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EDITORIAL
Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com
Shadina Blunt is in the business of making sure that women who want to become mothers have the easiest experience possible. She plans to be in the business for a very long time.
YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER
KATEI CRANFORD JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID DALIA RAZO LYNN FELDER
3 Creative Greensboro’s MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY EVENING IN THE PARK (MUSEP) Concert Series will return for its 44th season on June 4 with concerts in various park locations throughout Greensboro. The full schedule can be found at www.creativegreensboro.com.
4 “I know a few people have left,” said Mayor Nancy Vaughan three hours and 48 minutes into the May 2 MEETING OF GREENSBORO CITY COUNCIL, when she announced the town hall portion of the agenda. It was more than a few.
6 The year 2023 is shaping up to be a great one for STEPHEN MCKINLEY HENDERSON (BFA 1972), a graduate of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for the Broadway production of Between Riverside and Crazy...
8 PHILO FARNSWORTH is widely considered to be the principal inventor of television. He was not only a genius, he
was also a visionary, and he shared that vision with his wife Pam one afternoon in 1926 while the couple was driving up the California coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
9 Almost since the day it was published in 1970, author Judy Blume had resisted constant entreaties and offers to bring her best-selling novel ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. to the screen (both big and small) yet steadfastly refused.
14 THE POWER & SOUND REVIVAL returns for its third year celebrating bands, bikes, and beasts of the road with a twoday music festival and vintage auto show, May 19-20, at the Camp Springs Bluegrass Park in Elon.
16 Behold! THE BRONZED CHORUS returns, greeting seasons of change and challenge — riding into new releases with a new single, upcoming album, and a show with Life in Vacuum at Gas Hill Drinking Room on May 15.
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Creative Greensboro’s Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park (MUSEP) Concert Series will return for its 44th season on June 4 with concerts in various park locations throughout Greensboro. The full schedule can be found at www.creativegreensboro. com.
Concert goers will see and hear from some longstanding favorites including the Greensboro Concert Band, Nu Blu, and the Greensboro Big Band. Several musical acts will make their MUSEP debut this summer, including the 10-piece salsa band Orquesta Internacional La Clave and Sahara Reggae.
All concerts begin at 6 pm Sundays
• June 4, Greensboro College, 815 W. Market St. The Greensboro Big Band (jazz/ swing) and food trucks Ki s wbi’s Crazy Casserole and Scoop Zone
• June 11, White Oak Amphitheatre, 2411 W. Gate City Blvd.
The Philharmonia of Greensboro presents c“From Screen to Stage.” Free parking and concessions available onsite.
• June 25, LeBauer Park, 208 N. Davie St.
The Greensboro Concert Band (traditional band/pops) and food trucks Sweet’s Turkey BBQ and Catering and Sweet Cold Treats
• July 9, Gateway Gardens, 2924 E. Gate City Blvd.
Erin Blue (neosoul/R&B, 6-6:45 pm) and Dreamroot (jazz/soul, 7-7:45 pm) and food trucks Hot Diggity Dog and IceQueen Ice Cream
• July 16, Latham Park, 905 Cridland Rd. Mike Yelverton (gospel) and food trucks
Kibi’s Crazy Casserole and StayFresh Italian Ice
• July 23, Hester Park, 3906 Betula St. Sahara Reggae (reggae) and food trucks
Hot Diggity Dog and StayFresh Italian Ice
• July 30, Country Park Shelter #7, 3802
Jaycee Park Dr. Nu Blu (bluegrass) and food trucks Kibi’s Crazy Casserole and Boho Berries
• August 6, Lindley Park, 3300 Starmount Dr. Orquesta Internacional La Clave (salsa) and food trucks Taco Bros and StayFresh Italian Ice
• August 13, Keeley Park, 4100 Keeley
Rd. Banjo Earth and Friends (world/bluegrass) and food trucks Hot Diggity Dog and StayFresh Italian Ice
• August 20, Barber Park, 1500 Barber Park Dr. SunQueen Kelcey and the Soular Flares (soul/rock) and food trucks Sweet’s Turkey BBQ and Catering and Boho Berries
• August 27, Blandwood Mansion, 447 W. Washington St. Africa Unplugged (world beat) and food trucks Taco Bros and Boho Berries. This concert is sponsored by UNCG’s
School of Music and College of Visual and Performing Arts.
MUSEP concerts are free to the public, although donations are collected to help sustain the series. In addition to concessions that will be available for purchase from food truck vendors, concert goers are welcome to bring a picnic, blanket, and lawn chairs. In the event of adverse weather, cancellation notices will be posted on www.creativegreensboro.com, Facebook, or Instagram. !
THE MUSEP SERIES is presented by Creative Greensboro and sponsored by UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts, UNCG School of Music, HealthTeam Advantage, Moore Music, Carey Sound, Fox8 and Greensboro’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Founded in 2019, CREATIVE GREENSBORO provides support for, ensures access to and drives awareness of the Greensboro creative community. Through a range of programs, services and partnerships, Creative Greensboro supports the development of a vibrant city. To learn more about Creative Greensboro, visit www. creativegreensboro.com.
said Mayor Nancy Vaughan three hours and 48 minutes into the May 2 meeting of Greensboro City Council, when she announced the town hall portion of the agenda.
It was more than a few.
When the meeting began at 5:30 p.m., the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber was full, with an overflow crowd that spilled out onto the second-floor landing and resulted in having to wait outside. Seventy-seven members of the public signed up to speak, more than three times as many at any town hall meeting in the last five years.
Only 23 actually made it to the podium. One who did, Del Stone of the WorkingClass and Houseless Organizing Alliance (WHOA), called the lengthy digressions by council members “functionally a filibuster.”
Two hours into the meeting, Vaughan called “a 10 minute recess” while she conferred with those signed up to speak at the public hearing for “Ordinance Amending the Greensboro Land Development Ordinance in Relation to Short Term Rentals.” This would have been the culmination of the ongoing debate about the city’s proposed regulations on Airbnbs, which several neighborhood associations argue are actually deregulations that will raise long-term rent by making short-term rentals more common.
After the break, which actually lasted 24 minutes, Vaughan announced those speakers had agreed to return on May 23. But over half of the remaining 57 who signed up to speak on other matters walked out dur-
ing digressive arguments between council members.
What Vaughan criticized as an o -topic debate began 40 minutes into the meeting, with a resolution “to authorize a commitment of $2,500,000 to Green Light Development LLC for a multifamily a ordable housing development project.”
The proposal by Green Light is to build a 52-unit multifamily development at 515 Kallamdale Road, with 24 units targeted for those under 30 percent of the average median income (AMI), 17 units for those under 50 percent AMI, and 11 units for those under 60 percent AMI.
District 1’s Sharon Hightower questioned the process by which these developers were chosen. She then invited three Black developers to the podium and asked them to introduce themselves to council, stating that they had been “left out of the conversation.”
While other reporting has cited Hightower as the reason for council taking more than three hours to get to the town hall portion of the meeting, more time was spent in digressions by District 3’s Zack Matheny, who argued that funds city sta recommended be granted solely to Green Light should be divided among it and two white-owned firms that submitted proposals.
“I don’t support giving all three the money,” replied Hightower. “One of these developers called every one of us today. The Black developers don’t know to call everybody and advocate. To me, you’re turning this not only political but discriminatory.”
Matheny continued pressing this matter even after Neighborhood Development Director Michelle Kennedy said dividing the funding among the three competing proposals would make none of them viable, as whichever proposal council approved would require all of the available $2.5 million.
“Okay, I lost that one,” said Matheny after city attorney Chuck Watts supported Hightower’s contention that Matheny’s motion had died. “But as for it being political, we are political, that’s our body, we are a policy-making body, period.”
The District 3 representative launched into a lengthy defense against alleged claims that he attempts to micromanage City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba.
“Mr. Manager, I get in a lot of trouble for
trying to micromanage, but what I’m trying to do is be strategic to help you and others like you get over the finish line.”
Matheny then, as he has in the past, criticized city sta for not getting information to council sooner. “We should have all the information to us as fast as possible prior to us having to vote on two and a half million dollars. To me, that is not strategic.”
He renewed his criticism of Jaiyeoba an hour later when he rebuked the city manager during a discussion of the second item on the general agenda, “Resolution Opposing HB 470.”
House Bill 470 would require Greensboro and Winston-Salem (and no other North Carolina cities) to fund individual Civil Service Boards to hear appeals from city employees who have been fired, demoted, or denied promotions or raises, and determine if those actions by the WinstonSalem and Greensboro city managers were justified. Currently, the only avenue of appeal for such employees is to write the City Manager. The bill’s primary sponsors are Rep. Jon Hardister, R-Guilford, Je Zenger, R-Forsyth, and Kyle Hall, R-Stokes.
On May 2, both Winston-Salem and Greensboro city councils voted to approve resolutions condemning the bill as legislative overreach. The Winston-Salem vote was unanimous, but in Greensboro, was five to three.
Matheny devoted the bulk of his comments to City Manager Jaiyeoba for allegedly not giving council enough advance warning about it.
“Over the last couple of months, we have provided weekly updates,” said Jaiyeoba.
“You alerted the chiefs [of police and the fire department], you didn’t alert us!” said Matheny.
Matheny grilled Jaiyeoba for eight minutes, until at the three-hour point of the meeting, District 2’s Goldie Wells interrupted him. “No need to be getting on the city manager about when we heard,” said Wells, her voice rising in apparent annoyance. “We all can read! I’m going to vote for the resolution [against the bill]. There’s no need fussing about when we learned.”
Council discussed the bill for 38 minutes before Hightower, at-large representative Marikay Abuzuaiter, Mayor pro tem Yvonne Johnson, Wells and District 4’s Nancy Ho man voted to oppose it and Matheny, Thurm, and Vaughan voted not to oppose it.
“I know a few people have left,”
Marcus Cox, executive board member of Professional Firefighters of Greensboro, and UE Local 150 Greensboro chapter member Bryce Carter, spoke in support of the bill.
“Once again, the city workers have asked Council to listen to their concerns,” said WHOA’s Del Stone, “and once again, city council has wasted hours of time exposing their own ignorance about basic budget issues to the point that it’s functionally a filibuster. If a worker is terminated, the only recourse is to write a letter to the city manager.”
Hightower, the council member most vehemently opposed to the bill, was unmoved.
“Nobody in the audience who is for it, other than the city workers, have really talked to me. But there are people who
have opposed it, and they have talked to me as well. I support our city workers. There’s nobody that sees this face that knows I’ve not been behind them 100 percent. I understand that the system is not perfect and there are some things we need to fix. But should union members speak for non-union members? I don’t think so. I think this bill was done in the dark. The unintended consequences will be that you will usurp the city manager’s authority. We are a manager council form of government and if you change our charter from that, you take away his power to do anything.”
Hightower acknowledged “when people get fired, they need people to advocate for them,” but said, “this bill is not going to fix that.” She restated her opposition to having union representatives on the proposed
board. “Do they have HR knowledge, policy knowledge, legal knowledge? You’re putting that in the hands of novice people. At this time, I am going to oppose it”
Abuzuaiter agreed, stating, “this bill changes the charter of the city of Greensboro,” and questioned whether it was constitutional. She also read aloud a letter in opposition to it from the Greensboro Police O cer’s Association.
The five to three vote, like the evening’s earlier unanimous one, was made without the presence of at-large representative Hugh Holston, who was absent. It was at four hours and 17 minutes into the meeting that the podium was opened to speakers on non-agenda issues. On social media, there had been speculation and hope that many speak against the proposed
prepared-food tax that Vaughan discussed last year in emails with Matt Brown, managing director of both the Coliseum and the Tanger Center.
In their correspondence, Vaughan and Brown discussed funding both the Tanger Center and Coliseum with a 1 percent tax on restaurant sales and agreed that, with the help of the state legislature, the tax could be levied without a referendum. But if anyone who signed up to speak intended to address that subject, they were among the many that left in the first fours and fifteen minutes of the meeting. !
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.
The year 2023 is shaping up to be a great one for Stephen McKinley Henderson (BFA 1972), a graduate of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for the Broadway production of Between Riverside and Crazy, in which he stars as Walter “Pops” Washington, a retired New York City police o cer at a crossroads in his life. The play also earned a Tony nomination for Best Play.
Henderson previously earned Obie and Lucille Lortel awards for the 2014 oBroadway production of Between Riverside and Crazy, which was written by Stephen Adly Guirgis. The earlier production also won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New O -Broadway Play, and the O -Broadway Alliance for Best New Play.
Henderson’s Tony nomination marks his second, following a nod for Best Featured Actor in a Play in the 2010 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Fences. But whether he wins or loses the Tony, this past Sunday he
was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lucille Lortel Awards, the pre-eminent honor presented to recognize outstanding achievement in o -Broadway productions, and on June 6th he will receive the Harold Prince Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drama Desk Awards. In 2021, Henderson was the UNCSA Commencement speaker and received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater.
Henderson appeared in a handful of early feature films, including Ghostbusters (1984) and Marie (1985), but worked primarily on stage until the early 2000s, when his screen career took o . His film credits include Tower Heist (2011), Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer (2012), and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014), the 2019 HBO version of Richard Wright’s landmark Native Son, and Halle Berry’s 2020 directorial debut Bruised. Last year he appeared in Causeway, for which Brian Tyree Henry earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
Henderson holds the distinction of having appeared in six films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012), Denzel Washington’s 2016 screen adaptation of Fences, Manchester by the Sea (2016), Lady Bird (2017), and Dune (2021). Last year, Vulture Magazine cited Henderson as one of “The 32 Greatest Character Actors Working Today.”
In a December 2022 interview with Leah Putnam of Playbill.com to discuss Between Riverside and Crazy and his career, Hender-
son said: “I don’t mind doing a very small role in a play that says something I really want to be a part of. It’s a joy to be in a director’s vision, it’s a wonderful masterpiece they’re trying to paint. And there’s no part of the canvas that isn’t crucially important.”
The actor, now 73, can currently be seen opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Ari Aster’s controversial psycho-shocker Beau is Afraid, and will reprise his role as Thufir Hawat in Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded sciencefiction epic Dune: Part Two, based on Frank Herbert’s classic novel, which is scheduled for release in December.
The 76th annual Tony Awards will be
hosted by Ariane DeBose and air live on Sunday, June 11, from the United Palace in Washington Heights, NY, from 8 – 11 p.m. on CBS, and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+. In addition, CBS and Pluto TV will present “The Tony Awards: Act One,” a behind-the-scenes pre-show featuring exclusive content, which will air from 6:30 – 8 pm.
