Speed Street: Chivalry is Dead
If you happened to not be one of the thousands of people at Charlotte’s Speed Street, well that sucks for you — that means you missed a complete cluster fuck of people that made driving through uptown like cruising the strip at the beach. OK, so the traffic sucked, but the entertainment on the other…
Free Concerts
If you’ve been hiding in a cave or weren’t otherwise aware, there are a bunch of concerts going on around the QC this weekend. Starting with Speed Street today — The Wreckers, Sara Evans, Cheap Trick and Puddle of Mudd are just a few of the bands performing — there will be a number of…
The Deer
Name of Kama Sutra Position: The Deer To get into the position: The woman eager for love goes on all fours and humps her back like a young doe. The man then mounts her from behind and enjoys the lovely girl while Òrutting as if heÕs lost all human nature.Ó On a scale of 1…
Memorable Memorial Day Movie Marathon
If it’s Halloween, you can always count on Turner Classic Movies showcasing a string of horror flicks. If it’s Christmas, you can rely on the cable network to air a bunch of Yuletide yarns. And if it’s Memorial Day, you can bank on a full slate of war tales. TCM will again offer its Memorial…
Onion dip without mix
Kitchen Witch
CL previews upcoming shows
WEDNESDAY 5.23 X-Clan Rap catalysts X-Clan largely shunned the hip-hop nation after a couple of politically-charged, groundbreaking records in the early 90s. X-Clan’s new incarnation includes original member Brother J as well as “Ultraman” Ra Hanna, ACL, Kumu and Master China. The fiery, afrocentric words are still intact as Brother J fires away at the…
Heart of a Headhunter
QC Inferno 72Hit & Run Reviews 74Music Menu / Soundboard 77On MySpace:myspace.com/clcharlottemusic
Nikki Nefarious
Profile
Karma Cleanser
DEAR KARMA CLEANSER: My roommate, whom I have lived with for a year, threw a big birthday party for me. I didn’t ask her to do it. She invited like 50 of our friends, bought a keg and put the whole thing together, more or less. After it was over, she ended up in the…
Cane enabled
Kitchen Witch 58Corkscrew 60Good Eats 63
Gangs of Charlotte
Linda Pierce had lived in Hidden Valley only five months when she got a disturbing taste of what it’s like to be an innocent bystander. It was 5:30 a.m. Her family — husband, adult daughter, son and two grandchildren — awoke to a loud banging on the door. Pierce’s daughter opened the door to a…
Letters to the Editor
ON THE HUNT FOR MISSING BLACK CHEFS My family and I moved here from New Orleans following the storm. We are the owners of Bite Your Tongue Gourmet-To-Go & Catering. We are opening a business on Randolph Road. Needless to say, I am a foodie (Table Dancing: “Blackout!” by Timothy C. Davis, May 9)! I…
Give ’em Hell, Mr. Terkel
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Bob Beats Boston
Performing Arts
Working for the Weekend
The second week of the NASCAR invasion continues in the Charlotte area today when the family-friendly Speed Street festival takes over Center City. A key thing to remember about this particular event is the word free. Admission is free, driver autograph sessions are free and best of all, most of the product samples — and…
The Weirdness
Virgin; Release Date: March 6, 2007 The Deal: The original punks return. The Good: Even the chemically well-preserved Iggy Pop can’t recreate the original ferocity of The Stooges. But Iggy and original Stooges Ron Asheton (guitar) and Scott Asheton (drums) come pretty damn close to the late 60s/early 70s rawness that defined The Stooges and…
The Blotter
COUNTER CURRENCY: A woman went to a post office on South Boulevard to get a $5,000 money order. She remembered she left some needed paperwork in the car and went outside to retrieve it, leaving the five Gs on the counter. The money wasn’t there when she came back inside. ENJOY THE TV: Someone ran…
Jump, Jive and Wail
Retro-swingers Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will hit Amos’ Southend with a healthy helping of old-school sounds. The band gained notoriety in the late ’90s after the release of the movie “Swingers.” Their last studio album, Save My Soul, was released in 2003, but they’ve managed to continue their success thanks to what seems like non-stop…
We’re About the Business
Shorefire; Release date: April 24, 2007 The Deal: Go Go’s not just for girls anymore — Chuck Brown stirs it up with old-school funk, sound and style. The Good: Mash up George Benson, Chuck D., James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone in the same glass and shake well. For the last two…
Learn a new word
Bonhomie: n. Geniality; frank and simple good-heartedness; a good-natured manner; friendliness Example: The bonhomie of the gang member was uncharacteristic; it must have been his recent trip to France.
Hot Fun in the Summertime
It’s so hot, your body actually feels drained of water, energy, you name it! The last thing you’re thinking about is a big, steaming bowl of gumbo. But, the kick is, down Louisiana way and across the water in Africa, two of the hottest places on Earth, gumbo’s served year-round. Wanna a piece of what…
Mind Control
Universal; Release Date: March 20, 2007 The Deal: Afrobeat-flavored, hip-hop teased roots reggae. The Good: Bob Marley’s second son has kept a low profile over the years, opting to work more on the production end. Mind Control is Stephen Marley’s much-delayed solo debut and opens with the horns-fueled title track and 10 others where he…
WTF?
