Queen City Nerve - October 20, 2021

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 24; OCTOBER 20 - NOVEMBER 2, 2021; WWW.QCNERVE.COM

THE REAL HAUNTS OF UPTOWN PG. 8 ALL DRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO? PG. 10 PUMPKIN RECIPES FROM TWO OF THE Q.C.’S BEST PG. 16

THE 2021

HALLOWEEN ISSUE Spooky Season has arrived

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEWS& OPINION PUBLISHER

JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS jl afra n co i s @ q cn er ve.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RYAN PITKIN rpitk i n @ q cn e r ve. c om

ART DIRECTOR

JAYME JOHNSON jjo h n s o n @ q cn er ve . com

DIGITAL EDITOR

KARIE SIMMONS ks i mmo n s @ q cn er ve.com

STAFF WRITER

PAT MORAN pm o ra n @ q cn er ve . com

STAFF WRITER

NIKOLAI MATHER n m at h e r @ q cn e r ve.com

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ARTS& CULTURE MUSIC

4 PAYMENT DECLINED BY CHARLIE LEONARD Yoga instructors call for change at Whitewater Center after Flow Fest 6 LIFELINE: 10 COOL THINGS TO DO IN TWO WEEKS 8 HALLOWEEN ISSUE: HAUNTED UPTOWN BY JASON TAPP

Ten spooky spots in Charlotte where things go bump in the night (or day)

10 HALLOWEEN ISSUE: EVENTS GUIDE All dressed up and everywhere to go 12 THE MASTER PLAN BY PAT MORAN Jason Herring’s scheme to push Charlotte music is anything but mysterious 14 SOUNDWAVE

16 FOOD& DRINK LIFESTYLE

ALL HALLOW’S EATS BY CHEF JOYA & CHEF ALYSSA Two of Charlotte’s finest chefs share exclusive pumpkin recipes

17 MISSED CONNECTIONS 18 PUZZLES 20 AERIN IT OUT BY AERIN SPRUILL 20 HOROSCOPE 22 SAVAGE LOVE

THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS: PAT MORAN, KARIE SIMMONS, CHARLIE LEONARD, GRANT BALDWIN, ADJOA COURTNEY, ALYSSA WILEN, KEVIN CONDON, OTIS HUGHES, KRISTEN STEGALL, JAKE CUNNINGHAM, SELBY MAY, AERIN SPRUILL, AND DAN SAVAGE.

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THE REAL HAUNTS OF UPTOWN PG. 8 ALL DRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO? PG. 10 PUMPKIN RECIPES FROM TWO OF THE Q.C.’S BEST PG. 16

THE 2021

HALLOWEEN ISSUE Spooky Season has arrived

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE

Along with lack of payment, Huff said there were other problems in the lead up to Flow Fest 2019 that raised red flags. For one, individual teachers’ names were not included alongside any of the classes listed on the Whitewater Center’s website. There were no links to the instructors’ social media or their studio pages, she added.

Yoga instructors call for At first, Huff refused to teach that year, but change at Whitewater eventually agreed when she learned DJ Taz Rashid, Center after Flow Fest an international yoga festival DJ, would be there.

Huff admitted she is “a huge fan” of Rashid and

BY CHARLIE LEONARD couldn’t pass up the opportunity to teach with him.

But during the event, Rashid’s appearance made Each year, the U.S. National Whitewater Center’s Huff come to a stark realization.

Flow Fest draws hundreds of wellness enthusiasts “It occurred to me while I was there that this for a day of meditation, yoga and healing against full-time, well-known yoga DJ, who flew in from the calming backdrop of nature. The event, packed with free classes and workshops, aims to invigorate both the curious first timer and the seasoned yogi, bringing all types of people together. Instead, for some participating instructors, it has become shrouded in controversy.

Several local yoga instructors have begun to speak out about the fact that the Whitewater Center does not pay them for teaching during Flow Fest. This issue has extended to regular yoga classes that are taught on a daily and weekly basis. Instructors have instead been offered day passes or parking passes for their services. Those instructors now say that an understanding over “exposure” through promotion over social media and in promotional materials, though not agreed on contractually, was implicit but never followed.

Hundreds of supporters have signed a newly launched petition calling on the Whitewater Center to compensate their yoga instructors with monetary payments rather than day passes and vague understandings of exposure. After this year’s event, a few of the affected teachers talked to A FLOW FEST YOGA CLASS LED BY JAIMIS HUFF. Queen City Nerve to explain their side of the story.

Chicago, who flies all over the world to do festivals … he probably wasn’t getting paid in a Whitewater All work and no pay Jaimis Huff is the co-founder of Yoga Coalition for Center pass,” she said.

Almost 400 people showed up to Flow Fest that Equality Charlotte, a yoga community that amplifies and uplifts marginalized voices in the Charlotte yoga year, according to Huff. The event was free, and still scene. Through her teaching, she has managed to is, but the Whitewater Center charges for parking amass over 10,000 followers on Instagram, making per their normal operating procedure. Huff was disappointed that, while the Whitewater Center her a huge draw at events and festivals.

Huff was asked to teach at Flow Fest in 2019, but profited from the free event, the instructors weren’t was told by management at the Whitewater Center offered compensation. She told herself she wouldn’t that instead of payment, she would receive a day work at Flow Fest again.

Grace Millsap is another local yoga teacher who pass for future use. All Flow Fest instructors received has taught at Flow Fest multiple times in recent years, the same message, Huff said.

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PAYMENT DECLINED

and is also a year-round instructor at the Whitewater Center. Millsap said she originally agreed to teach 20 classes at the Whitewater Center in exchange for two day passes and a parking pass. The agreement worked for a while, but then ended abruptly.

Millsap said she remembers a sense of community that included a support system led by the Whitewater Center’s former yoga program leader, Lisa Strickland.

Once Strickland left, that went with it. What’s left is a “one-off” teaching agreement, according to Millsap, in exchange for a day pass.

“It feels like they care less and less about us and just want us to show up and teach, and we should be grateful for it even though they offer us zero support other than just giving us this day pass that expires after a year,” Millsap explained.

of yoga teaching. Instructors are servant-minded in action and belief while fully living their yoga practice, as Huff put it. This means they’re always ready to give back, but their eagerness can make them vulnerable to exploitation.

This can be espcailly true at Flow Fest, the biggest annual yoga event in the Charlotte area, and a hotspot for all yoga instructors — especially up and coming ones.

“For a lot of teachers, it’s the first time they’re able to teach a class that big,” Huff said.“So you feel like, ‘Oh, maybe there’s going to be some return.’ And you say yes. And you do it.”

That means making plenty of sacrifice, Millsap explained.

“The Whitewater Center wants you to show up 30 minutes early, and make a 30-minute drive, 15 minutes to walk there. That’s plus planning,” she said. “If you can show up for free, that means you have a certain privilege … it’s creating an access [issue] and non-equity for folks that should be teachers.”

What draws many yoga instructors in is the promise of exposure — promotion on social media and inclusion in other promotional materials.

For the 2021 edition of Flow Fest, Huff said the Whitewater Center wanted teachers with at least two years of experience.

There were no promises made of exposure or promotion of individual instructors in any of the agreements or email conversations between yoga instructors and the Whitewater Center that Queen City Nerve looked at, though Huff and other instructors explained they felt there was an understanding that there would be “exposure” for teachers at the event.

If that understanding was ever agreed upon, it was one that never came to fruition.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SWEATNET CHARLOTTE

Flow Fest 2021

Expectations of exposure

It’s common practice in the yoga industry for event organizers to expect free labor from instructors, instead enticing them to lead classes for no payment by promising “exposure,” Huff said.

But that’s difficult for the majority of local yoga instructors to agree to unless they have another source of income.

“It is nearly impossible for full-time yoga teachers to make a living wage,” Huff said. “There are only so many classes you can teach per day.”

Despite that, Huff said many teachers still teach for free for a few reasons. Part of it is the nature

This year’s Flow Fest was held on Sept. 18, and Millsap was scheduled to teach two classes. Also on the docket was Huff, who initially declined the Whitewater Center’s offer to lead a class in 2021.

Huff relented after SweatNET, an online fitness community she had partnered with in the past, reached an agreement with the Whitewater Center to rent SweatNET’s Dropsound Headphones for Flow Fest. As a thank you to Huff, SweatNET agreed to pay Huff with a portion of the rental fee.

All Flow Fest instructors would receive a day pass, which was the same agreement offered in 2019.

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE

instructions on how to claim their day pass. The day pass section stated: “Settlement: All instructors are compensated with a Whitewater Center Day Pass for every practice taught.” Names were not included.

Huff, Millsap and Rahman saw this as a slight. To them, they believed the Whitewater Center was “not interested in promoting individual yoga teachers.”

“That was shocking,” Rahman said. “The whole premise was that you weren’t going to pay teachers, but you were going to give them exposure.”

Queen City Nerve looked at the overview provided to instructors for the 2021 Whitewater Yoga Series, which instructors told us was similar to the paperwork for Flow Fest. The overview does not promise exposure or promotion for any individual instructors, only that “Whitewater will promote the 2021 Whitewater Yoga Series on the USNWC website, social media pages, calendar, and other forms of promotion in and around the Charlotte area.”

On Sept. 7, Millsap again received word from Shank that the names of individual teachers would be up on the website by the end of the day. Again, that did not occur.

Millsap posted an Instagram story the next day expressing her frustration, which caught the attention of Jen Velie, director of operations at the Whitewater Center. Velie reached out to Millsap to discuss what was going on.

Velie told Millsap she understood that the yoga teachers should have their names included and according to Millsap, Velie made it seem like there was a “very loud voice” deciding not to include them.

Velie also claimed it had not been done due to an issue with the Whitewater Center website. Velie claimed the site is new and would crash whenever links were added. That night, the names of each yoga teacher were finally included on the website, Millsap said.

Flow Fest 2021 went off without any major hitches, but after her event, Huff decided to tell her class the truth about what was going on.

“I said, at the end, how wonderful this event is, that it’s accessible and free to everyone. But just so everyone knows, your teachers don’t get paid for this.” She mentioned Rahman’s petition and asked her class to sign.

But they were also operating under the assumption that there would be adequate promotion of yoga teachers at the event. As Flow Fest neared, Millsap and a few other teachers noticed a glaring problem on the Whitewater Center’s website: The names of class instructors were not mentioned under any scheduled event for Flow Fest.

Millsap was scheduled to teach a class titled “Elevate Your Flow” with two live musicians, but a festival attendee wouldn’t have known that, she said.

