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June 24, 2020

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Best of the Triangle 2020

VOL. 37 NO. 22

Winners announced on p. 12 TROPHY BREWING & TAPROOM PHOTO BY STACEY SPRENZ

CONTENTS NEWS 8 When the monuments came crashing down in Raleigh. BY LEIGH TAUSS 10 J'Mauri Bumpass's family and lawyer don't believe he killed himself at a traffic stop. 11

BY THOMASI MCDONALD

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 can be a sword for progress.

BY VERNETTA ALSTON

FEATURE 12

Best of the Triangle

FOOD 48 The Moore Square Market returns to downtown Raleigh. BY LEIGH TAUSS 49 Craft cocktails at a distance with On My Way Bartending. BY CHRISTINE BRYNE MUSIC 50 The pastoral is personal in new albums by The Dead Tongues and Josh Kimbrough. 51

BY SARAH EDWARDS

Pierce Freelon samples his family’s archives on his forthcoming album, D.a.D. BY KYESHA JENNINGS

CULTURE 52 Ben Bridgers's skate-culture painting show Back Burner. BY GEORGE JENNE 53 Burning Coal breaks the seal on doing live theater after COVID-19. BY BYRON WOODS

THE REGULARS 6 A Week in the Life

4 Voices

46 1000 Words

5 15 Minutes

COVER Illustration by Jon Fuller

WE M A DE THIS PUBLIS H ER Susan Harper

Digital Content Manager Sara Pequeño

EDITOR I AL

Contributing Food Editor Nick Williams

Interim Editor in Chief Brian Howe Raleigh News Editor Leigh Tauss Deputy A+C Editor Sarah Edwards Staff Writer Thomasi McDonald

Theater+Dance Critic Byron Woods Voices Columnists T. Greg Doucette, Chika Gujarathi, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Courtney Napier, Barry Saunders, Jonathan Weiler

Contributors Jim Allen, Jameela F. Dallis, Michaela Dwyer, Lena Geller, Spencer Griffith, Howard Hardee, Laura Jaramillo, Kyesha Jennings, Glenn McDonald, Josephine McRobbie, Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, Neil Morris, James Michael Nichols, Marta Nuñez Pouzols, Bryan C. Reed, Dan Ruccia, David Ford Smith, Eric Tullis, Michael VenutoloMantovani, Chris Vitiello, Ryan Vu, Patrick Wall

Interns Mary King, Bella Smith

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June 24, 2020

BACK TA L K

This Juneteeth, things went down in Raleigh. More specifically, monuments— first one and then another. And another.

On Friday, a group of protesters toppled two Confederate statues and dragged them through downtown Raleigh, hanging one from a streetlight on West Hargett Street and dumping the other in front of the old Wake County courthouse. On Saturday, Governor Cooper ordered the removal of the remaining Confederate statues on Capitol grounds. The INDY was there to document each emotional moment—and our readers had some thoughts. Reader DONALD MERTRUD wanted an investigation into Roy Cooper’s family heritage to accompany the INDY’s weekend statue-removal coverage. “By NOT doing a Story on their Boy, Roy Coopers direct ties to slave ownership, INDY WEEK is passively ENDORSING SLAVERY.” AMANDA DARNELL reflected on her own family heritage. “My maternal & paternal families have Confederate Veterans...that is how Southern I am,” she said. “With that being said, I don’t want my ancestors to be honored in public places for fighting to maintain slavery & attempting to break up the US. I am repentant they fought to maintain white supremacy. I don’t hate them for their action because I don’t know what circumstances they faced when making their decision, or if they even had a choice in the matter. But I am not experiencing guilt about having confederate veterans in my family. I just think they tried to break up the US while also maintaining slavery/white supremacy. It’s impossible to have respect for that, but I don’t have guilt about it either. Shame, not guilt.” MIKE O’BRIAN, meanwhile, was not a fan of the protesters. “The police should have shot a few of these criminals and maybe the rest of the low life bottom feeders would have thought better. Video should be used to prosecute everyone involved.” By and large, though, there was a lot of joy around watching the statues felled. “The people have tried to have these participation trophies removed through peaceful means and the statues were protected by racists in suits,” reader CHRIS HOWELL wrote. “If those with the power WON’T remove them, the people will. History remains the same without reminders of human suffering and continued oppression glorified in the public square.”

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June 24, 2020

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voices

Dreaming Durham Freedom dreams and the nightmare of policing BY ALEXIS PAULINE GUMBS backtalk@indyweek.com

arriet Tubman had a dream. The whole next day she celebrated that dream and what she saw in it, which was the freedom of her people. “My people are free!” she proclaimed. In the present tense. But all around her was the nightmare of slavery. And not only in the states where chattel slavery was still a legal practice, but in the nationwide Fugitive Slave Act, a policy that some would say has never gone out of practice. A policy by which any Black person could be detained, interrogated, stopped, frisked, held against their will, and punished for resisting. A policy that further weaponized whiteness and gave any white person reasonable cause to handle, mishandle, report, suspect Black life in general, anywhere, doing anything. Yes. Even at home. Yes. Even asleep. Bird-watching? Sure. This is part of the context of the nightmare that Black people have been living with or dying under for centuries and that it is harder for non-Black people to ignore in the time of cellphone-camera documentation. But Harriet Tubman had a dream. And that dream put her to work. She went to South Carolina and organized for a year to get the intelligence and the community support of over 750 enslaved Africans on rice plantations who would free themselves and each other on June 2, 1863, at the Combahee River. It was a military attack that shifted the position of the Union Army in the Civil War. It was an economic attack that targeted the rice plantations that were bankrolling the confederacy. It was concerted collective action on behalf of the possible, in the midst of a nightmare. Assata Shakur’s grandmother had a dream too. In the dream, she saw her granddaughter’s freedom. And while the state was completely clear that no person who had been a member of an organization that put the words “Black” and “Liberation” and “Army” together could be allowed to continue their work, Assata Shakur’s grandmother was right. A community of people took major risks to free Assata from prison and get her to Cuba, where she continues her purposeful and inspiring work to this day. In the midst of a nightmare during which the police shot, tortured, confined, and defamed Assata, her grandmother’s freedom dream is what actually determined the future. So what does this have to do with us, Durham? Are we in the midst of a dream or a nightmare? What can

these historical dreamers teach us, beyond the co-optation of Martin Luther King’s dream speech, which has been misused to portray a myth of liberal equality while the nightmare rages on? The dream has everything to do with the dreamer. Psychoanalysts say that the meaning of a dream is determined by the symbolic worldview of the person dreaming. And maybe what we are realizing now is that all dreams are not created equal, or more precisely, not created to make us equal. Because, as Fred Moten taught me, the dreams of the settler become policy. Which means they become police. In Durham we could translate that to say, the dreams of developers become city mandates. Who do you imagine sleeps well at night in a context of unaffordable housing and rampantly rising evictions? Who sleeps well with the incessant sound of construction work, exempt even from Durham’s citywide stay-at-home order during the first month of the recognized pandemic? What is the equity of dream real estate when developers consider an investment in police a necessary element of convincing elite residents that Durham is a safe place for them to lay their heads, while Black residents are dealing with the trauma of knowing police get away with coming into Black people’s homes and murdering them while they sleep? And the city council is complicit in how the dreams of developers have already become policy in Durham, as especially evidenced by their recent decision to increase the police budget and lower the human-resources budget, in this moment of all moments. Maybe the dreams of Harriet Tubman and Assata Shakur’s grandmother had nothing to do with equality. Maybe they were about calling a nightmare a nightmare and aligning our action toward the possibility of freedom. And we need them right now. Because the dreams of our revolutionary ancestors are intergenerational too. The dreams of revolutionaries birth revolutions. And these dreams are alive here in Durham. I am grateful for the persistent work of Durham Beyond Policing to dream and practice a world beyond captivity. And I challenge my fellow Durham residents to conduct an ethical sleep study right now. Is it time for you to continue to work toward your dream, or is it time to wake up? W Voices is made possible by contributions to the INDY Press Club. Join today at KeepItINDY.com.

ALEXIS PAULINE GUMBS is the author of Dub: Finding Ceremony and the facilitator of the Combahee Throughline Immersion (sangodare.podia.com/combahee).

15 MINUTES Michael Rashaad Galloway, 24 UNC-CH alumnus, founder of MRG Consulting Agency BY SARA PEQUEÑO spequeno@indyweek.com

What pushed you to petition to lift the UNC Board of Trustees’ moratorium on renaming campus buildings? It kind of started back when I was on campus, with Silent Sam, just seeing how hard people of color on campus—specifically African Americans—were working to get that changed after the Saunders Hall incident. That was kind of the start of my interest in history and knowing what was going on at my university, and what these symbols and different names on these buildings stood for. Fast forward to more recently: I was doing some research on my hometown, which was named after Reuben Reid, who was a huge slave owner. He owned a 700-acre plantation that encompassed some of Reidsville. I was doing research and came to realize my town is named after him. His son was also a segregationist, a Southern rights advocate, and was a part of every level of government from local all the way up to federal. He served as a governor, he was a slave owner, he believed in Southern rights, and it just made me realize, “This is what we come from, this is what our cities are built off of.” A lot of times we don’t know, because we’re educated by the people around us, and it comes to a point where it’s like, “Man, do they even want us to really know what’s going on?”

The petition seemed to gain traction really quickly. How did that happen? I just posted it on all three of my pages, and on Instagram people just started sharing it. The post had more shares than it had actual likes. I realized people were latching on to those same demands and they wanted to see the same change that I did. I actually had several people start reaching out to me, ranging from athletes like James Michael McAdoo to old UNC alumni, some going back as late as the ‘90s. I had the pleasure to talk to a former trustee, Mr.

PHOTO BY KELSEY YOUNG

William Keyes, about certain things that were going on as well. From there people just started spreading the word and it started getting a lot of traction. I actually had no actionable steps per se when I put the Facebook post up, but from that people kept asking me, “Where’s the petition? What can we do? Where’s the protest?” And I was like, “Man, I hadn’t thought that far.” Basically, due to the time and circumstance, I think a protest would be good, but just starting to petition first and getting that out there will start to give a picture of the change the UNC community wants to see.

The petition still has two action items to address: recontextualizing Kenan Stadium (named after one of the leaders of the Wilmington Massacre) and renaming buildings with ties to white supremacy and slave ownership. What are the next steps for you? I think the first step is just to continue to push the petition. I say we need to be in contact with our university, letting university officials know that this is not how we want things to be, staying in contact with them. Specifically for me, I’ve been in contact with a lot of staff and faculty at UNC who don’t align with the way the Board of Trustees thinks. A lot of African American faculty specifically saw what the Board of Trustees was doing as a huge issue and really not respecting them. As university officials, you have to respect the people that we asked to come here and that we hire. W

~~ Looking for Answers? Follow @INDYWeek on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for breaking news. KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

The Good, The Bad & The Awful

A WE E K IN THE L IFE (Here’s what’s happened since the INDY went to press last week)

6/16 6/17

State legislators approve a ONE-TIME BONUS and step-increase raises for teachers. UNC LIFTED ITS MORATORIUM on renaming campus buildings in an 11-2 vote. The decision came after an alumni-led petition demanding that the rule be lifted gathered nearly 10,000 signatures.

6/18

Raleigh Police ARREST A BLACK MINOR PROTESTING downtown. A video circulates online, showing police dragging the juvenile across the ground. Governor Roy Cooper announces ALL 31,200 INMATES in N.C. prisons will be tested for COVID-19 over the next two months.

6/19

In a unanimous vote, the Board of Governors elects Peter Hans, current N.C. Community College System head, as the NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNC SYSTEM. Charges against the juvenile and adult protesters from the day prior are dropped and RPD LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION into officer conduct at the incident. In Durham, protesters paint “DEFUND” in front of the Durham County Police Department. They also paint “FUND” in front of Durham County Human Services. Protesters in Raleigh tear down TWO CONFEDERATE STATUES from the state Capitol grounds. A new mandate goes into effect in Raleigh that makes WEARING FACE MASKS IN PUBLIC mandatory.

6/20

Roy Cooper orders ALL REMAINING CONFEDERATE STATUES on state Capitol grounds to be removed. Two are immediately taken down by work crews.

The last Confederate statue in Raleigh’s Union Square is removed by cranes. Removing the 75-foot stone obelisk underneath that statue proved more difficult; CREWS GAVE UP after spending the whole day trying to lift it.

6/22

A Raleigh statue of former NEWS & OBSERVER EDITOR Josephus Daniels, who helped incite the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, is removed by his descendants. The Wake County School Board votes to RENAME DANIELS MIDDLE SCHOOL, also named after Josephus Daniels. The new name comes from the historic Oberlin freedman’s community in Raleigh.

6/21

d goo

A Raleigh firm FILES FOUR LAWSUITS in Durham County against PSNC Energy companies on behalf of those killed and injured in the Brightleaf Square gas explosion in April 2019.

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

bad

f aw

Confederate Statues Gone After years of waiting on bureaucracy’s slow crawl to greenlight the removal of half a dozen Confederate monuments from the state Capitol, protesters took matters into their own hands Friday night, ripping two soldiers from the statue facing Hillsborough Street. One metal soldier was left hanging from by a rope from the Hargett Street signpost, while another was abandoned in front of the Wake County courthouse. The next morning Governor Roy Cooper ordered the removal of remaining monuments, including memorials commemorating the women of the Confederacy and Henry Lawson Wyatt. After plucking the final soldier from his pedestal with a crane on Sunday, crews struggled to figure out how to take down the remainder of the 75-foot obelisk without damaging it for the next two days. Let us know when it's time for the wrecking ball.

