News: The Redress Movement works to right Food: Greg & Subrina Collier’s latest venture
PUBLISHER
JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS
jlafrancois@qcnerve.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
RYAN PITKIN rpitkin@qcnerve.com
DIGITAL MANAGER
RAYNE ANTRIM rantrim@qcnerve.com
STAFF WRITERS
ANNIE KEOUGH akeough@qcnerve.com
DEZANII LEWIS dlewis@qcnerve.com
ART DIRECTOR
BRIAN CETINA brian.cetina@gmail.com
AD SALES EXECUTIVE
RENN WILSON rwilson@qcnerve.com
MARKETING MANAGER
ALEX KASTANAS HOLLADAY aholladay@qcnerve.com
NEWS
& OPINION
4 The Long Road to Housing Justice by Ryan Pitkin
The Redress Movement works toward righting the wrongs of segregation
7 Gone Too Far by Ryan Pitkin & Justin LaFrancois
An east Charlotte couple calls for relief after years of harassment
ARTS
8 Fall Arts Guide 2024
Creative spice and everything nice
12 Best in the Fest
What to look for at the Charlotte International Arts Festival
15 Coming Full Cycle by Annie Keough
Upcycle Arts makes creative materials more accessible and sustainable
16 Lifeline: Ten Cool Things To Do in Two Weeks
18 Drop the Science by Jonathan Golian Lynsea’s ‘hormones’ breaks emotions down to their base elements
18 New Releases
19 Project Spotlight: SugarTank Records!
20 Don’t Call It a Homecoming by Ryan Pitkin The Nude Party returns to the Carolinas for Roaring Riot Kickoff Jam
22 Soundwave FOOD & DRINK
24 At a Crossroads by Dezanii Lewis Greg and Subrina Collier open 3rd & Fernwood in Midtown
It Out by
Thanks to our contributors: Aerin Spruill, Jonathan Golian, Dan RussellPinson, Jonathan Cooper, Madison King, Clark Hodgin, and Dan Savage.
THE ROAD TO HOUSING JUSTICE
The Redress Movement works toward righting the wrongs of segregation
BY RYAN PITKIN
As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the verb form of redress means “to set right, to make up for, to remove the cause of (a grievance or complaint), or to exact reparation for.”
When most folks think of reparations in the contemporary context, they connect it to the issue of slavery, while some expand further into the Jim Crow era — the effects of redlining, urban renewal, and other racist policies that actively restrained the ability of Black Americans to build wealth or power.
All too often, these policies are thought of as relics of the past, dreamed up and enacted by the nameless powers that be during “a different time” — nothing to be done about it now. The Redress Movement was founded with a goal to push back on that narrative.
Inspired by Richard Rothstein’s groundbreaking 2017 book The Color of Law, which documents the intentional laws, covenants and processes that created housing segregation across America, The Redress Movement aims to redress racial segregation through local community work.
With chapters currently operating in Denver, Omaha, Milwaukee and Charlotte, The Redress Movement localizes the fight against displacement while highlighting the fact that segregationist policies in housing never truly ended.
With longtime Enderly Park neighborhood advocate Greg Jarrell taking the helm as senior campaign organizer for the Charlotte chapter of The Redress Movement in the spring, local leadership is looking to revamp its efforts, building a larger base and expanding its efforts in the city.
On Sept. 10, they’ll host Lineages of Displacement & Legacies of Power, “an event about uniting personal narratives and building collective power for better neighborhoods and a more just city.” The event will feature facilitated conversations who can make connections between Charlotte’s history dating back to Reconstruction, then to urban renewal and displacement, then to those who face a similar threat now as developers and real estate agents eye the neighborhoods they were forced to move to decades ago.
Sitting in Enderly Coffee on Tuckaseegee Road one recent afternoon, Jarrell explained to me why connecting
with folks who have had lived experience with displacement is such an important part of The Redress Movement’s work.
“I think of this as a city of two tales rather than a tale of two cities,” he explained. “We have these parallel stories all throughout our history; one of serial displacement, where it’s the same groups of people, oftentimes even the same families [who are affected]. Right now in Enderly Park, where we’re sitting, I could point you to half a dozen families that have roots in Brooklyn or in Third Ward or in First Ward who are now being run out of here by gentrification. It’s the same pattern repeated across generations.”
Movement has invited Charlotte historian Tom Hanchett to discuss the Fusion coalition of the 1890s, a political movement that brought together Black Republicans with the mostly white People’s Party, also known as “the Populists,” who had defected from the Democrats in protest of the party’s domination by corporate interests.
To connect these stories to the present day, Ismaail Qaiyim of the Housing Justice Coalition will speak about the contemporary resistance work that’s been taking place over the years.
“We feel like it’s really important to present that there are alternatives,” Jarrell said. “We can change the trajectory that our city is on. People have always been working on that, and we can step into that stream, join that energy, and create some resistance ourselves.”
How lived experience steers the work
Between 2013 and 2019, the percentage of Charlotte ZIP codes with rental rates considered affordable to the median Black household dropped below 20%. Meanwhile, corporate investors bought a quarter of all homes sold in the Queen City during 2021, most of which were purchased in Black and brown neighborhoods.
For Angelia James, a member of The Redress Movement leadership team in Charlotte, dubbed the Roundtable, growing up in the historically Black neighborhood of Pottstown in Huntersville and now living in the Edgewood Road area of west Charlotte has given her plenty of experience with the cycles of gentrification and displacement that Black families in Mecklenburg County have faced over the decades.
As for the second tale, those are the ones that will drive the work moving forward.
“The lesser known stories are the stories of building power and resistance to that displacement,” he explained.
To bring these tales together on Sept. 10, The Redress
Fusionists saw statewide success in the elections of 1894 and 1896 before a white supremacy campaign funded by the state’s wealthiest interests organized a terrorist unit called the “Redshirts” that used intimidation, violence and fraud to snuff out the Fusionist movement.
Having worked with Jarrell’s neighborhood-based organization QC Family Tree as well as the North Carolina Black Leadership and Organizing Collective in years past, she joined the Redress Movement in 2023 with a hope to expand her work.
She said she wants to better educate her neighbors living along Bradford and Edgewood roads corridors near the Thomasboro-Hoskins neighborhood in west Charlotte, but also to reach other corners of the city where
PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN
THE SEPT. 10 EVENT WILL BE HELD AT FRIENDSHIP MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH.
PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN
ANGELIA JAMES (LEFT) AND GREG JARRELL WITH THE REDRESS MOVEMENT CHARLOTTE.
people are experiencing similar things.
When asked how growing up in two areas that have felt the impact of segregationist policies for decades, she said it sparked a fire that has inspired her community organizing work past and present.
“I have two things that happened: frustration, the rage, and not quitting,” she said.
Her own lived experience works as a connector when she approaches people about working with The Redress Movement.
“I ask people, ‘Where did you used to live? What happened with where you used to live? How is it now? And how would you like to move forward with that knowledge?’” she said. “Basically, that’s what we’re doing here. We’re about connecting people and connecting communities.”
Part of that connection work comes in the form of coalition building, as with The Redress Movement’s role in the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) earlier this year. The PBC comprised 16 local organizations ranging from Roof Above to the local Public Service Workers Union that came together to make demands of Charlotte City Council in formulating the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
Much of The Redress Movement’s work with PBC centered on housing, demanding that council increase the amount of money going into the Housing Trust Fund to $100 million. Council met the request, but the work isn’t over.
Redress is working to ensure that folks get out to the polls and approve the bond referendum, then to ensure that at least $25 million of the new funding goes toward affordable homeownership programs rather than solely funding the construction of rental properties.
“So far, the city’s [Housing, Safety & Community] Committee is headed in that direction,” said Jarrell, “so we’re going to keep pushing to make sure that that’s how some of that money gets spent.”
In the meantime, they will continue to build a base through events like Lineages of Displacement & Legacies of Power on Sept. 10.
“I think when folks walk out of the room, they’re going to be connected with some of their neighbors that they didn’t know before they showed up,” said Jarrell of his hopes for the event. “Any good organizing works primarily from relationships that are created, and we build from those relationships to create the world that we want to live in.”
Lineages of Displacement & Legacies of Power will be held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church at 3400 Beatties Ford Road 6:30-8:30 p.m. Visit tinyurl.com/ RedressCLT to RSVP. Visit redressmovement.org to learn more about the organization.
GONE TOO FAR
An east Charlotte couple calls for relief after years of harassment
BY RYAN PITKIN & JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS
The mood was upbeat as a group of nearly 30 people gathered in Jay Walker’s front yard in the Grove Park neighborhood of east Charlotte on June 22.
The attendees ranged from college students, organizers with local activist group Feed the Movement Charlotte, and Grove Park neighbors, among others. The group kept to themselves; some conversed with one another while others sketched in notebooks — no loud music or boisterous behavior.
The scene looked like any other potluck you might expect to see around Charlotte on a summer day, but things shifted around 2 p.m. when two deputies with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) arrived to serve Walker with a criminal summons.
The deputies were there for the same reason the young community advocates were: For years, Jay Walker has dealt with what he says is unprovoked harassment from his neighbor, Richard Eury.
Eury, who is 75 years old and white, lives directly across the street from Walker and his wife, who are Black. They moved to the home from New York after retiring more than 10 years ago.
The people scattered about Walker’s yard on June 22 were there to show solidarity with the Walker family, whose calls for help from police and local elected officials have gone unanswered. The deputies were there to address an incident between Walker and Eury that had occurred three days earlier.
Once the deputies arrived, Eury came out of his house and immediately began taking photos of Walker speaking with the law enforcement officials as well as any potluck attendees he could capture on his professional-grade camera. The shutter could be heard across the street; he was taking hundreds of photos in just minutes.
After deputies served their summons and left, Eury called 911 to report the gathering across the street and
request CMPD. Queen City Nerve obtained the audio recordings of Eury’s call.
“There’s a group of about 20 people across the street from me. They want me to come out in the street. I’m deathly afraid of these people. And I need the police out here. This is an ongoing situation,” Eury told the 911 dispatcher.
“They want me to come out in the street and talk to them. I’m afraid of them. [Jay] owns the property. He’s doing this every week. He’s having them out there. They’re harassing me. They want me to come out in the street and talk to them. There’s 10 or 12 of them. They’re all males. They’re big guys. I’m 75 years old and a cancer survivor.”
Queen City Nerve was on the scene while this call was happening, witnessing that people attending the Walkers’ potluck did not harass or accost Eury. We did ask if Eury would be willing to discuss the issue for our story, but he insisted that we come on his property to talk. As Eury has been reported to display firearms on his property in the past, we declined.
While Queen City Nerve was there, Eury repeatedly came out of his house to take more pictures. He continually moved his car back and forth in his driveway and set off the alarm to cause a disturbance. He walked down to the end of the driveway with a golf club in his hand at one point to toss a photo that he had taken of Queen City Nerve’s reporter on the scene and printed out in his home into the street.
Eury also had his past work displayed in his front yard — blown-up photos posted to wooden posts depicting Walker alongside words like “lewd behavior,” which had been spraypainted over at the time of Queen City Nerve’s visit.
The posts were but a small sample of the harassment that Walker and his wife say they have experienced since moving into their Grove Park home to enjoy retirement more than 10 years ago.
According to Jay Walker, it was around five years ago that Eury began subjecting the Walkers to alleged racial taunts and constant surveillance, repeatedly calling 911 on them for simply existing on their property and attempting to press charges on Jay for a number of superficial reasons.
