Venkman's | 740 Ralph McGill Blvd.

Indianapolis Jones + Telegram
2017-01-19 21:00 (America/New_York)
Telegram is a three-piece band from Atlanta, Georgia.
Our names are: Troy Bieser, Rob Henson, and Jamie Shepard.

EARLY SHOW: Thor's Hammer
2017-01-20 18:30 - 20:30
When they’re not playing with Yacht Rock Schooner, you can find Doug and Ganesh playing progressive rock with Agent Cooper, or taking requests and starting sing alongs with Thor’s Hammer.
Thor’s Hammer started as a project for fun, a chance for two friends to blow off some steam playing some classic songs they’d always loved. Audiences soon found out that their talent and experience meant they’d hear some great singers sing some great songs, and were likely to see something they didn’t expect.
Doug Busbee and Ganesh Giri Jaya are both lifelong performers, with decades of shows behind them, and Thor’s Hammer draws on their wide-ranging pop repertoire to deliver forgotten gems, timeless classics, and of course some smooth yachty standards.

ATL Collective relives Erykah Badu's "Baduizm"
2017-01-20 21:30
ATL Collective + musical curator, Khari Cabral Simmons, take on Erykah Badu’s Baduizm with ATL-local musicians: Maleke O’Ney, Ingrid Sibley, Jill Rock Jones, Zema Lovefire, Ruby Velle, and Chanda Leigh.
Discover your new favorite Atlanta artists while singing your old favorite songs. A live cover series dedicated to reliving the album.
The ATL Collective creates musical events that seek to replicate the intimate experience of listening to an album for the first time, going track by track, reading through the liner notes and turning over the record, truly enjoying the music for what it is, without distractions. Each month, the ATL Collective picks a classic album and collectively covers the track list in sequence – many times completing the event with themed refreshments for attendees. Previous albums have included The Beatles’ Abbey Road, The Clash’s London Calling, Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, to name a few.

Princess Brunch: FROZEN Sing-a-long
2017-01-21 10:30 - 12:30, 2017-01-28 10:30 - 12:30, 2017-02-04 10:30 - 12:30
Dust off the crown and jewels and join us at the V for a sing-a-long party featuring one of the “coolest” animated hits of all-time. This musical experience invites audiences of all ages to sit back, “Let it Go,” and sing along with this special interactive screening of Disney’s beloved musical, FROZEN. Advance reservations are encouraged for this event.
From the kitchen will be offering a royal brunch feast, including Princess Flapjacks for the little ones.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

Chicken Pickin' Brunch w/ The Carmonas
2017-01-21 13:00 - 15:00
The Carmonas take their roots-bound sound to fresh melodic and lyrical regions with cut-above song crafting, strong vocal choruses and ear-grabbing harmonies. The natural blend of the voices of primary members and siblings Chad, Alison, and Aaron Carmona is what really draws attention to the talent apparent in this Americana group. The band blends a wide range of musical styles into a cohesive, original sound. With fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and upright bass, one would expect a traditional bluegrass sound, but what you hear is something much more complex.
As an up and coming band The Carmonas have had the chance to perform at a wide variety of venues across the country from New York to Nashville and California to the Dakotas. In addition to stateside touring they have had the chance to tour Europe, South and Central America, and the Middle East. They are currently promoting their recently released first full length studio album “The Carmonas”, the follow-up to their debut EP, “Oh, Alice”. They have been given the opportunity to share the stage with Emmy Lou Harris, Marty Stuart, Dale Ann Bradley, Band of Heathens, and the Blind Boys of Alabama among others.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

Jan Smith Studios Spotlight
2017-01-21 17:30 - 19:30
Join Jan Smith Studios as they spotlight talent from their community of singers and songwriters who are honing their craft as emerging artists on the rise.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

