YES! Weekly - January 29, 2025 by YES! Weekly

THE NASH

NASCAR fans will descend on Winston-Salem this weekend for The Clash Race held at Bowman Gray Stadium — the ﬁrst time since 1971 — and a new event center will be ready and waiting for them.

4 There’s romance in the air at a/ perture cinema (311 W. Fourth Street, Winston-Salem), which will celebrate VALENTINE’S DAY all month long with a selection of big-screen romances that will be shown every Friday at 7 p.m.

5 Creative Greensboro’s Neighborhood Arts program celebrates Black History in the Mill District at noon on Saturday, February 1, at the East White Oak Community Center (EWOCC), 1801 10th St. Greensboro artist CHUCK JOHNSON has painted a new mural at Revolution Park that honors the history of the East White Oak Neighborhood.

6 NICKEL BOYS, the film based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2019 novel, marks the narrative feature debut of director RaMell Ross, who co-

5 6 9

wrote the screenplay with producer Joslyn Barnes.

9 I’m holding hope in the power of art; and doing what I can to share that with y’all. Specifically, in this work: HIGHLIGHTING TRIAD NATIVES like Ben Niell (and his Mutantrumpet,) who’s coming to NCMA W-S on Feb. 1, and James (or Jimmy around these parts) Mieczkowski, host of the new “Shaped by Sound” series, premiering Feb. 6, on PBS North Carolina.

12 “Without certain people in our lives, we wouldn’t have achieved the level of success that we did,” said Attorney Gerard Truesdale, who in 2009 co-founded the education nonprofit CROSSROADS: PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS, Inc. with his friend Arturo Mckie.

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EDITORIAL

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We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local,

Cupid’s arrow strikes a/perture cinema

BY MARK BURGER

There’s romance in the air at a/ perture cinema (311 W. Fourth Street, Winston-Salem), which will celebrate Valentine’s Day all month long with a selection of big-screen romances that will be shown every Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets for each screening are $12.50 (general admission) and $10 (students, military, and senior citizens 65+).

“The goal with this program was to curate a month-long selection of romantic ﬁlms that cover di erent genres and time periods, showing how love and its expressions change — or don’t — over time,” explained Jake Laystrom, a/perture cinema curator.

The series, titled “date night/love through the decades,” kicks o February 7 with Peter Bogdanovich’s awardwinning 1972 blockbuster What’s Up, Doc (rated PG), a latter-day homage to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and ‘40s, starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan

O’Neal, Madeline Kahn (in her feature debut), Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, and Michael Murphy.

“Bogdanovich’s love letter to screwball comedies like His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night retains a soft center despite constant sight gags and rapid-ﬁre dialogue,” Laystrom observed. “Plus, it has perhaps the best chase sequence in San Francisco outside of Bullitt.”

For February 14, “we couldn’t resist the stonecold classic When Harry Met Sally …, screening on Valentine’s Day,” Laystrom said. “Whether it’s your ﬁrst time or hundredth time seeing it, there’s no better date movie than this — a perfect balance of heart and humor.”

The R-rated 1989 comedy, which became a sleeper hit in the wildly competi-

tive summer of 1989 (Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghostbusters II, Honey I Shrunk the Kid, Star Trek V, etc.), solidified Rob Reiner’s status as a top director, boosted Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan to big-screen stardom, and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Nora Ephron, soon to become an acclaimed director in her own right. The film also stars Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, and Reiner’s mother Estelle, who provides the film’s most memorable punchline in Katz’s Delicatessen.

The turbulent waters of love and trust are depicted in Wong Kar-Wai’s 1997 drama Happy Together (not rated), which will be screened on February 21 and stars Leslie Cheung and Tony Chiu-wai Leung as a gay couple forced to confront the rifts in their relationship while vacationing in Argentina. Hailed as a landmark in LGBTQ+ cinema, the ﬁlm was nominated for the Palme d’Or and won the Best Director award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. The ﬁlm is in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish with English subtitles.

Happy Together is not as well-known as In the Mood for Love or Chungking Express but continues Wong Kar-Wai’s experiment in structure and form,” Laystrom said. “Jumping time periods, black-and-white to color and back again, it’s a true cinematic experience and great for anyone looking for a romantic ﬁlm with a little more of an edge both in its narrative and form.”

The series culminates February 28 with writer/director Gina Prince-Blythewood’s award-winning 2000 debut feature Love

& Basketball (rated PG-13), which stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan as childhood friends and neighbors with a shared love of basketball, which both hope to eventually play on a professional level. Friendship turns to romance, but will their innate spirit of competition compromise their relationship? The ﬁlm also stars Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, Debbi Morgan, Harry J. Lennix, and Regina Hall.

“Love & Basketball is celebrated for its depiction of a main female character who never gives up on her dream for anyone, let alone her longtime crush and confidante,” Laystrom said. “The film’s narrative (takes place) just before the WNBA was actually formed, leaving Monica (Lathan’s character) to dream to be the first woman to play in the NBA, until she finds her way into an international league that su ers from similar issues that modern WNBA players face in their o -seasons.”

“We love being able to bring the community a chance to celebrate romance through four decades of cinema,” said Leigh Dyer, a/perture cinema’s executive director. “Ongoing support is really important to a/perture’s long-term stability, so joining us as a sponsor or attendee is an easy and fun way to support us.”

