Queen City Nerve Issue 23_2019

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 23; OCTOBER 9 - OCTOBER 22, 2019; WWW.QCNERVE.COM

JE BROYHILL CIVIC CENTER NOV 2 2019

Vienna Boys Choir

NOV 24 2019

Pg. 2 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22 , 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

www.broyhillcenter.com 828.726.2407

Dec 12-15, 2019 - Elf the Musical, Jr. Jan 04, 2020 - Dailey & Vincent Feb 01, 2020 - Caldwell Traditional Musicians Showcase Feb 13-15, 2020 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Feb 29, 2020 - Kruger Brothers with Kontras Quartet Jun 18-20, 2020 - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Charlotte’s Cultural Pulse

@ queencitynerve

qcnerve.com STAFF

PUBLISHER • Justin LaFrancois jlafrancois@qcnerve.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@qcnerve.com STAFF WRITER • Pat Moran pmoran@qcnerve.com ART DIRECTOR • Dana Vindigni dvindigni@qcnerve.com MARKETING MANAGER • Jayme Johnson jjohnson@qcnerve.com

ADVERTISING

Pg. 3 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22 , 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

To place an advertisement please call 980-349-3029 Queen City Nerve welcomes submissions of all kinds. Please send submissions or story pitches to rpitkin@qcnerve.com.

Queen City Nerve is published every other Wednesday by Nerve Media Productions LLC. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Queen City Nerve is located in Advent Coworking at 933 Louise Ave., Charlotte, NC, 28204. First Issue of Queen CIty Nerve free. Each additional issue $5.

NEWS & CULTURE

6 Rubber to Road by Ryan Pitkin Charlotte Bike Life disputes bad rap after losing one of their own 5 Editor’s Note by Ryan Pitkin 10 Keep It 100 by Shameika Rhymes 11 The Scanner by Ryan Pitkin

ARTS

12 A League of Their Own by Pat Moran Jonell Logan intervenes by connecting creative communities

LIFELINE

14 How not to kill your social life

MUSIC

16 Jay Pluss Leaves Them Wanting More by Ryan Pitkin New project is just a sampling of the skills 18 Soundwave

FOOD & DRINK

22 Candy, Kin and Man-Mosas by Ben Jarrell A farewell brunch with Jeremy Lamb 24 The Buzz

LIFESTYLE

26 Aerin It Out by Aerin Spruill 26 Sudoku 27 Crossword 28 Horoscope 30 Savage Love

Cover Design by: Dana Vindigni

PHOTO BY ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

BUY ONE, GIVE ONE.

ASK HOW TO GET A BRILLIANT NEW iPHONE® ON US.

Out of this world dentistry finally in your neighborhood!

-Offering Whole Family Dentistry & Oral Surgery specialty care on an extended schedule

Pg. 4 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22 , 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

-Locally owned

7am-7pm and select Saturdays

Skip the line and get your new phone today! Call now.

Iv Support Holdings LLC

866-272-0706

www.freephonesnow.com/queen

No Insurance? No Problem! Ask about our in-house Dental Savings Plan

www.StellarDentalCLT.com

Ltd time. Select devices. Each req’s min. $750 on installment. Req’s new line. iPhone XR 64GB free after credits over 30 months. Credits start w/in 3 bills. If svc cancelled, R device balance due. $30 Activation, add’l fees, taxes, other charges, & restr’s apply. © 2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the Globe logo are registered trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

NRO SF T 0119 1191 E

University

9010 Glenwater Drive 704-547-1199

Noda

2100 North Davidson 704-688-7120

EDITOR’S NOTE COMPLICATIONS

The pursuit of happiness

Pg. 5 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22 , 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY RYAN PITKIN

“IT’S VERY COMPLICATED.” That was the first piece of feedback from one person I let read this week’s cover story before it went to print. Of course, as the writer story, this wasn’t the best piece of feedback I could have hoped for. In fact, it sent off all sorts of alarm bells.

What’s complicated? What needs to be clarified?

I was a bit relieved to hear back that it wasn’t the writing that was complicated, it was the subject matter itself. That much I already knew; it’s why I wanted to write about this story in the first place.

I started reaching out to folks in the Charlotte Bike Life community back in July. Living in NoDa and working in the Belmont neighborhood, I’d often see them out riding in those areas, hitting tricks in big groups that range from 10 ATVs and dirt bikes to 30.

I’d see these folks out a lot, and I’d see plenty of them riding on the wrong side of the road or a few stragglers running a red light to catch up with fellow riders, but I never witnessed anyone being intimidating or violent to other cars on the road.

That’s what one woman is alleging happened to her on Aug. 11, and the results turned deadly for one longtime local rider. I go into more detail about the Aug. 11 incident in this week’s cover story, which begins on the next page, but long story short, the woman alleges that she was driving down South Tryon Street when her car was suddenly surrounded

by ATV riders. She says two of them starting ramming the back of her car and then a man driving a car who was associated with the riders punched her in the face through an open window.

Riders who were there that day dispute that version of events, and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but what can’t be argued is what happened next: an officer on a dual sport bike arrived and found a group of riders pulling out of a Bojangles’ parking lot on West Boulevard. The group dispersed and the officer continued behind them, and shortly thereafter, Michael Adams ran off the road and struck a bridge pillar, later dying of his injuries.

Adams was by all accounts a caring, wonderful man. Regardless of what happened in the lead-up to that accident, anybody can agree that he did not deserve to die that day.

But the accident does bring up tough questions about what should be expected by police in that situation. CMPD directives state that “the responsibility for the decision to engage in a pursuit rests with the individual officer.” Officers must consider the seriousness of the crime committed by a suspect along with the location, weather, speed limit and a number of other factors that could affect the amount the danger presented to officers and civilians in the case of a pursuit.

Sgt. Jesse Wood of CMPD’s Major Crash Unit said at a press conference on Aug. 12 that a major factor in the officer’s decision to pursue the riders in this case had to do with the slow speeds at which everyone was moving. Clearly, however, things had sped up a bit before they reached the bridge.

Officers often don’t pursue ATVs and dirt bikes in these situations because of the high risk to the riders and other civilians. After all, what these riders are “wanted” for in the first place is most often a traffic violation — a misdemeanor at worst. One can’t help but wonder if the assault call played a role in this officer’s decision to follow the riders.

Either way, a family and a community lost someone forever that day, and that’s never something to brush over.

One thing that became clear to me while reporting on this story was that these folks aren’t going to give up riding in the streets anytime soon.

It’s a trend that’s growing nationwide, and the passion these people have for their hobby is undying.

A lot of people involved with the Charlotte Bike Life community also see it as a way out of other pastimes that could get them in far more trouble.

Some folks I talked to want a regulated time on Sunday afternoon when they can ride. Some suggested Mecklenburg County build a park similar to Adventure World in South Carolina, a private park with over 200 acres of dirt bike and ATV trails.

Whatever happens, it will take dialogue between riders and police, because as things are now — a cat-and-mouse game — it’s only a matter of time before someone else dies.

That much isn’t complicated at all.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

Pg. 6 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

PHOTO BY ALVIN C. JACOBS JR.

Practicing wheelies at the old Eastland Mall site.

RUBBER TO ROAD

Charlotte Bike Life disputes bad rap after losing one of their own

O

BY RYAN PITKIN

N A FRIDAY evening in east Charlotte, a group of about 20 people ranging from young teenagers to folks in their 30s, gather around pickup trucks and trailers in an abandoned lot in the southeastern corner of the former Eastland Mall property. Some people post up next to the trucks, but most are up on some sort of bike.

Two of them ride dirt bikes, three others are on four-wheeler all-terrain vehicles, or ATVS. The rest — younger kids who either can’t yet afford dirt bikes or don’t have trailers to bring them to the lot — are riding bicycles.

The lot is one of the riders’ most-used “wheelie spots,” as some of the riders refer to them. The reason for the nickname is easily apparent.

Regardless of bicycle, bike or ATV, every rider on the lot is there to practice their wheelies.

Folks around the truck give tips to one ATV rider who is either bringing his front tires down too early or scraping the back of his ATV on every turn.

After only about 30 minutes on the lot, a police car parks in the next lot over, facing the riders. A second soon appears, and the two eventually pull into the wheelie spot. Two CMPD officers exit their SUVs and watch, keeping a distance from the group standing near the trucks.

“Let the white dad talk to them,” says one in the group, referring to a middle-aged father who is there with his son, one of the younger kids on the bicycles. “They won’t mess with him.”

The man chats up the officers for a few minutes before Russ*, an ATV rider who’s been riding in the Charlotte area for nearly 20 years, walks over to talk with officers. Eventually a circle forms around the officers, who say they’ve been called out by the owner of the lot. Though the owner lives elsewhere, he apparently received a call from someone at the nearby flea market.

The officers say they support what the riders are doing and think it’s cool, but they have to come out to service the call. They talk with Russ about his

efforts to come to an agreement with CMPD about using the lot, similar to the skateboarders who have built a DIY skate park on the southwest corner of the property. They talk for about an hour.

The officers don’t kick anyone out from the spot, and eventually they leave. The riders continue to hit wheelies until darkness descends, then they pack their vehicles back onto the trailers. Many of the cyclists rode all the way from the Freedom Drive area; half of them plan to go ride into Uptown while the others will start the long journey home to the other side of the city.

That Friday night is an ideal situation for the riders, and they say about 50% of their interactions with police at the old Eastland Mall site go down that way. Other officers don’t look so kindly on their presence there, and those officers will come

was killed after wrecking his dirt bike during a police chase on West Boulevard near the Wilmore neighborhood. Now, Adams’ friends and fellow riders are saying media coverage has unfairly villainized them — that they are a group of hobbyists pursuing their passion in a city with limited space to do so. They also say overzealous police are responsible for the death of their friend.

Charlotte Bike Life is not a gang, a crew or an organization with members. As Russ explains it, it’s just an umbrella term — a way to rep your city on social media.

“The name is not really anything; it’s people getting together and on the road,” he says. “There’s a bike life culture here, we’re from Charlotte, everybody claims their city, we claim Charlotte

last three years has blown up, but it’s blown up everywhere in the past three years, not just in Charlotte.”

He mentions strong communities in Tennessee, California, Florida and Virginia. Baltimore and parts of New York City are known as places with the most venerable bike life communities.

Russ and fellow riders often take trips to cities along the East Coast to link up with Bike Life communities. Riders will meet with people they’ve met through social media and go riding in different cities, following the lead of the rider who’s from there, who knows where to ride and how to avoid police.

Most city’s police departments follow a do-notchase policy when it comes to street riders, so as not to put anyone involved in more danger than is necessary. One Charlotte rider who goes by “Chevy” travels to Washington D.C. and other East Coast cities to ride regularly. He said CMPD is the most antagonistic and provocative toward riders among the cities he rides in.

“We’ve been to other cities where they strictly abide by do-not-chase [policies],” Chevy says. “A bike breaks down, yeah you’ll prolly get a ticket or whatever, but they do not chase.”

Later, he ends our chat with a sentence that has been at the center of controversy since Adams died in August.

“If the police never chased my boy Mike, he would still be alive.”

Pg. 7 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

“AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF I GET PULLED OVER, IT’S A TRAFFIC VIOLATION. NOBODY DESERVES TO BE KILLED.” UNAMED CHARLOTTE BIKE LIFE RIDER

out and immediately begin yelling at the riders to get off the property. Similar interactions happen at vacant lots all around the city.

If it stopped there, the story of Charlotte Bike Life would be an innocent tale of cat-and-mouse — riders practicing their passion and dodging police harassment, the worst that can happen being a citation.

However, in recent years the riders have increased their presence on the public streets of Charlotte, riding out together in groups of 20 to 30. In North Carolina, dirt bikes can be made street legal if they meet the same inspection guidelines as motorcycles and cars, though barely any street riders follow such guidelines. It is not legal to ride an ATV on the street under any circumstances.

The recent ride-outs have led CMPD to focus special attention on street riders, while local media has written headlines stating that the groups are “terrorizing” the public by riding recklessly.

