INsite Atlanta July 2008 Issue by INsite Magazine

July 2008REE

IntervIews

1F Vol. 16, No. 1

ntertainment Monthly Atlanta’s E siteatlanta.com www.in

Alkaline trio Dresden Dolls sean Garrett tom waits

SUMMER MUSIC GUIDE 2008 ALso In tHIs Issue Festivals & tours | Atlanta’s Music venues | Little 5 Hot spots

CONTENTS • JULY 2008 • VOLUME 16.11

INTERVIEWS 06 ANDREW STANTON 10 BRENDAN FRASER 12 NANETTE BURSTEIN 13 CHRISTIAN BALE 15 CHRIS BELL 18 SEAN GARRETT 21 DRESDEN DOLLS 23 MIKE PATTON 23 JOHN DOE 27 TOM WAITS 23 ALKALINE TRIO 29 MICHAEL PHELPS 30 BILL CURRY

FEATURES 05 GUIDE TO LITTLE 5 08 BBQ 10 BONNAROO 19 MUSIC VENUE GUIDE 24 SUMMER MUSIC PREVIEW

COLUMNS 05 ON TAP 16 AROUND TOWN 06 BOOKS 12 WE GOT NEXT 14 MOVIE REVIEWS 16 CONCERT CALENDAR 18 ROAD WARRIORS 19 ALBUM REVIEWS

www.insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com National Managing Editor Bret Love bret@insiteatlanta.com Art Director Michael T. graphics@insiteatlanta.com Film Editor Matt Goldberg matt@insiteatlanta.com Local News Editor Glenn LaFollette glenn@insiteatlanta.com Local Events Editor Rav Mansﬁeld rav@insiteatlanta.com Sports Editor DeMarco Williams demarco@insiteatlanta.com Web Design Kalico Productions info@kalicopro.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

Contributing Writers / Interns: John Davidson, John Moore, Mathew Goldberg, Russell Fisher, Zena Scott, Margo Aaron, Andrea Hatter, Kim Guelcher, Richard Marsh, Tracy Gould, Mark Fitten, Dave Cohen & Russ Marshalek CONTACT US 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #100 Atlanta, GA 30329-3118 phone 404-315-8485 website insiteatlanta.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION �� Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each writer and is not necessarily the opinion of INsite, its staff, or its advertisers. INsite does not knowingly accept false or mi leading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or editors of INsite assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. No content, i.e., articles, graphics, designs and information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from publisher.

Check out our Summer Music Preview on page 24!

LOCAL EVENTS

OnTap for July EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

July 4: Peachtree Road

PEACHTREE ROAD RACE Each year on Independence Day 55,000 runners gather at Lenox Mall to run 6.2 miles south on Peachtree in the largest 10K road race in the world. Along the way, they are cheered by 150,000 spectators and aided by more than 3,000 dedicated volunteers. The course of the 39th running of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will add one additional turn to the route from previous years to a new finish line at the intersection of Juniper and Ponce de Leon in midtown Atlanta. For more information www.atlantatrackclub.org

July 4, 5, 6: Atlanta Civic Center

ATLANTA PRIDE FESTIVAL

This year’s Atlanta Pride Festival will be held at the Atlanta Civic Center complex. The Festival will utilize both indoor and outdoor space. One of the largest Pride events in the US, the Atlanta Pride Festival’s parade will be held on July 6 on the last day of the three-day celebration. The parade kicks off on at 1 p.m. at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, a change in location from past years. The parade will travel west on 10th Street, turn south on Peachtree Street and then turn east on Ralph McGill Boulevard. The parade will end at the entrance site to the Atlanta Pride Festival on Ralph McGill at the Atlanta Civic Center. For more information, go to www.atlantapride.org.

July 4: Lenox Square

JULY 4TH CELEBRATION

Put on your red, white and blue, and head to Lenox Square! Activities for the whole family include the Kid Zone, featuring giant slides, a rock wall, face painters, balloon artist, an obstacle course and more. The 49th annual and largest fireworks display in the Southeast begins at approximately 9:40 p.m. A diverse live entertainment lineup beginning at 6 p.m. at the main stage includes the following: A1A Band, The Original and Official Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show; 7:30 p.m.- Party On The Moon, performing favorite party songs; 9 p.m. - Miss America, performing patriotic songs; 9:05 p.m. - Headliner Ashton Shepherd. www.lenoxsquare.com

July 9: Lakewood Amphitheatre

THE VANS WARPED TOUR

The Vans Warped Tour returns this summer with another solid lineup. The Warped Tour is America's longest-running touring festival, breaking up-and-coming indie talent as well as showcasing established artists for the past 13 years. It has played a major role in bringing punk-rock/skate/action sports culture from the underground to the forefront of American youth culture. Among the dozens of bands confirmed to appear include Reel Big Fish, Against Me and The Lordz. There are many more performers along with tons of skaters and BMX riders. For ticket and show info visit: www.warpedtour.com

July 18: Wild Bill’s in Duluth

FIGHT NIGHT

Fight Night comes again to Wild Bill’s Friday July 18 for a line-up of no less than 10 great fights. Wild Bill’s Fight Night is a display of top mixed martial arts fighting live in the ring. This event is headlined by Knuckle-Ups own Frank Millsap (as shown in photo) and Dan Lauzon of Team Aggression. Fights start at 8:30 PM. You must be 18 and up to attend. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations or by calling the Wild Bill’s Fight Line at 404.626.2126. For more information visit www.fullthrottlemma.com or www.wildbillsatlanta.com.

July 18 -27: Multiple Locations

NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL The National Black Arts Festival is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The 2008 NBAF features a multitude of art and culture offerings, including: The Artist Market at its new home at the Georgia World Congress Center; the Children’s

Education Village; Pan African Film Festival; Friday Night Jazz at the High; World Music Festival at Centennial Olympic Park; Funk Jazz Kafe; Summer Institute; and Ebb and Flow: The Next Generation of Poets Speak. Tickets for festival events are available on the web at www.nbaf.org or by calling the Woodruff Arts Center at 404-733-5000.

FEATURE

Guide to Little 5 Points

Explore Atlanta’s most eclectic Neighborhood this Summer Centered on the corner of Euclid and Moreland Ave, lies a business community, a neighborhood, and inarguably the coolest spot on the map between Greenwich Village and the French Quarter. This bohemian hangout has grown into a neighborhood with a mix of art, theater, and commerce. The vast retail businesses offer unique psychedelic storefronts and hard to find merchandise. While the many bars and restaurants provide a wide array of entertainment and cuisines to be had by the young and old.

Abbadabba’s

421 Moreland Ave. 404.588.9577 www.coolshoes.com

The original Abbadabba’s store opened in 1981. Since then Abbadabba’s has expanded to five stores throughout the metro area and shopping online. Here you will find great brands like Birkenstock, Teva, Crocs, Keen and Dansko. Abbadabba’s reigns as Atlanta’s source for innovative footwear.

Five Spot

1123 Euclid Ave. 404.223.1100 www.fivespot-atl.com

After five years in the heart of Little Five Points, the Five Spot has become a staple of music and arts in the downtown Atlanta community. From their worldly selection of beers to their art-laden walls, there is something at the Five Spot for everyone. A newly expanded menu featuring pizza and pasta, compliments their selection of gourmet sandwiches, salads, quesadillas and nachos. The Five Spot opens at noon everyday (except Wednesdays- open at 6:00p) and closes late night. On any given night, the Five Spot features Live Art, funk, rock, jazz, blues, and reggae performances, or eclectic short films and animation.

trend setters. Recently named “One of the Best, One of a Kind, Businesses in America” and now celebrating their 26th anniversary, the Junkman’s Daughter floor has grown to a staggering 10,000 square feet! The store is crammed full of far-out fashions and groovy accessories, for men and women, unique and unusual gifts and housewares from around the world, cool collectables, retro nick-nacks and toys. They offer terrific hard to find and unusual books and fully stocked tobacco shop. Make sure to check out Junkman’s this Halloween for the most irreverent and original wigs, masks and costumes in town.

Psycho Sisters

428 Moreland Ave. 404.523.0100 www.psycho-sisters.com

Friendly staff, fun funky, unusual and outrageous Psycho Sisters has been the #1 consignment boutique in Atlanta for almost 20 Years. Much more than a consignment shop, this original location of the hip Atlanta chain sells vintage clothing, new items from other stores, and second-hand goods (as long as they're still stylish and funky). From current mall trends such as BCBG, Abercrombie, bebe, Arden B, Lip Service to new trendy shoe styles, unbelievable bling, bracelets, earrings, headbands, shades, belt buckles to Gothic or Costumes, Psycho Sisters has something for everyone whether you are 12 or 90 years old!

Sabroso

351 Moreland Ave. NE 404-475.8888 www.sabrosotapas.com

The original location on McLendon Avenue is nestled among funky Craftsman bungalows and has remained one of Atlanta's favorite spots for brunch since it opened in 1993. The Flying Biscuit Café recipes have endured thanks to the diligence of the staff and the neighborhood customers. Try one of their "favorites", like the Turkey Meatloaf & Pudge or the Vegan Burrito. And, of course, there is their famous breakfast, with dishes like Orange Flavored French Toast and omelets named after local streets, and most importantly, their mouth watering biscuits. Be sure to visit the bakery right next door, so you can pick up biscuits for the road.

In the heart of Little Five Points, Sabroso Mexicano is one of Atlanta's newest and most exciting Mexican restaurants. Located on Moreland Avenue just north of the new Edgewood Target shopping center. Sabroso Mexicano offers the traditional Tex-Mex you grew up with re-imagined with the freshest local and imported ingredients. Traditional favorites including Nachos, Tacos, Burritos, Fajitas and Enchiladas, are made fresh, with homemade tortillas, 9 varieties of peppers and other produce and ingredients arriving daily. Along with fresh Mexican cuisine Sabroso Mexicano offers variety of signature margaritas, mojitos and a wide selection of Mexican beers, served at their dual inside and outdoor patio bars. The lush Sabroso patio garden and outdoor bar is unique among Latin restaurants in Atlanta, a tropical oasis, the perfect place escape from the ordinary. Sit down with a pitcher of Margaritas and a bowl of fresh salsa and bask in Atlanta's wonderful patio weather. Sabroso Mexicano also offers unique live entertainment on weekend nights.

Front Page News

Savage Pizza

Flying Biscuit

1655 McLendon Ave. 404.687.8888 www.flyingbiscuit.com

351 Moreland Ave. 404.475.7777 www.FrontPageAtlanta.com

Upon entering Front Page News you immediately get the sensation of being in the French Quarter with its laid back and inviting atmosphere. The award winning cuisine is modern American tavern fare with a New Orleans twist. The menu features Louisiana specialties such as Gumbo, Jambalaya and Etouffee along with Steaks, Salads, A huge selections of sandwiches, and of course their Angus beef Big Easy burgers. The New Orleans French Quarter patio & bar offers an inviting and lively alfresco drinking & dining experience. The Big Easy feel is enhanced by the bubbling fountains, lush foliage, wrought iron fences, fireplaces and flickering gaslights. Live entertainment is frequently offered, call for details.

Junkman’s Daughter 485 Moreland Ave. 404.577.3188

No place better encapsulates the raw edgy pulse of Little 5 Points like the alternative super store known as Junkman’s Daughter. The store had its beginnings in 1982, when Pam Majors the daughter of an actual junkman rented a 1,000 sq. ft. storefront and filled it with tchotchkes and dead stock from her parents 40 year accumulation of stuff. Soon she began adding her own stock as her eye for the bizarre but beautiful drew everyone from neighborhood folk, artists, musicians and

484 Moreland Ave 404.523.0500 www.savagepizza.com

With their homage to comic book super heroes adorning the walls and hip staff, Savage Pizza fits right in with the Little Five Points neighborhood. On Savage's menu you'll find innovative homemade sauces, fresh dough and thoughtfully prepared dishes made from scratch every day. They prepare all the recipes using only freshest vegetables and first quality meats, cheeses, breads and pastas. Savage’s hand-tossed crusts are thrown with real hands and get enough air to make Tony Hawk jealous. In addition to their famous pizzas, they also have calzones, salads, subs and pasta. Savage Pizza one of the most successful and popular neighborhood businesses in the Little Five Points area. Savage serves both lunch and dinner with indoor and outdoor seating and offers catering and delivery.

Variety Playhouse

1099 Euclid Ave. 404.521.1786 www.variety-playhouse.com

The Variety Playhouse is Little Five Points largest music venue but it can also be its most intimate. The flexible seating and standing arrangements along with great sound and light systems have earned the Variety numerous awards including Best Music Venue. They showcase live concerts featuring top national acts representing Roots Rock, Indie, Jazz, Folk, World Music and more.

PG 5 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

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Book Review ROCK AND ROLL CAGE MATCH: MUSIC’S GREATEST RIVALRIES, DECIDED

Author: Sean Manning BY JOHN B. MOORE

Call it the book that launched a hundred blog posts… or soon will. Edited by music writer Sean Manning, Rock and Roll Cage Match is a collectionof the best dorm room music arguments spanning just about every subgenre of rock, from rap to metal. Who’s better, Oasis or Blur? Jay Z or Nas? Who’s rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest freak, Marilyn Manson or Trent Reznor? Are you a Whitney girl or Mariah supporter? “…Whitney Houston is the greatest diva of all: because whether she is singing or fucking up, the woman just does it better. Chicks like Mariah or Britney or Lindsay Lohan or, God, I dunno, Fergie and her stupid crystal meth – they may try, but they can never match the carnage of her train wreck…” Highly entertaining, the essays– from some of the best music writers working today, including chapters from Marc Spitz, Toure’ and Richard Hell– range from the straight-ahead serious to very tongue-in-cheek. One of the best entries is from comedian Michael Showalter (The State, Wet Hot American Summer), who tackles the weighty debate of Hall & Oates vs. Simon and Garfunkel (not to give too much away, but the John Oates ‘stache carries a lot of weight in this particular case). There are a couple of head-scratchers in the book– I pray to God comedian Russ Meneve was trying to be ironic in siding with Bon Jovi over Bruce Springsteen– but it’s worth the purchase price just for the conversation starters alone. After reading it, it seems remarkable that this book wasn’t put together ages ago… Grade: A PG 6 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

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FILM INTERVIEW

Interview: Director Andrew Stanton – Wall-E

BY MATT GOLDBERG

ALLE IS SHAPING UP TO BE one of the biggest hits of 2008, both critically and ﬁnancially. Such success will be no stranger to Andrew Stanton who was Pixar’s man behind 2003’s Finding Nemo. We recently sat down with Stanton to discuss his latest ﬁlm and the challenges in bringing this adorable robot to life.

Every Pixar film seems to have a major technical hurdle, like Sully’s fur in Monster’s Inc. or Violet’s hair in The Incredibles. What was that hurdle in Wall-E? The interesting thing I want to dispel is that we go in trying to solve a major technical hurdle. That doesn’t inspire us at all. I think it’s that we always try not to repeat ourselves and tell an original story that we’re going to encounter something we’ve never done before. It’s not as sexy on this film. Because I’m such a movie buff, I kept feeling that a real camera wouldn’t do what our cameras were doing virtually and I wanted to play on a much more subtle range of focus and on light and how things get obstructed the same way I see in films. And when we looked at the software, we saw that the math was wrong. So we spent almost a year going into the bowels of some of the code and solving it. So now when I do something like shallow-focus, you get the light circles you’d expect and you can really play with how subtle the plane of focus was on things and you can go into the foreground and it almost becomes see-through. I mean this is all really geeky stuff but for me, I wanted to play with those lenses and be able to subtlety capture a world that’s very cold, it’s very dystopian, it’s two metal things falling in love with each other, how do you get intimacy out of it? I always wanted it to be as believable as possible. The more you believe that the world is really there, the more charm it’s going to have when it comes to life. So frankly, there’s no short answer because that’s the big, lengthy technical thing we solved.

This is the first Pixar film to utilize live-action actors, albeit briefly and through “recorded footage”. How did you come to that decision? It was a practical decision because I knew that Wall-E was going to watch Hello Dolly and that set a precedent that said, “Okay, anytime I look at prerecorded anything, it should be real humans,” because that shows “Well, humanity changes how it looks over 700 years, so I can get away with CG there but I can’t with anything in the past,” Fortunately, it wasn’t a huge amount of footage and we could afford a first-time from a live-action standpoint which were pretty easy shoots. A monkey could have done it. Sci-fi inherently has a social commentary aspect, it has to. You’re right! You’re the first person that knows that! Everyone else is like “Why is there a message?” Because it isn’t science-fiction without making a comment on mankind! When making that commentary, how do you make it satirical and not just cynical? It’s a fine line and you have to keep pulling people back. The guy I write with, Jim Reardon, he was a director on The Simpsons for about ten years. I found that he would come up with these great gags that would just be too biting. That was okay on The Simpsons but I would have to keep softening it up because it’s not to turn people off. It’s just to make people think. But I never wanted to do anything gratuitously because the last thing I want to be is some person with an agenda. I just wanted it to support the bigger point of the story which was the relationship between Wall-E and EVE and that was “Irrational love defeat’s life’s programming,” But it’s such a metaphor for humans in that we can all fall into our routines and into our habits and be distracted

24/7 and never really advance relationships and I thought that was a thematic, subtle backdrop for what’s happening with our main characters. And the minute I found out the real scientiﬁc fact that the reason we don’t send a man to Mars is because they haven’t solved the gravity problem and if they don’t solve it just right, then osteoporosis sets in and you start to lose your bones and you won’t get them back, and they’ve seriously had this argument where if they send a man out to Mars, he’ll turn into a blob of Jell-O. And I thought, “Well, that’s hysterical,” and it parallels a future where what if you lived in a world where everything got solved? Your health, food, everything—you’d have nothing to do. It would just make us, what I felt was a more appealing way to show lethargy and lack of motivation: a big baby. Because babies are round and babies are pleasing and that it’s the best way of subtlety saying, “We need to grow up again,”

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DINING

Taste of the Month-Barbecue!

They feature live blues seven nights a week. Fat Back Deluxe performs every Sunday night and has a huge following. The rest of the weeks schedule is as follows: Mondays-Pead Boy & Little Brother; Tuesdays - Crosstown Allstars; Wednesdays - Frankies Blues Mission; Thursdays - Chickenshack. Check out their website for weekend performances as well as catering information and online purchases of such things as BBQ Sauce, T-Shirts and CD’s.

The perfect summer food for gatherings large or small Ribs Etc. Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q 12 Metro Locations Catering 877-7SONNYS www.SONNYSBBQ.com Come to your neighborhood Sonny's Bar-B-Q. With 12 metro Atlanta locations and an extensive catering department, Sonny's makes it easy to get terrific barbecue close to home. They have been serving up great barbecue for 39 years and have been awarded Best Barbecue in Atlanta. After hours of slow cooking you can tell genuine barbecue by the smoke ring and reddish color on the ribs. It's caused by Sonny's basting sauce and the smoke from their wood fired barbecue pit. They slice their pork from the choicest cuts of lean pork. Their chicken is shipped direct to their restaurants fresh, never frozen, assuring Sonny's guests enjoy the freshest barbecue possible. Their signature item, Baby Back Ribs can be purchased by the slab or if you are really hungry, all you can eat. Also try their Sweet & Smokey St. Louis Ribs. A very meaty cut that fills you up. They are basted twice in Sonny’s famous Sweet Bar-B-Q Sauce and slow-smoked over a real hardwood fire. They offer four flavors of sauce: Original, Hot, Sweet and Mustard. Sauces are packed in bottles for purchase. Sonny's also has a salad bar featuring garden-fresh fruits and vegetables. Their chicken and tuna salads are made from scratch using the freshest and finest ingredients available. Their hearty soups and Brunswick stew are prepared fresh each day. Sonny’s is famous for their sweet tea that has people coming from across the south. At Sonny's, your meal is served fast and friendly. They offer more than great food and excellent value. Sonny's is a favorite gathering place to share laughter, conversation and friendship over a plate of awardwinning barbecue. They are a full service restaurant making Sonny’s the perfect destination for a family outing or meeting with friends.

Fat Matt’s Rib Shack 1811 Piedmont Rd. 404.607.1622 www.fatmattsribshack.com An Atlanta institution for over 18 years, Fat Matt’s keeps packing them in. On most nights you will find a line out the door of people eager to get to their famous barbecue. Owner Matt Harper, who is actually quit slim, has perfected the art of Southern BBQ. Not limited to the North Carolina or Kentucky styles, Fat Matt’s uses their own seasoning and cooking technique. These ribs are smoked to perfection and literally falling off the bone. Fat Matt’s ribs were voted Best In Atlanta in ‘07 by INsite readers and other publications. The ribs can be ordered as a whole, half slab, or on a sandwich. They also serve great barbecue chicken and pork. The signature side is their Rum Baked Beans, but they also have delicious Brunswick Stew, Roasted Peanuts, Potato Salad, and Cole Slaw. Fat Matt’s serves 9 beers on tap and more in bottles.

4233 Roswell Road 404.843.8200 www.ribsetc.com For those driving along Roswell Road, the Ribs Etc. roof is a landmark that cannot be missed. They have been serving the North Atlanta neighborhood at the restaurant and through catering since 1986. With a mountain lodge atmosphere, the dining room features a large fireplace, subdued lighting and a collection of pig paraphernalia. A large bar area is good for solo diners; the main room attracts groups and families. Servers dressed in jeans and well-worn T-shirts are quick to make you feel at home. The restaurant features “Fall off the Bone” Baby Back Ribs, BBQ Grilled Chicken - on the bone, Chopped Pork, Texas-style beef brisket sandwiches, and the best burgers in Buckhead! Their ribs are served with two side items and toast and can be purchased as a full slab, 1/2 Slab, or 8 ribs. They have great sandwiches ranging from chopped pork, sliced beef brisket to a BLT. Salmon and fresh salads are available for those who want something different. Ribs Etc. is open 7 days a week (Mon - Thurs 11 am - 10 pm; Fri & Sat 11 am - 11pm; Sun 12 - 10pm) and are available for catering. Check out their spacious deck for private events. No event is too big or small for Ribs Etc.

KC Pit BBQ 234 Hilderbrand Dr. 404.459.6497 www.kcpitbbq.com KC Pit BBQ is a family owned business with the owners originating from Kansas City, MO. The Johnson Family (a husband and wife team) lived in Atlanta for several years before deciding to open a BBQ restaurant. The main Chef who has 27 years of BBQ experience moved from Kansas City as well. They convinced some more Kansas City natives to come along and have established great Kansas City BBQ at their restaurant in Sandy Springs. Kansas City barbecue is known for how it slow cooks beef brisket until tender, and for the outside meat trimmings known as "burnt ends". These are sweet and moist, not overly "burnt." All that and more is available here. The ribs here are served as a slab, 1/2 slab or as a plate consisting of 3 ribs and 2 side items. They also offer beef short ribs, chopped or sliced pork, sliced beef brisket and sliced turkey. Their extensive menu also includes great Smoked BBQ Chicken, Pork Rib Tips, BBQ Lamb Ribs, Smoked Sausage and even seafood including Grilled Salmon, Jumbo Shrimp, Talapia and Fried Catfish. Most of their meats can also be served as sandwiches and they offer platters for large parties. KC BBQ offers a kids menu and lunch specials. The restaurant is a WI FI “Hot Spot” with multiple flat screens. Wednesday nights offer “All you can Eat” Fish from 5-9PM. Thursday has “All you can Eat” Pork Ribs from 5-9PM. They are open Mon - Thur. 11am - 9pm; Fri & Sat 11am - 10pm; and Sunday noon-9pm. Full catering menu is available.

“Aint Nothing like ‘em Nowhere” Catering Available

Mon – Sat. 10AM – 10PM Sunday 11AM – 9PM

10730 Alpharetta Hwy. | Roswell, GA 30076 | 678-352-7999

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PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

Slope’s BBQ

Dreamland BBQ

Fox Bros. BBQ

200 Johnson Ferry Rd. 404.252.3220 www.slopesbbq.com Slope's BBQ is Georgia home grown. They started out in 1991 with a little store in Roswell. The McDaniel brothers opened a location in Alpharetta in 1998 and then the Sandy springs location in 2002. They along with their partner have made BBQ a way of life and continue to prepare the famous " Slope's Style" BBQ everyday. Slope's is an experience from the counter to the table, and even if your just getting take-out or catering, you'll feel like you've stepped back in time into an old neighborhood BBQ joint. All of the BBQ at Slope's is pulled and chopped daily, and their smoker is always running. You can smell the smoke before you can see the restaurant. The Ribs and Chicken are the best around and the secret sauce whether hot or mild is a perfect compliment. The menu is simple at Slope's; they don't do it all but what they do they do right. Slope’s has great sides; they say they sell as many southern style veggies as anything else. So for an experience that harkens back to the good old days when Andy Griffith was all the wisdom we needed, come on over to Slope's BBQ, chomp on a homemade pork rind, and say hey! (or check their site at slopesbbq.com)

10730 Alpharetta Hwy. 678.352.7999 www.dreamlandbbq.com Since John "Big Daddy" Bishop first opened the original store back in 1958 in Tuscaloosa AL, the legendary ribs live on at Dreamland’s various locations spotted across the southeast. Big Daddy ensured regardless of which restaurant you are at, you’ll always be welcome. In addition to the legendary ribs and sauce found at the original restaurant, the menu at the Roswell location is expanded to include such items as pulled pork, BBQ chicken, hickory smoked sausage, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, house salads served with their own BBQ house dressing and a true Southern favorite for dessert; banana pudding. Opened in January 2000, the Roswell store offers an expansive dining area plus outdoor patio seating. This popular location goes through 22 tons of hickory wood every ten days! In celebration of Dreamland’s 50th Anniversary, they are offering specials throughout the summer. In the fall this location carries the NFL and ESPN College Game Plans. For those heading to the games call Dreamland about their tailgate packages. Signed photos from local celebrities adorn the walls. Here you see Mark Richt, Nick Saban and Chan Gailey. If the BBQ here is good enough for these college football icons who are we to disagree.

1238 Dekalb Ave. 404.577.4030 www.foxbrosbbq.com This popular Candler Park eatery will be celebrating its One-Year Anniversary this summer. They offer “Southern style” barbecue and all their meats are hickory smoked. Their signature Smoked Chicken Wings are cooked on the barbecue for 4 hours and dipped in their homemade sauce. Another favorite is the Tomminator; tater-tots topped with brunswick stew and melted cheese. Fox Bros. BBQ offers daily specials. These include: Monday, Catfish Day; Tuesday, Meatloaf Day; Wednesday, Porkchop Day; Friday and Saturday, and Smoked Beef Tenderloin (dinner only). they offer Happy Hour on Monday - Thursdays 4-7pm with half priced appetizers and drink specials. There are desserts including the Dr. Pepper Oatmeal Spice Cake. Fox Bros. BBQ is located on the corner of Dekalb Ave. and Elmira. They have plenty of indoor seating and offer a large outdoor patio dining area which is popular on summer nights. Fox Bros. is open Monday - Thursday 11am - 10pm; Friday 10am - 11pm; Saturday Noon - 11pm; and Sunday Noon - 9pm.

CLASSIC AMERICAN GRILL • NEW ORLEANS ATTITUDE CLASSIC AMERICAN GRILL • NEW ORLEANS ATTITUDE ��

Traditional Tex-Mex in a Fun, Fiesta Atmosphere ��

351 Moreland Ave. 404-475-8888

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PG 9 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

FILM INTERVIEW

Bonnaroo Grows Up Brendan I DIG IT Fraser, the The Rebirth of the American Festival Down on the Farm

to see him go through the half-assed motions of a cut-short set. The real loss in the coverage of West’s ANCHESTER, TENNESSEE  nestled comfortably between the shadows antics is the lack of coverage of the superior firepower brought to the Roo on Saturday by the hands of the of Chattanooga and Nashville lays the many old-timers who graced the stage. B.B. King sight that gave birth to the resurgence in the American dominated the afternoon with his terrific set, during festival circuit. Every year, the Coffee County back which king of the blues was handed the keys to the roads that tuck behind a modest commercial front city by Manchester’s mayor. Levon Helm of The Band of car dealerships, diners, and Wal-Mart become the had the kids packed in tight for his show at one of the quaint city’s main traffic outlets, all signs pointing to three tents, rocking through some of that legendary the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. This June, with ensembles priceless catalogue. Hearing Helm and his the line-up boasting such diverse headlining names Ramble on the Road Band perform “The Weight” at as Metallica, Kanye West, and Pearl Jam alongside sunset was a true highlight for the fans in attendance, Bonnaroo mainstays such as Phil Lesh and Widespread but it was also apparently a thrill for Levon himself. Panic, it was apparent that the festival’s organizers “We’ve waited so long to come and play for you,” said were stretching Bonnaroo’s legs. Starting in 2002 with Helm to a crowd the majority of which wasn’t even a make-up consisting heavily of jam-oriented acts, the born when the Last Waltz took place. Pearl Jam, with festival has become increasingly more adventurous the help of the emotional tug of Eddie Vedder’s widewith the lengths at which they have diversified the open convictions, blasted through a marathon show musical pallet. The chances taken in the past paid off that mixed rocking fan favorites in a big way, specifically with and obscurities into a narrative, Radiohead’s epic headlining comparable to the legendary appearance in 2006 and the apSpringsteen shows way back when. pearance of Tool and the Police The late-night line-up spanned nuin 2007. This year, blogs and merous genres, highlighted beautimessage boards went haywire Canadian-based dance fully by with concerns about bands Chromeo, the Dead-heavy duo like Metallica infiltrating and set by Phil Lesh and Friends, and demolishing the easy-going, the unquestionable gift of rhyme “love everyone” vibes that have from Lupe Fiasco. The night’s always gone hand-in-hand with emotional peak came from Sigur Bonnaroo. Such speculation and Ros, the enigmatic quartet from animosity towards the unknown Iceland. Complete with a full string made for a very interesting turn section and marching band, Sigur of events as Bonnaroo hit puRos brought their atmospheric, berty, made more complete with dreamlike soundscapes to their a Kanye-sized growing pain. fullest potential, and it made for a Friday arrived with a comfortnight that this particular attendee able partial overcast shielding will never forget. the sun. “The weathers’ way Sunday morning came with better than it was [in 2005] the last booming echoes from when it was like 103 degrees the wreck of a show that Kanye or something crazy like that,” West delayed into the wee hours. claimed Drive-By Truckers Walls along the festival’s central front man Patterson Hood, who grounds were lovingly marked kicked off the music on Friday. with “Fuck Kanye” and “Kanye The Truckers’ blistering set on Sucks”. Comments from Sunday’s the second stage set the pace for artists openly echoed the audia day rich in “rawk”. Jack White ence’ s distaste for Mr. West. Sacred and the Raconteurs main stage Robert Randolph steel rocker performance was certainly a fan brought the crowd to a roar as he favorite, with White thrashing Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson and Kanye let loose on the tardy rapper. As on his guitar like a man possessed. West were among the performers at Randolph preached about the “B.S.”, this year’s Bonnaroo Festival. Roo favorites, My Morning Jacket the legendary T-Bone Burnett, who dominated the late-night roster joined Randolph for an encore jam, with a monstrous, four-hour set, complete with horns, nodded in agreement. King of rock and soul Solomon freakout jams, surprise collaborators, and even a Kool Burke told the audience flat-out, “I wish I could have and the Gang cover for good measure. Of course, the been here at 4 in the morning, ” referring to the time at truly wondrous occurrence of the evening [if not the which Kanye graced Bonnaroo with his presence. “We whole festival] was Metallica’s headlining set. Amidst would’ve rocked this place. That’ s my kind of hour.” the growing fears among regular attendees that While Kanye left a bad taste in the mouth of many, Metallica would turn Bonnaroo into a Woodstock ’99 overall the festival was a success. Metallica, along with Reduxe, expectations were high for something big to Austin’ s The Sword and support from great sets from happen. What nobody seemed to expect was for the Atlanta’ s own Mastodon, proved beyond all doubt that metal icons to be as good as they were, delivering a As even hard rocking metal had a place at Bonnaroo. tasty, career-spanning sampler to a crowd made up more genres gain access to this ever-growing festival partially of Metallica’s fan elite and partially of skeptics circuit, it becomes clear that the potential for Amerilike me. Frontman James Hetfield made their intencan festivals to rival the European gatherings that tions known clearly very early on in the set, “We supserved as a primary influence is closer than one might port live music and kicking ass live. That’s why we’re think. One is left to wonder where the Southeast’s larghere.” By the end of the adrenaline-pumping set, the est festival will take us next. Reports of Robert Plant massive crowd of fans and skeptics alike could not help saying “See you soon,” as he made his exit with Alison but welcome Hetfield and company into the Bonnaroo Krauss leaves many open to speculation the Zeppelin fold with open arms. may fly again over Tennessee someday. Of course, such Saturday will go down in infamy as the night when speculations and hopes will be in the back of the minds Kanye West played possum during his late-night set for Roo attendee, as the countdown begins for the of every nearly two hours, making fans wait ‘til almost sunrise next trip into the field in Manchester.

BY JON LATHAM

PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

excavating star of Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Empire, talks blockbusters, big changes in moviemaking and baby diapers.

Visually, the movie is, in fact, everything a growing boy needs to send his imagination into another stratosphere. The crowd goes bonkers when Fraser and Journey director Eric Brevig come back into the theatre. A young lady stands to present the Hollywood star a question, presumably about the flying rocks and charging dinosaurs she just saw on screen. “Will you sign my baby’s diaper,” she asks. Brendan Fraser never flutters: “Umm, sure. Just send up the diaper and a Sharpie.” Told you he was wacky. The 3-D elements here never seem too gimmicky. You’ve got an environment that’s been created that you feel a part of. What I found really interesting was the depth of field. If you were to watch this film again, and I hope you will, guys stop looking at Anita [Briem, Journey costar] and look way in the background. There’s just so much beautiful CGI that you just cannot pick out in 2-dimensional film.

Give me your initial thoughts when you first saw the final product? RENDAN FRASER IS A WACKY I was ecstatic. I was a kid in the candy store. dude. You probably could have come to I couldn’t believe. I geeked out. I was so very, that conclusion yourself if you watched very happy for many reasons. This is the first the guy in George of the Jungle or wondered time that this has been done- properly and in a why the guy did Monkeybone. But seeing the way that’s entertaining. Look to the person to man with your own eyes is pure entertainment the left and right of you. You’re an audience that worthy of a cushy chair can safely say, “I was there and a bucket of popwhen…” This is true. The I LOVE MY JOB. I DON’T corn. Good thing we’re industry is going in a very in a jam-packed movie IDLE WELL WHEN I’M NOT interesting direction. theatre. WORKING. I’VE BEEN VERY How did the 3-D aspect “You need to wear the way-cool glasses,” Fraser LUCKY THAT I’VE BEEN change the process of tells a midday audience acting? LUCKY TO MAKE LARGE of eight-year-olds and It actually allowed you their parents about to BUDGET, AUDIENCE CROWD- to have a little more time. catch an early screening The conventional cameras PLEASERS THAT ARE A of Journey to the Center as we know them have of the Earth in 3-D. LIL’ MORE THOUGHTFUL film in them, yeah? There “[The glasses are] a lil’ magazines in that are AND HAVE A RESONATING are bit Buddy Holly but it’s loaded and then roll out. hip to be square.” One of MESSAGE OR ENDURANCE. You have a certain amount the youngsters asks who of time in there. With Buddy Holly is. Fraser this, if the mood was off snaps back quickly, “Look him up! iTunes!” or the actor flubbed –no comment!- you could If you’re looking at box-office tallies from the always [re-do the shot]. It gave a sort of sense past 10 years, you don’t need to go down far to of liberty. It was actually quite freeing, to tell find Brendan Fraser’s name. As goofy archaeolo- you the truth. You get the feeling the clock is gist Rick O’Connell, Fraser helped The Mummy ticking when you’re doing a normal take. With and The Mummy Returns unearth nearly $850 this, there was a lil’ more leeway. You could million worldwide. The next adventure in the stay loose and get the job done and not feel franchise, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon the pressure. That’s why you have the sense of Empire, begins August 1, and it could make the spontaneity. study of ancient Chinese cultures halfway cool. Next year, he’s thinking smash hit again when Is Atlantis next? he laces up the combat boots as Gung-Ho in the We’re going to have a conversation about that. long-awaited G.I. Joe. If there is another one, there will likely be more But today it’s all water involved, I about explaining predict. the science behind Journey. “The What is it about the projection system adventurous scripts up here is special like this and The because it’s going to Mummy that you allow you to see 3-D gravitate to? before like you’ve Audiences seem never seen it,” deto enjoy them. I love tails the 39-year-old my job. I don’t idle Indianapolis native. well when I’m not “I guess I should working. I’ve been stop talking. Check very lucky that I’ve out the film. We’ll been lucky to make come back. Answer large budget, audisome question. ence crowd-pleasers Take questions. that are a lil’ more We’ll hang out. This thoughtful and have is Journey to the a resonating mesCenter of the Earth. sage or endurance. I just got off an What can I say? I’m airplane. What’s my just really pleased name? Time to go and feel very lucky to lunch.” that I’m able to do it.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

FILM INTERVIEW

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Documentary Filmmaker Nanette Burstein on American Teen

BY RYAN LOFTUS

FTER PROFILING THREE BOXING HOPEFULS from Brooklyn in On the Ropes and legendary film producer Robert Evans in The Kid Stays in the Picture, documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein went back to school for her latest project. Filming daily for 10 months in the small, conservative town of Warsaw, Indiana, the result of her efforts is American Teen, which focuses on five students from different social groups trying to navigate their way through the pressures and expectations of an eventful senior year. The numerous fantasies and memories the students express along the way are commonly represented through the use of animation. American Teen was a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the documentary competition’s directing award, and has been picked up by Paramount Vantage for national release. We recently talked to Burstein to get her insights on the making of the film and the reception it’s received. Your three documentaries cover very different subjects. What about a subject makes you think, “I want to make a movie about this?” The theme emerging from the subject matter has to be very personal to me. That’s what intrigues me in each documentary I’ve made. With On the Ropes and The Kid Stays in the Picture, the theme was pursuing a passionate goal in life against all odds. This film was very much about my own high school experience and the quest to figure out your identity at that age despite peer pressure, parental pressure and the mounting insecurity that you face. When did you see the 1983 documentary Seventeen, and what about it gave you the inspiration for American Teen? I saw it when I was in college at film school at NYU, and what inspired me was the intimacy the documentary was able to capture, how composed the 17-year-olds seemed on camera, which I think is very unusual for that age group. I think teenagers are preternaturally very suspicious and do not like to open up on camera, and the documentary was able to overcome that.

