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EDITORIAL

Editor CHANEL R. DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com

YES! Writers JOHN BATCHELOR MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD LYNN FELDER

JIM LONGWORTH IAN MCDOWELL

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Promotion NATALIE GARCIA MCKENZIE STONE

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We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in

3 MEZCALI in Greensboro opened last summer. The look in the local venue is very casual, with a bar occupying most of one wall. The space is relatively small, seating a little over 50, creating a homelike ambience.

4 Salem Band, the oldest, continuous mixed-wind ensemble in the nation, will wrap its 2025-’26 season with the “ SUPER HEROES FILM FEST! Concert,” which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Salem Square.

5 The middle of the summer movie season may not be the best time to release “ THE ISOLATE THIEF,” a triedand-true Western period piece whose incongruous title is also likely to puzzle potential audiences.

6 Nothing can quite prepare you for a GAA CLASSIC CARS AUCTION, but here’s a tip for the first-time visitor: it’s not called “The Palace” for nothing. The Greensboro-based facility consists of an eight-acre, climate-controlled showroom filled with hundreds of classic and collectible cars.

10 In early August, the City of Greensboro will close the 200 block of South Elm Street to all vehicles, turning it into a PEDESTRIAN-ONLY PLAZA featuring vendors, outdoor seating, and community events.

12 The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra (GSO) Board of Directors today announced that LISA CRAWFORD will step down from her position as president and CEO, concluding an illustrious and transformative 27-year tenure

13 Move over Shark Week, Greensboro is under an animal attack of rock ‘ n ‘ roll ferocity as KILLER ANTZ march over to the Back Table with Winston’s Dai Cheri and Janus 4-14 on July 17.

Chow Down with John Batchelor at Mezcali

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

Mezcali in Greensboro opened last summer. There are two other locations, both in the Charlotte area. The look in the local venue is very casual, with a bar occupying most of one wall. The space is relatively small, seating a little over 50, creating a home-like ambience. Additional seating is available outside, on the patio. The interior can be noisy, but accommodating servers arranged for a volume reduction on the sound system when we old folks requested it. I would characterize the food as home-like, too. Eating here feels a lot like visiting Mexican friends.

I always try margaritas in Mexican restaurants. Here, the House Margarita tastes very good and the glass looks really big, but there’s a lot of ice in there, too. I think the Frozen Margarita is the better value. I’d be pretty happy with either one, though.

Of course, a basket of chips with salsa arrives promptly. You don’t really need a first course since you have these. But I would recommend ordering the Dip Sampler anyway. It provides servings of guacamole, cheese dip, and pico de gallo. The guacamole gives o a pure avocado flavor, mildly enhanced with onion. The cheese dip tastes pleasantly rich on chips, while the pico de gallo is bright and fresh-tasting, the primary flavors from tomato and onion. For another starter or even a very light meal, that guacamole can be ordered as a salad, over shredded iceberg lettuce with diced tomatoes.

The menu o ers more main course choices than I would have expected in a restaurant this size. My co-conspirators and I were well pleased with everything we tried.

The Original Quesadilla stu s your choice of shredded chicken or ground beef, along with melted cheese, into a large ﬂour tortilla, folded over. Both ﬁllings are good choices, tender and moist and tasty. A small guacamole salad with shredded lettuce and tomato covers the rest of the plate. You can substitute other main ingredients — shrimp or steak, for example, for a small upcharge.

I especially enjoy combinations,

since I like a bit of variety, and Mexicali provides lots of choices. Bean Burrito, Cheese Enchilada, and Rice is a vegetarian combo that does not give up any flavor for the absence of meat. I especially like the bean flavor. This is one of seven vegetarian entrees on the menu. The Enchilada, Taco, and Chile Relleno gets a pleasant chili sauce treatment for the enchilada, the taco is crisp, the chile relleno — roasted poblano pepper filled with cheese, bathed in egg wash and fried- especially tasty.

