The woman leaves. It’s down to the man and the dog. And they’re both miserable. “But then the woman comes back,” he adds, “because she misses the dog.” The jaunty tune ends with a loud and sustained canine howl, courtesy of Baran’s dog Monk. “Promise Land” is another song that tweaks expectations. As Fowler and Baran’s entwined vocals roll to the sway of New Orleans zydeco, the lyrics may be telling the story of a couple separated by a journey — or they may be words celebrating immigrants and refugees on the move. Fowler is comfortable with either interpretation. “Immigration wasn’t on my mind at all when I wrote that song, but I’m not opposed to it being seen that way,” he says. “My wife is Mexican. She’s first generation, so her parents are immigrants.” The topic gets him going. “I think we have to be careful how we label people,” he says. “How can a person be illegal? They’re alive and they’re doing what’s best for their families and themselves.” On the Other Side also includes two of Baran’s songs. One is an untitled bonus track that’s a whirlpooling classical-guitar instrumental dedicated to Baran’s father who passed away two years ago. And “Ready to Go” is a sweet-tempered yet restless waltz written when Baran was on his lunch break at a shitty job. “The song is about wanting to move to the next step smoothly, wishing for things to happen,” he says. “When we formed the band,” Baran continues, “both Perry and I wanted to take Sinner’s & Saints somewhere. We wanted to accomplish something, and I think we have. We’re putting out albums. We’re making good music.”

SAINTS & SINNERS: ON THE OTHER SIDE Get your copy of the new album, released in partnership with Silent Uproar Records, on March 10 at sinnersandsaintsmusic.com and local record store Lunchbox Records.

That’s where the album title, On the Other Side, comes in. “There’s the idea that if you just keep working at something, eventually you’re going to get to the other side,” Fowler says. “But who knows what the other side is? Maybe there is no other side.” “Setting goals is important, but idea of ‘making it’ — that talk really bugs me,” Fowler continues. “There is no ‘made it.’ You’re making it. We’re making it right now. We’re still a band, we’re still putting out records and we’re still traveling. That’s all you can hope for.” It’s still early in the evening, but Petra’s is starting to fill up. Where we’re seated, music from the bar and the hum of conversation can be heard. “Somebody asked me the other day what I was most proud of,” Fowler continues. “I think it’s this: Mark and I have been playing together for six years. We’re been in weird and stressful situations, we’ve spent a lot of time together, and we’re still friends. The fact that we still like to be around each other is a pretty big accomplishment.” PMORAN@CLCLT.COM

JESSICA KAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

BY PAT MORAN

Perry Fowler at the bar at Petra’s.

PERRY FOWLER may be an enthusiastic owner of Petra’s now, but when he first visited the Plaza Midwood hangout in 2009 he was underwhelmed. “It wasn’t the coolest night, to be honest,” Fowler says. “I paid a cover to get in, and somebody was just going through YouTube videos on a projector. They were just funny videos — blooper reels and cat fails.” It was very odd to Fowler. A year later, when he and Mark Baran had started playing together as Sinners & Saints, then-Charlotte singer-songwriter Jon Lindsay invited the duo to perform a show that he was putting together at Petra’s. “When I saw what it was like playing a show here, and making music here, I thought, ‘It’s a really cool place.’” The bar’s late owner, Jerry Brown, kept bringing the duo back. “He was a wonderful guy,” says Baron. Both credit Brown, who died last August at 62, with beginning Petra’s transition from a quirky hideaway to a warm and welcoming music and arts venue that’s a home away from home for neighborhood patrons and newcomers alike. Fowler talked with me about how he’s continued to shift Petra’s focus to live music, building a sound system from scratch, while also preserving the venue’s fun and funky vibe.

Curtis Tutt. Then it was Jerry, Dean, Curtis, me and my wife Marta (Suarez del Real). Now that Jerry has passed, it’s just us four.

