Meet Derrick Grayson, 'The Minister of Truth,' yet another U.S. Senate candidate

Max Blau — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:49:00 -0400

We're slowly starting to lose count of the Republican candidates vying to run for Saxby Chambliss' Senate seat in 2014.

Now enters Minister Derrick Grayson, a MARTA senior network engineer.…

Beautiful food, beautiful people at Umi

Brad Kaplan — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:08:00 -0400

New Buckhead sushi spot Umi opened this week, in the courtyard across from Chops, catty-corner to King + Duke. More stylish than Taka, more intimate than Tomo, Umi looks to be a perfect fit for the Buckhead crowd eager to get dressed up and invest in pristine fish.…

MARTA: Bus involved in train collision got 'stuck' on railroad crossing

Thomas Wheatley — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:37:55 -0400

MARTA officials say yesterday's early morning collision of a bus and train in Decatur that caused traffic slow to a crawl for several hours happened after the transit vehicle got "stuck" on the at-grade railroad crossing.

According to MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris, bus driver Donna McMullen was traveling northbound at the intersection of South McDonough Street and East Howard Avenue with four passengers and the vehicle couldn't move once it passed over the crossing.…

Atlanta Jazz Festival spotlights the next generation

Carlton Hargro — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:36:23 -0400

Peruse the lineup for this year's Atlanta Jazz Festival and you'll notice a number of artists listed who - much to the chagrin of a few hardcore traditionalists - don't neatly fit into the standard "jazz" categories. Of course the festival, which takes place May 25-27 (with free shows at Piedmont Park and ticketed performances at several other venues), has been in the business of showcasing genre-jumping musicians over its 36-year history.…

Tracklist: Ciara & Nicki are out

Spencer Sloan — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:30:44 -0400

>> Jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina talks to Dazed Digital over a Russian prison webcam. Don't lose hope, Maria.…

First Slice 3/23/13: Welcome to Atlanta Traffic Court, prepare for a headache

Thomas Wheatley — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:42:14 -0400

A $500 million overhaul of the Georgia 400 and I-285 interchange received a small boost from the private sector yesterday as the Perimeter Community Improvement District contributed $10 million to the effort. [11Alive autoplay alert]

One couple's day at Atlanta Traffic Court: "One woman had flown to Georgia from another state for her mandatory court appearance, only to be told she would have to reschedule."

Veterans Park, a 1-acre greenspace along West Paces Ferry adjacent to the Atlanta History Center, will open this weekend.…

5 things to do: Tom Simmons

Alicia Carter — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:00:00 -0400

1.…

Free Will Astrology

Rob Brezsny — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

May 23-29 by Rob Brezsny GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Giant Sequoias are the biggest trees on the planet. Many are more than 300 feet tall and 30 feet wide.…

Sock it to you

Lauren Keating — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Lauren Keating Near Atlantic Station, a 30-year-old woman said that a young couple knocked on the door of her apartment on 15th Street. "They said they were with Georgia State University and looking for donations to buy books for St. Jude's," the woman recalled.…

The diary of an Atlanta film extra

Anonymous — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Aspiring starlets, boredom, and dreams, glorious dreams by Anonymous "I have a YouTube channel," a small-boned young woman tells two men waiting with her for wardrobe outside several tents in the Old Fourth Ward. It's not yet 10 a.m., but we are all fueled by a ridiculous selection of doughnuts and the hope that we might make sustained, sensual eye contact with someone famous, because today we are all extras on a major motion picture that recently wrapped in Atlanta.…

Do black arts festivals have a future?

Cinque Hicks — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Tired programming, budget woes, and inconsistent leadership have plagued Atlanta's National Black Arts Festival. Can the once-revered event bounce back? by Cinque Hicks The first time I heard about the National Black Arts Festival in 1998, I didn't go. I was a practicing artist in my late 20s, but Atlanta's annual summer festival of African-American dance, music, theater, film, and visual art still seemed irrelevant.…

CL named AAN Award finalist in two categories

Thomas Wheatley — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:07:48 -0400

Gather 'round, friends and enemies! The Association of Alternative Newsmedia this afternoon announced the finalists for the organization's 2013 awards - and CL snagged several slots.…

'The Atlanta Way' documentary filmmaker discovers why 'gentrification' is a four-letter word

Rodney Carmichael — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:32:00 -0400

King Williams didn't set out to make an epic documentary film about Atlanta's controversial 20-year effort to purge the city of its low-income housing projects. It just sorta happened.…

Dinner at Vesuvius on Edgewood

Cliff Bostock — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:03:00 -0400

My recent visit to P'cheen and a review of Scout Mob's latest half-price offers led me to dinner Thursday night at Pizzeria Vesuvius on Edgewood Avenue. P'cheen's owners bought and remodeled the restaurant about a year ago.…

Paramore plays the Tabernacle

Perry Julien — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:12:00 -0400

Paramore with lead singer Hayley Williams played to a sold out crowd at The Tabernacle on Tuesday night.

Check out a gallery of more photos from the show.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been changed to correctly identify vocalist Hayley Williams.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Goodie Mob aging gracefully with 'Special Education'

Chad Radford — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:14:00 -0400

This week, Cee-Lo, Big Gipp, Khujo, and T-Mo joined forces with Janelle Monáe to offer up "Special Education," a new cut from Goodie Mob's forthcoming album Age Against the Machine, due out Aug. 27.

Age Against the Machine is Goodie Mob's first proper studio album with all four members of the group in the mix since World Party arrived back in '99.…

D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik fighting for ATL

Chad Radford — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:38:00 -0400

Mic Club wages war at 3rd Street Armory by Chad Radford In March, Atlanta hip-hop mainstay D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik revived the World Famous Mic Club MC battles at XS Ultra Lounge after a five-year absence. Soon after, the club hired him as general manager and he's since renamed the venue the 3rd Street Armory, where he continues fighting "Atlanta's culture war" one battle at a time.…

Why Atlanta is taking tiny bits of info very seriously

Max Blau — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:18:00 -0400

City Hall throws its arms around hackers and learns to love data by Max Blau and Thomas Wheatley Deep in a wooded ravine on a vacant parcel in Peoplestown sits a mountain of old tires. There's no telling how long they've been sitting there collecting water, breeding mosquitoes, and sullying the property.…

Tracklist: Liberace rises

Spencer Sloan — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:55:13 -0400

>> The 2013 Webby Awards' winner for Person of the Year, Frank Ocean, accepted via webcam and used more than five words. Frank!

>> What is the meaning of life?…

White House recognizes State Rep. Simone Bell as a 'Harvey Milk Champion of Change'

Max Blau — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:51:00 -0400

State Rep. Simone Bell, D-Atlanta, will be honored by the White House this afternoon as a "Harvey Milk Champion of Change."

The award, which was established two year ago to honor the San Francisco elected official who was assassinated in 1978, recognizes openly gay elected and appointed public officials who have worked to "empower and inspire members of their communities."…

Earl 'Bubba' Maddox remembered

Chad Radford — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:26:00 -0400

Friends, family members, and musical cohorts of the late Earl "Bubba" Maddox are gathering tonight (Wed., May 22) at the Soul Bar in Augusta to pay homage to the late drummer and redneck underground fixture who passed away on March 17.

Back in March, CL's resident country music scribe James Kelly penned an eloquent remembrance of Maddox.…

Tea Party groups protest IRS outside Gold Dome

David Schick — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:08:00 -0400

Georgia Tea Party groups braved yesterday's muggy Atlanta heat and rallied outside the Gold Dome as part of a nationwide protest against the Internal Revenue Service. The federal agency recently acknowledged that it specifically targeted some conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.…

Proctor Creek's second chance

Thomas Wheatley — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:04:00 -0400

Plans for extensive cleanup, trail along polluted stream announced by Thomas Wheatley Proctor Creek, the waterway that snakes from downtown and through northwest Atlanta before ending in the Chattahoochee River, wasn't always so polluted, says Na'Taki Osborne Jelks. Many decades ago, children played, men and women fished, and babies were baptized in its water.…

First Slice 5/22/13: Solar power advocates criticize Georgia Power for 'trying to protect their monopoly'

Max Blau — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:46:00 -0400

Georgia's solar industry wants the state to expand its use of the renewable energy source. But some proponents claim that Georgia Power is standing in the way.…

5 things to do: !!!

Alicia Carter — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:00 -0400

1.…

Creative Loafing Atlanta