The N.C. Music Factory is manufacturing yet another bar - Black Bear Saloon - and production on it ends soon.
Their grand opening party is Friday, April 16, and will feature a live band — The Swinging Richards — and DJ Kommotion, according to Director of Operations, Nicole Steeger.
Though I am excited about having another place to party, I am more excited about the fact Black Bear serves food - because the key to my heart, is through my fat ass. Black Bear serves lunch and dinner, and has a late night menu until 2 a.m. This will provide the offices in the N.C. Music Factory (such as Creative Loafing) a place to eat lunch and a place to munch after a night out at Butter, Fillmore, The Uptown Amphitheatre or Halo.
Black Bear will have trivia on Tuesdays and karaoke on Wednesdays — and they have 35 HDTVs that can get any sporting event you might want to watch. Perhaps even Underwater Hockey or the World Marbles Championship.
Also opening this summer: Wet Willies right next door to Black Bear.
Down the road, the Epicentre will welcome Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina. Finally, a place to get margaritas Uptown!
I don't know if getting drunk makes people more creative or what, but drinking seems to keep getting more and more innovative. I don't know if I'm going to a bar or a science fair anymore ... Now, there's the Polar Pitcher... the coolest thing to happen to drinking since The Chuggler
You'd probably expect to see thise type of innovative drinking tool at an EpiCentre bar, right? ... but no, I found this at AMF Lanes on South Boulevard. They also offer unlimited soda with a party package, which is pretty exciting.
I may have hosted the Miss Lake Norman pageant, but don't get me wrong... I am by no means, a beauty queen.
As a baby, my face was essentially nothing but fat cheeks with dimples, which apparently was adorable by southwestern Virginia standards because everyone talked my mom into entering me in the county fair's baby beauty contest, and next thing I know I am little Miss Rockingham County… up until the point I started walking. My mom put me in a dress and took me back to the county fair, but rather than lining up on stage with the other prositots, I ran off and dove into the pig’s pen at the livestock exhibit near the stage and started splashing in the mud, in my dress. I obviously have no recollection of this, I was just told this story by everyone in my hometown. Apparently, I haven’t changed a bit …
Needless to say, I never entered a pageant again. But I was recently bequeathed a crown ... a crown that dons me the most prestigious of party titles, an honor for which I will hold in the highest regard ... I am the first ever Miss Tailgate for the National Tailgating League — hereby pronounced Queen of Tailgating. A role that I promise to fulfill with the grace and poise of a queen ... and a damn good cornhole player.
I will be traveling with the National Tailgating League to races and games to emcee the Cornhole Tournaments and host the party. You see, The NTL isn't just a Cornhole Tournament ... it's a freaking tailgate. They have the Budweiser Porta-Party, which at Bristol will be a sports bar in the middle of Earhart Campgrounds. But you should sign up for the tournament because you win money. And I don't know about you, but I like winning money. Sign up here
The show Fast Track to Fame, the new high-octane talent show on SPEED where performers
can zoom from ‘nobody’ to star in 60 minutes, will also be at Bristol. And much like I did for America's Got Talent ... I am helping them find talent. See how you can audition here ... and I'll see you in Bristol.
The roof, the roof ... the roof of Ri Ra was on fire. But now it's rebuilt, and Ri Ra has re-opened ... and with the luck of the Irish, just in time for St. Patrick's Day. Let me begin by saying that perhaps the fire was best thing that could've happened to Ri Ra Irish Pub — it gave them the opportunity to open as essentially a new bar with a whole new look ... and it looks better. For starters, they tore down the wall above the staircase to open, and lighten, up the top level.
The chandeliers lacing the once burning roof give it more of a lounge ambiance than an Irish pub, but the menu selections — both food and drink — remind that it is one... Such as Guiness, Harp and Smithwicks on draft.
This Saturday, March 13, the pub will open at 9 a.m. with morning menu offerings such as the traditional Irish Breakfast, transitioning to an all-day menu at 11. Rí Rá will feature Irish dancers in-house throughout the day, as well as live Irish traditional music followed by performances by Dallas Reece and the U2 tribute band Beautiful Day.
I bet when all the people stop by during Rich and Bennett's famous St. Patty's Day pub crawl, the owners will relish and rejoice ... in the smoking ban.
Mortimer's Cafe and Pub introduced itself to Charlotte at Bartender's Ball - and I sent the intern to investigate it further. Here's what she found ...
By Chandler Smith-Currie
Sometimes, you want to go where everybody knows your name… and Mortimer’s Café and Pub in the EpiCentre is set to be that place. Mortimer’s, which is having their grand opening on March 15, is located on the first level of the EpiCentre in the space formerly known as PJ’s Coffee and Lounge.
Owner Brandon Viebrock describes Mortimer’s as, “Your friendly neighborhood pub at the Epicentre.” After walking through its double doors, I sensed the modern day “Cheers” vibe. It is a casual environment where you can go after work to unwind, and where you don’t have to worry about changing your work attire or putting on your club clothes to fit in. Cheers to that.
