YES! Weekly - May 24, 2023

MAY 24-30, 2023

A STAND UP GUY

Tommy Davidson is a stand-up guy and has been for quite some time now. The multi-faceted artist feels most comfortable on stage, making others laugh.

6 9 16

5500 Adams Farm Lane Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 O ce 336-316-1231 Fax 336-316-1930

Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com

EDITORIAL

Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com

YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER

KATEI CRANFORD JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID DALIA RAZO LYNN FELDER

4 First things first: THE 26TH ANNUAL RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is scheduled for April 18-27, 2024. As for this year’s 25th-anniversary festival, which took place April 13-24 and boasted 174 films from 34 different countries, RiverRun was not only a celebration of independent cinema but irrefutable evidence of the festival’s durability.

6 The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem will present SOMETHING ROTTEN!, with music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick, on Friday, June 9, at the Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N. Spruce Street in Winston-Salem.

6 The High Point Arts Council is pleased to announce our 2023 SUMMER OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES — Arts Splash. This season’s line up includes artists highlighting various genres of music: Motown, Soul, Folk, Blues, Latin, and Jazz.

8 During his 17-year NFL career, RICKY PROEHL was one of the most respected wide receivers in the game. He was also one of the most successful, with two Super Bowl rings to show for it.

9 After what will very likely be a brief theatrical release, FOOL’S PARADISE may well find more favor on the small screen. The feature writing/directing debut of leading man Charlie Day ( It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ) was completed in 2018...

14 “We educate the nurses, teachers, accountants, small-business owners, and other professionals who fuel the engine of prosperity across the state,” begins UNC Greensboro’s “REINVENTION AND INNOVATION” website, which describes the university as “Innovating Our Way Out” of a financial crisis created by shrinking enrollment.

16 Hotamighty, y’all! Matt Walsh keeps moving a new record, “STRAIGHT OUTTA DUNN” out May 30. Offering both homage to the mighty Link Wray and a look back at his own career, “‘Straight Outta Dunn’ feels like a summertime album and I’ve always wanted to release a record in the summer,” Walsh said, musing his first foray into the “concept album.”

PRODUCTION

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We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2023 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

Season Seat Memberships for the First Bank Broadway, 2023-24 Season at Tanger Center are now on sale! In honor of blockbuster hit TINA — The Tina Turner Musical, Tanger Center has named this the “Simply the Best” third Broadway season, with seven direct-from-New-York shows making stops in the Piedmont Triad.

Broadway Season Seats are available

now at FirstBankBroadway.com. The First Bank Broadway, 2023-24 Season at Tanger Center includes:

CHICAGO: Sept. 19-24, 2023

Disney’s ALADDIN: Oct. 31 — Nov. 5, 2023

Hadestown: Feb. 13-18, 2024

SIX: Mar. 5-10, 2024

TINA — The Tina Turner Musical: Mar. 26-31, 2024

Grandfather Mountain House For Sale in exclusive Grandfather Golf & Country Club

612 HILLSIDE DR, LINVILLE, NC

Priced to Sell! $996,000 | Home Comes Furnished!

5 bedrooms | 5.5 bathrooms | 4,000 square feet

Beautiful 2 level home on a lot totaling 2± acres in gated and secured Grandfather Golf & Country Club. Situated in a beautiful wooded setting, the living, dining, kitchen, and master bedroom open to a large, multi-level deck with fire pit, hot tub, outdoor eating/ living area, dining porch, indoor/outdoor sound system, covered porch areas. Renovated eat-in kitchen with new appliances, dining room, game room/den, utility room. Additional features include gas logs, heated master bathroom floor, two stone fireplaces, a two car garage, wine closet, new Jacuzzi, new Medical infrared Sauna and covered porch. Built in custom bar with ice maker & liquor cabinet. New roof, gutters, paint (inside and out), HVAC, windows, tile in all bathrooms, toliets, and bamboo floors. Completely furnished!

This property is for sale by the Property Owner. Call Charles at (336) 253-6164 for more information.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical: April 16-28, 2024

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: May 14-19, 2024

In addition to the seven Broadway season shows, two special Broadway ‘add-ons’:

Dr. Seuss’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE

CHRISTMAS: Nov. 21-26, 2023

My Fair Lady: Jan. 26-28, 2024

Broadway add-ons are currently only available to Broadway Season Seat Members for the 2023-24 season.

Please note that the on-sale dates for individual tickets to each shows is to be announced. Season Seat Members will have first chance to guarantee their seats to all seven Broadway season shows, as well as “Grinch” and “My Fair Lady.” !

Silver anniversary playbook: RiverRun on the rebound

First things first: The 26th annual RiverRun International Film Festival is scheduled for April 18-27, 2024.

As for this year’s 25th-anniversary festival, which took place April 13-24 and boasted 174 films from 34 di erent countries, RiverRun was not only a celebration of independent cinema but irrefutable evidence of the festival’s durability. Since the 2020 festival had to be canceled due to the COVID pandemic, many film festivals have toiled tirelessly to return to earlier attendance levels, including RiverRun. The silver-anniversary festival was certainly a step in the right direction, according to RiverRun executive director Rob Davis.

“Our attendance was 11,562 this year, which is 22% higher than last year, so we are very pleased with this year’s festival. Last year’s festival was a small step back toward our pre-pandemic level and this year was a larger step. Last year, our attendance was 52% of what it was in 2019 and this year it was 64% of 2019.”

The 2021 RiverRun International Festival marked the inauguration of online screenings, in which audiences could purchase tickets and watch the films in the comfort of their own homes. Despite initial concerns over potential mishaps — which did not transpire, by the way — the virtual component has proven most successful.

“We have heard from people who appreciate this option due to their personal schedules and sometimes due to mobility issues,” Davis said. “Virtual tickets accounted for 8.5% of all tickets sold this year — up from 6% in 2022. Additionally, this year several filmmakers noted it was a convenient way to invite their distant relatives and crewmembers to see the

Local Business Spotlight

finished film. We had virtual ticket buyers from 34 states plus the District of Columbia this year: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington.”

Su ce it to say that the virtual component will continue at RiverRun, given its convenience.

Davis attributed the festival’s success not only to its audiences, visiting filmmakers, sponsors, and volunteers, but also the ingenuity and tenacity of its sta , many of whom have worked at RiverRun for years. The festival has a reputation for being both audience-friendly and filmmakerfriendly, and it is well deserved.

“We are a close-knit team which works very well together and we all have a great sense of humor, which helps,” he said. “We are all very enthusiastic about what we do, and I think our audiences and visiting filmmakers sense that. While it is great to have new talent, whether in the form of volunteers or sta , it is also great to have the experience factor which helps the festival run in seamless fashion.”

The festival saw “fantastic turnouts to many screenings,” said Zack Fox, general manager of Marketplace Cinemas, one of RiverRun’s preeminent screening venues.

