YES! Weekly - April 3, 2024

NUISANCE CASE CLOSES CLUB, LATEST IN CITY CLEAN UP

Actions by the City of Greensboro have resulted in the closure of three of the five nightclubs, bars, and strip clubs that Mayor Nancy Vaughan expressed concern about in a January email to city o cials.

4 The first INKA GRILL opened in Roanoke in 2019. A second restaurant followed a year later, then another, both in Charlottesville, by 2021. There is a fourth Inka Grill in Lynchburg. A restaurant a year is quite a significant pace. These properties are the brainchild of Percy Rojas, who is from Peru.

6 This month, the OLD TOWN FILM SERIES offers a trio of big-screen adventures set on the high seas, each carefully selected by Michael DiVitto Kelly, the recreation center supervisor of the Old Town Neighborhood Center, located at 4550 Shattalon Drive in Winston-Salem.

7 On April 5, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art presents local analog ambient artist, BRIAN HARAN, who will transport audiences into the depths of space.

8 For those horror fans seeking satis-

faction, IMMACULATE delivers the goods — in stylish, scary, and gory fashion.

10 Television networks have been broadcasting nightly news programs since 1948, and while the length of those programs varied, they all had one thing in common — a sense of JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY in which anchors and reporters presented factual news of the day without personal comment or opinion.

14 Since early February, homeowners in Greensboro’s historic LINDLEY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD have complained to the city and the media about an Airbnb at 631 Scott Ave. that they say has become a “party house.”

16 N.C. Blues Week remains a few weeks away, but Grammy-nominated bluesman, JONTAVIOUS WILLIS, is coming to the Gas Hill Drinking Room in Winston-Salem on April 11.

APRIL 18 – 27, 2024

WINSTON-SALEM AND GREENSBORO · RIVERRUNFILM.COM

197 films representing 51 countries Schedule announced April 2 and tickets on sale April 5 Money-saving samplers and mini-samplers on sale now!

Chow Down with John Batchelor at Inka Grill

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

According to the website, the first Inka Grill opened in Roanoke in 2019. A second restaurant followed a year later, then another, both in Charlottesville, by 2021. There is a fourth Inka Grill in Lynchburg.

A restaurant a year is quite a significant pace. These properties are the brainchild of Percy Rojas, who is from Peru. He initially wanted to pursue a medical career, but did not succeed on the entrance exam, so he took cooking classes and went to work in a French restaurant. He worked in Costa Rica, Orlando and Miami, then made the

leap to Virginia to start his own restaurant. Eddy Moreno is another of the restaurants’ chefs. He worked in several other cities before joining Chef Rojas in Virginia.

The Greensboro property is the most recent. It opened in October 2023. The head chef and owner is Percy Moreno, Eddy’s brother. He has 20 years of experience in Peruvian cuisine and trains chefs across all locations for a period of five months before they start cooking in the restaurants. It occupies one of downtown’s historic buildings, repurposed for a restaurant. White walls host artwork and decorative accessories that follow the Peruvian theme. A bar takes up about half of one side. In addition to liquids, food is also served at the bar.

Members of my party had quite a lot of di culty seeing the menu. The print is small, the page laminated and reflective. When a server asked if she could bring us anything, our response was “a magnifying glass and a flashlight.” We managed, though.

I had two appetizers at the bar on my first visit. Huancaina Yucca consists of yucca, mashed smooth, formed into croquettes. The flavor is somewhat similar to potato, with a mild, pleasant crust. These come with huancaina sauce (spicy cheese and aji Amarillo peppers). Tuna Tartare — raw tuna, cut into bite-sized pieces and set in a cylindrical form — rests in ponzu sauce, with sliced avocado and tobiko (fish roe) on top. The menu says this comes with sweet potato chips, but my serving was flanked by saltines.

Another starter on another visit was Shrimp Causa. Yellow Peruvian potatoes are mashed and infused with yellow peppers plus a little lime juice, topped with avocado slices. The shrimp themselves are

large, coated with a heavy crust, fried crisp and tender. A tomato salsa completes the presentation. This turned out to be my favorite dish from these visits.

From the entrees section of the menu labeled “Traditional,” my party tried three selections. Lomo Saltado uses tender pieces of steak, wok-sauteed with onions, plus sliced tomatoes and cilantro. The steak slices deliver moderate depth of flavor, joined on the plate by crisp, mildly flavored French fries and white rice. Arroz con Mariscos is a Peruvian-style paella with two fried shrimp like the ones from the appetizer, plus two more, large, tender and unadorned, joined by very firm octopus and calamari, in a bed of rice with criolla sauce — onion, red bell pepper and tomato, lime juice, and olive oil. Aji de Gallina places soft-cooked shredded chicken in a cheese sauce studded with purple potatoes, flanked by a mound of white rice and a boiled egg slice.

“Chaufas” are available with three proteins — chicken, beef, or seafood. My wife chose chicken. A chaufa is a Peruvian version of Chinese fried rice, which grows out of the large Chinese population in Peru. This is traditionally made with onions, bell peppers, garlic, soy sauce, eggs, and cumin. Bite-size pieces of chicken bear a light, pleasant crust.

From the “International” list, Grilled Salmon proved a good choice. The salmon itself is seared to a delightful crust, the interior moist, enhanced with a light application of basil pesto sauce. This is plated over pesto risotto.

Serving sizes are substantial. I cannot imagine anyone leaving here hungry!

You may have gathered from these descriptions that the food here is starchy. Except for the occasional green pea in pa-

Grilled Salmon

Shrimp Causa

Huancaina Yucca

ella and avocado slices, I never saw a green vegetable. I assume that is characteristic of Peruvian food, given this restaurant’s ownership and history, but some accommodation to American dietary expectations would be welcome.

Although informative and attractive, the website needs some updating. If you try to make a reservation using the online tool, you’ll either wind up in Virginia or the Greensboro personnel won’t be expecting you. I tried this prior to each of the three visits, to no avail. The phone number on the website is not for the Greensboro location. Use the number from this review to call directly in order to make a reservation. And the links to social media are nonfunctional.

But plenty of people have found their way here. The restaurant was busy every time I went. On a Saturday afternoon, for example, over ¾ of the tables were occupied by five. So clearly, Inka Grill has already established quite a following. !

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?

Appetizers: $7.95-$18.95

Salads: $4.95

Soups: $9.95-$18.95

Entrees: $14.95-$29.95

Desserts: $3-$5

Most recent visit: March 16

SAT, APR 6 | 7:30 PM

The Winston-Salem Symphony and fan-favorites, Jeans ‘n Classics come together to celebrate Fleetwood Mac’s decades of hits, including “Rhiannon,” “Say You Love Me,” “Little Lies,” “Landslide” and more.

symp.ws/mac

464.0145

AT LAST: NIA IMANI FRANKLIN

Gospel, R&B, and the American Songbook

SAT, MAY 11 | 7:30 PM

REYNOLDS AUDITORIUM

symp.ws/nia

Lomo Saltado

Aji de Gallina Tuna Tartare

Chicken Chaufa

visions

Three on the Sea: Old Town Film Series sets sail for adventure

This month, the Old Town Film Series offers a trio of big-screen adventures set on the high seas, each carefully selected by Michael DiVitto Kelly, the recreation center supervisor of the Old Town Neighborhood Center, located at 4550 Shattalon Drive in Winston-Salem. Each film will be presented at 7 p.m. on consecutive Thursdays. Admission, as always, is free and popcorn and refreshments are available for purchase. As Kelly noted, the program is a great way to embrace and enjoy the magic of movies and is considerably cheaper than streaming services — because it’s free!

