Life as I Know It

Was 1994 the best year in music during the 1990s?

Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkin were already entrenched. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre were at the forefront of the “gangsta” rap era. And four of the albums I rank among the top 10 of the era were released that year.

I decided to give my take in part because I’ve been listening to a lot of the music of my formative years lately. Just a head’s up – there’s no Radiohead on this list. They’re overrated. Deal with it.

10. “No Depression,” Uncle Tupelo (1990). I didn’t know about Uncle Tupelo until my sophomore year in college – and that was via Wilco and Sun Volt. “No Depression” blew me away. It is the defining album of the alt-country movement. Favorite track from album: “Whiskey Bottle.”

9. “Metallica,” Metallica (1991). “The Black Album” brought Metallica its greatest mainstream success; I listened to it throughout high school. Favorite track from album: “The Unforgiven.”

8. “Illmatic,” Nas (1994). I didn’t really listen to this until five years or so after it came out. It took years for it to get the due it deserves. It is a masterpiece. Favorite track from album: “The World is Yours.”

7. “Weezer,” Weezer (1994). “The Blue Album” provided the soundtrack for my freshman year of college. Favorite track from album: “Undone – the Sweater Song.”

6. “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” Oasis (1995). Oasis really could have been the biggest band in the world. Favorite track from album: “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”

5. “Nevermind,” Nirvana (1991). I still remember where I was the first time I heard Nirvana – on the front porch of my house on Robinson-Clemmer Road in Dallas listening to Kiss 95.1. My eyes opened for the first time. Favorite track from album: “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

4. “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” Smashing Pumpkins (1995). While the song “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” sums up the feelings of angst and hopelessness of youth, it’s the more romantic “1979” and “Tonight, Tonight” that give the two-disc concept album its heart. Favorite track from album: “Thru the Eyes of Ruby.”

3. “Grace,” Jeff Buckley (1994). I’ve never cared much about being able to sing well, but listening to Jeff Buckley, especially the frighteningly perfect ending of the title song, makes me reconsider. Favorite track from the album: “Grace.”

2. “Live Through This,” Hole (1994). Ten years ago I never would have thought I’d ever place this above “Nevermind.” I would have considered it blasphemous. Not anymore. Favorite track from the album: “Softer, Softest.”

1. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” Lauryn Hill (1998). It shows just how amazingly talented Hill is and is the reason her fans allow her to keep them waiting for hours. Favorite track from the album: “Everything is Everything.”

John Clark photo of the filming of "Blood Done Sign My Name" in downtown Gastonia.

This week, I had the opportunity to have an hour-long phone conversation with the Rev. Vernon Tyson, who was portrayed by Rick Schroder in the big screen version of “Blood Done Sign My Name.” Rev. Tyson, 83, will be in Gaston County Feb. 26-27 as part of a two day community outreach project I’m writing about for The Gazette Family section. (That story runs this Tuesday, Feb. 21. Event details included at the end.)

His son, Tim, wrote the book on which the 2009 film is based. It’s the story of the murder of Henry Marrow, a young black man killed in plain sight on the streets of Oxford, N.C., by three white men in 1970 after Marrow made a comment to a young white woman that was interpreted as a slight. Despite eyewitness reports, an all-white jury acquitted the men. The town’s black community responded with an uprising that destroyed downtown businesses and tobacco warehouses holding millions of dollars in harvested crops.

Tyson, who is white, was the pastor of the town’s First United Methodist Church at the time of the murder and worked to reconcile the community after the murder and ensuing unrest.

I couldn’t include everything from the interview in the story, so I wanted to share some outtakes (edited for clarity/brevity) from our conversation since Tyson was a central figure in the aftermath of one of the state’s most gruesome acts of racial violence.

On the era of desegregation:

I took an appointment in 1952 and the Supreme Court told us to do it with all deliberate speed in 1954, which is to integrate public schools. I was serving churches in communities that didn’t want to do it and tried to avoid it all they could, in all we could in some ways. It was a time of great tension.

It was a time when change was possible. It wasn’t inevitable, it was possible. It could have been a lot worse if Martin Luther King hadn’t come along and those who came with him.

The Cold War influence on civil rights:

We were caught on the hot seat of international politics. The Soviet Union was trying to get a large portion of the world to follow them. That portion was people of color, mostly. Here we were (in the U.S.) having dogs in the streets nipping and biting black people and having water hoses turned on them. Mr. (John) Kennedy and other people in the White House, in Washington (D.C.), were embarrassed by how we’re speaking democracy on one hand and practicing segregation on the other hand.

