In the lead-up to the release of Amigo's new album, And Friends, frontman Slade Baird came by the studio to discuss producing with Mitch Easter, the momentum of the Charlotte music scene and making a new addition to the band on keys.

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• Rev. Amantha Barbee speaks to the crowd at the Women's March in First Ward Park. (Photo by Ryan Pitkin)

On January 20, the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, thousands of people took to the streets of Charlotte — joined by countless others across the country — to protest the president's policies and stand up for women's rights and other intersectional issues during the second annual Women's March.

#WomensMarch2018 in #CLT https://t.co/cnNss0gyEm

— Creative Loafing (@cl_charlotte) January 20, 2018

In the two hours leading up the march, which wound its way from First Ward Park to Romare Bearden Park, a diverse group of women took the stage to address the ever-growing crowd. Speakers included Charlotte City Council representatives LaWana Mayfield and Dimple Ajmera; N.C. Rep. Carla Cunningham; Rev. Amantha Barbee of Statesville Avenue Presbyterian Church and MaryBe McMillan of the NC State AFL-CIO, among others.

In the crowd, marchers displayed their own frustration with creative signs. Creative Loafing was on hand to snap pictures of the speakers and some of our favorite signs [below]. Let us know if you saw any good ones that we missed.

Slideshow Charlotte Women's March 2018

40 slides

Charlotte Women's March 2018

By Ryan Pitkin

Click to View 40 slides

Before heading to eastern Europe for a five-week tour, proto-punk and garage-rock pioneer Rob Lind of The Sonics came by the studio to talk about making music with his friends as a naive teen in the mid-'60s, with no idea of how iconic his band would become.

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• [From left] Mark Kemp, Rob Lind and Ryan Pitkin.

It’s been a long road from an Indian orphanage to the Carolinas for Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, but now that she’s here, she’s ready to join the fight against economic immobility and help disadvantaged children like she once was.

As a baby, Cooper-Lewter was left on the doorstep of Mother Teresa’s orphanage in India. Later, she was placed with an Indian foster family and soon arrived in the United States on an immigrant orphan visa through an international adoption.

Now 45, she has dedicated her life to change and will have a chance to help disadvantaged children in Charlotte as the new executive director of the Leading On Opportunity Council, formed in response to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force recommendation to improve economic mobility.

The initiative helps create opportunities for children by focusing on early childhood education, college and career readiness, family stability, social capital and segregation.

“My journey has guided my life purpose to ensure every child — regardless of income, race and zip code — has the same opportunities as yours and mine,” Cooper-Lewter stated in a press release announcing her new appointment earlier this week. “I have given my heart to this cause and to racial equity.”

Cooper-Lewter will begin in her new position on February 20. On her to-do list: develop a 100-day action plan, build a staff, secure an office location, listen to the community and meet as many people as possible.

After a nationwide search of over 100 candidates, the 45-year-old was chosen for her experience collaborating and building relationships with different communities. She has nearly 25 years of experience in social work, including serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia and most recently the Vice President of Initiatives and Public Policy for the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.

“We believe we are at a pivotal time in Charlotte’s history,” said James Ford and Andrea Smith, co-chairs of the Leading on Opportunity Council, in the release. “We need every facet of the community to understand that we have a collective responsibility to ensure every child has a chance to prosper no matter their starting point in life. That’s the goal of Leading on Opportunity. Stephanie has a passion for children, people on the margins, and a gift for uniting the community that we believe will help us accomplish our charge as a Council to inspire and connect the community to change outcomes.”

Not many folks move to Charlotte with the sole intention of entering the music scene, but that's what Mike and Carly Astrea did about two and a half years ago, and they've since brought Will Gilreath on to the experimentalist trip-hop group Astrea Corp they formed in south Florida.

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• [From left] Will Gilreath, Mike Astrea, Carly Astrea and Ryan Pitkin.

Releasing his debut album, LIGHTBLEU, has been a long road for Brio — from CLT to ATL and back again over four years. For episode 24, Mark and Ryan have him in right after the album's release to talk about the full process, and how moving away from his hometown and then coming home has played a role in his music and outlook.

Also, DJ Pauly Guwop drops in to share a little insight on the LIGHTBLEU process.

• [From left] Mark Kemp, Brio and Ryan Pitkin.