ATLRetro

Monday June 6

With a poster boasting tentacled dark lord Cthulhu in carnie gear, it’s got to be a bonafide manic Monday when Atomic Rockets and Psycho Devilles open for New York wild rockin’ psychobilly band The Arkhams at Masquerade. Swing to Joe Gransden, trumpet player extraordinaire, and his 16-piece orchestra during Big Band Night at Cafe 290 on the first and third Monday of every month. Kingsized and Tongo Hiti lead singer Big Mike Geier is Monday night’s celebrity bartender at Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Parlor. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam.

Tuesday June 7

See Muppets-masters Jim Henson’s and Frank Oz’s 1982 fantasy classic movie THE DARK CRYSTAL, as well as some awesome art from Brian Colin during Art Opening & A Movie at the Plaza Theatre tonight starting at 8 PM (movie at 9:30 PM).  Be sure and read the ATLRetro’s interview with Heidi Arnhold, artist of Tokyopop’s comics series LEGENDS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL. Also screening tonight is IMITATION OF LIFE (1959), starring Lana Turner, kicking off the recently recharged Screen on the Green series at Piedmont Park.

GG King (featuring Greg King, ex of the Carbonas) and surprise guest bands rock Suburban Lanes bowling alley in Decatur. Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 PM. Notorious DJ Romeo Cologne spins the best ‘70s funk and disco at 10 High in Virginia-Highland. Catch Tuesday Retro in the Metro nights at Midtown’s Deadwood Saloon, featuring live video mixes of ’80s, ’90s, and 2Ks hits.

Wednesday  June 8

Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard Tavern. The Hollidays bring a little soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck blues it down at Northside Tavern respectively. Dance to ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s hits during Retro in the Metro Wednesdays presented by Godiva Vodka, at Pub 71 in Brookhaven.

Thursday  June 9

Atlanta Rollergirls celebrate their hardworking mid-season rookies that have made the teams and sing some karaoke at Old, New, Black & Blue, their debutante brawl at Bellissima, starting at 7:30 PM. THE SOCIAL NETWORK couldn’t be more now but seeing it at the Fox Theatre might remind you of simpler times. The acclaimed 2010 film is part of the Coca-Cola Film Festival which allows modern movie-goers to experience the gigantic screen and magic interior of a vintage movie palace built by the shriners to mimica Moroccan palace. Arrive an hour before the 7:30 PM showtime to make sure you don’t miss the Mighty Mo’ organ singalong and cartoon and even earlier for a wine tasting.

The Stumblers will make it rockabilly heaven at Twain’s. Proud pulled-pork circuit players Tim Lee 3 from Knoxville, Tenn., rock Kathmandu Kitchen & Grill (formerly Pho Truc) in Clarkston. Listen to Tongo Hiti’s luxurious live lounge sounds, as well as some trippy takes on iconic pop songs, just about every Thursday night at Trader Vic’s. Party ‘70s style with DJ Romeo Cologne at Aurum Lounge. Breeze Kings and Chickenshack bring on the blues respectively at Northside Tavern and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.Bluegrass Thursday at Red Light Cafe features The Bluegrass Bonanza Band.

Friday, May June 10

It’ll be a tidal wave of terrific when surf guitar king Dick Dale plays with protegee Laramie Dean, at The Earl. Read ATLRetro’s exclusive interview here. Col. Bruce Hampton & the Quark Alliance rock Shorty’s in Tucker. Breeze Kings bring the blues to Northside Tavern.

This Friday night is a marvelous movie night. Get a last chance to see the Coen Brothers‘ remake of John Wayne classic TRUE GRIT on the biggest screen in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre as the Coca-Cola Film Festival continues. Not sure if one can call the over-the-top action flick HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN with Rutgar Hauer a classic, but you can also see it in an awesome art deco venue, the Plaza Theatre. Or watch Cineprov! make good fun of quintessential ’80s time travel flick BACK TO THE FUTURE at Relapse Comedy Theatre and even get some pic taken with a real Deloran. Or catch an IMAX movie and get down to the soft melodic rock of HERO at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX.

Saturday June 11

Shop for Retro-inspired crafts from a variety of vendors during the Indie Craft Experience from 11 AM to 6 PM at Ambient Plus Studio in the West End. It’s a another big movie day as the Plaza Theatre presents Clint Eastwood in A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS at 3 PM and 7:30 PM, kicking off a screening of all three of the Sergio Leone MAN WITH NO NAME trilogy of Westerns through the summer. Read Philip Nutman’s Review/Preview here. Also, the Coca-Cola Film Festival continues at the Fox Theatre with animated family film RANGO at 2 PM and Gregory Peck classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at 7:30 PM. Remember to arrive early for the Mighty Mo’ organ singalong and cartoon.

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Ones and Nashville wrestling-mask-wearing surf rockers Los Straitjackets shake up The Earl. Relive both rad and gnarly danceable ’80s hits with Denim Arcade at @tmosphere in Loganville, featuring Becky Cormier Finch of Three Quarter Ale. Read ATLRetro’s Kool Kat of the Week interview with Becky and get a preview of the show here. DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno.

Sunday June 12

Rick Dang headlines blues “dunch” between 1 and 4 PM at The Earl. Celebrate GONE WITH THE WIND – 75 Years Later with Scarlett O’Hara or Rhett Butler cocktails and Southern-themed hors d’oeuvres at the Historic Oakland Cemetery Bell Tower and meet John Wiley, Jr., coauthor of MARGARET MITCHELL’S GONE WITH THE WIND, A BESTSELLER’S ODYSSEY FROM ATLANTA TO HOLLYWOOD, from 5 to 7 PM. Admission is $20 and reservations are required by Fri. June 10.

Ongoing

MODERN BY DESIGN, the High‘s newest special exhibition opening on Sat. June 4, celebrates three key moments in modern design and also the Museum of Modern Art, New York‘s (MOMA) collection history. The works on loan from MODA cover “Machine Art” (1934), “Good Design” (1950-55) and “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” (1972), with the latter addressing modernism in the context of 1960s and ’70s counterculture.

The ever irreverent Dad’s Garage Theatre takes a stab at the ’80s horror genre of camp slasher films in SLAUGHTER CAMP about a homicidal maniac terrorizing a theatre camp. June 2-25 on the main stage.

See the original images which inspired Ray Harryhausen‘s amazing stop-motion cyclops, centaurs and other mythological beasts in the special exhibition, MONSTERS, DEMONS AND WINGED BEASTS: COMPOSITE CREATURES IN THE ANCIENT WORLDat the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University through June 19. The exhibition of monstrous art, drawn from the museum’s permanent collections, shows how the ancient Greeks were inspired by other Middle Eastern cultures in developing a vast repertoire of richly imagined creatures.

Get a rare chance to view original manuscript pages from the last four chapters of ATLANTA’S BOOK: THE LOSTGONE WITH THE WIND MANUSCRIPT at the Atlanta History Center. The new exhibit, which opens today and runs through Sept. 5, is part of a series of activities celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of the international bestseller and also includes foreign and first edition copies, the desk Margaret Mitchell used while writing it and select images.

Tune back in on Friday for Weekend Update. If you know of a cool happening that we’ve missed, send suggestions to ATLRetro@gmail.com.