Did we really believe what Mr. (Thomas) Jefferson said when he said, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?” Did we really believe that, were we going to live up to it? That was the issue.

On Martin Luther King Jr.:

Martin Luther King and I were born the same year, 1929. We were both the sons of excellent southern preachers. We went to college and seminary about the same time, read the same books, were influenced by the same scholars and Christian leaders and were then preachers in the south at a time of revolution. We both grew up in a world where segregation was not only the practice but the law of the land. It was embedded in the law.

Two things that happened to me about the year I was 30 – one was I had made a covenant to go on a trip to the Soviet Union in 1962 and, two, come back and seek to be a peacemaker in my time. I went on that trip, came back for a year and didn’t do anything and then in 1963 I got a ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ (an open letter written penned by King after his arrest for his part in a planned non-violent protest). I got that letter, just a circular, that came across my desk. Along in the third or fourth page, maybe, he got very personal, as if he were talking to me, as if his finger came off the page and poked me in the chest pretty hard to get my attention.

And he said, ‘Vernon Tyson, you are my worst enemy, worse that the KKK… You white moderates who love order more than you love justice.’ And I was a great lover of order. Jesus said ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ he didn’t say, ‘Blessed are those who love order.’ Blessed are the peacemakers and I had made a covenant to make peace and I hadn’t made anything. It was out of that struggle to make some peace that I lead a congregation in receiving a black minister (North Carolina A&T College president Samuel Proctor) to be their minister for the first Sunday in February 1964.

On what makes the events documented in “Blood Done Sign My Name” relevant today:

It shows that we can speak truth to power, to those who have power. You can’t just tell a public official what they want to hear and what’s easy to tell. You have to swim against the current. Then you can change attitudes.

We’ve got this issue of same-sex marriage. How many homosexual persons do we know as individuals? Do we know their birthdays? Do we know what they like to eat, where they work, what their circumstances are? Are they people of some value? Do we include them in our circle of friends?

If we think it’s something someone decided to do and to be, then we have missed the mark. A doctor friend of mine, a medical doctor, told me he knew his son was gay before the son knew he was gay. I asked how old was he when you knew? He told me five years old. There are reasons why (a percentage of people) are not attracted to people across the sex line. It was in New Testament times, it was in Old Testament times. Today we’re beginning to face it. Our homosexual friends have come out of the closet and you can’t hide them anymore at family reunions.

Here we are, some people want to amend the state constitution to make it always illegal for one person to be married to another person of the same sex. We already have laws. It’s already illegal. Why do we want to amend the constitution of the state? It should be amended to give people rights, not to take away rights. Who gave the state authority to decide who I should choose for my mate? The constitution says God has given me the right for the pursuit of happiness. What is a greater pursuit of happiness than the pursuit of the person who pleases me? It’s an issue that’s a little different from race relations, yet the dynamics are similar.

On former state senator Marshall Rauch, from Gaston County:

I was chaplain to the North Carolina senate for a few years, with Bob Jordan as lieutenant governor. And Marshall Rauch was the ablest lawmaker I saw and I’ll be so glad to see him again (when in Gaston County). He was wonderful, he was sterling.

Blood Done Sign My Name

A two day community outreach event, sponsored by the Gaston Clergy & Citizens Coalition and The Alliance for Children & Youth/Communities in Schools, kicks off at 2 p.m. Feb. 26 with a free screening of the movie “Blood Done Sign My Name” in Myers Auditorium on the campus of Gaston College, 201 Highway 321 South, Dallas. A Q & A session takes place following the screening at 4:30 p.m. with Tyson.

A Clergy Breakfast with Reverend Tyson takes place at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 27 in the Gaston Memorial Hospital auditorium (second floor next to the café). The breakfast is free for clergy and their guests.

Tyson will also participate in a panel discussion/webinar for high school students in Gaston County Schools at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 27. The discussion will be moderated by Belmont Mayor Richard Boyce and panelists include former state senator Marshall Rauch; retired educator and 2012 Gaston County Martin Luther King Unity Award recipient Peggie Ferguson; associate pastor Judith Ayala of RCDM Ministries, Gastonia; and Gaston County Schools superintendent Reeves McGlohon.

Fresh off an entertaining Super Bowl halftime performance, the Material Girl has announced her word tour is stopping in Charlotte.

The Madonna 2012 Word comes to the Time Warner Cable Arena on Nov. 15. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. March 5 at livenation.com; at the Time Warner Cable Arena box office, 333 E. Trade St., Charlotte; Ticketmaster; or by phone at 800-745-3000.

Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime performance, seen in over 200 countries worldwide, featured a middle finger flashed by British rapper MIA (as well as appearances by Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green and LMFAO) and included the debut of her new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin’” alongside classic hits “Vogue,” “Music,” Express Yourself” and “Like a Prayer.”

“Give Me All Your Luvin” is from Madonna’s anticipated new album “MDNA,” scheduled to be released on March 26th. Pre orders have already catapulted it to No. 1 on iTunes in 50 countries including the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands. The single’s  video, directed by Megaforce and also starring Minaj and MIA, previewed on “American Idol.”

In the course of her phenomenal career, Madonna has a record breaking 37 Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart along with a record breaking 40 Number 1’s on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play Song Charts. No other act has more Top 10’s on the Hot 100 or Number 1’s on the Club Chart. Madonna has sold over 300 million albums and holds the record for the most successful tour by a solo artist in history. She is a seven time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, producer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last CD “Hard Candy,” debuted at No. 1 in 37 countries including US, UK, Canada, France and Australia.  Madonna 2012 World Tour is the Material Girl’s 9th Tour.  Her first tour was the l985 Virgin Tour.

Additionally, the Madonna-directed film “W.E.” opened in NY and LA last week, with other markets to follow later in the month. Madonna’s Golden Globe-winning song “Masterpiece” from the film, as well as “W.E. Music From The Soundtrack ‘W.E.,’” fhave both been released digitally. A physical release will be in stores Feb. 14 in the U.S.

U.S. residents ordering tickets online to a U.S. performance will receive their choice of a digital or physical copy of Madonna’s new “MDNA” album with every ticket purchased.

The Madonna 2012 World begins May 29 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The shows will include arenas, stadiums and special outdoor sights including the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, South America and Australia, where she has not performed in 20 years. The tour will stop in 26 European cities including London, Paris, Milan and Berlin.

The first of 26 North American shows is scheduled for Aug. 28 in Philadelphia and includes a Sept. 6 show in New York’s Yankee Stadium and an Oct. l0 performance at L.A.’s Staples Center.

Citi is the official credit card of the U.S. leg of Madonna’s upcoming world tour. Citi card members will have access to presale tickets beginning Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

Icon is Madonna’s official fan club. Lifetime Legacy members of Icon will receive first access to tickets and VIP Packages starting Feb. 7. Registered free Icon members will have the opportunity to purchase an “Icon Live Pass,” which gives them access not only to ticket & VIP Package presales, but also to a tour devoted forum and an exclusive tour gift. Fans can sign up for a free Icon membership at Madonna.com.

VIP Packages are available through VIP Nation, including premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more. For more information visit www.VIPNation.com.

Charlotte Restaurant Week is back, which means you’ll be able to find special menus at Old Stone Steakhouse on Main Street in downtown Belmont and Nick’s Steak and Taphouse in downtown Gastonia.

The annual Restaurant Week runs Friday, Jan. 20, through Sunday, Jan. 29 and offers three course or more, fixed menu meals for $30 per person at 100 restaurants in the Greater Charlotte area. One of the appeals is that people can eat more cheaply at some upscale restaurants they might not normally be able to afford.

If you’re crossing the river to participate, there are some great deals to be had. My favorite menu offerings (along with what would be my selections) include those at Fran’s Filling Station in Dilworth (the bacon-wrapped tater tots, crab cakes and chocolate cake); 300 East, also in Dilworth (crab cake, sweet potato ravioli and pumpkin cheesecake); 15 North Roadside Kitchen on Montford Drive (deviled eggs, crispy grilled chicken and red velvet cupcakes); and Osso Restaurant & Lounge by the NC Music Factory (mushroom risotto, “Osso” Bucco and mascarpone and ricotta cheesecake).

But Old Stone and Nick’s are tempting folks to stay closer to home with their fixed menus. I’ve included a look at both below. For more information on Charlotte Restaurant Week, visit www.charlotterestaurantweek.com.

Old Stone Steakhouse

23 S. Main St., Belmont

www.oldstonesteakhouse.com

Wine

All entrées served with a bottle of wine per couple or a glass of wine per single. (Wine choice may be upgraded.)

Appetizer (choice of one)

Stuffed Mushrooms – stuffed with shrimp and crab and topped with our lemon beurre blanc sauce

Sundried Tomato & Goat Cheese – goat cheese topped with a sundried tomato & herb oil, served with toasted pita

Old Stone Wedge Salad – our house wedge salad with choice of dressing

Soup of the Day – Chef’s choice

Entrée (choice of one)

Served with choice of seasonal vegetables, baked potato, steakhouse fries, or mashed potatoes & gravy

Black & Bleu Sirloin 10 oz. – center-cut sirloin blackened with Cajun seasoning and topped with melted Danish bleu cheese and drizzled with a red wine reduction

New York Strip 10 oz. – hand cut daily and char-broiled, served with our signature herb butter

Tumbleweed Chicken – 8 oz. boneless chicken breast topped with our Cheerwine BBQ sauce, pepperjack cheese, fried sweet onions, and loaded with smoked bacon crumbles

Char Grilled Atlantic Salmon – 8oz. daily fresh cut salmon fillet topped with our lemon beurre blanc sauce

Double Thick Glazed Pork Chop – 10 oz. bone-in pork chop drizzled with a smoked bacon apple glaze and lemon beurre blanc

BBQ Chicken & Ribs – 5 oz. boneless chicken breast and a half-rack of ribs smothered with our signature Cheerwine BBQ sauce

Slow-Roasted 8 oz. Prime Rib (based on availability) – slow roasted all day to seal in all its juices and hand carved to order; served with au jus

Dessert (choice of one)

Three Layer Chocolate Cake

NY Cheesecake

Nick’s Steak and Taphouse

182 S. South St., Gastonia

www.nickssteakandtaphouse.com

First course (choice of one)

Blue Crab & Roasted Corn Chowder – Westminster oyster crackers

Crispy Fried Calamari – remoulade sauce

Chipotle BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Chicken ‘Lollipops’ – chipotle BBQ glazed, roasted corn & tomato salsa

“Fighting” Wild Caught Jumbo Prawns – sweet Thai chili sauce

Nick’s Iceberg Wedge – bacon, blue cheese crumbles, Romas, red onion, Craisins, blue cheese dressing

Chopped & Tossed Salad – chopped greens, dried cranberries, red onion, smoked bacon, avocado, Roma tomatoes, toasted almonds, crispy onion straws, ranch dressing

Entrée (choice of one)

Char-Broiled Black Grouper – habanero lime butter, avocado vinaigrette, lemon-almond haricot vert

Asian Pan-Seared Salmon – Asian cucumber relish, soy ginger vinaigrette, seasonal julienned vegetables

Blackened Tuna “Peppadew” – Peppadew chow chow, dill tartar cream sauce, garlic mashed red potatoes

Prime Rib of Beef & Garlicky Scallops – 11-ounce cut, ‘scampi’ scallops, au jus, baked NC sweet potato

NY Strip Steak “Au Poivre” – 10-ounce, black pepper crust, garlic herbed butter, baked potato

Portobello Mushroom Filet Mignon – sliced & seared portobellos, rich Merlot reduction sauce, Cheddar grit cake

Char-Grilled “Whiskey” Ribeye – 11-ounce cut, Jack Daniel’s BBQ glazed, crispy onion straws, garlic mashed red potatoes

Dessert (choice of one)

Strawberry Shortcake

Crème Brulee

Chocolate “Tuxedo” Cake

From press release:

Coldplay will play Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte on July 3. Tickets go on sale Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com, the Time Warner Cable Arena box office, Ticketmaster or charge by phone 800-745-3000.

Coldplay will launch its first North American tour in nearly three years on April 17. The run, which kicks off at Rexall Place in Edmonton, AB, will include a two-night stand at Los Angeles’ historic Hollywood Bowl (May 1 & 2). The band is touring in support of its new RIAA-certified Platinum record, Mylo Xyloto, which has scored the most No. 1 rankings of any album this year worldwide, topping the charts in 34 countries to date.

Mylo Xyloto’s first two singles have received Grammy nominations – “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song, and the Gold-certified “Paradise” for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Coldplay was nominated for a People’s Choice Award in the Favorite Band category.

Use any American Express Card to purchase advance tickets for Coldplay beginning Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. through Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. before the general public on Jan. 21.

“Coldplay understands how to make a shared moment from a song…their respect for their fans is obvious,” said The Times of London in a review of the band’s Glastonbury set.

Coldplay’s headline appearance at Lollapalooza before the release of Mylo Xyloto prompted Time Out Chicago to observe: “I’ve never seen a band’s unheard material go over so well” while USA Today noted: “Standouts included Charlie Brown with Jonny Buckland’s sticky, uplifting guitar work, and the soft, romantic Us Against The World, which featured drummer Will Champion on piano and backing vocals.”

You can check out the band performing “Charlie Brown” at summer festivals in this new live video, directed by Mat Whitecross and Mark Rowbotham: http://www.vevo.com/watch/coldplay/charlie-brown-live/GB0401100200.