The o cial Tony Awards website is https://www.tonyawards.com/ and the o cial UNCSA website is https://www. uncsa.edu/. !
See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.
HEART OF THE TRIAD CHORAL SOCIETY PRESENTS: A
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BY RONNIE BLANTONThis weekend, The Heart of the Triad Choral Society will perform “Mass: A Celebration of Love and Joy” (by Andre Thomas) at Main Street United Methodist Church in Kernersville, NC, on Friday, May 12th at 7 p.m., and Saturday, May 13th at 3 p.m. Dr. Andre Thomas combined the words of the ordinary mass with words from traditional spirituals to compose a 5-movement work in a gospel style. H.T.C.S. will be performing with a 30-piece professional orchestra, and two Professional Soloists: Kay Marion and Rev. Kenneth Pettigrew. In addition to our Featured Soloists for both performances, H.T.C.S. will be joined by the Glenn High School Choir on Friday Night and North Davidson High School Choir on Saturday. We are so incredibly excited to feature such an amazing wealth of talent for both Friday and Saturday’s concerts. The Heart of the Triad is a Non-Profit, Community-Driven Choir led by Artistic Director, Dr. Carol Earnhardt. This weekend’s concerts are a free and open to all ages; We will be accepting a
Love O ering to help o set the costs of this year’s production. For more information about this week’s concerts or the HTCS organization, please visit our site at: www.heartofthetriadmusic.com
HEART OF THE TRIAD CHORAL SOCIETY is a nonprofit community choir made up of singers from all over the Piedmont Triad. Our season runs August - May with two major concerts as well as various events throughout the year. All who love to sing are welcome to join! No previous musical knowledge is necessary.
ARTS COUNCIL of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County 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.
hilo Farnsworth is widely considered to be the principal inventor of television. He was not only a genius, he was also a visionary, and he shared that vision with his wife Pam one afternoon in 1926 while the couple was driving up the California coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. In his book, “The Last Lone Inventor,” Evan Schwartz recounted that conversation in which Philo told Pam that, “Television would become the world’s greatest teaching tool. Illiteracy would be wiped out, and viewers would be able to watch news as it happened.” Philo also told Pam that television would bring about world peace.
PPride of authorship aside, Farnsworth believed that his invention had value and he was right. Fortunately, he didn’t live long enough to see how that visionary value would be abused. Farnsworth died in 1971, the same year that 27-year-old Jerry Springer resigned from Cincinnati city council after it was discovered that he had paid prostitutes for sex. It was a harbinger of sleaze to come. Twenty years later, Farnsworth started spinning in his grave when Springer launched a talk show that was anything but a great “teaching tool.” Unlike Philo’s invention, Springer himself once admitted that his show had “No real value.” And yet, “ The Jerry Springer Show” lasted for 27 years, and by 1998 he had bounced Oprah Winfrey (whose show had value) from atop the ratings . Jerry Springer died of pancreatic cancer on April 27. He was 79 years old. Springer was not the first television personality to broadcast valueless content. Joe Pyne did it from 1964 to 1969, followed by Sally Jesse Raphael, Geraldo
Rivera, and Morton Downey Jr. in the 1980s. And when he started his show in 1991, Jerry had competition from the likes of Maury Povich and Jenny Jones. But it was Springer who elevated trash talk TV to an art form, by presenting such themes as, “ Stop Pimping My Twin Sister,” “I Married a Horse,” “I’m Happy I Cut off My Legs,” and “I Cut off My Own Genitals.”
Early on Springer defended giving a forum to every kind of dysfunctional weirdo imaginable, and he refused to accept responsibility for the brawls that ensued or the cumulative effect his shows would have on viewers. Commenting for his best-selling video, “ Too Hot for TV,” Springer said, “Television does not create values. It’s merely a picture of all that’s out there — the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Strictly speaking, Jerry’s assessment was correct, but by giving a voice to those who comprise that “picture,” he propagated and popularized their dysfunction, thus lowering the bar for what is acceptable
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in a broadcast setting. And that brings me back to value.
In 1957 the Supreme Court determined in Roth v United States that for something to be considered obscene, the material must be utterly without redeeming social value. Clearly, there is absolutely no redeeming social value to interviewing someone who married a horse or pimped his twin sister. So, how then could a bone fide obscenity like, “The Jerry Springer Show” have remained on air for so long? One reason is money. Springer and the TV stations that aired his show made lots of money. The other reason is viewership. Not only did Jerry’s show appeal to less educated people, it was also a guilty pleasure for highbrow folks as well. As SUNY Pittsburgh professor Charles McCoy and UVA professor Roscoe Scarborough noted in their 2015 article for TheConversation.com, “Many cultured viewers feel quite badly about watching trashy television, but they can’t seem to stop themselves. It’s like being unable to look away from a car crash.”
Nevertheless, I believe that Springer’s chair-throwing, cursing, brawling TV show had a long-term negative impact on the nature of public discourse in our country. Today it has become commonplace for folks to air their dirty linen on TV, or to berate a store clerk, or to yell, “Liar” at the President of the United States. True, Jerry Springer isn’t responsible for our values, but he made it fashionable for us to act like assholes whenever we felt the need to do so.
Springer often referred to his show as “stupid,” “camp,” and “an hour of escapism.” But in later years he also came to grips with his legacy, seeming to be apologetic, if only in a joking manner. Appearing on David Yontef’s podcast, “Behind the Velvet Rope,” Jerry said, “I just apologize. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture. I just hope Hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected and that worries me.”
What Philo Farnsworth invented had real value. What Jerry Springer did with that invention had, in his own words, “no real value.” May both men rest in peace no matter where they are now. !
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+.
Almost since the day it was published in 1970, author Judy Blume had resisted constant entreaties and o ers to bring her best-selling novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. to the screen (both big and small) yet steadfastly refused. After more than five decades, she consented and the property fell into the capable hands of screenwriter/producer/ director Kelly Fremon Craig, under the auspices of Oscar-winning producer James L. Brooks.
Any concerns that the screen version of Margaret would feel dated are quickly dispelled. Although the setting is 1970, the themes of the film are timeless and universal. They could just as easily have happened in 1980 or 1990 or, for that matter, 2023 — and in almost any culture or language. Then again, that’s a big reason that Blume’s book has retained its popularity all this time.
Of course, there are those “enlightened” — and that term is used with utmost sarcasm — observers who have repeatedly tried to challenge or, sometimes successfully, to have the book banned outright, about which no more need be said. Besides, over the years Blume has said plenty about the controversy.
A major component for the film’s success, if not the main component, is the enormously appealing and empathetic performance of Abby Ryder Fortson in the title role. She never makes a false move as the character embarks, not always gracefully, on her journey of self-discovery. Having recently moved from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey with her
mother (Rachel McAdams) and father (Benny Safdie), she’s thrust into a whole new world, and ready or not, here she comes.
As an only child, whose mother is Catholic and her father Jewish, Margaret’s search for identity sees her periodically confessing her insecurities to the Almighty (hence the title of the book and film). She and her friends are in a rush to “grow up,” without quite grasping what growing up is all about. There’s the growing attraction to boys, menstruation, training bras, a desperate need to belong — and all the confusion in between. These are themes
that anyone can identify with, whatever their age or gender — and Craig conveys them in a sincere and heartfelt fashion.
