Queen City Nerve - December 29, 2021

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3; DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 11, 2022; WWW.QCNERVE.COM

HELLO, 2022!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEWS&OPINION 4 HELLO, 2022!

The masked & vaxxed guide to New Year’s Eve

ARTS&CULTURE

Don’t JUST Recycle,

Recycle

right!

ONLY RECYCLE THESE SIX ITEMS

6 SALVAGING HEDWIG BY NIKOLAI MATHER An incessant conversation about the ‘Angry Inch’ 8 LIFELINE: 10 COOL THINGS TO DO IN TWO WEEKS

MUSIC

9 SOUNDWAVE 10 SOUND OF METTLE BY PAT MORAN

Nelly Kate continues to create despite ongoing hearing loss

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FOOD&DRINK

12 THE NEW GOAT IN TOWN BY TAYLOR MCKENZIE GERLACH The Giddy Goat owners cultivate community in Plaza Midwood

LIFESTYLE

13 PUZZLES 14 THE SEEKER BY KATIE GRANT 14 HOROSCOPE 15 SAVAGE LOVE

No Plastic Bags

THE BEST NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY IN CHARLOTTE

This is just what Coyote Joe’s calls their NYE party every year. We don’t necessarily endorse or disagree with the claim, but what we can tell you is there are $1,800 in prizes, party favors, a champagne toast and Out of the Blue onstage.

More: $12, Dec. 31, 7 p.m.; Coyote Joe’s, 4621 As we were creating this year’s guide to New Year’s Eve happenings in Charlotte (and a few in the surrounding areas), it did not escape us that the Omicron variant has continued Wilkinson Blvd.; coyote-joes.com

A MASKED AND VAXXED AFFAIR

to spread across the county and our city at alarming rates. Be aware that, while the vaccine does offer protection from serious illness, it does not prevent you from contracting and spreading COVID-19. Please get tested as regularly as possible and practice caution before, during and after any events you may or may not attend to celebrate the new year.

NEW YEAR’S EVE PREGAME Kick 2021 to the curb with $3 beers and live music from Nathan C. Davis.

More: Free; Dec. 31, 1 p.m.; Lenny Boy Brewing Co., 3000 S. Tryon St.; discoverlennyboy.com NEW YEAR’S EVE AT WINTERFEST All the festivities offered at Carowinds Winterfest, but also throw in multiple countdowns through the night and a main countdown at midnight with fireworks. Also, performances by Harvey Cummings and The Soul Psychedelique Orchestra More: $32 and up; Dec. 31, 5 p.m.; Carowinds, 14523 Carowinds Blvd.; carowinds.com

NEW YEAR’S EVE TRAIL RACE Set a resolution, turn on your headlamps, and kick off 2022 by racing through the woods for a 10K or a 5K. More: $35-$45; Dec. 31, 6 p.m. (10K) or 11:45 p.m. (5K); U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy.; whitewater.org CRAWL ‘TIL THE BALL FALLS Check in at The Local on East 5th Street, bring your wristband and follow all your fellow drunks for great drink specials throughout Uptown. Sheeple.

More: $20-$60; Dec. 31, 6 p.m.; The Local, 105 E. 5th St.; tinyurl.com/CrawlNYE

New Years Eve Studio 54 Dance Party

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422 East 22nd Street

We bring the disco ball..

You bring your inner

Travolta!

Dress To Impress!

Dec 31st 8pm

DJ Flock of Slagles

21+ Up @Starlighton22nd FREE Parking in our lot

Champagne Toast at Midnight!

NODA NEW YEAR W/ SWIM IN THE WILD Hosted by Nige Hood, this yearly show will feature live performances by Swim in the Wild, The New Creatures, David Taylor and the Tallboys, Wag, and Falllift More: $10-$15, Dec. 31, 6 p.m.; JackBeagles, 3213 N. Davidson St.; tinyurl.com/NoDaNYE ON THE BORDER - THE ULTIMATE EAGLES TRIBUTE Spend New Year’s Eve with an Eagles cover band.

Champagne toast at midnight followed by a breakfast buffet.

More: $50; Dec. 31, 6 p.m.; Hickory Tavern Ballantyne, 12210 Copper Way; tinyurl.com/ EaglesNYE

NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION WITH MELINDA DOOLITTLE

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra presents an evening of music featuring American Idol finalist and soulstirring songstress Melinda Doolittle. This onenight-only performance features soulful melodies from artists like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner paired with traditional Strauss waltzes, celebratory tangos and more — all capped by the traditional “Auld Lang Syne” to end the evening.

More: $29 and up; Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.; Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/BelkNYE

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE ROXBURY

Charlotte’s ’80s and ’90s club offers up party favors, a champagne toast, and a retro arcade spread out over two floors with room for dancing.

DRINK THROUGH THE DECADES More: $30; Dec. 31, 8 p.m.; Roxbury Nightclub, 116 AT BILLY SUNDAY W. 5th St.; roxburynightclub.com A welcome cocktail and hors d’oeuvres kick off the evening, followed by a seated cocktail experience NEW YEAR’S EVE GLITTERATI featuring cocktails from the 1920s, 1950s, 1970s, 1990s, 2000s and the future, each paired with food BALL & MASQUERADE Formal/cocktail/festive attire is encouraged for this popular in that decade.

More: $125; Dec. 31, 6:30 p.m.; Billy Sunday, 1115 neighborhood party, with a traditional champagne toast at midnight.

N. Brevard St.; tinyurl.com/BillySundayNYE More: Free; Dec. 31, 8 p.m.; NoDa Company Store, 3221 Yadkin Ave.; tinyurl.com/CoStoreNYE SIPPIN’ SANTA AT THE ROYAL TOT The Royal Tot wraps up its Sippin’ Santa holiday popup by saying Bon Voyage to 2022 with rum in hand.

There will also be a live DJ and a complimentary champagne toast.

More: Free, reservation required; Dec. 31, seatings at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. & 11 p.m.; The Royal Tot, 933 Louise Ave.; theroyaltot.com A SWINGIN’ NEW YEAR’S EVE Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Joe Gransden performs with his quintet featuring the soulful sounds of Robyn Springer. Gransden will perform hits from the Great American Songbook along with some classic standards by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and more.

More: $48-$60; Dec. 31, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.; Middle C Jazz, 300 S. Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com

THE MILESTONE NEW YEAR’S EVE

Let’s get experimental in the new year, with performances from Andy the Doorbum, Lofidels, Patois Counselors, and Bog Loaf.

More: $5; Dec. 31 8 p.m.; The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club

STUDIO 54 PARTY

They bring the disco ball. You bring your inner Travolta. Champagne toast at midnight.

More: Free; Dec. 31, 8 p.m.; Starlight on 22nd, 422 E. 22nd St.; starlighton22nd.com

RING IN THE NEW YEAR 8K

JUST FINE: MJB TRIBUTE BAND NYE CONCERT

The Rock Hill Striders host this annual trail race highlighting some of the best paths at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill.

Registrants will receive their pick of a bell, while awards will be given to overall and age group winners.

More: Free; Jan. 1, pick up at 9 a.m. and race at 10 a.m.; Rush Pavilion at the Anne Springs Close Greenway, 2573 Lake Haigler Drive, Fort Mill; tinyurl.com/ AnneSprings8K

Just Fine - The Ultimate Mary J. Blige Tribute Band will highlight hits such as “Real Love” and “My Life” just to name a few. Led by drummer Rashad King and vocalist Tre’ Jae, this 7-piece band’s groove and sound provides you with the amazing throwback memories as well as more recent feel-good vibes from a musical icon.

More: $35-$50; Dec. 31, 8 p.m.; Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/MJBNYE

‘HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH’ NYE PARTY

America’s Got Talent’s Delighted Tobehere will join the New Year’s opener as Actor’s Theatre brings back this fan favorite for the fifth time. A story of love, loss, lust and lies. Genderqueer rocker, Hedwig, sets the record straight to a pulsing rock score as she shares her quest for love, her other half, and ultimately, her identity.

More: $70-$85; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; Hadley Theatre, 2132 Radcliffe Ave.; atcharlotte.org

A LOUNGE NEW YEAR’S EVE

DNG NEW YEAR’S BASH

Live jazz music and variety performances by Queen Charlotte’s Shimmy Show, ending with a ball drop and a champagne toast.

