Wanna’ Make Beautiful Music with Matt Olin? Here’s Your Chance.

IDEA: A Social Experiment in Fleeting Beauty

Hey, Charlotte … It’s Matt. I told my wife a few weeks ago that there’s really just one thing missing in my life right now: playing music with others.

I was in bands for years, including Charlotte bands like Shadowflag (those of you who were around in the early/mid-aughts might remember how serious we looked). And even with all the amazing blessings and joys and opportunities in my life right now, I’ve still found nothing that quite replicates the experience of creating music live with other people. It’s a truly inimitable feeling.

Also lately, as a leading convener of the Queen City’s creative community, the Charlotte Is Creative team has been reimagining what the future of live events might look like around here. We’re kicking around a slew of engaging new ideas – and having a blast doing it.

PHOTO ABOVE: Matt Olin with his Shadowflag bandmates, Jason Maner and Ben Jackson, in 2005.

MAD OR INSPIRED?

So here’s a mad idea for a new series that I thought I’d run by y’all today. Working title: “OneBand.”

Basically, it would work like this: Once a month, I’d post a three-song setlist. Anyone who wants to play those songs with me would sign up. And I mean anyone. Amateur musicians and professional players; newbies and veterans; hacks and savants. Any instrument; any skill level. The only qualifications would be a desire to play music with others, and a willingness to learn and perform three songs together on a stage.

One month, we might have three singers, four drummers, two accordionists, a pan flutist and a cellist. The next month, we might end up with 14 bass players and a yodeler.

It doesn’t matter, because the simple point of it all would be for diverse, passionate people to come together and create something fleeting and, perhaps every once in a while, beautiful. These days, I think we all might need a little more of that.

Charlotte’s creative community is a ceaseless source of similar inspiration to me. Look at Carla Aaron-Lopez’s LOCAL/STREET, Ricky Singh’s #BeattiesFordStrong, or Shafalee Patel’s Namaste Artists CLT. Just three examples of countless local projects in which creative Charlotteans rally around a vision – to stir their community and to feed their own souls.

What’s not to love?

So that’s it. One setlist. One rehearsal. One performance. OneBand — and all are welcome. Let me know what you think.

Matt Olin
Co-Founder & Emcee of Creativity
Charlotte Is Creative

GREAT SPACES: The Independent Picture House

“We want to work with every filmmaker in town.” – Bradley Ritter, president of the Charlotte Film Society

Arthouse cinema has a new HQ in the Queen City.

While it doesn’t officially open until June 24, The Independent Picture House (IPH) has already called “action” and hosted a few public and private events prior to its grand opening.

Read more about this three-theater venue built next to the Charlotte Art League in the new Trailhead Arts District north of NoDa.

Tommie Robinson First Black Artist with Portrait at County Courthouse

On June 16, 2022, Tommie Robinson unveiled a portrait he painted of Judge James E. Lanning (who passed away in 2015) at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. ⁣He is the first Black artist to have a work of art on display in this facility.

The Lanning family and the Mecklenburg County Bar Association commissioned the portrait from Robinson. Earlier this week, The Biscuit shared an editorial and podcast about Robinson, complemented by a spoken word piece written by Hannah Hasan in his honor. This was the result of a partnership with the North Carolina Humanities Council. If you missed this feature, find it here.

Open Position: Communications Manager at Charlotte Is Creative

Do you love to write?
Does research give you a thrill?
Are you meticulous about your words and grammar?
Are you driven to tell people’s stories?
Do you want to help change the narrative of Charlotte?

If so, you may be just who we’re looking for. Charlotte is Creative, publisher of The Biscuit, is seeking a communications manager.

EXPERIENCE: 2-4 years in content/copywriting. We are looking for candidates who are near the beginning of their careers, but have some experience under their belts. We need a creative who’s capable of balancing creative writing, business communication and expository writing.

SKILLS: Engaging ability to write (long form and short form); strong business communication; a keen eye for comprehensive proofing/editing; light graphic design; and cross-checking/fact-checking content.

CREATIVE PROFILE: ROSEBUD A. TURNER

Rosebud A. Turner is a writer and poet who has lived in Charlotte for 45 years. She’s been writing poetry since her early 20s, but only started letting people read her poetry 10 years ago. Writing is her way to express emotion.

She lost her sight in her late 50s due to complications related to diabetes, but that hasn’t slowed her down.

Turner worked as an English teacher with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) until she retired a few years ago. A past CMS school superintendent created the “Department of Instructional Excellence” for her to run, which she did for four more years unsighted until she retired. Click the button below to read more about Turner’s story.

CREATIVE PROFILE: ASHLEY PROCTOR

IG: @robotmuseart
WEB: robotmuseart.com

Ashley Proctor weaves one artistic discipline into another – embroidering into found photography. This has been a passion of hers from the very beginning of her artistic journey. She sees it as her way of “bringing life back to the discarded image.” Hear more about Ashley in her own words.

Tell us about the creative community in Charlotte.
Charlotte is full of so many amazing creatives! I feel so lucky to be able to be friends and work with so many of them.

What does Charlotte need to do to support creatives who live and work here?
Pay creatives for their time/energy. And, have more projects for a variety of artists.

What are the greatest challenges facing your creative career in Charlotte right now?
I work a full-time job, so I don’t work on my art as much as I would like.

GIRAFFES IN SEARCH OF A NEW HOME

Two metal giraffes are still grazing in Wilmore Park in South End, but they’re looking for a new home.⁣

Created by Ben Parrish of Steel Design Studios with legendary Charlotte architect David Furman, the pair of giraffe sculptures first popped up on East Blvd. in 2021 until taking up a fancy new address in South End.

But Furman says they’ve been asked to leave. The county has cited that Furman, who commissioned the giraffes, didn’t seek proper permission to relocate them to the park. That’s nothing new for Furman. Dropping art where he thinks it’s needed (permission or no) is kind of his thing — and we love the rebellious (but giving) spirit he’s put to work in Charlotte all these years.

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