Cover Story
Homicide Support Organizations Scramble to Keep Up In an Already Violent Year
Judy Williams is literally tired from all the killing. I could see it in the way she sat, and in the way she sometimes stared off into the distance when we spoke one recent Saturday afternoon. Williams had held a vigil or memorial of some sort to honor a different Charlotte-area homicide victim on each…
The Crucible, The Founder, Split 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.) BLOW-UP (1966). Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Michelangelo Antonioni’s first English-language effort became one of the key art-house sensations of the second half of the ‘60s. Furthermore, it also was…
Things we overheard at the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Charlotte concert
Funk-rockers perform for packed Spectrum Center.
Big Sean’s performance should be on a bigger stage
MadeinTYO offers solid opening set.
The Fate of the Furious: On the road again
THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS **1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY F. Gary Gray STARS Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson General Hospital has been on the air for 54 years, and yet I daresay that not even that long-running soap opera has employed as many recurring characters as the Fast & Furious franchise. Many of these…
The Blotter: Taking Your Work Home
Sprayed Up A few employees at an optical media storage company — whatever that is — were probably late into work last week after a workplace beef was taken to the next level in the early morning hours. According to the report, two women in their early 20s were waiting at the bus stop to…
Daughters of the Dust, Hidden Figures, Multiple Maniacs 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.) DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST (1991). Writer-director Julie Dash’s feature-film debut first came to my attention in 1992, when the late Robert West, then the film coordinator for Charlotte’s Mint Museum, booked it…
Local Caricaturist Lo’Vonia Parks on Speed Drawing and Making People Cry
As a friend of Lo’Vonia Parks, I immediately knew what was happening when, just a couple minutes into our interview last week, her hand began to reach for her bag. I was about to be drawn. Some people whistle when they get nervous, some people bite their nails, Lo’Vonia draws, so when she reached for…
Angela Saylor Brings Her Electronic Music Project ‘Minthill’ Back Home
When Angela Saylor found out the electronic musician Joey Casio was among the 36 people who died in the tragic Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif., late last year, it rocked her world. The blaze had swept though a building where numerous artists lived and worked. Casio, who released music on the famed Olympia,…
Three Questions for Elena Kacan of Fidelli Kitchen
With so much growth and competition in Charlotte, restaurants and other businesses are relying more than ever on the power of marketing to elevate their brands. Enter marketing pro Elena Kacan, who is gaining respect in the city’s culinary world even though she rarely picks up a knife. Kacan represents the next generation of culinary…
Enderly Coffee Isn’t Just Roasting Beans, It’s Empowering a Community
If you’re wondering why the name Enderly Coffee sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen a sack of its beans around town — at the Healthy Home Market, Tip Top Daily Market, Juice Bar or Hazelnuts Crêperie. And if you’re wondering where Enderly Coffee’s shop is, you’re not going to find it — not until…
A Stand-Up Comedy Lesson From a Local Pro
Editor’s note: When we found out Charlotte stand-up comic Carlos Valencia was recording another comedy album here in the Queen City, two thoughts came to mind: We can write a story about it (boring) or we could just let him write something himself (funny). It was a no-brainer. Valencia will be recording the album during…
Weekly Horoscope (April 13-19)
For All Signs The Passover and Easter have variations in their historical details, but they share similarities in spiritual meaning. Each celebrates a homecoming to the Spirit. The Passover remembers the rebirth of the Jewish community after 400 years of slavery. Easter recalls the ever present opportunity for an individual to be reborn, or reconnected…
Mall Goth Vs. Middle America
LIKE A MAGIC TRICK, Mat Duncan pulled Mall Goth out of a hat. The name of Duncan’s goth band is also the name of a character the singer and songwriter plays in darkly comic sets that have become full-blown fringe theater. It’s like a pocket Rocky Horror Picture Show with more monsters. Fittingly, the band…
Durham Shenanigans Lead To a Concord Discovery
I didn’t throw up this weekend. In fact, I was barely hungover. A normal feat for many, I’m sure. However, I took a trip back to Durham for my five-year college reunion at Duke University. Still doesn’t put anything into perspective for you? I’ve known this 10-plus group of people for almost 10 years. It…
How to Deal With Rising Murder Numbers
Just five days into 2017, the Charlotte area saw four murders, including the killing of a Kannapolis police officer’s 14-year-old son as he sat in his aunt’s car. Things looked dire, and they haven’t gotten much better. Just a couple of weeks ago, on April 3, another 14-year-old, Taylor Smith, was shot down in a…
