Jan 25-31, 2011

Jan 25-31, 2011 / Vol. 24 / No. 48

S.C. to stop non-existent threat of Muslim law

I bet you didn’t know that Muslim extremists are menacing the good folks of South Carolina, did you? Well, listen up, because it appears there’s a good chance that some of S.C.’s laws will be overruled by … (ominous, vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding music) Koran-based, or sharia, law. Not to worry, though, S.C. Republicans are on…

John Grooms

Today’s Top(less) 5: Monday

Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today January 31, 2011— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. •  Unlimited bowling at Strike City • Chubby’s Karaoke at Dixie’s Tavern •  $20 Package deal at Leather…

Mustang Sally, Mayor of Bang Town

Waller revue ain’t through with flirtin’

Back in September, I saw On Q Productions original stab at their first musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’, at Duke Energy Theatre. There were a couple of problems at that time with my offering an objective view of the show, both of which should be swept aside as the Fats Waller musical shifts to McGlohon Theatre, the…

Perry Tannenbaum

Concert announcement: The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers are returning to Charlotte — after two years away. The band will perform at Bojangles Coliseum on April 9, with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in support. Ticket prices range from $25 to $45. General public on-sale date is Feb. 4 at 10 a.m.

Jeff Hahne

New GOP leader Thom Tillis: We’re stripping down to barenaked government

Well, we’re screwed.  We wrote recently about budget woes in the state legislature, where the new Republican majorities let it be known that they intended to deal with the $3.7 billion shortfall solely through huge spending cuts. Our suggestion, as has been made by many others in the state’s press, progressive think tanks, and most…

John Grooms

What the #!*@&?! An ‘official state firearm’?

If, by chance, you’re one of those people who contend our country is in such a mess that it’s driving everyone crazy — or if you simply believe the Apocalypse is upon us — here’s something to boost your argument. Check out Gail Collins’ column in today’s New York Times, about Americans and guns. Collins…

John Grooms

Raise taxes, if needed, to save schools

I kind of feel sorry for the county commissioners as they start their three-day conference to set goals and craft a budget for 2011-2012. Vital budget numbers they need from Raleigh aren’t showing up anytime soon, and since the state provides large parts of the money for county programs — including Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools —…

John Grooms

TweetTarts, 1/25/11

A group of ladies from Charlotte’s Twitter community, the #TweetTarts, attended the opening of the hilarious “Celebrity Autobiography” at the Blumenthal’s Booth Playhouse Tuesday night.

Priscilla Tsai

Tricia dishes on WFAE

Listen for me on Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins on WFAE 90.7, Tuesday, February 1 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. when I gather with Helen Schwab of the Charlotte Observer and Heidi Bilotto of Carolina Living to discuss restaurants in Charlotte. The rebroadcast will be at 9 p.m.

Tricia Childress

Radok case to grand jury; death penalty possible; Radok sings

The bond hearing for Antoine Young, accused of the murder of Chris Radok, was canceled yesterday, as the case is headed to the Grand Jury. That’s what Assistant District Attorney Gabrielle Macon told a group of Radok supporters who had shown up for the scheduled bond hearing. Ms. Macon then told the group that the…

John Grooms

All jokes aside(bar)

What’s cracking up folks at comedy shows across the city these days? Creative Loafing checked in with five of Charlotte’s rising stars, and they offered a glimpse at some of the material they’re using to kill audiences around town. Check ’em out: “My wife will tell me about a problem she has and then get…

THEATER: Ain’t Misbehavin’ at McGlohon Theatre

Swing is in the air, as On Q Productions’ Ain’t Misbehavin’ takes a romp through the Harlem Renaissance era. The three-day run is based on the book by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr. with music by Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller. Performers — backed by the Sign of the Times band — will reconstruct popular…

