ATLRetro

Tuesday, October 29

If you’re craving some old-school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some rockin’ BBQ or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues or hit up Blind Willie’s for the rockin’ blues of The Cazanovas! For a night of vintage pop and retro doo-wop rock n roll, make your way to The Earl and take in a little Lightnin’ Ray & The Mystics, Schooner and Fox Grin! Steve’s Live Music hosts Brillig, hailing all the way from Australia to deliver their toe-tapping traditional Americana and folk rhythms! Get rebellious and rock on over to the Masquerade for a night of ska, punk and old-school roots with Big D and The Kid’s Table, Survey Says!, Rebuilder, Red City Radio and Look Alive! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm. The Entertainment Crackers gets bluesy with their folksy Americana sounds at the Northside Tavern. For a night of electric voodoo boogie, check out Black Mother Jones along with the rockin’ Americana blues of Frank Bang & The Secret Stash at Smith’s Olde Bar! And come on out for a slashing good time at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as Michael Myers massacres his way through John Carpenter’s classic HALLOWEEN (1978) in their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ screening at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, October 30

It’s Halloween-Eve, so come get haunted and rocked at the The Star Bar as they host their Night Before Halloween Party featuring a goodie-bag of retro tribute goodness!  The Deluxe Interiors punk it up with a tribute to The Cramps while TV Dinner’s Tivo gets new-wavy and electronic with their covers of Devo!  Get ready for a bloody, gory night of shock rock as Gwar massacres with their ‘blood, guts and screamin’ steel’ at the Masquerade! Or, spook on down to The Goat Farm Arts Center for a horrorific evening of blood-sucking monsters and terror with their screening of F.W. Murnau’s NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (1922) with an eerie live original score from Felipe Barral at 8:30 pm! Dress up as your favorite dead celebrity and boogie on over to Mary’s for their Dead Celebrity Awards Bash featuring DJ King Atlas and a killer party you won’t want to miss! Emory’s Schwartz Center hosts a night with Count Dracula and a Transylvania March as Timothy Albrecht terrifies in this spooktacular organ recital at 8 pm! Head on over to Emory’s White Hall for a night of absurdity as Emory’s Cinematheque screens Preston Sturges’ THE LADY EVE (1941) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda in their American Comedy Classics series at 7:30 pm! Rock on over to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues! Catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Get red hot and low-down at Blind Willie’s for the rockin’ blues of the Electromatics! Or come get funky at the Elliott Street Pub for the retro jazzy prog rock sounds of Myles Brown! It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.  Get old-school heavy at The Shelter for their Dark Retro Night for an evening of hard electro, industrial and dark retro at 9 pm! And don’t forget to let John Carpenter mess with your mind at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern as his classic, HALLOWEEN (1978) has you on the edge of your seat in their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ matinee at 11:30 am!

Thursday, October 31

AND IT IS FINALLY HERE! That most haunted and sacred day of spooks and ghouls, so pull out your costumes and get spooky and see what ghostly galas Retro Atlanta has in store for you! Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a couple Mai Tais and a spooky Halloween beach bash featuring Kool Kat Joshua Longino and Andrew & the Disapyramids and the spooktacular go go showgirls, Dames Aflame! Or, spook on down to The Goat Farm Arts Center for a horrorific evening of blood-sucking monsters and terror with their screening of F.W. Murnau’s terrifying  NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (1922) with an eerie live original score from Felipe Barral at 8:30 pm! For a night of Halloween tribute bands and horror rock, make your way to the Clermont Lounge as The Red Phantoms rock out to the tunes of the Misfits, the Pelvis Breastlies give an all-female rockin’ tribute to the ever devilish and sexy Elvis and Kool Kats Ryan Howard, Derek Obscura and Jamie Robertson of the Casket Creatures wake you from the dead with their horror punk from the unknown! The Shelter shakes it up with their Retro 80s/90s Halloween Night Bash haunting the night with rare Halloween music videos, costume contests and spooky goodies! Boogie on down to Mary’s and show off your crazy at the Pandemonium Halloween Takeover promising a night of Glitter Rock Euphoria, Bowie and the like! The Euclid Avenue Yacht Club gets wicked at their Annual Halloween Bash haunted by DJ Evil Jet and a night of spooky tunes and creepy good times! Or rock on over to The Star Bar for their 23^rd Annual Halloween Blowout for a night of rock and shock featuring Cousin Dan, Little Tybee, Cute Boots, Conveyer and much more! And it’s your last chance to get terrified with Michael Myers and his psychosis as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern screens John Carpenter’s classic HALLOWEEN (1978) in their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ screening at 7:30 pm!

Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get a taste of some ramblin’ rockin’ blues at Blind Willie’s with the Stooge Brothers while Rick Booher & The Soul Machine liven’ it up with their high energy funky soul at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs or maybe head on over to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Stomp on over to the Variety Playhouse for a night of foot stompin’ Polyethnic Cajun ‘slamgrass’ reverberating from Leftover Salmon and The Packway Handle Band with special guests Col Bruce Hampton and Count Mbutu!  Catch the bluesy folk jazziness of The Cumberland Collective at Eddie’s Attic!  The Red Light Café delivers some traditional blues and new-school soul with the Cedric Burnside Project and an energetic night echoing New Orleans’ jazz and ragtime Dixie land with The Jugtime Rag Band! And rock on over to The Earl for the raw, glam vocals of Sonic Youth’s founder Thurston Moore’s new project, Chelsea Light Moving!

Friday, November 1

Today is Day 1 of the Backbone Fest celebrating creative and rockin’ women! So, guys and gals, come get sassy and make your way to the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge for the saucy burlesque of Kool Kat Darcy Lemmonier, Kitty Capone and Josephine la Boheme! DJ Taradactyl gets retro as she spins some classic dance and Disco! Delicious food and good times will be had, so, come on out and spend the night with some rockin’ chicks and insane talent!

Rock on over to Smith’s Olde Bar and support the Atlanta Food Bank during The Smithereen’s Green Thoughts 25^th Anniversary Tribute event featuring the sounds of Starr*Hustler, Nine Times Blue, Jonathan Gale, The Bitteroots, Kenny Howes and The Wow! and many, many more! So, come on and dance the night away and rock out to support a great cause! Get dolled up and pin-striped and head on down to The Ferst Center for the Arts as they get swingin’ with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy!  Or get low-down and dirty with the outlaw, psychedelic junkyard folk sounds of Rolling Nowhere, the nitty gritty foot-stompin’ sounds of the Villain Family Band and the ‘gypsy punk garage grass’ of Strung Like A Horse at The Star Bar! Get funky at the Crimson Moon Café with Missy Raines & The New Hip! Boogie on down to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX for a cocktail or two and dance the night away with the rollicking blues of The Breeze Kings!

Saturday, November 2

It’s Day 2 and your last chance to spend a day with some kick-ass ladies at the Backbone Fest held at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge!  Get your fill of the Americana, punk-swing nostalgic sounds of the 20s with Megan Jean and the KFB or take in the rockin’ soul of Sioux City Sue!  Sex BBQ gets kinky and will take you on a rockin’ haunted journey while Lily & The Tigers deliver their gothic Americana rock! So, don’t miss this day chock full of lady kick-assery!

Today’s your last chance to kick some zombie tail and exterminate the undead at the Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse (AZA)!  Come on out, prepare to cry and come get your zombie fightin’ skills on! Michael “Papa Nez” Nesmith, formerly one-quarter of The Monkees, takes over the Variety Playhouse with a soulful, folky set! The Red Light Café gets swanky as Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonadventure Quartet gets to rockin’ with their Django gypsy-jazz! Get your dancin’ shoes on and 40’s attire and swing on by the Kennesaw State University Center as they kick off their 6^th Annual ‘1940s Swing Dance’ for an evening of live Big Band music with The Peachtree Jazz Edition’s 18-piece orchestra! Rock on over to The Star Bar and get an earful with Spindrift jammin’ out to their ‘psychedelic spaghetti western grind-house’ rock, John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives, Blake Rainey & His Demons and the foot-stompin’ bluegrass of the Skylarks! Slip on down to The Shelter as DJ BC hosts Atlanta’s monthly mashup bootleg party, Bootie ATL #15! Dress like a pirate, get in free! You don’t want to miss DJ Supercrunk as he spins his mashup album ‘I Heart Bowie’! The Crimson Moon Café hosts the legendary Randall Bramblett and his folky pop-rock! Steve’s Live Music gets rockin’ with the Electromatics while Tony Holiday & The Velvetones get blues funky at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! Head over to Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck belts out those rockin’ blues! And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, November 3

Start your day with a Bluegrass Brunch with the Georgia Mountain Stringband at Big Tex in Decatur from 11am to 1 pm.  Get jazzy at lunch with Deb Bowman and her sultry standards at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs at 1 pm.  Hey ladies! Shimmy on over to the Red Light Café for Kitty Love’s Boudoir Blitz and let Kitty Love of Cheeky Belles Burlesque teach you how to let loose your inner sultry kitten!  And it’s your second chance to catch Kool Kat Amy Pike and the Bonadventure Quartet jive with their Django gypsy-jazz at The Earl!  Get bluesy as Fatback Deluxe belts out their retro blues, soul and jazz from the 40s, 50s and 60s at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!  Stroll on down to the Northside Tavern for the sounds of Uncle Sugar or make your way to Eddie’s Attic for a night of rootsy blues Americana with Marshall Ruffin! And it’s your last chance to catch Wes Craven’s 90’s horror ‘who-done-it’ thriller, SCREAM (1996)  at the Cinefest!

(Kitty Love)

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. (LAST CHANCE!)

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 3. (LAST CHANCE!)

Chambers of Horror, Atlanta’s adults-only haunt behind The Masquerade, has come a long way baby from a torture porn extravaganza to a creepy crawl through a septic, gritty underworld. Open through Nov. 2. (LAST CHANCE!)

Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery’s who-done-it mystery dinner show, ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ runs from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6.

Fox Theater’s Ghost Light Tours spook from Oct. 26 through Oct. 30. (LAST CHANCE!)

The Basement Theater presents THE ROCKY HORROR PUPPET SHOW live on stage! Admission includes audience participation goodie bags to play along, so come out and get naughty with those sexy, sexy puppet aliens from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2. (LAST CHANCE!)

Atlanta Lyric Theater gets jazzy with the GUYS AND DOLLS from Oct. 25 through Nov. 10.

Cinefest screens Wes Craven’s 90’s horror ‘who-done-it’ thriller, SCREAM (1996) from Oct. 27 through Nov. 3. (LAST CHANCE!)

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
Contributing Writer

Retro Atlanta promises a week of spooky haunts and rockin’ tunes you won’t want to miss! Come on out and play, retro-style, from the 20s to the 90s we’ve got every flavor you crave! And don’t forget about those horrificly spooktacular films of yesteryear that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat during this eerie season! So get scared, get to dancin’ and join us in Retro Atlanta! 

Joe Gransden.

Monday, October 21

Blind Willie’s has a cure for your manic Monday funk, so come get revived with the old-timey rockin’ blues and roots jive of Midnight Revival! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month. Head on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for some fingerlickin’ BBQ and a side of Dry White Toast!  Get down with the dirty folk stylings of The Moondoggies and some extra dirty psychedelic ‘garbage’ rock with Rose Window at The Earl!  For a night of old school, underground punk, take a walk on the wild side and get rebellious in Hell at the Masquerade with The Casualties, Negative Approach and The Stitches! Come get your geek on and experience the “rock and roll fable” that is The Protomen at VINYL!  Or head on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for some Texas indie folk rockin’ blues with No Dry County and the Gravel Kings!

Tuesday, October 22

If you’re craving some old-school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some rockin’ BBQ or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues or hit up Blind Willie’s for the all-star blues, jazz and no holds barred sounds of The Ringers! The Earl is delivering up some post-punk rustic folk as Saintseneca and Hare of the Hounds rock the stage! Mosey on down to Steve’s Live Music for their Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam featuring The Night Travelers!  Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm. The Entertainment Crackers gets bluesy with their folksy Americana sounds at the Northside Tavern. Rock on down to Eddie’s Attic for some ‘junk folk’ and roots rock with Rusty Belle and Barnaby Bright! Check in at the Bates Motel as Northlake Festival Movie Tavern terrifies in their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ presentation of Alfred Hitchcock’s slasher masterpiece, PSYCHO (1960) at 7:30 pm!

Wednesday, October 23

Get electrified with the Sparks as they rock out to some synth-pop dance and trance in their Revenge of the Two Hands One Mouth Tour at the Variety Playhouse! Get jaunty and make the front page with Cary Grant in Howard Hawk’s classic newspaper comedy, HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) at Emory’s Cinematheque in their American Comedy Classics series at Emory’s White Hall at 7:30 pm! Blues it on down to Eddie’s Attic for some old-time roots and New Orleans-style blues with the creator and former lead singer of Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies himself, Mike Farris! For some roots reggae and funk, Smith’s Olde Bar has you covered with Mario Diaz & the Natty Roots! Tonight, it’s the rockin’ boogie-woogie-man Bob Page vs. the rockin’ bluesman Eddie Tigner in Dueling Pianos at Blind Willie’s! Rock on over to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues! Catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. If you’re hunting for something a bit more sinister, rock on over to The Earl and meet your fate with the late 70s, early 80s doom metal band, Saint Vitus, or get old-school heavy at The Shelter for their Dark Retro Night for an evening of hard electro, industrial and dark retro at 9 pm! Come see what a real (disturbing) mama’s boy looks like in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, PSYCHO (1960) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern for their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ in their matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Thursday, October 24

Get goth and downward spiral your way to Phillips Arena as Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails industrialize the stage with their Tension 2013 Tour! It’s a special Retro Video Night at The Shelter as they kick off their Nine Inch Nails After Party playing classic NIN’s music videos, with a free shot to NIN ticket stub holders! Make a trek through the universe as The Village Theater presents CAPTAIN’S LOG, a completely improvised hodge-podge of galactic proportions at 11 pm!  Or Time Warp it on over to The Basement Theater and catch their presentation of THE ROCKY HORROR PUPPET SHOW live on stage! Admission includes audience participation goodie bags to play along, so come out and get naughty with those sexy, sexy puppet aliens! Rev on over to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night of boogie-woogie rockabilly with Bill “the Titan of the Telecaster” Kirchen, former member of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen!  For a night of raw funk and heavy soul, head on over to The Earl as Georgia Soul Council, DeRobert & The Half Truths and AJ & The Jiggawatts take over the stage! Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get down and dirty with the ‘Dude’ and his bowling pals at The Plaza Theater and savor The Coen Brothers’ THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) during their Fall Focus on Directors series at 9:30! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get a taste of the blues with Sweet Betty & The Shadows at Blind Willie’s while “Frankie Lee” Robinson belts out the blues in Frankie’s Blues Mission at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! For a little early 90s indie rock, head on over to the Variety Playhouse and check out Built to Spill! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Get melted with some island funk and a few cocktails at Trader Vic’s as Tracey Wolfe and the Volcanauts burn down the house! It’s a night of mountain music and foot stompin bluegrass as City Mouse and the Georgia Mountain String Band with special guest, Joshua Black take the stage at the Red Light Café! And it’s your last chance to glimpse into the mind of the horror master himself as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series presents Alfred Hitchock’s PSYCHO (1960) at 7:30!

Friday, October 25

Rock on up to Heaven at the Masquerade and experience the new-wave, science-fiction-inspired rockin’ synthesis of the one and only, Gary Numan along with the electronic punk rock sounds of Board of Whores!  Or get haunted and dressed to kill and spook on down to The Shelter as they kick off their Halloween Costume Bash with a night of rockin’ music and rare Halloween music videos!  Jazz it on down to the Crimson Moon Café for some good ole’ ragtime and 20s jazz with the sounds of Blair Crimmons & The Hookers or rock on down to the Red Light Café to catch Kevn Kinney of Atlanta’s Drivin’n Cryin’ get folky in the dirty, dirty! Let The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater revive you with the sounds of John Fogerty!  Get heavy at The Star Bar with the retro English rock and new-wave sounds of Starfighter or mosey on down to VINYL for some hoodoo funky rockin’ blues as Voodoo Visionary takes the stage!  Get low-down as Spanky & The Love Handles belt out some funky, dirty blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack while Sandra Hall & The Shadows rocks the blues at Blind Willie’s! Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck  takes the stage at Northside Tavern, beltin’ out those rockin’ blues! Juke it on down to Terminal West for that dirty juke joint sound of Vintage Trouble!  Boogie on down to Big Tex and catch the rockin’ sounds of The Rainmen as they belt out that 60s and 70s rock and roll or swing on down for an evening of rockabilly with Atomic Boogie at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! Get spooked as the Oakland Cemetery captures the spirit of Oakland in their Halloween Tours! It’s your only chance to rendezvous with the ghosts of Atlanta after dark, so come on out and make new ghostly pals and maybe even a kindred spirit! Tours begin at 5:30 pm! The Atlanta Lyric Theater kicks off their presentation of that great American classic comedy that’ll have you tappin’ your toes and throwin’ them bones right alongside those jazzy GUYS AND DOLLS! The Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event gets spooky with their Fright Night and Halloween Dance Party! Dress to thrill (or maybe kill!) and come rattle your bones with the swanky retro sounds of Bogey and the Viceroy, while sipping some devilishly delicious cocktails!

Katy Graves and son Nick in Spooky Partridge. Photo courtesy of Katy Graves.

Saturday, October 26

Come see what’s strange and spooky at The Odd’s End as they host a free Halloween show featuring the quirky art rock band, Pillage and Plunder as well as BB’s Blowdown and the family band like no other, Spooky Partridge, rockin’ out to some Beatles, Ramones and MC5-inspired tunes at 1 pm! Get really retro and head on over to the Opera Atlanta Event Center for The Speakeasy Cocktail Festival: Halloween Prohibition-era Gala at 1:30 pm! Experience the entire culture surrounding ‘hooch’ and explore the world of gambling, cigars and cocktails and flapper girls in their sultry 20s-themed speakeasy! So drag out those pearls and pinstripes and boogie on down with the sounds of the 20s!

Spook on down to Grant Park and get cozy with the goblins as the Krewe of Grateful Gluttons puts on their Halloween Lantern Parade led by the high energy Black Sheep Marching Ensemble, gettin’ brassy and eerie in the dark at 6:30 pm!  Or make your way to the Fox Theater as they kick off their Ghost Light Tours, introducing you to their resident spooks at 7 pm! Come get 80s cool with Kook Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade as they deliver their retro tunes at Sports Time Grille’s Halloween party in Deluth!  The Basement gets rockin’ as Electric Western presents their Keep on Movin’ Rock and Soul Dance Party! So, put on those dancin’ shoes and get ready for a night of retro rock, Motown, funk, Big Band and some jumpin’ blues at 10 pm!

Come check out some 80s experimental indie rock at the Tabernacle as Neutral Milk Hotel and Half Japanese deliver an evening of retro rock and old-school punk!  Leon Redbone gets jazzy with his blues standards at Eddie’s Attic while Mission South folks it up at The Family Dog! The Jason Pastras Trio takes over Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with their alligator-style funky swamp blues while Red Light Café offers a night of rockin’ bluegrass and Americana with Copper Into Steel and Blackfoot Daisy! Get real bluesy at Blind Willie’s with the old-timey blues sounds of John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band or head over to Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck belts out those rockin’ blues! 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 27

Start your day with a Bluegrass Brunch with the The Porch Bottom Boys at Big Tex in Decatur from 11am to 1 pm. Get haunted and catch a glimpse of the infamous deformed Phantom, played by Lon Chaney in Rupert Julian’s silent horror flick, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925), accompanied by the eerie underscoring for the film provided by organist Ron Carter at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in historic Marietta Square at 3 pm! Come early for a spooky sing-a-long and pops pre-show at 2:30!  For a night of phantoms and haunts, take a trip to the Atlanta Symphony as they conduct their annual spooktacular ‘The Phantoms of the Orchestra’ featuring the Magical Circle Mime Company! Roll on down to The Earl for an evening of punky bluegrass and rowdy folk with the high energy wailings of Larry & His Flask, Onward, etc., and The Law Band! The Family Dog presents the bluesy sounds of the Jez Graham Trio and Francine Reed while Fatback Deluxe belts out their retro blues, soul and jazz from the 40s, 50s and 60s at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!  Head on over to Smith’s Olde Bar for some funky soul with Mingo Fishtrap! Get Irish and retro folky and stomp on down to the Variety Playhouse for some foot-stompin’ Celtic rock and roll with The Waterboys! Blues it on down to the Northside Tavern for the sounds of Uncle Sugar! Cinefest begins their screening of Wes Craven’s 90’s horror ‘who-done-it’ thriller, SCREAM (1996) which runs until Nov. 3^rd! And it’s your last chance to hang out with the ‘Dude’ in the Coen Brothers’ THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series and don’t forget to head back to catch their Cineprov group as they heckle Sean S. Cunningham’s 80’s classic horror, slasher flick, FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) at 7:30 pm!

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks every weekend from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27. (LAST CHANCE!)

Oakland Cemetery’s Halloween Tours haunt  Thursday & Sundays 5:30 – 9:30, Friday & Saturdays – 5:30 – 10:30, so, come on out for their spooky one-hour ghost tours! It’s your only chance to rendezvous with the ghosts of Atlanta after dark! Runs Oct. 18 through Oct. 27. (LAST CHANCE!)

Serenbe Playhouse’s THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE chills and thrills from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31.

Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery’s who-done-it mystery dinner show, ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ runs from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6.

Fox Theater’s Ghost Light Tours spook from Oct. 26 through Oct. 30.

The Basement Theater presents THE ROCKY HORROR PUPPET SHOW live on stage! Admission includes audience participation goodie bags to play along, so come out and get naughty with those sexy, sexy puppet aliens from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2.

Atlanta Lyric Theater gets jazzy with the GUYS AND DOLLS from Oct. 25 through Nov. 10.

Cinefest screens Wes Craven’s 90’s horror ‘who-done-it’ thriller, SCREAM (1996) from Oct. 27 through Nov. 3.

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
Contributing Writer

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

Monday, October 14

Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and forget all about the Monday Blues with the soulful vocals with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Head on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast with some finger lickin’ BBQ!  And get yer rockin’ blues and soul fix with Brandon Reeves at Blind Willie’s! 

Tuesday, October 15

If you’re craving some old-school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some rockin’ BBQ or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues or hit up Blind Willie’s for the BB King and Ray Charles sounds coming from Timo Arthur! Mosey on down to Steve’s Live Music for their Bluegrass pickin’ and Folk Sing-a-long, led by Hank Weisman! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm. The Entertainment Crackers gets bluesy with their folksy Americana sounds at the Northside Tavern. Do you believe in the boogey man? Sleepwalk on down to Elm Street and get haunted in your dreams as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern terrifies in their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ presentation of Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) at 7:30 pm!

Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics

Wednesday, October 16

Get ready to roll on the floor and laugh out loud as Emory’s Cinematheque pulls all the punches in their American Comedy Classics series and catch their screening of Leo McCarey’s THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937) starring Cary Grant at Emory’s White Hall at 7:30 pm! Put on your dancin’ shoes and skip on over to East Atlanta’s Graveyard Tavern for their Graveyard Swing Night, held the first Wednesday of every month (schedule will be back to normal in November), promising an evening of swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie with the Savoy Kings! The Star Bar is ready to feed your ears with the rockin’ sounds of Rodney “The Pie Guy” Henry of the Glenwood Popes and t.v. superstar pie maker along with special guests, VITO ROMEO featuring members of The Booze, Sharp Dressed Lads and Don Dupree! Or make a trip to the Tabernacle for a night of 50’s and 60’s soul and R&B presented by the groovin’ Kool Kats Ruby Velle & the Soulphonics!  Head on over to Blind Willie’s for some straight out blues and rock and roll with the foot stompin’ sounds of Andrew Black!  Rock on over to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues! Catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Whatever you do…don’t fall asleep! Because you won’t want to miss a single terrifying second as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series’ presents Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) in their matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Thursday, October 17

Hey all you dapper little children! Are you ready for a zoot suit riot!? What about that rockin’ devilish swing your mama warned you about?  Get rebellious! Put on your dancin’ shoes and hop on over to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night of maniacal swing from the one and only Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, kings of the 90s swing revival and King Daddy Pole Cats, that will leave you breathless and begging for more! Former member of The Cramps, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds headline at The Star Bar, so come on and rock out! Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get chipper and head on down to The Plaza Theater for a taste of The Coen Brothers’ FARGO (1996) during their Fall Focus on Directors series at 9:30! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get whiskey-soaked and foot stomped with the Americana and blues wailings of Heather Luttrell & The Possum Den at Blind Willie’s while Donna Hopkins spreads her swampy funk with a dash of John Lee Hooker at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a few cocktails with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and his Polynesian pop lounge band, Tonga Hiti! It’s a night of jazzy swing with a taste of Ella at the Red Clay Theatre as Annie Sellick’s Quartet takes the stage at 8 pm! It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. And it’s your last chance to get fatally up close (if you dare!) to that horrifying dream master himself, Freddy Kreuger, as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series presents Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) at 7:30!

Friday, October 18

Get spooked as the Oakland Cemetery captures the spirit of Oakland in their Halloween Tours! It’s your only chance to rendezvous with the ghosts of Atlanta after dark, so come on out and make new ghostly pals and maybe even a kindred spirit! Tours begin at 5:30 pm! Ferst Center for the Arts hosts The Hot Club of San Francisco, a jazzy gypsy ensemble, as they present “Cinema Vivant”, an evening of vintage silent films accompanied by the sounds of Django Reinhardt’s gypsy swing and 1920s Paris at 8 pm!

If you’re craving something a little more sinister, a little more over-the-top, spend an evening in Hell at the Masquerade with ‘Dracula’s nasty little brother’ and carnival barker better known (or maybe not) as Unknown Hinson, adding a little psycho overdrive to that ‘billy music of the 50s and 60s!  Or head on down to the Star Bar for a rockin’ night out with Stallion, preceded by a guzzlin’ good time with Dusty Booze & The Baby Haters of the ‘late scumbag revival’ beltin’ out those rockabilly tunes as well as Banned in ATL, a tribute to the 80s punk-core band Bad Brains! Get a taste of the Rockaholics and their bluesy renditions at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack while Blind Willie’s hosts House Rocker Johnson & The Shadows! Steve’s Live Music gets jazzy with the rockin’ folky blues of Randall Bramblett! Cha-cha on down to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX for a cocktail or two and dance the night away at their Salsa Dance Night featuring the Salsambo Dance Studio!

Get comfy and cozy with the creatures of the night at The Plaza Theater for their October Fright Fest featuring the horror films of yesteryear and a frightening good time! Get horrified as you view the German expressionistic film, directed by F.W. Murnau, NOSFERATU (1922) releasing the darkly morbid, blood-sucking beast, Vampire Count Orlok to the masses, James Whale of Universal Pictures’ FRANKENSTEIN (1931) starring Boris Karloff as The Monster, the Halperin Brothers’ WHITE ZOMBIE (1932) featuring Bela Legosi, James Whale’s THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) starring Claude Rains and Herk Harvey’s film that inspired the wickedly disturbed mind of David Lynch, CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962). It’s an evening of shock and terror you won’t want to miss!

Saturday, October 19

Today is the day all you ghosts and goblins have been waiting for! Little Five Points business district hosts its 13th annual Little Five Points Halloween Festival & Parade!  So, come on out dressed to the nines in your spookiest Halloween costume and get haunted! Get fed! Get rocked! And get your flesh to the best Halloween parade in the south!  The event wakes from the dead at noon and haunts until 11 pm, with an artists’ market, food venders including Palookaville, the Naked Donut Company and many more as well as two stages for live entertainment, The Jagermeister Stage, located in Findley Plaza and the Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stage located in the The Star Bar’s parking lot.  The spooktacular parade of horror runs from 4 to 6 pm and promises to spook even the bravest of the brave, so pick a spot and hold on tight!  Get your faces rocked off with Kool Kats galore and more at the Jagermeister Stage! Mercury Orkestar, a spitfire gypsy brass band will have you boogyin’ at 1 pm. Grim Rooster with Kool Kat Phil Stair gets down and dirty with that high energy rockin’ rockabilly at 2 pm.  Kool Kat Julea Thomerson & Her Dear Johns goes on at 3 pm, with their banjo’n foot stompin’ honkytonk while Cletus & His City Cousins will keep you dancin’ with that rockin’ big rig honkytonk at 6 pm! Kool Kat Caroline Hull Engel and her band The Ramblers will have you up and dancin’ with some heated classic rockabilly at 7 pm!  For some ‘gypsy punk garage grass’, Strung Like A Horse promises to deliver at 8 pm followed by The Higher Choir beltin’ out that roots rock and soul at 9 pm.  Head on over to the Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stage for a deadly good time as Kool Kats Ryan Howard, Derek Obscura and Jamie Robertson of the Casket Creatures wake you from the dead with their horror punk from the unknown at 2 pm.  Walk From the Gallows will keep you rockin’ with their retro-inspired rock/country at 3 pm.  After the parade surf on back to catch up with Kool Kat Joshua Longino and Andrew & the Disapyramids as they throw an unforgettable Halloween beach party at 6 pm! The Biters will get a taste of your flesh at 7 pm followed by Stonerider and their bitchin’ retro rock at 8pm!  The Locksmyth, reminiscent of Tom Waits and The Kinks will have you on your toes at 9 pm followed by Jungol gettin’ David Lynch-y and rockin’ you at 10 pm! You won’t want to miss out on the best Halloween festival around, so drag your warm bodies out of bed and head on down to Euclid Avenue!

Andrew & the Disapyramids.

Tonight is 80s night at the Variety Playhouse as the Yacht Rock Review performs their ghoulish October tradition of performing Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, in its zombified horrific entirety, followed by their MTV Party to Go! where you can embrace your inner neon child and dance the night away to the dance music of ’87 to ‘92 at 7:30 pm!  If you need a little more hard-core 80s, rock on over to the Drunken Unicorn for a  night of Guitar Wolf, those rockers from Japan who’ll leave you begging for more of their Ramones and rockabilly sounds! Watch out ladies! If you want his body, and you think he’s sexy, come out and spend the night with Rod Stewart as he takes over Atlanta at Philips Arena with Steve Winwood!  If you need something a little on the mellow side, check out Audience Wanted: An Eclectic Evening of Dance presented by the Georgia Ballet with dance accompanied by the music of Nat King Cole and other jazz legends at the Marietta Performing Arts Center.  The Bitteroots’ tangy, soulful funk can be found at Big Tex while The Boohoo Ramblers will make you boogie-woogie on down at The Family Dog.  Fat Matt’s Rib Shack offers their ‘retro rock repertoire’ with The Tone Prophets while Francine Reed gets intimate and bluesy wild at Blind Willie’s.  For some countrified blues, head on over to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for the Tom Lennon Band! And to get a taste of some true ‘punk grass’ bluesy Texas swing, boogie on over to the Red Clay Theater to spend an evening with Grace & Tory, The Wicks and Penny & Sparrow at 8 pm! 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 20

Witness the truth and come celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the most horrific broadcast of the 20th century, Orson Welles’ 1938 War of The World broadcast that terrified the nation, presented by the Atlanta Radio Theater Company at the Morris & Rae Frank Theater’s production of WAR OF THE WORLD: THE UNTOLD STORY in Dunwoody! Find out what really transpired on this one day only event where you learn about the martian invasion that began it all and how the extermination of humanity was really averted! You won’t want to miss this truly momentous revelation with only two showings at 2:30 and 7:30 pm!

Start your day with a Bluegrass Brunch with the Decatur Bluegrass Association at Big Tex in Decatur from 11am to 1 pm.  Get a sneak peak of the choreography of Gathering Wild Dance Company’s newest creation, Circa 50, in their free event at Dance 101, ‘Party Like it’s 1955’ throwing a 1950’s style party from 4 to 6 pm!  Get funky at The Earl with Grupo Fantasma’s Latin Funk Orchestra and Heavy Chevy!  The Family Dog presents the bluesy sounds of the Jez Graham Trio and Joe Gransden while Fatback Deluxe belts out their retro blues, soul and jazz from the 40s, 50s and 60s at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!  The Appleseed Collective offers a little of their ragtime, sweaty soul at Smith’s Olde Bar while Poor Old Shine gets down and dirty with some foot stompin’ Americana at Eddie’s Attic! Blues it on down to the Northside Tavern for the sounds of Uncle Sugar or come out and experience the Joni Mitchell Tribute Dinner Show at 6 pm, featuring Margo Bernstein, Kim Chamberlain and more at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! And it’s your last chance to find out what really happened in the Coen Brothers’ FARGO (1996) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series!

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks every weekend from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27.

Oakland Cemetery’s Halloween Tours haunt  Thursday & Sundays 5:30 – 9:30, Friday & Saturdays – 5:30 – 10:30, so, come on out for their spooky one-hour ghost tours! It’s your only chance to rendezvous with the ghosts of Atlanta after dark! Runs Oct. 18 through Oct. 27.

Center for Puppetry Arts’s THE WIZARD OF OZ follows the yellow brick road until Oct 20. (W-F 10 & 11:30, Sat 12 & 2 and Sun 1 & 3 pm) (LAST CHANCE!)

Serenbe Playhouse’s THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE chills and thrills from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31

The Stage Door Players’ presentation of THE ANDREW BROTHERS: A MADCAP MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE SWINGING 40s swings from Oct. 10 through Oct. 20. (LAST CHANCE!)

Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery’s who-done-it mystery dinner show, ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ runs from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6.

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.

Joe Gransden.

by Melanie Crew
Contributing Writer

Be good little children and see all there is to see in Retro Atlanta!  We promise to make even the dullest week a thrill! Retro Atlanta has whatever floats your boat, from stimulating performances to terrifying spooks to rockin’ shows that’ll keep you coming back for more! So get out there and enjoy life! 

Monday, October 7

If Monday’s left a dirty taste in your mouth, come on and get nitty gritty with Scott H. Biram at The Earl for some funky blues and honkytonk punk! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and get the blues at Lola’s famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month. Head on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast with some finger lickin’ BBQ!  If you need a little bloody excitement in your life, a little who-done-it dark comedy and murder, stake out Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery for their presentation of ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ The blood bath begins at 7:30 pm. Head on down to the The Plaza Theater as they screen Hector Babenco’s ‘film within a film’ and sinister love story of suspense and betrayal, in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (1985) during their Pride Film Festival at 7:30 pm! 

Tuesday, October 8

Get teased! Get frightened! Head on down to The Shelter for Kool Kat Katherine Lashe’s Syrens of the South in their ballyhoo of an event, Tease Tuesday: Halloween Edition featuring the spooktacular and zesty acts of Torra Torrid, Violetta Lugosi, Kool Kat Ursula Undress, Ruby Redmayne, Tru Bliss, Candi Le Coeur and many more! It promises to be a horrorfest of burlesque and singers and acrobats, OH MY!

Rev on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for the swingin’ honkytonk surf sounds of Izzy and the Catastrophics! If you’re craving some old school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some rockin’ BBQ! Swing on down to Steve’s Live Music to witness the veterans of bluegrass with a hint of swing, the 8th of January! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm or head on down to Eddie’s Attic for the thundering hardcore Americana sounds of Tim Eriksen’s Trio de Pumpkintown!  Blind Willie’s offers some foot stompin’ bluegrass with the Boo Hoo Ramblers while The Entertainment Crackers blues it up with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern. Get rowdy with a little early 90s Indie rock Seattle grunge at the Drunken Unicorn with Thee Quasi, Jeffery Lewis and Glen Iris! For a night of shocking, terrifying cinematic slasher satisfaction, spend an hour or two (if you’re not too chicken!) with your favorite masked villain mama’s boy, Jason Vorhees, at the screening of Sean S. Cunningham’s  FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) as Northlake Festival Movie Tavern gets bloody in their Retro Cinema Scares! series, or if you need something a little more undead, stagger on over to The Plaza Theater for Splatter Cinema‘s zombified screening of George Romero’s classic, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) at 9:30!

Wednesday, October 9

Take a trip down the yellow brick road and make your way to the Center for Puppetry Arts and say ‘Hey!’ to Dorothy and her pals in their presentation of THE WIZARD OF OZ with two showings at 10 and 11:30 am!  Come get swept away with the dreamy Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as Emory’s Cinematheque screens Frank Capra’s IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) at in their American Comedy Classics series at Emory’s White Hall at 7:30 pm.

Hey you rude boys and girls! Pull out those dusty old braces and boots and head on down to The Loft to get your fill of the 80s and 90s ska/punk revival with The English Beat or rock on down to  the Masquerade as the Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters and Left Alone leave you two-toned, out of breath and begging for more! Have a bad-ass blues chick night at The Earl with the Chicago-blues and 60s vintage rock sounds of Eileen Jewell or roll on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for the ‘root rocker’, blues and soul queen Nikki Hill! Head on over to Blind Willie’s for some blues, jazz and southern soul with Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo or rock on over to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues! Catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and it’s Widespread Wednesdays at Big Tex featuring the funky rockin’ sounds of Sugarfoot! Get to pickin’ at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Battlefield Collective! It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Get slashed at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series with Sean S. Cunningham’s  FRIDAY THE 1th (1980) matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Thursday, October 10

Boogie on down to Variety Playhouse for some terrifying funk from beyond the grave with Here Come the Mummies, wrapped to the nines in their best funeral attire! Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling premiere of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, directed by Brian Clowdus.  Get spooked! Get thrilled! Be the Headless Horseman’s next victim! Catch SONG OF THE LIVING DEAD as Dad’s Garage Theater Company presents this hilarious ghoulish tale! For something a little more retro, a little more swingin’, head on up to Dunwoody and take in the Stage Door Players’ presentation of THE ANDREW BROTHERS: A MADCAP MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE SWINGING 40s!  Come get risqué at Smith’s Olde Bar as they host The Lipstick Junkies’ Show, featuring Black Caviar and Ray of Sunshine in their exciting event where ‘Vegas and Vaudeville meet the Cotton Club’!  Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. A night of rockin’ blues with Beverly ‘Guitar’ Watkins will be had at Blind Willie’s while the Red Light Café’s howlin’ with The Howlin’ Brothers and their old timey blues and bluegrass show! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Chill on down to Trader Vic’s for a couple of cocktails with DJ Yvonne Monet as she kicks off Pride Weekend.  It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter.  Tonight’s a night of shock-filled cinema that will leave you on the edge of your seat, so come on down (If you dare!) and check in at the Overlook Hotel, although we can’t promise you’ll check out in Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING (1980) at 7:15 and 9:45!  And it’s your last chance to get victimized in Sean S. Cunningham’s FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series at 7:30! And Ghost Riders Car Club honytonks it up at the Clermont Lounge.

Jayne County and the Electrick Queers

Friday, October 11 

Finally! Get outrageous and rock on down to The Star Bar for Georgia’s home-grown CBGB pioneer and international punk rock sensation that is Kool Kat Jayne County and her Electrick Queers where she’ll be rockin’ out to her greatest hits! It’s Steampunk Friday down at the Edgewood Speakeasy ElectroSwing Atlanta, featuring DJ Doctor Q, so, be unique and fabulous and a little curious as you catch a glimpse of what lies hidden behind that secret door! The Variety Playhouse promises a night of rock and roll with the sounds of Reptar, reminiscent of a little Talking Heads, a little Prince and a little Jackson 5 all rolled up into one rockin’ show! Jump ‘n’ jive on down to the Crimson Moon Café for the ragtime, viper jazz, country swing sounds of Woody Pines and The Howlin’ Brothers! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack has some vintage-style blues with Atlanta Boogie while Blind Willie’s hosts the “Empress of the Blues” herself, Sandra Hall & The Shadows! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern to catch the madness and absurdity that is, Colonel Bruce Hampton as he slings over 50 years worth of that funky, jazz-infused rhythm! If you’re itching for some bonafide New Orleans-style brass standards, head on down to the Elliot Street Pub for the brassy Wasted Potential Brass Band! Maybe catch a glimpse of Old Blue Eyes as The Electromatics revive a little Sinatra and a little of that Chicago/West Coast swing under the dinosaurs while sipping a cocktail at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event.

Saturday, October 12

Have your cake and eat it too, with a little ink on the side! Today’s the day, the Day of the Cupcake with Mary Antoinette in their annual charity affair! Head on down to Sacred Heart Tattoo and get your fill of sweets and maybe a little pain with a $50 cupcake tattoo for a good cause and maybe you’ll be spared Ms. Antoinette’s blood lust! Sacred Heart has teamed up with the divine domestic goddesses, The Sugar Dolls in their effort to raise awareness and support for Atlanta’s Lost & Found Youth, a charity that helps homeless LGBT youth in Atlanta! So, if you have a heart (sacred or not) and an undeniable sweet tooth, come on down, get poked, get fed and support a wonderful cause! The event runs from noon until 7 pm, with an after party at The Star Bar, where the first fifty (who are lucky enough to keep their heads) will receive free Marie Antoinette door prizes! The after party will be swingin’ with musical performances by The Swingthrower Ensemble, The Vauxhall Garden Variety Players with Maria Nicholas, Jeffrey Butzer and a fabulous and sultry burlesque performance by Sadie Hawkins! Heads will be rolling, so come on down! Decorate parasols! Eat cake! Get a tattoo! Taste the Green Fairy! Support a great cause!

Chickens and Pigs throws a downright hootenanny for its first new CD in years at Big Tex. For all that is dark and sinister, you won’t want to miss out as Danzig brings his 25th Anniversary Tour to Atlanta at Center Stage! So, if you’ve been lusting for that hardcore heavy metal of yore and you’re ready rock out, come on down! Get rebellious at 529 as they offer a night reminiscent of Bikini Kill, The Ramones and a little nostalgic punk with Lust Cats of the Gutters while the Highlander brings back the sounds of The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Social Distortion with a taste of the Cadillac Junkies! Head on down to the Northside Tavern to catch that funk-sensation and bluesy jazz legend, Ike Stubblefield or to The Family Dog as The Hollidays sling their 60s soul and rock n roll or maybe groove on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack  to get a taste of The Stooge Brothers’ brand of funky blues while you chomp on some awesome BBQ! Smith’s Olde Bar gets down and dirty with Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, while Joe Nemeth, the ‘natural-born Bluesman’ throws down his deep and soulful sounds at Blind Willie’s! 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.

Kitty Love.

Sunday, October 13

Cheeky Belles Burlesque presents Kitty Love’s Sultry Sunday Burlesque’s Sci-Fi Fantasies & Haunting Tails Halloween Show at the Red Light Café! You won’t want to miss tributes to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy characters!  Be a part of this steamy event with performances by Kitty Love, Angelica Vice, Lah Lah Luscious, Salvador Chali, Sinamon T. Wisted, Dirty Harry and many more! Costumes are encouraged, so if you want to get a little risqué and spooked all in the same entertaining evening, come on down! Show begins at 8 pm!

Stroll on down to Atlanta Orchestra’s Symphony Hall as the legendary powerhouse Michael McDonald showcases the guttural bluesy sounds that have made him a household name!  Head on down to The Earl and get your kicks with a little garage, disco, punk-infused rock with the Electric Six!  The Family Dog presents the bluesy sounds of the Jez Graham Trio while Fatback Deluxe belts out their retro blues, soul and jazz from the 40s, 50s and 60s at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!  Blind Willie’s presents their Luau for Lukemia, so come on and get bluesy deep while supporting a great cause!

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks every weekend from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27.

7 Stages presents THE NAVIGATOR, through October 13. Watch for a Kool Kat of the Week interview with Composer Klimchak soon!

Center for Puppetry Arts’s THE WIZARD OF OZ follows the yellow brick road until Oct 20. (W-F 10 & 11:30, Sat 12 & 2 and Sun 1 & 3 pm)

Serenbe Playhouse’s THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE chills and thrills from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31

The Stage Door Players’ presentation of THE ANDREW BROTHERS: A MADCAP MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE SWINGING 40s swings from Oct. 10 through Oct. 20.

Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery’s who-done-it mystery dinner show, ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ runs from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6.

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!’

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
Contributing Writer

‘This Week’ in Retro Atlanta promises to excite and terrorize all in the same wicked breath! ‘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 festivals galore, get out, get hip and get Retro while the gettin’s good!

Monday, September 30

Mondays may get you down, but not in Retro Atlanta! Forget the drudgery of the workweek and head on over to The Earl for the Legendary Pink Dots, offering up decades worth of Anglo-Dutch experimental rock! If that doesn’t whet your willy, chill on out with Barrelhouse Bob Page at Blind Willie’s or come on over to the Northside Tavern for the blues-stylings of Lola and her Blues Jam. Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month. Pork it up with Pead Boy & The Pork Bellies at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.  If you’re up for some teenage shenanigans, come celebrate Samantha Baker’s 16th birthday at The Plaza Theater’s Mascara Movie Monday screening of John Hughes’ SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) at 7 pm.

Tuesday, October 1

Get haunted on this first day of this hallowed month of shock and horror with cult legends Goblin, the Italian Soundtrack Kings, as they kick off their virgin American tour at The Loft  promising to deliver a terrifying evening that will go beyond shock with echoing screams from their scores in Dario Argento’s horrifying masterpieces,  DEEP RED (1975), SUSPIRIA (1977), TENEBRAE (1982) and so many more!  Get mortified at the Masquerade’s annual Chamber of Horror Haunted House which opens tonight and spooks the entire month of October. One way or another, she’s gonna getcha! Head on down to the Buckhead Theater to catch the infamous platinum rocker chick and CBGB regulars, Blondie with Special Guest X at 8 pm. If you’re craving some old school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some finger lickin’ BBQ! Get to pickin’at Steve’s Live Music for their weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam with the vintage 20s fiddlin’ stylings of the Georgia Crackers.  Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm.  The Hollidays bring their take on 60s soul and rock n roll at Blind Willie’s. Northlake Festival Movie Tavern begins their Retro Cinema Scares! series with Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) at 7:30 pm and if you fail to remember the infamous three rules, we can’t promise you’ll make it out alive!

Wednesday, October 2

Descend into the late 80s, early 90s grunge heyday and get your fill of the raucous rock n roll styling of Mudhoney at The Earl.  The legendary group, Earth, Wind & Fire bring their Now, Then & Forever tour to the Fox Theater to celebrate their 20th studio album.  Head on over to Blind Willie’s for that deep blues sound of the Little G Trio with Little G. Weevil, or if you prefer the piedmont blues, come on down to the Northside Tavern and kick off your shoes with Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck.   Fat Matt’s Rib Shack serves up the vintage blues stylings of The Georgia Flood, while Steve’s Live Music hosts the funky and folk sounds of Heidi Pollyea. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Learn why you should always listen to your parents and never break the rules at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series with Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Andrew & the Disapyramids.

Thursday, October 3

Catch the film that launched the darkly comedic duo, The Coen Brothers into the cinematic world with BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series. Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a rockin’ beach party and a couple of cocktails with Andrew & the Disapyramids.  Get a second chance to catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter.  And it’s your last chance to get cuddly with Gizmo while the naughty Gremlins wreak havoc in Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series at 7:30!

Friday, October 4

Catch a wave with the legendary Brian Wilson, (w/ Al Jardine and David Marks) of the Beach Boys and the English rock guitarist Jeff Beck at Chastain Park. If you need to be revived, head on down to Eddie’s Attic for the pickin’ sounds of Steve Forbert, slingin’ Americana before it became trendy followed by The Honey Dewdrops and Red June offering up some Appalachian-style roots tunes.. Come rock out with Aimee Mann, former member of Boston’s 80s punk band, The Young Snakes and the new-wave band, ‘Til Tuesday, at the Variety Playhouse. Salsa under the dinosaurs while sipping a cocktail at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event with the high-energy Orquesta Macuba!

Saturday, October 5

Run off with the circus, a carnival of debauchery and fantasy with The Sexual Side Effects’ Rock-n-Roll Circus! The ever-mysterious Kool Kat Amber Taylor electrifies the way with their high-voltage post-punk, new wave space rock promising to satisfy every desire! Join the sin-sation of delights and get your kink on with a night of side shows, burlesque and rock-n-roll at the Drunken Unicorn.  Slip on down to The Shelter as DJ BC hosts Atlanta’s monthly mashup bootleg party, Bootie ATL #15! Dress like a pirate, get in free! You don’t want to miss Kool Kat Taloolah Love, burlesque superstar, seduce her way into your hearts at the Midnight Mashup Show!

Come get some pop culture, monster-style with Kool Kat Chris Hamer of Urbn Pop, as well as many other local artists and musicians at the Rev Fall Fest at Rev Coffee in Smyrna from 10 am to 8 pm.  Head on over to Avondale Estates and kick off your shoes as the Avondale Arts Alliance presents the AutumnFEST, a two-day arts and music festival with a musical line-up that aims to please! Cruis-O-Matic rolls out the dance floor with their high-energy 60s tunes, so don’t forget your dancin’ shoes while Saturday night’s headliner is The Whiskey Gentry, described as a “toe-tapping, steamrolling kind of band. Its fingers picking deep into fields of bluegrass, with a punk-inspired kick drum.”

Rock on down to the Mable House Barnes Ampiteather for their Candlelite Concert Series in Mableton and rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt as he belts out those rockabilly tunes with the Psycho-DeVilles. Lola & the Blues Ladies will be wailing it out southern soul-style at the Northside Tavern, so grab a drink and come on down!  If you’re hankerin’ for that swamp pop, Cajun swing, head on over to Big Tex to catch Zydeco Ya Ya.  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.

Get horror-struck as Six Flags kicks off their Fright Fest delivering a chilling, grotesque experience that will cause nightmares for years! This year, Fright Fest offers Thrills by Day, for the ghoulish kiddies in your life as well as 15 terrifying Fright by Night attractions that promise to terrorize with blood curdling screams! Lurch on down to the Axis Arena to witness the bloodiest battles between the world’s most notorious villains as they duke it out in life or death matches during in the Monstrosity Championship Wrestling (MCW) events brought to you by Kool Kat Jonathan Williams, writer of our BFF blog Wrestling With Pop Culture and Kool Kat Shane Morton, also known as Professor Morte, king of terror, horror host of the Silver Scream Spookshow!

Sunday, October 6

Start your day with a bluegrass brunch with Cedar Hill at Big Tex in Decatur from 11am to 1 pm.  It’s your last chance to become a witness to murder in The Coen Brothers’ BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series. It’s day 2 and your last chance to swing on down to the AutumnFEST in Avondale Estates! Take a stroll and check out the local art as well as some retro musical entertainment, featuring The Bonadventure Quartet, slingin’ that western swing and gypsy jazz and the Americana, punk-swing nostalgic sounds of the 20s with Megan Jean and the KFB! Get jazzy at lunch with Deb Bowman and her sultry standards at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs at 1 pm.  Maybe get lucky and see a ghost or two at the Oakland Cemetery’s th annual Sunday in the Park Victorian Street Festival from noon until 6 pm! Be brave and tour the mausoleums, but try not to disturb the slumbering souls! Take a ride in a carriage! Devour the festival food offered by Six Feet Under, Pallookaville and all the other tasty goodies! Partake in the artist’s market or the Victorian costume contest! Come out and get spooked at Atlanta’s ‘most unique fall festivals’! The Plaza Theater’s Cineprov, Atlanta’s longest-running and award-winning movie-riffing shows presents STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) at 7:30 pm.

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27

7 Stages presents THE NAVIGATOR, A fantastical tale of a boy who travels back in time to save the future! You won’t want to miss this adventurous tale of friendship and time travel adapted and directed by Michael Haverty from the novel by Eoin MacNamee.  Performances through October 13. Watch for a Kool Kat of the Week interview with composer Klimchak soon!

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

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!’

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
Contributing Writer

‘This Week’ in Retro Atlanta is chock full of bumpin’ and rockin’ events and is just the tip of the iceberg in this wonderfully wicked season of ghosts and goblins, spooks and the spook-tacular!! Come one, come all! Get out there and enjoy all that Atlanta has to offer from the rockin’est tunes to the nostalgic films of yesteryear.  You won’t be disappointed! There’s something for everyone, so get off the couch, turn off the television and join us in Retro Atlanta!

Monday, September 23

Don’t let the Monday blues get you down! Groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ or release it all with Midnight Revival at Blind Willie’s. Get that new-wave vibe with Rush Midnight at Smith’s Olde Bar. Pork it up with Pead Boy & The Pork Bellies at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. For a little history, head on over to The Plaza Theater’s premiere screening of  LETTERS TO JACKIE: REMEMBERING PRESIDENT KENNEDY (2013), a  documentary film that reveals the moving and powerful letters received by Jackie Kennedy in the months following the assassination of the President.

Tuesday, September 24

Let John Hughes drag you back to the good ol’ high school days in the 80-iest of 80s teen flick THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s retro cinema series this week!  If you’re looking for a new-wave revolution, check out Sonen at 529 and get that Joy Division-esque thrill you’ve been craving! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm. If you’re hankering for some bluegrass, head on over to Eddie’s Attic for the bluegrass and soul sounds of the Tumbleweed Wanderers or make a trip to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for their weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam featuring The Night Travelers with special guest Curtis Jones.  Maybe you need something a little bit faster, a little bit more upbeat. Smith’s Olde Bar promises you just that with that cool rockabilly sound of Kool Kat Phil Stair, lead vocalist of Grim Rooster, starting at 8 pm.  Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. And if you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, delve a little bit darker withe the Old School 90s Rave Trax, beatin’ it down at The Shelter.

Wednesday, September 25

529 offers some great tribute bands with Nameless Nameless grinding out the sounds of Nirvana, The Deluxe Interiors punkin’ it up like The Cramps and Tracer Metula bringing the 90s surf-pop sounds of Weezer to the stage.  The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center promises a night of retro fun with the nine-time-Grammy-winning solo artist and original founder of the Manhattan Transfer, Janis Siegel, along with Kevin Mahogany and the multi-Grammy winning act, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Blind Willie’s charges up the red-hot blues sounds of the Electromatics. Noel Stephen & the Darlings brings it at The Earl, playing music “your grandparents used to love”! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack serves up the vintage blues stylings of The Georgia Flood, while Steve’s Live Music hosts the well-known Little G. Weevil and Billy Gibson. For a taste of that Ramones-esque bubblegum pop/punk you’ve been missing, check out Twin Peaks at the Masquerade. Head on down to the Variety Playhouse to listen to the 90s jazzy, bluesy tunes of Ani Difranco. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Skip school and meet the brain, the beauty, the jock, the rebel and the recluse in an 11:30 am morning matinee of John Hughes’ 80s classic teen flick THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s retro cinema series this week!

Thursday, September 26

It’s your chance to FINALLY catch Steven Spielberg’s critically-acclaimed film about the loveable alien, ET (1982), on the big screen at 9:30 pm at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series.  Rock on over to The Earl to catch three decades worth of punk rock with the Cosmic Psychos, formed in 1982 and formerly known as Spring Plain. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack delivers some honky-tonk blues and head on over to Steve’s Live Music for the bluesy funk sounds of George Price while Blind Willie’s promises a jamming good time with the sounds and ‘blues woman power’ of Beverly ‘Guitar’ Watkins.  Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. For a pickin’ good time, head on over to the Red Light Café as they offer up the sounds of Apostles of Bluegrass and Battlefield Collective as part of their Thursday Bluegrass Jam. The Wood Brothers’ blues/funk/folk revival sounds can be heard at the Variety Playhouse. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds of Kool Kat Big Mike and Tongo Hiti at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s.  It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. If you prefer a grungier surf sound, head on over to 529 to take in the Mood Rings.  And it’s your last chance to intermingle with the Brat Pack in John Hughes’ 80s classic teen flick THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s retro cinema series this week!

Friday, September 27

Today begins the spook-tacular, dark and Twisted Fears Horror Weekend at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center! Experience the horrific and gory Italian Invasion while perusing the vender room, witnessing the Walk of the Dead and participating in the Day of the Woman Pageant! Watch for our Kool Kat of the Week interview with con organizer Jeremy Morris soon, but the line-up includes an extravaganza of retro guests (many of whom have never creeped into our neck of the woods before) including Barbara Steele, Queen of Horror and the ever beautiful star of BLACK SUNDAY (1960), the Italian gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava. Also appearing is the legendary Italian cinematographer. Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava’s son, a director specializing in horror, giallo and fantasy films and best known for A BLADE IN THE DARK (1983), DEMONS (1985), DEMONS 2 (1986) as well as a long list of made-for-television movies. Ruggero Deodato,  is the director of the original spaghetti western, DJANGO (1966) and is also known for CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) and the thriller, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1980). Other guests include Fred Williamson, a.k.a “The Hammer”, a blaxploitation star of the ‘70s, who still gives it everything he’s got and Tony Todd, most notably known for his role as the CANDYMAN in the film with the same name. A DAY OF THE DEAD reunion was slated, but sadly has been cancelled. So, if you love horror, come on down and get your gore on!

Anime Weekend Atlanta, co-founded by Kool Kat Jason Merrill, at Cobb Galleria, featuring all the retro anime you could want, from informational panels (Anime Blinded Me With Science, Old School Classroom and the Mega 80s Panel) to screenings in several video rooms focusing on the foundations of anime with a focus on ASTRO BOY of the 60s up to the present! So, come on out and anime it up!

The living dead begin their gruesome and spooky haunts today with the Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse (AZA), a total immersion experience, throwing its victims right in the middle of a zombie outbreak, capable of causing a lifetime of terror! This journey is not for the faint of heart so, prepare to scream, prepare to cry and come get your zombie fightin’ skills on! Check out our Kool Kat Madeline Brumby, for details on previous years’ AZA and watch for our own scary sneak preview soon! The AZA runs until November 2, so you’ll have ample opportunity to kick some zombie tail!  Also launching tonight is award-winning homegrown haunt, Netherworld, scaring you this year with two attractions, The Dead Ones and Boogeyman.

The Red Light Café begins their International Pop Overthrow Music Festival, featuring the retro sounds of Blake Rainey & His Demons, The Shut-Ups, bringing in a new-wave resurgence, the ever popular Casper and The Cookies, a retro-revival group with sounds compared to the B-52s, and more. Eddie’s Attic is slingin’ the sounds of Richard Bicknell while Willy Jackson belts it out at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands gives it their all at Steve’s Live Music. If the bluesy twangy sounds of New Orleans is what you’re hankerin’ for, head on down to Smith’s Olde Bar to get your fill of Davis Rogan. For an 80s throwback, the Variety Playhouse is hosting Colin Hay, formerly lead vocalist of Men At Work or head on down to see Lionel Ritchie at Chastain Park. Nick Longo brings his jazzy sound, harkening the old school sounds that’ll have you up dancing under the dinosaurs at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX.

Saturday, September 28

Rumble on down to Hell on Wheels. In its 13th year, it promises to be ‘out of control’! So, head on up to Buford and say ‘hey’ to Kool Kat Right Reverend Andy Hawley of Psychobilly Freakout (Garage 71 Internet Radio). The event begins at 11 am, so come hell or high water, there are no excuses to miss this rockabilly rumblin’ extravaganza! Hell on Wheels promises a rockin’ good time with the upbeat and rockin’ sounds of the Sideburners, Grim Rooster and the thrash-grass sounds of The Living Deads that will keep you dancing till the pigs come home!

Day Two of the Twisted Fears Horror Weekend begins.  Doors open at 10 am, promising a horror-ific time! Day Two of Anime Weekend Atlanta includes the screening of Osamu Dezaki’s SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA (1982) in the 80s video room at 2 pm and don’t forget to bebop down in your best 40s and 50s gear to experience the BeBop Lounge, a jazz club echoing the sounds of legends like Dizzie Gillespie, Nina Simone, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and maybe even a little swing for those of you who want to boogie woogie!

The Star Bar hosts their annual Johnny Cash Tribute & Diabetes Benefit, featuring the nostalgic sounds of the Ghost Riders Car Club with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton on guitar, Slim Chance and the Convicts, the Sideburners, AM Gold with Kool Kat Joel Burkhart, and Atlanta’s ‘rockin’ and stompin’ blues band’,  Chicken and Pigs! All proceeds go to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, so it’s a swell chance to support a great cause while jammin’ to some good tunes!  House Rocker Johnson & The Shadows will be bluesin’ it up at Blind Willie’s while Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt will be rockin’ out with the Psycho-DeVilles at the Dixie Tavern in Marietta.  The sci-fi punk vaudeville burlesque collective, also known as Blast-Off Burlesque, presents presents FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998), at their Blast Off Burlesque Taboo-La-La event at The Plaza Theater at 10 pm, with a live stage show followed by the screening. Come early for lobby shenanigans and a free cocktail, and read our Retro Review here. 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 29

Start your day with a bluegrass brunch with The Porch Bottom Boys at Big Tex from 11am to 1 pm. It is day three and your last chance this year to get your scare on and live to tell the tale at Atlanta’s premier horror convention at Twisted Fears Horror Weekend as well as getting your fill of anime from its conception to the most modern at Anime Weekend Atlanta.  The Plaza Theater’s Cineprov, Atlanta’s longest-running and award-winning movie-riffing shows presents NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) at 7:30 pm.

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

LETTERS TO JACKIE: REMEMBERING PRESIDENT KENNEDY (2013), a two-hour documentary film that reveals the moving and powerful letters received by Jackie Kennedy in the months following the assassination of the President, is being screened at the The Plaza Theater from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

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!’

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.

Monday, August 26

Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam featuring blues and southern soul singer Lola Gulley. Enjoy your BBQ with a side of Dry White Toast at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Take a look at well…the bright side of life…er, death with Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) at 9:40 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre.

Tuesday, August 27

Acid Jazz Meets ElectroSwing at Edgewood Speakeasy. Get ready to call the GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern, as they continue their August retro cinema classic series of Classic Comedies! MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) brings coconuts and at least one killer rabbit to The Plaza Theatre at 9:40 p.m. Kool Kat Calu Cordeira mixes tiki libations during Mai Tai Tahitian Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. at the Dark Horse Tavern. Grab your horn and head over to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session. Blues it down with Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers at Northside Tavern. Crosstown Allstars brings the blues to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Timo Arthur fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs hosts a weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam led by Jason Koornick & Hank Weisman.

Wednesday, August 28

It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck brings the Piedmont blues to Northside Tavern, and Frankie’s Blues Mission deliver some soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. The Cazanovas blues it on down at Blind Willie’s. Greet the day with an 11:30 a.m. matinee of GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema series this week! And it’s your last night to worship at the altar of Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) at 9:40 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre.

Tongo Hiti.

Thursday, August 29

Something called Dragoncon takes off in downtown Atlanta. There’s plenty o’ Retro at one of the nation’s biggest pop culture geekfests, a phrase we utter with the utmost affection, starting with The Annual Bunny Hutch featuring Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds of Kool Kat Big Mike and Tongo Hiti at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s. Beverly “Guitar” Watkins brings the blues to Steve’s Live Music. Heather Luttrell delivers the blues at Blind Willie’s. Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. At Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, hear the honkytonkin’ blues of Chickenshack. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. Battlefield Collective and B Wayne and the Belfrys strum it up at Red Light Cafe‘s Bluegrass Thursday. And it’s your last chance to catch GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern  MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) at The Plaza Theatre.

Jeffrey Butzer. Photo credit: Melissa J Butzer.

Friday, August 30

Dragoncon continues in downtown Atlanta. Our top Retro pick for today is the  Second Annual Pin-ups by the Pool Party. Read all about it from the luscious lips of Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love. Past Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer & The Bicycle Eaters bring a touch of Bohemian Paris to The Basement, along with Loraine. Rolling Nowhere, Strung Like a Horse and I Want Whisky make it a righteous roots and honkytonkin’ night at The Earl. It’s garage rock, hard southern dishospitality and more at the Star Bar with another super multi-band line-up including Swamp Juice, Beitthemeans, Six Shot Revival, Dirt Bag Love Affair, Red Rocket Deluxe and  our favorite all-female Elvis tribute band, The Pelvis Breastlies. Secondhand Swagger shakes up some soulful, southern-fried funk under the dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. The Western Sizzlers and “very special guest indeed” Johnny Cash Now delivers some honkytonk blues to Northside Tavern, and Sandra Hall and house-band The Shadows serve up the blues at Blind Willie‘s. Timo Arthur Trio play the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. ET (1982) phones home again at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema at midnight. And it’s your chance to Do the Time Warp again at THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with full costumed floor show by Lips Down on Dixie every Friday at midnight at The Plaza Theatre.

Saturday, August 31

Cosplayers take to the streets for a 10 a.m. parade and much more as Dragoncon continues. Today also is the day for DragonCon Burlesque, A Glamour Geek Revue, produced by Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love. And we have to admit we’re pretty darned excited at hear Malcolm McDowall and David Warner together talking about TIME AFTER TIME with ATLRetro pal Anthony Taylor at 4 p.m. in the Atlanta Ballroom at the Westin Peachtree Atlanta. Plus the legendary Cabal Cut of Clive Barker’s NIGHTBREED (1989)screens at 11:30 p.m., also at the Westin, preceded by  Q&A and Signing” at 10 p.m. with Russell Cherrington (restoration director), as well as stars Craig Sheffer, Doug Bradley, Nick Vince and Chris McCorkindale. Cigar Store Indians swing into Smith’s Olde Bar. Rev up for Sunday’s Drive Invasion with a groovy pre-party at The Star Bar with The Woggles, The Hate Bombs and Muck & the Mires. Neoglam/post-punk ATLRetro faves The Sexual Side Effects, featuring Kool Kat Amber Taylor, play ConTourage’s KahunaCon a few blocks down from Dragoncon at The Big Kahuna restaurant/club. The Randy Chapman Birthday Bash celebrates the blues at Northside Tavern, and Houserocker Johnson and The Shadows play the blues at Blind Willie’s. Ron Cooley and the Hard Times rock the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. The Rainmen pour some 60s/70s good time rock n roll into Big Tex. 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. Bike on over to see sci-fi classic ET (1982) during midnight madness at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Sunday, September 1

Atlanta’s best Retro bands and movie all-day/night festival, DRIVE INVASION 2013 invades the world-famous Starlight Drive-In again. Headlining from the farthest reaches of the galaxy is MAN… OR ASTRO-MAN?, with Memphis garage thud legends The Oblivians, as well as surf, garage, honytonk and monsterganza from Gargantua, The Intoxicators!, The Pits, The Mystery Men?, Kill Baby Kill, Ghost Riders Car Club, a special tribute to The Penetrators, and more. This year’s flicks take off at dark with an ’80s sci-fi blowout with THE LAST STARFIGHTER (1984),THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE EIGHTH DIMENSION! (1984), and JOHN CARPENTER’S: THE THING (1982). Catch Retro Reviews by Aleck Bennett of all three cult classics here.

Dragoncon also continues in downtown Atlanta. Our top picks of what to do on Sunday include The Artifice Club’s Mechanical Masquerade: The Retropolis. For more info, check out our interview with  Kool Kat of the Week Talloolah Love! Treat the kids to a final morning matinee of ET (1982) at 10:30 a.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. Have a bluegrass brunch with Banjolicious at Big Tex starting at noon. Tony Bryant Blues Band bring on the blues style at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack. Sample a spoonful of blues courtesy of Uncle Sugar at Northside Tavern. The Jez Graham Trio jazzes up The Family Dog with Sam Skelton.  And Woody Allen’s BANANAS (1971) kicks off 10 Days of Woody Allen in this fall’s Director’s Series at 7:45 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre.

Ongoing

Johannes Vermeer’s GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING visits The High Museum of Art, along with other Dutch masterpieces by Rembrandt and more, through Sept. 29.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

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.

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Monday, August 19

Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra  at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam featuring blues and southern soul singer Lola Gulley. Enjoy your BBQ with a side of Dry White Toast at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Tuesday, August 20

Get Abby Normal with Mel Brooks‘ horrifiably hilarious YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern, as they continue their August retro cinema classic series of Classic Comedies! Kool Kat Calu Cordeira mixes tiki libations during Mai Tai Tahitian Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. at the Dark Horse Tavern. Grab your horn and head over to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session. Blues it down with Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers at Northside Tavern. Crosstown Allstars brings the blues to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs hosts a weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam led by Jason Koornick & Hank Weisman.

Wednesday, August 21

Surf on down to the Star Bar to see The Mystery Men?, Gemini 13 and the Andy Browne Troupe. For the uninitiated, Andy used to lead a certain legendary local alt-punk band called The Nightporters. Catch up on a recent documentary about these guys directed by Andy’s co-conspirateur, guitarist Ray Dafrico, here. Experience an alt-rock foursome with Big Head Todd & the Monster, Soul Asylum, The Wailers and Matthew Sweet at Chastain Park Amphitheatre. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck brings the Piedmont blues to Northside Tavern, and Frankie’s Blues Mission deliver some soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Greet the day abby normally with an 11:30 a.m. matinee of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema series this week!

Thursday, August 22

Joe Gransden is back at Café 290 for a release party for  JAZZ CONTRASTED: TRIBUTE TO KENNY DORHAM, his latest album with Russell Gunn.Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds and spectacle of Jaye Lish & The Birds of Paradise Drag Show at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s. Ross Bon blues it on down with Atlanta Boogie at Blind Willie’s. Go to Northside Tavern to hear the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get on over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack to hear the honkytonkin’ blues of Chickenshack. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. Doug Ratner & the Watchmen bring their brand of country fried rock ‘n’ roll down from Massachusetts, with Georgia’s own Caleb Warren & the Perfect Gentlemen kicking things off with their ragtime Dixieland blues at Red Light Cafe‘s Bluegrass Thursday. And it’s your last chance to re-animate YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern!

Friday, August 23

Klimchak Live! Nostalgia for the Future! returns to The Balzer Theatre at Herren’s for his third annual summer performances tonight and Saturday including a new performance of Klimchak’s Lebeato Lounge. The Retro-inspired musician also will be making a bunch o’ Punch while playing a glass xylophone tuned with punch. At intermission the audience gets to drink free punch, and the show will also feature a preview of music from this fall’s production of The Navigator performed by Klimchak and Kool Kat Nicolette Emmanuelle, as well as live versions of several Marimba Lumina & theremin pieces from his new recording “Nostalgia for the Future.” The Rebirth Brass Band comes up from the Big Easy to liven up Smith’s Olde Bar with Georgia Soul Council. John Hiatt & the Combo play Variety Playhouse with pop-country up and comers Native Run. We’re not betting our old video cameras that Rob Lowe will show up, but you can relive the ’80s in Atlanta and benefit AIDS Walk at a Club Rio/Weekends Reunion at The Shelter. An ’80s Party is also the theme for an OTP gig by Denim Arcade, featuring Kool Kat Becky Cormier-Finch, at Craze Tavern in Duluth. Epitome brings their blend of contemporary jazz and R&B rhythms under the dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck  delivers the blues to Northside Tavern, and Delta Moon serves up the blues at Blind Willie‘s. Set It Off explodes the blues at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. For a midnight movie delight, go to the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema to visit WAYNE’S WORLD (1992) just outside of Chicago. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) brings coconuts and at least one killer rabbit to The Plaza Theatre at 9:40 p.m., followed  by your chance to Do the Time Warp again at THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with full costumed floor show by Lips Down on Dixie every Friday at midnight.

Saturday, August 24

The Grant Park Summer Shade Festival takes off with food, art, vendors and live music including honkytonk/swing by The Cigar Store Indians, southern roots/rock from The Higher Choir, real down n dirty Bama rock n roll by Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, another chance to hear a rare Atlanta performance by The Nightporters‘ Andy Browne Troupe and more! The Star Bar throws a Country Western Rock & Roll Party including Mississippi Shakedown; Caroline & The Ramblers, featuring Kool Kat Caroline Hull Engel; The Banditos; and Julea & Her Dear Johns featuring Kool Kat Julea Thomerson. The Rebirth Brass Band stays away from the Big Easy to liven up Smith’s Olde Bar for a second night, this time paired with Waterseed. Klimchak Live! Nostalgia for the Future! plays a second night at The Balzer Theatre at Herren’s (see Friday for details). The Jagged Stones, featuring Kool Kat Keef Richards, rock Dixie Tavern in Marietta. Get your glam on at Kavarna in Oakhurst when Jerome Newton and The Band Who Fell to Earth perform Bowie‘s entire ZIGGY STARDUST album at maximum volume as per the instructions on the original LP! Led Zepplica rocks the Variety Playhouse back to the ’70s with Janah. Fringe Factory Radio presents a 529 PSYCHEDELIC FREAKOUT with Bipolaroid, from New Orleans; Andrew and the Disapyramids, featuring Kool Kat Joshua Longino; Athens’ The Rodney Kings and Fringe Factory DJs. Descend into The Basement for a Keep on Movin’ Rock & Soul Dance Party.  Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck  bring the Piedmont blues to Northside Tavern, and The Electromatics spark up the blues at Blind Willie’s. The Hollidays make it a soulful night at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Zydeco T plays Big Tex. Take a look at well…the bright side of life…er, death with Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) at 9:40 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre. 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. And you have a second chance to rhapsodize in WAYNE’S WORLD (1992) during midnight madness at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Blair Crimmins.

Sunday, August 25

Day Two of the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival features ’20s ragtime from Blair Crimmins & the Hookers, Michelle Malone and more. Have a bluegrass brunch with Banjolicious at Big Tex starting at noon. DJs Tim Lawrence and Agent 45 add a Retro sound to dunch at The Earl.  Tony Bryant Blues Band bring on the blues style at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack. Sample a spoonful of blues courtesy of Uncle Sugar at Northside Tavern. The Jez Graham Trio jazzes up The Family Dog withJoe Gransden. British cult comedic classic MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) hilariously spoofs the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table at The Plaza Theatre at 9:40 p.m.

Ongoing

Johannes Vermeer’s GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING visits The High Museum of Art, along with other Dutch masterpieces by Rembrandt and more, through Sept. 29.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

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 Arla Lehtinen
Contributing Writer

Monday, August 12

Jazz it up with Bumpin the Mango at Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam featuring blues and southern soul singer Lola Gulley. Enjoy your BBQ with a side of Dry White Toast at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Tuesday, August 13

Come to The Plaza Theatre for an unforgettable night of horror and comedy with Tim Burton’s modern classic BEETLEJUICE (1988), presented by Splatter Cinema. The film starts on the big screen at 9:30 p.m., but come early to have your photo taken in a scene from the film, recreated in incredibly realistic fashion.  Read our Retro Review here.  Seventies pop rocker Peter Frampton and blues legend B.B. King take to the stage among others as Frampton’s Guitar Circus arrives to the Verizon Wireless Amhitheatre  in Alpharetta. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton take over the office in 9 TO 5 (1980) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern, as they continue their August retro cinema classic series of Classic Comedies! Kool Kat Calu Cordeira mixes tiki libations during Mai Tai Tahitian Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. at the Dark Horse Tavern. Grab your horn and head over to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session. Blues it down with Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers at Northside Tavern. Crosstown Allstars brings the blues to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs hosts a weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam led by Jason Koornick & Hank Weisman.

Wednesday, August 14

Kim Lenz & The Jaguars are just about to release their new albun FOLLOW ME and arrive to Smith’s Olde Bar to perform a gig and the title song from the new album. Kim Lenz is this week’s Kool Kat, so make sure to read our interview with her here. Before Kim and her band take the stage, hometown honkytonkers Chicken & Pigs open up the show at 8 p.m. Toto has endured changing trends and gone through decades of success since the ’70s. Now they arrive to The Chastain Park Amphitheatre to fill the darkening evening with familiar songs as they play a show with Kansas, who are celebrating their 40th year in rock. Old enough to feel Retro? It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck brings the Piedmont blues to Northside Tavern, and Frankie’s Blues Mission deliver some soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Greet the day with an 11:30 a.m. matinee of 9 TO 5 (1980) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema series this week!

Tongo Hiti.

Thursday, August 15

Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. DJ Osmose presents an all vinyl selection of vintage records and modern edits from around the world. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds of Tongo Hiti, featuring Kool Kat Big Mike Geier, at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s. Tommy Brown joins The Shadows as they fill the night with blues at Blind Willie’s. Go to Northside Tavern to hear the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get on over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack to hear the honkytonkin’ blues of Chickenshack. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. Yankee Dixiestrum on down to Red Light Cafe for a Bluegrass Thursday with Holly Renee Allen. And it’s your last chance to see Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton in 9 TO 5  (1980) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern!

Friday, August 16

Get your fix of the Queen of Pop at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue play Madonna’s best songs to celebrate her birthday in their annual Madonna-rama. Put on your favourite Madonna outfit for a chance to win prizes and drink tokens. ATLRetro friend Senator Artie Mondello comes to visit The Drunken Unicorn with Hunx & His Punx and Hunters. Wham Bam! Bowie Band! and Atlanta’s own Nirvana tribute band Nameless Nameless join forces to give you a fully loaded tribute night at 529 Bar. Salsa Dance Night featuring Salsambo Dance Studio brings Latin rhythms to spice the evening up under the dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. Stoney Brooks delivers the blues to Northside Tavern, and Luther “Houserocker” Johnson & The Shadows serve up the blues at Blind Willie‘s. Rough Draft bring their mixed sounds of R&B and jazz to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. For a midnight movie delight, go to the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema to see PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (1982). Do the Time Warp again at THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with full costumed floor show by Lips Down on Dixie every Friday at midnight at The Plaza Theatre.

Saturday, August 17

Come join Kool Kat Rebecca DeShon of HoopEssence in a Hula Hoop World Record Attempt at Piedmont Park. Personal hula hoop skills are not required, so don’t be afraid to come and cheer for Rebecca! Head out to Yaarab Shrine Center to support your chosen team as Atlanta Rollergirls reach the Home Team Playoffs. Denim Demons clash with Apocalypstix, and Toxic Shocks battle Sake Tuyas to determine who gets to continue on to fight for the League Championship in September. First bout starts at 5 p.m. Kool Kat Caroline Hull Engel and friends take to the stage when Alanna Royale and Caroline and the Ramblers team up to play an early show at Eddie’s Attic. Kool Kat Jeffrey Bützer brings a bit of intown Bohemia OTP to Roswell for a gig at the Swallow at the Hollow. Back in Atlanta, The Whiskey Gentry, featuring Kool Kat Lauren Staley Morrow, take over Center Stage with American Aquarium and

Caroline Hull Engel of Caroline & the Ramblers

Radiolucent. The show starts at 8 p.m. An hour later, Star Bar is filled with their own set of bands to give you a nice selection to choose from. Athens’ The District Attorneys, featuring Kool Kat Drew Beskin, rock out with Great Peacock and Blue Blood. One of America’s most successful and long lived bands comes South when Chicago bring their hit rock n’ roll ballads to the Verizon Wireless Amhitheatre. The Breeze Kings bring the blues to Northside Tavern, and Sanda Hall joins The Shadows to fire up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Willy Jackson takes the stage at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. 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. If you missed it on Friday, there’s a second chance to skip an education with PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (1982), playing at midnight at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Kitty Love.

Sunday, August 18

Join Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard as they search for love in the big city in Blake Edwards’ beloved BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961), playing at 4 p.m. on the biggest screen in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre. Head to Red Light Cafe for a Disney themed burlesque evening. Kool Kat Kitty Love once again hosts her Sultry Sunday, this time featuring burlesque tribtutes to your favourite Disney princesses. Have a bluegrass brunch at Big Tex starting at noon. Tony Bryant Blues Band bring on the blues style at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack. Sample a spoonful of blues courtesy of Uncle Sugar at Northside Tavern.

Ongoing

Johannes Vermeer’s GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRINGvisits The High Museum of Art, along with other Dutch masterpieces, through Sept. 29.

EXTREME MAMMALS from sabertooth tiger skulls and wooly mammoth fur to contemporary creatures such as the duck-billed platypus invade Fernbank Museum of Natural History through August 18.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

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.

Joe Gransden.

By Arla Lehtinen
Contributing Writer

Monday, August 5

Swing back to the golden age of jazz at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month for Big Band Night with Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra. Melvins bring punk rock to The Loft at Center Stage as their 30th Anniversary Tour with Honky rocks through Atlanta. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam featuring blues and southern soul singer Lola Gulley. Enjoy your BBQ with a side of Pead Boy & the Pork Bellies at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.

Tuesday, August 6

Adam Ant livens up Center Stage with his unique show and lets The Good, The Mad & The Lovely Posse and Prima Donna join in on the fun. See Zeppo Marx’s last role in a Marx Brothers film and let all four brothers delight you in DUCK SOUP (1933) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern, as they continue their August retro cinema classic series of Classic Comedies! Kool Kat Calu Cordeira mixes tiki libations during Mai Tai Tahitian Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. at the Dark Horse Tavern. Grab your horn and head over to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session. Blues it down with Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers at Northside Tavern. J.T. Speed brings the blues to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, and Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs hosts a weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam led by Jason Koornick & Hank Weisman.

Wednesday, August 7

Head to The Earl to witness The Mar-Tans land in Atlanta as they play a gig with The Secondhand Swagger. Jazz it up with Frank Barham and his jazz quartet at Elliot Street Pub. For blues go to Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint and listen to the sweet sounds of Beverly ”Guitar” Watkins. Old enough to feel Retro? It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck brings the Piedmont blues to Northside Tavern, and The Hollidays deliver some soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Greet the day with an 11:30 a.m. matinee of DUCK SOUP (1933) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema series this week!

Andrew & the Disapyramids.

Thursday, August 8

Ghost Riders Car Club, featuring Kool Kat Spike Fullerton, bring their authentic honkytonk music to The Clermont Lounge. The Plaza Theatre welcomes you to a little flower shop featuring a bloodthirsty plant in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986), playing on the big screen at 5:15 p.m. and again at 7:15 p.m. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. DJ Osmose presents an all vinyl selection of vintage records and modern edits from around the world. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds of Andrew and the Disapyramids, featuring Kool Kat Joshua Longino, at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s. Tommy Brown joins The Shadows as they fill the night with blues at Blind Willie’s. Go to Northside Tavern to hear the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get on over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack to hear the honkytonkin’ blues of Chickenshack. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. Yankee Dixie strum on down to Red Light Cafe for a Bluegrass Thursday with Holly Renee Allen. And it’s your last chance to see the four Marx brothers in DUCK SOUP (1933) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern!

Jeffrey Butzer. Photo credit: Melissa J Butzer.

Friday, August 9

With just one more months to go before Dragoncon, Atlanta offers two dance party events in one night to get you into the cosplay spirit. This month RITUAL sets up a party for all things that go bump in the night. RITUAL’S Midsummer Night’s Mare invites all sorts of mosters to doll up pin-up style and take a spin on the dance floor at The Shelter. Starting just a little later, Middle Earth Fairytle Ball takes over Museum Bar in ”Renaissance Pirate Steampunk Superhero style.” There will be a costume contest and a fashion show by Doctor Madness Custom Creations. If dancing is not what you’re yearning for tonight, there’s plenty of live music to choose from. Go visit The Drunken Unicorn and hear Jeffrey Bützer & The Bicycle Eaters, featuring Kool Kat Jeffrey Bützer, as they take to the stage with The Octopus Project and The Purkinje Shift. Fancy a night of modern retrobilly, Americana rock and some coutry swagger? Head to Red Light Cafe and get a chance to listen to The Serenaders, Kris Youmans Band and Lauren St. Jane all in one night. Enjoy an evening of ”rumba Gitano” under the darkening sky when The Gipsy Kings wander to The Chastain Park Amphitheatre. Gregory Peck takes on the role of lawyer Atticus Finch, defending a black man under false charges in the cinema classic, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), playing at Marietta’s art deco Earl Smith Strand Theatre at 8 p.m. The Breeze Kings sound their classic Chicago-style blues underneath the dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX. Eddie Tigner & Friends bring the blues to Northside Tavern for a B’day Bash, and Sanda Hall joins The Shadows to serve up the blues at Blind Willie‘s. Atlanta’s own trio Jigsaw Johnson bring their sounds to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. For a midnight movie delight, go to the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema and catch a few laughs with MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975). Do the Time Warp again at THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with full costumed floor show by Lips Down on Dixie every Friday at midnight at The Plaza Theatre.

Elvis Royale. Photo courtesy of Kingsized.

Saturday, August 10

ELVIS ROYALE! brings back the King to Variety Playhouse for one night only. Big Mike Geier and his Kingsized Rock ‘n Roll Orchestra are joined by Dames Aflame as they celebrate the music of Elvis Presley. Come enjoy the Vegas glitz dressed up in you favourite Elvis style and enter the ”Getcha Elvis On” contest. Head south of the city for the Bible Belt Burlesque Birthday Barn Burner. It’s a full night of burlesque with Lola LeSoleil headlining the event and Talloolah Love gracing the stage as MC for the evening. Special guests include Persephone Phoenix, Rena Rhinestone and magician Chad Sanborn. Unfortunately though Kool Kat Fonda Lingue‘s The Jewel Box Revue  has been postponed and won’t be happening tonight. The Sexual Side Effects, a hard rockin’ neoglam band featuring Kool Kat Amber Taylor, is one of the many taking the stage at The Basement for the 2013 IMR Music Festival. Another Kool Kat shows her talents at Eddie’s Attic, when Kool Kat Amy Pike grabs the mic as Bonaventure Quartet celebrate the release of their new album. Rock out at The Highlander with Ledfoot Messiah, AM Gold featuring Kool Kat Joel Burkhart and Lightnin Ray & The Mystics, while Earl Smith Strand Theatre gets rocked back to the 70s when DEPARTURE: The Journey Tribut Band takes over the stage at 8 p.m. Ike Stubblefield brings the blues to Northside Tavern, and Big Bill Morganfield fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. Mike Lowry and his band bring their guitar driven blues based rock toFat Matt’s Rib Shack. 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. If you missed it on Friday, there’s a second chance to catch a few laughs with MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975), playing at midnight at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Rod Hamdallah

Sunday, August 11

Kool Kat Kitty Love celebrates the Goddess in every woman and throws an Empress Tea Party. Enjoy tea, tarot and dancing with special brunch menu items and become the Empress of your own life. Small admission includes unlimited hot tea. Blues man and Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah brings his sound to the stage at Smith’s Olde Bar among many others, on the last day of the 2013 IMR Music Festival. Have a bluegrass brunch at Big Tex starting at noon. Tony Bryant Blues Band bring on the blues style at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack. Sample a spoonful of blues courtesy of Uncle Sugar at Northside Tavern.

Ongoing

STRAY DOGS by Matthew Myers and directed by Peter Hardy plays at The Essential Theatre through August 10 in revolving repertory as part of the 15th Annual Essential Theatre Play Festival with the unsettlingly provocative MYSTERIOUS CONNECTIONS by Hardy and directed by Ellen McQueen and SWIMMING WITH JELLYFISH by Katie Grant Shalin and directed by Bill Murphey.

Johannes Vermeer’s GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRINGvisits The High Museum of Art, along with other Dutch masterpieces, through Sept. 29.

EXTREME MAMMALS from sabertooth tiger skulls and wooly mammoth fur to contemporary creatures such as the duck-billed platypus invade Fernbank Museum of Natural History through August 18.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

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.