Punk Bands Go It Alone
Back in January, punk and hardcore acts from all over the Southeast got together for Punk Wars “04 at Tremont Music Hall in celebration of the DIY attitude and music that has defined both scenes. But what had been an attempt to unite the two scenes under one umbrella wound up, at least locally, alienating…
Confessions Of A Prom Dropout
If life is one big test divided into sub-sections, I think I flunked the one labeled “Prom.” I did passably on “Wedding,” and maybe even above-average on “Labor,” since I got through the ripped-flesh agony of giving birth without any drugs, although it’s a big part of why I have only one kid. Every spring,…
Homegrown Electronica
Editor’s Note: Due to a production problem, last week’s “Homegrown Electonica” story repeated a jump page and did not include the story’s conclusion. We present the article in its entirety here. For Charlotte’s electronica community, success has been a mixed blessing. In the late 90s, Charlotte’s electronic music scene underwent a surge in popularity that,…
Guiney A Go-Go
A caveat: I don’t really watch reality television, unless you count things like, you know, the news. I’m not up on whatever “exotic” country the Survivor series is currently shooting in, and I damn sure don’t make it a point to check out The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. But there I was Wednesday evening at…
Sit & Spin
Modest Mouse Good News For People Who Love Bad News Epic On the cover of the new Modest Mouse record, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, there is a typically architectural cover design, the title, and the legend “by Modest Mouse.” You know, like a book. In a nutshell, if you care about…
The Blotter
A HOLE IN ONE!: A woman called police to report that the side of her house had been damaged, and that one of the windows had been cracked. She told them that when she checked the damage, she found a golf ball lodged in the siding. She later found more golf balls in her yard.…
Music Menu
THURSDAY 4.22 Bob Schneider — The Texas-based singer/songwriter has a new one fresh off the presses, I’m Good Now, and was honored at this year’s Austin Music Awards with the “Musician of the Year” crown. Call him Mr. Texas, please. His rootsy, straight-ahead rock isn’t going to re-shape the musical cosmos, but judging from the…
Old Times There Are Not Forgotten
Jennie Clarkson Event Planner “It was pretty weird. You’d have thought they had won or something.” Harold Ledbetter Dry Cleaning Company Owner “I drove down for it and it was fantastic. I think now they should dig up all the Confederate soldiers and rebury “em — just to remind people, you know?” Mae Richards Wright…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Apr. 21 Amos’ Southend Michael Glibacki w/ Danielle Howle & Red Perspective Back Alley Music Hall, Concord Open Mic w/ Jon Teague Blue Melinda Hansen, Royce Guin, Korey Dudley & Rob Knox Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Brickhouse Tavern, Davidson Robin Brown & Andy Seets Bricktop Lounge Christian & Brigmunton Cajun Queen 7th Street…
See & Do
APRIL 22 – THURSDAY A serial killer on-the-loose amid the Eskimos in the pristine wilds of Edmonton, Alberta? You better believe it, because Off-Tryon Theatre Company is bringing Brad Fraser’s Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love to town, and you’ll find that Edmonton and its dysfunctional inhabitants aren’t all that pristine. Nobody…
Film Flubs
It’s possibly the most exciting sequence you’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing in a motion picture. The runaway stagecoach is cruising along at top speed, the injured hero is trying to leap onto the back of the closest horse pulling it, and the outlaws are riding right alongside the coach, firing at the good…
Ask the Advice Goddess
Plain and Suffering I’m single and looking for a boyfriend. I’m not one of those women whose appearance is always impeccable. I just can’t seem to muster the energy to dress to impress for everyday errands. Today, I was at the dog park, wearing baggy jeans in need of laundering and an oversized T-shirt, with…
Did You See That?
Obviously, there’s no shortage of film flubs, but here are some favorites that I’ve spotted over the years. Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Oliver Stone films are notorious for their anachronisms, whether it’s Platoon, The Doors or this drama set in 1968. But you don’t need to be a Creative Loafing music writer…
Stargazer
For All Signs Mercury, ruler of travel, communications and routine business, continues its retrograde trek across the sign of Aries until April 30. The time is most favorably used to compare alternatives, research details, finish projects started long ago or look deeply into one’s psyche (i.e., hypnosis, prayer, meditation, psychotherapy). Whatever is lost or misplaced…
View From The Couch
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003). Many of the most enduring movie romances make us willingly suspend our disbelief, but this colossal disappointment, a multi-story piece in which various folks find love in London in the weeks leading up to Christmas, asks viewers to go to such extremes to disengage from reality, it makes Yellow Submarine look like…
Albee in Eden
Theater and opera came on with a rush after the traditional Easter lull, with high-profile works from Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, and Giacomo Puccini leading the charge. BareBones Theatre Group sported the freshest of these prestigious pieces, presenting Albee’s The Play About the Baby at SouthEnd Performing Arts Center barely three years after its Off…
Film Clips
CURRENT RELEASES THE ALAMO Forget The Alamo… again. John Wayne’s 1960 take on the historic battle of 1836 was fairly useless as history and barely involving as entertainment, but it at least had the benefit of a sterling cast and a marvelous Dimitri Tiomkin score. This version can’t even match those modest achievements — it’s…
The Melberg Moving Company
Veteran Charlotte art dealer Jerald Melberg grew up in a small town in Minnesota which he describes as a “fabulous” experience. It obviously inspired his entrepreneurial spirit, as Melberg often set up backyard petting zoos and circuses and charged all the neighborhood children 10 cents for admission. His initial interest was studying theater, but following…
Where have you gone, Sandy Koufax?
It’s not until after the game that Gabe Kapler’s tattoos can be seen. The Boston Red Sox outfielder stands in front of his locker in the guts of Fenway Park peeled down to his shorts. A Star of David big as a giant chocolate chip cookie brands his bulging left calf. Bruise-blue Hebrew letters in…
State of Turmoil
Frye Gaillard is a Charlotte treasure. Since he arrived from Alabama 32 years ago, his thoughtful, passionate writing has helped us see ourselves and our South more clearly and completely. My first taste of Frye’s work came with Watermelon Wine: The Spirit of Country Music (1978), and Race, Rock & Religion (1982), two collections of…
Fables Of The Reconstruction
As the situation in Iraq grows ever more tenuous, the Bush administration continues to spin the ominous news with matter-of-fact optimism. According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Iraqi uprisings in half a dozen cities, accompanied by the deaths of more than 90 soldiers in the month of April alone, is something to be viewed…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Ann Labounsky Organist and Fellow of the American Guild of Organists will present a program featuring the music of Bach, Langlais, Franck, Vierne, and an improvisation on submitted themes. Sun., April 25, 4 p.m. Free. Myers Park Baptist Church, 1900 Queens Rd. 704-334-7232. Charlotte Symphony w/ Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Big Bad Voodoo…
Get Real
I’ve got a new, efficient way to save time while keeping up on pop culture. It may seem like skipping to the end of a murder mystery book, but you’ll thank me later on: Just watch the finale! Within the sometimes interesting, and often god-awful TV genre we call “reality,” it’s hard to keep up…
Greek to Me
You no longer need the Oracle at Delphi to answer the question “Where do I go for Greek food in Charlotte?” Greek Isles Restaurant pays homage to a cuisine long neglected in Charlotte. Not since the Grapevine closed years ago has Charlotte had a full-service Greek restaurant. Sure, you can get a Hellenic fix with…
Mental Wardrobe Malfunction
The War President finally held a press conference last week and not surprisingly, most of the questions centered around 9/11 and the handling of the War Against Terror (Iraq Edition). Bush was impressive, if you consider that this was only the third prime-time press conference he’s held since being appointed President. At this rate, another…
Wine Ramblings
This is my digest of what is hot, cool and talked about. The Other Down Under South Africa has finally released their prized beasts. For years, they selfishly hoarded their better wines, exporting the generic plunk. Once they realized the rest of the world had taste too, the South African wine exporters started pondering the…
Mirror, Mirror
The writing is on the wall. We’re heading for a regional meltdown, and very few of us give a damn about it. As we in Charlotte and surrounding counties increasingly befoul our environment, our precious quality of life will deteriorate, and the once-solid foundation of our economic prosperity will sink down into our own slime.…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 400 S. Tryon St., 704-339-0303; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. All locations have different owners. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd.…
In The Name of Safety
Imagine a world where, in the name of homeland security, every trip by every motorist is tracked and recorded by the government using a wireless technology called telematics. The truth is, the vast body of automotive data on the activities of American citizens this would produce is closer to reality than you think. It already…
Partying With A Purpose
As party animals go, they’re rather odd birds. Fond of flip-flops, barbecuing, and icy drinks in tall glasses, they like to congregate at the beach, drinking in the salt air and sunshine. They love traveling in flocks, and won’t give a second thought to flying across the country in search of warmer climates. However, they’re…
Letters
Get Off The Train David Walters’ attempt to relate a city’s livability to its rail system inadvertently makes just the opposite argument (“Great Cities, Great Trains,” Mar. 31). He mentions several cities that have absolutely no urban or passenger rail (such as Winston-Salem) that somehow made the list. And he tries to explain away cities…