Anita Overcash

Upcoming comedy events

Here’s a list comedy shows coming soon to Charlotte and the surrounding area: • Funny Bone Improv. For more information, visit www.funnyboneimprov.com. $10 gets two people in. Jan. 26, 8 p.m. The Comedy Zone Fort Mill at Madisons on the Corner, 900 Crossroads Plaza, Fort Mill, S.C. 803-802-3990. www.thecomedyzonefortmill.com. • Ken Evans. $10. Jan. 28,…

Anita Overcash

Diary Comics, Spawn among this week’s comic reviews

Another week, another ass-load of comic books for me to peruse. Here are some quick looks at stuff I’ve been reading lately: Diary Comics No. 1: It’s taken me a minute to get around to reading local boy Dustin Harbin’s collection of autobiographical strips, but I’m glad I finally picked it up. Harbin successfully captures…

Carlton Hargro

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Jan. 26

BLACK SWAN Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is a messy masterpiece. Like Apocalypse Now, Eraserhead and Aronofsky’s own Requiem for a Dream, it’s one of those films that will force viewers to either reject it outright or allow it to burrow into the brain and remain there for days, weeks, months on end. It’s a character…

Matt Brunson

SPECIAL EVENT: Charlotte Oyster Roast

During the Charlotte Oyster Roast at Growler’s PourHouse you’ll find more than just oysters. Live music will also be included in the mix and certainly beer. As the ol’ saying goes, “The world is your oyster.” So, I’m taking that you can celebrate when you please, right? $12 in advance; $10 at the door. 12…

Anita Overcash

Baptist perversions: Southern Baptist Sissies

Death is usually good for a laugh or two in a Del Shores comedy. Certainly it is for Queen City Theatre Company, who opened their doors with a production of Shores’ Sordid Lives in 2007 and brought it back to Duke Energy Theatre last season. Daddy’s Dyin’ … Who’s Got the Will, an older Shores…

Perry Tannenbaum

Dances with Wolves, Raging Bull and The Social Network among new releases

DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990). Forever known (and, in some circles, vilified) as The Movie That Unfairly Beat GoodFellas For The Best Picture Oscar, Kevin Costner’s commercial and critical smash has seen its reputation diminish over the ensuing years — an unfortunate development for a truly exemplary motion picture. Still, even at three hours, the theatrical…

Matt Brunson

FILM: For-Adults-Only Monday Movies

Gaston County Public Library’s 2011 For-Adults-Only Monday Movies series (featuring award-winning foreign and independent films) continues today with a screening of the documentary, MineMine. The film, a winner of SXSW Film Festival and San Francisco Documentary Festival, highlights an overlooked effect of Hurricane Katrina. After the natural disaster many New Orleans residents returned home to…

Anita Overcash

Discussion: Black Cowboys of the Old West

It’s almost time for Black History Month, and that means it’s time to reflect on the countless contributions black people have made to the world. To that end, Tricia Martineau Wagner will be making a stop to discuss her book Black Cowboys of the Old West: True, Sensational and Little-Known Stories From History. As the…

Carlton Hargro

The Green Hornet has some sting

Seth Rogen, superhero? It’s nearly impossible to wrap the mind around such an outlandish idea, almost on the same level as Sarah Palin as U.S. president or Ricky Gervais as the next recipient of the Golden Globes Lifetime Achievement Award. Yet it’s actually Rogen’s slovenly appearance and snarky asides that help transform The Green Hornet…

Matt Brunson

COMEDY: Patrick Garrity at The Comedy Zone Lake Norman

Comedian Patrick Garrity always has something to rant about. His stand-up shows consistantly feature random observations — from those focused on fat people riding rollercoasters to those relating to banks and board games, and many more off the wall topics. There’s something for everyone. $10. 7 p.m. The Comedy Zone Lake Norman at Galway Hooker,…

Anita Overcash

EXHIBIT: The Weight Lifters

Lark & Key Gallery’s newest exhibit showcases contemporary oil paintings by Martique Lorray (see Carlton Hargro’s interview with her in this issue). It’s described as exploring “the concept of being lifted from the heavy burdens that life often brings.” Balloons in the paintings are meant to portray unnoticed forces, which help folks to remain balanced.…

