TheRealAtlanta.com: So, I want to start by thanking you for agreeing to share your story with us – I look forward to hearing you expound on what your struggles have resulted in – your own jewelry line, community activism, and tireless advocacy of the homeless.  It’s so brave of you and I think it’s a gift for people to be able to hear about your journey.  We have a lot to talk about, but to begin, on a more personal level, because you have experienced homelessness, I wanted to know your opinion on how it is a stigmatized condition and how you combat that.

JA: The worst part of it is that most people think that somebody’s homeless just because they’re lazy, that they don’t want to work, that it’s something they’ve done. And I remember I had a home, a husband, a job, one on the way, life was beautiful, and one day it’s all gone and it’s just me and two children – homeless – and there was nothing I did.  It made me stop and look at maybe the person on the street who needed a hand like I needed it.  It’s not always something you’ve done.  You could catch a cold and it turn into something more serious and you miss some days from work.  They say we’re all two paychecks away from being homeless ourselves, and it is that.  It is truly that simple.  I just want people to know that not everybody who’s sitting out there homeless is there by a decision they’ve made.  Sometimes things happen beyond our control, and [the homeless] are not all begging for a dollar.  Sometimes they’re begging, “Can you help me find a way to get back on my feet-a safe transition?”  Because I reached a point where I was a single mom with two small children under the age of four, and to make a safe transition where I was fortunate enough not to have to sell my body or do anything to get back on my feet was amazing, but there’s a lot of women out there that don’t have the same opportunities that I had. 

TRA: Right.

JA: And I think it’s important to raise awareness that not everybody is on drugs and some people just want a job so they can provide for their family.

TRA: And that’s absolutely what you’re doing with your company – raising money.  It’s all over your Facebook, you’re always talking about it, and that’s so valuable because finding volunteer opportunities in this city that are worthwhile can be a challenge, but you’re definitely a voice for that.  You’re a networker and you’re a warrior.  So what were the events that resulted in you becoming homeless?  You went through a divorce and then. . .

JA: I found myself in a bad marriage.  Two people that probably should’ve never had a first date ended up getting married.

TRA: I think that happens a lot.

JA: It does happen a lot.  And one day he had enough; I had enough.  We had one child already with one on the way and the thought of the rest of our lives together was more than either one of us could bear.  Also through decisions I’d made in my past I had nowhere to go and nowhere to call my home, so I started relying on some family and friends and we moved from couch to couch.  You know I don’t regret my decision to leave a bad situation, I just regretted having to drag two children through it. 

TRA: I can’t imagine.  Just to paint a picture for people, what was your greatest daily challenge when you were going through that?

JA: Sometimes just finding something to feed my son.  And the questions he asked, you know,  “Where are we going to sleep tonight?  Do we have enough gas in the car to get somewhere?”  A three year old shouldn’t have to be worried about those things.  And then when my daughter was born, it got harder because it’s hard enough to find a place for a toddler and a full-grown woman but an infant?  Then it reached a point where we were running from my ex-husband, and were moving from place to place just to avoid that harassment so it got kind of tough sometimes.  You know, when you go to ask for help they all look down on you like you should just get a job.

TRA: And you had a job, right, but you fell ill?

JA: Well, when I first left I was pregnant with a difficult pregnancy.  I wasn’t allowed to work – the doctors wouldn’t allow me to go to work.  I couldn’t do anything.  The system was set up in such a way that when we finally got some help, as soon as I got to work they cut off the assistance, so I couldn’t afford what we had so it was either stay home and not work and stay on the system so I could feed my children, have a roof to put over their head, or go to work and then we’d be back out on the street.  So it wasn’t until the President enacted a plan to help people go back to work where you could go back to work and keep your assistance for so long and then they would reduce it and eventually take it away so you could transition into a working life and learn how to budget your money and learn how to get a place with all of those things that I was able to go back to work.

TRA: That was something I wanted to ask you about too, but first I have to ask to which President were you referring? 

JA: It was Clinton.

TRA: He’s cute.  I love that he plays the saxophone.  I always had a little crush.

JA: He actually made it so [the bill] provided childcare for a working single parent because that’s the most expensive thing that you have.  I was able to receive my childcare, keep my children covered with insurance while I went to work and those were the two biggest concerns of mine.  Going to work to have to pay for childcare – there goes my whole check, and also no insurance?  Um, children get sick. 

TRA: They’re into everything.

JA: Yes.  They get sick; they get hurt.  And I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to take my children to the hospital if they needed to or to the doctor to get their regular shots, they’re immunizations.  It was one of the best things the President did.

TRA: Absolutely.   Actually my next question was concerning that transition when you were getting back on your feet.  What government institution, organization, or individual was most resourceful to you during that time – other than obviously yourself?

JA: I have to give the DEFACS system in South Carolina a big shout out for that.  They truly took the President’s plan – taught me how to do a resume, taught me how to interview, helped me find the perfect childcare, set me up for a lot of success so when I walked in one day to an optical shop I was prepared to interview. 

TRA: Talk about your experience with that.