Mylo Xyloto (Capitol Records) is Coldplay’s third consecutive studio album to debut atop both The Billboard 200 and the U.K. album chart. It also hit the No. 1 spot in all 35 iTunes stores around the world, breaking the record for the highest number of download sales in one week – a milestone Coldplay first achieved with the release of Viva La Vida, which was the No. 1 selling album worldwide of 2008, according to IFPI.

Coldplay – comprising Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin – has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and won numerous awards, including seven GRAMMY® Awards, six Brit Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards.

For more information go to www.livenation.com.

In December, Yahoo! announced the 10th anniversary edition of its Year in Review (yearinreview.yahoo.com), the annual look-back that identifies the top stories and trends of the year.

The top search term of 2011 didn’t go to a person or a news event, but to a technological marvel. The iPhone led the 2011 search queries, bypassing a reality TV star’s marriage and pending divorce, a notorious criminal defendant and America’s most wanted terrorist.

“The iPhone transcended gadget status,” says Vera Chan, senior editor and Web trend analyst at Yahoo! “The device helped facilitate political movements around the world, and embodied the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.”

Women in pop culture dominated the top 10 list. Kim Kardashian, who first appeared in 2009 filling in the Paris Hilton celebutante role, jumped to No. 3. Jennifer Lopez cracked the top 10 after a nine-year absence, thanks to her “American Idol”-fueled comeback. And singer Katy Perry reaped musical nominations and either tied or broke record sales.

The top 10 searches on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. iPhone

2. Casey Anthony

3. Kim Kardashian

4. Katy Perry

5. Jennifer Lopez

6. Lindsay Lohan

7. American Idol

8. Jennifer Aniston

9. Japan earthquake

10. Osama bin Laden

With the iPhone topping the list this year, it should come as no surprise that in 2011, consumers wanted information on the go. They searched their favorite mobile devices to connect with MLB scores, learn the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial, see where Hurricane Irene would hit land and even make sure they could beat their friends in the latest game of Scrabble.

The top 10 mobile searches on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. iPhone 5

2. Powerball

3. MLB

4. Scrabble cheat

5. Casey Anthony

6. Hurricane Irene 2011

7. Kim Kardashian

8. Translator

9. Amy Winehouse

10. May 21, 2011 Rapture

While the top 10 overall list focuses on related keywords, the top news list involves a wider range of searches and includes an analysis of the most-read news stories on Yahoo!. The death of a monster that haunted a generation, a record magnitude earthquake that swept away burning towns, the trial of the summer, a sudden death and a royal wedding all made the top news list this year.

The top news searches and stories on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. Casey Anthony trial

2. The royal wedding

3. Death of Osama bin Laden

4. Japan earthquake and tsunami

5. Amanda Knox trial

6. Death of Amy Winehouse

7. Arab Spring

8. Libya/Ghadafi

9. Arizona shooting

10. Unemployment

The Top Obsessions list combines a fevered and sustained burst of searches with a viral fixation. In 2011, topping the list required a bit of tiger blood. But, before “tiger blood” cracked pop-culture vernacular, “tiger mom” was already a full-blown meme, thanks to Amy Chua’s memoir, “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.” And when tigers weren’t enough for us, we turned to birds – Angry Birds, which was downloaded millions of times, decorated a thousand birthday cakes and became the year’s hot Halloween costume.

The top 10 searched obsessions on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. Charlie Sheen

2. The Rapture

3. “Friday” (Rebecca Black)

4. Mortgage Rates

5. Extreme Couponing

6. Angry Birds

7. Planking

8. Game of Thrones

9. Government Shutdown

10. Tiger Mom

Amid all the global uprisings and threats of domestic government shutdowns, we had 22 days to be utterly absorbed by the United States battling Japan on a soccer field in Frankfurt. But, when it came to individual athletes, Danica Patrick drove to the top of the leader-board, and tennis’s leading ladies served up a platter of upsets and buzz-worthy outbursts.

The top searched athletes on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. Danica Patrick

2. Tiger Woods

3. Manny Pacquiao

4. Maria Sharapova

5. Serena Williams

6. Kris Humphries

7. Hope Solo

8. Kobe Bryant

9. Lamar Odom

10. Caroline Wozniacki

With new music rising to the top of the charts every week, searches on Yahoo! for music lyrics offer a glimpse into the songs that really seem to resonate with listeners.

