YES! Weekly - June 14, 2023

TRIAD’S BEST 2023

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

PRODUCTION

Senior Designer ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com

Designer SHANE HART artdirector@yesweekly.com

ADVERTISING Marketing ANGELA COX angela@yesweekly.com

5 Smoke is in the air on North Main Street in High Point but it comes from the successful first year at SOUTHERLANDS CIGAR LOUNGE. “In the beginning, it was a dream and now it has come true,” said founder and co-owner Wayne Southerland.

6 Now that name (Pangea) has been adopted by Wilson and his friend and business partner Juan Cirino for the WORLD CUISINE RESTAURANT they are opening in a couple of months at 320 S. Elm Street in downtown Greensboro.

7 THOMAS ROYAL explores woes, grinds, and a few fatherly rewards in his latest album, “The Age of the Average” via ShamRock Records. Recorded over the past decade, “I think all of the songs are about coming to terms with my own mortality in an era of contentiousness, injustice, and financial strain,” Royal said.

8 It may be summertime, but the sound of music will soon be heard

throughout the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), as it hosts the SUMMER PIANO INTENSIVE (SPI)

9 Growing up watching TV variety shows, I often wondered how the jugglers could keep so many balls in the air at one time. Today I wonder the same thing about my friend DICK WOLF who has nine, hour-long dramas on the air every week.

10 THE BOOGEYMAN holds a modest distinction as being one of the few Stephen King stories not yet adapted into a feature film.

64 The ties that bind the TRIAD MUSIC community are supported by their connections among themselves — and with the audience — for the 2023 Triad’s Best Awards.

TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com

Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT ANDREW WOMACK

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.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Davidson College’s joint venture, Common Thread Theatre Collective, will produce the Tony Award-nominated comedy “Clyde’s” by Lynn Nottage in its North Carolina premiere directed by Luther Wells. The show will run the next two weekends beginning June 16 at Barber Theatre on Davidson College’s campus.

The theatre collective was established in 2022 to tell stories that center marginalized communities — bringing together faculty and students who may have di erent backgrounds, but share the same love for theatre.

“Clyde’s” serves up an unforgettable story about community, healing, creativity, mindfulness, forgiveness and big dreams. The play takes place at a truck stop sandwich shop that hires formerly incarcerated individuals as kitchen sta . They long for redemption even as the sandwich shop’s callous owner, Clyde, played by Angela Williams Tripp, tries to keep them down. Clyde is like a prison warden who has the upper hand and knows it. We sense that she does not want her employees to succeed; though they are physically free, she longs to keep them psychologically imprisoned.

Tyler Madden, who plays Montrellous, is a master sandwich chef and a modernday shaman whose sandwich creations are sublime. He inspires his co-workers — former addict Rafael (portrayed by Eduardo Sanchez), struggling single mother Letitia (played by H’arrya Canty) and Jason, a gang member (Scott Tynes Miller) — to reclaim their lives. These unlikely sandwich makers find purpose and inspiration through a shared quest to create the perfect sandwich.

Please be advised that this production

RELEASE

contains strong language, adult situations and references to drug usage. Suggested for ages 16 and older.

PRODUCTION DATES AND TIMES

Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m.

Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.

LOCATION

Barber Theatre (Davidson College campus)

310 N. Main St. Davidson, N.C.

TICKET INFORMATION

Adults — $28

Seniors — $23

Students — $15

Faculty and sta — $23

Expanding on the success of Common Thread Theatre Collective’s nationallyrecognized inaugural season, this season is made possible by generous funding from the Bacca Visiting Scholar and Artist Program, the Clark Ross Academic Innovation Fund, North Carolina A&T State University’s College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Division of Student A airs, Arts and Science Council of Charlotte, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department and Natural & Cultural Resources. !

WANNA go?

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1034940/common-thread-23-season-davidson-the-barbertheaterdavidson-college

[SPOTLIGHT]

N.C. A&T, DAVIDSON COLLEGE’S COMMON THREAD THEATRE COLLECTIVE TO PRESENT “CLYDE’S” PRESS

Sweet, Smoky Success: Southerlands Cigar Lounge celebrates anniversary

Smoke is in the air on North Main Street in High Point but it comes from the successful first year at Southerlands Cigar Lounge.

“In the beginning, it was a dream and now it has come true,” said founder and co-owner Wayne Southerland.

Housed in the former Pizza Hut building, located at 804 N. Main St., Southerlands has become the premiere spot for a relaxing cigar, good music, and top-shelf drinks. Celebrating its first anniversary, the business has a whole week of activities to celebrate. There was a comedy show featuring Darren DJ Sander and a meet and greet on Tuesday. Today, there will be a birthday party celebrating founder and co-owner Wayne Southerland at 6 p.m., and live music from Tanya Ross Thursday at 7 p.m. Friday kicks-o with the lounge’s annual golf tournament at Oak Hollow Golf Course, followed by the new Elite Suite reveal at 5:30 p.m. and ends with the weekly Ladies Night event at 7 p.m.

“Overall, the concept of Southerlands is to give people a place to go, relax and enjoy themselves,” Southerland explained. “A place to come wind down in a relaxing and safe environment.”

Southerland came up with the concept and enlisted the help of co-owners Ti any Fisher, Hope Rush, and Michael McNair. To make sure they were on the right track they visited several cigar lounges in di erent cities in hopes to bring the right upscale to the city. Southerlands business model allows for annual memberships and daily drop-in rates. It o ers leather furniture, ample seating, and private rooms for members to rent. The space is big enough to dance and intimate enough to have a private conversation. There are selections for every type of cigar enthusiast, from novice to connoisseur. If being inside isn’t your thing, Southerlands o ers a 700-square-foot outdoor deck.

“There was nowhere to actually enjoy a nice cigar, on the inside, without having to go to Raleigh, Charlotte, or somewhere of that nature,” he said.

Southerlands has quickly become a

communal space in High Point. There are learning sessions, mental health roundtables, game and karaoke nights, ladies’ nights, and networking events for professionals. They host charity golf tournaments, Christmas toy drives, and Breast Cancer Awareness/Research fundraisers.

This isn’t an all-boys club and that was intentional. Co-owners Fisher and Rush wanted to make sure that ladies could come and enjoy themselves, a good cigar and not be worried about anything else. They hold informational sessions for women, women’s empowerment and networking events, and there’s a fully stocked women’s restroom catering to every lady that enters the building.

“Hope and I wanted to be intentional about making women feel welcome. We host smoke and learns. We want this to be a place for sisters of the leaf.”

Fisher said that she loves seeing the range of customers that come to the lounge.

“Everyone is welcome and we want everybody to come and be a part,” she said. “Young, old. Smokers, nonsmokers. I feel like our lounge is a vibe and place where everyone can come and relax. We love that people see this as a classy place. It (Southerlands) shows that our heart and goal are in the right place.”

That feeling is by design.

“The very first words you hear when you walk thru the door is ‘Welcome to Southerlands.’ Welcoming is the kind of experience I want them to have from the beginning to the end when they leave,”

Southerland explained. “Come relax and enjoy a good cigar. If you want something to drink, you can drink with it. Have fun, relax, and enjoy the experience of Southerlands.”

While it seems surreal that they have completed a year in business, the group is celebrating the victories of success. Throughout the year, they’ve received plenty of feedback from customers. That includes the suggestion for a weeklong celebration.

“I think people are excited. People were glad that we were doing something for the entire week and not one day. That gives people an opportunity to come and celebrate with us,” Fisher said.

“I’m excited and thrilled. I want to continue to make sure all our t’s are crossed and our i’s dotted. It’s kind of a big deal.”

One thing that is certain, there’s no cloud around the future of Southerlands. Entering the business with a five-year plan, the group is hoping to expand and continue to get the word out. Most

recently, they have taken part in High Point’s Social Saturdays, where residents can hop on a trolley, and visit di erent small businesses in High Point.

“It gives people an opportunity to come in and visit us. We’re hopeful that there will be people that will come in that wouldn’t normally come.”

Fisher says that she wants to see people enjoying themselves.

“It’s a vibe.”

For Southerland, being able to see his dream come to fruition this past year has been an “amazing ride.”

“I’m enjoying the ride and hope to continue doing so.”

For more information about events, memberships and more, visit https:// www.southerlandscigarlounge.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.

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.

Chanel Davis Editor

Co-owner Wayne Southerland

Pangaea aims to be a super restaurant named after a super-continent

“Three hundred million years ago, there weren’t seven continents,” said Jason Wilson. “There was just one really huge super-continent called Pangaea.”

Pangaea, pronounced “Pan-jee-uh” and sometimes spelled Pangea, combines the ancient Greek words pan (all or whole) and Gaia or Gaea (Mother Earth or land). The term was coined in 1920 by the geologist Alfred Wegener, who originated the theory of continental drift, which, like the concept of the single super-continent, has since been corroborated by the geologic record.

Now that name has been adopted by Wilson and his friend and business partner Juan Cirino for the world cuisine restaurant they are opening in a couple of months at 320 S. Elm Street in downtown Greensboro.

Wilson is a real-estate developer from Virginia who met Cirino at White and Wood, the downtown restaurant that Cirino worked for since it opened in 2017, and became manager of several years ago. In his 2020 YES! Weekly review of that establishment, John Batchelor praised its welcoming ambiance. Wilson said that Cirino was a big part of that.

“My fiancé and I started going there a couple of years ago, and we just love Juan. I like restaurants that o er very good high-level food but the ambiance is more relaxed, so I became friends with Juan and the rest of the sta . Most of my job is real estate development in Danville, so we take houses and turn them into loft apartments. So, Juan and I got to know each other, we said let’s find a space and open our own restaurant.”

They ultimately rented the site of the former salon Meraki Handmade because they loved the layout and the 100-yearold hardwood floors, and because Wilson described landlord Stu Nichols as easy to work with, adding that he hopes Nichols will eventually sell him part of the space.

“I like to leave as much of the original building as I can,” said Wilson. “It’s something I always tried to do in Danville, and am glad to be doing here. I hate it when somebody buys a location and gets rid of all its history.”

Cirino says that neither he nor Wilson had heard of the Mesozoic super-continent Pangaea until he talked to an eye surgeon who was dining at White and Wood.

“I was telling him of what I hoped to do with my own restaurant, which is to bring back memories through food, like when I have a croquette that tastes just like the ones in Spain, and how Jason and I want to combine the cuisines of all the continents. And he told me there used to be one continent that scientists now call Pangaea, and just like that, I knew we had our name.”

“We’re going to be doing one-world, onepeople cuisine,” said Wilson. “Juan is from Puerto Rico, but he has a history in many restaurants before he was with White and Wood. Our chef Carlos Roman is also Puerto Rican, but with a similar history, and came here from Ecuador. They’re going to blend a lot of cuisines from around the world, with a variety of flavors. That’s the inspiration for the mural that JEKS is doing for us, and will be the first thing you see when you step inside.”

JEKS is the Greensboro-based muralist and gra ti artist whose photorealistic work has earned him an international reputation as well as making him one of the most sought-after street artists in Greensboro. Wilson describes the mural he designed as depicting “seven di erent faces of di erent ethnicities from around the world.”

“We’re both from Puerto Rico,” said Juan of himself and Chef Roman. “We went to Culinary Arts High School together, then he went to study as a chef at the University of

Puerto Rico. When hurricane Maria struck, they had to close down the Ritz-Carlton BLT steakhouse where he worked. He moved to Atlanta, Thailand, Caiman Islands, Ecuador, and California; he’s been all over working with the Ritz-Carlton chain.”

Cirino said the Pangaea menu will combine Caribbean, Asian, French, Spanish and African cuisine, among others. “Croquettes from Spain, Caribbean lobster, chicken from Africa. We’re bringing every culture together through food, and that’s what we represent in the mural.” He also promised all fresh ingredients, “ones where the flavor explodes in your mouth, like when you bite into a strawberry or tomato right out of the garden.”

Last Friday, Wilson pointed out the wooden floors that have been restored and the new black granite bar that will be at the front of the house. “Our hope is that a lot of people walking past will hear the noise from the bar, look in, and think it looks cool. I used to love that, walking into a busy restaurant and waiting at the bar with my cocktail, but that kind of fell o after Covid.” He also shared photos of the green and gold chairs and barstools. “We’re going for warm woodgrain and bourbon feel in the ambiance here, with dark colors and low lighting.”

“This is part of the downtown restaurant scene coming back strong,” said Cirino.

Wilson said that more downtown restaurants are needed. “Due to growth, the Tanger Center and the hotels being built. Our landlord is on the board of Downtown Greensboro, and he says they’ve done studies indicating the need for 20 to 30 more restaurants. If you come downtown to eat often, you know how hard it can be to get a table.”

Pangaea is 4,200 square feet and will have an occupancy of 90, with outside seating, 18 seats at the front-of-thehouse bar, and dining room tables of

various sizes. There will be a Chef’s Table at the rear of the house near the kitchen. “Greensboro won’t let us have it inside the kitchen the way a lot of big city restaurants do,” said Wilson, “but the chef’s guests can see the food being prepared, and it will be run by the chef and taken care of by the kitchen, which will probably come up with a special menu for it.”

“We’re not just going to change the menu seasonally the way some restaurants do,” said Cirino, “but several times a month, and sometimes weekly. I don’t want you to come in a few times and know the whole menu just like that, with no more surprises. So, lots of specials, lots of changes. I put in about ten percent of the food ideas, and Chef Carlos will take it from there. We’re tweaking the dessert menu right now. My idea is to have a baked Alaska with a passionfruit glaze and splashed with a 23-year-old rum from Guatemala.”

“We’re all age groups,” said Wilson, “but sort of aiming for 27 and up. I don’t want people to just eat because they’re hungry. I want them to have an experience. We’re not just rushing them through here, but offering an evening out. Now, if you want to come in and have a quick meal, we’re going to do that, too. If you want to come in and say I’ll just have the steak, we’ll give you that. For Tanger patrons, if put in all your orders at once, we’ll get you out in time.”

Wilson and Cirino expect to get their certificate of occupancy next week and to be open by July or August. The restaurant will be open from 5 until 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 3 p.m. until midnight on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. !

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.

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Mural by JEKS

A Royal Family band builds The Age of Average

Thomas Royal explores woes, grinds, and a few fatherly rewards in his latest album, “The Age of the Average” via ShamRock Records. Recorded over the past decade, “I think all of the songs are about coming to terms with my own mortality in an era of contentiousness, injustice, and financial strain,” Royal said. “It’s about being disillusioned with having to work a boring desk job to get health insurance.”

Despite the worldly woes and impending demise, Royal has enjoyed rolling into his middle age — which he attributes to coming out better-than-average in progeny-department: his eldest son, Hank, a 16-year old keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist appeared on the record; and 12-year-old-Chas is an “upand-coming drummer and violinist.”

“I always thought signing a record deal or playing amphitheaters was the ultimate dream,” Royal said. “I was wrong. The dream come true is getting to play music with my boys.”

“I had this other dream that we would have a family band that would travel the US in a converted school bus and play the state fair circuit,” Royal continued. “That didn’t work out, but I’m pretty happy the way things are.”

Short of a school bus, his dream isn’t too far o . “We’ve been playing music together their whole lives,” he said. “My wife, Christy, is a music teacher and has a master’s degree in performance. Both of our boys have grown up constantly banging on drums, pianos, guitars, basses, and blowing into horns. Hank and I had our first paying gig together about two years ago. Chas will hopefully join us soon.”

“Music is so important in our house,” Royal added. “We listen to records like other families watch TV. There’s nothing like the four of us playing together. It’s a di erent language that we can speak to each other.”

And it’s a language that has long run in Royal’s family. “My grandfather played piano,” he explained. “His brother was a jazz bass player and the extended cousins were part of a big band named the Cotton Blossoms. They played a lot of fancy swing band gigs in the 1920s-1940s in places like Pinehurst.”

Seeing that circle continue unbroken,

“there’s a lot of my grandfather in Hank,” Royal said, remarking on Hank’s piano skills and other “cosmic connections.” A music production student at Weaver Academy, Hank’s scholastic pursuits extend beyond his primary instrument to “actually become a regular studio wizard!”

“Really, Hank plays anything he can get his hands on,” Royal continued, turning to their work performing together for a handful of Jennyanykind reunion shows — Royal’s late-90s alt-rock group that toured around the country, releasing albums on Elektra (“during the great label frenzy of the ‘Chapel Hill is the next Seattle’ era”), YepRoc, and MoRisen Records.

The series spanned sets for Matt Long’s (The Mayflies USA) 50th birthday party; along with the YepRoc 25th anniversary gala; and one last time for John Harrison’s (Jphono1) 50th birthday.

“Back in the day, Jennyanykind had a rotating cast of keyboard players that toured with us and we debated asking some of those folks to play,” Royal explained. “We had our first rehearsal at my house — Hank had secretly learned the songs we were going to play and asked to sit in.” It only took the first song and he was in. “The collision of these two very di erent worlds — my early 20s and 50s — was a very surreal experience, but I was overjoyed and couldn’t have been prouder!”

“It was sort of a double-edged sword,” Royal continued. “There’s the vices around. And I had to be a dad in a place where I used to just be part of the band. And then came a lot of tough questions that I had to answer. But at the end of the day, I’m thankful that I can be there to help him avoid some of the pitfalls; and

to advocate for him. Ultimately, we often think a lot alike and that makes for a great music experience, not just for us, but for the listener as well.“

Drawing on his own musical experiences, Royal also started playing music seriously as a teen. And got “hooked” on college and indie rock while delivering pizzas in high school. “The cassette player in my car was broken so I constantly listened to WQFS because everything else was pretty lame.”

An a ection for bands like REM, The Cure, and Jesus & Mary Chain followed, along with tastes for the earlier eras of the Kinks, the Who, and Bu alo Springfield. And the new wave of John Zorn, The Talking Heads, and Sonic Youth.

By “The Age of the Average,” those influences had shifted. “I was influenced by some of the children’s music they listened to: Dan Zanes, Blue Moo, Yo Gabba Gabba,” he said. “And they wanted to hear certain songs over and over by artists I listened to. The boys were big fans of the Clash, the Beach Boys, the Flaming Lips, Miles Davis, and The Jayhawks. So these elements showed up on the record because they were a prominent soundtrack to the time in which we were living.”

And those times get together on the record, which was written and recorded over a dozen-or-so years. “I didn’t really plan to put out a record,” Royal explained. “My primary focus was on survival and keeping small people alive. But something would really impact me and the songs kept popping out. I’d play songs for the boys and write ditties that we’d sing together, and these ideas morphed into the songs on the album.”

While the pains of the world weave through the album, there’s a certain sense

of joy. Royal wrote “It’ll Be OK” as a lullaby. “I didn’t know any lullabies so I would softly sing the kids to sleep with Black Sabbath songs,” he admitted. “Eventually I wanted to use bedtime to forge agreements and promises to my boys that I would be there, no matter what. I ended up fleshing the original words and melody out and recording it. That was then I realized the song was just as much a song of reassurance to me as it was to them.”

Flash-forward 15 years and the same baby soothed to sleep is playing keyboards on the record. “It’s very surreal but makes perfect sense. He and my other son, Chas, play a huge role in the themes and narratives of the songs because they were there in the day-to-day life that the songs are about,” Royal said. “Really, the whole family should get songwriting credits!”

“Hank playing, however, happened so quickly,” Royal continued. “One day he was a knee-high toddler singing his heart out into a microphone for fun and the next day he was at a piano playing complex jazz harmonies.”

For Royal, it’s not the talent that’s surprising (“both my boys are super smart”), but rather the time. “The music seemed to come on so suddenly. Years go by faster the older you get. We play music together a lot these days and I’m still in a bit of shock every time. But it sure is fun!”

And Hank agrees. “Making music together is a unique opportunity that I’m super grateful to have,” he said. “I’ve found many of the bands that I love because I learned about them from my dad or we’ve gone to see them together. Wilco, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Khruangbin are a few of the groups that I can credit my dad with introducing me to.”

Turning to their Father’s Day plans. “I hope to make some music together with some family friends and celebrate the best dad!” Hank said — leaving Thomas beaming at the thought.

“I’m proud to be the dad of these two young men,” Royal followed with a laugh. “I hope I don’t screw them up.”

Beyond the holiday, Royal is also part of “The Greensbrothers” jam group, they’ll be at SouthEnd Brewing on August 4, and at Oden Brewing on September 16. He’s also putting together a group with Hank called “Royal Cab Co.” and is booking shows for the fall.

“The Age of the Average” is out now via ShamRock Records. !

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

Katei Cranford Contributor

Thomas Royal and eldest son, Hank

PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS ROYAL

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

UNCSA ANNOUNCES 2023-24 PERFORMANCE SEASON

BY UNCSA MEDIA

UNCSA tunes up for Summer Piano Intensive

Mark Burger Contributor

It may be summertime, but the sound of music will soon be heard throughout the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), as it hosts the Summer Piano Intensive (SPI). The festival opens June 25th and runs through July 7th on the UNCSA main campus in Winston-Salem.

The two-week festival, spearheaded by UNCSA School of Music piano faculty members Dmitri Vorobiev and Dmitri Shteinberg, is specifically tailored to young pianists from around the nation and dovetails perfectly into the school’s mission to encourage and nurture new talent.

This year’s SPI boasts the talents of 25 pianists from Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. Several of the selected participants have already embarked on their professional careers and have numerous competitions and solo appearances to their credit. The Summer Piano Intensive also strives to be accessible to local talent, including students who have yet to make a lifelong commitment to a musi-

cal career. The SPI has awarded numerous scholarships to middle and high school students from North Carolina in an effort to promote the immersive study that it offers.

The student participants range in age from 12 to 22, and hail from a variety of backgrounds. They enjoy the opportunity to exercise their musical muscles but also to savor the process and share it with fellow students and instructors. Besides private lessons, the SPI offers seven different seminars ranging from quick study to interpretation and choir.

There will also be two concerts performed in Watson Hall, located on the UNCSA main campus (1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem): 7 p.m. June 30th and 7 p.m. July 7th. Admission is free of charge. It’s a way to thank the community for its support and invite them to enjoy the remarkable skills of these young talents. The first concert will include works by such masters as Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Schumann and others, and the final concert will feature works from the standard piano repertoire. For more information, visit https://www. uncsa.edu/performances/events/20230630-spiconcerts.aspx.

The official UNCSA website is https://www.uncsa.edu/. !

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

University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) has announced its 2023-24 performance season, which includes dance, drama, film, and music events, created and performed by talented UNCSA students, world-class faculty, distinguished alumni and celebrated guest artists. UNCSA will o er a broad range of free events and low-cost regular tickets, providing a unique opportunity for area residents and visitors to experience renowned professional artists alongside professional-caliber student work. Tickets are on sale now.

“The upcoming performance season will expose students and audiences alike to a broad spectrum of compelling works from across the cultural landscape,” said UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole. “It will o er a diverse array of artistic voices, including those from traditional to underrepresented. We look forward to welcoming the community as we showcase the talents of students, faculty and guest artists.”

Tickets are available now at uncsa. edu/performances or by calling the box o ce at 336-721-1945. Tickets to most fully staged and guest artist events are $25. Non-UNCSA student tickets are $20 with valid ID. Tickets to many other events are $20, with non-UNCSA student tickets at $15. Film screenings and student recitals — among other events — are free of charge. Selected events are priced individually as noted. Patrons can purchase an Arts Card to get easy access to multiple events with a discount over single nonstudent ticket prices.

SCHOOL OF DANCE HIGHLIGHTS

The School of Dance returns with the beloved holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker,” as choreographed by faculty artist Ilya Kozadayev. Fall Dance kicks o the School of Dance’s inclusive and eclectic performance season followed by the popular Emerging Choreographers Concert, featuring senior contemporary dance students.

In celebration of Black History Month, Winter Dance will feature premieres

by prominent choreographers of color, including UNCSA alum Juel Lane, Rena Butler, and adjunct faculty member Wesley Williams. The season will conclude with an exciting Spring Dance highlighted by a version of Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” set in an exotic Caribbean environment, with the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra performing the dazzling score, under the baton of conducting faculty member Mark Norman.

SCHOOL OF FILMMAKING HIGHLIGHTS

The School of Filmmaking celebrates its 30th anniversary in the 2023-24 academic year. Championed by Chancellor Alex C. Ewing, the film school was established in 1993 as the fifth arts school at UNCSA and opened with 60 undergraduate students. It has since added graduate-level programs and a facility called the Studio Village, built to resemble and function like a film studio backlot, and “The Cube,” a space for experimentation with emerging technologies. The school will observe the anniversary with a range of exciting guest artist appearances, alumni events and a wide variety of film screenings that demonstrate the breadth and depth of the program as it has evolved to meet the needs of today’s global arts and entertainment industry. New film screenings will include “Shared World Series,” the debut of an all-new episodic series created by students in the new Anthology Production Lab, which explores serial content for streaming platforms like Netflix; “Fall Panorama,” a collection of short films made by student filmmakers that illustrate the variety and depth of their talent; and “Cinema for the Senses,” a fully immersive experience. The annual endof-year fourth-year films and M.F.A. films, created by students as part of their curriculum and transition projects to the professional world, will round out the season.

Additional 2023-24 season details featuring the School of Music, School of Drama, and School of Design & Production can be found online at uncsa.edu.

Catching Up with Dick Wolf

Growing up watching TV variety shows, I often wondered how the jugglers could keep so many balls in the air at one time. Today I wonder the same thing about my friend Dick Wolf who has nine, hour-long dramas on the air every week. No other writer/producer in the history of television has ever come close to that feat. In addition to “Law and Order,” Wolf produces “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Law and Order Organized Crime,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Med,” “FBI,” “FBI Most Wanted,” and “FBI International.” Perhaps even more impressive is that in this era of the 500-channel universe and a myriad of streaming services, all nine of Wolf’s dramas air on a broadcast network, and all nine are commercially successful.

I first met Dick in the spring of 1999 at an event for the Museum of Television and Radio (now the Paley Center) in New York City. A few months later I interviewed him at length for volume one of my “TV Creators” book series. Back then we talked about our shared love of old TV westerns and heroes like Hopalong Cassidy. Dick also recounted how he spent his summer breaks from the University of Pennsylvania working at ad agencies, then eventually ended up creating national campaigns for major brands like Crest Toothpaste. “I’ve essentially never earned a dollar that wasn’t somehow writing related,” he told me. And Dick came by his talent honestly. “My grandmother wrote title cards for Paramount in the silent era, and my father was a second-generation screenwriter.”

We reconnected by phone late last month, but our conversation was marked by irony because it took place during a writers’ strike. And so, as I spoke with a legendary wordsmith, not a single word was being written for any of Dick’s nine shows.

Jim: I remember seeing a survey from years ago that said even in normal times, most actors and writers only make a few

thousand dollars a year because they can’t get work.

Dick: Right, there’s 90% unemployment, and I’ve been saying this for 35 years, “Why can people who cannot qualify for health insurance vote on throwing people out of work?” This strike is incredibly complex. This is the end of May, and it looks like they’re not even going to start talking to the writers again until they close with the actors and directors. So, you’re looking at a very protracted period of labor upset.

Jim: Back when you were only producing “Law & Order” and “SVU,” you told me that you employed anywhere from 120 to 150 people on each show. Is that still the average today?

Dick: It’s much more now. I was talking about actors and writers and crew. But when you get into post and scoring, and all the ancillaries that are not direct production costs, it’s closer to 300 people on a show. Right now, I’ve got about 3,000 people out of work. This is my fourth strike, and in 1987 that strike went on for six months and two weeks. In my opinion, this current strike is going to go on just as long if not longer. And it doesn’t just a ect writers and directors and actors. It a ects everybody who works on those shows which are all shut down.

Jim: Years ago, I asked you if you had a sixth sense about which shows will be successful, and you said, “It’s always a crap shoot.” Now that you’re the most successful TV creator in history, is it still a crap shoot when you start a new show?

Dick: Every time. You never know what the audience is going to react to, but I’ve

managed to at least cut down the size of the ranks. You do learn what not to do as much as you learn what to do.

Jim: Somehow you and your shows have managed to stay relevant for over 40 years and across several generations. How have you managed to do that, and do you ever consciously concern yourself with going after the youth market?

Dick: I have a strange belief that if you put out good stu the audience will buy it, and I only do stu that I want to watch, and there’s not that much on TV that I want to watch that I don’t make. It sounds terrible, but it’s true.

Jim: Are you concerned about the trend toward artificial intelligence with regard to crafting stories and scripts?

Dick: I’m not worried about it because I’m in a unique situation, but if I was a 30-year-old writer I’d be absolutely terrified. Five years from now, machines will be writing Shakespeare. We should not pretend that the genie can be put back in the bottle. It can’t.

Jim: Is it still fun for you, or is it more like work?

Dick: Well, it’s both. The work IS fun. I mean, it’s taken 40 years and not many people say “No” to me anymore (laughs). That’s not a bad position to be in.

Jim: What’s changed for you over the years?

Dick: When I got out here, I was always the youngest person in every meeting, and now I’m always the oldest by much more than a decade.

Jim: You’ve innovated so many things like the split-format drama and streamlined pace. What will be your final innovation?

Dick: My last innovation will be coming

up with a show that can’t be canceled (both laugh). !

JUNE 24–JULY 29 | 2023

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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)

Jim Longworth

Longworth at Large

Cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Dick Wolf

Newest Stephen King adaptation is well-made but doesn’t realize full potential

he Boogeyman holds a modest distinction as being one of the few Stephen King stories not yet adapted into a feature film. King’s 1973 short story, originally published in Cavalier — a magazine not necessarily literarily renowned — was included in his best-selling 1978 collection Night Shift There have been several short-film versions, but the screenplay by the executiveproducer duo Bryan Woods/Scott Beck and Mark Heyman utilizes only the basic elements of King’s tale while understand-

Tably having to expand upon it. Sophie Thatcher, looking for all the world like singer Billie Eilish, plays Sadie Harper, a teenager mourning the recent loss of her mother in a car accident. Her father, Will (Chris Messina), is a compassionate psychologist struggling to come to terms with his own grief, while Sadie’s little sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) is more concerned by the possibility that there’s something hiding in her closet or under her bed when she goes to bed at night.

It’s that last aspect that is something Stephen King does so well — to take a simple concept and maximize it to full scare potential. Indeed, Sawyer has a very good reason to be afraid of the dark — particularly after the mysterious Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian) unexpectedly arrives for a session with Will. Consumed by guilt over the deaths of his three children in quick succession, he speaks of a nocturnal

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creature that killed them in the night, about which Will is understandably skeptical. Then Billings promptly hangs himself.

All hell is about to break loose, but here’s where the narrative unaccountably sputters. We don’t learn much about the titular Boogeyman except that it seeks out the emotionally distressed and feeds o their fear before killing them. Really, that’s about it. Ambiguity is hardly uncommon in this genre, but that’s awfully vague, and not terribly satisfying.

There will, of course, be the inevitable climax — a smack-down, smash-up, go-forbroke bout with the Boogeyman — but it’s a haul getting there. Sadie’s interactions with her friends and schoolmates, ostensibly displaying her emotional angst, tend to go nowhere.

