CLCLT.COM | JULY 26 - AUG 1, 2018 VOL. 32, NO. 23
1 | DATE - DATE, 2015 | CLCLT.COM
2 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
E LECTIC
With a never-ending roster of live music, festivals and restaurants, it’s hard to be bored in Columbia SC. You can discover something new every day of the year, from the Saturday morning farmers’ market to indie craft and film festivals, we’ve got more things to do than there are hours to do them. Visit ExperienceColumbiaSC.com
CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 3
NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING JULY 25 & 26 NOTICE OF PRE-CONSTRUCTION PUBLIC OPEN HOUSES IN JULY FOR PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS TO I-485 BETWEEN I-77 and U.S. 74 (Independence Boulevard) The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold two public open houses at the following times and locations: Wednesday, July 25 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CPCC Levine Campus – Building II 2800 Campus Ridge Road Matthews, NC 28105
Thursday, July 26 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pineville United Methodist Church 110 S. Polk Street Pineville, NC 28134
CREATIVE LOAFING IS PUBLISHED BY WOMACK NEWSPAPERS, INC. CHARLOTTE, NC 28206. OFFICE: 704-522-8334 WWW.CLCLT.COM FACEBOOK: /CLCLT TWITTER: @CL_CHARLOTTE INSTAGRAM: @CREATIVELOAFINGCHARLOTTE
STAFF
PUBLISHER • Charles A. Womack III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITOR • Mark Kemp mkemp@clclt.com
EDITORIAL
NEWS EDITOR • Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@clclt.com FILM CRITIC • Matt Brunson mattonmovies@gmail.com THEATER CRITIC • Perry Tannenbaum perrytannenbaum@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS •
The proposed project would add one express lane in each direction on I-485 between I-77 and U.S. 74 (Independence Boulevard), providing travel time reliability and improving traffic flows on this critical transportation corridor. This project would also add one general purpose lane in each direction between Rea Road and Providence Road. In coordination with other projects in south/southeastern Mecklenburg County, this project would serve as part of a larger network of express lanes offering drivers the option of more reliable travel times. NCDOT representatives will be available in an informal, open house-style setting to answer questions and gather public input regarding the proposed project. The opportunity to submit written comments or questions will be provided and is encouraged. Citizens may attend either open house at any time between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.. There will be no formal presentation.
Erin Tracy-Blackwood, Allison Braden, Catherine Brown, Konata Edwards, Jeff Hahne, Vanessa Infanzon, Alison Leininger, Ari LeVaux, Kia O. Moore, Grey Revell, Dan Savage, Debra Renee Seth, Aerin Spruill,
ART/DESIGN
ART DIRECTOR • Dana Vindigni dvindigni@clclt.com CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS • Justin Driscoll, Brian Twitty, Zach Nesmith
ADVERTISING
To place an ad, please call 704-522-8334. SALES MANAGER Aaron Stamey • astamey@clclt.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Justin LaFrancois • jlafrancois@clclt.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Pat Moran • pmoran@clclt.com
Project maps and other information can be found online at www.publicinput.com/I-485-Charlotte. A brief survey is also available on this website. For more information, contact Carly Olexik, of NCDOT’s Communications Office at caolexik@ncdot.gov or (919) 707-2671. NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who want to participate in this public open house. Anyone requiring special services should contact Diane Wilson at pdwilson1@ncdot.gov as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made.
Creative Loafing © is published by CL, LLC 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., Suite C-2, Charlotte, NC 28206. Periodicals Postage Paid at Charlotte, NC. Creative Loafing welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however Creative Loafing assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. Creative Loafing is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. Copyright 2015 Womack Newspapers, Inc. CREATIVE LOAFING IS PRINTED ON A 90% RECYCLED STOCK. IT MAY BE RECYCLED FURTHER; PLEASE DO YOUR PART.
A MEMBER OF:
Aquellas personas que hablan español y no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes de la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494. 4 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
PHOTO COURTESY OF LADY ALMA
16
House music diva Lady Alma hits Morehead Tavern on July 27. Check our Top 10 Things To Do on page 16 for more cool shit to do in the coming week.
We put out weekly NEWS&CULTURE
8
A CLEAN EFFORT New coalition aims to expand syringeexchange program in Charlotte
BY RYAN PITKIN 7 EDITOR’S NOTE BY MARK KEMP 11 CAROLINA CANNABIS NOW BY RHIANNON FIONN 13 NEWS OF THE WEIRD
14
FOOD&DRINK A CLASSIC AMONG ROOKIES Mr. K’s keeps things old school as South End shifts around it
BY SOPHIE WHISNANT
16
TOP 10 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK
MUSIC
18
ALL ABOARD Come ride the ‘Night Train’ with AKITA, the city’s hot new funk band
BY MARK KEMP 20 MUSICMAKER: RIVER RATZ BY MARK KEMP 22 SOUNDBOARD
24
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT TALK ABOUT THE PASSION Dammit Wesley gets the
conversation rolling BY PAT MORAN
26
ODDS&ENDS 26 NIGHTLIFE BY AERIN SPRUILL 27 CROSSWORD 28 SAVAGE LOVE BY DAN SAVAGE 30 SALOME’S STARS
GO TO CLCLT.COM FOR VIDEOS, PODCASTS AND MORE!
COVER DESIGN AND PHOTO BY DANA VINDIGNI CLCLT.COM | JULY 26 - AUG 1, 2018 VOL. 32, NO. 23
Website: www.clclt.com Facebook: /clclt Pinterest: @clclt Twitter: @cl_charlotte Instagram: @creativeloafingcharlotte YouTube: /qccreativeloafing 1 | DATE - DATE, 2015 | CLCLT.COM
CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 5
tAcOlUcHaFeSt.cOm
fOr mOrE iNfO vIsIt:
Luc ha Taco
bY PrEsEnTeD
9.29.18
with music by
also g: n i r u t a fe
! e r o m y n a plus m
benefitting
6 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
tIcKeTs
oN sAlE N
oW
! vIp 12:30 Ga 2Pm- 9Pm 9P LaTe eNt Ry 6-9p m M
LiVe E r O d A h C u L ! G n I l T s E Wr
NEWS
EDITOR’S NOTE
LIVING CLEAN Full recovery from addiction is optimal, but harm reduction saves lives, too FOR DRUG ADDICTS, the obvious way
that is pushing for a fully funded needleto get truly healthy and return to being a exchange program in the city. She continues to functioning member of society is to stop run her own program, the Queen City Needle Exchange, from 2 to 6:30 p.m. each Friday, but using and stay stopped. That’s a no-brainer, and there are many tells Pitkin she gets calls from addicts seeking treatment programs and support groups in supplies throughout the week. “Until we can be open five days a week, the Charlotte area that are more than happy and willing to help addicts get clean and we’re going to be slow, because people will find other ways to get syringes,” she says. begin their journeys in recovery. That means IV drug users who have run But recovery from addiction is not always so simple. Some addicts get and stay clean out of clean supplies and are unable to get for decades, others get clean but experience more are more likely to spread disease in the occasional relapses, and still others never Charlotte area, something that can easily be remedied with a 24-hour-a-day program. experience recovery at all. Needle-exchange programs, or NEPs, For syringe-using addicts in the Charlotte area who have not yet made the decision first crept into mainstream consciousness during the early years of the HIV/AIDS to stop using, or for those who pandemic that became a major sometimes relapse and use again, public health crisis in the 1980s. needle-exchange programs In the United States, one and other harm-reduction of the earliest advocates of efforts save lives and NEPs was Jon Parker, a prevent diseases such as former IV drug user who in HIV and Hepatitis C. 1986 began a program in That’s where Kat New Haven, Connecticut. Nelson comes in. The By the later ’80s and early 32-year-old has devoted ’90s, programs had sprung the past two years of up in New York City, San her life in Charlotte to Francisco, Los Angeles and providing clean needles to MARK KEMP other large urban areas, and intravenous drug users, as today they’ve spread to 36 reported in this week’s cover states. In 2016, then-N.C. Gov. Pat story by news editor Ryan Pitkin. McCrory signed into law a bill allowing Nelson, a former IV user herself, became aware of the effectiveness of drug users to exchange needles here. The growing acceptance of NEPs has come needle-exchange programs and other harmreduction efforts, such as Naloxone — because they work. In the 1990s, federally which revives users who have experienced funded studies by the CDC, the National overdoses — while struggling with her own Academy of Sciences, the Government Accountability Office and other organizations addiction about a decade ago. It’s been a tough road for Nelson. Providing provided conclusive evidence that NEPs IV drug users with the tools to help them reduce the spread of HIV among IV drug continue using seems counterintuitive to users and their families, and that they do not some, and has been controversial both locally encourage increased drug use. In fact, addicts and nationwide. But harm-reduction efforts who participate in harm-reduction programs have proved hugely successful at preventing are five times more likely to seek treatment the spread of disease, according to numerous for their addictive disease, according to the studies over nearly four decades, including Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Although numerous organizations support ones done by the Centers for Disease Control NEPs, including the National Institutes of and the World Health Organization. In Charlotte, more and more people Health, the American Medical Association, are coming around to the importance of the American Psychological Association, the harm-reduction programs for addicts, as American Bar Association, the CDC and the the nation’s opioid epidemic continues to WHO, exchange programs still have detractors. Creative Loafing has long supported any claim lives. After years of working a needleexchange program out of her car, Nelson efforts to help drug addicts and those who now has a growing team of local allies, both suffer from other mental health-related diseases. These are problems that affect all private and professional. “I think everyone’s been touched in one of us in some way, but often don’t get the way or another in Charlotte by the opioid attention they deserve because people aren’t epidemic, so people’s attitudes are changing comfortable talking about them. At CL, we and they’re becoming more open,” Nelson will continue talking about them, because our lives, or the lives of some of our family tells Pitkin in his story on page 8. Nelson is part of the new Charlotte members or neighbors, depend on it. MKEMP@CLCLT.COM Regional Harm Reduction Coalition, a group CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 7
NEWS
COVERSTORY
A CLEAN EFFORT New coalition aims to expand Charlotte syringe exchange program BY RYAN PITKIN
K
AT NELSON WAS introduced to heroin at age 13 by a friend’s parent. Now 32, she looks back on it as a fateful experience. “I kind of sought it out. From a young age, I always wanted to get high. I think I was born this way,” Nelson says, a mischievous grin on her face. She began looking to get into recovery at around 18, but continued relapsing after accumulating more time clean each time she tried. Then, at one point in her early 20s, Nelson found herself in the middle of a street in Ballantyne being pulled off of a dying friend by police who she says were more interested in questioning her than saving his life. The experience changed her life path drastically. Nelson had just met this friend, a train hopper she had stayed up talking with all night, before the two decided to buy heroin in the morning and use, despite her having been clean for two years at that point. While they followed a dealer to a spot where they could cop, her friend was so intent on keeping up that he urinated in a bottle in the car. Once they got their gram of black tar heroin, he didn’t want to wait around, so he used his own urine to cook it up, despite Nelson’s warnings that black tar didn’t need to be cooked like other forms do. The friend had never tried black tar, so Nelson warned him not to shoot his entire half-gram. He did anyway. She says she still remembers the smell of burning piss and vinegar before the man shot up, then quickly made what Nelson calls the “death rattle” — a guttural gasp — and fell unconscious. “I hit his chest real hard, and I’m like, ‘Wake up, wake up,’ and I’m trying to drive still. He wakes up for a split second and then he falls back out,” Nelson remembers. “And I was like, ‘Well this is happening.’” She veered into a neighborhood in Ballantyne near Rae Road and pulled over in front of an upscale home. “I ran around the car, opened the door, and he was just so gray. I’ve seen a lot of overdoses, unfortunately, but I’ve still never seen someone look as dead as he did. It was just” — she pauses — “his tongue was out and his eyes were bulging.” Nelson tried giving the man CPR in the middle of the street while a woman who came out of a nearby house called 911. She would later spend six hours with homicide detectives who led her to believe her friend had died. He hadn’t, but the experience shook Nelson to her core and inspired her to begin researching revival techniques. 8 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
Kat Nelson hangs out at the Queen City Needle Exchange she hosts every Friday. Nelson found out about Naloxone, a medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. From there, she began learning more about harm reduction associated with drug use, and has since become one of the city’s strongest advocates for harm-reduction practices, even running a syringe-exchange program out of her car for many months in 2016 and 2017 — shortly after the programs became legal in North Carolina — before eventually becoming homeless and running it out of hotel rooms and from the streets. Since then, Nelson had backed away from the work, as it was overwhelming her. But in the last few weeks, she’s been back in the syringe-exchange game, and this time she has a team behind her. In recent months, advocates from around the Charlotte area have formed the Charlotte Regional Harm Reduction Coalition, a group with a mission to bring a fully funded, ’round-the-clock syringe-exchange program to Charlotte. When Nelson heard about the coalition’s efforts, she knew she had to be a part of it. She joined a preliminary discussion three months ago with other advocates and volunteers. “Just talking about it again got me completely excited. I just care so much about it,” Nelson says. “It’s just so important to me. So seeing that there were professionals, and these people also, there were people willing to
hear me out. I think the attitudes in Charlotte have changed a lot. “[Even though] I was a recovered addict, people would say, ‘Once an addict always an addict, it’s just some junkie who wanted to give syringes to other junkies,’” Nelson says of her earlier experiences with exchange programs. But now things are different. “I think everyone’s been touched in one way or another in Charlotte by the opioid epidemic, so people’s attitudes are changing and they’re becoming more open. Seeing these professionals who are listening to me, and hearing me out, and interested in helping — it’s just very encouraging.”
