As the summer sun starts making an appearance, so do summer music festivals — and as it turns out, Marshall Park is the right venue to hold them both ... and will every Sunday in June from 1-6 p.m.
After spending a weekend in clubs and wine lounges, what’s better than doing more lounging … in a lawn chair, that is. You can bring out your picnic furniture and relax to the beats of live jazz music. And if you don’t pack the picnic basket, there’s food for sale. There’s a four band line-up every Sunday. Music for the following weeks will include ....
The Garden and Gun Club got shot down, and Halo has been planted in its place.
Apparently some lawn jockey magazine in Charleston called the Garden and Gun threw a hissy fit about the Garden and Gun Club sharing its name — and with a slap of a gavel, the Garden and Gun Club had to change its name … to Halo.
Well, to me it’s irrelevant because the whole time it was open I for some reason kept referring to it as the Gun and Garden Club.
Anyway, same scene, same music, same cool patio … but now you can hear the Uptown Amphitheatre from it, starting with The Fray this Saturday.
Aside from a revamped interior, the only difference is now they’re going to have benefit parties and Burlesque shows — the La Petit Mort Burlesque Revue to be exact.
Halo is having its grand opening this Friday for the Global Fever 4 International Party with DJ Nickankis and DJ Kosta X. And right next door is the Fillmore that opens next weekend with Corey Smith.
I felt inclined to check out Taste of Charlotte considering there was an emcee, karaoke contest, “Dance your @$$ off” dance party, the “Little Blue Choo Choo” and a Single Ladies dance off with the Lady Cats right outside my window luring me outside.
And further down Tryon there was an inflatable mechanical bull, a rock climbing wall, a “Frik-N-Frak” booth and an entire bathroom display with actual tubs and showers ... Random. It was like a mixture of an N.Y.C. street fair and Speed Street.
The most interesting thing at Taste to me was the “Other White Meat Tour” … a tour?! For some reason this doesn’t make me just think of pork — but it does make me wonder, what is the other white meat? ... Spanish? And chicken could essentially be the other dark meat, right?
By Brittney Cason and Sarah Coombes
Another parade was rained on in Charlotte when the water cycle got stuck on the precipitation dial again, raining out opening night for Dammit Janet … dammit! Yet the place was still packed for the VIP grand opening party this past Thursday, even the rain came … in the building as it leaked through the roof above the dance floor. But no worries, people just started dancing in the rain. Oh, what a glorious feeling …until it rains on the sound system. Owner Jeff Lowry announced he’d take us back in time by using mixed cds rather than a DJ system … now that’s a time warp.
Dammit Janet has a bar in a barn appeal — like a keg party in a small town in rural America, and it mimics a bigger version of The Thirsty Beaver. The novelty décor of the '70s-themed venue includes a Jaws fin and an escaping boat, a peeing statue (with suggestive cherries and bananas), a Beatles yellow submarine DJ booth and a live art showcase — and by live art we mean an actual living person.
Lowry said the premise will change frequently, while the opening party featured a man in a prison cell, next weekend it may be a girl in a bath tub. Lowry may be basing the art in his NoDa bar on its '70s (and '60s) theme, but he also wants to stay true to the theme of the hood by incorporating art.
What better to do this weekend than to save the world?
Friday night The Chuckleheads will make you chuckle for charity.
The Chuckleheads will kick off the "Friday Night Funnies Comedy Series" at City Cafe Restaurant, 128 S. Main St. in Mt. Holly, with a charity show benefiting the Community Relief Organization. Show starts at 8 p.m. and admission is free but donations are accepted. The Community Relief Organization (CRO) of Mt Holly is an organization created and supported by local churches to help those less fortunate by providing food and other items.
Also on Friday, there's a charity event in Rock Hill. Country singer Chris Young — he's a Nashville Star winner — will be performing two shows at the Long Branch Saloon for a benefit for the SCLEOA. Tickets are $12 and it's going on at 7 and 10 p.m.
And on Saturday you can be a shopping saint in Misa's Closet, a consignment sale at The Residence at SouthPark (Penthouse 529) with the sale benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Misa's Closet will be a consignment sale created by Misa Hylton, award winning fashion stylist and the creative mind that developed iconic images such as Mary J. Blige, Little Kim, Lisa Raye, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Kimora Lee, Fat Joe and 50 Cent, to name a few. There will be an admission fee of $25 for the VIP Pre-Sale from 10 a.m. to noon and $5 for the public sale from noon - 4 p.m. any items that do not sell will go to "Dress for Success" Charlotte.
And on Sunday there's a Festival of Hope in loving memory of Hope Stout at Beantown Tavern at the Fountains (on the corner of Audrey Hell and Tom Short) from 2 - 6 p.m. with live music from The Wax Gurus.
Meanwhile, Pops in the Park and the Marshall Park Music Festival both start this Sunday. Party in the parks with jazz music by day at Marshall park and the Charlotte Symphony by night at Symphony Park.
I went to check out Good Food on Montford, which was, well … good food on Montford. Between the recently opened Brazwells and it's new next door neighbor Good Food on Montford, Montford Drive is transforming from Dive Drive to Divine Drive.
