CLT Blog

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day to host BarCamp Charlotte 7, the tech un-conference held twice a year at Area Fifteen. Attendees pitched session ideas on topics ranging from Google Analytics, how to write and publish a non-fiction book, power tools and critical thinking for children, to a discussion on the tech culture in Charlotte. Look for BarCampCLT 8 some time around October.

Harvest will be hosting a CD release concert at Area Fifteen on Friday, April 22nd at 7PM. Also performing are The Collection, Wind & Willow,  and Elisaray. Weather permitting, the bands plan on performing on an outdoor stage facing North Davidson Street.

Harvest spend the last year writing original music for their debut album. The band hopes to tour this summer. Harvest’s mix of bluegrass and folk rock has drawn comparisons to The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons.

Tickets are $5 and CDs are $5.

Interview and live performance with Harvest.

Roca Eterna School of Music is hosting their first free “Concert 4 Diversity” event, an eclectic art night to celebrate diversity in Charlotte, NC.

The event will take place on Wednesday, April 13 starting at 6:30pm at Area Fifteen, 516 E 15th St.
Charlotte N.C.

Concert 4 Diversity will also feature local contemporary visual artist Edwin Gil and his latest social service project “Flag of Hope”. Gil’s project promotes hope, understanding and acceptance within North Carolina’s diverse communities.

Live music will also be part of this event: among many other talented local artists, the singer and
songwriter Ana Divins will perform the anthem of Gil’s project, “Land of Hope”. Gil will be on hand
to collect handprints and signatures on a giant canvas, which will eventually become the nation’s largest
diversity flag (16’ X 44’) made by the handprints of North Carolina residents.

Roca Eterna is a school of music providing music lessons for all ages in guitar, bass, piano, drums and
vocals since 1991. The school is one of the many small businesses and non-profits located Area Fifteen; Charlotte’s arts and small business incubator.

Connect with Roca Eterna School of Music on Facebook and Twitter.

They enter through the back door of Area Fifteen into the Counter Culture Coffee training center; nearly a dozen baristas and friends gathering around the counter and sharing beers. Brent Hall, Counter Culture’s regional representative, takes on the role of ring leader. He discusses with the other two judges the qualities on which the latte art will be rated.

The monthly events, known as Thursday Night Throwdowns, are head to head competitions with both participants pouring milk into their espresso at the same time. The winner of the latte art competition is selected by a three judge panel.

Brad Benson had already worked twelve hours at Not Just Coffee this Thursday as he makes his way to the espresso machine when his name is called. Not Just Coffee has made a splash in Charlotte’s coffee scene recently. Since opening earlier this year the little shop has been getting rave reviews online.

Counter Culture is a wholesale supplier of sustainable fair trade/direct trade coffee to shops such as Not Just Coffee. The Charlotte site is also a barista training center, offering such courses as Milk Chemistry and Intermediate Espresso.

The next Thursday Night Throwdown will be held at Central Coffee.

Garrett Glaus is navigating his own course through Charlotte’s music scene. Instead of tirelessly gigging and playing cover tunes, Glaus’ band, Harvest, has spent an entire year writing and recording their debut album while only playing a few shows along the way.

“I worked on it at my house and it got crazy wearisome so we went to a studio up in Greensboro with David Wimbish and the Collection and just hammered it out in a week and a half,” says Glaus. “I guess it’s just a compilation of an entire year’s worth of seasons of growth.” Harvest’s album, Fertilizer, is scheduled to be self-released in mid-April.You can sample it now on Reverbnation, Bandcamp, and iTunes.

Lead singer and guitarist Glaus is the most outspoken member of Harvest, with a magnetic personally strong enough to draw equally skilled musicians to the project. The band also features multi-talented Ben Potter on banjo, electric guitar and harmonica, Vanessa Gilewicz on violin and melodica, and sisters Gabriella and Julia Hunt on viola and cello, respectively. All the members lend their voices to the effort as well.

Comparisons to the Avett Brothers can’t be avoided, and Glaus and Potter freely admit to being influenced by the Charlotte-based group. Still, Harvest has been able to carve out its own musical territory; folk rock that ranges from banjo bluegrass to guitar-driven indie rock, all tied together by the string trio.

