Monday, December 12
One of the most magical ways to enjoy the holidays in Atlanta is to visit the Fox Theatre. Too cash-strapped to afford THE NUTCRACKER? LARRY, CAROLS & MO, a free annual holiday event featuring a singalong with Fox organist Larry Douglas Embury playing carols on the Mighty Mo, plus a screening of THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, photos with Santa and snow on Peachtree Street and inside the Fox! A brand-new art show by our favorite monster painter and Tom Waits enthusiast Chris Hamer of Urbnpop launches tonight at the Graveyard Tavern. If you missed our Kool Kat on Chris, catch up here. From 3 PM on, savor tropical sounds and libations, as well as a Polynesian dinner during Mai Tai Monday at Smith’s Olde Bar. Northside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam. Head over to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for BBQ and local blues/jazz band Dry White Toast performs at 8 PM.
Tuesday, December 13
All work & no Splatter Cinema makes you a dull boy or gal. The award-winning movie series at The Plaza Theatre presents THE SHINING, the controversial 1980 Stanley Kubrick movie of the Stephen King novel, tonight at 9:30 p.m. Sadly it may also be your last chance ever to see it in 35mm because after Jan. 1, Warner Brothers Pictures will be retiring all 35 mm prints after this screening and going to digital-only. Our Retro Reviewer Tiffany Jewel sorts out why it’s bloody brilliant to see Jack and his axe on the big screen again here.
Say welcome to Alice Cooper‘s nightmare as the ’70s horror-rock icon brings his NO MORE MR. NICE GUY tour to Cobb Energy Centre. Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 p.m. Crosstown All Stars play Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Nathan Nelson & Entertainment Crackers are at Northside Tavern. Catch Tues. Retro in the Metro nights at Midtown’s Deadwood Saloon, featuring video mixes of ’80s, ’90s and 2Ks hits.
Wednesday, December 14
Atlanta Funk Society gets down at Smith’s Olde Bar. Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard Tavern. Frankie’s Blues Mission plays Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck blues it down at Northside Tavern. Dance to ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s hits during Retro in the Metro Wednesdays at Pub 71 in Brookhaven.
Kayla Taylor and Steve Moore. Photo credit: John Lee Matney.
Thursday, December 15
The local shops of the City of Decatur stay open late and offer discounts, wine and snacks on Terrific Thursdays. The dynamic duo of recent Kool Kat Kaylor Taylor and Steve Moore jazz up the Paper Mill Grill in Marietta. Hunger Valley Boys jam at Bluegrass Thursday at Red Light Cafe. Relax with a tropical cocktail at vintage tiki bar Trader Vic’s where Tongo Hiti, featuring Big Mike Geier, play Retro-Polynesian luxurious live lounge sounds, as well as trippy takes on iconic pop songs, every Thursday night. The Breeze Kings and The Chickenshack bring on the blues respectively at Northside Tavern and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.
Friday, December 16
Ghost Riders Car Club headlines the Star Bar Toys for Tots benefit on Fri. Dec.16, supported by some of Atlanta’s best old-school country, Redneck Underground and garage bands including the vivaciousBareKnuckle Betties, Grinder Nova, Bully, Midway Charmers andSlim Chance and the Convicts, as well as DJ Dusty Booze and Chinchilla the Killa. Best of all, admission is free with an unwrapped Christmas toy valued at $10 or more. Catch up our Kool Kats on Spike Fullerton of the GRCC orJulea Thomerson of BareKnuckle Betties.
Chatham County Line.
“The jazz that comes from Charlie Brown is a happy jazz, it’s a feel-good jazz,” says five-time Grammy-nominated pianist David Benoit. Hear him play the festive holidays songs and arrangements made famous in the iconic TV animated special and composed by Vince Guaraldi during David Benoit’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center. The Chatham County Line Electric Holiday Tour hits the Variety Playhouse with Atlanta’s own Blair Crimmins & The Hookers providing a ‘20s-style opening to Massachusetts folk-rocker Johnny Iron. Then Chatham County Line hit the stage for a full acoustic set, followed by an electric set with special guests. Prefer your holidays merry and macabre, unfortunately the Krampus Xmas Spectacular was last weekend, but leave it to the folks at Diesel Filling Station to fill the graveyard gap wit a Zombie Santa Walk. What to wear? Zombie Kris Kringles, elves, reindeer or any of St. Nick’s undead helpers are welcome, but instead of brains, bring canned goods for an Atlanta Community Food Bank drive. Drag yourself over there early if you need make-up assistance.
Delta Moon brings on the blues at Blind Willie’s. Spanky and the Love Handles play “funky dirty danceable blues” at Fat Matt’s. Holiday Friday Jazz at the High Museum of Art on Fri. Dec. 16 from 5 to 10 p.m. features saxophonist/vocalist/band leader Will Scruggs, who at age 28, has already shared the stage with Dave Brubeck and toured and recorded with Natalie Cole. Locally you may have heard him playing with Kingsized. The second of two Christmas at Callanwolde Cabaret Nights features popular Atlanta chanteuse Janet Metzger, singing holiday standards, Broadway hits and more. The mansion also has extended hours from 4-9 p.m. for more casual shopping and decoration-viewing. At Fernbank Museum of Natural History, enjoy WINTER WONDERLAND: CELEBRATIONS & TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD, featuring trees and other displays from cultures around the world, and dance to Salsa Night during December’s only Martinis & Imax.
Saturday, December 17
Reserve a spot to treat the kids to Breakfast with Santa at 9 a.m. in the courtyard of a sumptuous historic mansion as part of today’s Christmas at Callanwolde events, which also include “Make It, Take it” Kids’ Crafts at 1 p.m. Kudzu Antiques Vintage Home Market inDecatur throws its annual weekend holiday shopping parties on Sat. and Sun afternoons with live music, wine, snacks and sales.
It’s a big Saturday night for burlesque with two seasonal shows. The 5th annual Tits for Toys for Tots show, produced by Syrens of the South, at the Five Spot, is headlined by burlesque legend Gabriella Maze, returning after almost 30 years, and features a glitzy all-star line-up of some of Atlanta’s top performers including Fonda Lingue, Talloolah Love, Katherine Lashe,Ruby Redmayne, Kittie Katrina, Knoxville’s Kisa Von Teasa, Lola LeSoleil and more. Admission is $20 or $20 with an unwrapped toy worth at least $5 for Toys for Tots. Read our exclusive interview with Gabriella here. Davina and the Harlots’ Christmas Cabaret at the Highland Inn Ballroom carries the theme of The Desperate Housewives of the North Pole. That performance tells the plight of poor Mrs. Claus through a variety of acts including special guest appearances by our favorite ragtime man Blair Crimmins, Jessica “Sugar” Cayne Urick, Aqualencia Litre,Ninja Puppet Theater and St. Mikal the Mediocre Santa. In addition to gals that shimmy in their skivvies, prizes and pictures with Santa also are promised, and be sure to bring your dancing shoes so you can enjoy pre- and post-show music spun by DJ Doctor Q of The Artifice Club!
Saturday is also a big night for tribute shows to classic rock and jazz favorites. Neil Diamond tribute band Nine Inch Neils and Rolling Stones tribute band Jagged Stones are Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, a zany fundraiser at House of the Rock for it and Lutheran Community Food Ministries which does amazing work for the homeless in Midtown. It’s only $7 and one can of food. Each guest gets the following: one complimentary Chick-fil-A sandwich, unlimited sodas and access to a free dessert bar. Those 21 and older can enjoy up to two glasses of complimentary beer or wine. Sound cool? Cool enough to us that we made Nine Inch Neils lead singer Cage Kool Kat of the Week. Pay tribute to Peanuts as Jeffrey Butzer and T.T. Mahony presents the first of several local shows Charlie Brown Christmas Tribute tonight at The Earl. Chad Shivers and Friends open with ‘60s surf favorites from The Ventures Christmas Album. Variety Playhouse hosts Abbey Road LIVE! presents Sgt Pepper’s Mystery Tour, a Beatles tribute concert.
Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-Devilles. Photo courtesy of Hot Rod Walt.
Want to be on TV? The Discovery Channel’s Cafe Racer TV will be filming the Psycho-Devilles live show at the Dixie Tavernin Atlanta, and they’re looking for a “big crazy crowd” to dance and rockabilly out. If you missed our Kool Kat feature on Hot Rod Walt, catch up here. If you missed Tuesday’s Splatter Cinema, The Plaza Theatre presents an encore screening of THE SHINING tonight at 9:30 p.m and that’s probably your last chance ever to see it in 35mm because after Jan. 1, Warner Brothers Pictures will be retiring and destroying all its 35 mm prints. Catch up on Tiffany Jewel’s Retro Review here. At Eddie’s Attic, Decatur folk/roots musician Caroline Aiken performs with Athens soul-rocker Randall Bramblett, whom Chuck Leavall (Stones, Allman Bros) has called one of the most gifted Southern songwriters and musicians of the past few decades. Bramblett has collaborated with such diverse performers as Traffic, Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, Francine Reed, Elvin Bishop and more. THE 1940S RADIO HOUR boogie-woogies back to Marietta’s Theatre in the Square Dec. 17-Jan. 1 after a five-year hiatus with swing music, dance routines and heartwarming characters at a vintage radio station. And as usual, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours.
Sunday, December 18
Christmas at Callanwolde is open from 11 am to 4 pm on Sundays and today’s activities include a Teddy Bear Tea (by advance reservation only) at 3 p.m. Jake Mason serves up “dunch” between 1-4 PM at The Earl, and Chickens and Pigs plays at night. A veritable variety of sounds from rock to country-western to blues are on the menu of Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny at Variety Playhouse on Sun. Dec. 18 featuring a who’s who of the Atlanta music scene and well-known regional and national acts includingJimmy Hall, Tommy Talton, Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret., Charlie Starr, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Ike Stubblefield, Grant Green Jr., Jeff Sipe, Count M’Butu, Caroline Aiken, Yonrico Scott, Johnny Mosier, Diane Durrett, David Blackmon, Ralph Roddenbery, Donna Hopkins, Wildman Steve, Benji Shanks, Ted Pecchio, Gaurav Malhotra, Copious Jones, plus more surprise guests! Snake Legs bring on the blues at Fat Matt’s, and Uncle Sugar blues it down at Northside Tavern.
Ongoing Seasonal
Ride Priscilla the Pink Pig. While the rooftop monorail around Rich’s toy department isn’t quite the same as a train in a tent next to Macy’s at Lenox Square, Priscilla’s face still retains that cheerful grin of delight among the vintage sets in a big tent for a new generation of kids. Proceeds benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Christmas at Callanwolde.
Christmas at Callanwolde, an Atlanta tradition that disappeared for a while but now thankfully is back, kicks off today and runs through Dec. 18. The 27,000-square-foot Gothic-Tudor-style mansion, built by the Candler family in 1920 and now an arts center, opens its doors so everyone can enjoy its breathtaking interior in seasonal splendor as decorated by top local interior and floral designers. Browse the Charming ARTifacts craft market, enjoy music played on the home’s magnificent vintage Aeolian Pipe Organ, and check the Website for special events.
The historic Davison’s (later Macy’s) Department Store building at 200 Peachtree in downtown Atlanta gets a festive new lease on life as the headquarters of CHRISTMAS ON PEACHTREE, featuring 70,000 square feet of fun family-friendly activities, live music and dance, food and shopping. Expect to meet favorite characters from THE CARTOON NETWORK, the signature sponsor, and part of the proceeds support Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Open through New Years Eve.
At Fernbank Museum of Natural History, enjoy WINTER WONDERLAND: CELEBRATIONS & TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD, featuring trees and other displays from cultures around the world, through Jan. 8.
Nothing says Retro Christmas than over-the-top light displays and insane amounts of decorations crammed into the smallest possible yard, house or—in the case of Der Biergarten—restaurant. The Luckie-Marietta district German restaurant has pulled out all the stops with nearly 10,000 ornaments, 72 nutcrackers and 26 Christmas trees! Decorations are in place every night through Jan. 8.
The Southeastern Railway Museum features a variety of family-friendly seasonal activities including a chance to watch THE POLAR EXPRESS movie aboard a real vintage train car.
Ongoing Theatre
The Center for Puppetry Arts’ official stage adaptation of the Rankin-Bass misfit Christmas TV classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is back for a second year with Rudolph, Clarisse, Hermie. Yukon and all the beloved characters. Read our interview with adapter/director and Center Artistic Director Jon Ludwig here. Through Dec. 31.
Dad’s Garage offers a new take on the humbug Christmas classic with INVASION: CHRISTMAS CAROL. This nutty interpretation of the Dickens’ favorite throws all the conventional aspects of the story out the window, replacing them with a delicious improv flavor as different spirits visit every evening, to the surprise of even the cast! Through Dec. 23.
Or there’s the black humor of THE SANTALAND DIARIES at Horizon Theatre Company, the true-life tale of writer David Sedaris’ writer’s odd job as a Macy’s Department Store elf. Kids of all ages will also enjoy of MADELINE’S CHRISTMAS, a musical play based on Ludwig Bemelman’s delightful book about French schoolgirls, also at Horizon through Jan. 1.
Thomas Fuller‘s charming, family-friendly AN ATLANTA CHRISTMAS also opens today at the Academy Theatre in Avondale Estates. Read a preview of this Atlanta Radio Theatre Company production, made up of vignettes from local holidays past and performed in the style of a vintage radio play, here.
Fabrefaction Theatre Company gives Richard O’Brien‘s infamous ROCKY HORROR SHOW some seasonal shock treatment, resetting the Tony Award-nominated musical and inspiration for the cult classic movie, to the North Pole in a Christmas-themed run. Through Dec. 23.
Atlanta Lyric Theatre‘s production of one of the most famous musicals of all time, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, plays at Marietta’s art-deco Earl Smith Strand Theatre! Running through Dec. 18, it aspires to become one of your favorite holiday activities (yeah, even more than warm apple strudel or schnitzel with noodles)!
For more than 50 years, the Atlanta Ballet has been presenting its version of THE NUTCRACKER to delighted audiences of all ages, and if you haven’t experienced it in the magical setting of the Fabulous Fox Theatre, you haven’t experienced Christmas in Atlanta. It may not be as glittery as the Radio City Rockettes Holiday Spectacular in New York, but in additional to creative costumes and fanciful sets, it’s guaranteed to snow! Through Dec. 24.
See Mel Brooks‘ outrageous cinematic comedy classic turned Broadway musical THE PRODUCERS performed live courtesy of Company J at theMarcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in Dunwoody, starting tonight and running through Dec. 18.
The nostalgic 16th annualCHRISTMAS CANTEEN 2011 takes audiences down memory lane at theAurora Theatre in Lawrenceville.
A 1940s RADIO CHRISTMAS CAROL takes audiences back in time at Onstage Atlanta.
Ongoing Exhibits
Explore one of America’s most iconic theaters in AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING: HOW THE APOLLO THEATER SHAPED AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT, a special exhibition at the Atlanta History Center . Presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, in collaboration with the Apollo Theater Foundation, the display includes historic and contemporary costumes, playbills, music scores, graphic images and recorded music. Through March 4, 2012.
PICASSO TO WARHOL, a special art exhibition at the High Museum of Art, features over 100 works of art from 14 of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Through Apr. 29, 2012.
If you know of a cool happening coming up soon, send suggestions to ATLRetro@gmail.com.
Monday, May 7
Wednesday, May 9
Friday, May 11
Subscribe to ATLRetro
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter