DVD Delivery
One of the best films of 2006 has just come out on DVD, and Creative Loafing readers have an opportunity to win a free copy of the movie. The powerful non-fiction feature Deliver Us From Evil is reviewed in the View From The Couch section in this week’s CL, but here’s an excerpt from that…
Summer Movie Trailers Part 5
Evan Almighty \\\\\\\\\\ Stardust \\\\\\\\\\
Summer Movie Trailers Part 4
Bug \\\\\\\\\\ El Cantante \\\\\\\\\\
Summer Movie Trailers Part 3
Surf’s Up \\\\\\\\\\ Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer \\\\\\\\\\
Summer Movie Trailers Part 2
The Simpsons Movie \\\\\\\\\\ Talk to Me \\\\\\\\\\
Summer Movie Trailers Part 1
Waitress \\\\\\\\\\ Knocked Up \\\\\\\\\\
They Can’t Be Serious
Last month, when Mayor Pat McCrory went up to the state legislature to get more funding for our over-burdened criminal justice system, Sen. Dan Clodfelter, with a straight face, told television reporters that if Charlotte wanted more criminal justice system funding legislators would have to make tough choices between funding schools and funding the courts.…
Working for The Man
I allowed myself to suspend disbelief and hope the “Support the Five-Day Weekend” billboards around Charlotte were serious. Whoever is behind it, I thought, is a lone voice of reason in a cold, cold world. But I won’t be sleeping in on Thursdays just yet. Even though the campaign’s Web site encourages visitors to sign…
The Lotus
Name of Kama Sutra Position: The Lotus Getting into the position: Facing the woman in a seated position, the man grasps her ankles and fastens them like a chain behind his neck. She then grips her toes as they make love. On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate position (1 as…
CD Review: Loosh
CD Review: Loosh Madame JoJo’s Sevenpillar The Deal: Charlotte-based duo releases five-track EP with the help of their friends. The Good: Greensboro-based musician/producer and Universal recording artist Evan Olsen got involved with “Quiet Simple Things,” an upbeat rock song about a relationship gone by. “You Fell in Love” has a punk rhythm to it, and…
Hip-Hop and Horses?
I guess hip-hop culture really has gone mainstream. This past weekend I attended the Queen’s Cup Steeplechase, an event not as exclusive as one might think. Yes, it has its blue-blood background with the attire guidelines and a hat contest only to be bested by African-American women on Sunday morning. But, as everything else in…
The understanding sister
Moodswing
A swing and a prayer
Comic book aficionados can be forgiven for wishing that Hollywood filmmakers had a bit more vision and a lot more patience. When it was first decided that Spider-Man would be brought to the screen in an expensive summer blockbuster, even the key grip on the set could predict that one or two (or more) sequels…
Charlotte’s (tangled) web
Advice Goddess
Omar Tyree
Profile
Whey cool
True goat cheese connoisseurs debate whether summer or fall cheese is better, but most will tell you the best soft chèrve (French for goat) is eaten at the farm — or at least close by. But on a crisp spring morning a few weeks ago, the farm came to Charlotte. Fleming Pfann, owner and goat…
Kiss my barcode
Hot Linx
An invisibility cloak
Citizen Servatius
The deranged among us
The List
Letters to the editor
Another Option Your view of the whole abortion issue is way out of line (Boomer With Attitude: “Strom Thurmond Is Smiling” by John Grooms, March 28). Dr. Dobson is not the governor, and your insults of such a fine man need to be withdrawn. You have no idea what it means to be pregnant or how…
The sweet spot
Corkscrew
Darfur dollars
News
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: My dog suffers from separation anxiety. We recently moved into a new apartment together, and she barks all day while I’m at work. She also chewed up the corner of the entertainment center. This is new behavior for what was previously a very well-behaved animal. The vet gave her a prescription for…
Can’t stop, won’t stop
Upon lecturing about New South sounds at Princeton University in April, the issue of the future of Southern music and how that’s tied to New Orleans resurfaced in my consciousness. Like many Americans, I have not done enough to help our brothers and sisters from the Crescent City resettle to life wherever they may have…