Eury has called the police to Walker residence as many as 66 times since 2020, according to records obtained by Queen City Nerve.
Eury has a criminal record dating back to 1987 with past charges including assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, driving while impaired, misdemeanor larceny, driving without a license, reckless driving to endanger, shooting in city limits, and simple assault, according to court documents. A majority of these cases were dismissed voluntarily by prosecutors.
The situation between Eury and the Walkers has come to a head over the last year, as Eury has provoked reactions from a frustrated Walker, leading to multiple charges that Walker will now have to address in court.
The deputies who showed up to Walker’s home during the support potluck on June 22 were there to serve him a summons related to an incident that occurred on June 19, for which Walker was charged with communicating threats and second-degree trespassing related to an argument he got into with Eury.
Walker says he was simply tired of Eury’s harassment
techniques, which involve repeatedly taking pictures of Walker and his wife nearly any time they step into their front yard or driveway while also yelling accusatory taunts at them from across the street.
Walker also faces charges for impeding traffic and resisting arrest related to a November incident in which Walker lay down on the street between his and Eury’s home as an act of civil disobedience after police once again failed to help him with his problem.
On Sept. 8, supporters will gather again to stand in solidarity with the Walkers before Jay’s tentative court dates, scheduled for Sept. 16 and Sept. 20. Attorney Tim Emry, who is representing Jay Walker in these cases, will speak at the event in front of Walker’s home on Linda Lake Drive.
“My client has been through a lot with this neighbor who has a pattern of abusive behavior with neighbors and using the court process to get people he doesn’t like in trouble,” Emry told Queen City Nerve. “Hopefully the state will do the right thing … There’s really nothing to be gained by prosecuting a man like Jay Walker for this.”
Community advocates have done more than simply show up at Walker’s home in solidarity, as Feed the Movement helped organize a drive to install video surveillance on the Walkers’ property, as Jay has said that the harassment only worsens when only he and his wife are at home.
Walker said he appreciates those who showed up over the summer to support him and his wife, but wants law enforcement and city officials to do something that will actually make a difference. He’s also disheartened by the lack of action from leaders in his neighborhood.
“The neighborhood of Grove Park, they don’t care,” Walker told Queen City Nerve. “It’s not their business or they’re afraid of Rick, all this kind of stuff. That’s why I’m going through this because I’m not standing for this. He’s been doing this for 30 years or more. People seem to think that it just started when I moved in.
“These people in the neighborhood, they would have me move,” he continued. “It’s almost like if your neighbor’s house is on fire and you just ignore it. How could you do that? I couldn’t do that. I’m not saying to run into a burning building, but you do something ... They just left us.”
Emry remains optimistic that prosecutors will see that the charges against Walker are frivolous and said he hopes the issue will shine a light on the way the justice system is used by some people.
“It’s frustrating the way some citizens can abuse calling 911 and calling police and abuse the magistrate process to really cause significant problems for people,” he said. “It seems like there’s a power dynamic at play in that it’s far easier for a white man to use these systems to harass people they don’t like than it would be for a Black man.”
Emry said he hopes the Sept. 8 event will serve as a call to action for community members to learn more about the ways that they can support the Walkers, though his priority is in convincing prosecutors that Walker’s upcoming court dates are unnecessary.
“Hopefully justice will prevail,” he said. “It’s just a sad situation with these three people. This is no way to spend your golden years.”
R PITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
CREATIVE SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE
Feel that chill in the air? That’s called False Fall. Luckily the local arts scene meets the mission regardless of how long summer lasts these days.
THE INSTITUTIONS
Harvey B. Gantt Center for AfricanAmerican Arts + Culture
551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org
EXHIBITS
American Gurl (On view Oct. 4, 2024-April 13, 2025) American Gurl is an ongoing curatorial project featuring work that explores all shades of American dreaming. The Gantt Center installment of the project will feature eight films by intergenerational artists with curiosity around the perspectives and nuances within the Black feminine experience and their relationships with beauty, success, freedom and power in America. American Gurl is presented in collaboration with Womxn in Windows, a platform whose mission is to share the perspectives of women of color through video, art, film, and performance.
EVENTS
Oct. 5: Family First: “Pieces of Me” Collage
Oct. 13: Classic Black Cinema Series: Abby
Charlotte Museum of History 3500 Shamrock Drive; charlottemuseum.org
Sept. 27: 2024 Mad About Modern Kickoff Celebration
Sept. 28: 2024 Mad About Modern Home Tour
Oct. 3: Southern Circuit: Family Tree
Oct. 5: Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Oct. 12: Criss Cross Mangosauce Bilingual Story Time
Oct. 19: Rock House Birthday Party
Oct. 19: Book Talk: Buying Time for Heritage
Oct. 26: Volunteer Event: Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Cemetery Headstone Cleaning
Nov. 16: Book Talk: ‘I Cannot Write My Life’
Nov. 21: Southern Circuit: Bulls and Saints
McColl Center for Visual Art
721 N. Tryon St.; mccollcenter.org
Sept. 21-Oct. 26: Young Artist Studio Series: Ceramics
The Mint Museum - Randolph
2730 Randolph Road; mintmuseum.org
Sept. 21: Potters Market at the Mint
Sept. 29: Party in the Park
The Mint Museum - Uptown
5000 N. Tryon St.; mintmuseum.org
Sept. 20-22: Whitfield Lovell: Passages
Oct. 4: Members Meet the Artists: The Communion of White Dresses
Oct. 24: Southern/Modern Public Talk
Oct. 26: The Queen City: Then and Now
Oct. 26-27: Opening Celebration for ‘Southern/Modern’
Knight Theater
430 S. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org
Sept. 21: Mystical Arts of Tibet
Sept. 22: Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers
Sept. 24: Mat Kearney: Headlights Home Tour
Sept. 26: Charloz: Gregory McGuire
Sept. 27: Andrew Santino
Sept. 28: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
Sept. 29: Afrique en Cirque
Oct. 1: BEAT
Oct. 4: Tosco Music Beatles Tribute
Oct. 5: Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney
Oct. 8-13: Clue: Live on Stage
Oct. 15: Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Oct. 17: Mrballen
Oct. 19: Eddie Izzard: The Remix: The First 35 Years
Oct. 25-26: Charlotte Symphony: Tchaikovsky’s Concerto
No. 1
Oct. 27: Boney James: Slow Burn Tour
Oct. 29: Little Feat: Can’t Be Satisfied Tour
Nov. 2: Legends: The Symphonic Sound of EWF (Earth, Wind & Fire) With Urban Arts Orchestra
Nov. 8-10: Charlotte Symphony: Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9
Nov. 15-16: Charlotte Symphony: Beethoven X Beyonce
Nov. 16: Charlotte Symphony: The Composer is Dead
Nov. 22: David Cross Featuring Special Guest Sean Patton
Nov. 30: Girl Named Tom: The Joy of Christmas Tour
Booth Playhouse
130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org
Sept. 27: The Jazz Room Presents: Pedrito Martinez
Oct. 4: David Nihill: Shelf Help Tour
Oct. 5: Burlesque 3000
Oct. 9: JDot Breezy Performing Live in Charlotte
Oct. 11: Benise- Fiesta!
Oct. 12: Karen Poole Live Album Recording
Oct. 18: Carlos Ballarta: Tlatoani
Oct. 22: Bob Mould: Solo Electric
Oct. 26: Witch Perfect
Nov. 1: Couples Therapy the Theatrical Show
Nov. 7-8: The Jinx & Dela Holiday Show (Intimate Preview Experience)
Nov. 9: El Boricua es Otra Cosa
Nov. 11: The Carole King & James Taylor Story
Nov. 15-17: The Secret Garden
Nov. 26: A Christmas Carol
Nov. 29-30: The String Queens: Holiday Candlelight Concert
Belk Theater
130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org
Sept. 21-22: Bluey’s Big Play
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CHARLOTTE INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
Sept. 25: Herbie Hancock
Sept. 27-28: Charlotte Symphony: The Wizard of Oz in Concert
Oct. 1-6: Girl from the North Country
Oct. 9: Charlotte Symphony Gala Performance: Sphinx Virtuosi
Oct. 12: Charlotte Symphony: Heroes: A Video Game Symphony
Oct. 13: The Screwtape Letters
Oct. 15: Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert
Oct. 18: The Y2K Meets ‘90s Tour
Oct. 19: National Ballet of Ukraine US Tour- Nadiya Ukraine (Hope of Ukraine)
Oct. 20: Maxim Galkin in Concert
Oct. 20: The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Patricia Quinn
Oct. 22-27: & Juliet
Oct. 30: Opera Carolina: Andrea Bocelli in Concert
Nov. 1-2: Charlotte Symphony: The Music of Queen
Nov. 9-14: Opera Carolina: Carmen
Nov. 22-23: Charlotte Symphony: Brahms’ a German Requiem
Nov. 26-Dec1: Some Like it Hot
Stage Door Theater
155 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org
Sept. 22: The DB’s: The Original Lineup on Tour
Sept. 28-29: Southern Guitar Festival
Oct. 4-5: Heathers: the Musical
Oct. 16: The Contenders
Oct. 17: Vip Ternopil Comedy Show
Children’s Theatre of Charlotte; ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th St.; ctcharlotte.org
Sept. 20-Oct. 20: School of Rock: The Musical
Oct. 19-Nov. 3: Grace for President
Nov. 22-Dec. 22: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Charlotte Ballet charlotteballet.org
Oct. 4-26: Beyond the Surface
Between July 3-December 13, Charlotte Ballet is offering a new session of free weekly drop-in classes. All the classes are sponsored by Culture Blocks, and the classes are open to all ages and skill levels.
THE INDEPENDENTS
Theatre Charlotte
501 Queens Road, theatrecharlotte.org
Oct. 25-Nov. 10: 1984
Three Bone Theatre; The Arts Factory at West End Studios, 1545 W. Trade St.; threebonetheatre.com
Nov. 8-24: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Matthews Playhouse
Fullwood Theatre, 100 E. McDowell St., Matthews; matthewsplayhouse.com
Sept. 20-19: One Year to Die
Cain Center for the Arts
21348 Catawba Ave., Cornelius; cainarts.org/
Sept. 20: Riders in the Sky
Sept. 21: Cain Center Singer- Songwriting Showcase: A Night of Originals & Influences
Oct. 4: Ben Sollee Trio
Oct. 5: Mike Super: Magic & Illusion
Oct. 10: Fabulous Equinox Orchestra: Beatles to Bourbon St.
Oct. 11-12: The Complete History of America (Abridged)
Oct. 17: Jim Messina
Oct. 18: Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show
Oct. 19: Trout Fishing in America
Oct. 25: Tell Me Lies: The Fleetwood Mac Experience
Nov. 1: Tammy Pescatelli
Nov. 2: Maurice J. Norman Presents: Don’t Lose Heart
Nov. 7: Deana Carter
Nov. 8: John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band
Nov. 9: Heart By Heart
Nov. 14-16: Matilda Jr.
Nov. 23: Larry McCray
Nov. 29: Joe Gransden’s Little Big Band Holiday Show
28th Annual Festival of India
Experience captivating performances, art, crafts, attire, cuisine, and more at the 28th Annual Festival of India just outside of Tryon Street.
More: $5; Sept. 14; 12 p.m.; Belk Theatre;
ArtPop Upcycled Fashion Show
Showcasing couture fashion by local designer, ArtPop Upcycled Fashion show creates a runway like no other
with all of the pieces designed from retired ArtPop artist billboard vinyls.
