Insiteissueweb jan14

JANUARY 2014

INSITEATLANTA.COM

VOL. 22, NO. 6 FREE

Atlanta’s Own

Blair Crimmins

2014

Winter Guide Plus Our Year in review Music

FilM

sPOrts

PG 2 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

CONTENTS • JANUARY 2014 • VOLUME 22, NO. 6

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Atlanta’s

Entertainment Monthly

INTERVIEWS 06 Joel McHale 10 Sleepy Hollow 11 Book of Mormon 15 Stars of Grimm 22 Peter Essick 23 Blair Crimmins 27 Joe Gransden 29 Josh Berwanger 29 Koffin Kats 29 Soweto Gospel Choir

FEATURES 08 12 16 21 24 26 30

Education Guide Winter Guide Year in Film Tennessee Adventure Year in Music Ethical Travel Spots Year in Sports

06

10

COLUMNS 04 05 05 07 13 14 18 19 19 20 23 30 30

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Around Town On Tap On A Dime Events Under The Lights Movie Reviews Home Releases Concert Calendar We Got Next Road Warriors Album Reviews Favorite Things On a Dime Fitness Fanatic

15

23

www.insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com Managing Editor Bret Love bret@insiteatlanta.com Art Director / Web Design Nick Tipton nick@insiteatlanta.com Sports Editor DeMarco Williams demarco@insiteatlanta.com Local Events Editor Glenn Lafollette glenn@insiteatlanta.com Music Editor John Moore john@insiteatlanta.com

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Check out our Holiday coverage all throughout this issue!

JANUARY 2014

INSITEATLAN TA.COM

VOL. 22, NO. 6 FREE

Atlanta’s Own Blair Crimmins

2014

W in te r G u id e Plus Our Year in review

Music

FilM

sPOrts

insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 3

Around Town Park Tavern’s Southwest Rink is open for use from now through Presidents Day. Skate all day for $15 from Sunday through Thursday and $20 on Fridays and Saturdays Hours are Monday-Friday 4:30pm-Midnight (at 8:30pm begins Adult Skate until Midnight) and Saturday-Sunday 10:30am-Midnight. Go to parktavern.com for details and ticket info.

Theatre/Film/Performance

ALL JAN

The High Museum of Art will continue to host “Go West!

Art of the American Frontier from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West” now through April 13. This exhibition considers the evolving notion of the American West through more than 250 paintings, sculpture, photographs and Native American artifacts dating from 1830 to 1930. Visit high.org for more info.

ALL JAN

The Center for Puppetry Arts will perform “Stan the Lovesick Snowman” through Feb. 2 in the Downstairs Theater. Go to puppet.org for tickets and additional showtimes.

Are you an attractive female looking for a job with amazing tips, a fun work environment, flexible school scheduling and a chance to appear in a calendar? Twin Peaks at 3365 Piedmont Road in Buckhead is looking for new servers. Visit twinpeaksrestaurant.com for more details or call 404-961-8946.

Georgia Reproductive Specialists is looking for nonsmoking females between the ages of 21 and 31 who are interested in donating their eggs to infertile couples who otherwise could not conceive.

GRS will offer $7,000 in compensation to qualifying participants. Visit ivf.com or email donor@ivf.com.

ALL JAN

Music/Comedy/Sports

Other Stuff

ALL JAN

ALL JAN

Twin Peaks

Museums/Exhibits/Arts

Harland Williams at Improv Atlanta (Jan. 23-25)

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law The MJCCA presents “Peter Pan School will host an Open House & Wendy” on Jan. 9, 12, 16 and on Jan. 25 for students interested 19 at the Morris & Rae Frank in the school. Meet professors and Theatre (5342 Tilly Mill Road in Dunwoody). For information, visit atlantajcc. key staff from 10am to 1pm. To RSVP, go to johnmarshall.edu.

Agave Restaurant will host a org/boxoffice, or call 678-812-4002. benefit for Little’s Food Store The DeKalb Symphony orchestra on Jan. 6 from 5-10pm. Agave Don’t miss Zoo Atlanta’s presents its Annual Children’s will donate 30 percent of the “Keeper for a Day: Elephants and Concert, “Around the World in night’s total sales and accepting cash and Carnivores” program this month 60 Minutes.” The concert will be check donations for anyone wanting to help on Jan. 11. Spend the day with more. (Customers giving additional check some of the Zoo’s most charismatic residents – held on Jan. 26, at 3pm in the Gymnasium at donations made out to Little’s Food Store on elephants, tigers, bears and more – as you learn Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston Campus. the night of the dine out, will be rewarded what it takes to be a zookeeper. Participants All tickets are $5 general admission. For tickets, with a $10 agave gift card - available to use must be 14 or older. Book a program on go to dekalbsymphony.org. at a later date.) Reservations available at 404- zooatlanta.org.

The Cobb Energy Performing 588-0006 or online at agaverestaurant.com.

Arts Centre welcomes New Improv Atlanta welcomes Harland Orleans! With Aaron Neville & the See the Atlanta Symphony Williams on Jan. 23-25. Williams, Dirty Dozen Brass Band on Jan. 30 Orchestra debut of Peter Oundjian a comedian and actor, is known and Louis Lortie play Mozart as the world over for his hilarious at 8pm. Expect a fantastic night of music with a part of the Delta Classical Series movie roles and outlandish stand up and sketch living musical legend. Tickets start at $29. Go to in the Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff comedy routines. Tickets start at $25. Go to cobbenergycentre.com for more information.

Arts Center on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11. Tickets are theimprovatlanta.com for showtimes. $24-$75. Go to atlantasymphony.org.

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PG 4 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

LOCAL EVENTS

LOCAL

On Tap this Month

EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA

Know of a low cost event of happening? Event@AtlantaOnADime.com

EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

Jan. 9-12: Georgia World Congress Center

ATLANTA BOAT SHOW

Whether new to boating or an avid water enthusiast, the 2014 Progressive Insurance Atlanta Boat Show provides visitors an all-access pass to learn about and discover the fun of the boating lifestyle, in addition to shopping post-holiday deals on hundreds of new boats and marine accessories. From Jan. 9-12, the Georgia World Congress Center, showcasing everything from luxury motor yachts and bass boats to family cruisers, pontoons and ski boats.

For more information, visit AtlantaBoatShow.com.

Jan. 11: Georgia Dome

MONSTER JAM

Who doesn’t like giant trucks smashing up other giant, monstrous trucks? Monster Jam returns to Atlanta on Jan. 11 to the Georgia Dome. Some of your favorites will be in the line-up, including Grave Digger, Scooby-Doo, Son-uva Digger, Monster Mutt, Max-D, Avenger, River Rat, Instigator and many, many more. There will be party suites available for the event. This will be the biggest line-up ever seen at the Dome. Don’t miss the high-flying and the smashing. Go to monsterjamonline.com for complete details and tickets.

Jan. 16-30: Morehouse College

DR. KING CELEBRATIONS

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King at Morehouse College this month. The college will present a wealth of forums, musical celebrations and day of services activities. There will be a MLK Jr. Crown Forum with speaker Azim Khamisa on Jan. 16 at the MLK Jr. International Chapel.

The events end on Jan. 30 with the Morehouse College Literary Salon and King Legacy Scholars discussion. For more information, go to morehouse.edu for a complete list of events and times.

Jan. 18: Cobb Energy Centre

BILLY GARDELL

You’ll know Billy Gardell from the CBS Hit television series, “Mike & Molly” as Officer Mike Biggs. As a standup comic, his comedy specials, “Billy Gardell: Halftime,” premiered on Comedy Central and “Billy Gardell Presents Road Dogs” premiered on Oct. 23. In addition he makes regular appearances on “NFL Today” on CBS Sports. Don’t miss him at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Jan. 18.

Tickets are $35 and $50. Go to cobbenergycentre.com for more details.

Jan. 20: Philips Arena

HAWKS VS. HEAT

There are always a handful of home Atlanta Hawk basketball games that stand above the rest. With previous rivalries against the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic fading thanks to free agency, there is still one visit that should get fans attention every season. The two-time world champion Miami Heat come to Philips Arena on Jan. 20 to battle the Hawks.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see the best player in the game, LeBron James, and the stars on the defending world champions. Go to atlantahawks.com for more details.

Jan. 25-26: Masquerade

ATLANTA WINTER BEER FEST

Love great beer? Then don’t miss the ever-popular Atlanta Winter Beer Fest at the Masquerade on Jan. 25-26. After three straight sell outs, the events is adding a second day this year. Saturday will feature breweries from East of the Mississippi River, with breweries from the West on Sunday.

This will add up to over 300 total beers. Both days will have Live Music on four stages and a DJ. Music line-up, food options and beer list will be added to the website soon. Go to atlantawinterbeerfest.com.

SIPS IN THE CITY CALLAWAY GARDENS PHOENIX FLIES THREE KINGS DEL LOS REYES August, Check Website for Deals Through Feb. 28,DAY, FREEDIA

“CITYWIDE CELEBRATION OF– LIVING Sunday, January 5, 1:00pm 5:00pm,LANDMARKS” Free Various Downtown Restaurants Callaway Gardens March 5-20, Free Atlanta History Center, Buckhead www.atlantadowntown.com 17800 Hwy 27 Around the City VariousUS Landmarks atlantahistorycenter.com Pine Mountain, phoenixflies.orgGeorgia Thisoff the summer callawaygardens.com Kick New Yearpromotion with the Threeencourages Kings Day

patrons to in experience Downtown Atlanta The Phoenix Flies: A Celebration Living Festival held collaboration with theofMexican

on ice! Throughout the heated months of Admission Callaway Gardens is Consulate and Instituto de by Mexico.

This Landmarks wastothe created in 2003 The Atlanta July and August, featured restaurants in the complimentary through the end of this excting cultural festival freetotocelebrate the public, Preservation Center as aisway the Downtown District willrescue be offering month (Price isofnormally $15 for adults, but isDining limited and does not include 25thspace anniversary the dramatic of the refreshing signature cocktails, hipAtlanta’s happy $6.50 per child) providing with museum admission.

While atchanged theguests center, take Fox Theatre, an event that hours and deals that you won’t want to miss. the “Capitol Tour” of the historic Swan House, the opportunity to enjoy time with their preservation outlook forever. This year, the list which isand featured in the Hollywood blockbuster Participating restaurants Atlanta family reconnecting in Theatre, nature. includes freefriends guided tours of include The Fox The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Grill, Azio Downtown, BLT Steak, Max Free admission includes the Virginia Piedmont Park, Historic Oakland Cemetery, Lager’s, No Mas! Cantina and The Sundial Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Day Civil WarON Atlanta WalkingMARTIN Tour, Tullie Smith HANDS ATLANTA LUTHER Restaurant.

Visit the website for a complete Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Farm JR. House, Mitchell House, the KING DAY Margaret OF SERVICE list ofBeltline deals.

Center, Mr. Cason’s Vegetable new Park and much more. Garden, Monday, January 20 Azalea Bowl, Callaway Brothers Overlook 9:00am – 1:00pm, FREE Garden, Discovery Bicycle Trail, Pioneer AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCILtheSHOW Various venues throughout city IN ATLANTA Log Cabin, Ida Cason Callaway Memorial handsonatlanta.org March 10-13, Regular admission: $13 Chapel, nature trails and daily programs.

Children under 12: free With power of Hands On Atlanta’s network Cobb the Galleria Center THE UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS of partners and volunteers, Hands Twocommunity Galleria Parkway, Atlanta On Atlanta will mobilize more Feb. 10 27, Tickets range $15than - $353,000 craftcouncil.org/Atlanta from volunteers service Turner Field in Green Lot to local communities, schools andAvenue, nonprofits at the Martin Luther 521 Atlanta ThisCapitol 3-day event is the largest juried fine craft King, Jr. Day of Service.

Organized in universoulcircus.com Show in the southeast. The show has been partnership with the Martin Luther King, Jr. the premiere marketplace for regional fine Center of Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., and The UniverSoul Circus craft lovers and collectors, and offers guests in celebration of continues the 50th anniversary the itsworkof surge the chance toMovement, meet and purchase from Civil Rights Hands On Atlanta YELLOW JACKET to around the toptheofcountry. the live esteemed To will provideartists accessfrom to service opportunities for entertainment ranks FAN DAY reach first-time collectors and established craft thousands of conscientious citizens in a variety with interactive funky Saturday, 6, 3pm –its6pm, Free collectors alike, newest show category for of supportAugust areas. the rendition of a traditional Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field Under $100. participating artists isatHandmade UniverSoul has www.ramblinwreck.com THE GREAT AMERICAN SHOW Artists who sell workcircus. forMOTORCYCLE under $100 will have captivated audiences January 24 – 26,specially Friday 3pmmarked – 8pm for patrons their booths from around the world Saturday 9aminbegin –starting 8pm,at Sunday 10am – 5pm Festivities 3ap.m. on Callaway Plaza interested collection. with its unique brand $12 adults, $7 kids, kids under 5 free, Free Parking with music, prizes, inflatables and games for North Atlanta Trade4-6 Center that blends circus arts, the kids.

From p.m. the gates will open ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FREEand OPEN music.

HOUSE 1700 Jeurgens Court, theater and fans can enter Norcross the stadium to meet the March 12, 11am-3pm, Free northatlantatradecenter.com Founded in Atlanta over 2011 AtlantaYellow Motor Jackets.

SpeedwayFootball players will be 17 years ago, the at audience seated with theirHampton position groups various 1500 1992, Tara Place, Since this show has been the place buy will watch in amazement astoPaul stilt points on the playing field.

Head coach aatlantamotorspeedway.com new motorcycle and the accessories riders walkerswill make their way across a tight Johnson sign autographs from 4-5 p.m. need and is full of 2010 motorcycles brought rope, horse riders perform death-defying and will be available for photographs from by Georgia’s leading foreign and Visit the track’s Opendealers.

House forSee free.

Activities stunts, and bend ONE into 5-6 p.m.championship Pleasecontortionists limitone autographs domestic motorcycles, of a racing kindtocustom include legends on the incredible and beautiful shapes. item per player or coach. be and the bikes, cruisers, sport bikes, quarter-mile “Thunder Ring.This ”, choppers, freewilldrawings first toyour get theon 2011 football touring bikes. Get deals motorcycles, for bigopportunity prizes, drivegreat own car on the track poster as well as schedule cards, ticket CHEERSPORT 2011 NATIONAL trailers, leathers, ATVs, scooters, LED lights, with the purchase of Labor Day NASCAR information andselect other items throughout the detail patches and sewers.

CHEERLEADING & DANCE tickets,products, fans can their seats for theRiding Labor afternoon.

Most campus parking lots will glasses, helmets, resorts, seat cushions, and Day Race Weekend, tour the Speedway’s race CHAMPIONSHIP other accessories will get bikers on the open be available. control Feb. –tower 20 and suites, take photos with road 18 in style. the Atlanta $30 for 2-dayMotor pass Speedway pace car and a SIMON GAMEPLAY NASCAR Sprint Series winner’s trophy, $20 for 1-day passCup TOUR THE GREAT AMERICAN Saturday, August 20gift @ shop 10am, Free discounts and much more.

Kids Under at5 AMS are Free

SHOW DiscoverWorld MillsMOTORCYCLE Mall, Lawrenceville Georgia Congress Center www.simon.com 285 Andrew Young International Blvd., Atlanta cheersport.net

The Simon GamePlay tour will connect fans of all ages to the hottest video cheerleading games before Bring it on…this electrifying they are launched and available in stores. and dance competition features teams The recently launched Nintendo 3DS competing from across America. This gaming system will take center stage with year, it expects to grow larger than ever a “Nintendo Lounge, ” with couches, with over 9003DS teams participating, from snacks and games.

Nintendo also offer ages three through college. will Cheersport “Street Pass,”bytournament-style play loved using was founded all-star coaches who Nintendo 3DS devices.

GamePlay will competitive cheerleading and dance. feature 10 gaming pods, including 2 mature Check the website for the full competition zones, with products from instrusty leaders schedule. like SEGA, Capcom, 2K and Atari.

By Marci Miller 2011 SOUTHEASTERN HUNGER WALK/RUN 5KFLOWER SHOW CALLANWOLDE ARTS FESTIVAL Feb. 25 27, Adults $18 ($15 in advance) March 13, Noon-4pm, $25 for runners 8th ANNUAL GERMAN BIERFEST January 25 – 26, Saturday: 10pm – 6pm

Youth/Student $7,27, Kids2 under Free for walkers Saturday, August – 7pm5 are Free Sunday 11am – 5pm, $5.00 Cobb Galleria Centre Parking is free $30 Online,Fine $35Arts At the Door Callanwolde Center Two Galleria Parkway, Turner Field Green LotAtlanta Woodruff Park, Downtown Atlanta callanwolde.org sehort.org 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta www.germanbierfest.com hungerwalkrun.org This event will feature approximately 86 painters, Presented by celebrates the Southeastern This summer sculptors, event theglass greatness photographers, metalwork, artists, Horticultural Society, this annual premier Join thousands of runners and of German beer in a willfamily-friendly jewelers and more.

The festival alsowalkers offer artistat gardening event promotes preservation this annual event that benefits the Atlanta demonstrations, live acoustic music, plus gourmet environment. Complete with authentic and awareness of flowers and plants food trucks withFood healthy alternatives music and Community Bank and fiveand other local German food, activities for the kids, music dance performances.

The Callanwolde Arts through education and2014 artistic expression. nonprofits.

Participants can register as a team and fun, the German Bierfest is not only Festival is organized by the Atlanta Foundation Show activities include speakers, or individually online or register the juried day in of the only authentic German Bierfest for LLC and a board offor experts in competition, kids’ activities, Landscape & thePublic event.Spaces, There will befamily-friendly activities all beer ages Atlanta, but the only various artistic disciplines.

Itprice ismore. a festival for&Artists Discovery Gardens and including livethe entertainment more. festival asgames, well.

For of admittance,

by Artists, the the artist have a&voice the Gates openletting at noon, runbeer walk attendees can drink all5Kthe theyinbegin can creation and operations of the festival. at 2 p.m. safely consume.OAKHURST DesignatedWINE drivers are 10th ANNUAL CRAWL encouraged and can attend for free.

No one Saturday, Feb. 26,OF4THE pm-7BANDS pm INVITATIONAL HONDA BATTLE under the 21 will be permitted to $25 in advance for of Tasting Glass A-TOWN DAYage SHOWCASE consume alcohol.

A designated driver $30 day26,of event25, 3pm March Noon-8pm, $5 Saturday, January service will also be on site for those who Oakhurst District Lakewood $10 & $12Business tickets available find themselves in an unsafe condition to oakhurstga.org 2002 Lakewood Georgia Dome Ave SE, Atlanta drive home.

One Georgia Dome Drive, Atlanta atownday.com hondabattleofthebands.com Participants in this year’s event will get to sample wines from around theconcert, world A-TOWN DAY is a health festival, PIGS & PEACHES BBQcare FESTIVAL During the fall season, the Honda Battle of the the while exploring all the businesses in and a 26 major of 5pm Awareness August & 27,day Friday - 11pm celebrating Bands Celebration tour spotlights the excellence Oakhurst neighborhood.

There will be 20 all things10am Atlanta.

A-TOWN Saturday – 10pm, Free DAY benefits of 45 Historically Black College and University participating establishments and the event the Diabetes of Atlanta and The Ben RobertsonAssociation Community Center, Kennesaw Marching toBands.

Thequickly. excitement culminates expects sell out Thewill Fur Bus B-Aware Foundation.

This event feature www.facebook.com/PigsAndPeaches at thebe Dome in January for theparticipants Invitational will on hand to transport live music,when poetry,65,000 car show Showcase, fans and willlots be of onfamily their from bar to bar.

Ticketsacannon-sanctioned be purchased friendly events.

The event features feet, dancing in the aisles and cheering for the from Steinbeck’s Ale House, Backyard BBQ, Anything Butt andUjoint, Peach top HBCU Bands.

Participating schools include and Karvana Coffee Shop, all located in Dessert PARK Contest, as well asState, a WEEK Kansas City INMAN Alabama A&M,RESTAURANT Alabama BethuneOakhurst village.

Barbeque Society Professional Cookman, Morehouse College, North Carolina March 28-April 3, $15sanctioned Contest, is recognized Georgia A&T, Carolina State, Umeal of AasataPine Bluff $25 &South $35which for three-course State Championship Barbeque Cookoff. & Winston-Salem State. Special by IHOP NATIONAL PANCAKE DAYperformance CELEBRATION inmanparkrestaurantweek.com Big Sean.

Over $14,000 cash and prizes will be Tuesday, March 1,in7 am-10 pm, Free Pancakes awarded to House contest winners. food International of Pancakes Savor historic Inman Park withBesides three-course GROUNDHOG DAY JUGGLERS FESTIVAL for sale, from and free music from a number of Locations throughout Metro Atlanta dinners 11 local restaurants.

Proceeds January 31 –national FebruaryOpen 2, Friday: - 10helps pm, local and acts, festival goers will IHOPPancakeday.com will benefit Project Hand,5pm which Saturday: 10am Sunday: 11am(with – 5pmmany be treated to –a 10pm, large Kid Zone people prevent or better manage chronic $20 for festival participants, FREE for general attractions FREE to families), vendor On thisthrough day, customers willunique receive one disease comprehensive nutrition care. public, Late Night Cabaret $5 booths andstack sponsor exhibits.

The Silver free short (three) ofand IHOP’s famous $1 raffle tickets will be sold will go towards Yaarab Shrine Center Wings paratrooper aerial exhibition buttermilk pancakes.

All they askwill is team that the charity.

The winner of the raffle win atlantajugglers.org returns thed’ouerves, event,making andbeer willaand jump intoparty the patrons donation to a hostedtoconsider hor wine festival on Saturday, August 27.

Crowds support local children’s hospitals through at Park’s Edge Restaurant for thirty of their You’ll find jugglers, unicyclists, yoyo pros, live will beandEach treated to Network aPark display of Children’s Miracle local friends.

Inman willannual bring music family fun forwonderful allrestaurant agesoratother the aerobatics and patriotic performances in charities.

Since beginning National Groundhog Festival.

The main tastes from Day theirJugglers restaurants foritsthe winner. the There will also be aSaturday fireworks Pancake Day inhuge, 2006, juggling competition atIHOP 2 PM. The sky. winner willcelebration be happens announced at the end of grand finale. has raised $5.35 million Rules for the more juggling competition are simple, the restaurant week.than Check the website fortoa each competitor has in 4 minutes, anything goes. support charities the communities in complete list of participating restaurants.

The Seed Feed MarchingLATINO Abominable band which it and operates.

FESTIVAL PEACHTREE opens competition which is a freeFree show and Sunday,theAugust 28, 11am – 7:30pm, lasts about an hour or so.

The judges confer Piedmont Park after all the competitors finish and trophies will www.festivalpeachtreelatino.com then be awarded. The festival also includes free juggling lessons, Festival Peachtree Latino beenNight the unicycle polo,hasLate largest family & multicultural event in the Cabaret, Light Extravaganza southeast sinceand2000.

They have featured much more. hundreds of exhibitions, family activities, sporting events, parades, arts & crafts, ethnic foods and outdoor musical performances featuring renowned international musicians on two stages. The best part about it is that the event is absolutely FREE!! This year, Festival Peachtree Latino has more to offer, with new attractions and a larger schedule of musical performances.

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TV

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Stars of NBC’s Hit Comedy Don’t Take Themselves too Seriously

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

C

OMMUNITY, THE CULT-FAVE NBC television series, is now in its fifth season. The show, created by busy Dan Harmon, centers on a diverse group of students at a community college in fictional Greendale, Colorado.

With clever pop culture references, an array of unusual guest stars and a stellar ensemble cast, the show has remained a critical and popular success. After a bit of a retooling and a cast revamp, the program continues to be one of the most satisfying and consistently entertaining network offerings on the current schedule.

Recently, comic actors Joel McHale (who plays pivotal protagonist Jeff Winger) and Jim Rash (who co-stars as flamboyant Dean Craig Pelton) spoke about the show in an often-chaotic, shambling interview. Here are a few highlights of the freewheeling conversation.

How does it feel to be in this new season?

Was there a point where you thought this would not be possible and you would not be back on-set and on the show again?

Jim Rash: At the end of each year, we have that little emotional “Will we be back?,” you know, process going through our mind. But I think that this whole year was just sort of like a gift. It felt like you were being handed material that was just,

I would argue, some of the best of all the seasons. I feel like the growth of this year for all the characters and for Community in general is pretty paramount. You know, in the sense that we really went very far as far as hitting with big, sort of epic episodes, but also really paying homage to these characters that we started with, five years ago.

Joel McHale: Yes, I’d say, as Jim just said, it’s seemed like every season, we don’t know if we’re coming back. And if we don’t have that feeling, then I don’t know what it would be like. I was like, imagine if we were on The Big Bang Theory, where we’d be like: “We can do this until we’re 60 if we want!”

Let’s talk about the developments of your individual characters for this season.

Joel, over the last four years you’ve seen Jeff really come to into his own as being a much more multi-dimensional person.

And last year, especially, we saw him leave Greendale and resolve issues with his father. With this season, with him coming back as a teacher, what does Dan really want to accomplish, as far as helping him mature a bit more as a person? And how has his relationship with the rest of the cast been affected by his new position of sort of an authority?

McHale: All very good questions. I

. . .

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has the chemistry changed between would say that this year, Jeff, now that the cast members? And if so, has Dan he’s a professor, is once again somewhat Harmon’s return as show-runner offset destabilized. And his immaturities are that burden? exposed, a whole new set of them. And I Rash: I feel like, if anything, it always think there was a number of things that opens up new doors when something kind of got taken care of last year, and happens like the death of someone or the those things– they’re not things that just departure of someone. It only helps to get kind of wrapped up. And they’ve driven, as people in real life, people explore what happens when that happens. are able to overcome some things, but they always have to be aware. It’s not How would you explain or encourage something like, “Well, that was done someone new to the show to give it a and now I’m fixed.” It’s more like you are chance when in the past they might constantly finding new kind of things to have only seen commercials or one or fix and hopefully make you, or hopefully two episodes? Is the recent re-piloting make that person healthier. another way to re-engage But Jeff, you know, he’s had new fans?

THE EPISODES years of selfishness. And a McHale: The episodes bunch of that, I think, gets SPEAK FOR speak for themselves and exposed this year. And it don’t have to watch THEMSELVES AND you was very fun to play. But from the beginning to YOU DON’T HAVE enjoy the show. You might there’s no doubt, though, that he loves this study be a little lost on some of TO WATCH FROM group. And he has to really the inside jokes that are THE BEGINNING TO made, but these are some come to terms with how he feels about the school, ENJOY THE SHOW... of the best episodes we’ve ultimately. And I think Dan done, so I think they THESE ARE SOME OF ever just absolutely lays those stand alone. things out well for Jeff to THE BEST EPISODES Rash: I think, regardless have to deal with. As an calling it a re-pilot, it’s WE’VE EVER DONE, of actor, it was really fun to not just to add people. It’s SO I THINK THEY also to raise the stakes for deal with. our characters.

STAND ALONE. You are both skilled comic actors. Is there any room Community is famous for improvisation within the scripts? for some really clever holiday-themed McHale: There’s this thing where people episodes. Since you are debuting in the are like, “Do you guys just kind of make mid-season this year, can we expect to see it up as you go along?” And I’m not sure any holiday episodes? why. I guess there’s a lot of that. But no, I McHale: Yes, National Secretary’s Day, mean, it’s not an improvised comedy, and Bring Your Kid To Work Day, then we it’s all very deliberate parts of the traincelebrate all the Slovenian holidays. track that is being laid down to get to the Rash: And I was surprised how fun end of this season. I know this is going to they were. sound really grandiose, but it’s as specific Joel McHale: Yes, fun and I didn’t realize as, you know, Shakespeare was with his that you could have two holidays a day. words, where there’s really nothing that’s And in that country they have over 380. left for excess. And so anyway, no, there’s And really, that’s why all these worlds not much improvising going on. But as get created. They’re really wonderfully you can see from the performances, they complete story worlds, even though look like they’re improvised because the we’re only telling a story in 21 and a half actors are so damn good. minutes now.

With the departure of Chevy Chase and the reduced role of Donald Glover,

Community airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays on NBC.

THEATER

Under The Lights IN THEATRES THIS MONTH! THE GELLER GIRLS

Jan 15 - Feb 9 Alliance Theatre Box Office (404) 733-5000 AllianceTheatre.org/thegellergirls

This month The Alliance Theatre brings to their stage the world premiere of The Geller Girls, by Atlanta playwright Janece Shaffer. The Geller Girls tells the story of young sisters Rosalee and Louisa Geller.

For them, Atlanta is full of opportunity and optimism for the future. Rosalee has finally convinced her father to help her open her own dress shop and Louisa’s childhood sweetheart should be about to officially pop the question. But Atlanta is on the eve of the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895. And just like the Exposition was a huge catalyst for change and development in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, and the entire South, it brings change and uncertainty to the Geller girls. It also brings them the charming, handsome Charles Heyman from New York, and opens a door to the world beyond Atlanta that they may not be willing to close. The Geller Girls will be directed by Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre.

THE BOOK CLUB PLAY

January 17 - February 23 Horizon Theatre (404) 584-7450 HorizonTheatre.com

The Book Club Play is a delightful new comedy about books and the people who love them. It bookends life, love, litera-

WORLD PREMIERE

ture, and the side-splitting results when friends start reading between the lines.

Ana lives in a letter-perfect world with an adoring husband, the perfect job, and her greatest passion: Book Club. But when her cherished group becomes the focus of a documentary film, their intimate discussions about life and literature take a turn for the hilarious in front of the inescapable camera lens. Add a provocative new member along with some surprising new books titles, and these six friends are bound for pandemonium.

BOOK OF MORMON

January 28 - February 9 Fox Theatre (404) 881-2000 FoxAtlTix.com

The Book of Mormon is a religious satire musical with book, lyrics, and music by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. Best known for creating the animated comedy South Park, Parker and Stone co-created the music with Lopez, a co-composer/co-lyricist of Avenue Q. The show lampoons organized religion and traditional musical theatre, reflecting the creators' lifelong fascination with Mormonism and musicals. The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naïve and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share the Book of Mormon, one of their scriptures—which only one of them has read—but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are more worried about war, famine, poverty, and AIDS than about religion. The Book of Mormon has garnered overwhelmingly positive critical response and numerous theatre awards including nine Tony Awards, one of which was for Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Tickets

Two sisters’ lives and the spirit of a city are forever changed in this romantic comedy.

as low as

$25

By Atlanta’s own Janece Shaffer Directed by Susan V. Booth

Don’t miss the all-Atlanta, all-star cast, including Atlanta favorites Courtney Patterson & Ann Marie Gideon as the Geller girls.

January 15–February 9, 2014 As a healthy young female

Tickets @ 404.733.5000

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Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 7

CONTINUING EDUCATION Advance your Career and Enhance Your Life!

SAE Institute Atlanta 215 Peachtree St. #300 Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 526-9366 atlanta.sae.edu

Continuing the tradition established in 1976, SAE Atlanta educates students for careers in the entertainment industry with a focus on hands-on training. Students gain invaluable experience working on real-world projects every day. SAE Atlanta currently offers its signature Audio Technology Program, Electronic Music Production program, and the Music Business Program. Students in the Audio Technology Program can earn a Diploma or an Associate's Degree (unique to SAE Atlanta).The Electronic Music Production program is a short course in which students can earn a certificate in just 3-months! Within our Music Business Program, students can earn an Associate’s Degree. Students have access to over 20 studios and workstations while studying at SAE Atlanta. Included are analog and digital mix-down consoles by Mackie and Yamaha, FX stations, Avid Icon controllers, 5.1 surround studios and industry standard MIDI Labs. To round off the educational experience, the facility boasts both SSL 4000G+ and NEVE VR60 analog consoles. All Degree and Diploma graduates are provided job placement assistance and are eligible to become members of SAE's international Alumni Association. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify and both full and part-time classes are available. For more information contact SAE Atlanta's Admissions Department and schedule a visit to explore their studios and workstations and connect with industry professionals.

Showcase

1135 Sheridan Road (404) 965-2205 theshowcaseschool.com Welcome to The Showcase School - Atlanta’s

PG 8 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

choice for amateur, adult-education photography classes. Whether you are new to the world of photography or if you’ve been shooting for years, The Showcase School has what you are looking for. Since 1996, they have taught thousands of amateur photographers how to use their cameras and develop their passion for photography.

In a comfortable and fun environment, learn basic controls of your digital SLR camera, lenses, tripods and accessories in Digital 101 and Digital 102 classes. With these new tools, move on to the art of taking great photographs in classes such as: People Photography, Composition, Nature, Studio, Flash, Night & Low Light, Photographing Children and more. All new handson weekend workshops on numerous topics are featured each session. Learn to organize in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and edit in the most current Adobe Photoshop Elements programs. Cutting edge software classes at your fingertips! No matter what level of education you need, The Showcase School has a class for you. All classes taught by working professionals who are patient and eager to share their knowledge.

Photography is an exciting and rapidly-changing field and we want you to be a part of it. Register now for your next photography class!

Kaplan Test Prep 1415 Old Riverside Rd Roswell, GA 30076 (678) 234-7376 kaptest.com/practice

Why The GMAT?: A Common Question To Avoid A common query for prospective MBA students involves the purpose of the GMAT. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, the GMAT is a selection tool created to help admissions committees decide who to admit based on whether or not they will be able to handle the academic load. The GMAT helps source the data to predict academic success.

With this in mind, one might be able to accept the rationale: If you are a top scorer on a test designed to discern successful students, then it stands to reason, these are people admissions committees ought to take a chance on. Still, despite this fact, face validity often remains a sticking point in the minds of many test takers.

Face validity refers to the perception of how valid a selection measure is to the subject being assessed by it. Even if a selection tool is shown to be a valid predictor of performance, that doesn’t necessarily mean the subject will recognize that validity. The problem is that if the subject perceives the measure as invalid, it can impact their performance.

Never let the question “Why do I have to take the GMAT?” derail preparation. It is a challenging test and when one is submerged and struggling under its rough and murky waters, it is very hard to see the point. The simple truth is that the GMAT is necessary to get an MBA. Stop asking “Why do I have to?” and start asking “How do I nail it?”

with a law school community that caters to their needs, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is proud to offer comfortable class sizes, comprehensive programs and outstanding faculty. While law school won’t be easy, we make sure students are fully prepared to succeed.

To learn more about our school, call (404) 872-3593 extension 261 or email admissions@johnmarshall.edu.

Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta Campus 1600 Peachtree Street NW (404) 253-6814 scad.edu/ce

John Marshall Law Study Law in Atlanta 1422 W. Peachtree St. NW (404) 872-3593 johnmarshall.edu

Law school can be intimidating for prospective students—especially the thought of large class sizes. At Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, we understand this concern.

We offer small class sizes to ensure students receive the personal attention they need to thrive in law school. With a 12:1 faculty-to-student ratio, our students not only feel comfortable in the class setting, but are more engaged in class discussions.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School also has an excellent faculty that is dedicated to helping students succeed in law school and in life. They are mentors and role models who balance high expectations with genuine care and compassion. To ensure students receive a first-class education, the law school only employs top faculty who are experts in their field. Our professors combine their real-world and classroom experience to provide students with the most comprehensive education possible.

At this law school, bringing diversity and equality to the legal profession is our calling in life. The establishment of Georgia's first Immigration Law Clinic, an extensive Micronesian Externship program and our competitive Honors Program in Criminal Justice reaffirms the law school's commitment to identifying new opportunities to offer our traditional and non-traditional students. Determined to provide students

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor’s and master’s degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 majors, as well as minors in over 60 disciplines, in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning.

The diverse student body, consisting of more than 11,000 students, comes from 49 states in the U.S. and more than 100 countries worldwide. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of more than 650 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These professors emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment. SCAD’s innovative curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources and has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including 3D World, American Institute of Architects, BusinessWeek, DesignIntelligence, U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times. SCAD has more than 20,000 alumni and offers an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. Annually, more than 500 national and international companies and organizations recruit SCAD students and alumni.

The university offers exclusive resources such as the newly renovated SCAD Museum of Art, university libraries and the SCAD Collaborative Learning Center, among others. Annual signature events are designed to showcase student work and bring students together with creative professionals at every SCAD location. Celebrated guests visit the university often, offering master classes and working one-on-one with students.

SAE Institute Atlanta 215 Peachtree St. Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30303

(404) 526-9366 insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 9

TV

HOLLOW VICTORY

Sleepy Hollow Star Tom Mison on FOX’s Surprise Supernatural Hit

BY ALEX S. MORRISON

A

S THE CO-CREATOR OF FOX’S sci-fi cult hit Fringe and the writer behind Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and the forthcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Alex Kurtzman has worked on his fair share of fanboy favorites. So perhaps it’s no surprise that his latest creation– the supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow– was renewed by FOX for a second season just two weeks into its first.

Arguably among the most inventive new shows of the 2013-2014 season, Sleepy Hollow is a retelling of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In Kurtzman’s version, Ichabod Crane is a British-born soldier working as a spy for George Washington’s Colonial Army who beheads a Hessian soldier (a.k.a. the Headless Horseman) just as the soldier kills him. Now, over 230 years later, both Crane and the Horseman (who is revealed to be Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) are resurrected to do battle in modern-day Sleepy Hollow, New York.

After rising from the grave, Crane (Tom Mison) joins forces with police Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) to aid in her investigation of two occult groups– one good, one evil– involved in a grand-scale battle for humanity’s future that’s been going on since the 1700s. The resulting show, which ably blends action, suspense, procedural drama and humor, is unlike anything else on television.

Mison, a 31-year-old British actor, was relatively unknown outside of the London theatre scene before landing the coveted role.

Outside of minor supporting roles in blinkand-you’ll-miss-‘em films such as One Day and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, the actor/ playwright’s biggest previous roles of note were on storied stages at the Duke of York’s, Old Vic, and Royal Court Theatres. But the classically trained thespian handled himself like an old pro while fielding questions about Sleepy Hollow’s outrageous concept, making sure they never go too far into the comedy, and how much he wants to know about where the show is going in advance versus finding out from script to script.

This show is obviously somewhat implausible. Did you have any trepidation

about signing on because of its rather outrageous concept?

I always like to have faith that an audience will suspend their disbelief, if you present it to them in the right way. I find it peculiar when people scoff at one bold idea, and yet they’ll then turn over and watch a man travel through time in a police phone box.

I think it’s just how you present the idea.

With [co-creators] Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Len Wiseman, their careers have been built on asking people to suspend their disbelief. Once you do that, and you can get an audience to go with you on an idea, then you can just go anywhere, and that’s where the fun stuff happens. So, I had no real trepidation. I had faith in the great American public that they would join us, and luckily it seems to have paid off.

Is it difficult to not get too far into the comedy, when it comes to Ichabod’s reactions to things?

Yes. The temptation could be to just go nuts on the comedy, not only for me, but for the writers as well because there’s a wealth of things we can do with that. During the pilot, (executive producer Len Wiseman) and I worked out that the only way you can really sell the comedy is to play it as straight as the serious stuff. The way to find the balance between the confusion and those funny scenes and the more serious, “Oh, my God, the apocalypse is coming” scenes is to play them with a very similar tone, rather than separating them as, “This is now a tragic scene, and this is a comic scene.” Everything is very real for Ichabod, so we just have to try to play everything straight, which I think was a really good thing to find, and a bit of a saving grace, in terms of performance. It also stops me from hamming it up.

What have you enjoyed most, in playing this character?

I think it’s trying to work out how moody someone would be when they come out of the ground after 200 years. It’s been nice, finding the difference between Crane in his time and place, and Crane after all of this weird stuff has happened. It’s about finding the balance between Crane trying to hide his confusion at the world, and when it suddenly comes out. There are so many plates that

THERE ARE PROBABLY LOTS OF PEOPLE IN ENGLAND WHO WOULDN’T HAVE CONSIDERED ME FOR IT. ONE OF THE BRILLIANT THINGS OF THE SHOW IS THAT THEY CAST THE NET WIDE, AND THEY SURPRISE YOU WITH THEIR CASTING CHOICES.

need to be spun to keep Ichabod on track, and it’s hard work. It’s a really difficult part to play, but I think that’s what makes it so satisfying. There’s lots for me to sink my teeth into.

What do you find most fascinating about him?

Everyone always goes to the fact that he is lost in the modern world and that everything is baffling, but what I find really fascinating is that any room he walks into, he’s probably the most intelligent person in that room, but no one will allow him to show that because everyone thinks he’s insane. He thinks everyone else is the maniac, whereas everyone thinks he is. That’s really fun. He knows that he’s cleverer than everyone else, but his manners won’t allow him to tell people to stop being stupid.

We’ve seen Ichabod do battle with plastic, with the OnStar system, and with a coffee machine. What other technology is he going to confront?

Well, there’s everything. When we go into a new set, it’s always nice to have a look around and wonder what Ichabod would be attracted to or repelled by, and what would be baffling, which is everything. Everything is new. There will be plenty more of that, and hopefully it will be just as fun as the stuff from before. There’s a wealth of stuff to mine.

Are you a history buff? If so, how much of a stickler are you for authenticity, even in a premise as outrageous as this one is?

Yes, I’ve always been a history buff. It was one of the few subjects at school that really, really caught me. I think you’ll find a lot of actors will be interested in history because it sparks your imagination so much.

When you enter a period of history, your imagination just goes wild in creating the world, which is really what acting is. It’s always a treat to have something that lets me explore a different period. And yes, I do try to be a stickler, as much as I can, but luckily the writers are, as well. There are a few language things. Luckily, they’re very open when I say, “I think this word is 12 years too late,” and they’re very happy to play around with it. Even if 90% of the

PG 10 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

audience aren’t going to spot that certain turn of phrase as a bit out of date, it’s still important to get a level of authenticity for us to play around in. If it wasn’t completely authentic, then it wouldn’t really work very much. It would then just be a modern man with a weird costume, instead of a man from another time. Everyone is very patient with me getting very anal about things.

How has it been to build a rapport with these really great character actors that are coming in and adding such great dimension to the show?

It’s really nice. It’s great to have actors who are often cast against type. It’s surprising, the actors who are coming in for characters.

I think very few people would imagine that John Cho would become the baddie, which we notice in the pilot. And you don’t see Clancy Brown often as the father figure, or the Obi-Wan Kenobi type. You wouldn’t immediately think of Orlando Jones as the highest-ranking police officer. And I think actually a lot of people would be rather surprised at me being cast as Ichabod. There are probably lots of people in England who wouldn’t have considered me for it. One of the brilliant things of the show is that they cast the net wide, and they surprise you with their casting choices.

In terms of already knowing that you’re coming back for a second season, have you had conversations with the showrunners or the writers yet about what could be coming up for your character, or do you prefer to just be in the moment and get the scripts as they come?

It’s nice to know when there are important revelations that should affect the character. It’s nice to know them early, so then, if there was suddenly a revelation, people would then think back to a few episodes before. It’s important to know those big revelations. I’ve been told what they are, and shall remain silent. I know the big story arcs and they’re quite remarkable, but episode by episode, I quite like finding out when I get the script. It’s quite nice to be surprised and excited, episode by episode, in the same way that, hopefully, audiences are when they watch, week by week. I like to keep a few things as a nice little treat, each time I get a script landing on my doormat.

THEATER

THE BOOK OF MORMON COMES TO ATLANTA

BY MARCI MILLER

A

TLANTA’S THEATRE community has been buzzing for months about the Atlanta debut of “The Book of Mormon” which runs January 28 through February 9, 2014 at the Fox Theatre. The Book of Mormon is a religious satire from Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone.

Best known for creating the animated comedy South Park, Parker and Stone co-created the music with Lopez, a co-composer/co-lyricist of Avenue Q. The show lampoons organized religion and traditional musical theatre, reflecting the creators’ lifelong fascination with Mormonism and musicals.

The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population.

Naïve and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share the Book of Mormon, one of their scriptures—which only one of them has read— but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are more worried about war, famine, poverty, and AIDS than about religion.

We recently had the chance to speak with Samantha Marie Ware who plays the role of Nabulungi, the daughter of the Village Chief, Mafala Hatimbi. Samantha made her acting debut in Vegas with the role of Nala in Disney’s The Lion King. She knew of the music of the Book of Mormon but had not seen the show when she auditioned for this coveted role. We asked Samantha to give theatregoers some background about this award-winning musical.

We know “Book of Mormon” is not an ordinary Broadway musical. What can audiences expect from the show?

I always tell people it’s still a musical. You have your big opening, you have your dance numbers and you have your big finale.

Everything is the same except the dialogue comes from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and if you’ve seen South Park you know exactly what I’m talking about. Two Mormon missionaries go on a mission….one very prim and proper, one very schlubby…I don’t want to say too much or give away too much, especially for those who haven’t seen it yet.

Tell us a about your role.

I play Nabulungi, the youngest female of the village. She is the chief’s daughter. And she is the anchor. Matt Stone made sure not to reveal her age, so she can remain innocent.

She is naïve; she doesn’t know what’s going on.

When Elder Cunningham comes to Uganda and tells her about this world of self-esteem, she is blown away. Just like any normal human being…they open the bible and start reading it and some people want to be part of that religion.

Were you familiar with the show before you got this role?

At the time I tried out, I was doing the Lion King in Vegas and had only listened to the album, which is all I could get.

And just listening to it without knowing much about the show was hilarious, but I couldn’t tell what the story was about. Once I saw it, everything made sense.

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Are Matt Stone and Trey Parker involved with the touring show?

Yes, of course. They were there every day during the rehearsal process. It’s there baby so they would come into rehearsals and tell us what to do, they were our director. It’s their piece and they are very committed and making sure that it is told the same way around the country as it is in New York City.

What was it like working with them?

At the time we were rehearsing the show, they were getting ready for the next season of South Park. So while they were editing, writing and breaking down the script for South Park in the next room, they were also trying to take care of us at the same time. So, we felt like gold.

Matt and Trey are two very different guys but they understand why they do what they do… and you do really begin to start to understand South Park. Whenever I turn on the TV and see South Park, I’m like “Hey, I know those guys.” But I think my favorite is Trey. Trey has this huge, big brain that goes on for days.

He just dives into a sea of creative wind…. he could just keep going and going. It was so amazing to work with him.

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What are some of your favorite scenes or songs?

The piece I love is “Baptize Me” which is one of the most popular numbers; we have so much fun with that. And I love to sit backstage and watch the opening number when the boys come on stage two by two. And then there is the finale where everyone is on stage dancing together.

Do you see a difference in the response to the show when you perform in different parts of the country?

It continues to change, especially when we are somewhere for two weeks. We definitely feel it when the audience is filled with those who have subscriptions for the first week, who don’t know anything about the show but they like to go see musicals. But by the second week, you’ll get all your fans that’ve been waiting so long to get tickets. What surprised us was Texas since its part of the Bible belt.

We had the most intense audience…they were exploding with applause and laughter. Tons of people shock us and we just roll with it.

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Winter Guide EVENTS

Dr. King Celebration

MLK Chapel Morehouse College Thursday, January 16 morehouse.edu

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King at Morehouse College this month. The college will present a wealth of forums, musical celebrations and day of services activities. There will be a MLK Jr. Crown Forum with speaker Azim Khamisa on Jan. 16 at the MLK Jr. International Chapel. The events end on Jan. 30 with the Morehouse College Literary Salon and King Legacy Scholars discussion.

Winter Beer Fest Masquerade January 25 & 26; 1-6PM atlantawinterbeerfest.com

After three straight sell outs, the Atlanta Winter Beer Fest has added a 2nd day.

Saturday will feature breweries from East of the Mississippi River, with breweries from the West on Sunday. This will add up to over 300 total beers. Both days will have Live Music on four stages with DJ on another stage. Additional fun and games will be included as well around the festival.

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Run Boy Run

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Opening Night: Wednesday Jan 29 7:30pm Festival: January 29 - February 20 ajff.org

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF), already the biggest film event in the city and the world’s second largest Jewish film festival, is expanding screenings by more than 25 percent, ensuring that more festivalgoers have access to the festival’s hottest tickets. Run Boy Run will be featured as the Opening Night event on Wednesday, January 29 at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The rest of the films will screen at theatres across the city.

High College Night

The High Museum of Art Saturday, February 1, 8:00PM high.org

stunts, and battle it out for the top spot.

The event features the very best in motorcross entertainment and racing.

Gone With The Wind Margaret Mitchell House Premiere Saturday, March 1 atlantahistorycenter.com

Round up your posse for College Night at the High! Hop aboard a tour of Go West! as remixed spaghetti western soundtracks fill the galleries. Stick around the exhibition for student-led art talks and performances presented by Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. Get your mug sketched on a personalized WANTED poster, pose in a Wild West photo booth, and make art in our studios with artist Natalie Brandhorst. End the night on the dance floor as you scoot your boots with art-pop duo Whitegold and Salsa Chest.

Ringling Bros. Circus Gwinnett Arena Feb 5 - 9 Philips Arena Feb. 12 - 17 ringling.com

For the 75th anniversary of the motion picture version of Margaret Mitchell’s novel, the exhibition Stars Fall on Atlanta: The Premiere of Gone With the Wind, highlights events and people in Atlanta surrounding the world premiere in December 1939. On display at Margaret Mitchell House, this exhibition complements daily tours of the apartment where Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind.

Georgia Marathon

Centennial Olympic Park Sunday, March 23 georgiamarathon.com

The 2014 Publix Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon will host more than 16,000 runners and head through some of the most noteworthy and historic areas in greater Atlanta, including Piedmont Park, and the start and finish area in Centennial Olympic Park.

Atlanta Film Festival Several Atlanta Theatres March 28 - April 6 atlantafilmfestival.com

Let us Know How We Are Doing!

INsite’s 2013 Readership Poll Our annual poll is currently being conducted online at www.insiteatlanta.com Let us know how we can serve you better. Just take a few minutes to fill out a quick questionnaire. All participants have a chance to win tickets to area attractions, upcoming events, movie screenings, DVD’s & more!! We are stocked with goodies to give out.

Just go to our site at www.insiteastlanta.com & click on Readers Poll today!

PG 12 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Built To Amaze! Andre McClain, the circus’ ringmaster takes the Ringling Bros reins accompanied by his horse, Comanche, and leads his funny and mischievous super circus supervisors to construct The Greatest Show On Earth. In this awe-inspiring show, more than 110 of the world’s best performers have been assembled to help build a super circus that showcases never-before-seen heart pounding performances.

Polar Plunge

Special Olympics of GA Lake Lanier Saturday, February 15, 11AM - 3PM specialolympicsga.org

The Polar Plunge is the largest fundraising effort benefiting Special Olympics.

Participants collect pledges in exchange for the opportunity to jump into icy waters of Lake Lanier. All proceeds collected by Plungers will benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Georgia. Prizes will be awarded for the best costume, highest fundraiser, highest fundraising team, and more!

MonsterEnergySupercross Georgia Dome Saturday, February 22 7:00PM supercrossonline.com

The Monster Energy Supercross brings their high-flying stunts to the Georgia Dome February 22. Come feel the excitement as the stars of Supercross show off their best moves, most breathtaking

The Atlanta Film Festival is a 10-day long event that celebrates the best in independent filmmaking. It is an Academy Award qualifying and international film festival that shows a diverse range of independent films, including genre films in horror and sci-fi. The historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta's Poncey-Highland area and 7 Stages Theatre in Little 5 Points will again serve as the festival's primary venues.

ATTRACTIONS

Snow Mountain Stone Mountain Park

Runs Thru February 17 stonemountainpark.com

Spend a fun-filled day playing in the snow.

Zoom down the 400-foot hill in familysized tubes or go it alone as a single rider.

Enjoy snowman building to snowball tossing, tubing to togetherness. New features include Avalanche Alley adding an extra lane for more family tubing time.

The Ice Rink Centennial Olympic Park Thru Jan 20 centennialolympicpark.com

Visit the Ice Rink before it closes! The tented rink includes observation seating, a heated changing area & theatrical lighting.

FILM FILM

TRUMP Movie Reviews CARD ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG-13)

 Breathe easy, Burgundy fans. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is good. While it’s not as quotable and instantly classic as the original, fans of the first film won’t be disappointed with the return of the beloved faux news team. The film catches up with Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) in the ‘80s, now co-anchors of the evening news. After they sign off, they’re called up to their boss’s office, where he informs them that Veronica is getting promoted By B. Love and Ron is getting canned. This sends Ron s one of AmericA’s most into a downward spiral, until he’s offered successful and high profile businessan opportunity to reassemble his team for men, Donald trump was well known a 24-hour news the long before survivorchannel. producerFrom mark there Burnett film falls into familiar territory, attempting tapped him to star in the Apprentice. But to replicate the that bestthemoments from the there’s no denying reality show first installment, with hit or miss results. turned trump from a cartoonish curiosity When the film is good, it conjures up a into a bona fide phenomenon, with his signawave of feel-good nostalgia.

Butinextricawhen it ture catchphrase– “You’re fired!”– falls short the of the will roll. This bly entering popmark, cultureeyes lexicon. isAlthough a novel the effort from Will Ferrell, director Apprentice initially flounAdam McKay, and all others involved, and dered a bit in the ratings, Burnett and trump it’s apparent they allformula have confidence stumbled uponthat a winning by recruit-in andsecondpassionand forthird-tier the material. work is ing actors,Their athletes, an admirable, often funny and sharp satire models and musicians for a celebrity edition of the news that unfortunately ends up being of the show. now in its third incarnation, relatively forgettable. the celebrity Apprentice tosses disparate –Christian Perez stars such as rocker Bret michaels, wrestler

on Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless fable, The Snow Queen, the film tells the story of fearless princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), who embarks on a quest to find her estranged sister, Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped their kingdom in an eternal winter. Along for the journey there’s a rugged mountain man (Jonathan Groff ), his pet reindeer, and a goofball snowman (Josh Gad). The story (by Jennifer Lee) and direction (Lee and Chris Buck) are impeccably crafted, and the songs (by husband-wife team Roberto and Kristen Anderson- Lopez) are among the finest in modern Disney through reading about them forhistory. so manyFrom Menzel Groffsomebody (Spring Awakening) years, but(Wicked), a lot of times that you and Gad of turns Mormon) don’t think(The of soBook highly out totobeRoberto a star.

Lopez Book Mormon You just(who don’tco-wrote know what willofhappen withand Avenue Q), SERIOUS Broadway pressure andthe thefilm heathas of battle. credentials, and it doesn’t take a genius to What celebrity have do toisreally figuredoes out athat’s where thetostory headed set themselves apartanimated and showmusical that they’re next.

My favorite of the in it 20 to win it? last years. i can tell you from seasons 1 and 2–Bret and Love

The Donald Waxes Rhapsodic On The Celebrity Apprentice, “You’re Fired!” & Fixing NBC

A

from the regular Apprentice, people really want to win. every (PG-13) once in a while you’ll GRUDGE MATCH have a quitter, but it doesn’t happen often.  iSay think theyou reason it is the level of what will they aboutdoSylvester Stallone… intensity they for and theirsay charity.

Unlike No, really: Gofeel ahead it. If you don’t, the regular somebody I will.

Sly Apprentice, lost me withwhere this film about two works for me for a pretty good forpast. a retired boxing champions withsalary a shaky year, with this one the money goes to charI’m not sure whether the story was actually ity.

Lasttoyear raised meant be we sappy andmillions shallow,ofordollars. if it was everybody has abad charity thathalf-assed they love; acting some the product of casting, Goldberg, baseball legend Darryl strawberry, are foundations they’ve set up themselves and mediocre writing. Director Peter Segal AMERICAN HUSTLE (R) former governor ron Blagojevich and sharon years advance soflops i think they was atin the helm,ofasthe he show. was on such as  together for a variety of teamosbourne really fight more intense because it’s a charWhen the ludicrous trailers for David to O. Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and Naked building exercises and challenges designed ity they’re fighting for.

Russell’s American Hustle were released, Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult. As with those test their business mettle. ” as the So crazy-coiffed real out films, I couldn’t wait for this movie to be over.

I“the was Donald, unimpressed. when I walked What are your favorite challenges to watch estate often known, recently heldof Not even the talented comedy of Kevin Hart of themagnate theaterifknowing I’d just seen one the celebrities tackle? save the awkwardly composed scenes. court with reporters discuss thefilms show’s the sharpest, most to entertaining of the could Well, we do have a lot of different challengI also did not appreciate a beloved thespian current year, I season. was pleasantly surprised. Christian es, whether we go back to the selling of the like Robert De Niro lowering himself for Bale and Amy Adams star as Irving lemonade or doing something else very basic Can you telland us aSydney little bitProsser, about the selecthis death trap of deal a story.

Rosenfeld small-time without having to withThere’s Proctorno & way Gam-I’d tion process? spend my hard-earned dollars to watch this con artists who dupe people into investing ble or Kodak, etc. sometimes [sponsor-based it’s very interesting, because many loans. film in theaters. their money in exchange forsohollow challenges] are sort of interesting, but they’re celebrities want to be on the until show undercover after the –Kalena Boller They’re quite successful expensive for us to do. the ratings suggest success of the previous seasons. We cop Richie DiMasotwo(Bradley Cooper) that the fans’ favorite part of the show by wanted athletes, actors, somethem HER (R) catchessome them in thesome act and forces far is the boardroom, and the boardroom models and some wrestlers, so i would say  to play along with his plans for bringing has gotten longer over the years because of probably six or crooks, seven people per spot we SpiketheJonze (Being Johnplenty Malkovich, down bigger with hilarious results. that. challenges still have of time were turning down.

Adaptation) has never been a conventional Russell directs thethe filmhardest with athing briskis that pace, and we’re focused on both aspects, but we we really have good people filmmaker.

WithtoHer, his first film based engaging thesome audience as thethat plotwant twists have been trying lengthen the boardroom toand go turns on very badly.

But i guess maybe we’ll wholly of onstrong his own original material, the the characters around and around because viewer requests. save them forsteals the next show, as because it looks writer/director shows just how beautiful the again.

Bale the show the sometimes like that’s going to happen. unconventional can be. The film takes sleazy, overweight, and often endearing You’re like a prosecuting attorney in theplace in a technologically advanced future that Irving, but Jeremy Renner’s performance as boardroom.

Do you meter your approach to How is this seasonPolito going istosurprisingly be different great, than feels verypersonalities? much like the present and follows Mayor Carmine different past seasons? wonderfully by people Joaquin Yes, i think(played you deal with different holding his own amongst the perfectly cast Theodore Well, when you have a success like we’ve Phoenix), who broken from adifferently recent split i dealiswith Goldberg ensemble (including Jennifer Lawrence in differently. had, you don’t like to do too many changes. withi deal his wife, CatherineBlagojevich.

(Rooney Mara). with Governor i an Oscar-worthy turn as Rosenfeld’s harpie than What we do have is a different tone. the cast Avoiding close dealt with human Dennis interaction, rodman andeven Joanwith rivers wife).

American Hustle is a consistently has been very interesting: they’ve been very friends, hethan purchases advanced computer differently some ofanthe other contesengrossing, wholly satisfying picture, with a tough and very nasty, but there’s also a lot of You have to have operating system to that keepability. him company. castand andhumor director at the top of their game. tants. fun withallrespect to what happens, Over time, he and Samantha (voiced by –Christian Perez which i don’t think we had in the last one.

How do youJohansson) feel going back in the Scarlett begin anboardintimate With Joan [rivers] and with Piers [morgan], room after a little hiatus? rediscovers his relationship as Theodore FROZEN (PG) it was really nasty people really hating each i just get kick out of it.the i really passion fora great life. What makes film like work  other. these people hate each other, but it’s itsoa lot. they want to renew it for another well is its subtlety: This is a quiet film People talk about the era from 1989-1999 also funny. i think that might be the biggest two orpresents three seasons, and we’regracefully, thinking and that its characters (in which the studio produced classics such differentiation in terms of the three casts. that.judgment. i like havingThe a little bit of a break without marvelous cast as The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, about between shows, where it goes on once a year. (including Amy Adams and Chris Pratt) Aladdin and ThetellLion King) as bat the “Disney Can you usually right off the who is Renaissance. ” With hotisn’t? streak that includes really brings the film to life with their going to do well and awho you ever feel bad about someone, realistic connections and firing chemistry.

With The Princess & the Frog, Tangled,quesWreck- Do that’s always the most interesting or is it just part of the job? such an interesting concept, Jonze could’ve It Ralph nowi’dthis tion to me and because likeincredible to think ofanimated myself i always no, different not always. someHerfeel in bad… a million directions.

I think we can consider the years since taken asgem, being okay with people.

But often i’ll say, times i don’t like people. the hard ones are But what he presents is a powerful piece Pixarone mastermind Lasseter took heover “this is going to John be a star, ” and then when you really like and respect somebody on the nature of human interaction and as the company’s chief creative officer the turns out to be a dud. You never really know. they make aproving mistake. that Like, he as an ex-stand relationships, can “Disney Renaissance: Partthese II.” Loosely based and You feel like you’ve known celebrities

AMERICAN HUSTLE AMERICAN HUSTLE IS A CONSISTENTLY ENGROSSING, WHOLLY SATISFYING PICTURE, WITH A CAST AND DIRECTOR ALL AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME. Our review:  on his own merits by delivering one of the strategically necessary. The exercise seems most personal, beautiful, and best films of doomed from the beginning, as four Navy It turned out to Be a good But Wahlberg, It was Taylor a Seals phrase, (played by Mark the year.

Kitsch, show Ben Foster, and aEmile Hirsch) –Christian Perez FIrst FLuke. durIng the very I was LIttLe are dropped in the remote Hindu Kush exasperated wIth one oF the contestants and I used THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF mountains for recon of a nearby village.

LIne, “you’re FIred!”While when [producer] Markupon SMAUGthe (PG-13) hiding out, they’re stumbled Burnett and I agreed to dobythe we dIdn’t have  a trio show of shepherds, two in their teens we thought say, heLL out I never that. had the chance to read any ofwe’d the and one“get elderly. the The team debates whether kill them, tie them up or set them free, J.R.R. Tolkien books, so oF be advised here”thator tosoMethIng. this review is coming from a film-only but leaer Michael Murphy (Kitsch) cites the fact that you raised and suchlets self-sufficient ample, scott Hamilton, from the last of engagement the shepherds perspective.

The Desolation of season.

Smaug rules children? iishad to let scott i’msupposed a great fantoof be: scott: The oldest teen runs to the village, alerts precisely whatgo.it’s an go. i’m getting a lot of credit on the chilHe olympic gold medals and he’s aturns great theWell, Taliban, and everything gets FUBAR epicwon fantasy film.

With winning dren. everybody’s asking ivanka champion.

But hestars understood he made ricky tick. been There’s no about denying the from returning Martin that Freeman, Ian most and the answer yes, she’ll back onofthe aMcKellan mistake on theRichard show andArmitage, i really had no intensity of theisaction, thebebravery the and director show.involved, But they’reorvery kids. Wahlberg’s they went choice. i felt very badly about that, because thegood horror Peter Jackson once again delivers what he men to very good schools, and they were idoes considered to be astoryline, great person, but i Marcus Littrell (on whose book thegreat film is best– anhim intricate characters students. i couldn’t wait to get them on the have do what’s right.action, it’s never but it’s based) must have felt watching his buddies with todepth, intense andfun, awesome show. i had him. no idea show would be into easier when iOnce don’t again like somebody or when around Butthe it all feels as jingoistic 3D visuals.

I was blown away die itsninth and tenth season, which is pretty they’re really, really bad. by the beautiful, sprawling Middle Earth and rah-rah patriotic as a FOX News Fourth amazing in the world of television.

July special, with very little humanizing landscape, the haunting woodlands and of That line, “You’re ” became Smaug, a pop culthe majesty of thefired, mountains. the characterization or examination of why our There’sare been lots in of news surrounding ture phenomenon.

Can you about the there the first place. It’sNBC still fire-breathing dragon whotalknestled into troops lately, and your show does well for them. origin of it? to the the mountain to hoard the riches of the a good movie, but, as a testament Whatwho yougave thinktheir NBClives needs do to to gettheir back it turnedwas out terrifying, to be a goodwith phrase, but itthat men in to service dwarves, a voice in the ratings game? was a fluke.

During the very first show i was sounded as if his very essence was born of country, it should have been great.

Well, i know Jeff Gaspin (chairman of Love nBc aflames little exasperated one of Cumberbatch the con–Bret (shout out towith Benedict Universal television entertainment) and, as testants and i used the line, “You’re fired!” for an amazing vocal interpretation). You you know, he’s new to the role. i think he’s When [producer] mark Burnett and i agreed won’t be disappointed with this film, which MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM going to do a spectacular job at nBc. they to do the show we didn’t have that. We starts right where the first film left off and (PG-13) thought we’d say, “Get the hell out of here” or need more shows like the Apprentice. not leaves you And with all breathless anticipation for  necessarily from a reality standpoint, but something. of a sudden America went we’ve with thecapture outpouring of loving the third Hobbit! they needseen shows that the imaginacrazy over the show. it happens to be a great As tributes since Nelson Mandela’s passing, –Kalena Boller tion. catchphrase. tV Guide or one of the major the man lived a life that touched millions. frankly, certain shows that are on should entertainment magazines did a poll and, after LONE SURVIVOR There’s no way two hours a movie theater be changed because, whileinthey get some “Here’s Johnny!” and(R) one other great, it was  could possibly encapsulate all that he meant pretty good reviews, they don’t get people #3 on the top 100 phrases in television hisYour reaction to director Peter Berg’s latest to the world.

But we understand where tory! so that was a pretty big honor. it’s been watching. it’s nice to get both. We’ve had action epic–thing based onanthe true story of Seal Justin Chadwick’s Other an amazing and amazing phrase that director emmy nominations and a lot of(The good acBoleyn Girl) ambition stems: His lead, Team 10’s failed “Operation Red Wings” just seems to work. it really caught on, and colades passed our way, and that’s alwaysIdris Elba, thespian who’s licking mission to take down a high-level Taliban it’s been an amazing thing to watch. nice. is Buta stately ultimately you have to been have people chops for a meaty role; his female anchor, leader during the war in Afghanistan back his watch. nBc is going to really do well. i know Harris and as i Winnie Mandela, in 2005– is likely based in large part Naomie What do you thinktoisbe your biggest accomtheir leadership think they’re winners,is underrated acting gem; and Nelson’s on whetheryour youbusiness think said mission plishment, success or the was another so i think they’ll turn it around. insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 13

1995 autobiography provides the movie’s rich foundation. If we had all of that at our disposal, we’d want to tell as much of the narrative as we could, too. The movie offers a balanced look at the spectrum of Nelson’s qualities, from his enviable traits (fighting apartheid head-on) to his questionable ones (fidelity issues). What we also get is some overdue insight into the role Winnie played as a loving wife, mother, and freedom fighter.

After more than a year in jail for frivolous charges, she comes out a changed woman.

After 20-plus years in confinement, so does her husband. But because of Chadwick’s desire to cover so much ground in so little time, these life-altering episodes almost come off as trivial. What was Nelson thinking behind those bars? How could the man not hold grudges against his captors? Overall, Mandela is an admirable tribute to one of the 20th century’s most vital figures. But we don’t really get any of those questions answered. As for inquiries on whether Elba or Harris could carry a dramatic feature, those are answered with a thunderous roar.

–DeMarco Williams

SAVING MR. BANKS (PG-13)

 There are two stories going on in this historical dramedy from director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Blind Side). The first, set in 1961, deals with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) pulling out all the stops in an effort to convince author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to give his studio the screen rights for adaptations of her beloved series of children’s novels about a magical nanny who turns the lives of the Banks family upside down. The second, set in Australia in the early 1900s, reveals how the author’s tragic childhood (alcoholic father, suicidal mother, constant financial issues, etc.) influenced the stories that would come to define her. The result is a strange, but affecting emotional balance that works in large part due to the lead actors. Thompson in particular delivers a knockout turn, perfectly capturing the conflicted consternation of a sad recluse fiercely protective of her personal passion project. And Hanks is as charming as ever, capturing the Midwestern charm and slick sales tactics that ultimately won Travers over. For diehard Disney fans, you’ll enjoy watching B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman as Robert and Richard Sherman (the masterful composers behind the music of Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie The Pooh and more), exploring the creative process behind their classic tunes. I’m not sure Hancock was the best director for the job, as the balance between tragedy and comedy, past and present feels uneven at times. But it’s still a solid film and a compelling story, with terrific performances all around.

–Bret Love

HOME RELEASES THE LATEST DVD, BLU RAY & VOD RELEASES

BY BRET LOVE AND JOHN MOORE

BIG 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since a baby-faced Tom Hanks shrugged off his Bosom Buddies past to become a breakout Hollywood star. The Penny Marshalldirected fantasy tells the story of diminutive 12-year-old Josh Baskin, who puts a coin in a fortune-teller machine and wakes up the next morning transformed into a 30-yearold man (Hanks). The comedy remains just as charming today as it was back in 1988, and the anniversary edition Blu Ray includes a bevy of extras, such as “Zoltar” cards, an extended cut, five deleted scenes, making-of docs and more. –BL PG 14 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (PG)

 Ben Stiller’s remake of a Danny Kaye movie that’s eligible for Social Security has been in the planning stages for two decades with various stars and directors attached. Directing himself, Stiller replaces Kaye’s manic energy with a Zen-like calm in the title role of a daydreamer who has “been nowhere, done nothing of consequence” in his 42 years. He fantasizes himself as a superhero or saying things he should have said to his nasty boss (Adam Scott) or the coworker (Kristen Wiig) he crushes on. Mitty stumbles into a real-life adventure, expanded in this version from New York cops-androbbers to globe-hopping exploits. Pop culture references are mostly from the ‘80s but the framework plot of Life magazine downsizing as they scrap their print edition is contemporary. The essential sweetness of James Thurber’s original short story shines through the typical Hollywood overproduction, but Stiller’s Mitty is not the stuff daydreams are made of.

–Steve Warren

THE SUSPECT (NR)

 As a rule, action fans don’t go to the movies to think. They prefer straight-ahead plots: X must stop Y from reaching Point B; You did such-and-such to my family or country, and I’m going to get even. If you have a working knowledge of Korean history and security agencies (KIB, NSIA, DSC), real and fictional, The Suspect should be no harder to follow than a Bourne flick. (Korean language helps too, as the subtitles sometimes fly by almost subliminally.) Trained agent Yi, having defected from North to South, is pursuing Lee, who witnessed the murder of Yi’s wife and maybe his daughter, when he becomes a patsy in the killing of Chairman Park, a reunification advocate. The villain is government agent Kim, who uses Col. Min to do his dirty work until Min wises up. There’s talk of “working both sides,” but it’s not clear what either side represents. Of course it’s all just an excuse for well executed car chases and fight scenes that show more editing than combat skills, but it’s disappointing when they race through the Gangnam district and there’s no sign of Psy. –Steve Warren

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (PG)

 There’s an absolutely magical scene in Jurassic Park where Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) are given their first jeep tour of the island, where they have their first encounter with a dinosaur. Remember it? Director Steven Spielberg shows Dern’s jaw drop, cues the orchestra strings and pans to an unforgettable shot of a Brachiosaurus

THE CANYONS

The publicity surrounding Lindsay Lohan’s comeback focused on the fact that her co-star, James Deen, is a porn star. But just about every other actor in this clunky erotic thriller seems like they were trained in porn as well. The acting is stilted and the dialogue weak, thanks to one-time hit-maker Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, Less Than Zero). The movie centers on Christian (Deen), an immoral trustfund kid who dabbles in financing movies. When he learns that his girlfriend (Lohan) is sleeping with an actor, he becomes unhinged and tortures the pair, mentally and physically. Don’t bother. –JM

CRYSTAL FAIRY & THE MAGICAL CACTUS

Michael Cera plays a typical American jackass, hanging out in Chile with three

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET THE TERM “EPIC” HAS BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE SCOPE OF THE FILM, BUT AT TIMES THAT MEANS IT SIMPLY FEELS VERY LONG. THAT BEING SAID, IT WAS WORTH EVERY MINUTE. Our review:  perching on its hind legs to reach for leaves high atop a tree. It’s a timeless movie moment from 1993. Even with jazzed-up cameras and theaters having gone all hightech, no single moment in Walking With Dinosaurs can touch that scene with an 18-foot Gorgosaurus tail. That’s not to say that the visuals in this movie (based on the popular BBC documentary) aren’t done well.

Enhanced CGI and 3D glasses put you right in the middle of a realistic dino setting– our lead, Patchi the Pachyrhinosaurus, deals with a pesky brother, long migrations and enemies who have short fuses– where animals seem fluid and not as mechanical as in Spielberg’s classic. It’s an absolute joy to see. But where this movie falls behind even the mediocre Jurassic Park 3 on the cinematic food chain is with its dialogue. All the poop jokes and guymeets-girl/guy-fights-for-girl scenarios are older than the Paleozoic Era. Yes, this movie is aimed at families, but the brains at the BBC should’ve realized that even young audiences’ expectations for a decent screenplay have evolved since the ‘90s.

–DeMarco Williams

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (R)

brothers intent on getting their hands on a San Pedro cactus, taking it to a secluded beach, and getting stoned silly off the plant.

They hook up with American neo-hippie Crystal Fairy (played brilliantly by Gaby Hoffman) and head off to 20-something drug nirvana. Thanks to brilliant acting and some very nonclichéd plotlines, the movie manages to transcend what could easily have been a routine indie comedy and instead offers up an endearing road trip saga. –JM

Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) as he lays down the strong arm of the law in his Kentucky hometown. Season four finds Givens on a 30-year-old cold case dating back to his childhood, and the dirty dealings of his crook of a dad. With great supporting turns from Walter Goggins, Nick Searcy, and Joseph Mazzello, it’s an excellent season of shows to get you ready for season 5’s January premiere. -BL

JUSTIFIED: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON

FX has been on an incredible hot streak the last few years (Louie, Sons of Anarchy, Archer, The Americans), and Justified remains one of the finest feathers in the network’s crown. Based on Elmore Leonard’s novels, the show follows hard-nosed deputy U.S.

 “Give ‘em to me young, hungry and stupid, and I’ll make them rich!” This disturbing and funny film from Martin Scorsese depicts stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leo DiCaprio) and his joyous abandonment of what he once held dear in the pursuit of being rich and feeling good. Based on Belfort’s book, the film drags viewers into his absurdly grandiose life of drugs, sex, intrigue, excitement, and betrayal. Belfort went from selling penny stocks in a strip mall to running a trading house with a thousand employees and being featured in Forbes, and eventually being chased by the SEC and Justice Department. In their fifth collaboration, DiCaprio and Scorsese tell a wild tale akin to seeing a train wreck full of circus clowns: We know how awful it’s going to get, and yet we can’t stop looking. DiCaprio’s Jordan is loveable, hateful, cruel and impossible to not watch. The supporting cast is full of surprises, from the off-kilter performance of “mentor” Matthew McConaughey to truly unsettling partner Jonah Hill. The term “epic” has been used to describe the scope of the film, but at times that means it simply feels very long.

That being said, it was worth every minute.

–Justin Patterson

SPRINGSTEEN & I

The idea behind this documentary is simple enough: fans of the Jersey legend submitted short videos of themselves talking about their favorite Springsteen memories or what he means to them. Yes, there are a slew of talented bands out there with legions of hardcore fans, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many that bring up such powerful emotional connections to fans across the globe, young and old. After all, there’s a reason the nickname “The Boss” has stuck for so long. –JM

MERCHANDISE

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

BY B. LOVE

I

DON’T BELIEVE IN NEW YEAR’S resolutions, but I do believe in setting annual goals. Like most people over the age of 30, one of my goals typically includes losing weight and staying in shape. Through a mixture of diet and exercise, TOMMIE I’ve lost over 40 pounds in COPPER recent years. And, with the right equipment, getting in shape after the holidays can be an amazing lifestyle change you’ll want to embrace throughout the year…

CLOTHING

The old Saturday Night Live sketch suggested “it’s better to look good than to feel good,” but I’d argue that the two go handin-hand.

My lady loves how she looks and feels in her Perfect Booty Pants from LUCY (Lucy.com), which use body-hugging “Perfect Core” compression technology to slim, shape, and support her muscles as she works out. She loves pairing them with the double racerback Quinn Top from PRANA (Prana.com), whose internal shelf bra and stretchy nylon/lycra material makes it great for yoga and cross training.

I’m a big fan of the new copperinfused line of workout apparel from TOMMIE COPPER (TommieCopper.com). Their compression and active apparel, available for both men and women, helps stabilize and support your muscles, with activated copper designed to improve oxygen flow, enhance recovery, and provide relief from aches and pains. Worn with the merino wool-lined Blast Jacket from ICEBREAKER (Icebreaker.com), it’s the perfect clothing for wintertime workouts.

ICEBREAKER

NEW BALANCE

LUCE’S BREAD

GAIAM

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SHOES

Shoe technology has come a long way since I was a kid: Nowadays you need a different pair of shoes for walking, running, and hiking in the woods.

The Men’s Power Walk 401s from PROSPECS (Prospecs-USA.com) are my favorite shoes I’ve owned. With MoveFrame Technology to provide support and stability, highly cushioned insoles, and an outsole designed for durability and traction, they’re made for serious walkers. But I wear them everywhere!

My lady prefers her 890v4 running shoes from NEW BALANCE (NewBalance.com). The fourth generation shoe is lighter than ever, with a more rounded toe box, additional toe spring, and an extended ABZORB crash pad for extra cushioning stability. Plus, from a fashion standpoint, they simply look cool.

One shoe we agree on is the XT Comp cross-trainer from GO LITE (GoLite.com), our go-to hiking shoe for travel adventures. Its ultra-lightweight exoskeleton, cushioned interior, moisture-wicking mesh lining and ruggedly durable outsole make it like having a comfy ATV 0n your feet.

FOOD

The biggest change I’ve made for my health was eliminating gluten and sugar from my diet. Until recently, it was difficult to find a healthy way to eat the foods I love most. No longer…

Bread is the #1 craving I’ve fought since changing my eating habits, but LUCE’S GLUTEN-FREE

BREAD (LuceGFBread.com) makes it ridiculously easy to go gluten-free. With delicious flavors ranging from Italian and Classic Sourdough to Winter Spice, each package of Luce’s comes with everything you need– baking bag, flour blend, dusting flour and instructions.

Just add water, mix, and within an hour you have INCREDIBLE fresh-baked bread so delicious, you’ll never miss the gluten.

Finding good gluten-free pizza is a royal pain, but VENICE BAKERY (VeniceBakery.com) does for pizza what Luce’s does for bread. Their all-natural, vegan-friendly pizza crusts come in regular and herbed varieties: Just add your favorite sauce and toppings and they’re ready in 15 minutes or less. They also have individual-sized pizza crusts and flatbreads as well.

As a lover of sweets, I was especially delighted to discover the COFFEECAKE CONNECTION COMPANY (CoffeecakeConnection.com).

Their decadent, but gluten-free, Cinnamon and Triple Berry Coffee Cakes are simply out of this world, ensuring I’ll never crave Entenmann’s again.

We’re big snackers in our house, particularly when we’re traveling and can’t eat meals at our normal times. The allnatural, gluten- and GMO-free snacks from KIND HEALTHY GRAINS (KindSnacks.com) have become another new favorite, with amazing flavors such as Cranberry Almond, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate, and Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio. They’re kind, indeed.

OTHER GEAR

A big part of the problem for beginning exercisers, especially for those who don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a gym membership, is simply figuring out how to get started.

The Yoga Beginners Kit and Pilates Beginners Kit from GAIAM (Gaiam.com) are perfect for newcomers. The former includes a yoga brick for proper training and support, a mat to guide hand and foot placement, and two full-length yoga workouts from Rodney Yee to get you started. The latter includes a sculpting ball, BodyBand, and a Body Sculpting Workout DVD that teaches you to tone your physique using Pilates.

For those seeking a more high intensity workout regimen, there’s the Dream Body Cardio Series from FUSION FITNESS (FusionFitness.com). At around $130, this 5-DVD boxed set isn’t exactly cheap. But with 50- to 60-minute workouts using interval training and unique combinations of techniques, it’s a helluva lot more affordable way to get toned and trim than a year’s worth of cardio classes.

Serious athletes looking to improve their workouts will love the Alpha from MIO (MioGlobal.com), the world’s first strapless, continuous heart rate sport watch guaranteed to be accurate at performance speeds. Compatible with Bluetooth-enabled smartphones, the MIO Alpha uses optical sensing technology to measure heart rate, much like the finger clips hospitals use.

The watch allows you to customize your heart rate zone, with data review for tracking total exercise time, average heart rate, and time spent “in the zone,” helping you to achieve all your New Year’s fitness goals.

TV

REAPING THE GRIMM

Star David Guintoli discusses his supernatural character

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

I

N THE DARK WORLD OF GRIMM, the popular NBC fantasy drama series, anything is possible and nothing is improbable. Characters, often inspired by portions of Grimms’ Fairy Tales, populate a fantastic landscape with deliciously twisted plots and intriguing developments. Now in its third season, the Friday night program is a staple of the network’s weeknight lineup. Actor David Guintoli, who plays perceptive homicide detective Nick Burkhardt, spoke with the press recently about the show in general and his role as a Grimm in particular.

Traditionally, most of the scripts of Grimm are based on fairy tales and folklore. How have the plotlines evolved over the course of the seasons?

I think that what we’ve done on Grimm is, originally I was passed a book that had all these fairy tales in it, and that was what our episodes were based on. But as the show grows, as does the character Nick, and you discover that some of these other phenomena that take place in the world haven’t yet been added to the book of fairy tales. But they are being added by Nick, now. So we are taking other myths and folklore and otherwise just kind of stories that have been told and putting the little Grimm spin behind them now, so I enjoy that.

Your relationship with the character Julia has had many rocky problems in the first two seasons. Now it seems to be going just maybe a little too smoothly this season, except for the whole zombie thing. Are we about to see some more conflicts between you two, or are the characters going to live happily ever after?

Oh, there’s no way we’re going to live happily ever after. I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but if there is a relationship, it is the job of the writers of America to tear it apart, at least temporarily, you know? So I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can guarantee you there’s going to be something thrown into the works here. I just don’t know what that is yet.

Now that everyone knows Nick is a Grimm, is it nice that you no longer have to hide this aspect from Juliet and Hank, and the whole group can actually work together now?

Yes. I think the show is better for having several more people know about Nick being a Grimm. There are still some people in the dark that I don’t want it to be revealed to just yet. The show can never become a big happy family. There needs to be a lot of problems because there are responsibilities and dangers that come with knowing about this world. Those who have found out, who are not either Wesen or Grimm, there are dangers that come with that fact. That’s going to be explored in this

season. And, there’s a reason Nick doesn’t tell everybody. It’s not safer for me, the more standard, normal human beings that know about this. But, I am happy that a couple more characters are in this circle, so to speak. I think it opens up a lot of new character dynamics.

Different people who can interact with each other for the first time. And I love those big dinner scenes where we’re looking at gory, bloody pictures and drinking red wine and kind of discussing it from all these different points of views. I think it’s fun.

How have you seen your character continue to grow and develop this season? And with that growth, what possible new acting challenges have you discovered within the definition of Nick?

Well, I think he’s become far more confident.

I think that - I kind of decided this year I’m not afraid of Wesen anymore. I’m just - they’re not something that’s going to scare me. What does scare me to this day is what happens to my loved ones if I don’t stop the Wesen, so that’s where the struggle comes in. And I also see myself now as the only person who has like the rare blood to solve some of these cases. So the stakes are raised in a different way now. I’m not afraid of the creatures, but I know it’s on me to take care of this case or this next case. Like no one else can figure this thing out because they can’t see anything that I can see. I don’t know if there’s an acting like struggle that’s come there, but you got to like make the decision of what is keeping my character so highly invested in each one of those cases, and that’s a decision I made. But yes, the newest thing, where Nick is now, is he’s very confident and he’s more than just confident, he is kind of settled into his role. There’s no reluctance there anymore and he’s willing to go kind of rogue more often.

Now that we’re a few seasons in, are you happy that you’re a Grimm, or would you have rather been a Wesen?

Listen, I love being a Grimm. I feel like I live inside the character now. I just get it. I know where he’s coming from. I know exactly how it goes: you sit with a character for long enough, and it’s the beauty of having a television show that’s running. You really get settled and you don’t even have to try any more. You just kind of know how he would react to a certain situation. And you probably can’t get that in movies.

Even theater, sometimes.

It’s just that we spend so much more time with these characters, so I like being a Grimm. I’m sure I would love being a Wesen too if I were one. But right now, being a Grimm’s just fine with me. insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 15

FILM

2013 stars

THE YEAR IN MOVIES W

BY STEVE WARREN

HILE COUNTING BALLOTS for the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) awards (I’m Vice President), I felt seriously out of step with my colleagues, who gave honors for Best Picture, Best Director, and others to 12 Years a Slave.

I don’t favor the Gone With The Windification of slavery, but I felt this movie went too far in the other direction. A great filmmaker (e.g. Hitchcock) can make you think you’ve seen much more than you have in terms of violence, sex or whatever. Director Steve McQueen wallows in atrocity, reviving the “torture porn” genre, but applying it to a true story.

Then again, if all critics agreed, there would only have to be one. Here are my choices for the best of 2013:

GRAVITY

The story and Sandra Bullock’s performance are very good, but Alfonso Cuaron’s version of Lost in Space floated weightlessly to the top of my list on the strength of its technical brilliance, including the best use of 3D since Avatar. It will have more impact on the future of cinema than any film this year.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

Derek Cianfrance’s (Blue Valentine) saga of fathers (Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling) and sons is a classic tragedy in modern dress, with a touch of film noir. A second viewing moved it up the list.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

In the game of cons I preferred Martin Scorsese’s messy, extravagant comedy to American Hustle (except for Jennifer Lawrence’s marvelous performance). The two shouldn’t have been released in the same year, let alone the same month, but this one is easier to follow and captures its era without poking so much fun at it.

SIDE EFFECTS

Largely forgotten because it was released in February, Steven Soderbergh’s final theatrical film (until he changes his mind) is one of his best, a twisty drama in which psychiatrist Jude Law treats suicidal Rooney Mara with a prescription drug that causes… Sorry, no spoilers here.

FRUITVALE STATION

This breakthrough film for writer-director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan depicts an incident from five years ago involving an innocent young black man and a white Oakland police officer. It resonates while Trayvon Martin’s death and George Zimmerman’s acquittal are still fresh in our minds.

BLUE JASMINE

I agree with SEFCA and virtually everyone else that Cate Blanchett’s performance is one for the ages in Woody Allen’s superb dramedy about a neurotic woman who can’t adjust to a sudden drop in social and financial status.

PRISONERS

Hugh Jackman makes you forget The Wolverine with his dramatic portrayal of a distraught father who becomes detective, judge, jury– and executioner?– when his daughter goes missing and the police can’t find her. This film offers suspense with a capital S. PG 16 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

WARM BODIES

The Walking Dead has drained all the fun out of the Zombie Apocalypse, according to Jonathan Levine’s adorable horror/rom-com, which suggests that love can bring the undead back to life.

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

I liked The Conjuring, but this remake of a Mexican film about dysfunctional cannibal family values was my favorite horror flick of the year. I look forward to more from director Jim Mickle.

AT ANY PRICE

North Carolina-born Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo) has his finger on the pulse of rural America like no other filmmaker since David Gordon Green moved uptown. Despite the presence of Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron, this family drama about a father trying to keep the farm and a son trying to leave it to be a race car driver has received so little attention I’m starting to think I dreamed it.

Honorable Mentions (listed alphabetically): American Hustle, Before Midnight, Blackfish, Captain Phillips, Elysium, Inside Llewyn Davis, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Nebraska, Philomena and The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

THE YEAR IN MOVIES: A SECOND OPINION

BY BRET LOVE

2

013 WAS A BANNER YEAR FOR filmmaking, particularly for those who eschew lowest-common-denominator crap in favor of intelligent films that balance style and substance. This fact made it difficult to limit a best-of list to just 10 movies: With honorable mentions, mine topped out at 18, and I still haven’t gotten around to seeing acclaimed gems such as The Act of Killing, Before Midnight, Blue Jasmine, or Short Term 12.

For me, 2013 was the Year of The Auteur, with indie darlings such as Steve McQueen, Alfonso Cuaron, David O Russell, and Spike Jonze delivering the finest works of their careers.

And while I didn’t love Nebraska (directed

by Alexander Payne) or Inside Llewyn Davis (the Coen Brothers) as much as my peers, I appreciated the distinctive visions that made 2013 such a great year for cinema. Here are my favorites:

12 YEARS A SLAVE

Steve McQueen’s masterpiece is arguably the best film about slavery ever made. From Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, a free black man abducted and sold into slavery, to Michael Fassbender as a brutal plantation owner and Lupita Nyong’o in a gutwrenching turn as the object of his affection, the cast is uniformly excellent. It’ll be tough to beat come Oscar time.

GRAVITY

Nothing on Alfonso Cuaron’s resume suggested he could create the most dazzling sci-fi stunner since Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nothing on Sandra Bullock’s suggested she could carry a film on her back a la Tom Hanks in Cast Away. The fact that they both succeeded so spectacularly, with a visual knockout that elevated the game of 3D filmmaking, makes this one of the year’s most important movies.

AMERICAN HUSTLE

AMERICAN HUSTLE

Combining cast members from The Fighter (Christian Bale, Amy Adams) and Silver Linings Playbook (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence), director David O Russell delivers another Oscar-caliber epic that balances comedy, drama, and enough unstable personalities to populate a season of Jerry Springer. Props also go to Jeremy Renner, playing wonderfully against type as a boisterous Jersey mayor.

PHILOMENA

To borrow a lame cliché, Dame Judi Dench could act the phone book and make it interesting. Here she’s given an incredible script (written by co-star Steve Coogan) about an Irish Catholic woman searching for her son, who was taken away from her after she became pregnant as an unwed teen and was forced to live in a convent. Even if you know the true story in which it’s based, the film is heartbreaking.

HER

Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) returns to form as writer/director of this absurdly inventive tragic-comedy about a not-too-distant future in which a lonely greeting card writer (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with his computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). It’s the perfect love story for our modern times, where people love their iPhones and tablets more than… well, people.

BLACKFISH

FROZEN

Under Pixar founder John Lasseter’s guidance, Disney’s animation arm has released several fine gems in recent years (see: Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph). In my mind, Frozen– which tells the story of a princess who sets off on an epic journey with a rugged mountain man, his pet reindeer, and a hapless snowman to find her estranged sister– is their best film in decades, with exceptional songs co-written by Broadway vet Robert Lopez (a Tony winner for Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon).

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

I didn’t enjoy Martin Scorsese’s 3-hour epic quite as much as American Hustle, but Leo DiCaprio’s over-the-top performance as sleazeball stockbroker Jordan Belfort won me over. Whether you agree that the film glorifies greed, corruption, materialism, and a life of excess or not, the fact that the film has provoked such strong opinions on both sides is an achievement in its own right.

Honorable Mentions (listed alphabetically): Dallas Buyers Club, Inside Llewyn Davis, Mud, Muscle Shoals, Nebraska, Prisoners, Saving Mr Banks, Spring Breakers

2013 SEFCA AWARD WINNERS: TOP TEN FILMS:

Inspired by Outside magazine’s expose on the death of whale trainer Dawn Brancheau, this gripping documentary digs deep into the world of captive cetacean facilities. Former trainers came out of the woodwork to refute misinformation about the tragic incident spread

by Sea World’s PR people. The resulting film does for whales what The Cove did for dolphins, suggesting Sea World is to blame.

• 12 Years a Slave • Gravity • American Hustle • Her • Inside Llewyn Davis • Nebraska • Dallas Buyers Club • Philomena • Captain Phillips • The Wolf of Wall Street

FRUITVALE STATION

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave Best Ensemble: American Hustle Best Director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze, Her Best Adapted Screenplay: John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave Best Documentary: The Act of Killing Best Foreign Language Film: The Hunt Best Animated Film: Frozen Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South: Jeff Nichols, Mud

Writer/director Ryan Coogler smartly opens his film– the true story of an innocent young black man shot by a white Oakland police officer on New Year’s Eve– with cell phone footage of the actual incident. Knowing how the story ends makes the build-up all the more emotional, as we watch small time pot dealer Oscar Grant (the incredible Michael B. Jordan) struggling to turn his life around.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

With Paul Greengrass at the helm and Tom Hanks as the star, I was mildly disappointed by this thriller about the 2009 hijacking of a cargo ship by Somali pirates (which I thought should’ve been edited to be 20 minutes shorter).

Still, it’s a potent, edge-of-your-seat effort, with a breakout supporting turn by SomaliAmerican actor Barkhad Abdi as pirate leader Abduwali Muse.

COLUMN

TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2013

BY JOSHUA CARSTENS

A

NOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND gone, and with it we put more episodes of television series into the past.

As with any list of the year’s best or worst, this is completely subjective. WARNING: Spoilers contained within. Here they are, in no particular order… HBO’s GAME OF THRONES had a bloody feast of a season.

Covering the first half of The Storm of Swords (book three in George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series), the penultimate episode showed the gory mess that was the Red Wedding. Cut throats and stomach stabbings meant the ends of several beloved characters… and that doesn’t even begin to cover all the lost limbs and appendages. The wait between seasons is the hardest– the wanting, yearning to know what’s going to happen next. Yes, there are the books: I’m reading them, but I find myself not wanting to read beyond where the series has come so far in anticipation of a show that is delicately crafted to perfection.

Waiting for new episodes of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD is always hard. But the break between seasons is not nearly as difficult as the fourth season break between December 1, 2013 and February 9, 2014. There was blood, of both the survivor and zombie variety. And while it’s reasonably certain that The Governor has finished his tenure in this life, the hardest moment of the season so far was the death of the beloved Herschel. It wasn’t just his passing that hurt, but the manner in which he was killed. My only remaining question is if anyone managed to pierce Herschel’s decapitated skull. If not, there’s a zombified Herschel head lying on the ground outside the destroyed prison fence. The end came for Walter White and company with the finale of AMC’s BREAKING BAD. I hadn’t watched a single episode of the show until a few weeks before it ended. I’m ever so glad I didn’t have to wait between seasons. I can only imagine what most fans went through, waiting months on end for new episodes. Watching the whole series in three weeks was an incredible experience, especially given the fact that I had no knowledge of what had transpired. The upcoming Better Call Saul spinoff will be a comedic departure from the anxiety-ridden drama, but it can’t come fast enough for my taste.

I would be remiss if I even thought about excluding the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO from this list. In the year of the iconic show’s 50th anniversary, we got to see the return of David Tennant’s Doctor and also met two incarnations of The GAME OF THRONES Doctor. With the passing of Matt Smith’s Doctor during the Christmas Special, we were briefly introduced to Peter Capaldi’s regeneration of the character. There is no confirmed start date for Series 8/34, but September 2014 looks promising.

The Netflix political drama HOUSE OF CARDS was often over-the-top, but also rightfully praised for its often disconcerting believability. Emmynominated star Kevin Spacey is both perfectly spiteful and

THE WALKING DEAD

January 9 – 11

Sean Patton

Sean Patton is a Comedian based in New York and Los Angeles by way of New Orleans. He cut his teeth doing standup in the Crescent city and since has performed at Caroline’s, The Comedy Cellar, Gotham and The Improv. He has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and”Late night with Jimmy Fallon.”

January 16 – 18

2013 stars gleefully funny as U.S. Representative Frank Underwood. Hopefully the second season will bring new and greater twists for the House Majority Whip.

The flawed protagonists of AMC’s HELL ON WHEELS never fail to disappoint. The show is both gritty and full of humor, performed by an incredibly talented cast (Anson Mount, Common, Colm Meaney, etc.). With writing as good as this, I’m wondering why you aren’t watching this show with regularity.

I’ll admit to following MAD MEN from a distance. As Netflix has become my main source of watching TV, I find myself steering away from shows until they are almost complete. But Mad Men remains spectacular as it approaches its final 14 episodes, with the seventh season being split between 2014 and 2015. Maybe at the end we’ll finally understand the significance of that incredible title sequence.

SONS OF ANARCHY, the hit biker gang drama from FX, pretty much solidified the network’s reign as one of the top producers of amazing television. The gritty show has a voyeuristic quality to it that almost makes me want to go out and buy a motorcycle, and this was easily its most unsettling and incendiary seasons to date. Killing off central characters such as Clay (Ron Perlman) and Tara (Maggie Siff) takeds major cojones, but series creator Kurt Sutter pulls no punches in exploring how much tragedy Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and Gemma (Sutter’s real-life wife, Katey Sagal) can handle.

Perhaps the only strange addition to this list is The CW’s ARROW. I love shows with good writing and strong acting, and this one has hit the sweet spot of that combination, much like the other shows on this list. Add a healthy dose of action that never seems watered down, and you’ll see why it made my list.

Last, but never least, there’s the animated ARCHER, another FX show. The James Bond-meets-Arrested Development premise should be enough to entice you to watch.

But when you add the humor and wit of creator Adam Reed (Cartoon Network’s Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo), and the voice talents of H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, and Atlanta’s Amber Nash and Lucky Yates, it’s a winning recipe that deserves years of viewing. Luckily, stars it returns for a fifth season this month!

Greg Warren

Greg Warren, most recently seen on “Comedy Central Presents”, “The Late Late Show” and“Last Comic Standing”, has been building a strong fan base around the country with his act inspired by stories from his Midwestern upbringing. His newly released CD “One Star Wonder” is #6 in iTunes TOP Comedy Albums.

January 23 – 25

Harland Williams

Comedian and Actor Harland Williams is known the world over for his hilarious movie roles and outlandish stand up and sketch comedy routines. From his unforgettable roles in films such as Dumb and Dumber, Something about Mary, Half Baked, Rocketman, Sorority Boys, Down Periscope and so many more.

Inside Andrews Entertainment District 56 E. Andrews Dr. NW Atlanta, GA 30305 • 678.244.3612 www.TheImprovAtlanta.com

2013

insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 17

CONCERT CALENDAR FRIDAY JANUARY 3 529 Wymyns Prysyn BLIND WILLIE’S Sandra Hall EDDIE’S ATTIC Bonaventure Quartet FAT MATT’S Dave Boyd MASQUERADrE Come What May SMITH’S The District Attorneys STAR BAR Stovall VINYL Afton Showcase SATURDAY JANUARY 4 529 Irreversible BLIND WILLIE’S Big Bill Morganfield EARL Lee Bains III EDDIE’S ATTIC Annie Sellick FAT MATT’S Jumpin Jukes MASQUERADE Light the Avenue SMITH’S Wesley Cook STAR BAR El Caminos WILD BILL’S Fly Betty Band VINYL Afton Showcase SUNDAY JANUARY 5 EARL Bonaventure Quartet EDDIE’S ATTIC David Leinweber FAT MATT’S Fat Back Deluxe MASQUERADE Rye Rye MONDAY JANUARY 6 529 Nobra Noma BLIND WILLIE’S Bill Sheffield EDDIE’S ATTIC Open Mic FAT MATT’S The Pork Bellys STAR BAR Monday Night Comedy WILD BILL’S Reloaded TUESDAY JANUARY 7 529 Wowser Bowser BLIND WILLIE’S Little G EDDIE’S ATTIC Joe Pernice FAT MATT’S J.T. Speed SMITH’S Never Feast STAR BAR Shut Up & Dance WEDNESDAY JANUARY 8 529 Ricer BLIND WILLIE’S Cazanovas EDDIE’S ATTIC Rudy Currence FAT MATT’S The Hollidays STAR BAR Sodajerk WILD BILL’S Rockin’ Out with CK THURSDAY JANUARY 9 529 MTN ISL BLIND WILLIE’S Heather Huttrell EDDIE’S ATTIC Tom Rush SMITH’S Blood Plums STAR BAR Purkinje Shift VINYL Downside WILD BILL’S Reloaded FRIDAY JANUARY 10 529 Smithsonian BLIND WILLIE’S Houserocker Johnson CENTER STAGE Queensryche EARL Takenobu EDDIE’S ATTIC Nashville Hit-Writers FAT MATT’S John Sosobee MASQUERADE New Year Revolution SMITH’S All the Locals STAR BAR Rod Hamdallah VINYL Silver Palms SATURDAY JANUARY 11 529 Ohmpark Fest 2 BLIND WILLIE’S Delta Moon EARL Ohmpark Fest 2 EDDIE’S ATTIC Eliot Bronson FAT MATT’S Little G. Weevil MASQUERADE Zruda SMITH’S Ghost Owl STAR BAR Cool Breeze VINYL Killing Kuddles WILD BILL’S Back N Black SUNDAY JANUARY 12 EARL Georgia Slim EDDIE’S ATTIC Iris Dement FAT MATT’S Fat Back Deluxe MASQUERADE Earth Entertainment Showcase PG 18 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

MONDAY JANUARY 13 529 Ultra Bide BLIND WILLIE’S Blues Station EDDIE’S ATTIC Open Mic FAT MATT’S The Pork Bellys STAR BAR Monday Night Comedy TUESDAY JANUARY 14 529 Douglas’ Street BLIND WILLIE’S Boo Hoo Ramblers EARL Weedeater EDDIE’S ATTIC Howe Gelb FAT MATT’S J.T. Speed SMITH’S The McLovins STAR BAR Shut Up & Dance WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15 529 Order of the Owl BLIND WILLIE’S John Sosebee EDDIE’S ATTIC Fred Eaglesmith FAT MATT’S The Hollidays VARIETY Acoustic Hot Tuna THURSDAY JANUARY 16 529 J-Live BLIND WILLIE’S Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials EARL Paul Collins’ Beat EDDIE’S ATTIC Shadowboxers MASQUERADE Wailers SMITH’S Brandon Stiles STAR BAR Big Jesus VINYL Afton Showcase WILD BILL’S Reloaded FRIDAY JANUARY 17 529 Gull BLIND WILLIE’S Sandra Hall CENTER STAGE Ehsan Khajeamiri EARL Those Darlins EDDIE’S ATTIC Bowe Inc. FAT MATT’S Rumble Fish MASQUERADE Atlanta Battle of the Bands SMITH’S Please Please Rock Me STAR BAR Cheap Time WILD BILL’S Saving Abel SATURDAY JANUARY 18 529 Reverends BLIND WILLIE’S Francine Reed CENTER STAGE AFI EARL Mood Rings EDDIE’S ATTIC Chinua Hawk FAT MATT’S DC & Set It Off MASQUERADE Tetrarch SMITH’S Rebirth Brass Band STAR BAR Team Joe Daniels Benefit TABERNACLE The Tenderloins VARIETY The Grapes VINYL Sarah Tollerson SUNDAY JANUARY 19 BLIND WILLIE’S Benefit for Atlanta Mission EARL Os Ossos EDDIE’S ATTIC John Jones FAT MATT’S Fat Back Deluxe SMITH’S Rebirth Brass Band MONDAY JANUARY 20 529 Disciples of Christ BLIND WILLIE’S Brandon Reeves EARL Catch 23 EDDIE’S ATTIC Open Mic FAT MATT’S The Pork Bellys STAR BAR Monday Night Comedy TUESDAY JANUARY 21 529 Highschool BLIND WILLIE’S The Hollidays EDDIE’S ATTIC Zara Sky FAT MATT’S J.T. Speed MASQUERADE The Sword SMITH’S Never Feast STAR BAR Shut Up & Dance WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22 BLIND WILLIE’S Electromatics EARL El Fossil EDDIE’S ATTIC Jacob & The Good FAT MATT’S The Hollidays MASQUERADE 12th Planet

Yonder Mountain String Band at TABERNACLE: Jan. 25

SMITH’S Big Daddy Love TABERNACLE Disclosure THURSDAY JANUARY 23 529 The Left Field Experiment BLIND WILLIE’S Sue Foley & Peter Karp EARL Filmage EDDIE’S ATTIC Jackson County Line SMITH’S Natalie Stovall & The Drive FRIDAY JANUARY 24 529 Clashinistra BLIND WILLIE’S Houserocker Johnson CENTER STAGE Amon Amarth EARL Blair Crimmins EDDIE’S ATTIC Halcyon FAT MATT’S Atlanta Boogie LOFT Cody Simpson MASQUERADE Amon Amarth SMITH’S Boss the Tweed VINYL Empire Theory WILD BILL’S Tracy Lawrence SATURDAY JANUARY 25 529 The Get Back #3 BLIND WILLIE’S Sandra Hall BUCKHEAD THEATRE Big Head Todd CENTER STAGE Phosphorescent EARL I Want Whiskey EDDIE’S ATTIC Susi French Connection FAT MATT’S Dr. Dixon LOFT Battle of the Bands MASQUERADE Winter Beer Fest SMITH’S Moontower STAR BAR Boobiepalooza TABERNACLE Yonder Mountain String Band VINYL Voodoo Visionary SUNDAY JANUARY 26 CENTER STAGE Laurie Berkner EARL Tag Team EDDIE’S ATTIC Catie Curtis FAT MATT’S Fat Back Deluxe VARIETY Amy Ray VINYL Afton Showcase

MONDAY JANUARY 27 529 Lowbanks EDDIE’S ATTIC Open Mic FAT MATT’S The Pork Bellys MASQUERADE Falling In Reverse STAR BAR Monday Night Comedy TUESDAY JANUARY 28 529 Turbo Fruits BLIND WILLIE’S Timo Arthur EDDIE’S ATTIC Robyn Hitchcock FAT MATT’S J.T. Speed MASQUERADE Delorean SMITH’S Tommy Castro STAR BAR Shut Up & Dance VINYL Nipsey Hussle WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29 529 A-Plus BLIND WILLIE’S Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo EDDIE’S ATTIC Robyn Hitchcock FAT MATT’S The Hollidays MASQUERADE Nekromantix VINYL Neulore THURSDAY JANUARY 30 529 RBTS Win BLIND WILLIE’S Beverly Watkins CENTER STAGE Algebra Blessett EARL Lazer / Wulf EDDIE’S ATTIC Carrie Rodriguez SMITH’S Kevin Chemiel STAR BAR Sailing to Denver VINYL Comrade Blue FRIDAY JANUARY 31 529 Places To Hide BLIND WILLIE’S Houserocker Johnson EARL Maria Taylor EDDIE’S ATTIC Randall Bramblett FAT MATT’S Billy George LOFT Soul Rebels MASQUERADE Another Lost Year SMITH’S Jerry Garcia Band Cover Band STAR BAR Sexual Side Affects VARIETY ZOSO VINYL Afton Showcase

Road Warriors

This Month’s Hottest Shows

BY SACHA DZUBA

JAN. 4 – INDIGO GIRLS

Terminal West Grammy-winning folk duo the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers; their constant touring, as well as staunch dedication to a number of social and environmental causes, has earned them a fervently devoted following. This particular show is a benefit event celebrating 20 years of Southerners On New Ground (SONG). SONG is a home for LGBTQ liberation across all lines of race, class, abilities, age, culture, gender, and sexuality in the South.

It was formed to build understanding of the connections between issues and oppressions in the South, and to develop strong relationships between people who could and should be allies.

Amy and Emily will be performing selections of songs that span their career, from the ‘80’s to their most recent release, Beauty Queen Sister.

Fan favorites to look out for are “Ghost”, “Galileo”, “and “Love of our Lives”. For any fans of folk singer-songwriter style music with excellent harmonies, as well as all Indigo Fans, this is sure to be a dynamic and extraordinary night of music.

JAN. 12 – EMELI SANDÉ

Variety Playhouse Emeli Sandé a British born Scot, is an uncompromising creative force; songwriter, musician, and vocalist. Getting her first musical break as a teenager, she decided to put her career on hold to continue her personal ambitions of a six-year medical degree. Greatness came knocking when

her single with Chipmunk, “Diamond Rings” hit the UK top 10, so she put her studies on hold and answered the call. Sandé has a rich and chameleonic quality to her voice, with a penchant for sophisticated melody. Growing up listening to and being influenced by the sounds of Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell, Sandé uses contemporary and jazz styles in her vocals and music. She has collaborated with Alicia Keys, written for Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, and toured with Coldplay. Check out her fantastic cuts “Heaven”, “Next to Me”, and “My Kind of Love”. Don’t miss this powerhouse of music performance!

JAN. 16 – THE WAILERS: LEGEND

The Masquerade The Wailers are one of the most prolific reggae bands in music history. Though reggae music has never stopped evolving, for millions of people from around the world it’s still defined by the songs of Bob Marley and the Wailers. The anchor of the Wailers is Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Marley’s most trusted lieutenant and performer on many classic reggae hits throughout the seventies. He brings undeniable authenticity to the Wailers’ sound and along with today’s lineup combines old school know-how with vocals from one of Jamaica’s most exciting new singers.

Join the Wailers for an incredible evening as they celebrate 30 legendary years of Legend, by performing the entire album start to finish!

JAN. 18 – AFI

Center Stage AFI began as an independent hardcore/horror punk band and are deserving of their hard earned success. They finally reached commercial

success 12 years after their inception, with Sing the Sorrow debuting at #5 on the Billboard 200.

Their sound has morphed and grown over the years to include electronica, alternative rock, and even elements of melodic gothic music. AFI is touring in support of the recently released album Burials. Frontman Davey Havok said “This record is of silence, and the burials that result from that silence. It’s of betrayal, cruelty, weakness, anxiety, panic – deep and slow – despair, injury and loss. And in this it is shamefully honest and resolutely unforgiving”.

JAN. 21 – THE SWORD

The Masquerade The Sword is a massive infusion of the sounds of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and doom metal. There is certainly a retro-metal feel to their musical style. The Sword’s latest release, Apocryphon, eschews the concept album approach from their previous release in favor of stream of consciousness writing based on real life experiences, personal views and philosophies. A high-energy band with great melodies and nods to past classic rock/metal juggernauts, the Sword is an unrelenting collection of heavy riffs and thundering beats. Sling your air guitar and bring your neck brace for afterwards!

JAN. 24 – BLAIR CRIMMINS AND THE HOOKERS

The Earl Blair Crimmins and the Hookers brings you back to the 20’s and 30’s with vaudevillian narrative and wit, ragtime piano, Dixieland horns, and zydeco guitar. Crimmins started as a rock ‘n’ roller but soon discovered his synapses firing on a completely different musical level. This is dangerous jazz, devious, gaudy, with spiky shades of ragtime and blues.

Magical songs with accordion, piano, ukulele, banjo, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, sax, bass, and drums together that creates a rollicking sound both mischievous and filled with longing. This music will transport you, enticing you to believe that wearing a bowtie is cool,

WE GOT NEXT DEEP POCKETS

BY JOHN B. MOORE

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girls should be gilt flappers, and that you want to dance.

JAN. 29 – ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA

Variety Playhouse Zappa Plays Zappa is the closest that you can get to a live performance by the late great Frank Zappa himself…without raising him Carolina Chocolate Drops him a guitar. His from the dead and handing son Dweezil Zappa created the band and tour in an effort to keep his father’s music alive and still within the realm of popular consciousness. The band consists of a mix of relatively unknown young musicians and older musicians who previously played with Frank Zappa.

Dweezil has frequently discussed his need of completely relearning the guitar to be able to play in the style of his father, and is even giving a Zappa guitar master class earlier in the day (a separate performance); should you care to learn the intricacies of Zappa’s style of guitar technique. If you’ve never heard of Frank Zappa, this is the perfect way to discover the wacked-out, humorous, and complex music of this mad genius.

JAN. 29 - GAELIC STORM

Terminal West Gaelic Storm was brought to the attention of the public eye by appearing as the Irish band from the below-decks party scene in the film Titanic. Aptly named, Gaelic Storm bring all the rowdy fun of traditional Celtic jigs, Irish drinking songs and the beauty of Gaelic ballads to the intimate setting of the Variety Playhouse. Gaelic Storm’s popularity has steadily grown throughout the world. They tour heavily, performing over 125 shows a year. Their latest album is The Boathouse, a seafaring album of traditional sea songs and chanties and their fourth consecutive album release to debut at #1 on the Billboard World Music Charts. Make sure to grab a beer and pump your fists in time to the music. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of the new year. The Variety Playhouse bar serves Guinness Stout, right?

Artists on the verge of making it big

Latest Project: You Feel Shame (Iron Pier) For Fans of: Shellac, Silkworm and Big Black Why You Should Care: Because you’ve gotta love a band of 20-somethings who play teeth-rattling post-hardcore

HERE ARE FEW THINGS LONELIER than being a post-hardcore band in a hipster Mecca like Brooklyn. You were raised on Glassjaw and Motorhead, while your skinny jeans-clad neighbor wears a Motorhead t-shirt ironically.

Such is the cross the guys in Deep Pocket have to bear for their art. Comprised of Long Island natives Darren Nanos (drums), Matt Brennan (vocals), Conor Hickey (guitar) and Justin Williams (bass), the band plays a stellar brand of post-hardcore punk with plenty of ‘80s indierock touchstones (Indie rock before it started wearing an ironic mustache).

Three-fourths of the band spoke with us recently about the founding of the band, their latest full length, and being a noise band in a

and yet still decide to plant themselves right in the middle of hipster haven (aka Brooklyn).

town known more for snarky song titles than turning the amps up to 11.

Let’s start with how the band first got together.

You guys have been around for a few years now.

Matt Brennan: Coming on two years this New Years.

Conor Hickey: No, it’s more than two years. It’s almost three-and-a-half.

Darren Nanos: No, it’s not three-and-a-half.

Hickey: It’s in between two and three-and-a-half.

So more than two years. Are you all from New York?

Hickey: Yeah, we’re all from Long island.

Did you get together in high school?

Hickey: Yeah, over years we have all, including Justin, played in other bands. We actually did a Ramones Halloween show with our friend Nick and at that point we had been talking about being a band together so thought, why not just do it?

I tried to figure out how to phrase this question without insulting where you live, in Brooklyn…

Hickey: No, insult away!

I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that your sound is nothing like what I thought it would be when I found out you guys were

based in Brooklyn. I bristle whenever I hear “Brooklyn Band.”

Nanos: So do we.

It’s got to be pretty lonely being a Post-Hardcore band in a town known as the epicenter of trendy indie-rock.

Nanos: We can’t get served in certain restaurants.

Hickey: To be completely honest with you, it’s nice to get that question, because it’s something we talk about a lot. We have a hard time finding a niche, especially in New York.

I look at the bands you guys have played with and they are all in a similar vein, but you are the one band that’s from New York and everyone comes in from out of town. Do you play outside Brooklyn for a lot of your shows?

Hickey: We try to. I think we had been a band for about a year and hadn’t played a show in either Brooklyn or the city. We’re all from Long Island and still have friends there, so we play there pretty frequently. But as Darren was saying, we’re friends with a lot of bands.

Brennan: We’ll play a Deep Pockets show in Brooklyn and think “this is cool, we’ll be close to our apartments,” and the night of the show it turns out Jack & The Kite Flyers (Editor’s note: not a real band, but definitely should be. Ideally with a viola player) will be playing

down the street and there’s 300 people there and it’s packed… It’s not that we dislike all of those bands; it’s just that we dislike a lot of those bands. I guess we’re all going to have to put a lot of shoes in our mouths after this runs.

Have you noticed your sound changing a lot since those first few songs you put out?

Nanos: Absolutely. The funny thing is, the way we started the band, we thought we would be a lot softer and quieter and as we kept writing songs we said “let’s just be this loud rock band.”

We don’t play a show before releasing something.

Hickey: Yeah, the demo tape we recorded, we did that before we ever played a show and as we started to play more shows it just became more organic and natural. We played louder and were more into it and I think the song writing followed that. It was a really cool thing to watch happen.

That’s funny, because quiet is probably the last word I’d use to describe your sound. This is your first full length. Is this a collection of older songs or were these all written specifically for this record?

Hickey: it’s about 12-14 months-worth of songwriting.

Nanos: But one of them is definitely from the first demo, but if you listen to the original version and what it sounds like now it’s a completely different vibe. insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 19

MUSIC

MUSIC

Album Reviews JINGLE BELLS!

AGONY AUNTS – Big Cinnamon (Mystery Lawn Music) California jangle/psych-pop

The Top Holiday Albums Of All Yule Time The Dean’s List

Reviews by Brett Love, John B. Moore & Lee Valentine Smith

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Inside Llewyn DavisBRINGS Original VERY CHRISTMAS SEASON Soundtrack Recording (Nonesuch) a new batch of albums, and this seasons’ Doingslate for folk music what O Brother, Where Art includes a starry selection of Thou did for bluegrass holiday cheer from every possible genre of music. New greetings from country-pop’s BL: called Unlike a Kelly Clarkson (a commercial romp lot of film Wrapped In Red), soulful Mary J. Bligemy (This critic peers, Christmas, a duet-heavy collection with guestsI wasn’t quite as Marc Anthony, Jessie J, and Barbra Streisand), charmed as I’d R&B nostalgia from Kool and The Gang (Kool hoped to Christmas features a set of standards and twobe Coen new songs), even punk stalwartsbyBadthe Religion Brothers’ new (a lean group of fast and ferocious rock aptly titled Holiday Songs). Televisionfilm, favoritesInside Llewyn Davis, also get into the spirit with songs from the which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes soundtrack of Mad Men. Even the cast of FilmDynasty Festival.have Set in Greenwich Duck issued a batch.Village’s early ‘60s folk scene, the film follows the titular protagonist BING CROSBY(loosely based on Brooklyn balladeer Dave Van Ronk) as he struggles to Merry Christmas (MCA) launch solo in the wake of his former The kinga of allcareer Christmas partner’s suicide. songs, Crosby’s version But where film’s epic journey of karmic of Irving Berlin’sthe “White comeuppance for the cranky, crusty Davis Christmas” is one of the lostpopular me, itsrecords music grabbed me by my soul most of and refused to let go. Produced allimmediately time. Constantly in (as was O Brother, Where Art Thou) print sincethe itsclassic original by T Bone Burnett, release in the ‘40s, the the film’s soundtrack washas large recorded live by the cast members song sold, in various themselves, including formats, well over 100 stellar contributions from copies.

Chris Thile and his band, the Punch million Brothers. fans of the folk music revival, these ELVISForPRESLEY largely traditional songs will hit with an Elvis Christmas (RCA/ emotional impact that feels like to a sucker Sony) punch to theElvis’ gut. Oscar IsaacAlbum (who plays Combining Christmas andDavis Elvis in the film) proves he could just as easilythis be Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, a professional musician as an actor, with an collection is a two-fer grab-bag of The King’s achingly soulful delivery of songs haunting most popular holiday-themed fromtunes the like “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me, ” “Fare Thee ‘50s and the early ‘70s. Of course, it includes WellChristmas, (Dink’s Song), ” and “Green, Greenmost Rocky “Blue ” arguably one of Elvis’ Road.”releases.

Justin Timberlake showcases his diverse popular talents alongside co-star Carey Mulligan on “Five Hundred Miles” and the Punch Brothers BARBRA STREISAND on the Celtic-tinged “The Auld The Classic Christmas Album (Sony)Triangle.”

But for my money, the Classic soundtrack’s (and the Released in September, combines centerpiecetwo is Isaac’s heartbreaking thefilm’s) singer-actress’ holiday selections, take on “The DeathAofChristmas Queen Jane. ” 1967’s excellent Album and her Perhaps the best compliment I can2001’s give this fairly recent return to the genre, with album is to reveal that it includes an unreleased Christmas Memories. The ’67 tracks find the studio of Bob Dyland’s “Farewell, ” and singer at version her creative peak, with lush Marty every other song onwhile the soundtrack more than Paich arrangements, the 2001 songs up against the folkFoster-style legend’s classic. aremeasures of the more recent, David Overall, it’s a great compilation of tunes. production. An incredibly satisfying bookend of styles for your holiday contemplation.

FRED EAGLESMITH – Tambourine (Self-Released) ProlificWILLIAMS and often humorous Canadian troubadour ANDY The Andy Williams Christmas Album LVS: Canadian (Columbia) i n official g e r Although he recorded at leastseight songwriter Christmas albums over the course of his Fred g l every smith career, the first one, from 1963,Eisathe hasclassic, honedthehis best. An end-of-the-Camelot-era collection is highlighted by the observational perpetual skillsTime down favorite, “It’s The Most Wonderful Of to a fine art.

For The Year.” his twentieth album, he TONY BENNETT comes out on a collection Snowfall, theswinging Tony Bennett Christmasof songs that (Sony) blur the spectrum from Americana Album (“Engineer”) and ballads (“Drunk Girl”) to From 1968, Bennett’s beautiful collection slightly skewed country (“Whip A Dog”) and continues to radiate the warmth of the season. rockin’ roadhouse (“Train Wreck”), all while Arranged and conducted by noted tv and film remainingvet true to a solid core the of rock and roll. soundtrack Robert Farnon, record rockquality references Eaglesmith’s has aThe timeless that hasare endured the most pronounced andAprominent yet, as he decades.

Bennett added Swingin’ Christmas to his catalog in 2008, but Snowfall remains

PG 20 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

the truly essential holiday release from the holds true to his pledge to keep the whole graceful entertainer. production in the shadow of 1966. And all the necessary sonic and lyrical ingredients are THE CHIPMUNKS there for a With perfectThe look back at that turbulent Christmas Chipmunks time. The production bristles with a reverb(Liberty/EMI) drenched capturing hiscontinues emotive One of thesheen, biggestably albums of 1961 and framing them with a Mischievous wall-of-sound tovocals be a popular holiday novelty. technique thatSimon wouldand have been perfect for a ‘munks Alvin, Theodore, led by Phil perpetually Spector or Harold Battiste production. their perplexed human “parent” with hisrompLatin-influenced DaveBeginning (Ross Bagdasarian) through a wide albumof holiday Cha Cha Cha in and 2010, Eaglesmith range standards skits, featuring hasmassive been hinting his Chipmunk adroit R&BSong style. the hit singleat“The On Tambourine, nails” Fun the for genre.

“Can’t (Christmas Don’t BeheLate). all ages.

Dance” would have been a massive hit with the American Bandstand crowd, and lately THE BEACH BOYS theBeach Mods might have embraced it as(Capitol) well. The The Boys Christmas Album whole album is a vastly enjoyableuptime-trip In 1964, the Beach Boys followed “Little through wryly retro-fitted Saint Nick,Eaglesmith’s ” their holiday hit witty, from the year catalog of influences.before, Eaglesmith will play with a whole Eddies Attic on Januaryalbums 15. of traditional and original fare, delivered in the VARIOUS ARTISTS – Greekall Rhapsody: Instrumental familiar harmonyMusic From Greece 1905-1956 (Dust toDigital) ladentheBeach Boy Rare, remarkable relics from Mediterranean’s style.

Of the bunch, musical past Brian Wilson’s wistful “Christmas BL: Day, It’s” an featuring Al Jardine amazing thing on leadinvocals, istoday’s the real standout bottom for pure lineChristmas o r i joy. ented, marketingVINCEdriven GUARALDI music A Charlie Brown industry to find Christmas (Fantasy)label a record First appearing in 1965 as thethat companion focuses soundtrack thenon-commercial classic animated collections Peanuts on puttingtoout TV special, jazz legend Guaraldi’s aimed at a niche audience.

It’s evenquiet, moreoften rare moody songs has takendelivers on a lifeexcellent, of its to findset oneofthat consistently own with new interpretations, annual we award-worthy product. Here and in Atlanta, reissues.

It is currently available in a deluxe gift should consider ourselves fortunate to be package, with the newly remastered album and the home of April and Lance Ledbetter, the acuratorial DVD of the television couple behindshow. the exceptional Dust to Digital label.

VARIOUS ARTISTS I’ve been singing the duo’s praises for Anearly Very Special (A&M/Universal) a decadeChristmas now, ever since I heard their Originally issued to benefit Specialcollection, Olympics Grammy-nominated gospel music inGoodbye, 1987, theBabylon. collectionAnd has the spawned litanyaofnumber 5-star ofreviews key tracks, on commercial for often theirover-played Dust toDigital releases radio and I’m television. is undeniable an suggests not theBut onlyitdiehard fan amazed incredible time-capsule preby their wondrous ear of forpopular music. music, This 2-CD grunge revolution.

With appearances by U2, compilation, which comes packaged in a Whitney Sting,extensive John Mellancamp, 152-pageHouston, book with liner notes and all-star gangis offer

by Madonna, producer the Tony Klein, yet chilly another renditions of gem. standards. Worth having for unexpected the Although cover art bythe Keith Haring title alone,track the was opening quadrouple-platinum-selling record remains recorded by George Gretsis (violin) anda favorite with several generations.

Spyros Stamos (cymbalom) in Chicago in the mid-1920s, the music’s origins can be traced NAT COLE backKING to the Romanian “gypsy”-style violin The SongEastern (Capitol) thatChristmas spread across Europe over the Originally releasedOther in 1960 as The Magic past few centuries. tracks among the 42 Ofsongs Christmas, this compilation remains cool compiled here boast prominent Turkish vocalist-pianist Cole’s most-popular and Egyptian influences, revealing therelease. cultural Athodgepodge over 6 million officialupsales thatinmakes whatand weinclusion think of onascountless variousGreek artistssound. collections, thethe the traditional Among tracks almost all instantly withvery more are intriguing of these rarefamiliar 78s is the even listeners. inventive first casual recording of theColes bouzouki, madedelivery, back in at1917. one inviting and experimental, continue to influence every Christmas.

But alljazz thevocalists major instruments and all the major styles of early 20th century Greek MICHAEL BUBLE blues, jazz and folk) are music (including Christmas (Warner) represented, with a warm, intimate sound that It’s a no-brainer Buble, the newfeels like sitting inthat a Greek taverna. generation Sinatra/Bennett, would create a Christmas album. And the selections are no surprise, either, but the disc sold like crazy

JM: It’s pretty obvious the folks in the Bay Area psych pop in 2011 when it was originallyband released.Agony Subsequent issues of the recording a Aunts include are big “duet” with Buble and Bing, on fansa reworked, of fellow questionably necessary but still p s yenjoyable chedelic version of “White Christmas.pop ” band (and fellow Bay Area MANHEIM natives) Jellyfish.

STEAMROLLER On their second release, the supergroup A Fresh isAire Christmasof members of The (which comprised (American Corner Laughers, Preoccupied Pipers, The Gramaphone) Orange Peels, and others) delivers a dozen The second editionover-the-top happy pop cheery, sometimes of holiday from guitars and sunny singsongs, withfare swirling the often-maligned alongs.

The music occasionally veers toward new-age conglomerate Partridge Family territory. stillThe sounds and cold problem is that the band is hardly and distant as when it to the genre. Twenty adding anything new was released in 1988. years ago, when The Jellyfish threw on velvet But it also remains a bellbottoms and paisley tops and channeled favorite with listeners, everyone from The Turtles and Squeeze offering familiarwith tunesa little bit of their own to The Beatles, and highlighted by sound, it was an original move. But, for traditional German “Lo,isHow A Rose E’er Agony Aunts, the carol result a somewhat Blooming,distraction ” an emotional piece that withstands pleasant that’s easily forgotten andmoment transcends typical synth the thethe lastSteamroller’s song ends. (C-) onslaught.

STEEL CRANES – Ouroboros (Self-Released) JOSH rock GROBAN Female duo making a great noise Noel (Warner) The mega-selling holiday album of 2008 JM: For a tworeturns with the popular vocalist the piece,tackling the Steel predictable (“Silent Night”) and the divine Cranes manage (“Petit Papa Noel”). The wondrous results to make a hell of a lot of noise.

Comprised of singer/guitarist Tracy Shapiro and drummer/ guitarist Amanda Schukle, the duo LphAREttA Wyhas only been around since 2012. But they’ve managed to channel urgent immediacy t the AnSELL OAd of a new band into their solidly impressive debut, Ourboros.

With a voice reminiscent of Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano, the band plays a mix of sludgy alt-rock that brings to mind everything from the genre’s early ‘90s heyday to Black Sabbath. iLL to sidestep the TheLEASAnt band also manages frustrating habit of fellow noise-rockers, who At often AtELLitE Lvd overpower all too let the instruments the vocals. Since the duo has some Ehindcreative lyrics, it’s nice that surprisingly they can actually be heard over the guitars.

Definitely a band to watch. (B)

ROSWELL 10800 A h A M R 770-518-3300 dULUTH p h S B B ihOp 770-623-1552

Julie Myers adding violin, piano, organ and vocals. The result is a much-needed fresh take on the musty mountain that is Americana.

Opening with the title track, an irresistible rocker, the set includes a number of worthwhile highlights. The bare-bones, primitive desires of “Delilah” mesh well with the spicy percussion are apunctuates stunning mainstream effort from one of of that the plaintive blues grind today’s best singers.

“Already Gone.” The true centerpiece of the set, the effervescent “Bucket Full of Rain,” delivers SUSAN BOYLE Americana with a funky, Stax-tinged swagger.

The Gift (Sony) Hansplant, like many artists before him, seems The Scottish pop-culture phenom’s determined to detail the many moods of love. popularity has Moment cooled a And with “Eliza Jane” and “From This bit in the of lastthat fewoftenyears, On,” he tackles two very sides her second album confounding emotion,but deftly expressing the remains a testimony mercurial joys of the pursuit.

Overall, it’s a very to her raw talent and solid debut. (B+) immaculate delivery.

She’s issued a follow-up THE TORCHES – The Authority Of (Lujo) Weak Tom Waits clones cash-grab Christmas release this year, but skip and itsJM: hokey duetsome tricks It takes and stick with this one. serious cojones to call out Tom BARRYWaits MANILOW as a In Thereference Swing Of point Christmas (Arista) in your band bio.

For his third It takesChristmas bigger album, Manilow took the stripped-down ones to do jazz so combo approach–with properly Mel whenswinging, your music Torme-style results. fails to live up to even Waits’ weakest musical output.

JOSHUA You canBELL certainly see where D.C.-based Musical From Joshua Bell And band TheGifts Torches were going withFriends that (Sony) comparison.

Frontman Stephen J. Perron Popular violinist Bell is joined by a number of Guidry boasts a purposely off-kilter delivery, guests thisbaritone collaborative holiday with hisfor deep matched by aaffair, banjowith and robust appearances Alison Placido strings competing tobybe heardKrauss, over the clash Domingo, Chick Corea and Branford Marsalis. of oboe, drums and accordion. Their songs are highlighted by oddball lyrics (like album opener “You, You Sucker,” which lyrically consists of little more than the repeating lines.

The nine other songs that make up The Authority Of are not much stronger, coming off like a very weak version of Larry & His Flask or The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

Two bands that, for the record, are much more worthy of checking out than this one… (D)

WE BUY & SELL

THREE MAN CANNON/LEE COREY OSWALD – Split 12” (Black With Sap) Indie rock/emo split is good… and meh

BLU-RAY, GAMES, VINYL, CD’S, AND DVD’S

JM: It’s difficult not to look at split albums as a competition of sorts. Yes, splits are almost always from likeminded bands with similar GEOFF HANSPLANT & DIRT TRACK RACER – Kick influences. But nearly every vinyl split ends up with someone picking a favorite side that Off Your Muddy Boots (Twilight Tango) gets played much more than the other.

Americana with a much-needed twist That being said, the latest split from Three Man Cannon and Lee Corey Oswald really LVS: Granted, is a toss-up. Both acts have their good songs Geoff Hansplant and not-so-good songs on this 11-track isn’t a household record (five songs from Three Man Cannon, name yet. But, six from Lee Corey Oswald). Philly’s Three with the aid of !

Man Cannon (featuring aW couple members his band Dirt INNofER from Tiger’s Jaw) is standard emo/indie rock, Track Racer, the with nasal vocals and some decent lyrics.

PhiladelphiaLikewise, Lee Corey Oswald is a Portland based singerband playing emo/indie rock with nasal songwriter vocals and some decent songs (specifically takes traditional forms of Americana and WWW.C DWA REH OUS EATL.COM any new “Boulevard”). No one is breaking adds delicious Latin rhythms, tricky jazz and ground here, but it’s bound to find an classical flavors, narrating the ups and downs audience with fans of the new Balance and of the human condition.

Composure record, or a slightly mellower As expected, Hansplant is up front with Polar Bear Club. (B-) his vocals and Piedmont-injected guitar, with

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HERE’S SOMETHING PRIMITIVE and primal about caves that seems to offer a unique mixture of mystery and adventure.

Fortunately for us, Tennessee boasts two of the most fascinating cave systems in all of North America. Check them out!

RUBY FALLS

The history of Ruby Falls can be traced back more than 200 million years to the Paleozoic era, when eastern Tennessee was under a shallow sea, the sediment of which gradually formed limestone rock. When tectonic plates shifted and formed Lookout Mountain, acidic groundwater made its way into subterranean streams and ate away at the limestone, widening passages in a process known as “chemical weathering.”

Over the centuries, the Lookout Mountain Cave proved historically significant.

Prehistoric bones dating back to the last Ice Age were found there. President Andrew Jackson’s signature was discovered in one of its passageways. In the 1860s, cave owner Robert Cravens was contracted by the Tennessee military to mine saltpeter (a.k.a. potassium nitrate, a key ingredient in gunpowder and explosives) for the Confederate army there. But in 1905 the cave’s natural entrance was closed due to construction of a railway tunnel through the mountain.

Ruby Falls Cave, on the other hand, was inaccessible until the 1920s, when chemist/cave enthusiast Leo Lambert purchased the land above Lookout Mountain Cave in hopes of installing an elevator and turning it into a tourist attraction.

When his company began drilling down in 1928, they discovered a tiny passageway two feet high and four feet wide. After 17 hours of exploration, Lambert found Ruby Falls Cave and its waterfall, which he named after his beloved wife.

You can learn much of this history from an informative exhibit while waiting in line for the elevator that takes you 1,120 feet down into the cave, with one guide typically leading around 20 people. They stagger tours every 15-20 minutes but a word of warning for claustrophobic types: Sometimes you’re sharing narrow passageways between rocks, giving tour groups coming back from the falls (jokingly known as “Survivors”) right of way.

Fortunately, stopping gives the guide a chance to tell you about some of the cave’s remarkable rock formations, which developed over thousands of years. The Ruby Falls Cave boasts an incredible variety of formations, which all have colorful, descriptive names such as “Angel Wings,” “Tobacco Leaves,” “Cactus & Candle,” and “Crystal Chandelier.” One of the cave’s most impressive features, a wide column known “The Leaning Tower,” is the oldest formation, dating back 3-5 million years. But each of these unique geological wonders is awe-inspiring in its own way.

THE LOST SEA ADVENTURE

Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Sweetwater, Tennessee, there’s an extensive cave system originally known as Craighead Caverns.

Formerly owned by Native American Chief Craighead, the caverns were used by the Cherokee as a meeting place, and later mined by Confederate soldiers for saltpeter. You can still see graffiti left during the Civil War era on the cave walls today.

The underground lake now known as “The Lost Sea” was first discovered in 1905 by a 13-year-old local, Ben Sands. The teen stumbled upon a small opening in the cave and decided to crawl through.

Once inside the chamber he found it was so big he couldn’t see the other side from the light of his lantern and realized his discovery was a big deal.

However by the time he convinced his dad to check it out, the water levels had changed and he could no longer find the entrance. But when local explorers re-discovered the cave decades later, it was Sands who got the credit, and a beaming portrait of him visiting the attraction as an elderly man adorns the wall of The Lost Sea entrance today.

Ruby Falls Cave and Craighead Caverns couldn’t possibly be more different.

Where the former is a bustling tourist attraction in a major city, the latter is a little off-the-beaten-path, set amongst pastoral rural farmland. Where Ruby Falls Cave is narrow and filled with intricate geological formations, Craighead Caverns is vast and expansive. And where the pacing at Ruby Falls runs like clockwork, Craighead feels more casual and leisurely, with an amiable approach characteristic of small town Americana.

After a brief introduction outlining the rules, your guide leads you across a narrow bridge to see one of the cave’s few examples of stalactite (which hang down from the ceiling) and stalagmite (which grow up from the floor) formations. They also point out one of the cave’s most distinctive features– anthodites, or “cave flowers.” These speleothems (cave formations) are composed of long, needle-like, feathery white crystals that look like miniature versions of Superman’s “Fortress of Solitude.”

As you head down deeper into the cave, the gently sloping, winding path takes you past an old moonshine still found in the cave, a wooden vat once used to cook saltpeter, a small waterfall, and a cache of metal bins containing food rations from the ‘60s. But of course the main attraction comes at the very bottom, at the end of your 2025 minute hike.

At 800 feet long, 220 feet wide and over 70 feet deep in some places, The Lost Sea is second only to Namibia’s Dragon Breath Cave among the largest non-subglacial underground lakes in the world.

The dim colored lighting gives the water an eerie, otherworldly glow, and everyone’s voices became hushed, almost reverent on sheer instinct.

The Lost Sea boat ride is guaranteed to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Green, yellow and red lights illuminate just enough of the water to draw your attention to the huge school of trout that live there, which were brought in as a tourist attraction many years ago and are fed by the guides regularly.

After you exit through the gift shop, you can explore a village that includes an old-time blacksmith’s workshop, sweet shop, general store and more. Like the rest of the Lost Sea Adventure it’s all very quirky and charming– a relatively unknown gem just waiting to be discovered.

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BY BRET LOVE

©2013 Feld Entertainment

Exploring the Caves of East Tennessee

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BOOKS

OUR BEAUTIFUL, FRAGILE WORLD

National Geographic Photographer (and ATL Resident) Peter Essick on His New Book

BY BRET LOVE

F

ORTY MAY BE PETER ESSICK’S lucky number: He’s done 40 stories for National Geographic over the last 25 years, and was recently named one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world by Outdoor Photography Magazine. So perhaps it’s an opportune time for the release of Essick’s second book, Our Beautiful, Fragile World, which offers an exceptional overview of his career photographing nature and environmental stories.

The book takes readers on a picturesque journey to some of the world’s most impressive ecosystems, from America’s National Parks to Patagonia’s Torres Del Paine, from Finland’s Oulanka National Park to penguin colonies in Antarctica. But Essick’s work also conveys an important environmental message, addressing issues such as climate change, Canada’s tar sands, nuclear waste, and the world’s impending fresh water shortage head-on.

We were delighted when Essick reached out to us about the possibility of an interview over coffee. What follows are the highlights of our enlightening hour-long conversation.

How did your childhood in California develop your love of nature?

My father was a science teacher, but he also liked to go backpacking and skiing before it was popular. We spent a lot of summer vacations and long weekends going up to Yosemite, Death Valley, and the Grand Canyon. That’s where I first got my love of the outdoors.

page spread for the magazine. That was my big break.

Were there any other early National Geographic assignments that stood out?

After I went back to school, they called with an assignment on a guy who was riding horseback on the whole route of the First Crusade. It was going to take him two summers to do it, which was too long for their regular photographers. I ended up doing it, taking pictures of him and the places and people along the way. That ended up being a 40-page cover story. It was an incredible opportunity, and I was still in school at the time.

I want to ask about a few quotes from your book. The first is, “Covering the environment is an evolving story.” What have been the most interesting aspects of that story for you?

The two big stories I’ve covered are fresh water and climate change. There was a special issue on fresh water National Geographic did in 1993. I didn’t know much about environmental issues then, and that story got me interested. I was primarily in Las Vegas, where there’s a shortage, but later I did a story in the Middle East, where it’s a life or death issue. There are many places in the world with a shortage of water and a lack of sanitation. The other main issue I’ve covered is climate change. When I first got involved, I didn’t know much about it, but once I started photographing all of these stories I realized it was a very serious issue. It’s especially difficult because climate change takes time to happen, and we’re all entrenched in using oil, so it’s very hard to change.

How did you originally get into nature photography?

I took a high school photography class The second quote is, “It’s important to my senior year, and had a really good experience nature undisturbed in order teacher. I was doing Ansel Adams-style to understand how ecosystems and all B&W photography as a hobby while going that live in them are meant to be.” Most to college as a business people think journalism major. After a year in IT’S USUALLY SMALL should be unbiased. Do business, I decided to try THINGS. SOMETIMES you see the encouragement becoming a photojournalist.

IT’S JUST A MATTER of conservation as a I went back to school at the OF BEING THERE AT responsibility for those of us University of Missouri for THE PRECISE TIME who cover the natural world? a Master’s, learning how to WITH THE RIGHT I definitely have a bias. And tell a story through pictures, LIGHTING. FROM AN I don’t mind being called an ENVIRONMENTAL and I was selected to be a environmentalist, because PHOTOGRAPH, I THINK summer intern at National I cover the environment YOU WANT A PICTURE Geographic. That’s how I got and I want to preserve the THAT MAKES YOU my foot in the door. world that I live in. I try to ASK QUESTIONS AND avoid what I call advocacy THINK ABOUT THE What was your first journalism for a particular NATURAL WORLD. assignment? environmental organization.

When you start out, you Advocacy can sometimes entail twisting or shoot the golf tournament, which is not very distorting the facts, and I think that hurts fun. Then they gave me an assignment for your cause. the children’s magazine, photographing the guy who invented the Aerobee. Then I went What separates a great photograph from a on a 5-day raft trip on the Salmon River in good one?

Idaho for Traveler, which was really fun. In It’s usually small things. Sometimes it’s your down time, you’d edit the photographers’ just a matter of being there at the precise work, looking at pictures and learning from time with the right lighting. From an them. At the end of my internship, a reader environmental photograph, I think you want submitted a proposal about a model airplane a picture that makes you ask questions and convention at a Massachusetts Air Force think about the natural world. base. The editors didn’t know if there was going to be a story there, so they gave it to Do you have any tips you can share with me. It turned out to be really fascinating, nature photographers looking to improve with guys working with big bombers, jets their craft? and helicopters. They ended up doing a 12PG 22 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

The first one is to have a good tripod. In my workshops, I get people who have $10,000 worth of cameras and a $79 tripod. That’s the first thing that will improve your nature/ landscape pictures quite a bit. I use just one camera and three lenses, but I get to know them. I know how to work it very fast, and I have the settings all set. Like anything, you put in 10,000 hours of practice to get better with it. I find it’s better to focus on the type of photography that you want to do and use the minimal amount of equipment you need, but spend more time in the field getting to know it really well rather than trying to do everything.

Can you talk about some of the positive things you’ve seen in terms of the environment that give you hope for the future of the world?

There are a lot of people that I’ve met who are working on a lot of problems. There is a movement towards changing things for the better. That’s why I feel positive. My 13-year-old son’s generation is growing up on technology, and the information is out there to solve what’s wrong. If you look at the antismoking campaign, 20-30 years ago there was a very different view of smoking. That campaign started in the schools, then restaurants, and it became a grassroots sort of thing.

I did this story on the oil sands in Alberta, and I’d always thought that when the price of oil got really expensive, alternative energy sources like solar and wind would become more accessible. But when the price of oil goes up, it really just makes the dirty oil more doable. This is terrible thinking! But there

were a group of less than a hundred people that brought the Keystone XL Pipeline to the forefront in the news. You can see that there’s a change happening. Some of the things we’re doing that aren’t good, such as putting too much carbon in the atmosphere, we’re going to have to figure out how not to do that.

What was the takeaway that you got from looking back 25 years over your career?

Well, it looks more planned than it actually was! (Laughs) I’ve done 40 stories with National Geographic, and 32 of them had this environmental angle to them. It was obviously something I’d been drawn to, and was developing a niche along the way. Now, people will come to me for that. I can also see my growth as a photographer. I think digital really helped regarding being able to see the pictures [as you took them]. We used to do a lot of stories, for months at a time, without seeing any film.

Do you have any specific goals for the future on what you want to do from here on out?

I want to keep doing nature/environmental stories and get better at them. I’ve started working with a wet plate collodion camera from the 19th century, photographing some of the national parks. Since finishing the book I’ve done an environmental story on these mountain pine beetles in the American West, and a nature story on Yoho National Park, which is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. So I don’t see the book as an end of an era. It’s more like the continuation of the next stage of my career.

MUSIC

THE SECOND OLDEST PROFESSION

Blair Crimmins & The Hookers Sell Their Sound Without Selling Their Souls

BY BRET LOVE

W

work you’re doing now?

I still have a lot of the same influences as I did on the first album– Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and Jellyroll Morton, to name a few– but I’ve also delved into some traditional Klezmer stuff, which I think came through in the horn arrangements on the new album.

By the time I started recording the first full length, we already had a local fan base who were eager to hear it, but I was still developing the sound. The album took a while to finish, as I was still learning what I could do with the music and how to improve the songs. Our developing fan base was really motivating me, too. Their anticipation was giving me more confidence in what I was doing because I knew they were waiting for it. My hope was that the album would help me find more people around the country, like them, who liked what I was doing. It did, and still continues to do so.

Traveling to a town I’ve never been to and hearing folks sing the words to my songs is something I didn’t expect.

One of my favorite songs on the record is “It’s All Over Now,” which-- knowing what I know of you-- seems incredibly autobiographical. Can you talk about the lyrics and what they mean to you?

There’s a lot of humor on Sing-a-Longs. That one is a really overly dramatic, yet funny lament of giving up bachelorhood. I began writing that song before I met my fiancé, and finished it much later. I just thought it was a funny idea for a song. It’s even funnier singing it now that I’m engaged. My fiancé also helped me come up with a couple of the lines in that song.

HEN I FIRST MET BLAIR CRIMMINS THREE years ago, he was a relatively unknown musician playing ukelele and piano in between acts at a mutual friend’s burlesque show. But even without the luxury of a full band behind him, Crimmins’ charm, charisma and talent shown through, with a retro ragtime From the bluegrass influences of the Civil Wars and jazz sound that wouldn’t seem out of place on an episode of Mumford & Sons to ragtime and continental jazz, it seems Boardwalk Empire. like a lot of listeners these days are craving classic sounds.

It was only later, after I reviewed his debut album (The Why do you think these types of music continue to resonate Musical Stylings of Blair Crimmins & the Hookers) that I with people nearly a century after their genesis? learned of Crimmins’ back story; that he’d been in a fairly I’d like to think it comes from a desire to be closer to popular Alt-rock band on the verge of “making it,” that he’d nature.

Digital music is everywhere, and we need to connect gotten tired of the sound and the scene of which he’d been with something more organic. Instruments are fueled a part, that he’d partied to excess, that he had one day fallen by a person’s personality, and that’s what creates a real off his skateboard in an inebriated state and suffered severe connection with the listener: It’s people talking to people head trauma, and that it was during his time in the hospital through music.

I feel completely alienated by most pop that he decided he was through with rock ‘n’ roll and wanted music.

They overload the tracks to make them loud, and it to devote his life more pure musical forms. doesn’t let you enjoy any particular With his sophomore CD, Sing-ainstrument.

It sounds fake and the Longs, the reformed rocker more I THINK SUCCESS IS MAKING people making it appear fake, like a than delivers on the promise of his MUSIC THAT YOU ARE TRULY little action figure or a toy you can impressive debut, expanding the buy for your kid. The hottest new pop PROUD OF. I DON’T NEED Hooker’s lineup to a robust septet may as well be a damn tickle VALIDATION FROM ANYONE, album that veers from Dixieland and ragtime me Elmo as far as I’m concerned. It’s to klezmer without missing a beat.

BUT I LOVE MEETING not for adults.

Hot on the heels of being named PEOPLE WHO APPRECIATE Best Atlanta Songwriter of 2013 What were your primary goals, both MY MUSIC. I HOPE THAT in Creative Loafing’s annual poll, I on a personal and musical level, as caught up with Crimmins recently THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE you went into writing and recording to discuss his musical evolution and I’M ABLE TO REACH KEEPS Sing-a-Longs? influences, why more music listeners I wanted to create a wild and loose GROWING, AND THAT I GET seem to crave classic sounds, and how atmosphere, like a live performance.

TO DO ALL OF IT ON MY to make it in the modern-day music A lot of the songs are based on industry without selling your soul.

OWN TERMS. instrumental hooks, which make for good party music. On the personal side, I wrote it out of joy Last time we talked back in 2011, your debut album had instead of pain. I’m happier than I used to be, and I think recently come out and the buzz was starting to build. Tell you can hear that in the music. The sounds are upbeat and me a little bit about how the reception to that record and excited, like a celebration. the band measured up to your hopes and expectations?

Your band, The Hookers, has gotten a little bigger since then, expanding from a quartet to a septet. Talk to me about how the band’s incredible musicians came together.

Atlanta has a great Jazz scene, with lots of music scholars.

It’s a big enough town to keep a lot of great players busy, yet it’s small enough that it doesn’t take long to start meeting them all. I’ve wanted to have a three- piece horn section since the beginning. That was the sound in my head. The key was finding people who loved the music and my songs.

That’s how musicians come together. Not just because they want a gig, but because they want to be a part of something.

During our previous conversation, we talked about how this project had renewed your passion for music. Is it tough to maintain that passion while navigating the pitfalls of a fickle music industry? What’s the key to playing music you love and making a decent living without selling your soul?

I haven’t had anyone offer to buy my soul! (Laughs) I get a lot of satisfaction from running the business myself. Even if things get rough, I like the fact that I have to handle those problems myself. I wouldn’t want to feel helpless, like a victim, while some label ruins my career. If I fail, I want only myself to blame. I’ll always love the music I’m making no matter what the industry throws in my face.

I hear a lot of growth in you as a songwriter on this new album. Who were some of the artists who influenced the

In retrospect, do you feel like that skateboarding accident you had was the best thing that could’ve possibly happened to you?

Everyone needs to fall off a skateboard at some point in their life. Not literally… it’d be best to not have to have a serious injury or hospital bill just so that you can get perspective on your life. That blow to the head helped me regain my focus and love for music, but I would have rather not suffered the brain injury.

I listened to Sing-a-longs for the first time while I was in Mobile, and the New Orleans flavor of it seemed like a perfect fit for that area. How did your Gulf Coast tour go?

It seems like your sound would really resonate there.

Yeah, it always amazes me how truly supportive the people are down there. There’s so much great music there, but they don’t take it for granted.

What are your goals for the future of the Hookers? Do you want to be a rock star (who plays ragtime), or are you OK with relative anonymity? What would your definition of success as a musician be?

I think success is making music that you are truly proud of. I don’t need validation from anyone, but I love meeting people who appreciate my music. I hope that the number of people I’m able to reach keeps growing, and that I get to do all of it on my own terms. That’s all. insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 23

MUSIC

A

Music Year In Review Our Critics Rank the Best Albums

MID THE MEDIA-HOGGING clamor of Miley Cyrus’ calculated gyrations, triumphant returns from David Bowie and Eminem, Justin Bieber’s maybe/maybe-not retirement pledge, and Beyonce’s anti-hype-machine, the year in music was a wildly diverse party. Sure, Cyrus brought unnecessary attention to strip-club chic, but the real tongue-wagging was the across-the-board variety of music that truly offered something foreveryone.

The rock world heralded the return of a number of influential icons. The biggest splash was from The Next Day; as David Bowie’s excellent new collection of songs created a social media fury. Other old warhorses returned, with star performances from Paul McCartney, Elton John’s woefully underappreciated Diving Board, and new and occasionally uneven material from Pearl Jam, Eric Clapton and Bon Jovi.

Alternative rock was well represented with a flurry of great new records, including The Terror, an ambitious set-piece from the consistently challenging Flaming Lips.

Mysterious and brooding Nick Cave returned with Push The Sky Away, a strong new collection. Throwing Muses and They Might Be Giants both issued new discs, followed closely by Meat Puppets, The Strokes, and Cage The Elephant. Harder rock roared in the year with successful turns from Bad Religion (True North), Queens Of The Stone Age (…

Like Clockwork), and The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, from Alice In Chains. French electronica duo Daft Punk crossed boundaries and decades with their critically acclaimed Random Access Memories.

Country continued its hold on the mainstream mindset with heavy emphasis on calculated but wildly popular bro-country, the often-empty odes to trucks, girls, God and patriotism. Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line led the way, with Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton escorting their female counterparts Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.

But Zac Brown and Kacey Musgraves both offered viabale alternatives to the good-natured party vibe.

Pop music bristled with an eclectic bag of goodies. Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” became a YouTube sensation, along with the inane catchiness of Ylvis’ “The Fox.” One Direction continued the boy-band craze and Justin Bieber’s antics, including the announcement of his retirement, were trending like crazy. Justin Timberlake’s hype onslaught, the unremarkable 20/20 Experience, balanced the vacuous grooves of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.”

Representing the ladies, the omnipresent Cyrus and Lady Gaga both put style over substance, but gained a ton of press in the process, making Katy Perry’s Prism and Britney Spears’ Britney Jean seem downright insightful, with newcomer Lorde emerging as a bright light of pop.

Beyoncé’s clever marketing and saturation of the airwaves helped fuel her superstar status as R&B and Hip-Hop continued to grow, evolve and mature. Mr. Beyonce, Jay-Z, unleashed the ego-barring masterpiece Magna Carta Holy Grail, while Kanye West’s Yeezus, Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Drake’s Nothing Was The Same all showed exhaustingly grandiose heights of style and often intriguing narratives. Likewise, Janelle Monáe’s The Electric Lady proved to be the Atlantan’s best release to date.

Of the flood of 2013 releases, INsite’s staff and contributors have sorted their favorites, so sit back and enjoy as we present the best of the best of the year.

–Lee Valentine Smith

PG 24 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

BRET LOVE’S TOP 10 ALBUMS

BY GEORGIA ARTISTS DEAD CONFEDERATE

In The Marrow Recorded with David Barbe at Athens’ Chase Park Transduction, Dead Confederate’s third LP was something of a masterpiece, with their southern jam band influences replaced by the most creatively focused songwriting of the band’s career. Tunes like “Slow Poisons,” “Vacations” and “Winter Waters” evoke comparisons to bands ranging from Pink Floyd to Nirvana to Great Lake Swimmers, making this their most epic and ambitious effort to date.

O’BROTHER

Disillusion O’Brother’s sound– a mixture of metal, prog and psychedelic rock– seems unique on the Georgia music scene, and their Mike Saponeproduced sophomore album finds them broadening their sonic palette via artful experimentation without dulling the edges of their potent 3-guitar attack. Frontman Tanner Merritt seems particularly intent on exploring his range here, with vocals veering from Jeff Buckley-style falsetto melodies and low Alice In Chains moans to balls-out anthemic belting.

They may not be one of Atlanta’s buzziest bands, but Disillusion proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that O’Brother is well on its way to being one of Georgia’s best.

BLAIR CRIMMINS & THE HOOKERS

Sing-A-Longs Crimmins’ debut album, The Musical Stylings Of..., made this list two years ago, as I’d fallen in love with his “reckless sense of abandon that sounds like the bastard son of Tom Waits and Gogol Bordello playing piano in a salacious saloon.”

Sing-A-Longs, which finds him expanding the Hooker’s lineup to a robust septet that veers from Dixieland and ragtime to klezmer without missing a beat, is even better. In less talented hands, the Hookers’ decidedly retro sound could come across as little more than a novel gimmick. But Crimmins, who was named Best Atlanta Songwriter of 2013 in Creative Loafing’s annual poll, delivers his raucous, rollicking tunes with a feverish fervor that’ll make you a believer.

RUN THE JEWELS

Self-Titled Jaime Meline (a.k.a. rapper/producer El-P) and Michael Render (a.k.a. rapper/actor Killer Mike) are like peanut butter and bananas–

2013 stars

two great tastes that taste surprisingly great together. Run The Jewels finds them officially joined as a duo. It’s an oddly intoxicating blend, with El’s metaphor-drenched wordplay complemented by Mike’s more streetwise flow.

Musically, El’s beats trod an accessible middle ground between his cacophonous inclinations and grimy boom-bap simplicity. Not every aural experiment here works, but it’s still one of 2013’s best hip-hop albums.

R&B and techno seemed years ahead of its time, as if Prince and Erykah Badu had a lovechild who grew up listening to James Brown, Queensryche and Daft Punk in equal measure.

Six years later, The Electric Lady smoothed out some of her rough edges, adding canny pop hooks that suggested she could be the next Bruno Mars. If she can find a way to reconcile her mainstream ambitions with her eclectic inclinations, she’ll be a superstar someday.

THE BONAVENTURE QUARTET

CLAY HARPER

Lost and Found At The Clermont Lounge This ambitious score for a yet-to-be-staged theatrical production tells the story of an ambitious artist from Macon who moves to Atlanta in search of her creative muse.

She winds up taking a job as a dancer at the Clermont Lounge, and the album paints musical portraits of the place as a rowdy southern Moulin Rouge, with colorful characters that seem tailor-made for the stage. Now swollen to a 10-piece ensemble, the Bonaventure Quartet’s Django Reindhartinfluenced brand of continental jazz has never sounded better, capably capturing the melancholic ennui of life in the Big City.

THE WOGGLES

The Big Beat Taking inspiration from the Kinks, the Who, and every act who ever appeared on a Nuggets compilation, Athensbased band The Woggles’ raw rock ‘n’ roll remains steeped in nostalgia. But by adding elements of R&B, blues, rockabilly and surf music, the band crafts a distinctive sound that has made them a favorite of tastemakers like Steven Van Zandt. Their first album since 2009’s Tempo Tantrum doenn’t stray too far from their fun, frenzied formula, but The Big Beat suggests the Woggles have more than enough fuel in the tank to keep the retro-rock party going another 25 years.

THE SWEAR

Gold and Hymns and Hell Atlanta’s Elizabeth Elkins is making a strong bid for the “Hardest Working Woman in Show Business” title, releasing three albums with three different acts in the past year.

But unlike her country groups, Granville Automatic and Mama’s Blue Dress, The Swear is a rock band in the classic sense. This album finds Elkins kicking out the jams with unbridled intensity, showcasing compositional skills and vocals that have grown by leaps and bounds since 2008’s Hotel Rooms & Heart Attacks.

JANELLE MONAE

The Electric Lady We’ve been buzzing about Monae ever since she got signed by P. Diddy (or was it Puffy at the time?) and released Metropolis: Suite I in 2007. Her futuristic blend of funk, soul, rock,

Old Airport Road Harper played an influential role in Atlanta’s early alt-rock scene– first with iconic ‘80s band The Coolies, and later alongside Rob Gal in Ottoman Empire. Old Airport Road is his first new album in over a decade, but he hasn’t lost any of his counter-culture edge in the interim.

Despite sharing the spotlight with an array of special guests ranging from guitarist Glenn Phillips to local legend Col Bruce Hampton, Harper’s latest captures a conceptual vibe that runs throughout, with hauntingly beautiful songs that explore the seedy underbelly of 21st century city life.

ANTHONY DAVID

Love Out Loud Though not a household name on par with India.Arie (for whom he wrote “Part of My Life”), Savannah-born singer-songwriter Anthony David has similarly deep roots in Atlanta’s neo-soul scene. His oftenexperimental fifth album marks a creative departure. And while the experiments don’t always work, they’re intriguing and unfailingly melodic. But when he’s in his sensitively emotive wheelhouse, David easily ranks among the finest soul singers in the world.

DEMARCO WILLIAMS’ TOP 10 LIST DRAKE

Nothing Was The Same There is one thing that separates Drake from Childish Gambino and other rappers who wear their hearts on their sleeves—he knows when to get all mushy with a chick and when to go kick it with his clique. On this commercial smash (1.3 million copies sold at press time), Drake gives attention to the softer sex with melodies like “Wu-Tang Forever,” yet he addresses the homies with straightforward thumps such as “Tuscan Leather” and the Jay-Z-supported “Pound Cake/Paris Morton.”

And then there are fence-riding cuts like “From Time” that solidify the fact that Drake holds both side’s attention better than anyone right now—and that includes Mr. West.

PUSHA T

My Name Is My Name The king of coke rap has been dealing dope lines via the mixtape route for a while now.

While there have certainly been flashes of greatness along the way, there have been a few too many flickers of blandness, too. With this first solo studio effort, thankfully, Pusha serves the streets more of the former. “King Push” is a menacing opener, the kind of track that lets you know just how much damage Pusha can unleash with a little focus and a lot of eerie percussions. “Numbers on the Board” is another avalanche of snares that come together for one of the year’s fiercest beats. The Kendrick Lamar-aided “Nosetalgia” is 100% raw rap—the kind of stuff that leaves hip hop heads fiendin’ for more.

HAIM

RUN THE JEWELS

Days Are Gone Though their harmonies are wondrous and choruses are catchier than the winter sniffles, the Wilson Phillips fan club president will tell you that sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim aren’t doing anything really new here. Still, there’s something quite beautiful about the way the ladies tell stories of love and love lost on this fun, 80s-feeling debut. At last count, there were five certified radio-ready tracks on the album —picking between “If I Could Change Your Mind” and “Don’t Save Me” for the project’s best song, however, is a thankless task— that dare you not to press repeat. “Honey & I” might not be quite chart-topping material, but it’s a capella air and Danielle’s Joni Mitchellesque tone prove this trio has more heart than hooks.

Self-Titled Rapper Killer Mike and producer/MC El-P may have initially connected for business purposes (mutual acquaintances with Adult Swim hooked them up for Mike’s 2012 dazzler R.A.P. Music), but they reunited because of magic. While just 10 songs and clocking in under 33 minutes, this CD is a rush of endorphins for the ear—Killer Mike’s gruff spills onto every track while El-P packs lyrical prowess and quite the thunderous production punch.

Speaking of punches, the Big Boi-backed “Banana Clipper,” “DDFH” and “No Come Down” are big and brash, something that Mike Tyson would walk out to before a fight. Makes sense, seeing as how Killer Mike and El-P make one of rap’s best 1-2 punches right now.

J. COLE

Born Sinner It only makes sense that one of hip-hop’s most underrated rappers would release one of music’s most slept-on albums of 2013.

Established mags and online outlets released top 50 after top 50 without nary a mention of Jermaine’s super solid sophomore effort.

Not really sure what else my colleagues want from the dude; he was confident (“New York Times”) and charming (“Power Trip”), witty (“Is She Gon Pop”) and even a lil’ chippy (“Niggaz Know”). Folks did take notice of the homie when the soul-revealing, horn-backed “Let Nas Down” was released, but even that buzz was too brief.

Nocturnal You know those free-spirited, airy tunes you hear on smartphone and tablet commercials that get your toes tapping? If you could imagine an album filled with those kinds of flowy, colorful moments, you’d have a good idea of what this Malaysian singer-songwriter’s second album sounds like. At times, you’ll hear bits of Corrine Bailey Rae in her sunny demeanor through tracks like “Come Back” and “Rescue.” At other moments, the 26-yearold struts a more seductive side like siren-ofthe-moment Lorde (“Lights and Camera”).

But make no mistake about it: the light-voiced Yuna is unquestionably making enough noise to carve her own lane.

JANELLE MONAE

K. MICHELLE

The Electric Lady Like LeBron James in the 8th grade or Leonardo DiCaprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, superstars sometimes reveal themselves early on. When Janelle Monae released Metropolis: Suite I in 2007, critics and clued-in consumers knew that they were listening to a future star. Some six years later, Monae is in a whole other stratosphere, performing on SNL and posing for CoverGirl.

But even though this album has a glossier feel than past projects, it’s still got Metropolis’ spark and cerebral edge. The spunky, 23rdcentury dance stuff Monae is known for appears on “Dance Apocalyptic,” but when she needs to give her happy feet a rest on slower moments like “What An Experience” and the Miguel-featured “Primetime,” it’s still a good time. Like-minded songstresses Erykah Badu (“Q.U.E.E.N.”) and Solange (“Electric Lady”) join in on the interstellar fun, and the results are out of this world.

RICH HOMIE QUAN

Still Goin In-Reloaded The singing/rapping/auto-tuning thing that T. Pain popularized in ’05-06 hasn’t died off like some prognosticators thought it would. In fact, the resilient sound has actually seeped its way more into the hood. Were this the late 90s, cats like Quan and Future probably wouldn’t dream of serenading on wax; now, it’s officially a part of their act. Luckily, Quan knows when to cut off the Keith Sweat impersonation and start slapping rappers upside the head with heat. “Better Watch What You Sayin” and “Differences” are tracks that leave chumps looking over their shoulders and you needing a neck massage from the head bobbing. And we won’t even get into “Type of Way,” 2013’s best rap song. The anthem is so tantalizing that Mr. Singing/Rapping himself, Drake, said that he wished he had made the track himself.

YUNA

Rebellious Soul Beyonce may have earned the most headlines in 2013. Rihanna probably scored the most gasps. But if you wanted the most sensual bang for your iTunes buck, this is the grown-up album you needed playing in your bedroom.

“V.S.O.P.” is one of the year’s top R&B songs because of its infectious beat and girl-I-wasthinkin’-the-same-thing lines. This debut studio CD is filled with similarly relatable notes about great sex (“Pay My Bills”), low selfesteem (“I Don’t Like Me”) and taking the high road with other females (“Hate On Her”). We won’t go so far as to call the Love & Hip Hop TV star the next Mary J. Blige, but Keyshia Cole and Monica are certainly on notice.

YO GOTTI

I Am West Memphis isn’t the kind of place you see on travel brochures. It’s the area of town where you see so much sinnin’ and strugglin’ while growin’ up that you could fill a hundred notebooks with rhymes. Gotti tells plenty of stories with strip clubs and trap houses as the backdrop — “I Know” is an intimidating number, but the Rich Homie Quan verse and Luniz sample proves irresistible— yet the real draw here is Gotti’s scruffy, Jeezy-like voice.

Songs like “Pride To The Side,” “Act Right” and the title track would knock in your car speakers with almost anyone rapping over them, but with Gotti’s achy vocals, you go on a one-way trip to Memphis you won’t forget.

JOHN B. MOORE’S TOP 10 LIST FRANK TURNER

Tape Deck Heart Punk rockers unplugging and going acoustic were nothing new in 2013, but with Frank Turner’s fifth solo album – a mix of punk rock

sentiment and a bit of folk rock music –he proves yet again why he is one of the best.

Dealing mainly with songs of heartache and moving on, Turner’s latest is bound to speak to everyone – even if you never had a punk rock past.

THE SMITH STREET BAND

Don’t Fuck With Our Dream The five songs that make up this record show a diverse band that is as strong lyrically as they are they are musically; melodic without being too poppy and sincere without being too earnest. The record opens with the title track, a strong anthem for any perpetually touring indie punk band out there, that’s got a cool Frank Turner vibe (the band opened for his U.S. tour this fall, incidentally). The remaining tracks are a bit darker, and take more time to sink in, but equally impressive, coming off as a mix between classic Hot Water Music, fronted by the aforementioned Turner.

RED CITY RADIO

Titles Sounding like a cross between Social D’s Mike Ness and Chuck Ragan, Red City Radio frontmen Garrett Dale and Paul Pendley have got voices made for punk rock. Backed by some pretty amazing musicians, Red City Radio has upped their game yet again with this, their second full length. Songs like the slow boil “Show Me on the Doll Where the Music Touched You” and the equally impressive “Joy Comes With the Morning” (boasting harmonies that you never thought you’d hear from this band) are easily the strongest the band has ever put to tape.

THE SHARP THINGS

The Truth is Like the Sun The Truth is Like the Sun, the second in a planned four album series for Brooklynbased chamber pop band The Sharp Things, is simply jaw-on-thefloor beautiful. Like the first record in their Dogs of Bushwick series, Green is Good; this one brings together a slew of different influences and manages to be pleasantly all over the map in tine. Eddie Spaghetti – The Value of Nothing It seems like every other punk rocker nowadays is switching out the combat boots for cowboy boots, reaching for an acoustic guitar and swearing their allegiance to Willie, Waylon and the boys. And though the move to country-fy their sound may ring hallow for many (actually most), it’s completely authentic for Eddie Spaghetti. This album is 10 tracks of his beautifully succinct “fuck you” lyrics propped up by a steady countryrock beat that even Willie would light one up to honor. Songs like “If Anyone’s Got the Balls,” “Waste of Time” and “People Are Shit” are Spaghetti at the top of his game lyrically.

TWO COW GARAGE

The Death of the Self Preservation Society Besides having possibly the best name going for a country punk band, Two Cow Garage has quietly churned out one amazing album after another without getting nearly the amount of attention they deserve. Death of The Self-Preservation Society, the group sixth album, is easily their best so far and proof that hard work and talent don’t always lead to riches and fame. With Micah Schnabel’s stunning shot and a beer poetry, delivered via his trademark strained vocals, Death of the Self-Preservation Society boasts some of his best lyrics to date. Dave Hause – Devour

On his second solo record, the Loved Ones frontman is still cradling the acoustic guitar and mixing rock and folk, somehow managing to top his stellar debut.

JOY OF PAINTING

Tender Age Seeming to come out of nowhere, Nashville’s Joy of Painting turned in one of the most exciting EPs of the year, genres be damned (they happen to straddle garage and pop, in case you were wondering). With just seven songs, the band has actually managed to make Indie rock sound fresh, a big task when you consider that just about every band with a release in 2013 seems to be writing their records via some quickie cut and paste program to maximize the mediocrity.

THE COMPUTERS

Love Triangles, Hate Squares It’s amazing what a little classic American soul can do to a band. Once just another alsoran hardcore-influenced British band, The Computers must have stumbled across a crate of some old Stax and 60’s British Beat bands on their way to writing their sophomore album Love Triangles, Hate Squares. This 11-track effort is as great as their debut was meh. The boys, now sporting Brylcreemed quiffs that would make Morrissey do a double-take, have still kept a lot of the punk foundation that likely got them to want to form a band in the first place, but have added plenty of piano, steadier drum beats and stellar singalong choruses.

THE HORRIBLE CROWES

Live At The Troubadour This 14-song set, recorded and filmed at West Hollywood’s Troubadour in September 2011, contains every song from their debut, Elsie, plus two remarkable covers: Katie Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart.” The fact that Fallon, fellow Horrible Crowe Ian Perkins and their backing band pull off an irony-free take on Perry’s pop hit is just that much more reason to love this band. It takes balls to pull off a live album with only one record to your name, but Fallon, Perkins and team have managed to make this album a necessity for anyone who heard Elsie thanks to the obvious electricity between band and the vocal, sold out audience.

LEE VALENTINE SMITH’S TOP 10 LIST ELTON JOHN

The Diving Board This is the Elton John of the 2000s– sober, somber, with a sly grin waiting at every turn. Here, with the help of producer T Bone Burnett, he’s gone back to the early folk-inspired, piano-based work of his preflamboyant days. The result is a collection of stark, introspective songs that eschew the hook-laden excess of his greatest hits. Lacking catchy singles, the album will probably find a warm welcome in only die-hards’ music collections. That would be a shame, because the disc radiates a knowing glow and sly humor that would resonate in the hearts of his aging fan-base. With lyrics by longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, John explores highly personal themes, based on remorse (the plaintive “My Quicksand”) and aging.

Music continued on page 26 insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 25

Music from on page 25

PAUL MCCARTNEY

New McCartney’s new album is a winsome collaboration with four hot, young producers.

For his first album of original material in six years, he’s reined in executive producer Giles Martin (son of legendary producer George Martin), and the duo wisely enlisted the production assistance of Mark Ronson, Ethan Johns and Paul Epworth. McCartney sounds fresh and rested, taking on the material with the gusto of a performer half his age. The title track is a lovely “Penny Lane”-referenced pop song, lovingly aided by Ronson’s hooky yet off-kilter sensibilities. Likewise, his work on the edgier “Alligator” highlight McCartney’s early inspirations of ‘50s, Carl Perkins-style rockabilly.

“I Can Bet” also plays to the uptempo strengths of the former Beatle, without the bombast or saccharine sappiness of his late ‘80s material.

PALMYARA DELRAN

You Are What You Absorb The former Friggs guitarist and walking encyclopedia of pop hooks has released a near-perfect collection of girl-group attitude, guitar jangle and pure pop confection. It’s the best ‘60s record in years. Highlight track “You’re My Brian Jones” leads the way with garage rock abandon and whimsical, humorous and often sweet, lyrics.

ADAM ANT

Adam Ant is The Blueblack Hussar In Marrying The Gunnar’s Daughter The sixth solo album from the charismatic rocker finds Ant as the central character in a fully-realized, if slightly confusing, story of his ‘80s persona, back from obscurity, fighting the oppressive machine of the music industry, shrouded by images of war and personal drama.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

Nanobots Considering John Linnell and John Flansburgh have been writing catchy and quirky songs for three decades, it’s an amazing feat that the duo continues to breathe freshness into their complicated formula of smart, funny songs. Once again they’ve succeeded, offering a fun pack of intelligent ditties that skewer science, romance and pop-culture totems.

NEIL YOUNG

Live At The Cellar Door An intimate journey into the past. The newest release from the treasure trove of Neil Young’s extensive live recordings captures the artist in late 1970 at the Cellar Door in Washington, D.C. The tiny club hosted a six-night engagement for Young, touring at the time behind After The Goldrush. Indeed, the set features a number of tracks from that excellent album, offered in versions that are stripped of even the sparse production of the original release. “Tell Me Why,” “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” and the title track are included in the well-paced set, bookended with slightly older classics including “Down by the River.”

PG 26 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

MINOR ALPS

Get There Juliana Hatfield has enjoyed an incredible career with a number of peaks and valleys. Her solo records are delightfully uneven affairs, veering between styles and qualities, with the creative zeal of a truly brave pioneer. Her new project, a duo with Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws continues the tradition. They co-wrote the material and share the vocal and instrumental duties with an incredible balance and the result is an engaging pop record. Album highlight “I Don’t Know What To Do With My Hands,” is a crackling burst of hooks and doubts, complimented by the venerable lyrics that run throughout the set. Great harmonies, understated melodies and intelligent songwriting mesh here to wrap up the best Hatfield record in recent memory, seeding the inspiring potential for a solid, enduring indie super-duo.

SUSANNA HOFFS AND MATTHEW SWEET

Under The Covers Vol. 3 For the third collection of covers from the influential duo of Susannah Hoffs and Matthew Sweet, the two respected pop musicians have assembled a formidable list of familiar and obscure gems from the ‘80s.

Reading like a cool college rock radio playlist, from the pre-“alternative” days, the tracks include winning takes on R.E.M.’s “Sitting Still,” The Go-Gos’s “Our Lips Are Sealed,” with respectful nods to Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, and The English Beat. Their incredible ‘60s-flavored harmonies really shimmer on Costello’s “Girls Talk,” with the two almost conjuring the boozy camaraderie of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, served with a distinctive, fuzzy California pop twist.

JON BATISTE

Social Music From the lead track “Express Yourself (Say Yes),” it’s clear that singer/pianist/composer/ bandleader Jon Batiste is a new leader in jazz.

His debut album opens with the deceptively subdued “D-Flat Movement,” a moody meditation that perfectly leads into the jubilant ode to spiritual and earthly love, “Let God Lead,” mixing the raucous party atmosphere of a street parade, peppered with a spicy New Orleans flavor, and punctuated by moments of cinematic clarity.

CARLY RITTER

Self-Titled Ritter’s delightful debut has all the best qualities of a very cool ‘70s album. You’d swear this disc was from the Ronstadt/Muldaur/ Waldman school of California folk-rock.

Her delivery, at once accomplished and simplistic, has a yearning edge that propels the collection of tunes into a timeless yet evocative thing of cinematic beauty.

It’s probably in her blood: Her grandfather was singing cowboy Tex Ritter, and her dad was the late actor John Ritter. Ry Cooder’s son helps out a few tracks as well, pushing the pedigree level to even higher standards. Yet Ritter has carved her own path between gritty country and urbane pop. The results are one of the best albums of this year, with standout tracks that include the incredible “It Is Love,” the only song this reviewer has heard that’s openly influenced by the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.

TRAVEL

THE WORLD’S 10 BEST Ethical Travel Destinations for 2014

BY MEGAN JERRARD

E

THICALTRAVELER.ORG HAS released their annual report naming ten developing countries as the World’s Ten Best Ethical Travel Destinations.

Travel is now the world’s largest industry, exceeding a trillion dollars a year. Each year Ethical Traveler measures the world’s most ethical travel destinations by considering Environmental Protection, Social Welfare and Human Rights. This year Animal Welfare was also added to their list of factors. The below countries not only excelled in all categories, but also offer the opportunity to experience unspoiled natural beauty, and to interact with local people and cultures in a meaningful, mutually enriching way.

The countries to be congratulated this year (in alphabetical order) are: The Bahamas, Barbados, Cape Verde, Chile, Dominica, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritius, Palau, Uruguay. This is the second year in a row the Bahamas, Barbados, Cape Verde, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritius, Palau and Uruguay have made this list.

The in-depth ranking procedure draws data from sources such as Freedom House, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Reporters Without Borders, UNICEF, the World Bank, and many other environmental indicators such as the Socioeconomic Dada & Applications Center and the Environmental Performance Index.

In Environmental Protection, Latvia and Lithuania received the highest marks, with Latvia in particular being a top performer in 22 indicators spanning ten policy categories reflecting areas of both environmental public health and ecosystem vitality. Lithuania and Chile showed improving environmental performance.

Palau also scored highly,with 28.2% of precious marine and terrestrial area protected (the highest percentage of this year’s countries).

Barbados stood out for finding sustainable means of building tourism while protecting its coastline.

Social welfare scores compiled by UNICEF included indicators such as child mortality rates (Cape Verde and Barbados scored highly here), human trafficking, safe drinking water, universal primary education, maternal health, sustainable water and agriculture management, and responsible sanitation practices.

Chile and Mauritius were praised this year for having made ‘substantial progress’ in areas of social welfare. Mauritius receiving its highest score to date, now sitting significantly above the world average in a category of ‘high human development’.

Chile received the highest score for equality, with Uruguay ranked a close second. Palau received the highest score for press freedom, and Latvia emerged as a leader in gender equality. Latvia was, however, identified as a nation who could make greater efforts to prevent sex trafficking.

PALAU ROCK ISLANDS

Every country listed this year was identified as having some Human Rights issues, however they were also commended for efforts to improve those situations. The Bahamas, Barbados, Chile, Dominica, Cape Verde, Lithuania, Palau and Uruguay received the highest possible scores in the categories of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, in some cases ranking even better than many developed countries.The treatment of indigenous populations and gay citizens were the most prevalent human rights issues. Chile was nearly excluded from the list due to the use of an antiterrorism law against Mapuche protestors, and Latvia urgently needs to address institutionalized discrimination of non-Latvians living in the country.

While laxly enforced, outdated laws criminalizing homosexuality still exist in Barbados, Dominica and Mauritius. While boasting impressive records in environmental standards, Ghana was excluded from last year’s list due to stringently enforced anti-gay laws. Not only did Ghana fail to make much progress this year, but the situation and violence actually worsened.

Animal Welfare was a new consideration for 2014, and provided mixed scores. Dominica, Palau and Lithuania scored highly, while Mauritius and the Bahamas did not. Ethical Traveler placed a call to action on both nations, singling out Mauritius as the world’s second largest supplier of wild-caught and captivebred monkeys (many of which are used for laboratory purposes), and the Bahamas for its plethora of swim-with-dolphin parks.

Among the countries that made the 2012 list but were not included this year were Samoa, Costa Rica and Argentina.

Costa Rica and Argentina were excluded because of their violations of indigenous rights. While applauded for implementing sustainable development programs, Samoa’s implementation of environmental initiatives appeared weak. No Asian countries qualified for the list due to the human rights and environmental records of these nations.

Five additional nations were identified as “destinations of interest,: selected for their commitment to social justice and environmental practices: Cuba, Egypt, Iran, The Philippines, and Namibia.

All of the countries on the EthicalTraveler.org list are great destinations, but the annual report serves as a reminder to travelers to be mindful of how powerful their travel choices can be. We here at Green Global Travel hope that you will consider the above factors in your future travel plans, and perhaps decide to prioritize one of these phenomenal destinations for 2014.

Megan Jerrard is an Australian journalist who launched the Mapping Megan travel blog with her American photographer husband, Mike.

If you’re interested in writing a guest column for INsite, email managing editor Bret Love at Bret@INsiteAtlanta.com.

MUSIC

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

Joe Gransden on Johnny Mercer, GSU and Jazz in the 21st Century

BY BRET LOVE

S

MOOTH, HANDSOME AND EXTREMELY personable, Joe Gransden is everything you want in a frontman. But don’t let the youthful good looks fool you: The 42-year-old Atlanta transplant has SERIOUS jazz chops.

Born and raised in New York, Gransden comes from a musical family: His paternal grandfather was a professional trumpeter, while his mother’s side of the family includes famed piano virtuoso Carmen Cavallero. After years of sitting in on jams with his father, Joe graduated high school and went on the road as a sideman for the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller Big Bands.

Gransden moved to Atlanta in the early ‘90s, graduating from the Jazz program at Georgia State University. He made a name for himself as a sideman with acts ranging from Aretha Franklin and Barry White to The Temptations and Moody Blues. But these days he’s best known as the critically acclaimed leader of his own 16-piece Big Band, with a voice and trumpet style that has earned favorable comparisons to the legendary Chet Baker.

On February 28, Gransden will team with singer Carmen Bradford (former lead vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra) and the GSU Jazz Band for the semi-annual Johnny Mercer Celebration at the Rialto Center. We recently spoke with him about Georgia-born Mercer’s historic legacy, and what it takes to make it as a jazz man in the 21st century.

You’ve got talented musicians on both sides of your family, going back multiple generations. Can you talk about the influence growing up in that environment had on you?

I was exposed to the American Songbook very early on in life. My father played piano and sang professionally. My grandfather played trumpet w/some of the top names in the music business. My mom was a choreographer for lots of the big shows. I also had many other family members that played music and acted professionally. The music was all around me.

The house I grew up in was constantly filled w/the sounds of Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Glenn Miller, Count Basie etc. I knew by the time I was 11years old that I wanted to be a musician. I remember gravitating towards this style of music much more than pop music! My dad would sing the old songs to me and I could memorize the words quickly. I loved the melodies and the way the singers would phrase the lyrics. My dad brought home a Chet Baker record in 1985 called “Diane,” and I was hooked. Chet’s playing and singing were so soft and beautiful. It really caught my ear. I started to improvise along with that record and, even though I had no idea what I was doing, I was able to find the pretty notes that

THERE ARE GIGS OUT THERE, AND PLENTY OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO HEAR THIS GREAT MUSIC. BUT IF YOU’RE IN IT FOR THE MONEY? FORGET IT! fit. I would also try to copy Chet’s sound and phrasing. It was a great lesson for me, and was a turning point in my growth as a musician.

Despite your youth, you worked with some incredible names shortly after high school, from the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller big bands to popular acts like Barry White, Aretha and The Temptations. What did you learn from your stint as a sideman, and how has it benefited you in the years since you became a frontman?

Working as a sideman was a vital part of me becoming a solo artist. I was fortunate enough to work with some of the greats in the industry. Watching how they treated the side musicians and how they reacted to issues on stage was huge! I learned a lot about respect, blending, swinging, intonation, reading, showing up on time, etc. I remember when I played with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1992, the first few weeks of the tour I was kind of phoning it in. I played 4th trumpet, and didn’t think my part was that important. I wasn’t concerned with listening to the other parts around me and trying to fit in with the harmonies. I was not being a “team player” at all.

After the second week, I was told by the lead trumpet player that they were going to fire me if I didn’t get it together. He told me to play my part as loud as I could, that he was the lead trumpet player and needed support from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chairs. He said that he would let me know if I was too loud.

That night I played with a big full sound and tried my best to support the rest of the section. I belted out those low notes with a lot of pride. It was a life-changer! I was part of the chord now. I was contributing to the amazing overall sound that this swing orchestra had. It was unreal! You could feel the groove in your bones! It was nice to finally open my ears a bit. I kept my job, and spent a year touring the world with them!

Jazz has changed quite a bit in the 20-something years you’ve been playing professionally. Can you talk about that evolution, and what it takes to make it as a jazzman in the 21st century industry?

Being a jazz musician nowadays is not easy. The record industry is almost nonexistent, there are very few jazz clubs left, the economy is down, competition is up, and managers and agents are very expensive. The best way to make a living is to become the absolute best you can be in all facets. Make sure you can really play, relate to people, be a leader, book your own gigs, handle your own social media and marketing, and find your own sound that separates you from the rest. If you have all this under control, things will start to happen. There are gigs out there, and plenty of people that want to hear this great music. But if you’re in it for the money? Forget it!

Who were some of your most prominent musical influences in terms of trumpeters and vocalists?

My biggest musical influences growing up were guys like Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, etc. The list goes on and on.

You grew up in NYC. What brought you to Atlanta, and what has kept you here all these years?

My father was transferred to Atlanta in the early 1990s. I followed them down south a few years later, but only stayed long enough to finish college before heading back to New York City. I left NYC and came to Atlanta full time in 2001. I love Atlanta! The music scene here is strong and the people are great. My wife and I have a beautiful little 4-year-old son, and our roots are here now. It’s a great town!

Let’s talk about this Johnny Mercer celebration show. How did the idea come about?

I was asked by Kevin Fleming (Popular Music & Culture Archivist at GSU Library) and Leslie Gordon (Director of the Rialto Theatre) to produce and perform in a Mercer celebration concert a few years back. I love Mercer’s music, and jumped at the chance to be a part of it. The more I researched possible music for the show, the more I learned about him and what a genius he was. It only made sense to have the Georgia State University Jazz Band, directed by Gordon Vernick, as the band for the concert. They’re one of the top college big bands in the country, and Dr. Vernick is celebrated around the world as an amazing educator and musician.

Didn’t you graduate from Georgia State?

Yeah, I graduated under Gordon, and have lots of respect for him and the school. That show sold out, and the reviews were outstanding. So what a thrill it was to be asked to do it again! This show will be totally different. Johnny Mercer wrote thousands of songs, so there is so much to draw from. We will be featuring two Mercer compositions that have never been published before, “My Crazy Old Subconscious” and “You Can’t Lose.” Only a handful of people have ever even heard them. My arranger, Wes Funderburk, has written 2 wonderful charts for us to premier these songs, and I can’t wait!

Mercer wrote an incredible number of classics, from “Moon River “ to “One For My Baby (& One More for the Road).”

Why do you think his music remains so vibrant and vital today, more than 50 years after those songs were written?

Johnny Mercer’s music will be with us forever. In a thousand years, folks will still be listening to Mercer songs! He wrote in a way that is so timeless. His lyrics are just as valid today as they were 50 years ago. He also collaborated with the top composers in the business, so the combination of lyrics/ melody/harmony is perfect! You can hum a Johnny Mercer song. The songs make sense and are recognizable. There will never be another Johnny Mercer! I’m so excited about this show, and hope the community comes out to support it. We will have them dancing in the aisles!”

For more info on Joe visit: www.joegransden.com. You can catch Joe & his 16 Piece Big Band the 1st & 3rd Monday every month at Cafe 290. insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 27

MUSIC

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN’

Detroit Psychobilly Band The Koffin Kats On Their New Album

BY JOHN B. MOORE

A

FTER NINE YEARS ON THE ROAD, PLAYING over 1,200 shows across the globe, you’d think the guys in Detroit psychobilly band The Koffin Kats would think about putting the van in the garage for a while.

But they clearly have no plans to take time off any time soon, with the recent release of Born of the Motor. They are halfway through their latest U.S. trek, which brought them to The Masquerade on December 4.

Vic Victor, the band’s lead singer and upright bass player, spoke with us recently about the new record, staying sane one the road, and blowing off some steam with a couple of vintage rifles.

You guys are about halfway into your latest tour. Any good stories from this one yet?

My mind is doing a quick rewind of the past days from this tour. Everything becomes a blur after you’re out for so long.

Not to sound like Ted Nugent, but we recently got to hang out with some friends in Palm Desert, CA and spend the day shooting World War II-era rifles. We got a bunch of pumpkins and shot the hell out of them in the desert. That’s a bit out of the ordinary compared to driving all day, playing a show, sleeping in a parking lot, and then repeat.

Who produced the new record?

We worked with our buddy, John Kay, on this one. The last record we had him mix and produce was 2007’s Drunk In The Daylight. Since then we have used his studio for tracking, but on this release I wanted to be as involved as possible with the ideas we had for the sound. So, instead of sending it out for mixing and production, he did it all for us at that time. At this point in working with him, he knows what we want and we know what he’s capable of. It’s a good thing.

Lyrically, it seems like you guys open up a bit on Born of the

Motor. What drove the decision to be a little more personal lyrically?

I never write anything from my own personal situations.

Though at times I can find myself relating to a lyric I wrote.

That’s the idea... Songs people can personally relate to from time to time. They strike harder.

This is your seventh record. Have you hit the point yet where you think you’ve run out of things to say and the songs don’t come together as easy?

I think that after every album is done! (Laughs) But somehow the gears start turning and influences come in and out pops a song idea. It is harder these days to not repeat the same content or idea. We strive to make every album stand out on its own.

Detroit has turned out some great punk bands, and obviously also has a great hot rod culture. Is there much of a rockabilly or punkabilly scene there now?

I always feel like a turd answering this question because I’m only home a few months out of the year. And it’s been like that for the last five years now, so my finger isn’t exactly on the pulse. But when we have our homecoming shows, the crowd gets larger and larger and I hardly recognize the faces. So I guess that’s a good indication of what’s going on. There are also more local psychobilly bands popping up, too, compared to pretty much none when we first got started back in ‘03.

You guys spend a lot of time on the road, not just in the U.S., but overseas as well. Does the touring life every get old?

Yesterday we were in Albuquerque, where our guitar player’s parents live. We woke up early and went to his dad’s work to help him unload a semi trailer full of industrial filters. Not that I needed to be reminded of how lucky we are, but the thought of the worst day on tour is still better than being at work. And it’s not like we started the band and just lived on the road. We would come off of a one- or two-month run and go into work

ZIMA BLUES

a few hours later. My earliest memory of that is playing an awesome show in San Antonio, TX on a Saturday night, and Monday morning I was scrubbing a toilet at work. So yeah, when I have that random thought of things getting old... I just recall how lucky we are.

How do you stave off boredom when you’re gone from home months at a time?

It’s usually just the three of us out here, so we always have a job to do. We split up driving, do our own load-ins, and if we get into town early we’ll hit a Planet Fitness up so that we can kill some time staying healthy and get a well-needed shower.

What’s next for the band?

We’re currently pushing our new album Born of The Motor, and will be continuing to do so on tour in North America and Europe in 2014.

Those are all the questions I have. Anything else you want to add?

Thank you so much for your interest in us!

Former Anniversary Frontman Josh Berwanger Goes Solo

BY JOHN B. MOORE

T

he Anniversary had a slew of split EPs and two much-loved full lengths in their catalogue before they abruptly imploded in 2004 in the midst of working on their third album.

Vagrant Records put out a double-disc compilation of unreleased songs, B-sides and rarities in 2008, and various members of the band went on to start other projects. Singer/ guitarist Josh Berwanger, who was a little beat from living the life of an indie musician, went back to high school… well, sort of. He actually

PG 28 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

took a job as a high school basketball coach.

After a few years out of the music world, Berwanger is now back with longtime friend and original Anniversary drummer Michael Hutcherson. They have a new album out, Strange Stains, and recently hit the road touring. But first, he took some time to talk about the new album, his undying love for Zima, and why you will never see The Anniversary perform together again.

coaching high school athletes in the suburbs, so there were very few whose musical range ventured from what was popular on the radio.

Can we talk first about the transition from rock star to basketball coach? What was the hardest thing about that transition?

I was really burnt on doing music and realized there were very few other things I found entertaining. I’ve always loved basketball, and I had an opportunity to start coaching at a high school. I’m not a huge sports nut or anything. I just saw it as something different, something I knew a fair amount about, and looked at it as a new challenge in life. The transition wasn’t strange.

I just had to deal with crazy parents, horrible refs, and trying not to get a technical foul called on me every game.

The Anniversary break up seemed pretty abrupt at the time. Do you guys still talk?

This past year was the first time all of us talked, and that was through e-mail. A few festivals asked if we would be interested in playing them. It’s not going to happen.

Did all of your students and fellow teachers know that you had been in bands?

Anytime you tell a person that has no clue about music that you are in a band, they usually think it is some hobby or you are some form of low-life, so I didn’t ever talk about it.

Eventually a few of my players Googled my name and found out I was in a band and saw the “All Things Ordinary” video. They came to practice the next day cracking up. I was

Who else played with you on the record?

The main band is Michael Hutcherson (original Anniversary drummer) and myself.

We were joined by Jim Macpherson (The Breeders and Guided By Voices), Ricky Salthouse (Only Children), Heidi Gluck (Only Children/Julianna Hatfield), T.K. Webb (The Visions/Only Children), Brandon Phillips (The Architects), Marc Benning, Carly Gwinn, Deanda and Tim Frost, my niece Lily

Are you still coaching or did you leave that job?

I am through coaching and strictly focusing on music, bringing Zima back to the United States, and working on a script for the fourth installment of the MVP movie franchise.

What can you tell me about Strange Stains?

It’s Michael Hutcherson and I’s latest album. There are 11 songs on it, and it came out October 1st on Good Land Records. It’s available on LP, CD, Tape and a newer format called MP3 (editor’s note: yes, he’s kidding).

We are very excited about it and hope others will be as well.

Garrison, and a chimp that also helps us sell merch on tour.

Were you listening to anything in particular when you were working on this record that had an influence on you?

My ex-girlfriend telling me that being in a band is a waste of time, and a shrink telling me I’m too old to gain the fame of Justin Beaver. Music-wise, Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Traveling Band, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Stoned Age soundtrack, and the obvious stuff: Ratt, GNR, Stones, Tyrannosaurus Rex, CTD, HATB, SD and LMN-SMB. Do you plan to tour much behind this one?

Yes, as much as possible. We did a Midwest/ East Coast loop in October and a Midwest/ West Coast loop in November. Future dates can be found on our website, www. berwangermusic.com or www.facebook.gov/ berwangermusic.

So what’s next for you?

Tour, CMJ, pucker shots, Daytrotter session, training our chimp to give the correct change when making a transaction at the merch table, figuring out what emo music is, figuring out what a Pitchfork web-blog is, eat pizza, Calvin pissing on things, selling my Star Worlds collection on EBay to get money for tour, getting a tattoo of an emo band’s name, saying Candyman’s name in the mirror five times, sleeping a lot, and Zima.

Fair enough!

MUSIC

SWEET SOUNDS OF SOWETO

The Soweto Gospel Choir on Nelson Mandela’s Passing & South African Culture during the Soweto Uprising of 1976. During this uprising, police opened fire on 10,000 students marching against the government’s plan to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than in English. During this uprising, 21 black civilians were killed.

I was a child of the apartheid era, and this was very tough. I grew up under very strict, very hard conditions. As a child, it was impossible for me to understand why we were so poor, why I was denied so many opportunities, why my mother would come home crying, why I was forced to learn Afrikaans. By the will of God I made it, and we are all standing tall today.

BY BRET LOVE

I

FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MUSIC and culture of South Africa years before I actually traveled to the country. But my 2-week visit back in 2000 changed my life, inspiring my passion for ecotourism.

Needless to say, I’ve been a diehard fan of the heavenly harmonies of acts such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Soweto Gospel Choir ever since.

We submitted our request to interview the Soweto Gospel Choir in November, as soon as we heard that they’d be launching a US tour in February 2014. We were utterly shocked and dismayed when we learned of the passing of the great Nelson Mandela, just a few days before we were scheduled to speak with choirmaster/choreographer Shimmy Jiyane. Mandiba (as Mandela was affectionately known) had been a longtime fan of the group, which had performed for him many times. So it seemed only fitting that their passionate performance proved a highlight of his memorial last week.

We finally connected with Jiyane just a few days after their touching tribute to the revolutionary political and civil rights icon, discussing topics ranging from the struggles of growing up during the Apartheid era and how life in Soweto has changed since it ended, to what Mandela’s legacy means to the people of South Africa.

For readers who don’t know about Soweto, can you tell us a little bit about the township, and what it was like growing up there during the apartheid era?

Soweto, an abbreviation of South West Township, is a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg with a population of around 1.7 million. The growth of the township exploded after the Apartheid Government came into power in 1948, and began to enforce the policy of “Separate Development.” Under this policy, black and white designated areas came into place, and forced removals were commonplace.

Soweto became an area to house black citizens who had been evicted from the newly designated “white areas.”

Soweto came to the world’s attention

people’s lives through African music and dance. Having toured all over the world, I have found that music breaks down cultural and language barriers because it is able to speak to people’s hearts. Music truly is the international language.

As both choreographer and choirmaster, you seem to value the opportunity to expose audiences to traditional African culture. Do you see the group as cultural ambassadors for South Africa?

Absolutely. Everything we do, we do for South Africa. It is very important to

differences and came together to honor and celebrate his life. This demonstrates how his humanity touched the world. His legacy will always live on.

Mr Mandela was one of the Soweto Gospel Choir’s biggest fans, and you performed for him many times. How would you describe the energy and emotion of performing at his memorial service?

It was such an amazing feeling to be part of it– to be there to honor the father of our nation. So many ordinary South Africans came to show their respect, and there was an amazing feeling in the stadium and amongst the artists and the dignitaries.

We felt part of a moment in history.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BRING OUR MUSIC TO OTHER COUNTRIES AND TO SHOWCASE OUR CULTURE TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT BRINGS US SO MUCH HAPPINESS TO SHOW PEOPLE THE JOYFUL ASPECTS OF OUR CULTURE.

I visited South Africa 13 years ago, and there seemed to be a mixture of excitement and anxiousness about the country’s future.

How has life in Soweto changed since apartheid ended?

It has changed for the better. We finally got our freedom. In Soweto today, people have so many opportunities. It is possible to become whatever you want to become, and to do whatever you want to do. The huge success of our choir represents the possibility that is available to people living in Soweto today.

When I was a child growing up in Soweto, I would never have imagined it was possible to achieve the success that we have achieved as a choir. Modern Soweto is a very different place– vibrant because it has a very rich history in terms of politics, arts and humanity. To think of how it has changed since the end of apartheid makes me very hopeful for the future.

I’m fascinated by the intrinsic role music has historically played in the daily lives of many African cultures. Can you talk about what music meant to you as a child growing up in Soweto?

Music has meant a lot to me throughout my life. Music is what comforted me through my darkest times. When I suffered great hardship, when there was death, when there was no food, music is what made me stronger. In South Africa, we sing when we are happy and also when we are sad.

South Africans have a great connection with music.

bring our music to other countries and to showcase our culture to different people all over the world. It brings us so much happiness to show people the joyful aspects of our culture. I think that the choir has played an important role in showing the world South Africa’s rich culture and heritage. At its heart, South Africa is a vibrant nation, and this is best expressed through our rich and diverse history of music and dance.

Mr. Mandela was an icon in Soweto long before the rest of the world knew what an incredible leader he was. Could you talk about what his legacy means to the people of South Africa?

Madiba’s legacy means everything to us.

He was our father. He was our motivator.

He was our leader. He changed South African culture, and he changed the world.

Madiba taught us how to replace hatred with love, and to forgive the past and move forward. After the Apartheid, he was our beacon of hope for what the future could bring if the past was forgiven. He had the ability not only to unite his own people, but to set an example of forgiveness to the rest of the world. Even at his memorial, leaders from all over the world forgot their

Will there be any special recognition of him on the Choir’s forthcoming tour?

Yes, the choir will dedicate Johnny Clegg’s “Asimbonanga” to Madiba.

This song was written about Nelson Mandela at the time that he was imprisoned on Robben Island. It’s a very powerful and moving freedom song, and we feel very honored to be able to perform it in his honor.

It’s been over 10 years since the choir was formed. As you worked on compiling your new album, Divine Decade, were there any favorite memories or collaborations that stood out?

Throughout our career, we have been lucky enough to collaborate with artists that we grew up idolizing, such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Collaborating with U2 and Bono, Robert Plant, Mahlangu, and The Soil have been highlights for us. But the collaborations we do are all important and special in their own way, so I can’t pick a favorite!

What are your personal goals for the choir’s future?

To continue to bring joy, hope and happiness to our fans through our music! I would love to continue to tour internationally and perform for people all over the world, to make more music for the people, and hopefully be lucky enough to win another Grammy!

You were a founding member of the Soweto Gospel Choir. Can you talk about how the group came together, and what your original mission was?

In 2002, auditions were held in Soweto, and I was lucky enough to be one of the people to be chosen to join the choir. The first tour we ever did was to Australia, where every performance was sold out.

People queued down the road to try and get in to see us! After this, we did a month at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where presenters from around the world came to see us. Our time in Edinburgh started our international touring career, and we’ve been fortunate enough to tour the world for the past 10 years.

Our original mission was to bring joy into insiteatlanta.com • January 2014 • PG 29

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Detroit on January 1, some 250,000 revelers are expected at the Hockeytown Winter Festival, a “I am so excited that ESPN has given me this celebration coinciding with the Classic’s Toronto incredible opportunity. When I was six years Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings match-up… old I fell in love with the game of football, and No matter how the BCS title game unfolds for while I continue to pursue my dream of playing Florida State, the absolutely loaded Noles are quarterback in the NFL, this is an amazing already looking like favorites to butt heads with opportunity to be part of the unparalleled Alabama in the first-ever College Football Playoff passion of college football and the SEC.” – title game on January 12, 2015 in Dallas.

PG 30 • January 2014 • insiteatlanta.com

TOP 10 TEAMS OF THE YEAR

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS 1. BOSTON RED SOX

2013 stars

BOSTON RED SOX

When the city of Boston cried after the horrific Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, the world wept with it. When Red Sox superstar David Ortiz told a heartbroken Fenway Park crowd (and anybody within earshot) that “This is our fucking city” at a post-race remembrance, the world erupted with them. When the Sox went out and willed a World Series for the city —we’re guessing World Series MVP Ortiz’s .688 batting average and six RBI had something to do with the win— we have a feeling that nearly every baseball fan, no matter his allegiance, secretly smiled for the city that had endured so much this year.

2. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

“Chris Davis” is a name that will live in infamy around Tuscaloosa for decades to come. Had it not been for the Auburn Tigers cornerback’s otherworldly 109-yard field-goal return on November 30, we’d be talking ad nauseam about the Crimson Tide in the “greatest dynasties of all time” conversation. Instead, we’re merely remembering Bama for winning three national titles in four years (!) and being 11-1 this season.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

3. HENDRICKS MOTORSPORTS

When it’s all said and done, folks will speak of driver Jimmie Johnson much in the same glowing light as they do Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

This year, Johnson won his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series Championship, leaving him just one title shy of the aforementioned icons. That’s the stuff of legends. Johnson’s Hendricks teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fifth-place Series finish), Jeff Gordon (sixth place) and Kasey Kahne (12th place) were right there in the final standings. That’s the kind of stuff that gets you on lists like this.

4. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

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BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

SPORTS

It’s one thing to be a good team on a mission.

It’s a whole other thing to be a good team on a mission that’s also playing with a heavy heart.

After forward Kevin Ware went down with a devastating leg injury on March 31, the Rick Pitino-led squad could’ve folded its tent; instead, Russ Smith (18.7 ppg) and Peyton Siva (10 ppg, 5.7 apg) rallied the troops enough to battle through the NCAA Tournament, fight off the Michigan Wolverines in the title game and grant Ware his chance to cut down the nets.

5. UCONN LADY HUSKIES

Breanna Stewart isn’t quite the household name as past Lady Huskies icons like Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, but if the sensational forward has a few more years like she did in 2013, that will certainly change.

UConn easily won its eighth national title last season —the title game was a 93-60 laugher over Louisville— off the strength of Stewart’s length, laser focus and long jumpers. Sadly for other schools, it doesn’t look like there will be any let up either— Stewart was averaging nearly 20 points for the 12-0 Huskies at press time.

6. THE BRYAN BROTHERS

We don’t have the exact numbers, but it’s safe to say 95% of pro doubles teams will never win a Grand Slam tennis event. Bob and Mike Bryan aren’t your average pro doubles team, though. Of the 61 matches they competed in last year, they won nearly 90% of them, and that impressive resumè includes the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles. When the twosome won that last trophy, they became the first team in modern tennis history to have possession of all four Grand Slam championships —the Bryan Brothers also won the 2012 U.S. Open—at the same time. Sadly, that trophy stranglehold would be short-lived because of a ‘13 U.S. Open semifinals loss.

7. MIAMI HEAT

The San Antonio Spurs were this close to winning an NBA title in June, but LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Co. weren’t to be denied in their quest for a second-straight crown. The last time we looked, too, Miami (22-7) appeared to be hitting its stride for another long playoff run, thanks in no small part to King James putting up stats (team leader in points, rebounds and assists) and winning hardware (just the third NBA player to be named AP Male Athlete of the Year).

8. BALTIMORE RAVENS

Ray Lewis’ career will go down as one of the most decorated for a defensive player in NFL history. This legacy was solidified last February 3 because of Joe Flacco’s steady QB play (287 passing yards, three TDs) and Jacoby Jones’ 108yard kickoff return. This season’s Ravens don’t appear to be nearly as inspired (though they were battling for a playoff spot in late December), but the now-retired Lewis can’t feel too bad, seeing as how he’s now a broadcaster on the winning ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown team.

9. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

While the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Bears try to figure out what in the world they’re doing, these Blackhawks have just gone about their business, winning a second Stanley Cub title in the last four seasons behind the brilliant play of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Some would have thought that complacency and free agency would be a challenge to any thoughts about repeating, but it has worked out differently this season— the Chicago Blackhawks were 27-7-6 at the end of 2013.

10. BAYERN MUNICH

Some may be surprised with Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League title run this year, but if you paid any attention to what was going on around Allianz Arena over the past few years, you knew it would only be a matter of time before the Jupp Heynckes-managed club won the whole thing. If folks worried how the team would do under new leadership (Pep Guardiola took over in July), Mario Gotze, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben answered those questions in December by winning the Club World Cup, their fifth title of the year.

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