Given the situation in California due to the calamitous spread of wildﬁres, there was concern that the annual Academy Awards ceremony scheduled for March 2 might have to be postponed. However, it appears likely that the ceremony — and the show — will go on as scheduled. Therefore, a/perture cinema will be hosting its 15th annual Red Carpet Gala on March 2 at the Catham Building, 301 W. Fourth Street, Winston-Salem. For further details about this event, visit https://aperturecinema.com/red-carpetgala/ !

For more information, call 336-722-0148 or visit the o cial a/perture website: https://aperturecinema.com/.

Creative Greensboro’s Neighborhood Arts

Honors East White Oak Community

Creative Greensboro’s Neighborhood Arts program celebrates Black History in the Mill District at noon on Saturday, February 1, at the East White Oak Community Center (EWOCC), 1801 10th St. Greensboro artist Chuck Johnson has painted a new mural at Revolution Park that honors the history of the East White Oak Neighborhood and created new signage and an art studio space within the East White Oak Community Center — a location on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Through Creative Greensboro, Chuck Johnson’s gifts as an artist are shining more light on the history, current state, and future aspirations of our treasured mill village, both here at the historic East White Oak Community Center and through the mural at Revolution Park,” EWOCC’s Board Chair Cathy Gant Hill said.

Attendees are invited to see the new studio space, participate in an art activity, and learn more about East White Oak and the new Revolution Park mural. The mural includes images of David Richmond, a member of the Greensboro Four, who grew up in the East White Oak neighborhood; Nanie G. Washington Bynum, principal of the former East White Oak School; and Truman A. Gant, who led the campaign to

save the community center from demolition in 1956.

“I found less documentation of East White Oak and the role of Black workers in the mills,” Johnson said. “The construction of US-29 in the 1950s also separated neighborhoods. I wanted this project to highlight the importance, contributions, and history of East White Oak throughout the last 120 years in hopes to unite things that have been divided by racism.”

Johnson was an artist in residence for the Mill District for the Neighborhood Arts Residency Program in 2022-23, during which he painted two crosswalk murals to honor mill workers in the area.

NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS PROGRAM

Creative Greensboro’s Neighborhood Arts programming supports artists and neighborhood residents as co-leaders to connect communities with creativity. The program brings creative experiences close to home through arts activities and beautification projects that respond to neighborhood priorities. Through the program, Creative Greensboro has committed over $200,000, to date, toward creative projects in the five neighborhoods identified for reinvestment in the city’s Housing GSO plan. Additional support for the initiative is provided by the City’s Housing and Neighborhood Development, Transportation, Parks and Recreation, and Library departments. !

Founded in 2019, CREATIVE GREENSBORO provides support for, ensures access to, and drives awareness of Greensboro’s creative community. Through a range of programs, services and partnerships, Creative Greensboro supports the development of a vibrant city. Learn more at www.creativegreensboro.com.

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

REYNOLDA HOUSE REOPENS WITH NEW FAMILY PROGRAMS AND WYETH ON THE HORIZON

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), “First Snow, Study for Groundhog Day,” 1959, drybrush watercolor. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Phelps, 1964. © 2025 Wyeth Foundation for American Art/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

SUBMITTED BY BRITTANY NORTON

Director of Marketing & Communications for Reynolda House & Reynolda Gardens

Reynolda House Museum of American Art reopens this Saturday, Feb. 1 after a month-long closure for annual improvements. The historic 1917 bungalow home of R.J. and Katharine Reynolds kicks o its spring season with a slew of family programming and the highly anticipated exhibition, “Andrew Wyeth at Kuerner Farm: The Eye of the Earth.”

Here’s a look at what’s ahead and what to know to make sure you don’t miss a beat.

Don’t miss the premier art event of the season! Reynolda is the opening venue for the national tour of “Andrew Wyeth at Kuerner Farm: The Eye of the Earth,” opening Saturday, Feb. 15. Coorganized with the Brandywine Museum of Art, this landmark exhibition provides an intimate look at Wyeth’s connection to the iconic Kuerner Farm, a setting that inspired some of his most celebrated works.

For more than seventy years, Andrew Wyeth explored Kuerner Farm as both a literal and emotional landscape. The farm, located in his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, became a central subject in nearly 1,000 of his works, including drawings, watercolors, and tempera paintings. Experience some of his most iconic works alongside neverbefore-seen paintings when it opens right here in Winston-Salem. Tickets available at reynolda.org/wyeth.

Summer Camps open for registration on Feb. 1! Known to sell out early, Reyn-

olda’s camp options include a variety of subjects and themes for students of all ages including Art Adventures (kindergarten through fifth grades), Young Naturalists (first through fourth grades), and Creative Writing (second through fifth grades and sixth through ninth). Reynolda campers engage with the American art collection on display in the home, explore the estate grounds, and for the art and writing camps, even take a dip in the historic pool! Details for each and scholarship information can be found online at reynolda.org/summer.

Family First Workshops return Sunday, Feb. 2. Perfect for students in ﬁrst through sixth grades, this workshop series invites young artist to get hands-on with projects inspired by the Museum’s permanent art collection. This weekend, craft one-of-a-kind Valentine cards for your friends and loved ones in the Reynolda Studios. The two-hour workshops are hosted on select Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. and cost $15 per person.

