Uptown Magazine July 2010

JULY 2010
July 10.indd 1 6/23/2010 9:09:24 AM

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July 10.indd 9 6/23/2010 9:09:38 AM

the seen
pictures: catch light studio
george lanis
The Madison opened up its penthouse

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Children’s Charities and Victory
Junction. Bruton Smith and Kyle
Petty traded paint with a local cast
of Charlotte dignitaries and the
developers of The Madison on a night
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cause.
July 10.indd 10 6/23/2010 9:09:58 AM

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July 10.indd 15 6/23/2010 9:10:16 AM

*
uptown
name: Little Shiva Shelly Shepard, Deciding to move Bryan Reed is a man Up-and-coming
an editor/writer, to Charlotte a few of simple interests— graphic designer
species: mutant called The Charlotte months ago was among them, words, Benjamin Gelnett
Observer home for an easy decision records, movies, and contributes this
here for: the smell of over 10 years, writing for Jessica Bitner. adjusting to life as a month’s cover
ink on paper headlines and copy Tired of the heat grownup (whatever illustration. Along
editing countless and humidity in that means). Since with poster
interests: juxtaposi- front-page stories. Orlando, she has now graduating from UNC- exhibitions at the Art
tion, transformation, Wanderlust has taken settled comfortably Chapel Hill’s School Institutes of Charlotte
mystery, clarity, the Shelly from teaching into the charming of Journalism and and Indianapolis, Ben
process of becoming, English in Prague, Plaza Midwood Mass Communication, was featured in Print
image and design to living in a hut in area. Working as an Bryan’s been living Magazine’s Regional
Thailand. Account Executive the dream, working as Design Annual in
contributions to If not working, for Uptown Magazine, the assistant editor of 2008. When he’s not
this issue: table of chances are you’ll find Jessica is quickly Charlotte-based music organizing, promoting,
contents her hiking. learning about all the magazine Shuffle and or participating in
Professionally, Shelly’s unique characteristics freelancing for several local art and music
website: at home with a page of the Queen City. publications, includ- events, he enjoys
littleshiva.com of words in front During race season, ing Tiny Mix Tapes camping with his
of her, a mouse in you’ll find her and several weekly wife Kara and all
hand and a deadline hanging at the local newspapers across his friends.Visit
looming. tracks promoting the Carolinas. smackhound.com
her clothing line for
female race fans.
July 10.indd 16 6/23/2010 9:10:25 AM

say more
with your smile!
Sean O’Connell is Peter Reinhart is the A man about town

a freelance writer Chef on Assignment with his camera, CHELSEA COOLEY- Miss U.S.A. 2005
living in the SouthPark at Johnson & Wales George Lanis of
Dentistry by Dr. Shapiro
neighborhood. University, which Catch Light Studio has
His work has run means he does been photographing “I cannot tell you how very impressed we are with Dr.
in several local whatever they ask people in his native Shapiro and his entire staff!” - Kate T.
publications, and he’s him to do and goes Charlotte for years. “Thank you for all that you do! Your office and staff is
been honored by the wherever they send From friends’ the best in the Carolina’s - I always look forward to my
North Carolina Press him. He’s written weddings to parties to visits and you always make me smile!” - Matt K.
Association. When not seven books on family photos for the
“I absolutely loved the experience and you made me feel
staring into a laptop, bread, pizza, food and holidays, his work is
like a family member. I was nervous, but it was over with right
Sean can be seen in culture. In partnership creative and diverse,
away.” - John B.
a movie theater or with Pierre Bader, he and he’s always
playing sports with
his sons.
opened Pie Town,
an artisan pizzeria
looking to show you in
the best light. Check
Edward I. Shapiro, DDS
Latta Pavilion, Dilworth
on Trade Street. out catchlightonline.
And AS if he weren’t com for more. now accepting
busy enough, Peter cigna, united healthcare, delta premiere,
is also Uptown’s and met life insurance plans
Contributing Food general practice | sedation dentistry
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July 10.indd 17 6/23/2010 9:10:27 AM

*
Photographer Jim G. Clay Whittaker Born and raised in Celina Mincey’s Charlotte native Matt
McGuire has trouble has spent his first the Northeast, Laura personal essay will Kokenes has left
defining himself in a year as a college McBurnie ventured soon appear in the comfy confines
few words, plus it’s graduate sponging off off to the bluegrass Charlotte’s Novello of Uptown Magazine
really weird to write his generous parents. state for college, Festival Press’ and ventured into un-
stuff about yourself While his Bachelor’s where she studied “Topograph New charted waters. Along
as if you were another Degree in English and fashion and cheered Writing from the with his partner, he
person. Creative Writing has on her Wildcats. She Carolinas and the has formed Trafk
Basically Jim likes helped him procure then joined her family Landscape Beyond.” Media, a new market-
what he does and freelance writing gigs, in Charlotte and She has taken up a ing agency in town.
he still gets excited he has found ample found her place as an nomadic lifestyle in He has also jumped
about going to work time to watch movies Account Executive Central America while back into the writing
everyday. He’s pretty from the American at Uptown Magazine. working on her third world and penned
good about being on Film Institute’s 100 Living uptown lets novel. this month’s interview
time and doing what Greatest list and take Laura take advantage with Iraqi war veteran
he says he’s going to wine classes through of the nightlife, dining, Keith Richardson.
do. His wife Laura is Johnson & Wales and most important,
his rock. University. He recently the sporting events
Jim’s photographs purchased an IBM that Charlotte has to
appear in the fashion typewriter from eBay offer. She could not
section of this month’s using his Macbook. see herself anywhere
issue. else.
jimmcguire.com
July 10.indd 18 6/23/2010 10:48:09 AM

July 10.indd 19 6/23/2010 9:10:40 AM
Publisher
Todd Trimakas
Advertising
Jessica Bitner
Laura McBurnie
704.944.0551
Executive Editor
Shelly Shepard
A couple months after Anna was born, my wife, Contributing

Julie, and her mom, Sara, were talking on the phone. Editors
At the time it wasn’t meant as a joke, but Julie and Peter Reinhart (Food)
I joke about it now. Sara asked her if she thought
that I was going to leave the family because Anna Contributors
had Down’s. Julie mentioned it to me, and I said I Matt Kokenes
wouldn’t, but if I ever leave and go to Mexico I’d be George Lanis
taking Anna with me. Thankfully, we never had to Celina Mincey
find out. Sean O’Connell
I realized with Anna and with the magazine, Bryan Reed
The magazine is 5 years and 60 issues old this month, seemingly insurmountable obstacles will appear Little Shiva
but I can only think about my youngest daughter, one day, then the next day they will appear to be a Clay Whittaker
Anna, with her new tooth, which came in as a present blessing in disguise, and in the end, will just make
to me on Father’s Day. See, Anna has Down syndrome your adventure that much more interesting.
and everything takes a bit longer for her. She’s over a Just this past week I was able to escape to Oak Photography
year old, just getting her first teeth and is yet to take Island with the family and some friends. We had a Jim McGuire
her first step. great spot on the beach and we would go out every Todd Trimakas
When Anna was born, her diagnosis crushed day to drink beer, soak in the sun and play in the George Lanis
me; the attending nurse had to tell me twice what her sand. With Anna still in diapers you never know what
diagnosis was. Trisomy 21, Trisomy 21. I had to ask surprise may come, but eventually a surprise will Cover Art
what that was. Down syndrome. Like I’ve said before, come and one afternoon it did, in her swimmy diaper. Ben Gelnett
the news was devastating, so much so that it threw Mom went to clean up Anna in the surf, and she
me to my knees, crying in a heap in the corner of the came back with a naked, sleepy, salty, wet, fat baby Distribution
delivery room and into a state of shock for a week. in her arms. Mom gave her to me and for the next 30 Sean Chesney
But that was more than a year ago, and things minutes a very happy baby slept in Daddy’s arms as
have changed, to say the least. a warm, soft Carolina beach breeze dried her off. It Office
I recently heard a man say that the word didn’t matter one iota what she did or didn’t have, just 1600 Fulton Ave., #140
“adventure” is overused. In his mind an adventure that she was mine. Charlotte, NC 28205
doesn’t start until everything goes wrong. I couldn’t Contact us at
help but smile and nod my head. How true. ~Todd Trimakas info@uptownclt.com
In my mind an adventure is also shaped by Publisher / Editor Uptown Magazine
how we respond to what went wrong. Do we remain Todd@uptownclt.com is a trademark of
crying on our knees or get up and move forward? Uptown Publishing
From this experience with Anna, I think moving inc., copyright 2009.
forward is life, while standing still is death. All rights reserved.
Uptown is printed
monthly and
subscriptions are $25
annually and can be
purchased online at
uptownclt.com.
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July 10.indd 21 6/23/2010 9:10:45 AM

> Lost in Space
T h e
Live albums, as a general rule, suck.

e l u s i v e
Even without poor recording clarity, it’s

a r t o f t h e
the sound, and the natural reverb, which

developed because of this, gives a unique
robustness to these songs.
l i v e r e c o r d i n g
Chirping birds, whether authentic or synthetic,

set the recording outdoors. This suits the
loose, casual explorations Taylor takes with
rare that a live record manages to capture not On the two full-length albums that his songs here. Track lengths stretch, song
only song, but also a sense of place; rarely are preceded “Sand & Lines,” Venice Is Sinking strictures embrace diversion.
we taken into the recording instead of merely was a talented, promising and not-particularly Though several of these songs appear
hearing a facsimile of it. But occasionally, a noteworthy band, creating the sort of lush, on Hiss Golden Messenger’s 1009 LP “Country
live recording – not necessarily in front of an cinematic indie rock that bands like Arcade Hai East Cotton,” to say they’re repeated
audience, mind you – pulls it off. One need Fire used as foundations to build careers. The wouldn’t do justice. “John Has Gone To The
look no further than the careers of Johnny Georgians, though, favored rich, melancholy Light” barely touched five minutes in the
Cash, Cheap Trick or Peter Frampton, whose tapestries woven from densely textured studio; here it pasts eight. Taylor leads his
careers were either boosted or kick-started arrangements and somber pacing. Given the band through airy compositions lacing his
by live albums. space to breathe – as they are here – Venice casual songwriter fare with dub-reggae
But somehow, knowing that makes the Is Sinking becomes something else entirely; echo and jam-band meanders. But in the
average live recording worse, like it’s little they become almost redemptive. outdoor, presumably warm, setting the
more than a missed opportunity pressed onto Their set list is a seamless blend of band has created for itself, and for us,
plastic. originals and covers – Galaxie 500’s “Tugboat,” these explorations are more than welcome.
But when the transportative power of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and Waylon Jennings’ The band offers the same sort of rocking
a live recording is, on those rare occasions, “The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want To Get Over chair comfort as James Taylor, if he’d been
harnessed, it transforms the music into You).” But the covers become entrancing, recorded by dub legend Lee “Scratch” Perry.
something bigger. highlighting the character of the band, and The graceful sprawl of Southwestern alt-
Luckily for Georgia indie rockers Venice giving credence to its influences – Galaxie folk bands like Calexico provides a gentle
Is Sinking that their first foray into live album 500’s shoe gaze and Parton and Jennings’ momentum as these songs yawn, cat-like,
making went so successfully. Their disc, Sand timeless country. Finally, Venice is Sinking into activity.
& Lines: The Georgia Theatre Sessions | May brings its listeners into its songs, instead of Each of these records thrives on its
20th-24th 2008, was recorded in the stately just near them. sense of place: the cavernous, dusky theater
Georgia Theatre a year before it burned to The similarly unknown, but differently or the sticky, endless summer sky. But
cinders. Here, the theater is as much a part styled, Chapel Hill outfit Hiss Golden setting makes music into travel, song into
of the band as any of its members. Strings Messenger accomplishes a similar feat with roadmap, artist into tour guide. Now, it’s up to
and vocal harmonies swell to fill the historic the limited release “Root Work: Live WFMU justice to spin “Sand & Lines” or “Root Work”
building, empty during these sessions. 2009.” While it’s not technically a proper live into “Frampton Comes Alive” or “At Folsom
Contributions from auxiliary players littered album – bandleader MC Taylor “spiced it up” at Prison.” U
through the cavernous venue alert us to the his Pittsboro homestead and in Brooklyn – it Reach Bryan at bryan.c.reed@gmail.com
fact that this is no confined studio booth. has the same transformative and transporting For samples of these songs go to
Only two microphones were used to capture qualities of the finest proper live records. uptownclt.com
Hiss Golden Messenger

“Root Work: Live WFMU 2009”
(Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Co.)
Venice Is Sinking – “Sand & Lines:

The Georgia Theatre Sessions | May
20th-24th 2008” (One Percent Press)
words & pictures:

bryan reed
July 10.indd 22 6/23/2010 12:06:11 PM

The Claudia Quintet with
Tender Forever – “No Snare” (K) Tift Merritt – “See You On The
Gary Versace
After two Tender Forever albums Moon” (Fantasy)
“Royal Toast” (Cuneiform)
that mostly lived up to the name, Pegging N.C.-bred songwriter Tift
From slow-glow nocturnes to kinetic
Melanie Valera shed most of her Merritt as a country singer didn’t work
bouts of jazz aerobics, Royal Toast
past work’s sweetness for a darker, out so well; it was incomplete. Indeed,
displays its players’ more-than-ample
more mysterious and more nuanced Merritt’s in deep debt to Patsy and Dolly,
versatility. But what sticks is the sense
approach. It’s a good look for her. but she’s no slave to tradition. And
of discovery that arrives upon hearing
Like the Eurythmics, Valera uses her with this, her most assured collection,
the range – in tone and emotion – the
singular vocal phrasings and carefully Merritt drives her light-rocking narrative
combo derives from its instruments,
sequenced backgrounds to explore the pieces to the fore of even-keeled singer/
which include clarinet, vibraphone and a
shaded corners of relationships. songwriter fare.
delightful, prominent accordion.
Delorean – “Subiza” Ideal Bread – “Vol. 2 of The Music

(True Panther Sounds) of Steve Lacy” (Cuneiform) Peggy Sue – “Fossils and Other
Here Delorean has managed to Soprano saxophone innovator Steve Phantoms” (Yep Roc)
congeal beats and melodies into an Lacy was, perhaps, best known for English trio Peggy Sue seems at first
impressionistic whole, smearing developing a very structured approach to follow in the path of similarly styled
distant vocals across a late-night disco to free improvisation, which would popsmiths Lily Allen and Kate Nash. But
backdrop. Though its rhythms dig deep seem to be oxymoronic until it’s heard in the trio’s rustic instrumentation – spare
enough and push hard enough, there’s practice. Ideal Bread reimagines the late drums, acoustic guitars, and accordion –
a fog on the dancefloor, like Panda innovator’s work, highlighting Lacy’s seems to suggest a better, more British
Bear’s psychedelic meanders meeting formal predilections, but filling the open answer to the coy retro-pop of She &
M83’s nostalgic panoramas. This feels spaces with thoughtful improvisations Him.
less suited for a night out than the drive that move casually and even playfully
home. through a fond remembrance.
July 10.indd 23 6/23/2010 12:11:46 PM

words & pictures:
celina mincey
the main bay of san juan del sur
S
Sure, I could have signed up for an booked a $250, three-hour flight to cadence that I will soon learn does not
all-inclusive vacation, sipped umbrella Managua, Nicaragua. translate to “Attack that Gringo.” It is
cocktails on a guard-patrolled beach But it’s ocean I want, not a dusty, simply the bus attendant’s repetition
and pretended to be in another country. crime-ridden capital city, so my trip of the bus’s destination, “Rivas, Rivas,
But as the UnTourist, I took a different kicks off with a guy hanging out the Rivas, Rivas!” and therefore his attempt
tactic: I picked the cheapest Central back of a bus, pointing at me and to help me find my bus! In Nicaragua,
American city Orbitz had to offer and screaming something in a frightening there are no automated/backlit/
July 10.indd 24 6/23/2010 9:10:55 AM

nicaragua
S a n J u a n D e l S u r
electronic signs that correspond to grabbing my bag and my arm, hurling swings himself through the door
neatly labeled rows and numbered bus me up and into the belly of the bus opening, clings to a ladder bolted to the
routes. If you think greyhound stations while flinging my backpack up and over side of the bus, scurries to the rooftop,
are chaotic, try Managua’s UCA autobus the top, alongside the basket of bananas and proceeds to secure (or so I presume
terminal. from the rider in front of me and the from the shuffle and rope noises) all the
Once I sort it out, said man further cage of chickens from the rider behind flung cargo while we speed down the
welcomes me by simultaneously me. As the bus pulls out, the attendant Pan American highway.
July 10.indd 25 6/23/2010 9:10:59 AM

side street to the ocean in san juan del sur
A
At first glance, the Pan American highway raising speeds. Ever wonder what happens job. Sometimes the whole bus gets a coat,
is a modern, well-paved thoroughfare to old school buses deemed unsafe to but more often just the front and back are
running the north-south length of transport American school children? They decorated graffiti-style with an emblem of
Nicaragua’s western half. From my become the main source of transportation blazing fire and a clever name such as “2
chicken-bus window, the highway is in Nicaragua, after a few modifications, fast, 2 furious” while the sides are left to
transformed into a perilous game of of course. First, an assortment of metal proclaim “Franklin County Department of
Frogger as the rickety, recycled bus dodges tubes, pipes and brackets are welded Education” or some other such remnant
oncoming semi-trucks while passing horse- to configure a rack that is bolted to the from its days of U.S. service. Third, all
pulled carts on unbanked curves at hair- entire roof. Second, the bus gets a paint emergency buzzers are disabled.
the beach at san juan del sur
July 10.indd 26 6/23/2010 9:11:04 AM

But hey, my two-transfer, three-hour ride to San Juan Del
Sur only costs the equivalent of about $3.75. So maybe I do arrive
shaken and dusty (translation: in need of a beer) but I am also
under budget. As a reward for my savvy transportation choice (an
air-conditioned tourist shuttle would have cost $40), I splurge for
a front room in a boutique hotel whose private balcony overlooks
the Pacific Ocean and includes breakfast for a total of $15. Though
I won’t see my generous double bed until morning, after my next
12 hours of madness, I’ll never be so glad to not be sleeping on
a hostel cot in a dorm full of Norwegians, Germans, Aussies,
Canadians, or whoever the hell else.
San Juan Del Sur (SJDS) is a Nica beach town about 20 miles
north of its ritzy Costa Rican neighbor’s border. The best way for
me to describe it is to have you close your eyes and drift back in
time – 40 years or so should do it. Imagine Southern California
in the late ’60s, early ’70s. Think Manhattan Beach. Think cheap
entertainment and no rules. Think dollar beers, shared joints,
endless beach, perfect surf breaks and free love. That’s SJDS…
today.
I take my cold shower, throw on a wrinkled sundress and
meander down the beach front until I see “Happy Hour: 2 for
1 cocktails.” Welcome to Nicaragua! Bamboo Bar turns out to
have a somewhat luxurious décor, a friendly, English-speaking
bartender, and a stunning, extraordinarily friendly hostess named
Graciella. I’m not sure whether she works for the bar, or if she
just works the bar, but after my second full pour of Flor de Cana,
it didn’t matter. The real opportunity here is learning to play
Desmoche, a rummy variation and a favorite Nica card game. But
herein lies the challenge: Graciella consistently holds her hand
of nine cards at bosom level as she gives half the instructions
in seductive Spanish tones. Trust me, and I’m a girl, it’s hard to
concentrate on the game’s subtleties, such as laying down your
three of a kind in alternating colors (rojo, negro, rojo or negro, rojo,
negro) when Graciella laughs and leans into you, exonerating
you of your mistake while sweeping your 10 Cordoba note off the
counter since she’s convinced you that Desmoche is no fun unless
all the players lay down a bet. If you’re a male tourist, I suggest
surrendering your wallet at the door, but since we’re only talking
50 cents a game and $1.25 per rum cocktail, it seems a paltry price
to pay for such a view.
It gets later, business at this relatively calm bar is slow, and
Graciella invites me to The Pier. I’ll discover that whether you
arrive at 10, midnight, or closer to sunrise, this on-the-beach bar
will be shockingly stocked with dancing people – a healthy mix
of Europeans, Nicas and a smattering of other nationalities. As
a newcomer, you will surely meet Pablo, who upon introducing
himself offers me “anything my mind can imagine.”
“Like what?” is my reply that seems at that point in the

evening oh so coy.
Pablo could roll his eyes, mutter under his breath (with his
bits of English), “stupid American,” or fall back on the Spanish
July 10.indd 27 6/23/2010 9:11:06 AM

looking south from san juan del sur
equivalent, “malo Gringa,” but Pablo is a out on the sand by the bonfire to dance ourselves, but the bartender seems quite
business man so he plays along. under the peeking moon and in front of the content with meeting the usual group of
“Ah, mi Chica. Like drogas, like girls, waves. dudes with two female guests in tow. His
like experiencias.” The cable networks Among the palm trees we meet an surprise will be even greater when he sees
in Nicaragua play lots of American B Irish bartender who plays a weekly house we can actually play!
movies. Pablo’s obviously learned our game of Texas Hold’em. This is my favorite I’m not sure if “Ten” is the czar of
unimaginative and repetitive use of “like.” I card game, and it turns out Graciella’s SJDS or just an ironically lucky SOB, but he
don’t ask if he has guys for the same price. repertoire extends beyond Desmoche. lives in an oceanside penthouse complete
It’s not that late, and I am too eager to get I’m not sure if he invites us, or we invite with elevator and air conditioning. Let me
July 10.indd 28 6/23/2010 9:11:10 AM

emphasize the elevator, as I believe it is the only working one in
the country outside of the capital, which is necessary since Ten
doesn’t have use of his arms and legs. This doesn’t stop him from
commanding the game, or an extraordinary number of bong hits
supplied by his demure Nicaraguan aide. We hand over our buy-in
of 100 Cordobas ($5) to a little, short Nica guy who is a lawyer. We
begin a Hold’em evening that will last until 3 a.m.
Finally, I take second place and Graciella feels like singing.
We stumble up the main road, cut down a side street, and enter
July 10.indd 29 6/23/2010 9:11:13 AM

a decidedly darker section of town. For me? – when I hear, no feel, the thumping Spanish language is exhausted. My head
a moment, I wonder whether this is the backtrack of karaoke music. I enter this meets the pillow of my pricey bed with a
part where we meet her “friends” in the known-only-to-Nicas establishment with quick look at the rising sun. U
alley and they demand my cash card. My the guilt of suspecting my new friend,
somewhat dysfunctional brain is discarding which I quickly discard into a bottle of If you are ready to time travel, e-mail
solutions – pretend not to remember the Tona. today for Celina’s UnTourist advice at
PIN, throw it into the gutter for morning We sing (I think), we dance (I know), celinamincey@yahoo.com or find out more
retrieval, do I even have a cash card on we drink (I’m sure). My limited use of the about her travels at uptownclt.com
bus station at san juan del sur
July 10.indd 30 6/23/2010 9:11:17 AM

2010
for the hottest

follow us at:
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uptown_magazine
July 10.indd 31 6/23/2010 9:11:18 AM

the flaming lips
words: clay whittaker
32 uptown
pictures: brandon beck
www.uptownclt.com
July 10.indd 32 6/23/2010 9:11:21 AM

It’s just before
midnight on Sunday
and, after four days
without a shower, I’m
crammed into a Ferris
wheel pod, grinding
my way up several
stories above the tree
line. We’re just high
enough that I can’t
see people on the
ground anymore, but
in the darkness I can
still see lighters touch
glass pipes before the
people in the shadows
smoke up. I’m clinging
to the safety bar with
both hands, and I
can feel the paint
crunching off the
metal in my grip. This,
is Bonnaroo.
July 10.indd 33 6/23/2010 9:11:23 AM

or several days every summer, death-grip and offers me her Gatorade bottle. Inside the compound, people smoke pot
since 2002, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festi- “Here, this will help,” she says, in the open with the same nonchalance as if
val has drawn crowds of up to 80,000 to a farm passing it to me. I take the cap off the bottle they’re checking their cell phones for the time.
about an hour southeast of Nashville. More and recognize Captain Morgan in the mix, None of the security staff cares about drugs at
than 100 bands, ranging from indie rock to hip but it’s not nearly strong enough to help with the checkpoint: They’re looking for weapons,
hop to gospel, entertain the ’Roo faithful. my rising displeasure – unless the ride takes firearms and SLR cameras – the three gate-
My companion for the festival is a high 20 more minutes, in which case I’ll need the check taboos. At the end of the night, stock-
school friend, Brandon. He’s now been to five whole bottle. It does, however, give me a little piles of smuggled booze are shared; that way
Bonnaroo festivals. He’s sitting to the side of courage to look over the sides. there’s nothing to carry on the long walk back
me, far more relaxed, talking with the couple Off to my right is a massive, open to your camp.
sharing our pod. They’re from Nashville and parking lot. Tents and cars alternate colors off Over the left side of the Ferris
they have a kid. The father is both concerned in the distance like a refugee camp, and gas- wheel lies the rest of the festival: a half-dozen
and intrigued that his 6-year-old son isn’t powered, stand-alone streetlights fill some of tents and stages erected alongside a sprawl-
into sports, and that the kid may be an artist. the dirt roads with limited light. Behind me is ing complex. In the center, rows and rows of
Brandon, a film student in New York, confirms the main entrance to the fairgrounds, where vendors peddle everything from homemade
some of the signs. His wife, a blonde named spotty bag checks keep out very little illegal jewelry to flower power-esque dresses.
Sarah, is wearing cowboy boots and has one material. Sarah is one of thousands of Bonna- Bonnaroo is one of the last holdouts
foot propped up against the door to our little roo patrons who smuggled alcohol or drugs of the post-hippie movement, where the Dead-
rocking metal deathtrap. She notices my past the security checks at the front gate today. heads all gather to pay tribute to their move-
July 10.indd 34 6/23/2010 9:11:28 AM

ment by encouraging everyone to recycle and next to my bunk. I roll over and ignore it for humid summer days, and not being able to go
teaching seminars on how to grow gardens to another half hour of restless sleep, before the home and sleep in a familiar place at the end
shrink your carbon footprint. next RV over decides it’s time to sound the of the day. So Bonnaroo could be a fantastic
But I’m admittedly surprised on my wakeup call with a healthy dose of Primus. and efficient way for me to see a lot of bands I
last night. The hippie culture isn’t necessarily We still don’t have any water in our love, or a miserable four-day sweaty camping
the dominant culture at Bonnaroo anymore. tank – they’re fixing it, they promise – so I head nightmare.
Mainstream bands draw mainstream audi- out of the VIP section with a backpack full of This is the silent fear of every main-
ences – college kids off for the summer who bottled water, feeling grimy and sweaty from stream attendant of the festival. The extrem-
want to enjoy themselves. They’re the driving Thursday, but smelling of fresh sunscreen, and ists – those diehard fans and groupies who
force, along with parents and teenage children, wishing I could wash my hands. would follow their favorite acts into hell as long
and, of course, journalists. I’m not the adventurous type. I’m at as they could find a decent lawn seat for the
Bonnaroo 2010 because I broke a promise Eternal Damnation Tour – could care less. Hot,
I’m already skipping out on press events to Brandon last year: I said I would go and I cold, wet, dry, Tennessee, Afghanistan: They’ll
by Friday morning when Bonnaroo starts to didn’t, so this year I have no way out. be there. After nearly a decade, the ’Roo brings
pick up speed. The orientation overlaps with I should be enjoying myself. I like con- out thousands of stoners, post-hippies, the
the wait for Conan O’Brien’s comedy set. Bran- certs more than most people. In fact, I love live older generation of Deadheads, the younger
don heads out early to get a place in line for us. music, jam bands, and everything about the generations of Dave Matthews fans and Phish
I’m still in bed when he leaves. The concert culture. fans, and a decent sampling of other people
sunlight pours into our RV through the window But I hate camping. I hate long walks on just looking for live music and a good time.
July 10.indd 35 6/23/2010 9:11:31 AM

It’s almost 90 degrees, and the
humidity is easily within 10 points of
complete saturation. Everyone with a gray
T-shirt is sporting dark rings of sweat.
Larger people like myself are acquiring
unattractive lactation rings. Sweat is beading
on my arms, legs, thighs and the backs of
conan o’brien
my knees. It’s starting to drip down my neck,
back and some other places where water
retention in the morning means chafing in
the afternoon.
I find Brandon in front of one
of the tent entrances. A mix-up about VIP
privileges gets us in the front of the second
line for the Conan tent. When they finally
open the gates, we race in and manage
to snag front-center seats. Conan’s show
is incredible. It’s one of only a handful all
weekend that I’m able to watch start to
finish because the lineup for Bonnaroo is
The big-name live performers bring so jammed full of good acts that most of
them all together for this one big event. them overlap. It’s also the only time during
As I make my way across the festival Bonnaroo that I manage to get so close to
grounds to the Comedy Tent, I’m bumping an act because the most avid fans fill in 100
into a complete cross-section: girls walk yards deep an hour before every show.
by in bikini tops and shorts, or just bikinis,
or just their bare chests painted to look
like they’re wearing bikinis. The guys are
shirtless, mostly pale and out of shape.
A noticeable number have a Camelbak
hydration pack strung over their shoulders
with not-so-clear liquids running up the
long straws as they suck it through their dry
lips. Under the few sparse trees around the
endless fields, people cram together for the
shade. Most are sleeping or passing pipes
around.
It rained earlier in the week,
and the ground is mushy underfoot. My
shoes pick up some mud and dirt just from
following the well-tread pathways between
stages. Most of the grass is gone, and some
of the wet spots smell like a ruptured septic
tank. It’s that way all over the festival, and
every so often one poor patron who wasn’t
watching his footing passes by, covered in
mud from head to toe.
The line for Conan snakes back
and forth for hundreds of heads. A few
people step out of line to toss a Frisbee
around. By this point I’m soaked in a new
day’s coating of sweat, and the sunscreen
running off my forehead stings my eyes.
July 10.indd 36 6/23/2010 9:11:39 AM

I
n the afternoon we kill a few hours in the
RV before heading out to see the folksy
duo She and Him. We catch the last half,
and I have to skip the band OK Go so we
can grab good lawn seats in the VIP section
for Tenacious D. It’s my first main stage act,
and the crowd fills in quickly close to the
stage. Brandon wants to be up front, but
I’m exhausted from six hours of constant
sunlight, and I need to sit down.
He’s right though: They’re not as
good from off to the side. But after half
of the set, he comes back and sits down
with me, exhausted. By the time they’ve
finished, we’ve emptied most of the bottled
water we’ve carried with us. Then we drag Cool Summer
ourselves across the festival grounds again
to catch Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon
of Hot Jazz
Rangers playing some fantastic bluegrass. BeCHtler muSeum of moDerN art Summer Jazz SerIeS
We get to watch four of their numbers before JuNe 4, July 2, auguSt 6 (6-8 Pm)
they end their set – including an amazing Visit the museum plaza for an evening with the Ziad Jazz Quartet
encore performance of “King Tut” from as they play selections from Coltrane, Davis, Monk and others.
The Bechtler is open late the first and third Fridays of the month
Martin’s early hosting days on “Saturday until 9 PM. Regular admission applies.
Night Live” – but this one’s in bluegrass
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form.
The whole afternoon feels like a
scavenger hunt, reading maps and racing
across the sprawl trying to beat the clock
and other fans for the best view.
Before the night acts start, we make a
quick stop at the RV for some food, Red Bull,
beer, and Gold Bond – lots of Gold Bond. The
problem is that after a day of discomfort,
and with only a small closet of a bathroom to
stand in, we’re struggling to apply the Gold
Bond to all of the necessary areas. Once I’ve
finally carpet bombed myself with medicated
powder, I make an unfortunate realization:
No water means no way to wash the powder
from my hands.
Now Brandon and I are cracking open
our precious stock of bottled water to wash
our hands and faces, and we can hear Kings
of Leon starting. We still haven’t had food, so
we race through dinner in the VIP tent and
limp over to find a spot for Kings of Leon.
tenacious d I’m exhausted. The Red Bull is keeping
July 10.indd 37 6/23/2010 9:11:43 AM

my mind active, but my body is tired from I pass the time making small talk a year. When everybody’s making the
walking and climbing and sweating, and with people around me. A guy in his 20s same sacrifices, living in relatively similar
it wants to rest. And that’s when Brandon is bragging to everyone that his girlfriend conditions, it doesn’t matter who you are
reminds me it’s time to leave to get decent accepted his proposal last night at the outside the gates. You’re still just one guy
seats for The Flaming Lips. Flaming Lips show. I congratulate him, and with a ticket, and you’re only going to get as
By the time we get there, I’ve given up he rewards me with a hug and at least a good a view of the stage as you’re willing to
on standing and tell him to find me in the dozen offers of his pipe over the rest of the work for.
VIP bleachers. At this point I’m beginning afternoon. A few minutes later, a lanky man It’s not like going to the movies
to appreciate the small miracles of the wearing only a Speedo walks by. He stops or a golf course – the quality of the facilities
VIP passes, including the right to sit down long enough to answer questions about the is irrelevant in deciding how much fun you
somewhere within view of the stage – good contacts he’s wearing that turn his entire have at Bonnaroo. Those things are tailored
acoustics or not. I’ve been up for more than eye blue. Speedo Man then climbs over and to provide comfort, but Bonnaroo isn’t; it’s
15 hours in the heat, and I can only listen to around the seated members of the crowd tailored to weed out the nonbelievers. Only
half a set of Flaming Lips numbers before in the least comfortable ways possible and the people who drink the Kool-Aid get to
dragging myself through the crowd, back to moves on. step forward. And in a blob of heads and
the RV and passing out on my bed. The show starts around 8 p.m. as torsos oscillating to a totally rocking live
Rivers Cuoumo and his bandmates bounce performance, every step forward counts.
I
wake up Saturday and am immediately onto stage. Unlike the last (and awesome)
disgusted with myself. I change
clothes and down a bottle of water and
another energy drink, hoping I’ll feel
Weezer concert I saw in Atlanta half a
decade ago, Rivers is an explosive stage
dynamo. He’s all over the place, jumping
S unday night comes with a long,
exhausted sigh of relief for me and a
firm wipe of my brow. I passed most of the
more refreshed. Brandon says I missed an around like a ferret on coke. The crowd’s day in the RV, napping and hydrating. On the
awesome second half of the show, and he loving every psychotic thing he says, which is final night of Bonnaroo, with the only act left
shows me pictures. Then he reminds me only making him act more bipolar. He loses being the Dave Matthews Band, it’s clear that
that I forgot about LCD Soundsystem, who the beat on a couple of songs because he’s most of the festival grounds are already dark
began playing sometime after 3 a.m. for too busy scaling the metal stage scaffolding. and vacant.
everyone who stayed up late enough. I look away for a moment during the first Dave is performing on the main stage,
My body is still sore, but I’ve only song, and when I look back up he’s made it in the far corner of the fairgrounds. I can
got a few bands left that I really want to across the stage and has climbed halfway see the stage well from atop the Bonnaroo
see, so like any over-ambitious vacationer, I up one of the stage’s support beams. It’s like Ferris wheel, and the lights are arching over
start making the hard cuts to my to-do list. that for the next two amazing hours as he thousands of people who stretch half a mile
I narrow it down to two must-sees for the rockets off a trampoline onto the drummer’s from the stage. The band sounds muddy
day: Weezer and the Avett Brothers. They’re platform, smashes a speaker because it from this distance, and I can’t really tell
playing one after the other on the same pissed him off, and carries a small black which song they’re playing, but even with
stage, so I think I can handle it. stage block around, ranting about how these close to 80,000 people cheering Dave at the
At 5:45 p.m. the Avetts are playing things are always on stages and he never end of the song, it’s clear that Bonnaroo is
pretty well, but I’m stuck between two food knows what they do. Then he stands on it, winding down. Most of those vendors are
vendors and can only see the show through and leaps off it again and again during the packing up shop below, and some of the
the latticework of the sound stage that’s next two songs. They end the set with an audience is heading out of the gates early to
set up in the middle of the crowd. Then the epic cover of “Kids” by MGMT, which they avoid the end-of-show foot traffic.
worst possible thing happens: After two days then transition into “Poker Face” to further I’m still hot, sweaty, tired, sore, a
of sunlight, rain comes again, soaking down blow our minds. Rivers gallops off stage and little hung over, probably dehydrated, and
between the people and into the ground. It’s re-emerges wearing a blond Lady Gaga wig, remembering my fear of heights about 20
gone in less than half an hour, but now the and he’s a little too into it. minutes too late. But I’ve survived my first
dirt feels like a sponge and smells like a It’s right then – on the tail end music festival, and I even might have managed
toilet brush. of the whole experience, watching the last to ignore the physical torments of four days
But I’m not going anywhere and encore of the last band that really motivated of heat, humidity and public bathrooms long
neither is anyone else. When the rain stops, me to drive across three states – that I enough to actually enjoy myself.
not many people have moved. The Avetts realize why music festivals draw so many And even if I feel like I didn’t get
finish up about 7 p.m. and I’m able to push people year after year. There’s an inherent everything out of these four days that I could
my way farther into the crowd – within 50 bond achieved among the survivors have, there’s always next year. U
yards of the stage. Now I just have to wait an from their shared struggles and physical Reach Clay at whittakerg@gmail.com
hour for Weezer. exhaustion – like a club with one meeting For more info go to www.uptownclt.com
July 10.indd 38 6/23/2010 9:11:43 AM

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July 10.indd 39 6/23/2010 9:11:44 AM

one of the first women in nascar
milwaukee mile 1984

where shawna got her
first win
July 10.indd 40 6/23/2010 9:11:52 AM

words: sean o’connell
pictures: todd trimakas
hawna Robinson was trapped in a Los Angeles hotel room. “Quarantined” is how she
described it. She hadn’t been kidnapped. Quite the opposite. Robinson actually had placed
herself in this confining situation.
Late in 2009,the Charlottean whom countless gearheads know for her
accomplishments on NASCAR’s top race tracks had applied to be a contestant on the
popular CBS reality television competition “The Amazing Race.” Together with her potential
“Race” teammate, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Robinson had flown to Hollywood to participate in a
weeklong series of interviews. Though they’d been recruited for the show, Robinson and
Cobb still had to make a pitch to the show’s hosts, producers and directors.
Until that meeting, they were under lock and key. They had designated pool and gym
opportunities, as well as windows of time during which they could eat. Otherwise, they
were confined to their rooms.
July 10.indd 41 6/23/2010 9:12:00 AM

Amazing as this sounds, Robinson’s materials to NASCAR’s marketing team
mind wasn’t focused on “The Amazing before embarking on her California trip,
Race,” despite the cramped living and her ongoing participation in the “Race”
t was so weird,” said Robinson, conditions. Her thoughts had drifted more audition meant she’d missed her window
45. “You could not talk to any of the other than 3,000 miles away to her hometown of of opportunity to be part of the pomp and
people. You obviously knew the other Charlotte, where NASCAR’s dignitaries were circumstance.
(contestants). Like the two cowboys. … preparing to cut the ribbon on the sport’s The hall opened to the public on May
You knew they were cowboys because they anticipated Hall of Fame. 11, 2010. Robinson’s memorabilia remains
even wore cowboy hats with their bathing A stock car pioneer who had blazed in her garage.
suits on. And then there were two cops from a trail for female drivers, Robinson had
(New England). I don’t know if you saw the been invited by Hall of Fame marketers Family circus
latest season (of the show), but that was the to donate memorabilia to display in the Before Danica, there was Shawna.
one that we would have been on.” hall. Yet she had neglected to send the Danica Patrick, the pretty brunette
sitting behind the wheel of the No.
7 GoDaddy.com car, receives more
shawna at daytona 2002 than enough ink by competing in the
IndyCar, ARCA and NASCAR racing
series. But 20 years before Patrick
became the first woman to win an
IndyCar race in 2008, redheaded
Robinson was burning rubber on
top NASCAR tracks like Talladega,
Darlington, and the Daytona
International Speedway.
“In Daytona, during my first
time racing that track, I finished
third,” Robinson exclaimed. “In
my sixth race (the AC Delco 100 in
Asheville), I became the first woman
ever to win a race in a stock car.”
You could argue that racing
is in Robinson’s blood. Born in Des
Moines, Iowa, as the youngest of five
children, she always was around
automobiles. Her father, who raced
late-model cars, made sure the
Robinson clan spent their weekends
at Midwestern racetracks.
“I was the little girl playing in
the infield with my sisters, aunts,
uncles and cousins. It truly was a
family ordeal,” Robinson said. “I knew
how to ride a motorcycle at age 4.
That’s just what we did.”
The Robinson family wasn’t
wealthy. But they were known for
inventing automotive routines to
entertain crowds at stock car shows.
Some of their creations even scored
them national acclaim. One of
Shawna’s brothers jumped so many
trucks during a live race event in the
early 1980s that the television variety
July 10.indd 42 6/23/2010 9:12:05 AM

program “That’s Incredible!” featured him in tracks Robinson conquered in her debut her car, the difference in weight (trucks,
a segment. year. She earned Rookie of the Year honors obviously, are much heavier than cars)
“We always called my father the in 1984, moving from Iowa to Pennsylvania was negotiable. In her first two years on
circus leader, because we were the circus, so she could continue to market her talents the NASCAR circuit, Robinson earned Most
and he was our leader,” Robinson said. “It on Northeast truck tracks, in trade shows Popular Driver honors.
was very strange. But that was just my dad. and at racing exhibits. Her owners also With each passing year came another
He was so full of life.” tolerated Robinson’s presence because a climb up the NASCAR ladder. Robinson
And full of ideas. Robinson said it female driver in a male-dominated sport moved into the Busch Series in 1991.
was her father who first put her behind the scored valuable media attention. Highlights of her tenure included a second-
wheel of a truck so she could warm up the It only took four years for NASCAR to place qualifying at Rockingham in 1994
track and introduce racers. He believed notice. Robinson made her stock car debut and, two races later, her first career pole at
that truck racing – and the site of a female in 1988, racing in the now-defunct NASCAR Atlanta Motor Speedway.
teenage driver – would only increase fan Dash Series. She competed at the Daytona “My butt was always in a seat,” she
appeal at stock car events. International Speedway that year with the said. “It was always driving, and always
Two days after graduating high school Daytona Dash Cars, a series that previously on a different type of racetrack. … I wasn’t
in 1983, 18-year-old Robinson drove her
first truck around a short track in Toledo,
Ohio. The love affair that would span three
decades had begun.
“I did get questions, like, ‘Now that you are a mom,
how can you do this?’ And, ‘Don’t you feel now that you
A steady climb shouldn’t be putting yourself at risk?’ (But) I looked at it
O
ne year later, Robinson launched
her official racing career when she this way. If a woman succeeds at climbing a mountain,
joined the GATR Truck Series. and she breaks records, and then she has children, does
“That’s when I came to realize that I
was going to be a racer – when I came to
that mean she’s not going to climb mountains anymore?
terms with the fact that this is what I was No,”
going to be,” she recalled.
Not that her truck-driving competition
wanted her there. “They hated me,” she had hosted Michael Waltrip and Kyle Petty, consistently a frontrunner, but I was always
said of the other racers. “They thought to name a few. near the Top 10.”
that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, If there were obstacles to overcome Her run, however, was short-lived.
not on the race track. … It was nasty, but in transitioning from trucks to stock cars,
it was fun. It was competitive. They didn’t Robinson didn’t notice. She’d already Stock car mom
O
intimidate me.” familiarized herself with dirt and asphalt wnership conflicts, a marriage, and
On the racetrack is where Robinson racing on short and long tracks in the truck the births of her son Tanner (in 1996)
consistently proved herself. Pocono, Atlanta series. Once she learned how to properly and daughter Samantha (in ‘97) led
and Bristol were just a few of the big-league draft – or ride behind other vehicles – in to Robinson’s semi-retirement from racing.
July 10.indd 43 6/23/2010 9:12:13 AM

She still remembers the day she shawna today
had to turn down an opportunity to test
cars at Daytona because she’d recently
found out she was pregnant.
“I told the team owner, ‘God, you
know how bad I want this, but I guess
with the timing, this is where I am right
now,’” Robinson said with a hesitant
chuckle. “And he replied, ‘Well, I have
to tell you, that’s the first time I’ve ever
gotten that excuse from a driver.’”
Her hiatus from the track,
thankfully, was temporary. She
returned to racing in 1999, climbing
behind the wheel of the No. 8 Kmart
Ford Taurus for former NASCAR team
owner Michael Kranefuss as part of
the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Rust hadn’t
formed on Team Robinson, and she
went right back to her winning ways.
That year, she set a track record
during a pole-winning qualifying run at
Michigan International Speedway. She
also finished sixth in points, becoming
the first female to finish in the Top 10
for ARCA.
“When I came back, I felt like
I was stronger than when I left,”
Robinson said. “I had a different
mentality.”
And people had a different
mentality about putting a mom behind
the wheel of a race car.
“I did get questions, like, ‘Now
that you are a mom, how can you do
this?’ And, ‘Don’t you feel now that
you shouldn’t be putting yourself at
risk?’ (But) I looked at it this way. If a
woman succeeds at climbing a mountain, and Racing. BAM Racing accepted her in 2002, then “Basically, if I was a guy, and I walked in there
she breaks records, and then she has children, released her shortly after. She left racing in and just busted (someone’s) nose or punched
does that mean she’s not going to climb 2003, only to return to the Busch Series two a hole in their wall, I would be a cool bad-
mountains anymore? No,” Robinson said. “This years later. She competed for Keith Coleman ass. But because I yelled and screamed and
was what I knew. I felt safer on the race track Racing but was released after six races. showed emotions, because I was angry …
than I was on the street. And I wanted to teach These memories leave a bitter taste then I became emotionally unstable. That’s
my kids that you always should go for your in Robinson’s mouth. As she tells it, biased where the end started.”
dreams. You go after whatever your passion crew chiefs and team owners who didn’t want After a series of escalating mishaps,
is in life. And if you are lucky enough to find her around conspired to prevent her from Robinson left stock car racing in 2005.
that passion, then do whatever you can do to succeeding on the track. When she fought back “I just was at a point in my life where this
become the best that you can be.” against perceived sexism, she was labeled was not how I wanted to race,” she said. She
The next few years were a series of “emotionally unstable.” had grown exhausted from the sexism and
highs and lows for Robinson’s racing career. “Remember back in the day when Tony NASCAR politics. Her kids were getting older.
She joined the Winston Cup in 2001, competing Stewart had anger issues because of the Her passion for racing was fading.
in races for Kranefuss and Michael Waltrip way he treated the media?” Robinson asks. “I was tired. I was tired of beating down
July 10.indd 44 6/23/2010 9:12:16 AM