Good Food is a global tapas place and, let me just say, the food was an orgy in my mouth and a party on my platter. They have a cheese plate that will make you salivate …
But there’s something about turning around and seeing the man that broke your heart sitting with the woman he knocked up somewhere in between waking up with you that can make you lose your appetite. The thought of him watching us sit back to back pretty much made me want to throw up. But then the steamed bun with pork belly and hoisin came out and just looked so good my appetite came back faster than an anorexic's … I mean, it puts Carolina BBQ to shame.
Truth be told Mr. Big, Donnie, Jason, whatever you want to call him, is basically dead to me … so seeing him was like seeing a ghost. And I’m not afraid of no ghosts. Of course he still haunts me, I’m not going to lie and tell you that I didn’t uncharacteristically scour the parking lot for a blue Volvo while I parked because I somewhat sensed his spirit — just like I did right before I randomly bumped into him in Boston and then at the Quail Hollow Championship. I feel like I have a sixth sense or some shit.
But I got there first and sat first, and I didn’t actually notice him until I turned around to look and see who was being an obnoxiously loud drunk behind me ... him. But surprisingly I didn’t feel compelled to throw a drink in his face, or drink to sedate myself from my pain – I was neither sad nor mad, I just felt startled, like I’d seen a ghost. I know that I have to make it past my Caspers in order to live — an exorcism of the heart. But I have come to realize that the only way to free my spirit of my ghost is by doing the unthinkable … forgiving him. Guess you could say I’ve gotten down to the heart of the matter – and I came alive on my trip to Montford Drive.
By Tiffany Handy
99 bottles of beer on the wall? How about 83 different kinds of beer on tap! And you don't even have to go to a different planet, you just have to board the Flying Saucer.
The walls of the Flying Saucer are painted with hundreds of plates that reflect the glow of the dimmed lights. Girls in plaid mini skirts and knee-high stockings hasten through the obstacle of bar stools, booths and tables, while in the back room the sounds of billiards pierce the ear. It sounds like such a guy’s place — and it is — but women love it just as much.
There are 13 of these establishments scattered across the U.S. and one of them can be found off of Tryon, across from UNCC. Surprisingly, more than just college students fly to The Saucer. Perhaps it’s the 83 taps they feature or the over 300 domestic and imported beers in their beer cooler, I don’t know … what I do know is that it is an extremely popular watering hole in Charlotte.
Not as in Patrone XO, but as in the kinda-sorta-new tapas lounge in Lake Norman that just re-opened after getting a make-over and new management. Meanwhile, NV Lounge has new synergy. As in, the owner of NV is now an owner of XO and NV is now called Synergy.
XO kinda reminded me of Soul Gastrolougne in Plaza Midwood – it has a similar tapas menu and sparkling sake. But it’s more of a leather couch kinda lounge. It’s upscale, but not uptight. I rolled through in my swimsuit fresh off the lake and although I was out of place, I wasn’t made to feel that way. I xoxo the staff.
Wednesday is the grand opening, which will include a wine tasting. Speaking of wine, try their red wine ice cream.
By Sarah Coombes
When I first heard of Dammit Janet, all I could think about was that song from Rocky Horror Picture Show… “Dammit Janet, I love youuuuuu.” … as it turns out, it’s the name of a new '70s club opening in NoDa.
Dammit Janet actually has nothing to do with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but it has everything to do with the '70s - and not just the funky fresh music, but the prices too. Whereas Flashback Fridays at the Latta Arcade can help me save a few dollars on lunch, Dammit Janet benefits the beer budget. Specials include $1.50 domestics and $2 imports, and not just on Fridays, but everyday — cheers to that!
Jeff Lowry, the owner of Dammit Janet, says he’s looking to create an affordable place to have a good time, and in our economy, affordable is a green light for nightlifers. Speaking of which, there’s also no parking fee and the cover charge is a mere $3.
The '70s era is famous for its disco fever, but Dammit Janet will be a variety of all the '70s-from punk to reggae and Motown to rock. And don’t worry, the dress code isn’t bellbottoms and platform shoes.
I’m going to leave the décor as a surprise for the opening, but I will tell you that a Jaws set and recycled records are only part of what Lowry has in store.
The club will be hosting a VIP party catered by KC of Fat City on June 4 and opens to the public on June 5. As a reader appreciation, I have two passes for the VIP night this Thursday. Each pass gives the cardholder and a guest a blast to the past... and you don’t need a DeLorean to get there. All you have to do is email scoombes@uncc.edu — the first two people to email me win the passes.
So, if you’re feeling a little night fever, but your wallet is in the E.R., boogie down to Dammit Janet, where you can bust a move and the recession.
I went to Wild Wing Cafe when they first opened to watch my Valentine’s Day segment on ESPNU and the Virginia Tech basketball game that immediately followed. After 20 minutes, they put the television at our table on the U, but sans the volume – I was ok with not having to hear my own voice that sounds to me like a raspy 12-year-old phone sex operator, but I wanted to hear the game. Which brought me to the conclusion that just like restaurants which have smoking and non-smoking sections, sports bars should have game volume and music sections.
My favorite food is anything smothered in buffalo sauce — so one would think that I would recommend Wild Wings menu with 33 variations of wings ... not so much. I ordered a buffalo chicken salad but something else came out ... so I just sent it back. Then a girl came out from the kitchen, whom I assume was on her period because she barked at me, “Do you want a to-go box for this? Because I can’t re-sell it so I’m still going to have to charge you for it.” W… T…. F….?
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