INsite Atlanta July 2019 Issue by INsite Magazine

JULY 2019

7 YEARS! 2 G N I T RA CELEB

INSITEATLANTA.COM

VOL. 27, NO. 11 FREE

Jeff Foxworthy Tiffany, Train Gordon Lightfoot

Summer GUIDE HOT ATLANTA NIGHTS

PG 2 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

CONTENTS • JULY 2019 • VOLUME 27, NO. 11

EARS! ING 27 Y T A R B E CEL

Atlanta’s

Entertainment Monthly

Interviews

12 Train 13 Gordon Lightfoot 14 Bacon Brothers 15 Ultrababyfat 16 Lost 80s Live 17 Tiffany 18 Jeff Foxworthy

Pictured-Left to Right: Freema Agyeman, Robert Englund, Zachary Levi, Rose McIver, Mark Pellegrino

Features 09 Burgers 10 Summer Guide 11 BBQ

Columns

04 Around Town 05 On Tap 06 Atlanta on a Dime 07 Under The Lights 07 Station Control 08 Movie Reviews 18 14 New Releases

insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Steve Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com Art Director / Web Design Nick Tipton nick@insiteatlanta.com Managing Editor Lee Valentine Smith lee@insiteatlanta.com Local Events Editor Marci Miller marci@insiteatlanta.com Movie Editor Steve Warren s.warren@insiteatlanta.com Music Editor John Moore john@insiteatlanta.com

Emily Andras Cooper Andrews Asher Angel Jane Badler Kat Barrell Kimberly Brooks Richard Case Dave Chapman Ray Chase Osric Chau Chad Coleman Ruth Connell Emily Coutts Shawn Crystal Robbie Daymond Jeff Dekal Julie Dillon Tamara Duarte Michael Eklund Dave Fennoy Quinton Flynn Stephan Franck Bryan Scott Fyffe Zach Galligan Aimee Garcia Maggie Geha Gil Gerard Gene Ha Erica Henderson Brian Herring Mark Jackson Josh Keaton

Barry Kitson Rahul Kohli Shazad Latif J. Lee Jae Lee AJ LoCascio David Mazouz Eddie McClintock Paul McGillion AJ Michalka Aly Michalka Max Mittelman Anson Mount Cary Nord Ty Olsson Yanick Paquette Ethan Peck Sean Pertwee Dominique Provost-Chalkley

David Ramsey Rebecca Riggs Brandon Sanderson Allison Scagliotti Anthony Simcoe Marc Singer Samantha Smith Joonas Suotamo Robin Lord Taylor Roy Thomas Lani John Tupu DB Woodside And many more!

Contributing Writers / Interns: Alex. S. Morrison, Dave Cohen, Benjamin Carr, Demarco Williams Advertising Sales Steve Miller (404) 308-5119 • ads@insiteatlanta.com MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 76483 Atlanta, GA 30358 WEBSITE • insiteatlanta.com

Pictured-Left to Right: DJ Qualls, Matt Ryan, Mark Sheppard, Catherine Tate, David Tennant

Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each writer and is not necessarily the opinion of INsite, its staff, or its advertisers. INsite does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or editors of INsite assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. No content, i.e., articles, graphics, designs and information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from publisher.

Check out this year’s Summer Guide on Page 10. insiteatlanta.com • July 2019 • PG 3

Around Town SATURDAY, JULY 13 ATLANTA FIELD DAY

Historic Fourth Ward Park

Atlanta Field Day is a throwback to grade school, built with adults in mind. They've got all the classic events like tug of war, relay races, obstacle courses, etc. plus some surprises throughout the day. Teams will earn points in each event to add up to your total for the day. Grab some friends, start your team (8 or more people) and gear up for the competition of the summer! Visit atlfieldday.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 13 REPTILE DAY

Fernbank Museum

Come face-toface with table after table of live reptiles and amphibians, including pythons and other large snakes, geckos, tortoises, lizards, iguanas, and many more! This popular annual event offers a unique opportunity to interact with and learn more about these ecologically-important creatures. Visit fernbankmuseum.org.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY, JULY 11-13 ATLANTA SHORTFEST Synchronicity Theatre

Atlanta Shortsfest held at the Synchronicity Theatre, showcases a diverse mix of short films by ultra-talented filmmakers from across the globe. Featuring a variety of genres with a running time under 45 minutes. Visit atlantashortfest.com.

Events and Performances taking place around Atlanta

SUNDAY, JULY 14 SUNDAYS ON THE RIVER CONCERT Chattahoochee Nature Center

knowledge about social injustice to future generations. This special event will be moderated by Chris Escobar, executive director for the Atlanta Film Society. For ticket information visit FoxTheatre.org or call 855-285-8499.

SUNDAY, JULY 21 THE EARL 20TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY The EARL in East Atlanta

The Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell is offering great nighttime entertainment this summer. Their Sundays on the River Concerts series is held the second Sunday of each month. Come out and see jazz pianist Joe Alterman on Sunday, July 14. At only 29 years old, Alterman has already released four critically-acclaimed albums and played some of the best venues in the country. Visit chattnaturecenter.org for tickets.

SUNDAY, JULY 14 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Fox Theatre

Actress Mary Badham, who portrayed Scout Finch in the original “To Kill a Mockingbird” film, will visit the Fox Theatre for a question and answer session on Sunday, July 14 at the Marquee Club. Prior to the screening of the film – which is part of the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival series – guests will have the opportunity to ask the actress questions about the film, its impact and how she continues to spread

Come on out to The EARL in downtown East Atlanta to celebrate their 20th Anniversary! The EARL is an Atlanta institution for great music, drinks and bar food. National acts and the best emerging artists from Atlanta’s music scene perform nightly to packed crowds. Tag Team and Dang Dang Dang will be performing. Free admission, no cover. Visit badearl.com.

JULY 30 - SEPTEMBER 1

OLD MACDONALD’S FARM Center for Puppetry Arts

Playing as part of the Center’s Theater for the Very Young Initiative, Old MacDonald’s Farm is an interactive show that will allow junior farmers to sing, dance and wiggle along with more than a dozen animal puppets and farmhands. The Suzi Bass award-winning show is recommended for ages two and older. Visit puppet.org.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 COBB COUNTY INT’L FESTIVAL Jim R. Miller Park

The 2019 Cobb County International Festival will feature a wide variety of local and international music and art, eclectic dancing, delicious culinary options, imaginative crafts, beautiful jewelry, kids’ corner and many other vendors. It will also give local businesses the chance to foster economic growth. Countries around the world will be represented at this family-friendly event. The 30,000-square-foot facility allows for 3,600 people inside and room for 2,500 more people on the plaza, midway and kids’ corner. Visit cobbcounty.org.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14 TASTE OF HELEN Festhalle, Helen, GA

Take a short drive up to Helen, GA, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River, for Taste of Helen. Enjoy culinary tastes from top area restaurants, live music and libations! Event takes place Wednesday, August 14 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Go to helenchamber.com or call (770) 8781908 for ticket information.

Saturday, August 3: 10AM – 4PM

Experience Food, Music & Art from Around the World Dancing • Festival Food Kids’ Corner and more! Jim R. Miller Park Event Center For General info contact (770) 528-8885

PG 4 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

On Tap this Month MAJOR EVENTS COMING TO ATLANTA

July 4: Lenox Square to Piedmont Park

AJC PEACHTREE ROAD RACE

e AJC Peachtree Road Race, organized by Atlanta Track Club, is the largest 10K in the world. In its 49th running, the AJC Peachtree Road Race has become a Fourth of July tradition for thousands of people throughout the metro Atlanta area and beyond. 60,000 runners follow a course that starts at Lenox Square, travels down Peachtree and ﬁnishes at Piedmont Park in Midtown. Visit PeachtreeRoadRace.org.

presents

tickets on sale now FOR THE 2019 concert season! Spin Doctors & 10,000 Maniacs saturday, july 20 music and a movie - bacon brothers saturday, july 27 starring michael and kevin bacon, MOVIE SCREENING OF KEVIN BACON’S “FOOTLOOSE”

The Lost 80’s saturday, august 3

A Flock of Seagulls, The Motels, The Vapors, Naked Eyes, Bow Wow Wow, Real Life, Boys Don’t Cry, Farrington & Mann

July 14 - August 25 : The Fox Theatre

COCA-COLA SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL e Fox eatre kicks oﬀ its 2019 Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival with a Sing-Along screening of e Little Mermaid on Sunday, July 14. Movies are oﬀered periodically through August 25. e festival will include early and evening shows of family fun such as festival favorite Mary Poppins Sing-Along (July 21) and Saturday AM Cartoons (July 27). Visit Foxeatre.org for full listing of showings.

MJ Live saturday, august 10

with special guest Electric Avenue, the 80's MTV experience

an evening with chris botti SATURDAY, august 17 George Thorogood and the Destroyers SATURDAY, october 5 The Good To Be Bad Tour - 45 Years of Rock

For more details, visit www.amphitheater.org

July 20 - 28: Atlantic Station

order tickets by phone at 877.725.8849

BB&T ATLANTA OPEN

Reigning BB&T Atlanta Open champ and University of Georgia star John Isner with be the odds on favorite to take his sixth Atlanta Open title. Nicholas Monroe and John-Patrick Smith will look to repeat as doubles champs. is year oﬀers new stadium design that not only provides more shade and air-conditioned spaces, but more activation areas and activities for fans. Visit BBTAtlantaOpen.com.

July 25 : The Fox Theatre

GEORGE CLINTON FAREWELL TOUR Capping over 50 years of touring and recording, George Clinton makes one last stop before he retires at Atlanta’s Fox eatre on ursday, July 25 with the “One Nation Under a Groove” tour and the legendary Parliament Funkadelic. e "One Nation Under a Groove Tour" features: Parliament/Funkadelic, Galactic, Fishbone, plus Miss Velvet & e Blue Wolf. Visit Foxeatre.org tickets.

Saturday, July 27: The Fred Amphitheater

THE BACON BROTHERS

Music and a movie with e Bacon Brothers - starring Michael and Kevin Bacon! e Frederick Brown Amphitheater has a unique event on Saturday, July 27. Come on out and see the talented brothers for a night of Music & A Movie. See their live show with screening of a Kevin Bacon movie afterwards. Reserved seats are $30 -$35 while Lawn are just $25. Visit Amphitheater.org for tickets and more information.

* DISNEY’S THE

LITTLE MERMAID SING-ALONG JULY 14 2:00PM

* TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD JULY 14 6:30PM

MARY POPPINS SING-ALONG JULY 21 2:00PM

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS

JULY 27 10:00AM

One of Atlanta’s Greatest Traditions Join us in watching ﬁlm favorites under the starry sky of the Fox Theatre. Our theatre was originally created to be a “movie palace” in Atlanta and we honor that tradition every year by showing classic ﬁlms and the latest blockbusters!

Thursday, August 16: Cobb Energy Centre

ABBA THE CONCERT

Audiences around the world all say that ABBA e Concert is the closest to ABBA you’ll ever get. e riveting show brings one of the greatest pop phenomena back to life. See the most iconic hits from ABBA performed live including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “Dancing Queen.” Dance, sing and have the time of your life at the ultimate tribute celebration! Tickets at CobbEnergyCentre.com.

