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JUNE 10-16, 2021 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

The Return of

RECORD STORE DAY The cult of vinyl comes home on June 12 BY JAMES DOUGLAS | PAGE 12

MARCUS SMITH INVESTIGATION CANCELED PAGE 6

BRIANNA TAM SHREDS ON THE ELECTRIC CELLO

PAGE 11

JUNE 10-16, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Day-drinking on his 21st

n his 21st birthday my oldest child left the house for a bout of day-drinking with his mother while I stayed by Brian Clarey here to work. Had you told me that on the day he was born, when day-drinking on a Monday was very much a part of my repertoire, I would have laughed in your face. Though probably not, because I was an absolute wreck on the day he was born, when they whisked his mother from a routine doctor ‘s appointment to a hospital room across Prytania Street, cut her open, pulled him out and handed him to me. The booze, the bar and all their accoutrements occupied most of my waking hours in the years before he was born, and for many of them afterward. I was a drunk. He says he doesn’t remember; I know he does. We are not perfect parents. None of us. We all leave our scars and dings on our kids; we cannot protect them from our own shortcomings. And ultimately we cannot protect them from this world — at best indifferent and at worst openly hostile towards young people trying to find their way.

I was pretty banged up by the time I hit my 21st birthday, barely halfway through college, romantically unstable, with no plans beyond finishing my degree and working my way up to weekend bartender. I was stupid enough back then to think I had it all figured out. I had already been day-drinking for many years. He’s better than me: smarter, taller. He sees things more clearly, processes things more deeply. He’s not a drunk, which I’ve learned can be a big advantage in life. He’s doing his very first piece of day-drinking today, right now, on his 21st birthday. It’s supposed to be fun. I am deeply uneasy about my son’s first bit of day-drinking, similar to the way I felt about his first day of school, his first overseas plane trip, his first breakup. In my mind, this road is fraught with danger, lined with bad choices and paved with the names of all my friends who took this path and were never able to get off, the ones whose lives ended too soon, one way or another. But I’m the one who’s a drunk, not him. My mistakes are mine, not his. And I’ve already paid the price, so he doesn’t have to. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I never believed that this city council would authorize any such investigation. So that leaves now the federal civil rights lawsuit to be the only independent and trustworthy investigation into the matter.

-Lewis Pitts pg.6

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.256.9320 BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

KEY ACCOUNTS

SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com Nikki Miller-Ka niksnacksblog@gmail.com

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

OF COUNSEL

Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

ART ART DIRECTOR

STAFF WRITER

SALES SALES EXECUTIVE

Jonathan Jones

Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com Nicole Zelniker nicole@triad-city-beat.com

CHIEF CONTRIBUTOR

Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com

Drew Dix drew@triad-city-beat.com

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones, Jordan Howse, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones

COVER

Illustration by Robert Paquette

(As of Wednesday, June 9)

Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 1,006,809 (+3,301) Forsyth 36,762 (+145) Guilford County

47,208 (+180)

COVID-19 deaths

13,230 (+120)

Forsyth

401 (+13)

Guilford

711 (+1)

FOOD+DRINK

JUNE 10-16, 2021

Coronavirus in the Triad:

THE RETURN OF THE TRIAD’S BEST DINING GUIDE To get in front of the hungriest readers in the Triad, contact Drew. drew@triad-city-beat.com

Documented recoveries NC

985,048 (+5,638)

Forsyth

35,229 (as of 5/27)

Guilford

46,045 (+303)

Current cases NC

8,531 (-2,457)

Forsyth

*no data*

Guilford

451 (-142)

Hospitalizations (right now) NC

554 (-56)

Forsyth

*no data*

Guilford

22 (-2)

Vaccinations NC First Dose

4,591,721 (+69,495)

Fully vaccinated

4,202,169 (40%, +124,509)

Forsyth First Dose

177,110 (+2,201)

Fully vaccinated

162,353 (42%, +5,179)

Guilford First dose

251,630 (+3,505)

Fully vaccinated

230,902 (43%, +6,899) *adjustment

UP FRONT | JUNE 10-16, 2021

CITY LIFE JUNE 10-13 by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY June 10

Wine Tasting @ Cork and Grind (HP) 6 p.m.

Children’s Yoga @ Kaleideum Downtown (W-S) 11 a.m.

This summer, certified children’s yoga instructor Ms. Christine is leading exciting classes featuring props to keep the children engaged while they learn breathing, meditation and more. Admission is free with membership. To purchase tickets and view future class dates, visit Kaleideum’s website.

SATURDAY June 12

Hiring Event @ Childcare Network (HP) 9 a.m.

