INsite Atlanta November 2019 Issue

NOVEMBER 2019

C

8 YEARS! 2 G N I T ELEBRA

INSITEATLANTA.COM

VOL. 28, NO. 4 FREE

Melissa Manchester Collective Soul GSU Basketball

The Winners

Dining, Nightlife, Retail, Lifestyle

Thank You Atlanta . . .

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SMYRNA STORE

2335 Cobb Pkwy Southeast Smyrna, Georgia 30080 (770) 984-8801 PG 2 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

WOODSTOCK STORE 8525 Highway 92, Suite 100 Woodstock, Georgia 30189 (678) 494-5004

CALHOUN STORE 260 Highway 53 East Calhoun, Georgia 30701 (706) 383-8033

4 YEARS IN A ROW!

samash.com Monday-Friday 10 AM - 9 PM | Saturday: 10 AM - 8 PM | Sunday: 12 PM - 6 PM insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 3

CONTENTS • NOVEMBER 2019 • VOLUME 28, NO. 4

28 R AT I N G CELEB

YEARS!

Interviews

10

16 Melissa Manchester 17 Collective Soul 18 GSU Basketball

Features 10 Best of Atlanta

16

Columns 05 on tap 06 around town 07 Under the lights 08 Atlanta on a Dime 09 Station Streaming 18 Movie Reviews

17

18

insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Founder & Publisher

Steve Miller

Alex. S. Morrison, Dave Cohen, Benjamin Carr, Demarco Williams

steve@insiteatlanta.com

Advertising Sales

Art Director

Steve Miller

Nick Tipton

(404) 308-5119 • ads@insiteatlanta.com

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

PG 4 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

Contributing Writers / Interns:

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 76483 Atlanta, GA 30358 WEBSITE • insiteatlanta.com 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.

© Copyright 2019, Be Bop Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved

On Tap this Month MAJOR EVENTS COMING TO ATLANTA

Now through January 5: Atlantic Station

VOLTA BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Energetic, urban and contemporary, Volta is a captivating voyage of discovery that showcases never-before-seen under the Big Top acrobatics in a visually striking world. Driven by a stirring melodic score and inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of street sports, Volta is a story of transformation. Featuring a live band with powerful vocalists, violinist and percussion. Visit Cirqudusoleil/volta.

November 8: Atlanta Symphony Hall

ROY ORBISON & BUDDY HOLLY See Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly performing together for the first time November 8 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. is cutting-edge holographic performance is accompanied by a live band and back-up singers that will transport audiences back in time for an unforgettable evening of Roy & Buddy's greatest hits on stage.

Don't miss this once in a lifetime show. Tickets available at AtlantaSymphony.org.

November 20: Cobb Energy Centre

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor straightfaced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. ey have emerged as a phenomenon with a massive fanbase. SNC has built a reputation as an unforgettable live act. Get tickets at RivelEntertainment.com.

November 24: Lenox Square Mall

MACY’S TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Ring in the Holiday Season with Macy's 72nd Annual Great Tree Lighting ceremony with hosts Jovita Moore and Zach Klein. Performers Carly Pearce and Lea Michele along with e Macy's All-Star Choir will light the great tree in style. e lighting of Atlanta’s most beloved Christmas tree will take place at Macy’s Lenox Square Mall on Sunday 6:30 pm, November 24.

Visit Simon.com for more information.

November 30 & December 1: Fox Theatre

CIRQUE DREAMS

Cirque Dreams Holidaze returns with a grand and electrifying stage spectacular for three unforgettable performances. Set in a wonderland of season’s dreamings and holiday pageantry, audiences will marvel at never before seen performances, over 300 costumes, 20 of the world’s best acts, the finest singers, original music and seasonal favorites. Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. Tickets at Foxeatre.org.

presents

Voted 2019’s

Best Outdoor Music Venue Thank you, Atlanta!

December 6: Cobb Energy Centre

DAVE KOZ

In a career spanning more than three decades, legendary saxophonist Dave Koz returns this Holiday Season for his latest Christmas Tour. Special Guests joining Dave this year: Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester “Midnight Blue” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud”; South African guitarist/singer, Jonathan Butler; jazz/soul saxophonist Michael Lington and more. Tickets at CobbEnergyCentre.com.

Join Our Mailing List for Concert Announcements

ampitheater.org

insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 5

Around Town THROUGH NOVEMBER 18 MJCCA Book Festival Center at Zaban Park

e Book Festival of the MJCCA features works from the most sought-after and talked-about authors, celebrities, and influencers. More than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend engaging speaker programs, author meet-and-greets, book signings, panel discussions, and more.

Guests include actress Candace Bushnell, Preet Bharara, Nikki Haley and Hillary & Chelsea Clinton. Visit Atlantajcc.org.

NOVEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 29

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Center for Puppetry Arts

Rudolph soars back into town for this faithful adaptation of the wonderful holiday film that speaks to the misfit in all of us. Based on the beloved 1964 stop-motion animated special, Rudolph and his friends Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, the Abominable Snow Monster and all the other merry misfits join Santa for an unforgettable holiday adventure. Tickets at Puppet.org.

Events and Performances taking place this Month

enjoy the special Sesame Street birthday exhibit with icons from the Worlds of Puppetry Museum collection, make a Sesame Muppet Pal craft with the cast of Sesame Street Live!

NOVEMBER 16 - JANUARY 5 Stone Mountain Christmas

Center for Puppetry Arts

Sesame Street will turn 50 on November 10 and to celebrate, Sesame Street Live!

Let’s Party! and Center for Puppetry Arts are hosting a Sesame Street Birthday Meetand-Greet. Starting at 6 p.m., families can

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16

The Second City Greatest Hits (vol 59) Rialto Center for the Arts

Stone Mountain Park

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas at Stone Mountain Park, where the true magic of the season is in the air.

Enjoy the glow of more than two million lights, festive music and visits from some your favorite holiday characters. Start a new tradition and create memories that will last a lifetime for you and your kids.

StoneMountainpark.com.

NOVEMBER 16 - JANUARY 11 Garden Lights, Holiday Nights Atlanta Botanical Garden

After more than a decade’s absence, The Second City comedy team returns to the Rialto with Greatest Hits (vol 59)! See the best sketches and songs from The Second City’s history made famous by superstars like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and more--as well as their trademark improvisation. Fresh, fast and always spectacularly funny, The Second City is celebrating sixty years of producing cutting-edge satire. Come see where it all began during this special one-night engagement. Visit RialtoCenter.gsu.edu

NOVEMBER 22 - JANUARY 12 Winter Wonderland Fernbank Museum

NOVEMBER 9

Sesame Street Meet-and-Greet

Glittering Galaxy, Radiant Rainforest, and Model Trains that continue to make the exhibition a must-see holiday tradition. Tickets at AtlantaBotanicalGarden.org.

Walk among spectacular light displays throughout the Garden, including the hightech Nature's Wonders, illuminating the world's natural phenomena through countless strands of synchronized dancing lights strung high over Storza Woods. Explore the Walk of Flames and Tunnel of Light along with favorites such as the Orchestral Orbs,

Enjoy a season of celebrations during Fernbank’s 10th annual Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions Around the World. This holiday-inspired exhibition features trees and other displays decorated by local cultural partners that recognize celebrations including Christmas and Hanukkah, as well as traditions and practices like origami, indigenous art and national symbols. Tickets available at FernbankMuseum.org.

aso.org PG 6 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

NOVEMBER 30 & DECEMBER 1 Home Alone in Concert Atlanta Symphony Hall

A true holiday favorite, this beloved comedy classic features renowned composer John Williams' charming and delightful score performed live to picture by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the entire family. Tickets available at AtlantaSymphony.org.

NOVEMBER 30 & DECEMBER 1 The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Cobb Energy Centre for Performing Arts

The iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner Brian Setzer and his 19-piece orchestra whip up a huge dose of retro holiday cheer with their 16th Annual Christmas Rocks!