doors. I had been beating down doors since I IndyCar racing or other competitive series. she said. “But how sad is this? The stuff is
was 18. I think I was just exhausted. If I was “She doesn’t have to race full time,” sitting in my garage in a container. I lost my
going to race, I was going to race for somebody Robinson said, explaining that Patrick is paid window.”
good,” Robinson said. “And so I walked away handsomely for the part-time racing she does That’s not all she lost.
from it.” do. “But I think the racer in her will want to.” Out of 15 pairs that auditioned for “The
She admits she has missed racing every You get the sense Robinson sees a bit Amazing Race,” the producers selected 11.
day since. of herself in Patrick. She might even envision Robinson and Cobb didn’t make it to Victory
herself in the spotlight Patrick now holds. Lane. The producers passed on the duo, and
Female racers, past and present When it comes down to it, Robinson missed they were cut from the show. No “Race.” No
I
t has crossed Robinson’s mind more than a her window of opportunity. memorabilia in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
few times that had she been able to tough Unfortunately for her, it wouldn’t be the For Robinson, it’s the equivalent of a Daytona
it out a few more years, she might have last time. wreck, a “Did Not Finish” in the standings. It
become the “face” of women’s NASCAR racing couldn’t be more disappointing.
instead of Patrick. The not-so-amazing Race
B
“If I could have just gotten a second wind efore the hotel confinement, the trip C’mon, get Happy
R
and continued a couple of more years, boy, I to California, and “The Amazing Race” obinson isn’t sad, though. She’s
would have been it,” she says. “Maybe it just audition, Robinson had received a letter. convinced the Hall will let her in during
makes me feel good to know that. But it really Aware of her accomplishments, the marketing the next inclusion window. And she’s
wasn’t the time, within NASCAR, where things team for the yet-to-open NASCAR Hall of Fame far too busy running the next chapter in her
were going to be made easier (for women). wanted her to donate items from her racing career: Happy Chairs.
There are things they can do to make your days for inclusion in the racing museum. Racing wasn’t Robinson’s sole passion.
road a little better. You can see that now with Needless to say, Robinson was thrilled. “I have always been artistic,” she said, linking
Danica, where they are being very positive in They asked her for a helmet and a suit. They her creative traits back to her mother.
the media. If you go in with a top-rate owner, sent her the paperwork needed to facilitate the Her outlet, when she wasn’t on the
track, was furniture decorating and room
design. During her extended breaks from
NASCAR, she’d decompress by painting
“She admits she has missed racing every day since.” nurseries for close friends. Disney characters
like Tigger and Pooh were her specialty.
Recommendations would circulate among
and the spin is very positive toward the media, donation. her NASCAR colleagues. Robinson ended up
it helps. It really helps.” “You are basically loaning them the painting the Waltrips’ home, Martin Truex’s
Lack of support, in Robinson’s opinion, items, and they return them back to you when race shop and home, and Kasey Kahne’s race
goes a long way in explaining why a woman they are done with them,” she said. “I was shop.
hasn’t broken through to officially become “the going to give them the Daytona suit for display.” “Through word-of-mouth, it just turned
one” in NASCAR. Those papers, Robinson said, got filed into a business,” Robinson said.
“Why would a woman succeed with away someplace. Lost in stacks of others That business is called Happy Chair.
lesser opportunities? I don’t think Jimmy papers, perhaps. She left town for her Through it, Robinson restores worn and
Johnson would have succeeded if he didn’t “Amazing Race” audition without completing weathered chairs and gives them new life.
have the opportunities that he had with Jeff the task. “I love big, bold crazy color. I love art,”
Gordon and Busch cars,” she said. “(Johnson) “It’s just such a disappointment on my she says on her website, ShawnaRobinson.
wasn’t that great in the Busch series. He end. I basically just didn’t get my stuff to them com. “As is evident from my past as a race
was learning and building. He was winning quick enough. I think I just got wrapped up in car driver, I love the thrill of taking risks. I’ve
occasionally before he came in. But he really another opportunity, an adventure that I went combined these loves to create Happy Chair; a
needed help.” and tried to do. It’s my fault,” she said. unique, soul stirring, heartwarming furniture
Patrick is getting that help. And because The mistake has been noticed. Robinson company designed to create happiness!”
of it, Robinson believes Patrick will be “the one” said people who attended opening events at The vibrant chairs convey a mantra
to finally kick the door hard enough to keep it the hall have contacted her, asking why her Robinson has lived by her entire life.
open. She’s marketable and conducts herself stuff isn’t prominently displayed along fellow “If you don’t love something, then you
with class on and off the track. But Robinson racing pioneers Janet Guthrie and Patty Moise. shouldn’t do it,” she said. U
places one condition on Patrick’s success. She She can only sigh, explaining the gaffe again
needs to choose to race NASCAR full time, and and again. Reach Sean at soconnell33@yahoo.com
not divide her attentions between open-wheel “They are going to add me eventually,” For more info go to www.uptownclt.com
July 10.indd 45 6/23/2010 9:12:18 AM

a warrior’s tale of life in iraq
words: matt kokenes

pictures: keith richardson
July 10.indd 46 6/23/2010 9:12:19 AM

“It’s like your entire body is being punched at the same time,” Marine
Corp. Keith Richardson offered, looking up after a thoughtful pause,
and a big sip from a can of Monster Energy Drink. “The Humvee fills
up with smoke and debris. And you get this nasty metallic taste in your
mouth. Kinda like you’ve been sucking on a penny.”
July 10.indd 47 6/23/2010 9:12:20 AM

i
t was late on an unusually warm June after- Boisterous laughter began to drown out the rumbles of thunder
noon, and Richardson and I sat alone, talking growing in the distance.
on the patio of the Common Market Southend. “You always knew something bad was about to happen
The 26-year-old had spent a few years in a much when all the Iraqi civilians would suddenly vanish from normally
hotter place, and he had made the drive up crowded areas,” Richardson said.
from his Lake Wylie home to tell me about it. In “The force of an IED explosion is massive,” he continued.
Iraq, scalding afternoons topped 120 degrees, “My first one happened in Fallujah. A pretty good-sized IED ex-
and some of the locals weren’t OK with him be- ploded underneath our truck as we rolled over. When we stopped,
ing there. They proved how they felt by trying everyone checked in on the radio, and there were no casualties.
to kill him with little pieces of exploding hot The vehicle was mangled, and there were a couple of concussions,
metal shot in his direction. In the Marine Corps, but everyone was fine.
he didn’t make a living dodging automatic “Then the corpsman (medic) started yelling that he couldn’t
weapons fire, though; he was paid to seek it feel his feet.”
out. His job description included finding the enemy and enticing Richardson’s 5-foot-9-inch frame is burly, and he could be the
him to shoot at him. And then shooting back at them even harder. all-American good guy in a cable TV action show. He projects an
Richardson’s eyes are ice blue and serious, and he speaks with a intensity that must have served him well in the Marines. So far he
Long Island, N.Y., accent softened by a decade living in the South. had delivered each of his answers in a methodical, factual manner
He’s been on the receiving end of no less than 15 IED (impro- that would make the Corps proud.
vised explosive device, or roadside bomb) attacks in Iraq. As he “His feet were fine though,” he continued. “The explosion had
explained the “pucker effect” – how certain anatomy puckers in blown a piece of shrapnel up through the floor right up between
anticipation of trouble when driving through dangerous intersec- his boots, and they were just numbed from the force of the blast
tions, serving as an accurate sort of sixth sense, the after-work and the vacuum created by the shrapnel. He was back on patrol
beer crowd streamed in and quickly filled the surrounding tables. the next day.”
early morning on the euphrates
July 10.indd 48 6/23/2010 9:12:22 AM

Richardson did have the benefit of riding in the armored began to fall.
Humvees that were a favorite topic of the media a few years ago. It Richardson’s initial job in Iraq involved keeping one of the
was a huge improvement over the unarmored “thin skinned” trucks most bomb-riddled stretches of highway in one of the meanest
that were easily destroyed early in the war. But getting blown up places in the world – Fallujah – clear of danger for convoys. The
by an IED is still not ideal, and the armor makes it only about as road was a critical supply line for coalition forces.
safe as a face shield protecting a hockey player from bodily harm. “We were basically a heavily armed highway patrol,” he
He continued talking as dark clouds rolled in overheard. continued. “Insurgents would come out almost every night and
“Another time we got hit by a pretty small IED. I mean it was plant new IEDs, and we’d deal with them the next day. This wasn’t
so small that our truck wasn’t even really damaged that much. A official policy, but it was pretty much understood that if anyone
piece of shrapnel slipped in between a tiny gap in the armor plat- was going to get blown up by an IED, it was to be our patrol and
ing, though, and came in through the back seat and hit one of our not one of the convoy vehicles.”
guys. When I asked him how he felt about that, he shrugged. “All
“He was talking the whole time, and they got him back to part of the job I guess.”
medical pretty fast.” He paused for a minute, looking down, rolling A common ambush tactic of Iraqi insurgents is to plant an
his thumb over the graphics on the can of Monster. obvious IED, knowing that an American patrol will stop when
“They just couldn’t stop the bleeding. they spot it. Insurgents then rake the vehicles with small arms fire,
“He was fine. I mean, he was talking the whole time. They rocket-propelled grenades, and the occasional Chinese- or Russian-
just couldn’t stop the bleeding.” He nodded his head, looking up, as made heavy machine gun. This was how Richardson’s first firefight
he repeated this to both of us. began.
“They told us the next day that he didn’t make it.” “What was that like?” I asked, realizing I had moved toward
The joke told two tables over was a hit and the group erupt-
ed in raucous laughter. A single girl at the next table lit another
cigarette, and the first few drops of the summer thunderstorm
“Right as one of my guys yelled, ‘He pointed!’ two insurgents popped out from
an alleyway about a block up the street and started spraying AK-47 fire in our
direction,” Richardson recalled. “One of them held the trigger down too soon,
and started shooting into the ground as he pointed his rifle towards me.”
a sand storm approaches
July 10.indd 49 6/23/2010 9:12:24 AM

“How’d it feel to kill someone for the first time?” I asked.
the edge of my seat. “Did you take it personally when you realized
for the first time that someone you’d never met was trying to kill
you?”
“Yeah, it got my attention when I could hear incoming rounds
above: a respite from the barracks in a power substation
lived in every third week // keith holding a 249 SAW // keith hit the truck, but you don’t really think about the danger when
in front of his humvee with minor damage from an ied // you’re in the midst of the fight,” Richardson said. “They weren’t
keith and his squad practicing before going out // marines coming that close to me anyway.” He laughed. “For the most part
saluting a fallen comrade the Iraqis can’t shoot for shit.” Richardson went on to describe
opposite: corp. timothy roos, a gunner and friend killed in how they identified two MAMs (military aged males) shooting at
ramadi // the rough streets of ramadi // lt. corp. selz show- them from an irrigation ditch about 200 meters away. Even despite
ing how close he came to dying from an rpg that hit the his rigid, chronological delivery of the facts of the story, and
humvee he was driving frequent use of military terms, I could still see the angry orange
muzzle flashes and tracers slicing up a postcard-pretty desert sun-
set. Palm tree silhouettes swaying in a warm desert breeze.
“We killed one and the other guy took off. We searched a
July 10.indd 50 6/23/2010 9:12:28 AM

nearby house but didn’t find anything. I remember right after all ing around before nodding toward a staircase a few feet away. “I
that happened a really big sandstorm rolled through. don’t know. From here to those steps maybe?”
“It was ominous.” “Is there a standard Marine Corps protocol in a situation
He glanced over at the group of hipsters comparing tattoos like that?” I asked. “Automatic burst? Two in the chest, one in the
at the next table, and back to me. head?”
“I was never really scared during a firefight. Instinct and “We tried to conserve ammo whenever possible. I think I
training take over and you know you have to kill them before they popped him like eight times,” he said, squinting upward to remem-
kill you,” he confided. “It’s afterwards that you really think about it. ber the number.
Kind of like, ‘Did I actually really do that?’ “How’d it feel to kill someone for the first time?” I asked.
“There’s no bigger rush than a firefight. It’s addictive.” “I’ll go with the standard Marine response,” Richardson said,
Richardson’s unit was later moved from Fallujah, where he smiling while finishing off the can of Monster. “The biggest impact
had been stationed immediately after the well-publicized battle I felt was the recoil from my rifle.”
that pacified the city, to the new Sunni insurgent stronghold of It had begun to rain steadily and some of the people on the
Ramadi. patio had called it quits and gone inside. Richardson glanced down
“Ramadi was like the wild West,” he continued as rain began at his iPhone as big drops began to wet the back of his shirt.
to tumble off the umbrella overhead. “I was in a Mobile Assault “Yeah, it’s them or me in that situation,” he added. “I lost nine
Platoon and we went to some of the worst areas in town. Places close friends over there. We rolled hard in 3rd platoon Bravo, and
that the Iraqi army wouldn’t even patrol. We had hostile contact we were known for that. The Iraqis respect strength.”
with the enemy almost daily.” Later that summer, he and his team were asked to check out
One afternoon, his team had just finished searching some a print shop suspected of producing anti-American posters and
houses suspected of insurgent activity and were loading into the fliers that had been appearing around Ramadi. While Marines from
trucks to head back to base. One of his men noticed that an Iraqi one of the trucks in his patrol began searching a suspicious vehicle
civilian on a moped, who had already passed their patrol twice, in the street, Richardson and his commanding officer entered the
was coming by a third time. This was another common tactic used shop.
by insurgents to spot and signal the position of American forces to “The middle of a busy road is an extremely dangerous place
each other. to conduct a search like that,” he explained. “You’re out in the open,
“Right as one of my guys yelled, ‘He pointed!’ two insurgents really exposed, and if you stop for longer than 10 minutes, there’s
popped out from an alleyway about a block up the street and going to be trouble.” He asked one of the men from his Humvee
started spraying AK-47 fire in our direction,” Richardson recalled. to help the others finish up the search quickly so they could move
“One of them held the trigger down too soon, and started shooting to a safer position with better cover. “I had only been inside for
into the ground as he pointed his rifle towards me. a couple of minutes when I heard the shot. Single shots are bad
“You could see a rooster tail of dirt churn up in the air. news. I’d much rather hear an automatic burst than a single shot.
“How close did he come to hitting me?” he repeated, glanc- “Single shots usually mean a sniper.”
July 10.indd 51 6/23/2010 9:12:32 AM