Craig fashions a convincing if somewhat gauzy, portrayal of the era. There are the requisite period trappings, as well as a smattering of chart-topping tunes from the time, but the narrative is completely focused on Margaret and her immediate environment. There’s no mention of Vietnam or Kent State or Richard Nixon or the moon landing that took place in 1969. Nor does there need to be. These are not issues that directly concern Margaret and therefore might have been a distraction to the story at hand.
McAdams, whose resemblance to Julia Roberts has never been more striking, plays Margaret’s mother, Barbara, struggling to adjust to being a suburban housewife. She has some good scenes, but those that don’t necessarily include Margaret seem a bit extraneous. Safdie, better known as an acclaimed filmmaker collaborating with his brother Josh (Good Time, Uncut Gems) plays Margaret’s dot-
ing dad Herb. As Margaret’s blowsy Jewish grandmother, Kathy Bates assumes a role that would have once been played by Shelley Winters or Lainie Kazan. She’s showy but never overpowering. She’s there not to steal Forston’s scenes, but to enhance them.
In following Blume’s novel so closely, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is inescapably episodic, with some sequences ending abruptly (almost interrupting the laugh) and some initially pivotal characters receding into the background. These include Elle Graham, Katherine Kupferer, and newcomer Amari Price as Margaret’s new clique of friends, and Echo Kellum as Mr. Benedict, their lovable if slightly bumbling sixth-grade teacher. It might have been nice to see a bit more of them, but they each make their mark.
Nevertheless, it’s Fortman who makes her mark here. Above all, Margaret is her triumph. !
See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.
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THU: $6 Bud Light Pitchers & $3 Fireball
BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
Eco-activist Rob Greenfield has stopped using toilet paper, and he wants you to, too. People reported on May 4 that Greenfield is touring the country as part of his Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Initiative, introducing people to the blue spur flower plant. The leaves are “soft as can be,” he said. “They’re durable. I call them the Charmin of the garden.” Greenfield sets up a compost toilet in a busy area and gives his spiel: “Hey, did you know you can grow your own toilet paper? I want to show people that another way is possible. We just buy (toilet paper) at the store and we never think twice about it.” Each leaf is about the size of a piece of toilet paper, and the plant supplies an abundance of them. They can’t be flushed, but they can be thrown in the trash or buried in the yard. Passersby who get sucked in will also hear Greenfield’s views on composting human waste rather than using flush toilets.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on May 3 that a man who was serving eight to 12 years in prison did not, after all, commit a burglary. In September 2020, Donald Bertram approached the home of Timothy Hu as Hu was working in his yard, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Bertram walked into Hu ’s open garage, picked up a $500 leaf blower, got in his car and drove away. But the court said that because Bertram committed the act without “force, stealth or deception,” it wasn’t a burglary. Instead, justices told Scioto County Common Pleas Court that he could be charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. Sentences for misdemeanors typically result in less than a year in jail.
It’s happened again. Minnesota state Sen. Calvin Bahr of East Bethel garnered some unwanted attention on May 1 after he cast a vote via Zoom — camera on, lying shirtless in bed with, inexplicably, an “I’m Just a Bill” character from “Schoolhouse Rock!” on the wall behind him. The Associated Press reported that immediately after casting his vote, Bahr switched o his camera.
On April 29 in Groningen, the Netherlands, police pulled over a driver who had mowed down a post on a sidewalk, Oddity Central reported. The unnamed 35-yearold man refused a breath test, but he did produce a Ukrainian driver’s license with a familiar name and photo: Boris Johnson, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. The license had Johnson’s correct date of birth but had an expiration date of 3000. Apparently, such fake licenses are popular at Ukrainian souvenir shops.
The BBC reported on May 4 that three burglars broke into a shoe store in Huancayo, Peru, in the middle of the night and made o with 200 shoes. Unfortunately for them, they were all right shoes. Surveillance video captured them using a tricycle to remove the boxed shoes. The shop owner estimated the value at more than $13,000, although the thieves may have trouble selling the shoes for only one foot. The local police chief was confident that they would be caught.
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From the too-good-to-pass-up file: Photographer Ken Pretty of Dildo, Newfoundland, had the extraordinary luck on April 27 to capture a 30-foot-tall iceberg floating in Conception Bay. (Nearby towns include Spread Eagle and Placentia.) Live Science reported that the berg, “a column with a domed head protruding up from two oval rafts of ice,” resembled a phallus.
“I knew I’d get a lot of comments,” Pretty said, “but I didn’t expect this much.”
Sadly, the “dickie berg,” as locals named it, didn’t last: It collapsed the next day.
Akron (Ohio) Municipal Court Judge Ron Cable made a couple’s dreams come true on May 4 as he o ciated a “Star Wars”-themed wedding, the Associated Press reported. Julia and Robert Jones said when they heard about the special ceremonies, “There was no other right decision. That was it.” They joined six other couples in 15-minute wedding ceremonies at the Highland Universal Gathering Spot in Akron. Julia and Robert took the theme to the next level, wearing Sith and Jedi robes and carrying lightsabers. “By the joining of the lightsabers,” Cable intoned, “and by the giving and receiving of rings,” he pronounced them husband and wife. “May the Force be with you.” !
©2023 Andrews McMeel Universal
56 Vatican VIP
57 Not distributed, as cards
59 One working to take control 65 Actress — Dawn Chong 66 Mean Amin 68 Lucy’s Desi 69 Dog types 70 City west of Lake Superior 74 Freely
77 “Guys and Dolls” song
78 Meadowland
79 Punch sound
82 Narrative at the start of the Bible
85 Sportsperson
88 Ship’s frame
89 Cry on “The Simpsons”
90 Biblical verb ending
92 Big blood line
93 Sinuous fish
94 Small pellets for air guns
96 Famous 1804 duel
100 High-school jrs.’ exam
102 Billy portrayed by Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”
104 Swelled head
105 Los Angeles neighborhood
109 Tranquilize
115 Brazilian berry in juices
116 “Eat — eaten” (law of survival)
117 Lister’s abbr.
119 “How Do I Live” singer LeAnn
120 Mint family herb
122 What the first words of eight long answers in this puzzle are
127 Crawl
128 Ready to go
129 Thorn in one’s side
130 Ibsen’s “— Gabler”
131 Family tree females
132 Have faith in
1 Black key above A
2 Justice Samuel
3 Musical steps
4 — -pocus
5 Feel blindly
6 Poking tool
7 Earthy colors
8 One who used to be in the club
9 Dogma suffix
10 “Homeland” airer, for short
11 Rowing tool
12 Of a wedding
13 Southwestern tribe
14 Past artifact
15 Panther, e.g.
16 Not fully aged
17 Hot-and-cold dessert
18 PR concern
19 Juice cleanse, e.g. 24 She-sheep 29 Render null 32 Quarterback Marino 34 IRS datum 35 — Paulo 36 “Son of,” in Arab names
Rx
With 42-Down, restau
Shadina Blunt is in the business of making sure that women who want to become mothers have the easiest experience possible.
She plans to be in the business for a very long time.
“It’s a passion. When I’m 120 years old, I’ll still be doing this work to the day I cross over,” she passionately said.
The three-time surrogate and women’s advocate is the founder/owner of Surrogacy Miracles and Consulting. She also is the founder of the nonprofit Surrogacy Miracles Family Foundation, where her goal is “to help minority families with the cost of their surrogacy journey by offering financial grants to support their dream.” The non-profit is designed to help financially support families — especially families of color and same sex-couples — who seek gestational surrogacy to grow their families after suffering in silence after pregnancy loss, fertility issues, and societal stigmas and shame.
