VOLUME 4, ISSUE 15; JUNE 15 - JUNE 28, 2022; WWW.QCNERVE.COM
NEWS: LAWMAKERS PROPOSE DNA COLLECTION FOR DV SUSPECTS pg. 4 FOOD: THE WATERMAN GOES NORTH pg. 16
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“Life finds a way...” With stunning imagery, ground-breaking special effects — and John Williams’s iconic score — Spielberg’s epic tale of man vs. nature is sheer movie magic 65 million years in the making. Join your CSO for Jurassic Park as you’ve never seen it before — projected on a giant screen above the orchestra while the score is played LIVE!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS & OPINION
4 From Cold Blood by Kate Martin
Proposed NC legislation would collect DNA in violent crime arrests
On your next trip to one of our Full Service Recycling Centers Please separate out your glass and place them in the Big Yellow Bin.
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MUSIC
8 Call of the Wild by Pat Moran
Devan T. Penegar turns the page as Coyote 87
10 Soundwave
ARTS & CULTURE
12 The 2022 Summer Guide Presented by The Mint Museum
FOOD & DRINK
16 Going Coastal by Clint Harris
The Waterman gets its sea legs at new Lake Norman location
LIFESTYLE
19 Puzzles 20 Aerin It Out by Aerin Spruill 21 Horoscope 22 Savage Love Thanks to our contributors: Grant Baldwin, Aerin Spruill, Kate Martin, Clint Harris, Alicia Carter, Laura Wolff, Dan Savage, DJ Trunks, Diedrick Brackens, and Dusan Petkovic.
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Learn more at
6 Lifeline: Ten Cool Things To Do in Two Weeks
NEWS & OPINION FEATURE
The bill passed the state House on a 108-3 vote violence arrests. For two serial rapists, Somerindyke said, one was charged with six rapes and another earlier this year. “Rapists commit domestic violence, we know it,” with 11 rapes. Both were arrested for a misdemeanor related to domestic violence after their second rape. said Deanne Gerdes, executive director of Rape Crisis Had DNA been collected on that misdemeanor Volunteers of Cumberland County. In fact, rapists often have extensive criminal arrest and uploaded to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), Somerindyke said, “at least histories that continue after victims reported their 13 women wouldn’t have been raped by these two rapes and submitted to a forensic exam, according suspects … I say at least 13 women just because to research led by Rachel Lovell, assistant professor it’s always possible they got away with unreported of criminology at Cleveland State University. Lovell’s team poured through 7,000 case files rapes.” BY KATE MARTIN, CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS Proctor was arrested in 2013 for assault on a from untested rape kits in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, female, a misdemeanor charge usually associated some of them decades old, and selected 721 to with domestic violence, but he was never connected investigate more thoroughly. Three men left Linda for dead in the woods of for the DNA of Roy Junior Proctor, now 47, who had to Linda’s rape because DNA collection for that Researchers narrowed that group to 418 Harnett County after they kidnapped her from an been required to provide DNA as a condition of his crime is not required. The charge in that case was suspected sexual offenders who had been office building, brutally beat and raped her. probation for an unrelated conviction. identified, either by a hit on the CODIS database ultimately dismissed. She survived, but at a heavy cost. He remains in jail awaiting a trial that could (79%) or through a law enforcement investigation “I could have died,” Linda said. “They beat me a come this fall. Her other two assailants remain at Rapists often commit domestic (21%). Researchers then investigated the criminal lot. I was beaten in my face and kicked in my ribs and large. histories of the assailants. More than 85% continued had a neck injury.” Prosecutors charged Proctor with attempted violence to commit serious offenses, including other felonies. Earlier this year, several Cumberland County The future she imagined evaporated before first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, firstOf that group, 43% had been arrested for a her. Gone were the plans to become a surgical degree rape, first-degree sex offense and felonious lawmakers proposed a bill to require DNA submission domestic violence offense. upon an arrest for assault on a female. Already, the technologist. Linda quit school and never worked a larceny. Lovell’s data also shows serial rapists, those paying job again. Her assault was made infamous in Many cold-case rapists have a history of state takes DNA when someone is arrested for a who commit two or more rapes, are perhaps more violent felony. House Bill 674 would add assault on Cumberland County by the spray-painted phrase on domestic violence, Somerindyke said. common than previously thought. the hood of her white Toyota: “3 Horsemen.” His examination of 28 of Fayetteville’s cold-case a female and assault on a child under age 12 to that “While we are still undercounting repeat sexual That was nearly 30 years ago. suspects showed 13 of them had prior domestic list. In April 2015, John Somerindyke, then a Fayetteville Police Department lieutenant, showed up at her door as she rocked her grandchild. He was there to tell her they were reopening the investigation into her case. Linda said she knew what it was. “But you know, you wait for a long time, and I said, ‘Where have you been?’” Linda said in May. “He was really nice, and both of us were extremely nervous.” Somerindyke told her a cold-case team decided to reopen her case and was trying to find her attackers. That lieutenant, now a consultant, remembers the visit. The department had just opened its coldcase sexual assault unit and listed several rapes on a whiteboard. “Hers was on the top” of the list, Somerindyke said. “We outgrew the whiteboard and made it into a spreadsheet.” Police hoped untested DNA from thousands of rape kits would provide some clues, but that turned up dry. Then in October 2020, the Fayetteville Police Department received a “hit notification” from the state crime lab with a match to one of Linda’s three PHOTO BY DUSAN PETKOVIC/ADOBESTOCK attackers. The state crime lab had identified a match LAWMAKERS PROPOSED A BILL TO REQUIRE DNA SUBMISSION UPON AN ARREST FOR ASSAULT ON A FEMALE.
FROM COLD BLOOD
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Proposed NC legislation would collect DNA in domestic violence arrests
NEWS & OPINION FEATURE offending, our data on rapists connected to these now-tested kits have a repeat sexual offending rate of approximately 40%, which stands in sharp contrast to the ‘official’ sexual recidivism rate of 8%,” Lovell recently told Carolina Public Press.
Push to test kits
In 2019, Attorney General Josh Stein announced a statewide effort to test every untested rape kit in the state. It was thought at the time there were more than 15,000 untested rape kits, more than any other state in the country. That total has since grown to more than 16,000 as more kits were found. Of those tested so far, there have been at least 63 arrests for 91 separate assaults, Stein said in April. “That means that there are 91 victims or 91 victim families that are experiencing some sense of closure, some sense of relief in the knowledge that the system is working on their behalf,” Stein said. But if DNA were taken from people arrested for assault on a female, more rapists would undoubtedly be found. “Solving sexual assaults and getting rapists off our streets make our communities safer,” Stein said. “We’ve learned that people who commit sexual assault have, on many occasions, previously committed other violent crimes against women. It’s time to pass this bill (H674) into law.” In Linda’s case, a DNA match for her assailant might have been found seven years sooner had the state taken DNA for domestic violence arrests. “These men, women too, I guess, will commit this crime ‘til the day they die if you don’t stop them,”
LINDA SPEAKS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN APRIL.
