Queen City Nerve Issue 20_2019

VOLUME 1: ISSUE 20- AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

JE BROYHILL CIVIC CENTER NOV 2 2019

OCT 5 2019

Mark O’Connor Band

Vienna Boys Choir

NOV 24 2019

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Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Sep 12-14, 2019 - Drinking Habits 2 Feb 01, 2020 - Caldwell Traditional Musicians Showcase Dec 12-15, 2019 - Elf the Musical, Jr. Feb 13-15, 2020 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Jan 04, 2020 - Dailey & Vincent Feb 29, 2020 - Kruger Brothers with Kontras Quartet Jun 18-20, 2020 - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

www.broyhillcenter.com 828.726.2407

Charlotte’s Cultural Pulse STAFF

PUBLISHER • Justin LaFrancois jlafrancois@qcnerve.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@qcnerve.com STAFF WRITER • Pat Moran pmoran@qcnerve.com ART DIRECTOR • Dana Vindigni dvindigni@qcnerve.com MARKETING MANAGER • Jayme Johnson jjohnson@qcnerve.com

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NEWS & CULTURE 6 Election Guide 2019 by Ryan Pitkin A condensed directory of who’s in the race 5 Editor’s Note by Ryan Pitkin 10 The Seeker by Katie Grant 11 The Scanner by Ryan Pitkin

ARTS

12 Follow the Money by MB Schaffner Independent artists want a say in potential tax revenues

LIFELINE

14 How not to kill your social life

MUSIC

16 Back in his Bag by Pat Moran Jason Jet returns to electric soul after helpful hiatus 18 Soundwave

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FOOD & DRINK 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 located in Advent Coworking at 933 Louise Ave., Charlotte, NC, 28204. First Issue of Queen CIty Nerve free. Each additional issue $5.

22 Embrace the Wet by Ari LeVaux A salad called heirloom tomato juice 24 The Buzz

LIFESTYLE 26 Sudoku 27 Crossword 28 Horoscope 30 Savage Love

Cover Design by: Dana Vindigni

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VOTE, EAT CHICKEN, MIND YOUR BUSINESS

Just don’t shame anyone while you’re at it

BY RYAN PITKIN

LUCKILY I GOT in before the rush started.

It was Aug. 15 when Q.C. Nerve publisher Justin LaFrancois and I stopped at the Popeyes on North Tryon Street to check out the new chicken sandwich, which at that point had been building some buzz on Twitter, but before the now-famous “...y’all good?” tweet from Popeyes to Chick-fil-A on Aug. 19 that turned a playful debate between Twitter users over which restaurant made a better chicken sandwich into a full-fledged national craze.

I’ll get my review out of the way before I go any further: that chicken sandwich is good shit, better than anything Chick-fil-A has ever cooked up. In fact, I went back for another on the following Monday — the day of The Tweet — and the line was longer but nothing crazy yet.

When I drove by that same Popeyes location on Sunday, Aug. 25, the drive-thru line was all the way down North Tryon — I’m talking a blocks-long line reaching all the way to Advance Auto Parts.

The sandwich is good, but there are very few things I’ll sit in a line that long for, and “fast food” ain’t one of them. To each their own, however; who am I to judge?

According to Twitter, though, there are plenty of folks who don’t think that way. Just as the frenzy over Popeyes chicken reached peak fervor, Twitter users began to do what Twitter users do best: manufacture hot takes.

A quick Twitter search shows that folks really started to lay the shame on heavy around Aug. 24.

“Y’all are standing in long ass lines for Popeyes chicken sandwiches. I sure as Hell hope you stand in lines like this for the voting polls for our next president,” wrote Yolynda Rayas. “If y’all got time to stand in line for awhile for a Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, you got time to vote,” said Irvin Camacho.

The worst one I found was from someone named Maddie: “Damn it’s sad y’all can stand in line to eat Popeyes chicken sandwich but couldn’t do the same to vote that’s why we have the president we have now cause y’all.” An even more inexplicable tweet on the 25th asked why the line at the unemployment office isn’t as long as the ones at Popeyes, followed by “When are we gonna wake up.” Ummm, huh?

First off, we all know why Trump won the election, and it wasn’t because of the people standing in line at Popeyes; it was because of the people who hate the people standing in line at Popeyes. They hate the people working at Popeyes, they hate the people taking part in the Twitter debate and they hate the people covering it in the media.

It would be easy to paint a picture at the North Tryon Popeyes; right across the street sits the Sugar Creek Public Library, one of 13 early-voting locations around the city that opened on Aug. 22 and will remain open until Sept. 6. After that, Sept.

10 will be the last chance to vote in local primary elections, which are the elections to pay attention to when it comes to city council.

But to paint that picture would be to use false equivalency. Shame is not the tool to use if you want to get out the vote. Getting out the vote means informing people of the local issues at play, giving them a reason to vote and, most importantly, making it easier to do so.

That’s what 17-year-old Myers Park High School student David Ledbetter was doing over the weekend while the intellectually lazy were on social media shaming their peers.

As reported by WCNC, Ledbetter saw the lines forming at a Popeyes near his home and, along with a group of people campaigning for school board candidate Stephanie Sneed, stood outside registering people to vote as they waited for their food. According to WCNC, Ledbetter registered 16 people to vote in a day. That’s not bad considering turnout for the last local primary was at about 8%.

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a few times every two years: These off-year elections are the ones that have the most impact on our daily lives. Pay attention to who’s running in your district. Start with our Election Guide on page 4 and then dig deeper.

In the meantime, eat shame-free sandwiches.

Go to the unemployment office, or go to your job, or go home; I don’t care what you do. But I would ask that you read up on your local candidates, because an informed vote in an election where every vote has an impact? That’s good shit, too.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

Primary Season is Upon Us ELECTION GUIDE 2019

A condensed directory of who’s in the race

BY RYAN PITKIN & PAT MORAN

Y

OU’D THINK from watching the national news shows that we are right on the verge of a presidential election.

Nope. There are still hundreds of debates to go in that race — not to mention a terrifying convention right here in Charlotte — before we get to that vote. However, we here in the Queen City are officially in Election Season, as early voting has already begun for local primaries. That will run through Sept. 7, and you can check out our map on page 8 to find out where and when you can do that, or hit your assigned polling place on Sept. 10 to do your civic duty. We won’t be making any endorsements, but we did put together this handy guide for you to check out before you hit the polls.

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NORTH CAROLINA’S 9TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Amid a plethora of city council primary elections, this leftover 2018 race is the big kahuna, a special election for the 9th District’s U.S. House seat that has drawn national scrutiny. To recap: In the 2018 election the district was called for Republican Mark Harris until allegations that his campaign committed election fraud sent the results to state officials. The state ordered a do-over and Harris subsequently retired due to “health problems.” We were sick of him, too.

DAN MCCREADY

This is the second time in less than a year that McCready has been on the ballot for the

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMPAIGN

Mayor Vi Lyles

district. A Marine veteran, McCready signed up after 9-11 and served in Iraq where he attained the rank of captain. The father of four has promised “to always put country over party,” and pledges to pursue bipartisan legislation on a comprehensive healthcare plan, lower taxes for the middle class and education.

Last month, McCready laid out a plan that would encourage young Americans to undertake a year of national service. McCready hopes the program will unite the country and make Americans better citizens. At press time he’s tied neck and neck with his opponent in the polls.

DAN BISHOP

A “pro-life, pro-gun, pro-wall” conservative, who’s fond of labeling Democrats “radical socialists,” Bishop is busy backpedaling from an investment he made in the white supremacist-friendly website Gab. He boasts of opposing sanctuary cities and helping to pass North Carolina’s discriminatory 2018 voter ID law when he was in the state legislature.

But Bishop’s proudest achievement is HB2, the transphobic “bathroom bill” that cost the state at least $3.7 billion in lost revenue until it was overturned.

Bishop reacted to the law’s repeal by comparing LGBTQ activists to the Taliban. On Aug. 22, President Trump tweeted that he will soon be attending a rally in North Carolina to support Bishop.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMPAIGN

Chad Stachowicz

CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCIL

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMPAIGN

Jorge Millares

Roderick Davis - Davis ran for mayor in 2016, at which time he was highly visible at MAYOR campaign events. He’s kept a lower profile this Vi Lyles - Coming to the end of her first term, Mayor year and doesn’t seem to be running a serious Vi Lyles is poised to easily win a second, as none of campaign. her opponents seem to be serious contenders. She’s faced her heaviest criticism for her push to bring David Michael Rice - As the only Republican the Republican National Convention to Charlotte in running, you won’t hear much about Rice until 2020, while seeing success in helping the city get November nears. But the local GOP has already moving on affordable housing and creating jobs. said they approve of Lyles and they’re focusing on council races, so you might not hear much Joel Odom - Folks tend to follow a path through about Rice, period. different elected offices before becoming mayor, but 20-year-old Joel Odom isn’t waiting around. Inspired by AT-LARGE the loss of several close friends to gun violence, Odom is Dimple Ajmera - Though the city inexplicably running on his “High Five Issues”: community, housing, dissolved the Environment Committee that she economic growth, crime and labor education. once chaired, Ajmera was able to play a big role in the city’s adoption of the Strategic Energy Lucille Puckett - Puckett lost her son in a 2016 Action Plan. She’s also let it be known, we homicide and says she wants to work in the aren’t taking Trump supporters on our council. community to fight back against a rise in murders and violent crime. She’s also been heavily critical Chad Stachowicz - This south Charlotte of Lyles’ support for the RNC, writing in a recent resident and CEO isn’t shy about sharing his Facebook post, “3 day[s] is enough time to cause ideas; he recently announced his comprehensive irreperable harm for a lifetime.” policy plan The Queen New Deal, complete with a website listing all the details you’ll need.

