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Spring Guide 2012: Behind the Water
Having lived in the Lake Norman area for three years, I was fairly confident of my understanding of the culture, the average demographic, that kind of thing. I wasn’t wrong, I never am, but during a recent drive to LKN for a Creative Loafing take on the lifestyles of the rich and water-worthy, I learned…
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
The Tintin show on DVD
If the movie didn’t thrill you, try the animated series.
Gaston representative sticks his foot in his Facebook mouth
John A. Torbett needs a lesson in tolerance. Or at least a proofreader.
Charlotte Film Festival Preview: Ghost of Old Highways
Carolina-shot short film will be screened this week as part of the Charlotte Film Festival.
CMS budget discussions should focus on teachers
They haven’t gotten a raise in three years. That, coupled with other cuts, is hurting student performance.
A Charlotte-set thriller
Charlotte author pens novel set in the Queen City.
Rolling Stone says Bank of America is too big — er, crooked — to fail
Matt Taibbi’s scathing Rolling Stone piece will make you laugh – and cry.
Bruce Springsteen to address death penalty at only N.C. stop
The Boss will perform at the Greensboro Coliseum tonight.
Gogol Bordello to make Charlotte debut
Gypsy-rock band set to perform at The Fillmore on May 23.
Today’s Top 5: Monday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Solaris shifts reality
The Light Factory continues its From Russia With Love film series with a spotlight on Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 deranged space film.
Band formerly known as Joint Damage plays the Milestone (3/17/2012)
Jesus, what a mess. So, maybe two weeks ago, Joint Damage’s label got a cease-and-desist from the lawyer of some godawful Rhode Island rap-rock band also called Joint Damage (resist the curiosity to Google the latter act — trust me). Now, unless the Charlotte band settles on a new name, it’ll be compelled to play…
Sequoyah Prep School brings indie pop to Amos’ (3/17/2012)
SEQUOYAH PREP SCHOOL In Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, Uncle Jack Amberson recalls his youth: “Life and money both behave like loose quicksilver in a nest of cracks. When they’re gone, you can’t tell where, or what the devil you did with them.” Florence, S.C.’s Sequoyah Prep School might well reply, “We feel you!” In…
Martin Sexton brings soul pop to the Visulite (3/17/2012)
MARTIN SEXTON Singer-songwriter Martin Sexton has been churning out soul-pop for more than two decades, spending a great deal of that time on the road. It’s no wonder, then, that he is best known for his live performances, replete with enthusiastic fans singing along to every word. Sexton’s Buckley-esque pipes and mellow, mid-tempo musings on…
Green River Revival at U.S. National Whitewater Center
Festivities include a powerball race and live music by Larry Keel and Natural Bridge and Chatham County Line.
Go green for St. Patrick
Charlotte Goes Green/St. Patrick’s Day Festival offers Irish dancing, music and more.
President Obama speaks out against N.C.’s proposed Amendment One
And just in the nick of time.
Weekend Film Reviews: 21 Jump Street; The Lorax; Friends with Kids
Here’s what’s newly covered on the cinema scene.
Natalie Merchant, Tiempo Libre to perform with Charlotte Symphony
Tiempo Libre and Natalie Merchant will perform with the Charlotte Symphony as part of the 2012-2013 Pops concert season. Three-time Grammy-nominated Cuban music group Tiempo Libre will perform with the symphony on Feb. 22 and 23. Singer-songwriter and former 10,000 Maniacs front woman Merchant will perform songs from her latest release, Leave Your Sleep, and…
Stones and sepulchers
A roundup of theater events happening in and around the Q.C.
Sean Paul at Suite, 3/15/12
Photos from the concert on March 15.
Sleeper or snoozer?
Writer-director Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty screens at The Light Factory.
Fashion flaunting at UNC Charlotte
Local designers Gone Ape, Alta~Cation and J.T. Posh showcase new designs.
Making the most of Bad Dates
Playwright Theresa Rebeck pens the joys (or not) of dating in her funny one-woman comedy.
My Architect: A Son’s Journey documents Louis Kahn’s life
Screening as part of the Architecture + Film Series at Bechtler Museum of Modern Art tonight.
