Queen City Nerve Vol 2_Issue 1

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | DECEMBER 4 - DECEMBER 17, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

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8 Critics’ Picks 17 Readers’ Picks

CONSUMER CULTURE 18 Critics’ Picks 27 Readers’ Picks

LIFELINE

28 How not to kill your social life

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4 Editor’s Note by Ryan Pitkin 5 The Banker Bro by Tim Nicodemus 7 The Scanner by Ryan Pitkin

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FOOD & DRINK 30 Critics’ Picks 39 Readers’ Picks 41 The Buzz

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT 42 Critics’ Picks 55 Readers’ Picks 56 Soundwave

AFTER DARK 60 Critics’ Picks 62 Readers’ Picks

LIFESTYLE

66 Aerin It Out by Aerin Spruill 66 Sudoku 68 Crossword 28 Horoscope 70 Savage Love

Cover Design by Dana Vindigni PHOTO BY JAYME JOHNSON

EDITOR’S NOTE

CHEERS TO A YEAR

Queen City Nerve is just getting started RYAN PITKIN

Connect with free arts and culture experiences for all ages, close to home.

CULTURE

BLOCKS

Find upcoming events at ArtsAndScience.org/CultureBlocks

Tune in to WCCB News Edge every week night at 10:30 p.m.

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Get a glimpse at the next issue with our editor-in-chief every other Tuesday night

OH, WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN! Our new Best in the Nest issue hits racks on December 4, and it reminds how the first week in December has become so significant in my life.

Dec. 5, 2018, was one of the most rewarding days of my life, as it was the print date of our very first issue of Queen City Nerve. That being said, December 4, 2018, was perhaps the most stressful day of my life — professionally, anyway — as our team sat around a table in Advent Coworking and annoyed everyone else in the common area, dealing with problem after problem, all of which threatened our ability to meet the deadline we had publicly set for our first paper only a month before.

To this day, I’m not sure how we did it, yet I could never imagine us failing, and that’s still how I feel about the paper today. At times when I wonder what the fuck publisher Justin LaFrancois and I were thinking when we set out to start a new alternative publication in 2018 of all times, I also can’t imagine not starting a new alternative publication in 2018.

This is what I was born to do, after all, and I don’t mean that to sound hyperbolic.

What else am I going to do, anyway? Go cover Donald Trump with every other journalist in the country? I’m all about the local news. I always have been. Besides, next year he’ll come to me, and I’ll get to cover him however I damn well please. But I digress.

So here I sit one year later, preparing to send out our inaugural Best in the Nest issue, a year-inreview that wraps up everything that happened in our first 26 bi-weekly issues and then some. I can’t help but feel a sense of deja-vu come over me.

More than any issue since Volume 1, No. 1, I feel that Volume 2, No. 1, has been the most stressful to put together and the one I look forward to releasing the most.

I’m not in this game to give myself pats on the back, and I’ve written many times about how grateful I am for Justin and the rest of the team that’s made it possible to put these papers out every other week, so I’d rather make this issue all about the subjects — the hundreds of people featured within the pages of this special issue.

To be able to shine a light on local talent — people doing work at a grassroots level to make their community a better place, whether it be through art, activism or any number of mediums — means everything to me.

I sometimes can’t get over the fact that I get to spend my time sitting down with inspiring folks every week and learning their stories so I can share them with the rest of our readership. Why would I want to do anything else?

Which brings me to an important point I’d like to make before releasing our picks for Best in the Nest: I don’t want to be a gatekeeper. I don’t consider this list an end-all, be-all of Charlotte’s best anything, which I know sounds stupid considering it’s literally called Best in the Nest and almost every category lists a Best Something or other. What I mean by that is that everything is subjective, and every one of the categories in this issue — from what tastes the best to who is doing the most important work — is different based on who you ask and what their life experiences are.

So I view this as a comprehensive list of locals that I and my team of contributors believe deserve a spotlight for something they’ve been doing very well this year. You will disagree. You should disagree. I would never pretend to act as if I know best about how to “rank” a group of people for making something as subjective as art or music, for example, let alone community work, where everyone plays an important role in their own right.

What I will always stand behind, however, is that everyone on the lists to follow belong on those lists. Do other people also belong on those lists? Yes. I could certainly put together another 72 pages full of people in Charlotte doing amazing things who need recognition. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to do so — in fact, I’m not really sure how we finished this one in time — but hey, that’s what Volume 2 is for.

So here’s to another year of alternative print journalism. Keep reaching out with your ideas about what and who needs a nod, and I’ll continue scoping them out.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

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CONFESSIONS OF A BANKER BRO

THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

How not to lose your soul in finance

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BY TIM NICODEMUS

SO, YOU LANDED YOUR DREAM JOB as an analyst for BoA, Wells, Fifth Third, Ally, or a company I’m told is unironically naming themselves Truist. Congratulations on joining the upper tier of the middle class and your sweet new cubicle that will be home to you for more hours that you won’t enjoy than you will. You have the new apartment in South End/Uptown/Plaza Midwood, and you already have an updated LinkedIn profile to build your new, professional “brand.”

However, while learning to ride a scooter in a suit or high heels sounds exciting, you have a nagging question that is bothering you: How can I remain a good person while working in finance?

After all, you know the economic crisis was caused by greedy lending practices, and you know all about the scandals that plague these institutions.

You like the money, but you’re worried about the unchecked greed that you are about to be enveloped by. Your friends are making fun of you for “selling out,” but can’t you be both a good person and well-paid?

As one of the seeming 2 billion people Charlotteans who work in finance, I want to offer encouragement that you are fully able to work in finance while not fully compromising your morals.

Below, I will offer some thoughts on how to keep your soul while being part of the most powerful machine in the world.

First, lower your expectations. It’s good dating advice, and it’s also decent career advice. If you want to be CEO of BoA, you will have to sacrifice a lot of societal and personal good to get there. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, as they say, do not expect to make senior management in a couple of years.

You will have to focus on work and “play the game,” which means serious compromises. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve gotten to know some powerful men and women in finance who are also active in the community. They have done well professionally with souls intact. Just know that it will require immense nuance, lack of sleep and random luck.

Also, you may not get to push for every policy you want or speak your mind on every issue. Compromise can be a good and bad thing, and you’ll need to understand that concept if you want to move up while changing the system from the inside.

Second, find like-minded people. This is incredibly tough. Not only will most people you come in contact with not care about anything outside of the company’s bottom line or their own paycheck, but depending on the job, free hours for deep conversations with co-workers will be at a minimum.

Consider reaching out to your firm’s community relations representatives, who can not only connect you to great nonprofits, but tell you about Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that may be talking about diversity initiatives, environmental concerns, etc.

Putting yourself out there is scary in finance, but you’ll find people who also care about community change. Don’t believe the either/or narrative you are told both inside and outside the industry.

Third, don’t fall into the finance trap of only hanging out with coworkers or industry insiders. Keep yourself grounded with your original friend group full of teachers or social workers or nonprofit employees.

Yes, they’ll make fun of you, but that’s good. You don’t want to lose yourself in the finance echo chamber. If you came up in the chamber and that’s all you know, well, you may have to take a long look in the mirror.

If religion is your jam, get involved in a church/ temple/mosque/coven/satanic ritual that allows you to find deep connection. Don’t go to the place just because senior management/prospective clients go there. (For industry outsiders, that is a real thing people do. It’s like a country club but you pray to Jesus. It’s weird).

Lastly, trust yourself. Your moral compass is not automatically broken as soon as you walk into the fancy lobby of One Wells or Founders Hall. The fact that you have concerns shows that you care. Yes, as mentioned above, it will be a fight and it’s not as easy to see how your work matters compared to other industries, but I promise you that there are some toxic AF people who don’t care about community even in nonprofit or religious organizations.

Finance is a beast that may want to commodify you, but that’s true about every sector, it’s just more pronounced and obvious. Much like that cliché Instagram post says: Be the change you want to see. No one can take that from you without your permission.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

unwise: If you’re planning to force the evacuation of a Krispy Kreme building in order to run in and grab some doughnuts, make sure it’s one of the buildings where they actually make doughnuts.

SCA NNER

NEED A FIX Maybe it’s the potential banning of vape products that’s got everyone hankering for nicotine, but more reports have begun popping up recently about people assaulting other people for cigarettes. In one incident, an unknown suspect attacked a 56-year-old woman working at a Circle K convenience store on Brookshire Boulevard only to make off with a single pack of Newport cigarettes.

Fortunately, the woman suffered only minor injuries and did not need medical treatment.

At an unrelated incident at a QuikTrip on North Tryon Street on the same night, a 37-year-old employee told police that he confronted a man who was stealing Newport cigarettes, and when he did the suspect brandished a gun before leaving with the cigs.

BY RYAN PITKIN

YOU’RE GROUNDED A 31-year-old woman was startled when she realized someone was trying to break into her north Charlotte apartment at around 1:30 a.m. on a recent morning, so she did what most people would do and called the police. Luckily, she didn’t do what many others would do and shoot the suspect, because according to the officers that responded to the scene, further investigation found that the would-be burglar was actually just the woman’s son trying to sneak back into the house after a missed curfew.

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CRASH PAD A 26-year-old man was equally startled to return home after a recent night of drinking to find that his apartment actually had been broken into by a stranger who was also apparently trying to recover from his own bar-hopping adventures. According to the victim, he returned home to his Post South End apartment on Bland Street at 3:40 a.m. on a Sunday morning and found a complete stranger sleeping on his couch. Though the police report skips over what happens next, the man who lived there reported suffering from “minor injuries” including bruises and scratches, and the mystery guest is now wanted not only for misdemeanor breaking and entering but also simple assault, so it’s safe to assume he was not too happy with being woken up in the middle of his nap. According to the victim, the suspect left behind a XXL Asos jean jacket, in the pocket of which was a receipt from Slate, a bar just across the light-rail tracks from the apartment.

WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY The manager at a United States Postal Service warehouse in west Charlotte called police on a recent Sunday night after finding a suspicious package and immediately coming to the conclusion that it belonged to one of their stoner-ass employees.

The manager told police that someone found a sealed package containing six pounds of marijuana in the women’s bathroom at around 11:30 p.m. According to the report, “it is unknown who placed the package in the bathroom, although the manager believes it is a known employee.” What was the giveaway? Was it the fact that every time this employee goes to the bathroom she comes back and forgets what she was doing? My favorite part of the report is that the only victim listed is “Society,” and yet I don’t know of anyone who would be bothered by this.

THE MOTHER LOAD Another recent call about a found package was probably the result of a porch pirate not knowing what they had before ditching a package in northeast Charlotte. According to the report, a nearby resident found a half-opened package in a drainage ditch on a road off of Plaza Road Extension, and in the package they found a Nokia motherboard, a cellphone part valued at $1,500.

LEAVE YOUR MARK A 63-year-old man working at Mike’s Groceries on The Plaza in north Charlotte called police after a clearly troubled man came into the business and made a mess of things before assaulting the unsuspecting store clerk. The employee told the police that the suspect walked into the store just before 6:30 p.m. and immediately began acting odd. Then, without warning (except for the odd behavior), the suspect began damaging property. The suspect threw random groceries around the store, including bags of chips, peanuts and crackers, according to the report, doing $200 in damage. He then moved on to the wine aisle, where he shattered $200 worth of bottles on the floor, then began taking out his rage on a lottery computer, doing $200 in damage to that. When the clerk tried to stop the man, a struggle ensued

and the suspect hit him in the face with a tool. The victim suffered only minor injuries and refused medical treatment from police.

CUSTODY BATTLE A 28-year-old north Charlotte woman called police after receiving a disturbing visit from an unknown male while she was babysitting some kids in east Charlotte on a recent Saturday afternoon. According to the report, “at approximately 4:45 p.m., an unknown male subject knocked on her front door and asked to take the children she was babysitting.” I can’t believe this needs to be said, but whoever told y’all that as long as you ask nicely you can have anything you want was dead wrong. Luckily, the man left without incident after being told that, no, he absolutely couldn’t “take the children” and officers filed a noncriminal report to document the incident.

LET ME OUT A woman visiting Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in the Elizabeth neighborhood must have been a bit short on her parking fees, and rather than try to work it out with staff there, she took matters into her own hands.

According to the report, the woman “collided with a ticket booth and drove off at a high rate of speed” at around 6:30 p.m. one recent evening. Nobody knows who the woman was exactly, but a Novant employee got eyes on her and was able to write down her license plate number, so safe to say she will be receiving a bill for the $300 in damage she did to the booth, at the very least, very soon.

DITCH THE GOODS Employees at a Petco at the Metropolitan were tricked by a pair of shoplifters on one recent morning, but staff got the last laugh after finding that the suspects were more conniving than they were brave. According to one employee, two suspects came into the store and split up.

One distracted an employee by asking a bunch of questions while the other stole a large dog crate, though the employees didn’t realize this until they looked outside and saw the suspect who had asked all the questions standing in the parking lot holding DOUGHNUT DO THAT Police responded to the a dog crate that he hadn’t bought. When the suspect Krispy Kreme corporate headquarters on Hawkins realized he was being watched, he placed the crate Street in South End recently after a suspect — on the ground and hurriedly walked away. apparently a Dunkin’ Donuts fan — called in a bomb threat. Seeing as how the call came in at All Scanner entries are pulled from CMPD reports.

4:57 p.m. on a Monday, it probably didn’t cause too Suspects are innocent until proven guilty. much of a fuss, as workers took the opportunity to leave the office three minutes early. Word to the

CITY LIFE

It’s a circus out there, we’re just here to document it. Over the last year in Charlotte, we’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly occur in our fair city. This section gives us a chance to look back on 365 days of news and those who reported it — be it on your TV, radio or social media channels. Below, you’ll find Alvin C. Jacobs Jr.’s tribute to a bastion of civil rights in Charlotte who began walking to face down inequality in 1957 and hasn’t stopped walking to this day. After that, we highlight the folks who have followed Dorothy’s lead in making our community a better place, while putting that same spotlight on some other stories that need to be brought out from the dark.

A SPECIAL THANKS to our Best in the Nest contributors: Pat Moran, Alvin C. Jacobs Jr., Grant Baldwin, Erin Tracy-Blackwood, Kristie Puckett-Williams, Karina Caporino, MB Schaffner, Allison Frazier, Brian Twitty, Patrice Funderberg, Aerin Spruill, Ben Jarrell, Jayme Johnson, Gellie Moore, Glen Byrd Jr., Kassidy Brown, Justin LaFrancois, Dana Vindigni, Ryan Pitkin and our cover model Collette Ellis.

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Lifetime Achievement Award: Dorothy Counts-Scoggins, by Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. OVER THE YEARS, I have continuously asked myself what kind of man I would’ve been during the Civil Rights movement, and what seems like a lifetime later, I still have a walking example of solidarity and sacrifice in the form of Miss Dorothy CountsScoggins.

In a culture that tends to place an expiration date on influence, here’s someone whose selfless duty to social justice has spanned more years than many of us have been alive — decades of work in education and on the front lines of the South’s fight for equality. Some things just get better with time.

It would’ve probably been easier to take another

approach rather than endure four days of abuse in an effort to integrate Harry P. Harding High School in 1957, but that’s never been Miss Dorothy’s way.

The work she does today is not only inspirational to an entire new generation of citizens, it’s important to our quality of life. A woman who has already done so much for us continues to fight with the same compassion she had in the late 1950’s.

Segregation took on many forms then, and has taken on many more since that time. Once a child with courage, Ms. Scoggins became a woman of destiny; a hero in our community who’s spent decades tirelessly reflecting the best of us during a

time when being different could cost you your life.

However, her story doesn’t end with the work she completed in the past. She’s never stopped working. During a recent Girl Scout dedication of a bench that now serves as a memorial to her at Irwin Academic Center, one of our many meetings, I was honored just to park her car. At 77, she’s still everywhere she needs to be and doing everything she wants to see done. A former preschool teacher, she’s on the forefront of the new debate over Mecklenburg County’s re-segregated schools and the fight over integrating along socioeconomic lines.

During a reception for the Hank Willis Thomas For Freedoms art exhibit at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African- American Arts + Culture this year, she gave the audience a private look into those early days of her life. What touched me that night was how those days at Harding, although few, left a lasting impact and shaped her critical analysis and the work she does today.

Ms. Scoggins makes me think of the impact of my work and how integrity is often earned through great sacrifice. A lot of talk is centered around what someone would do if given the opportunity, but she’s created a blueprint of what to do when given a

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Music

Leone funks it up P.16

food Manolo’s Bakery stands strong P.22

history is now

By Brenna Swanston

FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 12, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Segregation and inequity still pervade at CMS

PHOTO BY DAN STURKEY/CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

today, and in my opinion, it is important to give our elders their flowers while they can smell them.

She is a champion of justice and equality whose life serves as an example of what you can accomplish if you never give up. I still wonder what kind of man I would’ve been doing the Civil Rights movement, but if I could just be half the human being Miss Scoggins has become, my work would not be in vain.

ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

PHOTO BY ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

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Dorothy Counts-Scoggins

lack of it. I’m reminded that the Civil Rights era is more present tense than ever. To have an example I can visit with today proves that everything an entire generation went through wasn’t that long ago. We tend to downplay the aspects of our history that make us uncomfortable, utilizing time and space as a means of erasing the negative impact. When you think of what our ancestors endured and what some of them perpetuated, accurate historical portrayals are important.

The city of Charlotte is an interesting place today, not without its challenges, which brings to mind an old saying: “If you don’t know your history you’re destined (some say doomed) to repeat it.” We must remember that much of the treatment Miss Dorothy experienced 60 years ago — being openly harassed, accosted and spat on while she walked to school — was completely legal, and much of that behavior is

being cultivated again today. We’ve come a long way, but if we’re being honest, not far enough.

Our elders provide an oral history we must use to be better than we’ve been in the past as we move forward. Ms. Scoggins reminds us that a lot of students have no knowledge of the past, and she needs them to understand that even if some things have since reverted, a lot of things have happened as a result of people making sacrifices so children today can have a better education.

Where it gets real is that a woman who is revered throughout the city, state and country lives right here in Charlotte, and she’s never stopped working for the people — never stopped to put her feet up. The internet has drastically upgraded our access to the past, but we still tend to treat these historical men and women as just that — antiquated notions of human beings. Ms. Scoggins is a historical figure who lives and works among us

Local Hero: Riley Howell So often the word hero is overused, whether it be ironically in memes (“Not all heroes wear capes”) or to describe the last-second “heroics” of an athlete making a clutch play. This year, however, UNC Charlotte was home to a true-life hero. On April 30, when a disgruntled former classmate opened fire on students in Howell’s class, he did what few could imagine themselves doing and fewer actually would: He charged the shooter.

Howell was shot three times — twice in the body and a third in the head — but by the third shot he was already on the shooter, hitting him so hard the shooter would later complain of internal injuries. It was only then that the shooting stopped, and while Howell and classmate Ellis Parlier lay dead, and four others wounded, a countless number of students were spared thanks to Howell’s quick actions. “But for his work, the assailant may not have been disarmed,” CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said of Howell at a press conference the next day. “Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process, but his sacrifice saved lives.” ROTC cadet Howell would be laid to rest with full military honors, and his family has since launched the Riley Howell Foundation, which funds traumatic grief counseling for students and faculty affected by gun violence. His sacrifice will not soon be forgotten among those on campus in April.

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveRiley

Local Zero: Davon Bailey, EatWorkPlayCLT We have seen many big festival and event failures over the past couple of years in Charlotte, ranging from unequivocal attendance at the Untapp’d Beer Festival at Bank of America Stadium to unethical standards, revealed when EatWorkPlayCLT postponed their Willy Wonka themed gala in 2019.

Charlotte Magazine reported that Davon Bailey, founder of EatWorkPlayCLT, held six events over the years where a charity was supposed to be a benefactor of ticket sales and profit shares but that only one out of the six had received a donation. Four of the non-profit organizations that responded prior to the publishing of the CM story had received no donations, though the amounts owed totaled more than $11,500.

After donating only $250 to Smart Start of Mecklenburg County despite reported donation amounts near $10,000 and being sued by The Broken Spoke for outstanding venue fees totaling over $11,000, Davon has richly earned the Local Zero crown.

Hear more: tinyurl.com/NoozeHoundsEatWork Best Twitter: Stewart Pittman, @Lenslinger A beautiful shot of a Charlotte sunrise over an apartment complex posted at 6:42 a.m. It could be from an Instagram influencer with an inspiring quote as a caption, except this is Twitter, and Stewart Pittman isn’t here to inspire you. The crime tape, blue lights and multiple uniformed police officers set a different tone, one that’s more onbrand (though he’d hate that term) for the man who in 2019 marked 30 years behind the news cameras and has seen it all.

Pittman’s Gonzo-style tweets document the everyday life of a grizzled and jaded news photog, from the joys of a properly coiled lavaliere cord to the desperation of finding a place to piss in a hurricane.

One of our favorites from March: “As for cameras in court, it’s the bailiffs that worry me. Like THAT one.

He’s got most of a Big Gulp in him, a taser on his hip and a Mother that still folds his socks. Drop so much as a windscreen and he’ll electrocute the lot of us.

Even that weirdo from the Free Weekly.” We’re too entertained to be offended.

Read more: twitter.com/lenslinger

movement was a success, and the Tar Heel State is inching back to a functioning democracy. But gerrymandering is the big issue here, and the GOP has targeted Jackson by redrawing his district with apparent intent to oust him. If they think they have Jackson running scared, they’re dead wrong.

Read more: jeffjacksonnc.com

Best Instagram (Personal): Sam Guzzie

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Best Instagram (Personal): Sam Guzzie, @samguzzie With only about 40 Instagram posts over the last year, local muralist Sam Guzzie isn’t going to flood your feed by any measure, but that only adds to the allure of her account. We’re all about quality over quantity, and Guzzie brings you into her world of artistry just enough to make you feel included while still leaving enough to the imagination to stir it.

From dazzling finished pieces like the Mercury Carter portrait that he used as the cover art for his album to black-and-white photography from local artists like Owl — there’s even a pic of her adorable son in front of a canvas (oh, the potential).

Also, check out her stories if you can stand the FOMO for all updates from cool events hosted by her organization Brand the Moth, her cohorts at Southern Tiger Collective, and all the other cool creatives you wish you knew.

See more: instagram.com/samguzzie Best Instagram (Business/Brand): Boardwalk Billy’s, @boardwalkbillysuncc Food porn and comedic attribution are the order of the Instagram world that we live in. Everyone wants to see mouth-watering pictures and have a laugh or two before they re-enter the real world. This is where Boardwalk Billy’s comes in to play.

With one line, dry-humor food captions like, “Our meat doesn’t shrink when it’s cold outside” and even the occasional f-bomb (we love profanity) Boardwalk Billy’s delivers on both fronts.

They take it further by posting pictures and videos of their employees performing eating challenges, acrobatics, reviews and more across their posts and stories. Being across the street from

UNC Charlotte allows them prime picking for local food service talent and so far it hasn’t disappointed us. Give them a follow and enjoy.

See more: instagram.com/boardwalkbillysuncc Best Politician: Jeff Jackson From transphobic and unconstitutional bills like HB2 to sleazy tactics like delaying votes on vital issues until they’re sure not enough Democrats are present in the General Assembly, the North Carolina Republican’s Party’s legacy has been a litany of corruption, racism and bigotry, supported by blatant gerrymandering that gives them an edge in the GA while nullifying the voting rights of millions of North Carolinians.

They’re the main reason that academic research project the Electoral Integrity Project downgraded North Carolina to a failed democracy, an authoritarian shitshow in line with Cuba and Sierra Leone.

Thankfully, N.C. Rep. Jeff Jackson of Mecklenburg County fearlessly shines a light on the GOP’s arrogance and sleaze with his savvy use of social media plus the ability to explain policy battles in an engaging and understandable manner.

A former assistant district attorney and captain in the JAG Corps with the Army National Guard, Jackson has repeatedly introduced legislation to end gerrymandering by implementing independent redistricting.

He also helped spearhead the effort that finally closed the consent loophole, an archaic provision in the state code that prevented women from calling off sexual intercourse once the act had begun.

Prior to the 2018 election, he advocated tirelessly to break the GOP’s supermajority. The

Best Rabble-Rouser: Sheriff Garry McFadden Last December, newly elected Sheriff Garry McFadden took office and immediately got to work. He made changes at the local detention center, including ending solitary confinement and resuming in-person visitation for adults while allowing juveniles to go outside for the first time in 19 years. Those issues are straight-forward enough, but how he’s really pushed the buttons is with his immigration policies.

After running on a platform that included ending the department’s non-mandatory cooperation with ICE, he *gasp* ended it once he took office, setting off a public war of words with federal officials and sending Republican state legislators into a tizzy.

Then, just in case he hadn’t pushed enough buttons with those who take comfort in the status quo, he had his deputies set up a speed trap on Jetton Road in Cornelius, one of the county’s most affluent areas, in February.

When called in front of Cornelius commissioners to answer for his actions in March, he told them, “It’s about privilege.” We’re just waiting to see who he’s going to rile up next.

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveMcFadden

Best Instagram (Brand/Business): Boardwalk Billy’s University

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF JACKSON

Best Politician: Jeff Jackson

Best Newsletter: CLT Ledger Newsletters are the new media wave, but good ones have been hard to come by, or at least they were before Tony Mecia decided to take on the constant evolving business news of Charlotte and drop it in people’s inboxes. The former Charlotte Observer reporter wasn’t done observing just yet and in February launched the Charlotte Ledger newsletter, in which he reports on breaking local business news while touching on other interests like local media, personalities and even cheap flights if you’ve had enough of this place.

There is nothing to click through to; all of the information is presented for consumption in the newsletter itself with no external links, which makes it that much easier to consume. But the main pleasure of waking up to CLT Ledger comes from Tony’s expertise as a reporter, delivering solid facts on news that Charlotteans find interesting.