* DISNEY’S

* THE PRINCESS BRIDE

JULY 27 7:30PM

* THE WIZARD OF OZ

AUG 25 2:00PM

*Marquee Club Experiences Available

For Tickets, Visit:

FOXTHEATRE.ORG

insiteatlanta.com • July 2019 • PG 5

Sunday, July 14

CONCERTS BY THE SPRINGS

EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA

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

Monday - Sunday, July 1 - 7

Thursday, July 4

Stone Mountain Park $20 Parking; StoneMountainPark.com

Marietta Square Free; MariettaSquare.com

Experience the Lasershow Spectacular with state-of-the-art digital graphics and awe-inspiring effects 7 nights in a row. e show includes a lighting feature at the base of the mountain shining up like fingers of light showcasing the 825 foot mountainside. Laser beams bounce around in harmony with the music. e special patriotic fireworks finale will immediately follow the Lasershow all four nights. Visitors may bring blankets and lawn chairs.

is all day celebration begins with an Independence Day parade at 10:00am on the Square. e parade includes 2,000 participants and an estimated 30,000 spectators. e end of the parade marks the start of the Festival. Food concessions, arts and crafts and carnival will provide plenty to do for the whole family. A live concert by the band A1A takes place at 8:00pm which leads to the City of Marietta ﬁreworks ﬁnale beginning at 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 4

Centennial Olympic Park; Downtown Free; CentennialPark.com

Concourse Corporate Center Free; SandySpringsga.gov

FANTASTIC FOURTH

4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION

is year’s 4th of July Celebration will oﬀer fun and entertainment for the entire family, including free music from DJ Yvonne Monet. Gates open at 7:00pm, entertainment begins at 7:30pm and ﬁreworks are scheduled to begin at 9:45pm. Presented by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA). Take MARTA or check website for parking options.

4TH ON THE PARK

Heritage Sandy Springs Free; HeritageSandySprings.org

See Journey Tribute band Departure for a free outdoor concert 7:00 - 8:30 pm Friday, July 8. e outdoor concert series is offered free of charge one Sunday each month at the Heritage Green through September. A limited number of tables available for purchase. Coolers welcome and beverages are sold.

Friday, July 26

CITY GREEN LIVE

The Green at City Springs Free; CitySprings.com/events City Green Live is a series of free concerts on the Green at City Springs. Friday, July

26 features Big Sam's Funky Nation, known for a boisterous blend of funk, jazz, rock, and hip-hop. Pack an blanket and picnic under the stars. Only alcoholic beverages sold on site are allowed. Tables available for purchase. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m., bands begin playing at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 27

ICE CREAM FESTIVAL

The Meadows at Piedmont Park Free; AtlantaIceCreamFestival.com Founded in 2010, this family fun event features America’s favorite dessert, Ice Cream! Meet with vendors; take part in ﬁtness routines and other fun activities including entertainment and an ice cream eating competition. e event is free to attend with ice cream for purchase. Visit atlantaicecreamfestival.com.

PARADE & FIREWORKS SHOW Celebrate the nation’s birthday as part of the City’s Stars and Stripes Celebration. Music from the band Bogey & e Viceroys will begin at 7:30 pm and ﬁreworks will dazzle the sky beginning at 9:45 pm. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and enjoy an evening under the stars. Pets, tents, outdoor cooking, drones, alcohol, and sparklers will not be permitted.

ICE CREAM FESTIVAL

The Meadowas at Piedmont Park FREE • Saturday, July 27 AtlantaIceCreamFestival.com

RECEIVE UPDATED EVENTS WEEKLY. SIGN UP BY EMAILING SUBSCRIPTIONS@ATLANTAONADIME.COM ENTER ON THE SUBJECT LINE: SIGN ME UP INSITE!

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

Atlanta’s Favorite Pizza! Multiple Atlanta Locations: JohnnysPizza.com PG 6 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

Station Control

DEATH, DARKNESS AND DISASTER

Stranger Things 3

Under The Lights ON STAGE THIS SUMMER

DRIVING MISS DAISY

Now Thru July 21 Conant Center (770) 641-1260 GET.org

the boy she loves. Winner of the eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, this family-friendly show is piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs. Hairspray is the ultimate feel-good musical!

SWEET WATER TASTE

BY BENJAMIN CARR

ARKNESS AND MONSTERS sneak up on us, sometimes through shocking moments and sometimes more insidiously. It can hit our homes, living with us day after day. When television attempts to tackle that darkness, it can provide us with cathartic escape. Through stories, we learn ways to face our own demons.

show. The actress is, as usual, great. Untethered from polite society, we get to see her character descend from being impolite to full-on nuts. Dead To Me

STRANGER THINGS 3 (Netflix)

The world of the Upside Down is on a collision course once again with the kids from Hawkins, Indiana, as this fun show reaches its third season, just in time for Independence Day. Filmed once again in Atlanta, and featuring the Gwinnett Place Mall, this season will tackle the cultural high points of 1985; New Coke, Back to the Future and the development of a new mall in the town called the Starcourt. Plot details are scarce, but telekinetic girl Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the gang keep having to close the gate to the mirror dimension of the Upside Down, where monsters roam and try to kill us. This year, Steve (Joe Keery) goes to work at the mall, while Billy (Dacre Montgomery) is a lifeguard. And it looks like big, scary things are going to happen at both jobs.

DEAD TO ME (Netflix)

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini star in this new series from Netflix, just renewed for a second season, about a woman coping with the sudden death of her husband from a hit-and-run. Jen (Applegate) is a real estate agent who begins attending a grief counseling group, finding comfort in another widow’s unorthodox, cheery and blunt approach to life. Judy (Cardellini) holds a dark secret that threatens to unravel the frien ship. Applegate’s take-no-prisoners darkness in her performance is the reason to watch the

Set against the historical backdrop of Atlanta’s development through the mid20th century, the story of aging Southern matron Daisy Werthan, her long-suffering son Boolie, and her chauffeur Hoke Colburn unfolds over 25 years of friendship, loss, racial tension, and ultimately love. This much-beloved story of an unlikely friendship is the play most associated with our late Artistic Director and Cofounder Bob Farley, and this production, directed by his daughter Laurel Crowe, is a tribute to him. The Conant Performing Arts Center is located on the Oglethorpe University campus in Brookhaven.

HAIRSPRAY Byers Theatre July 12 - 21 Sandy Springs (770) 206-2022 CitySprings.com It’s 1962 in Baltimore, and the “pleasantly plump” teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire: to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. She’s a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart who sets out to follow her extraordinary dreams and win

Horizon Theatre July 12 - August 18 (404) 584-7450 HorizonTheatre.com

All hell (and a little bit of heaven) breaks loose when Elijah Beckford, a prominent southern black undertaker, approaches his wealthy white cousins, Charlie and Elizabeth Beckford, and demands to be buried in “the family cemetery.” “You won’t want to miss this story of two families, one black, one white - two branches of one family tree in North Carolina,” says Co-Artistic Director Lisa Adler. “Funny, irreverent and topical, if you’ve loved previous summer productions from director Thomas W. Jones II (Blackberry Daze, Da’ Kink In My Hair, How Black Mothers Say I Love You), you’ll be thrilled with this Southern ensemble comedy.”

CHERNOBYL (HBO)

Already hailed as one of the greatest television programs ever made, HBO’s miniseries, which just concluded and is still available on streaming services, chronicles the 1986 nuclear disaster near the city of Pripyat in Ukraine and the efforts to address and contain the fallout. Based upon Voices from Chernobyl, by Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich, which contained interviews with around 500 witnesses, the show begins with the suicide of Valery Legasov, head of the commission who investigated the disaster. He records tapes, placing blame for the incident on the chief engineer for the plant, and then hangs himself. What follows that is a full replay of the incident and the botched efforts to evacuate the area. The show is graphic, upsetting and essential viewing. This is one of the year’s best. Chernobyl

Check out our exciting new

SUMMER TEQUILA COCKTAILS SERIES sponsored by Lunazul Tequila!

insiteatlanta.com • July 2019 • PG 7

MOVIES

Movie Reviews BY STEVE WARREN

TOY STORY 4 (G)

1/2 You don’t see The Simpsons or Law & Order: SVU suffering from “franchise fatigue” while coming up with dozens of new episodes each year. Their creators could teach something to the people at major studios who think a few familiar characters and a $100 million or two will automatically attract crowds every few years. Or the studios could learn from the Pixar folk behind Toy Story, which is as great as ever – if not greater – in its fourth installment in 24 years. Andy is grown up and out of the picture. His toys have been passed on to Bonnie, who makes one of her own, Forky (voiced by Tony Hale), on the first day of kindergarten. Except for Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), most of the old toys stay pretty much in the background to make room for new characters. The family goes on a road trip, where Woody runs into Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who’s been out in the world for seven years without a kid. Also out there are plush toys Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele), evil-ish Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks); and Canada’s greatest toy stunt cyclist, Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves – and if you think it’s unintentional that he’s not disguising his voice, check his dialogue in the closing credit sequence). You won’t believe the all-star cast list, some of whom only say a word or two. Director Josh Cooley pays amazing attention to detail as the story combines action, humor and sentiment – perhaps a bit too much of the last, but it’s all good. Anyone else would have Toy Story 5 in production already, but we’ll have to wait a long time – perhaps forever – so savor this edition because Pixar’s not playing around.

CHILD'S PLAY CHILD’S PLAY (R)

1/2 That the reboot (or remake, or regurgitation) of Child’s Play opened the same day as Toy Story 4 and a week before Annabelle Comes Home proves there are no coincidences. Unlike Pixar’s benevolent playthings, Chucky is the rotten apple

that spoils the toy barrel. Maybe he and Annabelle should hook up and leave human kids alone. Voiced by Mark Hamill, the new doll – he names himself Chucky – is much higher-tech than the old one. He’s a household assistant – think Alexa on steroids – who’s programmed to become “best friends” with his owner; but this particular doll has some extra programming. His new friend is Andy (Gabriel Bateman) – another Toy Story “coincidence”? – who lives with his single mom (Aubrey Plaza), who’s often visited by her boyfriend (David Lewis); and their cat. Down the hall is the old mother of a cop (Brian Tyree Henry) who visits her frequently. It’s fun for a time as Chucky misreads Andy’s casual remarks as kill commands, but your patience may expire before his last victim does. With a new name and face on its antagonist, the technical aspects would have made this movie as original as most new horror films. The way things are going this year, piggybacking on an old franchise was probably not a good idea.