Director Rob Savage o ers up some imaginative touches, and there’s an appropriately creepy atmosphere and a mounting sense of dread, even if cinematographer Eli Born overdoes the gloominess — sometimes to the extent it’s hard to ascertain what’s happening on the screen. The principal performers are good. Thatcher and Blair have an easy, appealing, sisterly rapport. Messina, so funny as the foul-mouthed sports agent in Ben A eck’s recent Air, here displays his versatility with a more dramatic, sympathetic turn, and Dastmalchian, recently seen as Albert DeSalvo in The Boston Strangler, makes an

intense impression in his brief role. To be fair, The Boogeyman is hardly the worst Stephen King adaptation. It’s wellmade and spooky, but in the end it’s merely average — yet there’s the nagging feeling that this could have something better. !

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

Mark Burger

Contributor

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK: THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU

(Arrow

VAULT

BY MARK BURGER

life, with Geraldine Pailhas, Gregory Gadbois, Hanna Schuygulla, and Ozon regular Charlotte Rampling in supporting roles. In French with English subtitles, available on DVD ($19.95 retail) and Blu-ray ($29.95 retail).

“HOLDING” (Acorn TV): Conleth Hill headlines this four-part mini-series based on executive producer Graham Norton’s best-selling novel, as the bored, underworked constable in a tiny Irish burg that is rocked by scandal when human remains are unearthed at a local farm, which forces him — and his fellow townspeople — to confront secrets from their past. Pauline McLinn, Demi Isaac Oviawe, Charlene McKenna, Clinton Liberty, Helen Behan, Siobhan McSweeney, and Brenda Fricker round out the regular cast, under the direction of actress Kathy Burke, available on DVD ($34.99 retail), replete with behind-thescenes featurette.

MATTER OUT OF PLACE (Icarus Films

Home Video): Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s award-winning documentary feature examines the escalating global concerns regarding garbage and waste, how it threatens the ecological future of this planet, and the tireless e orts by disparate groups of people to prevent that from happening despite considerable obstacles. In English and German with English subtitles, available on DVD ($29.98 retail). (6/27)

RAWHEAD REX (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The 4K Ultra HD combo debut ($39.95 retail) of director George Pavlou’s 1985 adaptation of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood short story, set in a rustic Irish village where American historian David Dukes researches an ancient legend regarding the titular monster that turns out to be real after all — much to the dismay of the residents in a bucolic Irish burg.

various characters (some new and some old) from the earlier series as they continue to battle zombies — and sometimes each other — in all six episodes from the inaugural 2022 season, boasting a star-studded cast including Samantha Morton, Parker Posey, Anthony Edwards, Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Embeth Davidtz, Jillian Bell, Danny Ramirez, and Julie Carmen, available on DVD and Blu-ray (each $34.97 retail). (6/27)

ARAB ISRAELI DIALOGUE/IMAGINE

PEACE (Milestone Film & Video/Kino Lorber): A DVD documentary double feature ($19.95 retail) consisting of producer/director Lionel Rogosin’s self-explanatory 1974 short Arab Israeli Dialogue, which marked his final film; and Imagine Peace, the 2022 documentary short follow-up produced and directed by Rogosin’s son, filmmaker Michael A. Rogosin, which explores the legacy of the earlier film.

DEAD BY MIDNIGHT — Y2KILL (Indican Pictures): This like-minded follow-up to 2018’s horror anthology Dead by Midnight — 11 PM Central serves up another campy collection of short-film shockers broadcast as an all-night TV horror marathon, featuring genre stalwarts Bill Moseley, Linnea Quigley, Erin Brown (AKA “Misty Mudae”), and Kane Hodder, whose hawking of the anti-psychotic drug “Murderol” is a hoot. Like most anthologies, this is hit-and-miss, but well-paced and executed with zesty enthusiasm. Worth a look for horror fans, available on DVD ($26.98 retail), replete with behind-the-scenes featurette, outtakes, and teaser trailer.

EVERYTHING WENT FINE (Cohen Media Group/Kino Lorber): The hot-button issue of assisted suicide is addressed in writer/ director Francois Ozon’s 2021 adaptation of long-time collaborator Emmanuele Bernheim’s best-selling memoir (originally titled Tout s’est bien passé) starring Sophie Marceau as Bernheim, whose elderly father (Andre Dussolier) has su ered a devastating stroke and begs her to help him end his

JOY HOUSE (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Director/screenwriter Rene Clement’s 1964 adaptation of Day Keene’s novel (originally titled Les felins and filmed under the title The Velvet Cage) stars Alain Delon as a gangster/lothario who seeks refuge in the French Riviera villa of lusty widow Lola Albright and her tempestuous cousin Jane Fonda, where a tenuous love triangle begins to materialize — but not without some twists along the way. This pseudoprovocative neo-noir benefits from Henri Decae’s black-and-white cinematography and a trio of attractive, enigmatic performances, but it doesn’t quite come together as a whole. Flawed but interesting, and available on DVD ($14.95 retail) and Bluray ($29.95 retail), each replete with bonus features including original French (with English subtitles) and English-dubbed audio options, audio commentary, and theatrical trailer.

KAMIKAZE (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($29.95 retail) of director/co-screenwriter Didier Grousset’s 1986 feature debut, a wildly stylized — and frequently scattered -- black comedy starring Michel Galabru as an embittered scientist who develops a high-tech technique by which he can anonymously murder people on television, and Richard Bohringer as the dogged detective on his trail. The satirical jabs at mass media are alternately obvious and inspired, and befitting the contribution of co-screenwriter/producer Luc Besson, it’s a sleek piece of work. In French with English subtitles, bonus features include audio commentary, retrospective documentary and interview, and theatrical trailer. **½

Bonus features include audio commentary, retrospective interviews, theatrical trailer, and more. Rated R.

SICK OF MYSELF (Vinegar Syndrome): Writer/editor/director Kristo er Borgli’s award-winning black comedy (originally titled Syk pike) details the turbulent relationship between up-and-coming Oslo artist Eirik Saether and his girlfriend Kristine Kujath Thorp, who repeatedly try to draw attention away from the other, an obsessive competition that begins to build to increasingly horrific extremes. In Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles, available on Blu-ray ($29.98 retail) replete with bonus features including audio commentary, behind-the-scenes interviews, Borgli’s short film Eer, video essay, and more. (6/27)

“TALES OF THE WALKING DEAD” (AMC): The Walking Dead universe continues to expand in this AMC anthology series created by executive producers Scott M. Gimple and Channing Powell, which follows

TERMINAL INVASION (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($29.95 retail) of director Sean S. Cunningham’s 2002 sci-fi shocker set during an airport blizzard, where passengers waiting for their charter flight realize that an alien invasion is in progress -- and that some of them are hostile extra-terrestrials in disguise. Genre favorite Bruce Campbell plays a murdererturned-hero and Chase Masterson the panicked pilot. This fast-moving if hokey e ort premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel with no fanfare but became one of its highestrated broadcasts that year. Bonus features include audio commentary and alien costume test. Rated R.

THE TREATMENT (Kino Lorber): The Blu-ray bow ($29.95 retail) of writer/producer/director Oren Rudavsky’s award-winning 2006 adaptation of Daniel Menaker’s novel, a romantic comedy starring Chris Eigeman as a lovelorn prep-school teacher whose attempts to woo widow Famke Janssen are encouraged — in a manner of speaking — by his domineering Freudian psychiatrist (Ian Holm), who may or may not be a figment of his imagination, with Stephanie Marsh, Stephen Lang, Harris Yulin, Roger Rees, Maddie Corman, and Blair Brown in support. Bonus features include deleted scenes, theatrical trailer, and more.

©2023, Mark Burger

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The special-edition Blu-ray ($39.95 retail) includes audio commentary, original trailer, image gallery, collectible booklet, and the retrospective appreciation Right Film, Wrong Time Rated PG.

VOTED BEST CHICKEN WINGS IN GUILFORD COUNTY

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

IT’S COME TO THIS

In Japan, people who are just being freed from COVID mask-wearing mandates feel they’ve lost their ability to do a simple thing: smile. Sky News reported that 20-year-old Himawari Yoshida, among many others, has enlisted the help of a “smile instructor,” Keiko Kawano. “I hadn’t used my facial muscles much during COVID,” Yoshida said. One-on-one sessions cost about $55. Kawano has students stretch the sides of their mouths and hold up a mirror to smile into. “Culturally, a smile signifies that I’m not holding a gun, and I’m not a threat to you,” Kawano said.

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When Corinea Stanhope, 36, of Powell River, British Columbia, Canada, found a dead deer on her property, she and her grandfather set up a trail camera, hoping to catch some interesting wildlife attracted to the carcass. Instead, Fox News reported on June 6, Stanhope reported capturing something quite di erent: “two witches holding a carcass-eating ritual. ... Grandpa said he’d got naked people on the camera and I said, ‘No you didn’t.’ So he showed me,” Stanhope said. She said the two people showed up shortly after sunset and appeared to be wearing long wigs. “You can’t really tell from the photos, but the hoof was brought right up to her mouth. I don’t know if she was kissing it, smelling it or eating it, but to touch a decaying carcass like that makes me feel sick.” Stanhope hopes the incident was a prank; she decided not to contact police because there was no crime committed.

GOING IN STYLE

Go As You Please, a funeral company in Edinburgh, Scotland, is hoping to “break the taboo” of talking about final arrangements, Sky News reported, by o ering custom-made co ns. For instance, general manager Scott Purvis said, the company created a co n that looked like a Dyson vacuum box for someone whose history included repairing vacuum cleaners. “Most of our co n designs come from having honest conversations with the person when they are still alive,” Purvis said. Other designs they’ve made include a pint of Tennent’s lager and a Greggs sausage roll.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

A phone repair store in Miami Gardens, Florida, was the target of a robbery in the early hours of June 3, NBC6-TV reported. The suspect, 33-year-old Claude Vincent Gri n, employed a brilliant disguise: He wore an ill-fitting cardboard box over his head as he smashed the glass countertop and reached into a case, grabbing 19 iPhones and $8,000 in cash. Naturally, it’s hard to see through cardboard, so Gri n at one point removed the box and revealed himself to a surveillance camera. The store’s owner, Jeremias Berganza, did some sleuthing around the area after the robber left the store and found him at a nearby liquor store, drinking with friends. Gri n was charged with grand theft, burglary, cocaine possession and resisting an o cer.

