Don Imus is hip-hop's savior

During Nas’ performance at the Neighborhood Theatre on Wednesday, he took shots at President Bush and rapper 50 Cent. He also lamented the commercialization of rap music, and how MTV contributes to that.

But Nas didn't go overboard on his criticism of MTV, probably because the network had a camera crew there to tape his performance.

I get the feeling Nas’ "hip-hop is dead mantra" is more for publicity than it is to actually make hip-hop better. It reminds me of his inane feud with Jay-Z a few years ago.

This publicity ploy is worse because hip-hop really does need help, and it may get it in the most unusual place - Don Imus.

Thursday’s firing of Don Imus is going to reverberate throughout radio. If black leaders can rally enough to prompt CBS fire Imus, imagine what they could do if they really decide to unite against misogyny and violence in gangsta rap?

In announcing the decision to fire Imus, CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said: “There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society.”

Bryan Monroe, president of the National Association of Black Journalists and editorial director of Ebony and Jet magazines, said: “Something happened in the last week around America. It’s not just what the radio host did. America said enough is enough. America said we don’t want this kind of conversation, we don’t want this kind of vitriol, especially with teenagers.”

Monroe and Moonves are making a pitch to clean up the airwaves, and if others follow suit, the 50 Cents, Nellys, Snoop Doggs, Akons and similar artists -- who are getting rich degrading women -- will need to sing a new tune or watch their pockets get thinner.

Do you think Imus’ termination will affect hip-hop? Or do you think it’s a double-standard (that is, a rapper can call a black woman a derogatory name, but a white man can’t) with no lasting affect? Post your replies below.

Charlotte represented well for Nas

If hip-hop is dead, no one told the more than 1,000 people who crammed into the Neighborhood Theatre on Wednesday night to see Nas.

Bodies filled the aisles and every seat (upstairs and downstairs) inside the main area. The side stage was crowded as well, and unless you were packed up front, you couldn’t see anything.

With lights dimmed, Nas stalked out on stage reciting his eulogy for hip-hop, and then he lyrically resurrected the culture he so dearly loves. Sporting bright pink hair, Nas’ boo Kelis sat on the side of the stage and watched for several songs as he traversed through a set that included both hits and obscure songs that only hardcore fans know.

Of course, he performed “Hip Hop Is Dead,” along with “If I Ruled the World,” “Hate Me Now,” and “N.Y. State of Mind.”
It was a rare club appearance for Nas, and Charlotte represented well with a sold-out show.

Beer week kicks off tonight

The beer police are coming -- and I can't wait.

First, Observer restaurant critic Helen Schwab wrote a column lamenting frosty mugs and orange slices in beer. Egads!

Now, Creative Loafing wants beer drinkers to expand their palates, and embrace beers that actually taste good.

Whoa!

The Loaf's Chris Herring said he created Beer Week to tap into Charlotte's beer culture, especially people who enjoy homebrews and craft brews. He hopes people will learn about beer during the eight-day event, which features bar crawls, brewery tours and more.

I'm not sure Charlotte partiers want to embrace serious beer culture. It seems that partiers prefer large quantities of cheap beer, and aren't much interested in the taste.

I'm curious to see whether the people who participate in Beer Week will actually be interested in learning about beer ... or simply want to catch a buzz.

Are Charlotte partiers ready to embrace something classier than Bud and Miller? Or do they just want to get messed up? Post your replies below.

710 now The Pub at Gateway

Eduardo Romero (known as Chachi in the nightlife scene) and three partners are opening The Pub at Gateway in the space on West Trade Street that used to be 710 and, before that, Cuvee. Projected opening date is May 3.

First, let’s straighten one thing out: Romero and his partners --
Mike Ivie and Aaron and Tasha Guido -- lease the condo space from real estate developer Scott Bianchi. Bianchi said there have been a lot of rumors and misinformation floating around about who owned the property, especially when it was 710. I’m glad Bianchi cleared things up, because I was confused as well.

Now, let’s talk about The Pub.

Cuvee and 710 were upscale spots, but Chachi wants to create the American version of an Irish or English pub.

“We’re not trying to be a martini bar,” Chachi said. “We’re a neighborhood bar with good music.”

It will feature a variety of bottled and draft beers. Food will include wraps and signature sandwiches. At night, music will be similar to what is played at Cans: ’80s and Top 40 hip-hop and rock. Renovations include the addition of eight LCD TVs, a projection screen and woodwork behind the bar and along the walls.

All of that sounds good, but 710 is tiny and only holds about 150 people, and I wonder how Chachi will succeed where others have failed. (He did manage Phil’s Deli and Liquid Lounge, so at least he’s used to being successful with small spaces.) The Pub will have smaller furniture and some of the seating will be removed on weekends.

The Pub will be open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Friday for the lunch and after-work crowd, as well as late night partiers. It will be open from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Details: www.myspace.com/thepubatgateway

Road trip to New York

A bus trip to New York.

You knew there would be drama.

And there was plenty this past weekend, when a handful of friends and I joined a group of 250 people who took four buses from Charlotte to New York to see “The Color Purple” on Broadway.

Before I get into the drama, I will say that I had a great time. I paid $350 for the trip, which included the bus ride, excellent seats for the play, and rooms at a Sheraton hotel.

In New York, I shopped, enjoyed the play, and went clubbing at Cielo in the Meatpacking District.

The lessons I learned:
1) Plan your own itinerary before the trip.
2) Bring your laptop.
3) Know the address of where your planning to go, and don't be afraid to ask New Yorkers for help.
4) Don't rely on a chartered bus to get you anywhere on time in New York.
5) Bring cash for cabs, trains and the subway.
6) Wear comfortable shoes.
7) Do not eat a Greek omelet at 3 a.m. knowing you have to catch a bus back to Charlotte in six hours. Really bad idea.

The drama

We arrived at Hopewell High School on Beatties Ford Road for the registration at 10:30 Friday night. All four buses were already there. Maybe -- just maybe -- we might leave on schedule at 11 p.m., I thought.

Psych.

An hour later, I hoped we’d get on the road by midnight.
The delay? The line to register stretched down a hallway inside the building, and the organizers were collecting money for breakfast at the same time. Plus, there was confusion about whether we needed to have our bags while we waited in the registration line, and what we were supposed to do after we checked in.

Then there didn’t seem to be enough seats on the assigned buses. Everyone had to get off the bus and board one by one to make sure they were on the correct bus. Think of Noah’s Ark without the rain.

At midnight, we rumbled out of the parking lot. A few minutes later, I looked out of the window and realized that we weren’t cruising down I-77 headed to I-85. Instead, we were pulling into the parking lot of a mini-shopping center off Beatties Ford Road.

The bus driver dashed into a store, and then returned to the bus with an armful of toilet tissue. This trip wasn’t planned yesterday. Why wasn’t there any toilet tissue on the bus?

Who has the turkey pepperoni?

My friend Cee-lo is crawling on the floor of the bus looking for her package of turkey pepperoni.

Anytime you take a bus trip, you have to pack snacks. The traditional snacks for black folks are canned soda and fried chicken wrapped in aluminum foil.

But not L-Boogie and Cee-lo. They pull out two bottles of wine, turkey pepporoni and cheese. Somehow, the bag of turkey pepperoni (which was quite tasty) disappears. L-Boogie will not rest until she finds it. I swore I saw Frodo scurrying off with it toward the front of the bus.

Cee-lo crawls along the floor as passengers lift their legs and move their bags so she can see. Cee-lo finds the pepperoni!

Think of Gollum getting his hand on the ring -- my precious.

On the road again

It’s sometime after 2 a.m. on Saturday, and my friend Road Dawg yells, “We have an emergency! Stop the bus!”

I look under my seat for a defibrillator. I figure someone must be having a heart attack. Nope. Road Dawg’s sister is having a panic attack.

Apparently, the toilet tissue-less bus driver sprayed some kind of disinfectant in the bathroom (which hadn’t been cleaned prior to the trip) that smelled awful. The combination of the tight quarters and the odor made Road Dawg’s sister feel claustrophobic and sick.
We pass her plastic bags, and the bus driver pulls off the road so she cang get some fresh air.

The ugly rumor

We’re sitting in Golden Corral in Landover, Maryland, when the rumor starts. It’s 10 a.m., and we were supposed to be at the restaurant three hours ago. There’s a rumor going around that we're going straight to the city instead of stopping at the hotel, because we are so behind schedule.

Now, mind you, some women are wearing bedroom clothes and slippers, and folks haven’t brushed their teeth or washed their 2000 Lever parts in more than eight hours. Yuck. We plan a mutiny.

Homey We Made It

We arrive at our hotel about 3 p.m. I quiz the hotel staff about catching the train to and from New York. I bump into Road Dawg, who’s looking for ice, and ask when the bus will head to the city. She doesn’t know.

I return to the room. Road Dawg sends me a text at 4:17 p.m.: “Bus leaving at 4:15 p.m.”

I laugh. I haven’t showered, and there’s a Maker’s on the rocks calling my name. Road Dawg is on the bus. I text L-Boogie and tell her my girl and I are taking the train into the city.
L-Boogie, Cee-lo, my girl and I catch the 4:55 p.m. train to New York.