PHOTO BY ALICIA CARTER/CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS
Linda said. “Never forget that some of us never live to tell or walk away.” While the bill passed the state House, it is so far not scheduled for a Senate committee hearing, according to Sen. Phil Berger’s office. This story was originally published by Carolina Public Press, an independent nonprofit news organization dedicated to nonpartisan, in-depth, and investigative news. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
A NEW BOOK ON BLACK CULTURE IN CHARLOTTE OVER THE PAST 300 YEARS Pg. 5 JUNE 15 - JUNE 28, 2022- QCNERVE.COM
PURCHASES SUPPORT THE CHARLOTTE BLACK JOURNALISM FUND
JUN15-26
THUR6/16
There’s a lot more to Frozen than “Let It Go,” the Oscarwinning pop music phenomenon that — let’s face it — you couldn’t have escaped if you tried. How much more? Well, if you’re talking spectacle, plenty, including the amazing puppetry that animates Olaf the Snowman and Sven the Reindeer, glistening ice castle sets and songs from the movie supplemented with 12 new ones. Like the 2013 smash computer animated film, this very loose adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s 1844 fairy tale “The Snow Queen” takes liberties with the original, but at this point does anybody really care? More: $35 and up; June 15-26; Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org
It’s misnomer to call Town Mountain a bluegrass band, because although the quintet sticks to a mostly acoustic configuration and an authentic strain of quicksilver mountain music still threads through the group’s DNA, it’s more accurate to call them a mix of authentic storytelling country and primal rock ‘n’ roll. Accolades have flooded in for this Asheville combo, focusing on its fusion of tradition, transcendence and the experimentation, including this nugget from Rolling Stone: “Call it an evolution or a revolution, but it’s clear that Town Mountain is at the forefront.” More: $4-6; June 16, 6 p.m.; Comporium Amphitheater, 288 Dairy Barn Lane, Fort Mill; ascgreenway.org
DISNEY’S ‘FROZEN’
TOWN MOUNTAIN
BROOKLYN COLLECTIVE Photo by Grant Baldwin
MARC MARON Promotional photo
6/18
6/18
FRI & SAT SAT 6/18 6/17-6/18
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CINECASUAL FILM SERIES
The last two films to screen at this year’s Cinecasual series are among the first two to screen at the Independent Picture House. Perfume de Gardenias fuses grief, death and tradition in a dark and witty comedy about a recently widowed woman who finds purpose designing customized, idiosyncratic funerals. Repurposing story elements from Dario Argento’s sinister Suspiria, Cinecasual’s final screening, Medusa, opens with a pack of girls in creepy doll-like masks attacking a young woman they deem impure. The stylish satire/horror/musical on the rise of Christofascism is particularly apt now that heartless ghouls like Amy Coney Barrett have control over women’s lives. More: $6; June 17 & 18; Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh St.; cinecasual.com
‘RESILIENCE’ OPENING NIGHT
With programming designed to draw the Charlotte community to participate in its Inclusivity and Equity mission, the Brooklyn Collective Gallery presents an exhibit honoring immigrants — their past and future positive influence on the American spirit. Representing six countries, the seven featured artists are Nico Amortegui, Beizar Aradini, Andrés Bustamante, Kiesha Lopez, Sol Magris, Dimeji Onafuwa and Charles Philippe JeanPierre. Throughout the exhibition, The BC will host various organizations that support immigrants in the Charlotte region, with 10% of art sales going to support immigrant advocacy groups. More: Free; June 18, 6 p.m.; Brooklyn Collective Gallery, 229 S. Brevard St.; brooklyncollectiveclt.org
SAT6/18
THUR6/23
MARC MARON
THE FORUM: SONYA PFEIFFER ON ART, JUSTICE AND THE LAW
Stand-up comedian, podcaster and actor Marc Maron once joked that he’d worked decades to become merely a mid-level celebrity. That means if three people saw him in the street, two would say, “Mark who?” Nowadays, with his roles in Glow and Joker, as well as his hugely popular WTF with Marc Maron podcast, he’s as famous as ever, even if it isn’t always for his stand-up. Maron’s still a master of saying the quiet part out loud, and not in a lazy shock-jock way, as he provides the logical, grownup argument opposing the “anti-woke” movement led by colleague counterparts like Joe Rogan. And when he expresses happiness over the children he never had, you know he speaks the truth. More: $45 and up; June 18, 7 p.m.; Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org
F. Scott Fitzgerald once observed that there are no second acts in American lives. What would he have made of Sonya Pfeiffer, who’s been a civil rights and criminal defense attorney, an award-winning journalist and podcaster, and is currently owner and creative director of Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art. Pfeiffer, who began her legal career in the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office, explores how narrative artwork informs ideas of justice. She also examines how she uses the arts to address pressing social issues that underlie her legal work. More: $20; June 23, 7 p.m.; Bechtler Museum, 420 S. Tryon St.; bechtler.org
JUN24-26
SAT6/25
HEROES CON
MERCURY CARTER, SIMON SMTHNG, BENJAMIN SOCHKO, LEO WOLF
After two years stymied by COVID, Heroes Con returns in a big way for its Fantastic 40th Anniversary Party. Guests include near-mythic comics creators such as writer Chris Claremont, whose initial unbroken 17year run on Marvel Comics’ The Uncanny X-Men is the stuff of industry legend; pioneering artist and writer Jim Steranko, who took the field by storm in the 1960s with superspy feature Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D; visual artist Lee Weeks, whose works include Batman, Daredevil, Superman and other spandex-clad heroes; and many more. More: $20-25; June 24-26; Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St.; heroesonline.com
Mercury Carter singing the songs of Björk is a match made somewhere along the astral plane. With visceral and celestial tunes, Björk’s music possesses an alien beauty akin to the rocky crags of her native Iceland. Carter’s ethereal 3.5 octave range has drawn comparisons to both Prince and Queen’s Freddy Mercury, yet to my ears he can be just as outré as Bjork. His soulful falsetto is similar to Edda Dell’Orso, whose wordless vocals imbue Ennio Morricone’s score for Once Upon a Time in the West with otherworldly grandeur. More: Free; June 25, 7 p.m.; Goodyear Arts, Camp North End, 301 Camp Road; goodyeararts.com
HEROES CON Photo by DJ Trunks
MERCURTY CARTER Courtesy of Charlotte SHOUT
6/24-6/26
6/25
SAT6/25 CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY PRESENTS JURASSIC PARK IN CONCERT
‘JURASSIC PARK’ IN CONCERT Photo courtesy of Blumenthal Arts
6/25
PRINCXELI, CELESTE MOONCHILD, CHOCOLATE KNDY, NADIA NYMPHO
For three short years, PrincxEli, then performing as Eli Prier, released three songs, shimmering celestial pop with dark undertones and a transcendent music video for “Shooting Stars,” so daring in its directness that it was glamorous. She decamped for Los Angeles last year, but now she’s back, if just for one show. The set will include covers, old songs and new material including “Devil Dolls,” a paean to an all-girl L.A. biker gang, and “Take Your Meds,” a song on the sad side that nevertheless contains a tinge of hope. More: $10; June 28, 9:30 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com
PRINCXELI Photo courtesy of Eli Prier
6/28
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Steven Spielberg finished Jurassic Park while he was shooting Schindler’s List. Likewise, John Williams was also composing the music for both films. The movie identified with Jeff Goldblum’s “life finds a way” line will be accompanied live by Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. It also has a suitably lively “Adventure Theme,”one of Williams’best. Likewise, the composer’s “Dinosaur Theme” speaks to the majesty of the (gentle herbivore) dinosaurs. Yet the music best remembered is the motifs devised for the film’s predators, including T-Rex and velociraptors. The descending four-note growl is suitably harrowing. More: $10; June 25, 7:30 p.m.; Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.; charlottesymphony.org
TUE6/28
MUSIC FEATURE
CALL OF THE WILD Devan T. Penegar turns the page as Coyote 87
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BY PAT MORAN
Devan T. Penegar encountered the coyote when he was taking out the trash. He had been writing an essay for his forthcoming book, Bloodlust: A Memoir of Essays on Music, Movies and Madness, and was struggling with a bout of writer’s block. “I was very much in my head — and there’s a fucking coyote 10 feet away from me,” Penegar recalls. “It shook me out of my head and brought me into the present moment. I thought it was one of the most beautiful animals I’ve seen.” When he went back into his house, Penegar didn’t break his writer’s block. Instead, he turned to making music, writing three new songs on his Korg synthesizer. Penegar’s pulsing cinematic music, alternately soothing and sinister, forms the basis of his debut album, Based, a double LP that dropped on June 5, and a follow-up to his Bitch EP. Tellingly, these labyrinthine themes, laced with disembodied narratives and podcast recitatives, cannot be found under Penegar’s name. Rather, they’re released under a musical nom de plume inspired by his wildlife encounter and subsequent epiphany: Coyote 87. “I consider Coyote 87 a persona rooted in nostalgia while still trying to move forward,” Penegar offers. “I choose using the coyote in place of my face on album covers because they give me a sense of awe.” He’s even painted coyote silhouettes on the front door of his house in Mount Holly. The resilient animal, dismissed by many as an interloper, represents a rebranding and a turning of the page for Penegar, who made a shattering impact as a writer with the online publication of his essay “I Dream of Goats” in 2015. The essay is a harrowing but ultimately hopeful documentation of trauma, weaving idyllic childhood memories with a harrowing account of Penegar’s own sexual assault at the tender age of 15, and his subsequent struggle with PTSD. Diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and prescribed Adderall at age 14, Penegar was also
