By Shawn D. Allison, II
What’s the word family? It has gotten mighty cold over the past week, but not to worry because I’ve found all sorts of flyness guaranteed to warm your souls! Please be sure to bundle up and engage in regular health and wellness checks during these climate changes. In the meantime and in between time, check out what I got steaming on my Hot List just below!
- THURSDAY – The Outcome at The McColl Center
- THURSDAY – VegFest Jr. at Camp North End
- THURSDAY—SATURDAY – Once On This Island – The Musical
- FRDIAY — Take One: The Gospel Truth feat. Gabby Moore
- SATURDAY – O’ Taste & See at Armored Cow Brewing, Co.
- SATURDAY – View The Right Thing Film + Discussion Series screening of “Higher Learning”
- SATURDAY – Freaquency360 LIVE at Tip Top Daily Market
- SATURDAY – Chocolate Art CLT presents Healing: The Interactive Art Show
- SATURDAY — Thuggishness: A Celebration of CLT Hip-Hop, Pt. II at Snug Harbor
- SUNDAY — GBM Smooth Jazz R&B Groove Holiday Experience
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, NOVEMBER 14——–
All my fellow art enthusiasts, you’re invited out to The McColl Center for a special party this evening called The Outcome! Here’s your opportunity to celebrate the closing of the fall 2019 artist residency season at McColl Center and to see what artists-in-residence Anna Garner, Jason H. Green, Lacey McKinney, Pablo Rasgado, Sherrill Roland and Brittney Leeanne Williams have been working on during their residencies. Live music will be provided by Alfred Sergel IV, playing his original music which fuses pop melodic undertones with a classic jazz piano trio. Also, there will be a beer and wine bar. Admission is FREE but please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-outcome-tickets-77898296903. The event will begin at 6 p.m. The McColl Center is located at 721 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
Are you an aspiring stage actor/actress whose willing to enhance your skills? Brand New Sheriff Productions has joined forced with ASC Culture Blocks to bring to you an interactive theatrical platform entitled The Masterclass. Come and manifest your character from the page to the stage and learn the fine are of character development and breakdown with renowned director, playwright and founder of C.A.S.T., Dee Abdullah. If interested, please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-masterclass-the-art-of-character-development-acting-tickets-76434302055. The session will begin at 6 p.m. at the Albemarle Road Rec Center. 5027 Idlewild Rd. North.
Feel good, clean and eat green at Camp North End this evening and come out for Vegfest Jr.! Come experience Charlotte’s only and fully vegan food court and market with a bevy of vegan beverages, meals, snacks, body products and more. Small, reasonably priced bites, sweets and treats will be available from Nourish, Cooking With Joya, Ve-Go, Title Belt Ice Cream, Viva Raw and more! There will also be Information on local animal rescues and not-for-profits, as well as a stacked raffle will be on deck as well. Admission is FREE to attend. The event will begin at 7 p.m. Camp North End is located at 1824 Statesville Rd.
This week and weekend, bring the entire tribe out to experience some theatrical magic as Blumenthal Performing Arts proudly presents the riveting, vibrant, emotional and powerful Once On This Island —The Musical! Winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is the sweeping, universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart. Showtimes and ticket purchases are listed here: https://www.carolinatix.org/even…/detail/once-on-this-island. All shows will be held at the Belk Theater. 130 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
——–FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15——–
Hey kids, come explore your creativity today at The Gantt Center as they invite you out to a special workshop entitled, Fine Art Friday: Acrylics for Children! Join teaching artist Bree Stallings as she guides the little ones through the diverse and creative uses of acrylic paint. All supplies will be provided for a hands-on art experience in which you create a piece to take home with you! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fine-art-friday-acrylics-for-children-tickets-78025212511. The class will begin at 11 a.m. The Gantt Center is located at 551 S. Tryon St. in Uptown.
It’s all things Carolina tonight as The Discovery Place invites you out to the November after hours experimentation station entitled, Science on the Rocks: Sweet Carolina! Celebrate all things Carolinas at this night out at the museum with highlights of Carolina-made products and progress. Activities include: paper planes at the First In Flight station, withstanding the heat of Carolina reaper pepper, kick like a football professional at the Field Goal Challenge, learn about home brewing with award-winners from Carolina Brewmasters, get a photo with everyone’s favorite mascot, Sir Purr and much more! Tickets can be purchased here: https://science.discoveryplace.org/explore/events/science-on-the-rocks-sweet-carolina. This event is for persons 21+ with proper I.D. The event will begin at 5 p.m. The Discovery Place is located at 301 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
Get ready for a night of laughs and lessons at Take One: The Gospel Truth feat. Gabby Moore! Life! What is it REALLY all about? Gabby thinks she knows! Come hear the facts of life like you have never heard them before in the form of a one-woman variety show including stand-up, music, improv and more creative talent in this fun night of comedy with the many faces of Gabby Moore. It’s the last life lesson you’ll ever need! Tickets can be purchased here: http://catch.theater/shows/all-shows?fbclid=IwAR07dnXZPZ-nL_kTuDTfkL2jd_0XFMNsEZygAwKGZsNbX5DIY4_Ajp4H-og#156155. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the @comedyartstheaterofclt. 4200 South Blvd., Suite “B.”
Calling all Winthrop University alumni, The Sol Kitchen is ready to kick your homecoming weekend off the Eagles way, proudly presenting the WU Kickoff 2019 & Tramare The DJ Birthday Celebration! It may be cold, but it’s all things garnet and gold as you celebrate your homecoming with a special kickoff party sonically piloted by one of Charlotte’s favorite turntablists and birthday honoree, Tramare the DJ! Bring your crew down and get down with the sounds of Classic Hip Hop, R&B, Neo-Soul, Pop, Reggae, Go-Go, House and much more! RSVPs and tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wu-kickoff-2019-tramare-the-dj-birthday-celebration-tickets-75607613407. The jump off is at 9 p.m. at Suite. 210 E. Trade St. in Uptown.
——–SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16——–
High schoolers, are you considering alternatives to a four-year college degree? If so, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library invites you out to a special College & Career Connections Trade School Fair! Here’s a great opportunity to explore programs offered at trade school organizations, educational institutions and colleges in the Charlotte area. Nearly a dozen local educational institutes and organizations will be on hand with representatives to offer insight about their programs, layouts and are willing to offer any and all questions you may have. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the Sugar Creek Library Branch. 4045 N. Tryon St.
The sounds of soul have seeped into the pages of softcovers as Jewell Treats, LLC hosts a special Black Saturday Book Signing with Anthony Hamilton! Feel the melody of hometown hero and Grammy Award-winning crooner Soul Brother Anthony Hamilton as he pours his heart out in his first, newly-released memoir, “Cornbread, Fish N’ Collard Greens!” There will also be a number of local vendors with lots of nifty gift ideas for the holidays. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-saturday-anthony-hamilton-book-signing-and-vendor-event-tickets-79101481661. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at The Gantt Center. 551 S. Tryon St. in Uptown.
It may be chilly outside, but come get your day warmed up as Moxie Society invites you to the I Still Love the 90s Brunch Party! Turn your Saturday up a notch with your friends, delicious cocktails, tasty Southern-inspired brunch eats and funky treats from DJ Loui Vee spinning the hottest of classic Hip Hop, R&B, Top 40, Pop and much more! Admission is FREE to attend. The event jumps off at 11 a.m. at Recess CLT. 832 Seigle Ave. in the Belmont Neighborhood.
This morning, come and step away from all the hustle and bustle in contemporary society and partake in a more sophisticated rhythm at the Detroit Ballroom & Chicago Steppin’ Line Dance Class! If you want to be away from the madness of the Top 40 scene, put a stride a glide, a dip in your hip and join your lovely instructor Kim Pickett for an evening of classic Midwest dancing styles set to a soothing soundtrack! Tickets are $15 per person. Please call: (704)-401-8890 for further details. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Fusion Force Fitness Complex. 3716 West W.T. Harris Blvd., Suite “A”.
Dear Soul Music Co. is ready to strike another chord as they proudly present their newest initiative, The Artist’s Way: Creative Clusters Meet Up Workshop! The ‘Artist’s Way Creative Clusters’ is a 12-week program based off of Julia Cameron’s best-selling book called, “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity”. The Artist’s Way, originally written in 1992, is an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life. The Creative Clusters serve as a weekly gathering for blocked, aspiring, and emerging creatives of all mediums looking to explore their greatest creative potential and serves as a distillate of forty years of artistic practice. It is an experiential book intended to teach people to process and transform life through acts of creative action, as opposed to through theory. Artists of all creative mediums are welcome. Please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-artists-way-creative-clusters-meet-up-tickets-65277133664. The event will begin at 1 p.m. at the Steele Creek Library Branch. 13620 Steel Creek Rd.