NEW YEAR’S EVE SNEAKER More: $10; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; Petty Thieves Brewing BALL Co., 413 Dalton Ave.; pettythievesbrewing.com Yelp Elite Chick hosts this exclusive event at Home of the ’90s Museum in Concord. Show up dressed to impress, in A BLACK TIE AFFAIR suits, tuxes, dresses, and gowns paired with your flyest Your friendly neighborhood gay bar will hold sneakers. Champagne toast at midnight, live music, and midnight balloon drops at all three bars and a heavy hors d’oeuvres are also included. champagne toast, while DJ Gary Hudgens spins old More: $50-$100; Dec. 31, 10 p.m.; Home of the school and DJ SPINN plays house and hip-hop. ’90s Museum, 404 Winecoff School Road, Concord; More: $10; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; The Woodshed Bar, 3935 tinyurl.com/SneakerNYE Queen City Drive; thewoodshedbar.com

FAREWELL 2021

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DJ Bro-Rabb, aka Mr. Lawd Have Mercy, official tour DJ for Kid ‘N’ Play, will spin at the remodeled Vibrations Night Lounge.

More: $30-$100; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; Vibrations Night Lounge, 5237 Albemarle Road; farewell2021. eventbrite.com

DRUM & BASS NEW YEAR’S

THE DAYS AFTER THE EVE

Tickets include unlimited premium drinks, heavy hors d’oeuvres, music by DJ Rocksee, a professional 6TH ANNUAL NEW YEAR’S DAY photo booth, party favors and more.

More: $85; Dec. 31, 9 p.m., Dilworth Neighborhood PARTY Cure your hangover with a fully stocked bagel bar, Grille, 911 E. Morehead St.; tinyurl.com/DNGNYE locally roasted coffee from Central Coffee, Bloody beers made with Zing Zang and Birdsong’s Jalapeno CONFETTI REIGN NEW YEAR’S Pale Ale, and prosecco mimosas.

EVE SNEAKER GALA More: Free, donation to Second Harvest Food Bank Can’t find much of a description about this event but Metrolina suggested; Jan. 1, 10 a.m.; Birdsong we imagine you should wear sneakers and expect to Brewing Co., 1016 N. Davidson St.; tinyurl.com/ get confetti on them.

BirdsongNYD More: $32-$62; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; The Underground, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

POSE | NYE

Tickets include entry into Kapture Selfie Museum with seven unique photo-op stations along with one hour of open bar, a complimentary champagne toast, a midnight balloon drop, cash and prizes, dance floor, party favors, top Charlotte DJs, latenight bites, a fully stocked bar with a curated cocktail menu and paparazzi capturing all the moments.

More: $50 and up; Dec. 31, 10 p.m.; Kapture CLT, 2400 Dunavant St.; tinyurl.com/PoseNYE

DJ Odi, XIST and Shy Guy spin you into the new year DEEP FRIED DISCO at Crown Station.

Dance into the new year with vibes from That Guy More: $20-$30; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; Crown Station, Smitty, Probably Will, VonFunkHauser and DJ Ray. 3629 N. Davidson St.; tinyurl.com/DrumBassNYE Get your tintype portrait taken by Jeff Howlett.

More: $10; Dec. 31, 10 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

HAIR OF THE DOG PAWTY

Shake off that hangover with cocktails, football and puppies, plus a bunch of local brewery giveaways.

More: Free; Jan. 1, noon; Lucky Dog Bark & Brew, 2220 Thrift Road; luckydogbarkandbrew.com

NEW YEAR’S PLOGGING

So what is plogging? Picking up litter while jogging, obviously. NoDa Run Club will supply everything you need to help beautify local neighborhoods and start your year off feeling nice and plogged.

More: Free; Jan. 2, noon; NoDa Brewing Co., 2921 N. Davidson St.; tinyurl.com/NoDaPlog

EXPERIENCE ALL THE THINGS IN NODA

HERE’S TO A NEW YEAR FULL OF POSSIBILITIES! INSTA: @theartisanspalate FB: @theartisanspalateclt

COCKTAILS TAPAS ART GALLERY

ARTS FEATURE

SALVAGING HEDWIG

An incessant conversation about the ‘Angry Inch’

BY NIKOLAI MATHER

On Dec. 31, the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte (ATC) will ring in the new year with a return to Hadley Theatre, which has served as its home on the Queens University campus since 2017, but was forced to shut down as the pandemic clamped in March 2020.

After months of shutdowns and creative outdoor productions, ATC will presenting its first indoor show since COVID-19 hit: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring local actor and comedian Ryan Stamey as Hedwig. The production will kickoff with a New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31 followed by a Jan. 5-22 run.

Launched off Broadway in 1998, Hedwig follows the titular character as she chases love and superstardom in the United States. But COVID-19 isn’t the only issue the company must adapt to for this production. More than two decades after the musical’s premiere, ATC must now reckon with the production’s more problematic aspects.

Hedwig has long faced scrutiny for its depiction of transition and gender identity, but the questions have grown more urgent in this time, as trans rights and issues have become more openly discussed; and in this place, as North Carolina has infamously been home to HB2 and now Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who regularly spouts hate speech about the LGBTQ community from whatever pulpit he can find.

I recently sat down with Stamey and executive director Chip Decker to discuss Hedwig and ATC’s approach to this latest production.

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An introduction to the ‘Angry Inch’

Stamey didn’t get acquainted with Hedwig and the Angry Inch until college, but once he did, he knew that he had found his “dream role,” he explained.

“It was around the time that I was coming out [as gay] to my friends and my family,” he told me. “[Hedwig] was just a taste of this alternative, queer culture. I was totally enamored with … the ‘genderfuck’ aspect of the whole production.”

It’s easy to understand why Hedwig and the Angry Inch is so beloved. The musical’s star is Hedwig, an East German-born punk rocker. Against

As for his view of the show’s overall message, a backdrop of 1970s glam rock and the Cold War, Hedwig tells her life story, including how she came ATC’s Decker told me, “This is a show about a to have the “angry inch” – the genitalia she was left transgendered [sic] individual whose transition with after being coerced into a back-alley bottom goes horribly wrong.”

Other people have other ideas about who Hedwig surgery.

There are endless obstacles, many of which hinge is. What’s more, the people adapting Mitchell’s musical on her status as a gender outcast. Nevertheless, she — cast, crew and executives — are by and large is brilliant, bold and unabashedly queer to the very cisgender. And for the better part of the past two decades, the safety and dignity of transfeminine people end.

As trans media representation has scaled up into has not figured as a major concern in the industry. the topic du jour, a lot of former fans have adopted a more critical view of the musical’s issues; and there are several.

For one, Hedwig’s story is fraught with transphobic tropes.

She begins as a “little slip of a girlyboy” who is then coerced into a sex change by her fiance and mother.

When she lands in the United States, she ends up in the tabloids for — among other things — pursuing an intimate relationship with a teenager. These plot points play into two contrived talking points about trans people: that young people are forced HEDWIG IN A PAST PRODUCTION FROM ACTOR’S THEATRE OF CHARLOTTE. into transitions and PHOTO COURTESY OF ATC that trans women Over the years, what limited nuance there are sexual predators.

For what it’s worth, playwright and creator was for Hedwig has all but faded into a morass of John Cameron Mitchell has gone to great lengths transmisogyny. At a certain point, you come to and to distance Hedwig from transness. In a 2019 you realize you are watching a man in a wig chasing interview with Advocate.com, he said Hedwig is not a 17-year-old boy. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so transgender because she was “mutilated and forced genderfuck anymore.

Throughout our interview, Stamey into a gender assignment against her will.”

Mitchell has stated many times over the show’s acknowledged the stickier parts of the source history that the theme is less about gender identity material, but seemed optimistic about the company’s ability to make it more inclusive. and more about finding oneself.

“I hope people come to the show with an I don’t doubt his authorial intent, but the runaway success of Hedwig means that he no longer open mind and an open heart,” he said. “If they has complete creative control over the characters. have questions, I hope they’re not afraid to ask

them. That’s how dialogues begin, that’s how conversations begin … and if anything comes out of the show, that is what I hope for.”

Conversation, not controversy

Part of ATC’s mission is to connect with the audience beyond the traditional bounds of the stage.

One way it does this is through what it calls “talkbacks,” in which the team follows up on a show by hosting a panel discussion featuring experts, activists and other important figures involved in themes that run through a given production.

