#REPRESENTATIONMATTERS THE COMMUNITY PUSH FOR A MANDATORY AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS CONTINUES
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Lee Rocker
The Stray Cat!
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 – 8:00 PM
Lee Rocker was a founding member (along with Brian Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom) of the Grammy nominated music group The Stray Cats, who sold over 10 million albums, garnered 23 gold and platinum certified records, and were music video pioneers of the MTV. A Lee Rocker concert leaves every audience on their feet and cheering for more.
Vienna Boys Choir
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2019 – 2:00 PM
With a rich history dating back more than 500 years, the Vienna Boys Choir has been associated with many of the world’s great composers, including Mozart and Bruckner. The gifted young singers are renowned for their celestial voices, rapturous harmonies, irresistible charm and wide-ranging repertoire.
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Presented in conjunction with the HP Community Concert Association
Joshua Kane
Gothic at Midnight
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019 – 7:30 PM
Joshua Kane draws from the works of Poe, Dickens and Bierce, taking delighted audiences on a roller-coaster ride of spine-tingling thrills and laughter through an award-winning tribute to the Masters of the Macabre. Classic tales are performed as solo theatre vignettes… then, as the house lights come up, Kane charmingly banters with the audience.
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VISIT: HighPointTheatre.com
2019-20 Season Schedule A Brothers Revival November 16, 2019
Barbra Lica Quintet February 15, 2020
Jeff Allen: The America I Grew Up In Tour November 22, 2019
NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players: I’ve Got A Little Twist February 20, 2020
Lee Ritenour In Concert November 23, 2019
Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Celebrating Dave Brubeck’s Centennial February 21, 2020
Christmas Songs & Stories with John Berry November 24, 2019 High Point Ballet: The Nutcracker December 19-22, 2019 High Point Ballet: Land of the Sweets December 21, 2019 Kelly Swanson: Who Highjacked My Fairy Tale? January 17, 2020 “Anything Can Talk!” starring David Pendleton January 26, 2020 We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Damien Sneed February 4, 2020 Steve Dorff: I Wrote That One Too… A Life in Songwriting from Willie to Whitney February 14, 2020
Georgia On My Mind: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles March 12, 2020 Angelina Ballerina: The Musical March 17, 2020 Sons of Mystro March 20, 2020 Croce Plays Croce March 21, 2020 An Evening with Bollywood Boulevard March 31, 2020 Jump, Jive & Wail featuring The Jive Aces April 4, 2020 An Evening with Jen Kober May 1, 2020
Raleigh Ringers May 3, 2020 Acts and dates subject to change. For up to date news, visit our website.
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OCTOBER 16-22, 2019 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 42
14 #REPRESENTATIONMATTERS Four people spoke to the board during the public comment section and showed their support for a mandatory BLACK HISTORY CLASS. Hate Out of Winston-Salem, as well as the Winston-Salem Local Organizing Committee, wants to establish a stand-alone, mandatory black history high school class that will be required for graduation, as well as an expansion and integration of the existing infusion curriculum.
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 EDITORIAL Editor KATIE MURAWSKI katie@yesweekly.com Contributors IAN MCDOWELL KRISTI MAIER JOHN ADAMIAN
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MARK BURGER
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KATEI CRANFORD PRODUCTION Graphic Designers ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com AUSTIN KINDLEY artdirector@yesweekly.com ADVERTISING
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Greensboro’s Home and Art Academy (THAAA) invites children to have twice the fun this Halloween for its first HALLOWEEN COSTUME GLOW PARTY on Friday, Nov. 1 from 7:30-9 p.m. Co-owner Tara Wilson said that the $10 ticket price includes glow pops, games, candy, snacks and a live DJ for a night of fun and dancing. 9 In an effort to highlight the work being done by independent filmmakers in the area, the Triad Film Collaborative has teamed up with the Greenboro 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT (48HFP) and SV2 Studios to present the premiere of SV2 Studios’ new film Someday and the “Best of Triad Short Films” on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at RED Cinemas in Greensboro. 10 Not unlike last year’s Vice or this year’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Paolo Sorrentino’s vibrant and exhilarating LORO states in an opening disclaimer to be “an artistic interpretation” of historical fact and figure. 17 “I think the government very purposefully doesn’t make their documents searchable,” said DENNIS JOHNSON, whose renowned indie press Melville House YES! WEEKLY
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
published the Mueller report as an inexpensive paperback and an even cheaper (and easily searchable) e-book. Johnson will be speaking at Greensboro’s Scuppernong books at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23 as the keynote event... 19 In 1997, DIAHANN CARROLL was diagnosed with breast cancer, but stayed free of the disease for 22 years until it returned several months ago, and took her life on October 4. Diahann was 84. She is survived by her daughter Suzanne and two grandchildren. 20 Greensboro-based rapper JOSHUA “ROWDY” ROWSEY is pretty confident that hip-hop can change the world. Rowsey, who records and performs under the name Rowdy, has been using hip-hop as a community-organizing tool, an instrument of individual empowerment and education for years. 21 FEMFEST is back again, with heavier tunes and a tighter format being the name of the game for the sixth annual benefit show against domestic violence and sexual assault going down at Monstercade on Oct. 19.
Marketing TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com LAUREN BRADY lauren@yesweekly.com LAURA CLARK laura@yesweekly.com Promotion NATALIE GARCIA
DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT KARRIGAN MUNRO 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 2019 Womack Newspapers, Inc.
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NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING OCTOBER 22 REGARDING PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS TO N.C. 62 NEAR THE I-85 INTERCHANGE AND REALIGNMENT OF THE KERSEY VALLEY ROAD AND WEANT ROAD INTERSECTIONS GUILFORD COUNTY
STIP PROJECT NO. U-6018 The N.C. Department of Transportation is proposing to make improvements to N.C. 62 near the interchange with I-85 and realign the intersections of N.C. 62 and Kersey Valley Road and Weant Road in Archdale. The open-house public meeting will be held at the Pine Grove Baptist Church located at 6308 Modlin Grove Road in High Point from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. The purpose of this meeting is to provide interested citizens the opportunity to review maps of the project, ask questions and provide feedback. Interested citizens may attend at any time between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Please note that there will not be a formal presentation. Maps of proposed improvements will be presented at the meeting and staff of NCDOT and the Consulting firm of Ramey Kemp will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. Project maps are available online at http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/publicmeetings/. For additional information please contact NCDOT Project Engineer Brian Ketner by phone at 336-487-0075 or by email at bkketner@ncdot.gov or Consultant Project Manager, Jay McInnis with Ramey Kemp and Associates at 984-204-1558 or by email at jmcinnis@rameykemp.com. Comments will be accepted at the meeting or by mail or email following the meeting but should be submitted by November 5, 2019.
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NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact NCDOT Senior Public Involvement Officer Diane Wilson by phone at (919) 707-6073 or by email at pdwilson1@ncdot.gov as early as possible so that arrangements can be made. Persons who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800481-6494.
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Aquellas personas que no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes de la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494.
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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EVENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS | BY AUSTIN KINDLEY
be there
WED 16-20
FRI 18-20
SAT 19
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW AT THEATRE ALLIANCE
2019 CAROLINA BALLOONFEST
PRIDE WINSTON-SALEM PARADE
WHAT: That sweet transvestite and his motley crew did the time warp and they’re back for a revival. Complete with sass from the audience, cascading toilet paper and an array of other audience participation props, this deliberately kitschy rock ‘n’ roll sci fi gothic is more fun than ever. WHEN: Wed-Sat: 8 p.m. | Sun: 2 p.m. WHERE: Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance. 1047 W Northwest Blvd., Winston-Salem. MORE: $16-18 tickets. www.facebook.com/ events/1630093033930829/
WHAT: Carolina BalloonFest is a fun-filled weekend of amazing live entertainment, attractions and family activities. Bring lawn chairs and blankets and bask in the beautiful Carolina autumn weather with the sights and sounds of over 50 colorful hot air balloons, which are scheduled to launch twice daily. WHEN: Fri: 3-8:30 p.m. | Sat: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. | Sun: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. WHERE: Carolina BalloonFest. 531 Old Airport Rd., Statesville. MORE: carolinaballoonfest.com
WHAT: Join us for our annual Pride Winston Salem Parade. This year’s theme is Walking Tall in Honor of Stonewall - Celebrating 50 years. Join us as we honor our past, and look forward to an exciting future. All are welcome. The parade route is down 4th Street with a left into Trade and we flow into the Pride Winston Salem Festival . Get there early to get a good view. WHEN: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. WHERE: W 4th St, Winston-Salem. MORE: Free event.
SAT 19 TATE STREET FESTIVAL 2019 WHAT: Join us on October 19th for Tate Street Fest 2019! We have a great group of art and fine craft vendors this year and an amazing music line-up! Come out and celebrate Community, Music and the Arts together! 1 p.m. Lowercase (f), 2 p.m. Vaughn Aed, 3 p.m. Rich Lerner & the Groove, 4 p.m., Matty Sheets & the Nervy Bees, 5 p.m. Corporate Fandango, and 6 p.m. IRATA. WHEN: 1-7 p.m. WHERE: Tate St, Greensboro. MORE: Free event.
SAT 19 QUAKER LAKE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL WHAT: Come out to the eleventh annual Quaker Lake Pumpkin Festival on October 19th! Enjoy hayrides, pumpkin painting, inflatables, canoeing, pumpkin smashing, live music, and games! Fill up on all of your favorite festival foods including hot dogs, pizza, funnel cakes, popcorn, cotton candy, and deep fried Oreos! Admission is $3 per person and includes inflatables, live music, canoeing, and games for kids of all ages. WHEN: 3-7 p.m. WHERE: Quaker Lake Camp. 1503 NC Highway 62 E, Climax. MORE: $3 admission.
Recycle.
Reset.
Know Your
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Please NO plastic bags of any kind in your recycling container. Plastic bags wrap around recycling machinery and jam equipment. Put loose recycling directly in your container.
Return grocery bags to retail drop-off locations for recycling. 6
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OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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[SPOTLIGHT] TAK UNIVERSITY BY XX
TAK University, located at 1213 Greensboro Rd., is a new alternative school for audio engineering and business that has just opened in High Point. According to TAK’s president, Keith Goins, the school provides individuals the opportunity to gain experience that will lead to employment. TAK University focuses on creating job opportunities for those who have lost jobs in the past. The school emphasizes the fact that anyone can create jobs for themselves and become wealthy and successful. “Through my studies in economics and business, I realized that the supply in jobs is having a tough time in need of demand for a growing population,” Goins said. Since technology is forever evolving, Goins believes that if someone changes their mindset, they can become a job creator. TAK University has always been in the back of his mind, but within the past six months, it has become a reality. He said conversations with friends helped to bring clarity to a problem and help find a solution. “People are saying that they wish they could change something,” Goins said. “I raised my hand, and I’m the person to do it. I can get it done.” Goins said that TAK University is a school for those who “believe it is imperative to be entrepreneurs and idealists.” TAK University is now accepting applications for the school year starting on Nov. 4, and classes will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Goins said there are only 30 spots are available, and some people have already submitted their applications. Goins said that anyone interested in attending should send an application explaining specifically what they are looking for. Goins said TAK University does not require any general elective classes, as all of the focus will be on audio and business. Every element at TAK University comes together to create a project for students, Goins said, the overall project will set up students to be successful in the real world. WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
A NATIONAL LEADER. LOCAL CARE. TAK University focuses on three components: audio production, video production and business. In the audio production program, Goins said students would learn how to properly operate machines, mix and distinguish sounds to put those sounds into a format. The university will send students audio production kits, equipped with microphones, headphones, monitors, headphones and everything else needed to mix audio or record it. These audio production kits allow TAK University students the ability to practice learned skills at home on their own time. Students will also gain knowledge on troubleshooting the technology and programs on their own. In the business and entrepreneur program, Goins said, students will learn how to control behavior and communicate to build and execute a business plan. TAK University is a private, for-profit school, but Goins is hoping to turn it into a nonprofit in the near future. Goins wants to be able to give each individual the experience that they need to succeed, and in order to do that, TAK needs to be affordable for everyone. “This will help lower-income communities; People will come into this country, and we cannot do anything about it,” Goins said. “What’s the best thing to do? Teach them how to create.” !
