Queen City Nerve Issue 5_2019

JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

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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

NEWS & CULTURE

6 Tinder Terror Ten tales of dating catasthrophe for your Valentine’s enjoyment 4 News Flash: Women United March by Ryan Pitkin 5 The Scanner by Ryan Pitkin 9 The Seeker by Katie Grant

ARTS

10 Coming Full Cycle Brand New Sheriff continues in the Wilson tradition

BY PERRY TANNENBAUM

12 Artist Statement: Hannah Hasan

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

ART/DESIGN

ART DIRECTOR • Dana Vindigni dvindigni@qcnerve.com

ADVERTISING

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SALES MANAGER Stephen Lane • slane@qcnerve.com To place an ad, please call 980-349-3029 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

LIFELINE

14 How not to kill your social life

MUSIC

16 From the Background to the Forefront Matt Hylom finds royalty-free success, but he’s just getting started

BY RYAN PITKIN

18 SOUNDWAVE

FOOD & DRINK

20 The North Will Rise Again Mooresville bistro makes it worth a trip out of the city

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

22 Side Dish: Max & Lola Bodega

BY VERONICA COX

24 The Buzz

NIGHTLIFE

26 Aerin It Out 27 Horoscope 28 Crossword 30 Savage Love

Cover Design by Dana Vindigni JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

NEWSFLASH WOMEN UNITED MARCH CELEBRATES FEMINISM, HEALS OLD WOUNDS

Thousands gather at First Ward Park for third annual women’s march

BY RYAN PITKIN

The newly rebranded Women United March took place in Charlotte on Saturday, Jan. 26, with thousands of people gathering in First Ward Park to hear speakers ranging from elected officials to grassroots activists before marching a quick route around Uptown.

Intersectionalism was at the forefront of Saturday’s event, as previous women’s marches in Charlotte have faced criticism for not being inclusive enough of people of color, transgender people, gender non-conforming people and others. Speakers like Cat Bao Le, executive director of the Southeast Asian Coalition, and Myka Johnson, an organizer with Charlotte Uprising, expressed concerns that past marches had tokenized trans folks and only payed lip service to issues facing Charlotte’s most vulnerable communities.

Photos by Ryan Pitkin. Visit qcnerve.com for video clips of the speakers and march.

Rebby Kern with Time Out Youth

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U.S. Rep. Alma Adams

SCANNER CANCELED PLANS Police were cruising the Lincoln Heights neighborhood in west Charlotte on a recent morning when they recognized a man that they knew to have an unserved warrant standing outside of a convenience store. Officers lost sight of the man but caught back up to him an hour later and confronted him. In the report, officers stated that, “Upon making contact with the suspect, he gave officers the one ecstacy pill that he possessed,” although maybe he should have just popped it before they could get to him. That would have saved him the drug charge and made jail all the more fun, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

ENTREPRENEUR Police responded to a break-in at a business in southwest Charlotte last week to find that someone stole promotional material and nothing else. The break-in happened at a United Wireless, which sells prepaid phone cards. But instead of taking the cards or money, the burglar made off with a bunch of United Wireless posters, possibly in hopes of opening their own shop.

GRANDMA’S GONE A family living off The Plaza in northeast Charlotte called police after someone broke into their house and took their grandmother.

The thieves struck at some point between 7:30 and 11 p.m., and when the family returned home they found that their safe was gone. According to the report, the safe contained a living will, Social Security cards, passports, birth certificates, vehicle titles, a ring appraisal, a decanter of bourbon and a grandmother’s ashes. In an unrelated incident, a 33-year-old south Charlotte man filed a police report after someone broke into his car overnight and took a body part. According to the report, the thief stole his gate opener (because walls work, apparently), $4 in change, a checkbook and a surgical implant for a knee replacement worth $8,000. Not sure how much it sells for on the black market, though.

SNACK TIME A 48-year-old man in NoDa came out to his car on a recent morning to find that someone had broken into his Volkswagen, although they didn’t have to try very hard. The man reported that the dangerously cheesy suspect

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went into his unlocked Volkswagen and took $5 in change and a bag of Cheetos.

NO GOOD DEED A 33-year-old east Charlotte woman found out the hard way that she shouldn’t be doing any favors for friends. The woman told police that a friend of hers asked for a ride to the bank so she took him, and when they got there, he somehow took her bank card without her noticing and withdrew $400 from her account.

STRIP FIT A child at Steele Creek Elementary lost his shit in the middle of class during a recent fit of anger, then lost all his clothing. According to the report, the student “became irate in class and removed all his clothing in the presence of other students.”

DRUNK DIAL Police issued a citation for a man in the Coulwood area after he needed someone to speak to, so he called 911. According to the report, the suspect called 911 three times in three hours, but didn’t have anything important to say. He was told not to call back while intoxicated unless there

was a real emergency.

START ’EM YOUNG We don’t usually like to make light of folks stealing children’s clothing, diapers, etc., because desperate times call for desperate measures, but when you start making the kids an actual accessory to the crime, you need to be called out. One older sister was not setting the best example at Northlake Mall recently when they took their young sibling into a dressing room at Dillard’s, put $100 worth of clothes on the kid, put the original clothes back on over those clothes, and walked out of the store.

LOL A Party City employee had to risk their life for a few dolls recently, because four thieving suspects were not leaving that store without them.

According to the 30-year-old woman on shift at the time, the suspect tried to leave the store with 25 LOL brand dolls and 10 large bags of assorted candy. When the employee tried to stop the guys from leaving with all that merchandise, one of them threatened her with a weapon.

TINDER TERRORS

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Ten tales of dating catasthrophe for your Valentine’s enjoyment With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we at Queen City Nerve decided to do a little romantic storytelling.

We reached out to some of our favorite folks in Charlotte to ask if they’d share their most cringeworthy, ridiculous or — in Brian O’Neil’s case — just straightup scary dating experiences. For good measure, Nerve editors Ryan Pitkin and Courtney Mihocik pitched in, too. [Editor’s note: Most of these were dictated to Ryan and Courtney, which explains the conversational nature of these entries.]

Now we want our readers to pitch in and share their own dreadful memories. Send them to rpitkin@ qcnerve.com and we’ll collect the best stories to post at qcnerve. com on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Be sure to let us know whether you want us to include your name or not, because as we learned with one storyteller below, that’s not always in your best interest.

Matt Comer

Courtney Mihocik

Erin Breeden

MATT COMER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT CHARLOTTE PRIDE .

In the fall of 2007 I had recently moved to Charlotte from Winston-Salem, and I hadn’t much opportunity to make friends or meet people around my age. I decided that for my birthday I would try to meet somebody new, hang out, have some fun and go out to one of the nightclubs. So, I went on one of the dating websites — this was before any of the apps were around. I started chatting with this guy online for a while, and we decided that for my birthday, we’d have a little date.

He lived in Huntersville so I had to go pick him up. I drove up there and we came back to my house.

We hung out for a little while, and had a couple of drinks until it was time to go to the nightclub. At the club we were hanging out, and I thought we were hitting it off. Then, after 30 or 40 minutes, a group of guys came in. Apparently they were his friends. He dashed away. I looked for him, but I did not see him the rest of the night. He just abandoned me, and it became clear to me that what he really wanted was a ride to the club from Huntersville. At first I was upset, but it turned out OK. I met some other people at the club and danced a little.

The kicker was at about 1:30 in the morning, when the club was winding down and it was time to go home, after he had ignored me the entire night, he found me and had the gall to ask if I would drive him back to Huntersville. I said absolutely not and I left him at the club. If he wanted to hang out with his friends all night, I’m sure one of them could take him back to Huntersville. I was astonished that he would do that. To pull that trick on my birthday, of all days, was pretty crappy. A couple of years later this guy saw me out and about. He came up to say hello and be friendly, as if none of that had ever happened.

COURTNEY MIHOCIK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF QUEEN CITY NERVE. When I moved to Charlotte at the beginning of summer 2016, I knew I was only going to be here for the duration of my internship before I went back to school in Ohio. So I thought, “Hey, why not get on Tinder and meet someone, maybe have a fling?” The first guy that I met up with ended up leading me to not even think about getting on the app for a month.

I was talking to this guy, let’s call him Dan, on Tinder for a few days when he invited me out with his friends to a couple of places Uptown. We met at his house, had a few drinks with his friends, got to know one another and then piled into a cab to check out Fahrenheit. It was my first time there, and I was absolutely enthralled by the view of Uptown. I was 21 years old and had only known the dinky little college bars from whence I came.

But that would prove to be the only good part of the evening, because no one actually wanted me there in the first place.

I walked into the bathroom not long after a couple of the girls in the group did, and while I was waiting for a stall to open up, I heard them talking about me — they were not saying good things.

I’ll paraphrase the conversation I accidentally eavesdropped on.

“Yeah, I don’t really like Dan’s girl. Why is she even here?” one asked the other.

“I don’t know, but she’s weird and I wish he’d date someone else instead,” the other girl replied.

In reply, I announced my presence to them in the bathroom and that I could hear everything they were saying, then just went on with my night like nothing was wrong. After that, I never saw him or his petty friends again.

ERIN BREEDEN, WRITER, CONTENT CREATER, BUSINESS OWNER AND FORMER EDITOR OF CAROLINA BRIDE. Newly divorced without a clue how to date, I polished off a bottle of wine by myself one night and downloaded Tinder. Full of liquid courage, I created my profile and started swiping left and right. Over the course of the next few weeks, I went on dates with some decent guys, received some unsolicited dick pictures that I promptly shared with all my friends, but I didn’t have a Tinder horror story until I swiped right on one particular suitor. A funny profile and a great smile, I was excited when we matched and he messaged me.

From the get-go, I could tell he was looking for a wife, whereas I was going in with no expectations. He asked me out to dinner, and although a voice in my head told me not to, after consulting my friends I said yes. You never know what can happen, right?

On date night he called me an hour before our reservation. I was expecting him to cancel, but he instead informed me that he was already at the restaurant. Knowing that he only lived 20 minutes from the restaurant, I questioned his early arrival and he told me he was too excited and didn’t want to take any chances that he may be late.

With a sense of dread in my stomach, I arrived at the restaurant. I almost canceled, but a girl’s gotta eat and it was one of my favorite places. I walked back to the table where he was talking to the server. When he saw me he exclaimed, “Here she is! I told you she was coming. She’s my better half!” I already knew this night was going to be awful, but I was hungry. I sat down and the server gave me an “I’m so sorry” look. While he was

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waiting for me to arrive, my date had apparently told our server that he was meeting “the one.” I should have bolted when I saw her look.

Dinner was delicious, but the date, not so much.

During the course of the meal he told me a little too much about himself and his past and talked so fast I couldn’t get a word in. Midway through the date he took a phone call. It was his mom wanting to know how the date was going. I listened to him tell his mother that he may have found the one and he winked at me. He then apologized to her for having to cancel on brunch the next day as he may have a late night and may not get much sleep (another wink). Then he asked me if I wanted to talk to his mom and passed me the phone. I politely declined.

The server brought me a huge glass of red wine and told me it was on the house.