He seemed amused by my question, but answered it easily as though he’d been
asked before. “Deaths are like snowflakes. No two are the same,” he informed me.
clockwise above: kuwait - soldiers coming

into iraq // downtown fallujah in front of a
mosque // top left to bottom right - lt. corp.
santoro, corp. wilson, keith richardson,
sgt. popp, lt. corp. selz // humvee on fire
after an ied in ramadi // staging area at
hurricane point before a sandstorm
July 10.indd 52 6/23/2010 9:12:39 AM

Richardson returned to find Lance Corp. Nick Whyte, the “The souq is like a maze, and we got lost pretty fast,” Richard-
man from his unit he had asked to help search the vehicle, on the son said. “It’s dark, and the streets are too narrow to turn around.
ground with a gunshot wound through the base of the skull. “Nick There are no street signs.”
Whyte was a good guy. He was a good friend of mine. A sniper As he continued talking I could envision the four Humvees
with some talent and probably a Russian-made Dragunov rifle got feeling their way along in the dark, past deserted wooden shop
a good shot in from at least 500 meters away. stalls and empty produce stands – all viewed through the eerie
“Nick was a direct subordinate following my orders when he green light of night vision goggles. A few lonely stars and clothes-
died. That was hard.” lines looking on overhead, and apart from the rumble of four diesel
The persistent rainstorm had finally driven everyone else engines, deafening quiet.
from the patio, and it seemed like a good time for us to call it a Eventually the patrol finally found their way out of the mar-
night. Our shirts were getting wet, and the action hero seemed to ketplace.
have tired of talking about Iraq. “We punched out onto a side street that dumped into a T in-
Richardson did have more to say, though, and we picked up tersection. Vehicle one got hit with a massive IED when they made
our conversation a week later at his kitchen table. While he contin- a left at that intersection, which disabled the vehicle,” he said.
ued his story, I scrolled through his photos from Iraq. There were The ambush had been sprung at that point, and insurgents
a lot of fresh-faced kids in the desert sporting rifles and grenade delivered savage small arms and machine gun fire from surround-
launchers, posing in front of tanks and Humvees. There was a shot ing rooftops. A rocket-propelled grenade fired a second too early
of a tank shrouded in a sandstorm. The handful of video clips fea- skidded off the hood of Richardson’s vehicle and exploded into a
tured everything from firefights to practical jokes. All of them were nearby electronics store.
set to the deafening hum of perpetually running diesel engines. The other three vehicles pulled up and around to support the
“I went to the Green Zone once,” Richardson said. damaged Humvee, and a major shootout ensued.
When Whyte died, Richardson was sent to the well- “We hit back hard with the Mark 19 grenade launcher and
publicized Green Zone to get away from Ramadi for a while and our Gulf 240 medium machine gun. We killed a few of them on the
decompress. roof and quickly got the upper hand in the firefight,” he recalled.
“They flew me and a buddy there in a British Puma helicop- “They put up a fight, though, and there were bullets flying in all
ter at night,” he recounted. “We were flying fast and low – just directions. They use green tracers and ours are red, and through
scraping above the rooftops – and the door gunner was trading the night vision goggles it looked like a scene from Star Wars.”
fire with insurgents on the ground pretty much the whole way. I Despite being on the receiving end of a well-planned am-
could hear rounds hitting the bottom of the helicopter, and it was bush, none of his team received so much as a scratch. It seemed
sketchy. We had this sort of friendly rivalry with the Brits, and I so unlikely that I asked him to repeat the sequence of events and
remember the gunner yelling something like, ‘Don’t get nervous on confirm the absence of casualties.
me, Yank!’” “No, we didn’t have any casualties in that firefight,” he assert-
The Green Zone wasn’t for Richardson, though. Too much ed. “When we stormed the building, Corp. Greewall shot a couple
comfort for a seasoned combat veteran, apparently. A white more of them, too. When two insurgents ran across an open area
tablecloth and valet parking doesn’t work for a guy who just wants to try and get to an exit he hit them both with an automatic burst.
to eat a steak. “I felt out of place,” he said, shrugging. “They have He had this intuition for stuff like that, and he was just sitting there
swimming pools there, and lots of civilians. I saw a lot of brand covering the stairwell, waiting for them to make a run for it. He
new boots. had a lot of confirmed kills.”
“My boots have blood and shit on them. I guess I just didn’t “What do people look like when they get hit with the grenade
really fit in there.” launcher? Or the machine gun?” I finally asked, unable to resist the
At this point we had talked for hours. It wasn’t until he de- temptation. I had wondered the whole time, and I finally had to
scribed “Hell Night,” though, that I felt like I had gotten just a tiny know.
feel for what he’d been through. “Is it anything like the movies? Nothing at all like the mov-
In the dead of night his unit entered Ramadi’s open-air ies?”
market district – the souq – for the very first time since they He seemed amused by my question, but answered it easily
were stationed in the city. During the day, the souq is normally as though he’d been asked before. “Deaths are like snowflakes. No
packed with shoppers, but in the early morning hours, the place is two are the same,” he informed me.
deserted. Earlier that night, Richardson’s team had already been “There usually isn’t much drama and screaming like the mov-
hit in two IED strikes elsewhere in the city. One blew the entire ies,” the TV action hero continued.
back end of an armored Humvee off, requiring a wrecker to come “Just a lot of pink mist and hamburger meat.” U
out and retrieve it. Two of its occupants were seriously injured and
Richardson’s team had to pick up two more marines from another Reach Matt at matt@uptownclt.com.
unit to replace them. For videos from Iraq and more info go to www.uptownclt.com
July 10.indd 53 6/23/2010 9:12:39 AM

pictures: jim mcguire | jimmcguire.com
clothes and accesories: kitschy-y-cool vintage
makeup: scott weaver
hair: mandi english
models: carolina talent | carolinatalent.us
art direction: jason baker
July 10.indd 54 6/23/2010 9:12:42 AM

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July 10.indd 64 6/23/2010 9:14:02 AM

Dining and Nightlife Guide
A M ERI C AN Bentley’s on 27 – $$$ Zen Asian Fusion – $ Einstein Brothers – $
201 S. College St. Fl. 27 704.343.9201 1716 Kenilworth Ave. 704.358.9688 $ - 201 S. Tryon St. 704.332.4015
Alexander Michael’s – $ (Charlotte Plaza Building) Einstein Brothers – $
401 W. 9th St. 704.332.6789 BLT Steak – $$$ B A K ER Y 1501 South Blvd. 704.333.4370
BlackFinn – $$ 201 E. Trade St. 704.547.2244 Java Passage – $
210 E. Trade St. 704.971.4440 Bonterra Restaurant – $$$ Cloud 9 Confections – $ 101 W. Worthington 704.277.6558
Camilles – $ 1829 Cleveland Ave. 704.333.9463 201 S. College St. Suite 270 704.334.7554 Jump N Joe’s Java Joint – $
1518 E. 3rd St. 704.342.4606 Carpe Diem – $$$ Great Harvest Bread – $ 105 E. Morehead St. 704.372.3217
Cedar Street Tavern – $ 1535 Elizabeth Ave. 704.377.7976 901 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.0431 La Tea Da’s – $
120 N. Cedar St. 704.333.3448 Coastal Kitchen & Bar – $$$ Amelie’s Bakery – $ 1942 E. 7th St. 704.372.9599
Champions – $ 222 E. 3rd St. 704.331.4360 2424 N. Davidson St. 704.376-1781 Nova’s Bakery – $
100 W. Trade St. - Marriott Hotel 704.333.9000 Custom Shop – $$$ Nova’s Bakery – $ 1511 Central Ave. 704.333.5566
Comet Grill – $ 1601 Elizabeth Ave. 704.333.3396 1511 Central Ave. 704.333.5566 PJ’s Coffee & Lounge - $
2224 Park Rd. 704.371.4300 Fig Tree – $$$ Panera Bread – $ 210 E. Trade St. (Epicentre) 704.688.0366
Cosmos Cafe – $ 1601 E. Seventh St. 704.332.3322 601 Providence Rd. 704.374.0581 Port City Java – $
300 N. College St. 704.372.3553 Lulu – $$ 214 N. Tryon St. (Hearst) 704.335.3335
Dressler’s – $$$ 1911 Central Ave. 704.376.2242 B AR B E Q UE SK Netcafe – $
The Metropolitan 704.909.6295 McNinch House – $$$ 1425 Elizabeth Ave. 704.334.1523
East Boulevard Grill – $ 511 N. Church St. 704.332.6159 Art’s Barbecue – $ Starbucks – $
1601 East Blvd. 704.332.2414 Mimosa Grill – $$ 900 E. Morehead St. 704.334.9424 545 Providence Rd. 704.372.1591
Ember Grille – $$$ 301 S. Tryon St. 704.343.0700 Jolina Tex Mex & BBQ – $ Starbucks – $
601 S. College St. WestinHotel 704.335.2064 Monticello – $$ 500 S. College St. 704.375.0994 101 S. Tryon St. 704.374.9519
Fenwick’s – $ 235 N. Tryon St. – Dunhill Hotel 704.342.1193 Mac’s Speed Shop – $ Tic Toc Coffee shop – $
511 Providence Rd. 704.333.2750 Pewter Rose Bistro – $$ 2511 South Blvd. 704.522.6227 512 N. Tryon St. 704.375.5750
Fox and Hound – $ 1820 South Blvd. 704.332.8149 Rib Palace – $
330 N. Tryon St. 704.333.4113 Ratcliffe on the Green – $$ 1300 Central Ave. 704.333.8841 D ELI
French Quarter – $ 435 S. Tryon St. 704.358.9898
321 S. Church St. 704.377.7415 Zink – $$ B REA K F A S T Adams 7th Street Market – $
John’s Country Kitchen – $ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.444.9001 401 Hawthorne Ln. 704.334.0001
1518 Central Ave. 704.333.9551 Art’s Barbecue – $ Art’s Barbecue – $
Lebowski’s Neighborhood Grill - $ A S IAN 900 E. Morehead St. 704.334.9424 900 E. Morehead St. 704.334.9424
1524 East Blvd. 704.370.1177 Coffee Cup – $ Blynk – $
Nix – $ 88 China Bistro – $ 914 S. Clarkson St. 704.375.8855 200 S. Tryon 704.522.3750
201 N. Tryon St. 704.347.2739 1620 E. 4th St. 704.335.0288 Einstein Brothers – $ Common Market – $
Pike’s Soda Shop – $ Basil Thai – $ 201 S. Tryon St. 704.332.4015 2007 Commonwealth Ave. 704.334-6209
1930 Camden Rd. 704.372.0097 210 N. Church St. 704.332.7212 Einstein Brothers – $ Dikadee’s Deli – $
Presto Bar and Grill – $ China King – $ 1501 South Blvd. 704.333.4370 1419 East Blvd. 704.333.3354
445 W. Trade St. 704.334.7088 128 Brevard Ct. 704.334-7770 IHOP – $ Dogwood Cafe – $
Providence Café – $ $ China Queen Buffet – $ 2715 E. Independence Blvd. 704.334.9502 138 Brevard Court 704.376.8353
829 Providence R d. 704.376.2008 127 N. Tryon St. Ste 3 704.377.1928 Monticello – $$ Fresco Cafe & Deli – $
Providence Road Sundries – $ China Saute – $ 235 N. Tryon St. – Dunhill Hotel 704.342.1193 3642 Moultrie St. 704.376.5777
1522 Providence Rd. 704.366.4467 2214 Park Rd 704.333.1116 Owen’s Bagel & Deli – $ Grand Central Deli – $
Rock Bottom – $ Creation – $ 2041 South Blvd. 704.333.5385 101 N. Tryon St. 704.348.7032
401 N. Tryon St. 704.334.2739 1221-A The Plaza 704.372.2561 Tic Toc Coffeeshop – $ Great Harvest Bread Co. – $
Selwyn Pub – $ Cuisine Malaya – $ 512 N. Tryon St. 704.375.5750 901 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.0431
2801 Selwyn Ave. 704.333.3443 1411 Elizabeth Ave. 704.372.0766 Groucho’s Deli – $
Simmons Fourth Ward Restaurant – $ Dim Sum – $ B RI T I S H 201 N. Tryon St. 704.342.0030
516 N. Graham St. 704.334.6640 2920 Central Ave. 704.569.1128 Halfpenny’s – $
Something Classic Café – $ Eggroll King – $ Big Ben’s Pub – $ 30 Two First Union Ctr. 704.342.9697
715 Providence Rd. 704.347.3666 8907 Steelechase Dr. 704.372.6401 801 Providence R d. 704.334.6338 Jason’s Deli – $
South 21 – $ Emperor Chinese – $ 210 E. Trade (Epicentre) 704.688.1004
3101 E. Independence Blvd. 704.377.4509 337 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.2688 C A J UN & C RE O LE Jersey Mike’s Subs – $
Stool Pigeons – $ Fortune Cookie – $ 128 S. Tryon St. 704.343.0006
214 N. Church St. 704.358.3788 208 East Independence Blvd. 704.377.1388 Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen – $ Jersey Mikes Subs – $
The Gin Mill South End – $ Fujiyama – $ 501 E. 36th St. 704.331.9898 2001 E. 7th St. 704.375.1985
1411 S. Tryon St. 704.373.0782 320 S. Tryon St. 704.334.5158 Cajun Queen – $$ Jump N Joe’s Java Joint – $
The Graduate – $ Fuse Box – $ 1800 E 7th St. 704.377.9017 105 E. Morehead St. 704.372.3217
123 W. Trade St. 704.358.3024 227 W. Trade St. 704.376.8885 Laurel Market South – $
The Penguin – $ Ginbu 401 – $ C ARI B B EAN 1515 South Blvd. 704.334.2185
1921 Commonwealth Ave. 704.375.6959 401 Providence Rd. 704.372.2288 Leo’s Delicatessen – $
The Philosopher’s Stone – $ Great Wok – $ Anntony’s Caribbean Cafe – $ 1421 Elizabeth Ave. 704.375.2400
1958 E. Seventh St. 704.350.1331 718 W Trade St. Ste M 704.333.0080 2001 E. 7th St. 704.342.0749 Li’l Dino – $
The Pub – $ Hong Kong – $ Austin’s Caribbean Cuisine – $ 401 S. Tryon St. 704.342.0560
710 West Trade St. 704.333.9818 1713 Central Ave. 704.376.6818 345 S. Kings Dr. 704.331.8778 Matt’s Chicago Dog – $
Thomas Street Tavern – $ Indochine Asian Tapas Lounge - $ 425 S. Tryon St. 704.333.3650
1218 Thomas Ave. 704.376.1622 210 E. Trade St. 704.688.0078 C H INE S E Owen’s Bagel & Deli – $
Tic Toc Coffeeshop – $ Koko – $ 2041 South Blvd. 704.333.5385
512 N. Tryon St. 704.375.5750 6609 Elfreda Rd. 704.338.6869 88 China Bistro – $ Philadelphia Deli – $
Union Grille – $ Monsoon Thai Cuisine – $ 1620 E. 4th St. 704.335.0288 1025 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.4489
222 E 3rd St. – Hilton Towers 2801 South Blvd. 704.523.6778 Vanloi Chinese Barbecue – $ Phil’s Tavern – $
704.331.4360 Orient Express – $ 3101 Central Ave. 704.566.8808 105 E. Fifth St. 704.347.0035
Vinnie’s Sardine – $ 3200 N Graham St. 704.332.6255 Wok Express – $ Rainbow Café – $
1714 South Blvd. 704-332-0006 Pho An Hoa – $ 601 S. Kings Dr. 704.375.1122 400 South Tryon 704.332.8918
Wild Wings - $ 4832 Central Ave. 704.537.2595 Reid’s – $
210 E. Trade St. 704.716.9464 Pho Hoa – $ C O F F EE S H O P S 225 E. 7th St. 704.377.1312
Zack’s Hamburgers – $ 3000 Central Ave. 704.536.7110 Ri-Ra Irish Pub – $
4009 South Blvd. 704.525.1720 SOHO Bistro – $ Caribou Coffee – $ 208 N. Tryon St 704.333.5554
214 N Tryon St. 704.333.5189 100 N. Tryon St. 704.372.5507 Salvador Deli – $
A M ERI C AN M O D ERN Thai Taste – $ Dilworth Coffee – $ N. Davidson St. 704.334.2344
324 East Blvd. 704.332.0001 1235 East Blvd # B, 704.358.8003 Sammy’s Deli – $
131 Main – $$ Taipei Express – $ 330 S Tryon St, 704.334.4575 1113 Pecan Ave. 704.376.1956
1315 East Blvd. 704.343.0131 731 Providence Rd. 704.334.2288 Dilworth Playhouse Cafe – $
300 East – $$ Tin Tin Box & Noodles – $ 1427 South Blvd. 704.632.0336
300 East Blvd. 704.332.6507 101 N. Tryon St. 704.377.3223
July 10.indd 65 6/23/2010 9:14:03 AM

Sandwich Club – $ Open Kitchen – $ Sullivan’s – $$$ Quiznos Sub – $
525 N. Tryon St. 704.334.0133 1318 W. Morehead St. 704.375.7449 1928 South Blvd. 704.335.8228 127 N. Tryon St. 704.374.9921
Sandwich Club – $ Pasta & Provisions – $ The Corner Pub – $ Quizno’s – $
435 S. Tryon St. 704.344.1975 1528 Providence Rd. 704.364.2622 335 N. Graham St. 704.376.2720 320 S. Tryon St. – Latta Arcade 704.372.8922
Substation II - $ Portofino’s Italian – $$ Roly Poly Sandwiches – $
1601 South Blvd 704-332-3100 3124 Eastway Dr. 704.568.7933 PIZZA 317 S. Church St. 704.332.6375
1941 E. 7th St. 704-358-8100 Primo Ristorante – $$ Sbarro – $
116 Middleton Dr. 704.334.3346 Brixx – $ 101 S. Tryon St. 704.332.5005
D E S S ER T Cafe Siena – $$ 225 East 6th St. 704.347.2749 Simply Subs – $
230 N. College St. 704.602.2750 Donato’s Pizza - $ 212 S. Tryon St. 704.333.0503
Crave the Dessert Bar – $ Salute Ristorante – $$ 718-A West Trade St 704.714.4743 Smoothie King – $
501 W. 5th St. 704.277.9993 613 Providence Rd 704.342.9767 Domino’s Pizza – $ Epicentre - 210 Trade St. 704.979.6911
Dairy Queen – $ Terra – $$ 343 S. Kings Dr. 704.331.9847 Smoothie King – $
1431 Central Ave. 704.377.4294 545-B Providence Rd. 704.332.1886 Fuel Pizza – $ One Wachovia Center 704.374.0200
Dolce Ristorante – $$ Villa Francesca 214 N. Tryon St. 704.350.1680 Spoons – $
1710 Kenilworth Ave. 704.332.7525 321 Caldwell St. 704.333.7447 Fuel Pizza – $ 415 Hawthorne Ln. 704.376.0874
Luce Ristorante – $$ Volare – $$ 1501 Central Ave. 704.376.3835 Woody’s Chicago Style – $
214 N. Tryon St. – Hearst Plaza 704.344.9222 1523 Elizabeth Ave. 704.370.0208 Hawthorne’s NY 320 S. Tryon St. - Latta Arcade 704.334.0010
Monticello – $$ Zio Authentic Italian – $$ 1701 E. 7th St. 704.358.9339 Zack’s Hamburgers – $
235 N. Tryon St.– Dunhill Hotel 704.342.1193 116 Middleton Dr. 704.344.0100 Latta Pizza – $ 4009 South Blvd. 704.525.1720
320 S. Tryon St. 704.333.4015
E C LE C T I C LA T IN Papa John’s Pizza – $ S EA F O O D
1620 E. 4th St. 704.375.7272
The Melting Pot – $$$ Cuban Pete’s – $ Picasso’s – $ Aquavina – $$$
901 S. Kings Dr. Stuite 140-B 704.334.4400 1308 The Plaza 704.910.5233 214 N. Church St. 704.331.0133 435 S. Tryon St. 704.377.9911
Therapy Cafe – $ Pie Town – $$ Cabo Fish Taco – $
401 N. Tryon St. 704.333.1353 M EA T & T H REE 710 W. Trade St. 704.379.7555 3201 N. Davidson St. 704.332.8868
The Fig Tree – $$ Pizza Hut – $ Capital Grille – $$$
1601 E. 7th St. 704.332.3322 Dish – $ 901 S. Kings Dr. 704.377.7006 201 N. Tryon St. 704.348.1400
1220 Thomas Ave. 704.344.0343 Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders – $ Fig Tree –$$$
F REN C H Mert’s Heart & Soul – $ 2000 South Blvd. - Atherton Mill 704.333.3124 1601 E. Seventh St. 704.332.3322
214 N. College St. 704.342.4222 UNO Chicago Grill – $ LaVecchia’s – $$$
Terra – $$ Blue – $$$ 401 S. Tryon St. 704.373.0085 225 E. 6th St. 704.370.6776
545-B Providence Rd. 704.332.1886 214 N. Tryon St. 704.927.2583 Villa Francesca McCormick & Schmick’s – $$$
Intermezzo Pizzeria & Café – $ 321 Caldwell St. 704.333.7447 200 South Tryon St. 704.377.0201
GREE K 1427 E. 10th Street 704.347.2626 Zio Authentic Italian – $ Outback Steakhouse – $$
116 Middleton Dr. 704.344.0100 1412 East Blvd. 704.333.0505
Greek Isles – $$ M E X I C AN
200 E. Bland St. 704.444.9000 Q UI C K B I T E S S O U T H ERN & S O UL
Little Village Grill – $ Cabo Fish Taco – $
710-G W. Trade St. 704.347.2184 3201 N. Davidson St. 704.332.8868 Bojangles’ – $ Lupie’s Cafe – $
Showmars – $ Johnny Burrito – $ 310 E Trade St. 704.335.1804 2718 Monroe Rd. 704.374.1232
214 N. Tryon St. 704.333.5833 301 S. Tryon St. 704.371.4448 Boston Market – $ Mert’s Heart and Soul – $
La Paz – $$ 829 Providence Rd. 704.344.0016 214 N. College St 704.342.4222
IN D IAN 1910 South Blvd. 704.372.4168 Burger King – $ Price’s Chicken Coop – $
Phat Burrito – $ 310 E. Trade St. 704.334.3312 1614 Camden Rd. 704.333.9866
Copper – $$ 1537 Camden Rd. 704.332.7428 Chick-fil-A – $ Savannah Red – $$
311 East Blvd. 704.333.0063 Salsarita’s – $ 101 S. Tryon St. 704.344.0222 100 W. Trade St. 704.333.9000
Maharani – $ 101 S. Tryon St. 704.342.0950 Chicks Restaurant – $ Marriott City Center
901 S. Kings Dr. 704.370.2824 320 S. Tryon St. – Latta Arcade 704.358.8212
M I D D LE EA S T ERN Church’s – $ S P ANI S H
I T ALIAN 1735 W. Trade St. 704.332.2438
Kabob Grill – $ Dairy Queen – $ Sole Spanish Grille – $$$
Carrabba’s Italian Grill – $$ 1235-B East Blvd. 704.371.8984 1431 Central Ave. 704.377.4294 1608 East blvd.. 704.343.9890
1520 South Blvd. 704.377.2458 Metropolitan – $ Domino’s Pizza – $
Coco Osteria – $$ 138 Brevard Ct. 704.333.5175 343 S. Kings Dr. 704.331.9847 S T EA K H O U S E
214 N. Tryon St.–Hearst Plaza 704.344.8878 Fuel Pizza – $
Dolce Ristorante – $$ O U T D O O R D INING 214 N. Tryon St. 704.350.1680 Beef & Bottle – $$$
1710 Kenilworth Ave. 704.332.7525 Fuel Pizza – $ 4538 South Blvd. 704.523.9977
Fig Tree – $$$ Big Ben’s Pub – $$ 1501 Central Ave. 704.376.3835 Capital Grille – $$$
1601 E. 7th St. 704.332.3322 801 Providence Rd. 704.334.6338 Green’s Lunch – $ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.348.1400
Hawthorne’s NY Pizza – $ Cans Bar – $ 309 W. 4th St. 704.332.1786 Chima – $$$
1701 E. 7th St. 704.358.9339 500 W. 5th St. 704.940.0200 Mr. K’s – $ 139 S. Tryon St. 980.225.5000
Intermezzo Pizzeria & Café – $ East Boulevard Grill – $ 2107 South Blvd. 704.375.4318 Flemings - $$$
1427 E. 10th St. 704.347.2626 1601 East Blvd. 704.332.2414 Papa John’s Pizza – $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.333.4266
Luce Ristorante & Bar – $$$ Ember Grille – $$$ 1620 E. 4th St 704.375.7272 LaVecchia’s – $$$
214 N. Tryon St. – Hearst Plaza 704.344.9222 601 S. College St. - Westin Hotel 704.335.2064 Pasta & Provisions – $ 225 E. 6th St. 704.370.6776
Mama Ricotta’s – $$ Ri-Ra Irish Pub – $ 1528 Providence Rd. 704.364.2622 Longhorn Steakhouse – $$
601 S. Kings Dr. 704.343.0148 208 N. Tryon St 704.333.5554 Pita Pit – $ 700 E. Morehead St. 704.332.2300
214 N. Tryon St. 704.333.5856
July 10.indd 66 6/23/2010 9:14:03 AM

Morton’s – $$$ Dilworth Billiards
227 W.Trade St.- Carillon bldg. 704.333.2602 300 E. Tremont Ave. 704.333.3021
Outback Steakhouse – $$ Dixie’s Tavern
1412 East Blvd. 704.333.2602 301 E. 7th St. 704.374.1700
Ruth’s Chris – $$$ DoubleDoor Inn
222 S. Tryon St. 704.338.9444 218 E. Independence Blvd. 704.376.1446
Sullivan’s – $$$ Ed’s Tavern
1928 South Blvd. 704.335.8228 2200 Park Rd. 704.335.0033
Evening Muse
S U S H I 3227 N. Davidson St. 704.376.3737
Fox and Hound – $
Enso – $$ 330 N. Tryon St. 704.333.4113
Visit Energy Cafe for a
FREE
210 E. Trade St. 704.716.3676 Hartigans Pub – $
Fujo Uptown Bistro – $$ 601 S. Ceder St. 704.347.1841
301 S. College St 704.954.0087 Hawthorne’s NY Pizza – $
COMBO
KO Sushi – $$ 1701 E. 7th St. 704.358.9339
230 S. Tryon St. 704.372.7757 Howl at the Moon – $
Nikko – $$ 210 E. Trade St. 704.936.4695
1300-F South Blvd. 704.370.0100 Jillian’s SouthEnd – $
Pisces – $$ 300 E. Bland Street 704.376.4386 with purchase of
1100 E. Metropolitan Ave. 704.334.0009 Loft 1523 – $$ any sandwich.
Room 112 – $$ 1523 Elizabeth Ave. 704.333.5898
112 S. Tryon St. 704.335.7112 Madison’s – $$ Bring in this ad to redeem.
Ru-San’s Sushi – $$ 115 Fifth St. 704.299.0580
2440 Park Rd. 704.374.0008 Morehead Tavern – $
300 East Morehead St. 704.334.2655
T A P A S Mortimers -$
210 E. Trade St. 704.334.2655
Arpa Tapas – $$$ 704.372.7792 Phil’s Tavern – $
121 W. Trade St. 105 E. Fifth St. 704.347.0035 101 S. Tryon Street • Bank of America Plaza
Cosmos Cafe – $$ 704.372.3553 Picasso’s – $
300 N. College St. 214 N. Church St. 704.331.0133
energycafecharlotte.com
Pravda – $$ Monday - Friday: 7am-4pm & Saturday: 11am-2pm
V EGE T ARIAN 300 N. College St. 704.375.8765
Presto Bar and Grill – $ Expires 9/31/10
Blynk – $ 445 W. Trade St. 704.334.7088
200 S. Tryon 704.522.3750 Ri-Ra Irish Pub – $
Dish – $ 208 N. Tryon St 704.333.5554
1220 Thomas Ave. 704.344.0343 Selwyn Pub – $
Something Classic Café – $ 2801 Selwyn Ave. 704.333.3443
PISCES
715 Providence Rd. 704.347.3666 Stool Pigeons – $
214 N. Church St. 704.358.3788
V IE T NA M E S E Suite – $
SUSHI
210 E. Trade St. 704.999.7934
Pho An Hoa – $ The Attic – $
4832 Central Ave. 704.537.2595 200 N. Tryon St. 704.358.4244
The Corner Pub – $
B AR S 335 N. Graham St. 704.376.2720
The Forum – $$
Amos SouthEnd – $ 300 N. College St. 704.375.8765
1423 S. Tryon St. 704.377.6874 The Gin Mill – $
Apostrophe Lounge – $$ 1411 S. Tryon St. 704.373.0782
1400 S. Tryon St. 704.371.7079 The Penguin – $
BAR Charlotte – $ 1921 Commonwealth Ave. 704.375.6959
300 N. College St. 704.342.2557 The Pub – $
Big Ben’s Pub – $$ 710 West Trade St. 704.333.9818
801 Providence Rd. 704.334.6338 Thomas Street Tavern – $ All Sushi Rolls
Buckhead Saloon – $ 1218 Thomas St. 704.376.1622
201 E. 5th St. 704.370.0687 Tilt – $$ Under $10
Cans Bar – $ 127 W. Trade St. 704.347.4870
500 W. 5th St. 704.940.0200 Town Tavern – $
Cedar Street Tavern – $ 200 N. Tryon Serving until 2am
120 N. Cedar St. 704.333.3448 Tremont Music Hall – $
Connolly’s on 5th – $ 400 W Tremont Ave. 704.343.9494 (Thurs-Sunday)
115 E. 5th St. 704.358.9070 Tutto Mondo – $
Cosmos – $$ 1820 South Blvd. 704.332.8149
300 N. College St.
Coyote Ugly – $
704.375.8765 Tyber Creek Pub – $
1933 South Blvd. 704.343.2727
Drink Specials
521 N. College St. 704.347.6869 Vinnie’s Sardine – $ Nightly
Crave the Dessert Bar – $ 1714 South Blvd. 704.332.0006
501 W. 5th St. 704.277.9993 Whiskey River – $
Dilworth Bar & Grille 210 E. Trade St. 704.749.1097 1100 E Metropolitan Ave.
911 E. Morehead St. 704.377.3808 Wild Wings - $ Suite 120
210 E. Trade St. 704.716.9464 704-334-0009
Charlotte NC 28204
Free Parking www.piscessushi.com
July 10.indd 67 6/23/2010 9:14:04 AM

July 10.indd 68 6/23/2010 9:14:06 AM

Uptown Magazine July 2010

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Uptown Magazine July 2010

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JULY 2010

July 10.indd 1 6/23/2010 9:09:24 AM

Choose from a variety of floor plans featuring ample sunlight and

up to $3000 in free rent available call 704.332.5022 to learn more

July 10.indd 2 6/23/2010 9:09:27 AM

SOCIAL SPACES PRIVATE PL ACES

now leasing // 888.890.3 794

e Visit our sister project, The Residence at southPark, at TheResidenceliving.com.

July 10.indd 3 6/23/2010 9:09:27 AM

July 10.indd 4 6/23/2010 9:09:32 AM

July 10.indd 5 6/23/2010 9:09:36 AM

but you can say uptown in only one breath

covering in-town Charlotte since 2005

July 10.indd 6 6/23/2010 9:09:36 AM

Both four & two legged.

at Mixed Pet veterinary hosPitals, we specialize in

stonecrest 704.752.9787 Ballantyne 704.926.7000

July 10.indd 7 6/23/2010 12:48:37 PM

From the $190’s • 1,747 to 4,500 sq.ft.

For More Information, Visit RyanHomesUM.com www.uptownclt.com uptown 9

July 10.indd 9 6/23/2010 9:09:38 AM

The Madison opened up its penthouse

July 10.indd 10 6/23/2010 9:09:58 AM

July 10.indd 11 6/23/2010 9:10:06 AM

01_00764A/4.qxd:Layout 2 2/19/10 5:11 PM Page 1

Improve Your Greatest Asset

James C. Hull, DDS, MS • Grant G. Coleman, DMD, MS • J. Turner Hull, DDS, MS

July 10.indd 12 6/23/2010 2:29:31 PM

July 10.indd 13 6/23/2010 2:29:10 PM

July 10.indd 14 6/23/2010 9:10:15 AM

July 10.indd 15 6/23/2010 9:10:16 AM

July 10.indd 16 6/23/2010 9:10:25 AM

Sean O’Connell is Peter Reinhart is the A man about town

July 10.indd 17 6/23/2010 9:10:27 AM

July 10.indd 18 6/23/2010 10:48:09 AM

A couple months after Anna was born, my wife, Contributing

July 10.indd 20 6/23/2010 9:10:44 AM

The coverage and

July 10.indd 21 6/23/2010 9:10:45 AM

Live albums, as a general rule, suck.

Even without poor recording clarity, it’s

the sound, and the natural reverb, which

Chirping birds, whether authentic or synthetic,

Hiss Golden Messenger

Venice Is Sinking – “Sand & Lines:

words & pictures:

July 10.indd 22 6/23/2010 12:06:11 PM

Delorean – “Subiza” Ideal Bread – “Vol. 2 of The Music

July 10.indd 23 6/23/2010 12:11:46 PM

the main bay of san juan del sur

July 10.indd 24 6/23/2010 9:10:55 AM

July 10.indd 25 6/23/2010 9:10:59 AM

the beach at san juan del sur

July 10.indd 26 6/23/2010 9:11:04 AM

“Like what?” is my reply that seems at that point in the

July 10.indd 27 6/23/2010 9:11:06 AM

July 10.indd 28 6/23/2010 9:11:10 AM

July 10.indd 29 6/23/2010 9:11:13 AM

bus station at san juan del sur

July 10.indd 30 6/23/2010 9:11:17 AM

for the hottest

July 10.indd 31 6/23/2010 9:11:18 AM

July 10.indd 32 6/23/2010 9:11:21 AM

July 10.indd 33 6/23/2010 9:11:23 AM