Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2013

Feb 27 - Mar 5, 2013 / Vol. 27 / No. 1

Cover Story

CIAA 2013: Pimping the promoters

With the recent news that the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against a number of party promoters, venues and merchandisers, the word “official” has never carried more weight. In the eight consecutive years that the CIAA has hosted its annual basketball tournament in Charlotte, however, it’s all the “unofficial”…

Kimberly Lawson

CD review: HRVRD’s From The Bird’s Cage

HRVRD’s second full-length album proves the Charlotte indie-rock quintet hasn’t lost a step from its previous efforts (Animals EP, 2008; The Inevitable and I LP, 2009 and The Interpretations EP, 2010). The band picks up where it left off with ease — offering intricate soundscapes behind singer Jesse Clasen’s haunting lyrics. From the Bird’s Cage…

Jeff Hahne

Meet the anti-dad in Lionel Asbo: The State of England

Meet the unforgettable Lionel Asbo. He lives in a beleaguered London suburb and, by age 21, has become a fixture in jails and rehab centers for dumb crook antics such as battery, assault, burglary and trafficking in stolen goods. Lionel adopted his surname in homage to the British designation for people of his ilk: Anti-Social…

Erik Spanberg

Where to find regional grits

A reader is looking for Crook’s Corner Stone-Ground Grits, which used to be a staple at Reid’s Fine Foods (2823 Selwyn Ave.). If you are not from here, this hunger for specific grits may seem puzzling. On a basic level, grits are ground from either yellow corn kernels or white ones. For commercially prepared grits,…

Tricia Childress

Charlotte Jewish Film Festival kicks off

The 9th annual Charlotte Jewish Film Festival will showcase a hefty number of titles during its run, starting today and playing through March 17. The opening night reception will feature Hava Nagila (The Movie), a documentary that examines the history of the popular song and includes appearances by Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis and Leonard Nimoy.…

Matt Brunson

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (Feb. 28)

Isn’t It Ironic?: A 39-year-old woman filed a police report after her preventative measures against crime failed. The woman told officers that an unknown suspect stole a package containing $400 worth of equipment from her front porch before she could bring it into her home. The package contained a security camera and DVR system that…

Ryan Pitkin

Humorous theatrics in All the Great Books Abridged

Forget SparkNotes, because All the Great Books Abridged smashes 86 popular books from all ages into 90 minutes of humorous theatrics that go by faster than the turn of a page. OK, maybe not that fast, but you definitely don’t have to worry about the small print. Stephen Seay Productions, the Charlotte-based, LGBT-friendly organization that’s…

Anita Overcash

Crawl over to these arts openings

As the headline suggests, here are a few picks of exhibit openings and receptions to check out this week in Charlotte and the surrounding area – as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. Mixed-media artist Monique Luck adds lots of depth to her soulful creations. They flow with a blend of colors and designs…

Anita Overcash

21 & Over: Age before booty

21 & OVER ** DIRECTED BY Jon Lucas & Scott Moore STARS Miles Teller, Skylar Astin It’s hard to imagine anybody who’s 21 and over truly getting much out of 21 & Over, but as far as these sorts of films go, this one isn’t as aggressively stupid as some. It’s written and directed by…

Matt Brunson

Beyond the pastry case at Amelie’s French Bakery

Step into Amelie’s French Bakery at any time of the day or night and you will fall victim to a common malady at the destination coffee spot in NoDa: gripping and hypnotic pastry-case paralysis. The bakery’s famed glass case seduces guests to gleeful submission, resulting in habitually long lines and the type of booming business…

Keia Mastrianni

John Cale’s Paris 1919 celebrates 40 years

It was the year Tony Orlando and Dawn inflicted permanent emotional damage on us with “Tie A Yellow Ribbon.” And Cher audibly pistol-whipped us with the aural insult, “Half Breed.” Loggins and Messina skipped and danced onstage like demented Campfire Girls. Focus yodeled, Karen Carpenter whimpered, Elton John made us actively despise the early ’60s…

Peter Gerstenzang

Albert Woodfox’s 40 years of solitary confinement

Albert Woodfox has been in solitary confinement for 40 years, most of that time locked up in the notorious maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary known as “Angola.” This week, after his lawyers spent six years arguing that racial bias tainted the grand-jury selection in Woodfox’s prosecution, federal Judge James Brady, presiding in the U.S. District Court…

Amy Goodman

A waste of (outer) space: Aliens: Colonial Marines

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a first-person shooter that puts the player in the role of Cpl. Christopher Winter, a United States Colonial Marine who’s part of a search and rescue team sent to investigate the U.S.S. Sulaco in search of Ellen Ripley, Dwayne Hicks and the rest of the missing marines who were dispatched to…

Adam Frazier

The Whipping Man: Actors unchained in Civil War-era drama

For people who look down on Dixie from a distance — of geography or sanctimonious hauteur — it’s extraordinary enough to learn that Southern Jewish communities have thrived for centuries despite the KKK, or that congregations in Savannah and Charleston are among the five oldest in the United States. It may be even more surprising…

Perry Tannenbaum

Weekly horoscope (Feb. 28-March 6)

Pisces The Fish: Feb. 18-March 19Since your sign is the one carrying all this planetary energy, you may find this month a little unnerving. Although you think of yourself as invisible, that is definitely not true this month. You may change your mind over and over as the weeks go forward and circumstances keep evolving.…

Vivian Carol

Destination: Free Jazz

Imagine a history of rock which ignores indie and hip-hop, or an art museum that deliberately omits the works of Pollock and Rauschenberg. Would you trust a film compendium that merely footnotes Anger and Buñuel? Understand these crimes of artistic omission and you’ll understand why Charlotte’s Jeff Jackson and New York-based fellow free jazz fan…

John Schacht

Hugo Chávez: A fictional character in real life

While most of the neighbors in her west Charlotte subdivision were closely following the election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, Elvia Gordils was much more preoccupied with another presidential race. Gordils is the president and founder of Venezuelans in the Carolinas, a group dedicated to organizing local expats who hail from the South American…

Ailen Arreaza

CIAA 2013: The non-party list

FILM, THEATER, MUSIC 2013 CIAA Toyota Fan Experience The CIAA Fan Experience is a family-friendly event with celebrity appearances by Lance Gross, Yolanda Adams, Lloyd, Bridget Kelly, Chrisette Michele, Musiq Soulchild, and more. There will also be interactive games, car displays, a fashion show, giveaways and live music. Free. March 1-3. 502 S. College St.…

CIAA Promoter Spotlight: Michael Kitchen

Age: 42 Representing: The Sol Kitchen Position: Founder of The Sol Kitchen/event coordinator/marketing strategist/DJ Number of years in the CI party game: 10 and counting. “Every year in Charlotte, and the last three years [when it was] in Raleigh.” Largest number of people at one event: 3,000 Target market: “Anyone who wants to have fun.…

CIAA Promoter Spotlight: Tiffany Jones

Age: “A real woman never tells her age.” Representing: Digital Divas Position: Founder of Digital Divas/national director of development for Thurgood Marshall College Fund/media consulting/event planning Number of years in the CI party game: 7 years and counting Largest number of people at one event: “A typical Digital Divas event will range from 100 to…

CIAA Promoter Spotlight: Anthony McPherson

Age: 33 Representing: Maz Entertainment Position: Co-founder of Maz/owner of ANTique Entertainment Number of years in the CI party game: 4 years and counting. “Our first party was in 2008. It was phenomenal and solidified our brand in Charlotte. That one party — it was actually at Ruth’s Chris [Steak House] — we had to…

Sister, act: Simone Campbell speaks at YWCA event

Between applause, chatter and lunch at the YWCA’s annual fundraiser, Sister Simone Campbell complimented Charlotte’s social conscience. Standing at the podium, she told the 800 or so audience members, “There’s a lot of good work being done here.” The “work” the diminutive, plain-spoken nun was referring to has nothing to do with the regular 9-to-5…

John Grooms

CIAA: What’s in a name?

For the past seven years in Charlotte, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or CIAA, has been synonymous not just with the annual basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena, but also with parties — excellent parties held across the city that bring alumni from historically black colleges and universities together each year to reconnect and…

Mark Kemp

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