Alaetra Chisholm: The Charlotte SHOUT! festival set the Queen City ablaze, providing 13 days of art, music, food and ideas for everyone to enjoy. From art installations, keynote events, concerts and food trucks, the festival infiltrated most of uptown Charlotte, serving as the grand finale to the year-long celebration of Charlotte’s 250th anniversary. Popular experiences throughout uptown included; the mystifying prisms of “Prismatica”, which involved illuminated seesaws near the Levine Center of the Arts, giant bunnies on “The Green”, and a breathtaking aerial show by Blue Lapis Light, held 15 stories high on the side of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Goverment center.
A few TTT staff favorites included: Anthony Hamilton’s captivating performance at Romare Bearden Park, and a keynote discussion titled “When Art and Activism Collide", lead by Jessica Moss of The Roll Up CLT. Significant topics arose regarding what activism truly is, and whether artists can successfully use their artistic mediums to drive change and acknowledge marginalized groups who struggle with accessibility and agency. We also stopped by the Queen City Podcast Network stage at Coco and the Director, and enjoyed a live recording of the Between Love & Hate podcast.
Jon Olangi: Properly titled The Vibe, one of the Charlotte SHOUT! festival’s best kept secrets was a late night R&B jam session held at the Stage Door Theater, in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in uptown Charlotte. After a busy day of experiencing the many events of the festival, this was the perfect place to wind down, enjoy some wine, network with local creatives, and most importantly, take in some incredible R&B vocalists. The energy in the theatre was very relaxed thanks to hosts, Mariah Scott of Peculiar Talks, and Quentin Talley, who also showed off their vocals throughout the night. The Vibe included an assortment of art pieces and merchandise provided by an apparel company located in Charlotte, known as, What is Relax.
With live instrumentation provided by The X-Men, and the intimacy of small dimly lighted theatre, those in attendance had the pleasure of witnessing authentic R&B sounds up close and personal. Notable performances at The Vibe included: The Hamiltones, Ahji Love of The X-Men accompanied by Emily Sage, Mercury Carter, Dexter Jordan, and Cyanca. Along with a few audience members who wanted to show off their vocal skills, The Vibe was a pivotal showcase of the talent that exists in Charlotte, particularly in the R&B genre.
*All photos taken by Alaetra Chisholm and Je'Ron Chester for TTT Media.*