TONE DEAF

The Woolshed nightclub in Adelaide, Australia, is in apology mode after running a sketchy promotion o ering free drinks based on bra size, 9News reported on June 4. The campaign promised one free drink for an A cup, two drinks for a B cup, etc., and included hanging bras up in the bar. “The bigger the better,” a social media post read. Patrons weren’t impressed: One woman said she would choose to go somewhere else. The Woolshed apologized and said future promotions would be reviewed by senior management to ensure an “inclusive environment” for all patrons.

IT’S GOOD TO HAVE A HOBBY

Rocketry enthusiasts gathered near Alamosa, Colorado, over the Memorial Day weekend to ... enthuse about rockets, but one person’s rocket got away from them in a most inconvenient location: a hotel room at the Comfort Inn, according to the Alamosa News. “There was a malfunction with the motherboard in the rocket which caused the motor to catch on fire,” explained Alamosa Fire Department Deputy Chief Paul Duarte. The resulting explosion caused “enough pressure in the room to dislodge the drywall and panels in the ceiling to fall.” The 4-foot-8-inch rocket had to be disarmed by firefighters to mitigate any further risk. Duarte didn’t believe the guest was injured in the incident. Hotel clerks didn’t expect any charges to be filed. !

©2023 Andrews McMeel Universal

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13 Ending for krypton

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15 Predicament

16 Oahu porch

17 Virtual b’day greeting, e.g.

18 Look at again

21 Certain dried berry

24 911 VIP

28 Banned apple spray 31 Body pic 32 “Amazing!”

DOWN

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2 Amaze

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4 Mother of Mars, in myth

5 Singer DiFranco

6 Golfer Michelle

THE TRIAD’ S BES T 2023

Welcome to our favorite issue of the year, The Triad’s Best! As many of you may know, this is our biggest issue all year, and something we spend several months working on.

People from all over North America, Europe, Asia, and even as far as Australia made their voices heard by choosing all of their Triad favorites. We are excited to see how the economy has bounced back and the growth that has surrounded local events, festivals, and businesses.

With a renewed sense of community and pride, sit back and celebrate the winners and runners-up of the Triad’s Best readers’ poll. While you’ll see familiar winners, we hope this issue will be an opportunity for you to discover many newcomers who have won some of the top awards. The way we listed everyone this year is pretty simple: There are “first-place winners,” “second-place winners,” and “runners-up.” As voting was fierce and highly competitive, you will see additional runners-up listed. This was done due to the closeness of the vote counts, and in some

cases, ties in the runner-up categories. There are many people to thank for making the 2023 issue possible:

— To our advertising partners, we are so very proud that you have chosen us to be a part of your businesses success. We know how tough things have been, but we look forward to growing with you as things improve throughout the Triad region.

— To our readers and advertising supporters, we cannot say “Thank You” enough for

picking up our awesome paper, taking the time to vote, and o ering your suggestions and ideas.

— To the winners and runners-up, congratulations to you and know that we are all so glad to have you and your business in the Triad. We could not do this without you, and we appreciate being a part of your growth and success!

— To Alex and Shane, the best design sta in the Triad! Thank you so much for your diligence, creativity, patience and hard work on this enormous issue.

— To the sales team, simple and sweet: you crushed it!

— To our writers and photographers, thank you so much for making it happen. Your dedication and commitment is unmatched.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND SHARE PHOTOS OF YOUR FAVORITE WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA USING THE HASHTAG, #THETRIADSBEST2023.

TACO MAMA THE BEST TACOS IN GUILFORD

Taco Mama, in both Guilford and Forsyth Counties, is bringing the heat in this year’s YES! Weekly’s Triad’s Best.

Located on Lawndale Drive in Greensboro and Burke Mill Road in Winston-Salem, the causal Mexican style restaurant chain debuted in Greensboro in 2017. The specialty taco bar originated in Alabama, and the Lawndale location was their flagship franchise here in North Carolina. Since the doors opened, people have been filling the tables and chairs, ordering tacos and tipping back margaritas, long before the North Carolina summer weather came back around.

The interior style of the restaurant is eccentric yet classy. Filled with old-school artwork, accompanied by large-scale paintings and an extensive, colorful menu, a brightly lit bicycle, and Edison light bulbs draped from the ex-

posed-wooden ceiling creates a hipster vibe for authentic Mexican. A vibe that Triad residents have come to expect along with the array of great, a ordable food.

This year, both locations racked up 12 awards in the Triad’s Best.

The chain, known for its handcrafted tacos, build your own burritos, free toppings and marvelous margaritas, also takes first place in the Best Margaritas in Forsyth and Guilford Counties. They take second place in the Best Lunch category. The take third in Best Mexican Restaurant in Guilford County, Best Mexican Restaurant in Forsyth County, Best Vegetarian Restaurant, Best Caterer and Best Cheap Eats categories. They came in as runner-up in the Best Drink Menu and Best Family Restaurant categories.

BEST SPORTS BAR IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER RODY’S TAVERN

BEST SPORTS SIMULATOR/ ARCADE BAR

WINNER TEE IT UP INDOORS

MOST ORIGINAL AND UNIQUE BAR

WINNER FIREHOUSE TAP ROOM

MOST COOL SMALL BAR

WINNER DRAM & DRAUGHT

2 ND

2 ND

RIXSTER GRILL

RUNNERS UP GATE CITY BILLIARDS CLUB, JAKE’S BILLIARDS, THE BOX SEAT

FOOD

AND DRINK

BOXCAR BAR + ARCADE

RUNNERS UP THE PLAYGROUND GOLF AND SPORTS BAR, ROAR, UNDERPAR GOLF LOUNGE

BEST BAGEL STORE

WINNER GREENFIELDS NY DELI & BAGELS

2 ND

NEW GARDEN BAGELS

RUNNERS UP THE BAGEL STATION, KERNERSVILLE BAGEL, BRUEGGER’S BAGELS

2 ND

2 ND

HP TROUSERS

RUNNERS UP PLANK STREET TAVERN, FOLLY’S DRAFT AND SNACK, FREEMANS GRUB AND PUB

BEST BAKERY

WINNER SWEET SHOPPE BAKERY

FREEMAN’S GRUB & PUB

RUNNERS UP PLANK STREET TAVERN, BURKE STREET PUB, STATE STREET WINE COMPANY

BEST LIVE THEATRE VENUE IN FORSYTH COUNTY

WINSTON-SALEM

THEATRE ALLIANCE

Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance has taken top billing in YES! Weekly’s Triad’s Best awards for the Best Live Theater Venue in Forsyth County.

Last year, the Alliance was preparing to move into its new home in the Arts District at 650 W. Sixth Street, formerly home to the Bluebird Cab Company.

The newly renovated site will include a 160-seat theater, a larger lobby and box o ce for customers, a backstage area, and prop and costume shops. There will be a dedicated space for set construction and an all-in-one comprehensive space, as well.

Since it began its “Homecoming” Capital Campaign in the fall of 2019, the goal grew to $1.5 million needed to realize the dream of a new theatre. Despite COVID-19, they were able to come up with

the bulk of the campaign monies, including the most recent gift of $25,000 from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. While they’d already purchased the W. Sixth Street building, they still need $750,000 to finish the renovations and complete the transformation by the deadline of May 2021. The Legacy Venue, a long-term rental the theatre acquired in 2008, had already been renovated from an 88-seat house to a 120-seat house.

“Even while we stopped performing, our renovation kept going. I’m also excited to move to this side of town because it’s o cially part of the Downtown Arts District. It’s kind of a dream come true for us,” Executive Director Jaime Lawson.

2 ND

BISCUITS BRISKET & BEER

BEST CHEAP EATS WINNER COOK OUT RUNNERS UP TACO MAMA, THE DOG HOUSE, RIXSTER GRILL

BEST CHICKEN WINGS IN FORSYTH COUNTY

2 ND

WINNER RONNI’S RESTAURANT RUNNERS UP SIXTY SIX GRILL AND TAPHOUSE, WALDO’S WINGS, PUTTER’S PATIO AND GRILL

EAST COAST WINGS

2 ND

UNCLE CHEESECAKE

BEST CHEESECAKE WINNER CHEESECAKES BY ALEX RUNNERS UP CHEESECAKE FACTORY, VILLAGE TAVERN, DJ’S CHEESECAKES

BEST CHICKEN WINGS IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER SWEET OLD BILL’S

2 ND

FREEMAN’S GRUB & PUB

RUNNERS UP GEORGE’S PIZZA, BLACK POWDER SMOKEHOUSE, BISCUITS BRISKET AND BEER

2 ND

NIKI FARRINGTON @ 6TH & VINE

BEST CHEF IN FORSYTH COUNTY WINNER ANTONIO DI LISIO @ DI LISIO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT RUNNERS UP JUSTIN WEBSTER, PEYTON SMITH, CRISSY FAISON

BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT/ TAKE OUT IN FORSYTH

WINNER NEW SICHUAN

RUNNERS UP CHU’S EXPRESS WESTCHESTER DRIVE, MR LUA’S, CHINA WOK

2 ND

BEST CHEF IN GUILFORD COUNTY WINNER KEVIN PURCELL @ FREEMAN’S GRUB & PUB RUNNERS UP TODD SEN, ANDREW SMITH, CHRIS RYKER

KEVIN COTTRELL@ MACHETE

THE TRIAD’ S BEST NEW CLUB /BAR IN GUILFORD COUNTY

Co-owners Austin Elliott and Ryan Coleman have created a business concept that will let you grab your favorite beer and pair of britches in the same place. It’s this concept that has landed them on the Triad’s Best list as the Best New Club/Bar in Guilford County.

Located at 142 Church Avenue, Suite 101, in High Point, HP Trousers is making its mark in Downtown High Point, bringing fashion, residents, and artists together since September 2022.

“It’s really a place to come and shop, kind of a sip and shop in a really collaborative environment,” said Elliott. “We have live music and block parties. It’s just a great place for this

community to come together, have a drink, do a little shopping, and hang out.”

HP Trousers is primarily a men’s clothing store that o ers women’s clothing occasionally and has jewelry and accessory for everyone. The bar o ers regional brews on draft and bottled including Fiddlin’ Fish Brewery and Wicked Weed Brewing. With the help of its downtown partner Paddled South Brewing, it also o ers its own beer called ‘Drop Your Trousers.’

The clothing shop o ers customers the opportunity to purchase custom denim jeans from its in-house “Jeansmith” veteran Lauren Sussi.

