Apr 19-25, 2017
4/20 Issue
Cover Story
N.C.’s Antiquated Marijuana Laws Are Losing the State Millions to the ‘Green Rush’
I stood in the front yard of an east Charlotte home on a sunny spring day, surrounded by all of Nancy’s worldly possessions. I sorted through relics from various local businesses she helped launch and became especially sad when I came upon her prized collection of china from a popular dinner club she pioneered. The…
8 Social Entrepreneur Hacks That Can Help Get Your Community Project Funded
CL contributor Kia Moore, one of two 2016 Emerging City Champions fellows in Charlotte, offers tips on how you can get your idea funded.
The Promise not a keeper
THE PROMISE ** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Terry George STARS Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon The historical epic was once a staple of cinema, and superb motion pictures like Lawrence of Arabia, Reds and The English Patient had the ability to effortlessly sweep viewers away with their passion and their grandeur. The Promise attempts…
CORRECTION: True Soundboard (April 21-26)
We flubbed up this week’s Soundboard in print, accidentally letting last week’s shows run again. We apologize for the mistake and if you showed up to one of these venues expecting one act but saw another, we hope they were good. Here’s the real listings: April 21 Classical/Jazz/Smooth Bria Skonberg (Mint Museum Uptown) Celebrating Dizzy…
CL EXCLUSIVE: World Premiere of ‘Rotated,’ by Ali Steele, Black Linen & Cosa Nostra Que
Hear the new track from Ali Steele, Black Linen, and Cosa Nostra Que here first.
The Blotter: Stoned
Stoned A suspect in southwest Charlotte was caught with weed yesterday and, although the police seized his stash, they did include some kind words about the quality of his bud. While police often write vague descriptions, often including my favorite police term “green, leafy vegetable matter,” for this specific arrest they noted that the suspect…
Weekly Horoscope (April 20-April 26)
For All Signs Venus, goddess of love to the ancients, has been retrograding since mid-May. On April 15 she turned direct, representing a shift toward the better in the world of relationships with restoration to order (if indeed, relationships can ever be considered “orderly”). Important issues have been under consideration during Venus’ resting period of…
At Sex-Themed Open Mic, Stories Stay Unrehearsed and Uplifting
The Modern Erotic is a new column in which Allison Braden will explore Charlotte’s sexier side. At last week’s “Foreplay! Goes South,” a monthly sex-themed open mic event, I heard stories about firsts. But these were not stories of the blush of youth or that first trepidatious touch. One woman stood at the microphone and…
Promoter Phil Pucci Launches Biggest Reverb Fest Yet
PHIL PUCCI is a low-key, humble guy. If you know him at all, it’s as the front man of the band Melt or as the guy who tends the bar at Petra’s and spins records at DJ Pucci Mane. Pucci’s a bit of an introvert, and he would never claim to be the mastermind behind…
Local Author On How a Simple Observation Turned Into a Period Novel
Paula Martinac draws her readers in with the first line of her fourth novel, “Ada’s daddy kept a postcard of three dead colored men in his toolbox.” Martinac is a natural storyteller. Her latest book, The Ada Decades, is a series of interconnected short stories told over 70 years. The main character, Ada Shook, is…
Make More Than Brownies on 4/20
Celebrating the week of 4/20 by cooking marijuana-laced brownies? That’s basic. We got in touch with someone we know to be one of the better cannabis cooks in town this week to talk about diversity in cooking with greenery. For understandable reasons (see other stories in this issue for our thoughts on this state’s antiquated…
WATCH/LISTEN: Top 10 Marijuana Songs by Charlotte Artists
It’s 4:20 on 4/20. Time to wake and bake. Yes, friends, it’s that day of the year when all good stoners celebrate one of America’s great national pastimes — smoking, vaping, eating, or by some other means of delivery, ingesting marijuana. Chilling out. Getting chill. Getting high, blitzed, blazed, blunted, bouldered, stoned, faded, fried, cooked,…
New State Rep Dishes on Battling Cancer, Partisanship and Addiction
It would have been understandable if Mary Belk had called off her campaign to join the North Carolina House of Representatives when she was diagnosed with breast cancer less than two months from Election Day. Instead, she balanced her battle with cancer and her political ambition, eking out a close victory over incumbent Republican Rob…
Obtuse NCGA Continues to Ignore Potential Pot Revenue
For the past several years, the North Carolina General Assembly has toyed with the idea of legalizing medicinal marijuana, contemplating what should be a given even as other states have gone a step further and legalized recreational pot. While our legislators have been busy dicking around with our civil rights and generally wasting time and…
Facing a Decision on 4/20
“One time I got so high, I had an out-of-body experience. We were smoking marijuana out of a gravity bong which was comprised of a two-liter bottle and a huge plastic tub. I don’t even remember clearing the chamber when all of a sudden I was riding around the room looking down on my body.…
Three Questions for Barista Morgan Hopkins of Central Coffee
Walk into Central Coffee Company in South End and you’re guaranteed to be greeted by the comforting scent of piping hot java. If you’re really, really lucky your drink of choice will be prepared by millennial barista Morgan Hopkins. [Image-1] Hopkins represents a the next generation of young professionals in Charlotte who are committed not…
A Selection of BOOM’s Big Hits
There will be a whole lotta shaking going on when BOOM goes off in Plaza Midwood, April 28 – 30. Billed as “Three days of art, performance and the unexpected,” BOOM is diverse, playful and sometimes downright strange. Designed to support the city’s creative community and foster collaboration among artists, BOOM has exploded into a…
Weed Entrepreneurs Leave N.C. for ‘Greener’ Pastures
Two years ago this week, I was sitting at my desk at the SF Weekly in downtown San Francisco, furiously putting the final touches to our annual music issue. In San Francisco, we didn’t do a special 4/20 issue each year. We didn’t have to. Every day is 4/20 in California, as it is now…
‘BOOM Charlotte’ Festival Detonates Arts Explosion in Late April
Out of chaos came BOOM! Let me explain. In this case “chaos” means Que-OS, the nonprofit led by BOOM Director Manoj Kesavan, and BOOM is — well, it’s the mother of all art bombs. BOOM landed in Plaza Midwood last year, delivering a three-day festival of avant-garde and grassroots arts, including dance, music and theater.…