Anita Overcash

Where to find it: Ramen-yas

It only took one trip to L.A. to remind me of an entire class of small eateries missing in Charlotte: Ramen-yas (shops). I’m talking about a sliver of a restaurant that serves steaming bowls of a lush shio-tonkotsu soup filled with hearty noodles — maybe even ultra-thin hosomen noodles. In a city flush with sushi…

Tricia Childress

THEATER: Queen City Theatre Company’s Southern Baptist Sissies

Religion and sexuality collide in Queen City Theatre Company’s latest theater production, Southern Baptist Sissies. The play follows the lives of four homosexual guys, struggling to keep their faith as it clashes with their hormonal desires — deemed as “evil” by the deep Southern Baptist church they attend. From laughter to tears, the show takes…

Anita Overcash

Keeping it unreal: Inside the mind of artist Martique Lorray

When many people think about art, the first things that probably come to mind are pictures of real and tangible things — bowls of fruit, sunsets, animals … stuff like that. But the work of Charlotte-based artist Martique Lorray is, it seems, more about invisible, intangible and/or unreal things. Some of her older pieces, for…

Carlton Hargro

Kalu fills a void in the city

When Kalu Asian Kitchen opened within a few blocks of the Arena last June, the main complaint was parking. Owners Jason and Keisha Vicks solved that problem with valet parking last fall. Kalu continues to be a work in progress, with Jason Vicks, who also owns the Red Lion in Ayrsley, tweaking various aspects of…

Tricia Childress

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Sore Winner: A 31-year-old man called police after he was assaulted by his roommate. The victim told officers the suspect got upset after losing in a game of basketball and punched him in the nose. When asked if he wanted to press charges on his friend, the victim said they were going to have a…

Ryan Pitkin

2013 Wolves finding more freedom in 2011

Sitting down with Neil Harper and Robert Childers is a bit of a nostalgia trip as much as it is a conversational whirlwind. Having known each other since their early teens — Harper was 12, Childers was 14 — the two have plenty to talk about when it comes to past bands and adventures and…

Jeff Hahne

Are brown bottles better for beer?

The current ad campaign for Samuel Adams beer makes the somewhat dubious claim that the company’s beer, stored in brown bottles, is better preserved than beer in — eew! — clear or green bottles. So, time to break out your beakers (and beer bottles) and tell me if there is any validity to this claim,…

Cecil Adams

CL previews upcoming concerts (Jan. 26-31)

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 26 NONPOINT The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., quartet is one of the those bands I always expected to hit it big in the mainstream, but could never figure out why they haven’t. Heavy rock grooves? Check. Energetic and charismatic front man? Check. Ability to write aggressive lyrics that get the adrenaline flowing? Check. Go…

Weekly horoscope (Jan. 26-Feb. 1)

Aquarius The Waterbearer (Jan. 19-Feb. 18) During the next few months, opportunities for travel will probably increase. Relationships with siblings, roommates and/or neighbors will be more rewarding and your overall daily attitude becomes more optimistic. Focus of attention on communication (written or oral) will be highlighted. Educational opportunities are attractive and expanded. You may become…

Vivian Carol

Nightlife profile: Andy the Doorbum

If you have ever visited The Milestone over the past six years or Snug Harbor recently, you have more than likely encountered Andy the Doorbum’s smiling face. In between singing sweet tunes while standing guard at what is known to many as the “Ghetto Fortress” (that would be The Milestone, if you’re unfamiliar) and handing…

Tucson, Juarez and an assault-weapons ban

The Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol that Jared Loughner is accused of using in his murderous rampage in Tucson, Ariz., is, according to Glock’s website, “ideal for versatile use through reduced dimensions” and “is suitable for concealed carry.” The site continues, “Compact and subcompact GLOCK pistol model magazines can be loaded with a convincing number of…

