ATLRetro

By Jordan Barbeau
Contributing Writer

Monday, January 16

To honor and carry on the mission of civil rights leader and Atlanta native Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., into the 21st century, a march & rally keeps Dr. King’s “dream alive”  from Peachtree Street to the King Center on Auburn Avenue. Joe Gransden brings his 16-piece orchestra to Cafe 290 for Big Band Night every first and third Monday of the month, playing a variety of standards from Sinatra to Count Basie, along with Joe’s originals. Smith’s Olde Bar again hosts the talents of Tab Benoit and The Deacon Brandon Reeves. From 3 PM on, savor tropical sounds and libations, as well as a Polynesian dinner, during Mai Tai Monday at Smith’s Olde Bar. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam. To break up the Monday monotony, head over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for dinner and a show, with local blues/jazz band Dry White Toast performing at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, January 17

Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 p.m. Little G. Weevil blues it down at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta. J.T. Speed rocks the blues Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers bring on the blues at Northside Tavern. Catch Tues. Retro in the Metro nights at Midtown’s Deadwood Saloon, featuring video mixes of ’80s, ’90s and 2Ks hits.

Wednesday, January 18

Bernadette Seacrest got her start in rockabilly but now she and her band, the Kris Dales are delivering some raw, dark vintage-inspired jazz. Catch her tonight at Eddie’s Attic. The Atlanta Funk Society turns the main room of Smith’s Olde Bar into the funkiest place in Atlanta on Wed. nights. Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard Tavern. The Hollidays play 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 at Pub 71 in Brookhaven.

Thursday, January 19

The Unsatisfied, The Dirty Knockouts and The Bums bring some raw punk, garage energy to The Clermont Lounge. The Star Bar presents The Team Luis Birthday Show, a night of glam, psych-pop and rock n roll featuring Cousin Dan, Turf War, Abby GoGo and Dino’s Boys. The Red Light Café’s weekly Bluegrass Thursday starts with a 7 p.m. jam session, followed by a bluegrass band at 9 p.m. Relax with a tropical cocktail at vintage tiki bar Trader Vic’s where Tongo Hiti play Retro-Polynesian luxurious live lounge sounds, as well as trippy takes on iconic pop songs, every Thursday night. Big Mike‘s off in Seattle till June performing with El Vez in Teatro ZinZanni’s CALIENTE SHOW, so Atlanta Funk Society‘s Jonathan Lloyd will be filling in on vocals. Remember Lloyd’s Rockstead Review, his killer reggae collaboration with Kingsized ? The Breeze Kings and Chickenshack bring on the blues respectively at Northside Tavern and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Friday January 20

Fernbank Museum’s Martinis and IMAX gets physical with Salsa Night featuring salsa lessons and performances by Salsambo Dance Studio. Smokey’s Farmland Band & friends bring their brand of “good-time eclectic bluegrass” to the Star Bar. The Swamp Funk Quartet funks it up at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues. G Love & Special Sauce rock the Variety Playhouse with their unique hip-hop blues style.

Saturday, January 21

If you’re in the mood for a bit of naughty fun, head over to the Plaza Theatre for Blast-Off Burlesque’s latest Taboo-La-La: BOOGIE NIGHTS! Experience on the big screen the notorious movie about the glory days of disco, drugs and the porn industry set in 1977 and featuring an eclectic all-star cast ranging from Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore to Burt Reynolds! Showtime is 10 pm, but get there early for a night of innuendo-laden foods, Porn Persona superstar costume contest, prizes, Rollergirl madness and a hilarious stage show with special guest Cousin Dan. Read Dean Treadway‘s Retro Review here.

Photo courtesy of Sofia Talvik.

Drawing comparisons ranging from Joni Mitchell to Aimee Mann, this week’s Kool Kat, Swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Talvik, brings her unique blend of folk music and Euro-pop to The Drunken Unicorn with Divine Isis, who will be celebrating the release of their new EP, and Pocket the Moon. Read why Sofia labels her music “as a mix between the melancholy of Scandinavia and the mysteriousness of the American South” in our Kool Kat interview with her here. Atlanta-born The Grapes return to their hometown to rock the Variety Playhouse along with southern funk band Deep Blue Sun. The Psycho-Devilles get rockabilly crazy at Dixie Tavern. The 529 gets rocked by I Want Whiskey, Prison Book Club, the Signallers and Rainey. The hard-rocking Casanovas take Darwin’s Burgers & Blues by storm, while the New Orleans Suspects and A Nickel Bag of Funk play Smith’s Olde Bar. And as usual, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours.

Sunday, January 22

Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band rock the main room of Smith’s Olde Bar, while the Boxcar Bandits handle the Atlanta room. Vito plays The Earl for dunch. Fatback Deluxe bring on the blues at Fat Matt’s, and Uncle Sugar blues it down at Northside Tavern.

Ongoing Theatre 

Before the  hit 1968 movie with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and the beloved ’70s TV sitcom with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman THE ODD COUPLE was a Broadway play by Neil Simon. A local production of the comedy about two mismatched, newly-single roommates, Felix the neat freak and Oscar the slob, plays at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre  in Marietta through Jan. 22.

ANNIE, the musical about everyone’s favorite comic-strip red-headed orphan cheering up the Great Depression, plays the Fox Theatre through Jan. 22.

CAVALIA: ODYSSEO takes the spirit, beauty and creativity of recent European acrobatic spectaculars such as Cirque de Soleil and applies it to horses. Let’s just say this is not your mamma’s  Royal Lippizan Stallions circus show. Big tent at 864 Spring Street. Through Jan. 29.

Ongoing Exhibits

Explore one of America’s most iconic theaters in AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING: HOW THE APOLLO THEATER SHAPED AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT, a special exhibition at the Atlanta History Center . Presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, in collaboration with the Apollo Theater Foundation, the display includes historic and contemporary costumes, playbills, music scores, graphic images and recorded music. Through March 4, 2012.

PICASSO TO WARHOL, a special art exhibition at the High Museum of Art, features over 100 works of art from 14 of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Through Apr. 29, 2012.

If you know of a cool happening coming up soon, send suggestions to ATLRetro@gmail.com.