YES! Weekly - April 17, 2024

What started as a gathering in 2008 has helped reinvigorate a medium. Record Store Day has o cially blown up and grown up.

4 CIBO TRATTORIA is one of six restaurants in Winston-Salem owned by the Lee brothers and their partners. Located in the Arts District in downtown Winston-Salem, access is pretty easy, with on-street parking, a valet out front, and a Pay-by-Phone parking lot right around the corner.

6 ...The 26th annual RiverRun International Film Festival, which opens Thursday, will honor actress Constance Towers Gavin with a Master of Cinema award, to be presented following a screening of SERGEANT RUTLEDGE, the 1960 Western directed by the legendary John Ford.

7 Get ready for an unparalleled musical odyssey as NICKELODEON, GEA

LIVE, and Senbla proudly present: Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert. Immerse yourself in an over two-hour show with a live orchestra bringing the show’s iconic musical score to life

8 I f you’re going to GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE to compare it to last year’s Godzilla Minus One, there is no comparison. It doesn’t come close. If you’re going to Godzilla X Kong for the story, forget about it, because it doesn’t make a bit of sense.

10 E ducators, health professionals, and the media are all abuzz about “THE ANXIOUS GENERATION,” a new book by noted social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

14 Natalie Sowell is excited about the 2024 AMPLIFY BLACK VOICES FESTIVAL of New Plays, performed at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum at 134 S. Elm St. in Downtown Greensboro on April 26 and 27.

16 O n April 1, 2024, BRUCE PIEPHOFF left the building — after leaving his mark on friends and collaborators who hope to honor his memory with a tribute album — sharing the stories

songs from Greensboro’s o cial “Father of Songwrit-

Chow Down with John Batchelor at Cibo Trattoria

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

Cibo Trattoria is one of six restaurants in WinstonSalem owned by the Lee brothers and their partners. Located in the Arts District in downtown Winston-Salem, access is pretty easy, with on-street parking, a valet out front, and a Pay-by-Phone parking lot right around the corner.

A pleasant hostess greets you as you enter. A long bar with a couple of big TVs flanks to the right. The dining room is painted in a soothing green, with seating in comfortable booths as well as tables and chairs. Although not something most people are likely to notice, sound ba es hanging directly overhead reduce echo and soften the ambiance. You can actually converse with others around the table here, a very welcome, but alas, all too infrequent, feature.

That bar puts out some interesting,

original cocktails. The Ginger Rogers, a spring-and-summer-friendly concoction of Beefeater Gin, cane sugar, muddled mint leaves, and ginger beer earned praise around my table. The requisite popular as well as artisan beer selections are offered as well. The wine list leans heavily toward Italy, appropriate for the cuisine, but for most patrons, that means a lot of unfamiliar selections. Servers will provide small samples of by-the-glass o erings, however, so there is little risk here. My wife and I both liked everything we tried, so I feel confident about recommendations from the sta .

A basket of warm bread arrives promptly. The aroma is wonderful, a function mainly of the focaccia, which tastes every bit as good as it smells. Baguette slices are included, too, and they are also served pleasantly warm, but they would be better if left in a hot oven long enough to develop a crust. Soft, herbed butter completes the package.

From the Antipasti section of the menu, an order of Calamari sustained that initial, positive impression. Baby squid and sliced rings bear a light crust, fried crisp. Accompanying marinara sauce conveys what is, to my taste, just the right amount of heat. I would rate this among the best examples of this perennially popular starter in the Triad.

Vongole al Forno is a winner, too. Clams in the half shell are covered with herbed breadcrumbs blended with Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella cheeses and baked. Fresh lemon wedges provide extra bite. A fairly large section of the menu is devoted to pastas. Melanzane Alla Parmigiana is classic, with a big slice of eggplant in the center, baked with mozzarella and Romano cheeses, surrounded by spaghetti, all bathed in rich marinara cream sauce. Gnocchi Arrosto Anatra places chunks of roast duck meat, plus a duck leg, in a tomato cream sauce enhanced with red wine and rosemary. The

dumplings absorb some of the sauce and marry well with the fowl.

From the “Secondi” section of the menu, Pollo Francese delivers chicken breast meat, dredged in egg wash and flour, sautéed with lemon, white wine, and butter, for a commendable result. Rosemary-roasted potato wedges and sautéed spinach complete this traditional presentation.

There is a separate section of veal entrées. In Veal Con Crema al Cognac, we found the veal a little firm, delivering solid depth of flavor, well served by a combination of mushrooms, Cognac, and cream. This also came with Rosemary roasted potato wedges and sautéed spinach.

Any restaurant like this has to have good Lasagna, and this is another example that ranks in the highest echelon among Triad Italian restaurants. Oddly, Lasagna is an o -menu item, albeit often o ered. Three criteria distinguish it — the balance between tomato and cream in

Gnocci Arrostro Anatra Pollo Francese Lasagna Lobster in Cognac Cream Sauce

Vongole

Ginger Rogers Bread

the sauce, the depth of flavor in the meat (Wagyu beef, according to our server), and breadcrumbs that form a very pleasant crust when baked. Another o -menu selection kind of topped the entrées one evening — a Lobster Tail, removed from the shell and cut into bite-sized pieces, bathed in Cognac cream sauce with mushroom risotto, fried Brussels sprouts alongside. A similar entrée, with shrimp and scallops, and presumably a little less lobster, is a regular menu resident.

Since my wife and I made one visit with friends Jerry and Anna, who were willing to share the calories, we ordered one dessert. Five Layer Chocolate Cake is marvelously rich, well worth the guilt.

The website provides all the information you need in order to plan a visit. I appreciate that. Pedro Collado is Chefpartner. Lisa Massey is Managing Partner. They both formerly worked at Paul’s Fine Dining on Robinhood Road for over 20 years.

Although these visits allowed a representative sampling of what this kitchen does, I left wanting more. Not more in terms of quantity — servings are more than

adequate. More in terms of other dishes I wanted to try. That’s a good sign! !

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/ cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot.com.

WANNA go?

Cibo Trattoria

601 N Liberty Street

Winston-Salem, 27101 336-529-6999

cibotrattoriaws.com

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday 5-9:30 p.m., Saturday 4:30-9:30 p.m.

Appetizers: $10-$15

Salads: $7-$8

Soups: $7

Entrees: $17-$45

Desserts: $7-$11

Most recent visit: April 4

A Talent that Towers: Constance is a Master of Cinema

In addition to actress Adrienne Barbeau and editor Kate Amend, the 26th annual RiverRun International Film Festival, which opens Thursday, will honor actress Constance Towers Gavin with a Master of Cinema award, to be presented following a screening of Sergeant Rutledge, the 1960 Western directed by the legendary John Ford, at 7:30 p.m. April 26 at UNCSA — Main Theatre, located on the UNCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St. in Winston-Salem. Advance tickets are available at https:// riverrunfilm.com/.

Sergeant Rutledge marked Gavin’s second collaboration with the legendary Ford (the only filmmaker to have ever won four Oscars for Best Director), following

her big-screen bow in Ford’s The Horse Soldiers (1959), in which she held her own — and then some — against Hollywood heavyweights John Wayne and William Holden.

Sergeant Rutledge, however, was a more thoughtful undertaking, detailing the 1881 trial of the title character (played by Woody Strode), a member of the U.S. Cavalry’s 9th Regiment, which was one of what was then called “the colored regiments” in the U.S. Army. Rutledge is accused of raping and murdering a white girl and murdering her father, who happened to be his commanding o cer. Gavin portrays Mary Beecher, the love interest of Rutledge’s defense attorney, Lt. Tom Cantrell (Je rey Hunter), who is utterly convinced of Rutledge’s innocence and attempts to persuade Cantrell likewise. The film received mostly good reviews but was only a moderate financial success, yet its reputation has grown over the years. Historically, it was the first studio Western to feature an African-American actor in the title role, and Strode’s dignified perfor-

mance as Rutledge was a milestone in the actor’s career and the first of four films Strode would make with Ford, whom the actor considered one of his best friends.

“He had great presence,” Gavin said of Strode (who died in 1994). “He was one of the greatest human beings I ever met, and he was the most beautiful specimen of a man. Pappy Ford loved him. He let Woody and his wife move into the apartment over his garage in Bel-Air and they spent a lot of time together.”

In addition, “he was a prankster,” recalled Gavin, chuckling at the memory. “He and Jack Ford invaded my apartment while we were making Sergeant Rutledge and left a bird — a parakeet they called ‘Lonesome’ — because they thought I was lonesome. I have no idea how they got past the very stern woman who worked there. Then they did it a second time. I would make fudge as a gift for the crew, and they all looked forward to it. One day, I’m handing the fudge out and people started gagging and spitting it out. Woody and Jack had gotten into my apartment again and switched the sugar for salt!”

She immediately knew who the culprits were. “Woody and Jack were sitting there, looking sheepish — and they weren’t eating the fudge!”

On a more serious note, Gavin firmly believes that the message of Sergeant Rutledge is as relevant over 60 years since it was made and almost 150 years after the events it depicted.

