Acid Trip
As Riesling is to whites, Chianti is to reds … a friend to share meals with. Italians, of course, have known this for years, but in typically insular American fashion it’s taken us a gazillion years to get the message. In our defense, I must say the better Chiantis didn’t appear stateside until recently, when…
Oil and Water
Take a drive through the Democratic precincts of the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood off Central Avenue, I mean the white Democratic precincts, and there’s only one conclusion you can draw by looking at the political yard signs. Jennifer Roberts, a white Democrat running for the county commission at-large, sure must be popular. Her signs are all over…
Clueless Breeders at Renfest
“Purple Pill” poppers beware: chili cook-offs aren’t for the faint of stomach. I stopped by the first annual Plaza-Midwood-Chantilly-Elizabeth Chili Cook-Off Saturday afternoon just as it was getting underway. Tents and tables were set up in the lot nestled between Sammy’s Deli and The Family Dollar in Plaza Midwood, each offering their own special varieties…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 6434-F West Sugarcreek Rd., 704-598-6863; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd. (Gastonia), 704-866-7574. A favorite of…
If Pigs Could Fly
In Cincinnati, Ohio, October 4 is “Andrew Leicester Day.” To Mayor Pat McCrory, and citizens who’ve been following the controversy about Charlotte’s public art stirred up by our city’s mayor, English-born and educated Leicester (pronounced LES-ter) is well-known; he’s the creator of the much-debated artwork for the new Charlotte arena. Cincinnati honored the artist this…
The Blotter
CLOSE, BUT NO POP: An unknown bad guy forced his way into a public park’s recreation center and proceeded to pry open a vending machine. Thankfully, a keen-eyed passerby alerted police of the shenanigans, and the crook was scared off before he could steal any soda or change. A LIKELY STORY: A man summoned the…
Fulltime Milestone
Neal Harper adjusts the controls on the soundboard at Charlotte’s storied Milestone Club, an ear-to-ear grin plastered across his 24-year-old face. Ryan Westbrook, 23, pulls the tabs on a pair of $1.25 PBRs and extends them across the bar, looking as though he’s just won the lottery. Philip Shive, 22, cheerfully greets a modest but…
See & Do
OCTOBER 20 – WEDNESDAY Promoting the critically acclaimed Chemical Friends, San Francisco native n.Lannon is on the road morphing his acoustic-guitar-and-home-computer recording into a three-piece live band sound. The record is filled with luscious sounds and melodies ranging from hushed acoustic songs reminiscent of Nick Drake to the simulated 808 beats that bands like Autechre…
The Three Sides of Lannon
Nyles Lannon doesn’t believe in limiting his musical choices. As a member of San Francisco’s Film School, he belongs to a highly sought-after independent band. As n.Ln, his electronic music debut, Astronomy for Children, was the BBC’s “Album of the Week” in January. As n.Lannon, his new record Chemical Friends is being hailed as lap-pop…
Ask the Advice Goddess
Grope Against Hope I went out with a friend to meet two guys she went to college with. We played pool, had a few beers, and I ended up sleeping with one of them. He was passionate, romantic and generous in bed. He called the next day and said we should go out. He told…
Back In Black
You think your life is tough? Try carrying a ravenous, 200-pound monkey on your back for a decade. Such was the fate of Ministry guitarist Al Jourgensen who just two years ago killed the “horse” habit, completing the circuit from drug-user to used-druggie to drug-free. With his newfound sobriety he’s forged the best Ministry album…
Stargazer
For All Signs On Oct. 27 we will have a total full moon eclipse centered on 11:07pm EDT. Those of us in North America with clear skies will be able to watch its passage. A lunar eclipse is essentially a strongly punctuated full moon. Often full moons bring fulfillment or consummation of important affairs in…
Sit & Spin
Elliot Smith From a Basement On the Hill Epitaph Even without the back-story, From a Basement On the Hill would qualify as one of the most heart-breaking records ever made. More than just the pinnacle of Elliot Smith’s troubled career, his swan song is now a plea for understanding to those left behind. It is…
Ghost Racers
New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb has seen the light — think headlights — and has become a convert to NASCAR. Best known for her series of Appalachian “ballad” novels, McCrumb combines and updates old-fashioned storytelling techniques and intertwines the past and present in such well-received books as The Ballad of Frankie Silver, The…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 10.20 n.Lannon — His critically acclaimed solo debut, Chemical Friends, is a luscious acoustic-guitar-and-computer affair, but Nyles Lannon has been touring as a three-piece, so hearing the transition should be half the fun. See our story in this issue. With the Virginia Reel and Bitter, Bitter Weeks. The Room (Schacht) THURSDAY 10.21 Rock Songwriter’s…
Mistakes Were Made
From the very first page, you know what’s coming — a murder — but that’s all you know. The how and critical why hide in novelist Judy Goldman’s lively imagination. Murder’s not supposed to happen to people like these. People like you or your best neighbor. Goldman, in this second novel, traces what I would…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Oct. 20 Amos’ Southend Capleton w/ Cocoa Tea, Jah Thunder and Moses-I Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Bricktop Lounge DJ Christian and Brigmunton Double Door Inn Young & Grey w/ Hunter’s Travis-D The Evening Muse Janet Robin & The Conversation The Gin Mill Wizard’s Road Show Lava Java Open Mic w/ Sam Midtown 51…
