Nov 18-25, 2008

Nov 18-25, 2008 / Vol. 22 / No. 38

Music Menu, 11/23/08

3Oh!3 This nutty duo, harking from the cool climes of Boulder, Colo., is comprised of Sean Foreman and Nathanial Motte. Using the area code of their hometown as a funky moniker they scrounge and splatter a funky mishmash of electronica, rap and general goofiness. There are scads of hip-hop bravado and self-promotion sprinkled with ballady…

Web Editor

Fashion Friday @ KISS, 11/21/08

Good-looking people, a hot fashion show from LA East (hosted by Consuella from Power 98 and our own columnist Brittney Cason) and an energetic dance crew busting moves. That’s the sum of Fashion Friday at KISS Lounge Friday night.

Kimberly Lawson

Music Menu, 11/22/08

The Houstons It’s been said before, but it bears repeating – the Faircloth brothers make beautiful music together. For those who caught The Houstons in their recent full-band mode and thought they’d seen it all, well, think again. No offense to the talented folks who chipped in along the way, but there’s something in the…

Web Editor

Charlotte Music Awards, 11/20/08

The 2nd Annual Charlotte Music Awards was held at the Booth Playhouse in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center last night. The event included red carpet festivities. Check out these photos from the red carpet! Photos by Tricia Gillis. Read Jeff Hahne’s live review from the CMAs here.

Web Editor

Music Menu, 11/21/08

Neil Halstead Quite a coup for the Muse landing the golden voice of Mojave 3 and former shoegaze guitar wiz of Slowdive – and on a Friday night, no less. Halstead’s new one (and only his second solo disc in six years), the sublime Oh! Mighty Engine, is no great departure from the Mojave 3…

Web Editor

Live Review: Pat Green

Pat Green w/ Wade Bowen Amos’ Southend Nov. 15, 2008 The Deal — Texas singer and songwriter Pat Green made another trip up to Charlotte — this time to serenade from the stage of Amos’ SouthEnd. The Good — In my opinion — all of Pat Green’s songs. That, and the fact one of his…

Brittney Cason

Grand Central Uptown’s last bash

The flyer advertising the last bash says it so poignantly: “Last chance to throw down before we shut down.” Head out to Grand Central (101 N. Tryon St.) tonight to party for the last time at the five-year-old establishment. Drink specials include $1 beers, $2 well drinks and $3 flavored vodka drinks.

Kimberly Lawson

Church youth to sleep outside Friday

We hope this draws attention to a serious problem in our city, and shows the people of Charlotte that this community is sincerely committed financially and morally to making things better, while encouraging others to do the same.”

Cheris Hodges

Mmm…Thanksgiving food!

Check out these photos of Thanksgiving meals that have been digitally altered to look less than appetizing (and that’s an understatement).

Web Editor

Buy conscience-alleviating holiday cards

If you’re sometimes embarrassed by an indulgence in Christmas materialism, here’s one way to ease your troubled mind and send well-wishes to friends and family. holiday gift cards that honor Mecklenburg County folks who are struggling to provide basic essentials to their families. Snowflakes, colored by children of families served by the agency, are displayed…

Karen Shugart

It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it

Sean Conner admitted that he felt pretty lonely. The young man said being a black Republican is “the hardest thing in the world to be.” Conner, the outreach press secretary for the Republican National Committee met twice with members of the Trotter Group of black columnists in Washington, D.C., last week. It’s not that the…

Mary C. Curtis

Another protest coming to Charlotte

This protest comes from the students at Wake Forest University: AMERICA PROTESTS THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANKING SYSTEM  CHARLOTTE, NC, NOVEMBER 22, 2008: Groups and individuals alike  will gather in 39 cities across the U.S. on Saturday, November  22, 2008 to protest at all branches of the Federal Reserve Bank.  Participating groups are calling for an…

Cheris Hodges

Music Menu, 11/19/08

Oakhurst It’s the band’s road-hardened musicality that makes the Western bluegrass of Oakhurst appealing. The Denver, Colo.-based quintet is constantly on the road with mighty-fine picking and harmony-laden crooning that gels into down-to-earth bluegrass, lightly tinted with rock when needed. Lead vocalist/guitarist A.P. Hill sounds like a genuine hillbilly, albeit from the Western hills rather…

Web Editor

3,000 calories

That’s how many calories are in a typical Thanksgiving meal. Here are a few ideas of how to burn it off.

Web Editor

Greed is good?

In this climate, spoiled billionaires who break the law in order to save what amounts to pennies should pay the price if found guilty.

Nsenga Burton

This week’s new releases (11/18/2008)

Here’s a list of some of the big names releasing albums today: Beyonce I am…Sasha Fierce David Cook David Cook Dido Safe Trip Home Femi Kuti Day By Day The Killers Day & Age Mudvayne The New Game Nickelback Dark Horse Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak

Jeff Hahne

Turkey Fest ’08, 11/17/08

The Attic, Madison’s and Connolly’s hosted Turkey Fest Monday night to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. With the admission of just one canned food item, guests at the party could rock-out in the RockBand competition, get massages from Aveda Institue, get a make-over by M.A.C. makeup artists, bid on the silent auctions, and much…

Web Editor

Can I have some Prozac with that bailout?

I saw the movie Happy-Go-Lucky over the weekend, hoping to catch some of the good cheer of British director Mike Leigh’s heroine. Poppy keeps smiling through a hectic job as a teacher, an encounter with an incoherent homeless guy and life in a shabby flat. She spreads happiness — or tries to — even when…

Mary C. Curtis

Treacherous Lieberman

Former Democratic VP candidate says screw the Democratic presidential Nominee and still gets to keep one of the most powerful chairmanships in the Senate because it might look bad for Obama if he is removed. Look bad for Obama?

Nsenga Burton

Review of Doubt

Note to North Carolina Stage Company: there is definite overlap between your audience here in Charlotte and ticket-buyers who pick up on the serious dramas at Belk Theater in the Broadway Lights Series. There’s no other reason why the Asheville-based company, after building up massive goodwill with Moonlight and Magnolias and It’s a Wonderful Life…

Perry Tannenbaum

Last week you talked about former Charlotte Observer columnist Mary C. Curtis serving as a guest blogger on your news and culture blog, The CLog. You got any other new stuff going up on Creative Loafing‘s Web site?

A: Honestly, the main thing I want folks to understand about Creative Loafing online is that, if you like the paper, you’ll love what we do on the Web. The way I see it, our print product is a great weekly snapshot of the city, the country and the world. And it’s a great place…

Carlton Hargro

FILM: Touch of Evil

Take some time to appreciate the dangerous side of film with Orson Welles’ American film Touch of Evil, which explores controversial themes such as racism, betrayal, sexual ambiguity, and police corruption of power. In honor of Into The Mystic, the Spirit Square Center for Arts and Education is presenting the dark and moody flick. It…

Robyn Banez

Capsule reviews for films playing week of Nov. 19

Current Releases BODY OF LIES Despite Russell Crowe’s shared marquee billing, this is really Leonardo DiCaprio’s film, as the young thespian handles the part of Roger Ferris, a compassionate CIA point man working in the Middle East under the jaded eye of his ruthless superior (Crowe) back in the United States. Hoping to track down…

Matt Brunson

Letters to the editor, Nov. 19

Show Your True Colors You know District 6 (“Election reactions,” Nov. 12) should be really pumped up right now to be represented by Bill James (hang on while I find the sarcasm key here, oops must be broke). To be represented by such a colorful member of society — and to think he won by…

THEATER: Rabbit Hole

It’s time to get serious with Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte as it presents Rabbit Hole, a doozy of a drama about difficult situations and life altercations. The Pulitzer Prize-winning-play, by David Lindsay-Abaire probably won’t make you laugh, but you’ll be able to relate to it, as it spotlights the usual family conflicts that hop out…

Anita Overcash

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Get The Good Stuff: A man and woman called police to report a break-in at their apartment. Other than $200 in purses, the suspects also took binoculars, Band-Aids and a pit bull. Those Band-Aids might come in handy if you plan on taking a pit bull anywhere it doesn’t want to go. Even Better Stuff:…

Ryan Pitkin

Class and wealth receive media coverage

Last week, a school collapsed in Haiti killing 90 students and injuring 150 more. I was shocked and saddened when I heard the story. Haiti is an impoverished country that has faced extreme challenges with its government. In spite of its rich culture, history and indomitable spirit of its people, Haiti continues to face many…

Nsenga Burton

CD/DVD Review: Grateful Dead’s Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978

The Deal: Legendary performances in front of Great Pyramids offered up as double-live CD and single-DVD set. The Good: In many interviews, guitarist Bob Weir has called the 1978 Egypt concerts one of his most memorable experiences playing with the band. Fantastic audio quality abounds as the band rambles through a number of classic songs…

Jeff Hahne

Weekly Horoscope for Nov. 19-25

Sagittarius the Archer: (Nov. 22-Dec. 20) The source of your self-esteem and personal values will change in major ways. In the western world, we measure self-esteem by income and what we do for a living. This pattern of thinking will deepen and broaden for you. The end result will be that your measure of self-esteem…

