ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Kool Kats and Kittens! 2015 is finally here! So start the year off right and let Retro Atlanta show you what to do! We’ve got all the rockin’ swell events you won’t want to miss! So, get dolled up, get your dancin’ shoes on and live la vida Retro! Come see what we have in store for you this week!

Monday, December 29

Get adventurous this manic Monday with Bruce Willis at The Plaza Theater as they screen John McTiernan’s, DIE HARD (1988) through Jan. 1! Or jazz it up at the Lefont Theatre with their screening of Alan Hicks’ KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON (2014), documenting the life of legendary jazz musician, Clark Terry at 7pm! The haunted holiday season’s not over kiddies! Spook on down to the Stonecrest Library in Lithonia for their screening of Henry Selick’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) at 1pm! Bluegrass it up with a rockin’ Americana three night stand at the Variety Playhouse with Railroad Earth! Stomp on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a night with the Melanie Denard Band! 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!’ Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! It’s a night of rockin’ blues at Blind Willie’s with Frank & Blues! And blues it up at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with a side of Dry White Toast and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, December 30

Get funky with Zack Deputy and Dapper Slap at Smith’s Olde Bar! 529 delivers a night of Steely Dan-esque dream pop and ‘70s psychedelia with Misery Loves Chachi, Teach Me Equals and Kool Kats, Spirits & the Melchizadek Children! Lounge it up at the Red Light Café with “Esotronik”, delivering a night of UK garage, house and groovy tunes! 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 with Dan Sheffield! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues at Blind Willie’s! Get your second helping of Railroad Earth at the Variety Playhouse! And The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, December 31

It’s New Year’s Eve, folks! Out with the old and in with the new! Although, we here at ATLRetro prefer the old, so we’ve put together a swell Throwback to the 20^th Century New Year’s Eve Guide, that will lead the way as you boogie on down to your final destination in 2014! Ring in the New Year in style and toast 2015 in Retro Atlanta! We at ATLRetro wish you a very vintage and rockin’ Happy New Year!

Thursday, January 1

Get funky at Terminal West this New Year with Funk You and Dank Sinatra! Make a wave at Studio Movie Grill in Alpharetta with James Cameron’s epic tale, TITANIC (1997) at 7:30pm! 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! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck and Bill Sheffield deliver some rockin’ blues at the Northside Tavern ! 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, January 2

The Clibber Jones Ensemble, reminiscent of Frank Zappa rocks out at The Star Bar with Rad Giraffe and Mice in Cars! Get weird with an evening of “outertainment” at the Red Light Café with Dom Jalapeno, Will Dollinger (wWAYLOn), Carlton Heston and Kimlee Davis! Get some southern-fried soul and funk out at Smith’s Olde Bar with Tony Levitas and Deep Blue Sun in the Music Room. Or rock out with The Kinky Aphrodisiacs in the Atlanta Room! Rock out with a little garage and psychedelic rockabilly at the Drunken Unicorn with Outrageous Fun and Diamond Thief! Get really retro and classy at the Red Clay Theatre with Matthew Kaminski and Gwen Hughes as they present, “An Evening with Johnny Mercer”! Get experimental and avant-garde at Eyedrum with To Live & Shave in L.A. featuring composer/producer Tom Smith (Peach of Immortality/Pussy Galore) and Frank “Rat Bastard” Falestra! Friend Without A Face revs you up with a night of rockabilly metal, bluegrass and psychobilly surf at 529! Get the boogie and funk it up at Mary’s with their Disco Hangover Party! Rock on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Spring for their “Winter Classic Rock ‘n’ Roll” series with a Bob Dylan Tribute Band! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! The Crimson Moon Café delivers an intimate evening of folk rock with Shaun Mullins! Experience traditional Chinese culture at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center with Shen Yun, delivering 5000 years of Chinese civilization with classic dance, a live orchestra and beautiful costumes! Get romantically comedic at the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library in Decatur with their screening of Roger Mitchell’s NOTTING HILL (1999) at 1:30pm! 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 3

Rock out in the new year with an evening of new-wave and post-apocalyptic power pop with The Swimming Pool Qs and Blasting Cap at Smith’s Olde Bar! Or get your classic garage fix with Five Eight, Metroscene and Time Before the War at The Star Bar! The Glands and Tenement Halls (Chris Lopez) deliver a rockin’ night at The Earl! Boogie on down to Kavarna for their Vinyl Soul Night! Jazz it up at the Red Clay Theatre with The Elgin Wells Group New Year’s reunion! It’s an evening of folk rock at Terminal West with the Indigo Girls! Get funky with Maze and Frankie Beverly at the Fox Theatre! Get traditional folk-style at the Red Light Café with “A Didgeridoo New Year” featuring Martin & Scott and Emma Salahuddin! Rick Booher & the Soul Machine deliver their funk and soul at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs followed by the ‘60s and ‘70s rock n roll of The Rainmen! Blues it up with Andy Makely and Atlanta Boogie at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! And make your way to the Charles D. Switzer Library in Marietta for their screening of Simon Wells’ BALTO (1995) at 3pm! 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 4

Bluegrass it up at Smith’s Olde Bar’s Bluegrass Brunch with The Cohen Brothers Band! The Crimson Moon Café delivers a second helping of Shaun Mullins’ folk rock! Get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar! And it’s your last chance to get fabulous and vintage at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) with their exhibit, 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair!

Ongoing

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

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.