ATLRetro

It’s the calm before the pop-culture hurricane when Drive Invasion and DragonCon take over our weekends, so This Week will be a little different (if you will excuse the repetition) this week. Today, we’re only going to post Mon.-Thurs., and Weekend Update (including Labor Day Monday) will go up early on Wed. Plus look out for a separate preview of Drive Invasion (including the Sat. night Official Pre-Party at Star Bar), and Retro guides to DragonCon and also the Decatur Book Festival. In other words, we’ll do the squinting at those long, detailed schedules so you don’t have to. So be sure and check back or follow ATLRetro on Facebook or Twitter.

Monday August 28

From 3 PM on, savor tropical sounds and libations, as well as a Polynesian dinner during Mai Tai Monday at Smith’s Olde Bar. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam.

Tuesday August 29

It make sound like an oxymoron, but Bacon & Beers truly does present Tiki Tuesday at Diesel Filling Station with Flathead & B cooking up some boat/tiki cocktails inspired by bacon, DJ Rev. Andy spinning Luau surf rock, and Bruce smoking up a few pigs Hawaaian style starting at 7 p.m. If you prefer more animal-friendly fare and want to support the nonprofit independent and historic Plaza Theatre, head to Sauced, which is located in an awesome Retro building itself in Inman Park, where Chef Ria Pell is cooking up delicious vegetarian prix fixe meals at just $35 (or $45 with wine pairings) each to benefit that great cause in honor of Plaza owners Jonny and Gayle Rej who are vegans. ATLRetro is excited to hear that both seatings (7 p.m.  and 9 p.m.) are close to selling out, but if they do or you’re on a budget, you can still drop by the bar for a cocktail, snack or dessert and proceeds will go to the Plaza.

Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 PM. The Hold Steady! bring straight-up Brooklyn rock n roll to Variety Playhouse, with Donkeys opening. Crosstown All Stars play Southern rock and blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Notorious DJ Romeo Cologne spins ‘70s funk and disco at 10 High in Virginia-Highland. Catch Tues. Retro in the Metro nights at Midtown’s Deadwood Saloon, featuring video mixes of ’80s, ’90s and 2Ks hits.

Wednesday  August 30

Man or Astroman?

As the countdown to DragonCon reaches T-1, get into the sci-fi groove surf-rock style with Man or Astro Man! at The Earl, with The Purkinje Shift and The Grenadines opening. Or it’s a hard-rockin’ night at Star Bar with West Virginia desert rockers Karma to Burn, Bigfoot and The Accidents. Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard Tavern. Frankie’s Blues Mission bring the blues 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  August 31

Get into the Drive Invasion spirit at your friendly neighborhood Star Bar with Freefall Thursday: Monster Edition, a no-cover pre-pre-party with some ATLRetro favorites mysterious surf rockers The Mystery Men?, Sixties rock revivalists Andrew & the Dysapyramids (read our Kool Kat with Joshua Longino here), Clay “Subsonics” Reed, Kenny Howes and What The?, plus horror movies till midnight in The Little Vinyl Lounge and then HOTBOX! with Skooter & friends, plus special $5 Bombay Sapphire cocktails.

Mike Geier in Tongo Hiti mode with two of The Dames Aflame "hula special teams" unit.

With Dragoncon registration taking off tonight, you may even spot a sci-fi celebrity or two at Trader Vic’s, always the retro-Polynesian place to be on Mai Tai Thursday when you can get cheap cocktails and listen to Tongo Hiti’s luxurious live lounge sounds, as well as trippy takes on iconic pop songs. Taste Nepalese food and listen to honky tonk goodness as Whiskey Belt strums at Kathmandu Kitchen (formerly Pho Truc) in Clarkston every Thursday in September from 8-10 p.m. Party ‘70s style with DJ Romeo Cologne at Aurum Lounge. Breeze Kings & Chickenshack bring on the blues respectively at Northside Tavern and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Ongoing events after the jump, and remember to keep checking back for the rest of the week’s Retro-hot happenings…

Ongoing

RADCLIFFE BAILEY: MEMORY AS MEDICINE, the most comprehensive exhibition of the Atlanta artist’s works to date, runs through Sept. 11 at the High Museum of Art. Read more about the artist and this powerful exhibition in this Kool Kat.

JOHN MARIN’S WATERCOLORS: A MEDIUM FOR MODERNISM, a companion exhibit also at the High this summer through Sept. 11, surveys the work of the man named America’s number one artist in a 1948 LOOK magazine survey. While his name is not a household one today, this exhibition reminds us of his important place in the modernist movement and why watercolors became such a powerful instrument for avante-garde art in the hands of him and other artists in the Stieglitz Circle,including Georgia O’Keefe.

The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)‘s current exhibit WaterDream: The Evolution of Bathroom Design, runs through Sept. 24 in the dynamic new Midtown space. Displays take visitors through a four-part journey into the bathroom from the birth of minimalist aesthetics in 20th century design to current concepts.

Get a rare chance to view original manuscript pages from the  last four chapters of ATLANTA’S BOOK: THE LOST GONE WITH THE WIND MANUSCRIPTat the Atlanta History Center. The exhibit runs through Sept. 5 and 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 Wednesday for Weekend Update. If you know of a cool happening that we’ve missed, send suggestions to ATLRetro@gmail.com.