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OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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Home and Art Academy to stay spooky after Halloween
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reensboro’s Home and Art Academy (THAAA) invites children to have twice the fun this Halloween for its first Halloween Costume Glow Party Terry Rader on Friday, Nov. 1 from 7:30-9 p.m. Co-owner Tara Wilson said that Contributor the $10 ticket price includes glow pops, games, candy, snacks and a live DJ for a night of fun and dancing. She said all ages are welcome to have fun without having to worry about school the next day. (Small children be accompanied by an adult all during the event.) Wilson and co-owner Deon King saw a need for a program that offered afterschool tutoring and summer camp along with a focus on the areas of art, culinary skills and home economics. Wilson said
they came up with the idea for a glow party because most extracurricular activities in this area were focused on sports. She said they wanted to serve as an outlet for kids to engage in art and home economics because “there are so many talented kids that enjoy drawing, painting, cooking and more,” however, many of them do not have the means or the resources to express it. Wilson and King opened The Home and Art Academy in September 2018 while they continued to work on the building. She said they welcomed their first group of students in January 2019. “We are really, really big on creativity,” Wilson said. “The goal of our program is to offer a safe and structured learning environment that promotes fun, growth and a creative learning experience.” Wilson said that THAAA’s programs include art, culinary skills, home economics, Spanish and sign language for grades two through 12. She said that tutoring and EOG/SAT prep is offered and times may be worked out based on parents’ need. Summer Camps are for grades 1-6 and are
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Adapted by Preston Lane
OCTOBER 20 - NOVEMBER 10, 2019 Ttis s ke cket Tictarintign a ts rt g sta$1$515 at
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THAAA
The Home & Art Academy offered Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. After-school care for grades K-8 is offered on weekdays as well and includes a snack, arts and crafts, computer usage, video games, homework assistance and tutoring. Tuition pricing may be found online along with registration details for after school classes and summer camp. Wilson said that they also offer etiquette classes for children, which include learning table manners, learning how to set the table and understanding restaurant vocabulary. At summer camp, the kids get to go swimming every Tuesday and go on a field trip every Thursday. Wilson said the field trips so far have included Bumper Jumpers, Greensboro Historical Museum, Blandwood Mansion, The Spot For Fitness, Camp Candy, Skate Land USA, Triad Lanes Bowling Alley and the UniverSoulCircus. Along with other events that they host throughout the year, Wilson said they also rent the THAAA space for private parties on weekends. She said that the rental fee includes table and chair set-up, free Wi-Fi and a full kitchen. Hands-on experiences in art, baking, cooking and other entertainment services are available on request. They welcome Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, church groups, dance teams and youth programs. Wilson said that for anyone interested in learning modern-day calligraphy, they would have a Hand Lettering Workshop for beginners ($35) on Nov. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m., with a professional instructor. The ticket price includes supplies and refreshments. She said that for those interested in supporting the academy can find T-shirts for kids and adults on THAAA’s website. In addition, Wilson’s 7-year-old son and author Jaycee Ellerbee has a coloring book called “God is Super Cool,” illustrated by Rierstin Brackett that is available for purchase in the online shop. Wilson wants to invite local business
owners to share their success stories with the kids at a summer camp in 2020 so that the children are aware of what’s in their local area. She said this past year, they had guest speakers every week and that the kids “really opened up to all the entrepreneurial teachings.” Wilson said The Home and Art Academy also enjoys giving back to those in need. This year, THAAA plans to donate Halloween treat bags to the youth at local shelters. Last year, they donated Christmas gifts and Easter baskets to children at local shelters. They also accept donations for THAAA to help them continue helping underprivileged kids. “Life is not about the amount of money that you make,” Wilson said. “It’s all about the difference you’re making and the opportunities you’re providing. Our goal at The Home and Art Academy is to bring out the best in every child, embracing creativity and continuing to dream big. Every child has the potential to have a bright future, despite their circumstances. We just have to encourage them to believe it...even if it’s an untraditional approach.” She said that for the future, “We just plan on continuing to grow and impacting the youth in our community in a positive way.” ! TERRY RADER is a freelance writer, poet, singer/songwriter, wellness herbalist, women’s flower essences/energy clearings practitioner and owner of Paws n’ Peace o’ Mind cat/dog/house sitting.
WANNA
go?
Nov. 1, 7:30-9 p.m., Halloween Glow Costume Party ($10), Nov. 9, 5-7 p.m., Hand-lettering Workshop for Beginners ($35), The Home and Art Academy, 5415-D W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro, (336)763-2001 Hours: Mon.-Fr., 2:30-6 p.m., Sat., Sun. closed, except for special events.
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Locally made short films showcased at RED Cinemas In an effort to highlight the work being done by independent filmmakers in the area, the Triad Film Collaborative has teamed up with the Greenboro 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) and SV2 Studios to Mark Burger present the premiere of SV2 Studios’ new film Someday Contributor and the “Best of Triad Short Films” on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at RED Cinemas in Greensboro. “We view this as a chance to showcase the resurgent Triad Film Community and begin regular events like this to showcase local films,” said filmmaker Stephen van Vuuren, the founder of SV2 Studios and the creator of Someday. “I’m newly appointed to the Piedmont Triad Film Commission (PTFC) and charged with building area independent production community, efforts and visibility.” Van Vuuren, whose documentary In Saturn’s Rings enjoyed its world premiere at the 2019 RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, has long been a tireless proponent of the filmmaking contingent in the Triad. “Indie filmmaking in the Triad is experiencing a resurgence to levels exceeding anything in the past,” he said. “After the devastating losses of filmmakers and crew several years back when the state scrapped the incentive program and added HB2 to the mix, filmmaking across the state took a huge hit, including the Triad.” Rather than discourage or dissuade lo-
cal filmmakers, van Vuuren observed just the opposite. “Curiously, after this ‘culling,’ the filmmakers that remain are proving to be more resilient, passionate, and committed to collaboration and growth than ever before,” he said. “The 48 Hour Film Project began growing after years of decline, (and) the Triad Film Collaborative was born two years ago, and has grown from a handful of folks to a couple of hundred active members, regularly involved in making films all year long.” According to van Vuuren, the films selected for this presentation are “all 100% created and made in the Triad. This presentation is a great snapshot – a state of where we are and where we want to go. “The plunging cost of ‘Netflix-approved’ cameras and software means the real distribution model is becoming accessible to a broad geographic region. Instead of the old story of ‘move to Hollywood if you are serious,’ the changing world means we can grow a true film industry, home to both art films and commercial production right here in the Triad.” The event includes trailers from Triadbased films, including writer/producer/ director Jaysen Buterin’s Killing Giggles, director Bobby Pimentel’s Sessions, The Prayer starring Heidi McIver and Michael Tourek, and van Vuuren’s aforementioned In Saturn’s Rings. The short films selected for this presentation include writer/director/editor Olivia Mathai’s Chloe & Nancy, starring Saman-
The perfect venue for a variety of events!
DAILY SPECIALS
Monday & Wednesday: Half off Wine by the Glass Tuesday: $2.50 Craft Beers Thursday & Saturday: Wine Tasting 6-8PM Thursday-Saturday: Live Music Sunday: $5.00 Specialty Drinks 3326 W. FRIENDLY AVENUE, SUITE 141, GREENSBORO, NC 27410 336-299-4505 | WWW.WINESTYLES.COM/GREENSBORO WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
tha Hawkins; Sandman, written, produced and directed by Benjamin West; Escaping Demons, directed by Richard Clabaugh (hey, I know him!); writer/director Peter Bodin’s How May I Help You? starring Peter Bodin and Gabriel Tufano; Get Bent, winner of the Best Film Award at the 2016 Greensboro 48HFP; Pierre Poulet, another Greensboro 48HFP award-winner, directed by Mark Wagoner and Mickey Flynn (I know him, too!); Split Second, directed by Kristen Cubbage and Phillip Lehn; van Vuuren’s 2016 short Return, which screened at that year’s RiverRun Film Festival and for which Sheila Duell won Best Leading Woman at the 2016 ConCarolinas Short Film Festival;
Presented by
and the aforementioned Someday, which was written and directed by van Vuuren. ! See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2019, Mark Burger.
WANNA
go?
“The Best of Triad Short Films” program will be screened 8 pm Tuesday, Oct. 29 at RED Cinemas, 1305 Battleground Ave., Greensboro. Tickets are $10. For advance tickets or more information, call (336) 230-1620 or visit www.redcinemas.com/. You can also check out the event’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ events/2489413797763921/.
Sunday, October 20
1-5 pm
Kaleideum North
400 W Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem Trick-or-treat among the trucks and explore spooky science, Halloween maker activities, face-painting, balloon artists, and more! $7 per person for adults and youth (ages 1-19); children under 1 are free.
kaleideum.org OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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Silvio Berlusconi, Loro’s lion in winter
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ot unlike last year’s Vice or this year’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Paolo Sorrentino’s vibrant and exhilarating Loro Mark Burger states in an opening disclaimer to be “an artistic interpretaContributor tion” of historical fact and figure. In this case, that historical figure would be Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian media mogul and political dynamo whose career might kindly be described as “checkered.” The film, which takes place from 2006 to 2009, offers a speculative and highly satirical depiction of Berlusconi and the events surrounding him. Initially, the narrative seems to focus on Sergio Morra (Riccardo Scamarcio), a handsome and highly motivated hustler who would like nothing more than to be a part of the then-Prime Minister’s inner circle. To this end, he employs the proper tricks of the trade: Money, drugs, and women. No promise is too extravagant, no scheme too underhanded. The ends always justify the means. It’s 40 minutes before Berlusconi makes his long-awaited entrance – in drag, no less – and the film immediately shifts to his character, played in bravura, award-worthy fashion by Toni Servillo. Behind the affable, ever-grinning countenance beats the heart of a lion, one who has supreme confidence in his power and influence. He boasts of his success and wealth, complains about how he’s portrayed in the media, rails against his political opponents, and rules by whim.
This is topicality at its most tantalizing, deftly realized in Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello’s excellent screenplay. There are many times that the story invites favorable comparison to Citizen Kane (1941), which is high but deserved praise indeed. Mostly set in and around Berlusconi’s ornate island villa, there’s an operatic grandeur to the proceedings, so much so that it’s hardly a surprise when characters suddenly burst into song. Luca Bigazzi’s glorious cinematography is also a major asset, lending a stylish, sometimes surreal, sheen to the never-ending bacchanal. Yet there’s much more to Loro than style. In addition to Servillo, who does double-duty in a cameo as Berlusconi’s business partner and staunch ally, Ennio Doris, there are the vivid performances of Scamarcio, whose Sergio comes to rue his ambitions, Euridice Axen as Sergio’s partner Tamara, Alice Pagani as Stella, a young girl who fends off Berlusconi’s advances during a wild party, Kasia Smutniak as a “hostess” (nicknamed “The Queen Bee”) who would welcome Berlusconi’s advances, Dario Cantarelli as Berlusconi’s purported Mafioso righthand man, and particularly Elena Sofia Ricci as Berlusconi’s long-suffering wife Veronica, who ultimately comes to terms with her own complicity in his (mis) behavior. In an amusingly ironic twist, Sorrentino had some difficulty in raising the financing for Loro, as Medusa Film – with whom he had worked in the past – is a Berlusconi-controlled entity. Evidently, they had no interest in participating in this particular project. (In Italian with English subtitles) ! See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2019, Mark Burger. PHOTO BY GIANNI FIORITO
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OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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STAGE IT!
theatre
Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance presents ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ just in time for Halloween
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his past Sunday, to escape the dreary rain, I went to the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance’s production of the beloved cult classic “The Rocky Horror Katie Murawski Show” by Richard O’Brien. The first Editor time I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I was in staying up late, probably on a school night, in seventh-grade, with my eyes glued to the VH1 Classic channel. I remember binge-watching “Pop-up Video,” and just as I was about to slide off into dreamland, I saw a pair of big red lips start singing, “science fiction...” For an hour and a half, I couldn’t take my eyes off the T.V. set. Because of my teenage angst, sexual confusion and gothic flair, I was drawn in and unable to look away, which I can proudly say the same from the performance by the cast of WSTA. I had never seen the live play version of Rocky Horror, but I did recently go to a shadow cast performance for the first time a couple months ago. (Funny story, none of the cast members showed up for the movie, so my friend Andy and I hammed it up as surprise understudies- I was Janet, and Andy was Frank N Further, of course.) The audience participation took me by surprise because I didn’t realize it was apart of the show. (Let’s just say I wasn’t too keen on the Janet slut-shaming at first.) The WSTA’s production had audience participation, but it wasn’t obnoxious, and it didn’t get old. I am still not 100% sure what all one is supposed to say or do during the show, but I did pick up that every time Brad’s name was mentioned, the audience screams, “asshole!” And when Janet’s name was mentioned, everyone yells “slut!” Which had me in stitches most of the time. My favorite part of the audience participation, though, was at the end when the cast came into the audience and encouraged us to do the WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
Time Warp. (During the first Time Warp number, I was doing everything I could to stay in my seat and not get up and dance!) The weather didn’t put a damper on the performers; if anything, it seemed to make them act campier and be in sync with one another. Just as he did in “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” Gray Smith’s performance of Frank N Furter carried the production to new heights and made it a delightful show. Smith did a phenomenal job channeling the over-the-top Tim Curry (rest his beautiful soul) charm and camp. One of my favorite performances came from Suzanne Vaughan’s Magenta because I thought her voice was beautiful, and her facial expressions were always exaggerated and entertaining to watch, especially from the back row! The ensemble cast really stood out for all the right reasons, and they all deserve gold stars for staying in character and making the scene transitions seamless. All the costumes were thoughtfully detailed, and the entire cast was killing it in their corsets. I thought the set design was clever with the elevated rooms and how those spots were utilized during the show. I also thought that the integration of some of the images from the movie added a neat twist and, overall, elevated the performance without it being used as a crutch to keep the audience engaged, and the cast had no problem in that department. The live band playing each song was the coolest aspect of the play; in my opinion, there is just something special about hearing a live score. Give yourself over to absolute pleasure, and catch the WSTA’s production of The Rocky Horror Show before it’s over! ! KATIE MURAWSKI is the editor of YES! Weekly. She is from Mooresville, North Carolina and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in film studies from Appalachian State University in 2017.