ON A RECENT FRIDAY, Nelson could be
doing anything else to begin her weekend, but just as with every other Friday afternoon, she’s sitting inside a small conference room in the Carolinas CARE Partnership offices in east Charlotte hoping someone will show up to pick up syringes. Or a cooker. Or a rubber tourniquet for tying off. Or some Naloxone. When clients do show, Nelson casually feels them out to see if they may be ready to seek help, but her main priority is to help supply the equipment they need and not put them under any pressure. Nobody shows on this Friday, but Nelson is not deterred. In fact, she’s excited. She
PHOTOS BY DANA VINDIGNI
just received a shipment of lock boxes that people can use for their heroin supplies if they live with children or in some other communal environment. She also got a bunch of Fentanyl strips, which act as a sort of “Fentanyl pregnancy test,” she says, letting drug users test their stash for the deadly substance that’s been behind so many overdoses in recent years. It’s just another day at the Queen City Needle Exchange, which Nelson runs from 2 to 6:30 p.m. every Friday. In its first month of existence, the program has been slow to get started because people don’t know about it and because intravenous drug users don’t often wait around for a specific time window. “I get calls throughout the week, but when people want supplies they want them then and there,” Nelson says. “And so I tell them, ‘Wait until Friday and then come in,’ and then so many people don’t show up because when they need syringes, they need syringes then. Until we can be open like five days a week, we’re going to be slow, because people will find other ways to get syringes.” Nelson does not want them to find other ways to get syringes, and that in essence is the driving force behind the many people who are now working to get a fully funded syringeexchange program in Charlotte. The harm reduction coalition is named so
Kat working in the Carolinas CARE Partnership offices where she hosts the needle exchange.
PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN
“I THINK EVERYONE’S BEEN TOUCHED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER IN CHARLOTTE BY THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC, SO PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES ARE CHANGING AND THEY’RE BECOMING MORE OPEN.” KAT NELSON, QUEEN CITY NEEDLE EXCHANGE after the practice of prioritizing public safety by reducing negative consequences associated with drug use while respecting the rights of drug users. Harm reduction practices have become more popular recently, as the opioid crisis has ramped up around the country and fact-based research has proven the practices to be effective. While critics of syringe-exchange programs say they are simply enabling addicts, decades of research has shown that the programs do not cause any increase in drug use, according to the Institute of Medicine; in fact, they decrease drug use by connecting users with people who can help them find treatment. According to a groundbreaking report in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment in 2000, syringe-exchange participants are five times more likely to enter drug treatment than non-participants. The programs have also proved to increase public safety. A 2004 study on the return rates at syringe-exchange programs showed that more than 90 percent of syringes distributed by exchange programs were returned, as opposed to being left out in public spaces, putting children and others at risk, or jammed into bags or scattered in cars, endangering police officers during searches. Perhaps the most impactful effect of syringe-exchange programs has been to curb the sharing of needles and stop the spread of blood-borne illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis C. Nelson points out that almost every heroin user, no matter what they tell themselves going in, will end up sharing a needle if they
don’t have access to a clean one. “Everybody says, ‘I’ll never share needles,’” Nelson says. “Of course, everybody thinks that. But the thing is, when you’re faced with being in withdrawal for the rest of the night or sharing a syringe with people who tell you, ‘Oh it’s clean, everyone’s clean,’ then it happens slowly. You mess up one time, but then the next time it’s not so hard to do it and then you kind of slip into it. Sharing just happens.” According to North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services, the cost of treating the state’s Medicaid patients with chronic Hepatitis C rose from about $8 million in 2013 to $50 million in 2014, and has continued to rise. While it’s legal to purchase syringes from a pharmacy in North Carolina, it’s up to the pharmacy technician to decide whether they feel comfortable selling them to a specifc customer. For Nelson, with her pink hair and stereotypical punk look, that can cause problems.
NOW, AS MEMBERS of the CRHRC are pushing to get funding for an exchange program here, they are finding that a big city like Charlotte has more barriers to launching a syringe exchange than many of the rural towns that have seen success across the state. Local advocates have found that the limited resources they get from the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition, of which the local group is a chapter, are placed into rural towns with a need, the impact can be much greater than it would be in Charlotte, where more funding
would be needed to effectively serve such a large population. Other obstacles include the high degree of difficulty in creating networks among all the different organizations that are involved in a syringe-exchange program, including law enforcement, hospital systems, mental health providers and more. Angela Allen, executive director at the Center for Prevention Services in Charlotte, says she has written two unsuccessful grants to get funding for a syringe-exchange program in Charlotte, but will continue trying. “The magnitude of this opioid issue is frankly making grant money very difficult to get, because there’s a lot of competition for it. I totally understand they can’t fund everybody, but there’s only so much we can do without the funding,” Allen says. “It’s not that people don’t want to give us money for this, but there are lots of worthy programs out there doing really needed things, and they have to make hard choices about who gets the money and who doesn’t. We keep plugging away at it, but it’s tough right now.” On a recent Monday morning, members of the CRHRC hosted a community discussion about harm reduction at Hal Marshall Services Center in uptown Charlotte. The discussion was the third one held since the coalition’s founding, aimed at helping folks in all the related communities understand the details and advantages of a syringe-exchange program in Charlotte. After Nelson gives a speech on harm reduction, as well as local drug rates and crime rates, Paisley Murff of Carolinas CARE
Partnership discusses the prevalence of HIV and other blood-borne viruses in the community. Then, Whitney Schwalm of the Cabarrus Health Alliance describes her experience launching a syringe-exchange program in Cabarrus County just over a year ago. Her firsthand knowledge is invaluable to the roomful of county workers, healthcare officials and drug prevention experts. As CHA’s harm reduction program coordinator, Schwalm was there from the beginning of the county’s syringe-exchange program. She and her team have since enrolled 115 participants and carried out 627 interactions with clients. They’ve handed out 2,300 syringes. Schwalm and and Marcella Beam, chief community health officer at CHA, later share with Creative Loafing their experience with fighting the stigma that sometimes comes with launching a syringe exchange program. They say the team took six months from the time the program originally received funding from a private donor to the time it launched in June 2017. They wanted to make sure CHA fully educated everyone who would be connected to the program. “When you’re wanting to implement an intervention that some might see as a little bit progressive, the last thing you want to do is set off people’s own personal sides or perceptions,” Beam says. “You want to include SEE
EFFORT P. 13 u
CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 9
10 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
NEWS
CAROLINA CANNABIS NOW
CANNABIS IS COMING, BUT THEN WHAT? Industry experts discuss the ‘Green Wave,’ social barriers and business tips BY RHIANNON FIONN
NEVER MIND that the North Carolina
investing a minimum of $10,000 each. There’s also widespread and persistent General Assembly has ignored every serious cannabis reform bill filed for more than a speculation that large companies like decade, industry insiders – both locally and Monsanto-Bayer and North Carolina’s own nationally – are gearing up for the green wave tobacco empires are intentionally bogging they say is a’comin’ to the Carolinas. You can down the legalization process while see it beginning to bud in the fields where positioning themselves for maximum profit North and South Carolina’s first modern once cannabis prohibition ends, or at least industrial hemp crops are growing taller and lightens up. (For what it’s worth, Monsanto says it’s not currently working on genetically bushier as you read this. This month, Chandra Macias, MBA, modified cannabis seeds.) After listening to Macias’ talks it sounds Ph.D., made two stops in North Carolina as a spokesperson for Women Grow, an like big money will rule the industry no organization that describes itself as “a matter what happens or when cannabis catalyst for women to influence and succeed prohibition ends. It also sounds like Garrett in the cannabis industry as the end of Perdue and his ilk will need to do a helluvalot more fundraising if their intention marijuana prohibition occurs on a is to position themselves well national scale.” Macias, a graduate for medicinal or recreational of both Howard and Rutgers business. Universities, is chair of According to Macias, Women Grow’s board and there are two types of owner of National Holistic cannabis businesses: Healing Center Medical those that touch the plant Marijuana Dispensary and those that don’t. For (NHHC) in Washington those wishing to work D.C. with the plant, she talks in At both of her terms of millions of dollars speaking engagements RHIANNON in start-up costs, including in Raleigh and Charlotte, needing $2 million in liquid Macias estimated that those FIONN assets and secured real estate to who are already working toward even qualify for a state dispensary entry into the cannabis industry in license. North Carolina “probably have a two-year Speaking of, she advises that those lead on their competition.” She estimates that cannabis will be fully legal in the Carolinas, wanting a license begin working on their applications now even though they don’t yet and the country, within a decade. Her message, however, was not entirely exist in the Carolinas. She says she expects one of hope; she offered plenty of advice, the window to file an application will be but you could see the reality of cannabis short, maybe 60 days, and that it could economics settling on those she spoke to be several hundred pages long. (Macias as if it were a wet blanket. Acknowledging suggested looking for redacted applications that she, an African-American woman, is an online.) Macias also told tales of those who put outlier, Macias outlined the barriers faced by prospective cannabis business owners. millions into their cannabis ventures only She also pointed out a reality already facing to see their money evaporate when someone the industry in other parts of the country: on their team ends up having a criminal According to her, women make up less than record, and she warns of charlatans already 26 percent of the current cannabis workforce circling the industry offering help for big and African Americans represent less than bucks even though they lack experience themselves. Macias says a genuine cannabis one percent. We can see this pattern playing out here industry consultant for someone wishing to in current headlines and on social media. As start a dispensary should have fees starting fun as it is to share hemp-crop photos from at $150,000. She also noted that worker bees proud North Carolina farmers via our new in the cannabis industry are making the same Instagram account, @CarolinaCannabisNews, minimum wage as those working in other the fact is that the faces in the photos are all service and agriculture businesses. In March, cannabis-focused research firm white and predominantly male. And did you hear the news about former New Frontier Data released its annual report, Gov. Bev Perdue’s son, Garrett, landing nearly Cannabis In the U.S. Economy: Jobs, Growth a million dollars for his cannabis venture? and Tax Revenue. The firm estimates that the He’s reportedly seeking another million and United States’ cannabis industry will create word is that investors in his company are a million jobs by 2025 and generate more
Shop online now at: www.carolinacbdmarket.com or Visit our store COMING SOON to Charlotte!
