YES! Weekly — May 13, 2026 by YES! Weekly

Debuts New CD Dave Fox Group

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21, NUMBER 20

THE DAVE FOX GROUP

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem’s production of the interactive musical extravaganza “The Mystery of EDWIN DROOD,” based on Charles Dickens’ last, unfinished novel, will open Friday, June 5, at Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem.

4 “ DIRTY HANDS,” which is not a remake of the 1975 Claude Chabrol thriller of the same name, is a familiar but stylish modern-day film noir that takes place in the compressed time-frame of a single, albeit extremely eventful, evening in the lives of brothers Ritchie and Danny.

7 We all owe TED TURNER a debt of gratitude, and I owe him for helping me pay off some debt. Thanks for the paychecks, Ted.

10 The DAVE FOX GROUP has just released an album titled “Odell Place,” the moniker an homage to the street address of the music department at Greensboro College. Fox describes it as “more melodically inclined,” adding, “I tried to write songs that didn’t meander around too much, that get right to the point yet leave plenty of room for improv.”

11 With Mother’s Day in the rearview and Memorial Day sizzling straight ahead for a celebratory summer in 2026 — the Semiquincentennial year of our nation — or AMERICA250, as colloquially referenced by organizations across the country coordinating events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

14 When voting to fund a DATA CENTER four years ago, Greensboro City Council expressed no concerns. Last week, that changed. At the May 4 council meeting, District 1 Representative Crystal Black described the potential hazards the growing industry poses to Southeast Greensboro.

Little Theatre presents Tony Award-winning ‘Edwin Drood’

The Little Theatre of WinstonSalem’s production of the interactive musical extravaganza “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” based on Charles Dickens’ last, unﬁnished novel, will open Friday, June 5, at Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem. Additional performances will take place June 6-7, 11-14, and 18-21. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances are 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $14.50-$27 (general admission), with discounts for students (with valid ID), senior citizens, and groups of 10 or more, and can be purchased by calling the Little Theatre box o ce at 336-725-4001 or online at https://www. ltofws.org/

The show runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. Due to adult themes and language, as well as the spontaneity of audience interaction, it is recommended for ages 13 and over. Audience members can also purchase one of 12 “Adventure Seats,” which place them right in the middle of the action, where they become instrumental to the narrative and are part of the show.

Set against the opulent music-hall background of Victorian England, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” takes a much more light-hearted approach to Dickens’ material as it dramatizes the enigmatic fate of its title character, played in the Little Theatre’s production by Ashley Pearson and the machinations of his uncle John Jasper (played here by Logan Hammersley), the local choirmaster, who has some dark secrets of his own. The cast also includes John Galas, Jessie Lopez, Evan Wang, Rob Taylor, Carlos Nieto, and Ruan Walker.

Upon his death in 1870 at the age of 58, Dickens had only completed half of

the planned dozen serial installments and left no instructions — speciﬁc or otherwise — on how it should conclude.

There were a pair of silent ﬁlm versions (in 1909 and 1914), a 1935 version starring Claude Rains and David Manners (as Drood), a 1993 version starring Robert Powell, Nanette Newman, and Jonathan Phillips (as Drood), and a 2012 mini-series starring Matthew Rhys, Rory Kinnear, and Freddie Fox (as Drood).

In 1985, British-born author, composer, dramatist, singer/songwriter Rupert Holmes, whose hit 1979 single “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” is still heard in regular radio rotation, adapted “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” for the stage in its current interactive format. The production was an instant smash, earning nine Tony nominations and winning ﬁve: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (George Rose).

“Bringing ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ to life has been an absolute delight,” said director Kate CarsonGronner. “Somehow, a perfect assem-

bly of actors came to audition, and the camaraderie and playfulness was instantaneous. My passions for musical comedy, improvisation, and immersive theater are all indulged with this production, and the audience is in for an exciting and interactive experience where they help us choose a di erent ending each show.

“I believe strongly that theater should be welcoming to the audience, and we want to feel every patron to feel like a beloved guest at a very silly Dickensian murder mystery party. We can’t wait to laugh, groan, and hiss along with our audiences every single show.”

There will be an opening-night reception featuring complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, courtesy of Raffaldini Vineyards and Compass Financial Services, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 5. !

WANNA know?

For more information, visit the o cial Little Theatre website: https://www.ltofws.org/.

Mark Burger

Contributor

[WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP] BREATHING LIFE INTO THE DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT

SUBMITTED BY MARSHA

MCNEELY HIERL

The Downtown Arts District Association (DADA) is working hard to bring more people downtown to visit the galleries, shops, and restaurants on Trade Street, Liberty Street, and 6th Street, the heart of the Downtown Arts District. DADA brings the DADA 1st Friday Gallery Hop to the district every ﬁrst Friday of every month, rain or shine, from 7 to 10 p.m. This year, DADA is blocking the 600 block of Trade Street and the 200 block of Sixth Street in April, May, June, August, September, and October. Artists will be painting in the street, Happy Beats will provide a drum circle, and local art organizations will have tables to share information. Food trucks will provide tasty food and drinks. Children’s art activities will be provided. Dancing in the street to the music of the DJ or participating in the activities of local businesses will provide extra fun. Galleries will have new show openings. And, of course, there will be bubbles and chalk courtesy of NTSA.

‘Dirty Hands’: Sibling robbery

“Dirty Hands,” which is not a remake of the 1975 Claude Chabrol thriller of the same name (one of Chabrol’s lesser films), is a familiar but stylish modern-day film noir that takes place in the compressed time-frame of a single, albeit extremely eventful, evening in the lives of brothers Ritchie (Patrick Muldoon) and Danny (writer/producer/director Kevin Interdonato). There’s the adage that blood is thicker than water, and that will be tested to the limit, and yes, blood will flow.

In an e ort to provide opportunities for everyone in Winston-Salem to have a bit of art in the Downtown Arts District, DADA is creating a community mural. Through a grant from the Winston-Salem Foundation, DADA will set up art stations at the gallery hops. Richard Miller, of Miller & Associates Realty, has provided the wall location for the mural at the corner of Trade and Seventh. During the upcoming DADA 1st Friday Gallery Hops, hop attendees will have the opportunity to paint a design in a particular color palette.

Each square of canvas painted will become a part of a mosaic mural that will depict the buildings of the Downtown Arts District and the Winston-Salem city skyline. School groups, community organizations, youth groups, college students, and individuals are invited to come create their own pieces for the mural throughout the rest of this year. The mural should be completed and revealed by April 2027. DADA hopes that the opportunity to participate in the creation of this mural will bring more visitors to the district to visit the galleries and shops. With free parking on Trade and Liberty Streets, and the parking deck on the corner of Cherry and Sixth ($2 on weekends), ﬁnding parking in the district is easy. !

THE DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT ASSOCIATION, DADA, is a 501(c)(3) organization that relies solely on donations from supporters and sponsorships from the community. DADA’s mission is to embrace the avant-garde spirit by redeﬁning downtown through an artistic lens, dedicated to the goal to alter conventional perceptions about downtown living just as the post-WWI abstract art movement of the same name set out to emancipate the imagination.

Ritchie and Danny are ordered by crime boss Dally (reliable Michael Beach) for a quick, ostensibly simple drug deal. But things, as they so often do in films like this, don’t go according to plan. Words are exchanged, then bullets, and the brothers go on the lam — cash and coke in hand — but their options are rapidly running out.

We’re clearly in Tarantino territory here, as the film recalls his 1992 breakout debut “Reservoir Dogs,” particularly when Ritchie and Danny hole up in an auto-repair shop. Their getaway car ran out of gas because Danny bought a bottle of booze instead of filling the tank.

Interdonato has fashioned a showy (if not particularly flattering) role for himself, but allows his co-stars to have their moments, too, and like Tarantino incorporates touches of gallows humor, as when Dally calmly informs Danny, “You do menial things for me because you’re a menial person.” He then asks Danny if he knows what the word “menial” means. (He doesn’t.)

“Dirty Hands” doesn’t break new ground, but it’s not bad, and with a big assist from cinematographer/ co-producer/production designer Eric

Miller, Interdonato has created a stylish, nightmarish visual scheme on what was obviously a limited budget. Sadly, this modest, small-scale melodrama marks the final screen role for Muldoon, who died unexpectedly last month at age 57. “Dirty Hands” may not be the starriest swan song, but it gave him the opportunity to convincingly play a leading role and the brightest (if only marginally) of the brothers. The film also reunited him with Denise Richards, who plays his embittered wife Sheila, with whom he co-starred in 1997’s “Starship Troopers” and had a relationship with. Although they eventually broke up, they remained friends until the end, and one gets a sense of that friendship in their scenes together.

—“Dirty Hands” is available on Digital and On Demand. !

Check out more of Mark Burger’s ﬁlm reviews on www.yesweekly.com/ﬁlm

Mark Burger Contributor

“10 TO MIDNIGHT” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The motto of this memorable 1983 Charles Bronson vehicle is “Forget what’s legal. Do what’s right,” which just about says it all, as the implacable action icon — in his fourth of nine collaborations with director J. Lee Thompson — plays a veteran Los Angeles detective engaged in a cat-andmouse pursuit of serial killer Gene Davis, the story loosely based on the Richard Speck killings in the 1960s. Spectacularly sleazy but absorbing nonetheless, this is probably Bronson’s best go-‘round with Israeli producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus at Cannon Films, who had him under contract for most of the decade, with Davis both a loathsome and pathetic villain and solid support from Lisa Eilbacher (as Bronson’s estranged daughter), Andrew Stevens (as Bronson’s idealistic partner), Wilford Brimley (as Bronson’s crusty boss), Robert F. Lyons, Geo rey Lewis, and young Kelly Preston (billed as “Kelly Palzis”) in her feature debut. Incidentally, the title means nothing. The 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail) includes audio commentaries, retrospective interviews, theatrical trailer, and radio spots. Rated R.

“CHARLI XCX: ALONE TOGETHER” (Greenwich Entertainment/Kino Lorber): The Grammy-nominated, Britishborn pop superstar Charli XCX takes center stage in Bradley & Pablo’s feature documentary as she strives to create her 2020 album “How I’m Feeling Now” while quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic, soliciting on-line help from her fans and collaborators worldwide, available on Blu-ray ($29.95 retail).

“A KISS BEFORE DYING” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The North American Blu-ray bow ($29.95 retail) of director/ screenwriter James Dearden’s botched 1991 adaptation of Ira Levin’s classic ﬁrst novel, published in 1953 and previously adapted into a (better) 1956 ﬁlm, starring Matt Dillon as a ruthlessly ambitious sociopath determined to woo and win heiress Sean Young, whose twin sister (also played by Young) met with an unfortunate demise months earlier. Dillon and Young exude zero chemistry together, while Max von Sydow, James Russo, Diane Ladd, and Martha Gehman are wasted in supporting roles. Bonus features include audio commentaries and theatrical trailer. Rated R.