Originally the band was named We Are Royalty but the new name, Harvest, was chosen before the release of their debut album. “[We Are Royalty] was heavily trademarked by a clothing company,” explains Glaus.

“We have a lot of amazing people and producers that are backing us up and guiding us along the right path,” says Glaus. “What we hope to do is get enough notoriety — if that makes sense — to where if we do get signed to something big we have enough leeway to keep our lyrics the way they are, to keep our name the way it is, and just to keep who we are the same and make this a profession.”

Harvest is performing at Area Fifteen Thursday, March 10th, at 8PM, and at Snug Harbor Wednesday, March 30th, at 8PM.

Read more…

Community volunteers turned out to lend a helping hand to the Free Store at Area Fifteen on Saturday. The Free Store moved out of its space in the main building at Area Fifteen and into the newly renovated house on the corner of the block at 15th Street and Caldwell Street.

The event, called “2 out of 3 free,” also featured free haircuts by Catherine Logan and Avenue 427 Salon, a free hotdog and hamburger cookout, and an art show and sale by George, a once-homeless artist from the neighborhood.

The Free Store provides an opportunity for people of various financial dispositions to be provided with a little more than the basics. Given daily are clothes, shoes, books, household products and various other items. The Free Store is a donation-based project and inventory in in constant flux.

The Almost-Free Store provides furniture very cheaply with prices ranging from $5-$20 on average. The Almost-Free Store is also donation driven.

“I was sad when I heard the Free Store was moving,” said one patron, “but was glad when I heard it was just moving to the end of the block.”

The Free Store is one of a half-dozen non-profits located at Area Fifteen. Their motto is, “Give what you want, take what you need.”

The Charlotte Art Meetup Group kicked off its new meeting schedule at Area Fifteen this past Friday with an evening of networking, poetry, art, and a discussion of our shared humanity. James Yoder of Not Just Coffee served drinks to the group as members mingled and shared before sitting down for introductions.

Cheronne Williams and Jahmir Lewis, founders of the performance arts group The Who WE AREA Movement, shared spoken word poetry and their process behind writing. Another member who goes by his initials, DAG, shared with the group his story of life as a former homeless person. Today DAG draws portraits of Charlotte’s homeless residents as a way to show their humanity.

Want to attend? The free Charlotte Art Meetup Group is scheduled to meet 7PM each Friday at Area Fifteen located at 516 E 15th Street.

Area Fifteen hosts several other free Meetup groups as well, including the Charlotte Hispanic Professionals Meetup Group, and the Charlotte Acting/Film Meetup Group.

Sweat dripped down Cheronne Williams’ face as he stood before a small group at Area Fifteen. He had just finished a passionate poetry slam, and was now inviting the Thursday night attendees to join his artistic endeavor.

“We’re trying to express and uplift through different arts,” says Williams. He is one of several youth starting the Who WE ARE Movement, a non-profit group which aims to support charities in urban Charlotte through creative expression.

Williams says the group is interesting in finding other talented young people who have a passion for helping others through music, spoken word poetry, storytelling, plays, dance, drumming and other unique talents.

“I feel like am called to make a difference; to do something to change lives,” says Williams. “We’re just people who want to do something for a good cause and who have the passion for something different and creative.”

More information: If you would like to help The Who WE ARE Movement or are interested in joining or attending a meeting, email Cheronne Williams at: positiveimpact101@gmail.com

The Not Just Coffee Shop, the community coffee shop at Area Fifteen, is now open to the public and has posted regular hours.

Not Just Coffee hours are Wednesday through Friday, 7AM to 1PM, and 7PM to 10PM. On Saturdays their hours are 8AM to 2PM. James Yoder, founder of Not Just Coffee, says the shop hopes to expand their hours soon. This week Yoder has worked to get the register set up to accept credit and debit cards.

Not Just Coffee is community oriented coffee bar serving organic and fair trade coffees from Counter Culture Coffee. They offer handcrafted espresso based drinks and individually brewed cups of coffee using a pour over method. Teas and snacks will are available as well.

“Like” the Not Just Coffee Facebook page and follow Not Just Coffee on Twitter for updates.