Mention this ad
and recieve 15% OFF! Use Code:
SUMMERCBD CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 11
12 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
NEWS
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
KARMA Walt Dean King, 69, just wanted to
take a look at a used car for sale on July 4. But when he approached the vehicle in the small California town of Tracy, about 60 miles east of San Francisco, he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a bull that had gotten loose. King felt the bull’s horn go through his side and crawled between a bush and a house as the bull stood over him snorting for about 20 minutes. FOX40 reported that King underwent three hours of surgery, after which doctors told him his belly fat had saved him from worse injury. King believes karma kept him alive: “Back in the ‘70s, I had pulled a lady out of a burning building, so now I think I’m being paid back, by not dying,” King said.
TODAY IN WHITE NEWS Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who have made their fortunes in tech-related fields have discovered a spiritually enriching new guru, Jess Magic, a ukulele player and singer who calls herself a “heartist.” At Magic’s intimate, invitationonly “Soul Salons” (and now on a 10-city national tour), participants share their energy and join in “songversations” — philosophical rap and improvised music and dance — a process Magic calls “a play date for your inner child.” Andrew Hewitt, creator of Game Changers 500, explains: “For people who live most of the time in their head, this feels like magic.” The New York Times reported that Magic believes her appeal is in response to the spiritual hollowness wealthy executives feel. “People forget that they are human beings rather than human doings,” she said. TAKE A KNEE Patriotism inspired Rain Wiggand, 22, and Zane Liles, 21, of Collins, Ohio, to construct an American flag using more than 2,000 Budweiser, Bud Light and Miller Lite beer cans. Wiggand posted pictures of the “beer flag” on Twitter on July 4. “It was a rough month of work for Zane and I,” Wiggand confessed, adding that they “averaged somewhere around 14 beers a night for 28 days straight.” Six other friends helped, he said, but they only drank on Thursdays to Sundays. Liles told BuzzFeed News, “It was a monthlong hangover that nothing could cure.” However, he said the project had not ruined beer for him. “I can still drink beer with the best of them.” CULTURAL NORMS In Ghana, the
reaction of mourners at a funeral is a measure of the deceased’s position in the community. But for family members who are unable to express their emotions openly, professional mourners will cry on their behalf. A leader of one team of criers told BBC Africa in July that they charge based on the size of the funeral, and the Kumasi Funeral Criers Association offers different styles of crying, such as crying with swag, crying and rolling on the
ground, and crying and vomiting. Ghanian funerals also feature dancing pallbearers and giant billboards to announce the funeral arrangements.
IT’S A COMPULSION In 1985, Tosya
Garibyan of Arinj, in Armenia, asked her husband, Levon Arkelian, 44, to dig a pit under their home where she could store potatoes. But once he got started, Radio Free Europe reported, he just couldn’t stop. Twenty-three years later, the underground oasis Arkelian created is a tourist attraction. Working as many as 18 hours a day with only a hammer and chisel, Arkelian created seven rooms, stairwells and passages running as deep as 65 feet and adorned them with carvings and decorations made from found objects. Arkelian passed away in 2008, and his widow welcomes tourists to her museum, which includes his shredded work boots and tools. But she says the couple argued about the project. “He ruined his health because of this hole,” she told RFE.
WAIT, WHAT? Brigadier Gen. Gholam Reza Jalali, the head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization, announced in a press conference on July 2 that Israel is manipulating the weather over Iran to prevent rain. “Israel and another country in the region have joint teams which work to ensure clouds entering Iranian skies are unable to release rain,” Jalali posited, according to YNet News. “On top of that, we are facing the issue of cloud and snow theft.” However, the head of Iran’s meteorological service was skeptical: “It is not possible for a country to steal snow or clouds. Iran has suffered a prolonged drought, and this is a global trend that does not apply only to Iran.” WEIRD SCIENCE If summer’s heat is making you anxious about body odor, you might want to investigate a helpful gadget launched on July 1 by Japanese health tech company Tanita: the ES-100, an odor-sensing device that will detect body odor or too much perfume or cologne. IT Media reported that the user simply points the sensor toward the underarm area (or other problematic spots), and in 10 seconds a numerical score will appear on the LED display. If you’re a 10 ... you’re not a 10. COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS In Madison, Wisconsin, an unidentified 19-yearold driver flipped his car after overcorrecting in traffic on July 3. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the man left the scene and removed some clothing, then pretended to be a jogger who happened by when police questioned him. Police said he was not impaired; he was later charged with leaving a crash scene and driving without a license. COPYRIGHT 2017 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
NEWS
COVERSTORY
EFFORT FROM P.9 t them in the conversation. What we always try to do is get everyone to the table [where] everyone can have open discussions about what’s working, what’s not working, what would work. You have them involved in the beginning and you’re not backing into the corner at the end to say, ‘Well, we’re going to do it anyway.’” Schwalm says that after she leaves her post for a new job she recently accepted, the Cabarrus Health Alliance will still be involved in a partnership with the Charlotte coalition, as some of the Cabarrus clients come from Mecklenburg County to participate in the program. “We’ll be sharing our resources, sharing our experience…,” Schwalm says. “We’re hoping to really make it a partnership versus just, ‘We’re telling you this is how we’re doing this,’ but continuing to combine efforts in reaching the folks who really need to be reached.”
WHEN IT COMES to educating the residents of Mecklenburg County about the advantages of a syringe-exchange program, Lauren Kestner will play a large role. Kestner, a prevention specialist with Center for Prevention Services, teaches youth programs on resilience and empowerment, while also working in marginalized communities in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties. She also helped found R Creative Collective, an arts collective made up of creatives in recovery, in 2015. Kestner is playing host at the Hal Marshall Center discussion, giving context between speakers and sharing bits of her own experience. At one point she tells the crowd how syringe-exchange programs were “life saving” for her. When we speak after the event, she explains what she meant. Kestner did not have access to a syringeexchange program where she lived in Newark, New Jersey, but she would often cross over into New York City, when possible, to get needles at a syringe exchange there. It was there that she began to learn things about her drug use that helped her stay healthy up until she was ready to seek treatment. “I was provided with all kinds of lifeboats, if you will: I was able to learn how to use bleach if I had to share needles, I learned how to shoot without blowing out veins [and about] wound-care kits,” Kestner says. “The beauty of syringe-exchange programs and what a lot of people don’t realize is that it’s an access point, and the things that saved my life — the shared information of how to use safely and how to get clean needles and all of these awesome tools — offered me the idea that my life had value and I wasn’t worthless and it reduced a lot of the shame that I had around being an IV drug user.” Kestner got involved with CPS after
QUEEN CITY NEEDLE EXCHANGE Fridays, 2-6:30 p.m.; 5855 Executive Center Drive, Suite 100; qcne.org
meeting Allen and applying for a part-time position before being offered a job full time. She says that as an artist, she never imagined doing this type of work, but now sees it as serendipitous. “I tend to think that it happened haphazardly, but it’s not by coincidence,” Kestner says. “When I look at harm reduction, it’s so creative and open-minded and inclusive, and embracing of just who you are on a very soul level — and that is art for me. That is creativity for me. So these two worlds are very much in sync with one another.” Kestner’s enthusiasm for the work she’s now doing with the CRHRC shines through in everything she says. She is ready with stats that back up all of her points about harm reduction, and it’s not hard to tell she’s optimistic about creating a syringe-exchange program in Charlotte. However, despite her optimism, Kestner is also a realist, and she emphasizes that there is some hard work to be done to be able to introduce harm reduction to a city as big as Charlotte. “I have a lot of hope, but what I hope doesn’t happen is I hope it’s not lip service,” Kestner says. “I hope people are very serious about changing how our community approaches this issue and takes a really serious interest in meeting a person where they’re at, and allowing them to facilitate the course of their path in recovery and not making it so difficult by saying it’s got to be one way, but giving them options. I hope that happens.” Nelson has kept her hope alive, as well, and for the time being, while Allen plugs away at funding, Nelson will continue to spend her Fridays at the Queen City Needle Exchange, hoping to help someone get clean, or shoot clean — whatever it is they need. As Nelson points out, though, before she can help anyone, they need to show up. “It isn’t doing good if no one knows about it,” she says, with all of her supplies out on the table in front of her. “Syringe exchanges, when you look at the numbers and the statistics and the studies, they speak for themselves. It sounds crazy giving people the tools to use drugs with, but in actuality, it always works. It saves money for everyone. It saves lives.” Now the question is, how to spread the word to help stop the spread of disease? RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM
CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 13
FOOD
FEATURE
A CLASSIC AMONG ROOKIES Mr. K’s keeps things old school as South End shifts around it BY SOPHIE WHISNANT
I
George Dizes still serves up the soft stuff (above), along with favorites like the bacon cheese fries (below).
14 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MR. K’S
N A SEA OF new and trendy businesses on South Boulevard, one classic sign stands out among the rest. Mr. K’s Soft Ice Cream’s original 1967 sign still stands on the corner across the street from yet another apartment development currently under construction. The vintage storefront may look out of place, but it serves as a reminder that traditional restaurants continue to exist in Charlotte, and they can still be successful selling American classics without any frills. The restaurant attracts a wide range of people, each one staking a place in Charlotte’s culinary history by eating such Mr. K’s staples as burgers, fries, onion rings and soft-serve ice cream that’s been on the menu since the restaurant’s founding more than 50 years ago. George Dizes owns and operates Mr. K’s with his wife, Pamela, the daughter of the original Mr. K, Theodore Karres. Dizes spends between 80 and 85 hours a week running this everyman’s restaurant, and he prides himself on the relationships he and his staff have cultivated with their diverse client base. “We get everybody from the construction workers to the doctors,” Dizes says. “You’ll see service vans pull in here and you’ll see Ferraris and Porsches, so it’s everybody and that’s a good thing.” Mr. K’s has become a beloved spot among the Q.C. community in part because it still occupies its original building and has kept its vintage feel. The restaurant has looked the same since 1971, when Mr. K expanded his ice cream stand into a full-fledged restaurant. There’s a long counter with small booths surrounding the interior, and tables outside. Since then, staff has included more modern aspects of Charlotte history, such as the Panthers paraphernalia that adorns the walls. “The spot hasn’t changed, the place hasn’t changed much, the menu is pretty accurate to what it was from Day One,” Dizes says. The staff serves up all the classics. Hot dogs, potato chips and milkshakes are fundamental pieces of the no-nonsense comfort food Mr. K’s offers for affordable prices. “We are as basic and scaled-down as it gets,” Dizes says. “We’re old school all the way.” The balance of quality and simplicity has created dedicated fans and repeat customers, one of which is Jennifer Bell, who has been coming to Mr. K’s two to three times a month since the ’90s. “It’s my absolute favorite place to have a hot dog in the city,” Bell says. “It’s always
kind of a feel-good place to eat … you leave feeling happy.” Bell says that even though she loves everything about the place — from the food to the customer service — she makes herself limit her trips to the restaurant. “I love it all; unfortunately, I’m gaining weight just talking about,” she says, joking. In the summer, customers turn out in droves to escape the sweltering heat and get some of the ice cream flavors advertised on the classic sign out front. Dizes says his ice cream uses a high butter fat content, something that sets Mr. K’s apart from its competitors. The result is an extremely creamy and rich ice cream, packed with flavor that can be enhanced by the addition of a chocolate dip, which creates a delicious, hard outer shell. “We close at 9 o’clock at night, and in the summer if I stayed open till 11 or 12, we’d still be getting business that late for ice cream,” Dizes says. Mr. K’s has become a family tradition in many senses. The business itself has always been family-owned, and a third generation has now entered the mix; the Dizeses’ son currently works there. But also, people who grew up with the restaurant have brought in their kids, who have then brought their own kids, and so on. “People grew up with Mr. K’s and Mr. K’s grew up with them,” Dizes says. “We got to know them and they got to know us.” Although Mr. K’s enjoys strong name recognition and a fervent following after 51 years in Charlotte, the restaurant still faces some challenges. In the heart of South End, there’s constant change and new development popping up around Mr. K’s. Dizes points to the large apartment complex going up right outside his window. “That’s both good and bad,” he says, matter-of-factly. On one hand, new apartment space means more people get to try Mr. K’s. On the other, there’s no guarantee that a younger crowd will be interested in the old-school vibe Dizes offers. He says there are some people who want a flashier restaurant, complete with neon, chrome or stainless steel — or yet another brewery. “Have you heard the term there’s more sizzle in steak?” Dizes asks. “Well, these people are looking for the sizzle and not the steak.” Dizes says that some potential diners care more about being in a trendy or chic environment than they do about the quality of the food, which directly contrasts with
New development dwarfs the classic sign out in front of Mr. K’s.