This year’s Master of Cinema recipients, actress Karen Allen and Oscar-winning screenwriter Tom Schulman were on

hand for their Marketplace screenings

— Allen for the retrospective screening of Starman (1984) on April 16th and Schulman for his new film Double Down South (which he wrote on directed), also on April 16th.

“For Starman, we had 100 people — really true fans. Karen Allen decided to stay and watch the film with them, and I believe she said it was her first time seeing it in over 35 years. She did a lengthy Q&A, teased that she and Je Bridges have an idea for a sequel, plus she signed autographs and took pictures afterward. She was super! We loved the RiverRun experience,” Schulman said. “The festival sta was well organized and welcoming, and the movies we saw there — features, documentaries, and shorts — were exceptional and memorable. Our interactions with the audiences for our movie were open, friendly, and encouraging.”

“We’ve had excellent feedback from both audiences and filmmakers regarding this year’s festival,” Davis confirmed. “Our audiences, as usual, especially enjoyed the opportunity to interact with filmmakers and several of our filmmakers commented on the excellent audience discussions with thoughtful questions following their screenings.”

The o cial RiverRun International Film Festival is https://riverrunfilm.com/. !

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

Mark Burger Contributor Starman

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem to Present Something Rotten!

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem will present Something Rotten!, with music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick, on Friday, June 9, at the Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N. Spruce Street in Winston-Salem. Additional performances will be held June 10-11, 15-18 & 22-25. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.. Tickets range from $14-26 for adults (plus taxes/fees), with discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available online, and the box o ce is open for phone sales Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12-4 p.m. Call (336) 725-4001 for tickets or purchase them online at www.LTofWS.org.

Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but find themselves stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells a future where theatrical productions involve singing, dancing, and acting — all at the same time — Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first MUSICAL! This wild and hilarious comedy opened on Broadway in 2015 and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

“From our first peck at the script, I

could tell this cast would be hard to beat,” quipped Director Katie Jo Icenhower. “Not only are they eggs-cellent performers, but they are also a bunch of comedi-hens who crack each other up with lots of yolks. Everyone has come out of their shell, and these birds of a feather flock together. Rehearsals weren’t always over easy, but we scrambled to whip up this challenging show. On our opening Fry-day, the audience will get a sunny-side up treat!”

Something Rotten! will be directed and choreographed by Katie Jo Icenhower, with Dan Dodson as music director. This Robot Dreams will design the set, with lighting design by Daniel Alvarez. Frenchie Laverne will design the costumes. Kevin Hampton will stage manage the production, assisted by Emily Hungerford. The cast is as follows:

Nathan Sebens - Nick Bottom

I’zaah Gray-Jones - Nigel Bottom

Seph Schonekas - Nostradamus

Jackson Barnes - The Minstrel

Emily Ultan - Bea

Keri Small - Portia

Hal Roberts - Shakespeare

Ralph Shaw - Brother Jeremiah

Clark Pinyan - Shylock

Logan Cox - Robin/Ensemble

Jared Kuhn - Tom Snout/Ensemble

Zach Pfrimmer - Peter Quince/Ensemble

Noah Goldstein - Snug/Ensemble

Glenn Otterbacher - Horatio/Ensemble

Ron Pelkey - Master of the Justice/ Ensemble

Markie McRae - Francis/Ensemble

Scott Icenhower, Katie Muckenfuss, Lydia Hudgens, Rebecca Stanifer, Nina Sheridan, Angela Huie, Sarah Jenkins, Demetria Hale, Mimi Emmerich - Ensemble

An Opening Night Reception, with

complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, courtesy of Ra aldini Vineyards and Compass Financial Services, will be held on Friday, June 9, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Something Rotten! runs approximately two hours and 35 minutes long, including one 15-minute intermission. It is appropriate for all ages.

For further information and tickets, please visit LTofWS.org. !

Free Arts Splash Concerts this Summer!

JUNE 9

Rod McCoy and Company (Jazz/R&B)

AUGUST 4

Carolina Soul Band (MoTown/Soul)

The High Point Arts Council is pleased to announce our 2023 summer outdoor concert series — Arts Splash. This season’s line up includes artists highlighting various genres of music: Motown, Soul, Folk, Blues, Latin, and Jazz. This year we are changing the date of our free Arts Splash concerts to be held on Fridays from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Concert-goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic dinners. Alcohol will be available for purchase at concerts; however, no outside alcohol will be allowed in. If there is a threat of rain, call 336.889.2787 (ARTS), or visit our social media pages after 4 p.m. Friday to get the latest update on the event. If

we are able, our rain location site will be inside the High Point Arts Council at 121 S. Centennial St., High Point, NC 27260. For more exciting updates, like the High Point Arts Council’s social media pages.

The Arts Splash concerts are splashed all over town in di erent locations ensuring that the arts are accessible to everyone in our community. This year we are proud to expand into Jamestown to support the greater High Point area.

Washington Terrace Park 101 Gordon Street, High Point

JUNE 23

Spindle 45 (Pop/Rock)

Wrenn Miller Park

101 Guilford Rd, Jamestown, NC

JULY 7

Sahara Reggae Band (Reggae)

Oak Hollow Festival Park

1841 Eastchester Drive, High Point

JULY 21

Zinc Kings (Piedmont Blues)

High Point Museum & Historical Park

1859 E. Lexington Avenue, High Point

High Point City Lake Park 602 W. Main Street, Jamestown

AUGUST 18

West End Mambo (Latin/Salsa)

Mendenhall Transportation Terminal 220 E. Commerce Avenue, High Point

Arts Splash is presented by the High Point Arts Council in partnership with High Point Parks & Recreation and its many sponsors:City of High Point, Guilford County, North Carolina Arts Council, ArtsGreensboro, KMH Illustrative Design, Kitty and Earl Congdon, Becky Wray, Martha Yarborough, Ann & Jim Morgan. !

WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP] ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY WITH FORSYTH COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES

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

BY TAJA SEAFUS AND YOSIMAR ALVAREZ

Since beginning our journey in March, we have discovered the lovely communities that each library serves within Forsyth County. There is a big want from each library and that is ART! Every community desires to create in any capacity to expand thinking and crafts skills. Through this program, Taja Seafus and Yosimar Alvarez will be developing their own final projects to be displayed in the Central Library and will provide programming at select library locations to spearhead some new creative programs and activities to be developed and ongoing after the residency.

Taja Seafus will be leading a collaborative painting experience at most of the branches. Each of these paintings will be on 4’ x 8’ canvases that each library will get to keep as their own personal community mural. Her final project will include a series of bookend model universes that reflect on the city of Arts and Innovation in a unique and artistic way. She hopes as people are viewing through the shelves of the library that they take the time to admire the little things between the cracks of the books. Being one of the first-ever Artists In Residence at the Forsyth County Public Library has been a dream come true! Yosimar had a great time visiting each and every library branch in Forsyth County, and is amazed at all the hidden treasure troves of resources that local libraries o er to their communities. He

has even stumbled upon some great resources that he can use for my own artistic career.

He’s so excited to share his final project, Blueprint: The City of Arts & Innovation, with the world later this summer. It’s been a labor of love bringing his vision to life but he can’t wait to see everyone’s reactions. He commended the FCPL for allowing Taja Seafus and him to fully express themselves on this project and maintain creative control over our projects.

He is beyond grateful to have this incredible opportunity. The support and encouragement that I’ve received in the last few months mean the world to me, and he is beyond grateful to be part of this artistic adventure!

We hope that through our art and hearing each community that we’re able to touch the hearts of everyone creatively. Each library is equipped with enough resources for both of us to become successful in our residency. We thank the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County for supporting us. You can catch Taja and Yosimar actively working on their projects at the Central Library in the makerspace.

You can stay up to date on where they will be hosting programming on their instagrams: @thingsby_yosi @doseartistcollective , all of these programs are free and open to the public! For exact dates and more information visit www. forsyth.cc/library/

Explore the natural side of Bethabara by participating in a guided nature walk, taking a hike on the new Kids in Parks Track Trail, making a sun print, and learning about various plants and animals from local organizations.

Proehl Fundraiser Set for June 8

During his 17-year NFL career, Ricky Proehl was one of the most respected wide receivers in the game. He was also one of the most successful, with two Super Bowl rings to show for it. Today he is one of the Triad’s most respected entrepreneurs and philanthropists, first for creating Proehlific Park, and second for establishing the P.O.W.E.R. of Play Foundation. The former is a family fitness center and sports complex which includes the area’s first inclusive playground for special needs kids. The latter is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports after-school athletic activities and educational programs for latch-key kids and at-risk youth.

“We’ve learned that by showing a child love, acceptance and respect, that we can, in turn, help change their lives. The Foundation teaches the children in our programs through our core values of Play, Opportunity, Work, Excellence, and Respect. We tell them, ‘You can do whatever you

want to do if you surround yourself with good people and make good choices.’”

On June 8, the community will have an opportunity to support Proehl’s Foundation and help sustain its mission by attending a “Blue Jeans and Bourbon” fundraiser. The event will take place at Proehlific Park from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. BBQ will be provided by Sweet Old Bill’s of High Point, and Old Nick Williams Distillery will o er up its historic bourbon. Tito’s Vodka and Pepsi will also be served. Live music will be performed by Bandemic and local favorite Brody Bett will belt out a few tunes. Attendees can also visit the photo booth and try their hand at axe throwing. As a special treat, several members of the Carolina Panther’s first Super Bowl team will be on hand to greet

everyone. And of course, there will be both silent and live auctions featuring some real collector’s items.

“We will be auctioning o some autographed items from current and past NFL players. Folks can also bid on tickets for Winston-Salem DASH and Greensboro Grasshopper home games. And there’s a chance to win facial services from Dermatology Specialists,” said Natasha Hilburn, executive director for the P.O.W.E.R. of Play Foundation.

Individual tickets are $100 and a full table can be purchased for $1,500.

“Proceeds will go directly to providing scholarships for less fortunate children to attend our after-school and summer camps. The funds will also be used for Ricky’s Santa’s Helpers campaign in which the Foundation will provide Christmas gifts for over 300 foster children during the holidays,” said Hilburn.

Tickets are tax deductible and can be purchased online at www.proehlificpark. com.

You can register for the event by clicking on the POWER of Play tab. You can also mail or deliver a check to: Proehlific Park, 4517 Jessup Grove Road, Greensboro, NC 27410. For more information call (336) 665-5233. !

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

Hollywood scu e: Charlie Day roasts

fter what will very likely be a brief theatrical release, Fool’s Paradise may well find more favor on the small screen. The feature writing/ directing debut of leading man Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) was completed in 2018, but its delay in reaching the screen is less due to quality than a concept that is remarkable — but somewhat refreshing — out of step in the contemporary big-buck big-bang movie mentality.

The film is Day’s homage to such comedy icons as Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati. If the hat he wears isn’t quite the bowler of the Little Tramp or the beret of Monsieur Hulot, it’s a close enough approximation to make the inference. A more recent inspiration would be Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean, as well as Chance, the guileless gardener so brilliantly played by Peter Sellers in Being There (1979). Like those characters, Day’s “Latte Pronto” — who speaks nary a word (until the end) — bumbles and stumbles into circumstances beyond his control, utterly confounded by what’s transpiring around him yet somehow powerless to escape.

When first glimpsed in a psych ward,

Ahis character condition is described as “medically undefinable.” He might be an interesting case study, but because of government cutbacks, he is unceremoniously bused to the middle of Los Angeles and literally dumped on the streets, which turn out to be paved with gold — sort of.

It is there he is glimpsed by a hotshot movie producer (the late Ray Liotta) and whisked to the set of his latest movie, Billy the Kid. The leading man (also played by Day) is a booze-soaked boor who refuses to work, so his lookalike is promptly prepped for his big-screen bow. “Do nothing,” Liotta advises. “It works for tons of actors.”

Although his first scene requires 20 takes, our hero manages to emerge as a superstar, and Liotta’s demand for a “latte — pronto” to a production assistant is assumed to be his discovery’s moniker. In quick succession, Latte gets a publicist (an unrestrained Ken Jeong), an agent (Edie Falco), and even a partner in the form of his co-star, a blathering diva named Christiana Dior (Kate Beckinsale), who impetuously beds him, marries him and adopts three children from impoverished third-world countries — before divorcing him, of course.

The Hollywood satire in Fool’s Paradise is sometimes obvious, sometimes silly, and sometimes inspired. And if the film doesn’t always hit the target — indeed, sometimes it misses badly — there’s considerable compensation in the starstudded cast, which also includes Adrien Brody as Latte’s reckless co-star (who

describes himself as a “half-method” actor), Jason Sudeikis and Steve Coulter as domineering directors, Common as a former action icon-turned-homeless sage, Jason Bateman, Jimmi Simpson, Jillian Bell, Alanna Ubach, Day’s real-life wife (and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and John Malkovich as some sort of tycoon whose teethgnashing tantrum unmistakably echoes Ned Beatty’s similar (and Oscar-nominated) rant in Network (1976).

The film’s novelty tends to lose steam around the midpoint, and Day’s attempts to inject pathos into the proceedings — shades of Tati and Chaplin once more — seem rather forced, but there’s no mistaking his noble attempt. If Fool s Paradise is a failure, it’s certainly an interesting and well-intentioned one. The film is not without its share of flaws, but it’s swinging away at every turn. For that, Day deserves some respect. !