Tigress McDaniel - It seems this perennial candidate has plenty to complain about; she was barred from Julie Eiselt - Eiselt withstood a wave of young making legal filings last year after a judge found that candidates in 2017 to win her second term and she had filed 162 lawsuits in 72 N.C. counties. She also become Mayor Pro Tem under Lyles, continuing files for office regularly, but rarely actually runs. to fight for issues she cares about like public safety, affordable housing and transportation.

Turn Out For Your City Jorge Millares - A lot has been made of the chance that Millares could become the city’s first Latinx council member, and it’s sad that’s still even a possibility in 2019, but he’s also got a solid platform focused on economic mobility, immigration, community policing and affordable housing.

LaWana Mayfield - After four terms fighting hard for her district, spearheading efforts to land the Carolina Premium Outlets, the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, Carowinds expansion and job fairs galore, she’s going for an at-large seat. If she stays off Twitter, she’s got a good shot.

James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr. - In his second term as an at-large councilmember, Mitchell is the most experienced one at the dais, having previously served 14 years as a District 2 representative. He still voted for the RNC, though, for some silly reason.

Braxton Winston - Winston made national headlines when his participation in the 2016 Charlotte Uprising led him to city council a year later, and he’s continued to fight power from the inside, live-streaming meetings until the city was shamed into streaming and televising them.

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Joshua Richardson - The only Republican running at-large, Richardson is up against it.

He’s been presenting his platform on social media with typo-ridden graphics, including one on Aug. 8 that misspelled Charlotte. Oy. DISTRICT 1

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMPAIGN

Renee Perkins Johnson

PHOTO BY CATHERINE SENTIGAR

Sean Smith

breaking up Duke Energy’s local monopoly, and in a recent Nerve interview, he advocated for taking the Jacob Robinson - The winner of the primary will fight to Raleigh politicians who he feels are holding face Robinson, a Republican and newcomer to west Charlotte who likes to mention how he’s lived in Charlotte back. every quadrant of the city. The marketing strategist DISTRICT 2 has lived in the west side for a whole year and would Jeremy Arey - Jeremy Arey doesn’t look like a love to have a go at fixing its problems.

District 2 representative, and his environmentalist platform doesn’t look like one either. Not that there’s DISTRICT 3 Terry Brown - A member of the Charlotte Zoning anything wrong with that, just an observation.

Board of Adjustment, chair of the Mecklenburg Jessica Davis - A former teacher with experience County Democratic Party in Precinct 23 and board in the local justice system, Davis played a big role member with Westside Community Land Trust, Terry in saving The Excelsior Club, a fight close to many Brown knows how to work from the grassroots and District 2 residents’ hearts. She’s now focused on within the power structures. gentrification, a less tangible but more important Victoria Watlington - Victoria says she learned issue on the west side. the importance of service during her childhood Malcolm Graham - He spent five years on city council in a military family. A graduate of all four City of before winning a seat in the state senate, where he Charlotte academy programs, she currently sits stayed for a decade. He was launched back into politics on the Civil Service Board, the Business Advisory after losing his sister in the Emanuel AME Zion massacre. Committee and the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition.

He now wants to fight gun violence on a local level.

Larken Egleston - Egleston has seemingly taken more shit for his RNC vote than anyone, including the mayor. He’s confidently pushed Antoinette Green - Five years ago, Charlotte native on, however, and continued to advocate for Green left her corporate job to become a teacher, affordable housing and historic preservation and this spring was named an “Excellent Educator” through adaptive reuse, among other things.

by Power 98. Her focuses include economic mobility, affordable housing and improving trust between Sean Smith - Smith is a newcomer to police and the community.

Charlotte politics, but he’s not scared to speak truth to power. At a recent forum, he suggested

Caleb Theodros - A 25-year-old from an immigrant family, Caleb has been politically active since joining the Young Democrats at Harding University High School. He’s since worked with current District 3 rep LaWana Mayfield on issues like transportation, affordable housing and economic development.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMPAIGN

Victoria Watlington DISTRICT 4

Richmond Baker - As chair of the University City Partners planning and development committee, Baker has led efforts to bring better development to District 4, such as the planned Waters Edge at University City development and helping CMPD plan the new University Division headquarters.

Gabriel Cartagena - As a student at UNC Charlotte, Cartagena was inspired to run after tragedy hit campus earlier this year. As a leader of Real Change Now, Cartagena wants to push back against gun violence in Charlotte.

Charlene Henderson - As host of WGIV’s N Demand On Air talk show, this Charlotte native was dubbed the “Queen of Morality Media.” She’s now focused on jobs, community involvement and fighting gentrification, which she calls a “figurative form of genocide.”

Renee Perkins Johnson - As CEO and founder of Triumph Services, which provides services to survivors of physical trauma, Johnson has learned to navigate government systems, and wants to use that experience to work on issues like affordable housing and reentry programs.

If You Don’t Vote, You Can’t Complain Early Voting Sites in Charlotte 12

2 1 5 13

7

9

4 8 11

6

10

3 Sites are open 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. from Aug. 28-30 and Sept. 3-6, except Hal Marshall, which opens at 8 a.m. on those dates. All 13 sites are opened on Aug. 31 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn more at tinyurl.com/earlyvotingCLT. DISTRICT 5

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Charles Robinson - This Charlotte native founded One Time, Inc., which provides services for homeless children and youth in need. He’s been a longtime community activist and advocate for Hidden Valley and other communities often left out of University-area discussions.

Sean Thompson - The father of a retired police captain, Thompson wants to expand the CMPD Crisis Intervention Team, create more community intervention groups similar to Cops & Barbers and give the Citizens Review Board more disciplinary enforcement options.

Brandon Pierce - The only Republican in the race, Pierce’s platform includes sustainable communities (transportation, environment and jobs), safe communities (more policing, more funding for JumpStart) and affordable communities.

1 - Hal Marshall 618 N. College St. 2 - Beatties Ford Library 2412 Beatties Ford Road 3 - Elon Park Recreation Center 11401 Ardrey Kell Road 4 - Independence Regional Library 6000 Conference Drive 5 - Main Library (Uptown) 310 N. Tryon St 6 - Matthews Library 230 Matthews Station St. 7 - Mint Hill Library 6840 Matthews–Mint Hill Road 8 - Morrison Regional Library 7015 Morrison Blvd.

9 - Smith Family Center 1600 Tyvola Road 10 - South County Regional Library 5801 Rea Road 11 - Old Hollywood Video 11130 S. Tryon St. 12 - Old Pier 1 8802 J.W. Clay Blvd.

13 - West Boulevard Library 2157 West Blvd.

R&D in the QC podcast with Larken Egleston. We’ll say this for him, he’s a hell of a lot better than Kenny Smith. heavily, but Goldencrest Global founder Nwasike differs in her desire to put more effort Gina Navarrete - A co-president of the Charlotte into reaching across the aisle on a heavily Women United March, Navarrete hopes to become Democratic council. the first ever Democrat elected to the District 6 seat and the first ever Latinx council member. The mental Vinroy Reid - A business owner in Charlotte since health clinician is dedicated to health-care access, That’s a wrap for city council candidates. Also on the ballot this election: the Charlotte1996, Reid also hosts a Channel 9 show called equality and economic prosperity.

Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education.

The Caribbean Connection. There are three whole Three at-large seats will be up for grabs, as episodes online. That’s all we can find on him.

DISTRICT 7 Elyse Dashew is the only one running for reEd Driggs - Driggs is currently serving his third Mark Vincent - We could not find any website, term as District 7 rep, and can be counted on for election.

With everything going on at CMS recently, Facebook page or info about Vincent or his the predictable Republican take on things ever folks are sure to be fired up, and we plan to campaign, not even a TV show. since Kenny Smith left. He’s heavily involved in local cover it plenty in the lead-up to the November schools, and his role on council revolves mostly DISTRICT 6 election. Stay tuned. around economic development.

INFO@QNERVE.COM Tariq Bokhari - The Republican incumbent won’t be facing any opposition in the primaries.

Victoria Nwasike - Republican newcomer Nwasike He’s found bipartisan popularity thanks to his echoes Driggs’ priorities on policing District 7 more Matt Newton - Matt ran on a promise to find a solution for east Charlotte’s biggest eyesore, the former Eastland Mall site. It seems he came through, as the city has partnered with Crosland Southeast to develop the site, raising concerns among neighbors about resulting gentrification.

JE BROYHILL CIVIC CENTER

OCTOBER 5, 2019

MARK O’CONNOR BAND

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www.broyhillcenter.com 828.726.2407

use code “ thenerve ” for $5 off your ticket

THE SEEKER THE DARK SIDE

Get in touch with your shadow self

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BY KATIE GRANT

Grandiflora by Day

Grandiflora by Night

Daily, through Sept. 29 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tickets available at the door!

Thursday – Sunday, through Sept. 29 6 - 10 p.m.

Tickets available at DSBG.org & the door!

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden celebrates its 20th anniversary with an awe-inspiring, larger-than-life botanical glass exhibit, Grandiflora: Gamrath Glass at the Garden. Guests will be mesmerized by hundreds of pieces of glass making up dozens of installations by Seattle-based artist Jason Gamrath. Towering 10-foot orchids, vivid pitcher plants, energetic Venus flytraps and more will be on display.

6500 S. New Hope Road Belmont, NC 28012 (704) 825-4490 www.DSBG.org

FOR THE UNFAMILIAR, one’s “shadow” side is a colloquial expression referring to everything we can’t see in ourselves. A term formulated by psychologist Carl Jung, it essentially refers to our subconscious behavior. As Robert Louis Stevenson notes in his book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, man is not one, but two: a conscious personality and a shadow.

To learn more about this shadow side we each supposedly possess, I recently explored an “Introduction to Shadow Work” event hosted by Sanctuary Imports, a metaphysical wonderland nestled in the heart of Plaza Midwood.

The afternoon session was lead by Heather Darnell, an intuitive reader, ritual practitioner, teacher and energy healer. Her personal journey into shadow work began over 20 years ago, so I trusted her navigation through this seemingly intangible concept. Also along for the ride were a self-proclaimed practicing witch and another woman on the precipice of a spiritual awakening. Together this motley foursome would dive headfirst into the nebular topic of shadow work and self-healing.