Normally when I report the news, it's happy news: new nightclubs are opening, or a good act is coming to town ... but this time, I'm reporting hard news via WBTV - because this is scary: Man crashes into cars to rob, rape women ... and he's following these ladies home from bars and nightclubs, police think. Ladies, I am calling a mandatory safety meeting in which the linked article is your handbook.
Let me rephrase that. Come out, to The Closet Nightclub.
According to a press release from owner Jody Sullivan, Closet Nightclub is ...
"Charlotte’s newest high energy dance club located in the heart of the Elizabeth neighborhood. CLOSET will be catering to a diverse crowd including the GLBT community. The Club features a huge dance floor with 2 overlook balconies, 4 bars, state of the art sound/lighting/video system, and a separate cocktail video lounge. Closet Nightclub has a 400+ capacity and onsite parking."
The Closet opens on Friday, Feb. 19, with a live performance by Amber.
In other Breaking Nightlife News ...
• Wilmer Valderrama is coming all the way to Charlotte to celebrate his 30th birthday, this Friday. Feb.12 at BUTTER. And Will.I.Am is going to DJ the grand opening party next weekend.
• Cuban Pete's Cafe has opened in Plaza Midwood ... in the nook for which the Nook and Graduate was. And it has a sangria bar. Awesome.
For more comprehensive nightlife coverage check out CL's CIAA tournament (and party) listings and daily (or should I say nightly) event listings on CL's At Large blog.
This is Brittney Cason, signing off ... now back to your regulary scheduled program (or work ... wink).
I found this letter in my inbox from the Casting Producer for America's Got Talent, season 5. Basically, if you want to be on the show, well, then you should read it ...
Hi Brittney,My name's Shannon, I'm the Casting Director for America's Got Talent. The show will be in Atlanta on the 20th and 21st and I want people from Charlotte to come down for it! I want to talk to you about how we can generate a lot of interest in the open call and also give you some more inside info on the "Q" acts that I need to book. I can get about 50 acts right in, in front of the judges where they won't have to wait or deal with the crowds. Most times, they are the people that end up being selected for the show. All I need from folks you know --or don't even-- is their contact info and a video showing me that they're at least good and I can book them a private audition time. Just need to spread the word and get what's good from people in the know. Like, I need the writers from your paper, your friends, their friends, the local/regional papers to come up with the best or most unique, most talented people they've ever seen in the Charlotte area. It doesn't matter if it is performance art, breakdancing, cake baking, wood whittling, spoken word speaking, dancing, quick changing, streaking, tumbling, etc... You get the picture. We'll hopefully be able to give a lot of people a great opportunity!
All the Best ...
So in synopsis, if you want to be on America's Got Talent just send me a video of yourself being talented. Send it to brittney.cason@creativeloafing.com ... consider me your direct line to cut the line... but really I'm just the Charlotte middle man to a casting producer in L.A.
Last weekend, I went to the market … as in the Dandelion Market, the newest bar in Uptown.
Although I did go to the actual market as well… after spending 15 minutes fighting my way through the parking lot of the Metrolina Shopping Center, I got to Trader Joe's. Another 15 minutes later, as I’m standing in the check-out line, I hear: “If you left your blackberry in the apples, we have it at customer service.” I look at the bag of apples in my hand, and notice the lack of blackberry in the other. I go up to customer service to retrieve my crackberry, and they tell me they found it mixed in with the apples in the crate … oops. Luckily, they have child-proofed the store for adults.
The staff of the Dandelion Market is as cool and helpful, and like in Trader Joe’s they let you have samples ... of their 24 beers on tap including many local drafts. I tried the one with a church tap. And seeing as how it’s a small plate place, you can sample the menu without committing to a whole meal. You can also try everything at the market, which is one of everything on the menu for only 200 “buckaroos” … I'm pretty sure that means a dollar in Dandelion lingo. They also have 25 different kinds of wine and only charge 25 buckaroos a bottle.
Kazba is pairing its grand opening celebration with a New Year's one, but last night I got a sneak peek ... but I'm not going to be sneaky about it. Here's the scoop, for your info-tainment ...
My friend Dianne said it reminds her of a bar you’d find where she's from … she's from the Untied Arab Emirates ... not ringing a bell? … Dubai … the Middle East, if you will. So, for her to say that, they really adhered to the international theme they were going for.
It is the epitome of a lounge with its candlelit, low-to-the-floor plush seating. It was dark and comfortable. So much, in fact, I kinda wanted to take a nap. The music wasn’t too loud so it really became a possibility come midnight; all the pillows and couches lined with drapes made it rather tempting. I even had to order a Redbull, sans vodka.
My only issue with Kazba is that there’s no bathroom in it ... you have to go use Mez like an outhouse. When both venues are crowded I imagine that is going to suck (i.e. New Year's Eve) — just be sure to go out with an empty bladder, and avoid breaking the seal for as long as you can.
So is the Kazba rockin? … You be the judge
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