ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

This Week in Retro Atlanta is the Kat’s Meow! Come see all the shakin’ shenanigans we’ve found for you! From honkytonk hootenannies to rockin’ garage, glam ‘n’ punk, we’ve got you covered!

Monday, March 14

Make your way to the Alpharetta Branch Library for their screening of Billy Wilder’s THE APARTMENT (1960) at 10:30am! Or catch a screening of Kent Jones’ documentary, HITCHOCK/TRUFFAUT (2015) at the Lefont Theatre at 7pm! Shake a tail feather on down to the Red Light Café for the Lending Love Burlesque & Variety Show! Sean Tyrrell dishes out a night of Irish folk at Steve’s Live Music! Get to the root of it all with Brandon Reeves 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!” Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with The Pork Bellies! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! The Cody Matlock Band delivers a night of blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta!

Tuesday, March 15

Rock on down to the Masquerade for a night in Hell with Le Butcherettes and The Dead Ships! Get criminal and hang out with the Dark Knight at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Leslie H. Martinson’s BATMAN (1966), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30pm! Punk out hillbilly style at the Drunken Unicorn with Larry & His Flask, The Great Perhaps and Agree and The Pure Heart! It’s a night of psych-rock at Smith’s Olde Bar with Black Pussy and Frick! Folk out with Gordon Lightfoot at Atlanta Symphony Hall! Or catch a screening John Ford’s THE QUIET MAN (1952) at the Decatur Library at 10am! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with Chamomile & Whiskey, The Brookses and Hill Roberts! The Whiskey Gentry and Sara Rachele get down at The Earl! Kip Winger delivers a night of experimental classical and rock at Eddie’s Attic! Fatback Deluxe gets the blues at Blind Willie’s! Or blues it up with Little G. Weevil at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Downtown Tuesday Night Dance Party featuring retro-soul, funk, ‘80s, ‘90s and more! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, March 16

Get cinematic with “La Nouvelle Vague” at Emory Cinematheque’s screening of Agnes Varda’s CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 (1962) during their “French New-Waves: Classics & Rediscoveries” series at 7:30pm! Spider Stacy (The Pogues) and the Lost Bayou Ramblers deliver “Poguetry in Motion: The Songs of The Pogues” at Terminal West! It’s a night of garage punk and rock ‘n’ roll at 529 with Hot Wives, Quiet Hollers, Fake Image and The Marrows! Get the rockin’ blues with Roy Lee Johnson at the Variety Playhouse! “Swing into Spring” at Steve’s Live Music with the Marlatov Cocktail Swingers! The Boohoo Ramblers dish out a night of Americana at Blind Willie’s! It’s your last chance to catch Leslie H. Martinson’s BATMAN (1966) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30pm! Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) screens Simon Wincer’s FREE WILLY (1993) at 7pm! It’s Chicken Picken’ Wednesday at Venkman’s, so come on out for a night with Control Burn! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! The Star Bar gets to twangin’ with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! Or 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, March 17

Get lucky in Retro Atlanta tonight! Folk it up with Joan Baez at Atlanta Symphony Hall! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party with Kool Kat Joshua Longino and The Disapyramids! Eighties it up at the Masquerade with their Shamrocks & Sabres III: Masquerade 80s Night Reunion! Get old-timey at The Earl with The Darnell Boys, Old Salt Union and Max & Maggie! Rock on down to The Star Bar for their St. Pat’s Day Celebration with Horror Business (Misfit’s tribute); Nevermind (Nirvana tribute); and Devomatix (Devo tribute)! ATL Collective presents U2’s “The Joshua Tree” at Venkman’s! Alex & Todd bluegrass it up at the Red Light Café! It’s a British Invasion jam with Mark Michelson & Friends at Steve’s Live Music! Blues on down to Blind Willie’s for their St. Pat’s Festival with Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck and the Atlanta Horns! 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, March 18

Get funky folk-style at Avondale Towne Cinema with The Ain’t Sisters, the Donna Hopkins Band and Gibson Wilbanks! Croon on down to Venkman’s for a night with Joe Gransden & His Big Band celebrating 100 years of Sinatra! The Imperial OPA Circus dishes out a night of ballyhoo at 7 Stages with their Grand Cabaret! Make your way to the Red Light Café for a night with Migrant Worker, the Allen Thompson Band and Lindsay Rakers! Bluegrass it up with The Infamous Stringdusters and Nikki Bluhm & The Gramblers at the Variety Playhouse! Absynthe Makes the Art Garfunkel pays tribute to Simon & Garfunkel at Steve’s Live Music! Blue sit up with Damon Fowler at Blind Willie’s! Broadway’s Liz Callaway pays tribute with “The Carole King Songbook” at Atlanta Symphony Hall! Pop on down to Marietta and The Earl Smith Strand Theatre for the Rock, Pops and More Spring Concert and Symphony on the Square! The Wayward Souls dish out a night of dark Americana at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Blues it up with Stoney Brooks at the Northside Tavern! 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! 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, March 19

The Northside Tavern gets down with their annual 2-day benefit for Frank Edwards, Chicken Raid 2016, featuring a blues-filled line-up with (Day 1) Listen Hear, Scene of the Crime, Eddie Hinton, Tony Bryant (Juke Joint Rick), the Georgia Flood, Mateo & The Wayward Souls, The Sweet Heart Beets, Chickens & Pigs, Skye Paige, Essie Mae Brooks, Lola, Eddie Tigner, Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck, Atlanta Horns, Stoney Brooks, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Albert White, Roy Lee Johnson, Frankie Lee, Sammy Blue and more! Test your Muppet knowledge at the Center For Puppetry Arts during their Jim Henson Trivia Night at 8pm! Get some ‘60s/’70s soul with Lee Fields & The Expressions at Terminal West! The Clermonts rock out at the Red Light Café! Gypsy jazz it up with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet at Steve’s Live Music! Make your way to The Earl for a night with Small Reactions, Through the Sparks, Black Linen and Flower! Rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles at Dixie Tavern! The Michael C. Carlos Museum presents their “Doorway to an Enlightened World” exhibit, running through Nov. 27! The Star Bar delivers a night of tributes with Rumours (Fleetwood Mac), The Dirty Doors (The Doors) and Refugee (Tom Petty)! The Atlanta Rollergirls get down with their March bouts featuring today’s double header at the Yaarab Shrine Center!  Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down with their 3rd Annual Dueling Pianos event! Blues it up with Selwyn Birchwood at Blind Willie’s! Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade 80s it up at the Dallas Pub House! 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, March 20

TCM presents their Big Screen Classics 60th Anniversary screening of Cecil B. Demille’s epic , THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) at 2pm/7pm in theatres across Atlanta [Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); Regal Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee); Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); Regal McDonough Stadium 16; and Georgian Stadium (Newnan)]! It’s your last chance to get down and dirty at the Northside Tavern’s Chicken Raid 2016, with Day 2 featuring Gospel Hour, the Radio Ramblers, the Blues Dude, Mandi Strachota, Shelton Powe, The Rockaholics, Essie Mae Brooks, Nate Nelson (The Entertainment Crackers), Haley Tarkenton, Freddie Vanderford & the Millbillies, Jontavious Willis, Robert Lee Coleman, Cool John Ferguson, Swami, Uncle Sugar and more! Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) screens Simon Wincer’s FREE WILLY (1993) at 2pm!

Ongoing

Take a trip to 1793 Paris and catch Lauren Gunderson’s new play, “The Revolutionists” at 7 Stages, reigning terror through March 20! (LAST CHANCE)

MacGillivey Freeman’s 2013 documentary, NATIONAL PARK ADVENTURE, commemorating the U.S. National Park Service’s 100th anniversary at the Fernbank Museum’s IMAX screens through June 16!

The Michael C. Carlos Museum presents their “Doorway to an Enlightened World” exhibit, running through Nov. 27!

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

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.

SHEHEHE. Photo credit: Gary Duddleston.

By Geoff Slade
Contributing Writer

About a dozen punk and metal bands are performing at the two-day Hammerhead Fest V this weekend at Star Bar. The Goddamn Gallows swing in to headline Fri. March 12 and Ramming Speed will close the festival on Sat. March 12. The first bands hit the stage at 9 pm both nights, and the mostly local line-up includes returning acts The Vaginas, Death of Kings and Bigfoot (Read our interview with Bigfoot’s Jett Bryant here).

