EXCITING, EXCITING musical news!Memphis is comin’ to Atlanta, y’all!
Never heard of it?? Allow me to enlighten you…
Memphis: A New Musical is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s. She’s a black singer whose career is on the rise, but who can’t break out of the segregated clubs of 1950’s Memphis, Tennessee. He’s a white radio DJ whose love of music transcends race lines and airwaves. When the two collaborate, her soulful music reaches radio audiences everywhere, and the Golden Era of early rock ‘n’ roll takes flight. But as things start to heat up, whether the world is really ready for their music – or their love – is put to the test. Memphis won the Tony Award for “Best Musical,” along with three other awards, at the 2010 Tonys.
theatres just don't get more magnificent than the fox...
This show is going to be so great! (Now, we just need to work on The Book of Mormon (oh please, oh please!) to travel down south, and I’m pretty. much. set.)
I had the greatest time this weekend at Music Midtown! And, what a gorgeous day for it, too! The Black Keys were really awesome to see live, and while I could totally pass on Cage the Elephant, Coldplay was well worth the wait. Really enjoyed them + thought their R.E.M. tribute was special.
Here’s a recap of my Music Midtown experience:
the black keys
what's better than one funnel cake??
love.
I have a feeling that Music Midtown is here to stay, people!
For iTunes research, check out these Ghostland albums:delete.delete.i.eat.meat and Robotique Majestique. Codename: Rondo is their newest, but I like the previous two better.
If that’s not enough to convince you, GO’s lead singer has an impressive set of braids he rocks out on stage. You’ll def want to check them out… They’re sorta mesmerizing. (You can kinda see below.)
And, the show is at the Masquerade on North Ave. Not only have I never been to that venue before, but also I usually drive faster down North when I pass it because it reminds me of a haunted house or something out of a bad episode of Law & Order.
We started with breadsticks (Joy: they are cheesy!) and the Greek salad (the dressing was super interesting…I liked it.) and then we went for the following:
Vesuvius
Our spicy buffalo pizza with smoked chicken breast, mozzarella, blue cheese, jalapenos, celery and buffalo sauce.
The Mighty Vesuvius
Kilauea
Grilled chicken, red onions, roasted red peppers and barbecue sauce.
Alpine
Ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheeses, sprinkled with fresh oregano and olive oil.
The Vesuvius was my favorite (I’m a sucker for buffalo sauce and blue cheese, what can I say?), followed closely by the Alpine. The Kilauea was a little too BBQ Sauce-y for Terch and me, but the boys did not agree. Gotta love a guy who loves a condiment.
After dinner, we went downstairs to the “Music Room” for a little ping pong action
We were also privileged to hear the musical stylings of “Mumford’s”– a very interesting, very spirited band with a lot of brass and apparently a cult-like following! By the end of their show, 75% of the players were shirtless and the boys had purchased their last 2 t-shirts for Ellen and me.
Mumford's newest fans!
All-in-all – huge fan of Pizzeria Vesuvius. Bonus: there’s a ScoutMob right now!
In the interest of full disclosure, this place is VERY religiously irreverent and I can appreciate how some could be easily offended by the tongue-in-cheek, sacrilegious artwork and elements such as a confessional booth turned-photo booth, but I have to tell you – I LOVED the general flavor of this place and some of the artwork really made me laugh.
Just like mama always said
Plus, we made some really great friends waiting for the ping pong table upstairs. Next to a Q+DD Koozie, this is about the coolest thing I have ever seen:
Seriously...where can I get one of these?
What a totally random and fabulous night in Edgewood!
I’m sure you’ve all heard that Music Midtown is finally returning to Atlanta in Piedmont Park on Saturday, September 24. So exciting! Now, I’m here to remind you that there are only 85 days left to anticipate MM + it’s time to buy those tickets. Get on it! This is absolutely guaranteed to sell out!
Here’s the Q+DD on Music Midtown:
From 1994-2005, the Music Midtown concert series attracted hundreds of thousands of people to the heart of the city for live music. This year, a portion of the proceeds from Music Midtown will go toward funding recreation centers and after-school activities for young people in the city as part of Mayor Kasim Reed’s Hope Initiative.
The concert will take place in the Meadow at Piedmont Park, with Colplay as the headlining act. Tickets are $56 and are on sale now here: MUSIC MIDTOWN RETURNS!
Other acts include: The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, Young The Giant, Band of Skulls, Joy Formidable, The Constellations, Mona + The Postelles.
A limited number of VIP packages are available for you high rollers, you…info here: BLINGING IT OUT IN THE PARK.
This is a going to be so killer. I can’t wait! I really and truly love a good festival concert + this one is going to be GREAT!
