ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

It’s been exactly half a decade since we shot the breeze with Atlanta’s own jack of all musical trades and film score junkie, Jeffrey Butzer (The Bicycle Eaters/The Compartmentalizationalists). So we caught up with him once again to get the scoop on his upcoming venture into the bizarre land of Lynch. His “Club Silencio: Music From the Feature Films of David Lynch” tours the southeast this summer with a killer kick-off at The Earl this Friday, June 2 at 9 pm, featuring the “Ladies in the Radiator” also known as Butzer (guitar); T.T. Mahony (synth/piano); Bicycle Eaters Matt Steadman and Sean Zearfoss (rhythm section); Ben Davis (sax), Jade Poppyfield and Renee Nelson (rotating vocalists). Club Silencio promises an unconventionally surreal evening sending you dangling head first into The Pink Room. And if you just can’t get enough Lynch-madness after the June 2 date, you can catch the tour at its stops at the High Dive in Gainesville, FL on June 23, at Saturn in Birmingham, AL on July 8, and at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens on July 15!

ATLRetro caught up with Jeffrey Butzer for a quick tête-à-tête about “Club Silencio,” his love affair with film scores and film in general, and what he and the Bicycle Eaters/The Compartmentalizationalists have been up to in the last five years. While you’re takin’ a gander at our little Q&A with Butzer, why not listen to a bit o’ Butzer and The Compartmentalizationalists’ “Mother’s Gray Dress.”

ATLRetro:  It’s been nearly half a decade since we spoke to you about the release of The Bicycle Eaters’ new 7-inch HIDING PLASTIC SPIDERS. So much has happened since, and now you’re diving head first into David Lynch’s land of the bizarre with your newest musical escapade, CLUB SILENCIO: MUSIC FROM THE FEATURE FILMS OF DAVID LYNCH. What draws you to Lynch’s film scores?

Jeffrey Butzer: What I love about Lynch’s work is his element of surprise. The new TWIN PEAKS series is a great example of that. I love that every week I have no idea what I am getting into. Will it scare me or be hilarious?  …Who knows?

Your CLUB SILENCIO tour was originally slated for 2008, as a follow up to your BEAUTIFUL LOSERS: THE SONGS OF CAVE, WAITS AND COHEN and A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS tours. Of course we have to know, what took so long and why now?

I am not sure? It wasn’t feeling right in 2008. I never could get in to the mindset to put it together. As Lynch would say, “The ideas weren’t coming.” I had a set list, which really hasn’t changed very much. But that was it. Earlier this year, I had a conversation with a musician who was sort of pushing me to finally do it. Then Julee Cruise and I sort of discussed a mini tour, which neither of us could make happen but, at that point I was really into the idea again, and with the timing of the new TWIN PEAKS it was easy to get everyone motivated.

Can you tell our readers a little about “The Ladies in the Radiator” who will be performing with you on the CLUB SILENCIO tour?

Yes, my longtime collaborator T.T. Mahony is playing synth/piano, Bicycle Eaters Matt Steadman and Sean Zearfoss are the rhythm section, Ben Davis (Purkenji Shift/Noot d’Noot) on Sax, Meghan Dowlen a.k.a. ”Jade Poppyfield” and Renee Nelson (Jarboe) are both singing on different dates. I am playing guitar. It is a really great band. I am really happy with all the arrangements.

Film scores are a big influence on your music, with the Bicycle Eaters and The Compartmentalizationalists, et al. It seems many musicians are influenced by particular musicians (past or present) or a particular type of popular music (the art being the whole), but film’s scores tell a different kind of story, as accompaniments or pieces or carriers of the whole. Can you tell our readers what it is about film scores that influence you and the part they play in carrying a film?

I am a film lover in general. I like when films have no music, like in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or films by my hero Luis Bunuel. But, I also like when music is almost like a main character in a movie, like THE MASTER or films by Fellini, for example. I am not sure how film music influences me exactly. I guess I like the abstract nature of creating feelings out of noises. Mood is my primary goal in the music that I create.

We see that you’ve composed several scores as well for films such as Raymond Carr’s WILD IS THE WIND (2011); HITORI (2014); GOOD GRIEF SUICIDE HOTLINE (2015); ABACUS, MY LOVE (2014); BIRDCATCHER (2006), etc. Do you prefer composing behind the scenes, or playing in front of a crowd? Pros and cons?

I enjoy both for different reasons. Making a score is really strange to me. I really never know what I am doing. I still do not have a method of working and I don’t write out music. Matt Steadman (producer, musician) and I normally meet and see what happens and eventually we come up with music we are happy with. Live shows are very thrilling for me. Something like Club Silencio is fun, because we get to have our own Lynchian spin on expectations. We created this as massive admirers and fans of Lynch and have put together the show we would want to see. I’m getting really obsessed with details like stage plot, lighting, clothing. We put a lot of thought in to these types of shows. We really want them to feel special and fun for people.

Which film score(s) influenced you the most before you began composing your own, and how did it influence you?

Nino Rota’s 8 ½, Michael Nyman/Peter Greenaway scores and the spaghetti westerns by Morricone and Luis Bacolov were all influential to me.

Who are your top five favorite film composers and the film scores they composed that moved you most?

In no particular order my favorites would be Nino Rota (8 ½); Angelo Badalamenti (most Lynch films); Ennio Morricone (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST/ THE GREAT SILENCE); Michael Nyman (A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS/ THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER); and Carter Burwell (FARGO/ BARTON FINK). However, it is difficult to speak about influence. As a musician I strive to not show my influences. I can say that when I sit down to write, music is the last thing on my mind. I am typically thinking about a story, sometimes my own, sometimes a book or film. Then, I try to musically paint a picture. I am very bad with narrative, which is probably why I am drawn to filmmakers like Lynch, who seems more concerned with mood.

Can you give us five things you’re into at the moment that we should be listening to right now–past or present, well-known or obscure?

1) Rowland S. Howard, the guitarist from The Birthday Party has a great, dark, and beautiful album called TEENAGE SNUFF FILM; 2) the singer Lhasa, especially her song Rising, and a song called “That Leaving Feeling“ she recorded with Stuart Staples of Tindersticks. She passed away a few years ago. Her voice is one of my favorite things; 3) Leonard Cohen’s underrated album NEW SKIIN FOR THE OLD CEREMONY is an all time favorite of mine; 4) Emiliana Torrini’s version of “If You Go Away” has been in my steady rotation. I love Brel’s version of course, but hers in a wonderful modern take; and 5) Rennie Sparks (The Handsome Family): Many now know of them from the theme from True Detective, but do yourself a favor and delve in to their world. Rennie’s books and paintings are so strange and vivid and their last album is one of their best. Rennie, as a writer is one of my biggest influences.

Back to the surreal. If you had to choose just one (I know it’s hard!), which Lynch film would be your absolute favorite?

I honestly cannot pick one. MULHOLLAND DRIVE is always in my top three. BLUE VELVET is the first one I fell in love with. INLAND EMPIRE is a misunderstood masterpiece. If you’ve only seen it once and are on the fence or don’t really like it, see it three more times. It is so dense it demands multiple viewings.

You’re taking this epic and eccentric beast on a trip across the equally bizarre south this summer after your gig at The Earl on June 2, with shows at the High Dive in Gainesville, FL (June 23); Saturn in Birmingham (July 8); and the Caledonia Lounge in Athens (July 15). What exciting things can folks expect when they come to one of your shows? And will this be the last of the tour, or will you be giving Atlanta an encore presentation in the near future?

If this goes well, we plan to make it a summer tradition. We are doing our best to make you feel like you are visiting the Pink Room/Black Lodge and deliver the best renditions of these iconoclastic songs as possible.

And last but not least, any other exciting plans in the future for Jeffrey Bützer? The Bicycle Eaters? The Compartmentalizationalists?

Bicycle Eaters have our first vocal full-length in the editing room as we speak…er, type. I’m also writing a play/screenplay entitled “Partialisms” that I plan to bring to a stage or screen in the near future.

All photos are courtesy of Jeffrey Butzer and used with permission.