With a master’s in Healthcare Business Management from Western Governors University and an Associate Degree in Nursing and Applied Science from Guilford Technical Community College, Blunt started her career as a nurse before transitioning into working in surrogacy by becoming a gestational carrier. Blunt also released a children’s book “Miracles to Motherhood: Mary’s Gift of Life” in December 2021. This book follows two families whose chance meeting leads them through gestational surrogacy and helps answer many of the questions children of intended families and carrier families tend to have about the gestational surrogacy process.
Growing up in High Point, and graduating from T. Wingate Andrews High School, the mother of three and soonto-be grandmother, decided to become a gestational carrier in 2017 after seeing the women who were having difficulties getting pregnant at the obstetrician and gynecological office she worked at.
“A lot of women would come in and either they couldn’t get pregnant or
couldn’t sustain a pregnancy. I decided that I wanted to become a gestation carrier just like that. I had my children very early. At the time, I only had two children, and I thought, well, I got pregnant very easily myself. If that’s what they need, then I can do it,” Blunt said.
“So I did my research on what surrogacy looked like. I learned the different types of surrogates that you could become and made a decision on how I wanted to move forward. I signed up with an agency initially and began my journey there.”
Whether you are carrying for yourself or another family, Blunt admits that is no walk in the park. Blunt has carried a total of six children, three for three different families.
“With surrogacy and pregnancy in general, there’s a high ratio, especially in Black women, where the mortality rate is very high. So pregnancy is hard on the female body. It’s not easy to get pregnant or to carry a pregnancy fullterm successfully without any complications. People think it’s very easy to get pregnant, but it’s not. There’s a lot of things that have to align in order to make pregnancy.”
Throughout her journeys as a gestational carrier, Blount said that communication and taking into account the intended parents’ emotions are key.
“Each journey was great. I don’t have anything negative to say about any of the families that I carried for. They all were very caring for me throughout the course of the journey. They all were emotional going through that. I could really see their genuine concern as they went through the journey of what this looked like and how this would affect them throughout the course of the journey. All three of the journeys were heterosexual relationships for men and women couples. And so in all of the journeys, the mom would present emotion around, one, not being able to carry themselves, and two, being able to look at me carry for them. So it still was a big process for them that they had to take in as we went through the journey. So I always had to be mindful of that and communication and how every step of the journey might affect them.”
A few of those journeys have been in the public eye.
Blunt has been a guest on BRAVO’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” as a surro-
gate to Grammy-award-winning singersongwriter Kandi Burruss Tucker and her husband Todd Tucker. That journey has since gained her some fans and the title of a celebrity gestational carrier. She has appeared on “Married to Medicine” with co-owner and business partner Dr. Jackie Walters.
“When that came to light and was presented on such a large platform, a lot of my family and friends that I don’t see on a day-to-day basis, had no idea that I had even done a journey earlier because it wasn’t necessarily announced but it wasn’t like we were hiding it. It just wasn’t necessarily announced throughout my family outside of those that would see me on a daily basis,” Blunt said. “When I initially was asked, I was hesitant because I didn’t necessarily have the desire to want to do another surrogacy journey. It initially started as a consulting situation where I would consult them on trying to find a carrier and what that looked like so they would have a positive experience and communication with each other. We quickly learned that what they needed in a gestational carrier in order to feel comfortable is what I could provide for them. So we decided to continue to get together and I decided to share it on such a large platform in order to bring more awareness of surrogacy to my community for black women.”
After having done several media interviews surrounding surrogacy, her mission and passion continue to push her to ensure women across the nation know about surrogacy and its benefits. For Blunt, it is about educating women on the risks and options.
“The mortality rate is significantly higher for Black women than any other nationality. We, as Black women, suffer
from fibroids. The ratio of women that suffer from fibroids in the Black community is higher than any other nationality, as well. Pregnancy loss and or delivery loss is significantly higher, as well. And I think we don’t understand, see the statistics or recognize it in our community because we don’t feel comfortable talking about it,” she explained. So you could be in a room with, say, four or five girlfriends, and over half of them have experienced some type of infertility, whether they had fibroids or have struggled to get pregnant. It’s just not talked about.”
Blunt said she stays in contact with families and is delighted to see the children she birthed with their families.
“We still communicate. Kandi texted me literally two weeks ago just to check in on me and so have my first set of parents. They message me and reach out all the time. They send me pictures and updates on how she’s doing. So it makes me happy to see success, family building, and families that got exactly what they were looking for. They’re happy, and that makes me happy. It’s that simple. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, my God, how can you see a child that you birth out there with somebody else?’ It’s like, one, this is not my baby that I delivered because genetically, it’s not connected to me. And two, this is the whole reason that I do surrogacy. In order to see the parent with their children thriving. It makes the whole journey worthwhile for me on delivery day when I get to see as soon as I push that baby out, she gets snatched up into that mom’s and dad’s arm to do skin-to-skin.
Blunt has since ended her gestational carrier journey, having been diagnosed at 33 weeks with Stage 3 Breast Cancer in January of this year.
“I’ve been very blessed, I have to say. Even through the battles of it, I have a newfound respect for what cancer treatment looks like, and it kind of hit me for a whirlwind all at once. I was diagnosed while pregnant in my last surrogacy journey and started treatment literally five days after I delivered the baby,” she said.
That diagnosis just added more fire to Blunt’s mission to empower and help women. She is now focused also on helping women through their breast cancer awareness, as well as continuing to do her surrogacy work.
“I really feel like I’m on a new journey now to be able to show people and showcase my understanding and what I’ve grown to know through breast cancer treatment. I want to help support other women that are going through this, not only to bring knowledge about
getting tested and doing your selfbreast exams but to be positive as well,” Blunt said. “Now I’ll just focus on helping other families, supporting them and bringing life through other gestational carriers, and making sure that they have the support that they need.”
Blunt said that she would encourage anyone interested in being a surrogate or the surrogacy process to do their research.
“Don’t just believe what you hear out there or just what you read online. Do your research. Connect with an agency that is knowledgeable and well-versed in what surrogacy should look like. If you’re interested, even if you’re not thinking about being a gestational carrier yourself or an intended parent, get the information so that way you’re not judgmental of other people that have decided to become gestational carriers.”
Most importantly Blunt wants parents to continue to believe in miracles.
“I want you to continue to believe that miracles happen every day one way or the other. You just have to believe and do the work. So don’t give up on yourself. Don’t just sit there. If you have a desire to want to be a parent, contact an agency, contact an IVF clinic, and get the information to start your journey. I know for a lot of people, finances are an issue that holds a lot of families back from creating their families. But there are options out there. So you just got to make sure that you’re talking to the right people that are leading you in the right direction.” !
CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.
Contributor
Start those engines, y’all! The Power & Sound Revival returns for its third year celebrating bands, bikes, and beasts of the road with a two-day music festival and vintage auto show, May 19-20, at the Camp Springs Bluegrass Park in Elon.
Presented by The Rockingham Company, a mother-daughter booking duo, the Revival sets to celebrate all that is Kustom Kulture, with vintage cars, motorcycles, and vans while showcasing the Americana, country, and rock’n’roll sounds of the southeast.
“We like to dub it ‘bringing back that
old school feel’,” festival “Head Honcho” Olivia Jewell Williams said of the Revival — which has also become something of her family’s own “Mother’s Day” celebration. Her mom, Michelle Williams, co-organizes the festival — with the pair having spent the past three holidays gearing up to bring gearheads together.
