Queen City Nerve Issue 22_2019

VOLUME 1- ISSUE 22: SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 8, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

JE BROYHILL CIVIC CENTER NOV 2 2019

OCT 5 2019

Mark O’Connor Band

Vienna Boys Choir

NOV 24 2019

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Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

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

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Charlotte’s Cultural Pulse

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PUBLISHER • Justin LaFrancois jlafrancois@qcnerve.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@qcnerve.com STAFF WRITER • Pat Moran pmoran@qcnerve.com

6 Nowhere to Go by Ryan Pitkin Grassroots organizers rally around Lake Arbor residents 5 Editor’s Note by Ryan Pitkin 10 Get Fit with Britt by Brittney Pereda 11 The Scanner by Ryan Pitkin

ARTS

12 Like a Moth to Light by Ryan Pitkin Sam Guzzie is in Charlotte’s street art scene for a reason

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LIFELINE

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NEWS & CULTURE

Queen City Nerve welcomes submissions of all kinds. Please send submissions or story pitches to rpitkin@qcnerve.com.

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

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14 How not to kill your social life

16 The Milestone at a Crossroads by Pat Moran New documentary profiles a venue on the edge 18 Soundwave

FOOD & DRINK

22 Dishing It Out by Ryan Pitkin Penny Craver discusses sale of popular Plaza Midwood eatery 24 The Buzz

LIFESTYLE

26 Aerin It Out by Aerin Spruill 26 Sudoku 27 Crossword 28 Horoscope 30 Savage Love

Cover Design by: Dana Vindigni

PHOTO BY ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

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EDITOR’S NOTE PAY ATTENTION The Lake Arbor issue stems from ignoring our neighbors

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BY RYAN PITKIN

YOU KNOW THAT creeping anxiety you feel when you know you have to move soon? You could be six months out and the thought of having to go look for apartments or houses forms like a dark cloud over your head. The cloud is always there, hovering over your current thought process, reminding you that if you don’t get your shit together and figure something out soon you won’t have anywhere to live.

Maybe I’m projecting, but that’s how I experience the moving process. It’s not just the hassle of paperwork and driving around to meet those godawful leasing agents with fake smiles, but for a person like me who’s lived paycheck-to-paycheck for just about all of their adult life, the idea of security deposits and first-and-last months’ rent is enough to send me into a panic if I think about it too hard.

With that in mind, I try to consider what it would be like to be told you need to be out of your home by month’s end, or worse yet, to come home from work one day to find your apartment padlocked with an eviction notice on the door.

That’s been the real-life experience of many Lake Arbor residents over the last year — not to mention countless Charlotteans in similar situations around the city.

Hundreds of households have dealt silently for years with dangerous living conditions and refusals to fix simple maintenance issues. Once residents finally spoke out about these deplorable practices, they began to be targeted for evictions, and they fought back until July 30, when ownership at Lake Arbor announced that they would be shutting the entire complex down by the end of the year.

Just like that, 177 Lake Arbors households — families with kids just starting school, people with disabilities on fixed income, elderly people with no income — faced the reality that if they couldn’t find someplace to move to soon, they would be living on the streets or in shelters.

City leaders threw up their arms in defeat at what was happening in Lake Arbor. Though city code enforcement could have put an end to the criminally negligent behavior of Lake Arbor’s ownership some years ago, the blame was placed on faceless organizations.

“We’ve tried every attempt that we could within

the city’s power and authority to do something but we have an out-of-town owner,” said Mayor Vi Lyles at an Aug. 29 panel discussion about affordable housing in west Charlotte. “I really want to know this guy’s name because he really ought to be named in the open, and I’ll never know his name because it’s an LLC corporation where investors buy something and they are just going to drive it into the ground, which is what happened here in Charlotte.”

David Sentendrey of Fox 46 reported more than a year ago on the name of Lake Arbor’s owner: Robert Wolf of the New York-based Lake Arbor Dean TIC, LLC. Fox 46’s investigation also found that the company’s license had been revoked by the North Carolina secretary of state’s office in 2015, and yet they were still signing leases and checks under the same name.

The issue here is that someone wasn’t paying attention. To be sure, that someone wasn’t Lyles, although it would be refreshing to hear someone take accountability for what’s happened under the city’s nose while leaders have celebrated their own steps toward developing more affordable housing.

As Robert Dawkins of Action NC pointed out at that same August panel discussion, however, it’s hard to take responsibility for an issue that nobody’s acknowledging in the first place. Dawkins noted that, while the city is careful to announce every new unit of affordable housing that goes up in Charlotte, nobody’s tracking the ones that are shutting down.

“What we’ve got to figure out is how the county, how the city, how the state, how the federal government can work to come up with indicators so that when you see this problem coming, you can figure out what you can do on the front end,” Dawkins said. “It’s easier to figure out how not to displace 1,000 people than it is to figure out how you’re going to pay for 1,000 people to move.”

So while folks discuss the new developments coming to their favorite neighborhoods and share headlines about affordable housing with applause, what we need to be paying attention to are the communities we already have. There were 10 Lake Arbors before that complex became a local story, and I have no doubt that there are 10 more waiting in the wings. We need to find those before they need us to.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

Advocates with Tenant Organizing Resource Center go door-to-door in Lake Arbor to inform residents of their rights.

PHOTO BY ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

NOWHERE TO GO

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Grassroots organizers rally around displaced Lake Arbor residents

A

BY RYAN PITKIN

S LARTAR JOHNSON stood in the courtyard of the Southern Comfort Inn in west Charlotte on Saturday, Sept.

14, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employee found herself at a crossroads.

All around her, children ran under tents and tossed cornhole bags while neighbors took turns singing between DJ spins on a mic-and-speaker setup. A line of volunteers helped serve hot dogs, hamburgers and sides to anyone who was hungry.

The sense of community in Southern Comfort was strong that day, but Johnson knew it was only temporary.

At that moment, Johnson had only lived in the Southern Comfort Inn for a matter of days, and she still didn’t know where she’d be living come October.

She had moved into the motel after being pushed out of the nearby Lake Arbor apartments.

The county had promised help in paying for a new home, but she was still waiting for an update.

“Without Southern Comfort I’d probably be homeless,” Johnson said. “My plan now is to try to find me somewhere — to find me an apartment or find a home. I haven’t gotten no help from nobody.”

Johnson had lived in the Lake Arbor complex

on Tuckaseegee Road for three years. For much of the last year she was in and out of court with management after they ordered her to pay two months rent at once. The case never went anywhere, but she hadn’t been able to feel secure at Lake Arbor since.

On July 30 of this year, management let everyone in the complex know they would have to move; the complex was shutting down.

Johnson and her partner lived in one of 177 units that were occupied at the time of the announcement, the most egregious instance of displacement to occur recently in a city that’s

struggling just to build enough affordable housing for those already in need.

In the time since the announcement, residents like Johnson have been thrust into a confusing situation for which news about their precarious living situation has become increasingly unclear.

Deadlines for eviction have differed between residents and changed without warning for some.

In August, the county put together a coalition of organizations to help pay for housing for displaced residents, but some have criticized the way those efforts have been implemented.

Separate from that coalition, a group of

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grassroots organizers who have been working within the Lake Arbor complex for nearly two years now say the county-led effort, spearheaded by local housing advocacy organization Community Link, is well-intentioned but not being carried out in residents’ best interests.

To be clear, the mess at Lake Arbor is not Mecklenburg County’s responsibility to clean up.

The situation has come to this partly due to years of lax code enforcement on the city’s part, leading to unlivable conditions and health concerns first reported on by Fox46’s David Sentendrey in July 2018.

Sentendrey began reporting on the issues at Lake Arbor soon after Blanche Penn, founder of local government accountability group Voice for the People (VTP), began raising issues with local leaders regarding living conditions there. One of Penn’s closest friends had a daughter and infant granddaughter living in an apartment racked with mold. The infant was suffering from breathing problems, but Lake Arbor management was ignoring requests to fix the issue.

Motivated by Penn’s advocacy and Sentendrey’s reporting, city code enforcement carried out an investigation in the complex and found violations in every unit. Things only went downhill from there, with ownership and management allegedly targeting residents who spoke out against the slumlord behavior with evictions, padlocking homes of people while they were at work.

Things came to a head in July, when letters were sent to all residents stating that they would need to vacate their homes. Most were given deadlines of Sept. 1, though that was moved back on the day of eviction. Some are still facing Oct. 1 deadlines.

Those with month-to-month leases were evicted immediately. The final deadline for the apartment complex to be empty is Dec. 31 2019.

At a Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 4, Vilma Leake, who represents District 2 where Lake Arbor is located, expressed frustration with the fact that the county now had to step up in a role that commissioners were not familiar with or responsible for.

“We’ve known the problems and we thought the city would take care of its responsibility of code enforcement in that facility … and they have not done what they were supposed to do in terms of making sure that it was livable for our people,” Leake said, “and now that we’ve come around to this point, it grieves me.”

Stacy Lowry, director of Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, gave a presentation

to commissioners at that meeting explaining how the county would try to lead efforts to find and fund housing for those displaced from Lake Arbor.

The county formed a coalition called Project SAFE (Stop Apartments From Evicting) that would make use of money raised by United Way of Central Carolinas and the county’s annual $1.8 million Crisis Assistance Fund to offer each qualifying household up to $1,000 to assist with relocation. The money would be funneled through Community Link, which would deal directly with residents and set standards for who qualified for the assistance.

In early September, Community Link staff members went to Lake Arbor to assess the needs of residents. They were able to complete more than 70 assessments, from which they estimated the need for $350,000 to relocate those residents. The need is probably much higher, however, as nearly half of the residents went without assessments.

United Way representatives have stated that the organization is working on more long-term assistance options for residents, as well.

Apryl Lewis, who has been working on the ground with grassroots groups like VTP and Tenants Organizing Resource Center (TORC) since 2018, spoke at the meeting about her concerns that Community Link is out of touch with the direct needs of Lake Arbor residents, slowing down the process at a time when streamlining efforts is key.

“I know for a fact that, from the beginning, Community Link was not receptive to the community of Lake Arbor,” Lewis told commissioners. “I need you to question them just a little bit more. I also ask that the organization TORC is considered to actually sit down at these meetings when these funds are being dispersed … If we’re sitting at the table, we can actually come up with a plan of action to really address displacement, to really understand what restorative justice is and to make sure that the community is sitting at that table.

There are decisions being made that, yet again, the community is not here for.”

On Sept. 11, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham tweeted her frustration with efforts after accompanying Penn and Robert Dawkins of Action NC on a trip to connect Lake Arbor residents with Community Link. According to all three involved, members of Lake Arbor staff threatened to call police on Dawkins for taking a van to the complex to help bring residents to the Community Link office in Uptown.