Amy Goodman

CD REVIEW: Another Day Falls’ Truth In High Demand

THE DEAL: Charlotte rock quintet Another Day Falls releases its sophomore album. THE GOOD: The seven-track album starts with “Individual,” a heavy, melodic rock song with hints of screaming without being over the top or anything screamo. “Waste,” the album’s best track, comes across as a typical rock song, but upon closer examination, you can…

Jeff Hahne

No Strings Attached: Black mark, not Black Swan

Last fall’s Love & Other Drugs was a movie of two parts, with the pieces as segregated as oil and vinegar floating in the same dipping dish. The frank and realistic relationship between the characters played by Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal was given its own space to breathe and grow, and the more sophomoric…

Matt Brunson

CD REVIEW: Cage the Elephant’s Thank You Happy Birthday

THE DEAL: Cage the Elephant releases eagerly anticipated follow-up to its self-titled debut. THE GOOD: The band found a bit of success with the release of its first album, though it doesn’t seem like that’s what they’re looking for. Remaining true to itself, Thank You Happy Birthday is a conglomerate of different styles that takes…

Jeff Hahne

The Comedy Issue

This week, for the second year in a row, Creative Loafing is saluting Charlotte’s rising stars of comedy. Sure, our fair city isn’t exactly known for being a mecca of the comedic arts, but the giggle-creating folks who reside here are as tenacious as they are funny. Read up on them in the following pages,…

Why I won’t be attending the circus

Who doesn’t like elephants? From childhood, when a grown-up reads to us, from Babar or Horton Hears A Who, or when we’re introduced to the cute, giant-eared Dumbo, we absorb the notion that elephants are smart, noble and maybe even a little bit like us. Elephants loom large in the world’s popular culture, as symbols…

The joy and pain of comedian Oletha Cuevas

Imagine this: A scene from a television show … let’s call it The Kitchen Table. A group of women reside in a house of madness. The older sister, overloaded with drugs, is flying or crashing and takes it out on the décor; chairs and tables and walls and fragile things are upturned or caved in…

Olufunke Moses

Charlotte NAACP needs less drama, more direction

Kojo Nantambu and the Charlotte chapter of the NAACP need to get a political agenda. Yes, the current head of the local NAACP has chosen to pretend that CMS using MLK Day as a snow day is such an affront that he and his organization called for a boycott of a city that is a…

Nsenga Burton

The past, present and future of Robot Johnson

Robot Johnson, the Q.C.’s most renowned sketch comedy troupe, is anything but mechanical. Its show, which head honcho Sean Keenan describes as “Saturday Night Live in Charlotte,” isn’t controlled, but rather developed through a crafty cast of opinionated humorists. Taking a break from his job working with stage props on the set of Army Wives…

Anita Overcash

Understanding Kojo Nantambu

If I were Kojo Nantambu, I’d hate white people. Last week, the NAACP president stood the city on edge by calling Charlotte a “bastion of racism” after school officials used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a snow make-up day. But you’ve got to understand where Nantambu is coming from. After living through the…

The Comedy Zone returns to Charlotte

Once upon a time, when you wanted to laugh in Charlotte, there was a zone for that — The Comedy Zone to be exact. But three years ago — as a result of rising rents — our town’s iconic comedy club left the city limits. But hang on to your chuckles: The Comedy Zone is…

Cheris Hodges

THEATER: CAST’s When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder?

Carolina Actors Studio Theatre becomes hostage to playwright Mark Medoff’s When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder?. The play, which opens today, is set in a small diner in New Mexico, staffed with a small group of unenthused employees. What seems like just another humdrum day becomes a life-changing experience when an unstable Vietnam War veteran…

Anita Overcash

Improv Charlotte: On a mission to do good

Laughter and good deeds go hand in hand with Improv Charlotte, a locally based comedy troupe. According to founder Erin Fede: “This has been our vision from the very beginning. You pay to come laugh, we have fun, you have fun, and we all have fun. But, in the end, the money will seriously help…

Anita Overcash

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