Considering I’ve only heard of shadow work in passing, I showed up to the workshop with pen, paper and a naive sense of curiosity. I learned that, while the shadow is an inherent part of being human, most of us are oblivious to it. We all tend to hide our negative qualities while always pointing out the flaws in others, in turn making ourselves seem superior.

This “persona”, according to Jung, defines how we hope to be seen by the world. And even more interestingly, I found that the word “persona” is derived from a Latin word that literally means “mask”. Mind, blown.

According to Connie Zweig in Meeting the Shadow, “The shadow goes by many familiar names: the disowned self, the lower self, the dark twin or brother in Bible and myth, the double, repressed self, alter ego, id. When we come faceto-face with our darker side, we use metaphors to describe these shadow encounters: meeting our demons, wrestling with the devil, descent to the

underworld, dark night of the soul, midlife crisis.”

To add to this insight, perhaps you’ve heard terms in yoga class like “love and light”. These refer to virtuous qualities like joy, non-judgment and kindness. But the amalgamation of our shadow side is a unique blend of counter-qualities; anger, fear, jealousy, etc., and to ignore these traits is unhealthy. In this case, non-confrontation is akin to ignoring a festering flesh wound. These defense mechanisms were born out of trauma, and to heal them requires much reflection and self-care.

A key takeaway from the afternoon’s lecture was to not only confront your shadow side, but to embrace it. By embracing it, we can learn to understand it and even integrate it into our lives in a healthy manner. Circling back to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an example, if the duality of our psyche is not kept in check, our darker side can threaten to take precedence. Addictive behavior falls under this umbrella.

But during this self-realization process, it’s important to remember that there can be no light without the dark. Consider for a moment the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang. According to Mark Cartwright in “Yin and Yang,” published on Ancient History Encyclopedia, “The principle of Yin and Yang is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, for example, female-male, dark-light and old-young.”

This dark-light concept of dualism says that, although seemingly conflicting at first glance, these traits are actually complimentary of one another.

As a homework assignment, take note of your reactions. How do you respond to the daily minutiae: traffic, emails, texts? What you notice may surprise you, and odds are you’re probably a bigger asshole than you’d like to admit. As a corrective measure, see if you can create some mental space around your trigger points, then name them to claim them.

And know this seemingly ambiguous endeavor requires time, patience and self-discipline. Making this path even muddier, however, is the fact that there’s no distinguishable finish line to becoming your best self.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

THE SCANNER

BY RYAN PITKIN

CAN’T LET GO A 26-year-old Uptown woman filed a police report after someone kidnapped her 4-month-old French bulldog named JuJu. The woman told police that the suspect already had custody of JuJu and another one of her dogs, and when she met them in the parking lot of her apartment complex on one recent afternoon, the suspect gave her one dog back, but then drove away with JuJu still in the car, and has since refused to return the dog when the victim calls.

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NEW PHONE WHO DIS Police recently responded to an assault call near Romare Bearden Park after three women — ages 22, 27 and 28 — got into a fight involving weapons. When officers arrived, they found that nobody showed any visible signs of injury.

No harm, no foul, right? Not so fast. While on scene, officers observed one woman assault the other, and she was arrested for simple assault. Upon searching everyone involved, police found one pocket knife and a fake smartphone that was actually a stun gun.

BURY THE PAIN Police responded to a 7-Eleven on Tuckaseegee Road in west Charlotte after someone stole alcohol from the store, but he did it in such a way that I can only look on in awe. An employee in the store told police that the suspect walked into the store just before 8 p.m. on a Monday evening and went to the beer cooler. According to the report, he picked out a Clubhouse Cocktail alcoholic beverage, then walked over to the soda and Slurpee area. The man poured the drink into a Slurpee cup, then poured Slurpee on top of it. He then went to the register and paid in full for the Slurpee, but not the alcoholic beverage.

BLEED BLUE A 56-year-old woman filed a police report after she was grossly assaulted by another woman at a recent Panthers game against the Buffalo Bills. The woman told officers that the suspect assaulted her “by poking her in the back and shoulder and rubbing her blood on the victim’s back and shoulder.” So many questions.

NEW TECHNOLOGY According to a recent report, an 18-year-old south Charlotte man called police after a known suspect allegedly “threatened to shoot him and his roommate over the telephone.”

He can probably relax, though, because I don’t think that’s possible.

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HE KNEW TOO MUCH Two women filed a joint report after their storage units were broken into at Extra Space Self Storage in north Charlotte.

The women lost thousands of dollars of property, including five TVs, two iPads, luggage, art, clothing and furniture. Among the items listed as stolen was a talking Elmo toy worth $50, probably because he could have identified the suspect.

INSERT SHRUG EMOJI According to one recent actual police report, that we will quote in full here, “On 8/21/2019 the listed reporting person found some Japanese writing in dust on a window that was in a house under construction.”

PROCRASTINATION A 38-year-old south Charlotte man will be sticking around in our fair city for a while longer after he was scammed out of his moving money. The man told police he sent $5,200 to someone claiming to be the leasing agent for a rental unit in Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to the report, “The victim stated that when he did not hear back from the suspect he completed research on the rental property and located the original owner of the property. The victim learned that the property had already been rented for one year to another couple.” It seems the best time to research the apartment you’re planning to rent would be before you send more than $5,000 to someplace 800 miles away, but that’s just me.

ON TARGET Police responded to Target at the Metropolitan after a loss-prevention officer caught a half-shopper, half-shoplifter in the midst of an age-old scam with a new-age twist. The eagleeyed guard told police he was watching the shopper at self-checkout, and apparently watching very closely, because he began to notice that the prices popping up on the register didn’t seem right. Further investigation found that the scanner scammer had taken price tags from cheap items and placed them on items of much higher value. All in all, the suspect would have saved $550 if not for the security guard.

All Scanner entries are pulled from CMPD reports.

Suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

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NRO SF T 0119 1191 E

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Independent artists want a say in potential new tax revenue PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

“Cascade” by Jean Tinguely hangs in the lobby of the Carillon Building, which the Arts & Science Council calls home.

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LEVINE MUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH PRESENTS

ICE IN OUR STREETS: WHAT WE ALL SHOULD KNOW SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 | 6:00 P.M.

SIL GANZÓ

LELIA MIRABAL

LEVINE MUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH 200 E. SEVENTH STREET CHARLOTTE, NC 28202 VISIT MUSEUMOFTHENEWSOUTH.ORG FOR TICKETS

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BY MB SCHAFFNER

N JULY 2ND, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to place a quarter-cent sales tax increase on the November 5 ballot, nearly half of the revenue from which will go to funding local arts. The BOCC has proposed to allocate 49% of the estimated $55-million revenue gained from the tax increase to arts and culture, with the rest going to parks and greenways (30%), education (16%) and smaller towns in Mecklenburg County (5%).

Because the Arts & Science Council (ASC) played a large role in bringing the potential tax increase to the ballot and has acted as the face of the tax in recent months, even launching a podcast to support the referendum, many believe the estimated $22 million of arts funding expected from the potential tax increase will go to that organization, but that decision has not yet been made. The BOCC is expected to make final decisions regarding the specifics of fund dispersal at its meeting on September 4. Until then, many in the arts community and beyond are reserving judgment on the referendum and whether to put their full support behind it.

The idea to activate this tax increase came from a committee convened by the ASC in December 2018 to identify possible dedicated revenue streams that might counteract a decline in fundraising from traditional sources such as workplace giving.

In its final report, the committee provided a three-step recommendation: First, the ASC would demonstrate a commitment to cultural equity in their grants and programs; second, it would solicit the BOCC to activate the sales tax to support arts and culture; and finally, the ASC would go through a restructuring to govern the allocation of this new income.

ASC leaders presented an overview of their plan on June 25th in a presentation called “Building the Cultural Capital of the South.” They shared basic information about their grants and programming with a focus on the ways they display diversity and equity.

Additionally, the council provided several suggestions for possible governance models for this new revenue while highlighting the benefits of restructuring the ASC to become the primary governing body.

If granted stewardship of the funds, ASC leaders explained that they plan to reorganize their structure to reduce overhead and comply with regulations surrounding the management of

public funding. Most significantly, the ASC would shift its energy away from fundraising to focus on stewardship. This proposed change means that the ASC would no longer solicit private donations, a choice that could leave many Charlotte artists without access to private funding.

While the distinction between private and public funding seems relatively minor at this point in the conversation, the two categories serve different and vital purposes in the development of a healthy arts economy. Public funding serves the constituents and community, placing the responsibility on artists and institutions to produce reliable, high-quality work. On the other side, private funding relies almost exclusively on the relationship between the artist and the funder.

Through conversations and mutual trust, private funding creates a supportive environment for experimentation and innovation.

On July 2nd, the BOCC convened with the goal of deciding whether the tax would go on the ballot.

Representatives from institutions and neighborhoods as well as independent artists spoke to the commissioners about their experiences with arts in Charlotte. They highlighted the role of arts in building both personal and communal identity and underscored the importance of arts education in building equity throughout the city; however, no speakers addressed the question of governance or the historic lack of access to quality arts funding for artists and audiences not affiliated with large institutions.

After hearing the speakers, commissioners discussed their belief in the importance of arts. They also explicitly expressed concern over the ASC’s lack of organizational transparency, as well as an overall dissatisfaction with the centralization of wealth within primarily white, Uptown-based institutions.

Given these general agreements, commissioners decided they could not arrive at a complete decision that day. Instead they split the discussion into two parts. First, they would decide whether to place the tax increase on the ballot, a vote which ultimately passed and set in motion conversations around a second, more complex issue: Who will govern the new revenue dedicated to arts and culture? While this decision was originally set for August 6th, the vote was postponed until September 4 to ensure that all commissioners would be present.

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MECKLENBURG BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING Sept. 4, 5 p.m.; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center Meeting Chambers, 232 S. Davidson St.; mecknc.gov

This delay has intensified uncertainties among large institutions and independent artists alike. The ASC has warned of imminent consequences for the organization and the cultural sector without the increase in revenue, while commissioners have voiced misgivings about entrusting the ASC with such a significant fiscal responsibility, given its history of supporting large, primarily white, Uptown-based institutions.

In contrast to the ASC’s plan for governance, commissioners generally favor the development of a new 501c3 to manage the new revenue. While this new organization would be responsible for funding large institutions, small organizations and independent artists, there is currently no clear data to explain how that division might be achieved. It is also possible that this newly formed organization might serve as a granting body to the large institutions as well as the ASC, which would then shift focus to exclusively supporting small organizations and independent artists.

Given the multitude of possible outcomes for the governance model, questions about the specifics of structure and funding models are met with reminders from representatives of the ASC and BOCC about the importance of “trust.”

Struck by the reality of how this tax could radically reframe arts and culture in Charlotte, independent artists have gathered to share information and experiences surrounding access to funding in Charlotte. Historically, Charlotte artists have been fractured across disciplines, personal identity and proximity to powerful institutions, which meant they could not leverage power categorically.

However, given the significance of this vote, a collection of artists is determined to try. While there is a general consensus that little can be done prior to the Sept. 4 decision, artists are watching closely and preparing to respond. After attending two informational meetings recently held by a collective of concerned independent Charlotte artists, singer/songwriter Jay Smith expressed support for the tax, explaining that a public vote of approval “will show how important the arts are viewed” and remind businesses and institutions that “independent artists … create the environment that people love about the city.”

However, Smith also expressed concern that after the referendum, “officials will have used the creative community to get votes for the bill and will

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The ASC said it is dedicated to including independent artists in the conversation. At an outreach meeting at Resident Culture Brewing on Aug. 22, ASC staffers heard from artists who called for more funding for artists of color and a focus on capacity-building opportunities — educating artists on grant-writing and marketing their work.

Krista Terrell, vice president of marketing and communications at ASC, was at the meeting and told Queen City Nerve that ASC has made efforts to include more independent artists in recent years, using the recently launched Creative Renewal

Fellowship as an example. She also pointed to the inclusion of independent artists such as Carlos Alexis Cruz and John W. Love Jr. on the ASC’s tax referendum campaign committee. “[The Resident Culture meeting was] a facilitated conversation for them to provide their input on ... how they would like to see those dollars be spent in support of creative individuals in the community, as it relates to grants, professional development and all of those things that tie to the community’s cultural vision plan,” Terrell said.

“So we have heard loud and clear from creative individuals, and we’re taking that input to make

sure that is shared with county folks as well.”

Without clarity about who will manage the new funding, artists continue to worry that they cannot effectively advocate for the benefits of this tax increase.

Local poet and storyteller Hannah Hasan explained that in response to such uncertainties, independent artists need a seat at the table. “[Artists] must engage with institutions and organizations about how they will support our work both during and after the campaign,” Hasan said.

“People do not count on artists to be organized. They don’t expect us to be political, but we are.”

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28TH CHARLOTTE TALKS AT-LARGE CANDIDATE FORUM

What: There’s only so much space we have to get you the info you need in this issue’s Election Guide, but if you actually want to see and hear some of these candidates speak more in-depth on the issues, head to McGlohon and dive in. Being more informed is never a bad thing.

More: Free; 7-8 p.m.; McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St.; tinyurl.com/CLTTalksElection

THURSDAY, AUG. 29TH

HOT GUMBO

What: The second annual Hot Gumbo event from J Macks and the dupp&swat crew features Jamison Bethea, a singer/songwriter who’s been compared to a wide range of musicians including John Mayer and Andre 3000. The Durham native moved to Charlotte from Florida in August 2016, and has been making himself at home since.

More: $10; 7-9:30 p.m.; dupp&swat at Camp North End, 1824 Statesville Ave.; tinyurl.com/HotGumbo

FRIDAY, AUG. 30TH

LIFELINE

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AUG. 28TH - SEPT. 3RD

BUSTA RHYMES

What: All it takes is a loud “Woo Hah!” from Busta for anyone who’s even a passive hip-hop fan to recognize one of the most iconic voices in the genre’s history, but you don’t build a career like Busta’s based solely on a voice. The Five-Percenter’s still got it, and we’re looking forward to his upcoming Dr. Dre-produced album.

More: $40 and up; 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

SATURDAY, AUG. 31ST

NEGULATORS

What: The shaky, off-the-cuff video for Negulators’ “WikiGraffitia” is the perfect visual for this punk trifecta.

Complementing the Negulators buzz-saw guitars, jackhammer drums and nerdcore vocals is Van Huskins, forever poised on the cusp of punk and metal. Psychedelic stoners Witch Motel fill out the bill.

More: Free; 8 p.m.; Freeman’s Pub, 173 W. Main Ave., Gastonia; reverbnation.com/negulators

SUNDAY, SEPT. 1ST

FRONT PORCH SUNDAYS

What: A monthly event held on the porch of the Shook Kelly, Inc. offices on the Light Rail Trail, this weekend will be different because, thanks to Labor Day, you won’t be shaking with the Sunday Scaries. With 60 vendors, four food trucks, live music, dog adoptions, an Insta-llation and more, you’ll find something you like.

More: Free; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Shook Kelley, 2151 Hawkins St.; tinyurl.com/FrontPorchSunday

MONDAY, SEPT. 2ND

LABOR DAY PARADE

What: Celebrate your three-day weekend by remembering those who fought so you could have any weekend at all, ya spoiled bastard. One of the largest Labor Day parades in the South aims to honor those who sacrificed, suffered and died in the name of the 40-hour work week, Social Security, healthcare for workers and more.

More: Free; 11 a.m.-Noon; North Tryon Street, Uptown Charlotte; tinyurl.com/CLTLaborDay

TUESDAY, SEPT. 3RD JASON CHARLES MILLER

What: Wonder where Marilyn Manson and Billy Ray Cyrus intersect? Look no further than Jason Charles Miller. His solo show is insurgent hardscrabble country, but he also fronts bone-crushing industrial rockers Godhead, does voice work for games like World of Warcraft and writes songs for Manson, Cyrus and more.

More: $10; 7 p.m.; Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com

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QCNERVE’S LIFELINE

for cool events happening in the queen city!

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4TH

KEN BURNS’ ‘COUNTRY MUSIC’ PREMIERE

What: Ken Burns knows something about Charlotte’s role in country music that a lot of folks don’t. That’s why Betty Johnson of Charlotte’s Johnson Family Singers is featured in his Country Music doc. (We interviewed Betty in our recent Music Issue.) Nearby Bristol may be the birthplace of country, but Charlotte is the midwife.

More: Free; 7 p.m.; U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy.; usnwc.org

THURSDAY, SEPT. 5TH

YIASOU GREEK FESTIVAL

What: In its first 40 years, the Yiasou Greek Festival has become one of Charlotte’s biggest and best-known cultural festivals. Its 41st iteration won’t fix what’s not broken, featuring four days of ancient Hellenic exhibits, authentic Greek cuisine, live music, dancing, wine tasting and plenty of shopping and art.

More: $3; Sept. 5-8; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 600 East Blvd.; yiasoufestival.org

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6TH

LIFELINE

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SEPT. 4TH - SEPT. 101TH

‘TEXTURES’ EXHIBIT

What: You may be apt to believe that this city was born on banking, but it was really built on the back of textile mill workers. Those mills may be long gone, but you can still appreciate the work of CLTextile, a Charlotte-area arts collective made up of fiber and textile creatives. Check out the opening reception for this new fiber art exhibit.

More: Free; 7-10 p.m.; C3 Lab, 2525 Distribution St.; c3-lab.com

SATURDAY, SEPT. 7TH CHARLOTTE VEGFEST

What: Charlotte’s largest all-vegan festival features speakers, chef demos, goody bags and a cornucopia of vendors serving healthy, cruelty-free food. Still not sated after all that tempeh and tofu? Check out the afterparty at Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts featuring Celeste Moonchild, It Looks Sad and Cyanca.

More: Free; 11 a.m.; The Park Expo & Conference Center, 800 Briar Creek Road; veganclt.com

SUNDAY, SEPT. 8TH

‘COTTON COMES TO HARLEM’

What: In this 1970 Blacksploitation classic, a shifty preacher is ripping off his flock, pocketing donations slated for Africa. When his cache of cash, smuggled inside a bale of cotton, goes missing, Harlem detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson must untangle a trail of mayhem.

More: $9; 2 p.m.; Harvey B. Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

MONDAY, SEPT. 9TH

PRETTY MATTY

What: Through a pair of EPs and changing hair styles, Pretty Matty’s geeky punk-pop for skaters has stayed consistent.

Propelled by ratcheting yet ringing guitars and vulnerable “God, I’m such a fuck up” vocals, single “Another Shot” reaches back to “disaffected youth” anthems like the Pixie’s “Debaser” and the Replacement’s “Bastards of Young.”

More: $5; 8 p.m.; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

TUESDAY, SEPT. 10TH ‘ALADDIN’

What: The live-action version of Aladdin starring Will Smith as Genie made more than $1 billion worldwide, proving that there’s still a taste for this tale. The three-week Blumenthal run will feature Jonah Ho’okano in the title role and Korie Lee Blossey as Genie, both debuting in Charlotte as their counterparts head to Broadway.

More: $30-120; Runs through Sept. 29; Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

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for cool events happening in the queen city!

BACK IN HIS BAG Jason Jet returns to electric soul after a helpful hiatus

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C

PHOTO BY DIYASHA JONES

Jason Jet

BY PAT MORAN

HARLOTTE’S POISED to break big, says Jason Jet.

“In the next two or three years, it will be a recognized music scene” Jet says. “It’s not going to be Nashville or New York big but it’s going to be recognized.”