“I wasn’t sure what to show for April,”

Kelly admitted. “I made a list of over 40 films and various theme ideas. Ultimately, I went with films about perseverance that just happened to occur at sea. I think the ocean is a great metaphor; we all make plans in life, but in the end, we are all at nature’s mercy.”

There is no screening this week, as Kelly is enjoying a family vacation, but the series resumes April 11th with KonTiki (rated PG-13). The 2012 epic, codirected by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, dramatizes the legendary journey undertaken by scientist/explorer Thor Heyerdahl (played in the film by Pal Hagen) to sail across the Pacific Ocean in 1947, which later became the basis for Heyerdahl’s international bestseller “The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas” as well as the 1950 documentary Kon-Tiki , which won the Oscar for Best Feature Documentary. The 2012 film itself earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (before the category was amended to Best International Feature). The film

is in English, Danish, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish with English subtitles.

“ Kon-Tiki was the name of the wooden raft used by the six Scandinavian scientists (led by Heyerdahl) on a 101-day journey from South America to the Polynesian Islands,” Kelly said. “It’s fantastic storytelling and visually superb. It’s one of those films that received great reviews but flew under the radar. No one will be bored watching this film. It’s compelling from beginning to end.”

On April 18th, the series cruises along with Ang Lee’s acclaimed seafaring saga Life of Pi (rated PG), which was also released in 2012 and also set primarily on the Pacific Ocean, as it follows the arduous journey of two shipwreck survivors — one a teenaged boy named Pi (played by Suraj Sharma in his feature debut) and the other a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker. The two forge an unbreakable bond of trust and courage as they attempt to reach safety.

Garth Fagan Dance Comany, founded by the choreographer of Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway, bursts onto the stage at UNCG Auditorium on Friday, April 5th

Life of Pi won four Oscars — Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects — and was nominated for seven more: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Song (“Pi’s Lullaby”).

“

Life of Pi , based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel, is turned into a visual masterpiece by producer/director Ang Lee,” Kelly said. “Suraj Sharma’s performance as young Pi Patel is captivating, along with the late actor Irrfan Khan as the adult Pi. It’s an emotional film, for sure, and one that will leave a lasting impression. I’ve been a big fan of Ang Lee’s films since The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman , so I’m not surprised by the way he fully captures the human spirit in this film.”

the two men, as well as a grudging respect that develops between them. The film, which grossed almost $220 million worldwide and earned six Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Abdi), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

“Once again, Academy Award winner Tom Hanks pulls off another Oscar-worthy performance as the level-headed, gutsy Captain Phillips,” said Kelly. “It’s non-stop intense action with a wellrounded cast, including Barkhad Abdi as Muse, the Somali pirate captain. Prior to Captain Phillips , Abdi had no previous acting experience and was working as a chauffeur at the time! Worried about his acting debut, he ad-libbed the notorious line ‘Look at me! Look at me! I’m the captain now!’”

Get your tickets now ucls.uncg.edu

The month’s screenings conclude on April 25th with the fact-based, high-tension 2013 thriller Captain Phillips (rated PG-13), directed by Paul Greengrass and based on the non-fiction best-seller “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea” by (Captain) Richard Phillips co-written with Stephan Talty. Tom Hanks portrays the titular character, whose ship Maersk Alabama is boarded in 2009 by Somali pirates led by the desperate and dangerous Abduwali Muse (played by Barkhad Abdi in his feature debut). A battle of wits commences between

Kelly will introduce each film and there will be an informal discussion after each screening. !

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

Mark Burger

Exploring the Cosmos Through Sound:

Analog Ambient Artist, Brian Haran, presents a Unique Performance at GreenHill Center for NC Art

On April 5, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art presents local analog ambient artist, Brian Haran, who will transport audiences into the depths of space. As a grandson of one of the engineers on the Apollo 11 mission, he will draw on that inspiration as he weaves together elements of creation and beauty, uncertainty and struggle in a oneof-a-kind musical experience.

“This improvisational performance taps into a personal desire as a sound artist to put tones and dynamics to the complicated emotions that I personally have around space, since my grandfather was a draftsman and engineer who helped design the landing portion of the LEM (lunar module) for the Apollo 11 mission,” he said.

Haran will be playing, among other instruments, a reproduction of a synthesizer made by a fellow Grumman Apollo project engineer named Alan Pearlman in the early 1970s that Haran built from more modern accessible parts.

Drawing inspiration from Laurie Spiegel’s groundbreaking work “Harmony of the Worlds,” which was included on the Golden Record aboard NASA’s Voyager mission in 1977, Haran will channel the spirit of exploration and discovery into every note, inviting audiences to contemplate the vastness of space and the mysteries that lie beyond. “This performance invites audiences to join us on a voyage of discovery,” adds Leigh Dyer, GreenHill’s Executive Director. “It is a welcome component of our spring exhibition ‘LEAP: Artists Imagine Outer Space’ on view through June 29, and the 50th anniversary celebration we are conducting this spring.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the intersection of art, science, and exploration as Brian Haran takes you on a sonic journey through the cosmos. This performance is free and open to the public as part of the First Friday program.

Brian Haran grew up on the South Shore of Long Island in the neighborhoods on the Queens and Nassau County border that were responsible for artists like Lou Reed, Public Enemy, Stray Cats, and A Tribe Called Quest. Playing in bands and working in recording studios and guitar repair shops in Manhattan filled his late teens and early 20s until he was o ered a potential job building guitars in Greensboro, North Carolina. He figured he’d learn

the process and return home to New York in a few years but that was twenty years ago. He’s still here playing music, recording people, fixing instruments, and teaching the sonic arts all through the creative space he and his wife and collaborator, Renee, run in downtown Greensboro called Hypogeum GSO which provides a fullservice recording and composition studio space for experimental artists from all over alongside education programming and lodging for artist residencies.

Over the years Brian has shared the studio and the stage with a wide variety of artists ranging from minimalist avant-garde composer La Monte Young to the British R&B singer-songwriter Corrinne Bailey Rae to Americana heroes like Wilco, the Avett Brothers, and Gary Louris earning Grammy and Emmy nominations for albums he recorded and films he scored along the way. !

GREENHILL engages a diverse community of artists, adults and children through dynamic statewide exhibitions and arts education while providing a platform for exploration and investment in art. Inspired by a vision for cultural equity and inclusion, GreenHill is the only organization dedicated exclusively to presenting and promoting the contemporary visual art and artists of N.C. The Center’s wide-ranging initiatives build empathy and connection through expressive, innovative and thought-provoking art. GreenHill’s exhibition space, shop, and studios are located in downtown Greensboro in close proximity to the Steven M. Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, where GreenHill also curates onsite galleries. For more information visit www. greenhillnc.org.

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY PRESENTS JEANS ‘N CLASSICS: “NEVER BREAK THE CHAIN — THE MUSIC OF FLEETWOOD MAC”

BY JOEY BURDETTE

The Winston-Salem Symphony celebrates one of the most influential rock bands ever on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. with “Never Break the Chain: The Music of Fleetwood Mac.” This concert marks the return of fan-favorite Jeans ‘n Classics.

British-American group Fleetwood Mac rose to fame in the 1970s with an iconic pop-rock sound, uniquely featuring three lead singers. The band’s interpersonal drama enthralled fans and fueled massive hits. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks famously traded barbs with their songs “Go Your Own Way” and “Dreams,” while Christine McVie wrote “You Make Lovin’ Fun” to flaunt a new relationship to her ex, John McVie. The passion of these songs still resonates decades later. Over the years, the band won two Grammys, sold over 120 million records worldwide, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Audiences will recognize Jeans ‘n Classics from their previous appearances with the Winston-Salem Symphony, including concerts featuring the music of Woodstock, David Bowie, and The Eagles. For over 27 years, Peter Brennan’s Jeans ‘n Classics has combined worldclass rock musicians with symphonies in a quest to engage more expansive audiences. While definitely not a tribute act, Jeans ‘n Classics faithfully interprets the music of legendary rock and pop artists with their own signature flair. Never

Break the Chain features vocals from Rique Franks, Kathryn Rose, and Johnny Rutledge, who sing some of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits, including “Rhiannon,” “Little Lies,” “Landslide,” and more.