JA: I walked into an optical shop one day and told the guy if he took a chance I would never call in sick for work, I would never miss a day, I’d never be late, I’d be his hardest worker, there’s nothing he would ask that I couldn’t do.  I didn’t want him just to give me a job, I wanted an opportunity, and he took a shot on me.  A big shot on me and put me to work.

TRA: Did you have any experience?

JA: None whatsoever.  No optical experience whatsoever.  I was fortunate enough that my mom had been in optics for a while, but that’s what she knew that’s not what I knew.

TRA: Well girl, you always have on a killer pair of shades!   I don’t know if that has always been . . .

JA: Yes.

TRA: Then you had it in you all along! (We laugh)

JA: He gave me a shot and I was able to work with him for a year, then through many difficult situations I had to move out of the state, so I ended up in Georgia and my greatest joy was the day I got to walk into a general manager’s meeting and there he was.  I got to hug him, and we cried, and just to [be able to] thank him for giving me a shot.

TRA: Wait, you were in the same board room?

JA: Well the company had a conference for all the general managers and I had risen to the point where I was a general manager as well and [my former boss] was there.  So, to get to thank him for giving me a shot to supply for my family, to be a productive member of society was the most wonderful thing.  We cried for 20 minutes. 

TRA: I’m crying now!

JA: But I took every chance he gave me, every piece of information and latched onto it and just climbed and clawed, and when they told me I was too young to be a general manager I didn’t listen.

TRA: How old were you at the time when they told you that you were too young to be a general manager?

JA: Twenty-six.

TRA: Wow.

JA: And by twenty-seven I was a general manager.

TRA: You showed them.

JA: Yeah.  (She smiles.)  I’ve been a general manager up until about a year ago in optics, but when I left the last company I was with and I Joined the company I’m with now, Show Your Colors By Jennifer was starting to evolve so I knew I had to step back from all the strain from being a general manager so I could run [my own] company the way it needed to be.

TRA: Now tell me about your company Show Your Colors by Jennifer because this is really special.  Tell us how we can buy bracelets .

JA: Well we do have a website, ShowYourColorsByJennifer.com, and you can contact us on Facebook through Jenn Austin.  We also have just had our first wholesale deal in a boutique store in Riverdale.  We just put the product in the store today.

TRA: Congratulations!  I didn’t realize this was such a big day for you.  I’d buy you a shot but you don’t drink.  I’ll buy you a book, because I know you like to read a lot.

JA: That’ll work.  We just put our first one in there today, sold one in California off our website yesterday so yeah, it’s been crazy.

TRA: So you’re already intra-national, next step is international.

JA: We’ve sold two in Afghanistan.

TRA: Really?  Wow.

JA: Yeah, we reached the world even before we hit the United States.

TRA: Another tribute to our technological age.  Sometimes it’s quicker to reach the world.  (We laugh.)

JA: And then if you’re fortunate enough to catch us at some of the events, I’m usually making the bracelets on site.  I always have my stuff to make [the bracelets] with me wherever I am.

TRA: I’ve seen you even at the bar.  Working away.

JA: It’s actually very relaxing to me, especially when my team’s losing in football, but we won’t talk about that.

TRA: I know.  I’m so sorry your team lost the SuperBowl, but I think that we were all Saints in our hearts this year even if it was just a little bit.  In fact, I was at a Superbowl party with you and your husband when I found out that you bedazzle your bracelets.  You know I love to be bedazzled.

JA: I put sterling silver letters into them, and we’re working on some other projects right now.

TRA: What other projects?

JA: Well I just took my first order for a dog collar, and I’ve got some other things coming. 

TRA: So are you transitioning right now from working for someone else to owning your own company or are you already at that point?

JA: I’ll probably continue to work for somebody else just because I love to give back so much. Truly that’s what attracted me to optics, but [my husband] has been fortunate enough that he is able to exclusively work for [Show Your Colors by Jennifer].  He’s not doing anything else.

TRA: What a blessing!  So his company isn’t separate from your company?

JA: It’s all one group – it’s all underneath me.

TRA: He works for you.

JA: He does.  That’s why his car license plate says, “VP/General Manager.”  Mine says, “Founder.”

TRA:  I love it.  That was actually something that I wanted to touch on a little bit here.  Jay, your husband, was homeless for a time and now he’s the Vice President of your joint company that gives twelve percent of its proceeds to Crossroads Community for the homeless.

JA: We give to various homeless organizations.  Last quarter was Crossroads Ministry, and we’re probably going to roll into this quarter with Crossroads just because we believe so much in what they do.

TRA: And I want to get back to what they do because I think it’s a great organization as well. But first I wanted to ask, taking into account that you and Jay were homeless together for a time, and have both risen to such success, what is it like to have someone who is not only your partner but also a fellow warrior?

JA: It’s wonderful.  The passion for [combating homelessness] never dies.  It’s not something I have to revive in him or that he has to revive in me because we remember what it’s like not to have anywhere to go, or the cops harass you because you’re trying to stay out of the way and they see you, or when you’re not eating right but it’s what you have.  The fact that somebody gave both of us a chance at one point when nobody else would really makes us want to work hard, and this one thing we’re going to pride ourselves on as we go forward.  We’ll be hitting some of the homeless shelters [looking] for the people who are really wanting to make a change in their life, and we’re planning on putting some people to work as we go forward.

TRA: Eternally giving back.  That is you and Jay as I’ve always known you.  So, tell me a little bit about meeting each other, and you’re journey through homelessness and back together.  Also, of course, I’m curious about the initial spark because I see it every day still with you two.

JA: I actually met him when I was at work at my second job.  When I finally got on my feet the last thing I ever wanted to do was go back to not having anything so I worked two jobs.  My children would never have nowhere to call home again.  So it was during that time that I met him at a baseball game.  As you know we’re two baseball junkies.

TRA: I didn’t know that about you two.

JA: Love baseball.  And my mother said when she heard me talk about him the very first time she knew he was the one. 

TRA: How did she know?  Did she say?

JA: She told me right away, she said, “Oh my god, you’ve met the one.” And she said she knew because I compared him to my father.  All the things I loved about my father, all the things that drove me crazy, there he was.  She said she knew right then that this was the one, and it was perfect from the beginning. Then through a series of events Jay and I became homeless again, and because I wouldn’t put my children through any more drama, they went and lived with their father.  So, Jay and I struggled together.

TRA:  So when you and Jay implement the purple and black colors in the bracelets that you make, what does that represent for the homeless?

JA:  Well the black is the despair and the hopelessness that you live in when you’re homeless.  You don’t see an end to it.  You feel like you’re in a room with no lights.  The purple is the royalty. It’s the first time you’re a productive member of society.  You have a house – I remember moving into my first house with my kids.  We had nothing but they were so happy to say, “This is my room – this is mine.”  It’s just such a wonderful thing, and the first time you’re writing that rent check or mortgage payment.  You might as well be king or queen.

TRA: What a feeling to have!  Getting back to Crossroads, what were your reasons for choosing that particular organization to donate twelve percent of Show Your Colors by Jennifer’s proceeds towards, and what other organizations do you feel are doing a worthy job of helping people to plug in?

JA: Well, Crossroads is an amazing ministry.

TRA: Where is it located?

JA: On Courtland Street in Downtown Atlanta.  It’s a wonderful, wonderful organization.  They really work with the whole entire person.  They actually have a program where they bring you in for ninety days.  They help you get your medicine.  They help you get your I.D.  They get you a mailing address.

TRA: I think a mailing address is key.  That’s something that I feel sets it apart from other organizations, and it seems to me communication is one of the biggest advancements toward accelerating the transition out of homelessness.

JA: It truly is, I mean when you apply for some jobs, you need a mailing address to put on your application.  [Crossroads] is a place for your family to correspond with you, it’s a place to get your driver’s license and your birth certificate.  If you’re fortunate enough to get food stamps or a check or these things, it’s a mailing address for these places to send it to you.  A lot of people don’t think about that – and you can’t do anything without a driver’s license or a birth certificate.

TRA: Right.

JA: You have to have an I.D.  You have to have a birth certificate.

TRA: So they’re really good about gathering the essentials. 

JA: And the wonderful thing is they have a clinic there, and if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or AIDS you can go get their medicine there.  [The people who run Crossroads] said that the ministry started just by giving out sandwiches, and then they started noticing the same people coming through and so began to ask questions like “Why are you here?” “How can we help you not be here tomorrow?” Their whole program is about helping you get off the streets to be a productive member of society, and anybody who will help [the homeless] instead of just feeding them is wonderful in my book.

TRA: I know that from personal experience volunteering with Crossroads when you shared with me how to connect to them.  I found out that you just show up from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. any day and volunteer to make sandwiches and serve food.

JA: They give them a warm meal, not just the sandwiches.  It’s something warm every day to eat.  And we’ve had several canned food drives where we take the food to them, and they take that food and actually prepare it for the homeless.  But you get a meal and a lesson and it’s a wonderful place to donate your time.

TRA: Definitely.  I’m sure they appreciate all you have done through Show Your Colors.  Speaking of which, your husband mentioned that you guys were celebrating the one year anniversary of your business soon.  Where da party at?

JA: Well it will be in May at Highland Cigar Company.

TRA: Is there an exact date yet?

JA: No exact date, but check Facebook for the upcoming announcement.

TRA: What can we expect from this party?  Will your bracelets be for sale?

JA: I’ll have bracelets and bow ties and for the select few I may be actually making them there.  Our last party we did have an auction.  We’ll be having a silent auction, and a vegetarian spread.

TRA: Sounds like great food, great people, and a great cause.  Is the crowd going to consist of people that have worked for you in your company or will the invitees be those who support the cause and support you?

JA: We want to bring a lot of people together who support the cause.  We’ll try to bring some people from each organization that we’ve helped this year so that everybody’s represented, and we’re trying to reach out to different organizations because the idea is to bring awareness for the homeless, and not just Show Your Colors by Jennifer.

TRA: Understood.  I can’t wait until May for the party.

JA: You have to wear purple and black to come.

TRA: Perfect, I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a purple dress.  Anyway, I thank you so much again for sharing your story, and here’s to many more years of success for Show Your Colors by Jennifer.

JA: Thank you very much.  Thank you.

Spring time in Atlanta, GA proves to be a very busy time for the city. Many festivals and events start to take place for the locals and tourists. One such festival that has been going on for years is the Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival which is hosted in Atlanta’s beautiful Piedmont Park. This year the event will take place on April 16, 17 and 18. Attendees will be able to enjoy fine art, live entertainment of different kinds ranging from music to comedy. There will also be a variety of food offerings all over the festival for visitors to try and buy.

This year at this 74^th Annual Dogwood festival there will be great new features like the International Stage, Friday Night Comedy Show and Friends of Dogwood Pavilion. Although, this is the city’s oldest festival every year they make it seem just as spectacular and new. Because the Dogwood Festival has become a major event in the Atlanta area, it was honored with a variety of awards including Reader’s Pick award for Best Annual Event (Creative Loafing), Readers Pick for Favorite Festival (Atlanta Magazine), Best Annual Event (Georgia Magazine) and a Silver Award for Best Community Outreach Program for the International Stage from the International Festivals and Events Association’s Pinnacle Awards.

Here are some things you are expect from this years festival:

Arts: The 2010 Atlanta Dogwood Festival Artist Market participants have been selected from the largest number of exhibitor applications in Dogwood history. The Artist Market welcomes fine artists from throughout the country and will include a special section featuring Georgia artists.

Global: Visit the exciting performances on the International Stage. Visit the International Village and get a picture next to a favorite foreign holiday destination without even having to leave town. There will be golf carts representing different destinations decorated by a local international organization or consulate to bring the world to Atlanta!

Spectators: The Main Stage at the 2010 festival will include performers from a variety of musical genres. Dogwood attendees can also enjoy the popular live dog show on the lawn or hit the Friday Night Comedy show at the Lake Clara Meer stage.

Foodies: The “Friends of Dogwood Pavilion,” a ticketed event that has become a popular feature of the Dogwood Festival, will be open Saturday and Sunday. The Pavilion pairs fare from top local restaurants with wines and beers to show the upscale side of the city’s longest-running outdoor festival. Tickets to Friends of Dogwood can be purchased in advance at www.dogwood.org or at the door.

Kids: Designed just for the younger festival visitors, the Kid’s Village has become a Dogwood favorite for families. This interactive zone comes complete with hands-on art projects, special kid-friendly displays and hours of entertainment for children. Spider Jump, anyone?

Contacts:
Atlanta Dogwood Festival
404-817-6642
www.dogwood.org
info@launchatlanta.com

Date & Time:
April 16 – Friday 12:00 – 9:00 PM
April 17 -Saturday 10:00 AM – 9 PM
April 18 -Sunday 10:00 AM – 5 PM

Location:
Piedmont Park
400 Park Drive NE
Atlanta

Thieves’ final performance  and CD release party was at Kavarna Coffee Shop in Oakhurst [editor: area in Atlanta, GA] on Friday, January 15, 2009.  The all-girl group, comprised of Jessie Calmes on vocals and guitar, Meta Gary on violin and vocals, Rene Lambert on bass and mandolin, and Khalilah Karim on backup vocals and accordion have come a long way to develop their sound of lilting, poetic folk.  Directly after the post-show cigarette break, I gathered the band for some giggle-ridden girl talk, where they recalled their worst show ever, performing with the legendary Desk Ark, as well as a possible comeback.

Summer Stanley: Thieves, I was just ruminating on how it’s rather unusual to have a CD release party in conjunction with your final show, so to begin, is it really the final show?

Rene Lambert: So far.

Jessie Calmes: It was a publicity scam (Laughter).  We’re gonna come out of retirement in a month.

Summer: Like Jay-Z?

Jessie: Like Jay-Z.

Summer: Well it did him a lot of good.

Jessie: We’re all gonna marry Beyonce too.

(The girl gaggle giggles)

Khalilah Karim: (Laughing) I think I’m already married to Beyonce.  We have little Beyonces running around.

Summer: All right, well, the reason I ask is because I heard a little birdie mention that a French band contacted you through MySpace that wanted to tour with you.  Care to comment?

Jessie: It’s possible that after some months we might come out with a bunch of different, new material and maybe a reincarnation.

Summer: OK. OK.  So this would be like same people, different name and sound?

Jessie: Maybe.

Summer: Maybe?

Jessie: This is all hypothetical.

Summer: All right I’ll take hypothetical.

Meta Gary: I think we might just sing in French.

Summer: I’d pay to hear an American girl band sing French lyrics.  Well kind of in a “looking back” vein, I know it’s pretty immediate, but how did Thieves originate and how long were you together for?

Rene: Originally we were all hanging out being sad and were like, “Hey, let’s make music.”

Jessie: It basically started with a different formation in the beginning, and we all were really bummed out about uh, ladies.

Summer: Mmm hmm.

Jessie: And so we literally just drank a lot of whiskey and wrote lots of songs really, really late at night.

Summer: Some of the best songs have been written that way.

Jessie: And then played them out of tune for the while.

Meta: Much to my dismay.  I heard that there existed a group of really, really sad girls, and I was like, “I have got to get in on that.”  And so I did.  And uh, I brought ‘in tune’ with me.

Jessie: Meta made us tune our instruments.

Rene: She was like, “I can’t do this unless we tune!”

Jessie: And then we became “legit.”

Summer: Wow.  When was it that you guys started playing shows regularly?

Jessie: Our first show was for Amy and Matteas’ benefit after their accident (scooter accident) two summers ago.

Summer: Yeah, that’s been a while.  Well what bands have you guys been members of previous to Thieves?

Rene: The Bangers, Stanley’s Car – back in Louisiana.

Summer: Cool.  What kind of a band was Stanley’s Car?

Rene: Ska.

Summer: So do you foresee yourself continuing as a musician after this?

Rene: Of course!  Absolutely.

Summer: Do you have any upcoming projects at all?

Rene: Hopefully.  I don’t know just yet.

Summer: But you will.

Rene: Yes. Of course.

Summer: (To Jessie) What about you?

Jessie: I did vocals for Bangers and now I’m in the Gazelles.  I play drums.

Summer: Cool.  I didn’t know you played drums.  Who are The Gazelles? Are you performing around town now?

Jessie: We’ve been playing around Atlanta – I think we’re gonna book a show at Lenny’s soon.  It’s kind of, I don’t even know, garage rock, 60’s girl groove. . .

Rene: Think Black Sabbath.  It’s like old school metal.  It’s awesome.

Jessie: Dirty.

Summer: I can’t wait!  (To Khalilah) And what previous bands have you been in?

Khalilah: I was in a small band back in the early nineties, well it was kind of like mid-nineties, called Destiny’s Child.

(Laughter from everyone)

Khalilah: And um, I got kicked out because my dance moves were not up to par, but you know, I made it again with Thieves.  So me and Beyonc’ are still close ‘cuz she’s having my babies.

Summer: I think you’re the only one who isn’t ill with her after she left Destiny’s Child to go solo.

Khalilah: (Laughing) You know, I’m OK as long as I get paid.  You know they’re still using my lyrics.

Summer: (Laughing) Do your thing girl!

Khalilah: I’m a survivor (laughs).  But whatever.  But really, no.  This is it.

Summer: No future projects?

Khalilah: Unless someone else wants me.  Yeah, and if Thieves does a comeback tour…

Summer: Oh well I’ll miss you and I’m glad I got a lot of good pictures to memorialize this properly.  (To Meta) And for you?

Meta: I was in one band in college – it was a math rock band.

Summer: A math rock band?  What kind of band is that?

Meta: Um…

Jessie: It’s like math-y rock.

Summer: I’m sure it all adds up.

Meta: Good one.  It’s like instrumental rock. . .

Summer: That sounds like genius rock!

Meta: I was in a genius rock band called Baracka.

Jessie: (In mock disbelief)It was called Baracka?

Kahlilah: Was it really?  Baracka?  Like the movie? (Laughs)

Meta: Yes it was.  And it’s also a Mortal Combat character.

Summer: You are cool.

Meta: I always played music my whole life and I was in that band and then I kind of stopped for just being busy until I met these guys and I started…

Summer: And how did you guys meet?

Meta: (Gestures to front door of Kavarna) Out front right there.

Jessie: Yeah.

Meta: We were sitting at a table smoking cigarettes. . .

Jessie: And we were like “Oh, you play violin?  And you look good?!  OK.”

(Everyone laughs.)

Jessie: “Put on that hat!”

Meta: “Are you interested in being sad?  Am I?!”

Khalilah: Any excuse to cry.

Summer: I really like that you guys were on the melancholy trip here.  This is something that I didn’t know about you guys personally, but your music is very cathartic and haunting so I get it.

Jessie: At one point we actually covered Otis Redding’s “Sad Song.”

Summer: I wish I had heard that one!  I also wish I had heard your famous cover of Mariah Carey’s “Shake it Off.”

Khalilah: A lot of people really wish they had heard “Shake it off.”

Rene: If we only knew everyone would chant.  If we only had one more chance we could have prepared it.

Summer: Sorry, I kinda started the chanting.  I didn’t realize.  (To Meta) Well, do you have any musical projects on the horizons?

Meta: Not specifically, but yeah.

Summer: I get it.  There will be.  OK, well what else?  Looking back, do you have a best/worst show moment?  I’m gonna go one by one here, because this is gonna overwhelm my microphone, so Rene first.

Rene: Eddie’s attic is the show. (Everyone laughs.)

Summer: The best or the worst?

Rene: Um, the worst.

Summer: Tell me why.

Rene: Because everything was out of tune, and it was incredibly professional and we were not.  And it was very embarrassing.

Summer: What was the crowd’s reaction?

Rene: They just sat there.

Jessie: One person said, “You know guys, you don’t have to play all your songs every time you play.”

Summer: Ouch.

Jessie: And I would agree.  Horribly out-of-tune.  Embarrassing.

Rene: We have a copy.  You can hear it.  It’s horrible.

Jessie: We like to listen to it for s…t and giggles.

Summer: Well, those days have come and gone and you guys have arrived at this point, but what was your best show moment?

Rene: Actually probably tonight.

Jessie: It was fun.

Summer: Yeah, it was a really fun night.  It was great.

Rene: The crowd was really cool.

Summer: A lot of people showed up.

Rene: Yeah, I mean the whole environment was pretty, pretty right on man.

Summer: Yeah.

Jessie: I also think the best practice moment was today when we all sang Lady Gaga a capella to one another.  I thought that sounded really, really good.

Summer: That’s pretty cool.

Jessie: Yeah definitely good use of our time before our last show.

Summer: Oh, definitely.  And I’m sure there were, rather, I’m assuming, there were drinks.

Jessie: Yeah, well, I think there are anytime we do vocal exercises together too, which, involves Mariah Carey’s emotions.

Summer: Yes.

(The band starts doing their various Mariah Carey impressions.)

Jessie: Yeah, those are all good.

Summer: I love it!  Khalilah, best/worst show moment?

Khalilah: I guess other than tonight I would have to say our first show in Athens that I played was a really good night.

Summer: Where did you guys play in Athens?

Khalilah: Little Kings.

Summer: That’s a fun place:

Khalilah: It was a really fun day.  Good show, nice crowd, like I don’t actually know if the crowd was nice as in big, but the few people who were there were very nice.

Summer: They were like respectful and clapping at all the right times and everything. . .

Jessie: We played with The Shondas who were like a really big deal for us.

Summer: Oh cool.  Tell me about The Shondas.

Jessie: They’re this, like- they were called the next “Sleater Kinney,” but they’re like this Jewish, rrriot girlish music.

Summer: Ooooh.  That sounds really good.

Jessie: Queer.  Really, really great violinist.  And they were on the cover of Curve magazine the month before we  booked the show.  Louisa… that girl.  So we played with them in Athens and in Atlanta.  And that was cool

Summer: Cool.  Besides The Shondas who were some of the most famous people that you performed with?

Jessie: Des Ark!

Rene: Yes!

Summer: (Enjoying the enthusiasm) Say it again!

Jessie: Desk Ark was my favorite show because I’ve been listening to Desk Ark since I was like 15.

Summer: I was at that show and it was astounding.

Rene: Wow.  Yeah, it was incredible to meet Aimee.

(Aimee Argote, frontwoman for Desk Ark)

Jessie: Yeah.

Rene: She was uh, wow.  Yeah.  That was great.

Jessie: That was good.  That had to be the best I think.

Summer: Yeah, yeah.  That was at the Eyedrum.  Thanks Marissa Overton for organizing that show!  (To Meta) Best and worst for you?

Meta: Easily Eddie’s Attic.  And a side note on the Eddie’s Attic show, I think I’d been playing with them for like three weeks at that time and uh, I had them, this was, I knew that they were out of tune, but I didn’t one hundred percent know how, how.

Jessie: Bad.

Meta: How bad the situation, how deep-rooted this problem was, and so in order to learn all the songs in time for the show because the shows was booked when I started playing with them, I had them record everything, and then I learned my parts, I made up parts according to recordings, and then uh, we were on stage playing and um, nothing! Nothing!  Not a damn thing was in the same key.

(Everyone Laughter)

Summer: None of the instruments were tuned together at all?

Meta: No!  So everyone that starts playing, and all these parts that I had, you know, studied …

Summer: Right.

Meta: And learned …

Jessie: (Laughing) In key?

Meta: … were all wrong.  And it was absolutely horrible.  And I was wearing this same hat, and I kept pulling it lower and lower during the course of the show, and lower past my face because I kept wanting to hide and I wondered multiple times how bad it would be if I just quietly stepped off the stage.

Summer: (Laughing) That’s great to admit that.

Meta: It was horrible.  And the other side of that I would say is tonight, which is really ironic, because up until recording our CD, which went very quickly, we haven’t played in at least like a month or two.

Summer: I didn’t realize it had been that long.

Meta: So I wasn’t really foreseeing tonight going well, and I was kind of, I was nervous.

Jessie: I know and after that we stopped playing shows!

Meta: (Laughing) Done!

Meta: But yeah I don’t know what it was but tonight everything just felt like really solid, and the crowd was awesome.

Summer: Yeah.

Meta: Tonight was like a really good night.  It was great.  A great night to end on.

Summer: Absolutely.

Khalilah: Or to begin again on.

Summer: Don’t tease me!

Khalilah: Or to come back on!  (Laughter)

Summer: That’s going to be the vein of my article, I want you to know that I’m going to paint you guys as a phoenix rising from the ash, so I’m editing it the way that I want it to be. (Laughter)

(Jessie starts doing the “Angels in the Outfield” flying motions.  Everyone laughs.)

Summer: I just have to ask this one last question, out of personal curiosity, because I’m about to start learning the drums and I wanna know percentage-wise, how much more play I’m gonna get, than I have as a regular person now?  And in addition to play specifically, what about perks of being in a band in general?

(Everyone shakes their head, laughs.)

Summer: (In disbelief) No perks!  None whatsoever?!

Rene: Well, I mean, the connection you have with people when you play music it’s like family.  That’s my favorite perk.

Summer: I feel that.

Rene: The intimacy with friends playing music … it’s pretty rad.