Try different Chardonnays from around the world during this wine tasting. Find the perfect pairing with charcuterie cups from Gather & Graze Co. Find more information on the event page on Facebook.

The Childcare Network is holding open interviews for new additions to its early care and education family. To view job requirements and to preregister, visit the event page on Facebook.

SUNDAY June 13

June Drag Brunch @ Chemistry Nightclub (GSO) 11 a.m.

Stop by Chemistry Nightclub for a family-friendly brunch hosted by drag queen Anjelica Dust. Drink specials, performances, contests and more are in store. Be sure to arrive 30 minutes before show time.

Sunflower Sunday @ Just Dance Studios (HP) 2:30 p.m.

LGBTQ+ Night @ Southside Beer Garden & Bottle Shop (W-S) 7 p.m.

FRIDAY June 11

Soul Revival @ High Point Yoga School (HP) 6 p.m.

Esports Registration @ Greensboro Parks & Recreation (GSO) Online

All skill levels are invited to set your soul on fire during this session at High Point Yoga School. Spots are limited due to COVID regulations, so reserve your space in advance on HPYS’s website.

Food Truck Friday Grooves @ LeBauer Park (GSO) 11 a.m.

Join Queer Winston-Salem at Southside and enjoy a night of music and the bar’s selection of more than 20 drafts and wine.

Stomp the Stigma Drive-in Concert @ Greensboro Coliseum (GSO) 7 p.m.

For just $35, paint your vision of sunflowers on 7”x18” wood or a 16x20 canvas at this event hosted by Paint & Play. Guests over 21 can enhance their experience with a complimentary glass of wine. To register, visit the event page on Facebook.

Group Dog Training @ LeBauer Park (GSO) 4:30 p.m.

Spend your afternoon in the park as Josh Boyd pro-

Greensboro Parks and Recreation in partnership with Mission Control is hosting a summer esports tournament. Youth 17 and under and adults are invited to play Madden 21, NBA 2K21, Fortnite and Rocket League 2v2. Register by Saturday on the Mission Control app. For more information, visit greensboro-nc.gov.

vides live music during this groove session. Grab a bite to eat from Grammy’s Smoke N’Grill and cool off with something from To the Moon and Back Frozen Treats. View the performer and food truck lineup for future dates on the Facebook event page.

Tailgate and dance to the country sounds of Russ Varnell & His Too Country Band and Michael Cosner & the Fugitives during this drive-in concert benefitting Mental Health Greensboro. Single admission tickets are $12, car tickets are $50 and admission is free for children under 16. To purchase tickets and see more information, check out the event page on Facebook.

Megan Blake, the Pet Lifestyle Coach, invites you to bring your pup to a fun and social training class. Admission is free but advance registration is recommended to adhere to capacity limits. Register on the event page on Facebook.

or decades, Greensboro has been a primary resettlement community for refugees coming to North Carolina. In the last decade or so, Greensboro’s refugee service providers, including organizations like African Services Coalition, Montagnard Dega Association and New Arrivals Institute, have celebrated World Refugee Day, which will take place this year on June 20. To celebrate, six artists from five different countries will showcase their paintings, apparel, jewelry, wall hangings and wood carvings at the Greensboro Project Space as part of the Triad Refugee Art Exhibit from June 8-18. Leilani Roughton, executive director of the New Arrivals Institute, has coordinated the exhibit.

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | UP FRONT

Interview with Leilani Roughton speaks about Triad Refugee Art Exhibit by Nicole Zeniker

Learn more about the exhibit on the NC Triad World Refugee Day Facebook page.

How did you get involved in creating the exhibit?

The refugee service providers in Greensboro have strived to build strong partnerships to not only provide the best services possible for our refugee communities but to also work together in advocating for refugees and educating the wider Greensboro communities about our refugee populations. While brainstorming ideas on how to celebrate Greensboro’s refugees, we realized that we wanted to include a more personal event than is possible online. We were speaking about the skills and accomplishments of our clients and realized that while we have had refugee artists participate in other events where they could sell their artwork, we had not ever had an event centering around local refugee artists and showcasing their work.

Who are the artists involved and how did you find them?

Each participating agency spoke to their clients and former clients to identify the artists. The artists participating in the exhibit are Sachi Dely from Vietnam, Kobra Arabzadeh from Afghanistan, Maryam Ghorbani from Afghanistan, Armel Nizayimana from Rwanda, Dinar Teklu from Eritrea and Ali Al Khasrachi from Iraq.

Can you say more about World Refugee Day, the inspiration behind this event?