The top music lyric searches on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. Super Bass – Nicki Minaj

2. The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars

3. Grenade — Bruno Mars

4. Rolling in the Deep – Adele

5. Someone Like You – Adele

6. Look at Me Now – Chris Brown

7. Born This Way – Lady Gaga

8. You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

9. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People

10. Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars

In 2011 people were glued to the big screen watching the magic of Harry Potter and the mayhem of “The Hangover, Part II.” The top movie searches on Yahoo! in 2011 were:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

2. Twilight: Breaking Dawn

3. Transformers 3

4. Tron Legacy

5. Black Swan

6. X-Men: First Class

7. Captain America

8. Just Go With It

9. The Hangover, Part II

10. Fast Five

For more about the Yahoo! 2011 Year in Review and other top searches, go to yearinreview.yahoo.com or search for “2011 Year in Review” on Yahoo.com.

A Charlotte start-up is changing the way some folks use their smart phones while watching television.

OtherScreen, founded in February 2011 and currently still in the Beta phase, creates game play that allows users watching sports, awards shows or other live events to answer trivia questions and make predictions while interacting with others watching the same live events.

It’s similar to the trivia nights you’ll find at area bars and restaurants except players interact with each other through mobile devices – laptops, smart phones and tablets.

How It Works: Players sign up at OtherScreen.com to “start playing” events like football games and presidential debates. After registering, users tune into broadcasts and use their mobile devices to answer trivia and prediction questions such as whether a field goal kicker will make or miss an attempt, and are awarded points for answering correctly.  Users can compete against others and create private groups for friends and family.

Why Try It: According to a study by Yahoo! and The Nielsen Company, 86 percent of mobile users (and 92 percent of people ages 13 to 24) use mobile devices while watching television. “Typically what they’re doing on the web and what they’re watching on TV are uncorrelated,” said Chris Halligan, who started OtherScreen with Garth Mouton and Andrew Gertig. “Using OtherScreen converts that distraction into engagement – and entertainment.” Plus, it’s free and there are no advertisements.

The Next Big Game: OtherScreen, which has more than 400 users, expects usage to increase with its Thanksgiving event, which highlights the NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

Press release from LiveNation: Roger Waters, the co-founder and principal songwriter of the archetypal progressive band Pink Floyd, has announced the return of the historic production of “The Wall” to North America in 2012. His aural and visual masterpiece of alienation and transformation will be performed in-its-entirety featuring a full band and state-of-the-art production. “The Wall” live has played more than 120 shows around the world for more than 1.6 million fans making it one of the most successful tours of 2010 and 2011.  Tickets for “The Wall” 2012 go on sale beginning on Monday, November 7^th at LiveNation.com.

The 2012 tour will begin on May 1^st in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center making a 36 show trek throughout North America, including several outdoor stadium performances with state of the art modifications transforming the arena production into magnificent outdoor events.  The tour, promoted by Live Nation, includes stadium stops in San Francisco at AT&T Park on May 11th, Vancouver at BC Place on May 26^th, Chicago’s Wrigley Field on June 8^th, Toronto at Rogers Centre on June 23^rd and Philadelphia at the Citizens Bank Park on July 14^th.

ROGER WATERS – THE WALL LIVE TOUR will play TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA CHARLOTTE on JULY 10.  Tickets for both shows go on sale Monday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com, the venue box offices, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Wal-Mart stores, or by phone at 800-745-3000.

“Thirty years ago when I wrote ‘The Wall,’ I was a frightened young man,” Waters recalls. “In the intervening years it occurred to me that maybe the story of my fear and loss with its concomitant inevitable residue of ridicule, shame and punishment, provides an allegory for broader concerns: Nationalism, racism, sexism, religion, whatever! All these issues and ‘isms are driven by the same fears that drove my young life.”

Waters’ first reinvented his iconic stage production of “The Wall” in 2010 utilizing modern day   technological advances and special effects which have been embraced by audiences around the globe with countless sold out performances and multiple-night stands including a record-breaking 9 sold out shows at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina.   “The Wall” remains one of the most influential albums in the history of recorded music with a profound effect on pop culture, resonating with multiple generations of music fans.    

Prior to 2010, “The Wall” show was simply too large to contemplate a tour, but new arenas and advances in touring technology have solved that dilemma. Waters has updated the look and feel of the show to ensure it matches the astonishing theatrical extravaganza that The Wall’s live incarnation became so legendary for – thus allowing yet another generation to be inspired by the grandeur of the breathtaking visual and aural spectacle.  The 1980 original production of the “The Wall” had been performed live-in-its-entirety just 29 times during Pink Floyd’s 1980 tour in support of the album and once in Berlin in celebration of the fall of the Berlin wall.  

