By Shawn D. Allison, II
Family, we have made it to the end of March and what a ride it has been! There’s lots to do this weekend and we’re going to end it with a serious bang! I’ll be very busy as usual, but if you’d like to keep up with my trail of trouble, check out my “Hot List!”
- THURSDAY – Stimulus: Sound Works at The McColl Center
- THURSDAY – Screening of “Whose Streets?” at The Levine Museum of the New South
- FRIDAY— MARCHing to the Sound Christian Open Mic Night
- FRIDAY– Solstice Dance Party at Crown Station
- SATURDAY– I Still Love The 90’s Brunch & Day Party: West Charlotte Alumni Edition
- SATURDAY – Arts & Advocacy Experience 2019: Brooklyn to Biddleville
- SATURDAY – Depression Doesn’t Look Like Me: Christians + Emotional Health
- SATURDAY – AfroPop Charlotte: The Bantu Experience, Vol. 2
- SUNDAY – Jai Food & Open Mic Vegan Market Pop Up
If you would like your event to be listed in “The Rundown” please send a detailed e-mail to me at: sdallison85@yahoo.com
——-THURSDAY, MARCH 28——-
This evening, head down to The McColl Center for Art + Innovation for a special sonic-infused workshop entitled “Stimulus: Sound Works.” What’s the process of creating new and innovative music? Where do ideas and notes come from and how do they end up as music? This workshop brings together musicians and artists to answer these questions and more. Participants include McColl Center alumna artist, Guggenheim Fellow, and UNC Charlotte visiting artist Pamela Z; current McColl Center artist-in-residence and Guggenheim Fellow Michael Harrison; and UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor of Clarinet and performer Jessica Lindsey. Visiting curator and artist-in-residence Tom Stanley will moderate the discussion. Admission is FREE to attend, but please be sure to RSVP here: https://53393.blackbaudhosting.com/53393/Stimulus-Soundworks. The event will begin at 6 p.m. The McColl Center is located at 721 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
Join Charlotte City Councilman Braxton Winston at The Levine Museum of the New South as he hosts a special screening of the documentary “Whose Streets?” this evening. Produced and directed by filmmaker Daron Davis, this documentary is a powerful first-hand account of the moments that led up to the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri. This documentary walks us through the escalation of events through the real-time point-of-view of those who lived on the streets of Ferguson over the hours and months that followed. After the film, Councilman Winston will moderate a discussion with Mr. Davis and participants from the Charlotte Uprising exhibit, K(NO)W Justice K(NO)W Peace, to discuss the documentary and parallels to what we experienced in Charlotte in September 2016 and beyond. Admission is FREE and the event will begin promptly at 6 p.m. The museum is located at 200 E. 7th St. in Uptown.
Explore your creativity at The Discovery Place this evening and come out to the Make & Mingle: Wooden Blanket Ladder Workshop! Gather your friends and come design a special DIY wooden blanket ladder. This ladder is perfect for blanket, or any type of linen, storage in the living room or bedroom and is beautiful to look at. This hands-on, crafty workshop will teach you basic woodworking techniques and inspire you to get creative. Tickets can be purchased here: https://science.discoveryplace.org/explore/events/make-mingle-wooden-blanket-ladder. The event will begin at 6 p.m. The Discovery Place is located at 301 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
Ladies, strut out in your sexiest heels, fellas come with your flyest hat tipped to the side as The Cigar Circle invites you out to “Hats & Heels” this evening! Thursday is here and it’s time to wind down with some of the city’s progressive professionals – enjoy some fresh-rolled stogies, drink specials and the warm ambience of the evening atmosphere. Networking is always encouraged. FREE admission. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at Tailored Smoke Cigar Lounge. 210 E. Trade St. in Uptown.
West Charlotte High School Theatre is proud to present “Little Shop Of Horrors – The Musical” this weekend! This classic tale highlights a meek flower shop assistant named Seymour pining for his co-worker Audrey. During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store. After Seymour feeds Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin, to the plant after Orin’s accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant. Students from the West Charlotte SAVE Club will be at the show raising money for their organization. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-shop-of-horrors-presented-by-west-charlotte-high-school-tickets-57099914381. There will be four performances this weekend: Thursday(3/28), Friday (3/29) and Saturday (3/30) at 7 p.m. and Sunday (3/31) at 3 p.m. All shows will be held at West Charlotte Senior High School. 2219 Senior Dr.