Refugees are beloved members of our communities and vital to their prosperity. However, many refugees remain unable to fully contribute their knowledge and talents to North Carolina’s workforce because of systemic barriers, including the lack of recognition of their international education and experience, outdated occupational and professional re-credentialing processes and insufficient access to meaningful workforce development and adult education services. The underutilization of refugee talent has devastating effects on individuals, local communities, and North Carolina’s economy. As we recover and rebuild from COVID, the need to integrate talented refugees into the workforce is increasingly urgent. The past year has been challenging for our entire community and while last year our celebration was purely virtual, we felt that this year we needed to come together for both in-person and virtual celebrations. As such, in February the various service providers began meeting to discuss how to best celebrate our local refugees. We wanted to acknowledge the accomplishments of our local refugees and the idea for doing an art exhibit highlighting local refugee artists was born. African Services Coalition, a local refugee resettlement agency, took the lead on planning the exhibit and making sure it is a success.

Why is it so important to showcase refugee talent?

North Carolina has a rich history of welcoming refugees to rebuild their lives here with dignity and safety. Since its inception 41 years ago, the US Refugee Resettlement Program has resettled more than 3 million refugees who are integral to our nation’s cultural and economic fabric, as business owners, workers, faith leaders, teachers, elected officials, artists and community builders. During the pandemic, refugees have also served as frontline workers, with 176,000 working in the healthcare field and 175,000 working as part of the food supply. Art is a wonderful way that we can share about ourselves and learn about one another and one another’s cultures and transcends language barriers. It brings people together and can open the door to more conversation and build bridges that people may not even realize needed to be built.

COURTESY PHOTO

A work of art by Ali Al Khasrachi.

What sort of events will you be doing in the near future? In addition to the art exhibit, local refugee service providers have joined together in establishing a NC Triad World Refugee Day Facebook page with each agency posting about refugee populations and sharing individual stories from our refugee community members. On June 20 at 1 p.m., the agencies are hosting a virtual town hall meeting where we will celebrate our Triad refugees and hear from them about a variety of topics including COVID-19, youth empowerment, family separation and workforce development. We will also be talking about a new workforce development study that is being proposed in the North Carolina House. There are several sponsors of the bill, but it was originally presented to House Majority Whip Jon Hardister, who submitted it as HB 540. The bill would establish a workgroup to study the challenges refugees face in using their professional credentials earned outside the United States and to facilitate their workforce development. This is an important pro-refugee proposal that would help strengthen refugee integration in North Carolina and help them continue to thrive. Finally, we got confirmation on June 8 that the Governor’s Proclamation for Refugee Welcome Week, June 20-26, has been approved. A separate event we are currently planning for on Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. is the Unity Walk and Festival.

NEWS | JUNE 10-16, 2021

NEWS

City officials, Smith team and activists respond to decision by city to decline independent investigation into Marcus Smith death by Sayaka Matsuoka

he city of Greensboro will not be pursuing an independent investigation into the 2018 death of Marcus Deon Smith. That’s the revelation that came out during a June 1 city council meeting. In the weeks leading up to the meeting, at-large councilmember Michelle Kennedy made repeated calls for an independent investigation following her comments during the April 20 council meeting, in which she expressed regret for staying silent about the Smith case in the past. The case is currently being litigated in a federal civil suit between the city and the Smith family. During the April meeting, Kennedy called for an independent investigation into “the reality of the events that occurred on that day” even though the city is “currently in litigation.” However, during the June 1 meeting, Kennedy made a public statement in which she acknowledged that she was the one who asked for the independent investigation but that the city had decided not to pursue one for now. “So let me say first, that, yes, I am the person who asked us to have an independent investigation, both as it relates to the events connected to Marcus Smith, and a larger investigation around institutional culture and essentially an agencywide conduct review of the Greensboro Police Department,” Kennedy said during the June meeting. “And so, on the advice of the city attorney, council met in closed session and received advice from an attorney who practices exclusively in the area of independent investigation. Council has decided not pursue any such investigation at this time.” To that, Mayor Nancy Vaughan followed up by explaining that the statement was a result of a discussion that council had in closed session. “That comment was really to close the loop on the discussion that we had,” Vaughan said. Kennedy later confirmed to Triad City Beat that she was asked to read the statement, which was crafted by City Attorney Chuck Watts, because she was the one who made the initial motion. In an interview on Wednesday, Kennedy also clarified that the decision wasn’t made because of a change of heart on her part. Instead, she said that

SCREEN SHOT

Greensboro City Council member Michelle Kennedy says she doesn’t have the votes to authorize an independent investigation into the killing of Marcus Smith by Greensboro police.