On Aug. 11, things came to a head when longtime Charlotte Bike Life rider Michael Adams

Bike Life because we ride Charlotte, we’re from Charlotte, we live Charlotte and we’re part of a bike life community. It’s like saying Charlotte Skateboarding, there’s no such thing. So there’s not an organization; it’s a group of friends.”

Russ moved to Charlotte from Miami in 2002 and began riding on wooded trails around the city.

He wasn’t into street riding back then because he didn’t need to be.

Russ says he remembers a time when he could ride trails from the University area to Mint Hill on the southeast side of the city or Steele Creek to the southwest. The construction of I-485 wiped out countless trails, he says, and the development boom that followed took care of most that survived.

It’s only been within the last three years that street riding has begun to explode in Charlotte, and the increase in popularity has coincided with similar trends around the country.

“There was always culture here but it was more racing or trail riding, doing tricks, jumping.”

Russ says. “The community in Charlotte over the

THOUGH RUSS WASN’T riding with Adams on Aug. 11, he knew how excited he was to go out that Sunday.

“He was waiting all week to get that bike built,” he recalls. “He got it fixed that day. He got on social media and you could see it in his face, he was the happiest man in the world that day. He hadn’t ridden in so long, he was just ready to get a decent ride in.”

Police say they received calls throughout the

Pg. 8 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Police talk to kids at the “wheelie spot” in east Charlotte.

afternoon about a group of 12 to 15 riders driving through Uptown and the neighborhoods near Uptown.

Just before 8 p.m., 41-year-old Heather Perotti called 911 about a hit-and-run on South Tryon Street. According to the accident report, Perotti “was caught in a pack of ATVs [and] noticed that two had pulled behind her vehicle. In an attempt to intimidate her, the ATVs continued to strike the back-right corner of [her] vehicle.”

Things only escalated from there, according to a separate criminal incident report, which states that, “after the victim stopped her vehicle, she was suddenly punched by the suspect through an open window,” of her car.

According to CMPD, the suspect in the alleged assault was not riding an ATV but driving a car, but he was associated with the riders. Officers arrested 36-year-old Chavis Doby the next day and charged

him with assault on a female in connection with the incident.

Though riders who were on the scene did not want to speak on the record — many of whom have become distrustful of media after years of negative coverage — they dispute the victim’s and CMPD’s version of events, denying that riders were intimidating Perotti.

What is known for sure is that an officer on a CMPD dual-sport bike responded to the hit-andrun call and shortly thereafter found a group of riders leaving the parking lot of a Bojangles’ on West Boulevard. The officer attempted to stop the riders and they dispersed. The officer gave chase, and that’s when Adams lost control.

According to Sergeant Jesse Wood with CMPD’s Major Crash Unit, Adams struck a curb, was ejected from his bike and hit a pillar of the I-77 bridge on West Boulevard. He was taken to the hospital,

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS

where he was later pronounced dead.

Riders say the officer should not have chased them, as is usually CMPD policy in such an instance, with some stating that he was being overly aggressive by trying to run riders off the road. CMPD has stated that no contact was made between the officer’s bike and any other riders.

According to Wood, neither state nor local law prohibits police from pursuing suspects.

“If a crime has occurred, then an officer does have legal authority to pursue somebody,” he says.

“Different departments have regulations as to what they can pursue for, when they can pursue, and they will take into all kinds of accounts as far as the danger to the public, the officers and the suspect.”

CMPD directives state that “the responsibility for the decision to engage in a pursuit rests with the individual officer.” Officers must consider the seriousness of the crime committed by a suspect,

the location, weather, speed limit and a number of other factors that could affect the amount the danger presented to officers and civilians in the case of a pursuit.

Wood says that one factor in the officer’s decision to remain behind the riders was the low speeds at which everyone was moving.

Though Russ and Chevy were not at the scene of the accident, they’ve spoken with every rider who was, and they find both the victim’s and CMPD’s version of events suspicious.

“When I say Mike was an avid dirt bike rider on the trails and in the street, there’s no way,” Chevy says. “They say speed wasn’t a factor. If speed wasn’t a factor, if they were doing 20 miles per hour, nobody’s going to die falling over on their dirt bike. No avid dirt bike rider is going to run into a pillar.”

CMPD representatives have stated that the officer was wearing a body-worn camera at the

Pg. 9 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

time of the accident, but have not yet commented on whether it was turned on. It is a CMPD directive that all officers involved in a pursuit turn on their body camera immediately.

FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, CMPD called a press conference asking for riders and witnesses to come forward with their accounts. Predictably, many of the riders who were there that day went underground.

For Russ and other riders, Adams’s death came at an especially bittersweet time: six days before the second annual Charlotte Bike Life Back 2 School Supplies Giveaway, a block party, cookout and fundraiser event that Adams had helped bring to fruition just a year before.

Some felt that, with all the heat from police officers, they should cancel the Back 2 School drive, but Russ knew from the minute he heard about Adams’s death that they would have to go through with it in his memory.

On Aug. 17, Charlotte Bike Life riders took over a block in one of the neighborhoods where they’re most welcomed by the community. They handed out 400 backpacks filled with school supplies to kids getting ready to return to school.

Russ points out that many of the local riders are business owners and respected members of the community. He is a contractor who makes furniture, while Chevy owns a landscaping business. The Back 2 School event is a chance for him to show kids what hard work can get them.

“I love seeing hundreds of people out there having a good time, the mix of people from all over the city, all different races, all out there because they like the bikes and they like what we’re doing and they could use some supplies. Who couldn’t?” he says. “A majority of us have struggled and have been fortunate enough to see a better day, so why not give something back to the community?”

In the days following Adams’s death, Russ says multiple media outlets reached out to riders for comments about the incident, though none agreed to come to the cookout for an interview.

Local media has painted a very specific picture of the local bike life scene, and have continued on that path since the August accident. With the headline “ATV and dirt bike riders terrorize Charlotte streets,” a Sept. 9 WCNC story shares cellphone video from a viewer showing a group of 22 riders passing her in a turn lane while she’s stopped in traffic.

The riders can be seen popping wheelies while some drive on the sidewalk before pulling into a gas station. One ATV rider spins his tires in the grass.

Sgt. Jesse Wood of CMPD’s Major Crash Unit leads a press conference following the death of Michael Adams.

The woman taking the video says, “They’re probably going to murder us. They’re dirt-bike, four-wheeler bandits.” The riders pay her no mind.

Russ says that when he’s riding with a group, he follows the laws of the road as closely as possible and tries to get his fellow riders to do the same, though he admits that he has no control over any other riders and that some do regularly get out of line in terms of riding on the wrong side of the road, blowing red lights and other traffic violations.

He and Chevy both insist, however, that they have never witnessed a fellow rider get aggressive toward a driver on the road.

“I joined the street culture five years ago and I’ve traveled out of state with it, I’ve never seen it,”Russ says.

“We keep it moving. We see a car, we’re going around it.”

Lieutenant Mike Anderson with CMPD North Tryon division has been investigating street riders in Charlotte for two years now. He says that, though rare, violent incidents related to street riders have been reported.

“There have been some incidents over the past year or two where we have had violent crime happen,” Anderson says. “Most of the stuff comes from road rage between ATV or dirt bike riders and motor vehicle drivers in the road. Sometimes when

you get in those large groups like that, it scares people on the road, definitely when there’s careless and reckless driving. We’re seeing that they’re not stopping at red lights, they’re not stopping at stop signs, they’re driving fast; it puts the public, and it puts the driver and it puts us in danger.”

One thing Anderson and riders we spoke with agree on is the danger posed from drivers who try to record riders while they drive alongside them.

Wood says CMPD believes Perotte was recording riders before the incident occurred on Aug. 11.

“You have cars running red lights, following us, getting videos of us, calling the police because we’re riding on the road,” Russ says. “They are breaking laws just as bad as we are. At the end of the day, if I get pulled over, it’s a traffic violation. We’re worried about the bikers. Nobody deserves to be killed.”

Ross also scoffs at the idea that CMPD has formed a specific group to investigate street riders.

He and Chevy agree that street riding is a hobby that keeps folks from spending their free time getting into other types of trouble.

“They’re trying to see who’s doing what, trying to build a case, but we’re not doing nothing wrong,” he says. “I remember when we didn’t have as many

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

murders as we’ve had this year in three years.

Charlotte’s murder rate is getting out of control. They should create a task force for that. I’m sure they have, but make another one. It’s not doing the job.”

When I ask what could be done in an ideal world to help alleviate this growing tension between riders and police, Russ and Chevy suggest that police should allow for riders to be on the streets on Sunday afternoons — between 2 and 5 p.m. perhaps — and they would agree to follow the rules of the road and not ride at other times.

There’s not much reason to believe CMPD will go along with that, so in light of the CMPD’s increased efforts to go after street riders, I ask if the risk of criminal charges, injury or death will ever persuade them to stop.

“If one of my buddies catches charges, I’m sorry, I still love to ride. You get what I’m saying?” Russ responds. “No person is going to stop me from riding.

No offense to nobody, but just because something negative happens ... Mike passed away on a bike, I’m not going to stop riding. Mike wouldn’t want me to stop riding. So I’m gonna bike like Mike.”

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

*Name has been changed upon request

THE SEEKER

WE INVEST IN

INVASION OF PRIVACY

‘We have a stage 5 clinger’

BY SHAMEIKA RHYMES

Dear Shameika, I’m a 45-year-old man that was dating a 40-year-old woman for a little over a year. I realized early on that this would never go anywhere because she wouldn’t let her wall down and was really surface — only caring about superficial things. I never felt like I could get to know the real her so I broke things off. Long story short, when I told her things weren’t working out, she stole my phone before storming out of my house.

She started contacting people from my text conversations — including friends and coworkers — to see what my relationship was with them. It’s been three weeks and she says she doesn’t have the phone because she left it in a tree outside of my home. She even sent a video of herself putting the phone in the tree. I never found the phone, so I had to get a new phone but with the same phone number. Now she won’t stop calling, texting, calling my child’s phone and riding by my house to see who is there. She also wants to get back together. I’m not sure how to handle this.

Pg. 10 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

DEALING WITH CRAZY

Dear Dealing with Crazy, Let’s take a deep breathe and blink this one out shall we? Woooo-sahhhh.

You got you a live one right there. Have you ever seen A Thin Line Between Love and Hate? I think you caught a Brandi, sir, including a low-scaled version of scorned woman revenge tactics (that never work, by the way). I have to check you on something, you say you saw red flags early on, so why hang in there for over a year? Were you hoping things would change or were things just so bootylicious you couldn’t give it up?

Often we meet someone we really like, but then the universe begins to show us signs and, in this case, you chose to ignore them. You knew it wasn’t going to work for you, but did you get to the root of why she was keeping that wall up?

She clearly has some insecurity issues and,

judging by your letter, I’d say you were right to get out while the getting was good. Now, I don’t know any grown-ass woman over the age of 35 that has the agility and flexibility to be climbing a tree while videotaping herself returning to the scene of a crime. I’m assuming her point in taking your phone was to see if you were seeing other people, because I’m sure in her mind that would be the only way you would break up with her. Adults would have used their words and simply had the conversation about it, but it doesn’t sound like you scratched the surface to even figure out how she reacts to stressful situations. You didn’t mention if she found anything noteworthy, but that still doesn’t excuse her behavior, especially when it starts to cross over into your livelihood at work.

But I digress; you asked what you should do about her contacting you and your child and riding past your house. You need to change your phone number, block her and get a restraining order.

There is no other way to handle this. She’s already proven her instability by climbing trees, and in my head, I have a vision of her doing this ridiculousness in heels. Since you clearly didn’t know she was capable of even doing this foolishness, you have no idea what she is capable of having had access to your phone and the ifo in it.

The other important thing here is that she probably knows a lot about your child, including their school and activities. So to protect your child and yourself, you have to put a restraining order in place. Of course, if she continues to violate that and your privacy, then you absolutely should call the police. There’s no reason that you should have to continue walking around looking over your shoulder wondering if she is going to jump out of a bush or roll out from under your car just to see what you are doing and who you are doing it with.

