[cover story]

HOT LIST (Continued)

IN THE 'DAWG' HOUSE
It cannot go unnoticed the flourishing theatrical talent that infiltrates stages about town week in, week out. Audiences are often transported to other worlds where the drama of love, life and all of the in-betweens play out real-time and send us into pondering comas, where we allow art and our own lives to coexist and create dialogue.

Among the plethora of companies in town is Big Dawg Productions, whose latest leap into its independent ‘dawg’ house will give its casts, crews and helpers a place to call home. Ken Cressman, artistic director, who’s been with the company for two years, said, “I’ve felt ever since I’ve been with Big Dawg that we needed our own space. The Studio Theater [at Thalian Hall] is wonderful and very versatile. But having to rehearse one place (or many places) and then transfer everything to another space a few days before opening night is very difficult for the actors. Having to build our sets in pieces and then load in on a Monday and put everything together for an opening on Thursday has been enormously difficult.”

But before Big Dawg can get back to a more concentrated and focused blueprint of staging live productions, they have to situate themselves in their new digs. “We looked at several places that weren’t right or didn’t work out for a variety of reasons,” Cressman continued, “but when we discovered an empty commercial space in the Castle Street Art and Antiques District, it seemed like a perfect fit for us.”

The district, according to Cressman, is ideal in the sense that it gives off the vibe of a true neighborhood community. “We really do feel like we’ve come home,” he iterated. “Businesses on the street have been extremely welcoming to us.” The new space fits in nicely with the revitalization of Castle, too, considering it will host a new patron lobby and 1,200 sqaure feet of studio space, all of which includes dressing rooms and storage.

“Renovations on the interior of the space have already begun,” he assured, “and we expect the bulk of that to be completed by the time we take possession of the building in August. After that, we need to build seating risers . . . and install our lighting and sound equipment. Everything is proceeding on schedule, though we accept the fact that it still might be a ‘work in progress’ when we open first production there in October.”

As one may expect of the daring company, they will stick with bearing three plays plus a classic or educational piece, as well as their annual New Play Festival. “Yet, we plan to add one more production a year so that we’re actually operating year-round,” Cressman informed. Audiences can rest knowing it will be “out of the ordinary shows—things that are a little bit different from what other companies in town might be doing.”

Aside from showcasing “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail” in October, they are currently selecting other productions for the ‘08-’09 year. They’re expanding the New Play Festival to include more young people, as well as offering more workshops in technical aptitude and acting for both youth and adults alike. “We also sincerely hope to get people to come out to our auditions who perhaps haven’t worked with Big Dawg before,” Cressman added. “There seems to be a perception that certain people only work with certain companies, but we welcome anyone who is interested . . . whether they have any experience or not. And we hope to continue presenting interesting, unusual and thought-provoking theater—and we plan to keep having fun.”

WILMINGTON CAMERA SERVICES
Film is hot. So are filmies. What other East Coast metropolis knows this better than our own sizzling Port City? But there’s a reason why what’s projected onscreen ends up looking so smooth and debonair—and, no, it’s not all about extras or even those kids on “One Tree Hill.” It’s about the people and technology behind the scenes, like that of the brand-new Wilmington Camera Services (WCS), retailer of nearly every film-production need there is. Their mission? “To service the needs of Wilmington’s ever-evolving film, television, and video community with professional camera and support equipment and superior tech support,” Francine DeCoursey of WCS says.

Their services include the rentals of 35mm and 16mm film cameras, the newly added HD and digital camera rentals, spherical and anamorphic lenses, cranes, dollies, precision dolly track and professional tech support. They have also recently added Final Cut Pro and Avid Adrenaline Edit suites software, as well as a pre-lit insert stage with a hard cyc wall and house power to the list.

“The addition of our editing suites and production services will allow [us] to also generate additional production activity [with] independent films, documentaries, commercials, etc., contracting Wilmington’s production pros in camera operation, editing, etc. on a per-project basis,” DeCoursey explains.
Located right down the street from Screen Gems Studios, WCS welcomes folks to stop by any time, although appointments are recommended as the staff is often busy prepping or servicing gear. Owner of the whole operation is Jim Holladay, a four-decade veteran of the broadcast, television and video industry. Holladay’s experience, connections and sizable knowledge of film technology is enormously beneficial to serving the diversity of fillm, TV and video production needs brought to him—with help, of course, from his staff of film-production professionals, each with many years of feature-film experience.

“It’s a new day in the film and video industry,” DeCoursey says, “and Wilmington Camera Services is stepping up to meet the needs of a broader range of productions with superior equipment, quality services and reasonable prices.”

