Queen City Nerve Issue 3_2019

JANUARY 2 - JANUARY 15, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

MUSIC: Rapping The Bleus p.18

ARTS: Artnatomy gets the business p.10

THE WHOLE STINKIN' Ten Charlotte parking situations LOT that make staying home sound fun

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Charlotte’s Cultural Pulse STAFF

PUBLISHER • Justin LaFrancois jlafrancois@qcnerve.com EDITOR-IN-Chief • Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@qcnerve.com

EDITORIAL

ASSOCIATE EDITOR • Courtney Mihocik cmihocik@qcnerve.com STAFF WRITER • Pat Moran pmoran@qcnerve.com

ART/DESIGN

ART DIRECTOR • Dana Vindigni dvindigni@qcnerve.com

ADVERTISING

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SALES DIRECTOR Aaron Stamey • astamey@qcnerve.com To place an ad, please call 704-524-9791 Queen City Nerve welcomes submissions of all kinds. Please send submissions or story pitches to rpitkin@qcnerve.com.

Queen City Nerve is published every other Wednesday by Nerve Media Productions LLC. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Queen City Nerve is published by Nerve Media Productions LLC, based in Advent Coworking at 933 Louise Ave., Charlotte, NC, 28204. www.qcnerve.com. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/queencitynerve; on Twitter at @qc_nerve; on Instagram at @queencitynerve

NEWS & CULTURE 6 The Whole Stinkin’ Lot

Ten Charlotte parking situations that make staying home sound fun

4 Editor’s Note 4 The Seeker

ARTS

10 Take Them to School

Local arts teacher to bring the classroom to adults

LIFELINE

14 How not to kill your social life

MUSIC

16 Hello Darkness My Old Friend

IIOIOIOII is a bright spot in Charlotte’s dark wave

18 Mic Check: The Bleus 20 Soundwave

FOOD & DRINK 20 Home Sweet Home

New Belmont BBQ joint is a smokey success

23 Side Dish: Go Graze 24 The Buzz

Cover Design by: Dana Vindigni JANUARY 2 - JANUARY 15, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

NIGHTLIFE

26 Mind Benders 27 Horoscope 28 Crossword 30 Savage Love

MUSIC: Rapping The Bleus p.18

ARTS: Artnatomy

gets the business THE WHOLE p.10 STINKIN' Charlotte parking situations LOT Ten that make staying home sound fun

EDITOR’S NOTE

THE SEEKER THE CACAO WORKOUT

Live, breathe, eat chocolate

BY KATIE GRANT

AS A SELF-PROCLAIMED

THE INDEPENDENT HUSTLE

Thoughts from the paper route

BY RYAN PITKIN

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“PAPER BOY, PAPER BOY, ALL ABOUT THAT PAPER BOY.”

The lyric from a faux rap song on the FX show Atlanta was all I could think about as I climbed into my car on Dec. 5 with about 3,000 copies of the first issue of Queen City Nerve.

I’m writing about my experience delivering papers not to bore you with the earworms in my head, but to explain why delivering the newspaper that I helped create has changed the way I view my job as a whole.

What better way to let people know about the hard work we’ve been doing than to bring the papers straight to them and then chat in their place of business?

It’s also cool to see the reactions I get when I appear with a load of papers after folks hadn’t been getting their alt weekly fix for a month.

When I walked into Bed, Bedder & Moore on Clanton Road, one customer and two waitresses ran right up to me to grab a copy before I could even put it down or tell them what the new paper was. That proves to me that people are hungry for the type of content we are putting out.

On Thursday, December 20, my business partner Justin LaFrancois and I had been going for well over 24 hours (with a small break for sleep) and morale was getting low as the rain

hadn’t stopped all day. But then as I walked into Levine Museum of the New South to drop off a fresh stack of papers I heard a raucous welcome and wondered what folks were so excited about. I looked up to see city councilman Braxton Winston and local photog Gawd Alvin C Jacobs Jr. welcoming me in, excited to see the new paper. That gave me the motivation I needed to keep things moving, regardless of the weather.

Delivering papers also gives me a chance to get feedback from readers.

As I walked into one local strip club at around 5 p.m. during my first delivery, I bellied up to the bar to ask the bartender where I should place them.

One guy walked up to grab one from me while another customer asked me to hand one to him. The lady in his lap made it hard for him to come to me.

He was none-too-distracted though, as he earnestly asked me the most important question on his mind: “You still got the crossword, right?”

People love that crossword puzzle, and while it may seem trivial to us compared to the subjects we actually report on, we’re here to give the people what they want.

In the end, that’s what we’re all about.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

wellness enthusiast, I am constantly exploring both physical health and spiritual wellness trends. As a seeker of non-traditional self-love techniques as well, the chance to experience a sacred cacao ceremony partnered with shamanic breath work at Okra yoga studio recently presented an opportune moment.

Raw, ceremonial-grade cacao has been used for centuries to unlock euphoric states, release negative emotions and connect to pure heart chakra energy — all things that I seek on a fundamental level. So, I signed up.

Even though I can count the times I’ve done breath work on one hand, I still had enough experience to create an inkling of what to expect. However, the raw cacao element was unfamiliar. While similar to the more wellknown cocoa, “these days ‘cacao’ usually refers to raw vegan chocolate products which come from unroasted cacao (chocolate) beans and are minimally processed with no additives,” according to food blog The Spruce Eats.

Cacao’s supposed physical benefits include high amounts of antioxidants, iron, magnesium and calcium. It’s also a natural mood lifter. As a person lacking in the naturally good mood department, raw cacao sounded promising.

Upon rolling out my mat alongside other breath workers, the yoga studio smelled of hot chocolate, just like the kind you drink on a snow day. Each breath worker received a ladle full of molten cacao, which we quietly sipped as our guide honored the cacao spirit with shamanic prayer.

Without the addition of sugar, spices and milk to suit our modern palates, the unrefined element of ceremonial raw cacao is not for everyone. Trying not to dwell on the consistency and qualities of the cacao, I laid down to mentally prepare for the breath work segment.

Our guide coached us through the shamanic

breathing technique. By repeatedly and audibly inhaling through our mouths (more loudly for some, as I would soon discover) we were led toward a multitude of hypothetical experiences: relaxation, laughter and clarity. Falling asleep was even in the mix.

I plunged into the breath work with zero expectations and quickly found that forcing myself to breathe hard was more difficult than it sounds.

Trying to meditate in a room full of people who were gulping down air like they’d just finished a 5K made things even harder. I made a mental note to bring ear plugs next time.

The breath work session lasted about an hour. Once our vigorous breathing lulled and each person had energetically completed their journey, our guide prompted each of us to express our current state using one word. The word that came to me was “grounded.” The breath work helped ease my chattering mind and provided a sense of balance at the end of a work week. Both are pluses in my book.

While I didn’t meditate as deeply as I’d hoped, mostly due to the cacophony of the other breath workers around me, I did experience a few revelations. One of them was the desire to make a more valiant effort toward eating healthier.

Or was this just a glutton’s guilt surfacing after having yucca fries and beer for lunch?

So where did my journey take me? I wouldn’t dare say my introductory sacred cacao ceremony or shamanic breath work magically healed all of my dysfunctional thought patterns or festering emotional wounds. If I’m being honest, it will most likely take years to untie my emotional knots. But it’s this type of humanistic personal discord that brings us together. It united a room full of strangers, all on their unique paths towards mental, physical and spiritual harmony, with some cacao to help along the way.

That’s a good start.

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looking for a free spot.

The 2015 addition of parking meters along surrounding streets that charge during business hours only hurts the cause and goes to show why the influx of development and new residents in South End has made it a less-inviting place to visit in recent years.

THE WHOLE STINKIN’ LOT

Ten Charlotte parking situations that make staying home sound fun

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BY Q.C. NERVE STAFF

S TENS OR HUNDREDS or thousands of people move into Charlotte every day, depending on who you believe — OK, we’re pretty sure nobody is saying thousands, yet — it’s easy to see why parking has become such a headache in our fair city.

Which areas should be deemed the very worst for parking in Charlotte is a constant point of debate among our staff, each of which believes their own traumatizing experience at one of the below-listed locations could be fodder for a memoir that would make Angela’s Ashes look like a day in the park.

It was through these conversations that we decided to put together a list of Charlotte’s most infamous parking lots. Despite the rage that revisiting these spots brought up in us, the list itself is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and of course we’re open to suggestions from readers about which ones we left out and why we’re wrong. No disrespect to any businesses mentioned in the list; some of these locations are our favorite places to visit, if not for the mind-numbing design of your parking lots.

So here’s our list for you to agree with or argue, as we’re off to buy a bus pass.

Atherton Mill and Market 2140 South Blvd.

Recently it’s felt like there are more businesses that operate out of Atherton Mill than there are parking spots for patrons. The current redevelopment of Atherton, set to finish sometime this year, will

bring 346 apartments and 115,000 square feet of retail space to the block. Sure, it will also include an increase in parking opportunities, but it’s hard to believe that any additional parking will cover the increased traffic that will come with that sort of explosion. And currently, that same redevelopment has taken away from the sparse parking that was already available.

In the meantime, folks are making do with what’s available on the lot, and it ain’t much. This makes for one of those fun situations in which people create their own parallel spots in front of storefronts like Luna’s Living Kitchen just a matter of feet from

where the lucky folks who found legit parking spots are parked, making it harder for them to back out as soon as they finish their plant-based smoothie.

To their credit, the fine folks at Atherton Mill have worked out a deal with a nearby retail center at 214 W. Tremont Ave. so that Atherton customers can park there and make the quick two-block walk across Tremont and through the Big Ben lot.

However, that free parking is only an option on weekends and after 6 p.m. on weekdays, so if you’re a day tripper and can’t find a spot on your first goround, you will be sucked into the oblivion of South End parking, taking laps around Pike’s Soda Shop

Plaza Midwood (the whole God-forsaken neighborhood) Central Avenue at The Plaza and the surrounding areas “Easy as 1-2-3,” the sign says. If that description rings a bell, then you’ve probably survived reverse angle parking on the three-block stretch of Commonwealth Avenue that forms the heart of Plaza Midwood’s arts and entertainment district.

The instructions tell you to signal right, pull forward to a stop and then reverse into one of the angled parking spaces that line both sides of the thoroughfare. Introduced as RAP — Reverse Angle Parking — complete with a cringe-inducing rap by Charlotte-born performer Jason Lane in March 2013, the redesign replaced perfectly serviceable non-angled front-first parking spaces. The city’s engineering program insisted the change would slow down traffic and increase safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. We say it needlessly backs up traffic in an already congested area and turns the simple act of parking into a nerve-shredding and paintscraping test of hand-eye coordination.

The streets of Plaza Midwood may have been paved with good intentions but instead they led to parking hell. But RAP along Commonwealth is a mere bauble in the Plaza Midwood parking shitshow treasure trove.