Slick + I spent the 4th of July in Nashville, his old law school stomping grounds, where he tried for four full days to convince me that it is a cooler city than Austin. (It was a losing battle from the beginning, but I humored him + applaud his effort.) While I’m not sure if any city could impress me as much as Austin does each visit, Nashville gave Austin a good run for its money + it was a solid 4th of July road trip.
We stayed in a downtown hotel (which was a converted bank + strategically selected as it was located next door to historic Printer’s Alley) with a bunch of Slick’s law school buddies. Our hotel was in the middle of all of this:
view from shelby street pedestrian bridge
The first night, we walked down to Broadway St. + had dinner at Jack’s Bar-B-Que. I had a pulled chicken salad that was just delightful and it sufficiently helped me to cushion the impressive amount of alcohol I was later to consume.
broadway st. – nashville
Our night consisted of four stops on Broadway to hear live music: Legends Corner, Robert’s Western World(my fav.),The Stage(Slick’s fav.), + Paradise Park Trailer Resort. I had a BLAST – and hitting up these touristy honky-tonks was actually a really great way for me to get a feel for the city.
legends corner
the stage
Broadway reminded me of a tamer 6th Street in Austin with more live music + less drunken debauchery. Everyone was very clean cut and there to hear truly impressive music. I had a lot of fun and strongly recommend checking out each of the four stops we visited.
As far as food was concerned on this trip, the approach we took was to eat stuff that would help us to drink in large quantities and not get sick. This mostly led us to some particularly noteworthy meat + threes. M+Ts are not typically my preference, but I was on board for anything and I certainly did not turn my nose up at them. We FEASTED at Sylvan Park Cafe + Nashville-famous Monell’s Restaurantin Germantown. We also had large + very satisfying meals at Sam’s Sports Bar & Grill+ Bosco’s Restaurant & Brewing Co.(both in Hillsboro Village), sushi in The Gulch, +Mafiaoza’s Pizzeria in Belmont. All were good, but I definitely recommend checking out Monell’s.
Once well-fed, we headed to Tin Roof in Demonbreun where we partied it up + got to see Chris Young take the microphone for a song. THAT was very cool – and exactly what I’d imagined the Nashville experience to be like. Inspired by Mr. Young’s vocals, we headed back downtown to Printer’s Alley to karaoke it up at Nashville-famous Lonnie’s Western Room + Karaoke Bar. We were in and out of Lonnie’s for the following three days… Ahhh-mazing.
Here are the boys in action:
Other highlights included walking around the locally-owned stores in Hillsboro Village, having a pool afternoon at a friend’s house in Belle Meade, + driving around the Vanderbilt campus to see it through Slick’s eyes. We really had an awesome trip.
Even the drive home was gorgeous as we were scream-singing “Proud to be an American!”
I’m still exhausted and desperately need a diet + detox, HOWEVER, I had a blast getting to know Nashville and strongly recommend visiting.Music City is a totally driveable weekend road trip from Atlanta and sure to be a good time.(It’s no Austin, but it’s much closer + has a whole lot to offer.) Hope everyone had a fun 4th, too!
Y’all! I’ve been waiting for this week for months…
Check it:
Rihanna performs tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Chastain Amphitheatre as part of her Loud tour! Do I care that it’s going to be 98 degrees outside today? I care not. I’m going to be an amazingly sweaty mess of white girl dancing it up with colleagues (yes, colleagues; again - I care not) at Rihanna tonight. I’ve had “Rude Boy” stuck in my head all morning…
“call me rude boy boy can you get it…”
BRING IT, RiRi! This concert is going to be red hot – literally. And, it just recently went up in flames in Dallas, also literally, so it should be an exciting evening to say the least.
chastain
But wait, there’s more… Thursday night, I’m taking colleagues to the High Museum to see the Modern by Design exhibition. We’re starting with drinks + hors d’oeuvres at Table 1280, then moseying over to the museum to see modern masterpieces from the MoMA + High’s growing collection of contemporary design.
Here’s the Q+DD on Modern by Design:
As part of the High’s ongoing collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art, Modern by Design presents groundbreaking designs of the past, present, and future. The exhibition features a selection of works chronicling three key moments in MoMA’s design collection and exhibition history—“Machine Art” (1934); “Good Design” (1950-1955); and “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” (1972). Nearly 150 objects created by over 120 of the most influential artists + designers of the twentieth century are included.
joe colombo’s tube chair
See for yourself! The exhibit is running through August 21.
This, however, is the grand finale: On Thursday evening, July 14, I have midnight Phipps Plaza tickets to see, in 3D, the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2! (Chills, I have chills!)
I. can’t. even. think. straight. I. am. SO. excited.
It’s going to be a long night, but it will be worth it. (TWSS.)
Slick + I caught it with some friends over its opening weekend. It was fine. The first one I saw twice in the theater the same weekend (Friday + Sunday – I’m hardcore like that…) and laughed SO hard both times I could hardly breathe. My abs were pretty stellar afterwards, I must say…Part II was just okay in my opinion. Same exact format as before, but more vulgar than funny. See it, but I don’t think you need to spend $12 to see it in the theater. Just saying.
I also recently watched (Netflix) Matt Damon-narrated Inside Job, a documentary profiling the 2008 Wall Street financial crisis.
The subject matter is heavy, but important.Inside Job was reportedly well received by film critics who praised its pacing, research + explanation of complex financial material. I thought it was fantastic. Now, I may still count on my fingers, but I definitely felt like I had a good understanding of what caused the crisis by the time the film ended. I strongly recommend it if you are in the mood for an interesting docu. Matt Damon’s voice isn’t too difficult to listen to for a few hours, either…
Please tell me that y’all have seen Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. PLEASE.
It’s an oldie but a greatie!
It used to be one of my favorite movies (came out in 2006) + I hadn’t seen it in f.o.r.e.v.e.r., BUT it was recently on IFC (Independent Film Channel) and I TiVoed. I’ve since rewatched it 2 1/2 times over the past week. Working on the third… Love Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, the music Sophia uses in her movies, all the opulence. I love! And, you need to see it.
I promise that I’m not just watching movies… I also recently started reading Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. It’s super cute. Not a Pulitzer Prize winner or anything, but it did motivate me to stop by the Atlanta Humane Society during lunch last Friday to hold puppies. True story.
It’s a good, quick read + Enzo is an unbelievably adorable dog.
Last night, I watched the two hour American Idol season 10 finale + it was quite the star-studded event!
The show was overwhelmed with celebrity guest singers including Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Judas Priest, Marc Anthony…the list goes on. My favorite two performances of the night were:
American Idol contestant Casey Abrams + Jack Black singing “Fat Bottom Girls”…
And, Steven Tyler singing “Dream On” right before the winner was announced.
In case you didn’t watch last night or haven’t been glued to Perez Hilton this morning (like me) the winner was…SCOTTY MCCREERY!(Slick’s pick from audition week!)
Scotty McCreery - American Idol Winner Season 10
It was a pretty big upset because the judges (+ I) had picked Georgia girl Lauren Alaina to win it. In fact, I even voted for Lauren! (I’ve NEVER done that before for a reality show!)Both Scotty (17 years old)+ Lauren(16 years old)are sure to have Nashville knocking on their doors as soon as they get return home from L.A. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of these kids in the future…
Congrats, Scotty!Now time for So You Think You Can Dance!
The weekend is almost upon us… I can feel it already! I’m moving in 2 weeks, so I feel like this is the last weekend that officially belongs to me… before I am consumed with packing tape and bubble wrap… and couldn’t be more excited. Luckily, there’s lots of fun stuff going on in Atlanta:
Our girl Wendy A.K.A.@ATL_Events gave us the heads up on this – all your favorite food bloggers including will be baking some tasty treats for cash…all to benefit Save Our Strength – an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger. So come on by Phipps and pick up some delicious baked goods or please consider donating directly to the cause! As little as $1 can help to provide a hungry child with 10 healthy meals.Click here to donate!
Hops for Hope! This is one of my FAVORITE annual events…and not just because it benefits Camp Twin Lakes. It’s a fabulous day of beer sampling, hopefully sunny weather, and fun. Insider Tip: consider taking Marta to the event!
Up-and-comer Brett Dennen lays some sweet sweet tunes tomorrow, Friday 05/13 (Click HERE for tix!)
Of course, I have a special affinity for gingers,but this guy has something special. He’s been on tour with the likes of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews and O.A.R…so catch him solo at the VP tonight!
5. Every Saturday through December: thePeachtree Road Farmer’s Market. (April – September 8:30 AM – noon, September – December 9:00 AM – noon) L.O.V.E. Check out my post (here) or their website (here) for more information if you’re not already clued in, but it’s a fab market.
My picks are… May 27/28 – James Taylor
June 21 – Dispatch
June 24 – Steve Miller Band
July 8 – Tribute Band: Arrival – The Music of ABBA
August 12 – Bela Fleck + the Flecktones
August 24 – Guster + Jack’s Mannequin
The 2011 Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival movies have also recently been announced! The series is presented on the biggest screen in Atlanta + kicks off on June 9th with The Social Network.
Need another reason to head to the Fox Theatre this summer? How about to see Joseph + the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat running June 21 – 26! I’ve gotten my tickets already…have you?
DO NOT miss out on all of this great summer fun. Get on the ball today + enjoy the shows!
Never heard of it?? Allow me to enlighten you…
