A pick-up line. I made the connection. That’s what this was: a pick-up line. I bet if I bring a pretty female friend with me, he will tell her all about it.  I tried it as an experiment.

The next day I called Captain Hank and asked him to meet me at the Blue Post again two nights later. Candy went in my place. I showed her his picture, gave her $40 for some drinks, and she was more than willing to go on a blind date. Candy has never been able to keep a secret in her life.Any thought she has comes out as soon as it is in her head. If anyone would tell me what happened, it would be her.

I waited ‘til Friday to call Candy to come over for lunch.

“He was hot!” she said before the door was even closed.

“Is grilled cheese OK?” I asked. “It’s not fancy, but it’s filling.”

“Grilled cheese would be lovely,” she replied. “Damn, he was fine!”

“So you had fun?” I asked. She nodded and smiled a sly smile. “Did you two have a lot in common?”Again she nodded and blushed a little.

“I really like him; he really makes me feel special. No one has made me feel like this before.”

What about Mark? I wondered.

“I love his boat; it’s beautiful!”

“So did you go home with him?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” she sighed. “I did.”

Then she almost exploded with glee.“And you don’t know the best part!”

I gave her a questioning look.

“He’s taking me treasure hunting!” she squealed. “Can you imagine that? A real treasure hunt; he has a map and everything!”

*   *   *   *   *

As New Year’s inched closer, I put off calling Captain Hank.  I wrestled and wrestled with it, saying the real reason was I didn’t want to disappoint Candy. But the honest answer was: I wanted to sleep with him and I was afraid I would.

The week after Christmas seemed a little late to make New Year’s plans. Apparently, Captain Hank hadn’t gone home to see any family over the holidays and was still around.

“Sure, baby, sure,” he cooed. “I would love to spend New Year’s with you. Why don’t you come out here and we can watch the fireworks from the boat?”

When I met him at the marina, I brought a bottle of champagne and some hot-house berries. He looked like he was getting the boat ready to leave.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“I thought we might ride over closer  to Masonboro;  it will be quieter.”

He must have seen the worried expression on my face. “I do this for a living, you are perfectly safe.”  In spite of my nervous apprehension, we cast off.

“How about pouring out some champagne?” he asked.

He brought us to a stop far from Masonboro. “We can’t get much closer to the island or we will be grounded,” he explained and dropped anchor. “Look—there is Orion the Hunter,” he pointed. I followed his hand with my gaze. He got closer to me and asked quietly, “If I kiss you, will you run away again?”

I blushed. “There is no where to go,” I replied.

He chuckled.  “Well, we could go swimming.”

“I didn’t bring a suit.”

“You don’t need one out here.”

He kissed me. An electric shock ran down the front of my body and registered at my stomach before continuing through every vein. In spite of the cool night, I felt warm and hazy with desire.  Rational thoughts were fleeing with the blood from my brain.

In one swift movement, he backed away from me, pulled off his shirt and dropped himself over the side of the boat. In a moment, his shorts landed on the deck in squashy heap.  I looked at the shorts and looked up at Orion, then looked at the shorts.

Can you even remember the last time you went to bed with a man? I mentally asked myself. He wants it, you want it, you know he’s not in love with you. Forget that you are here to arrange his death and just enjoy this. You don’t enjoy anything.

I put down my champagne with one hand and pulled my shirt off with the other. It’s true, I don’t enjoy things enough, I thought, kicking my jeans off.

With chagrin I often think about that night—and the week that followed. It was with real guilt and several bottles of Jameson I absorbed the news that Captain Hank and his boat, The Good Yarn, were reported lost at sea during the first tropical storm of the year in early June.

The treasure map presumably went down with him.

CAST OF GREATS: ‘The Great Gatsby’ remake succeeds only from its excellent cast, including Carrie Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio. Courtesy photo

There are few directors I find as perplexing as Baz Luhrmann, best known for films like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge.” He’s known for big, garish spectacles that lay on heavy coats of polish style being far more important to him than substance. If he were a make-up artist, every subject would come out of the trailer looking like a painted whore. The man either lacks or willfully disregards the concept of subtlety. He’s a bedazzled jackhammer that shatters our senses. He’s sound and fury, signifying nothing.

There are only a handful of movies I have walked out of; Baz Luhrmann directed two of them. So when I heard it was Luhrmann who would be helming a big-screen adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” I shrugged my shoulders and resigned myself to believe this movie wasn’t going to be for me.

Luhrmann’s films are like cocaine-fueled assemblies: bright colors, lightning-fast edits, and an-over-the-top sensibility that would make even the great John Waters cringe. “The Great Gatsby” might be his most palatable production since “Strictly Ballroom,” a movie I rather enjoy. Since the simple pleasures of “Strictly Ballroom,” Luhrmann has been on a mind-fucking tear of hyperactive lunacy.

“The Great Gatsby” starts out like his other films: It’s a big, lumbering behemoth that cuts back and forth frantically between archival footage and staged scenes. It blends voice-over narration and music in a caffeine-fueled cocktail.

We’re introduced to Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), a young man dreaming of an exciting life in New York City. He works in finance and moves into a modest little house in the shadow of the palatial estate of Mr. Jay Gatsby. Nick is fascinated by this mysterious figure, who has taken the New York social scene by storm.

Nick manages his way into high society with the help of his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), who is married to a man of means, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Their marriage has seen better days. Tom has a mistress in the city. Nick ends up as a passive witness to the lives of these social climbers, a fly on the wall observing the drinking and debauchery. That is, until he meets Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). Nick becomes fascinated with his neighbor. He embodies everything Nick aspires to me: not just a man of wealth, but a man of integrity and passion. Of course, beneath the gilded façade is something far more human. It turns out Gatsby is a self-made man who is trying to make up for past mistakes, most importantly the loss of his true love: Nick’s cousin, Daisy.