Read more: charlotteledger.substack.com Best Community Organizer: Leondra Garrett Leondra was born and raised in Charlotte, just like her parents before her. Her dad was a childhood resident of Brooklyn and experienced directly the impact of displacement in his community. She lived in public housing as a teen mother, then watched as developers began to buy up the west side in preparation for gentrification. Garrett

Best Activist/Advocate Organization: WakeUP A group of students from Garinger High School, Berry Academy of Technology and Myers Park High School hosted the WakeUP Student Summit on April 6, leading discussions on topics like affordable housing, the myth of “the American Dream” and mental health in schools. WakeUP is a student-led organization that works to cultivate student leadership through development and advocacy. During the summit, a group of Garinger students presented an open letter they wrote to then-Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Dr. Clayton Wilcox in regards to the proposed 2019-20 school budget. In the letter, the students explained how Wilcox’s goals of “building trust” would be undermined by plans to increase policing in local schools rather than spend money on increasing the presence of social workers.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN “Your budget proposes one counselor for every Best Youth Organizers: (from left) Ollie Ritchie, Mary Ellis Stevens, Krissy Oliver-Mays 354 students, one social worker for every 1,622 bought a home in the Lakeview community Friday’s march. Stevens said she could barely students, and one school psychologist for every PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN so that she and her five children, two of whom concentrate on her cell division lesson after 1,604 students,” the letter pointed out. “These Best Comeback: Moses the Street Preacher have autism, could live in a safe home after hearing from Thunberg. The three local organizers, she experienced a violent intimate partner who had spent many Fridays alone outside of relationship. She saw that her neighbors were the government center, were vindicated by the experiencing the same things: the violence of presence of nearly 1,000 supporters who showed poverty, relationships and law enforcement. She up on Nov. 8 to hear them and Thunberg give decided to get involved deeply in the community speeches throughout the afternoon. and today is a fierce advocate for land retention, “I began striking and kind of kept at it because economic mobility, police accountability, the end I saw all these pictures of Greta alone and she kept of pretrial detention and mass incarceration. at it, so all these times striking out alone, she was Garrett volunteers with several grassroots what kept me going,” Stevens said at the protest. organizations that help currently and formerly “So to have her come join me was really, really -Offering Whole Family Dentistry & Oral Surgery specialty care on an extended schedule incarcerated people as well as ones that mentor amazing, so we’re all excited.”

-Locally owned 7am-7pm and select Saturdays The trio told reporters before the event youth and feed and connect with our house-less neighbors. She works as a community engagement that they would like to see the city reinstate the coordinator with her neighborhood and recently Environment Committee, which in March was was awarded a fellowship to tell stories about her merged with the Community Safety Committee lived experiences. and the Housing & Neighborhood Development Committee. The Environment Committee, chaired Best Youth Organizers: Mary Ellis Stevens, by city council member Dimple Ajmera, was Krissy Oliver-Mays, Ollie Ritchie responsible for developing the city’s Strategic Mary Ellis Stevens, who along with Krissy Oliver- Energy Action Plan, which was approved by city Mays and Ollie Ritchie has been striking outside council in December 2018.

“While the committee was active, it was of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government No Insurance? No Problem! Ask about our in-house Dental Savings Plan Center and leading local efforts to support Greta extremely successful,” Stevens said, “and so if we www.StellarDentalCLT.com Thunberg’s Fridays for Future campaign, said can bring that committee and put power back in she was sitting in biology class on Wednesday, the hands of Dimple Ajmera and other city leaders, University Noda Nov. 6, when she received a direct message from that would be wonderful.”

9010 Glenwater Drive 2100 North Davidson Thunberg on Twitter letting Stevens know that Learn more: tinyurl.com/NerveClimateStrike 704-547-1199 704-688-7120 Thunberg would be coming to Charlotte for that

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Out of this world dentistry finally in your neighborhood!

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Best Nonprofit: Helms and Greg Jarrel (from left) with Q.C. Family Tree

numbers are ridiculously higher than what National Mental Health Organizations recommend. How can one social worker or psychologist for every 1,600 students identify warning signs for depression, anxiety, or worse, the intent to commit violence?”

During the summit, WakeUP organizer and Garinger teacher Tara Storm said she hoped that the event would help boost the voices of the oftoverlooked students. “Since we have so many people in attendance from all over Charlotte including school board members, teachers [and] leaders, hopefully they will be able to internalize this and do something about it, since they have the power,” Storm said. Later that month, the school board voted to redicrect funding from the county to student support services, which would fund child psychologists and school counselors, rather than put more money toward hiring more school resource officers.

This year, WakeUP students will work toward bringing more college resources, including advisors and counselors, into low-income schools.

Read the letter: tinyurl.com/NerveWakeUP Best Comeback: Moses the Street Preacher Over the years, Paul Irving has become a beloved fixture in east Charlotte, preaching to passersby at the corner of Milton and Sharon Amity roads.

Between the preaching and the big wooden staff he was known to carry, Irving eventually got the nickname Moses the Street Preacher. After struggling for years with homelessness, Moses finally landed an apartment earlier this year, only for it to almost become the scene of his muder.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

During a home invasion on Aug. 10, a knifewielding suspect stabbed Moses multiple times and left him for dead. He was found bleeding heavily in the stairwell of his new apartment complex, but eventually recovered.

Many community members heard otherwise, and they built a shrine to him on a shopping cart at the corner where he was known to spread his words of inspiration. When he spoke to Queen City Nerve just weeks after the attack, he said he was touched by the outpouring of support from the community, and as soon as his windbox fully recovers, will be getting to work on his podcast, Messages from Moses, so as to let his sermons spread further.

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveMoses Best Reporter: David Sentendrey Fox46 reporter David Sentendrey began reporting on lax code enforecement leading to unlivable conditions and health concerns at Lake Arbor apartment complex in west Charlotte in July 2018.

He didn’t just pack up his camera and go, he kept digging, confronting the local slumlord that owned the apartments and forcing city leaders to address what was happening there. He recently won a local Emmy for his continued coverage of the situation and also won Reporter of the Year from the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.

The App State grad has been telling local stories since he was a print reporter at the Enquirer-Journal in Monroe. He was also a kickass bass player in the Colby Dobbs Band, which doesn’t hurt his cause in a publication like this one. But alas, all good things must come to an end, as David recently hightailed

Best Cause: Mary Ferrari with Emerald School of Excellence

it to Dallas to take a reporter job there. I guess we can’t be greedy, so we’ll always be thankful for his hard work while living in our city.

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveDavid Best Nonprofit: Q.C. Family Tree Greg and Helms Jarrell moved into the Enderly Park neighborhood in west Charlotte in 2005, and though judging by skin color they may look like the harbingers of gentrification that has now more than ever begun to become evident in the neighborhood, they have spent the last 14 years actively working to become better neighbors through prioritizing asset-based community development, pushing back against newcomers and their ideas of how neighborhoods should operate, and helping those facing displacement as more affluent people move in and build fences — literal and figurative.

During the 2018-19 school year, the organization launched Here 4 Good, an afterschool program at West Charlotte High School in which students come together to discuss community issues and solutions. Lessons ranged from drum circles and freestyle cyphers to a Know Your Rights workshop that followed the fatal shooting of Danquirs Franklin by a CMPD officer near the school in March.

“Here 4 Good is about being positive, sharing your talents and using that to uplift everything that’s around you,” Here 4 Good facilitator Kayla Pinson said when Queen CIty Nerve dropped by for a session in May. “I tell these young people all the time that they are the most powerful people in the world and they’re just sitting on it and they’re

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

building it up, and as long as they are committed to improving and proving that positivity and that power, then the world will change; the world has no choice but to change.”

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveQCFT Best Cause: Emerald School of Excellence With a ribbon cutting at the Emerald School of Excellence in east Charlotte on August 17, Mary Ferreri opened North Carolina’s first recovery school, which serves students struggling with substance use disorder. A former health and fitness teacher and coach in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Ferreri became burnt out by what she saw every day among students. While at Butler High School, she couldn’t turn away from the rampant drug use that students boasted about. “I just really started to see how big the problem was, how things were getting covered up, and nobody was talking about it,” Ferreri said.

There were 759 reported drug overdoses among people younger than 25 years old between May 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018, in Mecklenburg County alone, and it was in that climate that Ferreri decided to take action. Recovery schools prioritize recovery over everything, and have been shown to drastically reduce relapse rates for students who return to school after going through a treatment program. In the first few months, students have visited Shining Hope Farms, Community Culinary School of Charlotte and Inner Peaks, where they climb twice a week.

“What’s been the most rewarding thing is actually hearing back from the parents [about] the

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positive changes and the thriving in recovery that they’re seeing [in their children] after school,” Ferreri prison companies like CoreCivic and The GEO Group. said during a recent follow-up. “That’s amazing and The private prison industry is in charge of detaining it keeps us fueled every day.” about 70% of immigrants in custody of Immigration Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveEmerald and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Local organizations like Action NC had been Best Way to Game the System: Growing Better pressuring banks to disinvest in the private prison Places industry for years. Wells Fargo announced that it In an attempt to include a wider range of people in would end its financial relationships with CoreCivic the feedback process for the Charlotte Future 2040 and The GEO Group in March.

Comprehensive Plan, city officials and consultants “I am glad that Bank of America decided to developed a board game called Growing Better join other banks in pulling their support from this Places: A More Equitable and Inclusive Charlotte, horrendous industry that treats people like cattle, in which teams work together to plan future instead of humans,” said Silvia Sanchez, an Action infrastructure projects including housing, parks, NC board member. “This decision strikes a big blow activity centers, walkable mixed-use development to Trump’s war on migrants and ICE’s campaign of and business corridors. Players must keep certain terror in our community.” themes in mind while planning development — Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveBofA including sustainability, connectability, inclusivity, diversity and health — all the while remaining Best Investment In Our Future: Greenlight fiscally responsible and within budget.

Fund, ParentChild+ Charlotte Seem boring? Don’t be so sure. When Queen According to Sarah Walzer, CEO of ParentChild+, a City Nerve dropped by a session in west Charlotte on national organization that works together with lowAug. 1, nearly 100 people were there with bells on, income children and parents in their own homes to and players at each table were getting enveloped ensure children are ready to succeed in schools, 40% in the nuanced strategies needed to successfully of children entering kindergarten in Charlotte aren’t plan for the continued growth of Charlotte. Results ready to learn in a classroom setting, putting them from every sessions were documented to help give on the wrong path before they even get started. feedback into the actual planning process for the In May, Walzer announced the launch of city. As Scott Correll with the Charlotte Planning ParentChild+ Charlotte, with the help of a $1-million Department told us at the event, Growing Better investment from Greenlight Fund Charlotte. Through Places made for a more interactive process than your a partnership with the Charlotte Housing Authority, average town hall. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years Charlotte Bilingual Preschool and the UCity Family and this is a completely different vibe in the room Zone, ParentChild+ will help ensure kindergarten when you have a game and you have a different way readiness for more than 400 Charlotte children. for people to interact,” he said.

Students who have gone through the ParentChild+ Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveCLTGrowth program are 50% more likely to be prepared for kindergarten and see 30% higher graduation Best Example of the Power of Protest: ActionNC rates than their socioeconomic peers. On average, Puts Pressure on Bank of America ParentChild+ children enter school performing 10 As pressure built from local activists and the months above their chronological age. public became more aware of the crisis at the “A day like today is a day that we dream about border — and by that crisis we are referring to often and then it actually happens,” said Dr. Stephanie the government separating families and placing Kripa Cooper-Lewter, then-executive director of the children in detention camps — Charlotte-based local Leading on Opportunity organization. “This Bank of America announced in July that it will cut investment connects directly to our early care and all financial ties to private prison companies that education strategies. It aligns and fills a gap where early profit off the detention of immigrants. The bank care recommendations were not being addressed and had long been a financier for Caliburn, which says, ‘This is something that we can do differently as a runs a detention center called Homestead under a community.’” government contract. They had also financed private Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveGreenlight

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Example of the Power of Protest: Hector Vaca with ActionNC

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Charlotteans, and questioned if the proposed plan would address the community’s greatest needs.

Listen here: tinyurl.com/NoozeHoundsSalesTax

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Best Connector: Christine Edwards; Amplify Charlotte Inspired by the disconnect she saw while working as a community relations director with Mecklenburg County, Christine Edwards founded Amplify Charlotte, an organization that aims to connect underserved community members with civic leaders and get them engaged in local government by creating “Civic Kits,” which are bundles of resources that make it easy for residents to connect with city, county and nonprofit leaders without needing any introduction. The idea kicked around in her head since 2016, then she launched it in 2018, but she didn’t actually get any events off the gound until this past March.

In the lead-up to that first Amplify pop-up on March 30, she explained why she felt the new Best Connector: Christine Edwards, Amplify Charlotte PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINE EDWARDS project was necessary: “There are 65 people moving excited” to hear the new buyer’s plans, which he to Charlotte every day, and if you don’t take control Biggest Tease: Purchase of Excelsior Club Ever since the Mecklenburg Board of County said would be announed in “a few weeks.” Well, it’s or if you don’t play a part in the way that your Commissioners voted not to use county funds to been a few weeks, Steve. Quit playing games and community is being shaped, then it’s going to be shaped for you. That’s why I think it’s everybody’s save the historic Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford in tell us something! responsibility to do that and I think it’s important for October 2018, a year and a half after N.C. Rep. Carla Read more: Stay tuned. the next generation to have something in place for Cunningham foreclosed on the property and put it up for sale, the future of the iconic club has been in limbo like never before. In May, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Excelsior Club one of the most endangered historic buildings in the country, in hopes that the designation would raise awareness and help find a buyer.

June 12 marked the passing of a one-year deadline, meaning that the Excelsior Club’s designation as a historic landmark could no longer save it from the wrecking ball. Eight days later, WFAE reported that Steve Robinson, owner of New River Brokerage — a firm that had been working with Cunningham to sell the property — confirmed that he was under contract with a mysterious “California investor” with intentions to preserve the building, which had served as an epicenter of culture and entertainment for the community after opening in 1944.

Then just like that, the deal fell through. In November, WBTV reported that Robinson was once again claiming to have found a new owner, though this time he wasn’t making any promises about preservation, only stating that people will be “really

Biggest Fail: Proposed Sales Tax Hike By the time November’s election arrived, most of the races had already been decided in the primaries, so “the arts tax,” as it became known, was the main event. The idea was to raise the sales tax a quartercent, generating $50 million a year in revenue for arts, parks, greenways and education. Supporters hoped it would help the Arts & Science Council overcome its fundraising shortfall, but it was the measure that fell short, rejected by 57% of voters.

Partnership for a Better Mecklenburg, an organization formed specifically to campaign for the referendum’s approval, spent nearly $1 million on TV and radio ads. Anti-taxers got the conservative Americans for Prosperity to man phone banks. So was this a simple case of “no new tax” conservatives defeating liberal support for the arts, as many tax proponents claimed? Not quite. In a Queen City Nerve editorial, South Tryon Community United Methodist Church pastor Ray McKinnon maintained that a vote against the tax was not a vote against the arts. He pointed out that the tax was regressive, disproportionately impacting lower income

them. That’s why it’s important to me. You have to own that.”

In 2020, Edwards plans to shift Amplify’s role from a one-year community project to a full-service boutique consulting firm focused on providing expert community outreach techniques for municipalities, nonprofits and corporations.

Read more: amplifycharlotte.org Best Podcast: ‘Charlotte Readers Podcast’ It’s never too late for a turnaround. Landis Wade was in his mid-’50s when he started writing fiction.

He took to it quickly, as the first story he ever wrote — a Christmas story meant only for the eyes of his family — turned into his first published book, The Christmas Heist. After that, he got involved in the local literature scene, joining the Charlotte Writers Club, Charlotte Lit and the North Carolina Writers Network. Wade was recognized multiple times with awards for his writing, and upon turning 60, he left his job as a lawyer and decided to launch a podcast. It was the least flashy midlife crisis a person could have, and we’re glad he did it.

Wade released the first episode of the Charlotte Readers Podcast in August 2018, and by year’s end

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Best Podcast: Landis Wade (right) interviews Kimmery Martin for Charlotte Readers Podcast

Best Hire: UNCC Urban Institute, Ely Portillo On April 2, longtime Charlotte Observer development reporter Ely Portillo joined the growing ranks of renowned reporters leaving that paper and announced he’d be joining the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. It wasn’t the craziest news ever, as the Urban Institute was long led by an equally talented former Observer reporter in Mary Newsom, but it was a great get nonetheless. Portillo got right to work, publishing in-depth work on the effects of our city’s rapid growth that often left us jealous. In fact, we got much of the info from the above bikelane blurb from yet another thorough Portillo piece (linked below the blurb), and couldn’t be happier that he remained in Charlotte rather than bring his talents elsewhere.

Read more: tinyurl.com/UNCCUIEly

Best New League: CLT Esports

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will have released 67 episodes over four seasons.

In fact, he’s outgrown the Charlotte literary scene, expanding to regional authors during the last year.

He’s talked to a few authors we’ve covered in these pages (Jeff Jackson, Greg Jarrell, J.A. Walsh) while introducing us to a bevy of other great talents on the Charlotte scene. It makes us wonder why he messed around in the courtroom for so long, after all.

Listen here: charlottereaderspodcast.com Best New League: CLT Esports When Team EnVyUs left Charlotte for Dallas, Texas, in 2017, Josh Richardson saw a void and decided to fill it. In November of this year, he launched CLT Esports, a league that he said is here to stay.

Richardson hopes to cultivate a scene for the burgeoning gaming industry here in Charlotte by hosting regular tournaments and other events. And these are not just events with a few gamers in the back room of a bar or other space, CLT Esports hosts high-stakes tournaments for thousands of dollars, and they hope to only get bigger. By mid-year, the organization was in talks with Charlotte officials and organizers of the Raleigh-based Playthrough gaming convention to bring a similar event to the

Queen City, and in October they signed the roster of former competitive gaming team Splyce to form a new Rocket League team called the Charlotte Phoenix, adding to other League of Legends and Call of Duty teams under the CLT Esports umbrella.

Read more: clt-esports.com Best New Event: R U OK, CLT? Mental health is a topic talked about far and wide today, but stigma still surrounds it, making it just as difficult as ever for people to seek help. R U OK, CLT? has made an impactful effort to end the stigma surrounding mental health in our community by offering people a place to expound on the topic.

On the third Tuesday of every month at The Evening Muse in NoDa, R U OK, CLT? employs a panellike presentation by allowing a poet, comedian and musician to each tell their stories through their respective medium before coming together on stage to discuss where they have been and what has or has not helped them through their struggle. Each month employs a different theme, such as sexual assault, suicide prevention, veteran’s health, mental health in the black community and more.

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveRUOK

Biggest Governmental Failure: Lake Arbor Following years of lax code enforcement and slumlord behavior that led to health problems and unlivable conditions, on July 1, the owner of the PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSH RICHARDSON Lake Arbor apartment complex informed everyone living in the 177 units left occupied at the time that Best Development: Extended Bike Lanes they would have to leave, in the most egregious People can find a way to argue on one side or the instance of displacement to occur recently in a city other of just about any issue, but this one would that’s struggling just to build enough affordable be hard to dispute: Charlotte is not a bike-friendly city. Is it taking steps in that direction, however? We Best Shut-’em-Up Performance: believe so.

West Charlotte men’s basketball The city took one of those steps in April when it opened the first substantial, protected, two-way PHOTO BY GLEN BYRD JR. bicycle lane in Charlotte, connecting the Little Sugar Creek Greenway near Central Piedmont Community College to the Rail Trail via Sixth and Seventh streets.

At first, it only ran about a mile, but it was only the beginning of something bigger: a two-and-a-half mile bike lane that will connect to the Irwin Creek Greenway on the west side of Uptown, scheduled for completion in 2021. It’s all part of $4 million in spending that the city dedicated to improving bicycle infrastructure, creating 10 new bike lanes per year.

Most recently, the city opened protected bike lanes on The Plaza coming in and out of Plaza Midwood.

That will probably piss off some people, but we’re all for it in a city where only 1% of the population pedals to work, and the other 99% hate their commute.

Read more: tinyurl.com/UNCCUIBikes

Join Queen City Nerve in discussions about local news topics over cocktails with featured guests on the Queen City Podcast Network.

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www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com/noozehounds

housing for those already in need.

While city leaders threw up a collective shrug, a community came together to help those who had nowhere to go. A group of local organizers formed a grassroots organization called the Tenants Organizing Resource Center to help inform residents of their rights, while Southern Comfort Inn manager Traci Canterbury opened rooms up for displaced families to live in. The county tried to step in where the city had failed, spearheading an effort to relocate those most in need through an organization called Community Link, though organizers such as Blanche Penn and Apryl Lewis who had been working on the ground said the organization was out of touch with the most direct needs of residents.

“The whole process is screwed up. It’s too academic and top-heavy,” Blanche said of the government response. “If you’re an MBA who’s never been in the neighborhood talking to people and all your experience is sitting across from them in a chair when somebody’s in a crisis, that’s not the response that we need.”

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveLakeArbor

Best Shut-’em-Up Performance: West Charlotte vs. Ardrey Kell men’s basketball Thousands of people showed up to Vance High School on March 5 and many of them were shut out after a state quarterfinal game between the West Charlotte and Ardrey Kell high school men’s teams became representative of bigger issues within the city and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The day after each team advanced past the round of 16, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced that the quarterfinal matchup would be held at Vance in north Charlotte, despite West Charlotte being the higher-seeded team and earning home-court advantage. Though the NCHSAA said the decision was made because of gym size, many said it was a discriminatory decision. While just 10% of Ardrey Kell students were on free or reduced lunch last school year, 98% of West Charlotte’s student body was.

Then on the night before the game, news broke that Ardrey Kell’s starting point guard had used the n-word in reference to West Charlotte’s players

in a Snapchat conversation. A screenshot of the conversation showed the Ardrey Kell player stating, “Bout to go fuck some more n***ers in the hood on Tuesday,” to which his friend replied, “Yessir.”

CMS announced that night that the player responsible for the post would not be playing in the game and had been indefinitely suspended.

Despite the distractions, the West Charlotte Lions won the game handily, 69-53, then went on to win the regional title with a 44-point win over R.J. Reynolds, but lost in the state final to South Central.

Read more: tinyurl.com/NerveDubC Local Issue That Needs More Attention: Life After Incarceration According to a report by the Prison Policy Initiative, the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people is at 27%, and grassroots organizers have joined in fighting for the rights of justice-involved people and pushing back against “the new Jim Crow.” Charlotte’s civic and business communities have become more engaged in reentry employment

following the 2019 release of many incarcerated people under the First Step Act and the potential for The Second Chance Act, which passed the NC Senate this spring (SB562) and is now pending in the House (HB874), to pass on a state level.

But we must remember that the “Ban the Box” movement — aimed at removing the check box that asks if applicants have a criminal record from hiring applications — is all well and good but is not synonymous with retention when it comes to second chances.

A recent lawsuit filed by Durham-based group Forward Justice could win back voting rights for more than 70,000 convicted felons in North Carolina, and look for organizers like Patrice Funderburg with Educate 2 Engage to continue that work with directly impacted community members on the ground locally.

Read more: edu2engage.com INFO@QCNERVE.COM

Best Podcast: WFAE’s Amplifier Best Radio Personality: 106.5’s Divakar Best Radio Show: WFAE’s Charlotte Talks Best Activist Group: The Humane League Best Activist: Kelli Baron Best Politician: Jeff Jackson Best Local Celebrity: Cam Newton Best Way to Get Around: Light rail

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Twitter Account: @TheTrolleyWalk Best Instagram: Black Wednesday; @blackwedco Best Blog: Off The Eaten Path Best Facebook Page: Burt Savage/Unknown Brewing (Tie) Best Festival: Bloom - Return to Roots Best Free Event: Festival in the Park Best New Thing: The Flamingo Revue Best News Story Of The Last 12 Months: Charlotte Wanting Out of RNC Best Area to Live: Plaza Midwood

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Best Way To Get Around Without A Car: Light Rail PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Best Coworking Space: Advent Coworking

Best Apartment Complex: Silos South End

Best Hero/Heroine: David Ledbetter

Best TV Station: WBTV

Best Church: Elevation

Best Local Sports Figure: Cam Newton

Best TV Personality: Brad Panovich

Best Place to Get Back to Nature: Whitewater Center / Crowder’s Mountain (Tie)

Best Local Sports Team: Carolina Panthers

Best News Anchor: Molly Grantham

Best Group Workout: AerialCLT

Best Local Mascot: Sir Purr

Best TV Sportscaster: Mike Solarte

Best Run Club: NoDa Run Club

Best Cycling Club: Unknown Bike and Brew Best Place to Get Hitched: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens Best Place to People Watch: Common Market (Plaza Midwood) Best Hotel: The Ritz Carlton Best Place to Take Out-Of-Town Visitors: U.S. National Whitewater Center Best Golf Course: TPC Piper Glen Best Disc Golf Course: Elon Park - Angry Beaver Best Rec Center: Marion Diehl Recreation Center Best Weekend Getaway: Asheville Best Camping Spot (in state): Most people voted to keep theirs secret Best Co-Working Space: Advent Coworking Best Non-Profit: Transcend Charlotte Best Event For A Good Cause: Flamingo Revue Best Support Group: Transcend Charlotte Best Place to Volunteer: Humane Society of Charlotte/Time Out Youth (Tie) Queen City Issue That Needs More Attention: Affordable Housing Best Use of Tax Money: The Arts Worst Use of Tax Money: Pro Sports What We Need More Of: Affordable Housing What We Need Less Of: Apartments/Condos

CONSUMER CULTURE

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STEP RIGHT UP and put your money where your mouth is. Just because capitalism is in its late stage doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy a little purchasing power.

Best New Place: iFLY Indoor Skydiving Skydiving is fucking awesome. When you step out of the door of an open plane for the first time all of your troubles seem to just disappear. It makes sense, seeing how if anything goes wrong in the air, they won’t be your troubles anymore. With a quick trip up to Concord, you can skip the long flight up and the risk of death by skydiving in an indoor wind tunnel at iFLY Charlotte.

You may see the pros flying around doing tricks through the air while you get your wing suit on to take flight yourself. The spot offers a ton of different group and pre-purchase discounts with a variety of programs available to the public and virtual reality options for you to fly over.

Morehead Street and South Kings Drive. Despite the proliferation of all things GPS, The Map Shop remains a cool spot to visit, full of world maps big and small, local maps neighborhoods old and new, hiking maps of the best places in the Blue Ridge Mountains, globes, flags and quirky gift maps for birthdays and holidays.

You can have custom topographical maps made of places that are important to you, like those favorite camping locations y’all kept so close to your chests in our Readers’ Picks. There is really no end to the capabilities of the cartographers at The Map Shop. Sure, you may not need a map book for toad trips anymore, but we enjoy watching how The Map Shop adapts and keeps things relevant.

Best Old-School Place: The Map Shop The oldest surviving map in the world dates back to 700 BC. The Map Shop dates back to 1991, when it first opened its doors at the corner of East

Best Local Products: Pollynation Apothecary As a young woman in her 20s and 30s, Carli Abram had her share of health problems that no one had been able to help her solve. Her hair was dry and Best Old-School Place: The Map Shop

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Tattoo Shop: Canvas Tattoo & Art Gallery

Mueller suited up in protective gear and entered the large, dark rage room, which looks like something out of a Saw movie, with concrete floors and brick walls covered in graffiti. With her weapon of choice, a softball bat, she trashed a car, glass bottles, coffee mugs and antique vases in an orgy of reckless, unrestrained fun. Green says rage rooms have been described as a “women’s secret society.” He estimates that around 95% of House of Purge customers are women from ages 7 to 70 who come to “rage out and have a good time.”

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

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Best Video Store: VisArt Video

lifeless, her digestive issues made her appear six months pregnant, and doctors told her she would likely be on medication for the rest of her life. She wouldn’t accept that.

Carli tuned into what her body was revealing and leaned into her background as a chemical engineer. She searched for natural solutions that didn’t mask issues but addressed the root causes of symptoms. She has since become a certified community herbalist on a mission.

In 2016, Abram launched Pollynation Apothecary, selling hair products such as deep

conditioner and hair tonic made with conscious, energy-infused, plant-based formulas, because if you can’t find the products you need, sometimes you just have to make your own.

Best Way to Vent: House of Purge Massage therapist Vantroy Green launched House of Purge, Charlotte’s first rage room, in 2018. The idea was to provide people with pent-up rage or anxiety with a place where they can break shit without having to be accountable for the damage. In a trip earlier this year, Queen City Nerve writer Jillian

Best Clothing Store: Store of the City People often talk of Charlotte as being two cities: the haves and the have-nots, the gentrified and the not-yet-displaced — two populations that are socioeconomically and racially segregated. Quietly nestled between these two worlds sits a quaint boutique appropriately called The Store of the City.

Its art-adorned walls and graffiti-painted shelves filled with statement clothing shed light on an underrepresented area of Charlotte. In an era of dog bars and countless breweries, this one-of-akind shop is a breath of fresh air; perfectly blending authenticity and unapologetic drip.

Born and raised in Charlotte, Store of the City owner and local artist Demetrius Ross has witnessed Charlotte’s growth firsthand. He looks at things optimistically. The growth around him coincides

perfectly with his mission to help other local artists reach their full potential. “I love Charlotte and I do like how it’s developed and continues to grow,” he said.

Ross and co-owner James Donel opened Store of the City in October 2018 “out of need and necessity.”

“When you’re an independent clothing brand, it’s harder to get your merchandise in a store,” Ross explained. “So, we as a team decided to cut the middle man out and make our own way.”

And make a way they did. The idea for the store was birthed as a means to host the in-house brand Trap Society Inc., started by Ross and Donel, and other up-and-coming artists. Ross explains, “I came up with the name because I’m from Charlotte and I’m always representing.”

He sticks to that mission by not only representing his own brand, but putting others on as well.

Featured within the store are brands like 930E, 1 of a Kind and LVC. Best Tattoo Shop: Canvas Tattoo & Art Gallery Community and tattoo shops have never truly gone hand-in-hand. Permanent artwork on your skin is seen as taboo, especially to boomers. Canvas Tattoo & Art Gallery broke through that mold a while ago and have kept pace since. Owner Jason Baker has been an integral part of community members coming together in the NoDa neighborhood, offering the Canvas space for meetings, networking events and fundraising functions. The artists keep a steady flow of appointments and walk-ins and have great portfolios.

It is the creative engagement of events like Thursday Night at the Movies, charity shows with live music, art pop-ups and variety shows of all kinds that boost the reputation of Canvas. Over the years, the shop has raised money for local causes on a face-to-face philanthropic level. Friends and families have come together at this space for years and will continue to as the shop expands, as Baker added another location just a block from the first one this year so as to help with those walk-ins.

Best Video Store: VisArt Video Maybe we should rename this category “Best Resource for Film Lovers,” or something like that, since VisArt is one of only a handful of video stores in Charlotte that isn’t adult-themed. (Not that there’s

anything wrong with that.) As always, VisArt is the go-to venue for classics, new releases and weird and wonderful WTF experiences.

On a recent visit, we scored a copy of Liquid Sky, the no-budget 1980s sci-fi epic where homicidal aliens invade New York’s punk scene in search of an opiate released by human brains during orgasm. If that’s not your jam, there are the less weird costume drama orgasms experienced by beautiful people in Outlander. But in the past few years VisArt has become a lot more than just a video store. In their comfy cool screening room, you can catch some of the latest finds from the Charlotte Film Society’s Back Alley Film Series, and several indie releases get their coveted theatrical run at VisArt — crucial for cashstrapped auteurs’ marketing budgets. Programming also includes the JokeSploitation Stand-up Comedy Showcase, and VHS Potluck, for which patrons bring in their long unseen VHS movies and get to vote on which one they want to screen.

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Best Pop-up Shop: Dudeapalooza This one’s for the fellas. Launched by Jon Wilson of WCCB’s Wilson’s World, this pop-up market is the perfect shopping experience for all Charlotte dudes and their loved ones. Wilson holds Dudeapalooza on Small Business Saturday, which means that you just missed it, which is too bad if you don’t have a Christmas tree, because those were a new addition this year.

This year’s event also gave attendees a sneak peek at Alchemy, the new bar going into the growing C3 Lab commune.

But in the end, Dudeapalooza is all about the vendors and the charities, as this year’s event raised more suuplies fo Classroom Central than any previous Dudeapalooza and more money than ever for Charlotte Community ToolBank.

Best Place to Get Creepy: Cold Blooded & Bizarre Three Chicago natives — Patrick Kamberos and Michael and Shay Edelen — opened Cold Blooded & Bizarre in February, not only to provide help for cold-blooded-pet owners like themselves, but to serve as a boarding location, funeral home and rescue operation, as well. In fact, the store was so inundated with people bringing in odd former pets that needed rescuing that the team is now in the process of forming a nonprofit rescue for all those little critters that don’t get the same attention as

cats and dogs but need the same amount of loving.

Say what you will, that’s anything but cold-blooded.

Best Bottle Shop: Salud Beer Shop It’s no surprise that Salud is Charlotte’s most renowned bottle shop. Even national publications feel that way. Salud was named “Best Beer Bar” as part of the 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards by USA Today. A NoDa staple, this shop features hundreds of craft beer bottles and cans from all over the world, 16 rotating taps, and wood-fired pizza (aka ZA) when you’ve had a bit too much to drink.

That’s not to mention, while you’re visiting, you can climb the trippy stairs (there are two sets) to check out Salud Cerveceria, a tasting room featuring an art gallery, coffee and 11 taps.

And there’s more. The word on the street is brunch is now available! As a beer connoisseur what’s not to love about a bottle shop that has all the beer you can drink and food to help you keep the lights on? We’ll wait.

Best Resale Retail: Buffalo Exchange The question is not what can you bring to Buffalo Exchange, but what can Buffalo Exchange bring to you. Here is the thing. Outside of being good for the environment, the best part about vintage shopping is that you never know what you might find. If you really want the full experience, set aside a couple of hours to get lost.

Buffalo Exchange has something for everyone.

This can be partially attributed to their consignment store model which allows them to cultivate a store that is as diverse, unique and bold as the city around it. Good luck walking out empty handed.

Tips to know before you go? Shop smart — bring items you’d like to upcycle when you plan to go. This way, if they accept any of your items, you can use any trade-in value towards your purchases in-store. And, don’t forget your bag! In an effort to be environmentally friendly, Buffalo Exchange does not use plastic bags. You’re going to need something to put all those incredible finds in.

Best Fashion Mogul: Samir Hamid You might recognize Samir Hamid’s Digital Apparel shop as the one with the sick Nintendoesque Charlotte sports mural on the side across the street from the Food Lion on The Plaza.

What’s inside is even cooler, as Digital Apparel doesn’t just print shirts per customer order, but Hamid and his team design their own tees that are better than most of the stuff you see coming out of the locally recognizable t-shirt companies.

What makes Hamid a mogul, however, is not just his style and his tireless grind, but his willingness to share his own work ethic with others.

This year, Hamid began holding free Digital Apparel brand development workshops, walking attendees through the legal, social and creative aspects of building a brand, in an attempt to get others as engaged as he is in the community, because that’s how you build a culture.

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Resale Retail: Buffalo Exchange

THANK YOU CHARLOTTE!

V O TE D B E S T T A T TOO SHOP 2019

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V O T E D BEST TATTOO AR T I S T  D A L L A S D A V I S

(980) 2 9 9 - 2 5 8 8 W W W.CANVASTATTOOS . C O M 3 0 1 2 N. DAVIDSON ST. C H A R L O T T E N C 2 8 2 0 5 2 9 1 8 N. DAVIDSON ST C H A R L O T T E N C 2 8 2 0 5

Best Stylist: Emily Warner of Bohemian Stylehouse Effortlessly cool, Emily Warner of Bohemian Stylehouse walks the tightrope between rulebreaking artist and poised professional with ease.

Whether you need a trim, your balayage brightened, or a full-fledged breakup makeover so you are looking (and feeling) “Good as Hell” (Hey, Lizzo!)

Warner has you clipped and/or covered. She’s not afraid to break a few rules, so in this quirky colorist’s chair the only limit is your imagination.

Beyond her coloring prowess and precision shears Emily is creative, encouraging, and boldly straight-forward. The pride she takes in her craft is plainly visible. Additionally, she treats every person that graces her chair as if they are one of her closest friends. One can only imagine the stories she has heard. An added bonus? She’s got really cute dogs.

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Best Salon: Lavish Hair Spa Locally owned and operated, Lavish Hair Spa and their team of stylists have gained a reputation for impeccable service and unparalleled natural hair care. Lauren Chanel and her team are flawless.Their goal? To foster not just confidence, but community.

To quote Chanel, the whole team at Lavish is determined to ensure everyone who sits in their chairs leaves feeling like they are “flowing, blowing and glowing.”

If you haven’t heard about them yet, you may have come across their work without even knowing it. Just earlier this year the cutting-edge dedicated stylists at Lavish were behind the photoshoot ready hair of models alongside local phenom Stacee Michelle. They offer a variety of services, but you want to get in early because they book up quick!

Best Yoga Studio: Yoga One The moment you walk into Yoga One you immediately buy into the hype of leggings, big sweaters, strappy sports bras, chakras and essential oils. Yoga One makes yoga look like a whole vibe that you want to embody for the rest of your life. Your best physical and emotional self is cultivated through a variety of “hot” yoga class offerings for everyone from beginner to advanced. You will sweat, you may feel inexperienced, you may not remember a single proper name for a pose, but you won’t be alone.

Instructors go through an extensive training program and some classes are accompanied by assistants that will help you adapt to the environment and develop your abilities. By the time you leave, you’ll understand what it means to have become a part of a yoga tribe and you’ll probably end up purchasing a journal to mark down your intentions.

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Collaborative Space: Be Social

Best Smoke Shop: Infinity’s End Infinity’s End is a smoker’s one-stop shopping center.

Be it products for weed, nicotine or whatever’s in between, an Infinity’s End location has likely got what you need. It could take an entire afternoon just to pick out a new bowl piece with their selection and if you suffer a loss to a dense patch of trees on the disc golf course, you can grab a new disc, too.

The locally owned head shop turned 50 years old this year, making the brand a Charlotte staple when it comes to smoking accessories. They’ve got constant holiday sales throughout the year and regularly throw parties at their South End location, and the team looks ready to make it a full century.

Best Book Store: Book Buyers Do you feel that Plaza Midwood is losing its cool, becoming a characterless wasteland of chain stores and overpriced condos bursting with tech bros and sports bars? A trip to Book Buyers will restore your belief in the goodness of everything funky and bohemian.

The best damned used book store in Charlotte has a boundless selection of best sellers, classics and curios, but the store is also a multitude of other things. Lee Rathers sells vegan products from her

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Record Store: Lunchbox Records

store The Greener Apple, housed in the front of Book Buyers. Cute and furry kittens, rescued by Virginia O’Riley, scamper down the aisles looking for you to give them a permanent home. Did we mention that owner Richard Rathers, who has been a coal miner, a school teacher and a pilot, is also building a full-sized airplane? It’s right there, hanging from the ceiling.

Best Flower Shop: Midwood Flower Shop Are you forgetting something? Featuring famously fresh flowers and same-day delivery, Midwood Flower Shop has you covered. A third-generation family-owned-and-operated florist, MFS has been crafting unparalleled arrangements for Charlotteans since 1956.

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

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Best Skate Shop: Black Sheep Skate Shop

Best Skate Shop: Black Sheep Skate Shop A skateboarding destination for over 15 years, turns out Black Sheep Skate Shop is anything but a black sheep.

In 2016, after spending 13 years in South End, the beloved skate shop closed one set of doors and brought their dream to Plaza Midwood. This year, with the loss of the beloved Armada Skate Shop in the same ‘hood, Black Sheep’s role became all the more important.

If you’re not familiar with the store itself, maybe you remember the Black Sheep x Nike SB Dunk High “Black Hornet” sneakers or one of their other Nike SB collaborations? For many it is not just about the store itself; decks, sneakers, and t-shirts aside, it’s about the sense of community that owner Josh Frazier has built there.

A Rock Hill native, Frazier took his love of skateboarding, his background, connections, and passion for that community and has created more than a store, he’s created an experience.

Best Skate Park: Oso Skate Park Owners Brett Coppedge, Phillip Gripper and

Chris Hos spent a couple years trying to find the precise location to build their dream skate park in Charlotte. They finally signed all of the papers and started the build out of their location in the Belmont neighborhood at The Hub at 933 in 2017.

Since then they have offered a space for bladers and skaters to ride freely indoors with no consequence of harassment.

Oso Skate Park is open to all ages and skill levels, offering summer camp packages for children and birthday rentals.

The park regularly hosts touring and local bands in their space at night and regular art shows like the PBR Fried Chicken Art Show. Each month Oso holds a Community Unity event in which they organize a production line of sandwich makers for our local homeless community. Follow them to find out all the rad things they do or bring a case of beer over and just sit and watch. Remember, skateboarding is not a crime.

people behind the counter when it comes to gear, prints and anything else you need. Biggs has always been the go-to spot for all things photography, and they still develop film, too! From the outstanding quality of the prints to available equipment and gear rentals, it’s the camera shop to call first whenever you’re in need. It’s well worth dodging the traffic on Kings Drive to get there.

Best Jewelry Store: Perry’s Diamonds & Estate Jewelry Locally owned and operated, Perry’s has been in business for over 40 years. But, don’t let owner Ernest Perry fool you — he’s more than just a business owner.

He ’s an auctioneer, a philanthropist, and an advocate for his community. You may have even seen him showing off his talents at one of many nonprofit events in town, including Justice Initiatives Evening at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.

The team at Perry’s is unmatched. With a staff of over 30, including 14 graduate gemologists, Perry’s Best Camera Shop: Biggs Camera also boasts both locally and globally recognized For photographers and photo enthusiasts, it’s jewelry artisans. always comforting to go into a shop and trust the

Whether you’re looking for something old, or you want to create something new, the team at Perry’s can help you find the perfect item to make a forever memory.

Best Collaborative Space: Be Social Enter on Central Avenue and walk straight through Social Status. Those are the simple directions to get to Be Social, a creative collaborative space tucked away behind the sneaker store, where local photographer and curator David Butler has held court since February.

At any given time of day, you can find some of Charlotte’s best minds connecting in the back room, and Butler and his team also host important panel discussions and other events that center creatives of color in Charlotte.

In fact, Butler and four other local creatives, including Dupp&Swatt founder Davita Galloway, recently announced the launch of Hue House, a creative agency for local creatives of color. One can’t help but feel that, with the success of spots like Dupp and Social, and now the collaborative launch of Hue House, we’re entering a new era.

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Best Gym: Opex

COURTESY OF OPEX

Best Record Store: Lunchbox Records Fourteen years ago on November 25, Lunchbox Records opened in a storefront in Plaza Midwood. It was a different world in 2005, a time before vinyl’s dramatic commercial resurgence when it seemed that physical media like records and CDs would soon go the way of the passenger pigeon. Instead, Lunchbox flourished, moving to bigger and better digs in the Belmont neighborhood.

Today, the bright blue building that was formerly a funeral home is a beacon to music lovers across the city. Owner Scott Wishart, who plays drums in local indie rock band Late Bloomer, hosts shows on the store’s stage for acts as diverse as Steep Canyon Rangers and singer/perfomance artist Andy the Doorbum.

Through it all, it’s clear that Wishart does it because he loves music.

Best Gym: Opex Small but mighty, Opex Plaza Midwood packs a punch when it comes to carefully crafted fitness. The team at Opex understands that just as every person is different, so are their bodies. They put an emphasis on putting the whole person first, assessing your goals and needs.

Then they create empowering personalized plans that are as unique and varied as the people the people they are for. Regardless of where you fall on the fitness spectrum, the people who walk through the door at Opex all have one thing in common — they are all working towards a goal.

Need an accountability partner?

Your Opex Coach is your new best friend. Need flexibility in your schedule? They’ll work with that, too.

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Best Grocery Store: Compare Foods Compare Foods is an oft-overlooked and underrated option when it comes to filling your pantry. With a handful of locations around Charlotte, you won’t find one on every corner but they are worth the trip.

Compare Foods checks off all the grocery store must haves: fresh ingredients, cheap prices and an abundance of herbs and spices you won’t find elsewhere.

If you’re adventurous and want to try a new food, or are looking to save a couple extra bucks, or just want to change up your routine, you won’t be disappointed.

If you’re lucky, you might even stumble across the infamous taco truck for a delicious post-grocery snack.

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Best Dentist: Adrian Lineberger of Lineberger Dentistry Best Doctor: Dr. Rhett Brown of Novant Health Best Plumbing: R&R Plumbing Best Car Mechanic: Nick’s Auto Repair Best Heating & Air Company: Morris Jenkins Best Laundromat/Dry Cleaner: Peachy Kleen Charlotte Best Clothing Alterations: Anna’s Alterations on Park Road PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

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Best Smoke Shop: High Life Smoke Shop

Best New Store (2 Years): Girl Tribe

Best Home Accessories Store: Sleepy Poet

Best Tattoo Shop: Canvas Tattoo

Best Local Product: Luma CBD

Best Furniture Store: Fab Fun Furniture

Best Piercing Studio: Sadu

Best Clothing Store: Royal Peasantry

Best Shoe Store: Nordstrom

Best Fitness Studio: AerialCLT

Best Consignment Shop: Buffalo Exchange

Best Bicycle Shop: The Spoke Easy

Best Yoga Studio: Okra

Best Place To Buy Vintage: Sleepy Poet/Rat’s Nest (Tie)

Best Hair Salon: Bohemian Stylehouse

Best Book Store: Park Road Books

Best Pop-Up Market: VTGCLT

Best Hair Stylist: Candace Stamper of Bohemian Stylehouse

Best Record Store: Lunchbox Records

Best Flea Market: Uptown Flea

Best Makeup Artist: Miranda Blankenship

Best Vape Shop: Charlotte Vapes

Best Gift Shop: Paper Skyscraper

Best Barber Shop: Charlotte Barber & Beard

Best Head Shop: Buddha’s Bazaar

Best Jewelry Store: Queen City Custom Jewelers

Best Nail Salon: Polished

Best Cigar Shop: Tinder Box Cigars

Best Fashion Designer: Royal Peasantry

Best Massage Shop: Okra/Mythic (Tie)

Best Sex Shop: The Red Door

Best Attorney: Irene King/Troy Thresher (Tie) Best Law Firm: Sodoma Law Best Real Estate Agency: Savvy Best Bank: Wells Fargo Best Spa: Urbana Best Auto Dealer: Scott Clark Toyota Best Vet: Long Animal Hospital Best Pet Store: Pet In The City Best Doggie Daycare: Carolina Doggie Playland Best In-Store Pet: Paper Skyscraper Best CBD Shop: Buddha’s Bazaar

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4TH LIVE AT THE MINT WITH QUENTIN TALLEY, MERCURY CARTER

DEC. 4th DEC. 10th

What: This free event is a part of the new Live At The Mint series. Attendees will hear from poet/actor/musician Quentin “Q” Talley as he speaks on the Mint’s Immersed in Light: Studio Drift exhibit. Talley’s presentation will precede a performance from local fashion prodigy-turned-soul singer Mercury Carter.

More: Free; 6 p.m.; Mint Museum - Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; mintmuseum.org/events

THURSDAY, DEC. 5TH POWER 98 WINTER BLOCK PARTY

What: Not only will this block party feature two acts who had the biggest breakthrough years a musician could ask for, but for one of them it will be a homecoming celebration. Charlotte-native Da Baby became the first Charlotte musician to hit no. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his album Kirk this year, and he’ll be joined by fellow breakout star Megan Thee Stallion, plus Fetty Wap and other big names.

More: $61 and up; 8 p.m.; Bojangle’s Coliseum, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.; boplex.com

FRIDAY, DEC. 6TH HINDSIGHT 2020

LIFELINE

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What: Alongside musical performances by Astrea Corp, Pet Bug, and Nic Pugh & The Bad News, this art show by and for Petra’s staff and friends (and you) will encourage guests to look back on the past and glean some wisdom from those memories to help carry us all into 2020.

More: $5; 8 p.m.; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

SATURDAY, DEC. 7TH FIREBALL’S X-MASS PARTY

What: No, this isn’t a party that’s fueled on shots of cinnamon whiskey, though that will surely be available, it’s Justin Fireball’s annual X-Mass party, featuring live music from The Last Drive, SuperJett, The Body Bags, Lil Skritt and Madd Hatters. That’s not enough for you people?! Watch performances from Stray Cat Sideshow, Sarah Hahn and Victoria Winters.

More: $10; 8 p.m.; The Milestone Club, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club

SUNDAY, DEC. 8TH

HAPPY HALL-ADAYS

What: Michael and Steven Hall of local indie rock band Swim in the Wild have included unreleased original songs in their set for this acoustic event, and in between musical performances will share their accounts about their experiences as siblings and bandmates. It’s like VH1’s Behind the Music mixed with actual music and a Christmas party thrown in for good measure.

More: $8-$10; 8 p.m.; The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com

MONDAY, DEC. 9TH PULLOVER WITH SPIRIT SYSTEM AND GUN JR.

What: Save for Knocturnal and the Muse open mic, there’s so rarely great shows happening on Monday nights, but this upcoming showcase of local talent is a diamond in the rough that is the beginning of the week. Pullover is a local dreampop-punk band led by Phill Pucci, preceded by Brett Green’s noise rock band Gun Jr. and Winston-Salem shoegazers Spirit System.

More: $5; 9 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

TUESDAY, DEC. 10TH ROBERT EARL KEEN PRESENTS COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

What: It’s been 50 years since man first landed on the moon, so Robert Earl Keen asked himself how he could incorporate this into his annual holiday event to honor the anniversary. The result was Countdown to Christmas: Lunar Times and Looney Times, a tour that pays homage to the extraordinary history of Apollo 11 and the holiday season.

More: $32.50 and up; 7:30 p.m.; Knight Theater, 130 S. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11TH DESI BANKS

DEC. 11th DEC. 17th

What: Desi Banks’ rapid rise to fame began with his role in Louisiana 1961 in 2016, and the actor and comedian has kept busy in film, stand-up and social media since. Banks is fitting the Queen City into his busy schedule with a performance at Comedy Zone.

More: $25-$40; 8 p.m.; Comedy Zone, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd.; cltcomedyzone.com

THURSDAY, DEC. 12TH

GC AND THE CUBAN COWBOYS

What: Teacher and Latin jazz artist Gino Castillo has showcased his talents internationally, and now he’s arriving in Charlotte for three nights with his lowcountry band GC and the Cuban Cowboys. Check out the multiple-award-winning group at one of six performances over three nights, or just bunker down at Middle C for all of them. Hell, you can even come back on New Year’s Eve for another one if you really dig it that much.

More: $29; Dec. 12-14, times vary; Middle C Jazz, 300 S. Brevard St.; middlecjazz.com

FRIDAY, DEC. 13TH SUNNY SWEENEY’S DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY CHRISTMAS

LIFELINE

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What: Houston country artist Sunny Sweeney is coming to Charlotte to celebrate the upcomong holiday, and she’s bringing her “family” of friends with her, including Bluebird Café vet Erin Enderlin and the mandolin-playing bluegrass North Dakotan Brennan Leigh, all of whom are high-functioning musicians, despite their dysfunction.

More: $20-$25; 7 p.m.; Amos’ Southend, 1423 S. Tryon St.; amossouthend.com

SATURDAY, DEC. 14TH ROBYN AND CHARLOTTE PRESENT: ‘YULE, Y’ALL’

What: Featuring the sibling Stamey duo that’s behind our Best Drag Show, Yes, God, Robyn O’Ladies and Charlotte Douglas return for the fourth annual Yule, Yall, bringing us into the holiday season with comedy, original songs, parodies and caroling — all infused with the Stamey brothers’ classic camp, Southernisms and quick wit.

More: $15-$20; 8 p.m.; Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elzabeth Ave.; visulite.com

SUNDAY, DEC. 15TH SALON TALK: BRYAN M. WILSON

What: Charlotte painter and collage artist Bryan M. Wilson has exhibited up and down the East Coast, but his heart remains in Charlotte. At this artist talk at Gantt Center, the public school teacher will discuss balancing life as an artist and an educator, followed by a student art showcase from Passport to Painting, a four-week immersive art experience hosted by the museum.

More: $5; 3:30 p.m.; Harvey B. Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

MONDAY, DEC. 16TH NIGHT OF THE LIVING MARKET

What: Snug Harbor’s first ever night market will feature hand-made jewelry, vintage goods, clothing, homemade beautyand-wellness products, hand-drawn comics, party pickles and more, all from local vendors like Banana Peels, Cosmosis Stones, Little Sey Salt Cures, Molly Poe, Path Attack, QC Thrift and more.

More: Free; 7 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

TUESDAY, DEC. 17TH LINDSEY STIRLING

What: Violinist Lindsey Stirling has had an impressive journey from being the receiver of harsh ridicule on America’s Got Talent to earning international fame. Today she is getting into the season with her Warmer in the Winter Christmas tour, which stops at Ovens Auditorium this December. Check out her variety of instrumental stylings, original songs and powerful covers.

More: $65 and up; 7:30 p.m.; Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.; boplex.com

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FOOD AND DRINK

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While folks in the gallery snack on circus peanuts, we’re looking for that other level. We all gotta eat, and whether you’re looking for a quick stop, a fancy dinner or something else, we’ve got you with some of the most talented personalities and tasty menus available in the city. You could read this section with a full stomach and still get hungry. In fact, take it as a challenge.