No Phase 3 Yet North Carolina was initially set to move into phase 3 of the state’s tiered reopening Friday, but that’s probably not going to happen given recent spikes in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. We thought we had mostly flattened the curve, but Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen admitted Monday that "key metrics are moving in the wrong direction." Cases have been on the rise since the stay-athome order lifted in May and restaurants were allowed to reopen at limited capacity. Hospitalizations, which had previously leveled at about 500, peaked at 915 patients as of Tuesday and more than 900 ventilators in use (luckily we have another 2,000 on hand). If trends continue, a report from UNC claims we only have about seven weeks before hospitals are overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to push for bars and gyms to reopen and think Cooper “should stop his secret reopening process."

Raleigh Police Department After weeks of peaceful protests, Raleigh Police arrested a 17-yearold Black protester claiming she had tried to assault a police officer. But a viral video of the arrest didn’t show the alleged assault: Instead, it showed a police officer grabbing the girl by the arm and dragging her across the pavement. As she was handcuffed and arresters, other protesters around shouted at the cops, “she’s 17!” An adult protester was also arrested. The next morning, the charges were dropped. Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown, who is usually defensive of officers' conduct, said she would be launching an internal investigation of the incident after seeing concerning footage from the officer's body camera. She’s also petitioning the courts to release the footage so we can see for ourselves what led to the teen’s arrest.

KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

N E WS

Raleigh

All Fall Down Forcibly or voluntarily, Raleigh’s Confederate monuments were evicted from Capitol grounds this weekend, though one stubborn obelisk remained BY LEIGH TAUSS ltauss@indyweek.com

The Confederacy existed for only four years, but its stain on North Carolina’s capitol grounds endured much longer. In 1895, Democrat and Civil War veteran Octavius Coke spearheaded a project to cement the South’s loss with a series of participation trophies, the crown jewel of which was a statue of a Confederate soldier clutching a gun atop a 75-foot pedestal. The granite monument—adorned with infantry and cavalry soldiers and surrounded by two massive stone cannons—cost $22,000 at the time, nearly $700,000 in today’s dollars adjusted for inflation. It stood for 31 times longer than the Confederacy did, casting its shadow from the Jim Crow era through the Civil Rights Movement. The “To Our Confederate Dead” monument loomed over Hillsborough Street, taller than the old state house itself—its message two-fold. For the whites who looked at the South’s treasonous insurrection with a mythologized mix of affection, pride, and heritage, it was a welcome sign. For people of color, it may as well have read “Whites Only.” Until this weekend. Anti-racist protesters took back the Capitol Friday night, toppling two of the monument’s metal soldiers from their posts before dragging them through the streets of downtown. One was hung by the neck from the Hargett Street sign; the other was abandoned in front of the Wake County courthouse, still clutching its cannon rammer. The destruction came after weeks of Black Lives Matter protests calling for justice on behalf of George Floyd, a Black man the world watched suffocate to death for almost nine minutes under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer in a viral video. During the first weekend of protests, Raleigh police hurled tear gas and shot non-lethal bullets at the demonstrators, igniting a riot that resulted in widespread vandalism downtown. Shards of glass are still nestled in the cracks of the pavement from the dozens upon dozens of 8

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

A Confederate solider statue strung up in downtown Raleigh

PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

windows smashed that night as rioters looted businesses and set fires. The violence was short-lived. For the last few weeks, the protests had been nothing but peaceful. But on Thursday night, Raleigh Police were filmed dragging a Black teenager on the ground while arresting her, claiming she had assaulted an officer. The next day those charges were dropped and Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown called for an internal review of the incident after reviewing concerning footage from the officer’s body cameras. But the girl’s violent arrest on the eve of Juneteenth triggered something in the protesters. Friday night’s demonstrations began like many others, with a standoff between Raleigh Police officers—who had formed a human shield around the Hillsborough Street Confederate monument—and several hundred protesters clutching handwritten signs, their faces covered in masks to guard against the invisible threat of coronavirus. Earlier in the day, the protesters had managed to get two ropes around the soldiers, but the cops sliced them away. Yet the energy this time was different—the protesters were not standing down or marching away. Then, without warning, the cops abruptly retreated, allowing protesters to climb the monument as sunset approached. An hour later, two more ropes were slung around the soldiers flanking the base. When the protesters grabbed hold of the rope, pulling in unison, the first

soldier popped off its post and plummeted headfirst to the stone steps below, bouncing once before landing in a bush to the joyous screams of the crowd. The cops were nowhere to be seen. The protesters repeated their success with the second low-hanging soldier. After they paraded the metal men victoriously through the streets, a torrential rain soaked downtown and the crowds dispersed peacefully. Saturday morning, Governor Roy Cooper ordered the rest of the Confederate memorials removed from Capitol grounds—something he’d been fighting to do unsuccessfully in court since taking office, battling a partisan 2015 law making it all but impossible to relocate the shrines. “Monuments to white supremacy don’t belong in places of allegiance, and it’s past time that these painful memorials be moved in a legal, safe way,” Cooper said in a statement Saturday. Republicans, of course, were outraged by the removals and will likely be duking things out in court. House Speaker Tim Moore lambasted Cooper for ordering the police to “stand down while a lawless mob destroyed state property.” “Gov. Cooper used that failure to justify removing the statues unilaterally instead of following the process laid out in state law,” Moore said. “Remarkably, Gov. Cooper’s actions come just one day after he blocked legislation providing a lifeline to struggling families across North Caroli-

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Protesters take control of a Confederate monument in downtown Raleigh

na. Not only is Gov. Cooper failing our small businesses, but he is failing to uphold his constitutional duty to execute the law.” On Saturday, work crews carefully unbolted two statues—one commemorating Henry Lawson Wyatt and another honoring the women of the Confederacy— from their stone bases and loaded them onto flatbeds. The next morning, crews took aim at the last Confederate soldier resting high atop the pillar, ending its 125year reign. A flatbed truck and crane parked in front of the monument, still covered in BLM spraypaint, as police roped off the intersection with caution tape. As the crane began to lift its neck up the length of the pedestal, two powerful Black voices burst out in song. Actress Carly Jones and cellist Shana Tucker had arrived early to watch the statue come down. They belted out their own rendition of “We Shall Overcome,” Jones’s voice soaring amid the quiet street and the routine beeps of construction equipment. “The statues will come down today,” Jones sang. “I felt my ancestors’ presence,” Jones said later that morning. “I really wish that my grandad, who would gather us around and lead us in singing the Black National Anthem—I really wish he could be there to see this. My great grandparents, I wish they could see this. I just feel like this is long overdue.” “This is the first time Raleigh has felt truly like my home,” Tucker added. “I feel like this is a genuine effort for everyone to see that, collectively, the city, the state, this country, is for the first time in my lifetime actively and authentically moving forward together.”

PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Two workers rode an industrial lift up to the feet of the last metal soldier, unbolting him from the pedestal before looping rope around his body and attaching him to the crane. Gently, the crane plucked the soldier up from his perch, as a small crowd of onlookers cheered. Suspended in air, the soldier slowly floated down to the waiting arms of work crews below, who carefully placed the metal man face-up on the flatbed truck. Over the next four hours, two enormous hunks of granite pillar were removed by the crane and only the longest, smoothest stretch of the obelisk remained. The heavy granite proved a challenge to unmount. Crews labored around the pillar until after sunset, drilling into it and trying to gently yank it from the base. At one point, crowds reported a loud crack from the pillar, which appeared to stand partly crooked after. Workers returned at 2:00 a.m. Monday to toil once more at the monument’s base. Ropes were attached to the pillar, holes were drilled, but by sunset, the granite husk still stood. On Tuesday, as the INDY went to print, workers returned to finish the job. Sunrise exploded cotton-candy hues across the sky behind the old Capitol. The soldier was gone, leaving only his stubborn throne. Dynamite or a wrecking ball might have gotten the job done quicker, but state officials are determined to remove the monument unscathed, hoping to protect a time capsule buried within the base containing Confederate relics and items from General Robert E. Lee. Smashing may have been faster—and more satisfying—but progress is rarely so. W KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

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Durham

More Questions than Answers Unconvinced that his death at a traffic stop was a suicide, J’Marui Bumpass’s family and their lawyer seek clarity BY THOMASI MCDONALD tmcdonald@indyweek.com

he family of J’Marui Bumpass, a Durham 18-year-old alleged to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot during a traffic stop, are continuing to fight for answers. The lawyer representing the Bumpass family filed a motion last week in Durham County Superior Court, requesting that the Durham County Sheriff’s Office be ordered to produce the entire investigative file related to the fatal shooting. The slain teen’s mother, Hermena Bumpass, just wants to know what happened to her son, according to a motion filed late last week by attorney Allyn Sharp. The family wants to know: If Bumpass’s death was a suicide, why is it part of an ongoing investigation? The 16-page court affidavit was filed on Friday, eight days after Hermena Bumpass accused Deputy Anthony Sharp—who has since been promoted to corporal— of inventing “material facts” about the teen’s death, “and that he “possibly tampered with his in-car camera system.” The lawsuit demands the department release the testing, inspection, and complete in-car recording system—including all wiring from the patrol car driven by Deputy Sharp, along with the gun and bullets found in the Chevrolet Impala J’Mauri Bumpass was driving the night he died. The Sheriff’s Office “appears to have presumed the veracity” of Deputy Anthony Sharp’s account, and that the sheriff’s investigation of the fatal shooting “appears to have only sought and to continue to seek support for that account,” the motion states. The court motion details evidence contradicting the police officer’s account of what happened during the traffic stop. According to the Sheriff’s Office, at about 12:39 a.m. on December 15, Depu10

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“If Bumpass’s death was a suicide, why is it part of an ongoing investigation?” ty Sharp reported J’Mauri Bumpass pulled out a handgun and shot himself in the head following a traffic stop on Meriwether Drive for what appeared to be fictitious tags. Deputy Sharp claims as he was getting out of his patrol car, he heard a gunshot and saw the driver’s side window of Bumpass’s sedan shatter. The car then rolled forward about 50 yards before it crashed into a light pole and overturned on its side, according to the incident report. Deputy Sharp waited for backup before he approached the overturned car, where he claimed he found Bumpass unresponsive with a 9mm Glock between his legs, and that the weapon was “expelling smoke as if it had just been fired.” But the June 18 motion states that the deputy and trainee waited five minutes for backup to arrive before approaching the overturned Impala. It also cites a report from EMS paramedics who were told by the deputies that “a gunshot was heard from the vehicle after it crashed.” A firearms expert noted that a semi-automatic Glock handgun fired once would produce “only a wisp [of smoke] and probably for no longer than five seconds,” contradicting Sharp’s version of events. Additionally, gunshot residue swabs taken from Deputy Sharp and trainee Robert Osborne were “inconclusive as two whether either had fired a gun.” Bumpass’s attorney adds that recordings the family has received show Osborne leaving the

scene for a time, “apparently before the gunshot residue swab of his hands was done,” while “gunshot residue swabs from J’Mauri’s hands have not been tested.” The dash camera in Deputy Sharp’s patrol car was reportedly not operating at the time of the crash and fatal shooting. Further, camera wiring may have been tampered with, Bumpass’s attorney claims, describing the electrical tape covering the wires as “unusual” and “very problematic.” Keischa Lovelace, Birkhead’s legal adviser, claimed the electrical tape had been used to cover the wiring during a repair by Piedmont Communications Company, which the company later denied. The Bumpass family also speculated that the car’s camera system may have been recorded over, which the Sheriff’s Office denies. During the June 3 hearing Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson ordered the Sheriff’s Office to produce “all camera recordings from Deputy Sharp’s vehicle and all other responding vehicles, but the department claimed, “there are no such recordings to produce.” In the court motion the Bumpass family attorney pointed out that Deputy Sharp and other deputies’ actions violate the department’s own written policies, which require the use of dash cams for all traffic stops, pursuits, and emergency responses, and the uploading of all recordings before a deputy’s shift ends.

The orders also prohibit sheriff’s employees from attempting “to erase, alter or tamper” with the dash camera system or recordings. Hermena Bumpass says her son was not depressed, nor did he have a history of depression. The family says the teen was engaged with his family and community and had plans to attend Durham Tech, earn an associate’s degree, and transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill. He did not have a criminal record. After graduating from Hillside High in 2018, he was working at FedEx and had applied for financial aid to help pay for college, his family says. Down to the very last minute, his was not a life on track for suicide, his family believes. Just after midnight on the night of his death, Bumpass had texted his 21-yearold sister. Fourteen minutes later, he texted her that he was at “McDonald’s lookin for sumn to do.” She asked for a ride home from StarBar in Raleigh and he said he was coming to pick her up. Those might have been his last words. At 12:36 a.m., one of their cousins texted, “Y’all about to turn tf up.” He never responded. Three minutes later, Deputy Sharp pulled him over. J’Mauri Bumpass’s death has been ruled a suicide, but attorney Allyn Sharp—like the teen’s family—is skeptical. “I don’t believe J’Mauri shot himself, either intentionally or by accident,” she told the INDY. “Whatever happened to J’Mauri, the not-at-all transparent response and lack of investigation by the Sheriff’s Office suggests to me that at a minimum, they’re afraid of what might have happened.” The Durham County Sheriff’s office declined to comment. W

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OP - E D

Sword of Progress N.C. House Representative Vernetta Alston on the pitfalls and possibilities of the Civil Rights Act after Bostock BY VERNETTA ALSTON backtalk@indyweek.com

n a landmark decision on June 15, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for employers to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. This may seem like a common-sense ruling, but it’s bigger than that. For the first time in our nation’s history, LGBTQ+ people have basic protections from discrimination in the workplace. Bostock v. Clayton County provides a historic interpretation of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this instance, this centerpiece of human-rights protection in the U.S. was properly used as a sword, offering overdue protections to all LGBTQ+ workers. The Act itself, a product of the Civil Rights Movement and a growing progressive conscience in the 1960s, is not perfect. Its basic charge—to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin—has been elusive because its protections have been twisted by politics of intolerance and prejudice over its 50-plus-year history. In that time, the sword has pointed in the opposite direction of progress, resulting in public establishments becoming private to avoid serving Black people and more recent lower-court decisions validating racially biased admissions practices. Despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racism is still present in every corner of our country. It kills Black people like Tony McDade and George Floyd. Tony McDade was a Black trans man shot to death inexplicably after following commands to stop. George Floyd was a Black father whose life was stolen from him under the knee of a police officer on the curb outside of a corner store. These were individuals who, in these moments, experienced the kind of personal isolation that comes with being targeted by racist hatred with no hope of institutional support.