Nostalgic adults and kids will dig Jeffrey Butzer and T.T. Mahony’s jazzy musical tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS.  This year, the duo will be presenting their holiday treat at The Earl Fri. Dec. 14 and Sat. Dec. 15 and performing a more family-friendly reprise at Nine Street Kitchen in Roswell Mon. Dec. 10 and Thurs. Dec. 20. All shows will start with an instrumental set by Jeffrey’s band, The Bicycle Eaters and also feature surf favorites from THE VENTURES CHRISTMAS ALBUM  rendered by Chad Shivers and the Silent Knights.

As noted last year, the seasonal sell-out shows of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS are a labor of love for Jeffrey, a musician/composer whose solo works tend towards the minimalism of the simple Christmas tree in the iconic Charles Schultz special. His band, the Bicycle Eaters, takes a different bend, inspired by Ennio Morricone spaghetti western scores, klezmer and gypsy. And he’s been collaborating with recent Kool Kat The Residents’ Molly Harvey lately, too. Frankly that’s just a small taste of the musical adventures of this diverse Atlanta performer and affirmed cineaste, who was our Kool Kat of the Week last March.

ATLRetro caught up with Jeffrey to find out more about this year’s A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, and what’s next for him with The Bicycle Eaters and as a solo composer/musician.

How old were you when you first saw A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS on TV and what did the show and its music mean to you when growing up?

I don’t remember a time NOT knowing who Charlie Brown was. It is like Bruce Lee, Elvis or Grandma, something that seemed to always exist to me. Growing up, it was always my favorite special. I liked how blue it was. Both literally and figuratively. Cartoon music in general affects you strangely. Like Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott with the Looney Tunes, I wasn’t aware of them until I was older and started playing music. But again, it is hard to remember a time when I didn’t listen to that record every year.

How did you and TT Mahony get the idea of developing A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS holiday show, and for how many years have you been doing it?

This is year four. I approached TT after he played a Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits/Nick Cave tribute show I worked on. He is an amazing piano player, very witty , too. I had kicked around the idea of doing a holiday show in the past but never really knew a pianist that could handle Guaraldi. Robby Handley is the best upright bass player I know. Great hair, too. And here is an odd fact about TT. He can jump really, really high. I’ve told him he should find some way to compete. I once saw him jump from the ground onto the top of a Toyota.

I understand last year’s shows were packed. Are you surprised that so many adults are so enthusiastic about music from a 1960s kids TV show/Christmas LP? What kind of comments do you get after your performances?

Yes, we were hoping for the best, that our fans and friends would enjoy the show and hopefully some new faces would come out. But the response has been overwhelming. Last year we had to start doing two nights. As far as comments, the one we get the most is “Can you do an all-ages one too…for the babies?” The reason we haven’t is because. the mood we set in The Earl seems to really suit Snoopy and the gang. It is cozy, dark, and has energy almost like a rock show. We are really looking forward to playing Nine Street Kitchen, it sounds like it is going to turn into a great venue. And playing for children will be a blast. My 3-year-old son Francis is happy he can come out to “Dad’s Show.”

What can audiences expect at The Earl this weekend?

Cookies, dancing… It is basically a big Holiday Party with 300 of your closest, newest friends.

What are you doing at Nine Street Kitchen (in Roswell) to make it even more kid-friendly?

The show will not change much.

Why pair Peanuts with The Ventures? 

Well, the albums were released around the same time for one thing. They are both classic ‘60s albums. They are both easy to dance to.

And what about that opening set from Jeffrey Butzer and the Bicycle Eaters?

My band (The Bicycle Eaters) play Frenchy-Jazzy-Spaghetti Western-inspired instrumentals. We are releasing a limited EP at the show

What else are you and the Bicycle Eaters up to? Any more collaborations with Molly Harvey or new 2013 recordings you’d like to tell readers about? 

We have a vocal album on the way called collapsible with our new singer Cassi Costoulas and French singer Lionel Fondeville, as well as several other great guests: Brent Hinds, Don Chambers. Possibly Molly Harvey.

Molly Harvey performs at Black Mass 2011 Halloween show at 529. Copyright Vincent Tseng 2012. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

When Jeffrey Butzer clues us in about a gig, we always perk up our ears. But when Tender Prey turns out to be a FREE Nick Cave tribute show the day before Halloween featuring such interesting denizens of the Atlanta/Athens music scene as Jeffrey, Molly Harvey of The Residents,Cave Women, Andy DeLoach (The Lady Vanishes) and Ben Trickey – and also songs by Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and PJ Harvey – well, you betcha we’re ready to head down to 529 on Tues. Oct. 30, declare it our Birthday Party and see what Bad Seeds may be planted or men be grinding.

Yup, we’re bat-crazy about Cave and have dug The Residents for longer than we can remember. There’s this pesky rumor that Residents rarely, if ever, give interviews, but Molly Harvey even was so awfully badass as to answer a few questions. So hell, yeah, we just had to make her the Kool Kat of Halloween Week. For your reading pleasure and because the show is on a Tuesday, it’s no trick. We’re going ahead and treating it to you early…

What’s your earliest memory of Nick Cave and was it disturbing?

I can actually remember where I was, in the living room of a $100/month house in Richmond, VA. My roommate was a big Birthday Party/Nick Cave fan, and he’d play them a lot. I actually did feel disturbed. Nick Cave’s music represented that [part] of the world which was still very unknown to me and seemed out of reach, like a language I never had any hope of learning.

Nick Cave has evolved chameleon-like through a number of musical iterations from the Birthday Party to solo work to Grinderman? Which Nick Cave will you be representing at Tender Prey and why?

We’ll be playing a variety of his music, not sticking with one album or era. We just tried to pick stuff that we like and that is a bit Halloween-y. Looks-wise I am fond of that Bad Seeds fancy bad man look. I’m encouraging suits and nice shoes. We’ll see.  Nick and the Residents certainly seem to share an obsessive interest in the odd, as well as pushing musical boundaries and making people uncomfortable.

Was Nick Cave an influence on you or the Residents or vice versa?

I would say he was probably not an influence on The Residents. I am always surprised by how many artists they DON’T listen to. But I could be wrong – they may be huge Nick Cave fans. I love his music, but I’m not an obsessive fan, and there is plenty of his material that I’ve never heard. So musically/stylistically, he’s not an influence but definitely is someone I admire. I love that no matter what he does, his stuff has a very definite signature, yet not all his stuff sounds exactly alike. That’s a delicate balance to achieve.

Can you tell us anything more about the Tender Prey show, how it came about, and why we shouldn’t miss it?

Well, you should come out because aside from our band, there are about 17 other acts (or two or three) doing great stuff: Leonard Cohen tunes, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits. It’s going to be high caliber songwriter night with a bunch of solid musicians. And did anyone mention it’s FREE? It’s free. So that’s always good. We did a Halloween show last year at 529 that was a lot of fun, so we thought-what the heck. Let’s do it again. And there will be puppets.  This is going to be a totally fun night, because everyone knows these songs we’re playing. All the bands that night are paying homage to artists we love, so right there it sets a really positive note up for the night. Jeffrey and I participated last year in a Halloween show at 529 that we called a Black Mass. It was silly and tongue-in-cheek, but I wasn’t interested in even parodying that energy this year. This is more celebratory.

You’ve been with the Residents, hang out with Jeffrey Butzer, and now you’re doing Nick Cave. Do you ever do anything musically that could be classified as remotely normal? Would you ever want to?

Normal like…doing commerical jingles? Or Christmas caroling? I would. No one asks me to, though. I actually auditioned for all these theaters here and didn’t get one call, so I think I should stick with weird. Normal people don’t usually really care about what I do.

The Residents, "Demons Dance Alone" concept album 2002. Photo courtesy of Henrik Kam.

How did you meet up with Jeffrey Butzer anyway and aren’t you collaborating with him on some stuff?

Jeffrey and I met through our mutual friend Matt Steadman, who is also playing guitar in the show. I guess Jeffrey was a Residents fan, and Matt and I worked together, and someone mentioned something and – voila! We are trying to collaborate on some stuff. We really want to make some original work together. It’s a matter of us being in the same place for enough time to develop something. But the wheels are turning for putting a little band together and doing original stuff. We’ll see.