Young Explorers kicks o Wednesday, Feb. 5 for the youngest of outdoor enthusiasts. Designed for children ages 2-5, these morning sessions encourage hands-on learning as participants closely study topics that connect to Reynolda Gardens and Grounds. Spring sessions include exploring the Orangery inside the restored Brown Family Conservatory, discovering the da odils and other planted bulbs, and learning all about the Cherry Blossoms. For a full lineup of spring programs and registration information, go online to www.reynolda.org. !

Chuck Johnson

Stylish approach overwhelms well-meaning Nickel Boys

Nickel

Boys, the ﬁlm based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prizewinning 2019 novel, marks the narrative feature debut of director RaMell Ross, who co-wrote the screenplay with producer Joslyn Barnes. Recently nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars, it is a ﬁlm of boundless good intentions, sincerest aspirations, and has greatness within its grasp. Yet, despite all that in its favor, it succeeds only on an intermittent basis, for reasons that will soon be dissected.

Set in 1962 Florida, this slow-burning ﬁlm follows the collective plight of Elwood (Ethan Herisse), a bright and imaginative teenager from Tallahassee who is a victim of circumstance and winds up sentenced to the Nickel Academy reform school for boys, where he encounters Turner (Brandon Wilson), a teen from Houston who attempts to show Elwood the ropes of life in Nickel.

Given the era, that the school (or compound) is segregated comes as no surprise, nor is it surprising that the Black students (or prisoners) wouldn’t be treated as well as the white students. Yes, Nickel Academy is a hotbed of racism and corruption, which again isn’t particularly surprising. Yet the cruelties inﬂicted upon the boys are merely alluded to and/or hinted at, rather than directly addressed or depicted.

Ross, whose 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening earned an Oscar nomination and a Peabody award, has made the decision to tell the story from a ﬁrst-person narrative, told entirely from his perspective. The technique is initially intriguing, then becomes gimmicky, and ultimately becomes enervating. This approach may work on a stylistic level, but less so on an emotional one.

Herisse and Wilson bring an unforced credibility to their roles and camaraderie to their characters, which goes a long way,

because the supporting actors — particularly Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Elwood’s grandmother and Hamish Linklater as Nickel’s supervisor (both fine actors) — aren’t given much opportunity to emerge beyond a rudimentary level. The true villainy here isn’t necessarily narrowed down to a specific character, but rather it’s a systemic villainy at work. This too seems a curious choice, but that’s the choice the filmmakers made and clearly intended. On a technical level, the film is fine, with persuasive period detail.

To show the passage of time during Elwood and Turner’s incarceration, the filmmakers then incorporate expressionistic touches (including vintage newsreel and TV footage) that, again, are sometimes e ective but more often feel like padding. They tend to distract from the story at hand, and when the film depicts the older Elwood (now played by Daveed Diggs) the perspective is less first-person than from behind his head, making Nickel Boys almost seem like a found-footage movie. There is no question that Nickel Boys tells a compelling, relevant, resonant story, but in this case a more straightforward and, yes, more conventional and traditional approach might have been the more persuasive avenue to take. !

Mark Burger

Contributor

INCUBUS (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group): Leslie Stevens, creator of TV’s The Outer Limits, wrote and directed this truly bizarre 1966 oddity, a supernatural thriller starring William Shatner (just before he beamed aboard Star Trek) as a battle-scarred veteran whose search for the healing waters in a remote village is complicated by his growing attraction to the alluring and enigmatic Allyson Ames (who was married to Stevens at the time), who is in fact a demonic seductress known as a succubus. The cinematography is by Conrad L. Hall, who would go onto bigger and (much) better things — winning three Academy Awards — and his (uncredited) cameraman was the distinguished William A. Fraker, who would later receive five Oscar nominations. Now for the kicker: The entire movie is spoken in the obscure language of Esperanto (!). The film was thought lost for many years (no such luck), but was discovered in the 1990s and, thanks primarily to its participants, became something of a cult film … but at best it’s a curio. Both the limited-edition Blu-ray ($39.95 retail) and 4K Ultra HD combo ($49.95 retail) include multiple audio commentaries, collectible booklet, retrospective and vintage interviews, video trailer, and more.

NINJA SCROLL (Sentai Entertainment): Yoshiaki Kawajiri wrote and directed this award-winning 1993 animated martial-arts fantasy (originally titled Jube ninpucho) detailing the adventures of a hard-bitten mercenary in feudal Japan who wages war against the Eight Devils of Kimon, a mystical team of ninja warriors wreaking supernatural havoc across the continent. A huge hit in its native Japan (where it spawned a subsequent TV series in 2003), it gained international cult status with its U.S. release in 1995, but a proposed American version has languished in “development hell” for years. In Japanese with English subtitles, available on Blu-ray ($24.98 retail), replete with audio commentary.