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SUPPORT LOCAL Vernetta Alston

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SUBJECT

Like the Civil Rights Act, Bostock will ty employee who was outed and fired not fix everything. The workplace harass- because he was gay, and the experience ment that affects 40 percent of work- of every LGBTQ+ worker who has expeing-age LGBTQ+ people will not go away rienced workplace discrimination. The overnight. The high percentage of trans- result in this case will transform workgender people facing unemployment in place expectations for tens of millions of the best economic times will still con- LGBTQ+ workers. While that happens, let’s use the Civil front bias from employers. LGBTQ+ folks To advertise or feature Rights a pet for Actadoption, of 1964 as a sword to root continue to lack healthcare safeguards, pleaseadministration contact advertising@indyweek.com out discrimination and racial bias so that especially after the Trump rolled back explicit transgender health- workplaces, schools, and corner stores can care protections. We still lack adequate be safe for all Black people in this country. protection in public accommodations, We cannot rely solely on our laws to do it. To advertise or the feature a pet of you to validate experiences an issue North Carolina has been center We need adoption, please people, hold the people contact in your life stage on for the wrong reasons (e.g. HB Black for for racial bias, protest centu2, HB 142, NDO prohibitions, and billions accountable advertising@indyweek.com ries of abuse and apathy that contributed in lost economic impact). But the Bostock case gives us hope to George Floyd’s death, and fight for real because it validated Mr. Bostock, a coun- reform, so we feel less alone. And safe. W

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businesses by purchasing gift cards, shopping online, donating, ordering takeout, and tipping more KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

rom bars to bakeries, music venues to museums, acupuncturists to eye doctorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;pretty much anything you could possibly need in the Triangleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;our readers have you covered with our annual Best of the Triangle poll, where they voted for their favorite everything in every category imaginable.

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

WA S

BROU

YOU

Monuts

Best Bagel in the triangle Monuts

Best Bagel in the Triangle, Best Donut in the Triangle PHOTO BY JEREMY M. LANGE

monutsdonuts.com FINALISTS Benchwarmers Bagels; Bruegger’s Bagels; New York Bagels & Deli Raleigh

Best Bakery in Durham County Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten

Best Bakery in orange/Chatham County Guglhupf Bake Shop

guglhupf.com

FINALISTS East Durham Bake Shop; Loaf; Ninth Street Bakery

FINALISTS Phoenix Bakery; The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering; Weaver Street Market

Please support these businesses as they were vital in bringing you this year’s Best of the Triangle Awards.

titosvodka.com campbowwow.com/north-durham

KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Best BreaD in orange/Chatham County Weaver Street Market

Caffè Driade

weaverstreetmarket.coop

Best Coffee Shop in Orange/Chatham County

FINALISTS Great Harvest Bread Co.; Guglhupf Bake Shop; Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering

PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

Best BreaD in Wake County La Farm Bakery lafarmbakery.com

FINALISTS Boulted Bread; Stick Boy Bread Co.; Yellow Dog Bread Company

Best Breakfast in Durham County Elmo’s Diner elmosdiner.com

FINALISTS Foster’s Market; Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten; Monuts

Best Breakfast in orange/Chatham County Elmo’s Diner

elmosdinercarrboro.com FINALISTS Breadmen’s; First Watch—Chapel Hill; Village Diner

Best Bakery in Wake County

Best BarBeCue in Wake County

Best BisCuits in Wake County

La Farm Bakery

The Pit Authentic Barbecue

Flying Biscuit Café—Raleigh

Best Breakfast in Wake County

FINALISTS Angie’s Restaurant; Jubala Coffee; Rise Cameron Village; State Farmers Market Restaurant

Big Ed’s City Market

lafarmbakery.com

thepit-raleigh.com

FINALISTS Boulted Bread; Stick Boy Bread Co; Utica Bakery; Yellow Dog Bread Company

FINALISTS Big Al’s BBQ; Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque; Ole Time Barbecue

flyingbiscuit.com

Best BarBeCue in Durham County

Best BisCuits in Durham County

Best BlooDy mary in the triangle

The Original Q Shack

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken

Jack Tar and The Colonel’s Daughter

theqshackoriginal.com

FINALISTS Backyard BBQ Pit; Picnic; The Pit

Best BarBeCue in orange / Chatham County Hillsborough BBQ hillsboroughbbq.com

FINALISTS Allen & Son Bar-B-Que; Mama Dip’s Kitchen; The Pig

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

risebiscuitschicken.com

FINALISTS Foster’s Market; Monuts; True Flavors Diner

Best BisCuits in orange/Chatham County Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen sunrisebiscuits.com

FINALISTS Mama Dip’s Kitchen; Neal’s Deli; Rise Carrboro

jacktar-durham.com

FINALISTS The Bar @ Transfer Co. Food Hall; The Raleigh Times; Whiskey Kitchen

Best BreaD in Durham County Ninth Street Bakery ninthstbakery.com

FINALISTS Guglhupf Bakery; Cafe & Biergarten, Levin Jewish Community Center; Loaf

bigedsnc.com

FINALISTS Angie’s Restaurant; Flying Biscuit Café – Raleigh; La Farm Bakery; State Farmers Market Restaurant

Best BreWery in Durham County Ponysaurus Brewing Company ponysaurusbrewing.com

FINALISTS Bull City Burger and Brewery; Durty Bull Brewing Company; Fullsteam Brewery, The Glass Jug Beer Lab

Trophy Brewing & Taproom Best Brewery in Wake County, Best Locally Made Craft Beer in the Triangle PHOTO BY STACEY SPRENZ

Best Brewery in Orange/Chatham COunty

Best Burger in Orange / Chatham COunty

Steel String Brewery

Al’s Burger Shack

steelstringbrewery.com

alsburgershack.com

FINALISTS Carolina Brewery; Gizmo Brew Works—Chapel Hill Taproom; Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery

FINALISTS Buns, Town Hall Burger and Beer; The Wooden Nickel Public House

Best Brewery in wake COunty

Best Burger in wake COunty

Trophy Brewing & Taproom

Char-Grill

trophybrewing.com

chargrill.com

FINALISTS Bombshell Beer Company; Bond Brothers Beer Company; Brewery Bhavana; Lynnwood Brewing Concern

FINALISTS Chuck’s Burgers; The Fiction Kitchen; MoJoe’s Burger Joint

Best Burger in Durham COunty Bull City Burger and Brewery bullcityburger.com

FINALISTS Dain’s Place; Only Burger; Town Hall Burger and Beer

We have have offered free meals (no questions asked) to anyone who does not have enough to eat since the beginning of this pandemic. With Covid unrelenting and unemployment rolls growing, there is more need then ever. We regularly fill fifteen orders each day to people in need.

$50 = 10 MEALS $100 = 20 MEALS If you have the capacity to help please contact us so we may continue to serve the community during this time of need.

Best BurritO in Durham COunty Cosmic Cantina

facebook.com/cosmiccantina FINALISTS Chubby’s Tacos; NUVOTACO; Taqueria La Vaquita

919-688-5606 NINTH-STREET-BAKERY.SQUARE.SITE KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Best Burrito in orange/Chatham County

Best ChoColate in the triangle

Carrburritos

Videri Chocolate Factory

carrburritos.com

viderichocolatefactory.com

FINALISTS Bandido’s Mexican Café; Cosmic Cantina; Fiesta Grill Restaurant; Monterrey Mexican Restaurant

FINALISTS Escazu Chocolates, Fera’wyn’s Chocolate Café, Matthew’s Chocolates

Best Burrito in Wake County

Best Coffee shop in Durham County

Gonza Tacos y Tequila

Cocoa Cinnamon

gonzatacosytequila.com

facebook.com/CocoaCinnamonDream

FINALISTS Chubby’s Tacos; Dank Burrito; Gringo A Go Go

FINALISTS Bean Traders, Joe Van Gogh Durham, The Oak House Durham

Best CariBBean or CuBan in the triangle

Best Coffee shop in orange/Chatham County

COPA

copadurham.com

Caffè Driade

FINALISTS Boricua Soul at American Tobacco Campus; Carmen’s Cuban Cafe & Lounge; Tropical Picken Chicken

Best Cheap eats in Durham County Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken

caffedriade.com

Sister Liu’s Kitchen Best Chinese Restaurant in Durham County

Best Chinese restaurant in Durham County

PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Sister Liu’s Kitchen sisterliuskitchen.com

alpacachicken.com

FINALISTS Chubby’s Tacos; Cosmic Cantina; Guasaca

Best Cheap eats in orange/Chatham County Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering mediterraneandeli.com

FINALISTS Armadillo Grill; Breadmen’s; Elmo’s Diner

Best Cheap eats in Wake County Mami Noras Rotisserie Chicken mamislatinrotisserie.com

FINALISTS Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken; Angie’s Restaurant; Char Grill 16

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

FINALISTS Cup-A-Joe, Joe Van Gogh Chapel Hill, Open Eye Cafe

Best Chef in Durham County Marla Thurman FINALISTS Matt Kelly; Michael Lee; Ricky Moore; Scott Howell

Best Chef in orange/Chatham County Vimala Rajendran FINALISTS Aaron Vandemark; Andrea Reusing; Brandon Sharp; Brendan Cox

Best Chef in Wake County Ashley Christensen FINALISTS Cheetie Kumar; Jeff Seizer; Scott Crawford

FINALISTS Happy China; Neo-China Restaurant; Shanghai Restaurant

Best Coffee shop in Wake County Cup A Joe cupajoe.com

FINALISTS Fount Coffee + Kitchen, Jubala Coffee, Sola Coffee Cafe

Best Chinese restaurant in orange/Chatham County

Best CupCake in the triangle

Lantern

Smallcakes Durham

lanternrestaurant.com

smallcakesnc.com

FINALISTS Gourmet Kingdom; Jade Palace Restaurant; Red Lotus

FINALISTS The Cupcake Shoppe Bakery, Cupcakes d’Amour, Gigi’s Cupcakes

Best Chinese restaurant in Wake County

Best Deli in the triangle

Five Star Restaurant

Neomonde Mediterranean Raleigh

fivestarraleigh.com

neomonde.com

FINALISTS Brewery Bhavana, Red Dragon Chinese Restaurant, Taipei101

FINALISTS Lucky’s Delicatessen; Neal’s Deli; Village Deli and Grill

KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Best Desserts in Durham County The Parlour the parlour.co

FINALISTS Guglhupf Bakery; Cafe & Biergarten; Mad Hatter Cafe + Bakeshop; Nantucket Grill

Best Desserts in orange/Chatham County Guglhupf Bake Shop guglhupf.com

FINALISTS Nantucket Grill; The Yogurt Pump Weaver Street Market

The Parlour

Best Desserts in Wake County

PHOTO BY ANNIE MAYNARD

Hayes Barton Cafe & Dessertery

Best Frozen Treats in the Triangle, Best Desserts in Durham County

Best Draft Beer seleCtion in orange / Chatham County

Best fooD truCk in the triangle

FINALISTS Bittersweet; lucettegrace; Two Roosters Ice Cream

Beer Study

chirbachirba.com

Best Distillery in the triangle

FINALISTS House of Hops; Steel String Brewery; The Wooden Nickel Public House

hayesbartoncafeanddessertery.com

beerstudy.com

Durham Distillery durhamdistillery.com

FINALISTS Mystic Farm & Distilling Company; Oak City Amaretto; TOPO Distillery

Best Donut in the triangle

Best Draft Beer seleCtion in Wake County Raleigh Beer Garden theraleighbeergarden.com

FINALISTS Flying Saucer Draught Emporium; Pharmacy Bottle + Beverage; State of Beer

Monuts

monutsdonuts.com FINALISTS Baker’s Dozen Donut Shop; Duck Donuts; Krispy Kreme

Best Draft Beer seleCtion in Durham County Beer Study—Durham

Best family frienDly restaurant in the triangle Elmo’s Diner

Chirba Chirba FINALISTS American Meltdown; Cousins Maine Lobster Raleigh; Succotash Durham

Best frenCh restaurant in the triangle

Snoopy’s Hot Dogs & More

Best fries in the triangle

FINALISTS The Cardinal Bar; The Roast Grill; Shorty’s Famous Hot Dogs

Five Guys

snoopys.com

fiveguys.com FINALISTS Al’s Burger Shack; BurgerFi; Heavenly Buffaloes

Best inDian restaurant in the triangle Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe

Best frozen treats in the triangle

FINALISTS Clouds Brewing; Fullsteam Brewery; The Glass Jug Beer Lab; Hi-Wire Brewing—Durham; Pour Taproom: Durham

FINALISTS FRESH. Local Ice Cream; LocoPops; Two Roosters Ice Cream

INDYweek.com

FINALISTS Neomonde Mediterranean Raleigh; Sassool; Taverna Agora Greek Kitchen & Bar