This isn’t you, is it? https://www.mollyharvey.com/ Are there ever any uncomfortable mix-up moments and what would you say (or sing) if you were asked to lead a corporate soul woman leadership forum?

I actually have been told that there is a girl in [San Francisco] who pretends – or at least used to pretend – to be me. She apparently gets very drunk and blabbers on and on about her and The Residents. I hated hearing that. That’s the kind of thing that may have created misunderstandings that I don’t even know about. As far as the Corporate Soul Woman, I WISH I would get some of her clients. I’d tell them to listen to their hearts, but only for the month, that at the end of the month they’d have to come back and get checked out by me so I could give them more timeless wisdom.

What else are you up to right now, and when you will be playing live next?

I am momming it up. I have a young child and that takes up pretty much all my time. Creatively, I am a sewer. That came out wrong. I like to sew. I make things with fabric. I am also working on fleshing out a character who I hope will be singing with Jeffrey before too long.

The Residents at The Fillmore, Halloween, 1997. Photo courtesy of Henrik Kam.

Finally, since it’s Halloween and you have been known for some pretty insane stage costumes, are you willing to give a hint as to what costume you’ll be wearing? Any favorite place to shop for over-the-top clothing in Atlanta or Athens?

Funny, I have no intention of dressing up this year in any costume. Maybe that’ll change between now and next week, but if anything I sort of just feel like looking nice, like being onstage is a special occasion that I want to honor with a dress and matching socks and washed hair. Since dressing up for me has been the norm in my musical career, I want to explore and see what it’s like to create characters solely with my voice, face and body. But shoot, maybe I’ll find a great wig between now and then and that desire for realness will be over! Shopping-wise I have found some great, funny things at Rainbow, but thrift stores are always my favorite places to find that unintentionally over-the-top outfit.

Jeffrey Butzer with accordion. Photo credit: Melissa J. Butzer.

Cinematic. Haunting. Minimalist. Unique. Perfect.  All of these words could describe Jeffrey Butzer‘s eclectic sound rendered with such unusual instrument choices as accordion, toy piano and glockenspiel. The motto of his live shows might be “expect the unexpected” in the best possible way, and his previous recordings and videos, solo and with bands The Bicycle Eaters and The Compartmentalists, have attracted praise from Canadian film director Guy Maddin (THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD) and film critic Roger Ebert. In other words, if all you know about Jeffrey is his Charlie Brown Christmas tribute show (read our article about it here), you’re in for a real treat at the release party for Jeffrey Butzer and the Bicycle Eaters’ new 7-inch HIDING PLASTIC SPIDERS (The Great Big) this Saturday night March 31 at The Earl.

ATLRetro caught up with Jeffrey recently to find out more about HIDING PLASTIC SPIDERS, the influence of Spaghetti Western scores and scissors on his unique sound, and what it was like to wake up Roger Ebert in the middle of the night.

Just the title HIDING PLASTIC SPIDERS suggests a story behind the music. What’s on it, how did you come to write the songs and is it true it will be on red vinyl?

This might not be as mysterious as a back story as one might want to hear, [but] the title refers to something my wife and I did when we first met. We worked together, and at our job we had a bunch of magnetic spiders that were a promotional item for a film and we would hide them from each other. It is a fond memory of us getting to know each other (13 years ago, now). It is on red vinyl; it looks like a Jolly Rancher.

This is the first release as Jeffrey Butzer and the Bicycle Eaters, these are all songs that I came in with the basic structure and melodies, and they “fixed them up.” Kristin [Jarvis] and Chad [Shivers] are amazing with melodies and counter-melodies. Eric [Balint] is like a secret weapon; he knows just what to and not to do and the right times. And William [J. Brisby] has played bass in almost every project and has never missed one single note. That is not a joke.

What was it like recording with a band and a producer?

It was wonderful. I’ve known Luci, the producer, for a very long time, and he is patient and a perfectionist. He slows me down in a good way. He really excels at everything he tries. He’s an amazing photographer, musician and a great dresser. And recording with a band in the past has been impractical. Normally I multi-track the parts, then bring in other musicians after the fact. On this, it was really nice being able to record with most of us in the room; it added a nice mood to the record.

How did you hook up with Gea who directed the video of “Case of Unspiralled Stairs” ?

I’ve known her for several years; we are both big film enthusiasts. I liked her artwork and asked her if she wanted to do a video for the record, and thankfully she did and it turned out really great.

So Roger Ebert posts the video for “Case of Unspiralled Stairs” on Facebook and says “I woke up in the middle of the night. Jeffrey Butzer had sent me this. That was the perfect time to view it. My mind was still halfway in dreams.” How cool was that and was that the response you had hoped for from it?

It was very cool! I didn’t really know what to expect. He had never really commented when I sent him videos before. I “know” him through a secret society that he and I are both members of. Along with Ken Keeler (FUTURAMA), Neil Gaiman and Guy Maddin.

Speaking of Guy Maddin, how did you meet him and get him to do alternate cover artwork for HIDING PLASTIC SPIDERS?

I scored a film called BIRDCATCHER that Guy saw, and we sort of became friends. I am going to hang out with him in New York in a couple weeks! I saw the collages that he made, and he agreed to let us use [one of] them as cover art!

When your music is paired with video, it reminds me of a lost 1950s/60s existentialist French film. Can you talk a bit about how film has influenced your sound and visuals?

Film has always been the band’s biggest influence. All the greats: Buster Keaton, Fellini, Bunuel and Penny Marshall… well, maybe not her so much. I think when I first started making music I wanted to sound like certain artists. But as I got older, other mediums began to influence my music more, especially film. The instrumental music that we make is mostly about mood, much like the film style you mentioned. So I think the approach and what we are trying to achieve isn’t that far apart.

Some have heard the influence of Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Western scores. Are you a Spaghetti Western fan? What are your favorite films/scores from that genre?

I’m way more into Spaghetti Western music than into the films. There are several I really enjoy. They’re so style-driven that you can really just watch scenes from them isolated from the movie. If I were to name some I like: THE GRAND DUEL and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE. The other band I’m in The Compartmentalizationalists touches more on the genre than the Bicycle Eaters.

Scissors play a key role in your video for “Lucy 5’s Egg” and I understand you dangle them on stage as well in some of your gigs. Why scissors, and will scissors be part of this week’s show?

I wrote lyrics to a song a really long time ago that had the lines “on a pillar in the sky, a sleeping woman lies, dreaming of the garden of scissors.” I really liked the image. I wrote a screenplay and an album based on that line, and it has sort of stuck as a motif over the years.

An image from the haunting video for "Case of Unspiralled Stairs."

The toy piano, accordion and glockenspiel are unusual instruments for a contemporary musician. What drew you to them?

I like how whimsical they sound together. I never wanted to make music that is old-fashioned or heavily referenced by something from the past. But on the other hand, nostalgia interests me a lot. I first heard toy pianos used a lot by Rob Burger and Margaret Leng Tan.

Why the “Bicycle-Eaters”?

That is a bit of an inside joke. The short version is just that my friend Matt Benard, who plays bass with us, sometimes knows a guy who, in fact…ate a bicycle.

Your gigs are known to include the unexpected, but without giving any big surprises, do you have any special plans for this week’s show at The Earl?

We have a couple OF guest singers and an unusual cover song we are doing. If I tell you anymore, it won’t be unexpected. ZING!

When will your new CD “COLLAPSIBLE” be released and what can you share about it?

I’m not sure. I am hoping for a May release at the Goat Farm. It is a collection of songs played mostly with small arrangements. So far it is just a solo album. I have had a few songs floating around for a while and I record at night after my son goes to sleep. Some are new interpretations of songs I have releases before – only a few though.

I have an odd process. I always set out to make an album with a list of songs in hand. Then when I’m done, as with this one, I cut half of the songs I originally wanted on and record a bunch of new things. For this album, which has between 12-15 songs, I recorded around 35… so far.

What else is up with Jeffrey Butzer? We’ve heard you’ve done some interesting collaborations lately and even dipped into film and theatrical scoring. Any more team-ups planned with Molly Harvey (The Residents)? And aren’t you going to Poland?