Bottom line, in the future when you see red flags waving, adhere to them and RUN! The universe doesn’t send signs just for the hell of it!

Good luck!

If you have a dilemma you need help solving, drop me a line: shameika@themofochronicles.com

CHARLOTTE • $544 million in loans to homeowners, small businesses and nonprofits • $15.5 million in revitalizing Charlotte neighborhoods • Fair and affordable financial services with competitive rates Deposits federally insured up to $250,000 Equal Opportunity Lender Ownership & Economic Opportunity for All

1065 Providence Road, Charlotte (704) 554-7201 • www.self-help.org

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

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

SCANNER

BY RYAN PITKIN

GAMER GATE A 25-year-old man made a bad decision with his Playstation 4 early one recent morning and lost it as a result. The man told police that he needed a place to charge and update his PS4, so he did what any logical human would do and sat beside a Harris Teeter on Mount Holly Huntersville Road in north Charlotte to use its WiFi at 12:30 a.m.

The man fell asleep while his game system was updating, and when he woke up at 3 a.m. someone had run off with the Playstation.

WHAT A BURN A 44-year-old west Charlotte woman was thanking her lucky stars that her enemies are not very smart after almost falling victim to a failed attempt at arson recently. The woman told police that just before 9 p.m. on a recent night, some unknown suspect stuck a paper cloth in her gas tank and tried to light it on fire. Fortunately for her, the cloth never lit, so neither did the gas in the tank.

Pg. 11 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

THAT’S A TRIP It’s unclear what caused a run on beer at local QuikTrip stores at the end of September, but we found 17 incidents involving people running out of five different QuikTrips with arms full of beer between Sept. 20-29, with most coming on the last weekend of the month. On Sept. 28 and 29, there were 13 instances in which someone walked into a QuikTrip and ran out holding as much beer as they could. In those two days alone, QuikTrip lost at least $1,330 worth of beer.

COMING IN HOT A police officer patrolling near the Hidden Valley neighborhood in north Charlotte didn’t have to look hard for a drunk driver on one recent weekend, he was attracting them like a bug zapper. It was 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning when the officer stopped at a red light, only for someone to suddenly slam into the back of his car. The suspect was found to be impaired and quickly arrested for driving under the influence.

NO VACANCY A 33-year-old man in north Charlotte will be locking his doors from now on after watching someone come in and out of his house on one recent afternoon. The man said he watched the suspect walk right into the back door of his home at around 12:30 p.m. one day and only stay for “a brief moment” before wandering back out again. He told

officers the door wasn’t locked but the suspect didn’t have permission to come in. Nothing was stolen during the break-in, if you can call it that.

855-238-6305

NOT A VICTIM A concerned mother called police rather than rely on her daughter to tell her the truth about what happened at a sports bar on a recent night. The woman told police that her 28-year-old daughter must have been involved in some sort of altercation or assault on the previous night, because she had scratches and bruises on her arms and legs.

The mother believed that a certain suspect must have assaulted, drugged and kidnapped her daughter. That’s quite a conclusion to jump to, so police investigated, only to find that the woman was involved in an incident at Bulldogs Bar and Grill from which she got all those bruises and scratches, but whatever happened, it was not criminal, according to the report.

HELP YOURSELF A 20-year-old woman got a surprise when she came home late one recent night and found two intruders rifling through her stuff.

The woman told police she returned home at about 11:30 p.m. to find two men who had broken into her house.

The men left as soon as she arrived, but before they ran out the door they grabbed her vacuum, some pots and pans and a bunch of silverware for their trouble.

*Bundle price is $99.97/mo. yr 2; standard rates apply after yr 2; qualifying bundle includes Spectrum TV Select service, Spectrum Internet and Spectrum Voice. Additional services are extra. Install, other equipment, taxes, fees and surcharges extra. General terms: TV: TV equipment required, charges may apply. Channel, HD programming and On Demand titles availability based on level of service. Account credentials may be required to stream some TV content online. INTERNET: Available Internet speeds may vary by address. VOICE: Unlimited calling includes calls within U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands and more. Taxes and fees included in price. Restrictions apply. All Rights Reserved. ©2018 Charter Communications.

permanently deprive the victim of the dog.”

Probably miffed or embarrassed that she called the police for someone playing with her dog, the “victim” continued to pursue trespassing charges.

That will probably get her invited to all the block parties.

SET AN EXAMPLE Police file plenty of reports for deadbeats who come into restaurants and walk out without paying their bill for alcohol and/or food, but one woman in south Charlotte took dine-anddash to the next level on a recent Sunday afternoon.

According to the report, the woman went to a Chuck E. Cheese on Pineville-Matthews Road and ordered a birthday bundle for $250 that included food, drinks, tokens and tickets. After being there with all the kids from 4-7:30 p.m., the woman DON’T PET THE ANIMALS A Highland Creek gathered the children and got the hell out of there woman may have jumped the gun when she called before paying for the package. police about someone playing with her dog in her yard on a recent afternoon. The 39-year-old woman NO MUFF A 52-year-old woman living in the told officers that an unknown suspect came into her Hidden Valley area will now have a car that people yard and attempted to steal her dog, and it’s unclear can hear coming from a mile away after falling exactly what this so-called suspect did with the dog, victim to a theft at her home recently. but according to the report, “officer investigation She told police that at some time around showed that the neighbor had no intent to midnight recently, an unknown suspect stole the WHAT A MESS Police responded to a home in the Hampton Crest neighborhood of east Charlotte after a 25-year-old woman reported that someone vaguely threatened to make a real mess of things in her home.

According to the report, the woman told officers that “the suspect threatened to come over and kick the door in to mess stuff up.”

muffler right off her car, doing $500 in damage.

I HEART HARASSMENT Sometimes you just want to hear your song on the radio and you won’t take no for an answer. Staff at a local media company filed a police report recently after a fervent fan continued to call and tie up the phone lines.

The reporting person told police that a known suspect made over 60 phone calls to the iHeartMedia offices in southwest Charlotte in just 11 days and was making it so nobody else could call to request their jam.

TAKING YOUR TIME An 88-year-old woman called police recently after someone broke into her home and stole her guns and took her time. The woman reported that the unknown suspect broke into her house in north Charlotte and took a shotgun, a pistol and two rifles, with a total value of $2,325.

Just for good measure, the thieves also stole multiple grandfather clocks from the home, valued at $500.

All Scanner entries are pulled from CMPD reports.

Suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

PHOTO BY NORTH STATE PHOTOGRAPHY

Project PLACE Paint Day.

Alex Alcorn was recently announced as one of the 2019-20 League of Creative Interventionists Fellows.

Pg. 12 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Jonell Logan intervenes by connecting creatives with communities

T

BY PAT MORAN

HEY’RE EVERYWHERE amid Charlotte’s tangle of traffic, construction and development, an exploding population of innovators, artists and neighbors are forging connections deeper than mere infrastructure, as local residents harness their creativity to create

stronger, healthier and happier communities.

It can be seen at an Afro-Caribbean garden that grows traditional medicinal plants, a mobile maker space that brings creative programming to all ages or a pop-up market that sells fresh food at a bus stop. It’s shared through a community storytelling

project that encourages people to share their truth.

At the root of this creative revolution is a nationwide nonprofit, the League of Creative Interventionists, and executive director Jonell Logan says there’s only more growth to come. The League started in San Francisco and is always expanding — an eighth chapter recently started in Charleston, with a ninth pending in Denver, Colorado — but Logan’s primary focus for the near future is on the Queen City.

The organization identifies people working on projects that can benefit communities throughout the city, Logan says, then encourages those individuals to apply for fellowships made possible with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which can provide them with the funds, mentoring and peer support that can make their work succeed.

“Our organization believes that people in communities can solve or find solutions to some of their challenges using creativity,” says Logan, who became executive director of LoCI last year.

The organization recently announced this year’s class of Creative Interventionist fellows, Charlotteans Alex Alcorn, Hannah Hasan and Brandon Ruiz.

On Oct. 13, the organization is hosting Gathering and Giving: Charlotte LoCI Family Dinner, a cocktail reception and welcome supper for the trio of fellows at Camp North End. As a ticketed event, the dinner is an outlier for LoCI. Practically everything else they do, from inception to implementation, is free to attend or

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOCI

take part in.

In addition to the projects proposed and shepherded by current fellows, the League hosts bimonthly community meetings where people come together to converse with fellows and each other about what is happening in their communities.

Those meetings help shape the League’s interventions, pop-ups that take place in a growing number of neighborhoods around the city that address the ideas and concerns that have come from residents on the ground, Logan says.

She recalls that, in one neighborhood, food access was a key concern of residents, so LoCI put together an intervention: a pop-up grocery market at the bus stop. Another intervention included a bus stop party.

“We wanted to engage people to take public transportation, to get them to think differently about it, so these random pop-up people came out and had a party [with] a disco ball,” Logan says.

“Sometimes [interventions] are serious, sometimes they’re silly.”

The one concept connecting this medley of projects and pop-ups is community, Logan says.

In vetting applicants for fellowships, a written application laying out the specifics of their plan is important, she maintains, but a philosophy about community that matches the League’s is just as vital.

“For some folks community is something that is separate from them,” Logan explains, “but we’re interested in supporting the work of people who are deeply rooted and invested in the idea of

Pg. 13 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

empowering people, versus the idea of coming in and bestowing gifts upon people.”

To that extent, the 2019 fellows are entwined in the neighborhoods they hope to serve, and not a set of saviors helicoptering in with preconceived solutions.

With the Charlotte Herbal Accessibility Project Community Garden, for example, 2019 fellow Brandon Ruiz cultivates Afro-Caribbean urban gardens on Tuckaseegee Road and East 36th Street.

Through the fellowship, Ruiz says he hopes to expand and develop a third location in the Lakeview area of north Charlotte.

Ruiz’s plots are home to plants from the Caribbean as well as other parts of Latin America, with his focus on herbs and vegetation traditionally used in natural remedies. The plan is to provide surrounding communities with an herbal pharmacy — preventative alternative care that is less costly and often more proactive than standard Western medicine.

The fellows do not work completely independently, Logan says. The League urges each fellow to build a community of peers who can be resources for each other, and in some cases mentors.

To that end, Ruiz is partnering with alumni fellow and current LoCI Charlotte Chapter project lead Quintel Gwinn on the Lakeview project.

“Quinn [discovered] some planting beds that have not been activated for a while, so [Ruiz] can work with her [in] activating that space,” Logan says.

Prior to approaching LoCI, Hannah Hasan made her mark with Muddy Turtle Talks, a storytelling series that captures and preserves the stories of people living in west Charlotte neighborhoods like Enderly Park before gentrification and development obliterate the character and culture of those communities.

“I think I caught the League’s attention [with] this process of going into a community that is rich in history but is also lacking visibility, and [celebrating] the stories of the people and places within that community,” Hasan says.

Hasan came to LoCI with a proposal that is a variation on Muddy Turtle, which is a translation of the Native-American word that served as the namesake for Tuckaseegee Road. The new story series is immersed in a different community, Lakewood, with the understanding that it will diverge from the focus and structure of Muddy Turtle Talks.

LoCI organizers were excited about the concept, the gathering of stories to be spoken and shared in community space, Hasan says.

GATHERING AND GIVING: CHARLOTTE LOCI FAMILY DINNER Oct. 13, 6-8:30 p.m.; $75 ($40 tax-deductible); Camp North End, 1824 Statesville Road; tinyurl. com/LoCIFamily

Jonell Logan

PHOTO COURTESY OF JONELL LOGAN

For her part, says she believes the LoCI fellowship will prove invaluable.

“As an independent artist it’s important to have the name, support and energy or organizations like the league behind you,” Hasan says. “It gives credence to the fact that you’re someone who knows what you’re doing, and that they believe in you.”

Local arts activist and creative Alex Alcorn says that, while supporting the projects of her cofellows, she’ll be working on a mobile maker space that will bring creative programming to Lakeview, as well as east Charlotte communities.