“We both have our strong points,” Williams said, singing her mom’s more matter-of-fact praises. “She’s the one making sure I’ve crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s so to speak. I handle a bulk of the organization and communication; she deals with most of the bookkeeping, note-taking and helps make sure all the last-minute stu gets handled.”
“We book the music together,” Williams continued, “and she’s who I honestly have the most fun with planning the lineup.”
Playing favorites only for the holiday, Williams enjoys ways her whole family
gets involved. “We’re definitely a familyrun business,” she said — pointing to the ways her dad Justin Williams, brother Seth Williams, and extended family and friends all pitch in. “We couldn’t pull this o without the love and support of these folks.”
And its support they look to share with their sister company, the non-profit, Arts & Trade of North Carolina Inc. “A portion of the money raised at our event will go towards the ATNC’s mission of supporting and backing local artists, tradespeople, and creators,” Williams explained. It’s a mission dear to their brood — Seth was part of the band Whiskey Foxtrot and plays in JSW. The whole family are avowed vintage van enthusiasts — part of the Kustom Kulture crowd of classic car lovers, which they enjoy incorporating into the festival with a custom van, car, and motorcycle show and competition in partnership with Speed & Kulture Magazine
“We love that we can showcase it at our own event and have so many of our good friends come, support and celebrate it,” Williams said. “We’re both part of a local van club called the Foggy Mountain Van Club where we take road trips to di erent shows and campgrounds just to enjoy the lifestyle.”
“Kustom Kulture is a huge part of the event because it is a huge part of our lives,” she continued. “We’ve always been involved in the automotive world, specifically that side of things, so it’s great to see people put their own style and influences into a vehicle and make it their own. Not only with automotives but also
with art, music, and lifestyle.”
An a ection for vintage elements is intrinsic to the Revival experience. “We like to market the festival as bringing back that old-school feel,” Williams said.
“We want to make attendees feel like they’ve stepped back in time when they step onto the property.”
“We’ve had such great support from local and out-of-state people,” Williams continued. “It’s amazing to see over 1,000 folks come out and support — that so many people enjoy the idea of stepping back in time with an event like this!”
While the classic rides and bellbottomed organizers aid the vibe — the bands are the backbone behind the throwback eras. Pulling from independent artists from around the southeast, Williams is excited to o er a mix of country, blues, and rock.
On the 2023 bill, Jive Mother Mary, Chuck Mountain, and JSW rep the Triad artists. Abby Bryant & the Echoes, Andrew Scotchie & the River Rats, and Kyle Kelly are rolling down from the Western hills of Asheville and the Catawba Valley. Woody Woodworth & The Piners will ride down from Richmond, Virginia, while Chance Howland is coming up from South Carolina; Luke Whittaker and Ace Monroe are heading over from the Music City of Nashville, Tennessee; Lance Rogers from Kentucky; and the Texans in Quaker City Night Hawks are set to headline.
In a rad and rootin-tootin last-minute addition to the lineup, Arkansas ballad bad-boy (and a favored guest in the Triangle) Dylan Earl, will play Friday on the festival’s inaugural second stage.
And while the bands rock those stages during the day, the party rolls into the campground at night with three camping areas for hammocks, tents, and van-lifers (one with a fishin’ hole to boot). Chuck Mountain has announced they’re hosting a cornhole tournament in the camp — for which Williams shared her excitement (along with the “great bath house” the property boasts).
“We like to o er something for everyone, even the families who come!,” she said, pointing to the activities for all ages and interactive vendors o ering face painting, henna, games, photo booths, and Tin Type portraits. “We have over 35 vendors this year, and we put a lot of
e ort into making sure our vendor market is unique and o ers our attendees oneof-a-kind art, jewelry, handcrafted items, and great tradesmanship.” As for food, o erings from an array of food trucks and a full-on food court from Blissful Palette will be available to keep folks fueled throughout the weekend. !
Behold! The Bronzed Chorus returns, greeting seasons of change and challenge — riding into new releases with a new single, upcoming album, and a show with Life in Vacuum at Gas Hill Drinking Room on May 15.
In the six years since their last EP, guitarist Adam Joyce and drummer Hunter Allen have taken pause — reworking their gear, readjusting to the pandemic, revisiting the energy and atmosphere that fueled their noted cycles of “hang, tour, crunk, work, work, work, tour, wash, wash, repeat.”
Stuck in the work-wash-work for a while, the instrumental duo has been renowned for themes expressed in tones — the balance between the bleeps and bloops — a serious craft beyond their rhythmic crunk. They’re craftsmen after all — Allen has been known to tinker for trade and Joyce leads the Wood Shop at the Forge makerspace.
But it’s a new season for the electroexperimental post-rock duo who’ve been “writing complicated music since 2006.” More than a tagline, Joyce takes the notion to heart and hand. “With each new release, we try to challenge ourselves by completely reworking our gear setup and build (or destroy) what came before,” he said.
“Riffing off of all of these concepts, you have our new record ‘Aki’, which translates to ‘autumn’ in Japanese,” Joyce explained, pointing to the path of “season records” besetting their discography.
In practicality, they’ll continue that pathway with an album release to start the summer. Going back to the beginnings, it’s another step forward, facing challenges first taken in their inaugural album “Thurtythurty.” “It was all about trying to sound like four people, with the sum of two,” Joyce noted, turning to the seeds of seasons and synthesizers planted in 2009’s “I’m the Spring,” which paired synths and drums played simultaneously by then-drummer Brennen O’Brien.
By 2011’s “Gleaning,” Allen was behind
the kit — along with a menagerie of “old things that shouldn’t be used for music but we decided to do it anyway,” like an Atari 2600 video game console. “We armed with a synth mod cart that lets you play synth lines with the keypad controllers,” Joyce explained of the gadgets that helped the album feel at home on the Athens-based Hello Sir Records with labelmates and video game wizards, Bit Brigade.
Coming into bloom on 2016’s “Summering,” Joyce’s penchant for looping techniques sprouted legs — and jumped onto playing keys on the 2017 “Yearling” EP, a ret-con/followup hybrid that featured remixes of “Summering” songs by electronic artists Treee City, .darklove, Quilla and Rocky Rosga.
Turning a new leaf into their latest endeavor, “Aki” ups the ante of synthesized vibes over 8-tracks. Released through the Virginian Ossein Collective, the album will be digitally available on June 9, with a limited-edition run of Translucent Mist colored 180-gram vinyl due in July. The first single, “Pluck,” and
its accompanying video are out now via Bandcamp and YouTube.
“Our new challenge on ‘Aki’ is to incorporate sequenced synth,” Joyce noted. “It still sounds like us, but with a synth “player” covering more of the bass territory this time. It’s definitely the most moody record we have ever made.”
It’s a moodiness relayed through the album art: “Mist” by Greensboro photographer Terri McNaughton. “We fell in love with that piece,” Joyce said. “To me, it represents the struggle of one’s hope and despair, themes of existential dread revolving around climate change, social unrest, dealing with one’s own tug between empathy and apathy.”
To set the mood sound-wise, they ventured north: recording at Machines with Magnets, a multifaceted studioartspace located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (just outside Providence). “It was a great place to get away from the comforts and distractions of home, but still be in a comfortable, and inspiring place,” Joyce explained. “The studio has an adjacent apartment, which made
the place really easy to stay focused on the recording. We could just stroll into the studio with our socks on to start the day.”
Beyond the comfy digs, “records coming out of that place have just been sounding so deep and rich, especially with the drums, which can really be heard on Daughters’ ‘You Won’t Get What You Want’,” he said, praising various works from sound-engineer Seth Manchester. “Seth is fantastic. We really enjoyed his very tasteful mixing on Wildflower’s ‘The Ocean Rose’; and we knew he could handle all the MIDI stuff because he co-engineered both ‘Mirrored’ and ‘Gloss Drop’ by Battles.”
“MIDI is a nightmare,” Joyce continued.
“As someone who really only writes by ear, moving to using MIDI to control and sequence synths for both a guitarist and drummer is daunting,” he explained.
“But we think we’ve tamed the beast.”
“I guess we’ll see how this goes live,” he added, with a chuckle and an eye on upcoming shows with their Canadian (by way of Ukraine) buds, Life in Vacuum. The pair are playing Rubies on Five Points in Durham on May 14 (with Wailin Storms), and Gas Hill Drinking Room in Winston-Salem on May 15.
“These are our testing grounds for the new material,” Joyce said. “Our pals from Life in Vacuum asked us to play shows for their east coast tour, so we helped them fill out some dates to also help us get back into the swing of things.”
“We haven’t played since 2019, which was a benefit at Motorco in Durham,” he continued, expressing a bit of mood matching the new record. “I’m a bit anxious, to be honest,” he admitted, pointing at pitfalls that accompany their affection for gear expanse. “We seem to love to add more and more elements of technology to our live shows that could go wrong.”
Ever ready to crunk, Joyce shrugs off the doubt with plans for a fall tour across the seasons and old stomping grounds. “I guess it’s just time to ‘ride the snake’.”
Wanna ride along with the Bronzed Chorus? “Pluck,” the first single from their upcoming album, is out now; “Aki” drops via Ossein Collective on June 9. They’ll be at Gas Hill on May 15. !
Four SaintS BrEwing
218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com
thursdays: taproom trivia
Fridays: Music Bingo
May 27: william nesmith
Jun 24: 80’s unplugged
Cat’S CradlE
300 E Main St | 919.967.9053 www.catscradle.com
May 10: Feist
May 10: shame
May 10: transviolet
May 11: dopapod
May 12: Vienna teng
May 13: odie leigh
May 16: annie diruddo
May 19: Sueco
May 19: Slow teeth
May 20: tim Barry
May 21: the new Pornographers
May 22: Matthew logan Vasquez
May 22: oFF!
May 27: Backseat lovers
May 27: thrice
May 27: westerman
May 28: K. Flay
May 28: Panchiko
May 28: tHe Crystal Casino Band
May 30-31: indigo de Souza
May 31: la luz
Jun 1: into the Fog
Jun 2l gEEKEd, Kal Marks, Cor de lux, tongues of Fire
Jun 3: the gone ghosts, Heat Preacher, Charles latham and the Borrowed Band
BoJanglES ColiSEuM
2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600
www.boplex.com
May 12: Ceelo green, Plies, Juvenile, trick daddy, goodie Mob, lil webbie
May 26: ramon ayala
Jun 17: tink admat
Jun 24: grupo Frontera El Comienzo tour
Jun 26: tori amos
tHE FillMorE
1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970
www.livenation.com
May 10: Bury tomorrow
May 10: City Morgue
May 12: Saosin
May 13: natalia Jimenez
May 13: Haken
May 14: Voivod
May 15: Set it off
May 16: the gaslight anthem
May 16: Homixide gang
May 17: Jazz is dead
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
Jun 17: dierks Bentley
SKYla CrEdit union
aMPHitHEatrE
former Charlotte Metro Credit Union 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
333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000
www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com
May 23: Paramore
ClEmmOnS
VillagE SQuarE
taP HouSE
6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330
www.facebook.com/vstaphouse
May 11: James Vincent Carroll
May 12: Motorvader
May 13: Billy Creason Band
May 17: Kick Back trio
May 19: Hampton drive
May 20: Stereo doll
duRHAm
Carolina tHEatrE
309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030
www.carolinatheatre.org
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
May 17: Crowded House
dPaC
123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787
www.dpacnc.com
May 2-14: Moulin rouge! the Musical
May 18: triangle rising Stars
May 19: get the led out
May 20: John Mellencamp
May 23: the Beach B
oys
May 30-Jun 4: 1776
ElKIn
rEEVES tHEatEr
129 W Main St | 336.258.8240
www.reevestheater.com
wednesdays: reeves open Mic
Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam
May 13: the Foreign landers
May 19: the Classic drifters
May 20: the reeves House Band90’s Show
May 27: darin & Brooke aldridge
Barn DinnEr ThEaTrE
120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211
www.barndinner.com
apr 22- May 27: The Sweet Delilah Swim Club
Jun 3- Jul 15: Legends Diner: a Musical Tribute
CaroLina ThEaTrE
310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605
www.carolinatheatre.com
May 27: Mellencougar: John Mellencamp Tribute
Jun 3: adam Ezra
Jun 24: Maritzada
Char Bar no. 7
3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555
www.charbar7.com
May 11: The Good Watts
May 18: Darrel hoots
May 25: Kelsey hurley
CoMEDY ZonE
1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034
www.thecomedyzone.com
May 12-13: Leah rudick
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
May 11: David Lin
May 12: Stereo Doll
May 13: Dear Sister
May 14: Jay Mayberry
May 18: Tatum Sheets
May 19: Spindle 45
May 21: irish Jam Session
May 25: Dustin York
May 26: Gipsy Danger
May 27: Wristband
May 28: Patrick rock
GrEEnSBoro CoLiSEuM
1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400
www.greensborocoliseum.com
May 12: Straight Jokes! no Chaser
May 17: Kevin hart
hanGar 1819
1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480
www.hangar1819.com
May 16: Kevin nichols
May 17: against The Current, Trophy Eyes & Yours Truly
May 19: nekrogoblikon
May 20: Bloodywood, vended, Wargasm uK
May 21: Converge, Brutus & Frailbody
May 23: Born of osiris
May 27: Gary Maverick Band
May 28: attack attack, Belmont, Traitors, Savage hands
LiTTLE BroThEr
BrEWinG
348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678
www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew
May 10: Unheard Project
May 11: Jonathan Scales
Fourchestra w/ Elora Dash
May 12: Drew Foust’s Wheelhouse w Holy Roller
May 13: Turpentine Shine
May 16: Sunny Sweeney w/ Carri Smithey
May 17: John Papa Gros
May 18: Dance From above
May 21: Eric Johanson
HOURS: Tues-Fri: 3pm-unTil
saT & sun 12pm-unTil 221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967
www.flatirongso.com
STEvEn TanGEr CEnTEr
300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500
www.tangercenter.com
May 11: Branford Marsalis
May 17-Jun 4: Frozen
Jun 10-11: harry potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert
ThE iDioT Box
CoMEDY CLuB
503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699
www.idiotboxers.com
Thursdays: open Mic
May 12: Carter Deems
high point
1614 DMB
1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113
https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/
May 12: TJ harris acoustics
hiGh PoinT ThEaTrE
220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401
www.highpointtheatre.com
May 25: Letters From home
jamestown
ThE DECK
118 E Main St | 336.207.1999
www.thedeckatrivertwist.com
May 11: Bradley Steele
May 12: roads Band
May 13: Toyz
May 18: Dan Miller
May 20: retro vinyl
May 25: The aquarius
May 26: huckleberry Shine
LinCoLn ThEaTrE
126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400
