Stefan's Old News
(2003 Edition)
Mary Prankster (solo) put on a good show at the E.A.R.L with PoPad and Sunday Drive Bye but she went on so late nobody was left.
Salome's Wish played a good but short show at the 9 Lives Saloon. I didn't stick around for Myssouri or BIG CITY BURLESQUE
Jennifer Daniels played a good show at Eddie's Attic. She sang several new songs and "Julie", the song about her old roommate that she promised not to sing anymore. It was especially funny when she forgot the words to a Christmas song and the audience had to lead her on. But the highlight, for me, was when she told the story of the little kids bringing the gifts to grampa to pass out and "the greedy bastards" picked out all their own gifts first. "I said bastards on stage," she smirked to which and audience member yelled, "Twice". Then a voice over the speakers reminded her it was the early show.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was very good. As with the others, the visuals were stunning and the acting was very good. I think the editing could have been a little better because it got slow and seemed very long. I didn't mind the ending but the black transitions were poor.
I saw Something's Gotta Give and while it was cute and funny at times, it is too much the "Chick Flick" for me to recommend. Guys only need to see this if their girlfriends threaten to withhold sex. The women in the theater were rolling around laughing and screaming, us guys were just slightly amused by Jack Nicholson. Diane Keaton was very good while Amanda Peet and Keanu Reeves just sucked the life out of every scene.
I faunally made it to Cowboys Dance Hall, a huge music venue in Kennesaw. I went to see Sara Evans a country music artist, famous for the song, "I could not ask for more." Some artists sound better on the CD because of all the producing but still put on a great show - she wasn't one of them. The show was nice, but not great. Her voice and stage presents just seemed very flat. The venue, on the other hand, was more than I'd expected. There's a three tiered floor with a dozen pool tables, a fully functional bull ride, and some very sexy waitresses circulate constantly with shots of many colors. In one corner is a food bar for burgers and stuff and I think you can order it at the tables too. [buy your tickets ahead of time-it costs the same and you get a table on the floor]
Diane Durrett played a really nice show at Eddie's Attic. Unfortunately the dismal weather kept most people away so it was a more relaxed and intimate show. Jimbeau Hinson and Somerville did an in-the-round show with her which was very nice. Eddie's Attic has changed a lot in the past year since the change of management. Now the servers are mostly male and the service is terrible.
Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World was an excellent movie. Not only was the visuals and action great, but the story was excellent as well. I think I got a really good insight into life aboard a sailing ship. I was fascinated by the variety of naval lore that I'd never considered before. I especially liked the references to Jonah and to the Albatross. I think it's a Big-Screen Must See! I don't think seeing it on the small screen will do justice to all the sailing, storm, and battle scenes. But be warned, it's very much a guy's movie.
Craig Carothers, Steve Seskin and Angela Kaset put on a terrific show at The Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell. As always, the food and the music were great and well worth the drive.
I went to the William Woolfolk's Naked Garden art show at the Martini-Girl Art Gallery and Fashion Boutique. It wasn't my kind of art, but it was a fun time none-the-less.
We've returned from the SARS tour. Taiwan was interesting but the language was a real problem. We explored Taipei and the world's tallest building. Then we took a train down to Hualien to see the coast and the extraordinary sights of the marble mountains. The second part of the trip was Hong Kong which was great. Everyone spoke at least a little English and the trains and buses were easy. So we explored all over including the big Buddha (at the Po Lin Monastery) as well as the port cities of Stanley and Aberdeen. The third part of our trip was hydrofoil ride to Macau for a one night visit. Not only do they not understand English, but nobody understands Portuguese either. The streets are terrible and we got seriously lost. But we managed to see some cool sights, including the museum and have fun. (Like HK, Macau reverted to China but is still a separate administrative zone)
The Atlanta Greek Festival was nice, but not as good as I'd expected. There was plenty of food and desserts (and wine) but I was really looking forward to the singing and dancing. There was music but no singers or dancers in the two hours we were there. We did enjoy the shopping and the chapel was quite impressive with all the mosaic tile art. But I don't think I'll be going back next year.
