By Summer Stanley. Call me Ebeneezer Scrooge, but this particular holiday not even Mariah Carey’s Christmas album on loop was contagious enough for this grinch to catch the merry bug buzzing around the block. Vagina Jenkins, Atlanta’s premiere prima donna and Creative Loafing’s “Best Burlesque Dancer” finally launched me into the spirit of the season. The Big Freeze: A Holiday Spectacular, starring the Lady Miss Jenkins herself and local playwright Johnny Drago, is a blitz (bling+glitz) of local talent at the Eyedrum, the non-profit performance art space located just south of downtown.

By Summer Stanley. Kudos to Author’s Apology, truly a band of bleeding hearts, for displaying good form and sweeping their opening act last Tuesday. Aside from the emo blend and sappy sound, the songs resemble more a prayer booth confession than an apology. Nevertheless, the boys deserve praise for their enthusiastic performance and their oft-expressed gratitude for sharing the stage with such esteemed acts as forgetters and Gentlemen Jesse and His Men.

Rachael Rene picks again the fun things to do next week – December 21th to 27th. Not only her picks are the funnest but she always managed to find those free entry to hours of live music deals, $5 bargains, etc. Don’t miss her suggestions every week. Hot Jam’s Swing Dance, Atomic Rockets and Psycho Devilles at The Red Light Café, The Soul Shakers at Blind Willie’s, Day Before Christmas Eve Jam at The Five Spot, Cavalia in Atlantic Station, Matzo Ball at Halo Lounge, Dan Mengini at The Laughing Skull Lounge.

By Gus Fernandez. There are ticking time bombs in every city, ordinary people capable of doing great things. They wait tables, answer phones, sit in traffic. Unfortunately for some, they tick forever and never explode, but in the case of Ryan Stang and Kid Stuff, the fuse is hot and short. On the brink of blowing up, Kid Stuff already boasts a

By Rosey Sumrall. If you are looking for a place in Atlanta that is both relaxing and beautiful, check out Piedmont Park. Since 1904 Atlantans have been visiting this serene park located 2 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. It runs down 10^th Street and Piedmont Avenue.

By Gus Fernandez. 529 in East Atlanta hosted our own Subsonics last Saturday. I’d been personally counting down the days until this show when I found out it was happening. Subsonics seem to have been playing in Atlanta for an eternity, their first release dating back to a seven inch from back in 1993. Clay Reed, brains behind the outfit, has been

By Jennifer Meinert. When one thinks of culinary Atlanta, one imagines traditional Southern cuisine: shrimp and grits, pit barbecue, turnip greens with fatback, and pecan pie. But that is a narrow representation of Atlanta’s diverse culinary offerings. Culinary Atlanta also offers a wide variety of more urban, modern cuisine. Some of these offerings include new variations on old favorites, while other dishes reflect the diverse cultures of an ever changing population.