YES! Weekly - April 19, 2023

Record Store Day once again rules the vinyl-lovin’ world, returning for its 16th annual celebration, worldwide, at independent record stores across the globe on April 22.

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Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com

EDITORIAL

Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com

YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID

DALIA RAZO LYNN FELDER

4 HEFF’S BURGER CLUB is not really a club. They’ll admit anybody, even the likes of me. This is one of the most casual eating establishments in the Triad, with a look and feel that takes you back to the fifties or sixties.

6 This Saturday, the Piedmont Environmental Alliance will present the 18th annual PIEDMONT EARTH DAY FAIR, which runs 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the WinstonSalem Fairgrounds, 569 Fairgrounds Drive, Winston-Salem.

6 One of the more unusual, yet undeniably appropriate, collectibles recently released is the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER TAROT DECK and Guidebook (Insight Editions; $27.99 retail), which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the much-beloved, award-winning series Buffy the Vampire Slayer

7 Local nonprofit A COLLECTIVE OF EXCELLENCE, INC. (ACE) is gearing up for an incredible week of celebration and entertainment with the ACE Spirit Week Festival! From April 25 - May 2, 2023, the festival will feature a variety of events including a pep rally, musical, banquet,

conference, and awards ceremony.

8 So far this year there have been over 130 MASS SHOOTINGS and dozens of children injured or killed while at school, yet federal and State legislators are frozen in their tracks, and incapable of enacting reforms that would prevent such carnage.

9 Movies based on video games frequently aren’t very good. Neither, really, is THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, although it is superior to the bizarro liveaction 1993 Disney film that was much reviled, with much reason.

14 Tina Firesheets’ new book is titled “ 100 THINGS TO DO IN WINSTONSALEM BEFORE YOU DIE,” but could easily have included a 100 more, as her love for the Camel City is apparent on every page.

16 Winston-Salem’s WOLVES & WOLVES & WOLVES & WOLVES (or Wolvesx4, for brevity) roll with punk rock punches on their third LP, “CurseCurseCurse,” out now.

PRODUCTION

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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, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2023 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

[SPOTLIGHT] HOW TO PREPARE FOR RECORD STORE DAY 2023

BY SHANE HART

With April 22 right around the corner, I thought I’d go over how to prepare and what to expect on Record Store Day. If you don’t know what Record Store Day is, it’s where artists release limited edition pressings that are exclusively sent to independent record stores around the world. The method is to promote and generate business for these locally owned stores, especially with the recent popularity of vinyl records, many being sold at big box stores such as Walmart, Target, and Barnes and Noble. These releases are generally limited to a specified amount, for example, 400 or 7,500 pressed depending on how many the artist and their label allocate.

In order to give yourself the best chance at securing any of this year’s limited pressings, there are a few preparations you can make. First, and most importantly, make friends with your favorite local record store. Keep in contact with them and their social media as Record Store Day approaches as they may inquire regarding which releases to order for the store. If that is not the case, give them a call or go in person and let them know that you’re interested in a specific title from the list and they will more than likely attempt to order it. Understand that these pressings are limited and a record store ordering 20 copies of one title does not guarantee they will receive that many if any at all.

Second, make sure to keep up with social media regarding updates as the official date approaches. Usually, they will post adjusted hours for the day, as well as some sneak peeks of the titles and quantities they were able to get after ordering. In many cases, they receive fewer copies of each title than what they had originally ordered as Record Store Day allocates only a certain amount to each area.

Lastly, follow basic rules when it

comes to waiting in line, such as bringing headphones for music to avoid distracting others, as well as making sure you have snacks and water. Be respectful to those around you and maybe talk to some new people who share a similar hobby! Depending on how anticipated the releases are for the year it may be best to start waiting a few hours early. The 2022 Record Store Day featured “The Lakes” 7-inch vinyl by Taylor Swift, which was limited to 10,000 copies worldwide. Almost every record store had people waiting outside early or even from the night before. If you’re after a big-name artist whose title is limited to a smaller amount, it’s important to consider what time you’ll be arriving at your local record store on April 22.

If you end up short on your Record Store Day shopping list or you couldn’t make it, many stores post leftover stock on their website either later in the day or the following day. These copies that are listed online must be sold at retail price in accordance with the Record Store Day pact. For the best chance at one of these titles online, keep checking up on multiple record stores throughout the next couple of days. Most of them will be able to ship out the copies they sell online after the official date has passed.

Double-check the list at https:// recordstoreday.com/NewsItem/10536 and take note of the pressing quantity and begin to prepare accordingly, get enough sleep and have fun.

Good luck and Happy Record Store Day! !

SHANE HART is a graphic designer at YES! Weekly and graduated from UNCG in 2022 with a degree in New Media and Design.

High Point University invites the community to campus for an exciting lineup of complimentary cultural events. The spring schedule includes a variety of speakers, art, music and theater performances.

For a complete list of community events and to sign up for email notifications on future events, go to: www.highpoint.edu/live.

CLARINET AND PERCUSSION

ENSEMBLES CONCERT

April 14

5:00 - 6:30 pm

Charles E. Hayworth, Sr. Memorial Chapel

SENIOR DANCE CAPSTONE BY CONNIE QUAGLIATA

BLOOM

April 14 - 15

7:30 - 9:00 pm

Charles E. Hayworth, Sr. Memorial Chapel

THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE

SILENT SKY BY LAUREN GUNDERSON

April 20-22

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre

WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT DEPARTURES

April 26

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre

CHORAL CONCERT

REQUIEM BY MOZART

April 24

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre

Secure your complimentary tickets by visiting www.highpoint.edu/live.

Chow Down with John Batchelor at He ’s Burger Club

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

Heff’s Burger Club is not really a club. They’ll admit anybody, even the likes of me. This is one of the most casual eating establishments in the Triad, with a look and feel that takes you back to the fifties or sixties. Navy blue walls, decorated with kitschy art, frame a tile floor.

You place your order at the counter. Select a beverage (no alcohol) from the cooler. Clean up after yourself.

The menu consists of six burgers, whimsically named, usually playing on celebrity names, plus two fried potato sides.

The Plain Fonda provides an introduction to the concept. A brioche bun emits pleasant, yeasty flavor. The beef patty is unique. The restaurant calls these “smash burgers,” an apt description. The ground beef is mashed flat and thin — really thin — then fried quickly. Flavor is thus unique, but clearly quality beef, and to my taste, quite enjoyable. If you want more beef, a double serving is available. White American cheese is melted over the patty, further augmented with dill pickles.

The Chili Nelson turned out to be our favorite. Also adorned with melted white American cheese, it adds really good, homemade chili, spicy, freshly-made slaw, chopped Vidalia onions, and yellow mustard. This gave rise to my wife’s comment, “What makes these things so good is the stuff they put on them.”

Piggy Wiggy continues the cheese, augmented by griddle-cooked onions, very good bacon, Duke’s mayonnaise, and spicy catsup. This ran a close second on our favorites list, due to the bacon and onion flavors.

The Ladykiller also uses white American cheese, plus lots of diced red onion, shredded lettuce, pickles, and a black garlic mayonnaise. Still good, and if you like onion-garlic flavor, it could be your favorite.

Heffy Baby gets a lot of its impact from Lusty Monk mustard, plus white American cheese, diced red onions, pickles, and spicy catsup.

Fatty Patty comes on grilled Texas toast — thick white bread. This is spread with pimiento cheese, plus griddlecooked onions, hickory-smoked bacon, and Cheerwine barbecue sauce. The result is kind of gooey, bursting with abundant flavor.

The burgers benefit from high-quality ingredients. The beef is grass-fed, from Joyce farms. Those brioche buns come from Annie’s bakery in Asheville. The dill pickles are from Niki’s Pickles in pilot mountain. Lusty Monk mustard was developed by a North Carolina chef. Two potato sides are offered. Crinkle Cuts are aptly named. They are heavily dusted with seasoned salt, and that’s the source of most of the flavor. I would be more inclined to opt for Chili Cheese Fries, which are covered with cheddar cheese sauce, homemade chili, sour cream, and pickled jalapeno peppers. A display case on the counter holds an

assortment of big cookies for dessert.

The board menu offers an option to purchase a meal for a member of Winston-Salem’s “unhoused community.” The meal includes a burger and fries. Donations are taken to the WinstonSalem Rescue Mission.