Molly and I are planning some shows. Some as a duo and some with a band. Other than that, I’ve got the score for PETER PAN at the Center for Puppetry Arts that starts playing April 5. I am recording a Compartmentalizationalists album with Claire Lodge and Nico from the band Places. Then I am taking a break in June when my second son will be born!  The Poland trip has been put on hold. Hopefully later on we will still go.

Jeffrey Butzer channels Schroeder & Vince Guaraldi in A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, his annual holiday show with TT Mahony.

Not just nostalgic adults, but kids, too, will get to enjoy Jeffrey Butzer and T.T. Mahony’s jazzy musical tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS this year with the duo presenting it at two Earls – first at The Earl Fri. Dec. 16 and Sat. Dec. 17 (both 9 p.m.) and then at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta Tues. Dec. 20 (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.). All shows will feature an opening instrumental set by Jeffrey’s band, The Bicycle Eaters, and surf favorites from THE VENTURES CHRISTMAS ALBUM  rendered by Chad Shivers and Friends.

The seasonal sell-out shows of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS are clearly a labor of love for Jeffrey, a musician/composer whose solo works tend towards the minimalism of the simple Christmas tree in the iconic Charles Schultz special. Inspired by melodic French musette, pieces on two albums SHE TRADED HER LEG (2006) and THE GARDEN OF SCISSORS (2009), both released by Lona Records, incorporate such eclectic instruments as accordions, bass drum, piano, glockenspiel and—perhaps inspired by a childhood admiration for Schroeder—toy piano. His band, the Bicycle Eaters, takes a different bend, inspired by Ennio Morricone spaghetti western scores, klezmer and gypsy, the former suggesting that their opening set will be more than appropriate for a vintage art deco movie theatre like the Strand. He’s also down a film soundtracks (Raymond Carr’s WILD IS THE WIND), collaborated live with Molly Harvey of The Residents and has ventured lately into the world of live scoring to Buster Keaton’s THE BALLOONATIC. And frankly that’s just a small taste of the musical adventures of this diverse Atlanta performer and affirmed cineaste.

Today though, ATLRetro caught up with Jeffrey to chat about A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, what to expect at The Earl and The Strand, and what’s next for him with The Bicycle Eaters and as a solo composer/musician.

How old were you when you first saw A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS on TV and what did the show and its music mean to you when growing up?

I don’t remember a time NOT knowing who Charlie Brown was. It is like Bruce Lee, Elvis or Grandma, something that seemed to always exist to me. Growing up, it was always my favorite special. I liked how blue it was. Both literally and figuratively. Cartoon music in general affects you strangely. Like Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott with the Looney Toons, I wasn’t aware of them until I was older and started playing music. But again, it is hard to remember a time when I didn’t listen to that record every year.

How did you and TT Mahony get the idea of developing A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS holiday show, and for how many years have you been doing it?

This is year four. I approached TT after he played a Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits/Nick Cave tribute show I worked on. He is an amazing piano player, very witty , too. I had kicked around the idea of doing a holiday show in the past but never really knew a pianist that could handle Guaraldi. Robby Handley is the best upright bass player I know. Great hair, too. And here is an odd fact about TT. He can jump really, really high. I’ve told him he should find some way to compete. I once saw him jump from the ground onto the top of a Toyota.

I understand last year’s shows were packed. Were you surprised that so many adults were so enthusiastic about music from a 1960s kids TV show/Christmas LP? What kind of comments did you get after your performance?

Yes, we were hoping for the best, that our fans and friends would enjoy the show and hopefully some new faces would come out. But the response has been overwhelming. Last year we had to start doing two nights. As far as comments, the one we get the most is “Can you do an all-ages one too…for the babies?” The reason we haven’t is because. the mood we set in The Earl seems to really suit Snoopy and the gang. It is cozy, dark, and has energy almost like a rock show. We are really looking forward to adjusting it for a sitting crowd at The Strand. We love the room. It is like a miniature Fox Theatre. And playing for children will be a blast. My 2-year-old son Francis dances every time he hears “Linus and Lucy.”

What audiences can expect at The Earl this weekend?

Cookies, dancing… It is basically a big Holiday Party with 300 of your closest, newest friends.

What are you doing at The Strand to make it even more kid-friendly?

The show will not change much. We do have a kid’s choir with us at the Strand!

Why pair Peanuts with The Ventures?

Well, the albums were released around the same time for one thing. They are both classic ‘60s albums. They are both easy to dance to.

Jeffrey Butzer. Photo credit: Melissa J. Butzer.

And what about that opening set from Jeffrey Butzer and the Bicycle Eaters?

My band (The Bicycle Eaters) play Frenchy-Jazzy-Spaghetti Western-inspired instrumentals. We are releasing a limited EP at the show

What else are you and the Bicycle Eaters up to? Any 2012 gigs or recordings you’d like to tell readers about?

We almost all have children, so we’ve been laying low, only doing select shows. But we will have an official release for our new 7” at The Earl in March. I’m also working on a score for PETER PAN at The Center for Puppetry Arts. Then I have a solo record coming out named COLLAPSIBLE. Then off to play some dates inPoland.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

No clue what holiday shindigs to attend this year? We at ATLRetro are here to help with a list chock-full of merry tidings and Xmas tree rockin’ to help you have a super swell retro holiday season! Check out all the shakin’ shenanigans and classic fun we’ve dug up just for you!

ROCK AROUND THE XMAS TREE: Stomp on over to Napoleon’s for Michelle Malone & The Hot Toddies Holiday Show (Dec. 5), or catch Yacht Rock Schooner’s Ugly Sweater Holiday Show (Dec. 9)! Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer continues one of Atlanta’s favorite retro holiday traditions with his Charlie Brown XMas at The Earl (Dec. 10, 11, 12)! Boogie down dino-style at Fernbank After Dark: Holiday Party (Dec. 10)! Dance the night away at Mary’s during their Naughty is Nice! Holiday Dance Party (Dec. 11)! Get hellaciously rocked during ELZIG’s Christmas Spectacular Variety Show at Little Tree Studio in Avondale (Dec. 18)! Eddie’s Attic brings you a rockin’ line-up this season with Ed Roland’s Annual Winter Wonder Bash with Collective Soul (Dec. 6/7); the Third Annual Burchfield Family Christmas (Dec. 9); Lauren Morrow’s Christmas Extravaganza (Dec. 10) and more! Get countrified at Strand Ole Opry’s Country Christmas (Dec. 16)! Have an Earl XMas with Brother Hawk and more (Dec. 25)! 

MERRY MORSELS, SPIRITS & MORE: Miracle on Monroe Holiday Pop-Ups unwraps its sixth season in the city returning to the Midtown Promenade restaurant Tapa Tapa and Bon Ton will once again get into Mele Kalikimaka spirit as it hosts Sippin’ Santa, a Christmas-themed tiki takeover. Both locations offer special holiday cocktails, a fun festive staff, and enough cheer for everyone through the month of December! Make your way to Napoleon’s for a festive Christmas brunch and enjoy a live performance of Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas (Dec. 12)!

FESTIVE FILMS: Spend the holidays at the Plaza Theatre and catch screenings of John Carpenter’s THE THING (1982) in 35mm (Dec. 11, 12 & 16); Jeremiah S. Chechik’s NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) (starting Dec. 11); John McTiernan’s DIE HARD (1988) (starting Dec. 17) and Frank Capra’s classic, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) in 35mm (Dec. 18 & 19)! Or throw on your pajamas and head to Strand Marietta’s Christmas Eve marathon of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) (Dec. 24)! Regal Atlantic Station screens Joe Dante’s GREMLINS  (1984) (Dec. 4); Jon Favraeu’s ELF (2003) (Dec. 11); and NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (Dec. 18)! 

MAGIC ON STAGE: It’s the most wonderful time of year as Aurora Theatre presents their annual Christmas Canteen revue now through Dec. 23, and the kiddies will not want to miss their ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Puppet Show (Dec. 4)! Atlanta Ballet brings you their classic presentation of The Nutcracker at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, through the month of December! The Center for Puppetry Arts brings back a classic family tradition, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer running through Jan. 2! Get down with the Grinch with Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical at the Fox Theatre (Dec. 7-12)! Boogie down to Strand Marietta for A Christmas Tradition (Dec. 10-23)! Scrooge it up and catch the Alliance Theatre’s presentation of A Christmas Carol through Dec. 24!