Through this practice, which ATC began in 2005, Decker believes audience members are able to come to a better appreciation of the productions.

“This is an opportunity and a safe space to have these conversations that lead to a better understanding of ourselves,” he said.

This will be the first time the company has done a talkback for Hedwig. Typically, the practice isn’t done with musicals, but in light of the musical’s issues, ATC felt it was appropriate.

Hedwig talkbacks will include staff and volunteers with Time Out Youth and Transparent, two organizations in Charlotte supporting young trans people and their families.

The hope is that extending the discussion beyond the script will push people to learn more about gender. “[These talkbacks are] basically geared toward starting conversations about things that people just don’t feel comfortable talking about,” Decker says.

For the first read-through of the script, Decker invited a transgender person to speak about their experiences and answer questions the cast had.

There are no transgender members of the production team — only cisgender and gendernonforming, according to Decker – but he does think the outreach efforts will make for a better experience.

“One of the things I tell my staff a lot is, ‘There’s no good in doing controversial theatre. We do conversational theatre,’” he said. “Controversy shuts people down, conversation lets people have a safe space to talk.”

Crucially, ATC decided to stick with one particularly controversial aspect of the play: the casting of Hedwig as a cis man.

This choice conflicts with contemporary modes of trans representation in pop culture; the practice of casting cis actors in trans roles has become taboo in Hollywood and elsewhere.

In 2020, the casting of a cisgender actor in a trans

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ARTS FEATURE role for a British theatrical production of Breakfast on Pluto led to an uproar, followed in May 2021 by the signing of the Trans Casting Statement, in which more than forty major UK theatre production companies pledged to “never cast, or endorse a production that casts, a cisgender person in a trans, nonbinary or [gender-nonconforming] role.”

When asked about ATC’s choice, Decker was unsure.

“You know, that’s a great question. Everybody that I’ve seen [play Hedwig] … they identify as gay cis male, from all of our productions to the Broadway original and the revival. That’s a great question. I don’t know. It comes down to who comes into the audition room.”

When asked why trans people don’t come into the audition room, he responded, “We’re still, it’s — I don’t know. You’d have to talk to someone who is transgender, I think.”

Stamey was more thorough in his response.

“The way [the show] has been interpreted by a lot of directors is that Hedwig is a young gay boy who was forced into a sex change,” he said. “None of the previous productions we ever did — at least at Actor’s Theatre — was there any mention of Hedwig being nonbinary or transgender or anything like that whatsoever.”

Stamey said he has his own understanding of Hedwig — one that places her squarely among other gender-nonconforming people.

“For Hedwig to agree to go through with this sex change operation, this reassignment surgery — that’s not something you would do lightly. I was like, ‘I just don’t see someone jumping into that.’ So I interpret it as maybe [being trans] was always a part of Hedwig anyway.”

Above all, he said he hopes people recognize that Hedwig is a product of its time. Though it faced scrutiny for these same issues in the ’90s, Stamey points out that those critiques were not as widely recognized as they are today.

“There’s so many movies and TV shows that we go back and watch nowadays, and we realize, like, that was problematic,” he says. “I think presenting the show in its setting in the ’90s helps that …

[Hedwig] needs to be presented as a period piece, because some of the things in it are problematic.”

When I asked him if, years later, he would look back on his performance — a cisgender man as the genderfuck — as problematic, Stamey paused.

“I — hmm. I’ve wondered.”

We both broke out into nervous laughter.

Salvaging ‘Hedwig’

What can be done to salvage a story like Hedwig and the Angry Inch?

Initially, I didn’t want to write this preview because it meant answering that question, and in order to do so, you have to argue that Hedwig is in need of salvaging in the first place.

To me, the prospect of asking cis people what they thought about the musical’s forays into transmisogyny was bleaker than bleak, which is why I was surprised to learn that the folks at ATC didn’t need convincing.

To a degree, they already understood how flawed the source material was.

That is why I find this musical so frustrating. I don’t think that ATC is insincere about trying to tell trans stories the right way. What it is is stuck – stuck in this incessant conversation about making theatre a safe space, as if an exhibition of cis people pantomiming our struggle can ever be anything but violent.

No amount of listening and learning can change that.

But I think that has dawned on ATC as well. I followed up with Decker over email, asking how conversation would rectify Hedwig’s problems.

“I am not sure we can ever rectify all (or maybe even any) issues,” he responded. “But we can take steps to listen, involve the correct people, and produce with open hearts and empathy, and hopefully we sow some seeds of compassion that lead to change.”

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a musical theatre phenomenon, which is precisely why its issues cannot be transcended.

In an industry dominated by tonys and Tonys, even the most radical stories performed by the most independent companies are mediated by white cis men and their interests.

And for all its punk bravado, Hedwig wasn’t really that radical to begin with. It is cis people telling other cis people what it means to be transgender.

The safe space ATC is building isn’t for trans people; it’s for cis people to ask questions about us. Maybe the ensuing discussion will open some minds, or maybe watching a man in a wig sing “Wicked Little Town” will just be fodder for the local TERFs. All I know is as we barrel into another year of political, social and literal attacks on trans liberation, this trans author finds himself unwilling to join that conversation.

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE: KWANZAA

ALTHEA RENE

Patterned on African harvest festivals, Kwanzaa takes its name from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits.” The holiday, which runs from Dec. 26–Jan. 1, was launched

by American Black activist and teacher Maulana Karenga in 1966. Karenga centered the holiday on seven principles. The Gantt’s celebration focuses on the fourth, Ujamaa (cooperative economics), with a candle-making workshop hosted by Happy Kat Candles, an African-inspired dance class with Jermaine Nakia Lee, and a session about Kwanzaa’s history with Kwanzaa Charlotte. A local artisan fair features hand-crafted items for sale.

More: Free; Dec. 29, 6 p.m.; Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY: CIRQUE DE NOEL

The circus meets the symphony to celebrate the holidays. The death- and gravity-defying feats of derring-do performed by Cirque De Noel’s aerialists, gymnasts, jugglers and strongmen will be matched by the musical acrobatics performed by the Charlotte Symphony. Past Cirque and symphony match-ups have featured mimes, contortionists, dancers and a hand-balancing act, complemented

by Alan Silvestri’s Suite from “The Polar Express,” the Troika from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Lt. Kije Suite,” and Duke Ellington’s take on “The Nutcracker Suite.” The show retrofits holiday favorites while staying true to the spirit of the season.

More: $19 and up; Dec. 29 & 30, 7:30 p.m.; Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

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ANDY THE DOORBUM, PATOIS COUNSELORS, LOFIDELS, BOG LOAF

Singing in a gruff baritone pitched midway between hardscrabble folk and Gregorian chant, Andy Fenstermaker, better known as singer/songwriter and performance artist Andy the Doorbum, spins modern-day myths into tunes that sound as ancient and mysterious as Merlin’s incantations.

His performance art incorporates costumes and personae both strange and surreal — a hooded magician on a darkened stage singing a nicotineravaged folk song or a towering creature of the forest, bedecked in a horned headdress, casting a shadow like an ancient glowering god. Think of it as an anti-NYE celebration.

More: $5; Dec. 31, 9 p.m.; The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club

A jazz-influenced flutist and band leader with an affinity for funk, R&B and soul, Detroit native Althea Rene has crafted a bold, improvisational style. The daughter of original funk brother Dezie McCullers, Rene also worked for 11 years as a Wayne County deputy sheriff. During that time, she honed her musical chops at local clubs. Riding the crest of two irresistible singles, “Sunday Cruise” and “Free,” her 2013 album In the Flow topped Billboard’s smooth jazz chart. In 2018 she penned Becoming Chocolate Barbie: A Guide for Professional Women in the Music Business.

More: $28-$40; Jan. 8, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.; Middle C Jazz, 300 S Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com PAINT FUMES

PHAZE GAWD, YES CHEF!, JOE SIG

Anthony Potts, who performs as inventive, versatile rapper Phaze Gawd, keeps going from strength to strength. His astounding debut EP GAWD featured the infectious yet eerie anthem “Billy Grams,” which spawned an equally ebullient and schizophrenic video that won Best Male Hip-Hop Music Video at the 2017 Carolina Music Video Awards. His 2020 album AyoPhazoGo! upped the ante with bursts of high energy counterbalanced with melodic bliss. His recent single “Energy” boasts a slippery shapeshifting chorus where “You lack energy, you lack energy,” morphs almost imperceptibly into “That black energy.”