WANNA
go?
Showtimes are Oct. 16-19, 23-26 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 20, 27 at 2 p.m. The WSTA is located at 1047 Northwest Blvd. in Winston-Salem.
Oct 18-24
[RED]
MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (PG) LUXURY SEATING Fri & Sat: 12:20, 3:00, 5:40, 8:20, 11:00 Sun - Thu: 12:20, 3:00, 5:40, 8:20 JUDY (PG-13) LUXURY SEATING Fri - Thu: 1:00, 4:00, 7:05, 9:45 HUSTLERS (R) LUXURY SEATING Fri - Thu: 12:05, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00 MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (PG) Fri - Thu: 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40 ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP (R) Fri & Sat: 12:05, 2:25, 4:50, 7:10, 9:35, 11:55 Sun - Thu: 12:05, 2:25, 4:50, 7:10, 9:35 LUCY IN THE SKY (R) Fri & Sat: 12:10, 2:55, 5:45, 8:30, 11:20 Sun - Thu: 12:10, 2:55, 5:45, 8:30 FIRST LOVE (HATSUKOI) () Fri - Thu: 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05 THE ADDAMS FAMILY (PG) Fri - Thu: 12:00, 2:05, 4:10, 6:15, 8:20, 10:20
[A/PERTURE] Oct 18-24
GEMINI MAN (PG-13) Fri - Thu: 12:00, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20 JEXI (R) Fri & Sat: 12:35, 9:30, 11:40 Sun - Thu: 12:35, 9:30 JOKER (R) Fri: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:25, 4:25, 5:25, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:00, 10:00, 11:15, 11:45 Sat: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:25, 4:25, 5:25, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:00, 10:00, 11:15 Sun - Thu: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:25, 4:25, 5:25, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:00, 10:00 DOWNTON ABBEY (PG) Fri - Thu: 12:45, 4:05, 7:30, 10:10 THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON (PG-13) Fri - Thu: 2:45, 5:00, 7:15 THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (R) Sat: 11:55 PM
FIRST LOVE (HATSUKOI) Fri: 6:30, 9:00, Sat: 1:30, 4:00, 9:00 Sun: 1:30, 6:30, Mon: 9:00 PM Tue: 4:00, 9:00, Wed: 9:00 PM Thu: 4:00, 9:00 JUDY (PG-13) Fri: 4:15, 6:45, Sat & Sun: 11:15 AM, 1:45, 6:45 Mon - Wed: 6:45 PM, Thu: 4:15, 6:45 MONOS (R) Fri: 9:15 PM, Sat: 4:15, 9:15 Sun: 4:15 PM, Mon - Thu: 9:15 PM DOWNTON ABBEY (PG) Fri: 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 Sat: 10:30 AM, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 Sun: 10:00 AM, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 Mon: 4:30 PM, Tue: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 Wed: 5:30, 8:00, Thu: 4:30 PM LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE (PG-13) Fri: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 Sat: 10:00 AM, 12:30, 5:30, 8:00 Sun: 10:30 AM, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 Mon: 6:00, 8:30, Tue: 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 Wed: 8:45 PM, Thu: 4:45 PM RAISE HELL: THE LIFE & TIMES OF MOLLY IVINS Fri: 4:00 PM, Sat: 11:00 AM, 6:30 Sun: 11:00 AM, 4:00, Mon - Thu: 6:30 PM
311 W 4th Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336.722.8148
BY FREDERICK KNOTT
OCTOBER 18-20 & 24-27, 2019
Thursdays—Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays & Sundays at 2 pm
Tickets: (336) 725-4001 | LTofWS.org Reynolds Place Theatre Milton Rhodes Center, 251 N. Spruce Street, W-S
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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[NEWS OF THE WEIRD] UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
Jennifer Colyne Hall, 48, of Toney, Alabama, was distraught when she called the Limestone County Sheriff ’s Office dispatch on Oct. 2, so officers Chuck Shepherd were sent to call on her. Public information officer Steven Young told The News Courier the officers first approached Hall’s landlord, who told them she had been “acting strangely” and hinted she might be on drugs. When the officers spoke to Hall, she produced a clear bag from a baby wipes container and told them, “I want this dope tested” because she feared the methamphetamines in the bag had possibly been tainted with another drug. Asked if she had consumed the drugs, Hall said she had, but couldn’t remember when. She was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and was held at the Limestone County Jail.
OVERREACTIONS
An apparent dispute over pigeons at
Pershing Field in Jersey City, New Jersey, has resulted in Charles Lowy, 69, facing eight years in prison for reckless manslaughter, according to The Jersey Journal. In April 2018, Lowy stabbed former schoolteacher Anthony Bello, 77, to death after they argued about Lowy’s habit of feeding pigeons in the park. Lowy’s attorney called Bello the “mayor of the block” and said he was the aggressor in the altercation, and that Lowy had stabbed him in self-defense. Hudson County Superior Court Judge Sheila Venable sentenced Lowy on Oct. 4; he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.
OOPS!
— Tina Springer, 44, was the passenger in a car driven by Brent Parks, 79, as they stopped to let a train pass in Enid, Oklahoma, on Oct. 3. Parks’ yellow Labrador retriever chose that moment to jump from the back seat onto the center console, causing a .22 caliber handgun stored underneath to discharge and strike Springer in the left thigh. The Enid News & Eagle reported that Parks, whom Springer is a caretaker for, told police he doesn’t usually carry the weapon loaded. Springer was taken to a hospital for treatment.
— Homeowner Linda Taylor-Whitt of Lynwood, Illinois, and her family returned home from a birthday dinner on Oct. 5 to find “a wheel coming through my washroom ceiling” in an upstairs bathroom. Taylor-Whitt, who lives about a mile from Lansing Municipal Airport, told the Chicago Tribune she “didn’t know what kind of wheel it was at first. I guessed it was an airplane wheel,” she said. But it was from a helicopter, according to Amy Summers of SummerSkyz Inc., a helicopter flight school in Lansing. When Summers heard about the incident, she knew she’d found the ground-handling wheel she’d been missing, and called Taylor-Whitt to apologize. The wheel had apparently been left on one of the company’s helicopters during flight and fell off. Taylor-Whitt was relieved the damage wasn’t worse: “I am glad — thank you, Lord — that it was a wheel instead of a plane because it could’ve been so bad.”
BRIGHT IDEA
Springfield, Missouri, authorities have come up with a clever campaign to curb pet waste in the downtown area, the Associated Press reported. Piles of dog poop are being tagged with recycled paper
flags sporting messages such as: “Is this your turd? ‘Cuz that’s absurd,” and “This is a nudge to pick up the fudge.” The city noted it spends $7,500 a year to pick up 25 pounds of waste per week from downtown parks and parking lots.
AWESOME!
Open your wallet: If you have enough scratch, you can buy a customized pair of Nike Air Max 97s dubbed “Jesus Shoes” from a Brooklyn, New York, company called MSCHF. Introduced online Oct. 8, the shoes have 60ccs of holy water from the Jordan River injected into the soles “so you can literally walk on water,” noted Cosmopolitan, a crucifix in the laces, red insoles harkening to Vatican traditions, and a Matthew 14:25 inscription. They are also scented with frankincense and sport a godly white and light blue colorway. The Jesus Shoes originally sold for $1,425, but are now fetching anywhere from $2,000 to upwards of $11,000. !
© 2019 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate. Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
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OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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[KING Crossword]
[weeKly sudoKu]
What do they all have?
