ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Get hep to the jive and take a peek at what’s going down in ATLRetro This Week!

Monday, February 6

Catch a thief, or even a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s TO CATCH A THIEF (1955) at the Alpharetta Branch Library at 10:30am! Get jazzy with the Emerald Empire Band at The Vista Room! Or make your way to the Blind Willie’s as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, February 7

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema kills it with their Noir Film Classics Series with a screening of Billy Wilder’s DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) at 7pm! Make your way to City Winery for a night with Stephen Kellogg and Harrow Fair! Dance with the devil in the pale moonlight at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30pm! Get the blues with Ross Pead & Friends at Front Page News (L5P)! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! Blues it up with Grant Reynolds at Blind Willie’s! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Downtown Tuesday Night Dance Party featuring retro-soul, funk, ‘80s, ‘90s and more! Or come down to the Little Vinyl Lounge for Kenny’s Record Club featuring Kenny Howes dishin’ out John Lennon’s “IMAGINE”! And as always, groove on down with Swami Gone Bananas at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, February 8

Rock out with Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions) at City Winery! It’s a night of folk rock psychedelia at The Earlwith Liz Cooper & The Stampede and Airpark! Make a date with fate during Studio Movie Grill’s (Alpharetta/Duluth) screening of Michael Curtiz’ classic, CASABLANCA (1942) at 7:30pm! Catch Emory Cinematheque’s screening of J. L. Anderson’s SPRING NIGHT, SUMMER NIGHT (1967) at 7:30pm as part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive Festival of Preservation Tour! Dance with the devil in the pale moonlight at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they give you an encore screening of Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30pm! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack dishes out a night of the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Jazz it up at the Red Light Café with The Gordon Vernick Quartet! It’s as night of foot-stompin’ Americana with The BooHoo Ramblers at Blind Willie’s! The Star Bar gets down with their Okie Dokie Karaoke, every Wednesday at 9pm! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! St. James Live! delivers their Hump Days Blues night, getting classic blues-style every Wednesday! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, February 9

Rock out with The Scragglers, Sodajerk and Reconciler at The Star Bar! Make your way to the Variety Playhouse and experience Al Di Meola’s Elegant Gypsy 40th Anniversary Tour! Celebrate Black History Month with free African-American History Tours at the Historic Oakland Cemetery, through Feb. 21! Get the blues with Jason Childs’ Blues Jam at the Crimson Moon Café! It’s a hootenanny and a half at with Kool Kat Col. Bruce Hampton & the Madrid Express at The Vista Room! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a Bluegrass Pickin’ Party! George Hughley & The Shadows get the blues at Blind Willie’s! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so hula on down to Trader Vic’s and get some soul with Bogey & The Viceroy! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, 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, February 10

It’s an evening of murder ballads, obsession and love gone wrong with the third annual Bloody Valentine show featuring Kool Kat Aileen Loy with Till Someone Loses and Eye, W8ing4UFOs and so much more at The Earl! The Star Bar gets down with a night of shenanigans with Kenny Howes & The Wow!, Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer and The Compartmentalizationalists, Navajo Joe and Steve Baskin! Kingsize it up with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier with The Kingsized Trio at The Vista Room! Gangster it up at SCADShow for their screening of Brian De Palma’s SCARFACE (1983) at 7pm! Stomp on down to City Winery for a night with the Packway Handle Band and Forlorn Strangers! ZOSO dish out a night of Led Zeppelin at the Variety Playhouse with The Vegabonds! Or groove on down to Park Tavern and get your fill of silly love songs with Yacht Rock Schooner! Make your way to Avondale Towne Cinema for a night of local mischief with Station 7, Vinyl Refuge and Melonfunky! Get down to Venkman’s for a night with ATL Collective as they relive Sade’s “LOVE DELUXE”! Eighties it up with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade at The Alamo in Newnan! Rock out with Bon Jovi at Philips Arena! Or AFI at The Buckhead Theatre! Strut your stuff and get kinky with Mary and Friends: Love is Love event at the Red Light Café! Get down with House Rocker Johnson & The Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Blues it up with the Wild Hares at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And as always, time-warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, February 11

Ghosts and love collide at the Historic Oakland Cemetery with their Love Stories of Oakland tours running through Feb. 12! Surf on down Kavarna for a night with Kool Kat Chad Shivers’ Southern Surf Stomp! featuring Liz Brasher, The Wave Slaves and Radisaurus Rex! Get your cult classic fix with Andrea Colburn & Her Low Standards with The Boy Jones with Barbarella Night at Avondale Towne Cinema! Or get sinfully seductive at 7 Stages for Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and the burly-Q gals of Syrens of the South’s 10th Annual Vixen’s Valentease Vaudeville & Variety Show! Groove on down to The Star Bar for Romeo Cologne’s Granny Panty Hootenanny with DJ Quasi Mandisco! Make your way to Smith’s Olde Bar as Rumours plays Fleetwood Mac’s “RUMOURS”! Stomp on down to The Vista Room for a night with Donna Hopkins and friends! Gussy it up gore-style at the Red Light Café’s Valloween Dance Party featuring The Atlanta Rock ‘n’ Roll All-stars! ZOSO dish out an encore night of Led Zeppelin at the Variety Playhouse with The Mammoths! Get down and dirty with Sandra Hall & The Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Get to the root of it all with Delta Moon at Eddie’s Attic! Bluegrass it up with Banjolicious at Venkman’s! St. James Live! delivers their Tribute to the Legends night every Saturday night!

Sunday, February 12

Make your way to My Parents’ Basement for their February Bizarre Bazaar and pick up a few things for the one who’s stolen your bloody heart, from 12-5pm! Groove on down to Venkman’s for an unplugged night with Yacht Rock Revue! Celebrate the  60th Anniversary screening of Leo McCarey’s AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1957) at theatres across Atlanta (2pm/7pm) [Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee); AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville)]; Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); Perimeter Pointe 10; Regal McDonough Stadium 16 (McDonough); and AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 (Morrow)! Get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar! And blues it up with Dr. Dixon at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Ongoing

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!

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!

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Take a peek at what’s shakin’ in ATLRetro this week!

Monday, January 23

Rock out with Doyle Bramhall II at City Winery! Get really retro and catch a screening of Stephen Roberts’ THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD (1936) at the Alpharetta Branch Library! Make your way to The Plaza Theater for a screening of Kunihiko Ikuhara’s newly restored SAILOR MOON R, THE MOVIE (1993), running through Jan. 26! Make your way to the Tabernacle for a rockin’ night with Breaking Benjamin! Get the blues with Matthew Pendrick at Blind Willie’s! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!” Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! And blues it up with Larry Griffith at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Tuesday, January 24

Landmark Midtown Art Cinema kills it with their Noir Film Classics Series with a screening of Charles Laughton’s NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) at 7pm! The Atlanta Film Festival kicks off tonight with a screening of Vincent Perez’ ALONE IN BERLIN (2016), and runs through Feb. 15 at theatres across Atlanta (keep your eyes peeled for our coverage of their upcoming classic cinema screenings)! Make your way to the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their screening of Penny Marshall’s ‘80s classic BIG (1988) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30pm! Get rocked by Black Cat Attack, Children of October and Kool Kats The Casket Creatures at 529! Get your folk rock fix with Cloud Cult at The Earl! Get nostalgic with The Lark and The Loon at the Red Light Café! Get nitty gritty at the Woodruff Arts Center for a night with Warren Haynes, The Last Waltz Ensemble, Michael McDonald and more! Get the blues with Ross Pead & Friends at Front Page News (L5P)! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Downtown Tuesday Night Dance Party featuring retro-soul, funk, ‘80s, ‘90s and more! Get down with J.T. Speed at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! The Nick Johnson Trio gets down at Blind Willie’s! And as always, groove on down with Swami Gone Bananas at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, January 25

Make your way to the Little Vinyl Lounge for a night with Jason Webley, Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer and George Kotler-Wallace! Catch Emory Cinematheque’s screening of John Ford’s THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (1940) at 7:30pm as part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive Festival of Preservation Tour! Or spend the night with the Dread Pirate Roberts at the Studio Movie Grill’s (Alpharetta) screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at 7pm! Spend the night with Geoff Tate (Queensryche) at City Winery! Surf on down to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center for a night with The Beach Boys! Billy Joe Shaver dishes out a night of outlaw country at Eddie’s Attic! Rock out with Future Babes and Ben Millburn at Smith’s Olde Bar! It’s a night of Chicago/West Coast blues with The Electromatics at Blind Willie’s! Venkman’s gets some soul with Kyshona Armstrong, Shannon LaBrie and Jess Nolan! Make your way to the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their encore screening of Penny Marshall’s ‘80s classic BIG (1988) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30pm! Get the rockin’ blues with the Michael Preston Band at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Jazz it up at the Red Light Café with The Gordon Vernick Quartet! The Star Bar gets down with their Okie Dokie Karaoke, every Wednesday at 9pm! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! St. James Live! delivers their Hump Days Blues night, getting classic blues-style every Wednesday! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, January 26

Rock out with The Pinx (Kool Kat Adam McIntyre), The Crush and Ham Bagby & The Siege at The Earl! Kool Kat Andy Ditzler and our pals of Film Love Atlanta are back at it with a screening of Melissa Llewelyn-Davies’ controversial BBC documentary THE WOMEN’S OLAMAL (1984) at Atlanta Contemporary with doors at 6pm! The Star Bar dishes out a night of mischief with Skin Jobs, Vincas, Nate & The Nightmares and Roadkill Debutante! It’s a hootenanny and a half at The Vista Room with Kool Kat Col. Bruce Hampton & the Madrid Express! The Talking Dreads reggaes up the Talking Heads at Venkman’s! Get funky at Elmyr with DJ Cozy’s 4th Annual Rick James Birthday Tribute Bash!  Get the rockin’ blues with ANA Popavic at City Winery! Cicada Rhythm gets old-timey at the Crimson Moon Café! Get old-fashioned with Steve Poltz at Eddie’s Attic! Gypsy jazz it up with UltraFaux and 9 String Theory at the Red Light Café! Blues it up with Sandra Hall & The Shadows at Blind Willie’s! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night of rockin’ island tunes with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier with Tongo Hiti! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, 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, January 27

Videodrome (JavaDrome) delivers a night of “motherly malice” as they kick off their Frank Perry series with a screening of MOMMIE DEAREST (1981) at 8pm, with an introduction by Justin Bozung, Perry’s official biographer! Rockabilly it up with Wanda Jackson at City Winery! Honkytonk it up with Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires at The Earl! Stomp on down to The Vista Room for a night with Bluegrass & Beyond! Get intimate with Casey Camp & Co. and Andrea Colburn in the Little Vinyl Lounge! Spend the night with Indy at the Woodruff Arts Center with a screening of Steven Spielberg’s RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) accompanied by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s performance of John Williams’ score at 8pm! Get your Yacht Rock Revue retro fix at the Variety Playhouse as they perform “ABBEY ROAD” and “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON”! Get your Americana fix with Caleb Caudle and Eliot Bronson at Eddie’s Attic! Skank on down to the Masquerade for a night with Reel Big Fish, Anti-Flag, Ballyhoo! and more! Eighties it up with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade at Wild Wing Café (Alpharetta)! Catch a screening of Mel Brooks’ ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS (1993) at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre at 8pm! Groove on down to The Plaza Theater for their screening of Cosmo Feilding-Mellen’s 2015 documentary about Nicholas Sand and Tim Scully, the “unlikely duo at the heart of the 1960s American drug counter-culture,” THE SUNSHINE MAKERS! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Deja Blues get down at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Blind Willie’s dishes out a night of blues with House Rocker Johnson & The Shadows! And as always, time-warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, January 28

