Julia Denniss, 12, and Leslie Lang, 13, are members of Quothe the Canary, a Girl Rock Camp band. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

The East Atlanta Strut was a soggy show this year with small crowds huddled under umbrellas. The mid-day exception was inside Earthshaking Music, where bands from Girls Rock Camp played a 45-minute set in front of a standing-room only audience.

Natalie Spruell, 13, sings for the band 500. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

I wrote about Girls Rock Camp Atlanta this summer, when the not-for-profit day camp held its week-long session.

The camp teaches girls the history of women in rock, basic music skills and what it means to be in a band. Some girls have had enough by the time camp closes. Even if they loved it, the rock star life isn’t for everybody.

But some of those bands stayed together, brought in new members, wrote new songs, took lessons on their instruments, continued to practice together.

I didn’t have a microphone on me, but they sounded great. Here, at least, is a …

Continue reading PHOTOS: Girls Rock Camp bands play the East Atlanta Strut »

Cars lined up to get into the drive-in theater in 2000. AJC file photo

When I turn 60, I want a party something like Starlight Six Drive-in’s birthday bash: live music, B-movies, tons of food, all kinds of relaxed, fun people having a relaxed, fun time.

Sunday’s Drive-Invasion — Starlight Six’s 10th such celebration — will have all that, plus the knowledge that everyone can use the Labor Day holiday to recover.

I talked with Jim Stacey, the drive-in’s general manager, to get a sense of where the movie lot has been, where it’s headed and how it has survived so long. Stacey saw movies there as a kid, loved coming back as an adult and has worked there for 10 years now. These days, he does everything you expect a theater manager to do, plus lawn care.

Want to go? Starlight Six Drive-Invasion, 11 a.m. Sept. 6 at the drive-in, 2000 Moreland Ave., Atlanta. $28, children ages 9 and younger are $5. 404-627-5786, www.starlightdrivein.com. Ticket info.

Sneaking a kiss during "Girl …

Continue reading INTERVIEW: Starlight Drive-In manager Jim Stacey prepares for theater’s Drive-Invasion and 60th anniversary party »

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game festivities, 2008.

When Alabama and Virginia Tech play the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta on Saturday, there won’t be an empty seat in the Georgia Dome. Apparently, Atlanta’s a pretty good place to have a football game.

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer told the AJC so: “I was with [ESPN College Game Day host] Chris Fowler this summer and he said it’s like no other atmosphere he can remember during the regular season. We’re playing in a great city that really supports football.”

Virginia Tech sold its 31,000 tickets. Alabama sold their’s, too. In fact, all 72,000 seats are sold, and thousands more people are expected to come downtown just for the game day activities. Here’s a guide to what’s going on and how you ought to prepare yourself, whether you’re coming downtown for some fun or just avoiding the crowd.

EVENTS, TIMES AND LOCATIONS

6-10 p.m. Friday: Fan Night, Georgia Aquarium
The world’s largest fish tank will be open late on Friday for …

Continue reading What to know before you go: Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game »

Starlight Drive-In opened in 1949. Here it is in 2000. AJC file photo.

The Starlight Six Drive-In theater turns 60 this year, and I’m not just being sweet when I say it hasn’t aged at all.

To celebrate, it’ll hold the 10th Starlight Six Drive-Invasion on Sept. 6, and throw in some birthday party antics.

Two stages, five films, 11 bands and “countless pre-1964 hot rods” will be there. Live acts include Wanda Jackson, Los Straitjackets, Detroit Cobras, Deadbolt, The Woggles, Gargantua and the Psycho Devilles.

On screen, you can catch “The Blues Brothers,” “Zardoz,” “Frogs,” “Shanty Tramp” and a surprise selection for Drive-Invaders.

What I don’t know: what kind of cake are we having?

Want to go? Starlight Six Drive-Invasion. 11 a.m. Sept. 6 at the drive-in, 2000 Moreland Ave., Atlanta. $28, children ages 9 and younger are $5. 404-627-5786, www.starlightdrivein.com. Ticket info.

Continue reading Starlight Six Drive-Invasion to celebrate theater’s 60 years »

A"Thriller" dance party in Underground Atlanta was organized to remember Michael Jackson in June, but we're not done yet! AJC file photo.

It’s been a few months now and Michael Jackson’s death is more the stuff of news updates than all-day coverage.

Atlanta just can’t stop dancing.

Here’s a list of upcoming Michael Jackson tributes, two of them this weekend, just in time for what would’ve been the King of Pop’s birthday.

Michael Jackson Tribute Celebration
7 p.m. Aug. 28. Free with donation. Georgia State University Alumni Hall, 30 Courtland St., Atlanta. 717-448-1610.
Live music by Vinson Baker, Fusion, The 54 and Level 7even, plus food, giveaways, contests, and lots and lots of dancing, as we can only assume Michael would have wanted. Come with a donation of canned food, clothing, school supplies or used instruments; they’ll be donated to local charities and Atlanta-area schools.

Moonwalk to Remember
1 p.m. registration, 2:30 p.m. walk, Aug. 29. $5 suggested donation. Walk …

Continue reading Atlanta celebrates Michael Jackson with weekend tributes »

The Georgia Theatre on June 30, within weeks of the fire. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

Georgia Theatre owner Wilmot Greene sent a list of (mostly) upbeat news about how the music venue is coming together since it was gutted by a fire in June.

The biggest news, he said, is that they can now accept donations through the non-profit Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, which means donations are tax deductible. Want to toss some cash in? Send your contribution to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Attn: Kate Ryan, 1516 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30309. Write “The Georgia Theatre Rehabilitation Fund” in the memo line. Online donation forms should be available online within the week, too.

UPDATE: The Georgia Trust often partners with groups trying to rehab certain buildings, but this is the first time it has partnered with a for-profit entity in this way, said Mark McDonald, the president and chief executive of the Trust. He told me Wednesday that Greene approached the …

Continue reading Georgia Theatre construction, fund-raising plans on the way »

Continuing with all this Twitter talk today, I received a press release about a Live Nation Twitter scavenger hunt to start tomorrow. The prize: a season-long lawn pass good for every show in a Live Nation amphitheater in the city. (In Atlanta, they’re Philips Arena, Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Chastain Park Amphitheatre and The Tabernacle.)

The day-long contest starts at noon here on Aug. 19, when clues will be tweeted from @livenation and @livenationatl on Twitter. Folks must follow both, and send them a picture of the Live National Twitter Scavenger Hunt icon. More info is available on www.livenation.com/scavengerhunt.

Here’s info from the press release:

Follow clues that will be “tweeted” from Live Nation Twitter accounts to find a special #LNScavHunt icon. The icons will be hidden in pre-selected websites and in physical locations within the 30 participating cities in North America. Each found icon gets the fan one step closer to the grand prize: A …

Continue reading Live Nation Twitter scavenger hunt in Atlanta on Aug. 19 »

I wasn’t at the Paul McCartney concert at Piedmont Park on Aug. 15 — I dispatched my Beatles-crazy little sister to the show instead — but noticed a few themes in their comments and reviews about the show. Here’s a short list of winners and losers from the experience, based on what readers had to say.

Winners

Paul McCartney: A few readers were disappointed in the set list or the energy level, but the overall impression seemed to be “Paul McCartney is a god.” Sounded wonderful.
MARTA: In the comments, readers seemed surprised and, in some cases, impressed with their MARTA journeys to MARTA.  Crowded, but efficient and effective.
The Script: They got to open for Paul McCartney! Some people love them!
Piedmont Park Conservancy: Based on @piedmontpark’s Twitter feed, more than 40,000 people showed up for the Green Concert — let’s not forget, this was a benefit show for the non-profit. Here’s more info on how the Conservancy made out.
Rain-lovers: That downpour during the …

Continue reading Reader reviews: McCartney concert winners and losers »

What can you do?

Send the AJC your photos! Just upload photos, and they’ll run the in an AJC.com gallery. Want to see the pro shots? Here’s the AccessAtlanta.com gallery.

Share your Sir Paul sightings! They’re being gratefully accepted at buzz@ajc.com or on Twitter @peachbuzz. Already, we’re wondering what he had for dinner at Craft…

Let us know what you thought! How was Paul McCartney on stage? How was the venue? Security? Set list? The crowd? Tell me in the comments.

For instant updates, follow @insideaccess on Twitter.

Continue reading See the Paul McCartney show? We need your help! »

Atlanta seems to be a special kind of place for musicians make memories, trouble, history and news.

Two of the acts in town this weekend have some special milestones here.

There’s Def Leppard, which plays Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood on Saturday, but had another memorable show here more than 20 years ago. From the story, “Def Leppard does it BIG”:

Atlanta occupies a warm place in the band’s heart because it filmed most of “Live: In the Round, In Your Face” during a 1988 show at the Omni, where the boys from Sheffield set an attendance record that even Bruce Springsteen couldn’t beat.

And then there’s Paul McCartney. We’ve heard plenty of folks recounting The Beatles 1965 show here, but my favorite story in last Sunday’s paper explained what made this show different from all the others on the tour:

Beatles manager Brian Epstein later sent a note to the sound engineers declaring the Atlanta system “Excellent. Without question proved the most effective of all …

Continue reading Atlanta milestones, from Def Leppard to Paul McCartney »