Go Atlanta

This week, we look at an unusual local music success story. Foxes and Fossils, a homegrown cover band from Smyrna, has never released a commercial record. They’ve never gone on tour. Their promotion has occurred — almost accidentally — by word of mouth. They began 10 years ago with a performance in a pizza parlor and haven’t progressed much from there. Then, last year, something strange started happening online. Videos of live Foxes and Fossils shows gathered steam on YouTube, led by their video of the Crosby, Stills & Nash 1969 chestnut, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

Hear all about it from the AJC’s Bo Emerson.

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This week, we take a look at a new box set of recordings by one of Athens' most influential bands.

Back in 2009 following the death of Pylon’s guitarist Randy Bewley, the B-52s' Fred Schneider told the AJC, “To me, Pylon was the best band to ever come out of Athens. It still is.” Now, more than 40 years after the band’s debut single “Cool”/"Dub," Pylon will release a career retrospective box set that includes some never-before-released recordings.

In this week’s podcast, we talk with Pylon’s vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay and bassist Michael Lachowski about this new treasure trove.

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This Halloween, Atlantans can make their way to burial places of the famous, infamous — and everything in between. As Halloween and the Day of the Dead approach, freelance writer Mary Welch offers an overview of our area’s cemeteries and their residents.

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Movies being released to theaters is still a rarity these days, but one that will hit the big screen is “Spell.” Omari Hardwick stars in this tale of dark magic and sinister ritual that is being released just in time for Halloween. The movie will also be available on video-on-demand on Oct. 30. In this week's episode of accessAtlanta, AJC reporter Rodney Ho spoke with the former college football player and University of Georgia graduate about the film.

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This week, we look at how restaurants are coping with a changing world. When public health officials recommended socially distanced outdoor dining as the safest way to eat at restaurants during the pandemic, food and drink establishments responded by expanding the footprint of their patios and plopping picnic tables in their parking lots.

The dining team checks in with local restaurants to find out how the business is coping, including efforts to winterize their outdoor spaces. The story is part of a major package that looks at dining and how the restaurant business is coping during the pandemic. Hear all about it from the dining team and some local restaurant owners and chefs on this week’s podcast.

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This week, we visit Vinings. Without a map, it’s hard to tell where Buckhead ends and Vinings begins, since Vinings is actually a part of unincorporated Atlanta even though it’s in Cobb County. It has the feel of a small town with a walkable village, and its streets are lined with beautiful homes surrounded by the Chattahoochee River and lush trees. On this episode, freelance writer Mary Welch joins us to talk about the many fun things to do and see in Vinings.

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Pumpkin patches and corn mazes, which are a sure sign that the season of falling leaves and Halloween has arrived. They’re also welcome sign of cooler weather and a very good reason to get outside and enjoy some sunshine. This week on accessAtlanta, freelance writer Nina Reeder shares where to find the best local pumpkin patches and corn mazes in and around Atlanta.

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This week we talk about ways to visit a new place without leaving your couch. If you’re missing quality travel time, travel shows can give you a taste of the world without leaving home. Revisit some of your favorite spots, or take a vicarious tour through places you’ve never been. PBS and the Travel Channel used to be among the few options for travel TV, but with the wide array of options available now, you’ll find them in many more places. In this episode of accessAtlanta, Rodney Ho takes us through some of the best in travel-related television.

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This week, we talk about live music and some classic live albums. We miss live concerts, and we bet many of you do, too. They’re slowly coming back, but in a very different form: smaller audiences, drive-in theaters and other outdoor venues with widely spaced seating. And while they can never take the place of the concert experience, live albums give us a taste of seeing our favorite artists onstage.

Live albums, of course, have been around for a very long time, and AJC music writer Melissa Ruggieri recently compiled a list of a few memorable live albums to revisit. On this week’s podcast, we talk about that list and more, and she’s brought along a special guest.

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This week, we discuss a cuisine that’s making its mark on Atlanta. The restaurant scene has struggled during the pandemic, but you can never count out such a vibrant melting pot. You’ll find the cuisine of so many countries and ethnic groups here in our city and the people who bring us this culinary diversity are among those helping to keep us fed in these difficult times.

Our dining editor Ligaya Figueras noticed that one in particular, Filipino-American food, was on the upswing. It’s a cuisine that has special meaning to her. She joins us to discuss this welcome trend and brings us her interviews with some of the people who are making it happen: the people behind the Estrellita, Kamayan ATL and Adobo ATL pop ups and restaurants.

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