Yes! Weekly - January 11, 2017

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ERIC GALES 1 3 Stages of " TraditionaL Plus " Music!

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THE HONEY POT

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January 11-17, 2017

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017

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YES! WEEKLY > JANUARY 11-17, 2017 > VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2

5500 Adams Farm Lane Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231 Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com

HOPE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?

EDITORIAL Editor JEFF SYKES jeff@yesweekly.com Contributors KRISTI MAIER JOHN ADAMIAN RICH LEWIS STEVE MITCHELL BILLY INGRAM ALLISON STALBERG IAN MCDOWELL DEONNA KELLI SAYED

CLIMATE CHANGE will cause a suite of other problems for future generations to tackle, and it’s arguably the most pressing issue of our time. A year ago December, world leaders gathered in Paris to discuss strategies for curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and scientists at every corner of the globe confirm that humans are facing a crisis.

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Movies MARK BURGER marksburger@yahoo.com

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Theatre LENISE WILLIS lenise@yesweekly.com PRODUCTION Graphic Designers ALEX ELDRIDGE designer@yesweekly.com AUSTIN KINDLEY artdirector@yesweekly.com ADVERTISING Advertising Manager KATHARINE OSBORNE

kat@yesweekly.com Marketing BRAD MCCAULEY brad@yesweekly.com TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com CLAUDIA BURNETT claudia@yesweekly.com Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT BRANDON COMBS 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 2017 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017

the lead 10

According to READING CONNECTIONS, one in five adults in Guilford County lack the skills to fill out a job application or read a children’s book and a quarter of the adult population cannot read at a high school level.

11 In the early morning hours of Christmas eve in WinstonSalem, a 19-year old man, Theron Thomas Brannon III, was shot dead. It was the 24th murder in the CITY FOR THE YEAR.

voices 12

At a Jan. 4 economic forum sponsored by the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, newly elected Gov. Roy Cooper (D) asked businesses for help repealing the state’s widely criticized HOUSE BILL 2, which, among other things, prevents transgender people from using the restroom that matches their gender identity and bars local governments from passing nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community.

arts, entertainment & dining 24

Guitarist ERIC GALES was pretty stoked when I spoke to him last week, just before the snow started falling. Gales, who’s originally from Memphis, Tennessee, has been living in Greensboro since 2012 27 Have you ever been curious about the process of creativity?

How is a masterpiece created by a painter? How does a dancer channel emotions into MOVEMENT? 30 When ABIGAIL DOWD decided to become a singer-songwriter, she left her known world and moved all the way to Maine.

31 In 2003, unsuspecting moviegoers were introduced to THE ROOM, a low-budget drama that marked the auspicious feature debut of writer/producer/director/star Tommy Wiseau.

32 The vibe at THE HONEY POT is great for dates or an intimate evening with friends. It’s some of the best ambiance in the Triad. Cocktails are superb as well.

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November 18-January 29 VF Seasonal Plaza at LeBauer Park, 208 N. Davie St

Visit: www.piedmontwinterfest.com for Rates and times

Call: 336-399-4710

for private reservations

November 18 Free food, skating fun & prizes

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Sponsored by:

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

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BE there

AARON LEWIS THURSDAY

EVENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS | BY AUSTIN KINDLEY ENT MT

ART

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FOOD

THE ATRE

FEST

THURSDAY WEDNESDAY

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THURSDAY

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THURSDAY

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CTG’S AUDITIONS COCKTAILS FOR GREASE AND JAZZ

AARON LEWIS IN CONCERT

WHAT: Please come with a prepared songsheet music or karaoke CD (music only; no one singing on the CD). No monologues necessary. Those being considered for singing roles and non-singing roles will be asked to read from the script which will be given and assigned to you at the audition or callbacks.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Greensboro Cultural Arts Center. 200 N Davie Street, Greensboro.

MORE: Free entry.

WHAT: Known for genuinely gritty lyrics and hard rock anthems, STAIND frontman and current country singer-songwriter Aaron Lewis is set to perform Thursday. With hits that include Country Boy and That Aint Country as a solo performer and as the frontman of Staind songs include Its Been Awhile, Outside and So Far Away.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Cone Denim Entertainment Center. 117 South Elm Street, Greensboro.

MORE: $33-$280 tickets.

6 YES! WEEKLY

WHAT: Artists Dave Fox (piano), Neill Clegg (saxophone, clarinet and flute) and Matt Kendrick (double bass) will be joined by guest vocalists, who cover the Great American Songbook, jazz classics including swing and modal classics from the late 50s to early 60s, as well as Brazilian jazz from the early 60s.

WHEN: 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: O.Henry Hotel.

624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro.

MORE: Free entry.

WHAT: Fan favorite of the two Virginias, Mike has been singing his heart out and fiddling up a storm for 20 years. Playing Mike’s well-known songs from the alt rock and folksinger days, through the bluegrass years, and into new material.

WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: Muddy Creek Music Hall.

5455 Bethania Road, Winston-Salem.

MORE: $10 entry.

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017

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WHAT: Come join us for a food and wine tasting where we will feature wines and local delicacies from Musten & Crutchfield right here in Kernersville! Our chef, Coy, will match M&Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-house made pastas with our gourmet sauces at Breathe Lounge. A great opportunity to get together and learn a little about fine wine and cuisine!

WHEN: 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Breathe Lounge at Eclection.

221 N Main St., Kernersville.

MORE: $20 per person.

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TUESDAY

BREAKING BENJAMIN FRIDAY FRIDAY

13 BREAKING BENJAMIN WhAT: Breaking Benjamin has commonly been noted for its formulaic hard rock tendencies with angst-heavy lyrics, swelling choruses, and crunching guitars. In the United States alone, the band has sold more than 7 million units and yielded three RIAA-certified platinum records, two gold records, and several certified singles.

WhEn: 7 p.m.

WhERE: Cone Denim Entertainment Center. 117 South Elm Street, Greensboro.

MoRE: $60-$225 tickets.

MONSTER JAM SATURDAY

SATURDAY

SATURDAY

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MONSTER JAM WhAT: The Monster Jam Triple Threat Series can only be seen in select cities across the country and features the most extreme athletes of Monster Jam. Greensboro fans will witness a fierce battle for the championship with each competitor using customized high-powered vehicles: Monster Jam Speedsters, Monster Jam ATVs and the famous Monster Jam trucks.

WhEn: 7 p.m.

WhERE: Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

1921 W. Gate City Blvd, Greensboro.

MoRE: $15+ per ticket. Pit passes available for $10.

SUNDAY

15

TUESDAY

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SOUNDS OF THE MOUNTAIN MUSIC SERIES

2016 PIEDMONT THE BIG EAT BlUES wINNERS WhAT: The Big Eat is a collective of PERFORM restaurants in downtown Winston-Salem

WhAT: The Blue Ridge Music Center

WhAT: Piedmont Blues Preservation

and Yadkin Arts Council are teaming up to present the Sounds of the Mountains winter concert series at the Willingham Theater at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center. January 14 - Town Mountain with special guest Caleb Caudle.

WhEn: 7:30 p.m.

WhERE: Yadkin Cultural Arts Center 226 E. Main Street Yadkinville.

MoRE: $20 entry.

Society (PBPS) 2016 Blues Challenge winners Gabe Morales (Youth), Seth Williams & Terry VunCannon (Duo) and Laura Blackley & The Wildflowers (Band) are set to perform at the Memphis or Bust Showcase and Fundraiser.

WhEn: 3 p.m.

WhERE: The Blind Tiger.

1819 Spring Garden St., Greensboro.

MoRE: $10 admission.

where participating restaurants take signature menu items, reduced up to 50% off regular price, to highlight and showcase what the culinary scene downtown is all about.

WhEn: 5 p.m.

WhERE: Downtown Winston-Salem.

4th Street, Winston-Salem.

MoRE: At participating downtown restaurants.

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January 11-17, 2017

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017

Ashley Benton is the founder of The Green Team Helping Hands nonprofit.

Since founding the nonprofit to help the homeless in Greensboro, Benton has had many blessings.

Giving back to the community has given Benton the chance to meet Oprah, go the White House, the Steven Harvey Show, the Ellen Degeneres show and even play as a contestant on the Price is Right. This year she has been chosen by the NAACP to be the honorary Grand Marshal for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade on Jan. 16th.

Benton was inspired to help the homeless when her dying father received a liver transplant from NFL football player Chris Henry.

“We were actually able to meet the family and...I knew from that moment that when I shook the mother’s hand, that I needed to do something to pay that blessing forward because that gave me 17 more months with my father,” Benton said.

Though Benton helped people before, she got really serious in 2012.

“I started going public with it on Facebook with things that I was doing,” said Benton. “I wasn’t doing anything for fame or to be glorified. I was just putting it out there to show people that there are a lot of people out here in our community that need help.”

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In 2015, a woman in New York saw Benton’s story. The stranger got on a plane and flew to Greensboro, hired Benton an attorney and helped her get her Green Team nonprofit.

“That was another blessing and another light shining down on me from somewhere from a higher power saying, ‘This is what you need to be doing. You are doing exactly what you were called for.’”

The Green Team goes out to Center City Park every 1st, 2nd and 4th Sunday at 12:30 to feed and help the homeless.

Benton went from feeding and helping 18 people to hundreds of people.

“The more I go out there every Sunday, the more I want to go out there every Sunday.”

One of the many success stories of her nonprofit was about a woman who slept at a bus stop for two weeks.

“I happened to stop and just started talking to her and eventually I got her into a motel and now she’s doing great,” Benton said. “She has her own apartment, she’s got her own job and she has got her own car. She just needed someone to stop.

That divine intervention to stop and say hello.”

Benton hopes for The Green Team Helping Hands organization to get its own building in the future. !

WANT TO BE FEATURED AS A LOCAL TALENT? E-mail a photo and a short bio to editor@yesweekly.com

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[SCUTTLEBUTT] Items from across the Triad and beyond

HPU TO HOST ‘DAY OF SERVICE’ IN HONOR OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

High Point University has organized over 35 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service projects that anyone can sign up to be part of on Jan. 16.

This year’s service projects include children’s activities, community gardens, preparing and serving meals, landscaping, providing transportation to refugees, beautification and cleanup of school and community spaces, and more. The projects will take place on HPU’s campus and at partner agencies throughout the city of High Point.

“Dr. King emphasized the importance of transforming communities — of bringing people together,” said the Rev. Joseph Blosser, director of service learning at the university. “On Monday, Jan. 16, HPU faculty, staff and students will join together with the High Point community to build relationships, complete volunteer service projects, and work toward the world Dr. King envisioned. We are proud to partner with the Minister’s Conference of High Point & Vicinity and non-profits throughout the city to build a stronger High Point.”

In 1994, Congress designated a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, “a day on, not a day off.”

HPU has taken that charge to heart by leading hundreds of volunteers in service to the city of High Point and surrounding areas each year. In 2016, more than 600 HPU students and faculty contributed 1,500 hours of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day – part of the 100,000 hours of service the university contributes annually.

In addition to the Day of Service, HPU will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day worship service at 11 a.m. on Jan. 16 in Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel.

The service is open to the public.

NORTH CAROLINA FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION IN “CRISIS”

“Foster care and adoption are in a state of crisis,” said Brian Maness, President and CEO of Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, the state’s largest private provider of foster care and adoption services. “Foster care has been growing at an alarming rate with a shortage of permanent, safe, and loving homes for adoptable children.”

In North Carolina, the number of children in foster care increased every month in 2016 compared to the corresponding month in 2015, with over 2,400 children eligible for adoption.

“About five years ago, we had just over 8,000 children in foster care in our state,” said Maness. “Today, there are about WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

10,500 children in foster care, an increase of more than 25% in the last five years. That is a trend we would very much like to reverse.

“For a child in foster care, it’s a state of limbo, where they don’t know what their future holds. They don’t know whether they’re going to remain with that foster family, move to another foster home, return to their biological family or whatever situation they came from, or whether they are going to find an adoptive family.

“The biggest challenges we have with adoption are public awareness and increased resources to find the right family for the child. Every child that we place for adoption has a set of unique needs.”

Living in foster care for more than ten years, 16-year-old Mae and her 17-year-old sister Ann are examples of some of the obstacles facing adoptive children. Many are 6 to 18 years of age with siblings who frequently want and need to be together in a single adoptive home.

“If you ever decide to adopt me … my sister is really important to me,” said Mae, in a video for prospective adoptive parents.

“When things get tough for you, you’ve got to be strong and hold on tight to your dreams and never let go.”

“I’d also like for my sister to be with me,” said Ann. “My favorite song is Climb, by Miley Cyrus. It tells you to keep on going, to keep on climbing, to keep faith in yourself, to keep your spirit, and don’t ever give up.”

“Time is an eternity to a child. We don’t want any child to spend one day longer than they absolutely need to in foster care,” said Maness. “Our goal is to help each child achieve permanency with a safe and loving family that will be theirs forever. We want to shorten that period of time as much as possible.

“It’s important to prioritize the long-term implications of a child not knowing who their family is going to be. It impacts how they see the world and how they see themselves. It impacts their sense of identity and belonging in ways that have profound implications long-term for them.”

In October of 2014, Children’s Home Society of North Carolina adopted the Promise of Family campaign to help address growing foster care and adoption needs in the state. In May of 2016, with added research and continuation of adverse trends, CHSNC’s board of directors approved a fiveyear strategic plan and campaign to boost the number of completed adoptions and increase the size of its enhanced foster care to permanency program.

According to Maness, the CHSNC board will meet and review the plan and funding in late-January. !

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Ice Skating, Retro Holiday Crafts and Games Adults skate for $8 with any purchase from our kiosks Beer and Wine from kiosks nOma Food & Co. and Ghassan’s “I like having the food and drink options right there so we don’t have to leave the area. All of the options that are available inside the gated play area and outside make this park inviting to both children and adults.” – Patron

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YES! WEEKLY

9

the lead

POLITICS, UPDATES, TRENDS AND OTHER VITAL INFORMATION

Reading Connections seeks volunteer English tutors

BY ALLISON STALBERG

A

ccording to Reading Connections, one in five adults in Guilford County lack the skills to fill out a job application or read a children’s book and a quarter of the adult population cannot read at a high school level.

For 26 years, Reading Connections has worked in Guilford County and High Point to teach adults in need of literacy instruction.

“We serve about 800 to one thousand adult students a year, improving their reading and writing that ranges from a total non-reader who might walk into the office to somebody working on their GED,” said Associate Director Jean Pudlo.

“About half of our students are learning English as a second language. So we serve a lot of immigrants and refugees. But we also serve a lot of people who went through the school system here and still don’t have the skills that they need to succeed.”

The New Year is starting with 75 adults waiting to be matched up to volunteer tutors through Reading Connections.

According to Family Literacy Program Coordinator Adriana Adams, the waiting list is unusually high.

“I think that the first thing a volunteer wants to know is that they are necessary and that if they go through and put the time and effort into training, they are going to be put to use,” said Adams. “There are people waiting for those volunteers.”

Those who volunteer to tutor can do so with a lot of freedom. Volunteers schedule classes to fit their work schedules along with the student, and volunteers can also choose if they’d prefer a student learning English as a second language or someone who already knows basic English. They

10 YES! WEEKLY

can also choose to tutor multiple people at once or to be one-on-one.

“I think one of the really cool things is you don’t have to be able to come here to our office location to tutor someone, you make a plan with that person if you do one-on-one tutoring,” said Adams. “You could meet them at a library, could be at a Starbucks, could be out in the community and do your tutoring. So it doesn’t have to be a block of time to come downtown to set up and get in the parking deck.”

The materials and lessons are geared towards the goals of the students such as being able to read to their children.

“About the average reading level of someone who comes here is about 4th grade,” said Pudlo. “It’s not like a lot of people are non-readers. They did some but not enough to do what they want to do with their lives. The other thing that is very important to us at Reading Connections is to be very student centered. It’s really important to be attuned to what the student’s goals are to help them meet that. It helps them be more successful.”

The volunteers do not need a background of teaching experience, only a high

school level education.

Reading Connections will provide free three-part training for volunteers consisting of one orientation and two sessions.

The training provides teaching materials for the volunteers to use.

Recently the Lincoln Financial Foundation gave a $25,000 grant to expand Reading Connections’ family literacy program.

“The money allows us to expand our current program to include another nine week session at Rankin Elementary School in Greensboro,” said Adams. “This award will allow us to reach more children and families and deepen the quality of the instruction in our program.”

Though Lincoln Financial has funded other parts of Reading Connections for several years, this is the first time they have funded the family literacy program.

For volunteers interested in working with children, they could also be a part of the family literacy program. They can also strive to help people who were like Adams’ father.

“My father is a Cuban immigrant and so when I first thought about working here,

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that was one of my first pushes to go ‘okay, this is something cool,’ because this didn’t exist when he came to this country,” said Adams.

“Even through my eyes of having someone in my family who was an immigrant who didn’t know English, I still didn’t realize what a privilege being able to read is and how it makes my life so much easier.”

Adams and Pudlo believe the most rewarding part of working with Reading Connections is to see the growth in their students.

“We had a woman who came into our program in the fall at Rankin and she had just been here for about six months,” said Adams. “She had an eight-year-old and a three-year-old and no English, none.

“About three, four weeks into our program, she told us that she had gone out and gotten a job waiting tables. She told them that she would do it but she wanted to still be able to come to family literacy on those nights because it was helping her.

“She also got the confidence she needs and put in an application for her daughter to go to preschool. These are all things she would’ve probably just stayed in her home and not done and that cycle would have just continued on to possibly her children so to see someone go from closed to just really open and see their own possibilities is an amazing thing.” !

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All sessions will be located at 122 North Elm Street on the 8th floor.

Orientation – Thursday, January 12 from 5:30-7:30 pm Session I – Tuesday, January 17 from 5:30-8:30 pm Session II – Thursday, January 19 from 5:30-8:30 pm Learn more at www.readingconnections.org.

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Local pastor works to promote non-violence as an answer to community issues

BY RICH LEWIS

In the early morning hours of Christmas eve in Winston-Salem, a 19-year old man, Theron Thomas Brannon III, was shot dead. It was the 24th murder in the city for the year.

The death deeply affected the community and a local minister was moved to action.

“You just look at the young lives which have been taken from our community and you know you have to do something,” Rev. Robert E. Leak III said. “We have to make a stand against violence in our community.”

Rev. Leak serves as both the Youth Pastor for the Living Word Christian Worship Center and is also the president of the New South Community Coalition working in Winston-Salem. He and his organization are on the ground and working in the community trying to make inroads into the heart of the problem of violence in our communities.

And to make a better future, he is paying particular attention to our past.

“Violence is not the answer, but nonviolence (as an effort) is,” he said. “It is an issue that should not separate us, but bring us together. I have admired Martin Luther King Jr. since I was a little boy, and he preached non-violence as the way.”

It is a different day and age from when King marched and preached, Rev. Leak admitted, but the man’s lessons were still as valid and important today as they were two generations before.

“This generation doesn’t have the patience as the ones before it,” he said.

“The old generation in the face of difficulties didn’t quit singing, protesting and praying. They knew that change is a slow process.

“It bothers me that young people don’t value the non-violence process,” he continued. “If they don’t see a change overnight, then they are out.”

Reaching those young people and getting the message out will start in the pulpits, but it will also go a long way from there.

“We need to see it (non-violence) spoken of in places of worship, we need to see more pastors speaking out against the violence,” Rev. Leak continued.

Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem will be making it a theme of an upcoming sermon and Rev. Leak hopes to see it carried forward from there.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

years of age himself, Rev. Leak shares a “Hopefully all pastors in the area will lot in common with those in the most speak on non-violence,” he said, explainneed of the message, and anything that ing that it needed to be preached not helps bridge the gap will be a big help. just at traditionally black churches, but “We need to talk with them, find out across the whole spectrum of people what their fears are. We need to ask in the community. “The one day out of them why they think we have gangs the week we are the most segregated here and why do people join them?” he in Winston-Salem is on continued.

Sundays.”

Beyond that, reconnecting these Preaching to a young people with congregation on their community is Sunday mornings an important part and Wednesday “Violence is not the the process. And evenings is one answer, but non-violence of with the events of thing, but reaching those who aren’t in (as an effort) is,” he said. the last couple of around the the pews is a much “It is an issue that should years country, the relatougher job. tionships between “We’re going to not separate us, but people, their start conversations bring us together. I have young community, local in February outside governments and loof the church, beginadmired Martin Luther cal police are in dire ning in the comKing Jr. since I was a little need of repairs. munities of south The New South Winston-Salem,” boy, and he preached Community CoaliRev. Leak said, “then non-violence as the way.” tion does plan on we’re going into adding in events the neighborhood to create stronger schools to deliver bonds between the communities and the message.” local police over the next year. Two new “Lots of times folks aren’t coming to precinct captains in southern Winstonchurch anymore,” Rev. Leaks admitted.

Salem neighborhoods were recently put “We have to meet them where they are. in place and Rev. Leak said that presents We have to take it from the church to the a wonderful opportunity to create new neighborhood.” relationships.

Getting in touch with millennials It’s not an easy problem to tackle, nor within the community is going to be an will it be fast to fix, but Rev. Leak is a important part of the effort. Only 28

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voices

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North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law has cost the state more than $560 million so far Reprinted with permission from the Institute for Southern Studies. Originally published by Facing South.

A

t a Jan. 4 economic forum sponContributor sored by the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, newly elected Gov. Roy Cooper (D) asked businesses for help repealing the state’s widely criticized House Bill 2, which, among other things, prevents transgender people from using the restroom that matches their gender identity and bars local governments from passing nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community. Cooper said he thinks a clean repeal of HB2 would pass the Republican-dominated General Assembly, and he called on business leaders to pressure legislative leaders to put it to a vote.

Last month state lawmakers held a special session to repeal the law after Cooper, who had not yet been sworn in, brokered a deal with Republican legislative leaders and the Charlotte City Council, which had approved a local anti-discrimination ordinance that led to HB2’s passage. The deal called for Charlotte to fully repeal its ordinance, which it did on Dec. 21 after an initial partial repeal. But Senate President

Alex Kotch @alexkotch

12 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R) and his GOP caucus didn’t fulfill their end of the bargain by introducing and passing a clean repeal bill. Instead, they tacked on a moratorium blocking local governments from passing any nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people until 30 days after the 2017 legislative session, which would likely be sometime in late summer or early fall.

Democrats refused to vote for the measure, the deal collapsed, and so HB2 remains on the books. Besides taking a toll on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, the bill has dealt a major economic loss to North Carolina as many businesses have canceled plans to expand in the state while popular sporting events have been canceled and film productions have moved to other states.

Numerous news outlets have attempted to tally up the economic damage HB2 has inflicted on North Carolina. Back in September, Facing South conservatively estimated the law’s cost at $230 million.

Since then, the total has risen significantly, with documented economic losses resulting from HB2 now adding up to at least $562 million.

Here are the ways in which the law has cost North Carolina: Companies flee: $297.4 million. PayPal was the first to go, nixing a data center that would have employed at least 400 people with a payroll cost of $20.4 million.

Deutsche Bank ditched its plans to expand its North Carolina operations by 250 jobs, costing the state $27 million in payroll and

construction. But the biggest and most recent hit was the loss of commercial real estate research business CoStar, which bypassed Charlotte because of HB2 and instead chose Richmond, Virginia, where the company is expected to create 732 new jobs and have a total economic impact of $250 million. This is a conservative estimate, as unnamed tech companies in Asheville and Raleigh that together would have created 1,500 new jobs reportedly decided not to expand in North Carolina, while Google Ventures halted investments in the state. Because the economic damage caused by these decisions couldn’t be verified, they are not included in the total cost.

Sporting events move elsewhere: $245.6 million. The first and largest loss was the NBA All-Star Game, which would have had a roughly $100 million economic impact in the Charlotte area. Next was the NCAA, which pulled seven national championship events from North Carolina, including the first and second rounds of the men’s basketball tournament. NCAA losses include $16.1 million to the city of Greensboro and $2 million to Cary. The Atlantic Coast Conference removed its championship games from the state, including Charlotte’s football final, which would have brought the city $32.4 million, and Durham’s baseball tournament, representing $5.2 million in lost revenue. WRAL estimated that total losses resulting from ACC and NCAA cancellations were $90 million. But that’s not all: The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced in August that it would relocate 10 championships; its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments alone earned Charlotte $55.6 million in 2015.

Conventions cancel: $18.4 million.

WRAL reports that Raleigh has lost nearly $9 million from numerous cancelled conventions, and Greensboro has lost $6 million from eight conferences that moved out of state. As of late April, Asheville had lost around $2 million in tourism revenue.

Orange County will lose a projected $1.2 million of previously expected tourism.

By early April, at least 13 conventions had pulled out of Charlotte, and a May 20 estimate by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority based on seven of these put the lost revenue at $227,000.

Creating and defending HB2 costs taxpayers: $267,500. The North Carolina government is racking up hundreds of

thousands of dollars in bills to defend HB2, with more costs to come as legal battles over the law continue. As of July, the state had already spent $176,000 on court costs, and former Gov Pat McCrory (R) spent $7,500 of government funds on travel to defend the law on television. The bill was created in a “special session” that cost taxpayers $42,000, and the recent special session that failed to repeal HB2 cost another $42,000.

Major performances defect: $208,000. Ani DiFranco, Blue Man Group, Boston, Bruce Springsteen, Cirque du Soleil, Itzhak Perlman, Maroon 5, Nick Jonas, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr all canceled North Carolina performances because of the law.

It’s hard to find definitive numbers for how much these cancellations cost the state, but Greensboro Coliseum and its vendors alone say they have lost at least $208,000 because of HB2-related cancellations.

Other losses are more difficult to quantify. Because of HB2, film companies A&E Studios, Turner Broadcasting and Lionsgate pulled planned future productions out of North Carolina. The Lionsgate production alone would have provided 100 jobs.

Director Rob Reiner said he won’t consider North Carolina for any future productions unless HB2 is repealed, and other film companies including 21st Century Fox say they’ll reconsider future projects in the state.

Travel bans to North Carolina in effect in the United Kingdom, five U.S. states and numerous cities are also costing the state money. Still more losses loom, including potentially $4.8 billion in annual federal funding, as the U.S. Department of Justice has said that HB2 violates seven federal laws including Title IX of the Education Amendment, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Violence Against Women Act. However, federal action is less likely under the Trump administration.

Even if HB2 is fully repealed soon, its financial toll will last for some time.

As University of North Carolina at Charlotte economics professor John Connaughton said at this week’s economic forum, “HB2 has already done the damage, and it’s going to be with us for a while.” !

A Chapel Hill, North Carolina, native, ALEX KOTCH joined the Institute team in January 2014. Now living in Brooklyn, New York, he conducts research for the Institute and contributes regularly to Facing South, focusing on money in politics, elections law, education and social justice.

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ACROSS

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25 26 27 28 29 30 36 39 40 41 42

47 48 50 51 52 54 56 58

61

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71 75

Separates by a boundary Rues “Mamma Mia!” group Perennial Italian encore Place to spend drams James Brown’s style Arriving where there’s no outlet Kind of wrestling Weak in the — One more than biTight spot Baggins of “The Hobbit” “Calm down!”

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[KING Crossword] 76 77 79 80

86 88 89 90 92

93 94 95 97 100 102 103 104

110 111 112 113 117 118

123 124 125

126 127 128

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In an unstrict way Elongated fish — Sea (Asian body) Problematic plant swelling Old Giants great Mel Vase variety Shout just before flying Small monastery During each Bullfight yell Decade divs.

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DOWN

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35

36 37 38 43 44 45 46

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Bike spokes, say Before, in poetry Key with one sharp Stinging insect Military foe Baking pan Unhappy Home of St. Francis Broad street Stinging insect Chilly Airport landing: Abbr.

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All that — bag of chips Biographer Leon Top-rate Toyota of the 1980s Cotton thread type Pointed a firearm Knife in old infomercials “Noah” director Aronof sky

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Sluggish “Hud” co-star Patricia Rural hotels Wiry Film director Bergman Elia pieces “Fa-a-ancy!”

Mel’s brassy waitress Rodent’s last meal, maybe Gregarious sort Gem mineral “The Raven” poet’s initials — Hill (R&B quartet) Bill’s film bud Faith forsaker Geller of mentalism City area, for short Rorem of art songs Form a thought BYOB part Neighbor of Colombia Key with one sharp Persona non — Bolivian city Horse relatives Witness Earthy hue, to a Brit Pothole sites Suits’ degs.

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[news of the weird] Too-MuchRealiTy TV

Russian producers are planning the so-far-ultimate survivors’ show — in the Siberian wilderness for nine months (temperatures as low as minus 40 Chuck Shepherd degrees Fahrenheit), with 30 contestants selected after signing liability waivers that protect the show even if someone is raped or murdered. (Police may come arrest the perpetrators, but the producers are not responsible for intervening.) The show (“Game2: Winter”) will be telecast live, around the clock, beginning July 2017 via 2,000 cameras placed in a large area full of bears and treacherous forest. Producers told Siberian Times in December that 60 prospects had already signed up for the last-person-standing prize: the equivalent of $1.6 million (only requirements: be 18 and “sane”). (Bonus: The production company’s advertising lists the “dangerous” behaviors they allow, including “fighting,” “murder,” “rape,” “smoking.”)

Roundup FRoM The WoRld’s pRess

— With car-camel collisions increasing in Iran’s two southern provinces, an Iranian government ministry is in the process of issuing identification cards to each camel, supposedly leading to outerwear license “plates” on each of the animals.

Authorities told the Islamic Republic News Agency the registration numbers are needed if an accident victim needs to report the camel or to help trace smugglers. (No actual U.S.-style license plates on camels have yet made the world’s news photographs.)