Tour presented by SiriusXM featuring The Imaginaries. The acclaimed show also features music from their four best-selling holiday albums, as well as original Brian Setzer hits. Consistently cited as one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, Setzer’s trademark guitar work and vocal stylings are matched with the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s rockin' bigband horn arrangements—an unbeatable combination guaranteed to rock you into the holiday spirit. Tickets at CobbEnergyCentre.com.

Under The Lights ON STAGE THIS MONTH

WICKED

The Fox Theatre Now playing through November 17 855.285.8499 FoxTheatre.org/Wicked The Broadway sensation Wicked looks at what happened in the Land of Oz but from a different angle.

Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” Wicked has been hailed as the defining musical of the decade. Having recently celebrated its 15th anniversary on Broadway, Wicked is the winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

November 16 - December 24 Alliance Theatre, Coca-Cola Stage 404.733.5000 AllianceTheatre.org Celebrate the holidays with the beloved Dickens classic in this Broadway-scale production with beautiful live music and an all-star Atlanta cast. On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge, an old man well-known

for his miserly ways, is visited by ghosts offering him a chance at a better future – his old partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future – who teach him it is never too late to change. See the Alliance’s 30th annual production of A Christmas Carol at its new home, The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre.

WAFFLE PALACE CHRISTMAS November 22 -

December 30 Horizon Theatre 404.584.7450 HorizonTheatre.com Horizon Theatre Company is ringing in the holiday season with the return of Waffle Palace Christmas. As a sequel to the hit show, Waffle Palace Christmas picks up with the vintage Waffle Palace now thriving in the middle of a new modern city multi-use complex. The holiday season is in full swing and the staff is adjusting to new roles, an inexperienced employee and quirky regulars. With Christmas cheer aplenty among the diverse staff and diners, Krampus, a legendary, shape-shifting holiday villain, appears over the restaurant to sabotage the spirit and challenge all in his path.

Year After Year Voted BEST SOUTHWESTERN & MARGARITAS!

ood Gem h r o b h ig e N ”Top 100 nts in America” Restaura le

–Open Tab

488 Flat Shoals Ave. in East Atlanta WEDNESDAY November 6 | Doors 7:30pm

MONDAY November 25 | Doors 8:00pm

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS

MIKAL CRONIN

DEXTER ROMWEBER Advance $18 | Day of $20 -----------------------------------------SATURDAY November 9 | Doors 9:00pm

ALL NIGHT DRUG PROWLING WOLVES

SKIN JOBS | DON’T SCARE THE ANIMALS THE PREAKNESS Advance $10 | Day of $10 -----------------------------------------SUNDAY November 10 | Doors 8:00pm

STONEFIELD

GOON Advance $12 | Day of $12 -----------------------------------------MONDAY November 11 | Doors 8:00pm

MINIBEAST

THE PURKINJE SHIFT Advance $10 | Day of $10 -----------------------------------------THURSDAY November 14 | Doors 8:00pm

MORE COUNTRY WESTERNS

SAFETY NET | WILLFUL BOYS STROBOBEAN Advance $10 | Day of $10 -----------------------------------------FRIDAY November 15 | Doors 9:00pm

TITUS ANDRONICUS PARTNER Advance $15 | Day of $18

SHANNON LAY Advance $17 | Day of $20 -----------------------------------------SATURDAY November 30 | Doors 8:00pm

OBLIVIANS PERFORM 9 SONGS W/ MR. QUINTRON & MORE! QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT Advance $25 | Day of $25 -----------------------------------------THURSDAY December 5 | Doors 7:00pm

KADAVAR

RUBY THE HATCHET Advance $20 | Day of $22 -----------------------------------------SATURDAY December 7 | Doors 8:30pm

LAURA STEVENSON

ADULT MOM (SOLO) | CASEY HARPER Advance $13 | Day of $15 -----------------------------------------TUESDAY December 31 | Doors 9:00pm

THE COATHANGERS

PLS PLS | RUDE DUDE & CREEK FREAKS Advance $28 | Day of $28

--------------------------------------

For more lisitngs, please visit

badearl.com insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 7

EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA

Know of a low cost event happening? Event@AtlantaOnADime.com November 3 - 9

RESTAURANT WEEK

Sandy Springs; $10-$45 Dining Options Visitsandysprings.org/restaurantweek Sandy Springs offers a vast selection of dining options, and Restaurant Week 2019 is the perfect time to get out and try something new. Participating restaurants will offer exclusive menus that provide diners the opportunity to taste appetizers, entrees, desserts and other tasty treats at special Restaurant Week prices. Discover a world of unique flavors in Sandy Springs!

Saturday, November 9

VETERANS DAY PARADE Centennial Olympic Park; Free GeorgiaVeteransDay.org

Help the Georgia Veterans Day Association honor our veterans and celebrate the 78th Anniversary of the USO. e Parade will start at 11:11 a.m., in Downtown Atlanta on Peachtree Street south of Ralph McGill/Ivan Allen Blvd and proceed south towards Centennial Olympic Park.

Saturday November 23

LIGHT THE STATION

Atlantic Station; Free to Attend

By Marci Miller Free; AtlanticStation.com Atlantic Station kicks off the holidays with Light the Station. Enjoy free activities including arts and crafts, live performances, a holiday light parade and so much more.

End the night by helping Santa count down to the lighting of a 50-foot tree.

Saturday, November 23

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY The Battery Atlanta; Free to Attend Batteryatl.com/events

Enjoy an evening of live performances and holiday cheer at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Take in a variety of local performances, family-friendly entertainment and special appearances by Blooper, a Braves player and Santa. At 7 p.m. Atlanta Braves reporter, Greer Howard and a Braves player will light the tree and initiate the season with streamers and a light show. Families are invited to end the evening with a viewing of a classic, holiday film presented by Xfinity Movie Series.

Kick off your anksgiving with the anksgiving Day Half Marathon & 5K. It's an Atlanta tradition. Runners and walkers will earn their turkey as they finish their race under Atlanta's iconic Olympic rings. Runners and walkers may participate in the Half Marathon, 5K, One Mile & 50m Dash. Stick around for a post-race celebration outside Georgia State Stadium.

November 28 - December 31

LIGHTS OF LIFE

Life University, Marietta; Life.edu $10 Cars and Trucks Lights of LIFE is an annual holiday tradition that was started by Life University and dates back to 1989. e 65 foot tall rendition of Santa and his sleigh is the tallest display in the Southeast. It is a visual treat that the whole family will enjoy. Concessions are available seven days a week. Additional activities will be available during the weekends for a small fee including petting zoo, train rides, pony rides and photos with Santa.

November 29 - December 28

THE NUTCRACKER

Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center CitySprings.com; Cost $25 - $38 Roswell Dance eatre’s 31st production of e Nutcracker includes world-class artists, who have danced both nationally and internationally along with aspiring young professionals from the Roswell Dance eatre. e show features gorgeous costumes, magical scenery, beloved music, and exquisite dancing.

Sunday, December 8

SPARKLE HOLIDAY PARADE City Springs in Sandy Springs CitySprings.com; Free to attend

e inaugural parade will step off at 5:30 p.m. near the Heritage water tower, marching along Mount Vernon, concluding with a tree lighting at City Springs. e festive floats will light up the night sky as a prelude to the third, annual, Sparkle Sandy Springs celebration.

VETERANS DAY PARADE

Saturday, November 9 Centennial Olympic Park • FREE GeorgiaVeteransDay.org

Thursday, November 28

HALF MARATHON & 5K

Georgia State Stadium; From $25 AtlantaTrackClub.org

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

PG 8 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

TV

Station Streaming

BEST IMPROV & BEST COMEDY!

The Boys Watchmen

Check Out Improv A$$H*LE!

DARK AND CREEPY SHOWS

BY BENJAMIN CARR WATCHMEN (HBO)

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1986 DC Comics masterpiece is the greatest graphic novel of all time. Though some could argue the case for Maus or Sandman, Watchmen stands above them by taking the superhero genre and making it adult, damaged and downright apocalyptic in a way nothing has ever been since. The movie version released in 2009 and directed by Zack Snyder was decent if bizarre. Damon Lindelof, one of the writers of Lost and The Leftovers, has crafted this new series starring Oscar winners Regina King and Jeremy Irons, alongside Don Johnson, Jean Smart and Tim Blake Nelson as a “sequel” to the original comics. Comic fans will know it ended with a devastating cataclysmic event that killed millions of people.