Creative Loafing: When and why did you start working here? Fowler: I started working here about three years ago because I wanted to be a part of something cool, and I felt they just needed a little push in the right direction. I worked the door. Three months later I started bartending. Four months after that I became bar manager, and four months after that I was an owner. It all happened so fast. Jerry Brown just asked me one day if I wanted some skin in the game. I asked, “Are you sure?” And he said, “Yeah, I feel good about it.” Who were the owners when you stared and who are the owners now? It was Jerry Brown, Dean Freeman and

What’s the vibe now versus then? We were having these events here that were so off the cuff that they were turning people away. I decided to do music as much as we can, and not worry about these weekly dance parties and art parties that locked us into doing the same thing every week. Now the feeling is completely open. You don’t feel like you’re forced into any theme. I hope I’ve succeeded in creating a welcoming vibe that encompasses everybody. I think booking more live music helped accomplish that. The vibe changes depending on what’s going on. It’s a different clientele each night. Tonight is karaoke and open mic night. It’s a totally different crowd from who comes to Potions & Pixels, which is a monthly video game and board game night. It just depends on what’s going on. It’s cool like that. You get a variety of people. How did Jerry Brown react to the changes? He was OK with them. When I asked Jerry to let me take over booking for the venue, he was relieved. He hated booking the bands, and only did it because he had to do it. Jerry also really loved our band. The problem was he would find maybe four or five bands and that was all he ever booked. He was just looking for things to stick on the calendar. Just rotate them through and not think about it. We had to tell him that we didn’t want to play here every month. When I would put on a show here that didn’t draw a crowd, Jerry would say that people don’t want to come here to see bands because it’s a gay bar. I told him that we just had to keep doing it. There are going to be off nights. You can’t judge what you’re doing based on this one thing. Judge it over the span of a few months and see what happens. I think it’s been working out. It seems like it’s been working out.

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MUSIC

MUSICMAKER

‘BLAME THE YOUTH’ AT YOUR PERIL One trans Latinx and three women of color shake up the local music scene BY PAT MORAN

“WE MAKE bluesy, jazzy weird shit,” proclaims Blame the Youth’s Facebook page. The Charlotte-based quartet has been together in their current configuration for two years, and their influences are as diverse as the band’s makeup. “Everybody in our band has such a distinct style,” says 23-year-old bassist and background vocalist Amber Daniel. “I’m really into neo-soul. Lead guitarist Alexa-Rae Ramkissoon loves heavy metal. Drummer Kynadi Hankins is all about funk. She just wants everything funky and syncopated and weird as hell. Lead singer Phoebe Gomez is into pop, but also into classic Meryl Streeptype stuff.” In case you didn’t know, “Meryl Streep stuff” is now a genre. “It’s the type of stuff that I imagine being played in a Meryl Streep movie,” Daniel says. All of these elements coalesce into a rhythmic and rocking sound, which can be heard on Blame the Youth’s two single releases, the smooth and soulful “Oasis” and catchy, aptly named “Earworm.” As Blame the Youth — whose members range in age from 21 (Hankins and Ramkissoon) to the ripe old age of 24 (Gomez) — prep for the March 4 release of their EP The Hourglass, Daniel sat down with Creative Loafing to talk about her generation, Charlotte audiences, and refusing to sex it up. Creative Loafing: How did Blame the Youth’s current line-up come together? Daniel: Phoebe and Kynadi have been dating since 2012, which is also when they started playing music together. They reached a point where they said, “Hey, we need a guitarist.” So they talked to their guitar teacher, who put them in contact with Alexa, who coincidentally went to the same school as Kynadi — the Northwest School of the Arts. So they kind of knew each other. Kynadi and I both worked for the same company, Music and Arts, where I teach violin and viola. Kynadi told me the band was looking for a bassist, so I bought a bass and learned how to play it.