there was not enough support amongst thy investigation into the matter.” her colleagues to pursue an investigation. City attorney Watts said that there was “When it was clear that there was no no vote during the closed session but that support for an independent investigait was “obvious that there was no suption into the death of Marcus Smith, port for any specific investigation….” I stepped back and then we broached Watts argued that the civil suit in and the topic of a larger departmental-wide of itself acts as a kind of independent inaudit of our police department and vestigation, and having a separate investhen there was also no support for that tigation would “send the wrong message either,” Kennedy said. about that process.” “It was difficult. It was “For the city to enclear that it wasn’t gage in an independent ‘I never believed going anywhere, and it investigation would was very difficult to me that this city seem to convey the mesbecause of my concerns council would sage that we don’t trust around transparency.” authorize any such that process,” Watts The turn of events in said. investigation.” the month and a half Watts also clarisince Kennedy initially – Community activist Lewis Pitts fied that the outside called for an indepenattorney who advised dent investigation was disappointing, but council to not pursue an independent innot surprising, say those who have been vestigation was Valecia McDowell of the advocating on behalf of Marcus Smith Moore and Van Allen law group based and his family. out of Charlotte. According to the law “I never believed that this city council firm’s website, McDowell specializes in would authorize any such investigation,” “conduct risk management and internal said Lewis Pitts, a community activist investigations” and has taught as a guest who is close to the Smith family. “So that instructor at the Duke University School leaves now the federal civil rights lawsuit of Law. McDowell could not be reached to be the only independent and trustworfor comment for this piece.

What do city council members have to say about this decision?

oing into the closed session, Kennedy said she assumed any discussion about the Smith case would have taken place during a public meeting. “I would have liked this to have been a public conversation so that the community could have heard about our positions as it relates to this issue,” Kennedy said. “But that’s not what happened.” While she says many of her colleagues do not support an independent investigation, Kennedy says she’ll continue to call for one but that it won’t happen without at least four other votes. “My feelings on that have not and will not change,” Kennedy said about an independent investigation. “As to whether there will be one on the future, it takes five votes to move anything forward, so I have no insight into that.” Councilmember Justin Outling, who is running for mayor this year, said that for him, the scope of any proposed independent investigation should be decided before it is authorized by council. “I never understood what was floated

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | NEWS

out there and what it would entail,” said tion, Outling argued that standards such Why activists and the Smith Outling, who is a practicing attorney. as these should be changed because at team are in favor of an “I never understood that to be beyond the time of Smith’s death, he doesn’t independent investigation the death of Marcus Smith. You have to think the officers violated any policies. itts, who has been following have a sense of what is the scope on it.” “I don’t see a violation of policy and I the case closely for the last two Watts echoed Outling’s assertion about don’t see a violation of the law,” Outling years, says that an independent a specific scope being necessary and said about the officers’ conduct. investigation would benefit the commustated that an independent investigation Kennedy, however, responded by saynity by making the facts of the case more is off the table right now, but one could ing that the criminal justice advisory transparent. still happen in the future. committee doesn’t have the authority to “Immediately after Marcus’s death, “We are in Never Neverland talking investigate certain matters, which is why a coverup began and a false narrative about things that may be in an investigashe also advocated for an independent was designed to mislead and deceive the tion,” Watts said. “It doesn’t mean there investigation into the police department’s public and the family of Marcus Smith,” isn’t interest in ever doing an investigaculture. Pitts said. tion, but there was no consensus around “They don’t have the full ability to do One of the main things that activists a specific scope or an investigation.” a full investigation like this and basically point to as a “coverup” is the fact that To that, Kennedy responded by saying any recommendations they’ve made, this in the initial press release about Smith’s that she doesn’t understand just how council has not acted on,” Kennedy said. death, no mention of him being hogtied much more specific she could get. Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson, who was made. “How much more specific do you need seconded Kennedy’s initial motion to Flint Taylor, the lead attorney for the to be when you’re talking about you have an independent investigation, said Smith family, argued that while much want an independent investigation into a that her biggest priority in this case is for information has come out during the specific incident?” said Kennedy. “I don’t the city to settle with the Smith family. discovery process of the lawsuit, the city see how you could be any more clear.” “What I’d like is for us to just settle this is fighting to keep important information Outling also argued that it doesn’t case,” Johnson said. “I am all for settling out of the public light. make sense to have an independent with the Smith family at a rate that is One of the main things Taylor argues investigation into Smith’s death because reasonable and satisfactory to the family. that the city is fighting them on is the he believes the facts surrounding the I think this has gone on production of body-worn incident are “out there.” Once again, a long time and I really camera footage in which ‘I don’t see a Watts agreed with Outling’s stance. would like to see some police officers used the RIPP “The idea of an investigation of the closure.” violation of Hobble in incidents prior to events that resulted in what happened Kennedy said she wishes Smith’s death. According to policy and I with Mr. Smith was not something that that the conversations documents filed in court, the don’t see a anyone supported,” Watts said. “Not around the independent Smith team asked the city to because we don’t want to reach the truth investigation had been produce the footage but the violation of about that, but because there is already a open to the public. city asked for a stay, meaning a process going on about that.” “I was welcoming about the law.’ delay. However, in late April, a – Councilmember Justin Outling said that if people are conhaving this conversation federal judge ruled in favor of cerned about the wider culture and the in open session,” she said. Outling the Smith team and ordered practices of the Greensboro Police De“I think it’s interesting the city to produce 50 videos partment, then that should be handled that people now want to make claims from incidents that “most closely precede by the city’s criminal justice advisory that our community would have had the the death of Mr. Smith.” But on May committee or by the police ability to watch. If there is a 28, the city renewed their motion to stay. community review board. conversation to be had, let’s On June 3, the case was referred to a Rather than hiring a third have this conversation openjudge who may side with the Smith team ‘How much party, Outling said that the ly so the people who elected and order the city to produce the footage city should enact new use of more specific us can watch…. Twice in by a set date, or side with the city. do you need to open session — right after force standards such as the Citing this legal back and forth, Taylor 8 Can’t Wait initiative that he died, and again most said an independent investigation would be?’ gained popularity after the recently — we had unaniprohibit the city from keeping footage – Councilmember Michelle death of George Floyd last mous votes to discuss an inlike this secret. Kennedy year. dependent investigation and “An independent investigation does One of the main poliboth times, in closed session, not attempt to fight against the produccies that the initiative calls for is a ban they died — that’s problematic.” tion of 50 body-worn camera footon chokeholds or strangleholds. Police Councilmembers Goldie Wells and age from prior instances of hogtying Chief Brian James announced policy Nancy Hoffmann, both reached by by the city which is happening right changes within the police department phone on Monday, declined to comnow,” Taylor said. “If our case were an in June 2020 so that officers will now be ment on the city’s recent decision to not independent investigation, they would required to intervene if colleagues use pursue an independent investigation. be welcoming transparency and welcom“excessive force.” The use of a RIPP Mayor Nancy Vaughan and councilpering the production of the footage. They Hobble or tying a person’s hands to their son Tammi Thurm could not be reached would be welcoming the release of testifeet, which was the method that led to for comment. mony of all of the city officials…. They Smith’s death, was prohibited in Novemwouldn’t be asking the courts to suppress ber 2020. all of that evidence.” Instead of an independent investiga-

NEWS | JUNE 10-16, 2021

In Memoriam, Havana Phil 8

1628 Battleground Ave, Greensboro, NC 27408 For more information, visit havanaphils.com

EDITORIAL

The false narrative about unemployment

obody wants to work!” That’s been the mantra issued again and again by business owners who cannot find hires for jobs that pay one-half of a living wage, and by the comfortable bourgeoisie who see this lack of low-paid servants as a crisis, and by politicians and candidates who use it as a dogwhistle in their continuing efforts to make life worse for poor and working people. House Whip Jon Hardister tweeted about his troubles finding a restaurant table this past weekend, naming the federal unemployment supplement as the culprit for all this laziness. The federal unemployment supplement has dropped from $600 to $300 a week, and is set to expire on Sept. 6. Yet 25 states have already enacted legislation to end it early, in June or July. But why? The indisputable facts on the ground: Employment numbers are way up — 559,000 new jobs in May, the best report since the pandemic descended. Wages are rising. The unemployment rate is down below 6 percent for the first time in a year, which means that fewer people

are collecting this $300 that the aforementioned seem to resent so much. Yet many service jobs remain unfilled in our communities: restaurants who can’t staff up, retail shops contracting their hours, hiring vacancies for people who sweep, clean and wipe stuff. So it’s also fact that many people don’t want to work, but let’s not forget the corollary: They don’t want to work for low wages. The reasons for this are as much sociological and psychological as they are due to economics. The federal unemployment supplement is definitely a factor. That extra $600 a week was intended to turn lackluster state unemployment programs into an actual living wage. For some in North Carolina, it was the most money they had ever taken home before. But it didn’t make them lazy. It made them think. It made people see a living wage as more than a concept and quantify the pain of stagnating wages. Amid a pandemic that has already killed almost 600,000 Americans, people recalibrated the value of the rest of their lives, and the ways they choose to spend it.

Claytoonz by Clay Jones

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | NEWS

OPINION

The extra $600 a week didn’t make people lazy. It made them think.

claytoonz.com

OPINION | JUNE 10-16, 2021

Little Light Bread & Soup Co.

Scratch-made soup and bread for everyone - regardless of ability to pay. Seasonal Italian menu available for dine-in and takeout.

