by Mary Parker Sonis
We all know and recognize this spider. This is the spider that is properly known as Argiope aurantia, and better known as the garden spider or “writing spider.â€
by Mary Parker Sonis
We all know and recognize this spider. This is the spider that is properly known as Argiope aurantia, and better known as the garden spider or “writing spider.â€
By Evan Crouch
As we begin to turn the page on another sultry North Carolina summer, the anticipation of the fall season and the pleasures it brings is upon us.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Mark Ricker
by Margot C. Lester
Like many kids, Mark Ricker dreamt of working in the movies when he grew up. But unlike most of us, the Burlington native made it a reality. Ricker is the production designer behind the sets of The Help, which debuted last month.
Neal’s Deli
Sheila and Matt Neal opened Neal’s Deli in downtown Carrboro in April 2008 hoping to create for Carrboro the kind of community deli found on various street corners throughout New York City – but with their own personal take on the deli.
The Hold Steady will perform at Cat’s Cradle on Aug 31.
Formed after vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn’s move from Minneapolis – which is significant in that his songs seem to indicate he left something there, and really, really misses the place – Brooklyn-based The Hold Steady has carved out a sound in the Big City landscape that, as the band acknowledges, nods to the Replacements and the Grifters, takes a deep bow to such classic rockers as Led Zeppelin and Creedence and extends a heartfelt head butt to The Clash.
Finn writes thoughtful, engaging lyrics, but The Hold Steady remains, essentially, a straight-ahead rock-’n’-roll band. Critics love ’em, and lots of other folks too.
The Donkeys open. Doors swing at 8 p.m. Show starts at 9. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 day of.
Grammy Award-winning guitarist Eric Johnson will perform at The ArtsCenter at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Considered by fans, critics and fellow musicians to be one of the best guitarists on the planet, Johnson’s 1991 “Cliffs of Dover†won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. But his talents aren’t limited to instrumental guitar – Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, new age, gospel and country-and-western sounds into his music; composes and plays vocal pieces; and is an accomplished pianist as well.
Tickets are $24 for general admission and $32 for VIP with priority seating. Visit artscenterlive.com for tickets and information.
Paperhand Puppet Intervention returns for its 12th season with The Serpent’s Egg opening Friday, Aug. 5 at the Forest Theater.
 The show explores the cyclical nature of life, featuring curious babies, fantastical creatures, mythic beasts, graceful goddesses and spellbinding skeletons. Paperhand ventures to illuminate myths and tell personal stories, both with and without words, using the language of archetypes, symbols and dreams. Â
Over at LIGHT Art+Design, the work of mixed-media artist and former UNC art professor Kimowan Metchewais is being shown through Sept. 17. Metchewais’ work includes photography, drawing and found objects, much of which references icons from his Native-American Cree heritage juxtaposed against modern culture.
by Mary Parker Sonis
Every year in September, we hear the same stories coming out of the Bolin Creek forest. Our beloved ever-present barred owls begin a series of assaults on runners and hikers. Women running at 5:30 a.m. describe attacks on their ponytails and older men show the talon scratches on their bare pates. Nature run amuck.
It took a trip to Italy to make Sheri Castle appreciate her own culinary heritage. The discovery the Chapel Hill cookbook author and cooking teacher made in that country was, she says, a real epiphany: