Wednesday, august 03
Asheville poet, professor and author David Brendan Hopes has been getting rave reviews for his new book, Bird Songs of the Mesozoic. It’s subtitled “A Day Hiker’s Guide to the Nearby Wild” and is about paying careful attention to local flora and fauna as opposed to say, going to the Rockies to hike. Hopes’ meditative but muscular and witty writing takes readers along on hikes that lead to all manner of musing, history and intricate detail. Hopes will read from and sign copies of Bird Songs of the Mesozoic at Park Road Books at 7pm. For more information, call 704-525-9239. (Grooms)
Thursday, august 04
Is there anything better than Bluegrass? How about Bluegrass and NASCAR together! With three days of Bluegrass music plus Lowe’s Motor Speedway Track Tours, and the Richard Petty Driving Experience, the 2nd Annual Fastgrass Bluegrass Festival promises to bring together the best of both worlds. Bring your lawn chairs down to Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s Fleetwood RV Racing Camping Resort and listen to the Bluegrass sounds of The Cagle Family, The James King Band, IIIrd Tyme Out and many others. The festival kicks off August 4th, and three-day tickets are $60 in advance and $65 at the gate. Two-day and single evening tickets range from $50-$15. Visit www.fastgrassbluegrass.com or call 704-996-8147 for more information. (Lauren MacLeod)
Friday, august 05
For those of you whose exposure to Russian artwork is limited to the movie Russian Ark — wait, you actually saw Russian Ark? — the Elder Gallery has you covered with the Painters of Russia and the Soviet Union. Some 40 paintings in a variety of styles will be on display for this second annual exhibit; opening reception is tonight and runs through September 24. The artwork, which spans 1950-2000, strives to present a dramatic view of the lives of Russian people through an amalgamation of seascapes, landscapes, genre paintings and still life subjects. For more information, visit www.elderart.com. (William Fonvielle)
You never can predict which way Tony Wright will go when his Actors Gym tackles the classics. Will his reimagination of Shakespeare’s The Tempest be kinky, like his pajama party Midsummer Night’s (Wet)Dream? Macabre, like his springtime Vampire Love? Or a tad sentimental like last winter’s A Christmas Carol? David Holland, best remembered as Scrooge, morphs into the wizard Prospero; and Courtney Wright transforms herself from dominatrix vampire into the slavish Ariel — presumably in diaphanous garb. The new production runs at CAST, 1118 Clement Avenue, through August 27. Friday and Saturday performances at 8pm, Sunday evenings at 7pm. General admission tickets are $12, or $10 for students and seniors. Call 704-455-8542. (Tannenbaum)
Saturday, august 06
Here’s a tasty twist on the all-American ritual known as the summertime barbecue. This is for those uninterested in a pig in a poke — or is it hog on a stake? — and other assorted critters getting the sauce treatment. It’s the Peaceful Dragon’s 2nd annual Gourmet Vegetarian Barbecue. Even if you’re a big meat eater and like to rip your ‘cue off a bone, here’s a chance to gnaw on something different. The menu includes grilled eggplant with papaya, smoked seitan sandwiches, grilled veggie skewers, Bruschetta with tomato concasse, blueberry-stuffed grilled peaches and more. The price is $20 per person and includes the first glass of beer or wine. Make reservations by August 3. Call 704-504-8866 for details. (Shukla)
tuesday, August 09
The final two episodes of The 12th annual Hardee’s Summer Shootout is tonight at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The action will take place under the lights on the quarter-mile oval at the speedway’s front straightaway. A full card of racing will be featured, including Legends Cars, Bandolero Cars, Thunder Roadsters and the always entertaining school bus races. Lug Nut, the World’s Fastest Mascot, will be on hand to entertain the kids. Catch the finals next Tuesday, August 16. Adult prices are $5. Admission for children ages 6-12 is $3, and children under 6 get in free. Tickets are available at the gates, which open at 5pm. The show runs from 7:30pm — 10:15pm. For more information call Lowe’s Motor Speedway at 800-455-3267, or check out: www.lowesmotorspeedway.com (Boykin)
As computers continue to claim a monopoly on animation, traditional hand-drawn images are becoming a relic, making the upcoming Land of Make Believe exhibits all the more valuable. The project, which runs at the Mint Museum from today until February 26, showcases roughly 40 artworks designed for children’s literature from illustrators such as Tomie de Paola and James Ransome. Spanning the early 1960s through the mid-1990s, the collection is a melting pot of watercolor, oil paintings, pastels and woodblock prints. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, $3 for ages 6-17 and free for both members and children 5 and younger. (William Fonvielle)
As one of Charlotte’s longest running laff-rock outfits, the Alternative Champs have hammed it up for so long that they’ve actually become, well, quite good. Sure, they still write songs about Rockingham, NC, horny long-haul truckers and the dangers of swimming too soon after you’ve eaten. Sure, they still have a theme — “Burning Man Orange,” “BabaGanush,” or perhaps the alt-mocking “White Strokes” — for every show, costumes included. But dammit, they can play rings around most bands, and the humor is equal parts high- and low-brow. Tonight’s show at the Visulite Theatre is a CD Release party for their new record, Welcome to Fort Awesome, released on Charlotte-based MoRisen Records. Tickets for the 10pm show are $7, available at the door or by calling 704-358-9200. (Timothy C. Davis)
This article appears in Aug 3-9, 2005.