Jet intends to be part of that musical explosion, and why not? Starting in 2010, when his debut single “Love Boulevard” introduced Jet’s smooth and ebullient neoR&B to the Queen City, he’s been pushing the envelope with a genre that he coined electric soul — pop-centered songcraft that tethers afrofuturism’s computerized pulse to the heartbeat of gospel.

Concurrently, the 33-year-old Jet has been an R&B polymath, complementing his music career with vocal coaching gigs a series of summer camps called Young Icons, which he launched to mentor youth and teach them how to create music and write songs. It’s a resume like this that prompted R&B artist and Charlotte native Anthony Hamilton to call Jet the “next best thing to come out of Charlotte.”

Jet brings his warm and sensuous soul to the Evening Muse on September 7.

With all his focus on Charlotte’s youth, Jet’s music has taken a backseat for the past few years, but all that is about to change. He has two as-yet-untitled projects dropping soon, and big changes are in the works for Young Icons.

It’s seems that late 2019 and early 2020 will be Jet’s time to soar. If Charlotte’s blowing up, it’s only natural that someone who’s done so much to nurture that scene is going to ride the wave.

It’s counterintuitive that Jet, known for futuristic-but-friendly grooves that suggest the love child of Frank Ocean and André 3000, comes from the land of glaciers, geysers and fjords.

My dad was in the navy and stationed in Iceland,” Jet reveals. “My mom was crazy enough to go out there to be with him, and she

got pregnant.”

Father Terence Jones and mother Janeece welcomed their son Jason to the world on July 15, 1986, which also happened to be Janeece’s birthday. The young family was in Iceland less than a year before returning to the states and eventually settling in Charlotte.

Music, it seems, was in his blood. Terrence Jones was a music producer and songwriter who released several gospel, R&B and smooth jazz albums, including You’re Always With Me, Just For You and A Golden Touch. With a background in information technology, the elder Jones was an independent, self-produced artist. His example inspired Jet to take up music and emulate his dad’s D.I.Y. approach.

“I’d come home, and he was recording his own albums,” Jet recalls. “It made it easy for me to embrace the idea of a home studio and being self-sufficient.”

In the meantime, Jet took piano lessons and sang in the church choir. When he was 10 years old, Jet’s father gave him his first computer and his first digital audio software, Cakewalk Pro Audio, which Jet used to make beats and record his inaugural tracks. After graduating from Northwest School of the Arts, Jet initially followed his father in the I.T. field. Though to this day Jet continues to use his computer and coding skills in a series of side gigs, a life in corporate I.T. didn’t take. He was 20 years old, working for Time Warner Cable in Charlotte and making the best money in his life when he decided to jet and do things his own way.

The gateway to this decision, ironically enough, was a computer screen, where Jet spied an ad for Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. He was captivated by the idea of a school that would teach him the technical side of making music. He applied, got accepted and embarked for Florida in 2007.

While he was at school, Jet’s extracurricular activities involved playing with bands in front of paying audiences. As a keyboardist,

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JASON JET Sept. 7, 10 p.m.; $10; The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com

he jammed in blues rock artist Kevin Maines’ band, and plied similar duties with electrified funk outfit Bop Gun. It’s a process that initiated the transformation from tech-savvy student Jason Jones to tunesmith and crowd-pleasing performer Jason Jet. “Being in a group allowed me to see the writing process,” Jet remembers. “That was one [piece] I had never really gotten at Full Sail.”

Upon graduation in March 2009, Jet moved back to Charlotte and started writing a song a month for nine months. The result was his debut album, Love Boulevard, which spawned the selftitled single that garnered airplay on urban radio stations in Charlotte and Fayetteville. Jet feels the single stood out because it was fresh and upbeat.

“It sounded like good cookout music,” he says.

Meanwhile, accolades and honors came on thick and fast. Jet opened for Anthony Hamilton at the Fillmore Charlotte; a gig he still counts as one of his fondest memories. Six months after releasing his debut, he received the Carolina Music Award for best new R&B artist. The New York Urban Music Explosion Award came after he played a showcase in New York City.

Inevitably, the siren song of the Big Apple called out to Jet in 2012.

“I had a management team based in New York, so it made sense to move there,” Jet remembers.

Jet and his team took meetings with labels like Atlantic, Warner Bros. and Interscope, but his time in NYC was a decidedly mixed bag. On one hand, Jet feels that some career opportunities failed to materialize. On the plus side, it was a learning experience.

His New York sojourn was a way for Jet to reflect on what was important to him, he says. While in New York, Jet penned the song “Been There Before,” his heartfelt response to hardships his mother was facing in Charlotte.

“It was [also] about me missing home,” Jet admits. After less than a year, he was back in the

Queen City.

A few years passed before Jet released any new music. An explanation for the hiatus came in 2016 in the form of the deceptively ethereal sounding The Great Escape EP, which Jet says is centered around self-realization. “[The Great Escape is] an embodiment of what I had to go through to free myself from the limitations and blocks I had [during] the transition from New York back to Charlotte,” Jet explains.

The relationship that brought Jet back to Charlotte had soured. After the breakup, Jet focused on getting back into his musical world, which he felt he had neglected.

“It was almost as if I had retired for a couple years,” he confides. Jet has since made up for lost time. In the wake of the 2016 police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, Jet recorded and released “Broken Black Faces.”

“I thought that we needed a record that people in our community could listen to and feel inspiration and positivity,” Jet explains.

The song features two great verses from local rapper Nige Hood. It is pro-AfricanAmerican and anti-hate, he continues. It comes from a place of love.

Concern with love and community has also informed Jet’s Young Icons project, launched in 2017. Having just wrapped its third year, Young Icons is a summer camp where children take a week to write and record an original song.

“We’re not just teaching kids how to write songs,” Jet explains. “We’re teaching them about production and how to record in the studio.”

The program also brings in big name producers to sit in, and popular artists attend the children’s final show; Hamilton is a recent attendee. In 2020, Young Icons is switching to nonprofit status, Jet reveals. There will be year-long programs featuring open studio days on weekends and open mics for youth every month. “Our goal is to be known as the premier program for youth when it comes to live music,” Jet says.

He also promises that new music of his own is in the pipeline. Though he’s known for inspiring and uplifting tunes like his effervescent single “Up All Night,” Jet is preparing to drop a six-song EP in October that he describes as non-feel good

“IT WAS ALMOST AS IF I HAD RETIRED FOR A COUPLE YEARS” Jason Jet

Jason Jet performs.

music.

“Have you ever been with someone where your love wasn’t fully reciprocated?” Jet queries. That question serves as a hint to where he’s going with the project.

He describes the EP’s song cycle as a journey through a failed relationship that examines how someone can get through the experience.

Most of the tunes are three to four years old, he continues.

“I’ve been sitting on them because they’re great songs, but they don’t reflect where I am in life right now,” Jet explains.

PHOTO BY TGM+

He feels he needs to get the tunes released before dropping his new full-length album next spring. Concurrent with recording the new material, Jet has also been assembling a new creative team, and he’s shooting footage for music videos every weekend.

In the recent past, Jet has hit pause on his music career to tend to life lessons and community education, but now his simmering soulful music is a priority again.

“More than ever, I’m really putting a lot of time into Jason Jet,” he says.

PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM

SOUNDWAVE *Charlotte-area acts in bold.

AUGUST 28

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

August Residency-A Family Affair: Habibi, Fruit & Flowers, DJ Scott Weaver (Snug Harbor) Jeff Kujan, Psych Ops, Mama Tried (The Milestone) Nick Thomas (Amos’ Southend) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniels, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Allan Harris Jazz Trio (Evening Muse)

AUGUST 29

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Secret Nudist Friends, Broke Jokes, Wine Pride, Amity Pointe (The Milestone) Open Mic Night (Tommy’s Pub) Shana Blake (Smokey Joe’s) Midnight North (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Kris Atoms (Comet Grill) The Abbey Elmore Band (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

A Different Thread (Evening Muse)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

Mirror Moves (Petra’s) Friendship Friday with Mo! (The Milestone) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Yung Blaza’s Hip Hop Rodeo (Tommy’s Pub)

AUGUST 31

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Jesus Adrian Romero (Ovens Auditorium) ROCK/PUNK/METAL

DJ/ELECTRONIC

Le Bang (Snug Harbor) Jump Off (Crown Station) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

BC, SWVNN, Jxy True, Fredthegxd, Duhart, Damartheemcee, DJ Marc Spano (Petra’s) Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, Slimelife Shawty, Paper Lovee (Underground)

AUGUST 30 POP

The Adicts (Underground) Peter Frampton, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

The Contenders (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Leebo (Comet Grill) Hipshack (Tin Roof) Seventy-Six & Sunny (Tin Roof)

SEPTEMBER 1 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Lassyu, His Hem, Middleasia, Deaf Andrews (The Milestone) Metal Church Sunday Service (The Milestone) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Chocala: Debut Album Release Party, Lincka, DJ Delbert McClinton, The Hazlegroves (Neighborhood Shaanti (Neighborhood Theatre) Theatre) The Unknowns, Cherry Bomb, Colorblind (Amos’ Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Southend) The Volts (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Durand Jones and the Indications (U.S. National Thirsty Horses (RiRa)

Daddy’s Beemer, Whitehall, The Business People, Daddy Lion (The Milestone) Travers Brothership, Swim In the Wild (Neighborhood Theatre) Grupo Salbers de la Costa Chica, AV Alvarado, Fruia Tropikal, DJ Hermida (Snug Harbor) The Backbones, Paul Maraio (Tommy’s Pub) OMD - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Fillmore) Modern Moxie, Youngster, Brian Robert (Petra’s) Marbin with Ben DeLaurentis (Evening Muse) Shaw Davis, The Black Ties (Evening Muse) Kobra and the Lotus (Amos’ Southend) Sebastian Bach (Amos’ Southend) Selah Dubb with Bert Wray Solo (Smokey Joe’s)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

