May / June 2017 My City Letter From The Editor May / June 2017 Hi Charlotte, My City Magazine and staff hope that you are all enjoying a lovely spring and summer. In this issue, we have included some events in your city that run during the months of May and June. Tommy Heffner gives us a review of local stoner metal band Green Fiend and Becky Huskins tell us what she thinks about The Menders’ new album “Nina”. Amanda Dickinson schools us on why our beer tastes so good in “Brewing Ingredients and Martin “the Clown” Barry gives us his advice column and his comic strip “Micro Monsters”. We met local artists Nico Amortegui and Sarah Pollock and get to know the man behind the Double Door Inn rings, Brian Carpenter. We hope you enjoy this issue and thank you for reading. Don’t forget to check out the exhaustive event listing on MyCityMagazine.net and subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Enjoy today and every day, Ellen Gurley and the other My City Magazine personalities Ellen Gurley MyCityMagazine.net P.O. Box 5606 Charlotte, NC 28299 704.575.6611 Twitter: MyCityCharlotte Instagram: MyCityMagazineCharlotte Like us on Facebook: MyCityMagazineCharlotte Media kits with advertising information can be obtained by contacting [email protected] Cover illustration by: John Hairston, Jr. Hire him for your next commission or event (he does live art). [email protected] 2 | mycitymagazine.net Contributors this Issue Designer Owner / Editor Cover Illustrator Columnist Columnist / Comics Columnist Columnist mycitymagazine.net | 3 Contents Letter from the Editor 2 Contributors 3 The Menders 5 Ask The Clown 7 Events in Your City 9 Green Fiend 10 Nico Amortegui 12 Brewing Ingrediants 15 Brian Carpenter: Double Door Rings 18 Micro Monsters 20 Sarah Pollock 21 4 | mycitymagazine.net The Menders' "Nina" review by Becky Huskins I love music. But what I love even more is music with passion. The first time I saw The Menders, I saw it. Lead singer and guitarist Jesse Watson closes his eyes and sings sweetly. Guitarist and vocalist Wes Forbus tilts his head back and cries out. Phillip Anderson bangs his drums and also belts words out to the sky. And then Jonny Boswell seems to nearly squat at his keyboard all the while growling out his part of the lyrics. It’s loud, it’s emotional, it’s exciting and it’s passionate. I thought I could only really catch that passion from a live performance until I got my early download of their new record, Nina. From the hard-driving kick-off song, “Carolina Highway”, I am immediately pulled in. Jesse’s beautifully pure vocals create a kind of cataclysmic moment with the guys chiming in behind him with their powerful sound. Jonny’s voice has a very different style which is easily recognized on a song like “Where Are You Now” with its classic bluesy style and gut-wrenching vocals. I also really like the even more up-tempo and slightly jazzy “Delores” which also features Jonny’s raspy voice. I was repeating “uh-huh, uh-huh” for days after I heard that one. It’s no wonder to me how much I dig The Menders. They cite some of my favorite bands as their biggest influences: The Beatles, The Doors, Jack White, and The Black Crowes. These guys describe their sound as “raw garage folk”, and I really can’t think of better words for it. Together since 2011, The Menders originate from Gastonia, and bring their certain small town grittiness and rural vibe to their music. I can’t really describe it, but if you grew up in a big town/small city you’ll know just the kind of aura I mean. It’s the sound of driving down country roads with good-looking people in pick-up trucks. It’s the sound of freedom and of home. I wouldn’t really call it dirty, but it’s not altogether clean either. mycitymagazine.net | 5 The band members use words like “dark” and “morbid” to describe a lot of their songs, and it’s apparent on a tune like “Room for Two” which isn’t on Nina but was featured on their recent visit to Independent Artist Spotlight on WSGE 91.7. But while a song like “End of the World” may have a dark title and dark subject matter, it’s just too rocking and sexy to make you feel bad. And speaking of sexy, “Like Me Too” is the kind of song your mother warned you about. It makes you, uh, feel things. It’s a tough call, but I think my favorite song on the record is “Out of the Light” because it combines every element that makes The Menders a true phenomenon: the tender vocal stylings, the powerful driving sound, the garage-style guitars, and story-telling lyrics that paint a dark but beautiful picture. I can also hear some of their local influences in their style like David Childers and The Serpents, Sinners & Saints and Bless These Sounds Under the City. With everyone kicking in on the creative process, these guys are all practically always writing and coming up with new tunes. When I saw them just before the release of Nina, they had already moved on to performing new songs created after the record was cut last fall (Old House Studio). That gives me hope that we’ll hear a lot from these guys for years to come. At least I hope we do. Photography credit Album Cover: Emily Quezada Tintype: Jeff Howlett (Howlermano Photography) TheMendersNC.com | Twitter.com/TheMendersNC | Facebook.com/pg/TheMendersNC UPCOMING SHOWS • May 19th-20th @ Union County Dragway • May 25th @ Quest Brewing Co. (Greenville, SC) • June 30th - July 2nd @ Heavy Rebel Weekender (Winston-Salem). 6 | mycitymagazine.net Ask The Clown What do I know I'm just a clown? Advice from Martin "The Clown" Barry Dear Clown, Q Here’s a poser! I just moved from my townhouse in the milquetoast area of Ballantyne to a renovated house in Plaza/Shamrock as this area is more suited to my personality/career (I’m a graphic designer/musician/actor). The issue? Meeting focus on the new activity, conversation with others tends like-minded, mainly, single women. I’m not a "bar to fall in naturally. I also suggest plotting out culinary goer” and I work from home. The catch? I relate tours of our fine city at least once per month. Put yourself better to younger people but, no matter how I in the more interactive areas of the places you go, even if try, I’m still 60 (often mistaken for my 40s; fit). I it does mean sitting at a bar once in a while. have no problem with younger women but many younger women have a problem with an older Happy Hunting, guy (hey! you’re my dad’s age!). The Clown Most of the women my age are, quite honestly, - - - old! Old in style and spirit… that and/or very religious (or conservative). Doing and have done Q Dear Clown, the dating sites, but it has yielded nothing. The “Meet-ups”… same thing, same people each time. Following the death of a close relative, my family has I prefer something more “organic.” Suggestions? been arguing over what is left behind in his estate. The will gives us the disposition of nearly everything he left, Sincerely, but some relatives are fighting this and insisting that Searching they have claim to specific assets and valuables. They have retained lawyers to pursue these claims in some instances. The thing that they do not know is that I was A Dear Searching, named executor of this will and I was given a letter that was to be opened upon the death of my uncle. I have Venue changes are needed. It will be refreshing all I need to shut down the claims, but I feel like I should to step outside your comfort zone and try some re-arrange a few things to allow everyone in the family to new things. This will not only be helpful in seeing feel included and to be rid of this animosity. What do you new faces, it will also help you see some new suggest? dimensions within yourself. Dating sites and meet-ups are quite stale, as you have noted. For Sincerely, a more “organic” approach, try something brand Willing new, like stand up paddle boarding, white water rafting, volunteering for beautification projects, or anything else you have not tried before. As you mycitymagazine.net | 7 A Dear Willing, I would recommend that you shut down all of the outside litigation with the will and the letter first. The next thing would be to have a family meeting and discuss your ideas on items that you would like to divide or re-distribute. Preface the conversation with a statement that any argument stemming from this conversation will result in the will standing as is. Good luck! The Clown - - - Q Dear Clown, My workplace has suddenly become very uncomfortable. An unidentified co-worker has begun lodging complaints against me for the smallest things. My manager has approached me with these items and discussed them at a level of seriousness that made me wonder if I should be in fear for my job. I have never had any performance issues and I do not want these petty complaints to push me out of a job I have held for the past seven years. Help? Sincerely, Puzzled A Dear Puzzled, This is certainly NOT a fun situation. Should you choose to stay, make changes to comply with whatever items were discussed and continue to do your job admirably.