I don’t think I need to delve too much deeper into the plot. There are few books as familiar and as studied as “The Great Gatsby.”Anybody who made it past seventh grade has no doubt turned in a book report on this one.

The themes of Gatsby are all there: the horrible price of obsession, the emptiness of our materialistic society, and the corruption of the American Dream. Luhrmann sticks obsessively close to the source material making Nick read lines straight from the book, just to be sure that no one misses the point. It’s blunt, like someone talking right into your ear and asking you every five minutes: “Did you get it?”

The fact that I enjoyed “The Great Gatsby” comes as something of a shock. Sure, the first 15 minutes is an endurance test of quick cuts and rapid fire dialogue. One scene in particular has characters talking over one another like they made a bet to see who could get their lines out the fastest. There’s big flashes of light and sound, dance numbers, a huge party, and loud music blaring. Just as I was starting to check out mentally, DiCaprio shows up as Gatsby and everything sort of settles.

I credit the success of “The Great Gatsby” to a cast of excellent actors who manage to make something entertaining in spite of Luhrmann’s every effort to destroy the film. It ends up working not because of Baz Luhrmann but in spite of him.

I can’t recall a film that seems almost at odds with its own director. There’s this really interesting character drama going on as Luhrmann throws so much at the screen. It’s like he’s trying to strangle the film with a string of pearls or bury the film alive with shovels full of glitter. Fortunately, the substance claws its way out.

Every intimate scene is bookended with garish over-stylized visuals. It spends too much time reveling in its hip-hop-heavy soundtrack. Those kind of moments seem to exist only to declare, “Hey, kids! This shit is relevant, yo!” Yet, underneath the noise and fake computer-generated visuals is a pretty decent drama.

It’s not perfect by any stretch. It’s only salvaged by some really good actors, namely DiCaprio and Edgerton. They bring a lot of energy and charisma to their respective roles. I don’t know if I’d call it “The Great Gatsby,” but it’s definitely “The Good Gatsby.”

ONCE: Downtown Sundown kicks off Friday with a Pearl Jam tribute band. Courtesy photo.

Downtown Sundown now begins season eight of bringing live music to Riverfront Park in Wilmington for free! Hosted by Wilmington Downtown, Inc. (WDI), beer, wine, food and music keep folks dancing in the streets and most times singing along to cover bands. From the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers to Talking Heads, Journey to Widespread Panic, audiences recognize the riffs and lyrics that have drawn mega fans to the original acts. It begs the question: What’s the draw to tribute bands?

“We want to appeal to as many people as possible,” John Hinnant, president of WDI, says. “We’ve had success in the past with original acts, but we found that nearly 25 percent of our audience is tourists, so we want to ensure we can attract visitors to the series.”

Popular music has its draw. Tribute acts appeal to concert-goers without the hefty cost of national touring shows. Jacki Giardina of Myrtle Beach’s House of Blues says, “It’s a great chance to see a fun recreation of larger, older bands—especially those that are no longer together. It’s fun and nostalgic.”

In the same vein, tributes are often affordable for venue organizers or nonprofit organizations like WDI. Rules do not allow admission for concerts at Wilmington’s Riverfront Park, and the need to draw large crowds who purchase concessions make Downtown Sundown successful and ongoing. “If a local band that plays four gigs a week in the area were to headline, how big of a crowd would we be able to attract?” Hinnant asks rhetorically.

But he’s not opposed to forming a different series to showcase original and local talent only. It remains a goal. “If someone wants to partner with WDI on a local music series, just schedule a meeting,” he suggests.

Downtown Sundown has strengthened its grip to work closer with downtown venues and original and local acts in 2013. Partners include Firebelly Lounge, The Calico Room, The Whiskey, Hell’s Kitchen, Orton’s Pool Room, and Duck and Dive. Each venue curated original opening acts.

“When the headline act ends, we’ll go onstage, thank our sponsors and the opening band, and encourage everyone to keep the live music going by heading to the venue where the opening act is playing after,” Hinnant explains. “If 100 or more of our 2,000 people go, the local music scene will benefit.”

To provide a larger platform gives opening bands a chance to grow outside of smaller venues that can’t always support large numbers. Last year, Downtown Sundown’s Journey tribute, which played in conjunction with downtown’s fireworks display, drew 3,500. In 2009, after Michael Jackson’s untimely passing, when Who’s Bad played, the series reached a maximum of 10,000 people.

“The show was the Friday after the funeral service in the Staples Center,” Hinnant says. “I’d prefer to not get that many in Riverfront Park again; we had to position all of our security and police on the bulkhead because people were trying to get away from the crowd.”

Much like our city’s predominant concert venues—Soapbox, Greenfield Lake Amphitheater and Brooklyn Arts Center, which house national talent—WDI works with a booking agent that produces Charlotte’s Thursday concert series. “So, we get the benefit of routing through Charlotte,” he says.

Many often ask why not skip tributes altogether and go for a national act within a reasonable budget. Raleigh’s downtown concert series has managed to bring in stellar free shows, such as Violent Femmes and a Joan Jett and the Blackhearts reunion, all for free. They do it by securing great corporate sponsors to help out with underwriting costs.

“Large corporate sponsors are much more prevalent in larger markets,” Hinnant states. “We approached a few this year and received positive feedback but no contributions. There seems to be an aversion among larger corporate partners in this market when there is alcohol involved.”