Best New Food Item: Israeli Hot Chicken, Yafo Kitchen In a year when people around the country lined up for hours in order to get a go at a fast-food chicken sandwich (and rightfully so, that #9 at Popeyes is fire), the team at Frank Scibelli’s FS Food Group flew under the radar with a local sandwich that packed its own punch.

The Israeli hot chicken sandwich was added to the menus at all three Yafo Kitchen locations this summer, and while it may not be creating lines all the way down the block, we’re more than happy to sneak in and order our lunch without having to deal with all that. But alas, the secret deserves to be out. Made with spicy red chug, chicken schnitzel and red cabbage slaw all piled on a bun, the Israeli hot chicken sandwich is a lesson in moderation. It’s filling, but not to the point where it will put you in a food coma like the Popeyes sandwich. It’s also spicy,

while not looking to kick anyone’s ass. The spice gives you a jolt, then disappears by the time your bite is down. It won’t have anyone running to the sink, but it’s worth running to your nearest Yafo to try out.

Best Pop-Up: Community Feast: A Charlotte Collaboration It started with an idea on the menu at Clark Barlowe’s Heirloom: host an eclectic meal aimed at inclusion.

The goal was to expose citizens of Charlotte to food they may not have experienced before. Just like Barlowe’s “Family Meal” menu option, admission price was based on the amount you could afford to pay. Tickets started at $20, increasing to $100 as the night of Aug. 18 approached.

Barlowe could reach guests in his dining room one plate at a time. With the help of organizers Jennifer Leigh, Keia Mastranni, chef Greg Collier and

PHOTO BY REMY THURSTON

Best New Food Item: Yafo Kitchen’s Israeli hot chicken sandwich

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGO MORRILL

Best Snack Food: Go Graze’s Lox Box

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a donated space for the evening, instead of a single “Daily changing dish to support our community,” over 200 guests, 60 of whom received free tickets, packed into Camp North End for Community Feast: A Charlotte Collaboration.

Sitting at large tables, they passed around platters filled with preparations from some of our city’s best cooks. People of all ages and a wide range of Charlotte neighborhoods gathered to enjoy beef brisket and shishito pepper sugo from Charlotte godfather chef Marc Jacksina, a foraged mushroom soup from Barlowe, and a delightful polenta cake from Ashley Bivens Boyd of 300 East — along with dishes from local chefs Bruce Moffett, Joe Kindred, Chris Coleman and others. Every platter was served family-style, reinforcing the theme of the night, proving that the lines between people in our city are so thin, they can be broken with bread.

Best Snack Food: Go Graze In November, personal-chef-turned-smallbusiness-owner Margo Morrill stepped out of private kitchens and into the public food industry to offer the city something new: Go Graze.

Collections of crackers, dips, charcuterie, cheeses, vegetables, candied fruits and pastries sit together beautifully in a variety of grazing platters that Morrill offers through her company.

Options like the Lox Box, Gathering Collection and Sweet Collection bring people together over buildable snacks and dippable veggies during special occasions, corporate functions and social gatherings.

Morrill hand-picks each ingredient and

assembles the boxes herself, carefully placing each component and marrying the ingredients from her own tastes. If there’s an allergy or a special request, she will fulfill it for you to bring a specialized grazing platter for your friends and coworkers to enjoy.

The collections start at $79 and can serve a small gathering of four to six people or can be made larger to serve a party of 25.

Best Urban Farm: Bennu Gardens Bernard Singleton has watched the development creep up around Savona Mill, where he runs Bennu Gardens, an urban gardening project he launched in 2014 and has since expanded into three locations.

Just over the fence from the mill, Blue Blaze Brewing has been in operation since 2016. Enderly Coffee Co. opened last year just a short walk down the street.

Singleton isn’t upset about either business showing up in his neighborhood, but he knows what they signify: gentrification.

“You know when you get a brewery and coffee shop, it’s over,” Singleton told us, laughing. Savona Mill itself — once a paper mill that served as the beating heart of the Seversville neighborhood — may currently look abandoned, but it will eventually be renovated into a mixed-use district consisting of retail, office and residential space.

But Singleton, who lived in a storage unit with his daughter upon moving to Charlotte and began Bennu Gardens with a bag of seeds he bought with food stamps, isn’t interested in playing the victim or giving in to displacement. He sees the coming change as another opportunity to adapt.

“We know the community is changing, but we’re working to educate people to be a part of the change,” Singleton said. “If you can become a stakeholder in the community, you can be part of the change. Change is not always a bad thing.

There’s not a level playing field, we all don’t get the same opportunities, but if you be creative and utilize some of those niches, we’ve been able to survive, and as this project developed, what we brought to

Best Coffee for a Cause: Farmers First Charlotte is awash with coffee shops and specialty roasters, so what makes Farmers First percolate above the pack? The difference lies in the company’s mission. Launched in 2014 by Matt Hohler and Robert Durrette, two friends who have each lived and worked for nonprofits in Central America, the company is focused on giving coffee growers a fair shake. Partnering with three Peruvian farmers, Farmers First offered the growers a 50% bonus above market value for their coffee beans. The economic boost proved crucial to the survival of the small farmers, who are often pushed out of business by market forces.

In 2018, when Trump and the Republicans were ratcheting up hatred and hysteria with tales of a rampaging Honduran caravan headed for the U.S.-Mexico border, Durrette and Hohler expanded their operations to include two new farmers from Honduras, making sure that as much money as possible finds its way into farmers’ pockets in that poverty-stricken and crime-ravaged country. “We’re going to keep growing, making more noise and PHOTO COURTESY OF BERNARD SINGLETON helping as many people as possible,” Hohler says. Best Urban Farm: Bernard Singleton, founder of The coffee is damn good, too.

Bennu Gardens

PHOTO COURTESY OF EDDIE’S PLACE

Best Breakfast: Eddie’s Place

the project, we will be here when this is developed.”

This year, he became a stakeholder in another community, opening the 11-acre Nebedaye Farms in Indian Trail on property that he leases from the Carolina Farm Trust. There he plans to build a processing plant and other infrastructure to help create jobs and turn Bennu Gardens into a profitable business by harvesting moringa, a superfood grown in Africa and Asia that Singleton has been learning to grow successfully in Charlotte over the last two years.

Best Farmers Market: Atherton Mill In a world where drawers overflow with takeout menus and meal kit offers, you don’t have to call out or send away for quick, easy, local options to cook a healthy dinner. Sure, the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market has everything from dino kale to bat boxes to donuts, and the local flavor of the Matthews Community Farmers Market is unmatched, but the Atherton Farmers Market is above and beyond.

Easy to access via South Boulevard or the light rail, for many fast-moving millennials and young families, it’s a perfect farmers mini-market. Once held inside, the farmers market at Atherton Mills now sets up in the side yard wedged between South Boulevard and the Charlotte Rail Trail, across East Tremont Avenue from Sullivan’s Steakhouse. All of your basic seasonal produce needs are here.

Call ahead and have someone at Windy Hill Farm reserve your eggs and pasture-raised meats. Be sure

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Best Brunch Item: NoDa Bodega’s avocado toast

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to see what the folks at Coldwater Creek have in season — from Burgundy okra to varigated organic lettuces to pearly white sweet turnips with greens attached — the pride those farmers take in their work is colorfully apparent.

Best Breakfast: Eddie’s Place The fact that Eddie’s in Cotswold serves breakfast all day long already gives them a leg up on a lot of the competition. You can order a burger with a side of corned beef hash during a late lunch. Got a strange craving for a gravy biscuit and pancakes alongside your she-crab soup at 9 p.m.? Go for it, just maybe take a pregnancy test when you get home.

The ciabatta French toast is the belle-ofthe-ball at Eddie’s Place. The same fluffy bread that supports their giant muffaletta gets sliced thick on the bias and dunked in a custard mixture before being griddled to crispy, crunchy goodness, leaving the inside close to its original, pillowy form. Accessories from fruit jam to honey to syrup to butter are simply a fashion statement on this otherwise perfectly crafted breakfast goddess.

Best Brunch: JackBeagle’s It’s a toss-up on any given Sunday to see what sort of crowd will show up for brunch at the JackBeagle’s flagship location in NoDa, but it’s rare that you’ll have to wait, so grab a seat inside and check out the no-frills brunch menu — an unspoken gem for a place known mostly for its cheesesteaks. Make

things simple with the Beagle’s Breakfast, or take things up a notch with the heavy Shit on a Shingle (who needs cheesesteak when you can have gravy steak?) or the classic Waco Eggs Benedict, which places everything you love about an eggs Benedict over two huge slabs of Texas toast.

If you’re feeling extra hungry, go for the big daddy, a breakfast hoagie that stuffs a ton of scrambled eggs, meat, onions, cheddar cheese and taters into a foot-long hoagie roll. You’ll be waddling outta there in no time.

After a bit of a hold up, the JackBeagle’s team finally opened their long-awaited third location at the site of the old Savor on West Morehead Street, making it a nice Sunday morning stop before you start your Panthers tailgating.

Best Lunch: Brooks’ Sandwich House With a flat top griddle seasoning since 1973, three generations of the Brooks family have put on their aprons and stepped behind the counter of Brooks’ Sandwich House in NoDa. First started by Calvin “C.T.” Brooks, the management — and the griddle — are now run by his twin sons, David and Scott.

After you fork over a fiver, a third-generation family member will return your dollar change for a hamburger, “all the way,”with chili, onions and yellow mustard at this cash-only joint, and say “Thank ya!’ when you pick up your order at the walk-up window.

It’s not only charming, it’s effective. Consistency makes for hot, crispy wedge fries, a well-seasoned

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Lunch: Brooks’ Sandwich House

and caramelized burger, and a secret chili — the Best Brunch Item: NoDa Bodega’s Avocado Toast recipe of which is only known to the brothers — that Avocado toast gets a lot of shit from a lot of different really ties the whole room together. people. Nobody who’s thrown shade at this often simple dish could hate on what Bryan Moore and Best Dinner: Lang Van his team at NoDa Bodega have cooked up, though.

What does it take to be the best? Consistency. The whole thing began as a snack for Moore and Versatility. Excellence in your chosen field. Is Lang his crew in the kitchen. They threw some of their Van the fanciest dinner in town? No, and it’s never avocado mash on a piece of multigrain toast with pretended to be. It’s Vietnamese food done with some cashew crema — a pureed blend of cashews, expert preparation and flawless execution. It’s servers lime juice, cilantro, lime zest — then continued to who make sure you want for nothing, and remember build on it. you and your preferences when you visit again.

“It was just the avocado and the crema, and it It’s a menu that contains nothing short of was basically just us eating it in the kitchen,” Moore delicious. It’s a plate full of fresh herbs and fantastic recalls. “And we were like, ‘Oh, pickled onions are flavors on every table. It’s a restaurant that’s there awesome on it.’ We used Cholula, which is my for you no matter what you need for dinner. favorite all-around, go-to hot sauce, and I was like, Need a lite bite after a workout? Get the temple rolls ‘Oh, this is good, too.’” or lotus root salad. Need a cure for a cold or hangover?

That base is just the beginning, and if you want Get pho or sweet and sour soup. Need something warm to keep things vegan, it’s a filling meal all on its and comforting? Get the cary tom or hot pot. Need to own. However, those feeling adventurous can pick stress eat? Get that crispy yellow pancake to crunch on. up where Moore and his crew left off. Gouda cheese, Need a caffeine boost? Vietnamese coffee. Date with a eggs, bacon and/or sausage are all options. vegan? They got a whole section for that. Need it to be affordable? It always is.

Best Takeout Spot: Oakhurst Grill There’s no way to go wrong with dinner at Lang It doesn’t matter if you have time to sit and eat or Van, and that’s why it’s the best. not, Oakhurst Grill doesn’t have any tables, so you need to get the hell out and go on somewhere. Ok,

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In the two short years Bardo has been open, owners Jayson Whiteside and Chef Mike Noll have made their Gold District restaurant the Gold standard for Charlotte. when you go, you can also delight in the knowledge you’re supporting an establishment that’s a positive Best New Restaurant: Sweet Lew’s BBQ presence in the community where it set up shop.

In the constant barrage of devastating news, 2019 Donald intentionally recruits and hires residents of has been a year in which we all longed for comfort the Belmont neighborhood and pays them a living and familiarity. And perhaps no food is more familiar wage, plus he’s been known to often give out free and comforting for Charlotteans than wood- smoked meals to his neighbors. barbecue and classic Southern sides. The past year saw the opening of two new spots specializing in Best Late-Night: Benny Pennello’s this cuisine. Both are critically acclaimed, but the A lot of pizza purists will talk down on Benny’s side of homophobia being served with every meal at sauceless approach to the art form, but let us tell Noble Smoke leaves a disgusting aftertaste. Thank you something that you already know: When it’s 2 God for Sweet Lew’s. a.m. and you’ve been bar hopping in NoDa all night, Chef Lewis Donald’s smoky, tender barbecue you won’t give a fuck how the pizza is made. That and spicy, tangy sauces evoke memories of backyard being said, the pizza is fine and anyone who says family meals on sunny days. His mac ‘n’ cheese and otherwise is just being pretentious. banana pudding recipes rival your grandma’s best.

With slices at just $5 a pop and coming out of His boiled peanuts take you back to gas station the oven the size of your whole-ass head, it’s a great stops during summer road trips you wished would deal for those late-night munchies. Benny’s stay never end. And if all that doesn’t feel good enough open until midnight Sunday through Wednesday, but

that’s a little harsh, as the staff at this unassuming spot on Monroe Road are more than welcoming any time we’ve come in for a grab ‘n’ go. As for the food, what puts Oakhurst Grill over the top are the inexplicably cheap items that are damn good and filling enough that leftovers are almost a given.

Oakhurst has proven time and time again to be the cheapest Postmates option for any hungover, high and/ or lazy afternoon. If you do make the trip and go inside, you will be in and out in under 15 minutes or $10. We wouldn’t call the staff of Oakhurst Grill culinary pioneers of any sort, but when you need a fast and cheap lunch or early dinner you certainly can’t go wrong here.

They’ve got salads, burgers, whole chickens, jugs of tea, fries, fried okra and squash, steak, Gyros, pork chops and the best damned chili cheese fries you can fit into a box.

Just no fucking tables. But that’s alright by us. After all, if they put some in, we’d probably never leave.

Best Takeout Item: Cuzzo’s Cuisine’s Lobster Mac Cuzzo’s Cuisine may package all their food in to-go containers, but you’re welcome to stick around and finish your food there if you just can’t wait to get home.

There are plenty of tables to sit and enjoy your food, and when we dropped by on a weekday afternoon earlier this year, it felt like everyone knew each other.

The atmosphere is one of the reasons Kathy Winbush comes from her home near Uptown down Tuckaseegee Road on the regular. The other reason?

The “world famous” lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. “I’ve had different people’s versions of lobster mac ‘n’ cheese but this is more authentic as far as that true Cajun cuisine, and they’re nice pieces of lobster,” Winbush said. “That’s an extra because it’s usually minced, but theirs is not.”

Best Restaurant: Bardo If you pay attention to Charlotte’s culinary scene, you already know this dimly-lit, 45-seat industrial space on South Mint Street serves up the most beautifullycomposed and sophisticated dishes in the city. With a seasonal menu of just a dozen or so small plates, every dish at Bardo feels special. It’s tempting to order one of everything. Doing so is not cheap, but it’s also not disappointing.

If you’re balling out on a date night or celebration, it’s the best thing you can do. And don’t miss the cocktails, which are every bit as focused and delectable as their culinary counterparts. If you’re unsure what to order, your server will guide you, using the perfect balance of friendliness and encyclopedic knowledge they’ve been trained to leverage.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARDO

Best Restaurant: Bardo

then they cater to the night owls by serving ‘til 2 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and keeping it open until 3 a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Our parents told us nothing good happens when you’re out past midnight, but our parents didn’t have Benny Pennello’s. Go in for one of the monthly specials — there’s always a meatlovers special and veggie option — or keep it simple with cheese, pepperoni or sausage, which are always for sale.

PHOTO BY JAYME JOHNSON

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Best Coffee Shop: Undercurrent Coffee

PHOTO COURTESY OF STAGIONI

Best Place to Share: Stagioni

Best Off-the-Beaten Path: Johnny Rogers BBQ & Burgers Every day is a special day at Johnny Roger’s BBQ & Burgers in Concord off Highway 29. By that we mean that every day of the week, owner Barrett Dabbs and his crew craft some super-ridiculous special item that will probably cause your belt to undo itself.

Does a Jalapeno Cream Cheese Cheddar Bacon Burger sound good? That’s just one of the hundreds of special options that have been created since they opened in 2018.

When you do inevitably make the trip up I-85 and stop in, be sure to grab a brownie sundae for the road. We aren’t the only ones that think Johnny Roger’s is a must visit, they were voted Best Burger and Best BBQ in 103.7’s ‘Best of Carolinas’ awards.

Barrett and wife, Sarah Dabbs, have been working in the food service industry in and around Charlotte for 41 years, so don’t go thinking that because they’re in Concord they aren’t as local as it gets.

Best Hangover-Friendly Eatery: Letty’s on Shamrock Curing your hangover at Letty’s isn’t just about the food. It is also about atmosphere. Pick your side when you walk into Letty’s: The bar side on the right where they’ll commiserate with you and serve you some hair-of-the-dog, or the white-tablecloth room on the left, where you’ll feel like you’re at a family get-together where you have to be on your best behavior. Either way, you’ll feel at home.

Add a healthy serving of honey pecan chicken with two sides and maybe some coffee, and that oughta straighten you right up. Diner-style counter service is recommended for two or less people. Even if you aren’t wearing your sunglasses indoors, Letty’s is Best Coffee Shop: Undercurrent Coffee a go-to weekend breakfast/brunch/dinner restaurant Former investment banker Todd Huber left the finance world shortly after a mistaken diagnosis on the oft-ignored east side of town. led him to believe that his wife, Erin, was facing just days to live due to advanced lung cancer. In fact, Best Place to Share: Stagioni Back in 2013, when chef Bruce Moffett was Erin later learned that she was actually dealing with discussing the opening of Stagioni — the Italian Hodgkin’s lymphoma, serious still but survivable. word for “seasons” — he said he was modeling it The experience inspired the couple to chase their after a very specific regional fare, similar to that of dream of starting a business together, and in 2018, the Delfina restaurant in the Mission neighborhood they opened the doors to Undercurrent Coffee, of San Francisco. That told us not to expect the Italian named after an underground magazine for creatives immigrant food of spaghetti and meatballs, garlic that Todd and his friends started in college.

The Hubers had a goal of providing a comfortable knots, or paninis from longtime Charlotte favorite Mama Ricotta’s — which has certainly earned space for their neighbors to chill out in, and comfort its rank as a perennial favorite among Charlotte’s is certainly key at Undercurrent, but the reason they Italian lovers — but rather the classic cuisines of the made it to the top of our list is plan and simple: The various and distinctive regions of Italy from Tuscany coffee is just that good.

Prioritizing meticulously sourced ingredients to Sicily.

From antipasti of cured salume, roasted and sustainable practices along with the cozy vegetables, and cheese to handmade pastas and comforts of their flagship, the Hubers have been seasonally-inspired sauces to grilled fish and rich successful in quick order, opening a second location braised meats, a traditional Italian meal is meant in Optimist Hall as one of the first batch of tenants to be shared. When Chef Eric Ferguson took over the there in August.

Their approach to the new location is much the kitchen this year to allow Andrew Dodd to open NC same as the original spot in Plaza, because as they Red in Plaza Midwood — also under The Moffett Group umbrella — he seemed to reinforce that say, if it ain’t broke. concept.

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Best Beer: Alpine Wiesen Oktoberfest Ale – Blue Blaze Brewing Whether it be the changing colors of the season or the drop in temperature, we all love fall for one reason or another. Well, at Queen City Nerve, we love it because of the fresh new seasonal beers that get released around town. Hell, we even threw a whole South End Oktoberfest this year we love it so much. Our choice for the Best Beer in 2019 is the Alpine Wiesen by Blue Blaze. The 5.6% ABV Germanstyle marzen is done up just right by our marzen standards. It has a toasted malt forward flavor that accents the German Noble hops well. The Alpine Wiesen is a good balance of malty sweetness and is only available seasonally. Blue Blaze usually releases it around September after two months of love and care getting it ready. Cheers!

Best Brewery: Free Range Brewing There’s a lot to like about Free Range Brewing, which brothers Jason and Jeff Alexander opened in 2015.

They brewed in small batches and 95% of their ingredients are locally-sourced from community growers. The flavor profiles of their beers are fresh and unique as a result. The partnerships the brothers have formed with local farmers, artisans and creatives are great, but there’s one partnership that has us especially excited about what Free Range has been doing over the last year.

Jason has partnered with Midwood Entertainment to bring in top-notch talent to Free Range, and also partnered with MaxxMusic to to upgrade and refine the equipment so bands can have a better experience.

“We want people to hear and experience this music, but we want to make sure that we are creating an environment that is at the level that the musicians deserve and that is managed in a way that is complementary to the quality of music that the musicians are bringing in,” Alexander said. “We didn’t want to have that kind of disconnect: ‘Man, that’s a great musician but this brewery sounds like shit.’”

Together with Heist Brewery just down the street, the craft brewers are stepping up big in a city that’s seen the loss of many mid-sized venues in recent years.

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Best Brewery: Free Range Brewing

the ones who did it first are still doing it the best.

Founded by Jay and Deanna Bradish and with Jamie Bradish running the tap room, Red Clay is a family affair, and they’ve spent nearly a half-decade trying to introduce South Enders to true cider, beyond that sweet stuff you’ll find in a bottle of Angry Orchard, deciding to skip on backsweetening the cider in order to make lower ABV ciders like The South End and Queen City Common.

On top of the great cider, there’s a lot going on at Red Clay, with weekly events like cardio funk and yoga, and even brunch on Sundays from FūD on the MūV.

Best Non-alcoholic Beverage: Not Just Coffee housemade Italian sodas Since opening in 7th Street Public Market in 2011, Not Just Coffee has expanded to open six more locations since, including in Dilworth and in Hygge on Jay Street. If you have good reading comprehension skills, you may have also guessed that the folks at Not Just Coffee do more than Best Cidery: Red Clay Ciderworks In July 2015, Red Clay stepped into an exploding just brew java. You’re going to want to try the craft beer scene and did things a little differently, housemade Italian soda, though it’s currently only becomes the city’s first cidery. Nearly five years later, sold at the 7th Street Public Market and Packard

locations, both in Uptown.

While the coffee shop (and more) rotates flavors of its seasonal syrups, including grapefruitmint, plum-allspice or cinnamon-orange, they keep things simple in the winter. So for the time being you’ll only be able to find strawberry, but that’s good enough for us.

Best New Brewery: Armored Cow Brewing As people living throughout Charlotte constantly bemoan the fact that we have “too many breweries,” UNC Charlotte students and craft beer heads in the University City area have long been wondering when it would be their turn.

The time has come. We made our first visit to the brewery, which opened in May, when Beto O’Rourke made a campaign stop there. He may have just been playing to the younger crowd when he kept asking for someone to hand him his beer every 10 minutes, but we were sipping in the crowd, and the beers are great. The tap room also has a welcoming open-air feel that’s good on a stuffy summer day, and the extensive gluten-free beer menu is something you don’t see at all the other breweries in town.

Best Cocktail Bar: Crunkleton During a recent two-hour discussion on vintage bourbons for a Queen City Nerve article, Gary Crunkleton was mind-blowing in the specifics of his bourbon knowledge. Every once in a while, though, he’d drop something about some other liquor — mezcal, for example — giving a fleeting glimpse into the well-rounded depth of his all-around cocktail mastery.

Crunkleton experienced growing pains early on; people were aghast — standing shoulder-toshoulder with the entire UNC Chapel Hill alumni association — when wait times for drinks became absurd in their first opening days. But I don’t want a place that plays it safe leading the way in our cocktail scene (For another exemplar, see Dot Dot Dot’s defiance of the silly ABC system with its latest barrel-pick).

Given time, the bar staff has certainly made progress behind the stick. Speakeasy favorites like the Old Fashioned and Sazerac bear the standard for classic drinks in our town. And with barrel-aging, a well-informed and talented staff, antique spirits,

and a seemingly-endless inventory of good booze, The Crunkleton will continue to blaze the way for cocktail bars in the Queen City.

Best Food Truck: Killer B’s Killer B’s on the swarm. When this yellow food truck hit the streets earlier this year, the nod to Wu Tang Clan was a nice touch, but that alone isn’t going to bring people back time and time again. What will bring us back is some fire-ass food, and that’s what Killer B’s has followed through with.

Looking to bring a bevy of high-end cuisines to the streets through the handheld form, the cooks work all sorts of hybrids out, including influences from Central American and Asian street fare.

Favorites include the Sloppy Joe empanada and fried bologna Bahn mi — and any item on the menu can be made vegan.

You can often find Killer B’s posted up next to Tip Top Daily Market on The Plaza, and make sure that whatever hungry hybrid you land on, you get the fries with it. There are no food trucks cooking fries this good in Charlotte, that we can guarantee you.

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Best Bakery: Manolo’s Bakery Manuel Manolo Betancur came to America from Colombia with $100 in his pocket, two shirts and two pairs of pants.

After working as a dishwasher near Tampa, Florida, and later unloading and packing fish behind an airport in Miami, he was selected for a scholarship to go to King University in Bristol, Tennessee in 2001.

He joined the Americorps in his last year of college, visiting farms in the Midwest and the South. This experience opened his eyes to the conditions that immigrants faced in this country.

“When I saw the agriculture department and low industry points, the labor of immigrants, and I saw how much they suffer and how hard they are working, it changed my vision about that reality,” Betancur recalled. “And that’s when I started noticing the hypocrisy of the system and how broken the [immigration] system is.”

That’s why he’s made sure to always support his fellow immigrants in times of need. When Immigrations and Customs Enforcement conducted raids on the east side of Charlotte in early February, it hit his pockets hard.

According to Betancur, business dropped 70% in 36 hours, as families in the immigrant-heavy east Charlotte were afrad to leave their homes. Betancur considered closing shop and moving to a different

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANOLO’S

Best Bakery: Manolo Betancur of Manolo’s Bakery

city — one that is more immigrant-friendly.

But the response of the community and the outpouring of support from those visiting and promoting Manolo’s Bakery persuaded him to drop those plans.

“Thanks to the community, I changed my plans,” he explained. “Because there have been too many demonstrations of love and affection and sense of community that have made me realize that good people are more than the bad people, and the bad people is just a minority.”

Best Chef: Greg Collier It’s been a long time coming, but 2019 was Greg Collier’s year. In January, he and his wife, Subrina, moved their beloved brunch spot, The Yolk, from Rock Hill to 7th Street Public Market in Uptown.

