CONNECTING Concord, Cornelius, Davidson, Harrisburg, Huntersville, Kannapolis, Lake Norman, Mooresville, Salisbury, and University Area

The
InsideSCOOP AUGUST 2005
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2

A Story of Hope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Music Editorial Confessions of a Cover Artist . . . . . . . . . 3
Lake Norman Fishing Forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
FISH TALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Business Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
It's Not About You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Southern Horoscopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9
The 3M Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Important Health Information (NOT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Light Eater Secrets of Sucess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
AUTOMOTIVE SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Are You a MultiTask Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
COOKING Do Not Underestimate Your Side Items . . . 12
EWomen Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
AUGUST
HAPPENINGS & EVENTS . . . . . . . . 14-15
Sports Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Theater, Concerts, Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Worship Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Shop Lake Norman.com Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-22
Looking for A Good Deal on a House? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Design 101 The Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Save Yourself Money and Headache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Compter Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
FAT EYE Off and Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Hoofin Ground Tap Dance Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
FITNESS Weighty Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
ASK ANDY Soul Mate Debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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AUGUST 2005
Musical Editorial -
by Lauren Brower
Confessions of a Cover Artist
Lookout, coming through...a woman with an opinion. Let me
preface this by stating that this is in fact an editorial article and
that you are quite welcome to disagree with me. I’m sure that
many will, and I hope to start some insightful dialogue in addi-
tion to being a resource to locate arenas of musical interest. (You
hear that? That is your cue. Fill up my Outlook Inbox! Light up
the phones! Let me know what you want to hear about. Other-
wise you’ll be stuck with more of my opinion...Egads.)
Now that I’ve made that point clear, let’s talk a little about
the area’s music scene. If you get out for a little R&R, I’m sure
you’ve been to see live music in Charlotte and the surrounding
areas (hereby referred to as CASA). You may even have a friend
in a band. Even if not, more than likely you’ve heard a patron
somewhere agonize over the quandary “What gives with the
local scene?” Being a musician myself I start to wonder how
long it will be before I am an official endangered species. I am
constantly asked by other birds of my feather “what do local
audiences want?” What do club owners want? The local scene
feels like a long trip through the funhouse mirrors complete with
smoke. It’s mysterious and confusing, and if you are a true music
lover more than anything... frustrating.
It seems to have gotten worse in recent years. When I first
came to CASA about 8 years ago, I had been on the road with
a couple of bands. I’m a singer and I can’t help it, I had to form
something locally. A friend of mine who owned a studio at that
time expressed some excitement to me saying, “You can gig in
this town”. Sadly he is no longer with us, and neither is that sen-
timent. I’ll grant I’ve continued to work, but many times now its
feels that there is more “business” than there is “show” in what
I get to perform. I started out with a mix of jazz, added more
pop and ultimately added classic rock and forming two separate
projects to cover more opportunities. (Give the people what they
want and all that-and yes an artist can cover more than one style
well - but that is another article.) But as you struggle to deter-
mine what people want, you wrestle with many dilemmas. My
band has teamed up with an original project (Wideload McKen-
na-thanks guys) in order to cover more bases. We see more and
more venues opting for “showcase” style shows that encompass
more than one style of music. Most likely in an attempt to protect
against patrons leaving due to their distaste for one particular
format. It is most likely good business, and for us it adds variety,
but it is tantamount to eating shoe leather to build a following.
Of course there are many economic factors to take into ac-
count. The tech bust definitely affected our turnout, and undeni-
ably so did the events on Sept. 11, but one is still left wondering
where the audiences went. Are they holding on to discretionary
income? Are they afraid of certain crowds? Its mind boggling
to me that people would not need music as a release or an outlet
for the frustrations of living in this human condition. Some say
audiences want originals, others say they want covers, still others
a mix. I wish I knew the answer. But there are a few things I can
tell you.
“Life is what happens when you are
busy making other plans” – John Lennon
We need each other. Musicians need audiences for their
energy and perspective. Audiences DO need music for decom-
pression. I truly worry about a society that carries excessive
tension with no release. It’s not a place I want to be. Talk about
something that breeds extremism? I don’t think terrorists are big
music fans...think about it. Is the profile of an extremist one who
chills out to Steely Dan after a long hard day of spouting militant
dogma?
And one more thing. Cover bands need originals to draw
audiences in to new musical stylings. Original bands need cover
bands to perpetuate their messages. Some songwriters aren’t
vocalists, some vocalists aren’t songwriters. Art doesn’t happen
in a vacuum. Musicians need each other. It serves them well
to have their music continue on in their stead. It continues to
sell their product. It can bring a new audience to their mes-
sage. And might I add that it’s just pure enjoyment. Hey I’m a
chick that sings ZZ Top! That’s just plain fun. I give it a dose of
my originality...my spin...and it takes on a new life. People go
www.ReadTheConnection.com 3
back and revisit something
they may have forgotten.
We need each other. It’s all
good. Let’s not take this out
on each other; we all have
enough hills to climb.
Combining talent with
need is just good business.
I suppose that comes with
time spent walking in both
worlds (that incidentally
mix about as well as oil
and water). I’m sympathetic to the business owner who can-
not pay the rent because there is no one there to pay the cover.
The band can’t be paid if the building can’t be. It’s equally bad
for the business community to have big empty buildings acting
as remnants of what once was sitting vacant in the neighbor-
hood. It sends a very telling message to prospective buyers and
residents. It tells them what the community is willing to value.
Ask yourself what message you want to send. I’m too old to be a
cheerleader (and too cynical)...”rah rah go support local artists”.
You’ve probably heard it a gazillion times (love that word). We
don’t need mindless support drivel. We need real understanding
of value. We need to understand what is at stake. Ask yourself
what you would do if your ever-present choices were taken away.
Go before it’s too late, and they have faded into the landscape
of what has been and what might have been. Go before the only
thing that separates this town from the next is which corner the
Wal-Mart sits on.
Lauren Brower - Having faced Breast Can-
cer at 34 (now in her bone and incurable), she
has learned a great deal about what to expect
from physicians and how to help them help
you. .She has her website www.giftofcancer.
com with personal story, books and a wealth of
information, is a vocalist in the band Lauren
and Friends (band website is www.laurenand-
friends.com) and a published author.
Email her at lbrower@carolina.rr.com