Coastal Cohort
Nobody writes stories and songs about the North Carolina coast like Bland Simpson. Since he grew up “Down East,” Simpson has an abiding regard for our windswept coast with its string of islands, as well as for the murky waters of the Great Dismal Swamp. Local theatergoers will remember Simpson from several years ago when…
Armchair Politics
It makes sense, doesn’t it? Just as home entertainment outfits annually release a slew of horror flicks right before Halloween and a substantial number of holiday yarns in the weeks preceding Christmas, this year has witnessed a flood of political titles hitting DVD and video in the months prior to the November 2 election. The…
October Surprise
Some new groups learn quickly how to put their best foot forward. After just two programs, the new Queen City Jazz Company has proven that it’s a force to be reckoned with. They have the sharpest, most intently drilled synchronicity in town. What’s more, they have a small corps of exciting individual performers, two highly…
View From The Couch
I’M NOT SCARED (2004). On the outskirts of a rural Italian village in 1978, 10-year-old Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) is startled to discover there’s a boy (Mattia Di Pierro) his age who’s chained in the cellar of an abandoned farmhouse. Blissfully naive (or simply wary?), he leaves the lad in his prison but decides to befriend…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Charlotte Chamber Singers Repertoire includes music by Hovland, Hogan, Gardner, Costantini, Este, and Mulholland. Belk Chapel. Wed., Oct. 27, 8 p.m. Free. Queens University, 1900 Selwyn Ave. 704-337-2269. Davidson College Symphony and Chamber Choir Featuring Mussorgsky and Grieg’s works. Fri., Oct. 22, 7 p.m. Free. Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Corner of Main St.…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES I ♥ HUCKABEES Or, Being Charlie Kaufman, as writer-director David O. Russell tries to expand the parameters of mainstream cinema as much as the scripter of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Yet while Russell’s movie doesn’t quite capture the freewheeling dementia of Kaufman’s output, it’s still a noteworthy…
Il Conto, Per Piacere
In America, we don’t have those handy eating place monikers that other countries have developed throughout the past two centuries. Ask an American what a cafe is and the answer could vary from a place for wireless communication and a coffee, to a small restaurant. Bistros are even more confusing.The French and the Italians, however,…
Stolen!
Creative Loafing originally intended to fill this space with a voter guide. Then we made a shocking discovery. There’s no one to vote for. This election has already been stolen. Because of the way they drew their districts, political incumbents and the party anointed are practically bulletproof in Mecklenburg County. The situation is so extreme…
Back To School
Let’s face it: With all this buzz about cooking schools in Charlotte, folks are going to assume that all Charlotteans can cook. Then again, the stars of Food Television do make it look easy. Tyler Florence does, and so do Emeril and Ina. Actually, only the Iron Chefs make cooking seem somewhat formidable, but then…
Much Ado About Taxes and Schools
Consider this your read-between-the-lines guide to the at-large Mecklenburg County Commission race. This is probably the most important commission race in at least a decade, but with national races dominating the airwaves, the main issues will probably be lost in an electoral blur. That’s too bad, because Mecklenburg is at a turning point in its…
A Meal With A View
GRAND OPENING: October 1, 2004 OWNER: Jim Emad EXECUTIVE CHEF: William Schutz, a native of Long Island, NY, came to Charlotte with 23 years of experience. Some of the restaurants in which Schutz gained experience include Bouley’s and Tribeca Grill (co-owned by Drew Nieporent and Robert De Niro) in New York and Arpege in Paris.…
When Two Evils Collide
For years, North Carolina state legislators have been on a spending binge. While other states buckled down, one-term Governor Mike Easley presided over tax hikes and budgets that seem to grow by nearly a billion dollars a year. As a result, we are one of the most highly taxed states in the Southeast, by some…
What’s On The Menu?
This week, Creative Loafing includes its annual Menu Guide, a handy pullout with menus from area restaurants. Today’s menus can run the gamut from leather-bound, embossed tomes to throwaway photocopied sheets. But what was the very first menu like? In 1922, archaeologist Sir William Cristal discovered the earliest known menu while excavating the pyramid containing…
Flip Flop and Fly
Richard Burr, the Republican, is the one who bears a striking resemblance to former Vice President Dan Quayle. Even Quayle’s wife, Marilyn Quayle, says so. His opponent, Erskine Bowles, is the spitting image of the puppet “Beaker” from the Muppets. Their looks are about the only thing that’s consistent about the two men who desperately…
Crunch Bunch
Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like apples? They’re hard to come by, these genetic anomalies. Maybe these apple haters have only the Red (un)Delicious to blame. With its mealy flesh, soggy bite and waxy, chemical-flavored skin, the lamest excuse for an apple could be wreaking more havoc than we imagine. The good news…
Debatable Television
You all know what it’s like to have an overflowing inbox and you have to get that information out. Home readers, that’s where we stand this week, so with a nod toward the former USA Today columnist/talk show host Larry King, here are some short subjects worth catching up on. It’s official. Televised political debates…