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Evening (PNC Music Pavilion) Hylynd, Pip the Pansy (Evening Muse) Hipgnostic, One Big Love (Evening Muse) Skewed, TKO Faith Healer, Wild Trees (Snug Harbor) DeCarlo, The L.A. Maybe (Amos’ Southend) Identikit, Dinner Rabbits, It’s Snakes, Joules (The Milestone) Stereotype (Tin Roof) Cardfall (Tin Roof)

#LocalOnly Saturday with DJ Teddy & Mike Boyer (The Milestone)

Whitewater Center) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Jerry Jacobs Band (Tin Roof) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) The Art of Afrobeats Charlotte, Vol.2: Steve Nizzo, Christian Quee, The Dynamic DJ Kato (Crown Station) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

Open Bluegrass w/Greg M Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s Pub) Intocable (Fillmore) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s)

Follow our Spotify Playlist PREVIEW YOUR LOCAL CHARLOTTE SOUNDWAVE ARTISTS HERE

1. OPEN SPOTIFY ON YOUR SMARTPHONE 2. TAP THE SEARCH BAR 3. CLICK THE CAMERA ICON IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER 4. POINT CAMERA AT THE CODE BELOW

DJ/ELECTRONIC

Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)

SEPTEMBER 2 POP

Piano Bar Karaoke & Sing Along with Ryan Stamey (Petra’s) ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Jamorah (Smokey Joe’s) Evil Engines, Mercury Dimes, Sunday Boxing (Thomas Street Tavern) Open Mic Night: Julie Dean (Legion Brewing)

SEPTEMBER 5 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Taking Meds, Amity Pointe, Stress Fractures, Problem Addict (The Milestone) Le Bang: Ol’ Sport, Proper., Alfred (Snug Harbor) Scatter Shot, Box Ghost, Played By Kings (Skylark Social Club) Hootie and the Blowfish, Barenaked Ladies (PNC Music Pavilion) Sweat Transfer, The Hollywood Horses, Thousand Dollar Movie (Petra’s) RYLY, Tyler Jarvis (Evening Muse) Shana Blake (Smokey Joe’s Café) Revelry Soul (Tin Roof)

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

Jazz Mondays (Crown Station)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) Jump Off (Crown Station)

Them Sedgefield Boys (Comet Grill) DJ/ELECTRONIC

Reflexions: Dark Wave/New Wave Dance Party: Valentine, Sanity, Ana, Tech Bat

SEPTEMBER 3

SEPTEMBER 6

The Alarm, Modern English, Gene Loves Jezebel (Neighborhood Theatre) Smokin’ Js Open Jam (Smokey Joe’s) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station)

Elonzo Wesley: Album Release (Neighborhood Theatre) Mega Bog, Warm Red, Zodiac Lovers (Snug Harbor) HellFire Choir (Tommy’s Pub) Big Al & David Childers Songs & Art (Petra’s) Side Hustle, Darren and the Buttered Toast (Evening Muse) Head Games-Foreigner Tribute (Amos’ Southend) Lisa De Novo (Wild Wing) 9daytrip (Smokey Joe’s) Bald Brotherhood (RiRa) Act II (Tin Roof) Michael Rotundo (Tin Roof)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Jason Charles Miller, Roger Hodges (Evening Muse) Uptown Unplugged: Rotie Salley (Tin Roof)

SEPTEMBER 4 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Pg. 19 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Aaron Lewis, Ben Danaher (Fillmore) Winston Ramble (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Jason Moss & the Hosses (Comet Grill)

Futurists, Jordyn Zaino (Snug Harbor) Nikki Hill (Neighborhood Theatre) Nghtmre, Slander, Seven Lions, The Glitch Mob (CMCU Amphitheatre) Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniels, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Post Sports Bar & Grill) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

Bugalú – Old School Latin Boogie Dance Party (Petra’s)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Courtney Lynn and Quinn (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Emily Scott Robinson, Abigail Dowd (Evening Muse) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) Blow Your Head (Snug Harbor) Open Decks (Skylark Social Club) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Flying Lotus (Fillmore)

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SEPTEMBER 7 POP

The Dirty Guv’nahs, Zander (Neighborhood Theatre) 7th Grade Girl Fight, Party Battleship, Sunset Cassette (Tommy’s Pub) Avatar, ‘68, Like Machines (Underground) Trisha Paytas (Amos’ Southend) 2019 End of Summer Jam: City Lights Drive, Pushbutton Apolalypse, The Phantom Friends, Oak Wind, The Dirty Low Down (Amos’ Southend) Ari Hest, Sarah Siskind (Evening Muse) Lisa De Novo (Divine Barrel) Robbin Kapsalis and Vintage#18 (Heist Brewery) Jennifer Hartswick, Nick Cassarino (Heist Brewery) Blue Monday (Tin Roof) Selah Dubb, One Culture (Legion Brewery) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Biggins, Jason Moss & The Hosses, Crenshaw Pentecostal (Snug Harbor) Tellico (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Jameson Rodgers (Coyote Joe’s) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $ign, Joyner Lucas & Yella Beezy (Spectrum Center) Jason Jet, Curt Keyz (Evening Muse)

SEPTEMBER 8 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

In This Moment, Ded, Hellzapoppin (Fillmore) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Rarity, Brigades, Like Mike, Frontside, Flight Club (Skylark Social Club) Bambara, Pure Adult, TKO Faith Healer (The Milestone) The Barons (Tin Roof) Open Mic Night: Scott Smith (Legion Brewing)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

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

Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s)

Jazz Mondays (Crown Station)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

SEPTEMBER 10

Steve Poltz (Neighborhood Theatre) Andrew Duhon (Evening Muse)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

SEPTEMBER 9 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Matthew and The Atlas (Evening Muse) No Rope, Live Well, First Marriage (Snug Harbor) Pretty Matty, Pony, Alright (Petra’s)

No Future: Joshua Cotterino, Lofidels, Bo White (DJ Set), Robert Childers (DJ Set) (Snug Harbor) Smokin’ Js Open Jam (Smokey Joe’s) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station) Super Doppler (Free Range Brewing) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Wayne Willingham (Evening Muse)

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Jesse Marchant (Evening Muse) Uptown Unplugged: Jeremy Shaw (Tin Roof)

VOICE OVER CASTING MIX SOUND DESIGN MUSIC WHISKEY

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

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor)

12th Annual Spasta! Greek Night: DJ Sheltz, Thanasti, Kosta X (Visulite Theatre) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL Open Bluegrass w/Greg M Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s ROCK/PUNK/METAL Pub) True Lilith, Fortezza, The Walbournes, Jordyn A Dog’s Dream-Bluegrass Fundraising Concert: River Zaino (The Milestone) Boy Bluegrass Band (Visulite Theatre)

GROUNDCREWSTUDIOS.COM

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EMBRACE THE WET

A salad called heirloom tomato juice

T

BY ARI LEVAUX

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HE MOST ELEGANT cooks I know are farmers. Not elegant in the sense of being overly stylish, but rather, in the way a scientist means when discussing a solution or experiment that is so ingeniously simple it’s beautiful.

When summer is in full swing on a farm, each meal is an elegant response to some burning questions. How do we feed an army of hungry bodies, without too much kitchen work or cleaning, while using as many free ingredients as possible? By “free,” of course, we mean homegrown produce, especially the stuff that is so in-season the surplus couldn’t possibly all be sold.

Over the course of a summer, a farm kitchen becomes a lab for the evolution of culinary elegance. Visitors bring their own recipes, which take up residence in hospitable kitchen ecosystems, like the one I walked into the other day.

I was there to learn about a salad called heirloom tomato juice, but first I had to get past a table laden with two steaming platters of rice noodles tossed in chimichurri, thick as pesto.

The noodles were unevenly tossed, with some patches that were almost pure green, and with scattered flecks of caramelized carrots and pieces of grilled fennel, broccoli and yellow squash.

“It was a way of getting rid of too much parsley,” said my friend Josh, a farmer and local county commissioner. Having spent time in the Peace Corps in Thailand, the Commissioner knows his way around a fried noodle.

Also on the table: a large bowl of romaine

leaves, tossed with onions that had been soaked in salt water. The lettuce and onions were drizzled in olive oil and “cheap white vinegar.” It had the fingerprint of a mutual farmer friend, and the Commissioner confirmed it was indeed her recipe.

But I was there for the heirloom tomato juice, a salad that happens to be the most elegant way to juice an heirloom tomato.

First, he sliced an English cucumber, the long, slender kind we sometimes see wrapped in plastic. It has to be this and only this kind, he stressed. Not the cucumber-shaped slicers, even from his own farm, or the pointy picklers, no matter how crispy. None surrender their juices like an English.

The Commissioner spoke of the juice with a mix of reverence and fervor, his values having been fundamentally sculpted by the quest for juice. Things that increase the juice, by definition, are good.

“I’m not shy with the salt,” he said shaking copious amounts onto the chunked cukes.

“People enjoy it. It makes things taste good.

And it brings out the juice.”

Then he added thin slices of onion. It must be a Walla-Walla, or similar sweet, spicy salad onion. He teased apart the thin rings in the bowl into a layer atop the cucumbers, and gave it a good stir. Then he added the tomatoes, in chunks about the size of a pack of dental floss.

There is a little more leeway with the tomatoes. They should be heavy, ripe heirlooms.

Cracked and ugly tomatoes are welcome, and the darker, the better, like the green collared Cherokee Black.

As this went on, family and farmhands wandered through the kitchen, ogling the growing spread. When the Commissioner told them my purpose — heirloom tomato juice — they sighed wistfully, reliving their recent encounters with this summertime

salad. But they all declined to taste-test the Commissioner’s fresh batch, with variations on “I can’t eat any more tomatoes right now.”

The Commissioner nodded sympathetically, pointing to his lower lip. “I have a hole in my mouth, too.” After weeks of rushing face first into the tomato harvest, the acid was taking its toll on the help, inlcuding low-acid heirloom varieties. Nothing says dog days of summer like tomato herpes in your mouth.