FINALISTS Coquette; Rue Cler; Saint Jacques

The Parlour

June 24, 2020

mediterraneandeli.com

Best hot Dog in the triangle

vinrougerestaurant.com

beerstudy.com

Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering

Vin Rouge

elmosdiner.com

FINALISTS Angie’s Restaurant; Pompieri Pizza; Over the Falls

Best greek/ meDiterranean restaurant in the triangle

theparlour.co

curryblossom.com

FINALISTS Garland; Lime & Lemon Indian Grill & Bar; Viceroy

Best IrIsh PuB In the trIangle

Best late nIght meal In Durham County

Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub

Parts & Labor

FINALISTS Doherty’s Irish Pub & Restaurant; Hibernian Pub Glenwood Avenue; Hibernian Irish Pub and Restaurant North Raleigh

FINALISTS Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub; Cosmic Cantina; Dashi

bullmccabesirishpub.com

Best ItalIan restaurant In the trIangle Gocciolina

gocciolina.com FINALISTS Alex & Teresa’s Pizzeria & Trattoria; Garibaldi Trattoria-Pizza-Pasta; Mothers & Sons Trattoria

Best JaPanese restaurant In Durham County M Sushi

m-restaurants.com

motorcomusic.com

Best late nIght meal In orange / Chatham County The Wooden Nickel Public House thewnp.com

FINALISTS Linda’s Bar & Grill; The Northside District; Time-Out Restaurant—East Franklin

Best late nIght meal In Wake County Players Retreat playersretreat.com

FINALISTS Dashi; Kurama Japanese Seafood; Shiki Sushi

FINALISTS Carolina Ale House; Char Grill; MoJoe’s Burger Joint

Best JaPanese restaurant In orange / Chatham County

Best latIn amerICan restaurant In Durham County

Jujube

Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas

jujuberestaurant.com FINALISTS Akai Hana Japanese Restaurant; Mr Tokyo Japanese Restaurant; OiShii

Best JaPanese restaurant In Wake County Waraji Japanese Restaurant warajijapaneserestaurant.com

FINALISTS City Market Sushi; Kai Sushi & Sake Bar; Kanki Japanese House of Steaks & Sushi

Best JuICe Bar In the trIangle Raleigh Raw Juice Bar & Cafe raleighraw.com

FINALISTS Clean Juice; Juicekeys; Kwench Juice Cafe

Food Truck & Catering

lunarotisserie.com

FINALISTS Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken; COPA; Gonza Tacos Y Tequila

Best latIn amerICan restaurant In orange/orange County Carrburritos

carrburritos.com FINALISTS Fiesta Grill Restaurant; El Restaurante Ixtapa; Tacos Los Altos

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS FOR VOTING US ONE OF THE BEST FOOD TRUCKS IN THE TRIANGLE! succotashdurham.com Taylor McLean @taytaystryintoeat

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best

O F TH E

triangle

2018

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila gonzatacosytequila.com

FINALISTS Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken; Centro; so•ca

SERVING THE TRIANGLE

WWW.BOERBROTHERSHVAC.COM KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Best LocaLLy Made cider in the triangLe

Best Pie in orange/chathaM county

Bull City Ciderworks

Weaver Street Market

Bes the

FINALISTS Botanist and Barrel; Chatham Cider Works; The Naughty Penguin

FINALISTS Crook’s Corner; Mama Dip’s Kitchen; The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering

PHOT

Best LocaLLy Made craft Beer in the triangLe

Best Pie in Wake county

Trophy Wife, Trophy Brewing Co.

bittersweetraleigh.com

bullcityciderworks.com

weaverstreetmarket.coop

Bittersweet

FINALISTS Burney’s Sweets & More; Main Street Grille; Cafe & Bakery; Slice Pie Company

trophybrewing.com

FINALISTS Cloud Surfer; Trophy Brewing Co.; Grove; Brewery Bhavana; Kolsch; White Street Brewing

Best Pizza in durhaM county

Best LocaLLy Made Liquor in the triangLe

Pizzeria Toro pizzeriatoro.com

Conniption Navy Strength Gin, Durham Distillery

La Farm Bakery Best Bakery in Wake County, Best Bread in Wake County, Best Sandwich in Wake County

durhamdistillery.com

FINALISTS Krupnikas; The Brothers Vilgalys Spirits Company; Oak City Amaretto; Vodka; Topo Distillery

PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

Best Mexican restaurant in orange/chathaM county carrburritos.com FINALISTS bartaco; Fiesta Grill Restaurant; El Restaurante Ixtapa

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila gonzatacosytequila.com

FINALISTS Centro; Frida’s Patio Modern Mexican Cuisine; Gringo A Go Go

Lilly’s Pizza

Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering

ac-restaurants.com

lillyspizza.com

FINALISTS High Horse; Locals Oyster Bar; Osha Thai Kitchen and Sushi

FINALISTS Oakwood Pizza Box; Poole’side Pies; Trophy Brewing & Pizza

Best outdoor dining in the triangLe

Best saLad in the triangLe

Namu

Happy + Hale

namudurham.com

happyandhale.com

FINALISTS Guglhupf Bakery; Cafe & Biergarten; Taverna Agora Greek Kitchen & Bar; Transfer Co. Food Hall

FINALISTS CoreLife Eatery; DICED (D3) Salads, Wraps + Bowls; Manhattan Cafe & Catering

mediterraneandeli.com

Best neW restaurant in durhaM county kokyubbq.com FINALISTS Boricua Soul at American Tobacco Campus; M Pocha

Best neW restaurant in orange / chathaM county FINALISTS Bonchon; Cham Thai Cuisine at Carrboro; James Pharmacy

INDYweek.com

FINALIS Neal’s Deli The Woode

Poole’side Pies

hawthorneandwood.com

June 24, 2020

merritsb

Best s Best Pizza in Wake county wake

Hawthorne & Wood

Merritt

Best neW restaurant in Wake county

KoKyu

Best Mexican restaurant in Wake county

Pizzeria Mercato

Best s Orang

Best MiddLe eastern restaurant in the triangLe

FINALISTS Neomonde Mediterranean Raleigh; Sassoo;, Sitti

Carrburritos

Best Pizza in orange/chathaM county FINALISTS Capp’s Pizzeria & Trattoria; Carrboro Pizza Oven; Napoli Pizzeria & Gelateria

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila FINALISTS Dos Perros; NUVOTACO; Taqueria La Vaquita

FINALISTS Hutchins Garage; Pompieri Pizza; Randy’s Pizza

pizzeriamercatonc.com

Best Mexican restaurant in durhaM county gonzatacosytequila.com

Best sandWich in Best Pie in durhaM county durhaM county East Durham Bake Shop

Toast

eastdurhambakeshop.com

toast-fivepoints.com

FINALISTS Bean Traders; Foster’s Market; Hope Valley Diner; The Refectory Cafe

FINALISTS Eastcut Sandwich Bar; KoKyu Na’Mean; Lucky’s Delicatessen

La Farm

lafarmba

FINALIS ALIMENTA Catering, V

Best s in the

Saltbo

saltboxse

FINALIS 42nd Stree Saint Jame

Best s in the Mateo

mateota

FINALIS Barcelona Durham

Saltbox Seafood Joint Best Seafood Restaurant in the Triangle PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

DRY CLEANING Best sandwich in Orange/chatham cOunty Merritt’s Grill merritsblt.com

FINALISTS Neal’s Deli, The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering, The Wooden Nickel Public House

Best sandwich in wake cOunty La Farm Bakery lafarmbakery.com

FINALISTS ALIMENTARI AT LEFT BANK, Manhattan Cafe & Catering, Village Deli and Grill

Best seafOOd restaurant in the triangle Saltbox Seafood Joint saltboxseafoodjoint.com

FINALISTS 42nd Street Oyster Bar, Locals Oyster Bar, Saint James Seafood

Best small Plates/taPas in the triangle Mateo Bar de Tapas mateotapas.com

FINALISTS Barcelona Wine Bar, Brewery Bhavana, Juju Durham

Best sOuthern fOOd restaurant in the triangle Mama Dip’s Kitchen mamadips.com

FINALISTS Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, Poole’s

Best sPOrts Bar in durham cOunty Tobacco Road Sports Cafe

PICK UP & DELIVERY OPTIONS COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY SERVICES & MORE!

tobaccoroadsportscafe.com

FINALISTS Bralie’s Sports Bar, Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub, Dain’s Place

Best sPOrts Bar in Orange/chatham cOunty The Wooden Nickel Public House thewnp.com

FINALISTS The Kraken, Tobacco Road Sports Café, Tyler’s Restaurant & Taproom

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Best sPOrts Bar in wake cOunty Players Retreat playersretreat.com

FINALISTS Carolina Ale House, My Way Tavern, Sharky’s Place KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Best steak in Durham County

Best Veggie Burger in orange/Chatham County

NanaSteak

The Spotted Dog

FINALISTS Mateo Bar de Tapas; Metro 8 Steakhouse; Ruth’s Chris Steak House

FINALISTS Al’s Burger Shack; Buns; Elmo’s Diner

thespotteddogrestaurant.com

nanasteak.com

Best Veggie Burger in Wake County

Best steak in orange/Chatham County

The Fiction Kitchen

Bin 54 Steak & Cellar

thefictionkitchen.com

bin54chapelhill.com

FINALISTS BurgerFi; MoJoe’s Burger Joint; Vegan Community Kitchen

FINALISTS Elaine’s On Franklin; Farm House Restaurant; Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill

Best steak in Wake County

Best Wine list in the triangle

Angus Barn

angusbarn.com

FINALISTS Rey’s Restaurant; Sullivan’s Steakhouse.; Vinnie’s Steak House & Tavern

Best sunDay BrunCh in Durham County

FINALISTS Bar Brunello; Barcelona Wine Bar; Vidrio

Pizzeria Toro

Best Wings in Durham County

Best Pizza in Durham County PHOTO JADE WILSON

Heavenly Buffaloes

Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten guglhupf.com

FINALISTS Elmo’s Diner; Monuts; Vin Rouge

Best sunDay BrunCh in orange/Chatham County

heavenlybuffaloes.com

Best sushi in orange/Chatham County Akai Hana Japanese Restaurant akaihana.com

acmecarrboro.com

FINALISTS Kurama Sushi & Noodle Express; OiShii; Spicy 9 Sushi Bar & Asian Restaurant; Sushi Nikko

FINALISTS Elmo’s Diner; The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering; Venable Rotisserie Bistro

Best sushi in Wake County

Acme Food & Beverage Co

Waraji Japanese Restaurant

Best sunDay BrunCh in Wake County Tupelo Honey

tupelohoneycafe.com

warajijapaneserestaurant.com

FINALISTS City Market Sushi, Kai Sushi & Sake Bar, Sushi-Thai Cary

FINALISTS Coquette; The Fiction Kitchen; The Piper’s Restaurant and Tavern

Best Vegan-frienDly restaurant in Durham County

Best sushi in Durham County

Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas

M Sushi

FINALISTS Dos Perros; Earth to Us; Goorsha

m-restaurants.com FINALISTS SakeBomb; Shiki Sushi; Sushi Love 22

June 24, 2020

lunarotisserie.com

INDYweek.com

Best Vegan-frienDly restaurant in orange/Chatham County Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe curryblossom.com

FINALISTS Mediterranean Deli, Bakery; and Catering, The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering; Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar

FINALISTS The Blue Note Grill; The Dankery; The House, Tomato Jake’s Pizzeria

Best Wings in orange/Chatham County Heavenly Buffaloes heavenlybuffaloes.com

FINALISTS The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering; Wings Over Chapel Hill; The Wooden Nickel Public House

Best Vegan-frienDly restaurant in Wake County

Best Wings in Wake County

The Fiction Kitchen

Over the Falls

thefictionkitchen.com

otfalls.com

FINALISTS Fount Coffee + Kitchen; Irregardless Café; The Remedy Diner

FINALISTS Apex Wings Restaurant & Pub; Krafty’s Burgers and Brews; WINGIN’IT Bar And Grille

Best Veggie Burger in Durham County Bull City Burger and Brewery bullcityburgerandbrewery.com FINALISTS Elmo’s Diner; Only Burger; Town Hall Burger and Beer

Thank you to everyone who voted! Best Acupuncturist in the triAngle Dr. Adam Gries

awakeningshealth.com FINALISTS Ben Townsend; Janet Shaffer; Mary Clark

Best AestheticiAn in the triAngle Bethany Burdine, Fuzzy Bee Waxing Studio

facebook.com/fuzzybeewaxingstudio FINALISTS Christine Link, Wellville Massage and Healing Arts; Lindsey Westendorf, Smoothe LLC; Taylor Pearce, White Dahlia

Best BArBer shop in the triAngle Rock’s Bar and Hair Shop rocksdurham.com

FINALISTS The Grumpy Barbers; Revelry Barber & Shave Shop; Steve’s Barber Shop

Best chiroprActor in the triAngle Dr. Perry Kirch

garnerchiropracticandwellness.com FINALISTS Dr. Cheyne Ashline; Dr. Greg Barnes; Dr. Jessica Fay

Best couples therApist in the triAngle Carole Cullen, MA, LMFT FINALISTS Beth Newton, LCSW; Erin Bircher, MS, LPC, LCAS; Laurie Watson, PhD, MA, LMFT, LPC

Best DAy spA in the triAngle The Umstead Hotel and Spa theumstead.com

FINALISTS Alossi Renewal; Salon Serenity Spa; White Dahlia

Gregory Fisher, M.D. Vivian Makar, M.D. Julio Martinez, M.D. Maxine Murray, M.D. Thomas Pittman, M.D. Stephanie Rand, M.D. Anna Ruderman,M.D. Jessica Schwartz, M.D. Scott Sexton, M.D. Kyne Wang, M.D. Gladly accepting new patients!

