VOLUME 1 ISSUE 21: SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
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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
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6 A Prayer for the Preacher by Patrick O’Boyle Paul Irving has been through hell and back this year 8 Keep It 100 by Shameika Rhymes 9 The Scanner by Ryan Pitkin
ARTS
10 Street Theatre by Ryan Pitkin New program gives creative outlet to homeless community
FALL ARTS GUIDE 2019
12 Institutions: What to look for at six of Charlotte’s best museums 14 Independents: Get out of Uptown and party elsewhere
LIFELINE
16 How not to kill your social life
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18 The Sweet Spot by Pat Moran Middle C brings jazz back to Uptown
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22 Stick To It by Ryan Pitkin Cloister Honey adapts to changes in the beekeeping game 24 The Buzz
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were shocked two weeks ago when an intruder had broken into Irving’s apartment and brutally attacked him with a knife, leaving him for dead. Paul Irvin, aka Moses the Street Preacher In the following days, there was an outpouring of support on social media. Rumors circulated that Irving had died, with mistaken “R.I.P.” posts popping up. Thankfully, he was alive, but in critical condition. The Hope Connection raised and delivered donations. News stations interviewed bewildered locals. How and why would someone do this? Irving’s life journey has been profound. At 7 years old, while growing up in Baltimore, he was molested. At 12, he was separated from his father and moved to Charlotte. That uprooting was followed by another when he was bused to Northeast Middle and Independence High, suburban schools where he never felt accepted. The alienation caused his grades to plummet. He went from being an honor-roll student to failing out of school. As an adult, his journey into homelessness was gradual. A workplace injury led to him losing his job. He went from living in a rent-to-own home to a minivan, then to someone else’s tent, and eventually to his own tent. Later, he was forced off the land he’d been living on and bounced between encampments. In the winters, he would melt ice over a campfire to bathe. In the classic hero’s journey, as outlined by Joseph Campbell, the hero often has to die in order to be reborn. Homelessness for Irving was a time of rebirth. As a child, the outdoors had been his sanctuary from the troubles of home life and school. A memorial to Paul Irving, aka Moses the Street Preacher, stands at the corner PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN Living in the woods reconnected him with nature where he once spread his sermons. and his inner child. It gave him time to reflect on who he was and who he wanted to become. The experience made him more patient and gentle, he says. You can see this in his tender demeanor. Even as a child in the woods, he recalls, he would stomp on anthills whenever he saw them. “Now, you couldn’t pay me to do that,” he Jesus, and will “answer to all of my names,” he tells CLT and hosted on their website, you can see Irving says. “That’s their castle.” It was then that Irving gave his new self a new Queen City Nerve. on his corner and hear him tell his story. Irving name: Seven. It refers to the age when he lost his As with so many thousands of others in searches for the gaze of those in the passing cars, innocence, and to the seventh day of creation — Charlotte, Irving has struggled with homelessness. those who have stopped at the red light. When he This year has been especially turbulent for him, locks eyes with a driver or passenger, he breaks into the day of completion and rest. “I’m supposed to be as he found a home, only to be brutally attacked a beaming smile and waves. This is Irving’s mission: resting but my work’s not done,” he says, laughing. He came to embrace poverty as a way to purify inside of it by an intruder and left for dead. Now, create a connection with strangers, cultivate an the soul. Homelessness replicated the life of Christ. “I he’s on the road to recovery and preparing to launch acknowledgment of shared humanity. a podcast. Irving has what he calls “90-second sermons” used to have a bunch of money and was miserable. While he may have the trappings of a prophet, ready for anyone who will listen — be it voluntarily Because I could afford to do a lot of stuff that, if I and embraces the title “The Street Preacher,” or because of a traffic signal. The sermons touch on didn’t have money, I wouldn’t have done. Bad stuff.” Some of the “bad stuff” that money enabled him his message isn’t one of judgment; it’s one of subjects like the divinity of man. to do, Irving goes on to explain, included mistreating affirmation and love. He’s been out here for years, becoming wellwomen. His past behavior haunts him, and feeling the In a series of videos produced by About Face loved in the neighborhood. That’s why neighbors
“I’M SUPPOSED TO BE RESTING BUT MY WORK’S NOT DONE.”
A PRAYER FOR THE PREACHER
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Paul Irving has been through hell and back in 2019
T
BY PATRICK O’BOYLE
HE TERM “street preacher” brings a very specific image to mind: severe men waving and thumping Bibles, shouting out fire-and-brimstone sermons. Men who exist outside of time, at odds with it, yearning for its end and forever disappointed by its continuation. Paul Irving, commonly known in Charlotte as “Moses the Street Preacher,” does not fit this mold at all. If you’ve seen Irving at the intersection of Milton and Sharon Amity roads, you’ve seen a serene, bearded man with dreadlocks, looking more like a Rastafarian than an evangelist. He does carry a wooden staff, which probably earned him his nickname. He’s also known as Seven and Black
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need to atone for it, Irving has made the treatment of women a core message of his street sermons. And it’s here, ironically, that Irving believes events were put into motion that led to the grisly attack in his home on August 10, 2019. Things had been going well for Irving. With the help of people like Darren Brown at Urban Ministries, he had gotten off the street and secured housing. The transition was difficult; Irving compares it to being institutionalized. So strong was his attachment to his old life that he wanted to set up his tent in his empty new apartment. Brown overruled him, insisting on furniture. It was time for another metamorphosis in Irving’s journey. He had to let the tent-dwelling monk die so that a new version of himself could be born. Living in his new apartment, Irving continued his ministry. He regularly took three buses to get back to his beloved corner at Milton and Sharon Amity. Irving believes that talking about the mistreatment of women made him a few enemies. He was preaching about abusive relationships in the presence of abusive relationships, he tells me, and that was enough to embarrass and infuriate someone in front of their partner. On Saturday, Aug. 10th, at around noon,
Irving heard a tap outside his window, then a brick shattered the glass. An arm reached inside, grabbing hold of the curtains and ripping them out. A few minutes later, the intruder climbed inside. He could tell immediately that they were intoxicated. Irving’s first instinct was to physically defend his home. As a struggle ensued, his attacker pulled out a large knife. “Absolutely they intended to kill me,” says Irving, who believes the attacker specifically targeted him for his sermons in the community. “But I didn’t beg. I fought for my life.” The artermath of the attack was horrific. As they struggled, the intruder repeatedly slashed Irving’s hands, cutting through the webbing between his fingers and into his knuckles. They sliced Irving’s face, chest and belly, then stabbed him in the side. Irving lost consciousness. When he came to, Irving lay on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. His assailant was gone, and had taken Irving’s cellphone so he could not call for help. He could feel the life slipping out of him. “In that moment,” he tells me over the phone, “I heard God say, ‘If you’re ready to come home, come home. But if you’re not, then get up.’” Then, he says, he thought of all the people he cared about in this life. He knew that if he kept lying there,
even for another two minutes, it would be hopeless. Summoning up all his strength, Irving crawled to his front door and reached for the handle. His hand was so slick with blood that he could not grip the handle to turn it. So he crawled to the kitchen, found a washcloth, crawled back to the front door. Now he was able to open the door, crawl outside and crawl across the breezeway to a neighbor’s apartment. Still lying on the ground, he kicked on the front door until someone answered and called 911. In the hospital, Irving underwent surgery for the damage done to his diaphragm from the stabbing. He had stitches and staples all over. When we speak, Irving has just had his staples taken out and is happy to be going home after two-and-a-half weeks in the hospital. I hear the effect on his voice, a certain raspiness from the damage to his diaphragm. I feel guilty for asking him to talk to me, because although he labors to speak, he’s never at a loss for words. His attitude is defiant. He’s dealing with this adversity the same way he kept from crying when he was homeless: by smiling. He said he’s been deeply touched by the outpouring of love from the community. He’s excited to be recording the first episode of his podcast, Messages from Moses. “Looking in the mirror, I see an awesome,
talented man who loves people from all backgrounds,” he says. “But I’ve got a lot of scars.” I wonder how many of us have said some version of this to ourselves at some point in life. I wonder how many of us should. I think people are drawn to Irving because he himself is a mirror, and he shows us our humanity. At the corner of Sharon Amity where Irving once preached sits a shopping cart filled with flowers. Some of the well-wishing signs on the cart were written before anyone knew he was alive. One sign, dated Aug. 19, has a prayer and many messages added by community members. Another reads, “#WakeUpCLT” and “#UsKillingUs.” When Queen City Nerve visits the makeshift memorial on a quiet morning, local resident Lashonda Millner stops by to take it in. Her five kids all love Moses, whose brother made a bracelet for her 8-year-old daughter after she continued to visit the corner and listen to Irving’s sermons. “He is definitely loved and missed and I’m just ready to see him back out here,” Millner says. “This corner truly is quiet. To know he’s alive, it’s a good thing, but it still feels like this corner is dead.” That or it’s just ripe for another rebirth. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
KEEP IT 100 BANKING ON AN EX
What do you owe to a former flame’s family? BY SHAMEIKA RHYMES
Dear Shameika, I broke up with my ex-boyfriend a few months ago after a two-year relationship. His family doesn’t quite seem to understand this, despite one of them reaching out previously to tell me to leave him because of his controlling ways. His family members — especially his aunts — keep contacting me for handouts. For example, they have asked me for $2,000 for furniture and most recently asked to hold a church retreat at my house. I know this sounds crazy, but I am never sure how to respond without being completely rude. I like his family and all, but how can I get them to stop reaching out to me asking me for stuff? I’M NOT A BANK
OU EEN CITY EXPERIENCE
PART OF OU EEN CITY
OU EEN CITY Pg. 8 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
EXPERIENCE
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Dear I’m Not a Bank, I think I need to sit down for this one, somebody have my smelling salts on standby because I might pass out. So let me get this straight, they advised you to break up with this ex? Congrats on listening to their advice because sometimes family will warn you when they know a mofo ain’t about ish. I had an aunt and a sister that advised me to run, and my stubborn ass didn’t listen for a few more years after that, but I digress. First of all, in two years, what kind of relationship did you establish with this family to make it seem like it’s okay to even ask for a dollar? I get it, there are certain family members that we tend to become close with when dating someone long-term, so much so that they become like family to us. But chile, unless you had a relationship with them before y’all got together, now that you’ve broken up, that should be it! It’s fine to be friendly and social, but all favors come to an end, especially when the break up is so fresh. I’m stuck on this asking someone for more than $5 and to hold a full-ass church retreat in your living room. What kind of furniture do they need? Why can’t they just rent some furniture or put it on layaway? Why can’t they have the church retreat at, oh I don’t know, the church? Is the furniture to buy pews to put in your house? This makes no sense when you have churches everywhere — shoot, there’s even Church’s Chicken restaurants
everywhere if you can’t find a house of worship. Asking someone to front that kind of money and host a congregation is doing the absolute most, and it’s disrespectful in my opinion. They are clearly taking your kindness for weakness. Now the other part of me, deep down in my soul, feels like the ex may be the petty bot pushing the buttons to this operation. He knows you love his family and he knows you may tell them yes because he certainly isn’t going to, so he directs them your way. You need to squash this right now. Communicate with him about what is going on and ask him to talk to his family. Also, the next time they reach out, the best way to handle this is to tell them that while you are trying to heal from the breakup, you would prefer them not to ask you for favors. If you want to take it a step further, tell them you need space and will be in touch when you are ready to talk to them again. There’s no need to be rude, just be firm so that they understand to not come back around with their hands out asking for even a stick of gum. There’s also the go-to of: “I ain’t got it and won’t have it. You need to step back and do some inner work here. What is the real reason you keep in touch with these people? Do you want your ex back? Is this because talking to them keeps you connected to him? If so, you should take your power back and focus your energy into cutting the cord, healing and moving on. Breakups test our emotions and what you need is to focus on loving yourself and getting ready to get back out there to find a greater love, not be worried about if Deacon Doo-Rag is going to leave his teeth beside your television. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out on holidays, but regular contact with these people sounds like it needs to stop, especially since the break up is so recent. You can’t heal with them begging for your coins and living room. It’s an endless spiral into the abyss of your bank account and kindness. Put your foot down, and good luck! If you have a dilemma you need help solving, drop me a line: shameika@themofochronicles.com
SCANNER BY RYAN PITKIN
HOT ITEM Most of the crimes reported out of Ballantyne just scream privilege, but one recently reported theft read more like a report from a hipster neighborhood (with privilege). A man called police to Sugar Donuts in the Ballantyne area after losing a valuable vintage item when he set it outside of the store in the early morning hours of a Saturday morning. The man told police that his vintage espresso machine worth $2,000 was stolen from in front of the store at 4:15 a.m., though why it was there at that time is anybody’s guess. SHOW AND STEAL Police responded to a recent home break-in in north Charlotte after an unknown man broke into a house while a 64-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl were inside. The man took $3,400 worth of jewelry while he was inside the home — including a rare gold locket with diamonds and a gold Gucci watch — and somehow before leaving found time to expose himself to the older woman in the house.