PHOTOS BY SOPHIE WHISNANT
“WITH ALL THE DEVELOPMENT THAT’S GOING ON AROUND HERE, I REALLY DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE’LL BE HERE BEFORE SOMEBODY COMES AND BUYS THE WHOLE CORNER.” GEORGE DIZES, OWNER, MR. K’S SOFT ICE CREAM
Mr. K’s principles. With the seemingly neverending construction, there’s always a level of uncertainty on Dizes’ mind. “With all the development that’s going on around here, I really don’t know how much longer we’ll be here before somebody comes and buys the whole corner,” he says. Besides the increasing amount of competition in the area, running Mr. K’s itself is a lot of work. “I get here between 7 and 7:30 in the morning, and I leave here between 9:30 and 10 o’clock every night,” Dizes says. While he isn’t planning on retiring anytime soon — Dizes still has to put two kids through college, he says — the restaurateur
has no idea what he will do when he does decide to retire, other than saying he does not want his own kids to take over the family business. “I would want them to have a higher quality of life, where they can spend time with their families, where they can have personal lives,” Dizes says. For the time being, Dizes and his staff continue to work hard and provide South End with time-honored American classics. “We have a reputation to uphold, and an image to uphold, and in some sense, in a convoluted sort of way, a responsibility to the city,” he says. Dizes understands that his job is to provide
simple and genuine food at a high quality. He’s tried branching out to include trendier menu items, but it has proved pointless. Instead, he’s started offering weekly specials that fall in line with the restaurant’s aesthetic, like the recent mini-corn dogs. “[Customers will] come in here and purchase those all day long,” Dizes says. “They will not come here and purchase a steak delmonico sandwich.” Embracing its niche has allowed Mr. K’s to become a tradition among Charlotte locals and residents. For now, Mr. K’s will continue to stick to its guns and offer some of the most well-loved American delicacies and old-school ice cream, made to order.
MR. K’S SOFT ICE CREAM Mon-Fri., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; 2107 South Blvd.; 704-375-4318; mrkssofticecream.com
“We gotta be doing something right just to be around for 51 years,” Dizes says. Here’s to another half century. BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM
CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 15
FRIDAY
27 BLOOM VI: FESTIVAL OF AWAKENING
FRIDAY
27 DJ JAZZY JEFF
What: Bloom, the cultural and performing arts festival that includes everything from burlesque to fire artists, is back for the sixth time. As in years past, the performers travel from around the country to perform together. Carmel Clavin of Spectacle and Mirth is back as MC, but this year the performances are accompanied by educational workshops to introduce participants to contortion, belly dancing and more.
What: He’s been spinning records long enough now that his former life as a pop-hop star with Fresh Prince Will Smith is just a tiny speck in the rear-view mirror. Laugh all you want at “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” but today Jeffrey Allen Townes is known as one of the greatest DJs on the planet. We’ll forgive him for getting back together with his old mate Smith last year for a couple of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince reunion gigs in Europe.
When: July 27-28, times vary Where: Shed Amphitheater at Station House, 4100 Raleigh St. More: $20 and up. inspireyourbloom.com
When: 9:30 p.m. Where: Suite, 210 E. Trade St. More: $15-$20. tinyurl.com/ JazzyJCLT
THINGS TO DO
TOP TEN
Bloom VI: Festival of Awakening FRIDAY PHOTO BY SHAUN HOLLINGSWORTH
FRIDAY
27 LADY ALMA
FRIDAY
27 MOTHER’S FINEST
28
PAINT & PLAY FESTIVAL
What: She’s not as well-known as her Philly soul sister Jill Scott, but house diva Lady Alma is a powerful singer in her own right. She was discovered in 1997 by DJ King Britt when he saw her on the dance floor, belting out the words to the records he was spinning with such gusto that he thought her voice was part of the music he was playing. Britt tapped her for his classic set When The Funk Hits the Fan, and the rest is herstory.
What: Back in the ’70s, when disco and Southern rock ruled the world, one mixed-race Southern funk-rock band combined the two into a party sound that didn’t just tear the roof off the sucker, it broke down barriers. When stunning lead singer Joyce “Baby Jean” Kennedy ripped into “Baby Love” or her vocalist partner Glenn “Doc” Murdock shouted over hard-rock riffs, “I don’t know, but I’ve been told / niggazz can’t sing rock ’n roll,” rock and funk fans alike got slayed.
What: The Queen City Urban Art Showcase is celebrating two years by hosting this festival, which truly brings it all. Complete with live painters, spoken word, dancing, bowling, cupcakes and even massages, the day will change your nonexistent perception of the boundaries of arts at a go-kart track. Everything’s free before 5 p.m., save for the bowling, but the switch things up at 6 with Comic Strip Vol. 2, a comedian battle including roasts and stand up.
When: 9 p.m. July 27 Where: Morehead Tavern, 300 E. Morehead St. More: $12-$20. tinyurl.com/ DivaAlma
When: 8 p.m. Where: Underground, 820 Hamilton St. More: $20. tinyurl.com/ MothersFinestCLT
When: 1-10 p.m. Where: Victory Lane Karting, 2330 Tipton Drive More: Free admission. tinyurl.com/PaintPlayFest
Last year’s Reader’s Pick for Best Local Band in our Best of Charlotte issue, Dollar Signs is back with a new album. We play some riffs on episode 52, available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or clclt.com on Thursday, July 26. 16 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
SATURDAY
Vans Warped Tour MONDAY
DJ Jazzy Jeff FRIDAY
NEWS ARTS FOOD MUSIC ODDS
Kesha WEDNESDAY PHOTO BY DOPEFISH
SATURDAY
28
PDGA AMATEUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL What: If you’re reading this, the amateur disc golf world championships have begun. Spanning five days on nine CLTarea courses, it all comes down to Saturday at Renny Gold, one of the more difficult courses in the city. Back in 2016, we called Charlotte the “Mecca of Disc Golf” and it’s continued to grow since the Pro World Championships came here in 2012. Sure, this won’t be as cool, but still a perfect opportunity to check out the skills. When: TBD Where: Renassaince Park, 1200 W. Tyvola Road More: Free. 2018amworlds.com
PHOTO BY JEFF HAHNE
PHOTO BY PETER NEILL
SATURDAY
28
BAKALAO STARS What: Charlotte’s Bakalao Stars are gearing up to release a new fulllength album this August. The band was known for repping Charlotte’s exploding early-2000’s rock en Español scene. Since the initial creation of the genre, many of the bands doing it have morphed into other things or broken up entirely, but Bakalao Stars and their reggae twist on rock en Español is still holding down the fort. They’ll play the Neighborhood before dropping their new release. When: 8 p.m. Where: Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St. More: $10. neighborhoodtheatre.com
SUNDAY
29
MONDAY
30
WILLIAM SHATNER LIVE
VANS WARPED TOUR
What: For dedicated trekkies, watching Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan at Ovens Auditorium is enough to get excited about in itself. However, add in an appearance from Captain James T. Kirk himself and things get better than any sci-fi nerd could imagine. William Shatner will appear at the end of the screening to discuss his time in the Star Trek world and tell stories about his 50-year career in the biz, including other hits like T.J. Hooker and those Priceline commercials.
What: It’s the end of an angsty era. The Vans Warped Tour is bringing some of the most well-known names in pop-punk, emo, metal, hard and alternative rock across the country on a massive tour for the last time this year. This year marks the end of the traveling festival, which debuted in 1995 with bands like No Doubt and Sublime leading the charge. The 2018 Charlotte lineup includes 3OH!3, Mayday Parade, We The Kings, The Maine and Simple Plan. Go get Warped for the last time.