Road Dawg, who is on the bus, sends me a text: “We still riding.” It’s 5:42 p.m.

Our train announcer announces our arrival at Penn Station.
We get off the train. My spidey senses tingle. I look at the signs, and I see one for Newark airport. I don’t think we’re at the right Penn Station. We head downstairs and ask a police officer. He laughs. It's a common mistake. We’re at Newark Penn Station, not New York Penn Station.

The next train to New York is at 6:15 p.m.

It’s 5:45 p.m. We grab sandwiches and sit in a bar to kill time.

Road Dawg sends me a text at 5:59 p.m.

“Still riding.”

Partying at the Cielo

The DJ plays ’90s house music hits. Two men vogue.
The last time I saw guys vogueing was at a gay bar in Winston-Salem in October. I figured they were just country, and didn’t know vogueing was so '90s.

I don’t know what to make of these guys. We’re at Cielo nightclub, and it’s a Sunday night. The club is famous for Monday night’s Deep Space party, which features DJ Francois K. Co-owner Nicolas Matar DJ'd for eight years at Pacha, the renowned Ibiza club, before opening Cielo.

Cielo is an intimate dance club with a lounge feel. It has a sunken dance floor, cozy ground-level tables, and soft log-like seats surrounding the dance floor. There’s a heated patio outside, and the bar is only large enough to order drinks, not linger and sit.

On Sunday night, the club seemed like the island of misfit toys. There is an odd collection of people -- gay and straight, corny and cool. Nearly everyone in the club dances. A few smoke on the outdoor patio. A handful stand around the bar watching the dancers.
The DJ spins house music songs I grew up with, such as “Lonely People.”

It’s 12:15 a.m. Monday, and the last train back to New Jersey leaves at 1:48 a.m. I tell everyone in our crew -- my girl, Road Dawg, Cee-lo, L-Boogie and another couple -- that we have to leave the club by 1 a.m., or we will be stuck in New York.

OJ Simpson time

We leave Cielo at 1 a.m., and head to the subway station. It takes about 15 minutes to get there. At 1:25 a.m., we’re standing on the track waiting for the train that will get us back to Penn Station, where we have to buy tickets and catch another train to New Jersey.

L-Boogie says we’re not going to make it.

The train arrives a few minutes later. We arrive at Penn Station at 1:37 a.m. I sprint up the steps to find the NJ Transit kiosks. An announcer says the last train to New Jersey leaves in 10 minutes.
My girl looks for a transit official to figure out what track the New Jersey train leaves from. The rest of us buy tickets.

Five minutes to go.

Me, my girl and Road Dawg sprint down the steps to Track 9. The train is already there. Four of our friends haven’t made it down the steps yet.

I’m having visions of an earlier incident on Sunday afternoon, when L-Boogie and a couple of other folks missed a train. But that was in New Jersey, and the next one came 15 minutes later.

This time, we were in New York, and this was the last train out of the city. I look up the steps. The last four storm down the stairs.

We all make it.

I smile, thinking I will never take a bus trip to New York again, and I will never stay in New Jersey again.
But boy did I have fun.

What about "The Color Purple?"

I’m not blogging about the musical. Read my take on “The Color Purple” next week in my online column That’s Wassup!.

I will tell you this: Fantasia, who watched from a balcony seat on Sunday, is going to be great as Celie. She has a much stronger voice than the current actress.

Fantasia makes her Broadway debut on Tuesday, and I have a feeling that performance will be emotionally overwhelming for her. It’s her first, and too much of Celie’s life mirrors her own.

Tilt's grand opening

If you ever went to Liquid Lounge, you probably won’t recognize the place the first time you walk into Tilt. The change isn’t as dramatic as the Mythos to Forum renovation, but it's a huge improvement.

On Thursday, I joined a couple hundred people at the grand-opening party, and the place looks great. Tilt's owners are Dixie’s Tavern’s Lucas Johns, Anthony Karey and Chris Peavey, and Adam Parker of Time lounge, and the time and money they put into the renovation shows.

Tilt has hardwood floors throughout the main room. The curtained area to the left of the main entrance is gone, and so is the VIP area that took up half of the dance floor. The colors are warm chocolate-browns, and large art installations and mirrors hang on the walls. The patio now has better canvas over the roof.

Tilt feels roomier than Liquid. There are bistro tables throughout the martini lounge, and several flat-screen TVs. The renovations surprised me, but the music on Thursday night was an even bigger surprise: I expected the typical hip-hop, but the DJ spun “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Shout” and rock music. It was refreshingly odd music mix.

Donkey show worth the drive to Salisbury

I can’t tell you what “The Donkey Show: A Midsummer Night’s Disco,” currently playing at the Meroney Theater in the Salisbury, was about.

I can tell you that on Thursday night I laughed more during the play -- a disco version of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – than I did during the movie “Norbit.”

Here’s what I know: There are three couples, and each person lusts after someone else's partner. Two beefy guys in pale blue leisure suits and Afro wigs call themselves the Vinnies and think they're sexy. A fairy on roller skates gives people Funky Cold Medina, which makes them all pass out and then wake up in love with their partner. Oh, and there's a conga line through the audience and a Cirque Du Soleil-style dance number complete with masquerade masks and costumes.

Like I said, it was confusing. Since everyone wears glittery outfits, platform shoes, bell-bottoms and sings songs such as “Staying Alive,” “Car Wash” and “I’m Your Boogie,” does the play really need to make sense? The play takes place on a disco dance floor, which extends into the orchestra seats of the theater. Audience members sit on the stage and get to dance with cast members. If you’re not careful, one of the Vinnies might sit on your lap.

Piedmont Players' production of “The Donkey Show” is kitschy in a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” way. It’s worth the 45-minute drive from downtown Charlotte. Arrive early enough to grab a glass of wine at the Blue Vine next door to the theater. It makes the play funnier.

Did I mention there’s a dance number set to the music of the Mos Eisley cantina scene in “Star Wars”? Well, there is. R2-D2 makes an appearance, too. So, does a donkey.

McSwain case leaves a lot of unanswered questions

Matt Bolick has a lot of explaining to do.
So does 15-year-old Bethany McSwain.
And so does McSwain’s mama, Jill.

Bolick and the McSwains are at the center of a he-said-she-said tale of underage drinking, partying and bad judgment.

Two things are certain.

*Bolick, 39, an assistant manager at the Forum, was led away from the nightclub in handcuffs on Saturday. (That doesn’t look good for the city’s club industry.) He faces three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and four counts of giving or selling alcohol to a minor. Bolick is out on bond.

The Observer reported that Bolick is accused of allowing three girls - ages 14, 15 and 16 - into the bar and giving them mixed drinks. WBTV reported that Bolick is accused of taking the trio to his apartment and giving them alcohol, and then leading all three into the Forum.

*Taxpayers’ money was wasted because police searched for Bethany McSwain after her mother said she disappeared from home last Thursday. Bethany was found safely at UNC Charlotte early Tuesday morning after several students reported seeing her there.

Those things are certain, but how we came to that is confusing.

Jill McSwain has told the media that she discovered on Bethany’s MySpace page that her daughter was partying at the Forum and that she met Bolick on MySpace.

Bolick isn’t talking.

An e-mail statement issued by the Forum management on Wednesday read:
“On Wednesday, March 21st, The Forum staff was approached by a woman who stated that her 15-year-old daughter was inside the club. She was located, removed from the venue and then left with her mother. On Friday, March 23rd, the mother returned to The Forum to look for her daughter again. The girl was not inside the venue and has not returned to The Forum since she was removed on March 21.”

The club said it has no evidence that the allegations made against Bolick are true. The assistant manager is under temporary suspension. Club management also said that, contrary to media reports, the Forum has not been contacted by Alcohol Law Enforcement regarding any investigation or violations related to this matter.

Like I said, it’s confusing, but three people have some explaining to do. Bolick is a longtime nightclub veteran. Before joining the staff at the Forum, he worked as a DJ at Liquid Lounge. It’s unconscionable that he would knowingly give minors alcohol or take three teenage girls to his place.

Bethany has some explaining to do as well. Why is a 15-year-old sneaking into nightclubs? The only thing a 15-year-old is going to find at an adult nightclub is trouble. And has she really been chillin’ at UNC Charlotte the last few days while people looked for her?

Mama Jill isn’t off the hook either. If she dragged Bethany out of The Forum last Wednesday, how did her daughter disappear the next day?

If my mother had dragged me out of a club on Wednesday night, I’d still be recuperating in the hospital on Thursday.

Post your comments below.

Plaza-Midwood getting piano bar

Plaza-Midwood is becoming the place to be. Another club is opening there in the next month.

Petra’s Piano Bar and Cabaret is scheduled to open on Commonwealth Avenue next to the Penguin on April 13. Chris Hollar a Greensboro native, and Robb Huddleston, a Gastonia native, are opening the bar, which is modeled after Rose’s Turn and the Duplex. Both are piano bars in New York’s West Village.

At Petra’s, bartenders and cocktail waiters will sing sets throughout the night. The music will range from ’60s love songs to Broadway tunes to contemporary songs.

Guests will also be able to make requests and sing with the piano player. Huddleston said he will be bringing friends from New York to perform in cabaret shows and one-man shows. The club will also have a cabaret room with performances.

It’s going to be a fun place for the theatre crowd and the people who hang out in the Plaza-Midwood area, said Huddleston, who said he co-founded the Muddy Cup coffeehouse in New York. It also featured live entertainment.

Petra's is the second club announcement in the last week for Plaza-Midwood area, and as I said last week, I'm working on getting the information for one other place. I've often written that Plaza-Midwood could surpass NoDa in hipness.

Why do you think Plaza-Midwood is becoming so popular? Post your replies below.

(Also coming soon: Tilt, at Trade and Tryon, is scheduled to open officially on March 29. Get your invitation at www.tiltcharlotte.com.)

John Edwards at the Forum

Holding a fundraising campaign at the Forum sounded like a good way to draw young hip voters, but most of the folks who showed up for the John Edwards fundraiser on Monday evening were far from hip.

The event drew a mix of voters who looked like card-carrying members of the Young Democrats of North Carolina and card-carrying members of the Old Democrats of North Carolina (FYI: there’s no such association). The 75-100 people who turned out to see Edwards were stiff and serious looking. Although Boyd Tinsley’s band cranked out jamming covers of Marvin Gaye and more, no one seemed willing to dance. Tinsley is a violinist for the Dave Matthews Band, and Tinsley’s band is worth seeing.

The few people who were dancing during the band’s performance happened to be Edwards’ staffers. I snapped a picture of one campaign staffer dancing, and she freaked out saying that she couldn’t have her picture taken. After resuscitating her with a defibrillator, I deleted the picture. Whoa.

If Edwards’ or any other candidate seriously wanted to draw new and hip blood they should bumrush places. For example, instead of holding a scheduled fundraiser at the Forum, they should takeover the Forum on a Wednesday night. It’s college night so everyone should at least be age 18. The campaign peeps could buy a round of drinks for everyone; Edwards could deliver the same speech he’s delivered in a zillion other stops and have his staff register voters on-site. They could do the same thing at the Penguin, the Milestone and Tremont Music Hall. (Please note: I don’t cover politics so I’m not sure if providing free beer and registering voters is illegal, but if it is then don’t register voters, but keep the beer.).

Tinsley’s band played for more than an hour and then audience members watched a short video montage of Edwards’ speeches and interviews. After chilling in Pravda lounge, Edwards appeared about 8:30 p.m. While Tinsley performed, Edwards posed for pictures and shook hands. Then he took the stage and said what you’d expect: Bush is ruining the country, Congress needs to step up, everyone deserves healthcare, and we have to save the Earth, blah, blah. Don’t get me wrong, Edwards sounds like he believes what he’s saying but considering that we’d just heard the same variation of that speech on the video montage, it didn’t sound authentic.

Oh lastly, Edwards’s folks ought to change up his wardrobe. Levis and a blue pinstriped shirt aren’t hip or casual. At least give the dude a fat belt buckle with the Wright Brothers airplane on it and a funkier shirt. What does he have to lose?

St. Paddy’s Day round-up

The scene was sedate when I arrived at the Attic about 8:30 p.m. The crowd ebbed and flowed in bars through out uptown on Saturday night. According to Paid to Party’s Throw Some D’s, there was an hour and half wait to get inside Cans at one point on Saturday. By 9 p.m. there was no line. When I headed home about 12:30 a.m., there was a line outside of Cans.

This is the first time in seven years that St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Saturday. Some bars opened at 8 or 9 a.m. Judging from the looks on the face of Attic co-owner Tommy Timmins, many bar and restaurant staff worked all day to accommodate the mass of people.

I started at Galway Hooker Pub about 5 p.m. then worked my way to uptown, and finished at Dixie’s after midnight.

Where did you go for St. Patrick’s Day? And how was it?

St. Paddy’s at Galway Hooker Pub

To everyone I met in Galway Hooker Pub on Saturday afternoon, I apologize if I smelled funky. I came straight to the pub after teaching a motorcycle class at Mitchell Community College that afternoon.

When I arrived at Galway, there was a line to get inside. Once inside, I met St. Patrick - he didn’t have any snakes. The pub drew a mix of families with children, couples and throngs of young people having a good time. The band Spin played a mix of Irish drinking songs and oldies, such as Simon & Garfunkel.

I learned the song “Whiskey In a Jar.”