The Cedric Burnside Project brings blues to the Double Door (3/16/2012)
THE CEDRIC BURNSIDE PROJECT The grandson of bluesman R.L. Burnside learned North Mississippi hill country blues by playing drums in his granddad’s band until the elder Burnside’s death in 2005. Cedric isn’t quite the guitarist R.L. was, but those Mississippi Fred McDowell guitar-roots may have been passed down because Cedric does exhibit the familial gift…
Lyle Lovett sold out at McGlohon Theatre tonight (3/15/2012)
LYLE LOVETT He long ago unraveled the country music tags, and for more than a quarter century Lovett has upheld his perch as a distinct and original songwriter. Lovett was initially a traditional country revivalist, but he has evolved and morphed into a loveable oddball with the unmistakable croon of an astute wordsmith, where twang,…
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
21 Jump Street: Smells like teen spirit
21 JUMP STREET *** DIRECTED BY Phil Lord & Chris Miller STARS Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum Who, aside from maybe Jonah Hill’s agent, saw this coming? In an era in which it frequently seems as if Hollywood can do little else but feed on the festering parts of this nation’s kitschy past (The Smurfs, Transformers,…
Friends with Kids: Life as we know it
FRIENDS WITH KIDS *** DIRECTED BY Jennifer Westfeldt STARS Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt The womanizing Jason (Adam Scott) and the unlucky-in-love Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) watch as their two sets of happily married best friends (Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd — it’s a veritable Bridesmaids reunion!) become miserable and surly toward one another…
The Lorax: Seuss gets the ax
THE LORAX *1/2 DIRECTED BY Chris Renaud & Kyle Balda STARS Danny DeVito, Zac Efron The animated feature film The Lorax is officially called Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, but given the extent to which it perverts Theodor Geisel’s classic children’s book, Universal Pictures might as well have named it J.K. Rowling’s The Lorax or F.…
St. Patrick’s Day festivities 2012
Check out our big ol’ list of St. Patrick’s Day events in Charlotte.
Charlotte’s bishop takes lights, camera, action against gay marriage
Peter J. Jugis, Charlotte’s camera-happy Catholic bishop, throws the church’s weight behind Amendment One.
Blind Dates reunite for Tremont Anniversary show
Charlotte pop-punk band The Blind Dates will reunite to help Tremont Music Hall celebrate its 17th anniversary tonight. Featuring original Tremont owner Penny Craver on drums, the show will be the band’s first gig in five years. The lineup also features the heavy-trudging instrumental trio Husky, Charlotte scuzz-punk/metal icons AntiSeen, the instrumental surf rock of…
Green is for go: Salud Beer Shop opens
This business is serious about beer.
Childish Gambino concert postponed
The sold-out Childish Gambino concert scheduled for Saturday, March 17, at the Fillmore Charlotte has been postponed. Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, broke his foot last weekend while in Tampa. The concert will now be on July 27 at Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre, meaning more tickets will be available. No word yet on when…
Recipe: Guinness and Steak Pie
Guinness and Steak Pie is an incredibly easy Irish dish that is hearty and flavorful — perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.
Local bands comment on SXSW
We weren’t able to make it to this year’s SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, but plenty of bands are representing Charlotte there. Here’s some of what they’ve posted on Facebook about their showcases and time in Austin: Lucky Five — “Would you believe that Matt Sorum (drummer of Guns and Roses, and Velvet Revolver) came…
CL Tampa offers glimpse of SXSW 2012
Our sister paper is in Austin, Texas, soaking up all they can at the annual festival.
Opening Friday
What’s new in theaters this weekend.
Public Radio: What’s with the stupid promos during pledge week?
NPR affiliates like Charlotte’s WFAE offer adventurous alternatives to mind-numbing mainstream radio. So why not promote that?
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Justin Faircloth at Petra’s tonight (3/15/2012)
JUSTIN FAIRCLOTH The Houston brother headlines an evening of solo work from artists who (mostly) don’t typically appear in that setting. A top-notch keyboardist and songwriter with his brother Matt in the long-running (and now) five-piece ensemble the Houston Brothers, Faircloth’s strength is a knack for igniting mid-tempo, minor-key melodies into stormy conflagrations that just…
Pay cuts and layoffs announced at CL’s former sister papers
Owners look to unload alt weeklies in Washington, Atlanta and Chicago
DNC 2012 Notebook: Diversity contracting policy takes shape
The Democratic National Convention Committee announces a diversity contracting policy.
Relationship chat and chews at Red@28th
Barber Shop and Beauty Salon Confessions are happening on March 19 at Red@28th.
All About Style: Chatting with Diggy Simmons
The young rapper visits the Q.C. to promote his new album — and talk style.
LOL: Comedy in the Q.C.
CL’s top picks for comedy shows in Charlotte this week.
MuteMath rocks Amos’ tonight (3/14/2012)
MUTEMATH Stringing everything from ambient and synth-dance to scattered pop into their sound, MuteMath evoke a killer indie radio station. Their adventurism takes the combo on varied musical alleys, but in the end they merge into a chilled, deft hybrid. Even with frenzied instrumentation, with funky rock guitars and jazzy breaks, there’s always an underlying…
Today’s Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
An (in)decent proposal during SXSW — and, maybe, the DNC?
A controversial new project turns the homeless into WiFi hotspots during large events. Would it work at the DNC?
Cancer survivors on the runway for Cure By Design
The fashions will be on point, but the models? They’re the real stars of the show.
A whole new World … of Beer
World of Beer, a new South End bar located in The Circle, is a foreign concept to Charlotte: a bar serving only beer.
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Loss and hope at core of Conjoined Opposites exhibit
Indrani Nayar-Gall took a circuitous route from her native India to her current home in Charlotte. Cultural dislocation has long been at the heart of her work, but lately she has focused on its most extreme manifestation: forced migration. For Conjoined Opposites, now at Winthrop University’s Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery, Nayar-Gall combined elements of older…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (March 14)
DON’T SPRAY ME, BRO: A police emergency turned into a medical emergency last week when a security guard got a bit too trigger-happy with his bottle of pepper spray. The undercover security guard at the Food Lion on The Plaza witnessed a man attempting to leave the store with stolen items. When he tried to…
Three fashion designers from the Charlotte area to emerge at Charleston Fashion Week
Happening March 20 through March 24, Charleston Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer Competition will place three people from the Charlotte area in the national spotlight: Tsvety Gerasimova McAuliffe, from Concord; Hazel Bae, from Pineville and Jordan Lee Brooks, from Rock Hill, S.C. Since 2007, Charleston Fashion Week has been a destination fashion showcase for up-and-coming designers.…
Weekly horoscope (March 14-20)
Pisces The Fish (Feb. 18-March 19) The relationship scene is looking brighter. Travel is favored, along with circumstances related to the law, education or publishing. The possibility of increased income is strong. You don’t have to seek opportunities. They will come to you. For All Signs: March 20 brings us the spring equinox, the time…
Mary Mitchell Hartnett is ‘buck’-ing the trends
Bedrooms should be one of the most comfortable places in the house. They serve as the personal place where we sleep at night, privately pondering thoughts, relaxing and stretching out. For me, it’s not the place where a taxidermic trophy belongs, though I’d imagine a burly rifle-wrangling man with a knack for striking his game…
Capsule reviews of films playing the week of March 14
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Finally, here’s one seven-year itch that can be scratched. When 2004’s The Polar Express made film history as the first animated movie to be created wholly by employing the motion-capture process, we instantly recognized that we were in the presence of something ghastly. Awkward and unsightly, the ersatz innovation rendered all…
The Muppets, The War Room among new home entertainment titles
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1974). Already a worldwide sensation thanks to their BBC series Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974), the Monty Python troupe — Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin — next tried their hand at cinema, with two of the resultant films eventually achieving cult…
Spring Guide 2012: Eat on the water
After a day on the water, loading the boat up on the trailer can be so exhausting. If you’re ready to chow down, skip the hard part and check out these boat-accessible restaurants and bars. Floating Dock Bar at Queen’s Landing Located on a dock, this bar is an easy stop for boaters looking to…
Not afraid of flavor at Spice South Indian Cuisine
Restaurateur Raghav Banaru has a bold vision for his restaurants: Make Indian cuisine as popular here in Charlotte as it is in other English-speaking places such as the U.K. or South Africa. His plan is to reach out to “all demographics and ages.” Will the city embrace the big flavors of Indian cuisine beyond the…
3 questions with Mishelle Holladay, owner of Energy Café
Healthy eating is a major component in Mishelle Holladay’s lifestyle. The owner of Energy Café (www.energycafecharlotte.com), a “healthy food fast” eatery with two locations in Uptown Charlotte (at the Bank of America Plaza and Duke Energy Center), Holladay consumes as many whole foods with natural ingredients as possible. In return, she’s experienced overall positive wellness…
Deniro Farrar’s making moves
Finishing off a two-liter of Hawaiian Punch, 23-year-old Charlotte rapper Deniro Farrar places the empty bottle down amidst the debris of a typical late night — fast-food cups, coffee stains and cigarette butts. He finds a seat in the small basement studio as his manager, Konstantin Kazmierski, sits at the computer console and scrolls through…
CD Review: Hardcore Lounge’s Dance of My Life Remixes
Possumwalk; Release date: March 1, 2012 Hardcore Lounge’s founding brothers, Wes and Chris Johnson, have been Charlotte scene stalwarts for many years, with musical roots stretching back three generations. As a child, their father was a member of the country gospel group The Johnson Family Singers, and, as a solo act, Aunt Betty dueted with…
CD Review: The Meldavians’ Farewell Arigemon
Don’t be misled by the offbeat title. This regional release is a raucous, hard-rockin’ window rattler. Greensboro’s Dave Fox is best known as a classical and free-form jazz pianist. His day job is teaching classical music at Greensboro College. But for his latest endeavor, as his musical alter ego Dr. Drave, he’s invented a land…
The bipartisan nuclear bailout
Super Tuesday demonstrated the rancor rife in Republican ranks, as the four remaining major candidates slug it out to see how far to the right of President Barack Obama they can go. While attacking him daily for the high cost of gasoline, both sides are traveling down the same perilous road in their support of…
Which ‘Biblical marriage’ are Amendment One supporters talking about?
Supporters of Amendment One, the proposed constitutional amendment designed to ban same-sex marriage, are quick to wear the mantle of tradition, history and God’s will. Their campaign, they say, is all about protecting “traditional marriage,” or “Biblical marriage.” So said Tony Perkins, the head of the ultra-right Family Research Council, when he recently told the…
Spring Guide 2012: Party on (and off) the water
A day at the lake can be more than boozing and boating. Here are some upcoming events happening in the coming months. Charlotte Dragon Boat & Asian Festival In its 13th year, this festival celebrates Asian culture with music and dance, a beauty pageant, cultural displays, food vendors, arts & crafts and the impressive dragon…
Spring Guide 2012: Hanging out at the lake
As the fiberglass paddle slices into the water and my 16-foot-long rotomolded kayak slides forward along the Mountain Island Lake coastline, a red-tailed hawk peers down from a pine tree on the bank and a turtle drops off a floating log back into the dark abyss below. I cruise along a brief portion of Mountain…
New York, NY: Lincoln Center and All That Jazz
Over at Blumenthal Performing Arts, they’re broadly hinting that a gleaming piece of Lincoln Center, the Tony Award-winning production of War Horse, will be part of the 2012-13 Broadway Lights Series. It becomes official at a special announcement event next Tuesday that has been moved from Booth Playhouse to McGlohon Theatre so that ticket demand…
Ulysses Festival of the Arts sets sail
Nearly a month ago, an e-mail hit my inbox describing the electric atmosphere in the North Carolina Dance Theatre boardroom as major participating arts groups, minor participants looking for a greater role, and outsiders hoping to jump aboard met “for the first time” to discuss the 2013 Ulysses Festival of the Arts. In ancient mythology,…
Bittersweet Charlotte Symphony
Trombonist Tom Burge arrived in Charlotte in 2006 from his hometown of Sydney, Australia, to join the local symphony. He teaches private lessons and DJs at WDAV Classical Public Radio, but his full-time job is playing in the symphony. The music grows increasingly louder during practice at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on Park Road one…
Music scene original, Mark Stowe, dies at age 48
Mark Stowe was one of those special music fanatic/customers in Charlotte — brimming with enthusiasm, knowledge and a sizzling true love of music. The kind of dude that’d give you a contact music-high if he was standing too close, then have you following him around the store spending half of your paycheck on all the…