When: 7 p.m. Where: Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. More: $39 and up. ovensauditorium.com
When:11 a.m. Where: PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd. More: $45-55. vanswarpedtour.com
WEDNESDAY
1
THE ADVENTURES OF KESHA AND MACKLEMORE What: After years of legal and personal headaches, Kesha is better than ever, making her comeback tour with that thrift shopper by her side. In a cringey Youtube video announcing the tour, Kesha convinces Macklemore to stick to music and not become a professional rollerblader (thanks a lot!). We’re there for Kesha classics like “Tik Tok” and the gut-wrenching single off of Rainbow, “Praying,” but we wish she would just Mackle less. When: 7 p.m. Where: PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd. More: $30.50 and up. charlottemusicpavilion.com
sten. We joined up with heavy hitters on The Charlotte Podcast, The Comedy Zone Podcast, Cheers Charlotte Radio and The Yelp Charlotte Podcast to show what CLT has to offer in the audio realm. Be sure to check out our new squad at queencitypodcastnetwork.com. CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 17
MUSIC
FEATURE
ALL ABOARD Come ride the ‘Night Train’ with AKITA, the city’s hot new funk band BY MARK KEMP
O
N A RECENT FRIDAY night ’round midnight, AKITA is cooking up a warm, meaty stew of deep, throbbing funk — guttural bass lines and stinging guitar that creep and crawl in lockstep with some sharp, spoton drumming and tasteful blurts of tenor sax and trombone. Right now, the music is simmering in the intro of the band’s original tune “FTS (Funk This Shit),” but the song soon becomes a big, bubbling, high-energy instrumental workout. Later in the set, AKITA will segue into a taut cover of the Meters’ classic “Cissy Strut” followed by an original take on the Incredible Bongo Band’s iconic “Apache” — two of the most influential funk tracks ever put to wax. By the end of the set, the crowd packed in front of the stage inside the Rabbit Hole in Plaza Midwood will explode into a frenzy of dancing, skipping, waving and shouting for more. It’s a typical gig for AKITA, a Charlotte band whose five members you’d never believe have been performing togther for less than a year. Patrick Buckley laughs. “Neither can we,” the drummer says. It’s a few days after the Rabbit Hole gig, and Buckley is sitting with his band mates — bassist Zak Ferrell, guitarist Sam Farnham, saxophonist Charlie Lampercht and trombonist Dan Hamalainen — at a picnic table in Freedom Park under a cloudy sky and occasional raindrops. The five are talking about how they came together in November of 2017 and gelled so quickly. “The speed at which things are happening for us is extremely exciting and unanticipated,” Buckley says. Buckley is AKITA’s founder and leader, who had a specific vision for the band and made damn sure he assembled the right players for it. He didn’t want part-timers who were only interested in doing music as a side gig. He wanted musicians willing to work hard and stick it out for a decade or more. Within six months of jamming together, the band posted its first song to Soundcloud, “Freak,” which features introductory soloing by each instrumentalist. Two more tracks followed: the progressive-funk workout “Hot Step” and the sweet, slinky “Mori.” None of those recordings do the band justice, though. To really get what AKITA does best, you have to see them onstage, because, Buckley notes, “People recognize your commitment to the music the most during your live performances.” On Friday, July 27, residents of Camden 18 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
PHOTO BY DARNELL SANDERS AKITA cooks up some tasty funk at the Rabbit Hole: Saxophonist Charlie Lampercht (from left), trombonist Dan Hamalainen, drummer Patrick Buckley, guitarist Sam Farnham and bassist Zak Ferrell. Suites will get that opportunity when AKITA Buckley posted a notice on Craigslist that I always liked funk bands, from Earth, Wind plays a private rooftop gig there, followed got the attention of guitarist Farnham and and Fire to the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers, and by public performances on Aug. 5 at the trombonist Hamalainen. Buckley made it soul singers like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. Pizza Peel on Central Avenue and a slate of clear to the two that AKITA would not just That led me to start listening to Lettuce and September shows — VBGB Beer Hall on the be a side project, and they agreed to commit. got me more and more interested in funk.” Farnham and Hamalainen had attended 7th, Thomas Street Tavern on the 8th, and Lampercht and 25-year-old Hamalainen Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on the 14th. began working on their horn parts alone, the same high school together in Cary, and In the meantime, the band has been and in band rehearsals the quintet folded reconnected in Charlotte after Hamalainen woodshedding new material and a new sound the arrangements into its already rock-solid came here to study at UNC Charlotte and for a full-length debut album they’ll begin rhythm section. The lineup was complete, and Farnham followed upon graduating from N.C. State in Raleigh. In Charlotte, the two played recording next March and release in May. ready to hit the stages of local clubs. “We’re going to do a video production for one Each member of AKITA comes from guitar and drums together, but Hamalainen, of the songs on the album that will capture different backgrounds, but they all share who had played trombone in high school, picked everything from the first idea of the song a fondness for the NYC-based funk outfit up the instrument again for AKITA. From his through to the completion of it,” Buckley says. Lettuce. “I have so much respect for those playing, you’d never know he ever stopped. Lampercht began playing alto sax as a kid guys,” Buckley says, “both for their music and AFTER POUNDING IT out for a few years for the way they’ve gone about building their growing up in Berlin, Germany, and continued as a sideman in other people’s projects, career. They each individually have their own playing in the band at North Mecklenburg High including CL contributor Kia Moore’s Hip solo careers on top of this phenomenal band.” School when his family relocated to Charlotte. Hop Orchestrated, Buckley, 30, was itching to Like Lettuce, AKITA is part of a continuum He briefly put performance behind him when pursue his own project last fall. In September, of jazz-based funk bands that have followed he enrolled at UNC Charlotte, where he studied with Moore’s blessings, he left Hip Hop in the wake of Miles Davis’ famous fusion political science and philosophy, and got his Orchestrated and formed AKITA. albums of the early 1970s, Bitches Brew and master’s in public budgeting and finance. “Patrick is such a talented and dedicated On the Corner. Guitarist Farnham says as a “Between three different jazz bands and two drummer. His enthusiasm to blend sounds kid he was inspired by John McLaughlin, the different orchestras, it just got to be too much,” to make something new helped Hip Hop guitarist who played the angular parts on Lampercht says. “So I quit the bands but I never Orchestrated stand out,” Moore says of those albums and later formed Mahavishnu quit playing the saxophone. I just got tired of Buckley. “His drumming — as the heartbeat Orchestra. McLaughlin and other Miles and playing the music they wanted me to play — the of our performances — brought that special Parliament-Funkadelic players were pioneers corny stuff. I wanted to experiment more.” So did bassist Ferrell, who had attended live hip-hop sound that we needed. He was of the kind of experimental fusions of funk always ready to help and ready for a gig.” and jazz that Bill Laswell would bring into the Charlotte’s Northwest School of the Arts AKITA began life as a simple rhythm ’80s with his downtown NYC outfits Golden during his middle and high school years, section — which is also the heartbeat of a funk Palominos and Material, the latter of which and continued his music studies at CPCC, band — when Buckley and bassist Ferrell, 27, introduced a young Whitney Houston to the where he took a jazz improv class under Charlotte jazzman Bill Hanna. Ferrell, who got together for some jam sessions. They soon world before she became a pop star. added 27-year-old saxophonist Lampercht, “My dad hooked me up with a guitar earlier played in the punk-funk band Fireman singer Mori B. and an earlier guitarist. When instructor who was always pushing things on Bill, was ready for a change and jumped at the Mori B. and the first guitarist moved on, me like McLaughlin,” Farnham, 26, says. “And opportuity to join Buckley’s new funk project.
PHOTO BY JAMAR PERRY
The band (above) gets all posey: Hamalainen (from left), Lampercht, Buckley, Farnham and Ferrell (seated). Buckley (below) kicks out the jams.
AKITA 4 p.m. Aug. 5. Pizza Peel, 1600 Central Ave. Free. tinyurl.com/AKITAshows
BUCKLEY HAD PLAYED drums since
age 16, but didn’t get serious about music until about four years ago. That’s when he began sitting in at the weekly jam sessions at Smokey Joe’s Café, honing his chops. “I’d go there every Tuesday for the first two years, and it really sucked at first, because when you go to a place like that and you’re batting 60 and everyone else is batting 90 or 100, you have to learn to up your game really quickly,” he says. “Because it’s not fun when you’re the one who sucks onstage — especially when you’re a drummer, because it’s really obvious when the drummer sucks.” Buckley also started meeting up with Charlotte percussionist Jim Brock, the Monday Night Allstars member who’s played with national acts ranging from the late British soul man Joe Cocker to country singer Kathy Mattea. “Jim has done everything in the music industry, and he’s the most humble guy about it,” Buckley says. “You go into his house and there are records upon records, and all these crazy percussion instruments everywhere. In fact, I just had lunch with him the other day, and he’s always as cool as a cucumber. He’s an observer, and there’s a lot of wisdom in him that you can learn from.”
Once Buckley felt comfortable with his skill level on the drums, he began accepting invitations to perform at local music venues and art spaces. He met Moore while doing a gig for the artist collective UrbanZue. “They had asked me to come play my drums with a DJ — like a musical chairs kind of thing — and it was the weirdest gig I’d ever done, but it was a lot of fun, and I met Kia there.” After performing with Moore’s Hip Hop Orchestrated in late 2016 and 2017, Buckley was ready to jump out on his own to form the ultimate funk band. “We hated to see him go,” Moore remembers, “but we knew that him starting his own band was in his heart.” SEE
ABOARD P. 20 u CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 19
MUSIC
FEATURE ABOARD FROM P. 19 t
RIGHT NOW AKITA’s heart is pumping
hard and the band’s future looks bright. For one thing, Buckley says, he and his bandmates’ willingness to throw smart cover choices into their sets, like “Cissy Strut,” “Apache” and James Brown’s “Night Train,” along with original tunes makes them a surefire draw at nontraditional venues. “Charlotte is a city where if you’re an original band but you’re willing to do a few well-chosen covers, then you can grab a lot of great brewery gigs,” Buckley says. “And that’s been a massive advantage that we’ve had. I knew that if we were going to end up being a good funk band, having covers would not only be a great way to honor those great musicians from the past, but also a way to get people interested. It means our music is not only danceable, but familiar — and then we also get to do our original material. “I think that’s a wise mix,” he adds. “It makes you better.” Ferrell, a big Meters fan, suggested the band should do “Cissy Strut”; Lampercht recommended “Apache,” which he says the band takes for granted because it’s easy to perform. The cover that’s closer to Lampercht’s heart is “Night Train.” “When I was younger, I would come home and play Aretha Franklin songs and other James Brown songs, but when ‘Night Train’ would come on, I would just stop and listen — put down the sax, let the greatness play,” Lampercht says. “So when we play that one, I get a special joy.” The guys in AKITA are happy with their current set list, but Lampercht says after August, fans should expect a new sound. “We recently looked over our list and we feel like we’re ready to close the book on a lot of those songs and further develop our own voice, move into some different directions,” he says. “So you might find a different AKITA in September — but with the same vibe.” The band also would like to reconnect with earlier singer Mori B. The guys miss her so much that they named their track “Mori” — which the band began writing when she was a member — in her honor. “We’ve tried relentlessly to get ahold of her, because she has such a great voice, but we just kind of lost touch,” Buckley says. “We had started to write that song with her, so now we call it ‘Mori’ and we always play it live, hoping that she’s somewhere out in the crowd and will come up and sing it with us.” Lampercht laughs. “I’m laughing,” he explains, “because every time I hear that story and then listen to the song, it really does have this very melancholy sound when the horns come in. It’s almost sad. It’s like happy sad. Maybe she’ll come back eventually and we can do ‘Mori (The Remix).’” This could be the shout-out she needs. So Mori B.: If you’re out there reading this, hop on the Night Train and get on over to the rehearsal space. Your seat remains vacant. MKEMP@CLCLT.COM
20 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
MUSIC
MUSICMAKER
River Ratz in a rural setting: Fiddler Scott Lankford (from left); his wife, bassist Suman Lankford; guitarist Steve Ratzlaff; and his wife, banjo player Margie Ratzlaff.