3205 Yanceyville Street Greensboro, NC. 27405

littlelighttriad.com

FOOD+DRINK THE RETURN OF THE TRIAD’S BEST DINING GUIDE To get in front of the hungriest readers in the Triad, contact Drew. drew@triad-city-beat.com

Culture

by Sayaka Matsuoka

rianna Tam likes to play barefoot. She moves to the beats she creates, her body swaying like a metronome, side to side, side to side. Her jet-black, waist-length hair shimmers and swirls as she plays. Her wrist is flexible but firm enough to command her bow gliding across the cello’s strings. She taps her right foot on a pedal on the floor. Melancholic sounds fill the space in her apartment; her eyes are closed. “I think it’s just a feeling,” says Tam, who lives in Greensboro and has been playing the cello since she was 8 years old. “I think a lot of it is being able to calm my nerves and block out everything else and to just focus on what I’m doing.” Repeating notes plucked by hand lead into a beat that sounds not unlike a pulsing heart as Tam’s foot taps another nearby pedal. The strings connect and an urgency is infused into the song. “Intrepid,” the second song off Tam’s new album, Growth, encompasses the artist’s philosophy and style of musicianship. At just 23 years old, Tam’s relationship to the cello has changed significantly over the course of her life. Like most who start with the instrument, she began learning classical pieces and playing in a traditional style. But more recently, Tam has embraced playing the electric cello and working a loop pedal to become a one-woman act, using the instrument to build and add to songs while playing live. “I like being in control,” Tam says. “I like being able to be my own ensemble and not having to rely on anyone else. And if something is messed up, it’s completely my fault.” As she plays the instrument, which looks more like an outline of a cello with just the fingerboard, she stands, rather than sits and uses the loop pedal to capture and layer the sounds she creates. It’s like building a cake, baking one layer at a time then adding adornments and decorations before serving the final creation. And it’s a lot harder than it looks. “You need a good sense of time ’cause if you don’t, the entire thing is gone,” says Tam. “I don’t think I’m actually a talented cellist. I think my talent is that I can listen to a song and figure out all of the parts. I know how to keep track of all of the things that are going on.” Tam initially picked up the cello when she missed the deadline to apply to play

the violin for her school orchestra. She says she always gravitated towards games or books that had instruments in them, particularly stringed ones. “I was always drawn to that,” she says. “We had brass instruments at my school, but I think they were a little too loud for me. I wanted something that had a little more subtlety.” Over the years, teachers took an interest in her talent and as a teenager, Tam landed a spot at a music conservatory. That’s where her passion for playing and the expectations put on her diverged. “The thing was, like behind the scenes I was trying to play some rock and roll, or my brothers would play Guitar Hero and I would listen to the music and try to figure out the compositions behind them,” she says. “I had never heard rock and roll really; that was really inspiring and that stuck to me.” She began experimenting with tapping on the neck of the cello to create percussive sounds and playing in a more aggressive manner. During one particular class, Tam played a bit of her new style and received harsh feedback from her teacher. “She was like, ‘Quite frankly, I’m questioning your style and I don’t know if I like it,’” Tam recalls. “And that was hurtful because I always try to be authentic and that really twisted the knife for me. Like I’m being myself and you’re saying you don’t like it.” JOHN HOPPER/ Tam says she dropped out shortly after DECORO IMAGES that. When she was 20, Tam was gifted an Cellist Brianna Tam picked up an electric cello and combined it with a loop pedal to electric cello which she says has expanded create her own, non-traditional style and sound. her style of playing and really let her be right away,” she says. “I think it was the perfect way to use herself. She gravitates towards hip-hop and RnB — she’s covthat because it seemed like a useless skill for a long time.” ered AWOLNATION’S “Sail” and uses beats by Kanye West in Still, Tam has played with orchestras like the Spartanburg some of her shows — but her style is everchanging, she says. Philharmonic, for which she was the principal cello, and per“You traditionally want a more forms with Saturn Leaves, a local smooth sound in cello but I’m band that plays hip hop and R&B. more of a percussive, a little agBut mostly, she’s trying to gressive style,” Tam says. market herself as a solo artist As she plays, the instrument and showcase her skills of livetowers over her small frame, but looping with the electric cello. it’s clear that Tam is in control. It’s completely different from her “I think it looks a little more upbringing in the classical world, commanding when you stand,” but she says it’s a development she says. “I personally feel more that is finally a true expression of engaged with the music.” who she is as an artist. And that’s how she approaches “I personally haven’t experiarranging and writing music too. enced anything that makes me She says that the combination feel quite the way music does,” she says. “And I’m just trying of the electric cello with the loop pedal lets her have total to do that. You don’t need anything complicated or fancy to control over the sound. make someone feel that way with your music. I think there’s “Growing up, I would need a lot of people to manifest the something very pure and genuine about music and I want to arrangements, but now if I have an idea, I can just hear them be able to express that to as many people as possible.”