REINDEER GAMES (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The ﬁnal feature of this critic’s favorite director John Frankenheimer (1930-2002) is not among his best but still an entertainingly splashy, actionpacked 2002 thriller starring Ben A eck as an ex-con seduced by Charlize Theron and coerced by Gary Sinise (in a wildly amusing turn) to participate in a daring heist at a Michigan casino, with Clarence Williams III, Dennis Farina, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo, Isaac Hayes, James Frain,

[VIDEO VAULT]

BY MARK BURGER

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK: ORCA (Kino

Lorber Studio Classics)

In the wake of Jaws (1975) came a slew of similarly themed and overwhelmingly inferior cash-ins, none more egregious or foolishly entertaining than this 1977 Dino De Laurentiis production, which the indefatigable showman hyped in customary fashion. In his review, Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it the worst ﬁlm he’d reviewed up to that point, yet it does boast a devoted, if slightly warped, fanbase — including yours truly.

The incomparable Richard Harris, in full bluster, plays Nolan, the salty sea captain who kills the pregnant mate of the titular killer whale, thus sparking an ongoing and escalating vendetta as the beast seeks vengeance.

Charlotte Rampling plays Rachel Bedford, the impossibly glamorous marine biologist whose repeated warnings to Nolan go unheeded, even as his crew is killed o one by one. In a sense, Orca is more akin to Moby Dick than Jaws, with Nolan the Ahab ﬁgure. Unlike Jaws — but not unlike King Kong (1976), which De Laurentiis produced the year before, the monster is essentially the hero here. It all culminates in a violent showdown in the Arctic, where Nolan and Orca square o for their ﬁnal reckoning.

The special e ects run hold and cold, and although Ennio Morricone contributes yet another ﬁne score, the theme song “My Love, We Are One,” warbled by Carol Connors over the end credits, is hardly Oscar caliber. The supporting cast — primarily “whale bait” — includes Will Sampson, Keenan Wynn, Robert Carradine, Peter Hooten, and Scott Walker, the latter bringing the same wild-eyed intensity that he brought to the Oscar-winning The Deer Hunter (1978) as a returning Vietnam veteran, here playing a superstitious ﬁsherman whose worries about the whale prove entirely accurate.

The screenplay, penned by Luciano Vincenzoni (earning his only producer credit) and Sergio Donati — with an uncredited polish by no less than Robert Towne — takes itself very, very seriously, thereby adding considerable camp appeal to the nautical narrative. Michael Anderson’s direction is competent if uninspired. The ﬁlm earned notoriety for two scenes that still shock: The whale’s mate spontaneously aborting her fetus after being hauled onto Nolan’s boat and when Bo Derek’s leg is bitten o . Personally, I always preferred the stare-down between Nolan and Orca where Harris bellows: “What in hell are you?!” (The whale then roars in response. All that’s missing are subtitles.)

Both the special-edition Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) and 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail) include audio commentaries and trailers. Rated PG.

and Lonny Chapman rounding out an enthusiastic cast. If nothing else, yours truly got to attend the press junket in New York City and interview Frankenheimer and others. Both the special-edition Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) and 4K Ultra HD combo ($44,95 retail) include both the R-rated theatrical version and unrated director’s cut, audio commentary, behindthe-scenes featurette, and theatrical trailer.

“SADDLE UP WESTERN DOUBLE

FEATURE (Kit Parker Films/MVD Entertainment Group): A self-explanatory Blu-ray twin bill ($24.95 retail) of vintage Westerns, each replete with retrospective behind-the-scenes documentaries: Audie Murphy stars in proliﬁc serial director

suspect Ellen Barkin (in full femme-fatale mode), with John Goodman shining in a showy role as Pacino’s laid-back partner. Appropriately atmospheric in ﬁlm-noir fashion, this was very much a ﬁlm of its time — and provided Pacino with a muchneeded box-o ce hit — but feels a bit routine in retrospect. A good cast includes Michael Rooker, John Spencer, Richard Jenkins, William Hickey, Paul Calderon, Barbara Baxley, Christine Estabrook, and look fast for Lorraine Bracco (whose scenes as Pacino’s ex-wife were almost completely cut) and Samuel L. Jackson. The 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail) includes audio commentaries, behindthe-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and theatrical trailers. Rated R.

TEACHER’S PET (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($29.95 retail) of director George Seaton’s 1958 romantic comedy starring Clark Gable as a cranky newspaper reporter who surreptitiously enrolls in journalism teacher Doris Day’s class, where the inevitable sparks begin to ﬂy. The Gable/Day duo scored at the box-o ce, and the ﬁlm earned Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Gig Young, as Day’s on-again/o -again beau) and Best Original Screenplay, but in retrospect it’s entirely predictable, to say nothing of overlong. Mamie Van Doren, Nick Adams, Charles Lane, Peter Baldwin, Marion Ross, Jack Albertson, and entertainment columnist Army Archerd (playing himself in his feature debut) also appear. Bonus features include audio commentary and theatrical trailer.

TOURISTIC INTENTS

(and Quentin Tarantino favorite) William Witney’s Apache Riﬂes (1964) co-starring Michael Dante and L.Q. Jones; and Rod Cameron headlines 1948’s Panhandle, which was co-written and co-produced by co-star (and future director) Blake Edwards.

