The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • E7

Filename: E7-GUIDE-AJCD0123-AJCD created: Jan 22 2009 Username: SPEED4 Friday, Jan 23, 2009 GUIDE 7 AJCD 7 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 7 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black AJCD File name: E7-GUIDE-AJCD0123-AJCD created: Jan 22 2009 Username: SPEED4 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ajc.com 3 Friday, Jan. 23, 2009 E7 Masquerade Hell. Jan. 23: Fuel the Fire Invasion 2009 With Left Hook, Dead to the World, Crimson Mustache, Force of Habit, Trap County. 7 p.m.

$10 advance. Jan. 24: The Pretty Things Peepshow. 8 p.m. $10 advance.

Jan. 27: Elevation, Light Resolve, Drive By, Dear Savannah. 7 p.m. $8 advance. 695 North Ave.

N.E., Atlanta. 404-577-8178, www.masq.com. Louisiane. Jan. 23-24: Fran Irwin.

7:30 p.m. No cover. Alpharetta. 770-777-5955, www Crimson Moon Cafe and Music Hall. Jan.

23: 8 p.m. $14; $12 advance. Jan. 24: Girlyman. 8 p.m.

$18; $16 advance. Jan. 25: Traditional Music Jam. 2 p.m. No cover.

Jan. 28-29: Tom and Julie. 6:30 p.m. No cover. No cover.

24 N. Park Dahlonega. 706-864-3982, www.thecrimsonmoon.com. Cuerno Restaurant. Jan.

25: Sunday Flamenco Dance. 7 p.m. No cover. 905 Juniper St. N.E., Atlanta.

678-904-4584, www Jan. 24: Liz Melendez Band. 9 p.m. $15. Jan.

28: Swingshift Karaoke. 9 p.m. No cover. Jan. 29: Jam.

8 p.m. No cover. 1598 Roswell Road, Marietta. 770-578-6872, www.darwinsblues.com. The Drunken Unicorn (MJQ Concourse).

Jan. 25: the Virgins, Lissy Trullie, Anya Marina. 9 p.m. $12; $10 advance. Jan.

28: Von Iva, Semi Precious Weapons, Nico Vega. 9 p.m. $10. 736 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta.

www The EARL. Jan. 24: Paul Beat, Gentleman Jesse and His Men, Poison Arrows. 9 p.m. $10.

Jan. 25: The Carbonas, Bukkake Boys, American Cheeseburger. 8 p.m. $12; $10 advance. Jan.

26: MV and EE, the Meeks Family, Lyonnais. 8:30 p.m. $7. Jan. 27: Colourmusic, the Preakness, So So Death.

8:30 p.m. $8. Jan. 28: Bain Mattox, American Aquarium, Dylan Kight and the Nightbirds. 9:30 p.m.

$7. Jan. 29: for Refugee Family Services With Brass Bed, the Wild, Wade in the Rhythm. 8:30 p.m. $10.

488 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-522-3950, www.badearl.com. East Atlanta Icehouse. Jan.

23: Uncle Daddy and the Cousins, Roger Alan Wade, Holy Liars. 8:30 p.m. $7. Jan. 24: Concert in of Breast Cancer Research With the Seraphix Band, Steadlur, the Ladies of Big City Burlesque and Vaudeville.

9 p.m. $8. Jan. 28: Joe Coffee, the Despised, JFKFC. 8 p.m.

$7. Jan. 29: The Fresh, Tommy Lee Soul, the Beat Gods, Kato, Aleus, DJ Graze. 8 p.m. $7.

543 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-577-2074, www.eastatlantaicehouse.com. Attic. Jan.

23: Vigilantes of Love, Mieka Pauley, Dean Fields. 6:30 p.m. $13; $10 advance. Jan. 24: The Academy the Cab.

2:30 p.m. $10. Jan. 25: In the Round With Randall Bramlett, Caroline Aiken, Geoff Achison. 6:30 p.m.

$18; $15 advance. Jan. 26: Open Mic Competition. 7 p.m. $5.

Jan. 27: Comedy Night. 7 p.m. $13; $10 advance. Jan.

28: Dana Cooper, Susan Gibson. 6:30 p.m. $15; $12 advance. Jan. 29: Roxie Continued on E14 THE BIG LIST METRO BEST CALENDAR Search the whole list by date, location, category and keyword at accessAtlanta.com/events Watson, Laura Blackley.

6:30 p.m. $10. 515-B N. McDonough Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.

Eyedrum. Jan. 26: Beatrix Jar. 8 p.m. $7.

290 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.E., Atlanta. 404-5220655, www.eyedrum.org. Fat Rib Shack. Jan.

23: Re verbo. 8 p.m. Jan. 24: Dr. Dixon and the Operators.

8 p.m. Jan. 25: Fat Back Deluxe. 7 p.m. Jan.

26: Uncle Sugar. 7 p.m. Jan. 27: Crosstown Allstars. 7 p.m.

Jan. 28: Blues Mission. 7 p.m. Jan. 29: Chickenshack.

7 p.m. No cover. 1811 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-607-1622, www.fatmattsribshack.com. Five Spot.

Jan. 23: Diane Durrett (CD release). 8 p.m. $10. Jan.

26: Josiah Erickson. 9 p.m. No cover. Jan. 27: Trivia.

7 p.m. No cover. 1123 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-223-1100, atl.com.

Front Page News-Midtown. Jan. 23: Retro 180. 9 p.m. Jan.

24: Nelson Brownstone. 9 p.m. Jan. 25: Texas Hold 7 p.m. Jan.

27: Family Feud Trivia. 8 p.m. No cover. 1104 Crescent Ave. N.E., Atlanta.

404897-3500, www.fpnnews.com. Get Coffee. Jan. 27: Open Mic Night (for musicians, poets, writers and actors). 7:30 p.m.

No cover. 5336 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 678580-2263, www.getcoffee.com. Highland Inn. Jan.

23: Gilormo Jazz Ensemble. 9 p.m. Jan. 24: Afro-Klezmer Orchestra, Kinah Ayah Drummers. 9 p.m.

$5. 644 N. Highland Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-5756, thehighlandinn.com.

Hideaway. Jan. 25: Band X. 9 p.m. $5.

Jan. 27: Turnstile and American Flyers. 8:30 p.m. No cover. 3771 Roswell Road N.E., Atlanta.

404-233-8026, www.johnnyshideaway.com. Kavarna. Jan. 23: Gently, Creepy. 9 p.m.

Jan. 24: Atlanta Songwriters Showcase With Michael C. Smith, Alan Dynin Trio, Morgan Rowe. 8 p.m. Jan.

29: Amy Lashley. 9 p.m. No cover. 707 East Lake Drive, Decatur. 404-3711113, www.instantkavarna.com.

Bar. Jan. 27: Sublimina tor, Adrien Barbobott, Zano Bathroom. 9 p.m. $5.

Jan. 28: Opaq Face, Attention System, Slow Earth, Alter. 9 p.m. $7. Jan.

29: Foxy Trosky, Wrister, Small Reaction. 9 p.m. $5. 486 Decatur St. S.E., Atlanta.

404-577-7721, www.lennysbar.com. The Loft. Jan. 29: Shawn Mullins (full band show). 7 p.m.

$17 standing room only. 1374 W. Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta. 404885-1365, www.theloft Tavern-Alpharetta.

Jan. 29: Dave MacPherson. 8 p.m. No cover. 3719 Old Alabama Road, Alpharetta.

770-475-1800. Tavern-Kennesaw. Jan. 23: T. Collie.

10 p.m. Jan. 24: Ben Kinney. 10 p.m. No cover.

745 Chastain Road N.W., Suite 1160, Kennesaw. 770-425-8777, www.marlowstavern.com. Tavern-Midtown. Jan. 23: Troy Rushing and Eric Hinton.

10 p.m. Jan. 29: Andrew Black. 9 p.m. No cover.

950 W. Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-815-0323, www.marlowstavern.com. Tavern-Northlake.

Jan. 23: Ben Kinney. 9 p.m. Jan. 28: ET (Eric and Troy).

8 p.m. Jan. 29: Jason Fulton. 9 p.m. No cover.

4156 LaVista Road, Atlanta. 678-9871197, www.marlowstavern.com. Tavern-Vinings. Jan. 23 and 29: Nelson Brownstone.

9 p.m. Jan. 24: Jason and Troy. 10 p.m. Jan.

25: Galen Crader. 8 p.m. Jan. 28: Chameleon. 8 p.m.

No cover. 2355 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 101, Atlanta. 770-4322526, www.marlowstavern.com. Continued from 6 LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GET INVOLVED IN VIBRANT ARTS COMMUNITY? FIND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AT DOGOOD.AJC.COM The arts Exploring old and new themes BY CATHERINE FOX Alan Loehle is one of those artists who spend their careers a few ideas. The Oglethorpe University professor limits imagery to a few freighted subjects the slab of meat, feral dog and human dwarf and continually their presentation.

The paintings completed during his 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship are the best yet. The paintings are full of compelling paradoxes. His dazzling brushwork is both graceful and edgy. He manipulates the creamy, stroke like a master magician, so that seem, on one hand, to teeter at the edge of abstraction and, on the other, to be very much alive. In the case of the dogs, frighteningly alive.

Their posture communicates a subtle menace a whiff of the wolf in their DNA. The single painting here of a dwarf is psychologically taut as well. His back is to us, we barely see his face, but his physical traits set off all sorts of feelings. Just as the dogs remind us of the animal urges behind our own domesticated veneer, the dwarf is a potent metaphor for feelings of oth erness and vulnerability. As Loehle writes, paintings about them.

They are about Loehle trades existential angst for joie de vivre in the oil-pastel drawings displayed in the back gallery. there in the exuberant palette hot pink, sunshine yellow and Florida orange and the erotic energy of the cavorting nudes that share the page with a rabble of non sequitur images. This is a new direction, and it quite soup yet. Torn from his sketch book, the sheets suggest the experiments of an artist just sprung from his status quo. The spirit of University of Georgia professor Jim Herbert hangs a little too heavily over the proceedings.

But their verve is contagious, and they suggest a promising adventure ahead. REVIEW Loehle: Metaphors and Through Feb. 14. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays- Saturdays.

Marcia Wood Gallery. 263 Walker Atlanta. 404-8270030. www.marciawood gallery.com Bottom line: Wonderful paintings and a new direction for an important Atlanta artist. Artist talk: Noon-2 p.m., Jan.

31. Dog by Loehle is at the Marcia Wood Gallery. by Alan Loehle is part of the new show. GO GUIDE Atlanta artist renes past work, launches colorful new direction. Murder laughs mostly dead on arrival By PIERRE RUHE You suspect trouble ahead when a playwright relies on punctuation to hype the of his murder mystery.

Running through Feb. 8 at Aurora Theatre, Gerald tries desperately to be a West End comic thriller that with a cleverly woven plot, verbal panache and a joyous touch of the absurd. At its best, that genre reminds us of the British gift for language and wit and wordplay. Instead, is all surface-level plot without poignant asides, not very funny and only mildly clever. The intrigue takes place in 1936, on the evening King Edward VIII abdicates to marry an American socialite.

Everyone in London is glued to their wireless, the perfect cover for murder. We meet Evelyn (Daniel Thomas May), a failed actor with a persecution complex and an interest in esoteric poisons. dressed in drag as an old auntie and unloading food shoplifted. not stealing, he informs the landlady of his shabby basement Mrs. McGee (Nita Hardy).

A lonely widow, her repeated gag is making passes at her handsome tenant, oblivious that gay. identical twin, Rupert, is his opposite: rich, calm, living amid swanky Art Deco elegance and engaged to be married. Naturally, they loathe each other. Planning to have his brother killed and then seamlessly swap identities, Evelyn cleans up and brings in Major Powell (Don Finney), an Irish conman and expert marksman. In this play, which even Susan sharp direction improve, the comedy is rarely funnier than when the would-be assassin sneaks a bottle of whisky and tips it to his lips.

Finney, Hardy and Louis Gregory, as the constable who appears at the worst possible moments, are fully absorbed in their roles and delightful. Playing both brothers, May does a virtuoso turn, manic and outrageously theatrical as Evelyn, dour and suave as Rupert. At one point Evelyn actually cooks blinis (savory Russian pancakes) on a hotplate onstage. The smell of onions wafts over the audience, and the most compelling sensation of the evening. THEATER REVIEW Grade: C- 8 p.m.

Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through Feb. 8. Aurora Theatre, 128 Pike Street, Lawrenceville.

678-2266222; www.aurora theatre.com ,19 9 6 8': )3 2 0 0.