Once they arrived at Community Link, Penn was told by staff there that she could not enter the office with the residents she brought there to help them

PHOTO BY ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

Neighbors have helped each other as some move and others continue looking for new homes.

“IF WE’RE SITTING AT THE TABLE, WE CAN ACTUALLY COME UP WITH A PLAN OF ACTION TO REALLY ADDRESS DISPLACEMENT.” Apryl Lewis, Tenant Organizing Resource Center

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

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Residents of Lake Arbor have been moving out as they find new homes, while others continue to look.

sort through their options.

“What I’ve seen from Community Link, there’s a disconnect between working on housing from their aspect and being able to understand the needs of people that’s being impacted and going through an emergency,” Dawkins said. “The whole process is screwed up. It’s too academic and topheavy. If you’re an MBA who’s never been in the neighborhood talking to people and all your experience is sitting across from them in a chair when somebody’s in a crisis, that’s not the response that we need.”

Calls and emails to Community Link had not been returned by Queen City Nerve’s print deadline.

Dawkins, Lewis and Penn have been focused on the immediate needs of Lake Arbor residents, finding housing for those who don’t qualify for Community Link’s standards, or who are having the most trouble finding new apartments because of criminal history or credit scores.

They continue to try to work with Community Link in any way that they can, sending residents to the offices to fill out paperwork while they search

Charlotte for housing.

U.S. Postal Office employee Lonnie Sparkman lived in Lake Arbor with his wife and two kids for three years, during which he dealt with management’s refusal to fix water damage, broken doors and mildew. In August, he was told his family would have to vacate their apartment by Sept. 1.

When Queen City Nerve spoke with him that day, he said that management had pushed the deadline back to October, but he wasn’t treating that as a grace period.

“With these people, I done seen them padlock doors,” Sparkman said. “I just don’t want to get myself into that predicament to have my children on the street, or my wife and family on the street.

So I’m trying not to wait for the end part ... I gotta make sure somehow we’re secure.”

Despite his own urgent situation, Sparkman was out with members of TORC that day informing his neighbors of their rights. Jessica Moreno and Bree Newsome led efforts that day to go door-todoor with flyers letting residents know that they did not have to vacate their residences if they had

not gone through a court-ordered eviction process, with an order served by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. Even if residents had gone through that, TORC organizers reminded them that they still had 10 days to find new housing.

For Newsome, the day of action was about protecting residents still in search of housing from being forced onto the street.

“We know that in the past we’ve had people who were padlocked out of their apartments before they went through a legal eviction process, so that’s why there was concern today that that might happen,” she said. “One of the reasons we have really been rallying in the past couple of weeks in drawing attention to this issue was trying to make sure that didn’t happen today — that we didn’t have a situation where people were simply left out on the street with nowhere to go.”

While he worked alongside fellow TORC organizers, Sparkman feared just such a circumstance for his family that day.

“We’ll be on the street,” he answered when asked what would happen if he were forced out

that very day, as originally planned. “We put up for a place, but they hit me with a double deposit. I don’t have money for a double deposit, I just had enough to get in and do what I had to do.”

Since Sept. 1, Sparkman has secured housing in an apartment thanks to the work of Lewis and TORC and supplementary funding from Community Link.

Other, however, continue to search for permanent housing.

At Southern Comfort Inn, Johnson said she talked to a Community Link representative and was promised three weeks of rent at an extended-stay hotel, though she feared what would happen when those three weeks were up.

Every apartment she’s looked for is over $1,000 and would cost about double that to move into with a deposit, she said. She worried that if she took the offer from Community Link, she might lose her spot at Southern Comfort.

“Extended-stay is expensive. I can’t afford that,” she said. “I might as well stay here. It’s not the best

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Nowhere from page 8 of hotels, but it’s something that helps people.”

Southern Comfort manager Traci Canterbury has been renting exclusively to low- and fixed-income people for 10 years now, when she recognized that the recession was creating a housing crisis in west Charlotte.

“There’s not any resources on the west side of Charlotte,” said Canterbury, who lives in the motel.

“We don’t get government funding; our city leaders overlook it. I saw so many people struggling, especially people here that are fixed-income that get $741 a month. Tell me where in Charlotte they can move to. It’s impossible for them.”

On Sept. 1, Canterbury took in seven households from Lake Arbor, offering them lower rates than usual to help in their transition. She’s since accepted another and is expecting two more on Oct. 1.

Lewis is looking for more people like Canterbury to partner with in her vision for creating a larger infrastructure of transitional housing in situations like what happened at Lake Arbor. In fact, her longterm goal is to create a coalition that buys the actual Lake Arbor complex and turns it into transitional housing for people facing displacement.

Lewis has lived the problem she’s trying to confront; she was priced out of her Enderly Park home in August and forced to commute from her temporary home in Concord to west Charlotte to help Lake Arbor residents. Queen City Nerve met with her once on Sept. 13 in a hotel room she rented near Southern Comfort so she could be close enough to set-up the next day’s community cookout that she had organized. That day, Samaritan’s Feet handed out 250 pairs of shoes to local residents while nonprofits and other government entities helped educate residents on how to access services.

While she unpacked her stuff in her hotel room, Lewis said she gets overwhelmed by the nature of the work, but she won’t stop because of “my kids,” which is how she refers to the children at Lake Arbor that she has become close to over the last two years, waiting with them at the bus stop on Tuckaseegee Road in the morning and welcoming them in the afternoon.

“My kids forced me to be in this fight because they want their family to do better, and they’re mad at the community because the community isn’t showing them better,” she said. “So this is where all this is coming from. I got it from them.”

THE REVERSABLE SHAME GAME Does the Healthy at Every Size movement go too far?

BY BRITTNEY PEREDA

I WAS RAISED to love every individual no matter their size, color, views or social status. I can confidently say that I personally treat all human beings with respect no matter our differences. I fully support an individual’s right in choosing their own goals for their body without stigma or judgement.

Having been a coach in the industry for some time now, I never push weight loss for physical appearance; that is left up to my client and my client only. However, if someone walks through the door with a weight loss goal, we are going to help them do exactly that in a healthy, sustainable way.

The last thing I am going to do is try to use reverse psychology to allow them to stay overweight, nor will I shame them for wanting to be slimmer so as RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM to live at a lower risk for illness and disease.

In the “Health At Every Size” community, I would be rejected for doing that.

First, I will start with recognizing the common viewpoints between myself and the HAES movement. For one, feeling beautiful and confident can happen at any size, and that can be gained or lost with absolutely no external change. The way an individual feels about themselves can be completely unrelated to their size or appearance, and focusing on a more healthy mentality doesn’t -Offering Whole Family Dentistry & Oral Surgery specialty care on an extended schedule mean focusing on weight loss.

Also, be it a bodybuilder or someone with a little -Locally owned 7am-7pm and select Saturdays more meat on their bones, no one should be ridiculed for eating a cheeseburger at dinner every now and again. Photos on social media featuring an overweight woman eating an ice cream cone are often met with scathing and sometimes vitriolic replies. If it were an athletically built girl that would be acceptable though, right? Building a thick skin against public judgement is not easy, and putting others down is just not okay — but that’s another column.

I also believe all activities can be enjoyed by an No Insurance? No Problem! Ask about our in-house Dental Savings Plan individual of any size if they’re medically cleared to www.StellarDentalCLT.com do so. I love to see any and all people have a little fun and move their bodies on a daily basis. We are slowly University Noda beginning to see more of this diversity in advertising, 9010 Glenwater Drive 2100 North Davidson arts, media, etc., and it’s great to see models of all sizes display their clothing with empowering messages.

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GET FIT WITH BRITT Unfortunately, however, there are downfalls to this movement, as well. As I researched the HAES Facebook group page and their website, I felt worse and worse about supporting the movement. So, where did it go wrong for me?

To start, any time a group fights for equality and inclusiveness, it can happen that they get lost in their core values because it ends up being about reverse discrimination and exclusion of those other groups rather then their original ideas of promoting equality. To be clear, I am not claiming that thin people aren’t privileged in many ways. My point here is that if HAES truly valued equality and inclusion, they wouldn’t betray those values.

Celebrating larger built bodies doesn’t mean you have to shame fit or thin people. Calling people “stick figures” or telling others they are so fit that they “look like a man” or “aren’t feminine enough” is a double standard. All the cliches come to mind: Two wrongs don’t make a right, treat others as you’d like to be treated ... you get the picture.

What about the young girl — overweight or not — who’s interested in eating healthier foods?

This could be for any reason, which is her own business. As a fitness and nutrition professional, I have constantly heard things like, “You need to live a little,” or, “You don’t need to diet.” It doesn’t register with many people that I simply enjoy eating foods that nourish my body.

Sometimes HAES involves ignoring large amounts of scientifically backed evidence on the health impacts of obesity. I came across the spread of so much misinformation about the so-called disadvantages of losing weight, and even saw it stated that being overweight will help you live longer. That is not based in fact at all, and it’s wrong to put into people’s heads who might not have a clear representation of what is medically healthy.

We should all speak up against body shaming, but don’t be fooled by groups who twist facts to meet their agenda. You have a brain. Use it and do good with it. Do your own research, create your own goals … no matter what anyone else thinks.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

SCANNER

BY RYAN PITKIN

MOMMA’S BOY A 54-year-old man filed a police report after he was threatened through a third party on the campus of Druid Hills Academy in north Charlotte one recent morning. It’s unclear whether the man was threatened by a student or another full-grown man, but whoever was doing the talking wasn’t willing to back it up with action.

According to the report, “the reporting person advised that the listed suspect threatened to have his mother shoot him with a gun” at 8:36 a.m.

WE’LL SEE YA It’s every parent’s nightmare to leave their kids with a babysitter who’s not going to take proper care of their children. What’s worse than that? How about a babysitter who quits halfway through the job? Police responded to the Timber Crest at Greenway apartments in southeast Charlotte on a Monday afternoon after neighbors called about a 3-year-old boy and his 6-year-old brother wandering the complex with no supervision. Responding officers were able to reach the kids’ parents and find that, at some point between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., the babysitter who had agreed to watch the kids had simply abandoned their post.

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AIM BIG The weather gods have begun to tease us with crisper days, reminding us all that it’s time to go jacket shopping. One ambitious shoplifter in south Charlotte decided one jacket won’t be enough for this winter, however. According to a police report, the man was caught trying to steal 23 jackets (yes, at one time) from an Old Navy store in the Carolina Pavilion shopping center.

LEAVE YOUR MARK Staff at a car dealership in southeast Charlotte arrived to work one recent morning to find that they’d been robbed, and that the suspects had left behind some inexplicable damage while they were at it. According to the report, the suspects entered the parking lot at Furrst Class Cars on East Independence Boulevard overnight and stole two subwoofers and all of the 24-inch wheels off of four cars, with total losses valued at more than $23,000. Then for some reason, the suspects poured buckets of red paint over two other cars in the parking lot before leaving, doing $1,500 in damage.

GIVE ME EVERYTHING Armed robbers and scammers are usually two completely different types of people; with the former often being rough-looking goons and the latter tending to be white-collar hacker types. One east Charlotte suspect decided he would not be pigeonholed into any of those stereotypes when he played both roles recently. Police responded to an armed robbery call in the Hickory Grove neighborhood one afternoon and found a 20-year-old woman who told them that a man had taken money from her under the guise that he was the landlord of a property that he didn’t actually own. When she became hip to the scam, he pulled out a gun and robbed her for her money anyway, and took her debit and credit cards, too.

HAIR OF THE DOG A person was arrested for a DWI in the Shamrock neighborhood of east Charlotte at 7:21 in the Goddamn morning recently, and the officer that filed the report got the Captain Obvious award for the week.

The report states that the “listed defendant was arrested for DWI after leaving the roadway on Palm Avenue and coming to rest in the front yard of a residence.” The officer then had to clarify for the record that the suspect also showed visual signs of impairment, although I’d say that the car parked there in the yard was the first visual sign of impairment.

DUDE, YOU LOST A DELL A woman recently helped a friend bring a new baby into the world, and she will now forever view that baby as the reason she once lost a great job.

The woman who filed the police report stated that she is an employee of TIAA, for which she has a business-owned laptop. She said that at some point during a 24-hour span she lost the laptop and believes it might have been lost while she was working in the waiting room of Presbyterian Hospital as her friend had a baby. When she was finally able to see the baby she apparently got so excited that she just left the laptop there and never went back to get it.

to the report, and I quote because I have no idea what this means, “Unknown/Seen suspects” began screaming profanity at employees inside the McDonald’s at around 6 p.m. one evening.

This behavior continued for 20 minutes, with the suspects, described yet again by officers in the report as going “Unknown/Unseen,” jumped behind the counter and began throwing sugar, salt and pepper packets on the floors.

How the whole time can you go unseen when you are screaming at people right in front of you and throwing shit on the floor?! Also, on a personal UNKNOWN, UNSEEN Police responded to a note, I’d like to say that if this was all a reaction to McDonald’s on Monroe Road in southeast Charlotte the ice cream machine supposedly going down, I recently after some sort of mystery ghost suspects stand in solidarity with these suspects. began raising a ruckus in the restaurant. According

THE REAL THING It’s all about consent, fellas, even when you’re giving out bro hugs. Police responded to an assault call in east Charlotte and found two men, aged 29 and 31, traumatized by a hug they had just received.

According to the report, “the listed victims stated that the listed suspect grabbed them and wrapped them up in a bear hug like embrace without their consent” during an argument inside of a home. That’s what he gets for trying to apologize and take the high road: an assault charge.

All Scanner entries are pulled from CMPD reports.

Suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

PHOTO BY @GLORIA.C.ZAVALETA

LIKE A MOTH TO LIGHT

Sam Guzzie entered Charlotte’s street art scene for a reason

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S

Sam Guzzie

BY RYAN PITKIN

AM GUZZIE has a clear memory of the first mural she ever painted.

She was 15 years old and lived in Philadelphia at the time. Her grandmother’s friend lost a son to gun violence and decided to board up the windows of her home to keep the rest of the family safe. Guzzie’s grandmother asked her if she could paint the board to bring some light into the family’s life. Guzzie, a painter since childhood, had no idea what she was doing as a muralist, but she went for it.

All she had was her grandmother, who wasn’t an artist but a great cheerleader.

“When I was starting out I didn’t have a mentor or anything,” she recalls, “It was literally me and a wall just figuring it out with my grandma standing behind me like, ‘You got this!’ and me yelling, ‘Gramma, I don’t know!’ That was my experience.”

Fourteen years later, that mural, titled “The Dreamer,” still stands at the corner of North 23rd and Berks streets in Philadelphia. The experience would later help inspire Guzzie to create a platform for first-time muralists in Charlotte, where she’s lived now for five years, teaching them the ins and outs of mural painting, from important business tips to painting techniques.

Guzzie and her Brand the Moth nonprofit are currently in the final weeks of the first META Mural Residency program, a two-month session in which five local artists took part in interactive classes led by some of Charlotte’s best muralists before trying their hand at the medium with a community project at Queen’s University followed by individual murals of their own.

The paid residency is funded by a number of grants and awards, including from title sponsor Historic South End and local grant competition Seed20, from which Brand the Moth was awarded $10,000 in March. Funds went toward paying residents, teachers, photographers and videographers to document the entire process.

In total, 14 local artists benefited financially from the residency.

But that compensation was secondary to the experience and knowledge gained, said many of

the participating artists that Queen City Nerve spoke to.

Caricature artist and painter Lo’Vonia Parks has long been interested in painting murals, and when she heard about the residency through muralists Bree Stallings and Sharon Dowell, both of whom led META classes, she applied for a spot.

When we talked to Parks on the Queen’s University campus on a recent morning while she helped prep a wall between the campus maintenance building and Hadley Theatre, she called the experience “life-changing,” and ensured us that she was not exaggerating.

“I’m not the same artist or person that I was before entering this class,” she said. “We learned the business — from proposals, negotiations, contracts, to the history of street art and graffiti, — and we have literally applied techniques. We got to test out the paints, they taught us tips, tricks, safety. So all around, they gave us I’d say a year’s worth of knowledge in just four short weeks.”

It wasn’t just residents who learned a lot from the META experience. Queen City Nerve stopped

by Sharon Dowell’s class on brush painting in a warehouse space in the Gold District of South End that was temporarily donated to Brand the Moth for classes during the residency.

Dowell, who’s done well-known local works by brush (including the bear in front of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library branch in Uptown and the mermaid mural on The Design Center of the Carolinas in South End) said she was taking in as much as she was giving out. During the previous week, she had attended a spraypainting technique class led by Southern Tiger Collective’s Alex DeLarge.

“A lot of it is about taking that ego out of it and just saying, ‘What can I learn from you guys?’ and vice versa,” Dowell said. “I think some of the most successful artists are ones that get that. Like yes, you have your style, you’re going after projects, you’re doing your thing and you’re confident enough, but there’s something nice about stepping back and working with other people and learning from other people and it

TALKING WALLS MURAL FESTIVAL 2019 Oct. 16-19; Free; locations vary; talkingwallscharlotte.com/

META residents and Queen’s University students work on a community project mural on campus.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

“I SHOWED UP HERE NOT KNOWING WHERE IT WAS ON THE MAP.”

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Sam Guzzie, Brand the Moth

really helps you become more successful.”

Such is the mission of Brand the Moth, launched by Guzzie in 2016 as a way to connect and uplift street artists after she found the city to have a strong underground scene that was struggling to be seen.

Guzzie moved to Charlotte from Philadelphia in 2014 after her husband took a job here. As she puts it, “I showed up here not knowing where it was on the map.”

Back in Philly, she had run a screen-printing business, a percentage of the proceeds from which went to funding the city’s existing street art programs. In Charlotte, she revised her business to include cards and other prints, then went looking for street-arts programming she could pitch in on.

“We were looking as to where to donate our money towards community and public arts and we didn’t really find a place that would do what we were hoping it would do,” Guzzie said. “There’s [Arts & Science Council], but our donations aren’t

going to do anything for what they’re doing, comparatively. So I had the great idea of starting a nonprofit.”

Guzzie spent six months throwing herself into the local arts scene, meeting as many artists as she could — specifically muralists and graffiti artists — and asking them what was lacking and what efforts could make the biggest impact for artists in Charlotte.

She did find two big missing links in her discussions with artists: communication and collaboration.

“What I got back was communication mostly, that there was just a miscommunication between artists and business owners or the city in general, and that there was a lot of potential but a lot of artists didn’t know where to look for funding, didn’t know how to even get their first mural or how to continue doing murals,” Guzzie said. “So we really designed Brand the Moth to fulfill that in whatever way we could.”

Guzzie started with community projects: collaborative murals meant to bring together two segments of the population that may not ever get a chance to socialize. Brand the Moth’s most notable community project involved two groups that don’t always have a good relationship: police and the homeless population.

That partnership between Brand the Moth, Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, North End Partners and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, among others, took a total of two years and led to murals on each side of the underpass at the bridge passing over North Tryon Street near East 16th Street.

Guzzie and local artist Lane Morris designed the murals based on town hall meetings held in the Men’s Shelter, then invited residents from the shelter and police officers to come paint them together.

“I’ve been painting murals since I was 15 and that was one of the hardest projects I have ever worked on, but in the best way possible, because

I got to see people talking who normally wouldn’t be talking and they’re talking over a paintbrush and they’re telling stories about their history,” Guzzie said. “Watching guys from the Men’s Shelter explain to the police officers why they were uncomfortable with police officers and police officers hearing that and talking about that, it was a really beautiful thing to see — emotionally draining, but it was a really awesome project to see that, and that was the first time I was like, ‘This is how it needs to be.’”

Other Brand the Moth community projects have paired employees of digital marketing agency Union with UMAR, an arts organization for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and the White Knight Engineered Products with immigrant and refugee advocacy organization Project 658.

Guzzie is aiming to bring that community collaborative spirit to this year’s Talking Walls mural festival, for which she serves as president of the board of directors.

The festival was launched last year by local artists like Mike Wirth, who as head of the New Media Design program at Queen’s University played a large role in the META Mural Residency program, not only leading classes but connecting residents with Queen’s students to help design the community project mural on campus.

Though last year’s event included some community-oriented projects, Guzzie wants to build on that to involve more first-timers and amateurs in Talking Walls when it jumps off on Oct. 16 this year.

“This year our main focus was to make sure that we had even more community access to things,” she said of this year’s planning process. “There were some events last year like the [Johnston] YMCA in NoDa community paint thing, but this year we wanted to focus on that and put more of that out to the public so that more people know about it.”

Letting more people know about what’s going on in Charlotte’s art scene is Guzzie’s Brand, after all, as she emphasized while wrapping up one of our recent conversations.

“There are a lot of badasses around here and more people need to know that,” she said. “More people are seeing that, but I want everybody to know how many amazing artists are in Charlotte.”

She’s right, and she’s one of them.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25TH

‘BUMPIN’ MICS’ WITH JEFF ROSS AND DAVE ATTELL

What: Fresh off the Netflix series of the same name, Dave Attell, lauded by some of his peers as one of the greatest

comedians of all time, and roast icon Jeff Ross have taken Bumpin Mics on the road. Just one of many great events taking place throughout the week for the Queen City Comedy Experience.

More: $35-$85; 7:30 p.m.; Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/BumpinMics

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26TH

CREATING CHARLOTTE’S FUTURE

What: Meet the man whose vision could shape the future of Charlotte. Equitable Communities hosts guest speaker Taiwo Jaiyeoba, the city’s chief planner. Talk insfrastructure, Eastland Mall, affordable housing and what the hell is going to happen with that Plaza Midwood parking lot.

More: Free; 7-8:30 p.m.; First Baptist Church-West, 1801 Oaklawn Ave.; tinyurl.com/CreatingCLTfuture

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27TH

LIFELINE

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SEPT. 25 - OCT. 1ST

RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE

What: Ringing textured guitars, cantering folk rhythms and singer Sam Melo’s engaging every-nerd vocals thread through Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s jangly twerp folk. But dig deeper into this Boone quintet’s bouncy tunes and you’ll find undercurrents of anxiety. “Heart” from their b-sides collection Mary is the greatest song Modest Mouse never made.

More: $28.50 and up; 8 p.m.; CMCU Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.; rksband.com

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28TH

SOUTH END OKTOBERFEST

What: Join us in sampling beers from 30+ local and regional breweries while listening to live music and shopping local Charlotte vendors! Festivalgoers will receive a commemorative South End Oktoberfest glass for sampling and to take home!

Come and get your fill as this festival will benefit Safe Alliance.

More: $40-55; Noon-6 p.m.; Norfolk Hall, 2905 Griffith St.; qcnerve.com

SUNDAY, SEPT. 29TH ‘HELL NURSE’

What: Cinematic homicidal healthcare givers stretch back to 1978 with Nurse Sherri, Grade-Z auteur Al Adamson’s ode to demonic possession and hospital bloodbaths. Low-budget slasher Hell Nurse carries on the nurse-ploitation tradition with enough gore to fill Satan’s colostomy bag. Stick around for a Q&A with director Bobby Blood and cast.

More: Free; 8 p.m.; Visart Video, 3104 Eastway Dr.; visartvideo.net

MONDAY, SEPT. 30TH AN EVENING WITH KEN STRINGFELLOW

What: It’s fitting that when Ken Stringfellow blew through town with his band the Posies in 2016 he was immediately followed by Hurricane Matthew. Not that Stringfellow is a violent or stormy guy, but he’s a bit of an impressionist whirlwind — a musician, songwriter, producer, raconteur and stream-of-consciousness humorist.

More: $25-75; 7 p.m.; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

TUESDAY, OCT. 1ST JOE ZIMMERMAN

What: This West Virginia native and Davidson College graduate started his comedy career right here in town, or around it anyway, and quickly after moving to New York City in 2012 he appeared on The Late Late Show and John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, and has since followed that up with appearances on Conan and The Tonight Show.

More: $12-$15; 7:30 p.m.; The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com

Social Calendar a little light?

Check out

QCNERVE’S LIFELINE

for cool events happening in the queen city!

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2ND SIERRA FERRELL

What: Poised at the confluence of jazz, blues, cowboy and country, Sierra Ferrell tells the kinds of stories you’d hear in bus stations, truck stops and street corners. Her thumbnail sketches are both gritty and lyrical, delivered with loping guitar, locomotive wail fiddle and Ferrell’s angelic honky tonk vocals.

More: $10-15; 7 p.m.; Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.; neighborhoodtheatre.com

THURSDAY, OCT. 3RD

U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM VS. KOREA REPUBLIC

What: We can’t help but wonder whether President Donald Trump will come to Charlotte to attend this soccer game, not because our country’s team is playing — he’s already made it clear he hates those women — but he may become confused and think he’s there to cheer on his buddy Kim Jong Un’s team. Sorry Trump, it’s South Korea.

More: $33 and up; 8 p.m.; Bank of America Stadium, 800 S. Mint St.; panthers.com/stadium

FRIDAY, OCT. 4TH

LIFELINE

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OCT. 2ND - OCT. 8TH

ERYKAH BADU & GOODIE MOB

What: There’s not much to say about the Queen of Neo Soul that hasn’t been said already, and if you don’t know by now, you’re a lost cause. She’ll be joined by Dungeon Family members Goodie Mob, who also came up in the ’90s and refused to lose their swag over the decades.

More: $61 and up; 8 p.m.; Bojangles’ Coliseum, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.; boplex.com

SATURDAY, OCT. 5TH

LOOSE LEAVES SHOWCASE

What: Charlotte’s most diverse dance showcase features new and unexpected works by local Charlotte choreographers like Aisha Belly Dance, AJ CrayzeeBeat Glasco, Catherine Riddell, Erica Leigh Averill, Kie Marie, Madeline Yentsch, Makayla Church, Anna Edwards, Cass Simmons, MufukaWorks Dance Co., Sumayyah Smith and more.

More: $12; Oct. 5 & 6, 7:30 p.m.; Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St.; tinyurl.com/LooseLeavesShowcase

SUNDAY, OCT. 6TH

ZZ TOP

What: In the distant days before the brachiosaurus was converted to fossil fuels, a Texas trio scored a huge hit with the rattling twelve-bar blues song “Tush,” a poetic paean to ogling women’s asses. Half a century after they got started, Dusty Hill, Billy Gibbons and the curiously beardless Frank Beard are still at it.

More: $29.50 and up; 7 p.m.; PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd.; zztop.com

MONDAY, OCT. 7TH AMITTAI BLAKK

What: Drawing on reservoirs of soul, hip-hop, jazz and deep funk, this seven-piece Charlotte combo rocks out like Lenny Kravitz cranking out guitar pyrotechnics, funks it up like Parliament strutting out of the mothership, and seamlessly cuts and pastes genres like Frank Zappa on a tearaway.

More: $7; 9 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; amittaiblakk.com

TUESDAY, OCT. 8TH MIKE BIRBIGLIA’S ‘THE NEW ONE’

What: Sure, this issue’s Lifeline is a bit heavy on the comedy, but we all need a good laugh in these modern times. It’s worth mentioning that Lin-Manuel Miranda called Mike Birbiglia’s The New One show “as perfect a night as you’re gonna get,” while John Mulaney called it Birbiglia’s best project yet.

More: $25 and up; Oct. 8-13, times vary; Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/BirbigliaCLT

Social Calendar a little light?

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QCNERVE’S LIFELINE

for cool events happening in the queen city!

Liz McLaughlin and Jason Arthurs (from left) interview amateur wrestler Fireball for their upcoming documentary.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZ MCLAUGHLIN

THE MILESTONE AT A CROSSROADS

New documentary profiles a venue on the edge

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S

BY PAT MORAN

OMEWHERE ON THE walls of The Milestone, Charlotte’s venerable music club on Tuckaseegee Road, punk band Black Flag has added their tag to the riot of graffiti and stickers that cover every square space. Where that is, however, is anyone’s guess.

Liz McLaughlin is explaining the hidden magic of The Milestone to a packed house — close to the venue’s 170 capacity — on a chilly Wednesday evening as people set up camp chairs and recline on blankets. The seating arrangements are a tipoff that this is not your typical Milestone crowd.

McLaughlin asks how many people have never been to the club before and a show of hands reveals that nearly 90% of the audience are newbies. Many have discovered the venue tonight thanks to Sofar Sounds, a company that promotes and presents intimate shows in non-traditional spaces.

McLaughlin, who hosts Sofar events as a side

gig, has invited the attendees here to see a trailer for a work-in-progress documentary about the club that she’s producing with her partner, filmmaker and photojournalist Jason Arthurs.

In addition to screening preview footage, McLaughlin and Arthurs are filming new material for their doc. The few patrons that have been there before are encouraged to commit their personal Milestone memories to film. Milestone Confessional, an additional session to capture stories about the club on celluloid, is planned for an undetermined date later this fall. The Sofar event’s bill includes performances

by Virginia synth-rockers Rawls and local all-female punk combo Reason Define. They’ve played the venue before, and they’re in good company. In its 50-year history the club’s roster has boasted a who’s who of punk, indie and metal, ranging from Agent Orange to Violent Femmes.

Milestone stories have been passed down

through the decades, attaining the burnished patina of folklore. The club started hosting live shows in 1969. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana took the stage at The Milestone on May 2, 1990, for a pre-Nevermind gig.

Milestone founder and property owner Bill Flowers offered a little-known act named R.E.M. $50 dollars to play for a night, and afterward the band crashed on the stage they had performed on.

All this history makes the evening’s gig seem like an impromptu scavenger hunt through the club’s decades-long music history, a search for rock ‘n’ roll artifacts on par with the holy grail. Many are in plain view, if you know where to look.

“It’s like a treasure hunt in there,” McLaughlin tells me. “There are layers and layers, like rings of a tree.”

As music history happens it keeps accumulating on the club’s walls, she continues, which are plastered with the stickers and graffiti from visiting

bands, fans and a mix of well-known and long forgotten local musicians.

One act slated to perform tonight has been dropped from the bill, though its presence is still strongly felt. BitterHearts, a pop punk band fronted by former Milestone co-owners Jonathan and Stephanie Hughes will not be playing. On August 20, Jonathan, who purchased the club from previous owner Neal Harper in 2010 and ran it until March 2018, suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in his brain. After recuperating at Atrium Health Charlotte, Hughes was moved to Carolinas Rehabilitation in Mount Holly. Tonight’s event will also serve as a fundraiser for the Hughes family to aid in Jonathan’s recovery.

But many here don’t yet know of Hughes and the club’s history, so the evening has an air of discovery and celebration. Yet for the long-time patrons in attendance there’s an underlying tension, the perception that now more than ever, the potential of losing the historic club may become reality.

There’s a reason that McLaughlin and Arthurs’ doc is provisionally titled How to Save a Milestone.

In fact, the 6,014-square-foot property, comprised of two connected buildings that house the club, has been officially for sale since February 2018. An online listing by Mike Kirby of South East Commercial Real Estate Group currently lists seven lots and the two buildings at 3400 Tuckaseegee Road to be sold together for the asking price of $650,000.

“I know that offers have been made and turned down,” Boswell says. “So [it seems] they’re not coming off of that price.”

It’s evident to Boswell that the realtor doesn’t care much about The Milestone as a business or cherished piece of Charlotte history. The club’s future has been on the chopping black ever since Boswell took over as owner. In fact, he says that the same day Queen City Nerve contacted him for an interview, he got a text from Flowers’ representative stating that a sale was imminent. Boswell admits that the constant anxiety forces his mind to seesaw back and forth about the situation, balancing between the bigger picture and his daily to-do list.

“I try to spend a couple days a month focusing on the long-term,” Boswell says, “trying to have conversations with people who could potentially help us to buy the property.”

He’s also in the uncomfortable position of being on call for any prospective buyer who wants to view the property. When potential buyers ask Boswell to tell them about the place, he’s tempted to say it’s not his job to sell the property for Bill Flowers.

Boswell first crossed The Milestone’s threshold when he was 11 years old, accompanied by his

PHOTO BY PAT MORAN

“I DIDN’T WANT THIS PLACE TO GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT.” Wyley “Buck” Boswell (left, with Dane Abernathy), owner of The Milestone

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The Milestone

father, who chaperoned him to shows. At age 14, Boswell started booking shows for his and his classmates’ bands. At the time, The Milestone had gone semi-dormant, he remembers, only hosting local bands twice a month or so. Flowers retained the property, but in 2004, he sold the club and all its intellectual properties to Neal Harper, who resumed featuring music at The Milestone full-time.

Boswell started booking shows at the venue while still in his senior year at Northwest School of the Arts. In 2005, he bought a banjo, taught himself to play and started gigging and touring with artist and Milestone employee Andy Fenstermaker, who performs and records as Andy the Doorbum.

When Jonathan bought the club from Harper in 2010, he hired Boswell as full-time talent buyer, booking agent, promoter and street team manager.

In 2016, Hughes attempted to buy the property from Flowers. He teamed with business management consultant Carlos Espin; whose organization Area 15 developed a successful business incubating complex of the just north of Uptown Charlotte on East 15th and North Davidson streets. The plan was to raise money through crowdfunding to effect necessary repairs on the century-old building and then find additional investors. But in the end, the money raised was just enough to keep The Milestone open.

After the proposed plans fell through, Flowers put the property up for sale. It was then that Hughes decided he would no longer be the owner or the lease holder at The Milestone. Boswell, who counted the

Hughes family as close friends, was devestated, yet after a night’s sleep, he resolved to take things over.

“I didn’t want this place to go down without a fight,” Boswell says. “I didn’t want it to fizzle out and die.”

Boswell is fully aware of the gentrification wave rolling through west Charlotte. It hasn’t reached his outpost on Tuckaseegee Road yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The surge of gentrification is responsible for a litany of club closings throughout the city. The Double Door Inn, Tremont Music Hall and Chop Shop have already succumbed, and the list is likely to get longer.

The redevelopment storm surge also concerns McLaughlin. Driving past The Milestone recently she saw the posted for sale signs and was alarmed.

Concern turned to determination to tell the venue’s story through film.

“There are so many people moving [to Charlotte] every day, and a lot of them don’t even know that The Milestone is there,” McLaughlin says. If the venue goes away, she continues, if development eventually takes The Milestone down with those other previously longstanding music venues in Charlotte, she and Arthurs want it to live on.

The filmmakers’ fervent wish to keep The Milestone alive spurred the inception of their current project. McLaughlin and Arthurs started preproduction in April and began shooting in May. They hope to have the completed documentary ready for screening by spring of next year.

“I think film is a wonderful avenue to preserve

things that can’t stay around forever,” McLaughlin says. That said, her first choice is to have The Milestone go nowhere. “Our main goal is to help it stick around.”

Jonah Juarez, who is working the door for the combination screening/concert/fundraiser says that though she’s been working at The Milestone a mere six months, she’s been coming to the club much longer.

“I can be myself here,” Juarez says. “All the shows I like happen here.”

For Stephanie Hughes, the club holds powerful memories.

“I knew it was magic the first time I stepped across the threshold,” she says. “But I never imagined how big a part it would play in my life.”

Stephanie and Jonathan held their wedding reception at the club, they first announced they were going to be parents there, and they have celebrated every birthday, anniversary, New Years and Halloween at the club for as long as Stephanie can remember.

“It’s the place that means more to me than anywhere else in the world,” she says, “and the Milestone family are the best people on earth.”

Benefits to raise funds for Jonathan’s lengthy and costly rehabilitation have been held at Petra’s, Snug Harbor and Heist Brewery as well as The Milestone, Boswell says. He reveals plans for further fundraisers, including an October 21 show featuring Don Telling’s Island Mysteries, Wild Trees and Sangre Cabrona.

In the meantime, Boswell vows to continue

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZ MCLAUGHLIN

booking the kind of shows that have made The Milestone famous. With five nights a week of original music featuring bills of three to five bands, the venue features an average of 20 performers a week, Boswell says. They join the ranks of the illustrious musicians who have stood on the Milestone’s stage – 10,000 Maniacs, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Camper Van Beethoven, Dead Boys, the Flaming Lips, Fugazi, the Go-Go’s, Hawkwind, HooDoo Gurus, Husker Du, John Cale, the Meatmen, the Melvins, Mission of Burma, NOFX, the Plastics, the Replacements and much more.

For his part, Boswell says that development at 3400 Tuckaseegee Road may not necessarily be such a bad thing.

“I think there’s a lot of potential on this particular block,” he says. Potential buyers have discussed putting houses on three residential lots on the seven-parcel property. Others have considered repurposing the adjacent building that housed the long-shuttered Last Pitcher Show into a barbeque restaurant and turning the residential lots into a community garden, facilitating a farmto-table pipeline for the proposed eatery.

“I’ve heard a lot of great ideas, and I know that something good can be done with [the property],” says Boswell who hopes the parcel ends up in the right hands. “I would love for whoever buys it to be someone who wants to see The Milestone here for another 50 years.”

PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM

SOUNDWAVE SEPTEMBER 25 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

September Residency: Futurists, Wild Trees, Danny Laj & The Looks (Snug Harbor) Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards (Neighborhood Theatre) grandson (The Underground) Dropkick Murphys, Amigo The Devil, Clutch, Hatebreed (CMCU Amphitheatre) Guns N’ Roses (Spectrum) Michigander (Evening Muse) The Remedies, Mr. Genius And The Robot Inventors, Greevace, My Blue Hope (Tommy’s Pub) Rotie Salley (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

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

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Post Sports Bar & Grill)

SEPTEMBER 26

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ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Masked Intruder, Direct Hit!, Ramona USA (The Milestone) Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Birdtalker (Neighborhood Theatre) Old Fox, Courtney Lynn & Quinn (Visulite Theatre) Year of October, True Lillith, The Donner Deads (Skylark Social Club) half alive (The Underground) Senses Fail, Hot Mulligan, Yours Truly (Amos’ Southend) Open Mic Night: Paul Lover (Tommy’s Pub) Shana Blake & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Holly Bowling (Booth Playhouse)

Added Color (Tin Roof) Space Kadet (Heist Brewery) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Underground Owls (Comet Grill) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

LPT Afro-Cuban/Salsa (Evening Muse) DJ/ELECTRONIC

Le Bang (Snug Harbor) The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Thirsty - A Celebration of House and Dance Music: That Guy Smitty ,DJ Jah Freedom, Flls (Petra’s) The Queen’s Guard (U.S. National Whitewater Center)

SEPTEMBER 27 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

AXNT, Black Box Theory, Dirty Art Club, QWYK (Snug Harbor) Paint Fumes, Bosco Mujo Palace (Skylark Social Club) Wage War, Like Moths To Flames, Polaris, Dayseeker (The Underground) Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Illiterate Light (CMCU Amphitheatre) Matthew Mayfield (Evening Muse) Bakalao Stars & Guillo from Mojiganga, Javi Ochoa (Evening Muse) El Escapado, The Hooliganz (Tommy’s Pub) Big Wave Small Wave, Great Freak, The Standby, Mercury Dimes (The Milestone) Trapt, Fiftywatt Freight Train, Den of Wolves, The Four Faults (Amos’ Southend) The Fill Ins, Am/FM’s (Tommy’s Pub) Michael Rotundo (Tin Roof) RJ Acoustics (RiRa) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Lucinda Williams and her band Buick 6 (Ovens Auditorium) Old Dominion, Jordan Davis, Ryan Hurd (Spectrum) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) AFTM (U.S. National Whitewater Center) McKinney Gap (Smokey Joe’s) Austin McNeill (Tin Roof) Roanoke, Austin Plaine (Free Range Brewing) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) Friendship Friday with Mo! (The Milestone) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Greatest Hits (Knight Theater) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Hella Collab (Crown Station)

SEPTEMBER 28 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Nofriends Family Reunion 2019: Fake Four Inc.’s Ceschi Ramos, Sulfur, Tribe One, Mikal kHill, Int80, Cecilnick (The Milestone) Modern Primitives Hungry Girl, Houston Brothers (Snug Harbor) The Dirty Doors - A Tribute (Visulite) MariaHill, Midwest Skies, Asbestos Boys,

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

Alayas Curse, The Flight Risks (Skylark Social Club) GRiZ, The Funk Hunters (CMCU Amphitheatre) Van Huskins, The Menders, Dead Regions (Tommy’s Pub) Matthews Art Walk & Music Festival: Tin 4, Lisa De Novo, Ellie Morgan, Jason Moss & the Hosses (Matthews) Electric Kif and Gray Scale Whale (Evening Muse) Benefit for Neil Jackson: Butterfly Corpse, Scars Remain, Fifty Flies, Adam Hall (Amos’ Southend) The Smokin’ Js Saturday & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Toni Naples (Comet Grill) The Turbos (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Cyan (RiRa) Pilots & Pirates (Tin Roof) Jacob Resch (Tin Roof) Primal Jam: Clint Roberts, Secret American (Primal Brewery)

Phil Collins (Spectrum) Michael “Mycool” Williams Fundraiser (Petra’s) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Rotie Salley (Tin Roof)

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

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Drake Party (The Underground) Cheeno Ghee, Steeno, Andreaa, Jerrel (Evening Muse) The Get Right Band (U.S. National Whitewater Center) DJ/ELECTRONIC

Su Casa (Petra’s)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Jade Bird, Flyte (Visulite Theatre) Jonah Tolchin (Evening Muse) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) Orbit Day Party (Crown Station) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

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

Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s) Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Greatest Hits (Knight Theater)

SEPTEMBER 30 Palm Palm, Secret American (Neighborhood Theatre) K.Flay, Houses, Your Smith (Fillmore) Ken Stringfellow (Petra’s) Tiger Army, SadGirl, Kate Clover (Amos’ Southend) Open Mind Night: Pants (Tommy’s Pub) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Jason Nash (Neighborhood Theatre) Jay Taylor (Tin Roof) That 1 Guy (Free Range Brewing)

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JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Greatest Hits (Knight Theater)

SEPTEMBER 29 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

HarborLights, Late Bloomer, Pretty Baby, Sub Madonna (The Milestone) Bombadil (Neighborhood Theatre) Metal Church Sunday Service (The Milestone) The Head and the Heart, The Moondoggies (CMCU Amphitheatre)

Jazz Mondays (Crown Station) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Find Your Muse Open Mic: Beth Bombara (Evening Muse) Country Music Monday (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern)

OCTOBER 1 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Smokin’ Js Open Jam Band & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Nonpoint, Hyro The Hero, Madame Mayhem, Zero Theorem (Amos’ Southend) Scott Stapp, Messer, Sunflower Dead (McGlohon Theater) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station)

SOUNDWAVE OCTOBER 2

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

October Residency: ACNE, Petrov, Zaat, Pet Bug (Snug Harbor) Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

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COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

A. Lee Edwards, Sierra Ferrel (Neighborhood Theatre) Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniels, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) The Way Down Wanderers (Free Range Brewing) DJ/ELECTRONIC

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

Bugalú - October Edition (Petra’s) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Yfn Lucci (Underground)

OCTOBER 3 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

OCTOBER 4 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Perpetual Groove, The Mammoths (Neighborhood Theatre) Motel Glory, Sinners & Saints, Nic Pugh, Psych Ops (The Milestone) Chi-Town Tranist Authority - Chicago Tribute (Visulite Theatre) Taking Back Sunday, Red City Radio (Fillmore) Paige Reitterer Reception: The Wiltz, Mystery Plan, Marcie Hernandez (Petra’s) Ride the Lightning – Metallica Tribute (Amos’ Southend) Patch Up The Battleship Benefit: Milkweed, The Felons & Wilma (Tommy’s Pub) Temperence League (Smokey Joe’s) Alex Butler (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

John Medeski’s Mad Skillet (Neighborhood Theatre) Taking Back Sunday, Red City Radio (Fillmore) Open Mic Night: Felly Castelow (Tommy’s Pub) Shana Blake & Friends (Smokey Joe’s Café) Purple Xperience (McGlohon Theater) Kerry Brooks (Comet Grill) The Barons (Tin Roof)

Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Jon Langston (Coyote Joe’s) Jordy Searcy, Stephen Day (Evening Muse) The Caroliners (Legion Brewing) Sam Bush, Western Centuries (McGlohon Theater) Patrick Sweany (Free Range Brewing)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) Blow Your Head (Snug Harbor) Open Decks (Skylark Social Club)

C.W. Stoneking (Neighborhood Theatre) Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill)

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) Le Bang (Snug Harbor)

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

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Crushed Velvet: DJ SPK (Snug Harbor)

Katie Pruitt (Visulite Theatre) Curtis Eller’s American Circus, Adrian Emberley & The Revolving Band (Petra’s) The Slocan Ramblers (Evening Muse) Chris Knight (Booth Playhouse) Michael Clem (Free Range Brewing)

Langhorne Slim and The Lost At Last Band,

DJ/ELECTRONIC

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

Erykah Badu, Goodie Mob (Bojangles’ Coliseum) Courtney Gibson (Evening Muse)

OCTOBER 5 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Jimmy Herring and the 5 of 7 (Neighborhood Theatre) Cell, The Silencing Machine at Skylark Social Club (Skylark Social Club) Kero Kero Bonito, Negative Gemini (Underground) Toward Space, The Straight Jackets, Fixed Faces (Tommy’s Pub) Whitey Morgan and the 78’s , Alex Williams (Amos’ Southend) My Grateful Band (Smokey Joe’s) The Kingston Trio (McGlohon Theater) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

The Relics (Comet Grill) Jesse Dayton (Free Range Brewing) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Off the Wall: A Tribe Called Quest/ Native Tongues Edition V.7 (Petra’s) MoonLander with Rob Flo, Depreston, NxtMike and Chris Buxton (Evening Muse) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Itzhak Perlman plays Mendelssohn (Belk Theater) An Evening of Jazz: Saxophonist Najee and Pianist Alex Bugnon (Knight Theater)

OCTOBER 6 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Tobi Lou, Femdot, Liltrxptendo (Neighborhood Theatre) Metal Church Sunday Service (The Milestone)

SOUNDWAVE VOICE OVER CASTING MIX SOUND DESIGN MUSIC

Tune in to WCCB News Edge every week night at 10:30 p.m.

Get a glimpse at the next issue with our editor-in-chief every other Tuesday night

WHISKEY

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Andy Grammer (Fillmore) ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Frankie & The Witch Fingers (PNC Music Pavilion) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) The Barons (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Dan Rodriguez (Evening Muse) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)

ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

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

Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Justin Townes Earle, The Wandering Hearts (Neighborhood Theatre) Country Music Monday (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

DJ/ELECTRONIC

Amittai Blakk, Luck Bone (Snug Harbor) Jazz Mondays (Crown Station)

Reflexions Dark Wave & New Wave Dance Party: DJ Valentine, DJ Sanity Ana, DJ Tech Bat (Tommy’s Pub) OCTOBER 8

OCTOBER 7 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Trismalux (Evening Muse)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Crunk Witch, Whatever Whatever, Solemn Shapes, Earth That Was (The Milestone)

Ian Noe, Jeremy Ivey (Neighborhood Theatre) No Future: The Boron Heist, Rocky River Nightmare Band, Heavy Liquid (Snug Harbor) Built To Spill (Underground) The Kooks (Fillmore) Smokin’ Js Open Jam Band & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station) Act II (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill)

at times, so it’s just like we’re kind of on the same page. It’s creepy good. One of my employees said, “This is the antithesis of The Penguin.” We are so excited that we have found people who want to continue with Dish and pretty much have a similar vision that we had and beyond.

Sept. 28 will be the last day of serving food for current Dish ownership.

How important was it to you to find someone who would carry on that vision?

Well, we had an offer and they were going to totally change it, and that didn’t work out, and that’s ok, because ultimately, this is what we want. It’s kind of your baby, it’s kind of like your child, like Tremont was, and you want to see the child flourish and do well. It wasn’t a prerequisite, but it was very nice. It was really cool that it turned out this way.

DISHING IT OUT

PHOTO BY JAYME JOHNSON

Penny Craver discusses sale of popular Plaza Midwood eatery

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P

BY RYAN PITKIN

ENNY CRAVER is not one to make a big

fuss about things.

It was well into our chat over dinner at Lupie’s Cafe on a recent Wednesday night that she let it slip that it was her birthday, a fact I only pulled out of her after she mentioned in passing that she’s a Virgo. This is why I’m expecting it will be without much fanfare that Craver steps into the next chapter of her life, a move that will surely be met with plenty of fuss around Charlotte.

On Sept. 28, Craver and fellow co-owners Lawrence Stubbs and Maggie McGee-Stubbs will sell the hugely popular Plaza Midwood eatery Dish, which they’ve owned together since 2002.

Recent announcements about the closure of the Dairy Queen at the corner of Pecan and Central avenues and the sale and potential redevelopment of 12 acres across the street have already created plenty of buzz about the

changing face of the neighborhood.

So I asked her, “Are you trying to give everyone a heart attack?!”

She laughed, “No, I really am not. It’s just the right time. I don’t know how it sparked, but you just know when it does, and we’re ready to go.”

The good news, according to Craver, is that she’s found a buyer who is dedicated to keeping the vision of Dish alive, and though she couldn’t disclose the buyer at the time of our conversation, she said they’re only making minor changes that she calls “very positive.”

While Lawrence said he looks forward to traveling, gambling and taking lots of photos, Maggie said her goal during retirement is “meeting all the darlin’s of the world that I haven’t met already.”

Before Craver could skip town (she’ll be spending plenty of time back in Charlotte), we talked to her about all the changes past,

present and future, and why she’s excited to leave Dish while watching it continue on in years to come.

Queen City Nerve: Why did you decide now was the time to retire?

Penny Craver: I’m telling ya, I’m tired. After Tremont [Music Hall, which Craver founded], then going to Amos’ [Southend] for a little bit, then Dish, it’s been a rough past 25 years or so.

It’s very time-consuming and I haven’t had a lot of free time, and so I’m tired. I’m ready to retire. I’m lucky in that I’m going to be OK in taking an early retirement, I think.

A whole new entity is coming in but they are very committed to continuing Dish; they’ve got the same love for Southern food that we have and so I’m stoked for it. They have very few changes planned, for at least a while, but the ones they have are things that I had thought of

You’ve seen Plaza Midwood change a lot since opening in 2002. What are your thoughts on where it’s been and where things are going?

There were some people that had a vision for the Plaza Midwood area; it was people like Hope [Nicholls] and Aaron [Pitkin, owners of Boris + Natasha] and Robert [Boyd at City Supply Co.], the Penguin people. The people that went in there when it really was — when I went in there I still had 12 winos sitting outside my restaurant every day, and it’s gone from that with a vision to revitalize it, to revitalization and now it’s going to go on to major development. I hate to see it go there, because that’s what they do.

All the cool places, and this is what I was afraid would happen; all the cool places that made it so cool have to go away because of big business.

But now I’m assured that [Dish] is going to be cool, it’s not going to be big business. I hope it’s going to be a successful business, but it’s not a big corporate takeover or anything.

The other thing, the city, in my opinion, you know the saying about a garden, when things can grow so thick that they kill each other, I’m afraid that’s what the city has allowed to happen already. We have so many parking issues over there. Just like the one reason I barely go to NoDa, because I don’t want to walk half a mile to get somewhere. So that’s a dangerous thing that the city has allowed to happen, and I don’t even think they care.

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I don’t know how they can not be aware of it, that they’re going to strangle the neighborhood if they’re not careful. They do not have the infrastructure in Plaza Midwood to support the growth that they are allowing to happen. You’ve got 20 businesses using the same two parking lots, it’s ridiculous … and on top of it now there’s 20 more businesses that need to use it.

I can honestly say, the city has allowed that to happen and I think it is awful.

be off at a normal job.

The kitchen is not an easy thing, you’re not back there being creative. You’re being creative, but it’s like, Wolfgang Puck would not be back there, or Gordon Ramsay. It’s a hard job. So that was very difficult to change. I’ve had great employees, do not get me wrong, and there is still camaraderie there, but it’s just different.

It could be Dish, it could be Thomas Street [Tavern], it could be Penguin, it could be Soul [Gastrolounge]. That was one thing that was In an interview in QNotes about five years very different. The loyalty and the camaraderie ago, you called Merry Oaks, where you was not there like it had been at Tremont, live, “the most convenient place to live in because Tremont was such a special place.

Charlotte.” Is that where you plan to stay?

It is still the most convenient place to live in I was going to ask you what was your Charlotte, but I will not be sticking around. favorite gig out of everything you’ve done Some years ago I purchased a home near the in Charlotte, but it sounds like I can guess coast, in Surf City, and I’m going. I have a brand the answer. new kitchen courtesy of Hurricane Florence. I I love Dish, I love seeing the people, I’m going to love it. It’s a good place for me because it’s near miss seeing my regulars and sitting down and Wilmington, they have bands come through talking to them, but Tremont is very special to there, and it’s also not too far from Myrtle Beach me. We still have get-togethers with Tremont if I need to get to House of Blues or somewhere people. I love food, and it’s a necessary thing, to see a band. you have to eat, but music was always — music and sports, that’s my heart.

