Jun 13-19, 2012

Jun 13-19, 2012 / Vol. 26 / No. 16

Cover Story

CD Review: Horseback’s Half Blood

It’s been almost three years since Horseback released The Invisible Mountain. An elegant reconciliation of leader Jenks Miller’s conflicting interests — namely the autumnal thrums of his 2007 debut Impale Golden Horn and the blackened abrasions of his follow-up Milh Ihvh 7-inch — Invisible Mountain lent pastoral beauty to crushing drone, dragging riffs for miles…

Jordan Lawrence

CD Review: Red Collar’s Welcome Home

Red Collar is a rock powerhouse caught somewehre between the arena, the pub and the revolution. Welcome Home captures that fiery middle ground and is quite a feat for a band with such a wide-open stage show. When you talk about this Durham outfit, you’re going to talk about Springsteen a lot, but also the…

Corbie Hill

Such a pretty space: Osso Restaurant & Lounge

No one — not even the Charlotte Visitors Center — knows the exact number of Italian restaurants operating in Charlotte, since they seem to pop up overnight. With good casual eateries and upscale restaurants (and some not-so-good ones) throughout the city, Italian would appear to be Charlotte’s favorite taste. But Charlotte has not had an…

Tricia Childress

Pour Olive: Steady does it

Why choose a high-quality artisan extra virgin olive oil over a mass-produced brand? Well, that’s kind of like asking why you would choose a Porsche over a Pinto. It’s all about the quality. Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar are traditionally thought of as cooking ingredients and flavor enhancers, when, in fact, they are…

Kelly Davis

The power of White Flour

When Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis joined forces for a rally at a Knoxville, Tenn., park on May 26, 2007, they were greeted with a humorous spectacle by activists known as the Coup Clutz Clowns. As “white power” chants echoed from the mouths of the cold-hearted supremacists, a calm and tolerant opposition responded with…

Anita Overcash

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (June 14 Edition)

Commence Conflict: Police responded to an assault call in south Charlotte last week after a mother and daughter got into an argument over what time the daughter would wake up. The mother told officers that she went to wake up her daughter at 6 a.m. The 19-year-old reported that her mother forcefully grabbed her while…

Ryan Pitkin

Strength in numbers: Gay It Forward Coupon

If you build it, they will come — whether they come back, well, that’s a different story. Like all business owners, Robert Walker, who operates the Day Break Massage Therapy Center on Kenilworth Avenue, was acutely aware of the difficulties in managing an establishment whose success depends not only on keeping the customers satisfied, but…

Laura Camilo

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of June 15

AMERICAN REUNION Where all the sequels to 1999’s American Pie — 2001’s American Pie 2, 2003’s American Wedding and now American Reunion — go wrong is that none manage the balancing act between sweetness and seediness as well as the original film, instead tipping the scale toward the bawdy end to an unnecessary degree. And…

Matt Brunson

Library’s summer series sets sail

Perhaps mindful that many families may not be able to afford a beach vacation that would allow them to see the ocean for themselves — or maybe because 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic — the library’s film coordinator Sam Shapiro has elected to showcase a nautical theme: Ships Ahoy!!…

Matt Brunson

Weekly horoscope (The June 14 edition)

Gemini The Twins (May 20-June 21) Jupiter in your sign will lighten any load, renew your sense of optimism and reinforce your self-esteem. Help and cooperation of others will be more available to you, especially if you make your requests in person. The spiritual dimension of your life will improve and travel or education becomes…

Vivian Carol

Father’s Day ideas gone royal

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 17. Do you know where your dad is? Golfing? Fishing? Blogging? Mine will be somewhere on a riverboat in Mississippi, no doubt having Mark Twain-esque adventures. For proud papas spending the day in sweet Carolina, the Queen City offers as many brunches and lunches as its matronly counterpart. (Papas love…

Natalie Howard

Across that bridge, again

As the election season heats up, an increasing number of states are working to limit the number of people who are allowed to vote. Already we have a shamefully low percentage of those eligible to vote actually participating. Florida, a key swing state, is preparing for the Republican National Convention, five days of pomp promoted…

Amy Goodman

‘S Wonderful, ‘S Marvelous: The Marvelous Wondrettes

In the 1950s, girl groups were even deader than boy groups on the pop-rock scene, so it’s little wonder that after the 1990 off-Broadway success of Forever Plaid, it took more than 18 years before their female counterparts, The Marvelous Wonderettes, set up camp in the Big Apple. When the Andrews Sisters had their last…

Perry Tannenbaum

Saving Grace: Against Me! singer begins public gender transition

When Against Me! took the stage for a May 25 concert in San Diego, the punk-rock quartet sounded the same as they have for years. Performing a 40-minute set that included the title song of the band’s forthcoming album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, this particular show marked a new beginning in the band’s 15-year career. Lead…

Joanne Spataro

The DNC memory hole

Distractions keep us from dealing with what’s right in front of us, be it an unpleasant duty or just the reality of the moment. Distractions take different forms, from cellphones in our cars to Kit-Kat bars during a diet, to the stained glass pendant thingamabob in my home office that turns the sun’s rays into…

John Grooms

Hispanic business owners prove they’re boss

Louis Romero’s work baffles most people. He’s in the highly technical field of supplying and installing fiber optics and telecommunications wiring that makes the modern world turn. (Think of all those blue cables under your desk at work.) His Charlotte-based company, Network Cabling Systems, will install some of the cabling for the Democratic National Convention…

J. Lee Howard

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