This weekend, head down to Spirit Square and get ready to be on the edge of your seats as Jesonda Productions proudly presents the stage play, “Stuck” this evening! Written, produced and directed by the lovely Ylonda Powell Medley, “Stuck” explores generational cycles of poverty, teen pregnancy, alcoholism and abuse – that is until one designated family member boldly declares that the curse will cease here. Featuring a colorful tapestry of laughter, drama, dance, music, mime and an all-star cast, you’ll be sure to be engaged with every line and scene. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.carolinatix.org/events/detail/stuck-3. There will be four performances this weekend: Thursday (3/28) and Friday (3/29) at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday (3/30) at 2 and 8 p.m. Spirit Square is located at 345 N. College St. in Uptown.
——-FRIDAY, MARCH 29——-
Liberate Your Palate CLT is back to spice things up for your Friday night presenting the Hands-On Mixology Craft Class: Cocktails + Crystals! In this class, we will be partnering with Brianna Daniels, Primary Conductor and Transformative Adornments Crafter of Cosmosis Stones who will teach you about the power of healing crystals that are believed to have beneficial health properties to promote physical, emotional and spiritual healing through their connection to the earth and universe. After, she will give you a hands-on lesson on how to freestyle wrap your own crystal in order to transform it into a wearable piece of art. This event will also feature craft herb-infused cocktails that will correspond with the archetypical energies you’ll discuss on this evening. Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.liberateyourpalate.com/passbook/crystalsandcocktails. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Liberate Your Palate CLT is located at 4412 Monroe Rd., Suite “D.”
Prepare your palates for an evening of culinary creativity at the 7th Street Public Market Vegan Dinner ft. OMG Alchemy! Viva Raw, Assorted Table Wine Shoppe & Chef Julio of OMG Alchemy are thrilled to host a second vegan multi-course dinner for you! This dinner is centered around the beauty of mushrooms and fermentation – two big themes on the food scene this year – and will include five courses accompanied by three wine pours. Come out to enjoy good food, good drinks and good company! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/7th-street-public-market-vegan-dinner-ft-omg-alchemy-tickets-57127776718. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. 7th Street Public Market is located at 224 E. 7th St. in Uptown.
Put your minds at ease and head down to Revive Church for MARCHing to the Sound Christian Open Mic Night! Calling all singers, MCs, instrumentalists, poets, comedians and artists of various avenues come out to showcase your talents for a family-friendly audience honoring The Most High! Admission is $5 per person. The event begins at 8 p.m. Revive Church is located at 6621 Beatties Ford Rd.
Get your laugh on this evening as the Queen City Omegas present another hilarious round of Comedy Night! Bring your friends out and get ready for some side-splitting humor from Moka, The Duchess of Comedy and funnyman Ken Jones! Then, be sure to stick around as DJ 06 burns up the speakers with a hot mix of Hip Hop and R&B tunes. The host for the evening is Brother Tito. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queen-city-omegas-comedy-night-tickets-58275100394. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. The Omegas of Charlotte Fraternity House is located at 3301 Statesville Ave.
Kick your weekend off of the R&B tip at Stats Restaurant & Lounge as they proudly present the Bad Boy Takeover this evening! Get in the mood, enjoy some delicious food and feel the groove as R&B group 112 hosts and rocks the house performing a medley of their biggest hits! Additional sounds will be provided by Charlotte’s heavy hitter, DJ Shaun Nyce aka “The Blend King!” Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/badboy-takeover-hosted-by-112-tickets-59001369685. The party starts at 9 p.m. Stats is located at 3425 David Cox Rd. in the University Area.
Put those dancing shoes on and get ready to groove into the next galaxy at the March installment of Solstice Dance Party! It’s all things soulful House, classic House, Afro-House and more funky stuff as The Dynamic DJ Kato, Raw Substance’s Charles Gatling and birthday honorees Jay VonFunkHauser and Steve Howerton give your ears a jolt of some serious sonic juice guaranteed to free your mind, body and soul! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solstice-dance-party-vol-4-happy-birthday-steve-jay-tickets-58873018784. The get down on the good foot starts at 9 p.m. at Crown Station. 3629 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.
