The high notes
ATLANTA FEST -- JUNE 14-16
The Christian rock scene functions much like the gospel music world did in the 20th century. Religious-minded acts from Creed to Evanescence often emerge from that community to find success in the secular world. But Atlanta Fest, held at Six Flags Over Georgia, isn't just a music festival. "It is the perfect opportunity for a family with teens or a church youth group to experience God in a real-world setting," reads the release on its website. Christians this year will rock to the sounds of Third Day, Aaron Shust and more than 40 pop, rock, hip-hop and folk performances, education seminars and Christian fellowship. $30 for one-day concert, $61 for one-day package, $77 for two-day package, $92 for three-day package. 10 a.m. Six Flags Over Georgia, 275 Riverside Parkway, Austell. 800-783-8839. www.atlantafest.com.
WILCO -- JUNE 19
As one of the towering bands of the past two decades, Wilco has left a complicated legacy. From popularizing alt-country with A.M. and Being There to expanding into experimental rock via 2004's A Ghost Is Born, Jeff Tweedy and Co. evolve as frequently as the times, often rendering past achievements irrelevant. It remains to be seen if the group's latest, Sky Blue Sky (released this month), ranks among its best. In the meantime, a world tour is in the offing. Dour indie-rock trio Low opens. $38. 8 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheater, Stella Drive at Pool Road. 404-223-2227. www.classicchastain.com.
ATHFEST -- JUNE 20-24
Athens may be the least likely American city to enjoy a reputation as a major music market. A sleepy college town with a population of 100,000, it has a rock lineage that spans from legendary '80s bands such as R.E.M. and the B-52's to current indie stars such as Of Montreal and Elf Power. AthFest spotlights the depth of this closely knit arts community, featuring hundreds of visual artists, performers and groups. The festival produces a compilation CD, co-sponsors an awards show with Flagpole magazine, holds a much-beloved KidsFest and attracts thousands of people from across the South. This year's headliners are jam band Perpetual Groove (Friday), power-pop contenders the Whigs (Saturday) and mighty Southern rockers Drive-By Truckers (Sunday). $15 for evening wristband, free for daytime outdoor events. Downtown Athens. 706-548-1973. www.athfest.com.
STONE MOUNTAIN GOSPEL CELEBRATION -- JUNE 23
Now in its third year, the Stone Mountain Gospel Celebration draws together families for a day of spirit-raising church music. Hosted by Antioch Urban Ministries and Praise WPZE-FM (97.5), the event will include local and national gospel artists, step-dancing teams, spoken-word acts and speakers. $24 general admission, $19 for children ages 3-11. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Stone Mountain Park, Highway 78 East. 770-498-5690. www.stonemountainpark.com.
CORNDOGORAMA -- JULY 12-15
Since launching in 1996, Corndogorama has grown into Atlanta's biggest indie-rock event. After years of being held at the Earl, it moves over to the new Lenny's Bar, where event organizers promise plenty of parking and few traffic hassles. Once you get to Lenny's, you can enjoy a dunking booth, tricycle races, corn-dog jousting, the Queen Corndog pageant and other activities. Competitive-eating competitions include the corn-dog challenge and, more intriguingly, a cricket-crunch challenge. More than 60 local and national bands will perform, including the Selmanaires, Snowden, Tenement Halls, Gringo Star and many others. Event details are still being confirmed, so check www.corndogorama.com for more info. $5 for day pass, $7 for night pass. Lenny's Bar, 486 Decatur St. 404-577-7721. www.lennysbar.com.
VANS WARPED TOUR -- JULY 18
This 12-year-old punk-rock bonanza has become an American summer tradition and a great showcase for local bands, too. The gutter-punk-friendly Heart Attacks landed a deal with Epitaph after playing a few shows on the 2005 tour, and pop-punk band Cartel made the leap to MTV after appearing on the 2006 edition. The big news this year is that Bad Religion, one of the classic hardcore bands, will reform for a summer jaunt. Other highlights include Coheed and Cambria and Meg & Dia. Atlanta bands Norma Jean and Family Force 5 appear on select dates, and expect the side stages to include many other local contenders. $28.75. 11 a.m. HiFi Buys Amphitheatre, 2002 Lakewood Way. 404-443-5090. www.warpedtour.com.
