Apr 24-30, 2012

Apr 24-30, 2012 / Vol. 26 / No. 9

Cover Story

How would Amendment One affect your life?

Recent polls show that the people of North Carolina favor allowing same-sex unions. Yet the numbers also indicate that on May 8, voters are likely to approve a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit such unions. What, exactly, is Amendment One? What would it do? Why is it coming before North Carolina voters now? And…

Ed Williams

Styles & Complete at Whisky River tonight (5/1/2012)

Styles & CompleteCharlotte DJs A-Styles & Complete are redefining dubstep by infusing hip-hop and Southern influence into a style they call “DirtySouthElectroSwag.” The duo’s original song “Cook It” features the lyrics “You can go HAM or you can go home.” It’s the name of their current tour and a good summary of how they approach…

Jeff Hahne

Harry Taylor fundraiser at the Muse tonight (4/28/2012)

HARRY TAYLOR FUNDRAISER CL gave its endorsement of Harry Taylor for Mecklenburg County Commissioner, and now you can show your support for the candidate, too. A fundraiser is being held at the Evening Muse for the former head of the Charlotte Folk Society who has a passion for education reform and environmental protection. The event…

Jeff Hahne

Hope for Agoldensummer at Snug Harbor tonight (4/28/2012)

HOPE FOR AGOLDENSUMMER Athens, Ga., folk/Americana luminaries Hope for Agoldensummer long ago earned a place in the hearts of discerning listeners in their famously music-centic hometown. Sisters Claire and Page Campbell weave their lilting voices through the shambling, rustic junkyard orchestra of their arrangements with the help of prolific musician/producer Suny Lyons. With nearly a…

Rachel Bailey

Canaan Music Festival this weekend (4/28/2012)

Canaan Music Festival I always hear people saying that the Charlotte area needs more music festivals. Well, it’s too not too far of a drive to Camp Canaan in Rock Hill. The inaugural two-day Canaan Music Festival kicks off on Friday evening, but it’s Saturday’s lineup that should draw more interest — folk singer/songwriter Jill…

Jeff Hahne

The Pirates! Band of Misfits sails at half-mast

THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS **1/2 DIRECTED BY Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt STARS Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman A different sort of booty call can be found in The Pirates! Band of Misfits, which sails the rough waters of a genre that’s recently been overexposed due to at least one Pirates of the Caribbean sequel…

Matt Brunson

The Five-Year Engagement: Engaging but overlong

THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT **1/2 DIRECTED BY Nicholas Stoller STARS Jason Segel, Emily Blunt It would be both obnoxious and inaccurate to quip that The Five-Year Engagement feels as if it runs as long as the titular length, but there’s no denying that this is one movie that would have benefitted from some judicious trimming in…

Matt Brunson

Jiro Dreams of Sushi: A tasty treat

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI *** DIRECTED BY David Gelb STARS Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono Sukiyabashi Jiro, one of only 106 restaurants worldwide to earn the Michelin Guide’s coveted three-star rating (in 2008, it was one of only 69), is located in an unassuming space in Tokyo. It seats only 10 customers, and reservations must be…

Matt Brunson

Occupy Charlotte stands up against Amendment One, DNC restrictions

Occupy Charlotte has been busy lately. Between reorganizing and planning how to protest at the Democratic National Convention, they’ve taken up another cause. The group will meet at 600 E. Trade St. on Saturday at 1 p.m. to fight against Amendment One, which, according to the group, “would write discrimination into our state constitution and…

Joanne Spataro

Charlotte Councilman speaks out against draconian immigration laws

City Councilman John Autry told a gathering of about 50 people at a vigil in the front lawn of the Latin American Coalition Wednesday that anti-immigration laws such as Arizona’s embattled SB 1070 are “cynical.” The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday for and against the Arizona law. Later in the day justices suggested they…

Mark Kemp

Young the Giant at the Fillmore tonight (4/26/2012)

YOUNG THE GIANT/APACHE RELAY Frontman Sameer Gadhia tries to inject passion into his mid-range nice guy vocals, and Jacob Tilley takes a stab at atmosphere with chiming delayed guitars, but Young the Giant’s sunny SoCal-flavored pop-rock is more warmed over than genuinely warm. Young the Giant shoot for the plaintive plain speaking of Soft Swells…

Pat Moran

Melvins storm Amos’ Southend tonight (4/26/2012)

MELVINS Blasting their way through the musical trends of the past 30 years, Melvins’ mutation of punk and metal, an unwieldy tank cruising and oozing sludge, still packs a wallop. Sure, they can be accused of repetition, but the lads, and their fans, don’t give a shit, thank you very much. The core duo, guitar…

Samir Shukla

Jesse Ruben at the Evening Muse tonight (4/26/2012)

JESSE RUBEN Jesse Ruben has a way of looking straight into your soul and putting emotions into words, which has served him well in building a fan base which tends to credit him with saving their lives. A graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Ruben is out supporting his second record, The Ones That…

Alison Angel

CD review: Jack White’s Blunderbuss

Jack WhiteBlunderbussThird Man; Release date: April 24, 2012 Has any album in recent memory been as hotly anticipated as Jack White’s solo debut? Even before he announced the end of the White Stripes, fans were clamoring for new music from their pale prince. There are hints of every side of White on Blunderbuss – White…

Jeff Hahne

Obama avoids Amendment One in Chapel Hill

President Obama came to Chapel Hill on Tuesday as part of a nationwide tour to promote lower interest rates on student loans. While I commend the president for taking on such an important issue, I’m a little nonplussed that he didn’t mention Amendment One – even in passing. Wikipedia Amy Gardner of The Washington Post…

Ana McKenzie

Van Halen rocks Time Warner Cable Arena tonight (4/25/2012)

VAN HALEN Am I the only one who caught the band’s 2007 reunion show in Charlotte? Sure seems that way. Either way, fans are going nuts for the latest tour – perhaps it’s due to a new album, A Different Kind of Truth. David Lee Roth is back at the helm and the quartet rounds…

Jeff Hahne

Trampled by Turtles at Neighborhood Theatre tonight (4/25/2012)

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES Authenticity’s a slippery concept. One person can hear it in these up-and-coming Duluth headliners, while another turns away from yet another generic Avetts/Mumford knockoff picking at the bleached bones of roots music with “authentic” instrumentation. To their credit, and despite the ridiculous band name, Turtles do kick up significant dust, in part…

John Schacht

Across Tundras at the Milestone tonight (4/25/2012)

ACROSS TUNDRAS There’s a criminal abundance of heavy or aggressive bands that claim country influence, yet never seem to transcend cartoonish rockabilly tropes. We all love the Man in Black, natch, but do we really need uncreative musicians slapping on Cash shirts and mirror shades and stomping around like that ludicrous, distended wolf from Looney…

Corbie Hill

On (not) fostering creativity and imagination

This is my favorite thing on the Internet right now: I know, I know… you’ve probably already seen it on your mama’s/cousin’s/high school frenemy’s blog/twitter/facebook wall. Did you cry? I did. Was your favorite part when he got inside the box and started pushing out the tickets? Yea, me too. I saw it at work…

Ailen Arreaza

Rolling in the deep (flavor that is): Sushi Guru & Sake Bar

Sushi lovers come in three camps: the penny pinchers, the traditionalists and the experimentalists. Those looking for inexpensive sushi typically will find it in restaurants that are less selective with their ingredients. The atmosphere in these eateries often distracts from the plate, and some establishments even prepare the sushi ahead of time and place it…

Tricia Childress

Politics as usual with Steve Earle

When you first see Steve Earle’s grizzled appearance and hear his Texas drawl, you might not expect political banter to be the backbone of his songwriting. However, the troubadour’s poetic insight into people’s problems is a comforting alternative to the election-year verbiage from our presidential candidates. Beneath politicians’ callous generalizations about the American people are…

Patrick Ambrose

One family’s story of how Amendment One hits home

Megan and Shana poured over dozens of pictures of children who lived in foster care thousands of miles away, in Texas, with no luck. They couldn’t connect with any of them. Then, they found Jax. Shana Carignan, 29, and Megan Parker, 33, met through a mutual friend in Shana’s hometown of Greensboro in 2008. They…

Ana McKenzie

CD Review: Bums Lie’s It’s Not a Disease, It’s an Infection

Creating music for roughly a decade, Charlotte reggae-rock quartet Bums Lie releases its sophomore studio effort as a seven-song EP clocking in at just under 25 minutes. “Uptown is burning down, and I’m laughing like a clown/ the walls between us are coming down,” Cullen West sings on “Uptown,” what could easily be an anthem…

Jeff Hahne

CL’s endorsements: The winners in the 2012 North Carolina primary

As election year revs up, North Carolina finds itself at a crossroads. On the one hand, the state is still recovering from a recession that hurt businesses and workers. On the other, May offers the promise for change. We have the opportunity to elect officials who are knowledgeable of our problems and capable of providing…

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of April 25

AMERICAN REUNION Where all the sequels to 1999’s American Pie — 2001’s American Pie 2, 2003’s American Wedding and now American Reunion — go wrong is that none manage the balancing act between sweetness and seediness as well as the original film, instead tipping the scale toward the bawdy end to an unnecessary degree. And…

Matt Brunson

A partnership of sorts: Rodney Hines

As I step through the doors of The Furniture Connector in South End, Rodney Hines greets me with all the warm familiarity of an old friend. A playful, sincere enthusiasm sparkles behind his blue eyes, and it’s not hard to imagine how Hines has managed to be successful. “As soon as people walk in, I…

Laura Camilo

Obama’s policies: The real scandal in Cartagena

President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign launched its first Spanish-language ads this week, just after returning from the Summit of the Americas. He spent three days in Colombia, longer than any president in U.S. history. The trip was marred, however, by a prostitution scandal involving the U.S. military and Secret Service. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chair of…

Amy Goodman

Styleascope: Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Styleascope is a lighthearted horoscope that puts a spotlight on local fashion. Believe it or not, Zodiac signs say a lot about a person. They speak to an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, romantic attractions, values, desires and … fashion sense? Yep! The stars can serve as a personal stylist, too. No sign is alike, so your…

Lauren Blake

Politics as usual with Steve Earle

When you first see Steve Earle’s grizzled appearance and hear his Texas drawl, you might not expect political banter to be the backbone of his songwriting. However, the troubadour’s poetic insight into people’s problems is a comforting alternative to the election-year verbiage from our presidential candidates. Beneath politicians’ callous generalizations about the American people are…

Patrick Ambrose

A fiesta for the feet: The Carolinas Latin Dance Company

“Third floor. Once you get there, you can’t help but hear and see them.” That’s what I’m told when searching Spirit Square for The Carolinas Latin Dance Company. In a small studio, big things are happening. Members of the group are frantically preparing for their annual dance performance and 10-year anniversary celebration, “Dancing Through Latin…

Anita Overcash

Exhibit: Back to the Garden

As you can probably guess from the title, Ciel Gallery’s latest mosaics are inspired by the outdoors. Leaves, trees, blossoms and bees are represented, in addition to works that pay homage to Adam and Eve, Woodstock and more. Texas mosaic artist Julie Richey juries the exhibit, which features works by various artists (including Laurel True’s…

Anita Overcash

Exhibit: Matthew Weinstein

New York-based contemporary artist Matthew Weinstein’s current exhibit features paintings accompanied by digital installations. Known for his surreal works and animation, Weinstein will also speak about narrative in the role of art during a lecture and screening of his short film, The Childhood of Bertolt Brecht. He will be joined at this May 3 event…

Anita Overcash

Bright lights in dark corners: Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear

Comic fear and faux trembling await any soul brave enough to set foot into the Gorelick Galleries on the third floor of the Mint Museum Uptown. Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear is not a Halloween horror house, or a vertiginous plunge into the morbid, grisly and grotesque. There’s more Munsters here than monsters; but there is…

Scott Lucas

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (April 25)

Playing House: An employee at a local Enterprise Rent-A-Car filed a police report after one of the company’s cars was stolen from a customer. The responsible customer said the car could have been stolen by only one person: her “play-granddaughter,” who has access to the woman’s residence at all times. Fortunately, the lime green 2011…

Ryan Pitkin

Weekly horoscope (April 25-May 1)

Taurus The Bull (April 20-May 20) [image] You will be changing your life through education, the law or possibly international work (Internet included). Your associations with formal bodies, i.e., religious or college institutions, will alter your perspective and your outlook. Many have decided to refresh their formal education or even begin anew in a different…

Vivian Carol

Where to find it: A Middle Eastern Bakery

Last week, baker Mohammed Mahrousa and owner Tony Azizi of the new Golden Bakery on North Sharon Amity were testing their recipes. The space, once Jerusalem Restaurant, is newly upfitted with ovens, proofing tables and glass display cases. The bakery is located in a strip of shops near the intersection of Sharon Amity and Albemarle…

Tricia Childress

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