ECHO IN THE CANYON (PG-13)

 If your knowledge of pop music begins and ends with Taylor Swift, chances are you’ll have no interest in this ancient history lesson, though maybe you should. If you were alive in the mid-‘60s you’ll appreciate not only the nostalgia but also trivia that connects some dots you were probably never aware of. Lawyers will want to see it for possible plagiarism suits as band members reveal how they were inspired by each other’s work. The Beatles gave Roger McGuinn the idea of combining folk music and rock and roll with the Byrds. The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” inspired the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper...” and so on. The film is rooted in a 2015 concert of songs that debuted from 1965 to 1967. It features Jakob Dylan and other artists who hadn’t been born then. The role of Dylan’s father (Bob is never mentioned by name) in the music’s evolution is ignored because the focus is on musicians who lived near L.A. in Laurel Canyon; hence the title. Dylan draws reminiscences from McGuinn, Eric Clapton, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr and the late Tom Petty. Michelle Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas proudly slut-shames herself and Crosby reveals why the Byrds sent him flying. Snippets of original recordings sound better than the cover versions, but the artists’ memories alone should earn Andrew Slater’s film a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE (R)

 I don’t have a great fondness for intelligent movies. I prefer mindless entertainment made by intelligent people. When they go deeply into financial matters they make my head explode. Here’s a rare exception with enough entertainment

TOY STORY 4 value that you can ignore the thinking parts and still have a good time. Canadian writer-director Denys Arcand hasn’t had a major release in America since his 2003 Oscar winner The Barbarian Invasions, and we should have missed him. Pierre-Paul (Alexandre Landry) has a Ph.D. in Philosophy but works for a courier company because “Deliverymen earn more than teachers.” Already generous with what little he has, he stumbles on a robbery in progress and winds up with two bags of cash belonging to the West End Gang, Montreal’s most powerful mob; so the gang and the police are looking for him. Pierre-Paul seeks financial advice from people who understand how to hold onto ill-gotten (or ill-kept) gains. Though he knows better than to call attention to himself with extravagant spending, he can’t resist the philosophical references on the escort site of a woman who calls herself Aspasie; and of course he falls in love with her. You should too, as actress Maripier Morin makes the best first impression since Charlize Theron as a combination of beauty and talent. There’s sex, violence, Montreal scenery and such subtle humor that you don’t realize you’re watching a comedy until a rare laugh line (“I’m not a lawyer. I’m a crook. I’m honest”) occurs. “Intelligence is a handicap,” Pierre-Paul says. Maybe so, but in this case it doesn’t hurt.

MAIDEN (PG)

1/2 Here’s one for the “better late than never” crowd, or those who missed Rosie the Riveter and haven’t heard that women can do the same jobs as men. It’s a documentary about the first all-female crew to compete in what was then the Whitbread Round the World Race but yielded naming rights to Volvo in 2001. Tracy Edwards, whose dark side is discussed but never shown, put a crew together for the 1989-90 edition and bought a “scruffy-looking” used boat, refurbished it and dubbed it the Maiden. Her first mate, the most experienced sailor of the lot, quit a few days before the race, leaving the unqualified Edwards in sole charge. Nevertheless, she persisted. Reporters who covered the race recall thinking the “girls” would never complete the first leg, let alone all six. Some rival skippers also contribute memories, as do Edwards and most of her crew; but the most surprising revelation is of the dual role played by Jordan’s King Hussein in encouraging and sponsoring the Maiden’s entry. Despite a concerted effort to make the story relevant and empowering to women today, the film’s time has come and long gone. Home movies from Edwards’ childhood are the kind you hate when friends make you watch them. Films taken at sea during the race are better because you understand the conditions under which they were made. Most ironic is that Maiden was directed by (Mr.) Alex Holmes, because – What? Women can’t make documentaries?

TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM (PG-13)

ECHO IN THE CANYON PG 8 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

1/2 For most of the length of Timothy GreenfieldSanders’ documentary I was thinking it must be a two-hour infomercial, because it was certainly selling me on Toni Morrison, an African American author I didn’t know much about. I don’t know

if she writes like she talks, but her running commentary assured me I like the way she thinks. Others, most notably Oprah Winfrey, who starred in the screen version of her novel Beloved, provide anecdotes and remarks as the well-organized film details Morrison’s life. She was born in 1931 in a small, integrated Ohio town, but heard stories from her ancestors about less amenable days down South. She majored in English at Howard, where she later taught, as she did at Princeton and Yale. She worked as an editor for Random House, where she persuaded Angela Davis, then 28, to write her autobiography. Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, introduced a pattern of writing about black people, especially women, without explaining them to whites. A few more novels in, a group of writers protested because she hadn’t won a National Book Award; but the film ends on a high note after she receives the 1993 Nobel Prize for Literature. Why, I wondered, was there no mention of the Pulitzer Prize she had won in 1988? And why, except for flashing book covers a few times, was there nothing about the six novels she published since 1993, or all but one of her nonfiction works? With a little Googling I learned all kinds of things that had been left out; and while an “and then she wrote...” biography would have been boring, too many salient facts are omitted. And are they saving the last 25 years for a sequel? I really liked what’s here until I realized what’s missing.

MARIANNE & LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE

1/2 If, like me, you saw the title and immediately started hearing Leonard Cohen singing “So Long, Marianne” in your head, you’re in the target audience for Nick Broomfield’s documentary. Thousands of you were with me at the Fox when Leonard performed there almost a decade ago. For me at least, Broomfield often misses the target here. As much as I love Cohen’s songs, I guess I don’t care that much about the details of his private life – except maybe the night with Janis Joplin in the Chelsea Hotel. It seems Cohen was one of many artistic types who were drawn to the Greek island of Hydra around 1960. Marianne Ihlen, a young, about-to-bedivorced mother from Norway, wasn’t an artist but she came too. She hooked up with Leonard and became his muse. They spent less and less time together as the years went by. Eventually he became famous and lived in New York and Montreal, then she moved back to Norway and lived a “normal” life; but they stayed in touch until they died three months apart in 2016. Cohen started visiting a Buddhist monastery in 1973 and lived there for six years in the ‘90s. The legendary D.A. Pennebaker contributes a lot of footage from Hydra in the ‘60s. Broomfield arrived there in ’68 and supplies some voiceover information without identifying himself, so it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s speaking. There are brief fragments of several songs but this isn’t a concert film. What there is will be of varying degrees of interest to various Cohen fans, but I doubt that many will give it an outright “Hallelujah!” See the rest of our movie reviews at insiteatlanta.com/movies.asp

Best Burgers in the ATL!

The Earl

East Atlanta - 488 Flat Shoals Rd. (404) 522-3950 badearl.com

Twin Peaks Restaurant is a rugged mountain lodge known for its man cave setting and beautiful Twin Peaks Girls. They have the best kitchen in sports and serve up highquality comfort food with a wide array of sandwiches and salads to choose from. Twin Peaks’ menu features generous, man-sized portions of classic American favorites like butter-brushed Ribeye, handprepared Mozzarella Cheese Bites and Buffalo wings. The most popular item on the menu is the Twin Peaks Cheeseburger. Every burger is smashed and seared to order for maximum flavor. These delicious burgers are served up on buttery challahinspired buns with caramelized onions, a choice of five cheeses, and fresh veggies like lettuce and tomatoes. For those looking to get a little more adventurous with their burger, Twin Peaks also offers its special Billionaire’s Bacon Burger, served with a bacon-laced burger patty. This burger is topped with Sriracha Pimento cheese and thick-cut Billionaire’s Bacon laced with brown sugar, red chile flakes, and smoked paprika. It is then finished off with lettuce, tomato, bacon beer mustard and finally bacon mayo. Twin Peaks has an extensive selection of 29-degree draft beers from 32 taps served into huge ice-cold, frosted mugs. There are private rooms available for bookings and a lively rooftop patio with great views of the city.

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Flatiron

520 Flat Shoals Ave. East Atlanta (404) 688-8864 flatironatl.com The Flatiron is located in the historic flatiron building on the corner of Flat Shoals and Glenwood in the heart of East Atlanta Village. It is a favorite hangout among residents and those visiting the area. Open since 1997, their friendly and professional staff and great bartenders keep their customers coming back. Flatiron was a first place winner in Creative Loafing’s Burger Week contest in 2017 beating out over 50 Atlanta restaurants and bars. They placed second in 2016. Build your own 1/2 Pound Angus Beef burger using their variety of toppings or try one of their originals like the Flatiron Burger. This tasty treat is topped with bacon, grilled peppers, blue cheese crumbles, American cheese and crispy onion rings. In addition to their award winning burgers, the vegan friendly menu offers a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, quesadillas and other appetizers. The Flatiron offers non-smoking inside and dog friendly patio. Upstairs is the Trophy Room with second bar, pool table and dart room. 21 and up establishment.

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Located in the heart of the East Atlanta Village, The Earl is the kind of place you can hang out at all day. It is a great combination of restaurant, bar and concert hall. Featuring an amazing bar menu, moderately priced drinks and a music venue in the back, this is a place that can satisfy just about anyone in your group. Their burgers are well known and have received numerous awards including the EARL Burger, made with 100% Black Angus Beef. The Guacamole Burger is known for its “cowalicious goodness” and served with guacamole, salsa and cheddar. The Blue Bacon is topped with grilled mushrooms, bacon and blue cheese. There are also vegetarian options including the Homemade Veggie Burger and Black Bean Burgers. The open front offers cafe’ seating with a great view of the East Atlanta scene. At night anything and everything can be heard on the back stage while the crowd varies with the bands. National acts and the best of the emerging Atlanta music scene grace the Earl nightly to packed crowds. The jukebox in the restaurant has one of the most eclectic group of albums in town. Bar regulars love to wash Earl burgers down with their PBR tall boys. With a casual atmosphere and eclectic mix of patrons, you can’t go wrong with a visit to The Earl.

(404) 961-8946 twinpeaksrestaurant.com

TWIN PEAKS BUCKHEAD

400 AC HT R

Founded in Atlanta by farmer and rancher Jason Mann and restaurateur George Frangos, Farm Burger is a better burger restaurant group committed to providing high quality, locally and ethically sourced food at an affordable price point. Farm Burger offers 100 percent grassfed, grassfinished beef burgers, dry-aged and ground fresh, as well as other thoughtfully sourced menu items including chicken burgers, vegan offerings, farm-fresh salads and more. Since 2010, the Farm Burger team has brought communities together through seasonal, chef-driven menus. As the crosspoint between consumers and farmers, Farm Burger is committed to leading the fast-casual industry in forging a sustainable food future through meaningful restaurant experiences. Its signature FB Burger ranks among Food & Wine’s Best Burgers in the U.S. In 2018, Farm Burger earned a spot on the Good Food 100 Restaurants™ List for its work to promote good food and sustainable food systems. Currently, the brand operates 11 locations across the Southeast, with a 12th location opening at the end of July 2019 in Midtown Atlanta at 22 14th Street NW (inside Whole Foods). For more information, visit farmburger.com.

Buckhead - 3365 Piedmont Rd.

Four metro area locations with Midtown opening in July 2019 farmburger.com

Twin Peaks Restaurant

Farm Burger

3365 PIEDMONT RD. ATLANTA, GA 30305 (404) 961-8946 HANGOVER BURGER | BILLIONAIRE’S BACON BURGER | AVOCADO SMASH BURGER

insiteatlanta.com • July 2019 • PG 9

Summer JULY 2019

MOVIE SCREENINGS TOWN Brookhaven Movies on the Town

Come on out for the Movies on the Town series at Town Brookhaven Thursdays, July 11 through August 22. Movies begin at dusk. This year offers an exciting blend of animated and non-animated movies perfect for families, date nights, girls’ nights, groups of friends and more. Arrive early, grab dinner from one of the area restaurants and eat on the green space. Thursday evening specials are also being offered by several retailers. Areas have been designated for blankets and chairs. No pets, outside food/drinks or coolers. The July Schedule: The Lego Movie 2 (June 11); The Greatest Showman (July 18); and The Little Mermaid (July 25). Visit TownBrookhaven.net/events for full summer schedule or click on the Movies on the Town tab on their Facebook page facebook.com/TownBrookhaven.