The 2004 Atlanta Chili Cook-Off at Stone Mountain was great. We ate way to much chili!!
Down Virginia played the Park Tavern and boy did they suck. But Waterproof Feat was pretty good
L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year
We went to the Martini Girl lingerie show at the Whisky Peach. It was way too crowded and definetly not my scene, but the show was excellent. To short, but excellent. The models and the lingerie were excellent. They cleared the dance floor for a few minutes as the models came up, danced and struted. We walked around downtown afterward and check out the Cow Parade around the new federal building. The Whiskey Peach took over the old Nomenclature building. They knocked down a few walls and added some big sofas (upstairs and down) but it'a still to cramped and too loud.
We took the monsters to the North Georgia State Fair again this year. They're old enough and tall enough to ride most of the rides now so there were more options. Unfortunately they are also big enough to want to play the arcade games which resulted in several temper tantrums. One of the monsters even got sick on the tea cup ride which put a damper on things too. But we all enjoyed the food and the animals and will surely go back again next year.
Jennifer Daniels put on another good show at Eddie's Attic. It was a realse party for her new CD, LIVE. It's only got three new songs but it's a really nice collection. We had a good time
I saw a wonderful show at Eddie's Attic with Carla Ulbrich, Andy Offutt Irwin, and Bob Malone. I really enjoyed my introduction to Carla. She's cute, funny, and a very enjoyable singer. I don't know what horrible medical malady she had last year but it resulted in some great songs and stories. I'm really looking forward to her next CD, Medical Record. Andy sang his usual selection of funny songs which are still fun. Bob, a cross between Joe Cocker and Randy Newman was very enjoyable too. I bought one of his CDs and look forward to his return.
My summer vacation sucked! First I spent four days camping in the rain in Maine. Heat, prolonged rain, and unhappy children are not a good mix. Then two days of blackout in Connecticut and NYC with horrible traffic. And it concluded with three hours stuck in a parked airplane waiting to depart Boston airport. What did I do to deserve this?
Jennifer Daniels and Martha's Trouble put on a good show at Eddie's Attic. It's always funny the way Jennifer Daniels says thing and there's a moment of silence as the audience decides if it was funny or not. This time she was answering an earlier comment by Jen Slocumb about not being ready for children, "Cats not kids." Jennifer commenting on their new house and the neighbor's roosters said, "Chicks not Children." I guess you had to be there. She also joked about the home loan process and being scared to say she was a musician said, "I just got out of jail." Eddie's has done some remodeling which is nice too.
Of course the Don Henry, Craig Carothers, and Phillip Coleman show at The Swallow at the Hollow was great.
Catfight! put on a descent show at the Echo Lounge but I think they've lost thier edge and were basically coasting through their set.
Some members of Bachelor Red put on a show at Seattle's Best Coffeehouse at The Avenue in East Cobb. Nobody showed up and the music, mostly covers, was fair at best.
I was surprised how good Pirates of the Caribbean was. Sure, some of it was over-the-top, but the special effects were very good, the plot and action were good and Keira Knightley was excellent!
The The Moto-Litas and The Helgas were terrific at the Star Community Bar. The music and the energy were great and everyone had a good time. Rumor has it that someone in the band is having a baby...
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a good movie. It's retro action-adventure like Indiana Jones but with a lot more literary references. But, like Wild Wild West, it relied too much on the impossible.
LUST played a great show at the Star Community Bar. The theme of the night was Ghostbusters. Barb and Susanne looked great in their skin tight short-short jumpsuits while Mark was dressed as the Stay-Puff Marshmallow and Jett wore the full blue jumpsuit. They played very well and really excited the crowd for Doll Squad. After a short set by Sassparilla the Singing Gorilla, Doll Squad came out and performed thier old-style Burlesque Revue. Amoung the many acts, the girls did a very memorable fan dance, the dance of the seven vails, and a wet T-shirt contest that brought the house down!