Festival In The Park has truly been a Charlotte staple for the last 60 years, with incredible music, art, food, and a breathtaking sight of the tent lights reflecting on the lake. More: Free; Sept. 22-24, times vary; Freedom Park, 1908 East Blvd.; festivalinthepark.org
Charlotte Film Festival
The Independent Picture House will be transformed into a hub of creativity, showcasing 100+ captivating films in just six days. The Festival will feature a diverse range of animated, narrative, documentary, and student shorts and features, as well as special presentations from talented local, regional, national, and international filmmakers.
After hosting their debut all-bass festival, Breakaway Presents: Another World, the brand returns to Charlotte with 20 nationally recognized artists and three local acts who will perform across two nights of festivities along with a Silent Disco presented by Monaco featuring local talent, activations and onsite fan experiences.
More: $25 and up; Sept. 27-28, times vary; zMAX Dragway Grounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway, 6570 Bruton Smith Blvd.; breakawayfestival.com/carolina
Hola Charlotte Festival
Hosted by Norsan Media, Hola Charlotte is the largest Hispanic Heritage celebration in Charlotte, highlighting
Latin American culture and all its diversity. On the 12th annual edition, the fest will feature nationally recognized entertainers celebrating the heritage of various Latin American countries with Hispanics of multiple backgrounds and ages.
Take an autumn stroll through the wooded Village of Fairhaven where history comes alive with non-stop, daylong, immersive and interactive entertainments, and you can shop an abundance of arts and crafts in the village’s open-air Artisan Market.
What to do at the Charlotte International Arts Festival
The third annual Charlotte International Arts Festival (CIAF) kicks off on Sept. 13 and runs through Sept. 29. Bridging Charlotte’s local and international communities with global artists in a joyful celebration filled with live performances, art installations, and cultural expressions from around the world, CIAF features a smorgasbord of art from a variety of cultures and genres.
With more than 200 events, many which are free and open to the public, and ticketed events starting at $5, it can be hard to choose what to do. We’ve picked out a handful of art installations, concerts and interactive attractions to check for during this year’s festival. To learn more visit charlotteartsfest.com.
ART INSTALLATIONS
Groundswell, Sept. 20-29
Location: Blume Studios, 904 Post Street
Aptly named after the art that onlookers will experience, Groundswell consists of a six-meter platform sitting atop 40,000 illuminated spheres that react to movement. After taking a step onto the platform, the surface beneath you will swell, causing rippling waves initiating its auditory element of oceanic sounds. Depending on the kind of steps or leaps you take, the sounds can be tranquil or visceral. Sharing the space with others, you’re guaranteed to have a different experience every time you set sail for Groundswell.
Constellation, Sept. 13-29
Location: Levine Avenue
This installation will take your breath away with a sky full of stars. The star-shaped canopy made of 21,600 LED modules hangs from a single point and syncs to classical music to move like the Northern Lights and transport viewers to another world. Last seen at Charlotte SHOUT! in 2019, Constellation makes its return for CIAF to viewers experience a visual delight.
Evanescent by Atelier Sisu, Sept. 13-29
Location: The Green
Atelier Sisu is a Sydney-based design studio comprised of a multidisciplinary team to create experiential environments, installations and sculptures. Evanescent combines all those things to create large iridescent globes that shine various colors of from the sun and shows different shades by light at night. The immersive light and
sound environment aims to capture the meaning behind the quality of impermanence, like a bubble.
Mind Wash, Sept. 13-29
Location: Ballantyne’s Backyard
Christopher Schardt has been creating large-scale sculptures since 2000. Working with aluminum, stainless steel, glass, plastics, electronics and software, Schardt seeks to create sights and sounds that surprise us while responding to the environments around us. Mind Wash is described to be a 26-foot rotating, brainshaped animated structure that has a synchronization of light that dances to the classical music surrounding it. Participants are expected to sit under the structure for a fully-immersive experience.
CONCERTS
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Sept. 22
Location: Knight Theatre
Bruce Hornsby is an accomplished songwriter, bandleader and collaborator whose impressive resume includes his Grammy-winning debut album with The Range, collaborating with Bonnie Raitt on her song “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” and worked with iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Bon Iver and Willie Nelson.
The Virginia native’s work mixes genres like jazz, pop, Bluegrass, rock and classical. His wide range of skills makes for incredible live performances, which is why he fit right in as a part-time member of the Grateful Dead. He continues to work with various members of the Grateful Dead as well as writing for Broadway and film. His most recent studio album, ‘Flicted, was released in May 2022.
Mat Kearney w/ Darren Kiely, Sept. 24
Location: Knight Theatre
Nashville-based Mat Kearney is back to perform his most recent record, January Flower, which chronicles his rediscovery of the joy he takes in making music. Kearney is hailed as a multi-platinum songwriter and producer and has toured with John Mayer and NEEDTOBREATHE. Supporting Kearney is an artist hailing from Cork, Ireland named Dareen Kiely, who creates folk-infused pop that originates from his love of traditional Irish music infused with sounds akin to The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons and Noah Kahan. The singer-songwriter quickly
garnered attention for his vocals and emotional delivery, then made his way to NYC in 2022 to develop his musical career.
Herbie Hancock, Sept. 25
Location: Belk Theatre
This famed jazz musician, bandleader and composer started his career with Donald Byrd’s group, then joined the Miles Davis Quintet, pioneering a groundbreaking sound in jazz and American music. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk and electronic styles by using a variety of synthesizers, influencing the music that still tops charts today.
Hancock won an Academy Award for his Round Midnight film score, plus 15 Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year for River: The Joni Letters. He currently
serves as creative chair for jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and as Institute Chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
INTERACTIVE ATTRACTIONS
Birdmen
Various locations
These huge illuminated creatures are back to hover above the streets of Charlotte. The majestic birdlike figures are puppeteered by unknown operators, mesmerizing anyone they run into. The mystery that shrouds these birds will leave you guessing when and where they’ll pop up, so stay on the lookout for any glowing lights above you. We heard they show up when you least expect it.
Space Explorers, Sept. 20 - Nov. 10
Location: Blume Studios, 904 Post Street
Travel through space and time with Blumenthal Arts’ newest immersive experience: Space Exploreres: THE INFINITE. On your journey out of this world, you are transported to the stars with a virtual reality headset, witnessing Earth from a bird’s eye view. On the selfguided tour, you’ll gain a new perspective into the daily life of astronauts through encounters with international crew.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CHARLOTTE INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
COMING FULL CYCLE
Upcycle Arts makes creative materials more accessible and sustainable
BY ANNIE KOEUGH
Walking into the Upcycle Arts facility in east Charlotte is like entering the mind of an artist. There’s a chaotic unity of materials separated in their own respective sections but collected together all the same under fluorescent lights and signs that read “Sewing,” “Jewelry,” “Craft” and “Paper.”
Area rugs and rolls of fabric protrude from a steel drum just feet from a chalkboard with “Draw on me” scribbled across the top above sketches of mushrooms, cats, dogs, and a mermaid. Even if just visiting for a simple re-up on paintbrushes or crochet needles, it’s impossible not to leave feeling inspired.
Upon Queen City Nerve’s visit to the small shop in the Eastway Crossing shopping center, Upcycle Arts executive director Angela Kollmer pointed out that ‘creative reuse’ stores like Upcycle — centers that sell upcycled materials and craft supplies — exist two hours away in every cardinal direction from Charlotte, but none in the city itself. None save for Upcycle Arts.
Inspired by creative reuse centers like The Scrap Exchange in Durham, Kollmer started hosting Upcycle Arts booths at vendor events in September 2020, having obtained a 501c3 nonprofit status for her new project. She quickly realized that people at such events are mostly looking for finished products rather than shopping for art supplies.
So, Kollmer leaned on a certain clientele that appreciates the creative freedom of assorted materials, setting up shop at children’s events and watching as kids found any and all uses for her arts and craft supplies.
She traded her storage unit for a 170-square-foot room in the basement of the VAPA Center in Uptown Charlotte.
“[It] was amazing to just have something to point to and say ‘This is what we’re trying to accomplish,” she said. Donations and pickups were by appointment only and the store relied on volunteers to help sort through contributions. No matter the size of the space, the idea of diverting waste from landfills and providing the community with affordable art supplies has remained the same, said Heidi Baggott, Upcycle Arts’ first employee. With no other creative reuse centers within 100 miles, Kollmer and Baggott built a following of loyal customers, some of whom would travel hours just to get to them.
Nearly four years after its inception, Upcycle Arts’ first brick-and-mortar storefront, located at 3046A Eastway Drive between Bart’s Mart and Book Buyers, opened on Earth Day weekend of this year. It’s a huge leap from Kollmer’s humble beginnings, but she insists she’s just getting started.
Art sustains us
Kollmer said the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive since her April opening, particularly for makers and artists looking for a more accessible price point among materials.
Sewing your own clothing used to be the cheaper option for fashion-forward creatives, Kollmer said, but now it’s more economical to buy a $5 shirt from a fastfashion provider that will last a month before it’s tossed in the trash. Online shopping also makes that option far more convenient than buying the thread, fabric and materials to make it yourself.
Textile waste from the fast-fashion industry accounts for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions, with 92 million tons of waste produced every year. To counteract the rising financial and environmental cost of fast fashion, Upcycle Arts prices supplies by weight or at a fraction of the original cost.
“There is a need for us here,” Kollmer said. “It’s nice that we’re able to help people still create and learn to do that and educate our customer base on the sustainable option.”
Kollmer didn’t start thinking about her own consumer habits until the pandemic.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t really buy from small businesses or I don’t think where I put my money is part of my social power,’” she said. “So I think that’s super important for us… the customer education piece.”
Kollmer emphasizes that buying secondhand offers customers a more diverse range of items than they would find at a big-box arts and crafts store, while also allowing them to avoid contributing to mass-produced waste.
The Upcycle team also hosts impactful events that go beyond retail. In February 2023, the organization partnered with the city of Charlotte’s Storm Water Services to move 130,000 pounds of leather that would have otherwise been thrown out.
The city purchased the warehouse from a local leather worker and the 10,000-square-foot facility was full, floor to ceiling, with cut leather. The leather needed to be moved for the city to tear the building down and make way for a greenspace, and Upcycle helped keep it out of the landfill.
Kollmer hopes to someday work with more large organizations to prevent mass material waste, knowing that large businesses come with a large amount of waste that they don’t always have the space to store or means to move.
Most donations come from individuals, but Kollmer urges bigger businesses to veer away from the blanket
consumerism tactic of offering everything to everyone rather than honing in on a specific audience, which would lead to less waste.
Upcycle Arts offers specific products for an array of people. Teachers have a place to gather supplies for their classrooms with a special discount, parents can feed their children’s wandering creative interests, and hobbyists and professional artists can increase their profit margins.
The retail space at Eastway Crossing started with 800 pounds of arts and crafts supplies on display. Thanks to crafters hoping to give their retired projects a new life, the shop has added another 10,000 pounds in the four months since its opening.
Baggott said materials given to donation centers run the risk of being thrown away and adding to landfill waste. Upcycle Arts has the space and means to hold onto items longer than most people and brings them comfort in knowing they will go to good use.
“You don’t want to give [those] supplies to a place that might throw it away,” Baggott said. “And knowing that here, it’s going to find a new home and be used in the way that it was initially intended … people are going to give this life and love and they’re going to be very appreciated.”
