SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday is a weekly roundup of events in art, music, theater, comedy, pop-up markets and more.
All events featured were scheduled as of Thursday; however, it’s wise to check in ahead of attending any one. Inclement weather, changes in schedules and unforeseen circumstances may shift for organizers at the last minute.
Thursday, June 29
Flipturn
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheatre Drive • Tickets: $27
Last year, Flipturn toured through GLA opening for Mt. Joy. A year later they’re hosting their own show at the amphitheater.
The five-member ensemble got its start in a Fernandina Beach garage. Dillon Basse leads on vocals and rhythm guitar, while Tristan Duncan strums the lead guitar, Madeline Jarman plays bass, Mitch Fountain is on the synth and Devon VonBalson is on drums.
The band’s debut album, “Shadowglow,” was released last year, though the outfit has created two EPs, “Heavy Colors” and “Something You Needed.” The 2022 LP blends psychedelic rock with techno beats, all backed by alternative indie sounds.
Gates to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $27.
OTHER THURSDAY HAPPENINGS
Island Women Flock of Food Trucks — A third annual event that highlights the area’s food trucks will be set up around Carolina Beach Lake from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Beer and wine will be for sale, with live local music from two bands, kids’ activities in the Kids Zone, as well as a bounce house. There will be eight food trucks on site to serve participants. A $10 donation is required per person, with kids under 10 years old admitted free. Proceeds benefit various local nonprofits throughout Pleasure Island and Wilmington. The Island Women’s mission is “to enhance the overall quality of life on Pleasure Island and its neighboring communities, through volunteerism and fundraising.”
Lindy Hop Dancing and Instruction — Two weeks ago, classes started at the Hannah Block USO and will continue through next month. Lindy Hop, considered the “granddaddy of swing dancing,” will be taught at 7 p.m. and continue July 6 and 13. It’s a beginner-to-intermediate series; individual lessons are $10 each or $20 for all four paid in advance (Venmo to @USO-Swing). Following the hour of instruction will be an hour of social dancing.
Southern Trouble — WECT’s Sounds of Summer continues at 6:30 p.m. with Southern Trouble. The band performs country, contemporary blues and Southern rock, and will take the stage at the Wrightsville Beach Park, 321 Causeway Drive. Concerts are free and picnic, lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers are welcome, but no alcohol is allowed.
Lauds — Guitar-driven Lauds, Wilmington’s dreamy four-piece, will be performing at Ocean Grill and Tiki Bar for a free at 5:30 p.m. Bands set up on the pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Lauds released its debut LP, “Imitation Life,” earlier in the year — 10 tracks marrying dream pop and shoegaze post punk. The band consists of guitarists J. Holt Evans III and James McKay Glasgow, Boyce Evans (keyboards, drums) and Gavin Campbell (bass); the band has a heavy new wave vibe, conjuring sounds of The Cure, Sonic Youth or Sousixie and the Banshees — all credited as Lauds’ influences. Read PCD’s interview from February here.
Friday, June 30
Port City Top Comic
Dead Crow Comedy Room, 511 N Third St. • Tickets: $15-$25
It’s billed as one of the funniest weekends in comedy in the area, as Dead Crow Comedy Room challenges local and regional comedians — from novices to pros — to bring their A-game to the stage. The audience gets to be the judge on who rises to the top.
Port City Top Comic returns with 37 contestants vying for the title. Both Friday and Saturday feature two shows each night. Comics compete during preliminary rounds with 8-minute sets each.
Competitors on Friday include: Ronnie Tochos, Brian Hedrick, Tyler Deese, Davey K, Pete Smack, Mitchell Dwyer, Gerrod Sidbury, Shaun Ingrassia, Wolfgang Gohlke, John Grimes, John Simpson, Bryan Mitchell, Garret Stewart, Steve Melia, Louis Tee, Chris Rivoli, Dylan Wiggins and Lisa Buck.
Saturday night contestants are: Alex Denning, Nick Racioppi, Omar Zamorano, Matt Michel, Terri Warren-McGloin, Mike Byrd, George Cruz, Tony Castleberry, Paul Baeza, MT Bottles, Steve Marcinowski, Hollywood, Tim King, Ellie Coleman, Randall Moore, Cameron Smith, Kellen Blair, Hunter Sutton and Charles Ozuna.
The top from each night will advance to a final round Sunday with 10-minute sets.
Tickets are $15 ($25 VIP) each night.
OTHER FRIDAY HAPPENINGS
Metalfest — The Lookout hosts two nights of electric sounds for metalheads, including crushing riffs and raw energy with bands from Raleigh and Wilmington. Friday features Fractured Frames, Escape Velocity, Dark Signs and Fox Noose, while Saturday welcomes Hyperloops, The Unmentionables, Clouds Make Shapes, Speeding Kills Bears and Tweakk. Doors open at 6 p.m., with music starting at 7 p.m. It’s $14 for concertgoers under 21 and $10 for those over; two day passes are $15 and tickets are available here.
Saturday, July 1
‘Ragtime’
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $35
Opera House Theater Company has one more weekend of showing the Tony-award winning musical by playwright Terrence McNally at Thalian Hall.
It follows three groups of Americans in New York at the turn of the 20th century: an upper-class wife, an Eastern European immigrant and a young Harlem musician.
Themes of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair are explored, backed by musical stylings from Harlem’s ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, klezmer, bold brass band and waltzes.
“My heart soars when these talented singers bring the music to life,” director Fracaswell Hyman said.
It’s Hyman’s directorial debut with Opera House Theatre Company; he won the 2023 Wilmington Theater Award for directing “Schools Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play” for Big Dawg Productions.
The show is under musical direction from Brian Whitted and stars Broadway actor Curtis Wiley as Harlem pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. who falls in love with a washwoman, Sarah, performed by Bianca Shaw. Their newborn puts them in the sphere of a well-to-do white family — Mother (Megan Lewis), Father (Jon Berry), and their Little Boy (Sadler Selby) — from Rochelle, New York. The family bankrolls on American citizens’ penchant for patriotism by selling flags, fireworks and other red, white and blue regalia.
Coalhouse and Sarah’s love story is rife with tragedy, while in another circular plot point, a Jewish immigrant and talented visual artist, Tateh (Alex Gallo), in financial peril, finds triumph through his visual arts talent and becomes a pioneer in film animation.
The show highlights the inequities of society, through poignant and fatal events of classism, racism, feminism, celebrity obsession and more. Hyman told Port City Daily last week, it is disheartening to see these main themes as relevant 25 years after the novel’s debut. Read the preview of the show here.
Tickets are $35.
OTHER SATURDAY HAPPENINGS
Flytrap Brewing Pints for Purpose and Food Drive — A fundraiser benefiting the food pantry, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard — a nonprofit that has been operational since 1985 to tackle food insecurity — will kick off at the 319 Walnut St. brewery July 1 and last through July 8. Flytrap welcomes donations of juice boxes, canned goods (soup, fruit, tuna, etc.), cereal, dried pasta, mac and cheese, white and brown rice and other nonperishable items to go to the pantry. Then on July 4, Flytrap is releasing a new beer, Trigger Hairs for Hunger. The sour is named after the hairs on the locally indigenous Venus flytrap. A portion of proceeds from its sales on the Fourth will be donated to Mother Hubbard. The tart saison is aged on Sauvignon Blanc grapes to create a refreshing supper for summer.
Dram Fest — Dram Tree Tavern in Sunset Park is hosting its first music festival from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., presented by Stella Maris Records. Eight bands are slated to perform, including Winston Orz (1 p.m.), The Queen’s Giant (2 p.m.), Asia Daye (3 p.m.), Petrichor (4 p.m.), Brooke Renshaw (5 p.m.), Dylan Innes and the Business (6 p.m.), Dead Fox No Groove (7 p.m.), and the Blue Footed Boobies (8:20 p.m.). Tickets are $20 and there will be vendors on site, plus food and drinks sold from Dram Tree, 1806 Washington St.
Halyburton Medal Madness Squirrel 5K/10K/Half Marathon — Halyburton Park has a few races taking place Saturday, the first starting at 8 a.m. The 1.5-mile 5K is around Halyburton (4099 S. 17th St.), with the 10K consisting of two laps and the half-marathon being four. Packet pickup times are 30 minutes before the races and end 10 minutes before start time. All finishers will receive a medal, though awards are given to first through third overall, male and female. Entry fees are $35 to $65, non-refundable; registration is open here.
Pancake Breakfast — The Senior Center at Carolina Beach is welcoming visitors to its first Saturday breakfast of the month at the KB Hines Senior Center (308 Cape Fear Blvd.). The center is known for its “Island Famous” AYCE Pancake Breakfast. It’s served with sausage and scrambled eggs, coffee and juice for $8. Proceeds go to the senior center to raise funds for activities and the facility.
Latin Dancing Classes — The Studio Collective is offering salsa and bachata classes at 5 p.m.; no partner is necessary to participate. A drop-in class is $15 for individuals and $25 per couple. After the classes, wine is served and students are welcome to stay and practice. Registration is open here.
Sunday, July 2
Summer Slam 2
Varnish Nightclub, 23 Market St. • Tickets: $10-$20
Downtown’s dance club is hosting a day of live music on Sunday, featuring three bands: NARAH, Down Bad and Dog Park.
READ MORE: Listen up: New band NARAH electrifies ILM’s music scene
NARAH formed in 2019 and brings alternative grunge rock to the forefront, drawing influences from nu metal and punk-rock genres, plus bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Green Day, and Nirvana. The group has become known for its “in your face” performances; it’s not uncommon to see the band perform stunts during shows.
Continuing the high-octane energy will be punk rockers Down Bad, while Dog Park performs indie rock backed by pop harmonies and instrumentals.
Local food vendors will be on site at Varnish as well, and there will be raffles and drink specials.
Doors open at 3 p.m., with tickets online going for $10 for ages 21 and up or $15 for under 21; at the door, tickets increase by $5.
OTHER SUNDAY HAPPENINGS
Full Moon Music Cruise — Music lovers more interested in chill Sunday vibes will find a cruise along the Cape Fear River more rthei speed, with a live performance by singer songwriter Kelly Godfrey. The Wilmington Water Tours’ cruise takes place at 7 p.m. under the full moon for a two-hour excursion. Tickets are $40; check-in for the tours are at 212 S. Water St.
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