The concert occurs at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, at R.J. Reynolds Auditorium, 301 North Hawthorne Road. Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased online at wssymphony.org or by calling the Box O ce at (336) 464-0145.

The Music of Fleetwood Mac concert is sponsored by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis, & Pitt, P.A.; Pops Series Sponsors, Truist; and generous support from Village Tavern. !

Proud to be one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, the WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY premiered in 1947. Today, under the direction of new Music Director Michelle Merrill, the Symphony fulfills its mission to “Bring Music to Live” by inspiring listeners of all ages throughout North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad with various concerts, education programs, and community engagement initiatives each year.

WANNA go?

This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are supported by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; Pops Series Sponsors, Truist; Chris and Mike Morykwas; Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County; and the North Carolina Arts Council. Subscriptions and single tickets can be purchased online at wssymphony. org or by calling the Symphony Box O ce at 336-464-0145.

Johnny Rutledge Kathryn Rose Rique Franks

For those horror fans seeking satisfaction, Immaculate delivers the goods — in stylish, scary, and gory fashion. This well-mounted, heart-thumping shocker earns hosannas for director Michael Mohan and first-time screenwriter Andrew Lobel, as well as leading lady and producer Sydney Sweeney.

Sweeney is the “It Girl” of the moment, having scored late last year with the romantic comedy Anyone But You (which she also executive-produced), hosting Saturday Night Live earlier this year, and managing to emerge from the debacle of Madame Web unscathed. Here, she plays Cecilia, a naïve young American woman come to Italy to take her vows as a nun at a remote convent, having devoted her life to God since a near-death experience years before.

This, however, will be no Roman holiday. No sooner has she taken her vows than she mysteriously falls ill. The reason? She’s pregnant, seemingly by immaculate conception. It doesn’t even strike her as odd that the convent, which tends to elderly and dying nuns, happens to have a working sonogram on the premises.

As Sister Cecilia’s pregnancy progresses, strange things — even stranger than her mysterious condition — begin to clue her in that things may not necessarily be what they seem. Is she facing a phenomenon of the supernatural or of science fiction? The answer, or “revelation” if you prefer, is no less (or more) far-fetched than the principal plot twist in Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017). It’s sheer hokum, to be sure, but just intriguing enough to be thought provoking.

Mohan, who previously collaborated with Sweeney on the 2018 Netflix miniseries Everything Sucks! and the 2021 Amazon film The Voyeurs, never allows the pace to slacken. The setting provides a field day for cinematographer Elisha Christian and production designer Adam Reamer with the confines of the convent

and Christian iconography vividly rendered in the most oppressive and threatening terms imaginable. Even better is the superb score by Will Bates, which would do Ennio Morricone proud. The filmmakers have clearly been inspired by the works of Dario Argento, and it could be said that Immaculate is the best Argento film he never made.

The role of Cecilia provides Sweeney with a real arc, going from demure and trepidatious to gutsy and ferocious, as well as providing her with ample opportunities to scream, which she does very well. One horror film does not a scream queen make, but Sweeney’s right there. To extricate herself from her dire predicament, Cecilia’s going to have to break at least one of the Ten Commandments — and you can guess which one. (In one of the film’s few humorous moments, she also breaks the third one.)

Sweeney holds sway, but there’s good supporting work by Alvaro Morte as the dashing but duplicitous Father Tedeschi, Giorgio Colangeli as the imperious Cardinal Merola, Dora Romano as the Mother Superior, Benedetta Porcaroli as the friendly Sister Gwen, and Giulia Heathfield Di Renzi (in an impressive feature debut) as the icily antagonistic Sister Isabelle. Simona Tobasco, who appeared with Sweeney in the Emmy-winning HBO series The White Lotus, appears briefly as Sister Mary in the film’s spooky pre-credit sequence, which e ectively portends the horrors to come. !

Mark Burger

ALL LADIES DO IT (Cult Epics/MVD

Entertainment Group): The uncut and uncensored cut of cult filmmaker Tinto Brass’s 1992 softcore sex romp (originally titled Cosi fan tutte), loosely based on Mozart’s “Con Fan Tutti,” detailing the carnal misadventures of lusty young wife Claudia Koll as she recklessly attempts to spice up her marriage to husband Paolo Lanza by indulging in adultery and other sexual excesses. In Italian with English subtitles, available on Blu-ray ($34.95 retail) and 4K Ultra HD combo ($49.95 retail), each boasting bonus features including audio commentary, collectible booklet and lobby-card reproductions, vintage interview, outtakes, and more.

BABY

ASSASSINS 2 (Well Go USA

Entertainment): Writer/director Yugo

Sakamoto reunites with leading ladies Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa for this follow-up (also released as Baby Assassins: 2 Babies) to their award-winning 2021 cult hit, which finds the fearless teen-aged assassins and roommates suspended for various violations by their covert agency, thereby putting them in the crosshairs of rival killers who want to take their place in the organization. In Japanese with English subtitles, available on Blu-ray ($29.98 retail).

BARE-NAKED SURVIVOR AGAIN (Indican Pictures): Originally filmed in 2011, this sequel to 2001’s spoof Bare-Naked Survivor (also released as Survivors Exposed) sees the same contestants (Julie K. Smith, Tess Broussard, Aria Giovanni, Shauna O’Brien, Aimee Sweet, and Alexus Winston), as well as the same lecherous host (co-producer Lenny Juliano), as they compete to be the last (scantily clad) contestant on the remote island of Butta Cheeka. A lazy, low-rent, outdated spoof of TV’s long-running “Survivor” with obligatory nudity and raunchiness — and at 100 minutes goes on far too long. The DVD ($24.99 retail) includes behind-thescenes featurettes, outtakes, and bonus trailers.

THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): Writer/ producer/director Jeymes Samuel’s PG13-rated, faith-based comedy starring LaKeith Stanfield in the title role, a streetwise hustler in Jerusalem inspired by the Messiah to change his ways and spread a message of love and peace, backed by a star-studded cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Omar Sy, David Oyelowo, Anna Diop, R.J. Cyler, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor,

BY MARK BURGER

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK: NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER (THE BLOODY JUDGE) (Blue Underground/MVD Entertainment Group)

Just as great directors make bad movies, so the reverse happens … which brings us to Jesus “Jess” Franco (19302013), the prolific perpetrator of many a fetishistic, Zgrade shocker (Macumba Sexual, Killer Barbys, Mari-Cookie and the Killer Tarantula, et al) in a career spanning over 40 years and more than 200 films. To some, Franco is a quintessential cult filmmaker. To others, a quintessential hack.

Yet, in this loosely fact-based 1970 chiller (originally titled Il trono di fuoco), Franco gets more right than wrong — even if it’s a close call sometimes. The seventh of nine

collaborations between Franco and producer Harry Alan Towers, who co-wrote the screenplay under his trademark “Peter Welbeck” pseudonym — made between 1968-’70 (!) — the film boasts a larger scale and scope than most Franco films, with colorful costumes, expansive battle scenes, and a marvelous score by Bruno Nicolai.

Taking its “inspiration” (ahem) from the 1968 Michael Reeves classic Witchfinder General (The Conqueror Worm) and Michael Armstrong’s Mark of the Devil (1969), the setting is 17th-century England, then in the throes of civil war, where the Lord Chancellor (Christopher Lee’s Judge Je reys), metes out harsh sentences to those accused of treason and witchcraft. He wasn’t known as “the hanging judge” for nothing reason, yet underneath the imposing and ruthless façade is a lascivious hypocrite who uses his status to indulge his own kinks.