KRAMPUS SIGHTINGS  & SPOOKY FUN (in-person): Hey kiddies! Get beasty during Wreck the Halls: The Little 5 Points Krampus Krawl (Dec. 4)! Creep on over to Junkman’s Daughter in L5P for Family Portraits with Krampus, 1pm – 5pm (Dec. 5)! NETHERWORLD closes out its 25th year with two ho-ho-holiday horror events: A Lights on Tour returns Dec. 11, and A Haunted Holiday returns Dec. 18 featuring a performance of RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN with a yuletide twist! 

VINTAGE & VIRTUAL: Catch the Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve & Other Stories online at 3pm (Dec. 5)! Hometown to Hollywood, LLC presents their online event, Scrooge Through the Years at 7pm (Dec. 9), or catch A Classic Hollywood Christmas online event at 7:30pm (Dec. 21)! Bizarre it up with Blackwell’s Xmas Oddities Auction online at 8pm (Dec. 10)! Catch a spooky online lecture, The Krampus & The Old, Dark Christmas at 3pm (Dec. 12)! Or catch A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On-Stage online at 6pm (Dec. 12)! Catch a sighting of Santa Live from The North Pole online at 11am (Dec. 19)! Get bewitched during the Cabot Kent Hermetic Temple’s online Yule Ritual at 4:30pm (Dec. 19)!

HO-HO-HOLIDAY SHOPPING: The Masquerade is gettin’ into the holiday spirit with BOGO concert tickets Dec. 3! Cryptid Creatives Collective presents their Winter Gift Marketplace in EAV featuring local vendors (including The Cryptid Cannery), artists and more (12pm – 6pm, Dec. 4)! Or make your way to Indie Craft Experience: Holiday Market (Dec. 4)! Head on over to Kirkwood for an Empire Arts Gallery Outdoor Holiday Pop-Up Market (Dec. 4)! Catch Bizarre Bazaar’s Holiday Market at the Imperial (Dec. 12), and don’t miss out on their Little Five Points Last Minute Holiday Extravaganza (Dec. 22)! Make your way to the Winter Solstice Market at the Park (Dec. 18)!

SANTA GETS CLASSY: Spend Christmas with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Dec. 9 & Dec. 11), or get Baroque and experience Handel’s Messiah with the ASO (Dec. 17 & 18)! Catch the spirit of the holidays at the Fox Theatre during Sarah Brightman – A Christmas Symphony (Dec. 13)! Ansley Stewart and Friends gift you with A Very Vintage Christmas at Napoleon’s (Dec. 16)! StewartGet retro ‘n’ royal during Strand Marietta’s Christmas Royal Tea and Grand Yuletide Ball (Dec. 18-22)! Spend the holidays with Joe Gransden [Swing on by Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (Dec. 4); or croon on over to Cigar Cellar in Kennesaw for A Crooner Christmas with Joe & Josh Sirten (Dec. 6); you won’t want to miss The Joe Gransden Christmas Quintet at Napoleon’s (Dec. 12); or make your way to Eddie’s Attic for Joe’s Big Band Holiday Show with Robin Lattimore (Dec. 20 & 23)! 

TREE LIGHTINGS, SPARKLY LIGHTS & FESTIVITIES: The annual Vinings Jubilee Christmas Tree Lighting, Vinings’ oldest holiday tradition including 40s-style carolers singing all the classics (Dec. 2)! Callaway Gardens’s Fantasy in Lights runs the entire month of December! There are more than two million twinkling lights ablaze at Stone Mountain Christmas! The Lighting at Colony Square is making Midtown merry and bright (Dec. 4)! Get artsy and make your way to Hapeville for their #FreeArtHapeville Holiday Event (Dec. 4)! Avondale Estates gets down with Santa during their Winter Wonderland event (Dec. 4)!

TINSELED TUNES (Albums/Singles, etc.): The Aquadolls cover The Waitresses’ holiday classic “Xmas Wrapping” featuring Angelo Moore of Fishbone and El Jefe of NOFX! New Found Glory celebrates their favorite holiday songs in their new single, “Holiday Records” on their new album, DECEMBER’S HERE out Dec. 3! 

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

We at ATLRetro care about your health and well-being, so This Week we are bringing you our next installment filled with a week’s worth of hootenannies and shenanigans you can experience straight from your couch and/or safely socially distanced (One helluva hybrid!)

Wednesday, November 3

Get rocked at the Star Bar with Rick Dang, B*tch! (A tribute to Rick Dang), Pillar Saints (with Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah) and more! Get intergalactic and head on over to The Highlander and for their Star Wars-Themed Trivia on the patio! Get your Swing fix in the comfort of your own home every Wednesday, with WE Swing Dance’s Online Dance at 7pm! Or swing on down to 57th Fighter Group Restaurant for West Coast Swing Wednesdays at 6:30pm! Get jazzy and live stream (or in person) the Gordon Vernick Quartet hosted by the Red Light Café at 9pm!  

Thursday, November 4

RoleCall Theatre presents Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through Nov. 13! Spook on down to L5P for the Little 5 Points Ghost Tours, through Nov. 6! Boogie down during the 80s Alternative New Wave Synth Pop online event every Thursday at 10pm! Don’t Go Into the Cellar Theatre Company presents their online Pod-Casket 11, every Thursday at 4pm! 

Friday, November 5

Stomp on over to the Tin Roof Cantina for one hellacious night with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton & the Ghost Rider’s Car Club! RoleCall Theatre presents Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through Nov. 13! Get bewitched and catch a screening of Chris Columbus’s HARRY POTTER & THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001) at the Plaza Theatre at 4pm! Spook on over to the Fernbank for their Forest Night Walk! Get artsy and catch a new exhibit at Empire Arts Gallery, Revival, Renaissance, Rebirth! Make your way to the Outer Space at Waller’s Coffee Shop for a night with The Good Graces and more! Time Warp it up with Lips Down on Dixie at the Plaza Theatre’s screening of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at 10pm! DJ FernandoF brings you Flashback Friday, with a live video blend of 70s, 80s, 90s and more at Hot Betty’s Breakfast Bar in Tucker!

Saturday, November 6

Rev on down to Smokin’ Cues in Stockbridge for a night with The Beat Creeps & Hellcat Razors! Get rocked at the Star Bar with their Only the Brittle Will Begotten! RoleCall Theatre presents Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through Nov. 13! Have a night of laughs with a free online Riff of GHOSTBUSTERS at 9pm! Get down to Woodruff Park for German Bierfest Atlanta 2021! Make your way to the Outer Space at Waller’s Coffee Shop for their Artist Market Saturday event, every Saturday from 10am – 2pm, with live music! The Beverly Atlanta brings you their I Still Love the 90s Brunch Party every Saturday!

Sunday, November 7

Spend the night with Stewart Copeland: Police Deranged for Orchestra with the ASO! Get bewitched and catch a screening of Chris Columbus’s HARRY POTTER & THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001) at the Plaza Theatre at 4pm! Georgia Vintage Goods presents their Summerhill Sundays: A Vintage and Handmade Pop Up from 12pm – 6pm! Groove on over to Napoleon’s for An Evening of Steely Dan with Yacht Rock Schooner! Rock out with The Lemonheads at Terminal West! Check out Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer’s new album THE SINGING BIRD’S SOFT TRAP! 

ONGOING

Spook it up as NETHERWORLD Haunted House celebrates its 25th season, through Nov. 13! 

Little 5 Points Ghost Tours, spookin’ it up through Nov. 6! 

RoleCall Theatre presents Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through Nov. 13! 

Be transported to a post-Edwardian England and catch Downton Abbey: The Exhibition, through mid-January!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

We hope you have one helluva Halloween Season! This Week we are bringing you a week’s worth of hellacious hootenannies and shenanigans you can experience straight from your couch and/or safely socially distanced!