Experience the stories of Charlotte in an authentic way!

At this point, the pop-up mobile arts lab is a rented truck, Logan says.

She explains the philosophy underlying the pop-up mobile arts lab, which at this point is simply a rented truck: “If people are creative, but don’t have access to materials, they’re often left out. How does making those materials available in underserved areas change the creative dynamic?” Logan wonders.

“The goals of this project are to bring arts programming to underserved communities, and to explore creative ways to upcycle materials to reduce the amount of reusable resources that are currently going into our waste streams,” Alcorn adds.

She says LoCI is providing her with an abundance of resources, citing mentorship, project funding and connections to a network of other creative interventionists with whom she can share best practices.

Logan is no stranger to promoting and disseminating the arts. A native New Yorker, she realized she wanted to work in the arts after interning at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Her passion led to gigs at MoMA, the Whitney Museum in Manhattan and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Upon moving to Charlotte in 2013, she worked at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture before leaving to start her

own consulting company, the 300 Arts Project, which helps cultural organizations become more inclusive while partnering with contemporary artists.

Logan says she’s excited about her work with the League because she is supporting artists and engaging the community while drawing on her experience with traditional arts organizations and nonprofits. “[LoCI is] a dynamic, growing and strategic organization that can make an impact and be a champion for creatives,” Logan says. “As a scrappy organization we’re able to take chances in a way that more traditional organizations cannot,” Logan maintains. “It’s a blessing to be able to think about taking risks, [and] to learn from them.”

PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM

NOV. 4 McGLOHON THEATER AT SPIRIT SQUARE

704.372.1000 blumenthalarts.org group sales 704.348.5752

Stay Connected

museumofthenewsouth.org | @levinemuseum

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9TH

MAGGIE ROGERS

What: Maggie Rogers’ breakthrough single “Alaska” features a dulcet electronic dance pulse, soulful vocals and a strong pop sensibility, but folk music still bubbles under the surface. Plus, it has a cool video where a walk in the woods turns into some kind of pansexual Wiccan rave.

More: $25-45.50; 8 p.m.; CMCU Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.; maggierogers.com

THURSDAY, OCT. 10TH

ART IN MIND

What: Promoted as a “mission-focused evening,” Mental Health America of Central Carolinas’ third annual Art in Mind event promotes mental wellness through spoken word, music and visual art. Held on World Mental Health Day, the event includes a silent auction featuring MHA’s PhotoVoice canvases by local youth and other work by notable artists.

More: $75; 7-8:30 p.m.; Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St.; tinyurl.com/ArtInMind3

FRIDAY, OCT. 11TH

LIFELINE

Pg. 14 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

OCT. 9TH - OCT. 15TH

BJ THE CHICAGO KID

What: You’ve probably heard BJ the Chicago Kid’s laid-back swooning vocals without knowing it. He’s recorded with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper and dozens more. On “Too Good,” a wistful rumination on complicated relationships, you’ll find hints of Donny Hathaway in his fine-grained tenor and humble, comfortable-in-his-skin vibe.

More: $20-$52; 7 p.m.; Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.; neighborhoodtheatre.com

SATURDAY, OCT. 12TH

FEEL GOOD FEST

What: An all-day, family-friendly festival aimed at heightening your senses with funky music, impressive art, fire performances, food trucks, local vendors and craft beer. Kids get face-painting and bubble trouble; young and middle-aged folks have yoga, live music and performers like Satarah; and even Funky Geezer is on site to hold down his generation.

More: Free; 2-10 p.m.; Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts, 1030 Woodward Ave.; tinyurl.com/FeelGoodHeist

SUNDAY, OCT. 13TH

‘ON LIFE AND MEANING’

What: Johnson & Wales professor Mark Peres hosts a local podcast called On Life and Meaning and his new book gathers essays from his first 100 guests, including author/musician Jeff Jackson, organizer and prison re-entry advocate Patrice Funderburg, artist John W. Love Jr. and UNC Charlotte technology professor Fatma Mili.

More: Free; 2-4 p.m.; Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road; parkroadbooks.com

MONDAY, OCT. 14TH COHEED AND CAMBRIA

What: Rolling Stone calls Coheed and Cambria’s Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV one of the greatest emo albums of all time, but they’re wrong. Boasting technical virtuosity, memorable melodies, a labyrinthine dystopian storyline and vocals that border on Geddy Lee’s yelp, C&C’s third full-length release is full on progressive rock. Somewhere Magma is smiling.

More: $38.50-58.50; 8 p.m.; The Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

TUESDAY, OCT. 15TH

‘HARLEM 100’

What: The intellectual, cultural and artistic explosion called the Harlem Renaissance lasted less than 20 years, but it revolutionized literature, philosophy and music. Multimedia presentation Harlem 100 pays tribute to musicians like Fats Waller and Billie Holiday and iconic venues like the Cotton Club and Apollo that helped define that epoch.

More: $24.50-54.50; 7:30 p.m.; Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

Social Calendar a little light?

Check out

QCNERVE’S LIFELINE

for cool events happening in the queen city!

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16TH

YUNGBLUD

What: The fact that Yungblud is doing a meet-and-greet for fans at the Hot Topic in Carolina Place Mall on the day of this show tells you everything you need to know about his music. The British musician’s work has been described as “the spitfire suburban poetry of younger Arctic Monkeys and Jamie T, fused with a healthy touch of ska and hip-hop spirit.”

More: $75-78; 8 p.m.; The Underground, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

THURSDAY, OCT. 17TH

THE MELVINS

What: Since their 1986 debut, power sludge trio The Melvins have mined a vein of drop D tunings and skull-crushing stomp while inventing the template for grunge and alt-metal. At the same time, they’ve experimented with expanded lineups, brain-frying concepts and multiple guest players. They’re both remarkably consistent and schizophrenic as hell.

More: $20-25; 8 p.m.; Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., visulite.com

FRIDAY, OCT. 18TH

LIFELINE

Pg. 15 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

OCT. 16TH - OCT.22ND

A NIGHT OF GRIEF AND MYSTERY

What: Part poetry, part lamentation, part book reading, part ribaldry, part concert, part lifting the mortal veil and learning the mysteries there, this event links Stephen Jenkinson, founder of the Orphan Wisdom school of thought (and literal school), with singer/songwriter Gregory Hoskins and his band. It’s like if cults were cool and fun.

More: $36-50; 7 p.m.; McGlohon Theatre, 345 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org

SATURDAY, OCT. 19TH

FALL FREE FOR ALL

What: This exhibit will feature a diverse range of local and regional artists who answered the recent open call and practice in all mediums: painters, sculptors, photographers, performance artists, installation artists and new media. The exhibit will also feature recent works from Hart Witzen studio artists and regional artists selected by HW curators.

More: Free; 7-11 p.m.; Hart Witzen Gallery, 2422 N. Tryon St.; hartwitzengallery.com

SUNDAY, OCT. 20TH

INCOGNITO

What: Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick celebrated the 40th anniversary of his British acid jazz band Incognito the only way he knew how: with another album, including collaborations with band members past and present and special guests like Maysa, Phil Perry, Take 6 and Mario Biondi. Maysa joins him and the band on the Tomorrow’s New Dream tour.

More: $59.50-$74.50; 8 p.m.; McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org

MONDAY, OCT. 21ST FALL LUAU

What: Our temperatures are in the tropics so why not have an idyllic South Seas island party with Don Telling Island Mysteries? The Charlotte collective pays tribute to composers like Martin Denny, father of the exotica genre and tiki culture, with a fundraiser for former Milestone owner Jonathan Hughes, who’s recovering from a stroke.

More: $7; 8 p.m.; The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd.; themilestone.club

TUESDAY, OCT. 22ND SABRINA CLAUDIO

What: Over jazzy R&B instrumentation and muted bossa nova beats, Sabrina Claudio’s breathy sensual alto is yearning yet controlled. Her collaboration with Zayn Malik of One Direction, “Rumors,” is both sultry and full of tension. Claudio and Malik’s vocals entwine in warm, swarming harmonies, but the lyrics are a tangle of gossip and doubt.

More: $27.50-65; 8 p.m.; Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

Social Calendar a little light?

Check out

QCNERVE’S LIFELINE

for cool events happening in the queen city!

PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

JAY PLUSS LEAVES THEM WANTING MORE

Jay Pluss

New mixtape is a just a sampling of the skills

Pg. 16 Oct. 9 -Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY RYAN PITKIN

W

HEN IT COMES to making music, Jay Pluss likes to keep a tight circle of folks he’s comfortable with. In that sense, it’s a good thing he grew up with some of the most talented people in Charlotte’s rap scene.

Jay Pluss, whose real name is Joshua Hosch, attended J.M. Alexander Middle School from 2005 to 2008. It was there that he met Jah-Monte Ogbon, known by most as simply Jah-Monte, the renowned rapper formerly known as King Callis. Pluss also had a classmate in Ismael Abdallah, who would go on to become Charlotte rapper/producer Brio,

and his friend Darien would grow up to be local video director Dark Master. Though he would grow apart from them during his time in high school as he began to take rapping more seriously, all three would eventually become collaborators with him a decade after middle school.

Brio got a front seat to the evolution of Jay Pluss, as the two went from J.M. Alexander to Mallard Creek High School together.

“We grew to be fond of music, fashion and our eyes for things unique and different within our peers,” Brio says. “So when it was the right time to finally link and create music in the future it clicked

so well because of our respective perspectives and insights.”

The two would later record “On One,” which dropped late last year. The track features Brio’s signature slow, bass-heavy sound behind two verses of Jay Pluss at his most hyper, flipping between fast and slow styles as he rides the beat melodically.

“He always has a real dope way of creating these stories within his own experiences and being into a form that’s very physical to the listener, something I admire a lot,” Brio says. “The track we made was a beautiful manifestation of that essence; one that

came natural and explained exactly where we were. I’m looking forward to making more magic like that.”

There’s plenty more magic coming from Jay Pluss on More of Everything, a new mixtape that will hit Soundcloud on Oct. 11.

Though Pluss has dropped plenty of singles, or “loosies” as he calls them, and even a separate project that he recently took down because it was comprised of verses over stolen beats, More of Everything is for all intents and purposes his debut — the first project that’s fully his.

It’s meant as a placeholder, a sampling of seven

Pg. 17 Oct. 9 - OCt. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

tracks he’s recorded over the past year to serve as an appetizer for the folks who are impatient to hear his latest recordings.

“It was more of a response to people asking me, ‘Yo, when are you going to put some more stuff out? I don’t see you out here working,’” he says. “So it was literally a response. Every song that came out of that was me saying, ‘Here’s more content for y’all.’

So that’s the end goal, but that’s not the end of it, because I got so much more work behind it. It was just to prepare people like, ‘Yo, I’m still here.’”

When I meet him at Be Social, the new creative incubator behind Social Status in Plaza Midwood, on a recent afternoon, he’s already there chatting with some of his circle: Dark Master and local arts advocate Mariah Scott. As we chat, Charlotte soul singer Autumn Rainwater shows up after a shift at the nearby Buffalo Exchange.

For Pluss, the opening of Be Social in February was a sign of the growth in Charlotte’s creative community, especially among black creatives and in the local hip-hop scene, which has long been shut out of many of Charlotte’s most popular venues.

“Be Social is here; I think that’s a really big step because before we were just having conversations about, ‘Man, we need a venue,’ or, ‘There’s no way we can get in these venues to do what we wanna do,’” Pluss says. “There are way more artists out here now because people see that people are connecting to these artists so they want to express themselves too, which is a beautiful thing.”

Pluss has been growing right along with the scene, building his circle by connecting with artists in Virginia, Washington D.C. and New York City.

This newfound love for networking outside of his city came from Jah-Monte, he says, who is now his roommate.

Pluss says he’s watched as Jah-Monte has kept his local circle tight while expanding beyond the city limits through social media.

“Jah-Monte was like the first person to break through the social media thing out of the state, then people started to notice me and it just revolved,” Pluss says. “He’s a big inspiration. So I’ve been watching him and how he moves and it’s more about connecting with people out of the state, so when we do go out of state we have those connections and we can perform and make connections elsewhere.”