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | CULTURE

GSO’s Brianna Tam builds her own sound with the electric cello

LEARN MORE at briannatam.com or on Instagram at @brianna.tam.cello Tam will be playing at the Grandover Resort on June 18 and at Bull City Ciderworks in Greensboro on June 19. Her album is available to stream on Spotify.

CULTURE | JUNE 10-16, 2021

Culture by James Douglas

The vinyl countdown to Record Store Day begins in the Triad

onathan Hodges sorts through a boxed set of Elvis on vinyl behind the counter. He’s stationed up at his store off Burke Street, Underdog Records, preparing a special order to be picked up by a customer. In a few days, the shop will be filled with people celebrating Record Store Day, a twice-yearly event that celebrates the culture of music and the purveyors of the last physical forms of it: your friendly neighborhood record store. It’s an opportunity to support music locally in an era when music is downloaded at the touch of a button and online orders arrive at your door in two days. A smattering of other customers peruse the many racks of vinyl on display, each person acting according to their own idea of what’s collectable, what’s kitsch, what looks cool. After last year’s event was significantly altered due to the pandemic, Hodges says he’s ready for this year’s return. “Compared to last year, I think it’s a great JAMES DOUGLAS relief,” he says. “We didn’t know how it was Winston-Salem’s Underdog Records will be one of the handful of local stores that will be participating in Record Store Day on going to go.” June 12. Because of last year’s COVID-19 restrictions, Underdog had to institute a raffle system on Record Store Day that allowed some, but not all, customers to get in based on appointments. “It was polarizing,” says Hodges, “People who got in were thrilled; people who didn’t were upset.” Bob Goodman, a local collector, was one of the lucky ones. “This is a recent thing for me,” says Goodman, who got back into collecting two years ago. “I used to collect vinyl in the ’70s, and then slowed down, and now I’m back buying it again.” He, like most people who collect vinyl, is excited about this year’s first Record Store Day on June 12. Goodman plans on attending the event at Underdog. “This drop, they’re doing a ‘Cure — Blood Flowers,’ which is hard to get on original vinyl,” he says. “But one main thing I’m looking for in particular this year is ‘Renaldo and the Loaf.” This experimental English duo took their cues from inspirations like Brian Eno and King Crimson. It’s a prime example of the oddities one might find on Record Store Day. A music lover at heart looks forward to these JAMES DOUGLAS events much like a comic collector looks forward Record Store Day, which takes place twice a year, is an opportunity for vinyl collectors to find one-of-a-kind records and snag to Free Comic Day. It’s a matter of finding exclusive drops that artists release for the event. something that might be unique, unexpected, nostalgic or even regionally specific. intends to convey are all there to explore as the needle To Bleed, is being released in conjunction with Record The act of listening to a record can be ritualistic for slowly meanders to the center of Side A. Store Day. many as well. Besides Record Store Day offering hard to find music, “Being a pandemic year, you couldn’t really get It starts with putting a record on the turntable, it’s an opportunity for local musicians like Jeffrey Dean together and record very much, so I did everything at propping oneself up and studying every single detail Foster to release work in a way that benefits the local home except for one song, ‘When Was the Last Time,’” of the album cover while listening to the new find. The sellers and the community. Foster says. “I recorded the acoustic guitar and vocals at photographs, drawings, the inside jokes, the lyrics, deFoster is a Winston-Salem staple, with an impressive the Ramkat, at one of their Home Sweet Home shows scriptions in the liner notes and the vibe that the band career that spans decades. His new album, I’m Starting that they do.”

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | CULTURE JAMES DOUGLAS

JAMES DOUGLAS

Records and vinyl have seen a resurgence in popularity in the last decade, with many pop artists like the Weeknd releasing their music on vinyl.

The idea for the album sprang from one of his old friends, Michael Kurtz, who played in Foster’s first band in the early ’80s. Kurtz is also one of the original founders of Record Store Day. “That’s where it started,” Foster says. “After we got our thing rolling, [Kurtz] mentioned it to the Veldt, and Chris Stamey, and the Backsliders, and they all agreed to give us EPs for the same thing. All of the vinyl sale proceeds are going to go to the Shalom Project.” The Shalom Project is a local non-profit that Foster has worked with for years. They provide necessities, medical care, outreach and employment opportunities for those living in poverty. To celebrate the release, Foster is playing at the Pour House in Raleigh on Saturday with Sweet Dream and the Veldt, and on Aug. 7, he’ll be at the Ramkat to play his new album to a crowd just getting used to live shows again. On Saturday, after a year of living in uncertainty, record stores in all parts of the world will be celebrating musician and vinyl once again. And, from store owners to the artists, to the whims of methodical and casual collectors alike, there’s no telling what the racks will reveal.