Old into new
Kollmer aims to continue offering people affordable prices in whatever creative space they occupy while urging all residents to shift their mindset away from shopping big-box stores that contribute to a growing environmental crisis.
Now that it’s not just Kollmer and a handful of volunteers in a storage closet, her vision to develop partnerships and programs is growing to meet the demands of her community.
As of now, Upcycle Arts offers senior crafts day, but Kollmer hopes to soon add fixed sewing, crochet and knitting classes to the regular schedule while partnering with local artists to lead workshops in their specific style.
She added that a lot of effort goes into sorting and organizing materials, an endeavor led by volunteers who
sign up online to work on Wednesdays and Sundays. Having started as a volunteer with Upcycle Arts, Baggott can’t speak highly enough of the work’s impact on her.
“It’s a fun way to get involved in the community,” Baggott said. “It’s just been a pure joy, working here and seeing… the energy of excitement.”
The impact the store has created in the community is seen in the level of passion its customers carry for their projects. Folks share stories, tips and tricks among the aisles and plans for their materials with Baggott at the register.
“It gives me pride, knowing you’re helping people tap into that creative side,” Baggott said.
Baggott previously worked for an architecture and design firm, where she saw firsthand the level of waste produced by libraries of amassed samples. She took to dumpster diving to collect tiles that she used as dry erase blocks for events she organized.
“I’m always thinking of ways to reuse and repurpose,” Baggott said. “There’s always something, you just have to get creative and think outside the box.”
Nothing awakens the creative mind like upcycled materials. This is where children hold the power, Kollmer said. Adults confine themselves to the idea of a finished product rather than taking a step back to appreciate the process of creating something.
During a collage workshop with Arts+, one woman was drawn to a photo within a calendar from 1975. When the woman didn’t know where to start on her project, Kollmer had to encourage her to cut out the picture because she didn’t think she could.
Once she cut the photo out, she was struck by the muse, recalled Kollmer. She had the freedom to repurpose an old calendar that no one was using into something that became her own.
“You can break it. It’s okay,” Kollmer told her. “That’s why we’re here.”
Learn more about Upcycle Arts at upcycleartsclt.org. AKEOUGH@QCNERVE.COM
PHOTO COURTESY OF UPCYCLE ARTS
STUDENTS WORK ON A CD MOSAIC AT UPCYCLE ARTS.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE QUEEN CITY
TUES SAT THURS WED THURS
COMMON W/ PETE ROCK
BIT BRIGADE PRESENTS
9/5
Founded in Athens, Georgia, in 2004, Bit Brigade is not just live music, it’s a gaming experience. The band performs rock covers of full NES game soundtracks as their assigned gamer speed-runs the respective games live on stage. This event features just such a performance with The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania shown on the big screen. “The word ‘play’ is probably an understatement — these guys shred through the games as expertly as the band wails on their instruments,” wrote Nintendo Power about the Bit Brigade’s exploits. Opening the show is SkyBlew, who creatively weaves together anime, cartoon, comic and video game references and themes into his repertoire while crafting a unique hip-hop experience that creates the perfect setup for Bit Brigade.
Are you one of those people who would never have a child because you couldn’t bear going nine months without riding a roller coaster? OK, maybe that’s a bit much, but the folks with American Coaster Enthusiasts are just one level below that in their passion for the best amusement rides they can find. You don’t have to be a member to join them for this special day at Carowinds, which will feature exclusive ride time on Copperhead Strike and Mountain Gliders in the morning and Fury 325 at night. Not to mention a wild scavenger hunt, the Boo Blasters High Score Challenge, and an exclusive SCarowinds preview experience before it kicks off on the following weekend.
You don’t have to be a true hip-hop head to know who Common is, but if you’re a true hip-hop head you know who the real Common is. Launching his solo career as Common Sense in 1991, Common has gone on to become a multi-hyphenate talent, taking home both Grammy Awards and an Oscar. So what if the Oscar was for his 2015 song “Glory” with John Legend? The man has acting chops. Nevermind all that, he will be flexing his true lyrical music at The Fillmore on Sept. 10 alongside Pete Rock, widely recognized as one of the best hip-hop producers of all time.
More: $28 and up; Sept. 10, 8 p.m.; The Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com
SHOVELS & ROPE
Husband-and-wife duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst combined the threads of their respective solo careers to release an album titled Shovels & Rope in 2008, originally releasing an album of the same name under their own names with no plans to create a band at the time. Lucky for us, what came out was magic, and they created Shovels & Rope. We’re not sure if the music was so good it convinced them to marry each other the following year, but we wouldn’t be surprised. Based in Charleston, the folk-rock group has gone on to be recognized by the Americana Music Association with multiple awards (Emerging Artist of the Year and Song of the Year in 2013), and has only gotten better since.
HOW I GOT OVER: CONTEMPORARY BLACK SOUTHERN PORTRAITURE RECEPTION
Curated Yvonne Bynoe, known on social media as @shelovesblackart, “How I Got Over: Contemporary Black Southern Portraiture, A testimony of community, joy and triumph” features a multigenerational group of artists from across the American South who, through their diverse portraiture, present their personal narratives while expressing how Black Southerners see themselves as both Americans and ancestral standard bearers. The exhibition takes its title from the spiritual performed by gospel legend Mahalia Jackson during The March On Washington in 1963.
More: Free; Sept. 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; UNC Charlotte Rowe Galleries, 9119 University Road; tinyurl.com/ HowIGotOverCLT
ongoing 9/12 - 9/14
NOMADNESS FEST
Since its inception in 2011, Tribe has grown from 100 to tens of thousands of members, hosting over 40 international trips across the globe, curating the travel industry’s most honest and communal conversations on what it is like to navigate the world as a person of color. Each year’s NOMADNESS Fest theme is intentionally based on the climate of the culture and BIPOC travelers’ needs and desires as travelers, and this year finds them in Charlotte with the theme: The Future is Ours: Reimagining BIPOC Travel. The 2024 fest hands the stage over to television hosts, content creators, representatives at some of the biggest travel tech companies, and travelers on the ground to see what’s at the front of mind (and screen) for the future of travel.
More: Free-$300; Sept. 12-14, times vary; locations vary; nomadnessfest.com
COMMON
Photo by Steven Pisano
Artwork by DeMarcus McGaughey
UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE QUEEN CITY
FREAKY FRIDAY AT PETRA’S
This show features two local artists performing each other’s setlists, a la Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster (or Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan for folks of a younger generation). September’s show features Florecienta, whose dynamic fusion of electronic pop, Latin rhythms and R&B-inspired vocals will mix up nicely with Jameilyara, whose playful imagery and catchy choruses have been compared to the stylings of Little Dragon and Japanese Breakfast. “I picked up a guitar when I was about 11ish and my dad’s friend taught me how to play,” Jameilyara told Queen City Nerve in 2023. “I realized that if I just play guitar and say a poem at the same time, that it’s kind of a song. I just kept writing from then on.” We’re all the better for it.
Celebrate Korean culture at the inaugural K-Fest, hosted by Seoul Food Meat Co and Urban District Market, featuring music, food and drinks, a karaoke contest, a K-pop dance contest and martial arts exhibitions. “K-FEST is dedicated to offer the evergrowing city of Charlotte an immersive experience of diverse traditions, arts and cuisines of Korea through engaging activities, captivating performances and cultural displays,” said the organizers. If you’ve never been into Seoul’s private karaoke rooms, you may want to go do some warming up before you take part in the competition. If you haven’t visited the Urban District Market yet, this is a perfect opportunity to utilize the bridge between Seoul and UDM to see all they have to offer.
More: Free; Sept. 14, noon-10 p.m.; Seoul Food - Urban District Market, 421 E 26th St.; seoulfoodmeatcoclt.com/k-fest
Already Charlotte’s biggest Oktoberfest celebration, this year Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is spreading the celebration out over four weekends at two locations, beginning on Yancey Road with its famous 1-liter glass boots, which you can fill with OMB’s Mecktoberfest Märzen Lager, Copper Altbier, Captain Jack Pilsner, unFOURseen West Coast IPA, or Hornets Nest Hefeweizen. There will also be German fare including pretzels with bier cheese, sausage, schnitzel and more, plus Stein-holding competitions on Saturday and Sunday. The Little German Band will perform all the traditional Oktoberfest songs while interacting with all the festivalgoers each day. Visit the brewery’s Ballantyne location for a repeat during the first two weekends of October. More: Free; Sept. 13-15 & 20-22, times vary; Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, 4150 Yancey Road; ombbeer.com
9/15 9/13
REINALDO BRAHN QUARTET: A NIGHT IN BRAZIL
Born in Belo Horizonte, the third largest city in Brazil, Reinaldo Brahn picked up the family guitar at age 12 and curiously strummed its chords. He was hooked from there. He worked with the renowned Brazilian vocal group Soul Makube before embarking on a solo career. Arriving in Charlotte in 2007, he quickly introduced his Brazilian roots to the local scene. He creatively applies robust Brazilian style to popular American music with inspiring results. Reinaldo’s specialties include singing and playing authentic Brazilian music, including musica popular Brasileira, and classic sambas, as well as performing American pop songs with a strong Brazilian influence.
More: $28-$35; Sept. 15, 6 p.m.; Middle C Jazz, 300 S. Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com
DROP THE SCIENCE
Lynsea’s ‘hormones’ breaks emotions down to their base elements
BY JONATHAN GOLIAN
One of the great challenges (and wonders) of daily life is the ability for one to find things to be captivated by no matter where one looks.
Inspiration can come in all forms, often emerging from the least expected sources — some shocking breakthrough on a lazy afternoon, a throwaway line unconsciously overheard while walking by strangers in conversation, or hidden in what many would take to be boring instructional reading material.
That last example is what led to the latest single from Charlotte-based singer/songwriter Lynsea. While “hormones,” might outwardly present itself as a song about the gravitational pull of attraction, there’s more to it than that.
In fact, according to Lynsea, the idea for the song jumped straight from a medical textbook to its manifestation as the emotional alt-pop flair she dropped on Aug. 16.
In listening to the track initially, it’s easy to simply be swayed by the lo-fi beats, wrapped together with synths and light guitar work that build during the chorus and in the final stretch of the single.
The bigger emphasis, however, is on Lynsea’s vocals, which are never overshadowed by the instrumentals.
Without additional context, the lyrics describe a loveat-first-sight experience broken down into compounds, bouncing off each other in perfect harmony, especially in the opening verses.
“I was doing just fine/ And then you went and changed my mind/ Chemicals in my brain/ Making me feel this way/ Now I’m focused on you/ Like I’ve got something to prove/ I’m not normally like this/ Just come closer, can’t resist/ Can you tell me why I feel this way?”
SINGLE
DARIO EMU, “WISTERIA”
This singer/songwriter is a newcomer to the Charlotte scene. His new single “Wisteria” follows up on his debut “Tonight” with a similarly laid-back vibe singing sweet nothings into the ear of his partner of choice.
Stream on Spotify
Lynsea takes the time to gleefully teach listeners about what’s behind each excited moment she’s experiencing.
Inspired by her own recent hormonal health journey, “hormones” analyzes the intricacies of human emotions by breaking down the science behind them.
In speaking with Queen City Nerve about the recent release, which she celebrated with an intimate live performance at McGill Rose Garden on Aug. 17, Lynsea shared that much of the inspiration for her lyrics starts with her love for nonfiction reading, which she then muses into her own fictional storylines.
“I feel like [my songs] are more from that cerebral creative writing [angle],” she said. “I’m just such a student at heart that I do want my songs to have some sort of message buried in it somewhere, even if the feeling of it is lighthearted.”