This was just after Collier returned from a national tour with Soul Food Sessions, a dinner series he cofounded to support and uplift people of color in the restaurant industry.

The following month, he became a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in the Southeast. He also coheadlined a sold out, 200-person pop-up with Jarobi of A Tribe Called Quest, which, for a lover of 90’s hip-hop, is almost as cool as the recognition from James Beard.

Best Vegan Chef: Chef Joya

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Last summer, he and Subrina started work on their latest project: a Memphis-style juke joint called Leah and Louise, which will be the first restaurant at Camp North End. In September, Collier and the Soul Food Sessions crew cooked at the James Beard House. And in November, he won a coveted trophy for best chicken wings in Charlotte at Yelp’s Wing Fling.

Between all that, he somehow still found time to guest chef and speak at numerous community events supporting diversity, sustainability and nonprofits such as Heal Charlotte.

It’s safe to say Collier has owned the hell outta the last 12 months, and he’s taken all of Charlotte along for a delicious ride on his unwavering mission to enrich our palates, minds and culinary community.

Best Vegan Chef: Chef Joya For the first 34 years of her life, Adjoa Courtney was just an artist who liked to cook. Over the last year and a half, she’s become one of Charlotte’s most sought-after vegan cooks thanks to her talent for turning traditional soul food favorites into vegan masterpieces, whetting the appetites of carnivores and omnivores alike.

As a young girl dancing in an African Dance Company in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Courtney spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her grandmother while her mother

was at work.

Courtney’s mother was vegan, and thanks to a traumatizing incident involving an allergic reaction to a bratwurst at a cookout when she was 7 years old, Courtney jumped on that boat without hesitation.

Twenty years later in 2011, Courtney moved to Charlotte to escape the cold Milwaukee winters and be with her brothers, who were attending Johnson C. Smith University. She worked full-time as a freelance makeup artist, hired on by production companies for commercials, corporate videos, short films and the like.

She had since become a flexitarian, sometimes incorporating meat into her mostly vegan diet. One thing about her culinary habits remained steady: she loved to cook.

Her friends encouraged her to attend culinary school. Her mentor told her that might not be necessary, as she already harbored such natural talent. It wasn’t until her mentor tasted one of her vegan creations, picked up from her childhood, that Courtney’s future became clear.

“I gave her some vegan food one day and she was like, ‘What is this? This is your niche! This is what you need to be doing!’” Courtney remembers, laughing. “To me it was nothing. That’s the stuff I grew up with. I’m like, ‘Who wants this?’ Come to find out, everybody want it.”

So Courtney became Chef Joya and hopped

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHEF JOYA

around a bit as a culinary freelancer — beginning as a meal prepper, then working as a private chef.

Since last summer, she’s been building a brand for herself outside of the private kitchens.

In 2018, she won Vegan Outreach’s Mac Down Charlotte vegan mac and cheese competition, which led to numerous appearances at local festivals and pop-ups, and has made herself known with one of the most popular booths at the annual VegFest.

Her star is only beginning to rise, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.

Best Transition: 300 East She nurtured it and she brought it praise. So when chef Ashely Bivens Boyd handed over the dessert

program at 300 East to her pastry sous chef and mentee, Laney Jahkel-Parrish, it couldn’t have been easy. Of course, Boyd had no lack of confidence in her protege, but that was her baby!

More specifically, that was Boyd’s tres leches cakes that got the attention of Food & Wine magazine in 2017, with Southern Living following in 2018, as they applauded the work of Boyd and Paul Verica, now chef owner of The Stanley, among “The South’s Best Desserts” during their stint together at Heritage in Waxhaw.

But while Boyd was featuring celery ice cream or pumpkin cheesecake with a Peruvian pepper puree, the kitchen was afraid of scaring away guests seeking their favorite dishes. A dedication to pleasing its most valued and loyal customers kept Boyd and team from pushing too many boundaries — especially on the savory menu.

The talent of Jahkel-Parrish and the steadfastness of its kitchen staff has made so silky the transition at 300 East that few noticed anything other than a breath of fresh seasonality into a kitchen long hamstrung by its own success.

Now with Jahkel-Parrish in control of the dessert program — with the assistance of guest pastry chefs like Miranda Lamb — the ceiling is high and the air is sweet for this restaurant team.

Best Local Product: Cloister Honey Leading up to Christmas 2006, Joanne de la Rionda felt like her husband, Randall York, needed a hobby.

Between his banking job and the moving company he independently owned, he had been running himself ragged. The couple didn’t have much of a garden or anything else going on in the yard of the home they had recently bought in the Cloisters neighborhood of south Charlotte. So rather than get him gardening tools, she bought him a beehive.

Thirteen years later, that gift has changed the lives of the couple, who have both quit their jobs and work

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popular with many folks his age.

Starks connected with fellow Charlotte chefs Greg Collier and Calvin Wright at an event they worked together about a year ago, he said, and eventually pitched them both on the idea for a hip-hop themed dinner. They were all able to reconnect in April of this year to get things rolling. They also brought on Jamie Barnes from the What the Fries food truck and Oscar James. From there, they brought on local mixologist Yashira Mejia, aka Yoshi, to take care of spirituous needs, and it’s been popping ever since.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAYME JOHNSON PHOTO BY PETER TAYLOR

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Best Chef: Greg Collier

Left In the Best Hands: Dish Sold to Lewis Donald

any major changes to the neigborhood staple. full-time as co-owners of Cloister Honey, producing The changes he has made so far, including adding about 4,000 pounds of artisanal honey a year and milkshakes to the menu and opening up for brunch selling even more in over 40 states around the country. on Sunday mornings, are more than fine by us.

With colony collapse a constant worry since the business started in 2007, York and de la Rionda ride a Coolest Culinary Event: Serving the Culture constant roller coaster that can take dips at any time. Hip-Hop + Food = Happiness.

It’s an inarguable equation that serves as the basis Last fall, they inexplicably lost 65% of their bees. This for a new dinner series titled Serving the Culture (STC), year, they’re keeping 35 hives alive, down from their brought to you by a few of Charlotte’s culinary creatives average, which sits somewhere between 50 and 60.

Despite the struggles, the Cloister company has who share a passion for cuisine and classic verses.

Each Serving the Culture iteration is based on continued to expand and adapt. Last November, York and de la Rionda launched a sister company, Great a chosen hip-hop group and, from there, all menu River Hemp Company, selling CBD-infused honey and items are centered around that group’s personality, beeswax products like body oils, lip balms and tinctures. music and effect on the culture. In June, STC held a Wu-Tang-themed event that integrated Chinese Left In the Best Hands: Dish Sold to Lewis Donald martial arts, pop culture references, comic books, When we broke the story that Penny Craver and her Biblical tales, Greek mythology, numerology, Zen two co-owners would be selling their popular Plaza Buddhism and more.

One September event focused on the legendary Midwood diner Dish in September, Craver was still hip-hop duo from down I-85 South: Outkast. The staying mum on who was the buyer. It came at an “SpottieOttieDopalicious dinner” was named after uneasy time for the neighborhood, as the closure of the long-standing Dairy Queen had just been the iconic song from Big Boi and André 3000’s announced along with the sale of a huge piece Aquemini album.

STC co-founder Shelton Starks said his love of land in the heart of the neighborhood, raising for cooking began when he was a teenager. The questions about redevelopment.

When Kristen Wile with Unpretentious Palate necessity was born of his mother’s crack addiction, later reported that Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s leaving him to feed and take care of his two younger BBQ was the one buying Dish, we could all breathe brothers much of the time.

Starks grew up in the early days of hip-hop, days a little easier. As should be evident in the fact that of beatboxing and breakdancing, and said he loves we named Sweet Lew’s Best New Restaurant, we are everything about the culture. He added that he still certainly confident in Lewis’ skills as a restaurateur.

We’re also happy with his promise not to make loves the music being released today, though it’s not

Best Compromise: Craft Beer Distribution & Modernization Act After a two-year battle against backroom politics in the NCGA over the 25,000-barrel cap on production for selfdistributing North Carolina breweries, a compromise has been reached.

The Craft Freedom coalition, founded by Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s John Marrino and NoDa Brewing’s Todd Ford, can now breathe a sigh of relief — and pat themselves on the back for a fight well fought — as the Craft Beer Distribution & Modernization Act, which passed in March, doubled the cap for self-distribution to 50,000 barrels per year.

Since 2017, local brewers have been vocal about the pressure put on NC lawmakers by wholesale distribution companies in an attempt to update an aged bill that essentially ceased the growth of local companies like OMB and NoDa Brewing. The old law stated that any brewery making more than that 25,000 barrel-per-year cap would need to sell the rights to their brand to a wholesaler for distribution.

It is not certain when the new bill will go into effect, but this was a definite win for small businesses around the state as the brewery fetish booms.

Biggest Loss of a Staple: Dairy Queen on Central In 1950, Robert F. Hewitt opened a Dairy Queen franchise in a small cement block building on the corner of Pecan and Central avenues in Plaza Midwood.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, the first ice cream cone was vended from the new business on March 1, 1950. The last was served on November 1, 2019.

For many patrons, the business was the heart of the neighborhood.

Owner Lacy Walters, 86, did not want to leave the iconic landmark. “People tell us we’ve been coming here 40 years, 30 years, and we are proud of that,” Walters told WBTV. But Aston Properties, which owns the land the store sits upon, clearly doesn’t give a shit.

In a statement, the company said: “We will now begin the process of identifying a replacement tenant that will be a long-term asset to the neighborhood.”

They didn’t even have the decency to acknowledge that “a long-term asset to the neighborhood” is what they just gutted.

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PHOTO BY AUSTIN BROOKS

Coolest Culinary Event: Serving the Culture

Best Pho-king Pho: Pho Hoa Noodle Soup Best Fries: Pinky’s Westside Grill Best Taco: Sabor Latin Street Grill Best Hot Dog: JJ’s Red Hots Best Wings: Kristophers Bar & Restaurant/Seoul Food Meat Company (Tie) Best Chinese: Ma Ma Wok Best Vietnamese: Lang Van Vietnamese PHOTO COURTESY OF ROOTS CAFE

Best Farm-To-Table: Roots Cafe

Best Late-Night Eatery: The Diamond

Best East Charlotte Restaurant: Lang Van Vietnamese

Best Chef: Chef Joya

Best Uptown Restaurant: The Cellar at Duckworth’s

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Best Farm-To-Table Restaurant: Roots Cafe

Best Doughnuts: Your Mom’s Donuts/Duck Donuts (Tie) Best Barbeque: Midwood Smokehouse

Best North Charlotte/University Restaurant: Veltree Best Soul Food: Mert’s Heart & Soul Best Vegan Food: Best Wait Staff/Service: Bean Vegan Cuisine Eddie V’s Prime Seafood Best Steakhouse: Beef ‘n Bottle Steakhouse Best South End Restaurant: Most Overrated Restaurant: Futo Buta Fahrenheit/Vivace (Tie) Best Seafood: Sea Level NC Best NoDa Restaurant: Best Patio: Haberdish Roots Cafe Best Tapas: Soul Gastrolounge Best Ballantyne Restaurant: Best Breakfast: The Blue Taj/Cabo Fish Taco (Tie) Famous Toastery Best Juice Bar: Viva Raw Best West Charlotte/Steele Creek Restaurant: Best Lunch: Pinky’s Westside Grill Roots Cafe Best Pizza: Pure Pizza Best Plaza Midwood Restaurant: Best Hangover-Friendly Eatery: Soul Gastrolounge The Diamond Best Sandwich: Common Market Best South Park Restaurant: Best Brunch: Bulla Gastrobar 300 East Best Burger: Bang Bang Burgers

Best Japanese: Nakato Best Thai: Thai Taste Best Korean: Let’s Meat Best Sushi: New Zealand Café Best French: La Belle Helene Best Italian: Mama Ricotta’s Best Middle Eastern: Kabab-Je/La Shish Kebob (Tie) Best Mexican: Three Amigos Best Indian: Copper Modern Indian Restaurant Best Caribbean: Mango’s Caribbean Restaurant/Anntony’s Caribbean Café (Tie) Best Frozen Treat: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

THank you Charlotte

Best Bakery: Amelie’s French Bakery Best Bagels: Poppy’s Bagels & More Best Dessert: Amelie’s French Bakery Best Gourmet/Special Food Store: Reid’s Fine Foods

PHOTO BY REMY THURSTON

Best Barbecue: Midwood Smokehouse

Best Health Food Store: Berrybrook Farm Natural Foods

Best New Brewery (Last Two Years): Divine Barrel Brewing/Town Brewing Company (Tie)

Best International Food Store: Super G Mart

Best Bottle Shop: Salud Beer Shop

Best Food Truck: The Dumpling Lady

Best Bloody Mary: Moo & Brew

Best Farmer’s Market: Charlotte Regional Farmers Market

Best Cocktail: Haberdish

Best Ice Cream: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Best Margarita: Paco’s Tacos & Tequila

Best Coffee: Not Just Coffee/Central Coffee Company (Tie)

Best Distillery: Doc Porter’s

Best Wine Selection: Reid’s Fine Foods

Best Mocktail: SUM Bucha

BEST MOCKTAIL

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Best Brewery: Birdsong Brewing Company

FOOD & DRINK CATEGORY

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D I LWO RT H

THE BUZZ

BAKERSFIELD

Monday: $3 Jack Daniels Tuesday: $3 Tres Generaciones, $10 Don Julio 1942 Wednesday: $3 Bulleit Bourbon Thursday: $3 Espolon Friday: $3 George Dickel No. 8 Saturday: $3 Lunazul Sunday: $3 Larceny Bourbon 300EAST

Monday: 1/2 off wines by the glass Tuesday: 1/2 off beer cans and glasses of Italian reds Thursday: $3.50 local drafts, $8.50 Matilda Wong cocktails Sunday: 1/2 off wine bottles, $5 mimosas & bloody marys, $6 Bellinis BAD DADDY’S BURGER BAR

Monday: 20-oz. draft for 16-oz. price Tuesday: $5 specialty cocktails Wednesday: $3.50 local drafts Saturday-Sunday: $5 mimosas & bloody marys DILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD GRILLE

Monday: $4 Crown & Down Tuesday: $4 drafts, $12 pitchers, $5 flights of North Carolina drafts Wednesday: 1/2 off wine bottles and martinis Thursday: $12 domestic buckets, $18 import buckets Friday: $3 craft drafts, $5 flavored vodka Saturday: $5 mason jar cocktails Pg. 41 Dec. 4 - Dec.17, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

SUMMIT ROOM

Tuesday: $4 drafts Wednesday: 1/2 off glasses of wine Thursday: $7 Summit cocktails

Wednesday: $6 you-call-it, 1/2 off wine bottles Thursday: $4 wells, 1/2 off specialty cocktails Friday: $5.50 Guinness and Crispin, $6 vodka Red Bull Saturday-Sunday: $4 bloody marys and mimosas, $15 mimosa carafes MAC’S SPEED SHOP

Monday: $3 pints, $5 Tito’s Tuesday: 1/2 price wine, $3 mystery draft Wednesday: $4 tall boys, $5 Lunazul Blanco Thursday: $3 mystery cans and bottles, $4 Jim Beam Saturday: $1 off North Carolina pints Sunday: $4 mimosas & bloody marys GIN MILL

Monday: $5 Tito’s and New Amsterdam Tuesday: 1/2 price wine Wednesday: $4 draft beer Thursday: $2.50 PBR, $5 Jack Daniels and Tito’s

U P T OW N THE LOCAL

Monday: $7 Casamigos, $2 Natty Boh and Miller High Life, $5 Jager Tuesday: $3 Modelo, $5 house margaritas, $5 Don Julio Wednesday: $5 Crown & Down, $3 Southern Tier Thursday: $5 Captain Morgan, $7 craft mules, $16 Bud Light buckets Friday: $3 Jell-O shots, $4 drafts, $5 wells Saturday: $3 PBR, $5 Jager Sunday: $7 loaded mimosa, $7 Grey Goose bloody mary, $16 Bud Light buckets THE DAILY TAVERN

SOUTH END

Wednesday: $5 whiskey Thursday: $4 pint night Sunday: $4 Miller Lite, $6 bloody marys

Monday: 1/2 off select pints Tuesday: Free beer tasting 5-7 p.m.

Wednesday: $2 off select pints, wine tasting 5-7 p.m.

Monday: $3 select drafts Tuesday: $15 select bottles of wines Saturday-Sunday: Bloody mary bar

COMMON MARKET SOUTH END

BIG BEN PUB

Monday: $6 beer cocktails, $2 off vodka Tuesday: $8 mules, 1/2 off gin

DANDELION MARKET

ROXBURY

Friday: $5 flavored vodka drinks, $5 fire shots, $3 bottles

Saturday: $5 fire shots, $4 ZIMA, $3 bottles WORLD OF BEER

Monday: $2 off North Carolina drafts and spirits Tuesday: 25 percent off bottles and cans, $5 mules Wednesday: 1/2-priced wine, wheats and sangrias Thursday: $4 old school, $4 well, $4 signature shots Friday-Saturday: $3 shot of the week Sunday: $2 mimosas, $3 bloody marys & beermosas PROHIBITION

Tuesday: 1/2 off everything Wednesday: $3 drafts Thursday: $2 PBR, $6 vodka Red Bull Friday-Saturday: $4 call-its

N O DA

CABO FISH TACO

Monday: $5 El Cheapo margarita Tuesday: $3.50 Tecate and Tecate Light, $5 Altos silver tequila Wednesday: $7 Absolut Lime Moscow mule Thursday: $1 off neighborhood beers on draft Friday-Saturday: $8 margarita special Sunday: $5 mimosas, $6 Absolut Peppar bloody mary, $7 Absolut Lime Moscow mule JACKBEAGLE’S

Monday: $5 Cuervo margaritas Tuesday: $3 drafts, $5 vodka Red Bull Wednesday: $1 off whiskey Thursday: $6 Deep Eddy’s vodka Red Bull Friday: $5 Fun-Dip shots, $5 Crown Black Saturday: $5 Gummy Bear shots, $5 big mimosa, $6.50 double bloody mary Sunday: $5 big mimosa, $6.50 double bloody mary SANCTUARY PUB

Monday: $7 Bulleit and Bulleit Rye, $3 Yuengling and PBR APA Tuesday: $6 Tuaca, $6 Tullamore Dew Wednesday: $3 Birdsong beers, $5 Sauza, Thursday: $2 Bartender Bottles, $6 Crown Royal

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Some may say the arts had a tough year, but we beg to differ. Just because the taxpayers won’t be funding arts in our city, that doesn’t change the fact that the scenes have been getting stronger here every year. From visual artists to musicians to actual circus performers, these are the people leading that charge.

Best Creative: Jonell Logan Jonell Logan is devoted to the arts. After working at various museums, the New York native moved to Charlotte in 2013. Following a stint at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, she started her own consulting company, the 300 Arts Project, and became executive director of the Charlotte-based nationwide nonprofit, the League of Creative Interventionists. The organization identifies people working on projects that can benefit communities throughout the city, Logan says, then encourages those individuals to apply for fellowships which provides them with the funds, mentoring and peer support that can make their work succeed.

Recent fruits of the League’s intervention can be seen in an Afro-Caribbean garden that grows traditional medicinal plants, a mobile maker space that brings creative programming to all ages and a storytelling project that preserves the culture of neighborhoods falling prey to gentrification.

Best Muralist: Georgie Nakima There’s no mathematic muralist quite like Georgie Nakima in our city, and that’s what makes her work so damn intriguing to look at. Putting to use her degree from Winston-Salem State University, where she studied biology and chemistry, Nakima’s geometric and often symmetrical work is a melding of the right and left sides of the brain. Her murals include themes of Afrofuturism, environmentalism and animals.

We recently lost some quality street art from Nakima when they painted over the murals she and Nicholas Napoletano had painted on the side of what used to be Solstice Tavern, but not to worry, she’s always putting more up. Most recently, she did her part for Talking Walls mural fest with a beautiful rendering of women on the side of Salon 1226 that’s reminiscent of the Manifest Future she worked on in the abandoned lot across from Mosaic Village in PHOTO COURTESY OF JONELL LOGAN west Charlotte last year with Janelle Dunlap and Best Creative: Jonell Logan

Sloane Siobhan. She also blessed the east and west sides of Charlotte with symmetrical designs in the lanes of the basketball court at McCrorey YMCA in northwest Charlotte and on the walls of East Town Market in east Charlotte. You can even find her newest work at The Bottle Tree in Belmont — not the neighborhood, the town, but we’re sure she’ll hit them both soon enough.

Best Arts Organization: Southend ARTs While South End gets more culturally homogenous by the year, one organization in the neighborhood is fighting for equity, diversity and social consciousness in the arts community that’s historically found a home there. SouthEnd ARTS is a nonprofit whose mission is “creating equity art exhibition space, building cultural bridges, empowering artists and their communities in South End.” Each month, in the Charlotte Trolley building on Camden Road, the organization holds a two-night

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juried art exhibition featuring underrepresented artists. A speaker is paired with these exhibits to create the Social Justice Speaker Series, which invites the community to engage in a conversation around the theme of the exhibit. For example, September’s “Clearing the Air” addressed air pollution in the Historic West End and featured Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera as speaker.

Behind the scenes, SouthEnd ARTs works with artists to help them professionalize their portfolios to prepare for a world that expects corporate-style presentations for funding consideration.

the project. “The kids all came into my studio one day, and instead of painting like individual works of art, they actually decorated and painted individual pieces of paper and fabric and really spent the whole day throwing paint around the room,” he told Queen City Nerve before the opening. “And then I took those painted fragments and used those in the photographs and stitching … The unique part was that they didn’t know, really, what I was going to be doing with them. So they’re expressing themselves in one way, and I’m taking their pieces and turning them into something else, which is really cool.”

Best Exhibit: ‘Modularity’ - Stephen Wilson Mixed-media artist Stephen Wilson’s Modularity exhibit wasn’t just a reflection of his own creative vision, it was a window into the unique perspective of a group of 13- to 17-year-old foster children from Children’s Home Society of North Carolina (CHS).

Together with Wilson, the teenagers produced 30 pieces that were displayed alongside his own work for Modularity, which ran in March and April at the New Gallery of Modern Art. As with much of his past work, Wilson worked in fabric, embroidery and applique to embellish and overlay his designs. It was Wilson’s idea to collaborate with CHS, whose mission it is to provide every child with a “permanent, safe and loving family,” whether that is through foster care and adoption or additional social services that help parents provide a more stable home for their children and preserve families in crisis.

He said he aimed to make the kids’ artwork flow well with the pieces he had already developed for

Best Art Show: Bree Stallings - ‘Where I’m From’ opening reception Bree Stallings’ aptly titled Where I’m From exhibit was designed to take a deep look into her past, including the spaces where she’s lived and the body — or bodies — that’s she’s occupied. One couldn’t blame Stallings for focusing on herself during the April 5 opening reception at C3 Lab, where she keeps a studio, but she brought on help, and that made all the difference.

Before attendees perused the room, which included family photos dating back a century and viewing stations that offered a literal peek into Stallings’ psyche, they sat for local poet Jay Ward’s performance of Things I Would Say, in which he described his experience as a biracial man in America. As a white-passing descendant of Japanese immigrants on her mom’s side and Charlotte natives for four generations on her father’s, Stallings felt Ward’s performance was the perfect contradiction to her own self-reflection.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PR FOR ARTISTS

Best Exhibit: Stephen Wilson and Children’s Home Society

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Best Art Pop-Up: Battle Walls

“We have these very different perspectives on the same While before and after photos mixed with kind of issue, and I thought it would be the perfect thing portraiture give great context to the scale of to tie in all the stuff,” Stallings told Q.C. Nerve, and in the demolition and displacement that Brooklyn saw end, perfect described the evening quite well. between 1958 and 1973, staff has also implemented new technology to help put it all in context.

Best Art Pop-Up: Battle Walls Museum goers can download an augmented reality You may have seen Southern Tiger Collective live- app developed by UNC Charlotte professor Dr. Mingpainting on wooden canvases at our Scallywag Chun Lee and graduate student Aashwin Patki to Social event in July, where they built four 4-by-4- help inform their walk through the exhibit. foot boards into a cube and got to work. The STC On one wall, portraits show former residents team has been live-painting at events for some and others who frequented the neighborhood. time now, but for a new event series that launched When one points their phone at the portraits using in June and turned the live mural painting into a the app, they can hear the voices of former residents competition between the four artists on the cube, while seeing pictures of the neighborhood in its collective co-founder Alex DeLarge decided it was prime. In another part of the exhibit, a large map time to bring it up a level and go 8x8. of Charlotte sits on the floor. When using the app, “Because all we do is street art and all I know museum goers can flip through interactive statistics is street artists who go big, we decided to go much that appear on the map, showing how different larger in scale.” The first round of the tournament demographics changed in Charlotte between 1960 kicked off at Mint Museum’s Randolph Road location and 2017. Look for the addition of augmented and featured renowned local artists like Bree Stallings reality walking tours in 2020 to truly allow visitors a (see above), Dammit Wesley, Matt Moore, and chance to step back in time and into Brooklyn. husband-and-wife pair Arko and Owl. Attendees vote by buying raffle tickets — a buck buys a vote — and Best Photographer: Logan Cyrus things have gotten straight up tense at some events, As budgets have deflated in the journalism industry, as the tournament continued at spots around the city the importance of a good news photographer has been like Camp North End and The Collective. lost on many, but it can’t be overstated what Logan Best Multimedia Project: Brooklyn: Once a City Within a City at Levine Museum of the New South The newest addition to Levine Museum’s #HomeCLT series tells the story of Brooklyn, a neighborhood that once housed more than 7,000 African-American Charlotte residents before being razed by urban renewal.

Cyrus’ visuals add to the stories he works on. Whether covering breaking news like the April mass shooting on the UNC Charlotte campus, going in depth on stories like Michael Graff’s reporting for Charlotte Agenda on HEAL Charlotte founder Greg Jackson’s efforts to steer a young boy named Haji off the wrong path, or hitting the campaign trail as he’s done multiple times for national outlets this year, his work adds an emotion to the stories that otherwise might not hit the same.

PHOTO BY BRIAN TWITTY

PHOTO COURTESY OF LITTLE YETI PR

Best Band: Modern Moxie

Best DJ: AXNT

Best Dance Troupe: Basic Instinct Dee Smith and Gereme McConneaughey say they were fixed up by their respective mothers — but not romantically. Instead, the pair became friends and dance collaborators, tearing up the ballroom and turning heads at Scorpio nightclub. A hobby became a career when they were joined in their impromptu choreography by Stephon Fonseca.