There are about a dozen fajita choices on the menu. Our party tried Fajita with steak, and found a good, solid beef flavor from firm, but not tough meat, in an abundance of vegetables — onions, tomato, broccoli, and zucchini, all presented sizzling on a hot platter of cast iron. This comes with a side dish of refried beans, rice, and salad with sour cream. Vegetarian Fajitas repeat those vegetables and the side dish. We found the rice especially flavorful. Parrillada is elaborate, a combination of pork, chicken, steak, and shrimp, with ground sausage arranged over the

top. To the kitchen’s credit, the shrimp were tender, not overcooked. Eat these first. The dish comes on one of those hot platters, and everything is still cooking, so if you don’t eat the shrimp right away, they will get tough. The chicken and pork are tender, moist, and flavorful, the steak a little firm but still solid in flavor. Vegetables include green peppers, onions, and cactus (!). This is a real winner.

So is Chipotle Shrimp. Ten large, deveined shrimp are cooked tender, bathed in a cream sauce sharpened with chipotle peppers. It’s a bit spicy but really tasty. This comes with rice, beans, and the side salad. The sauce blends in really well with the rice.

Breakfast dishes are served all day. Collaborator Jerry ordered a Mexican Omelet, and it turned out to be a treat. Moist eggs, not overcooked, enclosed green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and slices of jalapeno pepper. Rice and beans complete the presentation.

Juan Martinez is the owner of all three locations. Estefanie Mejia is manager of the Greensboro restaurant. I would go

back for anything we had, but the latter three dishes would justify a special trip. !

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/ cookbooks: “Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast,” and “Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina.” Contact him at john.e.batchelor@ gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot.com.

WANNA go?

Mezcali

2270 Golden Gate Drive Greensboro 27405 336-355-9292 mezcalinc.com

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday

Appetizers: $5.25-$12.95, Salads: $4.99-$13.49

Soups: $17.49-$19.99, Tacos: $3.49-$6.50

Entrees: $11-$18.99, Desserts: $2.50-$7.99

Most recent visit: June 30

Frozen Margarita

Mexican Omlette

House Margarita

Fajita with Steak

Dip Sampler

Original Quesadilla

Salem Band closes out season in ‘super’ fashion

Salem Band, the oldest, continu-

ous mixed-wind ensemble in the nation, will wrap its 2025-’26 season with the “Super Heroes Film Fest! Concert,” which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Salem Square, 649 S. Main St., Old Salem in WinstonSalem. (The rain date is Friday, Aug. 7.) Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, and a picnic dinner. Admission is free. For more information, visit https://salemband.org/. As the title of the event indicates, the concert will include familiar themes from such blockbuster ﬁlms as “The

Avengers” (2012), “Captain America” (2011), “Superman” (1978), “The Dark Knight” (2008), “Mary Poppins” (1964), “Pocahontas” (1995), and many others — as well as classical selections by Tchaikovsky and George Gershwin — with vocal soloist Anna Wade adding her talents to the mix. Children (and grown-ups, too!) are encouraged to wear their favorite superhero costumes to the concert to further enhance its “super” ﬂavor.

“The theme idea was mine,” explained Dr. Eileen Young, Salem Band’s music director, “and we will highlight some women superheroes, a well as our hard-working public-school music teacher — our soloist Anna Wade, who teaches music in Winston-Salem Forsyth County schools. On the program are some obvious “heroes”: “Superman,” “Captain America,” “The Avengers,” and some not so obvious, “Colors of the Wind” (“Pocahontas”), “The

cent Seven,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake Overture.”

With good humor, Young admitted that some of the musicians participating might well be clad in superhero regalia of their own. “This concert is advertised with a call for kids to wear their superhero costumes, but I imagine some of our more adventurous band members might also dress up!”

Preparations and rehearsals for Salem Band’s winter concert in January were complicated by record snowfall, but the show did go on — and was a smash. “The winter concert was great — our largest audience for that one yet!” Young said.

“So far, this has been a tremendous season for Salem Band,” she added. “We drew almost 2,000 to our ‘Paperhand Puppet Project’ concert in May, and we managed to play all three of our ‘Stars & Stripes’ performances outdoors, with July 4th covered by Forsyth County N.C. 250 in a wonderfully creative video (https://www.facebook. com/reel/1019004900736211) and featuring two World Premiere Commissioned Composition performances!”