My date continued to tell me about how much I was going to love his family, how excited he was to have met someone like me and that he can tell I’m a good kisser. I ordered a slice of chocolate cake and I didn’t share. The check came and he said, “Wow, you’re expensive, but you’re worth it, my better half.” The server took the check and squeezed my shoulder in a moment of solidarity.

The date ended with him walking me to my car and trying to kiss me. I turned my head and he kissed my ear. I thanked him for dinner and got in my car. He then asked for me to drive him to his car since it was “cold.” It was almost 60 degrees. I pretended that I didn’t hear him and sped off never to see or hear from him again.

Sharelle Burt (left) and Alex Tribble

ALEX TRIBBLE AND SHARELLE BURT, COHOSTS OF HEADWRAPS AND LIPSTICKS THE PODCAST. Listen at headwrapsandlipsticks.com.

[Sharelle Burt] I actually met him at church. We had never went out before and he asked me where I wanted to go, and I was like, “I’ve really been wanting to try this Cajun Queen spot.” He said, “OK, cool, we’ll go Sunday after church.” So it’s after church, we’re on our way and he’s just like, “Oh, I have to make a stop real quick on the way and then we’ll go.” I followed him because I wasn’t getting in the car with him. So we pull up to this house and I see this little boy running around and he’s like, “Daddy, Daddy,” and I’m like, “Oh, OK. Who’s Daddy?

You’re Daddy. OK, cool.”

He comes up to my window and says, “I’ve got to go in here and pay a bill for my grandmother.”

Now mind you, it’s Sunday, so I’m like, “What kind of bill do you gotta pay on a Sunday that can’t wait? Can’t you just do it afterwards?” He’s like, “It will just take me a few minutes, blah blah.”

So he goes in the house, I’m sitting outside, and the grandmother comes out of the house and starts waving me to come inside. I’m like, “No I’m good right here, thank you.” So he comes outside and puts the phone to his ear and then walks back in the house to make it seem like he was doing that, which I know he wasn’t. Basically, he went in there to get money so he could take me out.

So he comes back to my window like, “Oh, my grandmother’s in there cooking up a storm, we could always just chill here,” and I was like, “Naw, that’s not an option. We can go to Cajun Queen.”

So I’m following him and I’m noticing that we’re

not heading anywhere towards Cajun Queen, like we’re literally by Northlake Mall. I don’t even know what’s going on, but whatever. So we pull into the Chili’s parking lot, the one over there by the mall. So I’m like, “Why aren’t we going to Cajun Queen?” and he’s like, “Oh well, I called to see if they had reservations and I couldn’t get one, blah blah blah,” and I’m like, “Dude, I really been craving Cajun Queen for two days, but OK.” So we get into Chili’s and we sit down and he immediately starts to order for me. I’m like, “Dude, I can order for myself, I don’t really need you to order for me.” So I ordered everything off the Chili’s menu. I ordered a presidential margarita, fajitas, I ordered everything because I was just so over it. And then afterwards we ended up going to the movies and seeing Argo which was actually really good. But we’re at the movies and he keeps trying to like slide me down and I’m like, “Dude, this is not a thing.” So I ended up having to move two seats away from him because I was so annoyed.

So I just left after the movie was over and I was like, “This will never happen.” So I guess he didn’t get the hint. He texted me two days later.

Of course we had gone to the same church, so that Sunday, he texted me like, “Do you mind telling me why you haven’t responded to any of my texts?” It was just horrible. The date was horrible, he was horrible, and I haven’t seen him since. He don’t even go to my church anymore.

[Alex Tribble] I was a junior in college [at NC A&T] and I had met this guy in class, and we were feeling each other’s vibes in class, so I invited him over for some Netflix and chill — before Netflix and chill was a thing, and I dressed up all nice. He came in, he was real cool, everything was going fine and perfect. We started watching movies and at the time I had my hair mohawked — like it was shaved on the sides, and the hair on top was sticking out, like a mohawk — and the whole night he kept trying to run his fingers through my hair. I kept grabbing his hand away from my head. Mind you we had never hung out, we weren’t tight like that, this was our first time even hanging out and talking. But he kept trying to touch my hair, it was so strange. So once the movie was over I was like, “So, are you about ready to go?” He was like, “No,” and he stayed for another hour. It was so awkward. So it was like an hour and a half before I got him to leave, and it was the worst night ever.

Ryan Pitkin

RYAN PITKIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF QUEEN CITY NERVE. All I wanted was to see Kate Winslet naked. Little middle school me was super excited to go check out Titanic in January 1998, not only because I was fully aware that Winslet had bared it all just as I was hitting puberty the hardest, but because it was a night out with a bunch of friends, including my girlfriend Alaina. Mind you, this was sixth grade, an age when dating someone meant passing notes between classes and, if I was lucky, blushingly kissing her on the cheek before heading off to gym.

So a night out at the movies was sort of a big deal.

The first sign that the night was not going to go as planned was when we got to the theater and found out that Titanic was sold out. No full-grown boobs for these preteen eyes. The girls decided we’d check out the newly released Spice World instead, as the guys begrudgingly consented. Once inside the movie, I sat with Alaina on my left with my buddy Drew on my right. Drew didn’t have a girlfriend at the time, so that dork started getting in my ear about what sort of moves I should make.

His peer pressure was actually quite conservative.

Forget about first base, he kept me in the batter’s box, telling me that if I was going to be sitting next to my girlfriend at the movies I had to hold her hand. So in all my smoothness, I loudly asked Alaina if she would hold my hand (it’s called consent, people!), and she said yes.

She slipped her hand into mine and I did not let go — not through the military training scene, the alien scene, or when Posh Spice wakes a boy from a coma by screaming into his ear. Despite the fact that one hour into this cinematic masterpiece both of our hands were sweating like a Trump

administration member in court, I never let go.

In fact, at that point we might as well have been Jack and Rose, holding hands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with no rescue in sight.

But alas, rescue came in the form of Bond, James Bond. Just as things reached their most uncomfortable, ol’ Drew — the asshole that got me into this situation — told me he was going to sneak into Tomorrow Never Dies, which

was showing in a theater next door. He asked if I wanted to join him, so I sheepishly loosened my clammy death grip on Alaina’s hand and told her I’d be back later. Somehow she fought the urge to grab hold of me and demand that I continue to hold her now-soaking fingers. I learned my lesson about the right and wrong time for hand-holding that night, and every single date I’ve ever been on since has gone absolutely swimmingly. I swear.

Ali Washburn (left) and Lauren Levine

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LAURA LEVINE AND ALI WASHBURN, COHOSTS OF MARGARITA CONFESSIONALS PODCAST. Listen at themargaritaconfessionals.com.

[Lauren Levine] It was so awkward I try to block it out. We were at dinner at Whiskey Warehouse, just eating dinner normally and I thought it was going OK — not amazingly, but it was going fine — and he gets up to go to the bathroom and I’m like, that’s OK, you can do that. So all of the sudden I realize that he’s been gone for like — this is not a joke — for like 20 minutes. I’m like, “Oh man, is he having stomach problems? That’s really embarrassing, I would hate if that were me.”

Then I start getting worried. Did something happen? I didn’t think I was going to see this guy again but I still didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. So I walk around the restaurant to see, did he fall, what’s going on? All of a sudden, I see him in a group surrounded by four or five girls just chatting, and I was like, “Oh, OK, welp, I guess our date’s over. Cool, I’m going to rock ‘n’ roll now.” I walked up and said to him, “Hey, that’s not so cool, what’s the deal, you can’t do that.” He actually seemed apologetic. He was like, “Oh, I’m really

sorry. I played football in college so I’m not used to having a date. This is all new to me.” That’s fine if you didn’t date in college, but don’t be that guy.

Come on now. I was just like, “Alright, goodnight and good luck. Go forth and conquer,” and I left.

[Ali Washburn] I had been talking with a guy that I met on Tinder, and his age on Tinder said that he was 35. That wasn’t too old for me, I was probably 28 at the time, and I knew he had two kids and we just had been chatting and that was fine. He started telling me a lot of stuff that he had done in his younger years, like, “I went to this place and I lived in this place and I’ve done this job,” and I was like, “Wow, you’ve done a lot for only being 35.” I specifically remember saying that to him, and he was like, “Oh, yeah,” and agreed with me.

So we set up a date and we were going to meet at Selwyn Pub, and I get there and he is clearly, like, lit. But not drunk, more so like on some sort of pills or something.

So he proceeds to be drinking on pills, tells me he

has some sort of back problem so he’d been taking Vicodin, so he’s sloppy, sloppy drunk, or whatever he is. We talk and talk, and he’s like, “How old do you think I am?” which is the most annoying thing anybody can ever say, and I say, “Well, I assume you’re the age that you have on your dating profile.”

It says it right there when you swipe on somebody how old they are. And he said no, he’s actually 46 and he uses his brother’s birthday to lie about his age because he doesn’t like the girls that he matches with when he puts his real age on the app. So not only was he sloppy and drunk and high or another, but he also was lying about his age. So, needless to say, I finished my drink and left the building.

BRIAN O’NEILL, COMEDIAN. He will host the Revolt Comedy Show at Heist

hinting for me to let her move in with me. I lied and said I lived with my parents and that it wouldn’t be possible. She would constantly call me saying she was on Xanax and wanted me to come over to smoke with her. I never actually met her in person because the one time we FaceTimed I could tell there was another guy with her telling her what to say to me.

My guess is that they were going to rob me if I ever decided to meet up with her. Eventually, I blocked her number and I haven’t heard from her since. Let’s hope Gas Mask Girl is doing better than she was back then, or at the very least has a home.

ANONYMOUS. After hearing this guy’s story, we’re hiding his identity for the professional and social safety of everyone involved.

I swiped across this girl on Tinder, and she was OK, we had an alright conversation or whatever, and we set up a time to go hang out and watch a movie.

This is when A Quiet Place came out, the quietest movie of the 20th and 21st centuries. And so, in any situation where you’re watching a movie you shut up and you watch the movie — well not her.

It’s cool if you’re adding commentary, but all of her conversations were about stuff that had nothing to do with the movie whatsoever, these were all real-life scenarios.

So she’s chit-chatting away, and everybody PHOTO BY GLEN BYRD JR. in the movie theater can hear us. She’s trying to Brian O’Neill have this conversation where somebody speaks to Brewery on Feb. 11. He also hosts the Queen City Poly you and they want you to be looking at them and engaged in the conversation, not just making little podcast. Listen at queencitypoly.com.

This story comes from my early days of separation quips about everything. But I would not turn my head and look at her at all, and she was getting from my ex-wife. Up to that point I had never utilized dating apps because I was in an eight-year super upset about it. So I turned to her in the middle of the movie and I’m like, “Can you shut the monogamous relationship. I didn’t want to hurt fuck up?” And she was like, “What is your problem? people’s feelings on Tinder, so I swiped right on Why don’t you want to talk to me?” and I was like, almost every profile that came up. I came across this one lady who looked attractive but had some “Because we’re watching a movie that’s literally red flags on her profile. For one, her profile picture called A Quiet Place.”

So we get back into her apartment and I’m like, was of her wearing a gas mask filled with weed alright finally, I can say goodbye and go home. smoke. At no point did it register to me that this Well, she pulled out a bag of cocaine. And I’m woman was someone to avoid. not one to say no to drugs. And so we started doing She contacted me after we matched, calling the cocaine and all of a sudden it’s 7:30 in the me “Handsome” and “Baby” pretty early in the morning and the sun was coming up. And I had to conversation. My untrained eye thought she was just giving me compliments, but soon I realized this go to my job the next day, actually an hour and a half from then, so I said, “Goddamn, all right I need was part of her game. Within two days of talking to get out of here.” she was trying to sell me on a story about how she was down on her luck and needed a place to stay since she was being evicted soon. She kept

THE SEEKER DROP THE NOISE

No seriously, drop it

Pg. 9 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY KATHERINE GRANT

IMAGINE YOU’RE settling onto your yoga mat. As you close your eyes and start to give your attention to breath work, you permit all of the day’s events to gently slip away. Now imagine doing this while rocking a pair of DropSound noise cancelling headphones to help eliminate additional external distractions.

That’s the objective behind the DropSound Soulful Flow, hosted by SweatNET at Camp North End, and I was appreciative to find during a recent that it delivered.

According to SweatNET, a “Soulful Flow is a liberating practice merging breath, fluid movement, creative sequencing, intention and meditation to slow down, soften, release and reconnect.” This magical combination of words may as well be my love language.

I also find this to be an interesting point of self-reflection, considering I used to vie for the sweatiest, most hard-hitting yoga class I could find. I wanted to tap into that sense of austerity, sweating out all the booze I had consumed over the weekend just to prove to myself I could do it.

Almost passing out or throwing up wasn’t out of the question either.

These days, however, I seem to have subtly transitioned from a power-yoga junkie to craving a more mild practice. If you’ve been following my first few columns, you may remember I recently wrote about my experience in a breath work room, in which the heavy breathing of my fellow attendees coming from all directions was unsettling to say the least. DropSound Soulful Flow was a promising fix.

If you haven’t personally experienced a yoga class like this yet, here’s how it works: Each attendee filled out a waiver with their headphone set number on it (in case they accidentally walk out with it following a mind-clearing session). Once we were on our mats, wireless headphones adjusted on our melons, the teacher explained how to control the volume using the dial on the side of each pair, allowing us to tune into both the teacher’s

“A MINDFUL FLOW SET AMIDST THE SOFT NEON BLUE GLOW OF NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES PROVED TO BE A RELAXING ANTIDOTE TO A LONG MONDAY.” voice and a DJ. Once class started, I realized that I prefer this functionality in comparison to some studios where the instructor’s mic volume can’t be controlled. The sense of control truly added to the overall experience.

During the 50-minute flow, I observed that omitting external noise distractions granted me space to go deeper into my practice — focusing on my own breath, movement and intention without the distraction of external stimulus (i.e., no heavy nostril breathing from my neighbor). Definitely a win.

In my yogi opinion, the luxury of practicing a slow flow in a low-lit room is an ideal and restorative way to close out the day. Here, I found that the darkened room really lends itself to the “soulful” portion of the class. A mindful flow set amidst the soft neon blue glow of noise-canceling headphones proved to be a relaxing antidote to a long Monday.

The flow itself was deliberate and calming as our teacher, Jaimis Huff, guided us through our headphones in a circle, or mandala, around our mat making non-linear shapes. The word “mandala” in Sanskrit means “circle,” and is a spiritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism which represents wholeness. So a mandala vinyasa flow sequence

like this includes traveling 360 degrees around the mat. It also happens to be the type of flow I practice at home.

Jaimis’ dharma talk was timely to say the least, as it seemed to speak directly to my soul. Her words touched upon the idea that the answers we seek externally from ourselves we already know the answer to — all we have to do is tune out the external by turning inwards, towards the internal teacher that dwells within each of us.

And there it was. That poignant “a-ha” moment I didn’t know I was looking for.

On a personal note, I’ve been stuck in a perpetual loop of existential crises for a while, unable to to really pinpoint where the sense of trauma originates, or able to navigate a clear life path.

Lately I’ve been getting more and more emotionally ensnared by negative self-talk, mostly due to past experiences in the workplace.

As a sentient being, I’m finding that healing is not a linear process but looks more like a crooked path littered with countless detours. But it’s the awakening moments like this (that only happen on my mat) which remind me of why I keep coming back. Within my own heart thrives the voice of higher wisdom that is capable of guiding me to do

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what’s right, I just need to slow down and listen.

As the Soulful Flow concluded with slow, grounding poses, I laid down, headphones still on, allowing my body to sink into the supportive-yetsupple mat beneath me. Closing my eyes, swaddled by the room’s darkness, savasana felt endlessly sweet as I reflected upon my journey with a sense of gratitude.

The Soulful Flow met both my expectations and spiritual needs just as I had hoped. It was a liberating practice, permitting all of us in the room the opportunity to fuse breath, movement and intention seamlessly.

You better believe that I’ve already signed up for the next event.

COMING FULL CYCLE

Brand New Sheriff continues in the Wilson tradition

Pg. 10 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

R

Sultan Omar El-Amin. (10)

PHOTO BY CHAU NGUYEN

BY PERRY TANNENBAUM

ORY SHERIFF, founder and producer of Brand New Sheriff Productions — and the author of two works staged at Spirit Square, Be a Lion and Boys to Baghdad — has a special affinity for the work of August Wilson. After presenting Wilson’s Jitney at Duke Energy Theater in 2017, BNS is back on Thursday, Jan. 31, with Two Trains Running, another drama from Wilson’s acclaimed 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle. Two Trains will run through Feb. 9, and Sheriff doesn’t plan on stopping there.

The special appeal of America’s pre-eminent black playwright for Sheriff is twofold — as a writer and as a Pennsylvanian.

“As a playwright myself,” Sheriff explains, “I am fascinated with August Wilson’s style of writing, more so the characters he writes about. Growing up in Reading, Pennsylvania, I can relate to every last character, situation and location he speaks about in Two Trains Running. The beautiful thing is I can now see and understand these people from an adult point of view. They are my dad, his friends, my uncles, my neighbors. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m reliving my childhood through the works of Mr. Wilson.”

Each of the plays in Wilson’s Cycle is set in a different decade of the 20th century, and all of them are set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, except for one Chicago excursion representing the 1920s, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The only play that predates Ma Rainey was the one Sheriff first plunged into, Jitney, which premiered in 1982 and represents the 1940s. By the time Two Trains, representing the 1960s, premiered in 1990, Wilson had already finished six of the plays in his Cycle.

So Sheriff has honed in on decades that his dad and uncles would recognize, but as he takes us back to the days of Malcolm X and the rise of the Black Panthers, Sheriff is promising that Two Trains won’t be his last stop.

“Yes,” he proclaims, “BNS Productions is committed to producing all ten of Mr. Wilson’s works. We will produce at least one of his works every season. Here’s an exclusive: We will be ending this season with Jitney, and next season we will be doing Radio Golf.”

This extraordinary announcement comes during an extraordinary launch of Black History

Month, with three theatrical productions featuring black performers opening in the same week — making unprecedented Charlotte history. While Theatre Charlotte is waiting until Feb. 1 to open Ain’t Misbehavin’, Actor’s Theatre is jumping the gun, officially opening Nina Simone: Four Women on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

None of these productions is miniscule, testifying to the depth of black acting and musical talent across the Queen City, so the time is ripe for Brand New Sheriff to be making bolder, more ambitious plans.

Sheriff is definitely packing some highpowered ammunition onstage for Two Trains.

“All of the actors in Two Trains Running have been in at least one Wilson play,” says director Corlis Hayes. Hayes is no first timer, either.

Combined with the four she has directed at Central Piedmont Community College, where she teaches in the drama program, Hayes has now directed six of the 10 Pittsburgh plays, including the two Pulitzer Prize winners, Fences and The Piano Lesson.

Like Jitney, the action in Two Trains Running takes place in a building slated for acquisition and demolition by the city of Pittsburgh. The wrongheaded concept of urban renewal evidently had a cancerous grip on black community life for a long time. Here, it’s a restaurant rather than the gypsy cab company facing its doom in Jitney, and the restaurant owner, Memphis, is our protagonist.

He’s holding out for a fair price on his property — against the lowball bids of both the city and the ghoulish, rapacious West, who owns West’s Funeral Parlor across the street.

Memphis also has some unfinished business back in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, where he was driven off his land many years earlier and not paid a dime. He’s typical of the black men in Wilson’s plays, struggling against a system that white society has rigged against them. Echoing that reality — or responding to it — men in both Jitney and Two Trains Running play the numbers, hoping that luck will supply the boost that honest work doesn’t.

Recently discharged from prison, another recurring Wilson motif, Sterling is trying to interest Memphis and his male customers in attending an upcoming Black Power rally. Jonovan Adams, who has performed in all the Wilson plays that Hayes

“I AM EXTREMELY PLEASED AND ENERGIZED WITH HER PROCESS OF DIRECTING. SHE’S WELL-VERSED AND MAKES IT HER MISSION TO STAY TRUE TO WILSON’S VISION.”

Pg. 11 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM30

LeShea Nicole, actress

staged at CPCC, will portray the restless, volatile Sterling. Activism isn’t the character’s only pursuit: he asks everybody he speaks with for a job or at least a lead, and he’s persistently trying to make headway with Risa, Memphis’ troubled waitress.

Estranged from his wife, Memphis seems to have a blind spot when it comes to women.

Debating with Holloway, one of his older customers, about why Risa has mutilated herself, Memphis labels her dangerous while Holloway sees her as searching for someone who will love her true inner self.

“I feel both of these men hit on some truths about Risa,” says actress LeShea Nicole, whose previous venture into Wilson’s world was as Vera in the On Q Performing Arts production of Seven Guitars in 2015.

“Dangerous is definitely not a word I would use to describe Risa, because she never resorts to violence or threats, but I believe she feels ruined from some form or forms of abuse that she encountered in her past that has caused her to shut down socially/emotionally and even distort her appearance,” Nicole continues.

“Risa may feel ruined, but not beyond repair. She seeks guidance and solace from Prophet Samuel, which, in my eyes, equals hope.”

Working on her second Wilson drama, Nicole is switching companies and directors. The legendary Lou Bellamy, founder of Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, worked directly with Wilson on multiple occasions. Bellamy not only directed Nicole for On Q, he also directed her as an understudy for the Blumenthal Performing Arts production of The Mountaintop that played at Booth Playhouse in 2014. It was Bellamy, speaking about Seven Guitars in 2015, who pinpointed the power and appeal of the Pittsburgh Cycle’s decades-long saga.

“[Wilson’s] dramatic and lyrical arcs are way Devin Clark (front) and LeShea Nicole. (5) longer than anyone would believe. You think it’s over, but that arc goes on and you have to learn to carry that and get to the end of it,” Bellamy said.

“You have to understand that Wilson is a poet and [each play] has its own rhythm and line in addition to the story line.”

In their first-ever collaboration, Nicole says that Hayes measures up.

“I am extremely pleased and energized with her process of directing,” Nicole says. “She’s well-versed and makes it her mission to stay true to Wilson’s vision. Dr. Hayes allows actors to explore, find depth in our characters and tap into our creative freedom without jeopardizing the integrity of the production.