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#RepresentationMatters: The community push for a mandatory African-American history class continues
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t least five people honked their horns or gave a thumbs-up as they zoomed down Bethania Station Road on Sept. 24. Those honks and Katie Murawski thumbs of approval showed support of the “NO CLASS = NO Editor EQUALITY BLACK HISTORY NOW” sign that four Hate Out of Winstonorganizers held on the side of the road right before the Winston-Salem Forsyth County school board meeting that same evening. Four people spoke to the board during public comment to show their support for a mandatory African-American history class. Local advocacy groups Hate Out of Winston, the Winston-Salem Local Organizing Committee and Equity4Action, want a stand-alone, mandatory AfricanAmerican history high school class that will be required for graduation, as well as an expansion of the existing black history and Latinx infusion curriculum. At the Sept. 24 meeting, Lillian Podlog, an organizer for Hate Out of Winston and former teacher from Florida, stood with others and held the sign that caught drivers’ attention. During the time for public comment at the Sept. 24 WSFC school board of education meeting, Podlog addressed the board with the following statement: “I hope you saw the video of people marching in the street in Philadelphia for black history, and I hope you felt how important this is. I hope you watched the video that we sent you of students from Connecticut. Over 200 students giving written and spoken testimony at their state legislature for a mandatory black history class and felt how important this is. I hope you watched the students from your school system, middle schoolers and high schoolers stand here being televised and watched, witness them and really witness what they were saying. We are calling for a stronger infusion curriculum, that means accountability, training, funding as well as a stand-alone black history class required for graduation. I hope you know that black history is uniquely important to the shaping of this country, this hemisphere and our economy. It is not just about seeing yourself in the curriculum, although that is really important, it is about black students seeing YES! WEEKLY
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
themselves in the curriculum as the development of this country came at and comes at their expense. Because black students don’t know their history, it impacts their mental health and well-being, when white students don’t know black history, it leads to racism and white supremacist violence. By all means, incorporate Latinx history, indigenous history, women’s history in the curriculum, but don’t use that to deflect. We need black history, and we need all of those other histories as well. When we talk about Latinx history, we cannot talk about the history of Latin America without talking about black history, and the way that was shaped. Black history opens up the conversation about race and about class that students are already having...Connecticut and California are considering the class, and there have been pushes in New York and Michigan. The need for this is a conversation we are having as a nation. Let us be a cutting-edge school district; let us show the impact of black history on achievement, the mental health of our students and raciallymotivated violence. Let’s make a legacy. You all can do it; we can do this together.” Podlog said since the new school board was brought in, they floated the possibility of introducing a mandatory African-American history class in January, but there was not much follow-up discussion. “This new school board was brought into office this January, and it is an all-female school board, which is the first time at least since the ‘90s, and the first democratic majority since the ‘90s, so this is really an incredible moment to push for this with a re-energized movement,” Podlog said. “[Hate Out of Winston] has been pushing and pushing and pushing for the past few months now, and as a result of the community pushing for it, they have discussed the black history class, how it is taught and multicultural education in general.” Podlog argues that a stand-alone African-American history class is a muchneeded opportunity to talk about race and how it functions in American as well as all the histories that touch black history in the country. “This class can have an Afrocentric curriculum,” Podlog explained. “I know that’s a word that scares white folks, but all that means is a history curriculum that is taught from the viewpoint of black people and that centers black people, as opposed to our other history - which centers white people. It’s not enough to bring in stories of black people to celebrate; we have to talk
about the structure of society and race and blackness.” Podlog noted that the knowledge of black history and racial literacy is required to be a “fully-responsible citizen of today’s society. These are not supplementary topics. Understanding race, understanding the full, vibrant scope of black history is critical for engaging in this society.” “As a personal example, I worked for a time in a school in Florida,” Podlog said. “In Florida, fourth-grade social studies are focused on Florida history, so I taught about the Seminole Wars. That topic was so important to my students because we talked about maroons and maroon communities; we talked about solidarity between black and indigenous communities to fend off the U.S. military. And yet, most Florida history classes spend a lot of time on industrialist, Henry Flagler, and almost no time on the Seminole Wars.” Podlog goes on to say that the WSFC school district needs to identify what its priorities are, “it’s about the WSFCS needing to look at their history curriculum and say, ‘This is important history, and it is important for students’ identity development.’” Willette Nash has a Ph.D. in leadership studies and is a retired public school educator/administrator. Nash was also the former WSFC Director for Equity. She was also a multicultural studies professor at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Nash explained that the Winston-Salem LOC is a group of African-Americans in the city working around issues of education, community development, community organizing, violence reduction and agriculture. The Winston-Salem LOC is “a result of the 20th and 10th [anniversaries] of the Million Man March, which took place on Oct. 16, 1995, and Oct. 10, 2015,” the LOC’s website states. The Winston-Salem LOC was initiated by Brother Effrainguan Muhammad in May 2015. According to its website, the mission of the WinstonSalem LOC is “to address the concerns of the African-American students within the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School system. Our main focus is to ensure a more inclusive curriculum that can be used within the school system. Our mission is to find ways to improve reading scores (emphasizing the importance of third-graders reading level), closing the achievement gap, and increasing graduation rates of African-American students. The education
committee of the (L.O.C.) seeks to assure African-American students successfully matriculate through the K-12 system.” Nash explained that the Winston-Salem LOC’s ministry of education saw the lack of African-American history, and approached the district in 2016 with a request for a mandatory African-American history class. “Because these are laypersons, they do not necessarily define where that curriculum should start,” Nash said. “So if you ask me as a curriculum developer and one who is grounded in multicultural theory, AfricanAmerican history starts in Africa.” Nash said she helped develop a black history-infusion curriculum in 1993, and it was revised in 2017-18 to include the nations and cultures of the peoples of West African communities, empires and civilizations, as well as an addition of Latinx history, in accordance with state standards. Podlog helped clarify the infusion curriculum and explained that in K-12 social studies, there are “state-mandated standards” that teachers are expected to teach. “For each of those standards, Dr. Nash and others who worked on the infusion put together resources that allow teachers to teach those standards using black history (and for some standards, Latinx history).” Podlog said that as it stands, the infusion curriculum materials are “nice resources for teachers, but there is no accountability, no requirement that teachers teach it (with the exception of the eighth grade project- that we’ve been told is required), no significant education of parents that this infusion curriculum is available.” Podlog mentioned that Nash and her team started adding Latinx history to the infusion but that “this work needs to be expanded, and should bring in resources for other marginalized groups. However, there is no point in expanding this curriculum if it’s not being used - that’s the key for us.” Podlog explained that the infusion curriculum, as it stands now, is still Eurocentric, and this is by necessity to comply with state standards. “The stand-alone class can center black history from the perspective of black people,” Podlog said. “Yes, we need to celebrate various cultures in our schools, but that is woefully inadequate - we need students to also deeply understand how race, culture, class, gender shaped history.” “Latinx students are close to black students in terms of population, so we don’t want it to be another 20 years before they take that into consideration,” Podlog
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added, noting the importance of updating the infusion curriculum. “They can turn around and do the infusion immediately. If they agree to do a class, we want them to do it well because there is a lot of opportunities to do it poorly. The community is going to be very watchful in how they are doing it. We want them to take their time, not too much time, have a conversation about the process and what it is going to look like.” In 1995, Nash said, the school board approved the implementation of the lessons in social studies; however, it is not required for teachers to use the available resources, “which is one reason why there is a push for a mandatory class implementation.” Nash said that some of the content in the infusion curriculum is transformational, which means the students will learn the same history, principles and generalizations in the standard curriculum through an African or an African-American lens. “For instance, there is a lesson within the kindergarten curriculum that looks at families, and with the infusion curriculum, it gives those kindergarteners a chance to look at the African-centered notion of family and what those values entail,” Nash explained. “Within that eighth-grade unit, students will have an opportunity to engage in social action, which means looking at the dynamics of inequality, injustice, or even strengthening and building the African-American community and identity. Students would be able to be involved in some activity design to express those. In terms of multicultural curriculum, our model encompasses all levels from contribution to social action. That is what the curriculum looks like. It is really rich, rich infusion.” Nash supports the push and efforts of the community and local organizers for this class because she believes it will bring in “voices of African-Americans and work such as this helps to create a more positive identity development for African-American students in the USA.” Nash said when the infusion curriculum was introduced in 1993, there was concern about negative imagery and effects negative effects meaning, if “African-American students see themselves in negative ways, they began to internalize those messages and images, and it is somewhat a demoralizing kind of impact. There is no incentive to aspire to anything within this society because the message is that you don’t have the capacity. It is stigmatizing.” Nash noted that, at that time, 36% of students were African-American in the district, “so by right, they should learn some of their histories.” According to the WSFC school’s website, in the 2018-19 academic year, “40.2% of the students are white, 28.5% are African-American, 24.5% WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
Hate Out of Winston organizers attending a school board meeting are Hispanic, 4.0% are multiracial, 2.5% are Asian, and less than 1% are American Indian or Native Hawaiians/Pacific.” Nash also noted that there was also a belief that if the African-American history course was mandatory, teachers would have more respect for their African-American students. “We have a black life achievement gap in the district that runs on average between 30 to 40 points different,” Nash said. “That is just not sustainable, that is not sustainable locally when we have an economy that is based on research and innovation.” Nash and the LOC believe that the mandatory African-American history class in high school, as well as the enforcement and expansion of the infusion curriculum throughout Kindergarten through eighth grade, would help close that achievement gap. “We’ve got to educate students better than what we are doing,” she added. “Whenever we leave out one group, in terms of their ability to access the benefits and to be gainfully employed, the entire community suffers. African-American history is engaging for African-American students and other students as well.” Nash recalled that she was in her early 30s when she first delved deep into her own history as an African-American woman, and she credits Essence and Ebony magazines for educating her about African heritage. “I have been an advocate of this for a long time, almost all of my adult life, and continue to be an advocate and do the work personally because it was liberating for me,” Nash said. “It liberated me from the internalized oppression of growing up during the Jim Crow and growing up during segregation, and it’s a counternarrative to the way America defines me as a black woman.”
Nash said the reason why she continues this work is because she knows that African-Americans have “made significant contributions to civilization, and many of them were academic, they were not just in sports, and they were not just in entertainment.” She added that it is imperative for marginalized students to understand that there are many possibilities for them. “I agree that everyone’s history should be apart of the curriculum, the goal of the work of the multicultural education department was always to bring in those other narratives and those other perspectives and those other voices.” Critics and skeptics may think this mandatory class is not needed or that the focus shouldn’t just be on black history, but on all history. Nash said that the goal for the class is to include all voices, especially “those voices that are absent from the curriculum.” “Every marginalized group in society deserves to have their voice in the narrative,” Nash said. “Every marginalized group in this society deserves to have access to the benefits of what it means to be American: uninhibited without discrimination and deserve to live with dignity. Because when you disadvantage, discriminate and marginalize one group, you make it easy to do it to others.” In June, Visit Winston-Salem rolled out a new slogan for the city: Look Forward Travel Back, and Nash made an interesting connection with the slogan that ties back to African culture. “Looking at our past in order to help us understand how to move forward,” Nash said. “Winston-Salem doesn’t know it, but that is a Sankofa, and Sankofa comes from West Africa.” Sankofa, according to Wikipedia, is a word in the Twi language of Ghana that translates to “Go back and get it,” and as-
sociated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which translates to: “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” Sankofa is also Nash’s adoptive first name, “because it really just describes my journey into understanding who I am. I had to go back into African history to really understand who I am as an individual and how I choose now to define myself.” Nash said she knows that there are powerful people who will choose to not move forward with past inequities and that the community will have to “continue to push and collaborate and be authentic about what they want.” Miranda Jones is a special education teacher at North Forsyth High School and is involved with the Winston-Salem LOC and Hate Out of Winston. Jones credits the initial push for the class to Brother Ken Rasheed, a founding member of the LOC, and said she got involved in activism because he asked for her help. In spring 2016, Jones said she was invited to a LOC meeting by Nash and was instantly smitten with what she saw. “For me, it was just magic; I walked in the room, and I saw all of these beautiful, intelligent black people,” Jones said. “They were saying they wanted this class.” Jones said she has always taught from a culturally relevant perspective, so she kept attending meetings, signing petitions, and doing anything she could do to get the school board to take the class seriously. “We worked tirelessly, but I think at some point, we all got very tired,” she said. “Ultimately, [the former Superintendent] told us no, and the work just kind of petered out, I guess. We just didn’t pick it back up instantly, except for intermittently; Brother Ken would call me and say, ‘I need your help,’ and whatever I could do, I would help.” OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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In January, during the heightened tensions surrounding the Confederate statue in downtown Winston-Salem, Hate Out of Winston was formed, and Jones began attending their meetings, as well as advocating for the removal of the statue. “When we knew the statue was coming down, Lillian started talking about what are the other things we wanted to do,” Jones explained. She then suggested that the group look into advocating for the mandatory African-American history class. “For me, it was perfect because I think this group was really pivotal in creating some real justice for black people in WinstonSalem.” However, Jones was hesitant to jump back in. “We were told no once, I felt at times we were disrespected, we were blown off, we weren’t taken seriously, and I didn’t want to go through that again,” she admitted. Jones said that Podlog was staunch about continuing the effort for the class. Jones said she called Rasheed to see if he wanted to jump back into the cause. Jones explained that Rasheed was, like her, cynical but “so passionate even in his cynicism by saying ‘why do we have to ask for this? Why do we have to keep asking? No one asks to teach European history, think about how insulting this is.’” “I told Lillian, I think I am going to take a back seat on this,” Jones continued, “I don’t want to open myself up to any more hurt, I am not feeling good about it.” Jones said her passion for the implementation of the class comes from her obligation as a teacher to fulfill the needs of her students. One of those needs, she said, is understanding and confronting stereotypes and bias. “Right now, it is pivotal because we are idly in a time of heightened racial unrest with our president,” Jones said. “And with what we see in terms of people feeling comfortable using racial terror, I think there is no time like the present to teach white children and black children, mixed children, Asian children, children who are apart of the LGBTQIA community about AfricanAmerican culture as a way to facilitate not only knowledge but compassion and understanding, and to really stop centering the narrative around white men.” Jones is also concerned about how African-Americans are presented in the current curriculum and how that representation might affect black students’ identity and self-perception. “African-Americans in the curriculum, as it is now when it is being infused, they hear about slavery,” Jones said. “They are not hearing about Marcus Garvey, about African queens like Yaa Asantewaa, they are not hearing about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, they are not hearing about YES! WEEKLY
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Fannie Lou Hamer, they hear about the enslavement of Africans.” She argues that if the curriculum presently in place isn’t working, in terms of closing the achievement gap with minority students, “how about teaching the students the knowledge of self; have a curriculum in which they are reflecting and then, of course, create accountability and progress monitoring.” To those that are skeptical of the class, Jones asks, “Have they ever been skeptical about white American history?” She said there is a lot of supporting data that shows children do better when they have this multicultural knowledge. According to the data that the LOC and Hate Out of Winston presented to the board, some key statistics show that after taking a similar course, “at-risk high school students were 21% more likely to attend classes, improved their GPAs by 1.4 points, and went on to earn an average of 23 more course credits. (Dee & Penner, 2017). One study confirms that high school students that participated in another course like this one were 9.5% more likely to graduate and about 9% more likely to pass a given standardized test. (Cabrera et al., 2014). A survey of South Carolina public school teachers, principals, and administrators found that 62% believe that students’ reactions to courses and materials about the African-American experience are positive, while less than one percent consider students’ reactions negative. A total of 93% of respondents considered their schools’ attitude, either receptive or highly receptive towards the teaching of the AfricanAmerican Experience. (Dulaney, 2011).” The research estimates that this will cost the school approximately $150,000, based on an estimate of Connecticut’s budget, a district about half Winston-Salem’s size. (The full data analysis can be found on the online version of this article.) At a seemingly packed curriculum committee meeting on Oct. 15 (which I watched on Hate Out of Winston’s Facebook live feed), results from a survey taken by WSFC high school social studies teachers that gauged student interest for mandatory African-American, Latinx and Native American classes showed that there is definite interest for these courses among high school students. (The numbers of those surveys will be updated in the online version of this article once the meeting minutes are posted.) WSFC superintendent Dr. Angela P. Hairston recommended strengthening the existing infusion curriculum and continue using it. Vice-chair of the WSFC school board and chair of the curriculum committee Barbara Burke said she would honor her word to the many community supporters of the class and offered a substitute
recommendation in favor of it, “given interest and importance for this.” Burke, Leah Crowley and Deanna Kaplan agreed with her recommendation and voted to bring it to the full school board at the next meeting, which will be on Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Education Building, located at 4801 Bethania Station Rd. Podlog said that there would be a chance for the public to discuss the curriculum committee’s actions at the Oct. 15 meeting regarding the class. The full board will then decide during that meeting if the class will be implemented. “The board, I don’t think, often cares about activists or community members; it is parents that make things happen,” Jones said. “We need support from all different types of people across so many different lines...I also want people to know that this is not going away, the LOC came out of Winston-Salem, we don’t fold easily. We are going to keep coming back and keep demanding because black people had to demand since we have been in this country.” “Teachers like me are going to keep taking risks,” she added. “I don’t care what the cost is; they can label me the crazy teacher I’ll be that if it means that children that look like me know that they are beautiful and they are brilliant.” Ricky Johnson, a founding member of the LOC, said he put together much of the research that the LOC and Hate Out of Winston presented to the school board. He said that high school was an important time for teens to find a sense of self, and he said that a mandatory African-American class would help build confidence and give all students a different perspective than what they usually learn about during Black History Month. “The LOC presented [the school board] with studies and research that shows it will not only benefit black kids, but it also benefits white kids,” Johnson explained. “One of the [WSFC school system’s] core values is diversity and inclusion. But the actions of the last board that kind of pushed this away is going against that because it is like, you want to diversify everything but the curriculum?” Johnson has three children, who are not quite old enough to be in the WSFC school district just yet, but they will be in a couple of years. Johnson wants to be sure that his children enter an environment that will build their confidence up as early as possible. “It is important because it builds confidence with students and makes them want to learn.” Maia White, a parent of a child at Northwest High School, saw Hate Out of Winston’s sign at the Sept. 24 school board meeting but was not aware of what it or the group stood for.
“I didn’t know about that at all, I have just been reading a lot, and just a lot of things I have noticed for years, but I had never taken action to it,” White admitted. “I have a younger son and a baby on the way. I already have one in the school system, so this has to change, children need to know this. I can only teach so much at home. And yes, I can tell them about certain people, but I think it is something that all children should know about. It shouldn’t just be having to teach them at home. I believe that there’s a lot of children out there that don’t have the opportunity; don’t have parents to teach them some of this stuff, and the ones that are taught it at school, that could be the change in their life.” White came to the Sept. 24 school board meeting to voice her opinion and support for the class because “this is important across the board, it shouldn’t be just history; it needs to be in science, and there are new people that are doing things here as well. So, it shouldn’t just be open to the past, the past is important, but there are also new people out here doing wonderful things.” She brought up Shalisha Morgan, aka the Geek in Heels, who owns her own computer and phone repair business in Hanes Mall. “If this was something that was told about or put out there, there could be more like her,” White said. “That is why it is important for history.” “In some way, this should be implemented in the schools, and these children should know about it,” White said. “Just that one person’s story could change one child’s whole entire life; it could change their outcome. Some of these kids are living in low-income houses, and their situation isn’t the best, but like I said, it could just be that one story that changes their whole perspective.” During the time allotted for public comments at the Sept. 24 meeting, White asked the board why her daughter’s class never reads books about black or Latinx children. She said her daughter is Puerto Rican and black, but her peers don’t understand how she can be both. “It is not something that they are used to seeing, and it is not something that has been presented to them, and it shouldn’t just be up to parents,” White said, clarifying that parents should be teaching their children things. “But at the same time, this stuff needs to be put into the school system, and it needs to be everywhere...there are so many important people that are not being taught, so I think the curriculum period needs to be looked at.” ! KATIE MURAWSKI is the editor of YES! Weekly. She is from Mooresville, North Carolina and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in film studies from Appalachian State University in 2017.
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Publisher of Mueller and Torture reports comes to Greensboro “I think the government very purposefully doesn’t make their documents searchable,” said Dennis Johnson, whose renowned indie press Melville House published the Mueller report as an Ian McDowell inexpensive paperback and an even cheaper (and easily Contributor searchable) e-book. Johnson will be speaking at Greensboro’s Scuppernong Books at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, as the keynote event of the ongoing Writers as Witness: Reporting an America in Crisis series held in collaboration with Greensboro Bound and PEN America. In a recent phone interview, he talked about his company’s race to get the historic report in print, as well as the importance of doing so. Johnson pointed out that, not only was it impossible to search the PDF released in March by the Justice Department, but said that document is hard to read online, takes time to download, and at 448 lettersized pages, costs more for most people to print than the $7.99 price of Melville House’s compact and easy-on-the-eyes paperback edition. Johnson described the process of publishing the report as “extremely stressful,” initially because nobody knew when the DOJ would release the document or how long it would be. “If it was, say, 6,000, or even 600 pages, we’d not have been able to do it. So, it was all pins and needles until it came out. Even a day or two before, they were still talking about 600 to 700 pages. When it was finally released at under 500 pages, we knew it was workable.” But he and his staff also knew they had some big competitors racing to get it out as well. Simon & Shuster was bringing out their edition in collaboration with the Washington Post, with annotations based on the Post’s reporting, and Skyhorse Publishing announced one with an introduction by Allen Dershowitz. “We decided that we wanted to do what we called the People’s Version, that wouldn’t have any kind of bias, just the report and nothing else, as opposed to the Simon & Shuster one, which some people might think reflected a media lefty bias, or the Skyhorse one with the introduction by Dershowitz, who is a Trump supporter. We WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
Dennis Johnson believed our readers didn’t need to be told what to think.” He and his staff also quickly decided to do it in what he called “a classic American format,” that of the traditional 5-inch by 7-inch, mass-market paperback- a size that led to such editions being called pocketbooks in the 1940s. “We figured that would allow us to do it at as low a price as possible.” They figured correctly. The Melville House edition sports a list price of $7.99, whereas the Simon & Shuster trade paperback lists for $15 and the Skyhorse lists for $12.99. The Simon & Shuster and Skyhorse e-books are $7.99, whereas the Melville e-book is $1.99. “I think another thing that made our book different was the process for making it,” Johnson said. “We actually laid it out, whereas those other two editions were just kind of photocopied from the PDF.” He said that the hardest part of laying it out in type was the redactions. “There’s no way to typeset those boxes, you have to actually go in and do it by hand, and you want it to be exactly the same length as it was in the PDF because often by the length you can often tell what was redacted.” He said this painstaking process was done by hand with old-fashioned character spacers. “We had a bunch of volunteers come in and got it done in three days over the Easter weekend, with us all sitting at our conference tables with rulers, and our
designer laying the pages out as we completed them on the spot. It was very old school.” Melville House has become famous for its quick turnaround of important public documents. This began in 2014, with the Senate Intelligence Report on Torture, an investigation of CIA interrogation and detention programs after 9/11, which the Los Angeles Times called “the most extensive review of U.S. intelligence-gathering tactics in generations.” “That was another government document that was kind of dumped on a Friday night in the holiday season, during the run-up to Christmas that December,” Johnson said. “We knew nobody else was going to do it, and it seemed a shame, as it was such an important document, so we camped out in our office and got it out by Christmas day.” He explained that publishing the report as a book greatly expanded its readership. “When you have a print version of something, you can get it out there to people who aren’t going to try to find it on a government website.” He said that, immediately after its initial release, the Mueller report was actually very difficult to find online. “You had to know to go to the DOJ website, then to the Special Counsel’s pull-down menu, and so on.”
Soon after Melville House published the Senate Torture Report at the end of 2014, Johnson heard from representatives of the ACLU and Amnesty International. “They thanked us for making a searchable document they could cross-check with other databases. It’s a useful tool for scholars.” What really surprised him was when Melville House was contacted by Daniel J. Jones, the former intelligence committee staffer and FBI agent who headed the investigation into the CIA’s use of torture in the wake of 9/11, and who is played by Adam Driver in the film The Report (in the onscreen title, the word “Torture” appears before “Report,” but is marked out). “Daniel Jones; name didn’t initially ring a bell, as we thought we’d published just another government document out of Feinstein’s office, but after he actually contacted us to thank us for helping with PAGE 18] OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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its distribution and I finally realized who he was, it gave the entire staff a real-life to know we’d done something that important.” Johnson said that, because The Torture Report “made us really feel like this was an important thing to do,” Melville House followed it up with other documents that seemed “hidden” by being released at times that seemed calculated to draw little attention. “To hide its dramatic findings, the government buried its mandated Climate Assessment Report on Black Friday while everyone was out shopping. Melville House rushed the report into print to broadcast its devastating findings about the causes and impact of global warming.” Melville House also published the U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Marriage Equality. “And we published the DOJ’s Federal Reports on Police Killings in Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland and Chicago. He said he would love to publish whatever sort of impeachment report may be forthcoming from the U.S. House of Representatives. “I have no idea what that document would be like. There weren’t really a lot of such publications around the Nixon impeachment, so we’re watching
very closely to see if anything is generated that we can help get out there.” Melville publishes a lot of books each year, fiction as well as nonfiction. “But these reports really kind of suit us, as we know how to do them now, and we have a reputation for them.” Melville House was founded in 2001 by Johnson and his wife, sculptor Valerie Merians. “Before that, I was a freelance journalist, mostly writing about the book business. When I realized I had a lot of readers online, I became one of the first American book bloggers.” The blog he started, “Moby Lives,” is now the oldest surviving book blog, although these days it’s mostly written by Melville House staff and contributors rather than Johnson himself. “On Sept. 10, 2001, Yahoo, which was kind of the google of that time, said this is the best website of the week. So overnight, I suddenly had tens of thousands of new followers. The next day, of course, was 9/11.” Because they lived directly across the Hudson River from the World Trade Center, Johnson and Merians were witnesses to the tragedy and panic. Their local T.V. and radio transmitters had been on the top of the Twin Towers, so they found themselves cut off from broadcast media, and
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started reaching out to others online. “A lot of people who followed the blog were witnesses of one kind or another, so I had a lot of literary people writing witness accounts, which I started posting.” Then, President Bush came to New York City. “When he climbed up on the rubble and said somebody is going to pay for this, Valerie, who was looking over my shoulder, said, ‘you know, the stuff on the blog is really more the story of New York than this let’s-go-kill-somebody stuff.’ So, we gathered that material and wound up with the book Poetry After 9/11.” The blog had already gotten much media attention from NPR and the Associated Press. “So, it just all gathered steam, and we found ourselves, as we were making the book, getting more and more attention for it, and we eventually had to form a company to publish it. Up to that point, we just thought we’d make a chapbook and sell it out of an empty chair in the back row at poetry readings or something. It was very successful. I think we were the biggest selling poetry book of the year. It felt good, and we had other ideas and said, ‘let’s try to keep going with this.’” How does Johnson think traditional publishing is doing as the third decade of the 21st-century looms? “I don’t think it’s going away, but it’s definitely changing. It’s kind of the generic problem of capitalism; everything’s getting too big. I feel like our problem as a little publisher is having to play in a marketplace that’s controlled by the giants, whether Random House or Amazon. It’s a very tough marketplace for the little players to exist in, but it’s hard for anybody
to exist in, so I wonder how long that will last for those big houses.” But he takes heart from the success of independent bookstores like Greensboro’s Scuppernong and Winston-Salem’s Bookmarks. “There’s a lesson there: Independent booksellers are doing better than most of the other elements of the publishing ecosystem because there’s an affection for them and a need for them, which is evidenced in the fact that Amazon is now opening brick and mortar bookstores. They need that as part of the process even to sell online. It’s a real tragedy for the culture and for democracy when something happens like Borders going out of business, or the very real chance of Barnes & Noble going under. Thousands of bookstores have vanished from the landscape, meaning kids walking down the street downtown aren’t being reminded about books or seeing them as a respected part of our culture.” He said that, because of this, he’s glad to see Amazon opening bookstores. “Even though they’re weird bookstores that seem to be more about capturing information than professing a love of books, it’s still important. I likewise hope that Barnes & Noble doesn’t go out of business. But meanwhile, the indies are thriving and having a real comeback right now, and that’s the heartening story of the book business.” ! IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.