BEST FRENCH FRIES

WINNER DIRTY FRIES

BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN FORSYTH COUNTY

WINNER SWEET POTATOES

BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER DAME’S CHICKEN & WAFFLES

BEST FROZEN CUSTARD

WINNER ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD

2 ND

2 ND

BISCUITS BRISKETS & BEER

RUNNERS UP FREEMAN’S GRUB & PUB, DAIRI-O, THE BISCUIT FACTORY

BEST FROZEN YOGURT

WINNER SWEET FROG

MOUNTAIN FRIED CHICKEN

RUNNERS UP TIMMY’S HOT CHICKEN, TED’S FAMOUS CHICKEN, BOSSY BEULAH’S

BEST HIBACHI RESTAURANT

WINNER FIRE & STICKS

JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE

2 ND

2 ND

CHICKEN BEE

RUNNERS UP MAGNOLIA BLUE (CHICKEN AND WAFFLES), MRS WINNER’S, SCRATCH FRIED CHICKEN

BEST HOT DOGS IN FORSYTH COUNTY

WINNER DAIRI-O

FREDDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD

RUNNERS UP WHIT’S FROZEN CUSTARD, CULVER’S FROZEN CUSTARD, ABBOTT’S FROZEN CUSTARD

BEST HOT DOGS IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER YUM YUM BETTER ICE CREAM

2 ND

2 ND

2 ND

ZACK’S FROZEN YOGURT

RUNNERS UP MENCHIES, FEENY’S, TO THE MOON AND BACK

ARIGATO’S

RUNNERS UP KABUTO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE AND SUSHI BAR, TOKYO EXPRESS - HIGH POINT, TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT

KERMIT’S

RUNNERS UP JS PULLIAM BARBEQUE - WALKERTOWN, DASH CITY DOGS, DOSS

2 ND

THE DOG HOUSE

RUNNERS UP DAMN GOOD DOGS, BACKYARD FLAMES, BIG WILL’S FAMOUS HOTDOGS, MAYBERRY ICE CREAM RESTAURANT

2 ND

YUM YUM BETTER ICE CREAM

BEST ICE CREAM WINNER B&E’S ICE CREAM AND COFFEE SHOP RUNNERS UP KNIGHTLY ROSE (THE TIKI DESSERT BAR), POP’S MINI DOUGHNUT SHOP, MISO’S ICE CREAM

2 ND

2 ND

SALT AND PEPPER INDIAN CUISINE

BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT WINNER NAWAB INDIAN CUISINE RUNNERS UP NAMASTE, TAAZA BISTRO GREENSBORO, 68 INDIAN BISTRO

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN FORSYTH COUNTY

THE CLADDAGH

BEST IRISH RESTAURANT WINNER FINNIGAN’S WAKE RUNNERS UP M’COUL’S PUBLIC HOUSE, THE CELTIC FRIDGE

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER GIANNOS OF HIGH POINT RUNNERS UP GIOVANNI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT,

2 ND

ELIZABETH’S PIZZA

WINNER QUANTO BASTA ITALIAN EATERY & WINE BAR RUNNERS UP AMALFI’S - KERNERSVILLE, DI LISIO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT, MISSION PIZZA

2 ND

BEST NEW RESTAURANT WINNER FRADY’S TAPHOUSE & EATERY RUNNERS UP HEFF’S BURGER CLUB, CILLE & SCOE, POP’S MINI DOUGHNUT SHOP

BISCUITS BRISKET AND BEER

BEST NEW SMALL/AFFORABLE RESTAURANT

WINNER BISCUITS BRISKET AND BEER

2 ND

BEST PHILLY CHEESE STEAK

WINNER ELIZABETH’S PIZZA

2 ND

FRADY’S TAPHOUSE

RUNNERS UP HEFF’S BURGER CLUB, DAMN GOOD DOGS, DAILY BASKET DELI

ODEH’S MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN

RUNNERS UP THE PEARL KITCHEN FOOD TRUCK, MONK’S CHEESESTEAKS & CHEESEBURGERS LLC., RIXSTER GRILL

BEST PIZZA IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER ELIZABETH’S PIZZA RUNNERS UP CUGINO

BEST PIZZA IN FORSYTH COUNTY

WINNER CUGINO FORNO

2 ND

BURKE STREET PIZZA

RUNNERS UP MELLOW MUSHROOM, MISSION PIZZA, ELIZABETH’S PIZZA

BEST COMMERCIAL/HOME CLEANING COMPANY

THE TRIAD’ S BEST VISUAL ARTIST

This year the winner of Triad’s Best Visual Artist belongs to graffiti artist and muralist JEKS. The Greensboro based artist has work featured on building facades and public spaces in cities across the world including Atlanta, Las Vegas, Houston, Miami, Charlotte and the Triad. He has made a name for himself with his “hyper-realistic monochromatic portraits and full-color portraits.” A self-taught artist, JEKS is known for his meticulous detail, symmetry, smooth gradients, saturation and emotion shining through his works.

BEST PLACE TO BUY EYE GLASSES IN FORSYTH

WINNER EYES ON TRADE

BEST PLACE TO BUY EYE GLASSES IN GUILFORD

2 ND

2 ND

C DISTINCTIVE EYEWEAR

RUNNERS UP COSTCO, FORSYTH FAMILY EYE CARE, PROGRESSIVE VISION

BEST PLACE TO BUY WINE IN FORSYTH COUNTY

WINNER TOTAL WINE & MORE

2 ND

THE BREWER’S KETTLE CLEMMONS

RUNNERS UP WINSTON-SALEM WINE MARKET, TRADER JOE’S, THE CAVISTE WINE BAR-SHOP

BEST PLUMBING COMPANY

WINNER MICHAEL LYN GRIMSLEY LLC

RUNNERS UP GO GREEN PLUMBING, COGAR PLUMBING, SKYE PLUMBING LLC

WINNER OSCAR OGLETHORPE EYEWEAR RUNNERS UP HOUSE OF EYES, BATTLEGROUND EYE CARE, PROGRESSIVE VISION

MYEYEDR. - DR. JOHN LINDSAY

BEST PLACE TO BUY WINE IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER TOTAL WINE & MORE

2 ND

THE BREWERS KETTLE

RUNNERS UP STATE STREET WINE COMPANY, WINESTYLES TASTING STATION, THE LOADED GRAPE

’ S BEST COLLEGE

With nearly 20,000 students and 3,000 faculty and sta , UNCG is the largest state university in the Piedmont Triad and has an annual economic impact of more than $1 billion. Founded in 1891 and one of the original three UNC System institutions, the campus has grown to include 30 residence halls and 28 academic buildings on 250-plus acres. UNCG takes pride in being a learner-centered public research university. The College of Arts & Sciences and seven professional schools have more than 125 areas of study and over 80 graduate programs o ering more than 180

advanced degrees.

Led by Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., UNC Greensboro is 1 of only 59 doctoral institutions recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for both higher research activity and community engagement.

In Fall 2020, UNCG enrolled 19,764 students, including 15,995 undergraduates and 3,769 graduate students. Sixty-eight percent of students are female. Twentyeight percent of students are Black, and 11 percent are Latino. For full-time students living on campus, 2020-21 basic costs (including tuition, fees and room

and board) totaled approximately $16,829 for in-state students and $31,988 for out-of-state students.

Opportunities for students include more than 300 student organizations, 17 Division I athletic teams, intramurals, club sports, wellness center, campus golf course, student newspaper, student literary magazine, student radio station, music and choral groups, drama and dance performance groups, concert and lecture series, film series, internships, Outdoor Adventures program, fraternities and sororities, and community service.

THE TRIAD’ S BEST FOR FAMILY FUN IN GUILFORD COUNTY

GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER

With a three in one attraction, it’s no wonder that the Greensboro Science Center won first place title as the Triad’s Best For Family Fun in Guilford County. The education, interactive center is a premier family attraction in North Carolina that o ers the state’s first accredited inland aquarium, a hands-on science museum, an accredited Animal Discovery Zoological Park, a state-of-the-art OmniSphere Theater, and SKYWILD, an animal-inspired treetop adventure park. There’s a reptile gallery and a children’s petting zoo. Located at 4301 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro, the 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization o ers special attraction, themed and unthemed, throughout the year for Triad residents.

THE TRIAD’ S BEST CHEESECAKE

CHEESECAKES BY ALEX

BEST MUSIC VENUE IN GUILFORD COUNTY

WINNER THE DECK

BEST MUSICIAN IN THE TRIAD

WINNER LAURIE ALLEY

Located in Downtown Greensboro is a little bakery that has made a big name for itself since its inception in 2002.

Cheesecakes by Alex, located at 315 South Elm St. in Greensboro, begin with a simple request from Alex Amoroso’s mother in law for a cheesecake during the holiday season and has grown into the challenge of sharing with the entire Triad, and sometimes the nation.

The family-owned bakery specializes in its title dessert, o ering more than 20 year round flavors and two seasonal. It is no wonder they won first place in this year’s Triad’s Best Cheesecake.

O ering cheesecakes in three sizes, the signature desserts can be pre-ordered, picked up or purchased by stopping by the store. Cheesecakes by Alex also o er a wholesale service to restaurants in the Triad and few places across North Carolina.

You can also purchase your fair share of macaroons, whoopee pies, made from scratch cake slices, and assorted pastries. They also o er ice cream from Homeland Creamery, organic co ees and espressos from local roasters.

With free Wi-Fi, co ee and a sweet treat, the venue is a perfect for grabbing a dessert and relaxing or working.

Cheesecakes by Alex reigns due to their large variety of made from scratch desserts, and ability to ship conveniently across the nation with ease and confidence that your cakes will reach their destinations.

2 ND

2 ND

PLANK STREET TAVERN

RUNNERS UP ZIGGY’S, THE FLAT IRON, THE BLIND TIGER

BEST PERCUSSIONIST

WINNER MATT D’AMICO - SPINDLE 45

TIM BERNTHAL 2 ND

RUNNERS UP LAUREN MYERS, KATIE ALLEGRO, JOSH FELDMAN

BEST PLACE TO BUY MUSICAL EQUIPMENT IN TRIAD

WINNER THE B STRING GUITAR SHOP

2 ND

THE MUSIC BARN

RUNNERS UP BROTHERS MUSIC AND TRADE, GUITAR REPAIR CENTER, GUITAR CENTER

CLAY HOWARD

RUNNERS UP MARK MCKERNAN, RAY ALLEGREZZA, ROBERT ELLIOTT (RED)

BEST PIANO PLAYER

WINNER FAYE WILSON - SPINDLE 45

BOB SANGER 2 ND

RUNNERS UP SAMMY FRIBUSH, JULIAN SIZEMORE, REGGIE BUIE

BEST RECORDING STUDIO

WINNER EARTHTONES RECORDING STUDIO

EMR RECORDERS 2 ND

RUNNERS UP SALEM MUSIC, SOUND LAB, BLACK RABBIT AUDIO

BEST TRIBUTE / COVER BAND WINNER SPINDLE 45

UP

The ties that bind the Triad music community are supported by their connections among themselves — and with the audience — for the 2023 Triad’s Best Awards.