It is a tricky balancing act that she masters effortlessly. Hayes’ extensive acting career truly makes her an ‘actor’s director’ which is wonderful.”

Whether it’s Prophet Samuel, who lies in state at West’s funeral parlor, or it’s hitting the numbers; Corlis Hayes with Rory Sheriff. (2) whether it’s promoting a Black Power rally or gleaning wisdom from the mysterious Aunt Ester, a 322-year-old soothsayer; the people of Two Trains Running are seekers. The emphasis on ritual especially sets this play apart from other plays in the Pittsburgh Cycle, according to Hayes, but there’s still a common thread.

“Always with Wilson,” Hayes observes, “reunion and reconciliation with the past heals the wounds of the present, bridges gaps between loved ones, and clears the path for a promising future.”

PHOTO BY CHAU NGUYEN

PHOTO BY CHAU NGUYEN

TWO TRAINS RUNNING $28; Jan. 31 - Feb 7; Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org

Dominic Weaver. (13)

PHOTO BY CHAU NGUYEN

ARTIST’S STATEMENT VOICE OF THE VOICELESS

Local poet and storyteller Hannah Hasan has the tough conversations

Pg. 12 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

HANNAH HASAN is a storyteller.

Not the stories of fiction or elaborate tales of wonderment and far-away places. She tells the stories of people in Charlotte and gives life to voices that fall on deaf ears in the city.

Partnering with Q.C. Family Tree, a nonprofit in Enderly Park, Hasan will share the stories of gentrification and those displaced in west Charlotte at Muddy Turtle Talks Gentrification and Conversation on Feb. 9 at Warehouse 242.

The power of storytelling should rouse the community into action to address the problems of gentrification and removal of historically black neighborhoods.

Muddy Turtle Talks will begin with the stories of Charlotte residents gathered and told by Hasan and other artists, then leads into an open and candid discussion about addressing these issues.

Queen City Nerve sat down with Hasan to talk about Charlotte, gentrification and her method of sharing the stories of human experience in our city.

out how to make all of that work is just really interesting to watch.

Queen City Nerve: What do you see happening in the city right now?

Hasan: To see how different the city is, all the changes that have happened is really interesting, but also I’ve always felt like Charlotte is this pot that’s on the stove and it’s boiling. And there’s the lid that’s shaking and a couple of years ago with the Keith Lamont Scott shooting, that lid popped off. But there’s still stuff in the pot and there’s a lot of different people and groups and efforts and artists that are working to try to figure out, “How do we address what’s in the pot? How do we create a city that we can all be proud of? How do we create an identity that we can all be proud of?”

When you ask people what is the story, the identity of Charlotte, you get different answers almost anywhere you go, but the thing that is constant is there’s two Charlottes. There’s the one that is experienced by people who are the “Haves” and at the table and then there’s the opposite of that. So trying to merge those worlds and figure

The upcoming Muddy Turtle Talks event is about gentrification, how does your storytelling play into that?

So this is the second Muddy Turtle [event]. Prior to that, using this format that I use for what we like to call “social impact story sharing,” I’ve done before. This is the first time that I’ve used it with this approach. We had a show in October that was essentially stories that ran the gamut, and it was stories about life on the west side of Charlotte and the goal, my goal as a storyteller, was to share the stories of people just to humanize them. Some of those stories were happy and joyful, some of them would be tragic. A little of everything in between.

There were a couple of stories about housing, but really it was just about showing the outside of the community that there are people who live here, breathe here, experience life here, pay attention.

I’ve also found through conversations that I’ve had it could be businesses, because businesses get displaced as well. So that’s what I’ve been

What’s in the “Charlotte Pot?” I think everything. You can’t talk about that pot without talking about housing and homelessness and upward mobility. That might be the story of Charlotte right now, is upward mobility. But that conversation about, “How do we ensure our schools are what they need to be, how do we ensure that our communities look and feel the way they need to be, and how do people who work in the city afford to live in the city?”

Then there is the stench of what happens over the course of those few days after the shooting and the [Charlotte] Uprising and the relationship with law enforcement and the relationship with elected officials and organizers, artists, all of those things.

All of that is there, and I think the optimist in me believes the desire to make this city what it needs to be is deeply entrenched in all of that.

MUDDY TURTLE TALKS GENTRIFICATION AND CONVERSATION Free; Feb. 9, 1 p.m.; Warehouse 242, 2307 Wilkinson Blvd.; tinyurl.com/ MuddyTurtleTalks

Hannah Hasan.

doing. I’ve been interviewing folks who live, work, breathe in that Tuckaseegee Road area and the different major thoroughfares around. I’ve been interviewing people and just talking to them about their experiences and their experiences with housing, what their fears are for their community, some folks who have already been kicked out and what they’re going to do. And then as a storyteller, I then write those stories, but I try to keep the anonymity of the person whose story I’m telling intact. Then storytellers from the community will learn them and share them at the event.

I will say that last time when I did this, I was so intent on making sure the purity of the stories was kept intact that I didn’t put my hand as a storyteller in it as much. It was almost like I transcribed what the folks told me. This time around, I’m going to take a little bit more creative liberties in sharing the stories in a way that it’s still true, but a little more effective.

What can community members do after hearing the stories at Muddy Turtle Talks?

Last time it was just stories. This time, in addition to the stories, we’re going to have a community conversation, a very candid one with a couple of panelists, but really it’s about the community holding space with each other. And the first step

PHOTO BY DREA PHOTO ARTISTRY

I believe is acknowledgement. I think that’s why something like this is important. Why the arts for social justice? Because we’re the gatekeepers of the truth. As opposed to having all these meetings with certain talking heads and figures and stuff like that, this is a time for the community to come together and say, “This thing is happening.”

Whereas I might not be able to change things right now at a systematic level, you can with your vote.

In this space, it’s less about telling the stories and leaving and more about the fact that this is a two-part thing where we can take these stories and use them as real-life examples, and then talk about what could’ve been done. Because most of the time, there’s something that could’ve been done. And addressing gentrification at a systematic level and Charlotte’s housing crisis and all that other stuff, those are really big issues that people are working on. But this right here, this is about the human experience, and really not only is it about gentrification or forced displacement, it’s about erasure, it’s about honoring the truth that these are historically black communities.

By listening to these stories and writing them and sharing them, we give honor to the fact that these are human beings who have had a human experience and they were here.

CMIHOCIK@QCNERVE.COM

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30TH

CLT MILLENNIAL ART TALK

What: Struggling artists unite! Charlotte’s Millennial Art Program is meeting up every last Wednesday of the month with guests that will reinvigorate your creative drive. Artists Linda Luise Brown and Chris Watts are stopping by this month to talk about their upcoming exhibit, Transparency.

More: Free; 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.; Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, 1520 S. Tryon St.; eldergalleryclt.com

THURSDAY, JAN. 31ST THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER

What: Ten unsolved murders of women in a quiet Kentucky town plague the life of a son and his upstanding, town-leading father. The Clovehitch Killer stars Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story) and Charlie Plummer (Lean on Pete) in a mystery film of horror and betrayal.

More: $5.46-10.61; 7:30 p.m.; C3 Labs, 2525 Distribution St.; tinyurl.com/clovehitchkiller

FRIDAY, FEB. 1ST

LIFELINE

Pg. 14 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

JAN. 30TH - FEB. 5TH

ART AFTER DARK

What: Grab that photo you’ve been saving to scrapbook and make an album or magazine cover inspired by contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas then immerse yourself in the art of black storytelling with Dasan Ahanu.

More: Free; 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, 551 S Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

SATURDAY, FEB. 2ND DAD BOD, HUNGRY GIRL, MOTEL GLORY

What: We were at Hungry Girl’s November show at Snug Harbor, and our ears only just now stopped ringing.

Time to catch up with the hard-rocking trio at Tommy’s, where they’ll be joined by Motel Glory and Dad Bod. More: Free; 10 p.m.; Tommy’s Pub, 3125 Eastway Drive, Suite 710; tinyurl.com/HungryDad

SUNDAY, FEB. 3RD

3RD ANNUAL PUPPY BOWL

What: Fuck the Super Bowl, this is the only sporting event in the city that truly matters. Watch adorable (and adoptable) puppies go head-to-head in the cutest match-up of the season along with a costume contest and food and drink specials.

More: Free; 1-4 p.m.; Lucky Dog Bark & Brew, 2220 Thrift Rd.; tinyurl.com/3rdPuppyBowl

MONDAY, FEB. 4TH A RIFF OF LOVE: STORIES & SONGS OF JUSTICE, COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

What: Q.C. Family Tree founder Greg Jarrell’s newly released book, A Riff of Love, tells the brutally honest story of his experience moving into Enderly Park as a privileged white man following seminary. This event translates those stories into jazz music with the help of vocalist Dawn Anthony.

More: Free; 7-8:30 p.m.; Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road; tinyurl.com/RiffOfLove

TUESDAY, FEB. 5TH VALERIE JUNE

What: Her life story — bricklayer’s daughter-turned-street-musician finds fame — would make one hell of a movie, but Valerie June’s authenticity goes beyond her bio. Fusing blues, gospel and Appalachian folk, June makes roots music that is timeless and contemporary.

More: $25 and up; 7:30 p.m.; McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 6TH ERIKA WENNERSTROM

What: With the Heartless Bastards, Erika Wennerstrom mixes hard rock and country in songs about the working class. With the Bastards on break, her introspective solo songs are just as unyielding as her rockin’ material.

More: $12-15; 7 p.m.; Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.; neighborhoodtheatre.com

THURSDAY, FEB. 7TH VALENTIN ROCKERO

What: Celebrate Valentine’s Day early with rock en español! MoFunGo is not to be confused with the Puerto Rican dish mofongo, while Dorian Gris sports the Spanish name of a dude in love with portraiture and himself.

More: $10; 8 p.m.; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

FRIDAY, FEB. 8TH

LIFELINE

Pg. 15 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

FEB. 6TH - FEB. 12TH

ROUGE

What: There’s a little something for everyone at Rouge, a captivating three-for-one show hosted by Caroline Calouche and Co. that combines the thrill of Cirque Du Soleil-inspired aerial stunts with cabaret-style dance.

More: $90-110; 9 p.m.; Booth Playhouse, 130 N Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

SATURDAY, FEB. 9TH CON-TAGION

What: Whether you’re just stepping into the creative realm or looking for expert advice and workshops on how to hone your skills, Con-tagion is the event by creatives for creatives. Snag books, get some crafts and see an art show all in one spot.

More: $40; 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Queens University Sports Complex, 2229 Tyvola Rd.; con-tagion.org

SUNDAY, FEB. 10TH

WHERE THE WILD WOMEN ART SHOW

What: This event will showcase the work of some of Charlotte’s most badass female visual artists while benefitting Safe Alliance. Artists include Phoebe Alicia, Lo’Vonia Parks, Miss Lotus and more. Also, catch Modern Primitives and Chócala perform and a bevy of great vendors.