The restaurant’s concept grew out of the minds of its owners. Chef Justin Webster has spent the better part of a decade working in local restaurants. Heather (Heff) Webster has been a bartender at several area establishments. They decided that Winston-Salem needed “a cool, locally owned restaurant, free from the pretense and pageantry often

Plain Fonda Fries

associated with farm-to-table food.” Heff’s Burger Club is certainly not pretentious. But it serves really tasty food, based on genuinely local, quality ingredients. This place is a hoot! !

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?

He ’s Burger Club 285 West 4th Street

Winston-Salem 27101 336-813-9473

he sburgerclub.com

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday & Saturday.

Burgers: $8-$14

Desserts: $5-$8

Most recent visit: April 10

The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership club dedicated to providing the ultimate athletic and recreational facilities for our members of all ages. Conveniently located in High Point, we provide a wide variety of activities for our members. We’re designed to incorporate the total fitness concept for maximum benefits and total enjoyment. We cordially invite all of you to be a part of our athletic facility, while enjoying the membership savings we offer our established corporate accounts.

Chili Nelson

Ladykiller

He y Baby

Fatty Patty

Piggly Wiggly Cookies

This Saturday, the Piedmont Environmental Alliance will present the 18th annual Piedmont Earth Day Fair, which runs 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, 569 Fairgrounds Drive, Winston-Salem. This is the largest Earth Day celebration and one-day environmental education event in the state of North Carolina. All ages are welcome and admission is free. The event will take place rain or shine.

This year’s Earth Day Fair marks an inperson return for the event, as the last two were presented only in a virtual format, due to the COVID pandemic. It will be a

In praise of Planet Earth: Piedmont Earth Day Fair blooms Saturday

day that promises to be both enlightening and entertaining, featuring seminars on ecology and conservation and a line-up of attractions including live music from local bands, demonstrations, activities, workshops, a potpourri of local delicacies, and more.

Among the scheduled musical attractions are Tiny House Tony Low, Sentimental Johnny, Doug Davis, Bigdumbhick, the Suzuki Music School Performance, the Earth Day Cantastoria Musical Theater, Couldn’t Be Happiers, and the Travis William Group. Children can enjoy bubbles and bubble wands, Earth Day storytelling and songs, children’s yoga with Ms. Christine, and more. There’s also the Earth Day Fair Art Contest, featuring submissions from throughout the Piedmont Triad. The Earth Day Fair will also host the finals of the High School Environmental Debate Tournament, such live demonstrations and displays as “Backyard Chickens

wtob980.com

Local Business Spotlight

Listen every Sunday at 9 AM for WTOB’s Local Business Spotlight. Hosted by Tim Clodfelter, you will learn about many locally-owned businesses in the Triad.

APRIL 23

Hope Harris & Zachery Bradley Southern Luxe Realty

101,” “Crafting with Recycled Materials,” “Rocks and Blue Blocks,” and “Make Your Own Fabric Journal.” Some of the environmental topics to be discussed and debated are “Should I Buy an Electric Car?,” “Native Bees: What Is All the Buzz About?,” “We Should Not Eat Meat,” and “Downtown Winston-Salem Should Be Car Free.”

The mission of the Piedmont Environmental Alliance is to build a more sustainable community by working together.

The organization spearheads the community’s e orts to advocate for environmental policy and institutional changes, with the simple purpose of making the planet a healthier, happier, better place for ourselves, our families, and subsequent generations who will call Earth home. For more information, visit the official Piedmont Environmental Alliance website: https://www.peanc.org/winstonsalem-earth-day-fair. !

Fun and Fortune: Bu y Style!

One of the more unusual, yet undeniably appropriate, collectibles recently released is the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck and Guidebook (Insight Editions; $27.99 retail), which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the much-beloved, awardwinning series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , which was created by Joss Whedon and ran for seven seasons — a total of 144 episodes — first on The WB and then on UPN, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the all-American teenager who must confront her fearsome destiny.

The Tarot Deck and Guidebook put a Buffy -flavored spin on the practice of Tarot card playing and reading, which began sometime in the mid-15th

century and has become a popular practice around the world, particularly for devotees of divination (i.e. fortune telling). The 78-card deck features all the popular characters from the series — Willow, Angel, Spike, Giles, Xander, and of course Buffy — in original illustrations rooted in traditional Tarot iconography. The accompanying volume explains the meaning of each card and instructions for easy readings and includes original, all-new Buffy artwork. For more information, visit https:// insighteditions.com/products/buffythe-vampire-slayer-tarot-deck-andguidebook. !

Mark Burger

Contributor

A Collective of Excellence Inc. announces

ACE Spirit Week Festival, April 25 - May 2

ACE Spirit Week is a week-long festival of love, unity, and celebration of excellence

Local nonprofit A Collective of Excellence, Inc. (ACE) is gearing up for an incredible week of celebration and entertainment with the ACE Spirit Week Festival! From April 25 - May 2, 2023, the festival will feature a variety of events including a pep rally, musical, banquet, conference, and awards ceremony.

“We are excited to welcome our community to celebrate unity with us throughout ACE Spirit Week,” says ACE CEO Jordan Lee. “We are a team of educators dedicated to cultivating honest and open-minded community members. One of the greatest challenges educators face is helping students understand what it means to be human and express their talents and creativity in ways that honor humanity in others. We invite all members of our community to participate in the ACE Spirit Week Festival events as students of ACE University and experience what genuine love looks like through various expressions of art and culture from our diverse community members.”

ACE Spirit Week Festival brings together outstanding creators, visionaries, and professionals from various walks of life to share their knowledge, expertise, and experience through workshops, performances, entertainment events, networking opportunities, concerts, and more:

On April 25th, join us for an unforgettable community pep rally at Western Guilford High School to kick o the ACE Spirit Week Festival, featuring live performances, a 3v3 basketball tournament, a cheerleading exhibition, and a variety of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy!

On April 27th, the Community Theatre of Greensboro and ACOBE Fest will collaborate to showcase the beloved musical, The Wiz Jr., and celebrate Black excellence among the cast and crew at the Greensboro Cultural Center.

On April 28th, join the High School ACE Interns at the “Better Together Banquet” for a night of community building, interactive activities, inspiring stories, networking opportunities, and end the night with a dance at the Greensboro Cultural Center.

On April 29th, Creative Greensboro and ACOBE Fest team up for a one-day event that brings together community members from diverse backgrounds to learn, create, and celebrate the power of arts

and culture through educational sessions, collaborative art-making, and youth-led activities at the Greensboro Cultural Center.

Finally, on May 2nd, don’t miss the ACE Excellence Awards held at UNCG Auditorium, where exceptional creators will be celebrated and awarded for their outstanding dedication and talent in a night of unforgettable performances, including the highly anticipated debut of the CHROMATICA music collective.

Thank you to our ACE Spirit Week Sponsors and Community Partners for their generous support of this community event: Creative Greensboro, Piedmont Blues Society, NC Folk Fest, Community Theatre of Greensboro, GCS Arts, Sofritos, NCCJ, GEAR UP, Western Guilford High School, UNCG School of Music, Penn-Griffin School for the Arts PTSO, Joy Squad, Little Big City, DOSE Art Collective, Music for A Great Space, Future GSO, The Poetry Cafe, and the list goes on!

Throughout Spirit Week we will be celebrating the excellence of various performance artists and creators such as: CHROMATICA, SoulTriii, William Nesmith, Waving at Pluto, Kay Marion, Shane Wheeler’s Unheard Presents, The O.Henry Jazz Trio, THE POINTE! Company & Technique Conservatory, Hillside High Marching Band, Reyna Alston, Marcus Young & Ragsdale High School, Riana Lené, Flower In Bloom, Rakeeb Wize, and many more.

Don’t miss this opportunity for us to unite and build a new community. Get your tickets and join us for an unforgettable week of love, unity, and celebration.

“We aim to transform fixed mindsets through the expression of kindness and the celebration of various cultures and perspectives.” - Jordan Lee & Devereaux Nash, ACE Co-Founders. !

WANNA go?

For more details on the events or to register, visit https://aceuniversity.org.

WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP

ASSOCIATED ARTISTS OF WINSTON-SALEM “SPRINGS” INTO THE ARTS

BY MARSHA MCNEELY HIERL

Trees are budding and flowers are blooming — picture perfect pastoral scenes just waiting to be captured on canvas or film. There’s something about spring that brings out the creativity in all of us. We discover beauty we want to hold onto and remember. Take the time to capture your favorite scenes. Spring into the arts with Associated Artists of Winston-Salem. You don’t have to be a professional artist to enjoy and create art. Everyone can experience creativity and beauty through art.

Associated Artists of Winston-Salem (AAWS) is truly “springing” into spring with multiple new shows in the City of Arts & Innovation. Currently hanging at the Masonic Center, 4537 Country Club Road until June 27 is “Travelog,” a show based on places to go and things to see. A special show in the Spine/Reynolds Galleries at Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Hospital will hang April 4 through June 2023, featuring 2-D and 3-D members’ works. At the Benton Convention Center, in the Salem Foyer on the main floor, a new exhibit runs April 25 until late August. SPLASH!, based on splashes of water or colors, opens April 24 in the Every Corner Gallery at Milton Rhodes Center and runs through May 13, 2023. North Trade Street Arts Center houses a monthly show in the AAWS New Members Gallery. Additionally, AAWS artists have rotating public shows in many local businesses, o ces and restaurants.

The Artist Spotlight, a yearly juried show, will hang in the Winston-Salem Arts Council’s Main Gallery at the Milton Rhodes Center from April 7 – May 13, 2023. An opening reception will be held Tuesday, April 11 from 5 – 7 pm and is free and open to the public. Nine AAWS artists have been invited to showcase a thematic collection of their work in the Spotlight show. They are Jo Robinson — 3-D acrylic sculpture, Michelle Harris — photography, Keets Taylor — acrylics, Johnny Oleska — assemblage, Kevin Owen — watercolor, Danielle Keever — watercolor, Irina Ushakova — oil, Jacques Tessier — oil, and Brandi Jacques — acrylic/mixed media.

AAWS is also providing “Lunch & Learn” lectures, artist demonstrations and classes, play dates for experimenting with and learning new techniques, and artist “meet-ups” to mix, mingle and share new ideas and provide support for emerging artists. All events are open to AAWS members, their guests, and the general public. Dates, topics and costs for these events may be found at www.associatedartists.org/aaws-calendar/ . The Associated Artists of Winston-Salem is a 501(c) (3) non-profit fine arts organization located in WinstonSalem, NC. Founded in 1956, the organization is comprised of artists and art supporters. Our mission is to support and celebrate visual artists, from the aspiring to the professional. We look forward to meeting you.

ARTS COUNCIL is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative o erings throughout our region We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. There are over 800,000 art experiences taking place in WinstonSalem and Forsyth County annually. To learn more about upcoming arts and culture events happening in our community please visit www.cityofthearts.com.

Pastel Class with AAWS artist Laurie Basham.

New Regs for Kids Online

o far this year there have been over 130 mass shootings and dozens of children injured or killed while at school, yet federal and state legislators are frozen in their tracks, and incapable of enacting reforms that would prevent such carnage. Republicans refuse to ban assault weapons, and Democrats think we can solve the problem if we stop selling guns altogether. Both positions are untenable. Meanwhile, neither political party is willing to re-route pork funding or foreign aid dollars to local schools for installing electronically locking doors and metal detectors, and for hiring armed o cers. Sadly, classroom massacres are becoming commonplace and I hold out little hope that our elected o cials will ever change their stripes. Clearly, we cannot keep our kids safe at school, but at least there is a move afoot to keep them safe when surfing the Internet.

We’re all familiar with the serious consequences that befall children who spend a lot of time online. Some are the victims of stalkers and predators. Others are bullied by their peers, often to such extremes that the victim elects to commit suicide. There’s even a recent incident in which a pre-teen was blackmailed after having been coerced into sharing a nude photo of himself. And of course, there are the problems that result just from spending too much time online. In those cases, kids don’t develop social skills, don’t exercise, participate in team sports, don’t date, and don’t focus on their studies. That’s why a growing number of state legislatures are passing laws to reform and curtail the amount of time spent online by minors.

Last month, for example, Utah Governor

SSpence Cox signed a bill that will require children to get permission from their parents in order to access social media.

Yahoo! News’ Mike Bebernes reports that the legislation also established a late-night curfew on social media for minors and requires companies to provide parents with complete access to their child’s account.

Meanwhile Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week signed a new law that will require parental permission before a child can open a social media account. And, according to a report by Roll Call’s Gopal Ratham, starting next year, California will require tech companies to design apps that default to privacy and safety settings to protect children’s mental and physical health.

Other states are also jumping on the reform bandwagon including Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas whose legislators are drafting bills that would require age verification of minors and seek parental consent for children to go online.

Naturally, these reforms are being met with opposition from those who say such policies violate a child’s First Amendment rights. According to Bebernes, those critics are concerned about privacy rights, especially for LGBTQ children, “whose online communities may be their only source of support.”

With all due respect to critics of these new legislative initiatives, such reforms and constraints are a necessary step toward pushing for the FCC to eventually regulate the Internet in general, and social media platforms specifically. After all, broadcasters have been regulated for over 80 years, so it’s high time that other communication mediums receive the same oversight, especially when it comes to protecting our children. !

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

Super Mario Bros.: A far-out but flimsy misadventure

suspense generated. The outcome is never once in doubt, although there’s some amusement to be had in the conceit that one can gain superpowers by consuming mushrooms of a distinctly magical sort.

ovies based on video games frequently aren’t very good. Neither, really, is The Super Mario Bros. Movie , although it is superior to the bizarro live-action 1993 Disney film that was much reviled, with much reason. The new film, produced under the auspices of Illumination Entertainment ( Despicable Me, Minions, and other increasingly repetitious franchises), is a cartoon — “animated feature” perhaps being too highbrow a designation — but at least it’s in the right format.

And to be sure, The Super Mario Bros. Movie kills time easily and painlessly enough. It’s sure to please the kiddies, and many parents won’t mind something that keeps their children entertained for 90 minutes. The star-studded voiceover cast is certainly affable enough, and the visual effects are suitably colorful and splashy.

Chris Pratt and Charlie Day headline as the voices of Mario and Luigi, the titular siblings trying to earn a living as Brooklyn’s best plumbers. What they

Mlack in common sense and skill they make up for in sheer enthusiasm — not unlike the movie itself. While attempting to repair a burst sewer line that threatens to flood Brooklyn, they are whisked away to another dimension and plunked down in the midst of a battle being waged by the snarling, snaggletoothed Bowser (voiced by Jack Black), who has come into possession of a “Super Star” and is bent on conquest because, well … that’s what snarling, snaggle-toothed despots do.

All the familiar trappings — “mythos” would be much too strong a word – of the Nintendo video game are present, along with a smorgasbord of slapstick shenanigans and the occasional nods to pop culture, including an overt (but not unwelcome) visual reference to Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 classic Modern Times , and Bowser’s sidekick Kamek (voiced

by Kevin Michael Richardson) sounds awfully like Peter Lorre.

Yet for all of its tight scrapes, narrow escapes, and psychedelic imagery, The Super Mario Bros. is a frenetic and rather forgettable outing. Matthew Fogel’s screenplay follows the “save-the-world/ universe” blueprint of so many movies — live-action and animated — being made these days, and there’s very little

Others of note in the cast are Seth Rogen (as Donkey Kong), Anya TaylorJoy (as Princess Peach), KeeganMichael Key, Sebastian Maniscalco, Rino Romano, John DiMaggio, and Fred Armisen. The Super Mario Bros. isn’t lacking in star power but in inspiration. The good guys triumph. The bad guys are vanquished, although not eliminated. Brooklyn is saved. The Mushroom Kingdom is saved. The film makes a ton of money and everybody — including, presumably, the audience — comes back for the sequel. !

See MARK BURGER ’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.

Mark Burger

Contributor

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

AWESOME!