For “hormones” in particular, the track was born of her experience in taking a more conscious approach to her own body’s health, which meant reading volumes on hormonal health and other related topics.
“I started my hormone health journey in 2023 and my world was changed for the better,” the singer explained. “Hormones are not talked about enough, and truly without awareness of them, they have an inevitable effect on our decisions, relationships and quality of life.
“It should be known that hormone education is not reserved for women, nor only for sex education,” she continued. “If you are human, you are being influenced by this chemistry daily, so, if you are human, this song is for you.”
As with “hormones,” Lynsea is often particular about the subjects she explores in each one of her songs. In her
2020 debut release, “Coffee at Midnight,” she conjures relatable memories of coffeehouse dates and meetups, sharing that intentional space with an exclusive invitee.
“Cafes aren’t just a place we meet people we’re romantically tied to, but friends and family as well,” she told me. “I wanted [‘Coffee at Midnight’] to speak to the feelings those places invoke for us.”
Inspired by her penchant for listening to international music to help learn different dialects, Lynsea also unveiled that she plans to translate many of her works into other languages. She started with “Loca Por Ti,” a Spanish version of 2023’s “Out Of My Mind” that she released in March of this year.
Having recently wrapped filming on visuals for “hormones,” which will hit her YouTube page in late August/early September, she also plans to release
Spanish and French versions of the single later this year.
Lynsea’s strength as a songwriter is in the way she turns the seemingly monotonous into a beautiful storyline, as she took the scientific nature of her latest track’s subject and made it an emotional exploration of how hormones affect our thought process in isolated moments.
In breaking down a breakdown, the earworm of a track plays off the questions we might ask to ourselves when those feelings strike with a smooth, lighthearted background that is perfect for any lo-fi playlist.
In Lynsea’s own words, “So what if it’s just hormones?”
Lynsea will perform at The Evening Muse on Sept. 26 with headliner Joe May, a songwriter/keyboardist/producer known for his work with Pluto Gang.
INFO@QCNERVE.COM
ALBUM
SWEET SPINE, ‘break//neck’
The title track on this local rock trio’s new album starts at anything but breakneck speed, but by the time it ends you’ll be nodding hard enough to get it. “Lights Out!” shows a new sound from the band reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails.
Stream on Spotify
EP
TECOBY HINES, ‘art 001’
Four tracks from one of Charlotte’s most talented lyricists hit you like that perfect cup of coffee when you’re preparing to eat your frog and own your shit.
Stream on Spotify
PHOTO BY MADISON KING
LYNSEA
PAUSE: Project spotlight SUGARTANK ! RECORDS
BY RYAN PITKIN
Launched by Dreamboat bandmates Nig Pugh (JaggerMouth, Paint Fumes) and Nic Holman (Coughing Dove), SugarTank! Records is a new local label created with a goal to support and celebrate artists within the LGBTQ+ community, including allies.
SugarTank! aims to be a resource hub for artists and creatives, hosting events and collaborating within extended networks to provide as many opportunities as possible. The label’s first release, Carolina Compost Vol. 1, will feature a wide range of artists from throughout the Carolinas.
The record will be available on Sept. 21 at the inaugural SugarTank! Festival, featuring 12 bands and artists, most of whom appear on the compilation, performing at three different venues across Plaza Midwood: Petra’s, Snug Harbor and Gordon Alley. The show starts at 5 p.m. in Gordon Alley and goes through the night, with tickets available at snugrock.com.
“We’ve both been a part of the Charlotte music scene for over a decade now and while the support that’s already out there for musicians is amazing, there simply isn’t enough of it,” Pugh told Queen City Nerve. “Now is a time we feel it’s more important than ever to put our own efforts in the game and be some of that support. We either come together as an unstoppable music
SHOWCASE
community, or passively let the rapidly changing city dictate what happens next in our creative culture.
“This label partnership felt natural because our combined experiences and skill sets complement each other in a way that makes us confident we can bring the whole package to a project like this,” he continued. “Our shared passion for music, the importance of centering queer artists and building allyship throughout the community, and our belief that this music scene’s best days are ahead is why we decided to come together. Also, and maybe most importantly, we are best friends and want to do something cool and fun with our lives. You won’t see either of us in a suit and tie anytime soon.”
Follow SugarTank! Records for updates at @ sugartank_records on Instagram.
PHOTO BY DAN RUSSELL-PINSON
GIRL BRUTAL AT THE MILESTONE ON AUG. 27
PHOTO BY DAN RUSSELL-PINSON
SWEET SPINE AT THE MILESTONE ON AUG. 27
PHOTO BY JEFF HAHNE
GREEN DAY AT PNC ON AUG. 26
PHOTO BY DAN RUSSELL-PINSON
30 YEARS OF GRACE: A JEFF BUCKLEY TRIBUTE AT PETRA’S ON AUG. 23
DON’T CALL IT A HOMECOMING
The Nude Party returns to the Carolinas for Roaring Riot Kickoff Jam
BY RYAN PITKIN
When we caught up with The Nude Party frontman Patton Magee over the phone on a recent afternoon, he was vacationing with his family in Boone, the town where it all began.
That morning, he had taken his girlfriend to drive past the infamous house off US Route 421 where he and his fledgling band hosted wild shows while attending Appalachian State University — sometimes sans clothes, which is in part how they came to their name.
During his drive-by tour, he learned that the house where it all began had gone through a transition of sorts.
“It’s so funny because we had done some pretty liberal activities there, and now the yard is full of Trump flags and like, ‘Fuck Biden’ and Thin Blue Line flags,” he explained.
But there’s a silver lining: While the house might now be inhabited by fans of an aspiring fascist dictator, at least they’re taking care of it.
“The funny thing is, the lawn, it’s really maintained and manicured now,” he mused. “When we were there it looked like shit.”
Such is life in the college town of Boone, which Magee estimates has about “a five-year shelf life” before the whole population turns over again and everyone’s a stranger. That’s part of the reason that, following graduation, he and his bandmates packed up and went north, making a home in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.
Since releasing their debut self-titled album in 2018 under New West Records, the group has gained momentum on the national stage, opening for acts like Jack White, Dr. Dog, Arctic Monkeys, Black Lips and many others. They’ve graced stages at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and Shaky Knees, to name a few.
Though they now call New York home, the seven-piece group keeps deep roots in North Carolina. Four members hail from Mooresville; drummer Connor Mikita, bassist Alex Castillo, guitarist Shaun Couture and pianist Don Merrill all graduated from Lake Norman High School together.
Percussionist Austin Brose grew up in Hayesville in western North Carolina. While pedal-steel player Jon “Catfish” Delorme is from New Jersey, his family vacationed in Outer Banks annually. Originally from Utah himself, Magee’s family now lives in Chapel Hill.
They’ll return to the Tar Heel State on Sept. 14 to coheadline the Roaring Riot Kickoff Jam, a season-opening celebration at NoDa Brewing for Charlotte’s biggest Carolina Panthers supporters group.
Before the show, we spoke with Magee about the band’s recent release from a predatory record deal, how building a barn studio changed their whole approach to music, and what it means to play in Charlotte.
Queen City Nerve: I think a common refrain among fans of your music is the fact that you can really hear the sound of late-60s, early-70s rock. I’ve heard you compared to The Rolling Stones a lot, for example. Was that something that you all, as young guys, were into and listening to that inspired your sound?
Patton Magee: I mean, I like it, yeah. I love the Stones. I love T. Rex, Pink Floyd, The Band, Dylan and The Velvet Underground. There’s so much good rock ‘n’ roll.
Did you grow up listening to music from that time period and generation?
No, probably the first thing that I liked was Green Day and then, like, ska. I lived in Utah then. I really liked MGMT … I was on the way to an MGMT show [at Amos’ Southend] in Charlotte and my friend that was driving was playing something that was the coolest thing I’d ever heard. And I was like, “Dude, what is this?” And he’s like, “This is ‘Sister Ray’ by The Velvet Underground.”
I had heard the name before but I had no idea. For some reason, I thought The Velvet Underground was just something that I wouldn’t like. It was too weird. I don’t know. For some reason, I just had it in my mind that it was just some obscure, unlikable thing. And I remember the first time I heard it, I was like, “This is the coolest music I’ve ever heard.” I think it all came in pieces like that.
What was it that brought you all to the Catskills as a group?
Well, when we graduated from school, we needed to go somewhere because we couldn’t stay in Boone anymore. I mean, I’m in Boone right now, and even though we lived here for like five years, I don’t know more than probably three people here anymore. It’s got like a
five-year shelf life. So when we got to the end of that five years, we needed to go somewhere.
We looked at a bunch of different places. We considered Asheville, we considered Louisville, we considered Brooklyn, and then a friend of ours, Oakley Munson, the guy that produced our first two albums, he had moved up to the Catskills to work on a garlic farm and just reset his circadian clock. And while he was up there, the Black Lips were recording at Sean Lennon’s studio in the Catskills, and their drummer quit and they needed a new drummer quickly. They knew Oakley, so they asked him, and he was like, three towns over. So he went over and played on the Black Lips record, Satan’s Graffiti, and then they asked him to join the band.
Once he was in the band, he was like, “Well, I’m going to just get set up here. I’m going to get a house here. Why don’t you guys come move up here, too? And we’ll all just live up here and do music.” So it all ties in with Black Lips and Oakley.
You all built a studio barn up there. How did that help transform your process compared to what you guys had been doing during those previous years?
Well, I think it makes you realize that recording music can be a far more casual thing than [we had thought.] There’s something early on where you think there always has to be a board and there has to be all these compressors and there has to be all these patch bays, and it has to be an engineer. There has to be all these elements to it that you don’t understand, and it has to be this way.
And then putting it in your own hands and having your own studio, in some parts professional, in some parts unprofessional, you realize that the only thing that matters is the sound that comes back through the monitors. And you can do that. You can just do it that way. It’s fantastic if you have a great studio and a great engineer and a lot of great microphones and the rest of all that stuff, I’m not knocking it, but you realize that you’ve been gatekeeping yourself and that you can just do this.
And how did that have an effect on your sound? Because it does feel like you guys went in some different directions sound-wise on Rides On as compared to previous projects. How did that, in unexpected ways, let you become more experimental?
Well, because if you set up all the instruments the way they are and everyone’s standing at their station with their instrument and then you go like, “Okay, here are the 12 songs. Let’s hit each song. Stay at our stations and do all 12 songs,” that’s one way to do it. And it’s not a bad way to do it, but it’s a way that means that every song is going to have more or less the same instrumentation and sound to it, where then when we broke it down and had our own studio, it just brought it back down to zero. It was like, “Does this song need drums? Does this song need a bass? Does this song need everything?” And you take everybody out of their stations and then look at the song and switch the instrumentation up. There is one song on there, “Tree of Love,” that I really like that has just an overturned bass drum being played with a mallet ... There’s no bass, there’s no drum kit. Having your own studio in your own time and not being worried about wasting anyone else’s time or studio money or anything like that … When you’re only wasting your own time, it’s fantastic.
You’ve mentioned that, as a seven-piece, having your own studio also made it more of a democratic process in terms of songwriting. Is that also a result of not feeling rushed to make music?