Monday, October 18

Get retro rocked with Jon Spencer & The HITMakers at The Earl! Spend the night with Hamilton Leithauser & Kevin Morby at the Variety Playhouse! Catch a screening of Todd Haynes’ documentary, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2021) at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema! Latin Ska Reggae Band MENTO BURU releases SKALLOWEEN which promises a skankin’ spooky time! Rock out and tune into Kool Kat Rev. Andy Hawley’s Psychobilly Freakout Radio broadcasting on Garage 71 at 8pm, every Monday! JD Pinkus (Butthole Surfers) shares “Slow Crawl” video from FUNGUS SHUI out now via Shimmy-Disc/Joyful Noise Recordings!

Tuesday, October 19

Entertainment rocks out with the release of their album, HORROR PART 1, out now! Get terror-ized at Nights of Fright on Memorial, through Oct. 31! Make your way to The Nest in Kennesaw for Horror Trivia Night! Catch a screening of Todd Haynes’ documentary, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2021) at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema! Take a walk on the supernatural side of science as ghostlike figures creep out of the shadows and otherworldly creatures seemingly grow out of the ground during Fernbank’s annual Woodland Spirits Event through Nov. 7! Legendary folk singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards returns with a self-penned new album, RIGHT WHERE I AM! Stay Free Recordings releases BARMY LSD ARMY from acclaimed British street artist and Electronic musician Charles Uzzell Edwards!

Wednesday, October 20

The Ghastly Dreadfuls are back serving up a deliciously old-school cocktail of vaudeville-esque humor, horror and hijinx, this Halloween season at the Center for Puppetry Arts, through Oct. 30! Get down to Battle & Brew for Movie Horror Trivia! Catch a screening of Todd Haynes’ documentary, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2021) at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, and stick around for Mary Wharton’s TOM PETTY, SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL FREE (2021)! Head on over to The Highlander and get intergalactically horrified during their A Nightmare on Elm Street-Themed Trivia on the patio! Get your Swing fix in the comfort of your own home every Wednesday, with WE Swing Dance’s Online Dance at 7pm! Or swing on down to 57th Fighter Group Restaurant for West Coast Swing Wednesdays at 6:30pm! Get jazzy and live stream (or in person) the Gordon Vernick Quartet hosted by the Red Light Café at 9pm! Stay Free Recordings has just released a new collaboration and single, “Consequences Coming,” from punk pioneer and former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and gamed guitarist Earl Slick!  

Thursday, October 21

The Plaza Theatre has a killer line-up this week with John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978) at 4:45pm, Andrzej Zulawski’s POSSESSION (1981) at 7pm and Chuck Russell’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 (1987) via PLAZADROME at 9:30pm! Get haunted and check out the annual Fox Theatre Ghost Tours, through Oct. 26! Or spook on down to L5P for the Little 5 Points Ghost Tours, through Nov. 6! Catch a screening of Todd Haynes’ documentary, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2021) at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, and stick around for Mary Wharton’s TOM PETTY, SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL FREE (2021)! Get spooked virtually during The World’s Most Haunted House online ghost hunt at 4pm! Experience a blast from the past during the Back to the Future Movie Trivia online at 8:30pm! Boogie down during the 80s Alternative New Wave Synth Pop online event every Thursday at 10pm! Don’t Go Into the Cellar Theatre Company presents their online Pod-Casket 11, every Thursday at 4pm! 

Friday, October 22

Stomp on over to the Star Bar for a night with Andrea & Mud! Day 1 of the 3-day 2021 Shaky Knees Festival has arrived at Atlanta’s Central Park, chock full of retro-inspired tunes through Oct. 24! Rock on down and catch Foo Fighters, Local H, Amigo the Devil, Frankie & The Witch Fingers and more! Aurora Theatre and the City of Lawrenceville announce Grand Opening Celebration for the Lawrenceville Arts Center, Oct. 22-24! Make your way to Bogg Social & Supply for one helluva good time, 80s style with Palm Ghosts! Spend the night with Neal Francis at The Masquerade! Have a hellacious good time with Kool Kats The Casket Creatures and more at The Highlander! Make your way to the Outer Space at Waller’s Coffee Shop for a night with The Good Graces and more! End of the Line pays tribute to The Allman Brothers at Strand Marietta! Time Warp it up with Lips Down on Dixie at the Plaza Theatre’s screening of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at 10pm! DJ FernandoF brings you Flashback Friday, with a live video blend of 70s, 80s, 90s and more at Hot Betty’s Breakfast Bar in Tucker!

Saturday, October 23

Kool Kat Chris Hamer (UrbnPop) geeks it up and brings you Legion Comic Convention in Smyrna from 12pm – 5pm! Get intergalactic with a 35mm screening of Tim Burton’s MARS ATTACKS (1996) at the Plaza Theatre at 9:30pm! Have a killer time at Day 2 of the 2021 Shaky Knees Festival with Alice Cooper, Garbage, The Hives, Living Colour, Larkin Poe, The Low Country Jukes and more! Get your ghoul on at the Star Bar during The Tomb Tones’ Pre-Halloween Party with V-8 Death Car and El Capitan & The Reluctant Sadists! Fernbank Museum brings you Bugs, Bats & Bones this spooky season! Have a ghastly good time with a screening of Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Town Center Park in Suwannee at 6pm! Make your way to The Battery for a haunted cemetery themed Fright Night Halloween Party! BOO-gie down and catch an ‘80s Halloween Dance Party online at 9pm! Stomp on down to The Oakhurst Porchfest 2021 from 12pm to 7pm! Head on over to the Red Light Café for Nancy Gaddy: Sexy at Sixty! Get your Americana fix with Caleb Caudle at Eddie’s Attic! Shake a horrorific tail feather at The Highlander’s Destination Unknown: 80’s New Wave Halloween party! Have a chilling good time at the Fernbank’s Antarctic Dinosaur Celebration! Make your way to the Outer Space at Waller’s Coffee Shop for their Artist Market Saturday event, every Saturday from 10am – 2pm, with live music! The Beverly Atlanta brings you their I Still Love the 90s Brunch Party every Saturday!

Sunday, October 24

Spook on down to the Fernbank’s Ghostly Gathering, from 6pm – 9pm! It’s your last chance to rock out during Day 3 of the 2021 Shaky Knees Festival with The Strokes, Modest Mouse, Orville Peck, All Them Witches and more! Get intergalactic with a 35mm screening of Tim Burton’s MARS ATTACKS (1996) at the Plaza Theatre at 3:30pm! Make your way to Battle & Brew for Tarot Night! Check out Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer’s new album THE SINGING BIRD’S SOFT TRAP! 

ONGOING

Spook it up as NETHERWORLD Haunted House celebrates its 25th season, through Nov. 13! 

Spook on down to Stone Mountain’s Pumpkin Festival: Play by Day, Glow by Night, through Oct. 31! 

Make your way to Fear the Woods Haunted Attraction in Stockbridge, every weekend through Oct. 31!

 13 Stories Haunted House terrifies in Newnan through Oct. 31!

The Georgia Renaissance Festival has teamed up with 13 Stories Haunted House to open Atlanta’s newest outdoor haunted experience, The Village, in Fairburn through Oct. 31!

Get terror-ized at Nights of Fright on Memorial, through Oct. 31!

Folklore Haunted House scares it up in Acworth! 

Little 5 Points Ghost Tours, spookin’ it up through Nov. 6! 

Be transported to a post-Edwardian England and catch Downton Abbey: The Exhibition, through mid-January!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Welcome to spooky season! We at ATLRetro care about your health and well-being, so This Week we are bringing you our next installment filled with a week’s worth of hootenannies and shenanigans you can experience straight from your couch and/or safely socially distanced (One helluva hybrid!)

Monday, October 4

Catch a screening of Thomas Hamilton’s documentary, BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER (2021) at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema through Thur, Oct. 7! Folk rock it up Mongolian style with The Hu at the  Variety Playhouse! Chamber pop it up with Takenobu’s new album ALWAYS LEAVE A NOTE, out now! Rock out and tune into Kool Kat Rev. Andy Hawley’s Psychobilly Freakout Radio broadcasting on Garage 71 at 8pm, every Monday! JD Pinkus (Butthole Surfers) shares “Slow Crawl” video from FUNGUS SHUI out now via Shimmy-Disc/Joyful Noise Recordings!