“The Black actors, including Woody and Rafer Johnson, had to stay in another motel than the rest of us did,” she said. “That was an eye-opener for me. I’d been born and raised in Montana. There weren’t many Black people there, but I had no idea what racism was. No one felt it. No one talked about it. When we made The Horse Soldiers, (co-star) Althea Gibson didn’t come with us to Louisiana. She shot all her scenes here in California. It was a sad time.”

Ford’s impetus for making Sergeant Rutledge was not totally in keeping with the filmmaker’s mystique. “Jack liked to take naps in the afternoon, and he had a stack of scripts beside his bed. He knew that the scripts on top were the ones people wanted him to make, so someone cleverly put the script — which was originally called Captain Bu alo at the bottom of the pile.”

Ford went to the bottom of the pile, started flipping through the pages, and immediately knew he wanted to make it. “He loved the fact that the actual 9th Cavalry Unit had been awarded a citation by the Army as the bravest group of soldiers,” Gavin said. “He said ‘I’m going to make this.’ He didn’t care if it made money or not. I know it was one of his favorite films — and it’s one of mine.”

The indefatigable Gavin has enjoyed triumphs on stage, including tours of The King and I with Yul Brynner and The Sound of Music, and screen, including back-toback cult classics directed by Samuel Fuller: Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss (1964). Her other film credits include The Next Karate Kid (1994) opposite future two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, playing Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother in A Perfect Murder (1998), and director Peter Hyams’ 1997 sleeper sci-fi hit The Relic, in which she gleefully recalls being eaten alive by beetles.

The stage remains Gavin’s first love, but the small screen is where she seems to have made the most lasting impact, as the wicked matriarch Helena Cassadine on ABC’s durable daytime drama “General Hospital.” She played haughty Helena from 1997 until the character’s death in 2015 yet has managed to return in various characters’ hallucinations and nightmares (!) occasionally since. “They have used every device they can think of to bring me back,” she laughed. “I never could have imagined that this would be the thing I’m best known for, but I love it. People come up to me and they don’t say ‘We think you’re terrible.’ Instead, they say ‘We love how nasty and mean you are. Can you do more? Can you be meaner?’” !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies.

WANNA go?

The 2024 RiverRun International Film Festival runs through April 27. For more information, call 336-724-1502 or visit the o cial website: https:// riverrunfilm.com/.

Mark Burger Contributor

Sergeant Rutledge Poster

Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert comes to Tanger Center on September 29

Get ready for an unparalleled musical odyssey as Nickelodeon, GEA Live, and Senbla proudly present: Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert. Immerse yourself in an over two-hour show with a live orchestra bringing the show’s iconic musical score to life, in perfect harmony with highlights and favorite moments from the series. Taiko and erhu will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets, while the series’ most beloved scenes play out on screen, bringing viewers into the Avatar world to experience the series’ most memorable moments with Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and more.

Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert will perform at the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts on September 29. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 19 at 10 a.m. at TangerCenter. com and Ticketmaster.com and start at $39.

Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert audiences will immerse themselves in a two-hour special with a live orchestra bringing the show’s iconic musical score to life, in perfect harmony with highlights and favorite moments from all three seasons of the series. Taiko and erhu will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets, while the series’ most beloved scenes play out on a full-size cinema screen, bringing viewers into the Avatar world to experience the series’ most memorable moments with Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko and more.

The creative mastermind behind the original music for the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, Emmy Awardwinning composer and musician Jeremy Zuckerman, has teamed up with show co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko as well as Je Adams (the show’s original editor) to expand the series original compositions for the concert series. This spectacular production not only magnifies the epic scope and high drama of the series, but also marks a thrilling first for fans o ering an opportunity to experience the captivating world of Avatar: The Last Airbender through this live orchestra concert.

“It’s been incredibly satisfying and moving to see the audiences’ emotional response to these concerts, and to be a

part of that atmosphere is a uniquely beautiful experience,” said Zuckerman. “I’m overjoyed that many more people — Avatar fans both new and old — will get to experience the show during this wider tour.”

Don’t miss this extraordinary chance to relive the epic odyssey of Avatar: The Last Airbender like never before. For more information, tour dates and tickets, please visit www.avatarinconcert.com and follow #avatarinconcert, @avatarthelastairbender on Facebook and Instagram; and, @teamavatar on YouTube.

Honored with a Peabody Award and Primetime Emmy, along with multiple Annie Awards and Genesis Awards Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender emerged from its three-season run (61 episodes), from February 2005 to July 2008, as one of the most beloved animated properties in history. In 2021 Nickelodeon announced the launch of Avatar Studios, a new division designed to create original content spanning animated series and movies based on the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra

The animated series’ success has also spawned a companion podcast Avatar: Braving the Elements, currently in its season third season, a remastered soundtrack from series (and tour) composer, Jeremy Zuckerman, now out on digital and vinyl. The property has also been translated into several bestselling book series, which continue to roll out new original stories. The graphic novel series has sold over three million copies, and the young adult novels have spent 25 total weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and have over 700,000 copies in print. !

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

STAINED GLASS PLAYHOUSE CONCLUDES SEASON WITH DOUBLE-CAST “OUR TOWN”

BY MARK GRAVES | Marketing Coordinator for Stained Glass Playhouse

Stained Glass Playhouse is wrapping up their season with Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” in May, with a first-time director and several double-cast roles that may have audiences coming back for a second look.

In “Our Town,” the residents of Grover’s Corners go about their daily lives, where not much changes and time passes in an unremarkable and cyclical manner. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it begs the question: “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?”

The show is directed by Mark Graves, who has acted in community theatres around the Triad and served on the Playhouse’s Board of Directors, but has never directed a full-length play until now. When casting the show, he saw an opportunity to do something that is not often done in community theatre.

“I could tell at auditions that there was a lot of pent-up demand among the acting community to do this play. I had thought about double-casting early on when I was first o ered the chance to direct this production, a couple of years ago — we were still coming out of the pandemic, and shows were getting cancelled left and right due to illness, so double-casting seemed like a way to protect the show against that. Fast forward a couple of years, and that’s

not so much of a problem anymore; but double-casting still created opportunities for two people to tackle a dream role that they might not get another chance to do. The turnout at auditions was good, so I thought, why not try it?” he said.

As a result, Stained Glass Playhouse’s production of “Our Town” features two casts performing in rotation, with Jennifer Raiford Graves and Kady Tilley as Emily Webb, Nathan Irwin and David Bricquet as George Gibbs, Nancy Torkewitz and Donna Bissette as Mrs. Gibbs, and Ruth Wilcox and Jane Lucas as Mrs. Webb. On their “o ” nights, they’ll still appear as townspeople, to help create that feel of a lively and vibrant town.

“To be fair, double-casting is not that common for plays,” Graves added, “You see it in musicals or opera, or even in youth productions, but not in this kind of show. It’s created some challenges, but I still think the result will be well worth it. The interpretations of the characters are so varied, it’s practically two di erent shows. You could see it twice and get a new experience each time.”

The show also stars Scott Goad, Roland Krueger, Archie Collins, Amir Cooper, Nancy Runner, Debra Hanson, Rebecca Satalino, Chadwick Holmes, Gregg Vogelsmeier, Cameron Quinn, and Brenda Humphrey. Performances are May 3-5, 10-12, and 17-19. For more information about the show, visit stainedglassplayhouse.org/our-town

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Godzilla X Kong a mid-level monster mash

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f you’re going to Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire to compare it to last year’s Godzilla Minus One, there is no comparison. It doesn’t come close. If you’re going to Godzilla X Kong for the story, forget about it, because it doesn’t make a bit of sense.

But if you’re going to Godzilla X Kong for the monsters and non-stop barrage of special e ects, the latest installment in the Warner Bros. “MonsterVerse” franchise certainly doesn’t skimp on those elements. As mindless summer entertainments go, even though it’s still spring, Godzilla X Kong is mindless, but it is entertaining. At its best, it’s somewhat akin to an amusement park thrill ride.

Since we took leave of the titular behemoths in Godzilla vs Kong three years ago, Kong’s been monkeying around in Hollow Earth, which turns out to be hollower than originally thought (hence the subtitle “The New Empire”) and after a snooze in Rome — curling up in the Roman Colosseum, no less — Godzilla’s been guzzling radiation in preparation for something big.

That something big turns out to be Shimo, an ancient monster capable of causing another ice age (shades of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire!), a subterranean beast under the malevolent control of the Skar King, a growling, scowling, Kong-sized primate who’s as nasty as Kong can be nice. To defeat them, Godzilla and Kong are compelled to join forces, with an assist from another beloved monster from the Toho Studios stable, Mothra.

And there you have it. Director/executive producer/co-story writer Adam Wingard, returning from Godzilla vs. Kong, lets the monsters bash and mash away and keeps things moving along, which is the most one could hope for. His song selections, which are sometimes quite funny, indicate that he’s not taking this very seriously, and nor should anyone else.

In more ways than one, the human actors are dwarfed, not just by the monsters but particularly by the dialogue they are

required to deliver. Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, and Brian Tyree Henry encore from the previous installment. Hall manages to keep a straight face (no mean feat) while rattling o reams of exposition and pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo, but Henry’s jabbering comic relief gets old very quickly. Dan Stevens, a long way from “Downton Abbey,” joins them as a hotshot veterinarian who at one point is not inaccurately compared to Jim Carrey’s pet detective Ace Ventura.

During the course of the film, a number of historical landmarks — including the Pyramids of Egypt — are destroyed, and although scientists diligently monitor the monsters, they’re never inclined to inform or warn the populace where they’re about to emerge, so a good number of fleeing extras bite the dust. There’s not much suspense here, either. Does anyone really think the Skar King and Shimo are any match for Kong or Godzilla or even Mothra?

We do learn, however, that Mothra is perceived as the “Queen of the Monsters,” which is only fitting as Godzilla has been called “King of the Monsters” since his American debut back in 1956. Alas, poor Kong, who has yet to “o cially” be crowned King Kong. Maybe they’re saving that coronation for the next movie. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies. © 2024, Mark Burger.

Mark Burger

ALASKA SEAS (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($24.95 retail) of Jerry Hopper’s routine 1954 melodrama, a loose remake of 1938’s Spawn of the North, starring Robert Ryan as an excon hired by old friend Brian Keith to help run his salmon cannery in Alaska, only to turn against him when he attempts to woo his fiancée (Jan Sterling). Ryan’s always worth watching, but there’s not much can be done with the stodgy storyline. Gene Barry, Ralph Dumke, Peter Coe, Timothy Carey, and future television super-producer Aaron Spelling appear in support. Bonus features include audio commentary.

AMELIE (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): Audrey Tautou achieved international stardom — and earned comparisons to no less than Audrey Hepburn — for playing the title role in director/screenwriter Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s imaginative, wistful 2001 romantic comedy/fantasy (originally titled Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain) as a dreamy young waitress determined to uplift the lives of those she encounters, eventually finding love herself with an equally quirky eccentric (Mathieu Kassovitz). Yes, it’s overly sentimental and overlong, but it’s hard to resist -- with such French favorites including Rufus, Lorella Cravotta, Serge Merlin, Dominique Pinon, Isabelle Nanty, and Andre Dussolier (as the narrator) o ering spirited support. An international box-o ce smash, this earned Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. In French with English subtitles, available on DVD ($29.99 retail) and limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook ($40.99 retail), each replete with audio commentary, vintage featurettes and interviews, cast auditions, trailer, and more. Rated R.

THE BOOGENS (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): A 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.95 retail) of James L. Conway’s 1981 chiller about subterranean creatures that emerge from an abandoned Colorado mine and wreak bloody havoc on a wintry town, with Rebecca Balding (who later married Conway) and Anne-Marie Martin (who later married Michael Crichton) appealing as the resident “scream queens” and Fred McCarren and Je Harlan (in his feature debut) less so as their boyfriends, while veterans John Crawford, Med Flory, and Jon Lormer lurk in the background. This low-budget ‘50s-type monster movie was something a little di erent in

BY MARK BURGER

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK: A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE (DUCK, YOU SUCKER!)

(Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

By the time Sergio Leone’s final Western (originally titled Giu la testa and also known as Once Upon a Time … the Revolution) was released, the market that he pioneered had become so saturated it was virtually ignored upon its 1972 stateside bow, courtesy United Artists — which discourteously cut and retitled it. Even in the extended version, it’s not a classic but very entertaining and very much in tune with Leone’s other work in terms of gunplay, explosions, political bent, sardonic wit, and a fabulous Ennio Morricone score.

Rod Steiger plays Juan Miranda, a seedy, sleazy bandit

who becomes the unlikeliest symbol of the Mexican Revolution, thanks in large part to James Coburn’s John Mallory, an Irish expatriate whose demolition skills, learned during his days battling the British, come in mighty handy indeed. Theirs is an uneasy and unlikely alliance born of blackmail and greed, yet they soon find themselves bound for a reckoning with destiny and history.

The scale and scope are on par with Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), but the foundation’s not quite as steady. Leone had originally planned to produce the film, but Steiger, Coburn, and the studio insisted he also direct, and the behind-the-scenes contretemps surrounding the production (duly recounted in the bonus features) are almost as interesting as the film itself. Coburn is tough and cool, but Steiger (not unexpectedly) sometimes goes over the top, particularly in the comic moments. Still, they bring considerable star power to the proceedings and make a fun screen team.

The special-edition Blu-ray ($24.95 retail) includes audio commentaries, retrospective featurettes, trailers and radio spots, and more. Rated PG.

the “slash-happy” ‘80s and has its followers (including Stephen King, no less), but is otherwise a watchable timewaster. Bonus features include audio commentaries, retrospective featurette, theatrical trailer, and TV spots. Rated R.

BRAIN DONORS (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($24.95 retail) of director Dennis Dugan’s scatterbrained — and scattershot — 1992 comedy with John Turturro, Mel Smith, and Bob Nelson aping The Marx Brothers as a trio of troublemakers attempting to fulfill the conditions of a late tycoon’s will by running a ballet company, while the indomitable Nancy Marchand channels Margaret Dumont as their nemesis. Paramount all but dumped this film theatrically, but it found a few fans on cable TV and homevideo. Bonus features include audio commentaries and theatrical trailer. Rated PG.

THE COFFEE TABLE (Cinephobia Releasing/Kino Lorber): Aptly billed as “a cruel Caye Casas film,” this award-winning 2022 black comedy (originally titled La mesita del comedor) from co-writer/ editor/director Casas sees bickering

shoot-‘em-up features some of Pyun’s trademark visual flourishes but holds few surprises. Leading man Christopher Lambert, whose salary comprised the majority of the film’s budget, worked only a few days and Ice-T a single day, necessitating editing trickery to make it appear they were present the entire shoot. The special-edition “MVD Rewind Collection” Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) includes audio commentary, collectible mini-poster, retrospective interviews, theatrical trailer, and more. Rated R.

NIGHT SWIM (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon add some heft to screenwriter/ director Bryce McGuire’s expansion of his 2014 short film (made with co-story writer Rod Blackhurst), a well-made but predictable suburban shocker about a couple moving into a new home with a swimming pool that has seemingly restorative powers but also demands a dire price in return. Think “The Monkey’s Paw” — only underwater. Despite the title, the pool is just as perilous in the daytime. Both the DVD ($19.98 retail) and DVD/ Blu-ray combo ($24.98 retail) include audio commentary and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Rated PG-13.

couple David Pareja and Estefania de los Santo bringing home their newborn baby and an ornate co ee table (which she despises), followed by a horrific accident involving both that compels Pareja to desperately cover up the incident as long as possible. Less a black comedy than a bleak one, this is agonizing and cringingly uncomfortable at times but never backs away from its premise all the way through to the inevitable (?) ending. Pareja is utterly superb as the nerveshredded protagonist, and although the film is not for all tastes — one viewing was enough for this critic — it stands as a very likely cult candidate … for those who can take it. In Spanish with English subtitles, available on DVD ($19.95 retail).

MEAN GUNS (MVD

Entertainment Group): In Albert Pyun’s 1997 action blow-out, crime czar Ice-T invites the world’s most notorious criminals whom he believes have wronged him in the past to a prison to participate in a no-holdsbarred duel to the death, providing them with weapons to eliminate each other with the three survivors promised a $10 million cash prize. This standard-issue

PAINT YOUR WAGON (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): A 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.95 retail) of director Joshua Logan’s final feature, the notorious 1969 adaptation of the Lerner & Loewe Broadway musical set against the backdrop of the California gold rush, starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood as prospectors who vie for the favors of Jean Seberg in a ramshackle mining town. Widely considered one of the films that killed o the ‘60s big-budget musical craze, it went overbudget and over-schedule, screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky was fired, Eastwood and Seberg had an a air during filming, and Marvin (who earned a whopping $1 million for the film) imbibed constantly throughout production. Yet for all that, there’s great cinematography by William A. Fraker, good supporting work from Ray Walston and Harve Presnell, an Oscarnominated score that includes Marvin’s memorable rendition of “Wand’rin’ Star” (which became a chart-topping hit in some territories!), and a genuinely amiable air — but it seriously overstays its welcome. Bonus features include audio commentary and theatrical trailer. Rated PG-13. !

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Phones Should Be Excused from School

Educators, health professionals, and the media are all abuzz about “The Anxious Generation,” a new book by noted social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. In it, Haidt concludes that smartphones are causing massive harm to young people and are stunting their mental and academic growth.

According to Haidt, it didn’t take long for smartphones to have a negative impact on teen and pre-teen users. For example, the iPhone was introduced in 2007, and within five years there was a sharp increase in anxiety and depression among teens, as well as a decrease in test scores. Incidents of suicide and self-harm doubled, and, since 2010, suicide by teenage girls alone has risen by 134%. These statistics should come as no surprise, given that over 95% of teenagers now have 24/7 access to a smartphone (and thus the internet), where bullying, body shaming, and misinformation thrive.

Meanwhile, parents are playing the blame game. When they’re not testifying before Congress or holding press conferences, parents are suing social media companies like Instagram and Facebook who are being accused of deliberately designing features that addict children. During a recent Senate hearing, parents who have lost children to suicide blamed the Internet and called for the federal government to do something to hold tech giants accountable. But parents must also be held accountable. A recent PEW study reports that less than half of parents even attempt to limit the amount of time their child spends on their smartphones at home.

Clearly, Congress needs to regulate social media and parents could address the problem by simply taking away their child’s phone altogether. But since neither of those options is likely to take hold any time soon, we might look to public schools for an immediate solution.

Recently a number of school districts have begun to restrict cell phone use in order to remove distractions from classwork. In some cases, phones must be turned o before class begins. In other schools, teachers confiscate phones and hold them until after class. The problem is that such policies are not uniform within the district or the state. Carolina Journal’s David Larson reports that while the North Carolina School Boards Association recommends schools “tightly restrict smartphone use in class,” it is just that, a recommendation. Again, some school districts are taking positive steps to restrict smartphone use. In Onslow County Schools, students can have smartphones, “so long as the devices are not activated.” Meanwhile, Craven County students have their phones confiscated until the end of the day, Charlotte/ Mecklenburg Schools just announced it will soon adopt a policy of prohibiting cell phone use during class, and WinstonSalem/Forsyth Schools will vote on a more restrictive policy next month. But while these and other counties are taking steps to limit the use of phones, we need a statewide policy in order to e ectively address the problem.

To that end, Lee County State Senator Jim Burgen has introduced SB 485, a bill that would order the Department of Public Instruction to investigate cell phone policies now in place around the state and develop strategies for implementing a uniform policy that would apply to and be enforced by all 100 counties.

Jonathan Haidt calls smartphones

“an experience blocker” because addicted smartphone users don’t learn how to socialize, develop appropriate habits, or handle loss with resilience. And as with any addiction, one would assume that kicking the smartphone habit would be di cult and meet with resistance. However, there is one piece of good news in the PEW study. Nearly three-quarters of teenagers say they feel happy and peaceful when they don’t have their phones with them. Let’s see if we can keep those kids happy and peaceful all of the time. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.

Jim Longworth

Longworth at Large

What’s Spinning in the Triad Record World

What

started as a gathering in 2008 has helped reinvigorate a medium. Record Store Day has officially blown up and grown up. And as record lovers rejoice for RSD2024 on April 20, here’s a look at what’s spinning in the Triad record world this year.

Talking Shop: My Favorite Things and Soul Relief Records

Bu alo Boogie and Remember When keep laying grooves in Greensboro; and Hippo keeps hopping in both the Greensboro and Winston locations. McKay’s has abandoned the Gate City for Mebane (their Winston location continues — and will be stocking RSD titles). Winston-Salem’s Underdog Records holds it down with an impressively curated inventory (though they won’t be stocking RSD titles), and it’s a similar situation at WHOA!TONE Records in Kernersville. King Records in Archdale, however, is holding court with RSD stock for folks digging the 2024 selections.

Meanwhile, my favorite record shop news revolves around Soul Relief’s new College Hill digs and the mighty return of My Favorite Things.

As Record Store Day turns “Sweet 16,” the world of record collecting has sure changed since Jackson Lee last opened the first incarnation of My Favorite Things — the hallway shop that anchored and echoed Glenwood’s DIY music’s glory days with venues like Square One and Legitimate Business.

While the latter two are likely gone for good, My Favorite Things has reopened, following a 15-year hiatus, in a new location at 807 W. Gate City Blvd.

“This will be my second attempt at having a mellow divey vibe record store,” Lee explained, with a ection for the shop’s first “2009-2011-ish” era. “The first one was sustainable because of the cheap rent; now it’s thanks to sharing the space with my bestie Fahiym Hanna and his rad oil shop.”

Located inside Sensuous Scents, Lee is still getting things o the ground, with a current stock mostly spanning classic psychedelic, rock, and soul. “We’re actively

building our jazz collection and trying to get more classic punk stu , but record collecting is super di erent than it was 15 years ago,” Lee said. “We do, however, have more original press Prog rock records than anyone else in town.”

“Our stock is growing,” he continued, “but I do want it to be more curated and not so daunting to newer collectors.” Lee’s stock is primarily used — with the notable exception of new releases from local artists. “I encourage any local musicians to bring me their stu so I can stock it. I think that is one of the most crucial parts a store can play in the architecture of a local music scene.”

While My Favorite Things won’t be stocking RSD2024 titles, Lee fondly remembers RSD’s early days. “We had a huge show with like 11 bands,” he said. “We sold a lot of titles. None of them like Alex Chilton’s demo tape fart outtakes — but we did sell a lot so it was great.”

“I want to put on shows again, he continued, “but I gotta convince Fahiym that I’m responsible enough and no one will spill a 40 on any of his stu . Also, I’m now actually old and don’t know as much of what’s going on so I gotta get back in the scene. I play ping pong competitively now so I’m around a much di erent community.”

Lee’s still plugged into local stereo, though, praising “whip appeal,” the self-titled album Brian Haran (from HypogeumGSO) released in February with Philadelphia’s Rose Actor-Engel. “People call it ‘dark concretè ambient synth and tapes’,” Lee said. “I like to call it good solid yoga music.”

“The new Old One-Two album [“Cropduster Stunt Show”] is also great,” he continued. “They were one of the first bands to play at the first store; it’s been great being able to watch them grow — and you can hear it on the record. I’m proud of them.”

Over at Soul Relief, owner Harley Lyles agrees. “The Old One-Two are good people, all around,” he said, “Hawke lives in the neighborhood, and I’ve got their new album in the shop.”

Professing a similar desire to carry titles more from local artists, Lyles is still getting settled into Soul Relief’s new space at 908-B Spring Garden St. in Greensboro. Record lovers of a certain age might remember the space as the first home for Crunchy Music Stu and the last for Boutique Hypnotica. (Side-note: fans of Crunchy’s, and its successor, should enjoy knowing Andrew Dudek has resurrected Gate City

Noise in a booth at Design Archives on Elm Street.)

“College Hill is a great change for the shop,” Lyles said. “If I actually try a little bit harder it will grow into a great spot,” he added, referencing his “most likely to sleep through graduation” high school superlative when listing the shop’s hours (technically, noon to 6 p.m., WednesdaySaturday).

A little lackadaisical on logistics — Soul Relief might occasionally open late — Lyles remains passionate about the medium; and trucks around to vinyl events across the southeast (he’ll be at the Carrboro Record Show on Sunday). Getting serious: “I declare I’ll finally finish decorating the walls by Record Store Day; and we’ll open at 10 a.m. with tons of new and used stock, including RSD titles. I’m working on hosting DJs during the day, too.”

Locals on Wax

While Record Store Day is all about the brick-and-mortar, records themselves are all about the artists.

Totally Slow“The Darkness Intercepts”

For local record lovers like Scott Hicks, every day is record store day. “I buy records all year,” he said, turning to his band Totally Slow’s latest album, “The Darkness Intercepts.”

“Vinyl is such a fantastic analog representation of the work. It’s expensive to produce, takes forever, and is absolutely worth it — a very gratifying end-product after working on a recording for over a year.”

Marking their fourth vinyl release overall and their second with Refresh Records, “this is actually our first to have actual retail distribution, which means stores

can stock it without me having to personally walk-in and place items on consignment,” Hicks noted, with hopes fans make requests to their local shops. “Soul Relief recently established some space down where we used to have Crunchy Music, which is so rad!” he said. ”No doubt our record will be available there.”

Recorded with Scotty Sandwich at his Sandwich Shoppe. “The album feels like a cohesive work of art, rather than just a collection of 11 random songs,” Hicks explained, praising Eddie Sanchez’s addition on bass; and cameo appearances by Shehehe and Man or Astroman. Athens-based Shehehe will come up for the release show with Wolvesx4 and Instant Regrets, on May 4 at the Flat Iron. “We’re super stoked to throw a party there!” Hick exclaimed. “Shehehe is incredible. Instant Regrets of course are just amazing. Wolves are longstanding punks. Flat Iron is being managed by very kind and thoughtful folks who know what they’re doing. We’re Stoked.”

Farewell Friends - “The Silent Years”

From punk to folk, a love for vinyl — and reverence for its process abounds. With Farewell Friend’s Tom Troyer mirrors Hicks in their resolution. “The end goal of producing an album of a caliber worthy of vinyl sets a tone in the right way.”

Due in May, “The Silent Years,” is a “culminating project and I feel proud of how it represents my personal arc of learning how to write, record, produce, and collaborate,” Troyer explained. “Releasing on vinyl raises the bar because it’s not easy and it’s not worth the investment if the end product won’t sound good.” For that sound, Troyer credits working with Fred Kevorkian who mastered The National’s “Boxer” and Ryan Adams’ “Jacksonville City Nights.”

Katei Cranford

Contributor

“It’s been critical to this time in my own creative endeavors,” he explained, blending the tones of the album with the nuance of production — “overcoming grief and trauma and burnout” — and the excitement for booking its upcoming release show with Minor Gold, May 17 at the Flat Iron.

“I can’t wait for Greensboro to hear Minor Gold,” Troyer insisted, praising the e orts of the “Greensboro Sound Artist Co-op,” (a group comprised of himself, Laura Jane Vincent, Ashley Virginia, Emily Stewart, Colin Cutler, Grey Hyatt, and Chris Dreyer) who pooled together on a networking mission at Folk Alliance International, with the goal to attract regional and international acts. “It’s all about bringing the best music to Greensboro.”

When We’re Sober

Troyer isn’t the only “Greensboro Sound Artist Co-op” member with a vinyl release under their belts and underway: Greg Hyatt’s group, When We’re Sober, has an album on the way. As does his other project, Folkknot, with Chris Dreyer.

“The resurgence of vinyl shows that a large portion of music fans still care about a feeling of ownership in music, which is cool to see,” Hyatt said. “I’m a strong believer in releasing proper albums despite the constant pressure to release everything as a series of spaced-out singles in order to work streaming algorithms.”

“Local bands are making vinyl because they love it, not because they’ll make any quick money from it,” he continued, musing their choice to release the 2022 EP debut, “The Bottle,” on vinyl. “It’s a large financial commitment to invest in yourself with a vinyl run, and even though we’ve sold quite a few it may still take years to recoup those costs. Let alone sell the entire run and turn profit.”

“That being said, we’ll certainly be forking over another chunk of change to have our upcoming release — likely a double LP — pressed. We just can’t help ourselves.” Fans can snag a copy at Hyatt’s “favorite shop in town,” Soul Relief (and at

Schoolkids Records in Chapel Hill).

Folkknot - “All Good Things”

As a member of Folkknot, Hyatt’s been pulling double-duty in the studio — joining Dreyer and the rest of the crew on their upcoming album “All Good Things.”

Exploring the depths of their range, the “Wake Forest Sea Shanty Orchestra” considers “All Good Things” as their o cial professional debut — building on the instrumentation established over their prior demo releases. “We were always planning on getting the album printed on vinyl upon its completion,” Dreyer explained. “It’s a unique feeling to be able to hold something in your hands that you’ve created. Looking at the songs on Spotify just doesn’t hit the same as picking up a physical record of the last year-plus of work and practice.”

On the live end, Folkknot will perform as part of Laura Jane Vincent’s Glendonfest, May 4-5; and are gearing up for a doublerelease show with the Shoaldiggers at the Flat Iron on June 22. “We’re especially stoked for this one,” Dreyer said, “from the double-release excitement, a Saturday night show, and getting to share the stage with The Shoaldiggers, it’s shaping up to be a real fun evening!”

The Shoaldiggers - “Striking Fire” Shoaldigger, Daryl White, echoed the excitement. “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Folkknot,” he said. “It’ll be a great night and we plan to try to record some live material for a future record — we love crowd noise so come on out and hoot n’ holler!”

The 2023 NC Folk Festival’s “Not Your Average Folk” contest winner, the Shoaldiggers turned to Citizen Vinyl for pressing their last two albums — and are already working on the follow-up to their upcoming “Striking Fire.”

“We actually just recorded a new song, ‘Sangoma,’ at Black Rabbit Audio in Greensboro,” White explained, referencing their contest winnings in the form of studio time. “We’re so pleased with the song

and Tom Troyer’s engineering, it’s already slated for the next record.”

They’ll spend RSD playing a free show with Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs at Yonder Bar in Hillsborough, and are scheduled to appear at Shakori Hills and Rooster Walk in May. Then comes the “Striking Fire” album release — fresh o the presses from Citizen Vinyl — marking the Shoaldiggers’ second album pressed at the Ashevillebased plant. “They’ve been a joy to work with each time.”

Colin

Cutler - “Tarwater”

Colin Cutler agrees — having used Citizen Vinyl to press his 2023 “Tarwater” LP. “They were quick, but quality, and very communicative.”

Turning to his own take on the medium, “Carolyn [his partner] and I both love records: albums in general let the artist tell more of a story than do singles, but putting together the tracks with vinyl’s time limitations forced me to think in terms of acts of a play, and I really love how all the songs work together as a musical drama,” Cutler said.

“I love the space it gives me to display Kelley Wills’ artwork,” he continued. “Tarwater was a blast to put together.” A project eight years in the making, Cutler considers the material a “marriage of my academic background in Southern literature and my own blend of folk-Americana music, all of which are inspired by Flannery O’Connor’s characters and short stories.”

Characters and stories brought to album life in song thanks to an “all-star cast of Carolina artists,” including: Dashawn and Wendy Hickman, Rebekah Todd, David Childers, Momma Molasses, Laura Jane Vincent, Aaron Pants, Evan Campfield, Christen Blanton Mack, and Bob Worrells and Emmanuel Rankin.

Tracked at Earthtones Recording Studio — Eric Gales walked in at the end of mixing — Cutler praised the work of everyone involved, including shops stocking the record. “Huge thanks to Hippo, Bu alo Boogie, and Soul Relief for carrying Tarwater — and Oden Brewing, too!”

Already tooling a potential folk opera, Cutler will be at the Flat Iron on May 16 with Pink Stones and She Returns from War. He’ll also host a workshop on the interplay of literature and songs at the Greensboro Bound Literary Festival on May 18, and is looking forward to playing the NC Folk Festival in September.

The Old One-Two“Cropduster Stunt Show”

Nathan Myers and the Old One-Two are stoked at the prospect of home-state pressing and the record revolution. Crediting record stores with their development as musicians, it’s only natural they’d end up laying wax. “Growing up in Hickory, there was a great spot called Flight Test Records that used to put on killer shows too and gave us some of our first experiences with live music,” Myers explained, with a ection for both the bygone CFBG and current shop like Soul Relief and Hippo.

“We’re super excited that My Favorite Things is back on the scene,” Myers said, echoing Lee’s and Lyles’ local dedication. “It’s cool we’re in a moment where vinyl is back on top and there are a lot more places pressing records,” he added. “It’s made it a lot more realistic for independent artists to release their records on vinyl. Definitely made it possible for us.”

Pressing News: Citizen Vinyl and Pour House Pressing

Talking to NC musicians, Asheville’s Citizen Vinyl is often praised for helping ease the perils of production — with massive backlogs and limited supply of the industry being a challenge and the double-edged sword of RSD.

“I’m glad RSD happens and it’s good to raise visibility for this medium,” Hicks said, “but honestly my main relationship with it is when it causes giant delays of things we’re having pressed, which is frankly kind of annoying. Smaller bands, who’ve been pressing records uninterrupted for decades, get back-shelved.”

It’s a challenge the folks behind Pour House Pressing — a new full-service pressing plant from the team behind Raleigh’s Pour House Music Hall and Record Shop — are looking to alleviate. “We’ve transformed our passion for music into a mission: to get your music onto turntables.”

With operations o cially up and running, PHP is “ready to drop the needle” with hopes of filling the void for local vinyl production — focused directly on independent artists in the region. But the pressing is really only one element of the Pour Houses’ venue-shop-plant triple threat. For RSD, they’ll also drop the mic with special events and serving titles according to

Amplify Black Voices festival features new playwrights on “hallowed ground”

McDowell Contributor

Natalie Sowell

about the 2024 Amplify Black Voices Festival of New Plays, performed at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum at 134 S. Elm St. in Downtown Greensboro on April 26 and 27.

“I don’t know that I’ve completely wrapped my head around it,” said the Director of the UNCG School of Theatre and member of the Greater Greensboro Theater Consortium in its third year of working with faculty and community to highlight the talents of Black students at six local colleges and universities. This year, the voices being amplified are those of new playwrights, and the amplification is happening in what Sow-

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of International Civil Rights Museum

ell called hallowed ground.

“To be able to be in that space and have the work of this Gen-Z group of students produced and heard is a little bit mind-blowing. We were trying so hard to find an appropriate space. The sticking point was the where because we didn’t want to be on campus, but out in the community.”

Sowell said she, her colleagues, and students are hugely grateful to fellow consortium member and festival director Greg J. Horton, Interim Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at N.C. A&T State University, who helped partner this year’s festival with the International Civil Rights Museum. “The students are over the moon that their work will be seen and experienced there.”

Along with A&T and UNCG, the Greater Greensboro Theater Consortium (GGTC) consists of faculty from Bennett College, Elon University, Guilford College, and High Point University.

“The purpose of it is to make sure we highlight and showcase stories about the Black experience, whether they be from the past or contemporary.”

Like so much in Greensboro and across the nation, Amplify Black Voices was formed in reaction to the murder of George Floyd.

“Folks at Bennett College were thinking about what they could do to respond to that. With Greensboro such a central location, and with the history here of the Civil Rights movement and the sit-ins, responding to what happened in 2020 made more sense than being silent. At

Bennett, Dr. Tennille Foust, who passed away in 2022, worked with Dr. Anne Hayes to pull together all of the heads of the other area theater programs to think about what we could do collectively.”

Along with Sowell and Horton, Foust and Hayes recruited Elon’s Lauren Kearns and David McGraw, Greensboro College’s Ashley Hyers, Guilford College’s Beth Ritson, and High Point University’s Doug Brown. And, of course, their students. It took two years to create the first Amplify Black Voices festival and prepare it for its 2022 premiere.

“From the start, our focus was on cross-fertilization, so that we didn’t stay within our silos. Some of us were really close in distance, so it made sense for our students to know one another, for the faculty to be able to work with students from other campuses, and just to generate some enthusiasm and excitement across the area.”

Because of that enthusiasm and excitement, the festival became an annual event. “After we did that first one in 2022, it was my turn to say we need to keep amplifying Black voices.”

With a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and support of The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro and the North Carolina Arts Council, that’s exactly what happened.

“In 2022 and 2023, we produced work that was already out there, so we did four shows on di erent campuses that consisted of published scripts. Faculty directed those plays and students were actors and stage managers and techni-

cal crews, and they were fully-produced works. But this year, we are focusing on playwrights, so that we are producing new works and helping the writers develop their voices.

To help with this, the Consortium brought in playwright and educator Kamilah Bush from Portland’s awardwinning Center Stage, one of the most acclaimed regional theaters in the Pacific Northwest. Originally from North Carolina, Bush is the literary manager of Center Stage and a professional dramaturge, meaning the person who assists the playwright, director, cast and crew by providing history and cultural context, and otherwise helps develop the script or production.

In 2022, Sowell directed Bush’s play “Nick and the Prizefighter,” the premiere of which was the UNCG o ering for the first Amplify Black Voices.

“This year, we brought her back to work with students who had submitted their work. We opened it up to all the college campuses and community and the folks who wanted to participate came in February, to a weekend of intensive workshops with Kamilah to start developing those initial pieces they submitted. After they did the workshops with Kamilah, they submitted second drafts, and the faculty chose four of those pieces to continue.”

Now those students are having their rehearsals with student directors and casts from the di erent campuses.

“We did our first readings on our kicko on the sixth, which was the first time

is excited

Ian

From left to right, Monai Cammorto Williams - emcee (N.C. A&T), Jakyia Barnes - actor (UNCG), Seth Schenall - director (N.C. A&T), Kaia Brown - director (N.C. A&T), pictured with students from Elon University, N.C. A&T and UNCG Playwright Makaela Reed (Bennett College)

College’s J Wilson and directed by N.C. A&T’s Kaia Brown, mentored by Horton, and performed by UNCG’s Kani Brooks and Jaden Rogers and A&T’s Elijah Slater.

— “The Invisible Orchids” by UNCG’s Keshia McLeod, directed by UNCG’s Jazz Johnson, mentored by A&T acting professor Vanecia Boone, and performed by A&T’s Ameree Hall and UNCG’s Jakiya Barnes, Cameren Jetter, and Sean Burchette.

the playwrights got to hear their work out loud, so now their job has been to go back and make some revisions and resubmit to their team, and they’ll rehearse the revisions until we got the festival on the 26 and 27, which will be their almost-final draft. These will be staged readings rather than full productions, as the focus is on honing the voices of the playwrights. Each of the groups has a faulty mentor they’re working with.” Sowell is the mentor for Bennett

TRIAD RECORD

FROM PAGE 13

the o cial pledge: first-come/first-serve, no holds, in-person only. On the stage, Hank Sinatra, Lenny Kaye, Reese McHenry, and Charles Latham will perform a free, all-ages show for the occasion.

Hank Sinatra and Lenny Kaye will also pull double-duty, appearing at Schoolkids Records for a special RSD show (and kick o Schoolkids’ 50th-anniversary show series) with MC Homeless (whose duo with Kool Keith is getting its own 2024 RSD special release).

Schoolkids plans to stock both titles; as well as host Kaye at the Chapel Hill location’s RSD show. For a guy celebrating his album’s 50th anniversary, Kaye really gets around: three shows in one day. He’ll share the Chapel Hill bill with Pillow Foot, Wish Queen, and Je rey Dean Foster. Proceeds from Foster’s “I’m Starting To Bleed” (a RSD2021 regional title) and Kaye’s RSD 2024 title, “Lenny Kaye and Friends, Live At The Cat’s Cradle - A 50th Anniversary Celebration of Nuggets,” both serve to benefit The Shalom Project, a WinstonSalem based nonprofit aimed at helping “shoulder the burden of poverty” around Forsyth County.

College student Mikaela Reed, whose play “DJ ME” is directed by N.C. A&T student Seth Schenall and performed by students Elijah Hill, Perfek Hutchison, and DeAsia McRae from UNCG, and Deborah Aaron from Guilford College.

“It was really gorgeous to hear them talking about the piece and what Mikaela was hoping to get out of the work and why she wrote it.”

The other three plays are: — “CAM(ERON),” written by Guilford

Stereo and Stage

Speaking of Forsyth County: WinstonSalem’s Withdrew (who put out 2023’s “Holding Court” on vinyl) will be with Old Heavy Hands (who release “Small Fires” on vinyl in January) and jphono1 at Monstercade on April 19. Winston’s posthardcore kings, Codeseven, chose to release their 2023 resurrection record, “Go Let It In” on vinyl (they’re heading o on a U.S. tour. Meanwhile guitarist Eric Weyer is shifting Hoots from a brewery to a venue).

Victoria Victoria’s upcoming album with Charlie Hunter is due on vinyl (following her 2022 vinyl release, “To the Wayside,”); they’ll celebrate a joint-album release show with Maia Kamil at the Ramkat on May 31. Hunter also appears on “People Please.” the new album from Greensboro’s Sam Fribush Organ Trio.

Meanwhile, Greensboro folk darling Ranford Almond is currently taking pre-orders for a vinyl release of his latest album, “Old Soul”; and will appear at a number of festivals this summer, including the Casual Campout, Shakori Hills, Boomerang, and FloydFest. He’ll be in Greensboro at Tailgator’s on May 9; and at Little Brother Brewing on May 12. !

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

— “EMASCULATED,” by UNCG’s Jamaas Britton and co-directed by UNCG’s Minnie Jones and Monte Beverly, mentored by HPU’s theater department chair Doug Brown, and performed by N.C. A&T’s Autumn Carter and Nicholas Glover, and UNCG’s Corrine Clement and Jabari Ford.

“We really are amplifying their voices and it’s very exciting,” said Sowell, “as well as such an unusual and rewarding process for young playwrights to be able to move through. It’s a di erent experience of trying to support the playwright as well as the actors.”

Sowell is a UNCG alum.

“I received my MFA in Theater for Youth there way back in the day, and this is my fourth year as director of the UNCG School of Theater. When they put the call out for which campuses wanted to

participate, it made sense for us to do so, and our students were very clear that not saying anything in reaction to the murder of George Floyd was an example of silence is violence. Now we’re coming out of Covid and figuring out how to be together as a community again.”

Helping that are the bonds formed at last year’s Amplify Black Voices.

“One of the phenomenal things is the relationships the students developed during the last Amplify festival, moving across di erent campuses and going to see each other’s work and keeping up those connections afterward. And that’s really what we were hoping for, the community building and connectivity and paying attention to each other as artists.”

The festival performances will take place at the International Civil Rights Museum on April 26 and 27. Starting at 7 p.m., each evening will feature two of the four plays. Playwright and NYU Professor Michael Dinwiddie will join Kamilah Bush to respond to each evening’s performances, followed by a reception. !

IAN MCDOWELL is an award-winning author and journalist whose book I Ain’t Resisting: the City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith was published in September of 2023 by Scuppernong Editions.

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Cast of “The Invisible Orchids” by Keshia McLeod, left to right, Sean Burchette (UNCG), Courtney Swank - stage manager (UNCG), Cameren Jetter (N.C. A&T), Jakyia Barnes (UNCG), Jazz Johnson - director (UNCG), and Ameree Hall (N.C. A&T).

On April 1, 2024, Bruce Piepho left the building — after leaving his mark on friends and collaborators who hope to honor his memory with a tribute album — sharing the stories and songs from Greensboro’s o cial “Father of Songwriting” Supreme.

Senses of home are funny things. Spaces you come to know. Figures that become so familiar you almost take them for granted. Anchored and immutable, seemingly unshakable. But anchors sway. The ground gives way — and bit-by-bit, without moving — the city you know so well isn’t the city you find yourself in. The people and the places that craft your sense of home become memories.

Beef Burger. Boba House. Bruce Piepho . Nothing lasts forever, no one lives forever. But the folks who breathe so much life into the city — or, rather, breathe it in and weave it into poetry — leave their mark.

And that was Bruce. “Greensboro’s Father of Songwriting.” Born and raised — and ultimately returned — Piepho was a Gate City songster and poet who recorded 25 albums, published two books, and influenced countless artists and musicians who encountered his long stride. In festival settings and co ee shops, chronicling the whims of people — here and past — and even down the bar at Suds & Duds.

In so many poems and lyrics he’d raise a toast to memory — to Dakota Joe, to Ransom Hobbs — it’s fitting that so many folks have raised a tribute to him.

On March 3, longtime friends and closest musical associates hosted a tribute concert in Piepho ’s honor at the Flat Iron. Produced and curated by Mark “Buddyro” Harrison and Peg Parham, the 4-hour concert featured call-ins from across the U.S. and Ireland, along with performances from Harrison, Scott Sawyer, Sam Frazier, David Childers, Martha Bassett, Daniel Ayers, John Rees, Kristy Jackson, Rebecca Newton & Barry Gray, Violet Bell, and Sandy Blocker.

For Daniel Ayers, “Bruce was more than just the neighborhood musician or

Celebrating Bruce Piepho

artist-in-residence. He was living proof that being a songwriter is something you are, not something you do. For over half a century, he lived his art authentically and unapologetically. To Bruce, the song was sacred. More sacred than fame, wealth, or influence. In the final estimation, I believe it is this quality — tireless devotion to artistic integrity and songcraft — that made Bruce a cultural treasure, dear friend, and sagacious mentor.”

Sam Frazier agreed. “When I first met Bruce, I didn’t have many songs under my belt,“ Frazier explained. “He gave me a huge stack of typed lyric sheets to explore. This was a very generous thing to do. It was an honor and a privilege to be his friend and to play with him all those years. Bruce Piepho is an inspiration for anyone who is driven to write songs and share them with their fellow human beings.”

“Back in the day, Bruce and I both lived at Robinson’s Room & Board on Tate St.,” Frazier continued, diving into the years and experiences interwoven into song — and laid onto record. Frazier was there for the first 45RPM, “Rosalita/Old Crow” (along with Tom Shepard and Dennis Licht), and remained in Piepho ’s guitar company as decades rolled by.

Parham echoed the sentiment. “Bruce was a very talented writer, poet, singersongwriter, and musician, who captured the history and the soul of the Greensboro music community in his 25+ albums of original music,” she said. “He was humble and quiet, both about his illness and about his stature in the music community. After the tribute concert on March 3 at The Flat Iron, he responded with surprise and appreciation that so many people cared about him and so many musicians performed his songs. He was truly Greensboro’s ‘Father of Songwriting,’ and he was tremendously honored when Mayor Vaughan and City Council bestowed that title upon him, shortly before his death.”

The mayor’s certificate naming Bruce “Greensboro’s Father of Songwriting:”

The Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Greensboro, NC do hereby extend recognition and heartfelt appreciation to Bruce Piepho Greensboro’s Father of Songwriting for his dedication and commitment to providing the community with compelling lyrics and melodies that have enriched the musical landscape.

This certificate is hereby presented to

Bruce Piepho with grateful appreciation for his significant contributions to our community, which has enhanced the quality of life for the citizens of Greensboro.

Presented this 13th day of March 2024.

It’s those lyrics and melodies Claire Holley hopes to highlight and celebrate with a tribute album of Piepho ’s songs, recorded by his nearest and dearest. “We’re gathering support to create a Bruce Piepho Tribute Album — a collection of Bruce’s songs recorded by artists and musicians who share his love for storytelling and the folk tradition he embodies,” Holley said in the album’s GoFundMe. “Bruce Piepho has graced the stage with his folk ballads and soulful poetry for over 50 years, deeply connecting with the people and mirroring the spirit and heartbeat of our community.”

For Holley, it’s a project long overdue. “When I moved to Greensboro in 1999 — because my husband was entering the MFA program at UNCG — I was the newbie in town,” she recalled. “Bruce welcomed me with a generosity of spirit that remained throughout our friendship, even when I left North Carolina in 2003. I never recall a time when he wasn’t writing something — songs and poems just seemed to flow out of him.”

“One of my favorite times recording with Bruce was in Kernersville at Fidelitorium Studio for ‘Soft Soap Purrings,’” she continued. “Scott Sawyer was producing.

There was such a fun spirit in the air, and Bruce was just eating it up! It feels right to be returning to that studio to honor Bruce and his prolific career with this tribute — a long time coming.”

Living in Los Angeles these days, Holley and select artists will soon travel back to the famed Fidelitorium to begin recording. Details are still developing, but Jason Richmond is slated for engineering, and Sawyer is on board in some capacity. “All I can tell you at this time is that I’ll participate,” Sawyer said. “Bruce Piepho was a multifaceted poet and songwriter who defied category. He was a close friend and confidant, and one of my favorite people to make music and collaborate with.”

Of course, Piepho wasn’t just Greensboro’s “Father of Songwriting,” he was David’s father. And Laura’s husband of 41 years. A human being, with folks who loved him.

But Bruce was also a legend. A troubadour. A poet of his place. Buildings may fall and bodies will rest, his spirit — and song — lives on. Here’s to makin’ records and toasting from the other side. !

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

WANNA know?

For more information on the “Celebrating Bruce” tribute album, visit: https://www.gofundme. com/f/Celebrating-Bruce.

Katei Cranford Contributor

PHOTO BY ALEX FORSYTH Bruce Piepho at Grove Winery.

ASHEBORO

FOUR SAINTS BREWING

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722

www.foursaintsbrewing.com

Thursdays: Taproom Trivia

Fridays: Music Bingo

May 4: Val Merza

May 18: Evan Blakerly

CARBORRO

CAT’S CRADLE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053

www.catscradle.com

Apr 17: Robyn Hitchcock

Apr 17: Satsang

Apr 18: Christian Kuria

Apr 19: Mikaela Davis

Apr 20: Speed Stick, Pipe

Apr 21: Cowboy Junkies

Apr 22: Helado Negro

Apr 23: Aterciopelados

Apr 23: Earthless and Minami Deutsch

Apr 24: Slow Hollows

Apr 25: Hayes & The Heathens

CHARLOTTE

BOJANGLES COLISEUM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600

www.boplex.com

Apr 24: TOTO

Apr 26: The Piano Guys

Apr 27: Grupo Barak

May 1: The Black Crowes

May 11: In This Moment

THE FILLMORE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970

www.livenation.com

Apr 17: The 502s w/ Daniel Nunnelee

Apr 17: Giant Rocks

Apr 19: Ross Lynch & Rocky Lynch

Apr 20: Mariah the Scientist

Apr 20: Blind Guardian

Apr 21: Libianca

Apr 23: Beach Fossils with friends

Apr 24: Attlia, Born of Osiris w/ Traitors, Extortionist, Not Enough Space

Apr 26: We Three

Apr 27: Black Kray

Apr 30: Teezo Touchdown

PNC MUSIC PAVILION

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292

www.livenation.com

Apr 23: Hozier & Allison Russel

Apr 25: Needtobreathe & Judah and The Lion

CLEMMONS

VILLAGE SQUARE TAP HOUSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330

www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

Apr 18: Pushin Georgia

Apr 19: Steve Clark Band

Apr 20: Soundkraft Amped Live

Apr 25: Anna Mertson

Apr 26: SmasHat

DURHAM

CAROLINA THEATRE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030

www.carolinatheatre.org

Apr 25: Gabe Lee

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787

www.dpacnc.com

Apr 20: The Price is Right Live!

May 3: Get The Led Out

May 10: KEM

May 11: The Decemberists

ELKIN

Apr 26: Three Dog Night DPAC

REEVES THEATER

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

Wednesdays: Reeves Open Mic

Fourth Thursdays: Old-Time Jam

May 4: Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

May 10: Dirty Logic

May 17: Albert Cummings

GREENSBORO

BARN DINNER THEATRE

120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211

www.barndinner.com

Mar 16-Apr 27: Sing Hallelujah

CAROLINA THEATRE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com

Apr 27: Martizaida: La Musica de Sylvia Rexach y Tuti Umpierre

CHAR BAR NO. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555 www.charbar7.com

Apr 18: COIA

Apr 25: Jim Mayberry

COMEDY ZONE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 www.thecomedyzone.com

Apr 18-20: Felipe Esparaza

Apr 25: Katharine Blanford

Apr 26-27: Benji Brown

FLAT IRON

221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967 www.flatirongso.com

Apr 24: Cedric Burnside

Apr 25: Josh Clark

Apr 26: Mark Brady

Apr 27: Deaf Andrews + Jack The Radio

GARAGE TAVERN

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020 www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreensboro

Apr 18: Dave Moran

Apr 19: No Strings Attached

Apr 20: Gipsy Danger

Apr 21: Dustin York

Apr 25: Doug & Deland

Apr 26: Swamp Roots

HANGAR 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480

www.hangar1819.com

Apr 17: Lamp Of Murmuur w/ Ebony Pendant, One Of Nine

Apr 20: Overcome Fest 2024 ft. Incendiary, Koyo, Magnitude, Suburban Scum, Conservative Military Image, Shattered Realm & more

Apr 23: Upon A Burning Body w/ The Browning, Hollow Front, VCTMS

Apr 25: Decapitated w/ Septic Flesh, Kataklysm, Allegaeon

Apr 26: TYR w/ Trollfest, Aether Realm, The Dread Crew of Oddwood

LITTLE BROTHER BREWING

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678

www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew

Wednesdays: Trivia

Fridays & Saturdays: Free Live Music

Apr 20: Loose Connection

PIEDMONT HALL

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Apr 26: Green Queen Bingo

May 8: In Flames w/ Gatecreeper and Creeping Death

RODY’S TAVERN

5105 Michaux Rd | 336.282.0950

www.facebook.com/rodystavern

Apr 19: Darell Hoots

Apr 24: Tyler Millard

Apr 26: Daniel Love

THE IDIOT BOX COMEDY CLUB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699

www.idiotboxers.com

Thursdays: Open Mic

Apr 18: The Greener Side

Apr 20: Je Klein

Apr 26: Pat Monaghan

WHITE OAK AMPITHEATRE

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Apr 19: Parker McCollum w/ Corey

Kent & Catie O erman

HIGH POINT

1614 DMB

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113

https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/

Apr 20: Chasin’ Aldean

Apr 26: Far Reaching Tour

Apr 27: The Resistance

JAMESTOWN

THE DECK

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

www.facebook.com/TheDeckJamestown/

Apr 19: Sons of Bootleg

Apr 20: Jon Montgomery

Apr 26: Radio Revolver

Apr 27: Stereo Doll

KERNERSVILLE BREATHE

COCKTAIL LOUNGE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822

www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge

Wednesdays: Karaoke

Apr 19: Flower Power Ladies Night

Apr 24: Paint & Sip Cocktail Lounge

Apr 27: Spring Follies

May 11: Downtown Kernersville Hippie Hop

May 22: Premium Rums Cocktail Class & Tasting

LIBERTY

THE LIBERTY SHOWCASE THEATER

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844

www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Apr 19: Faithfully

Apr 19: Dailey & Vincent

Apr 20: Chapel Hart

Apr 26-27: Junior Brown

RALEIGH

CCU MUSIC PARK AT WALNUT CREEK

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111

www.livenation.com

Apr 20: Hozier

Apr 26: NeedtoBreathe

LINCOLN THEATRE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400

www.lincolntheatre.com

Apr 18: Zingara w/ Steller, Gardella

Apr 19: The Vegabonds w/ Harvey Street Co.

Apr 20: 420 Reggae Fest ft. Kash’d Out

Apr 25: Shinyribs

Apr 27: Lamp

Apr 30: Raven w/ Vicious Rumors, Lutharo, Wicked

RED HAT AMPHITHEATER

500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800

www.redhatamphitheater.com

Apr 19: Dustin Lynch w/Skeez

WINSTON-SALEM

FOOTHILLS BREWING

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348

www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

Apr 19: Michael Chaney

Apr 21: Darrell Hoots

THE RAMKAT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714

www.theramkat.com

Apr 19: Cosmic Charlie, Dark Side of The Dead

Apr 23: Dixie Dregs w/ Steve Morse Band

Apr 24: Andy Frasco & The U.N., Dogs In A Pile

WISE MAN BREWING

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008

www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: Music Bingo

Apr 19: GIpsy Danger

Apr 20: 4/20 Reggae Party w/ Pure Fiyah

Natalie

NAME: Sierra McCaskill

AGE: 30

[BARTENDER OF THE WEEK COMPILED BY NATALIE GARCIA]

Check out videos on our Facebook!

BAR: ONE THIRTEEN Rooftop Bar in Downtown Greensboro

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Born and raised in Greensboro, N.C.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING?

Technically I’ve only been bartending for four years but I’ve been in the bar industry for nine years.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER?

I’ve been in the hospitality and bar management side of things for years. But when Covid shut downs and layo s happened that stopped. Luckily for me, OG Flathers gave me the opportunity to come tend bar with him at Stumbles!

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING?

I’ve met a lot of interesting people, seen a lot of crazy things and made a lot of great connections. You never know what your going to see but it’s usually entertaining.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BARTENDING?

Dealing with the rude people and those who don’t understand that tipping is essential bar etiquette.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE?

I like making fun drinks like a smoked old fashioned or a spicy margarita.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK?

I’ve been on a spicy margarita kick lately, but my typical go to is an orange tea, or a good local cider/ sour if I’m doing beer.

WHAT’S THE STRANGEST DRINK REQUEST YOU’VE HAD?

Drinks with no ice is always a weird one for me. I’ve also been asked to mix red wine with diet coke and other weird concoctions.

WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE BARTENDING?

Working downtown you always see a lot, but the craziest was probably the guy that got mad because I wouldn’t read him our entire to-go menu and price list over the phone on a busy Friday night. He was so angry that he came up to the bar, but didn’t have his ID so security wouldn’t let him in. After that he became so irate that he went and grabbed his gun, to try and seem intimidating, all over a to-go order!

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE FOUND IN A BAR BATHROOM?

So many things! From a chicken wing, to eyelashes and weave, but I think the bottle of vodka in the back of the toilet tops everything.

WHAT’S THE BEST/BIGGEST TIP YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN?

I had a really nice guy give me $500 because he felt so bad about my other rude bar guests.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK?

Dessert martinis! I’d go with either a key lime pie, chocolate, or espresso martini.

WANNA BE FEATURED IN HOT POUR?

Email Natalie Garcia at natalie@yesweekly.com and ask about being our Bartender of the Week!

Week of April 22, 2024

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A little wool-gathering is OK, but don’t let that dreamy state linger beyond midweek, when you’ll want to be ready to take on new workplace responsibilities.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Love rules the week for single Bovines seeking romance. Attached pairs also find new joy in their relationships. The 29th should bring news about a business opportunity.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Home becomes the center of a new social whirl, as you show o your talent for hosting great parties. You can expect to impress a lot of people who’ve never seen this side of you.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) The Moon Child might have to raise those powers of persuasion up a notch to get a still-wary colleague to agree to go along with your plans. Finding more facts to back up your position helps.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22)Hold o trying to fix the blame for an apparent mishandling of a work situation. A full investigation could reveal surprising facts on how and why it really happened.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your ability to see the details that others might overlook gives you an advantage in assessing an o er that possibly seems too good to be true. A trusted colleague has advice.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Expect to be called on once again to act as the peacemaker in a long-simmer-

ing dispute that suddenly flares up. O er advice, but be careful to stay out of the fray.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your organizational skills help you line up your priorities so that you get things done without added pressure. The weekend could hold a special surprise.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) New ventures are favored, but don’t launch yours before rechecking all the facts and sources. Also, be sure that you can rely on support from certain people.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Don’t be pushed into renegotiating an agreement, even though it might help avoid a potential impasse. Get legal advice before you sign or agree to anything.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Helping others is what Aquarians do so well. But this time, someone wants to help you. Expect to hear some news that will both surprise and delight you.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Things go so swimmingly by mid-week that you’re tempted to take on more tasks. Best advice: Finish what you have now, then enjoy a well-earned relaxing weekend.

[BORN THIS WEEK: Your understanding of human nature helps you make wise decisions that are appreciated by all. You would make a fine judge.

© 2024 by King Features Syndicate

[

1. MOVIES: Which dramatic film features the character “V”?

[

2. GEOGRAPHY: Luzon belongs to which island nation?

[

3. LANGUAGE: What is the Latin phrase for “before the war”?

[

4. U.S. STATES: Which state has the most national parks?

[

5. LITERATURE: Which 1950s novel includes the line, “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

[

6. CHEMISTRY: What kind of gas makes a drink bubbly?

[

7. TELEVISION: Which sitcom features a mom named Debra Barone?

[

8. MUSIC: What was the former name of the English band Muse?

[

9. SCIENCE: What are the gaps between nerve cells called?

[

10. THEATER: Who wrote the play “The Crucible?” answer

10. Arthur Miller.

9. Synapses.

8. Rocket Baby Dolls.

7. “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

6. Carbon dioxide.

5. “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac.

4. California, with nine.

3. Antebellum.

2. The Philippines.

1. V for Vendetta (2005).

© 2024 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

APRIL 18 – 27, 2024

WINSTON-SALEM

THE GOOD HALF

APRIL 19 / 7:00PM

UNCSA – MAIN THEATRE*

APRIL 23 / 8:00PM

RED CINEMAS GREENSBORO

*Special Guest: Robert Schwartzman at Winston-Salem screening

THE FOG

APRIL 21 / 7:00PM

MARKETPLACE CINEMAS #1

Special Guest: Adrienne Barbeau

WILLIE AND ME

APRIL 24 / 8:00PM

RED CINEMAS GREENSBORO

APRIL 26 / 5:00PM

MARKETPLACE CINEMAS #1

A quirky road trip to Willie’s last concert!