VOLUME 2, ISSUE 26; NOVEMBER 18 - DECEMBER 1, 2020; WWW.QCNERVE.COM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEWS& OPINION
4 EDITOR’S NOTE BY RYAN PITKIN 6 A TIPPING POINT BY RYAN PITKIN
Neighbors oppose massive industrial development in west Meck
8 LIFEWAVE A dose of reality
ARTS
10 BRING BACK THE RING SHOUT BY LEA BEKELE Tamara Williams pays homage to the enslaved with upcoming dance showcase
MUSIC
12 THE GIFT OF SOUND BY PAT MORAN New Plaza Midwood guitar shop helps Charlotte make beautiful music 14 PHOTOS: WE ARE HIP HOP: THE REVEAL
16 A VERY VEGAN THANKSGIVING BY
JASIATIC ANDERSON Plant-based tips on how to get through the best holiday of the year
17 PLANT JOY AND CULTIVATE IT BY
JASIATIC ANDERSON Julia Simon dishes on new Camp North End brick-and-mortar
LIFESTYLE
FOOD& DRINK
18 PUZZLES 20 AERIN IT OUT BY AERIN SPRUILL 21 HOROSCOPE 22 SAVAGE LOVE
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THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS: PAT MORAN, LEA BEKELE, JASIATIC ANDERSON, GRANT BALDWIN, KATE GALINDO, JANAYA JENKINS, AERIN SPRUILL, JORDAN ALLEN, KACIE SMAGACZ, JEFF CRAVOTTA AND DAN SAVAGE. COVER DESIGN BY: JAYME JOHNSON
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EDITOR’S NOTE
A COMMUNITY STANDS UP
Rezoning fight inspires community organizers that aren’t going anywhere soon
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BY RYAN PITKIN
When I spoke with him on Nov. 13, Sam Smith had put in countless hours of community organizing over recent months to push back against a massive industrial development proposed just a half-mile from his home that he and many of his neighbors believed would put his community at a crossroads. The Northwest Community Alliance president planned to push harder to have his voice heard over the coming weekend, before the Nov. 16 meeting at which Charlotte City Council would vote on whether to approve a rezoning of 156 acres in unincorporated Mecklenburg County that would open the door to the Square Grooves project, a 1.5-million-squarefoot industrial development. That Friday before the vote, Smith said that, despite the multiple community meetings he and others had held in recent months, and despite the petition opposing the rezoning that garnered more than 1,100 signatures, he wasn’t optimistic about the vote. “Knowing the makeup of council, I’m afraid that they’re going to support this rezoning,” Smith said, “but I think council also needs to understand that the developers do not vote them in, the constituents are the ones who vote you in, and if your constituents are saying, ‘We don’t want it,’ you have to listen to us, because election season is about to start again.” At Monday night’s meeting, council members spoke about the tough situation the rezoning petition put them in. At-large council member Dimple Ajmera compared it to choosing between “the lesser of two evils.”The council eventually voted to approve the rezoning petition 7-4. As described in our latest News feature on page 6, the area near the western interchange of I-85 and I-485 is seen as the perfect place for industrial development due to its highway access and vicinity to the airport. There are also more than 1,000 new jobs at stake. As at-large council member Julie Eiselt pointed out during Monday’s meeting, logistics and distribution
jobs like the ones to be offered at this site have the highest potential for wage growth among trades that don’t require a college degree. As Eiselt emphasized, while it’s great to have new high-paying fintech jobs and the like coming to the city all the time, they don’t improve economic mobility and tend to only make the cost of living higher. Speaking before the vote, Smith said he struggled with the promises of jobs because he wasn’t confident they would benefit the people on the Wilkinson Boulevard corridor and surrounding areas where his organization works. He pointed to the large Amazon fulfillment center that opened near the intersection of Tuckaseegee Road and Wilkinson Boulevard in 2019. “I’m a community leader, I think everybody in this area knows me, one of the things I will tell you
then skewered the others for going against the city’s 2003 plan for the area, which called for only residential development. Planners and council members such as Ed Driggs said the area plan was outdated during discussions about the rezoning. Smith wasn’t buying it. “This wasn’t the plan for this area when many of us purchased our property (and those that have been around the area for over 20+ years),” Smith wrote in the email. “Even though zoning might not be a promise — as Councilmember Driggs suggested — a PLAN is a promise and a contract between the community and its elected leaders. It is not the community’s fault that the existing plan is out of date and the new plan is not finished, yet we were punished for that.” Smith said he would continue to hold city council reps accountable, despite the fact that many
MISSY EPPES HELPED FORM THE FAR WEST CHARLOTTE COMMUNITY COALITION IN RESPONSE TO SQUARE GROOVES. PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN
is that not a lot of people in this area are working in Amazon,” he said. “They’re bringing people from all over Charlotte to come and work in these plants like Amazon, but they’re not specifically targeting the people in this community who are impacted by the development, and that’s where I struggle.” Smith said he would support efforts to recruit from within the 28214 zip code if the vote were to pass. Following Monday’s vote, however, Smith’s tone was not so accommodating. In a letter to council and city staff on Nov. 17, Smith thanked the members who voted against the rezoning — Victoria Watlington, Renee Johnson, Braxton Winston and Matt Newton —
of the residents in his area live in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ, or unincorporated Mecklenburg County) and are unable to vote in city council elections. “As a community leader/organizer and cofounder of the Northwest Community Alliance, I have been provided the trust of this community to fight for smart development in this area,” he wrote. “We will continue to hold every elected official accountable to the people they are elected to serve.” In fact, Smith now has more help on that front. The fight over the Square Grooves project led to the formation of another community organization that aims to push back against the flood of rezoning petitions expected to hit the ETJ in the near future.
Earlier this year, inspired by the Square Grooves fight, Smith’s neighbors Missy Eppes and Janaris Washington formed the Far West Charlotte Community Coalition, described in an email earlier in November as “a diverse group of primarily working parents struggling — like everyone else — in the time of COVID to do our jobs, and keep our children learning and safe.” Despite the pandemic and a presidential election that soaked up the majority of everyone’s attention throughout the year, Washington, Eppes and Smith held multiple community meetings on Zoom and canvassed to reach neighbors with unreliable internet access. At Monday’s meeting, it was clear that those efforts weren’t in vain. Council member Renee Johnson credited the community feedback with her No vote, stating, “If we hear this type of outpouring, we don’t have a choice. We need to listen to the residents.” Even those who voted for the rezoning such as Tariq Bokhari lauded the community organizing efforts of the neighbors, crediting them with pushing the developer to voluntarily commit to road improvements and tree-saving initiatives within the project. District 3 representative Victoria Watlington technically represents the ETJ area where these residents with no vote live. Watlington stood with those residents on Monday, saying it was “deplorable” how developers and city staff were railroading the residents there, comparing the situation to the razing of the Brooklyn neighborhood and implying that some on city staff don’t believe they’re accountable to ETJ residents. One thing that became clear during Monday night’s discussion and in the months preceding it: The residents of west Mecklenburg County have grown stronger in their solidarity thanks to the Square Grooves fight, and they won’t be ignored moving forward. Speaking directly after the vote, Janaris Washington of Far West Charlotte Community Coalition suggested that “policies need to be adjusted to provide justice for areas that are not fairly represented,” building on Watlington’s complaints that city planning staff does not have enough representation from District 3 and ETJ. “We fought the the good fight. However, we are at the mercy of city council,” Washington said. “Over 1,000 signatures, that was very impressive. West Charlotte will continue to fight for equality.” RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE
a restaurant,” she said, the foam coming up to her chest. “This is why you don’t build industrial developments in the middle of residential areas.” There are already a few warehouses and factories near Eppes’ home, mostly located on nearby Performance and Sam Wilson roads. There’s also the 855,000-square-foot Amazon Neighbors oppose massive fulfillment center that opened on Old Dowd Road industrial development in last year. west Meck She doesn’t mind those, as she said the topography in the area created a natural barrier BY RYAN PITKIN between the residential neighborhoods and industrial development, but now it’s coming to her As I walked with Missy Eppes through the yard doorstep — or backyard, rather. of her home on Moores Chapel Road, we passed a few roosters roaming the driveway. We also passed a few Volkswagen beetles and buses parked in the yard, where her husband works on them throughout the year in preparation for the couple’s annual Charlotte Transporter Show. We entered the woods, and after walking about 500 feet, we came across a creek where Eppes’ children play. That day, however, there appeared to be a cloud hovering on the surface of the creek. MISSY EPPES CHECKS OUT A FOAM CLUSTER IN A CREEK NEAR HER HOME. Upon closer look, the PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN cloud was actually a cluster of foam, which came down the creek after spilling A new rezoning petition from the Keith from a soap factory north of Eppes’ property. These Corporation, approved by city council on Nov. 16, were no soap bubbles, however; it was chemical will open the door for a 1.5-million-square-foot foam, and Eppes had no idea what was in it. industrial development on 156 acres right behind The foam eventually washed into the Catawba Eppes’ home. She and hundreds of area residents River, less than 3,000 feet farther downstream, but fear it could be the “tipping point” that turns their for the rest of that week her kids didn’t play in the residential neighborhoods into infill for industrial creek. development at a time when they should be Eppes showed me the foam cluster not to blow preparing for different types of development the whistle on some hidden environmental disaster arriving alongside the coming CATS Silver Line. — she said the spill came from an honest mistake at the factory and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm What does ‘smarter growth’ look Water Services was aware of it — but because it’s indicative of a bigger issue facing her community like? While city planners have pointed to the area in unincorporated west Mecklenburg County. The longtime residential area is becoming more near the western interchange of I-85 and I-485 as a “sweet spot” for industrial development due to industrial by the day, it seems. “This wouldn’t happen at a residence or from highway access and vicinity to the airport, neighbors
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A TIPPING POINT
are asking for “smarter growth” that melds better with the nearby U.S. National Whitewater Center, Iswa Nature Preserve and Lake Wylie. “Smarter growth looks like connected communities where people can live, work and play in the same area as you grow,” said Eppes. “It means that that growth is concentrated along corridors like the light rail, and then industrial [development] occurs as infilling in places where it already is … As one of my neighbors put it, a lake is a destination. It should be a place where people come to enjoy themselves.” Eppes launched an online petition opposing the development after city staff recommended its approval unanimously. As of the Sunday night preceding the vote, the petition had more than 1,100 votes. At its meeting on Nov 16, Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 to approve the petition, with proponents citing environmentally friendly practices from the developer and the nearly 1,000 jobs it will bring to the city.
‘The rural feel’
Eppes’ neighbor Sam Smith moved to the Moores Chapel area in 2017 because it was one of the last remaining underdeveloped spaces in Mecklenburg County. He knew development would come, but according to the Dixie Berryhill Strategic Plan formulated for the area in 2003, it would only come in the form of single-family residential development. “It was the rural feel, but also I know this is one of the areas in Charlotte that still had a lot of land left, and doing my research before moving over here, a lot of the land over here was locked in for residential development,” Smith said. “So what brought me here was that opportunity for the growth that was supposed to happen here.” What happened instead, he said, is that five factories popped up near his home in the first three years that he lived there. Now the petition, which developers have called the Square Grooves project, will be the biggest of the bunch. Smith fears what the impact on traffic will look like — city staff
estimates the development will generate 2,465 trips per day on surrounding roads — and the danger faced by the many cyclists who take the nearby roads to and from the Whitewater Center. He also fears that it will be the final straw that leads to a flood of more industrial development surrounding his home. “If this happens, I definitely think that’s going to open the door for more like this,” Smith said. “I think the size, just the square footage [of Square Grooves] definitely is a sign to us that the property here is valued more for logistical reasons than what it’s already zoned for, which is residential.”
A ‘sweet spot’ for industrial development
Speaking on the night before the vote, Keba Samuel, vice-chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, confirmed Smith’s fears. “One of the issues that Charlotte faces today is that industrial zoning is kind of being eliminated,” said Samuel, pointing to South End as an example of a once heavy industrial area that has been rezoned to residential and mixed use. “Areas in which industrial
SAM SMITH PHOTO BY MICHAEL NAIL
zoning makes sense are becoming kind of extinct in the city, so the trend around this area, particularly because it’s at a sweet spot between 85 and 485, it’s close to the airport, so as the airport continues to expand, you will see more industrial petitions that come our way, and I think targeting that particular area for what may be going in this particular site kind of makes sense just because of the transportation infrastructure that’s already there.”
NEWS & OPINION FEATURE As for the fact that it goes against the Dixie Berryhill Strategic Plan, Samuel emphasized that area plans can now become outdated in as little as 10 years due to the fast growth in Charlotte. “Although they do play a big part in what we use in terms of criteria and evaluation, unfortunately because they are becoming so quickly outdated,
though they had to “strike a balance” between those concerns and the economic impact. “One of the heaviest things we take into consideration is the feedback from neighbors, feedback from the community, residents that live close by, but we also have to balance it with the fact that we want Charlotte still to be a competitor in terms of attracting new businesses and new jobs for our residents to have,” she says. “If this particular petition does not pass tomorrow, it likely will not at
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THE PETITION WAS APPROVED 7-4 ON NOV. 16.
sometimes it’s best to use what’s been a developing trend as opposed to an area plan,” Samuel said. “If that area plan were to be rewritten by the city today, it would more favor what is happening today.” Smith also pointed to South End as an example, though as a reason the new trend is not the right move for Moores Chapel. After all, it was the arrival of the CATS Blue Line that turned South End from an industrial hub to a lively neighborhood. Now with the city set to bring the Silver Line down Wilkinson Boulevard, Smith hopes to see surrounding development go in the same direction as South End, not the opposite. “For us in this area, when you want to go to your common things like Walmart, Lowe’s, out to eat, we actually go to Belmont [in Gaston County], because that’s the closest area for us that we can access those types of amenities,” Smith says. “When the light rail comes, what I would like to see is more smarter growth development, mixed-use communities. I would like to see more stores, more opportunity for people in this area to be able to walk to the stores. I would like to see more restaurants. These are things that we don’t have here.” Samuel said city staff and the developer did take concerns of neighbors while analyzing the petition,
all be built in Charlotte. We don’t want to be known as a city that’s hard to do business with, but we also want to pay attention to those neighbors’ concerns.” At the Nov. 16 meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt, who voted yes on the petition, pointed out that it will bring logistics jobs, which carry the highest potential for wage growth for workers without a college education. Proponents have also emphasized that the Keith Corporation has promised to set aside 56 of the 156 acres on the parcel to turn into a park or other green space, while also voluntarily committing to make improvements to roads and infrastructure in the areas surrounding the development. Sitting on her porch before the vote, Eppes acknowledged the good faith of the Keith Corporation, even stating she wished more developers were like them. But it didn’t quell her concerns. “The problem is that, fundamentally, those accommodations don’t address the fact that if a facility of this size comes to this parcel, we are at a tipping point and we will be viewed as an industrial community, and we become infill,” she says. “We believe that no amount of accommodations will address that.” RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
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ONGOING
FANTASTIC FROGS
FANTASTIC FROGS
What: Interested in poison dart frogs, tomato frogs, Pacman frogs, Vietnamese mossy frogs, Solomon Island Leaf frogs and harlequin toads? Of course you are! Fantastic Frogs, a 3,500-square-foot exhibition detailing the life and times of amazing amphibians has hopped back into Discovery Place Science. Visitors will learn about the “superpowers” frogs use to escape predators, catch food and reproduce. Taking a graphic novel approach, Fantastic Frogs includes approximately 40 live animals as well as several multimedia experiences. “This is a story about extraordinary frogs and their ability to survive,” says Discovery Place’s Sarah Macey, who helped design the exhibition. “It is a story focused on how these amphibians move, camouflage themselves, live in the winter months and more.” And about that poison dart frog? It’s the most poisonous amphibian — and perhaps animal — in the world. More: $15-19; Saturdays and Sundays, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., by appointment only; Discovery Place Science, 301 N Tryon St.; science.discoveryplace.org
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THURS11_19 ‘MIRACLE’
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What: This David vs. Goliath chronicle of the feisty Americans hockey team’s path to Olympic gold seems to promise all the tropes of an underdog sports movie — and then deftly sidesteps each and every cliché. Instead the film focuses on the team’s intense and somewhat aloof coach Herb Brooks. As played by Kurt Russell, Brooks is a complex character who can sometimes be a bit of a dick. The film excels as a character study of a quirky, complex man. Miracle is one of a slate of films playing at Camp North End’s Skyline Drive-in, which screens every Thursday through Dec. 17. More: $30 per car, Nov. 19, 7 p.m.; Camp North End, 400 Camp Road; tinyurl.com/SkylineMiracle
‘MIRACLE’
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ALRIGHT & FAYE
What: Neighborhood Theatre presents a pair of beloved Charlotte indie rock troupes streaming on Mandolin and Facebook. Alright is built upon the core of married couple Josh Robbins and Sarah Blumenthal, both active Charlotte music incubators as founders of Self Aware Records. Blumenthal is also part of faye, along with classically trained pianist Susan Plante. Faye takes a ’90s indie revival approach to their music that’s reminiscent of 2010 Rilo Kiley and mix it with personal lyrics and a driving melodies. Portions of the proceeds will go to help save the Neighborhood Theatre. More: $10; Nov. 19, 7 p.m.; online; neighborhoodtheatre.com
CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY’S VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOM
What: In Survival Skills, friendly policeman Jim tries to resolve a domestic violence case and gets exposed to the dark underbelly of his perfect community. Soon Jim begins to question his assumptions about good guys and bad guys as he takes matters into his own hands. In The Twentieth Century, an aspiring young politician dreams of becoming the prime minister of Canada in 1899. But his romantic vacillation between a British soldier and a French nurse may well bring about his downfall. More: $10-12 for 72 hours; starts Nov. 19; online; charlottefilmsociety.com
SPEAKEASY SERIES
What: Studio 229 offers an evening of live jazz, spoken word and classic jams, hosted by Boris “Bluz” Rogers, who joined Blumenthal Performing Arts as director of creative engagement in September. That’s just the main event in a bill that includes live music by D. Friday of 5th & York and a DJ Set by Shogun. Rogers, an artist, teacher, mentor and Emmy-winning poet and author, is no stranger to deejaying, having hosted We Are Hip Hop: The Reveal earlier this month, which featured an old school DJ competition (see page 14). More: $20-35; Nov. 19, 6 p.m.; Studio 229, 229 South Brevard St.; tinyurl.com/SpeakeasyExperience
SPEAKEASY SERIES
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THURS-SUN11_19-11_21 ‘HANDS UP’
What: Three Bone Theatre presents seven playwrights with seven testaments. Following the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Ohio, among many others, The New Black Fest commissioned seven emerging Black playwrights to write a collection of monologues that explore their feelings about the well-being of Black people in a culture of institutional profiling. An all-Black cast of Charlotte actors, under the direction of Quentin Talley, brings these stories to life in this virtual theatre event. For three nights, viewers will have a front row seat (from the comfort of their own home) as the artists perform monologues live from the Duke Energy Theatre at Spirit Square. This show contains adult language and themes, including discussion of trauma to Black Americans. More: $10-20; Nov. 19-21, 8 p.m.; online; threebonetheatre.com/hands-up ‘HANDS UP’