WDI’s community partners help make the current format successful, including media like encore, Hometown Media and WWAY, along with businesses like Bob King Automall, Tayloe Gray Kristoff (“TG-K”) and Luna Ad. Such contributors help defer costs and raise funds for WDI, which founded the concert series to help boost downtown during summer months. Survey results from 2010 determined a direct economic impact close to $1,000,000. Hinnant adds to its findings:

“Sixty-five percent of attendees come downtown solely for the concerts. Close to 80 percent reported spending money downtown before and after the show, so we know it’s benefiting downtown.”

In conjunction several nonprofits benefit. Attendants 21 and up, who wish to purchase alcohol, are required to secure a $1 wrist band, sponsored by American Bail Bonding. Proceeds are split between WDI and a feature nonprofit. “Over 53 nonprofits applied for the 15 shows,” Hinnant tells. The committee focused on what they do for downtown, how they contribute to the community and who is applying—a volunteer or paid employee—to decide on the beneficiaries.

The series also boosts the entrepreneurial spirit of local businesses. Not only does it benefit the surrounding downtown merchants, but vendors set up onsite for the public to purchase concessions. Local micro-brewery Kind Beers will be selling craft brews, and RA Jeffreys will sell Anheuser-Busch products. Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, supplied by Windham Distributing, will offer vino. Poor Piggy’s BBQ Food Truck will be on the grounds most Fridays, with Flaming Amy’s or Patty Wagon rotating during off weeks. Lemonade and funnel cakes will be available for purchase, too.

“Half United may come out for a few shows,” Hinnant says of the local give-back business, which sells their signature bullet necklace to help fight world hunger. “Also, we’ll be selling our downtown bridge Freakers onsite.”

Outside beverages are not allowed (coolers subject to inspection), neither are dogs. WDI will be measuring recycling this year, too. “Beer cans go in the blue cans,” Hinnant reminds. Opening acts will go on at 6 p.m., with headliners taking the stage at 8 p.m. “The show ends at 10 p.m. while most restaurants are still open for dinner,” Hinnant says.

DOWNTOWN SUNDOWN SCHEDULE
May 24TH
Nonprofit: ILM Bucs: Laney Baseball Boosters
Opener: Catalyst, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: Once: Pearl Jam Tribute

May 31ST
Nonprofit: The Centre of Redemption
Opener: Seneca Guns, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: Nantucket

June 7TH
Nonprofit: Phoenix Employment Agency
Opener: On Time, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: Funky Monks: Ultimate Red Hot Chili Peppers Experience

June 14TH
Nonprofit: Bellamy Mansion
Opener: The Clams, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: 20 Ride: Zac Brown Tribute

June 21st
Nonprofit: Food Bank of ECNC
Opener: American Patchwork, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: The Dave Matthews Tribute Band

June 28st
Nonprofit: CFCC Alumni Foundation
Opener: Gypsy Fire, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: The Breakfast Club: 80s Tribute Band

July 5TH
Nonprofit: Miracle Field
Opener: Bootleg Dynasty, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: The Revival: Allman Brothers Tribute

July 12TH
Nonprofit: Historic ILM Foundation
Opener: Kentucky Gentleman, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: Same As It Ever Was: The Talking Heads Tribute

July 19TH
Nonprofit: Oasis
Opener: Brad Heller & The Fustics, sponsored by the Duck & Dive
Headliner: ZOSO: Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute

July 26th
Nonprofit: Mercy Homeless Shelter
Opener: Velcro, sponsored by Firebelly
Headliner: Big Wooly Mammoth: Widespread Panic Tribute

August 2nd
Nonprofit: Open House
Opener: Brent Stimmel
Headliner: Ill Communication w/ Wrong Way: Beastie Boys and Sublime

August 9th
Nonprofit: New Hanover High Band Boosters
Opener: Harmonic Content,
sponsored by Calico Room
Headliner: On the Border: Ultimate Eagles Tribute

August 16th
Nonprofit: New Hanover HS Track/Field Boosters
Opener: M 80s, sponsored by Hell’s Kitchen
Headliner: Waiting: Tom Petty & Heartbreakers

August 23rd
Nonprofit: Harrelson Center
Opener: Dubtown Cosmonauts, sponsored by The Whiskey
Headliner: Draw the Line: Aerosmith
Tribute Show

August 30th
Nonprofit: Cape Fear Literacy Council
Opener: Bubonik Funk, sponsored by
The Whiskey
Headliner: Departure: The Journey
Tribute Band

YESTERYEAR: Indecision, a Charlottesville, Virginia-based jam band, is pictured here at Bonnaroo in 1993: (from l. to r.) Aaron Evans, Chris White, David Ibbeken, Craig Dougald, Doug Wanamaker, and Shawn McCrystal. Courtesy photo

Serving up the funky jazz-rock that many jam bands are known for today, it’s no surprise that Indecision was one of the first acts on the scene of improvisational and psychedelic tunes. Though classics like Grateful Dead paved the way, it’s the groups such as Indecision, Phish and Widespread Panic which truly brought the jam-band genre to life in the early 1980s.

What’s more, as Charlottesville, Virginia is the home to Dave Matthews Band and The Infamous Stringdusters, Indecision really put the city on the map as a respectable music town.

Though Indecision was touring nationally by 1989—sharing stages with The Neville Brothers, Blues Traveler, and their fellow jammers Widespread Panic and Phish—the band formed in 1980 while the original four members were still in high school. Shawn McCrystal (bass); David Ibbeken (guitar, vocals); Craig Dougald (drums, vocals); and Aaron Evans (guitar, vocals and songwriting) played their first night club in 1984, the Mineshaft, a legendary—though now defunct—‘80s music venue in Charlottesville.