SEA OF LOVE (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): After a four-year hiatus, Al Pacino returned to the big screen in director Harold Becker’s 1989 whodunit loosely based on screenwriter Richard Price’s 1978 novel Ladies’ Man, playing a hangdog, harddrinking Manhattan homicide detective whose investigation of a serial killer who solicits his victims through newspaper singles’ columns leads him on a collision course with sultry sexpot and potential

(First Run Features): Filmmaker Mat Rappaport’s 2021 feature-documentary debut (also released as Touristiche Absichten) chronicles the history of the “Colossus of Prora,” a massive vacation compound originally conceived by the Third Reich in 1936 on the Isle of Rugen o the German coast and is later earmarked as a posh residential and tourist complex by 21st-century developers despite its history. Well-paced, thoughtful, and occasionally repetitious, this takes an unusual subject and makes it interesting, as builders and historians weigh in while also clearing up some historical misconceptions and inaccuracies. In English and German with English subtitles, available on DVD ($19.95 retail) and Blu-ray ($24.95 retail). !

leisure

[WEEKLY SUDOKU]

ACROSS

Theater actor’s place

Ray of light

Agts. like Eliot Ness

Babies, in Barcelona

Like meat that’s OK to eat per Muslim law

Hamburg’s river

Humorist Bombeck

— citato (in the work already mentioned) 24 Colonel North, in brief

“So right!”

[KING CROSSWORD]

Seville’s land, to its

college that was the ﬁrst in the U.S. to admit

of the riddle

year of the 10th

Finding light in the sounds of the Triad

Daylight is starting to linger a little longer each day, Dear Triad. But it’s still pretty dang cold. And dark. There’s a lot of uncertainty and fear in the air. I’m not here to discount either — both of which I feel deeply. …but who wants to read a column about that?

I’m holding hope in the power of art; and doing what I can to share that with y’all.

Speciﬁcally, in this work: highlighting Triad natives like Ben Niell (and his Mutantrumpet,) who’s coming to NCMA W-S on Feb. 1, and James (or Jimmy around these parts) Mieczkowski, host of the new “Shaped by Sound” series, premiering Feb. 6, on PBS North Carolina.

A graduate of Northwest High School, Mieczkowski grew up in Greensboro and (much like yours truly) wrote for the arts & entertainment section of UNC-Greensboro’s newspaper, the Carolinian (he was an editor, even); while also spinning records as a disc jockey on the wonderful WUAG 103.1 fm. A resident of the Triangle these days, Mieczkowski, is an Emmy award-winning producer and content creator for PBS North Carolina who I was stoked to learn is the host of PBS N.C.’s upcoming Shaped by Sound music series presented by Come Hear N.C.

Geared to spotlighting N.C.’s thriving music scene through live studio performances, each episode showcases featured artists from an array of genres and areas of the state; starting with Iron & Wine for the debut episode, premiering Febr. 6 on PBS N.C. Sluice (airing Feb. 13), Sonny Miles (airing March 6), and Mipso (airing March 20) are among the artists with Triad ties involved in the show’s ﬁrst season.

Getting to the light of live shows, it’s been a few decades since Dr. Ben Niell roamed the halls of Reynolds High; but he’s excited to return to his hometown for a special concert, performing with his very own instrument: the Mutantrumpet (For the NCMA W-S performance, Niell will be joined by Brooklyn’s Dolphin Uppercut Avenger, assisting in visual components.)

An internationally recognized musical innovator, Neill’s Mutantrumpet is a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument, that he ﬁrst developed in the 1980s — and

then electriﬁed through a collaboration with the famed Robert Moog and further reﬁned (twice) a the STEIM research and development lab for new instruments in Amsterdam.

Through Mutantrumpet, Neill generates immersive musical experiences that merge ambient music, electronic grooves, and interactive video. …or as Wired Magazine so succinctly put it: he “uses a schizophrenic trumpet to create art music for the people.”

Performing at festivals around the world, Niell’s fascinating trajectory expands beyond mastering the realms of blending avant-garde and EDM over a catalog 13 albums deep — his work has been featured in a number of commercial endeavors (including for Volkswagen and Cadillac) and he’s quite the academic.

A music professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey since 2008, Niell recently founded an MFA program in Creative Music Technology; and he’s currently celebrating the December release of his ﬁrst book, “Diffusing Music: Trajectories of Sonic Democratization,” (Bloomsbury Press, 2024).

Mirroring Niell’s own exploration of interplaying music and technology, “Di using Music” breaks down ways technological advancements “empower creators and reshape the relationship between artists and audiences,” and technology’s role in producing “unprecedented levels of creativity and transforming how we share and experience sound.”

And it’s those experiences around

which my mission at YES! Weekly (and “@TourReportNC” on Instagram; over the airwaves; and in just about everything I’ve done most of my life) has consistently revolved: around spreading the good word about good people and good sounds of the Triad.

It’s both my good fortune and great privilege to help shine a light on the music, art, and happenings that make life worth living. To showcase the folks who light up the Triad and connect their wonders to the rest of us.

And in that light — this column was inspired by none other than an Instagram story from comedian Patton Oswalt, who recently wandered into a punk show at Rubie’s in Durham; and gushed at how “seeing a three-band micro show for $10 on a Thursday night gave me hope.”

“These next four years (and maybe beyond?) are gonna be no fun for a lot of people,” Oswalt continued — praising the bands of the evening (FemFestNC faves, CHEW, among them.)

“Fuck if I know what to do,” he surmised. “But if there’s a small, deﬁant music venue showcasing new bands? Or a local theatre group? Or an indie publisher? Or anyone trying to keep some ﬁerce, human light burning in the world? Support ‘em if you can — those little lights are gonna get us to the other side of this.”

So with this little light of mine, here’s to those helping it shine. Mutantrumpet comes to NCMA W-S on Feb. 1. Shaped by Sound premieres on Feb. 6 on PBS N.C. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

Katei Cranford

Contributor

Ben Niell playing his Mutantrumpet.

The Nash: Museum ﬁnds new life upon NASCAR’s return

NASCAR fans will descend on Winston-Salem this weekend for The Clash Race held at Bowman Gray Stadium — the ﬁrst time since 1971 — and a new event center will be ready and waiting for them.

The Nash, located at 840 N. Liberty St. in downtown Winston-Salem, will open temporarily this weekend to honor the city’s automobile history and fast-paced future in the NASCAR arena.

Christy Cox Spencer said she was excited to get the call to work with NASCAR on this event.

“Our primary business, JKS, has been doing business with NASCAR for 40 years. It is a partnership we have enjoyed, so when we found they were going to bring this race back to Bowman Gray Stadium, we decided that there has to be something racing-related in Winston-Salem.”

Spencer noticed a lack of largercapacity private event venues after trying to meet requests to host more than 250 people at Robert Hall, another venue owned and restored by the Spencers.

She calls her and her husband, Will, serial entrepreneurs of the historic variety. For years the duo have been longtime business owners within the city’s downtown area with their primary business, JKS Incorporated. In 2018, Will also began Radar Brewing.

“We talked about it and it just evolved from that,” Spencer said. “It takes more thought and more resources to redo an old building than it does to build a brand new building, but that is what makes the city unique. The character of the city is the buildings and its history. When you walk through a city that just has all-brand new buildings, you don’t learn anything about the city. People want to work to restore an old building and ﬁnd a way to give it a new life.”

An extension of Robert Hall, The Nash was previously the old Win Cup Museum building. That museum ran from May 2005 to December 2023, when it was forced to close due to an infringement lawsuit ﬁled by ITG Brands. The lawsuit

and closure sparked outrage from fans and industry professionals, alike.

“That was really hard for my husband. I mean, that was his passion, and he’s a collector of all things racing. I think it just took him a little bit to get his mind and arms around the loss of that. He was devastated to close the museum,” she said. “I wanted to do something that would make him happy and beneﬁt us by giving an additional o ering to people who reach out to us at Robert Hall. I feel like being able to give this building a new life and honor

racing history is wonderful.”

The building was originally a Nash Motors dealership before becoming home to Bob Neill Pontiac and most recently the Win Cup Museum. The building permit has it listed at the Brown Coltrane Nash Motor Company. Former General Motors President Charles W. Nash founded Nash Motors in 1916. The line made its mark with vehicles that shaped industrial industries and were used during World War I. The company was known for its Rambler, Metropolitan, and its Je ery Quad Truck, just to name a few. It was also known for particular features, like the overhead valve engines, wind tunnel testing, and the Weather Eye ventilation system.

Spencer said she was inspired by the Cadillac Service Garage in Greensboro.

“I’ve not been there but I’ve seen their pictures and thought ‘Wouldn’t that be cool to have an automotive theme,’” she said of the concept. “It makes my husband happy and it gives me extra space. That’s how it came about.”

The event center will be open for selfguided tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Thursday, Jan. 30 until Saturday, Feb. 1. Tickets are $10 per adult and children six and under are free. Military veterans with

Chanel Davis

Editor

PHOTOS BY RED CARDINAL STUDIO

valid identiﬁcation can also enter without cost.

On display will be several generations of NASCAR race cars, vintage vehicles from the 1940s and 1950s, and NASCAR memorabilia. On Friday, Jan. 31 from 1 to 4 p.m., Je Hammond and Will Cronkrite will be on hand to sign autographs.

The Nash will host a sold-out NASCAR Clash Qualifying Watch Party on Saturday, Feb. 1 from 6 to 10 p.m. with food and drinks from Foothill’s Brewing. They will also host a sold-out watch party on Sunday, Feb. 2.

However, they still have room for plenty of spectators at their NASCAR Cars and Co ee event on Sunday, Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This free event will feature vintage cars, Euro cars, muscle cars, and hot rods, along with food trucks, games, and music from a live DJ.

“If you just want to be a spectator and you like cars, come on out. It’ll deﬁnitely be a party,” she said.

Spencer hopes to evolve into a beacon spot for the community, hosting family events and more.

“We love to do car shows and I think we’ll be able to do more of those moving forward,” she said. “I’m hoping we can do community events and more.”

She’s said they’ve received positive feedback since they’ve been in the building working.

“We’ve been working and there have had lots of people looking through the windows and asking what we’ve been up to,” Spencer said. “I think it has certainly sparked people’s attention and they’re curious.”

Just one of thousands, Spencer is happy to see NASCAR make a full return to Winston-Salem. She hopes there will be more partnerships with NASCAR and is excited to see the outcome of the current partnerships with Winston-Salem State University.

“Bowman Gray Stadium is a facility of Winston-Salem State. Half a year it’s a

racetrack and half a year it’s a football ﬁeld. People don’t realize what the motorsports industry is to the state of North Carolina. It’s a ﬁve billion dollar industry and an investment that is compounding,” she said. “It’s a revenue generator for the city, the hotels, the bars, and the restaurants. The national exposure is big. It’s so big.”

Winston-Salem State University’s NASCAR Campus Lab cohort will also volunteer at The Clash for some handson experience. NASCAR announced the expansion of its Campus Lab Program last fall at WSSU, making it the ﬁrst university in North Carolina to o er the program. Students accepted to the NASCAR Campus Lab Program will get real-world experience developing a marketing activation while managing a set budget provided by

NASCAR, compete in a case study competition, get a behind-the-scenes view of careers throughout the industry, be paired with a mentor from NASCAR’s Black employee resource group, and receive resume and interview tips from human resources professionals.

The WSSU students selected for the inaugural cohort are: Nile Thaxton; Bryson Banks; DeAndre Mays; Zoriah Henderson; Juana Ramirez Manriquez; Julian Murray; Amarion Willis; Curtonia Lawrence; Keren Kasongo; Ciel Miller; Angelo Lanford; Aaron Hocutt; Taylor Williams; and Trinity Pratt.

“NASCAR is putting its roots down in Winston-Salem with this initiative,” Spencer said.

While Triad residents and fans get a sneak peek this weekend, The Nash will

not o cially be open until winter 2025.

“We rushed to get this done so we could be a part of this weekend and we’re so excited,” Spencer said. “But after this, there are major things I want to do to the back like add additional bathrooms and a catering kitchen. So there’s big work that needs to happen. But my goal is to be able to start booking events for the Winter 2025.”

For more information on Robert Hall, visit @RobertHallWSNC or roberthallwsnc.com. For more information on The Nash, visit @TheNashWSNC or thenashwsnc.com. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

Crossroads: Preparing high school males for careers, college, and life

Ian McDowell

“Without certain people in our lives, we wouldn’t have achieved the level of success that we did,” said Attorney Gerard Truesdale, who in 2009 co-founded the education nonproﬁt Crossroads: Pathways to Success, Inc. with his friend Arturo Mckie.

“We wanted to pass that on. I grew up in Greensboro, where I work in criminal defense and cyber security. Crossroads is something we do on the side of our main jobs.”

“I was born and raised here,” said Mckie, “but graduated from UNC Charlotte, where I worked in litigation and insurance law and recently started my own cleaning service. Gerard and I created Crossroads as a free educational mentorship program aimed at helping high school males get prepared for life after graduation. For the ﬁrst 10 years, we’d meet in a classroom setting over at Providence Baptist Church. In the past ﬁve years, we partnered with many di erent local restaurants to o er an experiential environment, as well as taking our students on college tours twice a month.”

Crossroads also partners with the Greensboro Swarm basketball team and the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball team.

“We attend their games and have students that work for both of those organizations,” said Truesdale. “But that’s not all. 2024 was a year where we solidiﬁed our community partnerships. People such as the Tannebaum-Sternberger Foundation, Weaver Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Greens-

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boro, Inc., and the Cemala Foundation, all support our program. In 2024, we realized that they’re anchors.”

The men’s e orts towards community service and education were greatly inspired by their own experience in Greensboro schools and afterschool programs.

“Both Gerard and I went to Greensboro Day School growing up,” said Mckie. “Gerard left in the 10th grade to go to Dudley. We had a lot of teachers in our lives, coming up, who prepared and pushed us for college. When we both got to college, we realized just how prepared we were. We were part of the Jack and Jill program in Greensboro. There were a lot of leaders in that program who pushed us to pursue education. Gerard’s parents were also a big inﬂuence. His father always pushed me to do the right thing. If you do the right thing, you won’t have to worry about consequences later on. So there were individuals, friends, and family, collectively, who showed us that it takes a village to get us to the next level.”

Also foundational were the camps both men attended at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University

when they were teens.

“Every summer for eight summers,” said Truesdale. “There was also something called Saturday Academy back in high school. If it weren’t for those experiences that our parents put us in, we wouldn’t really know how to run Crossroads. A lot of what we do is based on what we learned growing up and observing. We started the organization 16 years ago because we understood that, without certain people in our lives, we wouldn’t have achieved the level of success that we did early on in our careers, and we wanted to pass that on. But we are now mixing it up to make it a little more relevant for today.”

In December of 2024, Crossroads celebrated its 15th anniversary.

“We brought back a bunch of the alumni who are now professionals in their own right,” said Truesdale. “We had current students, former students, guest speakers, and just the whole community that helped us.”

This was the culmination of a year in which he and Mckie focused on getting the students out of the classroom and into real-world experiences, and implementing skills they had been teaching over the past few years. One of their focuses was what they call wealth management.

“It’s super important to understand the principles of that,” said Mckie. “To introduce them to real estate, so they can start thinking about how to set themselves up for success later. Last year, we had some realtors come in and show them the process. We go over what

credit is and how that works; loans, interest rates, etc. The focus last year was more on the ﬁnancial aspect of it, as most of the students were juniors or seniors going o to college. We tailored the program around them.”

He explained that both lessons and experiential learning included business and dining etiquette.

“We went to Brooks Brothers at Friendly Shopping Center this past summer and everybody got a tie. We had a professional dress workshop, where the students learned about the basics of clothing. After that, the students got to eat lunch at PF Chang’s and speak to the owner. We also know the owner of Ben & Jerry’s, so they got a chance to hear a franchise owner talk with them about the day-to-day running of the business. The students that were old enough were

Contributor

Board members Mia Budd and Zoe Nulty with Gerard Truesdale

Crossroads with Guilford County Sheri Danny Rogers, center.

helped shape him and provided him with resources and information to prepare him to get ready. Xavier has about eight di erent full-ride scholarships for North Carolina schools when he graduates next May.

Truesdale and Mckie are proud of what they have achieved.

able to get summer jobs out at Friendly Center.”

In 2025, they are focusing on the students coming into the program from grades eight through ten.

“We’re taking it back to college preparation and trying to ﬁgure out their strengths and weaknesses,” said Mckie. “Just honing in on who they are, so we can start to develop a path to college and a career.”

YES! Weekly asked about individual success stories.

“There’s a kid named Xavier who’s been in Crossroads since he was in the seventh grade,” said Mckie. “He was always a sharp kid from day one, but he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his future all the way. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go into the Navy, the Army, or college. Over the last three years, we’ve

“We’ve built a strong foundation over the past 15 years,” said Truesdale, “helping over 200 students make a signiﬁcant impact in their lives, and now we are going into our 16th year. Some of the key pillars going forward include increasing funding; strengthening partnerships with local colleges to provide more mentorships; and more partnerships and internships with businesses for job-shadowing to create a career pipeline.

Another part is to expand program o erings with a STEM focus, with coding, cyber security, and IT. Like Arturo said, continuing ﬁnancial literacy by boosting entrepreneurship programs for students. We also want to transform our web presence, and create an online platform where students can access some of these resources, such as College Preparatory, life skill guides, and maybe pre-recorded sessions from the workshops. Lastly, we want to be partnering with other nonproﬁts to have a lasting impact on community service.”

More information about Crossroads: Pathways to Success, Inc. can be found at crossroadspts.org.

Arturo Mckie, Chef Allan Peoples, Gerard Truesdale, and Marcus Ledbetter

Arturo Mckie, Ronald Trusdsale, and Gerard Truesdale

Natalie Garcia

[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of February 3, 2025

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) All that ﬂattery and fawning shouldn’t a ect any decision you have to make. Keep your focus on the facts and ignore all the hyperbole, especially if it gets uncomfortably personal.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your Bovine instincts are on the mark about a “favor” that you’re being asked to do. Agree to nothing unless you get a full explanation, which you would check out ﬁrst, of course.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A somewhat-unsettled recent period should give way to a smoother time going through the week. Use this quieter time to catch up on matters that you might have had to let slide.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Feeling a little confused is understandable with all those mixed messages. Take time to list the questions you have. Then present them and insist on answers that make sense.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Cupid can be very helpful for Lions seeking a love connection. The chubby cherub also brings warm and fuzzy feelings to paired Leos and Leonas who already share a special love line.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Travel is favored this week, whether you’ll be globe-trotting or taking a trip to a nearby getaway. You might be surprised (or maybe not) by the person who wants to be your traveling companion.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Getting advice on your next businessrelated move is a good idea but only if your advisers are trustworthy. Get references

you can check out before you make any decisions.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Getting a boost in your self-esteem is one beneﬁt that comes with a job welldone. There are other plusses as well, including being noticed by all the right people. Good luck!

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Make time to deal with family matters, especially where they concern your elderly kinfolk. Being there for them from the start can help resolve problems sooner rather than later.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Getting a project started can often be di cult, but the good news is that you won’t want for lack of assistance from colleagues who would like to work with you. So, let them!

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A lot of work-related issues might be raised this week, and you need to be prepared for whatever comes along. Things should be easier when it comes to matters in your private life.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) What might appear to be a very much unwanted change in your life right now could turn out to be a very welcome event after all. Give yourself a chance to see where it might take you.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You exercise your strong leadership qualities well, which is why people believe in you and feel reassured by you.

crossword on page 8

sudoku on page 8

[TRIVIA TEST]

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What year was the ﬁrst Barbie doll released?

[2. MOVIES: What is the name of the island in the Jurassic Park ﬁlm?

[3. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What are baby rabbits called?

[4. U.S. STATES: Which state is the home of Mount Rushmore?

[5. INVENTIONS: When were emojis invented?

[6. TELEVISION: In the TV series The Walking Dead, what was the character Rick Grimes’ profession previously?

[7. CHEMISTRY: Which element is also known as quicksilver?

[8. SCIENCE: What is the name for the pivot on which a lever turns?

[9. GEOGRAPHY: Which country is home to the ancient city of Petra?

[10. MUSIC: Which of Taylor Swift’s songs was ﬁrst to appear on the Billboard Hot 100?

answer

10. “Tim McGraw.”

7. Mercury. 8. Fulcrum. 9. Jordan.

6. Sheri ’s deputy.

1. 1959.

2. Isla Nublar.

3. Kits.

4. South Dakota.

5. 1999.

Side by Side with Nido Qubein is a 30-minute, behind-the-curtain conversation with people whose influence and impact are felt throughout the state of North Carolina and beyond. High Point University President Nido Qubein, an internationally known author and business consultant, digs beneath the surface conversation to reveal insights and inspiration from each special guest. Featuring both timeless and topical themes, the weekly series runs yearlong on PBS North Carolina.