Though they lost touch after middle school, when Pluss and Jah-Monte reconnected in 2013, things clicked pretty quickly. Their first day hanging out, they recorded eight songs together that they never released. I tell him Charlotte needs to hear

those files, but he doesn’t know where they are.

He’s more interested in getting back in the studio to record new music with Jah-Monte, who featured Jay Pluss on his newest project, God Body & Soul, earlier this year.

The two have similar styles that mesh perfectly, attacking each beat with ferocious energy and lyrics that ride a line between conscious rap and realism.

The Pluss in Jay Pluss’s name comes from his tendency to keep things positive, which is ironic considering he first took up writing raps because he was in trouble so often in middle school that he could rarely go outside or watch TV. “I always spoke a lot of positive things in my rhymes,” he says. “There was a time when I wasn’t even cussing in my rhymes, I had no curse words at all. Jah-Monte pointed that out and after that I started to think about it, I just wanted to be more realistic. I still wanted to keep it on the positive tip, but be more real about it. So if I’m cussing, it just is what it is, but at the end of the day, most of these songs will have a positive message to it.”

The first part of his name comes from his biggest inspiration, the late producer J Dilla, whose style motivated Pluss.

“When I found out about J Dilla, that’s when my whole style of writing changed. I wasn’t rapping on the same beats or anything, it was all boom bap and soul music from there,” he says. “He’s got a big part to do with my name, too. I didn’t want to be cliche and call myself Jay Pluss — everybody had the Jay on their name — but Jay actually came from J Dilla.”

Though Pluss does not produce songs, he likes to be in the studio with whichever producer he’s working with so he can make sure he feels the beat and knows where it’s going.

He says he’s stopped collaborating over computers ever since buying a beat from an out-ofstate producer that was nothing like what he asked for.

“I don’t do much sending it through email anymore, because it just takes away from the feeling,” he says. “So anyone from [local producer] FLLS to Brio, we are in the studio cooking it up. Like, he might bring [a beat] in from yesterday that he made and then finish it in there, but for the most part, I’m in the studio with him, I’ve got to feel it.”

In fact, Jay Pluss has been already been in the studio with FLLS working on his next project, a collaborative EP featuring exclusively FLLS production.

He says moving forward he’d like to do more collaborative projects with just one producer, so as

Jay Pluss

PHOTO BY @UBUNTUGRAPHICS

“I WANT THEM TO BE LIKE, ‘I GOTTA HEAR THAT AGAIN, RUN THAT BACK.’ THAT’S THE REACTION I WANT.” Jay Pluss

to build a certain vibe rather than the smattering of songs featured on More of Everything.

“It’s like FLLS know me,” Pluss says. “He been watching me and he knows what I’m supposed to sound like. So everything is just perfect on this one, I feel like.”

As with More of Everything, his in-the-works project will feature a bunch of shortened songs, sometimes only featuring one verse with nothing else, so as to serve as just a sampling of the skills

he’s been slowly building on since middle school.

“I want to knock out a bunch of small joints before I move into giving people full-length songs and choruses, bridges and all this other stuff. I want people to tap in first,” he says. “And I want them to be like, ‘I gotta hear that again, run that back.’ That’s the reaction I want.”

You’ve got to leave them wanting more — more of everything.

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

SOUNDWAVE

OCTOBER 9

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

October Residency: Acne, Asbestos Boys(Snug Harbor) Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Paris Monster (Neighborhood Theatre) Witt Lowry, Xuitcasecity (The Underground) Maggie Rogers (CMCU Amphitheatre) The Bundys, Stephen Babcock (Evening Muse) Just Friends, Save Face, The Sonder Bombs (Amos Southend) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Michael Martin Murphey (McGlohon Theater) Josh Daniel, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Post Sports Bar & Grill) Shindig! A 50’s / 60’s Dance Party (Petra’s)

OCTOBER 10

Pg. 18 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Imelda Marcos, Patois Counselors, Petrov, Skewed (The Milestone) Polyrhythmics, Akita (Neighborhood Theatre) Lisa De Novo (Corkscrew) Dean Lewis(The Underground) The Terence Young Experience (The Evening Muse) Eli Prier, Earle Maxwell, Milli (Petra’s) Open Mic Night: Anna Bonilla (Tommy’s Pub) Shana Blake& Friends(Smokey Joe’s) Crystal Fountains (Comet Grill) Wild Adriatic, Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats, The Hawthornes (Heist Brewery) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Haley Mae Campbel (Tin Roof)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

Le Bang (Snug Harbor) The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

John Pizzarelli Trio (McGlohon Theater) Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Morehouse College Glee Club (Belk Theater) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Shaggy, Alexander Stewart (Fillmore)

OCTOBER 11

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Arson Daily & Rare Creatures (Evening Muse) Cherry Pop, No Rope, Brandy & The Butcher (Tommy’s Pub) Fear Until Fury, East Viridian, Swamp78, Den of Wolves(The Milestone) George Banda, Johnny Wicker, Ryan McKusick (Petra’s) Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty Tribute (Amos’ Southend) The Rockaholics (Smokey Joe’s) Nicole Moudaber, Nat Black (QC Social Lounge) Trey Lewis (Tin Roof) Matt Stratford (RiRa)

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

Player Made: An Ode to Southern Rap of All COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Eras (Snug Harbor) Brantley Gilbert, Lindsay Ell, Michael Ray (PNC BJ The Chicago Kid, Rayana Jay, Kamauu Music Pavilion) (Neighborhood Theatre) William Matheny, Josh Nolan (Evening Muse) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Dee Lucas, Persona Bell (Stage Door Theater) Brooke McBride (Tin Roof) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) Electric Feels (Underground) So We Heard You Like Dubstep Volume 4: Warned and Packback (Serj)

(Visulite) Iioioioii, Eyeball, No More People (Tommy’s Pub) Dot.s, Foxfire Run (Evening Muse) The Fustics (Smokey Joe’s) Hunters Travesty (Comet Grill) Heroes at Last (RiRa) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

OCTOBER 12

Kung Fu Vampire (Crown Station)

Reckless Kelly (Neighborhood Theatre) Coughing Dove, Contour, Shepherds(Snug Harbor) Lisa De Novo (Pharr Mill Brewing Co.) Cosmic Charlie - Grateful Dead Tribute

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Charlie Parr (Free Range Brewing) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Steven Page, Dean Friedman (Stage Door Theater)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

G-Rex, Zeke Beats (Serge)

OCTOBER 15

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Smokin’ Js Open Jam Band & Friends (Smokey Joe’s) Molly Drag,Dollhands, Past Life, Moon Phase OCTOBER 13 ROCK/PUNK/METAL (Snug Harbor) Bergenline, Futurists, Birdgangs, Roseville (The Captured! By Robots, The Poontanglers, Milestone) Morganton (The Milestone) Metal Church Sunday Service (The Milestone) Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Vomit Stain, Vorov, Cosmic Reaper (Skylark Grand Magus (Fillmore) Social Club) Face To Face, Lagwagon (Underground) Amanda Lindsey Cook (Fillmore) Josh Christina Band (Tommy’s Pub) Andrea Gibson, Buddy Wakefield (McGlohon Jesse Lamar Williams & The Menastree Jazz Theater) Jam (Evening Muse) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill) Musician Open Mic (Crown Station) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Michaela Anne (Evening Muse) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) Yfn Lucci (Underground) Second Sundays: DJ MB (Crown Station) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

Timeless Soul Musical Comedy (Visulite) Bluegrass Open Jam: Greg Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s Pub) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s)

OCTOBER 14

Pg. 19 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Bike Thiefs (The Milestone) Trent Thompson, Ozone Jones, McLeod (Snug Harbor) Open Mic Night: Dawn Chorus (Legion Brewing) Coheed and Cambria, The Contortionist, Astronoid (Fillmore) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Jazz Mondays (Crown Station) Find Your Muse Open Mic: XOXOK (Evening Muse) Reggie Becton (Sofar Sounds) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Country Music Monday (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Uptown Unplugged: Jon Rooks (Tin Roof) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Off the Rails (Snug Harbor) WDAV’s Small Batch Concert Series: UNC School of the Arts Faculty (Free Range Brewing)

OCTOBER 16

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

October Residency:Acne, Joshua Cotterino, Adam Cope, Longchi(Snug Harbor) Snow Burial, Irata, SHIV, Ethonova (The Milestone) Victory Tour (Ovens Auditorium) Yungblud (Underground) Bobby Mahoney & The Seventh Son, Leith K. Ali Band, Animus Remains (Tommy’s Pub) Adelitas Way, Blacklite District (Amos’ Southend) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Open Mic/Open Jam (Comet Grill) Josh Daniel, Jeremy Shaw (Smokey Joe’s) Coral Creek, CC Dead Set (Evening Muse) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Post Sports Bar & Grill) ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

ONDAS do Brasil - October Edition (Petra’s)

SOUNDWAVE VOICE OVER

Rize (Fillmore) Open Mic Night: Kat & Bee Finnegan (Tommy’s Pub) Shana Blake& Friends(Smokey Joe’s Café) David Childers (Comet Grill) The Higgs (Tin Roof) The Clanky Lincolns (Tin Roof)

CASTING MIX SOUND DESIGN MUSIC WHISKEY

DJ/ELECTRONIC

shop small shop local for all of your needs

VINYL LOTS OF CDS, TAPES, & TURNTABLES TOO tons of new & used vinyl needles, sleeves, frames, boxes, cleaners, all of your record needs shop local!

Pg. 20 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

voted creating loafing “best RECORD STORE” 2012-2018

lunchboxrecords.com 825 CENTRAL AVE. CHARLOTTE, NC 704-331-0788

The Wizard’s Roadshow (Hartland’s Bar & Grill) Le Bang(Snug Harbor) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Songs from the Road Band (Petra’s) Brian Dunne, Kate Rhudy (Evening Muse) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Butcher Bown - A Tribute To Fela (Amos’ Southend)

OCTOBER 18

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

C2 & The Brothers Reed, Swim In The Wild, Red Dress Amy(Visulite Theatre) Junior Astronomers (Snug Harbor) Pröwess, Unknown Nobodies, The Grave Rollers, True Lilith (Skylark Social Club) Melanie Martinez, Lauren Ruth Ward(Fillmore) Pullover, It’s Snakes, Sunset Cassette (Petra’s) Departure - Journey Tribute (Amos’ Southend) Tantrum (Amici’s, Concord) Matt Bennett Band (Tin Roof) Lisa De Novo Trio (Ri Ra) Aaron Kamm and the One Drops (Heist Brewery) COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

OCTOBER 17

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Lisa De Novo (Emmet’s Social Table) The Melvins, Redd Kross, Toshi Kasai (Visulite) Nahko And Medicine For The People, Nattali

Will Hoge, Elizabeth Cook (Neighborhood Theatre) Ray LaMontagne (Ovens Auditorium) Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Eliot Bronson, Tom Mackell (Evening Muse)

GROUNDCREWSTUDIOS.COM

49 Winchester, Dean Alexander (Evening Muse) Tyler Key (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern) DJ/ELECTRONIC

The Wizard’s Roadshow (The Fat Parrots Bar & Grill) Reflexions Dark Wave Dance Party: DJ Valentine, DJ Sanity Ana, DJ Tech Bat (Tommy’s Pub) Spent,Warez (Serj) RAP/HIP HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Lil Tjay (Underground)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Ernest Turner plays TheloniousMonk (Stage Door Theater) Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Stravinsky’s Firebird (Belk Theater)

OCTOBER 19

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

The Band Camino, Valley(Neighborhood Theatre) Petrov, Modern Moxie, Moniker (Snug Harbor) Lisa De Novo (26 Acres Brewing Co.) Abbey Road 50th Anniversary: Abbey Road Live! (Visulite) The Mobros, Bergenline (Tommy’s Pub) Junior Astronomers, Chócala, Aiming for

SOUNDWAVE Bone Snugs-N-Harmony (Snug Harbor) Hazy Sunday (Petra’s)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