www.lincolntheatre.comMay 13: railroad Earth
May 19: Mostley Crue w/ Flying high again/ voodoo
May 20: Start Making Sense ( The Talking heads Tribute)
May 26: BigbabyGucci
May 28: K. Flay
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
EarL’S 121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018
www.earlsws.com
Mondays: open Mic
Thursdays: Will Jones
May 12-13: Zack Brock and the Good intentions
May 14: Lando and the Mando Duo
May 19: Travis Grubb and the Stoned rangers
May 20: Billy Creason Band
May 21: Will Jones
May 26: The Mighty Fairlanes
May 27: Mike Cosner and the Fugatives
Wednesdays: Trivia
Fridays & Saturdays: Free Live Music
May 12: unheard Project
May 13: Colin Cutler Band
May 19: Tre. Charles Duo
May 20: Big Bump and the Stun Guns
May 26: Carri and the Good Watts
Trio
May 27: Todd Johnson
PiEDMonT haLL
2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400
www.greensborocoliseum.com
May 11: Grace Potter
June 2: Green Queen Bingo
roDY’S TavErn
5105 Michaux Rd | 336.282.0950
www.facebook.com/rodystavern
May 10: Megan Doss
May 12: Coia
May 17: Kelsey hurley
May 19: Patrick rock Trio
May 24: Daniel Love
May 26: Elena hores
May 31: William nesmith
kernersville
BrEaThE
CoCKTaiL LounGE
221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822
www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge
Wednesdays: Karaoke
May 13: Burlesk Flower Power
May 26: SMaShaT
KErnErSviLLE
BrEWinG CoMPanY
221 N Main St. | 336.816.7283
www.facebook.com/kernersvillebrewing
Thursdays: Trivia
ThE LiBErTY
ShoWCaSE ThEaTEr
101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844
www.TheLibertyShowcase.com
May 13: Bryan White
May 20: rhonda vincent & The rage
May 28: Gypsy 3
FiDDLin’ FiSh
BrEWinG CoMPanY
772 Trade St | 336.999.8945
www.fiddlinfish.com
Tuesdays: Trivia
May 12: red umber
May 19: none of the above Bluegrass
FooThiLLS BrEWinG
638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348
www.foothillsbrewing.com
Sundays: Sunday Jazz
Thursdays: Trivia
May 10: Terra-String
May 12: James vincent Carroll
May 13: Lisa Saint & Sam robinson
May 14: Taylor Mason
May 17: Colin Cutler
May 19: Camel City Blues
May 20: Ben Dehan
May 21: Evan Blackerby
May 24: Jim Mayberry
May 26: Colin Cutler Trio
May 27: Kickback Trio
May 28: Samuel Stowe
May 31: Sam Robinson
MIDWAY MUSIC HALL
11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218 www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter
Mondays: Line Dancing
May 13: Crimson Rose Band
May 20: The Classics
THE RAMKAT
170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714
May 10: A Night for Alex: A Benefit for Alex McKinney
May 12: JD Simo
May 13: Tyler Booth, Brooke Lee
May 15: The Bronzed Chorus, Life in Vacuum
May 18: Nikki Morgan, Laura Jane Vincent
May 19: Tristan Tritt, Seven Year Witch
May 20: Spyro Gyra, Travis Williams Group
May 24: The Barrett Davis Trio, Momma Molasses
May 25: Withdrew, The Gone Ghosts
May 26: His & Hers, Down The Mountain
ROAR
633 North Liberty Street | 336-917-3008 www.roarws.com | www.roarbrandstheater.com
May 10: A Night for Alex: A Benefit for Alex McKinney
May 12: Silent Disco with DJs SK, EnaPop & Vonfunkhauser
May 12: JD Simo
May 13: Tyler Booth, Brooke Lee
May 15: The Bronzed Chorus, Life in Vacuum
May 18: Nikki Morgan, Laura Jane Vincent
May 19: Tristan Tritt
May 20: Spyro Gyra
May 24: The Barrett Davis Trio, Momma Molasses
May 25: Withdrew, The Gone Ghosts
May 26: His & Hers, Down The Mountain
May 27: Spirit System, Ships in the Night
May 30: Ugly Kid Joe, Pistols at Dawn
WISE MAN BREWING
826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008 www.wisemanbrewing.com
Thursdays: Music Bingo
May 29: Basses Covered Brass
May 12: Gipsy Danger
Week of May 15, 2023
[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Aspects indicate a potential for confusion or misunderstanding. Keep those lines of communication open between you and your mate or significant other.
[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Romantic aspects are strong, but confusing. Be alert. Use your good Bovine sense to avoid charging into something that isn’t quite what it seems to be.
[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Working out problems with family members or others close to you should be your priority. Travel aspects are strong, especially in job-related situations.
[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) The Cancerian Crab likes to take charge of things. But be careful you don’t pinch o more than you can hold, or you might find it all slipping out of your grasp.
[LEO (July 23 to August 22) A new opportunity beckons Leos and Leonas who are ready to take on some tough challenges. Family matters continue to improve, but still need close attention.
[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) What seems to be a disappointment could be a blessing in disguise. Use that good Virgin mind to analyze the situation and learn some valuable lessons.
[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) There are some conflicting considerations that will need careful sorting out. Remember: You do best when you’re able to balance sense and sentiment.
[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Aspects show conflicting signs around friendships. Be careful about taking advice from someone who might have an agenda that is not in your best interests.
[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Relationships are supposed to be about give-and-take, but you might find that you’ve been doing all the giving while getting little in return.
[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Sometimes indecision can be a positive factor in helping to resolve doubts about a potential commitment. Don’t be rushed into acting before you feel ready to do so.
[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Take o those rose-colored glasses and see this new situation for what it is — and for what it isn’t. Remember: You haven’t been told the whole truth yet.
[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Watch that you don’t drain your energy reserves as you dive into a new and increasingly demanding project. Take time out for rest and relaxation.
[BORN THIS WEEK: You live your life on a finely tuned balance between the perception of a Taurus and the curiositiy of a Gemini. You excel in the arts.
© 2023 by King Features Syndicate
crossword on page 11 [WEEKLY
sudoku on page 11
by Fifi Rodriguez1. MOVIES: Which animated movie includes the line, “Fish are friends, not food”?
[
[ 6. LITERATURE: Which best-selling novel (1989) is set in Clanton, Mississippi?
[
2. TELEVISION: What is the name of the “Sesame Street” Muppet who lives in a trashcan?
[ 3. GEOGRAPHY: What is the largest country geographically in Africa?
[ 4. ANATOMY: What is complete heterochromia?
[ 5. U.S. STATES: Which two states don’t recognize Daylight Savings Time?
[ 7. FOOD & DRINK: What is the national dish of Spain?
[ 8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of leopards called?
[ 9. HISTORY: Which two Greek citystates fought the Peloponnesian War?
[ 10. AD SLOGANS: Which company once urged customers to “reach out and touch someone” by telephone?
10. AT&T.
9. Sparta and Athens.
8. A leap of leopards.
7. Paella.
6. “A Time to Kill,” by John Grisham.
5. Hawaii and Arizona.
4. When someone’s eyes are two di erent colors.
3. Algeria.
2. Oscar the Grouch.
1. “Finding Nemo” (Bruce the Shark).
© 2023 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