Vivian Carol

Charlotte Music Awards scheduled for Nov. 20

The 2nd Annual Charlotte Music Awards will be held on Nov. 20 at the Booth Playhouse in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The event, which will be emceed by local radio personality Chuck Boozer, will present lifetime achievement awards to Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, Nantucket and the Double Door Inn. Last year’s recipients of…

Jeff Hahne

CD Review: Rachael Yamagata’s Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart

The Deal: 31-year-old releases second studio effort as 14-song, double CD. The Good: You can’t complain about a lack of material here – the first disc is nine songs lasting roughly 50 minutes; the second disc is five tracks and runs just under 20 minutes. Yamagata’s smoky vocals evoke plenty of emotion and her songwriting…

Jeff Hahne

Were ‘concrete shoes’ a favored technique of mob hitmen?

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “concrete shoes,” mobsters’ choice of swimwear for fellas with rodent traits and other individuals that ran afoul of them. Is there any truth to it? —- Ale, Bangkok When your question came in, Ale, I thought: At last, a chance to have it out with E.L. Doctorow. You remember…

Cecil Adams

CL previews upcoming shows

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19 Oakhurst It’s the band’s road-hardened musicality that makes the Western bluegrass of Oakhurst appealing. The Denver, Colo.-based quintet is constantly on the road with mighty-fine picking and harmony-laden crooning that gels into down-to-earth bluegrass, lightly tinted with rock when needed. Lead vocalist/guitarist A.P. Hill sounds like a genuine hillbilly, albeit from the…

CD Review: Ed Laurie’s Meanwhile in the Park

The Deal: Soft-core acoustic fingerings in the vein of Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake, with a slight twist. The Good: With a voice that could double for Cohen’s and a complex finger-picking style like Drake’s, Laurie’s music is like the last 40 years never happened. But hang on to your classical guitars before you go…

John Schacht

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection among DVD reviews

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PREMIERE COLLECTION (1927-1947). The home entertainment arms of Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures released their own Hitchcock collections in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and now here’s 20th Century Fox belatedly joining the party with their own resplendent box set. Hitchcock had already directed a couple of films before helming The Lodger: A Story…

Matt Brunson

Ya heard? The Black Keys

Black Sabbath. Black Crowes. Black Kids. Vincent Black Shadow. Black Stone Cherry. Black Light Burns. Black Angels. Black Mountain. Black Lips. Black Tide. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Frank Black. Black Ritual. There are so many bands out today with the word “black” in the title that it becomes dizzying. When a co-worker approached me not…

Jeff Hahne

News in the Charlotte food industry, Nov. 19

Small Bites • Tim Tams, a chocolate-covered rectangular Aussie cookie, are now available in the United States just in time for the hot chocolate season. The best way to eat this cookie is a Tim Tam Slam, as they are affectionately called. Bite off opposing corners of the cookie and use it as a straw…

Tricia Childress

Levi Stubbs’ voice and the power of music

When the world falls apart some things stay in place/ Levi Stubbs’ tears run down his face. — “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” by Billy Bragg. When I heard last month that the great singer Levi Stubbs had died, NPR was on, and “Baby I Need Your Loving” was playing softly in the background of the report.…

President Obama can redeem the White House

Alice Walker is the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. But Monday, I called her to talk about a true story. The Obamas had just visited the White House. The first African-American elected president of the United States had visited his soon-to-be residence, a house built by slaves. Walker told me:…

Amy Goodman

Innocence lost in Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Movies about the brutality of the Holocaust seem to automatically earn R ratings, yet The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, perhaps because it’s based on a novel (by John Boyne) that was originally targeted to teen readers, escapes with a PG-13. That’s the appropriate rating, I think, since children who can handle — and learn…

Matt Brunson

RSVP to Rachel Getting Married

Rarely has patience been such a virtue than when faced with Rachel Getting Married, which gets off to an extremely rough start before eventually finding its stride. Movies about dysfunctional families — even dysfunctional families prepping for an upcoming marriage ceremony — are trotted out by indie-minded filmmakers with alarming regularity, but better to spend…

Matt Brunson

Chicago: Blacker than black

Bob Fosse always did black in his own distinctive way — with an icy touch of class. Yet I wonder if the latest makeover of Chicago, unveiled for the first time at Belk Theater last week, might not cause the late great choreographer to writhe with revulsion. In the latest incarnation of his scenic design,…

Perry Tannenbaum

Penguins again rule in second Madagascar

Anyone who thinks that the Madagascar franchise is all about the Benjamin (Stiller, that is) has seriously overrated the importance of marquee names to animated flicks. With rare exception (say, Eddie Murphy in the Shrek works), the most memorable cartoon characters have nothing to do with A-list casting (who even remembers that Bruce Willis starred…

Matt Brunson

The exclamation point of Dance Charlotte!