seeing a psychiatrist. When that psychiatrist died, Penegar started seeing another one. As described in “I Dream of Goats,” Penegar’s new psychiatrist drugged him and exposed him to a snuff film featuring a woman being sodomized with a power drill. Penegar recounts being rendered immobile by the drug, after which he remembers being raped. “Someone can be so convincing, and you think it’s someone you can trust,” Penegar’s says. “That will fuck with your world view.” For 11 years Penegar struggled with the memory, attempting suicide multiple times and turning to drugs and alcohol to blot out flashbacks of the trauma. “I would overdo LSD [use], and I would drink constantly,” he says. “Flashbacks … affected me the most out of all. I didn’t know I had PTSD until I got older. I guess I associated PTSD with war.” It wasn’t until he was 26 years old that Penegar finally told his parents and his close friend Camille Dalke-Rogers about his ordeal. He was surprised to discover an upwelling of support, and regretted waiting so long to confide in his parents. He and Dalke-Rogers collaborated on an asyet-unreleased documentary called Frayed Fabric, which provides sexual assault survivors a platform to share their stories. Penegar found further support from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), joining the organization’s Speakers Bureau to talk publicly about his experiences. Penegar recently left the organization, he says, because he has too many mood swings to continue being a public speaker for RAINN. He prefers communicating and inspiring through his music and writing. Penegar still gets flashbacks, he says, but now he deals with them better. “They’re not as bad as they used to be, but I’ll still lose time,” he says. Most important, Penegar has been sober for over a year now. He believes he would not have been able to craft the hypnotic and captivating sounds found on Based if he hadn’t
made that change in his life. the Pines and was transfixed by the film’s score, done “[Sobriety] led to me getting laser-focused on by Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton. creating music,” Penegar says. “I thought, how is [Patton] getting all these sounds,” Penegar says. “Then it dawned on me — with a synthesizer, you can get a world of sounds.” Film music Another early inspiration was Hans Zimmer, For Penegar, music making is inextricably soundtrack composer for Blade Runner 2049; and entwined with writing and his love for movies. It’s impossible for him to say which came first. Born in director Ridley Scott’s Hannibal. “If you want to score movies and you don’t Charlotte, he grew up in Stanley, and in 9th grade like Hans Zimmer, something’s wrong with you,” he started writing essays on Kurt Cobain and other musical topics. Short stories inspired by films like Penegar says. Penegar did not act on these inspirations for a Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction soon followed. few more years, however. After the publication of Around that time, Penegar took up the drums. “I Dream of Goats,” his creative energy was diverted He also started playing guitar in middle school, and grew obsessed with movies. At one point, Penegar to the production of Frayed Fabric. Shooting went says, he was watching two movies per day. For a well on the project, but post-production turned long time, music remained mostly a hobby. Then problematic. Penegar and Dalke-Rogers finished a Penegar saw the 2012 crime movie A Place Beyond two-and-a-half-hour cut of the film, but Penegar
DEVAN T. PENEGAR, AKA COYOTE 87 COURTESY OF DEVAN T. PENEGAR
MUSIC FEATURE felt there were pacing issues with that version. The documentary also has to meet certain technical standards for Netflix, Hulu or any other streaming service to even look at it. Tallying the costs of color correction, captioning and more, Penegar needs to raise $14,000 to move forward on the project. For now, the film remains on a hard drive and unseen. “It became mentally unhealthy to work on it,” Penegar says. “One day I’ll return to it, but it feels odd to work on it when I know I don’t have the money to finish it.” That realization was a turning point; for a long time Penegar was convinced that he wanted to be a filmmaker, but making Frayed Fabric convinced him that he actually wanted to create soundtracks. He sees Based as a step toward scoring films.
Insomnia and the dominatrix
in a strangled proto-emo cry, the tune plays like a post-Trump take on the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” “I’m a bad news motherfucker/ I ain’t your friend/ I am the devil wrapped in human skin ... I don’t wanna hear/ Your opinions/ But here I am/ Telling you all of mine/ I’m an All-American/ All-American Devil spreading my opinions across the land...” Based can be seen as many things, and one of them is Penegar’s Coyote 87 rebranding, his desire to be seen as a musician and author who is many things, only one of which is a survivor. Perhaps “I Dream of Goats” will always be part of Penegar’s identity and legacy. A longer, more fleshed-out version of the essay comprises the first two chapters of his book Bloodlust. “That’s how the book starts, and it spirals out
into drug use and different things throughout the years,” he says. Music is the other throughline in the book. For Penegar, writing and music are braided together, and just as his ongoing story is a journey, so too is Based. He points to one of his biggest influences, the daily NPR program Echoes, which features a soundscape of ambient, space, electronica and newage music. “[It’s] the perfect driving music,” he says. Similarly, he wants Based to feel like the soundtrack to a journey. “It’s not that I want everybody to be driving when they listen to my shit. I just want them to feel like it’s taken them someplace.” PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM
JUNE 2022 FRI, JUN 17
WILL BLACKBURN (OF STOP LIGHT OBSERVATIONS) S A T, J U N 1 8
DANIEL NUNNELEE W/ DRUMMING BIRD 2ND SHOW ADDED! MON, JUN 20
FIND YOUR MUSE FEAT. WOODY FUNKY GEEZER WED, JUN 22
SLAID CLEAVES THUR, JUN 23
FRI, JUN 24
TENNIS COURTS + SONIC BLUME NEW SHOW TIME 8PM S A T, J U N 2 5
NIITO NEW SHOW TIME 9PM MON, JUN 27
FIND YOUR MUSE FEAT. A.P RODGERS WED, JUN 29
NICK POULIN + OH JEREMIAH
AIM HIGH
eveningmuse.com
3 3 2 7 n d av i d s o n s t, c h a r l o t t e n c
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When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Penegar unloaded his middle school drum set and bought his first synthesizer, the first in a string of Korgs. Drawing further inspiration from Daniel Lopatin, who under the name Oneohtrix Point Never composed and performed the score for the Safdie Brothers’ films Good Time and Uncut Gems, Penegar spent many insomnia-stricken nights recording tracks for Based. Over the course of several months, he crafted his layered synth-based songs, supporting himself with a warehouse job. Once the tracks were near completion, Penegar drew on interviews and podcasts for vocals. “I like editing,” he says. “I’m a copy-and-paste artist.” For an example of his workflow, Penegar cites the cantering, cat’-paw padding “Don’t Settle, Gallop Ahead” and the swinging, schizoid “True to Myself,” which suggests the sound of reality ripping at the seams. Both songs feature cut-up and recombined interview snippets of Uncut Gems actress Julia Fox. Penegar obtained permission from Fox’s manger to use the samples. “There is a fair amount of vocals drawn from podcasts [on the album],” Penegar says. The sprightly ticking time bomb “Grateful and Molting” samples American businesswoman Sophia Amoruso from a 2016 podcast. “I’m in her class by the way,” Penegar says. “It’s an online business class, literally called ‘Business Class.’” If there is any similarity between the female
vocalists Penegar uses on the album, it’s that they’re all strong and take no shit, he says. “All the women that are sampled on the album I view as badass women.” Not all vocals on Based are sampled. Penegar turned to his friend, artist Talbot Hall, to recite a passage from Bret Harte’s poem “Coyote” for the solemn, hymn-like “An Outcast But Not a Spectator.” Here, Penegar augments his musical armory with nostalgic analog electronic sounds — the spooky churchyard ambience of 1970s Italian horror stalwarts Goblin, and the metronomic canter of veteran Krautrockers Tangerine Dream. For yet other vocals, Penegar formed an unusual yet simpatico partnership with Camryn Lee, who works as dominatrix under the moniker Princess Camryn. Penegar began as a client of the Phoenix, Arizona-based Lee, but as the pair’s friendship grew, their relationship became more like a partnership. “Client sounds transactional and would undersell the bond she and I have,” Penegar says. “I assist her with her work, like a virtual assistant, and she collaborates with me on Coyote 87. It’s a relationship that is a positive force in my life.” That said, there is an undeniably kinky charge in the songs featuring Lee’s sweetly taunting vocals. Lee chose the title for “Lowkey Femdom Banger,” one of three co-writes between her and Penegar. Penegar’s guitar on the tune runs through a synth with a fuzz pedal, giving the sinister come hither a dirty sound. On “Mortality Meditation,” a swarming hive of synthesizers, warped and rubbery bass tones and electronic scorpion stings coalesce around Lee’s cool and erotic contemplation of death and oblivion. For the cosmic “Euphoria Awaits,” Bell urges the listener to give in to their urges without shame. “’Euphoria’ is an opportunity to embrace yourself,” Penegar says. “The goal is to inspire [people] to accept who they are.” If any one song on Based is an outlier it’s “Nostalgic Moody Flannel Boy,” Penegar’s tonguein-cheek description of himself. “I was just mocking myself with that title,” he says. “I always dress like I’m still in the fucking grunge era.” Nostalgia is also a theme that runs through much of Based, embodied by many of the fauxanalog sounds that crop up throughout the album, and near-constant tape noise and hiss, which Penegar leans into without letting it overstay its welcome. “Nostalgic Moody Flannel Boy” is also the only piece with a fully sung vocal. Delivered by Penegar
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Tove Lo w/ Noga Erez (The Fillmore) Annabel Lee w/ Circuit Circuit, Black Matter Device, Felspar (The Milestone) Ogres w/ Pleasure House, DJ Mad Monk (Snug Harbor) Harriet RIP w/ Mandella Scrooge, Eavesdropper (Tommy’s Pub)
THURSDAY, JUNE 16 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Japanese Breakfast (The Underground) KENMUJO w/ True Lilith, Modern Everything (The Milestone) Dave Rhames w/ Disco Black, Switch User (Snug Harbor)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Maren Morris (CMCU Amphitheatre)
JAZZ/BLUES
Right to Party (Middle C Jazz)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER
Carolina Songwriters in the Round feat. Tracy Simpson (Petra’s)
LATIN/REGGAE/WORLD
Ana Gabriel (Spectrum Center)
FRIDAY, JUNE 17 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
So Called Natives w/ Modern Alibi, Skies of Avalon (Amos’ Southend) Gillian Carter w/ To Forget, You Once Were, Wild Trees (The Milestone) Kid Rock w/ Grand Funk Railroad (PNC Music Pavilion) 13 Fridays w/ Savage Empire, Flat Out Insult, Oh! you pretty things (Skylark Social Lounge) Telepathetics w/ Maxuma, Prosperity Gospel, Physical Digital (Snug Harbor) The Variants w/ Leisure McCorkle (Tommy’s Pub)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Cody Johnson w/ Easton Corbin, Ian Muns (CMCU Amphitheatre) Tiny City w/ Bob Fleming & The Cambria Iron Co., Matthew Paul Butler (Petra’s)
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Rahsaan Barber Quintet (Middle C Jazz)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL
Andy Grammer (Knight Theater) JVZMIN w/ Soakk, Tan Leather, Third Kind, VYNA (Crown Station) ROLE MODEL (The Underground) CALYX w/ TEEBEE (SERJ)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER Will Blackburn (Evening Muse)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
The Turnstiles (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
SATURDAY, JUNE 18 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
The Veldt w/ The Mystery Plan, Candy Coffins (Petra’s) Glass Mansions w/ JPH, Adam Cope, Jodi Mattiaccy (Skylark Social Lounge) Invader Houses w/ Willa Mae, Thousand Dollar Movie (Snug Harbor) Negulatorsw/Symptoms,BlueRicky,SodaCityRiot(Tommy’sPub)
Tiny Moving Parts w/ This Wild Life, In Her Own Words (Amos’ Southend) Glimmers w/ The Maguas, The Dirty Low Down, Home for the Day (The Milestone) Outatime! w/ Sleave, Frontside, The Crease Rule, T.W.A.T (Skylark Social Lounge) Ogres w/ RBTS Win, Duke Massive (Snug Harbor)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
Pusha T (The Fillmore)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Slaid Cleaves (Evening Muse)
JAZZ/BLUES
JAZZ/BLUES
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
THURSDAY, JUNE 23
Karla Harris w/ The Joe Alterman Trio (Middle C Jazz) Daniel Nunnelee w/ Drumming Bird (Evening Muse)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL
AfroPop! Charlotte (Crown Station) Digital Noir Prom feat. DJ Spider, Twentieth Century Boy (The Milestone)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
Jupiter Coyote (Neighborhood Theatre)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER Rastacoustic (Primal Brewery)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
Hardcore Lounge (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
SUNDAY, JUNE 19 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Michael Cera Palin w/ Weatherday, Oolong, Cuzco (The Milestone) Cam Cole (Neighborhood Theatre)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER
Dan Staton w/ Kyle Murphy (Primal Brewery)
MONDAY, JUNE 20 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
As I Lay Dying (The Underground)
JAZZ/BLUES
The Conn/Davis Jazz Duo (Crown Station) The Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)
OPEN MIC
Find Your Muse Open Mic feat. Funky Geezer (Evening Muse)
TUESDAY, JUNE 21 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
The Coursing w/ Reign of Z, Savage Empire, Pushbutton Apocalypse (The Milestone) Greer w/ DISQ (Visulite Theatre)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL Cosmic Jam (Crown Station) Machine Gun Kelly (Spectrum Center)
JAZZ/BLUES
Jessi Little w/ Chase Bird, Jessica Borgnis (Middle C Jazz)
Stephanie Streater w/ The Phil Howe Quartet (Middle C Jazz)
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Aim High w/ No Scope (Evening Muse) Monachopsis w/ The Bronze Age, Dear Spring, Neptuneflyer (The Milestone) David Taylor & The Tallboys w/ Palmyra, Elonzo Wesley (Petra’s)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
H.E.R. (CMCU Amphitheatre)
JAZZ/BLUES
Chairmen of the Board (Middle C Jazz)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL
ATCK w/ AJ McLean, DJ Lux (The Underground) Something Fun Dance Party & Costume Contest (Snug Harbor)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Maggie Rose w/ Erin & the Wildfire (Neighborhood Theatre)
FRIDAY, JUNE 24 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Tennis Courts w/ Sonic Blume (Evening Muse) Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls (The Fillmore) Memphis May Fire (The Underground) Pet Bug w/ Pretty Baby, Acne, Boy A/C (The Milestone) Spirit of the Bear (Neighborhood Theatre) Late Bloomer w/ Wes & The Railroaders, Evan Stepp, Merit Badge (Petra’s) The Menders w/ Hellfire (Tommy’s Pub)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA James Taylor (Spectrum Center)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL Shadow Play (Crown Station) Backstreet Boys (PNC Music Pavilion) Deep Fried Disco (Snug Harbor)
JAZZ/BLUES
Sean Mason Trio (Middle C Jazz)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER
Brittney Lee w/ Gary Ward (Primal Brewery)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
Space Koi (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
SATURDAY, JUNE 25 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Featherpocket (Birdsong Brewing) Motion City Soundtrack (The Fillmore) Cosmic Reaper w/ Pillars, Bog Loaf, Spite House, Neon Deaths (The Milestone) Johnny Cab w/ El Escapado, Cult of Bastards (Tommy’s Pub) Brother & Sister w/ Cordovas (Visulite Theatre) The Breakfast Club (’80s tribute) (Amos’ Southend)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
NiiTO (Evening Muse) Look Up! Heroes Con Hip-Hop Afterparty (Petra’s)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Ian Noe (Neighborhood Theatre)
CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL
Charlotte Symphony Presents Jurassic Park In Concert (Ovens Auditorium)
JAZZ/BLUES
Sean Mason Trio (Middle C Jazz)
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL LÉON (The Underground)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER Jake Burns (Primal Brewery)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
9DayTrip (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
LATIN/REGGAE/WORLD
Lakou Mizik (Snug Harbor)
SUNDAY, JUNE 26 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Factual Brains w/ Dead Senate, Ink Swell, January Knife (The Milestone)
CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL/RELIGIOUS
Gospel Sunday feat. Ahji (Middle C Jazz)
LATIN/REGGAE/WORLD
Celtic Session w/ Alan Davis (Tommy’s Pub)
MONDAY, JUNE 27 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Sullivan Smith & Stray Lions w/ Jackson Fig, Troubleshoot (The Milestone)
JAZZ/BLUES
The Conn/Davis Jazz Duo (Crown Station) The Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)
OPEN MIC
Find Your Muse Open Mic feat. A.P Rodgers (Evening Muse)
TUESDAY, JUNE 28
POP/ELECTRONIC/DJ/EXPERIMENTAL
Cosmic Jam (Crown Station) Lost Cargo: Tiki Social Party (Petra’s) PrincXEli w/ Celeste Moonchild, Chocolate Kndy, Nadia Nympho (Snug Harbor)
ACOUSTIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER Influences & Originals (Tommy’s Pub)
VISIT QCNERVE.COM FOR THE FULL SOUNDWAVE LISTING.
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PRESENTED BY
It’s about to be one hot summer. Event calendars at venues across the Charlotte area are heating up with fun things to do, no matter what you’re into. This year’s Summer Guide is packed with returning favorites like Charlotte Squawks, the Yiasou Greek Festival and the Charlotte Black Film Festival, plus newcomers like The Queen City Jam Session, a three-day music festival at NoDa Brewing Company. Be sure to visit qcnerve.com for our comprehensive Summer Guide, which includes descriptions, because there’s just too much going on this summer for us to fit it all on four pages.
