ATLRetro

Crumpet (Harold M. Leaver) in Horizon Theatre’s production of THE SANTALAND DIARIES. Courtesy of Horizon Theatre Company.

SANTALAND DIARIES by David Sedaris; adapted by Joe Mantello. Starring Harold M. Leaver, Lala Cochran, Enoch King. Horizon Theatre, Nov. 20-Dec. 31, Tickets here.

By Claudia Dafrico
Contributing Writer

It goes without saying that Atlanta has no shortage of Christmas traditions, from ice skating at Centennial Park to taking a trip down to Callaway Gardens to see the lights. But for those looking for a little more “naughty” than “nice” in their festivities, look no further than Horizon Theatre’s annual production of David Sedaris’ THE SANTALAND DIARIES. Adapted from Sedaris’ hilarious essay detailing his brief stint as one of Santa’s many elves in Macy’s Santaland, The Santaland Diaries serves to be a perfect mix of Christmas cheer and the biting wit that Sedaris has since become famous for. 

While Sedaris is known for many of his full-length essay collections, such as ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY and DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN COURDORY AND DENIM, his 1992 essay on his adventures in Santaland is what put him on the map in the first place. Sedaris, at the time a contributor for NPR, read the piece on the radio program THIS AMERICAN LIFE, and the absurd hilarity of Sedaris’ prose along with is dry, unique intonation brought the piece widespread popularity. A dramatized version for the stage was soon produced, and Atlanta’s own Horizon Theatre jumped at the chance to bring a new Christmas experience to the city. The theatre has since put on The Santaland Diaries every holiday season for the past 17 years, and shows no signs of stopping soon. 

Courtesy of Horizon Theatre Company.

One of the many reasons why The Santaland Diaries has maintained such popularity is Harold M. Leaver’s impeccable performance as Crumpet, Sedaris’ elfin alter ego. Leaver has been playing Crumpet throughout the entire run of the show so far, and it’s clear that he has enjoyed every second of it. His performance is an impeccable rendition of Sedaris’ own diction with Leaver’s own personal touch and style, which proves to be highly entertaining to witness. At one point, Crumpet selects a hapless audience member to join him in his antics, and even the shyest of volunteers is eventually won over by his wit and charisma. Leaver snarks and frolics in a manner which Sedaris would surely be proud. 

Along for the ride are Crumpet’s two “sidekicks,” played by Atlanta theatre vets Lala Cochran and Enoch King, who show no hesitation in being completely ridiculous and outrageous. Because the two play every character other than Crumpet himself, they are constantly running backstage for quick changes that are seemingly impossible given the time constraints, but Cochran and King pull it off without flaw. It’s a treat to watch the duo play whiny children one second and vulgar adults the next, and when alongside Leaver’s sassy yet sweet Crumpet, the laughs are near constant. 

Courtesy of Horizon Theatre Company.

The ambiance of the theatre itself is not to be overlooked, as the whole place is decked out in cozy Christmas cheer that invites you to relax and enjoy the eggnog-fueled frivolity that is The Santaland Diaries. The stage is a mini Winter Wonderland, and the intimate nature of the performance space lends itself to frequent audience interaction and participation (be prepared to shout and cheer along with your new elf friends). With reasonable tickets prices and a great location, there’s really no reason you shouldn’t make your way over to the Horizon this Christmas and treat yourself and a guest to a night with Crumpet and friends. You’ll never look at Lenox Square’s Santa the same way again, I can guarantee you that.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Hey all you fabulous retro kiddies! Retro Atlanta is the Kat’s meow this ho-ho holiday season! We’ve got cult holiday flicks to Halloween in December to a whole ‘lotta honky-tonk, blues and rock n roll! If you’re lookin’ for a thrill, get off that couch, put on your dancin’ shoes and live la vida Retro!

Monday, November 30

Get possessed with a gargantuan love of art at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema’s screening of Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s documentary, PEGGY GUGGENHEIMM: ART ADDICT (2015) [see our Retro Review here]! Put on your dancin’ shoes and make your way to the Alpharetta Branch Library for their screening of Gene Kelly’s SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) at 10:30am! The Plaza Theater screens Brian De Palma’s SCARFACE (1983) and Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS (1984), running through Dec. 3! Skye Paige, “Queen of Slide Guitar” rocks out at the Little Vinyl Lounge! 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! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia, at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Belly’s and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, December 1

Get your rock ‘n’ soul fix at The Earl with the Seratones and The Marrows! The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema dishes out classic cinema with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, VERTIGO (1958), screening in 35mm at 7pm! Rock out with We Were Promised Jet Packs at the Masquerade! Don’t shoot your eye out at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s screening of Bob Clark’s A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! TCM Presents their second screening of William Wyles’ classic, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) in theatres across the Atlanta area at 2pm/7pm [Hollywood Stadium 24 in Chamblee; AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 in Lawrenceville; AMC Barrett Commons 24 in Kennesaw; Regal McDonough Stadium 16; AMC Avenue Forsyth 12 in Cumming; GTC Merchant’s Walk Stadium 12 in Marietta; AMC Southlake 24 in Morrow; and Georgian Stadium in Newnan]! Punk on down to 529 for a night with Shocked Minds, Paint Fumes, Vacation and Bad Spell! Make your way to the Charles D. Switzer Public Library for their screening of Anthony Mann’s THE FAR COUNTRY (1955) at 12pm! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Retro-Soul, Funk ‘80s & ‘90s Dance Party! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, December 2

Get cosmic with a night of krautrock at the Masquerade with Nik Turner’s Hawkwind and Hedersleben! Get funky with the Lightning Orchestra Band at Aisle 5! Rock out with Song Missing Presents: Bohemiatlantan Rhapsody at the Village Theatre with performances based on the songs of Queen! 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! Get hellacious at The Plaza Theater with Kool Kat Ricky Hess’ award-winning web series, HORROR HOTEL’s Season 2 premiere! Get a second helping of Bob Clark’s A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) screening at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with the Martin Barre Band! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! The Star Bar with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! 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, December 3

Croon on down to Atlanta Symphony Hall for a night with Michael Feinstein and his Sinatra Centennial Celebration with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra! Get weird this holiday season with RiffTrax Live 2015’s presentation of Barry Mahon’s SANTA & THE ICE CREAM BUNNY (1972) at theatres across Atlanta [Avalon Stadium 12 in Alpharetta; Perimeter Pointe 10; Hollywood Stadium 24 in Chamblee; Cinemark Tinseltown 17 in Fayetteville; AMC Barrett Commons 24 in Kennesaw; AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 in Lawrenceville; GTC Merchant’s Walk Stadium 12 in Marietta; Regal McDonough Stadium 16; and Georgian Stadium in Newnan]! Rock out at The Earl with Starbenders, The Tip and Rad-Isaurus Rex! Get classically retro at the Shakespeare Tavern with their presentation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” running through Dec. 23! Funk it up with The Mar-Tans at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Make your way to Suite Food Lounge for a night with Ken Ford and Karen Briggs! Rock out blues-style with The John Kadlecik Band (Dark Star Orchestra) at the Variety Playhouse! Bluegrass it up with Old Sea Brigade, Wyldernesse and Muleskinner MacQueen at the Red Light Café! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night of cool island tunes and a couple Mai Tais! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! And as always, boogie down at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, December 4

The Red Light Café dishes out a weekend of indie rock ‘n’ pop with the International Pop Overthrow (IPO), running through Dec. 6! Rock on down for Day 1 with Scarlett Hill; Pelicans & Their Allies; Bruce Joyner & Atomic Clock; Paul Melancon & the New Insecurities; Kenny Howes & The Wow!; and The Shut-Ups! Surf into the holiday season with Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Revue and Los Straitjackets at the Variety Playhouse! Or make your way to Famous Pub for Ritual’s 3rd Annual Nightmare Before Christmas Party! Walk like a camel on down to The Star Bar for a night with Southern Culture on the Skids and The Woolly Bushmen! Rock on down to Stagga Lee’s Goodtime Emporium for Hermon Hitson’s Annual Jimi Hendrix Birthday Tribute! Get witchy and catch a broom down to Diesel Filling Station for the Hogwartz Pub Crawl! Get old-timey and folk it up at The Earl with The Deslondes, Cicada Rhythm and Pat Reedy & the Longtime Goners! Kool Kats The District Attorneys play their farewell show at Smith’s Olde Bar with Blue Blood and Tedo Stone! Rock out roots-style with Donna Hopkins and Ralph Roddenberry at the Crimson Moon Café! Make your way to The Plaza Theater for a screening of Henry Koster’s THE BISHOP’S WIFE (1947), running through Dec. 10! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles fire it up at Joey’s Bar & Grille in Douglasville! Groove on down to Aisle 5 for a night with Voodoo Visionary and Johnny Awesome! Rock out with The Spirit of Rush at Steve’s Live Music! Get funky under the dinosaurs with Lethal Rhythms at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Blues it up with Sweet & Salty at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! And as always, time-warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens at The Plaza Theater as they continue their tradition of screening THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) every Friday night, featuring the live cast of Lips Down on Dixie at midnight!

Saturday, December 5

Rock out to Day 2 of the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) at the Red Light Café with Lloyd Rieves; Steve Baskin; Brent Daniel; Murray Attaway & Lee Flier; The Real Hooks; Dot 22; and The Sunset District! Or rock out holiday-style with the Brian Setzer Orchestra at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center! Wreck the halls during The L5P Annual Krampus Krawl with the Black Sheep Ensemble at 8pm! Or spend A Victorian Holiday at the Oakland Cemetery from 12-4pm, with carols, a reading of “The Night Before Christmas”, hot cocoa and more! Celebrate Gumby’s 60th Anniversary with an evening of your favorite episodes at The Center for Puppetry Arts, curated by Joe Clokey (son of Gumby creator, Art Clokey)! Stomp on down to the Variety Playhouse for the 7th Annual Y’all Tide Celebration with Have Gun, Will Travel; Kool Kat Blair Crimmins & the Hookers; and The Whiskey Gentry! Get retro at Vintage Soiree’s “Duds for a Dollar” vintage clothing pop-up, from 11am-6pm! Get some funky soul at Aisle 5 with The Congress and The Jauntee! Skate on down to DooGallery for their 11th Annual Deck the Walls skate deck art show at 9pm! Funk it up with Cadillac Jones, Secondhand Swagger and Straw Polly at The Earl! Rock out folk-style with Michelle Malone at the Crimson Moon Café! Blues it up with Little G. Weevil at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music for a night with Heather Luttrell! 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, December 6

Day 3 (and your last chance) of the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) rocks out with COLORadio; Misery Loves Chachi; Orange Hat; The Joe & Joe Show; What The…?; and The Soogs at the Red Light Café! ATL Collective presents Burl Ives’ “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” at The Art Farm at Serenbe! Folk it up with Al Stewart at Terminal West! Make your way to Steve’s Live Music for their Holiday DivaPalooza! Boomers Gone Wild gets down at the Crimson Moon Café at 7pm! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

The Shakespeare Tavern presents Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” through Dec. 23!

The Alliance Theatre presents Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol”, running through Dec. 24!

Center for Puppetry Arts presents their annual puppet adaptation of Larry Roemer’s holiday classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964), sleighing through Dec. 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!

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

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

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

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT (2015); DIR. Lisa Immordino Vreeland; Documentary; Opens Wed. Nov. 27; Landmark Midtown Arts Cinema; Trailer here.

By Claudia Dafrico
Contributing Writer

The name “Guggenheim” is synonymous with the art world. The ludicrously affluent Guggenheim family dominated the worlds of both industry and high society, and the influence they had on the early part of the 20th century will not likely be soon forgotten. They also had their fair share of family drama and quite a few “black sheep,” the most famous of whom is the subject of Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s latest documentary, PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT. Vreeland maps Guggenheim’s colorful life from her beginnings as a flighty heiress embracing bohemia to her later years as a famed art collector desperate to relive her past. With insightful commentary from Guggenheim’s old friends and relatives, and even excerpts from the last interview featuring Guggenheim herself, this film is truly introspective and should not be missed.

Peggy was born in 1898 to Benjamin Guggenheim, the brother of American businessman/art collector/philanthropist Solomon Guggenheim, and Florette Seligman, the daughter of a lesser known high society family. She found herself surrounded by both oddity and tragedy at a young age. Many of her family members ranged from mildly eclectic to highly unstable, and Peggy absorbed it all. When her father died in the sinking of the Titanic, she felt isolated within her own family.

Courtesy of the Peggy Gugggenheim Collection Archives, Venice

Peggy left for Paris in 1920 at the age of 22 and became enamored with the free-spirited nature of the bohemian community. She took many lovers, and became close with some of the most innovative artists of the time, including Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. She married her first husband and had two children in Paris, and quickly divorced once his infidelity came to light. Undeterred, Peggy had affairs with multiple married men and continued her avant-garde lifestyle. She moved to London and opened her first gallery, Guggenheim June, where she promoted the art of her colleagues, most of which were either Surrealist or abstract in nature. With Europe entering a time of unrest, Peggy packed up her collection and headed back to New York.

One of the most compelling portions of PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT is the narrative of her years in New York City. It became clear to Peggy that the artists she had come to love would be in imminent danger were they to stay in Europe. So she arranged to have both creator and creations moved to the states, and bought many of their works to feature in her new gallery. The museum, appropriately titled Art of This Century, was a haven for up-and-coming artistic movements, such as Abstract Expressionism, as well as one of the first well-known galleries to feature exhibits consisting solely of the works of female artists.

Courtesy of the Peggy Gugggenheim Collection Archives, Venice

Peggy continued to discover new artists, including the then little-known Jackson Pollock, and promote them to mainstream success. She also continued her liberated lifestyle by sleeping with many of her peers, a habit she felt no shame over. She had wed one of the artists she had brought from Europe, the famed Max Ernst, but the marriage proved to be a failure and she divorced a second time. That separation proved to be a catalyst of change, and Guggenheim closed Art of This Century and headed back to Europe, this time making her place in a Venetian Palace.

This palace would soon become home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of the most visited art museums in Europe. Peggy lived with her collection in Venice and entertained many guests, both artists and members of high society. Robert De Niro, being the son of artists Guggenheim had promoted, was one of Guggenheim’s many visitors. In the film, he recalls his time spent with the collector in her palace.

But while Peggy seemed to be socially thriving, her life was proving to be remarkably lonely. Her son, Sindbad Vail, who spent his childhood with her first husband, rejected the art world, and her daughter, Pegeen, was highly unstable. Pegeen lived with Peggy in Venice and was prone to “fits” that Peggy could not learn to control. She committed suicide in 1967, and Peggy was left alone in her massive palace with only her art and her dogs by her side.

Courtesy of the Peggy Gugggenheim Collection Archives, Venice

The film does a wonderful job of illustrating Peggy’s desire to return to the past, with bits from her last interview expressing the despair she felt as she aged. After spending her life promoting others, it seemed as if no one was left to promote her well-being when she needed it the most.

Guggenheim passed in 1979, leaving behind both a legacy of sordid tales and a massive collection of art. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection still attracts visitors from around the world and proves to be a testament of Peggy’s keen eye for art of the most fantastic and enduring nature. PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT proves to be a passionate ode to one of the most overlooked roles in the art world – that of the sponsor – and the vital role these individuals play in the beginning of a sensation. Peggy Guggenheim is the sponsor we should all look up to, and her legacy is lovingly brought to life in this fabulous documentary.

All images are for review purposes only and used with permission.

By Geoff Slade
Contributing Writer

Atlanta trio The Head are wrapping up their 20-date tour and return from the road just in time for Thanksgiving. Come out and join them to celebrate the release of their new five-song EP MILLIPEDES at the Drunken Unicorn this Saturday, Nov. 28.  Sydney Eloise & The Palms and Chelsea Shag are also on the bill.

Jack Shaw (drums), Mike Shaw (lead vocals/bass) and Jacob Morrell (guitar) have been playing together since they were teenagers at Holy Spirit Preparatory School, and list among their influences The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen and R.E.M. This knowledge and appreciation of pop music’s past led Blurt magazine to call them “Atlanta’s youngest rock ‘n’ roll veterans.”

The youngsters have already worked with legendary R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter, Jody Stephens of Big Star and John Vanderslice, but decided to produce their latest batch of songs themselves, a first for the band. “I feel like we’re still learning, now more than ever,” said Mike Shaw. “And we’re enjoying every bit of what we’re learning.”

AtlRetro caught up with Kool Kat of the Week Jack Shaw to find out more about the new EP, the tour and what’s ahead for The Head.

ATLRetro: First of all, I’m sure you guys are sick to death of this question, so let’s get it out of the way: Why “The Head?”

Jack Shaw: We wanted something short, sweet and weird sounding. We thought “The Head” captured all of that. It’s simple enough and makes people scratch their chins.

According to your bio, the three of you are still in your early 20s. How did you come together?

Mike and I are twins, so we’ve been playing music together our whole lives. We met Jacob during our freshman year of high school. We decided to form a band with him once we found out he played guitar and listened to the same bands as us.

The Head [L-R]: Jack Shaw, Mike Shaw, Jacob Morrell Photo by Valheria Rocha.

We were listening to a whole bunch of stuff ranging from The Stone Roses and Pavement to Frank Sinatra and the Velvet Underground. Most of our classmates at the time were listening to P. Diddy and The Fray, so, yes, there was definitely a big difference. We find a lot more common ground with people our age now, though.

How would you describe your music to the curious?

Scott Walker making love with Joy Division.

Is this your first major tour? How’s life on the road? Is it what you expected?

We’ve done a few seasonal legs of touring before, but this is our first time being out on the road for months at a time. We’re having a blast and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Since the end of October, you’ve played Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Boston. How are you being received? Are the crowds different than in Atlanta?

We’ve been met with great reception. The crowds all over really dig what we’re doing and dance a lot, especially to our newer songs. Some of the crowds are a little different from Atlanta in their own ways. All of them, regardless of the city, are on the younger side. We’ve enjoyed every city, but New Orleans and Boston are definitely among our favorites.

The Head could very well be the next Atlanta band to enjoy serious national attention for years to come. Do you have any favorite local acts?

Yeah, we really love what Tedo Stone and Sydney Eloise & The Palms are doing. We also really dig Chelsea Shag. All of those guys put on great live shows. There are, of course, several other local bands we respect. The list can go on.

The Head play the Drunken Unicorn on Sat. Nov. 28. Check out three tracks from MILLIPEDE here.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Hey all you Retro Atlanta kiddies! Start some new holiday traditions this year and let Retro Atlanta guide the way! Whether you’re lookin’ to escape or just needing to get out and breathe, we’ve got a cornucopia of holiday rockin’ fun lined up that will fill you to the brim with giddy! So, come on out and get Retro rockin’ holiday-style!

Monday, November 23

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 really retro and make your way to the Alpharetta Branch Library for their screening of George Cukor’s PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940) at 10:30am! Get fanatic at The Plaza Theater as they screen Rob Reiner’s MISERY (1990), running through Nov. 26! The Hollidays dish out a night of rhythm ‘n’ soul and rock ‘n’ roll at Blind Willie’s! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of “Moto Psychos, Speed Freaks and Auto Obsessions” adults-only trivia, at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Belly’s and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, November 24

The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema dishes out classic cinema with a screening of Martin Scorsese’s RAGING BULL (1980) at 7pm! Make your way to Eddie’s Attic for a night with John Oates! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Retro-Soul, Funk ‘80s & ‘90s Dance Party! You won’t want to miss the Susan Chambers Dance Co.’s presentation of “A Christmas Carol – The Musical” at the Gwinnett Center at 11am and 7pm! Blues it up with the Cody Matlock Band at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, November 25

It’s a night of old-time pandemonium at the Clermont Lounge with Kool Kat Caleb & the Gents, Blood on the Harp and more! Get funky with Zach Deputy at Eddie’s Attic! Or experience Gimme Hendrix at Aisle 5! Rock on down to the Masquerade for a raucous night with Gwar, Battlecross, Harvester and Apothecary! Get your holiday Broadway fix with Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Fox Theatre! Blind Willie’s delivers a night of Chicago and West Coast blues with the Electromatics! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission! The Star Bar with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! 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, November 26

Burn off all the extra Turkey Day stuffing in Retro Atlanta! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night of cool island tunes and a couple Mai Tais! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Plaza Theater screens Brian De Palma’s SCARFACE (1983) and Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS (1984), running through Dec. 3! 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, November 27

Spend the evening with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to the tune of John Williams, with their Star Wars and More! musical extravaganza at 8pm! The hills are alive at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre with their sing along and screening of Robert Wise’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) at 8pm! The Blind Boys of Alabama dish out a night of roots, soul and blues at Eddie’s Attic! Skank on down to The Star Bar for a night with The Toasters, Razorcombs and the Southern Ska Syndicate! The Last Waltz Ensemble rock out to the tune of Bob Dylan and The Band at Smith’s Olde Bar! Make your way to the Crimson Moon Café for a night with Montana Skies! Get your classic holiday fix with the Northeast Atlanta Ballet as they present “The Nutcracker” at the Gwinnett Center! Stomp on down to the Tabernacle for a night with Blackberry Smoke! Or get the rockin’ blues with the Randall Bramblett Band and Delta Moon at Terminal West! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Get hunted at the Oakland Cemetery with their Harvest Scavenger Hunt, running through Nov. 29! It’s a night of dark ‘80s and industrial with Kool Kat VJ Anthony and his BLACKOUT: Goth Industrial Dance Night at Famous Pub! Make your way to the Red Light Café for Glenn Phillips’ annual Day After Thanksgiving Show! Get your classic rock ‘n’ blues fix with the Barry Richman Band at Steve’s Live Music! Folk on down to The Earl for a night with Thayer Sarrano, 100 Watt Horse and Man Up, Yancey! Blues it up with Sandra Hall & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues dishes out a night of rhythm soul and rock ‘n’ roll with The Hollidays! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! 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, November 28

Get historical at the Oakland Cemetery with their Malts & Vaults: Prohibition Edition at 3pm! Or shimmy on down to the Red Light Café for DJ Doctor Q’s Speakeasy Electro Swing’s Athens Invasion! Retro it up rock and pop-style at the Drunken Unicorn with The Head (record release), Sydney Eloise & the Palms and Chelsea Shag! Rock out folk-style with Shawn Mullins at the Variety Playhouse! Steve’s Live Music offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet! It’s a night of ‘70s psychedelia at The Earl with Kool Kats Spirits & the Melchizedek Children with All Them Witches! Get a second helping of The Blind Boys of Alabama at Eddie’s Attic, followed by Ellis Paul dishing out a night of rockin’ folk! Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for Tribute’s homage to The Allman Brothers! Get some southern-fried blues with EG Kight at the Crimson Moon Café! Spend a second evening with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to the tune of John Williams, with their Star Wars and More! musical extravaganza at 8pm! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles fire it up at the Sportsline Bar in Lawrenceville! Blues it up with George Hughley & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! 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, November 29

TCM Presents William Wyler’s classic, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) in theatres across the Atlanta area at 2pm/7pm [Hollywood Stadium 24 in Chamblee; AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 in Lawrenceville; AMC Barrett Commons 24 in Kennesaw; Regal McDonough Stadium 16; AMC Avenue Forsyth 12 in Cumming; GTC Merchant’s Walk Stadium 12 in Marietta; AMC Southlake 24 in Morrow; and Georgian Stadium in Newnan]! Or get your classic holiday fix at the Fox Theatre’s annual free event, “Mighty Mo & More! Organ Concert & Sing-A-Long” featuring George Seaton’s MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947) at 4pm! Get your post-punk new wave revival fix with The Wombats and Royal Teeth at The Loft! Make your way to My Parents’ Basement in Avondale Estates for their November Bizarre Bazaar from 2-6pm! Gypsy jazz it up with The Roamin’ Jasmines and the Bonaventure Quartet, featuring Kool Kat Amy Pike at the Red Light Café! Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox dishes out a night of ragtime and swing at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center! Steve the Blues Dude gets down and dirty at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

The Alliance Theatre presents Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol”, running through Dec. 24!

Center for Puppetry Arts presents their annual puppet adaptation of Larry Roemer’s holiday classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964), sleighing through Dec. 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!

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

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

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

TAB HUNTER: CONFIDENTIAL (2015); Dir. Jeffrey Schwarz; Starring ; Tab Hunter, Debbie Reynolds, John Waters; Opens Friday, Nov. 20; Landmark Midtown Art Cinema; Trailer here.

By Claudia Dafrico
Contributing Writer

TAB HUNTER: CONFIDENTIAL opens Friday Nov. 20 at the Landmark Midtown Arts Cinema. This enlightening and wonderfully fun documentary  chronicles the long career of actor Tab Hunter and the struggles he dealt with as a gay man in a time marked by intolerance.

In this day and age, people love to insist that celebrity culture has reached ludicrous levels of influence on our daily lives. They say that Kardashians rule the world around us, and this bastion of scandal- mongering and celebrity worship would never have been seen in “the good old days” before Twitter and TMZ. But as TAB HUNTER: CONFIDENTIAL shows us, that presumption could not be further from the truth. This compelling and charming documentary follows film, television, and recording star Tab Hunter from his highs as a teen heartthrob to the lows of family tragedy and a career crisis, all while being closeted for the majority of his working years. Now in his 80s, Tab gets to look back on his tumultuous experience in Hollywood and remind audiences that the cult of Hollywood was just as prevalent in the past as it is today.

Based on his memoir of the same name, the film showcases Hunter’s life from his childhood as the son of a German immigrant and an abusive, absent father, to his early (illegal) entry into the Coast Guard at age 15. After being discharged, Tab spent his time horseback riding, which led to him meeting Hollywood agent Henry Wilson and kickstarting his career in film. He served to be little more than eye candy in his first few roles in movies like ISLAND OF DESIRE (1952), which was lambasted by critics (Hunter himself acknowledges his lackluster performance in the film). He nonetheless continued to work, and eventually found success with BATTLE CRY (1955), a war drama based on a bestselling novel. As he went under contract with MGM, Tab quickly became a household name, and teenage girls became infatuated with him. MGM fueled this obsession by pairing him off with Natalie Wood, another MGM star. The two went along with the charade for their sake of their careers, but as Hunter playfully notes in the film, the “couple” had each other’s backs when it came to secrets: Wood was secretly dating bad boy Dennis Hopper while Hunter pursued his first long-term relationship with PSYCHO (1960) star Anthony Perkins.

Tab Hunter and Allan Glaser.

The segment in the film that touches upon Hunter and Perkins’ relationship is both touching and heartbreaking. It’s clear from the way that Hunter reminisces that the two really did share a special connection, but the combined strain of homophobia and competing careers sadly prohibited any possibility of a successful romance. After he was nearly outed by a gossip rag in the height of his stardom, Hunter was put under immense pressure to keep his sexuality under wraps and continued to star in typecast roles for MGM. When these conditions proved to be too stressful for Hunter, he made the costly decision to break his contract with MGM, and his subsequent failure to establish himself in non studio productions led to his departure from mainstream Hollywood. He spent a number of years performing in dinner theatre shows and pursuing his love of horseback riding. He appeared in John Waters’ Odorama classic POLYESTER (1981) opposite the fabulous Divine (who he would later reunite with in LUST IN THE DUST [1985]), a move that brought about a resurgence in his popularity. Hunter met his long-term partner Allan Glaser (who produced CONFIDENTIAL) during the production of LUST IN THE DUST, and the two continue to share their lives together in California to this day.

The beauty of Tab Hunter: Confidential lies within its refreshing optimism and the endearing nature of its subject. Even when discussing the struggles of his career, Hunter is joking and cheerful, and the portions of the documentary that touch upon his mother’s struggles with mental illness are laced with love and compassion. Hunter, unlike many of his peers who were in a similar situation of dealing with a homophobic Hollywood, ended up with a happy ending. It’s a real treat to be able to watch him express his love for life and remembrance of the past. And if you still believe that Hollywood is at its most scandalous today, be sure to check out this film to see how little has really changed since Tab Hunter’s heyday.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

This week in Retro Atlanta is chock full of smokin’ blues, Burly-Q shenanigans, and all sorts of madness and mayhem, so come on out and see what we’ve found for you! And don’t forget all the classic cinema and rowdy nitty gritty rock ‘n’ roll invading Retro Atlanta!

Monday, November 16

Rock out with the Dandy Warhols and The Shivas at Terminal West! Or get your Danish heavy metal fix with King Diamond at the Tabernacle! Resurgens Theatre Co. presents their adaptation of Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s “The Changeling” at the Shakespeare Tavern, running through Nov. 20! Folk it up with The Amigos at the Red Light Café! 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! Blues it up with Atlanta Boogie at Blind Willie’s! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of “Glam Bam Thank You Ma’am” adults-only trivia, at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Belly’s and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, November 17

Shake ‘n’ shimmy on down to The Star Bar for Roxie Roz’ Thanksgiving Burlesque Show, featuring Sadie Hawkins, Kitty Capone, Luna Lynx and music by Kool Kat Joshua Longino and The Disapyramids! The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema dishes out classic cinema with a screening of Robert Rossen’s THE HUSTLER (1961) at 7pm! Get historic and experience A Colonial Thanksgiving meal at Pallookaville! The hills are alive at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Robert Wise’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! The Decatur Library screens Michael Curtiz’ WE’RE NO ANGELS (1955) at 9:30am! Stomp on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Cicada Rhythm! Jam it up with Dead and Company at Philips Arena! Blind Willie’s dishes out a night of down and dirty blues with Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck! Blues it up with Little G. Weevil at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, November 18

Get some soul at Ferst Center with Mavis Staples and Joan Osborne! The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema presents a magical 75th Anniversary screening of Joe Grant/Dick Huemer’s Disney classic, FANTASIA (1940) at 7pm! Emory Cinematheque presents Isao Takahata’s MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS (1999) at 7:30pm in White Hall, during their Japanese Anime series! Rock out Argentinean-style with Vilma Palma e Vampiros at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Music Room! Or get funky in the Atlanta Room with Remembering January, Laney Jones & the Spirits and Why Hotel! Stomp on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with Joe McGuinness! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! Get adventurous at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) with their screening of Steven Spielberg’s HOOK (1991) at 7pm! The hills are alive at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with a second screening of Robert Wise’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission! The Star Bar with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! 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, November 19

Get down and dirty at The Star Bar with Stolen Rhodes, The Scragglers, Red Dirt Mountain and JP Blues! Or jazz it up bluegrass-style with Kenosha Kid and The Hibbard/Wright Project at the Red Light Café! Folk it up with The Way Down Wanderers at the Red Clay Theatre! Get really retro and start the holiday season with the Alliance Theatre as they present their adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol”, running through Dec. 24! Get your rockin’ blues fix with Debbie Davies at Blind Willie’s!! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party with and a couple of cocktails! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! And as always, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, November 20

Get some ‘50s and ‘60s Georgia soul with Kool Kat Ruby Velle & the Soulphonics at the High Museum! Or swing on by Cajun-style to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with Zydeco Ya Ya! Get artsy retro-style with Kool Kat Chris Hamer of UrbnPop at his Drawn & Disorderly art show at the Red Brick Brewing Company! Denny Laine (The Moody Blues/Wings) gets down at the Red Clay Theatre! Get fanatic at The Plaza Theater as they screen Rob Reiner’s MISERY (1990), running through Nov. 26! Rock on down to The Star Bar for a night with Motor Earth, The Halls of Jupiter and Hot Wives! Funk it up with the Rebirth Brass Band and Naughty Professor at Terminal West! Leigh Nash delivers a night of vintage pop at Eddie’s Attic! Hop a broom to the Diesel Filling Station for stop one of the Potter Pub Crawl! Eighties it up at Wild Wing Café (Gainesville) with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade! Joe Bonamassa rocks out blues-style at the Fox Theatre! Get your fill of classic rock, ‘80s and funk with the Uncle Mike Band at Steve’s Live Music! Blues it up with George Hughley & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Make your way to Landmark Midtown Art Cinema for their opening screening of Jeffrey Schwarz’ documentary, TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (2015)! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues dishes out a night of rockin’ blues with Plate Full of Blues! Or get the blues with Stoney Brooks at Northside Tavern! Make your way to Hottie Hawgs BBQ for a night with Men in Blues! 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, November 21

The Highlander delivers a night of down and dirty debauchery with the Spectremen, Kool Kats The Casket Creatures and Dusty Booze & the Baby Haters! Cast a spell and make your way to the Masquerade for a night of sinister seduction at the Atlanta’s Wizard Ball 2! Shimmy on down to the Red Light Café for Sadie Hawkins’ Cheap Thrills! event! The Scragglers rock out at Kavarna! The ultimate Michael Jackson tribute, Who’s Bad, gets down at the Variety Playhouse! Stomp over to Steve’s Live Music for a night with Michelle Malone! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles fire it up at Dixie Tavern! Blues it up with Tab Benoit at Smith’s Olde Bar! Get your ‘90s jazz fix with Kenny G at the Buckhead Theatre! Or put on those dancin’ shoes and get ready for a night of retro rock, Motown, funk, Big Band and more at The Basement for Electric Western’s Keep on Movin’ Rock and Soul Dance Party! Get funky with The Mike Dillon Band at the Drunken Unicorn! Make your way to Vinyl for a night with Zangaro, The Extraordinary Contraptions and The Listening Wall! Blues it up with Big Bill Morganfield at Blind Willie’s! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for The Art of Tiki seminar at 5pm! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins delivers some rockin’ blues at the Northside Tavern! St. James Live! delivers their Tribute to the Legends night every Saturday night! And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, November 22

Shimmy on down to 7 Stages for a good cause and a tantalizing tease! Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South present their annual Tits For Tots For Toys Burlesque Variety Show, featuring performances by Annette Coquette, Greta Vontrol Lop, Bourgeois Betty, Fianna Flowerchild, Bunny Wigglebottom, Flame Cynders and more! Get adventurous at Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) with their second screening of Steven Spielberg’s HOOK (1991) at 2pm! Stomp on down to the Variety Playhousefor a night with Shakey Graves! The Wizards of Winter rock out at Center Stage! Get groovy as Swami Gone Bananas gets down at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! And get sweet and low down blues-style at the Northside Tavern with Uncle Sugar!

Ongoing

The Georgia Ensemble Theatre and David Crowe (dir.) present Shakespeare’s classic, “Romeo & Juliet”, running through Nov. 22! (LAST CHANCE!)

The Alliance Theatre presents Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol”, running through Dec. 24!

Center for Puppetry Arts presents their annual puppet adaptation of Larry Roemer’s holiday classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964), sleighing through Dec. 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!

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

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

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

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

Buried Alive Film Festival and Splatter Cinema Presents the rare Italian original cut of DEEP RED (1975); Dir. Dario Argento; Starring David Hemmings and Daria Nicolodi; Saturday, November 14 @ 10:00 p.m.; Synchronicity Theater; Tickets $10 (or included with a $50 festival pass) here; Trailer here.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

As part of the Buried Alive Film Festival, Splatter Cinema will be hosting a 40th anniversary screening at Synchronicity Theater of what is, quite simply, one of the greatest thrillers ever made: Dario Argento’s groundbreaking giallo DEEP RED. To miss this in its rare Italian original cut (22 minutes longer than the US version), would be to offend the very gods of cinema, so it would be best to play it safe and plan to attend.

From the late 1920s forward in Italy, a series of cheap paperback editions of murder mysteries featuring eye-catching artwork was issued by the publishing group Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. The success of these editions led to other publshers to also release mysteries under their own banners while imitating Mondadori’s cover designs. The common design element? The color yellow used as a background. As a result, over time all murder mysteries in Italy would come to be called “yellow.” Or, in Italian, giallo.

Mario Bava set in stone the tropes and archetypes of the cinematic giallo in the early 1960s with films such as THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. The wild success of these films—and their blending of brutal violence with stylish camerawork and set design, all set to equally stylish musical scores—led to a whole host of other filmmakers jumping on the giallo bandwagon and establishing themselves as forces to be reckoned with in the Italian film industry. Antonio Margheriti, Umberto Lenzi, Riccardo Freda…all dipped their toes into the waters of the giallo and built careers off their early successes. But none of them took the genre to new extremes like one particular filmmaker: Dario Argento.

Beginning with his “Animal Trilogy” (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, CAT O’ NINE TAILS and FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET), Argento took Bava’s sense of visual style to a whole other level. Deep focus, graceful camera movements, exquisitely detailed set design and carefully crafted compositions were the hallmarks of his aesthetic. His impossibly twisty plots and outstanding soundtracks worked hand-in-hand with his visual style and led him to be regarded as the Italian Hitchcock. But his work on the Animal Trilogy was merely a prelude to his masterpiece: DEEP RED (aka PROFONDO ROSSO).

Jazz pianist Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses a woman’s murder, and decides to investigate the case himself after realizing that a painting he saw in her apartment is now missing. Accompanied by reporter Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi), he tries to tie together the loose clues he has assembled and the one detail he cannot quite remember, while other women across the city are being murdered and he himself is targeted.

All of the elements are in play here. The black-gloved killer. The half-remembered detail. The outsider protagonist dismissed by the police as a troublemaker. The meddling reporter. The brutal violence. But Argento assembles these key tropes into something wholly new and original. Visually, Argento uses art in general, and painting in particular, as a recurring thematic element. Beyond a painting holding a key detail that is needed to solve the mystery, key plot points are revealed via artwork. Argento even gives us a life-size, live-action depiction of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks early on to establish the importance of the visual arts and their accompanying artifice in the film’s world. In a word, the visual style is audacious.

But not as audacious, perhaps, as the film’s musical score. After having worked with the celebrated Italian film composer Ennio Morricone on the Animal Trilogy, Argento wanted something contemporary. He initially turned to jazz musician Giorgio Gaslini for the film’s music, but was unhappy with the results. Instead, he decided to go in a progressive rock direction and eventually found kindred spirits in local band Goblin. Their remarkable score winds up being incredibly catchy, complex, sinister, subtle and bombastic—somehow all at the same time. Their music ended up being the perfect complement to Argento’s visuals, managing to capture the essence of one medium in another. The reception to their breakthrough work was so intense, and the pairing of group and filmmaker so perfect, that Goblin (or the band’s leader, Claudio Simonetti) would continue to work on-and-off with Argento through the decades up to his latest film, DRACULA 3D.

Argento would return to the giallo again several times over the course of his career, most notably in films like TENEBRE and OPERA, but none of his work within the genre comes close to this masterpiece. It’s nearly flawless. The only complaint that I have with it is that the humorous and romantic scenes between Hemmings and Nicolodi tend to dissipate the building tension felt throughout the film. But that is such a slight complaint in comparison to the riches on offer in this brutal but beautiful movie. To see it at all is a rare treat. To see it in its original Italian cut on the big screen is a thing that should not be missed by anyone interested in seeing a director firing on all cylinders, at the top of his game, regardless of genre.

Aleck Bennett is a writer, blogger, pug warden, pop culture enthusiast, raconteur and bon vivant from the greater Atlanta area. Visit his blog at doctorsardonicus.wordpress.com.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

The 10th Annual Buried Alive Film Festival; Saturday, November 14, 12:00 p.m. – 11:50 p.m.; Sunday, November 15, 12:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Synchronicity Theater; Tickets $10 per screening block / $50 all access pass; Schedule for each screening block here; Tickets here.

Halloween might have been two weeks ago, but there’s no reason why Atlanta’s horror community shouldn’t claim the entire month between it and Thanksgiving to create a haunting holiday season. That’s why having the always-amazing Buried Alive Film Festival right smack dab in the middle simply makes sense. In its tenth year, the band of morbid mad doctors behind the scenes (including ATLRetro Kool Kat Blake Myers) has assembled a monster of a festival and is bringing it to rampaging life at Synchronicity Theater! Venture in to witness horrors, paranormal and psychological, ranging from the frighteningly funny to the atmospheric and haunting. And, given the people involved, expect buckets of blood served up with every course.

The festival kicks off on Saturday with Shorts Program 1: Tentacles, Slime, and Problems. A series of shorts delivers on the program’s title, with a host of unsavory creatures on display—none so disturbing as our fellow man, however, as depicted in the Southeastern premieres of HEIR and Florian Frerichs’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s gruesome classic IN THE RUINS. Also be sure to catch the contemporary eldritch horrors of 666 SQUARE FEET, which was picked as an official selection at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Cthulhu Con, the New York City Horror Film Festival, NecronomiCon, Filmquest and more.

Follow that up with Feature Program 1: CURTAIN, which is preceded by the short film HAG, featuring THE EXORCIST’s Eileen Dietz and CHILDREN OF THE CORN’s John Franklin in a tale of the downsides of sleep paralysis and somnambulism. CURTAIN is…well…it’s about disappearing shower curtains in an ex-nurse’s tiny New York apartment. But as with many of the other subjects on offer, don’t leap to any conclusions from that short summary. With maniacal energy and flourishes of wacky humor, we’re plunged headlong into an epic story of cults, portals, unlikely friendship and the hazards of showering.

After a quick break to gather your nerves, return at 4 p.m. to leave the live-action world behind with Animation/Puppet Program: Drawn, Quartered, and hands stuck up our butt. We’re treated with a series of surreal short subjects that take us places that flesh and blood cannot alone. This ranges from the Victorian ghost story of THE MILL AT CALDER’S END (featuring the voice talents of Barbara Steele and Jason Flemyng, and performed using bunraku rod puppets) to the stop-motion shorts of local filmmaker Britain Cramer. Also worth checking out is the dramatic shadowplay of MONSTER and the Southeastern debut of the delightfully dreadful BUNNY BIZNESS.

Haven’t had enough? Of course you haven’t. That’s why you’re sticking around for Shorts Program 2: Violent Crimes. Each short deals with the bloody transgression of social codes, whether from the perpetrator’s point of view, or the victim’s. Whether it’s climbing the corporate ladder of organized crime in the hilarious BAD GUY #2 or the horrors awaiting a person on the other end of the scalpel in SURGERY (based on legendary British writer/producer Brian Clemens’ last story idea), you’ll find more than enough gore to satiate your bloodlust.

Ready for more long-form entertainment after all those shorts? Well, sit back and enjoy Feature Program 2: BUNNY THE KILLER THING. The program is introduced by the world premiere of the short film HEAD, in which a grieving widower does anything in his power to keep his wife with him. BUNNY follows, a gruesome exhumation and insanely funny send-up of 1980s horror tropes, from the secluded cabin in the woods, to the sex=death equation, to the man-in-a-monster-suit menace. In this, a horrific half-human/half rabbit monstrosity stalks a group of Finnish and British youth while in pursuit of anything resembling female genitalia.

We close out the night with a special feature presented by the inimitable Splatter Cinema crew: a 40th anniversary screening of Dario Argento’s classic giallo, DEEP RED. Be sure to see the accompanying Retro Review of this title (Coming soon!), but rest assured that this is an absolute must-see.

After a night to recover from the horrors of the previous day, we find ourselves back at the crack of noon for Shorts Program 3: A Lighter Shade of Blood Red. As the title suggests, this is a good-humored set of shorts. From the love of a vengeful family pet in LITTLE OLD CAT LADY FROM RANCHO CUCAMONGA to a mother’s love for her undead son in ZOMINIC, from the tasty trap of I AM CANDY (in its Southeastern premiere) to the delicious set design of EAT, to zombie kidnapping in CHOMP, there’s a little something for the twisted side of everybody in this program.

From one extreme to another (in a festival of nothing but the extreme), we come to our next shorts program, Shorts Program 4: Gross People and Their Problems. Again, the program’s title lets you know what you’re in for with this set: the troubles that beset those who don’t quite fit in. There’s the health-crazed satire of RECIPE, the Wes Anderson-ian nightmare comedy of CRUSH, the American premiere of the disturbing family horror FROM THE GUTS, the extremes of VHS horror found in NASTY, and much more. Twisted people, twisted lives, twisted problems and twisted nerves are what you’ll find onscreen.

The next program explores the outer bounds of horror and filmmaking technique, in Shorts Program 5: Experimental and Music Videos. Split fairly evenly between experimental shorts such as BIRTHDAY’s Satanic ode to silent-era cinema, experimenting with serial killers in PSYCHOTIC! and the symbolic odyssey across the rivers of HADES, there are boundary-pushing music videos from artists such as Vyla Vice’s “Come With Me” and Atlanta’s own Gunpowder Gray and Casket Creatures with “Saints” and “GKMF!” (the latter directed by some guy named Lucas Godfrey (ATLRetro Kool Kat article here), who might just also happen to be the festival’s Event Director).

Then it’s time once again to focus on the long-form with Feature Program 3: THE INTERIOR. We transition into the feature-length section this time with two short subjects. First up is local director Brian Teague’s 1580 AM, which documents the GoPro footage found after four friends disappear in in the woods. It’s followed by THE FISHERMAN, about a Chinese fisherman who ventures out of the harbor and into the pits of horror when he catches something unexpected in the deep. Then our feature THE INTERIOR receives its Southeastern premiere. It’s a tense, atmospheric journey into the isolated woods of British Columbia as we follow a young man who has recently been diagnosed with a grave illness. As he seeks refuge and retreat, he finds that something else is in these woods, and it’s pursuing him deeper and deeper into the interior. A building sense of unease and tension, coupled with gorgeous photography and a great central performance makes this one you must check out.

We close out this year’s festival with a palate cleanser in the form of Shorts Program 6: Closing Night Shorts. A little bit of everything for those who have made it through the horrors of the previous two days, you’ve got demented comedy in the form of SISTER HELL and LARRY GONE DEMON, haunting and atmospheric horror in THE POND, mind-melting action in EL GIGANTE and THEY WILL ALL DIE IN SPACE, and the aptly-titled THE END. A fun and frightening serving of sadism: your treat as you prepare to leave this chamber of horrors and venture out into the real world where you can let your guard down and rest easy. Because surely none of the fantastic horrors on display could possibly manifest outside the walls of Synchronicity Theater, could they? Could they?

Aleck Bennett is a writer, blogger, pug warden, pop culture enthusiast, raconteur and bon vivant from the greater Atlanta area. Visit his blog at doctorsardonicus.wordpress.com.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Forget the horrorific daily grind and take a peek at what we have in store, kiddies! Let Retro Atlanta fill you with a week’s worth of swingin’ good times; from vintage, fuzzed out rock ‘n’ roll to bloody fangtastic films to steamy burlesque to classic cinema galore! It’ll be a bloody good time, so get out and get retro!

Monday, November 9

Get mischievously rockin’ and doo-wop on down to The Earl for a night with The King Kahn BBQ Show with Milk Lines! Honkytonk it up with Joe Ely at Eddie’s Attic! Shimmy on down to the Shakespeare Tavern for the second performance of “Gotham: A Tale of Two Faces” presented by Hysteria Machines, featuring drama, defiance, debauchery and more! 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 it up with Bill Sheffield at Blind Willie’s! Swing on by the Georgia Ensemble Theatre for a night with  Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Blast-Off Burlesque starts your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia, at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club at 8:30pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Belly’s and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, November 10

The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema dishes out classic cinema with a 35mm screening of John Huston’s THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE (1948) at 7pm! It’s a night of burly-Q shenanigans with Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South, at the Red Light Café with their Tease Tuesday Burlesque: Stripsgiving event featuring performances by Bunny Wigglebottom, Anna Coquette, Fianna Flowerchild and more! Make your way to the Center for Puppetry Arts as they present their annual puppet adaptation of Larry Roemer’s holiday classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964), sleighing through Dec. 27! Catch a 75th Anniversary screening of Joe Grant and Dick Heumer’s FANTASIA (1940) at Cinebistro and the Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta) at 7pm! Stomp on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with the BooHoo Ramblers! The Star Bar delivers a night of retro shenanigans with their Retro-Soul, Funk ‘80s & ‘90s Dance Party! Blues it up with Cody Matlock at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! It’s a night of trivia and corndogs at Pallookaville, with their “Trivial Matters” event! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, November 11

Funk it up with Turkuaz and The Get Right Band at Aisle 5! The Earl rocks out with Fuzz, WALTER and The Compartmentalizationalist (with Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer)! Catch a 60th Anniversary screening of Fred Zinneman’s OKLAHOMA (1955) at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema at 7pm! Get some blues ‘n’ soul mojo at Blind Willie’s with Kool Kat Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo! Jazz it up with The Gordon Vernick Quartet at the Red Light Café! Celebrate 25 years of Chris Columbus’ holiday classic, HOME ALONE (1990) in theatres across the Atlanta area at 4:30pm/7:30pm [Hollywood Stadium 24 in Chamblee, Perimeter Pointe 10; AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 in Lawrenceville; Avalon Stadium 12 in Alpharetta; AMC Barrett Commons 24 in Kennesaw; Regal McDonough Stadium 16; and Georgian Stadium in Newnan]! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets the blues with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta) screens Nora Ephron’s YOU’VE GOT MAIL (1998) at 7:30pm! Steve’s Live Music delivers a night of ragtime jazz with Penny Serenade! Get funky with The Mar-Tans at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! It’s a hootenanny and a half at The Star Bar with their Cowboy Karaoke event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes with Dry Gulch! 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, November 12

Get your rock ‘n’ roll legend fix with Patti Smith at the Variety Playhouse! Blues it up with The Kinsey Report at Blind Willie’s! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck and the Atlanta Horns dish out a night of rockin’ blues at Eddie’s Attic! Get your punk and metal fix at The Star Bar during Jabroni Fest 3, rocking through Nov. 14! Bluegrass it up with The Brummy Brothers and Wisewater at the Red Light Café! The Imposeurs play Elvis Costello and more at Steve’s Live Music! It’s Mai Tai Thursday, so surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a helluva beach party with and a couple of cocktails! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! And as always, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, November 13

Emory Film & Media Studies presents Penelope Spheeris “Movies & Rock –n- Roll”, with a special screening of her documentary THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (1979) at 7:30pm! Rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt’s solo acoustic show at the Little Vinyl Lounge! Honkytonk down to Hottie Hawgs BBQ for a night with Kool Kat Rich Desantis’ Whiskey Belt! Get folksy with Barnaby Bright at Grocery on Home! Spend the night with Zappa/Mother’s synth legend, Don Presten and his Akashic Ensemble 2015, featuring Andre Cholmondeley and Mike Dillon at the Red Light Café! Make your way to the Variety Playhouse for an evening with Judy Collins! Sandra Hall & the Shadows get down at Blind Willie’s! Get the rockin’ blues with Hurricane Ruth at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Or get the old-school blues with Eddie Tigner at Northside Tavern! Folk it up with Nathaniel Ratecliff and Caroline Rose at The Earl! Rock out with The Wood Brothers at the Buckhead Theatre! Netherworld Haunted House haunts one more weekend this spooky season, through Nov. 14! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack delivers a night with Sana Blues! Catch a screening of Woody Allen’s MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993) at the Toco Hills-Avis G. Williams Library at 1:30pm! Get old-timey at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event with The HoBoHemians and jazz it up 20s/30s style under the dinosaurs! 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, November 14

Let the weirdly wild and bone-chilling adventure begin with day one of the 10th Annual Buried Alive Film Festival, Atlanta’s premiere horror film festival getting grotesquely gory at Synchronicity Theatre, with a special presentation of Dario Argento’s DEEP RED (1976) ($10/screening; $50/all-access) (with Kool Kats Blake Myers and Luke Godfrey)! Surf on down to Kavarna for Kool Kat Chad Shivers’ Southern Surf Stomp, featuring the Southern Ska Syndicate, the Rondo Hatton Band and Revenge Beach! Run away and join the Dirty Circus and rock out with The Sideburners, the Screamin’ Demons and some crazy acrobatics with The Off-Centered Project! You won’t want to miss the Grande Opening of the Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts, and get your fill of Jim Henson’s world and more, at 11am! Rock out with The Pietasters, Patriot, Soul Radics, Antagonizers ATL and Bastard Brigade at Famous Pub! The Plaza Theater screens Jennie Livingston’s PARIS IS BURNING (1991) for one night only, at 9:30pm! Rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles at Stix Bar & Grill in Vila Rica! Galactic gets funky at the Variety Playhouse! Bluegrass it up with the Jon Strickley Trio at the Red Light Café! Blues it up with Beverly “Guitar” Watkins at Blind Willie’s! Go down under and get your Australian blues ‘n’ roots fix with Harper & Midwest Kind at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Albert White goes old-school blues-style at the Northside Tavern! Joe McGuinness gets down at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! Mr. Chapman’s Revue delivers the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! 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, November 15

It’s day two of Atlanta’s premiere horror film festival, the 10th Annual Buried Alive Film Festival featuring a grotesque line-up of bone-chilling feature-length and short horror films at Synchronicity Theatre! Skank on down to Terminal West for a night with The English Beat and the Southern Ska Syndicate! Get your Broadway and show tunes fix at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre with organist Kool Kat Ron Carter during their Open House & Variety Show at 3pm! It’s an evening of Gypsy jazz with Ultrafaux and Kool Kat Amy Pike and The Bonaventure Quartet at the Red Light Café! Rock out at The Earl with Jungol; Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun; Stokeswood; The Locksmyth; and The Boy Jones! Get groovy as Swami Gone Bananas gets down at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! Blues it up with Stephen 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 Georgia Ensemble Theatre and David Crowe (dir.) present Shakespeare’s classic, “Romeo & Juliet”, running through Nov. 22!

Center for Puppetry Arts presents their annual puppet adaptation of Larry Roemer’s holiday classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964), sleighing through Dec. 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!

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

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

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

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.