ATLRetro

Monday, August 26

Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam featuring blues and southern soul singer Lola Gulley. Enjoy your BBQ with a side of Dry White Toast at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Take a look at well…the bright side of life…er, death with Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) at 9:40 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre.

Tuesday, August 27

Acid Jazz Meets ElectroSwing at Edgewood Speakeasy. Get ready to call the GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern, as they continue their August retro cinema classic series of Classic Comedies! MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) brings coconuts and at least one killer rabbit to The Plaza Theatre at 9:40 p.m. 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. Crosstown Allstars brings the blues to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Timo Arthur fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs hosts a weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam led by Jason Koornick & Hank Weisman.

Wednesday, August 28

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 Frankie’s Blues Mission deliver some soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. The Cazanovas blues it on down at Blind Willie’s. Greet the day with an 11:30 a.m. matinee of GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema series this week! And it’s your last night to worship at the altar of Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) at 9:40 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre.

Tongo Hiti.

Thursday, August 29

Something called Dragoncon takes off in downtown Atlanta. There’s plenty o’ Retro at one of the nation’s biggest pop culture geekfests, a phrase we utter with the utmost affection, starting with The Annual Bunny Hutch featuring Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds of Kool Kat Big Mike and Tongo Hiti at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s. Beverly “Guitar” Watkins brings the blues to Steve’s Live Music. Heather Luttrell delivers the blues at Blind Willie’s. Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. At Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, hear the honkytonkin’ blues of Chickenshack. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. Battlefield Collective and B Wayne and the Belfrys strum it up at Red Light Cafe‘s Bluegrass Thursday. And it’s your last chance to catch GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern  MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) at The Plaza Theatre.

Jeffrey Butzer. Photo credit: Melissa J Butzer.

Friday, August 30

Dragoncon continues in downtown Atlanta. Our top Retro pick for today is the  Second Annual Pin-ups by the Pool Party. Read all about it from the luscious lips of Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love. Past Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer & The Bicycle Eaters bring a touch of Bohemian Paris to The Basement, along with Loraine. Rolling Nowhere, Strung Like a Horse and I Want Whisky make it a righteous roots and honkytonkin’ night at The Earl. It’s garage rock, hard southern dishospitality and more at the Star Bar with another super multi-band line-up including Swamp Juice, Beitthemeans, Six Shot Revival, Dirt Bag Love Affair, Red Rocket Deluxe and  our favorite all-female Elvis tribute band, The Pelvis Breastlies. Secondhand Swagger shakes up some soulful, southern-fried funk under the dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. The Western Sizzlers and “very special guest indeed” Johnny Cash Now delivers some honkytonk blues to Northside Tavern, and Sandra Hall and house-band The Shadows serve up the blues at Blind Willie‘s. Timo Arthur Trio play the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. ET (1982) phones home again at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema at midnight. And it’s your chance to 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 31

Cosplayers take to the streets for a 10 a.m. parade and much more as Dragoncon continues. Today also is the day for DragonCon Burlesque, A Glamour Geek Revue, produced by Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love. And we have to admit we’re pretty darned excited at hear Malcolm McDowall and David Warner together talking about TIME AFTER TIME with ATLRetro pal Anthony Taylor at 4 p.m. in the Atlanta Ballroom at the Westin Peachtree Atlanta. Plus the legendary Cabal Cut of Clive Barker’s NIGHTBREED (1989)screens at 11:30 p.m., also at the Westin, preceded by  Q&A and Signing” at 10 p.m. with Russell Cherrington (restoration director), as well as stars Craig Sheffer, Doug Bradley, Nick Vince and Chris McCorkindale. Cigar Store Indians swing into Smith’s Olde Bar. Rev up for Sunday’s Drive Invasion with a groovy pre-party at The Star Bar with The Woggles, The Hate Bombs and Muck & the Mires. Neoglam/post-punk ATLRetro faves The Sexual Side Effects, featuring Kool Kat Amber Taylor, play ConTourage’s KahunaCon a few blocks down from Dragoncon at The Big Kahuna restaurant/club. The Randy Chapman Birthday Bash celebrates the blues at Northside Tavern, and Houserocker Johnson and The Shadows play the blues at Blind Willie’s. Ron Cooley and the Hard Times rock the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. The Rainmen pour some 60s/70s good time rock n roll into Big Tex. 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. Bike on over to see sci-fi classic ET (1982) during midnight madness at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Sunday, September 1

Atlanta’s best Retro bands and movie all-day/night festival, DRIVE INVASION 2013 invades the world-famous Starlight Drive-In again. Headlining from the farthest reaches of the galaxy is MAN… OR ASTRO-MAN?, with Memphis garage thud legends The Oblivians, as well as surf, garage, honytonk and monsterganza from Gargantua, The Intoxicators!, The Pits, The Mystery Men?, Kill Baby Kill, Ghost Riders Car Club, a special tribute to The Penetrators, and more. This year’s flicks take off at dark with an ’80s sci-fi blowout with THE LAST STARFIGHTER (1984),THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE EIGHTH DIMENSION! (1984), and JOHN CARPENTER’S: THE THING (1982). Catch Retro Reviews by Aleck Bennett of all three cult classics here.

Dragoncon also continues in downtown Atlanta. Our top picks of what to do on Sunday include The Artifice Club’s Mechanical Masquerade: The Retropolis. For more info, check out our interview with  Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love! Treat the kids to a final morning matinee of ET (1982) at 10:30 a.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. Have a bluegrass brunch with Banjolicious at Big Tex starting at noon. Tony Bryant Blues Band bring on the blues style at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack. Sample a spoonful of blues courtesy of Uncle Sugar at Northside Tavern. The Jez Graham Trio jazzes up The Family Dog with Sam Skelton.  And Woody Allen’s BANANAS (1971) kicks off 10 Days of Woody Allen in this fall’s Director’s Series at 7:45 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre.

Ongoing

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

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.