TRADITIONAL DIVERSITY Charlotte’s River Ratz talk about their goodtime “fun-grass” sound BY MARK KEMP
OLD-TIME STRING bands may be among
the least hip or cool musical outfits you could think of, but they’re also among the most fun to watch and dance to. Go see a band like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and try to remain seated. You can’t do it. String-band music and its later offshoot bluegrass are, by definition, traditional genres. In the old days, at least on the surface, that meant a typical quartet was made up of scraggly white men picking guitars, sawing on fiddles, plucking banjos and upright bass, and moaning high-lonesome harmonies, Bill Monroe-style, over rural folk melodies often played at lightning speed. I say “on the surface,” because if you dig deeper into the history of Southern and Appalachian string bands, there were as many African-American string bands as white ones. Those groups just didn’t get the attention of a Louvin Brothers or Flatt & Scruggs, or even subsequent so-called newgrass acts such as the Seldom Scene or New Grass Revival. Popular attention to diversity in the world of old-time string bands didn’t come until years later, when the Black Banjo Gatherings of the early 2000s birthed the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Today, Chocolate Drops singer Rhiannon Giddens is a solo star of Americana music, and younger acts playing old-time black string-band music have cropped up everywhere. All of this makes the River Ratz’ arrival on Charlotte’s acoustic string-band scene intriguing. This outfit embraces a different kind of diversity — two men and two women, one born in India and raised in Maryland, where she got the best of both musical worlds. “My family emigrated from India to the U.S. in 1972 when I was 4,” River Ratz’ upright bassist Suman Lankford says. “We had no money for records, so I listened to the Top 40 on the radio and my mom’s Indian records. As a teenager my brother brought home rock albums from the library, and that’s when I discovered the Beatles, Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel and even Elvis. I liked everything I heard.” The River Ratz formed when banjo player Margie Ratzlaff and her contractor husband, guitarist Steve, began playing together in their living room in 2014, with son Matt on bass. They eventually recruited oncologist Scott Lankford to play mandolin, fiddle and other instruments; pharmacist Suman, Lankford’s wife, would sit in on washboard
RIVER RATZ PHOTO AND ART COURTESY OF RIVER RATZ
occasionally, before she joined the band full time on bass when Matt left for the military. The quartet performs a mix of originals and standards, and will be doing several shows in the Charlotte area in the coming weeks, including one on July 28 at Birdsong Brewing in NoDa. I talked to the River Ratz recently to find out what inspires this diverse group of pickers and grinners. Creative Loafing: Diversity in the world of string bands has been on an upswing in the past several years with the arrival of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, all-female groups like Della Mae and Béla Fleck’s collaborations with Zakir Hussain. What role, if any, does River Ratz’ diversity play in your music? Margie Ratzlaff: I love our nontraditional group of two women and two men onstage. It is very important to me that we are unique, because it allows us to create something that is original and different from traditional groups. None of our [onstage] dialogue is rehearsed; it just comes so naturally and comes from the heart. So much of what comes out onstage is naturally humorous, because we are two married couples. All of you were born in the U.S. and grew up on American music, except Suman, who was born in India and raised here listening to both the American Top 40 and her mother’s Indian records. Does that influence make its way into River Ratz’ music? Suman Lankford: [laughs] No, not really. I begrudgingly listened to Indian music [as a child], but now I even listen to it while I’m running. At some point I would like to get
6-8 p.m. July 28. Birdsong Brewing, 1016 N Davidson St. Free. birdsongbrewing.com/calendar
into it more, for the rhythms. Indian music is completely different than Western music, and I’m not sure most Americans would find it pleasing. Speaking of being two married couples — how does that dynamic work out in the band? Steve Ratzlaff: The fun of playing music with your wife and awesome friends is an unbelievable high. Now that my wife and I are empty nesters, playing music has created a special bond between us and has given us something that we can do together. Suman Lankford: We have always said at shows that we’re two empty-nester couples that have both been married a long time. I think it helps the audience to see us and think about maybe doing something similar with their significant others. What’s the perfect River Ratz show — that performance where you all walk away 100-percent satisfied that you’ve delivered? Scott Lankford: Our best shows are when we get the audience involved. We call this “fun-grass.” We always bring a grab bag of percussion instruments and hand them out to enthusiastic audience members, so they can join us onstage. Sometimes audience members like to sing, and we’ll learn a new song on the spot with our “guest vocalist” on lead. We feed off of the energy of our audience, and when they’re involved, we are having the time of our lives. MKEMP@CLCLT.COM
CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 21
MUSIC
SOUNDBOARD JULY 26 DJ/ELECTRONIC Dende (Salud Cerveceria) DJ Matt B (Tin Roof) Le Bang (Snug Harbor)
POP/ROCK
Open Mic for Musicians hosted by Ryan Happy Hippie (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub) The Soul Psychedelique (Rooftop 210) Act 2 (RiRa Irish Pub) Consider The Source, Open Soul Project (The Rabbit Hole) Hunter’s Travesty (Comet Grill) Kang, Added Color, Thanks To You (Oso Skate Park) Karaoke (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Music Bingo with Dr. Music (Heist Brewery) Seth Walker Trio (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Shana Blake and Friends (Smokey Joe’s Cafe) When Particles Collide, The Menders, Dallas Thrasher (Petra’s) Wild Adriatic (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Zac Clark featuring Bob Oxblood (Evening Muse)
Summer Concert Series (Blakeney Shopping Center) 76 and Sunny (Tin Roof) Animus Remains, The Flight Risks, The Chollies, Dilarian (Keg & Cue) Birdtalker, Sons Of Daughters (Neighborhood Theatre) Charlie Puth, Hailee Steinfeld (PNC Music Pavilion) The Donner Deads & Canyon, Sunday Boxing, StormWatchers (Milestone) Jitsu, The Business People, Write The Ship (Snug Harbor) Joshua Moyer (Cabarrus Brewing Company, Concord) KIDZ BOP Kids (Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre) KohliCalhoun (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Leisure McCorkle (Caswell Station) Mother’s Finest (The Underground) The Orange Constant, Daddy’s Beemer (Evening Muse) Porcelain Mary (Smokey Joe’s Cafe) Porch 40 (Visulite Theatre) Rastacoustic Rub-a-Dub (Birdsong Brewery) Thirsty Horses (RiRa Irish Pub) Travis Meadows, Caleb Elliott (Evening Muse)
JULY 27
JULY 28
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B The Matters, WaterWorks & Mr. Genius, The Robot Inventors (Milestone) Tory Lanez (The Underground)
POP/ROCK
CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Jazzy Fridays (Freshwaters Restaurant)
BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL Amber North Band (Mac Tabby Cat Cafe)
COUNTRY/FOLK Canaan Smith (Rooftop 210) Coddle Creek (U.S. National Whitewater Center) The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B House Music Live w/Lady Alma (Morehead Tavern)
DJ/ELECTRONIC Blastoff: DJ Cody, Psycry, Rumur, FamUs, Freaky (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub) DJ Raquest (RiRa Irish Pub) 22 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
DJ Stephen Craig (Tin Roof) Mirror Moves - 80’s and 90’s Dance Party - 5 year anniversary (Petra’s)
CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Annual July Jazz Concert Series: Damon K. Clark (Great Aunt Stella Center) Jeanette Harris (McGlohon Theater)
COUNTRY/FOLK Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini (PNC Music Pavilion) Kenny George Band, Few Miles South (Evening Muse) Nora Jane Struthers (U.S. National Whitewater Center)
DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Karz (Tin Roof) DJ RWonz (RiRa Irish Pub) Tilted DJ Saturdays (Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
MUSIC
SOUNDBOARD Jit Nit - A History of Ghetto Music on Vinyl: Melodious Funk, Adverb, DJ Ray (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub)
POP/ROCK Summer Concert Series (Blakeney Shopping Center) BadCameo, Lovely Budz (Evening Muse) Bakaloa Stars, Jahlistic (Neighborhood Theatre) Cosmic Charlie (Visulite Theatre) Dirty Cosmic, Doug Thompson (Summit Coffee Co., Davidson) EMO Night Carolina (Skylark Social Club) Fish Out of Water (Thomas Street Tavern) Glassjaw (The Underground) Jangling Sparrows (Smokey Joe’s Cafe) The Jump Cut (Tin Roof) Lipid, K-9 Unit, Acne (Snug Harbor) Metallideth, Lunacy Rain, Carolina Vibes (The Rabbit Hole) Radio Lola (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Random Conflict, South Side Punx, Valence NC, The Commonwealth (Milestone) RJ Acoustics (RiRa Irish Pub) Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper (Spectrum Center) Shabudikah (Heist Brewery) Truckstop Preachers (Comet Grill)
JULY 29 DJ/ELECTRONIC Bone Snugs-N-Harmony: Bryan Pierce (Snug Harbor) More Fyah - Grown & Sexy Vibes (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub)
POP/ROCK
Tethys, Recover The Satellite, Fools Generation (Milestone) Find Your Muse Open Mic welcomes West King String Band (Evening Muse) It Looks Sad, Molly Drag, Past Life, Audrey (Oso Skate Park) Jamorah (Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Charlotte) Vans Warped Tour (PNC Music Pavilion) Open Mic with Lisa De Novo (Legion Brewing)
JULY 31 COUNTRY/FOLK Erin Rae, Samuel Gregg (Neighborhood Theatre) Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Eclectic Soul Tuesdays - RnB & Poetry (Apostrophe Lounge) Soulful Tuesdays: DJ ChopstickZ, DJ JTate Beats (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub)
DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Steel Wheel (Snug Harbor)
POP/ROCK Open Jam with the Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s Cafe) Josh Ritter (McGlohon Theater) Mammoth Indigo, Never Home, Futurists (Snug Harbor) Uptown Unplugged with Jeff Lucero (Tin Roof)
AUGUST 1 BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL Bugalú - August Edition (Petra’s)
Eddie Z & The Vault Dwellers (Evening Muse) Freddy Jones Band (Neighborhood Theatre) Metal Church Sunday Service (Milestone) Omari and The Hellhounds (Comet Grill)
DJ/ELECTRONIC
JULY 30
August Residency: Cheesus Crust, Modern Primitives, Lil Skritt, Infrared Mutombo (Snug Harbor) Kesha, Macklemore (PNC Music Pavilion) Marilyn Manson (The Fillmore) Open Mic (JackBeagle’s) Solemn Shapes, Midnight Opera, Mauve Angeles (Milestone) Songwriter Open Mic @ Petra’s (Petra’s) Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse)
CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Ghost Trees, Okapi (Petra’s)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B #MFGD Open Mic (Apostrophe Lounge) Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)
POP/ROCK Becomes Astral & Today’s Last Tragedy,
Cyclops Bar: Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor)
POP/ROCK
7/25 THE SHEEPDOGS 7/28COSMIC CHARLIE - JERRY GARCIA BIRTHDAY BASH! 7/27 PORCH 40 8/3 THE WORMHOLES 8/5 LYDIA 8/4 BIG MAMMAS HOUSE OF BURLESQUE 8/10Abacab A Tributeto GENESIS 8/17 RED BARCHETTA A Tribute to RUSH 8/18 ABBEY ROAD LIVE! 8/24 TREEHOUSE 9/6 FAMILY AND FRIENDS 9/11 JOSEPH 9/19 NOAH GUNDERSEN 9/28 CAAMP 9/30 CASEY JAMES 10/2 MT. JOY10/9WELSHLY ARMS 10/31BUMPIN UGLIES + TROPIDELIC 11/7 WILL HOGE 11/10THE NIGHT GAME 12/15 RUNAWAY GIN NEED DIRECTIONS? Check out our website at clclt.
com. CL online provides addresses, maps and directions from your location. Send us your concert listings: E-mail us at mkemp@clclt. com or fax it to 704-522-8088. We need the date, venue, band name and contact name and number. The deadline is each Wednesday, one week before publication. CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 23
ARTS
FEATURE
TALK ABOUT THE PASSION Dammit Wesley gets the conversation rolling BY PAT MORAN
T
HE ARTS HAVE always been a very powerful weapon,” Jimi Thompson says, “especially for people of color.” Thompson is better known as Dammit Wesley, the 31-yearold painter, innovator and part-owner of the BlkMrktCLT art gallery and photography studio at Camp North End, which celebrates its one-year anniversary on Friday, July 27. Thompson is seldom at a loss for words about the state of the arts or the African-American community in Charlotte. For instance, in the past five minutes, the conversation has ranged from the ethnicity of Jesus Christ — Thompson points out the Messiah was most likely black — to the importance of arts literacy for people of color. He maintains that a legacy of visual arts is necessary to knit together AfricanAmerican culture and give it an identity. As Thompson sees it, the city is not plagued by a glut of starving artists; instead, we are drowning in a sea of starved consumers. “There are people out there who want more than what they’re getting,” Thompson maintains. “They don’t believe Charlotte has a bubbling creative culture. There’s nothing encouraging them to experience and experiment and try to put things right.” By both design and organic evolution, Thompson’s career has been a response and counterweight to the problems he identifies. When he saw a shortage of arts shows for and by people of color, he teamed up with DJ Fannie Mae for “Dammit Fannie,” a series of monthly showcases. When Thompson decided to move the showcases to a permanent space, he co-founded BlkMrktCLT with photographer Will Jenkins. Similarly, when Thompson felt media coverage of the arts had become stagnant, with artists answering the same tired old marketing and resume questions, he launched and co-hosted the podcast “Let’s Talk Dammit” with his sister, Jessica Thompson. After the podcast had run its course, Thompson transferred its anythinggoes-attitude to a monthly open forum, also called “Let’s Talk Dammit,” where Charlotte artists of color can discuss and share information about their craft and their business. As befitting an outspoken artist and defacto community leader, Thompson’s arts background and training are also unconventional. He started in the arts not by choice but by circumstance. “When I was five years old and in kindergarten I had a serious stutter,” 24 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
PHOTO BY CAREY KING
Dammit Wesley paints ideas. art.
