One of my all-time favorite blogs is swinging through Atlanta tonight. Well, it’s Co-Founder/CEO is.

Maxwell of Apartment Therapy will be at Switch on Howell Mill tonight from 6-8pm signing his new book, Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces.

RSVP here: Maxwell’s in Atlanta

Atlanta’s newest full service bike shop, Loose Nuts Cycles, is celebrating their grand opening in Grant Park tonight. Free beer will be provided by Fat Tire.

Loose Nuts Cycles
452 Cherokee Ave “A”
Atlanta, GA 30312

Excuses, excuses. I won’t bore you with them. Just know I still care about you and DaFC! Which is why I’m coming out of my winter hibernation (also referred to as “tons of work”) to make sure you are hip to the fantastic new collaboration, Broken Bells, featuring James Mercer (of The Shins notoriety) and former Atlantan Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley).

Broken Bells
The Morning Benders
Thursday, June 10
Center Stage
Doors 8PM, Show 9PM | $26ADV/$28DOS | All Ages

To win a pair of tickets to see Broken Bells and The Morning Benders at their SOLD OUT concert at Center Stage on Thursday, June 10, comment on Drive A Faster Car’s Facebook Page with and tell me why you should win the tickets.

One winner will be chosen at random from the rule abiding contestants and notified via email by 4PM on the day of the show. Upon confirmation, the winner will receive two tickets which they will receive at Will Call. You must be able to confirm by 5PM EST on June 10. (If you don’t, we will be giving them to someone else.)

[mp3] Broken Bells – The High Road
[mp3] The Morning Benders – Cold War

This nine-piece Brooklyn music collective has come a long way over the past decade and this Augusta, GA native isn’t slowing down.

On the tails of her fourth record, “I Learned The Hard Way,” Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings are hitting Atlanta’s Center Stage this week for what is sure to be “… a painstaking homage to the chitlin-circuit soul of the sixties and seventies,” as described by New York Magazine.

Drive A Faster Car is giving away a Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings prize pack consisting of:

• 2 tickets to Thursday’s concert at Center Stage
• An autographed poster
• “When I Come Home” b/w instrumental 45″ (new and out-of-print!)

To win a pair of tickets to see the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at Center Stage on Thursday, May 13, comment on the Drive A Faster Car Facebook page and tell me your favorite Sharon Jones song and why you should win the tickets.

One winner will be chosen at random from the rule abiding contestants and notified via Facebook by 4PM EST on Wednesday, May 12. Upon confirmation with full name and mailing address, the winner will receive the prize pack and pair of tickets, the latter which they will receive at Will Call. You must be able to confirm with your full name and mailing address by 5PM EST on Wednesday, May 12 to win.

Screen On The Green, Atlanta’s free outdoor movie series, is returning to Piedmont Park this summer after spending the previous two years at Centennial Olympic Park due to drought restrictions at Piedmont. I doubt we’ll be the first to cheer for this!

Summer 2010 Schedule

May 27
“National Treasure”

June 3
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

June 10
“Dreamgirls”

June 17
“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”

In tradition, viewers will have the opportunity to vote for which movie will be screened at the end of the series on June 24. The ballot options include “Jurassic Park,” “Casino Royale” and “The Incredible Hulk.” Voting will run from April 12 until April 30. All movies begin at dusk and be sure to leave your pets at home with your glass containers.

Photo by erin.kkr

Photo from GQ.com

Pavement, the indie college rockers who led the lo-fi movement of the early 90s, are back on the road for for the first time in a decade and visiting Atlanta’s Tabernacle on September 26.

Tickets will be available via Live Nation this Friday, March 5.

Chuck Klosterman, pop culture writer who likely shares many shelves with Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, gets the down-low on the forthcoming Pavement reunion straight from frontman Stephen Malkmus over at GQ.

Of a similar note, Aussie shoegazers, The Church, will be playing at Center Stage on May 1 and tickets are on sale now.

[mp3] Pavement – Gold Soundz
[mp3] Pavement – Here (Live)
[mp3] Pavement – Home (Live)
[mp3] The Happy Hollows – Under The Milky Way (The Church cover)
[mp3] Isidore (Steve Kilbey of The Church and Jeffrey Cain of Remy Zero) – Sanskrit

It’s a pretty tepid overcast day out in Atlanta. The Black Heart Procession is a long time favorite of mine introduced many years back by an ex-boyfriend and Fellini’s coworker, Brad Baker. Very sultry, brooding and dark.

This track from their 2002 release Amore del Tropico matches this Friday weather quite closely.

[mp3] The Black Heart Procession – Tropics Of Love

Atlanta-born actress Brittany Murphy (”Clueless”, “Girl, Interrupted”, “8Mile”, “Sin City”) died after suffering from cardiac arrest on Sunday morning in her Los Angeles home.

“Los Angeles cops are investigating the 32-year-old’s sudden death, but a coroner official said it “appears to be natural.”"

More from the New York Daily News.

Even Bob Dylan is embracing user-generated content this year with this fantastic new tool that allows users to insert their own message into the “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video and send it to a friend.

This is definitely a unique way you could send holiday cards this season! Make your own at DylanMessaging.com.

Metric may very well hold the spot for my favorite record of 2009.

Vocalist and keyboard player Emily Haines continuously delivers solid song after song on their latest release, Fantasies and she is guaranteed to do the same this weekend and warm you up this almost freezing (low of 36 degrees!) holiday weekend. Their dynamic synthpop/new wave/dance rock/electronic verses will keep your head bobbing and hips rocking.

The much buzzed about UK trio Band Of Skulls open the show in support of their debut album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey.

Metric
Band Of Skulls
Saturday, November 28
Center Stage
8PM Doors, 9PM Show | $20 ADV | All Ages

To win a pair of tickets to see Metric and Band Of Skulls at Center Stage on Saturday, November 28, enter via email with your full name and tell me why you should win the tickets. First one to enter (and confirm) will win the tickets and notified via email by 1PM TODAY. Upon confirmation, the winner will receive two tickets which they will receive at Will Call. You must be able to confirm by 2PM EST TODAY.

[mp3] Metric – Help I’m Alive
[mp3] Band Of Skulls – I Know What I Am