TITAN CEMENT PLANT
It’s the not-so-hot hot topic about town, sending green-minded Wilmington-area residents into a state of frenzied panic and anxiety: the Titan Cement Plant. The mere words send ripples of angry goosebumps down the arms of anyone even slightly environmentally conscious in our beloved Port City. It’s a hot topic not only for the amount of buzz and press it has created, but for the fiery-hot tempers it leaves in its wake of discussion.

The issue? A mega cement company, Titan America, has plans to construct a new cement plant on the grounds of the old Roanoke cement plant near Castle Hayne, a plant that was shut down over two decades ago and now comprises vacant land around the Cape Fear River. Although the proposed plant would generate an estimated 160 jobs, immediate backlash has exploded throughout the community, making it unyieldingly clear that the environmental footprint left behind is not a price area residents think is worth paying. The proposed new quarry area would take up 1,264 acres, with a wetlands impact of 600 acres. And the potential amount of pollutant emissions released annually? 8,065 tons.

The issues against Titan are copious and well-founded, citing poor public health (through the emissions of carbon dioxide and other particle matter); concern for surrounding water, wetlands and the environment (as the cement plant and limestone mine would cover such a large amount of land); concern for wildlife (whose natural prime habitat of Island Creek and the Cape Fear River would be significantly threatened); negative social impact and increased traffic.

In attempts to fight back, anti-Titan activists recently held a fund-raiser at Katy’s Grill and Bar on College Road, featuring live music and a silent auction, and raising over $3,000. On www.groveproject.org, Joel Bourne of National Geographic argues that the proposed Titan plant specifically would be “bad news for children, particularly those with asthma, the elderly and anyone else with impaired lung function.” There has even been a Web site, www.stoptitan.org, created for Cape Fear citizens to rally against Titan, voice their opinions to representatives, and sign a petition to stop the plant from being built.

Fortunately, for these and all opponents of the plant, its execution would have to be preceded by a lengthy permitting process, after which its completion could take up to four years. This is one hot topic that could be on the front burner for a while to come.

CAPE FEAR PUBLIC UTILITY AUTHORITY
It’s endless the number of times we’ve read about the sewer problems in our area or the strict policies our government puts on water usage from lack of the natural resource. Whether some are drinking from the well or from the City of Wilmington’s outdated infrastructure, everyone will be drinking on an even playing field now. The City of Wilmington and New Hanover County Water and Sewer District merged into the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) on July 1st to bring its residents a more consolidated and better maintained water and sewer system—and, yes, in the end that means increased rates. But before any one goes hemming and hawing over it, consider the upswings:

• CFPUA will be repairing old infrastructure to historical landmarks, while improving usage at newer developments. In fact, they project spending $600 million over the next 10 years to ensure “safe and reliable water supply and wastewater treatment,” per the verbiage on the letter sent out to its customers a few weeks back. This hopefully means less opportunity for really big mistakes, a la the Hewlett’s Creek disaster which happened two years ago and was finally fixed in March 2008.

• CFPUA customers now consist of city and county residents. The company admits forthrightly that a rate increase will be seen over the next five years to fund the reparation or replacement to defunct or inadequate foundations. Yet, the rate is still below standard when compared to other water and sewer companies within the region, proving less expensive than Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Brunswick County and Jacksonville, among other areas.

• The rates are now proving to be based on more green standards. Basically, the more essential water we use, the more our bill will be. Higher rates will also incur on “discretionary use,” such as irrigation. The hope is for customers to be more mindful in wasting water, which they’ll most certainly refrain from if it hits their wallets first. The bi-monthly bills will be tallied by showing the “hundred cubic feet” (HCF) of use and “thousand gallons used.” For instance, if the HCF reads “8,” while 1,000 gallons reads “6,” the bill would approximate to $59.90. The company states in its letter, “We believe that our customers will be better prepared to make wise water use decisions once they are informed of the new rates and the structure . . . it allows [customers] to control costs and encourages water consumption.” In the end all will help sustain Cape Fear River and local aquifers.

• The new billing system will not allow for customers to choose their sewer billing at a flat rate or metered use. Basically, those who have metered water from CFPUA will be billed according to water used, with a maximum up to 30,000 gallons. However, well users or those who get water from a private source can elect to pay a flat rate based on 24,000 gallon, or a meter can be installed on the well.

In the end the merge is a hopeful move in the midst of many water tragedies that have made headlines in our local papers over the last few years. By making the change, the overall goal of helping reduce the stress on our water and sewer systems from high usage will hopefully be a step in the right direction. Affected customers can go to www.cfpua.org or www.nchcow.org for more information, including a detailed budget for the fiscal year 2008-09 and allocation of dollars spent.

The Love Language
In our melting pot of a nation, folks often speak various languages, communicating through barriers of words and pronunciation, only to survive on the premise of body language and maybe a few hand gestures. But one language we all speak rather fluently, whether or not we are even aware of it, is the language of ... love.

