2018 Issue 37 Creative Loafing Charlotte

CLCLT.COM | NOVEMBER. 1 -NOVEMBER 7, 2018 VOL. 32, NO. 37

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NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING NOVEMBER 8

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STIP PROJECT NO. I-5973

EDITORIAL

ASSOCIATE EDITOR • Courtney Mihocik

The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting regarding the proposed project to add northbound lanes on Brookshire Boulevard (N.C. 16) and improve the Outer Loop ramps and intersections of N.C. 16 with the Inner and Outer Loop ramps. The meeting will take place on Thursday, November 8th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mountain Island Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall located at 4205 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road in Charlotte.

The purpose of this project is to decrease delays on Brookshire Boulevard through the interchange.

The public may drop-in at any time during the meeting hours. NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions and listen to comments regarding the project. The opportunity to submit comments will also be provided at the meeting or via phone, email, or mail by November 30, 2018. Comments received will be taken into consideration as the project develops. Please note that no formal presentation will be made.

cmihocik@clclt.com FILM CRITIC • Matt Brunson mattonmovies@gmail.com THEATER CRITIC • Perry Tannenbaum perrytannenbaum@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS • Erin Tracy-Blackwood, Allison Braden, Konata Edwards, Jeff Hahne, Vanessa Infanzon, Ari LeVaux, Kia O. Moore, Grey Revell, Dan Savage, Aerin Spruill, Veronica Cox

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Project information and materials can be viewed as they become available online at www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings/Pages/I-5973-2018-11-08.aspx.

For additional information, contact Travis Preslar P.E., NCDOT Division 10 DM-STIP Project Manager at, 12033 E. Independence Blvd, Suite H, Matthews, NC 28105, 704-845-1151 or TJpreslar@ncdot.gov.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Samantha Borges, Environmental Analysis Unit at smborges@ncdot.gov or 919- 707-6115 as early as possible so that arrangements can be made.

Christos Kakouras • ckakouras@clclt.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Pat Moran • pmoran@clclt.com

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Persons who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.

Las personas que no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes de la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494.

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A MEMBER OF:

PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA DE NOVO

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Lisa De Novo will be on stage at The Fillmore on Nov. 7 for the Raw Charlotte Ovation event, which will feature the work of more than 50 local creatives.

We put out weekly 8

NEWS&CULTURE NOBODY’S UNDERDOG First-time candidate Brandon Lofton is confident of his chances in District 104

BY RYAN PITKIN 7 EDITOR’S NOTE BY RYAN PITKIN 9 THE BLOTTER BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK 10 ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS BY RYAN PITKIN 11 NEWS OF THE WEIRD

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FOOD&DRINK ALL ABOUT THE BORSCHT A Ukrainian sour soup

BY ARI LEVAUX 13 THREE-COURSE SPIEL: MELANIE TRITTEN BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

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TOP 10 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK

MUSIC ART ROCK THE VOTE Bullship to close the polls with a postelection show

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK 18 SOUNDBOARD

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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT THE LIGHT FACTORY PULLS FOCUS Museum’s annual auction

highlights art and community

BY PAT MORAN

22 ARTSPEAK: BRITTANNY HERRERA BY RYAN PITKIN 23 FILM REVIEWS BY MATT BRUNSON 24 SPOT SHOTS: TALKING WALLS MURAL FEST BY RYAN PITKIN

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ODDS&ENDS 26 NIGHTLIFE BY AERIN SPRUILL 27 CROSSWORD 28 SAVAGE LOVE BY DAN SAVAGE 30 SALOME’S STARS

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COVER DESIGN

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NEWS

EDITOR’S NOTE

SURF’S UP Waiting on a blue wave We’ll be keeping a close eye on District IT’S ALMOST ELECTION DAY, and folks around the country are wondering: Will 9, but what else is going on this Election Day? As many of you are well aware, the there be a “blue wave?”

The expression has popped up in the lead- Republicans currently hold a supermajority up to the Nov. 6 midterms as a reference to in the North Carolina General Assembly (75the potential that, as a way of shunning the 45 in the N.C. House and 35-15 in the state policies of President Trump and his party, Senate), and that’s only led to a shitshow of voters will flip a bunch of Republican seats bad politics and a major lack of leadership in Congress and at least provide some checks in recent years. This year, thanks to new to Trump’s power — since it doesn’t seem court-ordered “special master maps” that aim Republicans have it in them to stand up to his to curb the disturbing effects of Republican gerrymandering and a slew of strong authoritarian rule.

The truth is, well, I don’t know what the Democratic candidates, North Carolina has a truth is. If there’s one thing I learned during chance to see a blue wave of its own.

It’s doubtful that Democrats can overcome the 2016 election, it’s that trying to speculate on who will win upcoming elections is a waste the numbers mentioned above to fully take of time, so I’m not even going to try to play back either the House or the Senate, but at the very least, they can certainly political pundit and make predictions. end the supermajority, which What I do know is that people would help stop the GOP are voting, and that’s never a from running rampant over bad thing. As of Oct. 30, more the state with atrocious than 133,779 people had bills passed through the voted early in Mecklenburg legislature without so County. With four more much as a full day to read days of Early Voting over them. left, that’s already nealy In Mecklenburg a 50-percent increase alone, there are plenty compared to the 91,688 of opportunities for that voted early in 2014, RYAN PITKIN Democrats to take the country’s last midterm over seats long held by election. One intriguing aspect Republicans. On page 10, we of the early voting stats is that the look at five candidates who are most popular site as of Oct. 30 was in running strong campaigns in attempts to University City, which hopefully means that either unseat Republicans or, in one instance, young people are hitting the polls hard.

Now, all that voting is great, but it doesn’t fill a vacant, but important, slot in northeast mean anything for that so-called blue wave Charlotte. These candidates range from until the results come rolling in and we find Christy Clark, the gun violence activist in out who all these folks are voting for. As of Oct. North Mecklenburg, to Wesley Harris, the 29, according to WSOC, the majority of voters academic economist in Ballantyne.

On page 8, we went in-depth with one who had voted early in Mecklenburg County such candidate named Brandon Lofton.

— 43 percent of them — were Democrats.

Here in Charlotte, there’s really only a Lofton is a first-time candidate, a civil rightssliver of residents who will be voting in turned-municipal bonds attorney. While a race that has the potential to add to speaking with Lofton for this week’s news the national blue wave. Folks who live in feature, he reminded me of some of the southeastern Mecklenburg are a part of our young candidates who took over city council state’s Congressional District 9. That’s where in Charlotte’s own “millennial wave” (yeah, I Democrat Dan McCready has been leading made that up) just last year.

In fact, one of Lofton’s reasons for running such a strong campaign to become the first Democratic representative in 55 years that is to improve the strained relationship it’s gotten Trump to log off Twitter for a few between his city and the NCGA in Raleigh. hours to come speak in support of McCready’s He said he’s ready and willing to work across the aisle to accomplish goals that help folks opponent Mark Harris twice.

McCready’s chances were helped by the on both sides, which may sound naive, but fact that the District 9 boundaries were is the type of thought we need if we’re ever redrawn in 2016, but he’s a strong candidate going to achieve any balance in our state regardless — a former Marine who opened legislature again.

Before any of that can happen, though, his own small business helping folks build solar farms and make our state the second- we’ve got to ride the wave.

That’s if it comes. biggest creator of clean energy in the country.

RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 7

NEWS

COVERSTORY

NOBODY’S UNDERDOG First-time candidate Brandon Lofton is confident of his chances in District 104

BY RYAN PITKIN

I

T WOULD SEEM that Brandon Lofton’s path has always been leading to this point.

The son of a school teacher who married a Marine when Lofton was 5 years old, he learned quick the value of education, discipline and community service. As an adult, Lofton has worked as a civil rights attorney and a municipal bonds attorney, giving him experience in dealing with social issues as well as the more bureaucratic side of government.

It seems that the logical next step for Lofton is into the political realm, and that’s where he finds himself now. Lofton, who turns 40 on Nov. 5, the day before Election Day, is running to unseat N.C. Rep. Andy Dulin in District 104, which covers a portion of south Charlotte that extends from Myers Park down to Pineville-Matthews Road. It’s his first political campaign, and he’s already fallen victim to malicious mailers and attack ads on television, but he said he remains optimistic and encouraged by his experience thus far.

In the lead-up to Election Day, we met with Lofton to talk about his platform and his thoughts on his not-so-welcoming first experience in the political theater.

Creative Loafing: You were raised by a teacher and a Marine in Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville. How did that shape the person you would become?

Brandon Lofton: Growing up being raised by a public school teacher and a Marine in a Marine town, the values of service, community, education were just instilled in me from an early age and are a part of who I am.

From an early age I understood that in our household, education was key. So even before I started kindergarten, I just remember being stuck at the kitchen table studying when I wanted to be out running around with my friends.

And that must have inspired your platform today, as you have spoken out at length about the need for better school funding.

Education has to be a top priority for our state. It’s a problem when we’re losing teachers to other states. You’ve heard that we’re below the national average, but we 8 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

“I’M DEFINITELY A MUCH BETTER REPRESENTATION OF THIS DISTRICT THAN WHAT IT USED TO BE OR WHAT IT’S BEEN TRADITIONALLY VIEWED AS.” BRANDON LOFTON PHOTO BY TRACY WATTS

could even put the national average aside, we’re paying less than South Carolina, less than Tennessee, less than Georgia. I went to an event a few years back in Houston and met the superintendent who bragged about coming to North Carolina to recruit our teachers, all the way down in Houston, so it’s a problem. We now have a shortage of people who are trying to enter the profession.

My life was changed because I had access to a greater education. I want my kids to have that same access. I want all of our kids to have that, and it starts with paying teachers a competitive salary so we can attract and keep the best teachers.

What other issues do you feel strongly about that inspired you to run?

Healthcare is also a huge issue in our state.

We’re actually one of the most expensive states in the country for healthcare. We pay more for insurance premiums, in part because we failed to expand Medicaid access, so we have over 500,000 people in our state who aren’t getting coverage they need just because we’ve refused to expand Medicaid coverage.

Even though we’re already paying for it, we’re just refusing to give them the coverage.

And because of that, they’re having to go to emergency rooms and that’s more expensive and then all of us are eating this cost. It makes insurance premiums more expensive for all of us. Again, it’s one of those things we can do to

help lower costs for everyone, help people get the coverage they need and bring more dollars into our state. But again, this legislature has refused to do it and my opponent has refused to even study it.

The third one, unfortunately, is just protecting our very form of government and democracy. We have six constitutional amendments on the ballot right now, two of which seek to fundamentally alter our separation of powers. These are the things that I think we need to be clear about and fight for in our state. It’s our schools, our healthcare and our government, and it starts with not interfering with our constitution, protecting our separation of powers, protecting the independence of our courts, but also ending gerrymandered districts.

These are not the kinds of things that we should be known for. We should be having conversations about how we increase access to pre-K, how we do more in terms of advancing the ball on education or keeping our universities more affordable, not talking about gerrymandered districts or keeping our courts independent. Whether you’re conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, these should not be things that are up for debate.

Your opponent, Andy Dulin, has name recognition in this city, not only from serving one term as District 104 but

from serving on Charlotte City Council before that. You’re also a black candidate running in an 85-percent white district, and a Democrat in a district that’s had Republican leadership for years. Do any of those factors make you feel like a major underdog?

I don’t, honestly. We’ve got a lot of momentum going into Election Day. If anything I feel like I better represent this district than Mr. Dulin. The district is changing. It’s now 60 percent either unaffiliated or registered democrats. They voted for Hillary Clinton and they voted for Gov. Cooper. Cooper has very, very high favorability ratings in this district right now. It’s a district full of professionals and people like me who want to move to south Charlotte to raise our kids because of the great quality of schools there, and we’re concerned about the lack of support for schools. So when I go knocking on doors or I go to different community events, we get a great reception. That’s why we’re doing well with our fundraising, we’ve done really well in terms of reception when knocking on doors, so we’ve got a lot of momentum.

I’m definitely a much better representation of this district than what it used to be or what it’s been traditionally viewed as. It’s a district that’s much more independent-minded, and my opponent unfortunately has not been independent-minded. He’s voted with [the GOP] on some issues that are way too extreme

NEWS

BLOTTER

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

ROAD TRIP Early October is a great time

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Brandon Lofton addresses students at Queens University (left). Lofton in Uptown near his campaign offices (above). to line up with this district. This district is not an extreme political district. They want to see good common sense solutions to solving our problems, so efforts to interfere with our constitution and the independence of our courts, refusing to even study the expansion of Medicaid, these are things that are out of line with the values of our district.

You were the target of an incendiary mailer that made some outlandish claims against you. What was it like to wake up to that?

It’s a little jarring, and you have to try not to take it personally. Frankly, it’s the same type of politics that I think is holding our state back. It’s different when it’s you, and you’re seeing your face and name up there and people are calling you a dangerous radical, but I just try not to take it personally. I think it’s ridiculous to think that I, a former civil rights lawyer, would want to take people’s free speech. I was shocked when I saw that claim.

It’s another example of my opponent trying to distract people from the issues. If you look across the state and you see the attacks against Democrats, it’s almost verbatim, the attacks against other Democrats across the state. WFAE ran a story about it. They asked Dulin, because there’s the mailer and then he also went on TV with the same ad, accusing me of wanting to take free speech, and they asked him about it, about whether or not it was fair and accurate to say that I was against free speech and he couldn’t answer it. He just basically said, “I don’t know. I don’t recall.”

Other than the attacks, what has the experience been like for you as a first time political candidate?

One of the things I’ve been encouraged by is the interactions — I’ve knocked on doors for people who are Democrats, Republicans, unaffiliated. I’ve talked to people who were lifelong Republicans who are going to support

me because, like I’ve said, some of these things go deeper than party — the independence of our courts, it’s the future of our state.

I’ve been encouraged by the ability to find common ground with people who may have a different view, may disagree. I’ve been endorsed by [former Republican Charlotte Mayor] Richard Vinroot. He and I obviously have different perspectives on a lot of things, but at the core, we both want what’s best for our city and for our state. And I think that’s how it should work. We’re not supposed to all agree on the best way to get where we’re supposed to go, but we don’t have to vilify each other. As a matter of fact, I think it’s better to be in a room with people with different ideas and different perspectives and that’s how you figure out how to get things actually accomplished. I don’t have to call my opponent names or vilify him to say he’s just wrong. We should be able to talk about the issues and figure out the best way forward.

That’s what I hope to get back to with politics. I think that’s really at the end of the day what’s at stake, not just in my race but all the races right now. The kind of climate we’re in with politics, I think we have to send a strong signal that this type of politics doesn’t belong in our country or our city or our state.

We’re pushing back against the extreme, and the way forward is by bringing more people who are willing to agree and disagree and have civil discourse and find solutions.

I was at an event where a young woman came up to me and asked me about my priorities for the state, I started talking to her about education, healthcare, the Constitution, and she just stopped me and said, “You know, I hear you, and I agree with you, but I’m just not sure we can actually do it. Given our political climate and what’s going on nationally and locally, do you really think that we can work together?” And I think that is the question of this election.

RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

who steal diabetes medication from older folks.

for a drive to Miami, but as long as you can trust your road trip buddy. One woman from the Seversville neighborhood in Charlotte apparently couldn’t trust the driver when he left her at a 7 Eleven on Beatties Ford Road while she was taking a pre-road trip bathroom break. The 41-year-old victim reported to police that she left her overnight bag in the car with the suspect while she popped into the gas station to use the restroom.

When she returned, the suspect had driven away with her bag and the rest of her items she was taking for a Florida getaway.

Amongst clothes and bathing suits were $425 in cash, blood pressure medication and oxycodone. Looks like the trip was unexpectedly canceled for her.

PISS OFF Walmart is no one’s favorite

TV WARS Police responded to a call in

pickle? One 54-year-old man in southwest Charlotte probably stopped being a fan of the snack when he was suddenly struck on his shoulder with a jar of pickles. Why the suspect would relish in hitting a man with a jar of pickles, we do not know. But no matter what, this may go down as a “Vlasic” entry in our blotter repertoire.

reference to a disturbance in east Charlotte, and when officers arrived on the scene, they discovered three young adults arguing in the street over a damaged television. According to the report, two 18-year-old women and a 23-year-old male were “very uncooperative,” when the police officer presumably tried to dispel the tension among the trio.

The situation did not escalate quickly, as all three of the subjects did not want to issue a report and left the scene. We’re just curious as to how the television was damaged.

CHECKED OUT Oh, how the tables

have turned. Normally when we report altercations at retail stores, the employee in question is the one threatened or injured by a customer or wrong-doer. In this case, a store clerk at a Food Lion on Beatties Ford Road was presumably fed up with the attitude that customers were probably giving all day.

According to the report filed in midOctober by the 40-year-old male victim, the employee pulled a pocket knife on him after they “exchanged words.” Now, we don’t know exactly what kind of words were exchanged that led the store clerk to pull a weapon on this customer, but it probably wasn’t about an expired coupon.

SLINGING ‘SLIN It’s truly a sad state of the world when you can’t even get your prescription medication delivered to your door without fear of some asshole swiping your package. Isn’t convenience of delivery to your doorstep the whole point of mailorder prescription?

One 72-year-old man in northwest Charlotte was extremely inconvenienced when he discovered that between the 11 a.m. delivery of his package by UPS and approximately 1 p.m., someone had stolen his insulin and has no idea who may have done it. Come on, guys, he can’t live without it. There’s a special place in hell for people

place — unless it actually is your favorite place for rollback savings. But that doesn’t mean you have to show the physical building how much you hate it. At the Walmart on North Tryon in University, one suspect was stopped for urinating on the actual building and on the sidewalk in front of it.

Presumably because they didn’t get the friendly customer service and amazing experience that Walmart is not known for, or they were intoxicated. Either way, that’s a pretty normal sight at Walmart.

IN A PICKLE Who doesn’t love a good

PRIME DELIVERY We can’t stress this enough, folks: stop stealing delivery packages off of other people’s doorstep. Another package theft victim in the Providence neighborhood in south Charlotte was hit by a delivery delinquent, but this time the wouldbe thieves decided the package contents were not worth taking.

The 71-year-old man reported to police that three suspects took the package containing an Amazon delivery of shampoo off of his porch, opened it and left the box and the items in the road. Presumably, they were not using their head … and shoulders.

JUMP THE GUN It’s not every day you find a tiny, little pistol just hanging out in the street. A 60-year-old man was cutting grass, presumably minding his own business, on Mallard Creek Road when he discovered the black and silver Jimenez Arms-brand t-380 semi-automatic pistol on the ground.

When police arrived, he turned over the arms, which was submitted into evidence by the officers for “safe keeping.” He’s just lucky he didn’t mow over it with his lawnmower.

All stories are pulled from police reports at CMPD headquarters. Suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

CMIHOCIK@CLCLT.COM CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 9

Dan McCready

Brandon Lofton

Rachel Hunt

Nasif Majeed Wesley Harris

THE NEW WAVE Six races that could change the face of Mecklenburg County

BY RYAN PITKIN

THERE’S BEEN PLENTY of talk about the Blue Wave that’s rolling in, meaning a tide of Democrats voted in as a backlash to President Donald Trump’s abhorrent policies.

Whether or not that wave will actually crash upon this country (or county) is a question that remains to be seen, but there are a few ways that voters can help make it happen. It all starts with our biggest local campaign, the one for U.S. Congress District 9, which stretches from southeast Mecklenburg County to Robeson County.

Dan McCready is fighting to become the first Democrat in 55 years to hold the District 9 seat, which has been held by the god-awful Robert Pittenger for the last five years.

McCready has a real chance of breaking that streak, as he’s led a hard-fought campaign against his opponent, Republican Mark Harris. A former Marine, McCready has since launched a small business that helps construct solar farms in North Carolina, helping us become a leader in clean energy.

Harris, a former pastor at Charlotte First Baptist Church, has drawn heat for comments he made during past sermons about the role of women in society. In one sermon, he quoted from Ephesians 5, which states “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” Harris stands by his statements that if a woman rebels against the command to submit to her husband, she is rebelling against God. Those are some pretty archaic beliefs, and the fact that Trump has visited town twice to campaign for Harris lets you know just how toxic this man could be to politics in general.

The most important campaign running in Mecklenburg County is McCready’s and if you’re in the southeastern part of the county, it’s imperative that he gets your vote. As for 10 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

Christy Clark other campaigns, there are five North Carolina House races that could help bring some sense of balance — or just some sense in general — back to the North Carolina legislature.

CHRISTY CLARK – HOUSE DISTRICT 98

A tireless anti-gun violence activist, Clark could bring some much-needed change to the district that birthed Thom Thillis. Sure, current incumbent John R. Bradford III hasn’t been as bad as Thillis, but he co-sponsored the infamous HB2, and just because that story isn’t in the news anymore, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be remembered.

This might be a good year for Clark to break through in the northern Mecklenburg district, which covers Charlotte suburbs like Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. Those are the populations most up in arms over the I-77 toll lanes, and even though he later rescinded, Bradford’s early support for the tolls could land him in some hot Lake Norman water.

On top of public safety and common sense gun laws, Clark is also running on promises to “resolve” the toll lane issue and focus on education, healthcare and equity.

NASIF MAJEED – HOUSE DISTRICT 99

With Rodney Moore out, the District 99 seat in northeast Charlotte is up for grabs.

Former Charlotte City Council member Nasif Majeed already completed the tough part when he defeated the incumbent Moore during primaries. Now he’s going up against

Republican Joshua Niday, whose support for more education funding hides many more troubling beliefs on other issues.

Air Force veteran Majeed has worked on community development on the east and west sides of Charlotte, and his experience across the city makes him the right pick for District 99.

RACHEL HUNT – HOUSE DISTRICT 103

Rachel Hunt might be the biggest long shot included on this list, and that’s why she can use all the support she can get. District 103, which covers Mint Hill in east Mecklenburg County, has been Bill Brawley’s base for eight years. Now, former Gov. Jim Hunt’s daughter is trying to oust him, with a main point of contention being Brawley’s efforts to lead a split between the schools in Mecklenburg’s more well-off suburbs and the CharlotteMecklenburg School system.

Running on a platform that includes education, healthcare, job training, environment and tax reform, Hunt earned the endorsement of President Barack Obama.

She says she would like to form a nonpartisan commission to draw competitive, nonpartisan districts.

BRANDON LOFTON – HOUSE DISTRICT 104

You already got to know Brandon Lofton in our Q&A on page 8, unless you’re reading this paper backwards, weirdo. Lofton has long been an advocate in the city, from his

time working on civil rights cases with Julius Chambers upon graduating from NYU law school in 2004 to serving as the president of the board for the Council for Children’s Rights. He’s also served on different task forces for the city, including work on housing and transit issues.

His opponent, Andy Dulin, on the other hand, has marched right in line with the GOP during his first term as a state rep. In their endorsement of Lofton, the Charlotte Observer called Dulin a rubber stamp, pointing out that he couldn’t even think of a time when he voted out of line from his GOP buddies. It’s clear that Dulin isn’t about compromise or working together, so let’s get him out.

WESLEY HARRIS – HOUSE DISTRICT 105

Just next door from Dulin’s Myers Parkto-Blakeney district is 105, which includes Ballantyne. And while 104 has been moving left in recent years, it would be hard to imagine the folks in the neighborhood that once wanted to secede from Charlotte following suit. But Wesley Harris has a chance to do it.

He’s running against incumbent Scott Stone, who has a strong foothold in Ballantyne that he’s not likely to lose easily. Harris, an academic and economist who has taught at UNC Charlotte, Clemson and University of South Carolina, wants to focus on issues like public transportation, education and economic mobility. We’d like to see him get that chance.

RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

NEWS

PEOPLE

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

DIFFERENT

FROM

US

Halloween won’t be quite so frightening for residents of Nottinghamshire, England, now that a “killer clown” has been apprehended and sentenced to 11 weeks behind bars, plus 18 weeks that had previously been suspended, according to the BBC. Damien Hammond, 29, is a homeless and jobless man who has taken on the persona of Heath Ledger’s The Joker from The Dark Knight Rises.

He admitted to what police called a “crime wave” of offenses, including terrorizing staff in retail stores, waving a gun-shaped cigarette lighter while standing in traffic and striking a police officer. He arrived at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Oct. 10 with bright green hair, and as he was led to jail, he shouted: “See what you have done. I will kill today!” adding that he would stab police officers and fellow inmates. He has also been banned from central Nottingham for three years.

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION The District

of Columbia’s Department of General Services fell victim to a scam in July when officials there wired almost $700,000 to a hacker posing as a city vendor. The fraudsters gained information from a vendor’s computer system, reported The Washington Post, then created a fake email address by changing just one letter, from which they requested electronic transfers from the D.C. government.

David Umansky, a spokesman for the district’s chief financial officer, told the Post that since then the city’s protocols for making vendor payments have “been modified to require additional confirmation before changing bank information.” None of D.C.’s money has been recovered.

NEWS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE In

Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, chicken owner Stephanie Morse told KNOE-TV on Oct. 18 that she is not going to be deterred from dressing up her chickens for Halloween, even in light of the warning from the Centers for Disease Control about exposure to salmonella.

More than 90 people in 29 states have been infected with an antibiotic-resistant strain of the bacteria after coming into contact with raw chicken products. Dressing up live chickens might also cause people to be exposed to the germ. “Don’t kiss your birds or snuggle them,” the CDC warns. But Morse clucks back: “I just like to put a sweater on them to keep them warm and comfortable.”

INEXPLICABLE The University of Kansas

Cancer Center just wants its colon back. The $4,000 giant inflatable colon, used to educate the public about colon health, was stolen from the bed of a pickup truck on Oct. 19. The Kansas City Star reported it was scheduled to appear at a run/walk event at a local park the next day. Kansas City Police are hoping the public will help find the 150-pound, 10-foot-

long colon and return it to its owners.

EXTREME REACTION Helen Washington, 75, of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, faces charges of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon after she ran out of patience on Oct. 12 with her grandson, who continued to put his teacup on her furniture even after she repeatedly asked him not to.

After dumping his tea out, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported, Washington left the room, apparently to get a gun.

Meanwhile, the grandson had made a new cup of tea and put it on the furniture. The argument resumed, and Washington pulled out the .38 Special, shooting her grandson in the leg. She told officers at the scene she didn’t think she should go to jail; a judge ordered an evaluation to see if she’s competent to stand trial.

SNACK TIME Beagle Brigade K-9 officer Hardy probably thought he’d hit the jackpot when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered an unusual item in a passenger’s luggage at Atlanta’s HartsfieldJackson airport on Oct. 11. Fox5 reported that something smelled suspicious (and delicious) to Hardy, so agents opened the bag of a traveler from Ecuador to find a cooked pig’s head.

“This seizure at ATL illustrates the tremendous expertise of our four-legged K-9 partners in protecting the United States,” gushed Carey Davis, CBP area port director of the Port of Atlanta. No doubt to Hardy’s distress, however, the pig’s head was removed and destroyed.

SACKED When Denver Broncos backup

quarterback Chad Kelly wandered into a suburban house in Englewood, Colorado, early on the morning of Oct. 23, he didn’t appear to pose much of a threat, according to ESPN News. He sat down on the couch next to the female resident, who was holding her young child, and began “mumbling incoherently,” police records showed.

But the man of the house, thinking quickly, shooed the 24-year-old Kelly out with nothing more than a vacuum hose.

Kelly, who had been at a Halloween party with teammates, was later found sitting in his car about a block away. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass, but the real shame is how Kelly hosed his own career: On Oct. 24, the Broncos released him.

CROPDUSTED Atif Masood, 42, an employee at a Tesco supermarket in Thornton Heath in south London, is suing the store over the harassment and racial discrimination he says he suffered when a fellow employee broke wind in his face. The Sun reported Masood claims he was targeted because he is Muslim, saying the “unwanted conduct ... had the purpose or effect of violating his dignity.”

Tesco dismissed Masood’s complaints in February, saying it found no evidence of

racial discrimination. Masood’s hearing will take place in 2019.

ABOVE AND BEYOND Judge R.W. Buzzard

got a free pass on doing his cardio on Oct. 16 after two inmates appearing in his courtroom at the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis, Washington, made a break for it. The Daily Chronicle reported that Tanner D. Jacobson, 22, of Onalaska, and Kodey L. Howard, 28, of Winlock, were being escorted out of the courtroom by a deputy when they turned and ran out the public door of the chamber.

Judge Buzzard stripped off his black robe and set off in hot pursuit, grabbing Howard as he followed Jacobson down the steps.

Jacobson was caught a few blocks away. Both inmates were charged with felony seconddegree escape.

HIDE AND GO SHIT William Friedman, 68, of Franklin Township, New Jersey, told police officers when he was apprehended that his weird practice of dumping his grandson’s used diapers around town “almost became a game.” Friedman had been disposing of the soiled nappies along several roadways over the past year, until an officer spotted him at 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 21 making another deposit.

Not only is the littering disgusting, but officials told the Associated Press that a motorcyclist crashed in June after running over a diaper Friedman had allegedly thrown out. He was charged with interference with transportation and faces up to $1,000 in fines.

GOVERNMENT AT WORK Krissa White

of Pensacola, Florida, planted a butterfly garden in her front yard six years ago. Since then, she’s nurtured monarchs through their life cycles, offering them a safe refuge from mosquito-targeting chemicals. But her yard has been the source of much discussion among neighbors, and in early October, the Crown Pointe Property Owners Association charged that White’s butterflies violate the community’s covenants against breeding or raising animals, such as livestock or poultry, on the property.

Dogs, cats or other household pets are exempted from the rule. WEAR-TV reported on Oct. 19 that White may be charged $25 every day for harboring the butterflies.

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FOOD

FEATURE

ALL ABOUT THAT BORSCHT A Ukrainian sour soup

BY ARI LEVAUX

T

HE LONG TRAIN shuddered through the middle of a cold winter night, somewhere between Mongolia and Siberia.

The dining car at the end, half-full of boxes, blaring with techno music and outfitted with a table of babes playing cards and smoking, didn’t seem like the kind of place where I wanted to throw down with the Russian mob. And it definitely wasn’t the kind of place where I wanted to eat a bowl of borscht.

I come from a line of Yiddish speaking, Ukrainian peasants, and I know borscht when I see it. Borscht is our word. It refers to a sour soup that needn’t be made with beets. Once upon a time it was made with pickled hogweed. My mom still makes a cabbage borscht with tomatoes and lemon, but the beet version is more common in the motherland.

Our waitress in the dining car had large bones and a demeanor that suggested things would be better if we left. As the cook glared at us from a table outside the galley, we ordered borscht.

She returned a few minutes later with shallow bowls of purple water, in which a few lonely slices of hot dog floated.

Hot dogs in borscht is an actual thing.

They call it Moscow-style, and even a good rendition would be disappointing. But this one tasted like it was phoned in, which was appropriate, given we were hurtling across the Gobi Desert, seven time zones east of the warehouse on the outskirts of Moscow where this whole situation belonged.

She brought the bill and a frown. Twentyfive bucks for two bowls of borscht that, according to the menu, should have sold for $3 apiece. She pointed around the table and explained that, in addition to the soup, we had to pay to use the silverware, napkins and other amenities that we typically take for granted when dining out. When we protested, a stocky gentleman came over and mimed a karate-chop on his thigh. He repeated the word “mafia.” The cook leaned in the door of the kitchen, holding a large knife.

“A tale that begins with a beet will end with the devil” writes Tom Robbins in Jitterbug Perfume, quoting a Ukrainian proverb. “And that is a risk we have to take.”

As we contemplated this borscht ultimatum, we chose the safe route and paid up. We would live to eat borscht another day.

Hopefully better borscht than this. And it turns out we did.

The next morning, that mysterious dining car had vanished from the end of the 12 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

train, and since then I’ve been hankering for justice. It wouldn’t be possible, or advisable, to find those guys and ask for my $25 back, but I can at least get that bad taste out of my mouth with a decent bowl of sour beet soup.

There are so many variations, permutations, methods, materials and regional borscht preferences, and my own version is different every time. Having confidence in the process of soup-making and an understanding of how to incorporate layers of sour, will serve you much better than any one recipe. So my aim is to point you in the right direction and get you started on your path.

UKRAINIAN SOUR SOUP

This recipe is more of a process than a set of firm directions. At minimum, you need beets, stock and some kind of acid, like lemon or vinegar. Since I make my own stock, I also need bones, onion, celery, tomato and carrot. If you make the stock the night before, you can whip up a fresh batch of borscht at a moment’s notice.

Beef stock is used in most traditional Ukranian borschts, but any type of stock will make a fine rendition, including vegetable, chicken or even pork (which is frowned upon by my mom; old habits die hard). Deer and elk bones make the best stock for borscht, in my opinion, and the closest thing to venison that’s available in stores is lamb or mutton. While pretty much any critter will work, the only requirement is that there be bones — and the cartilage, gristle, tendon and other attached connective tissues. If there isn’t any meat on the bones that’s fine; I like making it with oxtail, which has tons of

meat. In the case of veggie stock, make sure and add the onion skins and celery base and all the half-dried ugly aromatics you can, and don’t forget the fungus.

Slowly brown the meaty bones in the center of the oven beneath the broiler, turning them as often as necessary to prevent burning. It should brown, crisp, bubble, maybe even gently sputter. This process should go slowly.

Add the browned bones and pan juices to a kettle, slow cooker, Instant Pot or some other arrangement along those lines. Cook it slowly, until the meat is completely soft and the connective tissue has melted into a thick and creamy gelatin. Scrape as much meat and connective tissue as you wish from the bones. In the case of my oxtail and ribs, I basically stripped it all. Cut this meat as necessary into soup-sized chunks and return the meat and bones to the pot. Skim fat if you wish. Turn the heat to medium.

Cut your veggies and add them. For a gallon of soup, that would be about three carrots, three stalks of celery, two large tomatoes (in quarters) and one large onion (skin on, cut in half).

While that is heating, peel the beets.

I don’t peel many things. Not carrots, potatoes, apples or almost anything. I even eat mango peels. But I do peel the beets, at least for borscht. I guess I’m a little oldfashioned that way.

Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and lemon or lime — the juice of two or three fruits or more — to taste. If I have sauerkraut, I may pour in some of the jus. We want many layers of sour. In addition to the beets, lemon and tomatoes, consider adding vinegar. The dollop of sour cream that is surely coming will add another layer.

While the soup simmers, cut the beets into thick wedges and add them when the soup tastes right. While the beets cook, continue sipping and seasoning. Mom says it needs sugar, but I like it firmly on the sour side. Sometimes I add a pat of butter. The borscht is ready when the beets are perfectly cooked — soft, yet firm. Don’t cook it to the point of disintegration.

I serve my borscht in two ways, sometimes at the same sitting depending on the preferences (and finickiness) of my guests.

For a thin, delicate borscht that focuses attention on the beets, serve a bowl of beet-y red broth with some wedges of beet, and perhaps some meat if using just beets, meat and broth, garnished with sour cream, a green herb like dill or parsley, and/or shreds or sauerkraut or a slice of sour pickle.

For a thicker version of the same soup, transfer some of each type of vegetable, beets included, from the pot to a blender, along with some of the broth, but none of the meat, and puree. If you’re doing a vegetarian borscht, I would definitely recommend the pureed option because it’s more fulfilling and satisfying — dare I say meatier?

And I’m just going to throw this out there, something that the vegetarians may be especially interested in: If you mix the pureed borscht with a sour lentil soup, it’s absolutely amazing. I call it “borschentil.” It’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to coining a Yiddish word. More importantly, it’s about as far from that dining car as I can hope to get.

BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

FOOD

THREE-COURSE SPIEL

CHARITY AND CHILL-I Annual chili cook-off donates to good causes

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

IT’S GETTING CHILI OUTSIDE.

The sudden drop in temperature has warranted a slightly warmer fall food festival, and Melanie Tritten is here to deliver the 9th Annual Dilworth/South End Chili Cook-Off. Melanie and her husband Andy Tritten used to compete in the Plaza Midwood chili competition, and although they always had a blast and enjoyed the day, they felt it was time for them to branch out with a chili cookoff in their own neck of the woods.

With her husband and cohorts JD Duncan and Rachelle Pacholski, the team will set up the ultimate chili showdown on Sunday, Nov. 11. The four categories include red chili, “other” chilis (like white or green chili), vegetarian and people’s choice.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, admission to the cook-off will be free for all active and retired military service members. But the charity doesn’t stop there for this quad of chili lovers. Every year, the four of them donate the cook-off proceeds to three or four area charities.

