Cover Story
Vi Lyles Discusses Housing, Policing, HB2 and Other Charlotte Issues
At first, Vi Lyles just wanted to get out of Charlotte. Upon her arrival here in 1970, as one of the first African-American students to attend Queens College — now Queens University — and a freshman living in a senior dorm, she felt out of place. Lyles went home to Columbia, South Carolina, and begged…
WATCH: Everybody’s Loving the Groovy New Blame the Youth Video
The band turns “P.O.T.K./ABACA” into a visual feast.
HIM thrills Charlotte on farewell tour
Gothic rockers return to the Queen City for the first time in 10 years.
Last-Minute Bon Iver Show Surpasses Nonexistent Expectations
A few months ago, one of my coworkers was talking about a show he really wanted to go to. I wasn’t familiar with the name, so I hadn’t put much thought into it until I happened upon an extra ticket and posted a status asking if anyone I knew would be going. He messaged me…
Bojangles’ to Roll Out Trial Delivery Period in Charlotte
Bojangles’ plans to test a new delivery service in 10 Charlotte locations by the end of this year or early next year as a way to fight back against downward trending sales in the fast food industry, according to a recent report by Charlotte Business Journal. The company will roll out this trial period in…
Thor: Ragnarok: The nyuk stops here
THOR: RAGNAROK *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Taika Waititi STARS Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston Suddenly, everyone’s a comedian. Marvel movies have always plopped heaping servings of humor on top of the expected action and mythmaking, but Thor: Ragnarok dials up the laugh track to heretofore untested decibel levels. This is Asgard by way of…
The Killing of a Sacred Deer: A choice film
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Yorgos Lanthimos STARS Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman Greek writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2010 import Dogtooth earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film while his 2016 effort The Lobster nabbed an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay. The Killing of a Sacred…
WATCH: Charlotte Catcalls Amazon
Ok, let’s just put it out there. Charlotte’s Amazon HQ2 bid is a lost cause. The city is in full-on Brad mode from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, staring out the window convinced of a reality in which Amazon is coming our way and removing their top. And now we’re touching ourselves. OK, so what?…
Land of the Dead, The Old Dark House, Play Dirty among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004) / LAND OF THE DEAD (2005). Shout! Factory has released Collector’s Editions of two zombie flicks — one inspired by George Romero, the other coming from the…
Listen Up: Terrence Richard of Junior Astronomers Blasts Off on ‘Local Vibes’
Whether singing or chatting, Terrence Richards is not shy around a mic. From the moment he stopped in the ‘Local Vibes’ studio this week, he was a chatterbox, discussing his thoughts about Charlotte neighborhoods, how his band grew between their two full-length albums and why he was inspired to recently get Amy Winehouse tatted on…
The Blotter: Youth Are Getting Restless
Perturbed Police had to intervene during an incident at Alexander Graham Middle School in which a student completely lost his cool after getting into it with another student. According to the report, the kid began throwing laptops on the ground after a disturbance in the classroom. The steamed student then left the classroom and picked…
Not Dressed Up With Everywhere To Go
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. You know what I’m talking about: Rich & Bennett’s 17th Annual Halloween Pub Crawl. I know, last week I said I wasn’t going to revisit the shitshow that is the Halloween pub crawl, but I soon thereafter found myself coming in contact with…
Xavier Stephens of Sun Burger Preaches Sustainability
When Xavier Stephens moved from Queens, New York, to the Queen City a little over a year ago, the Caribbean native brought Sun Burger Vege Cuisine with him. It wasn’t difficult. Stephens’ 100-percent vegan, 100-percent organic restaurant is also 100-percent mobile. [Image-1] Stephens had started Sun Burger two years earlier, serving his Jupiter Triple J…
Christopher Lawing’s Book of Charlotte’s Iconic Signs Hits Shelves
Christopher Lawing is a walking encyclopedia — damn, Wikipedia’s already taken — when it comes to signs. He can tell you the history and location of almost every sign in Charlotte, from Mr. K’s Soft Ice Cream on South Boulevard to Open Kitchen on West Morehead Street. Lawing’s sign knowledge, along with his photography skills,…
Get to Know Your Softneck From Your Hardneck Garlic
Many people claim to love garlic, but can’t tell a hardneck from a softneck. That’s like claiming to be a car guy, but not knowing the difference between a standard and automatic transmission. One is for high performance, the other is for the undiscerning masses. If you’ve ever tried to peel 15 tiny slivers of…
Vi Lyles Is The Only Choice For Mayor
It’s been said that Vi Lyles is just a “short Jennifer Roberts” — that the two women are virtually the same politician, and that as mayor, Lyles would be no different from Roberts. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Though the two certainly agree on many of the most pressing issues facing Charlotte, mayoral…
‘Down Yonder’ Puts Video Spotlight on Local Music
For years Matthew Tyndall would hear rumors of Charlotte’s crappy music scene. He wasn’t aware of the city’s crappy scene, but he knew of its good one. So Tyndall, a co-partner in the local digital production company Priceless Misc, decided it was time to showcase it. He and Priceless editor Erik Button, who fronts the…
Dystopian Classic ‘Fahrenheit 451’ Still Strikes Sparks
When we find ourselves with an oppressive government that limits our freedoms, in large part we’ve done this to ourselves,” Charles LaBorde says. “We’ve allowed it to happen.” A veteran Charlotte theater director and educator, LaBorde is discussing themes central to his latest production, Fahrenheit 451, a stage adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel about…
Singer-Songwriter George Banda Finds Peace in Charlotte
In the middle of another toxic workday at the Asarco copper mine in the tiny desert town of Hayden, Arizona, George Banda decided that he’d had enough. The powerful stench of reagents — the chemicals used when copper ore is crushed into a fine powder during a process called froth floatation — smelled like a…
