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Thursday, April 17, 2014
Music Friday Live at the Factory schedule announced
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 4:29 PM
Blackberry Smoke, Cracker and Cowboy Mouth are among the bands scheduled to play at this year's Friday Live at the Factory outdoor concert series. Locals including The Spongetones, Simplified and Of Good Nature are also on the list.
Taking place in the fountain plaza of the N.C. Music Factory, the event takes place every Friday between May 9 and June 27. Tickets for the concerts are $5 in advance and $30 for all eight shows.
May 9 - Cowboy Mouth w/ Of Good Nature
May 16 - The Dirty Guv'nahs
May 23 - Cracker w/ Simplified
May 30 - Ultralush
June 6 - The Spongetones
June 13 - Blackberry Smoke w/ Chris Cook Band
June 20 - Charity Case
June 27 - On the Border w/ Jive Mother Mary
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 2:00 PM
- Fox Searchlight
- Dom Hemingway
Bears - Documentary
Dom Hemingway - Jude Law, Richard E. Grant
A Haunted House 2 - Marlon Wayans, Cedric the Entertainer
Heaven Is for Real (opened Wednesday) - Greg Kinnear, Thomas Haden Church
Le Week-End - Jim Broadbent, Jeff Goldblum
Nymphomaniac: Volumes I & II - Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard
Transcendence - Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall
Under the Skin - Scarlett Johansson, Paul Brannigan
Music Hopscotch Music Festival announces initial lineup
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 11:13 AM
The 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival announced its initial lineup of 115 acts today with Mastodon and Spoon as the headliners. The bill also includes St. Vincent, Thurston Moore, Sun Kill Moon, Death and High on Fire. Charlotte's Deniro Farrar is also listed.
Spoon will headline Friday, Sept. 5, on a bill that includes St. Vincent and Lonnie Walker. Mastodon tops Sept. 6 along with punk pioneers Death and regional favorite Valient Thorr.
The event takes place Sept. 4-6, 2014 in Raleigh. An additional 40 bands will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets range from $65 one-day passes to $150 for the weekend and $205 for VIP.
News First Drip (4/17/14): Brannon plagiarized, bye, bye, historic-preservation tax credit, more
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 10:22 AM
Greg Brannon's campaign has apparently plagiarized many of its talking points, pulling text about abortion, health care and national defense, among other issues, from Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash's website, a Cato Institute scholar and the Coalition for Jobs. Brannon is the North Carolina Tea Party Republican vying for a Senate seat.
Women's groups have helped Greensboro's Alma Adams take the financial lead in the race for the 12th District. Though the crowded race will likely still result in a runoff, Adams maintains a 3-to-1 cash advantage over her nearest opponent.
On their quest to reduce corporate income taxes, state lawmakers say they will cut a tax credit that has been used to revive many North Carolina cities. The historic-preservation tax credit has been used to renovate buildings in Greensboro and Winston-Salem including BioTech Place, the Nissen Building, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, the Cone Export Building and the Jones Building, home to Natty Greene's.
Are our cell phones killing us? It could take generations to answer that question, argues Swedish neuro-oncologist Leif Salford. The electromagnetic fields and radiation emitted by cell phones have the potential to cause cancer and Alzheimer's, among other health problems. But because cell phones haven't been around for very long, scientists can't be sure if they definitely cause problems.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 17, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Other Desert Cities at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
* Taste of Mint at Mint Museum Uptown
* McColl in Response at McColl Center for Visual Art
* Charlotte Knights vs. Gwinnett Braves at BB&T Ballpark
* Songwriter's Showcase at Summit Coffee
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Comic Afterthoughts The Pull List (4/16/14): Waid tackles the Jade Giant
Posted By Andy Smith on Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 6:10 PM
Usually, creators will start a new series after a cliffhanger is resolved, but Marvel has its own way of doing things. That's why Hulk #1 starts off with Bruce Banner on the edge of death. We don't know who shot him, so there's already a burning question within the opening page of the series.
Thankfully, we have Mark Waid and Mark Bagley at the helm. The Marks are powerhouses for Marvel, the former providing one of the imprint's best current series in Daredevil. Since the '90s, the latter has informed how most of us look at Ol' Webhead himself, the amazing Spider-Man.
For many, "Peter David" is the name synonymous with the Jade Giant, but Waid's hands are more than able. So even if you'd rather ease into your comic arcs, Comic Afterthoughts suggests taking a leap of faith with Hulk #1.
Arts RAW and Rippin shows, among this week's art picks
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 4:17 PM
Check out these art events, happening this week in Charlotte and the surrounding area.