SOLD OUT - The REMakes: A tribute to the early catalogue of R.E.M.
2017-01-21 21:30
Atlanta R.E.M. tribute band the REMakes knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That’s the reason their covers of songs from R.E.M.’s early catalog (ranging from Chronic Town to Monster) are authentic and true to the original recordings. Playing the band’s biggest hits as well as deep album tracks, the REMakes take their audience on a musical ride back to 1980s’ Athens, Ga.
Lead singer and guitar player Geoff Melkonian and bass player and backing vocalist Jeff Rosenberg have been playing together since they were 14 and R.E.M. was still an underground band. Melkonian and drummer Webb Vandiver began jamming when they were in their early 20s. Out of a love and passion for the music they grew up with, the three musicians came together in 2009 as the REMakes.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Purchasing a General Admission ticket does not guarantee a seat/table. Table reservations can be made at venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.
Bar area seating is also first-come, first-serve.
Additional reservations are not required if a booth or banquette has been purchased via Ticketfly.
PLEASE NOTE: If earlier dinner reservations are made, your seats are not guaranteed for the show. For example, you cannot reserve a table at 7:30pm and keep it for a 9:30pm show. The only way to guarantee a seat for the show is to purchase booth or banquette tickets.
Reservations for the Captain’s Room (private dining room) can be reserved for parties of 12-20 guests. For more info call 470-225-6162.

Bottomless Mimosa Brunch w/ Matthew Kaminski Trio
2017-01-22 12:30 - 15:00
Featuring Ben Bailey on drums and Dave Frackenpohl on guitar.
Born in Chicago, IL, Matthew Kaminski has been playing the Hammond Organ since he was five years old. Studying under Chicago jazz pianist Gordon James in his teens, Matthew was accepted into the University of Arizona’s jazz studies department as a jazz pianist. There, he studied jazz with Dr. Jeffrey Haskell and Mike Eckroth, and played in the jazz ensemble and combos as well as studying classical piano with Dr. Suzanne Knosp. Matthew also attended master classes by Wynton Marsalis and Kitty Margolis, and performed with vibraphonists/marimba musicians Dave Samuels and Dave Friedman.
Matthew has a passion for jazz organ playing and has studied with Hammond B3 masters Ike Stubblefield, Tony Monaco, and Scott Giddens, as well a sharing the stage with fellow organists Pat Bianchi, Linda Dachtyl, Wil Blades, Todd Hildreth and guitarist Grant Green Jr. Additionally, Matthew has been a full time piano teacher since 2001 and currently teaches at The North Fulton School of Music’s Atlanta locations, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, and has taught at the college level for Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA. Matthew continues to perform regularly in the Atlanta, GA metro area on three instruments: the Hammond organ, piano, and accordion.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

2017-01-23 07:30 - 21:30
Let us help you ease into the week a little easier with Wicked Weed and vinyl jams at Venkman’s! Venkman’s will be opening at 7:30 on January 23 and Chef Nick Melvin will be preparing a delicious 8-item menu with suggested Wicked Weed pairings. BYOV (Bring your own vinyl) as DJ RaeTone will be spinning them all night long. Add a little extra Venkman’s and vinyl into your week! Call 470-225-6162 to secure your reservations.

WICKED MONDAY
2017-01-23 19:30 - 22:00
Let us help you ease into the week a little easier with Wicked Weed, Monday Night Brewing and vinyl at Venkman’s! Venkman’s will be opening at 7:30 on January 23and Chef Nick Melvin will be preparing a delicious 8 item menu with suggested Wicked Weed and MNB pairings. Bring your own vinyl and DJ RaeTone will be spinning them all night long. Add a little extra Venkman’s and vinyl into your week! Advance reservations are not available. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
Food Menu w/ Beer Pairings:
Char-siu Carrot Roll: Carolina Gold Rice, Plum Paste, Shiso, Honey Soy
Suggested Beer Pairing: Fu-Man Brew
Oyster and Chips: Smoked LA Oysters, Blood Orange Tartare, Potato Stix
Suggested Beer Pairing: Blind Pirate IPA
Pastrami Beef Tongue: Super Nerd Mustard, Brussel Kraut, Swiss, TGM Rye
Suggested Beer Pairing: Super Nerd
Peel and Eat Royal Red Shrimp: Tropic-most Boil, Pickled Pineapple Mojo, Kings Hawaiian Roll “Tostones”
Suggested Beer Pairing: Tropic-most
Pretzel Dumplings: Lunatic Cheddar Soup, Dill Pickled Salsa Verde, Pretzel Chip
Suggested Beer Pairing: Lunatic
Fried Chicken: Confit Thigh, 1984 Picatta Sauce, Radish, Sunflower Sprouts
Suggested Beer Pairing: Napolean Complex