More: Free; 7 p.m.; Crown Station Coffeehouse & Pub, 3629 N. Davidson St.; crownstationpub.com

MONDAY, FEB. 11TH

RESIST THE RNC: PREPARING FOR 2020

What: The Republican National Convention won’t be landing in Charlotte for another year and a half, but that won’t stop some opposing organizers from beginning preparations. Organizers lead a discussion about how to prevent local law enforcement from wrongly using the $50 million they received to help police the convention.

More: Free; 6-7:30 p.m.; Bette Rae Thomas Rec Center, 2921 Tuckaseegee Road; resistrnc2020.net

TUESDAY, FEB. 12TH ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES

What: A wave of rockin’ retro soul swept through the country in 2014, and St. Paul & the Broken Bones rode the crest. Since then, the band has stayed true to their Muscle Shoals inspirations and added a splash of contemporary R&B. More: $29; 8 p.m.; Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

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PHOTO BY MATT HYLOM

Matt Hylom.

FROM BACKGROUND TO FOREFRONT

Pg. 16 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Matt Hylom finds royalty-free success, but he’s just getting started

A

BY RYAN PITKIN

S I WALK into The Alexander Building in Cornelius, I get the feeling I may be in the wrong place. I’m here to meet Matt Hylom, a local musician who told me the building is home to his studio, but as I navigate the greencarpeted hallways with wood-paneled walls, I can’t imagine this as the place where hip, new pop music is being made.

But when Hylom lets me in to Suite 210, it’s like I’ve returned from the Cold War era back

into the 21st century. The recently renovated two-room studio has wood floors rather than wood walls. Leather couches face a bookshelf holding the likes of Dante, Tolkien and Dostoyevsky. Hylom’s first guitar, a Johnson he bought in 2000, hangs from the wall.

In the room where Hylom produces his music — or pays his taxes, as he’s doing on the morning I visit — two computer screens overlook his Akai Professional MPD218 drum machine. Four guitars and a ukulele lean

against a rack to the right, while standalone sound-proof panels stand between the speakers and the windows.

It’s the room where Hylom produced “Comatose,” his first single of 2019. The song drops on Feb. 1, and it’s a new direction for Hylom, whose last single “Headspace” was a more beat-driven banger than the melodical, soothing guitar riffs on “Comatose.”

Next to his technical setup sits an empty dry-erase board sits waiting for him to finish

his tax work and start jotting his thoughts about music he’s currently working on. I mention that it’s much bigger than the tiny board he used to brainstorm on in his NoDa home just three years ago.

“I’ve got a little bit more going on these days,” Hylom says, laughing. But he’s not kidding.

Since 2013, when he quit his job to focus purely on music, Hylom has become one of the most successful musicians in the world — at

Pg. 17 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

least within his market: the royalty-free music scene.

Royalty-free music refers to music that’s licensed and sold for a one-time fee. It’s used in commercials, YouTube videos and just about anywhere you hear background music — yes, including elevators.

Since he began experimenting with royalty-free music in 2016 as a way to fund his personal music career, Hylom quickly shot to the top of the royalty-free charts. Sure, they’re not the charts that music fans see, but the work has been fruitful for Hylom. His wife, Kirsten, who financially supported the couple with her nursing job while Matt pursued music, was able to quit her job at the end of 2018.

Everything changed for Hylom in August 2017, when one of his royalty-free tracks, titled “Uplifting and Inspiring Background Music for Videos & Presentations,” blew up almost as soon as he put it up for sale on AudioJungle, a website for royalty-free music.

The track, which runs just over two minutes and features an upbeat guitar loop over clapping, drums and a few “Hey!” expressions for good measure, quickly started racking up license sales. It would eventually become the most popular royalty-free song in the world for 2018.

“Things just went viral from there,” Hylom says. “I have another 85 tracks in addition to that one song, so the popularity of that brought my whole library up; my catalogue got a lot more traction.”

That song sold 8,000 licenses, including to companies like Honda and Ring, a doorbell security system. The ensuing attention brought Hylom’s royalty-free YouTube channel to 250,000 subscribers.

Hylom’s royalty-free music is just a means to an end, however, and his creative priority is still with his personal music career. He doesn’t shy away from talking about his royalty-free work, because in the end, he gets to make music for a living.

“It’s exploiting my production capacity,” Hylom says. “They say you should just produce as much as you can, mix as much as you can, so it gave me the opportunity to mix hundreds of songs, because they were my own, and it was

helping my craft.”

In 2019, Hylom will continue selling licenses through AudioJungle, but hopes to continue building the growing fanbase for his personal music. “Headspace” was a good head start, as it made Spotify’s Discover Playlist and reached 70,000 streams, exceeding his previous best of 12,000.

For Hylom, that’s what the game’s all about.

“I don’t like the idea of being in the underground, like only a niche audience knows who I am,” Hylom says. “I want my music to be heard by as many people as possible.”

That’s not to say that Hylom is selling out. Despite the success of “Headspace,” he’s taking his music in a new direction this year, or you could call it an old one. He says his new stripped-down style brings him full circle in a way, more like the acoustic songs he played when he just got his start as a singer/ songwriter playing cover songs.

“I went as far as out as possible, just going crazy on these productions, like whatever comes to my mind I’m just going to do,” Hylom says of the music he’s made over the last year. “Now I’m honing it back to what I feel is the best representation of me, the best way I can get these songs out. It’s not like I’m trying to create a dubstep track but one that’s interpreted by me, it’s more like, ‘This is how I think this song should sound.’”

It’s not always that easy, though. Hylom was ready to do away with “Comatose” completely before a serendipitous phone call saved it at the last minute. Hylom had written produced the riff and written the chorus, but none of the verses he wrote would live up to his expectations.

Just when he was ready to move on, he got a call from Scott Mulvahill, a Nashville singer/ songwriter friend with whom he had discussed potential collaborations in the past.

“I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to trash this whole project. I’ll write something else, this is just not working, I’ve got bigger fish to fry,’” Hylom recalls, “but Scott contacted me that day like, ‘Hey, you got anything to work on? I would love to work on something.’”

Hylom had never worked with a writing partner before, but he liked what he got back

Matt Hylom.

from Mulvahill. He eventually brought local songwriter Josh Kiser into the mix as well.

In the end, the process worked, and Hylom rescued the song from the trash bin with the help of his friends.

“Scott’s from Nashville, so it had this Nashville vibe to it. Josh is more pop, so it sounded like straight pop stuff,” Hylom says.

“It was interesting to hear their takes. It wasn’t quite my take, but they lyrically had some good ideas, and I liked some of the intonations of the melody. It was just interesting to see how something that’s my work can take totally different life forms when interpreted differently.”

Hylom isn’t usually a fan of doing group work, but the experience with “Comatose” has him rethinking his ways. He says that collaborating during the songwriting process is something that he will look to do more of moving forward.

As for what’s next, Hylom will spend the next two months promoting the new single,

PHOTO BY MATT HYLOM

then release another one. He’s not big into releasing albums or EPs, but would rather spend his time pushing one song at a time, steadily building his fanbase online.

“My fanbase is actively growing, and so I can put more effort into promoting a specific song as opposed to releasing a set of five songs and then having to pick and choose how much I really push,” he says. “For me, at least in this season of my life, I’m super busy with the production, with the royalty-free stuff, and I want to concentrate on one song at a time and then release them consistently so there’s a consistent flow instead of there being a year gap between EPs.” He’s got three songs lined up for release at the moment, so that will get us through to June.

It’s good to know that if he hits a wall between then and now, he can always call in some friends.

It’s just all about getting in the headspace.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

SOUNDWAVE JANUARY 30 POP

Open Mic w/ Leebo (Comet Grill) ROCK/PUNK/METAL

January Residency: Modern Primitives, Petrov, LeAnna Eden & the Garden Of, The Business People (Snug Harbor) Jamundo (Evening Muse) The Band Camino, Hardcastle (Neighborhood Theatre)

HIP-HOP/R&B

C. Shreve the Professor, FLLS (Evening Muse)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

LOCASH (Underground) Quincey Blues (Smokey Joe’s Cafe)

The Steel Wheels (Booth Playhouse) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill)

JANUARY 31

FEBRUARY 2

Music Open Mic (Crown Station)

The Decades of Rock: Randy Franklin, Sardines, The Mannish Boys (Neighborhood Theatre) Fine Lines, RevelWood Mission (Evening Muse) Nevermind: Nirvana Tribute (Visulite Theatre) Tosco Music Party (Knight Theater) Dad Bod, Hungry Girl, Motel Glory (Tommy’s Pub) Pullover, Woolbright, Bangzz, Wild Trees (Milestone) Blue Monday (Tin Roof)

POP

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Megan Davies, MamaDear (Evening Muse) Jordan Middleton Duo (RiRa) Crystal Fountains (Comet Grill) ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Pg. 18 Jan. 30- Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Liz Cooper & the Stampede (Visulite Theatre) Standing Room Only (Smokey Joe’s) Young Bull w/ Dynamite Brothers, Brandi & The Alexanders (Snug Harbor) IIOIOIOII, Malhond, August House (Tommy’s Pub) Jay Taylor (Tin Roof) Something Went Wrong, Van Huskins, Flight Risk (Milestone)

Windhand, Genocide Pact (Neighborhood Theatre) Set For The Fall, Sourwood (Milestone) Diamonds & Whiskey (Visulite Theatre) Open Mic Night w/ Capt. D (Tommy’s Pub) Shaun Abbott Band (Tin Roof) Shana Blake and Friends (Smokey Joe’s Café) Revelwood Mission with Hawkins King (Petra’s)

FEBRUARY 1

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Donna the Buffalo, Gary Douglas Band (Neighborhood Theatre) Shoot To Thrill, Mostley Crue (Underground) Christy Snow, Rene Russell (Evening Muse) Bloodworth Project, Gigi Dover & Big Love, BobWhite Conspiracy (Petra’s)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

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

Off the Wall feat. The JETA Team (Petra’s) Indigo Jo, Rob: Earth-One, Malcolm Chester, Shamir Lee (Snug Harbor) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

The Lacs (Coyote Joe’s) Jack Marion and The Pearl Snap Prophets (Primal Brewery)

FEBRUARY 3

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

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

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

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor)

FEBRUARY 4

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Leisure McCorkle (Tommy’s Pub) Monday Night Allstars (Neighborhood Theatre)

Quincey Blues (Smokey Joe’s Café) Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Erika Wennerstrom (Neighborhood Theatre) Open Mic with Leebo (Comet Grill) ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL

POP

Bugalú (Petra’s)

Piano Bar Karaoke & Sing Along with guest Jason Atkins (Petra’s) Find Your Muse: Echo 2 Locate (Evening Muse)

FEBRUARY 7

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

Knocturnal (Snug Harbor) KONGOS, Fitness (Underground)

FEBRUARY 5

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

The Lil Smokies, Michigan Rattlers (Neighborhood Theatre) Open Jam with the Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s) Solemn Shapes, Compactor, Xambuca, Pain Body (Milestone) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Valerie June, Thad (McGlohon Theater) Featherpocket w/ Ginny, Catriona Sturton Band, The Pintos (Snug Harbor) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

GLBL (Snug Harbor) The Skinny Bully Poetry Slam (Evening Muse)