Incideniary Brewing’s “Coal Pit” concert venue offers not only the place where those connections are forged — it’s also the winner of the “Most Unique Place to Hear Live Music” and home to the Gears & Guitar Festival (aka the “Best Live Triad Music Show of 2022”). Hosting a number of contenders in the top slots, Camel City Yacht Club will play the Coal Pit on June 24. Captained by an alter-ego of Clay Howard, the Yacht Club sailed into second place for “Best Tribute / Cover Band,“ with Howard snagging second place for “Best Musician” and “Best Vocalist,” and third place for “Best Songwriter.” Bassist Jerry Chapman and drummer Lauren Myers also snagged third place in their instrument’s categories.

Together, CCYC is sailing all over top Triad venues: on July 1, they’ll play Stock + Grain Assembly’s “First Anniversary Bash.” The High Point food and venue hall is the latest home for Ziggy’s, which got the third-place slot for “Music Venue in Guilford County.” And they’ll be at Playground Golf & Sports Bar (secondplace winners for “Best Music Venue in Forsyth County”) on July 22.

Cover shows are once again on a roll

Triad’s Best Music Scene

with the Vagabond Saints Society doing Duran Duran’s “Rio” at the Ramkat hitting third place for the “Best Live Triad Music Show of 2022.” VSS will return to the Ramkat (which topped the “Best Music Venue” and its Gas Hill Drinking Room placed second for “Best Intimate Music Venue”) on June 16. This time, taking it to the limit, with their take on the Eagles.

On the original end, Howard is scheduled for the Saturday set at Gears & Guitars 2023 (with Cracker and Nine Days). Meanwhile, carry-overs from the 2022 festival, Crenshaw Pentecostal and The Deluge, will play the Coal Pit July 29; and their G&G fest-mates, Killing Gophers, have slayed the top spots to be the 2023 “Best Local Original Band.”

Going with “Just Gophers,” these days, Mike Cobler won “Best Songwriter;” bassist Kevin Beroth, drummer Tim Bernthal, and guitarist Mark McKernan, all placed second in their instrument categories (with McKernan also placing third for “Best Musician”).

“We are pretty humbled to be a second-time winner especially given the bands that have been nominated the past two years,” the group said. They’ve got an album dropping in July, and are dropping their old name going forward. Turns out, Caddyshack references don’t carry quite enough. But they’re alright. Nobody need worry. They’re “Just Gophers.” “We’re psyched that the last thing we did under the old name is win this award!,” they said. ”It’s a nice little legacy.”

Speaking of legacy: Spindle 45 once again sweeps the Triad’s Best Award — though Cobler’s work as their sound tech went under the radar.

Snagging first place all over the place, Spindle and its members won: “Best Tribute / Cover Band,” “Best Bassist” (Paul Schuh), “Best Percussionist” (Matt D’Amico), “Best Piano Player” (Faye Wilson), “Best Guitarist” (Mike Chamis), and “Best Vocalist” (Laurie Alley, who also won “Best Musician”).

“I’m humbled but have to say I’m not the best percussionist, I just play one on this survey,” D’Amico said with a laugh.

Schuh agreed. “It’s honestly a testament to the passion and hard work that every band member puts into each and every performance,” he said. “We take pride in ensuring that our music not only pays tribute to the greats but also retains a fresh and innovative edge that excites our audience. We’re thrilled and honored to learn. It’s always an immense pleasure to know that our dedi-

cation and passion for music resonates so deeply with our community.”

For Alley, the honor resonates across their sets and showplaces. “It’s an honor to be recognized, especially within this very talented music community. But it’s not really about us,” she said. “It’s about the venues who consistently book us, the people who come to see us, and our families that encourage and support us. Any opportunity to share music is a blessing and a privilege.”

Beyond snagging top spots, Spindle also has a show at the Coal Pit on July 1; and on Aug 11 they’ll be at the FireHouse TapRoom in Archdale (second-place winner for “Most Unique Place to Hear Live Music” and third-place for “Best Intimate Music Venue”).

“We’d like to thank YES! Weekly for creating a platform that acknowledges

Katei Cranford

Contributor

Killing Fiction

PHOTO BY ANGIE HINKLE

and celebrates the arts in this region,” Alley noted. ”Your dedication to promoting local talent is commendable, and we are honored to be members of this supportive community.”

Wilson echoed a similar sentiment. “I’m humbled to place for the second year in a row,” Wilson said, with praise for both her Spindle crew and GypsySoul, the six-piece blues band she shares with fellow 2023 Traid’s Bestie: Mark Vestich (who snagged a top-five spot for “Best Bassist”).

Vestich’s award connections continue across his work with The Carolina Pines, which features guitarist Mark Miller (top-five for “Best Guitar”) and the brotherly duo Cody and Casey Havaic (a top-fivers for “Best Songwriter”). “The family harmonies are key to our sound, and a huge part of what keeps up going,” Cody said of scoring the slot with his brother. “We co-write a lot of our material, but I feel like our songs really start to take form when Casey and I are working out the vocals.”

They’ll flex those harmonies at a few “Triad’s Best” spots, including on July 9 at Plank Street Tavern in High Point (which picked up Second-place for “Best Music Venue in Guilford County” and was in the top five for “Most Unique Place to Hear Live Music). And on July 15 at Folly’s Draft and Snack in Kernersville (which grabbed third place for “Most Unique” and in the top five for “Best Intimate Music Venue”).

Beyond the shows, the Pines recently tracked their upcoming debut EP at Earthtones Recording Studios in Greensboro — which keeps its top spot in the charts for “Best Recording Studio” for a third year in a row.

“Three years running. What an honor!,” said engineer Benjy Johnson. “I’m super stoked and humbled and I don’t

take it lightly!!” With an exciting awards season across the board, Johnson’s engineering work has garnered GRAMMY nominations, along with a handful of nominations at the 2023 BMA Blues Music Awards. And it doesn’t appear to be slowing down: Not only have the recent Charlie Hunter releases Johnson engineered received critical acclaim; and in movie news, Johnson worked on Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” (which received a nine-minute standing ovation during its premiere at Cannes).

As returning champs relish their awards, honors also extend to the rookies on the list. First-timer, Beth Stevens, snagged a top-five spot for “Best Vocalist,” along with her band, Killing Fiction, which placed in the top five for “Best Tribute / Cover Band.”

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for those that voted for me to be added to a list of such talented vocalists,” Stevens said. “Growing up, like many, music was an outlet, and it led me through some very dark moments in my life.” Crediting her win in the “Asheboro Idol” karaoke competition to her joining the band, Stevens looks back on the winning streak they’ve built together. “We’re absolutely blown away, honored and humbled. Being able to pursue our passion as friends that have become family is the best feeling.”

Killing Fiction will be at the Jim’s Kids car show and fundraiser on July 15 at Cox Harley Davidson in Asheboro. But they’re not the only Zoo City artist on the list: bluesman Ray Allegrezza snagged third place for “Best Guitarist” and a top-five spot for “Best Musician in the Triad.”

“I am humbled just to have been nominated,” said Allegrezza (who also plays in Asheboro-based bands Red

House and Southern Chill). These days, my biggest rush is playing open mics at Ritchy’s in Greensboro and Sawmill, both hosted by the very talented Shiela Klinefelter. There’s usually a pretty good bunch of musicians and the chance to improvise is what makes the music matter to me. ”

By beauty of pure coincidence, Tyler Nail’s Red House home studio (and podcast) shares no connection to Allegrezza’s band of the same name. Though they do share accolades among the “Triad’s Best,” with Nail snagging third place for “Best Local Original Band.”

“It feels good to be recognized by the community on multiple occasions over the years,” Nail said. “I’m grateful to have connected with so many people in the local community. It remains an honor to be able to contribute my creativity to our local creative economy.”

Within his own work, Nail has been recording with Doug Williams at Electro Magnetic Radiation Recorders (who placed second for “Best Recording Studio”). And he’s excited to hit the road around the state. “The local clubs like Gas Hill, High Rock Outfitters, and Flat Iron are great, he said. “It’s important to have spaces in the Triad that facilitate deep connections between artists and audiences — places that put music in the foreground rather than the background.”

Triad audiences agree; and share Nail’s affection for the Flat Iron in Greensboro, which picked up first place for “Best Intimate Music Venue” and a top-five slot for “Best Music Venue in Guilford County.”

“We just want to say thank you to everyone who supported us,” said Josh King and Abbey Spoon (the husbandand-wife team that took over operations in early 2022). “We’ve been

working really hard to bring music to Greensboro that we felt the community was missing while providing a space for the abundant local talent Greensboro has to offer.”

Looking forward to their second year at the helm, “It turns out, running a music venue isn’t easy at all--but we survived the first year!,” they said. “Keep coming to shows, and we’ll keep booking them!”

The Flat is also a favorite for the top-five “Best Piano Player,” Julian Sizemore (of the Mantras). “I’d like to thank YES! Weekly and your readers for supporting live music in Greensboro,” he said, dropping that the Mantra’s 20th anniversary “Mantrabash’’ will go down in September.

Festival season is already underway for fellow top-five “Best Piano Player,” Reggie Buie (and his Reggie Buie Smooth Jazz group) who’ve been playing festivals all around the state — including their recent headlining show at the High Country Jazz Festival in Boone. Regulars at the Rhythm Lounge and Grill in Winston-Salem, Buie is currently working on a video for his upcoming release, “Mr. Lewis,” a song written as a tribute to his first musical mentor: jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis.

Connections and coincidences intertwine amongst the 2023 “Triad’s Best Awards,” highlighting the Triad’s musical communities. Congratulations, y’all. !

