Musical pessimism abounds in the Queen City. But despite the naysayers, this town of bankers manages a varied music scene. And, in 2005, the scene saw its share of musical ups and downs. Here’s a look back at some of the action.
The space previously occupied by much-loved dance club Mythos saw rebirth as The Forum. It’s still in the “character development phase,” so let’s talk about the joint again this time next year.
The new Charlotte Bobcats Arena sprung up in the midst of the ever burgeoning downtown. As far as we know, bad boy rocker Mick Jagger didn’t sire any offspring with another nubile Brazilian model this year, but Jagger, Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones did ceremoniously help “pop the cherry” of the arena on opening night.
I sat in the rafters for the romp & roll of the Stones and, rock critic blowhards aside, the grandpas rocked. The only problem with the show? The new arena pretty much bites, at least for music. The way it’s designed, the seats in front of you are so close and so angled that I had to regain my footing a couple times while navigating the aisles during the show. And I’m a skinny, fairly agile guy who wasn’t even drinking that night. Lord knows what will ensue when an obese Joe Average, lit up with a few brewskis, stumbles onto the fair lass sitting in the preceding row (or should I say sitting under his row). The sound was lacking, at least from my perch near the ceiling, but we’ll allow time for further tweaking of the venue.
A slew of musical acts is already slated to play the arena this year. Meanwhile, no one is eulogizing the still intact and healthy place where the big-ticket bands used to play, and which now lies dormant awaiting bulldozers. I’m talking about the Charlotte Coliseum. Wishful thinking: Bring the music back to the old coliseum and let the ball dribblers do their thing at the arena.
Other killer shows seen this year include a hair-raising evening with tabla master Zakir Hussain and singer Anup Jalota. I still have to pick my head off the floor thinking of Hussain’s fast and furious techniques. The Mishra Brothers and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt round out the trinity of big-name Hindustani music that made its way to Charlotte last year.
LA punk rockers Exene Cervenka and John Doe made a double appearance, first with the Knitters as the band regrouped after a 20-year absence touting a new record and tour. And later in the year, they came as members of the original X. The quartet helped part the aging scalps of long-running fans, while wowing new recruits.
On the bands, labels and venues front: Props to the local band Pyramid. They scored music for the indie film The Foot Fist Way directed by Concord native Jody Hill. The film will premiere this month at the Sundance Film Festival. Deep Elm records celebrated its 10th anniversary. MoRisen records keeps releasing fine tuneage including by The Talk, who had the song “Nyla” make it on to Fox’s The O.C.
Hallowed rock venue The Milestone Club was forced to go private, and 18 & up for most shows, after numerous hassles from ALE (that’s Alcohol Law Enforcement) officials. Another long-running venue, the Double Door Inn, turned 32 this past year.
The band Baleen moved to Atlanta, but retains its Charlotte connections. My So-Called Band was among those that disbanded, but music staple Chris Peigler is a role model of perseverance and will be back with a new band this year.
Props to Queen City Independent and MAXX Music as they continue to bring fine acts to local clubs and venues on a regular basis. QCI’s Little Brother gig at Tremont earlier this month helped restore the health of our local hip-hop culture, fa-sheezy.
Musical diversity also abounded in the locally organized festivals Ciao, Italia!, Festival of India, Bon Odori Japanese Fest, and the Yiasou Greek Festival.
In radio-land: Radio station The End (106.5 FM) put the final nail in the coffin of its long-lived, annual “End of Summer Weenie Roast” concerts. WSGE (91.7 FM), based in Gaston College, bumped its wattage in the summer from 3 kilowatts to 6 kilowatts, thus increasing its range of coverage to include some 1.2 million potential listeners. WSGE’s eclectic programming includes alternative, Americana, blues, beach, local music and deep-cuts rock. WNCW (100.3 FM) launched the show “Local Color,” a program that profiles local and regional artists on Fri., 9-11pm and repeated on Sun., 7-9pm.
Some local CDs of note released in 2005: David Childers — Jailhouse Religion, Alternative Champs — Welcome to Fort Awesome, Malcolm Holcolmbe — I Never Heard You Knockin,’ Mike Strauss — How in the World?, GogoPilot — Armageddon Lullabies and Moonshine Racers — Skyline Motel.
To all complainers: Help make things happen. Support venues when they book adventurous gigs. Make a resolution to help spread the word about WSGE. Sometimes you have to flip a rock to find a gold nugget. You’ll only get a sore ass sitting on the fence. Cheers.
This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2006.