The Associated Press described opening night in 2010 with, “Roger Waters tore down the house Wednesday night in Toronto…He walked out to thunderous applause beginning with the first track of the seminal concept album, ‘In the Flesh’, and the adulation never stopped.” While during the New York stop, the New York Post declared, “When Roger Waters finished building “The Wall” in its entirety, at Madison Square Garden, it was just another brick on what was the best arena concert I’ve ever been to. Period.”

In addition to Roger Waters (lead vocals, bass), “The Wall” live touring ensemble includes: Snowy White (Guitar), Dave Kilminster (Guitar), GE Smith (Guitar & Bass), Jon Carin (Keyboards), Harry Waters (Hammond Organ), Graham Broad (Drums), Robbie Wyckoff (Vocals), Jon Joyce, Pat Lennon, Mark Lennon and Kipp Lennon (Backing Vocals).

For complete ticket and tour information, please visit RogerWaters.com, Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

The Gaston County Museum of Art & History, 131 W. Main St., Dallas, hosts its regular “Coffee with the Curator” program from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5. Curator Stephanie Haiar will identify objects and provide preservation assistance on pieces brought to the museum by visitors. If objects are too large, bring photographs. During this program, object donations to the museum will also be considered.

No appointment is needed and the event is free. There is a three-item limit per person and no monetary appraisals will be given. For more information, visit www.gastoncountymuseum.org or call 704-922-7681 ext. 105.

Champion Fiddle Player to Perform at Isothermal

U.S. National Scottish fiddle champion Jamie Laval will present a solo concert featuring selections from his new album, “Murmers and Drones,” at 7:30 tonight, Sept. 29, in the library auditorium of Isothermal Community College, Spindale. General admission tickets are $15 and are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/187110 or at 206-226-5663.

Acclaimed as “One of North America’s finest practitioners of traditional Scottish music” by the San Jose Mercury News and “The next Alasdair Fraser” by Scotland Press and Post, Laval’s music making was influenced by his Scottish and Irish heritage and by his studies in classical music, jazz and ethnic music from around the world.

Laval, who resides in Asheville, has performed for Her Majesty the Queen and on NBC’s “Today Show” and has collaborated on Dave Matthews’ album “Some Devil.” “Zephyr in the Confetti Factory,” his duo album with Ashley Broder, won Best World Traditional Song in the 2007 Independent Music Awards Vox Populi.

For more information, visit www.jamielaval.com.

Terror By The Tracks Costumes Being Sold

The Kings Mountain Little Theatre is holding a Costumes & Halloween Props Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 8 due to the upcoming renovation of the Joy Performance Center, 202 S. Railroad Ave., Kings Mountain. Hundreds of costumes, accessories, footwear and masks will be available for purchase, including all of the costumes and masks used in “Terror by the Tracks.” Sizes range from children’s size 5 through adult 3X.

Anyone interested in buying bulk and/or large items prior to public sale should email scarylady@carolina.rr.com.

Civil War Exhibit at County  Museum

Running through Mar. 10 at the Gaston County Museum of Art & History is “Patriots or Traitors: North Carolina’s Civil War.” In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, the museum exhibit will tell the local story of the monumental event in our nation’s history.

Visitors can follow five different characters throughout the exhibit – an enlisted soldier, an officer, a slave, a woman and a child. Each character will give a unique aspect of the war that affected them; some will be based on actual people from North Carolina while others will be a representation.

There will also be hands-on activities for adults and children – they can sign an oath of service to the Confederacy, huddle down in the trenches, dress up like a North Carolina soldier, prepare a campsite and learn about the food soldiers and their families would eat.

> Running through Nov. 12 at the Gaston County Museum of Art & History’s bull pen is “Figments: Artwork by Matthew Justin Rupp.” This is the fifth show of the 2011 Gaston College Solo Show Series that features eight artists throughout the year.

The Gaston County Museum of Art & History is at 131 W. Main St., Dallas. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.gastoncountymuseum.org or 704-922-7681 ext. 105.

Old Stone Steakhouse on Main Street in downtown Belmont, sister restaurant to LaVecchia’s Seafood Grille in downtown Charlotte, finally has some company on the Charlotte Restaurant Week listing in Gaston County. Nick’s Steak and Taphouse in downtown Gastonia, which opened in May, is participating in the special week for the first time.

The annual Charlotte Restaurant Week, which runs from July 15 to July 24, offers a three course (or more), fixed-menu meal for $30 per person at high-end and upscale restaurants, meaning folks can usually eat more cheaply at those places.