Were you surprised by the reaction your movie received at the Sundance Film Festival? I was surprised. At that point I had never shown the film publicly in finished form. I had no idea what to expect, whether the response would be positive or negative, and there was such an overwhelmingly positive response to the film it was very gratifying. You said in an interview in January that you’re always nervous about showing your work for the first time at Sundance. Now that you’ve won the directing award at Sundance’s documentary competition, do you see that changing? No. I’ve had two successful films before, and it doesn’t make it any easier. Each film is a new challenge, and I’m deeply insecure about each project as it goes along, and maybe that’s a good thing because it makes me work harder. I never take success for granted.

What do you think of your movie being compared to The Breakfast Club? I certainly understand the comparison. The Breakfast Club is one of the classic John Hughes movies that looked at different stereotypes and broke them down and showed the kids to be a lot more complex than their labels made them out to be, and certainly my film, even though it’s with real kids, it also breaks down these stereotypes and shows there’s a lot more to these kids than their labels suggest. You’ve won six awards for your three documentaries. What would you say is the secret to your success? Being able to tell a really strong narrative with strong character development and poignant themes. People often expect documentaries to be boring or to be merely educated by them, but real life is often richer than what you can invent in fiction. I tend to use a three-act narrative structure from fiction and apply that to real life in order to tell a compelling story.

You’ve said that in teen fiction films there are basically four or five archetypes. When you were choosing your subjects were you consciously looking for people who represented these archetypes? Not necessarily. I was looking for students from different social cliques, different social classes, but more than anything I looked for students who surprised me, who had contradictions PEOPLE about their personalities, who on the OFTEN EXPECT surface seemed one way but are really very different. You had a kid like Jake DOCUMENTARIES TO (Tusing, an unpopular band member), BE BORING OR TO BE who’s been absolutely tortured by his peers and always been turned down for MERELY EDUCATED dates, but rather than being an angry, BY THEM, BUT bitter boy who stays in his room, he has REAL LIFE IS OFTEN incredible tenacity and continuously takes chances and asks girls on dates and RICHER THAN WHAT seeks acceptance by his peers.

YOU CAN INVENT IN FICTION.

WE GOT NEXT IDINA MENZEL

How do you think the use of animation to show the teenagers’ fantasies enhanced the ﬁlm? I think a lot of high school kids have a very rich and vivid inner life and a lot of time is spent with wishful thinking, so I really wanted to visualize that and incorporate it into the movie. Normally in a documentary you can’t do that except in a talking head interview, which isn’t very visceral. Animation seemed like the perfect vehicle because like your imagination it can be larger than life and very surreal.

Artists on the verge of making it big

Latest Project: Here I Stand (Warner Bros) Why You Should Care: Because she’s got one of the best voices in the business, and a songwriting style that could easily make her Broadway’s biggest crossover artist since… well, ever.

For Fans of:

BY JOHN B. MOORE

DINA MENZEL’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL gig was playing Maureen in the original Broadway production of Rent, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She didn’t win, but she did fall in love with co-star Taye Diggs, to whom she’s been

Annie Lennox, Madonna, Dido

married for five years. In 2004 she won the Tony, this time for her star-making turn as Elphaba in the original Broadway production of Wicked. In the years since, she’s starred in hit films such as the big screen adaptation of Rent and last year’s hit, Enchanted. Now, she’s touring the country to promote her new album. She recently took time out of her busy schedule to speak with us about her life, career, and the city she calls home. You’ve been very successful in crossing over from Broadway into TV, film and even pop music. How do you think your theatre experience prepared you for everything you’re doing now? I think it’s mostly about the work ethic of the theatre. It’s so valuable! Making it through an 8-show week, having to give it your all every single night, really gives you a sense of accomplishment. It really prepares you for anything. The closest thing I’ve experienced to that is the concert tour I’m doing this summer, but even that is different because it’s my show and I can take a moment to breathe when I want to. But theatre is the hardest thing, and because I’ve done that I’m not afraid of any of the challenges I face now. When you’re working in film or TV, do you ever miss the immediacy of live performance? What’s been so wonderful for me is the ability to vacillate between the mediums. It’s a breath of fresh air after doing 8 shows a week for a year

PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

and a half, then after I do a TV or film project for a while I start jonesing to get back on the stage. But the immediacy is always there for me, because whether it be a 1,000-seat theatre or a room full of producers and crew on a movie that’s spending like a million dollars a second, the immediacy of wanting to get it right and do my best is always there. I don’t know, maybe that’s a problem I need to deal with with my therapist! (Laughs) What are your favorite memories from your Tony-winning experience in Wicked? There are memories of sitting beside Stephen Schwartz’s piano at his house and having him say, “I rewrote ‘The Wizard and I’ with you in mind,” then playing it for me. Having him tailor that song for me was a real honor. I remember the day I first tried the green makeup on, and the whole cast was staring at me. That was the first time I really understood what it felt like to sort of an alien-like outsider. And of course I remember winning the Tony Award, sitting next to my husband and watching a million different emotions cross his face at one time. What do you get out of your recording career that you don’t get from Broadway or film work? There’s more solitude, which is nice after doing 8 shows a week because it allows you to take stock of where you are in your life. It’s usually just you, your journal and the producer you’re

working with, and I like that. I love the camaraderie of working with a huge cast on Broadway, and that’s something I will never give up. But it’s also nice to be a little quieter and explore the different parts of my voice that don’t necessarily translate as well onstage as they do in the studio. I was surprised by how accessible your music is. Who were the artists who influenced you? I was especially influenced by Annie Lennox. She’s an incredible singer with a great voice, but she’s also very theatrical in her performance. But I also love people like Chaka Khan, U2 and Sting. I wanted to find a way to make a departure from theatre without alienating my audience, while at the same time staying true to myself as an artist. Only a few women have ever managed to juggle stage, screen and recording careers simultaneously. What’s the key to doing it all, maintaining quality and not exhausting yourself in the process? I love to write songs, I love to put on makeup and play a character, I love to sing with rock bands and orchestras, I love to act in front of a camera… I love to do them all, so it’s not like I’m doing anything contrived. The industry loves to dumb you down and pigeonhole you, but I love doing so many different things. As long as I stay true to who I am, I embrace all these challenges and let everyone else catch up to me as I go on these journeys.

FILM INTERVIEW

THE DYNAMIC DUO

Christian Bale Reteams With Director Christopher Nolan For The Dark Knight BY B. LOVE

ITH ITS $150 MILLION BUDGET, 2005’s Batman Begins was considered a huge gamble. After all, director Christopher Nolan’s biggest film to date, Insomnia, had grossed less than $70 million, while Christian Bale was an unproven indie actor whose celebrity was cult-like at best. But after providing a fresh take on the superhero genre to the tune of $400 million, the dynamic duo got Hollywood’s attention, making The Dark Knight one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated films. “If you work well with someone you want to try to strike gold again. I think Chris is one of the best directors around. You don’t worry too much if he’s going to come up with the goods. It’s nice to work with someone a number of times,” Bale says of Nolan, with whom he also worked on 2006’s The Prestige, “because you get a nice little shorthand between you. We also have the knowledge that everyone has confidence in what we’re trying to do now, because the first one worked and people embraced it.” It worked in large part because of Nolan’s darker, more realistic approach to the Batman mythos, which was inspired by Frank Miller’s gritty graphic novels and hewed much closer to comic book visionary Bob Kane’s original concept. When Kane first created the character back in 1939, he imagined Batman as primal, menacing and almost animalistic, and Bale admits that he’d been yearning for a chance to sink his thespian teeth into the caped crusader since reading Miller’s genre-redefining work back in 2000. “In my mind,” Bale says, still speaking in the same American accent he used for the film, “Batman had never really been defined in any portrayal, unlike Christopher Reeves and the way he played Superman. I realized there was a great character here that had just never been portrayed in that style, and I couldn’t understand it. The Tim Burton stuff was fantastic in his approach, but Gotham was a carnival– a circus– and was never grounded in reality at all. I spoke to [Bob Kane’s] wife, and she said he was appalled at the TV series, which he said was a spoof of his creation. So a revival of his original intentions in the spirit of the Frank Miller/Jeff Logan graphic novels is what was interesting to me.” Some pundits have posited that the timing was ripe for a Batman revival, what with its classic themes of vigilante justice and revenge–witnessing the murder of his parents is what drives orphaned millionaire Bruce Wayne to become Batman in the first place—mirroring a real-life war many think is primarily about payback. But Bale believes that the story’s central themes are timeless. “I think it’s a continuing dilemma of becoming the beast you’re pursuing,” he muses thoughtfully. “That’s one of the fascinating elements of Batman– he has so much negative emotions, rage and guilt that he could very easily become the villains he’s trying to fight. He has this turmoil, because he has this hero worship of his father and desires to uphold his name and beliefs, but it’s blended with this almost uncontrollable need for revenge and capability as a fighter. He could kill very easily– and I believe he actually

does have the desire to– but he reigns himself in constantly.” Reigning himself in may be Bruce Wayne/Batman’s modus operandi, but it’s hardly a tendency one would ever accuse the actor currently portraying him of having. From his breakthrough performance as axe-wielding serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and dropping 65 pounds to play skeletal insomniac Trevor Reznik in The Machinist to his critically acclaimed turns as Vietnam War POW Dieter Dengler in Rescue Dawn and outlaw-wrangling rancher Dan Evans in 3:10 To Yuma, Bale is renowned for giving everything he has to every role he takes on. The actor admits that facing his fears with a spirit of passion and intensity is part of what draws him to his craft. “I think that you should face your fears,” he insists, “because it’s an exhilarating feeling. Not only approaching a character where you’re unsure you’ll actually be able to do it sufficiently well, but there’s also an attraction to the possibility of absolute humiliation. I like that risk-taking feeling, treading that fine line between something working or going disastrously wrong, knowing that if you blow this it could really be the end of it. Because you have to immerse yourself completely in order to make it work properly. But there’s a possibility of things going disastrously wrong on any movie, because it is such a team collaboration.” The Dark Knight will feature one of the most impressive teams of any superhero movie ever made, including indie icons Aaron Eckhart as DA Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face), Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane (a.k.a. The Scarecrow), Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon, Maggie Gyllenhaal (taking over for Katie Holmes) as Rachel Dawes and, of course, Heath Ledger in what is said to be an Oscar-caliber performance as The Joker. Though Ledger’s untimely death last December presented concerns for how to market the film, industry insiders are predicting The Dark Knight will be one of the year’s most successful blockbusters, raking in a projected $500 million at the box office and further elevating Bale’s status as one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. And, unlike other actors who have become so inextricably identified with certain characters that audiences can’t imagine them playing anyone else, Bale has few concerns that the caped crusader will come to define him. “I did think about that ahead of time,” he acknowledges, “but it was a really good character, so I didn’t wanna get scared off by the consequences of always being seen as Batman forever after. Of course it’s something that can happen, but I trust that if I make my choices and continue to make as wide a variety of movies as I wish to, it won’t happen.” There’s precious little chance of that, as Bale already has roles lined up in Michael Mann’s historical crime drama, Public Enemies; Joe Carnahan’s Killing Pablo, about the assassination of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar; and as the iconic John Conner in director McG’s Terminator 4, yet another attempt to reinvent a lagging film franchise. Clearly, more than 20 years after his breakthrough turn in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, Bale’s not planning on slowing down anytime soon.

IF YOU WORK WELL WITH SOMEONE YOU WANT TO TRY TO STRIKE GOLD AGAIN. I THINK CHRIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DIRECTORS AROUND. YOU DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF HE’S GOING TO COME UP WITH THE GOODS. IT’S NICE TO WORK WITH SOMEONE A NUMBER OF TIMES.

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FILM

�� BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER:� �� –DeMarco Williams THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI:� �� PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

�� –Ryan Loftis GET SMART:�� –John C. Snider HANCOCK:��

Look Pixar, we get it. You could make a billion dollars with an animated movie about anything. We submit. But did you have to ripoff Johnny 5? See for yourself in “Wall-E.”

�� –John C. Snider THE HAPPENING:� �� –DeMarco Williams THE INCREDIBLE HULK:� ��

�� –Matt Goldbers

KUNG FU PANDA:��

�� –Ryan Loftis THE LOVE GURU:�� –John C. Snider THE PROMOTION: ��

�� –Mitchell Hughes WALL•E:� � �� –Matt Goldberg WANTED:�� –DeMarco Williams

“HUGELY

, Peter Trav e rs

ENTERTAINING!”

COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCI ATION WITH RELATIVITY MEDIA A BLUE LIGHT/WEED ROAD PICTURES/OVERBROOK ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION A FILM BY PETER BERG CHARLIZE THERON “HANCOCK” JASON BATEMAN EDDIE MARSAN EXECUTIVE GEORGE DRAKOULIAS MUSICBY JOHN POWELL PRODUCERS IAN BRYCE JONATHAN MOSTOW RICHARD SAPERSTEIN WRITTENBY VY VINCENT NGO AND VINCE GILLIGANDIRECTEDPRODUCEDBY AKIVA GOLDSMAN MICHAEL MANN WILL SMITH JAMES LASSITER BY PETER BERG

MUSIC SUPERVISION BY

STARTS WEDNESDAY, JULY 2

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT.

FILM INTERVIEW

BIGGER IS BETTER DIRECTOR CHRIS BELL MAKES

A STRONG DEBUT WITH A STEROIDS DOCUMENTARY.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

Even before Chris Bell’s telling documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster, you may have known that Hulk Hogan and Sylvester Stallone took steroids. You may have even wondered about Barry Bonds and Floyd Landis. But we’ll bet you’ve never thought about the issue from such a guynext-door. INsite recently sat down with the budding director.

What led you to the “The Side Effects of Being American” subtitle? Well, I’ve always known about steroids since I was younger because I knew guys that were doing them. I was a power lifter. There were always guys saying I’m taking this and I’m taking that. They’d always encourage it because it can get you so much stronger. Temptation was always there. Over the course of the past 15, 16 years of working out, I noticed a trend where more and more people were becoming bigger, stronger and faster, like I say in the movie. Personally, when I found when I was younger that Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone all were using steroids to get where they were, I was really disappointed. I’d like to say it didn’t bother me but it really kinda did. It felt like, “Oh, wow. All this hard work I put in was for nothing.” Your brother says, “I’d rather be dead than average.” Traveling around the country for this film, did you notice that quote echoing in others? Everybody that watches the movie identifies with my

brother Mad Dog (Mike). Some of them are successful athletes and but they just want more. My brother said, “I’d rather be dead than average.” When you’re in the world of athletics, I think you’re always craving more. The range of interviews you got for this movie is really impressive. How did you approach people like Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis? Ben Johnson, for example. I’m just a guy coming to ask you a question. I’m not coming to hurt you. Ben Johnson looks at me and the ﬁrst thing he says is, “Hey, man. How much do you bench?” He’s got this really thick Jamaican accent. I’m like, “Aw, man. I bench like 500 pounds on a good day.” He goes, “I used to bench like 405 for reps.” And then we started talking. I ask, “Why would you bench 405 if you’re a runner?” He says, “Oh, your upper body is your locomotive. It gets you going.” A lot of it has to do with the trust that I gained. With talking to Carl Lewis, the ﬁrst thing I said was, “Hey, man. You were a hero of mine. You used to run so fast. I was never a good runner. So, I went into my strength, which was power lifting. I used that same attitude that you have to develop what I did in power lifting.” And right there, you gain the trust. One of the misconceptions about steroids is that people think if you juice you don’t have to work out. The thing is that you work harder! I think that one of the misconceptions is that you’re going to take steroids and all of a sudden you’re going to be a super hero. That only happens in the comic books, with Captain America’s super soldier serum. It doesn’t happen in real life. What happens in real life is that people who take steroids take them so they can train harder and can train for a longer period of time. If you go the gym for, say, An hour and you’re totally exhausted. Then you go on steroids and you go in for an hour and a half one day. The next day you’re not even tired really. It’s this cumulative build-up of the workouts with the anabolic steroids that are producing the results. PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

CONCERT

CALENDER

JULY 24

TONY HAWK’S BOOM BOOM HUCKJAM JULY 26

311 & SNOOP DOGG JULY 27

POISON

DOKKEN & SEBASTIAN BACH

AUGUST 1

RASCAL FLATTS TAYLOR SWIFT

AUGUST 3

PROJEKT REVOLUTION

LINKIN PARK & CHRIS CORNELL THE BRAVERY & ASHES DIVIDE

AUGUST 12

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL

SLIPKNOT & DISTURBED MASTODON & MORE!

SEPTEMBER 11

TOBY KEITH

MONTGOMERY GENTRY

OCTOBER 1

MAROON 5/ COUNTING CROWS AUGUSTANA

All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.

p re s e n t e d b y

TERRACE ONE

Great seats still available! $45.00

TERRACE TWO

$38.75

LAWN TICKETS

$20.00

Rockin Nights Series JULY 3 PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO AUG 9 STARSHIP STARRING MICKEY THOMAS AUG 15 CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVISITED

Summer Stars Series JULY 19 MICHAEL BOLTON & COBB SYMPHONY

�� When Sid Slid �� SWEAT �� Asphalt Grunge �� Cas Haley, Jah Roots �� Cruis-o-Matic �� Little Joey’s Big Band �� Nojaboinga w/ Newberry Jam �� Dark Lotus �� Reckless �� The Swing Richards �� Homeroom �� Dodger Fest Music �� Ryan Cabrera �� Groundation �� Bill Gentry

�� Pead Boy & Little Brother �� Dave Matthews Band �� The Luchagors �� The Black Angels �� Jen Lowe & Friends �� Crosstown Allstars �� Joe Gransden Quartet �� The Green Hit �� Joan Armatrading �� Soul Asylum, Gin Blossoms �� Pierce Potts �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Laura Reed & Deep Pocket �� Vans Warped Tour �� Ryan Hammer �� Y.O.U. �� Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

�� Max Forstater �� Blues Envy �� Flat Cat �� Fran & Co. �� Silver Apples �� Open Mic �� Patrick Vining �� Joe McGuinness �� Hammerdown, Elli Perry �� Summer Hostage �� Krishna Das

�� Langhorne Slim �� Malcolm Holcombe �� Chickenshack �� Gary Pfaff �� Yo Mama’s Big Fat Bootie Band �� Freakout!!! �� Amy Lashley �� Calamity Magnet

Country Nights Series JULY 11 BLAKE SHELTON AUG 30 CRAIG MORGAN & DANIELLE PECK SEPT 5 DIAMOND RIO

285 MHBA

�� Blankety Blank �� SpaceOut Project �� Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap �� Noot D’Noot �� John McCutcheon �� Andy Makely Band �� Josh Phillips Folk Festival �� Blake Shelton �� Fly By Radio �� Lefty Williams �� Nine Inch Neils �� Magical Mystery Tour �� Jimmy Buffett Tribute Band �� Jesus Adrian Romero

�� Peter Murphy �� Boz Scaggs �� Nigredo �� Dionne Farris �� Frankies Blues Mission �� DJ Tubby Style �� Egypt Central �� Rev Rebel �� Metalocalyse �� Rantings of Eva �� Claire Holley �� Chickenshack �� Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo �� The Velcro Pygmies �� Kevn Kinny Band �� A Fight To The Death �� Blake Rainey �� Dave Matthews Tribute Band �� Van Hunt �� Burning Brides �� Matthew Kahler �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Live Art Event �� Block Party �� The Big Fat Fourth �� The Pink Police & More �� ASO All-American Celebration

�� Behind the Sun �� The Temptations �� Everybodyﬁelds �� Jackson County Line �� Sana Blues �� Sam McPherson Trio �� MeNTAL BrEAKdown �� That 80’s Radio �� Papa Grows Funk �� ASO w/ Robert McDuﬁe �� Drake �� Brendan James �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Just Think! �� Brownkid �� Kenny Chesney

PSYCHO SISTERS

YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?

MY MOM TAKES ME SHOPPING AT PSYCHO SISTERS.

AUG 2 KOOL & THE GANG SEPT 17 KENNY LOGGINS

ATLANTA

So Close You Can Almost Touch The Stars

BOX OFFICE: 770-819-7765 TUES-FRI 10AM-4PM & SAT SHOW DAYS 3PM-9PM 5239 FLOYD ROAD, MABLETON, GA 30126 PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

�� Claire & Bain’s Maple Yum �� Fat Back Deluxe �� The Lonely H, Doomsayer

�� Lfye Jennings �� Crosstown Allstars �� Totally Rockin’ �� The Petes, Trail By Fire �� Joe Gransden Quartet

TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH TICKETMASTER AT 404-249-6400. For full concert schedule and alternate routes to the venue, visit www.livenation.com. Save time and the environment and take MARTA to the show!

�� Frontiers �� Boris �� Asylum Street Spankers �� The Soul Shakers �� Tommy Talton Band �� Laney Strickland Band �� Turtle Folk �� Gringo Star

BUY © © SELL LITTLE FIVE POINTS TRADE SANDY SPRINGS 428 Moreland Ave. 404-523-0100

for guys 5964 Roswell Rd. and girls

psycho-sisters.com

404-255-5578

BLUE COLLAR MAN (LONG NIGHTS)

RENEGADE

ALL-AMERICAN CELEBRATION

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

FOREIGNER BRYAN ADAMS

�� Big $hott �� Collective Efforts July 22 ~ 8:00pm �� ButchAugust Walker 16 ~ 8:00pm �� Boys to Men �� Cadillac Jones �� Girlyman �� Burningwith Time July 26 ~ 8:00pm host Robert Osborne �� Urban Sophisticates Richard Kaufman, conductor �� Slippery When Wet �� The Beggars’ Guild 15 ~ 8:00pm August Connor Christian Volunteer Jam Tour 2008 Robert Spano, �� conductor �� Pasadena

RUSH

�� Tron Jackson �� The Friday Flow Steve Alkaline Winwood �� Trio �� Idina Menzel �� Grupo July 12Fantasma ~ 8:00pm �� The Dappled Grays �� Rough Draft �� The Nerd Parade �� Grayson Hill Robert Spano, conductor �� Fish Mouth Fools Robert McDufﬁe, violin �� El Caminos �� Jay Brannan July 20 ~ 8:00pm

ALL TCHAIKOVSKY

stonetemplepilots.com

��

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

THE TEMPTATIONS/ THE FOUR TOPS Saturday, July 12

MICHAEL McDONALD/ AL GREEN Wednesday, July 16

CROSBY, STILLS & NASH

COREY SMITH RHETT AKINS BRANTLEY GILBERT

Saturday, July 19 Reserved seating. No tables, no coolers or carry ins.

BOYZ II MEN/ MORRIS DAY & THE TIME

An Evening with

GIPSY KINGS Saturday, August 9

THE BEACH BOYS with ASO

Saturday, August 2

Wednesday, August 13

THE KICKIN’ PICKIN’ BLUEGRASS PARTY

SISTER HAZEL with ASO

Saturday, August 23

ERYKAH BADU

featuring MARTY STUART, DEL McCOURY BAND, DOYLE LAWSON

featuring JACK BRUCE of Cream, ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS, THE TURTLES featuring Flo & Eddie, MELANIE, BADFINGER featuring Joey Molland, JONATHAN EDWARDS

Friday, August 8 Tables available for select concerts

404.733.4805

Friday, July 25

AUGUST 22

This show is reserved seating. No tables, no coolers or carry ins.

Wednesday, August 27

REGENERATION TOUR

featuring THE HUMAN LEAGUE, BELINDA CARLISLE, ABC, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS, NAKED EYES

HIPPIEFEST

Friday, July 18

JOHN MAYER

JILL SCOTT

Wednesday, July 30

FRIDAY

Wednesday, August 6

IDINA MENZEL

ROD STEWART

Friday, August 29

INDIGO GIRLS MISSY HIGGINS

Saturday, September 13

CALL 404.733.4800 Groups of 15 or more

404.733.4848

��404.249.6400��ticketmaster.com

Tickets available at all

Tickets also available at the Woodruff Arts Center box ofﬁce, 404.733.5000. Concerts take place rain or shine. Artists and schedules are subject to change. All sales ﬁnal. No exchanges or refunds.

Delta Classic Chastain Concerts at Chastain Park Amphitheater brought to you by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Promoter.

MORE THAN A FEELING��LADY��LONG TIME��CRYSTAL BALL��DON’T LOOK BACK

SUNDAY

AUGUST 17 BANDBOSTON.COM BLUE COLLAR MAN (LONG NIGHTS)

RENEGADE

July 4 ~ 7:30pm

ALL-AMERICAN CELEBRATION

COME SAIL AWAY��PEACE OF MIND��FOOLING FOOLING YOURSELF (THE ANGRY YOUNG MAN)��PARTY MAN) PARTY

��

Wednesday, July 2 RONNIE MILSAP

�� GBH �� The Breakfast Club August 8 ~ 8:00pm �� Brian CollinsAugust 29 ~ 8:00pm �� X-Mas In July Star 94FM - “Starfest” �� ASO: La Boheme �� Ski Club

��

with ASO DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN

Friday, July 11

�� The TwoAugust Timers 27 ~ 8:00pm Ian Fraser, conductor �� 311 w/ Snoop Dogg Julie Andrews, host

AN EVENING OF ROMANCE

BOZ SCAGGS

TRACE ADKINS

THE CHARLIE August 2 ~�� 8:00pm DANIELS BAND �� Big Time Outlaws JULIE ANDREWS �� Butch Walker Shooter Jennings “THE GIFT OF�� MUSIC” Richard Bicknell

DREW DAVIS BAND

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1

This show is reserved seating. No tables, no coolers or carry ins.

PUCCINI’S LA BOHEME

�� Presented by BlackBerry Robert Spano, conductor �� Who’s Bad With special guest One Republic Garrick Ohlsson, piano �� Down South Takeover �� Summer Soul Funk Fest �� Caroline Aiken �� Corey Smith �� Fat Back Deluxe outlets Tickets available at all �� Nomo �� Poison Charge by phone: 404.249.6400��Online: ticketmaster.com �� Tony Joe Tickets White �� Sean Moran’s Family Affair also available at the box ofﬁce Monday - Friday, noon - 6pm and Saturdays, 10am - 2pm. �� Santos Brothers The venue is conveniently located off GA-400 in Alpharetta. All artists and schedules subject to change without notice. vzwamp.com �� Stop Drop & Roll �� Kink Patrol �� Pead Boy & Little Brother �� Michael Bolton & Cobb Symphony �� Macon Greyson �� Gaelic Storm �� Wolf Parade �� Rockabilly Mayhem �� Dubconscious �� Elevation �� Crosstown Allstars �� Open Mic Jam �� Hightide Blues �� Tribute to John Jarrard �� Joe Gransden Quartet �� Fat Back Deluxe �� She & Him �� Sematic, Green Eyed Steve �� Foreigner & Bryan Adams �� Jill Scott w/ ASO �� Adron, Telenovela �� The XYZ Affair �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Sugarland �� Immortal Technique �� Pead Boy & Little Brother �� The Overhead Ground �� Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers �� Thee Crucials �� Chickenshack �� Sleepy Horses �� Splendid �� Crosstown Allstars �� George Michael �� Back Door Slam �� Bloodkin �� Starﬁsh & Coffee �� Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause �� Joe Gransden Quartet �� Joe McGuinness �� Old 97’s �� Sam Thacker �� Rush

plus special guest

��

stonetemplepilots.com

July 22 ~ 8:00pm

August 16 ~ 8:00pm

RUSH

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

Robert Spano, conductor

July 26 ~ 8:00pm

July 9 ~ 8:00pm

PUCCINI’S LA BOHEME

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

��

SATURDAY AUGUST 23

with host Robert Osborne Richard Kaufman, conductor August 15 ~ 8:00pm

Robert Spano, conductor

Steve Winwood

August 2 ~ 8:00pm

July 12 ~ 8:00pm

JULIE ANDREWS “THE GIFT OF MUSIC”

ALL TCHAIKOVSKY

Robert Spano, conductor Robert McDufﬁe, violin July 20 ~ 8:00pm

FOREIGNER BRYAN ADAMS

Ian Fraser, conductor Julie Andrews, host

JULY

BANDBOSTON.COM

AUGUST�� 23

��

AUGUST

�� AUGUST 17 �� 3 on 3rd �� Candlebox �� The Fading Captains JulyLori 4 ~McKenna 7:30pm �� Chickenshack �� Delicious �� Strange Design �� BigSpano Trouble in Little 5 Robert , conductor �� Georgia Fireﬂies �� Steve Baskin July 9 ~ 8:00pm

��

SEPT.

SUNDAY

�� Cassavetes �� Kodac Harrison �� Chickenshack �� Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam �� 17th Floor �� Spiritual Rez �� Mary Delaney �� Tilly & the Wall �� Ours SATURDAY

JULY

�� Jaun Luis Guerra �� Michael McDonald, Al Green �� The Tulipss �� Ruthie Foster �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Orange Sky �� The Rosewood Thieves �� Alejandro Escovedo

��

C O O L T H E E N G I N E S � � � � �TO O M U C H T I M E O N M Y H A N D S � � � � �A M A N D A � � � � � S N O W B L I N D

COME SAIL AWAY��PEACE OF MIND��FOOLING FOOLING YOURSELF (THE ANGRY YOUNG MAN)��PARTY MAN) PARTY

C O O L T H E E N G I N E S � � � � �TO O M U C H T I M E O N M Y H A N D S � � � � �A M A N D A � � � � � S N O W B L I N D

MORE THAN A FEELING��LADY��LONG TIME��CRYSTAL BALL��DON’T LOOK BACK

SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

AUGUST

�� The NEC �� Crosstown Allstars �� Totally Rockin’ �� The Mayhaws �� Joe Gransden Quartet

�� Joshua Radin �� Rachel Sage �� Dayna Kurtz �� Frankies Blues Mission �� ODB’s Brooklyn Zu �� DJ Tubby Style �� Oakhurst �� Ampliﬁed Heat �� Spiritualized

JULY

�� Pead Boy & Little Brother �� Austre Giltrap

Volunteer Jam Tour 2008

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND

Outlaws Shooter Jennings

August 27 ~ 8:00pm

ROD STEWART

August 8 ~ 8:00pm

AN EVENING OF ROMANCE Robert Spano, conductor Garrick Ohlsson, piano

August 29 ~ 8:00pm

Star 94FM - “Starfest”

JOHN MAYER

Presented by BlackBerry With special guest One Republic

Ticke

Tickets a

Tickets available at all outlets Charge by phone: 404.249.6400��Online: ticketmaster.com Tickets also available at the box ofﬁce Monday - Friday, noon - 6pm and Saturdays, 10am - 2pm. The venue is conveniently located off GA-400 in Alpharetta. All artists and schedules subject to change without notice.

vzwamp.com

PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

Delta

Road Warriors

This Month’s Hottest Shows BY JOHN DAVIDSON 07/02 PETER MURPHY

Center Stage As leader of the seminal goth act Bauhaus, Peter Murphy helped usher in a movement that has now survived two decades. His solo career began in 1983, and while he’s prone to playing songs by his old band (as well as reforming that group to tour from time to time), his solo work generally dismisses the apocalyptic outlook and droning musicality of goth in favor of dance beats and atmospheric soundscapes. Murphy barely matters anymore, but his cult of personality lives on.

07/07 DAVE MATTHEWS BAND W/ GOMEZ Lakewood Amphitheatre DMB will never ever be the Grateful Dead but thankfully they have rescued the jam band scene from the aging burnouts who still thought Jerry Garcia was making relevant

music a decade ago. And despite his grating non-voice and endlessly repetitive catalog, Dave Matthews is still a superstar. Add in the fantastic Gomez and you have a nice night out.

07/09 GIN BLOSSOMS W/ SOUL ASYLUM

Chastain Park The Gin Blossoms sold more than ten million albums in the 1990s, only to find themselves hammered into a fad once known on the radio as “alternative rock.” This band was never alternative to anything, which probably never bothered them since they were busy writing great pop songs and taking piles of cash to the bank for their efforts. Oh, and as for their new album, it’s really good.

07/16 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Variety Playhouse Dammit, why do so few people care about this guy? He’s paid his dues for nearly twenty years. He’s twice the

songwriter Bruce Springsteen ever was, and has never sold our or lost his passion. He’s a great storyteller. He’s a little bit country, and a whole lot rock-n-roll. He’s positively amazing live, especially when it’s just him and his guitar, and his battle with hepatitis is long behind him.

7/22 OLD 97’S

Variety Playhouse 1997s Too Far Gone gave the Old 97s a leg up on the burgeoning alt-country movement, but the band’s glance with popularity never materialized when they were caught in the crossfire of massive record label upheaval. But when lead singer/guitarist Rhett Miller’s solo album tanked a few years ago, it gave the band to reconsider hiatus and the result is this year’s fine Blame It On Gravity. Excited to be back on the road, this band still has the verve and fervor of a newcomer, and Miller’s charm is always convincing.

07/23 SPIRITUALIZED Variety Playhouse

Spiritualized is in some ways a poor man’s Pulp or the British version of the Flaming Lips. Emerging from the atmospheric rock of Spacemen 3, Jason Pierce has never let the Spiritualized formula fall far from the druggy sound the group perfected on their seminal Ladies & Gentlemen We

Are Floating In Space. This year’s Songs In A&E is widely seen as a strong return to form, so if you’ve written off the band, maybe it’s time for a relapse.

07/25 LUCINDA WILLIAMS

Atlanta Botanical Garden Williams latest album West is pretty much like all the rest of her back catalog— spare, rough-hewn country ballads sung by a woman who sounds like she’s lived them. Seems like a big venue for a performer who shines on her own, but we’ll assume that she can fill the joint adequately with her storytelling. An added bonus is the Heartless Bastards, whose heavy rock songs will add much some needed weight.

07/25 BUTCH WALKER

Center Stage You have to love Butch Walker: local scenester who is actually a nice guy, had 15 minutes of fame with the Marvelous 3 but kept it real, now in high demand as a producer (he’s produced nearly a dozen Top-40 stars). His solo work is uniformly great, and the only thing to top off seeing him on the Rolling Stone “Hot List” is seeing him performing songs out of his big catalog. Jesse Malin opens.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

WRITER’S STRIKE BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

HE PHONE RINGS. FOR MOST FOLKS, an aunt or co-worker would be on the other end. In the case of chart-topping songwriter Sean Garrett, it’s probably Usher or Fergie calling. But then again, if you’re the man responsible for penning smash singles for the likes of Ciara (“Goodies”), Chris Brown (“Run It”) and Destiny Child (“Solider”), it potentially could be anyone in the industry reaching out for something. “Hey, Scobby Doo,” Sean says to his son excitedly. “You comin’ to the studio today? You guess?! You don’t wanna hang out with daddy? Well, I’m at the studio, so if you

wanna come, just tell mamma to bring you.” Think that’s something. Just wait ‘til you hear Garrett, 30, open up on his just-released solo debut, Turbo 919. It’s that sexy, Michael-Jackson-circa-‘80 soul the buying public will love and fellow artists will resent the super talent for because he didn’t call them with it ﬁrst.

You’ve been writing since ‘03. Why are you only now coming out with a solo project? I didn’t wanna do an album just to do an album. I want people to feel like Sean has taken what he’s learned from some of the greats like Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson and the Beatles and Bobby Brown and New Edition. It’s not just urban [my album]. It sorta transcends from where I’m from, Atlanta, Georgia, to international. At five I moved to Europe. My dad was in the military. I was able to see a whole lot of the world, but I still never lost my roots. I was able to learn a lot abroad and sort of incorporate that into what I do as a songwriter and producer. Why is your debut called Turbo 919? It’s always like speed, like evolution. Some people ain’t really ready to see you evolve into another episode of your life. A lot of people are scared of change. They tend to feel a lil’ off kilter when they see change, when they feel change. I’ve been one of the most dominant songwriters of the last five years, hands down. I’ve been really appreciative of the respect I’ve been given and have earned. But at the same time, I still have plenty of things to do. One thing I know about this business: no matter how many hits you have, they’re still gonna make you earn it. I love and respect that. That’s the game. I just wanna keep working hard. I feel like I’m just really beginning. I don’t really want to talk about my album and force it on people. I want them to feel like, “Yo, I can’t

PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

Already a prolific songwriter, Sean Garrett now sets his sights on doing the singing. even front. This album is for real.” That’s it. So, you don’t have any reservations about stepping to the mic? No, ‘cuz I was an artist when I was young. I signed to do my first record when I was 15 years old. I’ve been an artist all my life. I just had to deal with the opportunities that were presented to me. I love writing, producing records for other people too. That’s just a blessing. That’s a gift. I thank God every minute for having the opportunity to bless my gift with other people. I know how difficult it is to come up with hits. This business is so fierce with money, people are so vindictive, that they tend to forget how fortunate we are to have people like Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie, people that were artists themselves but still have the ability to give their gift to other artist [via songwriting] so they could live. That’s a real gift. That’s a blessing. I’m not saying that from the perspective that [other artists] should praise me, but they should praise people that have that ability [to share]. I don’t hold it all for myself. I still give it. I did 13 No. 1 records before I even talked about doing an album. 25 Top 20 songs before I even talked about doing an album. That’s an unselfish feat [seeing] as how I knew I could sing. When you hear my album, I knew I could sing when I was young. What are the secrets behind all the energy you must have? I’m still a kid, at the end of the day. It’s like a kid on the playground. You could go get on the monkey bars or you could go play catch with your friends or football or kickball or soccer or we could get on the see-saw. There’s a whole lot of stuff to do on the playground. Music is a playground for me. I could go mess country if I wanted to. I could go mess with rock. I could go mess with R&B. I could go mess with pop R&B. I could mess with some

crossover, just as long as I remain consistent. There’s a fine line between playing and business. There’s a common denominator in business, playing and winning. I think the common denominator is focus. Even when I’m playing, I’m focused on winning at playing. I’m focused at winning at business. I never get tired, man, ‘cuz when it’s over it’s over. I’mma go like James Brown. It’s a blessing. You can’t take for granted opportunity. You can’t take life and love for granted. I’ve been a victim of taking love for granted—not ‘cuz I wanted to but because my priorities were somewhere else. I’ve had to learn the hard way with that. I’ve got a real love for music. I love it to the end. I love it like a drug. I won’t say I love it as much as I love God, but I enjoy what it gives me. I enjoy what it makes me feel like to create a new song that everybody feels. Speaking of which, your first big song was Usher’s “Yeah.” What exactly does that feel like, making something the masses love? That’s a humbling experience, first of all. That’s when you know that God is alive. It’s a situation where you don’t have to be breathing. You don’t have to get up in the morning and be okay. That’s when you start to realize that God is for real. God gives and God taketh. Most people think [having a popular song] makes you a king, but what it does is make you say, “Wow, God is a very explosive power.” He can give you life or take life from you if you’re not appreciative of what it is. That’s what makes me want to do it over and over again. It’s not permanent feeling ‘cuz life has ups and downs. It’s definitely a triumphant feeling because, at the time when that was created, you had doubters. You had haters. You had people that said they knew better than you knew. Ultimately, it’s like the NBA playoffs; people had their bets and somebody had to lose and somebody had to win. Fortunately, we won the bet.

INsite’s Music Venue Guide

The best places to hear live music in Atlanta!!!! Philips Arena

Lakewood Amphitheatre 2002 Lakewood Way • 404.443.5000 www.livenation.com

Atlanta’s largest and premier dedicated concert venue in the Southeast since 1989. Lakewood Amphitheatre was built specifically for popular music, designed to offer a state of the art musical experience for both patrons and performers. Superior sound reproduction, advanced lighting capabilities and clear, unrestricted sightlines make Lakewood Amphitheatre the favorite summer concert site for the avid music fan. Some of their hotly anticipated upcoming shows include: Dave Mathews Band (July 7); Vans Warped Tour (July 9); Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Huckjam (July 24); 311 & Snoop Dog (July 26); Projekt Revolution (August 3); and Jack Johnson, (August 13).

100 Centennial Olympic Park • 404.584.7825 www.philipsarena.com

Home to the Hawks, Thrashers and now the Atlanta Dream, Atlanta’s largest indoor entertainment venue also showcases some great concerts. Highly anticipated concerts this year include: George Michael (July 3); Janet Jackson (October 5); and Madonna (November 24)

The Fox Theatre 660 Peachtree St. 404.817.8700 www.foxtheatre.org

The city’s oldest and most renown venue is best known for its theatrical performances. However they do house musical acts from time to time and many say it is among the best concert atmoshpheres they have experienced. Upcoming concerts include: Tom Waits (July 5); My Morning Jacket (Aug. 27).

The Arena at Gwinnett

Chastain Park

4469 Stella Dr. NW.• 4.253.5926 www.classicchastain.com

Chastain Amphitheatre is one of the great outdoor concert venues in the country. It is an ideal setting to combine dining al fresco with a diverse range of musical talent. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own food, wine and spirits (when permitted) or take advantage of its preferred caterers and concessions to help enhance their concert experience. Among the top performances for the 2008 season include: Michael McDonald / Al Green (July 16); Jill Scott (July 30); Crosby, Stills & Nash (August 2); and the Indigo Girls (Sept. 13).

Verizon Amphitheatre

Encore Park in Alpharetta • 4.249.6400 www.vzwamp.com

The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre is a state of the art facility. The 12,000 seat venue is located in Alpharetta just minutes off of 400. The amphitheatre is expected to hold approximately 55 events during its inaugural year including concerts, community events and movie nights. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre is also proud to be the outddor home to the Altanta Symphony Orchestra. Among the highly anticipated shows coming this summer include: Foreigner & Bryan Adams (July 20); Rush (July 22); Yes (August 4); and Stone Temple Pilots (August 23).

5239 Floyd Rd, Mableton 770.819.7765 www.theMHBA.com

The Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre is a mid-sized, yet intimate, outdoor venue located in a natural setting in south Cobb County. Nestled amongst trees in the quaint suburbs of Mableton, Georgia, it is a beautifully landscaped and covered amphitheatre which boasts of intimate dining table seating with more than 1200 covered seats and lawn area with a capacity of 2,410 people. Summer performances include: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo (July 3); Blake Shelton (July 11); and Micahel Bolton (July 19).

Five Spot

1123 Euclid Ave. 404.223.1100 www.fivespot-atl.com

The Peachtree Tavern 3179 Peachtree Rd. • 404.842.1700 www.peachtreetavern.com

The Peachtree Tavern offers an intimate setting, a large selection of drinks from the bar, and will pay tribute to the always growing southeast music scene by featuring a wide variety of incredible cover bands, upcoming artists, and nationally acclaimed recording acts. The Peachtree Tavern is recognized as one of the premier spots in Buckhead to build memories with friends, artists, and family. This month check out: Fly By Radio (July 11); Grayson Hill (July 18 ); Slippery When Wet (July 25 ); and The Breakfast Club (July 26 )

6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy. 770.813.7600 www.GwinnettCenter.com

As part of the 80 acre Gwinnett Center campus, The Arena is a state of the art 13,000 seat facility hosting concerts and other large events. It boasts widened seats, a highend sound system along with accoustical enhancements and versatile lighting.

Wild Bill’s

2075 Market St. 678-473-1000 www.wildbillsatlanta.com

Billed as the largest country-music dance club and concert hall in the country, this massive Duluth complex is a weekend hot spot. It has an upscale vibe, with only spotted-cow carpet alluding to its country theme. A multilevel bar overlooks the 5,000-square-foot solid oak dance floor, where country-music fans vie for stomping space. A1A The Jimmy Buffet Tribute Band performs (July11); Bill Gentry (July 18); Country Showdown (Aug. 22).

Variety Playhouse

1099 Euclid Ave. L5pts • 4.521.1786 www.variety-playhouse.com

This is Little Five Points’ largest music venue, but it can also be one of its most intimate. The Variety has great accoustics and sound combined with an eclectic mix of artists. Some of the great shows appearing at here this summer include: Joan Armatrading (July 8); Alejandro Escovedo (July 16); and the Old 97’s (July 22).

Smith’s Olde Bar

1578 Piedmont Ave 4.875.1522 www.smithsoldebar.com

If you’re looking for live music, Smith’s Olde Bar has it seven nights a week! Expect to see the best national, regional, and upcoming acts while enjoying the laid-back, intimate atmosphere. Check out Lefty Williams (July 11); Papa Grows Funk (July 12); Oakhurst (July 23); and Brian Collins (July 26).

The Tabernacle

Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre

of the Coca-Cola Roxy include an open dance floor, a balcony equipped with comfortable reclining cushion seats, two full-service bars and a lobby full of memorabilia.

152 Luckie Street • 4.659.9022 www.livenation.com

This turn of the century church turned concert venue attracts some of the biggest national acts. The Tabernacle has recently completed an extensize renovation. Some great shows appearing this summer include: Bow Wow (Aug. 5); Sevendust (Aug 6); and Rodrigo y Gabriela (August 15).

The Roxy

3110 Roswell Rd. 404.233.7699 LiveNation.com

Located in the heart of Buckhead, the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre is the predominant focus of one of the city's busiest intersections. Unique features

Masquerade

695 North Ave. NE • 404.577.8178 www.masq.com

With three rooms for dancing and lounging and an outdoor deck, this mid-sized concert venue encourages concert-goers to stick around after a show to get their dance on or just chill out amist its turn-of-the-century architecture. Masquerade attracts a combination of loud rock, 80s retro music, and modern electronics. Expect to see a changing crowd depending on the night.

Andrews Upstairs

56 East Andrews Dr. • 404.467.1600 www.ANDREWSUPSTAIRS.com

Andrews Upstairs is a 400 capacity music venue, located in Buckhead’s West Village boutique district. “Atlanta’s most intimate concert setting”, Andrews’ amphitheater-shaped dance floor hugs the large stage, which is comfortable without being cramped; while the three tiers of stools and tables rise into the back of the room for excellent views of the stage.

The Earl

488 Flat Shoals Ave. • 404.522.3950 www.badearl.com

An East Atlanta institution for great live music. Anything and everything can be heard, and the crowd varies with the bands. National acts and the best of the emerging Atlanta music scene grace the stage nightly to packed crowds. In July catch: Langhorne Slim (July 10); Grupo Fantasma (July 18); and Rachel Sage (July 23).

Atlanta’s most inclusive music and arts venue features industry nights every Monday, a wild Open Mic Jam on Tuesdays, Jazz Thursdays, and Reggae every third Sunday of each month. On any given night you can catch funk, hip-hop, soul, jazz, blues, or rock fusion performances. Live Art performances every first Friday by premier Atlanta visual artists are a crowd favorite. Upcoming music shows in July include: The Tommy Talton Band (July 5); Sam McPherson Trio (July 12); Stop Drop and Roll (July 19); and Urban Sophisticates (July 25).

The CW Midtown

1374 W. Peachtree St. • 404.885.1365 www.cwmidtownmusiccomplex.com

This mutli-level music complex houses Center Stage, The Loft and Vinyl. The Center Stage is the largest of the three and books national acts including: Candlebox (July 17); Alkaline Trio (July 18); and Joshua Radin (July 23).

Eddie’s Attic

Decatur Square. • 4.377.4976 www.eddiesattic.com

Decatur’s most prominent music venue features some of the best accoustical music in the city. Made famous by the frequent appearances of the Indigo Girls, they still offer some great acts. John McCutcheon (July 11); Ruthie Foster (July 16); Dayna Kurtz & Mamie Minch (July 23).

Fat Matt’s Rib Shack

1811 Piedmont Rd. 404.607.1622 www.fatmatts.com

You like ribs? You like the blues? You can get both 7 nights a week. Live music begins at 8pm. One of the best places in Atlanta for both. Come often, because you never know what blues legend is going to stop in and play.

Tin Roof

2591 Briarcliff Road 404.329.4700 www.tinroofcantina.com

This popular Tex-Mex Cantina also boasts a indoor stage and huge outdoor patio. They now feature live music every night and are open late, ‘till 4am. Tin Roof is run by the guys who brought you CJ’s Landing in Buckhead. They have brought with them their huge following and musical acts like: Swami Gone Bananas (July 11); The Brian Wiltsey Band (July 12); and Gareth Asher & Friends (July 25).

10 High

816 N. Highland Ave 404.873.3607 www.tenhighclub.com

The 10 High is located directly below the Dark Horse Tavern in the heart of the Virginia Highlands neighborhood. The venue is a favorite spot for local music lovers and bands as well. Monday nights feature the well-known Metal-some Monday live band karaoke, where everyone is given the opportunity to hop on stage and re-incarnate the big hair days.

Star Bar

437 Moreland Ave. 404.681.9018 www.starbaratl.com

This Little Five Points music cathedral keeps packing them in. Nothing seems to change here. Romeo Colgne still mixes up the funk disco Tuesday nights and the PBR’s are still $2. Don’t miss the Elvis Shrine which is still alive and well. PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

MUSIC

��

By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John B. Moore, Matt Goldberg & Jon Latham

LIL WAYNE – THA CARTER III (Cash Money/Universal) & JEAN GRAE – JEANIUS (Blacksmith) Men are from Mars, women are from Venus… but both spit hot bars �� SEUN KUTI – MANY THINGS (Disorient) Like father, like son �� PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

�� LIZ PHAIR – EXILE IN GUYVILLE REISSUE (ATO) The original blowjob queen

WEEZER – WEEZER AKA “THE RED ALBUM” (DGC/ Interscope) Carefree rock a la Cheap Trick ��

�� DENNIS WILSON – PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE (Legacy) �� Getting the deluxe treatment �� THE COOL KIDS – THE BAKE SALE EP (Chocolate �� Industries) �� Everything old is new (school) again �� 1997 – ON THE RUN (Victory) �� Dreadful name, great sound ��

�� J-LIVE – THEN WHAT HAPPENED? (BBE) Progressive, except for the production �� TWIN TIGERS – CURIOUS FACES VIOLENT FUTURE (matthewrain) The return of shoegaze ��

RZA AS BOBBY DIGITAL – DIGI SNACKS (Koch) On some other ish �� MILLENCOLIN – MACHINE 15 (Epitaph) Swedish Punks Hitting Their Stride �� WE VERSUS THE SHARK – DIRTY VERSIONS (Hello Sir) A fireball of post-punk fury ��

�� MATTHEW SWEET – SUNSHINE LIES Factory) Like déjà vu all over again

(Shout!

�� WILLIE NELSON – STARDUST REISSUE (Legacy) A certified classic ��

MUSIC INTERVIEW

DRESDEN DOLLS

BY JOHN B. MOORE

ART CABARET SHOW, PART PUNK rock spectacle, trying to pin down exactly what happens at a Dresden Dolls show is a fruitless endeavor. The duo, made up of Boston musicians Amanda Palmer and Brian Vigilone, has been playing together for about seven years, and their once-underground sound is starting to get a lot of attention lately thinks in part to a slew of famous rock star fans. When Vigilone isn’t sharing the stage with Palmer he’s playing drums behind Nine Inch Nails. Equally busy is Palmer, who is currently working with Ben Folds on her solo record. The Dresden Dolls have just turned in “No Virginia,” a compilation album that comes out on the heels of “Yes Virginia.” Palmer spoke with us recently about the new record, the band’s live shows and their fan-created merchandise.

Life is a Cabaret

we’ll have any lack of material when we go into make Ofﬁcial Dolls Record #3. The band has a very distinct sound. How do you describe a Dresden Dolls show to someone who’s never seen it before? Piano. Drums. Banging. Craziness. Silliness. Feelings. Catharsis. I know you were involved with The Onion Cellar production (a play created by Amanda) in Cambridge. Do you have plans to take that show to other venues across the country? Any plans for other plays? The Onion Cellar was a creative disaster for me, so it will be put to bed. But I am hoping to create another original piece of theater next year with one of my favorite directors. Details forthcoming.

THERE’S A LOT OF SONGS ON THE DRAWING BOARD. I DON’T THINK WE’LL HAVE ANY LACK OF MATERIAL WHEN WE GO INTO MAKE OFFICIAL DOLLS RECORD #3.

Tell me a little about the songs on “No Virginia.” Is this a companion piece to the last record? It’s more like a trove of orphaned songs. Some of them needed to be recorded, but they’ve all been kicking around being good, but unreleased. I really liked the last song on the record, “Boston”. What can you tell me about it? Ach. It was about an ex. We were trying very hard to stay present with each other despite all the running and ﬂying around. This was just about that...about trying to be in the moment despite what we knew might not happen, against the backdrop of the city that we had fallen in love in. The song makes me sad. Sorry for bringing it up, then. Do you plan to tour behind this new record? We’re touring for about two weeks on the west coast and to Texas. Then we’ll do some summer festivals in Europe. But other than that I’m working on my solo record, which comes out in September and was produced by Ben Folds. It’s awesome. Has Dresden Dolls, as a band, started work yet on another full length album of new songs yet? There’s a lot of songs on the drawing board. I don’t think

I also remember reading about a theater in Rhode Island that put on a production based around some of your songs. Did you see the production or have any involvement? I did see a DVD of it. It was wonderful to watch the interpretations. On to another topic, what can you tell me about PostWar Trade? It’s a merchandising company for our fans to create things for each other under the business umbrella of the band. They’re making all sorts of CRAZY shit. It’s very exciting.

You are also singing with the Boston Pops this summer. How did that come about? I begged and they said yes. The song selection is happening right now. Its great fun....we’re going to do some really weird stuﬀ and surprises. They’re a kooky bunch, I wasn’t expecting it. What other projects are you and Brian working on outside of the band? Brian just drummed on a Nine Inch Nails record and is playing with a New York band we love called World/Inferno Friendship Society. I’m putting out my solo record and devoting a lot of time to that. I’m making the release and the promotion a lot more complicated than it needs to be, which seems to be my style. But it means I don’t get much sleep.

PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

WINNER BEST LOCAL MUSIC!

7/5 Saturday $10 adv

TURTLE FOLK

CHARLIE WOOTON PROJECT

›

7/10 Thursday $10 adv

YO MAMA’S BIG FAT BOOTY BAND ZACH DEPUTY

7/11 Friday $12 adv

CD Release

LEFTY WILLIAMS

›

JOE PITTS / ELLIOT HOLDEN

7/12 Saturday $12 adv

PAPA GROWS FUNK GURUFISH

7/17 Thursday $8 adv

STRANGE DESIGN (Recreating Phish Shows)

›

7/18 Friday $10 adv

12TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY FISH MOUTH FOOLS 7/23 Wednesday $8 adv

OAKHURST

THE CITY COUNCIL

›

7/24 Thursday $8 adv

SPIRITUAL REZ

SOL JUNKY 7/26 Saturday $8 adv

›

CD Release BRIAN COLLINS 8/2 Saturday $10 adv

SONIA LEIGH BAND

Mon, Tues, & Wed Nights

TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER Open Daily 5pm

Ask About Atlanta Room for Private Parties

1578 Piedmont Ave. 404-875-1522 www.smithsoldebar.com

Thr, July 3

Fri, July 11

Fri, July 18

The Velcro Pygmies (80’s Rock Cover)

FLY BY RADIO

(80’s Rock Cover)

GRAYSON HILL

Fri, July 25

Sat, July 26

ALSO THIS MONTH Sat, July 5 LANEY STRICKLAND BAND

LIVE MUSIC LINEUP FOR JULY Sundays Mondays

FAT BACK DELUXE PEAD BOY & LITTLE BROTHER Tuesdays CROSSTOWN ALLSTARS Wednesdays FRANKIES BLUES MISSION Thursdays CHICKENSHACK FRI. 4 –

SAT. 5 – FRI. 11 – SAT. 12 – FRI. 18 – SAT. 19 – FRI. 25 – SAT. 26 –

FRANKIES BLUES MISSION THE SOUL SHAKERS ANDY MAKELY BAND SANA BLUES ROUGH DRAFT SANTOS BROTHERS BURNING TIME THE TWO TIMERS

(Southern Rock Cover)

�� The Breakfast Club �� (Bon Jovi Tribute)

(80’s Cover Band)

Sat, July 19 GIRLZ, GIRLZ, GIRLZ (80’s Rock Cover)

Thanks Atlanta! Voted Best Small Music Venue ��

Brewing Our Own Ales Tues & Thurs: Trivia 8pm Wednesdays: Texas Hold ‘em

LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT Every Wednesday THE MIKE VEAL BAND Every Sunday THE FRANSISCO VIDAL BAND Every Monday SUMMER HOSTAGE Friday, July 4 TY REYNOLDS BAND Saturday, July 5 & 19 BRIAN WILTSEY & FRIENDS Friday, July 11 SWAMI GONE BANANAS Saturday, July 12 BRIAN WILTSEY & GARETH ASHER Thursday, July 17 RICE PILOTS Friday, July 18 BECOMING WHEELS Friday, July 24 STEREOTYPE Saturday, July 25 GARETH ASHER & FRIENDS

��

PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

Sat, July 12 THAT 80’S BAND

All Shows 8:30 No Cover!

UPCOMING MUSIC Every Tuesday Jazz Jam hosted by the Joe Gransden Quartet Thursday Schedule: 7/03: Blake Rainey & His Demons, Dylan Kight & the Nightbirds 7/10: Amy Lashley 7/17: The Georgia Fireﬂies 7/24: Mary Delaney 7/31: Joe McGuinness 8/07: Greg Connors 8/14: Bill Shefﬁeld 8/21: Dave Desmelik 8/28: Johnny Fever & The Stonehouse Posse

211 E. Trinity Pl. Decatur, Georgia 404-373-0063 www.twains.net

MUSIC INTERVIEW

PERFECT PLACE Multitasker Mike Patton On The Many Projects Currently Keeping Him Busy BY JOHN B. MOORE

An album is open ended and sometimes with me goes in directions I never expected or intended it to go. On this one I had the director tell me what he was looking for in each scene. I know some people just watch the ﬁlm, but I did not see the short until I was pretty much done with the music. It is a matter of taking direction instead of calling the shots.

Do you have plans to write more soundtracks? Yes. I would like to score more films for sure. Not just doing soundtracks. I actually have some things in the works. Nothing is official yet but should know in a couple weeks. I love film, always have, so would really like to pursue the combination of two things I love. I’ve been meeting with TV and film people recently.

OR THOSE KEEPING SCORE, MIKE Patton is currently involved in half a dozen bands, not counting solo projects… and then there’s his voiceover work and the record label he co-owns. Arguably best known for his work in the alt rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, Patton is I have to admit, despite being a fan of your one of the most-respected alternative musicians music, I have lost track of all of the bands you recording today, having worked with everyone are currently working from Bjork to Norah Jones. with. Can you give me a THE FILM IS A MAP TO GIVE In the late 1990s he also codown? founded Ipecac Records, YOU DIRECTIONS ON WHERE runIs this a trick question? an indie label that has put Not sure how to define THE MUSIC NEEDS TO GO. out records by everyone working with? from The Melvins to Isys. AN ALBUM IS OPEN ENDED currently The bands that are not Never one to be tied AND SOMETIMES WITH dead.... yet are: Mondo down to one particular Cane, Peeping Tom, Crudo, project at a time, Patton ME GOES IN DIRECTIONS Fantômas, Tomahawk, has also spent most of his Lovage and several colI NEVER EXPECTED OR post-Faith No More years laborations. lending his voice to numerINTENDED IT TO GO. ous characters from video What other projects are games including The Darkness and Portal. Desyou working on? tined to be a sci-fi trivia question any day now, Working on my Mondo Cane project. It is a he also provided the voice for the monsters in collection of Italian pop songs that I recorded the Will Smith movie I Am Legend. And as if he with an orchestra last year. I’m whipping that weren’t busy enough, Patton just finished writing into an album, or two. I’m also working on a new the score for the 2008 film “A Perfect Place.” project with Dan the Automator called Crudo. Patton took a few minutes recently to answer We played a couple of shows to debut it last week some questions from us. and we have the record half done. Playing around with tunes for the next Peeping Tom; just finished How did you get involved with writing the music doing the voice of the main character in the vidfor “A Perfect Place?” eogame remake of Bionic Commando and got a A friend of mine wrote/directed and produced couple other secret things I can’t announce yet. the film. He knew that I had been wanting to try my hand at scoring and it seemed like the perfect Are there any new bands or musicians you are chance to get my feet wet. particularly impressed with? Yes, always. Ipecac has new records coming How different was scoring a film vs. writing from the Melvins, Mugison, Zach Hill (Hella), music for a traditional album? Farmer’s Market, Tipsy, Bohren under Club of Quite a bit different. The film is a map to give Gore, Tanya Tagaq, Rahzel, Zu and Dälek. Check you directions on where the music needs to go. ‘em out at www.ipecac.com.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

John Doe on the 31st Anniversary Tour of L.A.’s Iconic Punk Band BY JON LATHAM

HE CLIMATE OF THE ORIGINAL punk rock movement in the late ‘70s was a whirlwind that shook the core of what the music industry had become. With numerous bands in such a heavily guarded underground roots movement, only a few came to personify and symbolize the areas from which they came synonymously. London had the Sex Pistols and the Clash. The Ramones led the pack of bands that were harvested from the shadows of CBGB in New York. Out of Los Angeles came X, riding a sonic style that fused rockabilly street smarts with a literary sensibility. Consistent musical growth that pushed the edge of any formulaic limitations put the band in a class by itself. Celebrating 31 years together, the classic lineup of John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake have hit the road. As John Doe described to me, the more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same. X is now going into the second leg of the anniversary tour. What’s the significance of the odd year 31? It’s the opposite of 13, which is a number we have used. [The band] helped popularize the number 13. Not trying to take too much credit for it, but in the punk rock world, X and [the number 13] were sort of associated. Billy Zoom had a kid on the thirtieth anniversary, so we had to let him off the hook. What has always set X apart from the other bands in the punk genre (as it was), at least to my ears, were two key factors: the poetic nature of the lyrical delivery, and the unique harmonies in your vocals with Exene Cervenka. I went to school for writing, so I learned, not just from the beat poets, but from before and after [as well]. I learned as much from E.E. Cummings as I did from Allen Ginsburg. [As a writer], Exene is just a natural wordsmith, [playing] on how words sound together. She’s one of the greatest poets ever, and she didn’t have the advantage of standing on the shoulders of giants. She just is a giant. A lot of what X did was just reporting what we saw in front of us. Our harmonies are just what we came up with. I was always interested in harmonies that were not just the standard [form]. I think The Band was one of my biggest influences; [their harmonies] didn’t sound like Crosby, Stills, and Nash. You moved to Los Angeles from Baltimore, which John Waters had always portrayed as an East Coast hell hole. Did your experiences in Baltimore reflect that, as well? There was a great art scene [in Baltimore], but [the city] was a total shithole. At the time John was making his films, I wasn’t really a part of his scene. He and I are friends, but I was never in the downtown scene until later on. [Baltimore] is a backwater, east-coast town, so there was no way to make the art pay for itself; you had to go to New York for that. Because of that, nobody [in the art scene] was better than anybody else, and you were making art for art’s sake.

As punk evolved into the early ‘80’s hardcore movement, your style leaned even heavier on country and roots music influences. What was the response from punk crowds at that time? We all had that Americana influence, but we didn’t bring it out early on. You have to either widen or narrow your sound; we decided to widen it, especially after Billy left the band and Dave Alvin [of the Blasters] came in. I think that’s a good thing. Some people didn’t like it as well; some people liked it better. There are [younger musicians] that I have met that said the first X album they heard was ‘See How We Are’, then they went backwards and discovered, “Hey they did this punk rock stuff pretty well, too.” As far as the crowds getting more violent, I think it was inevitable, but it was unpleasant. It was a drag. I guess some people got off on it. As one of the few remaining bands from the first wave of punk rock, is there a level of responsibility to continue carrying the flag? I don’t feel any responsibility. We enjoy it; it’s great to see younger people coming out to experience what X does. Once we stop, so what? There’s no band that is like X, but there is a lot of incredible music being played [by other bands] now. Do you ever fear that X being on the road would be written off as a nostalgia act? If you play hard and it sounds good, you can sidestep that, because we have enough pride that if it sucked, we would quit. But it doesn’t, It actually sounds really great. What is your opinion on punk rock’s rise into the mainstream over the past decade? I think it is great. [The genre is] finally getting to the audience that it was intended for, which is 16 to 25 [year-olds], maybe. Some bands are good; some bands are bad. Green Day is great; Good Charlotte is not. There are hundreds of bands that will still show up on a four-to-six-band bill, and there will be five hundred kids there. That’s a subculture that, I think, is fantastic. The fact that power corrupts and leaders have agendas will never change. Does 2008 being an election year factor into the tour for you at all? I just encourage people to vote. I hope they vote for Obama; I hope they have a chance to. I do believe that he can affect some small changes, which may become bigger changes. Not every member of the band feels the way I do, which is important to note, but as long as everyone takes part in the democratic process, it’ll sort of keep working I suppose. I have, at least, that much faith, which is probably foolish. [laughs] How would you sum up the legacy of X, looking onward past this tour? I think our contribution to punk was, or is, rockabilly guitar playing, which Billy brought in, the harmonies that Exene and I made up, good songwriting, and poetic lyrics. We’ve stuck around this long. We haven’t died; we haven’t aired our dirty laundry too much. I’m proud of the fact that we made an investment, and it is paying us back. We’re esteemed artists now, which is nice. PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

2008

12th Annual SUMMER

MUSIC

MUSIC PREVIEW BY JON LATHAM, JOHN MOORE, DEMARCO WILLIAMS, B. LOVE AND JOHN DAVIDSON

CHOOL IS FINALLY OUT, THE humidity is heating up, and the fireworks have been smuggled in for the holiday barbeque throwdown. While you might be enjoying this lovely annual sabbatical sitting comfortably with a cold brew in one hand and your iPod in the other, the music biz is abuzz with new releases and live events that will keep you jammin’ through the summer months and beyond. We’re covering all the bases, and have found exciting new releases in almost every genre to fill your summer soundtrack playlists. The hottest artists are prepping the next big summer jam, while old favorites return to give ‘em a run for the money. Whether it’s the highly-anticipated new tracks from T.I. or the beachfriendly melodies of Brian Wilson, there is something for everyone this season. Are you still trying to decide on what big summer tours to check out? Take your pick; everyone is out on the road this year, and we mean everyone. Looking for a little adventure? We have scoped out some of the biggest, exciting destination festivals nationwide. It’s no longer a toss-up between Lollapalooza or Austin City Limits anymore. The festival circuit has expanded into a juggernaut this year, with the annual Ozzfest taking root in Dallas, and newcomers like All Points West, Rothbury, and the Mile High Music Fest. How will you spend your summer vacation? The choice is all yours; we just happen to be putting the guide at your fingertips.

ALBUM RELEASES ALKALINE TRIO

Agony and Irony (Epic)

Originally slated to be put out by V2 Records, “Agony and Irony” was supposed to be the album that ﬁnally introduced this massively talented indie pop/punk trio to the masses. V2’s implosion gave the band a little more time to work on the songs and now Epic gets the pleasure of launching these Chicago natives to superstardom. For those who’ve never heard of Alkaline Trio, they sound like the best parts of Smoking Popes and The Cramps. (July 1)

GUNIT

Terminate on Sight

A 50 Cent crew without controversy is like a July 4th weekend without Will Smith. With Young Buck’s ouster from the Unit just months before this release, the trio of 50, Tony Yayo and witty Lloyd Banks has had plenty to talk about in interviews. But now all the talk about break-ups and beefs is sounding pretty old. We’d sure like to hear what the recording experience was like with Timbaland, Swizz Beatz and Dr. Dre. (July 1)

LOS LONELY BOYS

Forgiven (Sony)

PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

How far is “Heaven” from Los Lonely Boys? The brotherly harmonies over the blues-based guitar lines of leadoﬀ single “Staying With Me” would indicate it is not that far at all. On their third release, the Garza brothers bring Steve Jordan to the helm as producer, the same man who brought balance between John Mayer’s sensitive songwriting and ferocious guitar chops on ‘Continuum’. Also included is a ripping cover of Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m A Man”. (July 1)

BECK

Modern Guilt (Interscope)

The stakes aren’t very high for Beck Hansen— although his poptastic hip-hop sensibility is long forgotten, he did so well in the pre-Internet era that he can afford to toil away in relative obscurity. Indeed, he probably peaked a dozen years ago and 2006’s The Information was so inconsequential that the alternative generation now is officially once removed from hipsterdom. That’s a long way of saying that Modern Guilt will probably be an excellent platter of adventuresome, genre-bending style grooves offered to an aging army of fans. (July 8)

JOHN HIATT

Same Old Man (New West Records)

Now in his 50’s, Hiatt has penned (and self-produced) an album that will stand toe to toe with such career highlights as the classic ‘Bring the Family’ album. With ripe cuts like “Cherry Red” and “Ride My Pony” circulating regularly on the Americana satellite radio stations, it is certain that fans of his trademark, “down home” delivery will be more than satisﬁed to here from this same old man once again. (July 8)

MELVINS

Nude With Boots (Ipecac)

You’ve got to give the Melvins credit for endurance. More than 20 years after this post punk band turned in their debut on the eve of grunge’s ﬁrst wave, the band is still around. That’s more than can be said for peers like Soundgarden and Screaming Trees. “Nude With Boots,” the group’s 20th or so album promises pretty much more the same template that has managed to keep them relevant for years: Sabbath-worshipping, sludge-heavy riﬀs delivered in slow motion. The band plans to head out onto the road shortly after “Nude With Boots” comes out. (July 8)

DR. DOG

Fate (Park the Van)

Philadelphia’s indie pop band heroes in waiting, Dr. Dog, are on the verge of shedding the tag of the indie world’s best kept secret. If their last record is any indication of where they are headed musically, “Fate,” their ﬁfth record, promises to bring the band a much larger following. With an almost compulsive devotion to 60’s pop masters like The Byrds and The Beach Boys, Dr. Dog oﬀer intelligent pop music to win over the masses, with enough carefree energy to still appeal to the indie kids. (July 15)

THE HOLD STEADY

Stay Positive (Vagrant)

Brooklyn-by-way-of-Minnepolis is a long way to go, but The Hold Steady have gotten better along the way. Stay Positive is more of the same Replacements-meets-Springsteen four-on-the-ﬂoor rocking, and singer Craig Finn continues to cement his reputation as one of the best lyricists of the day. However, the classic rock format seems a little bit limiting, or at least in the context of a great indie rock band, a tad tidy. (July 15)

NAS

Untitled

The Recession

Slick Pulla and Blood Raw are relatively new to the music scene. Akon, T-Pain and Kanye aren’t. The cool thing about Jeezy is that he gives those in both category equal time to shine. We’re guessing the reason the man’s so conﬁdent because he knows, no matter who slips, he can just come in with a greasy metaphor or sharp ad lib and make it all better. It probably helps too that Toomp, Jazze Pha and some cat named Enimen are behind the gloomy boards. (July 29)

CONOR OBERST

Conor Oberst (Merge)

Going with the “each time you say it, the word loses its venom” philosophy, Nas intended on this album being called Nigga. But once shot-calling outlets like Wal-Mart said they wouldn’t put it on shelves without a name change, Nas conceded. Thankfully, the Queens MC hasn’t altered the goal of this being his most politically-charged release to date. Polow Da Don and Cool & Dre help uplift the people with their production. (July 15)

Working under his own name for the ﬁrst time, the Bright Eyes frontman headed down to Mexico with a crack group of sidemen (including rising indie stars Nik Freitas and Taylor Hollingsworth) he calls the Mystic Valley Band to record his Merge Records debut. The name and label may be different, but the music is still classic Conor, ranging from pastoral folk to ramshackle country-rock. (August 5)

PAUL WELLER

HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS

22 Dreams (Yep Roc)

Now nine albums into a lauded solo career, the legendary frontman of the Jam turns chameleon as he toys with numerous genres and styles. With 21 tracks, ’22 Dreams’ proves to be a very wide canvas in scope. Elements of Weller’s rock roots mingle with soul, electronica, and even spoken word. Helping with these broad strokes of fancy is an impressive roster of friends like Noel Gallagher (Oasis) and Graham Coxon (Blur). (July 22)

THE GAME

LAX

It’s funny that The Game would name his album LAX. Look at the list of guests and producers on the CD. The MC had to ﬂy across the map twice to put it all together. The South (Ludacris, Lil Wayne), Midwest (Common, Kanye West) and East Coast (Raekwon, Fat Joe, Nas) all get love. But anyone who’s ever heard the rapper’s gruﬀy tone knows where his allegiance lies. If you don’t, Cali representers Keyshia Cole and Ice Cube clear things up. (July 22)

BUDDY GUY

Skin Deep (Silvertone/ Zomba)

The title says it all; below the surface of our skin, we are all the same. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Guy lovingly proves it with a blues record that will be sure to get everyone moving. Of course, with a track record and trophy case like Buddy has, you don’t have to take my word for it. Collaborations abound, as Buddy plugs in and jams out with old friends, like Eric Clapton, as well as new blood, like pedal-steel wizard Robert Randolph and slide virtuoso Derek Trucks. Such pairings will make for a soul-stirring experience lovingly crafted by one of our greatest living blues legends. (July 22)

YOUNG JEEZY

Fragile Future (Victory Records)

In the wake of the 2007 death of guitarist Casey Calvert, the Ohio rockers reemerge as a four-piece for their latest album. While Calvert’s guttural screams are noticeably absent, the Height’s trademark energy refuses to dwindle. Vocalist JT Woodruﬀ turns in some of the most emotional lyrical deliveries in the bands catalog. With a slot on the Projekt Revolution Tour this summer, Hawthorne Heights fans are certain to get a sampling of new tracks like “Rescue Me” before the ﬁnished album drops. (August 5)

RANDY NEWMAN

Harps and Angels (Nonesuch)

Hard to believe it’s been almost a full decade since Randy Newman last put out a record. One of the greatest satirical writers (in any form) this country has ever nurtured, you’d be hard pressed to ﬁnd a modern contemporary of Newman’s who can delivery the same sharp wit and lyrical insightfulness in a three minute piano ditty. If his latest online only single, “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country,” is any indication, Newman is as relevant as always. With two full terms of the Bush administration to use as fodder, I’m surprised he was able to keep this latest album to a single CD. (August 5)

NEYO

Year of the Gentleman

R&B spats are generally silly sideshows nobody takes terribly serious. But apparently, this current spat between Ne-Yo and Chris Brown, one-time friends/present ﬁghters for the “runner-up to Usher” crown, is serious. Ne-Yo’s ﬁerce diss rap –yep, rap!- is all over the web. Still, the crooner’s best strategy to shut up the opposition might just be dropping a third album of sexy bellows (“Closer”), strong beats (Timbaland, Kanye, Teddy Riley) and a supposed visit from Beyonce. (August 5)

T.I.

Paper Trail

Weapons possession will send T.I. to the slammer. It kinda makes sense then that the Atlanta talent goes out blazin’ with this 6th studio album. “No Matter What” was the ﬁrst song to drop and if its words of redemption and retribution are of any indication of what to expect, pending jail time has left dude quite reﬂective. A new child and a steady stream of industry beefs ought to provide him even more to rap about atop thumpers from DJ Toomp, Danja and J.R. Rotem. (August 12)

THE DANDY WARHOLS

Earth to the Dandy Warhols (World’s Fair)

As the Dandy Warhols have retained more and more control of their music, they’ve let their experimental tendencies become indulgences. Anyone who thought that 2005’s Odditorium or Warlords From Mars was a serious misstep is going to ﬁle this release in the same category. More and more, the Warhols seem unable to ﬁnd a common ground between pop and studio-induced pabulum, which was something that their earlier albums succeeded so greatly at. (August 19)

SLIPKNOT

All Hope Is Gone (Roadrunner Records)

Look past the masks and enigmatic nature of this nine-piece metal powerhouse and you will find ferocity at its finest. This time around, the band has enlisted Evanescence producer Dave Fortman to concentrate the high-volume energy into insightful, fierce portraits of broken politics and fear mongering. Added to this, vocalist Corey Taylor has mentioned the inclusion of more melodic compositions, expanding their sound with even a little piano. The title track has been leaked via the label’s website, and it is a good appetizer for the mayhem to come. (August 26)

BRIAN WILSON

That Lucky Old Sun (Capitol)

There was loads of pre-publicity buzz for Brian

Wilson’s last record of new(ish) material, the decades in gestation “SMiLE.” And for good reason, it was a phenomenal record. That makes the anticipation over “That Lucky Old Sun” that much greater. Add to hype, the fact that he is back on Capitol Records, the label that brought The Beach Boys to the world. Critics and fans are waiting to see if this new record could possibly be as good as “SMiLE” or will be closer in vein to the mediocre 2004 record “Gettin’ In Over My Head.” (September 2)

CALEXICO

Carried To Dust (Touch & Go)

The increasingly expansive sound of last year’s The Shepherd’s Dog showed the inﬂuence collaborating with Calexico had on Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam. Now he returns the favor, guest starring on the veteran indie rock outﬁt’s follow-up to 2006’s Garden Ruin. The result is a more stripped-down exercise in restraint that evokes beautiful, at times haunting images of wide open spaces. (September 9)

RAY LAMONTAGNE

Gossip In the Grain (RCA)

For his third album, this notoriously shy singersongwriter and producer/multi-instrumentalist Ethan Johns decided to collaborate with others for the ﬁrst time, including two members of his touring band and fellow tunesmith Leona Naess. The resulting songs run the Americana gamut, from railroad blues

and melancholy folk to back porch country and his trademark plaintive balladry. (September 9)

JAMES

Hey Ma (Decca)

You remember them right? They wrote that song about only coming when she’s on top. Though many lost touch with the band shortly after “Laid,” James went on to turn out a handful of great albums, including a stellar live double record, but like every other British pop band they remained heroes at home and little more than footnotes in the U.S. But, with 90’s bands ﬁnally getting their 15 more minutes of fame over here, thanks to Gen X nostalgia, James has a chance to remind the world that they were, in fact, a very good band at the time and, by the way, they’re still around. (September 16)

TOURS/FESTIVALS ROTHBURY FESTIVAL

Rothbury, Michigan (July 3 – 6)

If you are looking for a new July 4 weekend event, and you couldn’t get to Willie Nelson’s annual picnic, you can always head north. In its inaugural year, Rothbury oﬀers a line-up of live fan favorites (Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, 311, Primus, Gov’t Mule) that will be certain to appeal to any festival fan looking for another spot to party. Recently added to the Inde-

pendence Day festivities, an intimate, solo-acoustic set from Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will be one of the highlights of the weekend.

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL

Chicago, IL (July 18 - 20)

Once you get past the fact that much of Pitchfork’s content is overwritten, overwrought, and overexposed, you see that the website is does what it does pretty well. In other words, while it suﬀers as a literary journal, it makes up for its dismaying lack of erudition with a whole lot of passion. It’s thus no surprise that it also curates one of the better summer festivals out there: The Hold Steady, Vampire Weekend, Elf Power, Spoon, Les Savy Fav, Public Enemy, Sebadoh, Mission of Burma, and a couple dozen other oﬀerings that will sure to please the indie hipsters. Add in the fact that it’s located in the middle of the country and in the middle of a great city, and its popularity is assured.

MILE HIGH MUSIC FESTIVAL

Denver, CO (July 19 & 20)

The Colorado skies will be shaking this July with headlining sets from Dave Matthews Band and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Five stages will hold as home for performances from a wide variety of acts. Festival circuit favorites moe., Tea Leaf Green, and the reunited Leftover Salmon will be in attendance. You can count on California’s Flogging Molly to deliver a great set of irish-inﬂuenced punk, while the almighty Roots and Lupe Fiasco proudly represent hip-hop.

ROCK THE BELLS TOUR

(July 19-September 6, various cities)

A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory is one of the best albums in hip hop history. That CD’s ﬁnal track, “Scenario,” is one of the rowdiest party records. If you’re ever given the chance to see the reunited trio deliver the anthem live, take advantage. Sadly, Rock the Bells isn’t coming to the A (Miami and Baltimore are your closest bets), but a line-up of Tribe, The Pharcyde, Mos Def, Nas, Rakim, Meth & Red, De La Soul and Ghostface makes ﬁlling up the ride totally worth it.

PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

LOLLAPALOOZA

Chicago, IL (August 1 - 3)

Although the lineup (The Black Lips, The Black Keys, Cat Power, Duffy, Bloc Party, Radiohead, Jeff Tweedy, etc.) and overall festival vibe is solid, there’s something about the brand that seems absolutely tired. The original Lollas—yep, nearly 15 years ago—were a celebratory burst of youth culture, and the festival’s intent on regaining its lost status often comes off like a ploy for cash. After all, it used to be a traveling festival that rivaled something P.T. Barnum would have put on, and now it seems like Pepsi to Pitchfork’s Coke. Even worse, it rolls into town only a couple of weeks after Pitchfork has left Chicago a muddy mess. Couldn’t they have picked a different city this year?

NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL

Newport, Rhode Island (August 1-3)

Now in its 49th year, this inﬂuential folk fest has assembled an impressive, eclectic lineup that includes classic rockers such as Brian Wilson and Jimmy Buﬀett, weed-friendly acts such as the Black Crowes and Stephen & Damian Marley, alt-country acts including Gillian Welch and Brandi Carlile, and indie icons such as Calexico and Cat Power. And don’t miss mandolin maverick Jake Shimabukuro!

OZZFEST

Dallas, TX (August 8)

The ever-evolving Ozzfest, once one of the best attended traveling summer music festivals is making one last attempt to bring metal to the masses. Last year’s plan to have a first come, first serve free tour with sponsors shouldering the burden was panned by just about everyone involved. This year, taking a cue from Lollapalooza, Ozzfest is scrapping the road show and putting down stakes for a one-off show, planned in Dallas. The show boasts Ozzy (naturally) Metallica, Jonathan Davis of Korn, SevenDust, Shadows Fall and many more. Don’t forget your black t-shirt!

ALL POINTS WEST

Jersey City, New Jersey (August 8-10)

Once home to a railway station that took 19th and early 20th century immigrants to “All Points West,” Jersey City’s Liberty State Park is the site for this eclectic festival featuring big names such as Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Trey Anastasio and The Roots, as well as lesser-known indie upstarts like Little Brother, Andrew Bird, Grizzly Bear, Sia, Animal Collective and Mates of State.

VIRGIN FESTIVAL

Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore (August 9-10)

With dates in Calgary and Toronto, this is rapidly emerging as one of North America’s biggest destination festivals. The talent lineup is ridiculous, including Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Iggy & the Stooges, Foo Fighters, Wilco, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Shudder To Think, Lupe

Fiasco, the Swell Season, Moby and many more. Kanye West is scheduled to appear, so bring your tomatoes and No-Doz…

VANS WARPED TOUR

(through August 17, various cities)

One of the longest running traveling music fests, the teen-friendly Vans Warped Tour still remains one of the best deals going with tickets just over $25; not a bad deal considering the 100-plus bands on the bill at any given tour stop. Though there aren’t as many brilliant punk throw back bands as previous years (GBH, The Vandals and Pennywise are the only ones that have been announced so far), there are still plenty of solid pop punk bands like Reliant K, Ludo and Angels & Airwaves, along plenty of scream-o/metal-core bands like As I Lay Dying and From First To Last. For those looking for a guaranteed solid set, be sure to catch The Bouncing Souls, Motion City Soundtrack and Against Me!, all bands incapable of putting on a bad show.

FIND YOUR WAY TO LIVE MUSIC... BEST ROUTES TO LAKEWOOD AMPHITHEATRE 75 285

PROJEKT REVOLU TION TOUR

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(through August 24, various cities)

A vanity tour for mainstays Linkin Park, the Projekt Revolution Tour has been making the rounds since 2002 (with a couple years oﬀ here and there). This year, Chris Cornell, The Bravery and Ashes Divide join Linkin Park on the main stage, with Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights, Armor for Sleep, 10 Years and Street Drum Corps, putting in time on the smaller stage. Rumor has it Busta Rhymes will be stopping in for some shows along they way, as well.

BUMBERSHOOT

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CRUEFEST

(Thru August 31, Various Cities)

Bringing the mayhem to the road, Motley Crue headlines their ﬁrst annual touring festival. Also featured in the line-up is “Crazy Bitch” hit makers Buckcherry, Grammy-nominated Papa Roach, Trapt, and Sixx:AM, Crue bassist Nikki Sixx’s recently successful side-project. Crue and promoters Live Nation promise this to be a rebirth of the touring rock festival.

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Seattle, WA (August 30 - September 1)

Though always trailing Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo in terms of press clippings, this annual alt rock music fest, one of the longest running in the country, quietly pulls an amazing line up year after year. This year’s diverse roster includes !!!, Band of Horses, Flobots, Jakob Dylan, John Vanderslice, Lucinda Williams, M. Ward, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Nada Surf, Neko Case, The Oﬀspring, Old 97s, The Walkmen, Stone Temple Pilots, T.I. and The Whigs, among many, many more. A maze of large and small indoor and outdoor venues, the festival also features comedians, artists, dancers and ﬁlmmakers, all competing for your attention.

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From West/Northwest: I-75 S / I-20 E to 285 S/W Exit Langford Pkwy East (Highway 166) Travel several miles ast, crossing I-75/I-85 (see Amphitheatre Map) From North/Northeast 400 S / I-85 S Exit Langford Parkway East (Highway 166) (see Amphitheatre Map) * Check DOT website for updates on paving project for delays. Alternate take Yellow or Red route using I-285.

From East/Southeast: I-85 S /US-78 / I-685 / I-20 W to I-285 S/E travel on I-285 to I-75 North Exit Langford Parkway East (Highway 166) (see Amphitheatre Map)

From Southwest I-85 N to I-75 / I-85 N Exit Langford Pkwy East (Highway 166) From In-town West Travel South on Northside Dr. Turn left onto Metropolitan Parkway Turn left onto Fair Dr. (see Amphitheatre Map) From In-town East Take I-20 West Exit Hill Street, turn left Turn right on Ormond St. Turn left on Hank Aaron Dr. Turn right on University Ave. Turn Left on Pryor Rd and stay to the right Turn left at Fair Drive (see Amphitheatre Map)

AMPHITHEATRE MAP PARKING From Langford Parkway 166 East Go Left at Dead End (Lakewood Ave) Go through stop light Left at Parking entrance arch Follow curvy road to entrance

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Available in Stores July 15th PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

V.I.P. PARKING From Langford Parkway 166 East Go Left at Dead End (Lakewood Ave) Take a Left at stop light (Lakewood Way) Take a Right at Pryor Road Take a Right into Lakewood Parking Entrance (stop light at Fair Drive)

FOR UPCOMING CONCERTS AND MORE INFO, VISIT

TOM WAITS’ TRUE

MUSIC INTERVIEW

CONFESSIONS A Conversation With Himself BY TOM WAITS

or as long as we can remember, we’ve been trying to nail down an interview with the ever elusive, always compelling Tom Waits. So when his publicists released this interview Waits had conducted with himself, well, we knew immediately that we had to run it, as it was far more interesting than 99% of the interviews we’ve ever done. Here, only slightly edited for space, is Tom Waits on Tom Waits… I must admit, before meeting Tom, I had heard so many rumors and so much gossip that I was afraid. Frankly, his gambling debts, his animal magnetism, coupled with his disregard for the feelings of others… His elaborate gun collection, his mad shopping sprees, the face lifts, the ski trips, the drug busts and the hundreds of rooms in his home. The tax shelters, the public urination…I was nervous to meet the real man himself. Baggage and all. But I found him to be gentle, intelligent, open, bright, helpful, humorous, brave, audacious, loquacious, clean, and reverent. A Boy Scout, really (and a giant of a man). Join me now for a rare glimpse into the heart of Tom Waits. Remove your shoes and no smoking, please.

$30,000. It’s just a gigantic version of the madness that grows in every one of our brains. We are monkeys with money and guns. Most interesting recording you own? It’s a mysteriously beautiful recording from, I am told, Robbie Robertson’s label. It’s of crickets. That’s right, crickets. The ﬁrst time I heard it… I swore I was listening to the Vienna Boys Choir, or the Mormon Tabernacle choir. It has a four-part harmony it is a swaying choral panorama. Then a voice comes in on the tape and says, “What you are listening to is the sound of crickets. The only thing that has been manipulated is that they slowed down the tape.” No eﬀects have been added of any kind except that they changed the speed of the tape. The sound is so haunting. I played it for Charlie Musselwhite and he looked at me as if I pulled a Leprechaun out of my pocket. Do you have words to live by? Jim Jarmusch once told me “Fast, Cheap, and Good… pick two. If it’s fast and cheap it wont be good. If it’s cheap and good it won’t be fast. If it’s fast and good it wont be cheap.” Fast, cheap and good… pick (2) words to live by. What have you learned from parenthood? “Never loan your car to anyone to whom you’ve given birth.” - Erma Bombeck

What’s the most curious record in your collection? In the seventies a record company in LA issued a record called “The best of Marcel Marceau.” It had forty minutes of silence followed by applause and it sold really well. I like to put it on for company. It really bothers me, though, when people talk through it.

What is up with your ears? I have an audio stigmatism where by I hear things wrong- I have audio illusions. I guess now they say ADD. I have a scrambler in my brain and it takes what is said and turns it into pig Latin and feeds it back to me.

List some artists who have shaped your creative life. Okay, here are a few that just come to me for now: Kerouac, Dylan, Bukowski, Rod Serling, Don Van Vliet, Cantinﬂas, James Brown, Harry Belafonte, Ma Rainey, Big Mama Thorton, Howlin Wolf, Lead Belly, Lord Buckley, Mabel Mercer, Lee Marvin, Thelonious Monk, John Ford, Fellini, Weegee, Jagger, Richards, Willie Dixion, John McCormick, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Hoagy Carmichael, Eurico Caruso.

Most thrilling musical experience? My most thrilling musical experience was in Time Square, over thirty years ago. There was a rehearsal hall around the Brill Building where all the rooms were divided into tiny spaces with just enough room to open the door. Inside was a spinet pianocigarette burns, missing keys, old paint and no pedals. You go in and close the door and it’s so loud from other rehearsals you can’t really work- so you stop and listen and the goulash of music was thrilling. Scales on a clarinet, tango, light opera, sour string quartet, voice lessons, someone belting out “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”, garage bands, and piano lessons. The ﬂoor was pulsing, the walls were thin. As if ten radios were on at the same time, in the same room. It was a train station of music with all the sounds milling around… for me it was heavenly.

MOSTLY I STRADDLE REALITY AND THE IMAGINATION. MY REALITY NEEDS IMAGINATION LIKE A BULB NEEDS A SOCKET. MY IMAGINATION NEEDS REALITY LIKE A BLIND MAN NEEDS A CANE.

What’s heaven for you? Me and my wife on Rte. 66 with a pot of coﬀee, a cheap guitar, pawnshop tape recorder in a Motel 6, and a car that runs good parked right by the door. What’s hard for you? Mostly I straddle reality and the imagination. My reality needs imagination like a bulb needs a socket. My imagination needs reality like a blind man needs a cane. Math is hard. Reading a map. Following orders. Carpentry. Electronics. Plumbing. Remembering things correctly. Straight lines. Sheet rock. Finding a safety pin. Patience with others. Ordering in Chinese. Stereo instructions in German. What’s wrong with the world? We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness. Leona Helmsley’s dog made 12 million last year… and Dean McLaine, a farmer in Ohio made

What would you have liked to see but were born too late for? Vaudeville. So much mashing of cultures and bizarre hybrids. Delta Blues guitarists and Hawaiian artists thrown together resulting in the adoption of the slide guitar as a language we all take for granted as African American. But it was a cross pollination, like most culture. Like all cultures. George Burns was a vaudeville performer I particularly loved. Dry and unﬂappable, curious, and funny – no matter what he said. He could dance too. He said, “Too bad the only people that know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.” What are some sounds you like?

1. An asymmetrical airline carousel created a high pitched haunted voice brought on by the friction of rubbing and it sounded like a big wet ﬁnger circling the rim of a gigantic wine glass. 2. Street corner evangelists 3. Pile drivers in Manhattan 4. My wife’s singing voice 5. Horses coming/trains coming 6. Children when school’s out 7. Hungry crows 8. Orchestra tuning up 9. Saloon pianos in old westerns 10. Rollercoaster 11. Headlights hit by a shotgun 12. Ice melting 13. Printing presses 14. Ball game on a transistor radio 15. Piano lessons coming from an apartment window 16. Old cash registers/Ca Ching 17. Muscle cars 18. Tap dancers 19. Soccer crowds in Argentina 20. Beatboxing 21. Fog horns 22. A busy restaurant kitchen 23. Newsrooms in old movies 24. Elephants stampeding 25. Bacon frying 26. Marching bands 27. Clarinet lessons 28. Victrola 29. A ﬁght bell 30. Chinese arguments 31. Pinball machines 32. Children’s orchestras 33. Trolley bell 34. Firecrackers 35. A Zippo lighter 36. Calliopes 37. Bass steel drums

38. Tractors 39. Stroh Violin 40. Muted trumpet 41. Tobacco Auctioneers 42. Musical saw 43. Theremin 44. Pigeons 45. Seagulls 46. Owls 47. Mockingbirds 48. Doves The world’s making music all the time. Tell me about working with Terry Gilliam. I am the Devil in the Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus-not a devil…The Devil. I don’t know why he thought of me. I was raised in the church. Gilliam and I met on Fisher King. He is a giant among men and I am in awe of his ﬁlms. Munchausen I’ve seen a hundred times. Brazil is a crowning achievement. Brothers Grimm was my favorite ﬁlm last year. I had most of my scenes with Christopher Plummer (He’s Dr. Parnassus). Plummer is one of the greatest actors on earth! Mostly I watch and learn. He’s a real movie star and a gentleman. Gilliam is an impresario, captain, magician, a dictator (a nice one), a genius, and a man you’d want in the boat with you at the end of the world. You’re going on the road soon, right? We’re going to PEHDTSCKJMBA (Phoenix, El Paso, Houston, Dallas, Tulsa, St. Louis, Columbus, Knoxville, Jacksonville, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta). I have a stellar band: Larry Taylor (upright bass), Patrick Warren (keyboards), Omar Torrez (guitars), Vincent Henry (woodwinds) and Casey Waits (drums and percussion). They play with racecar precision and they are all true conjurers. I’m doing songs with them I’ve never attempted outside the studio. They are all multi-instrumentalists and they polka like real men. We are the Borman Six and as Putney says, “The Borman Six have got to have soul.” PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

AGONY & IRONY

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Long Awaited Return of Alkaline Trio

keep throwing down, we’re going to keep having people who T’S BEEN ABOUT THREE YEARS SINCE come to our shows and maybe a the Alkaline Trio last released any new music, and few people picking up our records, frontman Matt Skiba is ready to get their next record I feel like we would do that regardless. out there. But with Epic, we now have the potential But the days between Crimson and the new Agony & Irony to reach a lot more people and for the band to take the next have not exactly been smooth. The Chicago natives left their step. I am more than thrilled and thankful for where I am in longtime label, Vagrant, for V2 Records, only to see their new my career, but certainly the more the merrier and having that home close up shop almost overnight. While looking for a new chance to grow is very inviting. So our buddy went over to this label, the band wrote a new record, then eventually scrapped label and we knew he knew what he was doing and everyone the songs and started all over again. we worked with on the business side had Just months before the new record is relationships with the label, so everyTHOUGH THE LABEL SHIT AND ALL THE PITFALLS WE HAD TO great released, Skiba is sanguine about the new thing was sort of in place for us. It’s been songs and almost grateful for all the band GO THROUGH WERE ACTUALLY A REAL BLESSING IN DISGUISE really unscary for us. Not having that glass has gone through. He took time recently ceiling that a lot of Indies have is nice. It BECAUSE WE NOW HAVE A RECORD THAT ALL THREE OF US will to speak with us about the new album, the be interesting to see what happens. band’s new home at Epic Records and the ARE REALLY PROUD OF. WE FEEL PRETTY STRONGLY THAT future of Heaven, his side project with FAs a fan, I was excited to see Asian Man THIS IS OUR BEST RECORD. Minus bassist Josiah Steinbrick. re-release Goddamnit with some extra

BY JOHN B. MOORE

Let’s start out by talking about your new record, Agony & Irony? We’re really excited about it. There were definitely some bumps in the road making it. It took us basically about two and a half years to write the record, but it only took us about six weeks to record it. We had a record written and done and ready to go and we had some label complications, but we also knew in the back of our minds that we weren’t making the best record that we could make. Though the label shit and all the pitfalls we had to go through were actually a real blessing in disguise because we now have a record that all three of us are really proud of. We feel pretty strongly that this is our best record. Were you able to salvage any of the songs you had from the first writing session? Some of the original ideas were there, but we started from scratch and some of the ideas got recycled and turned into something better. I think of the 10 songs on the record, maybe two of them were from the original demos. We weren’t really sure when our record was going to come out, so we just used that time to write and write and now you have “Agony & Irony.” You worked with Josh Abraham on this record. Had you worked with him before? We have not. It took us awhile to find him but we’re glad we did. We had such a great time working with him and the engineer Ryan Williams, who is sort of Josh’s right hand man. Both of those guys have amazing ideas and their approach to the studio is very laid back. We worked hard, but they had a laid back approach. The record was recorded initially live and then we went back and started mixing everything and adding in things. They have a really great sense of humor. They’re super sweet guys, but also have a good work ethic. It happened really organically. I mean we haven’t made a record in six weeks, in years. It was a good time. What was it about Josh and Ryan that made you pick them? Well, we liked some of the records Josh has done. He did “Christ Illusion,” the Slayer record, which is one of my favorite Slayer records, and I think the Velvet Revolver and the 30 Seconds to Mars records both sound great. I’ve listened to a bunch of the stuff he’s done, even the stuff that wasn’t my cup of tea, sonically they sounded great. We also had a lot of mutual friends. Our manager, who is also our friend and we really trust his opinion, said Josh was an awesome guy and would be great to work with. We started hearing more and more of that from friends and musicians who have worked with him. He is super sweet, super funny and makes killer sounding records, and that’s what we were looking for.

PG 28 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

You mentioned your label troubles early on. When V2 shut down, did you consider going back to Vagrant or another indie label or just releasing this one on your own? Yeah, we kind of went through every option. Going back to vagrant wasn’t one, because we wanted to take a step forward and that’s what V2 was supposed to be. We didn’t really have a rule that we needed to go with an indie or a major, we always just wanted to work with people that we liked and that we trust and be on a label that puts out records. We considered putting it out ourselves, but because we’d never done that it

felt like we were biting oﬀ a little more than we could chew. Writing a good record was the A, number one priority for us and I felt like if we started getting ourselves a little too heavy into the business side of things it might get too distracting. So obviously it’s not the greatest time for the music industry, but when you have someone that you trust and that you know is a genuine fan of the band and a friend, it feels a whole lot better. Luckily we found out that our friend Andy Gershon was going over to Epic and he invited us along. We were very fortunate in that regard. I interviewed the guys in Against Me! last year and one of the reason they said they went to Sire was that more people would have the opportunity to hear their music. Was that a factor at all in signing to Epic? I deﬁnitely think that’s a plus. I really feel like – and maybe I’m jinxing myself saying this – we started this band because we wanted this to be our career. There are bands like Social Distortion and Rancid, that as long as they keep making great records, people will keep coming to their shows. I feel like as long as we

songs and a DVD. Do you plan on re-releasing other early records? Not yet, but we’ve definitely thought about it. “Goddamnit” came about because it’s about the 10 year anniversary of the record and there was a lot of extra content because when we did that record we were just getting the band off the ground. “Goddamnit” was something special and people who bought the re-release have suggested we do it for other records, so we’ll see. Shit, if we can keep putting out records we put out 10 year ago, I’m down. Do you have plans to record again with Heaven? We do. I’m already really busy working on Alkaline Trio stuff, but I was with (Heaven bandmate) Joe (Steinbrick) doing some stuff last night. The way we did the last record is he would send me the music and I’d write to it. And as I travel this time around, he and the drummer Cornbread will write some stuff and send me the tunes and I’ll take some sketches with me and write from the plane and when we can get together we’ll go into the studio and make sure everything fits. It’s a process because I’m gone all the time, but it’s also fun because there’s no pressure. We don’t have a label, we don’t have any time constraints and it’s just fun for us. We’re thinking we’re going to do a record and at this point it will probably be a digital only and maybe even a free release. Who knows it might not be put for five years, but we’re at least working on it. It’s a nice kind of side outlet.

Going For Gold

SPORTS NEWS

Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps Prepares for Beijing

BY ALEX S. MORRISON

T THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 23, Michael Phelps rivals Mark Spitz as the greatest swimmer in the history of the sport, and you could make a very solid argument for his status as one of the strongest competitors in the modern Olympic era. Since becoming the youngest male world record holder at the age of 15, the Baltimore native has compiled a stellar list of swimming achievements that include being the most decorated swimmer in World Championships history, the only swimmer ever to set five individual world records in one international meet, and one of only two swimmers (the other, of course, being Spitz) ever to win four individual Gold medals in the Olympics. Going into the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Phelps is arguably stronger than ever, coming off of winning a record-tying seven Gold medals at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. But the fiercely competitive Phelps– who currently holds individual world records in the 200-meter freestyle, 200-meter butterfly, and both the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley– seems to take the pressure in stride, working with longtime coach Bob Bowman an hopes of besting his remarkable performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The good-natured Phelps recently took some time out of his hectic training schedule to talk with us, covering topics ranging from early fears of the water and his video game addiction to how he plans to top himself in Beijing. I read somewhere that you were actually scared of swimming as a boy. What did you do to overcome that fear? Yeah, at first I was scared, so I started out swimming on my back. Eventually I dug my face into the water, and the rest just fell into place. How did the experience of watching guys like Tom Dolan at the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta impact your decision to become a competitive swimmer? Growing up, I always wanted to go to the University of Michigan. It came from seeing guys like Eric Wunderlich, Tom Dolan and Eric Namesnik compete in the 1996 Olympics and knowing that they all had one thing in common– they all went to Michigan. That just got me so excited! After that I always had my Michigan hat on, and I set my sights on going to Michigan, becoming a competitive swimmer and an Olympic Gold medalist. You’re widely considered among the best swimmers in the history of the sport. Where do you get your notorious intensity? Pretty much from day one, my coach Bob Bowman has helped me become a goal-oriented swimmer. Learning that at an early age helped me keep my focus, and that’s how I am today. I’m extremely competitive and literally can’t stand to lose, whether it’s swimming or eating or whatever. I think that’s what made me want to start to swim, because my family was active in the sport and I just never wanted to lose. Even if it was my worst stroke, I hated coming in second. How did your life change once you

made the decision to go pro at the age of 16? Well, when I made the 2000 Olympic team and broke my first world record at the age of 15, deciding to go pro was the best decision for me. Yeah, I was giving up my college eligibility, but I wanted so much more than what a collegiate experience could bring me. I wanted to become an Olympic Gold medalist, travel the world and race against the best, and turning professional gave me that opportunity. Your list of career highlights is ridiculously impressive. Is there one of which you’re the proudest? It would probably be winning my first Gold medal, with my mother and my sisters there. It was amazing, touching the wall and realizing that I had my first world record, seeing my mom and my sisters in the stands, jumping up and down and crying and everything. It was awesome! It was something I had always dreamed of, and to have the opportunity to make it happen was just life-changing. The film “Unfiltered” documented your friendship with Ian Crocker, to whom you gave up your slot in the 4x100-meter medley relay at the 2004 Olympics. How does that close relationship affect your performance when you guys are in the same event? We’re two completely different people, but we are good friends. But when we’re in the pool, we are 100% competitors and neither of us wants to lose. I think we both bring the best out of each other. He’s a world record-holder with the fastest 100-meter butterfly ever, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to prove how great he is and win a Gold medal. After winning 6 Golds and 2 Bronzes in the 2004 Olympics, what are your major goals for the 2008 Olympics? How do you top yourself? (Laughs) That is honestly the million-dollar question, and everybody is asking me that. The truth is that there are only two people in this world who know my specific goals, and that’s my coach and myself. Even my mom has no idea, but my coach and I are constantly working to improve. If I go out there and do every best time

that I can and still get second, that’s all I can ask of myself. But I do want to be as prepared as I can and be able to walk away from this year saying, “I did everything I could to compete to the best of my abilities.” What kind of training regimen do you undergo in the months leading up to a major competition? Well, right now we’re swimming seven days a week, doing 10 swimming workouts a week, three weight training workouts a week and three cardio workouts a week. So I’m pretty much constantly working out, and then when I’m not I’m sitting at home on my couch playing video games. Right now I’m playing Project Gotham Racing and Call of Duty 4 on the Xbox 360, and I’ve been doing a lot of Wii Bowling, because I’m a big fan of the Wii. You helped to create the social networking site Swimroom.com. What has the reception to that idea from the swimming community been like? My biggest goal with Swimroom is to promote the sport of swimming and take it to a new level for up and coming swimmers all around the world. The site is a way for swimmers all over to connect with each other. I’m on the Internet every day, and being able to hop on Swimroom and connect with fans from all over the world is amazing. I want to change the sport of swimming like Michael Jordan changed basketball and Tiger Woods changed golf, and this is another step towards accomplishing that goal. You’re a spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. What attracted you to that organization? My mother has been in education for 35 years, and she raised me to believe that kids are the people who will change this world. So if there’s a way I can connect with a kid and help them avoid making bad decisions and give them a healthier environment to grow up in, I’m all for it. You’re busy training and traveling for much of the year, but where are your favorite places to hang out when you go back home to Baltimore?

I love to eat at Fortunato’s (410-377-7300), this pizza and sub shop right down the street from my house. They’ve got the best pizza in Baltimore, so I always go there whenever I’m visiting. When it’s crab season, I also love Bo Brooks (www.bobrooks.com; 410-558-0202), which is right on the water in downtown Baltimore. It’s a great place to hang out with my friends, and they have amazing crab that they bring in fresh off the docks. Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, Camden Yards (www.orioles.mlb.com; 410685-9800) is one of the nicest stadiums I’ve ever been to. The atmosphere and everything about it is just amazing, and the same could be said for the Baltimore Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium (www.baltimorervaens.com; 410-230-8000). Baltimore is such a huge sports town, so being able to catch a game there is always memorable. And even just walking through downtown’s inner harbor, with all the shops and restaurants that are down there, is a genuinely unique experience. How many more years of professional swimming do you think you have in you? I just turned 23, and I will definitely retire before the age of 30. That is a guarantee! (Laughs) I’ll probably go through the 2012 Olympics, then retire after that. Any thoughts on what your career path might be after retiring from the sport? I have no idea. I’m currently studying sports marketing and management at the University of Michigan, and I definitely want to get my degree. I’d love to stay in the sports field because I’m a diehard sports fan, and I’d ultimately love to be around sports for the rest of my life.

MICHAEL PHELPS BY THE NUMBERS

IT WAS AMAZING, TOUCHING THE WALL AND REALIZING THAT I HAD MY FIRST WORLD RECORD, SEEING MY MOM AND MY SISTERS IN THE STANDS, JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND CRYING AND EVERYTHING. IT WAS AWESOME! IT WAS SOMETHING I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF, AND TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN WAS JUST LIFE-CHANGING.

�� – The number of events he won at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, five of which saw him shattering world records by significant margins ��20 – The number of world records he has held over the course of his career ��23 – Phelps’ age heading into his third Summer Olympic Games �� – The number of U.S. National Titles he currently holds �� – Approximate number of inches in the lanky, 6’4” swimmer’s wingspan �� – Number of dollars corporate sponsor Speedo would’ve given Phelps as a bonus had he not given up his spot in the 4x100-meter medley relay at the 2004 Olympics to Ian Crocker. That Gold medal would’ve been Phelps’ seventh in Athens, matching the record set by Mark Spitz in 1972 ��– The value of just one of Phelps’ numerous endorsement contracts (with Speedo) PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • July 2008

SPORTS NEWS

Bill Curry to lead Georgia State Football BY DAVE COHEN

EORGIA STATE ANNOUNCED ON Thursday, June 12th that Bill Curry will lead the Panthers into the world of college football, introducing him as the start-up program’s first head coach. Curry is well known as a former coach at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky. Curry, who agreed to a five-year contract, is charged with the task of developing and directing the football program in every area in preparation for Georgia State’s first season in the fall of 2010. You’ve been the head coach at three pretty high profile universities. After spending the last eleven years as an analyst on ESPN, did you ever think you’d return to the sideline? Once you’re a coach, you’re always a coach. I’ve enjoyed the other things I’ve done, I’ve enjoyed the television business, but I really need to be with young people. Not only do young people need direction and leadership today but there’s some of us who need them. I love coaching because it allows me to be involved with students, the student athletes and all the students. From this moment forward I am a servant to the students of Georgia State University and I want the students to understand that I understand the sport of football, as well as the rest of our sports, are supposed to be for the students on campus. And the alumni can also support it and enjoy it. But I want to everybody to understand and the student body to understand this is for you and I am here to serve you. I cannot wait to get onto the field. Football will be a huge success at Georgia State University. This will be a new challenge for you, building a program from the ground up. The idea of building a team from the ground up had

never occurred until AD Mary McElroy shocked me by calling me and she said, “Well, we’re going to do it. We’re going to play football.” That began a process that has been wonderful and encouraging. We’re going to have a different kind of situation and a lot of challenges while we are 0-0 that will be measured and it’s important we get started the proper way in every context. Everything is present for football to work at Georgia State. The only question is how well do we do early and how quickly do we make decisions that it move it forward at the right pace. Being such a football rich state with programs at Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern, how do you set it apart? We set it apart by communicating that it’s a different kind of opportunity and if you go to Georgia or Georgia Tech you’re going to have to compete with a bunch of high school all-Americans to get playing time. But if you come over to a program like this then there’s a good chance that you will get a chance to show what you can do quickly. If you get on the field and produce, then you have years to grow and get faster and maybe you didn’t look like a bonafide player before and all of a sudden you are. In the following years you get a chance to keep on playing even through college and that’s what happens in programs like this.

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