by Kelly Fahey

1. The Last Great Winter

Now that my time here at TCB is coming an end, I’m looking back at all of the incredible people, events and organizations I’ve been introduced to through this newspaper. It’s hard to decide on the best thing I’ve covered, but the Last Great Winter at Elsewhere was undoubtedly the most fun. I won’t soon forget the whimsical atmosphere, great music and abundance of food and booze at what I’m willing to say is one of the best parties I’ve ever been to. Still, the highlight had to be the trippy puppet show put on by the Puerto Rican troupe Poncili Creacion.

2. Swan City Sounds

Shedding light on people who are working hard to improve our music scene has been my favorite aspect of this internship, so I jumped at the opportunity to profile Clifford Parody and his Greensboro-based tape label Swan City Sounds. Although we caught a little flack for it (someone asked if we were going to do a write-up on Morse code next) I still think it was a great story. Luckily my editors see the merits of DIY music distribution as well.

3. Cringe Con

I had never even been to the Garage, a venue I now consider to be among the best in the Triad, until I was assigned to cover Cringe Con. The event was an all-out freak show, which I mean in the best way possible. Headlined by an old favorite of mine Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, with opening sets from Whatever Brains and Primovanhalen and a heroes and villains costume theme, Cringe Con had me wishing that every show could be a little weirder.

4. Rocket at Glenwood Coffee & Books

The Bronzed Chorus and friends played the Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream in its entirety, with an opening set filled with early Modest Mouse fan favorites from Black Santa for the Halloween cover show to end all Halloween cover shows. Hopefully the tradition stays strong, but my expectations are pretty high after watching Rocket play ’90s anthems like “Cherub Rock” and “Mayonnaise” to absolute perfection.

5. “Waste Matters”

Before TCB, I had never set foot in High Point. My first writing excursion there led me to the public library for an environmentally conscious art exhibit. Bryant Holsenbeck, one of the most interesting people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting through this internship, takes massive piles of waste and turns them into grandiose displays of our throwaway culture. Her story was fascinating, especially her current attempt to live without using disposable plastic.

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