Well, yeah. If you loosen the time crunch, if everybody’s got some song that they want to do, if everybody has some feeling of, “I want this thing that I worked really hard on, and I feel strongly about this composition I made to get some attention and hopefully spring something great and be on the album,” if everybody feels that way to some degree, but then you shorten the timeline really short and you say, “We don’t have time for everything,” it becomes real stressful because people feel like they’re not
PHOTO BY CLARK HODGIN
PATTON MAGEE (THIRD FROM LEFT) WITH THE NUDE PARTY.
things or feeling self-conscious, like that thing didn’t get enough time or whatever it might be.
So that’s another great thing about just elongating your studio time. You can just let everyone be at ease. We’re going to get around to all of it. We’re going to get around to your thing, his thing, my thing. We’re just going to get around to all of it. And then once we have 19 songs, which is too many for a record, it’ll be more obvious to everybody and everyone can pretty objectively say, “What if this cuts into a good record?” It’s a lot easier to let your own idea go when it has been worked on, flushed out, and come to fruition. If it doesn’t quite sparkle, it’s a lot easier to be like, “Yeah, maybe it’ll work some other time later, but it doesn’t right now.” It’s easier to do it from that phase than the early phase where you’re still like, “No, it could be great.”
With so many connections to the Charlotte area, four members from Mooresville, does Charlotte feel like a kind of second home for you all when you play here?
There’s a lot of family and friends there, yeah. Especially since going to college out in Boone and stuff, just about everybody we know left there and Charlotte is where so many of our friends and family coalesced at. So it’s like, maybe home base is the wrong word, but it’s a very homey feeling to be back in Charlotte.
who turn out and everything, and then also some of the guys’ parents will come ... I remember one time, they rented a bus and brought 30 parents out, which is really sweet and fun to be a part of. I love when the parents drink some champagne and cut loose.
Last time I saw you all play in Charlotte was also at NoDa Brewing during the Queen City Jam Session in 2022. I think you hurt your foot and you were seated most of the time. Am I remembering that correctly?
No, dude, I pulled something, I didn’t know what it was. I just didn’t stretch before we played and I was dehydrated and it was hot as hell and I just did a little jump. It was the littlest little jumpy thing and I just pulled my hamstring or something. It did something, and I was three songs in, and I was like, “Oh my God, I don’t know what just happened, I have no idea, but I cannot walk.” I was so embarrassed, man. I was like, “What do you do? Get a fucking stool.”
Any plans for new music moving forward?
Well we’re out of the New West deal. So we got a new record coming out outside the umbrella of New West, which is fantastic because they pretty much tricked us into signing a terrible record deal. They basically just raked us over the coals for a long time and we’re all very glad that we’ve got a new record coming out outside of them.
There’s no label right now. We’re not sure yet, but there’s a good chance we just won’t use one because I think that part of the reason that these indie labels will create such predatory terms in their deals, the way that they do it is that they try to convince you of two things. The first thing they try to convince you of is that, without this, you will not grow. “If you don’t have us and our resources, this is how bands get big, this is how bands get to do the big tours and sell a lot of tickets and move their records and be on TV, and this is how that happens. We are the gatekeepers of that.”
That’s the first thing they convince you of, which isn’t true, but it’s the first thing. And the second thing that they tell you is that all the terms of your contract are industry standard. When you look at it, you go, “What? What do you mean? Like 15% of this and that? How does that work? What is that?” [They say,] “Oh, that’s just normal, that’s industry standard. Go talk to anybody. That’s how it is.”
Those are the two major predatory fibs that they put on young artists that are excited and doing something and want to grow … It’s not until you get a little older that you realize they don’t do much and that anything they do spend, they charge back to you anyway.
But I think the reason that they make such predatory terms, too, is because they are fading into obscurity. They’re afraid, because they’re all becoming just totally
older and because they have offices and stuff, but they don’t know. They don’t know shit anymore. They don’t know how to make some song go viral on TikTok, or even if it does, they’ll sign some viral TikTok thing for a million dollars and then they don’t know what to do with it because they can’t sell more than 100 tickets in New York. And they’re like, “What do you mean? This guy’s got a million followers, but he can’t sell out?” They don’t know. And you just come to the realization that these people have some money, but they don’t know shit. They just have an office with a glass table. And we’re learning we’re just as good [at marketing] and probably better. So I think we’re just going to do it ourselves.
Do you have a timeline for the new project?
I know that at least one song will come out before October. We’re going to start rolling it out now. We’re in the mixing phase. I don’t have the exact timeline, but I know we’re going to start rolling it out in the next few months. We’re all super stoked about it.
The Nude Party will play at the Roaring Riot Kickoff Jam at NoDa Brewing on Sept. 14, 2-10:30 p.m., alongside other acts including Moon Taxi, Simplified, Cutty Cutright and Deaf Andrews. Visit kickoffjam.com for more info. RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
The Great Indoors w/ With Haste!, Distracted Eyes (Snug Harbor)
Dying Whale w/ Inertia, Nosey Neighbor, Fault Reset (The Milestone)
Jackson Fig w/ Mold!, Rocks For Lizards (Petra’s)
Daniel Nunnelee (Visulite Theatre)
JAZZ/BLUES
Jazzy Blu (Middle C Jazz)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
NC Bluegrass Jam Night (Birdsong Brewing)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Ovens Auditorium)
Justin Moore w/ Randy Houser (Skyla Amphitheatre)
EXPERIMENTAL/MIXED-GENRE/FESTIVAL
Bit Brigade w/ SkyBlew (Amos’ Southend)
SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC
Paul Lover (Comet Grill)
LATIN/WORLD/REGGAE
Trevor Hall (Neighborhood Theatre)
COVER BANDS
Wonder Free w/ Johnathan Birchfield (Goldie’s)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Manchester Orchestra (The Fillmore)
The Dirty Guv’nahs w/ Secret Formula Band (Neighborhood Theatre)
Leprous (The Underground)
Jason Scavone w/ Crenshaw Pentecostal, Wes & The Railroaders (Petra’s)
Megadeath (PNC Music Pavilion)
Oblivion A.D. w/ BOMB Co. (The Rooster)
Pocket Strange w/ Ali Forrest (Snug Harbor)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
Love Bug Junkie w/ Lola Grace Duo (Goldie’s)
Hot & Fresh with J. Overcash and Friends (Salud Cerveceria)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Happy Landing w/ Arts Fishing Club (Amos’ Southend)
Falllift w/ Darby Wilcox (Camp North End) Time Sawyer (Evening Muse)
Brad Heller & the Fustics (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
JAZZ/BLUES
Judith Hill (Middle C Jazz)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
Three Star Revival w/ Quentin Talley & the Soul Providers (Evening Muse)
COVER BANDS
Red Hot Chili Dogs (Visulite Theatre)
The Soundwave is Queen City Nerve’s comprehensive guide to live music happening in Charlotte every night of the week. This list is pulled together by our editorial team every other week from combing through Charlotte music venue calendars and separated by genre. None of these listings are paid advertisements. We understand that many non-traditional music venues offer live music like coffee shops, breweries, art galleries, community events and more.
This list may not have every event listed. To have a venue included in the editorial compilation of this list, please send an email to info@qcnerve.com with the subject “Soundwave.”
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Tim Barry w/ Andy the Doorbum, Ryan Lockhart (The Milestone)
Queen City Rejects w/ Squirt Vile, Space Daddy, Wine Mom (The Rooster)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
Nurko (Blackbox Theater)
Off the Wall: Michael Jackson Tribute (Snug Harbor) Club ‘90s: Chappell Roan Night (The Underground)
JAZZ/BLUES
Judith Hill (Middle C Jazz)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
Boyz II Men (PNC Music Pavilion)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
Shankai & the Gooney Tunez (Comet Grill)
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong w/ Andy Frasco & The UN, Dogs in a Pile (The Fillmore)
Nathan Harris & The Flood w/ Dez & the Essentials, JP (Petra’s)
The Rockaholics (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe w/ Snacktime (Neighborhood Theatre)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
Phil. w/ Natalie Carr, Cyanca, King Noli, Demeanor (Snug Harbor)
Kenny Muney & Big Moochie Grape (The Underground)
COVER BANDS
B Sharp (Tom Petty tribute) (The Amp Ballantyne) Ray Singleton’s Soul Party Songs (Middle C Jazz)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill)
D.R.I. w/ Re-Tox A.D. (The Milestone)
My Morning Jacket w/ Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats (PNC Music Pavilion)
The Deep Shallow Band w/ Val Merza (Visulite Theatre)
JAZZ/BLUES
Howard McNair w/ Euphonious Collective (Camp North End)
Jarrod Lawson (Middle C Jazz)
SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC
Patrick Mawn w/ Chris Long (VisArt Video)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
All The Feels: R&B Fest (The Underground) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
CAI•OLA w/ Thomas LaVine (Evening Muse)
Joshua Quimby w/ MP Gannon (Neighborhood Theatre)
LATIN/WORLD/REGGAE
Petite Amie w/ Breymer, Sanje, Mimah (Snug Harbor)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
VEAUX w/ The Foxies (Evening Muse)
Jameilyara w/ Florecienta, DJ Black As The Cosmos (Petra’s)
Omar Apollo (Skyla Amphitheatre) COVER BANDS
Captain Mike & the Shipwrecked (Amos’ Southend)
Thirsty Horses w/ Adam Church (Goldie’s) Crimson Mist (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
The Mad Hatters (Tom Petty tribute) (Visulite Theatre)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
LANiiDAE w/ Wiltwither, The Dirty Lowdown, Winters Gate (Amos’ Southend)
Brigades w/ Gollylagging, Roamck, Roxy 2, Shelf Life (The Milestone)
Swansgate w/ Dhemo, Tecoby Hines (Petra’s)
Matt Walsh & the Movers (Primal Brewery)
Dion Lunadon w/ Cardiel, Seismic Sutra (Snug Harbor)
The Airborne Toxic Event (The Underground)
JAZZ/BLUES
Jeff Kashiwa (Middle C Jazz)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
TheARTI$T w/ KB Mike, JVVMN (Evening Muse)
Yung Gravy w/ Carter Vail (Skyla Amphitheatre)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
Jason Ross (Blackbox Theater)
Bilmuri (Neighborhood Theatre)
Beatfreaq (Starlight on 22nd)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Turnpike Troubadours (The Amp Ballantyne)
Mike Strauss (Comet Grill)
Ryan Trotti Band w/ Grievous Angels (Goldie’s)
FUNK/JAM BANDS
Phat Waffle Band (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
Magic 8 Count w/ Shankai and The Gooney Tunez, Pleasantly Wild Music (Starlight on 22nd) FAMILY
The Jolly Lollies (Camp North End)
SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC
House of Hair w/ Steven Massey (The Rooster)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Hoods w/ Southpaw, Victim Complex, Violent Life
Violent Death, Final Thread (The Milestone)
The Buttertones (Neighborhood Theatre)
HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B
Yung Bleu (The Underground)
JAZZ/BLUES
Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
Soul Sundays feat. Guy Nowchild (Starlight on 22nd)
Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)
Meghan Trainor (PNC Music Pavilion)
LATIN/WORLD/REGGAE
Reinaldo Brahn Quartet: A Night in Brazil (Middle C Jazz)
SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC
Sunday Tunes feat. David Childers (Free Range Brewing)
Shannon Lee Duo (Goldie’s)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Hans Gruber & the Die Hards w/ The Unsustainables, The Bleeps (The Milestone)
JAZZ/BLUES
The Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
NIKI (Skyla Amphitheatre)
COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA
Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
OPEN MIC
Find Your Muse Open Mic (Evening Muse)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
ROCK/PUNK/METAL
Red Rocking Chair (Comet Grill)
Bay Faction w/ Cry Baby (Evening Muse)
POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ
Morgan St. Jean (Neighborhood Theatre)
OPEN MIC
Open Mic Night feat. The Smokin J’s (Smokey Joe’s Cafe & Bar)
VISIT QCNERVE.COM FOR THE FULL SOUNDWAVE LISTING
AT A CROSSROADS
Greg and Subrina Collier open 3rd & Fernwood in Midtown
BY DEZANII LEWIS
When Greg and Subrina Collier first arrived in Charlotte in 2012 with dreams of entering the local restaurant scene, they were inspired by eateries like Delta’s Restaurant in Uptown, and Jackson’s Cafeteria in Uptown — diners that doubled as community hubs, serving a diverse range of people.