This year, the proceeds will go to Purple Heart Homes, benefiting disabled veterans; Charlotte Fire Station 2, which operates in South End; the Alzheimer’s Association, which focuses on care, support and research to help those with the disease; and the Taste of the NFL benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

We caught up with Melanie to talk about the ninth iteration of the Dilworth/South End Chili Cook-Off, how its grown since it’s formative years and the joys the team finds in throwing the fest.

Creative Loafing: How has the cook-off grown since you first started it nine years ago?

Melanie Tritten: First year we raised $1,500.

We had what, eight people enter, maybe 10? It was in a different parking lot and it was tiny, and I was so unorganized. Every year its grown in how much we’ve donated. It used to be at Atherton Mill. Where we had that, you couldn’t help but to see it when you drove by when we were setting up, so we just had killer exposure there. And now we’ve moved it since to the Design Center [of the Carolinas]. That was last year so that’s why we raised a little less last year, I think. We just didn’t have that big face you know out there.

What are some differences you see between the pro chili-cookers and the amateurs?

Only in their fear of having to make so much chili. We have to make them make

(From left to right) Chili cook-off organizers Andy Tritten, Melanie Tritten, JD Duncan and Rachelle Pacholski.

PHOTO BY WENDY SHANAHAN

PHOTO BY MIKE WONG PHOTOGRAPHY

Chili samples and roasted corn at the 2017 chili cook-off. so much because they run out and we have to have chili for people to want to come.

But especially the ones, the non-pros who have done it a couple times, they’re good.

I guess the new ones get a little nervous and don’t really know how to cook in a freakin’ 10-gallon pot on a street, you know?

[Laughs] Or a parking lot.

You can do it, it’s so easy. As long as you prep all your ingredients and come in with everything ready to go, it’s easy and so much fun. We need more cooks all the time. We never have enough.

What are some of your favorite aspects of the Dilworth/South End Chili CookOff? So Thomas Marlow, the chef at Mimosa [Grill], wins almost every single year. He kills it, and every year people are like, “I’m going to beat him,” and nobody can beat him. So I think that’s a little fun, it’s like, see if you can beat him. He does these little garnishes, beans and cheese and it’s awesome.

Vegetarian gets so few entries that you’re almost guaranteed to win, so people are finally catching onto that and trying to enter vegetarian chili.

We have a couple groups that have so much fun, they wear like big mullet wigs and they run around like crazy and it’s just turned into a little following.

PHOTO BY WENDY SHANAHAN

Chili garnishes by a cook-off contender.

9TH ANNUAL DILWORTH/ SOUTH END CHILI COOK-OFF Nov. 11, 11 a.m.; Design Center of the Carolinas, 1930 Camden Rd.; dsechilicookoff.org

CMIHOCIK@CLCLT.COM

CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 13

THINGS TO DO

TOP TEN

6lack MONDAY

PHOTO COURTESY OF FILLMORE

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

FRIDAY

FRIDAY

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (ARTS THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1)

PATRICK SWEANY (MUSICFRI. NOV. 2)

YELP GOES GATSBY (FRI NOV. 2 - ODDS)

YOUNG THE GIANT/ST. LUCIA (FRI NOV. 2 - MUSIC)

What: He’s just another Irish white guy from the Midwest doing blues music, but we’ll be damned if he’s not really good at it. Blues rocker Patrick Sweany has been doing his thing for nearly two decades, but he’s finally starting to get the respect he deserves. A recent review of his May release, Ancienty Noise, reads, “If the blues torch stands a chance of being passed down to the next generation, it’s going to be by the works of artists like Gary Clark Jr. and Patrick Sweany” We couldn’t agree more.

What: Niiki Wolfe, Charlottes Best Local Celebrity according to Creative Loafing readers, knows how to throw a party. Each year the local Yelp community director throws down for her annual Yelper party, and last year’s Decks Out party won Best Annual Event in this year’s Best of Charlotte issue.

This year, she’s bringing it back to the era of Charleston-dancing flappers and Tommy gun-wielding gangsters, and it all benefits the Behailu Academy.

What: Two acts are breezing through our town and taking the stage right next to one another in one night. St. Lucia and Young The Giant — from South Africa and California, respectively — are going to show us a good time. Buy tickets for both and pop back and forth between these indie rock / electric pop shows on Friday. It’s going to be a tough pick between Sameer Ghadia of Young The Giant and his silver tongue and having all eyes on Jean-Philip Grobler.

When: 7-10 p.m.

Where: Hilton Charlotte Center City, 222 E. 3rd St. More: Free, donation

When: Young the Giant, 8 p.m.; St. Lucia, 9 p.m.

Where: The Fillmore & The Underground, 820 Hamilton St.

1

What: By the late 1930s Katherine Hepburn’s Hollywood career was in a tailspin. Labeled box office poison, she developed a Broadway property that put her back on top. This is the show that relaunched Hepburn as a comedienne as she juggles the attentions of two leading men – Cary Grant and James Stewart in the 1940 film. The Philadelphia Story was a huge hit that spawned a second movie version, the 1956 musical High Society. So Theatre Charlotte has big shoes to fill as the company tackles this durable comedy.

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Theatre Charlotte, 501

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.

party!

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2

2

2

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SATURDAY

3

FOUR DOGS 5TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY (ODDS-SAT. NOV. 3) What: You can count on us to shame you into supporting local food, music, art or whatever it may be. But where have you been buying your pet supplies? Four Dogs is a tiny shop in NoDa with all the food and toys your dog, cat or chicken will ever need. They’re celebrating five years on Saturday with vendors like Birdsong Brewing, Hiya Food Truck, Q.C. Canine Design, and all to benefit different area pet rescues and animal charities. PetSmart doesn’t throw parties like this.

When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Where: Four Dogs Pet Supplies,

Four Dogs 5th Anniversary Party SATURDAY

Turkish Festival SATURDAY

NEWS ARTS FOOD MUSIC ODDS

Young The Giant FRIDAY PHOTO COURTESY OF FOUR DOGS

PHOTO COURTESY OF TURKISH FESTIVAL

SATURDAY

3

TURKISH FESTIVAL OF CHARLOTTE (ODDS-SAT. NOV. 3) What: Known at the world’s most Westernized Muslim-majority country, Turkey is said to be the only country that contain every extreme of both Eastern and Western culture. That’s a lot to cover in one festival, but these folks will do their best by offering up traditional Turkish hospitality and culture by way of cuisine and coffee, fortune telling, live music and dance performances, cooking demos, a bazaar, children’s activities and much more. Cross the global cultural spectrum in a single day.

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

SATURDAY

3

PHOTO COURTESY OF BIG HASSLE RECORDS

MONDAY

MONDAY

5

5

WEDNESDAY

7

CARDI B (MUSIC-SAT. NOV. 3)

PSYCHEDELIC FURS (MUSIC MONDAY NOVEMBER 5)

6LACK (MUSIC-MON. NOV. 5)

RAW CHARLOTTE OVATION (MUSIC-WED. NOV. 7)

What: Fans of Cardi B have been busy all week on the internet arguing with Nikki Minaj fans as the two rappers go back and forth on social media with diss videos that immediately get broken down by each fanbase. But this is the chance for Cardi’s CLT fans to actually see her in action, as she’s dropping

by World in the AvidXchance Music Factory on Saturday night following an earlier performance in Greensboro. It’s unclear if she’ll be performing or hosting, but she’ll definitely come through drippin’.

What: There’s a reason the Psychedelic Furs have far more staying power than most of their New Wave brethren. (Is anyone hankering for a Wang Chung reunion?) Defined by front man Richard Butler’s raspy drawl and spearheaded by brother Tim Butler’s bass, the Furs deliver a roiling post-punk pulse with melodic, frequently melancholy tunes. Their 80s hits like “Love My Way” and “The Ghost in You” are wistful yet timeless, because the Furs rock out but they also have heart. Gritty southern soul chanteuse Liz Brasher opens.

What: His 2018 release, East Atlanta Love Letter, is a true ode to his roots in the rap/hip-hop mecca city. 6lack’s like-titled song, “East Atlanta Love Letter,” brings on Future for a slow and introspective track. 6lack uses upbeat, yet soothing instrumentals to accompany his unassuming, yet ear-catching vocals. It’s not the kind of music you thought would come from this 26-year-old artist from Atlanta, but 6lack brings the grooves to get down to and is taking them to the Fillmore for a sultry, sexy and phenomenal hiphop show.

What: RAW is a Los Angeles-based organization that gives local artists the resources and exposure they need to thrive, and the upcoming Charlotte Ovation show will showcase the work of more than 50 Charlotte-area creatives. Included among the performing artists, hair and makeup artists, photographers and fashionistas highlighted in this show is Lisa De Novo, whose band will take the Fillmore stage in a show she’s calling “a dream come true.” With all Lisa’s work as an open mic organizer in Charlotte and Girls Rock CLT! volunteer, she deserves the spotlight on her.

When: 7 p.m.

When: 8 p.m.

When: 7-10 p.m.

When: 10 p.m.-2 p.m.

Where: World Nightclub, 900 Music Factory Blvd.

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CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 15

MUSIC

FEATURE

ART ROCK THE VOTE Bullship to close the polls with a post-election show

BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

1

T’S NOT BULLSHIT that

Bullship wants you to vote.

The art rock trio has lined up with Landless and Indigo Jo at Snug Harbor on Tuesday, Nov. 6, after the midterm election polls close to celebrate with all the voters — whether they took care of it early or their “I Voted” stickers still adorn their clothes.

Much like our country, the band has a deep, intertwining history that brought them to where they are today. Unlike our country, it’s filled with friendship, learning and an deep appreciation for arts and music.

Drummer Sloan McLaughlin, guitarist Christopher Holston and bassist Jason “Elroy” Michel have been friends for a long time. When McLaughlin and Holston were fresh out of high school in 1994, former Creative Loafing music editor Kevin Morgan sat down with them in Lupie’s Cafe for lunch and spoke about the band that the two were in together, Random Ged. But that was 24 years ago. Now, since meeting Michel at a record store the same year as the article, “Even In Their Youth,” was released, the trio has been involved in a myriad of other bands in Charlotte until they came together under Bullship.

McLaughlin was a guitarist who now plays drums, Michel learned bass and Holston picked up guitar for the formation of the band in 1999.

Over the past 19 years, they learned the respective instruments that they assigned themselves, all starting at the same level of experience.

“Because we were kind of at this frontier with our instruments ... It just worked because we were all able to kind of get in on the same [level],” Holston said. “It was intermediate at best.”

It’s better than intermediate now, as is apparent in their current releases, is/was in 2008 and the self-titled, bullship, in 2003.

As each of them played in different bands around town before forming, each outfit they were in brought something new to the current Bullship lineup. But their two decades of friendship brings something to the sound as well when it comes to the band’s creative process.

“Each experience, I think, helped each individual grow as a creative person,” Michel pointed out. “But Bullship does have [something]. There’s such a unique thing 16 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 17, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

The members of Bullship in First Ward Park. that happens with the three of us together.”

In former bands, which were five- or seven-pieces, they mentioned that the musical decision-making process is markedly different than the decisions that are made between three lifelong friends who play together.

“I can honestly say that we just don’t really labor over decisions very much. We’re just kind of like, ‘Hey, you guys want to do this?’” Holston said. “I think most bands, they probably have a ‘majority rule’ kind of thing but I think it doesn’t seem to come up very often with us. We just all are like, ‘Alright.’

Maybe we just have enough faith in each other.”

Influenced by the art rock of the 1960s and ’70s, it’s clear that Bullship has pulled inspiration from groups both from that era or that emulate the eclectic, artsy sound of those decades. CAN, The Velvet Underground, Blonde Redhead, Polvo and Joy Division are on the master Spotify playlist the three of them have curated to best express their sound and inspirations. It’s not just the oldies that interest them, however, as Michel pointed out.

“It’s kind of art rock in general,” he said.

“It’s all very rough around the edges and dissonant. I’m always drawn to new bands that have that sound.”

Ultimately, they’re not interested in just one genre, art rock just happens to be the one that grabs them the most as they pick up their instruments and begin to play.

Now, with a more modern feel and catchy guitar riffs that act as earworms, Bullship is the product of decades of growth among a group of friends who came up together in the 1990s and discovered a unique sound

PHOTO BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK

throughout the 21st century.

All three members contribute to vocals, and the voices float through the tracks, letting the guitar and drums dominate the energy of the music. Even in songs like “valis,” a highenergy rock melody with crashing cymbals and rough, driving chords, the vocals stay lo-fi, creating a cohesive vision of dissonant vocals and sound throughout Bullship’s repertoire.

When I sat down with the members of Bullship one sunny afternoon at 7th Street Public Market in Uptown, just over a week before the #IVoted Election Night show, we talked about the state of affairs and their views on voting, participating and staying socially informed, as is our civic duty as Americans.

“Obviously since 2016 and my whole life, I think we’re all in a constant state of evolution.

It’s never been perfect, this whole ‘Make America Great Again’ concept is just flawed on so many levels,” Michel expressed. “It’s only been great for certain types of people at certain times. So, it’s always working toward a more perfect nation and obviously we need as much participation by, hopefully, thoughtful and critically thinking people who are reasonable. But at least, everybody [should] get involved.”

The trio’s views on participating politically as individuals and a community are mostly what got them on the bill for the post-Election Night show at Snug.

“The first step is just paying attention and participating,” Holston said. “And I think what has been neat about the small silver lining, if you can find one, since Trump’s election is that a lot of people have gone, ‘Oh wow, we just kind of let this happen by not

participating.’”

McLaughlin chimed in on this sentiment: “It has mobilized the [people who say] otherwise, ‘Well I feel like our community is going to vote the way I need for them to vote.

So, I don’t really need to get out. I don’t really need to vote. It’s going to happen anyway.’”

Since 2016, the group has seen changes happening locally in our own Queen City.

It’s in the young, active people like Braxton Winston and Dimple Ajmera who have gotten themselves on city council and in other progress made in local government that Bullship sees hope for solving inequality issues in the city.

Give the young ones in office a chance, Holston said. It’s difficult to just jump right in and start making changes and solutions without having to encounter some sort of bureaucratic tape.

“No one can just flip a switch when they get into office. It’s just not like that. There’s tons of struggles, fights, a lot of tape, a lot of legacy and things like history that they have to get through,” Holston iterated.

But McLaughlin mentioned that the increase in demonstrations, such as March For Our Lives, the Charlotte Uprising, March for Ed and many others, was not something he noticed before 2016. The community is mobilizing, as he stated earlier. The city — and the state, for that matter — has begun to become more involved with the social and political issues that we face today, and almost no one is letting their voice go unheard.

Michel, specifically, has been looking toward the future in terms of what needs to happen politically and socially for everyone to get on even ground. He believes that this

I DO FEEL LIKE NO MATTER HOW LITTLE YOU THINK YOUR VOTE MAY COUNT, IT IS PART OF IT.

Chris Holston.

PHOTO BY DYLAN CHORNEAU

JASON MICHEL, BULLSHIP PHOTO BY COURTNEY MIHOCIK (From left to right) McLaughlin, Michel and Holston stand in front of an Uptown mural. year’s midterms and the 2020 election will almost like a warm-up at the start of a social reveal the direction America takes in years studies class. to come.

Needless to say, the current events are “Since the 2016 election, for sure, I’ve daunting. A recent shooting at the Tree of been thinking about 2018 and what we’re Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and the mailing really going to see,” Michel stated. “You know, of bombs to a myriad of people whom the this definitely is — as people are kind of president has verbally attacked is enough to tabbing it — the battle for the soul of the create a rise of discontent and uneasiness. country; 2018 and 2020 are going to be so Some of this informs the music of telling as to who is the silent majority.”

Bullship, but they’re never going to shove And they push fervently that it’s their political, social or religious ideology important to vote. No matter what, they said, down your throat. They will, however, weave your vote will matter. No longer should we it into some of their songs. Those songs are sit back as a community and let a few with mostly about being disenfranchised with the the willpower to head to the voting sites cast social and political problems that America is a ballot for the future. Even if you feel the facing. creeping apathy that accompanies the dark “I’ve written a song or two that have those times we’ve found ourselves in. sorts of things, it does happen,” Holston said.

“I know that people feel disenfranchised “We’ve never been overly political but from all sides and I know there was a lot it does weave its way into some of Chris’s of apathy in the last election cycle,” Michel lyrics,” McLaughin chimed in. expressed. “I get it, because of just the choices But it’s “open to interpretation,” as they that people feel like they have and not being pointed out, as most of their songs are. connected to any of those choices, but I think One track that could be interpreted that we saw from that, that apathy is just as having political undertones is the aptly not, it just is not the answer. I do feel like no named, “Government,” from the 2008 album, matter how little you think your vote may is/was. count it is part of it.”

The ringing guitar riffs give way to a Although things look dark, and the subtle drum beat while the vocals ring over discontent that Bullship experiences may spill the sound, once again, not dominating the over into their music, Holston said the music track. Instead, the vocals give breadth for the will always include a sense of optimism, much rest of the music to swell together in a rise to like with the political climate that our city a climax ending, rough around the edges and and country finds itself in today. lo-fi that cuts off abruptly. It’s short on lyrics, “I think when we do write things that but those words are packed with metaphor are kind of on a darker edge, I think there’s and as noted, open to interpretation. always a little glimmer of hope,” he said.

“We are shaking away from the government Bullship’s practice sessions usually start / People of science designing who you are,” with a conversation about current events, the opening line rings. Although recorded in

#IVOTED ELECTION NIGHT W/ BULLSHIP, LANDLESS, INDIGO JO Nov. 6, 9 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

2008, it can hold meaning for those reaching out for a connection between music and politics in today’s world, without it being a full-blown Fugazi-esque rock anthem.

Currently, Bullship is in the studio, working on new tracks and reworking old ones from a repertoire of hundreds of unreleased demos that they call “practice tapes.” Not that they have a problem committing to their music, it’s just that they are that prolific. Whether it’s released on their own or through a label, they have an appreciation for physical CDs and the art of accompanying releases with an artful foldout. They are an art rock band, after all.

“We’re hoping to ramp that out. We’ve been together for a long time, we’ve only put out two full-length albums and we’ve been together for almost going on 20 years, that’s crazy,” Holston said. “But I think that our goal is to make more.”

While you wait for the upcoming release, go exercise your constitutional right to vote and meet them at Snug after the election is over, and you better wear your “I Voted” sticker.

CMIHOCIK@CLCLT.COM

Sloan McLaughlin.

PHOTO BY DYLAN CHORNEAU

Bullship.

PHOTO BY DYLAND CHORNEAU

CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 17

MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD NOVEMBER 1 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Bilal Sunni-Ali w/ Rah Amen, Skewed Ensemble and Reinaldo Brahn (Petra’s)

COUNTRY/FOLK Open Mic with Lisa De Novo (Temple Mojo Growler Shop, Matthews)

DJ/ELECTRONIC BYOC Thursdays (Bring Your Own Cassette) w/ JoshRobbins (The Milestone) Le Bang (Snug Harbor) Dende (Salud Cerveceria)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Queen Naija (The Underground)

POP/ROCK Blonde Ambition (Tin Roof) Danny Gokey (Ovens Auditorium) Greg Hawks (Evening Muse) Karaoke (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Matt Minchew (RiRa Irish Pub) Mick’s Jaguar & Space Coke w/ Morganton, Joules & The Asound (The Milestone) Moses Jones (Comet Grill) Music Bingo with Dr. Music (Heist Brewery) Open Mic for Musicians (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub) A Perfect Circle (Bojangles’ Coliseum) Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Kitchen Dwellers (Neighborhood Theatre) Shana Blake and Friends (Smokey Joe’s Cafe)

NOVEMBER 2 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Charlotte Symphony: Mendelssohn Italian Symphony (Knight Theater) Chorale Fall Concert: Otherworldly (Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall, Davidson) Jazzy Fridays (Freshwaters Restaurant)

COUNTRY/FOLK Steven James (Cabarrus Brewing Company, Concord) The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill)

DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Blake (Tin Roof) DJ RWonz (RiRa Irish Pub) 18 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Tasha Cobbs-Leonard (McGlohon Theater)

POP/ROCK Cardfall (Tin Roof) Gigi Dover & Big Love with Bob White Conspiracy (Petra’s) Honeywhat (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Jade Moore (Primal Brewery, Huntersville) Mama’s Love (Visulite Theatre) Music Bingo/Trivia with DJ ShayNanigans (Three Spirits Brewery) No Exit: AM/FMs/Boron Heist/Van Huskins With Boss’ Daughter (Tommy’s Pub) Patrick Sweany, Early James & The Latest (Neighborhood Theatre) Spark The Forest w/ Foxture, Gardeners (The Milestone) St. Lucia, Arkells (The Underground) Thorp Jenson, Erin & The Wildfire (Evening Muse) Tyler Ramsey, Justin Fedor (Evening Muse) Wes & the Railroaders w/ Jason Moss & The Hosses, Paper Windmills (Snug Harbor) Willie Douglas (Smokey Joe’s Cafe,) Young the Giant, Lights (The Fillmore)

NOVEMBER 3 CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Charlotte Symphony: Mendelssohn Italian Symphony (Knight Theater) Jazzology (Comet Grill)

COUNTRY/FOLK Cody Lee Hodges (Cabarrus Brewing Company) Corey Smith (Coyote Joe’s) Don Gibson Theatre Fundraiser (Don Gibson Theatre, Shelby)

DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Claya Jade (RiRa Irish Pub) DJ Duplex (Tin Roof) San Holo, Taska Black (The Fillmore)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Cardi B (World, Charlotte) Curt Keyz, Arsena Schroeder (Evening Muse) Off the Wall “Memory Lane Edition” (Petra’s) Tasha Cobbs-Leonard (McGlohon Theater)

POP/ROCK

SOUNDBOARD Annabel Lee & Den of Wolves, Fear Until Fury & Broken Testimony (The Milestone) Blue Monday (Tin Roof) Boy Named Banjo (Visulite Theatre) Bucky Lastard Acoustic (Tommy’s Pub) Dane Page, Ross Adams (Evening Muse) Ghostland Observatory, Gibbz (Neighborhood Theatre) Heroes At Last (RiRa Irish Pub) Jacks River Band (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Jen Bash: Aloha Broha, Cadaver Creator, Rapheumet’s Well, and Oculum Dei (The Rabbit Hole) Kasbo, Vancouver Sleep Clinic and Super Duper (The Underground) Knowne Ghost w/ David Webb’s Burning Bush, Faye, Petrov (Snug Harbor) Randall & Jayne Sprinkle Duo (Primal Brewery, Huntersville) SheHeHe with Queen City Rejects, The Commonwealth, Trash Room (Skylark Social Club)

NOVEMBER 4 BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL Blues Sunday with Tas Cru (The Rabbit Hole) Irish Ceili Brunch (RiRa Irish Pub)

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH WDAV’s Small Batch Concert Series: Tesla Quartet (Free Range Brewing Company)

DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Holla (Tin Roof) More Fyah - Grown & Sexy Vibes (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Kyle (The Underground) Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor)

POP/ROCK Metal Church (The Milestone,) Morning Teleportation, Desert Noises (Evening Muse) Nicki Bluhm, Gill Landry (Visulite Theatre) Omari and The Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Peter Holsapple Combo (Evening Muse) Sunday Music Bingo (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern)

NOVEMBER 5

10/31 TROPIDELIC & BUMPIN' UGLIES 11/2 MAMA'S LOVE 11/3 BOY NAMED BANJO 11/4 NICKI BLUHM 11/7 WILL HOGE 11/8 THE WEEKS 11/10 THE NIGHT GAME11/15 THE BLACK LILLIES SCHOOL OF MUSIC 11/17 SOUTHSIDE WATT 11/18 BALLANTYNE PRESENTS : WINTERJAM 11/23 A TRIBUTE TO LEVON HELM 11/24 SIMPLIFIED 11/29 GHOST LIGHT 11/30 COSMIC CHARLIE - DARK SIDE OF THE DEAD 12/5PATTERSON HOOD 12/7 YARN 12/8 ABBEY ROAD LIVE! 12/12 BAYSIDE 12/13 THE HIP ABDUCTION 12/18 GOOD OLD WAR