— Martin Shkreli became the Wall Street bad boy in 2015 when his company Turing Pharmaceuticals bought the right to market the lifesaving drug Daraprim and promptly raised its typical price of $18 a pill to $750, but in November, high schoolers in the chemistry lab at Sydney Grammar in Australia created a molecular knockoff of Daraprim for about $2 a tablet. Their sample of “pyrimethamine” (Daraprim’s chemical name) was judged authentic by a University of Sydney chemistry professor. Daraprim, among other uses, fights deadly attacks on immune

systems, such as for HIV patients.

— Gazing Upon Nature as Nature Calls: To serve restroom users in a public park in China’s Hunan Province’s picturesque Shiyan Lake area, architects gave users in toilet cubicles a view of the forest through ceiling-to-floor windows. To discourage sightseers who believe the better view is not from the cubicles but into them, the bottom portion, up to the level of the toilet, is frosted — though that stratagem probably blurs only a pair of legs, seated.

(CNN reported in October that China has at least one other such restroom, in Guilin province, viewing distant mountains.)

— Oops! Organizers of the Christmas Day caroling program at the Nelum Pokuna theater in Colombo, Sri Lanka, drawing thousands of devout celebrants, were apparently confused by one song title and innocently included it in the book for the carolers. (No, it wasn’t “Inna Gadda Da Vida” from a famous “Simpsons” episode.) It was “Hail Mary” by the late rapper Tupac Shakur — likely resulting in the very first appearance of certain words in any Christmas service publication anywhere.

— Officials of the Ulm Minster in Ulm,

Germany, the world’s tallest church (530 feet high), said in October that they fear it might eventually be brought down — by visitors who make the long trek up with a full bladder and no place to relieve themselves except in dark alcoves, thus eroding the structure’s sandstone. A building preservation representative also cited vomit in the alcoves, perhaps as a result of the dizzying height of the view from the top. (News of the Weird has reported on erosion damage to a bridge, from spitting, in Mumbai, India, and at the Taj Mahal, from bug droppings.)

— The Dubai-based Gulf News reported in November that 900 Kuwaiti government workers had their pay frozen during the current investigation into no-shows, including one man on the payroll (unidentified) who reportedly had not actually worked in 10 years. Another, who had been living abroad for 18 months while drawing his Kuwaiti pay, was reduced to half-pay, but insisted he had asked several times for assignments but was told nothing was available. (Gulf News reported that the 10-year man is appealing the freeze!)

— Prosecutors in Darlington, England,

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obviously take child “cruelty” seriously because Gary McKenzie, 22, was hauled into court in October on four charges against a boy (whose name and age were not published), including passing gas in the boy’s face. The charge was described as “in a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or injury to health.” He was on trial for two other slightly harsher acts — and another gas-passing, against a different boy — but the judgment has not been reported.

— World-class chess players are famous for intense powers of concentration, but a chess journal reported in October that top-flight female players have actually been disqualified from matches for showing too much cleavage as they play, thus distracting their opponent (according to Ms. Sava Stoisavljevic, head of the European Chess Union). In fact, the Women’s World Chess Championship, scheduled for February, has decreed that, since the matches will be held in Tehran, all contestants must wear hijabs (leading a U.S. women’s champion to announce she is boycotting).

— News You Can Use: German Horst Wenzel, “Mr. Flirt,” fancies himself a smooth-talking maestro, teaching mostly wealthy but tongue-tied German men lessons (at about $1,500 a day!) in how

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to approach women — but this year has decided to “give back” to the community by offering his expertise pro-bono to lonely Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have flooded the country. At one class in Dortmund in November, observed by an Associated Press reporter, most “students” were hesitant, apparently divided between the embarrassed (when Wenzel informed them it’s “normal” to have sex on the first or second date) and the awkwardly confident (opening line: “I love you. Can I sleep over at your place?”). But, advised Wenzel, “Don’t tell (a German woman) that you love (her) at least for the first three months (because) German women don’t like clinginess.”

— Undignified Deaths: (1) A 24-year-old woman who worked at a confectionary factory in Fedortsovo, Russia, was killed in December when she fell into a vat of chocolate. (Some witnesses said she was pouring flour when she fell; others say she fell while trying to retrieve her dropped cellphone.) (2) A 24-year-old man was decapitated in London in August when he leaned too far out the window of one train and struck an extension on a passing train. Next to the window he leaned from was a sign warning people not to stick their heads out.

THE PASSING PARADE

A NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC (FEBRUARY 2013)

(1) A poll revealed in December (sponsored by University of Graz and Austria Press Agency) that Austria’s “word of the year” for 2016 was a 52-letter word beginning “bundespraesident” and referring to the postponement of the runoff election for president in 2016. (2) The Wall Street Journal reported in December a longstanding feud on the tiny Mediterranean island of Gozo, Malta, which has only 37,000 residents but two opera houses because of the owners’ mutual antipathy.

In November (2012), Tokyo’s Kenichi Ito, 29, bested his own Guinness World Record by a full second (down to 17.47 seconds) in the 100-meter dash — “running” on all fours. Ito runs like a Patas monkey, which he has long admired and which (along with his self-described monkey-like face) inspired him nine years ago to take up “four- legged” running. He reported trouble only once, when he went to the mountains to train and was shot at by a hunter who mistook him for a boar. !

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15

IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR

CLIMATE CHANGE?

BY ALASTAIR BLAND

I

f President-elect Donald Trump actually believes all the warnings he issued during the election about the threats of immigration, he should be talking about ways to slow global warming as well.

Rising sea level, caused by the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps, will probably displace tens of millions of people in the decades ahead, and many may come to North America as refugees.

Climate change will cause a suite of other problems for future generations to tackle, and it’s arguably the most pressing issue of our time. A year ago December, world leaders gathered in Paris to discuss strategies for curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and scientists at every corner of the globe confirm that humans are facing a crisis. However, climate change is being nearly ignored by American politicians and lawmakers. It was not discussed in depth at all during this past election cycle’s televised presidential debates.

And, when climate change does break the surface of public discussion, it polarizes Americans like almost no other political issue. Some conservatives, including Trump, still deny there’s even a problem.

“We are in this bizarre political state in which most of the Republican Party still thinks it has to pretend that climate change is not real,” said Jonathan F.P. Rose, a New York City developer and author of The Well-Tempered City, which explores in part how low-cost green development can mitigate the impacts of rising global temperatures and changing weather patterns.

Rose says progress cannot be made in drafting effective climate strategies until national leaders agree there’s an issue.

“We have such strong scientific evidence,” he said. “We can disagree on how

16 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

we’re going to solve the problems, but I would hope we could move toward an agreement on the basic facts.”

That such a serious planetwide crisis has become a divide across the American political battlefield “is a tragedy” to Peter Kalmus, an earth scientist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech in Pasadena, who agreed to be interviewed for this story on his own behalf (not on behalf of NASA, JPL or Caltech).

Kalmus warns that climate change is happening whether politicians want to talk about it or not.

“CO2 molecules and infrared photons don’t give a crap about politics, whether you’re liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat or anything else,” Kalmus said.

Slowing climate change will be essential, since adapting to all its impacts may be impossible. Governments must strive for greater resource efficiency, shift to renewable energy and transition from conventional to more sustainable agricultural practices.

America’s leaders must also implement a carbon pricing system, climate activists say, that places a financial burden on fossil fuel producers and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. But there may be little to zero hope that such a system will be installed at the federal level as Trump prepares to move into the White House. Trump has actually threatened to reverse any commitments the United States agreed to in Paris. According to widely circulating reports, Trump has even selected a well-known skeptic of climate change, Myron Ebell, to head his U.S. Environmental Protection Agency transition team. Ebell is the director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Steve Valk, communications director for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, says the results of the presidential election come as a discouraging setback in the campaign to slow emissions and global warming.

“There’s no doubt that the steep hill we’ve been climbing just became a sheer cliff,” he said. “But cliffs are scalable.”

Valk says the American public must demand that Congress implement carbon pricing. He says the government is not likely to face and attack climate change unless voters force them to.

“The solution is going to have to come from the people,” he said. “Our politicians have shown that they’re just not ready to implement a solution on their own.”

After Paris There is no question the Earth is warming rapidly, and already this upward temperature trend is having impacts. It is disrupting agriculture. Glacial water sources are vanishing. Storms and droughts are becoming more severe. Altered winds and ocean currents are impacting marine ecosystems. So is ocean acidification, another outcome of carbon dioxide emissions. The sea is rising and eventually will swamp large coastal regions and islands. As many as 200 million people could be displaced by 2050. For several years in a row now, each year has been warmer than any year prior in recorded temperature records, and by 2100 it may be too hot for people to

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permanently live in the Persian Gulf.

World leaders and climate activists made groundbreaking progress toward slowing these effects at the Paris climate conference. Here, leaders from 195 countries drafted a plan of action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and steer the planet off its predicted course of warming. The pact, which addresses energy, transportation, industries and agriculture— and which asks leaders to regularly upgrade their climate policies—is intended to keep the planet from warming by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit between pre-industrial years and the end of this century. Scientists have forecasted that an average global increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit will have devastating consequences for humanity.

The United States pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent from 2005 levels within a decade. China, Japan and nations of the European Union made similar promises. More recently, almost 200 nations agreed to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, extremely potent but short-lived greenhouse gases emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners, and reduce the emissions from the shipping and aviation industries. www.yesweekly.com

But in the wake of such promising international progress, and as 2016 draws to a close as the third record warm year in a row, many climate activists are disconcerted both by United States leaders’ recent silence on the issue and by the outcome of the presidential election.

Mark Sabbatini, editor of the newspaper Icepeople in Svalbard, Norway, believes shortsighted political scheming has pushed climate change action to the back burner. He wants to see politicians start listening to scientists.

“But industry folks donate money and scientists get shoved aside in the interest of profits and re-election,” said Sabbatini, who recently had to evacuate his apartment as unprecedented temperatures thawed out the entire region’s permafrost, threatening to collapse buildings.

Short-term goals and immediate financial concerns distract leaders from making meaningful policy advances on climate.

“In Congress, they look two years ahead,” Sabbatini said. “In the Senate, they look six years ahead. In the White House, they look four years ahead.”

The 300 nationwide chapters of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby are calling on local governments and chambers of commerce

across America to voice support for a revenue-neutral carbon fee. The hope is that leaders in Congress will hear the demands of the people. This carbon fee would impose a charge on producers of oil, natural gas and coal. As a direct result, all products and services that depend on or directly utilize those fossil fuels would cost more for consumers, who would be incentivized to buy less. Food shipped in from far away would cost more than locally grown alternatives. Gas for heating, electricity generated by oil and coal, and driving a car would become more expensive.

“Bicycling would become more attractive, and so would electric cars and home appliances that use less energy,” said Kalmus, an advocate of the revenue-neutral carbon fee.

Promoting this fee system is essentially the Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s entire focus.

“This would be the most important step we take toward addressing climate change,” Valk said.

By the carbon fee system, the revenue from fossil fuel producers would be evenly distributed by the collecting agencies among the public, perhaps via a tax credit.

Recycling the dividends back into society

would make it a fair system, Valk explains, since poorer people, who tend to use less energy than wealthier people to begin with and are therefore less to blame for climate change, would come out ahead.

The system would also place a tariff on incoming goods from nations without a carbon fee. This would keep American industries from moving overseas and maybe even prompt other nations to set their own price on carbon.

But there’s a problem with the revenueneutral carbon fee, according to other climate activists: It doesn’t support social programs that may be aimed at reducing society’s carbon footprint.

“It will put no money into programs that serve disadvantaged communities who, for example, might not be able to afford weatherizing their home and lowering their energy bill, or afford an electric vehicle or a solar panel,” said Renata Brillinger, executive director of the California Climate and Agriculture Network.

“It doesn’t give anything to public schools for making the buildings more energy efficient, and it wouldn’t give any money to farmers’ incentive programs for soil building.”

Brillinger’s organization is advocating January 11-17, 2017

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17

for farmers to adopt practices that actively draw carbon out of the atmosphere, like planting trees and maintaining ground cover to prevent erosion. Funding, she says, is needed to support such farmers, who may go through transitional periods of reduced yields and increased costs.

California’s cap-and-trade system sets up an ample revenue stream for this purpose that a revenue-neutral system does not, according to Brillinger.

But Valk says establishing a carbon pricing system must take into account the notorious reluctance of conservatives in Congress.

“You aren’t going to get a single Republican in Congress to support legislation unless it’s revenue-neutral,” he said. “Any policy is useless if you can’t pass it in Congress.”

Sequestering the farm In Washington, D.C., the nation’s leaders continue tussling over popular issues like immigration, taxes, healthcare, abortion, guns and foreign affairs.

Climate change activists wish they would be thinking more about soil. That’s because stopping greenhouse gas emissions alone will not stop climate change.

The carbon dioxide emitted through centuries of industrial activity will continue to drive warming unless it is removed from the air and put somewhere.

“There are only three places carbon

18 YES! WEEKLY

January 11-17, 2017

can go,” Brillinger said. “It can go into the atmosphere, where we don’t want it, into the ocean, where we also don’t want it because it causes acidification, or into soil and woody plants where we do want it.

Carbon is the backbone of all forests and is a critical nutrient of soil.”

But most of the Earth’s soil carbon has been lost to the atmosphere, causing a spike in atmospheric carbon. In the 1700s, the Earth’s atmosphere contained less than 280 parts per million of carbon dioxide, according to scientists. Now, we are at more than 400 and counting.

Climate experts generally agree that the atmospheric carbon level must be reduced to 350 or less if we are to keep at bay the most disastrous possible impacts of warming.

This is why farmers and the soil they work will be so important in mitigating climate change. By employing certain practices and abandoning other ones, farmers and ranchers can turn acreage into valuable carbon sinks—a general agricultural approach often referred to as “carbon farming.”

Conventional agriculture practices tend to emit carbon dioxide. Regular tilling of the soil, for example, causes soil carbon to bond with oxygen and float away as carbon dioxide. Tilling also causes erosion, as do deforestation and overgrazing. With erosion, soil carbon enters waterways, creating carbonic acid—the direct culprit

of ocean acidification. Researchers have estimated that unsustainable farming practices have caused as much as 80 percent of the world’s soil carbon to turn into carbon dioxide.

By carbon farming, those who produce the world’s food can simultaneously turn their land into precious carbon sinks. The basic tenets of carbon farming include growing trees as windbreaks and focusing on perennial crops, like fruit trees and certain specialty grain varieties, which demand less tilling and disturbance of the soil.

Eric Toensmeier, a senior fellow with the climate advocacy group Project Drawdown and the author of The Carbon Farming Solution, says many other countries are far ahead of the United States in both recognizing the importance of soil as a place to store carbon and funding programs that help conventional farmers shift toward carbon farming practices. France, for instance, initiated a sophisticated program in 2011 that calls for increasing soil carbon worldwide by 0.4 percent every year. Healthy soil can contain 10 percent carbon or more, and France’s program has the potential over time to decelerate the increase in atmospheric carbon levels.