ROOTS/BLUES/INTERNATIONAL

Mike Strauss Band (Comet Grill) Earls of Leicester (McGlohon Theater) Pierce Edens, Rob Baird (Evening Muse) Jimmie Allen (Coyote Joe’s) Tim Montana (Tin Roof) Jay Taylor (Tin Roof) RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

XOXOK, JAII (Evening Muse) Shamarr Allen (Free Range Brewing) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Stravinsky’s Firebird (Belk Theater) Ernest Turner plays Thelonious Monk (Stage Door Theater)

Bluegrass Open Jam: Greg Clarke & Friends (Tommy’s Pub) JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Bill Hannah’s Jazz Session (Petra’s) Incognito, Maysa (McGlohon Theater)

OCTOBER 21

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Find Your Muse Open Mic: Bradley Wik (Evening Muse) E.D.I.T.H.,Lädyhel (Snug Harbor) Don Telling’s Island Mysteries, Wild Trees, Sangre Cabrona (The Milestone) Open Mic Night: Kelsey Ryan (Legion Brewing) Matt Maeson (Underground)

DJ/ELECTRONIC

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Electrohex: DJ Price (The Milestone) #LocalOnly Saturday: DJ Teddy & Mike Boyer (The Milestone) Colors Worldwide: R&B Only (Fillmore)

Country Music Monday (Hattie’s Tap & Tavern)

OCTOBER 20

OCTOBER 22

Pink Talking Fish(Neighborhood Theatre) Metal Church Sunday Service (The Milestone) Swansgate, Beloved Binge, Bob Fleming & the Cambria Iron Co (Skylark Social Club) Moonchild, Devin Morrison (Amos’ Southend) Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill)

Bea Miller(Underground) Locals Only Sound, Vincent Darby (Evening Muse)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Pg. 21 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Enrike, Cuzco, Sinners & Saints (Petra’s) Bloodworth Project (Smokey Joe’s) DeCarlo (Sugar Creek Brewing)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

The Black Lillies, David Taylor & the Tallboys (Visulite)

RAP/HIP-HOP/SOUL/FUNK/R&B

Jazz Mondays (Crown Station) ROCK/PUNK/METAL

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Augustana, Dan Layus (Neighborhood Theatre) Carolina Country Music Revue: Carolina Hot Snakes (Snug Harbor) Uptown Unplugged: Dan Smith (Tin Roof) DJ/ELECTRONIC

Lost Cargo: A Back Patio Tiki Party (Petra’s)

2019 visit qcnerve.com a n d vote!

with chicken, no avocado, no pecans and an extra side of spicy mayo — lamb chops as an appetizer.

“He would eat three meals at one sitting,” Hali says of Jeremy.

Jeremy defends his need for more than lamb chops. “Those things are small!”

Nobody mentions the irony of the order in relation to the last name, so I don’t bring it up.

The couple describes their perfect culinary evening in Charlotte: Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Uptown, sipping on wine, eating steaks and sharing sides.

The Cellar at Duckworth’s is also a favorite.

Before one of the couple’s first dates, Jeremy told Hali to dress up — a request she questioned when they walked into the sports bar and grill on the first floor.

“Yo, she was mad,” Jeremy recalls.

After popping down the stairs into the Cellar at Duckworth’s, Jeremy and Hali found a spot that would soon be their favorite.

“Everyone knows our order there,” says Hali.

“Tomahawk ribeye, Brussels sprouts, truffle fries,” Jeremy calls out as if reading the menu.

PHOTO BY ZACK LAMB

Jeremy Lamb and a fellow brunchgoer (who did not want to be identified for whatever reason) share a laugh at the bar.

CANDY, KIN AND MAN-MOSAS

A farewell brunch with Jeremy Lamb

Pg. 22 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

J

BY BEN JARRELL

EREMY LAMB is a professional basketball player from the Atlanta area who played for the Charlotte Hornets for the past four seasons.

The team’s salary restrictions prevented them from re-signing Lamb in the offseason, and while the trade of Kemba Walker gained much of the media’s attention, Lamb will be sorely missed at the Spectrum Center this season. He will soon move to Indiana for the season, where he’ll start with his new team, the Indianapolis Pacers.

When we approached Lamb about a potential farewell dinner at his favorite eatery in Charlotte, he decided it would be better to hit Eddie’s Place for a brunch, where he’s a big fan of the man-mosas.

We spent the day with Lamb in Cotswold to

reflect on his time spent in Charlotte, his childhood and what matters most to him and his family.

10:00 A.M. It’s already getting hot outside as my wife pulls up and into the parking lot of Eddie’s Place in Cotswold. A tall, good-looking young black man walks next to a petite blonde pushing a stroller. I recognize Jeremy Lamb immediately.

Our ladies greet each other and embrace in the doorway. Jeremy’s brother, Zach Lamb, stands beside Jeremy, and slightly over me. Taking off my sunglasses, I follow our server to an open booth near the front window. We quickly get past niceties and order drinks. I follow the brothers’ lead by ordering a “man-mosa,” which I’ll get to in a minute. In fact, I’ll get into several.

10:05 A.M. We bond over serial ordering. Zach’s breakfast of grilled shrimp, steak and eggs is a regular order of his at this longtime neighborhood restaurant (anybody remember Danny?). I have a few standards here but end up with the ciabatta French toast, it being too early for she crab soup.

10:07 A.M. Our man-mosas arrive.

Bartender Ben: “A man-mosa? It’s Tito’s vodka, cointreau, orange juice on ice, served with a small bottle of sparkling wine.”

Jeremy’s girlfriend, Hali, says of Jeremy: “He orders the same thing every time.”

I inquire about some of the couple’s favorite spots in Charlotte. They mention Essex Bar & Bistro in Uptown, where they usually order two sushi rolls

10:15 A.M. As we eat our breakfast, the conversation slips to candy.

“He’s a candy guy,” said Hali. “Trolli’s. Basically anything gummy and sour.”

The German company recently sent Jeremy a box of assorted candies. He didn’t know what to do with all of it and decided to bring the whole stash to Gerald Henderson’s basketball camp.

He walked in and poured it all on the table — gummy worms, gummy bears, gummy octopus (yes, that’s a thing), and the kids went crazy, Jeremy says.

He describes a similar time in Oklahoma City, where he was traded in 2012 and played the first few years of his NBA career, when he and Zach would buy all the candy at a local convenience store.

Once word got out about their regular trips, kids would line up outside, according to Zach.

“It got to the point where kids would take pictures with us. They’d be waiting out there with their mom,” says Zach.

10:20 A.M. Zach and Jeremy talk over one another, brought back to childhood with stories of “Miss Shelly,” their next door neighbor growing up who would show up unannounced with groceries for the Lamb family from time to time.

On one occasion she brought them by the truckload — literally.

“They had a pickup truck, right,” Jeremy recalls,

“and they backed into our driveway full of food — blueberry muffins, fruit snacks, chicken, steak, veggies, everything.”

Why did Mrs. Shelly buy all that food for the Lambs?

The same reason Jeremy bought all of that candy for the neighborhood kids.

“No reason at all.”

Pg. 23 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

10:30 A.M. Despite his basketball move, Jeremy says he’s not going anywhere when it comes to his offseason life.

Jeremy and Hali just built a house in the Foxcroft neighborhood with plenty of room for their baby daughter, Halo. Zach and Jeremy’s mother lives in Charlotte and will remain here after Jeremy’s move, along with Zach.

For Jeremy and Hali, Charlotte is the perfect midway point between their respective families in Atlanta and West Virginia.

“I wanted everyone to stay here because this is home base,” Jeremy says, looking at Hali. “It’s perfect. Now, we got a baby. I think it’s going to be great having my new family established.”

Making man-mosas

PHOTO BY ZACK LAMB

11:07 A.M. By this point, one of Jeremy’s neighbors has replaced Hali at the table.

Jeremy gets heated about losing a game of beer pong last night. He can’t stop thinking about “the kid in the white hat” that was cleaning up all night.

“I never seen him miss,” Jeremy says. “Last night, he says to me, ‘Yo, Imma finish this.’ I’m like, ‘This man’s real confident.’When it went in, I felt my heart just go. He just looked at me.”

12:18 P.M. I fumble through basketball shop talk and quickly realize I’m in over my head. I shift to asking questions again. Zach talks about the chemistry the brothers shared on the court.

“I didn’t even have to look at him to know where he is,” Zach recalled.

People thought because the Lamb brothers were skinny, they could be pushed around. Those teams usually walked away feeling differently.

11:45 A.M. Jeremy’s not the only competitive one in the family. Zach was a promising collegiate player at California State University, Bakersfield.

Before then, he and Jeremy were a force, playing neighborhood two-on-two games in Atlanta. Zach, the younger brother by sixteen months but the leader on the court, would support Jeremy, the scorer.

Sidelined by an injury at CSU-B, Zach is now getting his photography business going. That same support he provided his brother on the court years ago has come back to swing in the other direction.

Text messages from Jeremy at seemingly random times constantly remind Zach, “You know I got your back” and urge him to “Be great at what you do. Push it,” he says.

Random, maybe, for Jeremy, but he seems to have a sixth sense for when to reach out to Zach, who says the messages always hit at the right time.

12:51 P.M. “Lemme get four green tea shots,” Jeremy calls to the bartender.

I narrowly avoid whatever that is.

Jeremy and his newborn daughter, Halo.

“Actually, my bad, five green tea shots,” Jeremy corrects himself. have decided to put roots down in Charlotte.

Well damn. Here we go.

Indianapolis is only temporary. It’s only where he 1:07 P.M. Jeremy’s neighbor Karl* has stayed at works.

Home is Charlotte. the table for the long-run, and he reflects on the moment he heard the news about Jeremy leaving for Indianapolis.

He already knew his friend and neighbor was leaving Charlotte, thanks to the fact that the Hornets oganization’s inability to pay stars like Jeremy and Kemba Walker is widely known.

For that reason, he was happy when he heard the news.

“We just love him,” Karl says, beaming.

Jeremy assures Karl that he and his new family

3:00 P.M. (or some time around then) Jeremy spots the mythical man in the white hat — the college kid who beat him at beer pong.

“Damn, really!?” Jeremy exclaims, unable to fathom that his white whale has now showed up at his favorite brunch spot just to seemingly rub it in.

3:24 P.M. Standing at the bar is a man who looks something like George Wendt in full conversation with Jeremy. Jeremy is talking and the man is

PHOTO BY ZACK LAMB

laughing hysterically.

“Yo, this man is five foot two — with a beer belly. He says he can bench press…”

“Wooooo! Whosa Mama?” screamed probablynot-George-Wendt.

I order water and a ride home, as any potential for more in-depth conversation about Jeremy’s love for Charlotte seems to be fading away.

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. Other times you need to call it a day and go to sleep at 4:30 in the afternoon.

Cheers to Jeremy. There’s always a home for you here.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

*Name changed upon request

DILWORTH 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

Pg. 24 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

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 Sunday: $4 bloody marys SUMMIT ROOM

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

SOUTH END COMMON MARKET SOUTH END

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.

BIG BEN PUB

UPTOWN

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

THE LOCAL

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

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

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

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

I REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME, DO YOU?