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Sutton Station 5832 Fayetteville Rd, Ste 113, Durham 919-544-2049 KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Best massage theraPist in the triangle Castle Frame, NC LMBT #16422 castleframe.com

FINALISTS Carole L. Pope, NC LMBT #12671; Eddie Summers, NC LMBT #5678; Suzie Bush, LMBT, NC #11399

Best oPtometry Practice in the triangle Academy Eye Associates academyeye.com

Syd’s Hair Shop

FINALISTS Carrboro Family Vision; Holly Springs Eye Associates; McPherson Family Eye Care

Best Hair Salon in Orange/Chatham County PHOTO BY CAITLIN PENNA

Best PeDiatric Practice in the triangle Chapel Hill Pediatrics

Best Dental Practice in Durham county

Best Dermatologist in the triangle

Best hair salon in Durham county

Triangle Kids Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Jenny and Dr. Yvette

Dr. Mark Fradin

Posh The Salon

FINALISTS Dr. Amy Stein Drumheller; Dr. Elizabeth Hamilton; Dr. Patricia Matheis

FINALISTS Salon Povera; Spruce Hair Salon; Vent Salon

trianglekidsdentist.com

FINALISTS Cecil Jeffrey R DDS; Dr. Debora Bolton, Bull City Smiles; Durham Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics; Gadol Family Dentistry; Laura A Parra, DDS, PA

Best Dental Practice in orange / chatham county Holman Family Dental Care holmanfamilydentalcare.com

FINALISTS Ellis Family Dentistry; Meadowmont Dentistry; Wagoner DDS

Best Dental Practice in Wake county Signature Smiles Cary, NC— Archie Cook, Jr. DDS signaturesmiles-nc.com

FINALISTS Nu Image Surgical & Dental Implant Center; Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry; Russo Dentistry

chapelhilldermatology.com

Best gym in Durham county Levin Jewish Community Center levinjcc.org

FINALISTS Bull City CrossFit; Duke Health and Fitness Center; Triangle Rock Club—Durham

Best gym in orange / chatham county UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont

uncwellness.com/meadowmont FINALISTS The Coalition NC; CrossFit Local; Orange County Sportsplex

Best gym in Wake county Find A Way Fitness findawayfitness.net

FINALISTS Burn Boot Camp – Holly Springs; Burn Boot Camp – Raleigh; Burn Boot Camp – Wake Forest 24

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chapelhillpeds.com

FINALISTS Capitol Pediatrics; Jeffers, Mann & Artman Pediatrics; Regional Pediatrics—Sutton Station

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Best hair salon in orange / chatham county Syd’s Hair Shop sydshairshop.com

FINALISTS Lavish Beauty Lounge; Purple Coffin Hair Studio; to the woods

Best hair salon in Wake county Tone Hair Salon tonehairsalon.com

FINALISTS Caban & Co. Hair, Little Shop of Hairdos, Pinup Studio

Best martial arts stuDio in the triangle Triangle Krav Maga trianglekravmaga.com

FINALISTS Lee Brothers Martial Arts; Phoenix One Taekwondo; Wah Lum Kung Fu of Raleigh

Best Pilates stuDio in the triangle Club Pilates clubpilates.com

FINALISTS Barre-Up Raleigh; Blue Sky Pilates; InsideOut Body Therapies

Best Primary care Practitioner in the triangle Dr. Sheryl Joyner

alliancemedicalministry.org FINALISTS Dr. Oscar Cornelio-Flores; Dr. Poorvi Shah; Dr. Susan Blackford

Best Psychiatrist in the triangle Dr. Matthew Conner FINALISTS Dr. Erik Gustke; Dr. Ria Battaglino

Best spray tanning Facility in the triangle Oak City Sunless

facebook.com/oakcitysunless FINALISTS Ghostbusters Mobile Tanning; Salon Serenity Spa; Silver Sky Organics

Best therapist in the triangle Jill Triana, MS, LPCS capcounselingraleigh.com

FINALISTS Chris Burner, LCSWA, MDIV, SEP; Erin Bircher, MS, LPC, LCAS; Erin Coleman, MA, LMFT-A; Danielle Partin, PA-C

Best Women’s health practice in Durham county Chapel Hill Obstetrics & Gynecology: Durham Southpoint chapelhillobgyn.com

FINALISTS Durham Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) at North Duke Street; Durham Women’s Clinic; Women’s Birth & Wellness Center

Best Women’s health practice in orange / chatham county

Best Women’s health practitioner in Durham county

Best yoga stuDio in Durham county

Chapel Hill Obstetrics and Gynecology

Melinda Everett, WHCNP

globalbreath.org

chapelhillobgyn.com

FINALISTS Mosaic Comprehensive Care; UNC Horizons; Women’s Birth & Wellness Center

Best Women’s health practice in Wake county Mid-Carolina Obstetrics & Gynecology midcarolinaobgyn.com

FINALISTS Arbor ObGyn; Durham Women’s Clinic and Regional Midwifery; Kamm McKenzie OBGYN

chapelhillobgyn.com

FINALISTS Amy Dixon, CNM; Dr. Joshua Hardison; Kate Godly, PA-C

Best Women’s health practitioner in orange / chatham county Melinda Everett, WHCNP chapelhillobgyn.com

FINALISTS Amy Dixon, CNM; Dr. Joshua Hardison; Dr. Sonya Williams

Best Women’s health practitioner in Wake county Dr. Carter Gray arbor-obgyn.com

Global Breath Studio FINALISTS Durham Yoga Company; Hot Asana Yoga Studio—Durham; Threehouse Studios

Best yoga stuDio in orange / chatham county Carrboro Yoga Company carolinayogacompany.com

FINALISTS Franklin Street Yoga Center; Loving Kindness Yoga School; Thousand Petals Yoga

Best yoga stuDio in Wake county YoBa Studio yobastudio.com

FINALISTS Cary Flow Yoga; Element Hot Yoga; Omni Yoga

FINALISTS Dr. Cynamon K. Chawla; Dr. Nichelle Satterfield; Dr. Sonya Williams; Stacie Diette, CNM, WHNP

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June 24, 2020

Durham Performing Arts Center Best Adult Entertainment in the Triangle, Best Live Theater Venue in the Triangle PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON

Best Adult entertAinment in the triAngle

Best BArtender/ mixologist in WAke County

Durham Performing Arts Center

Dylan McKeon

dpacnc.com

FINALISTS Boxcar Bar + Arcade; Whole Brain Escape; work. Nightclub

Best Art gAllery in the triAngle Artspace

artspacenc.org FINALISTS Bakova Gallery; Cedar Creek Gallery; Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, VAE Raleigh

Best BArtender/ mixologist in durhAm County Sean Umstead FINALISTS Arturo Sanchez; Erin Karcher; Luke Zabor

Best BArtender/ mixologist in orAnge / ChAthAm County Tony at The Wooden Nickel FINALISTS James Peery; Jay at James Pharmacy Seafood; Norm Underwood 26

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FINALISTS Kristie Stehle; Rob Nation

Best Comedy CluB in the triAngle Goodnights Comedy Club goodnightscomedy.com

FINALISTS Mettlesomeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Okay Alright Theater; The PIT Chapel Hill; Raleigh Improv

Best Community event in the triAngle Festival for the Eno enofest.org

FINALISTS Brewgaloo; Carrboro Music Festival; Drag Queen Story Hour

Best gAy or lesBiAn BAr in the triAngle The Pinhook thepinhook.com

FINALISTS The Green Monkey; Legends Nightclub; work. Nightclub

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June 24, 2020

The Pinhook Best Karaoke in the Triangle, Best Place to Dance in the Triangle, Best Gay or Lesbian Bar in the Triangle PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Best neighBorhood Bar in orange / Chatham County The Wooden Nickel Public House thewnp.com

FINALISTS Hot Tin Roof; Imbibe; The Kraken, Orange County Social Club

Best neighBorhood Bar in WaKe County Person Street Bar person-street.com

FINALISTS Champions Bars; The Green Monkey; work. Nightclub

Best KaraoKe in the triangle

Best live theater venue in the triangle

Best museum in the triangle

The Pinhook

Durham Performing Arts Center

North Carolina Museum of Art

thepinhook.com

FINALISTS All King Karaoke; David Price’s Original Super Karaoke; Flex

dpacnc.org

FINALISTS The Carolina Theatre; Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts; Raleigh Little Theatre

Best live theater Company in the triangle

Best loCal podCast

Raleigh Little Theatre

The Bob and Lu Show

raleighlittletheatre.org

FINALISTS Burning Coal Theatre Company; PlayMakers Repertory Company; Ward Theatre Company 28

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FINALISTS Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause; Holly Springs Deep Dive Podcast; RDU on Stage

ncartmuseum.org

FINALISTS Marbles Kids Museum; Museum of Life and Science; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Best neighBorhood Bar in durham County The Blue Note Grill thebluenotegrill.com

FINALISTS Accordion Club; Arcana Bar and Lounge; Beer Study-Durham

Best open miC night in the triangle The Blue Note Grill thebluenotegrill.com

FINALISTS Carolina Waves Presents: Open Mic Live; Imurj—The Artists’ Café; The Station

Best outdoor musiC venue in the triangle North Carolina Museum of Art ncartmuseum.org

FINALISTS Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek; Koka Booth Amphitheatre; Red Hat Amphitheater

North Carolina Museum of Art Best Museum in the Triangle, Best Outdoor Music Venue in the Triangle PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Best Place for Indoor fun In the trIangle

Best Place to dance In the trIangle

Museum of Life and Science

The Pinhook

FINALISTS Boxcar Bar + Arcade, Bull City Escape, Dogwood Country Club

FINALISTS Coglinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Raleigh, The Kraken, Legends Nightclub

lifeandscience.org

thepinhook.com

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June 24, 2020

The Fruit Best Place to Hear Noise/Electronica in the Triangle PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Best Place to Get sPecialty cocktails in the trianGle Alley Twenty Six alleytwentysix.com

FINALISTS Belltree; The Crunkleton; Kingfisher, Watts & Ward

Best Place to hear BlueGrass in the trianGle Wide Open Bluegrass Festival worldofbluegrass.com

FINALISTS The Blue Note Grill; Community Church Concerts; The Kraken

Best Place to hear Blues in the trianGle The Blue Note Grill thebluenotegrill.com

Best Place to hear Jazz in the trianGle Beyú Caffè

FINALISTS Duke Performances, Imurj—The Artists’ Café; The Kraken

beyucaffe.com

FINALISTS C.Grace; Irregardless Café; Sharp 9 Gallery

Best Place to hear hiP-hoP or soul in the trianGle

Best Place to hear noise/electronica in the trianGle

Cat’s Cradle

The Fruit

catscradle.com

durhamfruit.com

FINALISTS Beyú Caffè; Imurj—The Artists’ Café; The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop 30

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FINALISTS Isaac Hunter’s Sub Rosa; Nightlight; Ruby Deluxe

Best Place to hear rock’n’roll in the trianGle

Best Place to hear World or international Music in the trianGle

Cat’s Cradle

Duke Performances

FINALISTS Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek; Local 506; Motorco Music Hall; The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop

FINALISTS Carolina Performing Arts; International Festival; North Carolina Museum of Art

catscradle.com

dukeperformances.duke.edu

Best Place to shoot Pool in the trianGle Green Room

greenroomdurham.com FINALISTS Champions Bars; The Kraken; Zogs Pool

Green Room Best Place to Shoot Pool in the Triangle PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON

Best theater to see an IndIe FIlm In the trIangle

Best trIvIa nIght In the trIangle

The Carolina Theatre

bullcityciderworks.com

carolinatheatre.org

FINALISTS Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Raleigh; Chelsea Theater; The Rialto Theatre

Bull City Ciderworks FINALISTS Quarter Horse Bar & Arcade; Ruckus Pizza and Bar; Tomato Jakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizzeria

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June 24, 2020

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Best Ad Agency in the triAngle Aubrey’s Marketing Services

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FINALISTS Abundant Marketing; BluePrint Business Communication; Heights Digital

Best Architect / Architecture studio in the triAngle Sophie Piesse sophiepiesse.com

FINALISTS BuildSense; Coby Linton; Ellen Cassilly

Best Attorney in the triAngle

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FINALISTS Allyn Sharp; Christopher Mann; David Morgan

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Best Auto deAlership in the triAngle Fred Anderson Toyota fredandersontoyota.com

FINALISTS BMW of Southpoint; Johnson Subaru of Cary; Leith Chrysler Jeep

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FINALISTS Ingold Tire & Auto Service Center; Massey Brothers Automotive; Neal’s Garage CONTACT

Best Auto repAir in orAnge / chAthAm county

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FINALISTS A Better Wrench; Auto Logic; East Franklin Car Care

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Mediterranean Deli Best Caterer in the Triangle

Thanks to everyone who voted for us Carrboro's Premier Electrician bonneville-electric.com

Looking for Answers? Follow @INDYWeek on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for breaking news. 34

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Best Auto RepAiR in WAke County

Best ContRACtoR in oRAnge / ChAthAm County

Gowerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brake & Alignment

Actual Size Builders

gowersbrakeandalign.com

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FINALISTS 55 Auto Works, LLC; Auto Remedy; Carfix Raleigh

FINALISTS BuildSense; Grey Star Woodworks & Design, LLC, Hollow Rock Construction

Best Bed & BReAkfAst in the tRiAngle Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast

Best ContRACtoR in WAke County One Team Restoration

moreheadmanor.com

oneteamrestoration.com

FINALISTS Fuquay Mineral Spring Inn and Garden; Guest House Raleigh; Small B&B

FINALISTS All American Carpentry; Big Monkey Renovation and Repair; Tingen Remodeling

Best CAteReR in the tRiAngle

Best CoWoRking spACe in the tRiAngle

Mediterranean Deli

Frontier RTP

mediterraneandeli.com

frontier.rtp.org

FINALISTS Catering by Design; Catering Works; Rocky Top Catering

FINALISTS Coworking Station; HQ Raleigh; Locale 321

Best ContRACtoR in duRhAm County Actual Size Builders

new.actualsizebuilders.com FINALISTS AG Builders; BuildSense; P&R Property Consulting Group, LLC

Best dAnCe studio in the tRiAngle Holly Springs School of Dance hollyspringsdance.com

FINALISTS Academy for the Performing Arts; CC & Co. Dance Complex; Prestige Dance Institute Inc

Best early Childhood learning FaCility in durham County

Best house Cleaners in durham County

Montessori School of Durham

carpediemcleaning.com

msdurham.org

FINALISTS Children’s Campus At Southpoint; Nido: Coworking + Childcare; Primrose School at Hope Valley Farms

Best early Childhood learning FaCility in orange / Chatham County Chapel Hill Cooperative Preschool

Carpe Diem Cleaning FINALISTS Best Clean Ever; Enovana Green Cleaning of Durham; Lucie’s Home Services Inc.