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THAT BITES A 57-year-old man filed a police report after porch pirates struck at his home in the University area of north Charlotte. The man said that someone stole a package off of his porch at around 6:30 p.m. When asked to list what was in the package, the man simply wrote, “Small bag of teeth.” PRETTY WOMAN If you’ve got actual police officers coming to your house to resolve what they officially call a “breach of trust issue,” it’s a bad sign regarding your romantic relationship as a whole. Police went to a home in east Charlotte recently to solve a dispute between a 22-year-old woman and her boyfriend. The call didn’t involve domestic violence or anything of the sort, but was more of a business dispute. According to the report, “the victim stated that her boyfriend has not paid her for the work details that she has completed.” What are these details and why does he have to hire you to do them in the first place? Are you the maid? His career consultant? His mechanic? I need to know all the details from this one. For their part, police, didn’t need any more details; they told the couple the dispute was a civil matter and filed a non-criminal report.
VOICE OVER
INCOMING There are plenty of reasons people have stopped going to the movie theaters to see new flicks — streaming services, $20 sodas, fear of a mass shooting — but you can add a new one to the list after an incident that occurred at Northlake Mall AMC on a recent Saturday night. According to the 47-year-old Mount Holly woman who filed the police report, she was in the theater watching a movie with her 11-year-old daughter when an unknown suspect sitting behind her suddenly launched a drink into the front rows, landing on a seat next to the young girl and splashing all over both victims. DOG GONE There are so many damn places you can go in your own living area to rescue or buy a dog, there’s really no reason to be ordering one from across state lines. That’s what one Indiana woman did, however, and she paid the price, literally. The woman told CMPD that she contacted a person who was selling a dog from their home in Charlotte through a website. The Indiana woman sent the seller $500 through Western Union, only to receive a response asking for more money to buy a special cage to transport the dog far distances. No need to worry, the seller said, the buyer in Indiana would be refunded that money once the cage was returned. That’s when the buyer became suspicious and did something she should have done in the first damn place: sent a Charlotte-area friend to the home, located near Latta Plantation, to pick the dog up. According to the succinct report, “There was no dog.” TEARS FOR FEARS A 59-year-old woman was simply trying to do some grocery shopping in east Charlotte recently and ended up with minor injuries, caught in the crossfire of a conflict she wasn’t involved in. The woman told police that she was in a Food Lion on Idlewild Road at about 3:40 p.m. when suddenly a fight broke out between two people in the store. It’s unclear whether security stepped in or one of the fighting parties was packing, but the woman said that she was injured by exposure to pepper spray during the melee. Luckily, she suffered only minor injuries and refused treatment from MEDIC. All Scanner entries are pulled from CMPD reports. Suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
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StreetSmARTs participants at a May reading of ‘Call Me By My Name’
STREET THEATRE
New program gives creative outlet to homeless community
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H
BY RYAN PITKIN
ILDA MOJICA worked in the banking industry for many years and hated it. The neverending cycle of work and paying bills made her miserable and she saw no light at the end of the tunnel — no opportunity for advancement in her professional life that would make her happy. Oftentimes, she would sit at her desk and daydream about potentials for alternative lifestyles; could she survive out in the wild if the grid went down and money was obsolete? What would life be like in a communal village? Then one day, she made up her mind to strike out in search of something better. She left her job with the belief that she’d find a better one in no time. However, that didn’t happen in the time frame she expected.
“I left and I thought, ‘I’m from New York and I’ve lived in big cities,’ and I thought I could just get something immediately,” she says. “I went through my 401k and all this stuff, and nothing happened for like two months. Even at the end of the month it was too late. If you don’t pay, the eviction process goes right to court.” She suddenly found herself faced with a reality that until then had been reserved for her imagination. She got a tent and set it up in the woods, and that became her home. Though she hopes to someday live in traditional housing again, she does not feel sorry for herself or regret her actions. Her life on the streets of Charlotte has allowed her to prove something to herself: that her circumstances do not dictate her happiness.
“I learned an alternative way of living. I had no choice. It happened and I’ve been able to be OK,” she said. “I wake up to the trees and the birds and I’m not stressing about what bills I have. I know that I will eventually get that life back, but this is an experience that I want people to know you can all come to but something better can come out of it.” That’s just part of a message that Mojica and five others hope to express through the new StreetSmARTs program, a collaboration between Steve Umberger of the Charlotte-based Playworks Group and the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Uptown. The program, which has been 18 months in the making, includes a stage production called Call Me By My Name, written and performed by
Mojica and five other Charlotteans who are either struggling with homelessness or have in the past. The stage reading is accompanied by a documentary that tells the stories of each of the six people who collaborated in creating Call Me By My Name. The program will culminate with two presentations from the StreetSmARTs team at Duke Energy Theater on Sept. 23, which will include a screening of the documentary followed by a performance of Call Me By My Name. The idea for StreetSmARTs originated with Val Rosenquist, lead pastor at FUMC, who hosts a Muffin Ministry at the church every Sunday morning that serves 150 to 200 people experiencing homelessness. “First Methodist has a long history of ministries with our neighbors without homes and ministries promoting the arts,” Rosenquist says. “StreetsmARTs combines both of these missions. The program enables our neighbors to access their creativity and to express their own unique understandings of their life experiences.” When she discussed the idea for launching a creative project with Umberger, who founded Charlotte Repertory Theatre in 1976 and served as artistic director there for 25 years, he suggested that they add an acting class. “The goal coming into this was to create a way for these people to have a creative outlet and to express the creativity that they have naturally, because we all think that’s essential to human life and development and imagination and collaboration, all of that,” Umberger says. “Then the expression of that goal was a production or a presentation of what they developed or what they built over time.” What they built over a year and a half was more than a script; they built a family. When I ask Mojica what she’s taken from the experience of writing and workshopping the script around the table in the FUMC basement over the last 18 months, she immediately thinks of the relationships she’s built. “It’s therapeutic, you know? And we’ve bonded. We’ve gotten to know each other in ways that people normally don’t speak of,” she says. I visit FUMC on an August afternoon as the group wraps up a recent reading. When I arrive, Mojica is reading a poem about ancestry and the pyramids. As she calls out questions to the group, the script calls for them to answer in unison, but they’re having trouble staying in sync on this afternoon. Umberger helps with some suggestions about reading the lines in a rhythm, before giving some advice to Mojica about ways she could make her
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voice carry further. Some members express their anxieties with memorizing all the lines before Sept. 23. When Umberger asks how many people share those concerns, half raise their hands. When the project began, many members joined and dropped out, but after six to eight months, Umberger says, the final writing team began to take shape. It consisted of Mojica, Belinda Hunter, Paul Lessard, Mary Subach, Scott Anderson and Christina C. Williams, or C.C. Throughout the fall of 2018 and into the new year, the team began to build a bond while learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Then on one spring afternoon, tragedy struck the group — a group that many of the members of which had already begun to refer to as a family. On Friday, April 5, just after 3 p.m., police responded to a homeless encampment in the woods off Morrow Street near Uptown and found Scott Anderson, known within the StreetSmARTs group as the wildly talented poet Scotty, dead of apparent trauma. Umberger was in New York City when he got the call. As soon as he heard the news, he could envision the crime scene. He and the StreetSmARTs production team had been in the encampment filming Anderson’s segment of the documentary just a month previous to his murder. In the footage, Anderson abashedly regrets that he didn’t clean up before Umberger’s arrival. The team was just a month out from their biggest reading yet when news came of Anderson’s
Hilda Mojica
murder, but Umberger remembers that his first reaction was not about what would become of his production. “Scott had a rough time — a rough, rough life — and then he kept his spirit alive, he kept his sense of humor, he wrote constantly, he kept that inner life going,” Umberger says. “I had thought about Scott not too long before it happened: ‘I really hope Scott is able to cross the line, whatever that means ... I hope he’s able to have a little easier time of it.’ So to watch him get closer and closer and closer and then for that to happen, it’s pretty devastating.” When Umberger returned to Charlotte two days after Anderson’s death, he and Rosenquist went to the encampment in hopes of salvaging some of Anderson’s treasured poetry notebooks, and were able to find and save “a trove of his writing,” Umberger says. The video profile of Anderson will remain in the documentary, and StreetSmARTs production team member Mark Sutton will read his lines at the upcoming performance. Anderson’s murder also had a crushing impact on the rest of the team, as was expressed in updates to the script they made in the aftermath of the incident. In one newly updated piece, Hunter states how she truly felt truly vulnerable as a person experiencing homelessness after Anderson’s death. “I knew it was dangerous, but I didn’t know it could mean death,” she wrote. Overall, however, the experience has been
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Christina C. Williams
a profoundly positive one for those involved — one that has cultivated growth in them socially, creatively and consciously. Williams, a painter who volunteers in the arts department at Urban Ministry Center and records videos of herself in character as MizKrizz to post on YouTube, is the only member of the group who was already heavily involved in the arts before StreetSmARTs started. As a two-time stroke survivor, Williams has trouble expressing her words as quick as they come to her, which can sometimes make her shy. But once
she opens up, her playful personality is clear to see. “I enjoy doing what I do,” she tells me when we meet at FUMC, before asking that I include in my story that she’s always looking for a good man. “I’m a flirt, and a freak.” Umberger calls her “a natural,” and says he’s suggested to Williams that she try stand-up comedy, which she’s considered. Williams became homeless in 2013, and she bounced between staying with friends and family for three years before securing an apartment in 2016. “She brings a really refreshing perspective that she’s worked hard to develop because she’s suffered the same sort of discrimination as the others — it’s not that she hasn’t — but her spirit is so big and so bright that she’s already incorporated all of that trouble into her life and she’s more or less on the other side of it, and doesn’t have time for it in a way,” Umberger says. “To have that whole package at the table, there’s a lot of opportunity for story that she has brought into the mix that nobody else could bring into the mix.” Williams says she’s enjoyed creating Call Me By My Name because it tells her own story as well as that of others. She’s confronted her own shyness and thinks the experience will motivate her to continue pursuing the performing arts. But what’s most important is the effect she hopes the production will have on those who see it. There is a message that she’s trying to get across in Call Me By My Name, and it ties in closely with that of the other participants. “I’ve had two strokes, I can still bounce back, and I don’t care what your situation is, you can still do it all,” she says. “You can still be positive, you don’t have to stay where you are at.” RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN
Bechtler Brings Back the Classics WITH AN overwhelming lack of good live jazz in Charlotte — outside of Jazz Room at Stage Door Theater and occasionally The Imperial — the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art does its part for the constantly evolving music growth of the Queen City by hosting Jazz at the Bechtler. Held on the first Friday of every month, Jazz at the Bechtler is described as mid-century art meets mid-century music. Generally, the Ziad Jazz Quartet performs with occasional featured guest musicians and vocalists. Enter Joe Gransden. At 38 years old, Gransden has been compared to Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker. He’s released eight CDs and performed all over the world., and will perform two sets in an event titled “Sinatra Returns” on Nov. 1. Jazz is a part of American culture that we should all be immersed in and has
influenced many aspects of social movements, music and style; if anything, it serves as its own subject of American history, so appreciate it when you can. Another recurring Bechtler event worth an honorable mention for the fall season is the next iteration of Modernism + Film on October 17, featuring a screening of Enough White Tea Cups. The documentary showcases the work of INDEX: Design To Improve Life, a Danish nonprofit and international design competition that explores how design can be used to plan and build affordable housing, prevent blindness, destroy landmines — or do anything you put your design to. The screening takes place in the main lobby and tickets are $10 for the public, $8 for museum members and $5 for students.
Gantt Center Turns 45 in Style
ARTWORK BY DERRICK ADAMS
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“Floater” from the ‘Painting Is Its Own Country’ exhibit
AS THE Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture turns 45, staff there is also celebrating their 10th year in the facilites at the corner of Stonewall and South Tryon streets. To coincide with the building’s birthday, they’ve moved up their annual Jazzy Benefit Gala to Oct. 26, and it’s sure to be a special one with all these milestones. A week later, on November 2, the Gantt will continue in its tradition of great work with the opening of two brand new exhibits. The first, Painting Is Its Own Country, will highlight contemporary African-American painters like the New York-based Derrick Adams and Will Villalongo, both nationally renowned for their past work among many disciplines. Second, the tentatively titled And Justice For All examines
Levine Goes to Brooklyn WITH THE upcoming development of a mixed-use residential and retail project called Brooklyn Village going on top of what is currently Marshall Park, more conversations have come up about what was there before that: a thriving, historically black neighborhood called Brooklyn, razed in the ’60s and ’70s in the name of urban renewal, displacing thousands. On Nov. 14, Levine Museum of the New South will bring museumgoers into Brooklyn when the neighborhood is added to #HomeCLT, an exhibit that currently features stories about the Eastland Mall, Enderly Park, Hidden Valley, Dilworth and Sedgefield neighborhoods. Brooklyn’s story won’t only be told in the museum, but in a walking
The Bechtler Museum
tour through Second Ward using an augmented reality app. Users will see old Brooklyn streetscapes where current structures stand while sharing site-specific memories. As with existing #HomeCLT neighborhoods, the app will allow visitors to “see” the demographic changes in Brooklyn occur over time as visuals and graphics are projected on their phones and other devices. More urgently, Levine will be closing its renowned K(NO)W Justice K(NO)W Peace exhibit on Sept. 29. The exhibit tells the story of the 2016 Charlotte Uprising, which followed the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott at the hands of a CMPD officer. If you haven’t been yet, now’s your last chance.
the criminal justice system and mass incarceration. This exhibit will include works by former McColl Center artist-in-residence Dread Scott and current McColl artist-in-residence Sherrill Roland. The museum will also extend the popular Welcome to Brookhill — featuring the work of local photographer Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. and curated by David Butler — through May 3, 2020. “We want to delve even deeper into issues around affordable housing and the long-term effects of housing insecurity (if that’s a term),” said Gantt Center COO Bonita Buford. The museum plans to partner with WFAE for a joint public conversation as part of the public radio station’s Finding Home series.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEVINE MUSEUM
A museumgoer at Levine Museum of the New South
Museum of History Goes Modern
PHOTO BY DUSTIN PECK
The exterior of a Mad About Modern home on Hermitage Road in Myers Park.
THOUGH THE Charlotte Museum of History often gets left out of the mix with those big-name institutions in Uptown, we’ve long been supporters of what Adria Focht is doing to bring more attention to the little east Charlotte museum. The MoH will be kicking off the fall on Sept. 28 with a staple: the 8th annual Mad About Modern Home tour, the museum’s most popular yearly event. This year, the tour will feature residences in the Cotswold, Myers Park, Plaza Midwood, Oakhurst and Coventry Woods neighborhoods, most of which were built in the 1950s and ’60s, when midcentury modernism was at its peak. For the first time this year, the tour will also include a home during the restoration and renovation process – the iconic mid-century modern Cohen-Fumero house in east Charlotte’s Coventry Woods. “The Cohen-Fumero House is one of Charlotte’s most iconic
Mint Museum Lightens Up HAVE YOU ever felt adrift in the dark? Let Studio Drift immerse you in the light. The Dutch arts co-op — which creates breathtaking sculptures that explore the relationship between humanity, nature and technology — was founded in 2007, and the Immersed in Light exhibit they will unveil on Sept. 20 and run through next April will feature five installations ranging from 10 years old to brand new, as one named “Coded Coincedence” will premiere at the Mint. Though they only held their first solo exhibition in Amsterdam in 2018, Studio Drift has been making their presence known internationally for years. They’ve won numerous international design awards and participated
PHOTO COURTESY OF MINT MUSEUM
in group shows such as Design Society at the Victoria & Albert Museum (VAM) in 2016 and What is Luxury?, a collaboration between the VAM and the Crafts Council in 2015. Studio Drift’s work was featured at several major design fairs including Design Miami/Basel, Art Paris Art Fair, Dubai Design Week, artmonte-carlo, FOG Design + Art, and ZONA MACO. Immersed in Light will include “In Twenty Steps,” an installation constructed of 20 delicate glass wings that suggest a giant bird in flight; and “Fragile Future 3,” a light installation formed of hundreds of tiny dandelion seeds that have been hand-glued, seed by seed, onto LED lights and held together by bronze electrical circuits.
McColl Offers Workouts for Artists
PHOTO BY JOSÉ G. VÁZQUEZ
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mid-century modern masterpieces and one of only a handful of high-style mid-century modern buildings in the region,” Focht said. On Oct. 25, the museum will providine a great teaser to Halloween weekend with an interactive murder-mystery evening based on the 1791 death of Polly Alexander, whose family built the Alexander Rock House in 1774. Polly’s murder remains a mystery, although the fact that her husband was known around town by the nickname “Devil Charlie” might be a red flag for him. Details of the event, which will feature a dramatic retelling of Polly’s death, have not yet been finalized, so stay tuned to charlottemuseum.org for more details coming soon.
Writers at a Creating Poetry workshop
“Cidade Matarazzo” from Fragile Future 3 in ‘Immersed in Light’
IN COLLABORATION with the Mint Museum, McColl Center for Art + Innovation hosts an open space on selected Saturday afternoons for community authors, poets and storytellers to gather for fellowship and to develop new and in-progress works. The space is open to anyone who reads, writes, and/or speaks in English and/ or Spanish. Beginning just before fall on Sept. 14, the Creating Poetry workshop will run straight through to winter, with events on Sept. 21, Oct. 26, Nov. 9, Nov. 16, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. Participants will read and talk about their work, hear new ideas from fellow writers, and, hopefully, find inspiration. McColl Center VP of Marketing and Operations
Armando Bellmas says the intent of the workshops, much like other artist workshops hosted by the museum, is to spark opportunities to perform and share creations during upcoming events at McColl (Open House, The Outcome, Stimulus or Open Studio Saturdays) and as part of the Mint Museum’s Art of Reading Tours Program. “One of the things that makes McColl Center unique is how we connect the artists that are here (or have been here) in residence to Charlotteans. We do this through events like the poetry workshop and all our art-making workshops,” Bellmas said. “When people like you and me learn directly from an artist about how to make artwork, everyone benefits.”
GET OUT OF UPTOWN
A guide to independent arts events around the city this fall BY RYAN PITKIN
There’s more happening in Charlotte’s arts scene than what’s going on at the Big Six. Here’s some ideas.
More: Oct. 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Free; SouthEnd ARTS, More: Oct. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Free; Carolina Clay 1507 Camden Road; southendarts.net Matters, 8300 Monroe Road; carolinaclaymatters.org
inspired by the 90’s classic Hocus Pocus. More: Oct. 26-27, 6 p.m.; $80; Aerial CLT, 801 N. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/AerialSeance
METROPOLITAN POPUP MARKET
What: This has got to be the largest collection of handmade artists and vendors you’ll find in Charlotte this fall, featuring more than 70 local artists and small businesses. More: Sept. 28, Noon-5 p.m.; Free; Metropolitan, 1111 Metropolitan Ave.; tinyurl.com/MetroPopUp
What: Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte presents this play that follows a girls’ soccer team and deals with issues ranging from menstruation to eating disorders to snake handling. Yeah. More: Oct. 3-26, times vary; $14-40; Hadley Theater at Queens University, 2211 Wellesley Ave.; atcharlotte.org
FESTIVAL OF INDIA
XOXO PRESENTS: ‘GUF’
What: GUF (pronounced Goof) is a whole lot of light in a dark room. Is it a play or is it a seance? Whatever it is, GUF is the newest work from the southeast’s wildest gang of theatre makers. More: Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 8 p.m.; $15; Goodyear Arts, 301 Camp Road; xoxoperformance.org
ARTPOP STREET GALLERY POP-UP
THE ESSENCE OF WHO I AM
What: The India Association of Charlotte has been hosting this event for a quarter-century now, and they’re back this year with visual arts, dance performances and exhibits including gardens, saris, science, yoga and henna. More: Oct. 12, 6 p.m.; $5.50; Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.; indiafestival.iacofcarolinas.org
What: The final local ArtPop pop-up gallery will feature the work of local artists of Emily Berger, Ladianne Henderson, Ash Knight, Tina Alberni and Justin Driscoll. More: Sept. 28, 6-9 p.m.; Free; Evoke at Le Meridien, 555 S. McDowell St.; artpopstreetgallery.com
What: Over the last year, the artists at ArtWorks945, many of whom struggle with homelessness, have had the chance to discover who they are at their core through discussing the works of Matisse and refining their art to its purest form. Check out the work they’ve produced in the process. More: Oct. 5, 4-7 p.m.; Free; ArtWorks945, 945 N. College St.; tinyurl.com/WhoIAmCLT
UNITED INK QUEEN CITY TATTOO & ARTS FESTIVAL
What: During this Day of the Almost Dead celebration, Mexican-American artist Julio Gonzalez explores the cultural differences between American and Mexican experiences around death and aging. More: Nov. 1, 6-10:30 p.m.; Free; Camp North End, 1826 Statesville Ave.; diadeloscasimuertos.com
AIRING OUT THE DIRTY LAUNDRY
What: This regular event serves as a catalyst for women’s voices, and three fall in the … well, fall: Charlotte Center for Literary Arts on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m., Dowd Foundation Learning Studio at the Main Library on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m., and Carolinas College of Health Services on Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. More: Sept. 28, Oct. 6, Nov. 12, times and locations vary (see above); Free; airingoutthedirtylaundry.com Pg. 14 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24 , 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
SHIFT ARTIST LECTURE WITH AMANDA FOSHAG
What: Listen to thread, fiber, painting and sculpture artist Amanda Foshag discuss her wide range of work, which will be featured in the CPCC galleries. More: Sept. 30, 3-4 p.m.; Free; Tate Hall, Overcash Center, CPCC, 1206 Elizabeth Ave.; tinyurl.com/ FoshagShift SOUTHEND ARTS SPEAK JUSTICE W/ HANNAH HASAN
What: Local storyteller and poet Hannah Hasan shares some of her work and the stories behind it, which have empowered her to speak truth to power at rallies, protests and vigils around the country.
‘THE WOLVES’
MOVIES AT THE MUSEUM
What: Charlotte Pride and the Reel Out Charlotte film fest present a night of LGBTQ short films, picked from the large amount of submissions for the spring festival. More: Oct. 6, 6-8 p.m.; Free; Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; tinyurl.com/ReelOutFall FEEL GOOD FEST
What: An all-day, family-friendly festival aimed at heightening your senses with funky music, impressive art, fire performances, a variety of food trucks, local vendors and, of course, craft beer. More: Oct. 12, 2-10 p.m.; Free; Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts, 1030 Woodward Ave.; tinyurl.com/FeelGoodHeist 2019 FALL POTTERY FESTIVAL
What: This is a festival you will never forget, because there’s a good chance you’ll be convinced to get tatted up while you’re there. Exhibitions also include permanent makeup procedures, laser removal, performances and visual art. More: Oct. 18-20, times vary; $15-45; Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St.; unitedinkproductions.com/queencity FALL FREE FOR ALL
What: This exhibit will feature a diverse range of local and regional artists, who are welcome to apply through Oct. 7. Painters, sculptors, photographers, performance artists, installation artists and new media, this means you. More: Oct. 19, 7-11 p.m.; Free; Hart Witzen Gallery, 2422 N. Tryon St.; hartwitzengallery.com ART & ABOUT
What: An organically grown art show featuring 2018 and 2019 Charlotte ArtPop Street Gallery winners Eva Crawford, Randy Dean, Holly Spruck and Rae Stark. More: Oct. 23, 5-9 p.m.; Free; Free Range Brewing, 2320 N. Davidson St., Suite D; tinyurl.com/ArtAndAbout
What: The Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Guild returns to the Barn for its biggest event of the year, THE SEANCE OF THE IDIOT SISTERS featuring over 50 vendors and artists practicing What: Enjoy dinner and a show, as Aerial CLT’s every ceramic discipline you can dream of. performance troupe presents an original show
DIA DE LOS CASI MUERTOS
FALL STEAM SERIES: ROBOT ART
What: A student workshop in which kids use art, coding and engineering skills to create an artbot. More: Nov. 2, 9 a.m.-Noon; $40; Cocotiv Coworking, 1515 Mockingbird Lane; tinyurl.com/RobotArtCocotiv DAY OF THE DEAD
What: The Latin American Coalition celebration of the traditional Mexican event features traditional foods, folkloric arts and crafts, traditional dances and fun activities for children. More: Nov. 3, Noon-6 p.m.; Free; Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St.; museumofthenewsouth.org JONATHAN VAN NESS: ROAD TO BEIJING
What: You know him from the Emmy Awardwinning Queer Eye and Emmy-nominated web series Gay of Thrones. Now he’s on the stand-up stage. More: Nov. 20, 8 p.m.; $45; Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.; boplex.com
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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11TH GROW SMART CLT
What: These regular events, hosted by Sustain Charlotte, focus on the issues we face around sustainability in our city. This one takes an in-depth look at our parks and greenways with guest speakers Elaine Powell of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, Rickey Hall of the West Boulevard Neighborhood Association and Rick Winiker of the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Commission. More: $10 for nonmembers; 6-8 p.m.; Camp North End, 1824 Statesville Ave.; sustaincharlotte.org/grow_smart_clt
THURSDAY, SEPT. 12TH
‘BOYS TO BAGHDAD’
What: Local playwright and producer Rory Sheriff based Boys to Baghdad on his experience in the U.S. Army during Desert
Storm. When Huey graduates high school, he joins the army and links up with a unit that will struggle through differences in race, religion and politics to form a band of brothers. Winner of Broadway World’s Best Drama in 2017. More: $14.40-$22; Times vary, runs through Sept. 22; Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St.; brandnewsheriff.com
FRIDAY, SEPT. 13TH
JORDYN ZAINO
What: Go to South Carolina soul punk Jordyn Zaino’s Soundcloud and you’ll find intriguing photos of the buzzed-cut poetess,
SATURDAY, SEPT. 14TH BORN THIS WAY
What: A night of music and arts in NoDa includes performances from Lil’ Skritt, The Business People and folk rap founder
Nige Hood; plus art from nearly 20 local artists such as HNin Nie, Bree Stallings, Kristine Compton and Lo’Vonia Parks. Best of all, proceeds go to Time Out Youth, a local organization that offers support, advocacy and opportunities to LGBTQ youth. More: Free; 4-10 p.m.; Canvas Tattoo & Arts Gallery, 3012 N. Davidson St.; tinyurl.com/BornThisWayCanvas
SUNDAY, SEPT. 15TH
OPEN STREETS 704
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SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17TH
but no music. All that changes when her debut single “A Civil War, But Like, Inside My Head” starts streaming on Friday the 13th. To celebrate, Zaino headlines a groovy five-performer bill at Skylark, with a spooky dress code encouraged. More: Free; 8 p.m.; Skylark Social Club, 2131 Central Ave.; skylarksocialclub.com
What: Many folks are familiar with Open Streets, the bi-annual pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly event that shuts down the streets to cars for four hours on a route that turns into an afternoon block party stretching through multiple neighborhoods. This summer-ending iteration stretches from Seversville in west Charlotte to South End. More: Free; 1-5 p.m.; Enter anywhere along route; openstreets704.com
MONDAY, SEPT. 16TH PATOIS COUNSELORS, PET BUG, ACNE
What: With stuttering guitars, skittering electronics and frontman Bo White’s post-rock vocals that blend The Fall’s drawl with Fugazi’s bellow, Patois Counselors make big brainy songs about mundane modern life — in which the Amazon burning and a lazy fat-fuck-in-chief tweeting nonsense at 3 a.m. is more of the same. With Pet Bug and ACNE. More: $7; 8 p.m.; The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club
TUESDAY, SEPT. 17TH STORIES BEYOND BORDERS
What: The rights of immigrants are under full-scale attack, and it’s often hard to find stories that tell the full story from a nuanced range of lenses. This screening showcases five short films that show a more complete picture of the attacks on immigrant families and communities in hopes of building empathy while also highlighting ways that you can help. More: Free; 7-10 p.m.; Midwood International and Cultural Center, 1817 Central Ave.; tinyurl.com/StoriesBeyondBorders
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for cool events happening in the queen city!
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18TH THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
What: As one-third of A Tribe Called Quest, Ali Shaheed Muhammad pioneered a brand of socially conscious jazz- and funk-
inflected hip-hop that remains unmatched today. With soul stylist Adrian Younge, he comprises The Midnight Hour, balanced in the cusp of orchestral R&B and post-bebop jazz. More: $25 and up; 7:30 p.m.; Amos’ Southend, 1423 S. Tryon St.; amossouthend.com
THURSDAY, SEPT. 19TH KACEY MUSGRAVES
What: It may seem that Kacey Musgraves’ climb to stardom happened quickly, but the six-time Grammy Award-winner
has been hustling since she was self-releasing albums back in 2006. Now in 2019, 12 years after finishing in seventh in the competition show Nashville Star, Musgraves has won Album of the Year and is an icon in the making. More: $45 and up; 8 p.m.; CMCU Ampitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.; tinyurl.com/KaceyMusgravesCLT
FRIDAY, SEPT. 20TH ORCHESTRA NOIR
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SEPT. 18TH - SEPT. 24TH
What: Between presenting an epic orchestra vs. DJ battle in 2016 and appearing in hip-hop superstars 2 Chainz and
Migos’ 2017 video for “Deadz,” Orchestra Noir has built a following as cultural ambassadors for both symphonic and AfricanAmerican music. They present an evening of crazy, sexy, cool hip-hop and ’90s R&B. More: $47.75 and up; 8 p.m.; McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org
SATURDAY, SEPT. 21ST WOOFSTOCK 2019
What: Back for its 11th year, Woofstock is a groovy good time for dogs and their owners. The event, hosted by Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love and Mid Atlantic Pug Rescue, features pet-related vendors, a silent aucion, food trucks, craft beer and, of course, plenty of amazing adoptable rescue dogs who need a new best friend. More: $5 donation gets a free beer; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; NoDa Brewing Co., 2921 N. Tryon St.; greatdanefriends.com
SUNDAY, SEPT. 22ND
PHAT LIP, LEANNA EDEN
What: With “Coyote,” Phat Lip’s entry in the 2019 NPR Tiny Desk contest, snaking bossa nova beats, bright and funky pop
guitars and front woman Kelly Jo Ramirez’s sassy soulful vocals enfold, caress and conjoin. Singer/songwriter LeAnna Eden fills the bill with her propulsive protest alt soul. More: $7; 7:30 p.m.; Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com
MONDAY, SEPT. 23RD QUEEN CITY COMEDY EXPERIENCE
What: This week-long comedy festival will keep the laughs ringing in Spirit Square and beyond with big-name stand-up
acts (Nate Bargatze, Fortune Feimster), big-time podcast recordings (Bumping Mics, Watch What Crappens) and a range of local acts popping up at stand-up and improv performances throughout the week. More: Prices vary; times vary; venues and locations vary; tinyurl.com/QCComedyExperience
TUESDAY, SEPT. 24TH CAAMP
What: With their strummed guitars, percolating cantering banjo and smoky, almost whispered vocals, indie folk trio
CAAMP fit a whole lot of heart into their stripped-down songs. It’s laid-back front porch music that can’t quite shake the anxiety of our age. More: $20 and up; 7 p.m.; Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.; neighborhoodtheatre.com
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“JAZZ IS THE AMERICAN CLASSICAL MUSIC.” Jonathan Gellman, director, Middle C Jazz
Jonathan’s Jazz Cellar used to get hopping.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN GELLMAN
THE SWEET SPOT
Middle C brings jazz back to Uptown
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BY PAT MORAN
W
HAT IS JAZZ? Ask Charlotte’s musicians and you’ll hear a spectrum of unique takes. Bassist John Shaughnessy calls jazz “music of the moment,” citing the genre’s reliance on improvisation. Similarly, drummer and composer Alfred Sergel believes improvisation — along with creating new melodies both within and without structure — is an integral component of the genre. “Jazz is a language and it also has a soul,” says Seth Nanaa, drummer in experimental duo Ghost Trees. “It is intently defiant of rules and cultural norms.” But leave it to Jonathan Gellman to take an historical view.
“Jazz is the American classical music,” Gellman says. It’s the one art form born in this country, he continues, invented and nurtured through gospel, then transformed into the blues before ultimately becoming what we know today as jazz. In the 1980s and early ’90s Gellman owned and operated Jonathan’s Jazz Cellar at the corner of 7th and North Tryon streets. After a successful 10year run, the Uptown venue shut its doors in 1992. But come October, Gellman will be drawing on his experience and expertise to help launch Middle C Jazz, a new Uptown club located at 300 S. Brevard St. The venture is a labor of love for its cofounding partners and owners, father-and-son duo
Larry and Adam Farber. Larry has been in the music business 46 years, starting with talent agency Hit Attractions in 1973. He’s been booking acts and nurturing talent with East Coast Entertainment since he opened the agency’s Charlotte office in 1986, and he’s currently a senior partner with agency. In 2007, his lifelong dream to host worldclass music legends in an intimate setting came to fruition with Music With Friends, a successful private membership club now in its 13th season with concerts at McGlohon Theater three times a year. Now he’s ready to cross the no. 1 item off his wish list. “It’s been [my] dream for well over a decade to have a world-class jazz club in Charlotte,” the elder Farber says, “one that would rival the clubs that I’ve
experienced throughout the country.” Son Adam, a senior associate real estate broker with Colliers of Charlotte, joined forces with dad to help make the family’s musical vision of a cool and welcoming sweet spot for the city’s jazz lovers a reality. “We created this from a lifelong passion for music and shared love for our hometown,” Adam says. “We want Charlotte’s live music fans to have a venue where they can belong.” Choosing an Uptown location for the club was a no-brainer, Adam continues, though the Farbers wanted to avoid the city’s center at Trade and Tryon, choosing instead to create a stand-alone operation that offers easy access to patrons who would normally avoid the congestion and hassle of venturing uptown. Middle C’s location in Second Ward also carries historic significance, as it sits in what was once Brooklyn, a historically black neighborhood that was home to its share of jazz bars and musicians before being razed in the ’60s and ’70s to make way for “urban renewal” projects that displaced thousands of residents and led to the demolition of 1,480 buildings. Today, Middle C Jazz sits on the lightrail line and boasts its own parking deck. The 4,000-square-foot club is part of a shared space. A hallway will connect the music venue with The Public House, an eatery launched by restaurateur Chris Healy and his partner Delano Little, former anchorman and reporter who covered Charlotte sports at WBTV for 29 years. “We were going to open a restaurant ourselves but then we found out that Adam and Larry were also looking at the property for their club,” Little says. The two pairs of business partners decided to collaborate, he continues. While the club and restaurant each hold separate leases at the location, they plan to work in tandem. Food will be prepared by a single staff, but each establishment will have a separate menu. The main kitchen will be on the Public House side, although Middle C Jazz has a small kitchen as well. The Public House kitchen will run food to the music venue down the shared hallway, and both spaces will have bars and their own outdoor patio space. Since both businesses share the same contractor in D3 Studio, there will be visual similarities between the two spaces, Little continues. Middle C Jazz, which takes its name from the middle note on a piano’s keyboard, will launch its musical calendar on Halloween weekend with Thursday and Friday sets by the Alejandro Ziegler
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Tango Quartet. A Sunday, November 2, set featuring soulful R&B-infused jazz vocalist Maria Howell will include a meet-and-greet session in a private room at the restaurant. Last summer the Farbers recruited Gellman to be Middle C Jazz’s director, a savvy choice given the 58-year-old music business veteran’s familiarity with the music. “How great is it that we were able to hire the one guy that had the most successful jazz club in Charlotte from 1982 to 1992?” Larry Farber asks. Gellman, however, knows better than to try to recreate what’s already been done. He’s busy looking at the future. “Where jazz is today is by no means where it will be tomorrow,” Gellman says. “There are all kinds of genres and emerging styles.” A quick perusal of Middle C Jazz’s performance calendar shows what Gellman refers to as the five genres of jazz. The entire spectrum is reflected in the 200-seat venue’s projected lineup, which includes regional and national acts like Steve Tyrell, Bob James, SpyroGyra, Taj Mahal, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny and Chieli Minucci and Special EFX. A genre familiar to aficionados and newbies alike is mainstream jazz, which is also known as bebop, Gellman explains. “It’s what purists would call real jazz, which means that everybody who wrote the music is dead,” Gellman adds with a chuckle. A second and similar category is jazz legends, which Gellman describes as older highly established artists toward the back side of their respective careers. Emerging eclectic grooves comprise a third genre. A fourth category is world-beat-based jazz. Gellman’s fifth and final classification is smooth jazz, which he slots in with R&B and funk. “We’ve got that beautiful backbeat all the way to the esoteric digital genre,” Gellman concludes. His scheduling strategy would include booking an emerging band at an early 7 p.m. show, prior to an appearance by a genre legend. “I’m trying to blend the audiences in this huge pool of diversity,” Gellman continues. While Gellman is tasked with putting a globallevel jazz room on the map strategically routed between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, ticket sales and outreach for the club is the purview of Middle C Jazz’s sales and marketing manager Katie Rothweiler. Gellman recruited Rothweiler, whom he knew threw a collaboration the two had worked on at the Cube, a performing arts space formerly located in NoDa.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN GELLMAN
Jonathan Gellman
Gellman thought Rothweiler, who is also part of the aerialist, belly-dancing and fire-performance duo Satarah, would make a great addition to the Middle C Jazz team, despite her relative lack of jazz knowledge. “If you throw out names of modern current artists, I may not know them,” Rothweiler says, “but I love the vibe the music creates.” After meeting with the Farbers, Rothweiler was won over by the father and son’s enthusiasm and passion for the project. She has since taken a deep dive into jazz, populating her Spotify playlist. The main reason Gellman wanted Rottweiler on board was because she has close connections with Charlotte’s arts and performing arts scenes, she reveals. With regular programming slated for Thursday through Saturday nights and some Sundays, Rothweiler is tasked with creating special events for other nights of the week. “My ideal situation is to have a lot of different types of visual art and performance art. It could be music, dancers and sculpture,” Rothweiler explains. “My goal with Middle C Jazz is to make it a place where a lot of people feel comfortable.” She sees the venue as a haven for people who aren’t into the boisterous party scene exemplified by the EpiCentre, or arts and music fans priced out of upscale events at Blumenthal venues. “You’ll notice that our ticket prices are really reasonable.” For the immediate future, Gellman does not see booking local acts to open for headliners, primarily because Middle C Jazz will not be scheduling openers of any kind. Middle C Jazz will be a ticketed venue, he says, and the shows won’t typically have breaks. “There will be solid in-your-face [music] for 60
to 75 minutes, and then we’ll turn the room,” he says. With a 7 p.m. and a 9 p.m. show on most nights, there won’t be time for openers. But Gellman sees a scenario for local performers at Middle C Jazz. “Every local act that feels like they’re a fit for us, I want them to come and talk to me,” he maintains. One scenario sees the club pairing a local act that could sell 300 to 400 tickets in a week with another act that could sell about the same, and then having the two acts share a calendar for that week. But will the audience come? Is Charlotte ready to once again embrace jazz in Uptown? “Whatever you’re doing, if you do it well and present it honestly and openly you’ll build your audience.” Gellman says. For her part, Rothweiler believes Middle C Jazz’s chill atmosphere could draw the kind of crowd that avoids Uptown — middle class patrons of the arts and music who can no longer find venues in traditional arts districts like Noda and Plaza Midwood where rising rents have forced clubs to shutter. “I think that we’ve lost a lot of good places for music, especially the small and mid-size venues,” she says. “I think that we as a city are ready for something new right now.” She feels the club could forge a bridge between the arts community and the Uptown crowd, which traditionally works in finance. “It’s going to create a meeting space for people from different walks of life.” Little has hopes that the two South Brevard Street businesses, which together cover about 12,000 square feet, can bring a renaissance to the Second Ward. The opening will coincide nicely with the development of Brooklyn Village, going in where Marshall Park currently stands, in an area known more in recent years for government services than a thriving nightlife. “I’d like [Second Ward] to be a destination place where people can walk around and visit a couple of different places when they’re out on the town,” Little says. Will this influx of new people uptown bring many harboring misconceptions about jazz? Gellman certainly hopes so. “I’m looking for people to walk into [Middle C Jazz] and be blown away,” he says. “When they see the level of commitment and compassion these people have for their music, it’s going to be surreal.” “There are certain ingredients that make a great city,” Larry Farber adds.
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While praising Charlotte’s opera, dance, stage and sports offerings, he insists that a dedicated jazz club has been needed for far too long. He applauds the city’s Uptown musical offerings at events like Jazz at the Bechtler and the Charlotte Jazz Festival, plus semi-regular shows at venues like Stage Door Theater, saying they have fostered Charlotte’s appreciation for jazz, but says now there’s room for a venue that can serve fans of the genre year round. “Where we distinguish ourselves [from the other venues] is that we are all about the music.” Citing the club’s acoustic design and state-ofthe-art sound system, he maintains that Middle C Jazz will be the only club in the city that was built just for jazz. “As a guy who’s been doing this since 1973,” Farber says. “I hope that this will be a great contribution which will make Charlotte proud.” INFO@QCNERVE.COM
SOUNDWAVE
SEPTEMBER 11 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
September Residency: Futurists, Patois Counselors, Gun Jr (Snug Harbor) Kelli Frances Corrado, Mint Hill, JPH, Lena Gray (The Milestone) Angels & Airwaves (Fillmore) Anteloper, Blacks’ Myths (Evening Muse) Becca Mancari (Free Range Brewing) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniels, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) Neal Francis (Neighborhood Theatre)
SEPTEMBER 12 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Pg. 20 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
Wormreich, Rites to Sedition, Oculum Dei, Cadaver Creator (The Milestone) Violent Life Violent Death, Pickwick Commons, Chained, Winters Gate (Skylark Social Club) Open Mic Night: Anna Bonilla (Tommy’s Pub) Litz, Porch 40 (Visulite Theatre) Lisa De Novo (Corkscrew, Huntersville) Songwriters Night: Kris Atom, Paul Lover, Mike Nolan and Cindy Nunn (Petra’s) Shana Blake & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Yarn (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Matt Walsh (Comet Grill) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
The Commonheart (Evening Muse) Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Carly Pearce (PNC Music Pavilion) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B
Polo G, Luh Kel (Underground) Daniel Caesar (Fillmore)
SEPTEMBER 13 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Banks, Kevin Garrett (Fillmore)
The Noises 10, Sunset Cassette, The Sammies (Visulte Theatre) Amy Winehouse Tribute: Benefit for Jonathan Hughes (Petra’s) Young Bull, Moontalkr, Cyanca (Evening Muse) El Escapado, The Hooliganz (Tommy’s Pub) Bob Fleming and The Cambria Iron Co., Late Bloomer, Sunday Boxing,Wes Hamilton (The Milestone) Rufus Wainwright (McGlohon Theater) Brother Watts (Freeman’s Pub, Gastonia) Phillip Michael Parsons (Tin Roof) Ready4More (RiRa) Tony Eltora (Primal Brewery) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Time Sawyer (Neighborhood Theatre) Kelsey Ryan, David Taylor & The Tallboys (Evening Muse) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Big Daddy Love (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Brangle (Smokey Joe’s) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B
Player Made: GI Zoe (Snug Harbor) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL
Kinjal Dave & Dandiya Night (Bojangles’ Coliseum)
SEPTEMBER 14 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Height Keech with Mister, Speak N’ Eye, Human Pippi, B-Villainous (The Milestone) Penny & Sparrow (Neighborhood Theatre) Silverio, Sangre Cabrona (Snug Harbor) The Boron Heist, Street Clones, Self-Made Monsters (Tommy’s Pub) KC & the Sunshine Band (Ovens Auditorium) Wilder Woods (Underground) Kate Teague, Trouvere (Evening Muse)
Veax, Reptile Room (Evening Muse) Schism, Sickman (Amos’ Southend) Boron Heist, Street Clones, Self-Made Monsters (Tommy’s Pub) Tosco Music Party (Knight Theater) Angel Incident (Smokey Joe’s) The Jump Cut (Tin Roof) Stevefest: Bad Karol, Comfortably Nuts, Petrov, Brother Bluebird, Almost Heroes, CYAN, Atticus Lane, Kelsey Ryan, Wes Hamilton, Danny Hood, Robert Morrison (Heist Brewery) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B
5th Year Anniversary and B-Day Celebration: Gary Jackmaster Wallace (Crown Station)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
South Hill Banks (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Bill Noonan (Comet Grill) Thirsty Horses (RiRa)
SEPTEMBER 15 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Kairos., Anamorph, Primordial Tides, Curiosity Kills (The Milestone) The Worst of Us, Fault Union, Izar Estelle, Days To Break (Skylark Social Club) Charlotte School of Rock (Amos’ Southend) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Tiny Stage Concerts: End of Summer Reunion Showcase (Heist Brewery)
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
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Lazer Lloyd (Evening Muse) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B
Lizzo (CMCU Amphitheatre) Quando Rondo (Underground)
SEPTEMBER 16 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Pet Bug, Patois Counselors, Dallas Thrasher, Acne (The Milestone) Bless The Battleship - A Fundraiser for Jonathan Hughes: Nic Pugh & The Bad News, Kang, Paperback, Deer Creeps (Snug Harbor) The Aquabats, Koo Koo Kanga Roo, MC Lars (Underground) Don Broco (Amos’ Southend) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Find Your Muse Open Mic: Ritt Momney (Evening Muse)
Keb’ Mo’ (McGlohon Theater)
SEPTEMBER 19 ROCK/PUNK/METAL
RickoLus, Minorcan, Swansgate (The Milestone) Popa Chubby (Neighborhood Theatre) Trismalux Farewell Show (Petra’s) Open Mic Night: Kat & Bee (Tommy’s Pub) Shana Blake & Friends (Smokey Joe’s Café) Mike Strauss Trio (Comet Grill) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Brother Oliver (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Smooth Hound Smith, Kyshona Armstrong (Evening Muse) Patty Griffin (McGlohon Theater) Barnes and the Heart (Tin Roof) Fireside Collective (Free Range Brewing) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B
SEPTEMBER 17
Blacc Zacc, Stunna 4 Vegas (Underground)
Cat Power (Underground) Jesse Lamar Williams & The Menastree Jazz Jam (Evening Muse)
SEPTEMBER 20
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B
The Juke Joint: Yung Citizen, Deion Reverie, Eli (Snug Harbor)
SEPTEMBER 18
Pg. 21 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
September Residency: Futurists, Bleach Garden, Wine Pride (Snug Harbor) Shook Twins, Heather Maloney (Neighborhood Theatre) Lofidels, Sangre Cabrona, Rare Demo, Death for Hours (Skylark Social Club) The Weeks, Spendtime Palace, The Vernes (Visulite Theatre) King Strang, Lightnin’ Luke, Asbestos Boys (Tommy’s Pub) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Josh Daniels, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) Robbie Fulks (Free Range Brewing) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL
Ondas do Brasil - September Edition (Petra’s)
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers (Neighborhood Theatre) Seax, Nemesis, Lädyhel, Morganton Band (The Milestone) Julian Calendar, Fun Isn’t Fair (Snug Harbor) Broadside, Telltale (Skylark Social Club) Magic City Hippies, Sego (Visulite Theatre) Starset, Palisades, Hyde (Underground) NF, Kyd The Band (CMCU Amphitheatre) Minor Poet, Sammi Lanzetta, Pullover (Petra’s) Blackfoot Gypsies (Evening Muse) 10 Years, The CEO, The Other LA, Love Story’s End (Amos’ Southend) Talia Stewart, Jason Jet, Simon Smthng (Crown Station) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Honey Island Swamp Band (U.S. National Whitewater Center) Twisted Pine, Danny Burns (Evening Muse) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Visit Qcnerve.com for the full soundwave
PHOTO BY JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS
A close-up of Cloister honey
STICK TO IT
Cloister Honey adapts to changes in the beekeeping game
Pg. 22 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
L
BY RYAN PITKIN
EADING UP to Christmas 2006, Joanne de la Rionda felt like her husband, Randall York, needed a hobby. Between his banking job and the moving company he independently owned, he had been running himself ragged. His wife thought he needed to get outside more. She also noticed that they didn’t have much of a garden or anything else going on in the yard of the home they had recently bought in the Cloisters neighborhood of south Charlotte. So rather than get him gardening tools, she bought him a beehive. Thirteen years later, that gift has changed the lives of the couple, who have both quit their jobs and work full-time as co-owners of Cloister Honey, producing about 4,000 pounds of artisanal honey a year and selling even more in over 40 states around the country. With colony collapse a constant worry since the business started in 2007, the York and de la Rionda ride a constant roller coaster that can take dips at any time. Last fall, they inexplicably lost 65% of their bees. This year, they’re keeping 35 hives alive, down from the average, which sits somewhere between 50 and 60. Despite the struggles, the Cloister company has continued to expand and adapt. Last November, York and de la Rionda launched a sister company, Great River Hemp Company, selling CBD-infused honey and beeswax products like body oils, lip balms and tinctures. We catch up with York and de la Rionda at their urban honey bee farm near the Druid Hills North neighborhood in north Charlotte on a July afternoon during one of the two annual extraction days for Cloister. The two have recently gone to York’s hometown of North Wilkesboro to collect the hives they left there in early June. The 80-acre patch of land is dotted in sourwood trees, which make for some of the best honey in America, York says. We watch as Joanne removes the capping wax from framed honeycombs pulled from
the hives before York and part-time employee Greg Ledford stick them into an extractor — a large cylinder that spins the honey out of the frames. The honey is then poured from a spout in the extractor into a bucket, where it can be filtered to remove any wood, wax or bee parts. York’s enthusiasm for his practice becomes apparent quickly upon meeting him. He’s a walking encyclopedia of bee knowledge with a western North Carolina twang. He tells us how one bee will make about oneeighth of a teaspoon of honey in its 42-day life. He informs us how the bee carries a mix of 10% nectar and 90% water back to the hive in one of its multiple stomachs, then dumps it in a honeycomb cell and uses its wings to dehydrate it. Once the specimen is below 18.2% moisture, the bee caps it. And that’s what Cloister collects. “All the bees are trying to do is they’re just trying to put food up for the winter,” York says excitedly. “They’re hoarders; they’re going to make way more food than they need, and that’s the beautiful thing.” York wasn’t always like this. In fact, he’ll be the first to tell you that his reaction upon receiving his first beehive as a Christmas gift from de la Rionda in 2006 was one of … let’s say perplexion. “Didn’t want it, didn’t need it, wasn’t interested in it,” York says when I ask his first thoughts about the hive. However, de la Rionda wouldn’t be brushed off. She convinced him to attend Bee School, a weekly class held by the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association from mid-January to mid-March. It didn’t take long for York to get bit by the beekeeping bug. “He went to the club and he came back pretty quickly and said, ‘OK, I need two hives,’” de la Rionda says. “He taught the entire family about bees. And then as we were doing it, I found that after about 5 years, we were selling it.” They turned their Cloisters carport into a garage with a kitchen for making honey and began selling to four or five different clients. Then one day, de la Rionda came to a decision: Honey would be their full-time job, and there would be no turning back. “I was working for the bank, and I was like, ‘This
Find Cloister Honey products at Pura Vida Worldly Art, Savory Spice, Ormann’s Cheese, Rhino Market & Deli, Common Market, Pure Pizza, Unity Farms Produce and other locations around Charlotte. Visit cloisterhoney.com.
PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN
Randall York filters newly extracted honey.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS
Pg. 23 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
PHOTO BY JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS
“I KNOW THE MOSQUITO COMPANIES SAY THOSE SPRAYS DON’T HURT ANYBODY, BUT THOSE GUYS ARE DRESSED UP LIKE SPACEMEN WHEN THEY’RE SPRAYING IT.” Randall York, co-owner of Cloister Honey
The extractor spins the honey from the cells in the frame.
is what I really need to do, I really want to do this,’” she recalls. “So one day I just decided I had enough of the corporate world and I came home and told Randall I quit my job and that we were going to do this full-time.” According to de la Rionda, York refused to believe her. His pragmatism wouldn’t let him envision the same success that she saw. He had plans for the two kids that were now in danger. “I said, ‘You’re out of your Goddamn mind. We’re going to be homeless,’” he recalls now, laughing. “He had us living out of the car, kids can’t go to college,” she continues, rolling her eyes. Needless to say, de la Rionda was right, as Cloister has grown to serve 20 varieties of honey products in Charlotte and across the country. The company offers four varietals, which are naturally flavored by the bees themselves: sourwood, orange blossom, tupelo and wildflower. They have four infused honey flavors, in which they infuse their wildflower honey with arbol pepper, bourbon, chipotle pepper and vanilla flavors. Then there’s the whipped honey, for which the team uses a controlled crystallization process to create a spreadable product. The 10 whipped honey selections include fan favorites like cinnamon (the
Joanne de la Rionda uncaps a frame to get to the honey.
company’s top seller), cocoa and pumpkin spice. The list is rounded out by two gourmet spreads: power seeded honey and salted honey. De la Rionda is president and owner of Cloister Honey, and when I ask York what his role is, he laughs and says, “I’m just her right-hand guy.” His hands are essential, however, as de la Rionda found out shortly after the two jumped into the venture that she’s allergic to bees. Most of the times, she says, bees won’t mess with you if you stay calm, but she lets York move the hives nowadays. Stings aren’t the only struggles that the Cloister team faces. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a term describing the phenomena that occurs when a large amount of worker bees disappears from a colony, leaving the queen behind. Between 2006 and 2013, it is estimated that 10 million colonies were lost to colony collapse. Though there is no widely accepted cause for CCD in the scientific community, York believes it’s a matter of -cides: pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, among others. “There’s just a million of them, and if you don’t use a lot of insecticides and pesticides and
herbicides, nature will find a way, but we want to live in nature and have a beautiful yard and at the same time we don’t want grubs, or we don’t want mosquitos,” York says. “And I know the mosquito companies say those sprays don’t hurt anybody, but those guys are dressed up like spacemen when they’re spraying it, and I can’t believe it’s good for the honey bees.” While the bee population around the world has shown signs of stabilizing, with an estimated 4% growth in honey-producing colonies reported in 2018, York of all people knows that CCD can strike at any time. It was less than a year ago that he suffered his worst loss yet. “I started in 2007, that’s the first year that colony collapse was officially labeled, so I’ve only known beekeeping since it’s been tough and seems to be getting a little bit tougher,” he says. “Most years we have a 10% loss — the typical loss has been 20% across the board forever and ever. Last year we had like 65% just dead, and we’re pretty decent at what we do, and we lost two-thirds of our bees. It’s nothing like starting over, but it wasn’t easy.” The show must go on, however, and when the
bees aren’t producing enough to meet demand, Cloister buys from trusted bee farmers in Florida and elsewhere. That’s how they’ve been able to introduce new aspects of their company, like the launch of Great River Hemp Company, to capitalize on the growing popularity of CBD and hempinfused products. Though Great River has to ship most of its CBDinfused honey out of state thanks to regulations from the state health department banning the use of cannabidiol in edible products, they’ve produced a whole line of body products that can be sold locally without concern. According to York, the couple’s background in banking — and Ledford’s background in the legal side of banking — makes them well-equipped to deal with any issues that might arise. “We want them to be as hard as they can be, because we’ll do what we need to do,” he says. “We get our certificate of analysis, we get third-party testing done; we want it to be hard. We just have to make adjustments to what we’re doing.” If there’s one thing this couple has proven over the last decade, they’re good at adjusting. RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
DILWORTH BAKERSFIELD
Monday: $3 Jack Daniels Tuesday: $3 Tres Generaciones, $10 Don Julio 1942 Wednesday: $3 Bulleit Bourbon Thursday: $3 Espolon Friday: $3 George Dickel No. 8 Saturday: $3 Lunazul Sunday: $3 Larceny Bourbon 300EAST
Monday: 1/2 off wines by the glass Tuesday: 1/2 off beer cans 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 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 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
DILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD GRILLE
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 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 brewery of the month 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
Pg. 25 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
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
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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THE ENDING SUMMER
Bottle up your feelings
Pg. 26 Sept. 11 - Sept. 24, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM
BY AERIN SPRUILL
IS IT JUST ME or did Pumpkin Spice Latte Season come a lot quicker than usual this year? I’m still jamming to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hot Girl Summer” — hell, she only just released the video — and the last day of the season is only a couple weeks away. Don’t get me wrong, I live for the cooler days of fall, but ya girl simply wasn’t ready this time around. But alas, just as I began to shed a tear, I realized I could bottle up my feelings at local bottle shops all fall long. You may be thinking? Eh, don’t we have enough bottle shops? But a visit to one you haven’t been to before may change your mind. Put simply, a bottle shop is a shop that sells wine, beer and other alcoholic drinks. In Charlotte, however, you’ll find a range of experiences at “bottletype” shops that deserve a more nuanced definition. Here, you’ll find the elements of community draw, unique selection, superior service and neighborhood influence, giving each a unique vibe of its own. The Hobbyist, for example, opened in Villa Heights at the end of June. An area that’s often mistaken for NoDa (it’s home to the original Amelie’s location and Free Range Brewing) Villa Heights has created a distinct environment vibe over the last year with openings that Charlotteans will find familiar, like Rhino Market, and new destinations like Pho @ NoDa (it will still take time to shake that NoDa attachment, apparently). The Hobbyist is the latter, and the phrase “bottle shop” doesn’t quite seem to do this spot justice. The extensive wine selection goes unmatched among other shops in Charlotte, as a quick chat with the knowledgable co-owner Julie Bryson will show. That combined with a bright atmosphere, highlighted by an industrial touch, sets this shop apart from many others you’ll find in the Queen City. I would be remiss to leave out local favorites like The Common Market and NoDa Company Store.
It feels like beating a dead horse to mention these two spots, because everyone and their momma has heard about them. But the truth is, the curated experiences at each spot speak volumes to the “community draw and neighborhood influence” I mentioned above. You can order sangria on tap at the Company Store 365 days a year and grab a custom sammy or salad at The CM, but what truly makes these two spaces great is the people. Most people who enjoy going to either of these bottle shops don’t want to simply pick up a bottle of wine and go. Instead, the minutes turn into hours on their patios thanks to the environment created by the people around you — even if you’re only there to work remotely. And then there’s Salud Beer Shop. What more can I say that USA Today hasn’t. In April of this year, Salud was named “Best Beer Bar” as part of the 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards in the country’s most colorful newspaper. Located in NoDa, this shop features hundreds of craft beer bottles and cans from all over the world, 16 rotating taps and wood-fired pizza if you need something to soak up all those suds. Not to mention, while you’re visiting, you can climb the trippy stairs to check out Salud Cerveceria, a tasting room featuring an art gallery, coffee and 11 taps. Brawley’s Beverage was one of the first bottle shops I experienced in the Q.C., so it’s near and dear to my heart. A Park Road favorite, Brawley’s is the perfect place when you’re looking for a diverse selection accompanied by an epic patio that’s also family-friendly. A quick perusal through their reviews and you’ll want to experience this bottle shop for yourself — or you’ll be like me and say it’s time to go back ASAP. So what makes a great bottle shop? Each adventurer has their own opinion. For me, a great bottle shop has a little bit of everything for everyone. My palate is moody, so I want to be able to find a wine, cider and sour that I enjoy on every visit. I want to feel the coziness of a comfy chair but also have the option to sip for hours on a spacious patio. I want to be able to work there during the day and grab a glass of whatever as soon as I finish up my day. And lastly, I want to be able to find something to munch on that’s tasty and filling. (The secret’s out, I love NoDa Co.!) Where’s your favorite bottle shop in the Q.C.? My fall 2019 bucket list also includes venues I haven’t visited before like Good Bottle Co., Bulldog Beer and Wine and The Hop Shop. Share it with me and you may catch me day-drinking there on an autumnal Saturday afternoon. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
DOUBLE-CHEDDAR
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ACROSS
1 Simple floater 5 Declare 11 Declines 15 Harvesting yield 19 Aruba, e.g. 20 Alfred E. -- (magazine mascot) 21 One-player card game 23 Pompom or megaphone? 25 Fine white gypsum 26 Actor Reeves 27 Cain or Abel, to Adam 28 Soft, white limestone used as cat litter? 29 Hen product 31 Give a casual greeting 34 Cup rim 35 Shortage of maraschinos in a busy cocktail bar? 42 It’s factual 46 Cyber-giggle 47 Dada artist 48 Act humanly 49 Petition 51 Golfer -- Aoki 52 Sothern of the screen 53 Roadies work on it 55 “This has me angry like a Prague native might be!” 58 It has pores 60 Poker option 62 Radio or TV spots 63 -- Rico 64 Certain Asian capital 66 Spay, e.g. 69 Fleur-de- -70 Slow-moving land reptile sitting on a recliner? 77 Arctic seabird 78 Balances evenly 79 Community hangouts 81 “The King of Queens” actor Patton 85 Mother of Cain and Abel 87 Greek love god 89 -- Le Pew (skunk toon) 90 Areas where certain salad greens are grown? 94 Pet dog of Sgt. Snorkel
96 Mailroom container 97 Scented powder 98 Brain tests, in brief 99 “Well, how about that!” 101 “Say what?” 102 Walk- -- (brief roles) 103 Fervency 105 Map showing southern U.S. states? 109 Bit of A/V equipment 111 Arrange 112 Marshland 113 Let some printed, glazed fabric fall to the floor? 119 Clandestine U.S. org. 121 Ghana’s capital 125 Device used to store an electric charge 126 Totally wild about grain husks? 129 Lifeless 130 Sitting room 131 Kemo -- (the Lone Ranger) 132 How doodles are drawn 133 Flies, to spiders 134 Not alluring 135 Special periods
50 Molded jelly 54 Wishes one could undo 56 -- Gras 57 Like a really easy job 59 And not 61 Expected 65 Author Calvino 67 Get narrower 68 Rocker Brian 69 African country 71 Very unusual 72 Mao -- -tung 73 Deli sub 74 Band blaster 75 Fridge, old-style 76 Broccoli-like vegetable 80 See or touch 81 Eight: Prefix 82 -- -Pei 83 Untamed 84 Escort 85 D-I link 86 Rose holder 88 Overfill
DOWN
1 Singer Astley 2 Court king Arthur 3 Dog botherer 4 11th-grader, e.g., slangily 5 DiFranco of folk rock 6 Part of SLR 7 Actor Bela 8 Spring (from) 9 Tom yum -- (Thai soup) 10 With 43-Down, software buyer, e.g. 11 Morales of films 12 Door locker 13 Sheep’s call 14 Female seer 15 $1,000 award, say 16 Poet Dove 17 Dodger Hershiser 18 Exec’s extra 22 Unstated 24 Little ‘un 28 Model shop buy 30 Street cart sandwiches 32 Vostok 1’s Gagarin 33 Impair 35 Be at odds 36 Warn with a toot 37 Cause of odd weather 38 Orbiter in 1957 news 39 Apple’s Air, e.g. 40 Part of REO 41 3 R’s org. 43 See 10-Down 44 Social skill 45 Tubular snack cake
SOLUTION ON PAGE 30
91 Despite that 92 Comic Jay 93 Silvery fish 95 “My, my!” 100 Mine vehicles 104 Actress Christina 106 Aunt’s son, informally 107 Trinket 108 Lest 110 Orang’s kin 113 602, to Ovid 114 -- McNally 115 Pendant gem 116 -- -TASS 117 Memo 118 Low card 120 As sly as -122 Ruler of yore 123 McEntire of music 124 Fruit drinks 126 PC’s core 127 -- Solo 128 Sob
SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Changing your mind doesn’t come easily for Lambs, who place a high value on commitment. But new facts could emerge that might persuade you to rethink your situation. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) This is a good time to put that fine Bovine’s eye for beauty to work in redecorating your home or workplace. And don’t forget to indulge yourself in some personal time as well. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your sense of loyalty to someone who asks for your help is commendable. But make sure there are no information gaps that should be filled in before you move too far too quickly.
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CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Don’t let difficult people raise the Crab’s ire levels this week. Avoid them if you can. If not, resist telling them off, even if you think they deserve it. Things improve by week’s end. LEO (July 23 to August 22) Your suspicions about a colleague might be on the mark. But you also could be misreading the signals you believe you’re getting. Do some discreet checking before jumping to conclusions. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Take some time out from your many tasks and see if someone might be trying to reach out to you. You could be surprised to learn who it is and why you might want to reciprocate. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You still might want to do more investigating before taking on a new commitment. Later would not be the time to
SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24
try to fill in any crucial gaps in what you need to ARIES (March 21 to April 19) It might not be wise to pursue goals involving others, unless you can stop know about it. impulsively rejecting new ideas. Either open your SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A new mind or wait until next week, when this “ornery” opportunity should be carefully studied. It might mood passes. offer some of the things you’ve been looking for. Or it could contain TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It’s a good time for the new possibilities you never considered. Check it out. Bovine to be creative and practical for yourself and your surroundings. Shop wisely, not impulsively, SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) You and keep your Bull’s eye focused on quality, not might have to work harder this week to get people quantity. to listen to what you have to say. But if you stay with it, you could start to get your message out to many GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You should feel more confident about moving ahead with plans that had by week’s end. to be delayed by an unexpected turn of events. Also, CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Although family matters might need more time than first family matters again take up a big chunk of the anticipated. Goat’s time, the week also offers a chance to explore a new career move you’d been contemplating for a CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Be considerate of others while. as you move into a new area in your professional life. Take time to meet people and discuss mutual AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Applying goals. The more you get to know each other, the your practicality (what does it offer me?) and your better. creativity (how can I improve on it?) could provide sound reasons for seriously considering that new LEO (July 23 to August 22) Creating a fuss could get offer. your ideas noticed quickly. But it would be best to present your case, and then wait for a reaction to PISCES (February 19 to March 20) The single set follow in due course, rather than try to force it to will find that keeping their romantic aspirations on happen. high gives Cupid a better target to aim at. Paired Pisces will find that this week helps reinforce their VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Unkept relationships. promises might cause plans to go awry this week. You can either grumble about people “letting you BORN THIS WEEK: You believe in encouraging others down” or find a way to make the best of it and move to demand the best from themselves. You would on. The choice is yours. be a fine sports coach, as well as an enlightened teacher. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Putting off making a commitment early in the week could be
a good move. Best to act when you know you’re making an informed decision. Expect more facts to emerge by the week’s end. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A recent act of kindness on your part could take on special meaning this week. Also, look for signs of upcoming changes in both your personal and professional relationships. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Many of the tougher communication barriers between you and others in the workplace or at home could begin breaking down this week. Expect some surprises to emerge. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your “tough love” attitude toward someone you care for could be misunderstood. Try to be less judgmental and show more consideration in the way you relate to that person. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) An unexpected workplace challenge could be daunting. But take what you know (and you know more than you realize) and apply it to the problem, and you should see positive results. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Recent relationship changes for both single and paired Pisces continue to influence much of your week. Keep your focus on developing the positive aspects as you move along. BORN THIS WEEK: You set your goals with assurance and influence others to follow suit. You would be an excellent philosopher and teacher. 2019 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.
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My roommate is a gay man who is into getting fisted. A lot. We were FWBs until he moved into my place, at which point we agreed it would be better for us to not have sex anymore. It’s worked out fine, and he’s been here for a year. Here’s the problem: About two years ago, he got into fisting and he has someone over every night to fist him. As soon as he comes home from work, he spends a good hour in the bathroom cleaning out, and then some guy comes over to fist him. Every single day. My roommate is a very attractive guy who doesn’t think he’s attractive at all. I’ve talked to him a few times about whether he’s being sexually compulsive, but he just laughs and says, “Well, you suck a lot of dick.” (I have a healthy but moderate sex life.) I am concerned that all this ass play is not healthy. As a friend, I want him to seek help for his sexual compulsion, his low self-esteem and his social isolation. As a roommate, I am tired of all these strange men coming into my home and the high water bill.
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FREQUENT INSERTIONS SINCERELY TROUBLE SOMEONE
“Fisting is a healthy and safe sexual activity so long as the participants are sober,” said Dr. Peter Shalit, a physician and author who works with many gay men. “There is a misconception that fisting damages the anal sphincter, loosens it, and causes a loss of bowel control over time. This is absolutely false.” Devin Franco, a gay porn star who’s been getting fisted on a weekly basis for many years, backs up Dr. Shalit. “People who are only used to vanilla intercourse are sometimes shocked,” said Franco. “People will leave comments on my videos asking if I was in pain, even though I’m clearly always enjoying it. Fisting is actually the most pleasurable sexual act I’ve ever experienced — and seven years in, no negative health consequences and everything down there works just fine, thanks.”
But exactly how does that work? How does someone like Franco get a fist and/or a ridiculously large sex toy in his butt? “A skilled fisting bottom can voluntarily relax the anal sphincter in order to accommodate a hand up to the wrist or further,” explained Dr. Shalit. “A skilled fisting top knows how to insert their hand — it’s actually fingertips first, not a clenched fist — and how to do it gently, taking their time, and using lots of lube. And, again, after the session is over, the sphincter returns to its normal state.” Which is not to say that people haven’t injured themselves or others engaging in anal play with large sex toys, fists or even perfectly average cocks — people most certainly have. That’s why it’s crucial to take things slow, use lots of lube and go at it sober. “Fisting isn’t for everyone,” said Dr. Shalit. “In fact, most people are unable able to relax their sphincter in this fashion.” But to figure out whether fisting is for you — to determine whether you’re one of those people who can relax their sphincter — first you gotta wanna, and then you gotta try. “It actually took about two years for me,” said Franco. “That’s from the first time I did anal play thinking, ‘Maybe I can get his whole fist in there,’ to the first time I actually got a fist in my ass. Two years.” And while fisting isn’t for everyone, FISTS, like Dr. Shalit said, it’s very clearly for your roommate. But enjoying the hell out of a particular sexual activity — even one that seems extreme to those who don’t enjoy it — isn’t by itself evidence of low self-esteem or sexual compulsion. “If FISTS thinks his roommate has low self-esteem,” said Dr. Shalit, “he’s done the right thing by telling him he should seek help. But that’s the end of his responsibility. Whether or not his roommate seeks help is up to his roommate. And it’s hard for me to agree that his roommate is being sexually compulsive based on what’s in the letter. Many men have sex every day, and the roommate’s sex life doesn’t seem to have any negative consequences except that FISTS doesn’t like it.” While Franco also doesn’t think getting fisted daily is proof that your roommate is out of control, fisting isn’t something he does every day. “Doing it daily sounds exhausting,” he said. “The act requires a lot of physical exertion. I personally need a little recovery time between sessions. But I do know guys who do it every day — maybe not a fist every day, but they play with large toys every day. But I couldn’t and I don’t.” All that said, FISTS, two of your cited reasons for
But I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Does this require me, even if temporarily, to change my body? I’m feeling not liking what your roommate is up to — strange really vulnerable and insecure about it, like men in and out of your apartment (and your room- it means there’s something wrong with my mate) and all that douching driving up your water body. I get panicky just thinking about it. (My bill — are legitimate complaints that you shouldn’t husband has not done or said anything to be shy about addressing. make me feel bad about my body.) Using the “To not have a lot of strangers in and out of dildo is no big thing, and I don’t understand the apartment is a reasonable ask of a roommate,” why this feels so different and difficult. PEGGING FEELS DIFFERENT said Dr. Shalit. “But if the roommate sees a steady stream of FISTS’s hookups coming over, it could You don’t have to do anything about this right now, seem like a double standard. And I suppose he PFD. Your husband only came out to you as bisexual could ask for extra help with the water bill, but two months ago! Your husband’s honesty pulled I’m skeptical that ‘cleaning out’ for fisting would down that barrier you’d always sensed but could actually cause a significant increase in the bill.” Dr. Shalit recommends Anal Pleasure & Health by never name, and that’s wonderful and exciting. Jack Morin to anyone who wants to learn more about And you’re already exploring anal penetration anal intercourse, fisting and other forms of anal play. with him on the receiving end, which is something many straight men also enjoy. If covering your “It’s the bible of anal sexuality,” said Dr. Shalit. Follow Devin Franco on Twitter @devinfrancoxxx, and genitals temporarily with a strap-on makes you feel awkward or unwanted, you don’t have to do check out his work at justfor.fans/devinfrancoxxx. it — not now, not ever. But I can’t imagine you think there’s something wrong with the bodies My husband of nearly 20 years came out to of lesbians who use strap-ons with their female me as bisexual about two months ago. He partners, just as you don’t seem to think holding assured me he has no intention of looking outside our marriage for other sex partners. a dildo means there’s something wrong with (or inadequate about) your hands. If covering your We’ve always had a kind of barrier sexually, vulva with a strap-on makes you feel negated or and it seemed to fall away after he came undesirable, there are dildo harnesses that strap on out. We’ve since done all manner of things, to your thigh, not your crotch, and could provide including my using a dildo on him. (Thanks your husband with body-to-body closeness during for all the tips over the years about anal!) penetration while still leaving your vulva and clit It has been a fun and empowering experiaccessible for digital stimulation. ence overall. There is one thing I am having trouble with. He mentioned that he’d like me to peg him using a strap-on. I mean, of course On the Lovecast, are people actually using dental dams? (Spoiler: No.): savagelovecast.com; mail@ he would, right? He’d like to actually feel savagelove.net; Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavmy body against his. That would doubtless age; ITMFA.org make the whole experience better for him.
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