Summer: Totally.

Jessie: I would disagree.

(More laughter.)

Summer: Which part do you disagree with?

Jessie: Well, whenever we play I just crawl back into my anxiety hole, which involves me quickly loading instruments into the car and avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Rene: But we get to hang out with each other!

Jessie: No.  But we’re talking about play.

Renee: Oh.

Jessie: No extra play.

Summer: No extra play at all?

Jessie: No.

Khalilah: I think that would only be lame when you’re like, “Yeah I play music and it’s blah blah blah blah.”

Jessie: Yeah, that’s nice, but no, never after a show have I been like “Hey girl how you doin’?”  It’s more like (nervously giggles, voice shaking): “Hi- thank you ha ha.”

(We all laugh.)

Summer: Yeah, you’re just like, “OK, get me outta here.”

Jessie: Well Khalilah gets all the honeys.

Khalilah: I mean since I’ve been in this band, guys, oh my god.  (Laughs) I can’t count the amount of a.. I’ve got!

Meta: She can’t count the amounts.

Khalilah: Yeah.

Summer: OK, well I’m always curious about the dating life of a musician.  Are there any other perks?

Khalilah: Yeah – stage fright.

Summer: I never would’ve thought any of you had stage fright.  It’s interesting talking to you about that, because it’s new information to me.

Jessie: I puke either before or after any first performance I’ve had with a band.

Summer: Wow.  I would too.  I was at a show in New York – I went to go see Atmosphere, and Slug has super-fan karaoke before the show where he serves at the hype man, but the fans have to rap his songs onstage without any lyrics.  The participants just have to know it by heart.  And when Slug was introducing them, he said “You guys need to be nice to these people because before I go on for every show, I have to sh… .  Literally.  And I wrote the songs.”  Sooooo. . . I get that.

Summer: (To Meta) So perks for you?

Meta: Um, we usually get a tab.

(Everyone): Yeah.

Summer: Well that is a definite perk.

Khalilah: (To Meta) You get to show your artwork!  But I think we played because of your artwork.

Meta: I think what that is, is I get to deflect attention away from myself.

Rene: No!  From your artwork?

Meta: Yeah.  And turn it into a band show instead of an art show which is much more comfortable.

Summer: I had no idea this was a combination art show and band show.

Meta: See? (Gesturing to a flock of bird paintings on the wall).

Summer: Oh!

Jessie: It’s called Flock by Artist Meta Gary.

Summer: I’m so glad I know that now!  Do you have a website?

Meta: There’s a MetaGary.com website.

Summer: Great!  And what sorts of art do you do?

Meta: I’m a painter.  I’m currently in grad school for graphic design.

Summer: Great!  Well I’m so glad to know that extra little ditty.  Any last words before I shut off my recorder?

Jessie: OK. OK.

Rene: (short un-transcribable).

Jessie: (High-pitched Mariah Carey-esque squeal)

Khalilah: (Imitating Lady Gaga) Pa-pa-razzi!

Meta: I don’t have any last words.

Summer: OK.

Meta: That’s kind of ironic.

Jessie: This was kind of fun.

Summer: Isn’t it fun?

Dialogue in the Dark at the Atlantic Station Exhibition Center
(Ongoing until March 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.)
Have you ever wondered what a blind person’s life is really like? In this unordinary exhibition, the blind will guide normal visitors through galleries and interactive environments without any light. This is surely to be an “eye-opening” outlook on how the blind fully use their other senses, and how sometimes valuable things are not appreciated enough. The exhibition center is located at 265 18th St., Suite 4200, Atlanta, GA.
Tickets

Dweezil Zappa plays at the Variety Playhouse
(11^th at 8:00 p.m.)
Dweezil will be rocking out with his musically inherited guitar talent from his father, along with six other members. This show is a tribute to his father, Frank Zappa. The Playhouse is located at 1099 Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points, close to the Carter Center and Virginia Highlands.
Tickets

Karaoke Monday’s at the Uptown Comedy Corner
(11^th at 8:30 p.m.)
Special K. from the Ricky Smiley Morning show will be hosting Karaoke this Monday. Come perform a song you may have in mind, or get a kick out of other people singing! Uptown is located at 800 Marietta Street, ATL, 30318.
Tickets

Open Mic at Meehan’s Public House
(12^th at 9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.)
Come prepared to sing acoustic, and compete! If you win over the most people with your performance, you’ll win a pretty great prize; free bar tab, cash, and a cab ride home! Meehan’s is located at 227 Sandy Springs Place, Suite 416, Atlanta, GA 30328.
Reservations

American Idol Viewing Party at the W Hotel
(13^th at 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.)
Review season nine’s auditions at the location they started in! There will be food from Jean-Georges Spice Market from 7-8pm and American Idol themed cocktails from Whiskey Park. The W is located in Midtown at 188 14th St. NE, ATL.
RSVP to watlanta.midtown@whotels.com
Directions

The Ansley Park Playhouse presents “A Sunday Afternoon at Loehmann’s”
(14^th at 8:00 p.m. & 17^th at 3:00 p.m.)
Shopping has become a form of fun relaxation, and the Southern ladies in this play will be displaying just that. The story starts off innocent, and then progresses into the dysfunctional standards of everyday living. It’s a very witty show that shouldn’t be missed. The Ansley Park Playhouse is located in the Peachtree Pointe Building on 1545 Peachtree Street.
Ticekts

Shen Yun at the Cobb Energy Performance Centre
(15^th at 7:30 p.m., 16^th at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., 17^th at 2:00 p.m.)
Shen Yun Performing Arts presents Chinese dancing that has been tradition for centuries. You will see the ancient legends and heroes come to life. Along with this, the Shen Yun Orchestra will be playing their original pieces with classical Western and Chinese instruments. Come to Cobb Energy for this uplifting experience at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339.
Tickets

The Loft presents Avenue X
(15^th at 10:00 p.m.)
The Loft is going to hold Avenue X – which is a new wave night presented by DJIT and Warholboy. The cover charge is $5 for 21+, and $10 for 18-20. The location is in Midtown at 1374 W. Peachtree St.
Information

Gwinnett Performing Arts Center presents Ralphie May
(16^th at 7:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.)
Ralphie May has been a professional comedian since the age of 17. He has made appearances on Comedy Central, Craig Kilborn, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, and The Man Show. You may have even seen him on the infamous website Youtube. The Gwinnett Center is at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097.
Tickets

Living Novel at the Relapse Theatre
(16^th at 9:00 p.m.)
The Relapse Theatre is offering something a little different in the arts department. Living Novel is a book that reads itself going along with music, all put together by Trey Duke. The general admission price is $10, but students can get in for $5. The Relapse Theatre is located on 380 14^th street, Atlanta.

Directions

“I have so many ideas in my head I don’t know where to start”, she said as we looked at the collection of used wood pieces of furniture, shelves, plaques and the like stacked in a corner of her garage. End tables, night stands and a dresser that needed a little TLC before the first coat of paint could be applied, and she does all of the wood repair herself. Nearly every piece was a cast off, found at a yard sale, by the side of the road or on Craigslist, just waiting for the new found personality she would give each one with her acrylic paints and imagination. Some items are new, like plaques and corner tables.

Then we began to look at pieces that she had transformed; a matching breadbox and recipe box with the big smiling flowers that she appropriately named The Happy Little Bread Box, a small hutch and buffet in a muted lavender blend sporting a blooming magnolia branch, and an adorable barn red breadbox with a slightly whimsical rooster on every side and a very whimsical egg running across the top leaving his tale-tell footprints behind. Sports tables! Your favorite sports emblem on a small round three legged table…and she takes orders for them! She has figured out a way to make it versatile by removing the legs and putting a wire on the back of the table top for wall décor. Then there’s the round tiger table, whose head takes up the entire tabletop. The table legs are his legs and his tail rests across the lower shelf and those life-like eyes lock on and just won’t let you look away. I don’t know, maybe that’s a sign of my cat addiction, but you feel a need to find a logical reason for the embarrassing experience of being held captive by a tiger without a heartbeat.

“I found out by accident that I could paint in the late 90’s when I gave a painting class to my daughter. She went to only one lesson and decided it wasn’t for her. So, I decided that rather than waste the money for the class I would go for the lessons myself. It was the beginning of a new passion for me.” Debbie Hampton started out painting on canvas and now paints wall murals and ceramic tiles as well as wood items. Children’s rocking chairs are personalized by order for under $60.

Debbie showed me pictures of her first wall murals she painted in her own home. A silhouette of her grandchildren as if standing in a group in her hallway, and a lovely basket of magnolia blooms that never made it off of the wall when she moved to Georgia. Since then she has contemplated hiring herself out to paint murals, and even though she is willing to do so she just has never pursued it. She stays occupied with her wood projects, many of which have been painted as gifts for family holidays, stirring up jealous competition over who wanted what. “She just thought we were fighting over the pieces because we love her,” her daughter told me, “she just didn’t think her work was that good in the beginning.” Every family member from her mother down to the youngest Grandchild has or will soon have a specially painted piece to cherish, each signed and dated.

Retiring her position at Kennedy Space Center in early 2007 to join family in Georgia, Debbie’s desire to focus on her passion has kept her from re-entering the workforce. She showed me the display of pieces that dance across the gallery on her Myspace page, which she sends interested parties to. Debbie showed me her earliest pieces, and although I can see how her skills have improved with experience it was still difficult to pick them out of the collection A perfect example of how her work has evolved is a wooden tray that she faux painted to appear as white tiles with a fruit medley in the center.

I asked Debbie where she would like to see herself five to ten years from now. “My desire is to make a living doing what I love, and that’s my art. I like to see others get as much enjoyment out of my work as I get creating it.” Debbie has worked with water color at times, my favorite, but she says her favorite medium is acrylic, an easier medium to “fix” if she doesn’t like the outcome.

Debbie has posted her work on art pages such as eon’s art and drawing group page, and has received strong reviews and encouragement to continue from accomplished artists on the site. She even took on a challenge one of the artists gave her and was praised for her results. Many of her pieces can be seen on her Facebook page, where she also can be contacted. The address is http://www.facebook.com/saphire916fl