Call me sentimental, but the truth is in our expressions toward one another, in our intimate moments of laughter, in our affectionate compliments and praises, which we all often give and receive more than we’d like to think. While love always remains on every hotlist, no matter the year, one local band is taking its ardor to the stage, providing pleasantries to the ears in carnival-esque, lo-fi brilliance. His name is Stuart McLamb, and he speaks through beats and tempos with his band The Love Language.

With members on a constant rotation, McLamb ensues the help of friends and family (Jordan McLamb, vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion; Jeff Chapple, guitar; Josh Pope, bass; Kate Thompson, organ, keys; Missy Thangs, electric piano, keys; and Tom Simpson, drums) to bring to life his “personal life-long music project.”

“It is not necessarily a band,” McLamb corrects. “So far I have done all the recordings and songwriting myself. I have assembled a band of very close people I love very much to help me out with live shows, and I would hope we can continue playing together for a while, but in the end The Love Language will always be myself.”

McLamb started pursuing his sound after recording a few piano compositions, overdubbed with lyrics, and posting the song “Two Rabbits” on MySpace. The genesis seems rather simple; but the sounds that come from McLamb are layered and seem carefully construed to evoke happiness and contentment quite beatifically.

“A lot of it is luck, to be honest,” McLamb admits to his musical stylings. “I never set out with a specific sound in mind. I mean I basically wanted to rip off my favorite artists like The Kinks and The Beatles and the Phil Spector ‘wall-of-sound’ production. But the sound that was the result was more or less me working with shitty equipment, trying to make something grandiose.”
In the end, however, McLamb is pleased with what he’s created. “The [songs] seem to have a charm and accessibility to them that I like, but it was never premeditated.”

Adding a quaint cohesion to indie rock on the Wilmington scene, McLamb’s roots aren’t necessarily planted in the sandy soil of the Port City, which makes him somewhat wonderfully naivé to the local scene. “You could say I’m from Planet X and crash landed in North Carolina a year ago with rainbow-colored songs exploding out of my eyeballs,” he jokes. “I’m [not] that well-acquainted with the Wilmington music scene . . [but] I have heard a lot of great bands since I’ve been here. . . . If anything I have heard people say that there are a lot of hardcore and metal bands, and while I have the utmost respect for all types of music, maybe The Love Language could bring an alternative to that kind of sound. I mean, we’re at the beach—let’s relax. But, don’t worry, I promise: no Jimmy Buffett covers!”

McLamb’s The Love Language is like a baby being reared for the real world. The lead man finds his songs can be somewhat intimidating and a slow-but-sure process that combines compositions and lyrical ideas in a form that boasts “a lot of critical thinking and hard work.” But such dedication never goes unwarranted. The Love Language will be releasing a full-length album on Bladen County Records out of Portland, Oregon, hopefully by January of 2009, followed by an East Coast tour in support of the album. Also on the agenda: a video production and playing MFNW music festival in Portland.

With the idea that “music should transcend” falling off the tip of his tongue, the kaleidoscopic sounds and at-ease mien of The Love Language keeps audiences intertwined in dialogue that anyone can understand. Don’t miss the communication breakdown at Hell’s Kitchen on July 10th—it may be one of a few final shows before McLamb embarks on a very busy last half of 2008.

ZIPANG!
What’s a hotlist without a beverage that can cool down our overworked bodies in the midst of 100-degree temps? Sake lovers—and non-lovers soon-to-be reformed—take heed of Zipang! Served cold (in my personal opinion the best way to drink sake), Zipang is a sparkling beverage that is sweet to the palate and fizzy to taste buds. Quite simply: It’s the champagne of sakes.

Served at local eateries Indochine and Yo Sake—and I’m sure a few more can be added to the list; however, these are my personal favorite sake-drinking hangouts—Zipang is proving to be a hot commodity among the libation list for summer 2008. Of the after-effect, well, be aware that sake is a different form of intoxication. While folks shan’t expect to be throwing sake bottles at the bartenders or rip-roaring through crowds with belligerent attitudes, they should watch the consumption of Zipang, as its 7 percent alcohol content can easily sneak up on sippers in record time. The sake ensures a mellow, tingly high that absolutely turns down all of the noise pollution and ups the ante on relaxation. But one too many may very well cause quite the hangover to regret the next day.

Naturally fermented and made without sulfites, the Gekkeikan-produced drink is light and bursting with bubbles, packed in a snazzy silver 250 milileter bottle, so not only does it taste awesome, it looks pretty, too. Try a bottle today for a new take on weekend cocktails. Just bring the DD—being responsible never fails to make our hotlist either!