Today, as Dzirre, Fudg3 and Onyx, the trio is dance troupe Basic Instinct.

They’ve shared dance floors and stages with Fantasia and Dawn Richard of Danity Kane, but their most prized gigs are their recurring performances for the Charlotte Pride Festival. Basic Instinct’s routines are precise, yet not lockstep. Subtle shifts in body placement reveal each performer’s individuality.

“The great thing about the three of us is that we all have very distinct styles of dance,” McConneaughey says. “That is our art, mixing the styles all together.”

Best DJ: AXNT When AXNT DJed the very first party Queen City Nerve ever threw last November, before we had published a single page, he put off driving to Charleston to spin longer for us when another DJ fell through. Then, when his car got booted in the Johnston YMCA lot while he was spinning, he vehemently refused to let us pay to get it off. Is that the reason we’re naming him Best DJ? No, we have more journalistic integrity than that, but he deserves a shout out for it regardless.

That being said, AXNT’s mix of influences range

her college roommates had left for the evening.

Over time, Lucas honed and reshaped the songs she wrote, picking up a key collaborator in bassist and eventual husband Harry Kollm. There’s been some vague form of Modern Moxie performing around town on and off for some time, but since adding guitarist Phil Pucci and drummer Charlie Weeks, the four-piece have found their form and are a joy to watch perform, making us more than thankful that Lucas confronted her demons and took to the stage.

from classical to dubstep to hip-hop, and it shows in the eccentric sets he puts together at local parties like Repainted Tomorrow. “I like to make people go, ‘Oh wow, he played that?’ or just catch people off guard,” he told Queen City Nerve. “So in the middle of playing a bunch of heavy beats I’ll play Radiohead, just turn it into a dance track. Once you catch people’s attention, from there you can kind of just control what they do.”

Best Free Agent: Jason Atkins You might know Jason Atkins from a couple of his regular east Charlotte gigs: as Greazy Keys, the organ player at Charlotte Checkers home games in Bojangles’ Coliseum, or as himself behind the keys at Smokey Joe’s for the Smokin J’s Open Mic Jam — or any number of other gigs going on at the old dive bar.

Some nights Atkins finishes up work at Bojangles’ and walks right next door to play with whomever’s on stage at Smokey Joe’s for the rest of the night.

He’s also a great gun-for-hire in the recording studio, and has recently helped record albums like Joe Middleton’s Highway Tremolo and his daughter Maya Beth Atkin’s amazing debut Maya Beth Presents: Whatever You Are, which dropped this year. According to Jason, he’s played with more than 100 Charlotte bands and played on countless local albums in the 20-plus years he’s been in the Queen City. So even if you don’t know him ... you know his work.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Best Free Agent: Jason Atkins

director of Middle C Jazz, a 4,000-square-foot jazz club at 300 S. Brevard St. that opened in November.

The venture is a labor of love for its co-founding partners and owners, father-and-son duo Larry and Adam Farber. Larry has been in the music business 46 years, and he’s currently a senior partner with agency East Coast Entertainment. The entire spectrum of jazz is reflected in the 200-seat venue’s projected lineup, which includes regional and national acts like SpyroGyra, Taj Mahal, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny.

“I’m looking for people to walk into [Middle C Jazz] and be blown away,” Gellman says. “When they see the level of commitment and compassion these people have for their music, it’s going to be surreal.”

Best New Venue: Middle C Jazz Best Band: Modern Moxie “Jazz is the American classical music,” says Jonathan It doesn’t sound like it, but Modern Moxie songwriter Gellman, who owned and operated Jonathan’s Jazz and lead singer Madison Lucas used to be painfully Cellar in the 1980s and early ’90s and is now the self-conscious, only playing guitar in her closet after

Best New Band: Petrov Local post-pop indie rockers Petrov formed in 2018 when guitarists Syd Little and Michael Backlund began writing with bassist Matt McConomy and drummer Garrett Herzfeld. After the group had a handful of songs down, they began the search for a vocalist, and they found a great one in Mary Grace McKusick.

McKusick has been doing some writing of her own since joining the band permanently. Her deeply personal lyrics cover everything from relationships, sexuality, sexual assault and manipulation to identity and insecurity. It’s her first time in a band, but she’s settling in. “Joining a band is a whole new experience for me,” McKusick told Queen City Nerve upon the February release of the band’s first single.

“Writing music and interacting with other musicians creatively is a challenge, but I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”

What was to come was the band’s debut EP, Sleep Year, which they showcased strongly with a bustling schedule of local gigs that made 2019 anything but sleepy for the group. It’s been a hell of a thing to watch the five-piece prove themselves and go from fledgling to a force on the scene in such a short time.

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Best Rapper: Da Baby

COURTESY OF MEG WOLFORD

Best Rapper: Da Baby There’s a strong argument to be made for Da Baby as Rapper of the Year in any publication, local or national, and that much is undeniable.

The rapper formerly known as Baby Jesus has been bouncing around the local scene since 2014, so it was big news when he signed to Interscope back in February. That in itself would have been one of the most buzzworthy stories to happen in Charlotte music this year, but nobody could have guessed what was going to happen next — except probably Da Baby.

The Vance High School grad struck a chord around the country, and before long he was everywhere. In October, his sophmore LP Kirk made history, making him the first Charlotte musician to top the Billboard Top 100 charts. Not only that, he charted 18 songs on the Hot 100 this year — yes, 18 — including all 13 songs from Kirk. This man has been on fire.

And yes, we’re here to represent what’s real, not just praise what’s popping off in the mainstream, but he’s got the skills to justify the success. We don’t have to tell you, though, because you couldn’t have missed him this year if you tried.

Best Emerging Rapper: ReeCee Raps In February 2018, Shauna Respass drove to North Carolina from her old home in Kansas City, Missouri, to flee an abusive relationship with nothing but two outfits and her dog. Upon arrival, she slowly started writing raps again, a skill that had been suppressed by her violent partner, and eventually started recording and performing around the city. Since then, she’s been

unstoppable, winning the Queen City Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist two years straight and getting a nod at the 2019 Carolina Music Awards.

Her relatable stoner-girl style and preference for performing with a live band have built her a solid following, especially in north Charlotte where she can be found performing at some University City venue or another damn near every night.

“It was just a drive, I forgot how much I really loved it from when I was a child,” ReeCee told us of her persistent drive to perform. “I thought that was just a childish thing, but it really wasn’t, that was instilled in me. I’ve always been a performer, but I was letting [my relationship] stop me from being who I wanted to be ... Everything I wanted to do I was shot down, and I didn’t understand why I was living life that way.”

We can’t speak for the past, but we can confidently say the future couldn’t be brighter for ReeCee.

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Best Emerging Soul/R&B Artist: Leone

anyone who bumped the pair’s Universal Player EP when it dropped in October 2018.

Jay Pluss recently told us that he and FLLS are also working on a collaborative project that should drop in 2020, which he teased with the Black Friday release of the FLLS-produced “My Aaliyah Joint.”

Best Producer: FLLS We can only imagine the amount of work the FLLS is your favorite rapper’s favorite producer. He’s tireless producer is sitting on that we don’t know worked with all the area’s best lyricists: Jah-Monte, SideNote, C. Shreve the Professor, Jay Pluss and the about yet. list goes on. One of his latest gems came on the track for Jah-Monte’s “Jewelry Rap,” in which the Charlotte Best R&B/Soul/Funk: Cyanca rapper effortlessly glides over one of FLLS’ signature Cyanca’s sultry soulful vocals and clear-eyed honesty boom-bap beats, proving why the two have been a drew comparisons to Solange and Erykah Badu when she dropped her Isle of Queens EP in 2017. That EP’s formidable duo over the years.

FLLS, pronounced “Fills,” has also cultivated other breakout jam “New Phone, Who Dis,” rode skipping partnerships that have CLT hip-hop heads checking for beats and tinkling ivories borrowed from Hiroshi specific collaborations. On Dec. 7, Cuzo Key’s Nionek 2 Suzuki’s 1975 jazz cut “Romance” to beguile and will feature four FLLS tracks, an exciting follow-up for intrigue listeners. After consolidating her artistry with the You Can Tell EP in 2018, Cyanco released her most powerful and emotionally honest work to date in July with I’m Staying Home.

For Cyanca, the title of the EP, though inspired by a drunken quote from a friend during a night out on CIAA weekend, represents a state of mind. “It’s a perfect representation of me. I’m introverted, but I’m social, too,” she told Queen City Nerve. “In the morning times I love being home by myself. I’m just a homebody. It’s like I’m staying home, but I’m also letting you inside my life and my home.”

PHOTO BY ANDREA ELIZABETH

Best Emerging Rapper: ReeCee Raps

Best Emerging R&B/Soul/Funk: Leone Leone’s debut EP Angst, which dropped in February, is a funkadelic throwback to a bygone era. Beginning with the release of his first single “Cut U Loose” in 2016, the now-23-year-old Breland is following the lead of contemporary inspirations like Anderson .Paak, Solange and Blood Orange to breathe life

back into the dance floors of America. As the title denotes, however, Angst isn’t all about having a good time.

Leone’s lyrical content covers heavy themes like depression and anxiety, issues that he has struggled with throughout his life. “I like to put the medicine in the candy,” Leone says. “You can enjoy it rhythmically, you can dance to it, but then also when you listen to it, there’s a message.”

Best Singer/Songwriter: Emily Sage From the jazzy phrasing that sets her feathered alto spiraling into freefall to the hazy trip-hop beats that propel and intensify the lilting melody, Emily Sage balances control, romance and insouciant cool on her dreamlike single “Nearer to You.” The jazz and soul artist believes her lullaby-like songwriting style is influenced by her time spent growing up in Portugal. “The Other Side,” Sage’s cinematic collaboration with Charlotte R&B artist Greg Cox is a bright and soaring spiritual offspring of Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” that’s drawn heavy rotation on NPR’s World Café. Sage is currently recording a full-length album with producer Dylan Byrnes in Nashville.

Best Comeback: Ashlee Hardee The loss of a child is the worst nightmare of any parent. When Ashlee Hardee’s 21-monthold daughter Cecilia passed away suddenly and mysteriously last July, Hardee, who fronted lyrical indie folk band Matrimony for five years with thenhusband Jimmy Brown, turned to activism and music to heal.

Her tragic loss fueled the creation of The Cecilia Moon Project, a foundation to benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital and LifeShare Carolinas, an organization that coordinates the recovery and distribution of life-saving organs, eyes and tissues for transplantation. This year, Hardee started recording again.

“My music is different than Matrimony,” Hardee told Queen City Nerve. “It’s not folk. It’s more introspective, dark, pop and lyrically focused. This is me, naked as an artist. I call it pop noir because it even has a hip-hop influence. It’s me, in my bedroom, not giving a fuck. The music is raw, real, organic and in-the-moment.”

Best Concerts for the Cause: Johnathan Hughes (left) with his family

contemporary women, while rocking out with universal appeal.

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Best Community Response: Jonathan Hughes benefit shows On August 20, after complaining of an intense headache, former Milestone owner Jonathan Hughes suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in his brain. He was rushed to Atrium Health Lincoln from which he was then airlifted to Charlotte. He has since partially recovered but is going through strenuous physical therapy in order to regain his ability to function as he did before the stroke. While his wife has updated his supporters through the couple’s GoFundMe page, the community has stepped up, hosting shows from Milestone to Petra’s to help Hughes get back on his feet, figuratively and literally. They’ve been able to raise tens of thousands of dollars thus far, but unfortunately, it’s only a fraction of what he’ll need to pay for his recovery.

Best Dance/Pop: Future Friend Charlotte indie-pop duo Future Friend, made up of brother-and-sister pair Mitch and Faith Froemming, released all four tracks from their debut EP Secret Handshake in the months leading up to the project’s release in July, and they all came together to create the perfect short summer playlist, but the two didn’t stop there. They got back to work trying to capture some more autumnal vibes so that, come October, they were ready for fall with “Fire,” a toned-down, more seasonally appropriate relationship song just in time for cuffing season.

as Gamebreax, they continue to display their super Best Nerdcore: Gamebreax At the University of North Carolina Greensboro, powers of dynamics, beats and compassion.

Gerreol Hoover and Sean Watson bonded over their love of video games, comic books and anime. Best Album: Modern Moxie - ‘Claw Your Way Those shared interests rolled over into a mutual Out’ appreciation of hip-hop, rock and electronic music. Modern Moxie teased their debut album Claw Your Hoover and Watson are now both 38, and as Omega Way Out in March with the propulsive single “Til Sparx and SWATS respectively, they comprise I’m a Ghost.” In her fine-grained alto, front woman nerdcore duo GameBreax, now five years into Madison Lucas namechecks a modern litany of scary monsters and super creeps including Brett spreading the hip-hop gospel of video games.

Nerdcore is growing apace with gamer culture, Kavanaugh, and overcomes them all by determining says Watson. “You identify with reluctant heroes to rock out.

With a whirlwind of spiraling synths, crunchy who don’t know they possess super powers,” he guitar accents and an incongruous bossa nova beat, explains. “They’re thrust into situations that make the tune plays like an update of David Bowie’s “Young them discover who they are.” Last summer, the Americans, ” filtered through Canadian synth pop duo stretched out, releasing solo projects. Hoover dropped the single “Don’t Touch Me,” a healing balm outfit Metric, and as good as it is, the other nine cuts PHOTO COURTESY OF A STEPHANIE HUGHES for sexual assault survivors, while Watson released envelope that single with a wide array of styles that “Never Stand Down,” a track dedicated to workers all match well with “Ghost,” despite our fears that it The two record all their music in Mitch’s toiling in the confines of corporate America. Together would far outshine anything that came after it. bedroom studio, where they’ll continue to create pop hybrids that fit any time of year. “We’re both VOICE OVER massive pop music fans and are always looking for ways to meld that influence with new sounds and CASTING ideas,” Faith told Queen City Nerve. “Our bedroom studio has become a little bit of an experimentation MIX laboratory and we can’t wait for the world to hear SOUND DESIGN what we’ve been working on!”

Best Hard Rock/Metal: Reason|Define “It shouldn’t be surprising when a girl walks up onstage with her giant bass cabinet and Marshall stacks,” Paolina Massaro says, “but it is.” As lead vocalist for Charlotte-based hard rock and metal band Reason|Define, Masssaro is doing her part to make rockin’ women a commonplace sight on stages across the country.

After winning the 2016 award for Best Rock Band of the Year at the Carolina Music Awards, the hard-charging all-woman five-piece turned to recording their first album. On their energetic 2017 debut Far From Strangers, Reason|Define took on multiple styles of muscular and melodic rock and made them their own.

The band’s latest album, In Memory..., is proof that Charlotte’s best metal band may be the next big thing to break out from the Queen City.

Released last March, the album concentrates on the personal and sometimes painful issues confronting

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Best song/Best R&B Soul singer: Cyanca

Best EP: Erick Lottary - ‘Summer on Central’ With the loss of Dairy Queen, summers on Central Avenue will never be the same. But fortunately, one of Charlotte’s best rappers was sure to capture that vibe for generations to come. Erick Lottary’s 5-track EP Summer on Central is an ode to Plaza Midwood that showcases a different side to the rapper. The more melodic, chorus-driven songs are less Player Made on a Friday night at Snug and more date night at Soul Gastrolounge before hitting a nearby dance floor with your main chick.

Lottary has been stepping up his videographer game this year, too, and the EP came with a 10-minute documentary into what makes him tick: family, friends, music and the Queen City.

Best Song: Cyanca - “Patti Mayonnaise” Behind Cyanca’s melodius vocals and the dreamlike keys of Harvey Cummings featured on “Patti Mayonnaise,” the first single off Cyanca’s three-track EP I’m Staying Home, lies a rollercoaster of emotions, from the nostalgic ups of jump ropes and driveway alley oops on a summer day to the painful downs of a young girl losing her mother and violently warning listeners of what she’ll do to anyone who harms the family she has left.

It’s a purposeful duality that plays out through the EP, a strong nominee for the best of the year, but never as clearly as it manifests itself on “Patti.”

Cyanca told us the dynamic was a goal she pursued after being inspired by a conversation between her manager and Travis Scott.

PHOTO BY JAKE FRANCEK

Best Video: “Gasp” by The Foe

“Two main things that were the goal for this project were to make it universal — very catchy, very relatable to what people have gone through in the past — and at the same time, open up more about where I’m from and what I’ve been through with my testimony,” Cyanca said. It never hurts to kill two birds with one stone, especially when that stone becomes the CLT song of the year.

Best Video: Gasp - “The Foe” Rock Hill art punk band Gasp released “The Foe” more than 10 years after an odd incident in Uptown Charlotte that inspired front man Josiah Blevins to write the song. Blevins was stopped at a red light while riding his bike through Uptown in 2008 and felt the gaze of a man in a nearby car, only to turn and see McCrory staring at him. In that moment, Blevins felt a visceral judgment being passed.

“I had never crossed paths with the mayor, but feeling judged by him in an instant led me to feel like we were natural enemies,” Blevins recalls. “The light turned green and I rode away, but I always remembered that feeling of crossing paths with someone powerful and their disdain.”

While being stared at by the worst governor this state has seen in modern times is creepy, what’s even more creepy is the TwinPeaks-themed video the band released in October. The video depictsan outdoor search over the grounds of a spooky house by blindfolded members of the band and others before the interlude comes, during which the video crosses the veil into a world with blatant tieins to the Black Lodge from the popular TV show.

We’d like to stay up all night sifting through all the symbolism from the chilling, mysterious visual, but first, we’re going to need some more coffee.

While we were thankful that Lizzo got moved from the Fillmore to CMCU Amphitheatre next door so that more people could enjoy her greatness in person, what we weren’t prepared for was the massive party that occurred at Charlotte’s smaller outdoor concert venue.

From the moment the lights went down until the final notes rang out, Lizzo commanded the stage and brought fierce energy that was second to none. Her power of positivity and charming confidence makes her one of the most popular artists around these days. We almost want to get in line now outside of the box office to wait for her next show announcement. However, we can’t imagine the stellar singer ever playing a venue that small again.

Best Local Show: Carolina Style at the Station House An unassuming venue hidden along the Blue Line tracks in the most northernmost part of NoDa, the Station House can be hard to find, even when you can see it from North Davidson Street. Once we trekked over the tracks and made it in on the afternoon of June 29, there was no reason to leave until late into the night.

The show brought together rappers from both sides of the Carolina border, including Erick Lottary, 10CellPhones, Spaceman Jones & The Motherships, Buddy Cuz and Diamond Miller, with literal showstopping headlining acts from hometown heroes Elevator Jay and a ‘loc-less Deniro Farrar. With drinks flowing, live painting on site from Southern Tiger Collective and DJ sets from AHuf and DR, there was no shortage of local love to be spread.

Best Venue: The Evening Muse The Evening Muse has been hosting quality acts from its corner on North Davidson and East 36th streets since April 2001. The venue teeters on the edge of quiet and intimate to loud and inyour-face. The Evening Muse is a place to gather inspiration at their weekly open mic on Monday nights or meet up with your friends for a drink at a local or touring show in the small NoDa space.

Having the ability to bounce around to the other bars on the strip makes it a top contender in Best Venue. That isn’t to say that you aren’t going to have a good time making friends with owner Joe Kuhlman and the crew like Chris and Don Koster.

It’s the top spot for cheap drinks, loud (but not too loud) music representing a wide variety of genres, from local rappers like Yung Citizen, regional talent like Asheville singer/songwriter Maya Beth Atkins to international acts like La Terza Classe. There’s always somethng new going on at The Muse.

Best National Show: Lizzo at Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre As much as 2019 was Da Baby’s year (see previous entry), Lizzo had an equally big breakthrough to wrap up the second decade of the 2000s. In fact, her star shot up so fast that the folks at LiveNation quickly realized that The Fillmore, where they had already booked her for a show in September, would be too small for someone with a following that suddenly big.

Best Open Mic: Lisa de Novo at Legion Brewing While attending college at Florida Gulf Coast University, Lisa De Novo began playing the guitar and using it as a way to make friends and help her deal with social anxiety. “I was always scared of people judging me too hard on my original songs,” she told Lara Americo upon the release of her debut EP in 2016. “But I still made myself play them and I was proud of myself when I did,” she said.

of resources to produce a high-quality, unique experience reflective of the company’s collective talents and vision.

PHOTO BY JIMMY SKI PHOTOGRAPHY

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Best Open Mic: Lisa De Novo at Legion Brewing

Now, De Novo has done perhaps more than anyone to encourage local up-and-coming musicians to come out from their shell and share their music on stage. She has participated in countless open mics around Charlotte over the last six years, and hosts a bunch of them throughout the year. One of the most notable experiences is at Legion Brewing in Plaza Midwood, where De Novo engages the crowd with “The Word Game,” passing around a piece of paper to get random words before improvising her way through a song or two.

Though it’s not clear that the Legion Brewing open mic will be returning in 2020, De Novo is always around where there’s a stage and a mic to be sung into. Most recently, she began hosting a new open mic in the Arts Room at Heist Brewery and Barrel Arts in north Charlotte on the fourth Friday of each month.

Best Performer in a Dramatic Role: Sultan Omar ElAmin as West in ‘Two Trains Running’ Sidestepping his track record for grandiose humor, Sultan Omar ElAmin approached this role in Brand New Sheriff’s production of August Wilson’s play with a subtle intentionality that extended from his died-white beard to his gloved fingers.

This smart approach to characterization unearthed the complexity of West’s unique relationship to power and money. By portraying

a supporting character with such thought and intentionality, ElAmin added a realism to the peripheral world of the play, which bolstered the production’s overall exploration of the tension between personal and communal values.

Best Performer in a Musical Role: Allie Joseph as Little Alison in ‘Fun Home’ With an awareness of human growth well beyond her years, Allie Joseph balanced the anxiety of confusing desire with the unbridled joy of childhood to render a compelling snapshot of a young Allison Bechdel in this production from Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte.

Her striking characterization and remarkable vocals served as the uniting energy between Medium Alison’s teenage exploration and Big Alison’s careful reflection.

Joseph’s ability to portray Little Allison’s distinct personal connections with each of her family members infused this musical with a much needed human honesty, helping the play to resonate clearly with Charlotte audiences.

Best Performer in a Comedy Role: Leslie Giles as Clarice in ‘Silence!: The Musical’ In an Actor’s Theatre script that could easily have come off as dated or insensitive, Leslie Ann Giles brought this production a comedic self awareness

which effectively unlocked the humor embedded in the musical adaptation of Silence of the Lambs.

Bolstered by a combination of bizarre facial expressions and a perfectly overstated accent, Giles’ Clarice became an endearing protagonist who seemed keenly aware of the audience’s contemporary lens.

Leslie’s ability to navigate the intricacies of playing an iconic film character from the early ’90s in a contemporary musical was achieved through a remarkable combination of technique, practice and smart self-awareness.

Best Musical: ‘Cinderella’ by Little Opera Company of Charlotte In the back of Birdsong Brewing, Little Opera Company of Charlotte presented a version of Cinderella plucked straight from a child’s mind and brought to life by professional opera singers. The magic of this performance captured the adoration of children and adults alike, proving the captivating power of authenticity and technique.

The cardboard sets and unconventional setting did not detract from the performance but created a space which invited those in attendance into the collective imagination of the work, thereby producing a delightfully close-knit connection between the cast and their audience. Most remarkably, this performance used their lack

Best Drama: ‘Two Trains Running’ by BNS Productions Coming from a company committed to exploring August Wilson’s work, Two Trains Running reflected the contemporary power of this endeavor. Carefully chosen costumes, set and sounds placed the cohesive ensemble decidedly in 1969 Pittsburgh.

This solid commitment to the realistic portrayal of such a specific moment allowed the contemporary themes of the work to resonate without becoming didactic. This production is a testament to the power of cohesion and intentionality when producing a classic script.

Best Comedy: ‘Penny Pennyweather’ by PaperHouse Theatre PaperHouse Theatre has a track record of taking funny seriously, and this production lived up to that reputation by every measure. From the preshow ambiance of the space (complete with food, drinks, and thematic games) through the carefully practiced execution of the complex script, this show proved that good humor happens at the intersection of strong technique and an appreciation for play.

With joy, dancing, carols and some uncomfortable plot moments, this play hit all the elements of holiday fun.

Best Collaboration: ‘Threads and Shadows’ by Sara Council Dance and JoyeMovement Working together to create a site-specific modern dance piece for BOOM Festival, this pair of choreographers exemplified the compelling power of theme to put a work in intimate conversation with itself.

Immersed inside the controlled chaos of the piece, the audience was invited to witness the ways each section reframed and refracted the others to examine the teacher between emotions and the body.

Confident without being overbearing, this piece left audiences the sensory experience of a warm embrace from a protective mother.

Best Satire: ‘Leonce and Lena’ by Charlotte Ballet Through remarkable technical skill and stylistic clarity, Leonce and Lena executed a clear vision with precision and fun. In this performance, the familiar narrative of young lovers pulled apart by fate becomes the framework for a layered interrogation of fate and power.

From the Ubu-like king — a nod to the protagonist of Alfred Jarry’s absurdist fin de siècle parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth — to the contorted faces of the townspeople, the distinct choreography of each social group within this world disguised a biting critique of power with a humorous veil to generate a performance that was at once deeply meaningful and truly funny. This type of relevant, well-executed satire is a rare experience for Charlotte audiences and this performance delivered on all accounts.

Best Ritual as Performance Piece: ‘GUF (Thee Well of Souls)’ by XOXO XOXO’s GUF (Thee Well of Souls) opened with the cast sweeping into the Goodyear Arts performance space on Halloween weekend — literally. Clutching brooms, Kadey Ballard, Jon Prichard and Cody Frye circled in a loose whirligig dance, and the energy and mystery never let up. What followed was a series of free-flowing vignettes, snapshots of moments strewn across time and space where the performance space seesawed between total darkness and sudden pools of light, a chiaroscuro of illumination and befuddlement, comedy and dread.

Because of the mix of ritual, absurdist comedy and full-blooded performances by Ballard, Frye and Prichard, the audience experienced the characters’ transformations with joy, hope and fear — all the while wondering what the fuck was going on. “It’s a theater piece masquerading as ceremonial magic,” XOXO founder and artistic director Matt Cosper told Queen City Nerve. “Or it’s ceremonial magic masquerading as theater.”

