Propeller Skies

Last night I paid a visit to recurring Propeller Skies venue The Earl in East Atlanta. I went to see recurring Propeller Skies band the Black Kites. Unfortunately, I never got the memo that rock ‘n’ roll shows at The Earl would actually be starting ON TIME and missed their set. What the fuck?

I arrived a few songs into Tag Team’s* set. Their style of music is good, solid, bar-room rock. With a line-up featuring a singer, two guitarists, two saxophonists, a stand up bass, and a drummer, they looked capable of producing some interesting and original sounds. Unfortunately all that could be heard were the two guitars, which were extremely bright and overwhelmed the mix completely. By the way, this is the first time I have ever been at a show where even the drummer was lost in the mix. Sheesh.

notes:

* I was pretty hammered from the four Martinis consumed at Halo, so I have no idea if this was actually the name of the band or not.
** Someday, when I see them in a coherent state, a slightly more expansive and less succinct review may appear.

Last night I photographed the ATL::magazine One Year Anniversary Party at Halo. Since I did not pay much attention to the flyer, I arrived an hour early and was left with nothing to do besides stand around looking bored and drink. Fortuitously, Halo serves some of the best Martinis in Atlanta. After four of the best Martinis in the city, enough folks had moseyed in that I could start photographing. While wandering around shooting, I met Windy, who introduced me to her friend Abbey*, one of the owners of Sole in Decatur. Since I failed the metrosexual quiz on ESPN, it is not likely that I will be visiting a bourgeoisie shoe store. However, this anecdote was posted as a service to Propeller Skies readers who believe a full life cannot be lived with only three pairs of shoes.

notes:

* This may or may not be her name. Martinis tend to get in the way of remembering things like names.
PHOTO: Partygoers at the ATL::magazine 1 Year Anniversary Party at Halo in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 19, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more ATL::magazine 1 Year Anniversary Party photos.

As some of you may know, I attended Texas A&M for graduate school. I found myself in the rather bizarre position of cheering for TU tonight, as they were down several points to Princeton in the first half. In the office pool, I have them playing Kentucky for the championship and getting their candy-asses whipped.

What could be better than beer, basketball, and beautiful babies? Why beer, basketball, and beautiful babies in bikinis, of course! I dropped in to Twisted Taco to watch the beginning of the NCAA tournament tonight, since they have a satellite feed and multiple big screen televisions. Oh, and a bikini contest too. But I was there for the basketball and beer. Really. The thought of women in bikinis had absolutely no bearing on my decision to attend the event.

The evening started off rather slow, with only fifty or so people in the 99x party tent. Which was fine, because it gave me plenty of time to hang out and take full advantage of the two dollar Budweisers*. While downing two dollar beers, I was also able to watch several basketball games at once, since Twisted Taco set up four big screen televisions in the party tent. I attend a number of events, where my primary function is to stand around for an hour or so looking bored until enough people show up to start photographing. It was fantastic to have something to occupy my time for once, especially as no recurring Propeller Skies characters were spotted at this event.

The only low point of the night came when Nevada upset Michigan State. Fortunately, that only did minimal damage to my bracket, since I have Georgia Tech over Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen. Also, the aforementioned bikini contest was held soon after that game concluded and the welcome distraction made a significant dent in the pain and suffering.

By the way, this event continues through Saturday. I recommend checking it out, it was far more fun than sitting at home and throwing (sometimes) empty cups at the television when my picks screwed up. Not that I would ever be so childish as to throw things at the television in a fit of anger.

notes:

* Normally I will refuse to drink Budweiser, but for the measly sum of two dollars, I will drink pretty much anything. Except Genesee.
PHOTO 1: Random revelers at Twisted Taco’s March Madness in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 18, 2004.
PHOTO 2: Bikini model at Twisted Taco’s March Madness in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 18, 2004. Both photos courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more March Madness at Twisted Taco photos.

The Lost Penguin Society held their second ever event at Slice in Castleberry Hill. A big shout-out to The Vertical One and Greta Von Dom, who actually showed up for the event.

Slice’s Martinis are acceptable. In keeping with the new, improved positive outlook* of Propeller Skies, I will go over what they did right first. Most importantly, the bartender was able to follow the directions, “dry Sapphire Martini with a twist.” The resulting concoction was stirred** properly and contained roughly an 8:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, the very definition of dry. Unfortunately, the Martini glasses were NOT chilled. Overall, the Martini was acceptable***, but not smoove as hell like The Mark’s, or Halo’s libations.

While chilling at Slice, we also sampled the bruschetta and pizza. The bruschetta was not so hot, but palatable. On the other hand, the pizza was pretty fucking good. It was (sort of) New York style, with a thin and crispy crust. The toppings were tasty and obviously much higher quality than in a normal neighborhood pizza parlor. Pricing is reasonable. I recommend Slice. However stop by on a weeknight as waits on the weekends can be extreme.

notes:

* I have read Leah’s blog (email me for the address) and I have seen what an inordinate amount of premature bitterness can do to one’s life. Seriously, it is that disturbing.
** Traditional Martinis are stirred, not shaken. Only the Vesper, the drink of choice for James Bond, is shaken. However, if you feel the need to shake a Martini, I will not be advocating a constitutional amendment to stop you.
*** The Smoove D ordinal Martini rating system consists of the following grades, in order of best to worst: smoove as hell, mighty tasty, acceptable, mediocre, and lighter fluid.

I heard the future of hip-hop on the radio this week. On Album 88 to be specific. And the future of hip-hop hails from Great Britain. (Chorus from the peanut gallery, “oh shit, he’s typing drunk again, gotten his countries all confused, and it’s only 4:30 in the afternoon.”) That is not a misprint, the illest MC in a long time comes from London’s east end. I highly recommend checking out Dizzee Rascal. Writing a review is more effort than I am willing to make, so read a British review of Dizzee Rascal, or a Dizzee Rascal review from an American perspective.

I attended Patty Fest 2004 at the Park Tavern this Saturday. Normally, I ignore parties thrown by the Wednesday Night Drinking Club because they generally feature craptastic beers like Coors Light and overcharge for it. Now, Coors Light might be fine for your average redneck, but I am a finely tuned drinking machine and require booze with a higher octane rating. However, this year the WNDC was kind enough to provide a full bar at the party. Nothing says, “happy Saint Patrick’s day,” like a glass of whiskey on the rocks.

As advertised, there were plenty of lovely loaded leprechauns at the event. Although the crowd was large, there was still plenty of room to move and enough satellite bars were provided that getting a drink was not an ordeal. The restrooms, as per usual, were a pain in the ass.

Before I even had a chance to get a drink, I ran into Michael (Smoove K), Diedre, Tina, and Patrick. I chilled with them for a bit and then wandered off to photograph lovely loaded leprechauns. Next, I ran into recurring Propeller Skies characters Lisa and Susan. They expressed their anger about the five dollar Coors Light and resolved to head to Neighbors for five dollar pitchers. I made plans to join them there after I finished photographing. While photographing, I ran into Tracy, an acquaintance from work, and her friends.

After burning through a roll and a half of film and several glasses of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, I went looking for Smoove K and friends. They were impossible to find, so I ended up chilling with Tracy and some of her friends and headed to Neighbors with them to grab a bite to eat.

notes:

PHOTO: Kim and a friend attending Patty Fest 2004 at Park Tavern, Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 13, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more Wednesday Night Drinking Club Patty Fest 2004 photos.

And the winner of the debris guessing contest is: Jenn — sort of. The actual debris was a new clothes dryer. However, a person swerved to avoid it, crashed, and died. So there were body parts, but they were technically secondary debris, caused by the primary debris.

Strangely enough, Fellini’s is the most integrated place in Atlanta. What is it about pizza that cuts across racial and socio-economic divisions?

A few months ago, while I was busy getting loaded at an Atlanta Vinos wine tasting, my friend and recurring Propeller Skies character* Trey posed a question. The question was, “what do you think of when you hear Atlanta Jaycees?”

I thought for about a quarter of a second and responded with something resembling, “a bunch of old ladies doing charity work.”

It turns out that Trey was the new Vice President of Marketing Communications for the Atlanta Jaycees. He patiently explained what kind of organization the Jaycees are.

Over the course of the next few months, I met their president Michael at an event and ran into him at a few others. Last night, I attended their social at Loca Luna to photograph. Three words: Tons. Of. Hotties. In comparison to the recently reviewed SCIS YP event, the group was also extremely friendly and fun to hang out with. Being a hardened and cynical event photographer, it is not often that I find myself in an interesting conversation with strangers at the events. However, I hung out with the Jaycees for a couple of hours and had a great time. I recommend checking out the Atlanta Jaycees.

notes:

* I’m not sure that Trey is a recurring Propeller Skies character. However, I’m too tired to look in the archives. And I do not really give a fuck anyway.
PHOTO: Random dude and April attending the Atlanta Jaycees Social at Loca Luna, Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 11, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.