THE MOVE: Plan Accordingly - May 2019

This month, on The Move, we welcome a New Yorker to use Atlanta-area bathtubs, head north to howl under the full moon, and wash it all down with live performances big and small. No, these events cannot be eaten. I don’t think. Read on for the tea my Tender Nuggets <3 

Psst … Xtra! Xtra! Weed all about it! Shameless plug for CL’s latest podcast series, “Friends in High Places.” Listen along as I interview the likes of those mapping out the cannabis industry for Georgians, bc it’s not coming, it’s here.

Friday May 3–Sunday May 19: 

Broken Bone Bathtub: Atlanta Ever tried showering in a cast? Hard pass. Artist and activist Siobhan O’Loughlin discovered the tub was the way to go after a bad cycling accident in NYC left her with a broken arm. Her apartment was equipped with only a stand-up shower, so she called on friends to ask if she could, well, bathe in their tubs. Naturally. Not only was she able to bathe with a cast, but she became a cast of one creating the one-woman show, Broken Bone Bathtub.

The play premiered in Tokyo, played the UK, and has since been performed throughout Australia, Ireland, and across the USA — and now Atlanta, where tubs across the city are being prepared. O’Loughlin will bounce from tubs in Grant Park to Belvedere to Sandy Springs for multiple performances. Anywhere from four to 12 audience members are allowed at the shows, depending on the size of the bathroom hosting the performance for the evening. Nothin’ like a good lemons-to-lemonade story.

Friday May 3–Sunday May 5: 

Shaky Knees Music Festival The line-up gets better and better each year at Atlanta’s hometown mega rock fest, IMO. This is the festival’s sixth year and will feature headliners Incubus (and the resurrection of my Brandon Boyd teenage fantasies), Beck, Cage the Elephant, and Tame Impala. Along with these main acts, the fine-print lineup will get me there early each day, including long-time Atlanta faves like The Black Lips and Deerhunter, plus new faves Japanese Breakfast.

And, hey, Liz Phair! Welcome back to my life! I always knew we’d meet again. Also, don’t sleep on The Joy Formidable, or perhaps a little band you may have heard of, Tears For Fears. This annual fest is a great bang for your buck with a consistently electric lineup of today’s and yesterday’s favorite rockers. Again, IMO. I’m a fan (girl).

Monday May 6: 

Queers on Film: The Doom Generation Wussy takes over the Plaza Atlanta theater for a screening of The Doom Generation. The mag’s new film series highlights queer characters in vintage — yes the ’90s are now vintage — movies. And, I assume, it’s okay to sing the film series title along to  Duran Duran’s iconic hit, “Girls on Film.” Crowd participation is encouraged at these screenings, as well as dressing up however TF your lil’ heart desires, hunties.

Every Tuesday May 7–28 

5Rhythms Atlanta According to 5Rhythms’ “story” on Facebook, “The 5Rhythms® — Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, Stillness — are states of Being. They are a map to everywhere we want to go, on all planes of consciousness — inner and outer, forward and back, physical, emotional, and intellectual. Movement as a spiritual practice is a path to presence — losing the dancer and becoming the dance.

If losing yourself to dance seems far-fetched, this is an event for you, bc I’m guessing you desperately need to Let. Go. 5 Rhythms will encourage that with absolutely zero judgment. Turn off the mind and follow your body, it might just surprise you. The First Existentialist Congregation, 470 Candler Park Drive, N.E. 404-378-5570.

Wednesday May 8: 

Combo Chimbita & Yukons + La Choloteca DJs Combo Chimbita claim “the New York-by-way-of-Colombia troupe fuse the perennial rhythms of the Afro-Latinx diaspora with a modern-day consciousness, while tracing the prophetic traditions of our ancestry.” What you need to know is, it’s music that’s impossible to stand still to! And why anyone would want to is beyond …

Bonus!! La Choloteca DJs will open the show. If you’re a noob to evenings with La Choloteca, welcome to your new regularly scheduled mini-staycation.

Thursday May 9–Sunday May 12: 

Illumine If anyone is reading this column on the reg (omg thank you), you’ll notice Oakland Cemetery typically makes the cut. This month, enjoy a mile-long light display by local artists with the Atlanta skyline as the backdrop.

Live music by The Shoal Creek Stranglers and bevvies by Old 4th Ward Distillery accompany this afterhours Oakland Cemetery shindig. This event is free for the kiddos and uber fam-friendly. Seances not encouraged. Perform at own risk.

Sunday May 12: 

HBD MOM! Shouldies, Taylor Alxndr, Jamee Cornelia, Sweet William Does your mom really want more flowers, cards, jewelry, brunch? Probably. But let’s throw drag into the mix this Mother’s Day! Mother Bar + Kitchen will celebrate six years on Edgewood Avenue Sunday, May 12, with our favorite ladies in drag. I don’t know about y’all, but my mom lives for drag so this will be a win-win.

This party is free! “We are asking for donations to help us update our performance space, including building a stage, installing lights, and installing a stair-lift for better accessibility. $3-$10 suggested donation with no one turned away for lack of funds!” say those at Mother Bar + Kitchen.

Friday May 17: 

Music Matters Presents: Full Send at Aisle 5 If anything matters in life, music matters. Music Matters Productions gets this, producing a number of live music events in this city. They are throwing a show with their favorite DJs: M3WT, Animal Ace, Juna Red, Andy Bruh, and Ployd, aka “Bass Jesus,” a CL “Best of Atlanta” winner.

“Get ready to dump some gas down the ol’ cylinders, because we’re gonna send it,” the group claims. Translation: “They’ve got the speakers and lasers to pull off a serious banger, y’all.”

Saturday May 18: 

Full Moon Hike Occasionally, The Move takes to nature, bc well, balance and shit. The Tallulah Gorge State Park rangers will guide you on a tour to a suspension bridge smack between two cliffs and above a gorge. A full moon will be making a vibrant appearance, weather depending.

The hike’s round-trip distance is one mile and costs $5. The group tours are small and often fill fast. If you miss this month’s, you’ll want to sign up for August, November, or December sooner than later.  Hooowwwwlllllllllllllllllll. Best I got.

Saturday May 25 and Sunday May 26: 

Atlanta Jazz Festival To say one doesn’t like jazz is like saying one doesn’t like green foods. They all taste different, how could you possibly blanket those poor green foods! But, I digress. Atlanta Jazz Fest will whisk you away to other lands, without leaving the A. Plus, it’s two FREE days of live music in Piedmont Park. Need I say more?! But of course I will!

I’m looking forward to the soulful depth of vocalist and Georgia native, Lizz Wright, and the swanky sounds of Alex Lattimore. Also, Kandace Springs — inspired by Nina Simone, and a favorite of Prince, RIP — takes the stage Saturday evening with a voice that rivals Sade, a description I never use lightly.

I’m on a quest to find Morris in the Morning, Jazz 91.9 WCLK’s morning DJ, Morris Baxter. [[[It shouldn’t be too hard, he’s on Facebook and at WCLK in the a.m. — Editor] If you ain’t in on Baxter’s morning motivations, know that, according to Baxter, “it’s for you because it’s way bigger than me!”  and that “something good is going to happen to me [[[and you] today.”

L.Y.L.A.S.,

The Move