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

Pg. 25 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Tuesday: 1/2 off everything Wednesday: $3 drafts Thursday: $2 PBR, $4.50 wells, $6 vodka Red Bull Friday-Saturday: $4 call-its

NODA 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 Sunday: $3 Birdsong, $3 Tall or Call

Saturday: $4 mimosas $5 Brunch Punch, Sunday: $4 mimosas, $5 Brunch Punch, $5 Fireball, $10 champagne bottles

NODA 101

Monday: $6 Pabst & Paddy’s Tuesday: $5 Fireball Wednesday: $3 mystery craft beers Thursday: $6 margaritas Friday-Saturday: $5 well drinks Sunday: $10 domestic buckets

Monday: $4 Ketel One Lemon Drop, $4 well liquor, $5 Camerena Tuesday: $6 seasonal cocktails, $6 Jameson, $4 Grape Gatorade Wednesday: $5 Green Tea Shot, $6 Blue Balls Thursday: $5 Jagermeister, $6 vodka Redbull, $6 Oxley Gin Cocktail Friday: $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red Bull, $6 Jameson Saturday: $5 Fireball, $6 vodka Red Bull Sunday: $5 Deep Eddy Flavors, $1 off tequila, $5 White Gummy Bear shots BILLY JACK’S SHACK

Monday: $1 off moonshine, $3 domestics Tuesday: $1 off all drafts, $7 Jameson Wednesday: $1 off bottles and cans Thursday: $4.50 wells Friday: $5 Fireball, $1 off local bottles and cans

PLAZA MIDWOOD HATTIE’S TAP & TAVERN

INTERMEZZO

Monday: $4 Makers Mark, $2 domestic bottles Tuesday: $4 margaritas, $7 Tito’s mules, $3 Blanche de Bruxelles, $3 OMB Copper Wednesday: 1/2 price wine bottles, $2 off bourbon of the week Thursday: $6.50 Ketel One Botanical Series, $4 Stoli Friday: $4 20-oz. Birdsong LazyBird Brown Ale and Birdsong Jalapeño Ale Saturday: 1/2 price martinis Sunday: $3 drafts

Do you want your bar or restaurant featured in The Buzz?

Contact Ryan Pitkin rpitkin@qcnerve.com

A CLASSIC CASE He’s too young for you, bro

Pg. 26 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

BY AERIN SPRUILL

LATELY, one of my girlfriends has been itching to break away from her normal routine and try something new. But me? I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m not excited about making new friends; I’m in a relationship and unfamiliar crowds tend to give me anxiety.

That being said, being the Debbie Downer of the group can get a bit old, so I recently decided to stretch my legs and venture out with the girls to Graham Street Pub & Patio, a new-ish hangout that opened last year across its namesake street from BB&T Ballpark in Third Ward.

I’m not going to lie, while Graham Street Pub is just a hop, skip and a jump away from one of my favorite watering holes, I hadn’t yet paid it a visit. *holds out hands* Bad nightlife writer.

The truth is, when I hear another bar, grill and patio has opened, I’m not convinced that the concept will bring any texture to the Charlotte nightlife scene. A year later, and I think it’s safe to say Graham Street Pub isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

So on a recent Panters Sunday, my friend finally convinced me to give it a try.

As soon as we walked in the door, my girlfriend was welcomed with open arms. Well, that’s an exaggeration, as we only thought she was being greeted with open arms by a very tall young man who stood as we entered.

Nope, he was greeting a girl entering behind us.

Tragic.

We turned to each other and died laughing at the awkward interaction. If that snafu was any indication of whether or not the venue would be a promising venture for my girlfriend, conditions were bleak.

We found a few bar stools looking out of the window facing Graham Street right next to the DJ booth. I must say, I think we had the best seats in the house. Not to mention, we could keep an eye on

potential eye candy for our single friend.

We surveyed the crowd from a safe distance and “pretended” to invest in all the football games on the televisions surrounding us.

After a couple beers, my enthusiasm for sports started to wane and we decided to check out the rest of the bar. We exited, passing the downstairs patio area before climbing the stairs to the rooftop patio.

In passing, the rooftop is one of the first features that caught my eye.

I glanced at the skyline mural behind the bar I’d seen in pictures and took in the views of the city.

But male real estate was limited on this particular Panthers game day so we decided to return to our corner downstairs.

At this point, I was convinced the excitement of getting our girl out of the same ol’, same ol’ wouldn’t prove fruitful on this visit to Graham Street. We were at least enjoying one another’s company in a different environment and that was quite satisfying for this homebody.

In an interesting turn of events, the aforementioned fellow started getting comfortable with gameday banter in our vicinity and I thought for sure, “This is it! He’s going to make a move.” One of the girls asked him to take a picture of us (after all, we had to capture this rare occurrence). And that’s when hope was truly lost.

We handed him a disposable camera, put huge smiles on and got in position. As he raised the camera to snap the picture, he says, “Wait, how do I use this?”

We died laughing and I turned to my friend and said, “Dude, he’s too young for you, bro!”

We’ve all seen the videos poking fun at kids who, for example, don’t know how to use a rotary phone. Or the memes that emphatically express, “If she never had Myspace, she’s too young for you bro!”

But very few times have I witnessed it in real life.

It’s official, the dating pool is getting younger, ladies and gents. (Because we’re not getting older, right?)

After taking that hilarious break from our regularly scheduled program, it’s a bit fuzzy on whether or not he figured out how to use the camera on his own or if a seasoned saint had to take over.

Regardless, the photo was taken and I was given a fair share of entertainment in return.

I doubt this first visit was a good reflection of the typical bargoers, after all, the bar and restaurant is right next door to Circa Uptown Apartments, but I want to take the time to thank you to Graham Street Pub & Patio and that young sir for filling my lungs with a good laugh that day.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

FINAL PERIODS

Pg. 27 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

ACROSS

1 Very affectionate couple 10 Bee juice 16 Birthplace of Galileo 20 Poet Pope 21 One-celled organism 22 Singer/actor Ed 23 What a hot spot provides 25 Good buds 26 Entangle 27 Saving sites 28 Bird on bills 29 Hurricane’s weaker relative 36 Booster for a band 39 Pioneer Boone, to friends 40 Destines to oblivion 41 Pecan, e.g.

42 Big name in audio compression 48 Actor Hulce 49 Tabby-treating docs 50 Having no peepers 51 Like stock without face value 53 Do data entry, e.g.

55 Group with a secy.-gen.

56 Female sibs, informally 58 “Thus ...”

62 Abet, e.g.

63 Leader of the mutiny on the Bounty 68 Kitchen VIP 70 See 30-Down 71 Years and years on end 72 Has no entity 73 Langston Hughes’ movement 81 Off-road ride, briefly 82 Occur as a result 83 Set of documents about a case 84 Reid of “Sharknado” 86 -- May (Jed Clampett’s daughter) 89 Country estate 90 “Taxi” co-star Andy 93 “Mama” of pop 96 “Days of -- Lives” 98 Gotten totally quiet

100 Cockpit abbr.

101 Herb bit 103 Truckloads 104 “Zip-a-Dee-Doo- --” 105 Across-the-board ban 112 One over par 113 Cowboy flick 114 Sensed feelings, informally 118 Thrifty rival 119 Cry apropos to seven long answers in this puzzle?

125 Guy 126 Fixed a bow on, e.g.

127 With great enthusiasm 128 Units of work 129 Eyeliner mishaps 130 Sees firsthand

DOWN

1 Criminals break them 2 Ken of “EZ Streets” 3 Singer Lynn 4 Put forth, as strength 5 Hay-bundling device 6 Ending for hero 7 They might cross aves.

8 -- Plaines, Illinois 9 -- Lanka 10 Pertaining to birth 11 Revise, as a manuscript 12 Sealed, as a wine bottle 13 Bill equal to two fins 14 Mr. Lincoln, familiarly 15 Squeal (on) 16 Daddies 17 Visualize 18 Smash hit 19 “Yes” votes 24 Celtics’ org.

28 Ending for lion 30 With 70-Across, “It’s more than likely ...”

31 El -- (Spanish newspaper) 32 Gerund ender 33 Place with outpatients 34 Plant anchor 35 TV prize 36 Suffix with lemon 37 Longtime New York senator Daniel Patrick -38 People who say “Not guilty,” say 43 Three-filling deli classic 44 “Oh -- little faith!”

45 Stand-up comic Daniel 46 Church nook 47 Forest den

49 20-ouncer at Starbucks 52 Fun, for short 54 Faux -56 Riding horse 57 Clip wool from 59 Divested of weapons 60 Seat of Orange County 61 Where many ads are seen 62 Aspirin target 64 Fast getaway 65 Muff it up 66 Harry’s chum at Hogwarts 67 Abbr. ending a co. name 69 Sooty vents 74 Fish that can be a shocker 75 Autumn mo.

76 “Likely story!”

77 Land in el agua 78 Window part 79 Aquanaut’s habitat 80 Decorative needle case 85 -- -CIO 87 Easy run 88 Nomad’s tent 90 Shoelace snarl

SOLUTION ON PAGE 30

91 -- Spumante 92 The -- degree 93 Coleslaw, essentially 94 Totally done 95 Putting on, as a show 97 Sharp retort 99 Tony winner Wallach 101 Pilot’s setting 102 “Ars -- artis” 106 Birds’ pads 107 None-of-the-above option 108 Minds 109 Angry feeling 110 Not quite round 111 Low cards in pinochle 115 Dozing spots 116 -- Stanley Gardner 117 Expresses 119 Auditing org.

120 Pro -121 Unopened 122 Ovid’s 511 123 Mo. no. 10 124 Five-spot

OCTOBER 9 - OCTOBER 15

OCTOBER 16 - OCTOBER 22

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) An upcoming trip could create some problems with your schedule unless you tie up as many loose ends as possible before you head out the door. Ask a friend or colleague to help you.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A changing situation calls for a change in plans. Although you might prefer the schedule you had already worked up, you could do better by agreeing to make the needed adjustments.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Being eager to start a new project is fine. However, moving ahead without knowing what actually will be expected of you could cause a problem down the line. Ask some questions.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Getting through some recent challenges in good shape might give you a false sense of security. Don’t relax your guard. You need to be prepared for what else could happen.

Stay vigilant.

Pg. 28 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Caution is still advised, even though you think you’re as prepared as you need to be. Keep in mind that change is in your aspect, and you should expect the unexpected. As with Gemini, keep on your guard.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) The Lion’s gift of persuasion helps you get your points across, even to some of your most negative naysayers. An old friend might seek you out for some advice. It’s up to you whether you want to give it to them.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Being sure of your convictions is fine. But leave some room for dissenting opinions. You might learn something that could help you avoid a possible problem later on.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Getting good legal advice on what your rights actually are is the first step toward resolving that pesky problem so that it doesn’t re-emerge at a later date. Good luck.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Longtime relationships work well this week, whether they’re TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) That once seemingly personal or professional. It’s a good time to invite rock-solid proposition you favored might be hiding some serious flaws. Take time to check it more new friends and colleagues into your life. carefully and question anything that seems out of SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) This is kilter. a good week to do the research that will help you uncover those irrefutable facts that can back you up GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Finish up those lingering tasks so that you can then arrange to spend some on your new venture when you most need it. time in quiet reflection. This will go a long way in CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Change restoring both your physical and spiritual energies. is an important factor in your aspect this week and could affect something you might have thought was CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A family situation could immune to any sort of adjustment or “alteration.” heat up and boil over unless you deal with it as soon as possible. Try to persuade other family members AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Being asked to work with you to help cool things down. to share someone’s deeply personal confidence might be flattering, but accepting could be unwise. LEO (July 23 to August 22) Cheer up, Kitty Cat! That low feeling will begin to ebb by midweek, and you Decline gracefully but firmly. should be back in the social swirl in time for the PISCES (February 19 to March 20) As wise as you weekend. A long-postponed deal could be starting are, you could still be misled by someone who up again. seems to be sincere but might not be. Take more time to assess the situation before making any VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Going too fast and too far on too little knowledge could be risky. commitments.

Best to slow down and check for any gaps in your BORN THIS WEEK: You like to face challenges that information. It’s what you don’t know that could others might try to avoid, and by so doing, you set hurt you. an example of courage for all.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Trying to make peace among quarreling family members, friends or colleagues can be tough. Expect some resistance,

maybe even some expressions of resentment. But stay with it.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Changing your mind doesn’t have to be a problem once you realize that you might have good and sufficient cause to do so. Make your explanations clear and complete. Good luck.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) An unkept promise can be irksome and easily raise the Archer’s ire. But instead of getting into a confrontation, take time to check why someone you relied on came up short.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A new workplace distraction creates an unnecessary delay. The sooner you deal with it, the better for all concerned. A personal matter also should be attended to as soon as possible.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Once again, the Aquarian’s gift for applying both practical and creative methods to resolve a situation makes all the difference. Personal relationships thrive during the weekend.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A relationship appears to be losing its once-strong appeal for reasons that might be different from what you think. An open and honest talk could lead to some surprising revelations.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your life is bound by your belief that character counts more than anything else.