It’s nearly impossible to park in the neighborhood after dark for free without getting ticketed, booted or towed. Longtime residents know of secret spots in lots behind businesses closed for the night, but those safe lots can turn into treacherous tow-away zones with little or no notice. The large lot on Central Avenue between CVS and the strip mall that houses Organic Harvest and the ABC store was once a safe haven for desperate parkers, but several years ago, nearby businesses started purchasing and diligently policing spaces in the lot. Sure, “No Parking” signs were posted, but many motorists were still caught unaware.

Neighborhood disgust with one particular establishment soared when an activity bus for the developmentally disabled parked in a space

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purchased by the business and was promptly booted. Until recently, the lot for the abandoned Charlotte Fire Department Credit Union was a safe haven, but with the building now undergoing demolition, that lot is a no-go zone.

Plaza Midwood would benefit from a reasonably priced paid lot. In the meantime, you can walk, cycle, Uber or park further and further away on St. Julian Street, Thomas Avenue or Nassau Boulevard. Or you can stay home.

AvidXchange Music Factory 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd.

“Amazing venue, horrific parking.” That assessment from a 2016 TripAdvisor post captures the situation at the Music Factory in a nutshell. Though the AvidXchange parking deck was built a year after that post, the prognosis still holds. If you’re attending a special event at the entertainment complex prepare to hunker down in the deck for a spell because traffic bottlenecks and gridlocks for at least an hour after a show.

And forget about parking anywhere nearby for free. The Music Factory charges $5 to park in the deck on weekend nights and nights when events are held. Still, it’s not a bad deal. The Music Factory’s real parking problem kicks in during the daytime on weekdays.

Two years ago, when most of Queen City Nerve’s staff worked at an office at the Music Factory, we noticed that orange cones started to appear, blocking off all on-street parking on N.C. Music Factory Boulevard on event days. Since the cones went up at 6 p.m., it was no big deal. We accepted it as a useful reminder to get the hell out of the office and have a life outside work. But the following year, the encroaching cones started coming out at 8 a.m. on event days, constricting parking options to a limited number of spaces in the World Nightclub parking lot.

The good news was that we could park in the Music Factory’s deck for free. The bad news was that we usually left work when event traffic started flooding into the area. To make matters worse, tape started going up along the middle of the boulevard, making a left turn from the World lot onto the thoroughfare impossible. After several calls to the Charlotte Department of Transportation, we were transferred to a Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department spokesperson, who informed us that N.C. Music Factory Boulevard was a public street and that the tape and cones were, in the spokesperson’s words, illegal.

Though we’re long gone from the Music Factory, the parking situation still holds, at least for now. A

rumor is circulating that the city is planning to turn all on-street parking on N.C. Music Factory Boulevard into metered spaces, but we haven’t able to confirm. As of now, all on-street parking is blocked off all day during events. On the plus side, you can park in the deck for a reasonable rate as long as you’re willing to wait in gridlock for an hour or two after the show.

Latta Arcade 320 S. Tryon St. We all know that finding parking in Uptown is a nightmare, which is why some might consider this entry a cop out. But upon further review, we decided that Third Ward’s Latta Arcade deserves a (parking) spot on this list.

Although the quaint little alley next to Romare The Metropolitan parking garage Bearden is no doubt a great place to hangout, if you want to visit the area known by many as the French Quarter after one of its staple restaurants, be prepared to shell out a stupid amount of dough for the few payto-park surface lots in the area. Not only are most of them covered in gravel and potholes, but the lines are faded and the sense of security is non existent.

If you don’t mind a little hit to your car’s suspension or a free-for-all over parking spaces, the prices aren’t terrible during the week. Even if you do decide to park, get ready for a small hike over to the Arcade because, of course, nothing about parking in Uptown is convenient.

McCullough Commons 230 E. W.T. Harris Blvd.

Let’s be honest, when The Last Word packed up and moved further up North Tryon Street in 2015, Plaza Midwood there was no longer any reason to go to the Grand Promenade shopping center.

A year after the local used book store left the intersection of North Tryon Street and East W.T. Harris Boulevard, a Massachusetts-based company named Ferris Development bought the shopping center with eyes on the growth that would follow the opening of the light rail. The developers would eventually rebrand Grand Promenade as McCullough Commons.

A Ferris rep told the Charlotte Observer at the time that they would be promoting a “more walkable, less auto-dependent” vision for development in the University area, and boy was that exciting to hear. But two years later, the parking lot is still a shitshow. A new parking deck promises to ease some congestion, but as of Queen City Nerve’s print deadline, it was still in the midst of renovation.

Atherton Mill

PHOTO BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

PHOTO BY PAT MORAN

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

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Park Road Shopping Center

With about 50 retail spaces and 15 dining options in McCullough Commons, it’s no wonder that things are going to get hairy at times. Try pulling into the IHOP entrance on a Sunday as folks are getting out of church and you’ll think the building’s being evacuated. Make your way through that little portal to find a stand-alone Walgreens, which acts as the bully of the block. Try to park anywhere near the store and you’ll be warned away by red signs reserving the spots for Walgreen’s customers. How many people have you ever had in your goddamn store at once, anyway?

Rounding that bend brings you to what Dante referred to as the ninth level of hell. Refugees turned away by the Walgreen’s signs fight for what’s left while navigating a system of turns and blind spots that must have been created by someone with a sick sense of humor.

Once that lot has failed you, you can try your luck in the back. Down a steep hill there’s a larger lot that should spell relief, but the existence of a whole unseen row of bars and retail means your battling a new contingent of parkers. No need to take a glimpse at the creepy old graveyard next to Buffalo Wild Wings to know this lot was cursed from the beginning.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Ballantyne Village 14825 Ballantyne Village Way If you find yourself on the outskirts of Charlotte, just a hop, skip and a jump away from the South Carolina border, don’t even try to busy yourself with parking at Ballantyne Village. Not only are the one-way aisles between rows of parking spaces tight, but it’s difficult just to find the entrance. A successful baitand-switch usually leaves drivers in an isolated PNC Bank parking lot, circling around for eternity, just trying to park and get some Mellow Mushroom.

If you’re smart or experienced enough to skip the distracting driveway into the bank and enter the hellscape that is Ballantyne Village parking, then you are left with limited and tight parking.

The unlucky drivers who cannot secure an almost-too-small parking spot on the surface lot of Ballantyne Village must face the parking garage. Much like the Metropolitan, tight corners and small spots leave drivers consistently crossing over the double yellow line to almost collide with an oncoming vehicle.

At the very top of the parking garage — which doesn’t even offer a good view of anything — the giant yellow and white brick boxes scattered

between parking spots means whoever’s in the backseat might be paying for a new paint job if the door is opened too quickly.

A collision with one of these strange brick boxes was evident when I visited the parking garage recently and one behemoth was crumbled, yellow bricks lying haphazardly around the destroyed center, exposing the four metal rods meant to reinforce the brick. Stay classy, Ballantyne.

Shops on 7th 1949 E. 7th St. The main thoroughfare of the Elizabeth neighborhood is just a nightmare with the ever-changing traffic pattern of three lanes down the thoroughfare in Elizabeth. At rush hour, those traveling southeast are allotted two lanes while those going the opposite direction are given one lane. Don’t even get me started on when the middle lane is turn-only.

Sometimes, people don’t read and just cruise along in the turn-only lane for a mile before realizing they almost caused seven accidents.

What really takes the cake is the parking lot at the intersection of 7th Street and Pecan Avenue.

With the recent addition of The Crunkleton next

to Starbucks, I suspect the parking situation will become worse over the next couple of months.

Parking is horrible enough in the Elizabeth area without letting this surface lot ruin your day.

This Dollar General parking lot next to The Langston apartment building has earned its spot on this list of worst parking lots in Charlotte. Let’s start with the horrible driveway.

Whoever thought it would be a good idea to make the two-way entrance large enough to fit only one vehicle at a time deserves a special place in hell. Those who are entering the parking lot are forced to turn right, which means if you’re making a right turn into the lot, your car better have the turning radius the size of an ant to make it.

Then it seems that, much like other atrocious parking lots in Charlotte, city planners did not account for the size of vehicles and instead just eyeballed it and gave about two feet on either side for drivers to navigate. Pulling in and out of parking spots — if you can snag one after 5 p.m., good luck — is the equivalent of any terrifying scene from The Hurt Locker. One wrong move and you’re writing your insurance information on a napkin to leave on someone’s windshield.

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If you find yourself jonesing to hang out somewhere like The Crunkleton, Caswell Station or The Stanley, the staff at Queen City Nerve highly suggests taking a cab to avoid having to park anywhere.

Metropolitan Parking Garage 1111 Metropolitan Ave. Once upon a time your humble correspondent made a movie about a bulimic bloodsucker called Vampire Trailer Park. A proposed sequel called Vampire Theme Park, which never got made, depicted visitors getting slaughtered by rides that were actually death traps, whisking them into beds of rotating knives.

I only mention this because the movie’s fictitious slaughterhouse pales next to the skin-crawling terror that is the Metropolitan parking garage in Cherry. Parking at the Metropolitan feels just like a thrill ride designed to kill you. Like a haunted house attraction, the deck teems with blind spots where frazzled shoppers and unattended children pop out like shambling zombies. At any moment suicidal motorists can back out at supersonic speeds to slam into your vehicle.

Other drivers careen around ramps like they’re riding a grand slalom roller coaster. The too-tight spaces are a foot shorter than the nine feet the city recommends, so walking close to the deck’s congested traffic lanes is pure Darwinism in action.

The slow risk becoming roadkill while the fleet-offoot survive to shop again.

If you’ve made it this far, there’s still the elevator.

The Metropolitan’s elevators take an eternity to arrive, but the doors slam shut after staying open mere microseconds, threatening to sever a limb or two before you can reach the relative safety of Trader Joe’s. All these challenges have pushed drivers to a psychopathic frenzy that would shame John Wayne Gacy into turning in his clown suit.

To be fair, Bayer Properties, which owns the Metropolitan, made some changes early last year that have significantly lowered the level of sheer horror inspired by the Deck of Death. The lanes on the first three floors are now all one way, and parking spaces on the ramps are blocked off by yellow caution tape. As a result, parking in the deck has become more time-consuming but less terrorinducing.

Forced with a decision between losing life and limb or damaging my car, I’d rather park way the hell up on level four and come down three stories to get groceries. But I’m taking the stairs. I’ll be damned if I’m going to get into those elevators again.

McCullough Commons

Park Road Shopping Center 4101 Park Road Everybody loves the Park Road Shopping Center, right? Well, parts of it, anyway.

Of course, it’s been a staple of south Charlotte for more than 60 years, and that’s worth a cheers in itself. But what good is a great shopping center if the thought of parking there gives you an anxiety attack?

Let me share a little behind-the-scenes magic with you. It was during a recent family get-together when I was discussing my favorite bookstores in Charlotte with someone who followed up with, “Well, we’d love to go to Park Road Books more but the idea of parking in that parking lot is too much for us to deal with.” And alas, a story idea was born.

There’s a quote from the wise George Costanza that always comes to mind when I think of the Park Road Shopping Center parking lot: “Parking is like sex; why would I pay for it when, if I just apply myself, I can get it for free?” It is true that if you put your mind to it, rarely will you be left pulling back onto Park or Woodlawn with your muffler between your legs.

The lot is big enough to accomodate most

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

crowds, but it’s the design that throws most folks for a loop. The one-way lanes can get confusing, as it’s not always readily visible which one is which until you’ve pulled in and caught in a head-tohead with someone that ends with you sheepishly reversing out of the lane.

It takes some experience to master the lot, not just for the one-way navigation but because a few of the best spots in the center are hidden from sight.

In order to get to Amelie’s or Sir Edmund Halley’s, one needs to make their way past Michael’s as if they’re exiting on Woodlawn Road before making a quick left toward what looks like nothing at all but actually leads to a few high-quality eateries.

TLDR; the shops are cool, the sign is cool, the parking lot sucks.

Highland Mill Lofts 2901 N. Davidson St. The 2015 opening of Benny Pennello’s next to Heist Brewery in the Highland Mill Lofts was perhaps one of the best developments for NoDa in the last five years.

It was built into an existing historical residential space, rather than to have arrived as an attachment to some godawful new set of condos. It was just

a small pizza spot with gigantic pizzas that stays open past 2 a.m., doesn’t attract a huge crowd of non-NoDidians (yeah, I said it) and best-of-all, is easy on the wallet.

The only negative for a patron trying to pull in for a quick to-go slice from Benny’s is the fact that on many evenings, especially weekends, there’s no place to do so thanks to the crowd at Heist next door. The folks at Highland Mill aren’t about to give up any residential parking, as gates stop you from considering any overflow opportunities.

But perhaps the most soul-crushing part of the guest parking outside of Heist and Benny’s is the size of the spots. There’s nothing worse than seeing what looks to be an empty spot only to realize that the next driver over is already taking up half of it — and through no fault of their own. Each parking spot is smaller than a slice of whatever the monthly special is at Benny’s.

And it is for that reason, mostly, that the Highland Mill Lofts parking lot earns our ire.

What did we leave off the list? Hit us up on Facebook or Instagram at Queen City Nerve or Twitter @qc_nerve.

TAKE THEM TO SCHOOL

Local arts teacher to bring the classroom back to the adults

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Jaianna McCants

PHOTO BY JOSHUA GALLOWAY

BY RYAN PITKIN

S A PUBLIC school arts teacher,

Jaianna McCants loves her job, but sometimes it can feel less than gratifying.

“It’s hard in public school when you’re in a class of 40 and only 10 of them really are passionate about it,” says the 25-year-old North Mecklenburg High School teacher. “I’m not saying that I dislike the job, but it can be draining some days.”

McCants has often wondered what it would be like to have the complete attention of a small class of students who all wanted to be there. This year, through a new workshop series aimed to better educate up-and-coming Charlotte-area artists about the ins and outs of the arts industry, McCants will be doing just that. The series is called Artnatomy, and will consist of three workshops for a class of 14 local artists, before wrapping up with an art auction at C3 Lab on April 27 in which each artist will have a chance to show what they’ve learned and turn it into profit.

McCants will accept applications to join the first series of workshops up until January 18, then she will announce the first class on January 30. Interested artists can apply at artnatomy.com.

McCants’ workshops will not simply be art classes like the ones she teaches in school.

They will touch on different aspects of the art world, covering angles that range from tips on building a better Instagram following to how to get shown in a gallery or museum.

“That’s what our workshops are going to be based on is the business of art,”McCants said when I met with her at a Starbucks on a recent afternoon.

“How do you actually make money off of it?”

McCants will spend February getting to know each artist and what it is each of them wants to get from the experience. From there, she will build assignments that are personalized to prioritize the goals of each artist.

In the classroom, McCants creates relatable projects for students who may not realize how often they engage with art on a daily basis. One of her favorite examples is leading a sneaker workshop for her high school students, building a shoe from scratch and then designing it artistically.

“If you think about it, somebody had to design your T-shirt, your shoes, your cellphone; there are art jobs out there,” she said. “I think the students just see that, ‘Oh, we’re coming here and painting a piece and that’s it,’ but I really try to make lessons more personal. I try to make art more relatable.”

While McCants emphasized that she will run her workshops differently from how she runs her classroom, there are aspects to her teaching style that she utilizes in both. When I asked which styles most naturally translate between the classroom and working with adults, she returned to the relatability issue, although with more focus on the business aspect.

“It’s like, all right, there are paintings on the wall, but what else could you do to expand upon that?” she said. “Are you going to sell T-shirts? That’s a common thing, but what else can you do to do more than just paint on the canvas? Can you turn it into a table setting?

There are so many different options. So that’s my main thing, making it relatable.”

In the art world, where being a starving artist has long been a seemingly honorable route to take, it’s rare to find someone with such a passion for the business of art.

In fact, McCants’ path has been leading her to this for quite some time. As a child, she idolized her artist father. He would constantly be sharing his portfolio with her, and she began drawing at age 10 so as to create her own.

But in the end, McCants was a hobbyist in the arts; her true passion was for business. She went to UNC Greensboro to study design, and

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when she graduated in 2015, she went through a short “starving artist phase,” she said.

She worked at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture for some time, but eventually felt overwhelmed there and began looking for other options.

“I was just feeling a little drained. I was doing like five jobs in one, but it was OK,” McCants said. “I was like, ‘Let me see if I’m good at helping others with art.’ So that’s how I came into art teaching.”

It was in 2016 that McCants began thinking about how she could turn her passion for teaching into something that could affect the Charlotte arts scene as a whole.

Along with NeOughta Sanders, a friend since their days attending CATO Middle College High School together, McCants began developing the idea for Visual Studios LLC, an arts nonprofit they launched in 2018 aimed at educating artists of all ages on lesser known aspects of the arts industry.

While McCants focuses on adult workshops like Artnatomy, Sanders will head up the Visual Studios youth programs, running mentorships between youth and local artists.

Sanders currently works at a childcare center in Ballantyne and is a graduate student at Liberty University studying to become a school counselor.

Sanders has long been an amateur artist who said she painted and drew to keep herself busy. For her, art is a form of therapy that she believes can help kids who haven’t found that release yet.

“I’m really powered by the youth,” Sanders said. “I want to keep them inspired and help them figure out who they are before the world tries to tell them who they are, and art can really help with that.”

McCants and Sanders hope to open a physical space for Visual Studios later this year, but first comes Artnatomy, which is the first series of events hosted under the VS umbrella.

The name for the workshop series came to McCants during a discussion with her boyfriend about how one defines art. Somehow, the word anatomy came into the mix.

“Anatomy is the study of the inner workings of the body, so I was like ‘Well, why don’t we

PHOTO BY JOSHUA GALLOWAY

Jaianna McCants speaks with a potential student at a recent Artnatomy information session.

“I FEEL LIKE JUST HANGING IT ON THE WALL IS JUST SO WHATEVER. WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE FOR IT AND WHY SHOULD PEOPLE BUY IT?” -Jaianna McCants, founder, Artnatomy just focus on the inner workings of what art is?’” she said. “From art criticism to art business management, all of those things.”

Even with a focus on business, branding and the like, at the heart of Artnatomy is the art, and McCants plans to work with artists on presenting in ways that are sure to make the auction at C3 Lab on April 27 an interesting one.

Inspired by a recent trip to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. where she saw art presented in a multitude of ways — using shredded canvas and other

innovative presentation techniques — McCants plans to help Artnatomy artists make each piece at the April show one that patrons can’t ignore.

“I’ll be pushing their abilities to think outside the box when it comes to displaying work,” she said. “I feel like just hanging it on the wall is just so whatever. What’s your purpose for it and why should people buy it? That’s how you’re going to sell it. It has to be interesting enough.”

And to add that extra inspiration for auction attendees, McCants will implement a savvy

technique that’s sure to spur engagement.

Each ticket to the April auction at C3 Lab will serve as a $50 down payment toward an art piece in the auction, justifying the ticket sale for attendees and the increasing the chance that participating artists make their money back on the class.

That’s one way that McCants is already proving she’s good about minding other people’s business, and that’s not always a negative.

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Performers at ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’

PHOTO BY TIM NORRIS

TURNING A CLASSIC ON ITS HEAD

‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’ improves in Charlotte return

BY PERRY TANNENBAUM

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WHEN MIKE FITELSON’S holiday riff on

ballet and Tchaikovsky, The Hip Hop Nutcracker, first invaded Charlotte three years ago, it wasn’t quite where it needed to be artistically. The brash pre-show at Booth Playhouse presented by DJ Boo somewhat upstaged the pallid pre-recorded Peter Ilyich score that backed Fitelson’s updated scenario and Jennifer Weber’s choreography. Nocturnal settings by video designer Moe Shahrooz recalled the Washington Heights portrayed in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights — moody and occasionally surreal but drained of the Miranda musical’s innercity vitality and color.

The Fitelson scenario definitely perks up the traditionally moribund Act 2. Instead of sitting his Clara and her Nutcracker down for the better part of an hour to watch a series of decorative dances, Fitelson sends his Maria-Clara voyaging back 30 years where, in Back to the Future style, she encounters her perennially bickering parents back on the night when they first met at the Land of Sweets nightclub — getting to see them freshly at the moment romantic love first sparked between them.

Very promising, but the show needed some

extra spark itself.

Produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the show has returned to the Queen City every year since its forgettable 2015 debut. Yeah, when I booked this year’s reprise at Knight Theater, I’d actually forgotten that we had seen it before.

Thankfully, I review stuff. And thankfully, the Knight is exactly where this Nut needs to be.

Memories did not come rushing back when the show began. Kurtis Blow, a founding father of hip-hop, hadn’t been part of the Booth Playhouse production, but at the Knight, he rules the pre-show for just over 18 minutes. Audience participation at the Knight has increased exponentially from what I experienced at the Booth. The Knight also has more than twice the Booth’s seating capacity. And since word-of-mouth and repetition have solidified Hip Hop Nutcracker as a holiday tradition, the Knight was sold out on opening night and enthusiasm stretched to the back row of the balcony.

There is even a subtle tie-in between Blow’s aggressive patter and the dance that follows.

Signed in 1979 as the first rapper to land a majorlabel recording contract, Blow presents his music as unabashedly “old school” and invites his audience

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to immerse itself in his original vibe, prefiguring the time traveling that Maria-Clara will do before she mends her parents’ dysfunctional relationship.