The jam pioneers added Doug Wanamaker (keys, vocals) in 1989 and Chris White (acoustic guitar, vocals) in 1990 at the peak of the band’s success. The two musicians until then had only played with Indecision on sporadic occasions. With the permanent inclusion of Wanamaker and White, the band catapulted within the genre. They became known for smooth, dreamy harmonies, Evans’ exemplary songwriting, and groove-laced rock ‘n’ roll. Indecision hosted its biggest tour ever in 1993—and then they quit.

Although the members didn’t break up, they did take a break from hardcore touring and regularly recording. With records released in 1986, 1991 and 1993 (and a live CD in 1996), the group didn’t unveil another studio album until 2004’s “The Great Road.” They’ve taken part in Bonnaroo and other top-notch festivals since—but Indecision now averages five shows per year, which is why their upcoming performance at Brooklyn Arts Center will be such a treat for Wilmingtonians. After a long night rehearsing, Evans was kind enough to answer a few questions for encore prior to their May 25th show downtown.

encore (e): What do you appreciate most about the jam genre?
Aaron Evans (AE): [The] jam-band genre gives me freedom—freedom to go any direction I feel. Different directions on the same song, just depends. I can just go with the flow, improv.

e: Tell me about finally bringing Doug and Chris on full-time. What prevented them from being true members of the band before that, and how did the addition round out the sound of Indecision?
AE: The adding of Doug and Chris was really just a timing thing. I met Doug when we were in school studying theory together. I asked him to practice with us, and that was it. We hit it off. Our music blended. We needed his soul. It was a no-brainer.
I knew Chris when I was in high school. He used to play with Craig and I when we were 17 years old. He moved to C-ville, moved into the Reservoir (home of most of the band at one time or another and site of several recordings) and that was it. We wanted Chris for his strong vocals and his energy. We now had a frontman.

e: What drove the band to stop touring nationally in 1993?
AE: The main reason that we left the road was that it just seemed time to do it. We were playing over 200 shows per year, traveling all over the country. We were tired, road worn and just exhausted. We went as far as we could go. It was a pretty much mutual agreement.

e: What is it like to be back on stage the few times per year you are able to perform?
AE: I absolutely love playing these shows with the guys. I was thinking about this last night during rehearsal, that I just love it. I miss it—well, parts of it. It’s so much better than golf weekends or whatever else I would do with my friends. These are my best friends and we still get together and do what we love to do.

e: Which of Indecision’s four studio releases is your favorite and why?
AE: My favorite album has to be “The Great Road.” The songwriting on that album was so pure and mature. I love all the releases for different things that represent different times, but “The Great Road” is just solid from so many different aspects.

e: Would you be interested in creating another album, either live or studio recording?
AE: I would like to do another album, studio or live. That being said, it does not make financial sense to go into the studio and record again. We are still very open to doing another live [album] that we can release digitally.

The free public orange street Arts Fest returns to Wilmington for its 18th year this Memorial Day weekend, Saturday May 25th, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday May 26th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will take place on Orange Street, between Front and 2nd, and inside the renovated Community Arts Center, the Hannah Block Historic USO. The festival showcases artists and their crafts for display and purchase, including watercolor and oil paintings, pottery, wood, glass, jewelry, basketry and more.

Sponsored by The Thalian Association and the Community Arts Center, Susan Habas, managing director of Thalian Association, notes 52 artists are slated to participate. “Forty of them are from the Cape Fear region,” she explains. “Some of our well-known artists include Ronald Williams (watercolor), D. Netherton (paper), Orange Street Potters (clay), and D. Belcher (wood), just to name a few.”

Artists will convene from other areas in NC, as well as from Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Proceeds from the event go to Thalian Association, established in 1788, and the Community Arts Center. Both organizations work to keep theatrical arts and arts education alive and thriving in Wilmington.

Jim Pridemore, the founder of Orange Street ArtsFest and former Thalian Association president, says, “Early on we were searching for ways to extend the center’s reach into the community. We were very successful in doing this for the performing arts, but not so much for the visual arts. Orange Street ArtsFest was conceived as a way to give exposure to many artists in the community, and connect the public to think of the arts center in connection with the visual arts.”

Currently the Community Arts Center is the hub venue for Wilmington Art Association’s ongoing exhibits. Likewise the center often hosts other art shows from youth, as well as pottery sales and more throughout the year.

The 2013 Orange Street ArtsFest will be more than an avenue to help collectors build upon their treasured pieces; the event will  welcome the whole family and feature a Children’s Zone, hosted by the Children’s Museum. The Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County will feature musical performances from area schools, visual art and activities. There also will be demonstrations, fun activities for the younger visitors and a variety of live entertainment.

“On the Orange Street stage there will be performances from Thalian Association’s adults and young performers (Thalian Association Children’s Theater—TACT), Techmoja Theater Company, solo artists and musical groups,” Habas continues.

Food and drink vendors will be onsite, too. Hot dogs, chicken skewers, snow cones and funnel cakes will be sold. “There will be a wine and beer tent, and the Thalian Association will have a 225th anniversary table, offering our 225th commemorative print by Ronald Williams, and memorabilia,” Habas says of the milestone anniversary the association has reached in 2013 (artwork pictured). “The Orange Street Arts Fest is one of our most important events, to showcase local artists and raise funds for our organization. This very successful festival was founded to increase community awareness [for our] treasured cultural center.”

Thalian Association manages the Hannah Block USO for the City of Wilmington and has been doing so since 1994. “Revenue from the ticket sales of our theatrical productions only funds a portion of our operating cost,” Habas informs, “and we depend upon membership support and income from fund-raisers like the arts fest.”

The community center is one of the oldest USO buildings in the United States, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was fully renovated in 2008, with a lobby museum maintained by the WWII Wilmington Homefront Heritage Coalition. It has been a cultural center and a home for visual and performance arts groups for over 50 years, and today hosts all of TACT performances. The mission is to enrich the lives of the residents of the Wilmington area by producing high quality theatrical productions, offering countless artists and technicians the opportunity to develop and exercise their craft.

TACT offers young people between the ages of 7 to 18 training and experience in the performing arts. The children’s group hosts fully staged productions throughout the year. In 2007, the Thalian Association was named the State Community Theater of North Carolina by the North Carolina legislature.

Their annual arts fest is free; however, donations are accepted and encouraged to help Thalian Association continue its outreach.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT: Artwork by Cammeron Batanides will be on display this Friday and Saturday as part of her pop-up art show. Courtesy photo

The idea of a renaissance per-son, to be politically correct, arose during the Italian Renaissance. It described someone whose expertise spanned a significant number of different subjects. Prescribed to a somewhat well-known artist, Leonardo da Vinci, this title has proudly become his legacy. Also understood as a jack-of-all-trades, da Vinci was known as a painter, designer, botanist, mathematician, anatomist, engineer, cartographer, inventor and writer.

Today the term describes someone whose talents are extensive. Local artist Cammeron Alekzandra Batanides seamlessly and positively does it all. Artist and writer, she not only serves as her own agent but successfully markets and publicizes herself. Recently back in Wilmington from a group show, “Expose: New Orleans Jazz Fest,” at Exagere gallery in New Orleans and a solo exhibition, “A World of the Creative,” at the Los Angeles Fine Arts Building, her upcoming pop-up exhibition at the City Market serves as a fitting return. Only a two-day exhibition, Batanides will be incorporating both old and new pieces.

“The theme for this show is a working series, exploring the world of creativity,” Batanides says. “I’m constantly working on new art, and this current series features abstract houses and piano-key walkways.”

Batanides’ work is colorful and lively. Supporting creativity, her art comes alive as the piano keys lay out a floating path, magically playing themselves as one “walks” along to enter the abstracted abodes which populate the space. A small musician in the front corner and a painter’s palette hot air balloon showcase the sky in a world of the creative. Much like Batanides herself, this painting is inviting and encouraging to artists of all ages. Batanides’s work beckons others to create something that makes them happy and inspires their ongoing endeavors.

The idea for a world of the creative is something that speaks directly to the artist. A philanthropist, she says she wants to “celebrate and preserve creative types because the first things cut from budgets are creative programs like art and music.”

This devastates children by not providing safe outlets of expression. “A positive direction of energy is invaluable,” she says.

“If they have the option to create something, then they [likely] will not do anything to jeopardize that. Creativity is often undervalued, and we really need to start recognizing the impact and importance that the arts have on our community.”

Constantly inspired by feeling and emoting such, Batanides works in the intangible.
“My current series, ‘A World of the Creative,’ is a body of work based upon music, art and the creative soul,” she explains. “It is intended to evoke thought [by] using lines, color and emotion.”

Not only is Batanides an exceptional artist, but her kindness, optimism and passion for art are palpable upon a first encounter. Her wide smile and endearing attitude are practically infectious. “Art is the most dominant thing in my life,” she happily conveys. “I’ve been making art since I was 2!”

The Charlotte native made Wilmington her home base 10 years ago. She has fallen in love with the city but more so its supportive art community. A poet and published author, Batanides’ latest scribes can be found through her Panda book series.Inspired by her loving rescued pitbull, Panda, the children’s books use her beloved dog as the stories’ main character, to teach patience, acceptance and love.

After her pop-up exhibition at the City Market, Batanides will be displaying her artistic talents at Wilmington’s Beach House Bar and Grille for their Reggae Festival come July 6th. Painting to the music of international reggae artist Edge Michael, Batanides’ community connections, artistic passions and influences are far-reaching.

Meet the Renaissance woman at City Market,119 South Water Street. In conjunction with downtown Wilmington’s Fourth Friday Gallery Walk, the show will open on May 24th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Batanides will have Panda and her books for sale, alongside her artwork.

Gina gambony is a well-known name locally. Most recognize her from her shadow/mask puppeteering, as she’s been included in numerous local theatrical performances throughout the years and even hosted a puppet festival. Gambony’s ambitious creativity has been focused on a shadow performance of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” When Cherri McKay, artistic director for Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green (CFSOTG), approached Gambony for the 2013 youth company’s production, the pieces fell into place.

Last year, McKay hosted “Shades of Shakespeare,” which was an original production of vignettes combining Shakespeare’s popular characters and plots, all sandwiching “Twelfth Night” as a feature. McKay found the setup so successful that when she heard about her friend’s desire to host a shadow performance of “Macbeth,” she decided to follow last year’s blueprint once again.

“Since all of our performances begin at 8 p.m., and the sun has to be down for the creative visual [of shadow performing,] we needed an Act I,” McKay explains. “So, I took on Act I which features scenes from some of the Bard’s more recognizable tragedies.”

Last year’s “Shades” was geared toward Shakespeare comedies, taken from favorite scenes that McKay and the youth company hosted annually at the CFSOTG performances. “It was their salute to Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green’s 20th season anniversary,” McKay notes. “The formula was a success, well-received by our audiences, and the company seemed to enjoy the unique change.”

During the 21st season, McKay will hone in on the female characters of Shakespeare, such as Queen Katherine and Anne Bullen from “Henry VIII,” Cleopatra from “Antony and Cleopatra,” Ophelia from “Hamlet,” Desdemona from “Othello” and Queen Lear and her daughters from “King Lear.”

“Yes, I took the liberty of switching the gender on that one,” she says, referring to Lear. “Act I evolved into a foreshadowing of ‘Macbeth,’ since Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous female tragic figures.”

By creating vignettes again at the beginning of the show, it allows for the sun to set, wherein Gambony then takes over the helm of Act II to showcase an edited version of “Macbeth” performed in full shadow. Gambony’s interest in the story and its torrid characters continue to pique her interest and challenge her perceptions—something she hopes she can pass onto youth performers. Specifically, she continues to grapple with the relationships between Hecate, the witches and Macbeth.

“I have never fully determined the meaning,” she forthrightly admits, “so I keep going back to it. I have taught this play in a classroom setting and wanted to direct it, even in a truncated version such as this one. . . . A question I asked students in the past, and have brought to this cast, is whether we interpret the forecasts made by the witches as legitimate prediction or as the planting of the most terrible seeds (ideas) in a weak mind. How much do the witches know just from sneaking around? How many events do they influence as the story unfolds? What clues do we have in the text? Would the destruction and chaos have happened without them? If so, what was the point of even including them in the story?”

It’s all convoluted when attempting to find answers. Though Gambony admits her presupposition toward ideas that the witches and Hecate want to unravel Macbeth’s life, she still second-guesses the thought. “Painting Macbeth as a weak, self-destructive, wickedly ambitious figure simply may have been a politically-motivated choice by Shakespeare, since the historical Macbeth (apparently a rather pleasant fellow), was defeated by the English,” Gambony says. “Who knows! I continue to contemplate.”

“Macbeth” appeals to teenagers especially, since its complexities of drama create mystery, bloodshed and the ever-apparent good versus evil dichotomy. To help direct the youth cast, Gambony has enlisted the help of adult talent to help guide as role models. The production will include veteran actors like Steve Vernon (Macbeth), Christy Grantham (Lady Macbeth), Bob Workmon (Duncan), Jerry Winsett (Banquo), Steve Coley (Malcolm) and Cole Marquis (Macduff).

“I don’t have any adult shadow-mask actors to be role models for this one; there aren’t many in town, and adults are the most difficult students of shadow acting, much more difficult to teach than youth,” Gambony determines.

The actors and crew are utilized in a host of ways, from performing shadow lights, wearing shadow masks, operating shadow puppets and scenery, performing character voices and even creating sound effects. Unlike traditional theatre, one most focus on the shadows instead of the three-dimensional character.

McKay adds, “We’re teaching youth how to express their characters physically behind a shadow screen. There is never enough time, but, while this is difficult, I have to say the actors are quite impressive in their adaptation to this medium!”

Gambony reached further into the community to work with other artists for the show, too. With Vince Stout she recorded a piece of music to include in “Macbeth.” Stout plays double bass, while Gambony plays flute.

“I feel really good about the involvement of these various talents, really blessed,” she says. “What a great opportunity for the kids to work with the artists in our neighborhood.”

The set is constructed by Shane Fernando—director of UNCW Campus Life Arts and Programs and chief curator of the Ann Flack Boseman Gallery, as well as recently elected president of Thalian Hall Board of Trustees. Yet, costuming takes on a different appeal. Not necessarily dictated by period, per se, doing a shadow show creates necessary must-haves:
“shadow masks, shadow scenery—it’s a totally different approach to costuming,” McKay explains.

“Shadows of Shakespeare” will show Fridays through Sundays, May 24th through 26th and June 1st through 2nd, as well as on Mondays through Thursdays, June 10th through 13th, for free. Donations are always appreciated to help keep the Bard alive and forever educating our theatre community through Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green events, held every summer at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. Picnics welcome; bug spray encouraged! Concessions will be sold onsite.

From l. to r.: Michael Lauricella, Amanda Hunter, Nick Loeber, Brent Stimmel, Les Britt and Rasa Love. Photo by Jonathan Graves

In its homage to rural nc, thalian association’s current offering of feel-good Southern-influenced music will make folks glad they were born here. Yet, in its rollick of concert appeal—it’s more like seeing live music in a park during the Fourth of July weekend—theatrical arcs seemingly don’t become as pronounced.

“Pump Boys and Dinettes” was developed in 1981 by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann who wrote and preformed in the original run of the piece. The action takes place at a fictitious gas station and dinette located on NC Highway 57, somewhere between Frog Level (real-life location near Waynesville) and Smyrna (real-life location in Carteret County). For sure, “Pump Boys” is more of a musical revue rather than a “musical” in the Sondheim sense. Over the course of the evening, 21 songs depict thethe lives of the four pump boys at the gas station and the two dinette sisters. We get a little bit of history between them and their current relationships.

Narrated by Jim (Brent Stimmel), who carries an acoustic guitar, the Pump Boys include L. M. (Michael Lauricella) playing the piano, accordion, cymbals and cowbell; Jackson (Les Britt) on electric guitar; and Eddie (Nick Loeber) with a very suggestive bass. Their closest neighbors at work are the Cupp sisters, Rhetta (Rasa Love) and Prudie (Amanda Hunter), of the Double Cupp Diner.

With a soft opening, where the performers wander onstage to get drinks and snacks at the diner—complete with an announcement of a raffle where you can win a car air freshener “in Christmas, patriotic or pin-up girl”—nostalgia sets in. It led me to think, “I know what a Christmas tree-shaped car air freshener smells like—but what does a pin-up girl shaped one smell like?” The dinettes come dressed in the most darling matching waitress uniforms. Costumer Debbie Scheu even monogrammed them. Lance Howell’s set design is fun, evocative and functional, and leaves plenty of room for dancing.

The Pump Boys are clearly cast for their musical and singing ability. In fact, locals from the Brent Stimmel Band were sought out by artistic director Tom Briggs to fill out the show. Instead of an orchestra playing the score or canned music for the soundtrack, the Pump Boys are the band for the show. This means they had a tremendous amount of music to learn. Though they are an ensemble group in ther show, Stimmel, Lauricella and Britt have solos.

Micheal Lauricella as L. M., the office manager for the gas station, is by far my favorite character. His comic relief makes the show. His musical ability, too, is impressive. The first indication comes with his song “Serve Yourself,” about being very put upon by all the women who pass through the gas station and hit on him. Lauricella plays piano, cymbals and cow bell while singing his heart out. It’s a pretty impressive introduction to the audience.

In Act II he tops it all by playing accordion and dancing at the same time with the dinettes for “Farmer Tan,” a song praising the drawing power of double-tone skin color. As the person in front of me commented, those kicks would be difficult to do for a dancer while playing accordion, let alone a musician with little dancing experience.

Brent Stimmel as Jim is the perfect pick for the front man of the band. Beautiful to look at, with golden hair and a beard, he has an even more beautiful voice and charisma for days. He is at his most comfortable wandering around with a guitar and on the rare occasions he is without it, he looks like he’s lost an appendage. His voice, and all of the Pump Boys’ ability to harmonize, is probably best showcased in my favorite song of the show, “Fisherman’s Prayer.” It’s sung acappella and written in the style of a keening Irish ballad. It is a hysterical tale of the trials and tribulations of the recreational fisherman’s life. His suggestion during “No Holds Barred” about going on vacation—“and if the weather is hell/we’ll hang around the hotel/making love and watching color TV”—sounds completely sweet, delightful and almost boyish coming from him. It also describes pretty accurately many vacations I can remember.

Rasa Love and Amanda Hunter both have beautiful country singing voices. When they sing together, it’s lovely. Hunter’s “The Best Man,” a lament for L.M and what will never be between them, personifies unrequited love and all the yearning one can feel. Her haunting voice brought tears to my eyes. She gives love a voice as big as she is beautiful (and she is gorgeous!). The only time I have seen Hunter onstage previously was in chorus roles; I am glad to see her front and center.

This is a demanding show for anyone, in that it requires musical skill, voice talent, dancing and acting ability. That’s tough. The Pump Boys can sing and play instruments, but when faced with dialogue or narrative, it comes across like a deer stranded in headlights.

As well, the script is thin. Sure, there is a small plot but it needs to be fleshed out a little bit and strung together to create cohesion. We know Jim stood Rhetta up for a date and is trying to fix it (because a man would have to be crazy to do something like that, unless of course his new fishing license had just arrived in the mail). The last bit is what the show lacks; the scene work is just not there.

Likewise, there is no sexual connection between Rhetta and Jim. Love sings “Be Good or Be Gone,” a warning for him not to mess around with her if he isn’t serious. Though she hits the notes with wonderful vibrato, there isn’t a performance of the text, so to speak. She’s singing the words, but not emoting them to make it clear to Jim to watch his step.

In Act II the song “Sisters,” by Hunter and Love, seems to come completely out of nowhere. Nothing in their interactions thus far in the show has prepared the audience for the narrative of the song. The groundwork needs to be laid in their body language and behavior but, as is, it blindsides the audience.

While a celebration of all the down-home goodness of the South, folks are best to treat this show as an easy-going live musical performance. Any expectation of seeing something more fully constructed will disappoint.

When I was still in college and running my tea company, I remember having a “set-to” with one of my professors because of a snide comment made about 18-year-olds and their irresponsibility. I made it clear that not only was I not 18, but that, as a small-business owner, I had to manifest money out of thin air every month. I had to iterate that I didn’t have a nice, dependable monthly salary with state benefits. Also, I made my resentment about such a comment quite clear, especially when coming from someone languishing in the lap of comparable comfort. Needless to say, I had to drop the class.

I have been thinking and ruminating on it ever since. Lately, it has been recurring in my mind. I really do think owning a small business is an experience more people should have. Business owners know exactly how much money they have to make every month in order to keep their doors open—which also means they know what the daily sales number must be. In addition, they usually can inform what each square foot costs in order to operate. That might sound like a strange thing to say, but one must maximize space to create profit. Information like that helps make decisions about use of space and flow.

For example, at the bookstore, each square foot needs to produce $3.42 a month in order to break even. Remember: “Break even” is the number before profit—before the owner takes anything home. Sure, it may not sound like much, and it is a manageable number, but it is an important piece of information for decision-making. In our case, it leads to a strong emphasis on vertical space, lots of low-dollar impulse-buy type books and novelty items, like magnetics and buttons out at eye level, etc. It is also why we we put up a lot of flyers for other people’s events in a specific place. I often hear: “Why can’t I put my flyer in your front window? Why does it have to be on the corkboard?”

My response: “Because I paid a quarter-million dollars for the front windows; that‘s expensive real estate.”

It’s an honest, simple answer that tends to shock people. Small-business ownership will cure folks of trying to sit in a restaurant/bar/coffee shop without ordering anything. Because they begin to understand just how expensive that real estate really is.

Here’s another tid-bit of info for all the well-meaning people who go out and solicit donations for charitable fundraisers: While the line “you can take it off on your taxes” is very nice, let me explain how that really works:

Retail businesses collect and remit sales tax; restaurants do the same with food tax. I cannot subtract anything from this because it is collected from the customer by me and turned over to the state as is. Businesses do payroll taxes; this is the part that is withheld from a check, and the part that we are required to match. We cannot subtract from this, again, because it is set.

We pay property taxes on both the equipment we use to operate the business, and, if one’s lucky enough to own their own property, the land and physical structure itself. I cannot deduct my donation from this, either.

We get to pay an annual fee just to exist as a corporation in NC. I cannot deduct my donation to from that, either.

The last and most lovely tax we get to pay is on any income or discernible profit we might have had for the year. Finally! This is the only place where a donation could be a tax credit. Yet, I actually have to make enough money to take deductions for that to be possible.

I also have to make enough money to be able to part with a donated item. What does that mean, solicitors? Simple: Don’t come in my store for the first time ever to ask for a freebie/donation and then talk loudly about your habits of shopping online. Does your mother know you behave so ungraciously in public when asking for favors? I bet she doesn’t. There is 100-percent chance that Amazon hasn’t donated anything to a local fund-raiser, but an assortment of small businesses likely have. They need the money and support to continue being able to have such “cushy” tax write-offs.

All of that being said, there are people who should not own a business. The risk aversions do not belong in entrepreneurship because there are no guarantees. There are no guarantees someone will make enough money to break even in a given month—and no guarantees one will make enough profit to take home any money at all. Because in entrepreneurship, the business owner gets paid last. Rent, taxes, utilities, inventory and employees always come first.

Business plans are a necessity. In it, entrepreneurs will need to be honest about the possibility of not bringing much money home for the first two years, at least. One hopes to break even by the end of the first two years, but it depends upon how much money gets borrowed for start-up capital. Here is a sign I have learned to look for with start-ups: If the owner finances a new car within the first year of opening a business, chances are it is probably not going to last. The reality: When borrowing money, keep it for the business. Then, the next step needs to be to pay down the debt as quickly as possible. Anything unnecessary should be avoided, and anything that can be stretched to last should be as well.

One shouldn’t own a business if she can’t say “no” to people. That might be a surprise, but it is true—and it is hard to learn. Business owners make money by providing goods or services, so there is a deep-seated motivation to say “yes” to every request in order to make everyone happy. Those who do may be on the streets in the first week.

Entrepreneurship is what led me to the Live Local lifestyle. It has been the single greatest piece of my education to date; I am very thankful for it. I am especially grateful that it taught me what really makes the world go ‘round and how to function in it. That’s a change and attitude worth embracing.

I don’t think I’ve thought about that room in the decade since I graduated, because there isn’t anything special about it. But when the UNCW Intercollegiate Athletic Review Committee recommended earlier this week that the department remove five athletics programs from their lineup, including men’s and women’s swimming and diving, for some reason that room was the first thing that popped into my mind. I don’t know why.

Maybe it was the only place where the entire team was regularly in the same place while not partially submerged in chlorinated water. Most of you probably aren’t swimmers, so here’s how it goes: Stare at the bottom of the pool while putting your muscles through feats of exercise that most people can’t even imagine. Use proper technique, even when your body reminds you that you’re a land mammal. Breathe from time to time.

Repeat. Over and over for hours. Every day. Sometimes twice a day.

As swimmers at UNCW, we did those things together. Even when it hurt. Even when we thought we were going to die. Even when one more stroke didn’t feel like a possibility. We had been doing it our entire lives and couldn’t imagine doing something different. Having those things in common can build some pretty strong relationships.

So maybe I remember sitting in that room before meets because the things we had accomplished as a team were culminating: The work we had put in, the sleep we had sacrificed, the pain we had felt.

I don’t want to imagine a time when new student-athletes don’t walk into that room and hear Coach Allen describe the day’s opponent, getting progressively louder and more intense as he goes on, telling them that the preparations they have made as individuals and as a team are enough to guarantee victory. I don’t want to imagine a time when Coach isn’t running down the pool deck, red-faced, arms in the air, screaming for his swimmers to find a way to get to the wall before their competitors. I don’t want to imagine a time when swimmers can’t look back at their four years at UNCW and feel the intense pride that I felt for being a small part of something great. Most of all, I don’t want to imagine that my alma mater could possibly think it would be a good idea to get rid of a program that has developed hundreds of the best athletes UNCW has ever known, brought home fifteen conference championships (including the past twelve consecutive CAA championships on the men’s side), and consistently carried among the best GPAs in the department.

The committee that made these recommendations wrote of the “serious thought and consideration” they gave while making these recommendations to meet the department’s fiscal needs. They claimed to know the impact their recommendations would have on the coaches and student-athletes attached to the affected programs. What they don’t seem to understand is the negative affects their decision has on the school itself. The programs they’re hoping to remove are part of the fabric that was used to sew UNCW into the institution that is has become. All great universities hold their traditions, both academic and athletic, in high regard. They use those traditions to engage their communities, alumni, and prospective students. They show people where their universities have been and where they are going.

The Swimming and Diving teams are among the great traditions at UNCW that the school should be looking to nurture rather than kill.

If you agree, please take a moment to sign this petition [HERE], email your support to UNCW Chancellor Gary Miller (millerg@uncw.edu), or snail mail:
Gary L. Miller
601 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-5931