Let loose at Petra’s this evening and take a musical journey into yesteryear with “Mirror Moves: The Free Alternative Dance Party!” DJ’s Longchild and Jason Herring will be dropping the best of 80s & 90s Pop, New Wave, Techno, House, Synth Pop, EDM and more! Admission is FREE to attend. The party starts at 9 p.m. Petra’s is located at 1919 Commonwealth Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
——-SATURDAY, MARCH 30——-
Everyone rise, shine, gather your friend and head up to Cabarrus Brewing Co. for Breakfast at the Brewery Concord! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially when it includes waffles, cinnamon rolls, mini donuts and mimosas! Local dessert shops and bakeries will have breakfast items and breakfast inspired desserts available for purchase. Merchants include: Love Desserts CLT, Cast Iron Waffles, Red’s Scratch Made Bakery, Sugary Smiles Cookies, The Cupcake Queen and Christine’s Konditorei. Admission is FREE, but please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breakfast-at-the-brewery-concord-tickets-56243402531. Breakfast will be served at 10 a.m. Cabarrus Brewing Company is located at 329 McGill Avenue Northwest in Concord.
Calling all West Charlotte Lions – Moxie Society wants to hear your unified roar as they host a special I Still Love The 90’s Brunch & Day Party! All Dub-C alumni and friends are invited to head down to Sage Restaurant & Lounge for an afternoon of nonstop fun with all sorts of drink specials, a Southern-inspired brunch menu and some dope throwback joints provided by DJ Truz and DJ E-Class. Your host for this event is the lovely Tashika Hamilton (WCHS c/o ’97). RSVPs and ticket purchases can be made here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-still-love-the-90s-brunch-day-party-at-sage-restauraunt-lounge-tickets-59170894739. The party starts at 11 a.m. Sage is located at 505 E. 6th St. in Uptown.
Queens University Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice and JCSU have teamed up to bring you Arts & Advocacy Experience 2019: Brooklyn to Biddleville this afternoon. These two institutions will utilize the arts to educate, inspire, and mobilize. From a Faith in Housing interfaith lunch to a keynote providing models for restorative justice in housing, to exploring the displacement caused by gentrification through the mediums of dance, theatre, and spoken word, to a community showcase with food trucks and music, the day will bring artists, organizers, advocates, and community members together to share stories and explore solutions. Admission is FREE but please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tjrp-arts-advocacy-project-brooklyn-to-biddleville-then-and-now-tickets-58015383574. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at JCSU. 100 Beatties Ford Rd.
This afternoon, join the alluring Nikki Pounds of HR Unequivocally at The Gantt Center presenting the Women’s Networking Summit: Investing in Your Mind, Body & Brand. This event will be fun, interactive and unforgettable! Business professionals, influencers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders will unite for informative discussions about the importance of investing in yourself. In addition to the host, four diverse expert speakers will provide insight into how they got started and grew to become industry leaders in real-estate, philanthropy, branding and wellness. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-networking-summit-investing-in-your-mind-body-brand-tickets-53927952959. The event will begin at 11 a.m. The Gantt Center is located at 551 S. Tryon St. in Uptown.
This afternoon, explore your expressive verbal creativity within as the Char-Meck Main Library hosts the “Find Your Voice Spoken Word Poetry Workshop.” Join spoken word coach, author and acclaimed poet Jah Smalls as he guides you to help find your voice in editing, writing and performing your poetry. This workshop is open to teens and adults and no experience is necessary. Please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.cmlibrary.org/event/101132-spoken-word-poetry-workshop. The session will begin at 2:30 p.m. The Main Library is located at 310 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
This afternoon, head out to Petra’s for a special celebration of life entitled Fest In Peace! Come enjoy a local music festival honoring the life of Petra’s founder, Jerry Brown. Musical acts include: Chócala, The Business People, 7thSoana aka Black Linen, Faye, Brut Beat, Monty Mak, GASP, Thousand Dollar Movie, Stress Fractures, Charles Walker, heckdang, Shutterings and School of Rock Charlotte House Band! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fest-in-peace-tickets-55534048835. The jump off is at 4 p.m. Petra’s is located at 1919 Commonwealth Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
The beautiful Jasmine Love of Rhythm & Praise Worship invites you out to a special interactive forum entitled, Depression Doesn’t Look Like Me: Christians + Emotional Health. You are most definitely not trippin’ — battles of your mind can result in stress, depression, doubt, anxiety, emptiness and so much more. Be equipped with biblical & practical tools to defeat the enemy’s plan to steal your joy. This afternoon, come kill the stigma and really tap into the resources that we need to become all that God has called us to be! This event will feature live entertainment, prayer & worship, a panel discussion and an open mic for testimonies. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/depression-doesnt-look-like-me-a-real-talk-about-christians-emotional-health-tickets-57299020914. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Dream Center Charlotte. 2229 Village Lake Dr.