Terminator 3 was okay. Too much action not enough plot. A couple of holes in the story really upset me.
I got tricked into attending Television Preview when free pink tickets showed up in my mailbox. They advertised a sneak peak at the new TV shows and I got all excited. I even got a friend to go. Unfortunately it was just a marketing scam to get people in a room to watch commercials and take surveys about pharmaceutical and beauty products. We did get to see a rough cut pilot of ONE dramatic TV show and the pilot of an old comedy that was never picked up. I was extremely disappointed as were all the people I talked to while exiting. People who participate in market tests like this normally get paid $50-$100 and get fed and product samples. We got nothing!. My advise, if you receive the little pink tickets - Throw them away.
Mary Prankster did her solo acoustic show at the E.A.R.L. There wasn't a huge crowd which was too bad because she did a great job. She sang more songs than usual and backed them with so much energy it was amazing. Bain Maddox opened.
The Nina Hagen show at the the Masquerade was very good. She sang several punk songs as well and many Hindu inspired chants. There was a goodly amount of preaching and soap boxing about world peace, war, AIDS, and human rights. But I guess that's an important part of her life. After the show (2am) she came out and gave hugs and kisses and autographs until everyone got what they wanted. That was very-very cool. It attracted the goth crowd I was expecting but most of the audience were normal types. Salome's Wish played very well but Misfilter was a pretty weak opener.
I was again disappointed at the Shakespeare Tavern this time by one of my favourite shows, Twelfth Night. Some of the actors were great, specifically Marc McPherson, Laura Cole and Maurice Ralston. But the annunciation was so poor it was hard to follow, and I know the play! The poor girl next to me was so bored it was painful to watch her. The jester, a minor role usually, spent a great deal of time playing with the audience. The audience loved it because they understood him, but I didn't appreciate the distraction. I think that show will end my 5 year membership.
I saw Bend it Like Beckham for a second time with some friends and enjoyed it even more than the first time. It's a great feel-good movie about coming of age and the struggle to maintain your own culture/identity in the modern age. It's the story of a young Indian girl in London that would rather play soccer that learn to cook Indian food and wait at home for an arranged marriage which is messing up her sister's wedding plans. Similar to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only Indian, we get some insight into the Indian culture. Apparently they have a big issues about "image" and "status" that really complicate how they act and are expected to act. Mixed in to the equation is a little bigotry and peer pressure and you have a very entertaining movie. It's in English so don't be afraid to take your friends. My opinion - Best Movie of the Year!
I drove out to Burrito Jones in Carrollton to see the Moto-Litas and The Helgas. It was a long drive but worth it. The music was good and the food was good too. It's a small burrito shop and the audience was young but we all had fun. Stacy aka Skins was off having a baby so the Moto-Litas are now 50% men.
The Relay for Life Cancer Benefit at Jim R. Miller Park was pretty cool. There were a lot of groups sellings food and stuff. I especially like seeing Jennifer Daniels on the big stage.
It's been a while since I've been to the Masquerade but it hasn't changed much. There's a new big screen in Heaven and Purgatory has a new pool table and a disco ball but it's still the same mix of teenage punks and goth-want-to-be's. I went to see the Gore Gore Girls who were fair at best. I was a little disappointed though and hated having to wait through The Caminos who really sucked. I didn't stick around for the headliner, The Cramps.
The Shakespeare Tavern's version of the Oscar Wilde play Salomé was okay. It's short, only one act - and the story is pretty simple. It's suppose to be very naughty, but isn't. Salomé is the beautiful step daughter of the king. The king, and everyone else, is obsessed by her beauty. When she meets a religious prophet(John the Baptist?) who rejects her, she uses the king's obsession to have the prophet executed. The play's most famous scene is Salomé's dance of the seven vales - which is suppose to be very erotic. But the actress wasn't a good dancer and she covers-up so quickly the audience gets only the briefest glance at her titties. Not very scandalous by today's standards.