Student journalists at the Booster Redux, Pittsburg (Kansas) High School’s newspaper, uncovered a scoop that rocked the educational community there, NBC News reported. Amy Robertson, who was hired to be the principal on March 6, was the subject of a routine interview for the paper, but the students were stymied by Robertson’s claim that she had earned degrees from Corllins University. When they dug deeper, they learned that the institution was not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, had no actual address and, in fact, had been identified as a diploma mill. Robertson said her degrees “have been authenticated by the U.S. government” and the students’ concerns were “not based on facts.” However, she resigned on April 4. Emily Smith, PHS’s journalism adviser, said she was “very proud” of her students. “They worked very hard to uncover the truth.”

IT’S COME TO THIS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams

named former schoolteacher Kathleen Corradi to a new position on April 12, United Press International reported. Corradi is the rat czar (o cially, director of rodent mitigation) of the Big Apple. Adams said it was “clear we needed someone solely focused on leading our rat reduction e orts across all five boroughs.” In 2022, rat sightings in the city increased by 74% over the previous year. Requirements for the job included being “highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty” with a “swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor and general aura of badassery.” “I look forward to sending the rats packing,” Corradi said.

CLEANING UP

Police in Boardman, Ohio, are still on the lookout for a robber who broke into a Bed Bath & Beyond store early on April 8, WFMJ-TV reported. Surveillance cameras captured a “stocky male” throwing a rock through a window at the store, then heading to a stockroom in the back, where he filled four shopping carts with 33 Dyson vacuum cleaners. The vacuums were valued at between $500 and $750 each, for a total loss of $17,000. Because there are no surveillance cameras outside

the store, authorities didn’t get a picture of the getaway vehicle. That sucks.

RECENT ALARMING HEADLINE

In 2008, an enormous sinkhole appeared in Daisetta, Texas, NPR reported. At that time, it grew to a cavity about 900 feet across and 260 feet deep, then stabilized. Over the years, it became a sort of recreational area, where people fished and alligators lazed. But on April 2, the hole began expanding. “My neighbor came over and said he kept hearing popping sounds like a gunshot,” said Tim Priessler. “We went to the backyard, and there were buildings falling in. It was like a movie. You can see cracks forming in the ground.” Since then, a vacant building and several storage tanks have sunk. The EPA and city o cials are working to find out what has caused the sinkhole to shift, but as of April 10, no evacuation orders had been issued.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

Seems like it would go without saying, but you might want to assemble an item you just stole away from the store’s parking lot. On April 3 in Flagler County, Florida, Patrick Vandermeyden-Miller

allegedly walked out of a Target store with an electric scooter he had not paid for, WESH-TV reported. Deputies were called to the scene, where they found Vandermeyden-Miller near a cart rack, putting together the scooter. He also had drug paraphernalia in his pockets. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and petit theft.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Darryl Pitt, chair of the meteorite division at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel, has an o er Mainers won’t want to refuse: If you’re the first to find a big (the size of a softball or bigger) space rock from a recent meteorite crash, the museum will pay you $25,000. The fireball was seen in the sky around noon on April 8, and NASA reported that “signatures consistent with falling meteorites” were registered by radar. The rocks probably fell to Earth in a remote wooded area near the border with Canada; NASA estimates the largest specimens will be found near Waite, Maine. Good luck!

©2023 Andrews McMeel Universal

DOWN

1

“TAKE IT BACK!”

4 “Yeah, right!”

5 Actress Berger of “De Sade”

6 Brits call it a “lift”

7 Put freight on 8 Make pointy, as a pencil

Hostile insect in a swarm

Guys writing slogans, maybe

This and —

Item dyed for a spring

Put Your Records On: Celebrating Record Store Day 2023 in the Triad

Record Store Day once again rules the vinyl-lovin’ world, returning for its 16th annual celebration, worldwide, at independent record stores across the globe on April 22.

In the U.S., Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires have been selected as the o cial Record Store Day ambassadors, while here in the Triad, shops have ordered their choices of o cial exclusive releases.

What they ordered and what they’ll receive will remain a mystery until Record Store Day proper; but with vinyl o cially outselling cds for the first time since 1987, there’s reason to celebrate regardless of stocked inventory.

For anyone familiar with the holiday, the popularity isn’t surprising: records rule. But toward the end of the 20th century, vinyl’s demise as a medium seemed all but imminent outside the cherished confines of a record store counter.

And while records are cool — the stores

(and the culture they create) remain integral to the resurgence vinyl is experiencing today. For Chip Studebaker, host of “The Splendid Turntable” radio show on WQFS 90.9FM, “record stores were a central figure in my life when I was in my teens and twenties.” Relishing the vinyl revival, “I’m stoked that so many of them are still viable and getting some love on Record Store Day. There’s nothing like a vinyl record you can hold in your hands; and reading the liner notes and learning about the musicians and songwriters.”

Record Store Day organizers expressed a similar sentiment, launching the first Record Store Day in 2008. And it’s only grown since — a day to “celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role they play in their communities,” through exclusive releases, festivities, and celebrations limited to participating independent stores.

Prez Parks, an avowed “crate-digger,” DJ, and host of “In the Beat of the Night,” considers Record Store Day a celebration of culture — the likes of which involve flipping through record crates for hours on end, hunting rarities and favorite artists. “To crate-dig is to journey inward and outward. Seeking gems and artifacts. Then you bond with your fellow collectors new and old for a common

cause. Record Store Day is a story of life.”

And in the story of life, growing pains are bound to happen. With vinyl returned to the mainstream, the collector experience finds itself equally honored and exploited — the likes of which come to a head — and occasionally crash — come Record Store Day.

“It was a mad rush,” WQFS DJ Rebecca Kress recalled of the last Record Store Day she attended. “I arrived very early, only to have other people show up and join the couple of people ahead of me. Right as the door opened, we all tried to get in. Hot co ee went everywhere.” Hoping shops might institute more of a staggered entry to ease the opening chaos, “It’d be great if people were let in the door in intervals, in the order they arrived,” she mused, turning toward the more altruistic album-lovers. “We all love vinyl. We’re all there with hopes to get those few special records, and it’s not fun to compete with other collectors — you can feel guilty for taking too many — but it is exciting to find what you wanted.”

Thierry Mabry, Assistant Manager at McKay’s Books in Greensboro, shares the excitement and a positive outlook.

“Record Store Day has always been a time of collective interest and community,” she said. “It isn’t just about finding new

records, but it is also building new friendships with others who share a common hobby.”

Setting the cultural undertones, “it’s not uncommon for collectors to discuss their most anticipated titles while waiting for our doors to open and then they help each other find what they’re looking for as they flip through the records,” she explained. “We see a lot of our regular collectors, but we also see a lot of new faces every year!”

While Mabry is hoping to snag Record Store Day releases from Frank Turner and the Dismemberment Plan this year, “part of the fun is you never know what exactly you will find until the moment you walk in,” she said. “It’s like Christmas morning for music lovers. Even if I don’t find the titles I’m most excited for, I always find something.”

Patrick “DJ Kilmatic” Kilmartin, host of the “Sunday Spin” sessions at Common Grounds agreed — while also acknowledging the double-edged sword of Record Store Day popularity. “The original purpose of Record Store Day, to celebrate independent record stores, is both noble and alive and well,” he said. “But the emphasis on manufactured scarcity has overshadowed that original celebratory mission — and led to the flipping economy, where people buy up as much stock

Katei Cranford Contributor

as they can so they can flip it online for an insane markup.”

Stores are getting creative, and are open to ideas with their shoppers in mind — Kilmartin referenced the way Lunchbox Records in Charlotte used a ra e system for coveted titles. Around the Triad, stores like King Records, Hippo Records, Bu alo Boogie, and Underdog Records sought customer input in the titles they ordered. Underdog even made a Google form for easier access — with a shared goal in mind: ensuring as best they can that records folks love get sold to the right hands. In that spirit, Kilmartin is hoping to get his hands on the 20th-anniversary re-issue of “Streetcore” by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, “Return to the 36 Chambers: Dirty Version” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Soul Jazz Records’ “200% Dynamite!”

Independent record stores follow a sort of ethos — they’re both businesses and cultural centers — and those that carry Record Store Day titles submit a pledge agreeing “to act in the spirit of Record Store Day, and sell the commercial Record Store Day releases to their physical customers, on Record Store Day; not to gouge them, or hold product back to sell them online.”

It’s the sort of purpose that Kilmartin finds worth highlighting: “Record Store Day is a celebration of record stores — but not just of brick and mortar — it’s the community that forms around them.”