When the three principal ingredients had been chopped and added to the bowl, the Commissioner poured olive oil and balsamic, and stirred. “Let them hang out and get to know each other for a few minutes,” he said.

A moment later, he announced, “It’s already making juice. I can see it coming up.”

The cucumbers were sinking in a rising sea, so fast you could almost see it happening.

When the Commissioner ran out to the greenhouse, I started gulping it down. The juices were thick but non-pulpy, softly tangy and salty, thoroughly satisfying and delicious, like drinkable gazpacho.

By then the tomatoes had all but vanished, as had the onions. The cucumbers remained, like bones in a pot of simmering stock, having already given their best stuff to the juice. Eat them anyway.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO JUICE Serves 4. Don’t be afraid to double the recipe.

Leftovers are A-OK. 2 English cucumbers, sliced into ½-inch rounds 1/4 of a large sweet onion, thin sliced to an eighth-inch or less 3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes 1/2 cups olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon salt Add the cucumbers to a bowl, along with two teaspoons of salt and the onions, teasing the layers apart into individual crescents. Toss. Add the tomatoes, oil and balsamic, and toss again.

Taste, add the remainder of the salt if it needs it, and wait for the juices to flow. It won’t be long.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

Pg. 23 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

DILWORTH

DILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD GRILLE

BAKERSFIELD

Monday: $4 Crown & Down Tuesday: $4 drafts, $12 pitchers, $5 flights of North Carolina drafts Wednesday: 1/2 off 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: $3 Jack Daniels Tuesday: $3 Tres Generaciones, $10 Don Julio 1942 Wednesday: $3 Bulleit Bourbon Thursday: $3 Espolon Friday: $3 George Dickel No. 8 Saturday: $3 Lunazul Sunday: $3 Larceny Bourbon 300EAST

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

Pg. 24 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Monday: 20-oz. draft for 16-oz. price Tuesday: $5 specialty cocktails Wednesday: $3.50 local drafts Saturday-Sunday: $5 mimosas & bloody marys

SUMMIT ROOM

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

SOUTH END COMMON MARKET 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.

UPTOWN

BIG BEN PUB

Monday: $6 beer cocktails, $2 off vodka Tuesday: $8 mules, 1/2 off gin Wednesday: $6 you-call-it, 1/2 off wine bottles Thursday: $4 wells, 1/2 off specialty cocktails Friday: $5.50 Guinness and Crispin, $6 vodka Red Bull Saturday-Sunday: $4 bloody marys and mimosas, $15 mimosa carafes

THE LOCAL

MAC’S SPEED SHOP

Monday: $3 pints, $5 Tito’s Tuesday: 1/2 price wine, $3 mystery draft Wednesday: $4 tall boys, $5 Lunazul Blanco Thursday: $3 mystery cans and bottles, $4 Jim Beam Friday: $1 off Lagunitas beers (August) Saturday: $1 off North Carolina pints Sunday: $4 mimosas & bloody marys GIN MILL

Monday: $5 Tito’s and New Amsterdam Tuesday: 1/2 price wine Wednesday: $4 draft beer Thursday: $2.50 PBR, $5 Jack Daniels and Tito’s

Monday: $7 Casamigos, $2 Natty Boh and Miller High Life, $5 Jager Tuesday: $3 Modelo, $5 house margaritas, $5 Don Julio Wednesday: $5 Crown & Down, $3 Southern Tier Thursday: $5 Captain Morgan, $7 craft mules, $16 Bud Light buckets Friday: $3 Jell-O shots, $4 drafts, $5 wells Saturday: $3 PBR, $5 Jager Sunday: $7 loaded mimosa, $7 Grey Goose bloody mary, $16 Bud Light buckets THE DAILY TAVERN

Wednesday: $5 whiskey Thursday: $4 pint night Sunday: $4 Miller Lite, $6 bloody marys DANDELION MARKET

Monday: $3 select drafts Tuesday: $15 select bottles of wines Saturday-Sunday: Bloody mary bar

I REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME, DO YOU?

ROXBURY

Friday: $5 flavored vodka drinks, $5 fire shots, $3 bottles Saturday: $5 fire shots, $4 ZIMA, $3 bottles WORLD OF BEER

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

Tuesday: 1/2 off everything Wednesday: $3 drafts Thursday: $2 PBR, $4.50 wells, $6 vodka Red Bull Friday-Saturday: $4 call-its

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

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 Black Saturday: $5 Gummy Bear shots, $5 big mimosa, $6.50 double bloody mary Sunday: $5 big mimosa, $6.50 double bloody mary SANCTUARY PUB

Pg. 25 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Monday: $7 Bulleit and Bulleit Rye, $3 Yuengling and PBR APA Tuesday: $6 Tuaca, $6 Tullamore Dew

Wednesday: $3 Birdsong beers, $5 Sauza, Thursday: $2 Bartender Bottles, $6 Crown Royal Sunday: $3 Birdsong, $3 Tall or Call NODA 101

Monday: $4 Ketel One Lemon Drop, $4 well liquor, $5 Camerena Tuesday: $6 seasonal cocktails, $6 Jameson, $4 Grape Gatorade Wednesday: $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: $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red Bull Sunday: $5 Deep Eddy Flavors, $1 off tequila, $5 White Gummy Bear shots BILLY JACK’S SHACK

Monday: $1 off moonshine, $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, Sunday: $4 mimosas, $5 Brunch Punch, $5

Fireball, $10 champagne bottles

PLAZA MIDWOOD 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 INTERMEZZO

Monday: $4 Makers Mark, $2 domestic bottles Tuesday: $4 margaritas, $7 Tito’s mules, $3 Blanche de Bruxelles, $3 OMB Copper Wednesday: 1/2 price wine bottles, $2 off bourbon of the week Thursday: $6.50 Ketel One Botanical Series, $4 Stoli Friday: $4 20-oz. Birdsong LazyBird Brown Ale and Birdsong Jalapeño Ale Saturday: 1/2 price martinis Sunday: $3 drafts

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Pg. 27 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

91 Ollie’s buddy 92 Executive arm headed by Antonio Guterres, for short [1973] 99 Acer or Asus products 102 Touch base on a fly 104 Easy throws 105 Gp. backing arms 106 “Just Shoot Me!” actress [2005] 111 Protest type 113 Tree expert 114 Christmas party quaff TRACK STARS 115 Chicago air hub ACROSS 117 Machine on a skating rink 1 1995-96 CIA director John 118 Event won by the horses at the ends of 7 Seat of Johnson County, Kansas eight answers in this puzzle 13 Dah’s counterpart in Morse code 123 Up for debate 16 Ungar of poker 124 Lipton drink, informally 19 African antelope 125 Actress Driver 20 Mink’s relative 126 Booming jet of old, briefly 21 Actress Jennifer 23 Nebraska-based insurance company [1935] 127 Suffix with 25-Across 128 Quagmire 25 Panther 129 Actor Liam 26 “I’ve Got a Crush --” DOWN 27 Bean high in protein 1 Lose luster 28 “Wide -- Sea” (Jean Rhys novel) 2 Tall bird 29 Desires 3 Thus far 31 Summons for speeding, say [1948] 4 Razz 35 Foofaraw 5 Potters’ materials 36 Like granola 6 Saintly glow 37 Up to the time when 7 A bit amiss 38 Chicago-to-Tampa dir.

8 “When I Need You” singer 39 Sharp items with eyes [1956] 9 Long -- the law 43 Bond part 10 Cookie batch, often 47 Day, in Chile 11 Snarky laugh 48 “Seats sold out” sign 12 Socrates’ H 49 Mood of an environment 13 Buddhist leader 53 Cloud layer 14 Like neon 57 Being attacked [1946] 15 New York county 61 Funny Margaret 16 Equilibrium 62 Water, in Chile 17 Trunks 64 “-- you one” 18 Not finished 65 Ventriloquist Bergen 22 Petty fight 66 Egg layers in coops 24 Eke -- existence 68 Refittings of cars’ motors [1955] 28 Phys., e.g.

73 Fluids with antibodies 29 Existed 74 Writer Asimov 30 Sweet drink 76 Comical Idle 32 Map nos.

77 Water pit 33 Opal ending 79 Racer Jarrett 80 Having recognized the value of one’s own 34 Dol. divisions 36 Model railroad size conscious being [1978] 40 Lupino of old Hollywood 84 Artist’s mixing board 41 Naldi of old Hollywood 86 Amber wines 42 “How -- Want It” (#1 hit for 2Pac) 87 “You betcha” 44 “The Detour” channel 90 “Angie” actor Stephen

45 French river 46 Honey drinks 49 Realms 50 Guitarist Ted 51 Table wine 52 Big online investing site 53 Deep divide 54 “La Mer,” translated 55 President after Jimmy 56 Part of SPF 58 Sibling of a nephew 59 Two, in Chile 60 “That’s icky!”

63 “-- just a number” 67 Bank boxes 69 Like the verb “lie”: Abbr.

70 Game with matchsticks 71 Baby wolf 72 Stings 75 “I Am --” (Jenner’s reality show) 78 Supplication 81 Clerical title 82 Dreams 83 Tincture 85 Incus’ organ

SOLUTION ON PAGE 30

88 Pastoral poems 89 Grads’ event 92 Sheepskin boot brand 93 “Rapa --” (1994 film) 94 Wrench, to a Brit 95 Kindle download 96 ER trainees 97 Moviedom’s Meyers 98 Bronzy 99 Some statue sites 100 Gem measures 101 Yield (to) 103 Home pest 107 Rips off 108 Sprang forth 109 Congested cavity, often 110 Terra -- (tile material) 111 The Beatles’ “Sexy --” 112 “Fame” star Cara 116 Choir melody 118 Basinger of “Batman” 119 -- -friendly 120 -- in “crossword” 121 Yearbook bit 122 Deep longing

AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 3 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Despite your Aries penchant for wanting to tackle a problem head-on, you might want to take a little more time to see how a current situation develops. It could surprise you.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Taking on the role of peacemaker in a disruptive environment is a challenge. But you can do it. Just continue to have the same faith in yourself that so many others have in you.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Although your work schedule keeps you busy, you should make time to start preparing for that important upcoming family event you’ll want to celebrate in a special way.

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CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Home is where the Moon Child wants to be early in the week. But by week’s end, a chance to travel raises her or his excitement level, and that of the lucky person who gets to go along.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Be careful not to be a copycat when dealing with someone who uses unfair or even unkind methods to reach a goal. As always, do the right thing the right way, and you’ll win in the end.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) An offer could have many good things attached to it that are not apparent at first glance, including a chance to move into another career area. You might want to check out its possibilities.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) With responsibilities surging both in the workplace and

SEPTEMBER 4 - SEPTEMBER 10

in the home, it’s important to prioritize how you ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Be careful not to deal with them. Be patient. Pressures will begin to allow the backers of a new financial “deal” to pull the wool over the Lamb’s eyes. It could hold fewer ease starting early next week. plusses and more negatives than you were first led SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A positive to believe. reaction to a suggestion could indicate that you’re on track for getting your message to the right TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It’s a good idea to people. Devote the weekend to catching up with finish all incomplete tasks so that you can devote your attention to next week’s projects. The weekend the special people in your life. could hold surprises for romantic Fernandas and SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A new Ferdinands. attitude from those in charge could make things difficult for you unless you can accept the changes GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A workplace suggestion without feeling as if you’re being pressured into you made a while ago that you might have forgotten could come back with a request to turn it from idea doing so. to reality. Your social life picks up considerably this CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Family weekend. matters once again dominate much of the week.

But don’t neglect your workplace duties while you CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Someone from the deal with them. An offer to help could come from a past could return with an intriguing opportunity for a future project. Check into it, by all means. But surprising source. don’t neglect your current responsibilities in the AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A difficult meantime. workplace situation begins to ease, but there still are matters that need to be dealt with before it’s LEO (July 23 to August 22) Keeping your claws fully resolved. There’s also a more positive turn in sheathed and using good humor instead to counter someone who’s bad-mouthing the Big Cat isn’t domestic relationships. easy. But it’s the best way to avoid more problems PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Don’t let yourself down the line. be rushed into making a decision about an intriguing financial arrangement. Asking questions VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A workplace and checking it out now could pay off in a big way situation could improve if you’re less critical and more supportive of those who are, after all, trying later on. to do their best. Let them know you’re there to help BORN THIS WEEK: You might have a tendency to be when necessary. more than a bit judgmental, but others understand LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A new job it comes from a warm, loving heart.

offer might not carry all the benefits you’re seeking.

Make sure you know what you’re entitled to, what is off the table and what is negotiable before you make a decision.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A social obligation you would rather get out of could hold some surprisingly positive aspects. Why not go and see for yourself? A family member makes a curious request.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Before tackling that new project awaiting you at home or on the job, take time out for some much-deserved pampering to help lift your spirits and restore your energy levels.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your social calendar begins to fill up more quickly than you expected. And that’s great. You deserve to enjoy some good fun after so much time spent on serious matters.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A domestic situation continues to improve, thanks to all the tender, loving concern you’ve shown. A colleague makes a questionable move that you might want to check out sooner rather than later.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A sudden turn in a romantic relationship calls for both a rational and passionate response. Keep the love level high, but also find out why the problem arose in the first place.

BORN THIS WEEK: You often set high standards for others. But to your credit, you set the same expectations for yourself.

2018 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

Pg. 29 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

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COME THE REVOLUTION

Oppression and repression

Pg. 30 Aug. 28 - Sept. 10, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m a straight woman and have been sexually active for about six years. I’m in my mid-20s now and about ready to become a “man-hating feminist.” I feel like I can figure out what a guy wants in bed pretty easily. I cannot remember a single time when I’ve had sex with a guy that he has not had an orgasm. I, on the other hand, have never had an orgasm. Quite the opposite! I’ve barely even been aroused lately when I am having sex because it’s easy to tell when the guy I’m with just wants to come and that is the only thing on his mind. This makes me want to just get it over with. I’ve become really angry with the male population and their lack of care for pleasing a woman. Will it take a Women’s Pleasure Revolution for men to realize that their female counterparts have needs, too? Granted, I’ve had sex with only five guys — but in my mind, Dan, that’s five too many. I also have girlfriends in the same boat. Men skip foreplay, they don’t return the favor when it comes to oral, and they’re so eager to get their penises in my vagina, they barely touch me before doing so! This makes me feel used. I’m a giving woman by nature, but I feel like men just take. I don’t hate men.

I actually really like men. In fact, I was madly in love with one of the five.

REALLY ENRAGED/VEXED OVER LAZY TURDS

“Lots of foreplay, mutual oral, enough touch to get me going or, better yet, get me off at least once — all of these things have to happen before we fuck.”

Practice saying that in a mirror, REVOLT, and then say it out loud to the next guy you sleep with.

Say it and mean it. And if those things don’t happen — if he skips the foreplay or won’t go down on you

or refuses to touch you with anything other than his dick — then he doesn’t get to fuck you. Get up, get dressed and go. The sooner you walk out on guys who don’t want to do those things, the sooner you’ll find yourself in bed with guys who do. So no more having sex to “get it over with” (GIOW), no more sticking around for shitty GIOW sex that leaves you feeling used.

Some guys will be happy to see you go. Given a choice between a woman they can’t treat like a crusty tube sock and an actual crusty tube sock, a statistically significant percentage of straight guys will choose the crusty tube sock. Don’t waste your precious time or pussy on guys like that. And don’t waste a moment of your time or any of your pussy on guys who will engage in a little half-assed foreplay or go down on you for 30 seconds before they try to stick their dicks in you. Only fuck the guys who enjoy foreplay and are excited to eat your pussy before fucking you — or instead of fucking you.

The revolution you want isn’t going to come because some homo ordered straight boys everywhere to start engaging in foreplay and eating pussy. The revolution is only going to come — you’re only going to come — if you and your friends and all women everywhere stop settling for GIOW sex.

Now, some women have GIOW sex because they’re afraid a guy might react violently if they withdraw consent. They fear male violence, and that’s a sadly reasonable fear. But too many women have GIOW sex to avoid disappointing male partners who have already disappointed them; too many women slap on a smile and fake an orgasm to spare the feelings of dudes who don’t give a shit about their feelings or their pleasure.

You say you were in love with one of the five guys you had sex with, REVOLT, which I hope means you didn’t fear him and could talk to him. Yet every single time you had sex, you allowed this guy to essentially masturbate inside you. You didn’t stick up for yourself, you didn’t advocate for your own pleasure, you didn’t say, “Here’s what you need to do to please me.” Take a little personal responsibility here: You let Mr. One-In-Five get away with it. He let you down — he should have been more proactive about pleasing you — but you also let yourself down. No more. Insist on more and better from here on out, REVOLT, and you will get more and better.

what that looks like. And whether you’re already masturbating or not, please get your hands on a copy of The Vagina Bible, Jen Gunter’s new book on everything vaginal, vulval and clitoral.

I’m a straight woman in my mid-30s. For most of my adult life, I’ve gotten off on fantasizing about my boyfriends fucking other women.

So far it’s been fantasy-only, but I’m intrigued by the prospect of a real cuckquean scenario.

However, I’ve always been reluctant to share my kink. It’s not that I fear rejection or judgment. I think most guys would be into it, including the lovely man I’m currently in a committed relationship with. Rather, it’s my own discomfort with a kink that I fear stems from an unhealthy emotional place.

Insecurity, avoiding intimacy and difficulty trusting men are all issues I’ve struggled with, and the cuckquean kink plays right into all of that. I’ve worked with therapists over the years and gotten into a somewhat solid place emotionally. Alas, my kink remains, and has gotten stronger to the point where I’m imagining my guy fucking someone else about 99% of the time in order to come. I wish I could get more enjoyment from “normal” sex. I’ve read your column long enough to know that I should probably just embrace my kink and enjoy it. But while I’m trying my damnedest to be sex-positive, I can’t get around the nagging feeling that there’s something “unhealthy” about this fantasy.

If my kink is based on specific insecurities/ fears, do they get even more hardwired into my brain with every orgasm?

P.S. If what you meant by “I have never had an orgasm” is that you’ve never had an orgasm at all, ever, alone or with a partner, then you need to start masturbating right now. You’ll enjoy partnered sex more if you know what it takes to make you THIS RELUCTANT CUCKQUEAN come and you can show your partners exactly

Two quick questions: (1) How much more hardwired could something possibly become if you already have to think about it 99% of the time in order to climax? (2) What if imagining your guy fucking other women is “normal” sex for you?

A lot of people’s kinks are essentially eroticized fears: the fear of being humiliated, the fear of being exposed, the fear of being cheated on, etc.

Not everyone eroticizes these fears, of course, but so many of us do that it really should be covered in sex-ed courses. In your case, TRC, your erotic imagination took something that scares you — being cheated on — and turned it into something that arouses you. The difference between your worst fear and your ultimate turn-on is control. If your man fucks another woman, it will happen because you wanted it to (you gave him permission) and there will be something in it for you (it will get you off). Which is not to say you ever have to act on this.

You don’t. Plenty of straight men are turned on by the fantasy of their wives being with other men but know they couldn’t handle the reality of it, so they enjoy it as a fantasy only. But they don’t — or the healthy ones don’t — deny themselves the fantasy, whether it’s just playing it out in their heads or their monogamous partners indulging them with a little cheating-centered dirty talk during sex.

We can’t will kinks away, TRC, we can only embrace and accept them. Again, that doesn’t mean we have to act on them — some fantasies can never be realized for moral reasons — but to beat ourselves up about our kinks is a waste of time.

On the Lovecast, rival advice columnist E. Jean Carroll: savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove.net; Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage; ITMFA.org

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