Best Of Atlanta 2010 Main Header Large

2010 Index of Winners

Spin City: Best reason to blow up the soundsystem BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Predator’s ‘Honest Man’ (Rob’s House)

Predator’s debut single, “HONEST MAN” (Rob’s House), catches the band at its anxiety-ridden finest. Three cuts of razor-sharp guitar, bass and drums collide with two-part vocal chants, oozing with self-loathing and punk perfection. www.myspace.com/atlpredator

Best Acoustic Music Club/Venue BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Eddie’s Attic (Featured)

Runner-up: Smith’s Olde Bar

1578 Piedmont Road N.E., 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com/

Best After Hours Spot BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Clermont Lounge (Featured)

Runner-up: El Bar

939 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., 404-888-8755

Best Concert of the Past Year BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Piedmont Park (Featured)

Runner-up: U2 and Muse at the Georgia Dome

1 Georgia Dome Drive, 404-223-9200, www.gadome.com

Best Band Name BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Pelvis Breastlies

www.pelvisbreastlies.com

Runner-up: Uncle Daddy and the Kissin Cousins

www.myspace.com/uncledaddyandthekissincousins

Best Local Band That Broke Up BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Despised AND The Judies

www.despisedatlanta.com

www.myspace.com/thejudies

Best Band to Blow the Roof Off of the Joint BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

The Constellations

By law, Atlanta’s local watering holes have to close their taps at 2:30 a.m., but that doesn’t mean the party’s over. The after-hours scene is no place for the faint of heart, and THE CONSTELLATIONS’ electro-debauchery provides an insider’s look at what makes the South so dirty. The group’s 2010 album, Southern Gothic, is a sleazy, sweat-soaked rollercoaster ride into the excesses of the night, with a cast of shady characters along for the ride. Your mother might not be their biggest fan, but their lecherous ways landed them on Virgin Records and helped them score a spot opening for Snoop Dogg on stages across the country. And you know Snoop don’t party with amateurs. www.theconstellationsmusic.com less...

Best Local Rock Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Noot d’ Noot

No one gets a party started quite like NOOT D’ NOOT. If the collective experience of eight musicians who’ve spent their time in the trenches, wrapping their heads around everything from punk, funk, math rock, soul, jazz and hip-hop has taught the group anything, it’s how to make bodies move. The line between artists and audience disappears when the polyrhythms take over. Noot d’ Noot is all about altitude, not attitude, and regardless of gender, creed or color, the group’s songs always speak in tongues. www.myspace.com/nootdnoot less...

Best Dance Music Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

the Sound Table (Permanently Closed)

Best Bartender/Mixologist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Tie: Brook at Flatiron Restaurant & Bar AND Miles Leon’s Full Service

Runner-up: David at Mary’s

1287 Glenwood Avenue S.E., 404-624-4411, marysatlanta.com/

Best Bar to Hook Up BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Graveyard Tavern (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Blake’s on the Park

227 10th St. N.E., 404-892-5786, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com/

Best Blues Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Northside Tavern (Featured)

Runner-up: Blind Willie’s

828 N. Highland Avenue N.E., 404-873-2583, www.blindwilliesblues.com/

Best Bowling Alley BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Midtown Bowl (Featured)

Runners-up:

300 Atlanta

2175 Savoy Drive, 770-451-8605, www.threehundred.com/atlanta.html

AND

Ten Pin Alley

261 19th St. N.W., 404-872-3364, www.dolcegroup.com/

Best Burlesque Troupe BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Blast-Off Burlesque

Best Burlesque Troupe BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Blast-Off Burlesque

www.blastoffburlesque.com

Runner-up: Dames Aflame

www.damesaflame.com/

Best Local Albums BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

‘Georganne’ (Double Phantom)

“GEORGANNE” (Double Phantom), the latest indie brat rant from the Balkans is a melodic ride where Frankie Broyles’ musings on isolation bleed into a haze of lo-fi textures and dramatic ups and downs. www.myspace.com/thebalkans

Best Club Event BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

D’jango Kitchen and Saloon (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Laserbeam Kitty

644 N. Highland Avenue N.E., 404-874-5756, www.thehighlandinn.com

Best College Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Opera Nightclub (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Moondogs

3179 Peachtree Road N.E., 404-231-4201

Best Concert Venue BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Tabernacle

Runner-up: Variety Playhouse

1099 Euclid Avenue N.E., 404-524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com/

Best Bar to Hook Up BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Johnny’s Hideaway

Runner-up: Social Vinings

3621 Vinings Slope S.E., 770-432-9772, www.greatfoodinc.com/Social_Vinings/Social_Vinings.html

Best Local Country Music Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Sodajerk

Best Country Music Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Wild Bill Wholesale (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Cowboy’s

1750 N. Roberts Road N.W., 770-426-5006, www.cowboysatl.com/

Best Cover Band BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Yacht Rock Revue

www.yachtrockrevue.com

Runner-up: Men in Blues

www.myspace.com/meninbluesband

Best Dance Music Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

MJQ Concourse (Featured)

Runner-up: Opera

1150 Cresent Ave. N.E., 404-874-3006, www.operaatlanta.com/

Best Dive Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Northside Tavern (Featured)

Runner-up: Lenny’s Bar

486 Decatur St. S.E., 404-577-7721, www.lennysbar.com/

Best Club/Party DJ BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

DJ Kemit

You already know: Nowadays everybody’s a damn DJ. But DJ KEMIT is so much more. A former founding member of early ’90s alt/hip-hop group Arrested Development, Kemit’s ascent has come by force of nature rather than cult of personality. His musical palette runs the gamut from deep house to hip-hop to global soul, and his breakbeat production work as one-half of KemeticJust is world-renowned. But locals love him for more selfish reasons. In the last year, his Atlanta rotation has grown to include residencies at the Sound Table, Halo, and, of course, his monthly Spread Love dance parties at 595 North, where the ancestral funk he spins is so thick, you’ll lose your mind trying to find your soul. www.experiencespreadlove.com less...

Best Drag Queen BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Dax Exclamationpoint

www.modelmayhem.com/70385

Runner-up: Mary Edith Pitts

www.myspace.com/maryedithpitts

Best Local Electronic Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Sonen

No one has done more to foster a sense of community within the electro-rock scene than SONEN. The group’s monthly Laserbeam Kitty nights at the Highland Inn Ballroom not only give a platform to such burgeoning dance-pop peers as Attention System, Judi Chicago and Sealions, they also attract a much larger crowd than any of these bands could on their own. The secret lies in making each show a can’t-miss event, complete with DJs, photo ops, and live visual artists. The whole thing comes to a head when Sonen’s barreling techno/industrial stomp causes everyone in the room to vamp out on the dance floor. www.sonenmusic.com less...

Best Bands in ATL BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Yacht Rock Revue

Best Local Experimental Music Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

The Back Pockets

It’s easy to mistake the THE BACK POCKETS’ ragged display of noise-folk and performance art for an urban art-hippie thing. But there’s not a lot of peace and love going on within this marriage of broken banjo strumming, keyboards, industrial rhythms and theatrics. Frontwoman and mastermind Emily Kempf leads a revolving cast of players in an all-encompassing cabaret that stands apart from Atlanta’s rock ‘n’ roll bar scene. The sound is Of Montreal mixed with Marquis de Sade, with ramshackle musical elements unfolding alongside actors’ exaggerated vignettes. The audience is armed with drumsticks, tearing down the wall between spectator and performer. Through it all, band members don face paint of jeweled shapes, clouds and flowers, taking on a feral presence that, despite its anti-pop connotations, results in songs and scenes that are compelling and catchy. www.myspace.com/thebackpockets less...

Best Gay Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Mary’s (Featured)

Runner-up: Blake’s on the Park

227 10th St. N.E., 404-892-5786, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com/

Best Strip Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Swinging Richards (Permanently Closed)

Best Gay Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Mary’s (Featured)

Runner-up: VIP Parties at Blake’s on the Park

227 10th St. N.E., 404-892-5786, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com/

Best Local Music Blog BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Ohmpark

ohmpark.com

Runner-up: Atlanta Music Guide

www.atlantamusicguide.com/

Best Hotel Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

DrinkShop (Temporarily Closed)

The W Downtown watering hole DRINKSHOP is where you go when you’re rich, beautiful or hoping to brush shoulders with either (or preferably both). The cocktails ain’t cheap, and if you’re hanging out here, you shouldn’t be, either. The space itself is sultry and space age-y, with a glowing bar and crushed blue velvet benches drenched in the type of intoxicating light that makes you feel woozy before even taking a sip. And oh, the cocktails. DrinkShop is the brainchild of New York cocktail master Sasha Petraske, and the bar’s head mixologist, Eric Simpkins, knows what’s up. We’re talking house-made mixers (including ginger beer crafted from the root itself) and even artisan ice, chipped off a 150-pound block. Now that’s the kind of swank worth toasting to. 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., 404-582-5800. www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels. less...

Best Hotel Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Whiskey Blue

Runner-up: Whiskey Park at W Hotel Midtown

188 14th St. N.E., 404-892-6000, www.starwoodhotels.com

Best Jazz Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Churchill Grounds Jazz Cafe (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Sambuca

3102 Piedmont Road N.E., 404-237-5299, www.sambucarestaurant.com/

Best Jukebox BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

The Righteous Room (Featured)

Runner-up: The Local

758 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., 404-873-5002

Best Karaoke BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Yo! Karaoke

Best Karaoke BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Mary’s (Featured)

Runner-up: The Star Community Bar

437 Moreland Ave. N.E., www.starbar.net

Best Latin Club BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Loca Luna (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Chaparral

2715 Buford Highway, 678-568-9657, www.chaparralatlanta.net

Best Lesbian Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

MSR My Sisters Room

Runner-up: Bellissima

www.myspace.com/bellissima_lounge

Best Blues Band in ATL BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Breeze Kings

www.breezekings.com

Runner-up: Mudcat

www.mudcatblues.com

Best Local Country Music Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Readers Pick

Zac Brown Band

www.zacbrownband.com

Runner-up: Sugarland

www.sugarlandmusic.com

Best Local Experimental Music Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » After Dark » Critics Pick

Carnivores

Since CARNIVORES released their debut LP, All Night Dead USA, the last year has taken them on a whirlwind East Coast and Midwest tour, earning them a few nods from such national tastemakers as Fader, Vice and Pitchfork. With their forthcoming sophomore album, If I’m Ancient, Carnivores are poised to raise their profile with an album of art-damaged post-punk and avant-garde pop that rekindles the dissonance and mutant elation that defined their tangled beginnings. Capturing Carnivores’ corrosive musical chemistry, If I’m Ancient shows that the group is primed for the forward march out of Atlanta and into the rest of the world. www.myspace.com/carnivoresatl less...