Best house Cleaners in orange / Chatham County Carpe Diem Cleaning carpediemcleaning.com

FINALISTS Donna Berry, Enovana Green Cleaning; Lucie’s Home Services Inc.

chapelhillcoop.com

FINALISTS Casa Club Spanish Immersion Preschool; Children’s Campus; Learning Outside

Best early Childhood learning FaCility in Wake County

Best house Cleaners in Wake County Go 2 Girls

go-2-girls.com FINALISTS All Aces Carpet Cleaning; Best Clean Ever; Spotless Home Cleaning Services, LLC

Temple Beth Or Preschool tbopreschool.org

FINALISTS Follow the Child Montessori School; Little by Little; Preschool for the Arts at APA

Best eleCtriCian in the triangle

Best house Painter in the triangle Anderson Painting

andersonpaintingnc.com FINALISTS Bianco Painting; Brush Up Painting; Zarazua Painting

Bonneville Electric Bonneville-electric.com

FINALISTS ARC Electric; Carol’s Electric; Dynamic Electrical Solutions

Best event/Wedding Planner in the triangle The Perfect Plan

Best hvaC ComPany in the triangle Boer Brothers Heating & Cooling boerbrothershvac.com

FINALISTS Alexander Heating; Air Conditioning & Plumbing; Jay’s Heating and Cooling; Newcomb and Company

theperfectplannc.com

FINALISTS A Southern Soiree; Enchanting Events; Lillian Suarez Weddings & Events

Best hotel in the triangle The Umstead Hotel and Spa theumstead.com

FINALISTS 21c Museum Hotel Durham; Aloft Durham Downtown; The Durham Hotel

Best insuranCe agent in the triangle Amanda Hagood, State Farm statefarm.com

FINALISTS Harrison Wicker, Insurance People; J. Scott Rutter, Goosehead Insurance; James Zewe, State Farm

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Pilsner Urquell $9.99 / 6 pk bottles

Noda Hop Drop ‘N Roll $12.99 / 4 pk

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Best Landscape company in the triangLe

Best pet groomer in Wake county

TROSA Lawn Care

Wags to Riches

trosalawncare.com

wagstorichesnc.com

FINALISTS Barefoot Grass Lawn Services; Gem Landscaping; Peak Sodding

FINALISTS Dog Holiday Resort, Mayfair Grooming, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming

Best moving company in the triangLe

Best pet-sitting service in durham county

TROSA Moving

Kate’s Critter Care

trosamoving.com

katescrittercare.com

FINALISTS BeeLine Moving; Crabtree Family Moving; Miracle Movers Raleigh; Movin’ On Movers

FINALISTS Barbie & Company Pet Services, Bull City Pet Sitting, Camp Bow Wow—North Durham

Best music Lessons in the triangLe

Best pet-sitting service in orange / chatham county

High Strung School of Music highstrungdurham.com

The Umstead Hotel and Spa

FINALISTS Gabe Pelli; Jon Shain; Triangle Music School

Best Hotel in the Triangle PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON

Best naturaL hair saLon in the triangLe Taji Natural Hair Styling tajisalon.com

FINALISTS Color Salon & Spa; Loxxe on Jones; Salon Serenity Spa

Best nonprofit in durham county TROSA

trosainc.org FINALISTS Animal Protection Society of Durham; Durham Arts Council; Hope Animal Rescue

Best nonprofit in orange / chatham county TABLE

tablenc.org FINALISTS Caramore Community; Club Nova Community Inc.; Music Maker Relief Foundation; Paws4ever

Best nonprofit in Wake county

Best pet Boarding in Wake county

Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

Suite Paws Pet Resort & Spa

foodbankcenc.org

FINALISTS Bridge the Gap Mission/ Carolina Cares; SPCA of Wake County; St. John the Merciful Outreach Ministry

Best pet Boarding in durham county Camp Bow Wow— North Durham

campbowwow.com/north-durham

Elliotte’s Pet Spa & Salon elliottespetspa.com

FINALISTS Beth’s Barks N Bubbles; Connie Crysler; U-Dirty Dog Selfwash Spa

Best pet Boarding in orange / chatham county

hairofthedognc.com

FINALISTS Doggie Spa & Day Care; Dogwood Veterinary Hospital & Pet Resort; Top Dog Training and Resort INDYweek.com

Best pet groomer in durham county

Best pet groomer in orange / chatham county

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June 24, 2020

FINALISTS Dog Holiday Resort; The K9 Kabana; Wag n Tails Bed and Biscuit

FINALISTS The Pet Wagon Hotel—Boarding and Daycare; Suite Paws Pet Resort & Spa; Sunny Acres Pet Resort; Willow Oak Veterinary Hospital

Green Beagle Lodge

suitepaws.com

Hair of the Dog Grooming Studio FINALISTS Emily Harris; Sparklin’ Petz Mobile Grooming Spa; Top Dog Training and Resort

Kate’s Critter Care katescrittercare.com

FINALISTS Fetch! Pet Care of Hillsborough / Burlington, Laughing Dog, Rachel McNeil, Walk & Wag- Chapel Hill, NC

Best pet-sitting service in Wake county aMANda’S BEST FRIEND amandasbestfriend.com

FINALISTS Dog Holiday Resort; Funny Bone Pet Sitting & Dog Walking; FURbaby Pet Sitters; Peak City Puppy

Best pLace to adopt a pet in the triangLe Saving Grace NC savinggracenc.org

FINALISTS Animal Protection Society of Durham; SPCA of Wake County; Triangle Beagle Rescue of NC

Best pLumBer in the triangLe Sparrow & Sons

sparrowplumbingnc.com FINALISTS Cary Plumbing; Modern Plumbing & Backflow; NC Waterheaters

Best RealtoR GRoup in the tRianGle

Best summeR Camp in oRanGe / Chatham County

Wolgin Real Estate Group

Carolina Friends School

FINALISTS Core Realty Advisors; Premier Agents Network; Samantha Gradle Realty Team

FINALISTS Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center; Learning Outside; Schoolhouse of Wonder

Best RealtoR in DuRham County

Best summeR Camp in Wake County

Cory Sherman, Homegrown Real Estate

Raleigh Little Theatre

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facebook.com/homegrownrealestatenc FINALISTS Chip Barker, Core Realty Advisors; Justin Burleson, Fonville Morisey/Premier Agents Network; Samantha Gradle

cfsnc.org

raleighlittletheatre.org

FINALISTS Arts Together Inc; Schoolhouse of Wonder; YMCA

Best tattoo stuDio in the tRianGle

Best RealtoR in oRanGe / Chatham County

Dogstar Tattoo Company

Martha Newport, Keller-Williams, Chapel Hill

FINALISTS Ethereal Tattoo Gallery; Ratatat Tats; Welcome Tattoo

FINALISTS Justin Burleson, Fonville Morisey/Premier Agents Network; Kelly Alexander; Yvonne Beal, Realty World Carolina Properties

Best VeteRinaRy pRaCtiCe in DuRham County

facebook.com/dogstartattoocompany

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redbudwriting.org

Eno Animal Hospital enoanimalhospital.com

Best RealtoR in Wake County Beatriz Negrin

facebook.com/brokerbeatriz FINALISTS Annie Freed Coldwell Banker HPW; Justin Burleson, Fonville Morisey/Premier Agents Network, Kelli Kaspar

Best RetiRement Community in the tRianGle Carol Woods carolwoods.org

FINALISTS Capital Oaks Retirement Resort; The Cardinal at North Hills; Carolina Meadows

Best summeR Camp in DuRham County Museum of Life and Science

FINALISTS Carver Street Animal Hospital; Southpoint Animal Hospital; Willow Oak Veterinary Hospital

Best VeteRinaRy pRaCtiCe in oRanGe / Chatham County Carrboro Plaza Veterinary Clinic

carrboroplazabet.com FINALISTS Cats Love Housecalls; Healing Paws Veterinary Hospital; Piedmont Veterinary Clinic

Best VeteRinaRy pRaCtiCe in Wake County Trinity Animal Hospital trinityvets.com

FINALISTS Bayleaf Veterinary Hospital; Magnolia Animal Hospital; THRIVE Affordable Vet Care

lifeandscience.org

FINALISTS Durham Academy Summer Programs, Levin Jewish Community Center, Schoolhouse of Wonder

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June 24, 2020

Best Art / CrAft supply store in the triAngle The Scrap Exchange scrapexchange.org

FINALISTS Freeman’s Creative; Jerry’s Artarama of Raleigh; Wish Upon A Quilt

Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews Best New Business in Orange / Chatham County PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Best Bike shop in DurhAm County Bullseye Bicycle bullseyebicycle.com

FINALISTS Bicycle Chain—Durham; Durham Cycles; Seven Stars Cycles

Best Bike shop in orAnge / ChAthAm County Back Alley Bikes backalleybikes.net

FINALISTS Bicycle Chain—Chapel Hill; The Clean Machine; Recyclery NC

Best Bike shop in WAke County Oak City Cycling oakcitycycling.com

FINALISTS All-Star Bike Shops; Cycle Logic; Giant Wake Forest

Best Bookstore in the triAngle Quail Ridge Books quailridgebooks.com

FINALISTS Flyleaf Books; Page 158 Books; The Regulator Bookshop

Best ButCher shop in the triAngle Cliff’s Meat Market cliffsmeatmarket.net

FINALISTS The Butcher’s Market; Carolina Butcher Shop; Steve’s Garden Market & Butchery 38

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Schoolkids Records Best CD/Record Store in the Triangle PHOTO BY JUSTIN COOK

Best CD / ReCoRD stoRe in the tRiangle Schoolkids Records schoolkidsrecords.com

FINALISTS Chaz’s Bull City Records; Hunky Dory; Nice Price Books & Records; Volume Records & Beer

Best ComiC Book stoRe in the tRiangle Atomic Empire atomicempire.com

FINALISTS Play4Life Comics; Ultimate Comics Durham/ Chapel Hill; Ultimate Comics Raleigh

Best Consignment/thRift shop in DuRham County TROSA Thrift Store and Donation Center trosathriftstore.org

FINALISTS Fifi’s Fine Resale Apparel; Rumors Durham; Scrap Thrift

Best Consignment/ thRift shop in oRange / Chatham County Rumors Chapel Hill shopatrumors.com

FINALISTS Chatham PTA Thrift Shop; Clothes Mentor Chapel Hill; My Secret Closet

Best Consignment/thRift shop in Wake County Father & Son Antiques fatherandsonraleigh.com

FINALISTS Cause for Paws Thrift Shop; Dorcas Thrift Shop; Next Consignment Boutique

Best enviRonmentally fRienDly Business in the tRiangle The Scrap Exchange scrapexchange.org

FINALISTS CompostNow; Fillaree Storefront; Lend A Box Raleigh KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

Pine State Flowers Best Florist in the Triangle PHOTO BY ANNIE MAYNARD

Best furniture store in the trianGle TROSA Thrift Store and Donation Center trosathriftstore.org

FINALISTS Capital Discount Furniture; Duvall & Co.; Father & Son Antiques

best

O F TH E

triangle

2018

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Best erotic Gifts in the trianGle

Best Garden store in the trianGle

Cherry Pie

Logan’s Garden Shop

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logantrd.com

FINALISTS Adam & Eve Stores; Frisky Business Boutique; Priscilla McCall’s

FINALISTS Fifth Season Gardening; Garden Supply Company; Homewood Nursery & Garden Center; Stone Brothers & Byrd

Best faBric store in the trianGle Cary Quilting Company caryquilting.com

FINALISTS Freeman’s Creative; Mill Outlet Village; Mulberry Silks & Fine Fabrics

Best florist in the trianGle Pine State Flowers pinestateflowers.com TROSA IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION IN DURHAM THAT HELPS PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS REBUILD THEIR LIVES. ALL ENTERPRISES SUPPORT THE TROSA PROGRAM. THANK YOU!

June 24, 2020

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FINALISTS Fallon’s Flowers; Flowers on Broad Street; Preston Flowers

Best Gift shop in durham county Morgan Imports morganimports.com

FINALISTS Hometown Apparel; Parker and Otis; Vaguely Reminiscent

Best Gift shop in oranGe / chatham county Womancraft Gifts womancraftgifts.com

FINALISTS A Little Something; Hillsborough Gallery of Arts; This & That Gift Gallery

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June 24, 2020

Li Ming’s Global Market Best International Market in the Triangle PHOTO BY JUSTIN COOK

Best gift shop in wake County

Best Jewelry store in orange / Chatham County

DECO Raleigh

Light Years

FINALISTS The Green Monkey; LILYMAES; Our Moments In Time

FINALISTS Carlisle & Linny Vintage Jewelry; Melissa Designer Jewelry; Womancraft Gifts

Best hardware store in the triangle

Best Jewelry store in wake County

Fitch Lumber & Hardware

Bailey’s Fine Jewelry

FINALISTS B & W Hardware; Holly Springs Ace Hardware; Triangle Ace Hardware

FINALISTS Diamonds Direct Raleigh; LILYMAES; Little Details

Best international market in the triangle

Best loCal Brand in the triangle

Li Ming’s Global Market

Be Like Missy

decoraleigh.com

fitchlumber.com

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FINALISTS Grand Asia Market; Spice Bazaar; Ten Thousand Villages

Best Jewelry store in durham County Jewelsmith

jewelsmith.com FINALISTS Hamilton Hill Jewelry; Light Years; Zola Craft Gallery

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

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baileybox.com

belikemissy.com

FINALISTS 4th Tree—Handmade Women’s Apparel; Munjo Munjo; The Soaperie

Best new Business in durham County Jeddah’s Tea

jeddahstearoom.com FINALISTS Crafts & Drafts NC; Triangle Rock Club—Durham

Best New BusiNess iN OraNge / Chatham COuNty Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews epiloguebookcafe.com

FINALISTS Carolina Hemp Hut—Hillsborough; Deli Edison; Twin House Music

Best New BusiNess iN wake COuNty Triangle Pop-Up trianglepopup.com

FINALISTS Adventures in Bloom; Pace Yourself Run Company; Raleigh Cheesy

Best Pet sPeCialty stOre iN the triaNgle Phydeaux

phydeaux.com FINALISTS Oliver’s Collar Dog Treat Bakery & Boutique; Other End of the Leash Pet Boutique & Bakery; Unleashed, the Dog & Cat Store at Lake Boone Shopping Center

Best PlaCe tO Buy lOCally made art iN durham COuNty The Mothership (closed) FINALISTS Durham Craft Market; Durham Night Market; Zola Craft Gallery

Best PlaCe tO Buy lOCally made art iN OraNge / Chatham COuNty Womancraft Gifts womancraftgifts.com

FINALISTS Hillsborough Arts Council; Hillsborough Gallery of Arts; Sweet Bee Caffe

Best PlaCe tO Buy lOCally made art iN wake COuNty Raleigh Night Market raleighnightmarket.com

FINALISTS Adventures in Bloom; Our Moments In Time; Triangle Pop-Up

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June 24, 2020

Best Wine shop in oRange / chatham county Chapel Hill Wine Company chapelhillwinecompany.com

FINALISTS db sutton & co wine shop; Hillsborough Wine Company; Vino!! Wine Shop

Best Wine shop in Wake county Cellar 55

cellar55nc.com

The Scrap Exchange

FINALISTS The Raleigh Wine Shop; Unwined on White; Wine Authorities

Best Art / Craft Supply Store in the Triangle; Best Environmentally Friendly Business in the Triangle; Best Salvage / Re-use Business in the Triangle

Best Women’s Boutique in DuRham county Vaguely Reminiscent

PHOTO JADE WILSON

facebook.com/vaguelyreminiscent

Best Retail BeeR selection in DuRham county

Best Running stoRe in the tRiangle

Best toy/kiDs stoRe in the tRiangle

Sam’s Bottle Shop

Fleet Feet Carrboro fleetfeet.com

Ali Cat Toys

samsbottleshop.com

FINALISTS Beer Study; The Glass Jug Beer Lab; Ramblers

FINALISTS Bull City Running Co.; Fleet Feet Raleigh; Pace Yourself Run Company

Best Retail BeeR selection in oRange / chatham county

Best salvage / Re-use Business in the tRiangle

Beer Study

scrapexchange.org

beerstudy.com

FINALISTS Carrboro Beverage Company; House of Hops; Weaver Street Market

Best Retail BeeR selection in Wake county Black Dog Bottle Shop blackdogbottleshop.com

FINALISTS Greenway Beer and Wine—Raleigh; The Green Monkey; Peace Street Market 44

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The Scrap Exchange FINALISTS Habitat Wake ReStore—Cary; Habitat Wake ReStore—Raleigh; TROSA Thrift Store and Donation Center

Best stoRe to Buy eyeglasses in the tRiangle Warby Parker

warpyparker.com/retail FINALISTS Carolina Family Vision; SPECS Eye Care; Upchurch Optical Center

alicattoysandbooks.com FINALISTS Crowemag Toys; Learning Express Toys; Tiny

Best vintage / antique stoRe in the tRiangle Father & Son Antiques fatherandsonraleigh.com

FINALISTS Cheshire Cat Antique Gallery; Gibson Girl Vintage; Pigfish Lane Antiques & Interiors; SuzAnna’s Antiques

Best Wine shop in DuRham county Wine Authorities wineauthorities.com

FINALISTS Hope Valley Wine & Beverage; LouElla Wine Beer & Beverage; Ramblers

FINALISTS Fifis Fine Resale Apparal; Smitten Boutique; Vert & Vogue

Best Women’s Boutique in oRange / chatham county Sofia’s Boutique sofiasboutique.us

FINALISTS Night Gallery—Branching Out; Women’s Birth and Wellness Center Boutique; Womancraft Gifts

Best Women’s Boutique in Wake county LILYMAES lilymaes.com

FINALISTS Autumn & Avery; Little Details; Monroe 26

Best yaRn stoRe in the tRiangle Hillsborough Yarn Shop hillsboroughyarn.com

FINALISTS Downtown Knits; Freeman’s Creative; Great Yarns

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June 24, 2020

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Black Lives Count WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY BY JADE WILSON

Saturday morning, Durham residents celebrated Black lives with a Juneteenth front-porch parade. Organized by the Durham Complete Count Committee in conjunction with SpiritHouse NC and escorted by the Durham Fire Department, cars drove through neighborhoods that have been racially discriminated against at voting polls or historically undercounted by the census. This was a creative outreach strategy to support residents who are filling out their census and registering to vote in the midst of COVID-19.

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June 24, 2020

FOOD & DR I NK A WE E K OF FA R M E R S M A R KE TS Make sure to look up each market before visiting for hours & COVID-19 guidelines.

DAILY

State Farmers Market 1201 Agriculture St., Raleigh WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

Moore Square Market 200 S. Blount Street

Many Hands Farm at Moore Square Market PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Snap Back For the second year since the park’s redevelopment, the Moore Square Market returned to downtown Raleigh BY LEIGH TAUSS ltauss@indyweek.com

houa Her fluffs a vibrant bouquet of dazzling zinnias, lilies, and dahlias from a tent propped up on Martin Street in Moore Square. It’s cool for June after a week of relentless rain, and it’s the first time in a while that pedestrians have casually walked the streets downtown. Coronavirus brought business to a screeching halt in March, followed by weeks of protests over racist policing. The windows of shops downtown remain boarded up from the riots that resulted in widespread vandalism, offering little by way of commerce in the usually bustling downtown. 48

June 24, 2020

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After weeks of sheltering indoors due to the pandemic, Shoua Her is glad to be out on the streets greeting customers again. After moving to the Triangle from Chicago, she opened up Shoomee’s Flowers in Apex to bring her love of floral arrangements to life. “I am very happy,” Her tells me as she wraps the bouquet in paper. “It means a lot to me because I know I’ll be bringing joy to people’s homes and offices, people who can’t really leave the city.” Her was just one of about 17 vendors— selling everything from soap to legumes— that kicked off the launch of Moore Square Market’s second year Wednesday. To ensure safety, hand-sanitizer stations were installed and tents were spaced about a dozen feet apart, said David Moore, the placemaking and activities manager for the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. “It’s bringing some liveliness back to downtown,” Moore says. “We have to get back to a place where we can provide some of these activities in the safest way possible. You don’t want your community to be dead forever.” This year, the program is partnering with the federal SNAP program to allow food-

stamp recipients to double up on fresh produce. The program matches each SNAP benefit with an additional $10 worth of fruits or vegetables, a much-needed resource for low-income families living and working downtown with limited access to fresh food. Participating in the program is Nanue’s Farms, which specializes in hydroponic lettuce. Owner Trevor Spear said his Raleigh farm is reimbursed for the extra lettuce they give away to SNAP customers. “I’m happy they are getting fresh produce because you worry when they are in that situation what quality food they are eating,” Spear says. Nearby, Johnetta West was mixing up a batch of her aptly-named “OMG Banana Pudding.” “I’m telling you,” West says, her eyes grinning above the face mask. “The first thing people say when they put it in their mouth is “oh my god!” More than 25 small businesses will be showcasing their local products in the park through the fall. The market runs every Wednesday from 3:00–6:00 p.m. through October 21. For more information, visit downtownraleigh.org/farmers-market. W

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

Carrboro Farmers Market 301 W. Main Street, Carrboro

Chapel Hill Farmers Market 201 S. Estes Dr, Chapel Hill

South Durham Farmers Market 5410 NC-55, Durham, NC

Durham Farmers Market 501 Foster St, Durham, NC

Midtown Farmers Market 4160 Main at North Hills Street, Raleigh

Saturday Market at Rebus Works 301 Kinsey Street Site 2, Raleigh SUNDAY, JUNE 28

The Black Farmers Market 1436 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC

FOOD & DR I NK

ON MY WAY BARTENDING

919-830-2447 | onmywaybartending.com

Ernest Gantz PHOTO BY JADE WILSON

Stir Crazy Miss craft cocktails? On My Way Bartending to the rescue. BY CHRISTINE BYRNE food@indyweek.com

rnest Gantz has been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade, bartending at various spots in the Triangle, Florida, and Texas. He’d always planned on getting out and starting something of his own but was never quite sure what that would be. He thought about starting a T-shirt business or going back to school to become an engineer. Eventually, he realized that the answer was right under his nose. “The whole time, I loved bartending,” he says. “It was right there in front of me.” A certified mixologist, Gantz decided to start a business making craft cocktails more accessible. As a Black man in Raleigh, he’d also noticed a striking lack of diversity in the bar and restaurant staffs he’d worked on. That’s not to say that there isn’t a rich tradition of Black mixologists in America: Cocktail pioneers like John Dabney, Richard Francis, and Jim Cook are finally getting acknowledged in the history of the 19th-century bar scene. Gantz notes, too, that he’s visited many Black-owned cocktail joints across the South. In the Triangle, though, many of the upscale spots with established cocktail programs don’t seem to draw a particularly diverse crowd. “I can’t say they’re not meant for us, but they’re just not inviting for us,” Gantz says. And he doesn’t view that as his problem to fix. “I can’t change another company’s atmosphere.” Instead, he’s trying to build an accessible mixology and craft-cocktail scene outside of bars and restaurants. In January, Gantz and his wife, Amanda, launched On My Way Bartending, a business offering bar service for events, plus interactive mixology classes.

“It’s just like Wine & Design, but with bartending,” Gantz says. “It’s called Mix&Sip. You come, I educate you about the liquor, you make the drinks yourself, and then you drink them.” Their first class, tiki-themed and titled Yum Yum Gimme Rum, got positive feedback from guests. They’d already begun selling tickets for the next event when the COVID-19 pandemic shut them down. When circumstances changed and bars (and parties) shut down, everyone was forced to be their own bartender. Gantz chose to roll with the tide and began selling monthly Mix&Sip kits through On My Way. “The kits are bringing the classes straight to your home,” Gantz explains. “Each kit comes with three five-ounce homemade syrups, nine cocktail recipes for the syrups, and three bar tools.” There’s no booze included, so you can either bring your own for cocktail recipes or use the syrups to make non-alcoholic drinks. Gantz tapped into his network of local influencers for help promoting the kits on social media. The first kit launched on May 1, and On My Way sold 72 units by the end of the month. Gantz says they’re on track to hit similar numbers in June. While Gantz’s experience as a bartender shapes the way he runs his business—”It helped me come into myself, learn how to talk to all different kinds of guests”—it’s his passion for mixology education that’s driving things forward. Ultimately, Gantz hopes to grow On My Way slowly, without outside help, and with plenty of customer input about what’s working and what isn’t. He’d like to start offering in-person classes again, but right now he’s happy to focus on expanding the vision and reach of the company. “I’m blessed that everything is happening so quickly,” he says. “We’re really just getting started.” W

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June 24, 2020

M U SIC

American Beauty The pastoral is personal in two new records by Josh Kimbrough and The Dead Tongues BY SARAH EDWARDS sedwards@indyweek.com

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JOSH KIMBROUGH: SLITHER, SOAR & DISAPPEAR

THE DEAD TONGUES: TRANSMIGRATION BLUES

HHHH [Tompkins Square; June 19]