More: $5; Jan. 5, 10 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

PAINT FUMES, DROPSONIC, TONGUES OF FIRE

No one would have predicted that Charlotte’s fastest, most furious band would still be alive and kicking, yet here we are. Despite years of accrued sophistication and instrumental chops, Paint Fumes still revel in their sub-humble beginnings as musicians-in-residence at the QC’s aptly christened Sewercide Mansion. With sonic forebears including the bluesy swamp punk of Gun Club mixed with the snotty garage riffs of The Seeds, Paint Fumes maintain the brain-rewired-after-serious-headtrauma esthetic of ’60s idiot savants The Fugs. Not “ragged but right” so much as “wrong on so many levels,” this noise-rock trio continues to kick out the jams, far from running on fumes.

More: $10; Jan. 7, 10 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

COURTESY OF SLOVENLY RECORDS

JAZZ AT THE BECHTLER: POST HOLIDAY BLUES

Missing friends and family after the festivities or feeling left out in the cold? To counter the seasonalaffective gloom, the Ziad Jazz Quartet performs their annual post-holiday blues concert, highlighting tunes that reflect the many shades of blues. The high-caliber combo revolves around drummer Kobie Watkins, who has played with Sonny Rollins, Arturo Sandoval and more; and guitarist Andre Ferreri, who combines the energy of rock with improvisational jazz. Saxophonist Ziad Rabie, bassist Anna Stadlman and pianists Mark Stallings, Phillip Howe and Sean Higgins round out the crew.

More: $16-$20; Jan. 7, 6 p.m. & 8:15 p.m.; Bechtler Museum, 420 S. Tryon St.; bechtler.org

FAMILY FIRST: R&B TECH

Soulful R&B artist, songwriter, studio owner and educator Jason Jet conducts a workshop open to all backgrounds and experience levels, blending songwriting, sound, and composition. Under the GrindHaus Studios founder’s tutelage, budding songwriters and producers will gain first-hand experience in song structure and composition. By the end of the workshop attendees will have crafted a verse and chorus to their own R&B ballad, which will then be recorded by Jet using software he uses on his own tracks. The collaborative experience encourages community, drawing on GrindHaus’ motto: “Grind together. Grind better.”

More: $10; Jan. 8, noon; Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

ALAN STONE

A self-described “hippie with soul,” Alan Stone has only made minor tweaks in his sound since his self-titled debut album cracked the Top 40 of Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart in 2011.

That accomplishment was all the more remarkable because Stone crafted ridiculously engaging tunes by remaining resolutely rooted in the past. His grainy, unvarnished vocals and uplifting gospelrooted melodies draw on the vintage soul and R&B of Al Green, Bill Withers and George Clinton, with a soupcon of Prince thrown into the mix. His latest album, 2021’s APART, features acoustic versions of his past triumphs.

More: $25; Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m.; The Underground, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

TUNES AND TOMES

This virtual book club for musicians and music lovers meets via Zoom. January’s title is Jennifer Egan’s 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit From The Goon Squad. The book is comprised of 13 interrelated stories told in an array of styles ranging from tragedy to satire to PowerPoint, in which a large set of characters interact with aging punk rocker and record company executive Bennie Salazar and his assistant, Sasha. The reader uncovers the characters’ pasts in vignettes that touch on Sasha’s experience as a teenage runaway and Bennie’s encounters with an unreliable mentor.

More: Free; Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m.; online; cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events

MUSIC

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC

Grime Night: Deucez (SERJ)

Electric Mayhem Presents Donald Glaude (Crown Station)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL

Terence Young (Middle C Jazz)

Althea Rene (Middle C Jazz)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

MONDAY, JANUARY 10

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Self Made Monsters w/ AM/FM’s (Snug Harbor)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30 POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Liquid Stranger presents WAKAAN Takeover (Fillmore) Girls Rule Takeover Thursday feat. Slaya Jade, Honey Bear, Jazmin, Bunnicula, Hexistential (SERJ)

OPEN MIC Open Mic Night w/ hosts Chase & Sug (Tommy’s Pub)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Andy the Doorbum w/ Patois Counselors, Lofidels, Bog Loaf (The Milestone)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Charlie Wilson (Ovens Auditorium) Just Fine: MJB Tribute Band (Booth Playhouse)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony presents Melinda Doolittle (Belk Theater) A Swingin’ New Year’s Eve feat. Joe Grandsen w/ Robyn Springer (Middle C Jazz)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Out of the Blue (Coyote Joe’s) The Local Boys Bluegrass Band (Smokey Joe’s)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC Kris Atom (Primal Brewery)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

Drum & Bass New Year w/ DJ Odi (Crown Station) Liquid Stranger presents WAKAAN Takeover (Fillmore) Shadow Play: ’80s/’90s underground dance party (Petra’s) ZEKE BEATS, Parrotice, MUZ, ScaryPoppins B2B MOWGLiBEATZ (SERJ) Deep Fried Disco feat. ThatGuySmitty, VonFunkHauser, Probably Will, DJ Ray (Snug Harbor)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2 POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)

BLUES/FUNK/JAM BANDS

Red Dress Amy w/ A Mighty Fine Blues Jam (Neighborhood Theatre)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Kevin Goodwin w/ The Abbey Elmore Band, Aaron Chance Wilson (The Milestone)

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ROCK/PUNK/METAL

My Blue Hope w/ Anchor Detail, Solemn Shape, IIOIOIOII (The Milestone)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ Dream Plaza presents Industrial Park (Skylark Social Club)

LATIN/WORLD Furia Tropikal (Middle C Jazz)

(Tommy’s Pub)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Bleedseason w/ Softspoken, Counter/Action, Duckbeak (The Milestone)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11 HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Allen Stone (The Underground)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC

Rockie Lynn (Neighborhood Theatre)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC Mando Saenz w/ Derik Hultquist (Evening Muse)

Ondas Do Brasil (Petra’s) VISIT QCNERVE.COM FOR THE FULL SOUNDWAVE LISTING.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3 OPEN MIC

Find Your Muse Open Mic (Evening Muse)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL The Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Monochromatic Black w/ Resistor (Skylark Social Club)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

JANUARY 2 0 2 2

Phaze Gawd w/ Yes Chef!, Joe Sig (Snug Harbor)

OPEN MIC Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 6 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Tan Universe w/ Tombstone Poetry, Bluestone Motel, Ink Swell (The Milestone)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL

Throwback Thursday w/ The Legendary Black & Blue Experience (Middle C Jazz)

OPEN MIC Open Mic Night w/ hosts Chase & Sug (Tommy’s Pub)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1

Future Crib w/ Dinner Time (Evening Muse) Pat and the Pissers w/ School Drugs, Nerve Endings, Mutant Strain, Telepathetics (The Milestone) Cuzco w/ Whistler, Knowne Ghost (Petra’s) Møtrik w/ Jenny Besetzt, Quad (Snug Harbor) Occult Fracture w/ No Anger Control, Soda City Riot

Infant Island w/ .GIF from God, To Forget (The Milestone) Leaving for Arizona w/ Condado, Dovecage, Seven Day Haze (Skylark Social Club) Paint Fumes w/ Dropsonic, Tongues of Fire (Snug Harbor) Julian and the Dream Makers (Tommy’s Pub)

M O N , JA N UA RY 3

S A T, J A N U A R Y 8

FIND YOUR MUSE MANDO SAENZ OPEN MIC & DERIK HULTQUIST W E D , JA N UA RY 5 FUTURE CRIB TOSCO MUSIC & DINNER TIME OPEN MIC M O N , JA N UA RY 1 0 F R I , JA N UA RY 7 FIND YOUR MUSE CHRIS TIMBERS OPEN MIC

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Jon Langston (Coyote Joe’s)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC Chris Timbers (Evening Muse)

eveningmuse.com

3 3 2 7 n d av i d s o n s t, c h a r l o t t e n c

MUSIC FEATURE

musician all her life and working as a sound artist for a decade, Kate was told she was suffering from hearing loss.

Kate, who prefers to discuss her condition as a change in hearing, says her current compositions are a good fit for Sisters with Transistors, a film about women embracing liberating technologies.

