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Josh King Chris: So tell us about your upcoming album, Josh@peachatl.com what’s the inspiration for it?

EDITORIAL

Tajonyx: I recorded this EP MIKEY right atROX the start of the pandemic, freshBrian off the heels of Sawyer Graphics breaking up with my first real love. Ahmaud Arbery had just been shot in the town that I Chris Gonzalez used to live, and take jogs outside in. People chris@peachatl.com were rioting in the streets. I had immense Social Media & More anxiety about covid...about the future...and couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness.

My SALES | DISTRIBUTION heart was broken... It was a very difficult time.

Andrea Dwyer andrea@peachatl.com The EP touches on my experiences as a black queer man in today's society, as well as the revelations of my life thatCONTRIBUTORS could only have come from the isolation that the pandemic MIKEY ROX provided.

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BLOOD Chris: How does your identity play into your art and musical expression?

TOP TEN

Tajonyx: As a bisexual man of color, choosing to ignore the traumas from the experiences surrounding my identity in my music would equate to denying my music of its authenticity. I am who I am. Its evident in every note I sing, and every move I make on and off stage. Why hide from it?

Why conceal something so beautiful?

Well, . Peaches... the time

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has come again for us to start mas get this virus under control. So while some of you are g Chris: Who are your inspirations to musically and stylistically? ready to start cutting back on going out, I curated a playlist Tajonyx: Michael Jackson is my number 1. We both share you felt to chill atspiritual home and enjoySOCIAL a nice evening sipping some ONLINE PRINT the same birthday, and I've always a deep At Distribution Points Across FB:facebook.com/peachatlmag connection to him. Ipeachatl.com would sayand musically he is a huge lighting a few candles. Let's beat this pandemic toget the City inspiration for me, as well as Brandy. Stylistically, Aaliyah is Chris G. a huge inspiration.

The content of Peach ATL Media is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice. The opinions expressed by any writer, advertiser, or other person appearing in the Peach ATL Media are not necessarily those of this publication, its management or staff. The information and materials appearing in the magazine are not guaranteed or warranted as to accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness, or suitability of the information and materials found or offered for a particular purpose. It shall be your responsibility to ensure that any products, services, or information available through Peach ATL Media meets your specific requirements. Peach ATL Media is not responsible for claims made by advertisers, content of information, changes, events, and schedules. The magazine contains information and material which is owned by or licensed to Peach ATL Media, including but not limited to articles, advertisements, design, layout, graphics, and logos. No part or portion of Peach ATL Media may be reproduced in any way without the prior written consent of the publisher. Unauthorized use of Peach ATL Media may give rise to claims for damages and or criminal offenses. Your use of the information or materials in Peach ATL Media is strictly at your own risk.

Chris: What’s been your trajectory so far with your career

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Mike Russell is the Black, Gay, ‘Common-Sense Conservative’ the Atlanta City Council Needs Right Now He’s committed to cracking down on local crime, preserving Atlanta’s green spaces, and ending the scourge of generational poverty – but he needs your vote to do it

by Mikey Rox

Political candidate Mike Russell is a husband and father of two, a smallbusiness owner, and for 28 years he served in the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He served in the United States, but also in Central America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Europe. He’s been around. But now, after a successful and decorated military and law enforcement career, Russell has planted roots in Atlanta – and he wants to crack down.

In a recent interview, Russell discusses at length his bid for City Council President, a campaign that’s primarily focused on reducing the rampant crime running amok in Fulton County and the city proper by imposing harsher consequences for repeat offenders, strengthening existing laws to prevent more heinous crimes, and educating the uneducated to stop the current scourge dead in its tracks.

The out, self-proclaimed “common-sense conservative” also digs into environmental preservation, why parents – not schools – are responsible for raising their kids right, and how everyone, regardless of race, must hold themselves accountable for their own success and failures, however murky those proverbial waters may be.

Let’s dive in.

PEACH ATL: I found an interesting takeaway in your bio about your childhood in Oklahoma where you said you felt perfectly safe walking through your neighborhood at night, primarily because it was virtually devoid of crime. That doesn’t seem to be a common experience today. Since a major part of your platform is to tackle rampant crime in Atlanta, how do you plan to do that initially?

MIKE RUSSELL: Well, there’s a couple things that can be done pretty quickly

that I’m kind of surprised haven’t been done already. One of the things is our city ordinances are out of date. So when it comes to, for example, these nuisance locations that have been cited numerous times for alcohol violations, noise violations, serving [alcohol] after their permitted hours, after they reach a certain threshold of legitimate complaints that business is closed down – padlocked if you will – that would end that. Because what’s happening now is that the owners are playing a game, and it’s a business decision. So currently even if they go to court it would be eight to 12 months after they’ve been cited numerous times, and in that period of time they can make a whole lot of money. If you reverse the order to say once you’ve been cited so many times you’re going to be shut down until you go to court, they’ll make a different business decision, which probably will be, we don’t want to violate the law anymore because we’re going to be closed down. And so right now the way the ordinance is written it’s not very effective or enforceable and we need to change that.

There are a couple other things that I think need to be done immediately.

One of them is we need to reform our juvenile justice, because right now we’re literally teaching kids that crime does pay. You’ve got juveniles that have been arrested over a dozen times, nothing happens to them, and the lesson is I can get away with this and then they end up doing something heinous and then life is over for them, so to speak, so I think we really need to re-look at that because the fact of the matter is, if you or the city or the mayor or anybody says we are not going to prosecute a certain crime you just made that crime legal so there are no consequences and people are going to engage in that type of activity. We’ve got to stop sending the wrong signals out

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there immediately so people know there are consequences to crime if they get caught.

The other thing I think we need to do immediately – and this will be a little bit tougher because of Georgia state law – is we need to find a way to encourage gun owners to put their weapons in a secondary lockbox inside their vehicles.

There are two issues at play here. One, again, is the current law in Fulton County and in the City that breaking into an automobile is not considered a major crime. That needs to change. We’re going to be up to 10,000 break-ins in the city this year because there’s no serious consequence for breaking into a car. The second thing is, a lot of these break-ins are young kids, actually teenagers looking for guns, and so the first thing is we’ve got to make breaking into a car a serious offense and there are consequences for that. Second thing is, we’ve got to come up with a way that is constitutionally viable to require owners to lock up their weapons, because a thin pane of glass should not be the only barrier between a teenager and a loaded gun.

PEACH: What about racial tensions?

You’re a Black man, first-time would-be politician, and you have stated, presumably regarding the Black community in Atlanta and around Georgia, “We must stop making excuses for failure. There is no excuse for lawlessness or thuggish behavior… none! To effectively address the out-of-control crime, our solutions must be based on actual virtue and not virtue signaling.” Can you explain what that last part means, please?

MR: Way before I decided to run – or people convinced me to run – I was listening to the Zoom meetings from the City Council and they were talking about things like shutting down the jail. I heard a lot of people call in, whom, in my opinion – I don’t know what they look like, I can only go by their voices – sounded like rather young white individuals. And they were calling and saying things that sounded like to me were from a script because they all sounded the same.

They had this common phrase about ‘stop locking up our Black and brown brothers and sisters.’ And then in those same meetings I heard, what sounded 12 | follow us @ peachatlmag

like to me, people who sounded very much like my grandmother calling, and there were two women in particular that got me very emotional who were literally crying saying please help us, send the police, please get these people out of our neighborhoods. So for me, those people who are not suffering like the people are in many of our predominantly Black communities, for me they’re just virtue signaling. They think they’re helping but they’re not. And the people who are suffering, who are hearing gunshots every night, like this lady whose grandson that she raised since he was five years old was gunned down on his way to work. They are suffering because of this crime. They are suffering because of repeat offenders.

They are suffering because these people have not been taken off the street and so the virtue is we have to clean up the crime not just in Buckhead, but in Bankhead, Mechanicsville, Grove Park. Every place. Because those people, the ones who were in the predominantly Black neighborhoods – the older residents, the legacy residents, who built those neighborhoods, who are very proud of their homes, who are trying to hang on to their homes – those people are who are suffering the most right now.

PEACH: In your opinion, is white privilege a valid excuse for Black or POC failure?

And what should these demographics do when they’ve experienced failure that may seemingly have racial biases or undertones?

MR: I’ve read quite a bit about this and so when you compare say, for example, Black college professors who have the same degree and the same length of service, Black college professors tend to make more than their white counterparts.

When you look at married couples that are in the same industry with the same degrees with the same experience, there’s almost no difference between white, Black or Asian. The disparity comes when you have a disproportionate number of Black Americans who are poorly educated and living in single-family homes. There becomes a huge disparity in income and ability to move into the middle class.

So the issue, if you just look below the surface, it’s not an issue of race. If it were a racial issue, these groups would not be able to succeed. www.peachatl.com

When you look below the surface, what you see in these other immigrant groups, including Blacks, is that they come from two-parent-family households. They put a huge emphasis on education. Their kids are taught to read, write and speak proper English, and that qualifies them for betterpaying jobs and allows them to meet the standards to get into better universities.

So it’s not so much an issue of race, it’s an issue of we have a disproportionate number of Black Americans who are in these categories that are detrimental to them being able to make a decent living and to live their best life. And so that’s why I’m advocating for things like school choice to help these people not lower the standard but to help them actually meet the standard.

PEACH: One of your core ideas in terms of education is that parents – not schools – are responsible for educating their children.

But how do you get bad parents to take accountability and accept responsibility for their poorly behaved and likely failing-atlife children. How does this cycle end?

MR: First I think we have to teach the way I did my two kids: there’s one standard for boys and girls when it comes to sexual activity. I think a lot of people give a wink and a nod to the boy and then they give these lectures to the girls. Now, this is a little bit of a long answer but this is Mike Russell’s take on the world: Any time

that a kid does not have the affection of both parents there’s some trauma there, and kids deal with it in different ways. I know someone, he’s in his mid-30s, and his parents are just now going through a divorce. I met with him last weekend and he told me, “You know, I didn’t ever realize it before, it doesn’t matter how old you are, when your parents separate it’s really traumatic, it’s very emotional.”

So what I think is happening in a lot of these homes, and again, unfortunately it’s predominantly Black families because only about 20 percent – depending on whose statute you look at, it’s in the low- to mid20s – are raised in two-parent homes. When the father, and in most cases it’s the father, I think for a lot of kids there becomes this sense of rejection: “Why doesn’t he love me?” “Why is he not here?”

That, for a lot of kids, turns into resentment and then anger.

They look for that missing affection in other ways.

I think with boys, it turns into looking for social status and that male bonding and love that they’re not getting at home and they find a lot of that in the street gangs and out doing bad behavior. I think with the girls they look for affection and they confuse affection with physical sex and they think to make themselves whole, to get the affection of a man, they have to give up their bodies.

I know a lot of people don’t want to hear that, but I honestly believe that that’s the truth, and so females and males are | 13

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looking for this affection in this sense of rejection that they got because their father left them and they’re trying to compensate for that in different ways.

What we have to do is teach our young women that they are whole and complete, that they don’t have to give themselves over to a man to be that, and we need to tell young boys that they need to be responsible and having sex is not an indication of your manhood. We just need to be frank about that and teach it because in our schools we barely teach sex education. We don’t teach anything about sexuality and that has to change.

The other thing is, we need to have wraparound services for these predominantly single moms with kids. I hesitate to use names, but I’ll use one in this case. There’s an outstanding program in Roswell called the Drake House. They take mothers who are homeless – with kids; that’s the first criteria – and they work with these families for up to two years to help them get back on their feet, to teach them parenting skills, the “whole nine” of financial literacy, and they have a very high success rate. So one of the things that I would advocate for is that we duplicate those things here – not government run – but that we reinforce success in programs like the Drake House that have a track record of working. But it’s a multi-faceted thing. We have to teach parents how to be better parents. We have parents in this city who are illiterate. How do we expect for them to – I mean, just think about it – a mom, 16 years old, she’s maybe semiliterate, has no high school diploma, no employable skills, and now she’s got two kids. How do we expect her to get out of that situation? It’s almost impossible.

PEACH: Many times on your website, it states that you’re a proven, resultoriented leader. What are some examples of that?

I can start with the last time I was with what the Army calls Director of Emergency Services. I had fire, police, security guards, anti-terrorism – the list goes on. One of the things I did, I instituted community policing, and when I first brought the proposal up in the staff meeting I literally got yelled at and was told that it wasn’t going to happen and

to get on my boss’s calendar because he was upset that I dropped this bomb in the middle of this staff call. So I went to my boss’s office and I laid it out for him.

I told him this is how much money I need and these are the results that I promise you in a year. And after about an hour conversation he picked up the phone and called the resource manager and he told her I owe Mike Russell about $20,000, at least initially, and so I took that money and I bought biking uniforms, I bought bikes, I bought bike carriers. And when the MPs started going to the schools and to the facilities, the shopping center, a lot of people were upset. One principal told me she didn’t want guns in her school. I went and met with her. I said, well, you know technically you can’t prevent us from coming in so I want to work with you to do this. At the end of that year, that same principal, who was one of our elementary school principals, held a barbecue for all the cops who had worked her school – from the guys who did the crosswalks in the morning and the evening to the guys who came and patrolled, who went to the playground during the day, who walked some of the kids home from school, stood at the bus stop, and it changed the whole dynamic of the community. The cops didn’t like it at first because you’re out in the weather, but after a while they felt better about themselves because they felt more effective. I really think that was one of the best things I did as far as turning the image of the police around in the community.

PEACH: You’re a Black, gay, conservative candidate. What’s your strategy for convincing those often at-odds voting constituencies to choose you?

MR: I don’t like labels, so I label myself – because people kind of force it on you – as a ‘common-sense’ conservative. I think I come to the table with experience that none of the other candidates have, and I think I will be effective in what I believe to be the first responsibility of government – and that is public safety. That is my strong suit. That’s what I’ve done for a profession, and I think I will be uniquely qualified to help meet the City Council and to work with others whether it’s the sheriff, the DEA, our new mayor, et cetera, in coming up with viable solutions to get after this crime.

When I talk to people all over the city and lay out my ideas – whether it’s a Black grandmother over in Vine City or when I’m out with homeless people, who, by the way, have surprised me, some of them, they are very intelligent, they know what’s going on, but you know a lot of them have some mental challenges – I’ve never had any real pushback. We can debate about what consequences should be for punishment, but for the most part once people get past trying to label folks and get past the [political] tribalism, I really have not had any challenges with that.

PEACH: What are your first orders of business as City Council president should you be elected?

MR: The first thing is crime. We have to get after that. It’s the first responsibility of government, and that will be my first priority. I also believe in accountability. I believe that the City Council should give the money that the police need but I think we need to drill down and make sure it’s targeted and it’s going to the right areas. Like right now in the budgeting process, it’s just like carte blanche to just throw money at a problem but never drill down to make sure that it’s effective, and I’ve done that before in the budgeting process.

The second thing is city services. They just are bad right now. One of the other things I did in the Army is, I was the operations officer on a couple of bases responsible for synchronizing all the activities on the base, all the services on the base.

Our team, at my last duty station, was awarded as the best in the entire United States Army for the city services that we provided, and I think, again, that makes me uniquely qualified that I can help turn around our city services. That is tied to my next part, which is the budget. One of the things that I learned in the past is when someone submits a budget, they have to come to the table with what they’re going to actually do with that money, what are the measurable standards they’re going to meet, the measurable services that they’re going to deliver to residents, and then why they need certain amounts of money to perform those tasks, and then you hold the chief administrators

responsible for meeting those standards.

Right now, they just ask for money and they’re handed the money – and there’s no tie to performance.

Last thing among my top priorities is preserving our green spaces and our tree canopy and our single-family homes.

Those things make Atlanta unique, and once they’re gone they’re gone forever.

I think the proposed new zoning laws will make things worse. I’m working with some groups right now to try to save some affordable housing that’s being torn down because the developers get some variance and can rip them down. I have been fighting to help these residents in Garden Hills when their current City Council member would not even attend the meeting. I just think it’s wrong that we are allowing developers to come in, get a variance and just chop down, wholesale, clear cutting and take down – in this case, I think it’s 26 one- and two-story apartments where teachers, administrators, people in the service industry are living in affordable housing.

And now that’s going to be knocked down because this guy got a variance to cover the green space and take down the trees and he’s going to build 36 threestory, two-car garage townhomes that are all over a million dollars a piece. We’re not living up to our community standards.

We say we want affordable housing, we want to protect our canopy, but we have laws in place that allow for this to happen.

It’s just a contradiction and I am going to be a champion to stop that, and one of the things that I’m advocating for is that any changing to the zoning laws must be postponed until after the election until the new mayor and the new City Council have been seated and that residents and advocacy groups can come before the city council in person and petition and make their grievances known before there are any changes to the zoning law. *This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For more information on Mike Russell and his campaign to become Atlanta City Council President, visit MikeRussellAtlanta.com.

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. Connect with Mikey on Instagram @mikeyroxtravels

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LET’S CHAT

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A Talk Radio and chat show by Atlanta legendaries Marci Alt and Ginger Nichols

Let’s Chat is an official Talk Radio Show of Peach Media and co-produced & sponsored

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Join the dynamic duo as they explore current issues, share life experiences, and dive into the topics that you want to hear about!

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Marci & Ginger chat together about topics you want to know about!

With special guest interviews!

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Photography by: Monique Harris Photography

By: Christopher Gonzalez LaCorte What do you get when you mix the flow of Twista, with the style of Aaliyah and the lyricism of some of the revolutionary artists of the 90s and early 2000s? Tajonyx, a young queer artist from Douglasville, GA who is on the rise and ready to take Atlanta and the country by storm. His passion and dedication to the craft is what stands out the most. In speaking to Tajonyx you see the fire behind their eyes, and the aura of energy surrounding them as they guide you through their life story and inspirations for their sound.

I await Tajonyx at a local restaurant and look up to see someone standing before me with an asymmetrical sleeve t-shirt, yellow round frame glasses and black pants reminiscent of the Aaliyah Tommy Hilfiger fit. You are immediately attune to the style and energy that this artist is going to bring to the table.

During our two hour long conversation, we discuss topics from Scruff and Grindr to the Black Lives Matter movement, all of which aretopics that make their way into Tajonyx's latest EP 'DARK MATTER'.

In asking about the title of the album Tajonyx goes on to explain how a former relationship and the struggle with their individuality was the catalyst for the work. With social issues surrounding BLM as well, Tajonyx realized their voice was the protest they could participate in since marching was out of the picture due to health concerns.

"Dark Matter may be the reason for the movement of the stars. Dark Matter was strongly involved in the development of the universe as we know it today." -Dark Matter, off Dark Matter EP. In speaking, Tajonyx also touched on their affiliation with the church and how that changed pre and post coming out. On the one hand, there's the church family from before coming out, and the church family they chose at their LGBTQ+ affiliated place of worship.

The EP took 9 months to create; completely virtually. In working with Josh Cobb out of Jacksonville, FL they created a sound that is unique and a journey that is unapologetically queer and Black.

Chris: So tell us about your upcoming album, what’s the inspiration for it?

Tajonyx: I recorded this EP right at the start of the pandemic, fresh off the heels of breaking up with my first real love. Ahmaud Arbery had just been shot in the town that I used to live, and take jogs outside in. People were rioting in the streets. I had immense anxiety about covid...about the future...and couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness. My heart was broken... It was a very difficult time.

The EP touches on my experiences as a black queer man in today's society, as well as the revelations of my life that could only have come from the isolation that the pandemic provided.

Chris: How does your identity play into your art and musical expression?

Tajonyx: As a bisexual man of color, choosing to ignore the traumas from the experiences surrounding my identity in my music would equate to denying my music of its authenticity. I am who I am. Its evident in every note I sing, and every move I make on and off stage. Why hide from it?

Why conceal something so beautiful? .

Chris: Who are your inspirations musically and stylistically?

Tajonyx: Michael Jackson is my number 1. We both share the same birthday, and I've always felt a deep spiritual connection to him. I would say musically he is a huge inspiration for me, as well as Brandy. Stylistically, Aaliyah is a huge inspiration.

Chris: What’s been your trajectory so far with your career and where do you see it going from here?

Tajonyx: In the past its been just social media promotion every time I dropped a project. But now I feel like I'm ready to take my music to the stage. I'm ready to start performing around Atlanta, which is why I'm so excited about my live show happening on August 27th at the Waterloo Sunset Record Store. I've been in rehearsals for it, and since its my first concert performing my own original music, I plan to make it a memorable experience.

Chris: Thank you so much for an amazing interview and dinner! Can you let everyone know where to find you on social media?

@TAJONYX

Peach Scene @ Photos by Russ Bowen-Youngblood SOCIALIZERS @ GUAC Y MARGY'S

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MIDTOWN ATLANTA EAGLE CLOSED atlantaeagle.com 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

MIDTOWN MOON 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE

THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave NE

BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE TEN ATLANTA tenatlanta.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE CHESHIRE HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH sisterlouisaschurch. com 466 Edgewood Ave SE

DINING MIDTOWN 10TH & PIEDMONT 10thandpiedmont. com 991 Piedmont Ave NE EINSTEIN’S einsteinsatlanta. com 1077 Juniper St NE FROGS CANTINA frogsmidtown.com 931 Monroe Dr G’S gsmidtown.com 219 10th St NE HENRY’S henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE CHESHIRE SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ANSLEY BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1447 Piedmont Ave NE GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com 1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE

JOE’S ON JUNIPER joesonjuniper.com 1049 Juniper St NE LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com 900 Monroe Dr NE CHESHIRE LAS MARGARITAS lasmargaritasmidtown.com 1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

ROXX SWINGING RICHARDS 1824 Cheshire swingingrichards.

Bridge Rd NE com 1400 Northside Dr DEKALB NW LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE

FITNESS MIDTOWN URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbodyfitness.com 500 Amsterdam Ave N

CHESHIRE

GRAVITEE FITNESS graviteeatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SPAS/BATHS ADULT FLEX SPA flexspas.com 76 4th St NW CHESHIRE

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THE PEACH TEA

weekly bar schedule

BLAKES

BJ ROOSTERS

S

BULLDOGS Hookah Night @ 8 PM

**NIGHTLY DANCERS**

M

Hookah Night @ 8 PM

T Latino Night

Hookah Night @ 10 PM

Taco/Tequila Tuesday @ 8 PM

W

Hookah Night @ 10 PM

Karaoke Night @ 8 PM

TR F S

FELIX'S

HERETIC

FRIENDS

S Featuring DJ KINZIE M

Stars of The Century @ 10:30 PM

T

Karaoke Night @ 10 PM

W Featuring DJ AF

WarpedZone @ 6 PM

TR Featuring DJ K2

Country Night @ 8 PM

F Featuring DJ AF

Check Facebook for Events

S Featuring DJ AF

Mix Tape Sunday Night w/ DJ Darlene

HIDEAWAY

LIPS

Check Facebook for Events

MARY'S

S 80s/90 Videos @ 12:30 PM, Honey Pot @ 7 PM M Nick at Night (Industry) @ 8 PM T Trivia w/ DeWayne Morgan @ 8:30 PM W Sex & The ATL Martini Night @ 8 PM TR Game Night w/ DJ Darlene @ 9 PM F Fuck It Fridays w/ DJ Mister Richard @ 10 PM

**CALL FOR NIGHTLY SHOW RESERVATIONS** Twisted Broadway

Hump Day @ Mary's | $5 Thicker, Longer, Fuller Thursdays | $5 Queer Bait | $5 Cover

S Love Saturdays w/ Tristan Hartman @ 10 PM

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drinking schedule THE PEACH TEA

MIXX

MOON

S

Heifer Review @ 1:30 PM Other Side of the Moon @ 9 PM

MSR

2-4-1 @ 7 PM (No Cover)

M Flavors of The Moon @ 9 PM T

$3 Tacos (ALL DAY) Latina Divas @ 10:30 PM

Sessions ATL @ 8:30 PM, $5

W Ruby Redd's Birdcage Bingo @ 9 PM

Switch - A Queer Dance Party @ 10 PM

TR Kit Katt Karaoke @ 9 PM F

R&B Night @ 10 PM

Mama Mya's Talent Show @ 9 PM Madams of the Moonlight @ 11:30 PM

Fem Fridays @ 8 PM

S Divas & The Divo @ 11:30 PM

Secret Saturday @ 11 PM

OSCAR'S

TRIPPS

THE T

S

Live Music @ 5 PM

Free Lunch @ 3 PM

M Messy Monday Karaoke @ 10 PM T W Fireball, Trivia and Drag w/ Misti Shores @ 9 PM Karaoke @ 9:30 TR

DJ Lowe Ki @ 8 PM

F

"Friday Night Skin"

S

DJ Lowe Ki @ 10 PM

WOOFS

X ATLANTA

10TH & PIEDMONT/G'S

S M Poker Night @ 7:30, 1/2 Price Wine

Funk & Soul Martini Mondays @ 7 PM

T CLOSED WRetro Video Night w/Mister Richard & Wing Wed. TR$5 Burger Day (ALL DAY)

X After Dark| Show at 12 Midnight

F Sangria Fridays S

Party on the Patio @ 4 PM

Karaoke @ 10 PM

August 4th - August 10th

2021 Atlanta Dogwood Festival @ Piedmont Park | August 6 - 8 An Atlanta staple for over 80 years, there is something for everyone at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Virtually every kind of art imaginable is represented at the festival, with a nationally renowned, juried Fine Artist Market that includes sculpture, paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography and much more.

DILF Atlanta by Joe Whitaker @ Heretic | August 7th (10 PM) JOE WHITAKER & THE DILF PARTY PRESENT... DILF "DEEPER" SPECIAL EVENT JOCK/UNDERWEAR/GEAR EVENT FEATURING MUSIC BY: DJ DE FELIPE (Madrid Spain) *A CLOTHES CHECK will be available for this event. Not Required to check your clothes to attend the event.

Ascension (A Goth/Industrial Party) @ Masquerade | August 7th (10 PM) Ascension returns to you on Saturday, August 7th!! This time around resident DJ System Fail is joined by one of Atlanta's favorite sons DJ Aesthetic! Together they will have you out on our dance floor all night long!!

Our lights, lasers and atmosphere will of course be brought to us by Dragon Fire Events!!

In addition to the dance floor, we will be having a special art exhibit upstairs curated and supervised by Elvis Thompson. This will be Elvis's first foray into club events since returning to us from the great city of Reno!!

As always, our event is 18+ (the only 18+ goth/industrial event in town) and the cover is $10 before midnight and $12 after.

WUSSY Prom with Kylie Sonique Love @ MSR |August 7th (10 PM) Bring a date or 2 or 3 or come alone, everyone is welcome! It will be another deathdrop to remember -- the night that every young queer dreams of.

Vote for your Prom Queen, King, and Prom Overlord! The crowning announcements will be made at the LATE show.

Prom Committee: Kylie Sonique Love from RuPaul's Drag Race Priscilla Chambers from Boulet Brothers' Dragula Arrianna Paris, Alex Suarez, Drew Friday, Dymond Onasis, Jarvis Hammer, SZN Alxndr + MORE! Rainbow Trout Beer Bust @ Guac Y Margys (Amsterdam) | August 7th (1 PM) Join us for our second Beer Bust of 2021!! This time at Guac y Margs new location near Piedmont Park.

All you can drink beer for $10 plus $2 Jell-O shots.

Olympic Closing Ceremony @ WOOFS | August 8th (2 PM) Come join friends and the Woofs staff for the Olympic Closing Ceremonies. Watch on one of our many TVs with full audio. Full food menu available!

Dear Peach,

ve seen so many g time now, and ha lon a for h ac Pe I’ve read Week. Ive always s as Peaches of the ge pa ur yo otos e ac gr people e to submit their ph and self-confidenc e ag ur co ir the be d to envie it might feel ed. I wonder how t their to you and be featur ing out the week tha go up c if they end knows e on me so d recognized in publi an t out and about jus e y’r the if or t, selfarticle is ou t, how can I get my g. Long story shor t jus t bu them from the ma oto ph my e one day submit yb ma to up e nc confide r about myself? generally feel bette

As a former Peach of the Week myself, you have to understand something: not everyone that submits or gets asked to be featured is necessarily the most confident. Everyone is going through their own shit. While people definitely have to have some sense of confidence to take photos that might be featured in the magazine or elsewhere, they could also have underlying self-esteem issues that are not seen on the surface.