FEBRUARY 6

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

February Residency: Hectorina w/ Gasp & Rye (Snug Harbor) The Native Howl, King Cackle, Kyle Perkins Band (Milestone)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Daley, JMSN (Neighborhood Theatre) The Contenders, Elise Davis (Evening Muse) Lassyu, The Dirty Lowdown, Labia Minor, Swamp78 (Milestone) Shana Blake and Friends (Smokey Joe’s Café) Open Mic Night w/ Felicia Castelow (Tommy’s Pub) Valentin Rockero (Petra’s) Rayland Baxter, Illiterate Light (Visulite Theatre) Taylor Dean & the Dean’s List (Tin Roof) POP

Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti (Knight Theater) Music Open Mic (Crown Station) DJ/ELECTRONIC

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

FEBRUARY 8

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Perpetual Groove (Neighborhood Theatre) Walk the Moon, Bear Hands (Fillmore) Rickolus, Bedroom Sessions, Mr. Genius and the Robot Inventors (Milestone) Dane Page, Clint Roberts, The Remarks, Zack Joseph (Petra’s) Tauk, People’s Blues of Richmond (Visulite Theatre) Willie Douglas Band (Tommy’s Pub) Morganton, The Boron Heist, Cann”d, Nuclear

SOUNDWAVE Desolation, NeverFall (Skylark Social Club) Cardfall (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

BJ Barham (Evening Muse) Travis Denning (Coyote Joe’s) Lenny Federal (Comet Grill)

FEBRUARY 9

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

27th Annual Johnson Valentine Bash (Snug Harbor) Martin Sexton, Chris Trapper (Visulite Theatre) Milestone’s Galentine’s Day Extravaganza (Milestone) Venus Invictus, The Bleeps, EdensKiss, Nightmare Sonata (Tommy’s Pub) The Eyebrows, Toleman Randall, The Mystery Plan (Petra’s) WaterWorks w/ The Mongos (Hattie’s) Hustle Souls, Down North (Evening Muse) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Folk Soul Revival (Evening Muse) Kevin Williams Duo (Summit Coffee House, Davidson) Kasey Tyndall (Tin Roof) Pg. 19 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

DJ/ELECTRONIC

DJ Blake (Tin Roof) Trey Lewis (Tin Roof) ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL

Derek Moore Reggae (Primal Brewery) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bryce Vine (Underground) Machine Funk WSP Tribute (Rabbit Hole)

FEBRUARY 10 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Metal Church Sunday Service (Milestone)

Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Tiny Stage Concerts Valentine’s Reunion Showcase (Heist Brewery) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) Yung Gravy (Underground) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

Bluegrass Open Jam w/Greg Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s Pub) Charlotte Blues Society presents Lipbone Redding (Rabbit Hole)

FEBRUARY 11 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Neal Morse Band (Neighborhood Theatre) Find Your Muse Open Mic: Brook Pridemore (Evening Muse) Winter Residency w/ Four Finger Records- Fortune Teller, Reaves, The Raineers (Petra’s) Brangle (Smokey Joe’s) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Jazz Mondays (Crown Station) Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)

FEBRUARY 12 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Alan Doyle, Whitney Rose (Neighborhood Theatre) Open Jam with the Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s) St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Valley Queen (Fillmore) Spafford (Visulite Theatre) Singer-Songwriter Night (Tommy’s Pub) Sweat Transfer w/ Mariah Van Kleef, 1970s Film Stock (Snug Harbor) Young Elites (Summit Coffee House, Davidson) The Rundown w/ Stephan Evans, Sophia Lynch, Seth Brand, Paulina Evers (Tin Roof)

THE NORTH WILL RISE AGAIN

Salmon with capers.

PHOTO BY SEAN MCCREEDY

Mooresville bistro makes it worth a trip out of the city

M

Pg. 20 Jan. 30- Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

OORESVILLE is no longer just tank tops and blue jean shorts, according to Chris Boukedes.

The Iredell County town that’s steeped in history but at times tainted with a redneck reputation is beginning to emerge as a new hotspot for foodies and those tired of the Charlotte dining landscape. On The Nines, a new restaurant within the Mooresville Golf Club, is helping reshape the town’s image.

On the Nines is an experience of Southern hospitality wrapped neatly in a French bistro

image, and that’s exactly what co-owners Boukedes and Tara Creedon were going for when they teamed up with executive chef Steve Jordan to open the restaurant in September 2017.

Originally, the team considered setting up shop in a renovated house, much like the restaurants lining the streets of Charlotte’s Elizabeth and Dilworth neighborhoods, but the property they had in mind needed extensive work, to the point where razing and rebuilding would make more sense.

Before they could decide on whether to

dive into such a complex project, the pair caught wind of the property on the green of the golf course. The city owned it, and officials wanted a fresh twist and a new vision.

“When [the town of Mooresville] wanted to update this place, they were looking for a restaurant partner that wasn’t a chain, that wasn’t going to [serve] an average club sandwich with a pitcher of Arnold Palmer,” Boukedes said.

After the team cooked up a concept, officials gave the green light almost

immediately. Boukedes and Creedon got to work on the menu, a cocktail and wine program and revamping the dining room interior.

“The town is very forward-thinking, but it still has an old history to it and we’re embracing that,” Boukedes explained, pointing out the different black-and-white photographs of grape vines, farmhouses and crop fields hung around the dining room.

With one foot in the agricultural history of Mooresville and another in the town’s

Pg. 21 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

ON THE NINES 205 Golf Course Drive, Mooresville; 704-799-4240; ontheninesbistro.com

development, the atmosphere at On the Nines encapsulates the best of the past and future.

Large-format photos displaying the quaint and rural images of Mooresville pay homage to the town’s history and agricultural roots, while the cuisine is a twist of Southern and French.

The menu is the brainchild of Jordan, who started his culinary journey in Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from the since-closed Charleston, South Carolina, campus of Johnson & Wales University, he continued his training at a French bistro there.

Jordan’s experience with creating Southern staples and classical French dishes is apparent in the menu. His style marries the two worlds of cuisine with dishes ranging from buttermilk confit to fried chicken and Provencal-style shrimp.

“It’s taking mixtures of both cultures and putting it on the plate,” Jordan stated.

Boukedes exalts the chef’s skills in the kitchen, noting that it can take a long time for a chef’s passion to shine through in a restaurant’s food, but Jordan executed it easily.

“What he’s done is he’s infused soul into a brand new restaurant that takes decades to instill,” Boukedes said. “He’s got it from the very beginning.”

As a proclaimed purveyor of fresh ingredients and local resources, his artistry on the plate is a reflection of his everyday life.

“It just comes from what I’ve eaten, what I’ve smelled, what I drive by, when I go to the grocery I see something new and just take it from there,” Jordan said. “And I take it from old menu items that I’ve seen and other places I’ve eaten.”

Boukedes sees Jordan’s work as an art.

“My biggest happiness is watching him paint this canvas,” he explained. “That was a blank plate 10 minutes ago. An artist says, ‘What am I feeling? What is my emotion? What do the people want?’ And then he creates his artwork.”

Of course, On the Nines is more than a quick

trip or an Uber away — that is not lost on the owners. However, they believe that Mooresville is on its way up, and they’d rather not blend into the hundreds of restaurants packed within the I-485 belt.

For Boukedes, that just means they have to deliver the best culinary experience they can.

“Up here, you don’t have as much competition, but you also don’t have as many people to pull from,” Boukedes said. “I know that we’re making waves. We just have to get the word out to the rest of them.”

It starts with perception. Many may think of On the Nines as being a private dining club, exclusive to those with golf club memberships.

Not the case, Jordan explained.

“It’s a restaurant on a golf course, it’s not a golf course restaurant,” he said.

As I sat down with Boukedes and Jordan on a recent Wednesday evening, the bistro began to fill with patrons, many of whom came over to say hello and shake hands. The two knew almost every person that walked into the place.

They’re purposeful about building connections with the locals, whether through jovial conversations or by simple customer service.

“Can’t do this overnight,” Boukedes said.

“It’s not Charlotte where you can do one drop and 10,000 people know about it in the instant because you paid for it. Because you have to touch each person one by one. And that takes time.”

He’s not just about the locals, however.

Boukedes believes one trip to his restaurant can convince Charlotteans to make the escape from the city a regular thing. If not for the food, at least for the cocktails.

In the way that Jordan uses fresh ingredients to create in-house dishes, bar manager Melissa Frost is constantly updating the cocktail and wine program to reflect the changing tastes of customers.

“The trends are changing and so is the taste of this area. A lot of people are trying new things, and ordering things that they normally [wouldn’t like],” she said.

In addition to an extensive bloody mary bar available for weekend brunch, Frost created a twist on a classic French 7. Her new take on a Negroni or a smoked old fashioned brings a

Bloody Mary bar available for weekend brunches.

Scallops served over roasted corn.

classic, yet fresh, program of drink mixtures to the menu.

Frost listens closely to feedback, which helps her dictate what the next program version will look like, daring customers to stray from simple gin and tonics.

“I wanted to add something adventurous but that people are also going to enjoy,” Frost stated.

Although it’s a mini-road trip just to get to the humble, up-and-coming town of Mooresville for a visit to On the Nines, the restaurant has certainly figured out the best blend of culinary styles and cocktails to entice

PHOTO BY SEAN MCCREEDY

PHOTO BY SEAN MCCREEDY

folks south of the county border who are tired of the same old food scene.

In the end, the blend of direction from Boukedes and Jordan brings a new restaurant to the forefront of Mooresville, and the duo can see a positive future for both the town and the restaurant.

“With Steve and I, we’re two totally different birds in the business but we feed off of that,” Boukedes said. “From the front of the house to the back of the house and vice versa, we’ve got some good momentum and there’s good things to come with this place.”

CMIHOCIK@QCNERVE.COM

SIDE DISH

RELAX WITH MAX

Max and Lola Bodega jump on the CBD train with new cocktails

BY VERONICA COX

Pg. 22 Jan. 30- Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

THERE ISN’T MUCH you can’t do with CBD, and with the recent nationwide legalization of hemp — and hemp extracts like cannabidiol — it seems like the list is growing by the second. As CBD products pop up throughout Charlotte, the folks at Max and Lola Bodega have jumped on the opportunity by mixing up some CBD-infused wine cocktails aimed at helping you relax or maybe just avoid that hangover.

Queen City Nerve sat down with owner Holly Rodriguez and discussed cocktails, the benefits of CBD and why South End’s Gold District was the perfect place to set up shop.

Queen City Nerve: What made you decide to open up a bodega here in South End? Holly Rodriguez: This has been two years in the works with my partner, and we live four blocks from here. So this was the route that we walked our dogs Max and Lola every day, and we just loved it.

The bodega used to be [an auto body shop] that we brought our cars to, so we’ve known the area for a while.

We’ve been living here six or seven years now, and we always talked about what was missing.

There was really nowhere to pick up some wine, get some beer and hang out on this side of South End, everything was closer to South Boulevard, and that’s how it started. [We said], “What if we do it?

Why not? Leave our corporate jobs behind and do all that.” It took like two years to finalize, get this place and August 18th last year we opened.

CBD-infused products have a heavy presence in your store currently. Why did you decide to start selling them?

