ATLRetro

Tuesday Sept. 6

A man. A plan. A Bike. A Truck. The Alamo. Support two great nonprofits – Atlanta’s oldest continually running cinema, the Plaza Theatre and the citywide Sopo Art Bike Show 2011 at tonight’s Art Opening & A Movie Presents PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE. Opening reception at 8 PM with 35 mm movie screening at 9:30 pm. If you haven’t read our Retro Review by ATLRetro’s newest blogger Tom Drake yet, he dissects this classic 1985 comedy in the spirit of the old Infocom games & maybe a wee bit of Joseph Campbell here.

Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 PM. Fedora Blues is at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Notorious DJ Romeo Cologne spins ‘70s funk and disco at 10 High in Virginia-Highland. Catch Tues. Retro in the Metro nights at Midtown’s Deadwood Saloon, featuring video mixes of ’80s, ’90s and 2Ks hits.

Wednesday Sept. 7

“The spiky, power-pop bounce recalls a polished Fastbacks or Modern Lovers huffing the Vapors off Descendants” (Chris Parker, Alternative Press). OK, we’re sold on the ’77 punk/power-pop street cred of the Cute Lepers rocking Star Bar tonight with special guests local power pop superheroes Biters and Houston punk band Something Fierce. Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard Tavern. It’s a doubly soulful night with Ruby Velle Trio playing R&B at Eddie’s Attic and The Hollidays bringing it on to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck blues it down at Northside Tavern. Dance to ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s hits during Retro in the Metro Wednesdays presented by Godiva Vodka, at Pub 71 in Brookhaven.

Thursday  Sept. 8

Head down to The Basement under Graveyard Tavern for Ink 4 Pink‘s Vaudeville Villains, featuring an exhibition and auction of works inspired by all things Vaudeville by 30 of the Southeast’s top tattoo and Low-Brow artists, paired with entertainment by local thrash-grass bands and burlesque performers and drunken cupcakes from The Sugar Dolls. Ringmastered by Capt. Stub-Tuggo & Maybelle, the Southern Belle from Hell, the line-up includes Syrens of the South‘s D’lilah D’lite, Kittie Katrina and Sweet Christina, as well as music from Nashville’s Hell Fire Revival featuring artist Chris Saint Clark, James Hunnicutt, Jayke Orvis & the Broken Band and the GD Gallows. All proceeds from art auction, raffle sales and $10 cover support Ink 4 Pink’s 2011 Atlanta 3-Day for the (Breast Cancer) Cure fundraising goal.

Whiskey Belt.

Go Retro-Polynesian to Tongo Hiti’s luxurious live lounge sounds, as well as trippy takes on iconic pop songs, every Thurs. night at Trader Vic’s. Honky tonk it with Whiskey Belt who take two on their all-September Thursday night free gigs at Kathmandu Kitchen (formerly Pho Truc) in Clarkston. Party ‘70s style with DJ Romeo Cologne at Aurum Lounge. Breeze Kings & Chickenshack bring on the blues respectively at Northside Tavern and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Friday, Sept. 9

Blast-Off Burlesque launch their World Tour tonight at 9 p.m. (doors at 8) at 7 Stages. The Beach Boys surf down into Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Solo artist Julie Dexter performs a variety of music from jazz to soul and beyond at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. Spanky & the Love Handles play funky dirty dance-able blues at Fat Matt’s, while the Hollidays are being soulful at Northside Tavern. Whiskey Belt honky-tonks it up at Hottie Hawg’s. CineProv! at Relapse Theatre.

Saturday Sept. 10

The Plaza Theatre presents an encore 35 mm screening of PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE at 3 PM. Read our Retro Review by ATLRetro’s newest blogger Tom Drake here. It’s the last big date of the season for the Atlanta Rollergirls as The Apocalypstix battle the Denim Demons in a 5 p.m. grudge match and then the Toxic Shocks take on the Sake Tuyas in the Champ bout at 7:30 p.m. at Yaarab Shrine Center. Blast-Off Burlesque guide audiences on two more World Tour shows tonight taking off at 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:30) and 10:30 p.m. (doors at 9:45 p.m.) at 7 Stages. After the show, head to Masquerade for a sci-fi-themed Mon Cherie’s Rockabilly Lounge, featuring Psycho DeVilles, DJ Rev. Andy of Garage 71 spinning Psychobilly Freakout, jello shots from Mon Cherie’s Pin-Up Beauties and local burlesque stars Evil Sarah, The Chameleon Queen, Stormy Knight, Fonda Lingue and Scarlett Page. And hell, yeah, it’s an all-star honky tonk/Retrobilly 80th Birthday Tribute to honor Country Music Legend George Jones Saturday night at Star Bar with Caroline & the Ramblers, The Stumblers, Ghost Riders Car Club, Slim Chance & the Convicts, Serenaders and Joel Burkhart. Blues pianist Ike Stubblefield tickles the ivories at Northside Tavern.  Cazanovas bring Chicago style blues to Hottie Hawg’s BBQ. And DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours.

Paramount Theatre, Atlanta. Photo courtesy of Callanwolde.

Sunday Sept. 11

Hear about Atlanta’s long-gone magical movie palaces and neighborhood theaters, their organs and theatre organists of the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s in Pipes on Peachtree, a panel discussion featuring organ technician/historian John Tanner and Joe Patten, Atlanta’s Phantom of the Fox in the Retro setting of 1920 Gothic-Tudor mansion, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance & $12 in advance. For a sneak preview, check out our recent Kool Kat feature on Strand organist Ron Carter here. Also, The Washboard Confessional plays blues “dunch” between 1-4 PM at The Earl. Snake Legs bring on the blues at Fat Matt’s.

Ongoing

RADCLIFFE BAILEY: MEMORY AS MEDICINE, the most comprehensive exhibition of the Atlanta artist’s works to date, runs through Sept. 11 at the High Museum of Art. Read more about the artist and this powerful exhibition in this Kool Kat.

JOHN MARIN’S WATERCOLORS: A MEDIUM FOR MODERNISM, a companion exhibit also at the High this summer through Sept. 11, surveys the work of the man named America’s number one artist in a 1948 LOOK magazine survey. While his name is not a household one today, this exhibition reminds us of his important place in the modernist movement and why watercolors became such a powerful instrument for avante-garde art in the hands of him and other artists in the Stieglitz Circle,including Georgia O’Keefe.

The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)‘s current exhibit WaterDream: The Evolution of Bathroom Design, runs through Sept. 24 in the dynamic new Midtown space. Displays take visitors through a four-part journey into the bathroom from the birth of minimalist aesthetics in 20th century design to current concepts.

Get a rare chance to view original manuscript pages from the  last four chapters of ATLANTA’S BOOK: THE LOST GONE WITH THE WIND MANUSCRIPTat the Atlanta History Center. The exhibit runs through Sept. 5 and is part of a series of activities celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of the international bestseller and also includes foreign and first edition copies, the desk Margaret Mitchellused while writing it and select images.

Tune back in on Friday for Weekend Update. If you know of a cool happening that we’ve missed, send suggestions to ATLRetro@gmail.com.