So while you think you don’t have the confidence to submit to us, you probably do.

Reshape your thinking. Rather than thinking they have so much more confidence than you, say: they look great and I love their confidence, but they’re just as human as I am. If you reshape your thinking, you can reshape your life. **COME ON INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES!**

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Get the details on our website calendar.

Membership Required * Must be 21 to Enter

August 6 - 7, 2021 706-213-8081 www.camptheriversedge.com

The Rivers Edge Campground, 2311 Pulliam Mill Road, Dewy Rose, GA 30634

TOP TEN

Well, Peaches... the time has come again for us to start masking up to get this virus under control. So while some of you are getting ready to start cutting back on going out, I curated a playlist just for you to chill at home and enjoy a nice evening sipping some wine and lighting a few candles. Let's beat this pandemic together! Chris G.

Listen to the Playlist | https://tinyurl.com/chillathome 40 | follow us @ peachatlmag

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This is your week to rock, Leo! You are presenting yourself in a very virtual way lately focusing on social media as your main form of communication, but this week you want to get out and meet with people in a safe manner.

It's time to reform those friendships that have been let go recently, or find new ones. Either way, you're striving this week!

This week, try to stay out of the spotlight. You are very frequently put in situations where there is a lot of pressure and attention on the things that you do, but this week make sure that you are stepping back and letting others be in the spotlight. Keep your secrets to yourself, and you'll avoid the inevitable spread of rumors For the week, try and find new ways to connect with old friends. You havent seen or heard from them in a while, and now is your time to really get back in touch with your old self. Maybe find a time to go to the park, or setup a game night with friends. This week, your communication and friendship will blossom amongst those closest to you.

It's time to make a name for yourself. You have been at the end of your rope for some time now when dealing with matters of business and finances, but this time around, no ma'am. You are powerful and you know it. So why did it take this long and this horoscope to get you there? Make time to strategically think how to further your career and get more bang for your buck!

You're getting caught day-dreaming again, Sagittarius! Why are you allowing yourself to lose sight of everything around you? You are punctual and very detailed in how you want to manage your time, but you have something going on this week that is taking you out of that. Do not allow yourself to get caught-up in the daydreaming. Use the thoughts of your future to your advantage and see how you can get there with hard work.

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Finances are in your wheel house this week, Cap. You are going to find a lot of energy surrouding your finances this week and while you may think this is a bad thing, it's going to shed a lot of light on what you need to get done to maximize profit. Plan how you are going to make it happen, and make it happen. Only you can control how this goes.

It's a time of collaboration for you this week, Aquarius. You have been competing and trying to make yourself seem like the best for so long, that now you have to change your strategy. We think it best to partner with someone who excels in something that you do not in order to really make some progress and improve. It'll be difficult, but worth it!

Self Improvement is the best improvement. Being productive this week with the things you have been putting off is the only way that you are going to move forward. Give yourself ample time to finish some projects, and clean your place. A safe space that you can really be yourself freely is the best way to continue down the path of self discovery and growth.

You're like a cat in heat this week, Aries. SOmething about the moon and the stars this week is making you feel extra sultry and seductive, and everyone can see it. Not a bad thing, because people will flock to you and your sexual energy this week, but make sure to think through some of your choices... your ex or someone off limits might start creeping in. No drama for you, please!

You are going to have a tough time with family this week, T. You have a lot of people in your life who are trying to figure out exactly what you're doing all the time. That's none of their business and you need to tell them that. Be strategic about how you tell them, but you need to tell them.

Otherwise, you run the risk of having no privacy in matters that need to be.

Everyone is coming to you, Gossip Girl. Keep your tea to yourself this week, because you have some serious information about someone close to you. DO NOT let this this information slip. Especially if you want to stay friends with this person... because if you spill, they wont be there much longer.

You've got 99 problems, and all of them are seemingly about money.

Why? You are stressing too much about money when you have the finances there! You need to learn to budget. Spend less time and effort on things that are menial and spend more time on trying to improve your situation. The resources are right in front of you. Now, focus.