Kids love living the nightlife too

By Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

Have a night out on the town with the family.

The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, located at 130 North Tryon Street, will host exciting Kids’ Night activities for six upcoming shows this winter. These special events are a wonderful way to permit children ages 14 and younger the chance to enjoy the upscale nightlife that the Queen City has to offer. The Center allows children to become actively engaged in the Charlotte art scene.

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2009 Queen City Awards

by Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

The 3^rd Annual Queen City Awards, held at club Skandolos (E. Independence Blvd.) on Dec. 12, was a semi-organized event that showered accolades on Charlotte’s entertainment community. This year’s award organizers, TalkofNC.com and CarolinaArtist.net, expanded award categories beyond the urban market. The genres of rock and country had a strong presence this year. Few were in attendance to actually accept awards in all 26 categories, which made the event more local talent showcase than award ceremony.

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Tone-X leaves Power 98 for BET

Photo by Moye

By Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

Anthony Besler, 41, better known as Tone-X, said goodbye to Power 98 on Friday, Oct. 16. He is moving on to the land of television to work for BET’s The Mo’Nique Show.

No Limit Larry and the Morning Maddhouse played a barrage of hilarious Tone-X radio moments to send off this member of the Maddhouse brethren. As the cast laughed and reminisced, listeners called in expressing how much they would miss their “Uncle Tone.” As the listeners spoke to Besler, many had a tremble in their voice as they said goodbye.

When the morning show wrapped, arms began to wrap around Besler’s neck as his co-works said teary eyed farewells. He hugged and shook hands with over a dozen people before exiting the recording rooming he had worked in for so long. He then walked to the waiting area to greet two fans who decided to come to the studio since they could not get through the Power 98 phone lines. He laughed and joked with them for a moment.  Then he thanked them for taking time to come to the studio while waving goodbye as they entered the elevator. He then walked over to me, extended his hand, smiled and said, “You must be the writer.” He lifted my computer bag from the floor and led me to a spot he felt would be nice and quiet: the control room.

Entering Tone-X’s New World

A desk lines a wall with a plexiglass window that looks into the radio station recording room. A programming board and rack of audio equipment sits at one end of the desk and a microphone sits at the other. He rolls a worn stool out from under the desk. The seat upholstering is busting at the seams as the yellow foam padding protrudes out of the corners. It may have been at the station as long as Besler. Power 98 listeners have heard his bass accented voice hum through their stereo speakers from 5:50 a.m. to 10 a.m. for over a decade.

Besler sits atop the stool. As the tape recorder starts, Besler’s right knee begins to rhythmically bob up and down. It is like his body is unconsciously keeping time as he squeezes one last interview into his schedule. Besler has only had a few days to wrap up his long lasting radio career, pack him and his family’s belongings and make arrangements for their big move to Atlanta, Ga. He has been hired as a network writer for The Mo’Nique Show, BET’s Atlanta based late night talk show. “I had a six day turnaround to leave something that I had been doing for 11 years and get prepared,” he explains.

Leaving behind the day-in and day-out lighthearted conversations with his radio family on the Morning Maddhouse is a little unnerving. To him, the only way he will make it in this unfamiliar land of television entertainment is to trust in God and  trust in himself. “I’m trying to really step out on faith and trying to believe in myself enough to walk away from something I have been doing for 11 years,” he says. 41-year-old Besler recognizes that he has been prepared for this new phase in his career for a while. “God’s time is different than ours. I would have needed and liked more time [than six days] to get myself together, but in God’s time…you are already together,” he says.

Pastor Charles E. Jacobs Jr. of Next Level Ministries knows that Besler is ready for this next phase in his life. Pastor Jacobs enters the control room, interrupting the interview, but he needs to say a few words to Besler before he leaves for Georgia. As Pastor Jacobs talks to Besler in a low steady voice, Besler’s leg stops shaking (which has been moving since the begining of the interview).

Pastor Jacobs tells Besler that he possesses strength and the ability to encourage others. Pastor Jacobs tells Besler that success is awaiting him in Georgia. Besler reveals to Pastor Jacobs that he cannot believe the wonderful text messages people are sending him. “It’s crazy, people tell you have been a blessing to them and you don’t even realize it,” Besler says.

Laughing his way to Success

Besler realized he was on a path to success in 1995. He won a comedy competition sponsored by Zima Clear Malt Liquor held at the Comedy Zone, then located on E. Independence Blvd. His first attempted at organized stand-up comedy landed him a new job and a chance to perform with established comedians. He was hired to host Comedy Zone’s “Freaky Tuesdays.” For two years he traveled back and forth from his hometown of Wilmington, N.C. to host the show.

In 1997 those weekly trips from Wilmington to Charlotte ended. In July 1997, Power 98 hired him. He joined the BJ Murphy and the Breakfast Brothers Morning Show cast. From then on the Queen City knew the voice of Anthony Besler as Tone-X. The Power 98 morning show line-up changed over the years but Besler was kept on the roster. He continued to contribute his message-laced comedy to No Limit Larry and the Morning Maddhouse. In April 2008 he began Tone X and Friends, which became a nightlife hot spot. Charlotte residents flocked to the comedy show to hear comics that kept them clutching their belly.

As of October 16, 2009, the radio chapter of  Besler’s career has ended. His mind is now focused on The Mo’Nique Show. “Making moves in your life is just like space and time,” he says. He points to an object lying on the table. “You see that notebook you got sitting on the desk. It is occupying a space. Nothing else can go there until you move that notebook. Even when you move the notebook you got to put it somewhere else.” He continues, “The only thing that makes sense is to put it somewhere where there is some space—so my career is like that notebook. I got to move from Power 98 to another space in order to go into the next phase [of my career].”

Mainstream Stardom with The Mo’Nique Show

Besler says that he always knew this mainstream recognition was right around the corner, but he never knew when right around the corner was. He says his new tagline will read, “I’m one of the funniest comedians you should have known sooner.” Comedienne Mo’Nique has known just how funny Besler was for quite awhile. They have known each for 18 years.

She informed Besler that she had a TV show in the works and wanted him to be a part of it. Besler didn’t think it would turn into a real job. “In the entertainment world people say thing like that all the time in passing,” he explains.  When Mo’Nique had the BET deal ready, she offered Besler a job as a scriptwriter. “I didn’t know how to feel, but I thought it was the best thing in the world [that happened to me],” he says.

With television he feels his educational/entertaining comedy will reach more people at once. “The beautiful thing about television is you never know how many people are watching you and where they are watching you. With The Mo’nique Show you’re talkin’ ’bout the Caribbean, Japan, Africa. It’s worldwide,” he says. For him, being a behind-the-scene guy is just as satisfying as being the person out front. “It feels good when you are sitting and watching the show and you recognize a line you came up with or a concept that your writing team put together,” he says.

The Mo’Nique Show is not limiting Besler to scriptwriting. He is on-air talent too. From time to time Besler will do skits, play characters, and act as a man-on-the-street liaison. Recently he represented The Mo’Nique Show as the red carpet consultant for the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards. Besler says a chance to be on the red carpet made work feel like play. “You are out there interacting with all the kats you listen to on the radio!” He chatted with Snoop, Ice Cube, Sheree from Real Housewives of Atlanta and the list goes on. That experience made Besler understand the flashback stories so many successful people recount. “Last year I was asking Power 98, ‘Can I go to the BET Hip Hop Awards with No Limit?’ They were like, ‘We can’t pay for it, but you can go.’ And now I’m working the red carpet for The Mo’Nique Show,” he recalls.

Besler knows that the move to BET is the next level in his career, but he feels that it is NOT the final level. “It’s [BET] a beautiful thing and it’s big. But it is not as big as it can get,” he says. Besler explains, “If you are trying to find Tone-X, your neck is gonna get tired because you’re gonna have to look up. When I say up, I’m not talking where the planes are at. I mean where the space shuttle is…where the satellites are at… You wanna visit me? Go to the space station.”

Mos Def Concert Review

By Kia O. Moore

Mos Def Concert

Mos Def came to Amos Southend, located in Charlotte, on Aug. 12 to bless the Queen City with some real hip-hop. The blessing fell short, and a miracle was the only thing that was going to inject some energy into this show. His latest album titled “Ecstatic” may have made critics overexcited, but Mos Def’s performance could not elicit much excitement form this crowd.

Doors opened at 8 P.M.; Mos Def was on stage by 11:12 P.M. There was a lull between the opening act, Jay Electronica, and the start of Mos Def’s set. For about 45 minutes the only thing that was left to entertain the audience was some background music, two unmanned turntables and a lonely orange drum set.

The crowd became restless while waiting for Mos Def, and sporadic chants of “MOS DEF…MOS DEF…MOS DEF,” ensued.  As the wait wore on, the chants became half-hearted efforts. Those less than enthusiastic chants were a precursor of what was to come.

After the extended wait, two DJs finally made their way to the stage. When they released the vinyl to let the music evade the crowd’s ear drums the volume was uncomfortably high. They quickly adjusted the sound, causing the bass to vibrate through chest as hearts hipped and hopped to the beat.

The stage lights went out as Mos Def came in the back door of the venue. The audience erupted in an exuberant bellow of approval. Mos Def moved swiftly to the drum set. He pounded the vibrantly colored musical cylinders as he rapped into a mic strategically placed in front of the instrument. Like the psychological experiment with Pavlo’s Dogs, hands automatically went up in the air as soon as the sound of Mos Def’s voice move from the speakers to the ears of audience members.

This was the most excitement seen from the crowd throughout the whole performance. After he wrapped up his first song he addressed the crowd and said the familiar Jay-Z spiel, “You could have been anywhere in the world, but you are here with me.” He also thanked the crowd for paying $30 to see his performance.  Mos Def chatted with the crowd and thanked them many times throughout his performance, which became irritating. Performing more of his classic songs would have been the gratitude many would have appreciated.

Mos Def was one of few who seemed to really be into the performance. He, and the white towel draped across his shoulder, swayed from side-to-side with each lyric he spat. He even threw off his black baseball cap as he got deeper into the performance. Mos Def quite often serenaded the audience, which was met with the feedback of silence.

The crowd gave positive feedback when Mos Def spat lyrics to hard hitting, hip-hop induced songs. The crowd seemed to enjoy his ode to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five with his rendition of “Close to the Edge.” The crowd also reacted with enthusiasm to “Auditorium,” which is a song featuring Slick Rick vocals. Mos Def also paid homage to the Sugar Hill Gang by lacing many of his song with “Rapper’s Delight” lyrical references.

Every time Mos Def deviated from the classic hip-hop sound he lost crowd support. There was no booing, just no crowd reaction what-s- ever. Hands were no longer in the air, a few head nods were sprinkled throughout the crowd and the majority of the songs received courtesy claps. By midnight the crowd had no energy, and Mos Def was not providing the fuel needed to recharge them. The crowd simply became on-lookers and many made their way to the exit before the concert ended.

Mos Def is a talented lyricist but he needs to take some notes from the New Generation of Hip Hoppers, and learn how to engage a crowd. Mos Def does not need an instructional dance song, but he needs to pay attention to his crowd and study their reactions.

The Amos Southend crowd favored classic hip-hop beats and witty lyrics. Mos Def needed to hold off on the serenades, drum playing, and crowd conversations and give this crowd a straight up dose of hip-hop medicine. If this show was supposed to bring real hip-hop to the Queen City, then I would have rather went to the club and danced to some fake hip-hop.

Don’t play it cool, just play?

It was a warm, clear Saturday night in Charlotte, which meant the nightlife scene was poppin’. The club doesn’t usually get jumpin’ until after 11pm, but that was not the case on that particular night. The anti-club event, PlayDate Charlotte, made its debut April 18 at the Big Chill. The doors opened at 9 P.M., and by 9:30, bodies traced the outside wall of the club as the rest of the of the line stretched to the distant gravel parking lot. Latrina Harris, co-owner and operator of PlayDate Charlotte, said over 900 people showed up for the event. It is out of the norm for Charlottians to come out in droves to something other than a concert or a nightclub with a celebrity guest. So what is this event called PlayDate Charlotte all about?

PlayDate is a nightlife event where everyone has game. Attendees play their favorite childhood board games, as well as those familiar recess favorites. The PlayDate concept is the brainchild of Imari Havard, CEO of Timeless Entertainment Concepts. Havard said he noticed that a lot of folks were getting tired of the typical club scene. Back in 2005, he decide to inject an alternative option into Atlanta nightlife. He and about 48 other people meet-up and pulled out old school games like Monopoly, Uno, Sorry, Hungry Hungry Hippo, etc. They had a blast, and by the next PlayDate session even more people showed up. With each new PlayDate session, the number of attendees just kept climbing.

Havard had stumbled upon an unexpected business venture that turned into a 15 city franchise. There are PlayDate affiliates in places like Austin, Seattle, Nashville and now Charlotte. PlayDate proved

Playing Wii

that the familiar Toy ‘R’ Us slogan held true, “I don’t wanna grow up. I’m a Toy ‘R’ Us kid.” People often wish they could go back to a kid mentality of seeing the world as simple and fun. Havard found that adults were willing to pay money for a moment to feel like a kid again. Havard said, “Your inner child never goes away. It just gets buried by all of your [adult] obligations.”

Harris and the rest of the PlayDate Charlotte crew, got that feeling when they attended PlayDate Atlanta a while back. Harris said she thought that Charlotte was ready for something like this. The number of people who came out to play at the Big Chill prove her hypothesis to be true.

Havard says that the signature PlayDate games are what bring people out. Board games can bring out smiles, but recess games bring up a feeling of childhood bliss. PlayDate gives an adult twist to games like: Hula Hoop, Musical Chairs, Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light and Double Dutch. The party would have ended by 10 P. M., if PlayDate Charlotte only relied on the board games to create a fun atmosphere. The signature games made people get into the kid spirit.

Recreating that childhood spirit, also brought back the unwritten rules of grade school socializing: (1) Stick with your clique, (2) Cool boys don’t play with girls, (3) Avoid embarrassment at all cost. Most people only played board games with the friends they came with. Asking to play with four close girlfriends who are battling over the new Uno card color, is not the most welcoming table. And guys did not seem to know how to interact with women in the PlayDate environment. Women trumped the men in the male to female ratio. Havard said, “Guys are afraid to be out numbered. They start to lack confidence.” Confidence breeds fun. When a person stops worrying about embarrassing themselves they really let loose and live in the moment. The signature games are what make PlayDaters live in the moment.

Hula Hoops

Those signature games were not only designed to be fun, they were also designed to train men. Raf Q is a 6 foot 4 inch, slender, brown skin fellow who is a member of the PlayDate Atlanta crew. He explains, “Men gotta stop being so cool. You [men] gotta have fun and relax. This ain’t jail. It’s okay to let loose and have fun.” Havard and PlayDate Charlotte host Boris Rogers, had to get on the mic and damn near threaten guys to come out on the floor and play the signature games with the ladies. At one point, Rogers publicly questions the sexual orientation of all the men at the event. This reverse psychology method of saying straight guys who don’t play with women must not be attracted to women, actually worked.

Once a few men let down their guard, the signature games got underway. The first game was the Hula Hoop Tournament. Rogers coaxed a guy into joining in on the fun. He held his own against all the ladies in the competition. It came down to him and two other ladies. At one point he chased one of the women around the floor while he was still hula hooping. He instantly became the crowd favorite. Next up was the Twister Tournament, and then Musical Chairs.

Musical Chairs

PlayDate Musical Chairs is one of the signature games that Havard uses to train men. Havard said that they have the women become the chairs to teach men to be gentle. “A big guy cannot drop all of his weight on a petite women. They have to sit down easy,” said Havard. The PlayDate Atlanta crew, who attends every PlayDate affiliate launch, had to teach the guys how to play Musical Chairs properly. Havard said, “They [the dj] was playing sexy music and y’all was walking around [these ladies] like you don’t care.” The men of the Atlanta crew gave the ladies seductive lapdances, and sat on the ladies’ laps gently. The Charlotte PlayDaters took note and finish the job.

Red Light/Green Light

Red Light/Green light was another male training game. The tallest guys at the event were recruited to play. They had to give the shortest and most petite women horsey rides. They crawled across the floor as fasted as they could all while listening for the signal “Red Light…Green Light!” The guys unknowingly prioritized keeping the women safe from falling off and hitting the hardwood floor. The womens safety became more important than winning the game. Fantasy Double Dutch and Simon Says finished off the signature game series around 12:30 A.M.

The signature game series was over, but people were still trickling in at 12:40 A.M. PlayDate volunteer Josette Faison, said that the ticket sells did not slow down until around midnight. She said that number of on-the-spot sales ticket sales almost matched the number of advance ticket sales. The $10 price tag and nostalgic atmosphere the event promised created a buzz that brought people out. Harris says, “We are economy friendly and we are getting the parents and older folks to come.” She continues, “We have light security because this type of environment fosters a good feeling…and if you are trying to act a fool take it somewhere else.”

PlayDate Charlotte is the ’somewhere else’ to go if you want to stop putting on the cool, grown and sexy act and just be you. Raf Q said, “The key to having good time at PlayDate is to act like a kid.”