The new series begins 30 years after that in a bizarre, twisted future where the police must wear masks and hide their true identities to avoid being killed by vigilante mobs.

Set largely in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the central character is Angela (King), a cop who dresses as a badass masked nun named Sister Night and fights crime in secret alongside a human lie-detector (Nelson) and her beloved chief (Johnson). The world is divided and still violent, with terrorists taking on the masks of vigilantes from the original series.

The show takes no time to explain to viewers what is happening, instead throwing them into the middle of a race riot, then immersing them in a world where Robert Redford is a divisive, unpopular celebrity president of the United States. But like the original comic, seeds are planted at the beginning that likely will pay off dividends for those who stick with it.

EVIL (CBS)

Procedurals are the comfort food of TV, the sort of thing you expect senior citizens to be able to easily digest on CBS, which anchors much of its programming in shows like NCIS, CSI and Criminal Minds. But, every now and then, CBS takes the style of a procedural and twists it. With their previous hit series The Good Wife, creators Robert and Michelle King anchored the case-of-the-week lawyer show with fascinating characters, cynical takes on the law and politics and real emotional stakes.

Unbelievable The result was must-see.

Evil, their new show which has already been granted a full season by the network, is a deceptively simple premise with echoes of The X-Files. A skeptic and a true believer examine bizarre phenomenon, seeking answers. But the Kings do not create simple stories.

The show centers around Kristen, a court psychologist fired from the DA’s office, who helps David, a Catholic priest-in-training who works for the Vatican, investigate whether a killer on trial is actually possessed by a demon.

Though viewers might expect easy answers every week, the pilot and subsequent episodes are far more complicated and without easy answers. The cast led by Westworld’s Katja Herbers and Luke Cage’s Mike Colter, infuses their characters with heart and dimension.

The whole thing is creepy, too, filled with shadows and monsters.

CREEPSHOW (Shudder)

Horror is having a television resurgence, with viewers having lots of options - like the new seasons of American Horror Story on FX, Castle Rock on Hulu and The Walking Dead on AMC. Of course, as these shows continue, the thrills become a bit predictable.

With AHS: 1984, for instance, things have just become silly.

Viewers seeking new stories and legitimate shocks should turn to the Shudder streaming service, which has resurrected the old film series Creepshow as a weekly horror anthology show. Similar to the 1980s shows Tales from the Darkside and Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow is a mixed bag of terror from some of the best new minds in the genre, including Stephen King, Greg Nicotero and Atlanta natives Alex Orr and David Bruckner.

The first episode alone featured a King story and appearances from horror legends Adrienne Barbeau and Tobin Bell. Each story sticks around just long enough to freak you out a little bit, and then the show turns your attention toward another tale. It’s a fun, efficient series, providing you with legit scares every week.

Saturday Nights in November!

(404) 688-8858 • 349 Decatur St • villagecomedy.com • Founder Angie McLean

BEST VINTAGE CLOTHING Going on...30 YEARS! COOL CLOTHES COOL PEOPLE Est. 1991

Little 5 Points

/psychosistersatlanta @psycho_sisters

428 Moreland Ave NE Atlanta (Next to Vortex) (404) 523-0100 • Open 10 am – 10 pm (ish)

Creepshow

BEST BARTENDERS! BEST LOOKING WAITSTAFF! Twin Peaks Buckhead 3365 Piedmont Rd. • (404) 961-8946

insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 9

Announcing THE

WINNERS List!

Buckhead 404.816-0603 Midtown 404.343.2888 Peachtree Corners 678.691.6222 Grant Park 404.748-1310 farmburger.com Farm Burger is about more than just a great burger. It is a labor of love that satisfies its founders’ personal commitment to animal welfare, ecological agriculture and sustainability practices. All Farm Burger burgers are grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free, locally raised, ground fresh, made in-house and griddled to perfection!

BEST BURRITO Willy’s Mexicana Grill

DINING

See the Full List of Best Of Categories online at INsiteAtlanta.com

BEST BAGELS Emerald City Bagels

Glenwood Ave. East Atlanta Ordering 404.343.3758 emeraldcitybagels.com

Mother & daughter duo Deanna & Jackie Halcrow, made a big splash when they started Emerald City Bagels in January of 2018. They started working out of a shared commercial kitchen and along with their bagel-making team, worked tirelessly creating and delivering the best bagels in the city. In January of this year they opened their first store in East Atlanta Village. It is modeled after their favorite bagel shops in lower Manhattan.

BEST BARBECUE Pig-N-Chik pignchik.net

Sandy Springs 404.255.6368 Brookhaven 770.451.1112 Emory Area 404.474.9444 Pig-N-Chik ribs are St. Louis cut and cooked until they

show a pink smoke ring. This makes them nice and tender with just the right smoky flavor. The barbecue here is served naked to appreciate but there are homemade Pig-N-Chik sauces on the tables. You will also find great barbecue pork, turkey, beef brisket, chicken wings, smoked salmon along with a variety of sides, and salads.

BEST BREAKFAST The Flying Biscuit

Candler Park 404.687.8888 Midtown 404.874.8887 flyingbiscuit.com The Flying Biscuit serves great breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner seven days a week starting at 7 am. They are known for their mouthwatering biscuits and affordable menu items. Their signature dish is The Flying Biscuit Breakfast. It is served with two large farm-fresh eggs, free-range chicken and sage breakfast sausage. The Flying Biscuit offers an organic-friendly menu and bakery.

You can’t go wrong with a famous Flying Biscuit Breakfast.

BEST BURGER Farm Burger

Dunwoody 770.454-2201 Decatur 404.378-5077

31 Area Locations Catering 404.422.7107 willys.com Atlanta’s original burrito chain is still the best. Willy’s award winning California-style burritos keep the concept of freshness true.

Their rice and beans are cooked daily using no lard or animal products. Willy’s restaurants are vegetarian friendly offering grilled tofu and veggie burritos. Willy’s is a great choice to cater your holiday party, call (404)422-7107 to speak to a catering expert. Now get your Willy’s delivered with DoorDash.

BEST CHINESE Chin Chin 3887 Peachtree Rd. 404.816.2229 and other area locations chinchinGA.com

Atlanta’s favorite Chinese restaurant since 1998! Chin Chin serves up Atlanta’s finest authentic Chinese cuisine. Watch their world-class chefs prepare your dish from their glass encased kitchen. Multiple locations, each with the same great flavor, healthy portions and elegant décor. Brookhaven location now offers a Sunday Brunch from 11am - 3pm.

Entree served with choice of rice, choice of soup, house salad and veggie roll for $11.95 dine in only.

BEST BURGER IN ATLANTA FOR THE 2ND YEAR. THANK YOU!

HOLIDAY 1O% CATERING OFF NOVEMBER IF BOOKED IN

farmburger.com/catering

FREE 100% GRASSFED DOWNLOAD OUR

MOBILE APP

AND GET A

BURGER farmburger.com/app

Best Inexpensive Restaurant

Thanks Atlanta for Voting us Best 18 Straight Years

eatsonponce.net PG 10 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

BEST DESSERTS Macaron Queen

Perimeter Mall 908.867.8336 macaronqueen.com Macaron Queen desserts offers French pastries that are delicious, delectable and with less calories, a guilt-free slice of heaven! Madame Macaron’s menu varies from individual desserts, cakes, Macarons, parfaits, and cookies all with the finest ingredients and exquisite taste. Find them online, Perimeter Mall and Atlanta retailers.

BEST DINER Landmark Diner

3652 Roswell Rd. 404.816.9090 landmarkdiner.com A landmark of great meals 24 hours a day!

Whether you crave a 2 a.m. breakfast or an 8 a.m. steak, you can get it here. Find great sandwiches, salads, seafood along with Italian and Greek dishes. Visit their Buckhead restaurant (pictured) or downtown.

BEST FRENCH Bistro Niko

3344 Peachtree Rd. 404.261.6456 404.249.0001 buckheadrestaurants.com/restaurant/bistro-niko Bistro Niko is a nod to Paris, right in the heart of Buckhead. Grand ceiling decor and art directly from Paris gives this bustling restaurant a perfect, romantic

ambiance. The classic French fare is authentic and simple. They offer a terrific wine list, exciting cocktails and extensive craft beers. Enjoy live jazz brunch on Sundays. Dine al fresco on the patio.

Best Noodle Bowl

BEST GREEK Athens Pizza

1341 Clairmont Rd. 404.636.1100 athenspizzaatlanta.com Since 1966, Papadopoulos family at Athens Pizza has been serving the same delicious Greek cuisine to the Emory / Decatur area that their customers have come to expect.

Much more than pizza, authentic dishes including Veal, Roasted Lamb or the Oven Baked Chicken. Athens Pizza offers lunch and dinner and is popular for catering.

Call to book your holiday party in one of their private rooms.

jinya-ramenbar.com

NEW! Alpharetta: 401 S. Broad Street (770) 609-8238 Sandy Spring: 5975 Roswell Rd, Suite B217 (404) 600-6974 Buckhead: 3714B Roswell Rd NE, Suite 35 (404) 549-2583 VOTED BEST NEIGHBORHOOD TAVERN

BEST INEXPENSIVE RESTAURANT Eats 600 Ponce de Leon Ave.

404.888.9149 eatsonponce.net For over 25 years people all over Atlanta have been heading down to Ponce to experience their great jerk chicken and pasta dishes. Over all this time Eats has maintained the high quality of their food and kept their prices low. Their $7.75 Jerk Chicken special can’t be beat! See Page 12

MIDTOWN 1551 Piedmont Ave NE at Monroe Drive BROOKHAVEN 804 Town Blvd in Town Brookhaven DUNWOODY 1221 Ashford Crossing in Perimeter Place ATLANTIC STATION COMING SOON!

hobnobatlanta.com

THANKS FOR VOTING US BEST BURRITO 2019!

willys.com

31 locations atl • athens • peachtree city • columbus • cartersville insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 11

BEST ITALIAN Pricci 500 Pharr Road

404.237.2941 buckheadrestaurants.com/restaurant/pricci Pricci is a contemporary Italian restaurant with a creative menu, dramatic interior and friendly service. Serving only the best, freshest ingredients with everything made from scratch. Their unique open-concept kitchen provides for an intimate experience. Pricci’s innovative menu combines classical cuisine with a modern flair. The result is a wide array of salads, pasta, pizza, meats and desserts that will dazzle with every bite.

BEST MEDITERRANEAN Mediterranean Grill

N. Decatur Plaza 404.320.0101; Midtown 404.917.1100; East Cobb 678.996.0045; Athens 706.543.5000; mediterraneangrill.com Mediterranean Grill is a perennial Best Of Winner. For 20 years, Atlantans have visited this beloved family / chef-owned and operated restaurant. They serve authentic regional dishes like gyros, falafel and kabob sandwiches made to perfection. Plus try their spanakopita, dolmas, amazing humus and fall off the bone lamb shank!

vice are truly what account for the tavern’s popularity across Atlanta. Owner Sean Yeremyan opened HOBNOB’s first location in Midtown in 2010 and has since expanded with two more locations and their fourth, Atlantic Station coming in early 2020.

BEST NOODLE BOWL Jinya Ramen Bar Sandy Springs 5975

Roswell Rd. 404.600.6974 I Buckhead 3714 Roswell Rd. 404.549.2583 I Alpharetta 401 S. Broad St. 770.609.8238; jinya-ramenbar.com

JINYA Ramen Bar was founded by Tomonori Takahashi in 2010. The son of a successful restaurateur in Japan, Tomonori came to the states looking for a place where one could enjoy the traditional taste and flavor of ramen.

Jinya is based on three values: Delicious food at reasonable prices that’s accessible to all.

Buckhead and Sandy Springs locations have been a instant hit and Alpharetta soon to open this month.

BEST PIZZA Johnny’s Pizza Multiple Area Locations johnnyspizza.com

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD TAVERN HOBNOB 1551 Piedmont Ave. Midtown,

404-968-2288; 804 Town Blvd. Brookhaven, 404-464-8971; 1221 Ashford Crossing Perimeter Place in Dunwoody, 470-395-7904 HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern is a spirited scene for socializing, but the menu of classic, Southern-inspired comfort food, cozy environs and undeniably affable ser-

Johnny's Pizza has been synonymous with great pizza in Atlanta since 1977. They specialize in NY style, which is thin in the middle and thick around the edges. You can also choose from their hot oven-toasted subs, salads, calzones, starters and Italian dinners. All Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery. With 25 locations around Atlanta there is bound to be one near you.

BEST RIBS Fat Matt’s 1811 Piedmont Ave.

404.607.1622; fatmattsribshack.com

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

Since 1990, award winning Fat Matt’s Rib Shack has been one of Atlanta’s favorite hot spots. These ribs are smoked to perfection and literally falling off the bone.

Order by the slab, half-slab, as a combo or chopped pork sandwich. Great barbecue chicken and sides as well. They offer nine beers on tap plus more in the bottle. Seating available inside and out.

Live blues is played nightly starting at 8pm featuring many of the local favorites.

BEST SEAFOOD ATLANTA FISH MARKET

265 Pharr Road, Buckhead; 404.262.3165 buckheadrestaurants.com/restaurant/atlanta-fish-market An Atlanta Icon, the Atlanta Fish Market’s signature “Big Fish” stands 65 feet tall and is over 74 tons of steel. The seafood is caught and brought into the restaurant all within 18-24 hours of being out of water, guaranteeing the freshest catch in the city and a remarkable dining experience. Atlanta Fish Market is a comfortable and relaxing retreat from the hustle and bustle of Buckhead.

BEST SOUTHWESTERN BEST MARGARITAS Agave 242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006

agaverestaurant.com

Agave’s unique blend of eclectic southwestern cuisine, extensive tequila bar and wine list coupled with exceptional service makes this one of Atlanta’s top restaurants.

Over the years they’ve won numerous awards for their inspired dining experience. Agave offers over 100 tequilas and 12 specialty margaritas on the menu. Their margaritas are made with blue agave tequilas and fresh squeezed lime juice.

Voted Best Thai Restaurant!

541 Main St. at Lindbergh City Center, Atlanta GA 30324 Self & Valet Parking • 26thai.com • (404) 400-5995

26thai

Coming Soon to Midtown! 824 Juniper Street

AtlAntA’s Best tApAs RestAuRAnt

Atlanta’s Favorite Pizza!

Multiple Atlanta Locations: JohnnysPizza.com PG 12 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

ATLANTA’S BEST LIVE LATIN MUSIC 7 NIGHTS A WEEK! 4505 AshfoRd dunwoody Rd. 678.205.5862 764 MiAMi CiRCle 404.846.0449 Full Service Catering Available • eclipsediluna.com

BEST STEAKHOUSE Chop’s Lobster Bar 70 West Paces Ferry Rd. Buckhead 404.262.2675 buckheadrestarants.com /restaurant/chops-lobster-bar-atl

An Atlanta icon known for its exceptional food and impeccable service, Chops consistently ranks as one of the top ten steakhouses in the country. Exquisite seafood flown in fresh daily and the very best USDA prime-aged beef is masterfully prepared. Dine with style in the warm ambiance of the dark wood dining room.

Whether you’re dining for business or pleasure, a meal at Chops is sure to make a lasting impression.

BEST SUB SANDWICH Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs Marietta 770.321.1177;

Doraville 770.455.8570; Milton 678.580.0434 baldinos.us

Baldinos is celebrating their 14th straight year being voted as the Best Sub Sandwich in the Atlanta. Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs has been recognized as the only true New Jersey Style submarine in the South. They bake their bread fresh daily and every sub is made custom to order. When you eat a Baldinos sub you know the difference.

BEST TAPAS Eclipse di Luna

Dunwoody 678.205.5862; Buckhead 404.846.0449 eclipsediluna.com

Eclipse di Luna has set the trend for tapas restaurants in Atlanta. With over two dozen tapas to choose from, there is something to please any taste. Their tapas are priced affordably to encourage multiple sampling.

The menu offers a variety of glutton-free and vegetarian tapas. Popular with catering and for private parties.

BEST THAI 26 THAI KITCHEN & BAR 541 Main St. at Lindbergh City Center 404.400.5995 26thai.com As a young girl in Thailand, Niki P at t h a r a k o s i t k u l would spend hours in the kitchen alongside my mother, honing and perfecting her craft.

She learned delicious traditional Thai recipes using authentic, seasonal, fresh ingredients – and always preparing everything from scratch. At the age of 26 she finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of opening a first class Thai restaurant. Customers are treated to the same fresh, delicious, and authentic Thai food made from scratch, and utilizing only the finest, locally-sourced ingredients. New location opening soon 824 Juniper St. in Midtown.

BEST WINGS Wing Factory Chamblee

678.580.4300; Chastain 404.255.4460 Smyrna 770.575.4884 If you are serious about wings, you seriously need to get to Wing Factory. The undisputed king of the wing year in year out,

Continued on Page 14

Atlanta’s Hometown Sports Bar A celebration of our city’s history, sports and culture.

Follow-us on Instagram for Events plus Weekly and Daily Specials @irbystavern Sunday-Thursday: 11 AM to Midnight • Friday-Saturday: 11 AM to 2 AM

322 East Paces Ferry Road NE • Atlanta, Georgia 30305 (404) 254-1333 • irbystavern.com

N OVE M B E R DA I LY S PEC I A LS MONDAY baldinos® Extra Special (#7) TUESDAY Like it HOT? Grilled & Toasted, The HOT Italian WEDNESDAY Ham it up (#5) Boiled Ham & Cheese w/ soup or side THURSDAY “ Check out our new chicken breast” Try our #21 FRIDAY Meatless Combo - Tuna (#10) or Veg Stir Fry (#27) w/ side SATURDAY Steak Out-A-Steak Sub Your Choice (#11, #13 or #19)

Order online at

baldinos.us

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All Day!

SUNDAY American Special (#14) w/ choice of soup or side Marietta 80 Powers Ferry Road Doraville 5697 Buford Hwy Milton 12890 Hwy 9 (770) 321-1177 (770) 455-8570 (678) 580-0434

Atlanta’s BEST SUBS 14 Years Running! insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 13

Wing Factory is a local favorite – a neighborhood spot to grab a beer, catch the game and of course, chow down on some chicken. Visit them at Chastain, Chamblee or Smyrna to dig into Atlanta’s best wings (and some killer burgers, salads and more) online at wingfactory.com.

NIGHTLIFE BEST IMPROV & COMEDY Village Theatre 349 Decatur Street 404.688.8858 villagecomedy.com Since 2008, Village Theatre has been entertaining Atlantans with long and short form improv comedy multiple nights a week. It all started by 13 local improvisers who met while performing at Whole World Theatre. The cast of friends went on to perform a show titled Sunday Improv Sunday at 10 High in the VA Highland. The group gained a loyal following and became Village Theatre, now a favorite place for locals to see improv and comedy.

BEST LATE NIGHT DINING Flatiron 520 Flat Shoals 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.

They have an extensive menu with kitchen serving until 2:00 AM. Atlanta loves their award winning burgers!

BEST LATIN MUSIC & DANCING Loca Luna 550 Amsterdam Ave.

404.875.4494 loca-luna.com

PG 14 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

Samba. Salsa. Merengue! They have it all at Loca Luna, where you'll find savory dishes from Spain and Latin America. Their location on Amsterdam Ave, directly on the East side of Piedmont Park, offers a tropical outdoor patio with Midtown skyline view. The happening bar is open till 2:30am on weekends. Loca Luna features live Latin music every night on their large dance floor and the hottest DJ's spin late night on Fridays and Saturdays. Plenty of free parking and free valet available.

BEST LOCAL MUSIC BEST ROCK CLUB BEST BAR FOOD The Earl 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404.522.3950 badearl.com

An Atlanta institution for great music, drinks and grub. Patrons love their burgers, sandwiches and salads. National acts and the best of the emerging Atlanta music scene grace the stage nightly to packed crowds.

Check out upcoming shows: Stonefield (Sun. Nov.10); Mikal Cronin (Mon. Nov. 25); and Kadaver (Thu. Dec. 5).

BEST LOOKING WAITSTAFF BEST BARTENDERS Twin Peaks 3365 Piedmont Road

404.961.8946 twinpeaksrestaurant.com

Twin Peaks, the mountain lodgestyle sports restaurant and its Twin Peaks girls offer great views! Let their outgoing wait staff bring delicious food to your table. At the bar choose from an extensive selection of 29-degree draft beers on 32 taps while the girls pour and serve into huge ice-cold, frosted mugs.

BEST MUSIC VENUE Center Stage 1374 West Peachtree St. 404.885.1365 centerstage-atlanta.com

Center Stage Theater is an icon in the Atlanta music and performing arts community. An intimate venue where every seat is a winner with premier sound and lighting systems, a cozy lounge area and prime location in the heart of Midtown, Center Stage Theater stands apart from the rest. Part of an entertainment complex containing Vinyl and The Loft.

BEST MUSIC VENUE OUTDOOR Frederick Brown Amphitheatre 201 McIntosh Trail, Peachtree City 877.725.8849 amphitheater.org

The Fred Amphitheater of Peachtree City is only a 45 minute drive from Atlanta. It opened in 1991 and is named after former mayor Frederick Brown, Jr. Each year has seen increased crowds and bigger name national acts. 2019 was a banner season with great shows including: Air Supply, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Kool & The Gang and Chris Botti! Join their mailing list for 2020 season announcements.

BEST SPORTS BAR Irby’s Tavern 322 East Paces Ferry Road

404.254.1333 irbystavern.com Atlanta’s hometown sports bar, Irby’s Tavern is a celebration of our city’s history, sports and culture. It is a sanctuary for all those who are proud to call this place home, and it’s a true expression of Atlanta for those who visit our fair city. Their menu offers great burgers, wings, sandwiches and salads. They have plenty of popular drafts on tap, wine and house cocktails. Follow them on Instagram for events plus weekly and daily specials @irbystavern.

LIFESTYLE

BEST CD STORE CD Warehouse

1280 Peachtree St., NE Midtown 404.733.5000; aso.org

Atlanta Symphony Hall houses the A t l a n t a Symphony Orchestra, now celebrating their 75th year, as well as concerts from popular artists, Family concerts, holiday concerts and a film series. Incredible acoustics and innovative programing make this among the top concert halls in the country.

RETAIL BEST ART SUPPLY STORE Sam Flax

1495 Northside Drive; Suites B & C 404.352.7200 samflaxatlanta.com

Sam Flax Art & Design has been serving the creative community of Atlanta for almost 50 years. From professional artists to beginners and everyone in-between, we are your source for fine art and graphic products, studio furniture, stationery and decorative papers, unique gifts, custom framing and fine art printing. Our knowledgeable and creative staff represent over 150 years of experience with art materials.

Roswell 770.518.3300; Duluth 770.623-1552; Town Center 770.425.3472 cdwarehouseatl.com CD Warehouse has 10,000 used CD’S for buy, sell or trade plus all the new releases.

If you can’t find it they will special order it for you. They will pay cash for your CD, movie and vinyl collections. This is the best place in Atlanta to find vintage albums.

BEST MUSIC STORE Sam Ash Music samash.com

2999 Cobb Parkway 770.818.0042

Sam Ash Music has been serving musicians since 1924.

Their legendary service, selection and guaranteed low prices is unmatched in the industry. Jaw-dropping inventory of the latest instruments, gear, and accessories will have you hooked.

BEST JEWELRY STORE Alexander’s of Atlanta 193 East Pike St. Lawrenceville Theatre District 404.634.3197 alexandersofatlanta.com Fans of Alexander’s Fine Diamonds have followed their move to Lawrenceville! As one of the most established and respected jewelers in Atlanta, Alexander’s maintains a strong commitment to the high standard of quality and service that one expects from a fine jewelry store.

ATL

Winner I Ns i t e ★ 201 7

1111 Euclid Ave 404.658.1988 6500 Roswell Rd. 404.497.0701 ragorama.com Both Rag-O-Rama stores are filled with spectacular men’s and women’s fashions and accessories.

They carry an ever changing inventory that includes brand names, designer labels and vintage styles.

Find the best prices in town.

BEST SMOKE SHOP This That and the Other

Smyrna I Woodstock I Calhoun shopthisthatandtheother.webs.com The place to go for all your smoking needs: cigars, pipes, vapes, E-cigs, juices, scales, tobacco, incense and more!

Three metro Atlanta locations.

BEST SHOE STORE Abbadabba’s

BEST ADULT STORE BEST ADULT TOYS Starship

3 Locations coolshoes.com Becoming Atlanta’s premier source for innovative comfort footwear doesn’t happen overnight.

It takes years of building relationships with the top suppliers, attention to customer service and a passion for footwear. Abbadabba’s has that in spades!

22 Metro Area Locations 404.766.6993 shopstarship.com An Atlanta favorite for those into the erotic. Thousands of videos, dvd’s, adult toys, condoms, candles and novelties to meet whatever your desire. Their 22 locations make Starship a convenient one stop shop!

BEST VINTAGE CLOTHING BEST ADULT MOVIES Southern Nights Psycho Sisters 428 Moreland Ave 404.523.0100 Facebook: psychosistersatlanta

2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd. 404.728.0701 snvonline.com

Psycho Sisters is famous for reinventing vintage, accessories, costumes & festival wear and has been

With over 10,000 DVD’s for sale or rent, Southern Nights has Atlanta’s widest selection and at great prices! View films on-site in their 62 channel hi-def video arcade. They sell a variety of products and are open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. e Magazine sit

Best of Atlanta

’s

BEST of

doing it for over three decades. Their store offers the best selection of every era in fashion and the best personal sales team to help you dress up for any occasion. Nestled in Little 5 Points, Atlanta, Psycho Sisters is never ever boring.

BEST CONSIGNMENT BEST THRIFT STORE Rag-O-Rama

IN

BEST CONCERT HALL Atlanta Symphony Hall

2014

WINNER!

ER! W INN

Thank You, Atlanta!

Best of Atlanta – Seven Straight Years!

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A L E X A N D E R S O FAT L A N TA . C O M

404-634-3197 – We’ve Moved! 193 East Pike St. (Downtown Lawrencevillle, Theatre District)

insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 15

MUSIC

NOT FADE AWAY

Dave Koz & Friends’ Holiday Tour Features Singer-Songwriter Melissa Manchester

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

N

O MATTER THE SEASON, DAVE Koz finds a way to celebrate the moment. After his swaggering Summer Horns shows wrapped in September, he’s heading back out on the road with a new tour, a new set of friends and a new holiday album.

Gifts Of The Season finds the busy pop and jazz artist in fine form and good company with soulful and funky support from Melissa Manchester, Jonathan Butler, Michael Lington and Chris Walker. This month Koz and his crew will begin a festive tour that opens in Florida and ends near his studio in California just in time for Christmas Eve. One of the many gifts of the project is the appearance of legendary performer Melissa Manchester. The singer-songwriter has enjoyed an incredibly varied career from her early days in the New York club scene, working with Bette Midler and Barry Manilow to the troubadour era of the ‘70s which melded into a number of ‘80s synthpop hits and stage and television roles.

INsite recently spoke with Manchester by phone from her home in Los Angeles.

Holiday music is perhaps the most emotional of all the genres.

It’s amazing for me to see how people respond and what they project onto it. The wounds, the unfinished business, the need for clarity or to be reminded to just breathe.

For myself, in the early years and even still, I write a lot about self-affirmation, being counted, having a voice and having that voice heard.

Do you think that drive for self-expression was fueled during the dawn of the strong, singer-songwriter era?

I think that was a function of the times, yes. I was a woman thrust into the world of men. They were projecting all of their opinions on me.

Right, you came along during a renaissance of strong female artists while

PG 16 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

the industry was almost-exclusively dominated by men.

Absolutely. When you’re a young artist, you have such a hunger to get to whatever that next elusive point is, and for me I was all about the music. I didn’t have the voice or the spine to rail against the nonsense that I now realize that if I’d had more courage to better frame my arguments, who knows how things might have changed.

But in the end I was focused on how to approach the material as an artist. Am I going to be able to sing this song and really justify it in case it becomes successful and I have to sing it for the rest of my life? That’s how I thought. I don’t know if young men had to have those same discussions going on in their heads. Maybe they do.

I BELIEVE A SONG SHOULD HAVE A BEGINNING, A MIDDLE AND AN END. WHEN IT’S OVER, YOU STOP PLAYING. AND WHO KNOWS, HOPEFULLY IT GIVES THE AUDIENCE A CHANCE TO APPLAUD.

The struggle continues, even now in these so-called woke times.

Well yeah because it’s not easy to be an artist. It’s not an easy life. If you think that un-steadiness, un-sanity, un-safeness and un-security is a really good version of normal, then this is the life, you know?

That’s where music comes in handy. To help us understand and deal with those feelings.

It does. The true magic of it is that it gives us some clarity and helps us remember things that we might have forgotten. When I meet people after the show, they often say that they feel I’m singing right to them - and that is my job. The key is to be able to take them along on a journey.

But be that as it may, there are no suits to suggest all kinds of ‘improvements.’ What you hear now is coming directly from my imagination. On You Gotta Love The Life which was my twentieth album - I was able to bring in people like Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick and Joe Sample.

The Fellas, my tribute to some of the great men singers, was with the student big band at Citrus College down in Glendora.

It was just thrilling to work with students because I know big band swing isn’t really their genre, but they became part of a Friday, December 8 • 8PM big adventure.

DAVE KOZ & FRIENDS FEAT. MELISSA MANCHESTER

Your career is unique in that not only are you a great interpreter of songs but you’re equally if not moreso adept at writing originals.

Well, I was raised Cobb Energy Center It’s a great testament to in a very rich musical davekoz.com the power of the music that environment. My father they were able to immerse was a musician with the themselves into a style that Metropolitan Opera came decades before they were born. and my mother was a lovely singer but she They were totally immersed in it. And was also a pioneer in the fashion industry. they were blue-collar kids, mostly firstSo there was always all kinds of music generation college students but they are around. A parade of great singers were trained by professors who really want always playing - artists like Billie Holliday these kids to succeed in life. It’s a really and Carmen McRae and those are the shoulders that I stand on. I bring them with comprehensive and beautiful training. me because so many of those great female Before you go, we have to discuss the Koz singers didn’t really have allies. They only tour. He always assembles a new and had their art. interesting program.

Yes! He’s just the most well-oiled machine Thankfully we live in a true golden age for in the world. He goes from one tour to independent artists. another. I mean, it’s just fantastic and I’m Yes and truly educated artists. They thrilled to be a part of it. understand that not only the songs land at your feet, but business knowledge lands Have you planned the set yet? at your feet and choosing the people you We don’t start rehearsing until midwant around you lands at your feet. That’s important stuff. I learned a lot about it from November but I have an sense of what I’ll be singing. I recorded the great Mariah my students when I was teaching at USC. Carey song “All I Want For Christmas” on They also taught me about crowdfunding.

Dave’s new album. It’s a beautiful, slowed down version so we’ll do that. And I’ll be After working for some of the biggest doing some of my hits and that’s always labels, you’re doing it yourself with great, too. But it’s just going to be a jammin’ Indiegogo for your two most recent tour. 22 cities in 25 days? I mean, hello! collections. You don’t need Clive Davis or any of those guys anymore.

That’s old school right there. Will you all (Laughs) Yes! I am my own record be on the same bus, like the old Caravan company now. And that’s code language Of Stars tours? for you have to do four times the work.

You know, we are! I love doing Christmas tours. They’re quick and furious. The audience gets decked out and it’s all very jolly and joyful.

It’s hard to make an interesting Christmas album anymore because there’s so many already out there.

That’s true and there’s such a small window to get it out there. But for this one, I’m just thrilled to be among such stellar artists and to make great music with them.

Past the holiday tour, what’s next?

Oh I have plenty to do. I’m starting to work on a new musical and a second movement for a choral piece. They said, ‘Have you considered writing a symphony?’

And nobody has ever said that sentence to me, so you never know. I’m still in the studio and lately I’ve actually been rerecording a lot of my hits and some new originals, too. So it’s all unfolding and it’s all lovely.

How does it feel to go back in the studio and re-do those now-familiar hits?

It actually feels really good. A lot of artists are doing it these days. Part of the reason why we do it is it’s the only way we’ll ever own our masters. The record companies didn’t really anticipate this world we work in now so most of our old masters are locked up. But it’s also great fun to do and I’ll put in a little tweak here and a little tweak there. Now I’m trying to figure out how to release it all - maybe as a ten-song album or a five-song thing. It’s been really interesting to go back and look at them again in the studio.

What did you learn about them in retrospect?

Well, I’ve actually found that I don’t believe in fades anymore. Why does a song have to fade out? It’s such a weird and funny thing. That’s the part that’s so luscious about playing those songs on stage.

I believe a song should have a beginning, a middle and an end. When it’s over, you stop playing. And who knows, hopefully it gives the audience a chance to applaud.

MUSIC

BLOOD BROTHERS

Collective Soul Celebrates a Quarter Century of Solid Musicianship

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

B

ASSIST WILL TURPIN DESCRIBES Collective Soul as “just five guys from Stockbridge doing what we thought was cool.” That simple formula has served them well. This month, the Atlanta-based quartet is celebrating twenty-five years since Atlantic Records re-released their self-produced debut Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid.

Singer-songwriter Ed (or E as he prefers to be credited) Roland, along with his brother, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland and bassist Will Turpin remain the core of the group, along with drummer Johnny Rabb and guitarist Jesse Triplett. Unlike many of their peers from the ‘90s, the band continues to release new and challenging music and Blood, their latest, is a strong addition to their considerable catalog.

Several new tracks from the record including “Right As Rain” and “Big Sky” equal and often best the quality of proven hits “Shine” and “December,” standing as some of their very best work of an impressive career. As they ride a wave of sonic craftsmanship and an intuitive brotherhood, a documentary film about their history is also in production.

Turpin recently checked in with INsite as the Collective Soul camp prepares to close out a successful year with two homecoming shows this month at the Roxy.

Last year, we featured Collective Soul before the Rock and Roll Express tour with 3 Doors Down and Soul Asylum. At that point, Blood was just a collection of mostly recorded tracks. Now it’s been out for six months.

Yeah man, time flies. That tour was fun, too. Collective Soul can go out with 3 Doors Down, but you know, if somebody like Sammy Hagar calls and wants us to play with him, well then awesome! We can do it.

Let’s talk about the process for Blood.

At one time, you were planning it to be released as a deluxe, two-record set.

Yeah that was the plan at first. Then we started talking to our partners at ADA, our label. We’re not really signed to a label but it’s partnerships. We just decided that, since Collective Soul isn’t known for filler, it was just too many good songs to release

all at once. So we came up with a better idea. The idea then became to release it in a sort of a part one and part two deal. So now we’ll have a new album that should be out by around late April or early May of 2020.

have that label guy, or that producer guy, telling us what to do. Because, you know, Hints and Allegations was an independent release at first. We’d already sold 30,000 copies, and by the time Atlantic had signed us, “Shine” was just a snowball going downhill. They just repackaged the record. Then it sold a million records that first year - and now it’s sold over two million. So we’d established that we had the creative side covered and they didn’t try to stick their head in there.

Less than a year apart is a pretty fast turnaround for any band these days.

You’re churning out albums now like The Beatles. (laughs) Yeah well, I don’t know about that! But see, they stopped touring. That’s how they could do two records a year. But is frickin’ crazy that Magical Mystery Tour Coca-Cola Roxy and Sgt. Pepper’s came Friday, November 29 & out in the same year. The Saturday, November 30 Beatles - and especially collectivesoul.com McCartney - take the cake for me.

There’s a solid core of the band and that obviously helps the cohesiveness.

Yeah, me, Dean and Ed, we pretty much grew up next to each other. I really want this documentary to get out. We’re currently collecting material and content and we’re working on that. We haven’t really settled on a production company yet. But when it’s done, people can really see how close we were and how close we still are. A lot of people probably don’t realize it but in my and Dean’s earliest memories, we knew each other. Ed was a little older but he knew me. I was probably six or seven years old, going to their father’s church. Let’s see, he is seven years older than me, so he was 13 or 14 years old. One of Ed’s best friends was a guitar student of my dad’s and so Ed grew up in my dad’s studio, learning his craft.

Sometimes people can’t understand how small-town it really was and how well we know each other. And that becomes another part of our strengths, going back to the original five of us. We’ve lost some certain members over the years but there were reasons for that, but now we’re still really strong. It’s a bond closer than a marriage. Our wives don’t even know us as well as we do.

COLLECTIVE SOUL

I knew you were a big Beatle fan but does the British Invasion inform your sound? There’s a definite McCartney vibe at times.

Yeah and I’ve been listening to Ram over and over and even Flowers In The Dirt.

You can take it for granted just because there was so much material, but like, every song on Ram, I love. Paul did those solo records and then he came out with Wings, what was it, six months later? So yeah, McCartney is an influence and I guess Randy Newman gets brought up a lot, too.

So for me, it’s a cross of all of that.

What makes Collective Soul distinctive is there’s a define, cohesive band sound as well. Some groups never quite find it, but you guys managed to nail it at the very beginning.

Yeah, Ed’s vocal is definitely recognizable. But the thing is, we just didn’t overanalyze it. We were just ourselves. We didn’t have a lot of the same ways of creating music that other people did. We just did it our own way and sure enough, I think it turned out to be one of the reasons why we’re successful, because nobody sound like Collective Soul and we don’t really sound like anybody but us.

You were also lucky in that the band worked on their own terms.

That was definitely a part of it. We didn’t

It’s a family.

Definitely. We’re all brothers, absolutely.

When we connect all the dots for people, I think it’ll be a very captivating story.

Obviously as the lineup changes, the band dynamic shifts a bit.

Yeah but we’re as strong now as ever. Johnny Rabb, I can’t even think of

how many ways to say that he’s a great drummer and a friend. Then Jess joined in 2014 and the vibe and the artistry is just great.

Since the bond is so tight, songwriting must be just intuitive at this point.

Yeah and a good example of that is probably the song “Right As Rain.” Did you notice how we recorded the acoustic guitars? That was a nod, a sport of a tip of the hat, to Tom Petty who has always been a big influence on all of us.

It just flew out of us. It took no effort to know how to propagate those emotions - and, as you said, to make it sound like Collective Soul.

You mentioned that the new album has no filler. But that’s a hallmark of all of Collective Soul records. I can’t think of any obvious tracks to skip when you play the albums from start to finish.

Well it comes from being buddies.

We focus on what we want and Ed is an amazing songwriter. He can write a tune and then we get together and it sound like us. It comes down to this: you get one chance to be new and fresh. Then after that, if your quality isn’t really high, it doesn’t work. For your first record, you get the time to spend on your sound and really develop it. Then for the second one, sometimes you just have six-months to do it in. Some people do struggle with that pressure. If the band isn’t tight, that record just won’t be as good. But I think Blood really is as good as the rest of our stuff. I think it might be in the top five.

Not that the others weren’t as good, but I’m just really proud of this one.

So what better way to celebrate a good album than with a big, end-of-the-year homecoming show, right?

Definitely. We’re celebrating twenty-five, well really more than twenty-five years, but we’re just celebrating it all - with the home crowd. I know people are flying in for it because it’s a real celebration. I think it’s gonna be emotional. Tears will be shed.

Even now, after all this time, it’s been an unbelievable life. It’s surreal when I think about all that we’ve done. So we’ll have a lot to say and a lot of songs to play. We’re just gonna wrap up 2019 at home and then we’ll get ready for 2020.

insiteatlanta.com • November 2019 • PG 17

MOVIES

SPORTS

Movie Reviews

BY STEVE WARREN

BLACK AND BLUE (R)

 Black and Blue gives reason for optimism about ending alleged racism in police departments. It shows black and white cops working together and cooperating, albeit with drug dealers, in trying to kill another (black) cop who threatens to expose them. Alicia West (Naomie Harris) moved back to New Orleans after serving in Afghanistan and took a job with the police. In her third week the “rookie” is still learning how things have changed. The police don’t respond to calls from her rundown old neighborhood, where regardless of skin color they’re considered “blues” and hated accordingly. Even former friends consider Alicia an enemy. She stumbles on some cops murdering a young drug dealer with big connections and captures it on her bodycam. Soon the bad cops put out the word that she’s the killer, and she has a big drug gang, most of the black community, and a large part of the police force trying to kill her. The only person she seems able to trust is neighborhood grocer Milo “Mouse” Jackson (Tyrese Gibson), who begrudgingly helps her.

The chase leads to one suspenseful situation after another, with Harris displaying a record number of expressions to show fear and determination. Not every detail is believable – hey, it’s a movie – but the story provides a solid basis for a solid, socially conscious thriller.

FRANKIE (PG-13)

 If you’ve ever said, “I could watch Isabelle Huppert in anything,” here’s your acid test.

Frankie has the melodrama and illogic of a soap opera without the passion. With credits that make the UN seem nationalistic by comparison, this French-Portuguese coproduction was directed by American Ira Sachs, who co-wrote it with Brazil-born, USCeducated Mauricio Zacharias. The majority of the dialogue is in English but there’s a good bit of French and a little Portuguese. Frankie (Huppert) is an international film star who’s French but lives in London with her husband Jimmy (Brendan Gleeson). She gathers her extended family for a vacation in Sintra, Portugal. They include Jimmy’s daughter from a previous marriage with her husband and their daughter; and Frankie’s bachelor son, whom she hopes to hook up with her hair stylist friend Ilene (Marisa Tomei). The good news is that

Ilene happens to be on a break from working on a Star Wars film in Spain. The bad news: She brings along her current lover (Greg Kinnear), a cinematographer on the same film. A bigger coincidence: Frankie’s previous husband from decades ago just happens to be in Sintra at the same time. The reason for the family reunion gradually becomes painfully obvious but little of what happens is of much interest. The only reason for seeing Frankie is the beauty of Sintra.

If only those pesky people didn’t keep getting in the way.

THE LIGHTHOUSE (R)

 No matter how compassionate you are, you can’t really feel what someone else is going through unless you go (or have gone) through it yourself. The Lighthouse does everything a movie can to make you share the experience of “Ephraim Winslow” (Robert Pattinson) when he takes a job sharing lighthouse staffing duties with Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe). It’s supposed to be a four-week gig but bad weather extends it indefinitely. Wake has been doing this forever and leaves no doubt who’s in charge.

“The light is mine,” he insists, assigning his assistant all the crap chores on the small island that holds the lighthouse and adjacent living quarters. The isolation gradually takes its toll on the younger man, whose predecessor is said to have “gone mad.” He’s mocked and attacked by a seagull his partner warns it would be bad luck to kill. On the 28th night Winslow gets drunk with Wake and they finally bond, exchanging personal information, including Winslow’s real name. Director and co-writer Robert Eggers (The Witch, which I was less enthusiastic about) shoots the film in black-and-white on a narrow screen, helping you feel the men’s claustrophobia.

It’s endlessly fascinating - not always interesting, but that’s part of the experience. The two actors have the film to themselves about 99 percent of the time and acquit themselves marvelously. The only problem is Pattinson’s inconsistent accent.

Sometimes he seems to be adopting Dafoe’s ol’ salty talk, but not incrementally; in one scene he sounds like a modern New Englander while in another he has no accent. All other aspects of his performance are so good that I thought of Tom Cruise working with and learning from Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson early in his career. The Lighthouse is not for everyone but it’s awesome for those who can appreciate it.

See the rest of our movie reviews at insiteatlanta.com/movies.asp

THE LIGHTHOUSE

GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS Conversation with New Coach Rob Lanier

BY DAVE COHEN

R

ECENT CONTINUED SUCCESS has brought change to Georgia State’s men’s basketball program with Ron Hunter’s departure to New Orleans to fill the vacant coaching position at Tulane. As a result, there’s a new head coach on Decatur Street and it’s veteran Rob Lanier. Most recently he was the Associate Head Coach at Tennessee under Rick Barnes.

Even with the loss of four seniors and D’Marcus Simonds, Lanier inherits a couple of key veterans in Kane Williams and Damon Wilson as well as last year’s heralded freshman Nelson Phillips. The Panthers open the season November 6th vs.

Brewton-Parker College.

How has pre-season practice been and what excites you about your first season in Atlanta?

I Like these guys and how competitive they are. We have a talented group of guards that have been chomping at the bit for an opportunity to play at a higher level.

We have two guys that were sitting out last year and have become eligible and then we have some other guys that played more auxiliary-type roles that are going to have an opportunity to maybe play bigger roles.

I like the group, the energy but we have a long way to go. Becoming a man-to-man defensive team, we’re taking real baby steps there so there’s going to be some turbulence as we try to grow as a man-to-man team because not only were they previously a zone team, but they were really good at it. So that’s going to be a change. We’re going to play some zone from time to time but even our zone is different. I’m really excited about the guys. We have a quality group who have done there best to buy in to something that’s been a significant change.

When you take over a program is there more emphasis on teaching and molding during that first season?

Yes, there’s no question about that. I think the advantage of being a new coach in a program that’s been successful is that the kids have already bought into a standard. So that’s not new to them. When you go into a program that has not been successful, just that concept of playing to a certain standard, the work ethic, the way you go about your business off the court.

There were some things within the culture

I think the advantage of being a new coach in a program that’s been successful is that the kids have already bought into a standard.

PG 18 • November 2019 • insiteatlanta.com

that were in place from a competitive standpoint. Even though everything we’re doing is relatively new I think when they’re not operating at a high standard and we get on them about it, they know what that’s about. We’re starting from scratch but in some ways we’re not.

You had mentioned that you wanted to work towards becoming taller. You’ve done that with the signings of two freshman, Jalen Thomas and Joe Jones.

I don’t know how much that will take affect right away. We have to be prepared to play smaller lineups and develop the bigger lineup. I don’t know if we’re ready to just walk out there and be bigger right now. I don’t know if that’s asking too much of the new young guys. They are coming along so you will see some bigger lineups.

Certainly, that is something that we plan to develop moving forward program-wise.

Some of the non-conference portion of the schedule was completed prior to your arrival. None-the-less, it certainly provides you with some challenging road games playing at College of Charleston, at Duke and at Georgetown early in the season.

I want it that way but calendar-wise we would have structured it differently. We would not have been starting out with five of our first six games away from campus and we would not have put them in the order that they are in if we’d had more time to manipulate the schedule. But we wanted to play those opponents.

Having coached opposite some of the teams in recent seasons, what are your thoughts on Sun Belt Conference basketball?

Great league. I know South Alabama is going to be really good. Louisiana-Lafayette is always good. We played them last year when I was at Tennessee and it was my scout, so I was familiar with the talent that they have. I’ve known their head coach, Bob Marlin, for a long time. Also, I coached Chris Ogden (HC at Texas-Arlington) for a couple of years so I know how good of a coach he is. He’s got a really good team and a good scheme with their motion offense.

The toughness that they play defense with.

Top to bottom, there’s just good coaches in the league. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we like what we’ve got to work with here.

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