ATLRetro

By Arla Lehtinen
Contributing Writer

Monday, July 29

The Plaza Theatre starts their new monthly film series, Mascara Movie Mondays. Dress up appropriately to participate in the costume contest and to take your picture at the photo booth before heading in to see Winona Ryder toy with high school social politics in HEATHERS (1988), playing on the big screen at 7:30 p.m. Mascara Movie Mondays will take place on the last Monday of each month at the same time. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam featuring blues and southern soul singer Lola Gulley. Enjoy your BBQ with a side of Pead Boy & the Pork Bellies at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Tuesday, July 30

Play hooky and enjoy a John Hughes classic with FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern, as they start their August retro cinema classic series of Classic Comedies! Kool Kat Calu Cordeira mixes tiki libations during Mai Tai Tahitian Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. at the Dark Horse Tavern. Grab your horn and head over to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session. Blues it down with Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers at Northside Tavern. J.T. Speed brings the blues to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs hosts a weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam led by Jason Koornick & Hank Weisman.

Wednesday, July 31

Old enough to feel Retro? It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck brings the Piedmont blues to Northside Tavern, and The Hollidays deliver some soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Greet the day with an 11:30 a.m. matinee of FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema seriesthis week!

Thursday, August 1

Meehan’s Public House Sandy Springs hosts The Roaring 20s Gourmet Dinner. Get dolled up and head out for a night of good food, cocktails and jazz! This is your chance to dine well while listening to Kool Kat of the Week Johnny Pine, aka New Orleans Jon, as he serves up a live soundtrack of jazz standards for the evening. Reservations, though, are recommended. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. DJ Osmose presents an all vinyl selection of vintage records and modern edits from around the world. Relax with a cocktail while listening to Big Mike’s HULAbaloo with Dames Aflame, featuring Kool Kat Big Mike Geier, at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s. The Atlanta Burlesque and Cabaret Society holds its monthly meeting at Elliot Street Pub. Sweet Betty joins The Shadows as they fill the night with blues at Blind Willie’s. Go to Northside Tavern to hear the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get on over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack to hear the honkytonkin’ blues of Chickenshack. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. Sans Abri with Interstate strum on down to Red Light Cafe Bluegrass Thursday. And it’s your last chance to play hooky with FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern!

Friday, August 2

It’s the opening night of The 3rd Annual Rockabilly Luau, which takes over the Atlanta-Northlake Holiday Innaug for two days packed full of entertainment and music. The Friday night lineup starts at 6 p.m. with The Monterreys and later on The Mystery Men? will make sure you get a full dose of surf band music. In between, Kool Kat Caroline Hull Engel takes the stage with her band Caroline and The Ramblers and you can bear witness to the pre-qualifing round of the Bikini Tiki Luau Pin-up Swimsuit contest. The evening finishes off with a fire show by Forged Creations Fire Performers, after which hotel guests can party on at the kickoff party hosted by Kool Kat Mon Cherie, Garage 71 and Bachelor Pad Magazine. The El Caminos host a Special Benefit for humble Heroes and Crime Stoppers at The Earl. Special guests include Tag Team, Brain Box and Bouldercrest Singing Group. Red Light Cafe raises the Grateful Dead and celebrates Jerry Garcia’s birthday by featuring Jerry Garcia Band Cover Band with High Strung String Band and a special late set played by Sweet Knievel. Joe Gransden joins up with jazz pianist Kenny Banks to play the crowd favorite Jazz Standards in the Taipan Room at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The Electromatics sound their mix of jazz standards, Chicago blues and blue-eyed soul underneath the dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. Albert White brings the blues to Northside Tavern, and Sanda Hall joins The Shadows to serve up the blues at Blind Willie‘s. Who ya gonna call but GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) as the classic paranormal comedy scares up a two-night midnight run at the Landmark Midtown Arts Cinema. Read our Retro Review here. Do the Time Warp again at THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with full costumed floor show by Lips Down on Dixie every Friday at midnight at The Plaza Theatre. 

Saturday, August 3

It’s a big day for the 3rd Annual Rockabilly Luau with music playing all day long at the Atlanta-Northlake Holiday Inn. Gates open at noon and Kool Kat Julea Thomerson opens up the show with her Dear Johns an hour later. Between the bands filling up the lineup for the day, experience the Hawaiian performances by Aloha Islanders and witness the Bikini Tiki Luau Pin-up Swimsuit Contest Finals. Two Kool Kats take to the stage later on, when first Hot Rod Walt & The Psycho-DeVilles rockabilly it up at twilight and then mermaid Medusirena brings her fiery retro-aquatic show to the Luau. If you missed our Kool Kat interviews with Hot Rod Walt and Medusirena, catch up here and here. Also that night, Atlanta premiere burlesque production company Syrens of the South bring their 6th Anniversary Show to 7 Stages. John Carney and Fritzy Pants-off Dance-off MC the event, and the number of performances is astounding. One after the other the stage gets commandeered by Candi LeCoeur, The Magic of Chad Sanborn, E-Cupp with Bourgeious Betty and Persephone Phoenix, Hot Toddies Cabaret’s Penny Farthing and Sadie Hawkins, as well as Kool Kats Katherine Lashe and Stormy Knight. You also get to see performances by Talloolah Love, Ursula Undress, The Violet Vixxxen from Kentucky and more. Monstrosity Championship Wrestling’s Memphis Matinee fills up the back room of the Famous Pub with monsters of all kinds with a special kid-friendly early show starting at 2 p.m. The Star Bar also offers entertainment all day long. Come first for PBR’BQ to enjoy an afternoon patio party and listen to Turf War. Stay on after dark for Nashville Pussy at Star Bar to hear the band debut songs from their forthcoming new album, along with  Gunpowder Gray and the Pelvis Breastlies. Atlanta veteran musician and Kool Kat Colonel Bruce Hampton brings the blues to Northside Tavern, and Luther“Houserocker” Johnson & The Shadows fire up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Who ya gonna call but GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) as the classic paranormal comedy plays a second night at midnight at the Landmark Midtown Arts Cinema. Read our Retro Review here. And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, August 4

Bonaventure Quartet, featuring Kool Kat Amy Pike, plays dunch at The Earl starting at 1 p.m. Have a bluegrass brunch at Big Tex starting at noon. Fatback Deluxe bring on the blues 40s-60s style at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack. Sample a spoonful of blues courtesy of Uncle Sugar at Northside Tavern.

Ongoing

STRAY DOGS by Matthew Myers and directed by Peter Hardy plays at The Essential Theatre through August 10 in revolving repertory as part of the 15th Annual Essential Theatre Play Festival with the unsettlingly provocative MYSTERIOUS CONNECTIONS by Hardy and directed by Ellen McQueen and SWIMMING WITH JELLYFISH by Katie Grant Shalin and directed by Bill Murphey. 

Johannes Vermeer’s GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING visits The High Museum of Art, along with other Dutch masterpieces, through Sept. 29.

EXTREME MAMMALS from sabertooth tiger skulls and wooly mammoth fur to contemporary creatures such as the duck-billed platypus invade Fernbank Museum of Natural History through August 18.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.