ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Shake a wicked tail feather this week in Retro Atlanta! ‘Tis the month of phantoms and bewitching good times! So come on out and haunt with the rest of us! From juke joints to darkened theaters to blood-splattering good times, get out, get hip and get Retro while the gettin’s good!

Monday, September 29

Shake the Monday blues with Kool Kat Jason Elliot and Spirits and the Melchizedek Children, a.k.a. the “Southern Sigur Ros” at their free show at 529, kicking off their fall tour and their new LP, with The Pauses and 100 Watt Horse! 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! Blues on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with Barrelhouse Bob Page! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Bellys and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, September 30

Get cozy with the “Master of Suspense” at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern at their screening of Alfred Hitchock’s classic horrifying tale, THE BIRDS (1963) at 7:30! Or get your sci-fi crime and comedy fix at Diesel Fueling Station as Nerd Film Mafia screens Alex Cox’s, REPO MAN (1984) at 10 pm following NerdCore Trivia every last Tuesday of the month! It’s a night of French New Wave at Midtown Art Cinema with their screening of Francois Truffaut’s JULES AND JIM (1962)! It’s a night of retro rock at The Earl with The King Brothers, Hans Condor, Salts and the Spoilers! Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) delivers “The Best of Jethro Tull” at Atlanta Symphony Hall! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! It’s ‘80s Dance Nightat 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! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the 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!

Wednesday, October 1

We kick off this haunted season of gory ghosts and goblins with ATLRetro’s 2013“Haint of the Season”, Chambers of Horror kicking off their 6th adults-only gore-fest and blood-splattering year, through Nov. 2 (See ATLRetro’s 2013 feature here)! Or punk out horror-style at 529 with Calabrese and Kool Kats, The Casket Creatures! Rock on down to the Masquerade for a night of revved up rockabilly and psychobilly with Kool Kat Reverend Andy, The Chop Tops and the Dive Bar Kings! Emory Cinematheque presents Robert Altman’s psychological drama, THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK (1969) screened in 35mm at White Hall! Or get retro southern belle-style at Tara Cinema as Turner Classic Movies presents Fleming, Cukor and Woods’ classic, GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)! Swing on by East Atlanta’s Graveyard Tavern for their Graveyard Swing Night, held the first Wednesday of every month, promising an evening of swingin’ jazz and jive with the Savoy Kings! Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) delivers a night of alternative/folk rock at Eddie’s Attic! It’s a night of rockin’ Americana at Smith’s Olde Bar with David Newbould & the Stowaways! Get the Delta blues at the Variety Playhouse with Hozier! The Smiths-esque mid-90s baroque pop group, Belle & Sebastianrock out at the Tabernacle! Foxygen delivers their Rolling Stones-style rock at The Loft! 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! Get jazzy at Steve’s Live Music with Randy Skinner! Get the blues with a splash of funk at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with The Georgia Flood! 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 dose of Alfred Hitchcock at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen his classic horrifying tale, THE BIRDS (1963) at 7:30!

Thursday, October 2

Get your new wave and retro-rock fix atSmith’s Olde Bar with Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) and Jefferson Grizzard! Get some soul at Terminal West with Lee Fields & the Expressions with AJ Ghent! It’s a night of garage rock and honky-tonk punk at the Masqueradewith King Tuff and Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires! Caleb Warren & the Perfect Gentlemen deliver a night of ragtime blues and old-time tunes at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Stomp on down for Bluegrass Night at the Red Light Café with Joe McGuinness and Bill Sheffield! 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! Rock out with Gardens & Villa at The Earl! 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! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. And join in the hi-jinx at The Plaza Theateras their Cineprov group riff’s Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick’s, BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) at 7:30!

Friday, October 3

Start the spooky season off right with John Carpenter’s chilling tale of murder and mayhem, HALLOWEEN (1978) at The Plaza Theater, through Oct. 9! Get spectacular at the Body Art Ball, a period-themed cabaret show, featuring burlesque, belly dance, aerialists and living canvases! So shimmy on down to the Historic Georgia Railroad Freight Depot and catch performances by the Blacksheep Ensemble, Candi LeCoeur and more! Get your ‘80s prog-rock fix at the Variety Playhouse with ASIA! Interstellar rocks out with their vintage-inspired rock at The Basement! TheYuppie Scum Band gets rockin’ retro-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Imelda May delivers a night of rockabilly and blues at The Loft with The Bellfuries! New-Wave on down to The Earl for a night with Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun, Jungol and England in 1819! Willie Sugarcapps delivers a night of boot stompin’ Americana at Eddie’s Attic! For a night of dirty rock n roll, rock on down to The Star Bar for The Dreaded Marco (Record Release Party), Ledfoot Messiah and The Halls of Jupiter! Get your ‘60s and ‘70s rock fix at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room with The Rainmen, Mary Ellen Jones and the Ray City Rollers! Or get old-time and gypsy jazz on down to the Music Room for a night with The Woodsheddersand Gibson Wilbanks! Blues on down to the Crimson Moon Café for a night with the JP Blues Band! Celebrate the life and times of Ray Charles at the Red Clay Theatre with their presentation of “A Family Ray-Union” featuring a free community block-party at the Deluth Festival Center, followed by musical tributes to the legendary Ray Charles and his family! Blues on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with the Broken Arrow Blues Band! The Radio Birds rock out at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents his SYNTHPOP! 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 4

Go, Go Godzilla! Blue Oyster Cult rocks out at the Variety Playhouse! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles get revved up atThe Alamo in Newnan! Garage rock on down to The Goat Farm Arts Center for a night with The Black Lips, KingKahn & BBQ Show and special guest, Curtis Harding! The Earl delivers a night of tributes with Clashinista performing “London Calling” and The Ramon’s conjuring up the best of the early punk years! Bluegrass it up at Eddie’s Attic with the Barry Waldrep Band! Punk on down to The Star Bar for Dinos Boys, Modfag, Daggers and Razorcombs! The David Mayfield Parade rocks out roots-style with Desert Noises in the Music Room at Smith’s Olde Bar! Or punk out in the Atlanta Room with Crypt 24, The Lost Riots and Picture Perfect Skyline! Get vintage, fuzzed out ‘70s style at The Highlander with The Johnny Rebs, The Fire Tonight and Poison Coats! The Cohen Brothers Band delivers a night of old-school bluegrass at Big Tex! Get old-school heavy metal at 529 tonight with England’s, Raven!Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents The ‘80s Night Club dance party at Famous Pub! Blues on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band! 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 5

Get really retro and Victorian today at the Historic Oakland Cemetery as they present their 35th Annual Sunday in the Park Victorian Street Festival, featuring food (our pals, Pallookaville and more!), fun and entertainment! Check out the artists’ market, living history demonstrations, storytellers, spooky mausoleums, Victorian costume contests and carriage tours. And you won’t want to miss their vintage musical line-up with Heidi Pollyea, Five Long Years, The Bow Weevils, The Glory Hounds, Hicks with Picks, The Ghosts Project and so much more! Or shimmy down for a cause at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club (EAYC) and enjoy a bawdy burly-Q Bake Sale & Pajama Party with Blast-Off Burlesque from 2 to 6pm, benefiting Dad’s Garage Theatre Company! Get jazzy at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs at their Deb Bowman Jazz Brunch at 12:30! Or jazz on down to the Variety Playhouse for a night with The Bad Plus! Shiver and shake on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Whiskey Shivers and the Berkshire Hounds! Big Tex has their Bluegrass Brunch with The Woodshedders! And rock on down to the Crimson Moon Café for their Boomers Gone Wild event, delivering a night of ‘60s and ‘70s covers!

Ongoing

Actors Express in Marietta presents their adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” through Oct. 5. (LAST CHANCE!)

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!

Nerd Film Mafiascreenings at theDiesel 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 Pikeand 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 ofLips 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.

L-R Jason Elliott, Ryan Odom, Bryan Fielden, Joe McNeill. Photo credit: Chad Hesss

Spirits and the Melchizedek Children have just released a new LP, SO HAPPY, IT’S SAD was produced by Benjamin Price (OutKast, Little Tybee) and has been receiving more than a little buzz from the music press as a creative breakthrough. Recently dubbed a “Southern Sigur Ros” by the A.V. Club, the Atlanta psychedelic dream-pop outfit is about to embark on a tour, but locals can get a sneak preview at a free gig at 529 in East Atlanta on Monday Sept. 29. 

ATLRetro likes what we’ve heard and heard just enough of a dynamic merging of  classic sounds that we made vocalist/guitarist Jason Elliott Kool Kat of the Week. In the last few days before SAMC’s departure, we found him happy and maybe a little sad, too, to muse about the band’s influences, double meanings and new directions.

ATLRetro: Some bands like to be compared. For others, it’s a limiting proposition. How do you feel about being called the “Southern Sigur Ros”? 

Jason Elliott: We were honored to be compared to Sigur Ros.  Adding the adjective “Southern” next to the Icelandic voyeurs implies that we may have a little bit more dirt and heaviness within our sound, which we do. While yes, I, in particular, am a fan of Sigur Ros, as well as many other dramatic, post-rock groups, the “southern gothic” undertones are also a very strong influence. The South is viewed by many as a strange and backwards place. That’s very true to some respect, but as a whole, the South offers little hidden secrets for finding ones self.

You have a diverse set of influences including — Steve Reich, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Can, Neu!, Eric Satie, Tchaikovsky, Brian Eno, The Beatles and Velvet Underground. Yet they all make sense because we’re listening to many of them right now. What binds those musicians and groups together for you? Is there a rediscovery/renaissance of mood-driven ‘70s  rock? 

History has and always will repeat itself. And today it seems that everything will repeat at least three times. People are dying for true innovation and mystique. While every generation has innovation and mystique, we feel that it is important to listen to timeless music so you can learn from those that have done it right. We strive to make timeless music and have little time to make a pop song that people will quickly like and then lose interest in what seems to be the same amount of time. We constantly turn back to the classics. Listening to the little things that were totally ahead of their time is a vital aspect to our listening habits and inspiration. Taking those little headphone treats and embellishing on them and making them our OWN.

What’s the secret origin story behind the band and what’s in the name Spirits and the Melchizedek Children? 

Melchizedek was something or someone that I had always heard about and looking more into the word,I found that it was quite endless. Melchizedek is talked about in all sorts of beliefs, religions, occults and books. And is always referred to as a “Holder of Keys, Keys to the Kingdom” whatever kingdom that might be? Who knows? It’s similar to the idea of Alchemy: there is no magic stone or secret formula that will change coal into gold or silver – it’s YOU! YOU are that piece of shit coal that needs to be turned into gold or silver. You hold the keys to whatever you desire. You just have to find away to use them properly, just like a child that’s trying to find its way. Or, I can give you the shorter answer. The word Melchizedek is mysterious. I wanted that to connect with our post-cryptic-quasi-cultist-mystique music.

Does the band have a mantra then?

YOU are here to save YOU

Slug Magazine referenced “the spectral folk of a doomed American West.” Is that something that particularly interests you?

Why? YES! That does interest us. I grew up out West and have only had seven wonderful years here in Atlanta. The West is a special place and seems to be very lonesome and wide. I think Modest Mouse coined the phrase by naming one of their best records THE LONESOME CROWDED WEST. That meant something to me. Moving and traveling all over the West Coast as a child, I had Always felt that certain Haunting that comes with vast, barren landscapes – always wondering if this was going to be our not-so-distant future. For me, storytelling through soundscapes and moods has always been the best way to convey that thought.

L-R Jason Elliott, Bryan Fielden, Ryan Odom, Joe McNeill. Photo credit: Taylor Mumford

SO HAPPY, IT’S SAD is a double-edged title. What’s the story behind it?

It was shortly after we had released our first record WE ARE HERE TO SAVE YOU! I was taking some time off to travel with my young son. We found ourselves in the middle of the Salt Flats on the Nevada/Utah border. I was very excited to introduce this part of the country to my Son. I had been to all of these places before, but wanted to experience the ever cherished “first experience” of anything magical. My son’s reaction to the barren beauty that day in the desert was something that I wanted to take note of. Experiencing his “first time” made me happy, then quickly realized that it also made me sad. I had spent so much of my life ignoring the simple things around me. Instantly I saw that my surroundings were everything. Here we were in the middle of nowhere, alone and silent. The beautiful emptiness filled us completely with memory and thought. At that very moment Amanda Emmo captured this experience in a simple photo of my son and I conversing with one another which later became the beautiful record cover of SO HAPPY, IT’S SAD.

Tell us a little more about the new release. How does it build upon your previous work? 

Our songs and sound have matured so much over the years. After writing and playing our new tunes live for a bit, we were able to really study what we needed to change and develop as a band. The first record was a introduction to what we wanted to sound like and gave ourselves enough room to grow. By the time we were ready to record SO HAPPY, IT’S SAD we were almost a totally different band. Band members had changing and we had a different outlook on what we wanted. Without straying too far from our haunted melancholy undertones, we were able to really look deeper into our songwriting capabilities. We had more confidence and knew exactly what we wanted our songs to do to the human mind and ear.

Jason Elliot. Photo credit: Chad Hesss

What was it like working with Benjamin Price as producer? 

Ben is our guy! He got it right away. I have a hard time trying to explain my deepest thoughts, but Ben understood me through just talking with him and getting to know him as a person. All of us are Psycho-Naughts, and having him at the helm of our recording was a pleasure. We had our songs written and ready to track, but once we got in the studio we quickly found that Ben was a lot more than just some engineer that sets up mics and hits record. We all had the same mindset of wanting to make it a very spacious record, really capturing the overall theme of the record through depth and dynamics. Ben is a vital part in what we do now for sure.

Your Atlanta gig at 529 is on a Monday night, not always the best for bringing folks out. Why should they be sure to come out? 

Yes, Mondays are tough, But hey it’s FREE, We are leaving on tour the next night and two other great bands are playing, 100 Watt Horse and The Pauses. What the FUCK else are you going to do on a lame Monday night?

What other musicians/bands are exciting you now?

We are constantly listening to Do Make Say Think while driving to the next city. I’ve been listening to them for over 10 years and they never get old. The War on Drugs‘ new album is amazing and so is the latest Helms Alee record. We’re constantly trying to find new music. It’s hard to keep up. We try to listen to anything that is recommended to us while we are out. We love when someone comes up to one of us after we’ve played and ask if we have ever heard of a certain band, just to quickly tell us that we would really dig ’em because of what we sound like. Its a good way for us to get an idea of what people truly think when they hear our music.

What’s next for Spirits and the Melchizedek Children? 

Writing, recording, touring, REPEAT!  Our fall tour will be our last of 2014, so we’re focusing on a few projects to keep our momentum strong. Next year is already starting to map out very busy. We have a music video releasing very soon, and have been finalizing an original film score for a short by Raymond Jones called BE HERE NOW, which is a subjective take on the self-titled book by Ram Dass. We plan on releasing an EP as well.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Come see what’s swingin’ this week in Retro Atlanta! From the wonderfully wicked to the rockin’est tunes to the films of the silver screen. You won’t be disappointed! There’s something for everyone, so get off the couch, turn off the boob tube and rock out in Retro Atlanta!

Monday, September 22

Get a taste of rock history at The Strand Theatre as they screen Marc Leif’s ROCKIN’ THE WALL (2010), a retrospective covering the music that brought down the Berlin Wall, featuring the tunes of The Doors, Quiet Riot, Toto, with a Q&A afterwards with Atlanta’s own funk masters, Mother’s Finest! Folk on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Black Prairie! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste ofBumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Bellys and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, September 23

Get feudal with Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of “King Lear” as the Midtown Art Cinema screens RAN (1985) in 35mm! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Get your old-time bluegrass fix at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Curtis Jones & Primal Roots! It’s ‘80s Dance Nightat 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! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul atBlind 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 rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Make a wish at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern at their screening of Penny Marshall’s ‘80s classic, BIG (1988) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, September 24

It’s a dark and demonic double-feature at Emory Cinematheque’s “UCLA Festival of Preservation” screenings of Charles Vidor’s DOUBLE DOOR (1934) and Victor Halperin’s SUPERNATURAL (1933), both screened in 35mm, at White Hall! Rock out and celebrate the legacy and music of Jimi Hendrix at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center during the Experience Hendrix 2014 Tour, featuring Billy Cox, Buddy Guy, Zakk Wylde, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Rich Robinson and more! Get spacey and retro with Man or Astro-Man?, Little Tybee and more at the Creative Loafing’s “BEST of ATL 2014 Party” at the Goat Farm Arts Center! Chuckle on down to the Highland Inn & Ballroom for a night with SCENE MISSING Magazine and their presentation of writing and comedy based on Wes Anderson films during The Royal Atlantanbaums event! Get weird and boogie on down to The Earl for a night with Exwhy, the Memes, Sheeba Darwin and the Great American Noise Jihad! Get funky at 529 with Hard Proof, Bird City Revolutionaries and The 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra! 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! Jazz on down to the Elliott Street Pub for a night with Frank Barham! The Electromatics deliver a night of Chicago and West Coast blues atBlind Willie’s! It’s a night of gothic Americana-steeped bluegrass at Steve’s Live Music with the Weeping Willows! Get the blues with a splash of funk at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with The Georgia Flood! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets down and dirty blues-style with Lola!And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, September 25

Swing on down to 550 Trackside for Aurora Theatre’s “All Aboard Swing Nights” featuring the smokin’ hot 17-piece Metro Jazz Club! It’s a night of folk and Americana at Red Light Café with Mipso and Rye Baby! Get a rockin’ good reaction at the Variety Playhousewith the international Rolling Stones show, Satisfaction! Sweet Betty & the Shadows deliver the blues atBlind Willie’s!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! Rock on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with KevnKinney (Drivin’ n’ Cryin’)! 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! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. And spend the night with Tom Hanks at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern at their screening of Penny Marshall’s ‘80s classic, BIG (1988) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, September 26

Spook on down to Netherworld for their horrorific grand opening weekend and get your fearful fill of two terrifying haunted houses, “Season of the Witch” and “SPLICED”! The Earl delivers night one of The Dream Syndicate’s Two Night Stand, rockin’ out since the ‘80s, along with early ‘80s post-punk band, Savage Republic and Small Reactions! Sleaze on down to The Star Bar for a night with BigFoot, Beitthemeans and Gunpowder Gray! Or get your dirty, fuzzed-out ‘70s rock n roll fix at the Drunken Unicorn with The DirtyMagazines, The Johnny Rebs and The Guilty Gears! Swing on down to the Red Light Café for a night of GypsyJazz with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet! The Tone Prophets deliver a night of retro rockin’ R&B at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! The Dive Bar Kings deliver a night of rockin’ blues with a side of ‘Twist & Shout’ at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Delta Moon delivers a little roots rock and blues at Eddie’s Attic! Stomp on down to Big Tex for The Band ofDesperate Men! The Grassland String Band bluegrasses it up at the Crimson Moon Café! Make your way to the Red Clay Theatre for a night with American Hologram, City Hotel and Lucy Wainwright-Roche! 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! Get groovy at Hottie Hawgs BBQ with Swami Gone Bananas!Blues down to the Northside Tavern for a night with Stoney Brooks! Get down and dirty with House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! It’s ‘80s Dance Night with Lethal Rhythms at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event! Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents his STATIC: Britpop Manchester Shoegaze Dance Party, featuring The Smiths, New Order and more 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, September 27

Rumble on down to Hell on Wheels in its 14th year and as it promises to be out of control! So, come on up to Buford and say ‘hey’ to Kool Kat Right ReverendAndy Hawley of Psychobilly Freakout (Garage 71 Internet Radio). Come hell or high water, there are no excuses to miss this rockabilly rumblin’ extravaganza featuring the McPherson Struts, Husky Burnette, WillieHeathNeal, Beitthemeans, a vintage car show, dirty girl pin-up contests, carnie shenanigans with Captain & Maybelle and so much more! Or strut your stuff at the East Atlanta Strut – Music & Arts Fest 2014, featuring an extravaganza of rockin’ retro tunes with The Kooties, Book of Colors, Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer & the Bicycle Eaters, Moonbase, Norman Frank & the Ghost Dance, Gemini XII, Bahnhof, El Cheapo, the Georgia Soul Council, Chicken and Pigs, Jackwagon, Hermits of Suburbia, Ye Flask, CalebWarren, Weary Heads and so much more! The two-day Candler Park Fall Fest kicks off today with an artist’s market, a tour of homes, tasty food and a rockin’ musical line-up with Heidi Pollyea, The Stems, Kool Kat Joshua Longino with Andrew & the Disapyramids, TheWestern Sizzlers and more!

Kool Kat VJ Anthony presents his BLACKOUT: Goth & Industrial Dance Night, featuring dark ‘80s, post-punk and more at Famous Pub! Stomp on down to the Variety Playhouse for a night with Greensky Bluegrass and Swear & Shake! The Emory Swing Club’s September Dance will be held tonight at the Glenn Fellowship Hall at 7:30 pm! Rock out roots-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with the Isaac Bramblett Band! Blues on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with John Nemeth! Or make your way to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with the Johnny Scales Trio! Rock out with Heather Luttrell at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Get ‘80s and ‘90s hardcore at Wild Bill’s with Skid Row! Grant Green, Jr. delivers a night of blues and soul at the Northside Tavern! It’s night 2 of The Dream Syndicate’s Two Night Stand at The Earl! Put on those dancin’ shoes and get ready for a night of retro rock, Motown, funk, Big Band and more at The Basement for Electric Western’s Keep on Movin’ Rock and Soul Dance Party! Get funky with the Swamp Funk Quartetat Big Tex! Rock out retro-style at Kavarna with The Axis Experience, TheFloating Coats and Dangerous Basement! Francine Reed & Friends deliver a night of the blues at the Red Clay Theatre! Rock out with The Johnson Party at The Family Dog! It’s a night of retro-rockin’ soul at Terminal Westwith Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers and The Mother Hips! 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, September 28

Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers their Gypsy Jazz Brunch offering up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm! Big Tex has their Bluegrass Brunch with the Porch Bottom Boys! Shimmy on down toSmith’s Olde Bar and join the pandemonium that is the Daring Dames & Vaude Villians’ Jazz Prohibition Show featuring hooch & sin at Madame Sashay’s Speakeasy, with Kool Kat New Orleans Jon, TheChameleon Queen and so much more! Punk out folk-style at the Red Clay Theatre with Hymn for Her, Cicada Rhythm and special guest, Adam Levy! It’s day 2 of the Candler Park Fall Fest, so rock on down with The Backyard Birds, Eliot Bronson & YonderOrphans, Francine Reed and more! The Strand Theatre gets vintage and comedic as they present their 5th Annual Silent Comedy Shorts event! Get the blues with Bill Sheffield at The Family Dog! Rock on down to the Crimson Moon Café for a night with The Tom & Juli Show! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets rockin’ with Snake Legs!

Ongoing

The Georgia Ensemble Theatre presents “Pump Boys & Dinettes” with Kool Kat Dolph Amick through September 28. (LAST CHANCE!)

Actors Express in Marietta presents their adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” through Oct. 5.

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 ofLips 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 Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Retro Atlanta is where it’s at this week! If yer hankerin’ for a revved up hootenanny, then we’ve got what you need! Or maybe you’re lookin’ for a little mischief and mayhem! If so, rock your little black hearts out! And of course, get down and dirty with the best blues and jazz, ATLRetro has to offer! And don’t miss out on all the swell silver screen goodies we have for you! So, get out and get Retro!

Monday, September 15

The Plaza Theater presents Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern’s retrospective of the life and times of the legendary comedian and pop icon, Joan Rivers, with their screening of A PIECE OF WORK (2010) through Thursday, Sept. 18! Get some soul tonight at Blind Willie’s with Brandon Reeves! 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! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Bellys and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, September 16

There’s nothing wrong with being sexy, so rock on down to the Midtown Art Cinema for their screening of Rob Reiner’s rockin’ cult classic mock-umentary, THIS IS SPINAL TAP! (1984)! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! Or get your foot stompin’ fix at Smith’s Olde Bar with Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Enormodome and the People’s Blues of Richmond! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! 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! The Northlake Festival Movie Tavern gets ‘80s cool and delivers a night with the “Brat Pack” as they screen John Hughes’ teen classic, SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, September 17

Emory Cinematheque dishes out a night of “Pre-Code” early ‘30s slap-stick comedy and Vaudeville with their screenings of Edward Sutherland’s INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (1933), Marion Gering’s THIRTY DAY PRINCESS (1934) and Lloyd French’s BUSY BODIES (1933), all screened in 35mm, at White Hall! Rock out at The Earl ‘cause they’re gonna wreak of ’73 Stooges and avant-garde Tom Waits’ blues with Leopold & His Fiction and The Locksmyth! 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 Smith’s Olde Bar for a second helping of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Enormodome and Blackfoot Gypsies! Gibson Wilbanks delivers a night of blues, soul and Americana at Blind Willie’s! The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra presents Erasure and their Violet Flame Tour at Atlanta Symphony Hall! Fruition delivers a night of rockin’ Americana and soul at Terminal West! It’s a night of punk and garage rock at 529 with the Harlequins, Lowbanks and New Junk City! Get the blues with a splash of funk at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with The Georgia Flood! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, September 18

Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for Sex Pistols tribute, Pretty Vacant, Catfight! and Big Murder! Or get your garage rock fix at The Star Bar with Easy Beat, Richie, Coma Girls and Oner! Bluegrass it up at the Red Light Café with Front Country! Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers a night of rockin’ roots with Donna Hopkins! Get the blues with Jon Del Toro Richardson atBlind Willie’s!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! Rock on down to the Clermont Lounge for a night of genuine American motor music with JB Walker & the Cheap Whisky Band! The Marcus Roberts Trio delivers a night of classic jazz and standards atCenter Stage! Get folksy at Serenbe with The Shadowboxers and Cicada Rhythm! 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! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. And, the “Brat Pack” invades The Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of John Hughes’ teen classic, SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, September 19

Shimmy on down to the Atlanta School of Burlesque for their DebuTeaseFall 2014 Edition, introducing the newest in bawdy burly-Q: Sin Tillating, Ariel Allegro and Tesla Goyle! Also performing are the tried and true tease queens, The Chameleon Queen, Flame Cynders, Nina Charrise, Kool KatRoula Roulette, Kool Kat Talloolah Love’s Beginner’s Class and KoolKat Ursula Undress! It’s a night of retro country and old-time Americana at The Earl with LydiaLoveless, Kool Kat Cletis & His City Cousins and Sara Rachele! It’s Greaser Night! and a rock-n-roll Showdown at Diesel Filling Station with Kool Kat Rev. Andy! Film Love Presents delivers “Revisiting a Radical Mid-Century American Film Society” at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center with their screenings of Oskar Fischinger’s ABSOLUTE FILM STUDY NO. 11 (1932), ALLEGRETO (1936-1943), MOTION PAINTING 1 (1947), Sidney Peterson’s THE LEAD SHOES (1949) and Lester F. Beck’s UNCONCIOUS MOTIVATION (1949)! Get jazzy at The High with Joe Gransden! The Sean Carney Band blueses it up at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! It’s a night of The Replacements-esque alt rock at Center Stage with The Afghan Whigs! Husky Burnette gets bluesy at the Elliott Street Pub! Rock on down to The Variety Playhouse for a night of rockin’ blues and folk with The Wood Brothers! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Nameless Nameless delivers their Nirvana tribute at The Star Bar! Dale Watson delivers his Texas countrified tunes hailing from 1976 with Amber Digby at Smith’s Olde Bar! Get intimate, Americana-style with ShawnMullins at the Crimson Moon Café! Get electrified with a little Kansas City blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Atlanta Boogie! Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls rocks out at the Red Clay Theatre! Rock on over to The Strand Theatre for an AC/DC experience with Back N Black! Run DMC gets old-school at Piedmont Park during Music Midtown 2014! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Hottie Hawgs BBQ! Get groovy with Voodoo Visionary at Big Tex! Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers a night of old-time string and bluegrass with Roxie Watson and The Pussy Willows! Sandra Hall & the Shadows deliver a night of low-down and dirty blues at Blind Willie’s! 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 dishes out his ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Party, Pet Shop Boys edition 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, September 20

It’s a night of old-time country & western hootin’ and hollerin’ honoring big daddy Hank Williams, Sr. at The Star Bar, with a whole lotta boot-stompin’ shenanigans with Slim Chance & the Convicts, Waller, Kool Kat Phil Stair and GrimRooster, Kool Kat Caroline & the Ramblers, I Want Whisky and RollingNowhere! Get swept away in Japanese culture as the Gwinnett Center hosts the 2-day JapanFest, delivering an extravaganza of traditional Japanese music, food, the history of the kimono, Japanese kites and more!  Big Tex delivers a night of ‘60s Brit rock with The Backyard Birds! It’s day 2 of Music Midtown 2014, so rock on down for a little ‘60s blues/’70s pub rock with The Strypes, a little pop ‘n’ soul with Fitz &the Tantrums, some ‘90s post-grunge rock with Third Eye Blind and some rockin’ blues with Gregg Allman! There’s a bad moon on the rise, so rock on down to The Earl for a night with ATL Collective as they deliver two rockin’ shows paying tribute to Credence Clearwater Revival; CCR’s 1970 “Cosmo’s Factory” at the early show and their 1969 “Green River” album at the late show! The Glenn Phillips Band, Anne-Marie Perry and Cindy Wilson (B-52s) invade the Red Clay Theatre! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles get revved up at Traxx Lounge & Grill in McDonough!Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Get the blues with Big Bill Morganfield at Blind Willie’s! Blues it up at The Family Dog with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Or blues on over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a night with Mr. Chapman’s Quarterly Revue! 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, September 21

Get jazzy at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs at their Big Band Atlanta Jazz Brunch at 12:30 pm! Stomp on down to the Crimson Moon Café for a night with The Howlin’ Brothers! Chris Isaak delivers a night of rockin’ rockabilly at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets rockin’ with Snake Legs!

Ongoing

TheGeorgia Ensemble Theatre presents “Pump Boys & Dinettes” with Kool Kat Dolph Amick through September 28.

Actors Express in Marietta presents their adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” through Oct. 5.

Nerd Film Mafiascreenings at theDiesel 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 gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco 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 Pikeand 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 ofLips 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 Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Retro Atlanta is the bee’s knees this week! Check out all the rockin’ events we’ve found for you! We’ve got classic monsters gettin’ in the ring! We’ve got silent-era movie madness! Get teased with some saucy burly-Q shenanigans! Or get your fill of the best ‘billy and jazz and blues, oh my! Just get out, get mischievous and get Retro!

Monday, September 8

“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! Get retro at The Plaza Theater and celebrate the life of Robin Williams, during their Robin Williams Tribute, with screenings of Joe Johnston’s JUMANJI (1995), Steven Spielberg’s HOOK (1991), Mike Nichols’ THE BIRDCAGE (1996) and Terry Gilliam’s THE FISHER KING (1991), running through Sept. 11! And you won’t want to miss out on their additional screenings of Quentin Tarantino’s 20th Anniversary of PULP FICTION (1994) and Jonathan Demme’s STOP MAKING SENSE (1984), a Talking Heads documentary dubbed as “The greatest rock movie ever made,” celebrating 30 years, also running through Sept. 11! Rock on down to 529 for a night of punk rock shenanigans with White Lung, Mormon Crosses and GangesPhalanges! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste ofBumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Blues on down to Blind Willie’s and get a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues!Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Bellys and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, September 9

Get sci-fi sexy with Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and Syrens of the South as they spice up your naughty little nerdy hearts at the Red Light Café during their Tease Tuesday: Nerdastic!event, with performances by Oracle, Scarlett DeWolf and more!Or stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a little rowdy bluegrass with The Cohen Brothers Band! Boogie down with theBoohoo Ramblers at Blind Willie’s! 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! 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 rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! John Landis will have you beggin’ for more bawdy blues at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen his rockin’ THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, September 10

It’s a silent double-feature tonight at Emory Cinematheque with their 35mm screenings of Victor Fleming’s MANTRAP (1926) and F. Harmon Weight’s MIDNIGHT MADNESS (1928), with world renowned pianist, Donald Sosin accompanying, at White Hall! Garage rock on down to The Star Bar for Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel, Froth, Corners and Wyatt Blair! If you’re gettin’ hitched, get victoriously vintage as Paris on Ponce hosts Marche’s Bridal Bazaar from 6pm to 9pm, with retro shenanigans by the Thimberlig Circus, magician and Clark Gable look-alike, Chad Sanborn and more! Kool Kat Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo rocks out with some blues, jazz and southern soul at Blind Willie’s! It’s a night of bluegrass and blues at Big Tex with Escape Vehicle! Get the blues with a splash of funk at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with The Georgia Flood! Mammal Gallery gets folksy Appalachian-style with Casey Hood, Rattler Snake, Moses Nash and Dylan Valvo! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Andrew Black gets the blues at Blind Willie’s! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, September 11

Come on down to Hell for some rockin’ punk, reggae, Ska and a bit ‘o Dixieland with the Mad Caddies at the Masquerade! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for the Deja Blue Grass Band! Or for a night of flamenco, jazz and Bossa Nova with Julie Galle Baggenstoss at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins delivers a night of rockin’ blues atBlind Willie’s!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! Rock on down to the Clermont for a night with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton and The Ghost Riders Car Club! Montana Skies delivers their guitar and cello rock and classical fusion at the Ferst Center for the Arts! TheGeorgia Ensemble Theatre gets retro with their presentation of “Pump Boys & Dinettes” with Kool Kat Dolph Amick through September 28! 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! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. And get down and dirty with Jake and Elwood Blues as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern screens John Landis’ blues classic, THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, September 12

Kick off the haunt season at the Masqueradewith Monstrosity Championship Wrestling, presented by the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse, Kool Kat Shane Morton, a.k.a. ghost host with the most, Prof. Morte with the Silver Scream Spook Show and Chambers of Horror, with music by Crash Dragon! So hail on down for your grisly fill of monsters, cyborgs, Dragula and zombies and see who comes out of the ring alive! Or come on down to the Wrecking Bar Brewpub and celebrate the “weird and wonderful boob tube” as Blast-Off Burlesque presents their Prime Time 2: Jumping the Shark event! Or steampunk on down to the Red Light Café for DJ Doctor Q’s Atlanta Speakeasy Electroswing Atlanta CON Crash!featuring jazz, Big Band, electronica and a little saucy cabaret and entertainment courtesy of Candi LeCoeur, Miss Benjamin Elizabeth of the Atlanta Burlesque & Cabaret Society and dance lessons provided by Down South Swing! Tonight the International Pop Overthrow (IPO)music festival kicks off at The Star Bar featuring a rockin’ musical line-up with Chuck Yoakum (The Raves) and his ‘80s power pop; a little early ‘90s power pop with Paul Melancon & the New Insecurities; a little taste of everything retro with What the…?; The Soogs; The Hot Placeand their rockin’ post-punk psyche rock; the Dirty Soulsand a little Beatles/Cheap Trickesque power pop with Kenny Howes & the Wow! Blues on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with the Mike Lowry Band! The Electromatics deliver a night of Chicago and West Coast blues at the Northside Tavern! Frank Fairfield gets down-home and old-time at the Crimson Moon Café! Get really retro at the Ferst Center for the Artsas they present Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera, “H.M.S. Pinafore”! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets bluesy with Fat Back Deluxe! Get your ‘80s new wave and power pop fix as The Producers reunite at the Deluth Festival Center! Stomp on down to the Red Clay Theatre for a night with the Cullowhee Band! Make your way to The Strand Theatre for their screening of Sidney Lumet’s cult classic and super soul musical adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz,” THE WIZ (1978)! The Tedeschi Trucks Band delivers some rockin’ blues at Chastain Park! Get your retro rock fix at 529 with The Liverhearts, Brain Box and Bruce Joyner & Atomic Clock! Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers a night of Americana and blues with Heather Luttrell! House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows deliver a night of low-down and dirty blues at Blind Willie’s! Get nitty gritty with the Villain Family while rockin’ under the dinosaurs at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX!Get your fill of your favorite MTV videos with Kool Kat VJ Anthony at his ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night invading Famous Pub every Friday night at 10 pm! 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, September 13

For a little hot swing and old-time sass, stomp on down to The Earl for the Two Man Gentlemen Band and the Hothouse Peaches! Rock on out for day 2 of the International Pop Overthrow (IPO)music festival at The Star Bar with Tony Low; late ‘70s pop with Brent Daniel; some southern gothic and proto alt with Bruce Joyner & Atomic Clock; a little psych and jangle pop with Fake Flowers; retro rock-inspired Mammabear and a whole lotta new wave and power pop with The Shut-Ups! Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles get revved up attheDixie TaverninMarietta!Spook on down to theOakland Cemeteryfor their Malts & Vaults tour, where beer meets history! The Good Gracious Show invades The Variety Playhouse with The Packway Handle Band, Penny Serenade, a little improv and more! Get your ‘60s era blue note, jump blues and jazz fix at the Red Light Café with SQUAT’s 20th Anniversary Show! Sandra Hall & the Shadows deliver a night of low-down and dirty blues at Blind Willie’s! Get the blues with Ike Stubblefield at the Northside Tavern! The hills are alive at The Strand Theatre as they present their THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) sing-a-long! It’s a night of mountain folk rock at The Family Dog with Pioneer Chicken Stand! Stomp on down to Hottie Hawgs BBQ for a night with the Possum Kingdom Ramblers! Get folksy with theCodey Bearden Band at Big Tex! The Hollidays deliver some rhythm and soul at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Smith’s Olde Bar gets old-timey with a little bluegrass and ragtime with the High Strung String Band and the Jugtime Ragband in the Music Room! Or rock over to the Atlanta Room for a night with The Stacktone Slims, Flat Land and Hot Sauce & Honey! Get a second helping of the Cullowhee Bandat the Red Clay Theatre! 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, September 14

Get your rockin’ pop fix during day 3 of the International Pop Overthrow (IPO)music festival at the Red Light Café! Today’s musical line-up includes a little folk rock and power pop with the Last Chance Runaround; a little indie with The Merry Go Rounds; ‘90s rock-inspired power pop with Dot 22; Orange Hat’s psyche power pop and The Sunset District! Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers their Gypsy Jazz Brunch offering up a plate of Hot Club jamming and Parisian Swing with Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonaventure Quartet from 12:30 to 3:30 pm! Big Tex has their Bluegrass Brunch with Cedar Hill! Blues on over to Blind Willie’s for their annual Luau for Leukemia event! It’s Dunch at The Earl with Georgia Slim & the Stovetop Ramblers! Bill Sheffield gets bluesy at The Family Dog! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets rockin’ with Snake Legs!

Ongoing

The Georgia Ensemble Theatre presents “Pump Boys & Dinettes” with Kool Kat Dolph Amick through September 28.

Actors Express in Marietta presents their adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” through Oct. 5.

Nerd Film Mafiascreenings at theDiesel 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 gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco 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 Pikeand 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 ofLips 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 World Famous Drive-Invasion 2014; Turner Field Green Lot (521 Capitol Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30312); Saturday, September 6; Gates open @ 10 a.m.; Admission $25 per person with car or $12.50 walk-up/no car ($26 through Ticketmaster).

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

You can’t keep some things down. When it turned out that the conversion to studio-controlled digital projectors made it impossible for the Starlight Drive-In to continue hosting the annual Drive-Invasion, things looked bleak for a while. But thanks to the tireless efforts of some of Atlanta’s finest, Drive-Invasion has found a new home: Turner Field. They’ll be setting up in Turner Field’s Green Lot and among the attractions you will find a 1000-foot grilling area, Jim Stacy’s Food Truck Midway (serving up a wide array of local culinary delights curated by Pallookaville’s own Mr. Stacy), the Silverscreen Gasoline Car Show (featuring the Discovery Channel CAFÉ RACER host and custom car celebrity, Atlanta’s own Bryan Fuller), an artists’ market, a kids’ play zone and two music stages.

Music-wise, you can expect an ear-filling variety of bands designed for maximum enjoyment before the sun goes down. You want some retro surf-rock action? Step right up and enjoy the sounds of Mystery Men?, Andrew & the Disapyramids (featuring ATLRetro Kool Kat Joshua Longino), and a tribute to the legendary Penetrators. You need some country-fried tastiness? Move it on over to the honky-tonkin’ tunes of Ghost Riders Car Club (featuring Kool Kat Spike Fullerton) and Cletis & His City Cousins (featuring Kool Kat Cletis Reid) . In the mood for some frenzied beat action? Get in the garage with The Brimstones, Rocket 350 and Jimmy & the Teasers. And for straight-up adrenaline-pumping rock and roll, blast off to Bigfoot (featuring Kool Kat Jett Bryant), Dusty Booze & the Baby Haters, Gargantua and The Biters.

But all that is prelude. They call this Drive-Invasion for a reason: drive-in movies. And they’re celebrating the end of the summer with a trio of beach party horror flicks that will keep the mood rocking until the last frame unspools across the screen: THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH, JAWS and MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND.

THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964); Dir. Del Tenney; Starring John Scott, Alice Lyon and Allan Laurel; Trailer here.

THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH answers the question “why only have one Creature from the Black Lagoon, when you can have a whole gang of them?” It tells a story old as time: when radioactive waste is dumped into the ocean, it creates a whole mess of monsters who then rise from the depths to kill innocent teens. It’s then up to young Hank and concerned father Dr. Gavin to find a way to stop the rampaging amphibious creatures. Imagine if HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1996) came out in 1964, and replace the gore and nudity with dancing and stomping beach music (provided by the Del-Aires, with half of their songs and all of the film’s score written by future porn legend Zebedy Colt!). HORROR zips along breezily thanks to director Del Tenney’s sure hand, and thanks to him keeping his tongue firmly planted in cheek. It’s not quite a send-up, but more a lighthearted take on teen horror and beach party flicks, much like INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN (1957).

JAWS (1975); Dir. Steven Spielberg; Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw; based on a novel by Peter Benchley; john oath Trailer here.

Then there’s JAWS. What can one say about this movie? When I was a tyke, it was so effective that even this unabashed horror movie fanatic—as committed then as I am today—believed that there were sharks hiding under my bed. (And yes, I fully grasped the logical problem in that scenario.) JAWS established Steven Spielberg as a Big-Time Director after years of working in TV and smaller-budgeted films like THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS (1974). It also singlehandedly created the modern summer “blockbuster” phenomenon (and simultaneously marked the end of the “New Hollywood” period of the late 1960s and early ‘70s), and its style and craftsmanship has exerted a lasting influence far beyond its immediate impact. It is, in many ways, a nearly perfect movie. Pitch-perfect performances from Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw are wed to dialogue so fresh that it’s still being quoted, imitated and parodied nearly 40 years after the film’s release. Add to that Spielberg’s precise direction, one of John Williams’ best scores and Verna Field’s expert editing, which work together to create an escalating tension that reaches peaks high enough to make you completely ignore the badly malfunctioning mechanical shark.

MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND (1968); Dir. Eddie Romero and Gerardo de Leon; Starring John Ashley, Angelique Pettyjohn and Ronald Remy; Trailer (featuring narration from the legendary Brother Theodore) here.

Rounding out the program is MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND, probably the pinnacle of writer/producer/director Eddie Romero’s Philippine-lensed series of “Blood Island” movies. And while that may sound like a pretty small category for a film to qualify as “the best,” keep in mind that there are something like 10 of them (six in the series, and four tangentially related). In this entry, John Ashley—the co-star of multiple AIP “Beach Party” flicks—stars as a pathologist who turns up at Blood Island to study the health of the natives, only to find mysterious deaths linked to the appearance of what appears to be green blood. Throw in Angelique Pettyjohn, heaps of nudity and gore, some of the most ludicrous pseudo-science ever spouted in a movie script and a rampaging monster that must be seen to be believed, and you have what amounts to one of the most definitive drive-in movies ever created. While it may never be regarded as a cinematic classic, it is an experience that I wholeheartedly suggest you undertake. It’s not for nothing that Eddie Romero was named the National Artist of the Philippines in 2003.

And let me take this time to warn you: to survive your exposure to the energies of MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND and to ward off contagion in the days after Drive-Invasion, you must prepare yourself by taking the Oath of the Green Blood, which will ensure that you will never become a green-blooded monster. Vials of Doctor Lorca’s Green Blood Potion will be available to the first 1000 visitors who stop by the Drive-Invasion booth or Professor Morté’s Silver Scream Spookshow booth. Remember: stay safe. Protection is prevention.

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

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

The Retro menu this week is rockin’ with swell shindigs! Come on out and get your classic film fix! Check out the rockin’ ‘billy vibes! Boogie on down with all the blues, jazz and funk you could desire! And get filled to the rim with all the classic car and drive-in B-movie horror you could ever want! So, get off that couch and get Retro!

Monday, September 1

There’s no time for the Monday blues! It’s day four and your last chance to get geeky and sci-fi retro at the 28th Annual premier sci-fi convention, Dragon*Con! Come on down for a Victorian Technology panel, GI Joe cartoons, an All Star ‘80s Reunion, a Q&A with Colin Baker, the 6^th Doctor, the Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary in Review, Horror’s Heritage panel, Godzilla Theatre and so much more! 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! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and some finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, September 2

Get jazzy tonight at Eddie’s Attic with Joe Gransden’s Jazz Jam Session! Or stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for the raging old-time fiddle tunes of the Locust Honey String Band! Atlanta Boogie gets vintage with a little Kansas City and West Coast blues at Blind Willie’s! 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! 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. Spend the night with misfit, Jeff Spicoli at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen Amy Heckerling’s ‘80s teen comedy, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, September 3

It’s a night of film noir and infamous lovers at Emory Cinematheque during their 35mm screening of Joseph H. Lewis’s loose adaptation of Bonnie & Clyde, GUN CRAZY (1950) at White Hall! Rock out with some old-school-inspired tunes at The Earl with Starfighter, Black Linen and Brawful! Or get your punk, sci-fi and blues fix at The Star Bar with Dinos Boys, Dirty Fences, Onchi and The Rodney Kings! Swing on by East Atlanta’s Graveyard Tavern for their Graveyard Swing Night, held the first Wednesday of every month, promising an evening of swingin’ jazz and jive with the Savoy Kings! It’s a night of rivalry, ex-lovers and sexual conquest as Actors Express in Marietta presents their adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” through Oct. 5! Get the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Frankie’s Blues Mission! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Andrew Black gets the blues at Blind Willie’s! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, September 4

Rock out with some retro ‘70s bar rock at The Earl with the Barreracudas, Apache and Fletcher C. Johnson! Get jazzy at Eddie’s Attic with the Grant Green, Jr. Band! 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! Stomp on down to Blind Willie’s for a night of bluesy Americana with Heather Luttrell! 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! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.It’s fast times at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as they screen Amy Heckerling’s ‘80s teen comedy, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, September 5

Get retro with a bunch o’ laughs at The Plaza Theater and celebrate the life of Robin Williams, during their Robin Williams Tribute, with screenings of Joe Johnston’s JUMANJI (1995), Steven Spielberg’s HOOK (1991), Mike Nichols’ THE BIRDCAGE (1996) and Terry Gilliam’s THE FISHER KING (1991), running through Sept. 11! Or get your New Wave art rock fix with The Plaza’s screening of Jonathan Demme’s STOP MAKING SENSE (1984), a Talking Heads documentary dubbed as “The greatest rock movie ever made,” celebrating 30 years! And you won’t want to miss their screening of Quentin Tarantino’s infamous, PULP FICTION (1994), also running through Sept. 11!

Kool Kat Talloolah Love joins the naughty shenanigans of the Clubesque Cabaret Show at Center Stage! Rock on down to The Star Bar for their “Drive-Invasion Pre-Game Party” and punk out with The Cheats, Billy Joe Winghead, the Night Terrors and the Revolving Beast! Or stomp on down to The Earl for a little roots, blues and punk mayhem, with Tiger! Tiger!, Daddy Longlegs, The Myopic I and The Fringe Factory DJs! Stomp on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with Owner of the Sun, Battlefield Collective and Wwaylon in the Atlanta Room! Or rock over to the Music Room for a 20th Anniversary reunion concert with Dayroom and special guests, Kick the Robot! Rock out with Drivin’ ‘N Cryin’s Kevn Kinney at the Crimson Moon Café! Make your way to The Strand Theatre for their screening of Robert Mulligan’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), with a pops variety show and sing-a-long at 7:30 pm! Ragtime on down to the Red Light Café for a night with Sans Abri and Caleb Warren & the Perfect Gentlemen! Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs delivers a night of badass Americana and folk with the Lindsay Rakers Band, City Mouse and the Book Club Band! Sandra Hall & the Shadows deliver a night of low-down and dirty blues at Blind Willie’s! Skank on down to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX for a night of Ska and reggae under the dinosaurs with Lowdive!Get your fill of your favorite MTV videos with Kool Kat VJ Anthony at his ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night invading Famous Pub every Friday night at 10 pm! 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, September 6

Kool Kats and Kittens! Get yer greaser, ‘billy, pin-up, classic horror and B-movie drive-in fix all in one place today! Rev on down to Turner Field as Drive-Invasion 2014 takes over during their all-day event with a whole ‘lotta shakin’ shenanigans! You won’t want to miss The Silverscreen & Gasoline Car Show, Jim Stacy’s (Pallookaville) Food Truck Midway, an artists’ market, vintage and classic horror vendors, rockin’ tunes and when the spookiness creeps in, you won’t want to miss three classic drive-in flicks [Del Tenney’s THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964); Steven Spielberg’s horrorific watery summer classic, JAWS (1975) and De Leon and Romero’s bloody classic, MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND (1968)]! The musical line-up for the Side Stage will be a little surf rock with the Mystery Men?, a little surf, spy and spaghetti western with The Penetrators Tribute, a little rockabilly with Kool Kat Cletis Reid & His City Cousins, a beach party throw down with Kool Kat Joshua Longino with Andrew & the Disapyramids, some down and dirty ‘billy with Dusty Booze & the Baby Haters and some early ‘60s punky vibes with Jimmy & the Teasers! Or rock out on the Main Stage with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton and The Ghost Riders Car Club, a little garage rock with The Brimstones, Big Foot delivers a whole ‘lotta ‘70s rock, Kool Kat Phil Stair brings back some revved out ‘billy with Rocket 350, rock out Viking style with Gargantua and get your retro punk fix with The Biters! This event is the coolest little shindig in town, so come by and say “Hey” to a few of our favorite folks; 2the9s Retro and Jezebel Blue (see our Shop Around Feature on this swanky duo here), Kool Kat Shane Morton, a.k.a. ghost host with the most, Prof. Morte with the Silver Scream Spook Showand so many more! Rev on down and get Retro!

Get rowdy at the Red Light Café with the Folk Soul Revival and Hannah Zale! Or spend the night at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for their ‘60s rock reunion with Radar! Stomp on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Michelle Malone! Get funky at Smith’s Olde Bar with Flow Tribe and Jerry on the Moon! Get your ‘90s alt-rock fix at the Buckhead Theatre with Better Than Ezra! The Sweet Auburn String Band gets rowdy bluegrass-style at The Family Dog! Get your southern rock and blues fix at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre with ZZ Top! Blues it up at Blind Willie’s with House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows! 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, September 7

Jazz on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for their Deb Bowman Jazz Brunch at 12:30! Rock on down to the Crimson Moon Café for their Boomers Gone Wild event, delivering a night of ‘60s and ‘70s covers! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets bluesy with Fat Back Deluxe!

Ongoing

The High Museum gets revved during their ‘Dream Cars; Innovative Design, Visionary Dreams’ exhibit, featuring forward-thinking auto designs from 1932 to the present, running through September 7! (LAST CHANCE!)

Actors Express in Marietta presents their adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” through Oct. 5.

Nerd Film Mafiascreenings at theDiesel 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 gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco 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 Pikeand 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 ofLips 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.

To some, Dragoncon (Aug. 28-Sept. 2) is a five-day visual feast of costumery, to others a cosplay playground. A chance to meet, listen to and get the autograph of a favorite celebrity. Or the ultimate marketplace for all things phantastique. Sooner or later, however, all the Kool Kats find their way to Comics and Pop Art Alley. Two levels beneath the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Here you’ll find not only top nationally known comics artists but some of Atlanta’s finest creative talents from Kool Kats Chris Hamer to Derek Yaniger, aka DerekART, who designed ATLRetro’s swingin’ logo.

One of our favorite local artists who’ll be lurking in the Alley this year is Dante DeStefano, the dark art mistress extraordinaire of Rag Bone Studio. Dante began her art career as a freelance illustrator focusing on painting with traditional media and illustrating children’s books. She developed a signature style of spooky-cute art, which she displays in galleries and conventions around the southeast United States.

ATLRetro caught up with Dante to find out more about what attracts her to creepy things that go bump in the night, what she’ll be doing at DragonCon and her latest excapades honing her skills as an animator and visual development for film, television and new media.

ATLRetro: How did you get into art and comics?

Dante DeStefano: Like many artists, I’ve been drawing and making things since I can remember. I’ve never been one to stick to any one medium for very long. I love creating and I want to try everything. I’m an illustrator, painter, animator, sculptor, puppet builder and seamstress. I got into making art because it feels good to create and to enjoy the creations of others. My brother, Nic, is also an artist, cartoonist and game developer. He helped foster my love of drawing. I got into comics by visiting comic book stores with him when we were kids.

Who are a few of the artists who inspired you then and now and why?

My favorite comic when I was a kid was Walt Kelly’s POGO. I didn’t get a lot of the political jokes then, but I loved copying the characters from the strips, and as a native Georgian, the fact that it was set in the south resonated with me. Around that same time was when I heard my first Tom Waits album, THE BLACK RIDER. The imagery that danced around in my head was so vivid. I still draw inspiration from those daydreams and his music. Synesthesia is a great tool for me.

As far as comics go, I discovered Dianne DiMassa thanks to Charis Books when I was 15. HOTHEAD PAISAN is still my favorite comic book. It was my gateway into underground comix. As a young, queer, Italian myself, Hothead became a sort of demented role model for me. DiMassa and Allison Bechdel were great queer cartoonist trailblazers for the pre-web-comic era.

I also admire Wayne White for his uncontainable body of work and multiple careers. From puppets to animating to sculptures, I love artists who to do everything they can get their hands on.

How would you describe your own work, and what might ATLRetro readers be familiar with?

My own work is definitely on the cartoony side. I’m all about designing original characters. A lot of my characters have a heavy Fleischer animation influence. A lot of my paintings and animations feature monsters, freaks and spooky things. I have displayed paintings in some local galleries, including Homegrown Decatur. Readers might be interested to know that I illustrated album covers and T-shirts for Blair Crimmins and the Hookers.

Many of our readers indeed are big fans of Blair Crimmins. Any story behind how you met him and your work with him?

I heard “Old Man Cabbage” on WRAS a few times. Whenever I heard that song, a brilliant haunted house scene that looked like it came right out of Fleischer Studios would play in my head. I didn’t catch who the band was until I heard an interview with Blair on that same station. I bought that album and immediately began drawing and painting the characters that popped into my head while it was playing. I emailed him pictures of the paintings that were inspired by his music. Before I knew it, I was meeting with the music man himself and painting a cover for STATE HOTEL featuring those characters.

There’s so much to do at DragonCon. Why should attendees be sure to visit Comics and Pop Artist Alley?

Everyone should visit the Artist Alley because that is the heart of the so-called “comic convention.” Before costumes, movie stars and parties, there are the artists who come to show you their original content. This is where the creators are, newbies and old pros. Artists’ alley is where you can meet and support artists directly. We come out to table at these cons because we are excited to meet you and to show our work. It’s especially a great way to discover your new favorite artist. Plus, you might be able to get a custom commission right at the con!

What are you bringing to Comic and Pop Artist Alley?

I have an exciting new line of limited edition art toys that my partner Colin and I have made by hand. Each one is based off of an original character and hand-painted. I will also have original paintings (large and small), a series of art prints, T-shirts and greeting cards. Most importantly, I’ll be offering sketches and commissions on-site!

Do you do commissions outside of conventions?

Absolutely! This is a great time of year for commissions. I do a lot of them around the winter holidays. One of my specialties is spooky skeleton portraits. I like doing portraits and caricatures in general. If you have any requests, you can send them to dante@ragbonestudio.com.

What else are you working on now? I understand you have an exciting new animation project.

Yes! I am making a film called MUSEUM OF MONSTER ART. It’s a short 2D traditional animation, based off of MONSTERS, my first art show at Kai Lin Art (Gallery). In this version, a young artist meets a monster who helps draw a crowd of his monster friends to her show. It features a lot of my characters from paintings that I made for the exhibit, both in the characters and the backgrounds. My crew and I are finishing up the rough animation at the moment. I’ll be submitting my film to festivals in the winter, but ATLRetro readers can see more at www.monsterartfilm.wordpress.com.

2009 Burlesque Hall of Fame, Photo by Ed Barnes

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Eva, “Torchy Taboo” Warren, a.k.a. the “Godfather of Atlanta Burlesque” and Atlanta’s Neo-Burlesque Revival, is back again with a va-va-voom vengeance! What began with a Bettie Page Lookalike Contest at DragonCon in the mid-1990s has come full circle, and has earned this hot mama a coveted Lifetime Achievement Award, or “Sassie Lassy” at the 2014 Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender in Las Vegas in June 2014! With this award in tow, Eva is ready to set the stage aflame again during Nayeli Belly Dance Troupe’s presentation of A GROWN AND SEXY AFFAIR: SOME LIKE IT HOT! burlesque a-go-go shindig at TheGoat Farm Arts Center, this Saturday, August 30! [March 2011; see ATLRetro’s Kool Kat feature on Torchy Taboo, here]

ATLRetro caught up with Eva for a short interview about her Phoenix-like revival, her newly acquired Sassie Lassy and her admiration for Atlanta’s burlesque community and family.

ATLRetro: Can you tell us about the award and what it means to you?

Eva: The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekdender is the Olympics of Burlesque. I was the first-runner up in 2005 and this award, the Sassie Lassy is an award given to veterans and icons of the international burlesque scene. The award is given out for different things, but I received it as a lifetime achievement award. I got it for pioneering the burlesque revival in the mid-90s and the award means the motherfucking world to me! I was actually dumbfounded! Having been a stripper for 30 years and performing burlesque for 19, it redeemed my dream that stripping can be an art form. It was such an honor to be on that stage. It’s a thrill every time!

June 2014 Sassie Lassy being presented by Elvez

What is your take on the current Neo-Burlesque scene in Atlanta? How do you feel to be back home?

As I have recently re-entered the scene, after taking a personal hiatus, I am so honored, humbled and inspired to be a part of it again. I’ve been drawn and sucked back in wholeheartedly! They have “lit a fire under my rear” so to speak, and as I have returned to Atlanta, my heart was overwhelmed with love after receiving the award and I wanted to bring that back to my girls here.

Who would you say is your burlesque heroine?

Miami 2008 – photo by Art Basil

I’ll say that my heroine is Ursula Undress. [September 2013; see ATLRetro’s Kool Kat feature on Ursula, here] Not only does she run the Atlanta School of Burlesque, but she’s always taken good care of me, has gone far out of her way for me. She’s definitely been an inspiration!

Any advice for gals (or guys) who want to tease it up in the land of burlesque?

My advice is that it’s an art form. You owe your audience to be entertaining. You owe your muse to be original. Sex, humor, shock and awe! That’s what it’s about. You have to dig deep and pull it out. That’s the secret! You’ve got to bring your heart and soul to the stage. Be playful and enjoy it!

What’s new for Torchy Taboo?

Big things are in the works! I will be producing again on the hot and heavy! It’ll be like the Fourth of July! It’ll be a “raising of the bar”. I just want to remind everyone that, Torchy Taboo is back!

All photographs are courtesy of Eva Warren and used with permission.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor/Contributing Writer

Hey all you Kool Kats and Kittens! Jump, jive and wail in Retro Atlanta this week! We’ve got all the sci-fi geekery your hearts could desire! We’ve got a whole lotta honky-tonk shenanigans! We’ve got film noir, horror gore and ‘80s mishaps in film this week! And you won’t want to miss all the blues, punk and rock ‘n’ roll mischief! So, get out and get Retro!

Monday, August 25

Punk on down to 529, for a rockin’ night with the Crocodiles, Sisu and Shantih Shantih! It’s a bloodbath at The Plaza Theater during their screening of the 40th Anniversary Edition of Tobe Hooper’s infamous horror thriller, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974), through Aug. 28! Get funky and groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste ofBumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Blues on down to Blind Willie’s for a night with Barrelhouse BobPage!Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast and some finger lickin’ BBQ! And come on down to Petite Auberge as they serve up some specialties through Aug. 28 in celebration of their 40th Anniversary! (see our Happy Hour & Supper Club Review of Petite Auberge here)!

Tuesday, August 26

The Clean delivers a night of ‘70s New Zealand punk at The Earl with the Boogarins! Get your retro rock and ‘50s and ‘60s pop fix at 529 with Sonny & The Sunsets, Cheap Time and Landline! Stomp on down to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for a night with the Atlanta Bluegrass All Stars! Blind Willie’s delivers a night of the blues with Timo Arthur! Rock on down to Eddie’s Attic for a night with Ed Roland & the Sweet Tea Project! Make your way to Big Tex for a night with Moira Nelligan & The Dixie Jigs and their old-fashioned Americana! The Bob Page Trio delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Boogie on down to The Star Barand get groovy at The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne’s Funk Royale featuring DJ Quasi Mandisco every Tuesday! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern. The Northlake Festival Movie Tavern delivers a night of ‘80s comedy with Eddie Murphy as they screen Martin Brests’, BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, August 27

Get fatally vintage at Emory Cinematheque’s 35mm screening of Arthur Ripley’s film noir classic, THE CHASE (1946) at White Hall! For a night of surf, traditional and garage rock, make your way to The Earl for Sol Cat, Concord America and Lowbanks! Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Get the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Frankie’s Blues Mission! 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! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! Alex Gordon Hi-Fi delivers his smooth retro tunes at the Elliott Street Pub! Juke joint it up at Blind Willie’s for a night of hill country blues with John Sosebee! TheMike Veal Band gets funky and rocks out at the Tin Roof Cantina! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, August 28

Get ‘yer medieval geek on at the The New American Shakespeare Tavern as they host their Much Ado About Nerddom II: A Geeky Variety Show, featuring Three Quarter Ale, Ninja Puppet Productions, a magic show by Matt Felten and bawdy burlesque by Musee du Coeur! Or get bizarre, David Lynch-style, with pie and coffee at Mary’s during their Twin Peaks Prom, promising haunting doo-wop melodies, costume contests and dramatic readings of Laura Palmer’s secret diary! Stomp on down to The Star Bar for a night with Cute Boots, Joe Smith & the Going Concern and The Greater Vavoom! Or make your way to Eddie’s Attic for a whole lotta Americana with Jackson County Line! Or get your bluegrass fix at the Red Light Café with the Sweetwater Creek Bluegrass Band! It’s a Smithereens Tribute at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room with Nine Times Blue! Or make your way to the Music Room for a retro rockin’ good time with Autumn Attics and Sodajerk! Aerosmith invades Philips Arena with their classic rock! The Rockaholics rock out blues and soul-style at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a night with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and his Polynesian pop lounge band,Tonga Hiti and a couple Mai Tais! Punk out with Kool Kats, The Joy Kills at the Clermont Lounge! 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! The Shadows get bluesy 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 it’s your last chance to get your Detroit detective fix at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Martin Brests’, BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) during their ‘80s Flashback series at 7:30 pm!

Friday, August 29

Get your uber geek on, starting today, as the 28th Annual premier sci-fi convention, Dragon*Con, kicks off, running through Sept. 1! It’ll be an event chock full of rockin’ retro shenanigans, including sci-fi classics, alternative history, comics, pop-art, fantasy, horror, paranormal, sci-fi literature, Star Wars, Tolkien, Star Trek and more! Tonight’s events include, but are not limitedto,‘Ye Medieval Boogaloo: Return of MST3K Night, Part II The Sequel’, hosted by Kool Kat Daniel Griffith and MST3K creator, Joel Hodgson; an Inter-galactic Military Ball, a Pin-Ups by the Pool Party, a Vintage Vogue Fashion Show and so much more!

Surf on down to The Earl for a rockin’ night with The Blasters, The Forty-Fives and Grinder Nova! It’s a night of surf punk and garage rock at the Basement with Sex BBQ, Dirty Lungs and Imagination Head! Stomp on down to the Red Light Café for a night of old-time Americana with Mr. Blue Sky, Battlefield Collective and The Ain’t Sisters! It’s a night of tributes at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Last Waltz Ensemble and Convoy! Blues it up at Eddie’s Attic with Rocco Deluca! Pick on down to the Crimson Moon Café for a night with Smokey’s Farmland Band! 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! Stomp on down to The Loft for a night with the Kudzu Kings, The Sundogs and TheHoly Ghost Electric Show! Father Murphy delivers a night of psychedelic rock doom at Eyedrum! Swing on by the Atlanta Botanical Garden for a night with Lyle Lovett & His Large Band! Get psychedelic at the Northside Tavern with Swami Gone Bananas! Tony Levitas delivers a night of retro rock at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Or blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and get mischievous with The Unusual Suspects! Sandra Hall & the Shadows deliver a night of low-down and dirty blues at Blind Willie’s! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! Get your fill of your favorite MTV videos with Kool Kat VJ Anthony at his ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night invading Famous Pub every Friday night at 10 pm! 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, August 30

It’s day 2 of the 28th Annual Dragon*Con! So, sci-fi it up with a whole lotta retro goodies! You won’t want to miss the Dragon*Con Parade at 10 am; the Late Night Sci-Fi Theatre’s presentation of Andrew Jordan’s classic horror flick, THINGS (1989) and a 25^th Anniversary Party; Kool Kat Talloolah Love’s Glamour Geek Review; Lips Down on Dixie’s largest Rocky Horror Picture Show event; the Hero’s & Villains Ball and so much more!

The Star Bar’s Labor Day Weekend Beat BBQ Blowout is tonight, featuring a whole lotta retro rock, with The Woggles, Muck & the Mires and The Mystery Men?! Kool Kat Eva “Torchy Taboo” Warren and many more get bawdy tonight at The Goat Farm Arts Center during Nayeli Belly Dance Troupe’s presentation of A GROWN AND SEXY AFFAIR: SOME LIKE IT HOT! It’s a night of glam rock at 529 as the Wham Bam Bowie Band rocks out with their David Bowie tribute! Kool Kat Colonel Bruce Hampton gets absurd at the Red Light Café with the Madrid Express! The Northside Tavern delivers a night of the blues with the Randy Chapman Trio! Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with The Western Sizzlers and The El Caminos! Put on those dancin’ shoes and get ready for a night of retro rock, Motown, funk, Big Band and more at The Basement for Electric Western’s Keep on Movin’ Rock and Soul Dance Party! Get southern-fried at the Crimson Moon Café with EG Kight! The Strand presents “The Color Purple the Musical,” the Broadway musical based on Alice Walker’s classic novel! The Hollidays deliver their rhythm and soul at The Family Dog! It’s a night of Dixie blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Seminole Jackson! Blues it up at Blind Willie’s with House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows! 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, August 31

It’s day 3 of the 28th Annual Dragon*Con, so sci-fi it up and get geek-filled with a whole lotta shenanigans, including a Zombie Prom, radio theatre, a Masquerade and so much more! Get psychedelic at The Earl with the Mood Rings, Part Time and Sea Lions! It’s a night of Django-Reinhardt gypsy swing as Annie Sellick & the Hot Club of Nashville invades Eddie’s Attic! Big Tex has their Bluegrass Brunch with Rye Baby! Blues it up at The Family Dog with Bill Sheffield! Make your way to theCrimson Moon Café for The Tom & Julie Show featuring tributes to tunes from the 60s to the 90s! And Fat Matt’s Rib Shack gets bluesy with Fat Back Deluxe!

Ongoing

The High Museum gets revved during their ‘Dream Cars; Innovative Design, Visionary Dreams’ exhibit, featuring forward-thinking auto designs from 1932 to the present, running through September 7!

Nerd Film Mafiascreenings at theDiesel 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 gets groovy with The Funk Godfather, DJ Romeo Cologne and DJ QuasiMandisco 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 Pikeand 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 ofLips 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.