A year without equity
Back in 1987, when we first began covering the Charlotte theater scene, I never imagined the sort of unfertilized wasteland that prevailed for much of last year. Maybe I should have. After all, the merger/takeover mindset was already in place in the heart of Banktown when the Loaf opened its humble door on Cecil Street.…
Tongues
The Deal: Improvisational pieces from cut-and-paste maestro and jazz drum legend. The Good: The free-form collaborations between the multi-sampler set-up of Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden and legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid marry two musical worlds that might seem incompatible: avant-garde jazz and processed electronica. Relying on shorter improvisations than their two previous Exchange Sessions, Hebden…
In a genre of their own
The rock, soul, funk and disco-dancing flurry that Under The Influence of Giants stirs up with their self-titled debut album is vast. These L.A. hipsters — comprised of vocalist and lyricist Aaron Bruno, guitarist Drew Stewart, drummer and keyboardist Jamin Wilcox and bassist David Amezcua — are popping out songs that resemble a variety of…
Still going
“‘Creative Loafing’ oughta be the name of my company,” says Stephen Stills, calling in from a tour stop in Norfolk, Va. “I love that.” He sounds relaxed, cracking jokes and enjoying himself. Stills is working his way down the East Coast on a solo tour, making a two-day stop in Charlotte. 2005’s Man Alive, his…
Fiddlers on the loose
PERFORMING ARTS
Soup to Heal
Kitchen Witch
Tyler Perry Goes Dark
Tyler Perry returns to the stage after the phenomenal success of his film franchise. What’s Done in the Dark is Perry’s ninth effort and includes the usual laughs, truths and music. The audience is thrown into a hospital during the full moon, which has been know to make things interesting — to say the least.…
American Master Series James McMurtry: Best of the Sugar Hill Years
The Deal: Acerbic Americana The Good: James McMurtry’s dad Larry gave us Lonesome Dove, the ’86 Pulitzer-winning novel that inspired a mini-series starring Robert Duval and Tommy Lee Jones. His singer/songwriter son’s historical vision is much harsher, with no tough as nails characters with hearts of gold as played by Robert Duvall. McMurtry junior’s characters…
The Blotter
NOW THAT’S SERVICE: If you’ve ever felt like not paying because a restaurant or bar wasn’t up to your standards, you might want to rethink that plan. One woman was threatened at a bar after she said she wouldn’t pay because an employee mopped around her table during her meal. She told police she believed…
Soul Stirring Expected
Meshell Ndegeocello’s stage name — correctly pronounced MEE-shell n-duh-GAY-o-chel-o — might throw you, but this nine-time Grammy-nominated master bassist/singer/rapper/experimental music enthusiast and pal/collaborator with Madonna, the Rolling Stones and John Mellencamp will make you forget all that once she hits the stage. Since famously signing with Madonna’s Maverick some 15 years ago, she’s the rare…
Grand National
The Deal: Dread-locked Aussie’s roots music with a message. The Good: The talented strummer sounds comfortable with whatever he’s playing — dobro, banjo, guitar. He’s got a roots sound that’s infused with hints of blues, funk, jazz, rock and reggae. There are guitar moments that shine from song to song — the intro to “Funky…
Pop Life
The Plug
Drumming Up Support
“Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, On my drum?” This is what “The Little Drummer Boy” asked Jesus because he had nothing to give in the classic Christmas song. drumSTRONG operates in the same manner. People coming together to give what they can to raise money to fund cancer awareness, education,…
April 21, 2007
The Deal: Four bands (two local) celebrate Johnny Cash, and play some of his music, too. The Good: The cats and kittens were out that night. From the first notes of Hick’ry Hawkins to the flying beer … From the jitterbugging up front to the last growl of the Belmont Playboys, the fourth annual Cash…
Things CL loves about the Q.C.
I love the small local “beer joints” that have been around for years. These are the scary looking places that some people call dives or holes in the wall. They usually have a few Harley’s out front … real Harley’s, not expensive custom bikes ridden by someone just because it’s trendy. You will find people…
Mr. Crowe’s Opus
Middle school takes center stage as Charlotte Civic Orchestra presents Composer in the Schools for its spring concert. The area’s most commissioned composer, David Crowe, has been daylighting at four local middle schools, collaborating on a new piece that gets its first public hearing today. We’ve gotten signals that Crowe or Civic music director George…
Spur of the moment
1.) Essential Spider-Man 2.) Batman: Year One by Frank Miller 3.) Bone by Jeff Smith 4.) Marvel Masterworks (includes Avengers, Captain America, and Fantastic Four.) 5.) Marvel Essential Trade Paperbacks (“My childhood available in print!”) 6.) D.C.’s The New Frontier 7.) Love and Rockets (“Jaime Hernandez’s work on the series.”) 8.) Concrete by Paul Chadwick…
Word of the Week
Acaudate: also, acaudal. adj. having no tail. Example: The young woman was never without a date — primarily because she could never be considered acaudate; in fact, she was far from it.
Spidey’s Back in Black
At last, it’s here. The third installment of the beloved Spider-Man series (one can hope, can’t she?). RECAP: Peter and Mary Jane are together — YES! Harry will fulfill his father’s legacy as the Green Goblin — BOO! And the moment we’ve all been waiting for, Spidey turns black — OH YEAH! Spider-Man™ 3: The…
April 24, 2007
The Deal: Charlotte’s Chris Shinn returns home, for the first time in six years, with latest project. The Good: With a sound similar to one of his previous projects, Unified Theory, thanks to Shinn’s howls and Shannon Hoon-like vocal tone, the band rocked their way through a nine-song set. Dressed in all-black with a nicely…
Film Clips
New Releases AFTER THE WEDDING / THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY Just because the summer blockbuster season is upon us doesn’t mean that moviegoers uninterested in pungent pirates or a shrieking Shrek should stay home and warm up the DVD player. The local art-houses will continue to provide healthy alternatives, as witnessed by this…
Spring Voices
Last year, the Charlotte Children’s Choir appeared on NPR’s “From the Top.” Now, its high school ensemble presents their annual Youth Chorale Spiring Concert. This concert will serve as the choir’s season finale as they are soon leaving for a tour of England. The musical roster will feature prominent 20th century composers with an added…
Charlotte Noir
Boomer With Attitude
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…
Playhouse Rock
Remember when vinyl records ruled and Elvis impersonators didn’t exist? Yeah, I don’t either. Director and choreographer Ron Chisolm helps bring us back to the early days of rock & roll with the musical Smokey Joe’s Café. With classic songs by writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller — like “Hound Dog,” “Stand By Me,” “On…
Mmmmm … Beer
Alert the media … I found a cure for Cenosillicaphobia (fear of an empty glass) … it’s called Beer Week. We love beer so much here at Creative Loafing that we celebrated it with a week-long holiday of hops. It was more like a week’s vacation from sobriety — with 21 different events on tap,…
Wild about (another) Harry
What is it with wizards named Harry? As the world awaits the final installment starring one Harry, I want to introduce you to another: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. This Harry was named by his father after three magicians: superstar magician Harry Houdini; one of the other most prominent magicians of the 20th century, Harry Blackstone;…
Stargazer
Taurus The Bull: (April 20 — May 19) There may be strife in any relationship with whom you share resources at this time. That could be concerning debts owed to you or vice-versa. If it is within a sexual relationship the issues may be played out through challenges in emotional intimacy, differences in values, or…
Our hero
I know, I know: You hate comic books. The merest mention of those superhero-heavy, saddle-stitched periodicals undoubtedly causes you to roll your eyes and think, “Nerd alert!” Let’s face it — no one wants to be the guy still living in his parents’ basement with comics as his only social interaction, reminiscent of The 40-Year-Old…
Jeff Williams’ Top Ten
Jeff Williams wears many hats — singer/songwriter and guitarist for local band gogoPilot, which will be releasing their second CD, Mañana, mon frère, next month, a part-time producer of home-based Wasteland Studios and an “average by rabid” vert skater. His playlist comes after a road trip to Georgia with the band to play Athens and…
View From The Couch
ERROL FLYNN: SIGNATURE COLLECTION VOLUME 2 (1936-1948). The Adventures of Robin Hood naturally merited its own two-disc deluxe DVD edition, while classics likes The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood were included in Volume 1. Not to worry: Errol Flynn made enough notable movies for Warner Bros. that it was a cinch filling out a second…