INTERNATIONAL SOUL MUSIC SUMMIT -- JULY 25-29
Last summer, Atlanta DJ and syndicated radio "Voice of Soul" Terry Bello organized an impromptu soul-music gathering. With only two weeks notice, he managed to bring together nearly 300 people to the downtown Marriott, including stars such as Jaguar Wright, Eric Roberson and Peven Everett. This year's edition hopes to expand upon that success, with a focus on bringing underground soul to the mainstream. Expect more panel discussions, nighttime concerts and jam sessions, and an awards ceremony. $125 for presale passes, $175 after July 6. Atlanta Marriott Downtown, 160 Spring St. www.soulsummitonline.com.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE -- AUG. 7
In the "American Idol" generation, Justin Timberlake is the moonwalking, ass-shaking man who would be king. Born and raised in Memphis, the boyish-looking singer came of age in the early '90s with "The Mickey Mouse Club" (along with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera), led the boy band N'Sync to gargantuan record sales and teen adulation, and now reigns as a pop ubiquity on par with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. His saving grace, the meaning to his celebrity, is that he's genuinely talented. "My Love" and "Rock Your Body" are as sharp and infectious as any singles released during this decade, and his "SexyBack" catchphrase summarized a cultural moment. The world shudders. $54-$181. 7:30 p.m. Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway. 770-813-7500. www.gwinnettcenter.com.
OPEN MIC MADNESS -- AUG. 13-18
The premise behind Open Mic Madness is basic: Draw together more than 100 acts, ask them to perform one song, and choose a winner after a few elimination rounds. It's the relative simplicity of the competition – any solo musician or band can enter – that makes it so great. Held over six nights at Smith's Olde Bar, Open Mic Madness becomes a showcase for Atlanta's diverse music community, and the number of industry players (journalists, radio programmers, major and indie label representatives) it attracts makes for a great networking opportunity. Past winners include Bain Mattox (2002), the Whigs (2003), Sovus Radio (2005) and Dead Confederate (2006). Who will triumph in 2007? Visit www.openmicmadness.com to apply. Ticket prices and times TBA. Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com.
DRIVE INVASION -- SEPT. 1-2
At Drive Invasion 2006 over Labor Day weekend, there were post-sunset screenings of B-movie schlock such as 2001 Maniacs and the original Gone in 60 Seconds, galleries of hot rods and customized cars, burlesque shows and rockabilly rave-ups from Southern Culture on the Skids and the Gore Gore Girls, among others. Details for this year's installment have yet to be announced, but you can reasonably expect more of the anarchic same. The whole event becomes a distinctively Southern camp-culture celebration, complete with BYOB twice over (brought-in beer and barbecue grills). Check the website for information. Ticket prices and times TBA. Starlight Six Drive-In Theatres, 2000 Moreland Ave. 404-627-5786. www.starlightdrivein.com.
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2007 Summer Guide
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, summers in Atlanta offer up a treasure trove of ideas for people who are either trying to beat, or at least cope with, the heat. That's why we dedicate this year's Summer Guide to the treasures of Atlanta in the summertime. In these pages and online you'll find the best bets of summer movies,...
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Let's play the Treasure Hunt Game!
You may have noticed that around here at Creative Loafing, we like to call our readers "Urban Explorers," and there's no better time to explore Atlanta than during the summer. Which is why we're presenting not only this Summer Guide, but also the theme-friendly Treasure Hunt Game. All you need to do is search around Atlanta and CL's print and...
By David Lee Simmons
The best 10 for the best summer
GEORGIA SHAKESPEARE -- THROUGH AUG. 19 The 22nd season of the mostly Shakespeare-based theater company features a staggering quantity of programming between May and August. Following the Shake at the Lake production of Twelfth Night in early May, the company begins its summer season at Oglethorpe University's Conant Performing Arts Center with a remounting of last year's luminous hit show,...
By David Lee Simmons
Voices of Summer: John Feigert
Voices of Summer (as told to David Lee Simmons) "You know, I never went to college to sell firecrackers." That's a joke I often make working in the world of the professional fireworks. Most people probably think that a week or so before the Fourth of July, a few guys round up some rockets, throw 'em in a box and head...
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Third time's the charm ...
It's the Summer of the Sequel! No, strike that, it's the Summer of the Three-quel! This year's movie season is seemingly dedicated to the final chapter of trilogies you may not have known existed. Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third already have stormed the cinemas, and this Friday, May 26, any remaining movie screens will be occupied by Pirates of...
By Felicia Feaster
The movies of summer
Here's a list of the films and their scheduled Atlanta release dates. All dates subject to change: MAY 25 Bug Offside Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End The Valet JUNE 1 Day Night Day Night Gracie Jindabyne Knocked Up Mr. Brooks Provoked Snowcake JUNE 8 Hostel II Ocean's Thirteen Once Red Road Severance Surf's Up JUNE 15 Chalk Crazy...
By Curt Holman
Voices of Summer: Daniel May
(as told to Curt Holman) New father Daniel May will be performing in several shows of Georgia Shakespeare's summer season, including A Servant of Two Masters and Joe Orton's Loot. An avid movie buff, May estimates his DVD collection is more than 1,200 strong. I grew up in Snellville in the suburbs of Atlanta. My parents wouldn't let me see...
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Phantom of the Starlight
Shane Morton estimates that 20 percent of his flesh is wrapped in tattoo odes to classic movies: Creature From the Black Lagoon, Godzilla, silent-movie fetish object Lon Chaney. Morton has a living room full of monster-movie fright masks and is probably the only guy on his street of wood-frame bungalows in Scottdale with a freak show in his backyard. He...
By Felicia Feaster
Voices of Summer: Parker Gispert
(as told to Mosi Reeves) Parker Gispert recalls his first gig, during the 2003 edition of Open Mic Madness (held this summer Aug. 13-18), hosted by Josh Rifkind. The Whigs won the competition that year, beginning a string of success that led to signing a major-label contract with ATO Records in 2006. We had been together for about a year,...
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Ride and shine
As he steers the 20-inch rims of his silver 2006 Chevy Impala from Linden Avenue onto downtown Peachtree Street on a recent warm Saturday night, 25-year-old Kris Truitt suddenly finds himself cruising down memory lane. "It used to be an art to riding this shit, man. You know what I'm talkin' 'bout?" says Truitt, pointing out his preferred starting point...
By Rodney Carmichael
One night at Chastain
I once almost killed Emmylou Harris. Not that I meant to. In fact, I am, like, totally in love with Emmylou Harris. Not the "Wow, I really love your music" kind of love. It's more like the "Oh my God, can I drink your bathwater?" kind of love that, you know, can be kind of scary. So I really and...
By Scott Freeman
The great(est) outdoors
With a million outdoor options this summer (see the listings), we offer the 10 outdoor options for a summer in and around Atlanta. HIKING -- With 48 miles of parkland, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has a trail for hikers at any level. The 3-mile Cochran Fitness Trail is popular and easy enough for beginners; more experienced hikers should...
By Casey McIntyre
Voices of Summer: Peter Jenkins
(as told to Mara Shalhoup)In 1983, about three years into my profession as an arborist, people kept commenting about how much fun I was having, because I was always laughing and joking and was just pleased as punch that I could be climbing for a living. So they started asking if I would take them up in the trees. I...
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Toss up
Besides being the hottest cult sport in Atlanta, ultimate – better known as ultimate Frisbee – appears to be the only one with a sense of humor. "It really is like one big party," says Mira Walker, one of the few women who attend the weekly pickup games Wednesdays on the Georgia Tech turf fields. The Atlanta Flying Disc Club,...
By Casey McIntyre
The summer of glove
By all rights, the best year ever for an Atlanta Braves fan should be 1995. The Braves -- the Atlanta Braves, fer chrissakes -- won the World Series. And back then, no other team, not even the hated New York Yankees, intimidated opposing teams more than the Braves. That was the year of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz; of the Crime...
By Scott Freeman
Out and about
GEORGIA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL -- TO JUNE 3 The highest royalty essentially serves as court jester at the Georgia Renaissance Festival, which started up last month, and where every employee from the king to the turkey-leg peddler is there to entertain. The authentic time-traveling experience begins at the gate, after which point "Lord" and "Lady" replace "hey you" as the standard...
By Laura McMillan
Voices of Summer: Sarah Petermann
(as told to Laura McMillan) The first year I worked RenFair, I got bit by it. I just thought this is great entertainment; it's improvisational and it's one-on-one with the audience. In my former role as an out-of-work director, Isabella Tearsheet, I would walk around the fair asking people to act a scene with me and then petition the king...
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Picnic with a beat
When you hear a DJ spin music in an Atlanta public park on a summer afternoon, it could come from a variety of efforts. Could be a group of enterprising kids who obtained a noise permit from their neighborhood parks organization – or didn't get a permit and decided to set up their sound system anyway. Could be a party...
By Mosi Reeves