Even with its established and illustrious history, Young said that Salem Band has reached unprecedented heights in recent years, and the increased attendance at events bears this out.

“Salem Band has now, I believe, established itself as the Triad’s premier community concert band, and has improved to a level unseen around here among community groups — and for

me, it’s so much fun to lead this organization, in every way.

“My goals remain the same: Attract quality players who are devoted to the community and willing to help fulﬁll our mission to o er free concerts, continue to support our Salem Swing Band and multiple small ensembles, and continue to increase our audience and fan base by providing entertaining performances and serving our community. It’s a simple formula, but it’s taken 15 years for me to get us to this point, and I am really proud of the musicians and the organization, which continues as a solid, credible musical part of the City of the Arts landscape.”

Salem Band, currently comprised of 70 musicians, was established in 1771 and celebrated its 250th anniversary during the 2021-’22 academic year. All concerts are free and open to the public. For more information, call 336413-2180, visit https://salemband.org/, or follow Salem Band on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalemBandFan/. !

Magniﬁ

Mark Burger

Contributor

‘The Isolate Thief’ goes for the kill and the thrill

The middle of the summer movie season may not be the best time to release “The Isolate Thief,” a triedand-true Western period piece whose incongruous title is also likely to puzzle potential audiences. Be that as it may, this is a ﬁlm worth seeing, and not just for genre aﬁcionados. It’s well-acted, intense, and although more of a thriller than the standard shoot-‘em-up, it also works on that level when delivering the requisite gunplay at the climax.

The setting is a remote Union Army supply outpost during the last days of the

Civil War. The only inhabitant is Ada (Mackenzie Foy), a dutiful young woman whose father — the o cer in charge — died of pneumonia a month ago. She suspects that the outpost has been forgotten and tentatively makes plans to abandon her post. Then Joe Pantoliano crashes in as Perry, a gabby scoundrel who has looted a fortune in gold and is looking for a place to hide it. Pantoliano seems the least likely actor to show up in a Western, but with his fright wig, he comes o like a demented version of George “Gabby” Hayes.

Next to arrive is Fiddler (Sean Bean), with his grubby gang (consisting of Ty Simpkins, Martin Sensmeier, and Jack

Kesy) in tow. They’re attired in Union Army uniforms, but Ada catches on quickly that they’re not who they appear to be. If it’s not their lack of military formality, it’s the presence of Emily (Odeya Rush), whose “duty” — as it were — is to service these bogus soldiers.

Foy and Bean are wellmatched adversaries as they match wits. Fiddler realizes quickly that Ada’s got his number, but to obtain the loot he’s got to play along. At times, he’s solicitous and even sympathetic, but it’s only a matter of time before his rage explodes.

Director John Suits does a nice job of keeping the suspense simmering and methodically intensifying as it progresses

toward an inevitably violent finale, in which Ada and Emily prove more than capable of besting their captors. There’s also a subtle moral message about the perils, pitfalls, and ultimate consequences of greed — although “The Isolate Thief” isn’t necessarily a morality play. With its confined, wintry setting and tight ensemble cast, “The Isolate Thief” occasionally echoes Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” (2015) but is far less flamboyant. Will Stone’s cinematography captures the chill and isolation of the physical terrain, while executive producer Kevin Lefler’s script (his first) captures the chill and tension of narrative terrain. For those seeking an alternative to the big-bang, big-buck summer blockbusters, “The Isolate Thief” is crisp, cool, and worth seeking out. !

HIGH POINT ROCKERS

Mark Burger

Contributor

Nothing can quite prepare you for a GAA Classic Cars auction, but here’s a tip for the ﬁrst-time visitor: it’s not called “The Palace” for nothing. The Greensborobased facility consists of an eight-acre, climatecontrolled showroom ﬁlled with hundreds of classic

and collectible cars. It’s like attending a major sporting event and a world-class history museum all at once. Some folks come to watch the fast-paced auction. Others come to bid on the classic car that they’ve always dreamed of owning. And thousands more come just to browse the hundreds of vehicles on display, hoping to catch a glimpse of a car just like the one they ﬁrst drove, or their parents once owned. Fortunately, this once-in-a-lifetime experience happens several times each year, and the next GAA event runs from July 23 through July 25.

Greensboro Auto Auction, a premier collector vehicle auction company, was founded by automotive entrepreneur

Dean Green in 2012, and the Palace auctions have grown in size every year since, today bringing in upwards of $20 million dollars per show. GAA also uses the auctions to raise funds for charitable causes, such as helping to rebuild homes in Western North Carolina following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, supporting Victory Junction, and providing housing for homeless veterans.

The July auction will be jammedpacked with classic and collectible vehicles, including two 1969 Ford Mustang muscle cars worth about a half million dollars each; a 2006 Ford GT with just 18 original miles on the odometer valued at $600,000; and a 1958 Nash Metropolitan, once owned by “Margaritaville” icon Jimmy Bu ett. Other cars up for auction include a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS LS6, a 1966 Ford GT40 MKII Kit Car, and a selection of over 50 Corvettes highlighted by an impossible-to-ﬁnd, consecutively numbered manufactured sequence spanning from 1958 to 1967. There’s also a novelty item: a Space X Rocket replica mounted to a 1985 International Harvester truck.

“Our inventory is growing dynamically every day, and this lineup is frankly spectacular,” said Kristen Harlow, marketing manager for GAA Classic Cars. “Whether you want a museum-grade supercar with delivery miles, a piece of music history, or a wild custom build that will stop tra c anywhere on earth, this auction delivers the absolute wow factor.”

This month’s auction runs from Thursday, July 23, through Saturday, July 25. Gates open daily at 8 a.m. The auction starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. each day. Daily general admission is $20 for adults, free for children under age 5. On-site parking is free. The Palace also includes a concession area, but the real treats are the cars on display for browsing and bidding. The Palace is located at 301 Norwalk St. in Greensboro. For more information or to view auction inventory, visit www.gaaclassiccars. com. !

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) and streaming on WFMY+.

Business owners, employees react to planned street closure

In early August, the City of Greensboro will close the 200 block of South Elm Street to all vehicles, turning it into a pedestrianonly plaza featuring vendors, outdoor seating, and community events.

The plaza will be closed to vehicles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The other ﬁve blocks of South Elm between Market and Gate City Boulevard will be pedestrian-only between 5 p.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays, but open to vehicles during the week.

The South Elm Street Pedestrian Plaza Pilot Program, as municipal leaders are calling this experiment in civic engineering, will continue for 90 days, after which they will study the results and determine whether or not to make the change permanent.

These three months include the weekend of the North Carolina Folk Festival (Sept. 18-20) and week of the N.C. A&T Homecoming (Oct. 25 to Nov. 1). While some outlets have reported that the program begins Aug. 1, City Communications Director Amanda Lehmert said

that closure of the 200 block will begin Monday, Aug. 3, “so we can deploy the furniture,” whereas the weekend closures of the larger portion of the street will begin Aug. 7.

The 108 currently occupied commercial retail spaces on these six blocks include:

• 32 restaurants, bars, bakeries, cafes, and ice-cream parlors

• 24 shops

• 13 salons and studios

• Five event venues

As well as 34 corporate, realty, legal o ces, and the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.

On July 3, Rob Overman, interim director of the tax-funded booster organization Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI), said that Elm Street businesses have been complaining about cruising, engine noise, and ampliﬁed music from vehicle sound systems for years, and that the pilot program is meant to address that.

“We see it, we hear it, it’s one of those things that we’ve experienced for ourselves. We know it’s an issue, and our downtown community knows it’s one.”

But at a community meeting held July 7 at the Pyrle attended by approximately 30 business owners, landlords, property managers, and residents, the majority pushed back against the plan, saying it would reduce customers by forcing them to park farther away, and expressing concerns about the removal

of 100 Elm Street parking spaces.

“The goal of the meeting was to hear feedback,” said Lehmert. “We introduced the South Elm Street Pedestrian Plaza pilot program and provided an overview of logistics — such as free parking, designated loading/delivery zones, e orts to enhance the appearance of the parking decks, and plans to design and program activities for the 200 block.”

She also said the city manager’s o ce is addressing some of the issues raised at the meeting, including reducing the size of the closure to ensure access to “an important private lot near Bain and Elm.”

Asked if this lot belongs to developer Andy Zimmerman, owner of the event space Elm & Bain at 320B S. Elm St., Lehmert responded:

“The lot I mentioned is used by South End Brewing. They raised this issue at the meeting last week. Regular feedback from downtown stakeholders and adjustments to the design will be an important part of this pilot program throughout the 90 days.”

YES! Weekly has reached out to owners and employees of Elm Street businesses and asked how they feel about the plan.

“I’ve advocated for street closures since very early on when we opened downtown back in 2012,” texted Kris Fuller, owner of Crafted: the Art of the Taco at 220 S. Elm St.

“I strongly believe that if done properly with real planning and development (shade, lighting, seating, etc) as well as continued improvements, it could be beneﬁcial. But I’m realistic that success will not happen overnight. There will be challenges many of us will face during the pilot program that not all of us are in a position to face after the past two years of steady decline in sales and visitors. They cannot get this wrong; there are too many businesses and livelihoods at stake.”

Dawn Quigley, owner of The District GSO at 231 S. Elm St., also o ered qualiﬁed support for the experiment.

“I indicated in an email to the city that, if it’s going to be done, it needs to be done correctly and not halfway. My biggest concern is that we deﬁnitely need to have some type of public restrooms. It’s not fair to invite people to hang out in an entire city block area and expect the stores and restaurants to provide bathrooms for everyone.”

Graham Holt, one of several dozen attorneys with o ces on this section of Elm Street, said he fully supports anything that reduces the amount of automobile emissions downtown.

“Cars are the scourge of the earth and a total catastrophe. But another thing that, in my opinion, is never o -topic in any discussion about this area is the dangerous and oppressively large police

Ian McDowell

Contributor

presence downtown and the mission these police o cers have undertaken to prevent young Black people from enjoying life downtown like everyone else. This problem is just as persistent as the stream of cars which poison the air on Elm Street every day.”

On Friday, YES! Weekly interviewed over a dozen employees of retail establishments on the 200 Block of South Elm. Those who responded asked to be anonymous, but most said they were opposed to the program.

“As someone who’s been here for three years, I know this is a really bad idea that’s going to only make things worse,” said the manager and bartender of a restaurant on the 200 block.

“We have so many empty storefronts on this block and on the street that need to be addressed before we create a pedestrian area,” said an employee at a retail establishment.

“I think it may be a good thing, but I wanna see how it pans out,” said an employee of another retail establishment.

“It’s no good,” said an employee of another restaurant on the 200 block. “It will hurt our business.”

Three employees of a salon next to that restaurant called it “a horrible idea,” with one asking, “What are we going to do for deliveries?”

A manager-in-training at another restaurant said he has serious reservations about the experiment.

“It’s going to be a fucking disaster,” said the owner of another restaurant.

Speaking through a translator, multiple employees of another restaurant stated they had not been told about the pilot program and were unaware of its existence. This sentiment was echoed by several English-speaking patrons, including one who lives downtown.

Lehmert acknowledged that, as of Sunday, no announcement or description of the pilot program was posted to city or DGI websites or Facebook pages.

“The public promotion phase has not begun. We’re still reﬁning the di erent elements, which was the purpose of meeting with downtown stakeholders.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is an award-winning author and journalist whose book “I Ain’t Resisting: the City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith” was published in September of 2023 by Scuppernong Editions

Greensboro Symphony Orchestra announces retirement of longtime president and CEO Lisa Crawford after extraordinary 27-year tenure

The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra (GSO) Board of Directors today announced that Lisa Crawford will step down from her position as president and CEO, concluding an illustrious and transformative 27-year tenure. Crawford, who has led the organization since September 1999, has proposed an o cial public retirement date of Jan. 31, 2027. This timeline will ensure a seamless, well-planned transition that positions the symphony for continued artistic and ﬁnancial success.

Under Crawford’s visionary leadership, the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra has shared unforgettable milestones, brought world-class music to the Piedmont Triad, established resilient educational programs, and successfully transitioned to magniﬁcent new performance venues.

“Serving this extraordinary organization since September 1999 has been the greatest honor of my professional

life,” said Lisa Crawford. “To witness the growth of this orchestra and to work alongside our remarkably talented musicians, visionary conductors, dedicated sta , and passionate board members has been an immense privilege. As the Greensboro Symphony looks ahead to its next ambitious chapters, now is the right time for a change in leadership to allow the organization to continue expanding its vital cultural and community impact. Sometimes there are necessary endings to make room for new beginnings.”

To facilitate an orderly transition, Crawford will remain as president and CEO until a successor has been selected and fully onboarded, eliminating the immediate need for interim leadership.

The GSO Board of Directors will launch a rigorous national search to identify the symphony’s next leader, seeking an individual with robust nonproﬁt management skills, fundraising experience, a commitment to artistic excellence, and a passion for community engagement.

“We are deeply grateful for Lisa’s

leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the organization over nearly three decades,” said Ches Kennedy, chair of the GSO Board of Directors. “The symphony is ﬁnancially sound, artistically strong, and exceptionally wellpositioned for the future. This leadership transition is part of a planned, deliberate process, and the Board looks forward to celebrating Lisa’s remarkable contributions in meaningful ways during the coming months.”

Crawford’s historic tenure will culminate in a high-impact farewell weekend on Jan. 30-31, 2027, featuring the massive “Star Wars” / The Planets Masterworks concert sponsored by UBS, alongside a special Chamber concert. Celebrations will include a major donor reception in the Dean and Marilyn Green Rehearsal Hall and an intimate gathering at Well-Spring to honor her legacy with vital segments of the GSO family. Crawford will also oversee and launch the 2027-2028 Masterworks subscription renewal campaign in early January.

The GSO assures patrons, donors, and subscribers that the upcoming 2026-27 season will proceed entirely as scheduled, with all programming, performances, educational initiatives, and community engagement activities continuing exactly as planned. !

Tigers and Bears and Wolves and Antz, oh my!

Move

over Shark Week, Greensboro is under an animal attack of rock ‘ n ‘ roll ferocity as Killer Antz march over to the Back Table with Winston’s Dai Cheri and Janus 4-14 on July 17.

Oh, and Tiger Bear Wolf is set to descend upon the Flat Iron on July 18 – after a nearly twodecade hibernation – with the Bronzed Chorus, Kudzu Wish, and a new record to boot, no big deal.

Actually, it’s a pretty big deal: Tiger Bear Wolf returns with their highly anticipated, long semi-lost, third self-titled album, “Tiger Bear Wolf.” “Something worth saving, Power and subtlety, the heart, tongue, and fang.”

Ask most Greensboro folks of a certain age and persuasion — TBW shows aren’t just something worth saving or remembering — they’re something worth showing the new folks. Something worth celebrating across the ages.

And it’s been ages. Holy aughts return, Batman. “This record shouldn’t exist. But somehow after 17 years it does,” the band explained. Completely a trilogy started a couple of decades ago — digging hard on a moniker that landed amongst LA Weekly’s “history of shitty band names.” TBW is set to fulfill the lineage of three self-titleds — each with a face echoing its place in the line. The Tiger in 2003, then the Bear in 2005. And now — in 2026 — comes the Wolf. “True, we chose a tongue-in-cheek name that sounds ridiculous, and that’s just fine with us,” the band reflected over Instagram. Waxing introspective, “our name is also reflective of a facet that will always be relevant to the project… self-realization.”

“Tiger, Bear, and Wolf are Cub Scout rankings that mark individual growth and development, deﬁned by the accumulation of knowledge and skill over the passage of time. As a pack of punks at the cusp of young adulthood, the only thing that was inevitable was that we

would not remain the same. As with any artist, each of our records are documents of growth spurts, not unlike the ruler of pencil marks on the bathroom door, taking note of exactly how much one has changed over time.”

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

“Basic tracks for the third Tiger Bear Wolf album were recorded in 2009 between the sweltering heat of a collective performance space and an attic bedroom. But there, the trail went cold. Time and distance intervened, and hard drives gradually succumbed to devilry and malign inﬂuences. The record was lost, said to be unrecoverable, and the story was over.”

Except the world kept spinning. The attic bedroom address changed from Aycock to Josephine Boyd. The sweltering collective space — Square One — became a memory, along with the handful of other showspaces that followed on that special corner at Grove and Glenwood. And turns out, the wolf was just sleeping.

“Fast forward to 2015, a savior emerged to retrieve the lost data, almost completely intact from its silicon sarcophagus against moonshot odds. Just for the love and belief that there was something worth saving.”

And what’s worth saving, turns out, is worth nurturing. “In the years that followed, these tracks took on a new life as guitars and voices were recorded in various states and hideaways with members now located in Greensboro, Louisville, and Baltimore. What was nearly lost to the sands of time oozed vitality under the careful watch of the band and its enablers at both Howard’s Calogera Audio and producer Joel Hatstat’s Athens, Ga. studio.”

“After 16 years of patient labor, doubt, hope, fellowship, inspiration, invention, revelation, and faith, the long-lost Tiger Bear Wolf record was somehow completed. The document ﬁnds the group at the full breadth of maturity and creativity for the time of its recording, while also fully colored by perspectives and techniques developed in the succeeding years.”

Neither the band nor this city are the same. But they’re still Tiger Bear Wolf.

And this is still Greensboro.

“This record shouldn’t exist, but it had to…”

And with existence, now comes release, via Ernest Jenning Record Co. — the indie label signed Kudzu Wish in both of their early days and has since gone on to release a diverse body of works, ranging from Adam Thorn to Weezer.

Describing the group as “Deep Purple via Hot Snakes” and ”MMJ on a steady diet of nothing” to promote the album’s ﬁrst single, “Hands out, Honey,” the folks at Ernest Jenning are excited to help put “Tiger Bear Wolf” in hands and on shelves, starting July 17.

Featuring the core collective of vocalist Jonathan Moore, guitarist Noah Howard, bassist Matt Bostick, and drummer Lawrence Holdsworth — Tiger Bear Wolf keeps prowling with a signature swirl of southern rock, hardcore, and psychedelic post-punk that deﬁned the sound of a certain time and place. Greensboro in the early 2000s, in fact. As Justin Kopp (a drummer of that time and place in bands like Devastation Proclamation) said, “the Triad area used to have our own genre of music. That shit was rad.”

Radness reigns with Bronzed Chorus and Kudzu Wish on the July 18 bill — solidifying a special spirit that expands beyond time and space. “I had been tempted to ask what in the 2002 was going on in the Gate City — though I am pretty sure this show should be at the Corndale house,” said a Facebook commenter on a post from WQFS Clarissa Marshall’s dedicating an episode of “I Kinda Like GSO” to that particular era of the Triad music scene. “If you were an aimless young adult in GSO circa 2005,

this one’s for you,” Marshall said, with a strollworthy playlist for Memory Lane that included Kudzu Wish, with the return of Cinemechanica, who, despite being from Athens, also helped deﬁne the mathier ends of Greensboro music of the 2000s; and will be playing their ﬁrst show in several

this one’s for you,” Marshall said, with a strollworthy playlist for Memory Lane that included Kudzu Wish, Disband, DesArk, Dawn Chorus, Hoss Wranglers, and more. Spirit that’s contagious across TBW’s string of release shows — starting with Verity Den and Forced Fun at Local 506 in Chapel Hill on July 16; followed by a stop by the fabulous 40 Watt Club in Athens with the return of Cinemechanica, who, despite being from Athens, also helped deﬁne the mathier ends of Greensboro music of the 2000s; and will be playing their ﬁrst show in several years (even still, they remain a top contender for having played the most shows in the dearly missed WUAG Presents concert series).

For Eric Mann from Kudzu Wish, July 18 in Greensboro will be “absolutely bonkers.” Having reunited a handful of times for special occasions, with guest members ﬁlling in for the late Tim LaFollette (to whom the new “Tiger Bear Wolf: album is dedicated), Kudzu Wish is stoked to ride with Zach Large on bass duty. And Bronzed Chorus rounding out the bill – the most active of the three, it’s been a few months since their last show, which followed a similar vibe to welcome back Hammer No More the Fingers at the Flat in February. It’s the dead of summer and resurrection is in the air, y’all.

It’s also likely this show will sell out before this article goes to print, so good thing Greensboro has a double-whammy of wild, rad, animal-loving shows over the weekend. With that, Killer Antz will be in Greensboro on July 17, also on the heels of a new release – their debut LP, “A Chorus For The Wasteland,” made its debut in June at Fair Witness – the Winston-Salem punk rockers are ready to make the march down I-40, bringing Dai Cheri’s “equal parts rock n’ roll spiritualism and anarcho-romance” and the Replacements-laden indiepop of Janus 4-14.

Tigers and Bears and Wolves and Antz, oh my! !

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

Katei Cranford

Contributor

[WEEKLY SUDOKU] [KING CROSSWORD]

ACROSS

Reserves of stock

Person applying a mail stick-on

Understands

Actress Palicki of “Friday Night Lights”

Out of the wind, nautically

Start of a riddle

Watson of “Little Women”

Riddle, part 3

“The Taking of — 123” (2009 ﬁlm)

Check casher, e.g.

Bandoleer, informally

Drink infusing device

Cuto cry from a ﬁlm director

Long to undo

Out with one’s sweetie

Hint-providing columnist

“My thoughts exactly”

Alternatives to GIFs or JPEGs 96 Hulk Hogan’s 1980s org.

99 Isaac of sci-ﬁ

100 Actress Drescher

101 Sings in the Alps, perhaps

106 Perez of ﬁlm

107 Quaint reply of denial

108 Canoodles, in Cam bridge

110 Determines the sum of

111 Street rep

112 Hawk’s home

116 Plato’s “H”

117 Hog’s home

118 Vivacity

119 “Little” actress Issa

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[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of July 20, 2026

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Don’t be sheepish about asking questions and demanding answers. You not only gain needed information, you also respect your steadfast search for the truth.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A money problem that shows up early in the week is expeditiously resolved by savvy Bovines, who know how to turn a momentary ﬁnancial lapse into a monetary gain.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) It’s a good time to shed negative energy-draining forces and develop a positive approach to handling current — as well as upcoming — personal and/or professional situations.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your urge to do your best on a current task is commendable, but don’t let it become all-consuming. Spend some spiritually restorative time with those who love you.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) This could be a good time for all you LEOs and LEOnas to take your bows for your recent achievements. Then go o to enjoy some fun times with your prides and joys!

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A negative response to a well-intentioned suggestion could communicate a sense of distrust that you might later ﬁnd hard to refute. Think carefully before reacting.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Your loving attention comforts a family member who’s feeling a bit out of sorts.

But be careful to prioritize your time so that you don’t neglect your work duties.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your curiosity might be resented by some, but those who know you will support your penchant for never settling for less than the truth. So, stay with it!

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A pesky situation from the past recurs, albeit in an altered form. Deal with it promptly before it can go from merely irksome to decidedly troublesome.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Don’t wait too long to submit your proposals after giving them a last look over. If necessary, you should be able to defend any portion that gets called into question.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A bid to use your workplace disputesettling skills in another situation is tempting. But be careful, as you might not have all the facts you’ll need if you agree to do it.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A sense of self-doubt is so untypical of you that you should have no qualms in shaking it o . Remind yourself of all you’ve done and can do, then do it again.

[BORN THIS WEEK: Your ability to charm others without sacriﬁcing sincerity is what makes people want to follow your leadership.