“My class just had one name, never mentioned my name or their names. And there were never any photos or mention that there was live music happening,” Millsap said. “The only thing that was released was some random dude doing a really unsafe-looking yoga pose.”

None of the promotional materials used to market Flow Fest included the names of the participating teachers, either. Without the names beside each class, Huff said it was difficult for her to promote the event on her end.

“If I were to add the link of the Flow Fest, people wouldn’t even be able to figure out which class I’m teaching,” Huff said. “If you’re not going to pay teachers, the least you can do for all of us is add our names with a hyperlink to our Instagram or our website.”

On Aug. 23, Millsap sent an email to Stephen Shank, an event coordinator at the Whitewater Center, requesting that the names of the yoga teachers be included on the website. She was promised the names would be up by the end of the day, but that didn’t happen.

Around the same time, a few teachers brought up the lack of payment and exposure to fellow yoga instructor Raudah Rahman, co-founder of the Yoga Coalition for Equality Charlotte. Rahman had never taught at the Whitewater Center, but sympathized with the instructors. On Aug. 25, she launched a petition calling for fair pay. It has since garnered more than 500 signatures.

In the first week of September, Shank sent all Flow Fest instructors promotional materials to share. Names were still excluded, so Millsap sent Shank another email requesting again that their Going forward names be included.

Responding to Queen City Nerve’s request Shortly afterward, Shank sent every yoga for comment, Jesse Hyde, brand director at the teacher the same email response that seemed to Whitewater Center, issued the following statement: ignore the request. It stated that Flow Fest was “fast “Since 2018, the USNWC has provided more than approaching and included a PDF attachment with 1,000 yoga classes, clinics, demos and programs to a map of the facility, parking pass information and

the general public with no fees or passes required by the class attendees in most instances. This is one method of fulfilling our mission as a not-for-profit to facilitate access and promote engagement to the public through the active, outdoor lifestyle. Since the yoga program’s inception, the vast majority of instructors have proactively reached out to the USNWC to learn how to participate or become more involved in our yoga programming. These instructors are compensated for their services in a variety of ways that ultimately depend on the needs of each instructor. Some individuals are paid a flat fee or hourly rate for their services, while others volunteer their time outright or provide instruction in exchange for facility access or the promotion of their own business to Whitewater Center guests.

All yoga instructors agree to participate of their own accord and we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program over the years from both instructors and the public alike.”

Hyde added that flat fee and hourly compensation applies to all yoga programming at the Whitewater Center. When asked about the specific rates provided, he said the Whitewater Center does not release specific financial information related to employees, contractors, vendors or service providers.

Rahman and Huff have been in contact with the Whitewater Center since Flow Fest took place.

Millsap said she has reached back out to Velie for a continued discussion, but has yet to hear back.

Rahman said she’s hopeful her petition will inspire further talks with the Whitewater Center, and that next year teachers will be offered monetary compensation.

“Hopefully, they’ll create a budget, you know, or something for the teachers, especially for an event that brings a lot of people through the doors,” she said. “Just to pay teachers at $50 a class seems very, very reasonable,” Huff said. ”Offering teachers the ability to pay their bills feels reasonable to me.”

Though Huff has vowed not to return to Flow Fest until instructors are paid, she and Millsap agreed that the Whitewater Center is a great place to teach.

Millsap added that, despite the current debate over compensation, there’s still plenty of potential with Flow Fest.

“I’ve taught three people in that space, and I’ve taught 175 people in that space,” Millsap said “It’s a lot to manage, but amazing. I want them to get it right. I want them to try.”

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ONGOING APOLLO: WHEN WE WENT TO THE MOON

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Thus spoke astronaut Neil Armstrong when he set foot upon our nearest celestial neighbor. (I watched this event on live TV at the age of 9, then jumped up and down on my bed to emulate the astronauts bounding on the low-gravity surface of the moon.) Discovery Place’s exhibit includes a photo op atop an Apollo 15 Lunar Rover (pictured, bottom left) and a model of Sputnik-1, the Russian satellite that scared the crap out of America’s cold warriors.

More: $15–$23; Ongoing through Jan. 2; Discovery Place Science, 301 N. Tryon St.; science.discoveryplace.org/

MINT MUSEUM 85th ANNIVERSARY Artwork by John Leslie Breck

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MINT MUSEUM 85TH ANNIVERSARY – PART 1

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A celebration commemorating the opening of North Carolina’s first art museum takes place at both the Uptown and Randolph locations of the veritable Queen City institution. The festivities kick off at Mint Museum Randolph with the opening of the newest Interventions installation by local artist and muralist Irisol Gonzalez. The evening includes an artist talk with Gonzalez, plus live painting by local artists Elisa Lopez Trejo and Arthur Rogers, food trucks, music by DJ Claudio Ortiz, cupcakes and giveaway bags.

More: Free; Oct. 22, 5–9 p.m.; Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; mintmuseum.org

APOLLO: WHEN WE WENT TO THE MOON Courtesy of Discovery Place

Ongoing

THE SHIVAS Promotional photo

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MINT MUSEUM 85TH ANNIVERSARY – PART 2

The 85th anniversary celebration of North Carolina’s first art museum continues, moving from Randolph Road to the Mint’s Uptown location. There will be live music by Groove Masters and Orquesta Mayor, live painting by artist Arthur Rogers, raffle prizes and tours of the John Leslie Breck: American Impressionist exhibition. In addition to Breck’s landscape-inspired works, the exhibit highlights his exploration of new styles and approaches to painting in the years before his death at the age of 38.

More: Free; Oct. 23, 12–4 p.m.; Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St.; mintmuseum.org

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Launched in 2006 when the founding members were still teenagers, The Shivas have spent the last 15 years growing up in public, and that’s a good thing. Initially obsessed with classic garage rock and ’60s psychedelia, the Portland, Oregon, group got in touch with their regional roots, delving into Pacific Northwestern rock ‘n’ roll and surf. They’ve grown more sophisticated and connected to their community — they’re involved with a nonprofit that serves Portland’s homeless — but the band hasn’t lost its punk fire.

More: $13; Oct. 26, 9 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

Except for frontman Greg Graffin, the band’s membership has been a revolving door, but SoCal punk survivors Bad Religion have stayed true to the social-justice warrior punk ethos that spawned them. Hardcore skate punks to the core, Bad Religion sings about religion, politics, society, media and science with melodic sensibilities that draw on impeccable three-part vocal harmonies. Bad Religion continues to rage against rampant apathy in the face of global crises, and will not go quietly into the night.

More: $37; Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.; The Fillmore, 820 Hamilton St.; fillmorenc.com

THE SHIVAS, DIPSTICK, CABANA HELL CLUB

BAD RELIGION, ALKALINE TRIO

BAD RELIGION Photo by Selby Mal

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Prankster punk band Dollar Signs trades in rowdy punk rock with roaring guitars, triumphant horns and rollicking shout-along choruses, all coalescing around a warm and cuddly heart. This last attribute is acknowledged in the title of the band’s latest album, Hearts of Gold, which dropped last spring, but the release party got swept aside due to COVID. A proper release seems like a return to normalcy — or as normal as you can get with a band that pokes fun at how we’re all cocooned in coping mechanisms.

More: $15; Oct. 27, 8 p.m.; Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St.; neighborhoodtheatre.com

The Gantt Center’s new exhibition, Container/ Contained: Phil Freelon — Design Strategies for Telling African American Stories, examines the renowned late architect’s work, including museums, libraries and cultural centers. Freelon believed architecture should be more than a container. In his designs for AfricanAmerican communities and institutions, Freelon expanded on the multiple functions and meanings of skin with building envelopes that explored the use of color, pattern and material.

More: Free; Oct. 29, 6 p.m.; Gantt Center; 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org

Charlotte-based artist Georgie Nakima draws on her science background in creating colorful public art, paintings that seamlessly fuse wildlife and the natural world with spiraling geometric shapes.

Her work encompasses fractals, sacred geometry, the Fibonacci spiral and environmental activism in the form of wolves, tigers and other big cats. This exhibit includes a sampling of Nakima’s studio work alongside a site-specific mural designed for the Rowe Arts lobby.

More: Free; Oct. 29; Rowe Upper Gallery, UNC Charlotte, 9119 University Road; coaa.charlotte.edu

For their upcoming album Vessel, female-fronted, Northern Michigan power trio The Accidentals draws from a genre-jumping range of influences, coupled with smart songwriting and sharp instrumentals.

Americana singer-songwriter Sawyer Fredericks hails from central New York, where he’s charted an unlikely course from farmers markets and open mics to NBC’s The Voice. His forthcoming album Flowers For You has been praised for its “energy and exceptional guitar work.”

More: $20 and up; Oct. 30, 3 p.m.; Evening Muse; 3227 N. Davidson St.; eveningmuse.com

DOLLAR SIGNS, NERVOUS DATER, LAPECHE, TEENAGE HALLOWEEN

THE ACCIDENTALS Promotional photo

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CONTAINER/CONTAINED: PHIL FREELON OPENING

GEORGIE NAKIMA: GARDEN OF JOURNEY OPENING

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THE ACCIDENTALS, SAWYER FREDERICKS

CHARLOTTE COMEDY THEATER Promotional photo

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CHARLOTTE COMEDY THEATER: 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY REOPENING

Chicago Improv veteran and Carolina native Keli Semelsberger founded Charlotte Comedy Theater and Training Center in 2001 when there was little improv in Charlotte. I was in a sketch comedy troupe at the time and I came away with two points: Sharpening our troupe’s improv skills with Semelsberger was a smart move, and death is hard, comedy is harder and improv is hardest of all. Startup classes begin in November and run for six weeks.

More: $250, Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m.; Charlotte Comedy Theater, 700 N. Tryon St.; charlottecomedytheater.com

DOLLAR SIGNS Photo by Jake Cunningham

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ARTS FEATURE

HAUNTED UPTOWN

Ten spooky spots in Charlotte where things go bump in the night (or day)

BY JASON TAPP

Everyone always complains about how Charlotte gets rid of its history, but there’s some history that you just can’t shake. For this year’s Halloween issue, we tapped Jason Tapp of SpookyCLT to tell us about 10 of the most haunted spots in Uptown. You may think Uptown is dead due to the pandemic, but the dead have never left Uptown.

