INDY Week Jan. 10, 2024 by Indy Week

Raleigh | Durham | Chapel Hill January 10, 2024

a year in pictures A look back at the INDY’s photojournalism, p. 8

Raleigh 2 Durham 2 Chapel Hill VOL. 41 NO. 1

CONTENTS NEWS 4

A look at what's on the horizon under Chapel Hill's new town council. BY CHASE PELLEGRINI DE PAUR

Meet Danielle Jones, the new superintendent of Orange County Schools. BY JASMINE GALLUP

Durham is one of 10 NC counties that will participate in a ballot signaturematching pilot program during this year's primary election. BY LYNN BONNER

FEATURE 8

Wish Queen performs at Cat’s Cradle Back Room on Friday, January 19. (See calendar, page 28.)

2023: The Year in Photos BY ANGELICA EDWARDS AND BRETT VILLENA

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAT'S CRADLE

W E M A D E T H IS

CULTURE 21 Presenting the INDY's new movie column, Incoming! BY GLENN MCDONALD 22 Recreational organization Durham League brings basketball players together. BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW

24 Chatting with music critic David Menconi about his new book, Oh, Didn't They Ramble, about the history of Rounder Records. BY SARAH EDWARDS 26 Dame's Chicken & Waffles partners with Communiversity Youth Program to give local kids a primer on the restaurant business . BY JESSICA F. SIMMONS

THE REGULARS 3

28 Culture calendar

Backtalk

COVER PHOTOS BY ANGELICA EDWARDS AND BRETT VILLENA

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

P U BLISH ER John Hurld EDITOR IAL Editor-in-Chief Jane Porter Culture Editor Sarah Edwards Staff Writers Jasmine Gallup Lena Geller Reporters Justin Laidlaw Chase Pellegrini de Paur Contributors Desmera Gatewood, Spencer Griffith, Carr Harkrader, Matt Hartman, Brian Howe, Kyesha Jennings, Jordan Lawrence, Glenn McDonald, Thomasi McDonald, Nick McGregor, Gabi Mendick, Shelbi Polk, Dan Ruccia, Harris Wheless, Byron Woods, Barry Yeoman

Copy Editor Iza Wojciechowska Interns Mariana Fabian Hannah Kaufman C RE AT I VE Creative Director Nicole Pajor Moore Graphic Designer Izzel Flores Staff Photographer Angelica Edwards A DVE RT I S I N G Publisher John Hurld Director of Revenue Mathias Marchington Operations Assistant Chelsey Koch

C I RC UL AT I O N Berry Media Group M EM B ERS H I P/ S UB S C RI PT I O N S John Hurld

INDY Week | indyweek.com P.O. Box 1772 • Durham, N.C. 27702 919-666-7229

E M A I L A D D R E SS E S first initial[no space]last name@indyweek.com

BACK TA L K

Last month, we published a report about the Durham City Council’s 4-2 vote to suspend the use of ShotSpotter as the city awaits data from a Duke University review of the gunshot detection technology’s pilot in a three-mile area covering East Durham. Following publication, we received a statement from Durham sheriff CLARENCE BIRKHEAD, who supports the city’s use of ShotSpotter and calls the decision not to extend ShotSpotter “a setback to law enforcement’s ability to effectively address gun violence in Durham.” Here’s an excerpt from Birkhead’s statement:

“A lot of work went into bringing the ShotSpotter technology to Durham; starting with research, figuring out where best to position the sensors to detect acoustic waves of gunfire and then pinpointing it to an almost exact location where the shooting occurred, as well as educating the public about its role in reducing crime. The Bull City was one of seven other locations across North Carolina using ShotSpotter, joining Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Rocky Mount and Greenville. … Since its implementation here in Durham, ShotSpotter posted more than 1,400 alerts, leading to 23 arrests, the recovery of 21 guns and the discovery of 48 gunshot wounds, according to the information reviewed in the ShotSpotter Dashboard. But these are only numbers, as data cannot measure the numbing pain gun violence leaves behind to the families of the victims and in the neighborhoods where it happens. I have heard stories this year when shots have been fired and no one contacted 911—leaving ShotSpotter to fill the gap to inform law enforcement to respond. In those same conversations, residents have expressed overwhelming support for having this technology, along with the increased presence of law enforcement in the community. You cannot put a price tag on that level of peace of mind—that level of public safety. We need every tool at our disposal to effectively attack the gun violence plaguing Durham. … Everything we do at the Durham County Sheriff’s Office is about saving lives. My deputies work alongside Durham Police Officers daily, responding to calls for service, assisting with apprehending wanted persons, as well as the sharing of intelligence. These officers are professionals, and I know first-hand that they care about our community. I hear the counter arguments about ShotSpotter; be it cost, privacy questions and community fears about potential over-policing. My response to those arguments is simply this—not in Durham. … I am disappointed that the vocal minority was able to sway City Council to vote 4-2 not to continue using this tool. I am disappointed that the voices of those suffering the plight of gun shots, gun violence, and the trauma of living in fear of being shot are largely being ignored ….”

WANT TO SEE YOUR NAME IN BOLD? indyweek.com

backtalk@indyweek.com

@INDYWeekNC

@indyweek INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

N E WS

Chapel Hill The Chapel Hill Town Council (clockwise from back left: Melissa McCullough, Theodore Nollert, Elizabeth Sharp, Paris Miller-Foushee, Amy Ryan, Jess Anderson, Camille Berry, Adam Searing; Karen Stegman not pictured) PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL

Taking Stock As a new council term begins, Chapel Hill leaders look to future plans for growth, connectivity, and affordable housing. BY CHASE PELLEGRINI DE PAUR chase@indyweek.com

ast month, new mayors across the Triangle took their oaths of office and laid out their visions for the near future. In Chapel Hill, Jess Anderson took the top job with a promise to fight a trio of crises threatening the town. “Municipalities across the country are facing very real challenges, including a climate crisis, a housing crisis, and an affordability crisis,” Anderson told the town hall audience in her first speech as mayor in December. “Despite all the special things about Chapel Hill, we’re not immune.” Anderson won her election with the support of former mayor Pam Hemminger, who had served as the college town’s mayor since 2015. During her tenure, Hemminger focused on righting the town’s imbalanced tax base (skewed by the presence of a large public university) by championing business, including the Wegmans near the Durham border and two new wet labs downtown. 4