In the summer, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, so we were looking for ways for her to deal with her radiation and chemotherapy. We started the CBD with her, and it helped her out so much.

It was around the time we were opening, so we were like, “What if we sell this, can we sell it?” So we started researching different products — a lot of online researching, talking to different friends and some people at the hospital where my mom was, and we found out that it was going to be 100 percent legal in all 50 states.

So we started selling it here and finding different products, everything from edibles to oils.

How did the CBD-infused cocktails come about?

Since we don’t have a liquor license, everything we have is either wine or beer, and actually you get a better effect of the CBD with lower alcohol percentages.

[We were] seeing how well our kombucha was doing on tap and [we asked], “What if we add prosecco to the kombucha?”

So we started with that and then we said, “Let’s do mimosas,” and we got organic orange juice and organic pineapple juices and we started playing around with things. Customers asked, “What if you do CBD sangrias?” and it went from there. There’s a lot of customer requests. We’re always mixing it up, and every week it’s a new drink.

Max & Lola’s line of CBD-infused cocktails.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX & LOLA BODEGA

Is your new focus on CBD bringing in new customers?

There’s people that are coming in now specifically for the CBD and they’re like, “Oh, you guys also have wine and beer.” It’s like bringing in people that are for the CBD but they get to see everything else. A lot of people are coming in for the relief that CBD provides.

People that are working construction, and a lot of the Crossfit community are coming in because it has anti-inflammatory properties, so it helps them in that way they can just pick up something quick without necessarily having to get a full spectrum oil. They can start off small and get a kombucha, get some gummies — you know, ease your way into it.

What are some of the benefits of the products you sell?

CBD has a little bit for everyone, whether you have issues with insomnia and that’s what you’re looking for, we have something for that; or if your back hurts, we have something for that, too. It helps with so many daily body issues.

It’s a lifestyle thing. I don’t want people to think How significant is it to you that your bodega it’s medicine, [because] I use it all day. I put it in my is in an area where there are predominantly coffee, I drink it in kombucha during the day and minority-owned businesses?

Do you source your CBD locally? at night I take some gummies. It’s just like a daily It’s a really big significance to me because I am black, We have local people such as Tar Heal Pharms, and routine thing.

I’m also Hispanic and Latina, and I’m a woman. So it’s they opened Lifted, which is a [CBD] dispensary.

Here, it’s no pressure, you come in and most of a trifecta of everything. But it’s super motivating to They’re from Matthews, so super local. Pure Relief is the time people ask, “So what do I do?” and I’m like, be in a place where I’m seeing a lot more minorities also from Charlotte.

“Try some gummies out.” It’s not a big investment, and more women business owners, especially We’re buying a lot of stuff locally, and then also and most of the time they’re back in within two to younger people. I’m super excited about that and it products like VYBES from L.A., [and] some other three days and they’re like, “Okay, let me get more motivates me. It’s like, “Oh, if they can do it so can I.” products from Oregon, too. gummies,” or, “Let me try oil this time.” You have

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX & LOLA BODEGA

Holly Rodriguez, owner of Max & Lola Bodega.

control over it; how much you want to take, how you want to feel and what works best for you.

Especially with the CBD cocktails, a lot of people are saying, “The next day I didn’t feel hungover or super groggy like I normally do. I felt fine, I felt relaxed.”

And you want that; it’s a good relaxing, chill feel. Even when you drink, you want to drink to relax and enjoy, and all of our cocktails are wine cocktails so they kind of go together well.

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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: $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

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

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

BAD DADDY’S BURGER BAR

COMMON MARKET SOUTH END

Monday: 20-oz. draft for 16 oz. price Tuesday: $5 specialty cocktails Wednesday: $3.50 local drafts Saturday & Sunday: $5 bloody marys & mimosas Pg. 24 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

DILWORTH TASTING ROOM DILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD GRILLE

SUMMIT ROOM

SOUTH END Monday: 1/2 off select pints Tuesday: Free beer tasting 5-7 p.m.

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

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 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 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

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Thursday: $4 old school, $4 well, $4 signature shots Friday & Saturday: $3 shot of the week Sunday: $2 mimosas, $3 bloody mary and beermosas

NODA CABO FISH TACO

Monday: $5 el cheapo margarita Tuesday: $3.50 Tecate and Tecate Light, $5 Altos silver tequila Wednesday: $7 Absolut Lime Moscow mule Thursday: $1 off neighborhood beers on draft Friday & Saturday: $8 margarita special Sunday: $5 mimosas, $6 Absolut Peppar bloody mary, $7 Absolut Lime Moscow mule JACKBEAGLE’S

Pg. 25 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Monday: $5 Cuervo margaritas Tuesday: $3 drafts, $5 vodka Red Bull Wednesday: $1 off whiskey Thursday: $6 Deep Eddy’s vodka Red Bull Friday: $5 Fun-Dip Shots, $5 Crown Royal Black Saturday: $5 Gummy Bear Shots, $5 Big

Mimosa, $6.50 Double bloody mary Sunday: $5 Big mimosa, $6.50 Double bloody mary

Sunday: $5 Deep Eddy Flavors, $1 off tequila, $5 White Gummy Bear Shots $4 Draft special everyday!

SANCTUARY PUB

BILLY JACK’S SHACK

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

Monday: $1.00 off moonshine & moonshine cocktails, $3 domestics Tuesday: $1 off all drafts, $7 Jameson Wednesday: $1 off bottles and cans Thursday: $4.50 wells Friday: $5 Fireball, $1 off local bottles and cans Saturday: $4 mimosas $5 Brunch Punch, $5 Fireball Sunday: $4 mimosas, $5 Brunch Punch, $5 Fireball, $10 champagne bottles

NODA 101

Monday: $4 Ketel One Lemon Drop, $4 Wells, $5 Camerena Tuesday: $6 Seasonal Cocktails, $6 Jameson, $4 Grape Gatorade Wednesday: $1 off Whiskey, $5 Green Tea Shot, $6 Blue Balls Thursday: $5 Jagermeister, $6 vodka Redbull, $6 Oxley Gin Cocktail Friday: $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red Bull, $6 Jameson Saturday: $6 Tito’s, $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red Bull

PLAZA MIDWOOD WHISKEY WAREHOUSE

Monday: $3.50 George Dickel Lemonade Tuesday: $3 Michelob Ultra, $6 classic cocktails Wednesday: $4 drafts, $3 sparkling rosé Thursday: Half price wine, $3 Truly cans Friday: $5 remix classics, $4 Corona & Corona Light Saturday: $2.50 Miller Lite bottles, $3 Dos

Equis drafts Sunday: $2.50 Bud Light, $5 Tito’s Saturday-Sunday: $2 mimosas, bloody mary bar HATTIE’S TAP & TAVERN

Monday: $6 Pabst & Paddy’s Tuesday: $5 Fireball Wednesday: $3 mystery craft beers Thursday: $6 margaritas Friday-Saturday: $5 well drinks Sunday: $10 domestic buckets

ELIZABETH CASWELL STATION

Monday: $2 domestics, $4 well drinks Tuesday: $3 pints, $5 Deep Eddy’s Vodka Wednesday: $3.50 NC Drafts, $5 Bulleit, 1/2 price bottles of wine Thursday: 1/2 price signature cocktails, $2 Tecate cans, $3 Dos Equis & Modelo Friday: $3 Yeungling drafts, $6 Crown Apple Saturday: $3.50 pub cans, $6 Jameson Sunday: $2 mimosas, $4 bloody marys, $10 domestic buckets

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Contact Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@qcnerve.com

MIND BENDERS

Armada_Nerve Word Search_Jan 19.pdf 1 1/11/2019 4:03:17 PM

FINDING ZEN IN QUEEN CITY’S NIGHTLIFE

Create a balance

Pg. 26 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY AERIN SPRUILL

AS YOU MAY KNOW, I’ve been taking a long look at the bad habits I’ve formed while exploring nightlife in the Queen City. As such, I’ve been looking for alternatives to just drinking and gabbing at the bar. I’m not saying I’ve been anywhere near perfect or even tried very hard, but for me at this stage in my life, it’s the thought that counts. And lately, my mind has been on yoga.

Let’s be honest, everyone’s hopped on a yoga kick at some point under the notion that we would find the inner peace, balance, serenity or the keys to the universe we’ve always been looking for. And most of the time, that search ended after a mere two or three sessions. Personally, I’ve tried yoga more times than I can remember. A few weeks ago, yoga came knocking on my door once again.

A friend of mine has been practicing yoga for over a decade. She’s a lot like me in the sense that she’s always looking for positive outlets to bring a bright light to carry through on cloudy days. So when she offered to share a class pass with me if I came to experience a hot yoga session with her, my first instinct was that hot yoga, sweat and a fresh blowout is a “hell no” from me. I’ll find my zen elsewhere. But I relented, at some point, you’ll go to great lengths to create positive lifestyle changes.

It was a Wednesday night, I forced myself to get up from a nap, throw on some leggings and head over to Yoga One on Central Avenue to meet her. It took all of my strength to let my guard down and discard any inhibitions I had holding me back.

After all, yoga can be awkward and intimidating, especially as a young grasshopper in the game.

But I was comforted by my friend’s familiar face as soon as I walked through the door. She’d even taken the time to set up everything for me

in my own private rectangle designated by corner tape.

When I walked in the room, I could feel the edges of my hair curling up. #blackgirlproblems.

In my cold-blooded ignorance, however, I thought it’d be a heat I could handle without breaking too much of a sweat. I was dead wrong.

We all settled in and the instructor stood up at the front of the room. Tattoos? Check. Salt-andpepper hair? Check. British accent? Bonus check!

This instructor topped the charts compared to any other instructor I’d had. Sold!

I looked over to my friend, who had this huge grin on her face as she said, “This class is more like church!” She was completely right.

I’m not sure what the majority of instructors at Yoga One are like, but Kevin Cross is cut from a different cloth. His approach to yoga is inviting and comfortable. He sheds any empty, “chintzy” phrases that make you feel like you’ve joined a cult or, on the other extreme, make you feel like you’re going to walk out considering a vegan or keto lifestyle.

We spent the first portion of the class introducing ourselves, sharing our reasons for coming to yoga class and discussing the importance of doing each movement correctly. I was immediately put in state of ease.

We eased into the separate yoga positions, holding each for a few seconds and I thought, “I’m good, I’m good. If this is what working out feels like, I’m golden and can do this for the rest of my life.”

And then the flow happened. We’ve all seen that person trying to hold an awkward position for an extended period of time. They’re shaking, losing balance and sweating. Well, that was me. I remember holding one position, shaking, looking at the gal in front of me, also shaking, and looking over my shoulder to my friend and saying, “Dominoes are about to fall.” Human dominoes.

What a sweaty nightmare in a hot yoga class. *Insert loud, childish, awkward laughter that’s not appropriate for a yoga class* By the time we finished, all my sweaty self could think about was grabbing a damn drink. And then, the best thing happened: nap time. (Way different than my air nap when I was nauseated after aerial yoga four years ago.)

While I did grab a few drinks in a dehydrated state, I left genuinely intrigued in how to substitute and balance my traditional nightlife routine with holistic, physical activity — while still having cow for dinner.