“Even with vinyl sales rising every year, it still only makes up a small percentage of overall music sales; perhaps because of that, record stores attract people for whom music is not just a casual interest,” he continued. “We do this because we love it and we love it because it’s fun. Records are fun. They’re fun to look at, fun to hold, and fun to play. Even once this whole vinyl revival is done, I don’t think records will ever really go away because there’s something about the format that is so fundamentally attractive.”

At least a small part of the appeal comes from relationships and community surrounding record stores — though they are made of brick-and-mortar, and are thereby subject to the whims of real estate. Vinyl is a popular enterprise, but records remain a tenuous business. “It’s no longer with us, but I have to mention how fundamental CFBG was in starting my record collection,” Kilmartin said, reflecting on the shifting landscape of shops since Record Store Day began.

And that shift continues: Soul Relief Records in Greensboro (where Kilmartin often spends his Saturdays) announced it will be moving in May. “We’ll keep you posted when we resurface. The rent gods were good to us, but when some

asset management group acquires your building, your days are numbered,” owner Harley Lyles posted on the shop’s social media. “Thanks to all the customers, friends and you know who’s for all the support and love,” he said, “holler if you need anything.” A fixture in the DJ and crate-digging communities, Lyles started Soul Relief in 2018 as a means to share his collection and a ection for the medium. He’ll be open through the month and stocking titles for Record Store Day, while he plots the store’s next location.

Meanwhile, a few blocks west on Spring Garden, Patrick Lemons at Hippo Records will celebrate 10 years in business come September. “I can’t believe how fast the time has gone,” Lemons said, with plans in the works commemorating the occasion. “I was in my 20s and working a third-shift job to survive while working at the store six days a week. I had no doubts it could work, but never imagined two locations and having employees.”

“We just had our second anniversary at our Winston-Salem location, and are glad to be able to be a part of that thriving scene,” he continued. “It’s a great city that has supported us and allowed us to expand our inventory five times over.”

As for Record Store Day at Hippo, both locations will open early. “We’ll have a small selection of the titles released exclusively for that day,” Lemons explained, “but our focus is making sure our shelves are full with the titles that will help us win another ‘YES! Weekly Best of the Triad’ reader poll, as we have for the past few years in a row.”

And while Record Store Day comes but once a year (well, twice, if you count the “Black Friday Record Store Day” drops during the holidays) for area shops, every day is technically record store day; and the Triad boasts several from which to choose

— all embracing their own blend of vinyl culture.

There’s the hardlined library feel at Remember When in Greensboro. WinstonSalem o ers gamer’s delight at Retroid Games and Records; while Underdog Records provides another sort of gaming experience, with brackets and fantasy sports leagues — in addition to their stock of stereo equipment and vinyl accented by subscription and curation services to take care of particular audio needs.

For smaller, more intimate shopping outlets, there’s WHOA!TONE in Kernersville or Your Song Sound Exchange in Thomasville. For the anachronistic audiophiles: Vintage Audio Exchange in Jamestown carries records in addition to their frankly gorgeous array of analog and antique audio equipment. And on the Triad’s eastern edge: Main Street Vinyl in Burlington is an o cial Record Store Day participant; while HiFi Records in Graham o ers more of a listening room environment with beer selections and live music o erings.

There’s actually a handful of shops across the state that provide the fine pairing of records, bands, and booze — namely the Pour House in Raleigh, who’ll add manufacturing to that trifecta when they open the Pour House Pressing plant over the summer.

“The way of the music industry is to always be evolving and trying to get creative,” said Lacie Lindstaedt, who owns the Pour House with her husband, Adam. A venerable downtown Raleigh venue since the late-90s, the Lindstaedts took over in 2012; and converted the secondfloor bar into a taproom and record store in 2019.

“The shop literally saved the venue during the pandemic shutdown,” Lindstaedt noted. “We weren’t able to put on shows

for almost a full year and without record sales and the amazing support from the community, we wouldn’t be here today.”

For Record Store Day, they’ve ordered 600 titles and are planning to open early, with a show featuring the Bleeding Hearts, the Magpie, and Black Bouquet starting that afternoon. “We’re anxious to see what we’re able to put out,” Lindstaedt said, with Record Store Day releases from Medeski Martin & Wood, Billy Joel, John Craigie, and Nena on a personal wishlist. “I still listen to the Shangri Las release from last year a little too much,” she added. “I just love that doo-wop sound and I always fall for the ‘Leader of the Pack.’”

Leading its own pack towards production, Pour House Pressing will be only the second plant in the state when it opens. And one of only a few dozen nationwide. With mainstream artists releasing records on a mainstream scale — record manufacturing has become a big fish in a small pond scenario. Leaving independents — the likes of those who carried vinyl’s torch through its millennial dark age — finding themselves waitlisted for months (even years).

Materials are backlogged. The machines necessary to press records are back-ordered. There is an overwhelming demand, with few outlets of supply. “We’ve also seen and heard how hard it is to get small runs of vinyl done in the current state of the industry,” Lindstaedt explained. “A lot of plants aren’t even taking orders, as they’re booked for the foreseeable future.”

“We’ve always tried to keep the ‘keep it local, keep it small’ mindset to everything we do, and we have first-hand perspective of how tough it is to get on the schedule to get records pressed,” she continued, referencing their commitment to independent artists — and the plights those artists can face. They sorted through production issues when releasing the first installment in their “Live at the Pour House” record series, which kicked o with a Kate Rhudy show recorded back in 2020; and manufactured at Citizen Vinyl in Asheville.

Lindstaedt is stoked for upcoming “Live at the Pour House” installments to be pressed in-house. “We have some recorded shows that are mixed and ready for mastering,” she said, “and we’ll be scheduling those to roll out later this year!”

For folks looking to roll out this Record Store Day, the o cial website has a list of participating shops; and VinylCarolina. com boasts a fairly comprehensive directory of rad record stores across the state.

Happy hunting, y’all. Happy Record Store Day! !

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

100 Things to Do in Winston-Salem Before You Die, according to local author

Tina Firesheets’ new book is titled “100 Things to Do in Winston-Salem Before You Die,” but could easily have included a 100 more, as her love for the Camel City is apparent on every page.

The formula is a familiar one for the Missouri-based Reedy Press, whose other recent publications include “100 Things to Do in Minneapolis Before You Die” and “Perfect Day Chicago,” but Firesheets’ infectious enthusiasm never feels fake or formulaic. It’s a really handy guidebook for those visiting from outside the region, but even if you live in Winston, Firesheets is apt to make you want to visit several parts of it you never gave a second glance before.

Firesheets still works in Greensboro,

but Winston-Salem was her favorite local weekend getaway long before she knew she was going to write this book.

“I was at the News & Record for almost 15 years as a reporter and then I took some time o and freelanced and tried to be more available to my family and then I came back and started and ran a magazine published by the News & Record for a few years. That ride ended and I went into public school communications for about a year and now I’m in content marketing at Pace Communications.”

“100 Things to Do in Winston-Salem Before You Die” “kind of fell into my lap” after an editor Firesheets had worked with in Winston told her that Reedy Publications was looking for an author to write about that city.

“I had to submit a pretty extensive media and marketing plan before I even signed the contract, as they wanted to know whether their authors are going to be invested in promoting their own book. So many times, creators are so busy creating and that’s where they put all their energy, and don’t always think about how other people are going to see what they create. And so, I felt like that was an opportunity for me”

Nobody who knows the author will be surprised that the first 32 of her 144 pages are about food and drink. What does this say about Tina Firesheets as a person?

“Well, I think it’s pretty clear,” she said with a hearty laugh. “I had a year to write the book, and in planning it, I purposely saved that part for the last leg, because I knew it would be the most fun because nothing is more fun than food and beverages. I knew that coming down the home stretch, I would be tired and ready to be done, so I purposefully saved that for last as a reward for myself.”

As the city’s oldest component was a Moravian settlement, the Food and Drink section begins with Moravian Sugar Cookies.

“I think they are very delicious, and my husband loves them. The ginger spice ones are his favorite. But what I loved about Moravian cookies is they’re so thin. Maybe this is something I hate and love, they’re so thin, it’s so easy to eat an entire box, and you’re like, what did I just do?”

The book also mentions a Moravian chicken pie.