Toensmeier is optimistic about the progress being made in the United States, too. The U.S. Department of Agriculture funds programs that support environ-

mentally friendly farming practices that protect watersheds or enhance wildlife habitat, largely through planting perennial grasses and trees.

“And it turns out a lot of the practices they’re paying farmers to do to protect water quality or slow erosion also happen to sequester carbon,” Toensmeier said.

He says it appears obvious that the federal government is establishing a system by which they will eventually pay farmers directly to sequester carbon. Such a direct faceoff with climate change, however, may be a few years away still.

Climate activists may even need to wait until 2021.

“First we need a president who acknowledges that climate change exists,” Toensmeier said.

National politics and city reform Climate reform advocates still talk about Bernie Sanders’ fiery attack on fracking as a source of global warming in the May primary debate with Hillary Clinton.

“If we don’t get our act together, this planet could be 5 to 10 degrees warmer by the end of this century,” Sanders said then. “Cataclysmic problems for this planet. This is a national crisis.”

Sanders was not exaggerating. The Earth has already warmed by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, and it’s getting hotter. Even with the advances made in

www.yesweekly.comw

Paris, the world remains on track to be 6.1 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by 2100 than it was in pre-industrial times, according to a United Nations emissions report released in early November. The authors of another paper published in January in the journal Nature predicted temperatures will rise as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

In light of the scientific consensus, conservatives’ denial of climate change looks childish at best and dangerous at worst. In low-lying Florida, so vulnerable to the rising sea, an unofficial policy from its Republican leadership has effectively muzzled state employees from even mentioning “climate change” and “global warming” in official reports and communications. Republican senator Ted Cruz suggested NASA focus its research less on climate change and more on space exploration, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

Most frightening of all, maybe, is the incoming American president’s stance on the matter: Trump said in a 2012 tweet that global warming is a Chinese hoax.

In January 2014, during a brief spell of cold weather, he asked via Twitter, “Is our country still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX?” While most of the rest of the world remains poised to advance emissions reductions goals, Trump is aiming in a different direction. The Trump-Pence website vows to “unleash America’s $50 trillion WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, plus hundreds of years in clean coal reserves.” His webpage concerning energy goals only mentions reducing emissions once, and it makes no mention of climate change or renewable energy.

While meaningful action at the federal level is probably years away, at the local level, progress is coming—even in communities led by Republicans, according to Rose. That, he says, is because local politicians face a level of accountability from which national leaders are often shielded.

“At the city level, mayors have to deliver real results,” Rose said. “They have to protect their residents and make wise investments on behalf of their residents.

The residents see what they’re doing and hold them accountable.”

Restructuring and modifying our cities, which are responsible for about half of America’s carbon footprint, “will be critical toward dealing with climate change,” Rose said.

“On the coast we’ll have sea level rise,” he said. “Inland, we’ll have flooding and heat waves. Heat waves cause more deaths than hurricanes.”

Simply integrating nature into city infrastructure is a very low-cost but effective means for countering the changes that are coming, Rose says. Many cities, for example, are planting thousands of street trees. Trees draw in atmospheric carbon as they grow and, through shade and

evaporative cooling effects, can significantly reduce surface temperatures by as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit in some circumstances, Rose says.

Laws and policies that take aim at reduced emissions targets can be very efficient tools for generating change across entire communities. However, Kalmus believes it’s important that individuals, too, reduce their own emissions through voluntary behavior changes, rather than simply waiting for change to come from leaders and lawmakers.

“If you care about climate change, it will make you happier,” he said. “It makes you feel like you’re pioneering a new way to live. For others, you’re the person who is showing the path and making them realize it’s not as crazy as it seems.”

Kalmus, who lives in Altadena, California, with his wife and two sons, has radically overhauled his lifestyle to reduce his carbon footprint. Since 2010 he has cut his own emissions by a factor of 10— from 20 tons per year to just 2, by his own estimates. This personal transformation is the subject of his forthcoming book, Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution, due out in 2017.

Kalmus rides a bike most places, eats mostly locally grown food, raises some of it in his own yard, has stopped eating meat and—one of the most important changes—has all but quit flying places.

He hopes to serve as a model and help

spark a transition to an economy that does not depend on constant growth, as ours currently does. One day, he believes, it will be socially unacceptable to burn fossil fuel, just as it’s become shunned to waste water in drought-dried California.

The oil industry will eventually become obsolete.

“We need to transition to an economy that doesn’t depend on unending growth,” Kalmus said.

Unless we slow our carbon emissions and our population growth now, depletion of resources, he warns, will catch up with us.

“We need to shift to a steady-state economy and a steady-state population,” he said. “Fossil-fueled civilization cannot continue forever.”

Though Americans will soon have as president a man who is essentially advocating for climate change, Valk, at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, expects time— and warming—to shift voter perspectives.

“As more and more people are personally affected by climate change, like those recently flooded out in Louisiana and North Carolina, people of all political persuasions will see that acting on climate change is not a matter of partisan preferences, but a matter of survival,” he said. !

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

YES! WEEKLY

19

Submissions should be sent to artdirector@yesweekly.com by Friday at 5 p.m., prior to the week’s publication.

Visit yesweekly.com and click on calendar to list your event online.

HOME GROWN MUSIC SCENE | Compiled by Austin Kindley

ASHEBORO

FOUR SAINTS BREWING

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 foursaintsbrewing.com Jan 13: GrayMatter Jan 14: Steely James Jan 18: Irish/Celtic Music Session Jan 20: Shiloh Hill Jan 21: Emma Lee Jan 28: Tyler Millard Feb 3: Wolfie Calhoun Feb 4: Momma Molasses

CLEMMONS

RIVER RIDGE TAPHOUSE 1480 River Ridge Dr | 336.712.1883 riverridgetaphouse.com Jan 27: Live Music from 3st

DANBURY

GREEN HERON ALE HOUSE 1110 Flinchum Rd | 336.593.4733 greenheronclub.com

[BREAKING BENJAMIN] January 13 - Cone Denim Entertainment Center

THE BLIND TIGER

GREENSBORO

ARIZONA PETE’S

2900 Patterson St #A | 336.632.9889 arizonapetes.com Jan 13: 1-2-3 Friday Jan 20: 1-2-3 Friday

ARTISTIKA NIGHT CLUB

523 S Elm St | 336.271.2686 artistikanightclub.com Jan 6: DJ Dan the Player Jan 7: DJ Paco and DJ Dan the Player

BIG PURPLE

FRI&SAT JAN 13&14

812 Olive St. | 336.302.3728

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.272.9888 theblindtiger.com Jan 11: After Funk Jan 13: Kelen Heller w/ Soapbox Arson, A Light Divided, The Norm Jan 14: Unknown Hinson Jan 15: Memphis Or Bust Jan 16: Julian Sizemore Duo, The Wright Ave Jan 18: LITZ Jan 19: Afroman Jan 20: Electric Soul Pandemic w/ ElectroChemical Jan 26: In Her Own Words, Woven Haitus, Hazing, Paperback, Cloud Hands

SHOWS AT 8:00 PM & 10:00 PM

TICKETS $15

SEAN PATTON FEATURING ERIC TRUNDY

Saint Wenceslaus Saint Nicholas Saint Luke Saint Augustine of Hippo OMIE BLONDE ALE

GERMAN HEFEWEIZEN

POTTERS CLAY AMBER

UPPER ROAD IRISH RED

GENESIS BELGIAN DUBBEL

STOUT ONE STOUT

2105 PETERS CREEK PKWY WINSTON-SALEM, NC 27127 (336) 608-2270 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT

WWW.LAUGHINGAS.NET

20 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

218 South Fayetteville Street | Asheboro, NC 27203 | (336) 610-FSBC (3722) | foursaintsbrewing.com

BUCKHEAD SALOON

1720 Battleground Ave | 336.272.9884 buckheadsaloongreensboro.com Jan 13: Where’s Eddie Jan 14: Jane Doe Jan 20: Sun City Kings Jan 21: Spazmatics Jan 27: Dazey Jayne Jan 28: Brothers Pearl

CHURCHILL’S ON ELM

213 S Elm St | 336.275.6367 churchillscigarlounge.com Jan 14: Sahara Reggae Band Jan 21: Jack Long Old School Jam

COMEDY ZONE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 thecomedyzone.com Jan 13: Mutzie Jan 14: Mutzie Jan 20: Drew Thomas Jan 21: Drew Thomas Jan 27: Kevin Lee Jan 28: Kevin Lee

COMMON GROUNDS

11602 S Elm Ave | 336.698.3888 Jan 16: Shelby Lanterman Music Mar 11: Bernardus

CONE DENIM

117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646 cdecgreensboro.com Jan 12: Aaron Lewis Jan 13: Breaking Benjamin Jan 26: Chippendales 2017: Best.

Night. Ever. Tour Feb 10: 2GNC Comedy All-Stars

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THE GREEN BEAN

341 S. Elm St | 336.691.9990 thegreenbeancoffeehouse.blogspot.com

GREENE STREET CLUB 113 N Greene St | 336.273.4111 greenestreetclub.com Jan 21: Dave East

HAM’S GATE CITY

3017 Gate City Blvd | 336.851.4800 hamsrestaurants.com Jan 13: Tre King Band Jan 20: Signature Soundz Jan 27: Sahara

HAM’S NEW GARDEN

1635 New Garden Rd | 336.288.4544 hamsrestaurants.com Jan 13: Heckelberry Shyne Jan 20: Tyler Millard Jan 27: Jukebox Revolver

MCPHERSON’S BAR & GRILL

5710 W Gate City Blvd | 336.292.6496 mcphersonsgreensboro.com

PRINT WORKS BISTRO

702 Green Valley Rd | 336.379.0699 printworksbistro.com Jan 11: Evan Olsen & Jessica Mashburn

SOMEWHERE ELSE TAVERN

5713 W Friendly Ave | 336.292.5464 facebook.com/thesomewhereelsetavern Jan 13: Desired Redemption, Drowning Delilah, Zestrah, Swampwater Swill, Trailer Park Orchestra Jan 28: Last Call Messiahs, Jen Phipps, Zestrah, Them Damn Bruners Feb 25: Desired Redemption, Novarium, Nevernauts

THE IDIOT BOX COMEDY CLUB

2134 Lawndale Dr | 336.274.2699 www.idiotboxers.com Jan 13: A Trump Roast

VILLAGE TAVERN

1903 Westridge Rd | 336.282.3063 villagetavern.com

WORLD OF BEER

1210 Westover Terrace | 336.897.0031 worldofbeer.com/Locations/Greensboro

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HIGH POINT

AFTER HOURS TAVERN

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113 afterhourstavern.net Jan 21: The Norm, The Terrible Twos, Somewhat Forgotten

BLUE BOURBON JACK’S

1310 N Main St | 336.882.2583 reverbnation.com/venue/bluebourbonjacks Feb 18: Jukebox Revolver

CLADDAGH RESTAURANT & PUB

130 E Parris Ave | 336.841.0521 thecladdaghrestaurantandpub.com Jan 11: Craig Baldwin Jan 12: Buzzard Holler Boys Jan 13: Jamie Leigh Jan 14: Midnight Gypsys Jan 16: Open Mic with Lydia Jan 17: Julian Jackson Jan 18: Craig Baldwin Jan 19: Buzzard Holler Boys Jan 20: Midnight Gypsys Jan 21: Matt & Craig Jan 23: Open Mic with Lydia Jan 24: Sam Foster Jan 25: Craig Baldwin Jan 26: Buzzard Holler Boys Jan 27: David & Joel, Paris Avenue Jan 28: Midnight Gypsys Jan 30: Open Mic with Lydia Jan 31: Julian Jackson

KERNERSVILLE

DANCE HALL DAZE

612 Edgewood St | 336.558.7204 dancehalldaze.com Jan 13: Texas’T’Band Jan 14: Cheyenne & Donna Miller Jan 15: Jam Session/Cancer Benefit Jan 20: Crimson Rose Jan 21: Time Bandits Jan 27: The Delmonicos Jam 28: Silverhawk

ECLECTION

221 N Main St | 336.497.4822 eclectionnc.com

THE EMPOURIUM

734 E. Mountain St. | 336.671.9159

LEWISVILLE

OLD NICK’S PUB

191 Lowes Foods Dr | 336.747.3059 OldNicksPubNC.com Jan 13: Exit 180 Band Jan 14: Karaoke w/Tyler Perkins Jan 21: Karaoke w/DJ Tyler Perkins Jan 27: Mezza Voce

OAKRIDGE

JP LOONEY’S

2213 E Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.1570 facebook.com/JPLooneys Jan 12: Trivia

WINSTON-SALEM

2ND AND GREEN

207 N Green St | 336.631.3143 2ngtavern.com

6TH & VINE

209 W 6th St | 336.725.5577 6thandvine.com Jan 13: Johnny Bing Duo Jan 20: Ears to the Ground Jan 21: DJSK Jan 27: Chris & Ashley Acoustic Jan 28: Mulligans

BULL’S TAVERN

408 West 4th St | 336.331.3431 facebook.com/bulls-tavern Jan 13: Chit Nasty Band Jan 14: Disco Lemonade Jan 19: Pressing Strings Jan 20: Doug Davis Charity Jam Jan 21: Soul Jam Jan 26: Illeterate Light Jan 27: Gypsy Danger

HAM’S PALLADIUM 5840 Samet Dr | 336.887.2434 hamsrestaurants.com Jan 13: Sok Monkee Jan 20: Megan Doss Band Jan 27: Bad Romeo

LIBERTY BREWERY

914 Mall Loop Rd | 336.882.4677 hghosp.com

JAMESTOWN

THE DECK

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999 thedeckatrivertwist.com Jan 13: Shmack Daniels Jan 20: Big Daddy Mojo Jan 21: Jaxon Jill Jan 27: Southern Eyes Jan 28: Cory Luetjen Feb 3: The Dickens Feb 4: Brothers Pearl Feb 10: Crossover Drive

JANUARY 11-17, 2017 YES! WEEKLY

21

CB’S TAVERN

3870 Bethania Station Rd | 336.815.1664

FINNIGAN’S WAKE

620 Trade St | 336.723.0322 facebook.com/FinnigansWake

FOOTHILLS BREWING

BASEMENT WATERPROOFING CRAWL SPACE REPAIR FOUNDATION REPAIR

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 foothillsbrewing.com Sun 29: Sunday Jazz

THE GARAGE

110 W 7th St | 336.777.1127 the-garage.ws Jan 25: Mothers, Finks, and I, Anomaly Mar 3: All Them Witches with Irata Mar 24: Big Thief

JOHNNY & JUNE’S SALOON

2105 Peters Creek Pkwy | 336.724.0546 johnnynjunes.com Jan 14: Dark Water Redemption Jan 20: Red Dirt Revival Jan 21: The Bowerys House Band Jan 27: Red Dirt Revival Jan 28: Sister Hazel, Honkeytonk Outlaws

LAUGHING GAS COMEDY CLUB Wet Basement?