Best Arts Festival: BOOM Festival BOOM, Plaza Midwood’s annual three-day festival of avant-garde and grassroots performances returned in April with its eclectic mix of dance, music and theater. The festival’s fourth year featured over 120 performances at indoor venues including Petra’s, Snug Harbor, Open Door Studios, Rabbit Hole and Coaltrane’s, and on a free outdoor stage dubbed “The Intersection.” Newcomers to BOOM included Rhythmic Soul Dance Company, R&B artist

Best Circus Performance: Nouveau Sud, REVOL

Jason Jet, dance-and-activist troupe Yuhas & the Dancers, intimidating eight-foot-tall paper-mâché arts lecturer the Professor, and the transformative Sacrament of Reconciliation, a collision of live-action role playing and ritual.

From its inception BOOM has been the realization of a dream to bring a first class fringe festival to Charlotte, festival founder Manoj Kesavan told Queen City Nerve. But this year BOOM exploded past that goal to become Charlotte’s largest, wildest and most diverse arts festival.

Best Circus Performance: ‘REVOL: Story of a Flag’ by Nouveau Sud Circus arts ensemble the Nouveau Sud Project has never shied away from controversy. With REVÓL: The Story of a Flag, presented in August, the troupe’s aerialists and acrobats tackled their most difficult subject to date.

Though it was never actually seen in the show, REVÓL’s titular flag is the Confederate stars and bars.

Nouveau Sud founder and director CarlosAlexis Cruz and show co-creator and co-director Houston Odum turned this potentially heavy topic into a contemporary and energetic circus arts performance.

The multi-faceted narrative followed multiple characters across several decades, all told through the movement, acrobatics, costumes and props of

COURTESY OF HOUSTON ODOM

physical theatre. Characters portrayed by the cast included The Flag, The Spirit of the Flag and Vent de Changement, which is French for “Winds of Change.”

The most unusual character, Heather, symbolized the mainstream media. By show’s end, Heather stalked the stage with a cathode-ray tube TV for a head, blind and unable to connect with others.

Best One-Person Show: ‘The Wake of Dick Johnson’ by Luke Walker Dick Johnson is a hot mess. He’s a drunk, a drug user, a whoremonger, and he claims he was abused by the supremely creepy Uncle Willie who raised him.

He’s also dead. The Wake of Dick Johnson, which premiered in May, is a funny, fearless and bleak one-man show written and performed by journalist, playwright and producer Luke Walker.

The moment Johnson rolls out of his coffin and quips that he’s late to his own funeral, audiences are in for a challenging and uncomfortable evening encompassing pedophilia, video of JFK’s assassination, Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and more. Poetic, profane and black as a starless night, The Wake of Dick Johnson is a comic, eloquent and upsetting rumination on a meaningless universe where even death will not relieve the pain of living.

PHOTO BY JASIATIC

Best Book: Alicia D. Williams, author of ‘Genesis Begins Again’

Best Comedy Event: Revolt Comedy Over the last year, standup comics and comedy fans in Charlotte have seen the art form rapidly expand, with independent shows and open mic nights suddenly becoming a regular occurrence around the city and not just at Comedy Zone. One such event playing a role in this rapid expansion is Revolt Comedy, a regular showcase launched by comedian Brian O’Neil and DJ Romante Rahim that takes place at Heist Brewery on the first Monday of every month. O’Neil brings in plenty of talented comics, but also likes to switch things up. This year, the duo invited N.C. Rep. Jeff Jackson, who came and tried his hand at making the crowd laugh, but not before taking plenty of ribbing and roasting.

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“He was funny when he got up as well but the fact that he sat through the whole show and he took a lot of jokes from comedians who pointed him out [was impressive],” said Rahim.

Best Storytelling Series: Muddy Turtle Talks Hannah Hasan is a storyteller. Not the stories of fiction or elaborate tales of wonderment and far-away places.

She tells the stories of people in Charlotte and gives life to voices that fall on deaf ears in the city. Partnering with Q.C. Family Tree, Hasan shared the stories of gentrification and those displaced in west Charlotte at Muddy Turtle Talks Gentrification and Conversation at Warehouse 242 in February. Hasan’s goal was to rouse the community into action to address the problems of gentrification and removal of black neighborhoods.

“To see how different the city is, all the changes that have happened is really interesting,” Hasan said. “But also I’ve always felt like Charlotte is this pot that’s on the stove and it’s boiling. And there’s the lid that’s shaking and a couple of years ago with the Keith Lamont Scott shooting, that lid popped off. But there’s still stuff in the pot and there’s a lot of different people and groups and efforts and artists that are working to try to figure out, ‘How do we address what’s in the pot?’”

Best Arts Programming: Charlotte Unconventional Film School Just two years ago, The Charlotte Unconventional Film School was an idea that had not yet planted itself in Julie McElmurry’s brain. It wasn’t until May 2017 — when she was considering taking a $2,000

PHOTO COURTESY OF STATIONARY HOBO

Best Fiction Podcast: Kevin Patterson records ‘Case for the Cure’

documentary filmmaking class — that she realized the money could be put to better use right here in Charlotte as funding for a workshop program to bring affordable film education to the community.

Between January and April, McElmurry partnered with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to host 10 free workshops covering a wide range of topics from storytelling to documentaries to secrets of making a succesful film. Following that series of classes, she’s continued to teach workshops throughout the year, including a horror make-up tutorial on Halloween week that took place right here in our office building and creeped us the hell out.

“I want to empower people to have the skills, knowledge, tools and relationships with each other that are going to enable people to make film so that there’s a new wave of Charlotte filmmakers making new interesting movies that haven’t been made before; maybe about things that people haven’t made movies about, and to hear voices that maybe aren’t always heard in mainstream movie making,” McElmurry said.

Best Fiction Podcast: ‘Case for the Cure’ by Stationary Hobo Productions In a podcast released in January and produced by Stationary Hobo Productions, writer and producer Kevin Patterson and sound engineer Adrian Parrish create a detective mystery in a noir-style world of post-zombie-apocalypse Charlotte.

Case for the Cure takes place several years after The Fall, aka the zombie apocalypse, and Charlotte is declared a “Free Zone” where survivors can live without fear of zombies invading to search for victims to turn.

It’s in this setting that detective Samwel Sift charges people to find zombiefied loved ones and bring back their heads, but when a new case brings Swift to Hickory, things get gory.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

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Best Book: ‘Genesis Begins Again’ by Alicia D. Williams Alicia D. Williams has worked jobs as a flight attendant, a bank teller, an actress with the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and a middle school teacher, but her most important role has been one she began to play within her own family and eventually brought into local schools and libraries: a storyteller in the oral AfricanAmerican tradition. On Jan. 19, Williams added author to her list of jobs, as she released her debut children’s novel, Genesis Begins Again. The book, which tells the story of a 13-year-old girl with a dark complexion, dives into themes surrounding insecurity, colorism and poverty, among others.

“When I created Genesis, I only saw her as this 13-year-old,” Williams told Queen City Nerve. “Typically, we like to protect our children and say they can’t handle it, but I really do believe they can.”

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Best Producer: Franky Dynamite, FLLS, Leo Solis (Tie) Best DJ: DJ SPK/DJ Spider (Tie) Best Blues/Jazz/Soul Band: The Bill Miller Band Best Experimental Musician/Band: Joules Best Rapper: Elevator Jay Best R&B Singer: Dexter Jordan PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUMENTHAL ARTS

Best National Theatre Show: ‘The Band’s Visit’

Best Museum: The Mint Museum Uptown

Best Performing Artist: Satarah

Best Sketch Comedy Routine: Robot Johnson

Best Art Gallery: Goodyear Arts

Best Theatre Company: Three Bone Theatre/Charlotte Comedy Theatre (Tie)

Best Place To See Comedy: Comedy Zone

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Best Exhibit: Grace Stott and Melody Rood’s Peach Pie (Goodyear)

Best Actor: Scott Tynes-Miller

Best Visual Artist: Holly Keogh

Best Actress: Rebecca Worthington

Best Tattoo Artist: Dallas Davis - Canvas

Best Theatre Show (Local): Charlotte Squawks

Best Muralist: Nick Napoletano

Best Theatre Show (National): The Band’s Visit

Best Graffiti Artist: Abstract Dissent

Best Movie Theater: Manor Theatre

Best Display of Public Art: Charlotte SHOUT!

Best Place To Hear Spoken Word: The Evening Muse

Best Photographer: Brian Twitty

Best Improv Troupe: Alphabet Soup

Best Comedian: Tara Brown/Shaine Laine (Tie) Best Drag Performer: Riley Malicious Best New Band: Old Moons Best Solo Performer: Leisure McCorkle Best Singer/Songwriter: Dane Page Best Indie Rock Band: Petrov Best Country/Folk Band The Loose Lugnuts/Sinners & Saints (Tie)

Best Local Album: Van Huskins (Self Titled) Best Open Mic Night: The Evening Muse Best Concert Venue: Visulite Theatre Best Place To Hear Jazz: Petra’s Best Place To Hear Country Music: Thirsty Beaver Saloon Best Live Performers: Trash Room Best Local Show of The Past 12 Months: The Flame Tides and Trash Room at The Rabbit Hole Best National Show of The Past 12 Months: Judas Priest w/ Deep Purple at PNC Music Pavilion Best Music Festival (In-State): Hopscotch Music Festival

S O U N D WA V E DECEMBER 4

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA A Tribute to Malcolm Holcombe: David Childers, Joe Middleton, Kevin Marshall, Mike Strauss, John Dungan, Rick Spreitzer, Justin Clyde Williams, Don Eidman (Evening Muse) Steep Canyon Rangers (Lunchbox Records)

POP Noel Freidline and Maria Howell (McGlohon Theater)

DJ/ELECTRONIC ROCK/PUNK/METAL Le Bang: Justin Cudmore (Snug Harbor) Fireball’s X-Mass Party 2019: The Body Bags, Lil The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) Skritt, Madd Hatters, The Last Drive, Superjett, Stray Cat Sideshow (The Milestone) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B 20 Watt Tombstone, Scowl Brow, King Cackle, Winter Block Party: Da Baby, Megan Thee Cosmic Reaper (Skylark Social Club) Stallion, Fetty Wap, Layton Greene, TylaYaweh, BlaccZacc (Bojangles’ Coliseum)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL The Main Squeeze, Travers Brothership (Neighborhood Theatre) December Residency: Brut Beat (Snug Harbor) Phantogram, Sub Urban (Fillmore)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Spalding McIntosh, Gypsy&Me (Evening Muse) Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniel, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) DJ/ELECTRONIC The Wizard’s Roadshow (Post Sports Bar & Grill) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL Bugalú - December Edition (Petra’s) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Tobe Nwigwe (Amos’ Southend)

DECEMBER 5

ROCK/PUNK/METAL The Hip Abduction, Signal Fire (Visulite Theatre) Frontside, Like Mike, Head Case Band, AlderRose (Skylark Social Club) Andrew McMahon (Underground) Diamante (Amos’ Southend) Shana Blake& Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Kerry Brooks (Comet Grill) Captain Lunchbox (Tin Roof) Albert Cummings (Free Range Brewing)

DECEMBER 6

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Cosmic Charlie: Dark Side of The Dead (Visulite Theatre) Raw Hex Joy, Demiser, Primitive Warfare, Edith (The Milestone) Late Bloomer, Gnawing, Faye (Snug Harbor) Incubus, Le Butcherettes (Fillmore) Valentin Marx, Birds For Eyes (Evening Muse) Angel Incident (Smokey Joe’s) Alex Butler (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Mary Gauthier, Jaimee Harris (Neighborhood Theatre) Jelly Roll (Coyote Joe’s) DJ/ELECTRONIC The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) Open Decks (Skylark Social Club) Blow Your Head (Snug Harbor)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Rhythm 4U, GrooveMasters (Middle C Jazz) Charlotte Symphony: Handel’s Messiah (Knight Theater) Kim & Kayla Waters (McGlohon Theater)

DECEMBER 7

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Spectrum Center) Puddle of Mudd (Underground) Rockin Kids First (Amos’ Southend) Dr. Bacon, Julia (Evening Muse) Opposite Box (Thomas Street Tavern) Tosco Music Holiday Party (McGlohon Theater) The Relics (Comet Grill) One Culture (Primal Brewery) Blue Monday (Tin Roof) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Willie Douglas Band (Smokey Joe’s)

Follow our Spotify Playlist PREVIEW YOUR LOCAL CHARLOTTE SOUNDWAVE ARTISTS HERE

1. OPEN SPOTIFY ON YOUR SMARTPHONE 2. TAP THE SEARCH BAR 3. CLICK THE CAMERA ICON IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER 4. POINT CAMERA AT THE CODE BELOW

RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Ron Carroll, Gary Wallace (Snug Harbor) Gina Robinson’s Gospel Christmas (Knight Gallery) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL The Michelle Renee Group(Middle C Jazz) Charlotte Symphony: Handel’s Messiah (Knight Theater) Callisto Quartet (Free Range Brewing) DJ/ELECTRONIC Off the Wall - Wu Tang Forever: The JETA Team (Petra’s) Partial Nerdity-Merry Sith-Mas: Koji Von Krampus, Funktavius El Festivus (SERJ) Twirl To the World: DJ Grind, Zoë Badwi (World) Robot Johnson Anniversary After Party: DJ Jenn (Crown Station)

DECEMBER 8

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Mannequin Pussy, Kississippi, Heckdang (Neighborhood Theatre) Jump, Little Children; Hula Hi-Fi (Visulite Theatre) Drum Appreciation Day (Underground) Winter Jam 2019: Ballantyne School of Music (Amos’ Southend) Happy HALL-iday Show: Michael & Steven Hall of Swim in the Wild, Lily Tallent (Evening Muse) Live Well, Ozello, No Rope (Tommy’s Pub)

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RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL Bluegrass Open Jam: Greg Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s Pub) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Julie Dean, Jesse Correll (Evening Muse) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s) DJ/ELECTRONIC Second Sundays – Classic House: Charles

Gatling, Mike Brown, Steve Howerton (Crown Station)

DECEMBER 9

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Heyrocco, Reality Something, Cuzco, Acne (The Milestone) Pullover, Spirit System, Gun Jr. (Snug Harbor) Find Your Muse Open Mic: New Creatures (Evening Muse) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Jazz Jam (Crown Station) Jah Freedom: Basquiat Vol 1. Listening Party (Petra’s) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Country Music Monday (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) DJ/ELECTRONIC Knocturnal (Brooklyn Lounge)

DECEMBER 10

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Smokin’ Js Open Jam Band & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Power-Take-Off, Mutant Strain, DJ C16h14n2o, DJ Fat Keith Richards (Snug Harbor) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Robert Earl Keen, Shinyribs (Knight Theater) Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Uptown Unplugged: Rod Fiske (Tin Roof)

DECEMBER 11

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Tim Reynolds TR3 (Neighborhood Theatre) December Residency: Brut Beat (Snug Harbor) Dollar Signs, Insignificant Other, Word?, Halloween Costume Contest (The Milestone) Tosco Music Open Mic (Evening Muse) Tab Benoit (McGlohon Theater) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniel, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) DJ/ELECTRONIC The Wizard’s Roadshow (Post Sports Bar &

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Grill) Shindig – 50s and 60s Dance Party (Petra’s)

DECEMBER 12

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Maxxwell Williams, Turboblood Solitary Set, Salty Dog (The Milestone) Charming Liars, Silent Rival (Neighborhood Theatre) NGHTMRE, Saymyname, Effin, Black A.M. (Fillmore) The Breakfast Club (Amos’ Southend) Dave Barnes (McGlohon Theater) Shana Blake& Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Trey Lewis (Tin Roof) DJ/ELECTRONIC The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) Le Bang (Snug Harbor) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Paul McDonald, Brooks Dixon (Evening Muse) Matt Walsh (Comet Grill) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Gino Castillo (Middle C Jazz)

DECEMBER 13

ROCK/PUNK/METAL 90’s Tribute to Benefit Levine Children’s Hospital: Tyler Ramsey, Fedor& The Denim Denim, Evergone, Dane Page, Wes Hamilton & The Railroadersw, Duk Tan, Tony Eltora, School Of Rock (Neighborhood Theatre) Robyn O’Ladies and Charlotte Douglas: Yule Y’all (Visulite Theatre) Deck the Hall Ball; Rob Thomas, Ingrid Michaelson (Ovens Auditorium) Issues, Polyphia, Lil Aaron, Sleep Token, Another Day Dawns (Underground) Matt Nakoa, Television Skies (Evening Muse) Garcia Peoples (Evening Muse) Starrider, Comfortably Nuts (Smokey Joe’s)

The Jump Cut (Tin Roof) The 9th Street Stompers (Tommy’s Pub) Embarrassment of Riches (Sugar Creek Brewing) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Sunny Sweeney, Erin Enderlin, Brennen Leigh (Amos’ Southend) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Caleb Lee Hutchinson (Tin Roof) DJ/ELECTRONIC The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) So We Heard You’re a Wook - a Very Spicy Christmas: Just John, shwiLLy (SERJ) Low Country Dubstep / BassicEuphoria (Crown Station) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Player Made: An Ode To Southern Rap of All Eras (Snug Harbor) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Gino Castillo (Middle C Jazz) The Jazz Room: Piano Night, the Music of Vince Guaraldi (McGlohon Theater) Charlotte Symphony and Carolina Voices: Magic of Christmas and the Singing Christmas Tree (Knight Theater)

DECEMBER 14

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Blackwater Drowning, Fractured Frames, Haymaker, Chaos Among Cattle, Death Of August (The Milestone) Robyn O’Ladies and Charlotte Douglas: Yule Y’all (Visulite Theatre) Bakalao Stars, Chócala (Snug Harbor)

Quiet Hounds (Evening Muse) The Orange Constant, Natural Born Leaders (Evening Muse) High Plains Drifters - Beastie Boys Tribute (Amos’ Southend) Thunder Jackson (Free Range Brewing) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Amanda Anne Platt&The Honeycutters (Neighborhood Theatre) Muscadine Bloodline, Out of The Blue (Coyote Joe’s) Bill Noonan (Comet Grill) Cooper Alan (Tin Roof) Steve Brown (Primal Brewery) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Gino Castillo (Middle C Jazz) Charlotte Symphony and Carolina Voices: Magic of Christmas and the Singing Christmas Tree (Knight Theater) Charlotte Chorale: Christmas is Coming (McGlohon Theater) DJ/ELECTRONIC Flamingo Revue – July in Christmas: DJ Jahra (Petra’s)

DECEMBER 15

ROCK/PUNK/METAL Stress Fractures, Commander Salamander, Morning Dew (The Milestone) Metal Church Sunday (The Milestone) Double Door Inn Anniversary Reunion Party: Lenny Federal Band, Monday Night Allstars, Crisis (Neighborhood Theatre) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill)

S O U N D WA V E COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Phillip Michael Parsons (Tin Roof) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL Greg Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s Pub) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s) Charlotte Symphony and Carolina Voices: Magic of Christmas and the Singing Christmas

Tree (Knight Theater) DJ/ELECTRONIC Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)

DECEMBER 16

ROCK/PUNK/METAL The Bouncing Souls, Bronx, Off With Their Heads, Bar Stool Preachers (Amos’ Southend) Find Your Muse Open Mic: Apes Of The State (Evening Muse) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Country Music Monday (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern)

RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B Jazz Jam (Crown Station) DJ/ELECTRONIC Knocturnal (Brooklyn Lounge)

DECEMBER 17

ROCK/PUNK/METAL True Lilith (The Milestone) Joshua Cotterino, Pretty Baby, The Wedding Cult (Snug Harbor) Chris Shinn, Travis Warren of Blind Melon

(Amos’ Southend) Smokin’ Js Open Jam (Smokey Joe’s) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Uptown Unplugged: Act II (Tin Roof) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Lindsey Stirling (Ovens Auditorium)

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Join Queen City Nerve in discussions about local news topics over cocktails with featured guests on the Queen City Podcast Network.

www.queencitypodcastnetwork.com/noozehounds

AFTER DARK

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The freaks come out at night, and that’s when you’ll find us slumped up against the jukebx in a dive bar enjoying the show.

Best New Nightlife Spot: Single Barrel Room Single Barrel Room is Plaza’s best-kept secret. The speakeasy atmosphere of the small cocktail bar is very intimate. The ceilings are coated in green velvet and they have large (fake) animal heads on the walls.

The cocktail program and the bar itself is run by Brain DuBois and Ally Goddard. Brian and Ally have worked to make Single Barrel Room a safe space for LGBTQ community members, as well as a highquality cocktail bar. Charlotte is full of transplants and trans folks and all are welcome for a great time in the inclusive space. It’s not just a hangout, either.

Single Barrel has raised a lot of money for local charities through fun fundraising events and dinners, such as the recent Friendsgiving that offered an LGBTQ-friendly locale and a Thanksgiving meal to any folks who may not be close with family, have friends nearby or any place to go in general.

Other events include Secret Sundays, during which DuBois picks a top-shelf or rare bottle of

specially ordered bourbon and sells good pours for out-of-this world pricing — a whiskey lover’s paradise.

Best Karaoke: 8.2.0 You just left a concert at one of the handful of music venues at the AvdXchange Music Factory. You are drunk and just aren’t done singing for the night.

Slide your happy ass in to 8.2.0.

Karaoke bars are always a party, but at 8.2.0 they pack the karaoke party in to one room for a sing-a-long extravaganza. 8.2.0 has the three pillars of a good time; drinks, music and pizza by the slice.

The elevated stage in the karaoke lounge is a platform for drunk friends to become superstars and for you to enjoy the most intimate mini-concerts of your all-time favorite hits.

It’s not American Idol, but you can showcase your vocal talents through your favorite Amy PHOTO COURTESY OF SINGLE BARREL ROOM Winehouse or Adele tune. Make sure you do your Best New Nightlife Spot: Single Barrel Room

vocal cord warm ups, though, and drink some soothing tea with honey afterward. Just kidding, of course you should have a beer or a cocktail. After all, it’s only karaoke.

Best Bar to Get Dressed Up For: Merchant and Trade Your late-spring tennis shoes coated in grass stains from yard work will get you turned away at the entrance of Merchant & Trade. Since you have to get dressed up, you might as well go all out for the rooftop views of BB&T Ballpark and Romare Bearden Park.

Merchant & Trade has a wicked cocktail program curated by beverage director Henry Schmulling, long glass-rock firepits and a wall of connected TV screens for a huge projection of… well, whatever they have on.

Think about Merchant & Trade like Fahrenheit on steroids, a Barry Bonds amount of steroids. After

you’ve got your date night started off right with a few cocktails and Insta-worthy views you can walk down to Valhalla or Hooligans and get plastered in your suit or dress, but more about that to come.

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Best Place to Bar Hop: Brevard Court When someone says they’re going bar hopping, you probably imagine them Ubering to a bar in one neighborhood, staying for a bit, then Ubering to another one.

A large order for friends who like staying in one place for long periods of time. For those that like to keep their cards close to their chest, Brevard Court is a dream come true.

Often referred to as the French Quarter or Latta Arcade (which is the name for the indoor section that’s popular with the Uptown lunch crowd but closes before things get interesting), Brevard Court gives Q.C. nightlife adventurers the best of both worlds: the opportunity to bar hop while virtually standing in place.

Home to French Quarter Restaurant, Nefelie’s, Valhalla Pub and Eatery, The Cotton Room, Zablong, Istanbul Hookah Lounge, and QCBC, there’s plenty of food and booze to last you and your friends all night long.

Best Place to Day Drink: NoDa Company Store NoDa Company Store is known for being one of the coziest hangouts in the neighborhood, and arguably, in the city.

A bottle shop meets playground for the day-time drinker, a post-brunch beer can quickly turn into evening shenanigans exploring NoDa when you start at the Company Store.

Grab a glass of sangria on tap (or mulled wine if you need to warm up) and settle down in one of the many nesting areas inside or out.

Not in the mood for sangria or mulled wine?

Don’t worry, there are plenty of local brews to wash down a snack from the food truck parked out front (or back, as we’re still a bit confused as to which side is considered the front).

After you’ve fallen in love with Noda Co. Store during the day, it won’t take much to convince you to join owners Joey and Scott for Meatless Mondays, a free, community-style dinner featuring a different vegetarians dish each week!

Or head out on Sunday for a similar vibe during which they grill out free of charge in the warmer months.

Best Hangout: Hattie’s Tap & Tavern/Tip Top Daily Market No frills, no dress code, no cover charges, no bullshit.

The humble strip mall on The Plaza doesn’t look like much, but’s home to two of the most chill spots to kick back at in the city.

On one side, you’ve got Hattie’s, the dogfriendly, video game-hosting, giant-Jenga-on-thepicnic-tables bar that turned 5 years old this year and has never lost a step as a go-to for a night with no pretense.

Just a few doors over, Tip Top Daily Market is a bar with plenty of beers and on tap and an impressive selection of cans and bottles in the beer shop that awaits if you can make it past said bar.

Speaking of impressive selections, Tip Top moonlights as a record shop, allowing you to peruse the vinyl while you sip.

Hand-in-hand, the two offer just about the best way to spend the day when you don’t want to worry about shit else but the drink in front of you.

Best Patio: Thomas Street Tavern When anyone mentions going out in Plaza Midwood, you already know one of the suggested stops will be none other than Thomas Street (lovingly called T Street) Tavern.

Maybe it’s the live music, or possibly some of the food plays a role in its popularity, but anyone who knows what they’re talking about will tell you of all the attributes of Thomas Street Tavern, the greatest is the back patio.

While it’s one of the largest outdoor spaces in Plaza Midwood, you can find pockets that make it feel cozy and intimate.

Whether you’re tucked away in a booth or circled around the fire pit inside the covered outdoor bar, you can find a way to steal away from the busyness of the bar.

Or you can try your luck playing ping pong, Bimini ring or corn hole. If you’re going to play ping pong, take heed, there are very serious ping pong players behind the netting, don’t grab a paddle lightly.

If you’re having second thoughts, set up on the old-style stadium seating looking down on the tables and see if it’s something you’re really ready for. Regardless of the reason you’re at T Street (which is located on Thomas Avenue, strangely enough), as long as the heaters are working when it’s cold outside, it’s where you’ll want to spend most of your time.

PHOTO BY CAITLIN PITKIN

Best Place to Bar-Hop: Brevard Court

Best Rooftop: The Chamber at Wooden Robot Brewery in NoDa Novel NoDa apartments may block the view of Uptown from the rooftop of the new-ish Wooden Robot location adjacent to it, but you can see the skyline from everywhere else in Charlotte so we won’t use that as judgment.

The Robot’s rooftop area still has plenty of views stretching miles to the north and west, which provides a photo-worthy sunset backdrop for having a beer after work. With lots of seating and a couple of games, this rooftop is a great space to hang out above the hustle and bustle of a Friday or Saturday night in the neighborhood.

Best Place to Spend a Sober Evening: Axe Club of America When you’ve had a long week or broken up with your significant other, you may have the urge to drink until you’ve found the bottom of the bottle.

Ditch the drink and opt for Axe Club of America instead.

With two locations in the Charlotte area and one in Winston-Salem, Axe Club of America is sharing the sport of axe throwing with scorned exes and alternative sport lovers alike. It’s the perfect excuse to release stress with friends or coworkers during the week (or weekend) without drinking alcohol, which means...no hangover!

PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS

Best Variety Show: Chevy Does Charlotte

PHOTO BY JONATHAN COOPER

Best Bartender: Yoshi Mejia

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Before you know it, you’ll be throwing an axe like your name is Paul Bunyan and trying to join a league. Make an event out of it for an alternative happy hour or compete against your friend for $20 per hour. (For clarity: You can’t BYOB, but if you do end up wanting to grab a drink, Axe Club is a private club and paying customers have the option of ordering beer!)

Best Dance Party: Su Casa Just when you thought Charlotte was culturally starved, the average person asking the right questions stumbles upon Su Casa. An event held at Petra’s in Plaza Midwood every fourth Saturday, Su Casa is an Afro-Carribean event like no other.

Best described as an immersive art and music experience, Su Casa partygoers are prepped and ready to dance the night away to the sounds of Afrobeats, Afrohouse, Zouk, Azanto, Soul and Soca.

Once inside, you’ll feel like you’ve won the golden ticket to one of the most epic and intimate house parties you’ve ever been to. Added bonus, you can get your face painted so you can really feel like you’ve been touched by culture. By the time you leave, you’ll feel like your cup is full and you can drink from that glass for the month leading up to the next one.

Best Comeback: Knocturnal Last summer, one of Charlotte’s most popular parties became a victim of its own success when Snug Harbor announced it could no longer host Knocturnal due to the overwhelming size of the crowd it attracted.

It was a sudden and shocking declaration, coming just before the weekly hip-hop event’s 7th anniversary, and leaving its community of DJs, breakers and emcees without a home. Like a good neighbor, nearby SERJ stepped in to host for the month of September, but Knoc’s future after that still seemed uncertain. That is, until the Knocturnal staff announced its new home would be Brooklyn Lounge.

Brooklyn Lounge is significant, because it’s in the building that formerly housed The Breakfast Club, the first big venue in Charlotte to throw B-boy and B-girl jams and where most of the older breakers in Charlotte first met, or in some cases, got started dancing.

Now that Knocturnal has moved to Brooklyn and a bit away from the ever-expanding Plaza party crowd, it has become refocused on the fundamental elements that made it such a fun and intriguing night in the first place — the dancers, the DJs, the emcees and a renewed sense of community. There’s still lots of ass-shakin’, though. Some things never change.

Best Strip Club: Uptown Cabaret If you’re itching for booze and boobs, place your bets on Uptown Cabaret. Situated in South End, the convenient location alone makes it easy for Charlotteans to take in the sights and smells (both good and bad) of adult entertainment.

If you’re feeling frisky after work, you can take advantage of Cabaret’s many weekly drink specials and escape from reality for a bit. If you’re looking

for pretty girls to take your mind off whatever it is that’s distracting you, you’re going to find “the perfect combination of class and style.”

If you’re not ready to turn down after your turn up, the fun doesn’t stop at Uptown Cabaret after two. If you’re aching for undivided attention, you can pay to adventure to the second floor for a private dance.

But mostly, if you’re hungry, you’ll get a chance to eat from the breakfast buffet while you indulge in the sights of beautiful ladies.

Best Speakeasy: Backstage Lounge Behind Southbound on South Boulevard is a truly hidden gem of a speakeasy. Enter through a real and functioning barbershop with a red velvet curtain, and into the swanky interior of Backstage Lounge. Choose which booth named after a dead Charlotte club to sit in — will it be The Pterodactyl or Tremont Music Hall? Let’s be real, 75% of South End visitors have probably never heard of either, but Backstage Lounge isn’t catering to the new, it’s paying homage to the old. And that’s refreshing. So is the seasonal small cocktail you’re greeted with.

The drink menu hits on all classics, plus boasts barrel-aged cocktails and new creations such as Red’s Dragon, made with Bacardi Dragon Berry, muddled strawberries, Thai basil and a house-made pepper syrup. The windowless setting and plush seating invite you to stay for hours and explore each page of the cocktail menu. There are not many places to better spend that kind of time, if you have it to spare.

Best Hidden Gem: Surf Inn Skeptics might say that we shouldn’t boast about the Surf Inn in order to maintain its hidden gem status, but we believe that even if we drew you a picture, you probably couldn’t find it. The Surf Inn was established in 1976 and has been a dive-y speakeasy only known from word-of-mouth promotion ever since. Nestled under a flight of stairs in a puke-green 1980s office park, the Inn is hidden far out of sight. No signs, no directions, no noise — just know-how and know-who. This critic remembers stumbling upon the patio of the Inn using only the sense of smell, convinced they were in the wrong place. The Inn hosts karaoke on Saturday nights, good dart boards and a few pool tables. You will get your liquor in a plastic cup and the place smells like old cigarettes. The Surf Inn is located in east Charlotte and it truly is a magical place that you should get someone to take you to.

Best Dive Bar: Smokey Joe’s A dive bar doesn’t really follow a certain theme, and Smokey Joe’s will not be placed in a box. There is one constant for Smokey Joe’s, however, and that is live music every night of the week. Outside of that, the team there kind of bounces all over the place. Built into the ceiling above the bar is a grotto that even Hugh Hefner would be jealous of, which can be seen perfectly from the log cabin-esque living room set up near a wood-burning stove. One pool table out of the way if you don’t want to be bothered during your highstakes game and another just by the bathroom to make sure you interact with

everyone. Outside, there’s a ping pong table in the sand so you can compete barefoot or you can just watch the pros play from the dim-lit patio area that surrounds it.

Best Bartender: Yoshi Mejia When we caught up with Yashira Mejia, better known as Yoshi, in June, she was working at the now-closed Loft & Cellar. She discussed her plans to pursue more individual opportunities and pop-ups on her own, but little did we know just how ready she was. The day we published the story, Mejia announced she would be leaving Loft & Cellar to strike out on her own. Since then, she’s become more active on the pop-up scene, working events like Serving the Culture, Champagne and Chicken, and Durag Fest.

“I am currently focusing on creating events where people of color can feel comfortable in our own element — culturally conscious experiences to welcome others to partake in different happenings in the city,” she said. That’s a mission we can get behind.

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Best Variety Show: Chevy Does Charlotte at Canvas Tattoo Chevy Does Charlotte was variety at its finest. The last event started with spoken word and ended on a stripper pole under the pergola in Canvas Tattoo & Art Gallery’s backyard. Toss some live-art performances, comedy acts, storytelling, burlesque, sketch comedies, plays, musical performances or fire acts in the middle and we had one of the most eclectic variety shows Charlotte’s seen in some time. Though there doesn’t seem to be a set schedule for upcoming Chevy Does Charlotte shows, Shivali Bas and Amanda McNeill are on the winning side of creative event organizing. We recommend checking them out on Facebook so that you don’t miss the next one.

Best Drag Show: ‘Yes, God’ Anthony Stamey and three siblings grew up queer in the Bible Belt. As tough as that experience was, it certainly provided them with a story to tell, people to parody and inspiration for entertainment. That inspiration was the force behind Yes, God!, a drag show and stage production Anthony launched with his brother Ryan in 2018. The second running of the show took place this summer and featured Anthony and Ryan as their drag personas — Charlotte Douglas and Robyn O’Ladies, respectively — leading a church service featuring silly announcements and original hymns as the pastors of their own church of drag. The performance is hilarious, but also about inclusivity in

PHOTO BY BOBBY KERNS PRODUCTIONS

Best Weekly Event: Drago at Single Barrel Room

a world that tends to be the most exclusive.

“We want queer people — and other people who were pushed out of the church or would like to still maybe be part of the church, but feel like they can’t — we want them to be safe and let them know, you are not alone just come and have a cathartic experience with us,” Anthony told Queen City Nerve.

Best Weekly Party: Drago at Single Barrel Room Single Barrel Room has made it a goal of theirs over the past year they have been open to be a safe and inclusive space in Plaza Midwood. They continue their support for the LGBTQ community by hosting a drag bingo night each Thursday night in support of local LGBTQ charities. The event is one helluva good party, with hosts like Valerie “Aunt Carol” Rockwell entertaining guests between wardrobe changes.

Who doesn’t love bingo and drag? The best part of this weekly event is the good cause behind it.

Over the years our communities have taken long strides in expelling the hate surrounding the LGBTQ community and Single Barrel Room continues by

donating to charities like Transcend Charlotte, Time Out Youth, Loaves and Fishes and many more.

visual element. There’s no other night quite like it — and that’s exactly what we need more of.

Best Monthly Party: Repainted Tomorrow at Tip Top Daily Market There’s been a lot of talk lately about Charlotte not having its own musical identity, but those talking would abandon that belief if they attended Repainted Tomorrow, a monthly showcase of the young producers and artists creating our region’s illest sounds. Each second Saturday at Tip Top Daily Market, the Vacation Pay crew presents Repainted Tomorrow to a crowd made up mostly of Charlotte music scene insiders. The vibe is laid back with no conflict or pretension, just people who love music, excited to hear “that next shit,” the basic elements of which are usually brilliant jazz loops and esoteric instrumentals over deep bass lines. Resident DJs Simon SMTHNG, FLLS and Axnt keep the energy flowing, while guest artists introduce something new and exciting to discover each month. Live painting brings it all together with an intriguing

Best Annual Party: Halloween Fiasco at The Milestone Halloween parties are undeniably fun and there’s no shortage of them here in the Queen City, but nowhere does Halloween like The Milestone. The annual two-night Halloween Fiasco features local bands dressing up and performing as big-name and sometimes has-been national acts. Examples from previous years include Hectorina as Hank Williams, Dr. Circustein as Gorrillaz and Jaguardini as Nine Inch Nails. The results are both dope and hilarious.

What really sets the mood, though, is the Gore Gore Luchadores’ all-ladies wrestling squad body-slamming their way to charitable donations in a pool full of zombie blood. Yes, it’s every bit as wild as that sentence sounded. The costumes are always crazy, too. Like every Milestone party, there’s a lot going on, and we love every second of it.

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PHOTO BY BRIAN TWITTY

Best Comeback: Knocturnal at Brooklyn Lounge

Best New Nightspot: Single Barrel Room

Best Bartender: Jamie Starks, Tommy’s Pub

Best Dive Bar: Thirsty Beaver Saloon

Best Mixologist: Brian DuBois

Best Weekly Nightlife Event: Knocturnal at Brooklyn Lounge/Drago at Single Barrel Room (Tie)

Best Bar To People Watch: Abari Game Bar

Best Wine Bar: Seaboard NC

Best Arcade Bar: Abari Game Bar

Best Place For A First Date: Abari Game Bar

Best Sports Bar: Kristophers

Best Beer Selection: Carolina Beer Temple

Best Single’s Bar: Abari Game Bar

Best Pool Hall: Elizabeth Billiards

Best Cocktail Menu: Haberdish/Single Barrel Room

Best Bar To Make A New Friend: Abari Game Bar

Best Hookah Bar: Crave

Best Place To Get Drunk: Abari Game Bar

Best Bowling Alley: 10 Park Lanes

Best LGBTQ-Friendly Bar: Petra’s/Chasers (Tie)

Best Craft Tap Selection: Craft Tasting Room

Best Neighborhood Bar: Tommy’s Pub

Best Strip Club: Uptown Cabaret

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Best Karaoke: Snug Harbor Best Annual Party: Charlotte Pride Best DJ: DJ Spider Best Dance Club: SERJ Best Dog Bar: Lucky Dog Bark & Brew

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AERIN

IT OUT

TAKEN FOR A RIDE

Uber may be my longest-running relationship

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BY AERIN SPRUILL

DISCLAIMER: This article is a satirical look at the relationships between rideshare drivers and their passengers. However, I must note that ridesharing services have garnered rightful criticism for safety issues over the years. Both drivers and passengers have been victimized. Ride with a partner when possible and always be aware of what car you’re getting into when hailing a ride.

A couple weekends ago, it occurred to me that some of the most intimate relationships some may have are with their Uber drivers. Your Uber driver can shape the path the rest of your day takes, literally and figuratively. When you’re riding home hammered, they have to listen to all the obnoxious details of your night: the good, the bad, the ugly and the vommy.

I came to this realization as I was rambling on about the Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich. Next thing you know I’m shouting at the top of my lungs about how not having tried the sandwich yet was threatening to ruin my relationship. Only 10 minutes had gone by since I had climbed into the car.

As the driver consoled me, I thought, “What a great friend! Talking me off of an imaginary ledge. Karen cares!” All the while, she knew our relationship was short-term and that I wouldn’t remember her name in the morning. But that’s how dating is these days.

The following day, I woke up with fleeting memories of that conversation and prepared for yet another late night with friends. It was only when I went to hop in my car that the embarrassment of the previous night’s sandwich convo became “extra crispy.” I pulled up the app. I sighed, rejuvenated by my 4.92 rating, and called yet another Uber.

I glanced at my driver’s picture; a mid-to-late 40s male stared back at me. I passed judgment while deciding whether to cancel and call another one. I knew if I decided quick enough, I wouldn’t be charged. It seemed safe — a comfortable car, anyway. Little did I know Uber had a revenge

relationship in store for me.

Leaned back all the way in his seat, the driver talked from the time I sat down to a few long moments after we pulled up to my destination.

With each labored breath (keep in mind the car had no recognizable stream of AC) I felt like he was stealing oxygen from my lungs.

“Are you in school?” he asked. “You just look so young.” At that creepy implication, I felt the need to assert my dominance, “Nope. I’m almost 30.”

He introduced himself as a preacher (which didn’t necessarily help curb the pedophiliac vibes), but it wasn’t long before he was fishing in his pocket for an HVAC business card. By the time the ride was over, he had added musician to his resume. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, he was tearfully explaining to me that he was a divorcee and while he’s happy for her, he “just wishes he had a woman in his life.”

He quickly went from a seemingly safe preacher with a warm laugh to a skeezy jack of all trades who needs to be held by a 29-year-old version of his mom.

By the time we arrived at my destination, a hole in the wall where no one would blink if I disappeared, I felt like Liam Neeson’s daughter in Taken.

Uber driver: “How is this bar? Any good?”

Me: “Hmm. Sure, but not really.”

Uber driver: “Maybe I should stop by for one some time.”

Me: “Hah! Hmm. Yeah, maybe.”

Uber: “Boy. That was a ‘Hell no you shouldn’t’ laugh if I ever heard one.”

Me: “Welp. You have a great night.”

For once, I was thankful for the nervous laugh I once despised. My relationship with Uber has been off and on for six years, but it only took a spicy chicken sandwich and the confirmation of many Uber mistakes made prior to remind me that I’m well overdue for a ring … or some free rides at least.

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CROSSWORD FUNNY CARS

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Across

1 Ones with two feet 7 Side roads 13 Forcible dismissal 20 Huge fan 21 Baby’s noise 22 Like many reference books, in the back matter 23 Kia steered in the wrong direction?

25 Given a nice smell 26 Wrinkle-reducing injection 27 Troop group 28 Chinese “way” 30 Jai -31 “-- all true” 32 Concorde, e.g., in brief 33 Toyota damaged by fire?

37 Spaceship Earth locale 40 Volvo rival, once 42 --’Pea (cartoon kid) 43 Caterpillar wheel part 44 Volkswagen full of Egyptian charms?

47 Seed case 48 “Don’t look -- that way!”

49 Sprayed (down) 50 News piece 51 Old Turkish title 52 Hunter in the sky 53 Revered figure 54 Superhelix material 55 Honda driven in anti-war protests?

58 Spanish for “tomorrow” 60 Collision 63 Busy crawler 64 Pro-learning gp.

65 Dodge made with no cables?

69 To a ship’s back 72 Bicentennial baby, e.g.

73 Sleek fabric 74 Tennis’ Edberg 78 Hyundai that transports 88-key instruments?

81 “The Addams Family” cousin 83 Cry weakly 84 Juan of Argentina 85 “Help!,” asea

86 Ballerina’s garment 88 “... but maybe I was wrong” 89 Work units, in physics 90 “Silent Fall” actress Tyler 91 Ford that’s the favorite out of one’s collection?

94 Master 95 Small inlet 96 Get over a hurdle 97 Savage 98 Nissan decorated with romaine?

101 Drink daintily 102 Hypothetical things 105 Animated “explorer” 106 With 35-Down, “Your wish is my command!”

107 Body wrap?

109 Italian “love” 111 Arise 114 Chevrolet only driven in April and May? 117 Changed genetically 118 USN clerks 119 Light wind 120 Of zero help 121 “-- Song” (#1 John Denver hit) 122 Like finished wood

32 Blubber 33 Checking acct. figure 34 24-month 35 See 106-Across 36 Task list 38 Attorney-to-be’s study 39 Lout 40 Picture 41 $ dispenser 44 Thin wedge 45 Opus ender 46 Online sales 48 Curve part 51 Use a tub 52 Band of eight 54 Challenges 55 Orzo, e.g.

56 Ovid’s “Lo!” 57 Self-turmoil 59 Presidential resignee 61 Cousins of plateaus 62 Exam for H.S. juniors 66 Causing wear 67 Writer Loos 68 Camera-ready proofs 69 Entreaty 70 Savage 71 Hoped-for finish time 75 Worked properly

Down

1 Disney fawn 2 Meathead 3 Playoff time 4 As a result 5 Two, to Luc 6 -- Lanka 7 Go-between 8 California wine city 9 Disoriented 10 Inflated head 11 Video sharing site 12 Sunny?

13 That boy’s 14 Crated up 15 Penguin of Antarctica 16 -- cavae (large blood vessels) 17 Dying out, as of species 18 Half a laugh 19 Funny 24 Garbage can 29 With no assurance of payment

SOLUTION ON PAGE 30

76 Baseball’s Moises 77 Goalies guard them 79 Calculator figs.

80 Many works of fiction 82 Wind farm spinner 86 -- Maria (liqueur) 87 Sports arbiter, for short 88 Flip -- coin 90 Tracks down 91 It “corrals” a baby 92 Sports arbiter, for short 93 “Darn tootin’” 95 Run an exhibit for 99 Of musical pitch 100 Walk-in-the-park class 101 Harbingers 103 Became ice 104 H.S. health class 107 -- Valley, California 108 Midleg joint 109 Air about one 110 Air about one 111 Aussie ratite 112 Frat letters 113 Mag staff 115 Film director Howard 116 NFL passers

horoscope

DECEMBER 4 - DECEMBER 10 ARIES (March 21 to April 19) There could be an unexpected change in plans for your upcoming holiday travels. But keep in mind that a little flexibility goes a long way in resolving any disappointments.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A new relationship

might not be responding quite as quickly as you’d hoped. Could you be expecting too much too soon?

Try to ease up and let things happen at their own pace.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) As we approach

the frenetic pace of pre-holiday planning, take time out now to reconnect with the wonderful people who share your life, especially the one who also shares your dreams.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A misunderstanding

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should be resolved before you get caught up in the flurry of holiday preparations. Set your pride aside and deal with it, regardless of who might have hurt whom first.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Being told that a

colleague might have been trying to undercut your effectiveness might or might not be true. Get all the facts before you even think about acting on this socalled information.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) It’s a good

idea to start your holiday preparation plans early in order to avoid a time crunch if an unresolved workplace situation causes a problem. That old friend might have some welcome news.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A family

member’s actions continue to surprise you, but this time with positive results. Could be your wise

DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17

counsel finally got through. It’s like having an early holiday gift, isn’t it?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) That change in holiday travel plans might be more vexing than SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your you’d expected. But try to take it in stride. Also, it reluctance to act in a current situation could be couldn’t hurt to use that Aries charm to coax out traced to your inner self advising you to take more some helpful cooperation. time to study its complexities before you attempt to deal with it. Good luck.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your Bovine determination helps you deal with an unforeseen SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) complication. And, as usual, you prove that when Soothing hurt feelings before they can ignite an it comes to a challenge, you have what it takes to angry outburst is the wise thing to do. And, of take it on. course, when it comes to doing the “wisdom thing,” you do it so well.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Although a romantic theme dominates much of the week, all CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) those warm and fuzzy feelings don’t interfere with Budget your time so that you can handle both your the more pragmatic matters you need to take care workplace duties and your personal holiday planning of.

-- including travel arrangements -- without burning out on either end.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Best not to ignore those doubts about an upcoming decision. Instead, AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18)You might recheck the facts you were given to make sure find that you still need to firm up one or two of those nothing important was left out. A weekend surprise still-outstanding decisions so that you finally can awaits you. move forward as you had planned. Weigh the facts, then act.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) No time for a catnap -yet. You might still have to straighten out one or two PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You usually factors so that you can finally assure yourself of the don’t carry grudges, but you might feel this is one truth about a troubling workplace situation. Stay time when you’re justified in doing so. But aren’t you with it. spending too much energy holding onto it? Let it go and move on.

VIRGO (August 23 September 22) News from an old friend could lead to an unexpected (but BORN THIS WEEK: You have a way of nonetheless welcome) reunion with someone who using your quiet strength to persuade people to had once been very special in your life. Be open to follow their better instincts and do the right thing. the possibilities.

time for a family council. The sooner those problems are resolved, the sooner you can move ahead with your holiday preparations. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Take

some time out to give more attention to a personal relationship that seems to be suffering from a sense of emotional neglect. Provide that much-needed reassurance.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Cheer up. That unusual circumstance that might faze most people can be handled pretty well by the savvy Sagittarian. Look at it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19)

Someone you believe has hurt you in the past might now need your help. Reaching out could be difficult.

But the generous Goat will be able to do the right thing, as always.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Prioritizing is an important part of your pre-holiday scheduling. Try to give time both to your workday responsibilities and those personal matters you might have neglected.

PISCES(February 19 to March 20)With the vestiges

of your anger about that painful incident fading, you can now focus all your energy on the more positive aspects of your life, including that personal situation.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a way of bringing your own strong sense of reassurance to LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) It might be others and encouraging them to hope.

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SAVAGE LOVE

QUICKIES

Everyone has it

BY DAN SAVAGE

My ex-girlfriend, who I dated for nine months, called me two months after we broke up and accused me of giving her HPV. She was going on, telling me how I needed to tell any future person I had sex with that I have HPV. I’m a 38-year-old man, and I’ve never had any signs or symptoms of any sexually transmitted infections. I know HPV is very common, often clears up on its own, and cannot be tested for in men. What are your thoughts? Do I need to tell sexual partners that I have HPV? HELP PERSON VACILLATING

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Most people are infected with HPV — the human papillomavirus — at some point in their lifetime, most never develop symptoms, and in most cases the infection goes away on its own. There’s an effective and safe vaccine that protects people from HPV strains that can cause cervical, anal, dick or throat cancer — and everyone, regardless of age, should get vaccinated. And since people can develop symptoms years after their initial exposure, there’s no way for your ex-girlfriend to know that you infected her. Or that she didn’t infect you. Every sexually active adult should assume they’ve been exposed to HPV, that they have it or have had it, and conduct themselves accordingly.

My wife is über-vanilla. She is willing to spank me and peg me, but she won’t “take charge” of the situation. She’s doing it to please me and expects me to signal approval throughout the process. As soon as a spanking gets to the point that I’m flinching and wanting it to stop, she stops. We’ve never gotten more than a few strokes into the pegging for the same reason.

I don’t really crave pain per se, but I want and need her to be in charge.

SEEKING POINTERS ABOUT NEEDED KINKS

One of the top reasons people choose safe words, SPANK, is so that they can scream, “Oh, God! Stop, please! I beg you! It’s too much!” and the person who’s spanking or pegging them knows that since they didn’t hear “collusion” or “Giuliani” or “Zelensky,” the spanking or pegging can continue. Not using the safe word is how a sub signals their approval throughout the spanking/pegging/whatevering process — or, at the very least, how a sub signals their willingness to endure the spanking/pegging/whatevering.

My long-term partner and I are in a soft dom/ sub relationship. Neither of us has been sexually or physically abused. I suffer mainly from depression and a little anxiety. Lately when the sex is great, I end up having a panic attack.

If I have an intense orgasm and then he goes to town with penetration, there will be a point where I physically shove him off and then my body shakes and my breathing starts getting really fast and I start crying, and basically I’m having a panic attack. I feel terrible for my partner, because it’s not really his fault. But somehow the physical overstimulation gives my body the “okay” to have a panic attack. It’s happened a few times, and my partner is now hesitant to have sex. I want to be able to stop these panic attacks mainly for him. However, when I do have the panic attacks, I want to just cry and let everything out. But of course my amazing partner just wants to comfort me and get it to stop. Please help.

seeing someone. As for your partner’s hesitation to have intercourse, well, that’s understandable. But there’s an easy enough work-around: If an intense orgasm followed by go-to-town-style penetration triggers your panic attacks, then either don’t do penetrative sex after you’ve had an intense orgasm or wait until after your partner goes to town to have your orgasm.

I’ve been in situations where I’m with my better half, rocking her world, giving her an orgasm, coming inside her, and she loves it.

The next week, same scenario, she’s moaning and groaning, I explode, and she says to me, “Did you come?” And I’m there thinking, “I thought I was pleasuring her like last time, and she suddenly can’t tell when I exploded inside her?!”

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

Sometimes the person getting fucked (PGF) is paying close attention to the person doing the fucking (PDTF). The PGF is really taking the PDTF in, the PGF can see how close the PDTF is getting, the PGF knows just when the PDTF has arrived. But sometimes the PGF’s eyes roll back in their head and they float the fuck away, WTAF, because the fucking feels that damn good. The PGF moans, the PGF groans, but the PGF is so lost in the physical and emotional sensations — they’re getting so deeply into the dicking — that it’s not until after the PDTF stops fucking them that the PGF even realizes the PDTF is done fucking them. So it’s not a bad sign that your better half sometimes has to ask if you came, WTAF, it’s a good sign.

On the Lovecast, meet the woman who’s read all of Dan’s columns since 1991: savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove.net; Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage; ITMFA.org

MULTICULTURAL STAFF 20 + GIRLS!

PROBLEMS AROUND NOOKIE-INDUCED CRISIS

Panic attacks during sex are something you might want to explore with a therapist or counselor, PANIC. If you’re already seeing someone about your depression and anxiety, please bring these attacks up with your provider. If you aren’t seeing someone, please start

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