Prepare your palates for a plenteous feast as Sae Productions and Promote My Vision proudly presents O’ Taste & See! Come enjoy the tastes from local culinary businesses with a wide variety of appetizers, entrée samples, desserts and other tasty treats. There will also be music, raffles, vendors, games, prizes and much more! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/o-taste-see-tickets-73205123495. The event will begin at 1 p.m. at Armored Cow Brewing, Co. 8821 J.W. Clay Blvd. in the University Area.
People, it’s November and this Saturday catch some more cinematic action as Charlotte Mecklenburg Library hosts the fourth installment of the View The Right Thing Film + Discussion Series! For today’s episode, take your senses on a conscious journey from Brooklyn to the Left Coast as we view the late, great John Singleton’s classic and riveting 1995 sentiment, “Higher Learning”. Youngsters from different countries, races and social backgrounds are forced to integrate when they all enroll at Columbus University. And out of a myriad of obstacles to endure and overcome, one overwhelming element binds them all together–racism. This film is rated “R” and there will be a post-film discussion after the viewing. FREE admission. 1 p.m. at the Beatties Ford Regional Library. 2412 Beatties Ford Rd.
Black Business Owners of Charlotte is ready to rev up the engines one mo’ gin’ this year as they invite you out to the Charlotte’s BEST Food Truck Competition 2019! Bring the entire crew and your taste buds out to choose from your favorite burger, cultural dish, dessert and signature dish from a variety of Charlotte’s most heralded Black-owned culinary chariots! Once you decide on the sample which left your mouth watering, use your tokens to vote. Guests who arrive between 3-6 p.m. will enjoy tasty samples from all participating trucks. Your ticket includes 10 complimentary tokens with the option to purchase as many tokens as you like. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/charlottes-best-food-truck-competition-tickets-70254143033. The event will begin at 3 p.m. at Renaissance Park. 1536 W. Tyvola Rd.
Slide out to Tip Top Daily Market for the November installment of the not-your-average networking jam session entitled, Freaquency360 Live! This gathering of creatives will feature some dope music of course, but at the core its main focus is to create a platform for artists and art enthusiasts to meet, greet and collectively share positive vibrations. Today’s focus will feature “take-no-ish” artist and educator Carla Lopez and one of Plaza-Midwoods’s favorite venue owners, musicians and king of the moustaches, Perry Fowler! Come and hear their thoughts on why they feel the QC is so dope and how it could be better, the importance of activism in the arts, community viewpoints and much more. There will be a special guest DJ providing the grooves for this session. Hosted by Jah Freedom. Admission is FREE. The event will begin at 2:30 p.m. Tip Top Daily Market is located at 2902 The Plaza Rd.
Immerse yourselves into a world where art, Blackness and therapy intersects as Chocolate Art CLT presents a creative showcase entitled, Healing: The Interactive Art Show! Enjoy this evening of communal artistic healing as featured artists Tiffany Wilkins and Lillian Blanche provide a therapeutic and atmosphere within a world where our existence faces a chronic onslaught of malevolent deeds. Original artworks will be available for purchased throughout the show. Hors d’oeuvres and complimentary beverages will also be provided. Please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chocolate-art-clt-presents-healing-the-interactive-art-show-tickets-75595384831. The event will begin at 6y p.m. at NoDa @ 28th Creative Arts Studios. 2424 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.
OutenLove Events wants to add some spice to your Saturday night as they proudly present the 3-Year Anniversary & The Meet Market Singles Party! The weather is getting colder and if you’re looking for a new boo for this holiday season and desire to eventually spring into the arms of someone new, bring yourselves, your own flyness and your friends out for an evening of nonstop fun! Over 500 people have attended each of these events in the past and it’s always guaranteed to be a surefire hit! There will be a social hour and some dope musical vibes provided by DJs Fannie Mae and Johnny Kaydee who’ll turn up the heat with more hot tracks to enjoy! Please dress to impress. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-meet-market-singles-mixer-tickets-77582155315. The event will begin at 9 p.m. at Stats Restaurant & Lounge. 3425 David Cox Rd. in the University Area. #OutenLoveEvents #BlackSinglesCLT
First 2 First Ent, LLC invites you to live in the moment with music proudly presenting All A Dream Saturday! Head down to Press Box for an evening of nonstop fun with famed DJ Paradime spinning the hottest of Hip Hop, R&B, Top 40, Trap and much more on the 1s and 2s! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-a-dream-tickets-74296850881. The jump off is at 9 p.m. at Press Box Bar & Grill. 9609 N. Tryon St. in the University Area.
Fall is in full effect but the fire is still burning as The Bantu Fete Team invite you out to Crown Station for AfroPop CLT Vol. 37! Bring your friends and live it up Mama Africa style with two of the QC’s hardest working sonic maestros, The Dynamic DJ Kato and DJ Steel Wheel for an unforgettable night of Afrobeats, Afro-House, Soca, Reggae, Dancehall, Latin flavors, Hip Hop, R&B, some live African drumming thrown in the mix and much, much more! Also, be sure to support the various vendors supplying lots of garments, jewelry, accessories, homemade skin and hair products and more! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afropop-charlotte-vol37-afrobeats-soca-live-drums-more-tickets-79203065501. The party starts at 9:30 p.m. Crown Station is located at 3629 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.
Charlotte’s got a lot of Hip Hop energy, but unfortunately some venues choose to pass over these brilliant acts out of fear. That’s why you need to come down to one the QC’s most beloved joints, Snug Harbor for Thuggishness: A Celebration of CLT Hip-Hop, Pt. II! Everyone come and gear your ears to the stage and get a dose of creative thuggish ruggish from Simon SMTHNG, Phaze Gawd, Seph Dot, FLLS, Axnt and SeeBirdGo! If you’re tired of what the mainstream is doing and crave to hear a fresh new vibe, this is where you need to be! Tickets can be purchased here: https://snugrock.tunestub.com/event.cfm?cart&id=308781. The jump off is at 10 p.m. Snug Harbor is located at 1228 Gordon St. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
——–SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17——–
This afternoon, join culinary podcast OrderFire for a special live interview and screening with Charlotte’s dopest and Blackest culinary collective, Soul Food Sessions! This talented group is working to draw more attention to the talents of people of color in the culinary world. The food they make, often Southern food with an African twist, is pretty amazing, too. Hear chefs Greg & Subrina Collier, mixologist Justin Hazelton, Jamie Barnes, Gregory Williams, Mike Bowling and Jamie Turner chop up their recipes on how Black creativity in the kitchen can be a feast that everyone can and should enjoy. Admission is FREE to attend. The event will begin at 12 noon at Free Range Brewery. 2330 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.
Elements of Empowerment, Inc. invites you to a soothing Sunday session of music at the GBM Smooth Jazz R&B Groove Holiday Experience! Bring your friends out for an afternoon of classic and smooth jazz flavors provided by sax man Gabriel Bello and company, who’ll be performing a collection of holiday staples through instrumentation. Tickets can be purchased here: https://elementsofempowerment.yapsody.com/event/book/465791/30421371. Doors open at 3 and the show will begin promptly at 4 p.m. The performance will be held at the Abbey Players Belmont Community Theater. 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Rd.
COMING SOON…
11/19—11/24 – The Play That Goes Wrong
11/20 – ONDAS do Brasil – November Edition
11/21 – JazzArts Charlotte presents The Jazz Room: Andy Page plays Django Reinhardt
11/22—11/23 – JazzArts Charlotte presents The Jazz Room: Vanessa Ferguson sings Nina Simone
11/23 – Media Maven Connect
11/23 – Jazz N’ Soul Music presents Pieces of a Dream LIVE
11/24 – Hot Stuff Pop-Up Market Holiday Edition
11/29 – Brand Nubian LIVE
11/29 – Black Friday Day Party
11/30 – Radio Rehab Carolinas presents JUSTICE 4 ALL
11/30 – Black Saturday Small Business Saturday
12/1 – Women Who Jam
12/6 – An Evening With Kim & Kayla Waters
12/7 – Off The Wall: Wu Tang Forever V.7 feat. The JETA Team
12/8 – Classic Black Cinema Series presents “A Woman Called Moses”
“We write for the same reason that we walk, talk, climb mountains or swim the oceans – because we can. We have some impulse within us that makes us want to explain ourselves to other human beings.” –Dr. Maya Angelou
Live. Laugh. Love. Learn. Listen. Give.
#WeekendWarrior #TheBlackFerrisBueller #EarsToDaSkreets #CommunityFirst