Itttt'sssss baaccckkkkkk.
Nine out of 10 Charlotteans agree, Alive After 5 is a staple in the Charlotte nightlife scene during the spring and summer.
OK, maybe I made up that statistic, but the crowds at this seasonal happy hour live music event speak volumes.
This week, Alive After 5 will kick off at 5 p.m. at the old spot, Wachovia Plaza (where it was hosted for the first eight years of its existence and will be for the month of April), with special musical guest Liquid Pleasure.
On May 6, however, Alive After 5 will return to its current home, the Pavilion at EpiCentre and continue every Thursday at 5 p.m. through September.
“Alive After Five is a Charlotte institution and we are very excited to return to our roots at the Wachovia Plaza for the month of April,” Ed Duncan, Managing Director of East Coast Entertainment, said in a press release. “We are proud to call EpiCentre home, but entering our 10th year we wanted to tip our cap to the venue that helped Alive After Five become the success it is. Now our loyal fans get the best of both worlds, reliving great memories at Wachovia Plaza and making new ones at EpiCentre.”
Wondering about the bands on this year's line-up? I suggest you check out Music Editor Jeff Hahne's blog here.
For additional information on Alive After Five, visit www.aliveafterfives.com, check them out on Facebook or follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/aliveafter5.
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, April 6, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Dub City at Halo
• Spring Fever Beach Party at Whisky River
• Service Industry Night at Therapy
• George Terry at Jeff's Bucket Shop
• Trivia night at Petra's
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, April 5, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Pint Night at Flying Saucer
• Monday Night Pint Nights at Dandelion Market
• Manic Monday at Dilworth Billiards
• The Lights Fluorescent at Snug Harbor
• Karaoke at Dixie's Tavern
A few Fridays ago, Halo held a Zumba event, with a juice and water bar in place of the usual alcoholic kind. But after dancing the night away, we all need a drink to steady our dancing legs (or at least, I do), so the alcohol did follow the event. However, since my knowledge of Zumba is based on what I heard, I got curious as to what it’s all about. Zumba is the latest workout craze to hit the nation, combining "hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away" (So says the Web site).
Although Zumba is primarily found in a gym, it also fits well in the club scene. So I started to wonder a few things: first of all, could Zumba be the class to fix my two left feet? And secondly, after the event at Halo, could Zumba be a new nightlife trend? I headed over to a class in Union County, my latest place for nightlife, to find out the answer and to get my groove on!
"Rock guitar players are all dead men walking," former Replacements front man Paul Westerberg recently wrote in The New York Times tribute piece about his mentor, Alex Chilton, who passed away on March 19. "Those who fail to click with the world and society at large find safe haven in music -- to sing, write songs, create, perform. Each an active art in itself that offers no promise of success, let alone happiness."
Westerberg inherited Chilton's knack for penning poignant, beautiful-loser pop songs, and understood well his disappointment at learning that meant nothing on the ladder of success. Westerberg's misfits and Chilton's still-underrated Big Star were forever linked by The Replacements' 1987 Pleased to Meet Me tribute track "Alex Chilton" ("I never travel far/without a little Big Star"), which made this pairing a natural for the 7th Annual Fool's Brigade charity tribute even before Chilton's passing.
Spread over two nights this year at Snug Harbor to celebrate both seminal acts, The Replacements get covered Friday, April 2 by a lineup featuring One Another, You Tonight, Dirtbag Love Affair, Spalding Grays, The Houstons, The Sammies, The Mangles and Fat Camp, as well as the annual house band led by event organizer Bruce Hazel of Temperance League.
Chilton and Big Star get the tribute love the following night, with the honors performed by Lou Ford, The Catch Fire, Raised by Wolves, (the newly minted) Elves, The Noises 10, Transmission Fields and the house band. The music both nights begins at 9 p.m., admission is $10 and all proceeds go to Project HALO.
— John Schacht
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, April 2, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• 1st Annual EpiCentre Bunny Hop Bar Crawl
• West Elm hosts Takeover Friday
• RAIN benefit at Closet
• First Fridays at The Forum
• Tartufi at The Milestone
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, April 1, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Free show at Salvador Deli
• Vivian Green at Dharma Lounge
• LazyDay.com's Bad Thursday Bar Crawl
• Artistic Mix at Apostrophe Lounge
• Blackout Entertainment presentes I <3 the 90s at Latorres
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