“A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE DON’T EMBARK ON THEIR JOURNEY, AND THEY DON’T ACT ON THEIR DREAMS SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T SEEN ANYBODY LIKE THEM DO IT.” JIMI THOMPSON
Thompson says. “So visual communication became a necessary survival skill.” At an early age, the native of Greenville, South Carolina, realized that visual arts is a distinct language. That lesson came in handy when he auditioned for — and won — a spot at Greenville’s prestigious Fine Arts Center, where from third grade to his high school graduation Thompson received a college-level education in multiple fine arts disciplines, including painting, drawing, ceramics, theater and music. He went on to study graphic design at Winthrop University, where his outspokenness and youthful bravado caused him to butt heads with some of his professors. “I was running into a lot of personal and political issues [in the classroom], and that steered me out of the commercial arts area,” Thompson says. In his early 20s, he
was making art while trying to make ends meet. He didn’t have money to buy canvasses, so he painted on the back of pizza boxes. Thompson says he was creating just to create. In the same way that some people deal with problems by stress-eating, he would stress paint — a practice Thompson continues to this day. Eventually, an arts encounter changed the course of Thompson’s career, and he says he owes it to an ad he saw in Creative Loafing for “Art, Beats & Lyrics,” a traveling hip-hop and arts showcase. “I was 21 years old and it was the first time in my entire life that I was seeing an exhibition with all-black artists,” Thompson says. “All the people at the event looked like me. And the band was playing covers of old Def Jam records.” The show was a revelation, and Thompson realized he didn’t have to be beholden to
PHOTO BY WILL JENKINS
With arts advocate Jessica Moss. white Eurocentric arts and aesthetics to make meaningful work. He could actually create things for people like himself. “A lot of times people don’t embark on their journey, and they don’t act on their dreams simply because they haven’t seen anybody like them do it,” Thompson says. So, Thompson determined to bring the inspiration that fired his imagination to
PHOTO BY CAREY KING
The artist in his studio others. In 2013 he started doing live painting at events around Charlotte, where he kept running into DJ Fannie Mae. “Eventually, we linked up to make something happen, and everything fell into place after that,” Thompson remembers. For the next three years, the pair mounted monthly “Dammit Fannie” showcases at venues like Dupp&Swatt and Studio 1212, where Thompson curated the live painters and all the visual art. Monthly arts showcases continue in the duo’s permanent BlkMrktCLT home at Camp North End, which serves as a photography studio for Will Jenkins, but also quickly became a venue where creativity is encouraged. BlkMrktCLT is a space where creatives of color can be free, be themselves and make art in peace without any need to filter themselves, Thompson says. He sees his niche as delivering resources, equipment and a venue for artists and event planners that enter the space. The site has played host to baby showers, weddings, solo shows, exhibitions, classes and music videos. “We’ve done it all and we’re trying to do more,” he says. Concurrent with the evolution of BlkMrktCLT, Thompson was looking for a way to revive the open lines of communication he celebrated with his podcast. “After our podcast got shut down for too much explicit language and some other things, we got the studio at Camp North End,” he explains. During one of the Camp North End photo walks, he noticed a age divide between photographers. With veteran photographers on one side and newbies on the other, there seemed to be little crossover, Thompson says. Money issues seemed to be fueling the fracture. Veterans wouldn’t leave the house for less than $200 an hour, while people just beginning to learn the business and craft were charging $50 for a full hour shoot — a problematic, money-losing situation. “Instead of me sitting in the middle listening to both sides complaining about it, I said, “Let’s talk,’” Thompson remembers. And
that’s how “Let’s Talk Dammit” was revived, not as a podcast, but as an open-discussion forum. Thompson was hoping a handful of people would show up for the inaugural monthly forum; instead, it seemed as if the entire city had turned out. “It became obvious that creatives of color operated in bubbles,” Thompson says. “We didn’t talk. We didn’t know each other’s rates or skill sets. We didn’t even have each other’s email addresses.” “Let’s Talk Dammit” works to break down those barriers, not in a traditional networking sense, but through open discussion throughout the community. At an early meeting, artists in attendance came up with a list of demands by creative people for the city council and then-incoming Mayor Vi Lyles. Compiling the list was difficult, Thompson says, because people of color don’t have an ideal relationship with their government. Most just want to be left alone and not displaced from their homes by the powers that be, he says. The council’s recent decision to invite the Republican National Convention to town in 2020 has fueled that disillusionment, Thompson says, but he prefers to see the RNC as an opportunity, a chance for artists to use their most potent skill set — the power to influence people. “There’s a bit of a revolutionary in me that is almost happy that Charlotte invited the RNC,” he says. “It forces us to make our voices heard.” Thompson says artists of color should use the time between now and 2020 to hone their presentation and thereby increase their influence. “It’s time to strengthen our voices, so that when we get the opportunity to get our message across, it’s crystal clear.” PMORAN@CLCLT.COM
HOME ALL WEEK! Charlotte Knights vs. Norfolk Tides
MONDAY $1 HOT DOGS
ENJOY DELICIOUS $1 HOT DOGS TONIGHT AT BB&T BALLPARK
VS. NORFOLK TIDES
GAME AT 7:04 PM
TUESDAY
SOX 20TH SEASON REPLICA YOUTH JERSEY GIVEAWAY THE FIRST 1,500 KIDS WILL GET A REPLICA YOUTH JERSEY FEATURING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY KNIGHTS/SOX LOGO.
VS. NORFOLK TIDES
GAME AT 7:04 PM
WEDNESDAY BRET SABERHAGEN APPEARANCE MEET TWO-TIME AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG AWARD-WINNER BRET SABERHAGEN AT BB&T BALLPARK AS PART OF THE 2018 HARRIS TEETER & OLD SPICE CELEB SERIES.
VS. NORFOLK TIDES
GAME AT 7:04 PM
TO PURCHASE TICKETS VISIT:
charlotteknights.com CLCLT.COM | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 25
Multi-cultural Staff of Over 20 Girls! *Sauna *Massage Chair *Steam Shower
ENDS
NIGHTLIFE
2 Upscale Locations:
La Fleur
I DIDN’T KNOW I’D LIKE IT
Le Aqua
A blast from the past hits Charlotte
714 Montana Dr #A Charlotte NC 28216 #704-394-5100 6721 E.Independence Blvd #A Charlotte NC 28212 #980-236-8452
Monday - Sunday 10am - 11pm
e BEST American Spa in Charlooe! HALF HOUR FREE
ONE HOUR FREE
REAL CHAT WITH REAL MEN 1-704-943-0051
Real Singles, Real Fun...
1-704-943-0050 More Numbers: 1-800-926-6000 Livelinks.com, 18+
MORE NUMBERS:1-800-777-8000 GUYSPYVOICE.COM
vip spa Table Shower Gorgeous Asian Staff
9am until 10pm Sun-Thurs
9am until 12am Fri-Sat
july special 1 hour
$5 OFF
10809 Southern Loop Blvd Suite 10, Charlotte 28134 980-335-0193
FREE STUFF! CLCLT.COM/CHARLOTTE/FREESTUFF
26 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
favorite watering hole, all of my inhibitions WHEN’S THE LAST time you’ve heard a had dissipated. We hopped in an Uber after song that reminded you of your past: a high a drink and headed to Morehead Tavern. We school dance party, a drive with your best walked into the main entrance (which is on friend or a family member, an ex-girlfriend the top floor for those who don’t know) to an or boyfriend? Whatever the case may be, empty bar and we were directed to go back music has a way of transporting you back to outside and hang a right. *confused* specific moments that are nostalgic. We walked by a long line of cars, entered That’s what I felt when a friend from high school hit me up last weekend asking if a different entryway and then we were I wanted to go to see Sammie. You may not standing in front of a window showing our recognize the name given the fact that he tickets. All I was thinking was, “I’m worried was a kid when he came out with one of my about my white girlfriend being here with favorite #throwback songs, “I Like It.â€? But just me.â€? I remembered telling the people he was a great example of a heartthrob who checking us in, “We’ve had a couple drinks, young girls pined for as he danced around in but don’t let shit pop off and kick us out.â€? his music video. (Google it.) They laughed and then she popped However, like many child her head back in and said, “Yeah, stars, he fell off. Maybe he I’m the only splash of vanilla produced an album or two here.â€? *crying laughing (last one being “Coming emoji* She knew I was of Ageâ€? in 2017) but let’s running my mouth about be real, it’s hard to come that specific topic lol. back from who you were Damn, that’s why I love and your clout years that girl. (maybe even decades) We entered what felt later — especially when like a small waiting area you made your bucks as a that was connected to a child star. For the record, AERIN SPRUILL room with a small bar where it was my friend’s birthday we grabbed a drink. Then we and I’d just sent her a text about walked into the main downstairs how I missed her. What choice did area. It was quite spacious compared to I have other than to rally and make it the upstairs space, and based on the number happen. Now for a little background. of people standing patiently around the When she texted me asking me if I stage, it was clear that we were finally in the wanted to go, she said: right place. “So. Minor update. I’ve found out It’s been a while since we’d seen one Sammie (the singer) told me (yes he told another so we caught each other up (and ME) he’s gonna be at morehead tavern tmrw drunk cried) on the events that’d passed [sic] night and he said I can hit him up if i while we waited, for what felt like an eternity, come out. đ&#x;˜ł I love his music and it’d be dope on Sammie to walk onto the stage. to meet him. Wanna do that with me? After I When he did, he was accompanied by an do dinner with my family i can head up there entourage *insert eye roll.* My friend turned if you’re down.â€? to me and asked if she should try to go on Of course, as a friend first and then stage after a few minutes and while I was nightlife writer, my response was, “Lmaooo worried her story about him messaging her shut up!!! Howww?â€? And naturally, she left wasn’t going to get her a pass, I remembered me hanging and didn’t acknowledge why my good old days of nonchalance and she was communicating with him in anyway minimal inhibitions, “You know what? Go shape or form at all. Now I’m certainly for it. The worst that can happen is he’ll act interested, even though I’m a prehistoric fan like he doesn’t know you. And I’ll be here if of Sammie. he does. Just please say excuse me.â€? I clicked the link to the event she sent, And don’t you know...he let her on and that’s when I saw the “event,â€? whatever stage?! What. A. Riot. Childhood dreams, it was going to be, was at Morehead Tavern. met “hoodrat ‘tings’â€? in 2018. He didn’t And then I asked myself the question, “As a end up performing the “onlyâ€? song I cared nightlife writer, WHY don’t I know about this about (at least while I was there, in the venue, or why haven’t I been?â€? At that point, I was feeling inferior. I started Googling hours preceding getting caught up on the where it was with my boyfriend and while tour bus) but to see my girl’s face light up on the name was familiar, we couldn’t place it. her birthday after meeting Sammie was well *insert nervous vibe* worth the new experience. By the time I convinced her to come to my BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM
ENDS
FeeLing Lonely?
CROSSWORD
LAST WISH ACROSS
1 “You ... over there ...” 5 Significance 12 Wee bits 16 Pine- -19 Bi- + hexa20 “My --” (Willa Cather novel) 21 Panache 22 Kin of mono23 Very hot shrubby wasteland? 25 Law firm aide, in brief 26 Mutt’s threat 27 Stuff making a big bang 28 Harem room 29 45s’ cousins 30 Average desert drainage basin? 32 Reaction to inhaling element #2? 35 Without a -- (very poor) 36 Painful things to touch 37 They may hold gold 38 Big blue body 39 Goldfish doing a funny circus act? 42 Literary critic Connolly 44 “C’mon, help me out here” 47 Accept an insult humbly 50 Paunch from overdoing it on Mexican food? 53 Hellenic “T” 54 Brit’s lav 55 “You, over there!” 58 Jersey’s largest city 59 Mink coat taken by a thief? 62 Vamoose 64 Actor Mueller-Stahl 67 Vast time span 68 Plains home 69 One given a water shaft as a gift? 73 Sports show summary 77 Jackie’s Onassis 79 Waterfall nymph 80 Tasty bits 82 Steers a ship’s front right or left? 86 Otter cousin 89 Yalie’s nickname 90 ‘50s prez 91 Grafton’s “-- for Alibi” 92 Twisted wit used by a film’s actors? 95 Character
98 Dressed like many a Scot 99 Small ducks 103 Forward thrust in water polo? 105 U.S. soldiers 108 “I cannot tell --” 109 “Need --?” (driver’s query) 111 Dads 112 Fine dishes that have been split? 115 Brush off a bishop’s hat? 118 Nanny’s cry 119 Gold, in Peru 120 Chill (out) 121 Pal, to Pierre 122 Norse god 123 Message spelled out by the 12 added letters in this puzzle 126 Mil. rank 127 Feat of skill 128 Winds off a spool 129 “-- boy!” (“All right!”) 130 H.S. subject 131 See 75-Down 132 Brand of Irish cream 133 Sonnet, e.g.
DOWN
1 After this, to a logician 2 Set design 3 Country’s -- Brothers 4 Black gunk 5 Little candies with shells 6 Hold the interest of 7 One “A” of NCAA: Abbr. 8 Festive 53-Downs 9 Like many smartphone game purchases 10 Tiny peeves 11 Exclamation of frustration 12 Indiana university 13 Jai follower 14 Comic Roseanne 15 Is testy with 16 Many a placebo 17 One way to eat pastrami 18 Former Italian coins 24 Debtor’s slip 30 Hoodwink 31 Byron, e.g. 33 “That so?” 34 Limerick’s rhyme scheme 35 Do in 39 Mil. rank 40 In the vicinity 41 Reason
43 Advice-giving Ann 45 Perpetually, in verse 46 Acid’s counterpart 48 Small deer 49 Boatload 51 Co. biggie 52 Repetitive cry of pain 53 Song 55 Prez elected in ‘48 56 Wring (out) 57 Puppy’s bark 59 Bill with Abe 60 Major rainfall 61 Bills with Washington 63 College VIP 65 Nutrition amt. 66 Unassuming 70 Seth’s eldest son 71 Edict 72 Islamic chief 74 Third letter 75 With 131-Across, listening intently 76 Tire inflation abbr. 78 Toothpaste brand of old 81 Yoko -82 Advice tidbit 83 Short guitar, for short 84 Lifting again 85 Iranian cash 87 U.S. 10, e.g. 88 Gnat relative 92 Smokes 93 Heady quaff 94 “You betcha” 96 Carpet area meas. 97 Make obsolete 98 Trunk knot 100 Aware of and interested in 101 Striped 102 Big name in whiskey 104 Topples 106 “I wish that were true!” 107 Accent 109 Maxim 110 Unit of light 112 Island off the Italian coast 113 Jacket flap 114 Bovine beast 116 Mind product 117 Arena part 118 “Munich” star Eric 123 Nerve center 124 “-- -haw!” 125 Talk noisily
graB Your copy today
SOLUTION FOUND ON P. 30.
CLCLT.COM | JULY 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 27
ENDS
SAVAGE LOVE
QUICKIES Short takes on ball busting, pegging, Skype-sex and more By Dan Savage I’ve been faithfully reading your column for years, and now I’m reaching out to you about my own problem. I’ve been dating this guy for almost a year. Everything is great, except one thing: He wants me to kick him in the nuts. It really bothers me, and I’m not sure what to do. He’s very serious about it, and he brings it up every single day. It makes me really uncomfortable that this is some sort of fetish of his and I need help taking steps forward. P.S. I play soccer and I kick hard. TO KICK OR NOT TO KICK
It’s a kink called “ball busting,” TKONTK, and as long as you don’t kick him full force— or even half force—you’re unlikely to do permanent damage. That said, childless guys who are into ball busting are often advised to freeze their sperm just in case. And while it’s not a hugely popular kink, it’s common enough that ball busting porn exists, and ball busting Tumblrs, ball busting blogs, etc. Take it slow at first, particularly if your guy has only fantasized about this and not experienced it. P.S. A guy who brings up his kink every single day deserves to be kicked in the nuts — unless he’s into ball busting, in which case he doesn’t deserve to be kicked in the nuts. Hi Dan, I am getting in touch because I thought you might be interested in the following article: “Getting to the Bottom of Pegging.” For open-minded people who are open to butt play, pegging is a great way to spice things up in the bedroom. But what exactly is pegging and why is it a thing now? Sex and relationships expert Tami Rose knows how important it is to try new things in the bedroom. She would be able to provide an article explaining what pegging is and tips for
your more adventurous readers who want to give it a go. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. [REDACTED] PR AGENCY
Pegging? Never heard of it. Wait—what’s that, Wikipedia? “Pegging is a sexual practice in which a woman performs anal sex on a man by penetrating the man’s anus with a strap-on dildo… The neologism ‘pegging’ was popularized when it became the winning entry in a contest in Dan Savage’s Savage Love sex advice column [in 2001].”
leave him. If he doesn’t want out, the verbal and emotional abuse will escalate a bit more slowly, so that, like the proverbial frog in the pot of boiling water, you don’t realize exactly how bad it’s getting and how much damage it’s doing to you—and your kids. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, SAP, but I’m going to say it anyway: DTMFA.
I’m a competent in-person lover, but I’m the worst at Skype/FaceTime/WhatsApp sex. I can’t get the angle right, I don’t know what to wear, I feel shy, I don’t know what to say, I can’t get off, I giggle like a 15-yearold girl getting her first French kiss under the bleachers. I’m going to be away from my guy for most of the summer and I need to figure this out. Any advice or tips? Struggle Keeping Yonder Penis Entertained DAN SAVAGE
I’m in a six-year relationship with a guy you will probably deem DTMFA-worthy but I deem round-up-able to The One. My kids already regarded him as their stepdad before we moved in together about eight months ago. That’s when I learned he’s an addict: He drinks, smokes weed, and jerks off to porn for about two hours every day. He has been this way for more than 20 years, and I have zero delusions he will change for me. Recently he told me he has very little sexual desire for me, that he knows my pussy in and out and it’s boring, but he loves my companionship. How do I deal with this so we can move forward together as an incompatible couple? SEX ADDICT PARTNER
A romantic partner who says something as cruel and negating as what this man has said to you, SAP, either wants out of the relationship or is grooming their partner for much worse treatment to come. If he wants out of the relationship, the verbal and emotional abuse will escalate until you finally
A 15-year-old girl may giggle the first time she gets French-kissed under the bleachers — or she may not — but a girl who giggles the first time probably isn’t going to be giggling the fiftieth. So just keep at it, try to relax and enjoy yourself, and ask your partner to take the lead, i.e., if you don’t know what to do, ask him to tell you what he’d like you to do, SKYPE — but only follow the orders you’re comfortable following.
What’s the fairest way to determine who should get tied up? BONDAGE BOTTOM BOYFRIENDS
Whoever was tied up last time does the tying up this time and vice versa. How much sex is too much sex?
NUMB OVER NUMBERS
“Enough is as good as a feast.” —Mary Poppins
Real hot chat now. 30 MINUTES FREE TRIAL 704-731-0113
18+ Vibeline.com
Elm fantasy store
A fun store for Aduus with a large selection of :
TOYS LOTION MOVIES LINGERIE MASSAGERS and more!
704-883-8868 1109 E . Garner Bagnal Blvd Statesville, NC 28677
Exit 49A off I-77 next to BP Mon - Sat : 10am-10pm 28 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
CLCLT.COM | JULY 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 29
LILLY SPA
ENDS
SALOME’S STARS
704-392-8099 MON-SUN 9AM-11PM LOCATED NEAR THE AIRPORT EXIT 37 OFF I-85 WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS
SOUTH ON BEATTIES FORD ROAD THEN FIRST RIGHT ON MONTANA DRIVE (LOCATED 1/2 MILE ON THE LEFT | 714-G MONTANA DR)
SOLUTION TO THIS WEEK'S PUZZLE
Are you looking for a job but not sure if you can pass a drug test? Call Charlotte Drug and Alcohol Testing and schedule a private pre pre-employent drug test. You have the right to know before you go! 704-900-6706
FREE TRIAL Playmates and soul mates
LIBRA (September 23 ARIES (March 21 to
April 19) A longtime situation starts to move into a new phase. The question for the uncertain Lamb right now is whether to move with it. Facts emerge by midmonth to help you decide.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A talent for organizing your priorities allows the Divine Bovine to enjoy a busy social life and not miss a beat in meeting all workplace and/or family commitments. GEMINI (May 21
to June 20) What began as a dubious undertaking has now become one of your favorite projects. Your enthusiasm for it rallies support from other doubters-turnedbelievers.
CANCER
(June 21 to July 22) Accept the help of friends to get you through an unexpectedly difficult situation. There’ll be time enough later to investigate how all this could have happened so fast.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) Change is a major factor for the Big Cat through midmonth. Be prepared to deal with it on a number of levels, including travel plans and workplace situations.
VIRGO (August 23 to
Who are you after dark? Charlotte:
1-980-224-4667 18+ MegaMates.com
30 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM
704-943-0057
More Numbers: 1-800-700-6666 Redhotdateline.com 18+ FREE TRIAL
Discreet Chat Guy to Guy
980.224.4669
September 22) You might not like all the changes that have begun to take place around you. But try to find something positive in at least some of them that you can put to good use.
to October 22) A family member’s unsettling experience could create more problems if it’s not handled with care and love. And who’s the best one to offer all that? You, of course.
SCORPIO
(October 23 to November 21) It might not be the right time for you to start a new venture. But it’s a good time to start gathering facts and figures so you’ll be set when the GO! sign lights up.
S AG I T TA R I U S
(November 22 to December 21) The sagacious Sagittarius should have no trouble deciding between those who can and those who cannot be trusted to carry out a workplace commitment.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Surprise, surprise. It looks as if that one person you once thought you could never hope to win over to your side suddenly just might choose to join you.
AQUARIUS
(January 20 to February 18) You might have to set aside your pride for now and accept a change that isn’t to your advantage. Cheer up. There’ll be time later to turn this around in your favor.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your creative self emerges as dominant through midmonth. This should help you restart that writing or arts project you’ve left on the shelf for far too long.
BORN THIS WEEK: You have a way of encouraging others by example to come out from the shadows and enjoy life to the fullest.
CLCLT.COM | JULY 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | 31
32 | JULY. 26 - AUG. 1, 2018 | CLCLT.COM