Queen City Nerve

Volume 8, Issue 14⁠ ⁠ ON THE COVER: @barandance founder Audrey Baran recently stepped away from her role at UNC Charlotte after more than 20 years of involvement with the university. Now she’s charting a new path with @eastsideyoga_clt while continuing to make moves with her acclaimed dance company. ⁠ ✍️: Pat Moran⁠ ⁠ NEWS: Monday night’s Charlotte City Council meeting was chock full of newsworthy items, from council’s decision to rescind its support for the I-77 South toll lane project to its step toward a moratorium on data centers. We’ve got the full recap. ⁠ ✍️: @ryanpitkin ⁠ ⁠ A new @dream.corps Green Reentry Incubator pilot connects justice‑impacted people with clean‑energy jobs in solar, energy efficiency, EV infrastructure and green construction in Charlotte. ⁠ ✍️: Will Atwater via NC Health News⁠ ⁠ A local resident who worked her way out of homelessness describes how a Duke Energy rate increase could upend her family's lives, with links to how you can have your voice heard before the NC Utilities Commission approves the proposed hike.⁠ ✍️: Kendra Lumpkin Barber⁠ ⁠ ARTS: We sit down with Geore Rodriguez (@georgie.boy.tattoos ), who recently opened Old Soul Tattoo Club with @official_jaytattoos , to talk about his rollercoaster of a journey in tattooing, AI in art, specializing in scar tissue and more. ⁠ ✍️: @ernestobrettdennison ⁠ ⁠ MUSIC: Patrick Wynne (@pwynne4 ) announced the launch of @carolinabloommusicfest , with a lineup unveiling earlier this week. Patrick discusses how and why he is prioritizing affordability, accessibility and inclusivity for the indie-rock fest in August. ⁠ ✍️: @bethany_grace_creates ⁠ ⁠ FOOD & DRINK: @theartisanspalate has launched its new spring/summer menu from owner @chefchriscsoka , symbolizing a fresh start and renewal following a winter that saw the NoDa establishment struggling to keep up with mounting bills and urgent repairs. ⁠ ✍️: @ryanpitkin ⁠ ⁠ That and more in the new issue of Queen City Nerve that’s dropping today! Grab your copy at one of hundreds of locations around Charlotte. Hit the link in our bio to find one near you 🗞️

On episode 102 of the Nooze Hounds podcast, Ryan sits down with Charlotte City Council District 5 representative Juan Diego Mazuera Arias, who was elected to council in November and took office on Dec. 1, 2025.⁠ ⁠ @jd4clt was at the forefront of two big stories in Charlotte government this week, both of which centered on Monday night’s Charlotte City Council meeting. The biggest action of the night came with the vote to rescind council’s support for the public-private partnership that the body supported in 2024 to carry out the NC Department of Transportation’s I-77 South toll lanes project.⁠ ⁠ On the podcast, the district rep discusses how the results of the vote came as a surprise to him and others around the dais even as it was being carried out.⁠ ⁠ He also discusses his recent efforts to implement a moratorium on data center construction in the city. His fellow council members previously balked at a motion to call for a public hearing that would be needed before council can implement such a moratorium, which inspired an impassioned speech about urgency and inaction by Mazuera Arias at the dais in April.⁠ ⁠ On the podcast, the district rep discusses how the results of the vote came as a surprise to him and others around the dais even as it was being carried out.⁠ ⁠ He also discusses his recent efforts to implement a moratorium on data center construction in the city. At Monday night's meeting, council voted to hold the public hearing that would need to precede such a moratorium. ⁠ ⁠ “We should have acted on this way before [now],” Mazuera Arias said during Monday's meeting. “As a governing body, we will always have legal risk … But there is more of a human risk by not acting now to protect our residents.”⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to listen to the episode. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️: @ryanpitkin ⁠ 📸: Courtesy of @cltgov

On April 18, Audrey Baran posted a selfie on her Instagram account in which she’s extending her thumb-and-pinky in a “hang loose” gesture while standing in front of Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts on UNC Charlotte’s campus.⁠ ⁠ “And like that … she was gone,” @audibaran ’s caption reads, paraphrasing a line of dialogue from the 1995 movie The Usual Suspects.⁠ ⁠ Baran has made many moves in her distinguished career. Her professional trajectory includes the roles of dancer, choreographer, founder and director of innovative troupe @barandance as well as UNC Charlotte professor and lecturer — but this is perhaps her most surprising move of all. After more than 20 years of involvement as both a student and faculty member, Baran has ended her association.⁠ ⁠ It began in 2000 when Baran first set foot on campus to earn a Bachelor of Arts in dance. She returned to UNC Charlotte in 2009 and since then has taught dance and yoga classes, choreographed student dance concerts, and set up a student internship program through Baran Dance.⁠ ⁠ The flashpoint for her separation from the institution was a new full-time faculty position the university created for the 2026-27 school year. Baran applied for the job but wasn’t granted an in-person interview.⁠ ⁠ “It was a shock,” Baran admits. “Not that I thought I was a shoo-in for the position, but I thought I had a strong chance.”⁠ ⁠ Though the dance department’s decision was a setback for Baran, the dance artist and educator is moving ahead. She’s preparing to open a new business, @eastsideyoga_clt , and is currently in rehearsals for a collaboration that conjoins her dance company’s abstract, kinetic vignettes with the immersive, enigmatic soundscapes of Charlotte rock four-piece Moa.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story in the lead up to BDXM: Baran Dance and Moa, which goes up at @opendoorstudios in the Eastway Crossing shopping center from June 5-7.⁠ ⁠ ✍️: Pat Moran⁠ 📸: @nicksullivanphotography , @butchworxphotography , @austin.byrd.jpg

When Grammy-winning soul singer D’Angelo passed away in October 2025, the world lost an irreplaceable musical mind. ⁠ ⁠ No one musician can match the iconic output of the R&B innovator, but on Saturday, May 16, at @carolinatheatreclt , Charlotte musician @harveycummings will lead a 13-piece orchestra ensemble in reimagining the sensual, groove-filled sounds of D’Angelo seven months after his passing. ⁠ ⁠ SMOOTH: The Sounds of D’Angelo will feature Cummings and the Sol Ensemble uniting neo-soul with orchestral music to bring something different to the Queen City.⁠ ⁠ Sol Kitchen founder Michael Kitchen cooked up the idea shortly after D’Angelo’s passing due to pancreatic cancer on Oct. 14, 2025. Wanting to honor one of his favorite musicians, Kitchen curated the setlist for the show, mixing fan-favorites with B-sides and deep cuts. He prefers the latter.  “Yes, I do like ‘Brown Sugar,’ but I’d much rather hear ‘Africa’ or ‘Smooth,’” he said. ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story on how this concert came together, and how Cummings plans to arrange things to properly pay homage to the many levels of D’Angelo’s talent. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️: @kiaodot ⁠ 📸: @dionna_bright , courtesy of Harvey Cummings II

Everybody has a story, but the cruel truth is that an overwhelming majority of them, whether factual or fictional, will be forgotten. So the story of Oedipus, immortalized by the Greek dramatist Sophocles in his Theban Trilogy — and perhaps the cruelest of all stories — is an awesome exception. ⁠ ⁠ Not only has this story survived for more than 2,450 years, it has stood as the Aristotelian model for storytelling. So part of the wonder of Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus el Rey, playing now through May 24 at The Arts Factory in a graphic and gripping production from Three Bone Theatre, is how this contemporary Chicano playwright retells the age-old tragedy. ⁠ ⁠ The better you know the original Oedipus Rex, the more audaciously you’ll see Alfaro flouting Sophocles’ storyline and Aristotle’s principles of storytelling. The basic Freudian elements are intact and Alfaro delightfully retains a Greco-style chorus, but a more shapeshifting group. ⁠ ⁠ Even Oedipus is part of the chorus in the prologue, wearing the same orange prison outfit as the other men in our prologue. But the other five guys shuttle in and out of their prison garb, three of them moonlighting in the roles of the prime figures of the Greek myth.⁠ ⁠ As Alfaro’s tale takes us from prison to Los Angeles then from prison across the desert to Vegas and back again to LA, we’ll meet up with King Laius, Oedipus’s dad, and Creon, the king’s brother-in-law. The blind seer, Tiresias, we see from almost the very beginning, elegantly compresses all three of the men to whom Oedipus has been handed off shortly after his birth.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full review of @threebonetheatre ’s final production in this trilogy, which is steamy enough that all patrons must blind their phone cameras upon entry.⁠ ⁠ ✍️: Perry Tannenbaum⁠ 📸: Courtesy of Three Bone Theatre