HHH [Psychic Hotline; June 26]

early every song on Josh Kimbrough’s new instrumental guitar record, Slither, Soar & Disappear, hones in on an evocative image of the natural world: There’s “Giant Leopard Moth” and “Morning Moon,” “Backyard Hawk” and “Sunbathing Water Snake.” Kimbrough is adept at the emotional close lens, and the specificity of these images makes each song feel rich and suspended in amber. Kimbrough, whom you might know from Chapel Hill indie bands like Butterflies and Teardrop Canyon, wrote the album during scattered moments of quiet as a new parent. A radiant immersion in the present moment shines through. A fingerstyle guitarist and composer long associated with Trekky Records, Kimbrough enlists Casey Toll, Jeff Crawford, Andrew Marlin, and Leah Gibson for instrumental backing on this album—the first under his own name—and they give it a textured, dynamic feel. Kimbrough has said that he learned to play music by studying Freddie King instrumentals, and that bluesy influence is apparent in his deft fingerpicking. He stirs up lush flurries of notes as the songs weave between plaintive moments of isolated steel-string and full-bodied instrumentation (double bass, flute, strings, mandolin, banjo, and drums). On “Backyard Hawk,” Rachel Kiel’s trilling flute creates a sense of soaring, while Kimbrough’s patient, probing guitar brings the song back to earth. As with parenthood, he may be experiencing something big and awe-inspiring, but it’s in his backyard and he’s there for it. So are we.

o transmigrate is to be reborn. As the singer-songwriter Ryan Gustafson was wrapping up Transmigration Blues last summer, he fell into a brief depressive slump that mirrored the album’s themes. Completing the project had left a hole in him. Rebirth can’t happen without a little death or grief. Transmigration Blues is Gustafson’s fourth album as The Dead Tongues, and the first he’s made since departing from the Triangle for a century-old cabin nestled in Western North Carolina. Still, he has deep roots in the Piedmont, and the album features an illustrious host of local collaborators, including Molly Sarlé, Amelia Meath, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, Josh Moore, and Alex Bingham, among others. In previous lives, Gustafson has been a hired hand, touring with the likes of Hiss Golden Messenger and Phil Cook. Like them, he knows how to parlay searching lyricism into revelatory Americana. And Transmigration Blues does that, to some degree, with sun-scorched hymns that mark the end of a season of life and rhythms that fall somewhere between ruminative and rollicking. Capacious as Gustafson’s ear for melody is (the instrumentation on “Song Called Void” and “Road to Heaven” is particularly beautiful), this is not an album that translates particularly well to the present moment. The concept of transmigration is conceptualized through songs about the regrets and romances of the open road, a theme that runs the risk of being unimaginative at best, self-reflexive at worst. Gustafson is good at songs that mourn the end of things, but right now what’s most compelling is the creative birth that comes next. W

M U SIC

Father of Wisdom Pierce Freelon samples his illustrious family’s archives on his forthcoming album, D.a.D. BY KYESHA JENNINGS music@indyweek.com

escribing Durham native Pierce Freelon as a Renaissance man would be an understatement. Freelon is a former Durham mayoral and N.C. State Senate candidate, the founder of Blackspace, a musician, a professor, a director, a political organizer, an Emmy-winning producer, a loving husband, and a devoted father of two. On July 31, Freelon will release D.a.D., his first “family album,” which chronicles “the life and times of a Black millennial father living in the South.” But first, on June 17— just in time for Father’s Day—he dropped “Daddy Daughter Day,” the first single from the album, which features J. Gunn. The idea for the project came together almost 10 years ago, when Freelon began to use the voice-memos app on his iPhone to archive special moments with his two children, Justice and Stella. “They’re kind of like vignettes into my life as a parent but very much in the spirit of what a sample is,” Freelon says. “It’s a piece of music that you can build upon to create something new.” A self-described family archivist, Freelon says that he has, at minimum, 500 voice notes capturing memorable moments. “Daddy Daughter Day” features fellow Durham MC and community advocate Joshua Gunn. The music video was directed and edited by Ned Phillips of Green Hero Films and features both of artists’ daughters, Stella and Harlem-Rose. The song and video challenge pervasive yet inaccurate myths about Black fatherhood. Freelon and Gunn (whose father, architect Phil Freelon, passed away last year) and Gunn (who lost his father, Henry “Bruh” Gunn, even more recently) rap about the joys of spending individual time with their daughters.

The INDY caught up with Freelon to discuss the making of D.a.D., fatherhood, familial legacies, and collaborating with other talented Durham artists. INDY: What inspired the single and the project? PIERCE FREELON: When my dad got

diagnosed with ALS and we started approaching the end of his journey in this realm, I spent a lot of time with him. And during that time when I was just kicking it with my dad, I’d be there for four or six hours. I started digging through these archives partially to show him, like, “remember this video, remember this birthday party?” Reminiscing with him. In the process of sharing those with my dad and rediscovering them, I began getting inspired to create. Also, when someone as close to you as your father transitions, you begin to really reflect a lot. You do a lot of deep diving, emotionally. I started just thinking about fatherhood and what my legacy will be. My dad has left me many gifts, including the

Pierce Freelon

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SUBJECT

Durham Bulls’ stadium and the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and the many other things he built, but also the memories and the time and the energy that he shared nurturing me to become the man that I am today. Just reflecting on fatherhood, it just went hand in hand with the creative process of digging through the crates of my digital archives. You and Joshua Gunn have walked similar creative and political paths. What was it like working with him?

Well, Gunn is one of my favorite artists, and he has been since I was in high school. He was revered and feared among his peers around the local [hip-hop] scene, a sick battle rapper and just kind of a young, hungry, talented brother. I’ve been admir-

ing his craft as a lyricist for 16 years. Gunn was one of the few of my peers to have kids, so we shared that as well as hip-hop and, you know, running for mayor, and he ran for city council. We just have so much in common. In addition to being a dope children’s album, I knew this would be a great opportunity to rally all the amazing musician parents. I produced or co-produced all but one the beats on the album, and one of my biggest concerns with Gunn was like, “Is he gonna like the beat?” I know from experience when you’re asking an artist to collaborate with you they really gotta be feeling the music. When we got into the studio and he was like, “Oh, this is hot,” I was like, “Ohhh, a dope MC thinks my beat is hot.” I was so flattered. W KeepItINDY.com

June 24, 2020

A RT

BEN BRIDGERS: BACK BURNER

Through Friday, July 10 | Craven Allen Gallery, Durham

Paint and Destroy Ben Bridgers is Vermeer with skinned knees and a Thrasher subscription in Back Burner BY GEORGE JENNE arts@indyweek.com

“I

’m nervous. We made it through the recession but that was really difficult—really difficult. And I remember having the conscious thought, ‘I never want to go through something like that again.’” It’s May 30, 11 weeks since COVID-19 surfaced in the U.S., and John Craven Bloedorn, co-owner of Craven Allen Gallery in downtown Durham, is weighing the current crisis against the 2008 financial meltdown. He’s sitting in his small basement gallery, surrounded by a series of phantasmagoric paintings by Ben Bridgers, whose exhibit, Back Burner, squeezed in an opening reception just before the lockdown halted social gatherings. On May 11, Craven Allen became one of the first art galleries in the Triangle to reopen to the public. Bridgers’s show has been extended through July 10 to make up for lost time. “That was the killer for me,” Bloedorn says. “It was an exciting show that nobody saw. The world was starting to get really distracted right at the time of the opening and now we’re trying to salvage it.” It’s painfully apt that Bridgers’s 27 oil paintings on canvas depict something like purgatory, inhabited by cryptozoological creatures and carnivalesque objects, all of which are rendered somewhere between anatomical and abstract. Bridgers’s lowbrow imagery evolved out of a lifetime of skateboarding and the irreverent pictures that filled skate zines and videos in the 1980s. But he paints deftly, using old-world technique, patiently layering thin glazes to render pitch-dark shadows and teasing mysterious luminosity from the strata. It’s a style that Dutch painters gifted to the language of art more than 300 years ago. The homage is clear, but Bridgers’s marks are intentionally crude, and his subjects are grotesque, in a gesture that defies that same history. The confluence between skate culture and Bridgers’s chosen medium is subtle and all the more rewarding when revealed. A painting called “East of Barstow” refers to the last significant parcel of civilization before I-40 makes an agonizing desert run toward Los Angeles, the holy land of skateboarding. It depicts an odd configuration of objects that could have been dreamed up by a madman. Just beneath that, a smaller piece, “Cervantes,” reads like a close-up of the same image. Bridgers repeats the composition but changes the scale and the details, resulting in a giddy moment of disorientation. The title is a reference to “Don Quixote,” which chronicles the adventures of a delusional knight errant. Beneath it is “Laughing Stock,” which presents a stage lined with unnamable creatures whose crustaceous shells are painstakingly striped, black and white, like jumpsuits on a midcentury chain-gang. The paintings read as the elaborate doodles of a restless hand, given the consideration reserved for a masterwork. They amount to a “damn it all” attitude, expressed with discipline and rigor—right in line with the spirit of skateboarding and the punk/hardcore music that accompanies it. 52

June 24, 2020

INDYweek.com

“Burmnam” by Ben Bridgers

PHOTO COURTESY OF CRAVEN ALLEN GALLERY

But beyond reference to his source material, Bridgers’s images are stubbornly cryptic. It’s impossible to decipher what, if anything, is at stake in these paintings. With skateboarding, the bet is simple. You either stick the trick or fall down trying. The sport is inherently honest in that way. Art, however, is rife with strategies that allow an artist to shield deficiencies or hedge the bet, and Bridgers leans hard on the evasive and enigmatic. Given the timing of this show, Bridgers’s unwillingness to be pinned down might be a good thing. His work satiates our reverence for acts of irreverence, setting the right tone as Craven Allen Gallery reengages with a world wrought with new uncertainties and grief. You can catch the last days of Back Burner during gallery hours as long as you’re willing to practice social distancing and wear a mask, which the gallery will provide. Even with these new impediments to managing a safe public space, Bloedorn remains optimistic.

“We are going to have to reinvent ourselves somehow, and we are going to have to find meaning,” he says. “I’m still feeling it out, and I don’t have any easy answers.” The gallery’s next exhibit is From Memory by landscape painter Sue Sneddon. There will be no physical opening reception, so Bloedorn and his crew are working to create a virtual equivalent. Starting July 20, Sneddon’s work will be available to view in person during gallery hours or online, along with a short film about Sneddon by Donna Campbell and Georgann Eubanks. At some point, Craven Allen will host a Facebook Live event in an attempt to channel some of the energy typical of Sneddon’s many past shows. “She’s had probably 15 shows here,” Bloedorn says wistfully. “She has her band here every time. She does her own little events where she invites people after hours. It’s this huge thing for her.” He drifts into thought. “What’s that gonna be like?” he muses. “I just don’t know.” W

STAGE

ACCORD(ing)

ACCORD(ING)

Wed., June 24–Sun., June 28, 7:30 p.m., $10 | Murphey School Auditorium, Raleigh | burningcoal.org

PHOTO BY DAVID RAY

Solitary Play Burning Coal breaks the seal on doing live theater after COVID-19 BY BYRON WOODS arts@indyweek.com

hen it comes to staging theater for a live audience in the Triangle after COVID19, somebody had to go first, and Raleigh’s Burning Coal Theatre took the job. Last week, the company premiered ACCORD(ing), an original dance and physical theater co-production with Sounding Line Arts and TÉA Creative. The experimental ensemble piece closes its two-week run at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday–Sunday in the Murphey School Auditorium. Artistic director Jerome Davis thought of the production, which seats 10 socially distanced patrons per performance, as a test case, and while the art is intact—this time—the results don’t bode well for the economic model. “Given the current size of our budgets and productions, it isn’t economically feasible at all,” Davis says. “Still, we have proven it’s something that can be done if it’s the only possibility in the future.” With such a limited capacity, the run quickly sold out, though you can still get a virtual ticket at Burning Coal’s website. (Also on sale: Selene and the Dream Eater, a new “drive-in parking-lot play” for all ages at 7:30 p.m. on June 28.) The live experience was very instructive for other theaters attempting to crack the COVID-19 problem. Last Wednesday, I adjusted my facemask as I joined the nine other audience members gathered outside the auditorium on Polk Street. (No mask, no admission.) Though it was 10 minutes until showtime, nobody was going inside. A sign taped to the door advised us to maintain distance and wait to be admitted one by one at 7:25 p.m. Right on time, a masked woman peered out from behind the door and beckoned the first person in. Couples weren’t admitted together. On my turn, I was led through the lobby, where another masked person pointed a thermometer at my head. Then she led me directly into the theater—no concessions. Six chairs were scattered across the dimly lit room, far apart from one another. Four more were in the balcony. The masked woman led me to one, ran an antiseptic

wipe down its armrests and cushions, and motioned for me to be seated. I was asked not to leave my chair during the production, to exit one at a time at the end, and not to linger in the lobby. Then she walked off, and I was alone. The actors milled about at a distance on stage. The only sound was ambient preshow music. I noted a strip of glow tape on the floor, marking a borderline the actors couldn’t cross. The comforting feeling of being part of a group was absent. Instead, I felt, in the words of co-creator and co-director Vieve Radha Price, “isolated on these tiny little islands in the sea of this show.” But while it might not work in every case, the aesthetic actually benefits ACCORD(ing). A pensive, mostly wordless, social-justice work, it focuses, through scene-length pantomimes, on the self’s relationships with different groups, from peers and neighbors to mobs. Its characters find themselves isolated—either across clearly marked racial or gender divides or subtler ones—from crowds that can be curious, judgmental, or violent. An initially blithe Nikki Turner braves a gantlet when an accusing ensemble forces her back against a wall. A mob subjects Madi Viterio to the claws of the crab-pot mentality—if I can’t have it, neither can you. Brennan McDonell’s character must decide if he can conform to the expectations of a self-centered crowd. Two lifesized puppet figures outlined in gray plastic provide a mute Greek chorus. Physical distance transmutes into aesthetic distance as we take in these well-choreographed sights. It feels lonelier when we’re left on our own to experience the world of the work without the usual camaraderie with our neighbors, and the loneliness reinforces the odd-person-out dilemmas these characters face. But what might it do to a comedy or a love story? In the absence of any other alternatives for live theater during COVID-19, the answers may not be long in coming. W

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