Tuesday, October 5

Get vintage and catch Bernadette Seacrest at Eddie’s Attic! Or stomp on over to the Variety Playhouse for a night with Waxahatchee! The Orange Coast College Multicultural Center presents an online event, Bill Campbell & Rachelle Cruz Discuss THE DAY THE KLAN CAME TO TOWN at 10pm! Take a walk on the supernatural side of science as ghostlike figures creep out of the shadows and otherworldly creatures seemingly grow out of the ground during Fernbank’s annual Woodland Spirits Event through Nov. 7! Legendary folk singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards returns with a self-penned new album, RIGHT WHERE I AM! Stay Free Recordings releases BARMY LSD ARMY from acclaimed British street artist and Electronic musician Charles Uzzell Edwards!

Wednesday, October 6

Spook it up as NETHERWORLD Haunted House celebrates its 25th season, through Nov. 13! Be transported to a post-Edwardian England and catch Downton Abbey: The Exhibition, through mid-January! Battle & Brew brings you Video Game Horror Trivia at 8pm! Head on over to The Highlander and get intergalactically horrified during their Aliens-Themed Trivia on the patio! Get your Swing fix in the comfort of your own home every Wednesday, with WE Swing Dance’s Online Dance at 7pm! Or swing on down to 57th Fighter Group Restaurant for West Coast Swing Wednesdays at 6:30pm! Get jazzy and live stream (or in person) the Gordon Vernick Quartet hosted by the Red Light Café at 9pm! Drive-By Truckers‘ Jay Gonzalez shares duet with Michael Cerveris, “Crying Through the Wall” streaming now with new album, BACK TO THE HIVE out now! New-Wave it up with Ronna Reason’s single “American Queen” and check out her self-titled debut EP! Stay Free Recordings has just released a new collaboration and single, “Consequences Coming,” from punk pioneer and former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and gamed guitarist Earl Slick!  

Thursday, October 7

Plazadrome (Videodrome) and Kool Kat Daniel Griffith with Ballyhoo Motion Pictures present David Lynch’s DUNE (1984) at the Plaza Theatre, which includes an intro to the film and a sneak peek at Griffith’s documentary, THE SLEEPER MUST AWAKEN: MAKING DUNE at 9pm! And don’t forget to buzz on over to catch a 35th Anniversary screening (indoor) of David Cronenberg’s THE FLY (1986) at 4:30pm, or catch it at the drive-in at 8:15pm! Check out Five Points, NYC’s Most Notorious 19th Century Slum webinar at 8pm. Check out Jazz Beat Productions’ new podcast, Doc’s Jazz Beat with host Doc Robinson! Boogie down during the 80s Alternative New Wave Synth Pop online event every Thursday at 10pm! Don’t Go Into the Cellar Theatre Company presents their online Pod-Casket 11, every Thursday at 4pm! 

Friday, October 8

Have a terrifically terrifying time at the 8th Annual Monsterama Con: The Tomb of Monsterama (& SpyCon 2!), spooking through Oct. 10 [Keep your eyes peeled for our Top 10 Terrifying Reasons to Attend article coming soon!]! Get hellacious and rock on down to the Star Bar for a night with Leucine Zipper & The Zinc Fingers, The Mondellos (Kool Kat Sen. Artie Mondello) and Eureka Failure! Why not roll in the hay while catching a screening of Mel Brooks’ killer comedy YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) at Strand Marietta at 8pm! Or make your way to the Plaza Theatre as they kick off the weekend with some killer screenings of Richard Kelly’s DONNIE DARKO (2001) and Pete Docter’s MONSTERS INC. (2001)! Get bewitched during Fernbank After Dark: Potions & Poisons! Spook on down to Halloweentown Marketplace brought to you by Cryptid Creatives Collective, 5pm – 9pm! Spend An Evening with Charlie Wilson online at 7pm! Make your way to Atlanta Symphony Hall for The Monkees Farewell Tour! Boogie down to 529 for Partyup: A Prince Dance Party! Time Warp it up with Lips Down on Dixie at the Plaza Theatre’s screening of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at 10pm! DJ FernandoF brings you Flashback Friday, with a live video blend of 70s, 80s, 90s and more at Hot Betty’s Breakfast Bar in Tucker!

Saturday, October 9

Stomp on down to The Oakhurst Porchfest 2021 from 12pm to 7pm! Head on over to the Red Light Café for Nancy Gaddy: Sexy at Sixty! Get your Americana fix with Caleb Caudle at Eddie’s Attic! Shake a horrorific tail feather at The Highlander’s Destination Unknown: 80’s New Wave Halloween party! Have a chilling good time at the Fernbank’s Antarctic Dinosaur Celebration at 10am! Get folksy and check out the Fall Festival on Ponce 2021! Wussy Mag Presents Bottom’s Up! A Drag Brunch at City Winery! Check out Cryptid Creatives Collective’s Black Cat Art Market from 1pm – 5pm! Hometowns to Hollywood LLC brings you their online event, Bombshells: Hollywood’s Leading Ladies at 2pm! Rock out with Toad the Wet Sprocket at The Eastern! Make your way to the Outer Space at Waller’s Coffee Shop for their Artist Market Saturday event, every Saturday from 10am – 2pm, with live music! The Beverly Atlanta brings you their I Still Love the 90s Brunch Party every Saturday!

Sunday, October 10

Check out Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer’s new album THE SINGING BIRD’S SOFT TRAP! Get folksy and check out the Fall Festival on Ponce 2021! Frankly Scarlett pays tribute to The Grateful Dead at Steady Hand Beer Co.! Check out the Craig Brown Band at The Earl! Sixties/ seventies-inspired indie popper, Stacey, shares new single and video, “Strange (But I Like it),” out now! Swedish psychedelic indie-rock outfit La Fleur Fatale release anniversary single and music video, ”Skydancer!”

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

We at ATLRetro care about your health and well-being, so This Week we are bringing you our next installment of our Home-Edition, a week’s worth of holiday hootenannies and shenanigans you can experience straight from your couch and safely socially distanced!

Manic Monday, December 14

Twinkle it up with Six Flags as they present Candy Rush, the world’s largest drive-through animated holiday light show, through Jan. 3! Make your way to Atlantic Station for their safe, drive-through Atlanta Festival of Lights, through Jan 18! Spend your Holidays on the Roof at Ponce City Roof! Skate into the holidays at Park Tavern’s Miracle on 10th Street/The Rink through Jan. 17! Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! Get spooky with author Daniel Braum during Night Three of the New York Ghost Story Festival at 7pm! Rock out and tune into Kool Kat Rev. Andy Hawley’s Psychobilly Freakout Radio broadcasting on Garage 71 at 8pm, every Monday!

Timeless Tuesday, December 15

Have some safe Muppet-y holiday cheer with The Muppet Christmas Carol Trivia on Instagram Live at 7:30pm! Check out Brad Palermo & The Shadow Queens’s new holiday single, “Satan Won the War on Christmas!” New Found Glory kicks off the holiday season with new track “December’s Here!” NOVA REX bassist Kenny Wilkerson releases charity cookbook “Rockin Recipes for Autism” featuring 57 world-famous rockers contributing recipes to raise awareness for Autism! Help support the Atlanta Film Festival via their Kickstarter to ensure 2021’s festival is a success! The Strand brings you their A Christmas Tradition: Revisited, a 48-hour video on demand rental here! Kino Now presents Ric Burns’ documentary, OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE (2019), available to buy and rent digitally. Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! The Atlanta School of Photography invites you to the Atlanta Botanical Garden Lights Photo Stroll at 6:45pm! Boogie down with BE Creative Arts Center’s virtual dance session, Soul Line Dance Tuesday at 8pm! We know you need your swingin’ Joe Gransden fix, so why not visit his site and catch a video or two of his, including him and his band swingin’ it up at Café 290, here! 