2105 Peters Creek Pkwy laughingas.net Jan 11: Luenell Jan 18: Jamie Kennedy Jan 20-21: Leonard Outzs

MAC & NELLI’S Foundation Issues?

Nasty Crawl Space?

4926 Country Club Rd | 336.529.6230 macandnellisws.com

MILNER’S

630 S Stratford Rd | 336.768.2221 milnerfood.com Jan 15: Live Jazz

MUDDY CREEK CAFE Before

After

We Lift Concrete!

“Don’t Replace it, RAISE IT!”

Contact us for a

Free Estimate 22 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

866-907-2616 GreensboroBasements.com

5455 Bethania Rd | 336.923.8623 Jan 12: Open Mic Jan 13: Seth Williams Jan 14: Acoustic Harmonies Jan 19: Open Mic Jan 20: Clay Howard Jan 21: Carson Mac Jan 26: Open Mic Jan 27: Russell Lapinski Jan 28: Sarah Sophia Feb 2: Open Mic Feb 4: Chief’s Chouce Feb 9: Open Mic Feb 10: Kimberly Sundloff Feb 12: Phillip Craft Feb 16: Open Mic

MUDDY CREEK MUSIC HALL

5455 Bethania Rd | 336.923.8623 Jan 13: Corey Hunt Band/ Von Strantz Jan 14: Circus No. 9 Jan 15: Joe Troop and Mason Via Jan 19: The Batteries Jan 20: Joe Crookston Jan 21: Banna Jan 23: Band On The Run starring Denny Laine of Wings Jan 26: Sarah Howell, Jack Benedict, Meryl Angelicola Lee Jan 27: Cashavelly Morrison w/ Grace & Nails Jan 28: Dark Water Rising Feb 3: Violet Bell Feb 4: Hank, Pattie, & The Current Feb 10: CandelFirth Feb 11: Muddy Creek Players w/ Andrea Templon, Martha Bassett Feb 12: The Epiphany Project Feb 16: Sarah Mae Chilton, Dan Dockery, Emily Stewart Feb 17: R.B. Morris Feb 18: Neptune’s Car Feb 19: Albert Lee Feb 23: Redleg Husky Feb 24: Wonderwall The Tribute (The Beatles) Feb 25: Tom Young and Taylor Vaden Feb 26: Across The Blue Ridge w/ Paul Brown

THE QUIET PINT

1420 W 1st St | 336.893.6881 thequietpint.com

TEE TIME SPORTS & SPIRITS 3040 Healy Dr | 336.760.4010

VILLAGE TAVERN

2000 Griffith Rd | 336.760.8686

WAYWARD BREWS

5078 Peters Creek Pkwy | 336.652.2739 waywardbrews.com

WEREHOUSE/KRANKIE’S COFFEE 211 E 3rd St | 336.722.3016 krankiescoffee.com

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

[CONCERTS] Compiled by Alex Eldridge

CHARLOTTE

BOJANGLES COLISEUM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.bojanglescoliseum.com Feb 3: Legends of Southern Hip Hop Mar 11: Casting Crowns

CMCU AMPHITHEATRE former Uptown Amphitheatre 820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555 www.livenation.com Apr 28: Lauryn Hill May 6: Bastille

THE FILLMORE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.fillmorecharlottenc.com Jan 11: Pop Evil Jan 14: Drake Night ft DJ Fannie Mae Jan 18: Rich The Kid Jan 19: Greensky Bluegrass Jan 21: Breaking Benjamin Jan 27: Hey Johnny Park - Foo Fighters Tribute Jan 27: Rumours: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac Jan 28: Bassh Feb 2: Papadosio Feb 3: Grouplove Feb 8: Welshly Arms Feb 8: Tchami Feb 9: Excision Feb 10: The Fighters Feb 10: Jake Miller Feb 11: Nonpoint Feb 12: Safetysuit Feb 17: Dashboard Confessional Feb 21: Us the Duo Feb 22: Louis The Child Feb 23: Less Than Jake & Pepper Feb 24: Cherub & The Floozies Feb 24: Daya Feb 25: Juicy J Mar 2: Sleigh Bells Mar 5: Cold War Kids w/ Middle Kids Mar 6: Overkill Mar 7: Colony House Mar 8: Young the Giant Mar 10: Deafheaven w/ This Will Destory You & Emma Ruth Rundle Mar 11: St Paul & The Broken Bones Mar 12: Bad Suns Mar 17: The Decibel Magazine 2017 Tour Mar 17: Regina Spektor Mar 19: Katatonia Mar 23: Blue October Mar 23: Whiskey Myers Mar 30: The Flaming Lips Apr 6: Kehlani Apr 7: Kari Jobe Apr 15: Dark Star Orchestra Apr 16: Testament WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

OVENS AUDITORIUM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.ovensauditorium.com Jan 21: Tim Hawkins Jan 28: Gerald Levert Feb 22: The Piano Guys Feb 24: Nu Soul Revival Tour Mar 6: We Are Here Mar 31: Johnny Mathis

TWC ARENA

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000 www.timewarnercablearena.com Feb 19: Winter Jam Mar 9: Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience Apr 17: Red Hot Chili Peppers Apr 28: Neil Diamond

DURHAM

CAROLINA THEATRE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org Jan 24: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Jan 26: Pat Metheny Jan 28: 10th Annual Wiser A Cappella Jam Feb 7: Al Di Meola Feb 13: The Wood Brothers Feb 16: Keller Williams & Leo Kottke Feb 23: Tommy Emmanuel Mar 1: Ladysmith Black Mambazo Mar 3: Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Mar 7: Valerie June Mar 13: Gordon Lightfoot Mar 20: Odessey & Oracle Mar 21-22: Stephin Merritt & The Magnetic Fields Mar 23: Black Violin Mar 24: Three Dog Night Apr 28: Rivive Big Band & Christian Scott Apr 29: George Clinton & Terrace Martin

GREENSBORO

HIGH POINT

CAROLINA THEATRE

HIGH POINT THEATRE

GREENSBORO COLISEUM

RALEIGH

310 S Greene St | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com Jan 14: The Glenn Miller Orchestra Jan 20: Cageless Birds Worship Night Jan 29: Travis Tritt Feb 17: Keo Kottke & Keller Williams Feb 23: Arlo Guthrie Feb 24: Rockin’ Road to Dublin Apr 18: Free 1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Feb 3: Rhythms Of Triumph ft The O’Jays Feb 4: Justin Moore & Lee Brice Feb 24: Brantley Gilbert Feb 25: Twenty Øne Piløts Mar 23: Florida Georgia Line Mar 25: Winter Jam Apr 11: Panic! At The Disco Apr 14: Spring Fest

!

CHECK IT OUT!

Click on our website, yesweekly.com, for more concerts.

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401 www.highpointtheatre.com Jan 26: Robin Spielberg Feb 14: Ken Lavigne Feb 25: Manhattan Transfer & Take 6 Mar 31: The HillBenders Apr 1: Will Downing Apr 29: 3 Redneck Tenors

RED HAT AMPHITHEATER

500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800 www.redhatamphitheater.com May 12: Bastille May 14: The xx

PNC ARENA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300 www.thepncarena.com Jan 22: Winter Jam Mar 10: Casting Crowns w/ Danny Gokey & Unspoken Mar 19: Stevie Nicks w/ Pretenders Apr 27: I Love The 90’s

DPAC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com Jan 20: Tim Hawkins Jan 22: The Beach Boys Jan 27: Rick Springfield & Richard Marx Feb 19: Tony Bennett Mar 2: Martina McBride Mar 10: Get The Led Out Mar 23: Celtic Woman Mar 28: Steve Miller Band Apr 1: Earth, Wind & Fire Apr 29: Common

JANUARY 11-17, 2017 YES! WEEKLY

23

tunes

HEAR IT!

A spiritual comeback for guitarist Eric Gales

BY JOHN ADAMIAN

G

uitarist Eric Gales was pretty stoked when I spoke to him last week, just before the snow started falling. Gales, who’s originally from Memphis, Tennessee, has been living in Greensboro since 2012 with his wife, LaDonna, who also sings in his band. He was feeling good about the fact that “Carry Yourself,” the first single from his forthcoming album, Middle of the Road, was already showing up prominently on the blues charts and playlists on platforms like iTunes and Spotify.

The album doesn’t come out until late February in the U.S., so a little positive early attention seemed to hint at more good things to come. Gales said he was also celebrating six months of being clean/sober, after having spent big stretches of his life and career struggling with addiction.

“I’m just 100 percent focused,” says Gales, who spoke by phone before

24 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

heading out on tour. “The best way I can describe it is that I had a lot of things tearing at me.”

The new single starts out with a wah-wah-heavy riff that flips the way its accents pop out at you, starting out with one stress sounding like the downbeat, which then shifts into the backbeat once the band kicks into gear behind Gales. It’s bluesy-soul track with a slight psychedelic tinge and an unusual pow-wow-beat repeating refrain. Gales can shred in the bluesguitar hero fashion, like Joe Bonamassa and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

But Gales, who emerged on the national scene as a 16-year-old prodigy with his solo debut in 1991, seems to have moved past the need to show off his pyrotechnic chops. He’s as interested in songwriting, working with collaborators like singer/songwriter, producer and longtime friend Raphael Saadiq.

“I’m always open to put my head together with people that help the song come together,” says Gales. “Two heads are always better than one.”

Guitarist/vocalist Gary Clark Jr. joins Gales on one tune, while brother, former bandmate and longtime collaborator Eugene Gales makes a guest appearance on another.

As a left-handed African-American guitarist who strings his instrument upside down, Gales is probably never going to escape comparisons to Jimi Hendrix.

And while Gales plays with more of a quiet internal focus and less flamboyant theatricality, it’s clear that he has studied the master. You can see videos of Gales playing Hendrix’s “Little Wing” online, but he attacks it with a jazzy touch, wedging in crunchy passing chords and other light flourishes.

Gales can move from feathery and delicate to chunky and thick. Raised in a religious family, he did a version of “Amazing Grace” on an album of instrumentals a few years ago, in part to demonstrate a different side of himself.

“Playing in the church and being in the church is something I’ve had in my life since we were kids,” says Gales.

Discussing the gospel feel that shows up in his music in places, Gales says the difference between gospel and the blues is, in many cases, just one of lyrical content. Sacred and secular music can share an energy.

“There is a power that’s raised up when the spirit is high,” says Gales.

As much as Gales might inspire comparisons to Hendrix or gospel, there’s also a simmering soul-funk energy to his music. The opening track to the forthcoming record, a song called “Good Time,” is a driving call to feel good — basically consisting of the line “come on, have a good time” set against offbeat handclaps and locomotive beats — that has something in common with Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Elsewhere, like on “Change In Me” and “Been So Long,” a squishy reggae syncopation shows up.

“We were able to mix different spices together in one project where they’re all able to fit,” says Gales of the genre-jumping. “My thing is blues rock, funk, gospel, urban — all in one.”

The blues, as a style, a form and an aesthetic, have famously ping-ponged back and forth across the Atlantic. Many white American music fans had their first serious

exposure to the blues through the music of British artists like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton. Gales has tipped the hat to those English artists on records. Gales is not of the purist/preservationist school of the blues. He’s more interested in freshness than history.

“A proper homage in my opinion is doing somebody’s stuff not exactly the way they did it,” says Gales. “You take it and you put the spin on it.”

If the blues emerged along the Mississippi River, blossoming in places like the Delta and Memphis, heading up to cities like Detroit and Chicago and then getting a British twist in London, Gales can be seen as re-anchoring the blues with more recent injection of the Memphis sensibility. Though, to be fair, Gales spends much of his time on the road, and he’s often said that he’s not sure his musical approach is shaped much by place — as he says now of Greensboro — fond as he is of his hometowns.

The message of recovery, endurance, self-improvement, spiritual optimism and transcendence is threaded throughout the record, which was recorded in Los Angeles over a two-week period.

“Can’t nobody help you until you’re ready to help yourself,” goes a line on “Help Yourself,” a slithery and clipped Texas boogie stomp that definitely brings comparisons to ZZ Top, though it has surprising parts with multi-tracked scat-like vocals paired with guitar lines, acoustics and other unexpected touches.

“There’s a story within the record,” says Gales. “There is no way possible that I see turning back to the dark period of life — mentally and spiritually. This is the best turn of life events that I could have. I survived a real dark time and now people are gonna know about it.”

Eric Gales’ Middle of the Road will be released in the U.S. on Feb. 24 on the Mascot label. !

JOHN ADAMIAN lives in Winston-Salem, and his writing has appeared in Wired, The Believer, Relix, Arthur, Modern Farmer, the Hartford Courant and numerous other publications.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

UNCSA music students dominate statewide competition: Quintet and soloists advance to regional competition this weekend Musicians from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) dominated the 2016 state competition of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). A quintet and three soloists earned top honors and are headed to the South Division competition this weekend at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Several other musicians from UNCSA won alternate and honorable mention awards.

Top honors at the statewide competition, held in October on the campus of Wake Forest University, went to Quiescent Quintet, fellows of UNCSA’s Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute, in the chamber music wind category.

Members are Marie Smith, horn; Phillip Kandel, bassoon; Sami Eudy, flute; Kali Poore, oboe; and Clifford Tam, clarinet. The ensemble is mentored by faculty member Brooks Whitehouse.

Soloists from UNCSA who won top honors include saxophonist Jordan Savage in the senior woodwind competition; Jacob Wang in the senior piano competition; and saxophonist Caleb Carpenter in the young artist woodwind competition.

Savage and Carpenter study with Robert Young, and Wang studies with Eric Larsen.

“Competitions such as these presented

by MTNA are vitally important in training young musicians, helping them hone their performance skills,” said Brian Cole, dean of the School of Music. “We’re very proud and excited to send these fine young musicians to the next level of competition.”

In addition to the top honors, several UNCSA students received alternate and honorable mention awards at the statewide competition. The Tzyra Saxophone Quartet coached by Robert Young was alternate in the chamber music wind competition. Its members are Kyle Greaney, baritone saxophone; Caleb Carpenter, soprano saxophone; Andrew Hasher, tenor saxophone; and Timothy Bachman, alto saxophone. In the junior strings comWWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

petition, violinist Kearston Gonzales, a student of Sarah Johnson, was alternate.

Honorable mentions were awarded to cellist Benjamin Maxwell, a student of Brooks Whitehouse, in the senior strings competition; Jinho Kang, a student of Dmitri Shteinberg, in the senior piano competition; saxophonist Timothy Backman, a student of Robert Young, in the young artist woodwind competition; and Michael Dodds, a student of Dmitri Shteinberg, in the young artist piano competition.

“Our strong showing at the state competitions reflects the level of talent, the intense hard work, and the expert instruction and mentorship that are the hallmarks of the UNCSA School of Music,” Cole said.

With nearly 22,000 members in 50 states and more than 500 local affiliates, MTNA is the preeminent resource for music teacher support. The organization annually hosts a three-tiered program of competitions for students in the elementary level (ages 5-10), junior level (ages 11-14), senior level (ages 15-18) and young artist level (ages 19-26). Winners can advance from state to division competitions, and then to the national competitions, scheduled this year for March 18-20 in Baltimore, Md. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is America’s first state-supported arts school, a unique stand-alone public university of arts conservatories.

With a high school component, UNCSA is a degree-granting institution that trains young people of talent in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system when it was formed in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu. !

Fashion Fundraiser & Silent Auction

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017 YES! WEEKLY

25

Thu Jan 12

[CHOICE BEATS] Upcoming shows you should check out

www.lincolntheatre.com JANUARY

The Infamous Stringdusters

We 11 LETTUCE 7p Th 12 THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS 8p Fr 13 ZOSO Led Zeppelin Experience

Albums I,II,III w/The Whom 7:30p Sa 14 ZOSO Led Zeppelin Experience IV, Houses, Presence,Pys Grafitti w/Mojo Rising (Doors Tribute) 7:30p Su 15 CLOUD 91 (Oak City Entertainment) Th 19 DWEEZIL ZAPPA “Dweezilla On The Road” Guitar Masterclass 2:30p

Th 19 DWEEZIL ZAPPA: 50 Years of Frank Fr 20 THE BAND OF HEATHENS 8p Sa Sa Fr Sa

w/ The National Reserve 21 DAVID ALLAN COE w.Chris Bullard 21 ELVIS LIVES - The King of Rock N Roll Lives on @MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM 27 PULSE: Electronic Dance Party 9p 28 THE BREAKFAST CLUB 80’s FEBRUARY

AMERICAN AQUARIUM BETTER OFF DEAD (Grateful Dead) THE WERKS ILL DIGITZ & DSCVRY (90’s) PERPETUAL GROOVE KELLY HOLLAND MEMORIAL BOOMBOX LOUIS THE CHILD THE LACs LAST BAND STANDING 7p w/After Party feat: INDECISION Sa 25 CHERUB/FLOOZIES @ THE RITZ

3&4 Sa 11 Tu 14 Fr 17 Sa 18 Su 19 Tu 21 Th 23 Fr 24 Sa 25

Fr 3 Sa 4 Fr 10 Sa 11 Su 12 Th 16 Fr 17 Th 23 Fr 24 Sa 25 We 29 Th 30 4 - 1 4-21 4-22 5-13 5-17

MARCH

Fri Jan 13 Sat Jan 14 2 Shows Covering 7 Albums 2 night passes avail.

ZOSO

The Ultimate MERLEFEST ADDS SIX MORE ARTISTS TO LINEUP Led Zeppelin MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April Experience

27-30, 2017, is proud to announce six more additions to the 2017 lineup: The Avett Brothers, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, Thu Chatham County Line Electric Holiday, Mandolin Orange, Steep Canyon Rangers and Sierra Hull. This year will be the 30th celebraJan tion of this homecoming of roots music artists and fans that 19 draws over 75,000 participants every year. MerleFest has already announced over 75 artists for 2017, including Zac Brown Band with a very special acoustic set, Del McCoury Band, Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Mountain Heart and many more.

Dweezil Zappa THE AVETT BROTHERS – The Avett Brothers made main-

stream waves with their 2009 major label debut, “I and Love and You,” landing at No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200, garnering critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Paste, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Time. In 2012, “The Carpenter” hit No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200, drawing praise from People, USA Today and American Songwriter. The group appeared on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! twice in a few months’ time.

“True Sadness” achieves The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date and dominates multiple charts. The Rick Rubinproduced album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Albums Chart, No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums Chart, No. 1 on the Digital Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200. The Americana Music Association named it the No. 1 Most Played Album of 2016. The Avett Brothers will perform on opening night of MerleFest and again on Saturday.

Fri Jan 20

Band of Heathens

WHO’S BAD Michael Jackson Trib LOS LONELY BOYS THE CLARKS w/Michael Tolcher BOWIE BALL Trib to DAVID BOWIE HOLLY BOWLING NATALIE MACMASTER AND DONNELL LEAHY – To fans THE HIP ABDUCTION of fiddle music, Natalie MacMaster needs no introduction. Over a recording career now spanning 25 years, this Order of Canada VANESSA CARLTON 7p recipient has released 11 albums that have notched sales of over HIPPIE SABOTAGE 200,000 copies. She has won two JUNO and 11 East Coast Music REVEREND HORTON HEAT+ Awards and been nominated for a Grammy; is in great demand WHISKEY MYERS as a charismatic performer; BLUE OCTOBER Sat Jan 21 and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Yo-Yo Ma (on the Grammy-winning album “Songs of TRAVELIN’ MCCOURYS Joy &Jan Peace”), Sat 21Alison Krauss, Jesse Cook, and Béla Fleck.

RUNAWAY GIN Her husband, Donnell Leahy, is no stranger to the awards JONNY LANG w/Quinn Sullivan 7p podium himself. He is the oldest brother of the internationally Y&T acclaimed family musical group Leahy, winners of three JUNO MOTHERS FINEST Awards. Widely recognized as one of the best Celtic fiddlers in MAYDAY PARADE

Adv. Tickets @Lincolntheatre.com & Schoolkids Records All Shows All Ages

126 E. Cabarrus 919-821-4111

26 YES! WEEKLY

St.

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

the world, his high-energy playing style also makes him a highly popular performer.

@ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium STEEP CANYON RANGERS – The Steep Canyon Rangers add an authentic and distinct sound in North Carolina’s array of native

musical talent, including Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, James Taylor, John Coltrane, Randy Travis and The Avett Brothers. A bluegrass band at their core, the Steep Canyon Rangers effortlessly walk the line between festival favorite and sophisticated string orchestra.

They are as danceable as the most progressive, party-oriented string band and equally comfortable translating their songs for accompaniment by a full symphony. It’s that mix of serious chops and good-natured fun that earned the Steep Canyon Rangers the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2013 and that drew celebrated comedian/banjoist Steve Martin to them when he needed a backing band.

MANDOLIN ORANGE – Mandolin Orange has steadily picked up speed and fans since releasing “This Side of Jordan,” the band’s 2013 breakthrough debut on Yep Roc Records, last year’s follow up “Such Jubilee” and its new album, “Blindfaller.” Released September 30, “Blindfaller” made Rolling Stone’s 40 Best Country Albums of 2016, debuted No. 3 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Album Chart and was featured on NPR’s “Heavy Rotation,” among others.

SIERRA HULL – Singer, mandolinist and former child prodigy Sierra Hull signed with Rounder at age 13 and distinguished herself by becoming the first bluegrass musician to receive a Presidential Scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

The International Bluegrass Music Association named Sierra the 2016 Mandolin Player of the Year, the first woman in the show’s history to take home this honor. Now a seasoned touring musician nearing her mid-20s, Sierra Hull has delivered her most inspired, accomplished and mature recorded work to date – no small feat.

She released Grammy-nominated “Weighted Mind,” her first new album in five years, in 2016.

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE ELECTRIC HOLIDAY – For over a decade of Decembers, the single-mic-surrounding, all-acoustic Chatham County Line has hosted a special Electric Holiday Tour where the band eschews its acoustic mantle and embraces the advent of electricity. With the addition of drummer Evans Nicholson and electric bass player Jay Brown, CCL’s Greg Readling gets to moonlight on pedal steel and piano, and Dave Wilson and John Teer get to scratch their electric guitar itch. Banjo maestro Chandler Holt might even sing a song or two. The band will put new energy behind some CCL classics as well as scratch the dust off of a few AM Goldies.

Tickets for MerleFest 2017 are on sale now and may be purchased at MerleFest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. !

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drama

[PLAYBILL]

STAGE IT!

Artrageous! performance group paints, dances and sings on stage

H

ave you ever been curious about the process of creativity? How is a masterpiece created by a painter?

How does a dancer channel emotions Lenise Willis into movement?

And how can music Contributing amplify a visual performance? This columnist weekend, discover all this and more during an Artageous! performance, in which dance, song, paint and even bubblewrap are celebrated.

On an Artrageous! stage, “there is always something to feast your eyes on,” said Lauri France, a member of the performance group.

At least for the Triad, this idea of culminating so many art forms into one performance is new and exciting.

“This is the first time I can recall having this many different genres of art, music, dance and visuals on stage at the same time,” said David Briggs, director at High Point Theatre, where the show will be performed. “ It’s very eclectic and much like a variety show.”

In its upcoming performance at High Point Theatre, the audience will watch as three artists paint a pop-icon masterpiece at electric speed right before their eyes, with accompanying dance choreography (sometimes on top of bubblewrap), musicianship, vocals and audience participation. All of the art forms are fused together by a common theme.

“It is a journey through the decades, paying tribute to famous icons and music of the eras,” Francis explained. “I think that a common theme of the show is really joy. We have a lot of fun with each other and with the audience. The arts are important to Artrageous! and we feel that if you work as a team you can do anything.”

As with any creative artist with constantly budding ideas, Francis says the biggest challenge in organizing a show is not including too much.

“We are always thinking, ‘oh we could do this or this or that!’ We get excited about WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

by Lenise Willis Wednesday and Thursday, Community Theatre of Greensboro is hosting auditions for its production of Grease.

Visit ctgso.org for more information.

Next up for CTG will be the The Laramie Project, a heart-wrenching play opening Jan. 27. The drama, written in 2000, was a reaction to the 1998 murder of a homosexual student at the University of Wyoming. Hundreds of interviews were conducted by the Tectonic Theatre Project to develop the script, in which eight actors play more than 60 characters.

One must-see event this week is the Artrageous! performance, which will hit High Point Theatre for one day only this Saturday. The show has something for everyone, featuring live painting on stage, musicians and vocalists and dancers. It’s truly a celebration of art.

Also on Saturday, UNC School of the Arts presents a chamber music concert in Watson Hall on campus.

Hear the American classic, Appalachian Spring, as it premiered in 1944, written for 13 instruments. Also on the program is Tison Street’s Adagio for Oboe and Strings, and Prokofiev’s Quintet in G minor, drawn from his ballet score Trapez. The performance is by the School of Music faculty with the Giannini Quartet, part of the school’s Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute.

ideas and funneling them into a 90-minute show proved to be the difficult part.”

The troupe of artists, musicians, singers and dancers got its start about 20 years ago, performing with life-sized theatrical puppeteers on the streets of Granville Island in Vancouver, Canada.

They now travel the world in about 80 shows a year, and have about 100 performances planned for 2017.

“At our core, we are really a troupe of friends with each of us wearing many different hats both on and off stage,” Francis said. “We had been wanting to put a show together for several years that combined all the different kinds of performing we have done over the years. We wanted to put the elements of action painting, live music and dance together with Bunraku Puppetry (from our early days) and audience interaction (from our touring as a band).”

The inspiration for the group’s creation

was the purpose of exploring the arts and traveling to experience the world. They pay tribute to a variety of art forms, pop icons and musical genres - from Lennon to Elvis, Hendrix to Journey - culminating in a gallery of fabulous finished paintings.

“We are service oriented and we want to have a very positive impact on those that we work with and work for. Creating art and music for a living is pretty special and we are very fortunate to have been able to do that together over such a long period of time.” !

WANNA

go?

Artrageous performs its family-friendly show for one time only at High Point Theatre, 220 E. Commerce Ave., Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30-$35 for adults; $20-$25 for students. For tickets and more information visit artrageousexperience.com.

Next week, Theatre Alliance presents a different side of being homosexual in its production of Zanna Don’t!, which puts a comedic twist on life in high school. In this production, set in Heartsville High, it’s cool to be the captain of the chess team and involved in theatre, and almost everyone is gay. After writing a controversial show, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the students create a catalyst for a young man and woman to fall in love.

Coming soon is Triad Stage’s production of The Price, which begins previews Jan. 29. The Arthur Miller play is set in New York, where secrets and rivalries shake the foundation of two brothers’ home.

In other news, the Greensboro Fringe Festival opens next Thursday, Jan. 19, so look for a schedule and more details in next weeks’ Yes! !

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

YES! WEEKLY

27

RedCinemas.com

MOVIE TIMES

LA LA LAND (LUXURY SEATING) (PG-13) 11:30A, 2:10P, 4:50P, 7:30P, 10:10P A MONSTER CALLS (LUXURY SEATING) (PG-13) 12:00P MANCHESTER BY SEA (LUXURY SEATING) (R) 2:45P, 5:35P, 8:25P, 11:15P SILENCE (LUXURY SEATING) (R) 12:30P, 3:45P, 7:00P, 10:15P LIVE BY NIGHT (R) 11:30A, 2:10P, 4:50P, 7:30P, 10:15P

MONSTER TRUCKS (PG) 12:00P, 2:20P, 4:35P, 7:05P, 9:25P, 11:45P PATRIOTS DAY (R) 11:35A, 2:25P, 5:20P, 8:15P, 11:10P SLEEPLESS (R) 1:05P, 3:15P, 5:25P, 7:40P, 9:50P, 11:55P HIDDEN FIGURES (PG) 11:55A, 2:40P, 5:25P, 8:10P, 11:00P UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS (R) 12:40P**, 3:00P**, 5:10P**, 7:30P, 9:40P, 11:50P A MAN CALLED OVE (PG-13) 12:10P, 2:35P, 5:00P, 7:20P, 9:40P ARRIVAL (PG-13) 5:00P, 10:15P BYE BYE MAN (PG-13) 12:50P, 3:05P, 5:15P, 7:35P, 9:50P, 11:55P FENCES (PG-13) 2:15P, 7:25P SING (PG) 11:45A, 2:10P, 4:45P, 7:15P, 9:45P

flicks

SCREEN IT!

Tripping the light fantastic

For his follow-up to the award-winning arthouse hit Whiplash (2014), filmmaker Damien Chazelle takes a bold risk with La La Land – and comes up a winner.

This modern-day Mark Burger musical extravaganza is pure entertainContributing ment from start to finish, as well as a columnist bittersweet valentine to its Tinseltown setting, which is itself a major character.

The storyline follows the four seasons of a year, which encapsulate the relationship between Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a struggling – but talented – jazz pianist,

and Mia (Emma Stone), a struggling – but talented – actress and playwright. Hollywood is of course the land of make-believe, where dreams come true. Their dreams bring them together, but will success tear them apart?

This marks Gosling and Stone’s third big-screen pairing, after Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) and Gangster Squad (2013), and is by far the best. Although Miles Teller (who starred in Whiplash) and Emma Watson were originally attached, it’s difficult to imagine better than Gosling and Stone in the

roles. They’re charming, charismatic, and possess wonderful chemistry.

Rosemary DeWitt, John Legend, Finn Wittrock, Tom Everett Scott and Whiplash Oscar winner J.K. Simmons are on hand, but this is Gosling and Stone’s show all the way, and even more it’s Chazelle’s show, as he deftly brings a kinetic, enthusiastic energy to the proceedings and throws in countless nods to the Hollywood of yesteryear – and, perhaps, tomorrow – in a fashion that is both inspired and affectionate. It’s very easy to fall in love with La La Land. !

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, lost in space Director Morten Tyldum’s Passengers is a sleek, good-looking film with good-looking leads in Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, whose characters are aboard an enormous spaceship en route to a distant colony that takes 120 years to reach.

Unfortunately, they’ve awakened about 90 years early. A meteor shower has damaged the ship, which results in the malfunction of the hybernation chamber containing engineer Jim Preston (Pratt).

Despite his skills, he can’t repair the device, nor does he have access to certain areas of the ship, and any messages to Earth won’t reach there for several years.

Consumed by loneliness, Jim wrestles with his conscience before deciding to awaken fellow passenger Aurora Lane (Lawrence), and a romance predictably develops.

For the first half-hour, Pratt is essentially the only one onscreen, then Passengers becomes a two-hander when Lawrence enters the scene, although Michael Sheen pops up periodically as an affable android bartender. Laurence Fishburne appears later (obviously) as a deck officer awakened by a subsequent systems malfunction. Andy Garcia’s role as the ship’s captain is so miniscule it’s almost a wonder he’s billed. (If you’re going to see Passengers only for Andy Garcia.)

It’s only a matter of time before Aurora discovers that her awakening wasn’t the result of a malfunction but Jim’s doing, which is where Jon Spaihts’ screenplay backs itself into a corner, the only avenue of escape being plot contrivance. The damage to the ship is getting worse, so it’s actually convenient that Jim and Aurora are awake – because they can save their

fellow passengers from certain death.

That’s one way to circumvent a moral quandary.

Both Lawrence and Pratt have experience in the fantasy genre – she in the Hunger Games and X-Men films, he in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Jurassic World (2015), and their upcoming sequels – and both possess considerable sex appeal and star wattage. They’re also able to bring an emotional component that helps overcome, or at least get around, the screenplay’s shortcomings.

There are other compensations, including Guy Hendrix Dyas’ production design, Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography, Thomas Newman’s score, and excellent CGI effects. Passengers isn’t perfect, but it looks spectacular. On looks alone, it’s worth … well, a look. !

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1107 Grecade St, Greensboro, NC 27408 (336) 553-1290

1209 Battleground Ave. Greensboro, NC 27408 (336) 500-0654

3300 High Point Rd. Greensboro, NC 27407 (336) 294-1781

1211 Battleground Avenue Greensboro, NC 27409 (336) 792-1999

THINGS TO COME (PG-13) 12:15P, 2:30P, 4:40P, 7:00P, 9:15P, 11:30P WHY HIM? (R) 11:40A (** = NOT SHOWING ON SATURDAY 1/14 & MONDAY 1/16) 1305 Battleground Ave. Greensboro, NC 27408 (336) 230-1620

28 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

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Elle hath no fury like Huppert In the first moments of Paul Verhoeven’s film Elle, the principal character, Isabelle Huppert’s Michele Leblanc, is assaulted and raped in her home by a masked intruder. After he departs, she dutifully cleans up the scene, takes a bath, and simply resumes her life.

Clearly, this situation – and this character – are considerably more complex than they initially seem, as this adaptation of Philippe Dijan’s novel Oh …, dominated by yet another superlative Huppert performance, proceeds in compelling fashion. Huppert specializes in playing alluring, enigmatic women capable of the unexpected, and Elle seems almost tailor-made for her.

On the surface, Michele is a highpowered and self-made businesswoman (ironically, she runs a gaming company specializing in violent and sexually explicit video games), but she’s also extremely wary. As a child 40 years before, her father

went on a killing spree in which she was vaguely implicated as an accomplice.

Now he’s on his deathbed, seeking parole, and the case is back in the news.

Verhoeven is no stranger to psychological thrillers, having helmed The Fourth Man (1983) and Basic Instinct (1992), and Elle is certainly as provocative as those films, particularly when Michele’s assailant begins taunting her. As her veneer begins to crack, she takes steps to exact revenge – but on her own (very) specific terms.

As David Birke’s screenplay methodically unfolds, driven by Verhoeven’s momentum and fueled by Huppert’s ferocious turn, Michele’s plot comes more clearly into focus – leading to a denouement that leaves one shaken and satisfied in equal measure. (In French with English subtitles) – Elle opens Friday !

[CARMIKE]

[A/PERTURE]

GREENSBORO

Jan 13 - 19

WINSTON-SALEM

Jan 13 - 19

MONSTER TRUCKS (2-D) (PG) 3:20, 6:05, 8:40 MONSTER TRUCKS (3-D) (PG) 12:00 PATRIOTS DAY (R) 12:15, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 THE BYE BYE MAN (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 6:45, 9:45 LIVE BY NIGHT (R) 12:20, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 HIDDEN FIGURES (PG) 12:50, 3:50, 6:40, 9:35 WHY HIM (R) 4:15, 9;50 FENCES (R)- 1:10, 6:50 SING (2-D) (PG)- 12:30, 5:50 SING (3-D) (PG) 3:10, 8:30 ROGUE ONE (STAR WARS) (2-D) (PG-13) 4:20, 7:00 ROGUE ONE (STAR WARS) (3-D) (PG-13) 3:15, 6:10 UNDERWORLD (2-D) (R) 1:45, 9:50 UNDERWORLD (3-D) (R) 12:15, 9:10 MOANA (PG) 12:20, 3:55, 6:40, 9:30

Jan 13 - 19

A MONSTER CALLS (PG-13) – 4:05, 9:35 FENCES (PG-13) – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 HIDDEN FIGURES (PG) 12:00, 1:00, 3:00, 4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 9:00, 10:00 LION (PG-13) – 11:45, 2:20, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05 LIVE BY NIGHT (R) – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 MOANA 2D (PG) – 11:45, 2:20, 4:55 MONSTER TRUCKS 2D (PG) 2:25, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40 MONSTER TRUCKS 3D (PG) – 12:00 MOONLIGHT (R) 11:45, 2:20, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05 PASSENGERS 2D (PG-13) – 1:15, 6:45 PATRIOT’S DAY (R) 12:00, 1:00, 3:00, 4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 9:00, 10:00 ROGUE ONE 2D (PG-13) 1:00, 3:00, 4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 10:00 ROGUE ONE 3D (PG-13) – 12:00, 9:00 SILENCE (R) – 11:45, 3:05, 6:25, 9:45 SING 2D (PG) – 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00 SLEEPLESS (R) – 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 THE BYE BYE MAN (PG-13) 12:15, 2:35, 4:55, 7:15, 9:35 UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS 2D (R) 1:00, 5:30, 7:45 UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS 3D (R) 3:15, 10:00 WHY HIM (R) – 7:30, 10:00

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (R) Fri: 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 Sat & Sun: 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 Mon: 5:15, 8:15, Tue: 2:30, 5:15, 8:15 Wed & Thu: 5:15, 8:15 JACKIE (R) Fri: 2:45, 5:30, 8:00 Sat & Sun: 10:00 AM, 12:15, 2:45, 5:30, 8:00 Mon: 6:00, 8:45, Tue: 3:30, 6:00, 8:45 Wed & Thu: 6:00, 8:45 THINGS TO COME (L’AVENIR) (PG-13) Fri: 7:00 PM, Sat & Sun: 1:30, 7:00 Mon: 9:00 PM, Tue: 4:00, 9:00 Wed & Thu: 9:00 PM ELLE (R) Fri: 4:00, 6:45, 9:30 Sat: 10:30 AM, 1:15, 4:00, 6:45, 9:30 Sun: 10:30 AM, 1:15, 4:00, 6:45 Mon: 5:30, 8:30, Tue: 2:45, 5:30, 8:30 Wed & Thu: 5:30, 8:30 MOONLIGHT (R) Fri: 4:15, 9:15, Sat: 11:00 AM, 4:15, 9:15 Sun: 11:00 AM, 4:15, Mon - Thu: 6:30 PM

311 W 4th Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336.722.8148

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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.

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017

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29

visions

SEE IT!

Abigail Dowd and the divine art of music making

BY DEONNA KELLI SAYED

W

hen Abigail Dowd decided to become a singer-songwriter, she left her known world and moved all the

way to Maine.

She moved to New England from Southern Pines. She had no job waiting.

She knew no one. Abigail felt that Maine could make certain things happen, things like music.

Abigail can’t explain how she knew. It was a gut feeling she had, a small voice she heard. Move to Maine, it said.

She got in her Honda and drove north.

Of course, she had her moments of doubt. During one of those moments, she called up a North Carolina friend. “What have I done?” Abigail lamented. “I’ve moved to a state 1000 miles away where I know no one. I have no house. I have no job. Like, what am I am going to do?”

Her friend revealed that she had dated a guy 20 years ago. His brother lived in Maine. Phone calls were made and Abigail met the brother, an architect, for lunch.

“He offered me a job.” Abigail said. “It wasn’t my favorite job, but it was the job I needed at the time.”

Music started to happen, too.

One day, her boss (the brother) decided to give the office a random and totally unexpected bonus. She took the bonus, the entire check, and went to the music store and bought a guitar.

Abigail had studied classical guitar for years. “But when I got my hands on that acoustic guitar, the songs just poured out of me,” she said.

Her time in Maine she describes as, “dark and cold. I was in my own little world. So all I did was go home and write songs and bake apple pie.”

That was seven years ago. On January 21, Abigail Dowd celebrates the culmination of that journey. She releases her debut album, Don’t Wake Me, a collection of songs that “reflect her Irish roots, perspective of the South from a distance, and her strong sense of moving on.”

“I always wanted to make music, I was just too afraid, “ Abigail shares. Her fear wasn’t about failure. It was fear of having to balance her passion with competing responsibilities.

“If I’m going to do something, I have to pour everything in to it. It doesn’t work for me to have a job and do music because I would pour myself into the job,” she

30 YES! WEEKLY

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIK DANIELSON

PHOTO BY BRADY BECK PHOTOGRAPHY

explains. “I’d have to be the best at the job. I realized that if I poured as much into myself as I did into all the other things that I pour myself into that never felt right, then I could be as successful as I’m making all the other things.”

Abigail started an art school after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill. Later, she served on the town council in Southern Pines. She seemed to transform everything she touched. If only she could take that energy and put it towards her creative goals.

But fate, of course, did the thing that fate often does: it made stuff happen.

“I came from Maine to Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities to do a residency and to see family. I met a guy on the flight home,” Abigail laughs. “We just kind of clicked. He wanted to have a beer, but I said no.”

She was dating someone in Maine. Abigail assumed that her life would continue back up north. Yet, the chance meeting with the guy jarred her. She wrote a song about the encounter and assumed she’d never again cross paths with the fellow.

Two weeks later, Weymouth offered

her a job as executive director. She didn’t even know the position was open. She said yes to the job, and to other things.

“I got in touch with the guy. Now he is my bass player,” Abigail shared. The guy, Jason Duff, is also her partner of three years.

The song she wrote about meeting him, “Don’t Wake Me,” is the title track of her new album.

Abigail spent two years at Weymouth, cultivating the center to become more arts and writer focused. But, she was still holding out for music.

“I told myself in my head that I’d stay at Weymouth for two years. And I did. And then, I got connected to a producer and we were talking on the phone. He liked my music. It’s basically that minute, I decided to make an album. It was time for me to move on to the next thing,” Abigail shares.

She marvels that she ended up in Greensboro. Abigail feels that the percolating musical energy will put the city on the map, and she is thrilled to be part of that.

“Of all the places for me to land, Greensboro has this amazing music

scene,” Abigail points out. “And so many of them are women. I feel like that respect for women has already been established here. There’s just a really cool scene.”

Her praise isn’t just for local female singer songwriters. “There’s these amazingly talented men at the same time.

Because there is a balance here, you don’t feel like, ‘Oh, I’m just a girl.’”

People have said her music sounds like a collection of things: British folk, or nu folk, something hard to define, yet intimate.

“I was described by one venue (Honeysuckle Teahouse) as having ‘a voice that is at once strong and generous in its vulnerability.” I’d say there’s a bluesy quality in my vocals combined with my classical guitar finger picking style.”

Abigail knows that things started to happen once she got still and listened to that voice, the voice that sent her to Maine and brought her back home again.

“So, in one sense, it is like wow, I listened and it happened,” she said. “At the same time, I think that once you start listening, you kind of have to do the work.”

Don’t Wake Me is a reflection the work.

And after a listen, you’ll realize that Abigail is wide-awake and making new worlds known. !

WANNA

go?

The album release party will be at Scuppernong Books, Greensboro, North Carolina, at 8pm, January 21. Other musicians on the album, Jason Duff and Ryan Book, will join Abigail. Check www. abigaildowd.com for upcoming shows.

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A view of The Room In 2003, unsuspecting moviegoers were introduced to The Room, a lowbudget drama that marked the auspicious feature debut Mark Burger of writer/producer/director/ Contributing star Tommy Wiseau. Reaccolumnist tion to the film was swift and immediate: It was a catastrophe.

Self-absorbed, pretentious, rife with lapses in continuity and plot, and an unintentional laugh riot.

In short, an immediate cult classic and an enduring cause celebre for bad-movie mavens the world over, with Wiseau being hailed as an auteur of the worst order – more Edward D. Wood Jr. than Orson Welles. (Incidentally, The Room is in no way to be confused with Room, the critically acclaimed 2015 film for which Brie Larson won the Oscar as Best Actress.)

For Robyn Paris, a graduate of Grimsley High School in Greensboro and Duke University, who played the character of Michelle, The Room wasn’t her first film, nor (fortunately!) her last, and the film’s following inspired her most ambitious project to date: “The Room Actors: Where Are They Now?,” a mock reality series that sees the film’s original cast members reunited to discuss the impact of The Room on their careers and lives.

Paris will return to Greensboro this Friday for a special “homecoming” screening of The Room followed by episodes from “The Room Actors: Where Are They Now?” at Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema.

“I’ve been writing comedy for years,” explains Paris, who earned an MFA in screenwriting at UCLA, “but my notoriety as a Room actor gave me an excellent platform for raising funds on Kickstarter, getting my work out there and seen by a larger audience. For that, I am very grateful. Maybe there’s something to that old adage ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity.’

“When I approached the other Room actors about my mockumentary web series and told them they’d be playing fictionalized versions of themselves, they were psyched. (They’re) fun people and they all have an excellent sense of WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

from Warner Bros. later this year, stars Franco as Wiseau, Rogen as script supervisor Sandy Shklair, and Franco’s brother Dave as Sestero, with Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Jacki Weaver, Melanie Griffith, Alison Brie, Sharon Stone and Melanie Griffith.

Paris, who is played in The Masterpiece by June Diane Raphael, embraces the Room phenomenon.

“Seeing The Room in the theater is a frenzy of laughter, fun, and witty banter,” she observes.

“There’s a zealous, comical energy that’s communal. I’ve never seen it replicated anywhere else. People passionately love The Room and the energy at screenings is one of pure joy. A film that brings that kind of happiness is rare and probably won’t die anytime soon!”