Nelly Kate continues to After all, she says, she’s turned to electronic create despite ongoing music as “a means for exploring inaudible sounds, hearing loss vibrations [and] visualization of sonic phenomena, to earnestly attempt to create more accessible installations of sound and video work

BY PAT MORAN In “I Can Hear You But I Can’t Hear You,” for differently-abled audiences.” electronic composer Nelly Kate’s collaborative installation with artist Madelaine Corbin, the pair A lifetime of music challenges our relationship with vibrations all Interested in music for as long around us, some of which we translate as “sound.” as she can remember, Kate started For the exhibit, launched in February, Kate created playing piano in Portsmouth, Virginia, a geometric notation for sounds and spelled out the where she studied as a toddler under installation’s titular phrase with those shapes. Then the Suzuki method, a discipline that she deliberately and randomly fucked it all up. creates an environment for learning “Every single time [before] I ran a print through music that parallels the linguistic a blueprint machine, I would shake those shapes in environment of learning language. this pouch I’d made, and it would discombobulate After moving with her family to [the text], so that each print had a different array Charlotte at age 5, Kate continued her of the very same text,” Kate says. Blueprints of lessons with a teacher who insisted these discombobulated phrases surrounded a that Kate learn to sight-read music. chair created by the two women. “[The chair] had Kate rebelled. She quit lessons but speakers built into it and it would vibrate. We were continued to play piano and also trying to make it so that when you moved your body, picked up guitar. it would trigger these vibrations.”

Then she acquired an old Casio This way, Kate and Corbin repurposed vibrations keyboard. It marked a big shift for the into healing. budding musician.

Kate will marshal many of the same strategies for “I realized there were these an electronic music set she’ll play before a screening … sounds that I had always been of the documentary Sisters with Transistors scheduled interested in, and never knew how for Jan. 5 at the Mint Museum Uptown. Filmmaker Lisa to create,” she says. “[The Casio] unlocked a whole Rovner’s critically lauded film spotlights the unsung new dimension for me where experimentation and women pioneers of electronic music, composers who electronic music could be textural.” embraced the machines and technologies that have After attending Myers Park High School for transformed music and how we listen to it today. two years and finishing her remaining two years Kate’s work draws on her experiences to build on in home-schooling, Kate attended James Madison the work of these pioneers and further expand our University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, from 2002 to perception of vibration and sound.

2006, where she studied English, creative writing It’s a far cry from the music Kate created earlier and kinesiology. in her career. “Lost/Stolen” off her 2012 full-length In 2007, she was approached by William Tate, album Ish Ish relies on moody beat poetry delivered founder of Umbau, a self-styled guerrilla studio and

by Kate’s powerful layered vocals. “Judging radical architecture and design school in Staunton, Diamonds,” from the 2015 demo Woodshedding, Virginia. Kate characterizes the institution as a dives deeper into Kate’s ethereal vocals. It plays like cross between German art school Bauhaus and a soundtrack for a mist-shrouded forest of bare black international entrepreneur school Kaospilot. She trees. thrived at the school, which fosters thinking that Kate will never make music like this again, even embraces uncertainty. She learned graphic design, if she wanted to. She can’t. In 2015, after being a then began working as a designer.

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SOUND OF METTLE

“[Umbau was] where I started to feel an unlocking of myself as an artist,” Kate says.

After leaving Umbau, she embarked on a music career, playing with Richmond, Virginia, band Warren Hixson, which Kate describes as experimental surf rock. She also worked on solo compositions and recordings.

By 2015, Kate felt she was at a stable plateau in her career. She had crowdfunded Ish Ish, following that up by launching a solo art show structured around acoustic sounds. The show, titled Low

NELLY KATE PERFORMS LIVE. PHOTO BY ABBEY LEE SARVER

Frequency Travel Agency and hosted by Richmond’s Black Iris Gallery, featured suitcases containing speakers. Patrons checked out the suitcases, then took a tour of the city. The cases came equipped with a map, and when you arrived at certain points on the map and pushed a button on the case, the suitcase would play back pieces of music that had been written using sounds from that site.

As a singer-songwriter, Kate shared stages with bands and performers like Marah, Angel Olsen, The Blow, Soil & the Sun and more. In 2015, she received funding from a record label to record the demos collected on Woodshedding.

“I felt I was in a good place where my desire to work as a musician and the support I was seeing from my [musical] community were meeting in this sweet union,” Kate remembers.

Then, at a studio session, recording backup

vocals with Warren Hixson, Kate noticed she was singing out of tune.

“All the work I had made up until that point was almost entirely vocal,” Kate says. “[It] leaned heavily on harmonies, and all of the sudden, something had changed in my way of hearing myself.”

Kate subsequently went on tour with her friend, performing artist Leslie Rogers. Kate performed some of her songs and ran live sound for Rogers’s show. Early in the tour, Rogers noticed that Kate’s hearing had changed, and encouraged her to get her hearing checked.

When Kate returned from tour, she visited an audiologist and learned that she was experiencing hearing loss. Kate says the condition is getting worse, and no one knows the cause. She posits it could be a combination of genetics, her history of ear infections, a few viruses she caught in the course of her life, a couple of concussions and exposure to loud music.

“It’s a mess of possibilities,” as she puts it.

In May 2015, Kate moved back to Charlotte to figure out her next move.

“I was crestfallen,” she recalls. Her hearing loss cut to her identity. “I’d been playing and making music ever since I was a kid, and I had started to have a real vision for how that could look for me in my career.”

In Charlotte, Kate worked in kitchens and as a nanny.

“I was so discouraged. I really felt like my life was over.”

Not damage but difference

Things began to look up when she joined with local alternative indie band Julian Calendar. Kate felt a convergence between her personal work and the material that bandleaders Jeff Jackson and Jeremy Fisher were writing.

She began giving the band’s tunes electronic textures, crafting effects in much the way Brian Eno provided treatments to early Roxy Music compositions. Even doing something as improvised as that proved challenging for Kate. She lacked the confidence to play a melodic instrument because she couldn’t hear more than the rhythm in the music.

“Everybody in the band was super sweet to work with, but I could never figure out a way to listen and practice,” Kate says.

Still, Kate continued to work in the electronic music genre. As she struggled to let go of her old life and find a way forward, another lifeline emerged in the form of Black Quantum Futurism (BQT).

In October 2018, BQT collaborated with Charlotte artist Janelle Dunlap to create a second iteration of

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MUSIC FEATURE Time Camp at Goodyear Arts in Camp North End. Time Camp 002, an Afrofuturism event, offered a series of workshops, including one that featured Philadelphia-based artist, author, community activist and lawyer Rasheedah Phillips. Phillips’ talk about the nature of time and quantum physics was an eye-opener for Kate, who realized she was already dealing with concepts like temporal dilation by using delays and reverse effects to fold, collapse or expand time in her electronic compositions.

“I feel like vibrations sometimes are expanding time, like you’re messaging time and getting more out of an hour,” Kate says.

In 2019, Kate attended graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where she earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Print Media.

“I went to grad school because I was at a loss for what to do next,” Kate says. “I felt like I needed to afford myself the time and space to grapple with my relationship with sound.”

Grad school provided the epiphany Kate needed to redefine that relationship. At Cranbrook, she started to connect with other deaf and divergentlyabled people, allowing her to find beauty in the way they thought about themselves and the world.

“That was a big change for me because during the time that I have been experiencing hearing loss, the language around disability has changed,” Kate says.

Nomenclature has shifted from terms like “hard-of-hearing” that suggest a person’s hearing is damaged, to acceptance that someone’s hearing is simply different. Kate says the most common misperception people have when they learn of her hearing loss is feelings of sorrow and pity for her.

The reaction is painful to Kate, because it casts her life as a tragedy.

People feel sad because she had to change her life to adjust to the change in her ability to hear. In contrast, Kate’s connections in the deaf community have been liberating because they have helped her see she’s not experiencing a loss.

“I don’t need to view this change in my hearing as a failing, but as a real difference,” she says. “That has created a lot of self-acceptance for me, and helped me to revisit what it means to work with sound.”

Until Kate had that revelation, she says she was struggling to not feel broken. This perception of worth is doubly-important when dealing with a world that badly needs to catch up with those

who experience hearing differently. Kate notes that museums and art spaces are currently noninclusive to such people. The institutions need to do a much better job at captioning pieces, exhibits and installations, for example.

Kate notes she has not had health insurance for a decade, so hearing aids are unaffordable, as even the best health plans only cover 40% of the cost. In grad school, Kate jury-rigged a pair of AirPods using LiveListen on her iPhone to be a stand in for hearing aids.

‘Sisters with Transistors’

Kate remembers sitting on a porch drinking beer with Julian Calendar’s Jeff Jackson when he asked her if she was familiar with the work of Maryanne Amacher. Amacher, one of the electronic music pioneers spotlighted in Sisters with Transistors, is best known for working with psychoacoustic phenomena in which the ears themselves produce audible sounds. Her work laid the foundation for a revolutionary way of thinking about music, anticipating developments in media, and art installation.

Kate was flabbergasted that she never heard of Amacher.

“I felt that the ethos of [her work] is so close to the things that I’m after,” Kate says. “The thing about electronic music that has always intrigued me is that it is an exploration through sonic terrain that feels like uncharted waters.”

In her work, Kate employs radio frequencies.

Sometimes she’ll go for a walk and record frequencies from one channel to experience how they change constantly. Much of her work also incorporates somatics, a field within bodywork and movement studies that emphasizes internal physical perception and experience.

As such, her pieces invite the audience to experience listening as a somatic phenomenon — vibrations that transcend hearing. Cymatics, the phenomena of sonic vibrations generating patterns in fluid and particulate mediums, also come into play.

“Cymatics are a means for visualizing, or demonstrating, sound through vibrational patterns,” Kate says.

A practical application of these phenomena occurred in the summer of 2020 when Kate had an accident in rural New York while running. She tripped on a root and another root went into the side of her knee. She had to get stitches.

As Kate recuperated, she did some reading on healing frequencies. She began to listen to certain frequencies, like the one at 420 Hz, which is thought

to support healing. Kate realized she could help other people with these often unheard frequencies.

“Especially at this time, we have all experienced a kind of trauma that we don’t know how to process or articulate,” she says. “With the pandemic continuing to be such a global disaster, [there] is a big invitation to instigate healing for people. We need all [the healing] we can get.”

Kate’s work also explores the use of captions, vibrations and other kinds of somatic or sensory experiences as a kind of translation or a map for people. This “map” allows audiences to experience Kate’s art from a neutral, non-judgmental space.

“It’s more like a demonstration,” she says.

Kate’s performance at The Mint will incorporate tape decks, speakers, synthesizers and layered vocal effects as she mixes an original composition live

through four or five decks. The original pre-mixed composition, recorded at the Record Company in Dorchester, Massachusetts, near Kate’s current home in Boston, was played on a vintage ARC 2600 synthesizer.

“I use the kinds of equipment that I do to continually to invite myself to discover something,” Kate says. Obsolete technology has a warm sound that can’t be replicated with solid state equipment, she maintains, and the ever-degrading textures of old synths cannot be controlled. “I love the relinquishing of control.

“I’m drawn to warmth and low frequencies and creating a space for imagination to occur,” she offers.

“I hope this performance will be the equivalent of a sonic embrace.”

PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM

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FOOD & DRINK FEATURE

feel and prime location for foot traffic, The Giddy Goat has made its own way by word-of-mouth and simply existing.

For Charlotte native Clough, landing on The Plaza was a dream come true.

“Plaza Midwood is very eclectic. I think it’s the coolest neighborhood in Charlotte … We were The Giddy Goat owners super lucky to find this location,” he tells Queen City cultivate community in Nerve. “I’m forever grateful that it’s just a fun place Plaza Midwood and the people are very social … We have some customers that have lived here for 35 years and saw

BY TAYLOR MCKENZIE GERLACH Charlotte when it was not so big. It’s cool to hear those stories and see how they’ve watched Plaza On a winter morning just before Christmas, a change and Charlotte change.” stream of customers line up at The Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters in Plaza Midwood to get their hands on a The evolution of The Giddy Goat hot cup made with beans freshly roasted there in Clough and business partner Davis were inspired the store, a process that customers can see and smell to open The Giddy Goat during a European trip before tasting the final product. Baristas serve up together, during which they fell in love with the Giddy Goat’s signature empanadas as savory snacks. social aspect of overseas cafés that served as coffee Friends chat over steaming mugs, families shops, lounges, bars and community centers. play intense games of chess and Monopoly, and Clough admits that, while the trip awakened his dogs mill about on the outdoor patio. Laptops and appreciation for coffee, he still didn’t know much books lay open as dog owners sneak in some work about it at that point. between sips and paying attention to whatever their “It was an adventure I thought would be fun to furry friends are up to. Regulars pause to chat with take,” he says. baristas as a few folks stop in to fuel up before a The name, as explained in a mural inside the group bike ride. shop, comes from the Ethiopian legend that credits It’s just the social atmosphere Giddy Goat the discovery of coffee to a goat herder named Kaldi owner Carson Clough envisioned when he opened who noticed that his goats would run and dance this coffee shop in the heart of Plaza Midwood in through the night after eating coffee beans. summer 2020.

The logo features a goat surfing on a coffee bean Inside the café, a mechanical roaster takes up with a quirky smiling face, a reference to Clough’s the floor space in one large portion of the room. love for surfing, which also ties into his passion for Another sample-size one-pound roaster stands in the environment and his desire to run a sustainable, the middle of the café, and a large cold-brew tank environmentally friendly business. sits along the opposite wall.

“I surf a bunch, and I’m tired of seeing coffee lids Having the typical back-of-house processes in the ocean … The goal is to have a business that integrated into the café was an intentional design at can keep the lights on without polluting or putting a The Giddy Goat. Clough and cofounder Rhyne Davis lot of one-use plastics out there,” Clough said. loved the idea of customers seeing the process in All of Giddy Goat’s to-go products are action, being able to ask the roasters questions and commercially compostable or recyclable, with the learning about the artistic intricacies of their drink. exception of the wax paper used for wrapping some Davis got the idea came from a small café he items. Clough also works with a local composter visited in Cuba where, out of necessity of space, the to process their food waste and reuse it in the roaster was located right next to the cash register. landscaping around the building.

It was implemented out of convenience, but being Upon diving deeper into their new passion, the able to taste the end product while hearing, seeing two began exploring ways to put their own take on and smelling the beans roasting was an immersive coffee. They worked with employees and customers experience for him. alike to create a space that is far from a generic It has helped cultivate the sense of community coffee shop, but more of a community staple and that has built up inside and outside the walls of The social force within the neighborhood.

Giddy Goat since its opening. In fact, the team hasn’t Currently, Giddy Goat operates as a healthy mix had to rely on much advertising or social media between coffee shop, café and bar. marketing to build its base. With its welcoming

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THE NEW GOAT IN TOWN

In the summer of 2021, Giddy Goat expanded into the upstairs portion of the building, creating the bar space and tapping into those European influences. Now, customers can order beer, specialty cocktails, Truly pops and more.

Like other expansions and ideas at The Giddy Goat, the advent of the now-signature empanadas was a grassroots suggestion that quickly turned into a staple.

Customer Tony Tognarelli connected with coffee roaster Enzo Pazos over their shared Argentinian roots. Tognarelli suggested they add something more savory to the food menu, then brought in dozens of empanadas for the team to try. They were devoured within minutes, and Tognarelli has been the in-house empanada master ever since.

The new upstairs space has been activated to serve as more than a bar, as well. Every Wednesday morning, the team moves all the furniture out of the way to host sunrise yoga with instructors from Habitual Roots. After the hour-long class, participants can chat and connect around a pot of coffee.

The weekly community event was started when customer and Habitual Roots co-founder Justin Ervin suggested the idea, and Clough ran with it.

What’s next in the new year

In 2022, Clough plans to include a space for the dogs who are mandated by state law to stay outside of his establishment due to the food menu.

Located behind the parking lot, the space will officially open as Calder Park in spring 2022.

Complete with picnic tables, the dog park will be named for Clough’s golden retriever, a service dog

who can often be found at Clough’s side at the Goat.

Many of the building materials for the small park are items that Clough rescued and reused from Plaza Midwood’s Thomas StrEATery, created in response to COVID-19 in 2020. The wooden pallets and picnic tables once used to offer nearby businesses and restaurants a space for temporary outdoor dining are now the fences and tables in Calder Park.

Also coming in 2022 is a redesigned space for The Giddy Goat’s human customers, with upgrades to the second-floor patio including a heated pergola so as to make the space comfortable year-round.

Clough also wants to expand bar hours later into the night (it currently closes at 6 p.m.) while adding more regular events like Tango Tuesdays and karaoke.

In terms of coffee, Clough and Pazos are always learning more and refining their craft, so customers can expect new, creative roasts. He’ll be sending one of his employees to roasting school to start developing their own style and craft. He says the team has a healthy competitive spirit amongst them, always pushing each other to create even better coffee.

“We can have some internal competitiveness to keep the product top-notch,” Clough said.

The Giddy Goat is changing right alongside Charlotte, constantly ebbing and flowing in response to suggestions from their customers and teammates. In 35 years, grab a coffee from Clough and let him tell you about the time he started a staple neighborhood hangout spot in the heart of Plaza Midwood that did not just roast coffee, but became a force of its own.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

LIFESTYLE PUZZLES SUDOKU

TRIVIA TEST

BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ

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.

1. GEOGRAPHY: What is the largest island in Africa?

2. LANGUAGE: What does “Auld Lang Syne” mean?

3. MOVIES: How many spirits visit Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”?

4. THEATER: On which opera is the rock musical “Rent” based?

5. FOOD & DRINK: What is marmite?

6. GAMES: How many weapons are available in the original board game “Clue”?

7. TELEVISION: What is JeanLuc Picard’s catchphrase as captain in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”?

8. LITERATURE: Which Victor Hugo novel was made into an animated Disney movie in the 1990s?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: When was the first Times Square Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve? 10. SCIENCE: What is it called when a gas changes into a liquid?

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Pillager 7 Branch of Buddhism 10 Mosque minister 14 Stallone role 19 Large lizard 20 Shirt-pocket audio player 22 Wine coolers 23 Gasohol, e.g.

25 Italy’s largest port 26 Apartment, e.g.: Abbr.

27 Sculling need 28 That, in Spanish 29 America’s Cup sport 31 Passed-on value system, say 36 Ever and -38 “The Fresh Prince of -- -Air” 39 Volkswagen hatchback 40 Ellipsis bit 41 Serious moral offense 45 Big Apple airport code 48 Superbright colors 52 “Relax, GI!” 53 -- Kippur 54 Song of thanksgiving 56 Drink sample 57 Tattoos and piercings 59 Journalistic profession 63 Childbirth assistant 66 Two-spinoff CBS series 67 Quit sleeping 68 Very manly 72 Like gross profits ... or how the ends of eight answers in this puzzle might appear 75 Digital greeting 76 Illicit love affairs 78 Helen’s city

79 4-point Scrabble piece 81 Events to move merchandise for charity 84 Redgrave of film 89 Ending for Canton 90 Leg bone 91 Pro hoops gp.

94 Tested the weight of by lifting 95 Take hold 98 Flanders on “The Simpsons” 99 Bucolic byway 101 Here-there linkup 103 Madam’s partner 105 Plains tribe 106 Shady giants 107 Earnings not allocated for necessary items 115 Very brave 116 Adam’s partner 117 Suffix with northwest 118 Provided with a meal 121 Razor-honing band 122 It may be trespassed on 127 Move around like a baby 128 Bristlecone, for one 129 “Tru” subject 130 Made of turf 131 River through Flanders 132 37-Down part: Abbr.

133 Neighbor on “Seinfeld” DOWN 1 Perjurer, e.g.

2 Leer at 3 Earned more points than 4 -- Bo (fitness system) 5 Register, to a Brit 6 Rushed toward 7 Pimple

8 Start for dermis 9 Many a fiction book 10 Newborn 11 Egyptian -- (certain cat) 12 In the blink of -13 Grinding tooth 14 “You said it!”

15 Transparency film 16 “MIB” part 17 Ride to bust 18 Plains tribe 21 Fashion 24 Caribbean isle 30 “El --” (1961 epic film) 32 Oct. 24 observance 33 Count (on) 34 Besides that 35 Boisterous merriment 36 Hail -- (yell “Taxi!”)

37 Western mil. alliance 42 Dancer Duncan 43 Roman despot 44 Global financial gp.

46 Reaches 47 Jacuzzi sigh 49 Honshu port 50 Saltpeter 51 Fork out 54 Purple-brown 55 School lobby gp.

58 Soaking spot 60 One way to serve ham or pastrami 61 “It’s Pat” star Julia 62 Tic-toe linkup 64 Leaves alone 65 “Yes, sorry to say” 68 Former fillies

GET BACK TO DOING WHAT YOU LOVE.

Pg. 13 DEC 29 - JAN 11, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

# YO U I M P R OV E D # YO U I M P R OV E D

YOUR CARE. YOUR WAY. | ORTHOCAROLINA.COM OFF DUTY ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

69 Entertain 70 Tailed orbiter 71 Engine noise 73 Dancing girl in “Return of the Jedi” 74 VII times II 77 Boss of a cpl.

80 Actor Bert of “The Wizard of Oz” 82 A, to Wilhelm 83 -- -cone (frozen treat) 85 Actor -- Zimbalist Jr. 86 Robbed 87 Stitched line 88 Counts up 92 Wave-tossed bobber 93 Voting “no” 96 Exclusive group of people 97 Lack of a response 99 Fancy tie 100 Copier ink 102 Agent, for short 104 “The nerve!”

107 Wafers, e.g.

108 Prelim 109 Fine fiddle 110 Prone to tilt 111 “The Wire” actor Elba 112 Trendy again 113 Earthen pot 114 Comparable (with) 119 Feminizing suffix 120 Batik artisan 123 Feminizing suffix 124 Ending for cannon 125 Cribbage pin 126 Green-minded gp.

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

THE SEEKER

THAT NEW HOTNESS

QC Yoga offers hot yoga in a way that’s been sorely missed

BY KATIE GRANT

Pg. 14 DEC 29 - JAN 11, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

The June 2020 closing of Yoga One after 14 years of operation in Charlotte sent me into a mental tailspin. It was a sacred space for me — where I experienced my first yoga class and where I learned how to be a better human. Its closing left a void in my practice and heart.

However, as Paulo Coehlo states, “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”

I found my Hello.

Eagerly emerging from my solo sessions at home like a little yogi butterfly, I stepped through the doors of QC Fit, a new facility located on Zebulon Avenue in west Charlotte’s Smallwood neighborhood.

Since the first thing I saw when walking through the front doors is a space dedicated to CrossFit classes, my eyes darted frantically around the bare industrial lobby.

Was I in the right place? Was I about to embark on a hot yoga/WOD mashup? I exhaled a sigh of relief when I saw the sign pointing me to QC Yoga on the second floor.

I was greeted by an amicable yoga teacher who directed me to the changing rooms. Talk about a luxurious locker room experience. I spent my youth in swim-team locker rooms, and nothing compares to those in the QC Fit building. Most health toiletries were provided: hairdryers, makeup wipes, tampons, even free protein bars. I threw one in my gym bag for later. It’s probably melted to the bottom by now, in the backseat of my car, but I digress.

When I returned to the studio, I rolled out my mat,

eased into child’s pose, and was immediately soothed by the stillness provided by the slowly warming studio.

Inhale. Exhale. Flow.

The Hot Power class proved to be exactly as described on the website: a one-hour, fast-paced yoga class in a 90-plus-degree room with powerful poses, complex transitions, and bumpin’ music. This word combination is my love language, and QC Yoga spoke it fluently.

After practicing at home for so long, and profoundly missing hot yoga classes, I felt refreshed by the third-party guidance through poses, mindfulness and breath. The challenging nature of the sequencing was unexpected, a welcomed diversion from my inner-asshole thought circuit. One thing I have learned through the years (and often tears) on my mat is how you show up to yoga is how to show up to life; your practice is a mirror of how you take up space in this world.

Do you confront your practice and life head-on, or do you shy away from the complex parts and poses?

Hardship can be a catalyst for growth, my friend, and growing pains are real.

My teacher provided a refreshing outlook on yoga as he guided me and five fellow yogis through mindfulness and breath in a high-energy fashion that was only strengthened by the heavy beats backing him up. This made the hour (dripping in sweat) fly by.

Do you know what else was refreshing? Breaking free of my Plaza Midwood and NoDa bubble. I felt deeply appreciative to explore west Charlotte, avoid the chaos of South End, and see a different part of the city develop in a positive, community-focused manner.

Now if I can just get someone to open up shop over on my side of town (the Albermarle Road corridor), I’d be set. But alas, I shall not complain in the meantime. I have found my Hello.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

ura O k edi c e Chial M c o for ber S ms e c DeSale @TheBagLadyIntuitiveGifts

The-Bag-Lady.biz

1516 E 4th St TheBagLady.rocks

HOROSCOPE

DEC 29 - JAN 4

JAN 5 - JAN 11

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) With the new year’s opportunities almost within reach, the Arian’s courageous aspects are raring to go. And don’t be surprised if a lot of people follow the zodiac’s most trusted leader.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Change lies ahead for the brave Bovine who is ready to shuck off the tried and true to try something new. But appearances can be deceptive. Check it all out before you charge into anything.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) This week promises a peek into what the new year holds for the Gemini Twins, both in love and careers. Family matters continue to be a factor in decisions you’re going to be facing.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) As you move into the new year, your travel aspects grow stronger, and you might find yourself making decisions about a destination and a traveling companion sooner than you’d expected.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) The new year holds both glitter and gold. This means Leos and Leonas should begin getting the facts they’ll need to separate the real thing from the sham in order to make important decisions next year.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A good way to start the new year might be to arrange for a visit to someone you haven’t seen in a long time. You also might want to pick up that project you put off a while back.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) As you contemplate the new year’s potential, you might want to talk things over with people who are or have been where you want to go. Their experience and advice can be helpful.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Someone close to you might feel like you have no more room for him or her in your life. This calls for immediate reassurance of your love so you can start the new year on a high note.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) The coming year will bring more people into your life. Some situations might not work out as well as others. But overall, everyone earns something, and that’s always a good thing.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The new year could find you indulging in one or more of the hobbies you’ve always wanted to take up. And don’t be surprised if they ultimately direct you toward a new career.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) The New Year brings challenges that can change many things in your life.

You need to be prepared not only to confront them, but also to deal with what happens afterward.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You have what it takes to set your goals quite a bit higher this year. Learn what you need to know and put what you learn into your efforts. A partner offers loving support.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) In true Gemini Twin fashion, you’re conflicted about a decision you know you’ll have to make in this New Year. Best advice: Get the facts before you make any commitment.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A friend offers you an exciting opportunity for the New Year. Although your positive aspects are strong in most respects, caution is advised. Investigate before you invest.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) You can make this New Year a roaring success. Start by readjusting your goals to reflect the changes in the economy. Your den-mate offers both wise and loving support.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) The New Year brings new opportunities for change. But you need to be ready to move from the comfortable status quo to the challenging unknown. It’s up to you.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Your most important New Year’s resolution should be to work out problems with a family member in order to avoid continued misunderstandings. Do it soon, for both of your sakes.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) The New Year has much to offer the intensely determined Scorpian, who isn’t afraid to take on challenges and stay with them until they surrender their rewards.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) You’ll have many fine opportunities in this New Year. But be warned: Reject offers of “help.” You work best when you’re free to be your own creative self.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The New Year offers changes that you might feel you’re not quite ready for. Best advice: Deal with them one step at a time, until you’ve built up your self-confidence.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Travel is a dominant aspect of the New Year. This could mean relocating to another city (or even another country) in connection with your education or your career.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) The artistic Aquarian should find more opportunities in the new year. You might even make some potentially helpful contacts as you gather to ring in the year 2022.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) This New Year brings news about a change you’ve been anticipating. You might have a problem persuading a loved one about your new plans, but he or she will soon go along with them.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) The new year offers challenges for Pisceans who want to make better use of the skills they now have and learn new ones. Personal relationships show stronger positive aspects.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for making people feel safe and protected. You would make an excellent youth counselor.

BORN THIS WEEK: Although at times you tend to be a bit judgmental, you are generous and caring and very much beloved.

2021 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

PG.13 PUZZLE ANSWERS

SAVAGE LOVE COMMITTED But does that mean exclusive?

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’ve been in a committed relationship for 10 years — committed because my boyfriend wants it that way. I’d be fine with an open relationship and have asked about it. He’s made it quite clear that he thinks it’s “wrong.” I’m almost never at his apartment. He doesn’t invite me, and my place is a lot more comfortable anyway. His place never looks “lived in.” Everything must be tidy and just so: bed made, bathroom spotless, no socks on the floor. Generally, we spend weekends together, and that’s it. He also refuses to bottom for me or even let me finger him, but he likes it when I come on his ass. In general, he hasn’t been very horny for me the last few years. Anyway, due to a combination of factors (COVID, construction, etc.), I’ve been working at his apartment for a few days.

In the coat closet, where he keeps all his supplies, there’s a big bottle of Wet lube and an economysized box of Fleet enemas. What’s a guy to think?

Pg. 15 DEC 29 - JAN 11, 2022 - QCNERVE.COM

FRUSTRATED IN BROOKLYN

First, a minor quibble. You use the word “committed” to mean “sexually exclusive,” FIB, when you should know — as a reader of my column — that not all committed relationships are sexually exclusive and vice-versa. Two people can be married or partnered and committed to each other for the long haul while still fucking other people; and two people can decide to stop fucking other people because they don’t wanna use condoms (or they wanna limit their risk of contracting COVID) without committing to each other for the rest of the year, much less the long haul.

As for what you found when you weren’t snooping around your boyfriend’s apartment…

While it’s not always the ones who think open relationships are “wrong” who cheat, FIB, it’s so often the case — it’s so often the ones who insist open relationships are wrong — that it’s something of a cliché. So, it’s entirely possible your boyfriend has been cleaning out for other men. But why? Why would your boyfriend cheat if he knew you would be fine with an open relationship? Well, some people who cheat think cheating is wrong (and it is) and the least they can do if they’re gonna cheat (and they are) is have the decency to feel bad about it (or pretend to). Other people are selfish assholes who wanna fuck around on their partners but don’t want their partners fucking around on them.

Of course, we don’t know for sure whether your boyfriend has been cheating on you. Lube by itself isn’t proof — guys use lube to jack off — and that box of Fleet enemas could’ve been sitting in his closet for a decade or more. There’s only one way to get to the bottom of this mystery: Ask your boyfriend what’s up. He might have a good explanation — or he might be able to pull a vaguely plausible one out of his squeaky-clean ass — and you’ll have to make your best guess as to whether he’s telling you the truth.

But if you want to stay with him, FIB, you might wanna lead with that. You can regard what you found when you were looking for supplies — not snooping, of course, never snooping — as an unforgivable betrayal, FIB, or you can regard it as an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of your relationship.

I’m recently married to a man I have been with for six years. We have a very happy life together in most respects and a very stable and loving relationship. The problem is, six months ago I fell deeply in love with a colleague. (We work in the same field at different companies.) I have never felt this way about anyone before. I have also never cheated. But this is truly the most creative and synchronous connection I have experienced.

The second problem is that the colleague is also married and has three children. His marriage is stable but sexless. He says he wants to leave his wife but is unwilling to do so until his youngest child goes to university, which won’t be for another two years. Meanwhile, I am wracked with guilt and indecision about how to proceed. I know that I need to make my own decisions, but I feel paralyzed. How do I start to untangle this knot?

MARRIED AND REASSESSING RELATIONSHIPS IN EVERY DETAIL

What’s the rush? You’ve got a crush on a married man who’s unwilling to leave his wife for at least the next two years.

Since you have no way of knowing how you’ll feel two years from now, MARRIED, and you have no way of knowing how your married colleague will feel two years from now, you don’t have to make any big moves. (Hell, you have no way of knowing for sure how your married colleague feels right now.) If you’re sure you don’t wanna stay in your marriage — whatever else might happen — you should end your marriage so your husband can get on with his life. But if you can envision a future where your feelings for your colleague have run their course and you can see yourself recommitting to a future with the man you’re currently married to, all you need to do right now is wait.

Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage; mail questions to questions@savagelove.net.

TRIVIA ANSWERS: 1. Madagascar 2. Times long past 3. Four, including Jacob Marley and the spirits of past, present and future

4. “La Boheme” 5. A savory food spread that is the byproduct of beer brewing 6. Six -- revolver, wrench, knife, lead pipe, candlestick and rope

7. “Make it so.”

8. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” 9. 1907 10. Condensation10. William Howard Taft

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