Fox Theatre

Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival

The Fox Theatre kicks off its 2019 CocaCola Summer Film Festival with a SingAlong screening of The Little Mermaid on Sunday, July 14 celebrating the film’s 30th Anniversary. After opening night, the festival will include early and evening shows including Saturday Morning Cartoons, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mary Poppins sing-along, The Princess Bride and the 80th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. Visit FoxTheatre.org for tickets.

Duluth Town Green Flicks on the Bricks

Enjoy a FREE movie while sitting under the stars on Duluth Town Green. The movie starts at 8pm. Enjoy FREE inflatables, food trucks, entertainment and more before the movie. See family friendly favorites Aquaman on Friday July 5th and The Incredibles on Friday August 2. Flick’s on the Bricks is presented by Kaiser Permanente. Visit DuluthGA.net for more information.

Atlantic Station

Movies in the District

Atlantic Station's outdoor summer movie series, Movies in the District, is offering two free movie screenings this month in their Central Park. See Moana July 11 and The Grinch July 18. PG 10 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

Moviegoers can also enjoy meal deals each week from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. from a variety of Atlantic Station restaurants. Movie screenings will begin at dusk. Pets are welcome. Visit AtlanticStation.com.

Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre Free Summer Movie Series

The 2019 Kaiser Permanente Free Summer Movie Series continues with two movies in July. See A Wrinkle in Time Wednesday, July 10 and How to Train Your Dragon 3 on Wednesday, July 24. Movies start at dusk, shown rain or shine, free and open to the public. Visit Facebook.com/MHBAmp for more info.

The Green at City Springs Movies by Moonlight

Movies by Moonlight, Leadership Sandy Springs FREE, fun, family-friendly outdoor movie series returns to the big screen on The Green at City Springs on August 9 with How to Train Your Dragon 2 and is followed by Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse (Aug 23) and Captain Marvel (Sept 6). Now in its 15th season, Movies by Moonlight combines the nostalgia of a drive-in movie with the fun of a block party rolled into one! Visit LeadershipSandySprings.org.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

ABBA The Concert JULY 27

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center

Audiences around the world and press all say that ABBA The Concert is the closest to ABBA you’ll ever get. The riveting show brings one of the greatest pop phenomena back to life. ABBA The Concert continues to be the top ABBA tribute group in the world, dazzling all who see with their fantastic performances. See performed live the most iconic hits from ABBA, including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes All,” “Waterloo,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” and “Dancing Queen.” Come dance, come sing, having the time of your life at the ultimate tribute celebration! Tickets at CobbEnergyCentre.com.

Decatur BBQ Blues & AUGUST 10 Bluegrass Festival Legacy Park in Decatur Square

A summer tradition returns as the 19th annual Decatur BBQ Blues & Bluegrass Festival takes place Saturday, August 10th at our new home (500 S. Columbia Drive – Legacy Park) in Decatur, GA. Six bands will perform on our main stage throughout the day including Randall Bramblett,

GUIDE

Honeywood, Campbell Station, Roxie Watson, Grizzly Goat, and blues icon Sandra Hall. Great BBQ from local staples Sweet Auburn, Williamson Bros., Grand Champion and Jim N Nicks will highlight a fantastic day of music, cold beer, and great food. Bring a blanket and spread out on the grass! The event is family friendly with kids 12 and under receiving free admission. Gates open at 1pm with the festival ending at 9pm. Tickets available at www.freshtix.com . For all event information visit Decaturbbqfestival.com or call at 678 778 2000.

Taste of Helen

At Festhalle in Helen, GA

AUGUST 14

PGA Tour Championship

East Lake Golf Club AUGUST 19 - 25

For the 17th consecutive time, The Tour Championship comes to East Lake Golf Club showcasing the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings. Atlanta hosts the Tours season finale, where both the winner of the T o u r Championship and the season-long FedExCup will be crowned. This season schedule was moved up to conclude in August to accommodate the lull in the sports calendar. VisitTourChampionship.com

German Bierfest Woodruff Park

AUGUST 24

The 16th Annual Atlanta German Bierfest offers an incredible day filled with authentic German beers, music, and food on Saturday, August 24th in Woodruff Park in Downtown Atlanta. Festival fans will receive a commemorative sample glass to use to enjoy unlimited samples of more than 35 authentic German Beers. Atlanta area German restaurants and food vendors will serve up authentic cuisine such as bratwurst, döners, pretzels, sauerkraut, schnitzel, and more! The German Bierfest also features live music, sports activities and games! Gates open at 2 p.m. and the event ends at 7 p.m. Visit GermanBierfest.com

Southern Wing Showdown The Fairmont, Midtown

AUGUST 25

Come on out for a finger lickin' good throw down with some of the best chefs in the Southeast at S p r i n g e r Mountain Farms' Southern Wing Showdown. This amazing event will be held at The Fairmont on Sunday, August 25. Advance ticket purchase highly recommended as they will sell out. For one day only, this event will provide wings, beer, Southern spirits and local music. The event benefits Angel Flight and Second Helpings Atlanta.

Dragon Con

Downtown Atlanta AUGUST 29 - SEPT. 2

Dragon Con returns for to Downtown Atlanta for five days over Labor Day weekend. The convention is held at the Atlanta M a r r i o t t Marquis, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Sheraton Atlanta and Westin Peachtree Plaza. Dragon Con is the largest multimedia, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music and film in the world. Dragon Con boasts close to 40 fan-based tracks, a film festival, parade, art show, comics, pop art exhibits and displays, nightly concerts and parties. Special guests attending this year include: Freema Agyeman, Robert Englund, Zachari Levy, Mark Sheppard and David Tennant. Memberships for purchase at DragonCon.org.

Imagine Music Festival Atlanta Motor Speedway

SEPT 20 - 22

Imagine Music Festival (IMF) is a 3-day camping and electronic dance music festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Ranked top 5 in the nation, the festival is an allencompassing, 360-degree sensory experience that blends music, circus troupes, performers, dancers, art, workshops, classes and more. Returning for their 6th year, the Imagine Festival will continue its immersive aquatic fairytale with an abundance of performers, live acts, unique atmospheres, amusement rides, vendors and The Imaginarium’s variety of sacred teachings, ceremonies, and transformational workshops. Headline performers this year include: Diplo Rezz, Above & Beyond, Zeds Dead, Alison Wonderland, Marshmello, Kshmr, Ghastly, Matoma, Alan Walker, Louis Child and Seven Lions. Tickets at ImagineFestival.com.

pignchik.net 4920 Roswell Rd. 404.255.6368 5071 Peachtree Ind. Blvd. 770.451.1112 1815 Briarcliff Rd. 404.474.9444

Pig-N-Chik is one among the top Barbecue restaurants on Facebook and on first taste you can see why. The ribs come St. Louis cut and are cooked until they show a pink smoke ring. All the meats here are served naked without sauce so the true flavor of the meat comes through. Their homemade BBQ sauces are found on the tables and their barbecue is served accompanied with a slice of thick white bread to mop it up. AJC food critic John Kessler writes, “It is glorious stuff, as every barbecue should be but rarely is.” Pig-N-Chik is a family friendly, community oriented barbecue restaurant that offers something that everyone will like; all at affordable prices. From barbecue ribs and barbecue pork to turkey, beef brisket, chicken wings, smoked salmon and a variety of salads, they’ve got a menu filled with irresistible dishes. Your children will love their kid's menu, featuring a tasty selection of chicken fingers, corndogs, beef and pork sandwiches and pork ribs. Don’t forget dessert. They have great homemade pudding made with iconic Moon Pies. Pig-N-Chik has a full scale catering operation. They will be bustling on 4th of July so make sure to place your order a few days before. All three locations offer Dine-in, Delivery and Catering.

Fat Matt’s Rib Shack

1811 Piedmont Rd. 404.607.1622 fatmattsribshack.com

Since 1990, award winning Fat Matt's Rib Shack has been one of Atlanta's favorite hot-spots. They feature great BBQ, live blues nightly and a casual setting for the whole family to enjoy. Not limited to the North Carolina or Kentucky styles, Fat Matt's uses their own seasoning and cooking technique. These ribs are smoked to perfection and literally falling off the bone. The ribs can be ordered as a whole, half slab, or on a sandwich. They also serve great barbecue chicken and pork. The signature side is their Rum Baked Beans, but they also have delicious Brunswick Stew, Mac & Cheese, Roasted Peanuts, Collards, Potato Salad, and Cole Slaw. Fat Matt's serves nine beers on tap and more in bottles. Seating is first come first serve inside and outside. During the busiest times a little patience is required but tables generally turn over quickly. Check Fat Matt’s website to see who is performing each night. Catering can be ordered at 678-521-5607.

Lovies BBQ

3420 Piedmont Rd. NE (Buckhead) Loviesbbq.com 404.254.2848 In the hustle and bustle of Buckhead Lovies is an unexpected, down to earth comfort food spot that celebrates content-

ment, convenience and co m mu n i t y. With roots firmly planted in Atlanta, Lovies is a dream come true for friends Nate, Drew, and Kay who now provide the greater Atlanta community with the same great food, friends and family had come to expect. When you visit Lovies, you’ll first be greeted by the irresistible smell of slow cooked meat just before you’re given a heartfelt welcome upon entering. Everyone can feel at home in the casual atmosphere that’s brimming with Atlanta pride – complete with a row of seats salvaged from the 1996 Olympics stadium. Custom-built twin Stump’s smokers ensure their food is smoked to perfection. Lovies is built on simple ingredients, tried and true traditions, and a commitment to serving smoked comfort food with a big serving of hospitality.

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

1238 Dekalb Ave NE 404.577.4030 Catering 404.414.0826 foxbrosbbq.com

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q is an award-winning barbecue restaurant located just south of Little Five Points. Opened in 2007, FoxBros. Bar-B-Q is known for their unique Southern-style barbecue with a Texas flair, serving up whole hog, smoked brisket, and wings with original side dishes to the hungry masses. To complement their que, the Fox brothers developed a sauce that mixes the flavors of Texas with the heat of the South. Today Fox Bros. BarB-Q has become a staple for Atlanta natives and visitors alike, and has earned top spots on barbecue rankings from top publications like Eater, USA Today Travel, Southern Living, and Maxim Magazine. The restaurant has been featured on national news channels including The Weather Channel, TLC, Fox News, and The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”. Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q is the Official BBQ of the Atlanta Falcons and will serve up their famous ‘que to hungry Falcons Fans at Mercedes Benz Stadium later this year. This summer, find them at the Terrapin Taproom and in Section 153 at SunTrust Park. For Fox Bros. on the go, visit the Que’osk, located at 120 Ottley Drive in Armour Yards. For more information please call (404) 577-4030 or visit foxbrosbbq.com.