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Remembering Diahann Carroll Syndicated media critic R.D. Heldenfels once proclaimed that 1954 was television’s greatest year, in part because of its literate, live dramas and innovative comedies. But 1954 was great for another Jim Longworth reason. It was the year that 19-yearold Diahann Carroll Longworth made her T.V. debut, at Large winning first prize by singing on the talent show, Chance of a Lifetime. That led to a supporting role in her first motion picture, Carmen Jones, and a starring turn in the Broadway musical, No Strings, for which she won a Tony Award. In 1974, Diahann snagged an Oscar nomination for her dramatic performance in Claudine. Along the way, she would also become a Vegas headliner, author of two books, and founder of a group that helped disadvantaged women. But Diahann was best known for her role as a single mom and registered nurse in 1968’s groundbreaking Julia. It was the first prime time program to star a woman of color in a professional career, and it won her a Golden Globe. In 1976, she starred in her own variety series, and in 1984 she joined the cast of Dynasty. Diahann also appeared as Jasmine Guy’s mother in A Different World, and her last regular series role was in support of Matt Bomer on White Collar, from 2008-2014. In 1997, Diahann was diagnosed with breast cancer but stayed free of the disease for 22 years until it returned several months ago, and took her life on Oct. 4. Diahann was 84. She is survived by her daughter Suzanne and two grandchildren. I first met Diahann Carroll in 2008 when she participated in my Salute to T.V. Moms event at the Television Academy. Our discussion that night was wide-ranging and began with Diahann talking about her parents. Diahann: My parents were very middle class and very old-fashioned, and anything having to do with show business was out of the question. They said that was for “racy ladies.” I even did the thing my father hated most; I performed in nightclubs, where he said, “They even pluck their eyebrows!” This man was really oldfashioned. WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
just don’t see very often anymore. She was wickedly funny, self-deprecating and lovely in every way. She was also a profound inspiration to me and helped to give me the courage to be my most authentic self.”
Jim Longworth (middle) and his wife Pamela Cook (right) with actress Diahann Carroll (left) I also asked Diahann about how she shaped her character and the scripts on Julia, including the time when producer Hal Kanter wanted Julia’s son Corey (played by Marc Copage) to idolize John Wayne.
Dynasty, and I have great memories of our time together.” And Linda Evans said, “Diahann was a powerful woman with the tenacity to follow her dreams. I admired her and enjoyed working with her.”
Diahann: I said, “Hal, are you crazy? You can’t do that with this little black child. Do you know any black people, Hal? And he said, ‘I know you now,’ and I said, “then you see what a pain in the ass I am.”
And my friend Matt Bomer, star of White Collar, told me, “We were all so blessed to know and love Diahann. She possessed a grace and elegance that you
Truth is, it was easy to be inspired by Diahann Carroll because she excelled at everything she did and because she did those things on her terms. She even answered questions on her terms. During the “T.V. Moms” event, I asked all of the ladies if they had ever been asked to pose nude. After several of the actresses responded, I started to move on to another topic, when Diahann, said, “Jim, you didn’t ask if I had ever been asked to pose nude.” “Were you asked?” I said. “Yes,” she replied. “Well, what happened?” I asked. “That’s all I’m going to say about it,” Diahann said with a mischievous smile on her face. I’ll always remember that smile. ! JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15).
On that evening, I surprised each T.V. Mom by reuniting them with some of their co-stars. Appearing for Diahann were Marc Copage and Jasmine Guy. Jasmine: You are so elegant, warm, and down to earth, and you’ve taught me a lot about growing up as a woman, a woman in this business, a mother, an actress. Thank you for having my back in so many ways. Copage: Miss Carroll, I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to play your son for three years. Having grown up without a real mother, you filled that void. The day after Diahann passed away, I reached out to some of our friends who had worked with the great lady, among them was Marc, who echoed his thoughts from that evening 11 years ago. Copage: Diahann was the only maternal figure I knew, and during that first season on Julia, I would beg her to take me home with her at the end of the day’s shooting. I took to her as if she was my real mother…I will greatly miss her. Joan Collins, Diahann’s diva rival on Dynasty, emailed me and wrote, “I’m shocked and saddened to hear of Diahann’s passing. We had such fun filming OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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HEAR IT!
Greensboro-based rapper takes hip-hop across borders and into classrooms
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reensborobased rapper Joshua “Rowdy” Rowsey is pretty confident that hiphop can change the world. Rowsey, who records and performs John Adamian under the name @adamianjohn Rowdy, has been using hip-hop as a community-organizContributor ing tool, an instrument of individual empowerment and education for years. Rowdy just released his latest EP, Black Royalty, which is the second part of a projected four-part series. The first installment, The Return of Black Royalty, came out in 2017. That album touched on the history of thriving black middle classes, entrepreneurs, real estate disenfranchisement, the sometimes underhanded forces of urban development, gentrification, and the ways that black power can be undermined and eroded in a society dominated by racism. When we spoke by phone last week, Rowsey said he was moved to make that first album in part because of his experiences in his hometown of Durham, where a healthy black business district got displaced by development. “You’ll see areas in which people of color thrived in — they’re getting pushed back,” he said. If the subtexts seem a little academic, it might have something to do with the fact that Rowsey just completed a master’s program in teaching at UNCG, and he’s deep into the world of hip-hop pedagogy, exploring ways that music and culture can be used to educate young people. “For me, I definitely see the academic part and the artistry — they’ve been feeding off of each other,” he said. “Teachers make the best MCs. The way you control a 24-person classroom is very similar to how you control a 1000-person crowd on a hip-hop stage.” Rowsey, 28, has also been working with students in Cherokee, North Carolina, members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, in a program that uses hip-hop as a means of preserving and invigorating the Cherokee language. YES! WEEKLY
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“What I have seen is the students being able to identify with telling their truth and telling it in the most raw form,” Rowsey said. “If you have a story and if you have a truth, then you are hip-hop.” Some of the core values of hip-hop are confidence, poise and self-possession. Those same assets may come across simply as braggadocio to those who fail to perceive hip-hop as a system and aesthetic for individuals and groups who don’t necessarily have access to the traditional levers of power, giving them the means to defiantly assert their place in the world. As Rowdy raps on the title track off the new EP: “I teach the next generation the complications of the patriarchy.” If the last record was about the mundane affairs of business and commerce, Black Royalty is about the concept of the kingdom, of divine rights, of benevolent leadership, of civic duty, virtue and honor. The cover features a black-and-white picture of Rowdy with a bullhorn. It evokes classic images of the Civil Rights era of the rich AfricanAmerican legacy of struggle, activism, and advocacy for justice and for the push to get America to live up to its professed foundational ideals of liberty, equality and opportunity. Rowdy doesn’t locate these challenges as things that exist in the past. Instead, his lyrics suggest that people need to continue to push and agitate to make changes in the world now. In the language of 21stcentury tech optimists, he’s encouraging a kind of individual creative disruption. “Gotta make my own waves in my own way,” he raps on “Wave(s).” The future installments of the planned four-part series will delve into wizardry and divinity. Rowdy’s music is totally 21st-century. There are bits of AutoTune’s pitch-warping effects on “Execution,” the first track off of Black Royalty, and the minor-key piano and string figures of the backing music demonstrate a familiarity with the standard sounds of hip-hop from the last
10 years or so. But the beats sometimes kick into heavy retro boom-bap mode, and Rowdy’s flow has an assertive rhythmic phrasing and density to it, pointing to a connection to the genre’s high-syllable-count golden era of the 1990s. No matter how it’s delivered, Rowsey/ Rowdy has faith in hip-hop’s ability to travel across borders and to allow those who are often ignored to be heard. He’s served as a hip-hop ambassador for the U.S. State Department, traveling to Mexico City to work with Mexican rappers and youth. “[We were] focused on diplomacy, entrepreneurship, history and education through hip-hop,” said Rowsey of his State Department work. Closer to home, he’s helped coordinate programming at Blackspace, Durham’s Afrofuturist teen center/ digital maker space. And he’s led or helped organize cyphers, open-mic performance nights, and spoken word events through-
out the Triangle and the Triad. His travels have given him a chance to take the pulse of hip-hop from outside the U.S., as well as the energy of the music across the state, and Rowsey thinks that North Carolina might be in line for overdue attention from listeners and taste-makers outside of the region. The vastness of the state, and the fact that there are multiple cities that each have their own character and scenes make it more difficult for a uniform North Carolina sound to be distilled and mass-produced for outside listeners. But that doesn’t change the fact the Rowsey notices people viewing the state as a place to come to make music. “One thing I’m seeing for sure,” Rowsey said, “is that North Carolina is becoming an area that people are gravitating to.” Rowdy’s Black Royalty was just released last month and is available on streaming platforms. Look for Black Alchemy, the third installment of his project, in the coming weeks. ! 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.
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FemFest VI returns to Monstercade FemFest is back again, with heavier tunes and a tighter format being the name of the game for the sixth annual benefit show against domestic violence and sexual assault going down at MonKatei Cranford stercade on Oct. 19. Hosted by Bryn Fox of “the Bryn Contributor Show,” and sponsored by YES! Weekly, the lineup features femme-fronted bands from around the Southeast. As always, proceeds will go to the local women’s shelter through Winston-Salem Family Services. “I’m thrilled that Bryn came to us once again to host such an important cause,” said Laurie Ruroden from Monstercade, who’ll be bartending through the whole thing. “I plan to be fully immersed,” she added, “Monstercade is a safe space for all who enter, so this fundraiser means something to me. Events like this seem to help start a dialogue that we as humans thought to not be OK to discuss openly, and I believe that FemFest has a hand in breaking that cycle.“ Now in its sixth-year, FemFest has established itself as both a fundraiser and platform. Billie Feathers, who’s performed five-out-of-six years, agreed. “My favorite memories are when people share their stories of victories over their experiences,” she said. “Domestic violence can happen to anyone, and it is incredibly important to raise awareness and help other victims find a solid support system. As a victim of domestic violence myself, FemFest is a yearly non-judgmental celebration of survival and empowerment.” Beyond performing with her band the P-90’s, Feathers is enjoying her return to Winston, working on a graduate degree in guitar from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The group, who proclaimed themselves the “unofficial UNCSA punk band-in-residence,” will launch their own FemFest funding drive. “We only do P-90’s shirts once a year and only for FemFest, with sales going to the fundraiser,” they explained. Fellow Winston artist and scheduled FemFester, Mama, the solo project from Laura Gardea, likewise carries the torch of empowerment through her music, described as dream pop inspired by a “lifelong fascination with ecology, the iniquity of women’s rights,” according to the Mama bio. WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
BY KATEI CRANFORD
COURTESY OF TRUE LILITH
Mara Thomas of Cold Cream at Ruby
True Lilith
Mama also performed at FemFest in 2016. Other returning acts include Bob Fleming and the Cambria Iron Company and LA Dies, a four-piece from Lynchburg, Virginia. Both bands played Test Pattern in 2017. FemFest first-timers include Raleigh’s Cold Cream, and True Lilith from Charlotte. Mara Thomas is fresh both to FemFest and Cold Cream, joining the group earlier this year after the first vocalist moved out of state. “The original songs have a strong, unapologetic point of view,” Thomas said. “I’m determined to carry that forward with our new material.” Inspired to “hit the ground running come 2020,” Cold Cream will showcase some of their newest songs at FemFest, who they’d like to thank, “for prioritizing womxn’s voices.” “Womxn have so much strength, so much to say, and so much to contribute,” Thomas noted. “It’s our first time performing, and I think everyone’s first time attending the event. We’re honored to have our name offered for consideration after some folx saw us at Hopscotch. We’re so grateful to Bryn for reaching out.” The sentiment is echoed by the newcomers in True Lilith, “We’re excited
to support a great cause while playing with fellow musicians,” said the group, now pumping their debit EP Wilt through streaming platforms. LA Dies are returning to the FemFest bill, also, with a recent release in their repertoire: the full-length LP, Drifting Still. “We’ll be playing mostly songs from that, mixed in with a few oldies,” they explained. “We’re hoping to bring some pizzazz. Some real razzle-dazzle, if you will,” they said of their set, praising the overall vibe of the event. “All of the diversity is so refreshing,” they added of FemFest lineups. “It’s also such a wonderful environment - very welcoming and warm.” As opposed to the staggered venue approach of past years, FemFest VI reigns a smaller, more intimate scale. In the pursuit of further fundraising, a silent auction
will be held in tandem with the jams. Art by Laura Ashley, Meredith Lindsay Becraft and John Blackburn are a sampling of the items up for grabs. The single-day event will feature a heavier turn, bringing bands from around the southeast together for awareness and support surrounding issues of domestic violence and sexual assault. The show starts at 2 p.m. on Oct. 18 at Monstercade in Winston-Salem and will feature Bob Fleming and the Cambria Iron Co., Cold Cream, LA Dies, Mama, the P-90’s, and True Lilith. Proceeds go to Winston-Salem Family Services. ! KATEI CRANFORD Is a Triad music nerd who hosts the Tuesday Tour Report, a radio show that runs like a mixtape of bands touring NC the following week, 5:30-7 p.m. on WUAG 103.1fm.
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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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 Oct 18: The County Road Band Oct 20: The Randolph Jazz Band Oct 25: Casey Noel Oct 26: Special Affair Nov 1: Ziggy Pockets Nov 2: Jack Gorham
clEmmOnS
VILLAGE SQUARE TAP HOUSE
6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330 Oct 17: Dueling Pianos Oct 18: Whiskey Mic Oct 19: Hawthorne Curve Oct 25: The Phase Band Oct 26: DJ Bald-E Nov 2: DJ Bald-E Nov 8: Whiskey Mic
dAnBuRy
GREEN HERON ALE HOUSE 1110 Flinchum Rd | 336.593.4733
ElKIn
REEVES THEATER
129 W Main St | 336.258.8240 reevestheater.com Oct 18: The Celverlys
Oct 19: Rex McGee Oct 25: David Holt’s State of Music Presents Rising Stars Oct 26: Zoe & cloyd Album Release w/ Laurelyn Dossett Nov 1: Hannah Aldridge w/ James Vincent Carroll Nov 2: The Martha Bassett Show Sam Baker Nov 9: LoneHollow
gREEnSBORO
ARIZONA PETE’S
2900 Patterson St #A | 336.632.9889 arizonapetes.com Oct 18: 1-2-3 Friday
ARTISTIkA NIGHT CLUB
523 S Elm St | 336.271.2686 artistikanightclub.com Oct 18: DJ Dan the Player Oct 19: DJ Paco and DJ Dan the Player
BARN DINNER THEATRE 120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211 Nov 1: The Legacy Motown Revue Sep 20: Sing Hallelujah! Dec 7: A Carolina Christmas
BEERTHIRTY
505 N. Greene St Oct 18: Dave Moran Oct 25: Lyn koonce Nov 1: Chad Barnard Nov 8: Gerry Stanek Nov 15: Craig Baldwin
Masquerade Wine Ball MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019
— featuring — O ONEHOPE CHARDONNAY $30 PER BOTTLE The Prescott with donate $5 of every bottle purchased to help fight against breast cancer.
RESERVATIONS: CALL US TODAY AT 336-310-4014 OR ONLINE! 126 South Main Street, Suite G /// Kernersville, NC /// (336) 310-4014 www.theprescottrestaurant.com /// /theprescottrestaurant
YES! WEEKLY
OCtOber 16-22, 2019
Nov 22: Dana Bearror Nov 23: Almost Vintage Nov 29: kathy And Jeff Brooks Dec 6: Dave Moran Dec 13: Stewart Coley Dec 27: High Cotton
THE BLIND TIGER
1819 Spring Garden St | 336.272.9888 theblindtiger.com Oct 17: ‘68 w/ The Inspector Cluzo, The Messenger Bird Oct 18: Adelitas Way Oct 19: Brothers Pearl Oct 20: Matisyahu Oct 23: TAUk - Feed The Beast Tour 2019 Oct 27:HIRIE w/ RDGLDGRN & kash’d Out Oct 29: Of Montreal Nov 1: Carbon LEaf w/ Abigail Dowd Nov 2: Pure Fiyah Nov 3: One For Johnny - A Benefit For Former Allman Brother Johnny Neel Nov 6: The Devil Wears Prada w/ Norma Jean, Gideon Nov 7: The Eric Gales Band Nov 8: Radio Romance Nov 9: Ed E. Ruger Nov 12: Rings Of Saturn w/ Enterprise Earth, Angelmaker, Brand of Sacrifice Nov 14: DSA Presents Rap 4 Lyfe Showcase Nov 16: Moonshine Bandits w/ Sarah Ross Nov 19: Bayside w/ Sincere Engineer Nov 20: John 5 and The Creatures w/
Jared James Nichols and Reverend Jack Nov 21: Vintage Trouble Nov 22: Chelsea Grin: The Enternal Nightmare Pt. II Tour Nov 23: Blacktop Mojo w/ Otherwise, Lullwater, and kirra Nov 24: Immortal Technique Nov 25: Thy Art Is Murder w/ Perdition Temple Nov 29: Natural Wonders: The Ultimate Stevie Wonder Experience
CAROLINA THEATRE
310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605 carolinatheatre.com Oct 16: Ernest Turner Trio Oct 18: The Earls of Leicester Oct 18: Grant Maloy Smith Oct 19: The Wood Brothers Oct 20: Alash Nov 1: The Voodoo Orchestra Nov 8: Both Sides: A Tribute To Joni Mitchell Nov 15: Lula Wiles Nov 29: Seth Walker Nov 30: A Motown Christmas
THE CORNER BAR
1700 Spring Garden St | 336.272.5559 corner-bar.com Oct 17: Live Thursdays
COMEDY ZONE
1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 thecomedyzone.com Oct 18: Cee-Jay
PUT SOME HEAT ON YOUR MEAT! FIND OUR SAUCE AT THESE VENDORS ACROSS THE TRIAD! Kings Hotdogs - Rural Hall Mayberry on Main - Mount Airy John Brown’s Grill - King City Beverage Company - Winston-Salem
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@boner_hot
W W W . B O N E R S H O T S A U C E . C O M
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Oct 19: Cee-Jay Nov 1: Chris Wiles Nov 2: Chris Wiles
COmmON grOuNdS 11602 S Elm Ave | 336.698.388 Oct 23: Andrew Kasab Nov 8: Arthur Buezo
CONE dENIm
117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646 cdecgreensboro.com Oct 17: michael ray & Jimmie Allen Oct 18: Yacht rock Schooner Oct 19: Lil Tjay Oct 25: girls and Biscuits Oct 31: The mantras Nov 16: Jon Langston
grEENE STrEET CLuB 113 N Greene St | 336.273.4111
hAm’S NEW gArdEN
1635 New Garden Rd | 336.288.4544 hamsrestaurants.com
LEVENELEVEN BrEWINg 1111 Coliseum Blvd | 336.265.8600 Oct 19: Arcus hyatt Oct 25: Phil harris
LITTLE BrOThEr BrEWINg
348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678 Oct 27: good morning Bedlam Nov 8: Courtney Puckett feat. Carrie Webster Nov 29: higher Education dec 14: Billingsley
rOdY’S TAVErN
5105 Michaux Road | 336.282.0950 rodystavern.com
ThE IdIOT BOx COmEdY CLuB
502 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699 www.idiotboxers.com Oct 26: Stewart huff Oct 30: Todd glass
ThE W BISTrO & BAr 324 Elm St | 336.763.4091 @thewdowntown Oct 18: Karaoke Oct 19: Live dJ Oct 20: Live dJ
high point
AfTEr hOurS TAVErN 1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113 afterhourstavern.net Oct 19: fair Warning Oct 26: Shun The raven www.yesweekly.COm
gOOfY fOOT TAPrOOm
2762 NC-68 #109 | 336.307.2567 Oct 19: Jared & hannah Oct 26: mason Via & hot Trail mix
hAm’S PALLAdIum 5840 Samet Dr | 336.887.2434 hamsrestaurants.com Oct 18: rockit Science Oct 19: Second glance Oct 25: Brothers Pearl Oct 26: Throwdown Jones
jamestown
ThE dECK
118 E Main St | 336.207.1999 thedeckatrivertwist.com Oct 17: Cory Luetjen Oct 18: Zach Evans Band Oct 19: Jaxon Jill Oct 24: Bradley Steele Oct 25: The dickens Oct 26: halloween Bash with Spare Change Oct 31: halloween with Cumberland drive Nov 1: Crossing Avery Nov 2: Brothers Pearl Nov 7: robert Smith Nov 8: Soul Central Nov 9: The Plaids Nov 10: TCu reunion Nov 14: Kelsy hurley Nov 15: Big Time Nov 16: Stereo doll Nov 21: Cory Luetjen Nov 22: gipsy danger Nov 23: Southbound 49 Nov 29: hip Pocket Nov 30: The dickens
kernersville
BrEAThE COCKTAIL LOuNgE
221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822 facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge Oct 17: Solo
J.PEPPErS SOuThErN grILLE
841 Old Winston Rd | 336.497.4727 jpeppers.com
lewisville
OLd NICK’S PuB
191 Lowes Foods Dr | 336.747.3059 OldNicksPubNC.com Oct 18: music Bingo/Karaoke Oct 19: Blue City Bombers Oct 25: music Bingo/Karaoke Oct 26: halloween Party w/ The Pop guns Nov 1: music Bingo/Karaoke OCtOber 16-22, 2019
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Nov 2: 60 Watt Combo Nov 8: Music Bingo/Karaoke Nov 9: Exit 180 Nov 15: Music Bingo/Karaoke Nov 16: Lasater Union Nov 22: Music Bingo/Karaoke Nov 23: Andrew Millsaps Band Nov 29: Music Bingo/Karaoke Nov 30: Gypsy Danger
lIberty
ThE LiBErTY ShoWCASE ThEATEr
101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844 TheLibertyShowcase.com oct 19: Shenandoah 30th Anniversary Tour w/ Marty raybon oct 26: Wayne Taylor’s Great American Country Band Nov 2: Eric & The Chill Tones Nov 8: Sammy Kershaw Nov 16: Seldom Scene Nov 22: The Bellamy Brothers
wInston-salem
BULL’S TAvErN
408 West 4th St | 336.331.3431 facebook.com/bulls-tavern
BUrKE STrEET PUB
MAC & NELLi’S
1110 Burke St | 336.750.0097 burkestreetpub.com
CB’S TAvErN
3870 Bethania Station Rd | 336.815.1664 oct 26: DJ Ao
fiDDLiN’ fiSh BrEWiNG CoMPANY
772 Trade St | 336.999.8945 fiddlinfish.com oct 18: Souljam oct 21: old Time Jam oct 26: The Grand ole Uproar oct 28: old Time Jam Nov 2: Threefour Mountain feat. Sarah Sophia Nov 4: old Time Jam
fooThiLLS BrEWiNG
638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 foothillsbrewing.com oct 16: David via oct 19: Wyndy Trail Travlers & Bill Porter oct 20: Sunday Jazz oct 23: ryan Eversole oct 26: Will Bagley and friends oct 27: Sunday Jazz oct 30: Souljam
oct 25: Ben folds, Savannah Conley oct 26: Jukebox 2019 oct 31: roosevelt Collier, Marvelous funkshun Nov 2: Symphony Unbound: his Golden Messenger Nov 7: The Big Damn Blues revolution Tour Nov 8: Blue Dogs, Peter holsapple Combo Nov 14: Lee & Susan Terry Nov 18: Martha Bassett Nov 21: Sylvia rose Novak Band, Chris rattie & The New rebels Nov 23: Scythian Dec 6: Southern Culture on the Skids, Balderdash Ltd.