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH String Studio Recital (Davidson College TylerTallman Recital Hall, Davidson) Atkins Out Loud Flute Ensemble (UNC Charlotte Atkins Library) Jazz Jam (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub)

NOVEMBER 7

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Bugalú - November Edition (Petra’s)

6Lack (The Fillmore) #MFGD Open Mic (Apostrophe Lounge) Knocturnal (Snug Harbor)

POP/ROCK Dem Sedgefield Boys (Comet Grill) Find Your Muse Open Mic with Clark Beckham (Evening Muse) Music Bingo (Tin Roof) Music Trivia (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) Piano Bar Karaoke & Sing Along with Ryan Stamey (Petra’s) Portland Cello Project plays Radiohead (McGlohon Theater) The Psychedelic Furs, Liz Brasher (Neighborhood Theatre) Open Mic with Lisa De Novo (Legion Brewing)

NOVEMBER 6 COUNTRY/FOLK Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill)

DJ/ELECTRONIC DJ Steel Wheel (Snug Harbor) GLBL: DJ AHuf (Snug Harbor)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B Eclectic Soul Tuesdays - RnB & Poetry (Apostrophe Lounge) SoMo, Johnny Stimson (The Underground) Soulful Tuesdays: DJ ChopstickZ, DJ JTate Beats (Crown Station Coffeehouse and Pub)

POP/ROCK Open Jam with the Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s Cafe) #iVOTED Party - Landless w/ Indigo Jo, Bullship (Snug Harbor) John Nolan Band, Never Home (Evening Muse) Los Lonely Boys (Neighborhood Theatre) Uptown Unplugged with Dylan Swinson (Tin Roof) Walk Off the Earth (The Fillmore, Charlotte)

CLASSICAL/JAZZ/SMOOTH Spyro Gyra (McGlohon Theater)

BLUES/ROOTS/INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY/FOLK Vince Gill (Ovens Auditorium) Open Mic (Comet Grill)

DJ/ELECTRONIC KARAOKE with Mike Earle (Petra’s) Cyclops Bar: Modern Heritage Weekly Mix Tape (Snug Harbor)

POP/ROCK Bad Bad Hats, Party Nails (Neighborhood Theatre) Emit Radio’s Open Mic/Music Trivia Night (Dixie Pig, Tega Cay) Martin Guitar Experience Event w/ Corey Congilio (Midwood Guitar Studio) Open Mic & Songwriter Workshop (Petra’s) Pale Waves (The Underground, Charlotte) Quincey Blues (Smokey Joe’s Cafe) Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse) Vctms w/ Wwwping Wound, Iris Divine, Fractured Frames & Invoker (The Milestone) Will Hoge, Ryan Culwell (Visulite Theatre)

COMING SOON Papadosio (November 9, Underground) Bob Dylan (November 9, Ovens Auditorium) Steep Canyon Rangers (November 10, Knight Theater) Phantom Limb (November 13, Milestone) Wye Oak (November 15, Neighborhood Theatre) Atmosphere (November 20, Underground) Simplified (November 24, Visulite) The Internet (November 26, Fillmore) Michael McDonald (November 28, Knight Theater) Kaki King (November 30, Booth Playhouse) Richard Thompson (November 30, Knight Theater) Ghost (December 2, Ovens Auditorium) Moe (December 5, Fillmore) Goodie Mob (December 1, Neighborhood

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MUSIC

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CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 19

ARTS

FEATURE

THE LIGHT FACTORY PULLS FOCUS Museum’s annual auction highlights art and community

BY PAT MORAN

T

“Aura”

PHOTO BY CAROLYN DEMERITT

HE STAKES ARE HIGH

for The Light Factory’s 36th annual art auction, as they are every year, Patrick Saleeby says.

“I don’t want to be dramatic and say [the auction] keeps our doors open,” he says, “but it’s our biggest fundraiser of the year.” The proceeds raised by the museum’s signature fundraising event, held on Nov. 3 at the Midwood International and Cultural Center in Plaza Midwood, account for one-third of the operating expenses for The Light Factory, one of only four museums in the United States devoted to photography and film.

“All proceeds go to supporting our mission of empowering the community through photography education and exhibition,” Saleeby adds, citing the slate of classes, workshops and outreach programs offered by The Light Factory in addition to its gallery shows.

Saleeby, who joined the facility as assistant director in 2017, says he particularly enjoys the community engagement aspect of his job. This past year he was able to step outside his wheelhouse of operational and marketing duties to help present a “Photography for Social Change” workshop at Davidson Elementary School.

“Last summer we did a program in Grier Heights Community Center,” he says, adding that The Light Factory has been revamping their community engagement and educational programs so they can go outside their walls with even greater frequency. “That’s what attracted me to come here in the first place.”

Saleeby, an avid photographer, worked as a freelance copywriter for The Light Factory for several years before joining the organization’s staff. “I’m passionate about this organization,” he added.

For the past four years, The Light Factory has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts, going from strength to strength. Last year, the organization’s entire staff was comprised of executive director Kay Tuttle and director of education Laurie Schorr. Since then, the staff has more than doubled. Saleeby came aboard as assistant director, Micah Cash became the director of community engagement and Jenny Burke joined as director of development.

It’s a long way from the fall of 2013, when The Light Factory temporarily halted operations altogether.

20 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

Patrick Saleeby

“Samantha” Beginning as a casual weekly gathering of photographers at Anderson’s Restaurant on Elizabeth Avenue in 1973, The Light Factory gradually expanded to include classes, exhibits and darkroom facilities. In the process, the resilient nonprofit moved to different digs all over Charlotte.

“We moved all over the place,” Saleeby says. “We’ve been in every part of the city.”

By 2013, the organization was housed in a showplace location in Uptown Charlotte’s Spirit Square. But funding shortfalls undermined The Light Factory. In October 2013, its website bluntly declared that the institution “didn’t have the cash flow necessary to keep operations going.” Employees were laid off and the doors were shuttered. Happily, the shutdown wasn’t permanent. Past facility members, the city’s photographic community and investment management firm Babson Capital joined forces to revive the Light factory, which opened its doors at its present location in late 2014.

“We’re happy to be in Plaza Midwood because it’s the perfect place for us,” Saleeby concludes. “We have a lease for the next five years.”

That means at least five more years of classes, workshops, community outreach efforts and the kind of challenging photo exhibits that have made The Light Factory

PHOTO BY FRITZ LIEDTKE

famous. As Saleeby points out, the future of this agenda rests on the success of the facility’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

As in years past, the auction presents art lovers and photography buffs the opportunity to acquire distinctive, one-of-akind work, Saleeby says. Auction attendees will be exposed to a variety of different photographers, he adds, ranging from Sonia Handelman Meyer, who was involved in the Photo League in the 1940s, to emerging artists. Saleeby points that people will be able to bid on pieces they probably wouldn’t have access to otherwise. He’s particularly excited that work by two local photographers will be up for auction. Charlotte native Carolyn DeMeritt, who has been involved with The Light Factory since 1976 and has served as a photography teacher there, donated a piece from Infinite Grace, an ongoing series where DeMeritt documented her friend and artist Pinky Bass for over 20 years. Another piece comes from yet another local connection, Byron Baldwin, who taught photography at Myers Park High School for over thirty years.

“Those are two good local photographers who each have a celebrated body of work,” Saleeby concludes. He also showers praise on the efforts of Del Zogg, a member of both The Light Factory’s exhibition committee and auction committee.

PHOTO BY KAY TUTTLE

“[Zogg] has a long and storied career with the George Eastman Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The bulk of the work that is in the auction is due to Del,” Saleeby maintains. Of 82 donated pieces, close to 50 came from people that Zogg approached. Saleeby is also thrilled that the auction will include a piece from Emmet Gowin’s Mariposas Nocturnas series.

“It’s about moths of Central and South America,” Saleeby explains. “Gowin took pictures of moths using famous works of art as backgrounds.”

Other notable donations acquired

by Zogg include pieces by photography luminaries like Natan Dvir, Marti Corn, Øyvind Hjelmen, Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien. Charles Traub has contributed a piece from his groundbreaking Beach series.

The diversity of the collection is no accident, Saleeby says. “We try to change that up so that there’s not the same group of artists every year,” he continues. The goal is expose people to different photographers — some of which are emerging, others are established.

Though the auction is a social gathering, Saleeby hasn’t lost sight of the fundraising aspects of the event. He praises Burke for her handling of The Light Factory’s sponsorships for the auction, and he looks forward to gallery shows scheduled for 2019, many of which will be partly bankrolled by auction proceeds. First up on Jan. 7 is Voices from the Photo League: Sonia Handelman Meyer and George Gilbert.

“The Photo League was renowned for

“Bedtime Story”

PHOTO BY MELANIE WALKER PHOTO BY SONIA HANDELMAN MEYER

“Rainy Day, New York” has reluctantly had to impose limits on its donations for the event.

“Because of the time constraints and location and space constraints, we try to keep [the auction] at around 80 pieces,” Saleeby says. “We have to turn people away every now and then.”

“Our mission now is what it was 40 years ago,” Saleeby continues. “It’s education, exhibitions and exposing Charlotte to photography as much as possible.”

THE 36TH ANNUAL ART AUCTION Saturday, November 3, 6:30 p.m.

The Light Factory 1817 Central Avenue lightfactory.org

PMORAN@CLCLT.COM

#ShapingCLT: Evicted

Wednesday Nov. 14th 2018 6:30-8:30pm

“Dolly Parton, Joelton, TN, 1997” going out in any neighborhood and any street and taking photos of people as they were,” Saleeby explains. Active between 1936 and 1951, the League included some of the most noted American photographers of the mid20th century. It championed social causes and advocated for humanitarian issues before being denounced as pro-Communist and forced to disband in 1951. “George Gilbert has since passed on but Sonia Handelman Meyer lives in Charlotte,” Saleeby says. “We’re excited that she plans to attend the event.”

Spring 2019 also brings Annual 11 in

PHOTO BY JIM HERRINGTON

March. The exhibit us a juried showcase of work from artists throughout the photographic community that is now in its second decade. In June of next year, Magic Show: Photographs by Carol Golemboski goes up. The exhibit will blur the lines between photographer and magician as it features images from Golemboski’s series on magic.

To some, it may seem like magic that The Light Factory has not only endured, but also thrived in Charlotte. It might surprise that the art auction is still going strong for 36 years and growing. In fact, The Light Factory

at Levine Museum of the New South

Tickets $10 November’s installment of the #ShapingCLT series will focus on the housing crisis, it’s rising costs, and how it affects individuals and families.

Join an interactive session, hear local advocates discuss our community’s collective health, and leave with actionable steps. TICKETS: http://bit.ly/ShapingCLTEVICTED presented by

with support provided by CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 21

ARTS

ARTSPEAK

DAY OF THE DEAD Free; Nov. 3, Noon-6 p.m.; Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St.; museumofthenewsouth.org

A DANCE FOR THE DEAD

elaborate on them and it’s just, “Wow.”

Brittanny Herrera connects with heritage through expression

Ofrendas are altars built as shrines to those who have passed on. Will you be making one for Sunday’s event?

I’m an officer for my Spanish Club at Providence High School and we actually made an altar for the festival and we will be competing there. I’m really excited for that, and students with the Spanish Club were able to interact and learn what Day of the Dead means and what it does.

BY RYAN PITKIN

BRITTANNY HERRERA HAS been dancing for a dozen years, but that means a lot more when you consider that’s been three quarters of her life.

Herrera began taking dance classes at 4 years old, but according to her mother, it started long before that.

“My mom always told me it was a natural thing,” Herrera said. “Whenever they put music on, I would be out dancing on my little toes.”

Now 16 years old and in her junior year at Providence High School, Herrera is trained in many types of dance, including a number of Latin American styles she’s learned since deciding to explore her Mexican heritage through dance. On Nov. 4, Herrera will perform multiple times at the Levine Museum of the New South for the museum’s annual Day of the Dead celebration as part of “Requiem for José Alfredo Jiménez” in honor of the 45th anniversary of the Mexican singer/songwriter’s death. It will be her third consecutive year performing at the event.

We recently met with Herrera near her Waxhaw home to chat about what dance means to her and how it’s played a role in her getting in touch with her roots.

Does this day take on new importance in a time like this when there is so much negative backlash against immigration and Mexicans from the Trump administration and his followers?

Maybe this Day of the Dead will mean more because it’s a day to come together and appreciate each one of us, and appreciate that no matter what, we have each other by our side.

We can all unite as one culture and there are many things we can do. We have the First Amendment to go and protest, freedom of press, freedom of speech, and we should use those as Americans.

What can folks expect from your performance at the event?

We have the two dances finished, and we are practicing on cleaning it up and making it look perfect for the event.

I am also dancing myself a lyrical, which is what I’ve learned throughout these many years of dance — a traditional Mexican dance but in point shoes and I mixed the two together and it’s going to be very beautiful and I’ve been practicing it for a long time.

Creative Loafing: How long have you been dancing?

Brittanny Herrera: I started dancing when I was 4. I’ve been doing that for a long time, and I’ve been competing since the age of 6.

That’s what I’ve been doing for my whole life. I didn’t really play with Barbies or go out on play dates, because I was usually dancing.

What have you gotten from the experience over those 12 years?

It was such a great environment to grow up in. I got to meet many of my best friends.

I get to travel to competitions. I’ve been to many beautiful states. Dancing has taught me great discipline, to always be on time and to always help others. Our dance studio — Miller Street Dance Academy — we’re supposed to do service hours. I think that’s a great thing because that makes the students go out and help the community. I love it.

You practice a few different styles of dance. What are some of your favorites?

At first I started with the basics: ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical, and I’ve been doing that for a long time. Then my mom was like, “Brittanny, you should try new things,” 22 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

Brittanny Herrera because I’m Hispanic and I’m Mexican and I should try some dances from that culture.

So she put me in an academy to learn how to bachata, Merengue, salsa, zapateado and the traditional dances, and it was amazing.

It was hard at first because it was something very different from what I was learning, but that made me grow as a person and learn about the culture.

Tell me more about how you learned about your culture through dance.

Since we grew up in Charlotte, I’ve been to many schools that are mainly Americans, and when I was introduced to that new world, I got more in touch with my roots. I learned how to better my Spanish, I learned more about my family and more about the cultures and the

PHOTO COURTESY OF LATIN AMERICAN COALITION

traditions — what we do on Christmas that others may not do, Day of the Dead, how we celebrate it and how it’s different from Halloween.

What does this holiday mean to you, and how does dance play a role in that?

It’s a celebration of life and our ancestors, or the loved ones that have passed away. We’re celebrating how they lived and how happy they were. We will make an ofrenda that’s dedicated to them.

How I involve dance with that is that since I dance for the festival, it made me learn more stuff every year about things because, the first time I went to a festival and danced, after I danced I went upstairs and I saw so many beautiful ofrendas and how people go so

What do you try to express personally through these performances?

With dance, it’s also like an acting job; you have to show your emotions, show what dance means to you and what this Day of the Dead means to you and what your heritage means to you. So that’s what I try to do.

What do you take away from these Levine Center celebrations?

When I go to these festivals, if I participate or I’m just there for fun, I take away the love that these people have for their passed love ones, and it makes me realize that this is what my Hispanic life in the American community is.

Love is a big thing, having family by your side 24/7 is a big thing, and I take that away knowing that I always will have my family there for me. I will have their love and their compassion and their support no matter what. I think that’s a great thing that I get from it.

RPITKIN@CLCLT.COM

ARTS

FILM

BUTLER DID IT ... AGAIN Sub saga sinks fast

BY MATT BRUNSON

IF THE NEW motion picture Hunter Killer (** out of four) were real life, it would merit four stars.

The U.S. president is a smart, compassionate and progressive woman who prefers to spend her time governing effectively rather than sending out factually challenged tweets like some raving lunatic.

And instead of allowing itself to be owned

by Russia, the United States remains wary of its former Cold War adversary and still keeps a cool distance. Clearly, Hunter Killer is set in some alternate universe, not unlike those seen in vintage Justice League comic books and modern Star Trek movies.

Unfortunately, Hunter Killer isn’t a striking example of cinéma vérité but rather a complete piece of fiction. As such, it’s a rampaging mediocrity, even if it does represent a slight uptick in quality for a movie starring Gerard Butler. Butler, whose resume over the past two years alone includes the laughable trio of Geostorm, London Has Fallen and Gods of Egypt, here plays Joe Glass (presumably no relation to Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass), a submarine captain who is first glimpsed in the film hunting a buck in the most manly of manly fashions, with arrows instead of bullets. But we know right off the bat that Joe is a sensitive macho man since he decides not to kill the animal once he sees it being followed by a doe and a fawn (of course, since most critters have families, why was he even out there hunting in the first place?).

We also learn that Joe is a rarity in the annals of the U.S. military: an officer who never went to any prestigious colleges but instead worked his way up from washing dishes and polishing missiles (in other words, no way he’s a pointy-headed intellectual!). So when Joe is assigned a new sub and a new crew, he tells the slobs working under him that “I know you” and “I am you.” Why he stops short of uttering, “You complete me,” I can’t say.

The reason for Joe being tasked with captaining the USS Arkansas is because the Russian president (handsome Alexander Diachnko, who only looks like Putin in Putin’s own mind) has been taken hostage by his warmongering defense minister (Michael Gor), who hopes to start World War III for some vague reason (maybe he was angry that Kim Jong-un unfriended him on Facebook?).

While a trigger-happy American admiral (Gary Oldman) incessantly barks like some yippy Pomeranian, another officer (Common) and an NSA agent (Linda Cardellini) talk the rational U.S. president (Caroline Goodall) into allowing a rescue mission. Thus, four Navy SEALs are ordered to retrieve the Russkie Prez

while Glass is assigned to pick everyone up with all the efficiency of a 5-star Uber driver.

Approximately 99.9 percent of submarine flicks manage to evoke a genuine sense of claustrophobia among audience members peering down all those narrow corridors in a confined space — think back to, for example, Robert Wise’s Run Silent, Run Deep or Wolfgang Petersen’s Das Boot — but Hunter Killer is surprisingly light on the tension.

It is, however, heavy on the cock-swinging exchanges, particularly between Glass and his second-in-command (Carter MacIntyre), who’s on-hand to raise daft objections simply so Glass can prove his superiority time after time (in short, don’t expect any of these flaccid standoffs to match the sizzling intensity of the battle of wills between Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in Tony Scott’s Crimson Tide). And then there’s Oldman’s gung-ho warhawk, who bellows at levels that would put George S. Patton to shame. Clearly, Oldman made Darkest Hour to nab an Oscar; just as clearly, he made Hunter Killer to nab a sizable paycheck.

The last-act action perks proceedings up a tad, even if it all remains stridently silly.

Still, Hunter Killer was taken seriously enough by the Navy, which assisted in the making of the movie. And Butler was even invited to the Pentagon to hold a press conference in support of the film, a real-life/reel-life merger that admittedly is less wacky than most of what’s transpiring around the nation’s capital these days.

AS FANS OF JAMES BOND wait impatiently for the next installment, they can at least take (quantum of) solace in the fact that there’s a new Johnny English film hitting theaters. Then again, Johnny English Strikes Again (** out of four), the third entry in the spoof series, is so devoid of genuine wit that they might be better off staying at home and spending time mulling over who should play 007 post-Daniel Craig.

Even fans of 2003’s Johnny English (raising my hand here) and 2011’s Johnny English Reborn (raising only a finger here) will be disappointed in this creaky comedy that finds Rowan Atkinson again essaying the role of the bumbling British agent who’s decidedly less Bond and infinitely more Clouseau. The plot this time involves English’s efforts to expose a Silicon Valley whiz kid (Jake Lacy) plotting to gain digital control over every nation.

Olga Kurylenko, who played the female lead in the 007 entry Quantum of Solace, appears here as a Russian spy, while Emma Thompson is on hand as the British Prime Minister. Yet only Atkinson matters (although

LIONSGATE

Gerard Butler in ‘Hunter Killer’

Olga Kurylenko and Rowan Atkinson in ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ I did appreciate the cameos by the veteran actors playing retired MI7 agents). The British comedian (who, by the way, did once appear in a Bond flick himself, portraying Nigel Small-Fawcett in the non-series effort Never Say Never Again) once again throws himself in his role, but the material just isn’t there this time. There are a few bright bits

UNIVERSAL

scattered about, but most of the gags are on the moldy order of English getting stuck inside knight’s armor or smacking someone with a baguette. Such a reliance on antiquated gags of this nature patently marks this film as a Johnny-come-lately.

BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 23

ARTWORK BY GUS CUTTY/@GUSCUTTY

ARTS

SPOT SHOTS

IF WALLS COULD TALK

BY RYAN PITKIN

BETWEEN OCT. 10-13, artists from around the city, region, country and world descended

on Charlotte to help bring a little flair to the city’s walls for the inaugural Talking Walls festival, leaving nearly 20 murals strewn about the city. Now that the paint’s dried, we wanted to show you some of our favorites.

ALL PHOTOS BY RYAN PITKIN

Abari, 1721 N. Davidson St.

ARTWORK BY DAMMIT WESLEY/@DAMMIT_WESLEY

Ink Floyd, 1101 E. 36th St.

Tip Top Daily Market, 2902 The Plaza

ARTWORK BY TRASHEER/@TRASHEER

Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse, 330 N. Tryon St.

ARTWORK BY SCOTT NURKIN/@SNURKIN

Hal Marshall Annex, 618 N. College St. 24 | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | CLCLT.COM

ARTWORK BY NICK NAPOLETANO/@NAPOLETANOART

InnerVision, 415 E. 4th St.

ARTWORK BY HOXXOH/@HOXXOH

ARTWORK BY GEORGIE NAKIMA/@GARDENOFJOURNEY

Salon 1226, 1226 Central Ave. ARTWORK BY OBSO ARTWORK BY JEKS/@JEKS_NC

The Spoke Easy, 1530 Elizabeth Ave.

ARTWORK BY RAMIRO DAVARO-COMAS/@RAMIROSTUDIOS

Seventh Sin Tattoo Company, 927 Central Ave.

Chasers, 3217 The Plaza CLCLT.COM | NOV. 1 - NOV. 7, 2018 | 25

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THE BUZZ ON CORKBUZZ A place for every palate in the Q.C. “sommelier” and that approaching wine is AS THE SAYING goes, “It’s not what often intimidating for me. Her response? you know, it’s who you know.” And it took “Wine is not meant to be enjoyed alone.” No some time (and humility) to believe that my mom, referring to my job search, actually matter what level of wine drinker you are, knew what she was talking about. That is, you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable enjoying a until I started forcing myself to open up with bottle of wine with another (even if it’s with regards to my Nightlife column. a master *wink wink*) A few weeks ago, I ran into a former She explained that every person’s palate coworker and she introduced me to a friend is different. Everyone’s experience with wine of hers who worked at Corkbuzz Restaurant is different. Everyone’s “a-ha!” moment with & Wine Bar in SouthPark. Coincidentally, wine, whether it’s the “a-ha!” that is enjoying Corkbuzz was having an event that he felt I the taste of a wine or the “a-ha!” that is would be a perfect addition to and that led deciding to become a steward of wine, is to an invite to a SOMM III Premiere & Blind different. That’s what makes it interesting.

Tasting last Tuesday.

And let’s be honest, no matter how much you What is SOMM III? For those who know about wine — or think you know haven’t seen the first two installments about wine — you can probably of the SOMM series (find them have a conversation about it on Netflix), let me give you with just about anyone once some background. Both you’ve had a bottle or two. films, based on my research, capture and And that’s one of divulge the experience of the main reasons why professional wine tasters, Charlotteans, young and called sommeliers, who old, far and wide, should are delving into the make a point to visit intricate experience that Corkbuzz in SouthPark. is understanding the taste Whether you’re looking of wine. for somewhere new to take AERIN SPRUILL From trying to pass the your date or you’re genuinely blind taste test required to gain interested in learning more about the title of “Master Sommelier,” the world of wine, there’s a taste of to how these wine masters simply enjoy everything at Corkbuzz. the taste of different wines, to the rich So what’s the buzz? Laura opened two history of how wine came to be appreciated Corkbuzz locations in New York City before in America, these documentaries capture deciding to come on down to the South. The it all. And guess what? Laura Maniec, the Charlotte location, consists of Corkbuzz and owner of Corkbuzz, is the star of the third The Cellar at Corkbuzz. The Cellar, located film. right next door, having a more relaxed When my newfound friend informed me that I’d be able to chat with the owner before atmosphere, read: NYC vibes. the premiere. I was beyond intimidated.

Why choose this wine bar over the After all, according to The Court of Master rest? Corkbuzz stands out when you throw Sommeliers’ website, she is one of only 29 them into the wine landscape of Charlotte. women in the United States with the title.

Combine a wine menu that offers diversity in What the eff do I know about wine to sit taste and selection with winemaker dinners, down with a woman who I already respect classes, private events and a stellar dinner beyond any stretch of the imagination? and brunch menu, then top it off with a That’s why I was so thankful when we boss-ass master sommelier, and well, you sat down and she was the most down-tohave quite the recipe for a unique experience. earth human I’ve ever had a one-on-one After a couple glasses of champagne and conversation with as a nightlife writer in a feeble attempt at testing eight different Charlotte. We talked about everything from wines, I can promise you I was buzzed. And how she started her journey of becoming a my buzz couldn’t be stifled by my initial Master Sommelier to her favorite bottle of concerns over an inexperienced wine palate. wine.

In other words, Corkbuzz Restaurant & Wine My favorite part of our conversation, Bar certainly passed my blind taste test. however, focused on the idea of letting go of inhibitions surrounding wine. The first A huge thanks to Laura and my new mate things I told her was how nervous I was for having me, it was truly an honor. that I was going to mispronounce the word BACKTALK@CLCLT.COM

ENDS

FeeLing Lonely?

CROSSWORD

EIGHT VOCALISTS LEFT ACROSS

1 Phase 7 Animals with two legs 13 Eyelash makeup 20 1960s space program 21 Earhart in a cockpit 22 Hires 23 218 or more seats in Congress [BROWN] 25 Simple tunes 26 16th-cen. nun of Avila 27 Bird of New Zealand 29 Magazine for a fashionista 30 “SCTV” bit 31 Heart-tugging facet of a media story [SIMONE] 36 Oral health org.

39 Wed 41 Heighten 42 Verses using visual devices [GABRIEL] 48 Golden Arches sandwiches with barbecue sauce 52 Person held in custody 53 -- -dieu (prayer bench) 54 Seoul’s region: Abbr.

55 King, in Nice 56 Certain Greek 57 “-- dare?”

59 2010 Kevin Spacey film [MITCHELL] 62 Sleuth’s tidbit 64 Hailed car 66 Bus. honcho 67 Wrist wear 68 Cod or koi 71 Romanian tennis great [SEDAKA] 75 Letters after wyes 76 Artist for a comic book 78 Up -- point 79 Dieter’s target, often 80 Dr. -- (1990s TV therapist) 82 Substantial number [CALLAS] 85 “... -- iron bars a cage” 87 Salad staple 91 Farm mother 92 Solder stuff 93 Gulf republic 95 Switchboard worker 97 Balkan republic 99 Warning message [BENNETT] 101 Lover boy

103 A bit warm 104 Bovine call 105 Setting of hearings for minors [DION] 110 -- -tat-tat 114 Algerian port 115 Purim’s month 116 Lover’s tune 120 Ocelot, e.g.

123 Supporting vocalists (or an apt alternate title for this puzzle) 127 Jack of fitness fame 128 Wisdom goddess 129 Ogle 130 Climbed, as a rope 131 Not so fat 132 Disco effect

DOWN

1 Oohs and -2 Jaguar mark 3 Look sulky 4 Nobody -- (only mine) 5 Store assistant 6 Marisa of Hollywood 7 Cabo’s peninsula 8 “I believe,” to texters 9 -- diem 10 Wallach of Hollywood 11 NFL great Mike 12 “Know what I’m --?” (“Get it?”)

13 City north of Mecca 14 Vocalist DiFranco 15 USMC NCO 16 Provider of dishes 17 Quick-footed 18 Film rolls 19 Thing of use 24 Sagacious 28 Slim and muscular 31 Mod 32 Idealistic 33 Painter Jan van der -34 The Bard’s “-- of Athens” 35 Place in trust 36 “Black Ice” rock band 37 Active sort 38 Stud fee?

40 It’s a must 43 One behind a batter 44 Oman’s currency unit 45 Blah feeling 46 Muscle jerk 47 Wince at, e.g.

49 Mad as heck 50 Lawn bowling game

51 Many Punjabis, religionwise 54 Mall station 58 Nauru and Fiji’s area 60 Pirate realm 61 Guy playing bebop, say 63 John at the piano 65 Purse 68 Shrill flutes 69 Dazzled 70 T-bar user 72 Bettor’s slip 73 Less cloudy 74 Diner 77 Allotment 81 Whig’s rival 83 Florida city 84 Capote, to friends 86 Rice-A- -88 Thing split in fission 89 Dog in Oz 90 Dunkable treat 94 Aleutian island 96 San Diego ball team 98 Actor Fraser 99 Not single-sex, as a school 100 Decide (to) 102 Jubilant 105 Lower cheeks 106 -- the Hittite 107 Vocalist Frankie 108 Rebels’ ring 109 Sermonize 111 Seed cases 112 Basic belief 113 Fury 116 Argue (with) 117 Streamlined, for short 118 Uncolorful 119 Punta del -121 Channel for Jake Tapper 122 Meth- ender 124 Third of a dance move 125 Writer Kesey 126 Article in Arles

graB Your copy today

SOLUTION FOUND ON P. 30.

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ENDS

SAVAGE LOVE

FLOORED The ins and outs of PIV after birth

BY DAN SAVAGE I’m a 40-year-old married straight woman. I gave birth to our first kid in 2015 and our second earlier this year.

My perineum tore and was stitched both times. I have not been able to have sex with penetration since having our second child. My OB/GYN said I’m “a little tighter now” due to the way the stitching was performed. My husband is very well endowed and I can’t imagine how on earth I’m ever going to get that thing back in me, let alone enjoy it. We have a history of pretty hot sex and I really miss it. I’ve been searching online for some sex toys to help me. I’ve never used sex toys before. I’ve always been able to have thrilling orgasms easily without any devices. I still can with manual stimulation. But I want to have sex with my husband. I’m confused and I just don’t know what I need to help me open back up and get through the pain.

Please help!

THANKS IN ADVANCE

“Unfortunately, this situation is very common — but luckily there are options to help her get her groove back,” said Dr. Rachel Gelman, a pelvic floor physical therapist at the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Also sadly common: OB/GYNs shrugging off concerns like yours, TIA. “I see that all the time,” said Dr. Gelman.

“Part of the problem is that the pelvic floor/ muscles aren’t on most doctors’ radar. That’s due to many factors — cough, cough, insurance companies, cough, our dysfunctional health care system, cough — but to water it down, it’s the OB/GYN’s job to get someone through pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. And when that’s accomplished, the feeling is their job is done.”

But so long as you’re not able to have and enjoy PIV sex with your hung husband, TIA, there’s still work to do.

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A set of “graduated cylinders” is “TIA needs to see a pelvic floor physical essentially “a bouquet of dildos,” TIA. therapist,” said Dr. Gelman. “A good PT You start with the smallest dilator/dildo, would be able to assess and treat any pelvic inserting it every day until you can insert floor dysfunction, which is often the primary it without any pain or discomfort, and then cause or a contributing factor for anyone you “graduate” (nudge, nudge) to the next experiencing pain with sex, especially after “cylinder” (wink, wink). You can order a childbirth.” set of dilators online, TIA, but Dr. Gelman At this point Dr. Gelman began to explain wants you to find a doc that specializes in that pushing a living, breathing, screaming sexual medicine first. human being out of your body is an intense “There are some good medical experience and I explained to Dr. Gelman associations that she can check out for that I’ve had to push a few living, breathing, resources and to help locate a provider in her screaming human beings out of my body, area,” said Dr. Gelman. “The websites of the thank you very much. Dr. Gelman clarified International Society for the Study of that she was talking about “the trauma of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), labor and delivery,” something with the International Society for which I have no experience.

Sexual Medicine (ISSM) and “Labor and delivery can the International Pelvic have a significant impact Pain Society (IPPS) are on the pelvic floor muscles where she should start.” which can cause a myriad of symptoms,” said Dr. I’m a 30-year-old Gelman. Pain during PIV woman, and about sex sits high on the list of a year ago I started those symptoms. taking improv classes “The fact that TIA had to help combat my social tearing with the deliveries DAN SAVAGE anxiety. I met a lot of means she most likely has scar awesome people in my class, tissue, and a PT would again be but I took a particular shine able to treat the scar to help decrease to this one guy. He was a gentle any hypomobility and hypersensitivity,” soul, very sweet, and really funny. We said Dr. Gelman. “A pelvic floor specialist can quickly became friends. Eventually I also instruct her in a home program which developed feelings for him and asked may include stretches, relaxation techniques, him out. He appreciated the offer but and dilators — dilators are graduated told me that he was gay. I was shocked cylinders that are inserted vaginally to help and disappointed, but I wanted to keep stretch the vaginal opening and promote our friendship so I tried to get over relaxation of the pelvic floor.”

Real hot chat now.

my feelings. But not only haven’t these feelings gone away, I’m actually falling in love with him. He recently confessed to me that he’s still semi-closeted and dealing with a bad breakup so I really don’t want to add to his problems. This is such a mess. I found this wonderful guy who I care about and yet nothing will ever happen because I was born the wrong gender. What can I do?!?

INTROVERT MAKES PASS, REGRETS OVERTURE VERY SERIOUSLY

Nothing.

You can’t make that gay guy fall in love with you, IMPROVS, anymore than I could make Hasan Minhaj fall in love with me.

Getting over him is your only option, and that’s gonna take some time and most likely some space, too. (I’d recommend seeing less of your crush after this class ends.) But give yourself some credit for doing something proactive about your social anxiety, for taking a risk and for asking your classmate out. You didn’t take that improv class to find love, right? You took it to combat your social anxiety — and it sounds like you won a few battles, IMPROVS, if not the war. The takeaway here isn’t, “It didn’t work with him, so why should I bother ever trying again with someone else?” but, “I did it — I made a connection, I asked someone out — and I’m going do it again, and hopefully it’ll work out next time.”

On the Lovecast, Is there a urologist in the house? Yes, yes there is: savagelovecast.com.

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ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Keep your feelings to yourself as you work through an awkward circumstance.

Complaining is useless, and also unwise since your words could come back to haunt you.

TAURUS (April 20

to May 20) A sudden flash of Bovine practicality shows you how you might be able to turn your artistic pursuits into a profitable venture. A spouse or partner offers some sage advice.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Be prepared with several “Plan Bs” that you might have to use as backups just in case you encounter some troublesome complications with your carefully constructed schedule.

CANCER (June 21 to

July 22) You might think you’ll never have a free moment again with the demands of the workplace piling on.

Cheer up. The pressure eases as holiday time nears.

An old friend brings good news.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Your Leonine pride might make it difficult to offer an apology to a co-worker you unintentionally offended. But a quick and sincere “I’m sorry” could prevent problems down the line.

Playmates and soul mates...

VIRGO (August 23 to

Who are you after dark?

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September 22) This is a good time to tackle those backedup chores that have kept you from moving into other, potentially more worthwhile projects.

A personal matter needs your

attention.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You usually have no problem rushing to the defense of someone you perceive as being treated unjustly. But perceptions could be deceiving this week. Check the facts before you act.

SCORPIO

(October to November 21) Before you point fingers at who might be to blame for the unexpected change in your plans, take a few moments to reflect on how this turn of events might be a blessing in disguise.

23

SAGITTARIUS

(November 22 to December 21) You seek out advice in the first part of the week.

But be careful not to let counsel from others overshadow your own sense of perception. Things become clearer by the week’s end.

CAPRICORN (December 22

to January 19) The trusted colleagues you relied on earlier continue to offer support with your project. But you take more control, and by the week’s end, you should be in full command.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Rely on your practical side while exploring investment possibilities.

C a u t i o n is still your watchword in these matters. Your social life takes a gratifying turn by the week’s end.

PISCES (February 19

to March 20) An already confusing situation appears to grow murkier during the first part of the week.

But it all starts to clear by the week’s end. Plan to spend the weekend with someone special.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a passion for life that inspires others to follow your example.

You could be a motivational speaker.

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