“If you love chicken pot pie for that flaky crust and the vegetables and all of that, Moravian chicken pies can seem a bit di erent. But they still have the crust, and if you

love chicken, you’re not going to be disappointed. You know how sometimes you order a chicken pot pie and you don’t get enough chicken? That’s definitely not going to be the case with a Moravian chicken pie. It is all chicken. A lot of local Moravian churches will sell them as a fundraiser. I’m not a churchgoer, but in my opinion, there’s nothing better than church food.”

Where would Firesheets take a visitor for a drink or two on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and would it be the same place she’d take them to for a Friday or Saturday nightcap?

“One spot that would be fun both on a Sunday afternoon and on a late Friday or Saturday evening is Trade Street. You’ve got dinner, whether it’s going to be Mission Pizza, Sweet Potatoes, or 6th and Vine, you can start with dinner, stroll the street, look at art in galleries, go to the Art Park and look around, and come back and get a nightcap at Single Brothers or Wiseman Brewing. There’s just a lot available in a fairly short amount of space.”

Many of our readers will be familiar with the transcendent glazed glory of a donut hot from the fryer at Krispy Kreme’s flagship location on Stratford Road, where the neon “HOT NOW” sign promises the same sugary goodness that made the company a local sensation in 1937, and which now beckons donut addicts across the nation. But perhaps equally famous within the city’s limits is a local delicacy that is savory rather than sweet, and baked rather than fried. Not for nothing did the Winston-Sa-

lem Journal once describe the tomato pie at Mozelle’s on W. Fourth Street as “the south in a pie shell.”

“If you asked me to explain why their tomato pie is so good, I’d have to say they just do it right. Sometimes when you have food experiences, it’s more than just the dishes, it’s the service, it’s the setting, and it’s the other things that accompany that dish. And you know how sometimes, when people really hype a dish at a particular restaurant, and you try it wonder what the fuss is about? Believe me, you won’t feel that when you have the tomato pie at Moselle’s. It really is that good.”

Moving from weekly to yearly pleasures, Firesheets loves Winston’s many festivals, but her clear favorite is the Hispanic League’s FIESTA, held every September downtown.

“If you love Latin food, music, and culture like I do, this is absolutely the event for you. It smells so good when you go there, and then you hear the music and just feel so happy. And the weather is usually so great that time of year, and there are a lot of families. I love going to these little tents where old women are making pupusas right in front of you and you get some street corn so hot and fresh o the grill you have to give it a couple of minutes before biting into it. I feel that so much of the way we enjoy food is about the experiences we have while eating it. What makes this kind of food so enjoyable is that you really do feel that you’re absorbing more of the culture

Tina Firesheets

as well, and for me, I enjoy the food even more.”

No account of a city is complete without some description of its architecture.

“I love the Reynolds smokestacks. I just think they are just so iconic for Winston. Just the smokestacks and that whole area would be one favorite, and then the Kimpton Hotel was the inspiration for the Empire State Building. It’s been there for a really long time, of course, but when they renovated the building for the Kimpton, just the preservation and the existence of much of the original architecture, is so impressive to me. I think that Winston-Salem had a lot of good examples of how you can preserve historic buildings and repurpose them for modern-day uses, and I just love that. When you go to other countries and you go to cities like New York and you see buildings and architecture that’s been there for over a century, I am drawn to that.”

One of the things Firesheets loves about Winston-Salem is the city’s reverence for its own traditions.

“I don’t like this thing so many cities do, where they just knock down buildings and erect new ones that feel so sterile. Don’t get me wrong, I love new modern architecture if it’s done well, but so much of what’s replaced historic buildings elsewhere is not. So, I really appreciate these e orts to preserve these historic structures in Winston and have them serve new purposes. It reflects so well on that city and is part of its identity. You see those traditions continue today with the sunrise service at God’s Acre and the Salem Band performances on the square. Many of these traditions have continued throughout the life of the city, and that’s really special.”

Of course, when any book names 100 points of interest in a city, no article of this length can mention most of them.

Firesheets’ bucket list for those visiting or living in Winston-Salem includes the National Black Theatre Festival and International Riverrun Film Festival, Tanglewood’s Festival of Lights and the Festival of Books and Authors, the Art Park and the Art-o-Mat, ice-cream tasting at the Big Chill Fundraiser and Indigenous food at Native Root, as well as 92 others things to see and do before shu ing o one’s mortal coil.

Tina Firesheets will be speaking and signing her book at Bookmarks, located at 634 W. 4th Street, Sunday, April 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. She invites our readers to check out her Facebook page, also titled 100 Things to Do in Winston-Salem Before You Die.

“I’m posting author events and tours and experiences there. After Bookmarks, the next one I’m really excited about is a dining event that I’m partnering with Native Root chef Jordan Rainbolt that’s 2-5 p.m. on May 20th at Apple and Green. There’s going to be music, the first 40 people who reserve a ticket will get a swag bag, and that’s going to include a meal, a copy of my book, a cocktail mixer from Ginger Fox Beverage Company, and a piece of Art-o-mat art, so you get all of that for $50. And on June 3, I’m o ering a Day Out in Winston-Salem, starting with a tour of the West Salem art hotel, then we’ll head to Wieners and Losers 80s arcade to get to know the owner and for some playtime. Then finish at Wise Man, where there’s an art-o-mat and you can learn about local artists and how the art-o-mat movement came about. Those are the two things scheduled immediately, but there will be more to come throughout the year.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Win-

ston-Salem’s Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves (or Wolvesx4, for brevity) roll with punk rock punches on their third LP, “CurseCurseCurse,” out now.

Sticking to a cer-

Wolvesx4 punches out album

from a theme — good, bad, or obnoxious — the punker’s way. “At one point I had the (bad) idea of our first release being called ‘and Wolves,” Woodall explained. The abandoned plot would involve naming their second release “and Wolves and Wolves”; “and then just adding an ‘and Wolves’ to each release after — until it was obnoxious and out of control.”

“But I guess I already achieved that with just the band name,” he admitted, recounting the history of Wolvesx4 — a band Woodall formed in 2009 with his brother, Kyle. Their first EP, “Subtle Serpents,” came out in 2013; with the follow-up “The Cross and The Switchblade” in 2016. But the siblings have

been playing music long before that.

“We both got our first guitars at the same time in middle school,” Woodall explained. “I stuck with it — trying to emulate Billie Joe Armstrong — and he moved on to drums. I’m two-and-a-half years older, but he’s years ahead of me talent-wise.”

“It’s been a couple decades and countless bands together,” Woodall continued, looking back at the lineups and downs throughout the years. “Priorities change and it’s something I’ve just gotten used to,” he added of the bandmates that have come and gone. These days, Woodall knows to work with what you have. And they’ve got each other.

COME SEE WHY EVERYONE LOVES

“Honestly it’s all I’ve ever known, so the idea of playing without him is foreign to me,” he said. And besides the friends they brought in for background vocals, “Cursex3” is all them: “Kyle played the drums, I played all the other instruments, but the album probably wouldn’t have happened without Scotty Sandwich at the mixing board.”

An “E-list punk celebrity,” Sandwich is the dude beyond the Sandwich Shoppe studio, Death to False Hope Records, and the band Almost People. He and Woodall met shortly after Wolvesx4 debut LP, “Subtle Serpents” was released. “A mutual friend in the Triangle introduced us and we’ve been working together ever since.” Sandwich can sometimes be found in the Wolvesx4 lineup for live shows, their bands have shared all sorts of bills, and they put out the titular “Wolvesx4 Split with Almost People” EP together in 2020.

“Scotty introduced us to Gunner Records and many other bands and people over the years,” Woodall said, dropping a Clash reference and a ection for the German-based label. “Gunner has been our safe European home since 2015 and put out all three of our albums; as well as bringing us over for three tours.”

“It was a very chill process,” Woodall recalled of “Cursex3”’s production in the Sandwhich Shoppe studio. “Every ses-

Katei Cranford Contributor

sion started with what became known as ‘punk rock therapy,’ where we’d talk for an hour or so about whatever was bugging us that day, primarily recently booted band members, before starting tracking.”