“What we loved about those places is everybody was there,” chef Greg Collier recently told Queen City Nerve. “You had the mayor and the city council there with general contractors, there with lawyers, there with folks working on the buildings. It was an everybody place.”
Both of those beloved restaurant destinations would close within a year of the Colliers’ arrival in the city. What Charlotte-area foodies could not have known then, however, was the impact that these two new arrivals would have on the local culinary scene over the next dozen years as they pursued their own vision of how community intersects with food.
When I last spoke with two-time James Beard nominee chef Greg Collier and his wife Subrina — the entrepreneurial and design mind behind the couple’s acclaimed establishments and events — in fall 2022, they were in the midst of planning the second annual BayHaven Food and Wine Festival, a yearly event that prominently features Black culinary artists from around the world in Charlotte.
Two years later, amidst planning for the fourth iteration of Bayhaven, they are also opening their third Charlotte restaurant, 3rd & Fernwood, an homage to the African diaspora, its ties to the American South and Greg and Subrina’s experiences growing up in Memphis, Tennessee.
Having opened two establishments in Charlotte during their time here thus far, the co-founders of BayHaven Restaurant Group aim to make 3rd & Fernwood their most community-centered eatery, an “everybody place” in the fashion of Jackson’s, Delta’s and other treasured dining spaces the Queen City has lost over the years.
Adding a third venture
Greg and Subrina Collier’s first venture into the local restaurant scene came with The Yolk, which they opened in Rock Hill in 2012. While they felt the diner-style establishment encapsulated their goal for a communitycentered restaurant, service was limited to breakfast options.
In 2018, they relocated The Yolk to Uptown, rebranding
to Uptown Yolk in the 7th Street Public Market, then made another move to South End in 2023.
Their second restaurant, Leah & Louise, opened in March 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic clamped down on the restaurant industry. Inspired by the juke joints built and patronized by Black residents of the American South during the Prohibition era, the restaurant was born of the couple’s interest in exploring the African diaspora culinarily as it related to the American South.
“The goal with Leah & Louise is always to show people what Afro-Southern cuisine can look like,” Greg said. “We like to call Leah & Louise Afro-Southern because we want to look at it from the perspective of the whys and the what to the diaspora.”
Leah & Louise accumulated a fervent following, racking up accomplishments and acclaim including multiple James Beard nominations and a selection as one of the best new restaurants in the country by Esquire Magazine in 2020.
The Colliers closed the Camp North End location in April 2024 with plans to eventually reopen in Charlotte’s Historic West End. In the meantime, they are full steam ahead with their latest venture: 3rd & Fernwood.
The new restaurant, which celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 30, features a meat-and-three menu, which allows for a protein and three sides, offering more customizable options than Leah & Louise.
Similar to Leah & Louise, Greg and Subrina aim to create an homage to the African diaspora, its ties to the American South and both of their experiences growing up in Memphis with 3rd & Fernwood.
As with their other establishments and BayHaven Food & Wine Festival, the couple has split their duties at 3rd & Fernwood. While Greg maintains the kitchen and culinary experience, Subrina has spearheaded the aesthetic and design aspects of the establishment.
“Greg is the culinary artist,” Subrina told Queen City Nerve. “I guess that’s my type of artistry input into our business — the design side.”
In designing the restaurant, Subrina wanted to cultivate a vibe that wasn’t too casual or too formal, inspired by her childhood home, which was located at 3rd Street and Fernwood Avenue in south Memphis.
From the jewel-toned color palette down to the ornate mural along one wall of the 5,200-square-foot space, Subrina’s interior design was inspired by her mother’s decor style.
“It’s not formal, but it’s a little bougie-casual,” she said. “We wanted to create a familiar space where folks feel comfortable celebrating an anniversary, sharing stories over a drink with old friends and everything in between.”
The intersection of 3rd & Fernwood
Building on the Prohibition-era vibes the couple cultivated in their juke joint-inspired Leah & Louise, they’re introducing a fresh concept with their latest venture: a speakeasy.
Sure, the point of a speakeasy is to keep it hush-hush, but Subrina gave Queen City Nerve permission to write about it for this story (not that we’re claiming exclusivity here, as the idea was included in the couple’s original announcement of the new restaurant in August 2023).
“You’re not supposed to reveal the speakeasy because it’s supposed to be private or secret, but nobody will know [if we don’t say it],” she said.
Serving as an ode to Subrina’s childhood home, and specifically her father, the name of the restaurant is twofold: “3rd” refers to the speakeasy while “Fernwood” is the restaurant.
Set to open sometime in the fall, the speakeasy will offer a different vibe than the restaurant, with a different entrance to get in. It will include around 20 seats, opening three nights a week to serve cocktails paired with small plates in a rotating menu.
“It’ll be higher cocktail quality, crafted cocktails, just really where mixologists and chefs can do small plates — just get your rocks off in your skill,” Subrina said. “We wanted to make sure we still did that because, as creatives, you still have to be able to get your creativity out. It can get real monotonous if you’re doing the same thing every day and not able to go through and actually show your creativity.”
The Colliers wanted to work the speakeasy concept
in at the Camp North End location of Leah & Louise but it didn’t work out in the space. The new location gives Subrina a chance to get creative with the interior design. Right now, what will become the entrance is just another door in the restaurant, but once it’s ready to open, it will be made more inconspicuous.
There are many things that 3rd & Fernwood will do similarly to its sister locations — seasonal items on the menu, Southern food made with local ingredients, and a concept that pays homage to the Colliers’ past (Leah & Louise was named for Greg’s late sister and grandmother, while 3rd & Fernwood references Subrina’s father’s home in Tennessee).
Above all, as with his other ventures, Greg said he wants to foster an image of Southern food done differently.
“We want it to be a little different than the traditional, right?” he said. “We got fried okra on the menu, but we serve it with shrimp remoulade and hot chili — so it’s fried okra for sure, but it’s a little different.
“If people want to call it Southern food, whatever they call it, I’m totally fine with it,” he continued. “It’s not exactly what you’re going to get from every soul food spot.”
Other options patrons can expect include sweet potatoes with a brown butter and brown sugar glaze; macaroni and cheese with smoked gouda, cheddar, mozzarella, mild cheddar, and Monterey Jack; and oxtail meatloaf, which Greg said has already become a fan favorite during the restaurant’s soft opening.
Ultimately, the duo wanted to do something that could offer Greg more of a creative outlet for his dishes.
“With Leah & Louise, I was only thinking about dispelling the myth of what Black chefs were supposed to do or what Black food is,” he said. “With this restaurant, I don’t really care what people think I’m supposed to be cooking or what Black food is supposed to be. Now I can
PHOTO BY JONATHAN COOPER
A MURAL BY GEORGIE NAKIMA GRACES THE WALL OF 3RD & FERNWOOD.
just cook food that I cook for my family, food that I cook at home for the holidays, celebrations, or whatever. It’s really, for all intents and purposes, top to bottom, a family restaurant. That’s the goal.”
Like everything Greg and Subrina do, 3rd & Fernwood is a passion project that mixes their talents to create more than a restaurant but a dining experience — one that centers community in the vein of the eateries they once loved.
“I think the easy expectation is you’re going to walk into a beautiful space, and I think that sets the expectation of how the meal is going to be,” Greg said. “We want to give people the room to eat how they want to eat.”
3rd & Fernwood is located at 1100 Metropolitan Ave., St. 170, in Charlotte’s Midtown area and is open noon-9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday-Saturday, then 1-6 p.m. on Sunday. Learn more at 3rdandfernwood.com.
This year’s Bayhaven Food & Wine Festival is scheduled for Oct. 3-6 at Savona Mill at 500 S. Turner Ave. in the Historic West End area. Learn more at bayhavenfoodandwine.com
DLEWIS@QCNERVE.COM
PHOTO BY JONATHAN COOPER
BRAISED COLLARD FROM 3RD & FERNWOOD.
PHOTO BY JONATHAN COOPER
A SELECTION OF 3RD & FERNWOOD DISHES.
LIFESTYLE PUZZLES
SUDOKU
BY LINDA THISTLE
TRIVIA TEST
BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ
1. GEOGRAPHY: How many lakes are in the Great Lakes Basin?
2. MOVIES: What is the little girl’s last name in the film “Matilda”?
3. TELEVISION: What is the name of the teacher on the animated kids’ series “The Magic School Bus”?
4. LITERATURE: In which historic period is Jack London’s novel “Call of the Wild” set?
5. U.S. CITIES: Which city’s nickname is “City by the Bay”?
6. ANATOMY: How much of the human body is made up of water?
7. SCIENCE: What is heliology?
8. HISTORY: Which world leader’s birth name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?
9. ASTRONOMY: In what year did a U.S. astronaut land on the moon?
10. ENTERTAINERS: Which famous actor who starred in “The Notebook” was once a member of “The Mickey Mouse Club”?
CROSSWORD
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.
Even as the humidity hung heavy in the air and sweat beads formed on my mustache, reminding me that despite the official arrival of September, the dog days of summer were still in full effect.
Though hungover with a social meter on E, there was something so peaceful about returning to what I call the front porch of The Daily.
Watching the rain gently fall on the usually bustling North Church Street during Labor Day weekend was calm in the middle of both the literal storm and the third day of my Virgo bestie’s birthday shenanigans. It felt like an all-around W in a spot I once feared would succumb to COVID-related closures.
In case you haven’t caught on yet, The Daily is back, baby!
“Hindsight is 20/20” took on a whole new meaning in 2020 when many Queen City faves (and the world) were forced to press pause. The Daily opened in late 2017 in the former Stool Pigeons space, under the ownership of Best Bars Charlotte (Dandelion Market, Tyber Creek Pub, Workman’s Friend, Prohibition).
It quickly became a regular change of pace for my crew while weekend bar hopping in Fourth Ward. But it wasn’t until we couldn’t pop in for one or two, that we realized how much the corner hangout had become a staple in our daily routine. You just don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone (or temporarily closed).
No more bubbly chicken pot pie topped with a fluffy cheddar biscuit on my lunch breaks. No more crab and bacon gnocchi that I never knew I needed as a nightcap after day drinking. No more “Let’s just go for one” devolving into five.
As its sibling bars announced their respective reopenings, the doors of The Daily remained closed. We would peek through the overgrown greenery hiding the “smoker’s alcove,” trying to see if furniture moved to show signs of life returning to the corner.
But for three years, the windows remained shuttered, convincing most of us that The Daily was yet another COVID casualty.
Then in fall 2023, The Daily announced on socials, “We’re thrilled to reintroduce ourselves as the exclusive new space in Uptown Charlotte for all things events and celebrations.”
It wasn’t the announcement we had hoped for, and the pivot didn’t feel particularly reassuring, especially after attending a Love Is Blind watch party where the drink menu couldn’t hold a candle to the unlimited possibilities I used to know.