BY MARK BURGER

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK: “INNERSPACE” (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment)

After the smash success of “Gremlins” three years earlier, industry pundits predicted that this sci-ﬁ comedy reuniting director Joe Dante with executive producer Steven Spielberg would be one of the biggest hits of 1987. It didn’t quite work out that way, but “InnerSpace” found its audience on cable and home-video and ranks as one of Dante’s best e orts — and the only ﬁlm of his to win an Academy Award (Best Visual E ects).

Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is a boorish, boozesoaked test pilot who’s volunteered for a top-secret

government experiment — to be miniaturized and injected into a human. By sheer happenstance, and some sabotage, he winds up in the body of hypochondriac grocery clerk hypochondriac Jack Putter (Martin Short). Thus begins a dizzying, e ects-driven, high-concept, live-action free-for-all that combines slapstick comedy, high technology, and sheer razzle-dazzle in irresistible fashion.

With the help of Tuck’s on-again, o -again girlfriend, journalist Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan), Jack attempts to turn the tables on resident baddies Kevin McCarthy, Fiona Lewis, Robert Picardo (hilarious as “The Cowboy”), and Vernon Wells, who covet the miniaturization technology for their own nefarious gains (although McCarthy’s just in it for the money, as he explains in one riotous exchange). The cast is peppered with familiar folk: William Schallert, Dick Miller, Short’s “SCTV” cohorts Joe Flaherty and Andrea Martin, Henry Gibson, Wendy Schaal, Harold Sylvester, Kathleen Freeman, Orson Bean, Kevin Hooks, Ken Tobey, and Archie Hahn. There’s a customarily ﬁne score by Jerry Goldsmith, and Andrew Laszlo’s cinematography is top-ﬂight.

Some perceived “InnerSpace” as a comic ri on the 1966 classic “Fantastic Voyage” (true) while others noted its medical inconsistencies (also true), but Warner Bros. marketed the ﬁlm as a straight sci-ﬁ extravaganza, barely hinting at the farcical elements, hence its disappointing theatrical gross.

Despite being confined to his “spaceship” for much of the running time, Quaid is at his ra sh and rakish best, while Short is simply incandescent in what is perhaps his finest feature performance — one that takes full advantage at his penchant for physical comedy. They’re a delightful duo, and Quaid’s chemistry with the adorably spunky Ryan (then on the verge of stardom) later led to a 10-year marriage. The film also has nice messages about channeling one’s inner hero and living life to the fullest. Nearly 40 years later, “InnerSpace” remains a true one of a kind and a triumph for all concerned.

Both the limited-edition Blu-ray ($49.95 retail) and 4K Ultra HD ($59.95 retail) include audio commentaries, collectible booklet and poster, the documentary “Shrinkage: The Making of ‘Innerspace,’” original storyboards and production stills, posters and stills gallery, theatrical trailer, and more. Rated PG.

“SOMEWHERE IN TIME” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): A 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail) of director Jeannot Szwarc’s 1980 adaptation of screenwriter Richard Matheson’s 1975 novel “Bid Time Return,” starring Christopher Reeve as a theater student so infatuated by a photograph of actress Jane Seymour, who lived 70 years before, that he hypnotizes himself to go back in time to 1912 to woo and win her, much to the displeasure of her domineering manager (the great Christopher Plummer), with Teresa

Wright, Bill Erwin, and George Voskovec in support — and look fast for William H. Macy and Tim Kazurinsky in early roles. This was a “reward” for Szwarc taking over “Jaws 2” and was only a moderate success before becoming a full-ﬂedged phenomenon on cable and home-video, to such an extent that annual tours were held at the hotel on Mackinac Island where the ﬁlm was made. Unabashedly sentimental but hard to resist, with John Barry’s evocative score and Jean-Pierre Dorleac’s Oscar-nominated costume

design adding to the ambience. Bonus features include multiple audio commentaries, the retrospective documentary “Back to ‘Somewhere in Time,’” theatrical trailer, and more. Rated PG.

“SUSPENDED TIME” (Music Box Films): Olivier Assayas co-wrote, produced, and directed this semi-autobiographical 2024 comedy/drama (originally titled “Hors du temps”) set during the COVID-19 lockdown in Paris, starring Vincent Macaigne (a regular Assayas collaborator) as an esteemed ﬁlmmaker (not unlike Assayas himself) and Micha Lescot as his music-historian brother whose relationship occasionally frays as they live together in the house they grew up in (where Assayas grew up) with their respective girlfriends (Nora Hamzawi and Nine D’Urso). A glib, sometimes selfindulgent, but not unappealing comedy of neuroses that beneﬁts from the easy chemistry of its principal actors. In French with English subtitles, the DVD ($29.99 retail) includes interviews, image gallery, and theatrical trailer.

“THE UGLY” (Unearthed Films/MVD Entertainment): A limited-edition “collector’s-edition” Blu-ray ($39.95 retail) of the award-winning 1997New Zealand shocker that marked the feature debut of Scott Reynolds, starring Rebecca Hobbs as a dedicated psychiatrist tasked with determining whether serial killer Paolo Rotondo (in his feature debut) is fit to be released back into society after being confined to a mental institution. Bonus features include audio commentary, collectible booklet, Reynolds’ short films “The M1nute” (2002) and “A Game With No Rules” (1994), isolated score, visual essay, theatrical trailer, and more.

“VAMPIRE TIME TRAVELERS” (Visual Vengeance/MVD Entertainment Group): A “collector’s-edition” Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) of writer/director/editor/composer Les Sekely’s low-budget 1998 horror/sci-ﬁ send-up putting a group of girls pledging a college sorority against voracious bloodsuckers. Bonus features include Sekely’s 2000 horror comedy “I Know What You Did in English Class,” audio commentaries for both ﬁlms, collectible mini-poster and stickers, retrospective interviews, trailers, and more. !

ACROSS

Bourbon brand

Belly area

Girlfriend, in Genoa

Pertaining to the womb

Spiced Starbucks selection

Autos for test-driving

Food, clothes or money [actress Danes] 25 Greek market of old

DC-10, e.g.

Lariat feature

Rushes about wildly

Marketed

Grain tower

Like a skimpy swimsuit [actor Perry]

Church area

Powders mixed into liquids, e.g.

Research ctr.

Shoes worn with tutus [designer McCartney]

Tenth mo.

Perjurer’s confession

Fork prong

Pop singer Rita

Mai — (drink)

Young morays, say

Huge Asian mammal [justice Kagan]

Tijuana-to-Vegas dir.

Add- — (extras)

Olive — (military uniforms)

Surg. sites

Roomy place to house vehicles [actress Jones]

like Ice Cube

Initial venture

-Alt-Del

(butler)

the eight featured celebrities in this puzzle are doing?

Small lakes

— Jima

Having supple arms and legs [jazzman Davis]

Nuptial vow

Moving spryly

The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership club dedicated to providing the ultimate athletic and recreational facilities for our members of all ages. Conveniently located in High Point, we provide a wide variety of activities for our members. We’re designed to incorporate the total ﬁtness concept for maximum beneﬁts and total enjoyment. We cordially invite all of you to be a part of our athletic facility, while enjoying the membership savings we offer our established corporate accounts.

Smoothly polite 76 Neighbor of TV’s Homer

Ted Turner: Passing of a TV pioneer

Over the past few decades, I’ve had to write far too many obituary columns. Most of them have paid tribute to celebrities whom I had become friends with and could write about from personal experience. In that regard, this column is decidedly different because I never knew, met, or spoke with Ted Turner. He did, however, send me some checks at a time in my life when I needed all the work I could get, so I guess that gives me the right to honor his passing. Ted Turner died last week at the age of 87.

Robert Edward Turner III was born on Nov. 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Florence Rooney and Robert Turner II. Ted’s father owned Turner Advertising, a successful Atlanta-based billboard company, which his son would later leverage into a media empire. Ted’s early holdings included radio and television stations in the Southeast, one of which was WRET in Charlotte. Another was Atlanta’s WTBS, which he morphed into the nation’s first true superstation.

But Ted’s most lasting contribution to the broadcast industry was his founding of Cable News Network. CNN’s first broadcast was on June 1, 1980, and that’s where my connection to Ted Turner began.

When CNN first launched, it had its headquarters in Atlanta with bureaus in New York City and Washington, D.C. Earlier that same year, I had started a video production company that specialized in producing local community affairs TV programs and video news releases. The VNR’s were most often paid for by companies that hired me to report on one of their new products or public service projects, and then to distribute those stories to TV stations around the country. My relationship with CNN was a win/win for both of us because they needed content, and that

gave me an international outlet for my VNRs. I also needed to pick up jobs wherever available, and CNN needed freelance reporters and video crews to augment their full-time staff.

Some of the hard news packages that I sent to CNN included a report on Life Sciences’ illegal dumping of toxic Kepone into the James River, which caused neurological disorders in humans and untold damage to the environs. Another story that I reported on was A.H. Robins’ Dalkon Shield, a birth control device that was later banned from use in the United States.

Other stories were political in nature, including my coverage of Ronald Reagan’s 1980 run for the White House. And then there was the time that CNN producer Jane Maxwell hired my crew to follow Prince Charles during his historic visit to Williamsburg in 1981, just two months prior to his nuptials with Diana. I was shoulder to shoulder with Britain’s future king for an entire day, and though our video turned out spectacularly, I came away with no still photos for my personal collection because I had forgotten to reload film in my camera. I think Ted might have laughed at that.

In those early days, news crews from ABC, CBS, and NBC would make fun of me and my CNN microphone flag as I pushed my way through their sacred circle to ask a question of a national news figure. After all, the big three networks each spent about $300 million dollars per year just to produce a daily

half-hour newscast, while Ted had cobbled together a mere $34 million dollars to create CNN. Broadcasters and critics alike didn’t consider Uncle Ted’s venture to be a legitimate news operation and didn’t think it would last. Boy, were they wrong. CNN was the world’s first global, 24-hour news service, and it changed the face of broadcast journalism forever, breaking the mold of once-daily half-hour newscasts and giving rise to a host of other round-the-clock cable news channels. Ted would go on to create the Turner Classic Movies channel, where he could showcase his vast film library, and he purchased a number of sports franchises, including the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks. But Ted’s crowning achievement was CNN, which gave viewers better access to news, made them more informed about the world around them, and generated public discourse that would help to shape

important public policy initiatives. There are a number of men and women who helped to develop and shape the television industry. Names like Sarnoff, Paley, Berle, Ball, Warner, and Spelling come to mind. But if I were to select a Mount Rushmore of TV, there are two people who most certainly would have to be included. One is Philo Farnsworth, who invented television with the hope that it would be used to inform and educate people. The other is Ted Turner, who made Farnsworth’s dream come true on a global scale. We all owe Ted Turner a debt of gratitude, and I owe him for helping me pay off some debt. Thanks for the paychecks, Ted. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.