A slew of the most notable restaurants in Charlotte are participating, such as Sullivan’s Steakhouse, where my wife and I will celebrate our 7th anniversary; The Liberty Gastropub, which is one of my favorite restaurants; and Mama Ricotta’s, a great Italian place my wife loves.

I was excited when Old Stone joined in the fun a couple of years back – we’ve taken our moms there to celebrate birthdays and special occasions numerous times in the past – and I’m pumped that Nick’s has decided to sign on, too. Haven’t eaten there yet, as I always prefer to give new restaurants a few months or so before I go to get the kinks out, but I’m looking forward to getting by there. Everyone I know who’s eaten there has raved about it.

Below is a look at Old Stone’s and Nick’s fixed menus for the special Charlotte Restaurant Week. For more information on Charlotte restaurant week, visit www.charlotterestaurantweek.com.

Nick’s Steak and Taphouse

Appetizer (choice of one)

Parmesan Dusted Calamari – lightly fried, dusted with herbed Parmesan, sun dried tomato aioli

Carolina Crab Cake – sauteed jumbo lump crab, roasted corn salsa, tomato relish, lemon chive beurre blanc

Jumbo Shrimp & Crab Scampi – sauteed jumbo shrimp and lump crab, lemon butter, garlic, tomatoes white wine, herbs

Bacon Wrapped Scallops – jumbo sea scallops, vine ripe tomatoes, lemon butter sauce

Entrée (choice of one)

Each entree comes with a house salad and a choice of side.

Blackened Tilapia – topped with jumbo shrimp and lump crab, sauteed asparagus, roasted corn and chive beurre blanc

Legendary Prime Rib – 12 oz. secret rub, blackened, roasted mushrooms, caramelized shallots, house au jus, horseradish sauce

Ribeye Oscar Style – 12 oz. center cut, lump crabmeat, sauteed asparagus, house lemon butter sauce

Black & Blue New York Strip – blackened strip loin, melted blue cheese crust, roasted mushrooms, red wine reduction

Charbroiled Atlantic Salmon – sauteed artichokes, vine ripe tomatoes, Kalamata olives, smoky bacon, goat cheese, chive beurre blanc

Filet Mignon and Bacon Wrapped Scallops – 6 oz. filet, bacon wrapped sea scallops, red wine reduction

Dessert (choice of one)

Chocolate Cream Cake

Key Lime Pie

Raspberry Crème Brulée Cheesecake

Old Stone Steakhouse

Wine

All entrées served with a bottle of wine per couple or a glass of wine per single. (Wine choice may be upgraded.)

Appetizer (choice of one)

Sundried Tomato & Goat Cheese – goat cheese topped with a sundried tomato & herb oil, served with toasted pita

Old Stone Wedge Salad – topped with shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, dried cranberries & crisp potato sticks with choice of dressing: sherry vinaigrette, bleu cheese, rosemary ranch, thousand island, honey mustard

Old Stone Tossed Caesar Salad – chopped Romaine hearts tossed with our homemade Caesar dressing and fresh baked croutons and topped with sliced Parmesan cheese

Soup of the Day – Chef’s choice

Entrée (choice of one)

Served with choice of seasonal vegetables, baked potato, steakhouse fries, or mash & gravy

New York Strip 10 oz. – hand cut in-house and served with our signature herb butter

Old Stone Prime Rib 8 oz. (based on availability) – our aged prime rib is slow roasted all day to seal in all its juices and hand carved to order; served with a side of hot au jus

Char Grilled Atlantic Salmon 8 oz. – daily fresh cut salmon fillet topped with our lemon beurre blanc sauce

Twin Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes – two pan-seared jumbo lump crab cakes served with our lemon beurre blanc sauce

Double Thick Glazed Pork Chop 10 oz. – bone-in pork chop drizzled with a smoked bacon apple glaze and lemon beurre blanc

BBQ Chicken & Ribs – chicken & ribs smothered with our signature Cheerwine BBQ sauce

Dessert (choice of one)

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake – three layers of rich dark chocolate cake stacked with layers of chocolate mousse and covered in a dark chocolate icing

Double Decker Key Lime Pie – layers of key lime pie and lemon meringue inside of a graham cracker crust topped with a lime gelatin and whipped cream

NY Cheesecake – a slice of NY cheesecake topped with your choice of chocolate or caramel glaze

Peanut Butter Tower – two rich dark chocolate cakes stacked with whipped filling and topped with a peanut butter mousse and a chocolate rose