Second Ward

Many people have reported hearing jazz music late at night in Uptown’s Second Ward. The source is said to be “The Spirit of Brooklyn,” the neighborhood lost to so-called urban renewal projects carried out by the city and developers in the 1970s. Over 1,400 structures from this predominantly Black community were destroyed including schools, churches, nightclubs and office buildings. Stories of phantom music near the corner of East 3rd and South Brevard streets were common long before Middle C Jazz opened up at that intersection. Some people heard an entire jazz ensemble, others heard a solo saxophonist, and though it’s now difficult to know what’s real, it’s always hard to walk in Second Ward without feeling like something is missing.

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The Dunhill Hotel, 237 N. Tryon St.

The Dunhill Hotel is perfect if you’re looking for a spooky staycation. The nearly 100-year-old building is registered as a Historic Hotel of America and is known around town for its Sunday brunch.

Rumors of hauntings typically stem from the story that a human skull was found at the bottom of an elevator shaft during renovations in 1988. That true story aside, even current staff have their own paranormal experiences, some of

Davidson. The oldest known grave is that of Joel Baldwin, who died in 1776, and the most recent burial is from 1878. It is said that bodies were often robbed from the cemetery and used for educational purposes at the hospital that was once located next door. Now it is not uncommon to find mysterious altars left behind in the cemetery or orbs found in pictures after the Rí Rá Irish Pub, 208 N. Tryon St. Rí Rá Irish Pub is located in Uptown’s second sun has set. oldest building. Staff claims there are six unique in-house ghosts. The two most active apparitions Carolina Theatre, 230 include a man with a handlebar mustache who N. Tryon St. frequents the upstairs bar and will disappear if Carolina Theatre in Uptown is you ask him too many questions, with the other currently being renovated, which being a girl in Victorian clothing who is said to be has some folks wondering if we’ll THE DUNHILL HOTEL responsible for writing the alphabet on the walls see the same paranormal activity PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN on the brick in the entry way. All of the ghosts we once did when it was originally are considered peaceful and typically only reveal open. Will the renovations clear out Bootlegger House, 400 N. Poplar St. themselves to staff, but if you are a patron you are the old spirits or serve to stir them up more? Staff The notorious BootLegger House has been a likely to experience a “cold spot,” which could mean have shifted blame of any paranormal hijinx on a spooky staple of Fourth Ward for nearly 50 years. It another type of spirit than the one you’re drinking is ghost they’ve named Fred, who reportedly pulls was originally located in Second Ward, where the passing through you. pranks like turning the lights off, responding to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center is today, the sound of snaps, and appearing as a mysterious but was moved across Uptown after it was bought Old Settlers’ Cemetery, 200 W. Trade St. light on the balconies after hours. Suspiciously, The for $50 during the aforementioned “urban renewal” Old Settlers’ Cemetery is proof that Charlotte has Carolina Theatres in Durham and Greensboro also of Brooklyn that just so happened to coincide with history. The graveyard is the resting place of the first have a ghost named Fred. The personal paranormal the “restoration” of Fourth Ward. People call it the colonial settlers, and you’ll recognize many a street experiences of staff and former guests are hard to Bootlegger House because of the numerous hidden or even town name as you peruse the headstones. deny, but why does ol’ Fred always have to get rooms and compartments that were once used to hide You’ll find the gravestones of famous Charlotteans brought into it? black-market alcohol during Prohibition. The current like Nathaniel Alexander, Thomas Polk and William owner has personally experienced a wide range of paranormal activity including phantom footsteps, chairs found unexplainably tilting on two legs, a blow torch ignited by itself, and other more typical paranormal mischief. The movement of the house brings up the question: Is the ground they moved to haunted, or the bones of the house itself? which include a woman’s laughter coming from the downstairs lobby when no one is there, or a woman in white disappearing and reappearing in the banquet halls at night. Local paranormal investigators and hosts of The Hex Files podcast recently investigated and caught a voice saying “Hello” in a Facebook Live video. It’s definitely worth the visit, even if you just grab a drink at the lobby bar. You never know who might join you.

Alexander Michael’s, 401 W. 9th St.

OLD SETTLERS’ CEMETERY PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

Not far from the Bootlegger House, Alexander Michael’s has been a Fourth Ward bar and eatery for more than 30 years. The house itself has been around much longer than that, originally opened as the Crowell-Berryhill Store in 1897. It is no surprise with its historic status that it has a resident ghost. Servers and patrons have reported paranormal activity, hearing their names called softly by disembodied voices or feeling as if they had been grabbed when no one was there. Activity usually centers around the old apartment upstairs or the back corner booth that fits just one person. Additionally, if you are looking for a post-dinner walk, you can take a stroll down

ARTS FEATURE Pine Street to find Settler’s Lane, where the Haunted Hanging Tree can be found. Historically it is known for the hangings of criminals, but now locals know it to be the center of dark energy where screams and the sound of tightening rope can be heard.

from a fire that occurred back in the 1940s, engulfing the building to the point that residents had to jump out windows to escape. The tragedy took the lives of nine people, injuring many more. Common reports include sightings of apparitions believed to be former residents, dreams of bleeding walls, and noises of knocking on walls or doors when no one is known to be around. That being said, it’s still one of the last moderately priced places to live in Uptown, so it may be worth the risk.

Old Firehouse No. 4, 420 W. 5th St.

ALEXANDER MICHAEL’S

On April 1, 1934, firefighter Pruitt L. Black was reportedly heading out on a call when he fell headfirst down the firepole, dying on impact.

The legend today states that, despite the firehouse being abandoned, you can still smell the smoke from Black’s cigars, as he’s decided to stay on call in the afterlife. Black’s grave can be found at the nearby Elmwood Cemetery and Fire Station 4, located next to The Vue uptown, has been added to the national Registry of Historic Places. The question remains: Does it smell like smoke because of Black’s cigars, because it’s an old firehouse, or because the address is 420?

PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

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The McNinch House, 511 N. Church St. Staying in Fourth Ward, The McNinch House is an 1892 Queen Anne-style home located on North Church Street and is now a restaurant.

Walking inside is like entering a time machine set to a century back. The home is the center of numerous ghost stories, but depending on which tour you go on, whom you talk to, or which book you read, you may hear different versions. Local legend states that if you wait outside long enough and keep your eye on the upstairs bay windows, you may catch a glimpse of the long-gone lady of the house.

Visit SpookyCLT.com for more local tales from Jason and his wife, Melanie.

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Tryon House, 508 N. Tryon St.

The Tryon House apartment building is one of Uptown’s oldest continuously operating apartment buildings. Paranormal activity in the building is believed to stem

THE MCNINCH HOUSE PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN

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All dressed up and everywhere to go So you’ve got the perfect costume idea, and now you don’t know where to go? Don’t even worry about it.

We’ve got you covered. Happy hauntings!

Smashing Pumpkin Party

Live music, drink specials, giveaways and a pumpkin carving contest with high stakes: If you win, you get a prize, if you lose, your work gets smashed.

More: Friday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m.; Free; Bart’s Mart, 3042 Eastway Drive; facebook.com/Bartsmart.clt

Charlotte Symphony Presents ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’

Tim Burton’s macabre classic The Nightmare Before Christmas is shown in its entirety on a large screen while Charlotte Symphony brings Danny Elfman’s rambunctious, colorful score to life.

More: Friday & Saturday, Oct. 22-23, 7:30 p.m.; $29 and up; Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

B(art) Sale & Halloween Hangout

Costumes are encouraged for this bake sale and art sale.

More: Sunday, Oct. 24, noon-4 p.m.; Free; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

Howl-O-Ween

The brewery with the hellish name has a cute event planned: a costume contest for dogs. Prizes for three categories: Best Overall Costume, Most Creative, and Best Human and Pet Duo. More: Sunday, Oct. 24, noon-4 p.m.; Free; Devil’s Logic Brewery, 1426 E. 4th St.; devilslogic.com

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Cult Movies in the Cave: ‘Trick or Treat’

A bullied teenage boy is devastated after the death of his heavy metal idol, Sammi Curr. But as Halloween approaches, he discovers he may be the only one who can stop Sammi from making a Satanic comeback from beyond the grave.

Starring Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons.

More: Tuesday, Oct. 26, 8-10 p.m.; $5 donation suggested; VisArt Video, 3104 Eastway Drive; visartvideo.org/events

Paint & Boo’s

Local artist Aimee-Rose hosts a step-by-step Halloween-themed instructional painting class while you sip on some Primal brews.

More: Thursday, Oct. 28, 7-9 p.m.; $25; Primary Brewery, 16432 Old Statesville Ave., Huntersville; tinyurl.com/PaintBoos

Halloween Double Feature

Movies on the Wall: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Catch this 1986 flick starring Rick Moranis right outside of Tommy’s, with hot dogs, sodas, popcorn, and candy available.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, movie starts at dusk; $5; Tommy’s Pub, 3124 Eastway Drive; visartvideo.org/events

Bands followed by burlesque: Oh! You Pretty Things, Harriet Rip, and Sanhaim perform, then the monthly drag revue comes in for another semester of Ghoul School.

More: Friday, Oct. 29, 8:30 p.m.; $15; Skylark Social Club, 2131 Central Ave.; facebook.com/skylarksocialclub

Halloween Bash at The Fat Parrots

Plaza Midwood Fall Crawl

Storytelling by Spooky CLT (see our Haunted Uptown piece above), live music by Monster Piece, and costumes are welcome.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.; Free; Bart’s Mart, 3042 Eastway Drive; facebook.com/Bartsmart.clt

The day kicks off with a costume parade for the neighborhood’s little ones, then back to the park for local music, beer, wine, bounce houses, face painting, t-shirts and a vendor village.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Free; Midwood Park, 2100 Wilhelmina Ave.; plazamidwood.org/events

Cassette Rewind’s Back in Time Halloween Costume Bash

Everyone’s favorite ’80s cover band hosts a costume party. Think Hot Tub Time Machine for costume ideas.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 8:30 p.m.; $15$18; Amos’ Southend, 1423 S. Tryon St.; amossouthend.com

Boo Bash 2021

Out of the Blue performs at what’s billed each year as “the best Halloween party in Charlotte,” and with $1,800 in costume contest prizes up for grabs, we can see why.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.; $11; Coyote Joe’s, 4621 Wilkinson Blvd.; coyote-joes.com

A costume contest, a DJ, cornhole. What more are you looking for?