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

Just Gophers Reggie Bouie

ASHEBORO

Four SaintS BrEwing

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722

www.foursaintsbrewing.com

thursdays: taproom trivia

Fridays: Music Bingo

Jun 24: 80’s unplugged

CARBORRO

Cat’S CradlE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053

www.catscradle.com

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

Jun 23: andrew Marlin

Jun 23: Bonny doon

Jun 24: Bayonne

Jun 25: Joseph

Jun 25: Joe Pug

Jun 26: Joyce Manor

Jun 26: Sloan

Jun 27: teeyum Smith

Jun 29: EElS

Jul 1: Kiltro

Jul 7: waveform*, they are gutting a Body of water

Jul 9: Hot Mulligan

Jul 10: binki

Jul 11: Skating Polly

Jul 14: Son Volt

Jul 14: the weight Band

Jul 15: Shoaldiggers, Mystery ranch, Country Cruel

Jul 16: Harbour

Jul 19: Motherfolk

Jul 20: less than Jake

Jul 22: george Shingleton

Jul 22: olive dares the darkness

Jul 23: Honey Magpie, annie Stokes, Colin Cutler and Sam Foster

Jul 25: the Mountain grass unit

Jul 27: School of rock allStars

Jul 27: altin gun

Jul 27: the drums

Jul 28: Jesse Fox

CHARlOttE BoJanglES

Jun 26: tori amos

Jul 16: 85 South Show live

tHE FillMorE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970

www.livenation.com

Jun 14: Bastille

Jun 20: $not

Jun 21: Jesse & Joy

Jun 26: animals as leaders

Jun 30: larry’s Market run 2023

Jul 1: Electric Feels: indie rock + Electronic dance Party

Jul 7: remember the name

Jul 8: old gods of appalachia

Jul 8: lPB Poody

Jul 14: Yung Pinch

Jul 15: Killer Mike and the Midnight revival

Jul 28: a Flock of Seagulls & Strangelove

PnC MuSiC PaVilion

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292

www.livenation.com

Jun 17: dierks Bentley

Jun 24: weezer, Future islands & Joyce Manor

Jun 27: Big time rush, Max & Jax

Jun 28: Shania twain

Jun 29: Peso Pluma

Jul 2: Kidz Bop live

Jul 11: Matchbox twenty

Jul 19: Boy george, Culture Club & Berlin

Jul 21: Fall out Boy, Bring Me the Horizon, royal and the Serpent & Carr

Jul 22: Sam Hunt, Brett Young & lily rose

Jul 23: Mudvayne

Jul 28: Jodeci, SwV & dru Hill

Jul 29: Post Malone

Jul 30: lil durk, Kodak Black & nlE Choppa

Jul 31: disturbed, Breaking Benjamin & Jinjer

SKYla CrEdit union

aMPHitHEatrE

former Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555

www.livenation.com

ColiSEuM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600

www.boplex.com

Jun 17: tink admat

Jun 24: grupo Frontera El Comienzo tour

SPECtruM CEntEr

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000

www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Jun 30: Banda MS

Jul 2: alicia Keys

Jul 6: Santa Fe Klan

Jul 9: ll Cool J

Jul 14: blink-182

Jul 16: Erykah Badu

Jul 22-23: Monster Jam

ClEmmOnS

VillagE SQuarE

taP HouSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330

www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

Jun 16: Sprockett

duRHAm

Carolina tHEatrE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030

www.carolinatheatre.org

Jun 13-14: Menopause the Musical

Jun 22: rodrigo y gabriela

Jun 27: Ziggy Marley

Jul 12: andy grammer

Jul 16: Melissa Etheridge

dPaC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787

www.dpacnc.com

Jun 14: Styx

Jun 15: larry the Cable guy

Jul 9: John oliver

Jul 22: russell Peters

Jul 29: ladies r&B Kickback Concert

ElKIn

rEEVES tHEatEr

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

wednesdays: reeves open Mic

Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam

Jun 17: the Malpass Brothers

Jun 23: daShawn Hickman

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

Jul 7: Hubby Jenkins

Jul 13: geoff westley

Jul 14: Paul thorn

Jul 22: Blue ridge opry

gREEnSBORO

Barn dinnEr tHEatrE

120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211

www.barndinner.com

Jun 3- Jul 15: legends diner: a Musical tribute

Carolina tHEatrE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605

www.carolinatheatre.com

Jun 16: liam Purcell & Cane Mill road

Jun 24: Maritzada

Jul 8: our Band

CHar Bar no. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555

www.charbar7.com

Jun 15: david Mclaughlin

Jun 22: Coia

Jun 29: renae Paige

CoMEdY ZonE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034

www.thecomedyzone.com

Jun 16-17: Mia Jackson

Jun 23-25: Jon reep

Jun 30-Jul 1: we’re not Brothers tour

Jul 14-15: rodney Perry

CoMMon groundS

602 S Elm Ave | 336.698.388

www.facebook.com/CommonGroundsGreensboro

Jun 14: Bryan Bielanski

ConE dEniM

117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646

www.cdecgreensboro.com

upcoming EvEnts

JUN 14: Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers

JUN 15: Dance From Above

JUN 17: The Lubben Brothers

JUN 18: Dan Davis Trio (Free 2-4PM)

JUN 18: Kara Grainger

JUN 20: Into The Fog

JUN 21: Brennan Fowler presents DWNTMPO

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

Jun 16: Jukebox rehab

Jun 17: Beach Music Summer Party

w/ DJ TODD

Jun 23: Huckleberry Shyne

GrEEnSBOrO COliSEuM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Jun 17: Brooks & Dunn

Jun 24: Dude Perfect

Jul 20: Thomas rhett

Jul 24: nF

Jul 30: The Chicks

STEvEn TanGEr CEnTEr

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500

www.tangercenter.com

Jun 16: The love Triange: an Evening of love

Jun 23: lady a w/ Dave Barnes

WHiTE Oak

aMPiTHEaTrE

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

Jun 24: Straight no Chaser

Jul 1: Barenaked ladies

Jul 30: Summer Block Party SWv & Dru Hill

high point

1614 DMB

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113

https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/

Jun 17: The Threat

Jun 24: vinyl rox

Jul 15: Banger

Jul 21: Elder Bug

jamestown

THE DECk

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

Jun 15: Dan Miller

Jun 17: radio revolver

Jun 22: Jason Bunch

Jun 23: unhinged

Jun 24: The Plaids

Jun 29: The aquarius

Jun 30: Second Glance

liberty

THE liBErTY

SHOWCaSE THEaTEr

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844

www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Jun 24: Johnny lee

Jul 15: Doug Stone

Jul 20: Tracy Byrd

Jun 21: Twitty & lynn

oak ridge

BiSTrO 150

2205 Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.6359

www.bistro150.com

Jun 17: limited Engagement

Jun 24: Wilde - Chris and amanda

Barrens

raleigh

CCu MuSiC Park

aT WalnuT CrEEk

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111

www.livenation.com

Jun 16: Dierks Bentley

Jun 30: kiDZ BOP

Jul 8: Tears for Fears

Jul 12: Matchbox Twenty

winston-salem

FiDDlin’ FiSH

BrEWinG COMPanY

772 Trade St | 336.999.8945

www.fiddlinfish.com

Tuesdays: Trivia

Jun 16: Jeremiah Mckinley

Jun 17: Sam robinson

Jun 23: Jeremiah Mckinley

Jun 24: red umber

FOOTHillS BrEWinG

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348

www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

Jun 14: Sam robinson

Jun 16: Delta Stream

Jun 17: Phillip Caudle

Jun 18: Ears to the Ground

Jun 21: The robertson Boys

Jun 23: Heather rogers

Jun 24: The robertson Boys

THE raMkaT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714

Jun 15: Crenshaw Pentecostal, wolves & wolves & wolves & wolves, Camel City Blackouts

Jun 16: The vagabond Saints’ Society

Performs Music by the Eagles!

Jun 20: 1970s Film Stock, Canine

Heart Sounds

Jun 21: andrew Marlin Quartet, Josh kimbrough

Jun 22: Bombadil, Migrant Birds

Jun 23: Old Heavy Hands, Chuck Mountain

WiSE Man BrEWinG

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008

www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: Music Bingo

Jun 23: Time Sawyer

Jun 24: liam Pendergrass

6.10.23 | Greensboro | Katei Cranford

Nashville Nights Kicko ft. Chuck Cannon

6.8.23 | Steel Hands Brewing | Greensboro

last call

[1. TELEVISION: When did “Sesame Street” debut on PBS?

[2. MOVIES: What is the name of the moon where “Avatar” takes place?

Fifi Rodriguez

[6. MUSIC: Which country did the band AC/DC come from?

[3. GEOGRAPHY: Which country is home to a tall rock structure called the Finger of God?

[4. HISTORY: What was Babe Ruth’s real first name?

[5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: How many of Snow White’s seven dwarfs have names ending in “y”?

[7. LITERATURE: How many books are in the primary Harry Potter novel series? [8. GOVERNMENT: How many national parks are in the United States?

[9. FOOD & DRINK: In which country was the Caesar salad invented?

[10. ANATOMY: Where is the uvula in the human body?

answer

Brazil. 4. George. 5. Five: Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Sneezy and Grumpy. The other two are Doc and Bashful.

Pandora.

1. 1969.

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A stubborn refusal to go ahead on a project mystifies colleagues who expected more flexibility. But once you explain your position, they’ll understand and even applaud you.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A relationship seems to be stuck in the same place. Now it’s up to you, dear Bovine, how far you want it to go and how intense you want it to be. Choose well and choose soon.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A relationship progresses more slowly than you would prefer. Best advice: Insist on a frank and open discussion. What is learned could change minds and, maybe, hearts.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) It’s all right to be grateful to a workplace colleague who has done you a good turn. But gratitude shouldn’t be a lifelong obligation. The time to break this cycle is now.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) It’s going to be especially nice to be the King of the Zodiac at this time. A recent money squeeze eases. Plans start to work out, and new friends enter Your Majesty’s domain.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Before you make a commitment on any level (personal, professional, legal), get all of the facts. There might be hidden problems that could cause trouble later on.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Personal relationships improve. Professional prospects also brighten. A job

o er could come through by month’s end, and an old friend seeks to make contact.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your senses detect that something is not quite right about a matter involving a workplace colleague. Best advice: Follow your keen instincts, and don’t get involved.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A prospect o ers rewards, but it also demands that you assume a great deal of responsibility. Knowing you, you’re up to the challenge, so go for it — and good luck.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A favor you did a long time ago is repaid, as a trusted colleague steps in to help you with a suddenly expanded workload. A family member has important news as well.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A new job o er could require moving across the country. But before you let your doubts determine your decision, learn more about the potentials involved.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your sense of fair play doesn’t allow you to rush to judgment about a friend who might have betrayed you. Good! All the facts on the matter are not yet in.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You have a romantic nature that allows you to find the best in people. You would excel at poetry and drama.

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate