Label night club at the N.C. Music Factory has been trending in Charlotte since the doors opened in
October. Particularly so, since the other hip dance club nearby, Butter, recently closed its doors. I finally
seized free time to make a visit last Saturday night and aim to report my experience here... at least, what I recall of said experience. I believe I retained the important stuff.

The charming Nick Spain, managing partner and snazzy dresser, gave me the grand tour and explained the present state and future plans of the hot spot. Label boasts an open set-up and lavish ambiance with some unique amenities to the Charlotte scene. The lights and sounds rival any club I've been to in the country, and Label solicits world class DJ's for their peaks nights. A separate lounge providing a relaxed vibe is located on the backside of the main room. VIP areas are available both in the thick of the action, or removed from the ubiquitous crowd elbows and drink spills on raised platform areas. Patrons who cop for bottle service and VIP treatment have access to their own bar and bartenders, along with scantily clad cocktail servers.

The crowd was eclectic and fancy, and nearly every employee looked like they could be in a bra or boxer brief advertisement. The well-appointed women's restroom alone was worth the cab fee to get there, complete with ample stalls for lady business (FINALLY a drinking establishment that gets it!) and a lounge area with a primping station separate from sinks. We celebrated this by having a toilet runway show:

Additions to come include a second level mezzanine for additional VIP tables and lounge space, in order
to open floor space on the lower level for dancing. The outdoor patio, currently under construction will be open in the Spring and will be a phenomenal place to enjoy a drink outside and creep on concerts are the amphitheater.

I woke up the following morning still in leather legging prison, with a violent hangover, a horrifying contusion on my left butt cheek, and no wallet, but I'd say all in all the trip to Label was worth it. It is undoubtedly the kind of night life experience that you can expect to find in larger cities like New York and Las Vegas, right here in our Queen City.

Label Night Club
900 NC Music Factory Blvd, Suite B6
704.910.0526
info@charlottelabel.com (reservations and VIP tables)

Volume opened its doors last weekend and welcomed a sizable host of people, monsters, goblins and ghouls. The general manager, Brian, explained to me that they are aiming to be the new hot spot by having two distinct atmospheres in one venue by utilizing a split infrastructure. One side is a sleek lounge, in which you can order in delicious treats from The Peculiar Rabbit, and the other half of the space is an all-out club environment complete with DJ and separated VIP areas. Currently unique to Plaza Midwood, Volume’s style and setup provides a little something for everyone looking for their brand of a night on the town.

I, being one who prefers to get tipsy and dance-sweaty in that order, found the drink selection, music and accommodations for spastic flailing to be of the highest quality. Next time you are looking for a new spot to try for a special occasion or just a general night that calls for social libations, I suggest giving Volume a turn.

For more information on Volume, visit their Facebook fan page or on Twitter @VolumeLoungeCL.

Before last week, I'd never taken the time to check out the McColl Center for Visual Art. Well, thanks to the great tastes of two party planners — one of whom was CL's own event marketing manager — I have now visited twice in the span of five days. It wasn't until my second excursion did I realize what a truly great event space it is.

Wednesday night was CL's Best of Charlotte party, which is always a whirlwind. Amidst the meeting and mingling — and drinking — I didn't get to take in my surroundings. Luckily, I returned on Saturday night for the Dining With Friends Finale. (I've decided if I ever get married, I'd like to hold my wedding reception there. But I digress.)

Dining With Friends won me over as a great fundraising event the year one woman hosted a Snuggie (yes, the backward-robe blanket) fashion show to show her support. Generally, people get together early in the evening at a host's house for a dinner party, where he or she collects donations for Regional AIDS Interfaith Network. Around 9 p.m., everyone from their respective dinner party meets up at the finale to celebrate with dessert, drinks and dancing.

The general mood of the reception party was one of familiarity and fun. Surely, the four or five guys I spotted dressed in green pants must have been together at someone's dinner. The same must have been true for the ladies dressed in tights, headbands and other loud '80s gear.

The upstairs area of the McColl Center offered the entertainment of one live singer, fascinating art to gaze upon and pink champagne. Lovely. But the real party was downstairs. People mingled amongst the dessert samplings, painted positive red and black messages on a large canvas (perhaps inspired by the Malibu Red and Absolut CherryKran cocktails from the outside tent) and line-danced the "Cupid Shuffle" and the "Wobble." (I still haven't quite got the hang of the "Wobble." No judging.)

But what offered the most satisfaction — aside from the offering of decadent desserts from Melting Pot, Amelie's, Soul and other restaurants — was the crowd's diversity. From the rambunctious guys dressed in skinny jeans and Converses (whom I would see later that night at Marigny) to the banker types, from the model chicks in their cocktail wear to one guy dressed like he'd stepped out of a Shakespeare play — all walks of life were represented that evening.

Fitting, since HIV and AIDS isn't discriminatory.

We thought we'd drop by Phoenix on Thursday night to see what was going on...

Slideshow

Phoenix, 9/20/12

Photos by Jeaumane McIntosh

Click to View 18 slides

The warmer temperatures and high pollen levels not only usher the rebirth of spring and elevated hem lines, but also the return of a Charlotte institution, the Alive After 5 events in Uptown. This seasonal post-work excuse to drink adult beverages outdoors has been a staple of Charlotte culture for as long as I can remember, and continues to evolve and grow year over year.

• Jeaumane McIntosh

I attended the AA5 kick-off last Thursday and realized that although the event has advanced, there are ubiquitous players that are as predictable as the funky smell of the Bradford Pears when they bloom. Thus, in both celebration for the return of AA5 and for your entertainment, the next time you attend (think modern Where's Waldo), I now give you the AA5 Five: the five characters that you simply must see but also probably can't avoid.

1) The white girl who is in the cover band simply to dance in a shiny outfit. She doesn't sing, she can't play an instrument, but she can step touch her ass off and interpretively dance every hit from the '70s and '80s. Some of her most impressive moves are making wax-on wax-off hand movements to "At the Car Wash" and her "YMCA" arm letters.

One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Boston, weather-permitting, was to sit on the roof of my friend’s condo complex and enjoy cold beer and hookah. At the heart of hookah is the desire to relax and commune with people whom you find enjoyable. Sounds nice huh? Now, thanks to Red at 28th and Hub Hookah Lounge, Charlotteans have a pretty damn cool place to try it.

Located directly behind Amelie’s in NoDa , thus ever so conveniently to sinfully delicious baked treasures, Red at 28th fits right in to the eclectic vibe of my very favorite Charlotte neighborhood. The space consists of an entrance room with a pool table, the main room (where you will find the bar and majority of seating), a back room primarily for lounging and hookah pleasure, and a giant ass patio off the back of the building. Mark my words, with the arrival of warm weather and the grand opening of their “margarita bar” with approximately one gabillion flavor options, this patio will become the place to be.

Their most popular hookah flavor is the “Blue Mist” ... essentially a blueberry flavored molasses. It’s smooth, sweet, and just a little smoky. The bartender Aaron also tickled my fancy with a signature drink called the sex something or another ... I can’t remember the name because it put me on my face. Two of these resulted in my quoting the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland and trying to blow smoke rings with the hookah. It got weird. Good job, Aaron.

The overall vibe of Red at 28th is exactly what so many other area places are missing. The crowd was diverse and friendly and being there was as comfortable as hanging out at a childhood friend’s house. They host Salsa nights on Saturdays and Thursday night’s offer live music until 10 and then a DJ. Red at 28th presents everything from jazz to dubstep, which is ingenious considering both the location and the craving that our city constantly has for a mix of something new and different.

Megan Henshall is a project coordinator by day, favorite child, rollerskating enthusiast, blogger, and lover of all things social and under appreciated. For more writing/ramblings/rants visit www.dearsuchandso-keyboardventing.blogspot.com.

Valentine’s Day is the celebration of love, romance, and relationships … and your local florist. But mostly love, I guess. Id est, Valentine’s Day is the celebration of the most complex, perpetual, make-the-rules-up-as-you-go life gauntlet that any of us will experience. I think it’s agreeable that much like art, love is ubiquitous, subjective and open for interpretation. Therefore, what’s a more appropriate way to honor Valentine’s Day than by taking time out to appreciate art (both visual and musical), with a romantic theme? At least this was my thinking when I purchased my tickets to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art’s Music at the Museum: “Chamber of Love” concert.

The Music at the Museum event is a regular happening, which varies in subject matter, but has two consistent elements: a concert and featured works of art often pulled from Bechtler’s private collection and thus not on exhibition at the museum regularly. The Chamber of Love theme was specific to the timing with Valentine’s Day and consisted of the story of two works of art, the two artists who fell madly in love over a long holiday, face-melting vocal stylings from a very talented soprano, and guitar duets both original and classical (each love songs of course).

The only way for me to possibly to explain my experience is to say that it was a downright religious one. It was sensory ecstasy. No kidding, I saw a grown man with a mustache openly weep.

As a foundation, the Bechtler space is incredibly beautiful and with the additional layers of impassioned and incredibly talented composers, performers, and musicians, it was wholly transcendent. Granted, you have to have a taste for this kind of thing. Opera and music with no words isn’t for everyone, I know, but if it is your cup of fancy artsy fartsy tea, you simply must check out the next Music at the Museum.

For more information on Music at the Museum and other Bechtler Museum of Modern Art events, visit www.bechtler.org.

Megan Henshall is a project coordinator by day, favorite child, rollerskating enthusiast, blogger, and lover of all things social and under appreciated. For more writing/ramblings/rants visit www.dearsuchandso-keyboardventing.blogspot.com.

Halfway through the final performance at the 5th Annual Runway for the Ballet this past Saturday, I regretted dropping out of dance class. I was 8, I hated tights (and still do), and I mostly wanted to express myself through spontaneous movement rather than learn choreography. More exaggerated snapping and Ariel-like hair flips, please! Saturday, I realized that I should have shut up and done as I was told because now I would have crazy athletic integrity, a regular forum for a lot of people to pay attention to me, and the piece de resistance — a ballerina body.

Runway for the Ballet is an event to look forward to every year. It’s the perfect combination of art and fashion, culture but also partying. For those of you who are romantically attached, it makes a pretty remarkable date night. Fellas, here’s a not-so-subtle pointer; you can get some brownie points and possibly sexual favors for ponying up for tickets to this next year. For the single Charlotteans, I have to admit that it has been some time since I was in a room with so many eligible pretty people, both male and female.

• Hanging out at the ballet

I had a realization during a recent night out Uptown. Irony is the new black, Charlotte. Get with it or prepare to feel left out.

The first act in the cirque d'ironie began when we decided to enter a BAR named Prohibition. Cue up that awful Alanis Morissette song where, in the video, her 7th alter ego has special needs and forgot to brush her hair. It IS ironic, I DO think. Eh hem, call me a history geek, but in order to be called Prohibition, shouldn’t we refrain from the excessive sale of alcoholic beverages?

Unleeesssss, (detective voice) the premise is that the bar is an insurgency against the concept behind 1920s prohibition and general mainstream moral and cultural impositions? In that case, it’s a whole new brand of insincerity because I saw a LOT of bowties and bandage dresses. No one in a state of rebellion or principal would wear either of those things. Not ever.

It was like I had entered an alternative dimension ruled by stylish mockery. Grown men wearing My Little Pony T-shirts and closeted gay men making awkward passes at confused girls. Couples shag dancing to Neyo and too many neon colored shirts and accessories to count. People irrationally self-deprecating on the dance floor and then being overly confident in their pickup lines. At point, circa 1 a.m., I looked at my cousin and asked, “What the heck is going on?” To which she had no response other than a shoulder shrug.

Then I did the only thing there is to do when life stops making sense. It is, ironically, what I do best. I promptly inserted myself into a group of total strangers and wobbled my by and large uncoordinated (except for when I’m wobbling) white ass off.

Megan Henshall is a project coordinator by day, favorite child, rollerskating enthusiast, blogger, and lover of all things social and under appreciated. For more writing/ramblings/rants visit www.dearsuchandso-keyboardventing.blogspot.com.