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

She also pushed for more affordable housing—the town reported that in 2023, Chapel Hill doubled its previous record for the most number of affordable units approved in a single year. Council newcomers Melissa McCullough, Theodore Nollert, and Elizabeth Sharp took their oaths alongside incumbent member Amy Ryan, who won a second term. Those four members will serve until 2027, while the seats of council members Camille Berry, Paris Miller-Foushee, Adam Searing, and Karen Stegman will be up for election in 2025. While the campaign season saw its share of disagreements between candidates, the council is united by an optimism about the future of the town and a desire to serve as a model for other municipalities facing the nationwide shortage of affordable housing. That optimism was reflected in Anderson’s rhetoric, as

she framed the crisis as an “exciting new opportunity” to implement the town’s Complete Community framework, developed in 2022 and adopted into town plans through this year, as a cornerstone of her vision. It’s a guide that, through changes like amendments to the land use management ordinance (LUMO), aims to balance the town’s needs for housing, transit, retail space, and other categories in order to provide structure to the council’s future decisions. In June, the council approved changes to the LUMO to allow for the construction of a greater variety of housing types. This year, the council will have to figure out how to transform its plans from ink on paper to brick and mortar. “It’s about getting those greenways started, it’s about getting that denser middle-income housing out of the ground, it’s about making sure that we’re continuing to build partnerships with our key local partners,” Anderson told INDY in November, following the election. The town’s new affordable housing plan and investment strategy, approved earlier this year by the council, affirmed that “considerable progress has been made to address affordable housing in Chapel Hill.” But there is still a lot of work to be done, as the same plan warned against complacency, arguing that “the Town should focus on sustaining and scaling up its housing programs over the next five years.” Through its votes and comments, the last council indicated a willingness to approve most housing projects, with some notable exceptions—council members were practically incredulous at a proposal to replace the aging Kings Arms apartments on Ephesus Church Road with a 212-unit

luxury housing development. “Coming without even a real proposal for consideration is really a problem for me,” Stegman told the developer about the proposal, which would have decreased the overall number of affordable units on the site. Later in the year, the council drew another line as it denied a proposal to squeeze a 12-story luxury condo tower onto a onethird-acre lot on East Rosemary Street near the historic district. Several council members expressed that they liked the proposed building itself—they just had issues with the location. They also indicated that they would be open to approving a smaller building on that site. And with that pro-growth attitude, the council has indicated a reimagining of the identity of the college town. “Chapel Hill is not a small town. We are a growing small city with a housing shortage,” Stegman said at a meeting. The affordable housing crisis, as it disproportionately affects people of color, is inseparable from the small southern town’s legacy of enslaving, disenfranchising, and discriminating against its Black residents. The site of some solutions to this wicked problem may be the Greene Tract, a roughly 160-acre stretch of land jointly owned by Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro. In the last decade, task forces and resolutions have considered possible uses and developments of the Greene Tract. About 60 acres are owned solely by the county as a “headwaters preserve.” In 2021, the county and town governments approved a plan to mark 22 acres for a nature preserve, 66 acres for development, and 16 acres for a public school and public recreation.

Officials have studied the Greene Tract as a step in remediating the harm inflicted by the landfill dug in the 1970s in the largely Black Rogers-Eubanks neighborhood. At the time, Orange County and Chapel Hill officials promised residents that they would receive basic utilities, streetlights, and sidewalks in return for locating the landfill in their community. Officials also promised to eventually turn the landfill into a park. In 2024, it’s still a landfill, with toxins leaking into the ground, water, and air. The Greene Tract and the landfill are also tied to the story of the St. Paul Village, a 350-unit development by a nonprofit associated with St. Paul AME, Chapel Hill’s oldest Black church. Construction will start this year on the village, which will eventually offer 90 affordable units and 100 for seniors, as well as a community center and space for retail. The nonprofit members have pitched the development as a gateway to the Greene Tract because of its location. While the land has been stuck in the limbo of government—an already convoluted process compounded by the joint ownership between two towns and a county— the St. Paul Village development may bring the attention needed to move forward with projects on the Greene Tract, all with the goal of addressing the affordable housing crisis and making Chapel Hill, as Anderson said at the December meeting, “even better, now and for future generations.” “Meeting this moment will require us to collectively embrace change,” Anderson said. “Not simply for change’s sake. But because change is inevitable if we truly want to continue to live our values while the world changes around us.” W

For more information and to see if you may qualify, visit

Mayor Jess Anderson being sworn in PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

N E WS

Orange County

New Direction Danielle Jones, a former assistant superintendent for Durham Public Schools, steps in as superintendent of Orange County Schools at a troubled time for the district. BY JASMINE GALLUP jgallup@indyweek.com

new superintendent will step into the top spot at the Orange County school district next month, following the departure of four-year superintendent Monique Felder last year. Danielle Jones, who currently serves as an assistant superintendent for Durham Public Schools (DPS), will start in Orange County on February 1. Jones was selected by the Orange County Board of Education from a pool of 26 candidates from across the country, according to a news release. “This is a tremendous honor, and I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Orange County Board of Education for the trust and confidence they have placed in me to lead our district,” Jones said after she was sworn in on Tuesday. Jones began her career in education as a middle school teacher in Youngsville, later moving to the Wake County Public School System and then Franklin County Schools, where she served as a principal and assistant principal. At DPS, she worked as a principal supervisor and coach before becoming assistant superintendent. “I have a business degree in management,” Jones says. “I was teaching at a daycare and tutoring afterschool, and I just fell in love with it. So that’s sort of how I got my start. I started as a math teacher.” In Jones’s time at DPS, she oversaw 12 middle schools, which “consistently made impressive academic gains over time,” the news release stated. Each school saw increased proficiency levels last year and, in terms of academic growth (how much students learn over time), six were in the top 20 percent of schools in the state. Jones says she’s particularly proud of the work she did “growing instructional leaders” by working with principals and assistant principals. “Helping them provide support to teachers, and making sure that filters down to the student level,” she adds. But while Jones’s record appears to bode well for Orange County schools, some parents, teachers, and community members remain dissatisfied over former superintendent Felder’s abrupt departure. Felder left the position in August after the school board failed to extend her contract. 6

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

Danielle Jones speaks after being sworn in as the next Orange County Public Schools superintendent. PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

Orange County Schools had made major gains under Felder. In 2022, 10 of the district’s 12 schools exceeded the state’s expectations for academic growth—a higher percentage than in any other district in the state—according to the NC Department of Public Instruction. Felder also had a strong record of expanding student equality. “In spite of this progress, some will always exploit times of uncertainty to advance their own limited or destructive agendas,” Felder wrote in a March statement to the INDY. Her words hinted at the controversy over inclusive school policies that has grown in recent years, as lines are drawn between liberal Hillsborough residents and conservative Republicans who live in other parts of the county. The political conflict has been playing out in school board meetings since 2016 and peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the local election resulted in moderates taking back a majority on the school board, leading to greater scrutiny of schools and administrators. Now, Orange County is once again faced with transitioning in a new superintendent, a worrying prospect given the history of turnover in the job. In an October survey of community members and staff, 819 respondents said they wanted a superintendent that “models high standards of integrity,” “communicates well with people of all races and socioeconomic status,” and “is willing to listen to input.” Experience as a teacher and with “building, maintaining, and managing schools” was also important to people in the school district. In a brief statement after being sworn in, Jones thanked Orange County teachers and staff and pledged to “continue fostering an environment of trust, mutual respect, and academic excellence.” She added that she is committed to “promoting open communication and collaboration [with parents] to ensure a safe learning environment.”

But equity and inclusion are also on the minds of community members. In a letter to the school board from the Northern Orange NAACP, President Matt Hughes emphasized the need for the district to continue its commitment to “equity, opportunity, and student performance.” “We believe the next superintendent needs to be a visionary leader who is committed to equity and student growth,” wrote Hughes. He added that education officials should also work to “close the opportunity gap … for students of color and English language learners,” as well as support teachers with salary supplements and take care of classified staff such as bus drivers. Helping the district meet its challenges “includes continuing the progress that has been made under the previous administration,” Hughes wrote. “The Northern Orange NAACP is committed to helping our local District meet its challenges and fundamentally that includes continuing the progress that has been made under the previous administration,” Hughes wrote. “At this time radical shifts in policy and focus will not serve the students of this District or the community well. We need a superintendent that is already committed to the District’s successful path on so many of these initiatives.” Jones declined to comment on specific Orange County policies or issues until she officially steps into her role on February 1, saying she still has some work to do getting to know the school district. Generally, however, she says her goals are “to make sure we’re supporting teachers, supporting our administrators and that we’re meeting the individual needs of students, every child.” In addition to meeting basic academic and social-emotional needs, Jones says she wants to provide “enriching and inclusive educational experience.” W

N E WS

Durham GRAPHIC BY NICOLE PAJOR MOORE

How the 10 pilot counties were chosen

Matchmaking Durham is one of 10 counties that the NC Board of Elections selected to participate in a ballot signature-matching pilot program. BY LYNN BONNER backtalk@indyweek.com

urham is the most populous county that will take part in the ballot signature-matching pilot program for the upcoming primary elections. The State Board of Elections last week approved the 10 counties that will participate in the mailed ballot signature-matching pilot as required under a new law. In addition to Durham, Halifax, Bertie, Wilkes, Montgomery, Rowan, Jones, Pamlico, Henderson, and Cherokee will use signature-matching software for the primary. The signature verification test for mailed ballots was part of the massive package of election changes the Republican-led legislature enacted last year over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. Republicans agreed to a Democratic proposal for a limited pilot project this year, a step back from the full statewide implementation Republican senators initially proposed. The State Board of Elections is selecting the software.

Signature verification for absentee ballots has been simmering in North Carolina for a few years. In 2022, Republicans tried to override a State Board of Elections directive that disallowed county elections officials from setting aside ballots based on eyeballing signatures. Voting rights groups at that time objected to signature matching, saying that the state already had the country’s most stringent absentee ballot rules, requiring signatures of two witnesses or a notary. Last year, people voting absentee were also asked to provide a copy of their photo ID with their ballot. Critics have also pointed to the fact that many people’s signatures evolve over time and that some may bear little resemblance in the present to what appeared on their original voter registration documents. North Carolina would be the only state with both signature verification and required witness or notary signatures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The law requires the state board to seek “diversity of population size, regional location, and demographic composition” in selecting the 10 counties. State board staff recommended using information on the race of voters in each county to ensure demographic diversity. Kevin Lewis, a Rocky Mount lawyer and one of the board’s two Republican members, objected to using race as one of the diversity standards. He suggested using voter age or the economic well-being designations the state Commerce Department uses. “I just want to go on the record as objecting to our agency using race as a classification to divide voters when we can use economics,” he says. State elections director Karen Brinson Bell said using median age doesn’t work to ensure a diverse group of counties because it doesn’t vary much. The Commerce Department division of counties into tiers based on their economic well-being is not a reflection of who votes, Brinson Bell said. The state’s most economically distressed counties tend to be clustered in eastern North Carolina, defeating the goal of regional diversity. State board member Siobhan Millen, a Raleigh Democrat, said it was appropriate to consider race in a pilot program that should be checking for possible problems. “If the signature-matching software that we’re going to use were to have a different impact on a poor Black county, hypothetically, than it has on Wake County, hypothetically, would not we be opening ourselves up to a Voting Rights Act [complaint] or some kind of a lawsuit? So, shouldn’t we know that in advance? If there is a problem that is racially based, it seems like it would behoove us to have a forewarning of that,” she says. The counties were grouped by population size, non-white voting population, and region, then selected at random. The list was then checked against Commerce Department economic well-being information and median voter age. The 10 counties include five Tier 1 counties, which according to the state commerce data are the most economically distressed; three Tier 2 counties; and two Tier 3 counties. Among the counties selected, Durham has the youngest voter median age, at 42. Seven counties had median voter ages in the 50s. Pamlico had the oldest median voter age, at 61. W This story originally published online at NC Newsline. INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

BRETT VILLENA

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

2023: a year in pictures A look back at the INDY’s photojournalism. PHOTOS BY ANGELICA EDWARDS AND BRETT VILLENA

The last year in news and culture was an eventful one for the Triangle—and the world. As 2023 commenced, it felt clear that the region was returning to some semblance of normality after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants were full again, and music halls and theaters drew crowds; INDY photographer Brett Villena expertly captured exciting new openings, such as those of Chapel Hill’s bold barbecue restaurant Bombolo and an underground location for the classic comedy club Goodnights, as well as long-loved destinations such as Love Bao and Banh’s Cuisine. Angelica Edwards brought downtown Durham’s new Ella West Gallery to life and documented the second coming of Raleigh’s beloved Rialto Theater. The Triangle remains one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, and while that’s generally good news for many residents, it has its drawbacks. Edwards put faces to so many Wake residents facing displacement—in the Cary mobile home park Chatham Estates and the Raleigh affordable apartment complex Grosvenor Gardens—to accompany Wake County writer Jasmine Gallup’s sensitive, comprehensive reporting. As the year wound down, a conflict in the Middle East galvanized many Triangle residents to make a plea for peace. Edwards captured joyful images from a Durham gathering as families came together to fly kites and call for a ceasefire. The new year is just getting started and we hope it’s one that will bring peace and prosperity at home and abroad. We at the INDY feel privileged to still be here and excited to continue to capture the Triangle through photos, in 2024 and beyond.

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

ANGELICA EDWARDS

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

BRETT VILLENA

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

BRETT VILLENA

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

BRETT VILLENA

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

BRETT VILLENA

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

BRETT VILLENA

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

BRETT VILLENA

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

BRETT VILLENA

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

BRETT VILLENA

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

BRETT VILLENA

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

BRETT VILLENA

ANGELICA EDWARDS

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

ANGELICA EDWARDS

ANGELICA EDWARDS ANGELICA EDWARDS

ANGELICA EDWARDS

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

ANGELICA EDWARDS

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

ANGELICA EDWARDS

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

ANGELICA EDWARDS

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

ANGELICA EDWARDS

2023: a year in pictures 20

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

SCAN TO READ THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS

INCOMING! INCOMING!

High school drama, Tokyo utility workers, and Jesus For those who still like to go out to the movies, Incoming! is a new monthly feature spotlighting interesting films coming to local theaters. BY GLENN MCDONALD arts@indyweek.com

The Book of Clarence COURTESY OF SONY

s the 21st century rolls on, the venerable tradition of movie night continues to change. For decades, the phrase “movie night” meant going out to a theater with family or friends. Broadcast networks and then VCRs brought the tradition to the living room TV, and now digital tech means movie night can happen anywhere at all. You can even watch a movie on your phone—should you want to live that kind of diminished life. With this new monthly feature, I hope to flatly encourage seeing movies in local theaters. The thesis here is that the traditional two-hour feature film requires and rewards complete attention. In my experience, it’s hard to maintain that kind of concentration watching movies at home, with endless distractions, food in the kitchen, and the pause button sitting right there. At the theater, the experience is better. They turn off the lights and turn up the sound and fill your entire field of vision with carefully composed images. This is no secret, of course. Going out to the movies is good for you, aesthetically and karmically. You’ll see the film as it’s meant to be seen. You’ll support a local business. With all this in mind, here are some interesting leads for a potential movie night out in January and early February. Each film here is slated to play theatrically in at least one local theater. (Some may also be released simultaneously on streaming services or digital purchase, if you must.) Keep in mind that bookings change all the time, so always check local listings before you head out. Sometimes, all you really want in a

movie night is something new. The Book of Clarence qualifies by way of root-andbranch hybridization: it looks to be about seven movies in one. The gist: In Jerusalem, circa 33 AD, streetwise hustler Clarence finds opportunities for advancement when upstart Jesus of Nazareth starts scrambling the local status quo. It’s a comedy, ultimately, but with elements of biblical drama, love story, crime fiction, dark satire, and action-adventure. (There’s a chariot race with Mary Magdalene, for instance.) The impossibly charismatic LaKeith Stanfield plays the lead, and the director is Jeymes Samuel, who brought us The Harder They Fall, the Black cowboy movie that Hollywood was afraid to make for several decades. Early reviews have been friendly, and you can check out the trailer online for a sense of the tone. For more traditional art-house fare, consider the new German Japanese import Perfect Days, which should rotate through several local theaters in early February. Veteran Japanese actor Koji Yakusho (Oh Lucy!) plays a Tokyo toilet cleaner who imparts some uplifting observations concerning life and how to live it. Advance word on this one is ecstatic. Yakusho won the best actor award at Cannes and the director is Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire), one of the best filmmakers of his generation. Plus, the trailer features a Lou Reed song and it made me cry a little. Another good in-the-theater option this month: the song-and-dance gala Mean Girls is (deep breath) the film version of the stage musical adaptation of the original 2004

movie, which was in turn adapted (in part) from the 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes. A cynic might call this another ugly recycling trend in a Hollywood devoid of new ideas. But let us be cheerful: as a goofy musical comedy, Mean Girls is the kind of film that plays better on the big screen, with a crowd. Laughter really is contagious at the movies. Plus, the screenplay is by Tina Fey, who may be our planet’s leading comedy professional at this time. Interesting note: industry scuttlebutt says the movie was initially slated to go straight to streaming but was later bumped up to a theatrical release. That’s a good sign. It’s all about oddsmaking, when guessing ahead like this.

I.S.S. COURTESY OF BLEEKER STREET

QUICK PICKS

Space movie and political thriller fans will want to check out I.S.S., a very buzzy indie about what happens on the International Space Station when war breaks out down on Earth. The trailer looks incredible and much of the film was shot in Wilmington. (Shop local!) Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, the Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest centers on the family life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss. It’s in the running for a Best Picture Oscar this year. Daisy Ridley headlines the indie comedy-drama Sometimes I Think about Dying, which won a lot of hearts at the Sundance Film Festival last year. This one looks good for a quiet date movie. The Carolina Theatre’s generous Retro

Film Series offers themed mini-fests throughout the year, with door prizes and old-school trailers and ads. It’s a lot of fun. Up next: the FantasticRealm series, January 12–18, featuring sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and affiliated genre classics. Some highlights from this year’s run: Army of Darkness, Starship Troopers, and the extremely underrated Dark City—the director’s cut version. Action movie star Jason Statham returns with The Beekeeper, a vigilante movie about going after those fuckers who scam old people online. Can’t argue with that. Also watch for the spy comedy Argylle, coming in early February, with Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, and America’s coolest movie star, Sam Rockwell. W INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

E TC.

DURHAM LEAGUE

Durhamleagues.com | @durhamleagues

Holding Court Through the upstart Durham League, hundreds of recreational basketball players come together for the love of the game. BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW jlaidlaw@indyweek.com

Durham league teams The Tropics and Enemy of State play a basketball game at Cresset Christian Academy in Durham. PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

ame day atmosphere is electric. Bleachers are lined with fans; music blares through speakers, hyping up players as they go through their warm-up routines. Diehard fans can watch highlight reels and check team stats on Instagram. No, this isn’t the NBA or WNBA—this is a game in the Durham League, an upstart adult recreational basketball league founded in 2016 by Robin Jackson, the league’s commissioner. The first five seasons were women-only; since 2021, Jackson has expanded it to include a men’s league, a 35+-years-old league, and a 50+ league. Nowadays, some league players aren’t old enough to legally drink alcohol. Others are old enough that they’re starting to get mailers from AARP. The league has 225 players in total. Jackson, 38, is a Michigan native. A 2008 graduate of Indiana Tech, where she played college basketball, she moved to Durham in 2012 after visiting her cousin, who worked at Duke. “I flew back to Michigan after a visit in November and there was a snowstorm,” Jackson says, “and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is not working.’ So I packed all the stuff I could fit in my car and moved to Durham.” Finding pickup games and leagues for women in Durham proved challenging and Jackson often traveled to Raleigh or Cary to compete. Other women in the area expressed similar frustrations. Seeing an opportunity to support her peers and continue playing basketball, Jackson started the Durham League. Almost immediately, it attracted high-level competition, 22

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

with players coming in from cities like Fayetteville, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem. Many of them had also played college basketball and were looking for an outlet to maintain their skills. “I wasn’t a 6’2” point guard who can dunk, so I’m not quite going to cut it in the WNBA,” says Selena Castillo, a league player, “but I still want to play, I’m still good, and I still love and respect the game and want to improve.” Castillo is the director of external affairs for the Duke women’s basketball program. Before moving to Durham in 2017, Castillo ran her own league for years in Tampa Bay, Florida, where former collegiate and professional women’s basketball players found opportunities to continue playing competitively, even after their days in the spotlight were over. There, starting a league was about providing a competitive outlet not only for others but also for herself. “Selfishly, I wanted a place to keep playing,” Castillo says. Castillo had been a high-level hooper in her own right: she set the all-time steals record at Emory University during her four-year career. But opportunities for competition at that level are limited for women’s players if you don’t make the jump to the WNBA or professional leagues overseas. Castillo offered to share resources with Jackson and joined the league as a player. Her team, the Wolfpack, named after the mascot at NC State University, where many of her teammates previously attended school, are threetime champions of the Durham League. She “begrudgingly played on that team and wore a red shirt,” she jokes, adding that as a Duke employee, wearing the red and white was

“better than the alternative light blue option” associated with UNC-Chapel Hill.

Expanding the league In 2021, the Durham League expanded. After advertising the women’s league on social media, Jackson began getting requests from men in the area who said there was a dearth of adult basketball opportunities in Durham. Seeing another opening, she began recruiting players. “I put a flier together,” Jackson says. “When I was out and about, if I saw somebody that looked like they played basketball, I’d tell them I’m trying to start a men’s league.” That summer, the first men’s season launched with six teams. James “Jimmy” French—a forward with the size and shooting range to give any opponent trouble—started creating content to promote games for the team he created, 3XP, all over his Facebook page, emulating shows like ESPN’s SportsCenter by producing mixtapes, compilations of a baller’s best moves, and player interviews. He even created a logo and custom jerseys so that his team would stand out amongst the competition. French, a Durham native, played basketball at Jordan High School. He says the Durham League brought folks out of retirement whom he used to play against in high school but who had not done organized sports in years. “Now, we’re all playing together and fellowshipping

again,” French says. “People feel rejuvenated.” The additional online promotion from French and others boosted the league’s notoriety. By the third season of the men’s league, a total of 11 teams had signed up to participate. “I started talking to Jimmy and he told me, ‘This [league] is cool. The city needs this. There’s nothing for us to do,’” Jackson says. “When I looked further into it, all the guys kind of felt the same way.” Loneliness in America has become a growing problem, particularly since the onset of the pandemic, with recent studies reporting that about half of U.S. adults have experienced measurable levels of loneliness. The problem is particularly acute among young men, with one in seven men between the ages of 15 and 24 saying they have no close friends. When it comes to available forms of connection and entertainment, barhopping or playing video games are the likeliest to crack the top of the list for younger generations. But that’s why opportunities like the Durham League are so important, and for players and fans alike, the gym isn’t just a place to compete or support friends and family. It’s a sanctuary. Athletes and coaches often use words like “fraternity” and “brotherhood” to describe sports organizations. Team sports reveal a lot about someone’s personality and teach us important life skills like leadership, cooperation, and resilience. Deep, lifelong relationships between teammates and opponents are often fostered through the trials of heated competition. My own relationships are a testament to this: I’ve played competitive team basketball for most of my life and have played on Durham League teams for several seasons. Years ago, I quickly developed a connection with another player, Raj, during pickup runs at the Cage at American Tobacco Campus purely off the strength of our on-court chemistry— he was a shifty point guard who knew exactly where to pass

Chat 3PT and L. Hills Ballers play a basketball game. PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

the ball, and I was a volume shooter who thrived on the receiving end. In 2021, Raj invited me to be a groomsman in his wedding—an incredible honor. It all started with a love for basketball.

Next plays “Sports are a great unifier,” says Kaila’Shea Menendez, deputy director at the Durham Sports Commission and a former college basketball player at Western Carolina University. Investing in recreational sports builds community-wide health and wellness, she says. “There’s physical activity. There’s social interaction,” Menendez adds. “It’s an outlet that allows people an opportunity to do something that brings them joy and a sense of belonging in a safe environment.” As part of the city’s economic development plan, it created the Durham Sports Commission. In the past, the commission has recruited a number of high-profile sporting events such as the National Collegiate Fencing Championships and the NAIA Football National Championship. But the Sports Commission is also looking for ways to reinvest in Durham residents. Basketball is one way. “We know that not every athlete is going to go on and play college,” Menendez says. “These athletes are going to matriculate. They’re going to be the people who fill these adult leagues. So we need to make sure they have the resources to excel in sports and in life and start talking about next steps.” The city has seen increasing alignment between residents and council members about the need to invest in better facilities and more recreational programming. During a recent discussion about ShotSpotter, Mayor Leonardo Williams reiterated the need for more programs to support young people, Black men in particular, as an alternative method to reducing crime.

“I hear a lot of the commentary around ‘Why not [ShotSpotter]?’” Williams said. “I actually agree with a lot of it. I said the same thing. We do need more food security programs. We do need better healthcare. We do need after-school programs. Our kids are too bored in this city. We have to have more of a robust recreational program across the entire city.” Things are trending in a positive direction: The City of Durham has made significant improvements to their facilities in recent years. Many of the parks now include essential features like restrooms and water fountains, and a handful of the basketball courts now have outdoor lighting. In 2022, the Durham Sports Commission established the One Team, One Durham Fund, a privately managed fund that helps offset the costs of sports participation for parents and organizations that may lack the means. And in June, the city received an updated proposal from Discover Durham and the Durham Sports Commission to build a giant sports complex that would support up to 30 indoor and outdoor sports. Williams supports the idea conceptually, but says finding the money and the over 60 acres needed to build the complex will be tricky. “We can only find that kind of land in the outskirts of the city,” Williams says. More funding and a permanent home to host games would help Jackson continue managing the league, she says, which she does on top of her regular job. The Durham League has created an opportunity for Jackson to foster relationships between young adults in Durham, some of whom are at risk of falling through the cracks. “They’re all at the age where they could be getting into trouble. But they’re coming to their games and staying after the games, so I know where they are,” Jackson says. “I check up on them all the time on Instagram if I don’t hear from them and they appreciate that. It’s turned into me doing it more for the community than anything.” W

Robin Jackson, the founder of the Durham League, an independent women’s and men’s basketball league, records statistics during a game. PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

PAGE

DAVID MENCONI AT LETTERS BOOKSHOP

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 6:30 p.m. | Durham

OH, DIDN’T THEY RAMBLE: ROUNDER RECORDS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC BY DAVID MENCONI | UNC Press, Oct. 2023

Root Cause Chatting with music critic David Menconi about his new book on the legendary label Rounder Records. BY SARAH EDWARDS sedwards@indyweek.com

avid Menconi has been writing about North Carolina music since 1991, when he joined the News & Observer staff. He retired from the newspaper in 2018, but that doesn’t mean he’s slowed down: His first UNC Press book, Step It Up and Go, a comprehensive reader on the state’s musical history, was published in 2020, and he launched a podcast, Carolina Calling, on the same subject in 2022. Of course, there’s always more to write about music. Oh, Didn’t They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music, Menconi’s new book on the history of the storied music label, is both an intimate look at founders Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin and an expansive look at American roots music, such as we’ve come to know it. Much of the research for the book is drawn from the Southern Folklore Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill but Menconi’s vivid storytelling shakes the dust off from the archives, making it near and clear. Rounder—known for artists like Sun Ra, Alison Krauss, and Billy Strings—grew out of the movement politics of the 1960s, and the stories of its early days are particularly colorful (see: an anecdote about when Nowlin came down to Sampson County to record a hollerin’ contest winner and recorded the session with the plucky powering aid of an electric fence). Ahead of an upcoming event at Letters Bookshop, the INDY caught up with David Menconi to learn more about the book—and inquire (nervously) about the future of roots music and the record industry.

For folks who aren’t familiar, what is so compelling about the Rounder Records story? These train-hopping young people would encounter these old-timers on the folk circuit playing folk and bluegrass that was not being recorded. There was a void—the major labels had lost interest in folk music, by then, after Beatlemania. There weren’t that many record companies putting out the 24

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

David Menconi. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNC PRESS

likes of George Pegram, who was this old-time medicine show legend in Union Grove, who played banjo and brayed like a donkey. That was the first act they signed. George Pegram was Rounder 001. They started out as this kind of chaotic adventure, like, “Hey, let’s put some records out,” without really anything like a long-term plan. Nobody stopped them and enough came in for them to keep going, and three or four thousand albums later, they’ve amassed just an incredible catalog. I feel like they’re the most important label for the evolution of Americana music, simply because they put out so much of it. I wrote at one point that Rounder was kind of where the work was done to determine what was Americana music in the 21st century, just because so much of it had their imprint.

I’m curious about the process—obviously, you’ve been writing about music for a long time, but when did you start to write about Rounder? Record companies have always been something that fascinated me. In fact, years and years ago in the early 2000s, I published a novel called Off the Record that was steeped in record industry chicanery, which has always kind of fascinated me. This was obviously a much gentler story—also true rather than fictional. But yes, the Rounder founders are from Boston and their archive wound up at the Southern Folklife Collection at UNC, and therefore UNC Press

was looking for a book to be done about it. I took it on. The first thing I did was just get up with the three founders, Ken Irwin, Bill Nolan, and Marian Leighton Levy, and talk with them at great length. Throughout the process, I was talking to them a lot and they were who I started with, with interviews. And I ultimately talked to 70 or 80 people—artists, observers, competing label heads, fans, critics.

How did the archives end up at the Folklife Collection in the first place? They’re one of the foremost collections of vernacular and roots music and stuff on the planet, especially since Steve Weiss came in—oh, I don’t know, 10 or 20 years ago, maybe even longer than that. He’s the main curator there and he’s done a bang-up job of going out and finding stuff. A lot of people are getting to an age where they start thinking about legacy and where they put their stuff. Institutions like the Southern Folklife Collection turn out to be a repository for that.

Beyond UNC, some North Carolina names pop up in the book: Alice Gerrard, even Mipso toward the end. What are some of the connections between North Carolina and Rounder Records? Union Grove is a big one and also Galax, right across the

line in Virginia. This was a hotbed for this kind of music, going back to Charlie Poole. When they first came down here, the founders made a pilgrimage to Eden, which used to be Charlie Poole’s hometown, and they went looking for his gravesite and where he lived. They are all three supreme music geeks—you name a place, and they’re likely to start rattling off landmarks in that vicinity or go look for them, if they’ve never been. So yeah, North Carolina has always loomed large—the overall body of music, beyond the acts like George Pegram.

Were there any moments that stick out to you, from reporting the book, as particularly surprising or memorable? They are really obsessed about what they do and music and its place in the culture. I will say that one of the most surprising parts was one that didn’t really cast them in the best light, and that was the business about the labor union. I told them when I took this on that I was gonna go do some due diligence, you know, and ask around and go looking for the stuff that was of a darker nature—you know, if there was some scandal or something out there, I needed to know about it before the book came out. The big black eye was the union. When money started coming in in the late ’70s, early ’80s, from signing George Thorogood, the employees started thinking that maybe they should be making more money than they were. The founders weren’t into this. So [employees] voted to unionize. And the fact that the founders fought it and hired the same law firm that had represented Nixon during Watergate was just kind of jaw dropping.

Yeah, that’s pretty shocking. To their credit, they are sheepish and embarrassed about the way that went down and admit that they didn’t handle it well and weren’t the greatest bosses. It doesn’t excuse it, but it casts it in a somewhat better light. And they didn’t duck it, either, when I brought it up. They weren’t thrilled it was in there, but I felt like it had to be—that was the sort of weird contradiction. They started out as an antiprofit collective and were putting out records like Come All You Coal Miners, and Ken Irwin’s girlfriend for many years was Hazel Dickens, so for them to go full-on naked capitalist when it came to a labor union was pretty revealing of, you know, what happens when you’re trying to function in a capitalist society.

Well, on that note, the sands are shifting with American roots music and its relationship to North Carolina—IBMA is playing its last year in Raleigh this year. There are things to be pessimistic about, but what makes you excited about roots music right now? Oh, it’s just, you know, it’s exploding. Female artists in particular are really blowing up. I mentioned Sierra Ferrell [earlier]. There’s Rhiannon Giddens, of course—our homegirl is just one of the most important acts in the world. It’s broadening, it’s taking other styles into account, it’s turning into this just incredible melting pot, and it’ll be great to watch and listen to. We’ve got so many great acts around here, too. It’s always been an Americana hotbed here, but with Hiss Golden Messenger and American Aquarium and Mipso—the music is in great shape. The business, not so much. I mean, the big labels are making more than they ever have. They have finally achieved their dream with streaming, which is not to have to mess with the physical product and pressing plants and trucks and you know, storing CDs and shipping them, and returns and everything now—this is this is like a dream for them. You just put it out there and people listen to it on their devices and the little fractions of pennies add up to billions they’ve made. They’re making more than they ever have, but the little labels, further down the food chain, they’re struggling. There’s no middle class for the artists anymore. It’s just not clear how this is going to work out.

One last thing—the introduction by Robert Plant is so cool. How did that come about? That started out as a jacket blurb—the founders are still close to him, so they approached him on my behalf, which I really appreciated. And he wrote that lovely little tone poem and Mark Simpson-Vos, my editor at UNC Press, said, ‘How about we turn this in forward?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god, make it so.’ My inner fourteen-year-old was turning cartwheels. I was shocked when he said yes, and was crossing my fingers and holding my breath that some bean-counter with Robert Plant didn’t put the kibosh on it. But they finally dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s and I shouted it from the rooftops.W This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Visit our website to read the full version of this article.

Raleigh's Community Bookstore

EVENTS IN-STORE

WED Mason Deaver: 1.10 Okay, Cupid 7:00 In conversation PM with Amber Smith

IN-STORE

THUR Rachel Hawkins: 1.11 The Heiress 7:00 In conversation PM with Diane Chamberlain

NC STATE

FRI TICKETS REQUIRED Blake: 1.12 Olivie The Atlas Complex 7:00 In conversation PM with Tracy Deonn

UNDER THE TREE STORY TIME

MON IN-STORE 1.15 Nicole Tadgell: 10:30 We Dream a AM World

MON IN-STORE 1.15 Jill McCorkle: 7:00 Old Crimes PM

Get tickets to these events and others at www.quailridgebooks.com www.quailridgebooks.com 919.828.1588 • North Hills 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 FREE Media Mail shipping on U.S. orders over $50 INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

FO O D & D R I N K 4th grader Erin Bryant wears gloves as she sprays the waffle maker as Michael Newell and other Dame’s crew members look on PHOTOS BY JESSICA F. SIMMONS

Community Fixings A partnership between the Communiversity Youth Program and Dame’s Chicken & Waffles helps introduce kids to the basics of running a restaurant. BY JESSICA F. SIMMONS food@indyweek.com

very Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 the sound of children laughing at Michael Newell’s jokes, singing along to SZA, and sharing what they want to be when they grow up resounds throughout Dame’s Chicken and Waffles in Chapel Hill. As one of this year’s after-school activities, the children of the Communiversity Youth Program (CYP) spend these afternoons learning culinary, customer service, and management skills under the guidance of Newell, co-owner of Dame’s Chicken and Waffles and an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill. Dame’s is a casual eatery popular with students that serves comfort food, including “almost-world-famous” chicken-and-waffle combinations and “shmears” of flavored butters. The local chain currently has three other locations, in Greensboro, Cary, and Durham. The Chapel Hill location opened in 2019. 26

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

“I thought that this partnership was a really neat idea, and I was really excited about it. Of course we’re happy to work with the kids,” Newell says one afternoon after serving the CYP scholars their weekly fix of chicken fingers, french fries, and burgers. “Especially when you can have a partnership where you can do something that’s impacting other lives while still doing what we do, which is serve people good food.” CYP is a community outreach initiative helping K-12 students from low-income families and underrepresented communities in Orange County schools learn interpersonal and literacy skills. It has been sponsored by the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History since 1993. In 2022, 11.4 percent of children from Orange County were living below the poverty level, according to data from the Kids Count Data Center. “[Participating] kids’ families have historically and eco-

nomically been below the poverty level. That’s been the case 90 to 95 percent of the time,” says LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant, CYP supervisor and director of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center. “Part of the work put into Communiversity is to get young people exposed to various handson experiences.” Johnavae Campbell, a senior manager and child welfare and education expert at strategic consulting company ICF, has been involved with CYP for three years. She sought out CYP in 2020 for her eldest, seventh-grade daughter, Charlyse (Charly) Campbell, who “needed more than what she was getting at just a basic school setting.” “[Charly] needed a communal space where she could kind of explore and be uplifted and explore her gifts and talents in a way that may not have been fostered or, at the time, appreciated,” Campbell says. Campbell describes partnerships like CYP’s with Dame’s as “absolutely critical,” adding that CYP “has more empowerment than it does some kind of deficit narrative” when it comes to creating programs for underrepresented children. Other organizations CYP has collaborated with include Ten Mothers Farm, a small farm located in Cedar Grove, and an NC State program called The Engineering Place, among others. “Dame’s allows [the children] to understand aspects of business and hospitality,” Campbell says. Fourth-grade student Quinn Campbell, Johnavae Campbell’s second child, says that she and her sister Charly “love the food part” at the restaurant, alongside the opportunity to see the volunteers and their friends. During the first few weeks at Dame’s, Quinn learned how to navigate the “complicated buttons” on the cash register, use the waffle maker and scoop mac and cheese into containers. She also met a manager for the very first time. “At first I was scared of meeting the manager because of the mean things you hear on TikTok,” Quinn says. “But they aren’t, like, Karens. He wasn’t mean at all.” Most CYP activities take place at the United Methodist Church on Franklin Street. Going to an outside location and seeing “someone who looks like the students succeed in business is a beautiful thing,” Manigault-Bryant says. “That exposure element becomes really important,” she says. “It gives the kids another way of thinking about access to opportunities that they would not, or might not, necessarily have on a daily basis.” CYP’s after-school programs are led and organized by UNC undergraduate students volunteering from the Bonner Leadership Program, which is made up of student scholars who are passionate about community service. “I’ve always wanted to do something with kids,” says Timothy Little, a UNC sophomore and program volunteer. “I thought working like this would be a perfect opportunity to

not only volunteer but inspire other kids to go out into the community and help others be the best that they can be.” Little found out about CYP through Sierra Flynn-Nesbeth, another UNC sophomore volunteer. The Dame’s partnership was the brainchild of Flynn-Nesbeth and her high school English teacher in Cary during the summer of 2023. “My high school teacher is Michael’s sister, and I really like Dame’s,” Flynn-Nesbeth says. “During the summer, I thought about what we could do this year to make it a little more different and more connected to the community around us.” Flynn-Nesbeth contacted Newell and they got to work organizing workshops and other plans for the students. To Flynn-Nesbeth, an across-the-street partnership at Dame’s just made sense: Her high school was across the street

from the Dame’s location in Cary, she says, and she and her friends would eat there often after school. Now she and the other CYP volunteers take the students across the street from the church to Dame’s in Chapel Hill. The partnership runs through April but Manigault-Bryant says that she hopes it will continue further. Either way, Newell says he will always be grateful for the opportunity, as a businees owner, to work with CYP. “To have these moments with the students is one of the more rewarding parts of being a business owner. It’s not always like that every day,” Newell says. “Sometimes people are mad about this or that, or just the doldrums of owning a business can be kind of overwhelming. So it’s nice to always work with young people and kids, to see them grow, learn, and be engaged.” W

Left: Volunteer Timothy Little holds open the door for Communiversity Youth Program participants. Below: Michael Newell and program participants. PHOTOS BY JESSICA F. SIMMONS

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R

WED 1/10

THURS 1/11

FRI 1/12

LIKE TO PLAN AHEAD?

SAT 1/13

SUN 1/14

MON 1/15

TUES 1/16

STAGE

MUSIC

COMMUNITY

MUSIC

Every Brilliant Thing Jan. 10-16, 7:30 p.m. CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio, Chapel Hill

By George / The Layaways / Bell Tower Blues Band 8 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh

Future Residents 10 p.m. Rubies on Five Points, Durham

Adulting: An Early Dance Party 7 p.m. Rubies on Five Points, Durham

Banff / Cuffing Season / Kutthroat 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham

Triangle Afrobeat Orchestra 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham

Amos Hoffman Trio 7:30 p.m. Sharp Nine Gallery, Durham

ART

Dream Big Book Drive and Community Celebration 1 p.m. Golden Belt Campus, Durham

PAGE Oh, Didn’t They Ramble – Eddie Huffman in conversation with David Menconi 6:30 p.m. Letters Bookshop, Durham

Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay 6:30 p.m. Hayti Heritage Center, Durham The Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet 9 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham SCREEN Red Tails 6 p.m. Nasher Museum of Art, Durham PAGE Marcia Zug presents You’ll Do: A History of Marrying for Reasons Other Than Love, with Osamudia James 6 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill ART Artist Talk: Alison Elizabeth Taylor 6 p.m. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill COMMUNITY 2024 January Rest: Free Tastings Featuring NonAlcoholic Beverages Jan. 11, 12, and 18, 5 p.m. Beer Study, Durham Toddy Town Virtual Cocktail Class 7 p.m. Alley Twenty Six, online

Peter Lamb and the Wolves 7:30 p.m. Sharp Nine Gallery, Durham Ray Volpe Ascends Tour 9:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh STAGE Blue Box Theatre Co. Presents: Helen Of 7 p.m. Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews, Chapel Hill Paradox Opera Presents: Amahl and the Night Visitors 8 p.m. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Hillsborough ART Art and Science: Merging Printmaking and Biology 4 p.m. UNC Genome Science Building bottom floor lobby, Chapel Hill

Magic City Hippies / The Palms / Josh Fudge 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro Shallow Cuts: Attention! 10 p.m. Rubies on Five Points, Durham

Durham’s Finest: Durham Public Schools Student Exhibition Jan. 14–Feb. 2. NCCU Art Museum, Durham

PAGE Benjamin Waterhouse presents One Day I’ll Work for Myself 5 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill

Risograph Zine Workshop 12 p.m. Super G Print Lab, Durham

Spencer Brown 9 p.m. The Fruit, Durham The Winter Rave 9 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham SCREEN MLK/FBI 10:30 a.m. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh ART Fania Greenwood and Doug Bennett Artist Reception 2 p.m. Sertoma Arts Center, Raleigh COMMUNITY Behind the Scenes: The Memoirs of Elizabeth Keckly, James Still, and Henry Ossian Flipper 2 p.m. Hillsborough Presbyterian Church, Hillsborough

Peter Lamb and the Wolves performs at Sharp Nine Gallery on Friday, January 12. PHOTO COURTESY OF DURHAM JAZZ WORKSHOP

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

CULTURE CALENDAR

FIND OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITY CALENDAR AT INDYWEEK.COM/CALENDAR

WED 1/17

THURS 1/18

FRI 1/19

SAT 1/20

SUN 1/21

TUES 1/23

MUSIC

PAGE

MUSIC

PAGE

Blends with Friends (Open Decks) 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham

Dan Bern 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro

Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene present Rebecca, Not Becky, with Barb Lee 5:30 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill

Dolly Parton’s Birthday Party 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham

Opera FM: The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle 7:30 p.m. Carolina Theatre, Durham

Brendan Abernathy 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro

Erika Howsare presents The Age of Deer 5:30 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill

Donna the Buffalo & The Steel Wheels 2024 Tour 8 p.m. Carolina Theatre, Durham Greensky Bluegrass 6:30 p.m. The Ritz, Raleigh We the Kings 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro SCREEN Movie Loft presents The Black Marble 8 p.m. Shadowbox Studio, Durham

The Floor with DOMII 10 p.m. Rubies on Five Points, Durham

COMMUNITY

Wednesday 8 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh

Tar Heel Troubadours: Kruger Brothers 7 p.m. North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh

Mindful Museum: Therapeutic Dance 6 p.m. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh

Wish Queen 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro

Velocity Girl 8 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, Durham

“When MLK and the KKK Met in Raleigh” 6:30 p.m. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh

STAGE

Ben Schwartz and Friends 8 p.m. Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham

Pop Punk and Pasties! A Burlesque Tribute to 2000s Pop Punk and Emo 7 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham

Civil Disobedience: Blue Note Records in the Progressive ’60s 7 p.m. Sharp Nine Gallery, Durham Genius Party 19 7 p.m. Rubies on Five Points, Durham STAGE Crape Myrtle Festival Drag Brunch Fundraiser 12 p.m. Clouds Brewing, Raleigh ART

The Godfather pARTy: An Evening of Art, Wine, and Italian Bites 8 p.m. Killer Queen Wine Bar, Durham

Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop with Jaki Shelton Green, NC Poet Laureate 10:30 a.m. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh

Screen Printing: Startto-Finish 10 a.m. Super G Print Lab, Durham

Embroidered Patches Workshop 1 p.m. Peel Gallery, Carrboro

ART

COMMUNITY Biotech Blast 10 a.m. Museum of Life and Science, Durham Girl Scout Cookie and Beer Pairing 11 a.m.– 10 p.m. The Glass Jug, Durham

NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will host a workshop at NCMA on Sunday, January 21. PHOTO COURTESY OF NCMA INDYweek.com January 10, 2024

P U Z Z L ES CROSSWORD To download a pdf of this puzzle or view its solution, visit indyweek.com/puzzles-page

www.regulatorbookshop.com 720 Ninth Street, Durham, NC 27705 Open Every Day 10-6 SU | DO | KU

Difficulty level: HARD

There is really only one rule to Sudoku: Fill in the game board so that the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box. The numbers can appear in any order and diagonals are not considered. Your initial game board will consist of several numbers that are already placed. Those numbers cannot be changed. Your goal is to fill in the empty squares following the simple rule above.

If you’re stumped, find the answer keys for these puzzles and archives of previous puzzles (and their solutions) at indyweek.com/puzzles-page or scan this QR code for a link. Best of luck, and have fun! 30

January 10, 2024

INDYweek.com

INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

C L AS S I F I E D S HEALTH & WELL BEING

EMPLOYMENT Senior Manager Procurement, Ariba Senior Manager Procurement, Ariba sought by CSL Behring LLC in Holly Springs, NC. Coordinate demand mgmt activities & assist devt of Global Controlling activities. BS+7. Apply by mail to: CSL Behring LLC, Attn: T.Parker, 1020 1st Ave, King of Prussia, PA 19406 (ref job code MR0519)

919-416-0675

www.harmonygate.com SERVICES

Programmer Analyst, UI/Web Developer Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings in Durham, NC seeks a Programmer Analyst, UI/Web Developer to work closely with cross-functional team, includes web service software developers, business analysts, project managers, & users to create fast, intuitive & easy to use software. Remote work. Reqs BS+3yrs exp., To apply, send resume to: labcorphold@labcorp.com ; Ref #231215. Editorial and Research Assistant Editorial and Research Assistant for book concerning Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. Part time, work from your home. Good computer skills and creativity mandatory. $25/ hour. Start soon. Resume to: teton2021@gmail.com

12/10/23 CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Looking for easier advertising? TRY INDY CLASSIFIEDS! INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

Email classy@indyweek.com or sales@indyweek.com for more information

INDYweek.com January 10, 2024