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JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Taking some time out of your usually busy social life could be just what you need to help you focus on putting those finishing touches on your plans for a possible career change.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A misunderstanding about a colleague’s suggestions could create a delay in moving on with your proposal. But by week’s end, all the confusing points should finally be cleared up.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You might feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you suddenly have to take care of. But just say the magic word — help!

— and you’ll soon find others rushing to offer much-needed assistance.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Finishing a current project ahead of schedule leaves you free to deal with other upcoming situations, including a possible workplace change, as well as a demanding personal matter.

Pg. 27 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Turn that fine-tuned feline sensitivity radar up to high to help uncover any facts that could influence a decision you might be preparing to make. Devote the weekend to family activities.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A state of confusion is soon cleared up with explanations from the responsible parties. Don’t waste time chastising anyone. Instead, move forward with your plans.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You might feel obligated to help work out a dispute between

family members. But this is one of those times when you should step aside and let them work out their problems on their own.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your ability to resolve an on-the-job problem without leaving too many ruffled feathers earns you kudos from coworkers. You also impress major decision-makers at your workplace.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Newly made and long-held friendships merge well, with possibly one exception. Take time to listen to the dissenter’s explanations. You could learn something important.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Be prepared to be flexible about your current travel plans. Although you don’t have to take them, at least consider suggestions from the experts in the travel business.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A problem with a recent financial transaction could lead to more problems later on unless you resolve it immediately. Get all the proof you need to support your position.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Daydreaming makes it difficult to stay focused on what you need to do. But reality sets in by midweek, and you manage to get everything done in time for a relaxing weekend.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your ability to reach out to those in need of spiritual comfort makes you a much-revered, much-loved person in your community.

FEBRUARY 6 - FEBUARY 12 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Seeing the silly side of some really ridiculous situations helps give the Lamb a new perspective on how to handle

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TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Try to complete your outstanding tasks by midweek. This leaves you free to take advantage of new possibilities — both professional and personal — opening up by week’s end.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) With both your creative side and your energy levels rising this week, you should be able to tackle that too-longneglected project again. A family member might have important news.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) An explanation you requested seems to be more confusing than enlightening. You should insist on clarifications now, rather than deal with problems that might arise later.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Your energy levels might be ebbing a bit. But that’s no excuse for taking catnaps when you could be working on those unfinished tasks. There’ll be time to curl up and relax by week’s end.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) It’s a good time to get those ideas out of your head and into a readable format if you hope to have them turned into something doable. A good friend is ready with worthwhile advice.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Careful — you might be stepping into dangerous territory if you decide to “exaggerate” the facts too much.

Remember: The truth speaks for itself and needs no embellishment.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Although your workplace successes have earned you many admirers, there are some colleagues who are not among them. Be careful how you proceed with your new project.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) You might have to go into great detail to explain why you’re currently reluctant to make changes to an already prepared plan. Be sure you have all the facts to back yourself up.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Travel plans might still be uncertain. But instead of getting upset about the delay, open yourself up to other possibilities, and begin checking out some alternative destinations.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Changing conditions might require you to alter some of your plans. While you might be agreeable to this, be prepared with explanations for those who do not want changes made.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Although you might have to deal with some detractors who aren’t too kind in their critiques, you gain points when you’re willing to stand up and defend your work.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for creating a warm and loving environment between yourself and others.

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THE LATEST FASHION

Pg. 28 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

ACROSS

1 Stuff pumped into a 747 8 Bracing devices 14 Teeny bit 20 “Stephen,” to the French 21 Rip into 22 Untrue rumor 23 Start of a riddle 25 “Ironic” singer Morissette 26 Enzyme name ender 27 Solo for a 41-Across 28 Not feeling well at all 30 Set aflame 31 Riddle, part 2 39 Shar- -40 No, to Burns 41 Certain opera singer 42 Actress Joanne 43 Bit of slander 44 Neighbor of a Croat 46 The, to Josef 48 Apt rhyme of “grab” 50 -- -O-Fish (McDonald’s sandwich) 52 Riddle, part 3 59 Very pungent 61 Certain opera singer 62 Adders, e.g.

63 Most blaring 66 Sculling tools 68 As blind as -69 Elegant tree 72 Pharmacy amount 73 Riddle, part 4 76 Blackthorn 77 Fire residue 78 Lady Grey 79 Sauce brand since 1937 80 Stays away from 82 Total or Life 84 Neighbor of a Swede 86 Goes fast 87 Riddle, part 5 93 NATO part 94 Mineo of “Tonka”

95 Knighted one, e.g.

96 Pleasant 99 The Beatles’ “-- Loser” 100 “Citizen X” actor Stephen 103 Equine noise 107 Do a lawn chore 109 Relo vehicle 110 End of the riddle 115 Dir. from Del. to Vt. 116 Busy mo. for a CPA 117 Big particle physics lab in Switz.

118 “Hail, Nero!”

119 Big name in sneakers 121 Riddle’s answer 128 Lenient 129 Beethoven’s Third, familiarly 130 Mark Antony’s wife 131 Local lingoes 132 Wet slightly 133 Wee baby

DOWN

1 Seder celebrant 2 Ordinal number ender 3 Carrere of “True Lies” 4 Beyond embryonic 5 Oneness 6 Baja California resort port 7 Permit to 8 Biblical angel 9 Chicana, e.g.

10 Many flying creatures 11 Got together 12 Compadre 13 “Shrek!” author William 14 Like time, speed and temperature 15 Bad, to Luc 16 Including everything 17 Author Steel 18 More sandlike 19 MS markers 24 “Yuk” relative 29 PC screen variety 31 Special -- (mil. group) 32 Toll, for one 33 Atomizer for spraying paint 34 Turned right on a horse

SOLUTION ON PAGE 30 35 Has no life 36 -- Ark (biblical boat) 37 With 57-Down, supporter for a caterer’s dishes 38 Pets’ docs 45 Groom’s partner 47 Microwave brand 49 Unoriginal 51 Indefinite things 53 Keats verse 54 Gobs 55 Railing locale 56 Hurricane relative 57 See 37-Down 58 Green-lights 59 Alan of “White Mile” 60 Doves’ calls 64 Horrify 65 Reasonably muscular 67 Lactose, e.g.

69 Unrequired course 70 Rob of the Brat Pack 71 Disorder 74 Gets close 75 Mom or dad’s sister 76 “Da Doo Ron Ron” singer Cassidy 78 -- Tull (rock band) 81 -- -Magnon man 82 Persian, e.g.

83 Country singer Rimes 85 Suffix with lion 87 Army group 88 Ball of perfume in a closet 89 Exhausting 90 Urged in defense 91 Intentions 92 Close friendship between guys 97 “Wheels” 98 Nav. officer 101 Expunges 102 African viper 104 Implant that helps in returning a lost pet 105 Athens’ land 106 Husband of Lily Munster 108 Greet with a hand motion 111 Resulted in 112 Followed a curved path 113 Hit skit show since ‘75 114 “-- & Kel” (1990s teen show) 119 -- Khan 120 Height fig.

122 Hunters’ gp.

123 -- de plume 124 Cyclotron bit 125 Actress Longoria 126 Apt humor 127 Letter encl. to facilitate a reply

Pg. 29 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

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OMISSIONS AND EMISSIONS

Little white lies that won’t hurt anyone

Pg. 30 Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m a 21-year-old woman, and I have an IUD. I’ve had sex with quite a few men, and one thing seems to be almost constant among them: trying to fuck without condoms.

Many of the men I’ve been with seem to be perfectly fine and terribly eager to have sex without condoms. This has always angered me. They generally assume or make sure I’m on birth control, which they immediately take to mean condom-free sex is welcome.

I don’t want to have sex without condoms without being in a committed relationship.

I know people cheat and monogamy doesn’t mean STIs won’t happen, but it’s a risk I’m comfortable with. I’m so annoyed by how often men try to get out of using condoms (it’s often persistent, even with people I’ve been seeing a while) that I want to start lying and say I’m not on birth control. The risk of a baby seems to be the only STI most men are concerned with. Is it all right for me to lie and say I’m not on any birth control and explain why I lied later on if things get serious?

to start using condoms again without drawing attention to their infidelity. If someone in a CNM relationship asks their primary partner to start using condoms again — because a condom broke or fell off or didn’t wind up on a cock for some other reason — they’re drawing attention to their fidelity. Moving on.

Right again, IUD: Babies do seem to be the only STI many men are worried about. Australian researchers conducted a large study about stealthing — the deeply shitty, rape-adjacent practice of surreptitiously removing the condom during intercourse — and they were shocked to discover how common this deeply shitty practice seems to be.

“The researchers estimated in advance that approximately 2 percent of the sample would report having been stealthed,” sex researcher Justin Lehmiller wrote in a blog post looking at the results of the study. “In fact, 32 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men surveyed reported having experienced stealthing ... A majority of both groups reported discussing the event with I’M UNDERSTANDABLY DISTRESSED their partner afterward, and most also reported feeling emotionally stressed about it. A majority Let’s get this out of the way first: You’re right, IUD, also considered stealthing to be a form of sexual sexually transmitted infections (STI) do happen assault. These results suggest that stealthing is not to people in monogamous relationships. People a rare occurrence and we would do well to study it cheat, people lie, people contract, people transmit. further.”

A 2015 study found that people in consensually The researchers didn’t ask heterosexual men nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships were no about being stealthed and, as Lehmiller points out, more likely to contract an STI than people in there are some scattered reports out there about monogamous relationships. The reason? If a person women poking holes in condoms before sex or in a monogamous relationship screws around and retrieving them after sex. We don’t need a study doesn’t use a condom, they can’t ask their partner to tease out the motives of these women — they

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want to have a child and don’t care whether their partners do (and that is not okay) — but we could use a study that asked heterosexual men about their motives for stealthing. One question we should put to these assholes: Are they more likely to “go stealth,” i.e., to sexually assault a woman, if they know her to be on some other form of birth control? Or are they just so wrapped up in their own momentary sexual pleasure that they don’t give a shit about babies or any of the other STIs? Moving on to your actual question.

Can you lie? Of course you can. Should you lie? In the case of a casual sex partner who might not have your best interests at heart, i.e., some total rando you want to fuck but aren’t sure you can trust, I think you can lie and should lie. This lie doesn’t do him any harm; it’s not like you’re telling him you’re on birth control when you’re not. And if telling this lie inspires some rando to be more careful about keeping the condom on (sometimes condoms do fall off by accident), then it’s a lie that

made the sex safer for you and for him.

And if you get serious about someone you initially lied to about having an IUD — if some dude makes the transition from hot rando to hot boyfriend — and he reacts badly when you tell him the truth, just say (or text) this to him: “I could have waited to fuck you until I was sure you were a good guy. But then you would have missed out on all the awesome sex we’ve had up to now. Would that have been better? And by coming clean now, I’m basically saying that I think you’re a good guy that I can trust. I know that now, but I didn’t always know it because I’m not psychic. Now, do you want to raw-dog me or do you want to complain?”

On the Lovecast, Andrew Gurza on dating with disabilities: savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove. net; Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage; ITMFA. org

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