ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Shake it with Santa and come see all the swell holiday shindigs we’ve found for you!

Monday, December 16

WUSSY MAG and Out on Film present their monthly series, Queers on Film, at The Plaza Theater with a screening of Lana Wachowski/Lilly Wachowski’s BOUND (1996) at 7pm! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! A Cappella Books celebrates its 30th Anniversary with a benefit concert for Common Good Atlanta, featuring CAT POWER, W8ing4UFOs and FLAP at the Variety Playhouse! Catch a screening of Midge Costin’s documentary MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND (2019) at The Plaza Theater, through Dec. 19! Or have some killer holiday cheer at The Plaza’s screening of Rene Manzor’s DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS (1989)! Spend the night with Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Street Sects and more at 529! Get rocked with In Flames at Center Stage! Rock out and tune into Kool Kat Rev. Andy Hawley’s Psychobilly Freakout Radio broadcasting on Garage 71 at 8pm, every Monday! Get your vinyl fix at Little 5 Points Corner Tavern’s Records of Mass Destruction, every Monday! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 17-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Get the blues with Larry Griffith at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam!

Tuesday, December 17

Raise a ruckus at The Earl with Paul Cauthen and Leah Blevins! Surf on down to 529 for The Organ Machines, Twin Criminal, Ghost Head and Freddy Chops! The circus and the symphony collide at Atlanta Symphony Hall with Cirque de la Symphonie! Celebrate 90 years of The Fox Theatre during their Holiday Extravaganza featuring Mighty Mo! Have some killer holiday cheer at The Plaza Theater’s screening of Rene Manzor’s DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS (1989)! Eddie & the 9Volts get down at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with DJ Quasi Mandisco’s Dance Party featuring retro-soul, funk, ‘80s, ‘90s and more! And as always, groove on down with Swami Gone Bananas at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, December 18

Stomp on down to the Variety Playhouse for the 9th Annual Holiday Hootenanny – A Benefit for Atlanta Habitat! Suzy Bogguss pays tribute to Merle Haggard at City Winery! Get folksy with The Cerny Brothers at Eddie’s Attic! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! 529 delivers a night of Avant-pop with Spookey Ruben, Safari Williams, Improvement Movement and more! The circus and the symphony collide at Atlanta Symphony Hall with Cirque de la Symphonie! Shimmy on down to The Lawrence for their Swigs & Wigs event! Hilarity ensues with a Flashback Cinema screening of Jeremiah S. Chechik’s CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) at theatres across Atlanta [Northlake Festival Movie Tavern (Tucker); GTC Merchant’s Walk Cinemas (Marietta); Movie Tavern at Horizon Village (Suwannee); and The Springs Cinema & Taphouse (Sandy Springs)! Get harp-y at the Red Clay Theatre with The Reel Sisters! Catch Studio Movie Grill’s (Marietta/Alpharetta)  screening of Bob Clark’s A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) at 7:15pm! The Highlander rocks out with their Punk/Metal/New Wave Karaoke Night, every Wednesday! Funk it up with the Mike Veal Band at Tin Roof Cantina! Get down with the Electric Blues Xpress at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Get jazzy at the Red Light Café with The Gordon Vernick Quartet! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern for a rockin’ night of blues with the Tyler Neal Band! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, December 19

Rev on down to the Variety Playhouse for one helluva holiday hootenanny featuring Reverend Horton Heat, Voodoo Glow Skulls and The 5678’s! Kink it up during Videodrome’s PlazaDrome screening of John Waters’s FEMALE TROUBLE (1974) at 9:30pm at The Plaza Theater! Boogie down with Michelle Malone & The Hot Toddies at The Vista Room! Or get countrified at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre during their Strand Ole Opry’s Country Christmas event! Funk it up with Vito Romeo at The Star Bar! Have some killer holiday cheer at The Plaza Theater’s screening of Rene Manzor’s DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS (1989)! Get some soul with Eric Roberson at Center Stage! Or jazz it up with Glenn Jones at City Winery! Make your way to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Chris Pureka and The Harmaleighs! Folk rock it up with Chris Knight at Terminal West! Dave Ellington brings you A Charlie Brown Christmas at Venkman’s! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! The Star Bar kicks it in the Little Vinyl Lounge with Karaoke Night, every Thursday! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack delivers some honky-tonk blues! And as always, boogie down at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, December 20