Joe Gransden's Jazz Jam
2017-01-24 20:00, 2017-01-31 20:00
Venkman’s is the home of ATL’s most legendary jazz jam, hosted by Joe Gransden and his house band every Tuesday. Dinner reservations are available from 5:30p, sign-ups start around 7:30 PM and music starts around 8 PM. Everyone is welcome and it’s free!
Venkman’s features half-price bottles of wine on Tuesdays!
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

Ladies In-the-Round feat. Kyshona Armstrong, Shannon LaBrie, and Jess Nolan
2017-01-25 19:00 - 21:30
For a singer-songwriter, there’s no more basic function than getting onstage and getting something personal off your chest. The therapeutic qualities of the experience have seduced countless confessional composers, some of whom make known that they hold unfiltered expression as their highest artistic aim.
Kyshona Armstrong started out enabling others to enjoy the healing properties of songwriting, and keeping her thoughts to herself. When you’re a music therapist to incarcerated and institutionalized adults and school children with emotional behavior disorders, artistic considerations aren’t even on the table.
“I definitely had to accept the fact that when I’m writing with a patient, whatever they want to do is what they want to do,” Armstrong tells the Scene as she nurses a latte in East Nashville. “It’s their song: ‘Even if it might not fit in a form, if that’s what you want to say, say it. We’re not writing a big hit. This is for you.’ ”
When Armstrong worked first in the state mental hospital, then the public school system in Georgia, she found that her co-writers often clung to chant-like, circular song ideas. “They would find this melody they liked and they would stick to it,” she explains. “It was theirs to keep. It wasn’t hard to hold onto.”
Armstrong had focused on oboe at the University of Georgia — that and steel drums, which she played in the college’s Hawaiian-shirt-sporting ensemble, Tropical Breeze. But since neither instrument was all that well suited to coaxing patients into musical self-expression, she got into singing, playing acoustic guitar and songwriting.
When describing the positions she held during her decade or so in the mental health field, she punctuates each chapter with the same phrase: “That got kinda heavy.” The weight of it was what eventually moved her to begin penning her own tunes.
“A lot of my first songs were dealing with what I saw my patients struggling with,” she recalls. “A lot of my songs were about the stories that I would hear from them. Because I can only take on so much of people dumping. So I had to get rid of it and shed it somehow. I think telling their stories was one way for me to go out in the world and be like, ‘There’s so much more happening out there.’ For me, that was therapeutic. I don’t like to talk about myself, but I’ll talk about everybody else if you want me to share a story.”
At a certain point, her emotional investment in her patients’ pain became too much to purge at coffeehouse open mics. “You’ve gotta know when to tap out,” she says. “I was like, ‘I’m not of any use to these kids if I can’t give myself as fully as I used to.’ ”
So Armstrong got on the college singer-songwriter circuit, blending skills of empathizing and entertaining. Her set lists might put a strummy version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” next to “Confined,” a song she’d written with a couple of 20-somethings in the mental hospital. They were the hip-hop heads in the patients’ band — otherwise made up of Elvis-obsessed middle-aged men — and they’d wanted a song in the group repertoire that spoke to their own experience.
Besides teaching institutionalized adults and emotionally troubled school kids how to have healthy interactions with instruments in hand, Armstrong served a similar mission on the board of the Southern Girls Rock Camp in Athens, Ga. And that made her a shoo-in to volunteer at last summer’s Tennessee Teens Rock Camp, where she met a bunch of the women with whom she’ll perform at the girl group tribute She’s a Rebel a few days after playing her own show at 12th & Porter.
Armstrong moved to Nashville in January 2014, spending the first couple months commuting back to Athens to record her album Go, but easily made friends and landed bookings in local folk singer-songwriter, pop and soul scenes once she was around more. Smack-dab in the middle ofGo is a song that distills the insights of her therapeutic work and the artistic aspirations she’s developed since. Called “Cornelius Dupree,” it’s the turbulent channeling of a black man’s real-life experience serving 30 years in Texas for rape and robbery before being exonerated. Rather than narrate the external details of Dupree’s story, Armstrong gives voice to the searing physical and emotional strain he must’ve felt having to defend his innocence for so long.
Armstrong has reached the point where she embraces repetitive internal rhythms that emerge in some of her songwriting — likening them to both gospel spirituals and the viscerally simplistic utterances of her former patients — and she’s delivering her roots-soul originals with articulate warmth and newly claimed authority.
“I feel like I’m only just now stepping into this activist role,” she says, “or not activist, but someone who speaks out or brings up a subject that’s uncomfortable. In the past, I haven’t been the one to [say], ‘I’m gonna throw some mess on the table, and we’re gonna talk about it.’ But I want to be.”
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