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

Mark Burger

Contributor

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Not a moment too soon, Oscar Mayer announced on May 17 that it is changing the name of its iconic Wienermobile to the Frankmobile, CNN reported. The company says the name change “pays homage” to its new recipe for hot dogs, which will roll out this summer. Uh-huh. A company spokesperson said the change is a test; they’ll have “to see if it cuts the mustard” with fans. The Wienermobile first appeared in 1936; 23 of the eye-catching vehicles now travel around the country.

EXTREME MEASURES

In vino, vie ... or something like that. Lillian Ip of Cheltenham, Australia, was stranded in the country’s remote bushland for five days in late April after she took a wrong turn and became stuck in mud, United Press International reported. Sgt. Martin Torpey of the Wodonga police said Ip had planned just a day trip, “so she had taken a couple of snacks and lollies with her, but no water. The only liquid Lillian, who doesn’t drink, had with her was a bottle of wine she had bought as a gift for her mother.” Without cell service, Ip couldn’t call for help. Her family notified police about her absence, and a four-day search over the region included helicopters. Finally, Ip was spotted waving her arms, and police were directed to her location. “I thought I was going to die there,” she said.

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

When cake-baker Brianna Romero of El Paso, Texas, got an order for a birthday cake this spring, she was on board, NBC New York reported on May 10. The customer wanted an emo cake, so Romero put her newly perfected black icing to the test and constructed the confection. Before she delivered it, she said, she asked the client if they wanted a number on the cake. “Yes,” the client answered, “it’s for my granddaughter and she’s turning 4.” Romero “thought it was a little bit weird ... but maybe she just likes ‘Wednesday’ or something like that.” Still, wanting to cover her bases, she asked the client for the theme of the party. When she got the answer — “Sesame Street” — it all became clear. “I misread emo and it says ‘Elmo cake.’” Romero rushed to a local grocery, where the bakery topped the cake with an Elmo image; Romero gave the cake to the client for free. Social media ate the story up, with more than 10 million views on Twitter.

BRIGHT IDEA

Students will go to just about any lengths to get out of a test — even outer space. So it was in Hemlock, Michigan, on May 16, when an enterprising student reported an alien invasion to avoid a math test, according to KTVZ-TV. The student reported that ETs came from the skies in flying saucers and landed on the playground, and the rumors quickly began circulating amongst the student body on social media. But Superintendent Don Killingbeck wasn’t having it: “We have thoroughly investigated the situation, and there is no evidence of any alien activity on our school grounds,” he said. The prankster has been disciplined, he added.

CHEEKY

British IBM IT professional Ian Cli ord, 50, has not worked since September 2008 as he battled mental-health issues and stage 4 leukemia, Business Insider reported. Cli ord has been on sick leave for 15 years, collecting a salary of almost $68,000 per year after reaching an agreement with IBM in 2013. But in February 2022, Cli ord testified in an employment tribunal that he had been treated unfairly because he hadn’t had a salary increase since the 2013 agreement went into place. He argued that inflation was causing his income to “wither” and sought a pay raise of 2.5%. “Your mortgage doesn’t go down because you are sick,” he noted. This spring, Paul Housego, an employment judge, rejected Cli ord’s argument, saying Cli ord was treated more favorably than others because he was being paid without having to work. Cli ord plans to appeal.

FIELD REPORT

On May 9, o cers from Boone County and Watauga County, North Carolina, tried to chase down Joshua Minton, 34, after he was pulled over for reckless driving, CBS News reported. Minton ran into an “undeveloped area,” where law enforcement got an unlikely helping ... hoof. Cows in the field “quickly assisted our o cers by leading them directly to where the suspect was hiding,” police announced in a Facebook post. “The cows communicated with the o cers as best they could and finally just had the o cers follow them to the suspect’s location.” Minton was arrested on multiple charges. !

©2023 Andrews McMeel Universal

B oone Sunrise ROTARY

5 Year, in Paris

6 Pilsners, e.g.

7 Arena section

8 Mined metals

9 “Ni-i-i-ice!”

10 Spurs’ gp.

11 Website for finding homestays

12 Lazy or useless

13 Refuses to

14 Table support

15 Old Testament prophet

16 Steam locomotive, in old lingo

17 Listen supportively

18 Dawdles

24 Show clearly

25 Heap affection (on)

30 Swung sticks

32 Generational treasures

33 “— talk?” (Joan Rivers catchphrase) 34 Prefix with discrimination 35 — -cone

38 Europe-Asia border river

39 “Don’t — didn’t warn you!”

40 Runner or writer Packer

41 Conifers with red arils 43 Israelites 46 Old TV’s “— Na Na” 47 Basil or sage

A Stand-Up Guy: Nationally acclaimed actor, comedian, and producer returns to The Comedy Zone

Tommy Davidson is a stand-up guy and has been for quite some time now.

The multi-faceted artist feels most comfortable on stage, making others laugh.

“All I need is a microphone. It’s not dependent on artists. I don’t need another actor there to read the parts. I don’t need to have musicians around me to make the song work,” he explained. “I just stand there and take what’s in my soul or my mind and push it out my mouth and people find that funny. It’s very entertaining. It’s a gift.”

That’s exactly what he plans to do this weekend at The Comedy Zone, located at 1126 S. Holden Road in Greensboro. The show runs from Friday to Sunday evening.

Davidson has been doing stand-up since he was a kid, so he’s had his fair share of practice.

“My mom used to take me on her busi-

ness trips sometimes and she’d just stand me in front of the people and I’d just start talking. I knew how to mimic commercials and I knew how to mimic every singer. I was really smart in that way.”

He’s come a long way since then. Proclaiming himself to be one of the most popular comedians in America, the multigenerational comedian has had his fair share of experiences.

“For the last 30 years I’ve been on top of the four or five genres in entertainment: stand-up comedy, television, animation, music, producing. All of that.”

Davidson started his career as a standup comedian in Washington DC and was first booked as the opening act for Patti LaBelle, Kenny G, and Luther Vandross. Davidson has appeared in Partners in Crime, starred in the groundbreaking sketch comedy series In Living Color, Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, Juwanna Mann, Ace Ventura II: When Nature Calls, and Strictly Business

He’s had three Showtime specials: On Strength of New York, Illin’ in Philly, and Takin’ it to DC. Davidson also hosted and starred in the network’s Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Show, as well as three seasons of ABC’s Vacation Creation.

He has starred in Disney Channel’s animated series The Proud Family (2001-05) and recently returned to topline their new hit, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney +). Other recent guest starring credits include the CBS comedy series The Neighborhood, VH1’s A Black Lady Sketch Show; the Nick Cannon-directed Miracles Across 125th Street, BET+’s The Ms. Pat Show, and the Netflix special Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine

Davidson voiced the series regular role of Cream Corn in the Adult Swim actioncomedy spoof Black Dynamite, and has made multiple guest appearances on shows like MTV’s Wild ‘N Out, BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood, and ABC’s Celebrity Wife Swap. He also recently headlined The O Color Comedy Tour with Keenan Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and David Alan Grier, and co-headlines with Katt Williams, Mike Epps, and Martin Lawrence to sell out large venue audiences, according to the bio on his website.

Davidson attributes his longstanding success to love and faith.

“There’s just a lot of people from the very start who took interest in me and

loved me,” he said. “The business part of it has everything to do with resilience, persistence, and a whole lot of faith. Faith when I didn’t even really know what it really was. In the early stages it was about believing and believing got me into Hollywood. Trust and faith got me through Hollywood.”

Davidson speaks about his life, navigating an interracial adoption and Hollywood in his book “Living in Color: What’s Funny about Me,” published by Kensington Books in 2020. The personal memoir recounts his triumphs having been abandoned as an infant, adopted and raised by a Caucasian family in Washington DC during the Civil Rights Movement, his sustainability in Hollywood, and his experience with race in the US.

“I guess I’m Black and white at the same time. I was abandoned in the trash in 1963 by a Black woman and then found by a white woman. I ended up on a show called In Living Color and my book is called ‘Living in Color.’ I think we are all living in color.”

Davidson said that navigating his adoption was an experience within itself.

“I didn’t have a choice about knowing what I was but when I found out I had to study it. I had to look at the world and say ‘Where does Africa fall into all of this’ to be able to understand what Black actually is. It is just as beautiful as the Asian world, the Latin world, or any other culture. We are not outside of humanity

but we are all a part of humanity.”

Davidson encourages those looking to join the world of stand-up comedy to perfect the craft and live a little.

“In order to do comedy, you need all the things it takes. Watch a lot of comedy, listen to what people are telling you and, if you think you’re ready, run to the stage,” he said. “I didn’t get into stand-up comedy until I was 18. Comedy is not the easiest thing to do in the world but then again, nothing is.”

Most recently Davidson has established himself as a smooth jazz vocalist and is working on his production company. His music duets include “Sweet Reunion” with multi-Grammy winner Dave Koz, I Know with saxophonist Richard Elliott to name a few. He just finished his third single, “Stronger,” with Earth Wind & Fire.

“I want to make sure that the young people have the same positive surroundings and the same positive information and influences presented to them,” Davidson said. “I finally got to the point where I get to do what I want to do and what I want to do is make people happy. I want to make people happy with what I do.

For tickets and show times, visit www. thecomedyzone.com. !

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

Chanel Davis Editor

Tommy Davidson attending Byron’s Oscar Party this year.

Faculty fears administration plans to turn UNCG into a trade school

“We educate the nurses, teachers, accountants, small-business owners, and other professionals who fuel the engine of prosperity across the state,” begins UNC Greensboro’s “Reinvention and Innovation” website, which describes the university as “Innovating Our Way Out” of a financial crisis created by shrinking enrollment.

Some faculty fear it’s abandoning core values by “re-inventing” itself as a trade school, an objective first expressed in 2013 by former governor Pat McCrory, who said that university funding should not be “based on how many butts in seats, but how many of those butts can get jobs.”

Of the two local institutions in the UNC system designated doctoral/ research universities by the American Council on Education, only NC A&T is increasing funding for graduate studies.

“We are expanding our grad programs and adding new ones,” wrote one A&T professor, who also requested anonymity. “A&T is all fired up about becoming Research I, which is a Carnegie rating that ranks universities. Faculty here have received bonuses and are getting more support in general to become a major institution.”

The opposite is happening at UNCG, according to associate professor of history Mark Elliott, vice president of the UNCG chapter of the American Association of University Professors, who described UNCG’s nationally acclaimed grad programs as “contracting rather than expanding.”

“Starting in 2020, we hit some losses of students and are doing our best to try and figure out why and stop the bleeding.”

This crisis, said Elliott, is exacerbated by the Board of Governors.

“Their new spending formula only rewards campuses that are growing their undergraduate enrollment, whereas most of our growth has historically been in graduate programs. Our administration wants to adjust by cutting graduate

programs and we’re all freaking out.”

Despite the cuts, alleged Elliott, “highly-paid administrators continue to receive bonuses and raises despite their poor performance.”

Spoma Jovanovic, who retired last August from UNCG’s Department of Communication Studies, agrees.

“The pattern over the last many, many years has been to give huge raises to administrators and paltry ones to faculty and staff.”

This has led to what Elliott describes as a “mass exodus, with science and humanities professors not being replaced the way they are in the university’s preprofessional programs.”

Jovanovic said that the current budget crunch dates back to 2008. “Since then, the strategy has been to hire more, and more expensive, enrollment professionals, more staff, and more administrators.” She also expressed skepticism about the expensive recreation center that opened on Gate City Boulevard in the fall of 2016.

“There was tremendous pushback by many faculty about the cost passed on to students. If a new recreation center was necessary (something for which there was scant evidence, unless you count the self-serving study by the company that built it), perhaps the scale and focus should be changed to address the entire UNCG student population

rather than elite athletes.”

Other veteran faculty members criticized what they characterize as a de-emphasis of traditional Arts and Sciences in favor of programs they call “flash in the pan.”

In February 2022, the University announced what its press release called “a multi-faceted set of initiatives to seize the growing demand among current and prospective students for a holistic approach to the booming world of E-sports.”

A year later, that boom has become a bust, according to the May 20 New York Times article “ The E-Sports World Is Starting to Teeter ,” which reported that owners of e-sports teams are laying off employees, ending contracts with star players, and selling their teams at a loss.

“There’s a real moral crisis among the faculty,” said Elliott. “I think one of the worst decisions administration has made is that programs in which a Master’s is a terminal degree, meaning there is no Ph.D., cannot fund their graduate students. They will now depend on students paying their own way, with no assistantships.”

Provost and executive vice-chancellor Debbie Storrs recruited two years ago from the University of North Dakota, denies assistantships have been eliminated for terminal master’s degrees, but acknowledged that “due to budget

reductions which all units and divisions faced, there was a reduction to the graduate stipend budget,” and that the remaining funding has been “prioritized for students directly involved in teaching and other important pedagogical activities.”

One of UNCG’s smallest but most prestigious programs is the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Its most notable graduate may be Kelly Link, whom “The Sandman ” creator Neil Gaiman calls “a national treasure,” and whose 2017 collection “Get in Trouble” was a Pulitzer finalist. In 2018, Link was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant.

While Link was in the program, she worked on the Greensboro Review , one of the nation’s oldest and most distinguished literary magazines. Storrs stated that “the College’s Advancement team also has been working with the creative writing program to identify philanthropic support for the Greensboro Review .”

Julie Funderburk, associate professor of creative writing at Queen’s University of Charlotte and 1994 alum of the UNCG writing program, said that the Greensboro Review is needed.

“The Greensboro Review is valuable not only as a learning lab for student editors but also its contribution to the national literary landscape. This magazine is an important way the program attracts new students. What it brings to UNCG has more value than what will be recouped by more cuts to such a small but important program.”

Via email, Storrs stated that the Board of Governors has prioritized teaching over other academic endeavors.

“At UNCG, deans and chairs are responsible for assigning differential teaching loads for faculty with consideration of programmatic instructional needs and their budgets. They also consider faculty members’ research/ creative activity, service, and outreach activities which are critical to our mission, inform our teaching, and make important contributions to the community, state, and nation. Given our budget realities due to declining enrollments and the new funding formula, differential teaching loads provide chairs and deans with the ability to address our core instructional needs.”

Ian McDowell Contributor

Debbie Storrs

Multiple faculty members say that Storrs’ claim that “deans and chairs are responsible for assigning differential teaching loads” is no longer true, as this autonomy has been taken away and faculty can no longer be given a lighter course load while they are doing research that goes above and beyond their positions. They counter that enrollment is not down in all departments, and ask why it’s necessary to review those that are functioning well and have increased enrollment.

They also note that increasing teaching loads does not produce more students, and question why administrators have not taken responsibility for their role in declining enrolments, which they allege was anticipated. “Why are faculty paying for the incompetence of administration?” asked one.

“We are engaging in a comprehensive review of all academic programs as is best practice to ensure the academic o erings are aligned with our mission, student demand, and industry and economic needs of the state,” wrote Storrs in an email. “We are also reviewing our academic portfolio due to our declining enrollments. A faculty-led committee is developing rubrics to evaluate programs. The review process will inform future decisions.”

Elliott believes that those decisions “will focus on cutting a lot of graduate programs,” as however much the provost may state she values them, “they are not respected by the Board of Governors.”

Which, Elliott alleged, “also penalizes schools that have a lot of debt or in which students take a lot of time to earn their degrees.”

In 2018-19, US News & World Report ranked UNCG “number one in the state for social mobility” specifically because so many of its students are either working full-time or have financial aid.

“So, the very thing that got us praised nationally gets us targeted in Raleigh. They say they’re rewarding campuses which lower their student debt and decrease their time to graduate, but as both our provost and chancellor have stated, this punishes students for being poor. We have an extraordinary number of students who are working while going to school. That’s not going away unless we increase scholarships based on financial need.”

Elliott said he has hopes for the independent mission study being conducted by UNCG chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

“We’ve hired an outside auditor to do

an analysis of UNCG’s budget and explain exactly what our budget situation is and whether or not we are in as dire a situation as the administration has suggested necessitating cuts. I don’t doubt we’re in a bad financial situation, but I think it’s been exaggerated. We hope to have a report to answer a bunch of what

for now are just questions, and to have it done before the Fall semester. So, stay tuned, this is a story in development.” !

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.

Matt Walsh is Straight Outta Dunn

Hotamighty, y’all!

Matt Walsh keeps moving a new record, “Straight Outta Dunn” out May 30.

O ering both homage to the mighty Link Wray and a look back at his own career, “‘Straight Outta Dunn’ feels like a summertime album and I’ve always wanted to release a record in the summer,” Walsh said, musing his first foray into the “concept album.”

With summertime and the experiences of spending almost 30 years as a professional musician, Walsh is hitting his stride.

“I became a homeowner, got engaged, and have been playing out and creating when I want to instead of feeling like I have to,” he said, with a smile toward his fiancee Kelly and their gnarly little Brussels Gri on, Sho-bud. “I’m at a point in my career where I don’t feel like I have to prove myself, I can take my foot o the gas and enjoy what I’ve worked hard to build.”

“I find that when I do live shows now that they’re more of an event for me personally,” he continued. “I play better and

with more fire versus the constant night after night of what becomes the groundhog day of live shows.“

And while Walsh has taken time o the road, he’s hardly been taking it easy. A mover through — and — through, and an entertainer at his core, Walsh’s creativity spans the media landscape: filmmaker, actor, comedic booze-hound connoisseur.

“I actually wanted to go to film school as a teenager, I never knew I’d dabble so much in music and become a professional musician,” he explained. “But I’m glad that my music has provided the vehicle to drive that part of my artistic interests.”

“One of the best things I’ve done over the past few years is merging my characters and comedy with my music,” he said. “Not worrying about making a fool out of myself rather than being a stoic musician has worked tremendously for me.”

With a penchant for the unscripted, spontaneous way of life, Walsh continues filming a variety of series sketches and music videos — some with more connection to reality than others through a cast of oddball characters. “Not being on the road gives me the time to focus on output without burning out and in my mind a show lasts for two hours, a song or a film is forever — so that’s where I invest.”

Music remains a principal character within that investment — though Walsh’s portfolio is flush with irreverent, exagger-

ated personalities. There’s “Butch Light” and his “Cookin and Butchin’” YouTube cooking show series — featuring questionable culinary advice with a certain Flordian flair. Based on Walsh’s dad, who’s been a “Florida man” since before the phrase was coined. “He actually lives in Florida,” Walsh said, “and Butch is every Oakley sunglass-wearing, tree-cutter, fisherman redneck looking for the next good time.”

And then there select members of the Hardwood clan, a family Walsh channels most often through his “manager” Buddy Hardwood and Buddy’s father, Chet. Stumblin’ and screamin’, in their own varieties of drunken southern draw — the Hardwoods expound sleazy swagger and a lot of shoutin’ in video skits ranging from fabricated hot takes to the roadie werewolves explored in Walsh’s catalog of mockumentaries and serious musical series.

A storyteller in songs and practice, Walsh drops the acts in his latest “Shiloh Saloon Stories,” a sort of bar room confessional filmed in his own little private basement bar in Statesville. Over a beer and a smoke, Walsh delves into memories of real-life antics and experiences on the road. Episodes explore tales of life in a town haunted by a serial killer, to hanging and playing with famous Bluesmen. “There’s also the time Wee-Man crashed

my show, or my infamous TV commercial, this crazy dentist,” he explained.

“Most musicians or public figures don’t share too much of what happens behind the scenes and they definitely don’t include the things that are less than flattering moments in their journey,” he continued. “Folks love a spectacle and a peak behind the curtain.”

Not one to shy from spectacle, his pandemic-era talk show the “Friday Nite Gamble” welcomed guests into a wild attic world of musical interludes, prizewheel and all the Clubtails one could drink. “Like everyone else, I had no idea how long the shutdown would last or what to do,” Walsh explained of his foray as a night-show host. “I knew I didn’t want to play on Facebook in pajamas.”

Running nearly 100 episodes over four seasons, the Gamble, a blended variety and talk show, with Walsh performing as himself, the Hardwoods, and a handful of characters — with an outrageous (and inebriated) co-host to match — alongside a weekly special guest, hootin’, hollerin’ and Hotamightyin’ the night away.

