Aug 15-21, 2012

Aug 15-21, 2012 / Vol. 26 / No. 25

Cover Story

Exploiting the DNC

Next month, they’ll be all over us. Political junkies, decked out in as much blue as their puny little bodies can stand, panting and salivating at the mere mention of Electoral College. They’ll fawn over our charming homes and delicious food as their hands slowly make their way up our collective blouse. Just as we’re…

Ana McKenzie, Joanne Spataro, and John Grooms

Back to the beach with these smart paperback mysteries

It’s a yearly tradition: We write reviews of a few good beach reads (“Music to the Eyes,” July 26), and then readers tell us that most people consider mysteries the only beach reading they’re interested in. Since we’re only here to oblige, here are reviews of three highly recommendable crime novels, all available in paperback…

John Grooms

CD Review: The Man From Ravcon’s The Traveler

The Man from Ravcon is Mike Brown, the vocalist, guitarist and founding member of late and lamented Charlotte indie pop-rockers The Ravelers. Lumped in with other ’90s Byrds-inspired bands, Brown’s old outfit transcended jangle-core, hitting the heartfelt, high, lonesome mark set by True West and The Dream Syndicate. Eventually, The Ravelers folded up the tent,…

Pat Moran

CD Review: Mount Eerie’s Clear Moon

With Mount Eerie — the far-flung vehicle of Washington’s Phil Elverum — form always follows function. This seems disingenuous to say of a project that has produced such disparate output — the stripped-back folk-rock of 2008’s Lost Wisdom is a far cry from the full-on fire and brimstone of 2009’s black metal-leaning Wind Poems. But…

Jordan Lawrence

The evolution of Charlotte’s high-end restaurant scene

Once upon a time, this city’s wealthier denizens lived as Southern belles of the corporate ball, wining and dining in lavish style with cushy expense accounts to foot the bill. “Ah, those were the days,” some will sigh, but with those days now largely a Bush-era blur, Charlotteans from across the economic spectrum — as…

Laura Camilo

Where to find it: Whole Foods and Publix

The Charlotte Whole Foods Market team must feel like Michael Phelps going into the 2012 Olympics. Not only does it want to meet expectations, but exceed them. Whole Foods opens a 42,000-square-foot store in SouthPark on Wednesday, Aug. 29. If you are unfamiliar with the chain, you may think this is all hype. But in…

Tricia Childress

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (Aug. 16 edition)

Easy Access: A train derailed in west Charlotte after an unknown suspect gained access to the track controls, proving the “red-button effect” really exists. By simply pulling a liver, the suspect caused three railroad cars to fall off the tracks, causing $10,000 in damages. Pill poppers: Police responded to a shoplifting call on The Plaza…

Ryan Pitkin

Lots of drama in The Merchant of Venice

Portia’s quality of mercy faces off against Shylock’s demand for his lawful pound of flesh as Charlotte Shakespeare presents The Merchant of Venice at McGlohon Theatre. One of Shakespeare’s richest and most controversial scripts — every production must take its own view of the greedy, resentful Shylock and his anti-Semitic enemy, Antonio — the climactic…

Perry Tannenbaum

Zoe Vette & The Revolvers at Snug Harbor tonight (8/18/2012)

ZOE VETTE & THE REVOLVERS With a previous Revolvers incarnation, Queen City rock goddess Zoe Vette cranked out guilty pleasures like the giddy S&M rocker “Ground Ginger.” A new line-up continues and improves on ZVR’s glossy grinding punk, thanks in part to secret weapon, guitarist/producer Grey Revell. A product of N.Y.C.’s anti-folk scene, Revell produced…

Pat Moran

Weekly horoscope (Aug. 16-22)

Leo The Lion (July 22-Aug. 22) The new moon in your sign on the 17th brings new ideas and a refreshed perspective to your goals and projects. There may be interference in travel plans on the 17th and 18th. However, if you persevere, things will work out over the weekend. For All Signs: The ongoing…

Vivian Carol

ParaNorman enlivens end of summer

PARANORMAN *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Chris Butler & Sam Fell STARS Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick The stop-motion animated feature ParaNorman arrives courtesy of the same production company (Laika Entertainment) responsible for Coraline and Corpse Bride, so parents had best not take their small fry to the theater expecting to see talking cars or…

Matt Brunson

Activists call for Duke Energy to sever all ties to ALEC

Greenpeace and the Coalition to March on Wall Street South took aim at Duke Energy again, this time focusing on company it’s kept. Greenpeace and the Coalition asked Duke to sever any ties it has to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, in an open letter to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz,…

Ryan Pitkin

Time traveling: Neil Young Journeys

NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS DIRECTED BY Jonathan Demme “There is a town in north Ontario,” Neil Young quotes himself in Neil Young Journeys, referring to one of his most intensely personal compositions, “Helpless.” The town in question is Omemee, Ontario, Young’s boyhood home. Tooling around the still sleepy burg in a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria, Young…

Pat Moran

Political dynamo: Michael Dukakis

In the weeks leading up to the convention, we’re talking to leading party figures — both national and local — for what we’re calling Creative Conversations. For the first installment of the series we speak with former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis. The son of Greek immigrants, Dukakis rose rapidly in politics in the 1980s while…

Mike Cooper

Matisyahu: It takes more than faith …

“Crossroads,” the opener from Spark Seeker, the recently released fourth LP from reggae-informed emcee Matisyahu, is a daring amalgamation of styles that shouldn’t amount to a complete thought, let alone a tremendously catchy pop song. The track begins with a Hebrew chant that appeals to Adonai, which roughly translates as “God.” A distorted wall of…

Jordan Lawrence

This week’s concert listings (Aug. 16-22)

** Bullet points indicate CL’s critics’ picks** Thursday, Aug. 16 Blues/Roots/International Bayou Butch Lucas (Villa Antonio (Ballantyne)) Latin Thursdays (Dream Nightclub, Matthews) Classical/Jazz/Smooth Beats and Keys (Encore Bistro and Bar) John Alexander (Blue Restaurant & Bar) Country/Folk Matt Stratford (Leroy Fox) Montgomery Gentry (Cleveland County Fair, Shelby) Open Mic w/ Brett Greer (Tommy’s Pub) Speakeasy…

Steady as they go: Enanitos Verdes

Four years ago, the last time Argentinean rockers Enanitos Verdes came to town, I jumped on the Neighborhood Theatre’s stage to sing along to their ballad, “Luz de Dia.” Lest you think I’m a crazed groupie who had to get escorted off the premises, let me clarify that the band asked for a group of…

Ailen Arreaza

Shakespeare Carolina brings an absurd Midsummer Night’s Dream

As much as it’s possible to be annoyed by gratuitous, purposeless modernizations of Shakespeare’s plays, I must say after witnessing numerous zany riffs, A Midsummer Night’s Dream stands up to the abuse better than anything else from the Bard’s quill. The story is very silly to begin with, begging for slapstick blandishments, and it already…

Perry Tannenbaum

The Tiny Chef takes on a big challenge

“Calling all chefs,” the Craigslist ad clamored, and Chef Susanne Dillingham promptly complied. “My mom actually found it; she sends me stuff all the time,” said Dillingham. “Normally those things are spam but I thought, what the heck, I’ll respond.” The ad, which turned out to be legitimate, was seeking participants for the second season…

Laura Camilo

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