Things started looking familiar when violinist Jarvis L. Benson took his spot under the neighborhood lamppost and began playing Tchaikovsky’s antique melody line over Boo’s contemporary backbeat and platter scratching.

You might say that, as the melody wafts upwards, it infuses the pair of red sneakers slung over the lamppost with magical powers. Our hero, The Nutcracker, sells his namesake merchandise from a ramshackle cart. He’s obviously attracted to MariaClara but painfully shy, and when he gallantly steps forward to save her from the unwanted attentions of a local gang, Nutcracker gets his ass kicked.

Big difference when those sneakers improbably fall to the ground and Nutcracker puts them on.

What vanquishes the gang is even more improbable: Josue “Beastmode” Figueroa as Nutcracker executes a bodacious spin on his head that lasts longer than you might think humanly possible — literally turning the Nutcracker on its head during its climactic Act 1 battle.

While there are some dolorous and becalmed moments elsewhere in Act 1’s ensemble choreography, the Knight Theater sound system is noticeably superior, punchier. So as the Nutcracker soundtrack plays, we never get the sense that the Jerseyites are dancing to elevator music. Although Ann-Sylvia Clark is a holdover from the 2015 edition as MariaClara, everyone else besides Boo was new to me and eager to strut their stuff. Weber’s choreography leaves plenty of room for exuberant freestyling.

Beastmode, with his appealing rough edges, was the most impressive newcomer for me, but I also like the pixie exuberance and stealth of Lisa “LBoogie” Bauford as Drosselmeyer. Forget the “Herr.” The Hip Hop Drosselmeyer has been a woman each time I’ve seen Fitelson’s version, symptomatic of the diversity in Weber’s casting. Yes, she choreographs and directs.

Sad to say, Nubian Nene is less seductive and more proper as Mom, draining all the comedy from her strife with Dad, though Micah “Just Jamz” Abbrey is every bit as crotchety as his predecessor. New charm and whimsy are injected into the evening

by Dustin Payne, whose solo as Flute deservedly received the most audience approval among the Act 2 set pieces on opening night.

Shahrooz’s animations become livelier after intermission, responding to Drosselmeyer’s conjurations and transporting us back to 1988. The backwards time traveling is done like a subway ride, the years spelt out in the tiling on walls surrounding

the track, with an increased amount of graffiti as we reach our destination. Perhaps a nod to Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his so-called success in “cleaning up” New York? The trip back to the present day takes us skyward as an elevated train reels in the years across the nighttime cityscape.

Wondering whether Kurtis returns? You can bet on it. Loquaciousness undimmed, he presides over the most elaborate curtain call you will ever behold at a ballet. Many people left before it became apparent that we would have a full-fledged postshow over eight minutes long. Many more stayed — and obliged the special guest MC by screaming on cue. Not quite 60 years old, Blow even busted some moves, and can still do so without busting anything else.

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2ND

GUIDED SHAMANIC MEDITATION WITH DINA BUTLER

What: Start 2019 with a guided journey into other realms and dimensions of your mind. Seek clarity that shamans have been providing their circles for eons with the soothing teacher of Dina Butler. Just bring a mat, blanket and pillow.

More: $30; 7 p.m.; Okra, 1912 Commonwealth Ave.; tinyurl.com/OkraMeditation

THURSDAY, JAN. 3RD

QUAY J PRESENTS: CHARLIT HEAT

What: Calling it Char-lit stopped being cool when the official city Twitter account used the name two years ago, but that doesn’t take away from the lineup of local talent for this show, which includes Da Baby, Q Money, Euro Gotti and Str8 Cash Flowz.

More: $20.50 and up; 10 p.m.; World Nightclub, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd.; tinyurl.com/CharLitHeat

FRIDAY, JAN. 4TH

LIFELINE

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JAN. 2ND - JAN. 8TH

JUST ANOTHER COMEDY SHOWCASE

What: You met local comic Kaleigh Cutright in last issue’s arts feature, now see her perform some of her more polished material at this showcase, which also features Ramon Perez, Evan Pittfield, Justin Hartman and Jenn Snyder.

More: $8; 8 p.m.; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

SATURDAY, JAN. 5TH STRIP IT TO GIVE IT

What: Every mile, runners will take off an article of clothing, which will be collected, washed and handed out to homeless neighbors in need. Whether you’re there to run or watch participants give a really fast strip show, the proceeds benefit local organizations.

More: $10 and up; 11 a.m.; Triple C Brewing Co., 2900 Griffith St.; stripittogiveit.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 6TH LAUNDRY DAY

What: It’s time to reflect on the past year, and Andrea Downs is giving women of all walks of life the chance to air out their “dirty” laundry with textiles and art. Join the collection with your own piece or support those who are sharing their stories.

More: Free; 2 p.m.; 613 Neil Ridge Rd., Matthews; airingoutthedirtylaundry.com

MONDAY, JAN. 7TH EMMY LAW

What: Joining the folks at Muse for the weekly open mic will be Emmy Law, the renowned pop folk singer/songwriter from Gainesville, Georgia who went from crowdfunding her debut album, Fairyland, to playing all the top venues in Atlanta.

More: Free; 8 p.m.; The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.; theeveningmuse.com

TUESDAY, JAN. 8TH JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

What: It’s not going to be May, but following the release of Man of the Woods, Timberlake is hitting up Charlotte. Whether you’ve been a long-time fan or just looking for some NSYNC nostalgia, get ready to shell out some dough for his longtime solo act.

More: $117 and up; 7:30 p.m.; Spectrum Center, 333 E. Trade St.; spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Social Calendar a little light?

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QCNERVE’S LIFELINE

for cool events happening in the queen city!

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9TH JOHN NEMETH

What: Nemeth’s good time stomping blues sound is straight outta Memphis, which is no mean feat for a white boy from Boise, Idaho. With swinging tunes propelled by his wailing locomotive harmonica, Nemeth sings about hedonism and heartbreak, with hearty helpings of soul.

More: $15-17; 7 p.m.; Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.; neighborhoodtheatre.com

THURSDAY, JAN. 10TH ICHIBANCON ANIME CONVENTION

What: Ready to discover that there’s more to anime that the masterful films of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away)? This con is your rabbit hole. Guests include Tokyo singer/MC Kohei and voice over artist Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop).

More: $20-60; 5 p.m.; Embassy Suites by Hilton CLT, 5400 John Q. Hammons Dr. NW, Concord; ichibancon.com

FRIDAY, JAN. 11TH KENNY NGUYEN: INTERWOVEN

What: Charlotte-based mixed media artist Kenny Nguyen balances Vietnamese culture and identity, weaving together his recent body of works into a cohesive narrative. Experience culture and integration in one gallery at Sozo.

More: Free; 6-8 p.m.; 214 N. Tryon St.; sozogallery.net

SATURDAY, JAN. 12TH

LIFELINE

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DATE-DATE

LISTEN LOCAL

What: The Underground’s showcase of Charlotte and regional bands features all-female metal outfit Reason Define, Something Clever’s metallic hard rock, Faithful Annie’s swaggering grunge, the experimental yet rocking sounds of Venus Invictus and Blackwater Drowning, billed as “not your momma’s metal.”

More: $5; 7 p.m.; Underground, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 13TH

REV. WILLIAM BARBER LECTURE

What: Rev. William Barber has long been a stalwart of the social justice movement, but with his founding of the Moral Monday movement in Raleigh, his leadership has inspired thousands. His lecture, “Just Jesus: The Black Church and Social Justice Preaching,” will kick off the local African-American Social Justice Preaching Series.

More: Free; 4-6 p.m.; C.N. Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1421 Statesville Ave.; tinyurl.com/ReverendBarber

MONDAY,JAN. 14TH FOUR FINGER RECORDS

What: During the second night of the Charlotte record label’s residency, Four Finger presents a line-up of locals including alt-folksters Jude Moses, electronic experimentalists SOLIS and singer/songwriter Mark Mathis. Check in for great lineups through the rest of January.

More: $5; 7-11 p.m.; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

TUESDAY, 15TH ‘THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’

What: You may know Tommy Tomlinson for his insightful reporting and commentary for the Charlotte Observer over the years, or his current work with WFAE, including the fascinating hyper-local podcast SouthBound. Now discover a new side to him when he reads from his candid memoir about being overweight in body-shaming America.

More: Free; 7 p.m.; Park Road Books, 4139 Park Rd.; parkroadbooks.com

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Christopher Gurney of IIOIOIOII on stage with his wife, Niki.

PHOTO BY JAY SIMON/TEN TEN CREATIVE

HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND

Pg. 16 Jan. 2 - Jan. 15, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

IIOIOIOII is a bright spot in Charlotte’s dark wave

A

BY PAT MORANS

S MUSICICAL INSTRUMENTS he should get the keyboard, solder a mic and humor and open-minded attitude — qualities song “We Are the One” depicts nature in full

go, it’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen.

The B. Meowsic electronic piano is a toy keyboard with a big orange tabby-striped feline face, on which the black and white keys form a wide Cheshire cat’s grin. I come across the absurd instrument on Charlotte synthwave artist Christopher Gurney’s Facebook post.

Gurney, who composes and performs as IIOIOIOII (pronounced Eye-Oh), is wondering if

potentiometer to it and bring it onstage when he plays his brand of melodic electronic pop at The Milestone on Jan. 15.

He’s joking of course. Can you imagine seeing a crazy cat keyboard in the middle of a lushly romantic goth/darkwave/synthpop video or live gig? It would be like Hello Kitty parachuting into the middle of a film noir.

Gurney’s FB post is characteristic of the 36-yearold musician. It highlights his playfulness, good

that Gurney also attributes to Charlotte’s frequently misunderstood dark music scene.

Goth rock and synthwave music is often misconstrued or lumped together with other genres that are more aggressive, Gurney says. The lyrical content of the city’s darkwave artists is not about anger or violence, he continues. “Instead it embraces self-resolution and acceptance.”

A close look at Gurney’s work seems to confirm his thesis. The 2015 video for his

bloom, and not the clichéd Wuthering Heightsstyle forbidding moors or blasted heath that darkwave’s detractors might expect. The bucolic vistas in the video provide a backdrop for Gurney’s soaring yet soothing melody, danceable mid-tempo beats and fine-grained vocals. The lyrics, unsurprisingly, are about embracing people different than you and practicing acceptance.

Acceptance is a word Gurney uses a lot

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IIOIOIOII, CRUNK WITCH, 30 YEAR SICK $7; 8 p.m.; The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club

when describing the message imparted by his music, perhaps because he was so readily accepted by Charlotte’s dark scene once he took the plunge into live performance.

“A lot of people didn’t even know I had a music project until a couple years ago,” says Gurney, who started IIOIOIOII as an electronic bedroom project in 2012. Once word got out about his darkwave project, the scene proved highly supportive, he continues. Gurney credits former Milestone owner and current soundman Jonathan Hughes for encouraging his 2016 entry into live performance, when he persuaded IIOIOIOII to play a show with self-described “nerdy bass-music duo” Crunk Witch. As luck or fate would have it, IIOIOIOII will be sharing the Milestone stage again with the playful Presque Isle, Maine-based performers, almost two years to the day of Gurney’s debut live show.

