Jul 5-11, 2011

Jul 5-11, 2011 / Vol. 25 / No. 19

Interview: Getting real with Siggy ‘Dealz’ Jackson

From their humble beginnings in Gary, Ind., to their rise to the top of the pop charts, the Jackson family has been a force to be reckoned with for decades. Their contribution to music has helped shaped the industry over the years — and they show no signs of stopping. The Jackson’s new generation is…

Web Editor

3 questions with Alison Penland, mixologist

However you tailor your cocktails — neat, long, laced or on the rocks — Alison Penland will fix you up. Penland states she became known as “The Charlotte Mixologist” shortly after she began writing a freelance column for Examiner.com about cocktails. Penland says she also belongs to Good Eats and Meets! Charlotte, a social dining…

Nicole Pietrantonio

Heroin patrol rewind

Sound the alarm! It’s the Attack of the Black Tar Heroin! City Council heard scary warnings last week from the police and a UNC Charlotte professor, who told the lawmakers that black tar heroin use in Mecklenburg County is at near-epidemic levels. This wasn’t just the usual drug scare tactics, delivered in time to request…

Larry Crowne not worth knowing

The new seriocomedy Larry Crowne opens with Tom Hanks’ title character taking so much grinning-idiot pleasure in his job at a retail box store (he’s even cheerful when wiping a kid’s vomit off the mechanical horse out front) that we momentarily suspect the actor has elected to revive Forrest Gump in an unauthorized sequel. But…

Matt Brunson

Food terrorism in the magic kingdom

Think of “food terrorism” and what do you see? Diabolical plots to taint items on grocery-store shelves? If you are Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando, Fla., you might be thinking of a group feeding the homeless and hungry in one of your city parks. That is what Dyer is widely quoted as calling the…

Amy Goodman

Reid’s Fine Foods returns to Myers Park

As gastro-bloggers and culinary wags like me have been dutifully pontificating, local is better — better for the local economy, the environment, and for your general kumbaya/hakuna matata well-being. Your great-grandmother knew this as well as your favorite food snob friend. Local is not only produce, but products, like sauces, pickles and grains. Most communities…

Tricia Childress

An immigrant’s tale

My ancestors weren’t here for the American Revolution, or the country’s founding, but they got what it was about, and many of them fought their own battles to be a part of it — and to be free. Monday’s Independence Day celebrations around Charlotte had me thinking about my grandma Carola. I’ve used the Internet…

New York Dolls continue to strut their stuff after four decades

In 1972, if you were strutting around all dolled up in high heels and lipstick, you’d better be a woman or you might just get your ass kicked. Apparently, David Johansen never got that memo. The New York Dolls front man’s ’72 motley crew of Big Apple wise-asses in drag put glam, punk, R&B and…

Grant Britt

SPECIAL EVENT: Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band

On the first Thursday of every month, Grand Central Events transforms into a lively space for those with a liking for music and movement. Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band — featuring Renee Ebalaroza & David Anthony on vocals — provides the melodies, and the dance floor is open to dancing (swing, shag, foxtrot, cha cha,…

Anita Overcash

Five paperbacks to share in the sand

Every summer, we get the odd notion that we should tell CL readers about some great beach books. We’re just quirky that way. Anyhow, we’re talking about books that are engaging, fun, and also smart — that is, books that aren’t so fluffy you forget what you’ve read before you get back to the rental…

CL previews upcoming concerts (July 7-12)

THURSDAY, JULY 7 DANGERMUFFIN Call it a Charleston state of mind. The trio Dangermuffin writes cheerful rock that’s colored by the sunny South Carolina low country. Yeah, some songs don’t get anywhere, but others gel nicely as the trio takes the listener on a head-swaying jam band trip. Last year’s release Moonscapes has everything from…

Comic reviews: Witch Doctor, Planet of the Apes, more

Witch Doctor No. 1 Published by Image Comics. Written by Brandon Seifert. Art by Lukas Ketner. Dear comic book geeks, I’m back with a gaggle of looks at last week’s best and worst comics. Check me out: Witch Doctor No. 1: OK, mark my words, this brand-new Image comic is destined to become the next…

Carlton Hargro

FILM: As You Like It

It just wouldn’t be summertime in Charlotte if the Main Library wasn’t once again presenting its Summer Film Series, a popular Queen City mainstay since 1975. This year’s theme is Shakespeare at the Movies, and the lineup begins with Kenneth Branagh’s 2006 adaptation of As You Like It, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Kevin Kline and…

Matt Brunson

EXHIBIT: 30 Small Works

Whoever said bigger is better? In its fourth year, Gallery Up’s 30 Small Works honors artistic creations that don’t take up too much space. The annual art competition — juried by talented artist, art critic and CL contributor Barbara Schreiber — features works from artists across the country. This year’s winner of the “Best of…

Anita Overcash

MUSIC: Desert Noises

Here’s an intriguing trio out of Utah. Their country-tinged, spiritually-inclined, pop channels acoustic Neil Young on some tracks and cranks up the sing-along rock on others. Their original compositions are noteworthy while covers like “Go Tell It On the Mountain” are emotive and passionately executed. With Sunshone Still. $5. 8 p.m. The Evening Muse, 3227…

Samir Shukla

EXHIBIT: Introductions 5

Hidell Brooks Gallery is welcoming seven artists to display works of varying mediums in its latest exhibit, aptly titled Introductions 5. The artists, who are referred to as being “rarely exhibited in the South,” consist of David Febland (see his pictured painting of a woman underneath a pier on the beach), Ron Porter, Johan Hagaman,…

Anita Overcash

FILM: Siren of the Tropics

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture continues its Classic International Black Cinema Series this afternoon with a screening of Siren of the Tropics. The 1927 film stars the lovely Josephine Baker (see her pictured with a feline friend). Baker — the first African-American woman to star in a major motion picture —…

Anita Overcash

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Pot Heads: Police responded to a domestic disturbance call last week to find a man and a woman who were … domestically disturbed. According to accounts given by both parties, the 30-year-old female threw a pot at her 31-year-old spouse’s head during an argument. The pot missed — and the man choked his girlfriend as…

Ryan Pitkin

Nightlife profile: Hannah Gardner

Walk up to the bar at either RE:Public or The Men’s Club, and you’ll find Hannah Gardner slinging drinks with an infectious smile. She says she’s seen her share of “drunk people wildin’ out,” but overall, working at two of the hottest nightspots in Charlotte has allowed her to meet a diverse mix of people.…

Weekly horoscope (July 6-12)

Cancer The Crab (June 21 – July 22) Your good judgment is in one place while your heart is in another. It could be highly distracting. If possible, don’t force a decision just now. You might benefit from writing a note to yourself from both points of view so you can gain a bit of…

Vivian Carol

MUSIC: Find Your Muse open mic at The Evening Muse

It’s Find Your Muse open mic night at The Evening Muse this and every Monday. Musicians, grab up your music gear and head over to perform one of your own creations in front of a crowd. No one can guarantee they’ll be liked, but constructive criticism is always helpful! Get there early to snag a…

Anita Overcash

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of July 6

BAD TEACHER It’s no Bad Santa, but Bad Teacher brings just enough naughty behavior to the table to make it a decent watch for viewers tired of PG-13 timidity. In her best role since 2005’s underrated In Her Shoes, Cameron Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey, a gold-digging middle-school teacher who, having just been dumped by her…

Matt Brunson

EP REVIEW: Heywire’s Sidewalk Chalk

THE DEAL: Charlotte band releases three-song EP of new music. THE GOOD: With a country-fried rock riff, Heywire kicks off its latest recorded work with the song, “Las Cruces.” The song features an Allman-style dual guitar solo amidst the toe-tapping, road-worthy style of songwriting. The second song, “As the Cresent Grows,” is a more straight-forward…

Jeff Hahne

Kiss Me Deadly, Of Gods and Men among new home entertainment titles

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET CAPTAIN KIDD (1952) / THE PRIZE (1963) / MARLOWE (1969). Three more samples from the made-to-order Warner Archive collection (warnerarchive.com) showcase matinee idols Paul Newman, James Garner and, uh, Lou Costello. Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is one of the few A&C titles not to be included in the impressive…

Matt Brunson

THEATER: Next To Normal

Knowing the director of RENT also produced this musical, I’m already expecting Broadway’s Next To Normal — coming to Knight Theater — to be an emotional roller coaster. Featuring Tony Award-winning star Alice Ripley, this show follows a family trying to take care of themselves and each other in the face of a bipolar disorder…

Anita Overcash

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Bay of pigs

Stating that Transformers: Dark of the Moon is better than 2009’s infamous Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a futile declaration best left for mathematicians to ponder, as only they might care to take the time to calculate the minuscule percentage that was necessary for this to emerge, uh, superior to its predecessor. 2007’s Transformers…

Matt Brunson

MUSIC: Simplified at Music at Morrison

Charlotte’s own Simplified is set to perform at this evening’s Music at Morrison SouthPark. The group — whom you’ve probably seen around town, since they play a lot — transfuses elements of rock, blues, reggae and funk into its act. The show is free and beverages will be available for purchase. Come thirsty because proceeds…

Anita Overcash

Where to find it: Straight Out Of The Oven Spelt Bread

Spelt, or Triticum aestivum var. spelta, has a complicated past of unsure, but ancient, parentage. Recently, spelt has moved beyond the health food store into the aisles of mainstream grocery stores. Spelt flour, with its high fiber content, has become popular to use in breads and pastas. The taste of items made with spelt flour…

Tricia Childress

CD REVIEW: 25 Minutes to Go’s This Time’s For Serious

THE DEAL: Charlotte-area quartet self-releases its third full-length studio album. THE GOOD: Sounding a bit like Social Distortion with a bit more punk fuel, 25 Minutes to Go offers lyrically strong, musically-charged up songs that come at the listener quickly. Ten songs in under 30 minutes is the punk way to go, but there’s more…

Jeff Hahne

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