Redeye June 03 2004

Pass the malt liquor: Recently quantified fact: Drinking half a bottle of wine will not cure a head cold. However, the soothing experience of drinking wine in Piedmont Park as the sun descends behind the stage at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, Sat.-Mon., May 29-31, does make a strong case for repealing laws marking such pleasures as anti-Puritan. At least one arcane rule is gone: Gov. Sonny Perdue signed HB 645 into law, so watch for gourmet beers of higher alcohol content becoming available July 1.

As for drinking in public, the one place that’s allowed — Underground Atlanta — has signed three new tenants looking to pour ‘til 4 a.m. beginning in the late summer/early fall: the Latin Quarter, Future and the Alley Cat. Will the third time be the charm for Underground? We’ll keep a vigilant eye on the progress.

But gripped by illness, I’m living vicariously through CL’s esteemed copy editor Chante LaGon this week, so here’s her seasoned report:

Jaminis unite: I, Chante, hereby declare this the Season of the Twins. Although no roofs were raised, plenty of shot glasses were Wed., May 26, at a run-through stop at the intoxicatingly comfortable Local, courtesy of heartthrob bartender Kenyon Tavares. While his cohort in cuteness Colleen Burley made the cut for Reader’s Pick as Bartender of the Year (2003), I hereby declare Kenyon the new Local Libations Hottie — not only because it’s true, but because he too is a Gemini.

Thurs., May 27. Happy birthday to me! Too bad I didn’t see it all coming: apple-tinted, blue-bottled sake and sashimi at MF Sushibar (Wow! A date with the hardest-working, most handsome personal rock star in Atlanta — who just happens to be a Gemini); yummy Appletons Jamaican rum and Coke cocktails; $10 admission at MJQ — for a good cause, MS benefit; and hardly subtle cop-a-feel moves by Cabbagetown’s own Chris Case (who will be jamming on the two at his house Sat., June 5).

The season continued with Southernplayalistic sounds from Entropy on Sat., May 29. Both singer Rod Williams and drummer Rob Robinson claim the Gemini tribe, but the Athens-based quartet might actually be natives of the Land of Good Groove. From funk to hip-hop, the band often touches down locally to “live, rebel, funk, love” at Smith’s Olde Bar, Apache Cafe — where they performed Saturday — and the Five Spot, where Entropy performs Sat., June 5.

It’s hard to beat 27 on the 27th, but 28 is great!

Keep one RedEye open. And send all comments, questions, observations and invitations to redeye@creativeloafing.com.