Indeed, “the web series has lots of hilarious moments that Room fans in particular will love,” she promises. “We’ve planted so many Room jokes and references, both subtle and obvious throughout.

I’m hoping it’s a show Room fans will watch over and over, looking to find the buried treasures within.”

(You can view behind-the-scenes footage at: https://www.youtube.com/ channel /UCq7I_2zXFDGlU0bbJ8eKzGw/ videos).

“I had no expectations that The Room would be good,” Paris admits. “It was obvious that the script was poorly written and I assumed the film would never see the light of day. My hopes were to get some footage for my demo reel and get some experience on a film set.”

And yet, she says, “I told my husband back in 2002 when we were filming The Room that if anyone ever saw the finished film, it would get a cult following.

I swear, I called it – ‘high-five’! Tommy

humor and great attitudes. We (know) that we’re in this trainwreck of a film and I think we all enjoyed the chance to poke fun at ourselves and laugh at our association with The Room. Doing the mockumentary gives us some agency in this whirlwind of press and cult fandom, and perhaps offers a tiny bit of redemption in the process.”

Since its theatrical premiere, replete with Hollywood billboard trumpeting its release (paid for by Wiseau), The Room became perhaps the first midnightmovie phenomenon of the 21st century.

To this day, it still enjoys special screenings and engagements, earning more and more fans, including such celebrities as Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Patton Oswalt, Will Arnett and David Cross. Room costar Greg Sestero penned the 2013 best-seller The Disaster Artist, about the CHILI CHALLENGE making and maker of Saturday, January 28 at 9am - 11:30am the film, which was then Market’s kick off fundraiser for 2017. Customers vote for their optioned by producer favorite chili, grab a recipe in preparation of the upcoming Super Seth Rogen and direcBowl and experience the vibrant winter market. Live music by Gary tor James Franco as a Mitchell beginning at 8am followed by Laura Jane Vincent at 10am. feature film to be called $5 per with proceeds benefiting the market.

The Masterpiece.

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Wiseau intended to make a classic Hollywood love story for the ages. The earnestness of The Room only underscores its shortcomings and failures, making them especially potent and hilarious. You can’t not laugh at The Room, I challenge you to try! Tommy Wiseau is undeniably the heart and soul of the film. He’s a oneof-a-kind real-life caricature. I’m excited to see how James Franco portrays him in The Masterpiece.” !

WANNA

go?

The “homecoming” screening of The Room will take place 10 pm Friday at Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema, 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro, followed by a Q&A with actress Robyn Paris and the screening of her web series “The Room Actors: Where Are They Now?.” Tickets are $15 and are available online at: https://www.geeksboro. com/theroomparis. For more information, call 336.355.7180 or visit the official Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema website: http://geeksboro.com/.

The official website for “The Room Actors: Where Are They Now” is www.theroommockumentary. com, and the official Facebook site is https:// www.facebook.com/roomactorsmockumentary/.

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31

chow

EAT IT!

Sweeter still at The Honey Pot

BY KRISTI MAIER | @triadfoodies

W

e recently found ourselves kid-free for an evening, so like any grown-up we headed straight out

to eat.

The Honey Pot, located in downtown Winston-Salem, sounds “kid-friendly” actually. Heck it might be, but there was no kid in sight and nothing much that looks like kid food on the menu, though I’m willing to bet they could accommodate if necessary. The vibe at The Honey Pot is great for dates or an intimate evening with friends. It’s some of the best ambiance in the Triad. Cocktails are superb as well.

We reviewed The Honey Pot in the summer of 2015. It was delicious. But since then, chef star on-the-rise, Harrison Littell, has taken over the Southern brasserie.

Littell is a Winston-Salem native who worked for a time in Vermont before returning to his hometown and Five Loaves Catering.

During his five-and-a-half months at The Honey Pot, Littell has added to the already impressive menu featuring farmers and foragers.

“Matt Pleasants set up a really good platform here and we’ve expanded that to using Outer Banks sea salt and a number of other items,” Littell said. “We celebrate the community as much as we can. Most of our proteins come from 45 miles or less and all are from North Carolina, South Carolina or Southern Virginia, with the exception occasionally of lobster.

Our flours, corn meal and rye from up near Asheville.”

But sometimes creativity requires that you branch out. “Because of the type of restaurant we are, we do like to offer something exotic, but always paired with local ingredients,” Littell said.

All totaled, The Honey Pot is now up to using 48 local providers and you’ll find them all mapped out on the back side of the menu.

We’ll show you what we enjoyed, but please note that that menu will be changing out a few of its items in a matter of days.

“We like to go through a full menu change every season, with a hyper local focus in-between those menu changes to highlight those seasonal items,” Littell said.

In addition to a concise and seasonal menu, the wine program at The Honey

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JANUARY 11-17, 2017

Pot, headed by operating partner, Beau Tate, is one of the best in the area. The restaurant achieved the Two Glass Award by Wine Spectator and is the only restaurant in Winston-Salem with such an award. Tate is a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and is sitting for the Advanced Sommelier Course in April. He and the well-educated team do an incredible job of finding a meaningful pairing for your meal. They went out of their way to find the right wine for us and the suggestions were delicious. By the way, half-price wine nights are on Wednesday and we recommend you take advantage.

As you know, I’m a big proponent of letting a chef surprise us. We didn’t quite go that route but we did tell our excellent server to suggest to his heart’s content and we obliged those suggestions because each sounded so tempting with the suggested wine.

From the small plates….

NC Shrimp + Clams in Brodo With cured pork, white wine, shallots, herbs, cream and crostini. This was a light and refreshing appetizer that made you think of a mussels dish, without the mussels. We wanted something that wasn’t too heavy and this was great. The reason we didn’t want anything too heavy was because our servers enthusiastically suggested a Snack….

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Foie Gras From the “snack” section of the menu this beautifully seared foie gras was delicate and smoky with a crunchy brioche and a dollop of fig jam with just the right amount of sweetness. It was a great nosh to go back and forth between the brodo and this scrumptious snack.

Chef then sent out a salad to help us cleanse our palates and to show off the hyper-seasonal salad of the moment. It was gorgeous with a selection of pickled and fresh beets and radishes, sliced apples and micro greens that is on the upcoming menu.

For our entrees, I opted for the Lobster—butter poached with roasted potatoes, lobster mushrooms, preserved lemon, creme fraiche, house mustard. It was expertly prepared and I’m not sure if this was a healthy dish but I didn’t feel as guilty as one might eating something poached in butter.

The hubby went with the server’s other suggestion of the night and tried the NC Chicken. The Honey Pot changes up its famous fried chicken dish every so often.

This season’s creation featured flavors from Korea with Ssam sauce, sticky rice and house pickled radishes (I think). It had crispy, it had heat. It was wonderful.

It’s not the first time we’ve enjoyed the NC Chicken here. You can tell why it’s one of the most revered items on the menu.

(Also the poutine).

Chef Littell then sent out dessert. And wow. It was a Goat Lady Dairy Amaretto WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

Cheesecake. It wasn’t all goat cheese, just enough to sing. On top, a ladleful of gorgeous cherries. This was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. And I need it again very soon. If you see it on the menu, do not hesitate to order it. Simple and incredible.

Plans are in the works with more wine dinners and North Carolina craft brewers. Littell says, “We’re planning on more partnered dinners, and we’ll have one at the end of January with Wicked Weed brewing. We’ll also have more dinners with cocktails and expand into some exotic dinners, which we like to have a little fun with.”

Littell says they also plan on doing more collaboration with local chefs.

“The food scene in Winston-Salem has grown so much in the past three to five years and we want to do more with the local chefs who I feel are so vital in this food community. These folks are trying to do awesome stuff with local food.”

Littell says he’s found a good space to create and grow. “Coming three years ago from Vermont and getting immersed in the scene ... I feel like we’ve got a really good team and platform. Small, niche clientele that allows us to push limits and we’re having good reception and really having fun doing it.” !

WANNA

go?

The Honey Pot is located at 285 West Fourth Street, Winston-Salem. Visit honeypot-wsnc.com or call 336.893.9471 for more information.

JANUARY 11-17, 2017

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33

VISIT YESWEEKLY.COM/GALLERIES TO SEE MORE PHOTOS!

photos [FACES & PLACES]

by Natalie Garcia

AROUND THE TRIAD YES! Weekly’s Photographer

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Q:What’s your favorite drink to make?

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Corner Bar

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Old Winston Social Club 1.7.16 | Photos by Get Vocal Entertainment Triad

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37

last call [STRANGE BUT TRUE]

by Samantha Weaver

It was American linguist, philosopher, historian and social critic Noam Chomsky who made the following sage observation: “Students who acquire large debts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society.

When you trap people in a system of debt, they can’t afford the time to think.”

If you were to choose a perfectly average snowflake and count up the number of water molecules that make it up, you’d find 180 billion of them.

Some researchers estimate that, if left to their own devices, a single breeding pair of cats could produce a whopping 354,294 offspring within five years.

It’s been reported that saloons once offered free lunches -- and made sure those lunches were heavily salted in order to encourage patrons to buy more beverages.

The word “dandelion” comes from the French phrase “dent de lion” -- supposedly so named because the jagged edges of the plant’s leaf resemble a lion’s teeth.

REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN.

You’ve probably never heard of Roman emperor Elagabalus; he served for only four years -- from 218 to 222. Among his contemporaries he was known for his decadence and eccentricity. For example, he was notorious for hosting elaborate banquets, then putting the ancient Roman equivalent of whoopee cushions on guests’ seats.

Those who study such things say that a woman’s sense of smell is enhanced just before and during ovulation.

If you had a billion dollars, you could spend $1,000 every day for nearly 3,000 years before you ran out of cash.

Thought for the Day: “As any honest magician knows, true magic inheres in the ordinary, the commonplace, the everyday, the mystery of the obvious. Only petty minds and trivial souls yearn for supernatural events, incapable of perceiving that everything -- everything! -- within and around them is pure miracle.” -- Edward Abbey © 2017 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

[TRIVIA TEST]

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. GEOGRAPHY: What is a biblical name

for Lake Tiberias, located in Israel?

movie featured the tagline, “A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere”?

[7. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our [2. INVENTIONS: In what century was the solar system has a moon named Phobos? first commercially sucessful steam engine invented?

[

[

8. SCIENCE: What is the name for the condition in which the air temperature reaches 100 percent relative humidity and condensation occurs?

[4. GOVERNMENT: What famous South

9. SUPERHEROES: Which superhero is more commonly known as Linda Lee Danvers?

[5. MEASUREMENTS: How long is the

10. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What month is traditionally associated with the opal birthstone?

3. ART: Which 17th-century Flemish artist was known for painting full-figured, voluptuous women?

Pacific island is under the control of France?

Chunnel, the underground tunnel between England and France?

[ [

[6. MOVIES: What 1990s Coen brothers 6. “Fargo” 7. Mars 8. Dew point 9. Supergirl 10. October

38 YES! WEEKLY

Ahora español/18+

1. Sea of Galilee 2. 18th 3. Paul Rubens 4. Tahiti 5. 31 miles

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answer

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[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

SLEEPING BOOTY

I’m a 32-year-old guy, and I want a real relationship. I am good-looking and charming and can get girls into bed pretty early on, but I’m beginning Amy Alkon to wonder whether that’s hurting me. I think I end up startAdvice ing relationships Goddess based on sex instead of common interests, personality, etc.

Does it pay to hold off on sex, and if so, how long? — Wanting It Real There are some wonderful relationships that started the way a bunch of 12-yearolds read aloud from a stolen smutty novel: skipping ahead to the sex parts.

The reality is, those lovebirds probably got lucky (in getting it on with someone they happened to be compatible with).

When you have sex right away, you’re prone to getting into a hormone haze — a sort of sex fog — that ends up blurring just about everything but the bed (and maybe the kitchen table, three or four times).

Though people are increasingly getting into relationships through hookups (“sex first/date later”), relationship researcher Dean Busby and his colleagues find that waiting to have sex seems to keep “feels so right!” from killing your ability to see whether it actually is. In their research, dating for at least a month before having

sex was associated with higher relationship stability and satisfaction, better sex, and better communication.

Again, this isn’t to say that people who have sex on — or even before — the first date won’t have satisfying relationships. But as the researchers put it, “the rewards of sexual involvement early on may undermine other aspects of relationship development and evaluation” — for example, keeping partners from putting as much energy into “crucial couple processes” like hammering out communication. It can also prolong relationships that ultimately don’t work when both people are dressed and standing up.

You don’t have to set your sex clock according to the research: “Oh, look at the time — week four and a half; better get it on!” The point is to wait until you see whether you really like a person and click with them in all the essential ways.

Six months into a relationship, if you grab your partner and kiss them as if the world were ending, it should be because you love them that deeply, not because it’s the best way to get them to shut up that doesn’t involve jail time.

crossword on page 13

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ally interested in her as you are in one of her end tables. Also consider that being in what sociologist Denise Donnelly calls an “involuntarily celibate relationship” — wanting to have “shared erotic pleasure” (of some kind) but having a partner who refuses — is extremely corrosive. Beyond leading to affairs in 26 percent of those surveyed, it led (predictably!) to sexual frustration (79 percent), feelings of rejection (23 percent), and depression (34 percent). But, whatever, right? I mean, BFFs forever!

The thing is (assuming she isn’t madly in love with you), if you two admit that the spark simply isn’t there, you can still spend your lives together — just not in the same bed. Better to celebrate your best-friendiversary than mourn on your anniversary — that you still want your partner just as much as you used to, which is to say not in the slightest. !

GOT A problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com) © 2017 Amy Alkon Distributed by Creators.Com.

YOU HAD MEH AT HELLO

I’m a man in my 50s. I recently started seeing this fantastic lady. She’s my ideal woman except for one small thing: There is no sexual chemistry. However, I don’t plan on having more kids. Also, my body’s slowing down, and sex just isn’t at the top of my list anymore. I’m looking for my true best friend and partner. Still, without any real chemistry, is this relationship

answers [CROSSWORD]

doomed? — Seeking Okay, so you feel sex isn’t all that important to you now. Good to know...but not quite the same as donating a treasured artifact to the natural history museum — with a plaque: “Harpoon for display purposes only.”

Your best friend whom you aren’t attracted to and don’t have sex with is — wait for it — your best friend. Sure, a relationship is a best friendship, but it’s more.

The sexual part of it — sharing your body — makes for a deeper level of intimacy than, say, “Want a bite of my Reuben?”

Unlike checkers or “Words with Friends,” sex isn’t just an activity. It’s an activity that causes biochemical reactions — like a surge of the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. Though the research on these is in its infancy in humans, they seem to act as a form of emotional glue in some mammals that have been studied — in the wake of sex, causing little rodent-y things called prairie voles to velcro themselves to that special someone.

As for this woman you’ve been seeing, think about how it must feel — right from the start — to have you about as sexu-

[WEEKLY SUDOKU] sudoku on page 14

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