Jim Longworth

Longworth at Large

Ted Turner

Car Show Fellowship at Washington Terrace Park

by Natalie Garcia

Photos by Natalie Garcia

Dave Fox Group debuts new CD Saturday

BY OGI OVERMAN

Pianist extraordinaire Dave Fox is well aware that jazz can be somewhat inaccessible to all but the most sophisticated listener. Sometimes showing o your chops for the sake of, well, showing o your chops is best left to concert halls with tuxedo-clad audiences. Now, make no mistake, Fox has the chops, as evidenced by a 30-year teaching career at Greensboro College, four albums, and thousands of public appearances with dozens of ensembles. But for his latest endeavor he opted for a smoother, more, shall we say, userfriendly approach.

The Dave Fox Group has just released an album titled “Odell Place,” the moniker an homage to the street address of the music department at Greensboro College. Fox describes it as “more melodically inclined,” adding, “I tried to write songs that didn’t meander around too much, that get right to the point yet leave plenty of room for improv.” While he composed all 10 cuts, Fox stresses that it is a group e ort, with Drew Hays on saxophone, Matt Kendrick on stand-up bass, and Kassem Williams

on drums. Fox plays a Fender Rhodes electric piano, rather than a baby grand.

“I can’t say enough about the players,” he smiles. “They are all top-notch musicians who are willing and able to try new material. We’ve all played together in various ensembles and actually ﬂeshed out a lot of this material live, rather than rehearsing them for four hours.”

Hays was the director of the music department at Guilford College and one of the founders of the Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra; Kendrick is one of the ﬁnest and most respected bass players in the area; and Williams has been a ﬁxture on the Triad jazz scene for many years.

Local fans and out-of-town visitors to Greensboro’s O. Henry Hotel will know that Fox, Kendrick and Hays and a rotating vocalist play each Thursday evening in the hotel’s ﬁnely appointed lobby. Fox has been the anchor of the wildly popular series since its inception Jan. 15, 2015. Kendrick was added about six months later, and Hays came aboard this year, replacing original saxophonist Neal Clegg, who retired.

“This has been a very fulﬁlling decade of playing music,” says Fox. “I retired from GC last year, and this gig has

brought me back to doing mostly jazz, although I still do blues, rock, classical, avant garde — anything that’s good. The room is always packed and the vocalists consistently wonderful. So, I’d say this CD is largely what I’ve gleaned from playing the Great American Songbook.”

The album was recorded at Greensboro’s Earthtones Studio during three sessions in December 2025. It was engineered by studio owner Benjy Johnson and mastered by Ty Tabor. It is available on both CD and vinyl at Davefoxmusic. com.

Fox & Co. will host a CD release party this Saturday, May 16, at The Crown, the black-box venue above the Carolina Theatre. Showtime is 7:30 and admission is $25.00. Tickets are available at the box o ce on Greene Street. Opening the show will be nationally known singer-songwriter-pianist Kristy Jackson.

“Kristy will do a half-hour set then we’ll do the whole album with one intermission,” notes Fox. “This will be our only CD release party, although we’re going to play at the Summer Music Carolina series in Winston-Salem in August.”

In describing “Odell Place,” Fox muses, “Sometimes too much intricacy is not good. You’ve got to know when to use it and when not to. I tried to get away from being too complicated or inaccessible. It’s a ﬁne line because you don’t want to simplify it to the point of selling out just to get people to listen to it. I’ve learned that audiences like to see bands play what they like.”

After a pleasantly soothing listen to this album, it’s obvious that this stellar quartet likes what it plays. And so will the audience. !

The Group’s New CD “Odell Place.”

Let Freedom Ring ... in Music

WMother’s Day in the rearview and Memorial Day sizzling straight ahead for a celebratory summer in 2026 — the Semiquincentennial year of our nation — or America250, as colloquially referenced by organizations across the country coordinating events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Folks are ringing the bell of freedom at celebrations near and far.

While there’s turmoil across our nation that can’t be ignored, there are communities of good folks helping to celebrate our history and exploring the complexities of what it means to let freedom ring beyond blind patriotism and Fourth of July fireworks right here in the Triad.

And although Forsyth County is acknowledged as the site of America’s first documented July 4th celebration — by the Moravians of Salem in 1783 — it was on May 21, 1865, that freedom officially came to the area we now know as Winston-Salem, through an announcement from the Union Army chaplain to the congregation of the Afro-Moravian St. Philips Church.

In the 161 years since, WinstonSalem’s “Freedom Day” continues to be celebrated. On May 22, Triad Cultural Arts will host a Griot Gathering at the CMPND in downtown Winston. “Bring your elder, your college cousin, your favorite uncle, and indulge in what makes Black culture one of the most emulated in the World,” organizers said, sharing details of the free community event. “It’s the gathering of a generation! Kick off Juneteenth by joining us to explore how storytelling preserves Black culture and carries wisdom.”

The gathering will feature performances from Nailah Porter, a dramatic reading by Nathan Ross Freeman, and a screening of “At The Feet of The El-

ders,” followed by a discussion with the elders. Photographer Bosh Novart will also be on-site taking family portraits, and Micah the Artyst and Leo Rucker will be creating a community art piece throughout the evening.

Meanwhile, Old Salem Museum & Gardens will celebrate “Freedom Day” with special guided tours and activities on the site of St. Philips Church on May 23 and 24.

In Greensboro, Doodad Farms looks to the past in a far-out kind of way — though not all that far back in time — for their annual fundraiser concert to benefit local nonprofits for the 1976 Bicentennial MusicFest.

“Since our country’s current political turmoil will no doubt darken the celebration of our 250th anniversary,

ourselves, and raise as much funds for our sponsored organizations without corporate involvement,” they said, reinforcing the importance of non-profits like the Arc of High Point, which assist those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“More than just the music from 1976, we’ll also be conjuring up pieces of pop culture, history, and other memories from that era. We encourage everyone to leave the present behind and, along with our performers, pretend that we’ve all traveled back 50 years to a simpler time. So dress the part if you’re so inclined! So please come out, enjoy a beautiful day of music, fun, and just plain silliness, and support the good work of the Arc of High Point.”

Over at the Back Table, NCMA Winston-Salem are also getting a little far out — making their Greensboro offsite debut and similarly conjuring the spirit of 1976 with Party at the Moon Tower, a semiquincentennial brouhaha beneath the silos, on May 30.

we’ve decided to roll the calendar back to 1976, our bicentennial, for a day of nostalgia, music, and hope.”

Running the afternoon of May 17, the concert will feature Doodad regulars like Sam Frazier and the Side Effects, Doug Davis and Radio Silence, The Goodloves, Ashley Virginia, Graymatter, Mare Carmody, Soul-R Fusion, Bob Bedell & Company, William Nesmith, The Beagles, Tim Smith, Nick Hutson, and Isabel Valls; plus Doodad Disco Dynamite (an ensemble featuring Glenn Jones, Kris Whitenack, George Hindenach, Luis Rodriguez, Emma Davis, and Nancy Middleton.)

While the theme is specific to the current year, Doodad’s goal remains the same: to “show the audience a good time while having a good time

The community-centered experience embraces the love of American music, movies and automobiles — through the lens of “Dazed and Confused” — with a classic car cruise-in, Bicentennial era wares, and art activities where folks can make their own mini-paddle charcuterie boards and print their own “seniors” shirt; plus a live band assembled just for occasion playing selections of the soundtrack and a that’ll serve as a top priority of the summer. Alright, alright, alright, ya dig?

Meanwhile, the Flat Iron will help celebrate the music of (and birthday) of American Icon, the free-wheelin’ Mr. Bob Dylan, over Memorial Day weekend as Rod Abernethy and David Burney present a round of their fantastic Tribute to Dylan & Cash experience, which offers a “moving journey through the music, history, and the enduring friendship of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.”

From Old Salem to Elm Street — America250 is complicated, but Triad music is certainly worth celebrating. Let it ring, y’all! !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

Katei Cranford

Contributor

ASHEBORO

Four SaintS BrEwing

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com

CARBORRO

Cat’S CradlE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053

www.catscradle.com

May 15: lucinda williams

May 15: By Storm, lerado Khalil

May 16: andrew Marlin & Josh oliver

May 16-17: iron & wine, improvement Movement

May 16: Soda water Sea

May 17: grace ives, Hollis Howard

May 17: Setting, walt McClements

May 17: the Black angels, l.a. witch

May 18-20: Future islands, Valient thorr, lonnie walker, Jenny Besetzt

May 20: the new Pornographers, will Sheff

May 21: Hiding Places, Verity den, Supermutt

May 22: Sluice, Peter Horses

May 23: Carrboro Bluegrass Festival

May 24: Caleb Caudle, laurelyn dossett, the Vagabond Saints’ Society

CHARlOttE

BoJanglES ColiSEuM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600

www.boplex.com

May 17: John legend

May 23: Marisela

tHE FillMorE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.livenation.com

May 13: thornhill

May 14: Kandi Burruss

May 14: Chrisette Michele

May 15: toadies

May 16: Electric avenue

PnC MuSiC PaVilion

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292

www.livenation.com

May 13: Kid Cudi

May 14: godsmack, Stone temple Pilots & dorothy

May 16: dave Matthews Band

May 18: Sting

May 20: Pitbull & lil Jon

May 30: Hank williams Jr.

May 31: Machine gun Kelly & wiz Khalifa

SKYla CrEdit union aMPHitHEatrE

former Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555 www.livenation.com

SPECtruM CEntEr

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000

www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

May 20: Journey

May 21: don toliver

May 30: the Queens

duRHAm

Carolina tHEatrE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org

May 16: Charles and Jackson Pettee

May 17: Punch Brothers

May 28: grace givertz

dPaC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com

May 16: John Crist

ElKIN

rEEVES tHEatEr

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

wednesdays: reeves open Mic

Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam

May 22: the tree of Forgiveness Band

gREENSBORO

1808 CraFt & VinE

3326 W Friendly Ave Ste 141 | 336.638.1222 1808craftvine.com

May 9-Jun 6: Be

May 16: david Fox group

May 9: Kleon the Comedian

May 15-16: alex ortiz

May 18: landon talks

May 19: Emo Phillips

May 22-23: ian lara

May 29-30: danae Hays

May 6: Jade Moore w/ tin roof Echo

May 7: Bee Million, Burlap Circus and Panes

May 8: wriStBand

May 13: desiree dawson & Mira lazuli w/ Mountain Flower

May 14: turkey Buzzards and Stripmall Ballads

May 15: Candi Jenkins w/ Carri Smithey

May 17: the rough & tumble, Flagship romance

May 20: Eric Johanson

May 21: lennon KC w/ Melodramatic

May 22: Michael Chaney

May 23: the Hypnotic Conquest

May 24: a tribute to dylan & Cash

May 28: Kevn Kenny

May 29: the Bean tones

May 31: McKinney, MaMa, grace Cambell

May 20: Electric Callboy

May 21: Journey

Hangar 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480

www.hangar1819.com

May 13: Infected rain

May 18: Waka Flocka

May 29-30: Bring The Heat Fest 2026

LITTLE BroTHEr

BrEWIng

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678

www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew

Fridays & Saturdays: Free Live Music

STEvEn TangEr CEnTEr

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500

www.tangercenter.com

May 14: David Lee roth

May 15: Palomazo norteno

May 16: John Legend

May 31: andrew Bird

THE IDIoT Box

CoMEDY CLuB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699 www.idiotboxers.com

May 14: grant Lyon

May 15: Will Purpura

May 21: Paul Snyder

jamestown

THE DECk

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

www.facebook.com/TheDeckJamestown/

May 15: Second glance Band

May 21: nSa

May 29: retrovinyl

May 30: radio revolver

lIberty

THE LIBErTY

SHoWCaSE THEaTEr

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844 www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

LInCoLn THEaTrE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400 www.lincolntheatre.com

wInston-salem

EarL’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018 www.earlsws.com

Mondays: open Mic

FIDDLIn’ FISH

BrEWIng CoMPanY

772 Trade St | 336.999.8945 www.fiddlinfish.com

Tuesdays: Trivia

May 15: That 90’s Duo

May 16: kinetic (Bob Weir Tribute)

May 22: raphael graves

May 30: Habitat

Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.6359 www.bistro150.com

WaLnuT CrEEk 3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111 www.livenation.com

FooTHILLS BrEWIng

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

May 13: Taylor Mason

THE raMkaT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714

www.theramkat.com

May 14: Big Bad voodoo Daddy

May 15: Freedom Junction, Drew Foust

May 16: Cosmic Charlie

May 21: Sluice

May 22: kevin Beck, Dan Brooks, Drake Duffer

May 28: Bad Cameo

raDar BrEWIng CoMPanY

216 E 9th St | 336-999-8090 www.radarbrewingcompany.com

WISE Man BrEWIng

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008 www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: Music Bingo

May 15: Emerson Bruno & the undercurrents

May 16: Hot Wax and the Splinters

May 16: Bandemic

May 22: The Travelers

May 23: Bryce Hensley & the killer Lites

Council responds to data center concerns

When voting to fund a data center four years ago, Greensboro City Council expressed no concerns. Last week, that changed. At the May 4 council meeting, District 1 Representative Crystal Black described the potential hazards the growing industry poses to Southeast Greensboro.

“District 1 cannot hold more harm. We hold the highways, we hold pollution, we hold landﬁlls, we hold divestment, we hold concentrated poverty. We hold everything that is negative in this city, and we can no longer be the person who holds it all. We cannot hold every harm that comes to this city, and we’re gonna stop it with data centers.”

After calling for transparency and “robust conversation,” Black said data centers “won’t happen in District 1 unless we do it the right way.”

After acknowledging “there has already been approval for a data center in District 1 with North Carolina A&T State University,” Black said, “we’re going to work on that and try to make this a turnaround from a negative to a positive.”

Black was referring to ImpactData Greensboro Dream Center at 2901 E. Gate City Blvd. in Gateway Research Park. This 115,000-square-foot facility, designed to support AI, machine learning, and educational services for the university, was slated to launch its ﬁrst stage in June. When queried by YES! Weekly, Black did not elaborate on what she meant by “a turnaround,” but said she and other council members are studying the issue. She emphasized she was not criticizing past or current council members for their unanimous 2022 vote to grant Georgia-based digital infrastructure ﬁrm ImpactData LLC a $530,359 incentive grant to build the Gateway Park Dream Center near A&T.

Video of the Aug. 16, 2022, meeting shows how the conversation about data centers has changed since then. At that meeting, there were no speakers against the project, and the only concerns were raised by Black’s District 1 predecessor Sharon Hightower, who said she supported the project but wanted to know more about the 28 jobs the center would provide, as well as possible tra c disruption to the community. After the unanimous vote, moved by Hightower and seconded by Marikay Abuzuaiter, Hightower welcomed ImpactData executives Terry Comer and David Calloway to Greensboro.

On Thursday, Black acknowledged public conversations were di erent four years ago, when there was less information about the negative impact of data centers on surrounding communities.

Or even a year ago, as Robinson Meyer, executive editor

of digital media organization Heatmap News, told “PBS News Hour” on April 29. “Just in the past six months, we have seen public interest and support for living near an AI data center, or really any data center, plummet.”

According to a February Heatmap survey, 52% of Americans oppose data centers being built near their communities, with only 28% supporting such projects. Heatmap also reported that public outcry over the high energy costs, noise, and environmental impact of data centers has become increasingly bipartisan, combining environmental issues with concerns over property rights, and that 55% of highly-contested projects are in lowpopulation-density areas that vote Republican. According to these ﬁndings, data centers now face more local opposition than new apartment complexes or mixed-use developments.

The November article “Data centers are fueling the lobbying industry, not just the growth of AI” by Carolyn Neugarten at OpenSecrets.org reports that electricity costs in communities with multiple data centers are 267% higher than ﬁve years ago. “Roughly two-thirds of U.S. electricity ﬂows through state or regional grids, meaning wholesale price increases ripple outward, even to households hundreds of miles away and in di erent state jurisdictions.”

Black was one of ﬁve council members responding to frequent public speaker Del Stone, who called for a moratorium on data center construction in Greensboro.

Stone asked whether council’s priorities were with “large tech corporations intensifying mass surveillance and exploitation, or with residents, who su er the costs of publicly useless infrastructure?”

Citing “unprecedented electricity rate increases and levels of drought,” as data centers have proliferated in North Carolina, and the recent report by Gov. Josh Stein that they drive up residential Duke Power bills, Stone questioned what data centers actually provide.

“Why are lobbyists spending hundreds of millions to push their construction? It’s grist for the mill of corporate profit. Data centers fuel gambling, cryptocurrency mining, and generative artificial intelligence. They train chatbots that provide services ranging from deepfake porn to suicide manuals. Developers often tout the jobs data centers provide, but the actual figures are staggering in their paucity. We’re talking a couple dozen positions per center,

at most. Meanwhile, the AI generated at these facilities is putting millions out of work, replacing humans with cheaper, highly controllable labor. Data centers are not coming here for our beneﬁt. They are coming here for us to contribute to their mounting human toll.”

Stone concluded by asking for a moratorium on data center construction, as Apex, Boone, Brevard, Canton, Clay, Clyde, Durham, King’s Mountain and Wendell, as well as Chatham, Gates, Orange, Rowan, and Swain counties, have already issued.

District 2’s Cecile Crawford responded to Stone.

“We’ve got a legacy of landﬁlls, historic disinvestment, and a higher baseline for health risks. What comes with data centers are electricity demands that we can’t a ord. It comes with the data centers getting tax incentives that do not trickle down to us. It comes with a low number of jobs. Some of the same things that Del said, and it’s fairly extractive, right? Even with a closed-loop water system, we’re still burning through gallons of water, and it increases air pollution with the backup generators. There’s a list of things that we don’t want in our districts, so we are learning as fast as we can about what we can do with these industries.”

District 5’s Tammi Thurm and at-large Representative Hugh Holston, who voted for the A&T data center in 2022, also said they were going to consider this issue.

“We’ve had the conversation about housing,” said Holston, “making sure that it has an impact in all of our communities. Those conversations about data centers, if they are to occur, will receive the same treatment.”

Thurm said, “This council is committed to making data-informed decisions, and we’re in the process of learning. We are studying what works for our community and what’s safe for our residents, while ﬁnding a balance between health, welfare, residents, and the business community.”

She then asked City Manager Trey Davis to consult with council if he learns of any more proposed data centers in Greensboro.

“We want to make sure that we create policies in line with our community. So, if you would convey that to your sta and to us, we want to make sure that when something comes to you or to us, we fully understand the project and all the implications.”

District 3’s April Parker agreed.

“I want to reiterate the directive that, prior to any data center item moving on our agenda, we clear all of the concerns. My biggest concern is our huge investments and the way in which we’re anchoring regional water work, so I want to know the impact on the whole city and our future plans for intentional growth of the city.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is an award-winning author and journalist whose book “I Ain’t Resisting: the City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith” was published in September of 2023 by Scuppernong Editions.

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Concept for ImpactData Greensboro Dream Center

[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of May 18, 2026

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A temporary setback could work in your favor. Use this time to take another long look at a situation that you thought was absolutely foolproof. It’s better to ﬁnd the ﬂaws now instead of later.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You divine Bovines could soon be scoring some impressive Bull’s-eyes as you get closer to putting some carefully made plans into motion. Be patient. Time is on your side.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Balance the slightly overly romantic view of your current situation with a much-needed dollop of reality from your practical side. See it as it is — not as you would like it to be.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your self-conﬁdence continues to grow, but be careful not to overextend yourself. Go forward one step at a time. Meanwhile, a partner is ready to provide you with loving support.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) There’s no time for on-the-job catnapping for ambitious LEOs and LEOnas. Changes are coming, and you won’t want to miss out on any of the opportunities that go with them.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your adventurous side continues to play a dominant role in many of the decisions that you’ll be making during the next few weeks. Enjoy the ride, but don’t get carried away.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Avoid distractions that intrude on the time you need to straighten out legal complications. Additionally, expect to do some

work-related traveling during the next few months.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Be on guard against attempts to take advantage of your kind, caring nature. Also, a trusted friend can help you get the facts before you reach for your checkbook.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A recent unpleasant confrontation could soon ﬂare up again unless all the areas of miscommunication are resolved. The sooner you start the process, the better.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A recent workplace incident could continue to cause problems. Prepare yourself with the facts that you’ll need if you’re called upon to give your side of the story.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) This is a good time to speak up about a troubling situation. The sooner you do, the sooner others will realize what’s been going on, and then they’ll help you deal with it.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A change in travel plans could be the ﬁrst of many that will occur during the next several months. Meanwhile, deal with a problem involving someone who’s close to you.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You have a bright, shining personality that attracts people to you. You also have a way of seeing two sides of every issue. You’d make a ﬁne judge.