ATLRetro

Monday April 18

Swing to Joe Gransden, trumpet player extraordinaire, and his 16-piece orchestra and celebrate the release of his newest recording this week during Big Band Night at Cafe 290 on the first and third Monday of every month. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam.

Tuesday April 19

Head back to the ’70s and ’80s with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at Philips Arena. Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 PM. The Emory Jazz Ensemble is also playing tonight at the Schwartz Center.  J.T. Speed plays the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. 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 April 20

Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard Tavern. Deacon Brandon Reeves and Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck bring on the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and 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, starting at 8 PM.

Thursday April 21

Not sure either of these bands is exactly Retro, but they certainly are wacky, making this perhaps the quirkiest night of the year in Atlanta concerts. At The Earl, forget Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots, Atlanta’s own crimefightin’ Falcon Lords face off in a no-holds-barred rock challenge against Captured by Robots promises Sci-fi fun with lead singer JBOT and the rest of his band robots built by him because he couldn’t get along with people. However, the crafty cyborgs have enslaved him by sticking a chip in his head, so they’re all robots now. Retro question, do they obey Asimov’s laws of robotics or are they more the Cyberdine kind? Nearby at the Masquerade, Japan’s Peelander-Z are well-known to Anime Weekend Atlanta attendees for their anime-inspired brightly-colored superhero suits, silly hats and their crazy antics which involve some serious audience interaction! Oh, and some dude named Charlie Sheen (I think he was pretty good in that movie PLATOON back in the ’80s but now he’s gone a little wild) is at the Fox Theatre tonight, too.

Cadillac Jones serves up some serious jazz funk at Atlanta’s tastiest new concert venue, Kathmandu Kitchen and Grill, formerly Pho Truc, in Clarkston from 8-10 PM. 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. Wayne K. Li, Oliver Professor of Practice in Design and Engineering at Georgia Tech, delivers a gallery talk on “Experience in Motor Design” and get a chance to catch the special exhibit PASSIONE ITALIANA: DESIGN OF THE ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE during MODA‘s Thursday night Drink in Design from 6-8 PM. Read ATLRetro’s Kool Kat piece on curator Joe Remling here. 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.Johnny Roquemore & the Apostles of Bluegrass are on the bill for Bluegrass Thursday at Red Light Cafe.

Friday, April 22

American icon and lounge legend Tony Bennett plays the Fox Theatre. Charleston to the ragtime sound of Blair Crimmins & the Hookers at the Dancing in the Street Party outside Elliot Street Deli & Pub, 10 PM in Castleberry Hill. Also on the bill are hotdogs, icy delights form the King of Pops and music by the Artifice Club‘s DJ Doctor Q. Grammy Award-winning saxophonist/composer Joe Lovano joins the Georgia State University Jazz Band for an evening of music at vintage-movie-theater-turned-arts venue Rialto Center. Learn the Argentine tango with Tango Rio at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Saxophonist Traci Wynn delivers the jazz at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. Joe Gransden Trio jazzes up Haven Restaurant in Brookhaven. Frankie’s Blues Mission is at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Mudcat plays the blues at Northside Tavern.

Saturday April 23

Treasure hunt for vintage and contemporary clothes, housewares and other fun stuff from retailers and artists such as recent Kool Kat Chris Hamer at Funky Flea ATL from 1 to 6 PM at Ambient Plus Studio. At night, Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours serenade the “good life” on the road again of Airstream trailer living via a sound that’s a marvelous mix of rockabilly, country, swing and R&B at Red Light Cafe. For a casual chat with Antsy, who is this week’s Kool Kat, click here. Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials play Blind Willie’s, and Mudcat plays a second night in a row at Northside Tavern. Better Than The Beatles pays tribute to the Fab Four at Jerry Farber’s Side Door. DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno.

Sunday April 24

Jazz up your family Easter brunch with saxophonist Traci Wynn at Copeland’s in Buckhead from 11 AM to 3 PM. The Barrow Boys serve up a side of country during blues “dunch” between 1 and 4 PM at The Earl.

Ongoing

Leave it to the mad geniuses at Dad’s Garage to transform a beloved children’s classic into a bloody puppet musical. SCARLETT’S WEB features all your favorite characters from Wilbur the pig to Templeton the rat but adds some splattery special effects. Never mind, it’s all in fun though, they say, and definitely recommended only for anyone old enough to appreciate adult humor. Thurs., Fri. and Sat. nights at 8 p.m. through May 7.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec died in 1901, but it’s not a stretch to say that his vibrant posters and prints of showgirls, nightclub stars and the café culture influenced the 20thcentury romantic view of Paris and still inspire today’s burlesque performers. The High Museum of Art’s dynamic new special exhibition, TOULOUSE-LAUTREC AND FRIENDS: THE IRENE AND HOWARD STEIN COLLECTION, runs through May 1. Also at the High through May 29 is the MOMA-organized HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: THE MODERN CENTURY, another blockbuster exhibit showcasing a photographer and photojournalist who captured on film many of the seminal moments  of the 20th century from World War II to the assassination of Ghandi, China’s cultural revolution to civil rights and consumer culture in America.

For more weekend fun, tune back in on Friday for ATLRetro Weekend Update. If you know of a cool happening we’ve missed, send suggestions to ATLRetro@gmail.com.