5 minute read
LIFELINE: 10 COOL THINGS TO DO IN TWO WEEKS
INTERGALACTIC SOUL Artwork by Marcus Kiser
9/22
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INTERGALACTIC SOUL OPENING CELEBRATION
Charlotte artists Marcus Kiser and Jason Woodberry created Intergalactic Soul, a look at America through the lens of Afrofuturism. Their story on a young Black astronaut has come a long way since debuting in 2014, when it showed at the McColl Center, Goodyear Arts, Spirit Square and the Gantt Center. It’s now featured in Constellation CLT, the Mint’s showcase of local artists. The opening party features a conversation with Kiser and Woodberry and a screening of the film, The Last Black Starfighter, with live accompaniment by Quentin Talley and The Soul Providers. More: Free; September 22, 5:30 p.m.; Mint Museum Uptown, 500 South Tryon St.; mintmuseum.org
‘THE BLACK GUY WHO TIPS’ Photo courtesy of Rod Morrow
9/23
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The Black Guy Who Tips is a podcast from the minds of Rod and Karen Morrow, a married, Black, Southern couple who dish on pop culture, politics and comedy. Rod and Karen have been together since they were 16 and have been married since 2002. The show has been mentioned in The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, WaPo, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg.com, Vox.com, BET.com, and Ebony.com. But surely their most meaningful media mention came when they were named Best Local Podcast in Queen City Nerve’s 2020 Best in the Nest. Surely. More: $15 and up; September 23, 7:30 p.m.; Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org Curated by Forever Homes Co., which engages communities of animal advocates through creative retail and educational experiences for the modern pet lover, the Pet Pop Up Summit was launched to support local resources and small pet businesses. The day-long event features an adoption fair, a retail market of pet business vendors, and informational sessions for fosters, pet owners and small pet businesses. Speaker sessions will focus on how animal lovers can support the pets in their lives, featuring local pet-business leaders, pet influencers and animal rescues. More: $15; September 25, 10 a.m.; Camp North End; 300 Camp Rd.; camp.nc/events
NIITO, AARIK
“The more genres we can absorb ... the more people we can spread love to.” Raleigh-Durham-based alt R&B-soul-rock fusion band NiiTO write that they’ve “spent the last few years crafting a unique sound while becoming more in tune with themselves and the people of this world.” We’re not sure if that means they walked the earth like reformed hitman Jules in Pulp Fiction — or for that matter, Caine in Kung Fu — but with heavy influences from a variety of genres, NiiTO’s sound blurs the lines between R&B, rock, pop, soul, funk, jazz, blues and more. More: $10-$12; September 25, 10:30 p.m.; Evening Muse; 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com
PETROV, HOUSE & HOME, SUNTITLE, WOAH
In January, we wrote that “indie-rock powerhouse Petrov pairs careening post-punk guitars and soaring pop melodies with a passion and professionalism on par with established national acts.” The Charlotte five-piece won Queen City Nerve’s Best in the Nest 2020 award for best pop-punk band. Add Riot Grrrl-inspired frontwoman and lyricist Mary Grace McKusick’s uncanny ability to unlock multiple emotions with haunting imagery and scalpel-sharp phrasing, and you have quite the rock show. More: $8; September 29, 8 p.m.; The Milestone; 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club
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MEGA RAN
Fresh o The Phoenix Suns’ historic NBA playo run, and after 18 months without touring, former teacher and basketball coach Mega Ran poured his passion for hoops into a new album, Live 95, named after the popular sports-themed video game NBA Live ’95. The collection is due out Oct. 22, to coincide with the start of the NBA’s 75th season. (Did we mention that this guy is a big hoops fan?). The album combines autobiographical narratives such as “1995,” hard-hitting messages on social justice like those found on “Craig Hodges,” and playful love jams like “Tractor Beam.” More: $18; September 30, 7 p.m.; Amos’ Southend; 1423 S. Tryon St.; amossouthend.com
TRIBUTE TO JAZZ PIANO LEGENDS
The world would be poorer without pianists like Bill Evans, who fused hard bop with classical music; Art Tatum, who pioneered a amboyant style that melded stride and swing; or North Carolina-born genius Thelonious Monk who went beyond the known musical universe with angular melodies and dissonant cluster chords. These masters may or may not be on the bill when the Ziad Jazz Quartet (pianist Lovell Bradford, saxophonist Ziad Rabie, drummer Kobie Watkins and bass player Ron Brendle) explores the great jazz pianists — but they should be. More: $20; October 1, 6 p.m., 8:15 p.m.; The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; 420 S. Tryon St.; bechtler.org
FAMILY FIRST: POETRY WRITING AND PERFORMANCE
All of Charlotte should know Boris “Bluz” Rogers, director of creative engagement at Blumenthal, three-time Emmy-winning poet, 2010 Southern Fried Poetry Slam grand champ and coach of the threetime National Poetry slam championship team Slam Charlotte is committed to stretching the boundaries of poetry. Need more proof? For this program, Rogers leads students on a step-by-step creative writing journey during which they’ll craft and perform a poem using techniques acquired in the class. More: $10; October 2, noon; Gantt Center; 551 S Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org
BOLDY JAMES, JAH MONTE
There’s a reason music criticism site Pitchfork has earned the soubriquet “Bitchfork.” It’s because their hipper-than-thou writers like to complain. However, their coverage of Detroit rapper Boldy James is positively ecstatic. “[James] and … famed producer [Alchemist] rejoin … for a spare, melancholy and psychedelic album, solidifying their partnership as one of the most rewarding team-ups in hip-hop,” runs their rave of Boldy James/The Alchemist. With lean, almost stoic storytelling that enfolds a well of empathy, Boldy James is one of the nest rappers working today. Take it from Bitchfork. More: $18; October 4, 10 pm; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com
MEGA RAN Promo Photo
9/30
FRI & SAT10_01 & 10_02
BOB SAGET
We admit we relegated Saget to the ‘nice but lame’ scrapheap after he appeared in two of the most family-friendly shows network TV has ever produced: Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos. Then we saw his hilariously perverse take on a long-running dirty joke in the 2005 documentary The Aristocrats. And that’s how some of us learned Saget is also an out-of-his-mind, Grammy-nominated standup comedian for over 30 years. From his HBO special That Ain’t Right to his scene-stealing cameos in Entourage, Saget’s comedy is always compelling when he embraces his dark side. More: $30-$40; October 1-2, 7 p.m. & 9:45 p.m. both nights; The Comedy Zone, 900 NC Music Factory Blvd.; cltcomedyzone.com