Gwen Stefani gives a peek behind her apron while singing the song “Yummy” during her May 12 concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. The chef’s outfit was just one of a number of costume changes made by the fashionista during her show. Recently opened Raceworld USA, located of off I-77 at Exit 28, is the world’s…
A Fantastic Voyage
Some of you may be glad to know that Sunday is the grand finale of speedweeks with the 30th running of the Coca-Cola 600. Yep. That’s six hundred miles … four hundred laps around Lowe’s Motor Speedway … the longest damn race in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. If you include all the pre-race hoopla…
What’s the Rush?
Boomer With Attitude
Film Clips: Away From Her, The Ex, 28 Weeks Later, more
Current Releases AWAY FROM HER Iris would have seemed to be the first and last word on movies dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, yet here comes Away From Her to provide it with troubled company. Like that somber drama, this new picture, which marks the assured directorial debut of 28-year-old actress Sarah Polley (The Sweet Hereafter),…
Knights up, bats down
The Charlotte Knights begin a four-game stretch at home against the Louisville Bats tonight. Support the local team and maybe they’ll still be around past the introduction of a MLB squad. $6-$12. 7:15 p.m. Knights Stadium, 2280 Deerfield Dr, Fort Mill, S.C. 704-357-8071. www.charlotteknights.com.
Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre The Deal: It got “hotter than a hoochie coochie” and they “played something country.” A country concert is a lot like a football game or a NASCAR race in regards to the tailgating that takes place in the parking lot before the show. Yee haw! The Good: With Jackson on top of…
Things to see and do 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…
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…
Devlin McNeil’s Top Five
Culture Surfing
Memorial Day Grilling
Corkscrew
Abraham’s Exhibit
Begun last December and scheduled to close two weeks ago, the demanding Charlotte community has persuaded the museum directors to extend its Families of Abraham exhibit. Through photographs and narratives, the popular exhibit shows just how similar we all are. A fact that is thoroughly drummed home when observers are told that at least half…
You can find me in tha pub
As Charlotte’s population grows exponentially, the real estate market is trying to accommodate the influx, and apparently, so is the nightlife. There seems to be another bar opening every weekend. Cason point: The Pub at Gateway and Snug Harbor The Pub at Gateway (where 7-10 use to be) is essentially 7-10 with a new sign…
Tough blues
“I’m the toughest girl alive,” says Candy Kane. Kane survived a tough childhood and stint as a sex worker to become a blues singer with a message. “The message is you can survive anything,” Kane said last week, calling from the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale, Miss., where Bessie Smith died. Her mother taught her to…
Egghead zone!
Arts Agenda 44Books 46Savage Love 49
JAZZ FOR A good cause
On Friday, May 25, an evening of music and memories of Miles Davis will be held as a benefit for sickle cell patients. The event, which is hosted by the Sickle Cell Regional Network in cooperation with the Charlotte Music Awards, will be held at the Wadsworth House, 400 S. Summit Ave. Celebrating the birthday…
Mayhem at the Milestone
If it’s May, that means it must be time for Mayhem at the Milestone. For patrons of Charlotte’s longest running rock club, that could seem redundant, except for the fact that this particular Mayhem is an annual festival of local acts held each May over the last four years. Put together and promoted by solo…
The Frozen Chosen
Books
The man who died twice
Moodswing
Charlotte on YouTube
Anyone can be a star — at least among their friends — thanks to YouTube. The video site also provides a platform for some pretty funny rants, raves and electioneering techniques. 1. David Thompson complains to the City Council about a rogue helicopter pilot, “terrorist pussies” and George Shinn’s alleged campaign to harass him. Priceless.…
Made in China
Hot Linx
View From The Couch
This is the last chance to win a free DVD of the Oscar-nominated Deliver Us From Evil. Send an e-mail to matt.brunson@cln.com; place DELIVER US FROM EVIL in the header line, and include in the body your name, address and phone number. Five winners will be selected at random from all submissions. Deadline to enter…
Waitress: Food For Thought
Shrek 2 32Film Clips 34View From The Couch 36
Stargazer
Gemini The Twins: (May 20 — June 21) Old aggravations with a partner may come up for a new work-through. You are in the mood to get to the heart of matters, but not if someone presses you. Make an effort to create an atmosphere of trust in which the two of you can find…
Die another way
Citizen Servatius
Ogre and out
Mike Myers may well be the star of the Shrek franchise, but he’s hardly the one whose character most vividly remains in the minds of moviegoers. For the 2001 original, Eddie Murphy earned the lion’s share of the positive notices for his vigorous vocal work as the obnoxious donkey sidekick (even if it was just…