AfroPop Nation is ready to kick things up a notch this Saturday as they invite you down to The Gantt Center for AfroPop Charlotte: The Bantu Experience, Vol. 2! Charlotte’s fastest growing celebration of Mama Africa returns Uptown with a night full of colorful, vibrant energy, music, fashion, dancing and fellowship! Activities include pop-up fashion shows, visual art showcases, SocaFit Caribbean dance classes, Mufuka Works African dance and drumming and an interactive arts & crafts class for kids in the early section of the evening. All music will be piloted by The Dynamic DJ Kato and DJ Steel Wheel. Tickets can bee purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afropop-charlotte-the-bantu-experience-the-gantt-center-vol-2-tickets-57034951074. The party will begin at 7 p.m. The Gantt Center is located at 551 S. Tryon St. in Uptown.
——-SUNDAY, MARCH 31——-
Put some life in your system this morning and head down to Central Food Hub for the Jai Food & Open Mic Vegan Market Pop Up! Gather your peoples and your palates as the Jai Food Southeast Asian Catering Co. crew brings forth a special Jai Delight Combo meal menu including various vegan foods, teas and more. And for your entertainment, my brother Touch One Productions’ Jaycee The Poet will be giving your ears the goods as he warms up the stage for anyone to come express their creative selves. Please pre-order plates by texting/calling (704)-879-1374. The event will begin at 11 a.m. Central Food Hub is located at 1911 Central Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
Educate 2 Engage, LLC invites you down to the Char-Meck Main Library for a special discussion entitled, “Community Read: The Hate U Give / Deconstructing Systems of Economic Immobility” this afternoon. Using Angie Thomas’ bestselling book, “The Hate U Give” as a guide, this Char-Meck Library community read workshop is designed to engage participants in an interactive experience focused on deconstructing systems of economic immobility by highlighting key themes from the book and imagining together, community-led/centered actions that align with one or more strategies outlined in the Leading On Opportunity (LOO) report. Admission is FREE and all ages are welcome to attend. The event will begin at 2 p.m. The main library is located at 310 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
Get in the game at Birdsong Brewing Co. and come out for the Birdsong Grand Prix: Mario Kart 64 this afternoon! Take a few laps around the track with Mario & the gang in a chance to win a cash prize and to raise funds benefitting JDRF (type 1 diabetes)! The $10 buy in will secure your place in the tournament! 50% of the money generated will go to the winner and the other 50% will go to JDRF. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/copy-of-birdsong-grand-prix-mario-kart-64-tickets-57219229255. The tournament begins at 2 p.m. Birdsong Brewery is located at 1016 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.
WDAV 89.9 FM invites you out to Free Range Brewing for the March installment of their Small Batch Concert Series. This afternoon, cellist Norbert Lewandowski will present a groundbreaking program of works by Pulitzer-prize winning composer David Lang, an original arrangement of a work by Philip Glass, and a fascinating piece by young American composer Andy Akiho. Lewandowski’s use of technology and recorded cellos will challenge your conception of chamber music, while adding a never-before-seen component to our Series at Free Range Brewing. Tickets can be purchased here: https://events.wdav.org/smallbatch-03312019/. The event will begin at 4 p.m. Free Range Brewing is located at 2320 N. Davidson St.
COMING SOON…
4/4 — Sol Summit 2019
4/5 – “Where I’m From” – A Bree Stallings Experience
4/5 – Blow Your Head
4/6 — Nations Ford Multicultural Festival
4/6 — USB Roulette: LET THERE BE VINYL
4/6 – FRESH: An Art, Food & Music Event
4/6 – RELEASE! Classic & Soulful House Party
4/6 – Off The Wall: Aries Edition
4/12 – Art After Dark
4/13 – Community Building Festival
4/13 — World Famous Hip-Hop Family Day 2019
4/13 – The Adult Easter Egg Hunt Party
4/14 — The Classic Black Cinema Series presents “For Love of Ivy”
4/20 — The Kandie Shoppe
4/26 – BOOM Charlotte
Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
Live. Laugh. Love. Learn. Listen. Give.
#WeekendWarrior #TheBlackFerrisBueller #EarsToDaSkreets #CommunityFirst