“I had a lot of fun dressing up and putting the guests on the spot,” Walsh said, “especially if they were the serious artsy type.” The first season featured guests like Justin Clyde Williams, Mason Keck, Casey Noel, Betina Bullard, Andrew Massey, Momma, Molasses, Jamie Trollinger, Emily

Katei Cranford

Contributor

Stewart, Drew Foust, Whiskey Foxtrot (Seth Williams and Sam Foster returned in season 2), Chuck Cotton, Tad Walters, started with Raymond Brooks.

Yours truly appeared in the first episode of season two (and for the “one-year anniversary” episode). That season also hosted the likes of the late “Hurricane” Bob Travers, Logan Fritz, Jason Moss & The Hosses, Will Easter, Tom Troyer, Michael Blind-Dog Gatewood, Bob Tarlton, Laura Jane Vincent, Royal Jelly, John Howie Jr., Nikki Morgan, Mason Via, and Colin Cutler stopped by in season three, and Quinn & Allen Crowe, Earl Snipes, Mark Harrison, and The Chuck Dale Smith Band rounded the final season four.

The Gamble closed as the world opened up, but Walsh continues beyond the spectacle — talking shop in his “Out of Control Vintage’’ series that features “vintage guitars and equipment that musicians can look for to buy without selling everything they own,” Walsh said. “You’ll probably never see a 1952 Telecaster on the show, but you’ll probably come across a 1964 Silvertone that has the vintage feel and vibe or a 1946 National amp that can rival a 1957 Tweed Deluxe for a fraction of the price.”

And then there’s the pastoral “Field Recordings” he puts out — for the love of playing obscure Blues songs and the lure of pleasing the algorithm. “It’s a fun segment that doesn’t take much production and it ‘reels’ folks in,” he said, with a side-eye toward social media. Filmed in his literal pasture, the name is both a matter-of-fact and a nod to the work of Alan Lomax.

Across his streams of series and content, Walsh maintains artistry — algorithms be damned. “AI is on the horizon which I think will swallow the last of our humanity,” he said, musing both ire and wonder at the expansive e ect of social media. And while his latest album mostly reflects on his life as a musician, the first

single, “Counting Sheep,” explores ideas of mediocrity and a certain sort of pervasive societal gullibility growing online.

Despite the sort of downer influence, “Counting Sheep” takes on a noticeable, albeit unintentional, pop sound. “I never think about the genre of a song or try to sculpt one to a specific sound,” Walsh explained. “If it sounds good and has soul then I go with it.” That notion carries over in the second single, “I Hit the Bank,” on which Walsh serves a sort of Beatles-vibe.

“The tracks capture every period of my musical output and roll them into a new sound,” he said. “There’s a big return to Blues but there are heavy rockers, acoustic Americana with Bluegrass leaning, brooding R&B, soulful Pop, and Zydeco.”

But it’s the rumble of Link Wray that resonates most through the record. Captured in both the spirit of the album, and the upcoming single of the same name, “Straight Outta Dunn” honors the life of a musician, the life of Wray himself, and Walsh’s early days playing honky tonks and hole-in-the-wall bars.

“I’ve been a Link Wray fan since I was 13 -years old,” Walsh said, relaying Wray’s influence on both his technique and “don’t give a rat’s ass” attitude. Walsh sees those elements as having helped build the career he’s happy to explore in his music. “I’ve been fortunate to be a professional entertainer for almost three decades and I’m very grateful for all of it, the experience, fans, and any opportunity to perform.”

“Straight Outta Dunn” comes out May 30. Walsh will celebrate with a release show at Red Bu alo Brewing Co. in Statesville on June 2. Season two of Shiloh Saloon Stories will premier over the summer. Visit his MattWalshMusic YouTube channel for more. !

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

Weekly Specials

Band Schedule

ASHEBORO

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

CARBORRO

Cat’S CradlE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053

www.catscradle.com

May 27: Backseat lovers

May 27: thrice

May 27: westerman

May 28: K. Flay

May 28: John C. Clark Jr. Celebration of life

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

Jun 5: Fenne lily and Christian lee Hutson

Jun 5: Subhumans

Jun 7: ax and the Hatchetmen

Jun 8: declan McKenna

Jun 8: dave Hause Mermaid

Jun 9: Cracker

Jun 9: glove

Jun 10: Quadeca, quickly, quickly

Jun 10: reggae reunion

Jun 10: tank and the Bangas

Jun 14: black midi

Jun 14: nrBQ

Jun 16: wednesday

Jun 17: neptune

Jun 20: Shamar allen

Jun 21: l’rain

Jun 21: Protomartyr

Jun 22: glare, alien Boy

CHARlOttE

BoJanglES ColiSEuM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600

www.boplex.com

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 25: Bryson tiller

May 25: Badflower

May 26: greg Puciato

May 26: the Backseat lovers

May 27: grandson & K.Flay

May 31: Eladio Carrion

Jun 4: Bones, Xavier wulf, Eddy Baker

Jun 4: Palace

Jun 6: Yong guk

Jun 7: Sam Morril

Jun 7: the 502s

Jun 8: Big wreck

Jun 9: nick lutsko & the $100K Band

Jun 9: Caifanes

Jun 14: Bastille

PnC MuSiC Pavilion

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292

www.livenation.com

May 30: dead & Compamy

Jun 17: dierks Bentley

Jun 24: weezer, Future islands & Joyce Manor

Jun 27: Big time rush, Max & Jax

Jun 28: Shania twain

SKYla CrEdit union

aMPHitHEatrE

former Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555

www.livenation.com

May 30: ryan adams & the Cardinals

SPECtruM CEntEr

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000

www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Jun 9: Charlotte r&B Experience 2023

Jun 30: Banda MS

ClEmmOnS

villagE SQuarE

taP HouSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330

www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

May 26: vinyl tap

May 27: Hedtrip

Jun 1: James vincent Carroll

Jun 2: lasater union

Jun 3: Zack Brock & the good intentions

Jun 8: anna Mertson

Jun 10: ross Coppley

Jun 16: Sprockett

duRHAm

Carolina tHEatrE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030

www.carolinatheatre.org

Jun 5: Happy together tour

Jun 12: toad the wet Sprokect

Jun 13: Menopause the Musical

Jun 18: Floyd nation: Experience

Pink Floyd

Jun 22: rodrigo y gabriela

Jun 27: Ziggy Marley

dPaC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787

www.dpacnc.com

May 30-Jun 4: 1776

Jun 6-7: Bluey’s Big Play

Jun 8: indigo girls with Full Band

Jun 9: Shane gillis

Jun 14: Styx

Jun 15: larry the Cable guy

Jun 17: House of Cheer

ElKIn

rEEvES tHEatEr

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

wednesdays: reeves open Mic

Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam

May 26: Jack riggs & lee Spears

May 27: darin & Brooke aldridge

May 24: Fiddle dee dee

Jun 2: For the love of doc

Jun 10: tinsley Ellis

Jun 17: the Malpass Brothers

Jun 23: daShawn Hickman

Jun 24: reeves House Band’s Big Blues night w/ Seth walker

gREEnSBORO

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 16: liam Purcell & Cane Mill road

