The MOVEMENT crew goes on many road trips throughout the year and March has been an ideal example of that. We started it off right with a road trip on my birthday to Atlanta, now I know that spending 5+ hours in a car on the road does not for an exciting birthday make, but it was all well worth it once we arrived to Atlanta. I have always liked this city and its people. There is an endless amount of things to do and we only had a few days to do everything on our list. Did we make it? Read on...
First off, we've been to Atlanta dozens of times to see shows and a few prior to the PUSCIFER show we are scheduled to see on our first night out. Previously we have stayed in a hotel just a block away from the venue so we can drink as much as we'd like and be able to stumble a block down for the show. The hotel recently changed hands and reopened at the ARTMORE HOTEL. We were absolutely blown away at super stylish revamping they put into the historic building putting the major chain hotel that resided there prior to shame. Exotic textures and lighting flanked by large art prints, a plush outdoor patio and sleek bar/lounge area all add up to an honestly relaxing stay. We arrived and quickly got checked in and were off to our large room filled with a flat screen TV. writing desk and decadently plush bed among the many amenities. Best yet the hotel was kind enough to leave us a complimentary (and exceptionally delicious) bottle of McWilliam's Cabernet Sauvignon which made for a perfectly relaxing time after being on the road for 5 hours.
Room with a view ... from our hotel window at the uber swanky ARTMORE HOTEL.
After re re-combobulating ourselves and tidying up we hit the street and walked one block from our hotel door to the door of the venue (such convenience!) and arrived just as the doors opened. The CENTER STAGE hosts some of the best shows I've seen in Atlanta including Skinny Puppy, Underworld, and now finally ... PUSCIFER! We heard good things about the first night they played and were super excited to have the rare chance to see it for ourselves. We had great seats thanks to PUSCIFER and I shot the first song only (Maynard, dude, we know you're not pro-media but damn!), after a short pre-show skit shenanigans the full band took the stage and the man him self made his way to the stage. The one thing about PUSCIFER live is that you will not have heard these songs in quite this arrangement. Backed by a mock tin roof shack the stage looked like a Vegas style version of Hee-Haw, the show is filled with video vignettes and sketches sandwiched between the drastically reworked and at times unrecognizable honky-Tonk versions tracks like Queen B, Sour Grapes, Rev 22:20, and Indigo Children. I would have been absolutely satisfied with that, but as a second act/encore the sets and costumes were changed out for a sleeker rock look with video screen monitor heads (which we could have gotten shots of that, but you know the drill, no photos post the first song for us pressies) during which the troupe completely obliterated our scenes with epic heavy versions of select tracks Dozo, The Undertaker, The Mission, rounding it out with the haunting gem The Humbling River. They say each night is different on this tour and I am pleased as punch to have had the rare privilege to get to experience a live performance by this obscure and wildly entertaining traveling side show.
Maynard preaches to the masses as PUSCIFER rocks the CENTER STAGE.
After imbibing in just of few of the toxically strong drinks at Center Stage we stumble back (as planned) tour our hotel just a block away and crash from an extremely long and eventful day.
The next morning we woke very early and headed for Little 5 Points to distribute some copies of MOVEMENT magazine around the alternative hot spot. But first we stopped at the legendary MAJESTIC DINER to fuel up on a hearty breakfast and drop some mags at the URBAN OUTFITTERS across the street. Started early in Little 5 at the Starbucks, then browsed through Junkman's Daughter, Criminal Records and slew of other amazing little shops.
Keeping to our break-neck schedule we high tailed it to the spectacular GEORGIA AQUARIUM (thanks to their kind generosity) to see their temporary Penguin exhibit, SHARKS: PREDATOR OR PREY exhibit, and the graceful Manta Rays swimming alongside the majestic Whale Sharks. Truly a humbling experience to be so close to these massive gentle giants.
The new giant Manta Ray at the GA AQUARIUM
We stopped off at PUBLIX and the liquor store across the street from it to stock up for the rest of our trip before returning to our base camp inside the ARTMORE HOTEL. We had barely filled our flasks to brimming before it was time to shoot off to the Masquerade, one of Atlanta's premier music venues, to catch the POS/Astronautalis show, which on all counts was super entertaining. Though I listened to Boogie Down Productions alongside Bauhaus in my younger days, only recently have I revisited my appreciation for good underground hip-hop. So while I do not know all the songs, I certainly appreciated the flurry of kids who were mouthing every word. The Masq is a huge venue and the audience was small by comparison and the thumping beat of the house music overhead in the Heaven room above us did not help. POS made his mark on me by switching up the show and crawling over the barrier and doing the entire performance from the middle of the audience who were obviously thrilled.
Astronautalis makes his first appearance at the MASQUERADE
POS rocks the crowd ... from the crowd!
After the show we ducked out to meet up with Bari from the Athens GA death rock group ENTERTAINMENT. We hooked up at the Highlander bar, then to The Albert bar for more drinking. We got a wild hair to check out MJQ which I hd not been to since it was in the basement of the Ponce De Leon Hotel. We tried to use our persuasive powers of the press at first but were denied entry until one of the promoters/photographers caught wind of us and escorted us right in. It was a sweaty hot house of half naked kids bumping to electro-disco covered in glow bracelets. Super fun. We stayed for a bit in one of the less packed areas (few and far between) and headed back out to meet up with the rest of the gang back at The Albert.
A scene from the Albert
The least crowded dance floor at MJQ (and the best pic I could get as drunk as I was)
After MJQ that wild hair just wouldn't get out of our butts and we weren't complaining, so we took the HUGE chance of dropping by the last decaying remnants of the Clermont Lounge underneath the now closed seedy hotel of the same name. Little did we know that the Hellzapopin Circus Side Show would be performing that night (awesome!) but the bulldog-ish door goon was not impressed by our press credentials enough to let us in for 10 minutes to see the lay of the land, so all I can tell you about this legendary shit hole, having NOT paid the $10 cover to get in, is that it is apparently still a total shit hole. I was never happier to be denied entry on my credentials. We left it in our dust and we scooted off back to the Albert again before calling it a night and retiring to our plush bed at the ARTMORE.
The next morning we got up early, painfully so after beating our faces with drinks all night before, checked out of the ARTMORE and headed just a block away behind the CENTER STAGE on the other side of Spring Street to catch the original puppet stage play production 'Rainforest Adventures' at the Center for Puppetry Arts Museum. I worried at first that the unexpectedly large crowd of mostly little children (bus loads and bus loads of the little buggers) would be unruly and distract from the performance, but quite the opposite, the show was so colorful and entertaining that it kept them all enthralled for the duration. Defiantly a show worth seeing if its playing when you get the chance the check out the museum for yourself. Afterwards we toured the recently added Jim Henson wing with our beloved Fraggles and Doozers on display as well as Kermit, Big Bird and a host of other characters from Henson's world. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph the exhibit to show you any of it, so you'll just have to settle for the stock image below which should tease you enough to get you off your ass and up to Atlanta to experience these amazing things.
A scene from 'Rainforest Adventures'
A promotional photo of the Fragges, some of which are on display at the Museum for Puppetry Arts.
Afterward, before we headed back to Jax for a long weekend at FACTORY we crossed over 75 and discovered a wondrous new town center with an H&M, Starbucks and IKEA. Yeah, I know ... I'm surprised we came back also! After hours of shopping we headed home arriving back in Jax from whence we started just two days before.
Places of interest mentioned in this Road Trip Report:
Artmore Hotel
1302 W Peachtree Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 876-6100
www.artmorehotel.com
Center Stage
1374 W Peachtree Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30309-2904
(404) 885-1365
www.centerstage-atlanta.com
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30313
(404) 581-4000
www.georgiaaquarium.org
Masquerade
695 North Ave Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30308-2856
(404) 577-8178
www.masq.com
Center for Puppetry Arts Museum
1404 Spring Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30309-2851
(404) 873-3391
www.puppet.org
L5PBA Home Page
THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE LITTLE FIVE POINTS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Vortex, Junkman's Daughter, Criminal Records and many more.
www.littlefivepoints.net
MJQ
736 Ponce De Leon Place Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 228-0880
www.mjqatlanta.com
The Albert
918 Austin Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 872-4990
www.thealbertatlanta.com
by Max Michaels
NEXT TRIP: MEGACON 2010!
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