Have a horrorific time at the Masquerade as Fabio Frizzi pays tribute to horror legend Lucio Fulci, as he performs the live score to THE BEYOND and more! Kool Kat Blair Crimmins & The Hookers dish out a night of Prohibition pandemonium at Venkman’s! Swing on by The Vista Room for Joe Gransden’s Big Band w/ Francine Reed Christmas Celebration! Hit the yellow brick road and make your way to The Bakery for the Emerald City Carnival, featuring a night of art, food, drinks and live tunes by SOOTHSAYER, The African Space Program Collective and more! Kick off your holiday with SCADShow’s Legacy Series screening of John McTiernan’s DIE HARD (1988) at 7pm, or catch a screening at The Plaza Theater! And stick around at The Plaza for a screening of Bob Clark’s BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)! Get hell bound at The Highlander during The Satanic Temple Atlanta Donatin’ with Satan event featuring killer tunes by Kool Kats The Casket Creatures, Kool Kat Shane Morton with VALKYRIE, death-defying performances by Captain & Maybelle and more! Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer continues an Atlanta holiday tradition with A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Earl! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! Funk it up with The Orange Constant and Three Star Revival at Aisle 5! Back In The Saddle, with special guest Matthew “Kickin” Kaminski, dishes out a special Christmas show at Waller’s Coffee Shop, bringing you their usual rollicking Western Swing and Classic Cowboy songs, as well as a special treat with some Cowboy Christmas classics! Make your way to Eddie’s Attic for A Burchfield Family Christmas featuring Sam Burchfield and Pip the Pansy! Get rocked with The Vegabonds at Smith’s Olde Bar! Get down with Stoney Brooks at the Northside Tavern! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets the blues with Sana Blues! Time-Warp it up at The Plaza Theater as they continue their tradition of screening THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) every Friday night, featuring the live cast of Lips Down on Dixie at midnight!

Saturday, December 21

Get rocked at The Star Bar with The Fabulous Thrillbillys Fabulous Christmas Extravaganza featuring Dusty Booze & The Baby Haters, Elfen Joel Burkhart and more! Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer continues an Atlanta holiday tradition with A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Earl! Get merry and bright during Yacht Rock Revue’s Holiday Spectacular at The Roxy! Shimmy on down to the Red Light Café for a night with Big Deal Burlesque w/ Roxie Le Rouge! Get indie rocked with Jump Little Children at Terminal West! Eighties it up at The Highlander during their Destination Unknown – ‘80s New-Wave Dance Party! Rev it up at the Dixie Tavern with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & The PsychoDevilles! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! Wreak havoc with Kevin this Xmas and catch a screening of Chris Columbus’s HOME ALONE (1990) at The Plaza Theater at 1pm, or catch screenings of John McTiernan’s DIE HARD (1988) or Bob Clark’s BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)! Swing on by the Red Clay Theatre for Joe Gransden’s Big Band w/ Francine Reed Christmas Celebration! Get the blues with AJ Ghent at Eddie’s Attic! Tribute pays homage to the Allman Brothers Band at the Northside Tavern! Get countrified with Wynonna Judd at the Variety Playhouse! Dave Ellington brings you A Charlie Brown Christmas at Venkman’s! Get down with the Juke Joint Dukes at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ Kwasi Mandisco transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, December 22

Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer continues an Atlanta holiday tradition with A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Earl! Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly through Jan. 11! Wreak havoc with Kevin this Xmas and catch a screening of Chris Columbus’s HOME ALONE (1990) at The Plaza Theater at 4pm, or catch screenings of John McTiernan’s DIE HARD (1988) or Bob Clark’s BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)! Get some rockin’ soul at Eddie’s Attic with Dianne Durrett & Soul Suga! Have a funky Christmas with the Mike Veal Band at The Vista Room! Dave Ellington brings you A Charlie Brown Christmas at Venkman’s! Catch a Flashback Cinema screening of Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) at theatres across Atlanta [Northlake Festival Movie Tavern (Tucker); GTC Merchant’s Walk Cinemas (Marietta); Movie Tavern at Horizon Village (Suwannee); and The Springs Cinema & Taphouse (Sandy Springs)! Get the blues with 10,000 Pontiacs at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Funk it up with Risky Biscuit at Tin Roof Cantina! Get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

The Aurora Theatre rings in the season with their Christmas Canteen, through Dec. 23!

Get your diner fix this holiday season with Horizon Theatre’s production of WAFFLE PALACE CHRISTMAS, running through Dec. 29!

Experience the glow of the Atlanta Botanical Garden‘s annual electrical extravaganza shining nightly Nov. 16 – Jan. 11!

New-Wave it up with Kool Kat VJ Anthony during an 80s New Wave Music Video Dance Party every 2nd Saturday of the month at Amsterdam Atlanta!

Geek it up as NerdLanta presents their Back to the ‘80s Movie Night, every third Thursday of the month, at Mother Bar+Kitchen!

ATL CRAFT presents a magical occult Movie Night every second Friday of every month!

My Parents’ Basement goes old-school with their monthly Pinball Tournament, every first Wednesday of the month!

Geek it up and get to bowlin’ at The Comet Pub & Lanes’ Comet Cosplay, getting nerdy the first Monday of every month!

Dad’s Garage’s Big Boozy Nerdy Game Night brings out the kid in you, every first Monday of the month at 7pm! 

Union EAV rocks out with their Punk Rock Karaoke ATL, and every last Tuesday of the month!

The Highlander rocks out with their Punk/Metal/New Wave Karaoke Night, every Wednesday!

Get your vinyl fix during Little 5 Points Corner Tavern’s Records of Mass Destruction! event, every Monday!

Geek it up at My Parents’ Basement with their weekly Tuesday night Nerd Trivia at 8pm!

Nerd Film Mafia screenings at the Diesel Filling Station following NerdCore Trivia, every last Tuesday of the month!

The Plaza Theater Time-Warps it up as they screen, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) every Friday night, featuring the live cast of Lips Down on Dixie at midnight!

Get your reggae fix with Rub-A-Dub gettin’ down at WildPitch Music Hall, every second Sunday of the month!

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

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.