Despite the pandmic, vinyl record sales increased by almost 30 percent last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

JAMES DOUGLAS

Underdog Records owner Jonathan Hodges says he’s excited for the event this year after last year’s truncated version. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Underdog had to institute a raffle system in 2020 that allowed some, but not all, customers to get in based on appointments.

Local stores participating in Record Store Day 2021:

WINSTON-SALEM

Underdog Records – 835 Burke St., theunderdogrecords.com Hippo Records – 3254 Silas Creek Pkwy., shophipporecords.com McKay’s – 745 Jonestown Rd., mckaybooks.com

GREENSBORO

Hippo Records – 2823 Spring Garden St., shophipporecords.com McKay’s – 1607 Battleground Ave., mckaybooks.com Soul Relief Records – 934-A S. Chapman St. Buffalo Boogie Records – 1827 Spring Garden St. STE B, buffaloboogierecords.com

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | JUNE 10-16, 2021

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

Lawndale Drive, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Caribbean flamingoes at their new home at the Greensboro Science Center’s Revolution Ridge which opened to the public this week.

Across

by Matt Jones

1 File extensions? 6 Chipotle option, for short 10 Gifford’s TV successor 14 Neckwear for Fred in “Scooby-Doo” 15 “Take ___” (1985 hit) 16 “___ Ruins Everything” 17 Nicknames of two legendary bebop musicians (and the title of their 1952 album) 19 “Swan Lake” movement 20 Oscar-winning role for Forest 21 ___ Maria (coffee liqueur) 22 They’re risky 24 Obligation 26 Way to look inward? 28 “The Matrix” role for Keanu 29 Country duo behind “Ain’t Nothing ‘bout You” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” © 2021 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 35 Ant habitat 37 Twisted tale 38 Item on a ring 39 Get together 40 Out-and-out battle 41 Syndicate bosses 43 U.S. hwy. 44 Soldier or solder material 45 “Everybody Loves Raymond” surname 46 Caillou’s Daddy and Mommy, according to the official website (sorry, parents, I feel your pain) 50 Open ___ night 51 Spotted Answers from last issue 52 State, to Sarkozy 13 Iowa State University location 55 Red, white, and blue frozen treat 18 “Three Men and a Baby” director Leonard 59 “It’s whatever” 23 Homer Simpson’s neighbor 61 MV divided by V 25 It’s slower than a gallop 62 “What You’re Made Of, We’re Made For” 27 Archipelago components insurance co. 30 It depicts “the unit of counting or measurement,” 63 The McKenzie brothers of SCTV’s per Wikipedia “Great White North” sketches 31 Inflatable couch filler 66 “Le Freak” disco group 32 SW1P, for Westminster Abbey, e.g. 67 Character before Borat 33 Inert lamp gas 68 Sierra ___ (California range) 34 Wall St. fixture 69 Hit the bottom 35 “___ Your Enthusiasm” (Larry David show) 70 Supreme Court garb 36 Unfooled by 71 “People tell me ...” 40 Prevail Down 41 Station wagon, e.g. 42 Indy 500 winner Luyendyk 1 Beyond zealous 44 Buffet that might have several salsas 2 Line that breaks the fourth wall 45 Current “SNL” cast member Yang 3 More illegible, like some signatures 47 Return remark 4 “___ Save America” (show cohosted by Jon 48 Wee drink Favreau) (no, the other Jon Favreau) 49 Adjuster’s assessment 5 Sports factoid that I’ll never understand 53 Upscale Honda 6 Lose luminosity 54 “Life of Pi” feline 7 Sturm ___ Drang (German artistic movement) 55 Super Bowl XXXVII champs 8 In the center of 56 Accident prevention org. 9 “The Card Players” painter Paul 57 Principal 10 2013 Eminem song that has a Guinness World 58 Ralph Lauren brand Record 60 Cable that connects to a TV 11 Without much movement 64 Lobster shack wear 12 Twosome 65 “Well, la-di-freakin’-___!”

SUDOKU

If you read

then you know...

• Why vaccines don’t work the same for everybody. • Where to find coffee on a bike.

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | PUZZLES

CROSSWORD ‘BAD Company’—it works, initially.

• What ‘critical race theory’ is.

(editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

To get in front of the best readers in the Triad, contact Chris or Drew

Answers from previous publication.

chris@triad-city-beat.com drew@triad-city-beat.com