YES! Weekly - October 13, 2021

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The WEATHERSPOON ART MUSEUM at UNC Greensboro is excited to announce an exhibition of new works by artist Angela Fraleigh, a new installation inspired by the museum’s history and collections. Splinters of a Secret Sky will be on view October 9 through December 11, 2021.

5 A Silver Anniversary deserves celebration, and that’s what FaithAction International House will do to mark its 25 YEARS OF ASSISTING newly-arrived immigrants with settling into Greensboro. Paciencia y Fe: 25 Years Strong! is this year’s theme for their annual fundraiser held at LeBauer Park on Saturday...

6 The RiverRun International Film Festival and Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In have once again joined forces — this time with festival sponsor Salem Smiles Orthodontics — to present a FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING...

8 Just as Frances Haugen called on Congress to REFORM Facebook, so too must we demand that Tik Tok and all other such platforms be regulated.

9 Originally titled Den blomstertid nu kommer, THE UNTHINKABLE was completed in

2018. That it took three years to reach these shores in no way reflects the film’s quality — or lack thereof.

14 “What mad thing are you doing?”

When texting writer JEN FAWKES to set up an interview, I accidentally sent her that question. I was using dictation and, as the 1933 horror film The Vampire Bat was on TCM, the software picked up that line of dialogue. She and I quickly agreed that I should ask that of everybody I interview.

15 At the Sept. 9 meeting of the City of Greensboro’s Minimum Housing Standards Commission, commissioners stated they knew nothing of the city’s controversial SETTLEMENT with the Agapion family until YES! Weekly broke the story.

18 ANTHONY HARRISON’S Garage Country comes to light in his debut album covering two decades of performing and songwriting across the Old North State.

Born and raised in Greensboro, “I’ve never lived anywhere but North Carolina, whether that be by choice or chance,” said Harrison (a Durhamite these days) recalling his performative start...

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Weatherspoon Art Museum highlights fall artwork for the public

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Naima Said

Contributor

he Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC Greensboro is excited to announce an exhibition of new works by artist Angela Fraleigh, a new installation inspired by the museum’s history and collections. Splinters of a Secret Sky will be on view October 9 through December

11, 2021.

In Fraleigh’s dynamic, large-scale paintings, female subjects culled from art historical images take on new lives in dreamlike scenes. Throughout art history, women have often been painted as objects for the male gaze. In Fraleigh’s work, however, they converse, engage, and share, existing for themselves and each other rather than a viewer. Fraleigh explains, “Nothing has meaning independent of what we give it. In my work, I’m repeatedly asking: Can we reframe the images of the past to change how we see ourselves in the present and create a new future?”

While mining art history broadly, Fraleigh also digs deep into particular stories, often drawing inspiration from specific museum collections. For her Weatherspoon exhibition, she turns to the legacy of Claribel and Etta Cone, the formidable sisters whose transformative gift of artworks helped establish the museum’s collection.

“At the turn of the 20th century, the Cone sisters were faithful to tradition in so many ways, yet also defied expectations. Financially independent thanks to their family’s successful textile business, they traveled in style to Europe where they spent time in artists’ studios, befriending and supporting two emerging artists of the avant-garde: Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. From them and others, the Cones amassed a collection of vibrant, daring artworks,” stated in their press release. “Fraleigh’s new trio of paintings takes visual cues from their stunning YES! WEEKLY

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collection, including works the sisters gifted to the Weatherspoon and others that they left to the Baltimore Museum of Art. Layering these modernist references with older art historical imagery, Fraleigh conjures a dense tableau blending realism and abstraction, one that celebrates the sisters’ brilliant artistic eyes and patronage while also embracing the depth and complexity of their lives as a marker of the richness of women’s stories throughout history.”

Fraleigh elaborates further about the

breadth of research that goes into all of her paintings, as well as her specific study of the Weatherspoon’s Cone Collection for her newest monumental project with a virtual event on October 21st between 7-8 p.m.

Within the past few months and months to come, The Weatherspoon Art Museum has also introduced two art pieces for display, Art on Paper and Seven Masters. This year marks the 46th presentation of Art on Paper, “A time-honored museum tradition, the exhibition features the work of artists who demonstrate the breadth of ways in which one can deploy

the humble medium of paper to extraordinary ends,” Dr. Emily Stamey, Curator of Exhibitions, said. The exhibit will be running until November 27.

New to Weatherspoon is the Seven Masters: 20th-Century Japanese Woodblock Prints, which was organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art and is being toured by International Arts and Artists, Washington, D.C. It touches on Japan’s rapid Westernization and industrialization in the early twentieth century, a desire to revive the great Japanese tradition of woodblock prints in the context of Japan’s dynamic, modern life gave rise to an art movement known as Shin Hanga, or the “new print.” The exhibit will be running until December 4.

Continuing the conversation, Nozomi Naoi, Assistant Professor of Art History, Yale-NUS, will host a virtual event on November 16 at 8 p.m. called, The Women of Shin Hanga, to further address Japan’s experienced radical social and political change resulting from modernization, urbanization, and Westernization in the early 20th century. Also, the Shin Hanga movement response to the cultural climate by embracing both modernity and traditional Japanese aesthetics.

Beauty prints were especially important in highlighting elements of nostalgia and modernity. Naoi examines these beauties in the context of the era and how they connect to visual media in Japan today.

“This exciting new work offers up opportunities to honor and critically explore the lives of these incredible patrons, while also launching out from their legacy to consider a breadth of compelling questions related to the complicated ways in which history is recorded, relayed, and reimagined,” Stamey shared.

The Weatherspoon Art Museum prides itself on its push to enrich the lives of diverse individuals and connect multiple communities, both on and off-campus, by presenting, interpreting, and collecting modern and contemporary art. In recognizing its paramount role of public service, the Weatherspoon fosters an appreciation of the ability of art to positively impact lives.

For more information, check out their social media platforms: WAM Facebook, WAM Twitter, WAM Instagram. !

NAIMA SAID is a 22 year old UNCG theatre graduate and host of Heeere’sNeeNee Horror Movie Podcast.

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FaithAction Gala invites community to celebrate 25 years of supporting immigrant neighbors A Silver Anniversary deserves celebration, and that’s what FaithAction International House will do to mark its 25 years of assisting newly-arrived immigrants with settling into Greensboro.

Naima Said Paciencia y Fe: 25 Years Strong! is this year’s theme Contributor for their annual fundraiser held at LeBauer Park on Saturday, October 16 from 6 to 9 p.m.

“Paciencia y Fe are the Spanish words for patience and faith,” Eniris RiddickDelgado explained, interim executive director of FaithAction. “We have used both to serve our community’s newest neighbors for over two decades. Our celebration will not only mark that achievement but bring our supporters and friends together to help reach our goal of raising $75,000 to carry on our mission of turning strangers into neighbors.”

In addition, if the goal of $75,000 is met, FaithAction will donate $25,000 to its partner agency Church World Services to aid in the resettlement of Afghan refugees. “FaithAction has a passion for collaboration, and we are pleased to be able to set up a fundraiser to give back to others who are new to our community and deserve a community of their own with open arms,” said Delgato.

FaithAction prides itself on inclusivity and diversity among its members and crew. After 25 years of serving, this year’s Paciencia y Fe: 25 Years Strong! holds sentiment as they celebrate the event with a variety of cultural musical entertainment, food trucks, and dancing. Dance performances include Dulce Melodrama, an alternative Latin band; Baile Folklorico, a Mexican folk dance group; and Casino dancing which originates in Cuba and will be presented

by Messina Dance Company.

“Although in previous years our event has been held indoors, due to Covid, we are holding our event outdoors for the safety of our guests,” Delgato explained.

The tickets are $25 and include dessert and a drink. There will also be opportunities to bid on baskets filled with gifts and purchase raffle tickets. “We invite all of our neighbors to come out and WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

commemorate with us while interacting with others from all walks of life,” shared Delgato.

In 2020, FaithAction provided lifechanging services to over 2,000 immigrants and refugee families from over 60 diverse nations, including direct help with food, housing, healthcare, ID cards, and over $100,000 in emergency Covid relief.

The nationally acclaimed nonprofit provided virtual training to over 35 city departments, health and social service agencies, and schools across North Carolina. They received prestigious awards to expand the Stranger to Neighbor Congregations and FaithAction ID Programs across the nation. “Our goal is not only learning and teaching cultural competency, and how to build greater understanding, trust, and cooperation with our newest neighbors, but creating and sharing stories of personal and organizational/community transformation,” said Delgato.

“The more we know one another, the more likely we are to care about one another. The more we care about one another, the more likely we are to serve, love, and protect each other.”

FaithAction holds strong to their goaloriented values and continuous future efforts. Adriana Adams, a board member, expresses her gratitude towards the work of their organization.

“I am proud of FaithAction’s history and the legacy it has of serving our com-

munity’s neighbors. However, I am even more proud of the new legacy the agency is attempting to carve into the very bedrock of our city, that this work is not just good work done by good people, but essential work that should be centered on and driven by the needs of the people we are here to serve—even when that is hard,” Adams said. “The next 25 years is about the immigrant and the refugee

leading this work and the community supporting that in any way it can.”

To purchase tickets, make a donation and learn more about the FaithAction gala, follow this link: bit.ly/faih25 or check out their website: https://faithaction.org/. !

NAIMA SAID is a 22 year old UNCG theatre graduate and host of Heeere’sNeeNee Horror Movie Podcast.

Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown OCTOBER 28, 2021 Steven Tanger Center

For tickets: greensborosymphony.org or ticketmaster.com OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

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Bear apparent: RiverRun reteams with Marketplace Cinemas for free family screening The RiverRun International Film Festival and Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In have once again joined forces — this time with festival sponsor Salem Smiles Orthodontics — to present a free Mark Burger outdoor screening of the award-winning family feature PadContributor dington 2.

The screening will take place Saturday, Oct. 23rd at Marketplace Cinemas, 2095 Peters Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem.

Gates will open at 6:30 p.m., and parking will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The screening will begin at 7 p.m., and concessions are available for purchase at the theater … and those are the “bear” essentials.

“We are happy to team with Marketplace Drive-In and Salem Smiles Ortho-

dontics to present a free family screening for the fall season,” said Rob Davis, RiverRun executive director. “Both are valued partners of RiverRun, and it’s our pleasure to offer a free screening in the safe environment of the popular drive-in format. Our film, Paddington 2, is one that can be enjoyed by fans of all ages.”

Based on the phenomenally popular series of children’s books by Michael Bond depicting the misadventures of a lovable and friendly little bear, the first Paddington book was published in 1958. More than 20 subsequent books were published, and the international popularity of the character resulted in the award-winning 2014 feature film Paddington.

The sequel, released in 2017, proved even more popular with audiences and critics than the first film. Ben Whishaw provided the voice for Paddington in both films, with star-studded “human” support from Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Joanna Lumley, Eileen Atkins, Noah

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Taylor, and Tom Conti, with Jim Broadbent and Imelda Staunton respectively reprising their voice-over roles as Uncle Pastuzo and Aunt Lucy.

Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “Paddington 2 won’t save the world, sadly, but its existence makes everything just that tiny bit better and more, well, bearable.”

Both films were scripted and directed

by Paul King, and a third installment is currently in development, so this screening is an ideal primer to prepare for Paddington 3.

Paddington 2 picks up immediately where the first film ended, with Paddington Bear comfortably ensconced in the Brown family household in Windsor Gardens. In an effort to purchase a popup book from a local antique shop as a gift for Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, Paddington tackles an assortment of odd jobs to pay for it. But when the book is stolen, Paddington turns amateur sleuth — with expectedly uproarious results — to retrieve it and bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.

“The RiverRun team is thrilled to offer this free community event that the whole family is sure to enjoy,” Davis said.

“We are, as always, thankful to Salem Smiles for all of the support that they have provided to RiverRun over the years and so appreciate them sponsoring this screening. We hope to see lots of folks on October 23 — what’s not to love about Paddington?”

The 24th annual RiverRun International Film Festival is scheduled to take place April 21-30, 2022. For more information about the free screening and other RiverRun events, visit https://riverrunfilm.com.

Marketplace Cinemas has another fun-filled event in store for area audiences. Following the successful N.C. Comedy Festival show at the cinema last month, the theater is teaming up with Jennie Stencel and the Greensboro Idiot Box Comedy Club to inaugurate a monthly live stand-up comedy show at the cinema.

The first show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6th. One of the indoor cinemas will be converted into a “bar cinema” for the event, with popcorn, beer, and wine available for purchase.

Tickets are $6 each, and this event is recommended for audiences aged 18 and older. For more information, visit https:// www.idiotboxers.com.

To contact Marketplace Cinemas, call (336) 725-4646 or visit the official website: https://www.mpcws.com. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

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arlier this month former Facebook employee employee Frances Haugen told Congress that Facebook has a negative impact on teenagers, creates divisiveness, Jim Longworth and consistently chooses profit over safety. During her Longworth testimony up on at Large Capitol Hill, Haugen produced thousands of internal documents containing some rather alarming data. For example, 13.5% of teenage girls said Instagram worsens suicidal thoughts, and 17% said Instagram contributes to their eating disorders. Ms. Haugen also likened the addictive nature of Facebook and Instagram to that of cigarettes. Not surprisingly she called on Congress to reign in, regulate, and reform the social media giant. But as harmful as Facebook can be to kids, there is another platform that may be worse. It’s called Tik Tok. Tik Tok is a social networking service that encourages young people across the globe to produce and post all sorts of narcissistic videos. Granted, most of the videos are merely obnoxious, but others are obscene, cruel, and encourage violent behavior. The latest Tik Tok craze is a series of challenges whereby students are encouraged to vandalize school property and worse. One such challenge tells students to have a bowel movement, then smear their feces on school walls. A Triad area parent recently told me about a student in her son’s school who took the challenge, and engaged in fecal smearing, then got caught when someone posted the dirty deed on video. Ironically, the mother of the vandal wasn’t upset about the fecal incident, rather she was angry that once the video went viral, her son had to endure cyberbullying from students who disapproved of the boy’s stunt.

And then there’s the “Devious Licks Challenge” and “Slap a Teacher Challenge” which have educators across the country concerned for their safety, and rightly so. Already a school teacher in South Carolina has been victimized by the challenge when a student slapped her in the back of the head. Then last week, a 64-year-old, wheelchair-bound teacher was attacked by a Louisiana high school student. Meanwhile, incidents of vandalism continue, with over a half dozen States reporting damage to and theft

of school property. In Connecticut, these challenges have caused so much concern that Attorney General William Tong has asked Tik Tok executives to meet with parents and educators to work together to prevent any further incidents.

Such cooperation is certainly welcome, but I’m not so sure it will net any substantive results. For example, one school district in Oklahoma sent the following message to parents: If your child uses social media, please talk to him/her about being socially responsible and kind.” It’s a nice thought, but a bit naïve, and probably too little too late. That’s because, as MyParentingJournal.com points out, “Parents must teach these things to their children at an early age.” Granted I grew up in the 1950s, but my parents drilled common sense into my head before I ever started school. I knew from age 5 not to cross the street unless I looked both ways first.

I was taught not to get into a car with a stranger. And, I was taught to respect my elders, which included not slapping them in the back of the head. And please don’t tell me that I’m too old to understand “influencers” just because social media didn’t exist 68 years ago. Kids have always been susceptible to influence of one kind or another, and from all sorts of people, old and young alike. However, if they learn common sense and common courtesy early on, then they are less likely to blindly follow anyone or anything that doesn’t pass the smell test (fecal smearing notwithstanding). The problem is that not even teaching a child right from wrong guarantees that those lessons will stick. According to AConsciousRethink.com, “Some people are better at judging cause and effect than others, or understanding the consequences of their actions.” Of course, that’s true, which is all the more reason to believe that emails to parents won’t solve this problem.

Just as Frances Haugen called on Congress to reform Facebook, so too must we demand that Tik Tok and all other such platforms be regulated. Fortunately, our elected officials are finally becoming woke to the dangers of social media, and hopefully, their new found awareness will lead to a swift crack-down on anyone who presents or facilitates the dissemination of harmful material. So, beware Tik Tok, your day of reckoning may be coming soon. The handwriting is on your fecally smeared wall. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15).

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flicks

The Unthinkable: Sweden under siege in apocalyptic thriller

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riginally titled Den blomstertid nu kommer, The Unthinkable was completed in 2018. That it took three years to reach Mark Burger these shores in no way reflects the Contributor film’s quality — or lack thereof. But global circumstances brought an unexpected, even remarkable timeliness to the story, and it’s no surprise that an American distributor (in this case, Magnolia Pictures) would acquire it for U.S. distribution.

The award-winning film marks an auspicious feature debut for its director, Victor Danell, and his filmmaking collective, the aptly named Crazy Pictures. It has a scope and a sweep that overrides its tendency toward overlength and an occasionally heavyhanded tone.

The film opens in 2005, with Christoffer Nordenrot (making his feature debut as a screenwriter) playing Alex, a disillusioned teenager contending with contentious parents and a desperate love for his neighbor, Anna (Lisa Henni).

Following an argument with his father Bjorn (the terrific Jesper Barkselius), a conspiracy theorist whose rantings constantly grate on him, Alex storms out of the house — ostensibly for good.

The film then jumps ahead several years, with Alex having found success as a musician, yet he’s unfulfilled, still clinging to the memories of Anna and his tattered past.

It’s around this time that a series of unexplained, violent explosions rock Sweden.

Terrorism is suspected, but by whom? The Swedish Parliament convenes to debate the issue, which becomes a (very) moot point when the Parliament building is utterly destroyed. Martial law is declared, and the population — still not entirely sure what’s going on — is thrown into mass panic.

What’s more, the enemy forces — and it’s never made clear of their origins — begin implementing what might be described as a “scorched-humanity” policy, spreading an WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

airborne virus that causes its victims to suffer symptoms akin to amnesia or dementia.

It is here that director Danell truly comes into his own, displaying an undeniable flair for action and spectacle. The CGI special effects are vividly realized (even if the seams occasionally show), but Danell never loses sight of the humanity at the core of The Unthinkable. That the enemy is never identified is almost incidental.

This becomes a study in human courage and resilience, conveyed in mostly credible terms. That some of the onscreen events mirror actual historical ones is fascinating in retrospect. It’s almost as if Danell predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and the political tumult that resulted.

As the social structure of Sweden collapses, Alex manages to return home and reunite with Anna, but it’s a foregone conclusion that their relationship can’t continue, for reasons beyond the destruction raging around them. She has moved on with her life.

She couldn’t wait for him any longer. She still cares for him, but it’s too little too late.

Alex is also able to reunite with Bjorn, whose paranoid conspiracy theories he’s been spouting for years no longer seem, well, unthinkable. Bjorn may not have been a great father, but his preparations for the end of the world prove a wise move — and may be enough to save those few people, including Alex and Anna, who have managed to reach his hi-tech, booby-trapped bunker amidst the chaos and devastation.

In addition to its impressive action sequences and its relevant storyline, The Unthinkable is thought-provoking fare.

Unlike Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (2011), to which it bears some thematic similarities, The Unthinkable eschews pretentious observations about the human condition.

It’s a thriller, and an effective one, capturing and conveying a mood that rings true during these troubled times. (In Swedish with English subtitles)

- The Unthinkable is available on Demand and streaming on Apple TV, DirecTV, Google Play, Prime Video, FandangoNow, and more. It is also available on DVD ($26.98 retail), replete with bonus features, from Magnet Label/Magnolia Home Entertainment. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

UPCOMING THEATER AND MUSIC PERFORMANCES Open to the public and free to attend

Something Wicked This Way Comes Oct. 21-23 & 25-27 at 7:30pm Oct. 24 at 2:00pm TICKETS REQUIRED www.highpoint.edu/theater/tickets

Ghosts, witches, and the truly bizarre come to life with scenes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Hamlet, and Titus Andronicus. Let the Spooky Season begin.

Hallowinds!

October 29 7:30pm

NO TICKETS REQUIRED

This fun concert will include music from Johan De Meij’s “The Lord of the Rings,” selections from “Harry Potter” films, music from the movie “The Nightmare before Christmas,” and other items in the spirit of Halloween.

Wear your favorite costume and join in the fun! www.highpoint.edu/arts-design/eventcalendar OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

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Doctors at Klaipeda University Hospital in Lithuania were shocked to discover the source of a man’s abdominal pain through an X-ray, The Guardian reported on Oct. 1. Apparently as a response to giving

up alcohol about a month ago, the man had swallowed more than a kilogram of metal objects: nuts, nails, bolts, screws and knives. It took surgeons three hours to remove the pieces and repair the inner walls of the stomach. The unnamed man is being kept under observation and has been offered psychological assistance.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Animal control officers were called to a home in San Mateo, California, on Oct.

3 to rescue a stranded tarantula on the roof, United Press International reported.

But according to the Peninsula Humane Society, when the officer climbed up to capture it, she instead found an old Halloween decoration. “It looked like it had been up there for a while,” said Buffy Tarbox, communications manager for the Humane Society. “Everyone thought it was real.” The fake spider turned up for a few days on various desks at the Humane Society offices, then hit the circular file.

IT’S A MYSTERY

— WRAL-TV reported on Oct. 4 that several drivers along Highway 147 in Durham, North Carolina, had experienced a shower of brown, greasy, bad-smelling liquid hitting their vehicles and subsequently damaging the paint. “It had sort of a bleach smell,” said Heather Toler. “It was raining down on top of the cars. It seems to be acidic based on how it’s eating away the paint on the car.” The mystery was solved two days later, when representatives of the chemical wholesale company Brenntag informed WRAL-TV that several of its employees had been depressurizing and disconnecting an empty sulfuric acid railcar at the company’s facility next to the highway, causing acid vapor to be released into the air.

— This mystery is also solved: Police in Japan have been working for months to figure out why a light pole in Suzuka suddenly snapped at its base on Feb. 18. Most light poles in the country last for 50 years or more, but this one was only 23 years old. NBC New York reported on Oct. 1 that forensic scientists found 40 times more urea at the pole’s base than was found on nearby poles. Yep, dog pee killed the light pole: Urea and sodium in dog urine caused the pole to erode. The new pole is up, but dogs are already marking it with their caustic streams.

PRECIOUS

Fargo, North Dakota, insurance agent Bill Fischer has a perennial battle with a certain red squirrel, Fox23-TV reported.

Every fall, the animal squirrels away walnuts for the coming winter inside Fischer’s pickup truck, then Fischer has to remove them so he can drive the truck. This year, Fischer has collected almost 350 pounds of walnuts from around the engine, the wheel wells, the front bumper and parts of the doors. Fischer said he tried spraying the truck with a mixture of Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper, but now he thinks the squirrel is attracted to the scent. “I have to have a sense of humor about this after so many years,” he said.

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UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

Perry County (Arkansas) assistant jail administrator Abby Strange has lost her job and is facing felony criminal charges after she allowed inmate Sandra Rappold to leave her cell and go outside to vape marijuana on Sept. 24, Fox16-TV reported.

Investigators said Strange disabled the cell door alarm and gave the keys to Rappold.

A warning system alerted deputies that a door was ajar, and they quickly found both women. Strange also allegedly supplied the vape to Rappold.

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

Mauro Restrepo was hoping that Palos Verdes Estates, California, psychic Sophia Adams could help him remove a curse that was put on him by his ex-girlfriend, NBC Los Angeles reported. When he arrived at her business for his first session, Adams read his tarot cards and said he had “mala suerte,” or bad luck. She told Restrepo that the curse could ruin him, his children and his marriage unless he paid her $5,100 to remove it. Restrepo paid her $1,000 as a down payment, but shockingly, she “did not in any way help (Restrepo’s) marriage,” alleged a lawsuit filed by Restrepo on Oct. 1 in Torrance Superior Court. He claims he has suffered sleepless nights, anxiety and anguish, and he’s seeking at least $25,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.

BRIGHT IDEA

Jeanine Bishop, 67, of Sebastian, Florida, was discovered dead in the bed of a pickup truck in a Walmart parking lot on Oct. 5.

ClickOrlando.com reported that detectives later interviewed her fiance, Michael Despres, 56, who first made “cryptic” comments about her whereabouts. But finally he admitted that he killed her at their home and later took her body to the parking lot, where he “staged” her in the truck.

Despres was charged with premeditated first-degree murder.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

Derbyshire (England) police were hunting down a 36-year-old suspect in a string of thefts on Oct. 4 when they came across him trying unsuccessfully to hide — in a closet, under a blanket ... with his feet sticking out the bottom, the Mirror reported. The police department posted photos of the incident on Facebook, where Sgt. Tarj Nizzer quipped: “If you run from ... police, you will only go to jail tired. In this case he had his blanket ready for his sleep in the cell.” !

© 2021 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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[KING Crossword]

[weeKly sudoKu]

PITIFUL PANTRY PROBLEM

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With 46-Across, brand of frozen fries Is in first place “— be shy” Bona — (real) Lena of “Havana” Grand — (auto race) Drive out Whine like a baby Yodeling comeback Banned orchard spray Currency of Laos Dined at someone else’s place Embellished Haughty sort Band’s lineup of gig songs Fills up “Gas Food Lodging” director Allison Tennis player Shriver Appear Lasso Colorful ring of anatomy Writer Sheldon Lies against Port of Norway Turn to liquid Trumpet, e.g.

Forearm part Radar image Color tone Scanned market ID Deg. for many an exec

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Chasing success: Local college student chases his passion for storms

F

iveyear-old Thomas Knepshield’s eyes were glued to the screen in 2005 as he watched Hurricane Katrina ravage Louisiana.

You can say his Naima Said obsession with all things storm-related Contributor started then.

“Although I was hundreds of miles away, my eyes were glued to the Weather Channel. Fascinated, I started to pay more attention to the weather. Ever since then, at age five, I have loved the weather and severe storms. I would stay up late, following and analyzing storms on the radar with my father,” said Thomas Knepshield.

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An avid storm chaser, Knepshield said that his dream job has been to work as a Storm Prediction Center Forecaster.

“My studies and passions have been geared towards this goal for over a decade. Reed Timmer’s “Storm Chasers” brought me further into the world of severe weather and introduced me to the world of storm chasing. My passion continues today, and I am in year two of storm chasing.”

Currently a Computer Science student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he plans to pursue his dreams of being a meteorologist once upon graduating in 2022. When not chasing storms or studying, Knepshield is a longdistance runner and coffee enthusiast.

This summer, however, he dedicated his time to what he loves most — chasing the storm.

“This summer I decided to spend my whole summer on the road. I wanted to

live a dream five years in the making. I decided against getting an actual paying summer job to chase storms, visit national parks and explore the country from the east coast all the way to the west coast,” Knepshield said. “I withdrew my life savings and started off on May 16, 2021, and made it back to my apartment in Greensboro on August 6, 2021. No amount of money in the world would make me happier than this trip did. I met a ton of amazing people along the way, some of whom I still talk to and will talk to in the future.”

As Knepshield embarked on his new journey, it came as no surprise to those around him.

“In 2008, Storm Chasers on the Discovery channel came on, and the people in the show were going out to Tornado Alley.

At the age of eight I was fascinated by what they did and told myself I’d do it too when I was able,” Knepshield said. “Noth-

ing was going to stop me but myself, and with all the knowledge I developed since then, I knew I was ready.”

Knepshield had originally planned his first storm chase in 2020 but COVID forced him to postpone those plans until this year.

“Nothing always goes as planned, but I packed a bag and spent the first two weeks in Texas to chase in the plains of Tornado Valley,” Knepshield shared. “My first-day chasing was a moderate risk day, and I was able to watch this little cloud turn into a giant beautiful bell-shaped supercell. One hell of a first chase.”

Dedicated to chasing storms all around the country, Knepshield found himself driving for 14 days straight while staying in his car and waking up at 6 a.m. every morning to begin his chase. “I was thankful enough to have caught five tornadoes, lots of structure, and a ton of hail. Since the plains are flat, it is less dangerous to

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chase out there. This was my first year chasing on the plains, and it was something I dreamed about since I was in grade school. Finally, I felt like I was ready to tackle the challenge, and sure enough, I was ready. One of the best two weeks in my life.”

Knepshield went on a road trip the following month and spent most of his time in Arizona for the Monsoon season. “For most of my trip, I traveled solo, but was lucky enough to meet other chasers along the way and formed those connections as I continued forward. At one point, my dad joined me on his first chase and we ended up in Navajo Point. We went out there to catch some lighting and came back with a haboob overtaking the Grand Canyon. It is so rare and one of the most remarkable experiences,” Knepshield shared. “Once I chased a whole day in Buckeye, Arizona with my favorite photographer Mike Olbinski and caught a gnarly downburst chain. It just kept forming and dumping a

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ton of rain in this area. Gave me more appreciation for rain chasing with him.”

Heading back home after about two and a half months on the road, Knepshield shared some of his local experiences of storm chasing. “North Carolina is a tough place to chase storms, but I have had some success from the Greensboro area. I caught a hailstorm in Randleman and almost got struck by lightning a few times,” Knepshield said. “There was a mo-

ment during my trip where I had a similar encounter and heard a child call out to his mother whose hair began to rise from the static. I was scared at that moment because I knew we were a little bit too close.”

While the storm-chasing season has come to an end, Knepshield knows it is only the beginning for him. “For as long as I live, I will continue storm chasing, so I decided to document my time and

make it public for the world. I built my own brand and website where I shared my portfolios, my biography, and a blog that I just started up,” Knepshield said. “I hope my brand is a haven for me to share everything I love and to connect with others who share the same passion as me.

In that sense, you begin to form a team when chasing season is underway.”

Passion is the main drive for most people in pursuing their dreams. For Knepshield, storm chasing is a fun yet dangerous passion that he’ll chase for years to come.

“I know the risk in what I do, so I continue educating myself, and learning what risks are worth it,” he said.

For more information, check out his website: https://www.tkchasing.com/bio, and social media platforms: https://linktr. ee/tknep3. !

NAIMA SAID is a 22 year old UNCG theatre graduate and host of Heeere’sNeeNee Horror Movie Podcast.

OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

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The villainous (and fabulous) fiction of Jen Fawkes “What mad thing are you doing?”

When texting writer Jen Fawkes to set up an interview, I accidentally sent her that question. I was using dictation and, as the 1933 horror film The Vampire Ian McDowell Bat was on TCM, the software picked up Contributor that line of dialogue.

She and I quickly agreed that I should ask that of everybody I interview. Because her answer involves her upcoming novels and as she’s appearing at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro on Oct. 15 to promote her award-winning story collection Tales the Devil Told Me, I’ll save her answer for the end of this article.

But it’s appropriate that the line is spoken by that movie’s heroine to its mad scientist villain, because Fawkes loves literary characters who are traditionally seen as evil. Every story in Tales the Devil Told Me is about one.

“I was fourteen when Mom married Captain Hook,” begins one. “My dad had vanished six years earlier, and I knew my mom was lonely, but I didn’t think that gave her the right to wed the first onehanded swashbuckler who came down the pike. She’d started dating again when I was twelve, working her way through a commodities broker, a puppeteer, and an elementary school principal.

Until the day she came home from work raving about the man she’d met while power-walking at the docks on her lunch hour, however, I didn’t really think I had anything to worry about.”

As the story’s title “Never, Never,” indicates, “Captain Hook” isn’t a nickname, but the pirate whose hand was cut off and tossed to a crocodile by Peter Pan. The narrator of “Dynamics” is a young Victorian woman who, due to her brilliance in mathematics, is allowed to enroll at Durham (the English university, not the town in NC), where she becomes obsessed with and stalks her professor, James Moriarty, the future arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes.

In “Demerol, Demerol, Benzedrine, Schnaps,” Rumpelstiltskin meets a woman in a bar and teaches her to spin straw into gold in return for her future baby. He does this because he wants a human child to raise and love, as the young of his species don’t like being YES! WEEKLY

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Jen Fawkes showered with affection. “Once expelled from the womb, his kind are capable of locomotion and independent thought, and when the rumpelstilt [the word for his variety of fairy] attempted to cuddle his children, they begged him to stop suffocating them and let them get on with their lives. More than one bit him.”

Fawkes was raised by a single mother who read voraciously and passed on whatever she was reading to her daughter, which is how Fawkes read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Chronicles of a Death Foretold, and A Spy in the House of Love before she was ten. But while her mother loved literature and very much wanted to be a writer, Fawkes didn’t start writing fiction until she was in her thirties.

“My mom was brilliant and hilarious, but she wasn’t the most stable person.

She raised my sister and me singlehandedly, and she was always searching — for meaning, validation, love, peace. My eighteen-year-old sister died suddenly when I was sixteen, and that loss stole a part of my mom, a part that never really returned. Many (most?) mother-child relationships are by nature thorny, and tough to summarize. When I was a kid, my mom was the center of my world. She taught me how to be a human being. She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known, and one of the most difficult. I love my mom more than anything, but at times, I also hate her.”

Many graduates of MFA Writing Programs, such as myself, were veterans of

the writing workshop world by their midtwenties. Not Fawkes, who took her first creative writing class at UNC-Asheville when she was 32. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University in 2010, which is when and where Tales the Devil Told Me was written.

“It was my thesis project, and has remained largely unchanged since I wrote it twelve years ago, at the end of my first year.”

Jen’s first book, Mannequin and Wife, was published last year by Louisiana State University Press. It was nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award for a single-author story collection and won two 2020 INDIE awards from Foreword Reviews: Gold in Short Stories and Honorable Mention in literary fiction. It was also named one of Largehearted Boy’s Favorite Story Collections of 2020, and a Best Book of 2020 by The Brooklyn Rail.

“Most of Mannequin and Wife was written after I wrote the stories in Tales the Devil Told Me, which were all written during the summer before and during the last year of my MFA. The stories in Mannequin and Wife were written over the eleven years that have passed since.”

In 2019, she began submitting both her story collections to contests that included book publication as part of the first prize. Both books have been finalists for several collection contests, and Tales the Devil Told Me won the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction, although, due to Covid, publication was delayed until Oct. 5, 2021.

And to answer this article’s opening question, Fawkes said that one “mad thing” she’s done recently is throw herself into writing her second and third novels shortly after finishing her first one.

The finished book, A Young Lady’s Guide to World Domination, is set in Nashville in 1863 and tells the story of Sylvie Swift, a young woman who discovers that she is predestined to play a vital role in a fantastic, ancient, ongoing battle of the sexes. Sylvie lives in a brothel staffed by literal Sirens and works on an English translation of a “lost” comedy

by Aristophanes — Apocrypha, or A Young Lady’s Guide to World Domination.

Interwoven with the story are excerpts from a biography of Gaia Valentino, the 16th century Venetian Courtesan who originally translated the fictional play, and the text of “Aristophanes’” comedy itself.

“I’m also working on two new novels, one of which is set in a haunted State Hospital for Nervous Disorders that’s been converted into luxury condominiums and deals with historical notions of female ‘madness.’ Its current title is The Donjon. Even if the books I’m working on now are never read by anyone but me, it’s imperative that I write them. Such is the blessing and curse of being an artist.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

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Greensboro Minimum Housing Standards Commission not informed of Arco settlement At the Sept. 9 meeting of the City of Greensboro’s Minimum Housing Standards Commission, commissioners stated they knew nothing of the city’s controversial settlement with the AgapIan McDowell ion family until YES! Weekly broke the story.

Contributor Two hours and 15 minutes into the meeting, departing commissioner Andrew J. Young, whose term ended that week, asked Chair Peter Isakoff and Vice-Chair Quentin Brown about YES! Weekly’s article. As reported, the city announced in 2019 that it was suing the Agapion family for $682,000 in unpaid fines. But on March 4 of this year, the city quietly accepted $200,000, or 29 percent of the amount it originally sought to recoup, with no announcement that the case had been settled.

“I read that the city settled for 200,000 bucks because of misplaced evidence,” said Young. “Why wasn’t the public informed of the settlement way back in March. Specific to the Commission, we play a pretty important part in ensuring safe housing for all Greensboro residents. So, why weren’t we informed?”

“I’ll tell you, Mr. Young,” replied Isakoff, “I found out the same way you did, through the News & Record.”

Isakoff ’s attribution was in error. The News and Record covered the 2019 announcement of the lawsuit but has not reported on the settlement.

“I’m not aware the commission was contacted in any way about that settlement,” continued Isakoff. “My only contact with the Agapion family and their businesses has been through hearings, where we’ve had them before us. I think what you’re getting at is some sort of suggestion or request to city council.”

Young replied that he was concerned about how the case impacted the ability of the Minimum Housing Standards Commission to do its appointed duty.

“We’re in a process where we vote to uphold or not uphold inspector’s reports, and we’ve all been told more than once how critical that is. It’s a critical part of ensuring the safety of residents. And WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

The Agapion Family we hear cases like the Agapions, in a quasi-judicial setting. So that is a really high standard, as we’ve all been told.

We even swear an oath upon accepting appointment from City Council to uphold the laws and faithfully carry out our duties and so on and so on. So, that’s a pretty high standard. But should we be assured that this process works if the city is basically going to go ahead and take that information — the stuff that inspectors have put together, the reports that we’ve upheld, that neighborhood development has done, and they basically, for reasons that are not really super clear, but $680,000 in fines ends up being 200,000 bucks. I think our commission needs to know if the process works, if this is a good process, if this is how we are going to ensure people are more safe.”

Isakoff replied that he had not received any communication from the Greensboro City Council about the case. “I’ve just been reading the news like you have.”

Young asked whether the $200,000 was paid to the General Fund or Neighborhood Development.

Isakoff replied that it was his understanding that all civil penalties go to the General Fund.

“I’m not going to speak to the legal case. That is the city attorney’s place, to talk about any settlement,” said Troy Powell, manager of the Community Improvement Division of Neighborhood Development.

“However,” continued Powell, “when civil penalties are collected, collections will process them against any reduction.

So, in your Agapion case, they [the Agapions] are eligible for deductions. Each of those apartments [repairs] were allowed to be deducted, all the way down to $500, for proof with receipt of work done to correct violations in the dwelling. So, a reduction decision letter was made in the case. So, whenever a settlement occurs, the collections division advise they applied the settlement towards each of the bills in that way. I assure you, it did not come back to my budget.”

Young said that he appreciated Powell’s answer, and asked if “we’re going to see the Agapions coming before us and asking for everything to be reduced down to $500?”

Powell said that, no, the Agapions could not appeal to reduce the settlement. He then asked for comment from legal counsel Tony Baker.

“There were some credits for repairs that had been done by the Agapions,” said Baker. “It was evidence that was considered part of the lawsuit. City Council considered a number of factors and decided to settle.”

Young asked if there were any procedural problems that might have resulted either in the low settlement or the lack of any announcement.

“Not that involved the [Minimum Housing Standards] Commission,” said Baker. “I can’t go into details of what

was discussed [by City Council] in closed session.”

Young expressed anger that the commission had not been informed of this development in March.

“Where the heck is the accountability?

It’s only in September that we’re finding out through the news media. We know who pays, that’s the thing that really concerns me. When struggling homeowners come before us, many of them Black and people of color, they want to see a fair process. [Now] we hear about the arrival of Afghan refugees. I welcome the refugees, [but] I sure as hell hope they don’t get put in places like Summit Cone. It was an honor to be on this commission, but if I was reappointed, I really don’t know if I would accept.”

Young is not the only person to be told that the City of Greensboro cannot disclose anything about City Council deliberations that led to the decision to settle the case for slightly more than one-fourth of what the City filed suit to recover.

On Aug. 31st, I filed PIRT #16548, requesting minutes and other documents of City Council deliberations in which Council agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Arco Realty and the Agapion family. On Sep. 15, the request was marked CLOSED WHILE IN PROGRESS by the city’s Legislative Department.

On Sept. 27, the city replied with the following statement from the Legislative Department: “We are denying access to the closed session minutes pursuant to NCGS 143318.10(e), which says, ‘When a public body meets in closed session, it shall keep a general account of the closed session so that a person not in attendance would have a reasonable understanding of what transpired. Such accounts may be a written narrative, or video or audio recordings. Such minutes and accounts shall be public records within the meaning of the Public Records Law, G.S. 132-1 et seq.; provided, however, that minutes or an account of a closed session conducted in compliance with G.S. 143-318.11 may be withheld from public inspection so long as public inspection would frustrate the purpose of a closed session.’” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

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[FACES & PLACES]

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AROUND THE TRIAD YES! Weekly’s Photographer

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Charlie’s Angels Annual Rett Syndrome Charity Event @ Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast 10.10.21 | Greensboro

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SCRAPfest @ LeBauer Park 10.9.21 | Greensboro

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A toast to transformGSO and Elm & Bain 10.6.21 | Greensboro

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HEAR IT!

A

Garage Country comes to light

nthony Harrison’s Garage Country comes to light in his debut album covering two decades of performing and songwriting across the Old North Katei Cranford State.

Born and raised in Greensboro, “I’ve Contributor never lived anywhere but North Carolina, whether that be by choice or chance,” said Harrison (a Durhamite these days) recalling his performative start as a Livestock playing theatre kid, and member of the Grimsley Madrigals choir. “Talk about an elevated, theatrical influence,” he noted.

“Singing hella old, esoteric music—at the ren faire in period costume and all,” he said.

First learning the bass (a la a Pixies cover) Harrison joined jazz band senior year and dampened his rock ‘n’ roll feet in the garage-four piece, Starlyn Garvy. An “abortive stint in studying music at Appalachian State,” followed—along with the 15 years of songwriting foundations heard on his debut.

“I hit my early 30s and realized I had a backlog of songs that I still hadn’t gotten down,” Harrison explained of taking his time. “Eventually, my anxiety kind of worked in reverse and got me to finally fuckin’ do the damn thing—as a survey of a decade and a half of songcraft, it is all killer, no filler. I do not truck in bullshit.”

Harrison prefers delving into more “regular shit” on Garage Country. “You know,” he said, “mental illness, history, art, literature—memories of youthful hedonism and debauchery.” Tails of resilience for the rejected, depressed, anxious, and obsessed. “I call myself a realistic optimist,” he noted. “Things are really bad right now — that’s reality. Realism can breed cynicism, and I wouldn’t consider myself an exception to that. But I hope against hope that things can and will get better.”

In that, Harrison levies personal notes across topical lenses—despite attempts to shy from “protest songs.”

“There are other artists out there who can write political music much better than I could hope to,” he said, pointing to the Muslims—the Greensboro-tied punk trio out of Durham with a new album “Fuck These Fuckin Fascists” out on Epitaph Records.

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“But I keep my music open to point out that this country is fundamentally unjust,” he said. “Capitalism is the cancer of the modern world, and oppression by minority rule was baked into our founding documents by those who held people as property and thrived off their stolen labor.”

Harrison hits his political zenith on the preceding track, “Land of Gold.” Written during a depressive episode, the song stems from “thoughts about how we’ve gone through another god awful year of further isolation and atomization, all turbocharged by this continually bungled pandemic,” he explained. “We gotta keep things open so business keeps booming and conservative babies can have their Applebee’s or whatever.”

The song itself offers a plea “to map out a world that isn’t impossible,” Harrison explained, harkening a love for the Clash; and reflecting on being raised by a distinguished NC defense attorney—the revered Fourth Amendment specialist, affectionately known as “Cocaine Wayne” Harrison.

“While a flawed man, my father definitely instilled in me a sense of justice,” Harrison said. “Both of my parents truly raised my sister and I to be critical, empathetic, open-minded thinkers.” An exchange between his mom and sister inspired “(Now I Know) You Know She Knows,” further hinting at his familial foundations.

Following Harlan Howard’s path of

“three chords and the truth,” Harrison turns remarkably bookish on musical offerings. “Gospel, parlor music, early jazz, blues, country — all that led to rock, a music based around that notion of simple progressions and simple lyrics,” he explained. “Either despite or thanks to that simplicity, popular music has always communicated profoundly relatable feelings and energy. But the idea of what’s simple and relatable has changed quite a bit over the breadth of 170-plus years.”

Similarly, so has the South. “The South, for example, has changed quite radically since Stephen Foster’s days,” Harrison explained, name-dropping the famed 19th-century composer. “And Southern rock deserves to be more complex than

simply reflecting a conservative, white, male experience.” Eschewing nostalgia, Harrison looks to reflect living in a Southern city in the 21st century. “I sing with a Southern accent about doing data entry for an immoral startup because that’s my truth,” he said. “And it’s true for a lot of people down here.”

But it’s also more complicated. “Should I own Southern rock, or is that too wrought and problematic?” Harrison wonders as he strives to explore sounds without labels. “But it’s a funny line I’m treading,” he continued. “Am I country? I don’t feel I have the bona fides.”

“I’m very much into history, and am an amateur musicologist,” he added. “Sometimes, I wonder if this isn’t all just some grand musicological theory I’m testing out: What happens if a guy who likes Stereolab as much as he likes Willie Nelson tries to make alt-country music?”

In that, Harrison holds an affinity for Tom Petty in “crafting a sound both Southern and cosmopolitan,” he said referring to the Heartbreaker as a role model in the sonic amalgam Harrison considers his “piedmont sound.”

“The Piedmont is a jumble, isn’t it?” he added, geographically speaking. “There’s these respectable-sized cities on the up-and-up, but drive 10 minutes outside any; and you’re smack-dab in insular, rural America, for better or worse.” Garage Country is an effort juxtaposing the two.

For recording, Harrison utilized an actual garage—enlisting help from Denk Studios in Durham. “I valued something fast and loose and fun over something perfect,” he said, praising the work of engineer (and album-drummer) Jam Phelps.

“It’s absolutely wild to think that my lyrics range from a solipsistic squawk to an altruistic plea,” Harrison noted of the album’s tracks—pitting “Harm,” (a song “only a young dipshit could write”) against the hopefully somber “Land of Gold.” “I’ve grown up a lot,” he reckoned.

“I went from being an aimless, depressed kid to a focused (but still depressed!) adult.”

“But I do enjoy that 15 years later, JK Rowling has proven to be such an asshole that ‘picked up another fucking Harry Potter novel’ holds just as much spite now as it did then,” he said, with a shift toward the future—and material for a sophomore album.

“Garage Country” is out now. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

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From all the staff at Smokey Shay’s, Family, Friends, and Customers that knew our employee

Christopher Nichols We honor him.

We lost a great human being way to soon.

Your funny personality brought joy to those around you, especially in the workplace!

Your rise in the ranks within the organization should be a forever example to current and future employees.An example of what hard work, team work, and good communication can achieve. The bar that you set is very www.yesweekly.com

high and we thank you for your dedication, loyalty, and contributions.

It was good to see you keep your promise to Cameron Francis and move to Colorado like you guys dreamed of.That says a lot about your character, the character we all came to know and love.

We will remember your second to none intelligence.Your love and passion for the industry that

we are in drove you to gain insight from peers on how to excel and make more of yourself at a young age. It was truly impressive to see you flourish quickly.

You will never be forgotten Chris Nichols.You will forever live in our hearts and minds through all that you taught us.We thank you and we honor you.

We love and miss you.

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Submissions should be sent to artdirector@yesweekly.com by Friday at 5 p.m., prior to the week’s publication.

Visit yesweekly.com and click on calendar to list your event online.

HOME GROWN MUSIC SCENE | Compiled by Austin Kindley

FOUR SAINTS BREWING

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com Thursdays: Taproom Trivia Fridays: Music Bingo Oct 16: Casey Noel Oct 17: Eastern Standard Time Jazz Jam w/ Mark Dillon and Friends Oct 23: 80’s Unplugged Oct 30: Cory Leutjen

CHARLOTTE

BOJANGLES COLISEUM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com Oct 15: Playboi Carti Oct 16: Little Big Town - Nightfall Oct 22: Steely Dan Oct 24: Los Tigers del Norte Oct 29: Myke Towers Oct 30: NEWSBOYS Nov 4: Frankie Valli

CMCU AMPHITHEATRE former Uptown Amphitheatre 820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555 www.livenation.com Oct 14: NEEDTOBREATHE Oct 19: Lake Street Dive Oct 23: LANY Oct 27: Machine Gun Kelly

THE FILLMORE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.livenation.com Oct 13: Don Toliver: Life of a Don Tour Oct 13: Dayglow: The Harmony House Tour Oct 14: Rival Sons with Dorothy Oct 15: The Infamous Stringdusters Oct 16: Mon Laferte Oct 17: All Time Low Oct 17: Willow Smith Oct 18: Wavves Oct 19: $not Oct 23: All Them Witches Oct 25: Beach Fossils & Wild Nothing Oct 26: Bad Religion & Alkaline Trio Oct 26: Quicksand Oct 27: The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour presents City Morgue Oct 28: August Burns Red presents Leveler 10 Year Anniversary Tour Oct 28-29: Chase Atlantic Beauty In Death Tour Oct 29: Indigo Girls Oct 30: Surfaces: Good 2 Be Back Tour Oct 30: Madison Beer - Life Support Tour Oct 31: The Record Company: Play Loud Tour w/ JJ Wilde

JAMMIN

At tHE

AMP

Oc

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Lauren Light Smitty and the JumpStarters rivermist Jim Quick & Coastline Chairmen of the Board OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292 www.livenation.com Oct 16: Zac Brown Band Oct 17: Knotfest Roadshow: Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Fever333 & Code Orange

SPECTRUM CENTER

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000 www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com Oct 14: MercyMe Oct 17: The Millennium Tour 2021: Omarion, Bow Wow, Ashanti, Ying Yang Twins, Lloyd, Sammie, Pretty Ricky, Soulja Boy Oct 24: Michael Buble

ELKIN

REEVES THEATER

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240 www.reevestheater.com Fourth Thursdays: Old-Time Jam Aug 19-Oct 21: The Martha Bassett Show Oct 16: Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive Oct 29: Chance McCoy

GREENSBORO

CLEMMONS

ARIZONA PETE’S

VILLAGE SQUARE TAP HOUSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330 www.vstaphouse.com | www.facebook. com/vstaphouse Oct 16: Jill Goodson Band Oct 28: James Vincent Carroll

DURHAM

CAROLINA THEATRE

DPAC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com Oct 15-16: RAIN: A Tribute To The Beatles Oct 17: America Oct 19-24: Tootsie Oct 29: Sal Vulcano & Chris Distefano Nov 3: Caamp Nov 4: Gabriel Iglesias

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org Oct 14: The Marshall Tucker Band Oct 15: Nikki Glaser Oct 21: The Mavericks

2900 Patterson St #A | 336.632.9889 www.arizonapetes.com Oct 30: Dying Fetus w/ Terror, Brand of Sacrifice, Vitriol

BARN DINNER THEATRE 120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211 www.barndinner.com Oct 2-Nov 6: Love Machine The Musical

BAXTER’S TAVERN

536 Farragut St | 336.808.5837 www.baxterstavern.com Fridays: Karaoke Oct 17: The Embers Oct 23: Southern Sounds Band

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east third Avenue ∙ Lexington, nC 12-8pm ∙ Gates Open @ 11:30 $10 in Advance / $15 @ Gate rain or Shine event

YES! WEEKLY

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Breeden AmphitheAter

feAturinG:

Oct 31: Isaiah Rashad: Lil’ Sunny’s Awesome Vacation Nov 3: Tee Grizzley Nov 5: Caamp Nov 5: Larry June: Orange Print Pollstar Tour

PNC MUSIC PAVILION

tickets Available at eventbrite www.amp_jam.eventbrite.com powered By: eGGer ∙ Lexington tourism Authority Lexington utilities ∙ truist ∙ r.h. Barringer

ASHEBORO

WE’RE NOT CHEAP, WE’RE FREE !

LOCAL & FREE SINCE 2005

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

THE BLIND TIGER

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.272.9888 www.theblindtiger.com Oct 14: The Lonely Ones Oct 15: Vampires Everywhere Oct 16: Ill.Gates Oct 17: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad Oct 19: Dropout Kings - Glitch in the System Tour w/ Saving Vice, Oh The Horror, Chucky Chuck Oct 20: Bodysnatcher Oct 21: Neal Francis Oct 22: An Evening With Bring Out Yer Dead - A Grateful Dead Tribute Oct 23: Unfiltered Tour Oct 27: Chris Webby w/ Dizzy Write, Ekoh, PMO & Squires Oct 28: Randall King Oct 29: Eric Gales Oct 30: Dying Fetus w/ Terror, Brand Of Sacrifice, Vitriol

GARAGE TAVERN

Oct 31: Aggie Homecoming Gospel Concert Nov 5: Los Angeles Azules Nov 6: 85 South Comedy Show Live Nov 12: Lil Baby and Friends Nov 13: Lynyrd Skynyrd

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020 www.garagetaverngso.com Oct 14: Robert Smith of Brothers Pearl

GREENSBORO COLISEUM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Oct 15: Millennium Tour 2021: Ying Yang Twins, Lloyd, Sammie, Pretty Ricky, Soulja Boy Oct 27: Aggie Homecoming Concert Oct 28: For King & Country

LITTLE BROTHER BREWING

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678 www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew Oct 15: Colin Cutler Oct 16: Paleface

PIEDMONT HALL

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Nov 17: In This Moment, Black Veil Brides

RODY’S TAVERN

117B W, Lewis St. | 336.285.6406 www.rodystavern.com Oct 13: Tony & Katy Oct 16: Jaxon Jill Oct 20: James Vincent Carrol Oct 22: Brothers Pearl Oct 27: Megan Doss/Matt Crowder

MUSIC • CONCESSIONS • VENDORS

CAROLINA THEATRE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com Oct 16: FADS - The Night of a Thousand Stars Oct 17: The Drifters, The Platters & Cornell Gunter’s Coasters Oct 23: Discordia Dames Oct 29: Back Outside Homecoming Comedy Show Nov 5: Laura Jane Vincent In The Crown Nov 12: Dr. Bacon In The Crown Nov 13: Emily Scott Robinson Nov 26: Seth Walker Nov 27: A Motown Christmas - BPE Productions

COMEDY ZONE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 www.thecomedyzone.com Oct 13: Positive K’s Comedy Experience Oct 15-17: Don “D.C.” Curry Oct 20: Ben Brainard Oct 21: Marvin Hunter Oct 22-23: Kerwin Claiborne Oct 29-30: Social Misfits Homecoming Comedy Show Nov 5-7: Shuler King

CONE DENIM

117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646 www.cdecgreensboro.com Oct 25: Toosii

FLAT IRON

221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967 www.flatirongso.com Oct 14: Maia Kamil & Friends Oct 15: Wil Blades w/ Charlie Hunter & George Sluppick Oct 22: Sam Fribush Organ Trio Nov 20: Amelia’s Mechanics WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

FEATURING THE MIGHTY FAIRLANES THE COLLEGIATES • BLUE RIDGE JAMES 28 OCTOBER 2021 | 6 PM-10PM TRUIST POINT STADIUM DOWNTOWN HIGH POINT lloween Best Ha e Costum 0!

Wins $10

Use QR Code or register at opendoorministrieshp.org/general-8 (Children 12 & under free)

Funds raised from this event will go towards supporting Open Door Ministries

OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

YES! WEEKLY

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South End BrEwing Co. 5105 Michaux Road | 336.282.0950 www.southendbrewing.com tuesdays: trivia night wednesdays: Music Bingo oct 14: Buddy ro oct 15: idle hands oct 16: wristBand oct 17: Jeff dalby oct 25: Boos & Booze nov 5: decades

thE idiot Box CoMEdY CluB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699 www.idiotboxers.com oct 15: damon Sumner oct 23: Everlasting improv-ers &

trouble with Shapes oct 27: Sean Patton oct 30: Caitlin Peluffo & Steve rogers

high point

AftEr hourS tAvErn

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113 www.facebook.com/AfterHoursTavernHighPoint oct 23: Chaos fM

hAM’S PAllAdiuM

5840 Samet Dr | 336.887.2434 www.hamsrestaurants.com oct 15: huckleberry Shyne oct 16: ultimate rock Machine oct 22: After Party

high Point thEAtrE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401 www.highpointtheatre.com oct 23: Best of the Eagles tribute oct 24: Ernie haase & Signature Sound

jamestown

thE dECk

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999 www.thedeckatrivertwist.com oct 14: kelsey hurley oct 15: Jaxon Jill oct 16: radio revolver oct 21: Coia oct 22: next-o-kin

kernersville

BrEAthE CoCktAil loungE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822 www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge oct 28: Brothers Pearl

lewisville

old niCk’S PuB

191 Lowes Foods Dr | 336.747.3059 www.OldNicksPubNC.com fridays: karaoke oct 16: Exit 180 Band oct 30: halloween Party w/ 60 watt Combo

liberty

thE liBErtY ShowCASE thEAtEr 101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844 www.TheLibertyShowcase.com oct 23: doug Stone

raleigh

CCu MuSiC PArk At wAlnut CrEEk

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111 www.livenation.com oct 13: the Jonas Brothers oct 15: Zac Brown Band oct 22: knotfest roadshow: Slipknot, killswitch Engage, fever333 & Code orange

linColn thEAtrE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400 www.lincolntheatre.com oct 14: Smoky hollow outdoor Concert feat. Yarn w/ the nasty habits oct 15: Perpetual groove oct 16: giant Panda guerilla dub Squad w/ Sons of Paradise oct 20: neal francis w/ duck YES! WEEKLY

october 13-19, 2021

rEd hAt AMPhithEAtEr

500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800 www.redhatamphitheater.com oct 15: nEEdtoBrEAthE w/ Switchfoot, the new respects oct 16: Brett Eldredge: good day tour oct 21: Modest Mouse oct 22: for king & CountrY oct 23: Band together feat. khruangbin oct 28: Porter robinson

PnC ArEnA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300 www.thepncarena.com oct 26: Michael Buble nov 19: genesis

winston-salem

Bull’S tAvErn

408 West 4th St | 336.331.3431 www.bullswsnc.com wednesdays: karaoke oct 15: Jukebox rehab oct 16: funk Mob oct 30: the Plaids

BurkE StrEEt PuB 1110 Burke St | 336.750.0097 www.burkestreetpub.com tuesdays: trivia

CB’S tAvErn

3870 Bethania Station Rd | 336.815.1664 www.facebook.com/cbtavern oct 29: halloween Bash

foothillS BrEwing 638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 www.foothillsbrewing.com oct 17: Sunday Jazz

MidwAY MuSiC hAll

11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218 www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter wednesdays: line dancing w/ denise

thE rAMkAt

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714 www.theramkat.com oct 16: Beloved, Codeseven, in // Parallel oct 20: Shamarr Allen & the underdawgs oct 21: Sierra hull oct 22: All them witches, the Messenger Birds

wiSE MAn BrEwing

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008 www.wisemanbrewing.com wednesdays: game night thursdays: Music Bingo

www.yesweekly.comw

last call

[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

BEDDER LATER

I’m a woman in my 20s seeking a boyfriend. On the first date, I like to have a few drinks and, if the guy and I hit it off, have sex to see whether we have physical Amy Alkon chemistry. Lately, I’ve had a string of great Advice first dates — flowing conversation, Goddess emotional rapport, and what seemed to be long-term potential — yet they all ghosted me after sex. Are men still living in the Victorian Age? —Confused The wait to have sex with you mirrors the mandatory waiting period to buy a plastic squirt gun.

That said, you aren’t wrong to want to figure out up front whether there’s sexual chemistry. As for just how “up front” to do that, there’s reason to slow your roll — even if it means you get involved with a few guys who turn out to be sexual duds.

Because a woman can get pregnant from a single ill-advised naked romp, women evolved to be the “choosier” sex — to take a “hmm, we’ll see...” approach: stand back and assess a man’s potential to “provide” and willingness to commit before dropping their panties (and everything else) on his bedroom floor.

Men co-evolved to expect female choosiness and to need to prove themselves over time to women of high mate value: women who can hold out for just the right

guy. In short, men tend to value (and stick around for) what’s hard to, uh, grope.

Women are also more likely to succumb to a sort of alcohol-induced blindness, which psychiatrist Andy Thomson, in an email to evolutionary psychologist David Buss, called the “Prosecco perception bias,” after the Italian sparkling wine.

Buss, who included this in his book, “When Men Behave Badly,” explains that women have less of the alcohol-detoxifying enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase. (That’s why women get more rapidly drunk than men, even when they throw back less alcohol per pound of body weight.) “Because alcohol stimulates bonding endorphins, women are more likely to misread interactions with men” when tipsy, Buss explains, and “overestimate the likelihood of an emotional bond and a long-term relationship.”

Sure, there are blissful long-term relationships that started out with no-stringsattached sex. However, because you’re a woman hoping to find a boyfriend, having sex on the first date is a risky strategy.

There’s a way to get a guy to stick around after sex, and it’s to wait to have it till he’s got feelings for you — though, admittedly, zip-tying him to your headboard works, too.

that her phone had died. Another girl on Bumble agreed to have drinks, but when I texted her the day of, she unmatched.

This extreme rudeness only happens with women I meet on dating apps, not those I meet in person, like at a friend’s party. Any idea why? —Disturbed There are valid reasons to be a no-show for a date with no explanation, for example, the experience so many of us have of being abducted by aliens who don’t have a charger that fits our phone.

This rudeness you’re experiencing — all these women treating you like a disposable object instead of a person with feelings — isn’t caused by app use, per se. The problem, as I explain in “Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck,” is that we are now “living in societies too big for our brains”: vast, transient “strangerhoods.”

We didn’t evolve to be around strangers and aren’t psychologically equipped to live in a world filled with them because the psychology still powering our thinking (and behavior) today is adapted for small ancestral hunter-gatherer societies.

Ancestral humans might’ve been stuck

with pretty much the same 25 people for much of their lives (per estimates by anthropologists Robert L. Kelly and Irven DeVore) and might’ve have had a larger surrounding society of perhaps 100 to 150 people.

In the tiny ancestral world, the need to preserve one’s reputation was a psychological police force that kept even rotten people from acting their rotten worst.

(This is still a factor today in small towns where everybody knows everybody.) In contrast, strangers “meeting” in the virtual world — on apps that are basically eBay for dates — have no shared social context, so...bye-bye fear of reputational ruin!

In other words, when connecting via an app, it’s probably a good idea to expect unreliability. You might even bring a book to read in case a woman ends up running a little late — uh, intends to leave you sitting there at the bar until you decompose. !

GOT A PROBLEM? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@ aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com). Follow her on Twitter @amyalkon. Order her latest “science-help” book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence. ©2021 Amy Alkon. Distributed by Creators.Com.

GHOSTING STORY

I’m a straight guy using dating apps.

What’s with the constant flaking guy friends and I experience from women we’re meeting for first dates? One woman on Hinge texted me to confirm 30 minutes before we were meeting at a bar but never showed and stopped responding to my texts. The next day, she complained

answers [CROSSWORD] crossword on page 11

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

[WEEKLY SUDOKU] sudoku on page 11

OCTOBER 13-19, 2021

YES! WEEKLY

23

Gov. Cooper,

Climate disasters are devastating North Carolina communities… and getting worse.

PLEASE STAND UP TO DUKE ENERGY!

THE SCIENCE IS CLEAR: Stopping the expansion of fracked gas is the fastest way to slow the climate crisis.

We’re still going wildly in the wrong direction, but we can turn that around very, very quickly” by cutting methane emissions.

But Duke Energy leaders plan to build 50 gas-fired power units – and constantly raise your rates. rates

– Dr. Drew Shindell of Duke University and lead author of a landmark United Nations report on methane in May, 2021.

Renewable power matched with storage is cheaper and more reliable than gas (methane). But Duke Energy is only 5% renewable in the Carolinas.

Contact Gov. Roy Cooper today!

984-230-4977 StopDukeEnergy.com contactgov@nc.gov @NC_Governor

SPEAK OUT

TAG YOUR POSTS: #StopDukeEnergy #ClimateEmergency

URGE GOV. COOPER TO DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY:

Stop Duke Energy’s climate-wrecking gas expansion of power plants and liquified gas storage.

Paid for by NC WARN PO Box 61051 Durham, NC 27715 www.ncwarn.org Donate to keep this campaign going