Cover Story
The Mind of Matt Cosper
“We’ll use our imagination,” Matt Cosper says as he fires up the engine. Twelve of us are packed into a church van, and he asks us to close our eyes and open them on cue. “Lights up,” he says, and we lurch into Charlotte traffic. As we leave the city for winding country roads, Cosper…
Paul Simon’s still got it after all these years
Legendary folk singer thrills packed Charlotte amphitheatre.
Library Film Series takes it day by day
It’s all in a day’s work when it comes to the Main Library’s latest film series. Today Will Be Different: Twelve Movies in Reel Time focuses on cinematic stories that all take place within a 24-hour period. The series kicks off June 10 with American Graffiti and concludes December 16 with Groundhog Day. All movies…
NEW VIDEO: Kevin ‘Mercury’ Carter Delivers a Jaw-Dropping Visual Delight in ‘The Commencement’
Mercury Carter, one of Charlotte’s most talented singers, songwriters, composers and performers, releases long-awaited video for “The Commencement of Mercurycarter.”
Wonder Woman: A Marvel of a Movie
WONDER WOMAN ***1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Patty Jenkins STARS Gal Gadot, Chris Pine Wonder Woman is the right movie at the right time – and for all the right reasons. Following the underwhelming trio of Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and especially Man of Steel, it’s the first movie in…
Trudy Wade Aims to Take Two Scoops From Newspapers
Wading into already troubled waters
VIDEO PREMIERE: Black Linen Literally Rocks the House in “Hey DJ.”
You read the story of Charlotte rapper Black Linen in the Feb. 23 issue of Creative Loafing. Now take a first look at Black Linen’s brand new video, “Hey DJ,” featuring Charlotte rapper NiGE Hood (and a little nod to James Brown). You’ll see an all-star cast of Charlotte musicians and artists — including DJ…
Blackenstein, Hart to Hart, The Paradine Case among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) THE BLACKCOAT’S DAUGHTER (2017). Another month, another overhyped horror flick that ultimately represents much ado about nothing. Oz Perkins, the son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins and a supporting actor in such…
How Many More Days Off Do We Have?
“What day is it?” That’s a question you’re bound to hear from me on a three-day weekend. A combination of too much PBR and an extended weekend that only happens a handful of times each year for the hardworking young professional? Whatever the case may be, there’s no doubt that everyone’s days begin to run…
‘Daddy’ Is Bleeding Into Popular Usage and Provoking Consideration of Our Own Desires
The word “daddy” makes a lot of people uncomfortable. When you use it for your actual father, there’s that weird sex thing. And when you use it during sex, there’s that weird dad thing. It turns out that there’s a long history of finding “daddy” sexy and an equally long history of finding the endearment…
The Blotter: Antacid Bandit
Gassed Up A man was apparently in an emergency situation last week when he shoplifted from a Harris Teeter in Dilworth. Employees there reported that the suspect walked in and concealed $721 worth of antacid in his clothes before leaving the store with his take. Something Fishy Employees at Green Village Children’s Academy in south…
Elizabeth Anne Dover Brings a Vineyard to NASCAR Country
A mile and a half from the Charlotte Motor Speedway, just beyond a BP station, drivers speed past a field of typical North Carolina produce — beets, greens, radishes, strawberries — and by a plain wooden shed behind signs boasting “Fresh Produce! 300 Feet.” Beyond that, an unexpected landscape: wooden posts connected by taut wires…
Tiera Swanson’s Job Is To Give Everyday Charlotteans Better Access to Culture
This story is the final installment of a five-part series on women making a difference at Charlotte arts and cultural institutions. A sunny Charlotte day beckons Tiera Swanson and her mother to take a stroll along the University City boardwalk. In the middle of their afternoon of mother-daughter quality time, their conversation is augmented by…
NBA Commissioner Gives Charlotte a Gift We Don’t Deserve
Ten Months. That’s the span of time that it took for Charlotte to not only lose an NBA All-Star Game but to then gain one back. And the truth is, it should have stayed gone. Last week, the NBA announced that the 2019 All Star-Game would be held in the Queen City after having the…
Reaching, Teaching, Preaching
I’m not going to talk much about what’s in this week’s issue, but I’m going to make what I do talk about relate to it. A childhood hero of mine died over the weekend. Gregg Allman wasn’t a saint. He wasn’t even always a good person. He struggled with addiction for much of his career.…
One Latino and One Anglo Create a Musical Fusion in Plaza Midwood
Inside a home studio on North Davidson Street just a few blocks down from NoDa’s busy main intersection, Tony Arreaza and Davey Blackburn are lounging around talking Latino music: salsa, bachata, merengue, samba, bossa nova, son. The two Charlotte musicians are surrounded by guitars, drums, keyboards, and row upon row of posters promoting past Latin…
Sadruddin Abdullah Talks Art, Travel and Making Kronuts
Pastry chef Sadruddin Abdullah never even baked a cookie until he was 42. But he hasn’t stopped since. A former Johnson and Wales student-turned-instructor, Abdullah is the owner of the popular Cafe Gnache food truck, where he, his wife and his children make and serve deliciously flaky crossaint-donut hybids called kronuts that have Charlotteans on…
Weekly Horoscope (June 1-7)
For All Signs This is an unusually active week among the planets. Multiple activities are probable for everyone. We’ve had a long spring of holding back and waiting for the right moment, given the retrogrades of Venus and Mercury. Activity and forward motion started at the beginning of May and now it is in full…
Four Charlotte Arts Institutions Team up for ‘Long Live Arts’
The inaugural Long Live Arts Festival, held last May, attracted more than 3,500 people, and one unwelcome guest. “Last year we had rain,” Andrea Chandler, who goes by Angie C, remembers. “So we’re doing all the rain dances to keep that away.” As the Levine Center’s arts ambassador, Chandler was asked to put together the…