Music
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The Fillmore
820 Hamilton Street; fillmorenc.com June 22: Pusha T June 24: Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls June 25: Motion City Soundtrack July 2: Purity Ring July 25: Sleeping With Sirens August 13: Anthrax w/ Black Label Society August 23: Teyana Taylor September 8: DPR September 18: Alec Benjamin
The Underground
820 Hamilton Street; fillmorenc.com June 24: Memphis May Fire June 25: LÉON July 1: Des Rocs w/ The Blue Stones July 2: Social House
July 10: Billy Howerdel July 12: The Wrecks July 19: Avatar July 28: Boy Pablo July 30: Sean Kingston August 2: Polyphia August 5: Sasha Alex Sloan August 6: Ken Carson August 9: Northlane August 11: Coi Leray August 12: BLXST August 16: Pinegrove August 19: Sleigh Bells August 24: Hoodie Allen August 27: Kany Garcia September 1: Jay Critch September 7: Apocalyptica September 8: Alex Isley September 9: Wild Rivers September 19: Ashe September 22: Matt Maeson
PNC Music Pavilion
707 Pavilion Boulevard; livenation.com June 24: Backstreet Boys June 30: Train July 1: Chicago and Brian Wilson w/ Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin July 8: OneRepublic July 14: The Chicks July 22: Luke Bryan July 23: Tedeschi Trucks Band July 24: Rob Zombie and Mudvayne July 25: The Doobie Brothers July 27: The Black Keys w/ Band of Horses July 29: Jason Aldean August 6: Styx w/ REO Speedwagon, Loverboy August 9: Chris Brown w/ Lil Baby August 10: Encanto: The Sing Along Film Concert August 11: Wiz Khalifa w/ Logic August 12: Keith Urban August 13: KIDZ BOP Live August 23: Jack Johnson August 26: Rod Stewart w/ Cheap Trick August 31: KoRn w/ Evanescence September 6: Five Finger Death Punch
September 18: Wu-Tang Clan w/ Nas September 10: Outlaw Music Festival featuring Willie Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Billy Strings, Larkin Poe and Charley Crockett
Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
1000 NC Music Factory Boulevard; livenation.com June 23: H.E.R. July 3: 5 Seconds of Summer July 8: Whiskey Myers July 16: Big Time Rush July 24: Coheed and Cambria July 29: Iration and Atmosphere July 30: Halestorm w/ The Pretty Reckless, The Warning, Lilith Czar August 2: Alicia Keys August 5: Kehlani August 12: David Gray August 18: Brett Eldredge August 20: Andrew McMahon in The Wilderness w/ Dashboard Confessional August 25: Jack white August 26: Goo Goo Dolls
August 27: Jamey Johnson August 30: Lauv w/ Hayley Kiyoko August 31: Dispatch w/ O.A.R. September 15: Koe Wetzel September 17: Lake Street drive September 20: The Head and The Heart
Ovens Auditorium
2700 E. Independence Blvd.; boplex.com June 29: Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening July 9: El Gran Combo July 15: Biz Markie Tribute Concert July 16: Steely Dan July 28: Vince Gill July 30: R&B Kickback Concert August 4: Gladys Knight August 5: Matute August 12: Brit Floyd August 16: A.R. Rahman August 21: Bronco September 2: Intocable September 3: Daughtry September 8: The Temptations w/ The Four Tops
Spectrum Center
333 E. Trade St.; spectrumcentercharlotte.com June 21: Machine Gun Kelly June 24: James Taylor July 12: New Kids on the Block July 22: Shawn Mendes August 2: Kendrick Lamar August 10: Why Don’t We August 27: The Lumineers September 4: Twenty One Pilots September 20: Karol G
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte Symphony: Celebrate America $25 and up; June 22, 8:30 p.m.; Truist Field, 324 S. Mint St.; charlottesymphony.org SXSE - South by South End Music Festival Free; June 25, noon-8 p.m.; Lenny Boy Brewing, 3000 S. Tryon St.; discoverlennyboy.com Live at 11 in Ballantyne’s Backyard $10, free for 5 and under; July 1, Aug. 5 & Sept. 2, 5:30-9 p.m.; Ballantyne’s Backyard, 11611 N. Community House Road; goballantyne.com Jazz at the Bechtler $16-20; July 1, 6 & 8 p.m.; Bechtler Museum, 420 S. Tryon St.; bechtler.org Jam at The Dam Free; various dates and times; The Boathouse, 115 Willow Drive, McAdenville; catawbariverkeeper. org/the-boathouse The Queen City Jam Session $189 and up; August 19-21, times vary; NoDa Brewing NorthEnd Taproom, 2921 N. Tryon St.; queencityjamsession.com
PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
Belk Theater
130 N. Tryon St., blumenthalarts.org June 15-26: Disney’s ‘Frozen’ July 2: Charlotte Symphony: The Music of The Rolling Stones July 8: Harmony Homecoming
Arts & Culture
Knight Theater
July 15-17: Blue Man Group July 26-31: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ August 13: “Weird Al” Yankovic September 6-11: ‘Mean Girls’
Ovens Auditorium
2700 E. Independence Blvd.; boplex.com June 24: The Masked Singer National Tour June 25: ‘Jurassic Park’ in Concert July 7: Celeste Barber July 23: Eddie B
August 19: Kurtis Conner August 26: George Lopez September 9: Jim Jefferies September 19: Wheel of Fortune Live!
Booth Playhouse
130 N. Tryon St., blumenthalarts.org Now-June 26: ‘Charlotte Squawks: NC-17’ July 2-3: ‘La Bestia: A Circus Journey’ July 22: Tigran Asatryan July 23-24: Random Acts of Kindness August 5-6: Broadway Dreams: Charlotte Showcase August 7: An Evening With The Petersens August 19: The Second City Out of the House Party August 20: Comedy Dance Chicago August 28: ‘House Full of Secrets’
Stage Door Theater
155 N. College St., blumenthalarts.org July 8-9: Jeff Tain Watts Quartet July 22: Guilherme Arantes August 12-13: Tenor Madness September 2-3: Pedrito Martinez Pg. 13 JUN 2 - JUN 15, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM
430 S. Tryon St., blumenthalarts.org June 30: An Evening With Mo’Nique and Friends July 15: Bored Teachers Summer Break Comedy Tour July 16: Cuzzin Clyde Sept. 18: Elton John July 22: The Fab Four July 23: Tosco Music Beatles Tribute August 18: Comedy Bang! Bang! U.S. National Whitewater Center August 20: Mary Chapin Carpenter 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy.; whitewater.org The U.S. Whitewater Center’s River Jam features live September 2: Incognito w/ Maysa September 3: PJ Morton music on an outdoor stage every Thursday, Friday September 9: Ruben Studdard Sings Luther and Saturday night at 7 p.m. from May through Vandross September. Genres span roots rock, Americana, September 15: Girls Gotta Eat bluegrass, folk and funk. Other activities include September 16: Little Feat yoga, open-water swims and rafting down the rapids. Admission is free aside from parking. 800 S. Mint St.; panthers.com/stadium June 28: Def Leppard w/ Mötley Crüe, Poison, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts July 15-16: Garth Brooks Sept. 1: Red Hot Chili Peppers
DO SOME STAND-UP PADDELBOARDING BEFORE A JAM AT THE DAM AT THE BOATHOUSE.
