Jul 5-11, 2017
Monday Night Allstars
Cover Story
After 22 Years, the Monday Night Allstars Are Still Alive and Kickin’
On a rainy night in Charlotte, a string of multi-colored holiday lights twinkle sadly as chaos ensues onstage at the Double Door Inn. It’s a Monday in early January, the final night of the storied Queen City music club, and the Monday Night Allstars, which have performed in this space every week for the past…
Muslim in Charlotte: Artist/activist Hannah Hassan
Last year, CL contributor Lara Americo debuted her photo series “Trans & Queer in the Workplace” in Creative Loafing between August and December. The series was later picked up by Huffington Post and served as the basis for Americo’s Chrysalis exhibit at C3 Lab. This year, Americo is highlighting another marginalized and misunderstood population, the…
Rain doesn’t dampen My Morning Jacket’s thunderous performance
Gary Clark Jr. brings the soulful riffs for Queen City debut.
Spider-Man: Homecoming: Swinger Lifestyle
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Jon Watts STARS Tom Holland, Michael Keaton It’s remarkably easy and completely understandable to complain about superhero fatigue, until one realizes that the superheroes are the ones saving the day – and the box office. While this summer’s other franchise pictures have been performing below expectations –…
The Pink Panther Film Collection, The Valachi Papers among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) THE PINK PANTHER SERIES (1964-1993). “I believe everything and I believe nothing. I suspect everyone and I suspect no one.” So goes the personal philosophy of Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling French…
New Cuts and Bad Blood at Google Fiber Raise Questions About Future
At first, Freda Hendley loved her new job with Google Fiber. Hired in June 2016 as a temporary vendor contractor (TVC), Hendley took a pay cut from her previous job to join a team working with one of the world’s most recognizable brands, helping bridge the digital divide in this city. For a few months,…
Eight Reasons To Hate My Home State
CL’s newest columnist, Elexus Jionde, is a Charlotte native and founder of Intelexual Media. She recently published her first book, The A to Z Guide to Black Oppression. She’ll be teaching more localized lessons of oppression with her new column, but first, she had to get some things off her chest after moving back to…
Turnin’ up … on a Tuesday
On Tuesday, one of my best friends, whom I’ve known for over a decade, asked me to support her at an event. Naturally, I said yes. Since the event didn’t start until 9 p.m., I decided I should find something to do to pass the time after work. I know what you’re thinking, “Aerin, you…
Playwright Provides Powerful Medicine in Uncertain World
“We walk the line every single day,” Ylonda Powell-Medley says. “We might not talk about it, we might have smiles on our faces, but beneath the surface people are dealing with serious issues.” The 41-year old mother of two speaks from experience. She’s seen friends, family and strangers struggle with depression amid dead-end cycles of…
Have Your Vegan Cake and Read It, Too, at The Greener Apple
Ever have one of those Saturdays when you wake up with a whole list of to-dos in your head? Find new reading material. Pick up grocery basics. Buy laundry detergent. Get snacks for movie night. Find a small going-away gift for a coworker. Pick up a gift for the toddler nephew. And, oh, yeah, I’d…
Help Keep the Monday Night Allstars Alive
Something very touching happened toward the end of my interview with the three original members of the Monday Night Allstars for this week’s cover story. Percussionist Jim Brock, bassist Rick Blackwell, guitarist Joe Lindsay and I were sitting around a picnic table at Common Market in Plaza Midwood, where the three had been regaling me…