Also back this year is Athens based ass-kickers SHEHEHE. Catch em while they’re close because who knows when they’ll be back around. About their Friday night Hammerhead slot, the band posted the following on Facebook: “Last Atlanta show until we’re not sure when! Come out and rage with us!” So we figured we’d better get a move on making guitarist and singer Noelle Shuck our Kool Kat of the Week.

Like Hammerfest, SHEHEHE formed in 2011 and have long been favorites among fans of the current punk rock scene, here and in Athens. They sound like the bands, the best ones, that became popular just as “punk” exploded in the late 70s, when the genre was still loosely defined. Still, Shuck says she and bandmates Nicole Bechill (lead singer), Jason Fusco (drums, vocals) and Derek Wiggs (bass guitar) don’t mind stretching the boundaries of the genre to make room for creativity. They are a punk band after all. So in addition to the genre icons you might expect (Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Stooges), they list as influences The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Kinks, Motorhead, even Tears For Fears and The Bangles.

Shuck took the time to chat with ATLRetro a few days ago about SHEHEHE’s specific punk pH, what the genre means to her, and the most punk rock thing she’s ever seen at one of their shows.

And why a clarification might be in order if ever asked if you’re an old school punk.

And briefly about dining locally.

How can people check out your music?

We’re on Spofity, Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, all that digital shizzzz. Links to it through our official Facebook page, too.

What’s the Hammerhead Fest?

A two-day festival that features regional rock bands put together by King/Tastemaker Amos motherfuckin Rifkin and Co. 

How did SHEHEHE come together?

Lots of practice (grins).

How would you describe your music to those unfamiliar?

Describing SHEHEHE to people is difficult because we get so many different descriptions from people about what we sound like. But I would describe it as a mixture of early-’70s punk, kinda Ramones-core mixed with some glam. We get Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Pat Benatar, L7 and The Donnas as well. If you’re familiar with power pop, that’s something people tend to agree on. Punk ’n’ roll also works.

Who are your influences?

Wu-Tang

Who do you listen to now?

My mom.

What is punk? Plenty of aging rock fans say “real” punk ended decades ago. Thoughts?

Part I: Originally, a prison term for a guy who was at the receiving end of anal sex.

Part II: Real punk is relative to each individual. The words “real” and “original” aren’t necessarily the same. Punk to me is a response to mainstream conformist tendencies that tend to stifle creativity and expression. I think punk is just about being genuine.

Musically of course it’s a little narrower than that. We all have ideas of what punk music should or does sound like, but it’s cool to find new ways to stretch that and play with it some. Our band is a weird amalgamation of four people with different influences and backgrounds coming together to make something we all agree is good. But I never would have known this would be the result if you’d asked me what I thought a band with these four individuals would sound like. So for me that’s that idea of being genuine. Musically or otherwise. There’s too much sheepherding and being told what to like these days. Fuck that—like whatever the hell makes you happy.

How are the Atlanta & Athens punk-rock scenes?

They are fantastic. 10/10 would recommend.

What acts do you like locally?

It’s a tie between cunnilingus & Blondie from the Clermont Lounge.

What’s the most punk rock thing you’ve ever seen or done at a SHEHEHE show?

I think the punkest thing was early on in the semi-original lineup when we still had a lead guitar player. Well, actually it was right after we lost our lead player. We got a guy to fill in for a show at Caledonia. He practiced with us once and everything seemed well enough. So we get to the show, and he shows up just completely wasted and proceeds to play leads in all the wrong places, something that would’ve been great if we were like Sonic Youth, Then he tries to sing along into Nicole’s mic even though he knows zero of the words. Jason unplugged him, but he kept plugging himself back in. Eventually Jason started throwing shit at him, a drumstick and a roll of duct tape, and told him to get off the stage before he beat his ass.

Some people in the crowd thought it was some sort of schtick up until this point, including our dudes from KarbomB. As soon as they realized it was real, they all helped keep the dude in the crowd so we could finish our set. People said we ripped it. Whether or not that was just in comparison to being an unintentional noise rock band or because we were all kinda pissed and full of adrenaline, I’m not sure.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Hey kiddies! This week in Retro Atlanta is the Kat’s MEOW! Check out all the swell shenanigans we’ve found for you!

Monday, March 7

Make your way to the Alpharetta Branch Library for their screening of Fred Zinnemann’s FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) at 10:30am! Stomp on down to The Earl for a night with Andrea Colburn, the Urban Pioneers and Nathan Nelson (The Entertainment Crackers)! Take a trip to 1793 Paris and catch Lauren Gunderson’s new play, “The Revolutionists” at 7 Stages, reigning terror through March 20! 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! The first Monday of every month is Vinyl Night at the Red Light Café, so come on out for a night of “Albums that just sound better on vinyl!” Blues it up with Bill Sheffield at Blind Willie’s! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! The Cody Matlock Band delivers a night of blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta!

Tuesday, March 8

Let Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and the burly-Q gals of Syrens of the South spice up your evening with their Tease Tuesday: Spring Fling edition shakin’ it up at the Red Light Café! AC/DC invades Philips Arena with their “Rock or Bust” tour! Fathom Events takes us back to 1975 with their screening of QUEEN: A NIGHT IN BOHEMIA at Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta), Regal Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee), and AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw)! Blues it up Kansas City style with Atlanta Boogie at Blind Willie’s! Or rock out Brit-blues style with Marty Manous at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Downtown Tuesday Night Dance Party featuring retro-soul, funk, ‘80s, ‘90s and more! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, March 9

John Mayall gets down and dirty at the Variety Playhouse! Get your folksy punk fix with Flogging Molly at the Tabernacle! Eighties it up and catch a screening of John Hughes’ classic, SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta)! It’s a rock ‘n’ roll revival at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Howling Tongues, Sunghosts and the John Pagano Band! Sleaze it up at the Drunken Unicorn with The Dirty Magazines, Jerkagram, Cinema Novo and Twin Trances! “Swing into Spring” at Steve’s Live Music with the Marlatov Cocktail Swingers! Kool Kat Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo delivers a night of southern soul ‘n’ blues at Blind Willie’s! It’s Chicken Picken’ Wednesday at Venkman’s, so come on out for a night with The Ain’t Sisters! Lola gets down and dirty at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! The Star Bar gets to twangin’ with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! Or 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, March 10

It’s a night of “twist stomp slop” ‘n’ sleazy surf rock at The Star Bar with Guantanamo Baywatch, The Gooch Palms and Kool Kat Sen. Artie Mondello’s The Mondellos! The Earl folks it up and rocks out with Pony League, Blue Blood, New Junk City and Jeremy Ray! It’s a night of folk ‘n’ Americana at Venkman’s with Cicada Rhythm and Caleb Caudle! Get brassy NOLO retro-style with the No BS! Brass Band at Aisle 5! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with The Ain’t Sisters, She Returns from War, Brian Robert and Jason Waller! Catch a screening of Jeff Kanew’s TROOP BEVERLY HILLS (1989) at The Plaza Theater at 8pm! Jazz it up Middle Eastern/Cuban style with the Hadar Noiberg Trio at Steve’s Live Music! Sweet Betty and The Shadows get sweet and low down at Blind Willie’s! Rock on down to the Masquerade for a night with Further Seems Forever! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party! 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, March 11

It’s a weekend of mischief and mayhem at The Star Bar with their Hammerhead Fest V! Night one brings you The Goddamn Gallows, Bigfoot, The Vaginas, Shehehe, Duell and Frick! Or make your way to the Little Vinyl Lounge downstairs for a night with Alexa Dexa, Emily Marie Palmer & Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer, Ben Trickey and Amy O’Dell! Come one, come all, creatures of the night to RITUAL’s Phantasmagoria at Famous Pub! Get your traditional NOLA jazz fix at the Red Light Café with Nolatet! Bill Sheffield and The Entertainment Crackers blues it up at Avondale Towne Cinema! Rock on down to Venkman’s Yacht Rock Revue’s “Led Zeppelin vs. The Who” event! Rev it up acoustic-style with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt at The Alamo (Newnan)! Get down with Beverly “Guitar” Watkins at Blind Willie’s! Or blues it up with the Barry Richman Band at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Cool John Ferguson dishes out a night of the blues at the Northside Tavern! Bluegrass it up with The Chuck Nation Band at the Crimson Moon Café! Get the blues with Randall Bramblett at Steve’s Live Music! Boogie under the dinosaurs with Lethal Rhythms at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Time-warp it up during the Rocky Horror Pub Crawl, beginning at 7pm, with the final stop being 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, March 12

Hey kiddies of all ages! Joelanta & the Great Atlanta Toy Convention invades the Atlanta Marriott Century Center for 2 days only, through March 13! If you love vintage toys, stop-motion animation, comics, cosplay, pop culture and more, you won’t want to miss this two-day toy extravaganza including dealers tables, celebrity guests! Shimmy on down to the Shakespeare Tavern for Bettie Bullet Presents: Sex Ed Burlesque featuring Kool Kat Lola LeSoleil, Kool Kat Ursula Undress, Kool Kat Talloolah Love, Candi LeCoeur, Kool Kat Roula Roulette and more! It’s day 2 of Hammerhead Fest V at The Star Bar featuring Ramming Speed, Sadistic Ritual, Dusty Booze & the Babyhaters, Death of Kings, Invasion and Old Thrones! Skank on down to the Masquerade for a night with The Slackers, The Duppies and Eddie Rascal! Catch Kent Jones’ documentary, HITCHOCK/TRUFFAUT (2015) at the Lefont Theatre at 10:30am! Kool Kat Chad Shivers brings us another rip roarin’ pary at Kavarna with his Southern Surf Stomp!, featuring Ouroboros Boys, McPherson Struts and Moonbase! Shop all things retro at Vintage Soiree’s pop-up sale, 11am-7pm! Rock out with The Moody Blues at the Fox Theatre! Or surf rock your face off at The Highlander with Fiend Without a Face, Timmy James & The Blue Flames and Catfight! For one day only, the Center For Puppetry Arts presents “The Sound of Music” performed by Austria’s Salzburg Marionette Theatre with two shows at 2pm/7pm! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get old-timey with Freakwater at Eddie’s Attic! Jazz it up with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra (GSO) at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre! Dixieland it up at Venkman’s for a night with the Jugtime Ragband! Glam it up at the Red Light Café for “A Celebration of Bowie’s Life and Legacy” featuring Jerome Newton & the Band Who Fell to Earth, Lingua Franca and Musee du Coeur! Get lucky at Park Tavern during their Lucky Fest featuring Zale, the Lefty Williams Band, Radio Birds and Ian Schumacher! Laura Rain & The Caesars get some soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Blues it up with Sandra Hall & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade 80s it up at the Wild Wing Café in Gainesville during their ‘80s Party and Costume Contest! The Imposeurs pay tribute to R.E.M. at Steve’s Live Music! 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, March 13

The Earl Smith Strand Theatre gets really retro with their screening of Fred Niblo/Charles Brabin’s BEN HUR: A TALE OF CHRIST (1925), with a pre-show on the Almighty Allen Theatre Organ played by Kool Kat Ron Carter! It’s a night of old-time western swing at the Red Light Café with The Waymores, The Vaudevillians and Ellis Dyson & The Shambles! It’s day 2 and your last chance to experience the Joelanta & the Great Atlanta Toy Convention at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center! Altan delivers a night of traditional Irish tunes at Eddie’s Attic! Nancy Gaddy gets saucy with her “Sexy at Sixty” cabaret show at Steve’s Live Music! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

Take a trip to 1793 Paris and catch Lauren Gunderson’s new play, “The Revolutionists” at 7 Stages, reigning terror through March 20!

MacGillivey Freeman’s 2013 documentary, NATIONAL PARK ADVENTURE, commemorating the U.S. National Park Service’s 100th anniversary at the Fernbank Museum’s IMAX screens through June 16!

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

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.

Photo by Sharon Pye

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Genre-bending Atlanta newcomers, Darcy Malone & The Tangle hail from the Big Easy, and plan to dish out rockin’ soul at Smith’s Olde Bar this Saturday, March 5! It’ll be a night of sizzlin’ rock ‘n’ roll chock full of New Orleans nostalgia twisted with a bit ‘o jazz, pop-rock and everything in between! Janglin’ it up with The Tangle will be indie folksy pop chanteuse Joanna Duff and Athens rock quartet, Southern Bred Co.! Doors at 9 pm.

Darcy Malone & The Tangle [Darcy Malone (lead vocals); Jagon Eldrige (sax-keys); Chris Boye (guitar-vocals); Glenn Newbauer (guitar); Craig Toomey (bass-vocals); and Billy Schell (drums)] began dishing out their brand of swampy rock ‘n’ soul in 2013. With a debut album releasing at the end of the month (STILL LIFE), produced by Rick Nelson (The Afghan Whigs), the sky seems to be the limit for this group of rockin’ riff-raff. Darcy, daughter of New Orleans’ own Dave Malone (The Radiators) has been peddlin’ tunes as long as she can remember and plans to take the world by storm, one gig at a time, she says.

ATLRetro caught up with Darcy for a quick interview about the history of The Tangle; the band’s rockin’ retro influences; and their debut album, STILL LIFE! And while you’re takin’ a gander at our little Q&A with Darcy, check out the band at Gasa Gasa here (June 27, 2015).

ATLRetro: With a band name like Darcy Malone & The Tangle, it sure sounds like you guys are up to no good, which of course we can’t help but like! Can you tell our readers about The Tangle and how you and your fellas got together as a group?

Darcy Malone: Well, there’s no fun unless you’re up to- a little bit of – no good right? But those are probably stories for another time. Ha! The name “The Tangle” actually refers to our backgrounds as musicians. We all hail from different backgrounds and influences making our sound become a “tangle of genres,” which I think is how we have such a unique style and sound especially for a band out of New Orleans. As for how we became a group, there are several stories behind that. Chris and I started playing music together in 2003 and that turned into a relationship, which turned into a marriage. We evacuated to Austin after Katrina and came back and gathered up these dudes, and it finally became what we’d been trying to create for years. Many of us had history together. And some we met over Craigslist. Believe it or not, that’s how we met Craig. Ha!

Photo by Sharon Pye (L-R: Glen Newbauer, Billy Schell, Craig Toomey, Darcy Malone, Chris Boye, Jagon Eldridge)

Hailing from the Big Easy and the land of jazz and “swamp rock,” it must have been amazing being surrounded by layers upon layers of musical history. Can you tell our readers about your musical upbringing and what stirred you to share your love of music?

Growing up in NOLA, you are around not only jazz and swamp rock but lots of funk, blues, jams, etc. I personally grew up right in the middle of it. I came from a musical family known for their contributions to the New Orleans music scene. My dad being from the Radiators [one of the most successful rock bands out of NOLA] influenced me very heavily. I was singing all the time. Went to many gigs at places where kids maybe shouldn’t be, with both my dad and mom. And music was just in our blood. There wasn’t a day we lived without it. There was no way in hell I wasn’t gonna be a musician of some sort. And as a result I met many different types of players and performers and got to perform in many different styles. I think this really shaped up the type of singer and songwriter I am today for sure. I got to be around some pretty amazing musicians. And I studied every move, every note, every style, EVERYTHING.

Being the child of a musician is an opportunity that most don’t get the chance to experience. What was it like growing up in a house full of music?

It was definitely not your typical childhood. It was really nice to have holidays with guitars out and singing songs, but I also went to a lot of gigs at festivals, sometimes in clubs, and sometimes on the road. It was fun to get to stay in a hotel room and eat room service and see cool music and meet cool people. I remember going with my dad to Memphis when he was recording one of his albums and getting to go to Graceland and Sun Studios. For a kid who was my age at that time, it may not have been first choice to do, but I was beyond ecstatic. I think I learned a lot about good music early. I knew at 5 who the Beatles were and my first big concert at 8 was Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I feel really lucky to have been taught early on about the good stuff. It, of course, did have its downs, too. If I wasn’t able to go on the road, it meant I was home and dad wasn’t. So that part of it was a bit if a bummer. But he was young, single and living the rock star life. With me and Chris both being in this band, we hope to take our son to as much as we possibly can!

We read that you draw personal inspiration from soul singers and ‘60s girl groups. What is it exactly about them that inspire you?

There is something so raw about someone like Ronnie Spector, or Darlene Love. And for me, it’s not just the girl groups of the ‘60s, but a lot of the girls then like Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, Bonnie Bramlett. They sang with effortless soul. And it was gut-wrenching and so amazing it could make you cry or get massive goosebumps. They didn’t do it with lots of vocal trills or 100% perfect pitch. They did it with flaws and guts. It was real raw emotion that came straight from the heart. That’s the type of singer I always want to be.

Who would you say are your top three most influential retro musicians/singers? And what is it about them that inspires you?

Only three???!! Tina Turner – she can out-sing any dude, moves like a tornado and is just one badass mama. Cyndi Lauper – Quirky, sings from the gut and doesn’t give a “you know what” what anyone thinks about it. Her voice is and will always be unbelievable. Ronnie Spector– had a distinctive voice that literally made a song, and did it effortlessly and with style. Honorable mentions of course are Janis Joplin, Bette Midler, Donny Hathaway and Elvis Costello.

Your sound has been described as being influenced by pop/rock, new wave, soul, R&B and more. How would you describe your sound to our readers?

You just did! It literally is a “tangle of genres”! We don’t conform to one standard genre. Music fulfills a mood. There’s something on our record for everyone.

Can you tell our readers a little about your debut album, STILL LIFE, produced by Rick Nelson (Afghan Whigs), which is set to be released on March 25? And how can we get our hands on it?

The title track is about being yourself. Don’t live the still and stale life of what people think you should be like or look like. Be yourself and you’ll always be happy and in control. This record really is a piece of work that we are very proud of. And we couldn’t have done it without Rick’s ear and guidance. I just simply cannot wait for everyone to hear it. The release is at legendary Tipitina’s in New Orleans on Saturday March 26.  Then it will be available in record stores, online via iTunes, Amazon etc., and of course on our website. We are also going to have vinyl soon! So be on the lookout for that!

The band has been around since 2013. Which venue would you say is your favorite so far, and if you could play anywhere you’d like, where would that be?

Favorite New Orleans venue so far has been Tipitina’s. It’s a classically wonderful place to play. Out of town, The Nick in Birmingham has been my fave – such great people and such a cool venue. I want to play everywhere! There’s no limitation to that!

If you could put together a dream line-up of musicians to play with [still around or not], who would it be?

Oh man…..such a great question. I’ve had so many fantasies about this. Combining both around and not? Well let’s say the obvious…The Beatles, along with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, Blondie, The Pixies, Cyndi Lauper, Alabama Shakes and us. And that’s just one stage ’cause this is a festival right? Man, what a weird and awesome lineup!

Anything scandalous planned for your shakin’ shindig at Smith’s Olde Bar on March 5?

We’ve always got a fun bag of tricks involved, but you will just have to come to the show to see them!

Photo by Jerry Moran (L-R: Jagon Eldridge, Glen Newbauer, Billy Schell, Darcy Malone, Craig Toomey, Chris Boye)

What’s next for Darcy Malone & The Tangle?

More records? National tours? We are ready for it all! In the meantime we will keep playing and writing and trying to live the dream.

Anything else you’re dying to tell ATLRetro readers about yourself? The Tangle?

This will be my first venture to Atlanta! I’m a crazy dancer, and I’m so ready to shake it with you guys. Come talk to us at the show! We love making new friends!

Photos provided by Darcy Malone & The Tangle and used with permission.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

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 live la vida Retro!

Monday, February 29

Catch a screening of Alfred E Green’s THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY (1950) at the Alpharetta Library! The Plaza Theater screens Mark Robson’s EARTHQUAKE! (1974), running through March 2! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! 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! The Cody Matlock Band delivers a night of blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! 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, March 1

The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema delivers their “Wim Wenders: Portraits Along the Road” series with a screening of WINGS OF DESIRE (1988) at 7pm, with an intro and Q&A after the screening! Get cozy with the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Metal, Doro at the Variety Playhouse with Madam Mayhem! Rock on down to Union EAV for a night with Joe Jack Talcum (The Dead Milkmen), Swank Sinatra, Doesin and more! Play hooky and make your way to the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their screening of the John Hughes’ FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! The hills are alive, Broadway-style at the Fox Theatre as Jack O’Brien presents, “The Sound of Music,” through March 6! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Downtown Tuesday Night Dance Party featuring retro-soul, funk, ‘80s, ‘90s and more! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, March 2

Get cinematic with “La Nouvelle Vague” at Emory Cinematheque’s screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s WEEKEND (1967) during their “French New-Waves: Classics & Rediscoveries” series at 7:30pm! Get adventurous at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta) with their screening of Robert Zemeckis’ ROMANCING THE STONE (1984) at 7:30pm! Play hooky one last time and make your way to the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their screening of the John Hughes’ FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! “Swing into Spring” at Steve’s Live Music with the Marlatov Cocktail Swingers! Bluegrass it up at Smith’s Olde Bar with Old Salt Union, I Want Whisky and the Front Porch Session Players! 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! It’s Chicken Picken’ Wednesday at Venkman’s, so come on out for a night with the Georgia Mountain String Band! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! The Star Bar gets to twangin’ with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! Or 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, March 3

Get the Cajun blues with Hair of the Dog at the Red Light Café! Hop across the pond to the Variety Playhouse for a night with The Mersey Beatles! Bluegrass it up at The Earl with Reverend Hylton, Blood on the Harp and Coldheart Canyon! Rock on down to the Masquerade for a night with The Vinyl Suns! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party! 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, March 4

Thelma & the Sleaze dish out a night of ‘70s-esque rock ‘n’ roll with Dinos Boys at The Star Bar! It’s a night of outlaw country and folksy noir at the Avondale Towne Cinema with Andrea Colburn, Rondo Rigs and The Wayward Souls! Get smooth and rock on down to Venkman’s for a night of acoustic Beatles with Nick of Yacht Rock Revue! Geek it up and make your way to the Masquerade for their INFESTATION 5: Halfway to DragonCon 2016 event! Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours deliver a night of “folk-a-billy” at the Red Light Café! Rock out with Tribute at Steve’s Live Music! Experience an epic twist on a Dickens classic at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre with their presentation of “Ghosts of Rock” at 7pm! Surf on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with *repeat repeat, Grand and the American Roommates! Get some soul under the dinosaurs with Scotty Cram at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Blues it up with Heather Luttrell at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Or get the blues with Chicago Joe Jones at Northside Tavern! 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, March 5

It’s a night of mischief and mayhem at The Star Bar with the Kentucky Bridgeburners, Kool Kat Phil Stair’s Rocket 350, Bigfoot, Dusty Booze & the Babyhaters and The Trash Hats! Catch our upcoming Kool Kat, Darcy Malone & The Tangle at Smith’s Olde Bar! Geek it up at Challenges Games & Comics as they deliver their free 2-day Atlanta Sci-Fi & Fantasy Expo! Celebrate 20 years of the Dropkick Murphys at the Tabernacle! Honkytonk on over to Venkman’s for a night with the Georgia Soul Council! Or stomp on down to the Avondale Towne Cinema for a night with The Texas KGB! Get a second helping of Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours as they deliver a night of “folk-a-billy” at the Red Light Café! The Sledgehammers pay tribute to Peter Gabriel at Steve’s Live Music! Get some soul with Gracie Curan at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Blues it up with the Cody Matlock Band at the Northside Tavern! Michelle Malone rocks out at Eddie’s Attic! It’s your last chance to experience an epic twist on a Dickens classic at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre with their presentation of “Ghosts of Rock” at 7pm! Get your bubblegum art punk fix with Starbenders at the Drunken Unicorn! Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade 80s it up at the Wild Wing Café in Suwannee! Rev it up acoustic-style with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt at The Pointe in Conyers! 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, March 6

Make your way to the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema for their Wim Wenders finale with his UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (1991) screening at 4pm! Get your country western fix with Back in the Saddle at Steve’s Live Music! Rock out blues-style with Denny Laine at Eddie’s Attic! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

MacGillivey Freeman’s 2013 documentary, NATIONAL PARK ADVENTURE, commemorating the U.S. National Park Service’s 100th anniversary at the Fernbank Museum’s IMAX screens through June 16!

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

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.

Mary Strawberry. Photo credit: Marc Turnley.

The ROXIE  ROZ BURLY-Q SHOW transports audiences back to the bump, grind and bawdy humor of the 1950s and ‘60s this Saturday Feb. 27 at 9 p.m. the Star Bar ($10 presale tickets here; $15 at door). The show is hosted and produced by one of our very first Kool Kats, Shellie Schmals, who is now even more of a dynamite power force in Atlanta’s burlesque scene, and it stands out because acts are accompanied by a live band, none other than Andrew and The Disapyramids, featuring Kool Kat Joshua Longino. The line-up of performers at this not-to-be-missed night out equally rocks, featuring such divine artists as Sadie Hawkins, Candi Lecouer, song bird Jen Thrasher and more.

ATLRetro has had our Kool Kat eye on Mary Strawberry, one of the rising stars taking the stage at Roxie Roz, for some time. Not only is  this classy lady cute as a button, but she has a killer sense of humor and multiple talents well-known to the Atlanta theater community.

We caught up with Mary recently to find out more about what drew her to stage and burlesque, the inside scoop on Roxie Roz, her exotic travels, a dynamic documentary, her advice to beginning performers, and much more!   

You’ve got a long background in theatre. What drew you to the stage as a little girl? Did you have a few favorite plays, performers?

Theater is in my blood. I’ve never known a time where I didn’t want to be on or behind the stage; it just feels right and completes me. My family is pretty quiet, and they all have stories of boisterous little me doing all kinds of stunts and performances all the time. Our chiropractor, who I’ve been seeing for over 20 years, even asks what shows I’m working on and reminisces about seeing me in community theater productions in elementary school. I’d definitely always prefer to see a play over a movie—there’s something exciting about the urgency and stakes of something happening right now and only right now, and the performers being right there looking back at you. My favorite plays include DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD and AVENUE Q. As for performers, I grew up admiring folks like Angela Lansbury, Dick Van Dyke and Jim Henson‘s creations. 

Photo credit: Kevin O’Connell.

How did you first discover burlesque?

I don’t really remember the exact moment I discovered burlesque, but I really got into it in college. It was part personal revolution, part loving the difference and history of performance art instead of mainstream art, and part feeling a sense of belonging in the crossroads of my passions for dance, performance art and bodies. My final project for my degree was actually on the “Difference Between Sexuality and Sensuality and the Use of the Body in Art.” 

You started as a stage kitten for a lot of local burlesque shows. Stage kittens are essential to the success of any show. What did you learn from that experience?

Kittening is a great way to get your foot in the door past being a patron and admirer. It got me a lot of connections and friends in the industry and a close-up look at the inner workings, from how dancers prepare and make their costumes to how the shows function. The kittens, or pick-up artists, or stage helpers—they go by so many names— are a crucial part of the show. I particularly enjoy working backstage at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend (BHoF) in Las Vegas every year. I get to meet so many incredible performers and touch all their costumes!

Why the name Mary Strawberry? Is there a story behind it?

My name is definitely personal. It’s a bit familial, a bit cutesy and a lot of recognizable nods. I was named after my great aunt Mary, who served in WWII and was an incredible person. The Strawberry comes from the natural color of my hair, and it’s my favorite fruit and one of my favorite smells. Plus, they rhyme, so it’s easier to remember.

How long have you been performing burlesque and do you have a favorite performance so far?

I think I’ve officially been performing burlesque for just over three years, although I’ve been working behind the scenes as a kitten and stage manager for much longer. I put so much of myself into each of my acts it’s hard to pick a favorite, but half of my enjoyment of a number comes from the audience’s enjoyment and reactions. For instance, my go-go sasquatch number (yep, I dress up like Big Foot and strip!) started out as just a goofy piece for me to express my weird, clownish true self, and it’s morphed into this social justice piece about the natural state of women’s bodies and their right to grow hair. It’s really cool! It definitely makes me feel more connected to the history of the art and parts of the modern neo movement by taking something entertaining and infusing it with politics and satire. I like being able to make people laugh and think at the same time.

Photo credit: JC Barger.

You’ve been traveling to some exciting places lately. Has any of that been for burlesque or is it for your other theatrical work or just for fun?

Some from A, some from B. In 2015, I performed in seven states and Canada. I love traveling and performing in new places because it allows me to expand my work and make more contacts while getting to experience how artists create in other places. There have been places I’ve enjoyed more than others, but I’ve also found some really great art in very unexpected places, like Idaho. They have more than just potatoes, there’s also a really amazing burlesque community in Boise! 

I also went to Prague this summer for a set design and performance art festival I’d been dying to get to for eight years. It was a full week of wandering around a beautiful city and experiencing art from around the world. Two of my favorite pieces were from Thailand, and I got to see an awesome traditional clowning group from the Czech Republic. One night, I even stumbled upon a group of Austrians who had literally built a full bar in a closet! So many unforgettable moments. 

Tell us a little bit about the Roxie Roz Burly-Q show. Shellie has become quite a force in the local burlesque community. What’s it like to work with her?

Shellie is a doll. This will be my third show with the Disapyramids in the last year. I had always wanted to dance with a live band because that’s how the ladies from the golden era did it, so working with them is like a dream come true. They’re so relaxed and enjoy what they do just as much as I do. Shellie is so passionate about producing shows that people are excited to see. She has big dreams for Roxie Roz, and I definitely think she’ll achieve them. There’s so much variety squeezed into these shows that everyone can find something they love and you won’t be bored for one second. 

Anything you can tease us with about your act at Roxie Roz?

This month I’ll be doing another classic and funky juxtaposition. I’ll be revamping my number from the pit bulls benefit last spring, and breaking out my sideshow chops! You won’t want to miss this chance to see “both” sides of me…

What’s next for you burlesque-wise?

I have several shows scheduled right now after Roxie Roz, including the Mayhem Femmes one-year anniversary show—the theme is Dark Carnival and it will be at Taverna Plaka on March 19. The week before, we’re starting up a new show called Bettie Bullet Presents: Sex Ed Burlesque. It’s going to be the best sex ed class you’ve ever taken! That one is at Shakespeare Tavern on March 12. I’m booked to “compete” in the Wheel of Tease show in Seattle this August (it’s similar to Last Pasties Standing for all my ATL fans), so I’m hoping to turn that trip into a tour. I’m also working on a documentary called THE BODIES OF BURLESQUE. The director is a friend from college, and when she found out that I’m a burlesque performer she became fascinated with the body positivity the community embraces and asked me to do this project with her. I’m honored to be a part of it, and I hope it helps people find the will to be proud of themselves just as they are. You can find info on all of my upcoming shows at themarystrawberry.com and facebook.com/marystrawberryatl.

Photo credit: Marc Turnley.

We see body diversity as a defining and empowering aspect of the contemporary burlesque scene. Can you tell us a little more about THE BODIES OF BURLESQUE?

One of the things I love about the current burlesque movement is that it focuses on individuality and diversity. There’s such a huge push for “all bodies are beautiful.” I think that’s a major reason why it’s so popular and attractive, particularly to women. With the huge media presence in our lives telling us that beauty is this or that box, it’s rare and encouraging to find a place where not only can you feel comfortable in your own skin, you’re celebrated for it. I don’t think my body is perfect, but I do think it is beautiful and real and something to be proud of. My body allows me to pursue my dreams of being a dancer, and that’s worth celebrating. I’ve seen and worked with performers of all different shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities, and I cheer each one on just as much as the next or last, because in burlesque it doesn’t matter if you look a specific way, it matters that you have passion and confidence. 

You also do a lot of non-burlesque stage work. What local productions might folks have seen your work featured in?

Most recently, I was the seasonal technical director at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, where I worked on THANKSKILLING THE MUSICAL and MERRY F***G CHRISTMAS. It’s a great company to work for—a welcoming community of artists that puts on top notch comedy shows. I’ve also done a lot of designing for schools around the city in the last few years. Currently I’m looking for a more permanent position on a theater’s technical staff, but am also trying to work towards a more sustainable career as a performer. I’m planning to add a bunch of new skills and acts to my tool box this year, so there will definitely be more new and exciting things to see from me soon!

Finally, what one piece of advice do you have for young women entering the burlesque world now?

This is really two-part: first, don’t be afraid to chase after what you love and what makes you feel whole. Finding your niche is so validating and empowering, especially if you have to fight and work your butt off for it. Never give up on your dreams!

Second, please recognize the difference between being a professional and a hobbyist. There’s a lot of talk on the Internet about artists having a difficult time getting people to pay for their art because they don’t see it as a career. I love that people are finding their voices and freedom through this rich style of performance art. It’s a great community that’s very supportive, diverse and unique. But realize that if this is just for fun for you and you take jobs for cheap or free, you might be taking a meal or rent away from a professional artist and devaluing the industry as a whole. There are definitely places where hobbyists fit in, and that’s great! Take classes, do showcases, join open mic nights, I encourage artistic expression and will be in the house cheering for you! Just please be conscious of the reality of the other side of the equation so we can all grow and thrive together.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Atlanta is a rockin’ inferno of all things Retro this week! Come on out and see what we’ve found for you! We’ve got whatever your little vintage heart desires! So, Don’t be square, get out and get Retro!

Monday, February 22

Catch a screening of Robert Mulligan’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) at the Alpharetta Library! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! 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!’ Get some roots ‘n’ soul with Brandon Reeves at Blind Willie’s! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! The Cody Matlock Band delivers a night of blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! 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 23

The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema delivers their “Wim Wenders: Portraits Along the Road” series with a screening of PARIS, TEXAS (1984) at 7pm, with an intro and Q&A after the screening! Get folksy at the Red Light Café with Traveling Broke & Out of Gas, Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and The Boy Jones! Get ‘yer old time country fix with Jimmy Webb at Eddie’s Attic! Union EAV rocks out with their Punk Rock Karaoke ATL every last Tuesday of the month! Fatback Deluxe gets the blues 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! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, February 24

Get cinematic with “La Nouvelle Vague” at Emory Cinematheque’s screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s MADE IN THE USA (1966) during their “French New-Waves: Classics & Rediscoveries” series at 7:30pm! Catch a special screening of Edward Zwick’s GLORY (1989) at Cinefest, screening through Feb. 26! TCM presents John Huston’s THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) in theatres across Atlanta [Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); Regal McDonough Stadium 16; Georgian Stadium in Newnan and Regal Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee) at 2pm/7pm! Or make your way to the Decatur Library for their screening of Lasse Hallstrom’s CHOCOLAT (2000) at 6pm! “Swing into Spring” at Steve’s Live Music with the Marlatov Cocktail Swingers! Kool Kat Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo gets down and dirty at Blind Willie’s! Blues it up folk-style with Peter Case at Eddie’s Attic! It’s Chicken Picken’ Wednesday at Venkman’s, so come on out for a night with City Mouse! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! The Star Bar gets to twangin’ with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! Or 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! Get the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! 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 25

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra presents “The Frankenstein Symphony” featuring music from Mark Grey’s full-length opera, based on Mary Shelley’s novel at 8pm! The Star Bar rocks out with Shocked Minds, Bad Spell and Invasion! Get funky New Orleans-style with The Mar-Tans at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party with Kool Kat Joshua Longino and The Disapyramids! Party with the Past at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, once home to Charles Candler, and enjoy an evening of free history and cold beer at 6:30pm! Get smooth and rock on down to Venkman’s for a night with Yacht Rock Schooner! Get the rockin’ blues with Heather Luttrell at Blind Willie’s! 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, February 26

For those who prefer alternate history to reality and Victorian-era lifestyles and fantasy, travel back in time to the Weird Wild West-Themed AnachroCon 2016, a 3-day event celebrating historical reenactments, Steampunk, science-fiction, classic horror, literature, fashion and a cornucopia of indulgences! So, catch a train and head on over to the Atlanta Marriott Century Center, where you’ll catch informative panels discussing Steampunk as Victorian science-fiction, time travel, Gothic literature, vintage tales of terror (Lovecraft, Poe, Stoker), ghost stories and the classic monster flicks of Universal and Hammer and a vendors room chock full of goodies, including our pals at Horror in Clay (see our Shop Around feature here)! Steampunk it up at the Red Light Café during DJ Doctor Q’s ElectroSwing Atlanta KURIOS Salon at 8pm with Kool Kat Talloolah Love headlining!

Make your way to the Rialto Center for the Arts for their Johnny Mercer Celebration featuring Joe Gransden, Kathleen Bertrand and Marilyn Maye at 8pm! Eighties it up at Famous Pub during Kool Kat VJ Anthony’s PRETTY IN PINK: Atlanta’s Only 80s Music Video Dance Night! The Plaza Theater screens Mark Robson’s EARTHQUAKE! (1974)! Rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles at Motorheads! Rock out at The Star Bar during their tribute to Weezer featuring el scorcho, EL CHEAPO and Hyper Space! Get some soul with Gareth Asher & the Earthlings at Park Tavern! Shimmy on down and get your circus shenanigan fix at 7 Stages with The Imperial OPA’s Grand Cabaret & Variety Show! Or make your way to Steve’s Live Music for a night with Red Head Diamond! Get funky under the dinosaurs with The Mar-Tans at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Blues it up with the Nighthawks at Blind Willie’s! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Harper & Midwest Kind deliver a night of Australian roots and blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Saved By the Band gets down at Venkman’s! The Natti Love Joys pay tribute to Bob Marley at the Crimson Moon Café! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ 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, February 27

It’s day 2 of AnachroCon 2016, dishing out anything and everything Victorian, steampunk, the Weird Wild West and more! Shake a tail feather on down to The Star Bar for a night of ‘50s/’60s rock ‘n’ roll with Roxie Roz’ Burly Q Burlesque Show, featuring Candi LeCoeur, Kitty Capone, Mary Strawberry (see our Kool Kat interview soon!), Sadie Hawkins and music with Kool Kat Joshua Longino and The Disapyramids! Make your way to the EQ Nightclub for an homage to “The Art of HC. Warner”! Rock on down to the Fox Theatre for Experience Hendrix! Goth on down to the Famous Pub for Kool Kat VJ Anthony’s COFFIN CLASSICs Goth and dark ‘80s music video night! Kurt Vile & the Violators rock out folk-style at the Variety Playhouse! The Rainmen deliver their Beatles Pepperland Benefit Jam at the Red Light Café! 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! Blues it up with Nick Nixon at Blind Willie’s! Marty Manous dishes out a night of rockin’ Brit blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Get folksy with Livingstone Taylor at Eddie’s Attic! Rumours pays tribute to Fleetwood Mac at Venkman’s! Rock out with Tribute at Smith’s Olde Bar! Make your way to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with The Way Back Band! 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, February 28

Step right up folks! It’s day 3 and your last chance to experience the Victorian life and alternate history at AnachroCon 2016! Get the garage rockin’ blues with Low Cut Connie and Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah at The Earl! Booker T. Jones dishes out a night of soul and rock ‘n’ roll at Eddie’s Attic with two shows! Make your way to the High Museum for their Basquait – The Unknown Notebooks exhibit, running through May 29! Get the blues with Steve “The Blues Dude” at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

The Actors Express murders with their presentation of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at 8pm, killing through Feb. 28! (LAST CHANCE!)

MacGillivey Freeman’s 2013 documentary, NATIONAL PARK ADVENTURE, commemorating the U.S. National Park Service’s 100th anniversary at the Fernbank Museum’s IMAX screens through June 16!

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

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.

Kool Kat of the Week Nick Arapaglou as Toxie in Horizon Theatre’s production of THE TOXIC AVENGER. Photo credit: Greg Mooney.

By Geoff Slade
Contributing Writer

Horizon Theatre’s production of THE TOXIC AVENGER (Wed-Sun., through March 13) is a musical comedy based on the cult 1984 Troma film.  If that means anything at all to you, it is likely the best news you’ve heard all day. The plot will be familiar to fans, and I don’t want to spoil anything for the rest of you. All you need to know about the show itself, depending on how seriously you want to take it, is to expect social commentary on pollution, corrupt politicians and a deft satire of the superhero genre. And a seven-foot tall mutant with superhuman strength and a heart of gold. The original stage production opened in New Jersey in 2008, followed by a successful Off-Broadway run in 2009.

Local actor Nick Arapoglou plays the lead. Nick, originally from Huntington, NY, went to high school in Atlanta and moved back here after college. He has been acting professionally for about a decade, notably as Princeton (for which he learned puppetry!) in all three local productions (at three different venues) of AVENUE Q, and he won 2011’s Suzi Bass Award for Lead Actor in a Musical. Other roles during the past few years include Asher Lev in MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (Theatrical Outfit), Romeo in ROMEO AND JULIET (Shakespeare Tavern) and Bobby Strong in URINETOWN (Fabrefaction Theatre). “Of course, I also enjoyed THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI at Theatrical Outfit, because my wife played opposite me in that show for three years straight!” Nick said.

In addition to a diverse stage career, the actor has done lots of on-camera work . Look for him later this year in the films TABLE 19 (with Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson), THE ACCOUNTANT (Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick), THE BOSS (Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell), and CONFIRMATION (Kerry Washington).

Needless to say, those are some fantastic credits, but yeah, we admit we made Nick Kool Kat of the Week now because we think he’s in the role of a lifetime. And we’re absolutely troma-tized that he took time from his trashy schedule to talk Toxie with ATLRetro.

Not funny! Photo credit: Greg Mooney.

First of all, what’s it like to portray a pop culture icon? (and make no mistake…)

Ha! I think when you are playing a role where there are those kinds of expectations, you have to make sure there are moments when you give a tip of the hat to the fans. We certainly have those moments placed within the show. But putting on a big green suit and kicking ass with a mop is about as awesome as you think it is!

Were you a fan of the films?

I’m going to be honest—I still haven’t seen them. I know that might make some people gasp! But there’s a reason why I didn’t once I accepted the role. There are very few new shows and musicals that hit the stage in Atlanta. They’ve usually been done in New York first. So it’s always important to me to try to bring my own take on the role and do a recycled impression of an impression of someone else’s take. That’s a huge trap in musicals especially. People listen to the CD so much and that colors their performance. So, the point is, I didn’t want to see the film and then have my performance be shaped by someone else’s. I did watch the trailer though and laughed hysterically—so you can bet once we close this thing that’s the first thing in my queue.

Had you seen or were you aware of any of the previous productions before this one came along?

Yes, we were aware especially of the award-winning Off-Broadway performance in NYC. I listened to the score a few times to get a sense of the music, but then stopped before it got in my head too much!

How did you end up cast in the lead?

Well, this is the same creative team that was behind AVENUE Q. Our excellent director Heidi McKerley (who won the Suzi Award for Best Director for AVE Q) and I have now done 11 or 12 productions together. She was one of the first people to cast me years ago and we have developed quite the resume of kickass musicals at this point. Also the music director Renee Clark (Suzi Award for Best Music Direction for AVE Q) and I have also worked together for years and years. She is an unbelievable talent, and every show she works on is better because of her presence. So I’m sure the working relationships I have with both those two fierce ladies led to their trust in casting me as the lead in this show.

Don’t drop him! Photo credit: Greg Mooney.

You’re two weeks into a scheduled six-week run. How have audiences responded so far? Gotten any feedback from Troma fans yet?

I know I’m supposed to say this, but audiences love the show. No matter if the theater is sold out completely or we have maybe a smaller crowd on a Wednesday, they jump to their feet by the end of the show. I mean jump to their feet. It’s happened every night. We are really proud of what we are doing. The cast is a firestorm of musical theatre rock talent. Don’t believe me? Come watch, you’ll see!

We have definitely gotten some Troma fan feedback. It’s been awesome. They are always satisfied and super happy to take pictures at the end of the night with Big Green Freak.

How would you describe the show to (warn?) fans of musical theater that don’t recognize the title?

Nothing to warn about really. Because it’s a musical, obviously the gore factor has to be toned way down for audiences. But that doesn’t take away from the story and the fun at all, believe me. I think this show is rated PG-13, but a hilarious PG-13. It’s a train. It’s campy, and ridiculous, and hilarious. Everyone leaves smiling. If you don’t leave that way, you were trying not to like it, and in that case, I feel bad for you.

Toxie comes alive! Photo credit: Greg Mooney.

The movies feature absurd, disgusting, hilarious violence. Any chance you rip some punk’s arm off onstage?

Some punk’s arm? How about multiple punks’ arms.

The musical was written by New Jersey natives Joe DiPietro and David Bryan. Their last collaboration, MEMPHIS, won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical. Bryan wrote the music (and co-wrote the lyrics with DiPietro) during downtime from his day job, keyboardist for another ’80s Jersey juggernaut, Bon Jovi. So is it safe to say the score rocks?

The music is just fun. We have a kicking band. You’ll hear some sick guitar distortion solos and bass, hot keyboard play and insane drum solos.

And this cast can sing. Make no mistake—it rocks.

THE TOXIC AVENGER runs through March 13 at the Horizon Theatre. Showtimes are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm and 8:30pm, and Sunday at 5pm. Tickets start at $25. www.horizontheatre.com or 404-548-7450 for tickets and info.

The play contains adult language and content, and even though they’d love it, is not recommended for children.

All photos provided by Horizon Theatre and used with permission.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Retro Atlanta is the bee’s knees this week and is chock full of rockin’ shenanigans, classic flicks on the big screen, a whole ‘lotta of honky-tonk, blues and rock n roll! If you’re lookin’ for a thrill and the weather’s got you down, get off that couch, put on your dancin’ shoes and live la vida Retro!

Monday, February 15

Kool Kat Amy Pike with Bonaventure Quartet get smokin’ with a night of Django Reinhardt-inspired gypsy jazz at Hot Jam Swings! Spend the day with Audrey Hepburn during the Aurora Theatre’s (Lawrenceville) screening of William Wyler’s ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia, Lust to Love edition, at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club 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! Fire it up with Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck at Blind Willie’s! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! The Cody Matlock Band delivers a night of blues at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! 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 16

The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema delivers their “Wim Wenders: Portraits Along the Road” series with a screening of TOKYO-GA (1985) at 7pm, with an intro and Q&A after the screening! Glam it up at the Red Light Café with the Bad Ash Allstar Team’s David Bowie Jam! The Decatur Library screens Delbert Mann’s classic MARTY (1955) at 10am. Or make your way to the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their screening of the Mel Brooks’ BLAZING SADDLES (1974) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! Get the blues with Little G. Weevil at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Or get some soul with The Hollidays 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! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Venkman’s every Tuesday! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, February 17

Get cinematic with “La Nouvelle Vague” at Emory Cinematheque’s screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s BREATHLESS (1960) during their “French New-Waves: Classics & Rediscoveries” series at 7:30pm! Celebrate 30 years of Howard Deutch’s ‘80s classic, PRETTY IN PINK (1986), screening at several local theatres, including AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); Regal McDonough Stadium 16; Georgian Stadium in Newnan and Regal Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee) at 2pm/7pm! Honkytonk on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Billy Joe Shaver! Or get your Dread Pirate Roberts fix at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) with their screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at 7pm! It’s Chicken Picken’ Wednesday at Venkman’s, so come on out for a night with Sailing to Denver! The Electromatics deliver a night of Chicago and West Coast blues at Blind Willie’s! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! The Star Bar gets to twangin’ with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! Or 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! Make your way to the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for your last chance to catch their screening of the Mel Brooks’ BLAZING SADDLES (1974) during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! 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! Get the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! 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 18

The Star Bar rocks out with Kool Kat Aileen Loy with Till Someone Loses an Eye, James Leg and The Bohannons! Get old-time and twenties it up at the Red Light Café with Frank Hamilton’s Folk School, The Georgia Crackers and Jeff Mosier! Nikki Hill and The Southern Ska Syndicate dish out a night of rockin’ ska ‘n’ soul at The Earl! Or get folksy at the Fox Theatre with Patty Griffin, Sara Watkins and Anais Mitchell! Rock out with Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band at Philips Arena! Get your garage rockin’ blues fix with Patrick Sweany, Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah and D.C. Rail at Smith’s Olde Bar! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music for a night with Steve Baskin! Catch a special screening of Edward Zwick’s GLORY (1989) at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) at 7:30pm! Get the rockin’ blues with The 44s at Blind Willie’s! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party! 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, February 19

The Fox Theatre delivers the 12th Annual Atlanta Blues Festival featuring Lattimore, Sir Charles Jones, Theodis Ealey, Calvin Richardson, Lenny Williams and Terry Wright! You don’t have to take it, but make your way to The Plaza Theater anyway for their screening of Andrew Horn’s WE ARE TWISTED F*CKING SISTER! (2014), rocking through Feb. 25! Make your way to the The Earl Smith Strand Theatre for their screening of Daniel Petrie’s classic, A RAISIN IN THE SUN (1931) at 8pm! Bluegrass it up at the Red Light Café with FrazierBand, Battlefield Collective and Kristina Murray! Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam rocks out at the Variety Playhouse! Film Love Atlanta (Kool Kat Andry Diztler) presents a screening of Jean Rouch’s JAGUAR (1967) at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center at 7pm! Or get your Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead fix with Cosmic Charlie at Aisle 5! It’s a night of art rock at The Earl with Pylon Reenactment Society and Dressy Bessy! Get folksy with Eliot Bronson and Caleb Caudle at Eddie’s Attic! Funk it up with Rough Draft at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Get the blues with Stoney Brooks at the Northside Tavern! Or make your way to Steve’s Live Music for a night with Barry Richman! 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 saucy with Francine Reed at Blind Willie’s! Get a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move” at Venkman’s! The Stoneberrys pay a rockin’ tribute to the Rolling Stones at Avondale Towne Cinema! And as a special treat, time-warp it up at The Plaza Theater’s The Rocky Horror Time-Warp Prom with Lips Down on Dixie!

Saturday, February 20

Get your Stanley Kubrick fix as SCADShow screens his classic SPARTACUS (1960) at 7pm! Get your rockin’ art fix with Kool Kat Chris Hamer’s (Urbnpop) Drawn & Disorderly event featuring Morgan Wilson (Lux Nova Studio) and live music with Madre Padre at Red Brick Brewing Co.! Make your way to The Star Bar for a night with Blood on the Harp, Ex Wives, Cold Heart Canyon and Revenge Beach! Roll on by the Yaarab Shrine Center as the Atlanta Rollergirls get revved up with a double header at 4pm! Rock out with Agent Orange, In the Whale and El Capitan and the Band With No Name at The Earl! Boogie on down to Famous Pub for Kool Kat VJ Anthony’s Nightvision Music Video Dance Night! Shake a tail feather on down to the Little Vinyl Lounge for their “Twistin’ in the Lounge” event and boogie the night away as Dusty Booze dishes out the weirdest and kookiest ‘50s/’60s rock ‘n’ roll! Emory Cinematheque presents episode 1-4 of Jacques Rivette and Suzanne Schiffman’s OUT 1 (1971) at 11am! Jazz it up new age style with Yanni at the Fox Theatre! Big Head Todd & the Monsters rock out at the Variety Playhouse! Rock out blues-style with Drivin’ ‘n’ Cryin’ and Thomas Wynn & the Believers at the 120 Tavern & Music Hall! Make your way to the Northside Tavern for a night with The Cazanovas! Blues it up with Sandra Hall & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Jazz it up at Venkman’s with their Bottomless Mimosa Brunch with The Hot Club of Atlanta! The Sledgehammers pay tribute to Peter Gabriel at Avondale Towne Cinema! Rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles at Dixie 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, February 21

Get funky with Mother’s Finest and Von Grey at Terminal West! TCM presents John Huston’s THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) in theatres across Atlanta [Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); Regal McDonough Stadium 16; Georgian Stadium in Newnan and Regal Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee) at 2pm/7pm! Emory Cinematheque presents episode 5-8 of Jacques Rivette and Suzanne Schiffman’s OUT 1 (1971) at 2pm! Or get your final Dread Pirate Roberts fix at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) with their screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at 2pm! Get folksy with Malcolm Holcombe and Nine Years Apart at the Red Light Café! Get the blues with Steve “The Blues Dude” at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

The Actors Express murders with their presentation of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at 8pm, killing through Feb. 28!

MacGillivey Freeman’s 2013 documentary, NATIONAL PARK ADVENTURE, commemorating the U.S. National Park Service’s 100th anniversary at the Fernbank Museum’s IMAX screens through June 16!

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

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.

INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS (2015); DIR. Stig Bjorkman; Documentary; Opens Fri. Feb. 12; Landmark Midtown Arts Cinema; Trailer here.

By Claudia Dafrico
Contributing Writer

INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS, the latest film from director Stig Bjorkman, gives us a chance to see the life of famed Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman though her eyes and the eyes of those who knew her best: her children. Her story is one of constant change and adventure, with just a tinge of melancholy hidden beneath the surface.When looking back at the “Golden Age” of Hollywood, it is all too easy to pass judgement upon those that were once ensnared in scandal. Infidelity, secret pregnancies and hidden sexualities seemed to plague every star at the time, from big names to up and comers. But it is rare to have an opportunity to see things from the star’s perspective, as opposed to judging their actions at face value. Bjorkman creates a film that shows how multifaceted Bergman really was and succeeds greatly in that endeavor.

INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS is mostly comprised of a narrator reading aloud Bergman’s personal diaries and letters she wrote to her friends, lovers, and children, along with interviews with her children and archived footage of Bergman in and out of character. The mesmerizing voice of the narrator brings Ingrid’s emotions to life, from the sorrow of losing her father as a child to the joys of doing what she loved most: acting, both on the stage and the screen. Choice bits from some of Bergman’s most beloved films, including CASABLANCA (1942; Ed. Note: also playing this weekend, Sat. Feb. 13, at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta; tickets here.), JOAN OF ARC (1948) and STROMBOLI (1950), are shown intermittently, and her innate charm and natural grace can be seen even now, over half a century later. While Bergman has long since passed away, these glimpses of her career bring her talent back to life, as if though she had never left us.

Ingrid Bergman with her children Roberto, Isabella, and Ingrid Rossellini. Photographer Unknown. Courtesy: Rialto Pictures/Mantaray Film/Wesleyan Cinema Archives

While Bergman, a three-time Oscar winner, will always be remembered for her contributions to the world of film, she has yet to shake the scandal that defined a large part of her career. After writing a letter to Italian neo-realist director Roberto Rossellini describing how much she would enjoy acting for him, the two met and formed both a professional and romantic relationship. Bergman, however, was still married to her Swedish husband with whom she had a child. Bergman went on to secure a divorce and give birth to Rossellini’s son, and the American public took it upon themselves to condemn her actions. Ingrid was cast out of Hollywood for her supposed lack of morals, and some argue that her career never really recovered after that point. The couple went on to have a set of twins before, ironically enough, Rossellini left her in the late 1950s to be with another woman.

Ingrid Bergman. Photo: Harry Ransom Center. Courtesy of Rialto Pictures.

One of the most interesting aspects of INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS is the personal accounts given by Bergman’s children, the most well-known of whom is actress and model Isabella Rossellini of BLUE VELVET (1986) fame. Each of Bergman’s four biological children is given a chance to speak about their relationship with their mother, and how her constant comings and goings throughout their childhood affected each of them on an individual level. It is fascinating to hear Bergman herself in old interviews say that she spent as much time as she possibly could with her children, but then hearing from the children themselves that what she claimed was not often the case. While there is no denying that Ingrid was a loving and fun mother, her children themselves remark how she was moreso a peer to them than a maternal figure.

Ms. Bergman may be a figure of the past at this point in time, but thanks to the efforts of directors such as Bjorkman, viewers of all generations are able to get a glimpse into the life of a truly extraordinary woman. Bergman herself never claimed to be anything more than human, and this film takes great pains to remind us all that even the brightest stars are just as complicated as you and me.