Kool Kat Shane Morton, ghost host with the most, and the Silver Scream Spook Show kills it with a riotous ruckus with his riff raff at Avondale Towne Cinema followed by a screening of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s monstrous classic KING KONG (1933) at 1pm and 10pm! Or get chummy with Peter O’Toole during the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s 35th Anniversary screening of Richard Benjamin’s MY FAVORITE YEAR (1982) at the Tara Theatre at 7:50pm! The Jugtime Ragband dishes out old-time pandemonium at The Vista Room! Get the electric blues with Delbert McClinton at the Variety Playhouse! It’s a night of mischief at The Earl with Material Girls, Muuy Biien, DiCaprio, Shepherds, Mannequin Lover and more! It’s adventure times two at the Woodruff Arts Center with a second screening of Steven Spielberg’s RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) accompanied by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s performance of John Williams’ score at 8pm! Get bizarre with filmmaker Kool Kat Brian Lonano and Video Video Nasty’s “It Does A Body Good” event at JavaVino! Folk it up with Jim White and Cicada Rhythm at Grocery on Home! Rock out roots-style with Steve Earle at City Winery! Marshall Crenshaw and the Bottle Rockets get down at the Crimson Moon Café! It’s a night of ‘70s era pop at Eddie’s Attic with Susi French Connection! Jam it up at the Red Light Café with gr8FLdude and Honeywood! Groove on down to The Star Bar for Romeo Cologne’s Granny Panty Hootenanny with DJ Quasi Mandisco! It’s a Chickin’ Pickin’ Brunch with the Sweet Auburn String Band at Venkman’s! Get to the root of it all with Damon Fowler at Blind Willie’s! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Get the rockin’ blues with the Michael Preston Band at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! St. James Live! delivers their Tribute to the Legends night every Saturday night!

Sunday, January 29

The Masquerade revs it up with A Rockabilly Riot in Hell with the Legendary Shackshakers, The Brains, The Delta Bombers and Kool Kat Rev. Andy! Or get your dancin’ shoes on and catch the 30th Anniversary screening of Emile Ardolino’s DIRTY DANCING (1987) at theatres across Atlanta (2pm/7pm) [Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee); AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville)]; Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); Perimeter Pointe 10; Regal McDonough Stadium 16 (McDonough); and Georgian Stadium 14 (Newnan)]! Rock out with The Muckers, American Myth and Cadillac Junkies at Smith’s Olde Bar! Marshall Crenshaw and the Bottle Rockets get down at City Winery! Get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar! And blues it up with Fat Back Deluxe at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Ongoing

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!

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!

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Hey all you Kool Kats and Kittens! It’s Geeks ‘n’ Glory this week as Dragon Con 2015 invades our city! We’ve got all the sci-fi geekery your hearts could desire! We’ve got a whole lotta honky-tonk shenanigans, sci-fi film classics and more in film this week! And you won’t want to miss all the blues, punk and rock ‘n’ roll mischief! So, get out and get Retro!

Monday, August 31

Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Get down with Domino, featuring Greg Hester at Blind Willie’s! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia, at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, with a different theme every Monday night at 8:30pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, September 1

It’s sci-fi madness at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema’s “Tuesday Sci-Fi Classics” series, so get intergalactic with Stanley Kubrick and his classic, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) at 7pm! Or get adventurous with the Dread Pirate Roberts at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! The Earl rocks out and mixes it up with the rockin’ country jazz of Earth and Holy Sons! Or get your psych fix with The Space Merchants and Weird Sin at 529! It’s Americana Open Mic Night at the Red Light Café, so stomp on down as Beedle Andrews dishes out a night of bluegrass, folk, blues, jazz and more! It’s a night of trivia and corndogs at Pallookaville, with their “Trivial Matters” event! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their ‘80s Dance Night! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, September 2

Sinister side-show shenanigans ensue at the Lefont Theatre with a one-time screening of Darren Lynn Bousman’s ALLELUIA! THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL (2015) at 8pm, with pre-show fun with the filmmakers, burly-q, clowns and more! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! It’s your last chance to adventurous with the Dread Pirate Roberts at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! It’s maniacal mayhem at the Alliance Theatre as they present ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, running through Sept. 20! Boogie on down to East Atlanta’s Graveyard Tavern for their Graveyard Swing Night, held the first Wednesday of every month, promising an evening of swingin’ jazz and jive with the Savoy Kings! Make your way to the Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta) for a screening of Billy Wilder’s classic, SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) at 7:30pm! Get funky with The Georgia Flood’s rockin’ blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! It’s a hootenanny and a half at The Star Bar with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Rock on downstairs to the Little Vinyl Lounge for a night of retro shenanigans with Kool Kat Jeff Clark and Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! St. James Live! delivers their Hump Days Blues night, getting classic blues-style every Wednesday! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, September 3

Kick off Dragon*Con 2015 with the rockin’ gypsy cabaret duo, Kool Kat Frenchy & the Punk, along with Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands and Good Co. at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta at 8:30pm! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a few cocktails with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and his Polynesian pop lounge band, Tonga Hiti! Get ‘yer medieval geek on at the The New American Shakespeare Tavern as they host their Much Ado About Nerddom III: A Geeky Variety Show, featuring Three Quarter Ale, Scene Missing Magazine, the Imperial OPA Circus, a magic show by Matt Felten and bawdy burlesque by the Hysteria Machines, Musee du Coeur and more! Get your gothabilly and old-time bluegrass fix at The Earl with Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and Cold Heart Canyon! Honkytonk on down to The Star Bar for a night with West End Motel, James Leg (Black Diamond Heavies) and Chance McColl! Angie Aparo gets folksy at Eddie’s Attic! Man Man and Shilpa Ray dish out a night of experimental garage ‘n’ bluesy rock at Aisle 5! Get old-timey and stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with Jericho Woods! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! And as always, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, September 4

Get your uber geek on, starting today, as the 29th Annual premier sci-fi convention, Dragon*Con 2015, kicks off, running through Sept. 6! It’ll be an event chock full of rockin’ retro shenanigans, including a comic/pop artist alley featuring a special art exhibit celebrating 75 years of Marvel Comics, a special signing of MARCH: VOLUME II by Congressman John Lewis, sci-fi classics, alternative history, comics, pop-art, fantasy, horror, paranormal, sci-fi literature, Star Wars, Tolkien, Star Trek and more!

The Red Light Café delivers a night of rockin’ blues with Katharine Cole, Humdinger and Daniel Morrow! Get some soul with Marcus Miller at the Variety Playhouse! Make your way to Decatur Square for the Decatur Book Festival featuring lectures, book signings and over 600 national and local authors, running through Sept. 6! Jazz it up with Randy Skinner & the Skin-Tones at Stagga’ Lee’s Goodtime Emporium! Blues it up with the Men in Blues at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! John Sosebee delivers a night of hillbilly and old-time blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Get the blues with Lola at the Northside Tavern! Stomp on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with the Texas KGB! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, September 5

It’s day 2 of Dragon*Con 2015! So, sci-fi it up with a whole lotta retro goodies! You won’t want to miss the Dragon*Con Parade at 10 am; Kool Kat Talloolah Love’s Glamour Geek Review; Lips Down on Dixie’s largest ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW event; a screening of Kool Kat Ricky Hess’ HORROR HOTEL episode, ALIENS STOLE MY BOYFRIEND; a performance from Kool Kat Frenchy & the Punk; the Hero’s & Villains Ball and so much more!

Punk out surf-style with Kool Kat Kate Jan and SEX BBQ, with their “Sex Noir City” album release party at 529, with New Junk City, Hello Cobra, Louie Louie and The Imperial OPA Circus! Or get your swampy gypsy rag-time sideshow fix at The Star Bar with Mayhaley’s Grave, Captain & Maybelle and Bonemeal Baker! Get geeky while glamming it up at Mary’s during their Dungeons & Drag Queens event, featuring demons, intergalactic divas, 8-bit video game heroes and more! Boogie on down to the Variety Playhouse for “Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical”, celebrating the life and music of Sylvester, the original ‘70s “Queen of Disco”! Get some rockabilly blues with Atomic Boogie at Good ‘ol Days Bar & Grill! The Red Light Café delivers a night with Justin Hylton, Jordan Igoe and Jason Waller! Make your way to the Aurora Cineplex for their screening of Les Blank’s A POEM IS A NAKED PERSON (1974) at 7pm! Get bluesy with Willy Jackson at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! It’s a night of rockin’ blues with the Larry Mitchell Band at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Blues it up and celebrate with Randy Chapman’s Birthday Bash at the Northside Tavern! St. James Live! delivers their Tribute to the Legends night every Saturday night! 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, September 6

It’s day 3 of Dragon*Con 2015, so sci-fi it up and get geek-filled with a whole lotta shenanigans, including another performance from Kool Kat Frenchy & the Punk; the Mechanical Masquerade; Kool Kat Daniel Griffith/Ballyhoo Motion Pictures’ event, MST3K Wars: The Network Strikes Back, a late night puppet slam and so much more! Get groovy as Swami Gone Bananas gets down at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! Get your stompin’ Americana fix at Kavarna with Blackfoot Daisy! Blues it up with Snake Legs at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Rock on down to the Crimson Moon Café for their Boomers Gone Wild event, delivering a night of ‘60s and ‘70s covers!And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

Alliance Theatre presents ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, running through Sept. 20!

Blast-Off Burlesque geeks it up with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, every Monday at 8:30pm!

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

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, every Tuesday!

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!

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Shake it up in Retro Atlanta this week! Get your fill of red-hot blues, tasty tease, hootenannies galore and more! Get off that couch, get hep to the jive and live la vida Retro!

