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, Sept. 26
Cirque Kalabanté: Afrique en Cirque
Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St. • Tickets start at $40
Inspired by daily life in Guinea, Afrique en Cirque is a global experience showcasing performance and artistry of African culture.
Acrobats take on gravity-defying moves, including human pyramids, and there are sounds of Afro-jazz, with colorful scenery, costumes and staging. Founded by Yamoussa Bangoura of Kalabanté Productions, Bangoura’s inspiration was growing up in Guinea in the ‘90s; he studied the Nyamakala tradition of circus, practiced by the Fula people of West Africa and toured across Africa and Europe with Circus Baobab before joining Cirque Eloize in Canada.
He started Kalabanté Productions in 2007 to begin his own venture.
Tickets start at $40.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Storm Relief Community Dinner — A dinner to raise money for community members who suffered loss due to potential tropical cyclone eight is taking place at Kindred (205 Charlotte Ave.) in Carolina Beach at 6 p.m. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to businesses that experienced significant loss in our community. Aperitivo hour begins at 5 p.m., followed by a Southern comfort food feast. It includes: BBQ, chicken and dumplings, green beans, creamed corn, cornbread and pound cake, catered by Salt & Charm. Tickets are $35, not including aperitivo hour.
Swing Dance with Wilmington Big Band — Eagle’s Dare (420 N. Third St.) is welcoming Wilmington’s 16-instrument jazz orchestra from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday. There will be a free dance lesson with Cape Fear Swing Dance Society’s Kelly Kenoyer at 6:30 p.m. There is a $10 cover.
No Water No Beer — NC One Water is hosting a fundraiser with support from Cape Fear River Watch, Environmental Quality Institute, RiverLink and Water For People to celebrate clear water and beer. It takes place at Hi-Wire Brewing and will include information about water resource preservation. There also will be a silent auction with prizes. Tickets are just $20 and include a beer and swag bag!
Wine and Brine — Flying Machine Brewing Co. in Wrightsville Beach is hosting a culinary event that pairs vino with bivalves. Wine and Brine is $20 a person and includes the art of pairing wine with oysters. Raw oysters from local purveyors, including James Hargrove of Middlesound Mariculture Oyster Co. and Cody Faison of Ghost Fleet Oyster Co., will be served with premium New Zealand wines from Villa Maria Vineyard. RSVP by emailing Molly@flyingmachinewb.com.
Beckwith Recital Series — Classical guitarist Michael Nicolella is performing at Beckwith Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. featuring music spanning multiple genres, from J.S. Bach and Domenico Scarlatti to Jimi Hendrix and Elliott Carter. The event takes place at the Cultural Arts Building, 5270 Randall Drive, and tickets are $14.
Friday, Sept. 28
Benji Hughes and Jon Lindsay
Bourgie Nights, 127 Princess St. • Tickets: $20-$25
After returning to perform at Ocean Grill and Tiki Bar last month, Benji Hughes and Jon Lindsay are returning to the stage at Bourgie Nights this weekend. The two performed together for years when they both lived in Charlotte and performed cabaret-style shows at Petra’s a decade or more ago.
“It was a welcoming place to take big chances and try out just about anything for an audience that wanted something stripped down, new, vulnerable, and unusual,” Lindsay recalled.
As a duo, with Lindsay on keys backing Hughes’ crooning voice, the two performed music intertwined with bits of the singer interacting with Lindsay and the audience comedically.
They’d perform songs from Great American Songbook but also Burt Bacharach, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, Prince, Roger Miller, and Madonna.
“And of course, all of the weirdest, wildest tunes by Benji that I loved,” Lindsay said.
Hughes’ repertoire has also appeared on shows like “Eastbound and Down” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He was the songwriter on the “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and has contributed to Jeff Bridges’ self-titled country album and Meshell Ndegeocello’s album “Weather.”
In 2008, Hughes released “Love Extreme,” well-known for its blend of pop and rock on catchy songs like “Vibe So Hot,” “Tight Tee Shirt” and “The Mummy.” It was followed up in 2016 with “Songs in the Key of Animals” on Merge Records. “A Lovers Extreme” and “Another Extreme” were released in 2020. The music has a blend of comedy, poetry and lovelorn muses all in one.
Lindsay praised Hughes’ songwriting for being evocative and effortless, yet also potently humorous.
“He’s just a guy who knows how to get out of his own way and give you what you want, while also showing you something super singular — his universe, replete with many zany characters, mysteries, and pleasantries,” Lindsay said. “The tunes and the albums hit like a bullet, know when to quit, and leave you wanting more.”
Lindsay was part of Hughes’ band for a while before embarking on his own solo journey. The keyboardist is preparing to release his fourth album, “Big Stage,” early next year. Straying from his first three releases’ experimental pop sounds, Lindsay said this LP leans more into straightforward vintage pop.
“It’s the first record that I ever had a real budget for and ever really got to make properly,” he said, starting the process in Sioux Sioux Studios in Charlotte before finishing it 2,000 miles away in Hollywood at Barefoot Studios. “That’s the “Stevie Wonder Piano” you hear, which Stevie made a bunch of records on and then recently bought back from the studio after it closed down, which just happened, as Eric and his wife Grace Potter moved out of California. Paul McCartney and all kinds of people have cut records in this place, especially a lot of Laurel Canyon stuff in the Asylum family, Jackson Browne and folks like that. You can really hear the big live room through the mics on the B3 organ, and just a lot of crystalline open space that makes it on the record.”
“Big Stage” was created without publishers or a label and instead with the help of close friends, including Mike Pepe, Chris Walldorf and Jonathan Erickson. It even includes the first song Lindsay ever wrote — “Chillington.”
The Bourgie Nights show will include Lindsay playing some tracks from the new release, followed by the same format with Hughes that the two embarked on at Petra’s many years ago.
Lindsay said it will include expected hits, but more so unexpected tunes and rarities, such as “I Hate When Pretty Ladies Die,” “Chemo Kids,” and “Kenny.”
“You’ll get plenty of hits, but it’s the twists and turns that make this show pretty deep,” Lindsay said.
Tickets are $20 to $25 here; read full interview with Lindsay here.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Rocktoberfest — Also at Eagle’s Dare on Friday evening, the third annual rock event celebrating local music and the arrival of fall will take place. Bands include the Delta Bombers (9 p.m.), Jared Petteys & The Headliners (7:30 p.m.) and local rockabilly and ska punk rockers The Phantom Playboys (6 p.m.). Tickets are $15.
Well-Heeled in Paris — Local artist Billy Cone has new works on display at Azalea Antiques and Art (1502 23rd St.). Cone is a painter and photographer; he sees the infinite in the human face, showcasing personalities. Photography, plus Billy’s line drawings (Half and Halfs), are universal collectors’ pieces. The exhibit opens at 7 p.m.
Pier Palooza — The Pier at Port City Marina is hosting multiple bands at a party from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. featuring The Vegabonds from Nashville, Wilmington’s own The Blue Footed Boobies and Machine Gun Band. Seaview Crab Company will have its food truck on site and donations will be accepted for Plastic Ocean Project. Tickets are $35.
Rescheduled to Nov. 8 Steep Canyon Rangers — Asheville-based bluegrass outfit Steep Canyon Rangers released their live album recorded at Wilmington’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater at the end of August and will return to the stage to perform its tracks along with other tunes from its 16-deep discography on Saturday. They have received a Grammy and been nominated for many more, including from their last live album, 2019’s “North Carolina Songbook” recorded at MerleFest. It featured songs by multiple artists born in the Tar Heel State (James Taylor, Doc Watson, Thelonious Monk). The group also has recorded with banjo-playing actor Steve Martin, a longtime fan and collaborator, including on 2014’s “Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell LIVE.” The goal for the Greenfield Lake release was to showcase their energy at live concerts; check out the trailer for the latest release here. Catch them at the intimate venue that inspired the release, with tickets available for $40 here.
Good Hops Oktoberfest — On Carolina Beach at 811 Harper Ave., Good Hops Brewing is hosting its own Oktoberfest. The brewery will release its special Hoptoberfest brew and there will be food provided by The Island Men. Plus, live music will be performed by The Sausage Festival Band, with games including a stein-holding contest, weiner toss, ax-throwing and more. It’s free!
Saturday, Sept. 29
Young Frankenstein
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets start at $28
A Mel Brooks musical, based on the comedy written by and starring Gene Wilder, will be staged locally at Thalian Hall the next two weekends.
A parody of the horror film genre — particularly based on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” produced by Universal Pictures in the mid-20th Century and all subsequent films following — the show covers a madman scientist’s arrival to Transylvania. After inheriting his grandfather’s castle, he attempts to recreate his own monster.
Music and lyrics are by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, and tickets start at $28.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Leah Rudick — A Los Angeles-based actor, writer and comedian who has more than a million followers on social media will be coming to Dead Crow Comedy this weekend. Leah Rudick has become known for her “weird girl comedy,” doing impersonations of a “wealthy woman” and “love coach.” She released her first comedy special “Spiraling,” available on Apple TV and Amazon.
“I don’t want to brag, but I feel like I have become a pretty successful content creator and the reason I know this is because several strangers have slid into my DMs,” she said, “to ask if I … have bulging eye syndrome? … I don’t have it. Turns out I am just startled by life.” Rudick is touring clubs and has participated in festivals including Moontower JFL, San Francisco Sketchfest and Laughing Skull Fest, with TV appearances on HBO’s “High Maintenance,” IFC’s “Commuters & Fast Company with James Corden.” Tickets to her show on both Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. are available for $25 to $35 here.
Sunday, Sept. 30
‘Shakers Revised’
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $35
A repertory company that supports new plays is producing a show at Thalian Hall this weekend called “Shakers Revised,” by Rose Mary Harrington. From the Harrington Repertory Company, it delves into America at the end of the 18th century and focuses on the women-founded religion sect, the Shakers.
Their journey to reach the “American dream” embraces both comedy and tragedy as they travel from industrial England to colonial America right before the Revolutionary War.
The show features a 13-member local cast and tickets are $35.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Oktoberfest — Prost (115 S. Front St.) continues its multiple weekends of Oktoberfest celebrations. Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. will be Sausage Fest. There will be live music from Folk Stone String Band at 1 p.m., plus a pretzel toss, stein-holding competition and costume contest — wear your best lederhosen! Free to attend but food and drink will be individually priced.
Beethoven Symphony No. 8 — The North Carolina Symphony will be coming to Wilson Center for a performance conducted by Joseph Peters. The program will include R. Strauss’ “Serenade in E-flat Major,” Farrenc’s “Symphony No. 3” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 8.” The 90-minute performance starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $25.
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