Nowadays, Gurney considers The Milestone a home away from home for himself and his wife Niki, who plays keyboards in the live configuration of IIOIOIOII. “During the writing process, it’s basically me holed up in a corner by myself,” Gurney confides. “But when we play live I like to have more people onstage. Plus she’s a better piano player than me.”

In some ways, Gurney’s life can be seen as preparation for IIOIOIOII. Born an army brat in Dertingen, Germany, Gurney split his childhood between Germany and the States. His German-born mother and American father were both musicians, but Gurney discovered goth rock, industrial and electronic artists on his own, becoming a fan of the U.K. and European artists featured on German MTV — 1980s synthpop bands like Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears made a particularly indelible impression, he says. But when Gurney moved to America for high school and subsequently college at the Art Institute of Charlotte, he only dabbled in garage rock bands, focusing instead on his design studies.

That explains the origin of his project’s name, a moniker that resembles a string of

binary code, Gurney maintains.

“Originally, when I came up with a concept for my band name, it was IIO because I liked the way the letters looked together,” he says. “It was aesthetically pleasing to me.”

Gurney soon discovered that another producer already had dibs on his chosen name.

“So I started slapping more and more letters onto the band name until I found something that wasn’t trademarked or copyrighted,” he concludes. Gurney funded his music by buying broken synthesizers and fixing them up, then reselling them at a profit.

“I’m a jack of all trades,” he explains, dismissing the notion that he’s an electronic genius who can turn a cat-faced keyboard into a viable instrument. In his field he has to have a well-rounded understanding of electronics, he insists, mostly because electronic devices break. Gurney’s on-the-job musical training accelerated once he started playing live. Further instruction came courtesy of Hughes.

“When I started playing out I would spend 20 minutes grabbing stuff and wiring everything up,” Gurney remembers. “Jonathan gave me tips and tricks for speeding things up.”

Now he can rig a stage set-up, complete with lights, in 10 minutes. Breakdown is just as efficient. Gurney claims he only leaves his footprints behind. “You don’t want to leave too much for anybody else to have to deal with.”

Initially a studio-only project, IIOIOIOI started releasing material on a series of albums and EPs seven years ago. In 2012, after sharing his music on an online forum, Gurney was approached by the owner of U.K.-based independent label Juggernaut. Gurney signed on, and Juggernaut released IIOIOIOII’s self-titled EP along with its follow-up album Reflect that year. The Rising Sky/Stardust EP came out just before the Sun full-length in 2013. The last two releases were meant to be a breakthrough, Gurney remembers, IIOIOIOII’s commercial coming out party, but instead Juggernaut went belly-up at the end of 2013. Gurney was without a label until late 2015 when he signed with the English label and artist collective Analogue Trash.

“They’re inclusive with all genres, especially electronic music,” Gurney says of his current label.

Analogue Trash released the expanded edition

Gurney performs at The Milestone.

PHOTO BY NIGHT EDGE PHOTOGRAPHY

“I’M NOT BRINGING CHAOS ONTO THE STAGE OR INTO MY SONGS. I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO ENJOY THEMSELVES.” Christopher Gurney, IIOIOIOII

of the Post Brimstone EP, which initially got lost of IIOIOIOII tracks by veteran UK synthpop in the wake of the Juggernaut debacle. The See Darkness on Page. 19 updated 2016 edition of the EP features remixes

MIC CHECK THE DEEP BLEUS Local singer/rapper The Bleus discuss versaility, identity and breaking the mold

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BY RYAN PITKIN

As a mixed-race lesbian growing up in Bear Creek and Siler Creek, two small piedmont towns of less than 8,000 people each, it was hard for Makayla Henderson to find people she could relate to.

From a young age, Henderson had insecurities about whether she was “black enough” when hanging around other black people. She didn’t have many friends, although she drew inspiration from the artistic notions of her family, including her father, who was a drummer.

When she moved to Winston-Salem to attend Winston-Salem State University, Henderson finally began to find her circle, which made her comfortable and confident enough to pursue a career as a singer and rapper. But when she moved to Charlotte in 2014, she felt isolated again. “[Charlotte] wasn’t what I expected,” said Henderson, now 24. “I was hoping people were going to be just as accepting as they were in Winston, but they weren’t. They were very cliquey. The cool people, you can’t really find them, they’re kind of in the cracks.”

As she searched those cracks over the last four years, Henderson eventually connected with like-minded folks around the city and formed The Indigo Music Collective, performing as Bleu. Lately, as some members of the collective have branched out into other fields, Henderson has begun to focus more on her solo career, rebranding as The Bleus.

On Jan. 5, she’ll be connecting with some of her cohorts, performing with fellow Indigo MCs Killa and Braveaux at Oso Skatepark for a show hosted by local producer Cameron Butler.

In the lead-up to that show, we spoke with Henderson over the phone from Siler City about the transitions she’s made, her growth over the last year and what her goals are for 2019.

Queen City Nerve: What was it like for you to move to Winston-Salem after growing up in such small towns?

Makayla Henderson: Once I went there I found the type of people that I was looking for. I was too big for my small town. I didn’t really have any friends. I think I only had one friend, and he’s in California now, he didn’t belong here either. Going from being the one that was always picked on or put on blast because they’re different all the time, it was a change to be accepted by people and to actually communicate with people who have similar ideas.

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH THE GLORIOUS SOUNDS OF

VINYL

What brought you to Charlotte?

I tried to find one of the best places to maneuver to and The Bleus PHOTO BY ANGEL BUTLER/@MAMAHONEY_ that seemed like the most opportunity. I had gone there a few times, the vibe was definitely more advanced and FRIENDS OF CAMERON BUTLER so, with where I had came from, moving into Winston $5; Jan. 5, 7-11 p.m.; Oso Skate Park, 933 was like, “OK this is cool, this is a big change, I’m seeing Louise Ave.; ososkatepark.com more people like me.” But when I saw Charlotte I saw people that I wanted to be like — what I wanted to grow into to improve. So I knew that in order to move or I wasn’t this or that, but other than that, over here I had to change and be better.

I feel like I like my placement. I like being as You just came off the For the Love of She show. What did it mean to be involved with a show that showcased local female talent specifically?

I was very honored, because I was so happy for Autumn Rainwater, SideNote and all of them, because they did the first one. I didn’t want to be the one to go ask people to perform, I wanted people to start coming to me and asking me. So when they came to me for that, I felt very honored. That was like, “Oh my God.”To be able to demonstrate what women can do.

You don’t try to fit the stereotypical mold of a mainstream female rapper. Have you ever felt held back by your sexuality, style or identity?

When I was a little bit younger, and I realized recently I kind of had the same feeling, I never felt like I was black enough, because I’m mixed. The whole lesbian thing, that’s never really been a problem other than in my hometown. I know people like to try to put me in a box [musically]. Because I can sing, they don’t think that I can also rap, or they’re always surprised when I come with actual bars or I’m just as hard as anybody else out here.

different as I am. I want to be genuine. I want to give people a genuine feeling, I want it to be as authentic as it can possibly be. I don’t want to add any bedazzles or anything like that. I just want to be me, and that’s it.

As the year comes to a close, are you happy with how you grew in 2018 or are you just looking forward?

Of course I’m happy, because I got to meet so many people in between here and then. Some of these people that are amazing here in Charlotte, to be able to call them my friends, to be able to call up some photographers and be like, ‘Hey let’s do this or do that, let’s make moves,’and actually moving, it’s very exciting.

I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed in myself, but I definitely wanted to do more. I’m proud of myself for what I have accomplished. I went all the way to California to perform and that was a dream come true.

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with my creativity, and I’m not afraid to be different anymore. What I’ve been noticing with other artists is, I may not like them as an artist, but they have fans and they love it, and they support it, and they go so hard, and they do all kinds of stuff for their artist.

It doesn’t matter what other people think.

As long as you’ve got your support system and you like what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be having to please anybody. So I was trying to please more of the crowd with some of the music What are your goals for 2019?

I still feel like there’s more that I could be putting out, so that I was releasing towards the beginning. So this year, that’s what I’m going to challenge myself to now towards the end I’m just trying to develop do is literally act on every creative thought that I have everything that I’ve actually wanted to do.

instead of being afraid or maybe thinking that I can’t For the full interview, visit qcnerve.com.

It was always kind of weird to me, feeling RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM or it’s not going to be right. I’m finally trusting myself like I wasn’t black enough for my black friends,

MUSIC FEATURE CON’T

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Darkness from Page. 17 group Nature of Wires, San Diego electronic duo Aimon’s side project Solve, and others.

“Remix work is a big part of the electronic music scene and it’s a great way to make new friends and learn from other artists,” says Gurney, who embraces the collaborative spirit that remixing provides. Through this string of releases, Gurney’s music evolved. When he started the IIOIOIOII project, Gurney favored the traditional, hard-hitting industrial route favored by Skinny Puppy, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, he says. As Gurney developed, he abandoned those performers’ raspy growl for his current melodic vocal approach.

He turned to the ’80s synthwave performers he grew up with for inspiration. Today, even when his voice is compressed or electronically altered, the vocals convey an inviting and alltoo-human warmth. The accessible vocals boast the added plus of being easier to sing and less damaging to his vocal chords, Gurney says.

“What sets me apart from the synthwave crowd, usually to my detriment, is that I like to incorporate other genres into my music,” Gurney says.

He’s a big fan of film scores, which explains the cinematic sweep of his music. He has also embraced elements of some of the newer dark genres like witch house, which Gurney describes as the second coming of goth rock. Gurney enthusiastically introduces his discoveries to other bands on the scene, who have been receptive to the new and unusual. Gurney also realized that while live gigs helped him hone his chops, they had also become essential for getting his music heard. It’s a signal to noise equation, Gurney explains.

“When it comes to promoting yourself online, unless you’re dumping a ton of money into promotion, you’re going to get lost in a sea of other bands that are trying to do the exact same thing you are,” he says. From being sequestered away and making music in his bedroom a few years ago, Gurney has

now racked up gigs at Snug Harbor, Petra’s and Tommy’s Pub in addition to his beloved Milestone. IIOIOIOII has moved around a bit, as well, playing in N.C. cities like Winston-Salem and as far as Charlottesville, Virginia.

Last fall, Gurney and his wife got booked by promoter Distorted Heartbeat to play a Dallas, Texas, show where the couple played with two of Gurney’s inspirations: Belgian industrial music pioneers Front 242 and Danish electronic body music veterans Leaether Strip.

In March, IIOIOIOII will return to Texas to play a pair of shows with German synthpop group And One. Early 2019 will also see the release of a new album, Chroma, a collection that Gurney promises will be bigger sounding and more theatrical than his previous work.