Jun 24: Maritzada

CHar Bar no. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555

www.charbar7.com

May 25: Kelsey Hurley

CoMEdY ZonE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034

www.thecomedyzone.com

May 26-28: tommy davidson

Jun 2-3: guy torry

Jun 4: the Christi Show

Jun 5: Sam Morril

Jun 9-11: Capone

Jun 23-25: Jon ree[

Jun 30-Jul 1: Burpie

CoMMon groundS

602 S Elm Ave | 336.698.388

www.facebook.com/CommonGroundsGreensboro

Jun 7: Eli lev

Jun 14: Bryan Bielanski

ConE dEniM

117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646

www.cdecgreensboro.com

upcoming EvEnts

May 24: Icarus

May 25: Tanto

May 26: Shame Gang

May 27: Slow Teeth w/ No One Mine

May 28: Wyatt Easterling and The Modern Day Drifters w/ Chris Myers

May 30: american Part Two

May 31: an Evening w/ Craig Baldwin

HOURS: Tues-Fri: 3pm-unTil

saT & sun 12pm-unTil

221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967 www.flatirongso.com

GaraGE TavErn

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020

www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreens-

boro

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

Jun 17: brooks & Dunn

Jun 24: Dude Perfect

HanGar 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480

www.hangar1819.com

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

Wednesdays: Trivia

Fridays & Saturdays: Free live Music

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

June 2: Green Queen bingo

roDY’S TavErn

5105 Michaux Rd | 336.282.0950

www.facebook.com/rodystavern

May 24: Daniel love

May 26: Elena Hores

May 31: William nesmith

STEvEn TanGEr CEnTEr

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500

www.tangercenter.com

May 17-Jun 4: Frozen

Jun 10-11: Harry potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert

Jun 16: The love Triange: an Evening of love

Jun 23: lady a w/ Dave barnes

THE iDioT box

CoMEDY Club

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699

www.idiotboxers.com

Thursdays: open Mic

jamestown

THE DECk

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

May 25: The aquarius

May 26: Huckleberry Shine

kernersville

brEaTHE

CoCkTail lounGE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822

www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktail-

Lounge

Wednesdays: karaoke

May 26: SMaSHaT

oak ridge

biSTro 150

2205 Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.6359

www.bistro150.com

May 20: limited Engagement

May 27: Wilde - Chris and amanda barrens

raleigh

CCu MuSiC Park

aT WalnuT CrEEk

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111

www.livenation.com

linColn THEaTrE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400

www.lincolntheatre.com

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

winston-salem

Earl’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018

www.earlsws.com

Mondays: open Mic

Thursdays: Will Jones

May 21: Will Jones

May 26: The Mighty Fairlanes

May 27: Mike Cosner and the Fugatives

May 28: Gypsy 3

FooTHillS brEWinG

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348

www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

May 24: Jim Mayberry

May 26: Colin Cutler Trio

May 27: kickback Trio

May 28: Samuel Stowe

May 31: Sam robinson

THE raMkaT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714

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

May 31: Jack Malone & the Pearl Snap Prophets, Chris McGinnis

roar

633 North Liberty Street | 336-917-3008

www.roarws.com | www.roarbrandstheater. com

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

May 31: Jack Marion & the Pearl Snap Prophets, Chris McGinnis

WiSE Man brEWinG

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008

www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: Music bingo

May 29: basses Covered brass

PRESENTS

hot pour

BARTENDER OF THE WEEK | BY NATALIE GARCIA]

Check out videos on our Facebook!

BARTENDER: Ashley Jordan

BAR: Plank Street Tavern

AGE: 27

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Winston-Salem, NC

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING?

6 years

HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER?

I was thrown to the wolves at a restaurant

I was serving at when the bartender didn’t show up for her shift.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING?

Talking with people from di erent walks of life.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE?

Margaritas

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK?

Scotch, tequila, rum…. Everything

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK?

A stout beer for dessert!

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

A Road House style brawl

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

$700

WANNA BE FEATURED IN HOT POUR?

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

PHOTO CREDIT PHANYPAXK

[SALOME’S STARS]

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Problems begin to a ect relationships, both personal and professional. Act now to shore up those weak foundations before it all comes crashing down around you.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Take a break from all that hard work you’ve been doing. There’s nothing like some wellearned fun and games to charge up those Bovine batteries and send you back fully energized and ready to go.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Deception can sometimes a ect perception. You should take a longer, deeper look at what you’re being o ered. Things might not be quite what you first thought they were.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A friend’s loyalty suddenly comes into question. But, before you rush to judgment, listen to what they have to say. This could be an important learning lesson for you.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) The time has come for you to set things right. Your courage will help you meet the di cult challenge ahead. Others will be inspired by your actions and rally to support you.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A stubborn insistence that your way is the only way to solve problems could make things worse than they are. Open your mind to suggestions from others.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A close associate reveals a secret that could a ect an upcoming decision. Rely on your natural instinct to weigh everything carefully, to help you get through this dilemma.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Congratulations! Your decision to take action and deal with a long-simmering situation in the workplace begins to pay o . In addition, a family member has some good news.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) You still need to persuade your partner that you’re sincere in wanting to save this relationship. Remember: Performance speaks louder than promises.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A disappointment in the workplace can be a blessing in disguise. Take another look at your goals and see if this is the path you really want to follow.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Avoid winding up in the middle of an unpleasant family situation by reassuring your cantankerous kinfolk that you love them all — but that you won’t take sides.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A successful workplace move begins to pay o with o ers of new opportunities, but some might come with strings attached. Check them all carefully before deciding.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You love to entertain. You appreciate fine food and elegant surroundings. You’re happiest when you make other people feel good about themselves.

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate

answers

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. TELEVISION: What is the name of the high school in Bu y the Vampire Slayer?

[2. MOVIES: Who voiced the character Woody in Toy Story?

[3. LITERATURE: Who are the tragic lovers in the novel “Wuthering Heights”?

[4. AD SLOGANS: Which product invites consumers to “taste the rainbow”?

[5. FOOD & DRINK: Which root vegetable is known as Japanese horseradish?

[6. ANATOMY: What substance gives skin its color?

[7. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Great Pyramids of Giza located?

[8. HISTORY: Who was the first female prime minister of Great Britain?

[9. SCIENCE: What is the hollow, woody tissue that carries water and nutrients from a plant’s roots to the entire plant?

[10. U.S. STATES: Which is the only state that doesn’t have a mandatory seat belt law for adults?

answer

1. Sunnydale High.

2. Tom Hanks.

3. Heathcli and Catherine.

4. Skittles.

5. Wasabi.

6. Melanin.

7. Egypt.

8. Margaret Thatcher.

9. Xylem.

10. New Hampshire.

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.