EAT, GAY, LOVE: GIVING THANKS WITH FRIENDS
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What: It may be hard for some to believe that in 2020, many members of the LGBTQIA community are still excluded from family functions during the holidays. Queen City Nerve partners with Single Barrel Room in Plaza Midwood for our second annual inclusive Thanksgiving dinner for all in search of community care. For safety considerations, we will host two different serving sessions, spaced out between Single Barrel Room and the adjacent Whiskey Warehouse space. More: Free; Nov. 26, 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m.; Single Barrel Room, 1221 The Plaza; qcnerve.com/eat-gay-lovegiving-thanks-with-friends
What: Buena Vista Legacy Band originated in Charleston, S.C., after Charles Carmody called Gino Castillo, band leader of the Cuban Cowboys, with a proposal to do a tribute to the iconic band immortalized in Wim Wender’s 1999 documentary film Buena Vista Social Club. The project gathered several young Cuban musicians who had performed with original members of Buena Vista. Buena Vista Legacy Band features talented Cuban musicians including Yusa on the Cuban tres and vocals, Oliver Valdes on drums, and Julito Padron on trumpet and vocals. More: $44; Nov. 27 & 29, times vary; Middle C Jazz, 300 S. Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com
What: Plan a Sunday in the park at Mint Museum Randolph, including a visit to the museum, a cash bar on the front terrace and live music from The Mike Strauss Band. Timed tickets must be reserved in advance. In the museum, check out “Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries.” It’s the first exhibit to focus exclusively on the black basalt sculpture made by Josiah Wedgwood in late 18th-century England. Even more important, it represents the confluence of classic sculpture and contemporary street artist Owl, whose reputation is based on her colorful and immersive murals. More: Free; Nov. 29, 1 p.m.; Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; mintmuseum.org
FALL 2020 VIRTUAL DANCE CONCERT EAT, GAY, LOVE: GIVING THANKS What: UNC Charlottte’s Department of Dance WITH FRIENDS
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presents a virtual dance concert featuring student performers in works by faculty choreographers. This blend of dance-for-camera video and filmed site-specific and staged dance pieces will be livestreamed via Zoom. Among the pieces in the program are a metaphorical commentary on the loss of youth potency and vitality due to gun violence, a contemporary work evoking a Venetian masquerade, and a prerecorded dance performance focused on Ring Shout, featured on page 10. More: Free; Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.; online; unccboxoffice.universitytickets.com
THE BUENA VISTA LEGACY BAND
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THE BUENA VISTA LEGACY BAND
PARTY IN THE PARK
PARTY IN THE PARK
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ARTS FEATURE
BRING BACK THE RING SHOUT
Tamara Williams pays homage to the enslaved with upcoming dance showcase
Pg. 10 NOV 18 - DEC 1, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM
BY LEA BEKELE
Williams has professional experience with dozens of styles of dance that span an array of cultures, all of which have ties to the African diaspora. For the Fall 2020 Virtual Dance Concert, Tamara Williams chose to shed light on the Ring Shout style in the pre-recorded piece, which she titled “Remembrance” in memory of the enslaved and descendants of the enslaved who once utilized and inhabited these spaces. The film aims to take the viewer on a journey of different locations through movement, song, nature and rhythm. In an effort to preserve the original movements and gestures of the tradition, Williams made it her goal to reconstruct the earliest records of Ring Shout dancing and teach them to her students.
The Ring Shout traditions originated in communities of enslaved people throughout the South, including the Carolinas, that practiced the dance almost exclusively as a religious experience in which worshipers moved in a circle while shuffling and stomping their feet and clapping. As an homage to the past, part of the “Remembrance” dance was filmed outside of the Siloam School, a 1920s school for Black children in Charlotte built in the same vein as Rosenwald Schools of the early 20th century. Another part of the performance takes place at Mecklenburg County’s last standing slave cabin. The third piece of the performance takes place on the banks of the Catawba River, symbolic of the coastlines where Ring Shout dancing was most popular.
Any other year, UNC Charlotte assistant professor of dance Tamara Williams would be training her students, readying them to leave it all on the stage during the upcoming annual fall dance showcase, a live performance that acts as the culmination of what the class has learned throughout the semester. But 2020 isn’t any other year. In fact, this year Williams is utilizing three stages unlike any the showcase has seen before. Oh, and there is no live performance, no audience, and most of the work is already done. When Williams and the Dance department began planning for the showcase, A RING SHOUT DANCE DURING ‘REMEMBERING CYCLES’ AT UNC CHARLOTTE’S 2017 FALL DANCE CONCERT. they had to keep COVID-19 PHOTO BY JEFF CRAVOTTA restrictions in mind, as we’ve all learned that you can’t make any assumptions Williams’ desire to film in these locations came about whether the virus will let up. The department from a prior trip to Charleston, where she visited decided to broadcast this year’s performances live Dance of the diaspora The African diaspora describes what came of the multiple plantations and performed alongside on Zoom so the audience can watch safely from their mass transportation and subsequent enslavement dancers in that community. She was inspired by homes. their movements, which she says brought a whole While all but one of the performances will of the African peoples during the Transatlantic different element to the dance. Each choreographed be carried out live on stage for the virtual event, Slave Trade. The diaspora consists of descendants of piece was a love letter to the people that were there Williams decided to do things differently, partnering millions of people taken from western and central before them — those who may be gone but have with Charlotte filmmaker Marlon Morrison and five Africa and dispersed to different regions including not been forgotten, she says. of her dance students to create a documentary- the Americas and the Caribbean over the span of Throughout the rehearsal process, Williams style video showcasing their performance of the three centuries. asked her students to do research before they Modern-day Black people of the same ancestral traditional Ring Shout dance, first practiced by started the choreography of the piece. Each student African people enslaved in the West Indies and background have no way of knowing the details of was encouraged to look into their genealogical United States. The class filmed its performances their relation due to that separation. The African diaspora remains as relevant as background and create movement in honor of their on the banks of the Catawba River, in front of the ancestors. historic Siloam School, and at the only remaining ever today, as Black people around the world seek a The elements of the video play a part in the connection to their lineage. slave dwelling in Mecklenburg County.
overall meaning; earth, water, fire and air signify the connections the dance has with the afterlife. The group dancing in the water represents the act of rebirth and what Williams describes as the cleansing of communion. Earth is represented in the form of plants, which are used throughout the African diaspora for their medicinal purposes. “Remembrance” features movements that represent the gathering of herbs. Though there is no physical representation of wind and fire in the film, both are also intertwined with the choreography through themes of transformation and determination that Williams weaved throughout the piece, she says.
Movements through the dance community
Williams started dancing when she was a child in Augusta, Georgia, first at Davidson Fine Arts, where she trained in West African dances, ballet, tap and jazz. That was her jumping-off point into the dance community. As a teen, two of her teachers encouraged her to study dance in undergrad, inspiring her decision to audition for the Florida State University dance program. Williams spent the next four years in Tallahassee dancing at Florida State, where she eventually earned her BFA. She went straight into touring with Millicent Johnnie, owner of Millicent and Company, which afforded her the opportunity to dance for audiences across Florida, her home state of Georgia and parts of Texas. From there, Williams went to New York where she stayed in the city for 15 years. She danced professionally with Urban Bush Women and Alpha Omega and fine-tuned her understanding of West African dances. “I started really getting interested in dancing movements that were inspired by African diaspora culture,” shares Williams. Williams met Rosangela Silvestre who taught her the Silvestre Dance Technique, which originated in Brazil. Silvestre defines the practice as “a continuously evolving contemporary dance technique with the objective of conditioning the dancer through physical and expressive training regardless of level or previous experience.” Williams traveled to Brazil for Silvestre’s dance intensive and eventually gained the choreographer’s blessing to teach others the technique. It was then that Williams began traveling the world as a Silvestre instructor, until she started her own dance company called Moving Spirits, Inc. in 2011. “The dance company is really dedicated to
ARTS FEATURE documenting, preserving, teaching and performing dances of the African diaspora,” Williams explains. She moved back to Charlotte in 2016 to be closer to her family and was brought on to teach dance at UNC Charlotte that year.
Marlon Morrison makes waves
Pg. 11 NOV 18 - DEC 1, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM
Charlotte native Marlon Morrison’s interest in film began at the North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied theatre. After graduation, Morrison moved to New York to pursue acting after a friend there invited him to help create a film about racial profiling. He later returned to the Charlotte area and works as a teaching artist in local schools using theatre techniques and videography. Morisson views creating films as a form of therapy. “Instead of taking our aggression, why not channel that through film,” he tells Queen City Nerve. With his My Voice, My Choice project, Morrison produced fictional films with area youth about real issues ranging from gang violence to homophobia to depression. Building on his experience with civic
TAMARA WILLIAMS PHOTO BY JEFF CRAVOTTA
engagement through creation, the project allowed him to take his film equipment into local schools and help students draft a story, write a script, rehearse and put their work to film. “Doing something of significance made me want to do more work visually, as a storyteller,” Morrison says. He had never heard of Ring Shout dancing until
he spoke to Meg Whalen with UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture, who put him in contact with The “Remembrance” video will be released on Williams, planting the seed of collaboration. Nov. 20 as part of UNC Charlotte’s Fall 2020 Virtual “Remembrance” was Morrison’s first experience Dance Concert, along with four other performances with shooting a dance piece, though his theater taking place that night. background came in handy throughout the process. Learn more at tinyurl.com/FallVirtualDance. “It’s not a dance video, it’s a performance piece,” LBEKELE@QCNERVE.COM he explains.
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His biggest goal and challenge: to fully capture the spirit of the dance visually through film. His shots focused on the elongation of movement and walking a thin line so as not to overshadow the actual dancing with his production elements, he says. Historically, the arts have had a huge role in civic responsibility and civic engagement, Williams points out, which is what she had in mind when she created a platform through her dance company. As with Morrison, she wanted to give a voice to artists bringing up issues that affect their community and issues that may be affecting them as individuals. The group has participated in street protests as far back as 2014 after the shooting of Michael Brown. “We can think back to these dances, like Ring Shout,” Williams says. “It’s a dance of resistance. It’s a dance of resiliency. It’s a dance of community.”
@paperskyscrapergifts
MUSIC FEATURE
THE GIFT OF SOUND
New Plaza Midwood guitar shop helps Charlotte make beautiful music
Pg. 12 NOV 18 - DEC 1, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM
BY PAT MORAN
implementation of the pair’s plans. The side gig has become the main event. “We both love the craft of creating the best sound possible,” says Watts, who has been in the electronics repair industry for the last eight years. He sees the shop as a kind of offshoot from his day job. Unlike his partner, Wheeler has embraced Gold Tone as a full-time gig. He says the store keeps the partners close to music while the pandemic keeps them semi-quarantined in Charlotte. “We still play music all the time,” he says. The success of the online business prompted Wheeler and Watts to open a brick-and-mortar store in July. Located at the end of a strip mall at the corner of Central Avenue and Morningside Drive, the shop is currently open by appointment only.
“There’s this story about Jaco Pastorius’ bass,” says Philip Wheeler, referring to the jazz musician whose complex lines and light-speed solos revolutionized bass playing. “Everyone that’s played [his bass] says it coaxes those Jaco notes out of you, that the bass was destined to play those notes.” Colin Watts, Wheeler’s business partner and co-owner of Gold Tone Workshop, a new guitar store in Plaza Midwood, agrees there’s a kind of magic in each musical instrument, a sound that’s waiting to come out. “That’s the only reason I latched onto the name Gold Tone,” Watts says. “I want us to be the vessel for people to find the sound that’s in their head.” Early this year, the two friends who have known each other since middle school launched Gold Tone Workshop, launching the shop primarily as an online repair service for guitars and amplifiers. It was a natural move for the two, who are also bandmates in muscular Charlotte rock band Junior Astronomers, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The 34-year-old Wheeler GETTING AMPED UP AT GOLD TONE WORKSHOP. provides the dynamic guitar leads to the band’s cathartic tunes, while 33-year-old Watts Balancing their business between online and gives them a supple rhythmic spine with inventive in-person, Gold Tone Workshop offers vintage amps and intricate bass runs. and guitars as well as some new amps. “In the process of going out … on tour we’ve “We’re selling pedals, some consigned, some had really good guitar techs, and I picked up a lot new,” Wheeler offers. of tricks and tips from them along the way,” says The shop also carries picks and strings, and soon Wheeler, who describes himself as a wannabe tone will have drum heads and drum sticks in stock. aficionado. Like those who have been in business for awhile, It’s always been in the back of the bandmates’ Gold Tone Workshop is trying to pivot with the minds to use their road-tested knowledge and times, Wheeler says. Since people aren’t playing live attention to each instrument’s sound to launch a shows, the shop has started carrying gear for people store that caters to fellow musicians and novices who are recording at home. alike, Wheeler says. Soon they will stock vintage micropipes and The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the
drum mics, which they will rent out at a fair day rate so musicians can record professional sounding tracks in their home studios. “[It] sort of keeps the wheels turning for everybody,” Wheeler says.
A bunch of bad bands and one good one
Wheeler says that, for him, becoming a musician was inevitable, particularly given his parents’ backgrounds. His mother is an accomplished pianist and his father was once a roadie for David Bowie. He figures his life path reached a fork in the road when he was 10 years old. Instead of going to football practice, he stayed home and started fiddling with the guitar.
the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and he fell in love with the genre. The two became friends, and both eventually formed Junior Astronomers with vocalist Terrence Richard and drummer Elias Pittman. “I was in a bunch of bad bands,” Wheeler says, “until I wasn’t.” In the wake of COVID-19, the Junior Astronomers band members have been passing musical ideas back and forth online, Wheeler says, and everyone has stayed in touch. By a happy coincidence, Richard’s house is directly across the street from Gold Tone Workshop. The band, however, is still in a holding pattern. “Writing in isolation is fun and it’s selfexploratory, but [you miss] getting energy off of everybody else,” Wheeler says. He outlines the dilemma of a rock band in selfquarantine. “We have a million parts and no full songs.”
Solving the sonic puzzle
Wheeler and Watts focused their energy on opening a business in the middle of a pandemic, trying to create the kind of store in Charlotte that they would like to go to. But bureaucratic wheels did not turn rapidly in the COVID-19 climate. It took longer to set up a meeting with the bank, both men recall, and they are still waiting for their fire inspection because the inspector took two weeks off. “It’s been slow going,” Wheeler admits, “but we’re happy to let it be that way. We didn’t want to throw ourselves into the fire and put people at risk.” When a spot opened up in the strip mall, Wheeler says he took it as a sign PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN that they were doing the right thing. As soon as they opened the shop, Watching the Beach Boys play with the Rippers, business picked up quickly, simply through word of the band fronted by John Stamos’ character Uncle mouth. “To get a good price on vintage gear that Jesse in the sitcom Full House was an inspiration, he recalls. Although he started out playing saxophone, actually works and sounds good, you either have to Wheeler switched exclusively to guitar when he was go to some weird Craigslist meet-up or you have to travel to Nashville or Asheville,” Wheeler says. 12. Despite its size, Charlotte has never had a shop Growing up, Watts was also surrounded by like theirs, he maintains. music. He played trumpet in middle school band, and Watts feels there is an opportunity for the shop would often jam with his 70-year-old neighbor who to become a community music space. played banjo in a Dixieland band that performed at “If I can show you how to change your strings the Elizabeth restaurant Cajun Queen. or tune your guitar, you’re going to play more,” he Then he got into skateboarding. Watts was offers. Watts maintains that this helpful behavior is introduced to punk rock through the soundtrack to
MUSIC FEATURE
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also a shrewd business move; the more you play, the more reason you have to come back to the shop. “I love being able to teach people how to get the sound they’re looking for,” says Watts, who’s been buying gear for 10 years in an attempt to find his own sound. He feels his extensive experience with different pedals, amps and combos will help him solve the sonic puzzle for others. As far as selling gear at Gold Tone Workshop, Wheeler says it’s mostly online at this point, although there have been a few examples of people coming in to play instruments and buying them. “By and large, we’ve mostly been selling vintage guitars which I’ve been buying at estate sales,” Wheeler offers. “We’ve actually been holding onto [some of] the good stuff for people who walk through the door.” Wheeler and Watts both say they are astonished by the amount of consignment guitars and amps that have come their way. “I’ve been surprised at how many people messaged me and said, ‘I have an amp from the ’60s, and I’d like to put it up,’” Wheeler says. “We got a wall full of gear all of the sudden.” The demand for these items is also high, so it’s an efficient way for the store to have vetted gear in stock. When amps and guitars come in on consignment, Wheeler and Watts check them out and move them out the door. Wheeler reckons that 50% of the gear displayed in the shop comes through consignment.
A tale of two guitar shops
Less than a mile from Gold Tone Workshop down Central Avenue is Midwood Guitar Studio, a boutique guitar store that stocks high-end and custom-made guitars, basses and amplifiers. “I go into Midwood [Guitar] and drool over everything that’s in there,” Watts says. “It’s all top gear and I don’t have the money for it.”
Since opening in 2016, and before the onslaught of COVID-19, Midwood Guitar Studio has striven to be a hub for Charlotte guitar players; a place where musicians could attend seminars, catch performances and exchange notes about instruments, amps and accessories. Do Watts and Wheeler see high-end competition down the road? Not really, says Wheeler.
COLIN WATTS PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN
Midwood Guitar Studio doesn’t address the needs that Gold Tone Workshop focuses on, he asserts. For instance, they sell Collings guitars, a higher priced acoustic line for boutique players. “That’s not necessarily for the touring musician or a community player,” Wheeler says. “They don’t sell a lot of vintage stuff. Vintage is huge [for us].” Watts often adopts the mindset of where he was 10 years ago when Junior Astronomers was just
starting up. Back then he didn’t have much gear, and he had no clue what to get. That puts him in the shoes of many beginning musicians who come through the shop’s door. This approach serves the first time buyer, he maintains, someone who doesn’t know what kind of amp they need. “I want to have someone come in and be able to say, ‘This is what I’m after. This is my budget,’” he says. Patrons like that don’t necessarily need to buy a $2,000 amp when a $200 model will do. “While high-end gear is nice, you may not want to bring it to a bar gig,” Watts says. “Bringing a $3,000 guitar to a house party may not make any sense. “I’d love to [establish] a presence in the community that offers that kind of guidance,” he continues. He wants to treat every guitar and amp that comes into the shop like it’s the best gear the customer can get. It all boils down to one question, Watts maintains: “Where are you in your journey?” Wheeler says Gold Tone Workshop is starting to see some School of Rock students and other young players who are starting bands. “We like to sell them cheap good stuff that has been vetted by us,” he says. “It’s cool [gear] and they can afford it.” He also hopes to encourage younger players to work on their guitars, which in turn will foster their enthusiasm for playing. Wheeler emphasizes that the business is not just handling cheap instruments, amps, and accessories. He cites some $2,000 amps that are currently on the shop floor. Ironically, it’s the kind of equipment that would appeal to the clientele at Midwood Guitar Studio. On the other hand, Wheeler insists inexpensive does not equal bad. He raises the example of a cheap Peavey PA 400 amp. He acknowledges that players might look down upon such a ho-hum piece of equipment. But that make and model was Greg Ginn’s
main amp throughout his career in the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag, Wheeler says. It was with the Peavey PA 400 that Ginn created the roaring grinding tone that presaged the rise of grunge.
The Learning Curve
With Wheeler’s and Watts’ focus on working and emerging musicians, Gold Tone seems like the perfect place to offer lessons. “I don’t have the patience for that,” Wheeler says, laughing. “I tried to give lessons once and it was very [hard],” Watts adds. “Kudos to everybody who does it.” That said, Watts professes to love the difficult and nuanced profession of teaching. “We’ve discussed doing workshops for people that want to be able to do basic things on their own,” Wheeler offers. Pullover founder and front man Phil Pucci, who also teaches at the School of Rock, has been sending students Watts’ and Wheeler’s way. “It’s so hard for him to explain how to change your strings over Zoom, which is the new normal for teaching,” Wheeler says. “I’m sure it was frustrating for him, but he’s been sending kids over to just get their strings changed for the very first time.” As a result, Watts and Wheeler are considered serving musical novices, offering tone workshops, workshops on pedals and the basics of working and maintaining guitars and amps — without giving away trade secrets. Above all, the partners look forward to benefiting Charlotte’s musical community through their experience, expertise and attention to tone. “I love helping people find a distortion sound, or a cleaner sound,” Watts says. “I love that stuff. I love being around it.” “I would play different guitars all day for free, so this [job] is a privilege,” Wheeler says. “Guitars and whoever plays notes are the most important things in my life, and I treat everyone’s instrument like they play for a living.” His goal is to make each guitar the clear conduit between what a musician hears in their head and the sounds that fill a room. “A good instrument that sounds good begs you to play it,” Wheeler says. “I want guitars to invite people to play them and coax great things from their hands.” PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM
WE ARE HIP HOP: REVEALED Weekend event acts as preview for January festival
Pg. 14 NOV 18 - DEC 1, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM
PHOTOS BY KATE GALINDO
Originally scheduled for the Booth Playhouse from Jan. 21-24, 2020, the We Are Hip Hop Festival was conceived and organized by a coalition of local artists looking to highlight the intersection of hip-hop, art and culture in the Queen City. From Nov. 6-8, organizers held We Are Hip Hop: The Reveal outside at Camp North End as a sneak peek at what was to come, including live performances, DJ battles, dance offs and live painting. With COVID-19 still a looming danger, organizers recently pushed back the main festival until the last weekend of February, a fine replacement for CIAA. We hope everyone has their shit together by then so we can hit the Booth Playhouse safely in 2021.
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FOOD & DRINK FEATURE
A VERY VEGAN THANKSGIVING
Jasiatic shares tips on how to get through the best holiday of the year
Pg. 16 NOV 18 - DEC 1, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM
BY JASIATIC ANDERSON
Sometime after the colorful paper turkeys lost my interest, the lore of the first Thanksgiving got replaced with the real facts of Native American genocide. Coming to terms with the sacrifice of turkeys to serve as the nation’s “Thanks?” I meeeeaaan ... that’s a lot. Me and mines lean on harvest. I use the holiday as ritual and reverence for ancestors and natives that bestowed all the goodness upon us. Cornucopia baby! It is also my time to connect and share all of my love through my culinary gifts.
source of the meal and you have to keep a safe distance? Maybe your budget for family travel is affected? Are you quarantined with a loved one? Or you may be going the holiday alone this year? Let’s solve some problems the best way we know how: with food. Shall we?
You’re home alone
Easy! Order my fave, Lang Van. Get the curry with vermicelli because of the yam in the dish. What’s thanksgiving without the yams? Or maybe hit up one of my new faves, Curry Gate. The bhindi masala is on point. But also, spicy ass chana, yes. I order a 5 but if you like to keep it safe, stay under 3.
You really want to have a Dessertgiving because 2020 Move That Dough Baking Co.! Kacie Smagacz is blessing us with goodies to take and bake!! I mean, have you had her cinnamon rolls?!?! (And you can always count on a gluten-free option). You can see her list of options and get in touch via her IG: @movethatdoughbakingco. Want to have your cake and eat it too? Try Jazina’s Creation. They offer both vegan and traditional cakes. I celebrated my bday with one of their vegan cakes and … whew … AMAZING. Try the caramel apple pie vegan cupcakes. I know I will be.
The holiday is upon us. Thanksgiving (which in my adult years I’ve referred to as You would normally make a feast but ThanksTAKING) is the most Tiny family gathering you’re TIIIIEEEED because 2020 important holiday because, Make a batch of roasted root Say less, you’ve earned it. Order from Vegganers well, you know ... FOOD! veggies, mashed potatoes and grab Luck! Janaya Jenkins is clutch and offers pick-up but I wasn’t raised in a the vegan holiday roast from your will deliver for a small fee. Vegganers offers several religious home. I mean, yes, local Trader Joe’s (it’s yummy and options, including country-fried steak and glazed I absolutely had an Easter priced right). ham, desserts, sides … all the things! They’ve got dress and patent leathers, you covered. but no service to follow. Quarantined with your partner Get more details and place your order at Though Southern and Head over to the Greener Apple. vegganersluck@gmail.com. decently traditional, holidays You can always count on them to have If you’ve been missing ZiZi’s, check out their were devoid of any church tons of holiday treats and goodies Thanksgiving special. Pick up is in Shelby, but they rhetoric. Christmas was about like prepackaged potatoes, mac may soon be adding a central Charlotte location. presents — that’s it. I barely and cheez, Tofurky holiday ham and They have plates with a nice variety and dessert for remember any notable meals more. Owner Lee Rathers even has one! for Christmas, which is most SOUL FOOD STUFFED CORN BREAD BOWL FROM VEGGANERS LUCK compostable dinnerware (no dishes You can get more info at their ig: @zizisvegan2go. PHOTO BY JANAYA JENKINS likely because I was too deep to wash!). Extra bonus: Buy a vegan Nourish Charlotte is offering their usual in the Barbie Dreamhouse world cookbook from the elaborate section yumminess for the holiday, including the brussels in to notice. I’m a Virgo, and I nurture best through feeding there (they’re located in a book store, after all) and bechamel, but they’re also working with other local Once the sweaters started to roll around I was people. This is the only holiday that I’ve deeply built plan ahead for next time. businesses like BarVecue and Viva Raw to bring us off that. Needless to say, Thanksgiving became as a tradition with my immediate local bites and appetizers. Queen. Thanksgiving is a foodie’s Christmas. loved ones. (Read: my children Find them at Nourishcharlotte. I grew up eating giblet (gibley) gravy, holding BETTER come home) com and zip over to the opposite my nose while chitterlings (chitlins) were being Food anchors us to our page for a full rundown of the prepared and begging to wash greens before they deepest connections and identity exciting new stuff Nourish founder were parboiled (pearboiled). I’m still haunted by the but gatherings can also be hella Julia Simon is up to. mandatory cold salt water washing of Collards. triggering. The dinner table can And there’s me. Even if it was My grandmother made sweet potato pie, and be a source of anxiety or joy. my style (it’s not), I couldn’t bear to my mom made egg custard and lemon pound cake. For lots of us, Thanksgiving gloat here. But I will tell you that Indisputably in my mind, Thanksgiving was about potentially looks different this I’ve offered a caramel pecan pie family and food. year. Many of us can’t be with our (along with a savory menu) every Although I ate turkey, I always found it wild to loved-ones for various reasons. year at Thanksgiving for at least 7 have to make those little construction paper crafts Our gatherings as whole will be years. in elementary school. And even wilder than that: undoubtedly smaller and held You can follow/contact me at pilgrims (like WTF?!). Pilgrims had no seat at our with major caution and utmost @jasiatic on Instagram if you’re Thanksgiving table. Who were these men?? care. curious. I think all of us experience a bit of cognitive I grew up with the gift of an Happy eating y’all! dissonance when it comes to our meals, and for in-home grandma ... but what PHOTO BY KACIE SMAGACZ those of us choosing a vegan lifestyle, Thanksgiving happens if a grandparent is the CINNAMON ROLLS FROM MOVE THAT DOUGH BAKING CO. INFO@QCNERVE.COM can be a huge contradiction in so many ways .
