Sep 20-26, 2011

Sep 20-26, 2011 / Vol. 25 / No. 30

Cover Story

NoDa: An oral history of an arts district

In the shadows of Uptown Charlotte, just two miles to the north, sits NoDa — short for North Davidson — the quirky neighborhood where artists blend with yuppies like specialty java drinks from Smelly Cat Coffeehouse. It’s a walker’s paradise, replete with colorful eye candy and clashing music, where sounds of folksingers, rock bands, slam…

Cheris Hodges

Obama’s small 2008 donors say no to president’s 2012 campaign

The New York Times reports that the Obama re-election campaign is shocked at how many of the president’s most loyal 2008 supporters are telling his 2012 campaign to take a hike. It seems the army of small donors who, in ’08, gave $15, $25, $50, or whatever they could spare whenever they could spare it…

John Grooms

Tuesday picnic and scavenger hunt with the Sierra Club

Rhiannon Fionn Sign at RibbonWalk Nature Preserve Did you know that Charlotte has a nearly 200-acre nature preserve near Uptown? Well, it does. And Tuesday night you have a chance to enjoy it in an extra-special way with the local chapter of the Sierra Club. Here are the deets: RibbonWalk Nature Preserve is a 188-acre…

Rhiannon Fionn

Domestic violence awareness month

Is there a way to protect victims of domestic violence in Charlotte? Headlines scream of shootings, beatings and killings of people in intimate relationships seemingly every week. The latest case happened over the weekend in Davidson. Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, Davidson police responded to a report of a shooting at a home on Callaway…

Mustang Sally, Mayor of Bang Town

“Die in” protest Saturday at Duke Energy in Charlotte, N.C.

As part of 350.org’s worldwide “Moving Planet: A day to move beyond fossil fuels” event this Saturday, Greenpeace-Charlotte is planning to stage a “die in” at Duke Energy’s headquarters from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. My first question — perhaps it was yours, too — was, “What in the hell is a ‘die in’?” As…

Rhiannon Fionn

Today’s Top(less) 5: Friday

Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, September 23, 2011— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Support your team in a jersey and Nothing Else at The Estate • After Hours Breakfast buffet…

Mustang Sally, Mayor of Bang Town

CSFW at Vivace

Vivace at the Metropolitan was all a buzz with some of the most fashionable and creative people in Charlotte last night.

T. Strong

Charlotte’s air quality sucks

Anyone paying attention to weather reports over the summer already knows that Charlotte’s air sucks; damn near every day was a “code orange day,” which means it was “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Now we have even more evidence that smog is an issue in the Queen City. From The Charlotte Business Journal: More bad news…

Rhiannon Fionn

The Sky Drops typify ‘gaze-grunge’

The Sky Drops classify their sound as “gaze-grunge,” which is perfect. It succinctly sums up the Wilmington, Del., duo’s sonic approach, in addition to being fun to say. The group – guitarist-vocalist Rob Montejo and drummer-vocalist Monika Bullette – combines the melody-rich boy-girl harmonies and wall-of-sound approach of the premiere British shoegazers (My Bloody Valentine,…

Kathleen Johnson

Last week’s four biggest civic embarrassments for the Charlotte area

Bless our city’s little heart: The wince-worthy moments just keep coming. Take last week, when four serious Charlotte embarrassments reared their heads. There’s a lot to like in this city; otherwise, I wouldn’t still be living here. One thing that’s not to like, though, is the inability of the city’s “leaders” to laugh at themselves.…

John Grooms

Meet the old boss

It’s been five years since I last sat in this chair at Creative Loafing, and I couldn’t be happier to be back. A little reintroduction: In 2005 and 2006, I briefly served as CL’s editor after a three-year run at The Charlotte Observer. During my year here, we made some key adjustments that reflected the…

Mark Kemp

Green Drinks networking group takes eco-consciousness to the pub

If you’re looking to connect with eco-minded peeps in the Charlotte area, look no further than Green Drinks Charlotte. Event depending, 40 to 150 people might show up at the group’s monthly networking events, and they’re not the hippie tree huggers you might expect. The four-year-old chapter of Green Drinks is one of nearly 800…

Rhiannon Fionn

In the grand scheme of things with Lore Emelio

Local fashion designer Lore Emelio says the only thing missing from her upcoming fall 2011 showcase is a baby grand piano. From the way she describes what to expect of the event, dubbed All Things Grand, we’re inclined to believe her. On Oct. 1, Emelio and her team will take over Silver Hammer Studios to…

Kimberly Lawson

Urban Gypsy Traveling Trunk Show hits Amelie’s

As fashion takes over Charlotte this week (with two showcase events happening in Uptown), it’s no surprise if you’re thinking about your own wardrobe. One way to add to your closet without subtracting too much from your bank account is to go the recycled route. You can do that by checking out the Urban Gypsy…

Kimberly Lawson

Weekly horoscope (Sept. 21-27)

Libra The Scales (Sept. 22-Oct. 22) This is a very busy week with multiple influences. Romance and social life flow easily. Meanwhile, you have an old issue returning for review, which concerns family, home and your sense of belonging. Make an effort to avoid old knee-jerk reactions. Come from the Self that you are now.…

Vivian Carol

Handpicked’s GoodWork(s) collection for a good cause

Leather bracelets are great earthy accessories to wear as the weather cools down toward fall. One place to find them is Handpicked. Their GoodWork(s) collection offers a colorful selection, including buckle and wrap, with encouraging words like “Make a Difference,” “Come Together” and “Courage” emblazoned in silver. The best part is that 25 percent of…

Kimberly Lawson

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Sept. 21

ATTACK THE BLOCK Attack the Block opens with a gang of South London thugs robbing a woman before having a run-in with a nasty critter from outer space. Those of us empathic to the plights of victims (and, I’m guessing, those still reeling from the recent London riots) will hope the malevolent e.t. will make…

Matt Brunson

Living for repurpose: Aeriel Bruner

In Aeriel Bruner’s world, all unwanted furniture gets a shot at a new home. Whether she finds them in consignment shops throughout the Charlotte area or while cruising Craigslist on sleepless nights, the pieces she repurposes become her own works of art. Two years ago, when she and her husband moved into the ranch-styled house…

Kadee Blakely

Where to find it: Bahn Mi and Vietnamese herbs

After Zen International Market suddenly closed last spring, I went through withdrawal. Their roasted pork báhn mi sandwiches, and the pork and leek dumplings made and cooked to order, have been missed. Then I found St. Joseph Vietnamese Catholic Church, 4929 Sandy Porter Road, in southwest Charlotte. Like many area churches, Sunday services are followed…

Tricia Childress

Topaz Woodruff, owner of Nail Cabaret

Nail art can go beyond pink polish and French manicures. Don’t simply take a trip to the salon to add a touch of color to your stems. Instead, find a nail artist who will enhance your smallest canvas and call attention to your piggies. Such as Topaz Woodruff, owner of Nail Cabaret (5205-A Monroe Road;…

Nicole Pietrantonio

La Shish Kabob offers Middle Eastern treats

To describe any one dish from the Middle East as being “just so” can be dicey. After all, small differences can become vast gulfs of uncertainty and conflict. The cuisine of that region is a mere player on that stage. What does this mean? Quite simply, not all falafels are the same. Just as chili…

Tricia Childress

3 questions with Clare Duncan, owner of Fatty Dog Bake Shop

Clare Duncan, owner and baker of Fatty Dog Bake Shop, has a dog with a major sweet tooth and an eye for scrumptious perfection. Duncan named her business after her cupcake-thieving dog Moe (nicknamed Fatty) gobbled up a tower of cupcakes at a party. “We called him Fatty because it was the fun, ironic thing…

Cannon Miller

Book review: Kevin Wilson’s The Family Fang

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (Ecco, 320 pages, $23.99). Caleb and Camille Fang are acclaimed performance artists whose work involves creating public disturbances of various sorts, and then recording and dissecting the reactions and chaos they unleash. Helping Camille and Caleb with their art are their two children, Annie and Buster, or as they’re…

John Grooms

Wayne ‘The Train’ Hancock paves his own musical path

He’s a self-proclaimed viper of melody, a tireless road dawg prowling the back roads, dispensing a unique musical blend he calls hillbilly swing. Wayne “The Train” Hancock pretty much lives on the road, and he loves it. “Can’t get enough of those diners, and those 12-hour shifts behind the wheel,” he says without a trace…

Grant Britt

Shaking it up in The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play

When you don’t have a clue about sex, it can be pretty funny — and pretty sad. In her provocative sex comedy, In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play, now at Actor’s Theatre, Sarah Ruhl amps up the ignorance to mind-blowing proportions. To accomplish this, Ruhl takes us back to the 1880s, when only…

Perry Tannenbaum

Nightlife profile: Eric Treese

Do not attempt the acts you are about to read, unless you are a trained professional. Fire-eater Eric Treese confesses his favorite way to light a torch is to take a lit torch and transfer the flame to an unlit one with his tongue. The professional fire-eater is also a magician and balloon artist who…

Nicole Pietrantonio

Exhibit: Counterpoints: Space and Form

This new exhibit at Winthrop University features art by four artists (Alice Ballard, Roger Dalrymple, Paul Yanko and Enid Williams) from Greenville, S.C. It revolves around the artists’ personal viewpoints on space and form. Both Ballard and Dalrymple have chosen clay as their medium, while Yanko and Williams (see his pictured piece, titled “Modern Organic”)…

Anita Overcash

CD REVIEW: Appalucia’s Bet It All

Appalucia Militia; Release date: Sept. 2, 2011 THE DEAL: Charlotte Americana collective releases four-song EP. THE GOOD: The album starts with “Bet It All,” a folk song infused with a poker theme. Recorded with Bo White at the Yauhaus, the band’s instrumental layering is readily heard here. Acoustic guitar (Andy the Doorbum Fenstermaker), banjo (Wyley…

Jeff Hahne

Exhibit: It’s About Time

Mint Hill Arts is well aware of time’s preciousness. The gallery’s current exhibit is featuring works from local artists that were inspired by the changing of time. Though subject matter varies — from a painting capturing the autumn foliage to a reference to the 9/11 attack on our nation — they each recall specific moments…

Anita Overcash

CD REVIEW: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks’ Mirror Traffic

Matador; Release date: Aug. 23, 2011 THE DEAL: Stephen Malkmus releases most Pavement-like post-Pavement effort. THE GOOD: Malkmus’ fifth solo effort is a welcome rejoinder to the prog-jam bloat of 2008’s Real Emotional Trash, as most of the 15 tracks here have their say in three minutes. Beck was brought in to produce and pays…

John Schacht

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (Sept. 21)

East Meets West: A 27-year-old woman filed a police report after being disrespected while out clubbing. The victim told officers she saw a woman staring at her at Dharma Lounge, so she approached the woman. Before the victim could say anything, the suspect spit in her face and walked away. Apparently, the suspect made a…

Ryan Pitkin

Troy Davis and the politics of death

Death brings cheers these days in America. In the most recent Republican presidential debate in Tampa, Fla., when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked, hypothetically, if a man who chose to carry no medical insurance, then was stricken with a grave illness, should be left to die, cheers of “Yeah!” filled the hall. When, in the prior…

Amy Goodman

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