Throughout these whirlwind events IIOIOIOII’s mission remains unchanged, Gurney says. It can be heard on Gurney’s song “Path to Lose,” released on the Analogue Trash label sampler in December 2017. Despite the song’s ethereal and pensive feel, swirling cloud layer of synths and ominous roiling undertones, the song is oddly uplifting. The lyrics address the political and social climate that we’ve been building for ourselves in the past few years, says Gurney. The message is grounded yet hopeful.

“If we continue down this path, things are going to get worse. We’re going to hurt people that are part of our community,” Gurney explains. “We need to look inside ourselves.”

Once there, we will find the answer to our predicament, he continues. We will discover that we need to be more inclusive. Despite its ominous-sounding name, Charlotte’s darkwave scene is onboard with this upbeat solution, Gurney believes. It’s an attitude reflected in his shows.

“I’m not bringing chaos onto the stage or into my songs,” he insists. “I just want everyone to enjoy themselves.”

He proves as much on Dec. 28, when he posts a picture of the aforementioned B. Meowsic keyboard with a caption admitting

SOUNDWAVE JANUARY 3

Lenny Federal (Comet Grill)

Musicians’ Open Mic (Crown Station Coffee House and Pub) Open Mic with Lisa De Novo (Temple Mojo, Matthews)

JANUARY 5

POP

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

The Monday Night Allstars (Neighborhood Theatre) Jordan Middleton (RiRa) Jason Moss & the Hosses (Comet Grill) ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Hex Machine, Greenvace, Witch Machine (Milestone) Revelry Soul (Tin Roof) The Shana Blake Band (Smokey Joe’s Café) Kris Atom, Jade Moore, Paul Lover, Chris PK Chaney (Petra’s)

JANUARY 4

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ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Jerry Garcia Band Cover Band (Visulite) Futurists w/ Echo Courts, Wild Trees (Snug Harbor) Haymaker, The Flight Risks Animus Remains (Tommy’s Pub) Jay Taylor Band (Tin Roof) Super Bob and Villa Nova (Rabbit Hole) Lonely Jones, Bergenline, Rowdy Leaf, Red Dress Amy (Milestone) DJ/ELECTRONIC

Blow Your Head (Snug Harbor) Off the Wall “Best of the 80’s V.16” (Petra’s) Hitman Bruh (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Taylor McCall, Grass Hats (Evening Muse) RJ Acoustics (RiRa) Jim Tierney (Primal Brewery)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Face 2 Face: Tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John (Fillmore) Canaan Cox and Josh Daniel (Rabbit Hole) #LocalOnly Saturday with DJ Teddy & Mike Boyer (Milestone) Chicago Rewired, REO Survivor (Underground) Jazzology with special guest Brut Beat (Hattie’s) Bedowyn w/ Graves of Gods, Slowride (Snug Harbor) The Dirty Doors (Visulite) Tyrant (Skylark Social Club) Blue Monday (Tin Roof) Wicked Powers (RiRa) Rock University presents a Tribute to The Wall (Rabbit Hole) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

CLASSICAL

Them Sedgefield Boys (Comet Grill)

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Halton Theater, CPCC)

RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

JANUARY 10

Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)

JANUARY 8

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Open Jam with the Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s) Justin Timberlake (Spectrum Center) Fruition, Brad Parsons & Starbird (Visulite) Toward Space, Pleather Boys, The Boron Heist (Tommy’s Pub) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

DJ FWB (Tin Roof) Le Bang (Snug Harbor)

The Skinny Bully Slam: Respect the Grand Slam Champion Stefan Micko (Evening Muse) GLBL (Snug Harbor)

JANUARY 6

The Havana Cuba All-Stars (McGlohon) John Németh (Neighborhood Theatre)

RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) State Property (Underground)

JANUARY 7

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Nuclear Tomb w/ Et Mors, Morganton & Cann”d (Milestone) Find Your Muse Open Mic: Emmy Law (Evening Muse)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Gene Pharr & Friends (Comet Grill) DJ/ELECTRONIC

JANUARY 9

Metal Church Sunday Service (Milestone) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill)

Lake Street Dive, Mikaela Davis (Fillmore) The Shana Blake Band (Smokey Joe’s Café) Ryan and Woody (RiRa) Outshyne (Tin Roof) Musicians’ Open Mic (Crown Station Coffee House and Pub)

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill)

Joe’s Truck Stop, Danny Burns (Evening Muse) Ham Jam (Evening Muse)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Arborlea, Basilica, Division Point (Oso Skate Park) Ten Million Spiders w/ Problem Addict, Labia Minor (Milestone) Floor Space, Home for the Day, Kill the Clock, The Concussion Theory (Skylark Social Club) January Residency: Modern Primitives (Snug Harbor) Quincey Blues (Smokey Joes’s) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Caroline Cotter, Maya Beth Atkins (Evening Muse) Open Mic with Leebo (Comet Grill)

JANUARY 11 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Temperance League, Brandy Lindsey & the Punch, The Loose Lugnuts (Neighborhood Theatre) Kris Atom (Sugar Creek Brewing) Runaway Gin- A Tribute to Phish (Visulite) Enrage Against The Machine (Underground) The Independents, Drunk in a Dumpster, Cadavernous, Dysphoria (Tommy’s Pub) Heroes At Last (RiRa) The Jump Cut (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Jonathan Parker & Band (Evening Muse) Lenny Federal (Comet Grill) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Player Made: An Ode to Southern Rap of All Eras (Snug Harbor) The Get Right Band (Evening Muse)

SOUNDWAVE JANUARY 12 POP

The New York Bee Gees Tribute Show: Saturday Night Fever (Knight Theater) Silhouettes: Giving Voice to the Voiceless (Booth Playhouse)

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ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Fogman (Milestone) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) The Love Again Tour Hi-Five, Soul for Real (Ovens Auditorium)

Listen Local Series: Something Clever, Reason Define, Faithful Annie, Blackwater Drowning, Venus Invictus (Underground) Cherub, Maddy O’Neal (Fillmore) It’s Snakes w/ T-Rextasy (Snug Harbor) Revel Wood Mission (Smokey Joe’s) Rock Onyx (RiRa) Cardfall (Tin Roof) Matt Walsh Band (Comet Grill) #LocalOnly Saturday with DJ Teddy & Mike Boyer (Milestone) The Donner Deads with Swansgate, Nevernauts & Rumbletramp (Milestone) The Other Favorites (Evening Muse)

JANUARY 14

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Open Jam with the Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s) Jesse Lamar Williams & the Menastree Jazz Jam (Evening Muse) Crunk Witch, IIOIOIOII, 30 Year Sick (Milestone) Silverstein, Hawthorne Heights, As Cities Burn, Capstan (Underground) Curt Castle (Snug Harbor)

John Sullivan (Primal Brewery) Unknown Hinson, JD Wilkes (Visulite) Courtney Lynn & Quinn, Kaska Sun, David Taylor (Petra’s) Carolina Gator Gumbo, The Flatland Tourists (Neighborhood Theatre) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Quentin Talley & the Soul Providers (Evening Muse)

JANUARY 13

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Gregory Alan Isakov with the Shook Twins (McGlohon) Metal Church Sunday Service (Milestone) Early Branch w/ American Theory, Shutterings &

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Brangle (Smokey Joe’s) Find Your Muse Open Mic: George “Trouble” Terry McDonald (Evening Muse) Asbestos Boys with Trout Mouth, Dog Turd, Tool Shed (Milestone) Winter Residency with Four Finger Records Jude Moses, SOLIS ,Mark Mathis (Petra’s) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)

JANUARY 15

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Caitlin Canty, Oshima Brothers (Evening Muse) Red Rockin’ Chair (Hattie’s) Uptown Unplugged with Jon Caneda (Tin Roof) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

GLBL (Snug Harbor)

The smoked brisket platter with collard greens, baked beans and cornbread.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

HOME SWEET HOME

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New Belmont BBQ joint is a smokey success

L

PHOTO BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

Lewis Donald chops up pork for customers’ orders.

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

EWIS DONALD asked me if I had my

tennis shoes on, not a question I expected when I showed up to interview him.

I looked down at my loafers.

“Are these OK?” I asked, showing him my minimalist footwear. Donald approved, then immediately went back to work. I followed close behind, ducking, shifting and trying to stay out of the way as he weaved around the tight kitchen of Sweet Lew’s BBQ, his recently opened restuarant in the Belmont neighborhood.

Donald and Laura Furman Grice opened Sweet Lew’s doors in early December, turning an old

service station into the unassuming barbecue joint it is now. The transition was easy, Donald said. In fact, the building’s owner had already decided there should be a restaurant on the lot and prepped for one by adding a parking lot, a grease trap and other necessary features to operate a small eatery.

“It was all laid out before he and I even met,” Donald said as he stirred a huge vat of stew. “So this was kind of a turnkey situation.”

He transferred the stew from the ginormous pot on the stove into two large Cambro pans.

An equally large pot was brimming with collard greens, simmering on the stove next to the now-

empty stew pot. The smells coming from the collard greens, smoking meat and the Brunswick stew were delectable.

Donald moved the pans, now full of the housemade stew, to the back and onto a table next to the Myron Mixon H2O smoker.

Sweet Lew’s has a “full disclosure” policy, Donald told me, and he enjoys bringing patrons back to the smoker and opening up the militarygrade insulated fire doors to expose the giant, smoking slabs of shoulder.

“You’re not going to find a smoke shop like this in Charlotte, where you can just walk up, talk to me,

see what meat’s going in,” he explained. “I bring people back here all day, every day. I love bringing people back here.”

It was then that I understood why he didn’t want to sit down down for a run-of-the-mill chat, instead choosing to keep me on his heels as he went about his business.

A few customers came in, so it was time to tend to the front counter, where puddings, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and a heat cabinet holding the day’s brisket, pork and chicken were waiting to be piled onto buns, trays and to-go boxes.

Donald smoothly chopped up some pork for a

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SWEET LEW’S BARBECUE Sun., 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Mon., Closed; Tues.-Thurs., 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; 923 Belmont Ave.; sweetlewsbbq.com

sandwich while he compared his meat recipes.

“The ribs are dry rub, kind of Memphis [style],” he said between chopping pork for sandwich orders and carving chicken for another customer. “The pork’s more Carolina — just salt and pepper.”

The brisket is a Texas thing, he said, while the chicken is brined, Alabama-style.

As he finished up customers’ orders, Donald cleaned the carving board for the next round of hungry patrons and put the extra chopped porked back in a pan to go in the hot holding cabinet under the counter.

“In a perfect world, one day, 20 years from now, we’re going to be in the same kind of arena of like Price’s Chicken Coop,” he said, referencing a South End staple, “where we’re one of those things you have to do when you come to the city.”

