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Get Exposed to Queer Music During Atlanta Pride

Southern Exposure, the successful weekly live music series at Blake’s on the Park, will give Atlanta’s LGBT community a chance to hear the group’s established roster of LGBT musicians – renowned, rising and underground – in the first annual Southern Exposure Gay Pride Music Festival, scheduled to coincide with Atlanta Pride. The event will be held at Front Page News (Midtown location) on Friday, July 4th & Saturday, July 5th, The festival will feature 14 local and two national musical acts. Solo artists and full bands, all fronted by GLBT performers, will perform their uniquely queer approach to folk, spoken word, electronic, punk, country and rock music.

Southern Exposure Pride Schedule (Subject to change)

Friday July 4th
Doors open 6 p.m.

Richard Solomon, Barb Carbon + Hollin Gammage + Arrie Bozman, Miss Xanna Don’t, Mike Rickard, Jessica Dunnagan, The Sexual Side Effects, Jet Blk Joy featuring: Emily Kate Boyd, Angela Motter and West, Eric Himan

Saturday July 5th
Doors open 6 p.m.

The Wayne Fishell Experiment + Amy Lashley, Julia Carroll + Corey.E.Houlihan, Guyton Maurice, Mr.B, Sean Kagalis, Flat Cat, Tracy Rice, Richard Bicknell & the Shameless Lovers

Representatives from Chriskids.org “Rainbow House Program” will be on hand both nights to accept contributions for homeless and displaced GLBT youth in Atlanta. This is a grassroots effort to raise awareness and create a positive impact in the community.

Get exposed to gay and lesbian music at The Southern Exposure Gay Pride Music Festival. There is no cost to attend this event. Get your gay and lesbian music fix at:

Front Page News, 1104 Crescent Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: (404) 897-3500

Ample off street parking is available, as well as a full parking deck across the street from the venue. The festival is all ages until 9 p.m., 21 and over after 9 p.m.

Women’s Guide to Atlanta Pride

So much to do. So many places to see and be seen. What’s a dyke to do at Atlanta Pride? Well, I’m going to try to help. This is Life on Q’s officially unofficial guide to Atlanta Gay Pride. In this post, you’ll get the 411 on where the women will be.

What’s different about this Atlanta Pride Guide is my attempt to describe some of the events and venues as I have experienced them as a “pride veteran.” I have lived in Atlanta since… well, since a long time ago… and I have attended Pride events and have patronized gay and lesbian nightclubs in Atlanta for what feels like forever. For out-of-towners trying to figure out what’s what and who’s where, consider me your dyke welcome wagon. I’m going to list all the events, meetings and such I’ve researched with a combination of the promoter’s description and, where I have one, my own opinion and experiences. Please take my opinions for what they are. If you’re old enough to get into a bar, you’re old enough to think for yourself and make your own choices. If you’re planning to visit Atlanta Pride from out of town, or you’re an Atlantan looking for a change of scenery from your usual haunts, read on.

Three Themes, One Pride

There are three different women’s events happening simultaneously during Atlanta Pride weekend. The “official” women’s events (i.e., promoted by the Atlanta Pride Committee) are sponsored by Curve Magazine and are branded as “Peach.” The Peach events culminate with a massive dance party Saturday night. Girls in the Night and Girlology 101, who regularly bring Atlanta women great events, are calling their weekend party package “Fever.” And why not–it will be hot, on many levels. And Traxx Girls is adapting some of their regular events for a pride audience under the theme “Honey.” Both Peach and Fever events have individual night cover charges or VIP passes for all events. Check the specific event details below for info on cover charges, where available.

Getting Out and Around

For any out-of-towners or Atlantans who have been living under a rock, you should know that Atlanta Pride has moved from Piedmont Park to the Atlanta Civic Center. Almost all of the women’s events are just a few blocks north and south of this new Pride Central. Many are in Little 5 Points, just a few blocks south and east of the Civic Center. Others are in Midtown, a few blocks north of Pride itself. Remember that 14th Street has been closed for construction and that the Peachtree Road Race will be creating congestion early in the morning on July 4th. But if you’re planning to kick-off Pride with Thursday night’s events, you’ll probably still be sleeping as thousands run down Peachtree Street. If you’re a morning person, you’ll want to plan your breakfast location accordingly.

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Queer Atlanta, Mark Your Calendars

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth with our original queer Atlanta calendar, Life on Q is debuting a new and improved calendar. We’re using Google Calendars and will add gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other general queer community events as we find them. As before, the Queer Calendar will focus on LGBT events in Atlanta and Georgia, with the occasional listing of national and international events when they are of particular interest to us or to the queer community in the Atlanta area.  We are determined to include not only gay and lesbian nightlife in Atlanta, but all LGBT events and meetings — from support groups to community service meetings to educational seminars to political events and more.  If it affects your queer life, we will try to include it.  It even includes a weather forecast for the next few days.  Take a look and let us know what you think.

Event organizers: if you see an error in a listing, please send an e-mail to editor@lifeonq.com. Event organizers who would like to see their events on the LGBT calendar should send an e-mail to editor@lifeonq.com. Send your Google Calendar URL or info on how to access your iCal-compatible calendar to editor@lifeonq.com. Events not available on a Web-based calendar will be added by Life on Q as time allows, pending editorial approval.  Atlanta is a big gay town and there’s only so much time to type in events, but we’ll do our best to keep the latest happenings noted.  We are in the process of adding Atlanta Pride event listings, so check back often as we add all the Pride festivities to your queer schedule.

MondoHomos Meet at Mary’s

MondoHomo Dirty South ‘08 got off to a great start last night. The Homo-a-rama Dance Party at Mary’s in East Atlanta immediately followed the art opening at the Tilt Gallery downtown. Many of the artists and musicians performing at the event appeared at Mary’s for some social time with the MondoHomo team, other artists and the rest of us. When I woke up this morning still feeling a little tipsy, I knew MondoHomo was definitely underway.

I asked Kiki, one of the organizers of the alterna-queer arts and music festival, about her expectations for MondoHomo v. 2. Kiki says she anticipates an increase in attendance this year, and hopes it will continue to grow in popularity, scope and impact every year.

The first MondoHomo last year was held the weekend after Atlanta Pride. But with the drought-induced re-arranging of Atlanta events this summer, I suppose it doesn’t make much sense to tie another event on Pride’s coattails. Besides, MondoHomo deserves its own time and attention. It’s focused on queer art and music just to the left of the mainstream. Okay, make that way, far left of the mainstream. A lot of Pride’s purpose has always been inclusion and acceptance. MondoHomo is more about celebrating our differences–including the many differences within the queer community itself. The MondoHomo’s moved the festival to Memorial Day weekend, where it will stay for future festivals, according to Kiki.

The music starts tonight at 8:00 p.m. at Lenny’s Bar with MondoHomo HipHop.  See you there.

Homos Hit Hotlanta Again

Take your vitamins and eat your Wheaties. You’ll need your strength for MondoHomo Dirty South 2008, hitting Atlanta this weekend for its second year. MondoHomo is not your “average” queer event. You could say it’s a festival for queers who are too mondo to be called simply homo.

MondoHomo is not your sugar daddy’s gay festival. Event organizer Kiki describes it as “one BADASS Culture-Fest full of queer rock, homo HipHop, visual art, film fests, burlesque, drag kings and queens, carnival sideshows, Indie workshops, fag football, Big Gay Dance Parties, and a whole b*ttload more!”

Based on my experience last year, I’d say that about covers it. The four-day music, arts and crafts event starts tomorrow night with an art opening at the Tilt Gallery, followed by Homo-a-rama, a free dance party at Mary’s in East Atlanta. A dance party at Mary’s is always interesting, with so little space to move. I swear that bar could triple in size and still be crowded. But it’s one of the friendliest, happiest little homo bars in the city. Last time I was there, the bartender came out from behind the bar, maneuvered through the crowd, tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted another drink. Now that’s service! Not bad treatment for a lezzie in a boy-dominated establishment. Look around the next time you’re at Mary’s, and you’ll notice that everybody is smiling. It’s one happy homo watering hole.

I attended all four days of MondoHomo last year, and haven’t had as much fun since. Certainly I have not had the opportunity to hear better music across so many genres–most of it queer, a lot of it edgy, and all if it big fun. That’s why you’re likely to see me, beer in hand, dancing around East Atlanta, Cabbagetown and points in between this weekend.

It’s going to be one Mondo Memorial Day. Many events are free, some others are individually priced, or you can buy a pass for the whole MondoHomo enchilada for $50–cheaper than a tank of gas!

MondoHomo Dirty South 2008 Schedule

Mondo Art Opening
Thursday, May 22, 7-10pm | FREE, all ages, at Tilt Gallery | 274 Walker Street in Atlanta’s Castleberry gallery district. 20+ artists, mixed media.
Homo-a-rama Dance Party (free)
Mary’s in East Atlanta, 1287 Glenwood Ave SE, 30316
MondoHomo HipHop
Friday May 23rd, 8pm Lenny’s Bar, $15 | 486 Decatur St SE (at Boulevard), 30312
MC Tim’m West. HomoHop Artists: Nicky Click, Athens Boys Choir, Cateyez, Pam Jones, Foxx Jazell, BadKat, KIN (NYC), Las Krudas (Austin, TX), DJ Vicki Powell of Flux

Mondo Chock Full O’ Nuts!
Saturday May 24th, 7pm, Lenny’s Bar, $15
MC: Gina Bling (Seattle), Making Friendz (Brooklyn), The Dead Betties (NYC), Pariah Piranha, 8 Inch Betsy (Chicago), BIGG NUGG (Cleveland), Unecc, DaLyrical (ATL), DJ Kit (Philly)

Mondo Carnivale!
Saturday May 24th, noon-7pm | FREE, all ages, outdoors in Lenny’s parking lot. MC: Ms. Coyote of Idapalooza, the Fly Girls Aerialists, Anatural, Jeremy Gloff, The Bangers, Shitty Candy, Atlanta Sedition Orchestra, Plus: circus performers, graffitti demo by ATL’s own favorite graffiti son, Totem, skateboard demo by Skate Like a Girl (Seattle), bounce house, BBQ and queer midway games!
Mondo Day Camp
Sunday May 25th, noon-7pm | FREE, all ages, Tye Street Park at Kirkwood
DJ Gina Bling (Seattle), DJ Chuck Jones, Medea the Play, Funk/Punk Poetry Slam, Radical Workshops & Gay Games like Fag Football and other outdoor sports, Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? (New Orleans)

Mondo Fagsploitation!
Sunday May 25th, 8pm at Eyedrum Gallery, $8 | 290 Martin Luther King Jr Dr S at Hill St, 30312
Indie films presented by Pink Eye: Featuring the new Pansy Division documentary Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band, plus Fagotronic shorts, and Ukelele by Ben Lerman (NYC)

Mondo Speakeasy Brunch & Closing Party
Monday May 26th, 11am-3pm, Ria’s Bluebird, $15 | 421 Memorial Dr. SE at Cherokee, 30316

Hurray for the Riff Raff (New Orleans), Vagina Jenkins, Darlinda Just Darlinda, Miss Mary Wanna, K.E.V.I.N., Ms. Stewart, Noah Redd, Heywood Wakefield (Boston), DJ Hawg-Tied

Short-Attention-Span Dating for Lesbians Returns to Atlanta

For single women without the time or patience for personals, or who find the bar scene wanting, Atlanta event organizers Girls Gone Pride are bringing speed dating for lesbians back for another round on February 17th. Girls Gone Pride Co-founder Deanna tells me that the age range for the speed dating events have really been varied. “We have younger, older and those who are in between. I think we ended up with around 24 or so women at the last one,” she said.

Bird, the other half of Girls Gone Pride, added that the fast-daters were from all walks of life. A creation of the hetero world, speed dating is a relatively recent social phenomenon, no doubt a result of the increasingly fast, multitasked American lifestyle. Instant gratification no doubt has its advantages when you’re trying to deal with work, Atlanta traffic, a somewhat limited lesbian bar scene and stand-offish dykes.

In an episode of Logo TV’s Big Gay Sketch Show last season (episode 101), a spoof of lesbian speed dating was about the funniest skit I’ve ever seen. In it, two lesbians complete an entire relationship in the short window they are given to “speed date.” The characters move in together, adopt cats, fight, cheat and break up in just three minutes. Now that is taking U-hauling to a whole new level. It’s probably worth attending Girls Gone Pride’s event, if only to see how dykes, stereotypically fast in moving from a meet to a marriage, deal with the speed-dating movement in real life. The February speed dating event will be held at Birdi’s in Decatur, starting at 6:30 p.m. There’s a $5.00 registration fee. For more information, you can check out Girls Gone Pride’s myspace page.

Rose Rollins to Offer a Little L Word Foreplay for Atlanta Lesbians

Actress Rose Rollins, loved by lesbians for her role as “Tasha” on The L Word, will tease Atlanta women tonight at Foreplay, The L Word season 5 preview and ourchart.com launch party, at the Park Tavern in Midtown. Hosted by Girls in the Night and Girlology 101. Dancing, mixing and mingling will get underway at 10 p.m., with a big giveaway happening at 1:30 a.m., when two VIP passes to The Dinah 2008 will be raffled off. But everyone will be a winner, with an advance look at The L Word season 5 premiere, ourchart.com and Girls in the Night freebies, and the chance to get close to Tasha. Late this afternoon, Outwrite Bookstore staff said they had been giving out event passes all day, and in fact have run out. But you can get in at the door–There’s a $10 cover after 11.47 p.m. Find out more about the event on Girls in the Night’s MySpace page.

Ourchart.com is the new lesbian social network, based on the infamous whiteboard chart where the character Alice kept track of who had dated and/or hooked up with whom. Although heavily promoted during season four of The L Word last year, the “chart” was not quite ready for prime time. Promoters are taking advantage of the premier of season 5 to formally launch the site.

Life on Q will be at Foreplay tonight, in the person of yours truly, camera in tow. It’s the last big event for Atlanta women, and based on how quickly passes have gone, it is sure to blow out 2007 with bang. Check Life on Q tomorrow for photos from the event.

Update 12.30.07>>Photos from the event are now online! See the entire album here.

Have a Happy Homo New Year in Atlanta

Life on Q is happy to present a rundown of LGBT New Year’s Eve celebrations around Atlanta. Specifics are only now starting to trickle in, so we will update this post with new details as they become available. Be sure to check back often for updates. (12.27.07» Note to Readers : New events are being added to this post today and continuously throughout the remainder of the week as we gather details. )

Please note that not all details are available for all events. If a cover charge is not listed here, that does not mean there is no charge. All available information on times and cover charges are included, but are not necessarily complete. Contact individual clubs and promoters if you have any questions. Life on Q has provided Web links and maps wherever possible.

Amsterdam Atlanta will celebrate the new year with DJ Coqu. There’s no charge before 9 p.m. and a $10 cover after. Free champagne toast at midnight. Info: www.myspace.com/amsterdamatlanta

DJ Brett Long will help Ring It Out at The Eagle, Atlanta’s perennial leather/Levi/Bear Bar. Champagne toast at midnight. There’s never a cover at The Eagle. The party starts at 10 p.m., but the Eagle staff recommends an early arrival to secure the best parking. Get directions here. Info: www.atlantaeagle.com.

Another Family Affair and Traxx Girls will present “The Red Carpet Affair” at Excalibur on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross. Get directions here. Info: www.traxxgirls.com

The Lion’s Den and Alter Ego Entertainment will present NYE-N-ATL at Club Europe, on Presidential Parkway just inside Spaghetti Junction (the I-285 & I-85 interchange, for you non-natives). The party starts at 9 p.m., and there’s no cover if you arrive before 11 p.m. There will be a complimentary buffet, a champagne toast at midnight, a $2008 money drop and prizes. Get directions here. Info: www.thelionsdenatlanta.com.

Doors will open at 9 p.m. at The Heretic, with music by DJ Rick Walsh and $1500 in cash prizes. Advance VIP tickets, which will avoid the line on New Year’s Eve, are available at Heretic Leathers. 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta. Get directions here. Info: www.hereticatlanta.com

Mary’s in East Atlanta Village will celebrate a “Happy F*cking New Year” with MC 5-Hour Boner and guests. Get directions here. Info: www.myspace.com/marysbar

My Sister’s Room will ring in 2008 with a masquerade ball titled, “Eyes Wide Shut.” Hosted by Tristan Skye, the party will feature Vagina Jenkins, Hades’ Ladies, Shane and Tristan Skye. Performances start at 10:00 p.m. Suggested dress code is black and white. My Sister’s Room will provide masks and champagne for the midnight toast. Doors open at 9 p.m. The bubbly will flow until 4:00 a.m. $10 cover. Get directions here. Info: www.mysistersroom.com

Paris Decatur will offer free champagne at midnight at their New Year’s Eve party. 308-H Ponce de Leon Place, Decatur. Get directions here. Info: www.myspace.com/parisdecatur

For those who live OTP (outside the perimeter, for you non-natives), there’s a party in Tucker that will allow suburban queers to party together, closer to home. The Stage Door will hold a New Year’s Eve party with champagne at midnight. No cover. 4431 Hugh Howell Road, Tucker, GA. Get directions here. Info: www.thestagedoor.biz

Traxx and Stars of the Century present “Poppin Bottles” at Traxx 1287 Columbia Drive in Decatur. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. and the show starts at 10:30. Guests include the Jr. Stars, Niesha Dupree, Raquel Lord, Jasmine Bonet, Stasha Sanchez, Necole Luv Dupress, Archie Bonet, Monte St. James, R’darius Black, Christopher Iman, Al Milan dupree, Chantel Lord, Diamond Monroe, Joe Jackson other others. Table reservation packages are available from $50 to $100. Call Niesha at 770.451.6068 or 404.835.7790 to reserve a table. Get directions here. Info: www.traxxatlanta.com

Wassup-N-ATL hosts Maxium Reload at Club 708. Get directions here. Info: www.wassupnatl.com

WETbar presents Count Down 2008, featuring the return of DJ Joe Gauthreaux. There will be a champagne toast and an hourly cash drop from Midnight until 2:00 a.m., with $8,000 in cash and prizes. $10 cover before midnight, $15 after midnight. Or buy a single-night VIP membership for $20 (before midnight) or $30 (after midnight). 960 Spring Street, Atlanta. Get directions here. Info: www.wetbaratlanta.com.

These events and others over the holidays are also listed on Life on Q’s event calendar. Is there an event missing? You can add your own events to the calendar. Simply click “add new entry” at the bottom of the calendar. Then choose “public” access on the “event details” tab, and be sure that “Atlanta and Ga Queer Events” is selected in the “participants” tab. Don’t forget to note the time of day and include an address. Your event will be added to an approval queue and, if approved, will appear on the calendar, usually within 24 hours. Questions? E-mail us at editor@lifeonq.com.