12th Annual Charlotte Black Film Festival Four days of educational and empowering film screenings, panel discussions, hands-on workshops and networking opportunities. The Charlotte Black Film Festival’s Red Carpet “Vision Awards” will recognize the achievements of emerging actors, composers, screenwriters and directors. More: Prices vary; June 23-26, times vary; charlotteblackfilmfestival.com
Spectrum Center
333 E. Trade St.; spectrumcentercharlotte.com June 26: Dude Perfect September 11: Kevin Hart
Mint Museum Randolph
2730 Randolph Road; mintmuseum.org June 26-August 28: Party in the Park July 16: Diedrick Brackens: ark of bulrushes
All Around Town
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Wednesday Night Live Presented by Bank of America, Wednesday Night Live includes free admission to the Mint Museum, Bechtler Museum and Gantt Center every Wednesday, as well as live entertainment or programming at one of the four Levine Center for the Arts institutions each week. Special programming ranges from Brazilian dance performances to spoken-word artists to film screenings. More: Free; Every Wednesday, 5-9 p.m.; Locations vary; mintmuseum.org/wednesday-night-live
WORK FROM DIEDRICK BRACKENS: ARK OF BULRUSHES
Crayola IDEAworks Upon being transported to the Colorverse, guests are assigned Craymojis, characters that represent the creative aspects of their personalities, which then guide them through a personalized family-friendly journey in which they encounter problem-solving activities. More: $25 and up; Various dates and times; Camp North End, 300 Camp Road; crayolaideaworks.com Unseen Oceans Discovery Place Science harnesses technology to share subterranean sights ranging from zooplankton to blue whales and giant squid. Climb into a scale model of a deep-sea submersible to marvel at the 37-mile-long Hudson Canyon undersea trench. More: $18 and up; Various dates and times; Discovery Place Science, 301 N. Tryon St.; science. discoveryplace.org Crossroads Cinema Every Thursday, catch iconic ’80s and ’90s movies like Back to the Future, E.T. and The Goonies on a jumbo screen with surround sound and retro arcade games against the backdrop of the historic Ford building. More: Free; Thursdays, June 23-Sept. 8, 8 p.m.; Camp North End, 300 Camp Road; camp.nc
PHOTO BY DIEDRICK BRACKENS
FabFest A weekend celebration of Beatles music that includes two concerts at the Knight Theater — The Fab Four at 8 p.m. on July 22 and Tosco Music Beatles Tribute at 7:30 p.m. on July 23 — and FabFest Daytime, a full day of live music, memorabilia, speakers and activities from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on July 23 at The Parr Center at Central Piedmont Community College. More: Free-$68.50; July 22-23, various times; Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. and Central Bringing Worlds Together Piedmont Community College, 1141 Elizabeth Ave.; A fusion of art, live music, cultural cuisine and a fabfestcharlotte.org fashion show featuring local designers, hosted at the Brooklyn Collective. Proceeds benefit the Homegrown Tomato Festival Grooming Greatness Foundation. A festival featuring a Home Growers Competition, More: $20-$50; June 24, 6 p.m.; Studio 229 tomato sandwiches, local farmers, live music, on Brevard, 229 S. Brevard St.; tinyurl.com/ veggie-based cocktail sampling and chef cooking BringingWorlds demos and tastings. Proceeds benefit 100 Gardens, a nonprofit that creates learning opportunities by Cirque & Dance Up-Close implementing aquaponics gardening programs in Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center faculty members schools, institutions and communities of need. perform in an intimate atmosphere. More: $25-45; July 23, noon-4 p.m.; Central More: $12-17; June 25, 3 & 7 p.m.; Charlotte Piedmont Community College, 1206 Elizabeth Ave., Cirque & Dance Center, 9315-E Monroe Road; homegrowntomato.org cltcirquedancecenter.org WAR on the Catwalk Camden Commons Drag queens from all over the world converge on Part of Camden Road in South End will be closed one stage. Hosted by Miz Cracker and Brooke Lynn to vehicular traffic as the street transforms into Hytes. an “outdoor living room,” where visitors can hang More: $52.50 and up; August 17, 8 p.m.; The out, shop pop-up vendors, discover new food, play Fillmore Charlotte, 820 Hamilton St.; livenation.com games, listen to music and get creative. More: Free; June 26, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Camden Road; August 20: Tacos ‘N Taps Festival southendclt.org An all-you-care-to-taste beer and tequila festival featuring over 15 taco trucks, taquerias and Mexican Queen’s Feast: Summer Edition restaurants, dueling margarita bars, mariachi Also known as Charlotte Restaurant Week, Queen’s bands, shopping, a hot pepper-eating contest and Feast is a prime opportunity to experience the lawn games. region’s culinary variety with three-course, prix fixe More: $30 and up; August 20, noon-5 p.m.; dining deals at dozens of restaurants around the Ballantyne’s Backyard, 11611 N. Community House metro area. Road; charlotte.tacosntaps.com More: $30-45; July 22-31; Locations vary; charlotterestaurantweek.iheart.com
Food & Drink
Aug. 31 vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC Sept. 9 vs. Greenville Triumph SC
Charlotte Motor Speedway
5555 Concord Pkwy. S, charlottemotorspeedway.com June 21-Aug. 2: Summer Shootout Aug. 20: Circle K Monster Truck Bash September 20-25: President’s Cup The world’s best male golfers will converge on Quail Hollow Club for the Presidents Cup, a biennial global team competition between the United States and an international team. Instead of prize money, competitors allocate equal portions of the funds generated to charities of their choice. More: $60 and up; September 20-25, times vary; Quail Hollow Club, 3700 Gleneagles Road; presidentscup.com
PHOTO BY LAURA WOLFF
TRUIST FIELD IS BACK AT FULL CAPACITY.
August 20-21: Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade Charlotte Pride returns for a full-scale, in-person LGBTQ celebration to mark its 20th anniversary and 40 years of Pride legacy in the Queen City. More: Free; August 20-21, various times; Uptown Charlotte; charlottepride.org September 8-11: Yiasou Greek Festival Since 1978, the Yiasou Greek Festival has become one of Charlotte’s largest cultural events. It features Hellenic cultural exhibits, authentic Greek cuisine and homemade pastries, entertainment, live music and dancing, wine tastings, art, shopping and more. More: $5, free for 12 and under; September 8-11, times vary; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 600 E. Blvd.; yiasoufestival.org
Sports
Carolina Panthers
Bank of America Stadium, 800 S. Mint St.; panthers.com Preseason August 26 vs. Buffalo Bills Regular season September 11 vs. Cleveland Browns
Charlotte FC
Bank of America Stadium, 800 S. Mint St.; charlottefootballclub.com Truist Field, 324 S. Mint St.; June 30 vs. Austin FC milb.com/charlotte-knights July 9 vs. Nashville FC Be sure to check out the website for promotional July 30 vs. Columbus Crew nights ranging from Bark in the Park to playing catch on the field before the game. Per usual, Friday Aug. 3 vs. D.C. United nights at home are usually wrapped up with a Aug. 6 vs. Chicago Fire FC fireworks display. Aug. 21 vs. Orlando City SC June 28-July 3 vs. Durham Bulls Aug. 27 vs. Toronto FC July 12-17 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs Sept. 10 vs. New York City FC Aug. 2-7 vs. Gwinnett Braves Aug. 16-21 vs. Syracuse Mets Charlotte Independence Aug: 30-Sept. 4 vs. Durham Bulls American Legion Memorial Stadium, 310 N. Kings Sept. 6-11 vs. Nashville Sounds Drive; independencesoccer.club June 26 vs. Forward Madison FC July 8 vs. Richmond Kickers July 29 vs. Central Valley Fuego FC Aug. 5 vs. Forward Madison FC Aug. 27 vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Charlotte Knights
PRESENTED BY Pg. 15 JUN 2 - JUN 15, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM
FOOD & DRINK FEATURE
Keeping things local
GOING COASTAL The Waterman gets its sea legs at new Lake Norman location
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BY CLINT HARRIS
The Waterman Fish Bar, located on South Boulevard near Ideal Way, has reimagined the neighborhood seafood joint in the South End area. Boasting a domestically farmed menu, an indoor/ outdoor venue, and a rooftop patio, The Waterman has become one of the most popular seafood spots in the Uptown area. Now Paul Manley, co-owner of High Tide Hospitality, which runs the restaurant, believes he can make similar waves off the waters of Lake Norman. Having repurposed a venue that was previously home to Cowboy Restaurant — a steak, chicken and ribs joint on Bailey Road in Cornelius — Manley recently opened his second Waterman location in hopes that the Lake Norman crowd will take to it the same way the South End crowd has. “Casual seafood in the Lake Norman area is a little under-served. We feel we can cater to that,” Manley told Queen City Nerve. “We’ve gotten to the point where we’re a pretty trustworthy brand in South End, but Lake Norman is a totally different crowd. That trustworthiness starts all over again.” According to Manley, however, that process doesn’t mean simply taking the same concept and replicating it exactly for the northern part of the county. “People have different tastes, different expectations,” he explained. “Just because you walked in with your recipes and brand doesn’t mean it will work the same way in a new venue. There’s some brand refinement that needs to happen — something that doesn’t happen overnight.” Since opening in April, Manley has been keeping a close eye on all of the receipts coming out of Bailey Road, including not only what customers are ordering, but what they’re not ordering at all — or what they’re ordering once then never again.
After two months of fine tuning, Manley said The Waterman’s second location is beginning to gain its sea legs. Enjoying high sales among its new clientele, Manley credits the new location’s success to the restaurant’s founding principles mixed in with a few changes along the way.
One of the most important founding principles is the fact that, just like the South End location, The Waterman in Lake Norman sources its menu entirely from Carolina coastal farms. “We externally import 95% of the seafood that we consume as a nation,” Manley said. “That’s a massive trade deficit — the definition of a trade deficit. We [at High Tide Hospitality] built our seafood restaurants under the premise that it’s all domestic. The whole idea is to celebrate the Carolina coast.” And that can mean something new each and every day at The Waterman. “Whatever is caught that very day on the Carolina coast has the potential to be put on the menu,” Manley says. “Basically, half of the menu is written daily.” This gives chefs the autonomy to create whatever dish the fresh ingredients inspire them to make. What one chef will decide to feature at the Lake Norman location will rarely be the same “Daily Catch” special that day at the South End location.
PAUL MANLEY, CO-OWNER OF HIGH TIDE HOSPITALITY.
That is not to say the menus are completely different, however. The Waterman in Lake Norman has kept classic menu staples like oysters on the half-shell and the lobster roll — not to mention the hugely popular lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. But it is the variety in fish featured between the two locations that allows for The Waterman to better cater to its target demographic, Manley says. The Waterman is open for brunch, lunch and dinner, with brunch available on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That menu includes options such as the Lobster Bene, which features butter-poached lobster and two poached eggs on a buttermilk biscuit; and the Smoked Salmon Tostini, house-cured smoked salmon on a small piece of toast with avocado spread, caper, fresh dill, red onion and charred lemon. The all-day food menu ranges from expected seafood items like NC trout and Creole shrimp & grits to more inland Southern fare such as chicken & waffles or the Spring Mountain chicken supper.
PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
FOOD & DRINK FEATURE The Barmacist serves
The Waterman’s brunch menu also brings its own selection of “boat drinks,” which is what the restaurant calls its cocktails, including the Shipwrecked Mary — Smirnoff vodka, Charleston Bloody mix, an Old Bay salt rim, jalapeño, olive, bacon, and shrimp — and the aptly named Brunch Punch, which mixes Malibu Coconut rum, Blue Curacao, simple, lemon, pineapple, Sprite, and brandied cherry. The all-day boat drink menu gets even more creative, curated by Azure “The Barmacist” Cassidy, who was brought on as High Tide’s beverage director in 2021. Though Cassidy works as the bar manager at another High Tide establishment, Sea Level in Uptown, plenty of the options at The Waterman were Sea Level collaborations, which is another way to say they were Cassidy’s creations.
Ryan Pitkin contributed reporting to this story. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
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THE OUTDOOR PATIO AT THE WATERMAN IN CORNELIUS.
That includes the famous Topside Treasure, which can be seen on multiple tables whenever you stop by The Waterman regardless of the time of day. The drinks garner a second glance thanks to the creature inside — a gummy shark frozen into a Blue Curaçao iceberg, floating in a sea of Teremana Blanco Tequila. There are a number of other boat drink options, including Cassidy’s Seasonal G&T and Fish House Punch, the latter being always on draft. There are a couple mocktails on the menu, as well: a Buzz Kill and a Cosnopolitan. With every new customer, Manley and his Lake Norman staff learn more about the differing tastes of the Cornelius population. And with every new day, The Waterman floats closer to its goal — the embodiment of a solid and trustworthy neighborhood seafood joint for north Mecklenburg.
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LIFESTYLE PUZZLES SUDOKU
TRIVIA TEST
BY LINDA THISTLE
PLACE A NUMBER IN THE EMPTY BOXES IN SUCH A WAY THAT EACH ROW ACROSS, EACH COLUMN DOWN AND EACH SMALL 9-BOX SQUARE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NUMBERS ONE TO NINE.
BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ
CROSSWORD
1. HISTORY: In what year did the Boston Tea Party take place? 2. MOVIES: Which 1990s animated movie has a character named Lumiere? 3. MUSIC: Who wrote the song “Make You Feel My Love,” performed by Adele? 4. LANGUAGE: What is a zoonotic disease? 5. TELEVISION: Which TV sitcom was set at Greendale Community College? 6. ANATOMY: What blood type does a universal donor have? 7. GEOGRAPHY: Bantry Bay is an inlet in which European country? 8. FOOD & DRINK: What are sweetbreads? 9. LITERATURE: What kind of bird is titled in a John Keats’ poem? 10. SCIENCE: What does an auxanometer measure?
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LIFESTYLE COLUMN
AERIN IT OUT
REALITY CHECK Face to face with gun violence
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BY AERIN SPRUILL
“I got shot.” Three words that you just aren’t expecting to hear in a casual conversation after reuniting with an acquaintance you hadn’t seen in years. Some call chance encounters fate, others destiny, and others coincidence. For me, it’s synchronicity, at least that’s how it felt when I first met Magda Chormova and her brother, Thomas. Two Greeks and a Black girl walk into a bar … sounds like the start of a good joke I’d like to hear the punchline for. And yet, years later on a seemingly dull Queen City night, when I saw my two old friends sitting together at the bar, it immediately felt as if no time had passed at all. Shortly after I greeted Magda, I could tell her energy was different — not as bright as I remember — so I asked how she was doing. Her eyes winced slightly as if she was conjuring a story that may be too painful to tell. Before I had time to regret interrupting their private conversation, she responded with that short three-word sentence: “I got shot.” Her voice was steady, there were no tears, but you could hear the scratchiness of pain, anger and exhaustion in her voice. In March 2020, days before everything shut down thanks to COVID-19, Magda was on holiday from Greece, helping her brother out at Mr. C’s Soul Food Restaurant, a spot he owns at the corner of North Tryon Street and Craighead Avenue. That’s when two men, one armed with a 9-millimeter handgun, entered and attempted to rob them. Once Magda realized the seriousness of the situation, she sprung into action fighting desperately to disarm the gunman, who discharged his weapon, shooting her in the scuffle. To hear her tell it would send chills down anyone’s spine. Magda didn’t intervene with hopes of a Carnegie Hero Medal, which she would later receive; she fought like hell (and took four bullets) because she knew she had to do what was necessary to protect her brother and she didn’t hesitate. And while they both still have their lives, just living in the aftermath of such a horrific encounter has proven difficult. She still carries one of the bullets inside her, as doctors found it would be unsafe to remove — a constant reminder of that day. The scars aren’t only physical, however. Two years later, Magda still carries emotional scars. She struggles to go anywhere alone. “For victims who are still alive, the days after the incident and for the rest of your life, it really feels like you did something wrong and you have to pay for that every
day,” she told me. The whole time Magda was telling her real-life horror story, I couldn’t help but think about the children murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the week prior. When I was in elementary school, in the aftermath of Columbine, I remember devising an unreasonable plan to carry ketchup packets with me everywhere I went so I could spread it all over me in the case of an active shooter and convince them I was already dead. What remains so disheartening is that the alleged fantastical “imagination” of that elementary school version of myself trying to make sense of a mass shooting has only become a very real, seemingly daily nightmare for so many — the belief that humans are inherently good becoming further and further tainted by the harsh reality that shit has gotten completely out of control, especially when it comes to guns. I felt a pit in my stomach as I talked to Magda, unsure of the right thing to say. In this scenario, “I’m so sorry” felt like the stereotypical apology that people offer after a funeral — the generic response that tumbles out when things feel awkward and you can’t fathom how to string together more thoughtful words of comfort. But I guess that’s the thing. It should be awkward. What Magda and her brother experienced was not “normal.” The day it becomes commonplace to be held at gunpoint then shot as you try to do your job is the day that we’re failing our fellow humans. Has that day already come? I cannot even begin to understand the healing/grieving process that someone like Magda and her family must go through on an hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly basis. I don’t know if someone ever heals from that sort of trauma, but what I can understand is that they shouldn’t have to. Gun responsibility (or lack thereof), the laws (or lack thereof) that have given power without the proper mitigation controls or safety protocols, and the entire system (of which gun control is just a piece of the puzzle) are broken. How many more people will have to tell the same story in a bar late at night as if whispering a ghost story or telling their deepest fear or darkest secret? Or worse — as in the case of Jayeshbhai Patel, shot and killed while working in the Econo Lodge on Glenwood Drive during a robbery on the very weekend I wrote this column — how many more people won’t be able to? INFO@QCNERVE.COM
LIFESTYLE
HOROSCOPE 2022 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.
JUNE 15-21
JUNE 22-28
JUNE 22-28
JUNE 15-21
BORN THIS WEEK: You love to see new places BORN THIS WEEK: You are sensitive to the
and meet new people. Have you considered working needs of others. But you’re no pushover. You would for an airline or cruise-ship company? make a fine teacher, psychologist or minister.
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Recently obtained ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Information you need information could open a new opportunity for a might be coming in sporadically, but at least what career change. But temper that Arian impatience you’re getting is valuable. Continue to wait until and act on it only when all the facts are made more is available before acting on that career move. available. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You continue on an TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You’re moving into upbeat cycle, and with that strong Taurean energy a more active cycle. So put your ideas back on the you should see favorable results from your hard table, where they’ll be given the attention they work. A pleasant surprise awaits you in your private deserve. Expect a favorable change in your love life. life. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A friend might ask for GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A misunderstanding a favor that you feel would compromise your values. needs more time to be worked out. Don’t give up on Best advice: Confront him or her and explain why it just yet. Remain open to providing explanations, if you must say no. A true friend will understand. called for. Another friend offers good advice.
CANCER
(June 21 to July 22) A relationship continues to develop along positive lines. Meanwhile, a job situation is brewing that could create complications for one of your pet projects. Look into it right away.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Fast action can
correct a seemingly minor problem that has taken on some unexpectedly difficult aspects. Stay with it until it’s resolved. News on a more positive note is due soon.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) Your interest in a co- LEO (July 23 to August 22) Some snags could cause worker’s project could lead to a profitable experience delays in those plans you’re eager to see put into for you both. But before you agree to anything, be operation. But be patient. The Clever Cat will soon sure to get all your legal I’s dotted and T’s crossed. have good reason to celebrate a job well done.
VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Be careful VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Be careful not v whose counsel you take about a possible long- to let that Virgin sensitivity dissuade you from being distance move. Some advice might not necessarily the hardheaded realist you should be at this time. be in your best interest. Stay focused on your goals. Your goals are in sight. Stay focused on them.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Someone might try to complicate efforts in an attempt to work out that confusing job situation. But don’t let that keep you from sticking with your decision to push for a resolution.
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SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) This is a disagreement on how to handle a family problem good week to get out and enjoy the fine times you could create more trouble for all concerned. Look for missed while you were so deep in those workaday ways to cool things down before they boil over. projects. Be sure to share it with that special person. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21)
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A new friend PISCES (February 19 to March 20) It’s all smoothly seems to be pushing you to take risks -- financial or going on ‘twixt you and that very special person in otherwise. Best advice: Don’t do it. They might have your life. But a colleague causes some disruption on a hidden agenda that hasn’t surfaced yet. the job that you might be called on to help settle.
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An unexpected change in long-standing workplace Work and play are in balance this week. However, procedure and policy could provide a new career expect news that could tip things toward the target for the Archer to aim at. Start making workplace for quite a while. But all to a good end. inquiries. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) You’re CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) You’re more productive on the job than you have been in finally able to get back into the swing of things, some time. That’s good. But be careful not to overlook as those temporary doldrums begin to lift. Expect some situations developing in your private life. some surprising disclosures from a new colleague. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) You’ve AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Rely on been doing a lot for others (as usual). But now it’s your innate sense of justice to see you through a time to focus on your needs, including finally going dilemma involving a family member. Other relatives on that long-delayed trip you’ve been hoping to who’ve stood back soon will come forward as well. make.
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SAVAGE LOVE
BADDY DOM
PG.19 PUZZLE ANSWERS especially animals to humans. Trivia Answers 5. “Community” 1. 1773, when colonists dumped a shipment of tea into 6. O negative the Boston Harbor to protest 7. Ireland 8. Organ meat from the taxes. pancreas and thymus gland 2. “Beauty and the Beast” 9. “Ode to a Nightingale” 3. Bob Dylan 10. Plants’ rate of growth 4. A disease that can pass from one species to another,
LIFESTYLE COLUMN
either masculine or feminine and that it should be easy for people to use the pronouns he would prefer without having to specify them. How do BY DAN SAVAGE you opt out and ask people to read your current “presenting gender” and apply traditional I’m a 29-year-old bisexual woman in a non- realize he’d done something wrong, BDSM, or he hoped pronouns in the moment? monogamous relationship. A few years ago, I that you, an inexperienced sub, would continue to submit HELPING EVERYONE SEEKING HELP EVERYWHERE wanted to explore my submissive side and met up a to his manipulative bullshit, i.e., the consent violations he with a Dom I connected with on a kink site. We had tried to pass off as consent-seeking “renegotiations” once Are we talking nametags here? Because if we’re a few drinks and hit it off. We discussed what we play had started. talking nametags, HESHE, then your husband can wear were comfortable with and our limits beforehand. “The burden is never on the victim of bad behavior a “he/him” nametag when he’s presenting as a man and I set a few hard limits. In the middle of our first play to change the perpetrator,” said Dune. “But if it would “she/her” nametag when he’s presenting as a woman. session, he tried to renegotiate those limits. I said make BDSM feel better to dash off a quick message to But if this is a kink event run by anal weirdos who require no a few times, but he kept asking and I eventually him about the definition of ‘hard limits’ and explain how attendees to preregister their scenes and list the names gave in. I should have ended it there, but it was destabilizing it can be for a sub for a Dom to switch things of all players involved in those scenes and itemize the my first time in a D/s situation, and I think he took up like this mid-scene, or challenge limits in general, I pronouns those players intend to use during their scenes advantage of that. The experience left me feeling don’t see the harm.” and stick to those pronouns under threat of expulsion … If this guy is a bad Dom — if he’s a truly shitty person then your husband will just have to pick a team, i.e., pick terrible, but I didn’t communicate that to him at the time and just ended up ghosting him. I have who can’t be trusted — hearing from you isn’t going to the gender he will present as that night and the pronouns since found a terrific and loving Dominant partner magically turn him into a safe and trustworthy Dom. But that go with it. who has thankfully helped me explore my kinks it might make you feel better, BDSM, and who knows, in a way that makes me feel safe and cared for, maybe he’ll start to worry about his reputation. After all, I am a white American cis-gendered and I know now that a good Dom always respects you can do more than talk to him … you can talk about paramilitary-looking heterosexual-seeming guy limits, especially in the middle of play. Recently, I him. Now, if he’s the kind of shitty Dom who preys on who happens to be in a polyamorous relationship. have seen this bad Dom on a few different dating inexperienced subs, he may not care what people in the In the kink community, I am considered a “service apps and I’ve been thinking about sending him a kink scene think of him. But if by sharing the details of top.” I enjoy group sex with my partner and in a message letting him know that what he did was your lousy first kink experience — here in my column or group sex setting I will sometimes play with other wrong. I also worry that more women are going elsewhere — you inspire other newbie subs to avoid this men. But I am not interested in playing with men to have their boundaries violated by this guy. Will guy and/or immediately end a scene if some other shitty outside of those hyper-sexual situations. How am I anything good come from this or should I just let Dom pulls the same crap, it’ll have been worth the effort. supposed to identify? I ask because for those of us it go? who grew up in the 1990s, a person was considered BITTERLY DEBATING SENDING MESSAGE Lina Dune runs the BDSM meme page @askasub gay if he performed even a single gay act. I am on Instagram, where she gives D/s relationship advice comfortable/confident in myself, and if a guy wants You were an inexperienced sub when you played and serves as fairy submother to her 100K followers. She to mess around with me during group sex, I figure with this guy, BDSM, but you don’t say whether he was recently released an online course about dating for subs, it doesn’t hurt me any to make him feel good. similarly inexperienced. But even if we give him the which is available at askasub.com/subsurvivalguide. I would rate these experiences on the positive benefit of the doubt — even if he didn’t know that side of neutral. I worry that using terms like attempting to renegotiate limits during a scene is never My husband and I were at a kink event that “heteroflexible” or “mostly straight” contributes okay — you have every right to be angry. required pronouns under scene names. My husband to bisexual erasure but calling myself bisexual “When it comes to D/s dating, the question is almost is a cross-dresser and wants “he/him” pronouns seems appropriative because I can walk through never about a person’s intentions but rather about the used when he is presenting as a boy and “she/her” life with all this heterosexual privilege. I would like effect,” said Lina Dune, host of the Ask a Sub podcast. pronouns to be used when he’s presenting as a girl. to identify as bi because I think it helps normalize it “Even if this guy didn’t mean to put BDSM in this awful He does not want to use “they/them.” I suggested but somehow don’t feel like I make the cut. If you situation — which, let’s be real, challenging someone’s he go with “he/she,” but he doesn’t think “he/ could help me out, I would really appreciate it. limits is as fundamentally red-flaggy as it gets — he still she” is an appropriate option because he wants JUST OPPRESSED ENOUGH did that and BDSM’s feelings matter.” people to use the pronouns assigned to what he Since you wound up having to ghost this guy, is presenting as. He doesn’t want to be insensitive I think you’re perfectly entitled to identify as BDSM, I assume that means he continued to contact you to those whose presentation isn’t obviously binary bisexual, JOE. But just to be sure, I got a second opinion expecting to play again, which means he either didn’t but feels it is obvious when he’s presenting as from Zachary Zane, the bisexual sex-advice columnist for
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Call it what it is
Men’s Health. “I often receive questions from bi folks who don’t feel ‘queer’ enough to claim a bisexual label,” said Zane. “Typically, I hear this from cisgender women married to straight cis men who haven’t experienced the same level of oppression as, say, femme gay men in relationships with nonbinary individuals.” But your own personal experience with oppression — or your lack thereof — doesn’t invalidate your queerness or disqualify you from identifying as bisexual. “How sad is it that our understanding of queer identity is inextricably linked and dependent on having experienced oppression,” said Zane. “That is so wildly fucked up. Being queer and/or bisexual is about your attraction to genders,” and not about being or feeling oppressed. “So I would say yes, JOE can identify as bisexual because he enjoys, in certain situations, playing sexually with men,” said Zane. “At the same time, I think JOE can and should also acknowledge his privilege from how he presents — which he’s already doing, and should continue doing — and hopefully, he will use that privilege to support other bisexuals who don’t experience the same hetero-presenting privileges he does.” Zachary Zane is the co-author of Men’s Health Best. Sex. Ever. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyZane. Listen to Dan on the Savage Lovecast; follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage; find columns, podcasts, books, merch and more at savage.love; send questions to questions@savagelove.net
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