FOOD & DRINK FEATURE
PLANT JOY AND CULTIVATE IT Julia Simon dishes on new Camp North End venture BY JASIATIC ANDERSON
Charlotte chef Julia Simon is a gem. Unlike anyone I’ve ever met, her model for compassion-led culinary work embodies true vegan culture. She described herself to me as “an organizer, a doer, a believer in community, and a sci-fi fan who for real thinks veganism will help humanity survive and travel the stars.” I think that just about captures her spirit.
Keeping Charlotte Nourished
If you’ve been vegan for any significant amount of time in this city, you know about Nourish Charlotte. Odds are it’s held you down and gotten you through in a city that’s been sparse for needs like ours. Nourish boasts myriad awards from multiple publications, and deservedly so. The company was also recently recognized with Mecklenburg County’s Recycling Excellence award. Talking to Julia, I could tell that last experience ranked high for her. At one point, Nourish was not just the only authentic vegan kitchen in the city, but the only vegan meal-delivery service. While much has changed in that scene since she launched in 2012, Julia Simon is her own competitor, not yours. In fact she’s elated over the city’s vegan growth. She shared with me that she is “always available for anyone that needs help, A FEW OPTIONS AT PLANT JOY. support or guidance in the vegan culinary world.”
What’s in a name?
Looking out for her people
JULIA SIMON
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PHOTO BY JASIATIC ANDERSON
I was convinced I’d first met her in person when she humbly attended an in-home Ethiopian cooking class I hosted a few years back, though she corrected me on where I had the privilege: during an old photo shoot for a newspaper featuring Nourish Charlotte, her vegan and organic food-delivery service. In October, she and her business partner (and sweet husband) Erik Berns announced their first brick-and-mortar concept, Plant Joy in Camp North End, filling the last of four new food stalls. It will also serve as a pick-up spot for the everpopular pre-prepared Nourish meals that she built her business delivering. I linked with Julia at the new space in the leadup to the Nov. 20 grand opening to chat about her career thus far in Charlotte and the new vegan venture.
Julia didn’t plan to open a restaurant; she told me it was never one of her goals, but the folks at Camp North End worked with her until all the numbers made sense and the details aligned. Julia isn’t in business for the business, (read that again). At the core of everything she touches is principle and a deep passion for humanity. That humanity extends not just to us (her consumers) but to her staff. She told me company ethics and practices at Plant Joy start with the staff, which is the first time I’ve heard such a statement from a business owner. Happy worker, happy customer; this almost makes too much sense. She’s overjoyed to have Nourish sous chef Sara Whittlesey to work as co-executive chef at Plant Joy, while Jaisen Putnam has done an amazing job taking over as sous chef back in the Nourish kitchen. According to Julia, “If it wasn’t for their fierceness and stability, along with the commitment of the rest of the team — it’s likely this (Plant Joy) wouldn’t be going down.” As at Nourish, Whittlesey and Putnam will celebrate vegetables without leaning into meat substitutes or mirroring the standard American diet. The vegetable culture reigns supreme here.
When asked about the name Julia tells me that “to plant joy” was a mantra for her in the ridiculousness of 2020. I wanted to know what would make Plant Joy different compared to what we’ve seen in Charlotte. She replied, “Reveling in vegetables and vegetables alone. Playful weirdness.” “Garnishes like this town has never seen,” she continued. “Weird and unusual deliciousness made organic and nutrient-dense ... and pancakes and salad, one of my fav things to eat.” A menu highlight for Plant Joy will be the Socca set, a hot, crispy chickpea crepe with a lovely salad on top, which she called “kind of a love letter to bánh xèo through the lens of the Mediterranean.” So if that’s her favorite thing to eat, what’s her favorite thing to cook? “I fucking love cooking a stir fry or curry,” she replied.“I love making casseroles and crudite sets and platters — composed things. I love those hummus paintings I’ve gotten to make over the years; playing with food in that way is lovely. Mushrooms and all they offer are my favorite proteins.” The menu will include rainbow toast and a falafel sandwich, showcasing rich, bright flavors and colors that highlight regional fare. Patrons can also expect a variety of locally-sourced pastries and some fan-favorites from Nourish Charlotte.
PHOTO BY JORDAN ALLEN
Veganism as a gateway
Whenever I talk to Julia, we have a tendency to stray off topic. When we sat down to talk about Plant Joy, our conversation went from Star Trek to Dr. Sebi to anti-capitalism to Black excellence. We talk honestly about hard subjects and we always seem to come back to one central theme: compassion. Julia’s work is rooted in a deep care for living things: “Veganism is a gateway to thinking about how you treat everyone and everything.” We pause here and have a conversation about White Veganism and how this principle is not always the case. Julia gets that, which is part of the reason why she sets a high bar with her standards. To be clear, she’s not peace-and-lovey, as one may suspect; she’s no-nonsense and completely grounded when it comes to awareness and bettering humanity. Julia say’s Plant Joy is a test. She knows restaurant work is demanding, and she doesn’t believe in a model of “work until you drop.” Much of Plant Joy’s success depends on us to be better consumers; to consider how we treat those that nurture us and put kindness and consideration first. “Creating a space for people to not only think about treating food in a different way but also humans with respect,” Julia said. “There will be no bigotry or misogyny tolerated at our stall window.” INFO@QCNERVE.COM
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LIFESTYLE PUZZLES
LIFESTYLE PUZZLES SUDOKU
BY LINDA THISTLE
PLACE A NUMBER IN THE EMPTY BOXES IN SUCH A WAY THAT EACH ROW ACROSS, EACH COLUMN DOWN AND EACH SMALL 9-BOX SQUARE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NUMBERS ONE TO NINE. ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.
TRIVIA TEST BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ
1. MEASUREMENTS: How many tablespoons are in 1/2 cup? 2. TELEVISION: Which 1990s sitcom featured the theme song “I’ll Be There for You”? 3. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the city of Timbuktu located? 4. GAMES: How much money does each Monopoly player get at the start of the classic game? 5. SCIENCE: How much of the Earth’s surface is covered with water? 6. MOVIES: Which 2004 animated movie featured the character Edna Mode? 7. U.S. STATES: What is the capital of Michigan? 8. COMICS: Which comic character’s favorite exclamation is “Good grief!”? 9. PSYCHOLOGY: What fear is represented in the phobia cynophobia? 10. ANATOMY: What is the condition of “pes planus” more commonly called?
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 No-frills 6 Very cloying things 14 “Li’l Abner” drawer 20 Fast Amtrak choice 21 Industry of a merchant marine 22 Not as fatty 23 1987 Steven Spielberg war film 25 Rubble on “The Flintstones” 26 Hangs on to 27 Start to doze 28 Herb that tastes like anise 29 Pixel, e.g. 30 1930s coalition between Italy and Germany 35 Suffix with Method 38 -- Major (Great Bear) 40 Called off the relationship 41 Cacklers with clutches 42 Neophyte, in modern slang 44 -- Harbor (Guam port) 46 Longtime name in restaurant guides 47 Mooch 48 Racecar track near a Japanese mountain 51 Has begun, as a TV show 53 Suffix with method 54 Ontario tribe 55 Put on one’s big-boy pants 57 Rock’s Reed 60 -- Spumante (Italian wine) 62 “-- lizards!” 65 Specialists in stone 67 What you do when you read the first words of 23-, 30-, 48-, 85-, 102- and 114-Across? 72 Like gluttons
73 “That so?” 74 Bruins’ sch. 75 I, to Kant 76 Metric “thousand” 78 Lie dormant 80 Rub clean 84 Venue 85 Festive affair 88 Japanese noodles 91 Half of a 45 94 -- avis 95 Whirlpool 96 Had a debt 97 Mosque turret 99 Fire: Prefix 101 Drivers’ org. 102 Gratifying wry twist 105 Brand of TVs 107 Pago Pago islander 108 Aussie jumper 109 Things worth saving 113 Dearies 114 Composer of the musical “Rent” 118 “Encore” rapper 119 Invitation for radio call-ins 120 Mafioso Frank 121 Longtime Nissan 122 It helps pay for roads and schools 123 Lie dormant DOWN 1 Boxer Max 2 Vertex 3 30-day mo. 4 24-book epic 5 Actor Len 6 General -- chicken
7 Arena arbiter 8 “Jack Sprat could -- fat” 9 In the house 10 Legless sideboard 11 -- Vegas 12 Univ. URL ender 13 VIP in D.C. 14 Even though 15 “Big Deal” singer Rimes 16 “The A-Team” director Joe 17 Appended 18 Stripping off 19 Nose about 24 Snare 28 Enter like a butterfly 30 Less usual 31 Time to wear a conical party hat, for short 32 Brain wave test: Abbr. 33 Nutrition std. 34 Vancouver-to-Seattle dir. 35 Facts, briefly 36 Inner self 37 Magic charm 39 Coin money 43 Galoot 45 Long Island university 47 Do some dickering in court 49 Net message board operator 50 Tearful 52 Rash-causing plant 55 Perceive in error aurally 56 Kitchen pest 57 IM chuckle 58 Two halved 59 Navy vessel inits. 61 “Give this a shot” 63 Bristol beer
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PG.18 PUZZLE ANSWERS
POMES FOR BEGINNERS ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.
64 Oyster find 66 Not crowded 67 Hi-tech special FX 68 Tolkien menace 69 “Ho-hum” 70 Yahoo! rival 71 Big public protest 77 Tissue injury 79 Lathered up 81 Verdi’s slave 82 Bar mixer 83 “River” New Age artist 84 Delta deposit 85 Halliwell of pop music 86 Not normal 87 Library stall 88 Reel partner 89 Fantastic 90 Skin colorer 92 Shiba -- (spitz breed) 93 “-- Boot” 97 Foul vapor 98 Play on a fife 100 Briny bodies 103 More bashful 104 Pitch-perfect? 106 30-day month 109 Construction toy brand 110 Villa d’-111 Learning by memorizing 112 Short cut 113 “-- So Fine” 114 “-- Boys” (Louisa May Alcott novel) 115 Decide (to) 116 Tchr.’s union 117 Santa -- winds
LIFESTYLE COLUMN
AERIN IT OUT NEVER A GOOD TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
A solemn farewell to an old watering hole in a time of struggle
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BY AERIN SPRUILL
My dad died on Election Day. The perfect opening to the best tragicomic you’ll ever read, especially for a nightlife writer who’s always erred on the side of the glass being half empty and who’s drank every last drop of that latter half to drown feelings knowing that doing so would only cause them to come bubbling up. (And a writer who ironically has spent the last few months looking at the buildings left behind in the wake of COVID-19 holding only distant memories of drunken shenanigans past.) The year 2020 has indeed taken a toll on my family over the past couple months, and during challenging times such as these, there is little more on my agenda than locating a watering hole to drown my sorrows. But as we all know, right now, our options are limited, adding to the gloomy reality of grief. After hearing the news that another coveted local hangout, Elizabeth Billiards, would be closing up shop after 24 years, I thought it was only fitting to share my solo toast to my father with good ol’ EBs. As I rounded the familiar corner behind CVS with my eyes set on the front entrance to Elizabeth Billiards, I recognized how different it looked during the day. It already felt like the small, brick building with no frills had bid us adieu. There was no warmth coming from inside, just a single sign indicating “Patio Entry Only” alerted me that this venture wasn’t useless. I turned the corner to the back patio, which was empty except for two lone friends sitting in a corner at a picnic table chatting excitedly with one another. As I entered, I was welcomed by the familiar scent of what I equate to an old attic, the smell of alcohol barely there. The lighting was dim. The walls almost empty except for a sign that read “Not responsible for lost or stolen articles” beneath a coat rack that held one single jacket. The dartboards has been removed, leaving behind only the outline of aged wood where they used to hang. I looked past the bar expecting to see a few people ever-so-focused on playing pool only to find what felt
like a graveyard of pool tables and what I call “shoeshining” chairs. Of course, it makes complete sense given COVID-19 that patrons wouldn’t be playing these sorts of bar games, but it was still so odd when you’ve grown accompanied to a particular aesthetic at a spot like this. As I approached the bar, I turned and my eyes caught a wide grin from a patron who turned away from watching The Devil All the Time on Netflix to acknowledge my presence. I couldn’t tell if his smile meant “awkward seeing you here” or if he was quietly anticipating my order as I glanced at shelves that seemed more barren than I remember. On the bar, a few bottles were on display, and I discerned these were probably my only options. Nervously, I asked the bartender for a Bud Light, a “sweet shot,” and water if it wasn’t too much trouble. Silently judging, I’m sure he quickly suggested cherry vodka or botanicals, to which I responded, “Cherry vodka and a splash of Red Bull, please.” As he turned his back, he said, “So a Cherry Bomb?” I laughed to myself, remembering my dad telling me it cost nothing to treat everyone kind even when
they may not be as interested in returning the favor. Just like he probably didn’t expect much more from me than a “girly” order, I didn’t expect anything more than a nofrills, minimal excitement customer service experience. In fact, I relished in it. Elizabeth Billiards has been and always will be one of those spots in Charlotte where you love to go because even if you’re not a “regular,” it still has a “homey” appeal to it. It’s like going to my dad’s mother’s house when I was younger. I wasn’t allowed to rummage through “her” kitchen, and her stern demeanor may not have felt welcoming, but she still wanted me to come to visit her. I guzzled the warm Cherry Bomb and handed the bartender my card. I asked, “Aw man, when’s the last day?” He responded, “This time next week.” His curt response led me to believe that inquiring about the new possible location would fall on deaf ears as he returned to the remote to pause the movie before he and the two patrons sitting at the bar exited the door. I smiled warmly as they left, looking around at virtually just old bones that remained, remembered the many nights I’d visited over the years, and thought about my dad. The memories of each fading as I stepped onto the back patio one last time. As I sat there forcing down each gulp of Bud Light (sans the requested water), I thought about Chris Brown’s “Say Goodbye.” And while farewells are often bittersweet, there’s really never a right time to say goodbye. Cheers to you, dad, and cheers to Elizabeth Billiards. I’ll be seeing you again. INFO@QCNERVE.COM
Connect with free virtual arts, science, and history experiences for all ages.
CULTURE
BLOCKS
Find upcoming events at ArtsAndScience.org/CultureBlocks
By Lucie Winborne • The weight of all the ants on earth is greater than that of all humans. • Doctors who perform laparoscopic surgery, which involves inserting a tiny camera into a patient’s body through a small incision, have better coordination if they play video games at least three hours per week. According to a 2003 study, gamer surgeons made 37% fewer errors and worked 27% faster than those whose only “video game” experience was the surgery itself. • The ancient Romans used swan fat or donkey milk to soften wrinkles, while sores and freckles were treated with the ashes of snails. • Eskimos use refrigerators to stop their food from freezing. • Disney’s musical fantasy comedy “The Princess and the Frog” led to an unexpected salmonella outbreak in the United States. More than 50 children were hospitalized after the film’s release when they attempted to free handsome princes with a kiss from what turned out to be perfectly ordinary, definitely non-prince frogs. • Redheads produce more vitamin D than other hair colors. • Bao Xishun, a Mongolian herdsman, saved the lives of two dolphins by using his incredibly long arms to remove plastic from their stomachs. Bao stands nearly 8 feet tall and each arm extends more than 3 feet. All other attempts at saving the dolphins had failed. • Watermelons may be a tasty treat today, but that wasn’t always the case. Originating in Africa, they were first cultivated solely for their water content — their flavor was very bitter! • In Sweden, the body warmth of more than 200,000 commuters passing through Stockholm’s Central Station is harvested to provide heat for an office building across the road. *** Thought for the Day: “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
LIFESTYLE
HOROSCOPE NOVEMBER 18 - NOVEMBER 24
NOVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 1
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Your ruling planet, LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You might ARIES (March 21 to April 19) This year, instead of LIBRA
(September 23 to October 22) Librans Mars, allows you to assume a sense of command need to get involved in a personal matter before jumping into the whole holiday prep scene, move and holidays are made for each other, especially if that can help you turn a chaotic workplace situation it becomes a serious problem. Also, be wary of in a little at a time. You’ll appreciate the sense of children and animals are going to be part of your into one that’s orderly, productive and, yes, even someone offering to mediate, unless you can be sure control you’re more likely to enjoy. joyous season. friendly. of his or her motives. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Time is
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Getting a relationship that’s been stuck in a rut up and running again depends on how far you want to run with it. Be honest with yourself as you consider which decision to make.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Be wary of rumors
that seem to be coming from everywhere this week. Waiting for the facts before you act means never having to say you’re sorry you followed the wrong lead.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A difficult personal
matter might prompt you to turn to a trusted friend to help you sort through a maze of emotional conflicts. The weekend should bring some welcome news.
LEO
(July 23 to August 22) Some of the new people coming into the Lion’s life could play pivotal roles in future personal and professional matters. Meanwhile, an old friend might have an important message.