The still-luminous Maria Schell, who likely knocked out her role in a day or two, plays the kindly blind witch Mother Rosa, and Leo Genn — who replaced Dennis Price just before filming — adds a touch of class as Je reys’ nemesis Lord Wessex. Maria Rohm (married to Towers in real life), Margaret Lee, Hans Hass, and Milo Quesada also appear, while Franco favorite Howard Vernon apes Boris Karlo in 1939’s Tower of London as the black-clad, bug-eyed torturer Jack Ketch.

Released stateside in 1972 as Night of the Blood Monster (a moniker Lee was none too thrilled with), the film was cut to earn a PG rating, and on television (where yours truly first saw it), it was further edited, making it seem like a high-school history lesson with the merest hints of violence and sexuality. The film does convey the moral and political corruption of the era in appropriately cynical terms, while also incorporating such trademark Franco “flourishes” as gratuitous groping, whipping, and torture (clothing optional) at regular intervals. It’s a mixed bag, to be sure, but surprisingly watchable — and Lee is in terrific form as “the Bloody Judge.”

The 4K Ultra HD combo ($49.95 retail) is yet another triumph for the Blue Underground brigade, boasting multiple commentaries, retrospective and vintage featurettes, deleted and alternate scenes, trailers and TV spots, and more.

and Marianne-Jean Baptiste, available on DVD ($34.99 retail) and Blu-ray ($38.99 retail), each replete with bonus features including audio commentary, behind-thescenes featurettes, and gag reel.

CHILD’S PLAY (Scream Factory/Shout! Factory): Lars Klevberg directed this misbegotten — and award-winning! — 2019 remake of the popular 1988 horror hit (which spawned an ongoing franchise), in which single mother Aubrey Plaza gifts her young son (Gabriel Bateman) with a Chucky doll (voiced by Mark Hamill) that malfunctions and goes on a bloodthirsty rampage. Unfunny and unscary, with feeble stabs at black comedy and

wrote the screenplay with Oliver Stone. Along with Excalibur (1981), this kicked o a spate of sword-and-sorcery movies throughout the decade. James Earl Jones is imposing as the villainous Thulsa Doom, with Sandahl Bergman, Max Von Sydow, Mako, Gerry Lopez, William Smith, Ben Davidson, Valerie Quennessen, and Jack Taylor in support. The thunderous score by Basil Poledouris is one of his best. Bonus features include audio commentaries, retrospective and vintage featurettes and interviews, collectible booklet, poster, and postcards, theatrical trailers, deleted scenes, and more. Rated R.

CONAN THE DESTROYER (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group): A limitededition 4K Ultra HD combo ($59.95 retail) of the 1984 follow-up to the above, with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as the titular hero, again battling the forces of evil, aided and/or opposed by Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain (in his only feature), Sarah Douglas, Mako (encoring from the first film), Tracey Walter, Je Corey, Pat Roach, Ferdy Mayne, and beauteous Olivia d’Abo (in her feature debut). Universal decreed the film be more family-friendly than the original, which dilutes both the narrative — and Conan’s trademark ferocity — but Jack Cardi ’s cinematography and another fine Basil Poledouris score are pluses. Original director John Milius was busy staging World War III (in 1984’s Red Dawn), so veteran Hollywood workhorse Richard Fleischer assumed the directorial duties and does a competent job, but this isn’t up to the first film’s level. Bonus features include multiple audio commentaries, retrospective and vintage featurettes and interviews, collectible booklet, poster, and postcards, theatrical trailers, image gallery, and more. Rated PG.

THE WIND OF AYAHUASCA (Kino

a general air of desperation throughout. Tim Matheson and Brian Tyree Henry are wasted in support. The “collector’s-edition” 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.98 retail) includes audio commentary, retrospective interviews, vintage featurettes, theatrical trailer, and more. Rated R.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group): A limited-edition 4K Ultra HD combo ($59.95 retail) of the bombastic but well-made, award-winning 1982 saga based on Robert E. Howard’s classic character, perfectly embodied by Arnold Schwarzenegger under the typically macho direction of John Milius, who co-

Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($29.95 retail) of writer/director Nora de Izue’s 1983 feature debut (originally titled El viento de todas partes), which us set in Iquitos, a village on the edge of the Peruvian Amazon, where a disillusioned sex worker (Silvia Chavez in her only feature to date) attempts to participate in a traditional healing ceremony that will ostensibly purge her of her past anguish and grief. In Spanish with English subtitles, bonus features include retrospective interview and re-release trailer. !

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

BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY

Saturday, Apr 13 | 7:30 PM & Sunday, Apr 14 | 3:00 PM

Be a part of the magic as the Winston-Salem Symphony, Symphony Chorus, and guest soloists are joined by the Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams and the Wake Forest University Choir to powerfully proclaim Beethoven’s enduring message of universal joy.

Experience Music in a New Way. Get Your Tickets Today!

Box Office: 336-464-0145

wssymphony.org

voices

NBC Makes Brief, but Shameful Hire

Television networks have been broadcasting nightly news programs since 1948, and while the length of those programs varied, they all had one thing in common — a sense of journalistic integrity in which anchors and reporters presented factual news of the day without personal comment or opinion. Certainly programs like “Meet the Press” and “Face the Nation” allowed network journalists to interview newsmakers who expressed opinions, but those guests were neither paid by the networks, nor did they ever try to overthrow the government.

In 1980 Ted Turner launched CNN, the world’s first 24/7 all-news channel and, like the big three networks, his anchors and reporters stuck to covering the news, not making it. Two years later Turner carved out a regular time slot on CNN for “Crossfire,” television’s first talk show where two professional journalists debated issues. Unfortunately, within a couple of decades CNN started integrating the debate format into every news hour. Suddenly their news anchors were allowed to express opinions, and instead of just reading the news, they also moderated a discussion among journalists and political operatives, some of whom were paid to appear. Nevertheless, those panelists, while often politically biased, were not allowed to tra c in lies or hate speech. That news industry paradigm shifted radically late last month when NBC announced the hiring of Ronna McDaniel as a “political analyst.”

McDaniel had served as chairperson of the Republican National Committee since 2017 and was a Trump loyalist until the former president recently ousted her to make way for new leadership, including North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley and Trump’s daughter-in-law Laura. That left McDaniel without a job, but not for long. Almost immediately NBC came knocking at her door. The Peacock network’s decision would have been OK had McDaniel possessed a moral compass and some modicum of credibility, but she brought neither with her to the new job.

Upon hearing of McDaniels’ hiring, NBC

Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd said, “There’s a reason a lot of journalists at NBC are uncomfortable with this.” That was an understatement. Todd noted that McDaniel had engaged in “gaslighting” and “character assassination” when dealing with the news media. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Among other things, McDaniel directly participated in Trump’s illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election. As a result, she was a party to obstruction and her lies were a catalyst to the attack on our Capitol, which she never condemned, UNTIL she signed on with NBC.

Suddenly McDaniel began to back pedal on her support for Trump’s “big lie” and the January 6 insurrection. Speaking with NBC’s Kristen Welker, McDaniel said, “When you’re the RNC chair, you kind of take one for the whole team. Right now, I get to be a little bit more myself.” No one was buying her flippant attempt to revise history.

MSNBC anchor Nicole Wallace let her bosses know that hiring McDaniel was “nothing short of a potential threat to democracy.” Said Wallace, “NBC News is either wittingly or unwittingly teaching election deniers that what they can do stretches well beyond appearing on our air to peddle lies about the sanctity and integrity of our elections.”