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 10 p.m.; Free; The Fat Parrots, 5146 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road; tinyurl.com/FatParrots

Spooky Fest

Halloween Fiasco

Just an absolute clusterfuck of great bands doing covers: Jaguardini does Ace of Bass, Ryan Lockhart does Garth Brooks, The Safety does Taking Back Sunday and many more.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m.; $10; The Milestone Club, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road; themilestone.club

All Hemper’s Eve

Blackberry Ridge Farm hosts this afternoon festival featuring a vendor market, food trucks, beer, pumpkin painting, outdoor movie, trunk or treating, a costume contest, a bonfire and more.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 4-8 p.m.; Canned food donation suggested; Blackberry Ridge Farm, 14820 Beatties Ford Road; blackberryridgefarmnc.com

The Phantom Friends

A costume party that includes a live show from Phantom Friends with Red Dress Amy and Rothschild.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m.; $10; Two Buck Saloon, 1113 Hawthorne Lane; facebook.com/twobucksalooncharlotte

Devil’s Night

Flamingo Revue is ready to fire it up with a burlesque tribute to the spookiest night of the year. Compete for Pumpkin King or Queen in the costume contest during an electric night of glam and gore, the sexy and the scary.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m.; $20-$25; Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave.; visulite. com

Soul Train Halloween

That Guy Smitty and VonFunkHauser present a special Soul Train Halloween version of Deep Fried Disco featuring a Soul Train line and costume contest.

More: Saturday, Oct. 30; $10; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

Halloween with Hunter’s Travesty

The local roots-rock Americana band hosts a Halloween party at Comet Grill.

More: Sunday, Oct. 31, 7-10 p.m.; Free; Comet Grill, 2224 Park Road; cometgrillcharlotte.com

Petrafied

Music from Paint Fumes, Mindvac and Coughing Blood, with sounds from Monster Piece on the back patio. Midnight costume contest with $100 cash prize.

More: Sunday, Oct. 31, 8 p.m.; $7-$10; Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave.; petrasbar.com

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MUSIC FEATURE

the decade since that pensive, plaintive folk-tinged debut, The Mystery Plan has released six full-length albums, as well as a treasure trove of EPs and singles.

The tunes contained in this musical cache veer from the jaunty yet deadpan front-porch shuffle of 2012 single “Skeleton Man” to the rippling trip-hop rap of “Silver Lining,” a recent song from July 2021 release Jason Herring’s scheme to You Also Have Eyes, a compilation of old and new push Charlotte music is material that Herring feels deserves a reintroduction anything but mysterious to listeners.

The Mystery Plan’s dreamy, jazzy and

BY PAT MORAN percolating tunes can also be heard live during two sets at Common Market Oakwold on Oct. 22. Herring Driving outside Columbia, South Carolina, just says the outdoor gig will be the band’s last show of as night fell, Jason Herring was looking for a sign. the year, but new Mystery Plan music will drop Nov. After launching three successive bands plus a 19 in the form of Thought Bubbles, a remix album record label that fosters and promotes the Charlotte artists he loves, Herring had taken a well-deserved break from the music business. He had gotten married, and with his wife Amy was raising a daughter, Greta.

“Greta was asleep in her car seat in the back, and I was talking to Amy,” Herring recalls. He was depressed and uncertain. After taking a four-year hiatus from recording, touring, packaging and promoting extraordinary sounds, he wondered if it might be time to return to making music. He couldn’t make up his mind.

At that moment, a THE MYSTERY PLAN. disembodied voice gave Herring his answer. The voice was on the car radio, and it was his own. Columbia’s of sorts. college station WUSC was running a promo that In this format, The Mystery Plan’s genre-splicing Herring had cut during a stint with his then-most hybrids like “Silver Lining (Jah Freedom Mix)” really recent band, Charlotte’s alternative hard-psych shine. The original version, which appears on You outfit The Interstellars.

Also Have Eyes, parts a veil of jazzy, shimmering “It was like, ‘Hey, this is Jason from The keyboards like a beaded curtain to reveal cantering Interstellars and you’re totally zoning out to WUSC, beats alongside Big Supreme’s assured and 90.5 in Columbia,’” he recalls. inspirational rap.

The announcement was followed by one of the For Thought Bubbles, rapper/producer Geoffrey band’s songs. Herring cranked it up, rolled down Edwards, who performs as Jah Freedom, strips the all the windows, and shouted out into the night, composition down to its supple rhythmic spine, then “Yeaaah! I’m on the radio!” retools the arrangement and moves the beats and Herring had his sign, and in 2010, a few years wordplay to the forefront. The changes accentuate later he launched his current band, The Mystery the durability of the shape-shifting tune.

Plan, releasing the eclectic avant-garde rock outfit’s Like previous music collections by The Mystery first album, The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be. In

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THE MASTER PLAN

Plan, the forthcoming remix album will be released by 10mm Omega Recordings, a label launched

by Herring in the 1990s to showcase Charlotte’s variegated music scene. Home to chameleon-like pop rocker Benji Hughes and Brazilian jazz artist Micah Gough, 10mm Omega Recordings has also released tunes and sounds by Todd Busch of Flyweb, hip-hop act The Katskillz Project, a collaboration Herring did with DJ and producer That Guy Smitty called Muchacho, surf rockers Aqualads and much more.

As Herring tells it, he had little choice but to launch a label tailored to spread the word about Charlotte’s quicksilver and combustible music scene.

“Every time I went to see [Charlotte acts] perform, I would catch all the feels — I would get

a dance craze set to beach music that first swept the Carolinas in the 1940s. In 1987, Hunter got a job working for Easy 104.7 in Charlotte, so he moved his family to the Queen City when Jason was 16.

Herring’s teen rebellion kicked in while he attended high school, first at Spring Valley in Columbia, then at East Mecklenburg here in Charlotte. He was determined not to be a rock ‘n’ roller like his parents, so he immersed himself in school sports, playing football and baseball, eventually joining the Spring Valley High football team. Herring also became an accomplished horseman — showing, jumping, vaulting and competing in dressage events.

Despite his athletic interests, Herring couldn’t resist the draw to music. The die was cast when he attended his first Charlotte rock show, a gig by The Velvet Underground drummer Mo Tucker, who appeared with Half Japanese at The Milestone Club.

It was Herring’s next show, however, that determined the course of his life.

“The second show I saw was Fetchin Bones,” Herring says. “I was amazed by how weird and awesome they were.”

Long before DaBaby, Anthony Hamilton or The Avett Brothers, the first band that broke big from Charlotte was Fetchin Bones. Fronted by Hope Nicholls, a singer with the blues-soaked passion and rock ‘n’ roll firepower of Janis PHOTO BY OTIS HUGHES Joplin, the band was grunge, cow punk and Riot Grrrl before any of those designations existed. goosebumps,” he says. “I decided it was going to be At age 19 in 1990, Herring had hit a turning my job to make sure that more people know about point. He wanted to do what Nicholls did, so he went the talent and beauty of Charlotte’s music scene — to Superior Feet Playhouse, a rock ‘n’ roll-themed everything from jazz to hip-hop to rock ‘n’ roll to boutique in Plaza Midwood where Nicholls worked, reggae.” to ask for career advice.

Long before Herring could spread that gospel of “I said, ‘I want to do what you do. How do I go Queen City sound, however, he first had to fall under about doing that?’’ Herring says. “She just looked at music’s emotional spell. That process began in his me and said, ‘Learn how to play an instrument, and hometown of Columbia. write some songs. Start there.’”

While attending Central Piedmont Community College, Herring expanded his music tastes to From shag to interstellar lift-off “At a very early age, I was turned on to Marvin include the moody sounds of The Smiths, The Cure Gaye, Steely Dan and beach music,” Herring and Prefab Sprout. Herring formed his first band, remembers. His father Hunter Herring was a DJ on The Groovy Disco Bunnies, with classmates. Since Columbia radio and heavily into the shag movement, he hadn’t yet learned to play an instrument, he

MUSIC FEATURE

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sang. The Groovy Disco Bunnies gave way to a more professional band, a raucous, shoegaze-inflected outfit called Moonburn.

In 1992, Herring dropped out of junior year at CPCC and went on tour with Moonburn. That band was succeeded by another band, Latino Chrome, and then Moonburn again for a hot minute.

Finally, nearly 10 years after first hitting the road, Herring struck paydirt with a popular band that still conjures fond memories for Charlotte and regional fans called the Interstellars. The sextet, comprised of Herring on vocals and keyboards, guitarist and producer Paul Jensen, bassist Patch Hanna, keyboardist Dave Puryear, drummer Marlon Young, and saxophonist David Walen, formed in 1999.

Herring launched his label-of-love, 10mm Omega Recordings, determined to get the word out about Charlotte music. Herring released a Charlotte Sometimes compilation a few months later in 2000.

The album’s title is a shout out to the moody music of The Cure that captivated Herring when he was attending CPCC. It includes tracks by Laburnum, Baleen, That Guy Smitty & Paul Peeler.

In a sense, Charlotte Sometimes proved to be an inaccurate title for Herring’s maiden music promotion venture. Ever since that 2000 release, with only a short four-year break from 2004 to 2008 to recharge his batteries, Herring has been committed constantly — not just sometimes — to promoting and proselytizing for the Charlotte music scene. The effort has been underway for 30 years and counting.

By 2003, the Interstellars’ trajectory had leveled off. The band split amicably, and Herring sidelined his label and took a break from making music and spreading the word about Charlotte’s sounds. He met and started dating his future wife and musicmaking partner Amy Bache. The couple married in May 2006, and their daughter Greta was born in 2007.

Touring tedium and reviving Zsa Zsa

Through the agency of Columbia college radio on that South Carolina evening, the universe had told Herring to revive 10mm Omega Recordings and launch a new band, The Mystery Plan.

There were a few missing pieces to account for, however. When the band debuted in October 2010, the group primarily consisted of Herring, Paul Jensen and outside producers like Steve Pugh.

Subsequent albums brought in other performers and producers that Herring had been following and admiring, including his own wife Amy Herring. For Queensland Ballroom, a full-length release from August 2017, Herring was joined by multi-platinum producer and musician John Fryer, who has worked with iconic labels Mute, Rough Trade and 4AD, an imprint distinguished by an ethereal roster that includes Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. Fry has worked with Herring on every album by The Mystery Plan since.

Queensland Ballroom was also the last group album composed and recorded around a core of Fryer, Jason and Amy. From there on out, The Mystery Plan steadily recruited full-time band members. Herring believes the band’s music improved immeasurably once other hands came on deck.

“We’ve gone through many line-up changes over the last decade,” Herring says, saving his highest praise for the band’s current incarnation, the lineup that first solidified on the mystic and fulllength fusion of funk, rock and jazz Zsa Zsa, released in April 2020.

“Instead of me writing songs and finding people to perform them, for the first time ever since The Mystery Plan began, I started writing with a band,” Herring says. He feels the sound has changed for the better due to increased input from band members and their myriad influences. “It became a lot more fun and a lot more interesting having other people help me write.”

While putting out records by The Mystery Plan, Herring also released music by Farfalla, Muchacho, Heart of a Ghost, Cement Stars, plus a handful of compilations on 10mm Omega Recordings, including the hypnotic 2021 collection Midnight Special.

“I’ve definitely always been working,” Herring says. “Even if it wasn’t Mystery Plan stuff, it was on somebody else’s stuff.”

In The Mystery Plan’s current incarnation, Herring sings and plays guitar and keyboards, while Amy also sings. Patty McLaughlin sings backup and plays flute; Otis Hughes, formerly with Charlotte grunge metal band Animal Bag, plays bass and Jefferson Chester plays drums. Herring says Hughes’ genius has brought out more of what Herring hears in his head before the sounds are recorded. He also lauds Chester as a solid drummer who knows how to lay down a wicked and addictive back-beat.

Despite the caliber of talent and songwriting on Zsa Zsa, plus sympathetic co-production by Rob Tavaglione at Catalyst Recording, the album fell foul of bad timing and got truncated exposure. Herring

says there were two tours designed to promote the album, a four-date excursion in the spring of 2020 plus nine summer gigs booked throughout the southeast.

“Of course, COVID hit and all of that went to shit,” Herring says.

Although Zsa Zsa got airplay in New York, and was debuted and championed by The Big Takeover, a bi-annual music magazine published by NYC critic Jack Rabid, Herring says the record never got the hearing it deserved. So in July, You Also Have Eyes was released to help rectify the situation.

The well of emotion

As noted, The Mystery Plan’s latest album — not counting the forthcoming eclectic remix collection — is a “best of and the rest of” compilation of the band’s work, showcasing a few tracks apiece from previous albums.

Seeing The Mystery Plan play live at Petra’s a few weeks prior to Halloween is like being poised at a portal between this world and the next — if that portal was a hotel cocktail lounge just off a formerly frequented main drag. Anchored by Hughes’s funky and grungy guttural bass, Amy Herring’s feathered vocals flutter in free fall as McLaughlin’s sinuous

flute spirals and Chester’s rattling sleigh bells mimic distant satellite signals from beyond the asteroid belt.

“It’s Sun Ra’s galactic excursions filtered through Stereolab’s warm, swarming lounge cocoon, and then played by the Twin Peaks house band,” I scrawl on a cocktail napkin.

While Herring hopes that You Also Have Eyes can reintroduce listeners to Mystery Plan songs they may have missed the first time around, and releasing a remix record of the band’s back catalog could extend their fan base to dance and hip-hop aficionados, Herring is still primarily concerned with connecting with people.

“I’m not that proficient of a player, but I do like to emotionally connect with anyone listening,” Herring says. “That’s where I’m at. When I write, I don’t write a lick. I sit down in the studio and try to get in touch with how I’m feeling and emotion I have.” Then Herring sets himself the task of finding the notes or the sounds that best represent his emotional state.

“I want to make sure I’m able to connect with the listener, and I hope I’m emotionally sound with my writing,” he says. “That’s what’s important.”

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MUSIC FEATURE

LATIN/WORLD

Sometime In February album release w/ Yes Chef, Invader Houses (Petra’s) Venus Invictus, Through the Tallwoods and more (Skylark Social Club) The Dirty Doors (Doors Tribute Band) (Visulite Theatre)

Gilberto Santa Rosa (Ovens Auditorium)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Council Ring w/ Physical Digital, Ink Swell, Jackson Fig (The Milestone) Eastway Holiday Festival: At least 16 bands, all of them good (Tommy’s Pub)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Frankie & the Witch Fingers w/ Acid Dad, Pet Bug (Snug Harbor)

BLUES/FUNK/JAM BANDS

Perpetual Groove (Neighborhood Theatre) HNY WLSN w/ Fast Preacher, DALIA (Petra’s)

Caroline Keller Band w/ Chad Bearden (Evening Muse) Josh Morningstar (Evening Muse) Carolina Ridgeline (Primal Brewery) Jason Moss & The Hosses w/ Tony Wain (Tommy’s Pub)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Lera Lynn (Stage Door Theater) Kim Richey (Neighborhood Theatre)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21

BLUES/FUNK/JAM BANDS Omari & the Hellhounds (Comet Grill)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Morta Skuld w/ Mutilatred, Guilty View, Ladyhel (The Milestone) Hooveriii w/ Human Pippi (Snug Harbor)

LATIN/WORLD

Los Tigres Del Norte (Ovens Auditorium)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ

BLUES/FUNK/JAM BANDS

Danny Duncan (Amos’ Southend)

Spafford w/ Eggy (Neighborhood Theatre)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25

OPEN MIC

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Open Mic Night w/ Johnny Starr (Tommy’s Pub)

Beach Fossils w/ Wild Nothing (The Underground) Short Fictions w/ Militarie Gun, Late Bloomer, Jar (The Milestone)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22

BLUES/FUNK/JAM BANDS

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ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Junior Astronomers w/ Mutant Strain, Petrov (Snug Harbor) JUNIOR ASTRONOMERS HOST A TWO-NIGHT BIRTHDAY BASE AT SNUG HARBOR OCT. 22-23.

Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) The Broadcast w/ Laura Nicholson (Evening Muse) POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC/DJ Larkin Poe (Neighborhood Theatre) LANY (CMCU Amphitheatre) The Crystal Method (SERJ) Jack Marion & the Pearl Snap Prophets w/ Kyle Kelly Digital Noir w/ DJ Spider (The Milestone) Getter (World Nightclub) (Skylark Social Club) INZO (SERJ) Michigander w/ she (Visulite Theatre) Regard (World Nightclub)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Darrell Scott (Booth Playhouse) Cody Webb (Coyote Joe’s) RIVVRS w/ Chad Meers (Evening Muse)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Wayne Powers: Swing Tunes & Saloon Songs (Middle C Jazz)

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Neighborhood Theatre) PHOTO BY KEVIN CONDON

LATIN/WORLD

Florencia Rusiñol w/ charlez360 (Tommy’s Pub)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Junior Astronomers w/ Pretty Baby, Alan Charmer, AXNT (Snug Harbor) Emily Wolfe (Stage Door Theatre) All Them Witches (The Underground)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Wayne Powers: Swing Tunes & Saloon Songs (Middle C Jazz)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Kadey Ballard w/ Dylan Gilbert (EastSide Local)

OPEN MIC

Find Your Muse Open Mic feat.

John Fenn Steila (Evening Muse)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL

Bill Hanna Legazy Jazz Session (Petra’s)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Bad Religion w/ Alkaline Trio (The Fillmore) Quicksand (The Underground) The Shivas w/ Dipstick, Cabana Hell Club (Snug Harbor)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC

Lost Cargo: Tiki Social Party (Petra’s)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Home For The Day w/ Bonsai Trees, Rothschild, Sail the Rain (The Milestone) Dollar Signs album release (Neighborhood Theatre) Pet Bug w/ Phaze Gawd, Kevin Jay Z (Snug Harbor) Liz Cooper w/ Pearl Charles (Visulite Theatre)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Machine Gun Kelly (CMCU Amphitheatre) Cyrus w/ Chris Buxton, MxRCUS ALEXIS, Apollo (Evening Muse) City Morgue (The Underground)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

August Burns Red (The Fillmore) The Sonder Bombs w/ Gully Boys, Monachopsis (The Milestone) Shiprocked! w/ Valient Thorr (Snug Harbor) Formula 400 w/ Witch Motel (Tommy’s Pub)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Chase Atlantic (The Underground) Young Bull w/ Erick Lottary, Shame Gang (Neighborhood Theatre)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC

Nathan Coldberg w/ Austin Cain (Evening Muse)

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

Carolina Songwriters Showcase feat. Kim Ware, Tracy Simpson, Zachary Warren (Petra’s)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) Halloween Double Feature: Oh! You Pretty Things, Harriet Rip, Sanhaim (Skylark Social Club) Occult Fracture w/ Billy Bats And The Made Men, Longshot Odds (Tommy’s Pub)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

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Indigo Girls (The Fillmore) Cracker w/ gogoPilot (Neighborhood Theatre)

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

Chase Atlantic (The Underground)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC

Argonaut & Wasp with The Abbey Elmore Band (Evening Muse) Shadow Play: ’80s/’90s Underground Dance Party (Petra’s) Suzi Analogue w/ Stefan Ringer, KHX05 (Snug Harbor)

Best Night Ever: Jonas Bros. vs. One Direction Dance Party (Amos’ Southend)

LATIN/WORLD

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performs Bollywood songs (Ovens Auditorium)

LATIN/WORLD

Myke Towers (Bojangles Coliseum)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony: Brahm’s Serenade No. 2 (Knight Theater) Steve Tyrell (Middle C Jazz)

BLUES/FUNK/JAM BANDS

Cosmic Charlie (Grateful Dead Tribute) (Visulite Theatre)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Bystander w/ Angel Massacre & more (The Milestone)

OPEN MIC

Find Your Muse Open Mic feat. Raina Dawn (Evening Muse)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Alex G w/ Exum (Amos’ Southend) Goalkeeper w/ Stage Moms & more (The Milestone) THE Psychedelic Furs w/ Royston Langdon (Neighborhood Theatre)

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA Dan Layus of Augustana (Evening Muse)

VISIT QCNERVE.COM FOR THE FULL SOUNDWAVE LISTING.

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30

Bill Hanna Legacy Jazz Session (Petra’s)

ROCK/PUNK/METAL

The Accidentals and Sawyer Fredericks Band (Evening Muse) Halloween Fiasco: Jaguardini, Bob Fleming, The Safety, Delirium Trio & more (The Milestone) Wheelwright (formerly Jared & The Mill) (Neighborhood Theatre)

OCTOBER 2021

COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

Chance McCoy w/ Lauren Calve (Evening Muse)

POP/DANCE/ELECTRONIC

Surfaces (The Fillmore) Cassette Rewind (Amos’ Southend) Madison Beer (The Underground) Gravitate (Petra’s) Dirt Monkey (SERJ) Soul Train Halloween (Snug Harbor)

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/ INSTRUMENTAL

Charlotte Symphony: Brahm’s Serenade No. 2 (Knight Theater) Steve Tyrell (Middle C Jazz)

CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL/RELIGIOUS Newsboys (Ovens Auditorium)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31 ROCK/PUNK/METAL

Hunter’s Travesty (Comet Grill) Erin McKeown and Jennifer Knapp (Evening Muse) The Record Company w/ JJ Wilde (The Underground) Tetanus w/ The Girls, Distemper (The Milestone) Petrafried 2021: Paint Fumes, Mindvac, Coughing Blood, DJ Monsterpiece (Petra’s)

FRI, OCTOBER 22

RIVVRS (SOLO) W/ CHAD MEERS

NATHAN COLBERG W/ AUSTIN CAIN

FRI, OCTOBER 29

THE BROADCAST W/ LAURA NICHOLSON

S A T, O C T O B E R 2 3

CAROLINE KELLER BAND

ARGONAUT & WASP BLKFRIEND W/ OG SPLIFF

S A T, O C T O B E R 3 0

THE ACCIDENTALS & JOSH MORNINGSTAR SAWYER FREDERKICKS BAND OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW’S MON, OCTOBER 27 CHANCE MCCOY FIND YOUR MUSE OPEN MIC W/ LAUREN CALVE W/ CHAD BEARDEN

FEAT. JOHN FENN STEILA

WED, OCTOBER 27

CYRUS -CAN WE PRETEND THAT I’M FAMOUS? TOUR W/CHRIS BUXTON

SUN, OCTOBER 31

ERIN MCKEOWN W/ JENNIFER KNAPP

COMEDIAN SEAN PATTON W/ CAITLIN COOK

HIP-HOP/SOUL/R&B

HBCU Culture Homecoming Fest & Battle Of The Bands (Bojangles Coliseum) Isaiah Rashad (The Fillmore)

THU, OCTOBER 28

eveningmuse.com

3 3 2 7 n d av i d s o n s t, c h a r l o t t e n c

FOOD & DRINK FEATURE ALL HALLOWS’ EATS

Two of Charlotte’s finest share exclusive

BY CHEF JOYA & CHEF ALYSSA pumpkin recipes INFO@QCNERVE.COM Besides pie, when you think of consuming pumpkin, you most likely think of beers and lattes.

Here’s the thing, though: Pumpkin spice isn’t pumpkin, it’s an artificial flavoring. We wanted to know some new ways to make use of all those pumpkin guts after carving our jack-o-lanterns, so we reached out to two of the best chefs to see what ideas they’ve got.

CHEF ALYSSA’S PUMPKIN RISOTTO WITH SAGE OIL.

PHOTO BY ALYSSA WILEN

Alyssa Wilen cooked for her entire life leading up to 2013, when she launched Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen with her husband Andrew. CAK has won multiple awards and recently moved into a custom-made, state-of-the-art kitchen in South End where they serve patrons and host classes. In 2020, Alyssa and her team pivoted with a home-delivery service, continuing to serve their loyal fanbase despite a pandemic.

Chef Alyssa’s pumpkin risotto with sage oil is a simple but classy dish that will impress whomever you serve.

Spread onto a lined sheet tray and roast

in the center of the oven for 10 to 15

minutes, until very tender.

What you need: 4. When ready, transfer half into a bowl • 1 pound pumpkin such as a butterkin or

and mash with a fork or pastry cutter sugar baby

and set aside.

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 5. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the stock/ • 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock (or

water so it is nearby and ready as you water)

need it.

• ½ yellow onion, finely diced 6. In a separate heavy, wide 4- to 6-quart • 1 ½ cups Anson Mills Vialone Nano Risotto pot, heat the remaining olive oil over PHOTO BY KRISTEN STEGALL CHEF JOYA WITH HER VEGAN PUMPKIN EMPANADAS. Rice (or Arborio)

medium heat. Add the onions and cook • 1 cup dry white wine Adjoa Courtney, known professionally as Chef Joya, rose to popularity with

them until translucent, stirring with a • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter her web series Cooking With Joya. The longtime vegan chef has since released four

wooden spoon for about 2 minutes.

• ½ cup (about 2 ounces) freshly grated cookbooks, including It’s Soul Mahmazing! Vol. 1 and From My Ancestor’s Table.

Season with salt.

• Parmesan cheese Her vegan pumpkin empanadas are a perfect snack for Halloween get-togethers.

7. Add the rice and cook, stirring • Salt and white pepper to taste

frequently, until the edges of the grains • Sage oil (recipe follows) Vegan Pumpkin Empanadas

are transparent, about 2 minutes.

Sage oil 8. Add the wine, stirring frequently, until • ½ cup fresh sage leaves What you need:

the wine is absorbed by the rice. Do not • ½ cup + 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil • 10 Empanada premade dough discs with What to do:

let the rice dry out; about 2 minutes.

1. Add grapeseed oil to a saucepan. Add • 1 tsp honey annatto (thawed) 9. Add about 2 cups of the warm broth, vegan ground meat, vegan Worcestershire • 1 lemon • 12 oz. of vegan ground meat

stirring throughout the time it cooks, and Red House seasoning.

Puree the sage, oil, lemon juice, honey and salt • 3 tablespoons of green sofrito (make your until most of the liquid is absorbed; 6 to 2. Cook for two minutes. Add sazon, sofrito together in a blender until smooth. own with recipe in From My Ancestors’

8 minutes. and pumpkin purée. Cook for two Line a mesh strainer basket with cheesecloth Table: African & Caribbean Vegan Food For 10. Continue to add more broth to cover the minutes. over a bowl. Pour the oil into the basket and leave in The Soul) rice as it gets absorbed, but before the 3. Heat oil to 350 degrees. the refrigerator to slowly drain.

• 1 tbsp. of grapeseed oil

rice gets too dry, until it is tender.

4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture

• 3 tbsps. of pumpkin purée 11. Your risotto is done when the grains are and 1 tablespoon of cheese to half of the What to do: • 1 packet of sazon

cooked through and “al dente.” dough disc. Wet the edges with water and 1. Set oven to 400 degrees.

• 1 tbsp. of Chef Joya’s Red House Seasoning 12. Stir in the mashed and diced roasted fold over. Seal with a fork. Add to oil and 2. Peel and dice the pumpkin to medium • 1 tbsp of vegan Worcestershire sauce pumpkin, butter, cheese and adjust fry for 1 min. (¼”) pieces. Place in a bowl and toss with • 4 oz. of vegan mozzarella seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Drain on a paper towel and enjoy. half the olive oil (2 tbsp.) and some salt.

• 2 cups of oil for frying 13. Serve with sage oil spooned over top.

Pg. 16 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

Pumpkin risotto with sage oil

3.

NODA COMPANY STORE October 12 NoDaDogDad You brought your smaller shaggy dog (shih tzu maybe) to say Hi to my bigger dog. My dog wasn’t behaving the best so I was little too flustered to properly engage in conversation.

RÍ RÁ IRISH PUB 1997 CreepedOut Tell us about what you missed: You have a handlebar mustache and you frequent the upstairs bar. I felt like you were looking right through me, but you’re quite transparent yourself, mister. I’ve heard stories of people seeing you there often, but I never seem to be there when you are. I’ve heard if I ask too many questions your apt to disappear, but I just have one. Can I see you again? We’d have a killer time.

QUIKTRIP AT GRAHAM AND DALTON 3:30 a.m., October 15 TallGuyInMask You were wearing grey sweatpants reaching for the chocolate milk. You took a lap around the store and got gas while looking for a phone charger. I was getting snacks and cigs at the register next to you. We locked eyes for a brief second as I was pulling through the parking lot. I’m glad you weren’t wearing a mask so I could see your face. You reminded me of home. I should have said hello.

DANIEL STOWE BOTANICAL GARDEN October 14 CemeteryTote You’re the dark-haired goth who works the front desk of the gardens. I’m the blue-haired goth with a cemetery tote bag.

We shared our love of Halloween before you pointed me toward the orchid conservatory. Since you were working I didn’t want to come on too strong or do the wrong thing. I’d love to walk the garden with you sometime.

CORNER OF 4TH AND MCDOWELL Sometime in September (maybe 16th?)

MostStephinitly You were crossing the street as I sat at the light in a gray Lexus. We made eye contact, both smiled big, and you blew me a kiss with both arms out, which I returned. You stopped when you got to the other side of the street and looked back at me before walking a little further and looking back again.

The light turned green.

Pg. 17 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

TROLLEY BARN October 9 CanadianTuxedoForever You were walking by in all denim and a cowboy hat. You were carrying two coolers and walking with a group of friends. I was upstairs on the balcony and couldn’t get to you to say hi. Based on your outfit, I think we are soul mates <3 HARRISBURG FOOD LION Mid-October TheresJustSomethingAboutMia (TJSAM) I never saw such beautiful lips and eyes ever! You’re tall ... maybe 6-foot-3 and slim with dark brown skin and braids ... if I can’t have you, can I clone you?

PLAZA MIDWOOD BAR BATHROOM October 12 Tommyboy1 To the girl sniffing a white powdery substance in the gender neutral bathroom. When I accidentally opened the door on you and you screamed “get the fuxk out of here weirdo” I think I feel in love. If you’d like to come watch Shrek with me please lmk!

BLUE FLOWERS Early October SexyWeedGuy420 You were looking at gummies, I was simply trying to muster the courage to say Hello! I’m usually there on the weekends … don’t mention your boyfriend next time. He never comes in with you so it’s clearly not serious SALTY PARROT BREWING September 7 Satoshi Nakamoto You were getting a beer and tried to pay with Bitcoin. You dropped your satoshis on the floor so I came by to help you pick them up. Our heads collided, we smiled at each other and not sure about you, but I was lost into the windows of your soul for a good hash. The energy between us felt like it could power the whole Bitcoin network forever. Let’s connect! I’m at Salty Parrot every 2nd and 4th Saturday MATTHEWS DOWNTOWN CHURCH PARKING LOT April 24 Latina In A GMC He was leaving the parking lot when I arrived, smiled at me and left. Two minutes later he was back and parked right next to me and started to talk to me. I pretended I didn’t speak English because I got nervous and where I come from that situation would be highly dangerous. He tried really hard to talk to me in Spanish and never got out of his car and I insisted I had to go home, he looked disappointed and I think he found out I was faking my poor English.

CIRCLE K ON 3RD STREET October 8 GirlAtCircleK I pulled up to the pump next to you and smiled because something about you just drew that out. I thought about saying something but didn’t. You stared for a half second and then despite the rain falling from the sky you took the time to wipe and wash your grey truck windows. Were you waiting for me to say something? I finished filling up my tank and we both got into our cars at the same time. I looked over and you looked at me and we both smiled. You pulled out of the parking lot, and I followed, but you went to lunch and I back to work. If you see this, next time, I’d like to chance to say something.

AMOS’ SOUTHEND Balcony Blondie At the Anthony Green show at Amos’, you are a 30 something dark-hair female with some tattoos. You were by yourself and I didn’t have the guts to say anything. I was on the balcony most of the night, but for the last few songs came down to the floor and was kind of in your vicinity. Wondering if you noticed me also?

PUBLIX IN SOUTH END OrganicStrawberryConvert I was looking at strawberries in Publix and you also backed into me. You then proceeded to tell me that organic strawberries are always the best. I pointed out that the regular ones were $2 cheaper. You said that organic would add an hour to my life, and wasn’t an hour of life worth $2? I said you converted me, and I bought the organic strawberries, but I forgot to ask if you were going to take me out with the extra hour of life you gave me.

Searching for your long lost cutie? Submit your missed connections or answer these at qcnerve.com/missedconnections-charlotte. Follow @missed_clt on social media.

Pg. 18 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

LIFESTYLE PUZZLES

LIFESTYLE PUZZLES SUDOKU

TRIVIA TEST

BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ

BY LINDA THISTLE

PLACE A NUMBER IN THE EMPTY BOXES IN SUCH A WAY THAT EACH ROW ACROSS, EACH COLUMN DOWN AND EACH SMALL 9-BOX SQUARE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NUMBERS ONE TO NINE. ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

1. GEOGRAPHY: What is the only country that ends with the letter Q? 2. LITERATURE: Which Truman Capote nonfiction book begins with the line, “The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call ‘out there’”?

3. MOVIES: What were the words on the hot-air balloon in which the wizard leaves Emerald City in “The Wizard of Oz”?

4. HISTORY: Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race?

5. MEDICAL: What condition is the result of a decrease in red blood cells?

6. MEASUREMENTS: How many tablespoons are in a 1/4 cup?

7. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What do deltiologists study and collect?

8. TELEVISION: What is Netflix’s highest rated original series in 2021?

9. SCIENCE: What is a person who specializes in plant studies called?

10. FOOD & DRINK: Is eggplant considered a fruit or a vegetable?

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Longtime movie theater chain 6 Sound signal booster, for short 12 Coiled like a corkscrew 20 As red as -21 Accounting book 22 Oahu city 23 Possessions of a fish?

25 Catches in a trap 26 “Sax by the Fire” musician John 27 Donald’s first ex 28 Flower girl, sometimes 30 Fender ding 31 Back street 33 Fish just beyond the visible light spectrum?

35 More flamboyant 38 Twisty turns 40 37-Down minus five 41 Puck-pushing fish?

43 With child 48 180 degrees from west, in Spanish 49 “Deathtrap” writer Levin 50 Made a dove’s sound 52 Python kin 53 Hold to one’s policy 57 Steak options 59 Bums around 61 No longer fashionable 62 Guy’s retro ‘do given by a fish?

64 Like a cook or a welder 68 Land amid water, in Italy 69 An inverse trig function 70 Fish going here and there?

72 Pasty luau food 73 Delivery path

74 Roaming sorts 75 Was a counselor to 80 Extra play periods, in brief 81 “Robin --” (old Irish ballad) 82 Simpson trial judge Lance 84 Ashy-faced 85 Hot Chinese cuisine 88 Swallow a fish quickly?

92 Tummy muscles 93 Yoga posture 95 Country singer Porter -96 Fish skilled at mimicking sounds?

101 String ties 102 Woeful cry 103 Steer-roping contest 104 Milton of TV 106 Jai -110 Reeling off 112 Fish alongside Harry Truman’s wife?

115 Detest 116 “Spectre” co-star Greg 117 Get hitched on the run 118 Became dim 119 Singer Vic 120 Detect DOWN 1 Terminal 2 Slender reed instrument 3 Slender swimmers 4 New Jersey locale where Hamilton and Burr dueled 5 Big inits. in fuel additives 6 Short-billed shorebirds 7 Recompense 8 Adam and Eve’s garden

9 Taj Mahal city 10 Convened 11 Hester in “The Scarlet Letter” 12 See-through 13 Northern Oklahoma’s -- City 14 Slid in 15 “Solo” director Howard 16 Abu’s master 17 Lorelei, e.g.

18 Kagan of the bench 19 Like used chalkboard erasers 24 Former Heat coach Pat 29 Possibilities 32 Repose 33 British verb ending 34 Work unit 35 Tom Jones’“-- a Lady” 36 Quizmaster, e.g.

37 Prefix meaning “eight” 38 Corn unit 39 Info provider at the bottom of a PC window 42 Tool set, e.g.

43 Keats, e.g.

44 Form again 45 Simple calculators 46 Like wet blankets 47 Take a small bite of 50 Secret cooperation 51 -- a time 54 “Death Be Not Proud” penner 55 Entreated 56 Extras after the main text 58 It flows through arteries 59 Permissible 60 Surg. centers 62 Heat’s city

GET BACK TO DOING WHAT YOU LOVE.

Pg. 19 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

# YO U I M P R OV E D # YO U I M P R OV E D

YOUR CARE. YOUR WAY. | ORTHOCAROLINA.COM GONE FISHING ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

63 Middle name of Elvis 64 Frizzy dos 65 Collapse in frustration, in slang 66 Awaken 67 See 94-Down 71 Equine color 75 Sun. follower 76 Like human thumbs 77 Parade ruiner 78 Sommer of “Zeppelin” 79 Hart or hind 81 From Graz or Linz 83 Onetime JFK carrier 86 Queasy from riding, in a way 87 “Euphoria” airer 88 “Lah-di- --!”

89 Like many highways 90 Rock’s Van -91 Vanity 93 Live 94 With 67-Down, eyed to evaluate 96 Peeled 97 Amazon Echo’s personal assistant 98 Relay athlete 99 Italian bridge 100 Sidled 101 “Heaven” singer Adams 104 Fill-up point 105 Waffle brand 107 Writer Uris 108 Vipers 109 “Understood” 111 Luigi’s three 113 Eggs, to Livy 114 -- Plaines

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

AERIN IT OUT MORE THAN A NOVELTY

Novelty House lives up to the long wait

Pg. 20 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

BY AERIN SPRUILL

On May 14, 2018, the last night that Connolly’s patio would be open, I snapped a photo of my boyfriend and a friend, the last men standing in protest and mourning.

When we left, I remember disappointedly reflecting on the many memories I’d made with my boyfriend on the patio of “that Irish bar Uptown,” the one I never even liked until I met him. Little did I know, it wasn’t goodbye, it was only “See you later.”

A little over three years passed and we met again.

Though Connolly’s on 5th is still right there where it’s always been (on 5th), where the upstairs patio once stood is now home to the five-floor Binaco Tower, topped by Novelty House, a rooftop cocktail bar, with the exclusive Havana Smoke and Reserve lounge on the floor below. That’s what we call leveling up!

Months before opening, I listened as friends poured their hearts and energy into Novelty House, all the while navigating the ups and downs of construction, permits and a pandemic — which, of course, is a wild understatement as you can imagine — not knowing when the doors would finally open on the new patio.

That’s why I made it my priority to be one of the first people in line to show my support for all of the hard work that went into it and my love for the humans behind the project on the first official opening day: Aug. 26.

If I’m being honest, sweats and T-shirts have become my most familiar bedfellows, especially during the more stringent quarantine era. So I’ll be the first to say that, while I’ve got mad love for the peeps who work there, I had no intention of being a frequent patron.

After all, y’all know by now, convincing me to leave what I call my “living room,” aka the patio of my favorite watering hole, is rarely done without dragging me kicking and screaming.

But after a single night of getting gussied up with the girls, Novelty House had me at hello.

Sure, you may see pics of the floral decor, the neon “WISH YOU WERE HERE” sign, and the built-in mirror ring light in the bathroom and think “chintzy” or “so what?”

But the truth is, the pioneers behind these two new nightlife destinations left no stones unturned when it came to cultivating an experience down to the most minute details. As a result, they’ve created a “novel” 5th Street destination that offers an elevated atmosphere unlike any other on the block.

On the fourth floor, you’ll find Havana, a sexy cigar lounge where you can purchase cigars and, for those with the distinguished affinity for a fairly regular social club vibe, private lockers and membership packages.

I’ve never been a fan of cigars myself, but on a cool night, I can certainly see myself on my Jessica Rabbit, whistling a different tune. Plus, it’s so well-ventilated that even if you’re not partaking in a puff, you can still enjoy the space without feeling stifled by clouds of smoke.

On the fifth floor is the picturesque Novelty House rooftop patio. If you’re queasy over heights like me, I’d suggest grabbing a seat at the bar and getting cozy with a bartender before it gets slammed.

Once that fall breeze starts to slap, it’ll be difficult to convince yourself you don’t need another $15 cocktail, so prepare your coins.

But that’s just the point. This space was designed with the hope that patrons wouldn’t want to or need to leave. And once the restaurant opens downstairs, finding a reason to go elsewhere will prove quite challenging.

But in the meantime, you can tickle your tastebuds with free brunch on Saturdays. If it’s free … it’s for me.

The icing on the cake for this Black gal in Charlotte?

The spot is run by Black and brown folks!

As a nightlife stalker in the Queen City since 2012, there’s something incredibly gratifying about supporting a successful business when the faces behind it look like my own.

It feels like something all of “us” should be proud of, as if “we” had anything at all to do with it other than showing up for a seat at the table!

It’s true, though, and that alone conjures a grin that makes both of my cheeks hurt. Just picture a loud, proud mama, arm fat jiggling, belly bouncing, running and screaming, “That’s my baby!” in the stands of a middle school basketball game. That’s me fangirling.

And yes, honey, they’ve already made a splash in the news of epic proportions thanks to some dress code requirements that some folks aren’t feeling. While the tea is hot, I urge you to sip it for yourself and see how it tastes. But don’t end up in the “society papers,” dress to impress.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

HOROSCOPE

OCT 20 - OCT 26

OCT 27 - NOV 2

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You’re moving from a relatively stable situation to one that appears to be laced with perplexity. Be patient. You’ll eventually get answers to help clear up the confusion around you.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A vexing situation tempts you to rush to set it all straight. But it’s best to let things sort themselves out so that you can get a better picture of the challenge you’re facing.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Financial matters could create some confusion, especially with a torrent of advice pouring in from several sources. Resist acting on emotion and wait for the facts to emerge.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) That goal you’ve set is still in sight and is still in reach. Stay with the course that you’re on. Making too many shifts in direction now could create another set of problems.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) It might be time to confront a trouble-making associate and demand some answers. But be prepared for some surprises that could lead you to make a change in some longstanding plans.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Congratulations.

You’re making great progress in sorting out all that confusion that kept you from making those important decisions. You’re on your way now.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A difficult experience begins to ease. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is a possible complication that could prolong the problem awhile longer.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your selfconfidence gets a much-needed big boost as you start to unsnarl that knotty financial problem. Expect some help from a surprising source.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Congratulations. Any lingering negative aftereffects from that not-so-pleasant workplace situation are all but gone. It’s time now to focus on the positive.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your self-confidence grows stronger as you continue to take more control of your life. Arrange for some wellearned fun and relaxation with someone special.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) As usual, you’ve been concerned more about the needs of others than your own. You need to take time for yourself so that you can replenish all that spent energy.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Stronger planetary influences indicate a growing presence of people eager to help you navigate through the rough seas that might mark your career course.

BORN THIS WEEK: You can balance emotion and logic, which gives you the ability to make choices that are more likely than not to prove successful.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Mars, your ruling planet, begins a journey that will open up a growing number of possibilities. Put that surging Arian energy to good use and explore it to your heart’s content.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) This is the time to prepare for a career move coming up next month.

Update your resume. Get those proposals in shape.

And don’t forget to buff up that Bovine selfconfidence.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your Gemini instincts will guide you to the right people who might be able to help you get over that career impasse that has been holding you back. Expect to make changes.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) You’re getting closer, but you still have a ways to go before reaching your goals. Continue to stay focused, no matter how difficult it can be for the easily distracted Moon Child.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Your Leonine pride might be keeping you from getting to the source of a disturbing situation. Don’t be shy about asking questions. Remember: Information is power.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) It’s a good time to shake up your tidy little world by doing something spontaneous, like taking an unplanned trip or going on a mad shopping spree.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) This is a good week to get advice on your plans. But don’t act on them until you feel sure that you’ve been told everything you need to know to support your move.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Be careful.

You might be probing just a little too deeply into a situation that you find singularly suspicious. The facts you seek will begin to emerge at a later time.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) This is a good week to make new friends and to look for new career challenges. But first, get all those unfinished tasks wrapped up and out of the way.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Relationships need a fresh infusion of tender, loving care. Avoid potential problems down the line. Stay close to loved ones as the month draws to a close.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Aspects favor relationships, whether platonic, professional or personal. On another note: Be a mite more thrifty. You might need some extra money very soon.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) This is the absolute right time to let those often-hidden talents shine their brightest. You’ll impress some very important people with what you can do.

BORN THIS WEEK: You are impelled by a need to find truth, no matter how elusive. You would make a wonderful research scientist or an intrepid detective.

2021 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

PG.18 PUZZLE ANSWERS

Don’t JUST Recycle,

Recycle

right!

ONLY RECYCLE THESE SIX ITEMS

Pg. 21 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

FINAL VOTING IS LIVE NOW! VOTE TODAY FOR THE BEST OF EVERYTHING IN CHARLOTTE

SCAN TO VOTE

No Plastic Bags

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

PG.19 PUZZLE ANSWERS

SAVAGE LOVE THE GOODIES Full disclosure

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m a woman in her forties in a relationship with a man and I have my first STI with symptoms.

Genital warts — yay! I noticed them about two months ago (near my b-hole) and went to the gyno today and had them treated. My question is, do I need to tell my boyfriend? We’ve been dating for about five months, and we don’t use protection because I have an IUD. More background info: My BF hasn’t gone down on me. He wants to, but I’m very subby and it’s hard for me to get off that way, so I’ve been putting him off. And now that I want him to try, I have warts. I don’t know if he’s seen them. Maybe? We haven’t had sex from behind in months and I think that may be why. Maybe he saw them before I did and stopped wanting to have sex in that position? He did want to fuck me from behind a couple of days ago, but I said no because I was embarrassed. Do I need to tell him I have HPV/ genital warts? We’ve been having unprotected sex about five times a week for the last five months.

Pg. 22 OCT 20 - NOV 2, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM

WORRYING ABOUT REALLY TERRIBLY SITUATION

“Yes, WARTS should disclose this to her partner,” said Dr. Ina Park, a professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.

“Hopefully he will be calm and supportive about it, and it won’t be a big deal for the two of them.”

What you’re facing, WARTS, is what I’ve long described as a “one thing/everything” disclosure scenario. Meaning, you’ll be telling your boyfriend one thing he needs to know about you when you make this disclosure — that you have a very common and easily transmissible STI — but his reaction will tell everything you need to know about him.

If he isn’t calm and supportive out of the gate, WARTS, or can’t pivot to calm and supportive quickly, you’ll know he’s not anyone you want in your bed or up your butt.

“And while I usually don’t try to pinpoint where HPV comes from in terms of ‘blaming’ a specific partner,” said Dr. Park, “if the boyfriend does freak out, I would make this next point: Given that the warts showed up for the first time so soon after starting this new relationship, it’s likely that WARTS’ current partner gave her the HPV that’s causing these warts.”

Dr. Park, who is also an STI prevention consultant to the Centers for Disease Control (and so knows what the fuck she’s talking about), points out that the strains of

HPV most likely to cause genital warts — types 6 and 11, for those keeping score — will typically start showing symptoms a few months after someone starts sleeping with a new partner who has undisclosed or undiagnosed HPV. “In some cases, it can be longer, and some folks won’t manifest warts for two years after exposure,” added Dr. Park. “But there have been several studies in US women showing the average time to development of warts after HPV exposure is 3-6 months. So, while we can’t prove which of WARTS’ partners gave her HPV, she is in the perfect window time-wise with the current relationship.”

Which is not to suggest your boyfriend knew he had HPV and didn’t disclose or take proactive steps to protect you, WARTS, like wearing a condom, which would’ve provided you with a significant degree of protection.

Like most people with HPV — assuming he has HPV your boyfriend most likely wasn’t aware he had it. (And he may not have it, but he probably does; most sexually active adults do.)

Now there’s a safe and effective HPV vaccine — a vaccine that protects people against HPV-related cervical cancers, penile cancers, rectal cancers, and throat cancers — and ideally people should get their children vaccinated against HPV before they’re sexually active. But even sexually active adults up to age 45, including adults who’ve already had HPV, can benefit from the getting the HPV vaccine.

“Since we know that WARTS’ immune system didn’t clear HPV very easily — because she had warts — it’s a great idea for her to get the HPV vaccine,” said Dr. Park.

“It will protect her from the strains of HPV that she hasn’t already been exposed to, including other strains that cause warts and cancer. And WARTS should bear in mind that it often takes multiple treatments to get rid of warts.

So, if they don’t go away immediately or appear to go away and come back, she needs to know that can be a normal part of the process.”

Dr. Ina Park is the author of the wildly entertaining memoir Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @InaParkMD.

TRIVIA ANSWERS: 1. Iraq 2. “In Cold Blood” 3. State Fair Omaha

4. Fifteenth 5. Anemia 6. Four 7. Postcards

$500 into a retirement savings account. So, my brother went from having zero savings to having nearly $120,000 in a retirement account. (This has been going on for a while.) I wanted to send this woman a thank-you note (I have her email, thanks to mom), but I thought that would be intrusive, so I’m writing to you instead in the hope that she reads you: Thank you for being an ethical person and getting my brother to do what I never could — save for his future — and I’m sorry about that crazed email from our mom.

INTRUSION REVEALS A SINCERELY ETHICAL PERSON

I’m glad your brother found a goodie when he went looking for a FinDom, IRASEP. That said, I’m sure there are unscrupulous FinDoms out there — just like there are unscrupulous financial advisors and real estate developers and megachurch pastors. But while some FinDoms presumably take more than their subs/clients can afford to give, I think abusive FinDoms are rare. You don’t have to take my word for that; a lot of FinDoms share their receipts on Twitter, and it’s rare to see one accepting more than a $100 from a client/sub during a single “draining” session.

P.S. Seeing as the good FinDom your brother serves has already received an unhinged email from one member of your family — that “crazed” and most likely abusive and shaming email from your mother — you My brother has been submitting to a “FinDom,” should go ahead and email her your thanks directly something I didn’t need to know and only found instead of hoping she sees your note in my column. out after our mother “accidentally” read his emails during a visit. (No accident. Our mother snoops.)

I’ll keep the background brief: I’m a woman I spoke to him about it because I was worried my in a nearly 20-year-long monogamous marriage. brother — who has a well-paying job but has never Before we were married, my husband was involved been good with money — was being exploited. with a particular woman. She left him, but they Well, as it turns out, this woman put my brother stayed friends. Early on, I was jealous and more on a budget. She accepts his $200 “tributes” on than a little insecure. He ultimately married me, the condition that he sends proof of having put but she never got married. Since then, he and I

8. “Bridgerton” 9. A botanist 10. Fruit have gone through the ups and downs of raising two kids together, but we’re in a really solid place, and this woman and I became friends long ago.

She was recently diagnosed with an aggressive, early-onset breast cancer. It had already spread before she found the lump. They’ve given her a year. My husband went with her to her first chemo treatment. That night, he told me she was nervous and he wanted to make her feel better, so he kissed her “to distract her.” I asked if he also slept with her “to distract her.” He said of course not and apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again. I’ve had a couple of weeks to think it over and now I’m thinking I should give him my blessing to sleep with his ex. My 20-year-old self would be horrified, but honestly, Dan, if I had only one good year left, I would want some hot sex with someone who cared about me before I went. If he can give her some pleasure in what little time she has left, I wouldn’t hold that against him. Bad idea? Crazy idea?

SHARING IS CARING, KAPICHE?

It’s not a crazy idea, SICK. It’s a beautiful, complicated, generous, fraught, and compassionate idea. You want this woman, this rival who became your friend, to feel loved and to feel physical pleasure at this terrifying and heartbreaking time. We should all be so lucky to have rivals in our lives like you, SICK. Talk with your husband about it. It may not be something he wants, and it may not be something his ex wants or needs right now. But if they both want it, and sex would come as a comfort to the rival who became your friend, giving them the gift of your blessing would be a mitzvah to top all mitzvahs.

Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage; questions@ savagelove.net; www.savage.love

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