Getting reestablished is an uphill struggle for people who are coming home from prison or were otherwise involved in the criminal justice system. That was the experience of Candace Beverly, who was involved in the criminal justice system 20 years ago.⁠ ⁠ “My crime was not one that warranted me serving time, even though it left me with a scarlet letter,” said Beverly, a 44-year-old Charlotte resident.⁠ ⁠ People who’ve been involved in the criminal justice system often face employment challenges despite their best efforts. For Beverly and nine other Charlotte-area people who were formerly incarcerated or involved with the criminal justice system, the odds for success may be slightly better thanks to a new employment training program.⁠ ⁠ In May, @dream.corps , a nonprofit that “sits at the intersection of climate, criminal justice and tech,” launched a Green Reentry Incubator pilot in Charlotte to connect justice‑impacted people with clean‑energy jobs in solar, energy efficiency, EV infrastructure and green construction, said Jasmine Davenport, senior director of the organization’s Green For All program.⁠ ⁠ “Charlotte is a growing hub,” Davenport said. “There are so many opportunities we’re seeing within clean energy. If this infrastructure is indeed continuing to grow, we can’t leave out the individuals who are residents of the community and want to be able to write the next chapters of their lives.”⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story on how Dream.Org has worked with Charlotte partners like @everblue_training and @solnationinc to get people ready to work again. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️: Will Atwater via @nchealthnews ⁠ 📸: Solar paneling photo via @dream.corps , Green Reentry team w/ Everblue instructors by Will Atwater

As founder of @starbloom.music , an independent booking and artist management agency based in Charlotte, Patrick Wynne has seen the very heart and soul of the lively local music scene. Wynne’s passion for live music has helped him build his company, which now represents acts based in South Carolina, New York, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina.⁠ ⁠ Since founding the agency, Wynne has worked to help bring his bands on bigger stages, playing for larger crowds.⁠ ⁠ He was excited to see local indie rock bands he’s worked with such as @camisole.wav , @weekendfriendmusic  and @sophiatheband land spots on the @carolinaascentfc stage at last year’s Lovin’ Life Music Festival, sharing the spotlight with headlining names like Gwen Stefani, Benson Boone and Pitbull.⁠ Now with Lovin’ Life on indefinite hiatus, Wynne is determined to ensure that the light continues to shine on Charlotte’s growing music scene. That’s why he recently announced the launch of the @carolinabloommusicfest , scheduled for Aug. 22-23 at @blumestudiosclt near Uptown.⁠ ⁠ The Carolina Bloom Music Festival sparked excitement when it was announced on the festival’s Instagram account, first with a teaser post in April then with the official unveiling of the lineup on May 11. The fest will feature a wide variety of food trucks and local vendors while showcasing 20 musical acts — eight from North Carolina with 12 indie acts joining from other parts of the country.⁠ ⁠ “There are so many other great upcoming artists on the road today, so we wanted to keep the balance between local artists and giving out-of-town acts a place to shine as well,” Wynne told Queen City Nerve.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story, including which bands are scheduled to play on which day and how Wynne is looking to prioritize affordability, accessibility and inclusivity at a time when ticket prices are making live music inaccessible.⁠ ⁠ ✍️: @bethany_grace_creates ⁠ 📸: @byannajoy , @nickwill.makeit , @joey_wharton , promotional photos

Charlotte City Council met for a marathon business meeting complete with a plot twist at the end on Monday night.⁠ ⁠ The agenda for Monday included a presentation on data centers, a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, and a decision on a resolution clarifying council’s stance on the I-77 toll lane project, which turned into a surprise vote to rescind the city’s support indefinitely.⁠ ⁠ Renee Johnson seemed unconvinced that the resolution, which would pause Charlotte’s support for the project and ask for a targeted reevaluation and design analysis, was a meaningful solution. ⁠ ⁠ “This is not simply about pausing the process,” Johnson said. “A pause keeps us moving down the same path. I believe that we need to start over and do this right … We cannot continue making decisions of this magnitude using outdated analysis.”⁠ ⁠ Council first approved the resolution 10-1. Following that vote, however, Johnson made a new motion for a full rescission of the council’s original approval of the project, made in October 2024, so that the process could start from scratch with all that council has learned in the past year. ⁠ ⁠ Following a discussion with an NCDOT rep who was in attendance at Monday night’s meeting, council approved Johnson’s motion by a one-vote margin.⁠ ⁠ 🚫The 6-5 vote saw Renee Johnson, JD Mazuera Arias, LaWana Mayfield, Malcolm Graham, Victoria Watlington and Joi Mayo voting to rescind.⁠ ⁠ ✅️Opposing votes came from Dimple Ajmera, James Mitchell, Kimberly Owens, Dante Anderson and Ed Driggs.⁠ ⁠ Council’s rescission of support for the project means Ed Driggs, as the city’s rep on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, will be tasked with going to that body to try to get a majority vote among his fellow reps there to rescind the approval it voted on in 2024.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read our full recap of last night’s meeting, including the public hearing and a meaningful vote to move forward with a potential moratorium on data center construction in Charlotte. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️: @ryanpitkin ⁠ 📸: Renderings courtesy of NCDOT

Last year, my fiancé and I were forced to live without electricity because we simply could not afford our utility bill. We had to stay with our grandmother for a week until the next pay period. No working family in America should have to live like that, in the richest nation on earth. Yet this is the reality for us and so many others in our state.⁠ ⁠ I’m originally from Jacksonville, NC. I moved to Charlotte in 2021 and met my partner in 2023. We came out of homelessness together and later had our first child. As a young mother, I am doing everything in my power to provide for my child. I am an IT student through a work program where I hope to begin my career in information technology.⁠ ⁠ I know what it means to work hard; I’ve worked in fast food, retail, warehouses and gas stations. I’ve always been taught that honest work is the pathway towards a good life in this country — that if you work hard enough, you will be able to sustain your family and even thrive.⁠ ⁠ But that hasn’t always been our story. My fiancé and I are on a fixed income and we do have to skip bills here and there. We have had to tighten our belts to the point where we feel suffocated, especially when it comes to essential things such as groceries. It’s scary to have the possibility of homelessness thrown in our faces again, as if we don’t matter. To know that everything we worked so hard for could be taken away with the slightest increase in bills is terrifying.⁠ ⁠ I’ve been a Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) customer for years, and we are currently paying $65 per month for power. Of that, $14 goes to DEC as profit. That may not seem like much to a large company, but for families like mine, $14 a month makes a real difference. It feels like my bill has steadily gotten more expensive over time, and now DEC wants to raise rates by 15%.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full op-ed. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️: Kendra Lumpkin-Barber⁠ 📸: Courtesy of Duke Energy and the author

Described as a new “screens-free” indoor playground concept for kids aged 0-13, PlayNation plans to open its first location in the Eastway Crossing shopping center in east Charlotte this year, a release announced on Wednesday. ⁠ ⁠ The 14,257-square-foot facility will be located in the space that was previously home to Smartway, connected to US Foods CHEF’STORE and perpendicular to Tommy’s Pub. It’s expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026.⁠ ⁠ Billed as a “purpose-driven” playground, PlayNation emphasizes movement over screens, supporting child development while providing parents with peace of mind.⁠ ⁠ The facility will feature a variety of interactive play zones tailored to different age groups, including sensory experiences and tactile elements that are built to encourage exploration and creativity. Younger children will have access to softer, slower-paced areas designed for safety and comfort while older children can engage in more active, high-energy play, the release stated.⁠ ⁠ “We created PlayNation to fill a real gap we saw as parents,” said Kevin Miller, general manager of PlayNation. “Too often, kids’ spaces revolve around screens or don’t fully work for both children and adults. We wanted to create a place where play feels natural again, where kids can move, explore and stay engaged, while parents can relax and actually enjoy the experience alongside them.”⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story on PlayNation’s first location, with plans to expand to other markets in the years to come. ⁠ ⁠ ✍️: @ryanpitkin ⁠ 📸: Courtesy of @yellowduckmktg , PlayNation

While it was common knowledge among local experts that Mayor Vi Lyles was unlikely to run for a sixth term in office in the 2027 local elections, it came as a surprise to many when she announced she will resign early, effective June 30. ⁠ ⁠ “Serving as Charlotte’s mayor has been the honor of my life,” Mayor Lyles said. “I am proud of our record navigating various challenges, strengthening our economy, investing in our neighborhoods, and building a foundation for Charlotte’s continued success during a time of rapid growth. Now, it is time for the next phase of my life, to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward.”⁠ ⁠ Lyles has spent more than 30 years in Charlotte city government, including two terms on Charlotte City Council and, before that, as a budget analyst, budget director and assistant city manager. She is Charlotte’s first Black woman mayor.⁠ ⁠ “I am very proud of my record as mayor, but I also firmly believe that true leadership includes knowing when it is time to let the next generation of leaders take over,” she stated in Thursday’s release. “By leaving early, the voters will have more time to learn about their candidates. Our city is strong, our trajectory is positive, and now is the right moment for someone else to build on our progress from the past few years.⁠ ⁠ “As in all things politics, I am sure there will be speculation as to why I am making this decision now,” Lyles added. “Simply put, I am going to spend time with my grandchildren. Like many of us, I have missed some moments with them and intend to not miss anymore!”⁠ ⁠ Mayor Lyles said she will not make any immediate endorsement of a potential successor.⁠ ⁠ ✍️: @ryanpitkin ⁠ 📸: Courtesy of @cltgov

To pursue stand-up comedy takes a little bit of recklessness no matter who you are. To walk away from an established career in the medical field to follow that pursuit is acting with a different level of abandon. But that’s the choice that local comic @itscaroltyner made in August 2025, when she left her 13-year career as a registered nurse and director at a private practice to pursue her passion full time. Ironically enough, Tyner’s move to pursue comedy came out two tragedies: COVID-19 and Hurricane Helene. Seeing the storm wipe out homes, businesses and community infrastructure in her hometown of Burnsville in September 2024 reminded Tyner that nothing is promised. “Watching my community be impacted so directly made me reflect on what I was waiting for,” Tyner said. “It pushed me to stop treating comedy like something I’d get to eventually and instead treat it like something worth building a life around,” Tyner said. “It gave me the clarity – and honestly, the permission — to fully commit to comedy, not as something on the side but as something I was willing to bet on.” Now, about nine months after following through on that life-changing decision, she’s hitting the road with Group Chat Girlies, a comedy duo she launched with local comic Skylar Schock (@sschocking ) around the same time she committed to pursuing standup full-time. The Girlies will start in the South before heading west. But first, Tyner has a couple shows here at home, first opening for @jewdygold at @carolinatheatreclt on May 7 before taking part in Crown Comedy’s Friday Night Lights show on May 8, at @norfolkhall in South End. ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story on the formation of Group Chat Girlies and Tyner’s journey in comedy thus far. ⁠ ✍️: Darrell Horwitz 📸: Courtesy of @itscaroltyner