Building that sort of reputation will take time, but for now, Donald said he’s happy to be serving those in and around the Belmont neighborhood.

He’s proud of his Belmont home, and has already stated he has no intention of opening a second location.

While tending to the collard greens still on the stove, Donald gestured broadly out the window next to us, toward the rest of the neighborhood.

“There’s no other place in the city that I would open a Sweet Lew’s. It’s the only neighborhood left,” Donald said. “Plaza Midwood is already Plaza Midwood. Look at [Belmont], I’ve got houses right next to me this way and that way. Bus stops, churches. I don’t think there’s an area like this in the city. This wouldn’t have worked in South End, you know what I mean?”

Donald also employs a few folks from inside the neighborhood. One was slicing cucumbers and chuckled when Donald joked that she wouldn’t have come work at Sweet Lew’s if it wasn’t stationed in Belmont.

Donald and his staff only cook food over wood and flame and he himself refuses to be referred to as a chef. It’s not what you would expect from someone who’s classically trained for 20-plus years and has worked in every type of food industry establishment, from restaurants to country clubs.

When he opened Sweet Lew’s, Donald wanted to hone in on one area of expertise: barbecue.

If you’re looking for anything else, don’t bother

showing up, he said.

“I don’t want to be everything to everyone,” he said pointedly.

Searing foie gras and making duck confit is behind him now. It’s about community and family.

With two children, 13 and 16 years old, he wanted a restaurant that his kids could help out in, earn a couple bucks, learn some responsibility and develop a work ethic.

“I wanted a place that I could work and feel good and that my kids could work,” he said.

We moved to the back, where Donald opened the smoker and shined a flashlight inside, directing me to the water pan under the racks.

Myron Mixon H2O smokers have a pan of water under each rack to help regulate the temperature and catch grease as it falls off the meat so as not to contaminate the wood, which would alter the taste from the smoke. Vents on the front and back pull the smoke from the burning wood underneath the pan to the racks above, smoking the meat consistently.

The smoker has an automatic water flow regulator that ensures there’s always water in the pan, but Donald likes the control of adding water as he sees fit.

There are no gas lines that feed into the smoker, which is why Sweet Lew’s motto is “Cooked With Wood.”

We closed the doors of the smoker, which was filled to about 10-percent capacity. The meat would be for tomorrow’s customers, and when it runs out, that’s closing time. Donald has to be careful not to put too much meat in; if it doesn’t sell, there’s not much he can do with the leftovers.

Donald emptied some of the water in the pan from a spout in the back of the smoker and checked the wood underneath.

The simplicity of Sweet Lew’s recipes and Donald’s philosophy toward cooking Southernstyle sides and smoking melt-in-your-mouth meats is something that Charlotte has been losing.

There’s more than enough farm-to-table eateries and small-plate restaurants that fill the crevices of Charlotte’s food landscape, but it seems that while everyone is reaching above and beyond to provide the next level in dining, the comfort dishes and cozy atmosphere of family-run BBQ joints like this new gem are fading.

With Sweet Lew’s BBQ, finding the simple but delicious food isn’t so hard anymore, and maybe it is for a lack of trying.

“I’m not chasing Michelin Stars or James Beard Awards,” Donald said. “I’m just cooking food.”

CMIHOCIK@QCNERVE.COM

SIDE DISH

CRAZY GOOD GRAZING Charlotte chef launches new artisanal catering company

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

The Lox Box Collection.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE a good food platter?

In November, personal-chef-turned-smallbusiness-owner Margo Morrill stepped out of private kitchens and into the public food industry to offer the city something new: Go Graze.

Collections of crackers, dips, charcuterie, cheeses, vegetables, candied fruits and pastries sit together beautifully in a variety of grazing platters that Morrill offers. Options like the Lox Box, Gathering Collection and Sweet Collection bring people together over buildable snacks and dippable veggies during special occasions, corporate functions and social gatherings.

Morrill hand-picks each ingredient according to her tastes and assembles the boxes herself. If there’s an allergy or a special request, she will fulfill it.

The collections start at $79 and can serve a small gathering of four to six people or can be larger to serve a party of up to 25.

We caught up with Morrill to talk about her collections, the beginning of Go Graze and how she puts together the platters.

Queen City Nerve: How did you get the idea to start Go Graze?

Margo Morrill: I’ve been a personal chef for seven years, and I love doing that, it’s wonderful, but being in the private end of the food service industry, I kind of wanted to do something more. I wanted to offer something to the public. Something that I could do more in volume. And I thought these

PHOTO COURTESY OF GO GRAZE

grazing boards would be awesome. When I have parties at my house, I usually do the boards. And I’ve noticed when I’m at other parties, people are very engaged with one another, we’re always on our phones and even at gatherings it can be that way. And I think these grazing boards are a great way to engage with other people and be creative and you know, kind of start a conversation.

How do you put together all the pieces for a collection?

Well you know, I kind of pull together from my own mind that I think would be good. So when you have cheeses, you want a variety of cheeses, because not everybody likes the same cheese. So we go with a pungent cheese, we go with a mild cheese. I always try to have a cheese on there that children would like also, so kind of try and pull around the flavor wheel for all the different cheeses, and for all the different flavors for all the different boards.

What’s your favorite grazing collection that you offer?

You know what? I really like all of them. I think they’re all great. But I really love the Gathering Collection, because I think it has a little bit of everything so there’s something for everybody.

Whether somebody wants something sweet or somebody wants something savory, I think that’s a nice board to bring to a party or have for your event.

CMIHOCIK@QCNERVE.COM

DILWORTH BAKERSFIELD

Monday: $3 Jack Daniels Tuesday: $3 Tres Generaciones, $10 Don Julio 1942 Wednesday: $3 Bulleit Bourbon Thursday: $3 Espolon Friday: $3 George Dickel No. 8 Saturday: $3 Lunazul Sunday: $3 Larceny Bourbon 300EAST

Monday: 1/2 off wines by the glass Tuesday: 1/2 off beer cans glasses of Italian reds Thursday: $3.50 local drafts & $8.50 Matilda Wong cocktails Sunday: 1/2 off wine bottles, $5 mimosas & bloody marys, $6 Bellinis BAD DADDY’S BURGER BAR

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Monday: 20-oz. draft for 16 oz price Tuesday: $5 specialty cocktails Wednesday: $3.50 local drafts

Saturday & Sunday: $5 bloody marys & mimosas DILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD GRILLE

Monday: $4 Crown & Down Tuesday: $4 drafts, $12 pitchers, $5 flights of North Carolina drafts Wednesday: 1/2 price wine bottles and martinis Thursday: $12 domestic buckets, $18 import buckets Friday: $3 craft drafts, $5 flavored vodka Saturday: $5 mason jar cocktails Sunday: $4 bloody marys SUMMIT ROOM

Tuesday: $4 drafts Wednesday: 1/2 off glasses of wine Thursday: $7 Summit cocktails

SOUTH END

Tuesday: Free beer tasting 5-7 p.m.

Wednesday: $2 off select pints, wine tasting 5-7 p.m.

DILWORTH TASTING ROOM

Tuesday: free charcuterie board with purchase of wine flight Wednesday: 1/2 off Toki highball Thursday: 1/2 off Pinot Noir bottles Sunday: $8 Blue Panther cocktail when Panthers are winning BIG BEN PUB

Monday: $5.50 20-oz. NoDa craft beer, $2.00 off vodka Wednesday: $5.25 20-oz. Spaten, 1/2 price wine bottles Fri: $5.50 20-oz. Crispin & Guinness, $5 Dale’s Fireball shot Sat: $5.50 20-oz. seasonal beers, $5 mimosas and bloody marys Sun: $5.25 20-oz. Boddington, $5 mimosas and bloody marys

COMMON MARKET SOUTH END

Monday: 1/2 off select pints

MAC’S SPEED SHOP

Monday: $3 pints, $5 Titos Tuesday: 1/2 price wine, $3 mystery draft Wednesday: $4 tall boys, $5 Lunazul Blanco Thursday: $3 mystery cans & bottles, $4 Jim Beam Friday: $1 off brewery of the month (Ballast Point), $5 Fireball Saturday: $1 off North Carolina pints, $6.50 vodka Red Bull Sunday: $4 bloody marys and mimosas GIN MILL

Monday: $5 Titos & New Amsterdam, $4 craft beer Tuesday: 1/2 price wine Wednesday: $4 draft beer Thursday: $2.50 PBR, $5 Jack Daniels & Titos

UPTOWN ROXBURY NIGHTCLUB

Friday: $5 flavor vodka drinks, $5 fire Shots, $3 beer bottles Saturday: $5 fire shots, $4 Zima, $3 beer bottles

Do you want your bar or restaurant featured in The Buzz?

Contact Aaron Stamey astamey@qcnerve.com

WORLD OF BEER

Monday: $2 off NC drafts and spirits Tuesday: 25 percent off bottles and cans, $5 mules Wednesday: 1/2 priced wine, wheats and sangrias Thursday: $4 old school, $4 well, $4 signature shots Friday & Saturday: $3 shot of the week Sunday: $2 mimosas, $3 bloody mary and beermosas

SANCTUARY PUB

Monday: $7 Bulleit & Bulleit Rye, $3 Yuengling & PBR APA Tuesday: $6 Tuaca, $6 Tullamore Dew Wednesday: $3 Birdsong, $5 Sauza, $6 Espolon Thursday: $2 Bartender Bottles, $6 Crown Royal Sunday: $3 Birdsong, $3 Tall or Call NODA 101

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Monday: $4 Ketel One Lemon Drop, $4 Wells, $5 Camerena NODA Tuesday: $6 Seasonal Cocktails, $6 Jameson, $4 Grape Gatorade JACKBEAGLE’S Wednesday: $1 off Whiskey, $5 Green Tea Monday: $5 Cuervo margaritas Shot, $6 Blue Balls Tuesday: $3 drafts, $5 vodka Red Bull Thursday: $5 Jagermeister, $6 vodka Redbull, Wednesday: $1 off whiskey $6 Oxley Gin Cocktail Thursday: $6 Deep Eddy’s vodka Red Bull Friday: $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red Bull, $6 Friday: $5 Fun-Dip Shots, $5 Crown Royal Black Jameson Saturday: $5 Gummy Bear Shots, $5 Big Mimo- Saturday: $6 Tito’s, $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red sa, $6.50 Double bloody mary Bull Sunday: $5 Big mimosa, $6.50 Double bloody Sunday: $5 Deep Eddy Flavors, $1 off tequila, mary $5 White Gummy Bear Shots $4 Draft special everyday!