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VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A delay in
(April 20 to May 20) The separation getting too short to allow a spat to taint the holiday SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Taking between the Bovine’s head and heart is never as far season. Restart your relationship and reschedule sides in a workplace or domestic dispute could apart as it seems. Both senses work best when they holiday fun times. prolong the problem. Stay out and stay cool. Then come out of logic and honesty. you can be friends with both parties when things SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) settle down. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) The best way to keep Seeking advice is laudable. You might learn far more those pre-holiday pressures under control is to just than you thought you could. Stay with it. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A say no to taking on new tasks while you’re still trying friendship has the potential to become something to work with a heap of others. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) more, and with this week’s aspects favoring Continuing to assess changes works toward your romance, you might feel that this possibility is CANCER (June 21 to July 22) News means a getting your new project up and ready. Trusted worth exploring. change might be on its way, but what does it hold? colleagues remain ready to help. Don’t just ask questions; make sure you get answers CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The you can trust. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) That new new job you want might require you to relocate. If situation needs a lot of attention, but it’s worth it. so, keep an open mind and weigh all the positives LEO (July 23 to August 22) Old friends and new This is a very good time for you to involve the arts and negatives before making your decision. have one thing in common: Both your longtime and in what you do. newly minted pals have much wisdom to impart. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A new PISCES (February 19 to March 20) It might be a relationship seems to be everything you could have VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) With time good idea to slow your hectic holiday pace so that hoped for. Congratulations. Meanwhile, it’s not too running out, this is a good time for you to show ‘em you don’t rush past what -- or who -- you’re hoping early to get some feedback on that new project all what those Virgo super-organizational skills can to rush toward. you’re working on. do.
TAURUS
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You might have
decided to get out of the fast-moving current and getting things moving on schedule can be a blessing just float around hither and yon for a while. But you in disguise. Use this extra time to do more research might find that the new opportunity is too tempting so you can buttress any of the weaker points with to turn down. solid facts.
BORN THIS WEEK: You believe in bringing out
the best in people with kind deeds, loving words and recognition of their “special” selves. 2020 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.
BORN THIS WEEK: Others pick up on your confidence in yourself, which inspires them to believe in you and your special gifts.
LIFESTYLE COLUMN
PG.19 PUZZLE ANSWERS
SAVAGE LOVE ADD IT UP
You already know what to do BY DAN SAVAGE
I’ve always been excited by BDSM but I’ve only minimally explored this side of myself until very recently. I’m a straight woman and it was difficult to find men who wanted more monogamish relationships on the traditional apps and a challenge to be honest about what I am looking for where kink is concerned. I’d often get through a month or so of seeing someone before finding out they wanted a completely monogamous relationship and that they were very vanilla in the bedroom to boot. I was tired of wasting my time and needed to find a partner who wanted to enjoy a kinky relationship so I moved from traditional dating apps like Bumble and Hinge to apps like #Open, Fetlife, and KinkD. While I’ve had a few amazing conversations and meet-ups, they’ve primarily been with men in open relationships, couples, or guys only looking to hookup. And it seems most people on kinky apps want to only talk about sex. While I do feel drawn to this lifestyle, I am also looking for a partner. I want someone to spend my life with who can also enjoy the kink community with me. How can I find a guy that wants a life partner and a fun and kinky sex life?
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SEEKS PARTNER AND NEEDS KINK
meeting anyone in a bar or at parties right now — there’s a pandemic on — the more places you advertise online, the likelier you are to line up a compatible partner for when this is all over. And you shouldn’t be surprised — or put off — when someone you meet on KinkD wants to talk about their kinks. When you meet someone via a dating app that brings people together around a shared interest, it’s only natural that your initial conversations revolve around that shared interest. If you were posting ads on Farmers Only or Christian Cafe, your first chats would very likely revolve around, I don’t know, the price of corn or the exact moment you sold your soul to Donald Trump. Whichever kind of app you meet a guy on, you’re going to have to do the same two things — the same work, the same vetting, the same screw diligence — just in a different order. When you meet a guy on Bumble, SPANK, you establish baseline emotional compatibility first and then eventually you have a conversation about sex. With guys you meet on KinkD, you establish baseline sexual compatibility first — by talking about your mutual sexual interests — and eventually get around to determining whether you’re emotionally compatible. And, again, since you could meet someone with whom you are emotionally and sexually compatible on either kind of dating site — mainstream or kinky — you should keep your ads up on both. P.S. Loose condoms come off and loose condoms leak, SPANK, so a guy who uses XXL condoms on a medium dick puts you at greater risk of contracting an STI or having an unplanned pregnancy. And for what? To impress the checkout clerk at CVS? Don’t worry about making him feel bad. Tell him he gets condoms that fit or he finds someone else to fuck.
P.S. One more question: I’m currently enjoying casual sex with a male partner who only buys magnum-size condoms but who does not need magnum-size condoms. It’s like fucking a halfempty grocery store bag. How do I tell him regular I’ve lived with my girlfriend for over a year now condoms would be soooooo much better without till about a month ago when she moved to the East making him feel bad? Coast so now we’re in a long-distance relationship. I supported her move because she’s following her Whether you’re on kinky dating apps or mainstream dream career and we decided to stay together since dating apps or both, SPANK, you’re gonna have a lot of communication nowadays is pretty easy. But every interactions with a lot of guys who aren’t right for you time I try to text or call she responds that she’s too before you find the guy (or guys) who are right for you. busy or exhausted. I could understand if this was And since there are plenty of kinky people on mainstream once in a while but it’s literally all the time. This dating apps — you were one of them — you should be has put a strain on our communication. I became on both. irrational with these red flags and I looked up her Of the happily partnered kinky people I know, SPANK, address and a guy’s name popped up including half met their partners in “traditional” spaces (bars, his phone number. Then I did perhaps the most workplaces, mainstream dating apps) while the other irrational thing ever and looked up our phone bill half met their partners in kinky spaces (munches, fetish and his number is everywhere on her section of parties, kinky dating apps). And while no one should be
TRIVIA ANSWERS: 1. Eight 2. “Friends” 3. Mali in west Africa
4. $1,500 5. About 71% 6. “The Incredibles” 7. Lansing
the bill. I asked her who this dude is and she states he’s her landlord and employer. That’s not a red flag, but him calling at 1 a.m. when I was working nightshifts before she moved is. I confronted her and she became defensive and turned everything back on me. She called me crazy and hurled more than one “fuck you” at me and threatened to call the cops on me. I’ve admitted to my wrongdoing in violating her privacy and I’ve repeatedly asked her to talk about it but it always turns into a fight. We’ve been together two years and I’ve never met any of her friends or her 20-year-old son. What do you think? I’M GETTING NOTHING OUTTA RELATIONSHIP EXCEPT DRAMA
I think there’s only so much time you should waste on a person who doesn’t have time for you — to say nothing of a person who isn’t particularly kind to you and, after two years, hasn’t integrated you into her life in a meaningful way. I also think you need to ask yourself what’s more likely, IGNORED: your girlfriend — who can’t take your calls now but could take that guy’s in the middle of the night when you two were living together — is living with and working with a guy she knew before moving away or that your girlfriend is living with and working with and fucking with a guy she moved across the country to be with? I think the latter is far more likely. But even if she’s not fucking him — even if she isn’t holding on to you as a backup or doesn’t want to end things because you pay her phone bill — she doesn’t make time for you and it doesn’t sound like she’s particularly kind to when she can spare you a moment. I don’t know why she hasn’t done the right thing and ended it, IGNORED, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do the right thing for yourself and end it.
8. Charlie Brown in “Peanuts” 9. Fear of dogs 10. Flat feet
I expect many of your astute readers will have written to you about this, but here goes anyway: You described the wannafuckmath when arranging a foursome as far more complicated than the wannafuckmath when arranging a threesome. But the wannafuckmath isn’t actually very complicated. For any n-some, the Wannafuck number = n • (n-1). So for the humble twosome, it’s 2 • 1. Two! Just what you’d expect. For a threesome, it’s 6. For a foursome, it’s 12. So a foursome is wannafuckmathematically six times more complicated than a twosome but only twice as complicated as a threesome. Even the rarely seen hundredsome only has a wannafuck number of 9900: large, perhaps unachievable, but not infinite. MATH IS SEXY TODAY AND YESTERDAY
I was once in a room where at least a hundred people were having sex — in Berlin, naturally — so I have seen the elusive hundredsome with my own eyes. Or the hundred-and-then-some, I should say. (And to be clear: I was a witness, not a participant.) But unlike a threesome or a foursome, a hundredsome isn’t an arranged-in-advance/by-invitation-only affair. It’s more of a book-a-large-enough-space-and-advertise-itextensively-and-they-will-come affair. So paradoxically, hosting a by-invitation-only threesome or foursome — or even a by-invitation-only tensome — where you establish in advance that everyone is attracted to each other may be more difficult to pull off than hosting a Berlin hundredsome. mail@savagelove.net; Follow Dan on Twitter @ FakeDanSavage.; On this week’s Lovecast, Ask a Sub’s Lina Dune, and the anxious return of “Dr. Bummer.” www. savagelovecast.com
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Official sources called this election differently