Once recorded, that therapy translated to a release Woodall felt was worth rolling the dice with larger labels for U.S. distribution — and reached out to A-F Records in Pittsburgh. Owned and operated by politico-punks, the label’s interest was something of a safe bet. “Thankfully A-F liked what they heard and picked us up,” Woodall said. “It’s cool to be on a label owned by Anti-Flag who I’ve listened to since high school.”

Befittingly, the first single, “Empires,” takes aim at the MAGA crowd and its adorning cult of personality. “It was a song I wrote near the start of the Trump administration,” Woodall explained. “I’ve been losing hope for a long time in my fellow countrymen, and my tank is damn near close to empty now.”

Snagging a premier on Punknews.com, the track was partially written while Wolvesx4 was on tour in Europe during the 2016 election. “Seeing a snake oil salesman being able to rile up people to that level” from the other side of the world inspired a certain urge within Woodall to write.

He’s excited to return on a fourth tour around Europe this fall, pushing the new album fueled by his experiences abroad that are interwoven into his work. “I know there’s a lot going on over there with the French and German worker strikes so hopefully they’re able to get their demands met,” he said. “We actually played a show in Frankfurt during the World Bank riots back in 2016, which was pretty intense.”

European adventure and adoration resonate through the album’s banger of a second single, “Oh Catalonia.” Written en route to Germany after a week in Spain, it’s a sort of love song to the city of Barcelona — striking a similar vein to Alkaline Trio’s “San Francisco.”

“Barcelona made a huge impression on me that I’ll never forget,” Woodall said, comparing the experience second only to his first visit to California — revealing that he and a young Matt Skiba have a Golden State a ection in common. “I don’t normally feel at home in big cities,” Woodall said, “but I’d live the rest of my life in Barcelona if I could.”

Spinning the religious tones of snake oils and charlatans, “Cursex3”’s third single, “Hey Run Away,” follows familiar footing in the Wolves’ den. “It’s another song about abandoning the faith of my youth,” Woodall said, pointing to topics carried across their catalog. From the broken friendships and external factors of life in their early work, to wrangling personal demons and introspection on their second album, he continues developing a pattern and balance within his writing.

“Songs about my former faith, not wanting to let people down, and my search for authenticity and sincerity have become easier to write about,” he explained. “And people seem to connect more to those than songs about angry breakups.”

Shifting faith remains in the background — casting a consistent shadow over both lyrics and melody in Woodall’s work — though he no longer denies the influences of pop hits and the contemporary Christian music he listened to as a kid.

“Take Amy Grant,” he said. “There’s melodies in those songs I’d love to work into our stu — even though my vocals are aggressive my mentality is melody first.” Taking stock in the softer sides of the radio dial, “lately I’ve allowed myself to let stu that’s been long guilty pleasures start making their way into my music, whether it’s obvious or not,” he added, pointing to artists Bruce Hornsby, Steve Winwood, and Don Henley. “The influences for Wolvesx4 are all over the place.”

Getting to his roots, “having been born in Florida, Hot Water Music is in my blood,” he said, turning to more overt selections — with special a ection for the Richmond punk varieties from Avail and Strike Anywhere. “They’re two of my all-time favorite bands so I’ll take every chance to rip them o — or pay tribute — lovingly, of course.”

It all comes together on “CurseCurseCurse,” the latest from Wolvesx4, out now. !

Weekly Specials

MON: $2 Domestic Bottles & All Burgers $9.99

TUE: 1/2 Price Wine | WED: $3 Draft

THU: $6 Bud Light Pitchers & $3 Fireball

Band Schedule

APRIL 20 Metro Jethro’s

APRIL 27

TurpentineShine Trio

MAY 5 Jimmy Hayes

WEEK

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

ARCHDALE

FIREHOUSE TAPROOM

10146 N Main St | 336.804.9441

www.facebook.com/firehousetaproom/

ASHEBORO

FOUR SAInTS BREwIng

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com

Thursdays: Taproom Trivia

Fridays: Music Bingo

Apr 29: Corey Hunt and the wise

May 6: Jamie Trout

May 27: william nesmith

CARBORRO

CAT ’S CRAdlE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053

www.catscradle.com

Apr 19: Elora dash

Apr 20: Sam Burchfield & The Scoundrels

Apr 21: The Old Ceremony

Apr 21: The dip

Apr 22: Andy Shauf

Apr 22: devon gilfillian

Apr 22-23: The Mountain goats

Apr 23: Acid dad

Apr 24: Theo Katzman

Apr 25: Fruit Bats

Apr 27: Pedro The lion

Apr 28: Kill Alters

Apr 28: david Cross

Apr 29: Chessa Rich

Apr 30: nova Twins

May 1: Augustana

May 1: UPSAHl

May 2: Arlie

May 2: James McMurtry

May 3: Yaeji

May 4: Erie Choir, lud

May 5: niiTO

May 5: Puma Blue

May 6: destroyer

May 6: Mdou Moctar

May 9: Hoodoo gurus

CHARLOttE

BOJAnglES COlISEUM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com

Apr 19: Bethel Music

Apr 20: los dos Carnales

Apr 22: Soul II Soul

May 3: It’s Time Ft: naomi, Tasha, natalie and Taya

May 4: Seal

May 7: Blessd: Blessd Corner

May 12: Ceelo green, Plies, Juvenile, Trick daddy, goodie Mob, lil webbie

May 26: Ramon Ayala

CMCU AMPHITHEATRE

former Uptown Amphitheatre

820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555

www.livenation.com

May 11-12: Cody Jinks

May 14: Quinn XCII

May 15: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

May 30: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

THE FIllMORE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970

www.livenation.com

Apr 19: whitechapel

Apr 19: Ripe

Apr 20: lil wayne

Apr 21: half alive

Apr 22: MAVI

Apr 23: Kevin Kaarl

Apr 25: Mac Ayres

Apr 25: Ella Mai

Apr 26: Prof

Apr 27: The Cadillac Three

Apr 28: Obituary

Apr 28: The garden

Apr 29: Snow Tha Product

Apr 29: MUnA

Apr 30: Babyface Ray

Apr 30: Ministry

May 2: Seven lions: Beyond the Veil

May 2: VAllEY

May 3: goth Babe

May 4: Sun Room

May 5: Alestorm

May 5: VV/ neon noir Tour 2023

May 7: Joey Valence & Brae

May 8: The Flaming lips

May 9: Alter Bridge

May 10: Bury Tomorrow

PnC MUSIC PAVIlIOn

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292

www.livenation.com

May 12: Janet Jackson & ludacris

May 21: godsmack & I Prevail

May 30: dead & Compamy

SPECTRUM CEnTER

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000

www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Apr 21: Straight Jokes! no Chaser

Comedy Tour

CLEmmOnS

VIllAgE SQUARE

TAP HOUSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330

www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

Apr 20: Corky Jams

Apr 21: KIds in America

Apr 22: Black glass

Apr 28: next O’ Kin

DuRHAm

CAROlInA THEATRE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030

www.carolinatheatre.org

Apr 20: Big Bad Voodoo daddy

May 8: Morgan wade

May 9: Keb’ Mo’

May 12: leonid & Friends: A Tribute to the Music of Chicago

May 13: Slippery Hill Bluegrass

May 16: Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band

dPAC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787

www.dpacnc.com

Apr 20: david Spade

Apr 21: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour w/ Ben Rector

Apr 22: druski

Apr 23: Bill Maher

Apr 26: Andrew Santino & Bobby lee

Apr 27: Travis Tritt

Apr 28-30: Chicago

May 2-14: Moulin Rouge! The Musical

May 19: get the led Out

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

wednesdays: Reeves Open Mic

Fourth Thursdays: Old-Time Jam

Apr 21: Tab Benoit

May 13: The Foreign Landers

May 19: The Classic Drifters

May 27: Darin & Brooke Aldridge

GREENSBORO

BARN DINNER THEATRE

120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211

www.barndinner.com

Apr 22- May 27: The Sweet Delilah

Swim Club

CAROLINA THEATRE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605

www.carolinatheatre.com

CHAR BAR NO. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555

www.charbar7.com

Apr 20: Wishful Thinking

Apr 27: Coia

COMEDY ZONE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034

www.thecomedyzone.com

Apr 21-22: Steve Rannazzisi

April 28-29: Carlos Mencia

May 19-20: Darren Fleet

May 26-28: Tommy Davidson

GARAGE TAVERN

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020

www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreens-

boro

Apr 20: Daniel Love

Apr 21: Camel City Blues

Apr 22: Radio Revolver

Apr 23: Big Bump

Apr 27: Jacob Vaughan

Apr 28: Brother Pearl

GRANDOVER RESORT

2275 Vanstory Street Suite 200 |

336.294.1800

www.grandover.com

Wednesdays: Live Jazz w/ Steve Haines Trio

GREENSBORO COLISEUM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Apr 23: Legacy Tour w/ Keith Sweat, Guy and special guest Tank