Fast forward to August 2024, and whispers of The Daily being back for real, for real, started to trickle down to my go-to watering hole. We checked Instagram, and sure enough, the first post, shared weeks prior, “WE ARE OPEN” in big, bold letters. It felt too good to be true. Where was the red carpet? Had we missed the welcome-back party?
But alas, the first night we attempted to go for a hangout sesh, they were closed for a private event.
In a twist of fate, just when I had accepted that the hair of the dog wasn’t going to fix my hangover, as the afternoon storm clouds threatened to blow the candles out on my girlfriend’s 35th, I heard the birthday girl tell the crew we were relocating the party to The Daily.
My retreat to seclusion would have to wait.
“Do I push or pull?” I asked, thinking muscle memory would’ve kicked in as I stood in the doorway. The lively interior and colorful pennant garlands danced across the ceiling, contrasting the gloomy weather outside.
Familiar faces from other Fourth Ward crannies dotted the room, the bar was full, and the open-air sunroom lined with twinkling string lights promised a cozy backdrop for our 20-person party. This was The Daily I remember.
Same vibes, only a few things have changed. Despite the name, it’s not open daily. Hours are Thursday & Friday, 3 p.m.-2 a.m., Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Food is served until midnight. My chicken pot pie wasn’t on the menu this visit, but fingers crossed for the future.
There are two pool tables, one inside and another on the sundeck, plus a pinball machine! They are pay to play but no cash needed.
I live for a good sequel. At a time when we’ve just said goodbye to one of The Daily’s siblings, Dandelion Market, and are awaiting Tyber Creek’s rebirth, can The Daily successfully bring that old thing back?
It’s too early to call it, but I know I won’t miss this rare opportunity to revisit the good old days.
INFO@QCNERVE.COM
HOROSCOPE
2024 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.
SEPTEMBER 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 11 - 17
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A relationship with a family member needs attention. Try to be less demanding and more accommodating. A kind approach encourages openness and honesty.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Sometimes Cupid doesn’t score a perfect bull’s-eye for romantic Bovines. But don’t give up; he’s got another arrow pointed in your direction, and this time, he won’t miss.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Being cool is still the right way to handle a heated situation. Deal with things as they occur. Agitating over problems that might not happen just drains your energy. Be positive!
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) This is a good time to restart those workplace projects that you’ve put off for too long. Then make plans to spark up your love life with a romantic weekend getaway.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) A jealous co-worker might try to goad you into losing your temper. But instead of reacting with an angry roar, just purr happily away as if nothing is bothering you.
VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Resist the impulse to confide in people you don’t know too well. What you said in confidence could soon come back to haunt you. Be very careful.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A family member calls from a far-off place to give you some startling information. What you do with this news could lead to some changes in your life.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) You’re beginning to feel more confident about making decisions than you have for some time. But you still need to know the facts before making a move.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Some surprises this week are fun, while some are upsetting. Enjoy the fun and handle the rest by getting all the facts before deciding how to react.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your belief in traditional values might be tested by a loved one’s startling revelation. Expect to do some deep soulsearching before finding your answer.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) You usually prefer to let unpleasant things work themselves out, but this time, you might want to confront the situation and take action to deal with it.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You will soon mark an important milestone in your life. The event will reunite you with people from your past, including someone you thought you’d never see again.
BORN THIS WEEK: You have a natural gift for inspiring people to come together and create wonderful, loving friendships.
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) This might surprise you, but you’re not always right about everything. A troubled loved one needs you to be less demanding and more understanding. Kindness encourages openness.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your Bovine instinct guides you well this week. A change of heart might be the wisest course to take. A trusted friend offers good advice, so listen closely.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Be more sensible where money is concerned. An urge to splurge needs to be put aside for now. Later, you’ll be able to indulge yourself with the things you want.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A past health problem recurs and needs attention. It might not be serious, but your family and friends deserve reassurance. Meanwhile, you get news about a job opening.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) A romantic encounter with a loving Libra could make the Lion a happily purring Feline this week. Be open to Cupid’s encouraging signals. In addition, a workplace change is coming.
VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) This is a good week for mending fences with family and friends. Put those minor irritations behind you and rebuild those onceprecious relationships.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) An investment opportunity needs closer scrutiny. You’re not getting all the information you need. On another note, a personal relationship bodes far more positive potential.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Someone might try to get you to reveal a secret that you vowed to keep sacred. Stick with your commitment to your promise and reject all attempts to get you to give it up.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) This is a good time to change some longstanding routines. Let yourself be more flexible in adapting to new situations. You’ll appreciate what happens next.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A chance to travel opens up. Consider asking someone who has recently become very special in your life to go with you. Good things are always better when shared.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A neighbor is revealed as the source of some upsetting events, but you need to be wary of a confrontation until you have absolute proof. Other neighbors can help.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A business decision needs to be made. Be aware that what you decide will affect a close associate. Talk it over with them before making your move.
BORN THIS WEEK: Money is strong in your aspect. You not only know how to make it, you also know how to enjoy it.
SAVAGE LOVE
LOVE & MARRIAGE
...with something on the side
BY DAN SAVAGE
I am a man. I met a beautiful Nepalese woman at work. The co-worker who introduced us basically told me this woman was unhappily married. We started spending time together, and we have now been seeing each other for almost three years. Everyone on my end knows about her (and knows she’s unhappily married) but the fact that we’re seeing each other is mostly a secret on her side, as only a few close friends of hers know. I have to pretend at work that we aren’t as close as we actually are and it makes me feel like a shadow. She has no kids and has told her husband she wants a divorce, which he won’t consent to. He doesn’t need to consent — she could divorce him anyway — but she’s leery to. The house is the only thing she owns with him, while everything else is in his name. Most of her friends, also Nepalese, have told her that white men can’t be trusted, which I can’t really disagree with, given our history as a nation. And they are telling her that having a baby with her husband will improve their relationship. I think that’s the worst possible reason to have a kid, especially when dude in question is an emotionally abusive POS. I love this woman. She makes my heart flutter every time I see her. She’s kind, compassionate, intelligent and hot. But after three years she still can’t leave him, which I can only imagine is difficult as she has a lot to lose, but I love her and want to be fully with her. But I don’t want to push her to do anything she’s not ready to do — or that she doesn’t want to do. That would make me no better than all the other men she’s had in her life. But I’m starting to feel like this isn’t going to happen. She sleeps in bed with him every night. He tracks everything she does and where she goes. I’m not sure how much longer I can be patient. I’m sick of being a shadow boyfriend, while she just keeps playing wife and we have to pretend we’re just friends. Should I leave this relationship? Am I an idiot to think she’ll ever leave him?
LEAVING ISN’T MY BEST OPTION
I’m not sure what your whiteness or your girlfriend’s Nepalese-ness have to do with your question, LIMBO, which is one I get all the time. The genders are reversed — it’s usually a woman who’s getting strung along by a married man — but
your predicament is a common one. And since you’re a regular reader of at least one advice column (that would be mine), you’ve most likely seen questions like yours in my column before, LIMBO, and you’re going to get the same answer everyone else gets: If she was gonna leave him for you — which she’s not gonna do — she would’ve already left.
I’m guessing you weren’t able to independently verify that your girlfriend asked her husband for a divorce, LIMBO, which means you only have her word to go on. And as commenters on this and every other advice column are quick to point out, the word of a cheater isn’t worth much. And the reasons she’s given for not leaving her husband — the house is in the only asset that her name is on, her husband refused to consent to the divorce — sound more like excuses than reasons. If she lives in a marital property state, she’s entitled to half of everything, including assets that are in his name, and she doesn’t actually need her husband’s consent to divorce him.
Now, it’s also possible that she’s afraid to leave him — she may have legitimate worries about violence or social consequences in her community — but even if her reasons for staying with her husband are understandable (if deeply sad), LIMBO, like all mistresses, whether you’re willing to settle for what she’s able to give you is a decision you get to make. If being her side piece insults your dignity, you need to break up with her. If you love her too much to ever leave her, you’ll have to make peace with being her side piece.
My husband and I — straight, cis, and in our 30s — are very happy together, but our sex life has never really “clicked.” In our day-to-day lives we’re best friends and we’re prone to silliness. The sex feels like it should work out; we’re attracted to each other and we have similar sexual fantasies, mostly related to Dom/sub stuff. We like the same porn, for example. The sex we have is usually pretty nice, but it’s also very vanilla. I have more experience with kinky sex than he does, but always as a sub with an experienced Dom. We have never really managed to bring our shared interest in D/s into our bedroom. I think part of this is us not knowing where to start, while part of it is that it’s hard to distance ourselves from our reality. We played with bondage, for example, but I didn’t find it particularly hot because it’s him tying me up and since I know he would never actually hurt me, it all feels like play. Any advice?
BEEN DITHERING SINCE MARRYING
Picture this, BDSM: You and your husband are tied up together — maybe you’re strapped to the bed, he’s strapped to a chair — while the pro Dom you hired (or the amateur Dom you met at a munch) playfully but plausibly threatens to “hurt” you both. Finding a very special guest star who not only shares your love of Dom/ sub stuff but really enjoys playing with couples will take effort, BDSM, but calling in the kink cavalry — outsourcing the domination to someone who might (but wouldn’t) actually hurt you — could help you and your husband find a groove that makes kink feel more possible/plausible when it’s just the two of you. Or you might learn that bondage and D/s play doesn’t work for you in the context of a committed relationship, BDSM, and you’ll have to keep bringing in those special guest stars if you wanna keep that Dom/sub stuff coming.
Straight guy here in his late forties married to a 40-year-old straight woman. We’ve been married for 16 years and have two young children. Our sex life is not satisfying, to say the least. I do not anticipate it will improve, as my wife is not sexually driven and not open to much outside of weekly PIV with one week off every month for her period. She is very vanilla, so the sex is always the same thing, at roughly the same time, and always in the same position. I’ve spent years trying to get her to open up, but she has given me one of two choices: I accept our sex life as is or we divorce and move on. I feel satisfied with the other aspects of our marriage — I truly love my wife — and I don’t want to live separately from my children or break up our family. Is wanting a fulfilling sex life enough to blow everything else up? Am I being an asshole? Should I suck it up for the sake of my family? Please help.
DESPAIRING IN MARYLAND
It’s always the partner who wants more sex or more sexual variety who gets told — by their spouses, by the sex-negative couples’ counselors, and sometimes even by themselves — that asking for more sex or more varied sex risks “blowing everything else up.” But couldn’t the same be said to someone like Mrs. DIM? By refusing to consider adding anything to the rotation — by refusing to suck it up — isn’t she risking a blow-up too?
Now, I don’t want anyone having sex under duress to save their marriages — of course not — but if my husband was so unhappy with our sex life that he was considering leaving and/or cheating, I would be motivated to make some changes. And if I didn’t wanna fuck my spouse more than once a week (or at all anymore), I would release my spouse from the monogamous commitment he made to me and give him permission to get some and/or all of his sexual needs met elsewhere — you know, to avoid blowing everything else up.
Sadly, DIM, you’re not married to me, and so you face a choice between sucking it up or blowing it up.
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love!
SEPTEMBER 18 | THE SPACE ISSUE
OCTOBER 16 | ELECTION GUIDE
NOVEMBER 13 | BEST IN THE NEST
DECEMBER 11 | NEW YEAR’S GUIDE DECEMBER 25 | PRINT BREAK