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PigNChik.net Sandy Springs / Buckhead 4920 Roswell Rd • 404-255-6368 Chamblee / Brookhaven 5071 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. • 770-451-1112 Emory Area 1815 Briarcliff Rd. • 404-474-9444 WE DELIVER • WE DELIVER • WE DELIVER • WE DELIVER • WE DELIVER

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More BBQ Restaurants Moe’s Original BBQ 14th Street NW 404.249.0707 moesoriginal.bbq.com D.B.A. Barbecue 1190 N. Highland Ave 404.249.5000 dbabarbecue.com Slopes BBQ 200 Johnson Ferry Road 404.252.3220 slopesbbq.com Community Q BBQ 1361 Clairmont Rd 404.633.2080 communityqbbq.com Greater Good BBQ 4441 Roswell Rd. 404.303.8525 greatergoodbbq.com Williamson Bros. 1425 Roswell Rd. 770.971.3201 williamsonbros.com insiteatlanta.com • July 2019 • PG 11

MUSIC

TRAIN OF HITS

Co-Headlining with Goo Goo Dolls, Train Revisits its Best Songs

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

convenient for him to be in Atlanta.

INCE FORMING IN SAN FRANCISCO in 1993, the one constant presence of Train is lead singer Pat Monahan. The affable frontman has led the band through a myriad of lineup changes and stylistic shifts - and an impressive string of hit singles and critically lauded albums. From their initial success in the late ‘90s with “Meet Virginia,” Train’s 2001 album Drops of Jupiter kickstarted a string of awards and led to lucrative concert tours. By their third studio album, 2003’s My Private Nation, the band had become a major international attraction while forging strong ties to the Atlanta music scene. By 2006, with Sugarland’s Brandon Bush on keyboards and former Black Crowes bassist Johnny Colt, the band frequently recorded in Atlanta with in-demand producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen). Three years later, late 2009 was another vital time for the band with the release of Save Me, San Francisco and the massive crossover hit “Hey, Soul Sister.” Currently on a cross-country tour with the Goo Goo Dolls, Train opens the summer season at Ameris Bank Amphitheater in support of their recent Greatest Hits album. INsite caught up with Monahan by phone shortly before the tour kicked off last month.

Train was a staple of the 99X playlist in the peak of the Commercial Alternative days. Oh yeah, I remember we did a show with Kid Rock before Kid Rock or Train were what we became. It was a fun time.

Atlanta was second home for Train back in the day. I used to see you around town often. Yeah, I definitely used to spend a lot of time in Atlanta but now I’m only there once or twice a year. I just played Augusta National for the first time so now I hope to have a closer relationship with Augusta, Georgia now, too. For a while, half of Train was Atlantabased and produced. Yeah for a while. I think Brendan is living in Los Angeles now. The music world has changed so much, I don’t think it was as

PG 12 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

Let’s talk about the tour that brings you back to town. It’s a greatest hits show. At a time when many bands are doing fullalbum retrospectives, you have the luxury of pulling from the entire catalog. Yeah and the Goo Goo Dolls are the perfect band to do that with because they’ve got a whole lot of hits themselves. I think everybody who’ll be in that amphitheater will be real happy at the end of the night. You’re continuing the greatest hits vibe from last year because last time around, you were on a really strong double-bill with Hall and Oates. Yeah, their whole set is a hit. I have an old Hall and Oates set list around here somewhere and it reads like Yeah, it’s like, who’s complaining - people the track-list of the world’s longest greatest who are already rich? I do know some hits record. Last year, you collaborated people that complain about it, and I guess with Daryl and John for a single. Are you they’re not entirely wrong. It’s frustrating. planning something similar for the current But no one who is in music, got into music Goo Goo Dolls tour? for money. That’ll continue to be that way. Yeah, I hope to do something like that However we might be losing some artists again this time. You know, they covered to the fact that sometimes you can make a “Give A Little Bit” by Supertramp, but they better living doing something else. don’t usually perform it live. So Johnny and I have been talking about maybe both So it still comes down bands doing it together to creating good art, no during our set. And matter how the technology if not that one, then of the moment changes. probably something like Yeah, it’s the song, it’s the that. Something fun for music, it’s the band. The Wed, July 10 • 7pm everyone. Ameris Bank Amphitheater essence of it all is your voice and how you use it. You and Johnny awesomealpharetta.com [Rzeznik] go way A good song is key and back. You’ve obviously travelled in the same circles for years now. you’re a prolific writer. How has your songwriting process changed over When did you first meet those guys? the years? The first time I remember meeting them These days, I try to get in rooms was at a fund-raising event for the Pentagon with young people, honestly. I feel like that Michael Jackson was actually putting songwriting has changed to the point where on. I met them backstage at that show. young people know what they’re doing but old people don’t listen. But I like what they Sounds like an interesting show. Who else have to say and I like the way they say it. was on that bill? But I plan on writing the next Train record I can’t remember everyone - but I know with not just young people, but writers like it was Aerosmith and just about everybody my friend Butch Walker – another Atlanta else you can think of. guy. Butch is a very inspiring person to me. He’s crazy talented and crazy humble. He’s The industry has changed so much since got the best voice and he’s the best guitar big event shows like that one. player. He’s just there to help you get the Oh, so much. There were no cell phones best out of yourself. and the internet was just starting. The first manager we ever had, we told him we were gonna get a website. He said he thought the You’ve written with a lot of people over the years, but you’ve also collaborated with internet was just a fad! (Laughs) He’s not many fine artists, both on solo projects our manager anymore. But that’s the way and under the Train banner. people consume music now and it’s cool. Oh yeah, that’s the whole point. I’m not I love it. It’s a good way to do business. switching out guys now just because I like Kids have led the way and what it all comes to just change it up. Like our drummer down to is, you’d better just do good work. Drew [Shoals] just left, to go back to practicing law which was super bad for me Many artists complain about the internet because I love Drew and he’s an amazing with the old “my records aren’t selling because of today’s technology” excuse. But drummer. But we have a new kid that’s really great. His name is Matt Musty and some of those complainers can’t even give he’s gonna add a whole new fire to us this away albums at this point in their career.

TRAIN & GOO GOO DOLLS

summer. It’s great to have new people come and be excited and make us all play better. Even though you are the constant, it’s not like this is a solo job for you. There seems to be an ever-evolving band democracy within the Train organization. Yeah, these guys have really earned it. I’m surrounded by great people now, which was always my goal. If I can wake up and like the people that I have to spend two and a half months on the road with or in the studio with - that’s the way it should be. Now I can do that every day. I’m old enough where I’m allowed to make those choices. I’ve been lucky enough that Train fans have stuck with me, trusting that I’ll make them proud. It’s been an entire decade since “Hey Soul Sister” was released, which makes me feel old to even think about, but it’s just a fact. (Laughs) Well we were old when that came out, so imagine how old we are now! Really, that song just gave the Drops Of Jupiter album a whole new life as well. I think one of the coolest things that came from that is Taylor Swift made a live record and put both “Drops Of Jupiter” and “Hey Soul Sister” in her set, which was pretty cool. Talk about adding new fans, that must have been an unexpected popularity boost for you. Yeah, that was fun. I’m not sure if she gives a shit about Train anymore, but she did then. Speaking of “Drops Of Jupiter,” it’s now a wine. Yeah about ten years ago, we started a wine to benefit a great cause in San Francisco called Family House. It’s for low-income families with very sick kids and they go to UCSF hospital for assistance and to hopefully get healed. So over the years we’ve been able to give a lot of money to a great charity and people get to drink a beautiful wine. It’s just a lot of fun to get some people drunk and happy and to get other people potentially well.

MUSIC

GORDON LIGHTFOOT: GOING STRONG AT 80

After Eight Decades, the Canadian Singer-Songwriter is Very Much Alive and Well was totally knocked out with it but we did it independently. I did 20 original albums altogether, five of them were for United Artists and fourteen were for Reprise. I’m actually quite surprised and pleased that I’m able to carry on at this age.

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

N 2010, THE NEWS WENT VIRAL that Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot was dead. The internet hoax snowballed and heartbroken fans began to post the prerequisite flood of thoughts and prayers for his family and associates. The Your career has spanned generations. outpouring was genuine but fortunately the Do you feel the folk troubadour’s charge news was indeed fake. to be a social commentator, or are With a recording career that began in you more comfortable with the more 1966, Lightfoot has had a long and prolific personal approach? career with a canon of During the Vietnam war, 220 songs, including his a lot of people were looking biggest hits “Sundown,” at that time head on and “Early Morning Rain,” directly, but I was looking at and “The Wreck of the from the periphery. Monday, July 22 • 8pm itI’dmore Edmund Fitzgerald.” At see the soldiers at the this point in his career, the Cobb Energy Center airports and it was a very Songwriter Hall of Fame sad time. I have a song we cobbenergycentre.com inductee certainly doesn’t do a lot called “Drink Your have to endure the strain Glasses Dry,” which could of interviews, fans, travel mean a number of things now that there’s a and performing. But the affable musician possibility of draft again. has a full schedule on his current “80 Years Strong” tour for 2019 as well as a careerThat’s one thing I’ve always admired about spanning documentary film and a even your writing is that you paint a very broad brand new album on the way. swath of social commentary, presented “The one I’m working on right now, from a very personal place and a decidedly provided I don’t fall again or get sick again, Canadian perspective. I will be able to carry through and produce Yeah, with relationships and the it in a highly professional manner,” the environment and travelling, too. It’s hard Orillia, Ontario native confided to Billboard to get it nailed down, really. But I’m a in March. “If I’m still walking around, we’ll Canadian and I watch and I learn from my finish it.” next-door neighbors and try to keep it all Last winter, INsite spoke with Lightfoot going in a general direction. It’s emotionally by phone from his home studio near charged because of what’s behind it - in Toronto as he prepped one of his guitars in my case, so many marriages, so many kids anticipation of a tour. He returns to Atlanta (laughs). I do cover a lot of topics and some this month for a performance at Cobb of it’s personal but a lot of it isn’t. Energy Center.

GORDON LIGHTFOOT

You are the first artist I’ve talked to who survived the dreaded online death hoax. But you did have an actual health scare a few years ago. Yeah, in 2002. The situation there was I had an aortal aneurism. It put me out of business for two and a half years. I was out cold for the first six weeks. But you sprang back with a burst of creativity and completed an album in the process. I had a series of vocal and guitar tracks that I’d recorded about a year before I went down. Eighteen selections were sitting in the vault. They were meant as demos so my band could learn the songs. Then I was in the hospital for three and a half months, just the first time. During that time I was thinking, ‘What am I gonna do about my band, how can I run my business and what about my family if I can’t work?’ For about six months, I wasn’t sure if I could ever get back to it or not. But then I thought about those demos. I got the guys in the band together and we found which takes were salvageable. The guys started working on it while I was still in the hospital. That became my last album [Harmony, released in 2004]. So that could have been my rebirth right there - to come back from an illness and be able to make an album at the same time. The guys would bring the stuff to me in the hospital at night so I could listen to it. What do you think of it in retrospect? I would have liked to do the whole thing from scratch, as we’d planned. I can’t say I

all of that figured out before we leave. And then there’s the exercise and just taking it all seriously. It’s all part of the plan, part of my routine now. I still run my own errands and I don’t find any of it boring because it’s getting through one more day of being prepared for getting out on that stage. It’s not work when it all sounds good.

The casual observer doesn’t realize the 8 o’clock show involves a full day of work. Yeah and with travel and all that, we don’t arrive by magic. We do soundcheck and then I work on the intonations. I don’t ever feel it’s perfect until about a half-hour before we go on stage. I just keep working at it. Even at supper, I’m still thinking about the tuning. Because I want it to be just right.

You’re working on your 12-string at the moment. Do you still enjoy the preparations that come with a new tour? You don’t have to play live anymore, but you obviously love to do the work. With wear and tear, and some of the adversities of gettin’ older the vocal loses a little bit of its brilliance as the years go by. But it’s still there. It’s strong, it’s in tune and the five-piece band is really tight now. The folk-rock genre, as you know, is great fun to do. It’s fun, it’s a challenge. But to get ready for it involves exercise - as boring as that may sound. It involves practicing the instruments every day. I just try to look ahead, one year at a time. How does it feel to still be an active guitarist at this point in your life? Well in 2010, I had a trans-hysteric attack in my right arm. Golly, all of a sudden, I couldn’t play! But it gradually came back. I started playing and practicing a lot more and it started working its way back. It came back about 98 percent. In doing so, I perfected some of the technical things I’d been working on all these years, like getting perfect intonation of the instruments, and that’s what we strive for. With 220 songs to pick from, it must be difficult to plan a two-hour show. Of the 220, there are about 38 or so we’ve got it boiled down to, the ones that work well for me and the audience. Then there are about 12 or 14 that must be done and the rest of the material has to be rotated around that, so we have three different shows to set up and that’s part of the homework. I have

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MUSIC

DOUBLE FEATURE

The Bacon Brothers Will Rock and Then Cut “Footloose” You wrapped City On A Hill just a couple of days after the premiere episode aired. It’s a well-done series and it’s such a cool throw-back to the gritty, ‘70s-style school of filmmaking. I grew up with films like “French Connection” and “Serpico” and even the Robert Altman stuff. KB: Me too. Those are the kind of movies that really made me want to be an actor. That was the kind of thing I was just drawn to - and those kind of New York actors like Di Nero, Pacino and Hackman - and even Meryl Streep.

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

HE MORNING AFTER SHAVING his City On A Hill moustache on Late Night With Seth Meyers, actor and musician Kevin Bacon was working the phones with his brother Michael to discuss their upcoming music tour. For the past two decades, the Bacons have barnstormed the country, hauling their seasoned band from city clubs to county fairs to suburban amphitheaters, playing to a mix of already-converted fans and curious onlookers. Not that they necessarily need to hit the road. The self-titled Bacon Brothers album was Kevin has over 80 film appearances to his credit released a year ago and it’s got that same sort of and Michael is constantly in-demand for television gritty ‘70s-record feel to it. From the production and film scores. But they seem to genuinely enjoy to the playing, even down to the lyrical content. the process of making a record, self-releasing it KB: Listen, I think we just write and play the and then touring to support it. Usually when a songs the way we hear ‘em. I’d love to say we try to well-known actor decides to make music, he does go for something specific but really all we do, our his level best to separate his well-honed screen whole MO, is to write a songs, do a demo, play it image from the unadorned “artist,” hopefully for each other, play it for our wives and then get transforming from A-List star to the simple guy with the band and see how it ends up. Even our with a guitar, some songs and a dream. new single is kinda reflective of But these days, the Bacons the ‘70s too, in that it’s got a funk aren’t even trying to draw kind of vibe. I loved that stuff the lines between personas. when I was a kid. That’s when I They willingly embrace the got hip to things like Parliament, public’s curiosity factor with Earth, Wind and Fire and SATURDAY, JULY 27 a rootsy live set comprised of even Stevie Wonder and later solid musicianship, a few good on, Chic. The Frederick Brown, stories and, of course, genuine Jr. Amphitheater star-power. At The Fred, the Michael, you are very wellBacon Brothers will play at ampitheater.org tuned to the ‘70s because you twilight, basically opening the were a working musician in show before an early-evening Nashville in those days, well screening of Kevin’s 1984 film “Footloose.” Why? before the corporate pop influences really Well, why not! Come for the movie, see the band kicked in. as a bonus. Or just come for the rock’n’roll show MB: Yeah, Kevin and I grew up in Philadelphia and leave. Either way seems to suit the soft-spoken and we weren’t exposed to that much pure Philly-born duo just fine. country music as kids. But Chet Atkins was big In concert, both Bacons sing and play guitars in our house and I saw Dolly and Porter’s show with able backing from Paul Guzzone (bass), Joe on TV and I remember looking at it and going, Mennonna (keyboards, accordion), Tim Quick ‘What the heck is that?’ It was Dolly Parton, so (guitar, mandolin) and Frank Vilardi (drums). you knew it was good. But then when my wife and Their ever-expanding catalog continues to grow I got married in 1972, I went to Nashville and I with a new single slated for release this summer. saw a writer’s night at the Exit In. Guy Clark was INsite spoke with the duo by phone as the playing and I was like, ‘Oh man, these people are brothers planned a band rehearsal doing something I didn’t even know existed.’ I’m a trained musician but most of the guys in Nashville Kevin, how’s your moustache? Colbert made a that I respected didn’t even really read music. It big deal about it a few nights ago on his show. was just a real connection. KB: It’s gone. I took it off on Seth Meyers last night. I actually shaved it off on there. I wrapped That ‘real’ vibe resonates in the Bacon yesterday and I pitched it to the segment producer. Brothers’ music. I said, ‘What would you think about actually MB: Yeah but it’s funny, some people look at us taking it off on the air?’ he said, ‘All right!’ and go, ‘Oh, you’ve gone retro.’ But it’s not retro, it’s the way we work. I think after all these years

THE BACON BROTHERS

of playing, we both have a sense of what we do best. The longer you have a band together, you get better and better at finding that thing.

have all the new songs in the set and probably even more new stuff by then. We’re a songwriter-driven band and we live and die by that.

The last time we talked, we got into the creative process a bit and it’s interesting to know that you both bring in songs separately rather than work them up as a band. KB: Yeah, what we tend to do now - and probably for the last ten years or so - is just write the songs separately and then demo them with an idea of how it would be played. Then we start playing it with the band. Sometimes it ends up being really close to the demo but sometimes it morphs into something else. That’s one of the fun things about putting a song out there or sharing it. You can go, ‘Wow, that’s so cool, I never heard it that way, that’s great.’ Or ‘Wow, I never heard it that way, please don’t play it that way!’ It can go either way.

You are very lucky in that you don’t have to play your hit singles because you don’t have the burden of having any big hit records. KB: (Laughs) That’s true. We were just talking about that. MB: It would be nice to have that big hit single that we have to play.

You released the latest album last June and you already have a new single on the horizon. MB: Yeah, now we have about six or seven new songs already. What happens with songwriters is you get what I call a “bloom” where you just can’t stop writing. And then you go into a drought where you just don’t write at all. But in the last two months, I’ve written more songs than in the past year. Kevin are you in bloom now, too? MB: Well I’ll say Kevin just wrote a song for me called “Picker,” which in Nashville is a guy who plays guitar. The cool thing about it is that in the song, I play guitar but my real talent is, I pick this girl. And we just turned our guitarist Tim Quick loose on it, and he came up with this great Telecaster country sound. I can’t wait to play it live. Will these new songs make it into the current set? MB: I’m sure that by the end of the summer, we’ll

In Atlanta, you’re playing before a screening of “Footloose.” Are you doing that in every city this summer? KB: No, actually Atlanta is the only city where we’re doing that. MB: You don’t want to go to a city and suddenly find a Kevin Bacon film festival, because that would be uncomfortable, but we’ve always balanced his film career on our own terms. If it adds to the audience, then we’ll do it. Will you stick around for the movie? KB: (Laughs) Well, to be totally honest… MB: Oh, you don’t want to see “Footloose,” Kev? KB: Um, I think we’ll be rolling off to the next town by then. MB: Maybe we’ll put it on in the bus. We’ll be heading to Florida and that’s a long drive. Obviously some people will come to the show just to see the “movie star.” KB: That’s true and we’ve never pretended that wasn’t going to be the case. But the upside is, sometimes we can get more people in the seats than if we were just a band that nobody’s ever heard of. But the flip side is getting people to take the music seriously. We put on a good show and we have a good band. MB: Ultimately, I think that’s really our job, to turn ‘em into music fans.

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NEW RELEASES THE LATEST DVD, BLU RAY & VOD RELEASES By John Moore

US (Universal)

Jordan Peele’s follow up to the surprisingly brilliant Get Out, though not as universally praised as its predecessor, still manages to be a thoughtprovoking, thoroughly original story. The horror movie focuses on a family going to their vacation PG 14 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

rental in Santa Cruz and discovering an entire race of evil doppelgangers in red outfits out to kill their mirror images. The acting, especially by Lupita Nyong’o, is stellar and the mix of horror and dark comedy is flawless. The only downside is the actual origin story of the Reds, which seems tacked on an underexplained. Regardless, Us is a continuation of Peele’s strong track record as a writer/director.

LORDS OF CHAOS (Unobstructed View)

At this point, more people have heard the story of the Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem than have actually heard their music. Lords of Chaos, based on the book of the same name, follows this band in the mid-to-late ‘80s as the bored suburban kids progress from simply scaring the locals with their long hair and pentagrams to burning churches, trashing cemeteries and eventual

murder. There is also a particular gruesome side story about the members making jewelry from skull fragments of their deceased singer. The story, though disturbing, is highly compelling thanks to the carefully measured nature the story unfolds. It could have easily been played over the top, but the slow, subtle de-evolution of the band makes for a much more impactful movie.

RANDY BACHMAN (FilmRise/MVDVisual)

Forty-plus years removed from his biggest hits, it’s easy to forget just what a power-

house Randy Bachman was in rock music. First with the Guess Who and later with Bachman Turner Overdrive, the songwriter and guitarist wrote a slew of memorable songs and even more iconic guitar riffs. Along with Bachman, the doc includes interviews from a number of fellow Canadian musicians like Neil Young, Rush’s Alex Lifeson and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Most compelling here is the discussion around the guitarist’s strong Mormon belief system and how that often conflicted with the traditional 1970s rock life style.

MUSIC

ULTRABABYBACK! FOR NOW…

Enduring Atlanta Band Reunites to Celebrate Two Decades of The Earl SB: No! In fact, I think what’s great about it is, so many of our former bandmates - and you know all of them - most of those people are still in our lives. People are coming in from out of town just to hang out.

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

N STRANGE SYNCHRONICITY, THE twentieth anniversary of The Earl just so happens to fall on a rare free date on the calendars of busy musicians Shonali Bhowmik and Michelle DuBois. There’s no way you can invite them all up to The duo fronted Babyfat and then play at this point. Ultrababyfat in the ‘90s, releasing a series of SB: No, we’d like to, but we just can’t. So impressive albums and singles over the years, what we are doing is sticking to the lineup including Silvertone Smile, Eight Balls In we played with on our last few years and on Reverse and their last (for now) collection, the last album and I’m very exited about it No Ringo No. because I love those guys so much. So we’ll Bhowmik is now a Manhattan-based artist have Jeff Holt on bass and Jody Belinsky with her own band Tigers and Monkeys on drums. and hosts a popular podcast called “We Don’t Even Know.” Likewise, Michelle You’ve had such a long list of collaborators; remains Atlanta-based and busy with her did you ever consider doing a retrospective own projects including three beguiling solo show only featuring you two? releases. But it took a prodding email from MD: Yeah, I was thinking it could just be a fellow indie band in North Carolina to get Shonali and I - just going back and forth with the band back together - even for a weekend songs. Because our history goes back to forth - regroup for a couple of shows in the Atlanta grade. But I think because and Charlotte markets. these guys have a full rock Shonali spoke with INsite band, we called up the last by phone from her New line-up we had. I think York home and Michelle Friday, July 19 • 8pm if they couldn’t do it, it spoke recently from her would have just been the The Earl office in Atlanta. two of us. badearl.com

ULTRABABYFAT

How’d this all come together? Shonali: I think this was in both Michelle and my heads at the same time, but our friends The Husbians from Charlotte - who are also reuniting for these shows - emailed us around seven months ago. They asked if we’d like to do some shows with them this summer. It was weird because we were both already thinking we should do just that. The other band on the show is The Alternative Champs and they share members with the Husbians. Michelle: We’re both just putting out stuff all the time, like little engines that could, just to keep doing things. And our friends who are doing this ‘East Bound And Down’ show proposed this weekend idea. It sounded like a summer fun project. So we were like, ‘Ok, let’s do it.’

You can’t have a guestlist for this show because it would have 180 people on it. SB: We are gonna see so many people we love and we’ve worked with over the years. I’m hoping it’s like a huge family reunion. It’s like a High school reunion but with people you actually like. And to add some icing on the cake, it’s the 20th’ anniversary of The Earl. SB: Yeah, talk about synchronicity! It’s all happened without us even trying or pushing for it to be a show. We played the first-year anniversary of The Earl and I have a VHS of that night.

What do you remember about that night? SB: I remember we played “We’re An American Band,” the Grand Funk song. So that was around 19 years ago and it was a crazy night. But see, I left town So it was like an invite to a and we never really got to do NO, WE NEVER BROKE UP. family gathering. MICHELLE AND I, SINCE a real album show for our last SB: Yeah, we have some record No, Ringo No. I’d left of these brother bands, all WE WERE KIDS, SWORE town by then and we never across the country. There’s THAT WE’D NEVER BREAK really toured on it. I’m going to at least fifteen of them and UP AND WE’D PLAY TILL bring some copies of it for the it’s turned into a family merch table. affair. We have this longWE’RE 80. MD: We played the one-year time extended family from anniversary and I remember across the country. The Champs are in this it clearly. We brought a cake up on the stage new Danny McBride show so the date came and R. Land, who Shonali was dating at together because we were all finally available. the time, made these ‘The Earl Turns One’ t-shirts. I don’t even have one. But this isn’t an official reunion because you guys never really broke up. How do you rehearse for a show like this? SB: No, we never broke up. Michelle and Well we were just texting about this I, since we were kids, swore that we’d never yesterday. Michelle and I’ve both been break up and we’d play till we’re 80. Ok, so playing with our other bands, but we’ve made we aren’t 80 yet but let’s do it. As children, these playlists and we’ve been sharing them we really did think about one day being old back and forth. And you know what? Muscle ladies onstage with each other. And the only memory is a real thing. I can vouch for it. way to keep that happening is to keep doing Literally the stuff just comes back when I it. So with that goal, you can never lose or think about it. It’s crazy. never freak out about where you stand. MD: We’ll have maybe two long practices before the show. But I haven’t even started At 80, nobody can argue that you aren’t cramming yet. She told me about the cool. You’ll be rockin’ on stage and that’s memory muscle thing and I’m like, ‘Oh ok, cool no matter what. But this is no fine I’ve got time.’ farewell tour.

Is this part of a tour or is this the only show? SB: The other bands on the bill are from Charlotte and so we’ll play there and Atlanta. And I love Charlotte. That’s a town I play with Tigers and Monkeys and that’s a town that has supported us since the beginning. So we picked those two towns and we’ll see what happens. What do you think will come from this gathering? SB: I don’t know - and I think that’s what

makes it so great. I know good things come without planning. Just having the guts to try something new and see what happens, is great. It’s all down to people who like playing music together and who are excited to be with their old friends. It’s an important time to do this and we both have fires under our butts to do something while we can, in the moment. Michelle is still recording her music and I’m doing Tigers and Monkeys. After we did a show together in Atlanta last December, it just felt right. So it’s time to do it.

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MUSIC

CHECKING IN WITH MARTHA DAVIS The Sultry Voice of The Motels Contemplates Her Life in Music

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

OU PROBABLY WON’T HEAR the new album from The Motels on the radio. You definitely won’t hear anything from it on the Lost ‘80s Live tour, either. But you should definitely hear The Last Few Beautiful Days. It’s a serious examination of a life dedicated to music, told from the perspective of a true survivor. What you will hear at the show is a celebration of the band’s greatest hits from the ‘80s. A darling of the early MTV era, Martha Davis and her band were staples of the channel with a string of sultry, melodic pop hits including “Only The Lonely,” “Take The L,” and “Suddenly Last Summer.” The Berkley, California native made her mark in the heart of the punk scene of Hollywood. She now lives happily alone with a menagerie of animals on a farm in Oregon. INsite checked in with Davis the day before she left the ranch for a summer tour that brings her - and original Motels keyboardist Marty Jourard - back to Atlanta in early August. A big farm in Oregon is a million miles away from the intense Hollywood scene of the late ‘70s. Yeah, it never really worked for me. I’m not that girl and I never have been. I love music, I love creating and I love performing. But the scene, that whole Hollywood thing - the fame, all that stuff, is just…

That’s why it still resonates. Yeah because you can like Talking Heads or Blondie or The Pretenders but none of those bands are the same at all. It was a veritable pu-pu platter of fabulousness. The only thing I can think of that was even similar was the hair band scene, but that wasn’t as diverse. We had the whole video thing, with MTV and all. That took everyone even further in their own directions because nobody wanted to sound or look alike.

Unhealthy. It is. People sometimes It must have been a lot don’t understand how it of pressure on a band atrophies a soul. Even in to not only make a good our heyday, I thank God record but then to star in I actually went in the a series of short movies other direction because SATURDAY, AUG 3 • 7PM to promote the songs. I was already not doing Frederick Brown Jr. Yeah but it was so much well. You become so Amphitheater fun. We worked with insulated and detached amphitheater.org director Russell Mulcahy from reality. People are (Elton John, Duran taking care of you. You’re Duran, Berlin) on “Only not actually paying a bill The Lonely” and “Take The L” and we did and you can’t really function. It’s just them both for something like $80,000. We it’s very unhealthy, yes that’s a good way shot for two days and it was like the wild to say it. Very few people handle it well, west! It was just completely uncharted especially the young ones. I always feel territory. The old man who was the so bad for the child actors and stuff. It’s bartender in “Only The Lonely,” one of the a tough place. So I’m glad that I escaped production assistants found him. He had and managed to not become famous. But just gotten off a bus from Oklahoma. He I’ve stayed alive and I’m still doing what I was from L.A. but he’d been gone for 40 want to do. years. He literally stepped off the bus and they said, ‘Hey, you wanna be in a video?’ You didn’t quite fit into the scene when you arrived? But videos soon morphed into just When I moved to Los Angeles in ’75, another pain in the business. my band thought we were gonna make Yeah, like everything else in life. Shortly it overnight. We were very different and strange and funky. But we were ‘too weird’ thereafter, videos got expensive and it became a power thing. But it’s like when we first moved there because it was breathing, it’s expansion and contraction. all the Laurel Canyon scene with Linda Things start small, then they get big and Ronstadt and the Eagles and all that stuff. then they have to contract. I think we’re in Then punk came along and we were too a little bit of contraction right now in the melodic for that scene. world, in many ways. Or a spasm. Then New Wave came along. Yet like in the turbulent ‘60s, great music It came washing over the shore and it and art is coming from the spasm. implied whatever. It’s whatever it is, if we It’s funny, pop music is a reflection of like it. I think that’s ultimately the greatest the times. It’s been vacuous for a while thing about the ‘80s - no two bands ever but there’s always great music out there sounded alike.

LOST 80’S LIVE

PG 16 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

somewhere. But in business terms it’s been very safe and cautious. That tends to be what happens to people when they get frightened, they get very conservative. They get that way with everything - it becomes very reactionary. It becomes all about ‘me.’

The Motels’ latest album The Last Few Beautiful Days isn’t a lighthearted pop record. You’re dealing with some serious subject matter. It took years to make. Most of the boys are down in L.A., so we’d work on it when we could. It started out with me just bemoaning the state of the world. The rule was I’d write everything first person, so I’d be responsible for all the opinions and emotions. So it’d be my story. It became the story of wanting to be in this business, up to now. It’s not happy. It’s about what you sacrifice as you’re doing what you can’t not do, you know? You go through life doing what you think you need to do - or what you think you want to do - and it comes with a price. I’ve been extremely lucky to do what I do, but it came with a cost. The songs became bits and pieces of this journey.

Do you think people will be celebrating today’s music three decades from now, as we’re doing with ‘80s music and culture? It’s tough to say because there truly isn’t anything new under the sun at this point. Like fashion. ‘60s fashion probably did everything it was going to do. But we keep going back to it, recycling it. It’s the same with music. I love melodies and I play with melodies all the time, but they’ve all been invented before. The challenge is to make them sound different. I’m always shocked when I come up with a new song. I’m like, ‘Really? There’s more out there?’ There might still be something new to come. You know, Radiohead came along and we were all like, BUT MY LIFE IS NO ‘Wow, what’s that?’ Grunge DIFFERENT THAN happened and that was weird and cool, so maybe ANYONE ELSE’S; there’s more to come. IT’S NEVER EASY.

It’s been an incredible journey so far. Yeah I started playing guitar when I was eight years old in Berkley. Then I was writing songs at 15 I was an Air Force I’M JUST LUCKY when wife in Florida. I went to But melody may have Tampa from Berkley! I was peaked in the ‘80s. THAT I a mixed-up little girl. I lost That’s entirely possible. my parents and I had kids It certainly took a holiday when I was very young. It for a while. The undressed was a tough task - made nature of hip hop was even moreso by wanting great and I loved it. It was to do music as my job in life. So the just a message with beats. Very primal album turned into a confessional. I’m also and beautiful. But there was no melody. working on a stage show about my life Then, like everything else, great hip hop that may describe it a little better. gets replaced by the more generic stuff, with the record company trying to make It sounds like music is the only constant a dime from it. Then you start craving melody again. I think that’s why people are in your life. Well, it’s saved my life and allowed me looking back to the ‘80s for it now. to deal with a lot of tragic stuff. But my Yet in the current age of tracks, you have life is no different than anyone else’s; it’s never easy. I’m just lucky that I have a full-length album out. music to help me deal with it. But art Yeah, you can stream a bunch of pop songs isn’t something that you drag around, but these days, you’d better have a good concept for an album, otherwise why bother? it’s supposed to lead you. I’m just glad it still does. It doesn’t have to hit you over the head like a rock opera but it needs to make sense.

HAVE MUSIC

TO HELP ME DEAL WITH IT

MUSIC

YES, THAT TIFFANY

‘80s Pop Sensation Brings the Mix Tape Tour to Atlanta

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

the guys. It’s so great to be on tour with New Kids On The Block again, it’s just awesome. It’s not work, it’s just fun.

HE RAREFIED AIR OF SINGLEmonikered artists is indeed a small and exclusive world. The ‘80s gave How does it compare to the ‘80s tours us Madonna, but there was also Tiffany. when you were the headliner and they Fast forward to 2019. As a generation were the opening act? craves the new wave quirk of the early I don’t think it’s very different, really. ‘80s, the late ‘80s have their own dedicated It’s the same in a lot of ways. It’s great to fans. The MixTape Tour is a lively see them and it’s fun to see all the fans reminiscence party headlined by New after 30 years. I think that’s the magic Kids On The Block with guests Salt-Nbehind this tour, to celebrate not just our Peppa, Naughty By Nature and special accomplishments, but the fans. We all appearances by pop darlings Debbie still love music and we all still love what Gibson and Tiffany. we’re doing. Currently on a massive cross-country It must be a big trek this summer, the responsibility to know gregarious Tiffany’s that each band on the new album Pieces Of bill is playing a major Me isn’t exactly burning chunk of the soundtrack Thursday, July 11 • 7pm up the international to someone’s early life. State Farm Arena charts, but her tenth That’s pretty much release is a steady seller statefarmarena.com what’s happening, yeah. at the live shows and It’s not a big responsibly via www.tiffanytunes. at this point, though. com. It’s actually a solid I’m just getting up there and sharing collection, finding the singer updated in the music, enjoying the moment and edgy pop-rock territory with a decidedly connecting. I kinda let them do their own modern approach. thing out there as we play. Some people Road warrior Tiffany spoke with INsite do cry and some people dance. Like when by phone from a bus parked somewhere I do the “I Think We’re Alone Now” near Washington, D.C. dance, they’re doing it right along with me and I can see them. So really it’s not Last time we talked you had been a big burden or anything, it’s just a fun, welcomed into the country music world connecting kind of tour. of Nashville but now you’re digging back into your pop music roots. But you’re igniting some memories they Yeah, but I think it’s always been the may not have even thought of in decades. same thing in many ways. I’ve always Oh definitely. And not only the older enjoyed telling my backstory so of course stuff, the Pieces Of Me album is selling at living in Nashville allowed me to do that. the shows. I think I’m one of the only acts It was a fabulous opportunity for me to be who bring music to sell, and it’s getting able to go back and tell the stories of how some good attention as well. I think a I stated out doing country music and then lot of my fans are happy to be with me to work with all the people who helped me now and really hear the new music as we along the way. It was great because I got reconnect over the past. I’m hearing that a to write with a lot of people that I’d really lot of them are excited about my own tour, wanted to write so I’ll get to see with. a lot of these same happy The Mix faces again Tape Tour and that makes is a massive me happy too. undertaking for any act, but by Do you play now you’re used any of the new to the road. stuff in the Mix Oh yeah, we’re Tape set or is it about halfway all hits? through this Yeah, we keep one. But then this one all about four days retro but I’m after we’re done, writing music I’ll go to England for my next do all the retro album as we’re festivals over doing this one. there. These We’re about massive festivals four songs outside with lots of artists on the bills, in right now and we’ll see what else is and it’s fun. After that, I come back to the coming our way. United States, literally a week later, and then I’ll go on my own tour for Pieces Of Are you able to write while on tour? Some Me. So I’m busy all this year - right up artists love it but some have to wait until through December. they’re back in the studio. The writing process on the road is never Do you have any favorite memories of the same. You never quite know how it’s this tour so far - or has it all been a blur going to go from day to day. You’ll hear a because you’ve been to so many cities? melody and then not have time to work on Oh, it’s been really good just seeing it until the next day or whenever there’s

THE MIX TAPE TOUR

time. But I want to keep building on it and establish the same track I’m on now.

blocking out time to write is new for me, like in the studio like we did when we did the new record.

You’ve obviously conquered pop, then went toward rock and then country. Your enthusiasm about the process is What do you call the direction you’re refreshing. You could be so jaded at this point but yet you seem to be as excited as in now? you were in 1987. This is definitely pop. But I’m talking I really think I’m growing every day as a to people and they go, I still hear a little musician, which is lovely. I’m kinda feeling country in there. I go, well, probably because it’s ingrained in my soul. That was like, yeah this is my beginning - again. Social media is great for me, my beginning. But definitely too. You can just hop on there this is more like a bit retro I REALLY THINK I’M and say how you’re feeling but still of the moment. I GROWING EVERY that day. It can be used for think it’s kind of like Blondie meets the Foo Fighters kinda DAY AS A MUSICIAN, the wrong things of course, thing. And that’s pretty WHICH IS LOVELY. but it can be very exciting positive. That’s the way I much my new sound really. I’M KINDA FEELING and see it. You can definitely get a Some are a little more adult LIKE, YEAH THIS message out now. Before, you contemporary or even a little bit of Stevie Nicks type IS MY BEGINNING - had to wait for reactions and that could take so long. Now stuff. But I’m writing more AGAIN. I can just go on Facebook or in a punky kind of vibe, like Twitter and engage with my Go-Go’s and Debbie Harry. fans instantly. It changes by the song. It’s taken me a long time to get this sound and You and Debbie are engaging on a nightly finally work with the right people then it basis with the fans during the Meet just started happening and I’m like, ‘Ok, I and Greet events after each show. Since guess it’s time. Awesome, let’s do it!’ people basically grew up with you, do they feel the need to share - or maybe Artists need to a challenge or everyone overshare - their feelings with you? gets bored. Sometimes we’re exhausted because Well, yeah. I can do other things so we’ve done the show and travelled and it’s really not good for my talents to put everything, but the fans always make it myself in one place and not approach great. If they can put up with us going, other things. It’s not healthy as an artist ‘Um, how do you spell Lisa?’ We love or as a musician to not try and do other meeting everyone and taking pictures things. But this has always been in my and it’s really special. I get excited when plan. I’ve always wanted to do more rockthey’ve bought the new album or already infused music. Since I’ve been doing this know about it. But I’ve heard a lot of since I was a kid, and obviously I did the stories about “I Think We’re Alone Now,” pop thing. But I’ve been exposed to so yeah. Things I probably shouldn’t hear, many great musicians and so many good I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe that’s too much musicians are willing to work with me, information.’ But I love that people have it’s really been great to start that process. engaged with that song. They’ve embraced I really love recording with the whole it, made it their own and now they have band and I’m enjoying all the cool studios I’ve been experiencing. Sitting down and special memories attached to it. insiteatlanta.com • July 2019 • PG 17

JEFF FOXWORTHY AND FRIENDS BRING THE FUNNY

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RING THE FUNNY IS A COMEDY competition show, scheduled to premiere this month on NBC. Hosted by comedian Amanda Seales, the series features an array of comedy acts performing for an audience in a bid to win $250,000. Consisting of ten episodes, judges for the series include comic actor Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live, outspoken tastemaker Chrissy Teigen and Georgiabased comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Local favorite Foxworthy is always “that guy,” the same easy-going, southern-fried social commentator he portrays on TV and in concert. Some comics turn off their persona voice for interviews, but Foxworthy is the same genuine southern gentleman pundit one would expect. The phone rings and that unmistakable voice says… How ya been? Hanging in there, Jeff. Like a hair in a biscuit? And we’re off.

Usually by the interview stage, most or all of a show has wrapped. Where are you in the process? Well, we are about three-quarters done. It’s always weird when you do a TV project. When you do a stand-up thing, you know the comics. When we did Blue Collar TV, we’d all been buddies for years. But a lot of times when you do a TV thing, you’re thown in with people you’ve never met. But with this, when my youngest daughter heard that it was me and Kenan Thompson and Chrissy Teigen, she panicked! She said, dad, Chrissy is so cool and you are an old fuddy-duddy. I’m worried that this is not gonna work. But Chrissy and I ended up hitting it off fabulously. It looks like a friendly panel. Oh, all three of us really hit it off. You never know, I’ve done it where it’s the other way and you’re like, oh this guy’s a jerk. So that made it really fun. I think we were kinda sad we had to split up at the end of it. So you all bonded. We did! Kenan is exactly like you’d think he would be. Just chill, easy going. He can make you laugh without saying a word. But he knew sketch and I knew stand-up, and Chrissy knew that it either made her laugh or it didn’t. Hers was the voice of the people, really. Comedy is such a subjective thing, how do you “judge” what’s funny? Yeah, it’s a little awkard for me to judge people. I would tell ‘em that, too. I say that because I’ve been on the other end of the stick. But what makes Bring The Funny cool is, anytime you’ve seen a comedy competition, it’s always stand-up. PG 18 • July 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

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But this show isn’t all stand-up. Otherwise, that would be Last Comic Standing. Exactly. That’s been done. From the get-go, NBC said, ‘There’s a lot of ways to make people laugh,’ so we had stand-up of course but we also had sketch groups, we had people with guitars, we had everything you can think of. Did any act really stand out? Well we had two guys who really reminded me of Tim Conway and Harvey Corman. And that was a real throw-back to what I grew up on. I think it was interesting to see young audiences look at that kind of comedy and it was totally new to them! And it was crackin’ ‘em up. I said, ‘Oh man, I grew up on this.’ I was like, ‘Wow, everything old is new again.’ When you came along, open mics were the way to be seen. That may still be the case because young people come up to me and go, how do I get started. There’s no school for it, you just have to do it wherever you can. Do open mics, hang out with comics, they may know someone you don’t know who has a club or a comedy night. That’s how you become a comic, you just do it. Television and specifically, the Tonight Show was the holy grail. Oh yeah! Television is still a goal for many people, but my only goal when I started was to be on Johnny Carson. If you go through my house, you won’t see platinum albums or posters on the wall. The only thing is, right off the kitchen in some little shelves, I’ve got an 8 x 10 of me sitting in the chair talking to Johnny. He has his mouth open, just gutlaughing. And that’s all I ever wanted to do. I made him laugh. Bring The Funny premieres July 9 at 10 pm on NBC. Host Amanda Sealed brings her Smart, Funny And Black Tour to the Tabernacle on Saturday, July 27. For the full interview, please visit insiteatlanta.com.

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Last time we talked, Bring The Funny was just a concept. Now it’s ready to premiere. Yeah, it was one of those things where they kept talking about it and talking about it. I’d film, go get on Delta, fly to Bumbleweed, Kansas do a show, get back on the plane, fly back, film some more. It was crazy. But we filmed a lot of the early stuff. But like they do those shows, we’ll do the finals live.

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