I have one word for Fantasm 2003 - Lame.
I saw the T.S.Eliot play, Murder at the Cathedral, put on by the Shakespeare Tavern - Hated it!
I made a road trip down to Columbus to see Kathy Mattea at the RiverCenter: Bill Heard Theatre. I sat in the second row and had a great view of her as she sang and joked and told stories. She played with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra so there was a different sound than her usual "country sound" but it was still great! After the show she came out to the lobby and signed autographs - Way cool!
 | I watched great performances by Suzy Bogguss, Greg Barnhill and Kim Carnes at The Swallow at the Hollow. It was a small show of 200 people and we had a really great time! To see three such famous people singing big hit songs in such a small venue was just amazing. Afterward, we met and got autographs which was wonderful. |
Jennifer Daniels put on a terrific show at Eddie's Attic. She was the headliner and filled the place almost completely -Wow! She was funny and really did a great job. Her opener wasn't so great.
For ♣ ♣ ♣ Saint Patrick's Day ♣ ♣ ♣ I made green cookies for the crew at work. Some other's also brought in green foods and we all had fun.
6X's Last Show at the Star Community Bar was pretty awesome. The band put on their best KISS make-up and rocked like crazy. The gang from Lust was there in full Saint Patrick's Day green to supersize the mayhem. [see pix here]
Julius Caesar at the Shakespeare Tavern was really terrible. I blame the director because the acting was really bad and it's the director's job to control that. The lines were stilted, some mumbles while other shouted and there were these anoying drums. This is a stinker - skip it.
I got the chance to see a great singer and ol' friend, Barbara Bailey Hutchison, at artSWELL in Roswell. It was a weekend of arts for children. Barbara let me play assistant for the afternoon as she put on two kids shows which were very well received. It was a little tricky at first, but once she started singing everyone had a really good time. After the show, Tim, another friend of her's, and I kept her entertained for the day since she'd left poor Chris to freeze in Michigan. Tim is a Clown for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. We had a nice dinner at Pastis and saw "To Kill A Mockingbird." I hope she comes back soon! |  |
 | I went to see Alive in L5P, a strange live talk-show at 7 Stages. The guests were: Dot Matrix (actor), Andeisheh Nouraee (writer), Bill Taft (singer), and Eva-Maria Connolly (artist). It's a real talk show but not a very serious one. The host, Tim Cordier and supporting cast, the Screw You Pal players, were both silly and entertaining. The host's side kick was a giant pink puppet named Dexter Schnee whose puppeteer was hidden in black suit. The show opened with a film by Dot Matrix that was just too bizarre. Afterwich Dot spoke incoherently. Next was Andeisheh Nouraee who spoke briefly about being a writer for the Creative Loafing. Bill Taft followed with a song and reading. The highlight of the evening was a fashion show, mostly lingerie, of Martini-Girl fashions. The models and clothing were really HOT! Eva-Maria described her rising popularity, her appearance in several magazines and her goals as an artist. She was a little more serious than the situation required. I'm thinking about going back. Apparently it happens the first Saturday of every month. Hmmmm... Could be a new guilty pleasure. |
I was very saddened to hear the news about Fred Rogers. Like many of my generation, I grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and believe he had a very positive influence on my development. He was a wonderful teacher and the world is a poorer place without him.
I went to the Martini-Girl art gallery to see an art exhibit by Roi Tonkin. It was pretty good. My artist friend Eva-Maria Connely was there with her husband Matt serving vodka drinks courtesy of Turi vodka. I had a Tom Collins.
The Helgas played the Star Community Bar, with The Needles, and Cards and Spokes but the show started so late that I went home after just seeing Cards and Spokes. They were pretty good.