NBC brass had heard enough, and within days of hiring McDaniel, they fired her. Oddly enough, the most accurate assessment of the debacle came from McDaniels’ former boss. Writing on Truth Social, Donald Trump said, “Wow! Ronna McDaniel got fired by Fake News NBC. She only lasted two days, and this after McDaniel went out of her way to say what they wanted to hear.”

I suppose that NBC news executives can be praised for canning McDaniel, but even their swift reversal was too little too late. The damage to the network’s credibility had already been done. Their initial decision was hasty and ill-advised. Moreover, their bean counter mentality led them to believe that ratings and ad revenues would increase by simply giving a platform to someone who could attract a large number of radical insurrectionist viewers. Their logic was unsound. Sadly, so was their judgment. !

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

No longer Secret: Nuisance case closes club, latest in city clean up

Actions by the City of Greensboro have resulted in the closure of three of the five nightclubs, bars, and strip clubs that Mayor Nancy Vaughan expressed concern about in a January email to city o cials. The most recent closure resulted from the nuisance abatement judgment against Secrets Cabaret, located at 2507 West Gate City Boulevard.

On Jan. 22, Vaughan emailed Police Chief John Thompson and Assistant City Manager Trey Davis and asked for “updates” on five bars and clubs she called “frequent flyers,” meaning venues with an alleged history of violence.

One was the strip club Southside Johnny’s, at 6400 West Market Street, which permanently closed following the investigation of a fatal shooting in February of 2023. Another was Culture Lounge at 1707 Spring Garden, which was evicted by landlord Chaney Properties following a double homicide on March 8. The successful nuisance ruling against Secrets leaves only two venues named in Vaughan’s email still open for business.

On March 26, the o ce of City of Greensboro Communications Manager Jake Keys issued a media release stating that Guilford County Superior Court Judge William Wood has signed a consent judgment for a Chapter 19 Nuisance Abatement action against JEMM LLC, the property owners of Secrets Cabaret.

Chapter 19 of the state’s general statutes, titled “Offenses Against Public Morals,” defines a nuisance as the use, maintenance, or leasing of any building “for the purpose of assignation, prostitution, gambling, illegal possession or sale of alcoholic beverages, or sale of controlled substances.”

The release from Key’s o ce quoted Vaughan as calling the judgment the “result of an outstanding joint e ort between Greensboro City o cials and members of the ALE Nuisance Abatement Team,” that “puts other prop-

erty owners on notice that we will not tolerate nuisance activity and violence within the city of Greensboro.”

A February 16 raid on Secrets by ALE investigators and GPD o cers resulted in the seizure of alcoholic beverages, illicit drugs, and five firearms, one of which was stolen. Seven individuals were charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors involving possession of weapons and controlled substances. According to the city’s statement, “it was determined that the illicit sales of controlled substances, alcoholic beverages, and firearm violations were occurring outside and within this illegal business.”

Judge Woods’ ruling means that JEMM LLC must sell the property within the next five months and that all present and future owners of the building are forever prohibited from operating or maintaining a nightclub or adult entertainment facility at that address. Failure to abide by this judgment could result in forfeiture of the property.

According to OpenCorporates.com, the registered address of JEMM, LLC is 330 S. Greene St., with Harry G.

Gordon listed as the agent and Eric D. Gordon listed as manager. That is also the address of Gordon Law O ces. At press time, Harry G. Gordon had not responded to a request for comment.

The city used the nuisance statute to close Secrets weeks after successfully reaching out to Chaney Properties to evict Culture Lounge.

The two remaining clubs that Vaughan called “frequent flyers” are the O, formerly Club Orion, at 4618-B W. Market St., and Ghost Bar Kitchen and Cocktails, at 4512 West Market St. The landlord for Ghost Bar is Kotis Properties, which last November evicted tenant Electric Tequila after a shooting incident in which two people were wounded. At the November 5 meeting of Greensboro City Council, Vaughan stated the city had been considering a nuisance abatement case against Kotis Properties over that incident, but eviction made the issue moot.

On April 1, Kotis attorney Charles Winfree sent YES! Weekly the following statement:

“Kotis Properties continues to monitor the Ghost Bar &

Ian McDowell Contributor

The O, formerly Club Orion Ghost Bar Kitchen and Cocktails Secrets Cabaret Southside Johnny’s Culture Lounge

Kitchen, and are not aware of any recent or current nuisance issues with this tenant that would justify our terminating their lease.”

A Kotis representative sent contact information for the owner of Ghost Bar, a woman who asked to be identified only as Asmyne, and said she had a statement to make about how she feels targeted by the city.

The following is from a phone interview conducted with her on Monday.

“About four months after we opened in February of 2023, there was a shooting when we were closing for the night. The guy shot was literally walking out of the door. We felt it had to have been someone knowing he was there. When the police came, we gave them all our camera footage, we helped them try to figure out what the license plate was, and we thought everything was fine.”

Since then, said Asmyne, “it’s been like we’re the problem.”

Asmyne said she and her partners “have put all our money into Ghost Bar,” and “want our customers to be safe, so we’re doing everything we can, but we can’t help what’s going on in the surrounding community.”

According to Asmyne, the second shooting incident near Ghost Bar actually happened at the laundromat next door after 2 a.m., when her business was closed.

‘When we looked over security footage with the investigators from ALE, two of the people involved in that shooting were in our establishment earlier that night, around 11:30 p.m., but this incident happened well over two hours later. The people involved were sitting in lawn chairs at the laundromat and got in an argument with some people and a girl got shot. But we showed video to the ALE showing our parking lot was completely empty when that shooting happened. How can we get blamed for something that happened in an establishment beside us when we were closed?”

After Vaughan named Ghost Bar in several statements to city o cials and the media, Asmyne said that the business “hired more security from the Guilford County Sheri ’s Department.”

She called this very expensive but very helpful, as once two sheri ’s department vehicles were parked outside Ghost Bar on weekend evenings, “all trouble stopped.”

“But then the incident at Culture Lounge happened where two people got killed. The next weekend after that, which was the next weekend the sheri ’s o cers were scheduled to be in our parking lot, I got a call from the sheri ’s o ce and they said our contract was cancelled and they could no longer come to our location. I asked why, and told them we’d had

no problems since we hired them and I really wanted them to be there, as their presence was making such a big di erence — people won’t do anything crazy outside when they see o cers sitting out there in their cars.”

Asmyne said that one of the o cers who had been providing security, “gave me the number to a supervisor in the sheri ’s department.”

“When I called, I was told that, with everything going on in the city, they didn’t think it was appropriate for them to be there anymore. I said, well, with all this violence going on all over the city, what am I supposed to do if someone comes and starts something the parking lot, and the o cer told me I’d have to just call 911 if something happened. Here we were doing everything the mayor had called for, and then somebody in the city or county got our security pulled. Why would they take away something that was helping us?”

In response to this claim, Guilford County Sheri ’s Communication Specilalist Bria Evans sent the following statement: “For many years, beginning before Sheri Rogers took o ce and continuing since then, the Guilford County Sheri ’s O ce has used a third-party vendor to administer and coordinate temporary, sworn law enforcement security services for Guilford County businesses, including local entertainment venues. Many other law enforcement agencies do the same and these are often referred to as “extra duty assignments” which Deputies can accept and work while in an o -duty status.

Deputies who perform these assignments are compensated by the thirdparty vendor/administrator from fees paid by a business seeking to hire Deputies in this extra-duty capacity. The Sheri ’s O ce receives no compensation for this arrangement except for a fee to compensate the County for the use of a patrol vehicle. Deputies accept these assignments on a purely voluntary basis, and the Sheri ’s O ce is not legally obligated nor otherwise required to provide this service to any business.