Looking around Booth Playhouse last Saturday night, I couldn’t help noticing how decisively the audience for Dance Charlotte! is skewing towards youth. That surely bodes well for the future of the artform in the Queen City at a time when attendance at homemade theater and dance events is drooping along with the local economy. I…

Perry Tannenbaum

Soweto Gospel Choir thankful for opportunities

South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir has come a long way (and I don’t just mean across the ocean). Since the choir’s formation in early 2002, it has experienced extreme success winning two Grammy Awards and put forth two number one Billboard World Music Chart albums. It has also joined in performances and/or in the studios…

Anita Overcash

Let wine relieve the Thanksgiving stress, not create it

As a kid, Thanksgiving was always — and remains — my favorite holiday. It’s the pinnacle of gluttony, a gustatory bacchanal, an excuse to eat 20 pounds of poultry and not gain a perceived pound. And it’s the perfect pretext for opening numerous bottles of wine without being labeled the family drunk. Consider the “walking…

Taylor Eason

BOOK SIGNING: Barbara Fairchild

Perfect for those with a big appetite for something good, but not as much time to prepare the meals they’d like, Barbara Fairchild (Bon Appétit’s Editor-in-Chief) will hold a signing and discussion of her new book The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook. It features more than 1,100 recipes for dishes special enough for weekends,…

Robyn Banez

Tiz Benson, baker

Walk into Tizzert’s Custom Cakery, and it’s easy to see how much customers appreciate the business by the hundreds of thank-you notes hanging on the wall. Owner Tiz Benson (hence the name), who built the company from two employees to eight over the last 13 years, says these ongoing relationships with customers stem from the…

Ryan Pitkin

MUSIC: Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire

Unusual musical combinations have varied over the past: Nelly and Tim McGraw in the song “Over and Over Again,” Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow in “Picture,” but one of the more peculiar is country star Reba McEntire and pop-rock gal Kelly Clarkson on a full-fledged tour together. Both artists will offer a little bit of…

Robyn Banez

Charlotte Bestsellers List

1. The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas 2. Serena by Ron Rash 3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 4. Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up by Melissa Thomson 5. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer 6. Dancing in the Lowcountry by James Villas 7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann…

THEATER: Squonk Opera’s Charlotte: The Opera

The touring group Squonk Opera, who blends music with theatrical acts, has come a long way since its start in a nasty junk yard in Pittsburgh. Just for our show, the group took time to learn about Charlotte, so now it’s ready for some fun with Squonk Opera’s Charlotte: The Opera a show of music,…

Anita Overcash

Quick comic book reviews for week of Nov. 19

I read a ton of comic books every month, but only get to review a few. So, in an effort to rant about more comics than usual, I’ve put together some quick takes on five titles I consumed last week. Here goes: Kull No. 1: After finding success with characters created by Robert E. Howard…

Carlton Hargro

Let the Bobcats bloopers begin!

After being a guest judge for the Lady Cat auditions, I’ve been anticipating the start of the Bobcats’ season. No, it’s not so I can watch the dancers, or even that I’m all that interested in basketball, but so I can go to the party that is a Bobcats’ game. (OK, I do like watching…

MUSIC: Soweto Gospel Choir

South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir brings a mix of elaborate costumes, harmonious uplifting melodies and dancing to Belk Theater on Nov. 23. If you want to see a full-spirited performance from a group that’s crossed the ocean and is riding the tide with ample waves of success, this performance is a must-see. $10 and up.…

Anita Overcash

Charlotte’s changing power base

As of deadline, it was still the biggest untold story in Charlotte. It is a story of shifting political power here of such magnitude that it jumps out at you when you look at the numbers. Dwayne Collins, head of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, has noticed the change. So did Barack Obama’s campaign,…

EXHIBITION: Celebrating 25 Years and 25 Artists

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Jerald Melberg Gallery with the Celebrating 25 Years and 25 Artists exhibition, which is filled with masterpieces by artists closely related to the gallery, including Thomas McNickle, Wolf Kahn, Romare Bearden, Dale Chihuly, James Rosati, Robert Motherwell, Raul Diez, and more. The Jerald Melberg Gallery was the first to…

Robyn Banez

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