Lisa Loeb played a very nice show at Smith's Olde Bar. I'd like to say it was great, but her style of music really doesn't inspire words like, great. I really enjoyed the show though. She sang really well, the songs were really nice, she told funny stories and was very personable. But her ballads don't really rock the house, you know? We all know many of her songs and people were shouting out requests: which she happily played: So everyone had fun. On a side note, I would have titled the show, "Politically Incorrect with Lisa" because a Boston girl like her just didn't fit in with the southern crowd. Several times she started to talk about current events (like her stand against the upcoming gulf war, her atheism, vegetarianism, and MJ) but instead of getting applause just got silence: so she dropped the topic and went back to singing. After playing a full 90 minute show (Solo) she came out, talked, signed autographs, and was just a really nice "Real" person. That was really great! |  |
 | Opening for Lisa Loeb was Will Hoge, whom I didn't really like: but a lot of other people did. I think he sang okay, it just wasn't my style - which happens sometimes. |
Christopher Williams and his friends Jake and Justine played delightful house concert in Marietta. It was set up in the club house of a planned community with comfy couches and everyone brought food. Very enjoyable.
Happy Chinese New Year! - It's the year of the Black Ram.
I went to my first Jimmy Buffet concert on the first and experienced for myself the parrot-head madness. Yes, there were many people tailgating with grills and pitchers of margaritas; Yes, there were many people wearing Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, and a few wearing coconut bikini top; And yes, I enjoyed the show too. But after all I'd heard about it, it was a little disappointing. Maybe it was because the Columbia Space shuttle had crashed that morning or maybe it was because there weren't as many parties as I was expecting. But the music was very good and Jimmy put on a good show. You can listen to it yourself at http://www.radiomargaritaville.com/.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Shakespeare Tavern was wonderful! It's the first time I've seen a musical there and it was really breathtaking. There were very few of the regulars, I guess because they don't sing, but the new cast was wonderful. There is a live band playing throughout and the story is a little different than the movie, but the main songs are still there and the story is just as funny. What's really great is the way they interact with the audience and mix in modern day references. It bawdy, so I really liked it!
Das Ich put on a very disappointing show at the Chamber. People were streaming out the door almost as soon as the band took the stage. Maybe it was because the midnight show started almost two hours late and people didn't want to stay anymore, or maybe is was the absence of the lead singer who failed to show apparently because of an illness. But I've heard another story about fighting backstage. Either way, I left because the music was flat and I don't like it when a band orders me to dance to lame music. They should have postponed the show!
I really shouldn't go to the Wednesday shows at the Star Community Bar because it always makes me late for work the next day, but I really wanted to see BOSS and The Helgas. Wow! Am I glad I went! They've clearly been practicing over the Christmas break because both bands played better than I've ever heard them before. The only drawback was having to wait through Galleon. That, and getting home at 2am on a week night. But it was worth it.
I enjoyed Jennifer Daniels' performance at Kodac's Cool Corner in The Defoor Centre. Once again she was suffering from a cold and extolled the virtues of Sudafed Non-drying. She was so funny and a little bawdy as she commented on her lack of slip... hmmm! The opening act was Dennis Coburn (aka Mr. Boom) who runs The Art Farm and performed spoken word pieces that I could have lived without. The Defoor Centre is an art gallery and artist workspace. I really enjoyed seeing some of the art, especially the works of Eva-Maria Connely: but I can't afford to buy it. Her art follows a cartoon style like Keith Haring or Roy lichtenstein but with an outrageous red-head as the main subject. Some of the art was funny while others were more riqué. She just open her own store in East Atlanta too. |  Copyright Eva-Marie Connelly |
After my Road trip visiting friends, I settled into working around my place and helping some friends around theirs. Work isn't exactly what most people call a vacation, but it was relaxing and I had fun!
Happy New Year! Mine was spent quietly at home this year.
You can still visit the news archives from: 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, or 1998.
All pictures are the property of Stefan and are not to be posted on other websites or published in any medium without express written permission. Questions, comments, and corrections are always welcome.
| Created Oct. 10, 1995 Updated 31 Dec, 2003 © 2003 Stefan Oestreicher. All rights reserved |
 spunbystefan@yahoo.com |
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