Recently, the Sheri ’s O ce informed the third-party vendor/administrator that its Deputies would no longer be accepting extra-duty assignments from the “Ghost Bar and Kitchen” here in Greensboro. This decision was made to enhance the safety of our Deputies while they are working oduty. This decision was not based on any requests or statements made by the City of Greensboro or its leadership.” !

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 will be published in September by Scuppernong Editions.

Response to alleged “party house” shows changes to short-term rental ordinance

Since early February, homeowners in Greensboro’s historic Lindley Park neighborhood have complained to the city and the media about an Airbnb at 631 Scott Ave. that they say has become a “party house.”

“There were upwards of 40 people being loud and rowdy in the yard and street this Easter weekend,” said Edgar Paris, who in previous weeks has also been interviewed on FOX8 and CBS17.

“On Saturday night into Sunday morning, they flooded these residential streets with 10-15 cars parking everywhere. Between 1:30 and 2 a.m. on Easter Sunday, they were peeling out and making a loud disturbance. This is easily the fifth or sixth party that has disrupted the neighborhood, and besides posing safety concerns and all that stuff, the bottom line is that this is being marketed as a party house. That it’s been happening this frequently since it became an Airbnb last November is indicative of that. And it’s eating up time having to document these disturbances and report them to Airbnb.”

According to Assistant City Manager for Public Safety Trey Davis, the GPD has responded to the location four times; three for noise/party complaints and one for parking violations, since December 17, with the most recent being the March 31 party complaint at 2:17 a.m.

Paris identified the Airbnb’s “su-

perhost” as the Raleigh-based Blake Holden. “From what we understand, he’s in partnership with other people, most notably a pro golfer. Additionally, the regulations that went into effects on April 1 require the host to reside in Guilford or an adjacent county.”

Holden gave YES! Weekly the following statement from what he referred to as “the Property Management Company.”

We are of course aware of the party that happened this weekend. As we do with all guests, prior to approving this booking we requested information about the number of guests, their ages, and why they were in town. Their response was that there would be four attending a comedy show. After receiving a call from a neighbor that there was a party, we immediately cancelled the reservation and messaged the guests to stop the party. We believe the guests also interfered with our security camera system to hide the fact that they were violating our house rules. We’ve reported the violation to Airbnb who we expect to take action against the booking guest.

Along with staying in regular communication with the neighbors, we’ve installed an Airbnb-approved noise level (does not record audio) monitoring system in the residence with an on-call security team to provide us with additional oversight to hopefully prevent this again in the future. We remain in compliance with the short-term rental ordinance and unfortunately were the victim of a bad actor who misled us, broke our rules, and damaged our property. We will continue to work to be good neighbors.

Lastly, the host and team are residents of Guilford County.

According to City of Greensboro Zoning Administrator Mike Kirkman, the property is “an existing short-term rental that started operations during 2023 based on our original enforcement actions.” Kirkman said the city previously cited this property for violations of the city’s Tourist Home/Bed and Breakfast regulations, which prior to April 1, 2024, had been used to regulate Short-Term Rentals.

to the city’s new regulations (such as the 750 spacing requirement between Short-Term Rentals) as long as they can provide evidence showing the property was available and used for rentals of 30 days or less during any point of 2023.”

Kirkman also stated that if there are two verified violations of city regulations, including the noise ordinance, during a 365-day period, the city has the right to revoke the zoning permit and begin enforcement actions. “Mr. Holden is aware of the recent issues at the property and some previous complaints from the neighbors and is working to keep these issues from occurring again based on my last conversation with him.”

Guilford County lists the property owner for 621 Scott Ave. as Scott Avenue Properties LLC. BNBcalc.com lists Holden as the owner and quotes the property’s estimated value as $867,200.

“Specifically, the property was cited for operating a Tourist Home on a Single Family Residential zoned lot without a Special Use Permit and the owner/ operator of the Tourist Home not using the property as their residence. With the adoption of the city’s new Short-Term Rentals regulations, those previous violations are no longer relevant. The new Short-Term Rentals regulations that went into effect April 1 require all Short-Term Rentals to secure a zoning permit and in order to get a permit the operator of the Short-Term Rental would need to be located in Guilford County or in a county directly adjacent to Guilford County. The operator for this rental, Blake Holden, did attempt to apply for the permit online yesterday but was unable to complete his payment for the application due to some technical issues with the online permit portal that we are still working to get resolved.”

According to Kirkman, “any ShortTerm Rental that was in operation during 2023 is allowed to secure a zoning permit without being subject

Holden was interviewed by the ShortTerm Rental Pros Podcast for the Oct. 3 episode “Scaling Short-Term Rentals with Partnerships and Innovation,” which can be viewed on YouTube. The introduction describes him as “a shortterm rental investor who has scaled his business to over 16 listings in just a few years.” !

IAN MCDOWELL

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

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Airbnb located at 631 Scott Ave. in Greensboro.

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Exploring the crossroads of Jontavious Willis’ West Georgia Blues

N.C. Blues Week remains a few weeks away, but Grammy-nominated bluesman, Jontavious Willis, is coming to the Gas Hill Drinking Room in Winston-Salem on April 11.

Folks mourning the absence of the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society’s Carolina Blues Festival can take a stroll down memory lane as Willis (who performed at the “Young, Black & Blues” edition for the festival’s 36th year in 2022) strums away at his array of six and 12-string resonator guitars, along with interludes of banjo and harmonica — though Willis considers his voice the primary instrument, in both music and his “mission to reignite the blues.”

The Gas Hill show isn’t Willis’ first trip to Winston-Salem, (the Ramkat’s Richard Emmett called him an “acoustic blues wizard”) he also played the 22nd edition of Crossroads @ SECCA, with Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton in 2019. The two also recently wrapped appearances at the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival on the spring tour that rolls Willis into the region.

Examining his own crossroads that forged his path toward the blues: fortuitously discovering Muddy Waters on YouTube as a young teenager, there’s a certain poetry in discovering the first American-made musical genre, on the internet. Crossing into the roads of the old world through new mediums.

“He’s a conveyor of the past who can bring that old analog sound into the digital age,” history professor Douglas E. Thompson told Jill Neimark at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, praising the “amazing” nature of Willis’ “sheer musicianship.” As director of the King Center for Southern Studies at Mercer University, Thompson helped celebrate Willis being the department’s first music artist in residence at Mercer Music At Capricorn (in the building that housed Capricorn Records’ Studio A) in Macon, Ga.

During the three-day residency, Willis hosted panel discussions, performances and ultimately recorded his upcoming third album. At the crossroads of exploring history, making history, and living

history, Willis made use of the famed recording studio’s equipment; as well as the work of New Orleans sound engineer Jon Atkinson (and an array of vintage gear).

Professing a love for the hum of sweet mother analog, Willis and his band (washtub bassist Rodrigo Mantavoni, pianist Ethan Leinwand, drummer Jayy Hopp, and vocalist Lloyd Buchanan) recorded close to 60 songs over a session of nearly 200 takes; with 15 tracks slated to appear on Willis’ upcoming album, “West Georgia Blues.” Due over the summer via Strolling Bones Records, the new record will follow up Willis’ Grammy-nominated record, “Spectacular Class,” released in 2020 on Keb’ Mo’s Kind of Blue Music label.

With a new album on the horizon — a new era of his mission unfolds, intrinsic to the eras of old — and the crossroads of their connection. Willis is hardly alone on those roads; he and artists like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (who also played the 2022 Carolina Bluesfest) take up their work as a charge to reach new audiences for their music — for the music of the blues, its foundation, its future — and the Bluesfolk coming to their own crossroads.

Within the framework of the blues — and American music as we know it — one can only mention “crossroads” so many times without heralding the Gospel of Robert Johnson (Willis and Kingfish both engage the “Robert Johnson” challenge, sharing their takes on Johnson’s songs in a video series) and other legendary performers.

But that’s really just an enjoyable tip of the iceberg. Willis is resolute in his mission, far beyond Facebook videos and lookbacks. Born and raised in rural Georgia, as a teenager he immersed himself in the flavors of blues traditions; first finding his voice while singing alongside his grandfather at the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church — an influence he’s carried into style and prose as much, if not more, than the old blues standards. Taken together, an appreciation for rhythm resonates throughout his catalog and style: a family-oriented Georgia background fueled by traditional reverence and the vitality of a young gun looking to make folks move.

And while Willis’ musicianship continues gathering accolades, his work goes beyond his art or medium.

“We’re living in a delicate time now when our elders are passing on,” he told Neimark, “and they are literally the fabric of the blues music that I play and love.”

Exploring that notion in songs like

“West Georgia Blues,” “Some folks sing the blues just ‘cause they know the song / We’re singing these blues to carry tradition on,” Willis is dedicated to learning for himself — teaching others, and igniting passion beyond the past through its connection to the present — as well as honoring the present as it becomes both future and past.

In 2017, Willis helped develop the Fall Line Blues Project with Henry Jacobs, to better acquaint themselves and the world with artists around the Fall Line Region around Georgia and Alabama; interviewing players like Horace Combs, Eddie Hinton, Albert White, and Guy Davis.

When he was 15 years old, Willis visited the Music Maker Foundation in Hillsborough and was personally introduced to the legendary Boo Hanks and John Dee Holeman — both of whom have since passed. “Now, every set that I have, I play a song I got from Mr. John Dee, then I play a song I interpret from Mr. Boo Hanks,” Willis told Music Maker. “They have influenced me more than they would ever know.”

Reflecting on the crossroads of his experiences in a Facebook post years later, “I have a lot of stories about Mr. Holeman,” Willis said. “I remember I used to sing ‘Going Down Slow,’ but he told me that it’s an old man’s song, and I should change the lyrics from ‘I done had my fun if I don’t get well no more, my health is failing me I’m going down slow’ to ‘I done had some fun and I’m gonna have some more till my health fails me, then I’ll go down slow.’ I just stopped singing the song altogether. Much love to the Southern Black queens and kings who taught me about love, art, and life.”

Sharing the fruits of those lessons, Willis has served as artistic director for the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Workshop in Washington; and will host the fourth annual Historic Zion Church Blues Festival he helped found in Talbotton, Ga. on May 18.

Drawing on influences of Sonny Boy Williamson, Papa Charlie Jackson, and Tampa Red, Willis holds the duality of passionately honoring elders while also aiming to ignite that passion in future generations. And at the crossroads between honoring the past and pushing the boundaries of relics, it’s essential that relics be preserved — especially when so few remain.

“We don’t have much of the blues history that we can physically touch, that isn’t

owned by someone else or behind glass,” Willis said in post lamenting the recent loss of the Mississippi John Hurt Museum that burned to the ground in February (just hours after being designated on the National Landmark Registry.) “The foundation responsible for the museum is primarily run by Mississippi John Hurt’s granddaughter, Ms. Mary Frances Hurt If you have anything to give, please consider making a donation or reaching out to Ms. Mary directly.”

Purported to be the result of arson, Hurt and the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation remains “committed to restoring Mississippi John Hurt’s legacy and ensuring that future generations will learn from and be inspired by his kind spirit, life story, and work.” A GoFundMe is currently ongoing.

“In some aspects, the same problems of those days are still occurring,” Willis said, referencing his connection to the genre. “Out of all the current music I connect with the blues the best. The same blues songs of the Jim Crow era can still be sung today. The songs about getting mistreated and abused are still fights we battle daily.”

And so the mission continues. Willis’ upcoming album, “West Georgia Blues,” is due later this summer; he’ll roll into Gas Hill Drinking Room with Drew Foust on April 11. !

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

Katei Cranford Contributor

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 6: Briana Atwell Dodd

CARBORRO

CAT’S CRADLE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053 www.catscradle.com

Apr 4: Grant-Lee Phillips

Apr 4: Sam Burchfield & The Scoundrels and Tophouse

Apr 5: AJ Lee & Blue Summit

Apr 5: The Crane Wives

Apr 6: Remo Drive

Apr 6: Zack Mexico

Apr 9: Hotline TNT

Apr 9: Snow Strippers

Apr 11: Illiterate Light

Apr 12: Carbon Leaf

Apr 12: Kiltro

Apr 12: Madison Cunningham & Juana Molina

Apr 13: David Morris

Apr 13: Julia Wolf

Apr 13: Unprocessed

Apr 14: 723, Cu ng Season, Madisinn

Apr 14: Mighty Poplar

Apr 16: Good Kid

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

Apr 25: Teenage Fanclub

Apr 26: Podcast About List

Apr 26: Proxima Parada, OliverHazard

Apr 27: The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie

Apr 27: Black Country, New Road

Apr 28: Aaron Lee Tasjan

Apr 28: TWRP

Apr 30: Teen Suicide

Apr 30: Dyke Night

CHARLOTTE BOJANGLES COLISEUM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600

www.boplex.com

Apr 13: Don Omar

Apr 24: TOTO

Apr 26: The Piano Guys

Apr 27: Grupo Barak

THE FILLMORE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.livenation.com

Apr 4: MAOLI

Apr 4: Elle King

Apr 6: Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

Apr 6: Sematary

Apr 7: Ryan Caraveo

Apr 7: Chris Renzema

Apr 8: Dethklok

Apr 11: YTB Fatt

Apr 12: Demola

Apr 14: BLP Kosher

Apr 15: SAINT MOTEL

Apr 16: Wage War & Nothing More

Apr 16: Connor Price

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

SKYLA CREDIT UNION AMPHITHEATRE

former Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555

www.livenation.com

SPECTRUM CENTER

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000

www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Apr 10: AJR

Apr 13: Tom Segura

CLEMMONS

VILLAGE SQUARE TAP HOUSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330

www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

DURHAM

ELKIN

REEVES THEATER

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

Wednesdays: Reeves Open Mic

Fourth Thursdays: Old-Time Jam

Apr 5: The Brother Brothers

Apr 12: Lonesome River Band

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

COMEDY ZONE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034

www.thecomedyzone.com

Apr 4: Pinky Patel

Apr 5-7: Shuler King

Apr 9: Matt Bellassai

Apr 12-13: Shaun Jones

Apr 18-20: Felipe Esparaza

Apr 25: Katharine Blanford

Apr 26-27: Benji Brown

COMMON GROUNDS

602 S Elm Ave | 336.698.388

www.facebook.com/CommonGroundsGreensboro

FLAT IRON

221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967

www.flatirongso.com

CAROLINA THEATRE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030

www.carolinatheatre.org

Apr 3: Erin Viancourt

Apr 6: Sam Fribush, Charlie Hunter & Calvin Napper

Apr 25: Gabe Lee

Apr 7: NC Makes My Blood Dance

April 27 | 1-5pm LeBauer Park, Great Lawn & Stage

Apr 26: Three Dog Night

Apr 29: Matteo Bocelli

DPAC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787

www.dpacnc.com

Apr 6: Theresa Caputo

Apr 11: Clint Black

Apr 12: Adam Ant

Apr 13: Gilberto Santa Rosa

Apr 20: The Price is Right Live!

Apr 13: Tan and Sober Gentleman

Apr 24: Cedric Burnside

Apr 25: Josh Clark

Apr 30: Heart to Gold w/ Why Not

GARAGE TAVERN

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020

www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreensboro

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

HANGAr 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480

www.hangar1819.com

Apr 5: For The Fallen Dreams w/ Elijah, Versus me, Feverhill, Heirloom

Apr 11: Wind rose w/ Xandria

Apr 12: Galactic Empire

Apr 13: Far beyond Driven w/ Ashes Of The Priest, Strike the Tower, To begin Anew

Apr 14: Young rising Sons w/ 44blonde, Diva bleach, Lowborn

Apr 15: Jesus Pierce & Sanduisugabogg w/ Gag, PeelingFlesh

Apr 16: Filth w/ Heavy Hitter, Coma Waves, Wither the Fallacy, The Lives of many

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

PiEDmONT HALL

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Apr 26: Green Queen bingo

STEVEN TANGEr CENTEr

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500

www.tangercenter.com

Apr 3-5: Leanne morgan

Apr 6: rei Hotoda

Apr 12: Evil Woman: The American ELO

Apr 14: John mellencamp

THE iDiOT bOX

COmEDY CLub

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699

www.idiotboxers.com

Thursdays: Open mic

Apr 12: Foxymorons & Guests

WHiTE OAK

AmPiTHEATrE

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Apr 19: Parker mcCollum w/ Corey

Kent & Catie Offerman

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 5: Hampton Drive

Apr 6: The Chain - Fleetwood mac

Tribute

Apr 12: Parallel Lives & Toxic

Apr 13: Deadbeat barbie

Apr 20: Chasin’ Aldean

Apr 26: Far reaching Tour

Apr 27: The resistance

GOOFY FOOT TAPrOOm

2762 NC-68 #109 | 336.307.2567

www.goofyfoottaproom.com

HiGH POiNT biSTrO

3793 Samet Dr. #165 | 336.875.4444

https://www.facebook.com/p/High-PointBistro-61552711048428/

HiGH POiNT THEATrE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401

www.highpointtheatre.com

PLANK STrEET TAVErN

138 Church Ave | 336.991.5016

www.facebook.com/plankstreettavern

jamestown

THE DECK

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

www.facebook.com/TheDeckJamestown/

Apr 5: retro Vinyl

Apr 6: brother Pearl

Apr 12: Hwy 42

Apr 13: muddy Creek revival

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

KErNErSViLLE brEWiNG COmPANY

221 N Main St. | 336.816.7283

www.facebook.com/kernersvillebrewing Thursdays: Trivia

liberty

THE LibErTY SHOWCASE THEATEr

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844

www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Apr 5: The Embers ft. Craig Wooland

Apr 6: ralph Stanley ii & The Clinch mnt boys

Apr 19: Faithfully

Apr 19: Dailey & Vincent

Apr 20: Chapel Hart

Apr 26-27: Junior brown

oak ridge

biSTrO 150

2205 Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.6359

www.bistro150.com

raleigh

CCu muSiC PArK AT WALNuT CrEEK

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111

www.livenation.com

Apr 7: SESSANTA

Apr 20: Hozier

Apr 26: Needtobreathe

Apr 27: The Postal Service & Death Cab For Cutie

LiNCOLN THEATrE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400

www.lincolntheatre.com

Apr 3: Kai Wachi

Apr 6: Corey Smith w/ Will Jones

Apr 12: indecision & Purple Schoolbus

Apr 13: brad “Scarface” Jordan

Apr 14: The Disco biscuits

Apr 16: Giant rocks

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

PNC ArENA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300

www.thepncarena.com

winston-salem

EArL’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018

www.earlsws.com

mondays: Open mic

FOOTHiLLS brEWiNG

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348

www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

Apr 6: Justin Cohen Duo

Apr 7: Evan blackerby

Apr 12: Jon montgomery and Friends

Apr 13: Kickback Trio

Apr 14: Justin Howl

Apr 19: michael Chaney

Apr 21: Darrell Hoots

Apr 26: Stephen Henson & Friends

Apr 27: iNCogNiTo

rOAr

633 North Liberty Street | 336-917-3008

www.roarws.com | www.roarbrandstheater. com

Apr 3: Cashavelly morrison residency

Apr 4: Killer Antz, instant regrets

Apr 5: Fox N’ Vead, Owen & The Smokes

Apr 6: AJ Lee & blue Summit

Apr 10: martha bassett residency

Apr 11: Jontavious Willis, Drew Foust

Apr 12: The return of Little Diesel

Apr 13: Doug Davis, Secret monkey Weekend

Apr 14: Comicade 2024

Apr 18: The barons

Apr 19: Cosmic Charlie

Apr 23: Dixie Dregs with special guests Steve morse band

Apr 24: Andy Frasco & The u.N., Dogs in a Pile

Apr 25: Set For The Fall, The Coursing, Two Stroke Smoke, until They bleed

Apr 26: The Stews, Harvey Street

Apr 27: The Dip, Eddie 9V

WiSE mAN brEWiNG

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008

www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: music bingo

Apr 13: Spring Jam

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

Apr 28: The big Slurp 2024

Natalie Garcia

The Collective Experience

3.18.24 | By Suzanne Snuggs

Matthew Sheets & Laura Jane Vincent

3.29.24 | Continental Club | Greensboro | By Katei Cranford

Week of April 8, 2024

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) New opportunities spring up for the Arians. Kick up those heels and go, go, go for them. Remember, someone special will be rooting for your success.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Indulge in your love of beauty. Buy something marvelous for your home, then plan a romantic dinner at a special place with your special person.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your diligent search for the truth pays o . You can now go ahead and make a decision fully armed with the facts. But expect some resistance to your plans.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Travel is favored, but be prepared to be flexible in planning your trip. A family situation may cause you to delay your original departure date.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Be careful to whom you confide in with your secrets. While you certainly have your admirers, you also have detractors who would love to puncture the Lion’s pride.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A certain family problem still needs your attention. It would be unwise at this time to let things slide. Things start to look more promising on the job.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Your mate seems to feel increasingly ignored. Try for a better balance between your home and work commitments. Start with a romantic weekend getaway.

answers [SALOME’S STARS

[CROSSWORD]

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Missed opportunities usually come from miscommunication, but it’s not too late to correct the wrong assumptions. A timely call can help reestablish important contacts.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Your usually keen sense of direction needs some sharpening this week. Stay focused on your goals despite some pesky distractions. Your e orts will soon pay o .

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Don’t automatically reject suggestions from friends and family members. Some of their ideas might be helpful. Check them out before you decide to chuck them out.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Expect to be pleasantly startled when a promise from the past finally comes through for you. Use this as an opportunity to restart a long-delayed project.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) An air of conspiracy dominates the workplace. Avoid taking sides. This is one time when you need to concentrate on being your own best friend.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You despise hypocrisy. Your honesty is admired, although your friends sometimes feel you could be less blunt and a little more diplomatic. You love living life to the fullest.

© 2024 by King Features Syndicate

crossword on page 11 [WEEKLY SUDOKU]

sudoku on page 11

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: When did April Fools’ Day come into being?

[

2. GEOGRAPHY: In which nation is the Great Victoria Desert located?

[

3. MOVIES: What sport is featured in the movie The Mighty Ducks?

[

4. HISTORY: What is the name of the island where Napoleon was exiled in 1814?

[

5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is the largest rodent in the world?

[

6. LITERATURE: What is the name of Ron Weasley’s pet rat in the “Harry Potter” book series?

[

7. U.S. STATES: Which letter of the alphabet is not in any U.S. state’s name?

[

8. TELEVISION: Which iconic 1960s sitcom inspired two spino hits, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres?

[

9. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in WWII?

[

10. ANATOMY: How many pairs of spinal nerves exist in humans?

answer

10. 31 pairs.

9. George H.W. Bush.

8. The Beverly Hillbillies.

7. Q.

6. Scabbers.

5. Capybara.

4. Elba.

3. Ice hockey.

2. Australia.

1. Likely in the late 16th century, when calendars changed from Julian to Gregorian.

© 2024 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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