Sunday, September 14, 2008 | News, Sports, A+E, Food, Life, In this Issue..., Style, Nightlife
The SP 100

Presenting the fourth annual SP 100: The Sunday Paper staff’s thoroughly researched, hotly debated and extremely opinionated list of Atlanta’s finest entertainers, restaurants, philanthropists, nightspots and more.

Bill DeLoach
Georgia Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”


Alison Rosa 
Karin Slaughter


Courtesy of Essential Records
Third Day


Courtesy of Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre


Linnea Frye
“Song of the Living Dead” at Dad’s Garage

 
Spark St. Jude
Jan Smith with one of her more famous students


Chris Lee
Robert Spano


Charlie McCullers
Lauri Stallings

ROBERT SPANO

WHY: As Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Spano serves as the public face of one of the nation’s premier classical music ensembles. He’s conducted just about every major orchestra in North America, has appeared with some celebrated opera companies and performed abroad with the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Berlin Radio Symphony and the Czech Philharmonic. The nationally recognized conductor continues to expand both the ASO’s repertoire and its profile, adding to Atlanta’s stature in the process.
WHERE: www.atlantasymphony.org.

KARIN SLAUGHTER

WHY: We’re big fans of bestselling novelist Slaughter not just for her incredibly popular thrillers, which juxtapose unflinching looks at the repercussions of violence with accessible characters, but also because she truly loves Georgia. You can tell because Atlanta figures prominently in two of her novels, “Triptych” and the recent “Fractured,” and six others are set in fictional Grant County. You can also tell from the two humorous mini-movies that explore Atlanta and her home state on her Web site.
WHERE: www.karinslaughter.com.

JAN SMITH

WHY: Because this singer-songwriter is the go-to vocal coach, producer and consultant for some of the music industry’s biggest stars, including Usher, Rob Thomas, India Arie and Jennifer Nettles. From her 4,500-square-foot Atlanta office, Smith brings her expertise to clients as disparate as Keyshia Cole, actor Terrence Howard, girl group Danity Kane and even Atlanta heavy rockers Mastodon, helping artists hone and refine their singing skills, whether they’re tackling a challenging piece of music or looking to expand their capabilities.
WHERE: www.jansmith.com.

LAURI STALLINGS

WHY: Because this nationally recognized dancer, a veteran of the acclaimed Hubbard Street Dance Chicago troupe, brings an energetic and audacious aesthetic to her role as the Atlanta Ballet’s resident choreographer. The distinctive, fluid style she applied earlier this year to “big,” the company’s ballyhooed collaboration with OutKast rapper Big Boi, lent the project a much-needed cohesion. She’s also created new works for various dance companies across the country, worked on Julie Taymor’s “Across the Universe” and recently entered into a partnership with Cirque de Soleil.

SOUTHERN TRACKS RECORDING

WHY: This is where some of your favorite albums were recorded. Southern Tracks’ roster of famous clients includes the likes of Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Train, Aerosmith, Rage Against the Machine, TLC, R.E.M., the Indigo Girls, Elton John, Third Day, Widespread Panic, Soundgarden, the Black Crowes—even Huey Lewis, Aretha Franklin and Michael Bolton. One of the more recent feathers in the studio’s cap: Bruce Springsteen’s last three albums were recorded there—for which overzealous stalkers of “the Boss” can thank superproducer (and Atlanta native) Brendan O’Brien.
WHERE: www.southerntracks.com.

GEORGIA SHAKESPEARE

WHY: With gorgeously mounted and innovatively staged productions such as “Metamorphoses,” “Eurydice” (in partnership with the Alliance Theatre) and the recent “Merchant of Venice”—not to mention a consistently stellar roster of actors—Georgia Shakespeare provides one of the richest theatergoing experiences in Atlanta. Throw in picnics on the covered terrace at Oglethorpe, pre-show “Terrace Talks” that offer enlightening background information and post-show actor chats, and you’ve got the makings of a wonderfully entertaining and enriching night out.
WHERE: Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-264-0020. www.gashakespeare.org.

VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATRE AT ENCORE PARK

WHY: The latest addition to Atlanta’s concert-venue landscape offers a gorgeous outdoor experience. Nestled inside a 45-acre lot landscaped with some 1,200 trees, this 12,000-seat amphitheatre features a sprawling plaza, a more upscale take on your classic concession stand and two levels of restrooms. In its inaugural year, it’s played host to some impressively high-profile shows, including a four-night stand by the Eagles last May. It’s also the new outdoor home of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which makes for some utterly romantic evenings.
WHERE: 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 404-733-5010. www.vzwamp.com.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN

WHY: Everyone knows this Howell Mill hole in the wall is the best place in town for authentic blues, with a weekly roster that includes the Breeze Kings and Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck. (It was also the unofficial Atlanta home of the late Sean Costello.) But as transcendent as its nightly shows are, Northside Tavern is also a great daytime hang, perfect for blowing off steam with co-workers at the end of a long work week, playing a relaxing game of pool or just meeting new friends.
WHERE: 1058 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-874-1058. www.northsidetavern.com.

JANELLE MONÁE

WHY: Monáe’s compelling mixture of expansive hip-hop, sprightly, funky pop and futuristic concepts makes her an artist worth watching. Her 2007 EP “Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase” is both a set of electronic jams and a trippy exploration of such classic themes as class and race. The first of a planned four-part series, it introduces listeners to Cindi Mayweather, an android who falls in love with a human and must go on the run to avoid being disassembled. “The Chase” caught the attention of unlikely suitor Diddy, who signed Monáe to his Bad Boy label and re-released the EP (with two new tracks) last month. With any luck, that high-profile helping hand should introduce Atlanta’s most imaginative export since André 3000 (and her collaborators at Wondaland Productions) to a wider audience.
WHERE: www.jmonae.com.

THIRD DAY

WHY: For taking risks in order to yield great rewards. Already a top dog in the Contemporary Christian Music genre, the Grammy-winning, Georgia-based group took some huge steps this year—signing with a new management group, Red Light (whose clients include Dave Matthews and Alanis Morissette), hiring mainstream modern-rock producer Howard Benson (P.O.D., Hoobastank) and enlisting guest stars Chris Daughtry, pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph and Flyleaf’s Lacey Mosley. The resulting album, “Revelation,” reaffirms the band’s hard-rocking roots, and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (2005’s “Wherever You Are” bowed at No. 8). Third Day also parted ways with guitarist Brad Avery this year, deciding to soldier on as a quartet.
WHERE: www.thirdday.com.

GOOGIE UTERHARDT

WHY: Although casual theatergoers might know him for “quirky little roles in strange musicals,” as the actor himself puts it, that description doesn’t do him justice. With his engaging stage presence, deft comedic timing and ability to juggle multiple roles (as he did in ART Station’s “Five Course Love” earlier this year), Uterhardt certainly makes comedy look easy. But we’re looking forward to seeing him in “some meatier, edgier, more dramatic” roles soon. “I’m always hoping to show people something they haven’t seen from me before,” Uterhardt says.
 

METALSOME

WHY: Deep down, even the most reserved office-dweller has an inner Axl Rose just waiting to unleash his serpentine. As long as regular Atlantans feel the need to let go and rock out, the city’s best crackerjack live hard-rock karaoke band will be supplying sweet licks and spotlight space for all to share.
WHERE: Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at the 10 High Club. 816 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-873-3607. www.metalsome.com.

SOLOMON PROJECTS

WHY: Nancy Solomon doesn’t just hang art on her walls—she lives it. This gallery is one of our favorites, with lectures, films and interactive installations that really get viewers involved in experiencing art.
WHERE: 1037 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. 404-876-7100. www.solomonprojects.com.

DAD’S GARAGE

WHY: Because good improv is hard to find. Because we enjoy the random, hilarious comedic stylings of this local performance mainstay. Because Artistic Director Kate Warner and staff stage witty, pop-culture-infused productions like last season’s zombie musical “Song of the Living Dead” and such upcoming offerings as Trey Parker’s “Cannibal! The Musical,” the TV horror-host spoof “Monster Movie,” and the intriguingly titled “Samurai Davis Jr. and Dim Sum’s Super Mega Happy Fun Time Improv Show!” Because watching other people act stupid makes us feel better about ourselves.
WHERE: 280 Elizabeth St., Suite C-101, Atlanta. 404-523-3141. www.dadsgarage.com.