(Not Annoying) Trivia
2017-01-26 19:30, 2017-02-02 19:30
(Not Annoying) Trivia at Venkman’s brings you everything you love about trivia – mind-bending questions, group camaraderie, great music, food and drink specials, prizes – without the one thing you don’t – annoying DJ chatter! Hosted by DJ Quasi Mandisco of Clermont Lounge fame with his trusty overhead projector, this uniquely Venkman’s take on trivia will get your competitive spirit racing without getting your blood boiling by hearing “Get those answers in” for the 500th time.
Sign-ups and music kick off at 7pm, with competition rocking at 7:30pm every Thursday.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

Talking Dreads
2017-01-26 21:00
TALKING DREADS: NOT SO SAME AS IT EVER WAS
Talking Dreads began as a project born from the audacious notion that hardcore Heads-lovers wouldn’t mind a tinkering or two with their favorite Talking Heads tunes, and there is a lot of great music here that will make you stop, listen and smile a little bit more as you’re grooving along to the joyous rhythms and jubilant spirit of the island vibe.
Talking Dreads is the brainchild of Head Dread, Mystic Bowie, a Jamaican artist whose long and close relationship with Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth, founding members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, began when he joined the latter group as a singer in 1996. He then recorded and performed with Tom Tom Club for nearly twenty years and continues to bear fruit from their unending collaborations.
This inaugural effort from Talking Dreads features an amazing lineup of stellar reggae stalwarts including Freddie McGregor [‘Rastaman Camp’, Bobby Babylon], ska-guitar master Ernest Ranglin (session player and arranger of Millie’s smash ‘My Boy Lollipop’, the Melodians ‘Rivers Of Babylon’, and countless other tracks], and Tarrus Reilly (‘Start Anew’, ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’) as well as a little help from punk-pop diva Cindy Wilson of The B-52s (‘Rock Lobster’, ‘Love Shack’).
Talking Heads’ music was a formative influence on Mystic Bowie since childhood. The marriage of Talking Heads jagged, Rhode Island art school punk with bouncing, sunny Caribbean rhythms appealed to him because “reggae’s dance-inspiring, feel-good vibe is universal as are many of Talking Heads’ songs. And don’t forget their intelligent, powerful lyrics! I’m convinced that there are a lot of music lovers who will appreciate this fusion as much as I do”.

EARLY SHOW: How and Why
2017-01-27 18:30 - 20:30
Atlanta indie folk singer-songwriters Michael Hudgins and Lindsay Rakers come together to form acoustic duo How and Why.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

A Live One - Exploring the Music of PHISH
2017-01-27 21:30, 2017-01-28 21:30
A Live One is a Phish tribute band based in Austin, TX, sharing the joy of Phish where Phish rarely treads.
A Live One began in December of 2010 by guitarist Josh Pearson and drummer Dan McGreevy of the band Moving Matter. As time turned elastic, the line up evolved to Wesley Haynes on keyboards, Andy Harn on Bass and Alan Eckert on drums. Being huge fans of Phish and heavily influenced by them, the band found it very exciting recreating their music. Soon realizing the difficulty of the music, A Live One rises to the challenge, striving to create a similar experience to the real thing, on a much smaller scale
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Purchasing a General Admission ticket does not guarantee a seat/table. Table reservations can be made at venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.
Additional reservations are not required if a booth or banquette has been purchased via Ticketfly.
PLEASE NOTE: If earlier dinner reservations are made, your seats are not guaranteed for the show. For example, you cannot reserve a table at 7:30pm and keep it for a 9:30pm show. The only way to guarantee a seat for the show is to purchase booth or banquette tickets.
Reservations for the Captain’s Room (private dining room) can be reserved for parties of 12-20 guests. For more info call 470-225-6162.

Chicken Pickin' Brunch w/ Sweet Auburn String Band
2017-01-28 13:00 - 15:00
Formed in 2013 in Atlanta, Sweet Auburn String Band brings high-energy soul and funkiness to American roots music.
IAN HENNESSEE, UPRIGHT BASS AND BANJO
JAMIE REILLY, PERCUSSION
DAN WILLIAMS, GUITAR
WILL B RUFF, MANDOLIN AND SLIDE GUITAR
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

EARLY SHOW: Victor St. Baloo
2017-01-28 18:30 - 20:30
Victor St. Baloo is a young Atlanta singer/songwriter/composer, with a clever and sentimentally verbose lyrical and melodic uniqueness akin to that of songwriters of the 1960’s and 70’s. Despite an obvious lean towards those decades however, his timeless attributes are not without a sense of humor and remarkable honesty. Akin to the likes of Leonard Cohen, Syd Barret or Ray Davies, as well as contemporaries such as Beck or Father John Misty, this self-aware romantic has the technical guitar skills to navigate these influences tastefully thus saving it from sounding even remotely forced or derivative. A psychedelic troubadour tickling fancies since 2005.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

Bottomless Mimosa Brunch w/ Coy-Norris Plus
2017-01-29 12:30 - 15:00
Atlanta jazz guitar master Dan Coy and Athens ace drummer John Norris team up with A-list bassists to make some lively and entertaining music for you: sometimes hot, sometimes mellow, sometimes funky – and always swinging and graceful!
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

A Tribute to The Crusaders: Honoring the lives of Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson, and Wilton Felder
2017-02-02 21:00
In the last few years, we have lost many great musicians. Some of these greats being three of the four core members of the Crusaders (formerly the Jazz Crusaders). Atlanta musicians, Kebbi Williams, Jonathan Lloyd, Khari Cabral Simmons, Nick Rosen, Chris Burroughs, and Nick Johnson pay tribute to the Crusaders on February 2nd at Venkman’s, playing two sets of music from two albums: “Southern Comfort” and “Chain Reaction”. Get ready for a night of horn driven West Coast Funk Jazz and classic groove at its best!
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Purchasing a General Admission ticket does not guarantee a seat/table.
Additional reservations are not required if a table, booth or banquette have been purchased via Ticketfly.
PLEASE NOTE: If earlier dinner reservations are made, your seats are not guaranteed for the show. For example, you may not be able to reserve a table at 7:00pm and keep it for a 9:00pm show. The only way to guarantee a seat for the show is to purchase booth or banquette tickets. Reservations for some table (4-top) seating may be available at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.
Bar area and patio seating is reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Reservations for the Captain’s Room (private dining room) can be reserved for parties of 12-20 guests. For more info call 470-225-6162.

Acoustic Beatles by Nick Niespodziani & Tim Smith
2017-02-03 19:00 - 21:00
Back by popular demand, Acoustic Beatles by Nick from Yacht Rock! Joined with very special guest, Tim Smith, of The Producers, Jellyfish, and Noah Gallagher and The High Flying Birds! Join us early on for solo acoustic versions of Beatles favorites. For this portion of the show, Nick & Tim will be taking requests via crayon drawings (crayons and index cards provided) so bring your inner 3rd-grade artist to help curate the show!
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

Escape Vehicle + The Rainmen
2017-02-03 21:30
With a musical styling that incorporates the sounds of Traffic, J.J. Cale, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers with just a touch of outlaw country, the members of Escape Vehicle have been brewing their batch of gritty, down-home, whiskey-drenched rock n’ roll in and around the southeastern United States since 2001. Their solid reputation as a soulful, hard-working band with honest tunes and a fanbase that’s always looking to hit the dance floor makes for a raucous live experience that leaves both newcomers and diehards screaming for more. Having shared the stage with the likes of Col. Bruce Hampton, Jeff Mosier, Count M’butu, Railroad Earth, Bloodkin, Particle, Tea Leaf Green, Blueground Undergrass, Outformation/The Sam Holt Band, Tinsley Ellis, and Coy Bowles & the Fellowship (of the Zac Brown Band), the Vehicle prides itself on its professionalism and high caliber musicianship. This band thrives and survives in a live setting in collaboration with a willing audience. With one studio release under our belt and another album of originals slated for a spring 2014 release, we invite you to come out to our next show so that our music can speak for itself.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Purchasing a General Admission ticket does not guarantee a seat/table. Table reservations can be made at venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.
Bar area seating is first-come, first-serve.
Additional reservations are not required if a booth or banquette has been purchased via Ticketfly.
PLEASE NOTE: If earlier dinner reservations are made, your seats are not guaranteed for the show. For example, if you reserve seats for 7:00pm dinner, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to keep it for a 9:30pm show. The only way to guarantee a seat for the show is to purchase booth, table, banquette, or Captain’s Table tickets via Ticketfly.
Reservations for the Captain’s Room (private dining room) can be reserved for parties of 12-20 guests. For more info call 470-225-6162.

Chicken Pickin' Brunch w/ The Wiseman Brothers
2017-02-04 13:00 - 15:00
The Wiseman Brothers are a traditional 4-piece bluegrass band based in North Georgia. They focus on traditional bluegrass music with furrows into contemporary numbers along with gospel and popular country music.
The band features Donovan Wiseman singing lead and harmony vocals while playing lead guitar. Devon Wiseman sings tenor vocals and plays Scruggs-style three finger banjo. The Wiseman Brothers are proudly backed by Matthew Mundy on mandolin and baritone vocals. Matt toured extensively with Wendy Bagwell, Lynn Morris and is probably best know for his time Aquarium Rescue Unit and touring with Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic. He also was featured on Bela Fleck’s Tales from The Acoustic Planet II. Jeff Wright is on bass and lead vocals. Jeff has tremendous feel and tone and toured with the Jerry Butler Band.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

EARLY SHOW: Katie Martin
2017-02-04 18:30 - 20:30
Performing across the Southeast since 2006, Katie Martin’s unique blend of blues, folk, and soul mesmerizes audiences in a way that has to be seen to understand. Her agelessly soulful vocals soar effortlessly above a rich propulsion of acoustic blues guitar reminiscent of Muddy Waters combined with the beautiful folk guitar of James Taylor, all performed with the honest intensity of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Seeing Katie Martin perform is an experience like no other, and her refreshing individuality is one that leaves a lasting impression long after the stage has grown silent. She released her acoustic EP ” Away From Here” with Haney Records in 2011. In 2015 she released “Katie Martin : Live From the Chocolate Room” ft. Tony Brook on slide guitar, and her debut album, “Purpose” both recorded, produced,and engineered by Larry Mitchell at The Chocolate Room.
TICKETING/RESERVATION INFO:
Tickets are not available for FREE shows. For seating at a FREE show, please make reservations for the appropriate time at www.venkmans.com (see “Reservations”), or by calling 470-225-6162.

The Whiskey Gentry Unplugged: Storytellers Set with Lauren and Jason
2017-02-04 21:00 - 2017-02-05 01:00
Lineup:
Jason & Lauren acoustic duo, 9p-10:30p
Bluegrass jam, 10:45p-1:00a
Tonight’s show features an acoustic set by Lauren and Jason Morrow, or The Whiskey Gentry, followed by a bluegrass jam featuring members of The Dappled Grays, The Whiskey Gentry, and Georgia Mountain String Band.
About The Whiskey Gentry:
Following the release of their first two acclaimed albums, Please Make Welcome(2011) and Holly Grove (2013), the Atlanta-based band The Whiskey Gentry are set to release their third full-length studio album entitled Dead Ringer this spring. On it, the husband and wife duo of Lauren Staley & Jason Morrow and bandmates have created an effort that builds on many of the sounds of their previous albums – incorporating deep country, Americana, honky-tonk, bluegrass and a stiff shot of gritty rock ’n’ roll, yet it also finds the band testing themselves and pushing beyond their own boundaries.
Dead Ringer deals with growing up, and how that’s affected the band’s relationships, and the places they’ve gone and people they’ve met in the process. As singer/songwriter Lauren Staley puts it, “There’s also a lot of questioning where you are in your life: are you going to follow your dream, or are you going to do what society thinks you should do?”
It’s apparent with this effort that Staley & Co. have opted for the former. “A common lyrical thread throughout this album are stories about being on the road,” Lauren admits, “and chasing your dreams and the outcomes – either good or bad – in doing that.”
Stepping outside of the comfort zone of their previous recordings, the band has moved in a different direction musically. “Sonically, the biggest difference of this record is that we recorded it live together in the same room at Echo Mountain Recording Studio (Asheville, NC),” Lauren explains. “There are less overdubs, which makes it sound more like how it would if you were to see us in person – it’s raw, it’s not perfect. We worked with a producer for the first time (Les Hall), and he had so many amazing ideas we’d never thought of and really pushed us to think outside of our box. There’s an energy on this record that we’ve never captured before, and I think it was a complete game changer for our sound.”
Dead Ringer has more guitars, more attitude and more of an edge than anything the band has done before. It’s not such a massive departure in sound that fans won’t understand it, but they will notice. “We are not a different band,” Lauren explains, “but we’ve definitely grown up and are changed people from the time we started this band. I think we’re better musicians, better songwriters. We’ve learned lessons and we’ve worked hard, and we want to tell our current fans and new fans the stories of what we’ve experienced on this journey. Musically, there are still elements of bluegrass and honky-tonk in our sound, and there always will be. However, I think we’ve expanded the scope of what we can offer people – there’s something for everyone on this record.”
The Whiskey Gentry has been tearing up the road for the better half of the last decade, logging over 150 shows each year, and winning over crowds at major festivals such as Shaky Knees, Shaky Boots, Merlefest, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, FloydFest and many others. With the release of Dead Ringer they’ll continue this trend, bringing their raucous, high-energy shows to audiences from coast-to-coast.
The Whiskey Gentry’s Dead Ringer will be available on limited vinyl, CD and digital formats on April 7th via Pitch-A-Tent Records.
TICKETING & RESERVATION INFO:
Purchasing a General Admission ticket does not guarantee a seat/table.
Additional reservations are not required if booth, table, or banquette tickets have been purchased via Ticketfly.
PLEASE NOTE: If earlier dinner reservations are made, your seats are not guaranteed for the show. For example, you cannot reserve a table at 7:00pm and keep it for a 9:00pm show. The only way to guarantee a seat for the show is to purchase booth or banquette tickets.
Reservations for the Captain’s Room (private dining room) can be reserved for parties of 12-20 guests. For more info call 470-225-6162.
