ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Gringo Star, will be slingin’ that nitty gritty, ‘60s beach-y dirty rock ‘n’ roll your mama warned you about this Thursday, October 30, during a homecoming pit-stop on their whirlwind of a Fall tour, at DASHBOARD CO-OP, presented by Atlanta’s own WRAS-Album 88! And if that wasn’t enough, they’ll be hawkin’ their hot-off-the-presses, 7”- debuting two new edgy singles, “Long Time Gone” and “World of Spin” released by dizzybird records, which can also be purchased here. So, rock out, clear your calendar, and shake on down for a night of psychedelic shenanigans with Gringo Star and their pals, the psych-rock outfit, the Mood Rings at DASHBOARD CO-OP this Thursday!

Atlanta’s Gringo Star is a long-running collaboration of brothers Nick and Pete Furgiuele, catching the ears of the nation and the itch reaped from the godfathers of R&B, rock and soul. Their tantalizing and tainted tunes pay homage to The Kinks, Richie Valens, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, Sam Cooke and a helluva lot of old-school rockers and purveyors of doo-wop and soul. Their love of music sprung from a childhood chock full of the wonderment spilling over from their radio dj’ing granddad and his tales of the past. With three full-length albums under their gritty garage rockin’ belts [2008’s “All Y’All”, 2011’s “Count Yer Lucky Stars”, 2013’s “Floating Out to See”], their new 7” and nods from national outlets [December 2011, Rolling Stone mention here, Consequence of Sound articles here and more recently, a review in The New York Times here ], they are well on their way to the psychedelic garage rockin’ celestial cloud of Gringo Star-dom!

ATLRetro caught up with Nick Furgiuele for a quick interview about Gringo Star’s rock ‘n’ roll roots, their new singles “Long Time Gone/World of Spin”, why Aretha Franklin rubs them the wrong way and their upcoming show at DASHBOARD CO-OP!

And while you’re takin’ a gander at our little Q&A with Furgiuele, take a peek at Gringo Star’s new “World of Spin” video, reminiscent of “an old Polaroid coming to life”, here, directed, shot and edited by Megan Gamez.

ATLRetro: Your Fall 2014 tour has been a non-stop rockin’ trek across the U.S. What’s it like getting to come home and put on a show for your local fans?

Nick Furgiuele: It’s always great to play in Atlanta, getting to come back to a bunch of familiar faces and friends after being gone awhile.

You have a show nearly every day so far on this tour; what’s a day on the road like for Gringo Star?

Well, there are nights we don’t get to bed until 4:30 am, and then we’re up at 9 am. to start driving to the next spot. So first, we have to find coffee. Seventy-five percent of touring, we’re driving down the highway, so we have a little acoustic guitar and we just have sing-alongs in the van. The radio sucks and our CD player doesn’t work, either, so that helps pass the time on the drives. That and apples. Then we get to the place—load in, sound check, hurry up and wait. Play the set, load out. Repeat.

How did you get involved in Atlanta’s rockin’ indie music scene?

We’re all from Atlanta or the surrounding area.

Gringo Star has been described as being the purveyors of retro-infused rock, stepping in and out of genres, while keeping your fans on their toes anticipating what’s coming next. How would you describe your sound?

#underground

Can you tell folks a little bit about your new 7-inch featuring “Long Time Gone” and “World of Spin?”

This is the first record we’ve recorded that was just Pete and me on all the instruments, vocals and recording. We did it at his home studio in Atlanta earlier this spring. “Long time Gone” is my song and “World of Spin” is Pete’s.

Having experienced releasing albums that were both produced in studio with an engineer [2008’s All Y’all and 2011’s Count Yer Lucky Stars] and home recorded, mixed and produced [2013’s Floating Out to See and your new 7-inch], which would you say fits your band’s persona more and why?

We like doing things both ways. Lately we’ve been more into doing it ourselves. It’s just nice to have more time to experiment with the songs, arrangements and sounds. Sometimes when you’re in a studio with a producer, you feel more pressure to finish things up or hurry because of time constraints. Plus, although it’s great to have some other ears besides ours involved, in a way, it’s also kind of nice that we don’t have any other outside perspectives—it’s as much us as it can be.

You guys draw much of your sound from a wide spectrum of musical acts of the past [Sam Cooke; Ritchie Valens; The Stooges; CCR, to name a few], fusing their genius with your own. If you could pick one musician/band from the past that influenced you the most, who would it be and why?

It’s hard to pick only one. The Kinks are way up there. Buddy Holly was one of the first guys I was really into, but there are so many great bands and singers out there.

Music definitely runs in your family with your grandfather’s involvement in ‘40s and ‘50s radio and his induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Can you tell our readers any interesting tales about what it was like growing up with his stories and how they influenced your own musical upbringing?

That all definitely played a big part in us playing music growing up. Our mom used to always tell us stories about her childhood, being around the early rock & roll scene, hanging out with Sam Cooke, who was granddad’s favorite, working at the record shop and going to shows. Our granddad started off as a radio DJ and then got into promoting shows and opened several record shops in Columbus, Ga. He used to put on shows by Sam Cooke, The Soul Stirrers, James Brown, Otis Redding, Little Stevie Wonder, Jackie Wilson, Martha and the Vandellas and on and on. We always used to look through my grandma’s scrapbook at all the photos she took of the shows, and we’d listen to her retell the stories. I guess one of the go-to stories we used to hear was how our granddad was putting on a show with Aretha Franklin coming through town, and she got completely wasted on whiskey and then fell off the stage that night and broke her arm. My grandma took her to the ER. She said she was swearing at her the whole way. And then she sued my granddad for the medical bill. So, yeah, never been much of an Aretha fan. Can’t stand her voice.

If you could put together a dream lineup of bands to play with [still around or not], who would it be and why?

I would have loved to have played with Ritchie Valens. I love his guitar playing so much.

Anything special planned for your 7” release party at Dashboard Co-Op this Thursday?

We couldn’t be more excited to have this show at the Dashboard Co-Op space over on North Ave. We’ve been friends with them for years and love that we’re getting to do the show somewhere a little different from the normal clubs in town. Plus, Dashboard has a major rad exhibit currently installed over there that folks can check out. We have the WRAS DJs spinning tunes between bands and afterward for the dance party! And our pals Mood Rings are playing with us, too! And it’s ALL AGES!! And if you’re old enough, there’s free beer!!!

What’s next for Gringo Star?

We’re going down to Florida for a final week of shows after the Atlanta release show, and then we’ll be back to start working on the new album, which we hope to finish before the end of the year.

What question do you wish somebody would ask you and what’s the answer?

The question is, “How do I do shots with Gringo Star at one of their upcoming shows?” Answer: Tweet at us. #shotswithgringo

I take Lorazepam by https://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ativan before I go to work. Within 30 minutes I feel more relaxed and calm that helps me to communicate better.

All photos courtesy of Gringo Star and used with permission.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Hey all you Retro kiddies and blood-lusting miscreants! Get out and get spooked this week as Retro Atlanta gets gory, gussied up and ghostly in celebration of the most haunted and eerie time of the year! Retro Atlanta has everything your wicked little black heart could ever desire, from rockin’ tunes to nightmare-inducing flicks to horrifically exciting Halloween parties you won’t want to miss! So, come on out and haunt with the rest of us!

Monday, October 27

Rock out and do the monster mash with Kool Kats, The Casket Creatures during their live performance at Garage71 Internet Radio’s studio during Kool Kat Rev. Andy’s “Psychobilly Freakout”! Arts at Emory presents their “Pinter Staged Reading” series during PinterFest, with a free staged reading of “Moonlight”, directed by Brenda Bynum at the Emory Schwartz Center! For a night of adult horror and chilling madness, haunt on down to Chambers of Horror, running 7 nights a week through all of October! 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!’ Rock out softly at the Mill Town Music Hall in Bremen with Kenny Loggins! Barrelhouse Bob Page gets down and dirty at Blind Willie’s! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! 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, October 28

Classic monsters are unleashed at Diesel Filling Station during Nerd Film Mafia’s screening of Fred Dekker’s, THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) at 10 pm following NerdCore Trivia every last Tuesday of the month! Or spend the night with the “Master of Suspense” at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Alfred Hitchock’s tale of mama’s boys and murder, PSYCHO (1960) during their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! Get murderous at the Midtown Art Cinema with their screening of Louis Malle’s ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS (1958) at 7pm! Get possessed at CineBistro at Town Brookhaven during their ‘Cineclassics 2014’ screening of William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST (1973)! Steelism delivers a night reminiscent of Dick Dale and Booker T & the MGs at Eddie’s Attic with special guest Faye Webster! Stomp down to The Earl for a night with Cute Boots, Factory and 100 Watt Horse! Get rocked heavily at the Gwinnett Center with Judas Priest! Get a taste of old-time country at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Secret Sisters! Let the heads roll at the Center for Puppetry Arts as they present “The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Silly Hollow” spooking through Nov. 9! Bluegrass it up at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Curtis Jones &Primal Roots! It’s a night of retro shenanigans at The Star Bar with Kool Kat Jeff Clark and Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get some rhythm ‘n’ soul at Blind Willie’s with The Hollidays! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern! And rock out with JT Speed at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Wednesday, October 29

Get rocked and horrified with a little 70’s Italian horror-esque rock with Father Murphy, Chamber Cartel and In Sonitus Lux at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery! Experience Dracula’s (a.k.a Timothy Albrecht) “Scary Ride”, a Halloween-themed organ concert at the Emory Schwartz Center at 8pm! Get your rockin’ fill of Bill Kirchen, “Titan of the Telecaster” at Smith’s Olde Bar! The OBN IIIs deliver their vintage ‘70s Detroit rock at The Earl with Dinos Boys and Skin Jobs! It’s a night of ‘60s R&B at the Buckhead Theatre with Lake Street Dive and The Congress! Get baroque (but not broke!) and rock out at the Drunken Unicorn with Motopony and The Family Crest! The Studio Movie Grill (Duluth and Alpharetta locations) will get you in the haunted spirit with their screenings of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978) at 7:30pm! The Northlake Festival Movie Tavern delivers their second screening of Alfred Hitchock’s PSYCHO (1960) during their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! Or catch Hitchock’s masterpiece at AMC Phipps Plaza 14 during their AMC Classics screening at 2pm and 7pm! Get epic with Emory Arts’ during their “Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series with their screening of Jerzy Kawaterowicz’s PHARAOH (1965) at White Hall! Honky-tonk on down to The Star Bar as they get smokin’ during their Slim Chicken Honky-tonk Extravaganza, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins delivers her rockin’ woman blues at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! It’s a night of psychedelic folk blues with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood at Center Stage! Honky-tonk over to Terminal West for a night with Hooray For the Riff Raff! It’s a night of Chicago and West Coast blues at Blind Willie’s with the Electromatics! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, October 30

All Hallows Eve-Eve has arrived folks! “Monsters in Black and White” brings their second chilling installation at Cinevision with Kool Kat Ben Ruder of Enjoy the Film delivering Karl Freund/Tod Browning’s DRACULA (1931) in glorious 35mm at 7:30pm, with a spooky intro by Prof. Morte (Kool Kat Shane Morton) of the Silver Scream Spook Show! Get undead at Vinyl as ATL Collective delivers their presentation of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”! Get ghoulish at The Star Bar’s pre-Halloween party with The Clap, Breathers and the Shepherds! Don’t forget that Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse‘s (AZA) zombie outbreak will have you running for your lives this spook-filled season! Catch rock icon and cult favorite, Paul Collins (The Beat) with Zoners and the Moreland Wrecks at 529! Rock out vintage-style at the Dashboard Co-Op as WRAS Album 88.5 presents Gringo Star (see our Kool Kat interview soon!) and their 7” release party with the MoodRings! Tonight is opening night for Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s presentation of the 19^th century tale of a freak show attraction’s longing to be a normal man in “The Elephant Man” running through Nov. 16! Get spooky at the Westview Cemetery with their “Party with the Past” event, celebrating its 130th anniversary at 5:30pm! It’s the devil’s night out at Mary’s with their Goth Night party delivering all the rockin’ goth, new-wave and industrial your naughty little hearts could desire, at 9pm! It’s a night of psychedelic cosmic and scuzz-filled glam stomp at Terminal West with Temples and Spires! Rock out at Smith’s Olde Bar with the Grateful Dead tribute band, the Scarlet Begonias! It’s Bluegrass Thursday at the Red Light Café, so stomp on down for a night with The Matchsellers and Georgia Railroad! Get ‘90s indie and rock out with Mike Doughty at Eddie’s Attic for 2 shows! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint delivers some New Orleans funk and R&B with The Mar-Tans! Get the blues with Blind Cadillac at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! 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 & Delifor 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 House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows get down and dirty at Blind Willie’s!

Friday, October 31

IT IS FINALLY HERE! Get mischievous all you miscreants, spooks and ghouls! Pull out your ghastly costumes and get spooky and see what gory galas Retro Atlanta has in store for you! Do the “Time Warp” at The Plaza Theater during their Rocky Horror Halloween Costume Party, with a live cast featuring Lips Down on Dixie, a complimentary Rocky gift bag and screenings of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) at 9pm and midnight! Or monster mash over to The Basement for Electric Western’s Keep on Movin’ Rock Monster Mash Halloween Dance Party, featuring costume contests, games and more! The Goat Farm Arts Center is hosting their Halloween 2014 event with a helluva lot of spectacle, art, performances by Kool Kat Mike Geier as Puddles Pity Party, Ninja Puppet Productions, biting bites from Pallookaville and more! Or help Pallookaville celebrate their first year anniversary in classic monster style at their 1st Anniversary Ice Scream Ball & Halloweiner, featuring costume contests, drink specials, live music and tricks ’n’ treats, until midnight! It’s Fright Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX, so boogie on down with the bone-rattlin’ tunes of Bogey & the Viceroys, have a couple devilish drinks and wake the dead under the dinosaurs! Get ‘80s monster retro at Sports Time Bar & Grill with Denim Arcade (with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch) and Radio Cult! Rock down to The Star Bar for their 24th Anniversary Party & Halloween Bash featuring The Biters (special KISS show), Dinos Boys and the Night Terrors (Motley Crue set)! Mary’s puts on a spooky disco with their 10th Annual Halloweenie Spooky Monster Mash that’ll have you boogyin’ to some killer rock ‘n’ roll! Get revved and “rock-o-weened” at the Porterdale Bar & Grill with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles! Monstrous vampires invade Paris on Ponce at their Le Grande Halloween Party, featuring two screenings of F.W. Murnau’s spook-fest and blood-curdling, NOSFERATU (1922), accompanied by Felipe Barral at 10:30pm and 1:00am! Rock down to the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club for their Annual Halloween Bash featuring DJ Evil Jet! Yacht Rock Schooner celebrates Samhain in style at The Strand Theatre! It’s your second chance to catch ATL Collective delivering Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with The Shadowboxers at Vinyl! Swami Gone Bananas and Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fire up the blues during Northside Tavern’s Go-Go Party and Halloween Spectacular featuring the Atlanta Horns! Rock on over to the dark side asKool Kat VJ Anthony delivers his Halloween Goth & Industrial Blackout Party at the Famous Pub! Blues on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for their Halloween party featuring the Katie Martin Blues band! Celebrate Halloween with a twang at the Red Light Café at their Halloween Americana Bash featuring Dear Mr. Peasant, Sans Abri and Rye Baby! What better way to get monstrous that to run for you lives at Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse’s (AZA), kicking zombie tail until November 2! It’s “Hawgtoberfest” at Hottie Hawgs BBQ with The Dirty Doors! Or ride the “Highway to Helloween” all the way to Wild Bills with the rockin’ AC/DC tribute band, Back N Black and a rockin’ ZZ Top tribute with Tres Diablos! The Music Room will be a rockin’ maniacal riot at their Boom in the Toom and Blood Drunk Records Evil Dead Party featuring Hot Patootie, a rockin’ Rocky Horror cover band, Swank Sinatra, Kool Kats, The Joy Kills and more! Bring the kiddies out to the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center for their Halloween on Callanwolde Mountain event from 6-9pm, featuring Matthew Kaminski (Braves’ organist) and the Callanwolde Concert Band delivering selections from “Phantom of the Opera”, “Night on Bald Mountain” and more!

Get your magical fantasy fix at CONjurgation, a three-day convention featuring the Artifice Club, trick-or-treating, a marketplace/bazaar and panels bringing the fantastical to life, at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center! The Plaza Theater shocks with their screenings of Ruggero Deodato’s CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1979), Ken Wiederhorn’s SHOCK WAVES (1977) and William Lustig’s MANIAC COP 2 (1990), all screening through Nov. 6! Or creep down to AMC Phipps Plaza 14 for their screening of Henry Selick’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) at 4pm and 8pm! Get witchy at Atlantic Station for their screening of Kenny Ortega’s HOCUS POCUS (1993) during their “Spooky Movie Fest” at 7:30pm! It’s a night of rockin’ tributes at The Earl with the Ted Kennedys (Dead Kennedys tribute), 30 Year Old Woman From Mars (all-female Misfits tribute), Nameless Nameless (Nirvana tribute) and Unknown Pleasure (Joy Division tribute)! Punk out at the Drunken Unicorn with Single Mothers, Sex BBQ and Sheeba Darwin! Get psychedelic at Smith’s Olde Bar with the Jerry Garcia Cover Band! It’s a night of gritty, sweat-drippin’, hip swingin’ blues at 529 with Curtis Harding and Black Linen! Rock out ‘60s and ‘70s-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with The Rainmen! Blues on down to Blind Willie’s for Francine Reed & the Shadows! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins gets down and dirty at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Rock out with Robyn Hitchcock (Soft Boys) at Eddie’s Attic! And The Band of Desperate Men deliver a night of Americana at Big Tex!

Saturday, November 1

Monster madness is taking over the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse with their Monster Bash Halloween Party! Rock out with costume contests, Horror movies, zombies and more! It’s a monster movie matinee with Kool Kat Ben Ruder of Enjoy the Film at Cinevision, at his third installation of his “Monsters in Black and White” series, with his screening of Jack Arnold’s THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), in 3-D at 3pm! It’s day 2 of CONjurgation, so get witchy at their Samhain Ball with DJ Doctor Q at 9pm, and don’t forget to catch all the other magical goodness! Kool Kat Blair Crimmins & the Hookers are puttin’ on a Day of the Dead hootenanny and Halloween party at Terminal West, so come on out for a whole lotta prohibition-era pandemonium with Indianapolis Jones! Rock on down to the House of Rock ATL for their Change Fest 2014, a free music festival, featuring a reunion of The Swimming Pool Qs, The Glenn Phillips Band with The B-52’s, Cindy Wilson, the Possum Kingdom Ramblers, Bill Sheffield and more! The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are honky-tonkin’ it up at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Music Room, while the Atlanta Room is chock full of folk troubadours, with Michael C. Smith, Marcus Wilbur and Mitch Haney! If you missed the Time-Warp shenanigans at The Plaza Theater on Halloween, here’s your chance to catch Tim Curry in all his alien transsexual glory, during their encore presentation off THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) at midnight with a live cast by Lips Down on Dixie! Rock down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a night with Tony Levitas! Sandra Hall & the Shadows get down and dirty at Blind Willie’s! Rock on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with the Rebel City Rockers! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola! Punk down to The Star Bar for their “I Love Saturdays” early show with wWAYLon, Alchemy, Owner of the Sun and Uncle Van & the Buzzards of Fuzz! It’s your second chance to catch Robyn Hitchcock (Soft Boys) at Eddie’s Attic! Get your garage folk fix at the Crimson Moon Café with Randall Bramblett and Eliot Bronson! And stomp on down to Cabbagetown for their Chomp & Stomp Bluegrass Festival, from 11-6pm! 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 2

It’s day 3 and your last chance to get spell-bound at CONjurgation! Or creep down to AMC Phipps Plaza 14 for a matinee screening of Henry Selick’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) 2pm! Folk down to the Red Clay Theatre for a night with The Stray Birds with special guest, Jordie Lane! The Mountain String Band brunches out at Big Tex during their Bluegrass Brunch! And rock on down to the Crimson Moon Café for their Boomers Gone Wild event, delivering a night of ‘60s and ‘70s covers!

Ongoing

Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling presentation of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, through Nov. 1! (LAST CHANCE!)

Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse will have you running for your life through Nov. 2! (LAST CHANCE!)

Chambers of Horror terrifies with their adults-only gore-fest and blood-splattering, 7 nights a week, through Nov. 2! (LAST CHANCE!)

New London Theatre (Snellville) presents “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” through Nov. 2! (LAST CHANCE!)

The Newnan Theatre Company Time-Warps it up with their presentation of “Rocky Horror Show” through Nov. 2! (LAST CHANCE!)

Netherworld haunts with two terrifying haunted houses, “Season of the Witch” and “SPLICED” every weekend through Nov. 8!

Center for Puppetry Arts presents “The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Silly Hollow” spooking through Nov. 9!

Georgia Ensemble Theatre presents “The Elephant Man” through Nov. 16!

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every first Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month.

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

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

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

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

By Anya Martin, Editor/Publisher Melanie Crew, Managing Editor
Rachel Stark, Guest Reviewer

The horror! The horror! Thanks to some dedicated monster-lovers, Atlanta has become the year-round capital city of Scary. This October our local terrifying talent again has outdone themselves in creepy creativity. Here are our reviews of our top three picks for Atlanta’s hottest haunted attractions. One general tip for all: wear comfortable closed toe shoes and clothes that you don’t mind getting moist. The monsters may tell you they are spurting you with blood or other bodily fluids, but it’s just water. Well, we think it is.

Enjoy the Film presents Monsters in Black and White; Cinevision Screening Room (visit the event page for address and directions); All tickets $10 (Atlanta Film Festival members save 20%).

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951); Dir. Robert Wise; Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe; Thursday, Oct 23 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tickets here; Trailer here.

DRACULA (1931); Dir. TodBrowning; Starring Bela Lugosi, HelenChandler and David Manners; Thursday, Oct 30 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tickets here; Trailer here.

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (in 3-D) (1954); Dir. JackArnold; Starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams and Richard Denning; Saturday, Nov 1 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tickets here; Trailer here.

by Aleck Bennett,
Contributing Writer

Halloween has once again swept in, carrying along with it a nostalgia that evokes childhood memories of ghost stories, trick-or-treating, dressing like monsters or simply watching them on the screen. It’s the perfect time for projectionist extraordinaire Ben Ruder to team up with the Cinevision Screening Room to bring us Monsters in Black and White: a series of films celebrating not only the monsters of old, but the formats that brought them to us. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and DRACULA will be presented in gorgeous 35mm, and CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON will screen in a restored Dolby Digital 3-D projection. All three will, of course, unspool on the screen in glorious black and white! Each screening will be introduced by a very special guest (check the Enjoy the Film website for up-to-date listings), but the night before Halloween will see Kool Kat Shane Morton, also known as, Ghost Host with the Most—Professor Morté of the Silver Scream Spookshow—materialize with a bevy of bloodsuckers to deliver Bela Lugosi in DRACULA!

Ben Ruder has been a constant fixture of Atlanta film screenings for close to a decade now. A former projectionist and manager at the Plaza Theatre, he now runs free 35mm screenings for Emory University’s Cinematheque (which sources its pristine prints from the UCLA Film & Television Archive) and hosts special film events at the Cinevision Screening Room through RuderMedia and Enjoy the Film. I recently asked him about this month’s film series, the importance of presentation, and the futures of both film and digital as media.

ATLRetro:Celebrating the 35mm format is certainly bucking the trend in Atlanta, with so many venues converting to digital projection. But at the same time, it’s a huge topic of conversation in the nationwide film community, especially this month with Quentin Tarantino‘s recent takeover of management of the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. What fuels your passion for the format, and your efforts to keep it alive?

Ben Ruder: I really enjoyed showing movies and running theaters in the mid ‘90s in St. Louis. When I returned to the world of movies in the mid-2000s, running film and then managing the Plaza Theatre for Jonny & Gayle Rej, the bug really stuck and I have been involved in it ever since. Both analog and digital formats have their place and it’s really the quality of the product and presentation that’s important. The film prints that were exhibited should still be seen if they can be done well, but for many reasons they no longer exist or the quality is bad. New prints happen on occasion, but are very expensive and rarely see much of a run. Movies can be accessed in countless forms these days, but they are really intended to be seen on a large screen with an audience.

On a related note, what are your thoughts on the push for digital archiving? There are currently a lot of back-and-forth talks between Kodak, Fujifilm and the major studios about keeping archival film in use, with the studios pushing for digital.

It’s extremely complicated, of course, and it comes down to business decisions as funds are limited. The US has produced so much great film art and puts so little behind the preservation of it in comparison to countries like France, Germany, Norway just to name a few. Here, a lot of the work is up to private organizations and institutes such as the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

What went into choosing which films you were going to showcase at these screenings? Were they personal choices, or technical ones?

These films were chosen because of the Halloween season, of course, but also because they have all screened in that room before and we know how amazing they look and sound. The presentations will be in a room designed for technical performance, and unfortunately mass audiences don’t get the showmanship or quality that they deserve in many venues. I want to show how much the presentation factors in to seeing a movie. The multiplexes are no longer filled with scratched & dirty film prints, but still can suffer from dim bulbs and misaligned 3-D equipment. The Dolby Digital 3D that will be shown is not seen in very many venues, but will really show off how well 3D can look when done right.

What do you think the future holds for film in the motion picture world? Do you see a developing backlash against digital or will film be largely relegated to repertory screenings and the like? Or do we face a future where digital becomes the accepted new format?

Digital is the accepted new format. I wouldn’t want to see a new action blockbuster on film that was shot and processed with digital in mind. Special films like the upcoming INTERSTELLAR 35mm & 70mm shows may lead the way for unique events. We just need to make sure that passionate and educated staff are taking care of the presentations and equipment.

Are there any other screenings or projects in the works for RuderMedia and Enjoy the Film? Any future stuff we oughta know about?

I am working with the team at Cinevision on a four-feature series for January and we are seeking out groups that want to see all kind of genres on the big screen. Whether it’s horror, foreign, film noir, action or just titles that don’t get an Atlanta date. We want to show people movies in the best possible way and make each show special. During the winter months, I’ll be focusing efforts on producing a documentary series about the passionate exhibitors & preservationists that I love talking to and heading to Germany to interview some film veterans there. I can also be seen this fall up in the booth projecting 35mm at the free Emory University screenings.

So there you have it. Come out to the Cinevision Screening Room to catch three retro creature features the way they should be seen: on the screen, with an audience and with experts handling the projection for the best possible viewing experience. For a film geek like me, it’s a means of presentation that has yet to be bettered.

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

All photos courtesy of Ben Ruder and used with permission.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Retro Atlanta massacres this spooky season with all the haunting and bone-chilling madness your little black hearts desire! We’ve got horror and slasher flicks! We’ve got sinister seduction and the unruly undead! We’ve got ghosts and goblins and monsters, oh my! Become one with the creatures of the night this week and rock out with a helluva lot of spooktacular shenanigans!

Monday, October 20

Get terrified and undead at The Plaza Theater, with their screenings of George A. Romero’s cult classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and Victor Halperin/Edward Halperin’s vintage horror classic, WHITE ZOMBIE (1932), both running through Oct. 23! For a night of adult horror and chilling madness, haunt on down to Chambers of Horror, running 7 nights a week through all of October! Get your fill of “Hank Williams on speed” at the Variety Playhouse with The Jayhawks! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 17-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Get jazzy at Blind Willie’s with Jacob Deaton! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! 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, October 21

Get your boo-filled burly-Q fix with Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South as they spice up your naughty black hearts at the Red Light Café during their Tease Tuesday: Boolesque Spooktacular event, with performances by Candi LeCouer, Ada Manzart, Bubble Bordeaux, Oracle, Tora Torrid, Nikki Nuke’m and more! The “Master of Suspense” gets bone-chilling at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their presentation of Alfred Hitchcock’s tale of murder and peeping toms in REAR WINDOW (1954) during their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! It’s a dystopian world at Midtown Art Cinema during their screening of Peter Brook’s LORD OF THE FLIES (1963) at 7pm! CineBistro at Town Brookhaven delivers a night of horror and suspense during their ‘Cineclassics 2014’ screening of Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING (1980)! Rock on down to 529 for a night with GHB, Cottaging and Wymyn’s Prysyn! It’s a Bluegrass Band Showcase at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs, so stomp on down for a night with the Atlanta Bluegrass AllStars, D.B.A. and the Possum Kingdom Ramblers! It’s a night of retro shenanigans at The Star Bar with Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets the blues with the Bob Page Trio! Get the blues at Blind Willie’s with Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern! And rock out with JT Speed at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Wednesday, October 22

It’s a night of haunting Broadway at the Fox Theatre with Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera”, chilling through Nov. 2! Stomp down to the Red Light Café for a night with Caleb Warren (Caleb Warren & the Perfect Gentlemen) and Miguel Olasuaga (Blood on the Harp)! It’s your last chance to catch the “Master of Suspense” at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their presentation of Alfred Hitchcock’s tale of murder and peeping toms in REAR WINDOW (1954) during their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! Make your way to Emory Arts’ for their “Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series with their screening of Tadeusz Konwicki’s JUMP (1965) at White Hall! Honky-tonk on down to The Star Bar as they get smokin’ during their Slim Chicken Honky-tonk Extravaganza,featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Get ghoulish at the Highland Inn Ballroom as SCENE MISSING presents their “There is no Atlanta, Only Zuul” event at 9pm, featuring comedy, skits and writing about ghostly films! Blues down to Blind Willie’s for a night with Timo Arthur! Get jazzy with Jacob Deaton at the Elliott Street Pub! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Spend the night with Matt Damon and Robin Williams at AMC Phipps Plaza 14 during their AMC Classics screening of Gus Van Sant’s GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997) at 2pm and 7pm! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, October 23

“Monsters in Black and White” invades Cinevision with Ben Ruder (see our Kool Kat feature soon!) of Enjoy the Film delivering Robert Wise’s THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) in glorious 35mm at 7:30pm! Or do the Time Warp at the Newnan Theatre Company during their presentation of “Rocky Horror Show” dishing out their “sweet transvestite from Transylvania” through Nov. 2! Get jazzy at the Suite Food Lounge as Jazz Beat Promotions presents their “Tribute to Joe Sample”! Get your circus funk fix at Terminal West with the MarchFourth Marching Band! It’s Bluegrass Thursday at the Red Light Café, so stomp on down for a night with Adam Klein and Reverend Hylton & the Devil’s Hands! The Earl delivers a night of garage rock and The Kinks/The Band-inspired tunes with Brass Bed, Lucis Flux and Cullen Curtis (Think Never)! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins gets down and dirty at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! 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, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, October 24

Get monstrous tonight as a helluva lot of haunted hootenannies invade Retro Atlanta! Get horrified, vintage-style at The Defoor Centre as Monsterama presents their free “Super 8 Monster Movie Madness” event from 6-11pm, featuring old-school creature-features screened in 8mm, by “Big in Japan” author, Timothy Price, venders, guests and more!The Plaza Theater gets maniacal and gory during their presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING (1980), Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER (1987), Robin Hardy’s THE WICKERMAN (1973) and William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST (1973), all bone-chilling through Oct. 30!Get gore-ified at Sweetwater Bar & Grill at their rockin’ Halloween party featuring Kool Kats, The Casket Creatures, Cadillac Junkies, Fully Loaded and Crypt 24!Or get macabre and swing on down to the Red Light Café for a Samhain Soiree with Atlanta Speakeasy Electroswing! Slash on down to Mary’s for their “Slumber Party Massacre” event, promising a night of creature-features, monster make-up and a slayin’ good time! Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse’s (AZA) zombie outbreak kicks the weekend off right, running every weekend until November 2^nd, giving you ample opportunity to kick some zombie tail! Get gothic at the Masquerade during their Ascension: Halloween in Hell Industrial Goth Night! Haunt on down to the Mammal Gallery for their Steampunk Monster Ball, featuring tunes by Candy Apple Black, the Quantum String Orchestra and more! Spend a night in terror at The Strand Theatre as they get spooky with their presentation of Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS (1963) at 8pm! Or creep on down to Atlantic Station for their presentation of Tim Burton’s ‘80s Halloween classic, BEETLEJUICE (1988) during their “Spooky Movie Fest” at 7:30pm! Spook on down to Grant Park and get cozy with the goblins as the Krewe of Grateful Gluttons puts on their Halloween Lantern Parade led by the high energy Black Sheep Marching Ensemble, gettin’ brassy and eerie in the dark at 6:30 pm!

Get Lynch-filled and disturbed with art and film celebrating Mr. Lynch at Mindzai Creative for opening night of “The Big Dream: A Celebration of Works Inspired by David Lynch” with twenty world-wide artists! Smithsonian delivers their rockin’ Smiths tribute at 529! Emory Arts presents Aleksandr Ford’s BLACK CROSS (1960) during their “Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series screening at 7:30 in White Hall! Junior Brown and The Roosevelts invade the Variety Playhouse with their old-time Americana and Texas country! Get your Russian folk fix at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with 9 String Theory! Rev on down to Motorheads in McDonough for a rockin’ night of rockabilly with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles! Get funky at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Main Squeeze, Dapper Slap and The Magic Beans! Get your Roxie Watson fix at the Red Clay Theatre! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for Blues Rendezvous! Houserocker Johnson & the Shadows get bluesy at Blind Willie’s! The Kelly Richey Band delivers some rockin’ 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! Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents his The Eighties: Hatful of Halloween music video and dance party at Famous Pub! 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, October 25

Spook on down to DooGallery for their Haunted Art Show, featuring art by Kool Kat Shane Morton, Jeff Riggan (see our Shop Around feature of Jeff here), live music by the rockin’, Howling Star and so much more! The Strand Theatre gets bone-chilling with their screening of Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING (1980) at 8pm! Sinister spirits invade Aurora Cineplex during their screening of Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at 7:30! The Plaza Theater offers up a few ‘80s flicks with James Cameron’s THE TERMINATOR (1984) at 7pm and Albert Magnoli’s PURPLE RAIN (1984) at 9:30!Shimmy over to the Elliott Street Pub for Kool Kat Kitty Love’s Cheeky Belles Burlesque: Dress-Up Party at 8pm! Get your ‘80s alt-rock fix at The Star Bar with Blasting Cap! (featuring members of The Woggles and Guadalcanal Diary) and the Tim Lee 3 (The Windbreakers)! Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas deliver a night of rockabilly, surf and cabaret gypsy jazz at the Red Light Café! Spend an evening with the Paul Thorn Band at the Variety Playhouse! Or blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with Ron Cooley & the Hard Times! Big Bill Morganfield gets down and dirty at Blind Willie’s while Albert White gets the blues at the Northside Tavern! Rock down to The Earl for a night with Tedo Stone, Grand Vapids and Keath Mead! Or whet your appetite for some mid-90s indie funk and glam with of Montreal and Pillar Point at Terminal West! Eliot Bronson delivers his garage, polka folk rock with a CD release party at Eddie’s Attic, with special guest Jonathan Byrd! 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! For something a bit more gore-filled and sinister, run for your life to Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse and see if you can survive the end of the world, running through Nov. 2! 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, October 26

Blues on down to the Buckhead Theatre for an intimate evening with Justin Hayward, vocals for the Moody Blues! Spook down to The Strand Theatre during their screening of Paul Leni’s silent horror classic, THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) backed by organist and Kool Kat Ron Carter! Rock out at The Earl with Secret Chiefs 3 and Atomic Ape! Viva la French comedies of Max Linder at SCADShow with screenings of Linder’s BE MY WIFE (1921), THE THREE MUST-GET-THERES (1922) and SEVEN YEARS BAD LUCK (1921) at 2pm! Or get your murderous mama’s boy fix at AMC Phipps Plaza 14 with their screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO (1960) at 2pm! Darrell Scott bluegrasses it up at Eddie’s Attic! Get folksy at the Red Light Café with The Ragbirds! Beausoleil Avec Michael Doucet delivers 37 years of Cajun tunes at the Variety Playhouse! Banjolicious brunches out at Big Tex during their Bluegrass Brunch! And it’s your last chance this week to get horrified and grotesque while fighting for your life with the undead at Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse!

Ongoing

Historic Oakland Cemetery’s Capturing the Spirit of Oakland 2014 Ghost Tours, haunt through Oct. 25! (LAST CHANCE!)

Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Center for Puppetry Arts for their presentation of “The Wizard of Oz” through Oct. 26! (LAST CHANCE!)

Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling presentation of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, through Nov. 1!

Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse will have you running for your life every weekend through Nov. 2!

Chambers of Horror terrifies with their adults-only gore-fest and blood-splattering, 7 nights a week, through Nov. 2!

New London Theatre (Snellville) presents “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” through Nov. 2!

The Newnan Theatre Company Time-Warps it up with their presentation of “Rocky Horror Show” through Nov. 2!

Netherworld haunts with two terrifying haunted houses, “Season of the Witch” and “SPLICED” every weekend through Nov. 8!

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every first Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month.

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

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

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

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

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951); Dir. Robert Wise; Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe; Thursday, Oct 23 @ 7:30 p.m.; Cinevision Screening Room (visit the event page for address and directions); All tickets $10 (Atlanta Film Festival members save 20%); Tickets here; Trailer here.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

Let’s kick off the Halloween season in retro style, and take a trip to 1951 and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Ben Ruder’s Enjoy the Film has partnered with the Cinevision Screening Room for a series titled Monsters in Black and White, delivering three classic features screened in optimal presentations. Special guests introduce each picture, and the series promises to give an intimate “film club” type experience that is sure to make viewers wish that every film they see could be shown with as much care.

In the years immediately following the media coverage of 1947’s mysterious crash in Roswell, New Mexico, the “flying saucer” became a symbol of mankind’s fears and hopes for the future. After seeing both the possibilities and dangers of science entering the atomic age at the close of World War II, and with nations looking toward the skies as they ushered in a new era in rocket technology, we gazed into the unknowable distances of space and wondered what an advanced technology might usher onto our tiny planet. Sure, there had long been stories of alien visitors landing on our world, ranging from H.G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS to Siegel and Shuster’s SUPERMAN comics. But the speculation around the events in Roswell brought the topic of extraterrestrial invaders directly into pop culture’s field of vision. And while so many of these tales dealt with hostile attacks from Little Green Men, one stands out as a plea for peace from the heavens: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

The film sees alien Klaatu (Michael Rennie) and his robot sentry Gort arrive on Earth to warn us against using our growing technological capabilities as a vehicle for greater violence, yet in a familiar turn, the benevolent visitor faces nothing but violence, resistance and persecution from the time of his arrival. The Klaatu-as-Christ metaphor (Klaatu—who also dies, is resurrected, and then ascends into heaven—even takes on the pseudonym of “Major Carpenter”) somehow escaped director Robert Wise’s view, but screenwriter Edmund North was clever enough to make the metaphor merely an emphasis of the movie’s universal themes. After all, the worries expressed in the movie knew no religious boundaries. We had just put the horrors of World War II to bed when the Cold War began, with tensions escalating between East and West. America had involved itself in the Korean War. Meanwhile, the US and USSR had started working seriously on competing space programs, and both sides had concerns that these programs would be of primary use as respective platforms of attack. All of these elements came together and formed the subtext of this film. And while the roots of the film’s themes are set deeply in the 1950s, the larger message of the movie—a call for understanding and cooperation between competing nations and ideologies—is something that never loses its poignancy.

…All of which makes the film seem far preachier than it actually is, when you get down to it. The movie itself is more than simply its message; it is also a compelling drama with nuanced performances from Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal. It is also thrilling, quickly paced, gorgeously photographed and full of groundbreaking special effects (few “flying saucers” of the era look as impressive as Klaatu’s, and Gort’s streamlined design is timeless in its elegance). Not to be overlooked is Bernard Herrmann’s classic score: a masterpiece of eclectic orchestration utilizing two theremins and a variety of electric instruments. It, along with the scores to 1950’s ROCKETSHIP X-M and ‘51’s THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, would forever link the theremin with the eerie sounds of science fiction.

A movie this impressive should be seen in the best conditions. And a well-preserved 35mm print with stunning sound, viewed with an eager audience, is the best way to experience THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Lucky for you, then, that Ben Ruder, Enjoy the Film and Cinevision are giving you the chance to see it under precisely those conditions. Don’t miss out on catching this, one of the most impressive of all the classic 1950s sci-fi yarns in its natural habitat.

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

Monster masks were truly an art in the golden age of Universal horror before CGI. That creepy craft has been resurrected by some astounding Atlanta area artists including Shane Morton and Marietta-based SFX Make-Up Artist Kyle Yaklin. Kyle really turned heads with not only his Creature From The Black Lagoon masks but also entire suits at Monsterama and Dragoncon this year, even taking the Creature for a swim. And he crafts custom masks and suits for sale at remarkably reasonable prices.

Find Kyle’s Creature creations and other artwork at the acclaimed seasonal experiential attraction Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse. Just in time for Halloween, ATLRetro hunted him down to find out more about what drew him to Creature-craft, see if he’d share a few of his scary secrets and get the scoop on what’s happening this year at AZA. Read our ATLRetro review of AZA and Atlanta’s other top haunts here.

ATLRetro: When did you first see THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and why did the creature appeal to you?

Kyle Yaklin: Well, I first saw it when I was around three years old! My grandmother got me a copy of the VHS, and I was just fascinated with it! The suit in particular was just amazing to me, it didn’t look like the rest of the B-movie monsters from the time. It looked intelligent, frightening and most importantly like something that could actually exist. I think that’s what made the creature so popular.

How did you get into mask-making, how old were you and what was your first mask?

I was a freshman in college when I made my first mask, and of course, the first thing I sculpted was the Creature! It took me around three months to sculpt inbetween classes, and the result was fairly good for a first attempt! 

You use the original mold from the Creature, don’t you? How did you get a hold of that?

Actually no, I do have castings from the original molds from the first two films, but I sculpted every bit of my suit by hand, including the mask. Last May I decided to go back and re-sculpt the Creature mask that I had made three years earlier. I used my casting of the original land head as reference when I sculpted the new version so that I could get my sculpt as close to the original as possible!

And you’ve made entire suits and even swam in them. Can you tell us a bit about that?

I have recently completed the entire Creature suit! And again, the origins of the project go back to my freshman year when I sculpted my first Creature mask. The main goal of that mask was to eventually make a whole suit, so I did a ton of research on how the original suit was created, and planned out how my suit was going to be made. At the time though I realized I neither had the time, money or skill to achieve something I’d be happy with. After I sculpted my second version I was much happier with the results, so I started sculpting out the rest of the suit in small sections just like the original was done. It spread the project out over time and made it seem not so daunting of a project. After six months of working on the various pieces I had finally completed everything! Now I just needed to glue all the pieces down to a skin suit and paint it! 

Here’s the first fully finished suit hanging in my shop which you can see was a huge mess at the time..

Here’s the suit at its premier at Dragoncon!

And here are a few photos from the Marriott swimming pool!Taking the suit swimming was just amazing, I got to live out one of my childhood dreams that day and I can’t wait to take it swimming again! I’m hoping to be able to make the trip down to Wakula Springs in Florida where the original film was shot, and get some photos and videos swimming in the actual Black Lagoon! The suit is actually more comfortable in the water than it is on land, and the hands and feet really do work as flippers so the original design really was a very functional suit.

What’s the most challenging aspect to crafting a mask? 

The most challenging part of making the masks are, of course, sculpting it and making a mold, but after that is taken care of, I guess the most challenging part would be slushing the latex around an 80-pound ultracal mold. 

And the most fun part?

The most fun part is always painting the masks, I use a combination of airbrushing, painting with an actual brush and applying washes. And each mask is personally painted by me, so each one is a little different and one of a kind!

What other masks and other work are you making now?

I do make a variety of other masks including zombie masks, a Karloff Frankenstein monster, my own version of the shock monster, Jason Voorhees, and more! 

I understand you’ll be down at the Atlanta Zombie Apocalpyse. What are you doing at AZA?

I’ve been working at the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse for three years now as one of the main makeup FX artists and actually got the job based on my first creature mask!

We’ve heard AZA is even more rockin’ and scary than ever. Without giving away any big spoilers, what are a few of your favorite things about this year’s experience?

This year is the final year for the Zombie Apocalypse, but were definitely going out with a bang! This year’s story is one of the best yet, and it’s the longest show ever! In past years we’ve split it into two separate shows, but this year it’s one massive zombie experience!

How can folks reach you if they want to purchase a mask?

If you’d like to get in touch with me my email is supergzilla@gmail.com, or you can send me a message on my Facebook page Kyle Yaklin FX! You can also see tons of progress photos of the creature suit and updates on new projects at my Facebook page as well. Thank you all for your time!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/
Contributing Writer

L-R Grant Prettyman, Mac Kramer, Jon Poor, Will Stewart. Photo Credit: Abbey Grace Henley

Willie and the Giant, vintage rock ‘n’ roll slingers will be takin’ Atlanta by storm at Smith’s Olde Bar this Saturday, Oct. 18 on their tour through the South! Their newly pressed 7-inch vinyl, debuting two singles reeking of nostalgia, “Ain’t Gonna Wait” and “Poor Boy,” both cut and recorded live at the ever comfy and throwback studio, Welcome to 1979, will be up for grabs! So, rock out, get a whole lotta rhythm, shake a tail feather and don’t forget to snag up a 7-inch or two! Acoustic folk and blues duo, Alex & Todd are along for the rhythmic ride, so come on down for a rockin’ retro ruckus this Saturday night at Smith’s Olde Bar!

Willie and the Giant, musical sons of Nashville and Birmingham, is made up of Will Stewart (vocals/guitar), Jon “The Giant” Poor (vocals/guitar), Grant Prettyman (bass) and Mac Kramer (drums). Not only has the group released two new singles, but a self-titled album is on the horizon for 2015, with their brand new label, Cumberland Brothers Music, run by Nick Worley, the band’s producer and engineer.The new album will be filled to the brim with an explosion of sounds with nods to American roots rock, ‘70s funk and more! Willie and the Giant, bathing in the blood, sweat and tears of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, are groovin’ to the top and have no plans to slow the momentum any time soon!

ATLRetro caught up with Stewart, for a quick interview about Willie and the Giant’s headfirst dive into rock ‘n’ roll, their new singles and record deal with Cumberland Brothers Music and their aversion to music labels and genres.

And while you’re takin’ a gander at our little Q&A with Stewart, take a listen to Willie and the Giant’s “Ain’t Gonna Wait”/”Poor Boy” single, here.

ATLRetro: Can you tell folks how you found the “Giant” and the rest of your band-mates and what brought you guys together?

Will Stewart: I moved from Birmingham to Nashville in November 2012. By coincidence, Jon Poor (“Giant”) and Mac Kramer (drums) moved from Birmingham to Nashville at the exact same time (We didn’t know each other while living in Birmingham.) They moved into a house with my then-bandmate Nick (also a Birmingham transplant), and that’s how we eventually met. The rest, as they say, is history.

There’s got to be a story behind the band’s name. Can you fill our readers in?

Photo Credit: Jack Smith

My height is pretty average and Jon is 6’5″ on a good day. There’s a video of us playing a show a few years back in which the camera exaggerates his height and has the opposite effect for my height. We thought it was hilarious and jokingly said, “Willie and the Giant!” When we formed the band, that name immediately came to mind as the obvious choice for the band name. We also think the “Giant” is a nice metaphor for our monster rhythm section – it could go a few different ways I suppose.

Can you tell folks a little about your debut singles, “Ain’t Gonna Wait” and “Poor Boy,” released this past September?

These two tunes just go really well together. I wrote these when I first moved to Nashville in late 2012, before the formation of WATG but thought they would fit into the set we were building in the early months of the band. I was listening to a lot of songs from the early/mid-sixties Chess Records and Atlantic Records R&B catalogs and almost every song seemed to be about breaking-up or falling in/out of love. So these tunes were sort of born out of that period of listening – it’s a tip of the hat musically and lyrically to that era.   

L-R Mac Kramer, Will Stewart, Jon Poor, Grant Prettyman. Photo Credit: Sarah Sellari

Any special tricks on snagging the jazzy award-winning, The Chad Fisher Group, known for backing Greg Allman, and legendary groups, like The Temptations, The O’Jays and the Four Tops, for your debut singles?

Well, being from Birmingham, we had nothing but respect and admiration for Chad Fisher – he’s an institution in Birmingham and when we decided to use horns on these two tracks we knew immediately that we wanted Chad Fisher Horns to play and arrange the parts. 

How exciting to not only get offered a rockin’ record deal, but to be the first group to sign with the new label, Cumberland Brothers Music. Can you tell folks a little about how you were discovered?

It’s incredibly exciting and we’re all very grateful to be part of the Cumberland Brothers family. Nick Worley and I met in late 2012. We shared very similar tastes in music, so I approached him about recording some demos in early 2013. After that we continued working on other projects and some months passed. Later, I got a call one day from Nick saying that he was starting a label and wanted me to be a part of it. As a musician, it’s one of those things you always fantasize about, so when it actually happened I was just thrilled and very grateful for the opportunity.

L-R Mac Kramer, Will Stewart, Grant Prettyman, Jon Poor. Photo Credit: Abbey Grace Henley

How would you, as a musician, describe your band’s sound? Willie and the Giant has been described as being like, “M. Ward fronting a Memphis soul revue,” groove rock and a vintage soul revival. Was this intentional, or did it just happen?

People are going to throw around labels and genres pretty loosely, that’s just how it is. Obviously, our first two singles are our interpretation of early American R&B, so we’ve heard the “soul” thing quite a bit (not that that’s a bad thing). That said, our forthcoming full-length and live show is a smattering (word of the day!) of American roots and rock to British invasion to 70s funk to modern indie and pop. So I’m going to stop short of labeling and just let folks listen and decide for themselves. Ultimately we want to be a band whose music is very difficult to label.

Who are some of your favorite vintage performers and influences?

I’ll just keep this pre-1965: Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Jackie Wilson, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, The Impressions, Solomon Burke, Elvis, James Brown, the Stones, Dylan, Sam Cooke and on and on.

Can you tell our readers a little about your upcoming debut album and when they’ll be able to snag ‘em up?

We’re actually right in the middle of mixing the full-length and hoping for an early 2015 release. But again, it’s kind of hard to describe the sound because it covers a lot of ground. We’re just so excited that this is becoming a reality and can’t wait to share it with everyone. 

L-R Will Stewart, Grant Prettyman, Mac Kramer, Jon Poor.

What brings you southern guys even further south, way down into Atlanta?

Our bassist (Grant) is from Atlanta, so we have some roots there. I have some close friends there and we always have a hell of a time playing in Atlanta – we’re looking forward to the show next week!

Any special plans for your show at Smith’s Olde Bar this Saturday?

Nothing too crazy, just playing a ton of new tunes. We’ll also have our newly pressed 7-inch vinyl and t-shirts in tow (We accept cash and all major credit cards!)

What’s next for Willie and the Giant?

We’re going to be hitting the road as much as possible for the next two to three months, leading up to the release of the debut full-length album. Playing live is what we get off on – so that’s always going to be front and center for us as a band.

All photographs are courtesy of Will Stewart/Willie and the Giant and used with permission.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Get spooked in Retro Atlanta this week! The days are creeping closer and closer to that most haunted pinnacle of fright and terror! So let Retro Atlanta show you where to find the shock and horror you’re lusting! Atlanta gets Retro this week with monsters and spooks and gore, oh my! And don’t forget, Retro Atlanta always offers a retro-rockin’ good time! Don’t be a scaredy cat! Come on out and play! We can’t promise you’ll make it home alive, but we can promise you a horrifying good time!

Monday, October 13

“Psychobilly Freakout” is delivered tonight to your ‘billy lusting ears at Camelis Gourmet Pizza Joint with Kool Kat Rev. Andy, broadcasting a spitfire night of rockin’ rockabilly and psychobilly live on Garage71 Internet Radio! Vinyl dishes out a night of ‘90s folk rock with Lisa Loeb and Sara Rachele! Get jazzy at the Elliott Street Pub with Myles Brown! 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 Blind Willie’s for a night with Bill Sheffield! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! 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, October 14

Boogie on down and get some soul at the Red Light Café with Ian Moore and Chelsea Shag! The Earl delivers a night of rock infused with disco, punk and new-wave with the Electric Six and The Soft White Sixties! Get your old-time bluegrass fix at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Sweetwater Creek, Honeywood and the Jim Culliton Trio! The “Master of Suspense” gets bone-chilling at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their presentation of Alfred Hitchock’s VERTIGO (1958) during their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! Head on down to Midtown Art Cinema for their screening of Yasujiro Ozu’s classic, TOKYO STORY (1953) at 7pm! It’s a night of retro shenanigans at The Star Bar with Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm! Or get conned at CineBistro at Town Brookhaven during their ‘Cineclassics 2014’ screening of Charles Crichton and John Cleese’s A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988)! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Rock down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with The Goddamn Gallows and Rory Kelly’s Triple Threat! Get folksy at Eddie’s Attic with the Shook Twins! Stomp on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with the Boohoo Ramblers! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern! And rock out with JT Speed at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Wednesday, October 15

Get monstrous at Chambers of Horror as Monstrosity Championship Wrestling horrifies with classic monsters duking it out, brought to you by our BFF pop culture blogger and Kool Kat Jonathan Williams with Wrestling With Pop Culture and Kool Kat Shane Morton, a.k.a. ghost-host with the most, Prof. Morte! Wreak havoc with creatures galore in Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) during the Studio Movie Grill’s “Retro Family Rewind” series at 7pm! Rock on down for a night of Brit rock ‘n’ blues to Phillips Arena for a night with the legendary, Paul McCartney! Get your second helping of chills and suspense at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern during their presentation of Alfred Hitchock’s VERTIGO (1958) for their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! Get heroic during Emory Arts’ “Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series with their screening of Andrzej Munk’s EROICA (1957) at White Hall! Funk on down to the Fox Theatre for a night with Lettuce! The Cazanovas get the blues at Blind Willie’s! Get your lonesome old-school cowboy and Americana fix at The Earl with Waller, Ben Trickey and Will Raines (An English Place)! Jazz on down to Elliott Street Pub for a night with Sal Gentile! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets down and dirty blues-style with Lola! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, October 16

Get demonically possessed at The Plaza Theater and experience Roman Polanski’s cult classic thriller, ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968) for the first time in Atlanta since its opening at 7:30pm! The Stoneberrys and The DirtyDoors deliver rockin’ tributes to the Rolling Stones and The Doors at Smith’s Olde Bar! Cowpunk on down to the Red Clay Theatre for a night of vintage roots and Americana with John Dee Graham(The True Believers) and Miss Tess & the Talkbacks! Get indie with a side of retro at the Tabernacle with The War on Drugs and Peter Matthew Bauer! It’s Bluegrass Thursday at the Red Light Café, so stomp on down for a night with The Parmesans and Alex & Todd! Boogie on down to the Variety Playhouse for a night of New Orleans’ boogie and roadhouse blues with the Marcia Ball Band! The Earl delivers a hillbilly rockin’ ruckus with Reuben’s Bell, The Deadfields and Battlefield Collective! Blues on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Mike Farris! Rock out roots-style with Donna Hopkins at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! 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! Sweet Betty & the Shadows get sweet and low down at Blind Willie’s! 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, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, October 17

The living dead get gruesome and spooky at the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse (AZA), a total immersion experience filled to the bloody brim with guts ‘n’ gore, throwing its victims right in the middle of a zombie outbreak, capable of causing a lifetime of terror! This event is not for the faint of heart so, prepare to scream, prepare to cry and come get your zombie fightin’ skills on! Kool Kat Madeline Brumby, badass zombie killer, fights for the survival of the uninfected, so, come on out and help exterminate the zombies! The AZA runs until November 2, so you’ll have ample opportunity to kick some zombie tail! It’s a night of gore, horror punk, geeks and freaks as Kool Kats, The Casket Creatures and Kool Kat Rev. Andy invade Chambers of Horror at 8pm! Zombies, zombies and more zombies! Stagger on down to AmericasMart Atlanta and get zombified at the Walker Stalker Convention, running through Sunday, Oct. 19, promising a weekend filled to the bloody brim with all the horror, sci-fi and Walking Dead cast members you could ever want and more! Or if ghastly things are your preference, haunt on down to the Historic Oakland Cemetery for their annual Capturing the Spirit of Oakland 2014 Ghost Tours, through Oct. 25! Tiptoe through the graves, make a few new spirited friends and hear the hallowed tales of some of their eternal residents! Come on down to the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge for Pallookaville’s Jim Stacy and his Cooking Channel debut, OFFBEAT EATS’ Premiere Party, celebrating America’s roadside rebel chefs and quirky eateries!

Zombies, horror and fright take over The Plaza Theater, as they screen George A. Romero’s cult classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and Victor Halperin/Edward Halperin’s vintage horror classic, WHITEZOMBIE (1932), both running through Oct. 23! Punk down to The Star Bar for a night of rockin’ tributes to the Misfits, The Ramones and the Alkaline Trio, with Horror Business, Road to Ruin and Fuck You Aluchua! It’s a night of old-time country, western swing and Dixie jazz at Kavarna with Thom Bresh and the VaudeVillians! Make your way to the New London Theatre in Snellville for their presentation of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” running through Nov. 2! Get your folk-a-billy fix at the Red Light Café with Antsy McClain! You won’t want to miss The Strand Theatre’s presentation of Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” performed by the Strand Theatre Company Players at 8pm! Reggae on down to the Variety Playhouse for a night with Ziggy Marley! Get your ‘80s Latin rock fix at Center Stage with Café Tacuba! It’s a night of retro rock at Hottie Hawgs BBQ with Radio Cult! Rock out with some Americana and blues at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Michelle Malone! Get alternative retro-style at The Earl with Colony House and Knox Hamilton! It’s a night of trash/sugar pop with a whole lotta nods to retro rock and pop at the Masquerade with Twin Peaks, Tweens and Minor Miracles! Get witchy at Mary’s during their “Witch Please!” Dance Party! Bluegrass on down to the Crimson Moon Café with Monroe Crossing! Blues on down to the Northside Tavern for a night with Stoney Brooks! Sandra Hall & the Shadows will blues you up at Blind Willie’s! The Rockaholics deliver some rockin’ blues at Darwin’s Burgers & 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! Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents his Dark ‘80s Music Video Dance Night at Famous Pub! 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, October 18

Today is the day all you ghosts and goblins have been waiting for! Little 5 Points business district hosts its 14th annual Little Five Points Halloween Festival & Parade! So, come on out dressed to the bloody nines in your spookiest Halloween costume and get horrorifically haunted! Get fed! Get rocked! And get your flesh to the biggest Halloween parade in the south! The event wakes from the dead at noon and haunts until 11 pm, with an artists’ market, food venders including Pallookaville and many more, as well as two stages for live entertainment, The Jagermeister Stage, located in Findley Plaza and the Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stage located in the The Star Bar’s parking lot. The spooktacular parade of horror runs from 4 to 6 pm on Euclid and Moreland and promises to spook even the bravest of the brave, so pick a spot and hold on tight! Get your faces rocked off with Kool Kats galore and more at the Jagermeister Stage, with chilling retro performances bythe Starbenders, The Wheelknockers, the Hothouse Peaches, The Mystery Men?, KoolKat Caroline & the Ramblers, Kool Kat Cletis & His City Cousins, Kool Kat Julea & Her Dear Johns, The Higher Choir and The Head! Or rock on down to the Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stage for Black Linen, Zoners, Daddy Issues, Momcat, Stonerider and Kool Kat Aileen Loy with Til Someone Loses an Eye! So, get ghastly, grotesque and rock out at the wildest Halloween party in town! And for something a bit more gore-filled and sinister, run for your life to Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse and see if you can survive the end of the world, running through Nov. 2!

It’s a vintage soul revival at Smith’s Olde Bar with Willie & the Giant (See our Kool Kat feature coming soon!) and Alex & Todd in the Atlanta Room! Or get your Americana fix in the Music Room with Dangermuffin, the Jon Harris Band and Lion & Company! Catch a gnarly wave to Kavarna and rock out during their Southern Surf Stomp featuring The Intoxicators, The Fugitives and The Wheelknockers! Get down and dirty with a twist of vintage rock ‘n’ roll at the Buckhead Theatre with The Dirty Guv’nahs and Seven Handle Circus! Get your freak on at the Masquerade during their pre-Halloween bash in hell, the Legendary Children Freakshow, promising a night of debauchery, oddities, fortune tellers, go-go clowns, performances by Kool Kat David “Baby Doll Schultz” Richardson and more! Or let Kool Kat VJ Anthony and Funk Master Romeo Cologne deliver you into a realm of funky misfits and outcasts during the Unofficial Aids Walk Freak Show Ball at The Loft! Get ‘Kink’y and rock out at 529 with Literature, The Hotels, Tape Waves, Babes Motel and Koko Beware! Benjamin Booker boogies down at Vinyl with Black Range! The Strand Theatre presents Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” performed by the Strand Theatre Company Players at 8pm! It’s a night of ‘60s/’70s rock at Big Tex with The Rainmen! Get a taste of Burnt Bacon at Blind Willie’s! The Cazanovas deliver a night of the blues at the Northside Tavern! Get old-school at the Fox Theatre with John Prine and Jason Isbell! It’s day 2 of the Walker Stalker Convention! Get undead, catch a few gruesome panels and dance the night away at the Zombie Bash Party! And as always, boogie on down to the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge for a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, October 19

It’s your last chance this week to get horrified and grotesque while fighting for your life with the undead at Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse! Kool Kat Ruby Velle & the Soulphonics dishes out their ‘50s and ‘60s Georgia Soul at the Historic Fourth Ward Park! Get a night full of French Classic comedy film shorts at Robert Woodruff Park during their spotlight on Max Linder at 7:30pm, featuring: MAX LINDER’S FILM DEBUT (1910), MAX TAKES A BATH (1911), MAX IS RECOVERING (1912), A CORDIALUNDERSTANDING (1912), MAX IS AFRAID OF WATER (1912), MAX & JANE GET INTO ACTING (1912), A TENACIOUS LOVE (1912) and MAX’SHOLIDAYS (1913)! Get hellacious and rock on down to the Red Light Café for a night of rockin’ sultry shenanigans with Sadie Hawkins and her “Burlesque Battle of the Babes”, at herLast Pasties Standing Goes Punk Rock event! It’s sultry Sunday at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with the Gentlemen of Jazz! Bluegrass it up at Eddie’s Attic with two boot stompin’ shows featuring Dr. Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys! Or stomp down to the Red Clay Theatre for a night with Hot Rize and Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers! Mipso delivers some dark holler pop and raucous jailbreak Americana at the Crimson Moon Café! Get your second chance to wreak havoc with creatures galore in Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) during the Studio Movie Grill’s “Retro Family Rewind” series at 2pm! The Decatur Bluegrass Association (D.B.A) brunches out at Big Tex during their Bluegrass Brunch! The Strand Theatre presents Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” performed by the Strand Theatre Company Players at 3pm! Get a side of Fatback Deluxe with a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! And it’s day 3 and your last chance to get undead at the Walker Stalker Convention!

Ongoing

The Fox Theatre Ghost Tours chill your bones through Oct 16! (LAST CHANCE!)

Historic Oakland Cemetery’s Capturing the Spirit of Oakland 2014 Ghost Tours, haunt through Oct. 25!

Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Center for Puppetry Arts for their presentation of “The Wizard of Oz” through Oct. 26!

Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling presentation of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, through Nov. 1!

Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse will have you running for your life through Nov. 2!

Chambers of Horror terrifies with their adults-only gore-fest and blood-splattering through Nov. 2!

New London Theatre (Snellville) presents “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” through Nov. 2!

Netherworld haunts with two terrifying haunted houses, “Season of the Witch” and “SPLICED” every weekend through Nov. 8!

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every first Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month.

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

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

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

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

It’s a night of gore, horror punk, geeks and freaks as Kool Kats, The Casket Creatures and Kool Kat Rev. Andy invade Chambers of Horror at 8pm!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

‘Tis the season of spooks and haunts in Retro Atlanta, so check out all the killer events we’ve found for you! We’ve got chilling tales on the big screen! We’ve got heathen honky-tonk! And you won’t want to miss all the blues ‘n jazz heatin’ up the stage this week! Don’t be a bore! Live la vida Retro!

Monday, October 6

Get cozy with Michael Myers at The Plaza Theater’s screening of John Carpenter’s chilling tale of murder and mayhem, HALLOWEEN (1978) through Oct. 9! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 17-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Get some soul at Blind Willie’s with Brandon Reeves! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Get Victorian retro at the Marietta Museum of History as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015! 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, October 7

Get slashed and blood-filled at Splatter Cinema Presents: William Lustig’s MANIAC COP (1988) at Chambers of Horror in the Masquerade Music Park at midnight! Punk on down to 529 for a night with Johnny! Badtouch, Ghost Lights and the Leotards! Or get your punk fix at the Buckhead Theatre with The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me! and TwoPointEight! The “Master of Suspense” gets murderous at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen Alfred Hitchock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) during their Alfred Hitchcock Series at 7:30! Get melodramatic with Peter Lorre at Midtown Art Cinema during their screening of Fritz Lang’s early talkie classic, M (1931) at 7pm! Or make your way to CineBistro at Town Brookhaven for their ‘Cineclassics 2014’ screening of Bruce Beresford’s DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989)! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! It’s ‘80s Dance Night at The Star Bar every Tuesday at 10 pm! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Atlanta Boogie serves up a hoppin’ night of Kansas City and West Coast blues at Blind Willie’s! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets the bleus with the Bob Page Trio! And rock out with JT Speed at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Wednesday, October 8

It’s a night of sinister seduction and twisted tail-shakin’ at 7 Stages with the Glitter Collective’s presentation of their “Once Upon a Dream – Or Your Worst Nightmare” event, filled to the wicked brim with bawdy burlesque and a veracious variety show! So, shimmy on down for performances by Kool Kat Ursula Undress, Kool Kat Roula Roulette, Sadie Hawkins, Flame Cynders, The Chameleon Queen, Nikki Nuk’em, Kool Kat Katherine Lashe, Kool Kat Torchy Taboo, Candi LeCoeur and more! The Masquerade punks out with ‘70s Brit punkers, The Vibrators, Rotten Stitches, Antagonizers ATL and Razorcombs! Emory Arts presents Andrzej Wajda’s ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958) during their “Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series screening at 7:30 in White Hall! Or make your way to AMC Phipps Plaza 14 for their ‘AMC Classics’ series screening of Robert Altman’s classic, M*A*S*H (1970) at 2pm and 7pm! Get jazzy tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar with Davina & the Vagabonds! Or jazz it up at Elliott Street Pub with The Filthy Six! The Dot Line Projekt gets groovy at Big Tex! Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Center for Puppetry Arts as they present “The Wizard of Oz” through Oct. 26! Swing on by the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant for a rockin’ rollin’ swing dance with HepCat’s Hop, every first Wed. of the month! Stomp on down for a hootenanny and a half tonight at The Star Bar as they get smokin’ during their Slim Chicken Honky-tonk Extravaganza,featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Stomp on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with Joe McGuinness! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! As always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. And get your second murderous helping at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) at 7:30!

Thursday, October 9

Honky-tonk on down to Mammal Gallery for a night with the Villain Family, I Want Whiskey and the Hothouse Peaches! It’s a night of surf, garage and punk at WonderRoot with Joyride, Femignome, The Kooties, Diamond Thief, the Ohligans and The Mumzees! Or rock on down to The Star Bar for a night with the Surrogates, the Seagulls, Caustic Casanova and Bodyfather! Blues it up with the Shufflejunkies at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Or stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with The Darnell Boys with special guest, Amy McCarley! If it’s all Greek to you, then make your way to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral for the Atlanta Greek Festival, delivering four days of traditional Greek culture, food and music, through Oct. 12! Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling presentation of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, through Nov. 1! Get spooked! Get thrilled! Be the Headless Horseman’s next victim! 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! Blind Willie’s delivers a night of the blues with Sandra Hall & the Shadows! 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, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, October 10

Rock out with some cool garage and ‘60s Tarantino-inspired tunes at The Star Bar with The Coathangers, Black Linen and the Zoners! Smith’s Olde Bar delivers a night of rockin’ punk and bluegrass in the Atlanta Room with The Kinky Aphrodisiacs, Black Leather Jet, Robot Party and The Todd Prusin Experience! Or stomp on down to the Music Room for a night with Ian McLagan! Bluegrass on down to the Red Clay Theatre for a night with Missy Raines & the New Hip and Johnny Roquemore & the Apostles of Bluegrass! The Drive-By Truckers rock out at the Tabernacle with St. Paul & the Broken Bones! Catch a few documentaries about two major American artists at Emory Cinematheque’s “UCLA Festival of Preservation” series screenings, with Thom Anderson’s EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE, ZOOPRAXOGRAPHER (1975) and Shirley Clarke’s ROBERT FROST: A LOVER’S QUARREL WITH THE WORLD (1963), both screened in 35mm at White Hall! Rev on down to The Pointe in Conyers for a rockin’ night of rockabilly with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles! Peter Case (The Nerves/The Plimsouls) gets the blues folk-style at the Red Light Café! Yacht Rock Revue delivers a night of Journey’s greatest hits with former lead vocalist, Steve Augeri at the Variety Playhouse! Get psychedelic at the Fox Theatre with The Australian Pink Floyd Show! High Tea delivers a night of Americana, blues and jazz with the Tom Lennon Band at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Get countrified with a bit ‘o blues and soul the traditional way at Terminal West with Sturgill Simpson! Blues on down to Hottie Hawgs BBQ for your second helping of the Shufflejunkies! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack delivers a night of blues with the Cody Matlock Band! For a night of foot stompin’ blues, make your way to Blind Willie’s for Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials! Get folksy and rock on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with the Alex Guthrie Band! Get funky with The Mar-Tans as they rock out under the dinosaurs at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents his ‘90s ROCK N RAGE event at Famous Pub! 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, October 11

Pay tribute to the Man in Black at The Star Bar as they host the 14th Annual Cash Bash! Put on ‘yer boots and stomp on down for a night with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton with the Ghost Riders Car Club, The Downer Brothers, Kool Kat Julea & Her Dear Johns, Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles, Artie Mondello of the Delusionaires, Chicken & Pigs, Rich Desantis of Whiskey Belt and so much more! Or spook on down to the Fox Theatre as they get haunted during their annual Fox Theatre Ghost Tours, chilling your bones through Oct 16! For something a bit more sinister, you children of the night, fang on down to Famous Pub for Ritual’s 6th Annual Vampire’s Ball, promising a night of blood-letting and sordid seduction! Or get your cowboy folk fix at Eddie’s Attic with Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks! Cody Marlowe & the Dead Flowers deliver a night of roots rock at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Music Room! Or stomp on down to the Atlanta Room for a night with Rye Baby and Nine Years Apart! Get your geek on at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center as Video Games Live! delivers a full live orchestra playing video game tunes from the beginning of video gaming to the present! The Yacht Rock Revue gets gory with their presentation of “Thriller” at the Variety Playhouse! Banks & Shane deliver a night of party faves at the Red Clay Theatre! It’s a night of Americana and absurdist bluegrass at Terminal West with the Packway Handle Band and Chatham County Line! King Diamond will rock your face, ‘80s Danish heavy metal-style at Center Stage with Jess & the Ancient Ones! Groove on down to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre for a night with Widespread Panic! Billy George gets the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Damon Fowler dishes out the blues at Blind Willie’s! Or blues on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with Lola & the Blue Ladies! 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, October 12

Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands delivers their unique kaleidophrenic cabaret at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Cedar Hill brunches out at Big Tex during their Bluegrass Brunch! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night with Owner of the Sun, Hannah Aldridge and Kristen Englenz! And get a side of Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Ongoing

The Fox Theatre Ghost Tours chill your bones through Oct 16!

Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Center for Puppetry Arts for their presentation of “The Wizard of Oz” through Oct. 26!

Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling presentation of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, through Nov. 1!

Chambers of Horror terrifies with their adults-only gore-fest and blood-splattering through Nov. 2!

Netherworld haunts with two terrifying haunted houses, “Season of the Witch” and “SPLICED” every weekend through Nov. 8!

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every first Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

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

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers your ‘80s favorites every Tuesday at their ‘80s Dance Night!

Steve’s Live Music’s Gypsy Jazz Brunch offers up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm every 2^nd & 4^th Sunday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month.

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

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

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

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