RAW: Natural Born Artists present Spectrum at Tremont Music Hall: Giving artists an outlet for showcasing their many talents - from art, photography, fashion to music, performance art and more - RAW is an organization that has expanded to more than 60 cities worldwide. The Charlotte chapter hosts its Spectrum show at Tremont Music Hall on Thursday. To check out who is going to be there, visit www.rawartists.org/charlotte. $20. April 17, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tremont Music Hall, 400 West Tremont Ave. 704-343-9494. www.tremontmusichall.com.
Rippin Art Show at Black Sheep Skate Shop: Philly-based illustrator Thom Lessner isn't shy with his pen. His artwork depicts human beings and other creatures in a raw, cartoon-like fashion. He often pursues rock 'n' roll stars and pop icons as material for his drawings, which may or may not be flattering to those being portrayed. His work has a parody feel, and has been featured in magazines like Revolver, Rolling Stone, London-based Dazed and Confused, Philadelphia Magazine and The Metro. It seems like Lessner is picking fun, but these aren't comic strips - though we'd totally read them if they were. Black Sheep Skate Shop's upcoming Rippin Art Show will showcase Lessner's drawings and screen prints. Also check out local artist Jason Waters' prints, drawings, paintings and stickers. Food trucks and music from DJ Animate, too. Reception on April 18, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free admission. Black Sheep Skate Shop, 1504 Camden Road, Suite 200. 704-333-1423. www.blacksheepnc.com.
Music In a summer music series battle, Cincinnati beats Charlotte
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 12:07 PM
City Beat announced the Cincinnati Midpoint Indie Summer series lineup today, and it kicks the shit out of any lineup that the Queen City weekly Uptown-area events have had in years. Among those slated to perform at the Cincy weekly series are Those Darlins, Man Man, Moon Taxi, Local H, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Islands. In addition to local acts opening up, and four bands playing each night, did I mention these concerts are FREE?!?
Does that price tag of free remind you of any other summer music series you might know of or have attended?
I'll admit, I've complained plenty about the Alive After Five series and its focus on cover bands for its music. Another local series, Friday Live at the Factory, centers around '90s alt-rock bands, though they've done a good job with booking local acts for openers. Both events have at least experimented with having local bands that play original music headline. (It's a short drive to the U.S. Whitewater Center which has been getting solid acts on its River Jam series for years now.)
The typical arguments I hear is that "no one cares about the music" at those events. Promoters go for cover bands who are safe choices due to their broad appeal. To that I always ask, why not offer more? Why can't AA5 book even more local acts to open for the headliners, as the Friday Live series has done (and will hopefully do this year)? Why can't both events book more original national and regional acts who aren't bank-breakers but still draw a crowd, such as Janelle Monae, Kurt Vile, Charlotte's own Matrimony, Drive-By Truckers, Little Dragon, Shovels & Rope, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lost in the Trees, Blackberry Smoke, ZZ Ward, J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Lake Street Dive, Wild Feathers ... the list goes on.
Charlotte may have twice the population and enjoy warmer weather, but as far as a summer music series goes, Cincinnati clearly wins. (Not to mention all the national acts the city gets at the annual MidPoint Music Festival.) The Whitewater Center is doing its part to show that it can be done and people will even travel for a quality event.
- Photo by Jeff Hahne
- Can Charlotte get a better weekly music series?
News First Drip (4/16/14): N.C. veteran teachers shouldn't expect raises this year, more
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 9:59 AM
Starting teachers may see a boost in their paychecks this year, but veterans shouldn't get their hopes up. "The latest revenue report forecasts limited growth, so GOP legislative leaders say the state is too cash-strapped for the across-the-board increases demanded by teachers, who rank among the lowest paid in the nation."
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction apparently misspoke - "Our attorneys misunderstood the question" - when it said in March that salaries for charter school leaders are exempt from public disclosure, even though the schools receive hundreds of millions in public spending. The schools are now required to disclose the information.
The mother of a 3-year-old boy in Nebraska called the police when her son went missing. Fortunately he was found uninjured, but in the weirdest of places: a bowling alley toy-claw machine. "You have to weave your way in and out, so he had to work pretty hard to get in there," said Jim Lakey with VVS, the owner of the machine, in an interview. He added, "It's kind of a rarity." The boy was allowed to keep a stuffed animal.
Authorities still aren't sure why a ferry carrying 459 passengers capsized off the coast of South Korea, killing four and injuring dozens others. Nearly 300 people are still missing, and about 164 have been rescued.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 16, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Southern Fried Vegas: Emotron 10 Year Anniversary Party at The Comedy Zone
* Taste of the Nation at Two Wells Fargo Center Atrium
* Ben Sollee at Stage Door Theater
* Charlotte Bobcats vs. Chicago Bulls at Time Warner Cable Arena
* Zipline & Dine at U.S. National Whitewater Center
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