When are you leaving?

ASAP. (laughs) There’s some things I’m going to You’ve played in bands in the past, The do that I’ve not been able to do for the last 25 Blind Dates most notably. Do you have any years. I’ll spend the majority of my time down plans to get back behind the drums now there, but I’ll be up here some. that you’ve got the time.

Maybe. My roommate in college, we played What were the biggest changes for you throughout college and into grad school at UNC going from Tremont and Amos’ into the Greensboro, and she’s in Wilson. So yes, we’re restaurant industry in 2002? planning, and there are plenty of places [near It’s a hard job. At Tremont, there’s all these people Surf City] if I want to go play cover music. who love music and they wanted to work at Tremont, they’re like, “Please let me work here,” You’ve run Tremont, Amos’ and even and we were just one big happy family. There The Milestone back in the early ‘90s. was a lot of camaraderie because everybody Tremont’s no longer around, Amos’ has was there because they loved music and they been reopened as a smaller venue and would get so excited when a particular band was The Milestone is in trouble. What are your coming through or something like that. thoughts on watching the changes in that Then you go to the restaurant business, scene as you’ve been in the restaurant and I had like 26 employees, and people are at industry?

Dish because they need a job, they need to earn It’s odd because I had a great relationship with money. Nobody aspires to be at Dish; they need Clear Channel, which forked into Live Nation, money and they have other jobs and they have and because of them I was able to bring some other passions and it affords them the luxury of really top notch acts into Charlotte. So I’m being able to be off at times when you wouldn’t very appreciative of them for what they have

Current Dish ownership (from left): Penny Craver, Maggie McGee-Stubbs and Lawrence Stubbs.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

“I DON’T KNOW HOW IT SPARKED, BUT YOU JUST KNOW WHEN IT DOES, AND WE’RE READY TO GO.” Penny Craver, co-owner, Dish

done here in Charlotte ... and yet it did hurt the individual club owner. But it also meant it was even more important to find your niche.

Supporting a large venue would be very difficult now.

It’s changed a lot. And people have taken the venues away because they’re owned by other people who in most cases are not music lovers, they’re just people who want to make money and want to make a business out of it or rent it out and earn income.

It’s making things change, but the whole industry has changed. You’ve got three record companies, really, but you’ve got more music out there than ever before because of the internet.

So I don’t know what’s going on right now and I don’t know where it’s going to end up. I know people who don’t even own CDs. Hell, I’ve got 1,700 songs on my phone. So I’m not quite sure where it’s going.

Not all change is good, but usually it does settle somewhere that turns out to be probably good, or people can make something good out of it.

What would you say to Charlotte as a farewell before leaving for the coast?

Well, I won’t be totally gone, but I’m not ready for visitors. I’m not inviting Charlotte down to stay with me. I never even have time to check Facebook, so this will give me a little time to know what’s happening with people. I’ll be able to keep up with them more.

I would say they should support live music and please go to Dish, because these people, they have a passion about their food just like we did, so I hope they are supportive of the new owners, and I think they’re going to be real happy with what they see. And there’s going to be some very positive changes, but I’m not allowed to say, but they have some cool stuff planned.

I want to thank [Charlotte], because I’ve been extremely lucky. With the Blind Dates, we had lots of fans here, and people still say, “Hey, I’ve got your Yellow Tape,” and I’m like, “God, what is that, 30 years old?” and they still play it. I want to thank everyone in Charlotte; they’ve been very good to me and I’m very appreciative. My idea of a good life is to leave more than you take from the world and I hope that I have left more than I have taken.

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

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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

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

UPTOWN

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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 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

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

I REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME, DO YOU?

ROXBURY

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

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

NODA CABO FISH TACO

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

Monday: $5 Cuervo margaritas Tuesday: $3 drafts, $5 vodka Red Bull Wednesday: $1 off whiskey Thursday: $6 Deep Eddy’s vodka Red Bull Friday: $5 Fun-Dip shots, $5 Crown Black Saturday: $5 Gummy Bear shots, $5 big mimosa, $6.50 double bloody mary Sunday: $5 big mimosa, $6.50 double bloody mary SANCTUARY PUB

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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

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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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A NIGHT FIT

at a restaurant you may not be able to afford in between paychecks. If you’re like me and don’t want to be limited to one type of cuisine, Angeline’s may be just the place you should head next. I’d describe their menu as the love child of a Southern belle and an Italian stallion. I’d suggest grabbing a few apps and a couple pasta dishes. When the check comes, split that thang across the group; even Queens understand that sharing is caring when it comes to money (unless, of course, your boo came through).

FOR QUEENS

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Enjoy views of the city while sipping on a cocktail.

Treat your girls to a royal A beautiful rooftop bar with views of the skyline is not hard to find in the Charlotte nightlife scene. evening on the town The only question a Queen should be asking at this point in the night is which one she wants to go to.

BY AERIN SPRUILL If convenience is the name of your game, I’d leave DON’T GET ME wrong, I love spending time with my Angeline’s and tiptoe in those heels right next door boo, but sometimes he and I both need time to do to Merchant & Trade. Breathe in the aromas of the hoodrat things with our friends. Yes I know, hoodrat city from a rooftop throne while sipping on a 24 things are more my speed, but you get what I’m Karat, a cocktail benefiting Jeff Gordon’s Children’s saying.

Foundation that’s available through September 30.

Whether you’re in a relationship or playing the Nothing says “Fit for a Queen” like gold flakes and a field, it’s easy to forget to balance boo lovin’ with la- good cause. dies’ time. Before cuffing season leads to everybody being tied down with a significant other for the fall, Vibe to the soulful sounds of jazz. why not take time to schedule a Queens’ Night for There was a time when I was starved for jazz living you and your besties? in the Queen City. The most popular suggestion I I’ve put together an itinerary I plan on sharing would receive when I inquired was Blue Restaurant with my girlfriends in the next week, and you get a & Bar. To my dismay, there was no jazz to be had sneak peek. Let me preface this list by saying, you when I visited — and now, of course, it’s closed. may want your bugaboo to fund your night out. Af- Yes, there were others, but nothing quite like The ter all, a Queen shouldn’t have to pay for anything Imperial once that opened on North College Street. ... for at least one night, anyway.

Live jazz with a speakeasy mood and a rooftop Wave to the peasants in a horse-drawn carriage.

When the clock strikes midnight, your fairy tale may end. So that means go hard or go home, right?

Reserve a horse-drawn carriage to take you and your girls around the city. Maybe you think it’s chintzy, but personally, I’ve always wanted to take a ride at least once and I’ve been in the Q.C. for over seven years. What’s the harm in treating yourself to an Uber of royal proportions? If you’re lucky, you may even be able to finagle your way into a group discount for a luxurious 40-minute ride with Charlotte Center City Carriage Tours.

patio? You’re bound to feel like you’ve stepped into an elite secret — even if everyone knows about it.

If I were you, I’d pass on the 166-ounce mule (yes, it’s for sharing) and grab the magical and dreamy Galaxy martini.

A true “queen” may stop at two or three cocktails, but my girls and I can quickly transition between queen and boughetto (high maintenance with a touch of street cred). After we’ve lived the good life, it’ll be time to return to our roots and dance the night away. We all know it’s hard to find the perfect balance for being a Queen and shameless twerking in the Queen City, but I’ll place my bets on QC Social Lounge right next door. If you’ve Make a reservation at an elevated restaurant. ever driven by on a Friday night, you’ll see firsthand A queen doesn’t only feast on a delicious meal that, even though everyone’s dressed to the nines, twice a year, and she shouldn’t have to settle for a they’re ready to get lit! burger on a night like this. That’s why you should INFO@QCNERVE.COM take a page from my book and make a reservation

SETTING OUT TO SIEGE

Pg. 27 Sept. 25 - Oct. 8, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

ACROSS

1 Dwelling place: Abbr.

4 Modifying wd.

7 Fail to mention 11 Prez Lincoln 14 Bar checks 18 Artificial fat 20 Relatives of allegories 22 To -- (precisely) 23 Mocking remarks from Pluto’s master?

25 Burnett of CNN 26 -- Spumante (wine) 27 Schubert’s “The -- King” 28 Manet’s forte 29 Actor Claude 30 “No, we’re not going to give the employee a raise”?

37 I, to Franz 40 “Mazel --!”

41 Fed. crash-probing org.

42 Countertenor 43 Very small toll to drive on a road through the Alps?

48 Present from birth 52 To a foreign country 53 Fair-hiring inits.

54 “Der --” (Konrad Adenauer) 56 Ruin totally 57 Fragment 58 Use stitching 60 Quips about a Civil War general?

64 -- Boothe Luce 66 Yuletide quaff 68 “-- be great if ...”

69 Leeds lav 70 Miser’s reformation into a generous person?

77 Santa -78 Polly’s “Alice” role 79 -- -TURN (street sign) 80 Wafer brand 82 Verbal noun the nitwit uses a lot?

88 Actress Thurman 90 Be inclined

91 British noble 92 “Why Can’t -- Friends?”

93 Deutsch article 95 Develop 97 Painting on plaster 99 Concert tour during which a Muppet opens for the “Open Arms” band?

103 Singer Amos 105 Tap-in, e.g.

106 Suffix with north or west 107 Opposite NNW 108 “Stop grazing and return to your barn”?

115 Bedeck 116 Air safety org.

117 Stimpy’s pal 118 Close 122 Certain Slav 123 Very inexpensive part of a ship’s hull?

129 Different 130 Maryland suburb of D.C. 131 Motorist’s guide 132 Inuit’s ride 133 1040 org.

134 With 11-Down, “Don’t drop your guard!”

135 Tent stake 136 Gold, to Spaniards

DOWN

1 City in Italia 2 Yalies 3 Religious faction 4 Enjoyed food 5 Sahara-like 6 1567-1625 king of Scotland 7 Great riches 8 Some parents 9 Infuriation 10 -- Mahal 11 See 134-Across 12 Big -- (WWI gun) 13 Kin of -trix 14 Korean martial art 15 Upper heart chambers 16 Living thing 17 Taste, e.g.

19 Power tool brand 21 Trounce 24 Mork’s home planet 29 Env. notation 31 R&B singer -- James 32 Frogs’ kin 33 Group values 34 Ad Council ad, for short 35 “Son of,” in Arab names 36 Property transferor

37 Windows ad catchphrase 38 Steel-gray metallic element 39 “Woo-hoo!”

44 -- Dame 45 -- the scene (having recently arrived) 46 Flower plot 47 Shade tree 49 Totally fine 50 Ascot, e.g.

51 USNA grad.

55 Perfumed powder 59 Make furious 61 Find by chance 62 Archaic verb ending 63 “Benny & --” (Johnny Depp film) 65 & others 67 Become liberated 71 Not given under 112-Down 72 Winter woe 73 Logical 74 OPEC ship 75 Gathers bit by bit 76 Tickles a lot 81 Without batting -82 Furry TV alien 83 Opposite of 118-Across 84 Lofty verse

SOLUTION ON PAGE 30

85 Place to find pearls 86 Peter out 87 Sudden -89 Squirrel’s bit 94 Put between 96 Ladder step 98 Quarter, e.g.

100 Tach reading 101 “For shame!”

102 Dada artist 104 Less certain 108 Valises, e.g.

109 Novelist Scott 110 Eponymous code creator 111 Balsa boats 112 Witness’ promise 113 Cousin, for one: Abbr.

114 Sooner city 119 Sailors’ saint 120 Lab medium 121 Debtor’s woe 123 DOJ agency 124 “Certainly!”

125 May hrs.

126 Harem room 127 -- v. Wade 128 Duffel or tote

SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 1 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) An offer to help with a stalled project should reassure you that you have a workable plan in spite of the problems in getting it up and running. The week’s end brings more positive news.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A past problem about a workplace situation re-emerges early in the week.

Talking things out helps ease tensions by midweek, but some hurt feelings could linger a few more days.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Optimistic aspects dominate your efforts. However, expect to confront some criticism, some of which might be valid, so keep an open mind. But overall, it’s your views that will count.

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CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Social interaction with new people, especially on the job, could be a bit strained in the early part of the week. But the awkwardness passes as you get to know each other better.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Expect news about a follow-up to a workplace change that could make a difference in your career path. Meanwhile, new friends widen the circle for all you Social Lions who love to party.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Enjoy your well-earned plaudits for a job well done. But be aware that some people might not share your colleagues’ admiration, and you might have to work harder to win them over.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) It’s a good week to recheck your probably already overlong

OCTOBER 2 - OCTOBER 8

“to do” list and decide what to keep and what to ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Travel plans could be discard. Lose the clutter and focus your energy on interrupted by the re-emergence of a workplace problem that was never quite fully resolved. Deal what’s really important. with it at once, and then take off on that wellSCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) This is a good deserved trip. time to take a new perspective on what you’ve been offered. Expanding your view could help to uncover TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Aspects favor cultural any plusses or minuses that weren’t apparent at activities for sensuous Bovines. Attend a concert or an art show. Better yet, create something yourself first. (a poem, perhaps?), and dedicate it to someone SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) special.

Applying the usual methods to this week’s unique challenges might not work too well. Instead, use GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Respect any doubts you your creativity to find a way to resolve any impasse might now be feeling about a new situation. They could be reflecting your inner awareness that some that develops. essential information might be missing. Check it CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) So what if out. fate throws some obstacles in your path this week?

Just keep in mind that the sure-footed and resolute CANCER (June 21 to July 22) It’s important to start Goat can get past any barrier by focusing on the the new month with as clean a slate as possible.

Either complete all those unfinished tasks or pass goals up ahead. them on to others who would be more than happy AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) This week to take them on. calls for better communication with people in both your private life and the workplace. Start by asking LEO (July 23 to August 22) This is a good time to cut questions, and then pay close attention to the down on expenses and tame that urge to splurge.

Applying some financial discipline now could help answers. the Big Cat ride out a possible monetary crunch PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Potentially later on. beneficial workplace changes could be closer than you realize. Make sure you know what’s going on VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Money matters so that you’re not left high and dry when the good are dominant this week. Recheck your accounts and make sure they’re up-to-date. Also, pay more things happen. attention to personal issues before they become BORN THIS WEEK: You’re not timid about pushing to major problems. have your aims realized once you’ve set your mind LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You might to accomplishing your goals. be tempted to employ the same tactics as your

adversary, but that could backfire. Better to use the same balanced approach that has worked for you before and could again.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A changing workplace environment could stir up confusion as well as apprehension. Best to ignore the rumors and get the facts. You could find that the changes bring positive elements.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Communication is easier this week with people ready and eager to hear what you have to say. Also, check for possible technical problems before you start your new project.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Aspects favor change for the usually traditional Goat.

Opening your mind to possibilities you had ignored could lead you to make decisions you once considered improbable.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Making personal as well as professional adjustments to changing conditions might be easier with more information explaining the “hows” and “whys” of the situations in question.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) With a growing tide of positive reactions to buoy your confidence, this could be the right time to put the finishing touches to your new project and get it well and truly launched.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for setting an example of quiet, calm reasoning in the midst of chaotic conditions.

2019 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

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CROSSED OFF

Let sleeping cross-dressers lie

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BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m a 35-year-old bisexual man in a LTR with a man. My question, however, has to do with my parents. As an adolescent/teen, I was a snoop (as I think most of us are, looking for dad’s porn stash, etc.). I was probably 12 or so when I found evidence of my dad being a cross-dresser. There were pictures of him in makeup and women’s clothing, and correspondence (under an alias and to a separate PO box) with other men interested in cross-dressing. As far as I could tell, he did this alone in hotel rooms while on work trips.

Two years ago while on vacation, it came up while my mom and I were at dinner. She had recently found evidence, and she needed to take a short break to visit a friend out of state to process. She suggested I bring it up with him (I guess) because I’m queer and she knows I used to help host pansexual play parties. My dad is a devout Republican and comes off as very masculine. I see them only a couple times a year. Should I try to bring this up with my dad and let him know that I’ve known about his cross-dressing for more than 20 years and offer my knowledge about kink and alternative sexuality? Or just let him do his thing and we all retain the illusion of ignorance? My parents are still happily married — and whether it is more companionate than lusty, they love each other and have been married for more than 40 years. Your take would be appreciated.

SON OF A CROSS-DRESSER

think he would benefit from attending a pansexual play party with his adult bisexual son?

Unless your father is in some sort of emotional distress or your mother is in some sort of danger, I really don’t see the point of this conversation, SOACD. It doesn’t sound like your dad is struggling with shame. If your dad had to abuse alcohol or smoke a crate of meth in order to give himself permission to cross-dress alone in a hotel room, you surely would have mentioned that fact. And if your father was having unprotected sex with the other straight male cross-dressers he corresponded with, you surely would have mentioned that, too.

From the details you included in your letter, SOACD, it sounds like your dad has successfully integrated cross-dressing into his life without harming himself or neglecting and endangering your mom. You could say your parents had a long and loving marriage despite the cross-dressing… or you could say it’s possible your parents’ marriage is an ongoing success not despite the cross-dressing but because of it. If dressing up in women’s clothes and occasionally escaping the confines of masculine performance helped your dad feel centered and emotionally whole, having this escape and having some people he could be open with about it — some straight male cross-dressing peers — could have made him a better husband and father. (It’s too bad it didn’t make him a better person politically, but you can’t have everything.) And while it might have been better for everyone if your dad had been open about his cross-dressing with his wife and kid(s), that ship sailed a long time ago.

I don’t see what this convo — coming 20 years after you discovered his cross-dressing and two years after your mother discovered it — will achieve other than embarrassing and humiliating your father. Even a married person has a right to some small degree of privacy, and each of us has a right to a small zone of erotic autonomy. Your parents’ long, loving, successful marriage coexisted with your father’s cross-dressing for four decades, and I don’t see why it can’t continue to coexist with it now. And if your mother is sad that your dad never shared this with her and wants to reassure him that he didn’t need to hide this part of himself from her and that she loves him just the same, she doesn’t need to deputize her bisexual son to initiate that conversation. If she thinks it would be a relief and not a torment for her husband to know she knows and that knowing hasn’t changed how she feels about him, she should tell him.

Why does your mother want you to talk to your dad about his cross-dressing? Does she want you to talk him out of it? Does she want you to convince him to include her on his cross-dressing trips? Does she I’m 25 years old and polyamorous. I’m in a

and lots of “bitch shots,” i.e., crotch-height photos looking up at him from below. He uses a lot of homophobic slurs in the tweets that accompany these images. I would have exactly zero fucks to give about this if my brother wasn’t still a teenager and wasn’t posting photos of his face. I warned him that the internet is forever, and facial-recognition software is a thing, and people who don’t understand the role-play aspect of his use of hate speech will think he’s a bigot. This could come back to haunt him socially or professionally. Complicating matters somewhat, my little brother is a straight boy and I’m gay. He’s not making a ton of money doing this, but he’s making enough that my parents are wondering how he’s buying all those super-expensive shoes. What do I tell him?

What do I tell them?

relationship with a 28-year-old man since August 2018. It was just him and me when we first started dating, and then his old flame came into the picture. This whole time he had said he was not interested in having kids and a home and a primary partner. Since he got surgery in June and is now unemployed, he’s had a lot of time to think, he says, and now he’s decided he wants kids and a home and a primary partner. He knows I do not want any of these things, so he says his old flame is the person he’s going to do this with. He has made jokes about being an “alcoholic” since I first met him, and I thought it was just a joke.

But now he’s spending money he simply does not have on alcohol. It worries me. Do I hang in there? Do I throw in the towel? I love this FALLING INTO NEFARIOUS DOINGS OF MALE SIBLING man very much, but I’m so confused.

P.S. I know about this because he told me —I PREVIOUSLY THE PRIMARY didn’t stumble over his Twitter account.

I’m so sorry, PTP, but it would appear you’ve lost the unemployed guy with the drinking problem to another. But take heart: You’re young enough to meet someone else, someone who wants what you want and doesn’t want what you don’t. I’m certain that after meeting this person — or even long before you meet them — you’ll be able to recognize that your ex did you a favor. Sometimes we dodge the bullet, PTP, but on rare occasions the bullet dodges us.

My 19-year-old younger brother is doing financial domination online. He maintains a Twitter account that’s mostly photos of him giving the finger and looking smug. He also posts pics of his feet, videos of him urinating (no penis visible, just the stream), and lots

You’ve already told your brother the internet is forever and the low-key, low-stakes pseudo sex work he’s doing could come back to haunt him, FINDOMS. Beyond that … well, there’s really not much more you can do. Your brother is an adult, as are the men paying “tribute” to him, as they say in FinDom/FinSub Twitter, and he’s free to make his own choices. As for your parents, why is explaining where your brother is getting all those new shoes your problem? If your brother is old enough to set up his own Twitter and Venmo accounts, he’s old enough to come up with a plausible lie about those shoes.

On the Lovecast: Mob Queens! Listen at savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove.net; Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage; ITMFA.org

Pg. 31 Sept. 25 - Oct. 8, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

September September VIP 12PM-6pm 28 GA 1:30PM-6PM 28

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Pg. 32 Sept. 25 - Oct. 8, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

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