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HATTIE’S TAP & TAVERN

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PLAZA MIDWOOD

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Pg. 26 Jan. 2 - Jan. 15, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

MIND BENDERS

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SOUTH ON BEATTIES FORD THEN FIRST RIGHT ON MONTANA DRIVE (LOCATED 1/2 MILE ON THE LEFT 714-G MONTANA DRIVE

JANUARY 2-8 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You might be busier than you had expected right now. But between the socializing rounds and the workplace tasks, there are opportunities for special moments with that certain someone.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your creative approach leads to a quicker-than-expected solution to a workplace problem. Now you can devote more time to that proposal you hope to introduce by midmonth.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Technological glitches create problems early on. But by midweek, all runs smoothly once again, and you’re well and truly on your way to meeting all your deadlines.

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CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your energy levels are high, and you feel you can handle everything that comes along. But try to take a break from your hectic pace for some quiet time with someone close to you.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Before you pounce on that shiny new opportunity, take more time to check it out to see how much substance actually lies beneath all that glitter. A family member has important news.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A personal situation you thought was resolved resurfaces, thanks to a possibly well-intentioned move that went awry. Deal with it as soon as possible. Accept the help of a trusted friend.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) That goal you set way back when is finally in sight. Maintain your

JANUARY 9 - 15 focus on achieving it, and don’t allow yourself to be distracted by unimportant demands for your attention.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) It’s a good time to take a much-needed break from your recent hectic schedule and spend some time in quieter surroundings. Important news could arrive early next week.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A temperamental flare-up creates negative feelings that need to be dealt with immediately. But things once TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) The Taurean traits of reliability and thoroughness could be well-tested again go well after the apologies are made and when decision-makers consider your proposals hurt feelings are soothed. and/or requests. Be prepared to answer some probing questions.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) An early impulsive act causes confusion. But all is smoothed over once explanations are made. Expect GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A sudden attack of a friend or family member to ask for your kind and boredom leaves you with some tasks undone. It’s OK to take a short respite. But get back to work always wise advice. by week’s end so that you have time for other projects.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) You might have to do some juggling of your priorities, as a personal matter appears to require more time CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Avoid prejudging and attention. Put your pride aside and accept help a situation just because it looks bad. Facts could emerge that would make your position uncomfrom those who offer it. fortable, to say the least. A relative has interesting news to share with you.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Your creative aspect is strong. Not only does it help you accomplish your goals, but it also inspires others.

This could lead to a potentially rewarding collaboration opportunity.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) This is a good time to begin reassessing some of your recent decisions about your long-range goals to see if they still have merit. Spend more time with loved ones this PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Be careful about weekend. making major decisions when you’re not really committed to them. And resist any pressure to do VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) An unsettled situation at home or on the job early in the week otherwise. Better to delay action until all doubts could drain your energy levels, making it difficult are resolved. to get your work done on schedule. But things improve by midweek.

BORN THIS WEEK: You set goals and are rarely distracted by any attempt to move you off the path LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A temporary you’ve chosen to reach them. setback could give you time to go over your plans

to find weaknesses you might have overlooked before. A romantic getaway with that special person is favored this weekend.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Professional and personal situations benefit once you set a positive tone in getting things off to a good start.

Honest dialogue smoothes over any occasional display of balkiness.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A problem with workplace colleagues or family members seems to defy even your sage counsel.

But be patient. Your words eventually will lead to a resolution.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Don’t just wait out that unexpected and unexplained delay in your career move. You could gain added respect if you ask why it happened and what you can do to move things along.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Although your workplace strategies usually are accepted, you could be challenged by someone who isn’t so favorably impressed. Be prepared to defend your positions.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your friendship circle expands, with new people coming into your life at this time. Welcome them warmly. But don’t neglect those cherished longtime personal relationships.

BORN THIS WEEK: You love to search for knowledge and share it with others. You would make an especially fine teacher.

THAT GNAWING FEELING

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ACROSS

1 Dry out 6 Should the necessity arise 14 Eye, kidney and heart 20 Informed 21 Grade on a salary scale 22 Big chicken brand 23 Rodent who helps couples end spats?

25 Forced out of a country 26 Squeezed (out) 27 -- polloi 28 Untold millennia 30 -- bean (Old World plant) 31 Stand for 33 Rodent causing prices to increase over time?

40 “-- Haw” 42 Visit briefly 43 “By the way,” on memos 44 Frothy pie topping concocted by a rodent?

50 Bit of a tortilla treat 55 Spheres 56 Cliff nests 57 Seized 59 Part of CD 60 Throws in 61 Actor Arnaz 62 “Jazz” writer Morrison 63 Serious rifts 65 Rodent blurting out secrets?

69 Shooters’ gp.

70 How cliffs incline 72 Very bad grade 73 Rodent who’s a pop star?

77 Fishing boat 81 Chevy now called the Sonic 82 Tune for two 83 Utterances of disgust 85 Ames’ home 86 Series with Agent 99 88 Of the eyes 91 Middle name of Poe 92 Malia Obama’s sis 93 Rodent who was a U.S. president?

96 Outrage 98 Battery terminal

99 Massive fight 100 Revelation of all the relevant facts about a rodent?

106 Nary a soul 111 Shuffle or Mini 112 Silvery gray 113 Silver of film 115 Special air 116 Fight against 118 Rodent-themed hit for Peter, Paul and Mary?

125 Franklin of soul music 126 Bolsheviks’ theory SOLUTION ON PAGE 30 127 Laotian, say 128 Eye liners?

129 Infuriates 38 Having one sharp, musically 130 Idylls, e.g.

39 “-- that the truth!”

41 “My word!”

44 Young guys DOWN 45 Actor Stoltz of “Mask” 1 Turned white 46 Go well (with) 2 Stirred from sleep 47 Apple debut of 1984 3 Poe bird 48 G.P.’s study 4 Ideology 49 Start of an expiration notice 5 That woman 51 Deliberate choice 6 -- facto 52 China’s -- En-lai 7 Muslim ascetic: Var. 53 Pullets, e.g.

8 Sch. in Manhattan 54 Comics dog 9 Manning the quarterback 58 TV and radio stations 10 Suffix with auction 60 “Jack & Jill” actress Peet 11 TiVo is one, for short 61 Certain baseball hit: Abbr.

12 Stinging thing 64 -- Lanka 13 Actress Page 65 Roseanne’s mom on “Roseanne” 14 Not in secret 66 “Chi-Raq” director Spike 15 T. -- (big dino) 67 Mo. #4 16 Petty swindle 68 Advanced deg. for a designer 17 Old veep Stevenson 70 Arrange for 18 New, to Julio 71 Pec pic, say 19 Roomy auto 73 Binges 24 Actor Charlie 74 Iris locale 29 Sin 75 Filming sites 32 Just -- once 76 “A Clockwork Orange” novelist Anthony 34 Imitating sorts 77 Heaved 35 Spelling of the screen 78 Entertainer Falana 36 Mayberry tyke 79 Moviedom’s McGregor 37 Fish parts

80 Novelist Ayn 83 Peptic problem 84 With 94-Down, female chum 87 Inn worker 88 “Horrors!”

89 Co. big shots 90 Language in Lahore 91 Brit’s prefix for plane 94 See 84-Down 95 White on “Wheel of Fortune” 97 Ranch ropes 100 Like the flu 101 “Rigoletto,” for one 102 Doesn’t win 103 Piaf of song 104 Dish with kidney beans 105 Make blank 107 Low voice 108 Navel type 109 REM activity 110 Tall stories 114 Bits of resistance 117 That woman 119 Wet lowland 120 Ltd. relative 121 Move hastily 122 Raggedy -123 Trash-talk 124 Hiker’s aid

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THE LOST KINKSTER

Navigating a world without Tumblr porn

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m a 19-year-old bisexual woman really into orgasm denial and edging. With the recent Tumblr ban on all NSFW content, I have no idea where to indulge my kinks and find my community. I’ve never needed to go anywhere else to find porn, explore my sexuality and be surrounded by supportive people — and now I’m at a loss. Clearly I’ve been spoiled by all the easily found porn made by women, for women on Tumblr. Hell, I’m used to it being made by bisexuals, for bisexuals. I feel like I’m 15 again, desperately scouring the internet for anything that applies to me. Please tell me where I can find my porn!

MISSING MY PORN COMMUNITY

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P.S. You wrote about how this ban harms sex workers, Dan, but please write about how it harms queer and kinky people, too!

“Many people are scrambling to relocate their fetish communities in the wake of Tumblr’s ban on ‘adult content,’” said Alexander Cheves, a queer writer who lives in New York City. “Porn is more than hot videos — porn creates communities. I wouldn’t know half the gross stuff I’m into if it weren’t for Tumblr!”

Luckily, MMPC, the men and women who created and/or curated the content that spoke to you and affirmed your identity didn’t evaporate on Dec. 17, the day Tumblr’s porn ban went into effect.

Many have taken their content to other platforms and some are creating new platforms.

“MMPC should devote some time to scouring Twitter for bisexual women into orgasm denial and edging, some of whom may be uploading their original content to platforms like Just For Fans,” said Cheves. “The creators of JFF are right now working on

a more Tumblr-like social-media extension to their site. Other start-ups like Slixa or ShareSomeCome and social platforms like Switter have emerged in the wake of this crackdown.”

While there’s still tons of porn on the internet, as many people have pointed out (myself included), the crackdown on explicit content on social-media platforms is fucking over vulnerable queers. As Eric Leue, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, told Cheves: “Many people in straight, heteronormative communities don’t understand what the big deal is [about the Tumblr adult content ban], because their lives and cultures are represented everywhere. For those in queer, or niche, or fetish communities, Tumblr was one of the few accessible spaces to build communities and share content.”

And as long as sex-education programs don’t cover queer sex or kinky sex — and there’s no sign of improvement in either area — LGBTQ youth and young people with kinks will continue to get their sexual education on the internet.

“More youth will get hurt and more will get HIV thanks to Tumblr’s content ban,” said Cheves. “That’s not scaremongering — that will happen. Case in point: I grew up in a fiercely religious home on a 500acre farm in the middle of Georgia with dial-up and a pretty intense parental blocker. I couldn’t access porn — I couldn’t even access articles with sexual illustrations, including sexual health illustrations.

When I went to college in 2010, the same year Grindr hit the App Store, I knew absolutely nothing about HIV and nothing about my community. It’s no wonder that I tested positive at 21.”

Shortly after getting the news that he was HIV+, Cheves started an educational queer sex blog. “I answer sex questions from anyone who

writes in — I stole the idea from you, Dan, to be honest,” said Cheves. “I wanted to reach those kids in the middle of nowhere, kids like me.”

While Cheves writes professionally today — you can find his advice column in The Advocate and his byline in other publications — he still updates and posts new content to thebeastlyexboyfriend. com, his original queer sex blog.

“Sites like my blog are needed now more than ever,” said Cheves. “If MMPC wants to help her community survive, she may no longer have the option of being a passive consumer — she might have to start a website or blog, wave a digital flag and find others. The internet is so massive that censorship will never be able to keep people with niche fetishes from congregating, digitally or otherwise. It’s just going to be a little harder to find each other.

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