Way Back Wednesday, December 16

GPB and Science ATL bring you a look at historical female pioneers in STEM fields with their virtual Unladylike 2020: Pioneers in STEM event at 7pm! A Cappella Books proudly presents an exclusive virtual event with John Densmore (The Doors), who will join Atlanta music journalist and Smithsonian Folkways editor Chad Radford for a Zoom discussion of “The Seekers: Meetings With Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists)” via Zoom at 7pm! Spend the holidays at the Center for Puppetry Arts as they present a special exhibit, Very Merry Puppetry: Puppets of Holidays Past, Present and Future through the month of December! Deck the halls at the virtual 94th Annual Spelman-Morehouse Christmas Carol Concert beginning at 6pm! Get your Elf Trivia fix at Guac y Margys at 7pm! Spend the night with Frankly Scarlet (Grateful Dead tribute) and others during the online Friendship Music Festival at 8pm! Get jazzy as Alice Phoebe Lou announces new album, GLOW and shares first single, “Dusk“! Hula on down and spend the holidays at The S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur during their Mele Kalikimaka events through Dec.  31! Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! Get groovy at the annual Rock the Bells Holiday Jam at Rock Steady Atlanta! Get merry with midtown’s favorite Ice Queen, Aspen York, during Park Tavern’s Wednesday’s Are A “Drag” at 8pm, every Wednesday through Jan. 27! Boogie down with Kool Kat VJ Anthony during his DREAMS Music Video Live Stream at 9pm! Get jazzy and live stream the Gordon Vernick Quartet hosted by the Red Light Café at 9pm! Catch Robyn Hitchcock every Wednesday at 9pm (details here), broadcasting from his kitchen all over the world! 

Throwback Thursday, December 17

The Aurora Theatre presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Live on the Mainstage, through Dec. 23! The Plaza Theatre is where it’s at this holiday season! Make your way indoors for a 35mm screening of Shane Black’s KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005) in 35mm at 8:30pm, and catch a Plaza Drive-In screening of John Landis’s TRADING PLACES (1983) at 7:30pm! Get your Americana fix with Carolina Story at Eddie’s Attic! Interstellar Echos pays tribute to Pink Floyd acoustically with Pigs on a String at From the Earth Brewing Company! Catch A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Broadcast online at 3pm! Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! Make your way to Smith’s Olde Bar for their retrotastic Thursday Throwdown! Hammonds House Museum presents new free virtual program: Conversations about Jazz with Carl Anthony, every other Thursday at 7:30pm, beginning July 9, through December 24. To RSVP, click here! 

Freaky Friday, December 18 

Have a Southern Fried Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas with ELZIG, Captain & Maybelle and more at Dixie Tavern! The Plaza Theatre screens Tim Burton’s EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990) at the Plaza Drive-In at 7:30pm, and screens Chris Columbus’s HOME ALONE (1990) indoors at 8:30pm! Heck.house delivers their Last Minute Krampus holiday market at 4pm! Spook it up this holiday season with EAV’s Nightmare Before Christmas Marketplace at Metropolitan Studios at 5pm! Mock of Ages pays tribute to Def Leppard at 37 Main Avondale Estates! Goth it up with Kool Kat VJ Anthony during his GOTH Music Videos: Classics to Current at 9pm! Rumours pays tribute to Fleetwood Mac at Napoleon’s! Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! Get some soul with TRUETT at the Northside Tavern!  Daniel Vernon’s documentary THE CHANGIN’ TIMES OF IKE WHITE (2019) opens via The Plaza Theatre’s Virtual Cinema here, hosted by Kino Lorber Marquee! Catch the Alliance Theatre’s drive-in production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE LIVE RADIO PLAY, through Dec. 23! Get in the holiday spirit at Miracle at the Fox Marquee Club through Jan. 1! The Earl Smith Strand Theatre is providing virtual classic double features every Friday night via Twitch TV here! The holidays are upon us, so why not make your way to Stone Mountain Christmas, running through Jan. 3! 

Scintillating Saturday, December 19

Yuletide it up virtually with Kool Kat Chad Shivers & the Frigidaires (formerly the Silent Knights) as they celebrate 10 years of performing the Beach Boys’ and Ventures’ Christmas albums in their entirety along with other holiday classics, hosted by The Earl! They’ll be joined by Kool Kat Jeffrey Bützer and TT Mahoney with their fabulous Charlie Brown Christmas tribute, an Atlanta institution at 7pm! Or skank it up during The Slackers Holiday Online concert at 7:45pm! You won’t want to miss The Queers “Save the World” Record Release Show streaming online at 8pm! The Plaza Theatre screens Chris Columbus’s HOME ALONE 2 (1992) at 4pm and Wong Kar-Wai’s DAYS OF BEING WILD (1990) at 8:30pm (both indoors), and catch a screening of Richard Curtis’s LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) at Dad’s Garage Drive-In at 7:15pm! screens Chris Columbus’s HOME ALONE (1990) indoors at 8:30pm! The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre provides a virtual screening of Jeremiah S. Chechik’s CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) here at 8pm! Support local artists and get your holiday shopping fix at the Holiday Bizarre Bazaar at The Imperial from 12pm – 5pm! Take a virtual tour of The Wren’s Nest during their Virtual Holiday Birthday Experience at 2pm! Get merry with Kool Kat Chris Hamer during the Art Market at Allied Ink Tattoo in Marietta at 3pm! R&B it up with Howard Hewett for two shows at City Winery! Jazz it up this holiday season during A Very Jazz Christmas Virtual Concert at 7pm! Boogie down with Kool Kat VJ Anthony during his NEW WAVE 80s Music Videos: Obscure to Obvious online at 9pm! Get rocked with Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) at Eddie’s Attic! Get down with St. Nick at a historic mansion during Santa at Rhodes Hall! Get spooky with author Daniel Braum during Night Four of the New York Ghost Story Festival at 7pm! Heck.house delivers their Last Minute Krampus holiday market! The Trolley Barn presents their outdoor Holiday Cabaret, every weekend through December! Rock on down to the Star Bar for Punk Rock Night! Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! Westside Provisions District presents their Tinsel & Twine Holiday Market! Or get your holiday fix at Fernbank’s Holiday Hangouts, featuring access to their Winter Wonderland exhibit, oversized snow globes, a sock skating rink and more! Get down to Beverly Atlanta for the I Still Love the 90s Brunch Party at 11am, every Saturday through Dec. 26!

Science ‘n’ more Sunday, December 20

Boogie down with Michelle Malone & The Hot Toddies during their Holiday Show at Napoleon’s! Get your ‘80s synth-pop fix during Electric Avenue’s “Alive in 85” Online Holiday Special at 9pm! The Trolley Barn presents their outdoor Holiday Cabaret, every weekend through December! Check out the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trails, through Jan. 31! Heck.house delivers their Last Minute Krampus holiday market! Get merry with A Festival of Nine Christmas Lessons & Carols virtually, hosted by The Cathedral of St. Philip at 4pm! Get spooky with author Daniel Braum during Night Five of the New York Ghost Story Festival at 4pm! Check out the Sunday Funday Pop Up Market at Lee+White at 1pm, every Sunday through Dec. 27! 

 Help support our local businesses and artists (A-Z Listing)

 *A Cappella Books – Join their VIP discount and membership club for discounts and more (A Cappella Choir). Members who would like to purchase anything online can do so by sending them your list via email or by phone order at (404) 681-5128. All choir members are eligible for free home delivery! Find out more and join here.
*Get monsterific and check out Monsterama’s Kool Kat Anthony Taylor’s Etsy page, Pop Kulture Vulture!
*Browse and purchase your favorite books and more at Atlanta Vintage Books!
*Why not check out our Kool Kat Derek Yaniger’s art and creator of our ATLRetro logo!
*Dirk Hays, purveyor of all that is monstrous and weird, makes art, so why not check out Art by Dirk!
*Geek it up and check out Dr. No’s Comics & Games Superstore (online store here) in Marietta offering gift certificates which can be purchased over the phone for later use and curbside pick-up!
*Jonathan Chaffin’s Horror in Clay, offers tiki mugs filling your every monster madness need!
*Check out Jeanne the Maskmaker’s Etsy page here!
*Get your vintage jewelry fix with Jezebel Blue and your retro style fix with 2the9s Retro!
*Kyle Yaklin gets creaturific with his creature masks and more!
*The Plaza Theatre – Support by either purchasing vouchers for future events here, or by supporting their Go Fund Me here, or you can donate or become a member of The Plaza Theatre Foundation. Check out their online store here!
*Kool Kat Shane Morton,  and Silver Scream FX Lab offers one hellacious merch store with monster masks, art and more!