Sex Ed Goes Up, Sex Ed Goes Down
It seems like the tide’s turning away from abstinence-only education, at least across the country. Efforts to change North Carolina’s curriculum, as written about here, stalled, but school systems elsewhere are waking up to the realities of denying teenagers information. Meanwhile, birth control advocates in North Carolina (sadly, contraception access has somehow become something to…
Humpbacked Bridge
Name of Kama Sutra Position: Humpbacked Bridge Getting into the position: The man starts by lying on his back on the floor, then pushing himself up into a bridge. The woman then straddles him and uses a variation of grinding movements. Depending on the strength of the man and the leg length of the woman,…
Live Review: Tool
Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, S.C. June 5, 2007 The Deal: Two hours of Tool. The Good: I had only seen Tool once before — on the second stage at Lollapalooza in the early 90s — so I was interested to catch one of my favorite bands in a bigger setting. From the opening notes to the…
Comedy First
In both last week’s blog and this week’s issue of Creative Loafing, I mentioned how the Main Library’s summer film series (being held at ImaginOn) opens this Sunday with a screening of the 1923 silent classic Safety Last!, starring the great comedian Harold Lloyd. If watching Lloyd’s hilarious antics in the film leaves you thirsting…
The Blotter
HELPING HAND: After one man hit another man in the back of the head, they started fighting. A third man then grabbed the head-injured man’s leg, and he asked if the third man was trying to break up the fight or if he was trying to fight. In response, the third man said, “I will…
Advocates (or non-advocates) not allowed
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Don does 9/11
Books
Mark Baranowski’s Top 5
Culture Surfing
Uptown After Dark
By day, Uptown Charlotte can be a pretty boring place. Seriously, besides scores of roaming office workers, there ain’t much to see. When the lights go out, however, things get interesting. After dark, city workers start their rounds, homeless people pound the pavement and bar crawlers bounce from club to club. After dark, the streets…
Gone Fishing
Hot Linx
Dodging the Train
Citizen Servatius
The grits factor
Arts Agenda 44Books 49 Savage Love 50
Stargazer
Gemini The Twins: (May 20 — June 21) You are in the mood to deliver surprises to the world around you. Beyond that, all your activities flow smoothly. You and all those around you are in a cooperative dance that gives pleasure to the soul. For All Signs: The present period is a major challenge.…
Film Clips
New Releases SURF’S UP The world needs another penguin movie about as much as it needs another Rambo flick. Turns out we’re getting both, but while it’s too early to comment on the upcoming Stallone sequel (though be sure to check out that incredibly violent trailer on YouTube), the animated film about the flightless fowl…
Feast of fests
Film Clips 37Films In A Flash 37View From The Couch 38
A bad thing to step on
Moodswing
View From The Couch
FLETCH (1985). Back in the 1980s, MAD magazine ran a humorous article citing locations where the U.S. government could hide its arsenal of nuclear weapons without fear of discovery. One of the places cited was a movie theater showing a Chevy Chase film festival, especially amusing to those who recall how many bombs this actor…
Music with a Heart for Mission
Carole King may have “[felt] the earth move,” but you can watch it get down during the Ethos Professional Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir Concert to Benefit Catawba Lands Conservancy. The Earth Dances, as the presentation is called, focuses on permanently protecting the land, water and wildlife habitat by enhancing the quality of life in…
Rosé rising
Corkscrew
CL previews upcoming shows
THURSDAY 6.7 The Infamous Stringdusters The Stringdusters’ newgrass is better pegged as old-school, vocals wailing, banjo stompin’, fiddle cryin’ style of bluegrass. There are elements of folk and improv jamming to boot. The Nashville sextet’s debut for NC-based Sugar Hill Records, Fork in the Road, is a fine addition to the storied textbook of this…
In Love & War
I was in the shower the other night and suddenly, I burst into a chorus of “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.” It was then that the awareness that CPCC’s 34th Summer Theatre Season was upon us and first up was, of course, South Pacific. That most magical of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s…
Strawberries NOW!
Kitchen Witch
Ain’t Just Temporary
Blind Pig; Release date: May 8, 2007 The Deal: Renaissance soul man redefines R&B. The Good: What Hamilton Loomis does ain’t blues, but it sure is funky. Loomis calls it “outside the box,” and he ain’t just woofin’. The music’s coming out of Texas, but it sounds like it’d be more at home in New…
Shake your money maker
Attention ladies! It’s that time again … get loose and ready to strut your stuff for the Charlotte Bobcats Lady Cats Dance Team preliminary auditions. Shake a tail feather to score that uniform and the best courtside seats at the game for the 2007-2008 NBA Season. 9 a.m. Charlotte Bobcats Arena, 333 E. Trade St.…
Roses and Clover
Brushfire; Release date: May 1, 2007 The Deal: Cali liberation team loosens you up. The Good: You can call it pop, but it’s got more rocking guts than most of the stuff you usually find in that bin. “Maria” has an Allman Brothers feel. “Try” is Cali white boy reggae with a grotty organ solo…
Plethora of pictures
There’s no shortage of film alternatives in the Queen City this week. Tonight and tomorrow night, The Light Factory will present The Best of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Then on Sunday, the NoDa Film Festival returns with Exploring Animation, featuring a full slate of cutting-edge ‘toon features. And also on Sunday, the long-running…
Keeping the ’60s alive
It was like having The Beatles in your backyard. Charlotte’s Spongetones soaked up the Mersey beat so well they’ve served as local mop top stand-ins for the last three decades. But even though they sounded like them, the ‘Tones was never a Beatles tribute group. “It’s like they were all sort of visited by aliens,”…
Mirrored
Warp; Release date: May 22, 2007 The Deal: Math rock group featuring ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier, releases debut LP. The Good: More than the timing is unique with this group — math rock is known for their unique time signatures. Instead of 4/4 like most music, the band uses 7/8 or 11/8, etc. Stanier’s drum…
Look Ma, no hands!
The self-proclaimed “yacht-rock” of Tallahassee-based quartet Look Mexico is math-rock imbued with jazzy dissonance. The combo’s angular riffs take cues from Modest Mouse and Built to Spill, where their newest disc, This is Animal Music, is jarring enough to turn heads without pounding ear drums. They’re a worthy addition to the East Coast indie rock…
Word of the Week
Pustule: n. A pus-fulled blister Example: Maybe we shouldn’t try that position — you’ll bust your pustule.
Ultra Payloaded
Columbia; Release date: May 29, 2007 The Deal: Jane’s Addiction/Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell returns with his first project in four years. The Good: This doesn’t sound like the Farrell that made the techno-laden solo album Song Yet to Be Sung in 2001. It’s a happier, more grounded version that’s fused with rock. He’s brought along…
A shootout summer
Here’s something to do this summer the kids will love. Kids: imagine, if you will, watching a school bus, that big yellow monstrosity that takes you to the worst place on earth, hurtling towards another one on a one-way collision course. Sounds good, huh? The rundown: 10 races over nine weeks (June 16-Aug. 8) with…
Duos show hip-hop is alive in Q.C.
You may not have heard of Mac & Thai yet, but they’ve got a CD that’s set to drop later this summer on local label Jungle Records. Mac (Marcus Davis) was born in Rock Hill and has been in Charlotte since age 10, while Thai (Tyrann Grier) is a Charlotte native. The New South duo’s…
Scrap for skrilla
Strapped for cash? Well look no further than your neighborhood junkyard for a couple of quick bucks. There are tons of places in town that buy otherwise worthless stuff from the public and recycle it to make new products. • Carolina Core Recycling takes all kinds of car parts including radiators, carpet, plastics, aluminum, steel,…
Through the microscopic lens
Ever wanted to go “through the looking glass,” or in this case through the microscopic lens, to find out just what it is that makes us tick? No, of course, you didn’t and neither did Alice. All she wanted to do was play with the cute, little white rabbit. But, as we’ve all learned from…
The beast of the Southeast is BYOB
Is NASCAR America’s new favorite pastime? It sure as hell seems that way … you could take a sold-out crowd at the stadium, arena and Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, and that might equate to the monstrosity of a crowd between the All Star Race and Coca Cola 600, both held at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The bulk…
Calling all Charlotte media types
The PLUG
Demond Carter
Profile
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: You recently published a letter from a college student (“Sneak Attacked,” May 15) whose girlfriend was deceiving him about her contraceptive practices. Your response was offensively casual. What this woman was doing was worse than fraud, worse than the quarter of a million dollars in child-raising expenses her boyfriend stood to lose…
How slow do you go?
Kitchen Witch 60Corkscrew 62Good Eats 65
Letters to the Editor
More Dummy Tips I agree with Mark Lynch: start shows earlier, especially on week days (“The Charlotte Music Scene for Dimwits,” May 30). Some of us do work. And start on time. Club owners should not let bands dictate when they go on, 30 minutes late in many cases. More “No Smoking” venues (e.g., Evening…
Bring on Bonnaroo!
QC Inferno 76Hit & Run Reviews 78Music Menu / Soundboard 81On MySpace:myspace.com/clcharlottemusic
Things to do in Charlotte for $5 or less
LEARN TO MEDITATE Take it from loyal practitioners of meditation: There’s nothing like it to take the stress of your workday off your shoulders. That’s why the Pain & Rehab Institute is offering a free class in the breathing techniques and imagery used in ancient qi gong meditation (betcha didn’t know there was more than…
The art of partying
If some have turned partying into an art form, why can’t art be part of the party? That’s the basic idea behind the ARToxication series, the brainchild of local promoters Tracie Nasta and Shane Elks, also known as Nasty/Shane Presents. Since 2001, Nasta and Elks have hosted between 15-20 ARToxication events, many at the now-defunct…