Blame the Youth: (from left) Phoebe Gomez, Alexa-Rae Ramkissoon, Kynadi Hankins, Amber Daniel

What is your musical background? I’ve been doing choir and singing around in the state since I was in the third grade. So I’m a classically trained vocalist, but my primary instrument is viola and violin. I’ve been doing that for about 12 years. Violin and viola are both melodic instruments; so I hear the way melodies typically move. Those two instruments contribute lushness and thickness to music. So it helps having a background in viola to help create dope harmonies and melodies. Does your band name come from the Bob Marley song “You Can’t Blame the Youth”? No, it doesn’t. Our name actually comes from a Janelle Monáe song from the album The Electric Lady called “Givin Em What They Love.” She sings, “I am sharper than a razor, Eyes made of lasers, Bolder than the truth, They want me locked up in the system, Cause I’m on a mission, Blame it on my youth.” That stood out for us, because we feel that everybody in Charlotte blames stuff on us. It’s like we’re the cause of so many of today’s problems, and that’s definitely not the case. What are the youth being blamed for? Frequently people are talking about our generation is the cause of many problems we face as a society. They say we can’t communicate because we never put out phones down. They say we’re super vain because we take selfies. They forget that

they’re the ones who brought us up. It’s easy to blame us because we’re the outcome of what they created. We’re the ones who are dealing with it, and overcoming what was given to us, and creating something better and different. How do you create something that is better and different? By taking what we have, and using our creativity to change it. There are so many negative things happening right now, and we’re the ones who can take the negativity and find a way to make it positive. We create groups where we can heal together, and we create groups where we can create art and showcase it. Do you feel that the band is an example of that? Absolutely. Blame The Youth is an outcome of taking things in society that aren’t that great, and creating something beautiful with it. We’re creating music that a lot of people can connect to. Do you think your generation is more accepting than previous generations? Yes. Look at our band. We’re definitely a group of diverse individuals. We have three black women, and a Mexican trans lead singer. That’s a face of diversity that I’ve never seen before.

PHOTO BY URBAN ZUE

traditional, what kind of response have you gotten from audiences and venues? We get the question often about how we feel being in an all-girl band, even though we’re not an all-girl band. We try to make sure everybody knows that. We’ve had people say we’d be really big if we sexed up our image. I’ve gotten it from people who are close to us who come to every show, and they’re saying, “If you’re a little sexier, you can really make it.” When we go onstage, we just want to be comfortable. We don’t mind looking a little sexy if that’s our personal style. But people say we should be onstage with our tits out on our chins, and that’s not comfortable. I think we can make it without being sexy. I think that our music can make it on its own. How would you characterize your audiences? What kind of crowds do you draw? It’s surprising sometimes. When we played the Evening Muse, it was a show for HRC, and we were seeing a lot of white lesbians. We didn’t think they would like us very much because we’re a pretty urban group. We don’t get a lot of white people at our shows. But they loved us. So they started to follow us and go to our shows. Right now our pull is pretty diverse We have a bunch of different races and sexes coming together. Our music is not one-track minded. We have something that everybody likes.

Given that the band’s makeup is nonCLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 31

MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD

MARCH 1

Bar & Lounge)

COUNTRY/FOLK

POP/ROCK

Singer Songwriters Night with Al (Puckett’s Farm Equipment) Open Mic (Comet Grill)

POP/ROCK Karaoke with DJ Pucci Mane (Petra’s) KT Tunstall w/ Kelvin Jones (Visulite Theatre) Mack, Myers & Moore w/Halden Vang, Moses Jones, Full View (Amos’ Southend) Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor) Open Mic Night (Comet Grill) Open mic w/ Jared Allen (Jack Beagles) Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Parodi Kings (Diamond Restaurant) Pluto For Planet (RiRa Irish Pub) Sext Message (Snug Harbor) The Tosco Music Open Mic (The Evening Muse) Trivia & Karaoke Wednesdays (Tin Roof)

MARCH 2 HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Jonny Fritz, Joshua Hedley (Neighborhood Theatre)

POP/ROCK Hunters Travisty (Comet Grill) The Jon Linker Band (RiRa Irish Pub) Karaoke with DJ ShayNanigans (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Leopold and His Fiction, The Howling Tongues, Shadowgraphs (Petra’s) Shiprocked (Snug Harbor) Sleigh Bells (The Underground) Songwriter Open Mic @ Petra’s (Petra’s) Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (McGlohon Theater) Tall Tall Trees, Ryanhood (The Evening Muse)

MARCH 3 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Charlotte Symphony: Mendelssohn Elijah (Belk Theater) Jazzy Fridays (Freshwaters Restaurant)

COUNTRY/FOLK The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Tyler Farr w/ Ben Gallaher (Coyote Joe’s)

DJ/ELECTRONIC Zeds Dead (Label)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Electric Relaxation f. DJ Skillz (‘Stache House 32 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

Aoife O’Donovan (Don Gibson Theatre, Shelby) Appetite for Destruction - Departure w/ Mock of Ages (Amos’ Southend) Atlas Road Crew (Visulite Theatre) Eric Gales (Neighborhood Theatre) Glimpses, Anchor Detail (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Grapefruit Moon, John A. Harper, Logan (‘Kidd Aggie’) Aggeles, Square Roots (Sylvia Theatre, York) Matt Perrone, The Radio Silent, Johnny Zostant (The Evening Muse) Patois Counselors w/ Bodykit, Konvoi, Shallows (Snug Harbor) PPR, The Emotron, Joshua Cotterino (Milestone) Smash City (RiRa Irish Pub) Toranavox, Jaggermouth, The Business People, Its Snakes! (The Station)

MARCH 4 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Charlotte Symphony: Mendelssohn Elijah (Belk Theater)

BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL Latin Night w/ Chocala, Jahlistic, DJ Ez Muzic (Snug Harbor)

DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Phalse ID (RiRa Irish Pub) Off the Wall (Petra’s)

POP/ROCK Badfish, Sun Dried Vibes (Amos’ Southend) Chicago Reloaded (Sylvia Theatre, York) Front Country, The Honey Dewdrops (The Evening Muse) Group Text, Doll Hands, America Is A Mistake, Moral Combat (The Station) Kerchief (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Landlady (The Evening Muse) The Marshall Tucker Band (The Fillmore) Naked Naps, CAMPING, Taxing (Milestone) Naked Naps, Fk Mt., Camping, Taxing (Milestone) Pluto For Planet (RiRa Irish Pub) Poor Blue (Comet Grill) Tauk w/ Porch40 (Visulite Theatre)

MARCH 5 POP/ROCK Beyond The Fade, Prowess, AuxiliA, Watch Husky Burn, Beyond The Broken, A Graceful Regret, Teratorn, A Light Divided, Skinn Jackitt,

PHOTO BY JOHN CAVANAUGH

Southside Jonny and the Asbury Jukes Skipper the Lion, Rock U Roadshow Band (Amos’ Southend) Bone Snugs-N-Harmony Karaoke Party (Snug Harbor) Cold War Kids, Middle Kids (The Fillmore) Los Lonely Boys (Neighborhood Theatre) Omari and The Hellrasiers (Comet Grill)

BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL John Cowan with Darin & Brook Aldridge (McGlohon Theater)

MARCH 6 HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)

BYOV with DJ Aswell: Bring Your Own Vinyl Night (Petra’s) Karaoke w/ Dj President James A. Garfield (The Station)

POP/ROCK Amy Ray Band, Phil Cook (Neighborhood Theatre) Colony House (The Underground) Nothing Feels Good - Emo Night (Noda 101) Open Mic with Jeff Claud (Puckett’s Farm Equipment) Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Sharkmuffin w/ TKO Faith Healer, ExGirlfriends, Pleather (Snug Harbor)

#MFGD Open Mic (Apostrophe Lounge)

COMING SOON

POP/ROCK

The Dig (March 8, Evening Muse) Ian Sweet (March 10, Snug Harbor) St. Paul & The Broken Bones (March 11, The Fillmore) Landless (March 18, Snug Harbor) Judah & the Lion (March 18, The Underground) Hungry Girl (March 24, Snug Harbor) The Flaming Lips (March 30, The Fillmore) Birds of Chicago (April 5, Evening Muse) Shadowgraphs (April 7, Snug Harbor) Kehlani (April 6, The Underground) Dark Star Orchestra (April 15, The Fillmore) Red Hot Chilli Peppers (April 17, Spectrum Center) Periphery (April 20, The Underground) The Weeks (April 20, Visulite)

Find Your Muse Open Mic welcomes Lawrence Trailer (The Evening Muse) Locals Live: The Best in Local Live Music & Local Craft Beers (Tin Roof) Overkill, Nile, Amorphis, Swallow the Sun (The Fillmore)

MARCH 7 COUNTRY/FOLK Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Tuesday Night Jam w/ The Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s Cafe)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

3/1 KT Tunstall Kelvin Jones 3/3 ATLAS ROAD CREW 3/4 3/9 RIVER WHYLESS 3/11 THE CLARKS 3/12 SON VOLT 3/24 HIPPO CAMPUS 4/5 JD MCPHERSON FULL SCHEDULE : VISULITE.COM +

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NIGHTLIFE

“I NEVER GO OUT DURING CIAA” Reflections on conversations and experiences during tournament weekend AFTER WORK ON Friday, a few of my

experienced the CIAA vibes in the heart of the city. Hell, even Vapiano’s, my favorite galpals were trying to decide if going to grab Italian spot, was bumping with music and a drink was a smart idea. As I mentioned in packed from what I could tell. last week’s column, a large handful of my As I walked down S. Tryon to The coworkers were anticipating a “Dadchelor” Imperial, I took note of every bar we could (aka father-to-be) celebration for the go to and whether or not a day party was in following day on a party bus. While we didn’t progress. When I turned on College Street to want to go home at 5:45 p.m. on a Friday do the same thing, on the way back toward night, we also didn’t want to be hungover. The EpiCentre, I noticed that Flight and Finally, we decided a drink or two Lucky’s were both partying and charging wouldn’t hurt and started discussing where covers. Sigh. exactly we would go. “Not to get super fancy, I walked up the stairs to The Imperial but doesn’t the new place, The Imperial, in a sweatshirt and jeans to ask the person have a roof top?” I was pumped. I’d visited standing outside if they were open. “We’ll be this venue for the first time a few weeks ago open in like an hour, we’re hosting an event and was thoroughly impressed. (I can’t say I and entry will be $20.” Yeah, no one, was in a state to visit the rooftop at including myself, was going to pay the time though.) “Hmm. Was a cover for a drink or two. Even just thinking there may be a a coworker I passed that was CIAA party there tonight.” just planning on grabbing And just like that, my Libretto’s texted me to excitement dwindled. Let tell me everywhere in The me explain why. Epicentre was packed. For four years I’ve In a last ditch effort, we listened to Charlotteans settled on Latta Arcade, — from a variety commonly known as the of demographics, I French Quarter. might add — complain I’m not going to lie, I was about the CIAA (Central AERIN SPRUILL nervous. Almost as nervous Intercollegiate Athletic as I was in the days following Association) tournament, the acquittal of the cop involved in which consists of NCAA division the Keith Lamont Scott case. No, I wasn’t II conference teams from primarily worried about going to the French Quarter historically black institutions. Around the or drinking too much, but that someone, same time every year, my timeline becomes anyone, would have comments about the filled with flyers advertising parties that will inconvenience of CIAA or about how unsafe/ be held all around the Queen City celebrating threatened they felt and “allude” to the the tournament. While many friends and reason being related to race. acquaintances are filled with the same A couple years ago during CIAA weekend, amount of excitement as my coworkers had I was visiting a local bar that wasn’t hosting a over anticipation of our party bus, others tournament party. A white guy, no lie, came are simply annoyed by the inconvenience. all the way across the bar to tell someone Some are frustrated by the traffic, others right next to me, “There’s so many black by how packed every single bar is and let’s people in here tonight.” Coincidence? Doubt be honest, others are simply uncomfortable it. with, or even scared of, the idea that so many Even though I dodged those kinds of black and brown faces gather in celebration of the event. conversations Friday night, it wasn’t I picked up my phone and started long before my timeline was filled with Googling different venues Uptown, including commentary on any and every incident — I The Imperial, where we could go. Nothing mean, incidents don’t happen regularly in showed up on the Instagram or Facebook of Charlotte, right? Before the weekend was the Imperial so I thought we were golden. I over, multiple news sources had reported a checked their business hours and confirmed shooting allegedly involving Young Dolph they were open at 5 o’clock. I informed and around 100 shots fired. “We knew everyone I would call and see what was up. this was going to happen. SMH!” I read on After I didn’t receive an answer, I decided someone’s status. To which I wanted to reply, I would just wait until work was over and “Why exactly?” walk there. When I stepped outside, the Instead, I chopped it up as yet another city was buzzing with excitement. My office “successful” CIAA weekend. BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM had never been Uptown before, so I’d never

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CROSSWORD

FILM SPLICING ACROSS

1 Earth Day’s month 6 Maned antelope 9 Large gulf 14 Tons 19 Excludes 21 Dribble 22 Sign off on 23 1940 thriller drama; 1942 romantic drama 25 Four-stringer 26 Hop- -- -thumb 27 Horse morsel 28 Enjoy dinner 29 Really digging 31 Homer, e.g. 32 1982 horror; 1939 western 38 One with adoring fans 40 Moray, e.g. 41 Filmdom’s Mrs. Victor Laszlo 42 Expends 43 1996 neo-noir crime drama; 1990 crime drama 49 Titled man 51 Wedding day destinations 52 Fiendish look 53 D-Day city in France 55 Takes too much, briefly 58 Pie-mode link 60 1979 comedy-drama; 1982 musical 63 2007 comedy-drama; 1946 spy thriller 69 Many rented homes: Abbr. 70 Zenith 71 Make -- of (jot down) 72 “This guy walks into -- ...” 73 Irene of “Fame” fame 74 Bone, to Fido 75 “:” in an analogy 76 Braggarts’ displays 77 2005 historical drama; 2002 musical 79 2000 neo-noir thriller; 1982 comedy-drama 82 Certain sow 83 Poetic “prior to” 84 See 85-Across 85 With 84-Across, diver’s gas cylinder 88 “But -- I know?” 93 21st Greek letter 94 1980 spoof comedy; 1976 satirical drama 96 “Waterloo” quartet 99 Chop cut

102 Gold, in Leon 103 Major rtes. 104 1931 horror; 2010 sci-fi thriller 111 Get spoiled 112 Cookie with creme 113 La.-to-Mich. dir. 114 Vast stretch 115 -- -pitch 118 Break in, e.g. 120 1963 historical drama; 1950 period drama 125 Locale 126 “Skyfall” singer 127 Alaskan port 128 Civic’s make 129 Aired again 130 Norma -- (film heroine) 131 Pea piercers

DOWN

1 Word form for “height” 2 Haiku, e.g. 3 Deep red wine 4 Serpent tail? 5 USMC rank 6 Having a bit of a beard 7 13th Greek letters 8 Hagen with three Tonys 9 Old politico Stevenson 10 Spoiled kids 11 O’er there 12 Gregarious 13 Argots 14 Chaos 15 Biblical priest 16 Luau hellos 17 NYPD part 18 Mown strips 20 Ella’s singing 24 Cell insect 30 China buys 33 Gymnast Korbut 34 Bout arbiters 35 Valley 36 “-- a pity ...” 37 Your and my 38 “-- tree falls ...” 39 NFL’s Cowboys, on scoreboards 44 Speak grandly 45 Fjord city 46 Loris’ cousin 47 Meadows 48 Prince Valiant’s son 50 -- bit (soon) 53 Italian island 54 Affix

55 -- year (annually) 56 Yankee Joe, informally 57 Ensure 59 Spanish region 61 Cole -- (shoe brand) 62 Antidrug cop 63 Actress Pressly 64 Indy great Al 65 Phrase of denial 66 Siouan tribe 67 Former Apple laptop 68 Brewery kiln 73 Prepare for playing, as a tape 74 With 119-Down, position Mike Ditka played 76 Online store 77 Tiny: Prefix 78 Gordie of hockey 80 Highest degree 81 Fed. stipend program 86 Alliance 87 River of Bern 89 “Horton Hears --!” 90 City native 91 Not moist 92 Signs off on 93 Stove item 94 Kitchen pest 95 Zero relaxation 96 Over again 97 Mustang 98 -- down the hatches 100 Like a small garage 101 Tristan’s lady 105 Split country 106 -- Gay (WWII B-29) 107 Way to sign a contract 108 Tchr.’s gp. 109 Reggae artist Peter 110 -- water (up the creek) 116 Theater box 117 Single bills 119 See 74-Down 121 Musket tip? 122 Black goo 123 Biochem strand 124 “Either you do it -- will”

SOLUTION FOUND ON P. 38.

CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 35

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here. I have this weird (possibly misogynistic) belief that, when it comes to sex, I can’t win. Actually, I think men in general can’t win. Thoughtful, well-meaning men at least. It comes down to this: During sex, if the man doesn’t come, it’s the man’s fault, because he clearly has problems with his dick and is barely even a man and should be ashamed of himself. If the woman doesn’t come, it’s also the man’s fault, because he’s clearly bad at sex and doesn’t even care and is barely even a man and should be ashamed of himself. So am I a misogynist or just a guy with issues? Any advice for me moving forward? YEAH, I GOT ISSUES

either — not you, not anyone else. If she can make herself come, ask her to masturbate to climax while you watch. Make a close study of what works for her. If she touches herself in a certain way, learn to touch her in that way. If she busts out a vibrator, use that vibrator before, during, and after PIV or instead of PIV. Good luck. I’m a fan from way back. A therapist told me to go out and have some fun — I’m a married woman with teen boys and feeling a bit lonely — but I’m not looking to have an affair. I just want a spanking now and then. I found the one kink club I visited in New York to be kind of depressing, and my spanking friends are more of a social group who hang out on the weekends. I just need a little recreation — some good, clean spanking fun. Would love your advice.

If you’ve been with women who blamed you when you SEEKS PADDLING AND NEEDS KNOWdidn’t come, YIGI, and HOW then turned around and Kink enthusiasts, like blamed you when they dentists and accountants didn’t come, well, that and troglodytes (hey had to be annoying. Or there, CPAC), have maybe you’re referring to conventions, SPANK, something in the ether where like-minded/ and not to any inabilityemployed/aroused folks to- climax/inabilit y - toDAN SAVAGE meet and socialize before induce-climax shaming heading up to their hotel rooms you’ve actually come in for. for some good, clean kinky fun. I (Have you been with women who think you should get your ass to one shamed you like this? If so, and again, of the many spanking conventions out there that had to be annoying. Have you been — and so does Jillian Keenan, journalist and with any women at all? If not, it’s possible author of Sex with Shakespeare, a memoir your letter is an MRA setup and/or you’re a about your shared kink (spanking) and how misogynist with issues.) Shakespeare’s plays helped Keenan discover If this has actually happened to you, and accept herself, as a human being and as YIGI, chalk it up to “some people are awful, a kinkster. (It sounds like a stretch, I realize, women are people, some women are awful” but do yourself a favor and read Sex with and let it go. And remember this about men: Shakespeare — it’s a funny, moving read, and Sometimes we come during sex, sometimes it’s packed with fresh and convincing kinky we don’t, the number of times we don’t reads on Shakespeare’s plays.) increases with age. Focus more on intimacy, “National parties are a great way to connection, and mutual pleasure, YIGI, and get safe, fun, no-sex spankings and meet less on spooging all over everything — and other people in the scene in a low-pressure seek partners with the same focus. environment,” said Keenan, who sent along As for women: You do know that dick a list of events all over the country: Shadow alone isn’t gonna do it for most women, right? Lane (Las Vegas), Boardwalk Badness Only a small percentage of women can come Weekend (Atlantic City), Crimson Moon from PIV intercourse alone. (If you didn’t (Chicago), Spanking Club of New York (New know, you know now, and you’re welcome.) York City), Texas All State Spanking Party And you’re familiar with the clitoris, right? (If (Dallas), and Lone Star Spanking Party you weren’t, Google it, and you’re welcome.) (Houston). But if you find yourself in bed with a woman and you’re having difficultly helping her come On the Lovecast, dating someone with (you’re there to help not make), ask her borderline personality disorder—it ain’t pretty: if she can make herself come. If she can’t, savagelovecast.com. Follow @fakedansavage on odds are you won’t be able to help her come, Twitter; mail@savagelove.net.

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FOR ALL SIGNS Changes which appear sudden and unexpected drop onto the scene and it is time for a rapid adaptation. Sometimes the changes have been brewing in the background for a long time and then appear abruptly. Jupiter is the largest planet and expands whatever it touches. Lightning strikes suddenly that opens the door into fresh possibilities. It has been known to bring great fortune. Sometimes the action appears to be the exact opposite in the moment, but after time we realize it was the best thing that could have happened. The meaning is that of sudden breakthroughs, sudden opportunities, and relatively sudden shifts of perspective. It can be like a last-minute piece of good fortune that pulls us out of a pothole or a sense of hope that wells up from within our souls. Venus is turning retrograde this week. ARIES This is a good time to bring a creative work to fruition. It may not be totally complete, but you can see that a project is going to “work”. Your energy is flowing well this week. You can make inroads with the Powers that Be. Partnership requires a delicate and tactful attitude if you want to maintain it. TAURUS Venus is your ruling planet and she is turning retrograde in the house of the past. You may find yourself surprised by experiencing feelings you thought were long since finished. This cosmic signature occurs now but it may very well have been making you wistful for much of Feb. It passes in May. Don’t allow yourself to make huge relationship changes until after that time. GEMINI Information is coming at you thick

CLCLT.COM/CHARLOTTE/FREESTUFF

time apart to follow your personal interests. This does not require a split if the two of you can simply cooperate and agree to give each other space. Maintain your sense of humor and don’t take this change so seriously. It does not have to be about the overall quality of the relationship, but if you look at it darkly, it could have those consequences.

SCORPIO Something develops this week

that gives you the opportunity to use your skills on behalf of others. It should serve to give you a greater sense of self-esteem while you are supporting those who need it. Issues concerning health are improving.

SAGITTARIUS You are restless and want to

do anything except the usual routine. Some of you will be looking for a new house, car, or an exciting high tech device. Your eyes may be bigger than your pocketbook, especially if someone offers you a “deal”.

CANCER You may be the recipient of gossip

CAPRICORN Your timing and stability

LEO You or someone else may want you to

feel guilty because you are unable to make things better. Recognize that you are not the magician you would like to be and let go of the guilt. Whatever happens now, you are highly prone to think dark thoughts about yourself. This is passing. Let it go.

VIRGO Mercury is your avatar planet. At

this time it is in your Seventh House of partnerships and clientele. There may be more going on in that area than you can absorb right now. Remember that you have a right to slow down the information track while you digest it. You fear making mistakes and this could be a time that you become 38 | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | CLCLT.COM

LIBRA You and partner may need some

and fast. The conflicting ideas may cause you to become confused. Make an effort to slow your responses and don’t speak too quickly until you have really examined the issues. or false information during this period. At the same time your heart wants to take action on behalf of others. This requires discernment about the reason you are disturbed. Is what you are hearing actually the truth? Or does it hook into an old need to be the hero? You be the judge and act accordingly.

FREE STUFF!

confused by conflicting data.

are giving you a leadership position in a developing project which may not be unveiled for another year. For now, hold steady. Your plans are developing well and others will be supportive of your ideas.

AQUARIUS Give attention to caring for

“old” things or people in your life. Clean out the basement or attic in your home. Give away or sell whatever you know you will not use in the future. It is a good time to tend to repairs of aging property. It is also favorable for taking actions to secure your future.

PISCES THE FISH (Feb. 18 -- Mar 19)

Experiences may seem surreal on some level during this week. You may be doing something you never thought you would do. Hold onto the awareness that you may be misinterpreting what happens. It is also possible that you are unconsciously applying a mask to suit the circumstances. If you feel disconnected, you must go back to your heart center.

CLCLT.COM | MAR. 2 - MAR. 8, 2017 | 39

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