4926 Country Club Rd | 336.529.6230 macandnellisws.com Nov 15: Whiskey Mic
MiLLENNiUM CENTEr 101 West 5th Street | 336.723.3700 MCenterevents.com
MiLNEr’S
630 S Stratford Rd | 336.768.2221 milnerfood.com oct 19: Live Jazz
MUDDY CrEEK CAfE & MUSiC hALL
5455 Bethania Rd | 336.923.8623 oct 18: Dr. Bacon oct 19: Chris frisina & Shay Martin Lovette oct 20: Martha Bassett “hot Pepper Queen” CD release Concert oct 25: Alasdiar fraser & Natalie haas oct 26: fireside Collective Nov 3: Malcolm holcombe
SECoND & GrEEN
207 N Green St | 336.631.3143 2ngtavern.com
WiSE MAN BrEWiNG
826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008 oct 19: 49 Winchester oct 26: Gisey Danger oct 30: Turpentine Shine
ThE rAMKAT
170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714 oct 21: UNCSA Jazz Ensemble oct 22: JP harris, Jeremy Pinnell
It’s Pride’s Weekend
Wrapping up a full week of events Pride Kick Off Party
Pride WS Official After Party
10-18, 7-11pm
10-19, 9pm-2am
Festival-Parade Food-Truck-Rodeo 10-19, 10am-5:30pm
YES! WEEKLY
OCtOber 16-22, 2019
Shawn Sounds Performing at Pride Festival on the Main stage & After Party
Pride Recoup Brunch 10-20, 10am-2:30pm Katharine Brasserie, 401 N. Main St
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[CONCERTS] Compiled by Alex Farmer
CARY
BOOTH AMPHITHEATRE 8003 Regency Pkwy | 919.462.2025 www.boothamphitheatre.com Oct 16: Wilco w/ Soccer Mommy
CHARLOTTE
BOJANGLES COLISEUM
2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com
CMCU AMPHITHEATRE former Uptown Amphitheatre 820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555 www.livenation.com
THE FILLMORE
1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.livenation.com Oct 17: Nahko & Medicine For The People Oct 18: Melanie Martinez Oct 19: G Herbo Oct 22: Sabrina Claudio Oct 25: X Ambassadors Oct 31: Liquid Stranger Nov 2: Thievery Corporation Nov 3: Jidenna Nov 4: Hobo Johnson & the Lovemakers Nov 5: The Neighbourhood
OVENS AUDITORIUM
2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com Oct 18: Ray LaMontagne
PNC MUSIC PAVILION 707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292 www.livenation.com
SPECTRUM CENTER
333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000 www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com Nov 1: MercyMe w/ Crowder & Micah Tyler
THE UNDERGROUND
820 Hamilton St, Charlotte | 704.916.8970 www.fillmorenc.com Oct 18: Lil Tjay Oct 21: Matt Maeson Oct 22: bea miller Oct 23: Maxo Kream Oct 25: Badflower Oct 27: Jack Harlow Oct 28: We The Kings Oct 30: Cavetown Oct 31: Scotty Sire w/ Toddy Smith ft. Bruce Wiegner & Chris Bloom Nov 1: Clairo WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
DURHAM
CAROLINA THEATRE
309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org Oct 19: Fleetwood Mac Oct 26: Justin Hayward Oct 27: 100 Men In Black Nov 1-2: Sojam 2019
DPAC
123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com Oct 30: Kevin Gates w/ YK Osiris, Rod Wave & SDoT Fresh
RED HAT AMPHITHEATER 500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800 www.redhatamphitheater.com Oct 25: Bastille
PNC ARENA
1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300 www.thepncarena.com Oct 17: Post Malone Oct 19: Bon Iver Oct 20: MercyMe
WINSTON-SALEM
WINSTON-SALEM FAIRGROUND 421 W 27th St | 336.727.2236 www.wsfairgrounds.com
!
CHECK IT OUT!
Click on our website, yesweekly.com, for more concerts.
GREENSBORO
CAROLINA THEATRE
310 S Greene St | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com Oct 16: Ernest Turner Trio Oct 18: The Earls of Leicester Oct 18: Grant Maloy Smith Oct 19: The Wood Brothers Oct 20: Alash
GREENSBORO COLISEUM 1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Oct 19: Chris Stapleton Oct 20: Manรก Oct 25-26: 2019 Aggie Homecoming Concert Oct 27: John P. Lee & Donald Lawrence & Company Nov 2: Bad Bunny
PIEDMONT HALL
2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Oct 17: Chase Rice Oct 25: SWV Oct 26: PJ Morton
WHITE OAK AMPITHEATRE
1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com
HIGH POINT
HIGH POINT THEATRE
220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401 www.highpointtheatre.com
RALEIGH
CCU MUSIC PARK AT WALNUT CREEK
3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.831.6400 www.livenation.com OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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[FACES & PLACES] by Natalie Garcia
AROUND THE TRIAD YES! Weekly’s Photographer
An Evening of Magic, Mischief & Mayhem 10.10.19 | Winston-Salem
3605 GROOMETOWN ROAD, GREENSBORO, NC 27407 WWW.BONBONWINGSANDGRILL.COM • 336.617.7241 S-TH, 11AM-10PM • F-SA 11AM-11PM
Lunch specials starting at $6.49 from 11am - 3pm!
YES! WEEKLY
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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hot pour PRESENTS
[BARTENDERS OF THE WEEK | BY NATALIE GARCIA] Check out videos on our Facebook!
BARTENDER: Nikki Blair BAR: Sidelines Sports Grill AGE: 33 WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Archdale, N.C. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING? I’ve been a bartender for about eight years now. HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER? I was waitressing at a local spot when one of the bartenders called out sick, and I just got thrown over there. Best day ever! WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING? I love the confidence I get being behind the pine. I’m an introvert; I’m quiet and rarely ever want to bring attention to myself. When I’m behind the bar, that all changes. I am the entertainment and demand attention! I love my job. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE? Anything that makes the customer happy makes me happy! Maybe your day was made with that perfect draft beer; maybe it was the peach margarita. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK? I’m a beer and shot of Jameson girl. Whiskey is my weakness.
WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK? Almond Joy Martini. Chocolatey, coconut, creamy goodness. WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE BARTENDING? A few years back, I had a customer who would bring a new woman in with him every week while bringing his wife in between. We all patiently waited for his demise, lol. His wife catching him was the best fight I’ve ever seen. She wasn’t interested in anything but getting her hands on him. And when she did, he caught her drink with both hands up the side of his head. WHAT’S THE BEST TIP YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN? I once had a regular to come in every Sunday and drink beer. He was 72 at the time and a veteran. His wife had passed, and his kids grown. Three weeks before Christmas, he came in with a teddy bear and a card for me and inside was $300; $100 for each of my kids and a gift card for me to get my nails done. He thanked me for making him feel like family. That’s what makes this job amazing. I’ll I’ll never forget him. OCtOber 16-22, 2019
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2019 Signature Chefs Auction with March of Dimes 10.11.19 | Winston-Salem
YES! WEEKLY
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
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OCtOber 16-22, 2019
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YES! WEEKLY
OCTOBER 16-22, 2019
[HOROSCOPES]
[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Creating a fuss could get your ideas noticed quickly. But it would be best to present your case, and then wait for a reaction to follow in due course, rather than try to force it to happen.
[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Many of the tougher communication barriers between you and others in the workplace or at home could begin breaking down this week. Expect some surprises to emerge.
[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) It might not be wise to pursue goals involving others, unless you can stop impulsively rejecting new ideas. Either open your mind or wait until next week, when this “ornery” mood passes.
[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Unkept promises might cause plans to go awry this week. You can either grumble about people “letting you down” or find a way to make the best of it and move on. The choice is yours.
[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your “tough love” attitude toward someone you care for could be misunderstood. Try to be less judgmental and show more consideration in the way you relate to that person.
[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It’s a good time for the Bovine to be creative and practical for yourself and your surroundings. Shop wisely, not impulsively, and keep your Bull’s eye focused on quality, not quantity.
[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Putting off making a commitment early in the week could be a good move. It’s best to act when you know you’re making an informed decision. Expect more facts to emerge by the week’s end.
[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) An unexpected workplace challenge could be daunting. But take what you know (and you know more than you realize) and apply it to the problem, and you should see positive results.
[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You should feel more confident about moving ahead with plans that had to be delayed by an unexpected turn of events. Also, family matters might need more time than first anticipated.
[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A recent act of kindness on your part could take on special meaning this week. Also, look for signs of upcoming changes in both your personal and professional relationships.
[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Recent relationship changes for both single and paired Pisces continue to influence much of your week. Keep your focus on developing the positive aspects as you move along.
[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Be considerate of others as you move into a new area in your professional life. Take time to meet people and discuss mutual goals. The more you get to know each other, the better. © 2019 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions
MURK IN PROGRESS
I’m in a weird place in my life: My work situation’s up in the air, and there’s a lot of uncertainty in my romantic life and my living situation. Friends are telling Amy Alkon me to be patient and live in the moment, Advice but I’m finding all Goddess of this not knowing extremely upsetting. Is there anything I can do to feel less anxious? — Distressed When everything seems uncertain, it’s easy to go really dark: “Please forward my mail to the refrigerator box in the underpass where I’ll soon be living with my fiance, the cat.” Decision researchers have consistently found that we humans have a strong “ambiguity aversion” or “uncertainty aversion.” We get seriously unsettled by the big foggy monster of the unknown: not knowing what’s going to happen or not having enough information or expertise to reasonably predict it. As for what’s going on under the hood, brain imaging research by neuroeconomist Ming Hsu and his colleagues found that the amygdala — an area of the brain tasked with spotting threats and mobilizing our response to them — was more activated in response to “ambiguity” (that is, when research participants asked to make decisions had information withheld from them).
This freakout by our brain’s Department of Homeland Security would have been a good fit in the ancestral times in which it evolved. Back then, an uncertain world was an especially life-threatening world, because there were no antibiotics, fire departments, or rubber-soled shoes. These days, however, we’re living in a world vastly safer than the one our psychology is adapted for. This one’s got countless cushions which make disasters go down less, well...disastrously. To tamp down the queasiness of uncertainty, verbalize your fears. Research by neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman suggests this depowers the amygdala by putting the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s reasoning center, to work. Tell the story of your worst fear in each of your uncertain situations: Your boss not only fires you but chases you out of the building with a broom. Then, carrying a box of your stuff, you come home to your roommate in bed with your boyfriend. Then you go out for a beer, only to return to a smoking pile of ash where your apartment used to be. Obviously, you’d prefer that none of this happen. However, you aren’t unemployable or unloveable, and you have friends with couches, and there’s Airbnb. (Worst-case scenario — and of course, I’m not actually advising this — you go to the hospital and tell them George Washington is talking to you through your eyeglasses and get three hots and a cot for 72 hours.)
EVERYTHING OLD IS NUDE AGAIN
I’m in my late 40s. I’ve noticed many of my friends reconnecting with and marrying people they knew years ago — sometimes friends, sometimes exes. Is everybody just
desperate, or is dating all about timing? — Wondering In your early 20s, you know what’s vitally important in a partner: that he doesn’t have “weird nostrils” or wear a belt buckle with his own name on it. Then you do some living and maybe get shredded by a relationship or two, and your preferences change. In short, context matters. Context is simply your personal circumstances, and it includes factors like your own mate value, the man-woman ratio where you are (or the availability of same-sex partners if you’re gay), and whether you’re in a hurry to have a baby before your ovaries retire to a cabin. It turns out that when looking for partners, we have a budget. It works like it does at the supermarket. You can buy the finest steak and lobster and then starve for the rest of the month, or you can shop more in the Top Ramen and lunchmeat arena and keep yourself consistently fed. Evolutionary psychologist Norman Li applied this budgetary approach in researching partner preferences. Prior research had poor methodology, simply asking, “Hey, what do you want in a partner?” Well, if
somebody asks you that — sky’s the limit! — what’s your answer? “Um, is Chris Hemsworth available? How ‘bout Liam?” But when you’re constrained, you have to make tradeoffs. You have to “buy” the important qualities first — “necessities” versus “luxuries,” as Li put it. When research participants were most constrained, intelligence and kindness were major priorities for both sexes. When budgets expanded, there was more “spending” in other areas, like creativity. This might explain why people in their 40s suddenly see something in people they tossed aside years ago or maybe just never thought of as partner material. Basically, at a certain point, many people give up on finding the exact right person and look for a right enough person. For some former sticklers, there comes a point when they’re all, “I’m game!” if a guy’s address isn’t WHX134 (his car’s license plate) and he doesn’t have multiple wives (two or three of whom he’s still married to). ! GOT A problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com) © 2019 Amy Alkon Distributed by Creators.Com.
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