Apr 29: Kenny Chesney w/ Kelsea Ballerini

HANGAR 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480

www.hangar1819.com

Apr 21: Nu Metal Madness Tour 2

Apr 22: Hovvdy

Apr 28-29: Slaughter To Prevail

LITTLE BROTHER

BREWING

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678

www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew

Wednesdays: Trivia

Fridays & Saturdays: Free Live Music

Apr 21: Along Those Lines

Apr 22: Wake Moody Duo

Apr 28: Swamproots

Apr 29: David Childers

PIEDMONT HALL

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Apr 21: Green Queen Bingo

May 6: Alter Bridge: The Pawns & Kings Tour

May 11: Grace Potter

RODY’S TAVERN

5105 Michaux Rd | 336.282.0950

www.facebook.com/rodystavern

Apr 19: No Strings Attached

Apr 21: Jason Duggins

Apr 26: JVC

Apr 28: Shane Key

STEVEN TANGER CENTER

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500

www.tangercenter.com

Apr 18-23: Beetlejuice

Apr 27: Theresa Caputo Live!

THE IDIOT BOX

COMEDY CLUB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699

www.idiotboxers.com

Thursdays: Open Mic

Apr 22: Steve Gillespe

May 9: Maria Bamford

May 12: Carter Deems

WINESTYLES

3326 W Friendly Ave Suite 141 | 336.299.4505

www.facebook.com/winestylesgreensboro277

HIGH POINT

1614 DMB

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113

https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/

Apr 21: Latino Night

Apr 22: Huckleberry Shyne

Apr 29: Carolina Rhythm Machine

HIGH POINT THEATRE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401

www.highpointtheatre.com

May 5-7: HPU Theatre: Matilda

May 25: Letters From Home

upcoming EvEnts

Apr 19: Unheard project Monthly Series

Apr 20: Wine & Design 6-8p

Dance From Above 9p

Apr 21: Night Blooms w/ Jessie Dunks Band

Apr 22: Old Heavy Hands Night 1 w/

Dogwood Tales

Apr 23: Old Heavy Hands Night 2 w/ Jon Charles Dwyer

Apr 26: Brandon Tenney

HOURS: Tues-Fri: 3pm-unTil

saT & sun 12pm-unTil

221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967

www.flatirongso.com

jamestown

ThE DEck

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

www.thedeckatrivertwist.com

Apr 20: Micah Auler

Apr 22: hampton Drive

Apr 28: carolina Ambush

Apr 29: Radio Revolver

May 5: Brother Pearl

kernersville

BREAThE

cockTAil loungE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822

www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge

Wednesdays: karaoke

Apr 20: Sip n’ Splash!

May 13: Burlesk Flower Power

May 26: SMAShAT

liberty

ThE liBERTY

ShoWcASE ThEATER

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844

www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Apr 21-22: The John conlee Show

Aor 29: Jimmy Fortune

Apr 29: Doug Stone

May 13: Bryan White

May 20: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

raleigh

ccu MuSic PARk

AT WAlnuT cREEk

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111

www.livenation.com

lincoln ThEATRE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400

www.lincolntheatre.com

Apr 20: Tab Benoit w/ Alastair greene

Apr 21: Dr. Fresch Rave’s Anatomy 2023 Tour w/ The Sponges

Apr 22: Sickman w/ The Fifth

Apr 23: The Band of heathens

Apr 25: Prof w/ Juice lord/ Bayo/ Willie Wonka

RED hAT AMPhiThEATER

500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800

www.redhatamphitheater.com

May 28: Ryan Adams & the cardinals

Pnc AREnA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300

www.thepncarena.com

May 10: lizzo

May 12: Stevie nicks

winston-salem

EARl’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018

www.earlsws.com

Mondays: open Mic

Thursdays: Will Jones

Apr 21: Anna leigh Band

Apr 22: Drew Foust and the Wheelhouse

Apr 28: Time Bandits

Apr 29: Aaron hamm and the Big River Band

FooThillS BREWing

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348

www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

Apr 21: Dana Bearror

Apr 22: chasing Daylight

Apr 23: heather Rogers

Apr 28: Whiskey Mic

MiDWAY MuSic hAll

11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218

www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter

Mondays: line Dancing

Apr 29: Atlantic coast highway

ThE RAMkAT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714

www.theramkat.com

Apr 19: The Wallflowers, Drew Foust

Apr 21: laura Jane grace, Weakened Freinds, Totally Slow

Apr 22: Vanessa collier

Apr 28: By george, The Fidgets, carolina crossing

RoAR

633 North Liberty Street | 336-917-3008

www.roarws.com | www.roarbrandstheater. com

Apr 20: Pure Fiyah on the Mayfair club

Apr 21: Mystic Muse, Susana Mcfarlane, DJ Fish

Apr 22: hawthorne curve, Red umber

Apr 23: Brown Mountain lightning Bugs

Apr 28: chuck Dale Smith, corky James, DJ Professor

Apr 29: The Blue genes, DJ Professor

WiSE MAn BREWing

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008

www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: Music Bingo

Apr 21: gipsy Danger

Apr 28: Friday night Music club

[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of April 24, 2023

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) This week o ers new opportunities for adventurous Sheep, both personal and professional. Single Sheep could find romance with a Taurus or Scorpio.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your big break is about to happen in the workplace. Expect to hear more about it within a few days. Meanwhile, enjoy some much-needed fun time.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your past tendency for breaking promises could be catching up with you. You need to reassure a certain someone in your life that this time you’ll keep your word. Good luck.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Watch your tendency to be overcautious in your personal relationships. Give people a chance to show who they are, not who you assume them to be.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Aspects favor closer attention to family matters, especially where it concerns older relatives who might need special care. A co-worker has information that can help.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A workplace change causes a temporary delay in your plans. Still, continue working on your project so that you’ll be ready when it’s time to start up again.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Stick with your plans despite some recent disappointments. Persistence will pay o . A family member’s health takes a happy turn for the better.

[

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your gift for seeing through to the heart of a matter (or the heart of a person) impresses someone who is in a position to make you a very interesting o er.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Your colleagues believe in your leadership abilities because you believe in yourself. Your strength inspires others to follow your example.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A sensitive situation needs sensitive handling. Show more patience than you usually do. This will allow everyone time for some really hard thinking.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) You are determined to take charge of a di cult situation and turn it around. Good for you. Accept much-needed help and advice from a Libra.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You are able to help people by sensing their deepest pain, but be careful not to let your own emotions get injured. Try to maintain a safe balance.

[BORN THIS WEEK: Yours is one of the most emotional signs of the zodiac. You are empathetic and have a deep spiritual core that gives you your great strength.

answers

crossword on page 11

sudoku on page 11

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. TELEVISION: Which drama focuses on the inhabitants of Wisteria Lane?

[2. GEOGRAPHY: The Aswan Dam is located on which river?

[3. LANGUAGE: What is the only word in the English language that ends in “mt”?

[4. MOVIES: What is the name of Ryan Reynolds’ Alaskan hometown in “The Proposal”?

[5. U.S. CITIES: How many buildings in New York City have their own ZIP codes, including the Empire State Building?

[6. SCIENCE: Entomology is the scientific study of what?

[7. CHEMISTRY: Which natural element is the most unstable?

[8. FOOD & DRINK: What is the condiment tahini made of?

[9. LITERATURE: What is the setting for John Kennedy Toole’s novel “A Confederacy of Dunces”?

[10. ANATOMY: How many lobes are in the human brain?

answer

10. Four.

9. New Orleans.

8. Sesame seeds.

7. Francium, because it has 49 more neutrons than protons.

6. Insects.

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

5. More than 40.

4. Sitka.

3. Dreamt.

2. The Nile River.

1. “Desperate Housewives.”

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate