Peach Magazine v04-08 - Get a Taste of This

Contents

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

V4-08 PEACH ATL MEDIA, LLC 925b Peachtree St. NE, #168 Atlanta, GA 30309

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MANAGING PARTNER Brian Sawyer brian@peachatl.com

OPERATIONS Jeff Anderson Sales and Development Director

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EDITORIAL Mikkel Hyldebrandt Editorial Director mikkel@peachatl.com

From the Editor

Brian Sawyer Graphics

A definite sign that spring is coming to Atlanta is the beginning of the festival season – and because Atlanta is a foodie city, a lot of those are food festivals. We are prepared to go to quite a few of them, so we have comprised a list of the ones we will be sinking our teeth into this season.

Jessica Watson

Kevin Assam spoke to Marcia Weaver, who is the owner of Frita’s Cuban Burger Café in Key West, about her signature pork tacos and burger – a mouth-watering read on page 24.

Andrea Dwyer

Our celebrity interview in the issue is with the legend Martha Wash. The Disco queen talks to Chris Azzopardi about how the gays snatched ‘It’s Raining Men,’ Sylvester memories, and exploring new sounds. Read along on page 12.

And that is, of course, not all in this delectable issue of Peach.

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CONTRIBUTORS Kevin Assam Chris Azzopardi

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Mikkel Hyldebrandt Editorial Director Follow my IG @hyldebrandt

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The content of Peach ATL Media is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice. The opinions expressed by any writer, advertiser, or other person appearing in the Peach ATL Media are not necessarily those of this publication, its management or staff. The information and materials appearing in the magazine are not guaranteed or warranted as to accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness, or suitability of the information and materials found or offered for a particular purpose. It shall be your responsibility to ensure that any products, services, or information available through Peach ATL Media meets your specific requirements. Peach ATL Media is not responsible for claims made by advertisers, content of information, changes, events, and schedules. The magazine contains information and material which is owned by or licensed to Peach ATL Media, including but not limited to articles, advertisements, design, layout, graphics, and logos. No part or portion of Peach ATL Media may be reproduced in any way without the prior written consent of the publisher.

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As Black History Month concludes, Bi+ Georgia invites you to a screening of the queer-centric “Bessie” and a discussion about queerness in black cinema after the film.

Bi+ Georgia, in partnership with Out Font Theatre Company, Atlanta Pride Committee, Southern Fried Queer Pride, and The Counter Narrative Project invite you to “In Vibrant Color: Celebrating Queer Black Cinema,” which will include a screening of the 2015 HBO Film “Bessie,” about Bessie Smith, the openly bisexual Empress of The Blues.

The screening will be followed by a discussion panel moderated by Taylor Alxndr featuring Ashleigh Atwell, Craig Hardesty, Khafre Abif, and Leo Hollen. Together they will discuss queerness and its representation in black cinema. There will be suggested donation at the door, but no one will be denied entry for lack of funds.

Bi+ Georgia is building a safe community for bi+ people in Georgia through visibility, education, and advocacy. They are committed to providing a friendly, welcoming, and harassment-free environment for all regardless of race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, or religion (or lack thereof).

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WHAT

In Vibrant Color: Celebrating Queer Black Cinema

WHEN

Friday, February 28 6:30 – 9:30 pm

WHERE

Out Front Theatre Company

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BY JC LEE A poetic and raw re-imagining of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, warplay requires us to reexamine our assumptions about heroism and love. The journey of the two is a meditation on male intimacy, destiny, and how the constant shadow of war may warp us all.

MARCH 12-28, 2020 Tickets: $15 and up Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta

www.OutFrontTheatre.com

By Mikkel Hyldebrandt

Spring is definitely in the air, and Atlanta is coming out of its hibernation. Spring also means festival season, and if there is something Atlanta excels in, it is putting on a good food festival whether you are looking for comfort food or want a taste of the world. Here a few upcoming food festivals where we will be sinking our teeth into some culinary goodness.

Atlanta Grilled Cheese Festival

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival

Just in time for National Grilled Cheese Day (April 12), the festival at Atlantic Station serves up a mouthwatering assortment of cheesy dishes. Your tickets ($10-$25) includes three samplings.

Saturday, April 11, 11:30 am – 6 pm

The four-day festival shines an international spotlight on the incomparable food, wine, beer, and spirits of the South showcasing more than 250 chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, and industry insiders from 13 Southern states. Tickets and more info at atlfoodandwinefestival.com.

Atlantic Station

May 28 – May 31 Loews Atlanta Hotel

Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2020 It is one of the most significant Spring traditions in Atlanta that gathers not only hundreds of arts and crafts booths to the festival but also a wide variety of food vendors for some excellent festival fare.

Free admission to the park.

April 17-19 Piedmont Park

Edgewood Mac & Cheese Festival

Atlanta’s Taste of the Nation Prepare your taste buds for the return of the city’s most anticipated culinary event of the year, Atlanta’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry. 100% of proceeds support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. Tickets at nokidhungry.org.

April 16, 7 - 10 pm Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center

Edgewood hosts some of the best mac and cheese-makers from the very food-friendly neighborhood. You get to taste sample and vote for your cheesy goodness favorite.

Tickets ($20) via Eventbrite.

Saturday, March 28, 1 – 5:30 pm Edgewood (1374 Arkwright Pl SE) 10 | follow us @peachatlmag

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By Chris Azzopardi On her new album, Love & Conflict, Martha Wash is far removed from her disco days, when she became known as half of The Weather Girls. With the late Izora Rhodes-Armstead, the duo began their career as Two Tons O’ Fun. They shot to stardom in the early ’80s as The Weather Girls, after releasing one of the biggest gay anthems, “It’s Raining Men.” During her solo career in the 1990s, Wash’s booming voice was infamously used without her permission on dancepop touchstones like Seduction’s “(You’re My One and Only) True Love” and Black Box’s “Strike It Up” and “Fantasy,” as well as C+C Music Factory’s No. 1 hit “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).” In 2014, Rolling Stone called Wash “the most famous unknown singer of the ’90s.”

Released on her own independent record label, Purple Rose Records, Love & Conflict is a fusion of funk, blues and R&B – “another departure from what people are used to hearing me sing,” she says. But, perhaps more importantly, the record represents Wash’s artistic freedom.

The 66-year-old disco queen recently spoke about breaking out of the dancepop music mold, singing about dating apps but being too leery to use them, and that time she and iconic gay singer Sylvester literally shook the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.

How have you kept your voice intact all these years? What are your tricks?

I have no tricks! And look, I think over time don’t we all kind of change a bit?

(Laughs.) While I am grateful to still be able to sing, you know, the voice changes over time – and I’ve been doing this a long time! (Laughs.)

On “Never Enough Money,” you sing, “Sugar’s waiting in the back, you’re flirting on a dating app…” Are you on dating apps, Martha?

No, I am not!

So you’re not speaking from personal experience?

No, no. But you hear so much about 12 | follow us @peachatlmag

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especially young … well, not even young people anymore! Everybody’s doing it. It doesn’t matter the age anymore. People are trying to find love wherever they think they can, and there’s so many different (apps) out there. You see people, their heads just down in their phones with the email, or the dating apps, and things like that.

(Sighs.) Hey, technology.

Say hypothetically you did have a Tinder profile.

Oh god.

What would you say about Martha Wash in your Tinder profile?

Goodness. I like flowers. (Laughs.) Confident.

What would you look for in another person’s profile?

Let’s see: A guy that likes to laugh or can make me laugh.

A sense of humor is always good.

Sense of humor’s always good ’cause I don’t always have one. (Laughs.) Sense of humor and can deal with my madness. Also somebody who has a strong spiritual background. I’m a homebody, but I also like to travel. Somebody who’s adventurous.

How about TV shows? What do you binge?

Oh god, there’s too many of ’em to count! I have so many TV shows in my library that I have to keep deleting them because I’m almost at 100 percent. Seriously! And there’s still a whole lot of shows and movies that I have not even seen on Netflix or Hulu at all. You know, I have subscriptions but I haven’t used ’em! So I just have my favorites. I like crime shows, I like medical shows.

So there you have it: We’ve just written your Tinder profile.

I have never thought about doing that.

It’s never gonna happen?

I’m not gonna say never, but I’m kind of leery of all of that. I really am.

How did “Never Enough Money” come about?

It has to do with greed, power, attention and a lot of things we see in the world today, and it’s a right-in-your-face kind of situation; it’s like you wanna turn your head away but can’t.

The situations will not let you turn your head away and, for the most part, I want to say it’s negative.

You’re the kind of artist who seems to relish continual artistic evolution. How is Love & Conflict an evolution for you as an artist?

It’s just another avenue of the kind of music that I want to be able to record. I’ve always said I never wanted to be pigeonholed into one particular genre of music. Everybody knows me for the most part as a dance music artist. I came from R&B and disco and that’s what I listened to as a teenager. But also growing up, I listened to all kinds of music, so I was able to appreciate all different genres of music.

So when I didn’t have a record label, I decided to create my own to put out the kind of music

that I felt I wanted to put out. That’s grown so much over the years, in fact. I’ll talk to my manager and he’ll say, “What do you think you wanna do this time?” So he reached out to (producer) Sami Basbous and all the music, the musicians and everything are Canadian. And we recorded in Montreal.

So it’s basically a Canadian-based album, and he just had some great songs that we put together. And what we came up with was Love & Conflict because we all have or have been through love and conflict, and sometimes it’s on a daily basis, but it’s about how we decide to deal with things. I firmly believe that love always trumps conflict. Love always wins in the end.

Has that always been your motto?

Yeah, especially more so over the years. I’ve always believed that the higher power was always love, and there’s scripture in the Bible about love covering a multitude of sins, so the bottom line is love encompasses all.

When did you feel like you’d first been embraced by the LGBTQ community? Do you recall a specific moment?

No, because in school I had gay friends and some of my teachers were gay. It was never a big thing to me. And then when I started singing background for Sylvester, it just continued on but just as a larger group of people. The gay community was always behind Sylvester, and with Izora and I singing background for him there was never any problem, and it just continued over the decades. And I’d have to say that the gay community has always been the biggest fan base for me.

And you’re no stranger to the Pride circuit. Is that a special experience for you?

Well, (laughs) I think because I’ve been at this for so long it’s just become a natural thing.

You lost a lot of friends during the AIDS epidemic, including Sylvester. How do you reflect on that period of time?

Sad. So many people were lost because of fear and ignorance, and I want to say putting a death sentence on the gay community during that time, because everybody was pointing fingers.

And all the fingers were pointing to the LGBTQ community, you know. And then on the other side of that, people that were winding up HIV positive, some of them didn’t pay attention, some of them did not listen.

Not even the president at the time, Ronald Reagan, would acknowledge that AIDS was an issue.

And information wasn’t being put out correctly.

So there became this big stigma regarding that and the gay community, like they weren’t Christians and this was the wrath of God, that whole kind of madness.

I remember a newspaper article about a black woman who wound up with AIDS, and I’m reading the article and I’m saying to myself, “OK, what you’re saying is this is a gay disease but this woman was not gay, so how did she | 13

wind up with AIDS?” In the media it was all geared toward the gay community and gay men.

That was the frustration.

Were you trying to correct that misconception?

Yeah. I’d have conversations with my friends: “Well, now they’re saying this in the media but this is happening to somebody who’s not gay so it cannot be just a gay disease, I don’t believe it.”

Can you share a story with me of you and Sylvester that illustrates just how close you were then?

Oh god, we would have a lot of fun on the road, between him and Izora and myself and the band. Sometimes we’d all get together and have dinner or just hang out and it would just be madness. (Laughs.) We did have a lot of fun, and then talking and kidding each other and all this other kind of stuff.

Several icons passed on “It’s Raining Men,” including Cher and Diana Ross, and even you and Izora were reluctant to record it. After you did, when did you know the song had become an LGBTQ anthem?

When they snatched it! Absolutely snatched it!

(Laughs.)

How did it become apparent that we snatched it?

Well, I think maybe in my mind, in the way back of my mind, when (the song’s writer) Paul Jabara initially said that he wanted us to record the song, I looked at Izora and we said, “You gotta be kidding” and he said, “No, I need to hear you record this song.” I said, “Nobody is going to buy that song.” And I wasn’t particularly thinking at that time of the gay community, I really wasn’t. I was thinking broader. And I said, “Nobody is going to buy that song.” He said, “I need you to record this song.”

That’s a big deal. I can’t imagine how the industry might take advantage of artists now if he hadn’t gone through with that litigation.

That’s true. And look, I think some of that stuff still goes on today, you know what I’m saying?

Why do you think that?

If there’s a way for people to get around stuff, they’re gonna do it.

Do you know of it happening?

I can’t say that I know of it specifically, but I would not be surprised. I think between the parties involved, anything can be done and anything can be said. In the movies, for decades, Marni Nixon was the voice of a lot of the actresses you heard singing in movies and you thought it was their real voice. Well, Marni Nixon did all the singing for these actresses in movies.

I’m curious if ghost singing still happens.

Well, there’s a lot of Auto-Tuning, so maybe not so much ghosting anymore! (Laughs.)

What do you think of Auto-Tune?

Look: If it makes me sound fabulous, then I’m OK (with it). (Laughs.) But I mean, when your whole show is Auto-Tuned – the true test comes with a piano and a vocalist and that’s it. The thing is, in the previous decades, you had real singers.

And that was instant.

For them. (Laughs.)

Regarding the Black Box controversy: Because fashion model Katrin Quinol was seen in videos lip-syncing to your vocals, it seemed the record label didn’t think your body type would appeal to music consumers. Now, we have artists like Lizzo, a plus-size black woman who’s at the top. What do you think of that shift when it comes to body positivity and the way more people seem to be embracing full-figured women now?

I think it’s a good thing. First of all, we’re all individuals: We’re all not built the same way, we all don’t look the same way, we all don’t act the same way. So I think it’s great that Lizzo has got this platform now, and she’s doing what she’s doing very well, and she’s the kind of person who doesn’t give a shit about what you think of her. She’s doing her thing, whether you like it or not. And everybody has their own preference, but my thing would be: I don’t think size should ever come into play. But we’re such a visual society, especially nowadays with the invention of technology and the internet. Embrace what they do, because everybody’s talent doesn’t come in the same-sized package.

In 1990, you famously filed lawsuits against producers and record labels for credit and compensation on hit songs you had sung, which resulted in federal legislation that made vocal credit mandatory. This stemmed from your lead vocal being uncredited on several songs by Black Box, including “Strike It Up” and “Everybody Everybody.”

What was the lasting impact of those lawsuits?

Well, just to that end, I’d have to say my attorney, Steven Brown, argued some kind of way that became lawful, that any person that is featured on a project has to have their name credited.

So you do recognize that people are embracing a wider range of body sizes more now than they were in the ’70s during the Black Box controversy?

Oh yes – going all the way back to Two Tons O’ Fun and singing background for Sylvester, I want to say the record label didn’t necessarily know how to market us. We were two large women – and funny thing is, we were two large women who could sing. And up until that time, you never saw a large woman out in the front, a front vocalist, until you saw us. Think about it: The only other person I could think of would’ve

He said, “This song is going to be a hit,” and he was right. And I remember sometimes when Izora and I were doing shows he would wind up at the club and he was giving the DJ the acetate of that record. There’s a 12-inch, almost no label on it, and he’d say, “Play this song.” So it became a hit long before radio ever picked up on it.

So it was a hit in the gay clubs first.

Oh yeah.

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been Mama Cass from the Mamas & the Papas.

You have to go all the way back to the ’70s and the ’60s. The Mamas and the Papas came out in the ’60s. And Mama Cass Elliott was the only one that I knew of or that I could visually see on TV who was large.

So it sounds like you at least appreciate Lizzo. Who are you listening to these days?

Actually not too many people. (Laughs.) I don’t listen to a whole lot of different people. I’ll hear songs on the radio. I do like H.E.R. But I have to be kind of truthful: I’m an old-school girl. I like old-school R&B, that kind of stuff. And I like old-school disco music too.

A friend wanted me to ask you if your performance of “You Are My Friend” with Sylvester was really the insanely transcendent performance moment it sounds like it was?

Yeah, that place was rockin’. It was so bad that I have to tell you this story: It was the second time, I think, that – I’m not gonna say a rock ’n’ roll band, but a band like Sylvester had performed at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. I think the first one was The Pointer Sisters.

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And so when we did it, the place was sold out and people just wore whatever they wanted to wear. I saw so many different outfits (laughs).

One guy had both of his ass cheeks out – seriously. I saw another woman who was in a full ball gown. It was just a cross section of people. Everybody was having a great time, and it was (the song) “Dance (Disco Heat)” we were doing and the place was just going up, to the point that the last balcony started shaking because there were so many people up there. The building was moving and, you know, San Francisco is prone to earthquakes, so the people of the opera house were not too pleased (laughs). I don’t think there’s been another act up in there like that ever again.

As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

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By Kevin Assam Marcia Weaver is the owner of Frita’s Cuban Burger Café at 504 Southard, Key West. And just happens to be an expert cigar roller. Her time as one of Boston’s best brought her to The Steve Harvey Show and major sporting and celebrity events. Now, she oversees the quirky Frida Kahlo inspired street side altar to pork tacos and empanadas. Complete with bicycle drive-ins.

You’re sort of a famous cigar roller, right? You’ve rolled for athletes, politicians, and actors.

I began a cigar business in Boston during the cigar boom. On a trip to Key West, I met a Cuban, Angel Garcia, who rolled cigars at a Duval Street shop. We locked ourselves up in a small cabana for weeks while he taught me cigar rolling. I brought this back to Boston where Angel visited and opened the Boston Cigar Factory. Eventually we were rolling 200– 300 events per year, everything from weddings and BBQs to high end sports and Hollywood events. Our notoriety traveled through word of mouth and top event planners. We were always entertaining, could relate to our clients in English and Spanish, and dressed the part. At one time, we were the only New England cigar rollers. Although we traveled all over the country and were requested in various parts of the world.

There’s that time you were on The Steve Harvey Show.

Who asked you on?

One night, I was watching TV, prepping about 300 cigars for an event and got a phone call asking if I would appear for a segment called ‘Female Groundbreakers.’ They wanted me to fly to Chicago the next morning. I was excited and agreed. I let them know I would be up all night preparing for the next night’s event and would need extensive time in hair and makeup. Also, I would fly back to Boston right after to make my scheduled event. They sent a limousine to take me to Logan Airport!

How do you decide to embark on Frita’s?

I was always a gambler, not in casinos, but in life. It was time. I believe in myself and my hard work. It’s a manageable size.

How long was it before Frita’s really took off?

Shortly after a big article was written about us in The Citizen. I think at the time we were rated number four on TripAdvisor, which I found kind of incredulous considering there’s about 400 24 | follow us @ peachatlmag

[restaurants] in Key West. I do, however, see us as the most affordable restaurant serving all homemade food to order. The scene is pretty much the same: the same obstacles, the same pleasures. The most noticeable change is the demographics with hotel rooms and rents being so high. The city seems to lose the late night crowd and local artists.

Frita’s is predominantly known for two things. Its burgers and pork tacos. What would round out the rest of your top five menu items?

The Traditional Cuban Sandwich comes in at a close third. It is often said to be the best on the island. Our empanadas are extremely popular — all homemade of course. Customers often come in just for the flan and churros with our authentic Cuban coffees.

How long can you go solely eating food from your restaurant?

[Laughs] If allowed, I would endlessly eat at my place because I usually have ingredients to make anything I like. I love to have a beautiful omelet prepared for me. However, I love to eat late night at Virgilio’s not only because of the food but it allows me to sit and think, have a glass of wine, and relax. When I try to eat at my restaurant I am usually standing and interrupted by everything going on. More times than not my food goes cold or I’m eating fast just to get some food in me.

You recently had an interesting encounter with a former neighbor, Mr. Bigglesworth. What was that all about?

Mr. Bigglesworth visited about a year ago, but only came inside for a brief time before we threw him out and he went next door instead.

[Earlier] this year when I opened Frita’s it was clear there had been a break in. The place was trashed. I called the police and described the crime scene when I began noticing some odd circumstances. No sign of entry and nothing taken. Just a mess. Then I spotted some fur and knew. Mr. Biggs the opossum. The kitchen, restroom, and storage were all sealed so, he had to be under the counter. Phone light in hand and sure enough. After an hour of coaxing, I finally called the SPCA. Matt came, caged him, and took him up the Keys to join his new stray friends and live in bliss. The curious incident of the opossum in the night time.

Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and cohesion www.peachatl.com

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25

Michael Hogan

@stanbrogan photos: @markmorinii

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Michael moved to Atlanta three years ago after graduating from Florida State. He currently works as an actuary at a major health insurance company, and he just moved to Cabbagetown. He started drag two years ago as Thin Mint when he entered (and won!) the Mary’s Glitz pageant.

Since joining that community of incredible artists, he hosts his own show and performs in other cities. He is terrible at texting back and keeping up with TV shows but great at watching movies and maintaining friendships via face to face contact as the best way to gain perspective and depth.

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50 TH ANNIVERSARY ATLANTA PRIDE CELEBRATION

OCT.10-12,2020 | atlantapride.org

February 26 – March 4

LNFY & Waugh Family Wines Wine and Food Event Come out for a special wine tasting benefiting Lost-n-Found Youth. Waugh Family Wines from California invites you to savor some of their best bottles – tickets ($75-95) via Eventbrite.

OUT Georgia’s February Fourth Friday

Wednesday, February 26, 6:30 – 8:30 pm Kolo Collection (1189 Howell Mill Rd NW)

Friday, February 28, 5:30 – 7:30 pm Creative Approach

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Mix and mingle with LGBTQ+ business professionals, allies, non-profit leaders, and more at OUT Georgia’s February 2020 Fourth Friday.

Register at outgeorgia.org.

Queen Butch, Vol. 3 The vibrantly fashionable and gag-worthy queer house party, Queen Butch, is back for round three – this time under the theme’ fetish! but make it fashun’! House music legend Hector Romero from Def Mix Records NYC on the decks and queercreative performances throughout the night Tickets at QueenButchEvents.Com. Friday, February 28, 10 pm – 3 am The Heretic

HSL Softball Beer Bust Reload It’s the beginning of softball season, which means the start of beer bust season too! Join coaches DJ Eric James presents Reload at Atlanta’s and players from the Hotlanta Softball League as favorite Levi and leather bar, so prepare to get it they kick off the season with a special Stonewall in on the dancefloor, and keep it going because IPA – portions of the proceeds are donated to the tonight, it’s reload, and go again.

Stonewall Inn Charity Preservation.

Saturday, February 29, 10 pm – 3 am Saturday, February 29, 4 – 8 pm The Atlanta Eagle The Hideaway 30 | follow us @ peachatlmag

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e. NE Piedmont Av

Juniper St . NE

Peachtree St. NE

3

Monr

Charle s Alle n Dr . N E

12 W. Peachtree St. NW

15

16

P o n ce D e Leo n Pl . N E

Spring St. NW

17

4th St. NE

8

13

Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

4

Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

BARS 1 2 3 4

Amsterdam Blake's Bulldogs Friends

6 My Sister’s Room 7 Ten Atlanta

Dining 502 Amsterdam Ave NE 227 10th St NE 893 Peachtree St NE 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE 66 12th St NE 990 Piedmont Ave NE

10 th & Piedmont Campagnolo Einstein's F.R.O.G.S

991 Piedmont Ave NE 980 Piedmont Ave NE 1077 Juniper St NE 931 Monroe Cir NE

clubs 13 Atlanta Eagle

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

fitness

retail 8 Barking Leather

9 10 11 12

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE

spa/bath 15 Flex Spa

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76 4th St. NW

16 17 18 19

G’s Midtown Henry’s Joe's on Juniper La Hacienda

219 10th St NE 132 10th St NE 1049 Juniper St NE 900 Monroe Dr NE

billards/Darts drag dancers leather non-smoking area Patio

www.peachatl.com

When the world throws you Let be your savedandgay.com

Cheshire 23

ansley 21

idg

eR

tC ir .

NE

Piedmont Park BARS 2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1086 Alco St NE 1931 Piedmont Cir NE 2425 Piedmont Rd NE 1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd

32 33 34 35 36

Midtown Moon Felix's The Hideaway Mixx Oscar's

1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd 2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1739 Cheshire Bridge Rd 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

Spa / bath 2135 Liddell Drive NE

1492 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 1544 Piedmont Ave NE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

Dining 38 Eclectic Bistro

Fitness 30 Gravitee Fitness

e. nt mo ed

d.

clubs 28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino

39

36 38

Retail 26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights

41

Pi

20

Dining 24 Las Margaritas 25 Roxx

Av

ge Rd Brid hire Ches

28

25 r eB

E

35

24

BJ Roosters Sequel Tripps Woof's

42 The Den

26

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Dr

Rd

BARS 20 21 22 23

40

32

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36

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Ch

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27

33

. NE

Pi e

29

idde

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31

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34

x Rd

Manchester St. NE

Piedmont Rd. NE

22

42 L

Fa

BL

Le no

30

Lambert Dr.

PU

St.

.

A l co

1600 Piedmont Ave NE 1425 Piedmont Ave NE

Retail 39 Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE 40 Brushstrokes/Pleasures 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

Fitness 41 Equilibrium Fitness

1529 Piedmont Ave, Suite L

NOT SHOWN

Mary's Sister Louisa’s Church Swinging Richards Lips Atlanta The T

1287 Glenwood Ave SE 466 Edgewood Ave SE 1400 Northside Dr NW 3011 Buford Hwy NE 465 Boulevard SE

A snapshot of Gay Atlanta’s favorite destinations. View their ads in Peach ATL & visit their websites for weekly event listings.

Bars & Clubs

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

Retail

MIDTOWN

MARY’S

MIDTOWN

amsterdamatlanta.com

1287 Glenwood Ave SE

AMSTERDAM

502 Amsterdam Ave. NE

ATLANTA EAGLE

marysatlanta.com

SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH

BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

sisterlouisaschurch.com

CHESHIRE

SWINGING RICHARDS

SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO

1400 Northside Dr NW

ANSLEY

BULLDOGS

Dining

BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR

FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR

MIDTOWN

1447 Piedmont Ave NE

736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

10thandpiedmont.com

atlantaeagle.com

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK

blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE

893 Peachtree St NE

friendsonponce-atl.com

466 Edgewood Ave SE

swingingrichards.com

10TH & PIEDMONT

MY SISTER’S ROOM

991 Piedmont Ave NE

66 12th St NE

einsteinsatlanta.com

mysistersroom.com

TEN ATLANTA

tenatlanta.com

990 Piedmont Ave NE

THE T

modeltatlanta.com

EINSTEIN’S

1077 Juniper St NE

GCB & PLEASURES

brushstrokesatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE

BARKING LEATHER barkingleather.com

1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A

Fitness

931 Monroe Dr

MIDTOWN

frogsmidtown.com

G’S

CHESHIRE

219 10th St NE

gsmidtown.com

HERETIC

HENRY’S

2069 Cheshire Bridge Road

132 10th St NE

henrysatl.com

BJ ROOSTERS

JOE’S ON JUNIPER

2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

1049 Juniper St NE

bjroosters.com

boynextdoormenswear.com

FROGS CANTINA

465 Boulevard SE

hereticatlanta.com

2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

joesonjuniper.com

URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbodyfitness.com

500 Amsterdam Ave NE

CHESHIRE GRAVITEE FITNESS graviteeatl.com

2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SEQUEL

LA HACIENDA

Spas/Baths/Adult

TRIPPS

900 Monroe Dr NE

MIDTOWN

CHESHIRE

FLEX SPA

LAS MARGARITAS

76 4th St NW

1086 Alco St NE 1931 Piedmont Circle N

WOOFS

woofsatlanta.com

2425 Piedmont Road NE

lahaciendamidtown.com

lasmargaritasmidtown.com 1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

flexspas.com

CHESHIRE

ANSLEY

ROXX

MIDTOWN MOON

1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

THE DEN

DEKALB

2135 Liddell Drive NE

1492 Piedmont Ave NE

FELIX’S

1510 Piedmont Ave NE

THE HIDEAWAY

LIPS ATLANTA

thedenatlanta.com

atldragshow.com

3011 Buford Hwy NE

1544 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX

mixxatlanta.com

1492 Piedmont Ave NE

OSCAR’S

oscarsatlanta.com

1510 Piedmont Ave NE

34 | follow us @ peachatlmag

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10 FOODS (AND DRINKS) THAT WILL BOOST YOUR HEALTH

Spring is coming, so don’t get sick now!

Green Tea – for antioxidants

Anise seed – antiinflammatory

Red Peppers – Vitamin C boost

Garlic – blood pressurereducing

Yogurt – benefits digestive health

Fennel – rich source of fiber Turmeric Curcumin - antiinflammatory

Kale – lowers cholesterol

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Fatty fish – omega 3 fatty acids Oysters – rich source of minerals and vitamins www.peachatl.com

WE'RE HIRING WE ARE SEEKING Motivated, Hard-Working, Innovative People to be Our Next Superstar Ad Sales Representatives.

Playmates and Playmates and soul mates... soul mates...

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Jumpstart Your Career by Joining Atlanta's Newest Gay Media Company!

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Him: What are you up to?

Me: Just some self-care

Text your Peach Pits to 540-30-PEACH, or e-mail mikkel@PeachATL.com

Him: did you go get that massage?

Before you start popping that bubble wrap, remember the air in it is from China ..

Me: No, I’m at home

Him: You’re drunk in the tub aren’t you

You may be gay but looking at your outfit it seems you’re not very good at it

Me: 100%

In the event of a bear attack it is best to remove your pants and play dead

Every once in a while, someone amazing comes into your life … Here I am.

You’re welcome!

Some days, the supply of available curse words is insufficient to meet my demands

To kids who are confused about what’s going on, let me help you understand: Death Eaters are completely in control of the Ministry

Daddy Joke Alert I tell dad jokes, but I don’t have any kids. I’m a faux pa 38 | follow us @ peachatlmag

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dj eric james

10pm no cover 306 ponce de leon ave ne atlanta, ga 30308

LEO (Jul. 23 - Aug. 22) You’ll try to make a good impression with a new acquaintance today. But your massive ego may have him running in the other direction. Toning it down a bit could have you figuring out how to lure him back, and why it is you have so few friends.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22) The dating game can be played anywhere, even at work. Fix your eyes on coworkers who may be looking at you. Hopefully those colleagues will be guys who play for the same team. Otherwise you may have some ‘splainin’ to do.

PISCES (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20)

LIBRA (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22)

You may have to rely on favors from friends in high places today. Being beholden to others is not a comfortable place for you, because there’s no telling what they’ll expect in return. So keep your integrity intact, and don’t do anything that involves farm animals, a leather thong and a blender.

Repeatedly striking out with men recently may have you feeling depressed. Cheer up mate, because it’s the dawning of a whole new day. If you act like a desperate jerk, you’re only going to attract desperate jerks, so accentuate the positive and see what happens.

ARIES (Mar. 21 - Apr. 19)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

You’ll need to come up with unique ways to approach a hectic workday. Drinking plenty of coffee is one solution, as is exercising before heading to work. But your best tactic could be staying in bed, and leaving the mountain of headaches for your coworkers to deal with.

The boss will be in a good mood today, an opportune time to sell him some of your ideas. You’ll be amazed at how easy that will be, and he’ll give you the green light on all of them. But hopefully it wasn’t the Prozac speaking, and he remembers it tomorrow.

TAURUS (Apr. 20 - May 20)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

You will be turtle-like today, slow moving and meticulous. Too bad the day will start in overdrive and only get faster from there. You’ll have to ramp up as quickly as possible. You know what happens when the turtle tries to move into the fast lane.

Recent overspending may have left your finances in a weakened and pitiful state. Tighten that belt strap today, and get frugal. You may have to return some favors if you want people to help you out, and hopefully some of them won’t involve taking off your pants.

GEMINI (May 21 - Jun. 20)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

Curb your enthusiasm if a friend approaches you with an interesting business proposition today. Look at his plans from all angles, but remember that business can be like dating. You may find someone who looks attractive, but you’ll only wind up getting screwed, and not in a way you’d like.

The high energy with which you’ll greet the day will be countered by slow moving coworkers. You won’t have the patience for their sluggishness, and you’ll tell them so. This won’t make them work any faster, and will cast you as the office pariah for the remainder of the day, if not the week.

CANCER (Jun. 21 - Jul. 22)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

Difficulties will arise at work today, but you’ll handle them with the poise of a miracle worker. It’ll be like you have a magic wand and those problems will instantly disappear. Now where was that wand when you needed it last week?

Despite your best laid plans, today will be one disaster after another. You won’t be able to figure out why that is, but don’t try to fight it. Go with the flow and you’ll get though this difficult day, but expect frustration and a headache that will feel like your brain is caught in a vice.

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By Mikkel Hyldebrandt Trouble in the love department? With sex? Or just people in general? Send us your queries, questions, and problems, and you’ll get answers served straight up and with a little ice.

Up until recently, I was in a happy, almost oneyear-long relationship with a wonderful man, and I thought everything was going well until he completely ghosted me. For days I couldn’t get a hold of him, and when I finally heard from him, he just told me it was over and that he wanted nothing to do with me. Since then, he has blocked everywhere, and I don’t even know where he is. I never got to a point where I was introduced to his family, so I can’t even reach out to them. I know this sounds kind of crazy, but I had not even the slightest warning sign that something was off. I am now left devastated and ruined, and I honestly struggle with moving forward, because I feel so abandoned.I’m trying to ward off negative feelings, but it is so difficult, because how can it not be me when he just left me like that? I don’t know what to do, and I feel very alone.

My straight friend and I like to go out and have a good time, drink, and dance. We’ve been doing it for years and years, but then things changed after we got drunk and went back to my place to crash. We ended up having this (totally consensual) crazy, drunken, but fantastic sex, where he told me that he’d wanted to do this for a while and that he thought I was so sexy.

The next day we hung out a little without ever mentioning the sex incident, and then he left.

Now, we’re only texting sporadically, and when I asked him if he wanted to go to a concert with me, he declined, which seems very unusual. Did I maybe ruin our friendship with the (gay) sex?

Sincerely The Forsaken

Take a deep breath and relax your shoulders a little. Hooking up is not wrong, and neither is hooking up with a guy who identifies as straight.

Maybe this was the first time he had sex with a guy, and he was a little surprised about how the night turned out. If he is struggling with his sexuality, it was cool that he had this experience with you, because you care about him. What’s less cool is that you did it with someone who is a good friend, and that may have blurred the friendship barriers. Hooking up is great, but it also comes at a price, and in your case, it might mean that the friendship will change into something else. If he is insecure about his sexuality, then he might act awkwardly towards you until he is ready to talk about it. Give him some time and let him take the next step.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to talk about it so that it won’t fester as an unspoken secret between the two of you. The friendship is not lost – in fact, if he needs help to come to terms with his sexuality, you’re the perfect friend for it.

Dear The ForsakenTo have your world pulled away from under your feet as you have experienced is devastating. You have to tell yourself this before going to a dark place even though it sounds like a cliché, but in your instance, it rings very true: It is not you; it is him! To put someone else through what you are going through without offering any sort of reason for this abrupt abandonment only goes to show that he has some serious issues and that he has probably concealed them for you, and everyone else in his world. So even though it is hard, try not to place blame on yourself for his appalling behavior. This looks more like mental illness or some substance abuse that has forced him to act erratically with severe emotional carnage in his trail. In your situation, seek comfort with your friends and family and see a therapist that can help you work through this terrible experience. There’sThere’s no easy way through an emotional blow like this, but you are already taking positive steps in letting the world know your pain. You are allowed to feel all of those things, but just remember that you are not alone, and you can get through this and learn how to love and trust again.

Sincerely Chuggy Chum Dear Chuggy Chum

NEED ANSWERS? REACH OUT TO US, AND YOU WILL GET THEM! SEND YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS TO OUR EDITOR AT MIKKEL@PEACHATL.COM.

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