Monday, June 15

Garage rock it up at 529 with The Hussy, Lowbanks, The Mumzees and the Immaculate Collection! Blues it up with Fatback Deluxe at Blind Willie’s! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Join Blast-Off Burlesque as they start your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, every Monday night at 8:30pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! And for a night of tasty blues, make your way to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, June 16

Come celebrate sixteen sweet years of Videodrome, Atlanta’s last remaining video store, with a Sweet Sixteen Party, rockin’ out at the Highland Inn Ballroom, which also includes a special screening of David Cronenberg’s VIDEODROME (1983) at 7pm! Make your way to the Decatur Library for a screening of Harry Keller’s THE BRASS BOTTLE (1964) at 9:30am! Get old-timey at Smith’s Olde Bar with City Mouse, Sour Bridges and Alex & Todd! Chelsea Shag gets some old-school soul at the Red Light Café! Bluegrass it up with Curtis Jones & Primal Roots at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Lola gets down and dirty at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Joe McGuiness delivers a night of roots and Americana at Blind Willie’s! Surf on downstairs at The Star Bar to a hidden paradise, in the Little Vinyl Lounge, for Summertime Tuesdays with Poolboy Pietro and Chase the Chum-Man Taylor! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, June 17

Get adventurous with Atreyu at the Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) with their screening of Wolfgang Peterson’s THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984) at 7pm! Funk it up with The Get Right Band and Dr. Strangelove at Aisle 5! The BadAsh Allstar Team (BAAT) pays tribute to Billy Idol, Heart and Blondie at the Red Light Café! Jazz it up with Sal Gentile at the Elliott Street Pub! It’s a night of rockin’ blues with The Georgia Flood at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with The Gypsies! Little G. Weevil gets the blues at Blind Willie’s! It’s a hootenanny and a half at The Star Bar with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! St. James Live! delivers their Hump Days Blues night, getting classic blues-style every Wednesday! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, June 18

The Star Bar delivers a night of glam rock and sleazy blues with The Tip (record release party), Gunpowder Gray, the Damned Angels, Vito Romeo and Adam Anzio! The Fox Theatre’s 2015 Coca Cola Summer Film Festival continues with Tim Burton’s BEETLEJUICE (1988) at 7:30pm! Get old-school punk style with Punk Rock Tribute Night at Smith’s Olde Bar with Horror Business (Misfits), Pretty Vacant (Sex Pistols), The Cherry Bomb (Joan Jet) and Road to Ruin (Ramones)! Or rock on down to 529 for a night with Air Wolves, Frick, Swing Set and Awkward Sounds! The Earl delivers The Baseball Project (with members of R.E.M.) and AM Gold (with Kool Kat Jet Bryant and Jim Stacy)! Stomp on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Paul Thorn, the “Mark Twain of Americana”! Boogie on down to Vinyl for a night with Exwhy and The Dead Woods! The Red Light Café delivers a night of folksy bluegrass with My Brother’s Keeper and Casey Camp! Get saucy and blues it up with Sweet Betty & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! It’s Mai Tai Thursday at Trader Vic’s, so hula on down for a night of smokin’ hot island tunes with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and Tonga Hiti! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! And as always, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, June 19

The Sonics and The Forty-Fives deliver a night of garage rock ‘n’ proto punk at The Earl! Swing on by the High Museum for a night with Joe Gransden! Rock out at The Star Bar with The Wet Ones, Hip to Death, The Marrows, Air Wolves and Hot Gaze! It’s a down and dirty retro rock revival at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Dreaded Marco, Ledfoot Messiah and Goodbye June! The “Monsters of Rock” invade the Masquerade with Back N Black (AC/DC tribute) and Retallica (Metallica tribute)! Stomp on down to Eddie’s Attic for two additional shows with Paul Thorn, the “Mark Twain of Americana”! Groove it up slowly to Park Tavern for a night with Yacht Rock Revue! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins gets down and dirty at Blind Willie’s! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! Stoney Brooks delivers the blues at the Northside Tavern! It’s a night of juke joint blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues with The Scissormen! Blues on down to Hottie Hawgs BBQ for a night with Little G. Weevil! Make your way back to the ‘50s through the ‘70s with the Way Back Band at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, June 20

It’s a night of garage punk and rock ‘n’ roll at The Star Bar with Jack Oblivion & the Shieks, Highriders and the Mystery Men?! Stomp on down to 529 for a night with Blake Rainey & His Demons, Tom Cheshire and Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer! The Fox Theatre’s 2015 Coca Cola Summer Film Festival continues with Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at 7:30pm!Let Hysteria Machines Productions put a sultry spell on you at the Shakespeare Tavern during their Sexspelliarmus: Whimsical Wizarding Burlesque Revue Part II! Go way back at the Center for Puppetry Arts with their screening of Steven Spielberg’s JURASSIC PARK (1993) at 8pm! Get spooked during Dok Lazlo’s “Mad Alchemy Walking Tours” with his Haunted History Tour of Marietta Square from 7:30-11pm, with a free tarot reading after party! Learn about Atlanta’s prohibition during the Historic Oakland Cemetery’s Malts & Vaults event! Get funky with the Wasted Potential Brass Band at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre in Mableton! Let Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles rev you up at Dixie Tavern in Marietta! Polka it up at Chastain Park with Weird Al Yankovic! Cloudship delivers a night of Americana at the Elliott Street Pub! The Atlanta Rhythm Section rocks out at Eddie’s Attic with two shows! Get old-timey with the Front Porch Session Players at The Family Dog! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Blues it up with Corey Harris at Blind Willie’s! St. James Live! delivers their Tribute to the Legends night every Saturday night! The Bush League delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Blues it up with Ron Cooley & the Hard Times at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Get rootsy with Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, followed by the James Taylor tribute band, Taylor Made, at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! 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, June 21

You may need to get a bigger boat for the 40th Anniversary screening of Steven Spielberg’s JAWS (1975), screening in theatres across the Atlanta area at 2 pm and 7pm [Hollywood Stadium 24 in Chamblee, Perimeter Pointe 10; Movies ATL 14; Avalon Stadium 12 in Alpharetta; AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 in Lawrenceville; AMC Avenue Forsyth 12 in Cumming; AMC Barrett Commons 24 in Kennesaw; AMC Southlake 24 in Morrow; Regal McDonough Stadium 16; and Cinemark Tinseltown 17 in Fayetteville]! It’s your last chance to hang with Atreyu at the Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) with their screening of Wolfgang Peterson’s THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984) at 2pm! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with Cloudship! It’s a garage rock revival at Park Tavern with The Whigs! Get some ‘90s blues and soul with Joan Osborne at Eddie’s Attic! Bluegrass it up with .44 Smokeless at Smith’s Olde Bar! It’s Sultry Sunday at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs, so get jazzy with Tommie Macon and Charles Fellingham as they bring you the tunes of Sinatra & Fitzgerald! Swami Gone Bananas gets down at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! Get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar! And slither on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with Snake Legs!

Ongoing

Out of the Box Theatre presents Peter Hardy’s “Sally and Glen at the Palace” through June 27!

William Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum’s, “Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendek in His Own Words and Pictures” getting wild through July 5!

Blast-Off Burlesque geeks it up with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, every Monday at 8:30pm!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every second Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every 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!

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Retro Atlanta delivers a week of rockin’ shenanigans and a cornucopia of Kool Kats galore! Get off the couch, boogie down, shake a tail feather and see what we’ve found for you this week!

Monday, January 12

If the Monday blues have got you down, let Retro Atlanta show you some real rockin’ blues! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Or boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Get to the root of it all with Brandon Reeves at Blind Willie’s! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Belly’s and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, January 13

It’s a burly-Q birthday bash with Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South, getting sultry at the Red Light Café with their Tease Tuesday: Burlesque Anniversary Show with pipin’ hot performances by Kool Kat Roula Roulette, Nikki Nuke’m, Mary Strawberry, Ada Manzhart, magic man and Clark Gable look-alike, Chad Sanborn and more! Sit back and chill with “The Dude” at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern during their screening of the Coen Brothers’, THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! Or get really retro at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library in Decatur with their screening of Vincente Minnelli’s THE CLOCK (1945) at 11am! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Curtis Jones & Primal Roots deliver a bluegrass ruckus at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with Kool Kat Jeff Clark and Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night! Get bluesy with JT Speed at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues at Blind Willie’s! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, January 14

Get your boogie shoes on and get to swingin’ at the January HepCat’s Hop, “swing ‘n’ soul ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll” dance party at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant, every second Wed. of the month! Emory Cinematheque is back in full swing with their “Movies Made in Georgia” series, featuring Bruce Beresford’s DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989) at 7:30pm! Or get swept away at the Studio Movie Grill in Alpharetta with their screening of James Cameron’s, TITANIC (1997) at 7:30pm! Take a trip with Dorothy and her pals down the yellow brick road as TCM presents Victor Fleming’s classic, THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) at several local theatres, including UA Perimeter Pointe 10, AMC Avalon Forsyth 12 (Cumming), AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw), AMC Southlake 24 (Morrow), AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville), Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville), Regal Cinemas Avalon 12 (Alpharetta) and Regal Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee) at 2pm/7pm! It’s your last chance to catch the Coen Brothers’ ‘90s classic, THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! Blues it up with Andrew Black at Blind Willie’s! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets down and dirty blues-style with Lola! Get some rhythm, soul and rock ‘n’ roll with The Hollidays at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, January 15

Get glam and punk it up at The Star Bar with the Night Terrors, The Unsatisfied and Cadillac Junkies! The Earl delivers a night of baroque folk and Americana with River Whyless, Fire Mountain and City Mouse! Get some southern-fried soul with Secondhand Swagger and Alanna Royale at Vinyl! The Mar-Tans get funky with their NOLA funk and R&B at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! The Karp Foley Band delivers a night of blues, Americana and roots rock at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for Bluegrass Thursday with Dismal Creek! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night of cool island tunes and a couple Mai Tais! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Sweet Betty & the Shadows get bluesy at Blind Willie’s! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! And as always, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, January 16

Kool Kat Rev. Andy Hawley begs you to “Rock Until You Drop” at Diesel Filling Station as he dishes up a night of rockabilly, psychobilly, old-school punk, ‘80s metal and swing! Shimmy down to the Red Light Café for Sadie Hawkins’ improv burly-Q game show, Last Pasties Standing: Showtunes Showdown, with tempting tunes from your favorite musicals at 9pm! It’s a hootenanny and a half at the Dixie Tavern as they get smokin’ during their Slim Chicken Honky-tonk Extravaganza, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Yacht Rock Revue performs “Dark Side of the Moon” and a set of Beatles’ classics at the Variety Playhouse! It’s a night of gritty rock ‘n’ roll, garage and glam at The Earl with the Subsonics, Del Venicci, Landline and Sen Artie Mondello (The Delusionaires). Rock out with Black Leather Jet, the Jeff Shepherd Band and Liz Brasher at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room. Or get old-school blues-style in the Music Room with Escape Vehicle and the Glen Prigden Band! The Cumberland Collective delivers a night of rockin’ Americana and soul with Norman Frank at Eddie’s Attic! Film Love presents The New England Home Movie Tour, Atlanta Edition at Eyedrum, featuring handmade 16mm films, including films and slides of Whitney Biennial artist and experimental filmmaker, Luther Price at 8pm! Get mischievous at Vinyl with Them Wagoneers, Chamomile & Whiskey and Tin Man! The High Museum’s Friday Night Music Remix features a little Balkan brass street music with the Black Sheep Ensemble! Bluegrass it up with the Judge Talford Band at the Red Clay Theatre! Small Potatoes delivers a night of acoustic folk at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs followed by SLM’s “Winter Classic Rock ‘n’ Roll” series featuring The Buggs’ Beatles tribute! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! Blues it up with House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Tullamore Road delivers their rockin’ boogie blues at Northside Tavern! The Mick Hayes Band delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Get your Kansas City/West Coast blues fix at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Atlanta Boogie! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, January 17

Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier is a hunk of burnin’ love at the Variety Playhouse with his Elvis Royale event featuring the Kingsized orchestra and Dames Aflame! Or get your French chamber pop fix at The Star Bar with Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer & the Bicycle Eaters, Love Letter and Andi! SCADShow delivers a French new-wave experience with their screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s BREATHLESS (1960) with their 50^th Anniversary restoration! The Dirty Doors deliver tunes by the Doors at Steve’s Live Music during their “Winter Classic Rock ‘n’ Roll” series! Or get your Allman Brothers fix at The 120 Tavern & Music Hall with Tribute! Denim Arcade with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch dishes out some rockin’ ‘80s music at the North River Tavern in Sandy Springs! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles rock out circus freak-style at Dixie Tavern with special guests Captain & Maybelle! Stomp down to The Earl for Sons of Bill, The Skylarks and Kool Kat Drew Beskin (District Attorneys)! 529 delivers a rockin’ ruckus with Ben Trickey, Mishka Shubaly and Star Anna followed by a rockin’ tribute to the Clash, Clashinista! Boogie down to The Basement for their ‘90s D.A.N.C.E Party! Honky-tonk it up with Roxie Watson at the Crimson Moon Café! Kavarna delivers a hoppin’ hootenanny with the Shawn Wilcox Band! Get the blues with Delta Moon at Eddie’s Attic! Get folksy and stomp on down to the Red Light Café for Kristina Murray and Sailing to Denver! Blues it up with a CD celebration of the late Sean Costello’s “In the Magic Shop” at the Northside Tavern! Get down and dirty with Little G Weevil at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Get sweet and low down with Sandra Hall & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Or head over to the Charles D. Switzer Library in Marietta for their screening of David Michener’s animated classic, THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE (1986) at 3pm! Blues it up with The Tone Prophets at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! 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, January 18

The Cody Matlock Band hosts this month’s Atlanta Blues Society Meeting & Jam at the Red Light Café! Get your Precious fix at The Marlay House in Decatur during the Atlanta Tolkien Fans January Meeting at 1pm! It’s a night of old-school punk at the Masquerade with Pennywise, Anti-Flag, A Wilhelm Scream and Burns Like Fire! Bluegrass it up at Smith’s Olde Bar’s Bluegrass Brunch with The Porch Bottom Boys in the Bar Room! Get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar! Blues it up with Fatback Deluxe at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And rock on down to the Crimson Moon Café for their Boomers Gone Wild event, delivering a night of ‘60s and ‘70s covers!

Ongoing

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

William Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum’s, “Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendek in His Own Words and Pictures” getting wild through July 5!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every second Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every 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!

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

by Rex Reverb,
Contributing Writer

Get entertained this Thursday, December 18, at Atlanta’s Jungle Club by our Kool Kat of the Week and one of Atlanta’s new young singers, Josette Pimenta (often just “Josette” or “Josette P”) during her and her co-headliner, Christy Clark’s Sing for Your Life performance at 8 pm! A noted dancer with several local Atlanta dance troupes (including the Dames Aflame), Josette combines cabaret, burlesque and high-energy dance with a powerful voice to create her own unique brand of entertainment. Josette will be doing at least five numbers at her upcoming show, which is part of the Sing for Your Life competition, where she’s a judge this year. Josette‘s shows are always full of surprises, and ATLRetro readers will get the chance to experience her unique rendition of Peggy Lee‘s song, “Black Coffee.” More information about the show can be found here.

For those too young to remember Peggy Lee, she might be best known today as the singing voice for Jessica Rabbit. For those who haven’t seen Josette perform, imagine Jessica Rabbit combined with Cher, along with another classic cartoon character, RED HOT RIDING HOOD from the ‘40s.

Josette’s tale is like something out of a movie. She was told as a child that she didn’t have a good voice and couldn’t sing, causing her to shy away from singing in public for almost a decade, but now suddenly has a singing career. Although Josette is only 23-years old, this diminutive dynamo brings fresh energy and excitement–and more than a touch of burlesque and cabaret–to songs ranging from retro classics to recent hits to her own compositions.

Before diving into Josette‘s story, check out her rendition of Peggy Lee’s “Coffee” here!

Josette wanted to be a performer since she was a small child. She remembers at age five, jumping on her parent’s coffee table in her underwear, putting on a show by singing at the top of her lungs like her idol, Cher. Her parents, grandmother (who’d been a vocalist with a band) and uncles filled the house with music from many eras, and Josette began a passion for retro music that continues to this day. Josette also loved to dance and becoming a singer/dancer became her main goal in life. Her supportive parents helped her begin dance lessons at age 9, but she soon faced her first obstacle.

“Black Coffee”

Josette‘s ballet teacher took the youngster aside after class, and told her while it was clear she loved to dance, “you’re never going to be a dancer.” That was a hard thing for a child to hear, but she managed to get past it, and continue her dance training.

Josette never had voice lessons or vocal training, but when she was around 12, she took a class in musical theater. During one of her first classes, when all of the students were singing, the teacher singled her out, saying “Josette, can you just stop singing? You’re a lot louder than everyone else and you just don’t sound good.”

Such criticism, in front of the whole class, really stung the young Josette. She took it to mean that she didn’t have a good voice and couldn’t sing. It crushed her dream of becoming a singer/dancer like Cher, and for years afterward, she “shied away from singing.” For Josette, there was no chorus, no high school musical, no Glee Club, no singing lessons. She only sang at home with her family or close friends, or in the privacy of her own room. Instead, she focused on her dancing, working hard to pursue her scaled-down dream of becoming a (non-singing) professional dancer.

In high school, Josette experienced mostly success, but also some bullying, on the Dance Team.   She was so focused on her goal of becoming a performer after high school that she really didn’t have a back-up plan. She taught dance for a year, then became a bartender, to have the flexible schedule needed for dance auditions.

She first landed a spot with Davina and the Harlots, the local burlesque group with a flair for comedy, at which Josette also excelled. Josette then auditioned for the Dames Aflame, one of America’s premiere burlesque/cabaret groups, and was thrilled to be accepted. Josette‘s first public performance with the Dames Aflame took place at Trader Vics Atlanta in August, 2011, supporting the great “Big Mike” Geier (See his Kool Kat feature here) and Tongo Hiti. The rookie Josette was joined by long-time Dames Aflame veteran Shockaboom, whose Polynesian dance performances at Trader Vic’s are legendary.

“Married to Medicine”Polynesian dance performances are legendary.

Josette wasn’t content to merely put on a good show, but worked hard to make sure that everyone had a great time. Shockaboom always goes all out for Mike’s finale, and I was surprised to see Josette keeping up with Shockaboom’s Samba-like gyrations, shake-for-shake and shimmy-for-shimmy.

Josette‘s performances with the Dames Aflame, and Davina and the Harlots, averaged only two or three per month (including a few seconds on Bravo’s MARRIED TO MEDICINE, shown in the accompanying photo). So Josette continued to audition for full-time, professional dance roles, in touring Broadway shows, cruise ship shows, and major theme parks. Sometimes, the auditions would go really well, but she would never get a call back–perhaps because Josette was only 5′ 2″, while most Broadway-type dancers are at least 5′ 7″ (the minimum height to even audition for a group like the Rockettes).

Away from those auditions, Josette gradually tried singing in public again. It had been nine years since she’d had her singing aspirations crushed, but once or twice a year she would work a comedy or novelty song into a burlesque skit, usually with a group or another singer.

By the fall of 2012, she’d sung a song in public less than a handful of times. When dared by fellow dancer Sarah Blackman to enter a new singing competition, Sing for your Life, Josette–perhaps helped by the bottle of wine they were sharing–said “sure, why not?” The next day, she realized she had less than 24-hours to pick a song, figure out how to perform it, film it and submit the tape by the contest deadline.

Josette had her mother tape her singing “Half Breed” by Cher, and gave it a comedy/novelty treatment by performing it on a rocking horse. Still plagued by doubt over her singing ability, she almost didn’t submit the tape, but finally entered at the last minute with no expectation of success. To Josette’s surprise, she made it into the contest. She performed “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse at Sing for Your Life‘s live auditions held at Atlanta’s Jungle Club. Halfway through the song, the judges told her to stop singing and summoned her to come down off the stage. Worried about what would come next, Josette was relieved when they asked her to sing a standard. Drawing on her love of retro music, she sang “Almost Like Being in Love” by Nat King Cole, and made it into the final 12 contestants.

“Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”

For the first week of the 12-week long competition, she chose “Someone to Watch Over Me” by George and Ira Gershwin. Josette planned an arrangement that showed her range in the middle of the song, and even though it was cut for time at the last minute, Josette advanced to next week’s round.

Josette began hoping she might have a future as a singer. Though she lacked the vocal training or singing experience of most of the other singers, from her dozens of dance recitals, she knew how to put on a show.

Week Two’s theme was “Divas” and Josette chose the “ultimate diva,” Marilyn Monroe. Josette planned to sing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in an elaborate production. She’d sing the preamble while wearing a coat, then–when the main part of the song began–she’d drop the coat to reveal a sexy, jeweled costume. Josette planned to sing all over the stage and even go down the steep stairs into the audience. Despite all her planning, a huge problem arose once she began performing the song in front of the audience in the actual competition. She was so new to singing, that she didn’t know how to make sure the microphone was turned on!

The Jungle Club is a huge, warehouse-like space, so even her powerful voice could barely be heard past the first few rows. For most of those in the audience, she was almost inaudible, and not even as loud as a phone ringing. Finally, just after Josette dropped her coat to reveal her sexy costume, a sound technician went onto the stage to turn on her microphone, but her problems weren’t over. When the song started to replay from the beginning, Josette had to break character, explaining to the DJ that she wanted to resume where the song had originally stopped. The curtain even started to close on her, before someone pulled it back. Then, more agonizing seconds ticked by, as she stood in silence on stage, while the DJ tried to re-cue her music.

Many amateurs would have panicked at that point, but Josette’s dance training made her comfortable on stage. She slipped back into character, vamping for time until the music was finally ready. Still, Josette faced a daunting task: To avoid being the contestant sent home that night. She had only two minutes left of her song to impress the audience and the judges. A lifetime of hopes and dreams came down to those two minutes.

And then it happened! She started off good, becoming very good in a few more seconds. Soon, the amateur singer was performing the song as if she were a seasoned professional who’d sung it dozens of times. With the powerful delivery of a Broadway star, Josette unleashed a decade of pent-up singing talent in an amazingly confident performance. For the final note, her voice soared, as she sang longer and with more power than she

“I’m a Fool to Want You”

ever had before. It was as if she was determined to give the audience and judges something to remember instead of her microphone problems. And she did! See her performance here, which blurs the line between cabaret, burlesque and Broadway.

Needless to say, Josette advanced to the competition’s next round. It was as if that final powerful note had pierced her own personal sound barrier, because from that point on, she could seemingly sing anything. Her next song was an even more elaborate production of “Roxie” from CHICAGO, complete with two back-up dancers. Josette, the young woman who’d never sung in a musical, looked like an experienced pro.

For Week Seven, she chose “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, rendering an even more elaborately choreographed production, again with back-up dancers. But this time, the audience voted Josette down, into the bottom two. Whatever the reason, Josette found herself Singing for her Life against the other low-rated contestant (like Josette, also an excellent singer). Josette barely survived, and advanced to the next round.

As if determined to show that she could win on her voice alone, the next week Josette sang Pink’s “Glitter in the Air” while seated. Using her body, hands and facial expressions, she still delivered an incredible vocal performance. In the coming weeks, she showed her increasing versatility (and growing confidence) by giving good performances of songs by Billy Joel, Pat Benatar and Willie Nelson.

“Black Coffee”

In Week 10, she took the art of burlesque and cabaret to a new level, by singing the Billie Holiday classic “I’m A Fool to Want You” in a unique way. Not only did she not dance, she again didn’t even stand up! And near the end of the song–well, you’ll have to see for yourself. Take a peek at Josette’s rendition here.

Finally, it was down to Week 12, the final week, when Josette faced off against only one other contestant, Amber Renee. Each had to perform three songs, and for Josette‘s final song of the competition, she made a very unlikely choice: “Black Coffee” by Peggy Lee. In addition to being very obscure for most of the audience, it’s definitely a “downer” song and not an obvious crowd pleaser.

But she trusted her instincts. It was one of her favorite songs to perform alone in her room, in the not-too-distant past when she was afraid to sing in public. She always envisioned herself performing it in a sultry way, in a suitably lurid setting inspired by old movies and pulp covers she saw on the internet.

In her introduction to “Black Coffee”, the strain of the twelve grueling weeks of intense competition is evident. She knew all of her recently-revived hopes and dreams were riding on the outcome of that night’s performance. There was a cash prize, but more importantly for her, the first prize also included a producer and studio time to actually record three songs, plus a life solo show of her singing.

Josette found a way to make an obscure, downer of a song, the hit of the evening. You have to see her performance of “Black Coffee” for yourself. The effect on the audience was electric. I’ve studied burlesque for 25 years, and I’ve never seen a performance like that. Is it burlesque? Is it cabaret? I don’t know, but the audience loved it!

Still, Amber Renee was a formidable rival, and suspense filled the room as the last judge voted. When judge Barry Brandon finally announced that Josette had won the competition, she doubled over with emotion and burst into tears. Josette sobbed into the arms of her coach Michael Robinson, and she couldn’t have been more emotional or grateful if she’d won a million dollars or American Idol.

Josette told me that from the start, she hadn’t expected to win, and after three very stressful months, she couldn’t believe she’d actually prevailed. After regaining her composure, she tried to say a few words, telling the audience how she came to enter the contest. But when Josette started trying to explain about being told as a child that she couldn’t sing, she started to break down. Pulling herself together, she started to thank everyone, but broke down again. Pulling herself together again, she went out into the audience and gave a heartfelt, emotional thanks (and often a hug) to everyone she recognized or who came up to congratulate her.

Josette hadn’t just won a singing contest. She’d finally achieved the first step in a dream that had been shattered and shelved almost 10 years earlier.

But there was one final twist to her story, one that even Josette hadn’t seen coming. Impressed during the competition when a few contestants sang their own original songs, Josette wondered: Could she write her own songs as well?

“Here Kitty Kitty”

Collaborating with Atlanta songwriter J. L. Rodriguez, Josette began writing her very first pop song. They worked on the musical parts together (since she doesn’t play an instrument or read music), and she wrote the lyrics, having been inspired by a drawing of cat women a fellow Harlots alum had created. Top local producer, Thomas Cary Walker Jr., pitched in and in October 2013, Josette‘s first single, “Here Kitty Kitty,” was released on iTunes.

Josette gave the first full performance of her very first song in front of 10,000 people at Piedmont Park, during Atlanta’s LGBT Pride Festival. This was a full production, with four professional backup dancers, great lighting and Josette on the huge Jumbotron screen next to the massive stage. As she admitted to the audience after the song, she was nervous when she first came out. But she quickly settled down and was soon delivering a powerhouse performance, singing and dancing all over the stage.

Remember Shockaboom‘s finale with Tongo Hiti at Trader Vics, that Josette emulated the first time she danced there for the Dames Aflame? What seemed like a Samba move to me a few years ago had another name by last fall: Twerking. On the big stage at Piedmont Park, Josette had taken what she learned from Shockaboom to a whole new level and was light-years beyond Miley Cyrus. The already-cheering crowd started to roar, and when Josette whipped her long hair around to the sound of a whip being cracked, 10,000 people went wild. Catch a video of the wild scene here!

At the end of the number, Josette paused to catch her breath and look out over the cheering crowd. Seeing 10,000 people cheering for her singing, her dancing, and her first song–less than a year after entering the singing contest–was like the improbable ending to an old Hollywood move.

Sing For Your Life Competition

While Josette is the living embodiment of Red Hot Riding Hood on stage and says she just naturally tends to dance in a sexy fashion, off stage she’s very much a down-to-earth, girl-next-door type, a kind and sensitive person. Instead of talking about becoming a star, she talks about being creative, the joy of seeing her artistic vision fulfilled, and how great she feels when she’s entertained (and surprised) an audience. Luckily, she’s got a very supportive network of people helping her, including parents, a large extended family, boyfriend, friends and fellow performers.

Josette continues to dance with the Dames Aflame, and on December 20, she’ll be performing with them as a dancer in “Big Mike” Geier’s Kingsized Holida Jubilee extravaganza at the Variety Playhouse. This past year, Josette has focused primarily on her dancing, after joining two additional dance troupes–the BELLES (from Belles Organics) and THE CHERRY BOMBS. The Cherry Bombs will be joining her for a performance at Josette‘s big December 18 show at the Jungle Club. That show marks a return to singing for the busy Josette, and she plans to get back into the recording studio in the new year.

Photos copyright 2012-2014 Whitney Fields Photography. Some have been cropped from their original appearance.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Baby, it’s cold outside! But no worries! Retro Atlanta promises to get you warm and toasty with a week of rockin’ good times, filled to the brim with nostalgic holiday goodness! So get hip to the jive and come on out to see what Retro Atlanta has in store for you!

Monday, December 15

Rock on down to The Earl for their screening of Jenni Matz’ RYE COALITION: THE STORY OF THE HARD LUCK FIVE (2014), a documentary following the career of the ‘90s hard rock/post-hardcore band at 8:30pm! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ! It’s a night of rockin’ blues at Blind Willie’s with The Sly Dog Band! Frankly my dears, we do give a damn, so get your Scarlett O’Hara fix at the Central Library in Fulton County with their 75th Anniversary screening of Victor Fleming’s classic, GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) at 12pm! And don’t shoot your eye out at the Charles D. Switzer Library in Marietta during their screening of Bob Clark’s holiday classic, A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) at 6pm!

Tuesday, December 16

The Earl delivers a night of lonesome cowboy blues and rockin’ folk with Ben Trickey, Rick Dang and The Wayward Souls! It’s a night of ‘90s alt-rock at Smith’s Olde Bar with Bush and Twin Atlantic! Get alternative with Ed Roland and his friends during their Holiday Show at Eddie’s Attic! Get folksy, Russian-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Balalaika Fantasie! It’s a night of Chevy Chase shenanigans at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s “Home for the Holidays” screening of Jeremiah S. Chechick’s holiday comedy classic, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) at 7:30! Get classic, holiday-style with Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) at CineBistro at Town Brookhaven during their “Cineclassics 2014” screening at 6:30! Muppet mayhem ensues at the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library during their screening of Brian Hensen’s THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992) at 3pm! Joe McGuinness delivers a night of roots and Americana at Blind Willie’s! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with Kool Kat Jeff Clark and Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets the blues with Bob Page! And The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, December 17

It’s a night of holiday Big Band boogie at the Georgia Ensemble Theatre with Joe Gransden’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” performance, featuring his 16-piece Big Band! It’s a night of ‘70s psych rock at The Earl with New Madrid, Kool Kats Spirits and the Melchizedek Children and the Reverends! Hans Solo hilarity ensues at the Highland Inn Ballroom as SCENE MISSING presents their Hans Shot Firstmas event at 9pm, featuring comedy, skits and writing based on Star Wars films! Smith’s Olde Bar rocks out and gets funky with the Miraculous Mandarins, Scofflaw and Phrenic! Get jazzy at Elliott Street Pub with Sal Gentile! Get adventurous with Dread Pirate Roberts at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) during their screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at 7pm! Get your classic rockin’ blues fix with Fleetwood Mac at Phillips Arena! It’s a hootenanny and a half at The Star Bar as they get smokin’ during their Slim Chicken Honky-tonk Extravaganza, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! It’s your second chance to catch Ed Roland and his friends during their Holiday Show at Eddie’s Attic! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a night of blues to psycho-grass with Joe Craven! Get funky at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with The Georgia Flood! Blues it up Chicago/West Coast-style with the Electromatics at Blind Willie’s! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! It’s a night of Chevy Chase shenanigans at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s “Home for the Holidays” screening of Jeremiah S. Chechick’s holiday comedy classic, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) at 7:30! 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 18

Beware all you naughty children! Krampus is coming to town at 7 Stages, during their 5th Annual Krampus Xmas holiday rock ‘n’ roll show featuring the Little Five Points Rock Star Orchestra, Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South, Sadie Hawkins, terrifying puppets and more, running through Dec. 20! Or get jazzy at The Strand Theatre with Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer and T.T. Mahoney during their unique tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with Chad Shivers & the Silent Knights opening with the Beach Boys Christmas album! Or get really retro at the Atlanta History Center during their Candlelight Nights event, offering a candlelit stroll transporting you through the pioneer days, the Civil War and the ‘30s and each era’s Christmas traditions. Rock out at Terminal West during Mark Carroll’s 11th Annual Toy Drive featuring Yacht Rock Revue! Rock out at The Star Bar during their Rock & Roll Christmas Blackout! Join in on the holiday hi-jinx at The Plaza Theater as their Cineprov group delivers their “Ruining Childhood Memories Holiday Show” at 7:30! It’s a hootenanny of rockin’ proportions at The Earl with Frontier Ruckus and Justin Kinkel-Schuster! It’s Bluegrass Thursday at the Red Light Café, so stomp on down for a night with Time Sawyer! Bluegrass it up at the Tabernacle with Trampled by Turtles and the modern-era Wanda Jackson, Nikki Lane! Or get your alt-country punk fix at Elliott Street Pub with The Punknecks! Catch Dames Aflame dancer and cabaret gal, Josette Pimenta (see our Kool Kat feature soon!) singin’ her heart out at Jungle Atlanta! Get rockin’, roots-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Donna Hopkins! Heather Luttrell delivers a night of Americana and blues at Blind Willie’s! Make your way to the Atlanta Room at Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with Cosmoknox, Clockwork and Blackfox! Or get your jugtime Dixieland fix in the Music Room with the Rumpke Mountain Boys and The Jugtime Ragband! Eddie’s Attic delivers an evening with Patterson Hood (Drive-by Truckers)! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night of cool island tunes and a couple Mai Tais! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! And as always, boogie down at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, December 19

Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer, T.T. Mahoney and Robby Handley bring you their 7th annual A Charlie Brown Christmas Tribute at The Earl with Small Wreath Actions’ garage-tinged Rock n Roll Christmas Extravaganza, through Dec. 20! It’s a garage rock revival at Terminal West with The Whigs and Kool Kats Gringo Star! Kathleen Bertrand delivers a night of jazzy holiday classics at the High Museum during their “Friday Night Music Remix” event! It’s a night of garage/prog rock at WonderRoot with Air Wolves, Glen Iris, Bold Ashes and Slow Chrome! Rock out at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Stacktone Slims, Time Sawyer, Back on the Freakout and House of Thomas in the Atlanta Room. Or get funky in the Music Room with All the Locals, Navajo Joe and Forje! Celebrate 45 years of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” with Abbey Road Live! at the Variety Playhouse! Boogie down jingle-style at Mary’s during their Mary XXX-Mess Party! Get groovy at the Red Light Café with Markey Blue and Garrett Freireich! It’s a night of muddy Mississippi blues at the Buckhead Theatre with the North Mississippi Allstars and Larkin Poe! Catch Suzy Bogguss, the female Merle Haggard, at the Red Clay Theatre during her Christmas Concert! Spend the evening with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and their “A Very Merry Pops!” event, featuring the Atlanta All-City Chorus and catch a sighting of The Grinch, running through Dec. 20! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles get revved up at The Alamo in Newnan! Get folksy at the Crimson Moon Café with the Solstice Sisters and Out of the Rain! Swank it up with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet as they deliver a night of Django gypsy jazz at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! Blues it up with Frankie’s Blues Mission at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to Blind Willie’s for a night with Sandra Hall & the Shadows! Tom Holland & the Shuffle Kings blues it up at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Northside Tavern delivers a night of the blues with Stoney Brooks! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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 20

Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier brings his Kingsized Holiday Jubilee & Toy Drive to the Variety Playhouse at 8pm! You won’t want to miss his Kingsized rock n roll orchestra and the glitzy glamorous Dames Aflame! And it’s your last chance to catch Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer’s tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at The Earl! Or rock out in Gainesville with Kool Kats, The Casket Creatures at the Mule Camp Tavern during their “true nightmare before Christmas” show featuring Jim Sharman’s THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) at 9pm! ATL Collective, along with Kool Kat Ruby Velle, Grant Green Jr., and more present a “A James Brown Funky Christmas” at Terminal West! It’s a night of Appalachian folk and Americana at the Red Light Café with Waller, Waits & Co. and Wade Sapp! Get geeky at Philips Arena with Marvel Universe Live, featuring superheroes and an action-packed arena extravaganza! Jump across the pond to Smith’s Olde Bar as they present Please PleaseRock Me and Indianapolis Jones! Dear Mr. Peasant delivers a night of Americana at Elliott Street Pub with Husky Burnette! Stomp on down to the Crimson Moon Café for EG Kight! Or make your way to the Charles D. Switzer Library in Marietta for their screening of Chuck Jones/Ben Washam’s classic, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (1966) at 3pm! The Powder Springs Public Library screens Michael Anderson’s AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (1956) at 3pm! And explore Latino music through film at the Atlanta History Center with their “American Sabor Movie” screenings featuring Luis Valdez’ LA BAMBA (1987) at 2pm! Or get a second helping of Bob Clark’s holiday classic, A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) at the Flat Shoals Library in Decatur at 1pm! Holly Pollyea delivers her funky folk at Steve’s Live Music followed by Red Wine Jam and High Tea! It’s a night of ‘60s covers and more at The Family Dog with the Elegant Bachelors and Parker Smith! Spend the evening with Markey Blue at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Selwyn Birchwood gets the blues at Blind Willie’s! Blues it up at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Mr. Chapman’s Quarterly Revue! 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, December 21

It’s a rompin’ stompin’ hootenanny at The Earl with Chickens and Pigs and their 9th Annual Keith Richards Birthday Bash! Pallookaville delivers their 2nd Annual Holiday Sing-A-Long with Puddles Pity Party and Big Foot, featuring Matthew Kaminski and the mighty organ at 8pm! Get jazzy at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs during their “A Diva Christmas” event, featuring Deb Bowman, Audrey Shakir, Karla Harris and Theresa Hightower! Or doo-wop it up at Atlanta Symphony Hall with Under the Streetlamp! Celebrate the holidays with Joe Gransden’s Big Band Holiday Show at Eddie’s Attic with special guest, Francine Reed! The Family Dog dishes up a Charlie Brown Extravaganza with the David Ellington Trio and Kayla Taylor! Stomp on down to Terminal West for their 4th Annual Holiday Hootenanny, featuring Kool Kat Col. Bruce Hampton, Papa Mali, Delta Moon, Grant Green Jr., Deep Blue Sun and more! Or bluegrass it up at Smith’s Olde Bar’s Bluegrass Brunch featuring D.B.A! And it’s your last chance to get adventurous with Dread Pirate Roberts at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) during their screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at 2pm!

Ongoing

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s exhibit, Vintage Coca-Cola Santas, featuring 14 original oil paintings by Haddon Sundblom in 1931 for The Coca-Cola Company, sleighs through Dec. 16! (LAST CHANCE!)

The Strand Theatre’s Lumiere Piano Bar & Lounge, featuring classic silent films quietly flickering in the background, accompanied by a live pianist and tasty cocktails, runs through Dec. 20! (LAST CHANCE!)

Serenbe Playhouse presents their adaptation of “Snow Queen” through Dec. 21! (LAST CHANCE!)

The Strand Theatre’s “A Christmas Tradition” song and dance revue runs through Dec. 21! (LAST CHANCE!)

The Gwinnett Ballet Theatre presents “The Nutcracker” at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center through Dec. 21! (LAST CHANCE!)

Shakespeare Tavern’s Atlanta Shakespeare Company presents Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, running through Dec. 23!

The Alliance Theatre gets retro Dickens-style with their “A Christmas Carol”, getting Scrooge-y through Dec. 24!

Center for Puppetry Arts adapts Larry Roemer’s classic, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964) through Dec. 28!

The Fox Theatre and the Atlanta Ballet present their holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker”, running through Dec. 28!

Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) exhibits 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair through Jan. 4!

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

William Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum’s, “Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendek in His Own Words and Pictures” getting wild through July 5!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every first Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every 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!

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Hey all you Kool Kats and Kittens! Jump, jive and wail in Retro Atlanta this week! We’ve got all the sci-fi geekery your hearts could desire! We’ve got a whole lotta honky-tonk shenanigans! We’ve got film noir, horror gore and ‘80s mishaps in film this week! And you won’t want to miss all the blues, punk and rock ‘n’ roll mischief! So, get out and get Retro!

Monday, August 25

Punk on down to 529, for a rockin’ night with the Crocodiles, Sisu and Shantih Shantih! It’s a bloodbath at The Plaza Theater during their screening of the 40th Anniversary Edition of Tobe Hooper’s infamous horror thriller, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974), through Aug. 28! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste ofBumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Blues on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with Barrelhouse BobPage!Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and some finger lickin’ BBQ! And come on down to Petite Auberge as they serve up some specialties through Aug. 28 in celebration of their 40th Anniversary! (see our Happy Hour & Supper Club Review of Petite Auberge here)!

Tuesday, August 26

The Clean delivers a night of ‘70s New Zealand punk at The Earl with the Boogarins! Get your retro rock and ‘50s and ‘60s pop fix at 529 with Sonny & The Sunsets, Cheap Time and Landline! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a night with the Atlanta Bluegrass All Stars! Blind Willie’s delivers a night of the blues with Timo Arthur! Rock on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Ed Roland & the Sweet Tea Project! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! The Bob Page Trio delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Boogie on down to The Star Barand get groovy at The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne’s Funk Royale featuring DJ Quasi Mandisco every Tuesday! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern. The Northlake Festival Movie Tavern delivers a night of ‘80s comedy with Eddie Murphy as they screen Martin Brests’, BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, August 27

Get fatally vintage at Emory Cinematheque’s 35mm screening of Arthur Ripley’s film noir classic, THE CHASE (1946) at White Hall! For a night of surf, traditional and garage rock, make your way to The Earl for Sol Cat, Concord America and Lowbanks! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Stomp on down for a hootenanny and a half tonight at The Star Bar as they get smokin’ during their Slim Chicken Honky-tonk Extravaganza,featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Alex Gordon Hi-Fi delivers his smooth retro tunes at the Elliott Street Pub! Juke joint it up at Blind Willie’s for a night of hill country blues with John Sosebee! TheMike Veal Band gets funky and rocks out at the Tin Roof Cantina! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, August 28

Get ‘yer medieval geek on at the The New American Shakespeare Tavern as they host their Much Ado About Nerddom II: A Geeky Variety Show, featuring Three Quarter Ale, Ninja Puppet Productions, a magic show by Matt Felten and bawdy burlesque by Musee du Coeur! Or get bizarre, David Lynch-style, with pie and coffee at Mary’s during their Twin Peaks Prom, promising haunting doo-wop melodies, costume contests and dramatic readings of Laura Palmer’s secret diary! Stomp on down to The Star Bar for a night with Cute Boots, Joe Smith & the Going Concern and The Greater Vavoom! Or make your way to Eddie’s Attic for a whole lotta Americana with Jackson County Line! Or get your bluegrass fix at the Red Light Café with the Sweetwater Creek Bluegrass Band! It’s a Smithereens Tribute at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room with Nine Times Blue! Or make your way to the Music Room for a retro rockin’ good time with Autumn Attics and Sodajerk! Aerosmith invades Philips Arena with their classic rock! The Rockaholics rock out blues and soul-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and his Polynesian pop lounge band,Tonga Hiti and a couple Mai Tais! Punk out with Kool Kats, The Joy Kills at the Clermont Lounge! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Delifor their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! The Shadows get bluesy at Blind Willie’s! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! And it’s your last chance to get your Detroit detective fix at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Martin Brests’, BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, August 29

Get your uber geek on, starting today, as the 28th Annual premier sci-fi convention, Dragon*Con, kicks off, running through Sept. 1! It’ll be an event chock full of rockin’ retro shenanigans, including sci-fi classics, alternative history, comics, pop-art, fantasy, horror, paranormal, sci-fi literature, Star Wars, Tolkien, Star Trek and more! Tonight’s events include, but are not limitedto,‘Ye Medieval Boogaloo: Return of MST3K Night, Part II The Sequel’, hosted by Kool Kat Daniel Griffith and MST3K creator, Joel Hodgson; an Inter-galactic Military Ball, a Pin-Ups by the Pool Party, a Vintage Vogue Fashion Show and so much more!

Surf on down to The Earl for a rockin’ night with The Blasters, The Forty-Fives and Grinder Nova! It’s a night of surf punk and garage rock at the Basement with Sex BBQ, Dirty Lungs and Imagination Head! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night of old-time Americana with Mr. Blue Sky, Battlefield Collective and The Ain’t Sisters! It’s a night of tributes at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Last Waltz Ensemble and Convoy! Blues it up at Eddie’s Attic with Rocco Deluca! Pick on down to the Crimson Moon Café for a night with Smokey’s Farmland Band! Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month! Stomp on down to The Loft for a night with the Kudzu Kings, The Sundogs and TheHoly Ghost Electric Show! Father Murphy delivers a night of psychedelic rock doom at Eyedrum! Swing on by the Atlanta Botanical Garden for a night with Lyle Lovett & His Large Band! Get psychedelic at the Northside Tavern with Swami Gone Bananas! Tony Levitas delivers a night of retro rock at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Or blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and get mischievous with The Unusual Suspects! Sandra Hall & the Shadows deliver a night of low-down and dirty blues at Blind Willie’s! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! Get your fill of your favorite MTV videos with Kool Kat VJ Anthony at his ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night invading Famous Pub every Friday night at 10 pm! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, August 30

It’s day 2 of the 28th Annual Dragon*Con! So, sci-fi it up with a whole lotta retro goodies! You won’t want to miss the Dragon*Con Parade at 10 am; the Late Night Sci-Fi Theatre’s presentation of Andrew Jordan’s classic horror flick, THINGS (1989) and a 25^th Anniversary Party; Kool Kat Talloolah Love’s Glamour Geek Review; Lips Down on Dixie’s largest Rocky Horror Picture Show event; the Hero’s & Villains Ball and so much more!

The Star Bar’s Labor Day Weekend Beat BBQ Blowout is tonight, featuring a whole lotta retro rock, with The Woggles, Muck & the Mires and The Mystery Men?! Kool Kat Eva “Torchy Taboo” Warren and many more get bawdy tonight at The Goat Farm Arts Center during Nayeli Belly Dance Troupe’s presentation of A GROWN AND SEXY AFFAIR: SOME LIKE IT HOT! It’s a night of glam rock at 529 as the Wham Bam Bowie Band rocks out with their David Bowie tribute! Kool Kat Colonel Bruce Hampton gets absurd at the Red Light Café with the Madrid Express! The Northside Tavern delivers a night of the blues with the Randy Chapman Trio! Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with The Western Sizzlers and The El Caminos! Put on those dancin’ shoes and get ready for a night of retro rock, Motown, funk, Big Band and more at The Basement for Electric Western’s Keep on Movin’ Rock and Soul Dance Party! Get southern-fried at the Crimson Moon Café with EG Kight! The Strand presents “The Color Purple the Musical,” the Broadway musical based on Alice Walker’s classic novel! The Hollidays deliver their rhythm and soul at The Family Dog! It’s a night of Dixie blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Seminole Jackson! Blues it up at Blind Willie’s with House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows! 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 31

It’s day 3 of the 28th Annual Dragon*Con, so sci-fi it up and get geek-filled with a whole lotta shenanigans, including a Zombie Prom, radio theatre, a Masquerade and so much more! Get psychedelic at The Earl with the Mood Rings, Part Time and Sea Lions! It’s a night of Django-Reinhardt gypsy swing as Annie Sellick & the Hot Club of Nashville invades Eddie’s Attic! Big Tex has their Bluegrass Brunch with Rye Baby! Blues it up at The Family Dog with Bill Sheffield! Make your way to theCrimson Moon Café for The Tom & Julie Show featuring tributes to tunes from the 60s to the 90s! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets bluesy with Fat Back Deluxe!

Ongoing

The High Museum gets revved during their ‘Dream Cars; Innovative Design, Visionary Dreams’ exhibit, featuring forward-thinking auto designs from 1932 to the present, running through September 7!

Nerd Film Mafiascreenings at theDiesel Fueling Station following NerdCore Trivia, every last Tuesday of the month!

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco every Tuesday!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pikeand the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month.

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

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Hey kiddies! Check out what we’ve found for you this week! We’ve got all the swell shenanigans your mischievous little hearts could desire, from rockin’ ‘billy to funky grooves to the blues to a whole lotta foot stompin’ pandemonium! So, get off that couch and get Retro!

Monday, August 11

“Psychobilly Freakout” is delivered tonight to your ‘billy lusting ears at Camelis Gourmet Pizza Joint with Kool Kat Rev. Andy, broadcasting a spitfire night of rockin’ rockabilly and psychobilly live on Garage71 Internet Radio! Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, especially cult comic legends, Monty Python! So come on down and catch them on the big screen at Lefont Theatre, as the Lafont Film Society presents, MONTY PYTHON LIVE (MOSTLY) (2014) at 7 pm! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Blues on down to Blind Willie’s and get a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Come on down and help celebrate our pals, Petite Auberge’s 40th birthday the entire month of August, with food and drink specials! Tonight’s special, $10 bottles of wine (any bottle of Coastal Wine – Cabernet, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot or White Zinfandel) runs through August 16 (see our Happy Hour & Supper Club Review here)! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and some finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, August 12

Let Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South spice up your naughty little hearts at the Red Light Café at their Tease Tuesday: Summer Heat event! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a night with Smoke Rise! For a night of old-time Americana, make your way to Blind Willie’s for the Boohoo Ramblers! The Bob Page Trio delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Boogie on down to The Star Bar and get groovy at The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne’s Funk Royale featuring DJ Quasi Mandisco every Tuesday! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern. Rock out ‘90s alt-rock style as Weezer puts on a free show at Turner Field after the Braves game! Join the adventure at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) during their Summer of Adventure series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, August 13

Smith’s Olde Bar delivers a night of old-time, foot-stompin Americana and bluegrass with the Rumpke Mountain Boys, Sans Abri and Old SaltUnion! Get your psyche-rock fix at The Earl with Weary Heads, Hot Fudge and Weird Sin! Kool Kat Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo rocks out with some blues, jazz and southern soul at Blind Willie’s! The Mike Veal Band gets funky and rocks out at the Tin Roof Cantina! Get the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.  Skip school and spend the day with Elliott and his alien pal at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) during their Summer of Adventure series at 11:30 am!

Thursday, August 14

Get mysterious and film noir’d at the Fox Theater as the Coca Cola Summer Film Festival presents Billy Wilder’s killing masterpiece, DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)! Rock out tonight at The Star Bar with Waking the Bates, CinemaNovo, R. Garcia and Dylan Michael! Get funky in The Basement with Voodoo Visionary, Loudermilk & Moon and the Soundmatics! Get some soul at The Earl with Jolie Holland and Shy Hunters! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with the Atlanta Bluegrass All Stars! The DarkStar Orchestra delivers a night of Grateful Dead jams at The Variety Playhouse! Surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a rockin’ beach party with KoolKat Joshua Longino with Andrew & the Disapyramids! Or rev on down to the Clermont Lounge and get your Ghost Riders Car Club fix with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton! Albert Castiglia delivers the blues at Blind Willie’s! Rock on over to the Tin Roof Cantina every Thursday from 10 pm to 2 am and catch Jukebox Fiasco! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.  And it’s your last chance to catch Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern during their Summer of Adventure series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, August 15

Swing on by Smith’s Olde Bar’s Atlanta Room for DJ Doctor Q’s special event, Speakeasy & Rouge’s Electro Swing Summer Slam, featuring guest DJ Vourteque of Rouge, burly-Q performances by Kool KatTalloolah Love and Laci Neal and a little Go-Go with Nikki Nuke’m! Kool Kat Becky Cormier and Denim Arcade rock out to your favorite ‘80s hits at Craze Tavern in Deluth! Or stomp on over to the Music Room for a night Americana and bluegrass with TheWhiskey Gentry, Folk Soul Revival, Owner of the Sun and WWaylon & the Real Americans! The Star Bar gets retro ‘90s-style with Reuben’s Bell, Nine Times Blue, Nobody’s Darlings and My Ninja! ATL Collective dishes out a night of Sade’s 1992 album, “Love Deluxe” at Eddie’s Attic with two shows! It’s Madonna-Rama! tonight at Mary’s, so rock on down dressed as your favorite Madonna and pop out to your favorite music videos and a live show! Or make your way to Famous Pub for Kool Kat VJ Anthony’s ICON 80s: Madonna’s Birthday Music Video Dance Party at 10pm! Get rebellious and experimental at Ambient + Studio as Contraband Cinema presents Polish filmmaker, Zbigniew Rybczynski’s, MEDIA: Volume One (1972-1978), featuring ten short animated films!  Get jazzy at Callenwalde FineArts Center at their Jazz on the Lawn event! The Mulligan Brothers deliver a night of folk rock and Americana at the Red Light Café! Get your fill of the ‘60s and ‘70s at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with The Rainmen! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Blind Willie’s gets bluesy with The Breeze Kings! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! It’s a night of swingin’ blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues with Dennis Gruenling & Doug Deming! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues at the Northside Tavern with the Atlanta Horns! Get folksy at Big Tex with the Codey Bearden Band! Or rock out, folk-style at the Crimson Moon Café with Michelle Malone and Peachy Pyron! Stomp on down to the Red Clay Theatre for a night with Montana Skies! Spend the night with the tunes of the “Godfather of Go-Go,” Chuck Brown at Center Stage with The Chuck Brown All Star Band! Help the Gipsy Kings celebrate 25 years of their flamenco and Latin tunes at Chastain Park! Cow punk on down to the Elliott Street Pub for a night with The Punknecks! The Rockaholics deliver some rockin’ blues at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, August 16

Viva Las Vegas! Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier delivers his Vegas-style extravaganza, Elvis Royale! at The Variety Playhouse, featuring DamesAflame! Then shake those hips on over to Big Tex for their Elvis Memorial Night, featuring the Pelvis Breastlies along with Elvis food and drink specials! Glam on down Bowie-style to the Drunken Unicorn for a night with JeromeNewton & the Ban Who Fell to Earth along with Kool Kat Aileen Loy with Till Someone Loses an Eye! Or shimmy on over to the Elliott Street Pub for Kool Kat Kitty Love’s Cheeky Belle’s Burlesque: Romantic Getaways show, featuring performances by Angelica Vice, JudyAnne Foxe, Valkyrie Jones, Rosie Palms and special guest, Chattahoochie Coochee-Mama!

Eddie’s Attic gets retro with a little garage polka, absurdist bluegrass and a little ‘60s neo-tropical swagger with Eliot Bronson, Adron and the PackwayHandle Band! Get your second helping of TheWhiskey Gentry in the Music Room at Smith’s Olde Bar, along with Have Gun Will Travel and Anchor Bends! Stomp on down to the Masquerade for a night with the Starbenders, Brooklynn, Maggie Smith and Bring Back Atlas! Rock out at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre with Motley Crue and Alice Cooper! Jason Kenney delivers a night of rockin’ bluegrass at the Crimson Moon Café! Swing on by Kavarna for a night with Flat Rock Swing! Little G. Weevil gets the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! The Family Dog gets stompin’ with TheWhipstitch Sallies! The Northside Tavern delivers a second night of Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck! Donna Hopkins rocks out roots-style at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Get real bluesy at Blind Willie’s with The Breeze Kings and Sandra Hall! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a night with the Blackfoot Daisies! Bluegrass it up at Terminal West with TheSteelDrivers! 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 17

It’s a night of musicals at the Fox Theater as the Coca Cola Summer Film Festival’s presents Robert Stevenson’s classic, MARY POPPINS (1964) and a sing-along at 2 pm! Rock on down to The Earl for a night with G.Green, Dasher and Hip to Death! The Desert Rose Band gets classically country at Eddie’s Attic! For some old-school rockin’ soul, make your way to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with The Mobros and a little surf rock with Woven In! Swing on by Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for Big Band Atlanta’s “The Band in Black” jazz brunch! Mercury Orkestar delivers some traditional Balkan folk at Pallookaville’s free Sunday Night Summer Concert Series!  Big Tex has their Bluegrass Brunch with In the Wheelhouse! Get jazzy at the Crimson Moon Café with their Jazz it Up Jam with Rick Harris! Bill Sheffield delivers the blues at The Family Dog! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets bluesy with Tony Bryant!

Ongoing

Pallookaville delivers old-school vintage tunes during their free Sunday Night Summer Concert Series running through August 24 from 7-10pm!

The High Museum gets revved during their ‘Dream Cars; Innovative Design, Visionary Dreams’ exhibit, featuring forward-thinking auto designs from 1932 to the present, running through September 7!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco every Tuesday!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every 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!

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.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Retro Atlanta is rockin’ this summer with all the vintage shenanigans you could ever want! So, come on out and see what we’ve found for you on the Retro Menu! Atlanta gets groovy, revved up, doused in golden era film and so much more! So, get off that couch and live la vida Retro!

Monday, July 21

Start the week off right with a couple silver screen oldies but goodies at The Plaza Theater as they continue their 75th Anniversary celebration with presentations of John Ford’s STAGECOACH (1939) starring John Wayne and Ernst Lubitsch’s Greta Garbo flick, NINOTCHKA (1939)! Get retro, kiddie-style at Pallookaville’s vintage cinema extravaganza with The Polka Dotted Elephant Summer Cinema Club at 10 am, with their screenings of a DOGVILLE SHORT episode (1930), LANCELOT LINK episode (1970) and featuring Henry Selick’s adaptation of Raold Dahl’s classic, JAMES ANDTHE GIANT PEACH (1996)! Punk on down to 529 for a night of psych punk and noise pop with Zoners, Mexican Slang, Landline and Thunders! Blind Willie’s delivers a night of the blues with the Marshall Ruffin Band! 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. Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a bluesy helping of The Pork Bellies and some finger lickin’ BBQ!
 
Tuesday, July 22

It’s a night of film classics with Zoltan Korda’s tale of adventure, FOUR FEATHERS (1939) at The Plaza Theater; the Midtown Art Cinema’s screening of George Roy Hill’s outlaws with style flick, BUTCHCASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) and the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s screening of Jim Abrams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker’s ‘80s satire, AIRPLANE! (1980) during their Summer of Adventure series at 7:30 pm! Get your ‘90s alt-rock, anti-folk fix at the Fox Theater with a night of Beck! Or stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for Cedar Hill! King Buzzo (The Melvins) delivers his “This Machine Kills Artists” tour at The Basement! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues at Blind Willie’s! Get the rockin’ blues with Lola at Sweet Georgia’ Juke Joint! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Boogie on down to The Star Bar and get groovy at The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne’s Funk Royale featuring DJ Quasi Mandisco every Tuesday! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! TheEntertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern. And rock on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with JT Speed!

Wednesday, July 23

Take a trip back in time to 1939 to The Plaza Theater as they celebrate their 75th Anniversary with screenings of ’39 classics, Jean Renoir’s, THE RULES OF THE GAME (1939) and Michael Powell’s, SPY IN BLACK (1939)! The Breeze Kings deliver a night of Chicago/Delta blues at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Kool Kat Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo rocks out with some blues, jazz and southern soul at Blind Willie’s! The Hollidays deliver a night of soul and rock and roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.  Or skip school and spend the day with Leslie Nielsen at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their screening of Jim Abrams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker’s ‘80s satire, AIRPLANE! (1980) during their Summer of Adventure series’ matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Thursday, July 24

Get nuclear and hitch a ride over to the Fox Theater as the Coca Cola Summer Film Festival presents Stanley Kubrick’s DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964)! Put on the Ritz and make your way to The Plaza Theater for their 75thAnniversary Gala, featuring a screening of the star-studded, THAT’SENTERTAINMENT (1974), directed by Jack Haley and starring Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and more!  The Gala also includes a gourmet chocolate buffet after the show, so come on out and celebrate The Plaza Theater’s first 75 years! Rock on over to The Variety Playhouse for a night with The Musical Box, delivering a performance celebrating 40 years of Genesis’ “Selling England by the Pound”! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and his Polynesian pop lounge band, Tonga Hiti and a couple Mai Tais! Get funky in the Music Room at Smith’s Olde Bar with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong! Celebrate the Man in Black, Johnny Cash, at the Red Clay Theatre as JohnCarter Cash presents his “House of Cash” tour with special guests, Tim andMyles Thompson! It’s Bluegrass Thursday at the Red Light Café, so stomp on down for a night with 16 Coaches and The Mars Hill Porch Pickers! Rock on down to the Clermont Lounge for a night with Gunpowder Gray, Six Shot Revival and the Pelvis Breastlies! Sweet Betty & the Shadows get down and dirty at Blind Willie’s! Get the blues with the Randy Chapman Trio at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.  And it’s your last chance to catch Jim Abrams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker’s ‘80s satire, AIRPLANE! (1980) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern during their Summer of Adventure series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, July 25

The Plaza Theater rocks into the space-age as screen Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi classic, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) during their 75th Anniversary celebration! It’s a night of jangle garage rock at The Earl with ReigningSound, Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause and Douglas’ Street Team! Get some Memphis soul at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with the Swamp FunkQuartet! Rock out with the ‘blues woman power’ of Beverly ‘Guitar’ Watkins at Blind Willie’s! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues rocks out with The Georgia Flood! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck gets down and dirty as his Big Dang Band with the Atlanta Horns takes over the Northside Tavern! It’s a ‘60s Brit invasion at Big Tex with The Backyard Birds! Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer & the Bicycle Eaters deliver their “Cinematic, French chamber-pop” at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event while mingling under the dinosaurs! Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month! Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ deliver their rock-folk, jam punk at Smith’s Olde Bar! Get a taste of some Kentucky bluegrass at the Crimson Moon Café with The Kevin Prater Band! Men of Motown boogie down during their song and dance revival at The Strand Theater! Go underground and get sinister with Kool Kat VJ Anthony at his BLACK OUT: Goth & Industrial Dance Night invading Famous Pub and delivering a night of rare Goth, dark ‘80s and post punk music videos! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens 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, July 26

Get gory and undead at the Diesel Filling Station as they play host to Markster Con and Gorehound Production’s 5th Annual Atlanta Zombie Pub Crawl, featuring the bloodiest good time with professional zombie make-up artists [Jason Hodges], costume contests, grotesque libations and more! Or get intergalactic at The Plaza Theater for your second helping of Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi classic, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) during their 75th Anniversary celebration along with John Hughes’ ‘80s classic teen comedy, FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986)! Or get epically historic at the Fox Theater for the Coca Cola Summer Film Festival’s screening of Victor Fleming, George Cukor and Sam Wood’s epic classic, GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)! And get funky at the Tabernacle at the FunkJazz Kafe Arts & Music Festival, featuring vendors, art, live music, food and more!

It’s a night of raucous retro rock at The Earl with the Supersuckers, Big Foot and the Night Terrors! Or stomp on down to The Star Bar for a night of old-time bluegrass punk and sassy boot-stompin’ shenanigans with I Want Whisky, City Hotel and the HotHouse Peaches! It’s a night of ‘70s-era pop and disco at Eddie’s Attic with the Susi French Connection! Get rocked, psychobilly style at the Masquerade with OpossumHoller! Groove on down to Vinyl for a night with Voodoo Visionary, The Groove Orient and Story of A Life! Or get avant-garde Zappa and Mr. Bungle funky at Elliott Street Pub with Opposite Box! Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers a night of CSNY, a classic Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover band! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck delivers a second helping of his Big Dang Band with the Atlanta Horns at the Northside Tavern! The Johnny Scales Trio gets down and dirty at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! The Terry Flynn Band delivers a night of stompin’ Americana at Big Tex! Punk on down to WonderRoot for a night with Ganges Phalanges and Wicked Pretty! The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra presents an “Intimate Evening with Art Garfunkel” at Symphony Hall! For a night of psych-rock, make your way to the Red Light Café for Pettingzoo! House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows get the blues at Blind Willie’s! Blues on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with The KatieMartin Band! Escape Vehicle rocks out at The Family Dog! Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ deliver a second night of their rock-folk, jam punk at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Music Room! Or stomp on over to the Atlanta Room for a night with Buck‘O Five! Spend an evening with the greatest women in music at The Strand Theater during their song and dance revue, Diva! 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, July 27

Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers their Gypsy Jazz Brunch offering up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm! The Plaza Theater continues their 75th Anniversary celebration with their screenings of John Hughes’, FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) and Nicholas Ray’s, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)! Get funky at Pallookaville during their free Sunday Night Summer Concert Series with the 4th WardAfro Klezner Orchestra! Or stomp on down to Big Tex for their Bluegrass Brunch with the Georgia Mountain String Band! Fat Back Deluxe gets the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! The Low Volts and The Western Sizzlers deliver some old-time rock at The Earl!  Get jazzy and blues it up with the Electromatics, Jon Liebman and Nick Johnson at Eddie’s Attic! The Family Dog delivers a night of Jez Graham and 3 Out of 4!  It’s a Jukebox Giants song and dance musical revue at The Strand Theater, featuring pop music through the ages, ‘50s to ‘80s! And groove on down to Terminal West for their 7th Annual Jerry Day, celebrating the tunes of Jerry Garcia, featuring David Gans with Ted Norton (The Grateful Dead Hour), Deep Blue Sun, Escape Vehicle, Electric Codpiece, Gr8fulDude & Frenz, Swami Gone Bananas, High Mountain Ramblers, The Charlie Fog Band and so much more!

Ongoing

Pallookaville delivers old-school vintage tunes during their free Sunday Night Summer Concert Series running through August 24 from 7-10pm!

The High Museum gets revved during their ‘Dream Cars; Innovative Design, Visionary Dreams’ exhibit, featuring forward-thinking auto designs from 1932 to the present, running through September 7!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco every Tuesday!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every 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!

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.