2018 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

Out-of-market games only.

Select int’l games excluded.

2019 NFL SUNDAY TICKET

INCLUDED AT NO EXTRA COST WHEN YOU SWITCH TO DIRECTV. With CHOICE Package or above. Subscription renews automatically each season at then prevailing rate (currently $293.94/season) unless you call to cancel within two weeks after the start of the season.

CHOICE

™

All Included Package

MO. For 12 mos. plus taxes w/24-mo. agmt & qualifying AT&T wireless svc (min. $50/mo. after discounts for new customers). Autopay & Paperless bill req’d.

Prices higher in 2nd year. Regional Sports Fee up to $8.49/mo. is extra & applies.*

■

Stream NFL SUNDAY TICKET live from anywhere with the NFL SUNDAY TICKET APP included Watch live games wherever you go. Stream every out-of-market game live, every Sunday (select int’l games excluded), from virtually anywhere. Only available in HD.

■

Never miss a touchdown from inside the 20 with RED ZONE CHANNEL® The RED ZONE CHANNEL brings you the final yards of every scoring drive around the league on one LIVE channel. Included with NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX.

■

8-Game Mix Channel Only DIRECTV lets you watch up to 8 live NFL games on one screen, complete with scores and game clock—in amazing HD. And when you want to expand one game onto the full screen, simply highlight and click. Only available in HD.

Includes: ■ Over

185 Channels Genie® HD DVR Upgrade

■ FREE

Pg. 29 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

*$19.95 ACTIVATION, EARLY TERMINATION FEE OF $20/MO. FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON AGMT., EQUIPMENT NON-RETURN & ADD’L FEES APPLY. Price incl. CHOICE All Included Pkg., monthly service and equip. fees for 1 HD DVR & is after $5/mo. autopay & paperless bill and $10/mo. bundle discounts for up to 12 mos each. Pay $74.99/mo. + taxes until discounts start w/in 3 bills. New approved residential customers only (equipment lease req’d). Credit card req’d (except MA & PA). Restr’s apply.

Don’t settle for cable. Call now!

Iv Support Holdings LLC

844-290-6053 www.satellitedealnow.com/queen

CHOICE 1-YR ALL INCLUDED PACKAGE W/ ELIG. WIRELESS: Ends 10/19/19. Available only in the U.S. (excludes Puerto Rico and U.S.V.I.). 1st & 2nd year Pricing: $59.99 for first 12 mos. only. After 12 mos. or loss of eligibility, then prevailing rate applies (currently $110/mo for CHOICE All Included), unless cancelled or changed prior to end of the promo period. Pricing subject to change. $5/mo. autopay/paperless bill discount: Must enroll in autopay & paperless bill within 30 days of TV activation to receive bill credit starting in 1-3 bill cycles. First time credit will include all credits earned since meeting offer requirements. Must maintain autopay/paperless bill and valid email address to continue credits. No credits in 2nd year for autopay/paperless bill. Eligible Wireless for $10/mo. bundle discount: Consumers only. Sold separately. Reqs new or existing AT&T postpaid svc on elig. plan (excl. Lifeline) on a smartphone, phone or AT&T Wireless Internet device (excl. voice-only AT&T Wireless Internet). Eligible svc must be activated w/in 30 days of TV activation and svc addresses must match to receive bill credit starting in 1-3 bill cycles. First time credit will include all credits earned since meeting offer requirements. Must maintain both qualifying svcs to continue credits. No credits in 2nd year for bundled services. Includes: CHOICE All Included TV Pkg, monthly service & equipment fees for one Genie HD DVR, and standard pro installation. Exclusions: Price excludes Regional Sports Fee of up to $8.49/mo. (which is extra & applies to CHOICE and/or MÁS ULTRA and higher Pkgs.), applicable use tax expense surcharge on retail value of installation, custom installation, equipment upgrades/add-ons (min. $99 one-time & $7/mo. monthly fees for each extra receiver/DIRECTV Ready TV/Device), and certain other add’l fees & charges. Different offers may apply for eligible multi-dwelling unit and telco customers.

DIRECTV SVC TERMS: Subject to Equipment Lease & Customer Agreements. Must maintain a min. base TV pkg of $29.99/mo. Some offers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Call for details.

GENERAL WIRELESS: Subj. to Wireless Customer Agmt (att.com/wca). Credit approval req’d. Deposit/Down Payment: may apply. Charges/restrictions: Taxes, Reg.Cost. Recovery Charge (Up to $1.50), other fees and charges, usage, speed, coverage & other restr’s apply per line. See att.com/mobilityfees for details on fees & charges. International and domestic off-net data may be at 2G speeds. AT&T service is subject to AT&T network management policies, see att.com/broadbandinfo for details.

GENIE HD DVR UPGRADE OFFER: Includes instant rebates on one Genie HD DVR and up to three Genie Minis. Req’s SELECT Pkg or above; ÓPTIMO MÁS Pkg or above; or qual. int’l svc bundle with PREFERRED CHOICE. $99 fee applies for Wireless Genie Mini upgrade. Whole-Home HD DVR functionality req’s an HD DVR connected to one television and a Genie Mini, H25 HD Receiver(s) or a DIRECTV Ready TV/Device in each additional room. Limit of three remote viewings per HD DVR at a time. Visit directv.com/genie for complete details.

2019 NFL SUNDAY TICKET OFFER: Package consists of all live out-of-market NFL games (based on customer’s service address) broadcast on FOX and CBS. However, games broadcast by your local FOX or CBS affiliate, and select International games, will not be available in NFL SUNDAY TICKET. Games available via remote viewing based on device location. Other conditions apply. 2019 NFL SUNDAY TICKET regular full-season retail price is $293.94. 2019 NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX regular full-season retail price is $395.94. Customers activating CHOICE Package or above or MÁS ULTRA Package or above will be eligible to receive the 2019 season of NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX at no additional cost. NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscription will renew automatically in 2020 and each season thereafter, provided that DIRECTV carries these services, at the then prevailing rate (currently $293.94/season) unless you call to change or cancel by the date specified in your renewal notice. Up until two weeks after the 2020 season starts, you can cancel anytime and receive any applicable refund. To renew NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX, customer must call to upgrade after the 2019 season. Subscription cannot be canceled (in part or in whole) after the first two weeks of the season and subscription fee cannot be refunded. Only one game may be accessed remotely at any given time. Compatible device/operating system required for online/mobile access. Additional data charges may apply. Visit directv.com/nfl for a list of compatible devices/system requirements. Short Cuts are available from midnight Sunday ET through midnight Wednesday ET via the NFL SUNDAY TICKET App. For full Mix Channel and interactive functionality, HD equipment model H/HR 21 or later is required. Only one game may be accessed from any device at any given time. Compatible device/operating system required for online/mobile access. Additional data charges may apply. Visit directv.com/nfl for a list of compatible devices/system requirements. Programming, pricing, promotions, restrictions & terms subject to change & may be modified, discontinued or terminated at any time without notice. Offers may not be combined with other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers. NFL, the NFL Shield design and the NFL SUNDAY TICKET name and logo are registered trademarks of the NFL and its affiliates. NFL team names and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. NFL: AP Images. ©2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, Globe logo, DIRECTV, and all other DIRECTV marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

THREE-CITY SWING

Short-attention-span theater

BY DAN SAVAGE

WE BROUGHT Savage Love Live to the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, the Barrymore Theatre in Madison and the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis over three nights. As is always the case at live shows, the crowd had more questions than I could possibly answer in a single night. So in this week’s column, I’m going to tear through some of the questions I wasn’t able to get to.

Pg. 30 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

If you use food for vaginal play, is there any type you should definitely avoid?

Lasagna makes for a lousy insertion toy. (Food doesn’t belong in vaginas; there could be bacteria on the food, even after washing, that results in a nasty infection. #FuckFirst #EatAfter) How do you feel about relationships that have a time frame or defined end point? For example, one person is going away for school or a new job?

I’m fine about relationships with seemingly set end points, as relationships don’t have to be open to or become long-term in order to be a success. (Did you meet a nice person? Did you have some good sex?

Did you part on good terms? Success!) And the world is filled with couples that met at a time in their lives when school or work commitments meant they couldn’t be together — and yet, years or even decades later, they’re still together. You never know.

Why do straight guys like anal so much?

Superhero movies, bottled beer, watching sports — there are lots of things straight guys like that I just don’t get. But I get why they like anal: Done right, anal feels amazing. And not just for the person doing the penetrating. When it’s done right, it is also great for the person being penetrated. And sometimes the person being penetrated is a straight guy.

After a year of dating, my boyfriend told me he is polyamorous. I don’t know how to proceed. Any tips?

If he meant, “Polyamory is my sexual orientation, and you have to allow me to date other people, and you can’t break up with me over this because that would amount to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,”that’s bullshit and this relationship is over.

But if he meant, “Polyamory is a better relationship model for me than monogamy,” that’s not bullshit and the conversation is just getting started. If you prefer monogamy but you’re willing to consider polyamory to be with him, i.e., if that’s a price of admission you’re willing to pay, it could work out. But if you aren’t open to polyamory, and monogamy isn’t a price he’s willing to pay to be with you, it won’t work out.

I work in secondary education and I’m in an open marriage. My job is awesome, but I’m so afraid of a student or a parent seeing me when I’m out with a different partner. What should I do?

You could hope people would mind their own business and continue to make out in public with your other partners — or whatever it is you’re doing in public that makes it clear you’re fucking/dating someone who isn’t your spouse — or you could be discreet. Since antidiscrimination statutes don’t offer protections to people in open relationships, and since people regularly freak out about teachers having sex at all, you really have no other choices besides discretion (when out with others) or shouldering the risk (of losing your job).

My poly friend has started bringing her flavor-of-the-week partners to social events instead of her awesome wife. How do I tell her I’d rather hang out with her and her wife than her and her (usually boring, always Is it okay that I always seem to hate my temporary) new fling?

Maybe your poly friend’s wife doesn’t want to hang partners’ mothers? Is this normal?

It isn’t and it’s not. When you’re the common out with you. Wait, I can say that in a nicer way: denominator in a lot of high-stress, high-conflict Maybe your poly friend’s wife is an introvert who would rather stay home and she’s only too delighted relationships, you’re most likely the problem.

that the flavor-of-the-week is willing to escort her What tips do you have for lesbians in longwife to the box social. But if you miss your friend’s term relationships who want to keep sex fun wife, maybe give her a call and invite her to lunch? and interesting?

My advice for lesbians who want to keep their LTRs My former lover cheated on his current live-in hot is the same as my advice for gays, straights, bis, girlfriend with me. She has no idea. Should etc. who want to keep theirs hot. At the start of the I tell her what a narcissistic cheater her relationship, you were the adventure they were on, boyfriend is? and they were the adventure you were on. That’s Vengeful former affair partners don’t have much more why it was so effortlessly hot at the start. But once credibility than narcissistic cheaters — indeed, people you’re not each other’s sexy new adventure anymore view both with similar contempt. But you do you.

— once you’re an established couple — you have to go find sexy adventures together to keep it hot. And My husband and I are swingers. For him, it’s that requires making a conscious effort. Explore your who he is. For me, it’s something I do (and kinks, buy some sex toys, have sex someplace other like!). We argue over how often we go out or than your bedroom, invite very special guest stars, etc. have sex with other couples. Any suggestions for finding a happy medium?

On the Lovecast, love your curvy body, with Elle More often than you’d like, and less often than he’d Chase: savagelovecast.com; mail@savagelove.net; like — call it the bittersweet spot.

Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage; ITMFA.org

MULTICULTURAL STAFF 20 + GIRLS!

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.Bodyrubscharlotte.org

Always Selectively Hiring

#1 American Spa in Charlotte

Pg. 31 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM

Pg. 32 Oct. 9 - Oct. 22, 2019 - QCNERVE.COM